Museum Staff – Page 17

Dr. George F. Johnston, pioneer MD

The oldest building on Lakin’s Main Street is small and unassuming. Glancing at its limestone façade, one could never guess the significance of the building to the people who called Lakin home in the first part of the 20th Century. The original part of the structure at 113 N. Main was completed in January 1904 for Dr. George F. Johnston, M.D. In addition to his office and consultation rooms, the facility also served somewhat as a hospital since there were no other ones here at the time.

Dr. Johnston arrived in Lakin in September of 1895 during the horse and buggy days of medicine. Born and raised in Reading, Pa., he was a graduate of Lafayette College. He graduated with high honors from the prestigious Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia in 1887 and completed his post graduate work at Bellevue Medical College of New York City. In 1892, Dr. Johnston made his way to nearby Leoti where he married Katherine Tipton in 1894.

A man of deep sympathy and humanity, the good doctor loved his profession. He made house calls both day and night, in good weather and in bad, sacrificing his physical self to relieve the suffering of others even when they had no money to pay his fees. Dr. Johnston often made the long drive to Ulysses and Garden City to treat patients. Accounts of his service were regularly related in the local papers such as when he had so many patients to call on that he hadn’t taken his clothes off for three nights. When Lake McKinney was under construction, one of the workers came down with small pox, and Dr. Johnston avoided an epidemic by immediately quarantining the camp. Answering a house call to Kendall in December of 1921 required the doctor to use a sled to get to his patient.

From 1899 to 1901, Dr. Johnston was Kearny County’s representative to the Legislature where he served as a member of the public health, railroad, and agricultural committees. Along with a fellow doctor from Ellsworth, Dr. Johnston succeeded in getting medical legislation passed that resulted in the organization of the first State Board of Medical Registration and Examination. Kansas Governor William Stanley appointed Dr. Johnston as the first president of the board, a selection made with much scrutiny and care. Dr. Johnston’s 1901 medical license was the first issued in the state and is on display at the Kearny County Museum.

Dr. Johnston also served as the chairman of the Republican County Central Committee for many years and was a delegate to nearly every state Republican convention for over 20 years. He was a member of the Lakin Presbyterian Church, Knights Templars of Garden City, and the Lakin Blue Lodge and Order of Eastern Star. According to information provided by his late daughter, the doctor was a lifelong student and could be found reading medical journals or historical readings in his free time.

At the time of Dr. Johnston’s death in 1925, there were thousands of dollars on his books that had gone uncollected. Despite almost impassable roads and poor weather conditions, nearly the entire town attended his funeral, a true showing of admiration and respect for the man who had given so much of himself for the health and well-being of others.

SOURCES: A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans compiled by William E. Connelley; Tribute to Father by Elizabeth Johnston Gillespie; History of Kearny County Vol. 1; Dec. 13, 1894 Western Kansan; Sept. 26, 1895 Leoti Standard; Feb. 18, 1898 Lakin Index; Jan. 28, 1904 and Oct. 1, 1920 Advocate; Dec. 9, 1921 and Nov. 20, 1925 Lakin Independent; Nov. 16, 1901 Lakin Investigator; and museum archives.

Annual Meeting Reservations Due Now!

The Kearny County Historical Society was organized Nov. 26, 1957 by a number of persons who were interested in preserving the history of Kearny County. Spearheaded by their president, Mrs. Virginia Pierce Hicks, this small group had a vision that has led to the release of two volumes of History of Kearny County, the preservation of the Deerfield Texaco Station, and to the museum complex which is home to the oldest house in Lakin, Columbia one-room school house, the Lakin depot, 12-sided barn, machinery building, and main museum building with annex.

Hundreds of visitors and school children come through the museum door each year, eager to learn about history and see artifacts that offer a glimpse into the lives of those who came before us. Our buildings are overflowing with many fine artifacts, most of which way have been generously donated. We have files upon files filled with historical information, archives of the local papers, and offer research services for those interested in learning more about their families or historical events. Few rural museums have as much to offer as does ours. We are forever indebted to our benefactors, the 16 charter members of the KCHS, and the many dedicated volunteers, board members and employees who came before us and shared their time and talents to make the museum what it is today.

You too can be a part of the Kearny County Historical Society. We encourage you to join us on Saturday evening, May 6, for our annual meeting at the Deerfield Community Center. In addition to learning more about our organization and projects, you will be treated to a delicious brisket meal and program on the Arkansas River given by Hannes Zacharias.

You will need to reserve your spot by calling the Museum at 620-355-7448 by 3 p.m. Friday, April 28. There is no charge for this special event, and we would love to have you as our guest!

If you cannot attend the annual meeting but are interested in becoming a member of the historical society, a mere $20 will pay for a lifetime membership. If you like the articles that have been appearing in the newspaper, you are sure to enjoy our newsletter which is mailed quarterly to our members. With your membership, you will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping preserve our precious past and educating future generations.

