MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
Local historian and collector Steve Harmon has built a reputation for unearthing rare photographs and films of Hutchinson’s past, and one of his most prized finds traces back to Evel Knievel’s legendary 1971 motorcycle jump at the Kansas State Fair.
Harmon, who shares weekly history features through his Throwback Thursday series, said the collection started about a decade ago when he was handed a set of professional Jim Morris photographs of the stunt. “I was stunned,” Harmon recalled. “They weren’t just snapshots from the stands — these were staff-quality prints from the Hutchinson News photographer who captured the jump from start to finish.”
The archive grew through chance connections and trades. Harmon later connected with Mike Patterson, owner of the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, and exchanged photos for additional images from the museum’s Hutchinson exhibit. Most recently, Harmon swapped digitized 8mm film reels with Patterson, each containing rare footage of the jump from different angles and moments.
“It’s always a win-win,” Harmon said. “You share what you have, and suddenly both collections are stronger.”
That spirit of collaboration also extended locally, when Hutchinson resident Greg Payton converted his own family’s 8mm footage of the jump into a digital format and donated a copy to Harmon’s archive.
In August, Harmon featured the photos and film in a Throwback Thursday post, giving Hutch Post readers a chance to relive one of the Kansas State Fair’s most talked-about moments.
LINK: 📷 Throwback Thursday: Knievel's Jump - Vol. 129
Looking ahead, Harmon said the key to preserving history is not only collecting but also protecting digital files for the next generation. He recommends backing up photos in multiple places and sticking to formats like JPEG for efficiency or TIFF for high-resolution archiving.
For those with old photos or film reels, Harmon encourages reaching out. “Sometimes people don’t realize the treasures they have in their attics or closets,” he said. “But once they’re shared, they become part of Hutchinson’s story.”