Pleasant Hill (Towner) School Bus Tragedy Intensive Survey Plan, 2012

Simmons, R.; Simmons, Thomas; Front Range Research Associates, Inc.

From introduction: "The Pleasant Hill (Towner) School Bus tragedy of March 1931 still reverberates strongly among the residents of southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas and is recognized as an important event in the region's history. Popularly known as the Towner School Bus Tragedy (as a newspaper publisher christened it in recognition of the closest town), the incident claimed six lives, drew national media attention, and deeply affected survivors and communities in the vicinity. The tragedy received widespread notice throughout the nation, and its influence is seen in lasting changes to school communication systems, pupil release policies related to weather, and bus safety modifications. Recognizing the continuing interest in and significance of the event, the Kiowa County Historic Preservation Commission (KCHPC) initiated this project to identify extant historic resources associated with the tragedy to include in future intensive survey efforts. The purpose of this project was to prepare a plan for a future intensive survey of historic resources associated with the Pleasant Hill Bus Tragedy. The project identified and examined published accounts of the tragedy and interviewed descendants and other knowledgeable local residents to identify the types and locations of extant buildings, structures, objects, and sites associated with the event. A brief historic context was compiled to facilitate preservation planning. The location of each identified resource was visited and photographed. Table 1 in the Project Recommendations section lists each identified resource and its priority for future intensive survey (high, medium, or low) based on association with the tragedy and physical integrity." Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2011 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Kiowa County (project number CO-11-016) administered by the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 08-11-31912) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Kiowa County, Colorado is a Certified Local Government.

Pleasant Hill (Towner) School Bus Tragedy Intensive Survey Plan, 2012

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