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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Rawlins County, Kansas.
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Rawlins County was established in 1873. It was named after Union Civil War General John Aaron Rawlins.
Smokey Bear, or Smokey the Bear, was an iconic bear that was created by the U.S. Forest Service in 1944 as part of an advertising campaign to prevent wildfires. The original version of Smokey was created by Albert Staehle. But within a few short years, Smokey's appearance was changed, making him more appealing to children. The softer, more cuddly version of Smokey Bear we know today was created in the late 1940s by Rudy Wendelin, an artist for the U.S. Forest Service. Wendelin grew up in Herndon, Kansas, and later studied architecture at the University of Kansas. In 1949, he became the full-time artist for the Smokey Bear ad campaign. He was considered Smokey's manager and caretaker for the next 25 years. Among all the Smokey Bear artists, Wendelin was perhaps the most prominent. His rendering of Smokey helped humanize and soften the character. It was under Wendelin's care that Smokey's fire prevention message became, "Only you can prevent forest fires." In 2001, the message was updated to, "Only you can prevent wildfires."
Adjacent Counties
- Hitchcock County, Neb.
- Dundy County, Neb.
- Cheyenne County
- Sherman County
- Red Willow County
- Decatur County
- Thomas County
Cities, Townships & Communities
- Achilles
- Atwood (County Seat)
- Blakeman
- Center
- Driftwood
- Herl
- Herndon
- Jefferson
- Ludell
- McDonald
- Midway
- Mirage
- Rocewood
- Union
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