Virginia Pierce Hicks, 1st president of the KCHS

Helen Browne Rardon, 1st vice-president of the KCHS

Edith Thorpe Clements, 1st KCHS secretary

Margaret O’Loughlin Hurst, KCHS historian

Commitment to community is a Tate legacy

Multiple generations of the Tate family have called Lakin home since 1885. They have excelled in the fields of law, business, ranching, agriculture, medicine and more, but a common denominator has been their commitment to making this community better. That is a legacy that began in the spring of 1885 when George H. Tate Sr. arrived here from Chesterfield, Illinois. Accompanied by his 14-year-old son, George Jr. (Harry), the elder Tate had been advised by his doctor to move to a drier climate, and Lakin fit the bill. In July of 1885, he commenced to build a frame store building to house a general hardware and mercantile business on the west side of South Main Street. By the end of August, Tate had a partner, Noell E. Farrar, and the firm of Tate & Farrar opened with a line of groceries, flour, feed, clothing, and more. George purchased Farrar’s interest less than a month later and continued a successful business with son Harry by his side. The following spring, Mr. Tate returned to Illinois to move his wife, Susannah, and their eight other children to Lakin.

Tate’s firm enjoyed a large business serving local customers and those from surrounding counties. When Lakin lost the county seat in 1889 and drought and nation-wide depression set in, three general stores closed their doors, but two remained – John O’Loughlin’s and Geo. H. Tate’s. Sons Harry, John and Sidney assisted their father in the family business while daughter Elizabeth had charge of the dry goods department. The family also conducted a freighting business to Ulysses and maintained a store in Deerfield for a number of years. Harry, John and Sid took turns hauling supplies there several times a week until this business was sold in 1902 to Sam Corbett and Fred Sowers.

Due to his ever-increasing business, George added on to his Lakin store more than once. Then, in November of 1906, the building was pulled out into the street to continue doing business while a substantial brick replacement was under construction. The grand opening in the new building, Lakin’s largest at the time, was celebrated in the spring of 1907 with Tate’s offering dry goods, groceries, clothing, hats, caps, boots, shoes, hardware, Queensware, flour, feed, harnesses and even the buggy to get the shopping haul home.

George Tate’s business was significant to the citizens and economy of Lakin, but he and Susannah contributed to the community in other ways as well. George was on the city council and served stints as mayor and treasurer. A veteran of the Civil War, he was a charter member and very active in the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) He served on various committees in the early years working towards improvements in this southwest Kansas town. Mrs. Tate was one of Lakin’s Christian workers, opening her home to prayer meetings and serving on the Ladies Aid Society. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union flourished due mainly to her many years of service as the organization’s president.

After George’s death in 1917, the management of the store fell to George Jr.

When he died in 1944, his sons Cecil and Roland continued to operate the store. In March of 1946, the brothers announced that they had sold the store to Mr. and Mrs. Howard Brehm owing to the pressure of other business. Currently used for storage, the building has housed a number of grocery stores through the years including Brehms, Quality Food Market, Fisher’s IGA, Don’s Jack & Jill, Connie’s Food Center, and Carter’s Jack & Jill.

L-R: John, George Jr., and Sidney, sons of George and Susannah Morrison Tate. Son James Noel died at the age of 5.

The daughters of George and Susannah Tate. Standing L-R: Elizabeth, Lenora Boylan Tate (wife of George Jr.) and Ethel. Sitting L-R: Sue, Olivia and Sarah.

SOURCES: “Pioneering Tate Family Celebrates 100 Years in Kearny County” written by Florence Tate Fletcher for the Lakin Independent July 18, 1985; archives of The Advocate; Lakin Investigator and Lakin Independent; Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny Co. Vol. I & II; and museum archives.

Banking in Lakin 117 years ago

When Lakin secured the county seat in 1894, some of the homes and business houses in Hartland were relocated here. As the climatic and economic conditions steadily improved, Lakin’s population again began to grow. By October of 1906, the town was in the middle of another building boom. Among the buildings erected at this time were the Kearny County Bank and the Lakin State Bank.

The Kearny County Bank had been organized February 1, 1888, and was located in the Spivey and Holmes Building on the southeast corner of Main and Waterman. This set-up worked well for the bank until the building also began housing county officers and the court house in 1899. Eventually the county needed more space, and the news broke in March of 1906 that bank officials had decided to erect a new building across the street on the west side of Main.

By the end of January 1907, the fixtures of the Kearny County Bank were all in place, and the safe had been installed in the handsome building which featured red pressed brick with white accents. The only obstacle preventing the bank from moving into the new quarters was the arrival of the office furniture. The official move took place in February. Besides being headquarters for the bank, the building had several offices on the first and second floors. A suite of rooms was occupied by the real estate and insurance business of E.R. Thorpe and Charles Loucks, and dentist J.H. Rardon’s office was on the second floor.

