Author: Museum Staff

Railroads spelled doom for the Buffalo

Anthropologists estimate that between 30 and 60 million buffalo roamed the Great Plains prior to the arrival of white settlers and the railroads. The animals were essential to the survival of the Native Americans who utilized every part of the mammal for food, clothing, housing, tools and more.
The building of the railroads divided the original great body of bison into southern and northern herds with the southern herd containing an estimated 3,000,000 bison in 1871. The large herds were menacing and impeded work during the construction of the rails besides causing train delays once the roads were completed. In the fall of 1874 came the report of thousands of buffalo coming into the Arkansas Valley and crossing the A,T&SF going north. The herd reportedly stretched from Kinsley to Lakin with two thousand bison crossing just a few miles east of Lakin. Guy Potter, a manager for the railroad dining hall and hotel in Lakin, recalled being aboard a train which was delayed for one hour and forty minutes waiting for buffalo to cross the track. He witnessed the brakeman shooting 13 bison that day from the caboose.
Buffalo hunting became a profitable business for some and a sport for others, promoted not only by the railroads but also the U.S. government which sought to control the Native Americans by eliminating their food supply. The killing was vast and relentless. Hunters were known to kill hundreds of bison in a matter of days and thousands in a matter of months. Some of the meat and robes were harvested; often they were left to rot where they dropped. In December of 1872, J.B. Edwards and George Smith set up a temporary trading post at Lakin to supply the railroad construction crews. Edwards recalled that they did not sell much merchandise in their near month-long stay here, but they did buy and ship a carload of buffalo hides. After John O’Loughlin’s arrival here, the sight of buffalo hams curing in the sun on the roof of his dug-out was a common occurrence.
One of the picturesque figures of the southwest and subject of the book, “A Mighty Hunter”, Charles Youngblood lived in Lakin for a short time. Most of the meat from Youngblood’s hunts was sold to the local dining house or shipped to hotels in the Harvey House chain. He also supplied trainmen, emigrants and others with buffalo and antelope meat. Landlord Potter arranged with Youngblood to act as a guide for parties who paid the hunter $3 to $5 a day to participate in buffalo hunting excursions. These parties were made up of adventurous Easterners, railroad men and officials, land speculators, and even curious Englishmen who had crossed the great Atlantic just for a chance to shoot an American bison.
The killing of the buffalo gave rise to yet another money-making enterprise for Lakin and other sidings along the railroad. Bison bones were the first crop gathered by many penniless homesteaders on the plains. The bones were shipped east to factories where they were ground and used in the manufacture of fertilizer, bone china, buttons, umbrella handles, glue and more. Billy Russell recalled seeing huge piles of bones stacked along the railroad track when he first arrived here in 1881. In 1885, the going rate for bones gathered and delivered to Lakin was $10 per ton.
In 1882, the Lakin Herald reported that the only remaining buffalo in this vicinity had been sold to Fred Harvey and taken to New Mexico where the cow was to be kept as a curiosity for eastern tourists. Captured by Alonzo Boylan when but a calf, the buffalo had spent four years running with Boylan’s cattle.
By 1890, the American bison was on the verge of extinction with estimated figures of 300 to 1,000 head in the continental United States. The senseless slaughter is considered one of the greatest wildlife tragedies in the history of modern man.
SOURCES: The Coming Back of the Bison by C. Gordon Hewitt; The Buffalo Bone Commerce On The Northern Plains by LeRoy Barnett; Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed by Gilbert King; Kansas State Historical Society; History of Kearny County Kansas Vol. 1; Oct. 20, 1874 Daily Commonwealth; Oct. 29, 1874 Emporia Ledger; June 24, 1881 and April 8, 1882 Lakin Herald; Dec. 5, 1885 Advocate; and museum archives. Picture of C.L. Youngblood from the book, “A Mighty Hunter: the Adventures of Charles L. Youngblood” by C.L. Youngblood and E.H. Peck.

