A unique look at some of the more colorful people on the history of Salina will be the focus on an event Thursday evening at the Smoky Hill Museum.

According to the museum, John Burchill will introduce some of the colorful and charismatic people who helped make Salina and the surrounding area what it is today. Meet a Salina woman who wielded an ax before Carry Nation; a prominent madam; a sheriff who ended up on the wrong side of the law; and many more.

Burchill is an associate professor of criminal justice at Kansas Wesleyan University, member of the Humanities Kansas speaker’s bureau, author, historian and sought-after speaker.

This free presentation is hosted by the Smoky Hill Museum on Thursday, October 4, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.