Catty-corner from this location was the site chosen for the Lakin State Bank which was chartered in March of 1906. Although the Kearny County Bank had about a four-month head start on construction, Lakin State Bank was the first to move into their new facility. The move took place Christmas 1906. Made of cement stone with steel ceilings and attractive metal cornices, the building committee spared no expense in making the building up-to-the-minute in every respect. The bank was situated in the first room on the first floor with Kansas Real Estate and Abstract Company in the second room. A third room was initially used as a board room for the directors. The first suite of rooms on the second floor were occupied by attorneys A.R. Hetzer and H.O. Trinkle, and the Kearny County Advocate moved into the second suite on the upper story with editor C.N. Walls sleeping next door to the printing office. The basement was leased to C.H. Sanford of Garden City and used as a café, but that business was short-lived. The Advocate was removed from the top story and relocated in the basement in August 1907.

The ownership and control of both banks remained in Kearny County from the dates of their origin until May of 1946 when officials of the Garden National Bank acquired majority control of the banks, consolidated them and liquidated the Lakin State Bank. The new institution continued under the name of Kearny County Bank, carrying on business in the same location. In 1955, majority control of the bank was returned to local hands when the investor group of Dan Ratzlaff, J.R. Hutton and Clyde Beymer, Jr. acquired the shares controlled by the Garden National Bank owners. A new building was erected in 1962 two blocks north.

The old Kearny County and Lakin State bank buildings still stand and have housed many businesses throughout the years from pawn shops to beauty shops and insurance agents to computer wizards. Bri’s Burritos is currently stationed in the former Kearny County Bank building while Bryant Chiropractic operates out of the Lakin State Bank location. The upstairs offices in both buildings have been converted into apartments, and the entrance to the basement on the south side of the Lakin State Bank building was filled in with concrete many moons ago.

SOURCES: “We’re 100 Years Old” written by Clyde Beymer, Jr. for the Jan. 28, 1988 Lakin Independent; Archives of The Advocate and Lakin Investigator from 1906 through 1909; May 17, 1946 Lakin Independent; History of Kearny County Vol. 1; and museum archives.

Lakin’s 1886 School Building

Knowing that an investment in education pays the best dividends, Kansans invested early on in the education of their young folk. Two hundred school districts were organized in 1884, and among them was School District No. 3 of Finney County. This district included the east half of present-day Kearny County. On Kansas Day 1884, a new town hall was christened on the east side of Lakin’s Main Street. The hall was used as a school, church, and community gathering place, but by the end of 1885, it became ever apparent that the building would very soon be too small to accommodate the ever-growing population of young people.

An election was called to vote bonds to construct a modern school building and passed unanimously. The contract was let in April 1886 to W.J. Hobson of St. Joe, Mo. for $9,500. Designed by E.J. Eckel of St. Joe, Mo., “It will be an ornament to the town and a credit to the people who so cheerfully assumed the responsibility of providing such excellent facilities for the education of our youth.” Construction commenced immediately in the center of Block 50 with a completion goal set for August 25^th of that year. The cornerstone was placed in a grand celebration on July 5 that included orators and speakers, ladies on horseback in red, white and blue, a basket dinner, baseball game, lofty tumbling performance by the Fat Men’s Club, fireworks, and pony, foot and sack races.

Among the speakers was A.B. Boylan, director of the board of education. “A few slight years have elapsed since this all was the range of the buffalo, antelope, and the wild horse. Little did I think when I first took up my abode on this then wilderness of a prairie that I would be called upon such an occasion, but so it is.” Boylan closed with this sentiment that still rings true today, “It is necessary that our children still have the advantage of education that they may understand the constitution of the United States, that they may form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity.”

Thirteen days later, the school building was hit by a tornado. The north side was blown down, delaying completion until late October. School opened Monday, November 1, 1886 with four teachers and an enrollment of about 80 pupils. D.D. Davidson was the superintendent.

Three of the school’s four rooms were fitted for school use. Primary grades 1,2 and 3 were together while the intermediate grades of 4,5 and 6 were in another room. High school was considered grades 7, 8 and freshmen. The fourth room was unfurnished and became known as the “Lodge Room” for local fraternities of the Masons, I.O.O.F., Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen, Knights and Ladies of Security, and others.

An addition of two large rooms was completed in 1912, one upstairs for an assembly room and a room downstairs for the primary grades. The basement was also added to, and a new furnace was installed. Inspections in 1919 revealed that the stone foundation on the original part of the building had deteriorated and was becoming unstable. Architects recommended that building a new school would be more cost-effective than repairing the old one, and in May of 1920, the walls of the 1886 building were laid to the ground.

SOURCES: Dec. 12, 1884 Smith County Bulletin; 1885 and 1886 archives of The Advocate; May 23, 1919 Advocate; May 7, 1920 Lakin Independent; History of Kearny County, Kansas Vol. 1; and museum archives.