The Origin of Lakin’s Name

Lakin’s namesake, David Long Lakin, was born in Freeport, Harrison County, Ohio in May of 1830. Following his public school education, he attended and graduated from Denison University at Granville, OH, one of the earliest colleges established in the territory northwest of the Ohio River. Mr. Lakin then taught school for a few years before securing a contract with the U.S. government to survey and subdivide the public lands into townships and sections. In 1857, he located to Valley Falls where he conducted the supervision of the surveys in the north central part of Kansas. In 1862, Governor Robinson appointed Mr. Lakin to fill a vacancy in the office of the state auditor.

Shortly after arriving in Kansas, Mr. Lakin became associated with Cyrus K. Holliday, father of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Mr. Lakin’s knowledge and experience in land matters made him valuable to the Santa Fe organization, and in February of 1864, he was elected as the first treasurer on the newly formed railroad’s board of directors. Four years later, Mr. Lakin was appointed as the company’s first land commissioner. He opened an office in Topeka in 1869 to develop the Santa Fe Land Department the duties of which were to begin and carry to successful completion the huge task of surveying, classifying, appraising, selling and colonizing the railroad land.  In the spring of 1870, Lakin took to the field with a team consisting of a compassman, flagman, cook, outfit boss, wagon boss and three appraisers. The work of laying out routes and selection of townsites started at Emporia and proceeded westward to the state line. The group traveled well-armed in a covered wagon and frequently met bands of Arapaho, Cheyenne and Comanche Indians. While the surveying party often had to resort to vigorous diplomacy, they never had a conflict with the Native Americans.

Bad health compelled Mr. Lakin to resign from this task in 1872. As a reward for his faithful services, the railroad company named our townsite for him. Mr. Lakin was honored by the gesture, and although he never lived here, he became equally proud of Lakin’s development. A highly trusted, principled and respected man, David Long Lakin remained with the Santa Fe system until the close of his life in 1897 and was one of the organization’s most active and influential managers. Much of the railroad’s success and early prosperity were due to his devotion.

Sources: The Story of the Santa Fe by Glenn Danford Bradley; History of Shawnee Co. Ks and Representative Citizens by James L. King; Kansas State Historical Society; The Lakin Independent, August 27, 1948; History of Kearny County Kansas Vol. 1, and museum archives. Photo courtesy of KSHS.

John O’Loughlin committed to family, fellow man and the community of Lakin

John O’Loughlin arrived in Lakin in the spring of 1873, the first permanent settler. He set up a trading post next to the newly completed railroad in an abandoned dug-out that had been used by the railroad’s construction crews. John offered the ordinary line of staple dry goods and groceries as well as rifles, ammunition, ox yokes, ox shoes, boots, clothing, hats and handkerchiefs.

O’Loughlin served cowboys, hunters, trappers, travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and railroad crews. Well known for his honest dealings, friends often entrusted John O’Loughlin to hold their money for safe keeping as there was no bank in Lakin in the early years. Eventually Lakin began to grow, and O’Loughlin’s business flourished. By 1879, he had more business than the dugout store could handle. He built a 30×50-foot store building just a few feet away from the dug-out. Using eight horses, chains and large logs, the store building was moved to Main Street in 1883. For a time, John’s brother-in-law, Michael Weber, joined him in the mercantile business, and they expanded their services to include clothing, hardware, agricultural implements, cement, lumber, coal and more. But John’s business dealings were not limited to the store. He had stints as postmaster and vice-president of the Lakin State Bank as well as considerable land and cattle interests.

John and his Irish bride, Mary Farrell, raised seven children. When their sons were grown, they took over the O’Loughlin store and John’s ranching interests.

John’s daughter Margaret once said that John was the last person to want any fuss made over him or what he did. “One reason I think the old timers said so many nice things about my father was that he was able to extend credit to so many of them for so long while they were proving up. When settlers got discouraged, they’d come and want to sell their land. But Papa wouldn’t let them. If there was any way he could persuade them, he would not let them sell the land. Then he would arrange either for them to … work on his farm, or they could work on one of the other ranches, so they’d have groceries and things to get through the winter. And that way, they could stay in this country.”

John O’Loughlin died at the age of 73 in 1915. Unwavering in his commitment to family, fellow man and this community, John O’Loughlin is known as the father of Lakin.

