Oct. 31--Indian Jim claimed to be the "fastest bricklayer in the world." He proved his abilities in a contest 10,000 people watched unfold on Sept. 12, 1925, in Olathe.

James Garfield Brown was an Oneida Indian born in 1880. He was known for his athletic skills and strength in high school, and he became a bricklayer for Cook and Stricker Brick Company in Ottawa after graduation.

Brown, nicknamed Indian Jim, was a master bricklayer and his skills were put to the test when he participated in the Olathe contest against Frank Hoffman of El Dorado. Indian Jim laid 46,664 bricks in 7 hours and 48 minutes, or 218 tons of brick, completing the highway which is now old Kansas City Road.

Greg Sheffer, president of Inversion Productions, based in Olathe, hopes to bring Indian Jim's story and other Olathe historical events and people to life through a series of documentaries.

And these are full-fledge productions.

In the Indian Jim documentary, which was filmed the last two weekends in Olathe, Sheffer recreated the period, using actors dressed in 1920s clothing, historical cars driving the brick portion of Kansas City Road and re-constructing the old gas station in the park across the street from the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Site.

Sheffer developed the idea for the documents when visiting his father's home near downtown Olathe. There's an old stone wall behind the house, and Sheffer wondered what the history was behind the construction of the wall. He then thought about other historical aspects of the city.

"If there is history, why can't I use my abilities as a filmmaker to tell the story," he said.

Sheffer pitched the idea to the Olathe Historical Society and Olathe school district.

"About three years ago, Greg, myself and Social Science Coordinator Maureen Donegan with the district met and discussed the it," said Bob Courtney, president of the Olathe Historical Society.

Sheffer made a proposal that would capture Olathe historical people and events in a documentary format.

"We came up with a list of topics that Greg whittled down to 20," Courtney said.

The collaborators were able to secure sponsors for three documentaries, Indian Jim, Marshall Ensor and the Mahaffies. Those documentaries are either complete or in post production.

Three more documentaries are slated for production -- MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe Naval Air Station and Kansas School for the Deaf. They have funding for the Olathe Naval Air Station and working on securing funding for KSD and MNU, Sheffer said.

Sheffer's company writes the scripts and directs the documentaries with the assistance of the historical society.

"We do all the background research and help secure people for the story," Courtney said.

As with the Indian Jim documentary, the historical society found two people who attended the 1925 contest.

Sheffer said he tries to do more than present facts; he wants to tell a story, one that helps the viewer connect emotionally with the subject.

"You fill it with facts, but you also fill it with story," he said.

The documentaries are seven to 10 minutes long and cost about $20,000 to produce each one.

The documentaries will help teach present and future generations about the city and county's rich history.

"There will be a wide distribution for it," Courtney said.

Copies of each documentary will be in the district schools' media centers and copies will be made available to groups and organizations through the historical society and Inversion.

The Historical Society and Inversion have been in talks with KCPT public television, and the documentaries will be shown as a series, similar to the "Kansas City Crossroads" series that documents history in Kansas City.

"We're hoping that the ones we have done will help sell the rest," Courtney said. "We hope that they generate enough interest that we can obtain more sponsors for the remaining ones."

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Copyright (c) 2009, The Olathe News, Kan.

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