Court houses of Kearny County

When Governor Martin declared Lakin as the temporary seat of Kearney County in 1888, the former City Restaurant building on Lot 7 in Block 6 was rented for $15 per month to house the court house and county officers. The building had been erected by H.C. Robinson in 1885 and sat just southeast of Lakin’s Town Hall. When a tornado struck Lakin in July of 1886, the town hall was thrown from its foundation and demolished. Portions of the hall’s roof and building were hurled against the restaurant, but Robinson’s building survived the tempest. Soon after the building was rented by the commissioners, a stone vault was constructed at the back of the building to protect the county’s records. Rock for the vault was brought from quarries northeast of Kendall.

After Lakin lost the county seat election in 1889, Hartland’s Kearney House was rented as the court house. The hotel was a grand two-story structure that had been built for $3,500 in 1886 and was located just north of Hartland’s depot. Originally operated by the Bowen Bros., the hotel changed hands several times. L.E. Williams was the proprietor at the time of the January 1894 courthouse fire and sued county commissioners for negligence. In February of 1897, the Finney County District Court found the commissioners guilty as they had violated their lease by allowing the Kearney House to be occupied by a person who was not a county officer. There had also been hay, straw and other combustibles stored in unoccupied rooms of the building, and the hall door had been left open. The assessed damages came to $1,200. County commissioners appealed, and the verdict was reversed in July of 1899. The case then went to the Supreme Court which overturned the verdict. In July of 1900, county warrants were drawn for $1,674.34 and paid out to Williams.

After the Kearney House burnt, county commissioners rented a building in Hartland commonly known as the Jones building to house county offices. The two-story structure was just south of Hartland’s post office, and monthly rent was $15. This was a considerable savings as rent at the Kearney House had been $40 per month.

After the special county seat election in June of 1894, court offices were moved back to Lakin in the south side of what was commonly called the Spivey & Holmes building. Located on the southeast corner of Main and Waterman, this two-story building was opened in May of 1886 and had several office spaces. Holmes Hall, a large hall on the second floor that had been used as a community gathering place, was converted into a court room. The Kearny County Bank occupied the north part of the building.

By spring of 1895, county officials had grown weary of the condition of the Spivey & Holmes building and claimed that county records were being damaged whenever a rain shower or dust storm hurled across the prairie. Besides that, monthly rent was $105. J.H. Leeman had torn down his Hartland hotel and rebuilt it in Lakin on the west corner of South Main and Railroad Avenue. Renamed the Lakin House, Leeman offered up the building as a location for the court house in the fall of 1895, and commissioners accepted Leeman’s proposition for $40 per month. The court house remained at this location until 1899. At that time, the court house was moved back to the Spivey & Holmes building where county offices occupied the greater portion of the structure. Though remodeled several times during its existence, this building eventually became too small to house the court house.

American Legion members became the driving force behind the building of a new court house, circulating petitions to start a building fund and urging commissioners to purchase the block where the current court house stands. A federal public works grant of $31,5000 helped fund the construction, with remaining costs met locally. The court house was completed in August of 1939 at an original construction cost of $70,000. This amount excluded the jail and library additions which were completed in 1964 and 1973, respectively.

An estimated 3,500 people converged on Lakin when the court house and Highway K-25 South were dedicated in September 1939. The highly anticipated dedication day was full of activities with the highlight of the day being an address on the court house steps by Kansas Governor Payne Ratner. The joyous celebration was a rarity in a decade plagued by dust storms and the Great Depression.

“This dedicatory ceremony is a tribute to the progressiveness of those who made the building and the day possible,” Gov. Ratner said. “It seems to me the occasion should also be regarded as a time for dedicating our efforts toward better government—county, state, and national. It should be a time of inspiration, directing us to better citizenship, to greater fields of endeavor, and to larger and more useful lives.” Dr. Grant Hastings, chairman of the festivities, joked that the occasion was the first time a governor had visited Lakin outside of an election year.

The Kearney House at Hartland was used as a court house until it burnt down mysteriously on Jan. 17, 1894.

The Lakin House stood on the northwest corner of Main and Railroad and was used as a court house from 1895 until 1899.

The Spivey and Holmes building on the southeast corner of Main and Waterman in Lakin was torn down in in February of 1953. Lakin’s fire department now sits at this site.

The current Kearny County court house was dedicated in September of 1939.

SOURCES: Archives of the Kearny County Coyote, Lakin Investigator, Lakin Index, Pioneer Democrat, Kearny County Advocate, and Lakin Independent; History of Kearny County Vol. I and II; and museum archives.