 

Sources: “Timing is Everything” by Fern Bessire, Kansas Territorial Magazine July-August 1983; The Lakin Independent Aug. 9, 1935; “Ft. Hays – Ft. Dodge Trail” by C. E. Roughton, History of Kearny County Kansas Vol. I, and museum archives.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe completed through Lakin 150 years ago

Lakin began as a railroad town. The United States government made a grant of land to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. By law the A,T&SF acquired the title to all their lands within the ten mile limits as fast as they could complete and operate the road, that is, taking it in subdivisions of twenty miles in length of the road. They also acquired the title to the indemnity land, which is outside of ten miles and within the twenty miles of the road on each side, when they completed and operated the road to the west line of the State of Kansas, provided they completed the road by March 3, 1873. In spite of human predators, bad weather, tight money, long supply lines, and innumerable other complications, the track of the railroad reached the true state line on Dec. 28, 1872.
J.D. Criley, Superintendent of Construction, announced the good news in a wire to the General Manager of the railroad, “We send you greeting over the completion of the road to the State line. Beyond us lie fertile valleys that invite us forward, and broad plains die away in the distance, dotted with mingling herds of bison, and cattle, awaiting our further advance … We send you three cheers over past successes, and three times three for that which is yet to come.”
The A,T&SF then established stations every 18 to 20 miles where a well was dug, a windmill and water tank erected, and coal bins built. A section house for the railroad workers and a box car equipped for a depot was included. The towns west from Dodge City located and named in 1872 by the railway company were: Dodge City, Cimarron, Pierceville, Sherlock (now known as Holcomb), Lakin, Aubrey (now known as Kendall), Holidaysburg (which became Syracuse) and Sargent (known now as Coolidge).
As Lakin enters its 150th year of existence, check in frequently here or on our Facebook page to learn more about the history of our community.
(Information from Kansas Historical Quarterly Collections Vol. 51 and Virginia Pierce Hicks, first president of the Kearny County Historical Society.)

Ansels reign as 2022 Historical Society King and Queen

A long-held Kearny County Historical Society tradition looked a little different this year when Curtis and Emily Ansel were selected to ride in the chariot of honor in the Frances Bostrom Memorial Lighted Christmas Parade. The Ansels are the youngest king and queen ever chosen. Curtis, the son of Bruce and Peggy Ansel, graduated from Lakin High School in 1999, and Emily, the daughter of Monte and Nancy Miller, graduated from Deerfield High School in 2001. They were married in 2002, have three children, and reside north of Deerfield.

After setting the Big 12 record for longest punt while playing for the University of Kansas, Curtis signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent. He played in two pre-season games then was released. The next summer he signed with the Houston Texans who later released him. He now works for Cross Bell Farms, and Emily is a math teacher for the fifth and sixth grades at Lakin Middle School.

Curtis and Emily’s roots in Kearny County are deep. Curtis’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Carl Coerber, came to Kearny County in 1892 and was known at one time as the Deerfield sugar beet king. Emily’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Willard Miller, settled with his family on a tree claim in northern Kearny County near Oanica in 1886. He was the first teacher at Columbia School (now on Museum grounds) and the one to suggest its name.

Congratulations to Curtis and Emily, our 2022 KCHS King and Queen.

Mrs. Bugbee’s 1876 Christmas Dinner

Thomas Bugbee, cattleman, settled about two miles west of Lakin near the railroad in 1872 in a commodious dugout on the banks of the Arkansas. His wife was the original pioneer lady of that section, furnishing the cook of the Santa Fe Railroad’s construction gang with her famous recipes for sour dough biscuits and pickling large quantities of buffalo tongues.

During the blizzard in January 1873 that followed the completion of the railroad, Mrs. Bugbee had ground corn in a small hand-turned coffee mill to make corn bread and mush for the family for three days. It seemed that her arm would become paralyzed, but the supplies ordered to be dropped at a nearby siding had not arrived so there was no better way to do it.

By 1876, neighbors had come to the little railroad station at Lakin. There was the operator, A.B. Boylan, and his family, and the storekeeper, John O’Loughlin, and a few others. Thus, the Bugbees decided to have an old-fashioned Christmas dinner with guests from town. Mrs. Bugbee, a very ambitious and capable woman, determined that the dinner should be as nearly like those “back home in Missouri” as her surroundings would permit.

