Cloud County Museum

08/29/2026

One of the community’s fondest memories is hearing the steam whistle of Carlgren’s steam engine and knowing that it was on its way to participate in a local community event. Today, many sadly reminisce about those days and the excitement the engine brought, knowing that it was sold and moved to another state. Photo taken in the fall of 1966.

08/21/2026

The Cloud County Historical Society Museum is excited to welcome visitors to Cloud County for The Bigger Dig, August 28–30, 2026. This extraordinary event brings history to life through the sights, sounds, and movement of historic construction and agricultural equipment.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see massive antique machines at work, including steam equipment, graders, draglines, cranes, rock crushers, prairie tractors, and other historic machinery. The event also highlights the ingenuity, craftsmanship, and hard work that helped build America's roads, farms, and communities.

For the museum, The Bigger Dig is another opportunity to showcase the importance of preserving our past. These machines represent more than old equipment—they tell the story of how earlier generations worked, built, farmed, and transformed the landscape around us.

We encourage residents and visitors to take advantage of this unique Cloud County event and experience history in action.

08/07/2026

08/07/2026

Will you and yours be visiting Concordia for its annual Fall Fest in September?

Plan to come out for our afternoon guided tour and enjoy seeing all the new features and exhibits in our Camp Concordia Museum! Otherwise, all tours must be scheduled in advance.

https://www.cloudcountytourism.com/wwii-pow-camp-concordia/

08/07/2026

📆 🎥 🌟Save the date! 📆 🎥 🌟

Join us on September 26th @ 11:30 AM or 1:30 PM for a showing of MINERSVILLE! 📆 🎥 🌟

"MINERSVILLE" is an award-winning documentary about the impact and spirit of a 1870s lignite coal-mining ghost town in the Belleville-Concordia area (North Central Kansas). Sponsored by Cloud, Republic Community Foundations, and their Museums.

For more information on this event click the link below! 👇
https://www.browngrand.org/events/

08/01/2026

From 1943 to 1945, during World War II, more than 4,000 German prisoners of war were housed at Camp Concordia. After the POW camp closed, part of the site was transformed into Thunder Cloud Park, a racetrack that hosted primarily horse racing, along with occasional automobile races. This photograph captures members of the Dust Devils Auto Racing Club kicking up clouds of dust as they race around the track on November 11, 1953.

07/31/2026

Ames' Rural Mail Route No. 1. In those days, neighbors didn't have to worry about porch pirates, and a package left at the door was expected to be there when the homeowner returned. Unfortunately, no date was provided with this photograph.

07/31/2026

Genealogy 101

The Cloud County Genealogical Society invites the public to a day of genealogy activities on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at the Cloud County Museum.

The day will begin with a Family Tree Assistance Workshop from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, where participants can receive help with their genealogy research and family history questions. The Cloud County Genealogical Society meeting will follow at 1:00 p.m.

At 2:00 p.m., the Society will present "Genealogy 101," an introductory program designed for anyone interested in learning how to research their family history. This presentation will introduce participants to several of the most popular genealogy resources available to the public and demonstrate how they can be used to discover, document, and preserve family connections.

Ancestry.com Bruce Johnston
Family Tree Maker Becky Bryant
Newspapers.com Bruce Johnston
How to put Families into Books Linda Houser Dietz
Ancerstry.com DNA Charles Reed

All activities are free and open to the public, and refreshments will be provided. Feel free to join us for one event or enjoy the full day of genealogy activities. Please use the museum's 7th Street entrance.

07/24/2026

07/14/2026

It's that time of year again—the Cloud County Fair is here!

This historic photograph captures a lively scene in downtown Concordia as the band entertains the crowd while fairgoers gather to board the shuttles to go to the fair. Although the exact date of the photograph is unknown, it preserves a cherished tradition that brought the community together in celebration.