Rumors and shenanigans surround abstract books

Sorting through history can get messy. Details are often lost as the years pass by, and rumors replace facts. Such is the case surrounding a set of books that were in the Kearny County Court House at Hartland when it caught fire in January of 1894. The Advocate reported that everything in the building was destroyed except what was in the four county safes and the personal safe of Edgar Robinson Thorpe. E. R. Thorpe settled in Hartland in 1888 and was elected register of deeds in November of 1891. He was also a realtor and bonded abstractor. Among the records in his personal safe was a complete set of abstract indexes. The books were his personal property, and there was never any question in the papers as to their rightful ownership. According to current Kearny County Register of Deeds Missie Gerritzen, it was not uncommon for realtors and abstractors to have their own copies back then, “because they didn’t have to go to the court house to research so it was easier.” There would also be property records if something catastrophic happened to the court house.

In 1896, C.O. Chapman filed an injunction to prevent county commissioners from purchasing Thorpe’s abstract books alleging that the commissioners had conspired with Thorpe to “defraud the taxpayers of Kearny County” by paying an exorbitant amount to Thorpe who would then “kick back” some of the money to each commissioner. County officers denied that the purchase had been contemplated, and local papers claimed Chapman made up the false claim because he was bitter over losing a recent bid for office. The injunction was later dismissed at Chapman’s request.

That wasn’t the end to the abstract shenanigans though. After serving two terms as register of deeds, Thorpe passed the bar exam and opened a law practice in Lakin where he specialized in searching land titles and preparing abstracts. In July 1904, someone entered his law firm and stole the abstract indexes while Thorpe, business partner Charles Loucks and stenographer Clara Wright were out to dinner. The community was thrown into a frenzy over the theft. The Advocate claimed that if the records were not recovered, a severe blow would not only be dealt to “Thorpe and Loucks, but to every property holder in the county.”

T.J. Donovan, his wife, and son Denny were arrested for the crime. The elder Donovan had been a well-respected trustee and assessor of Hartland Township and acknowledged that he knew where the books were. He promised to return them if Mr. Thorpe would drop the charges against he and his family. E.R. agreed to the deal, and the books were retrieved from a hiding spot in the sand hills. There was never any reason provided in the papers for the theft, but various members of the Donovan clan had been in trouble for stealing at least three times prior to the incident.

E.R. Thorpe sold his abstract books to Kansas Real Estate and Abstract Company in May 1905. In January of 1910, H.A. Gaskill purchased the books, building and office furniture of the Kansas Abstract Company, and a new corporation known as The Lakin Land and Immigration Company was formed that April. The firm was a consolidation of E.R. Thorpe Realty, the Kansas Real Estate and Abstract Co., G.W. Shell & Co., Thos. C. Nelson Real Estate and Abstracts, and the law firms of E.R. Thorpe and Gaskill. E.R. Thorpe was the president, and Gaskill was treasurer. Thornton Clarence Thorpe, son of E.R., was the secretary. The company was soon advertising that they owned the only complete set of abstract books of Kearny County prior to the court house fire in 1894.

There were various partners and officers in the Lakin Land and Immigration Company during its existence, but E.R. Thorpe was always at the helm. T.C. Thorpe stepped away briefly but was back on the job in 1922. By the end of that year, the ads for Lakin Land and Immigration had stopped appearing in the local papers; however, ads ran for E.R. and T.C. Thorpe’s abstract, real estate, insurance and loan business. Presumably, the Thorpes had bought out the assets of Lakin Land and Immigration and dissolved the company.

In January of 1928, T.C. Thorpe moved to California. The following month, the Independent reported that former Kearny County Attorney Clyde Elmer Beymer had taken over the insurance, loan and abstract business from T.C. “Mr. Beymer is an experienced hand at this kind of work and will carry it forward to the satisfaction of his clients.” Born in Iowa in 1888, C.E. moved to Kansas in 1905. He moved to Lakin in 1924 from Haskell County where he had taught school and served as county clerk.

After E.R. Thorpe’s death in 1935, Beymer retained the original abstract books. In January of 1936, the Independent announced that J. E. (Hap) Beymer had become a partner with his father in the law, abstract and insurance office, and Beymer & Beymer was formed. After Clyde Jr. was discharged from the army in 1945, he too became a partner in the family business. Following Clyde Jr.’s death in 2002, Missie Gerritzen contacted his son Bob about having the abstract indexes microfilmed due to their age and significance to Kearny County’s history. Consent was given, and shortly afterwards Beymer and Beymer donated the Thorpe abstract books to the Register of Deeds office, a gesture that Gerritzen is genuinely grateful for.

Sources: Archives of The Advocate, Lakin Index and Independent; museum archives and family files; History of Kearny County Vol. 1; and ancestry.com with sincere appreciation to Missie Gerritzen, Bob Beymer and Patti Davis Dunlap.

Communities “battled” for county seat

During the settlement of the west, the survival of a town often hinged upon its ability to win the county seat. Rival towns resorted to fraud, bribery and even deadly violence to secure the prize, and Kearny County was not without its share of misconduct. With Lakin being the oldest settlement in the county, one might think that Lakin’s designation as county seat was a done deal, but that was far from the truth.