The big table was set the full length of their one-room abode. From boxes and barrels she unpacked her precious store of snowy linen, glistening silver and dainty china. The center of the table was occupied by a few leaves of holly brightening the big fruit cake that was sent by her mother from Missouri six weeks prior.

All was ready. She paused to give a last basting to the pan of tempting juicy antelope meat browning in the oven, cast a satisfied glance at the inviting table, and started to the door to look down the road for the expected guests whom Mr. Bugbee was to bring out in his light farm wagon.

A heavy rumbling noise overhead startled her – a sort of clumsy, scrambling noise. Then cracks appeared in the ceiling paper, and dirt and clods began to sift down to the table and floor.

Hurrying to the door to see what was the cause of the commotion, she saw an immense buffalo standing in the front of the door. This made her so angry that she grabbed a gun and soon put an end to the career of the unmannerly beast. But, to her chagrin, the buffalo fell in the door across the steps and she had to wait for Mr. Bugbee and those with him to arrive and drag the animal away to clear the entrance. Then she greeted her guests, a somewhat flushed though triumphant hostess. Fortunately, all had a saving sense of humor. The damage was soon repaired, and the merry party enjoyed the entertainment none the less because of the unusual prelude.

Farmer White’s Turkey Operation was both Profitable and Beneficial

As if enduring the Dust Bowl Days and Great Depression were not enough, grasshoppers were an additional problem during the 1930s. To battle the pests and ultimately save his alfalfa crop, Orlie White began raising turkeys on his Kearny County farm located on the north shore of Lake McKinney. According to a story written by his wife, Prudence, “turkeys were the best grasshopper catchers in the world.”
Orlie had a dealership with Red Wing Hatcheries in California for ‘broad-breasted turkeys,’ an improved meat bird. The turkeys would arrive by freight train, each one taught to drink water, and then put in heated brooder houses for the first few months. The first year White built three brooder houses for 1,000 poults. These brooder houses were on skids so they could be pulled by horse or tractor to fresh ground and a new supply of grasshoppers every two to three days. Later three more houses were added, and the number of poults increased to 2,100. In summer, portable roosts were built as turkeys “have a yen” to be put out in the open at night. To keep coyotes, coons and other predators at bay, lighted lanterns and sometimes even flares were put around the turkeys and someone slept near the turkeys each night.
The World War II draft resulted in a shortage of hired help, and White’s turkey business ended by 1942. It had been a profitable enterprise with White marketing his birds for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season at Swift’s plant in Garden City.

Veteran’s Display Update

In commemoration of Veterans Day, Kearny County Museum will be closed Friday, November 11. We appreciate our veterans, and to honor these patriots and their sacrifices, the museum has renovated our military display. Amy Fontenot, our Assistant Director, spent countless hours on arranging, researching and identifying every artifact and cataloging each one correctly in our system. The military display includes artifacts from the Civil and Spanish Wars, World Wars I and II, Korean War and Vietnam War. Among the items are uniforms from each branch of service, newspaper articles announcing the end of World War II, hard tack dating back to the 1800s, Calvary saddles and bits, mess kits, souvenirs brought from overseas, German artifacts, photographs and more. Amy has included personal information and pictures when possible with each uniform on display.
We invite the public to come view the display and the rest of our museum during regular business hours. And once again, to our veterans, thank you for your service!
World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919, outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting had ceased seven months earlier when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
An Act approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November a legal holiday to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
The Uniform Holiday Bill, signed June 28, 1968, was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of Americans so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and citizens.
 The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Source: US Department of Veteran Affairs

Book Signing Oct. 20 at Cottonwood Coffeehouse

Kearny County Museum and Cottonwood Coffeehouse are pleased to present Stephen R. Morefield, author of the newly released novel, But the Blood, a true story based on America’s bloodiest county seat war in Wichita County, Kansas in the 1800s. This book signing will be Thursday, October 20, at 5 p.m. at Cottonwood Coffeehouse, Main Street, Lakin, Kansas.

Mr. Morefield will deliver a short talk about his book, share some artifacts from the fight and have books available to purchase. Refreshments will be served. So mark your calendar and plan to join us!

You can learn more about Morefield’s book by visiting: https://www.facebook.com/leotivscoronadobook.