In early summer 1885, a Hutchinson-organized town company bought a section of land from the railroad at the station of Hartland about seven miles west of Lakin. The Hartland town company advertised extensively using alluring and glamorous descriptions of the area to draw speculators, land seekers, business men and laborers to the “Rose of the Valley.” Located near the north end of Bear Creek, a natural dry creek that cut through the sandhills to the Arkansas River Valley, Hartland was at the right place at the right time. In April of 1886, the Bank of Hartland was established with a capital of $50,000. The following month, Hartland reportedly had over 125 residences and business houses including six lumber and hardware stores, seven general stores and groceries, four land and real estate agencies, two hotels, a livery, blacksmith, harness maker, and a furniture store. Hartland was soon vying for county seat, but the booming community was not Lakin’s only rival.

North Kearney represented the largest territory, and from 1886 to 1888, several short-lived northern towns sought the county seat. The first was Hoover, established 18 miles north of Hartland in April of 1886. Named for Hartland businessman, G.M. Hoover, this town was an offspring of Hartland enterprise and the halfway point on the stageline from Hartland to Leoti. By August, the town name had been changed to Kearney. Although the townsite did have a post office for a number of years, in reality Kearney was little more than a few buildings.

By December of 1886, the townsite of Myton was being laid out about 10 miles north and three miles west of Lakin. In March of 1887, Carolina Virginia Pierce had 40 acres laid out in town lots at Myton, and the following month, a committee accepted Mrs. Pierce’s offer of 80 acres as the place to locate the proposed county seat of Kearney County. Myton was then renamed Chantilly. (County namesake Philip Kearny died in the Battle of Chantilly during the Civil War.) The largest of the “flats” towns, Chantilly boasted a large hotel, two general stores, a restaurant, a livery stable, blacksmith shop, post office, newspaper, and school at the height of its existence.

Kansas Governor John Martin appointed a census taker in 1887 to enumerate the inhabitants of the county, but this was not an easy task. Each legal voter was entitled to sign the petition for naming the county seat in one of the rival towns. The folks at Chantilly charged that Lakin had shipped in 200 to 300 transient voters who were distributed all over the county, and Hartland openly offered town lots in exchange for signatures. Promoters representing each of the towns did everything they could to have as many as possible enumerated who would be on their side and leave those uncounted who were opposed. The grand total number of signers who affixed their names to the petitions was 2,891 although it was doubtful if there were 500 people in the whole county. The northern territory consolidated as Kearney withdrew, throwing its strength to Chantilly which was far in the lead until Lakin’s petition came in with a list of names alleged to be padded. On March 27, 1888, Gov. Martin issued a proclamation designating Kearney County as a permanent county and Lakin as temporary county seat until a legal election could be held. Gov. Martin appointed temporary county officers: three county commissioners, a county clerk, and a sheriff. Chantilly’s charges of fraud went to the Shawnee County court, but Lakin prevailed. The following year, the state legislature dropped the second “e” from “Kearney” to reflect the proper spelling of General Kearny’s name.

Almost immediately, Lakin’s temporary officers committed “questionable” acts by issuing fraudulent warrants and misspending county funds. When citizens elected county officers in November of 1888, one of the first orders of business was an examination of warrant records, stubs and vouchers by the newly elected county attorney. Considerable examples of misconduct and excessive and fraudulent expenditures were found – thousands of dollars worth of bonds had been issued, sold to the unsuspecting and then pocketed or spent largely to retain Lakin as the permanent county seat.

There had been so much fraud and legal expense that the burden was more than Chantilly supporters could shoulder. They gave way to Omaha which had been organized by the Omaha Town Company, a group of promoters who were willing to take over the cause of North Kearney. Omaha made a last bid for the county seat. Lots in Chantilly were exchanged for lots in Omaha and the buildings in Chantilly were put on rollers and moved roughly three miles south to Omaha. By the time the county seat election rolled around on Feb. 19, 1889, most of those remaining in North Kearny cast their lot with Hartland. The late D.H. Browne said one of the most dramatic events in his life was counting the votes. Each county seat contestant had the privilege of sending someone to see that the votes were properly counted. Undersheriff Barney O’Connor was Lakin’s representative and stood over the election judges with six-shooter in hand. Mr. Browne said he never expected to get out of the building without someone being killed.

Hartland was victorious, and Lakin felt robbed. O’Connor served an injunction on county commissioners restraining them from canvassing the vote and also restraining all county officers from moving their offices to Hartland. Several cowboys came to Lakin, swiped the county books, and galloped away to Hartland. O’Connor and Tommy Morgan, who had come to Lakin years earlier in the employ of the Santa Fe, strapped on guns and went to Hartland to get the books back. Lakin hired guards to watch the courthouse day and night. The case went to court, and Lakin was ordered to give up the records. Despite Lakin’s claims of fraud, the Kansas Supreme Court officially ruled Hartland as the victor.

Not familiar with western conditions, many of the homesteaders who had come from the east had left by 1894. Hartland was slipping and no longer had a newspaper, but from all appearances in the Lakin papers, the two communities were co-existing peaceably. Then the Hartland court house caught fire January 17, 1894. Although there was speculation that the fire had been set, no one was ever charged with the crime even after county commissioners offered a $1,000 reward. A special election was held in June to remove the county seat to Lakin. Unlike earlier skirmishes, the election passed off quietly. Lakin was, at last, the county seat of Kearny County.

SOURCES: Cyclopedia of Kansas History; Kearny County Populist Era by Harold Smith; May 1, 1886, May 15, 1886 and Sept. 4, 1886 and Feb. 2,1889 Hartland Herald; March 12 and Apr. 2, 1887 Lakin Pioneer Democrat; Jan. 1 and April 9, 1887 Kearney Koyote; Apr. 28, 1888 and Feb. 2, 1889 Kearny County Coyote; May 19, 1886 Garden City Sentinel; Dec. 25, 1886 and Dec. 14, 1889 Advocate; Aug. 27, 1948 Lakin Independent; History of Kearny County, Kansas Vol. 1 & 2; Kansas State Historical Society, and museum archives

Kearny County Women Who Made the News in the 20th Century

From nursemaids to post mistresses and school superintendents to county officers, many women left their marks in local history, but we may have never known about them if not for the journalists who worked so diligently to document our past. March is Women’s History Month and an opportune time to recognize nine local women for their significant contributions during the 20th Century to record Kearny County’s history.

Born November 16, 1880, Virginia Pierce Hicks was the third girl born in Kearny County. Hicks entered the field of education, and as faculty advisor at Lakin Rural High School, she guided her students through the production of the 1927 and 1931 Prairie Breezes. These yearbooks not only included school history and happenings but also stories about local history. Virginia later became the driving force in establishing the Kearny County Historical Society and served as the society’s first president. The original intent of the KCHS was not a museum but instead a printed volume of facts. That first volume of “History of Kearny County Kansas” was published in 1964 with Hicks responsible for a great deal of the research and copy.

India Harris Simmons was a widely known author and compiler of western history and the supervisor of the Federal Writers Project in Dodge City during the 1930s. The project provided work relief for unemployed writers whose works were combined into unique guidebooks about the then 48 states, Alaska Territory, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. Simmons’ stories were also published in the Independent, Dodge City Globe, and other Kansas newspapers. She served as the historian for the Kearny County Old Settlers Association for many years. Although she passed away in 1942, Simmons’ articles, like those of Hicks, were used extensively in Volume I.

From 1918 to 1980, Hannah Rosebrook wrote a weekly column in the Lakin Independent entitled “Fairview News.” Kansas Press Women honored Hannah in 1975 as the oldest active newspaper correspondent/columnist in the state. Prior to her death in 1980, she was cited by various sources as the oldest living reporter in America. Not only did Rosebrook write of local events, she wove wisdom and opinion into her columns, often predicting the direction which popular opinion would take. A collection of her columns was published in 1980 by Fort Hays State University.

The four daughters of Lakin’s founding father, John O’Loughlin, were all involved in the production of our county history books, but none as much as eldest daughter, Margaret O’Loughlin Hurst. Margaret’s interest in research and the history of Southwest Kansas led to her begin collecting newspaper clippings during the Depression. She served as the KCHS’s official historian from 1957 until 1975. Hurst was responsible for contacting many of the people who contributed personal stories to the Kearny County history books.

Hazel Stullken was Monte Canfield’s right-hand “man” for over 40 years at the Lakin Independent, proofreading, running the linotype, job press and folder, and generally putting the weekly paper together. Concerned over the lack of communication among committees in the Lakin United Methodist Church, Hazel originated the “Methodist Life” in 1966, and for 30 years was its leading lady serving as editor, layout artist, printer and writing for the newsletter. An active charter member of the KCHS, Hazel was in charge of publicity, researched, and wrote for both volume books.

Shirley White Henderson documented a great deal of history through the lens of her camera. Beginning in the late 1940s, many of the photographs that graced the pages of the Lakin Independent were taken by Shirley. In 1948, she was appointed the local/society editor of the Independent. Shirley had the enormous task of assembling material, writing features and historical articles in addition to taking, developing and printing pictures for the paper’s 40+ page Diamond Jubilee edition. Shirley was in charge of photography for the second volume of “History of Kearny County” and wrote for the book. She furnished pictures for “Methodist Life” and through her business, Photography by Shirley, took and developed many wedding, family and event photographs.

Naomi Davis Burrows worked for 22 years in the Kearny County Treasurer’s office. This experience came in handy for Burrows as Chief of the Editorial Staff for Volume II. Burrows had also been one of the “faithful few” who helped to make the first volume a reality. With the help of Velma Cox, Vernon and Betty Barnes, she put in a great deal of time researching and writing the veteran section of Volume II. Naomi also researched and wrote many other stories that appeared in the volume books.

Betty Barnes spent 30 years digging through records, newspapers and microfilm to compile obituaries of people buried in Kearny County. The result was her invaluable book series, “Diggin’ Up Bones.” The books of Lakin and Hartland cemeteries were published in 1996, and Betty’s 1997 book includes obituaries of Deerfield, Fairview and miscellaneous Kearny County cemeteries. Her 2001 book covers Kendall, Lydia German Lutheran, Lydia Lutheran, Lydia Methodist and Shockey cemeteries.

In the second half of the 1900s, Leona Davis was usually involved one way or another in weddings that took place in Lakin. Leona was a florist and what some would consider a wedding planner before the term was fashionable. A society correspondent for the Lakin Independent, she wrote engagement announcements, wedding stories, and other local news items. As co-director of the Davis Funeral Home, Leona also contributed to obituaries which appeared in the Independent and other area papers.

These nine selfless ladies, while writing about others or taking pictures, have etched their names into local history. There are many more who could arguably make the list: club and church secretaries, volunteer writers/photographers for local publications, high school journalism students, newspaper employees, local poets/authors, genealogists, and staff members of the volume books. All left behind a body of work that is invaluable to future historians, researchers and writers. Undoubtedly, Kearny County and the Historical Society would not be where we are today without these women.

Sources: Ethnic Heritage Studies Hannah A. Rosebrook: Community Journalist/Local Historian; Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny County Kansas Vols. I & II; The Kearny County Kernels by Monte Canfield, Sr.; Methodist Life, Lakin Independent, and museum archives.

Pioneer Women Left Their Mark on Lakin’s History

March is Women’s History Month and a perfect time to sing the praises of some of the pioneer women who were so vital to the welfare of our community in the formulative years. Even though woman’s place was considered to be in the home, many of Lakin’s needs would not have been met without a few courageous ladies who stepped up to the challenge.

With the nearest doctor located in Dodge City, women were essential to meeting Lakin’s medical demands. Castella Boylan and Amy Loucks were often called upon to deliver babies and nurse the injured and sick in the surrounding frontier community. Mrs. Boylan had learned much from her father, a doctor in the Midwest. Through association with her brother who was a practicing physician, Mrs. Loucks became interested in the science of medicine and surgery and also gave considerable study to those subjects.

According to Charles Loucks, his mother once used a small vial of carbolic acid as an antiseptic, a knitting needle as a probe and a pair of common pincers to remove a bullet and save a man’s life. At another time, with a razor as a lance and her embroidery scissors, Mrs. Loucks removed three fingers from the crushed hand of a railroad brakeman. Loucks also tended to a man who had been scalped by the Indians and left on the prairie for dead. His scalp had not been entirely removed, and to stitch his scalp back together, Mrs. Loucks used a common needle and fiddle string that had been soaked in water and unraveled until it was the right size.

Amy Loucks, pioneer nurse, teacher and business woman.

Mrs. Boylan was appointed Lakin postmaster in 1885. She was succeeded by three women, and a male postmaster was not appointed again until 1921. Women were also important to education. Mrs. Loucks opened the first subscription school in her Lakin home on November 17, 1879, and at least four other women taught private school until 1884 when the first public school was organized. In a trend that continues still today, female teachers made up the majority of the teaching staff in our early Lakin schools. Although the board of education was primarily comprised of men until the 1950s, the county superintendents of public instruction were all female from 1895 until 1925.

Maggie Pearl and Castella Boylan were two of the first women in Lakin. Pearl arrived in 1873, and Boylan in 1875.

Sarah Bacon and Ida Cason outside the Lakin post office. Both women served on the 1891 city council, and Cason served as postmistress from 1907 to 1916.

The late 1880s and 1890s saw an increase in women’s rights groups and volunteerism. Women became more politically influential around the country, and this was particularly evident here. Lakin’s Christian Women’s Temperance Union was formed about 1889, and in 1891, Lakin citizens elected an all-female city council with the exception of the mayoral position.

While many women subsidized their household income by taking in laundry, mending, gathering buffalo bones and selling eggs, some worked out of the home as waitresses, typesetters, store clerks and more. But women were also business owners. It was not uncommon for women to run boarding houses, hotels and restaurants. In the 1880s, Delia Day and Gerty McCune had millinery and dress-making shops. In the 1890s, Mrs. C. O. Chapman opened a notion store which was a popular meeting place for the women of the community, and Mrs. J.M. Goeden opened a confectionery store which also offered optical supplies in the early 1900s. These are just a few examples of pioneering Lakin ladies who not only fried the bacon but brought it home.

Bertha Collins, one of Lakin’s first businesswomen, outside her Lakin shop in 1907.

Sources: National Park Service; History of Kearny County Vol. 1; March 27, 1886 & Oct. 30, 1886 Advocate; July 31, 1919 Garden City Herald; and museum archives