News, Events & County History

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.

Board members re-elected to two-year terms

With the cancellation of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Annual Meetings, the Kearny County Historical Society has retained the same board members since the 2019 elections except for filling the spots of Dave Horner and Cary  Henderson after their resignations. The board decided this year that KCHS members should have the opportunity to vote and included a ballot in the spring newsletter. All ballots had to be returned by April 25.

The following board members were all re-elected for two-year terms: Karen Burden, Joe Eskelund, Robbie McCombs, Bob Price, John White and Marilyn Wolfe. The remaining board members will be up for re-election next year.

At the April board meeting, Donna Neff was appointed to complete the unexpired term of Ginger Hartman on the KCHS board. Ginger had served on the board since 2016.

Pioneer Day Returns to Kearny County Museum

What a fun day we had when the Kearny County Museum hosted Lakin’s 5th and 6th graders for Pioneer Day on April 14. There were nine stations ranging from branding to making butter, and each station was both fun and educational. This event has a long history at Kearny County Museum going back to the 1980s when former Museum director Lucile Dienst invited Carol Panzer’s and Barbara Broderick’s 5th graders for scavenger hunts to encourage students to learn about Kearny County’s history. The Museum was still located on Main Street at that time. When our current complex was opened, the students dressed up in pioneer fashion for the day, walking and touring our facility. In 1988, Sandy Wanklyn replaced Mrs. Broderick, and work began to make Pioneer Day a living history day with stations. The event continued to evolve through the years, often including mountain man presentations, dancing on the lawn while the local Fiddlers and Pickers played, and various demonstrations. Mrs. Wanklyn retired in 2016, and Wendy Anderson now has the monumental task of planning this activity and recruiting community, parent and student volunteers.

Irishman made his mark in Kansas history

John O’Loughlin, the father of Lakin, was born in 1842 in County Clare, Ireland. His parents, Peter and Margaret O’Loughlin, had four other children. Two of those children and Peter died during Ireland’s great potato famine. John’s mother re-married, and the family moved to America when he was six years old.
John’s stepfather, Andrew White, began a freighting business in Dubuque, Iowa, but was soon killed by lightning. The family, strangers in a foreign land, were helped by John’s uncle. When John was big enough to harness up the horses, he went to work. By the age of 17, he was out on his own. When the Civil War began, John freighted for the Army as a government teamster in the department of quartermaster at Fort Leavenworth. After the war, he continued with the Army, driving wagons to all the western outposts. John was along on several expeditions against the Plains Indians serving beside Generals Hancock, Sheridan and Custer. The experiences were certainly dark spots in his life, and he never spoke about them. John left government service in 1869.
After eight years of traveling over the trails, he knew that both Army and civilian wagons on the military road from Fort Hays to Fort Dodge had trouble crossing Pawnee Creek about 40 miles north of Dodge City. So John built a toll bridge and stockade from poles cut along the creek. He also had a well inside the stockade ensuring that the Indians could not cut off his water supply. His stockade consisted of bedrooms, a store and eating rooms. He sold all kinds of groceries and served meals at all hours, night and day. Thus, he became the first white settler in what was later named Hodgeman County. John thrived by doing business with the government troops, freighters, cowboys and buffalo hunters. Well-known names such as President Hayes, “Wild Bill” Hickock, “Buffalo Bill” Cody and Jesse James were recorded in his register at the crossing.
John sold his lucrative little business to George Duncan after the railroad reached Dodge City in 1872. The site would become known as “Duncan’s Crossing” and is marked by a historical sign to this day. And although he had already had a very full and colorful life, John still had much ahead of him. According to notes left by one of his grandchildren, John then bought a boarding house in Dodge City, but it was a wild and rowdy town which was disappointing to the Irishman. He sold the boarding house soon after and on April 3, 1873, arrived at the rail site of Lakin. John had been impressed with this part of the Arkansas River Valley while delivering supplies to Fort Aubrey. He set up a trading post in an abandoned dug-out left behind by the railroad crews.
John traded with buffalo hunters, freighters, travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and cattlemen. His business flourished, and eventually Lakin began to grow. By 1879, John 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. He married Mary Farrell who was also Irish in 1882, and they made their home upstairs in the store. 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 the sale of dry goods, clothing, hardware, agricultural implements, cement, lumber, coal and more. But John’s business dealings were not limited to the store. He also had considerable land and cattle interests and served as postmaster. He was also vice-president of the Lakin State Bank.
As John’s business interests grew, so did his family. John and Mary raised seven children in their family home on the southeast outskirts of Lakin. When their sons were grown, they took over the O’Loughlin Store and John’s ranching interests.
 John O’Loughlin died in 1915 at the age of 73. In 1935, he was chosen as Kearny County’s entry to the Hall of Fame at the Kansas Diamond Jubilee because of his pioneering qualities, his honest methods of dealing with his fellow man, and his helpfulness to early settlers who found themselves in need of assistance. His 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 and Mary’s children also played key roles in the development of Lakin. In 1974, their daughter Jennie Rose deeded the museum’s White House and the half block that it sat on to the Kearny County Historical Society. The oldest house in town, the White House was once home to John O’Loughlin’s eldest son, William, and his family. The property has since been enhanced to include not only the house, but also the main museum building and annex, the Columbia School and Lakin’s depot. The community of Lakin has much to be thankful for because of John O’Loughlin and his family.
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.

A Glimpse of Frontier Living by Tillie Davies Copeland Pt. 2

For judicial purposes, this part of the country was connected with Dodge City, and F.L. Pierce was appointed justice of the peace in case something should happen that would require court proceedings. Pierce had come out from Iowa and located on a homestead a quarter of a mile west from Mrs. Davies. He and his wife didn’t escape any of the hardships that their neighbors were enduring, but they, like the rest, made the best of the hard times, stayed with their claim, proved it up and got their patent from Uncle Sam.

Francis Livingston Pierce came to Kearny County in 1879 and filed on government land adjoining Lakin. Not only was he the first justice of the peace for this area, he served as county clerk for three terms and was active in a number of fraternal societies. F.L. Pierce was 100 years old when he died in 1947 and had lived in his original home until five years before his death.

Everyone seemed peaceable, and living on their claims without any fear, never locking their homes when leaving or their doors at night. It would seem they were free from anything that would call for fear. But one night a change came. The Santa Fe railroad brought in a gang of men together with their boarding cars in which they ate and slept. Their work was to replace the iron rails with steel. These men would spend the evenings in any place of business that was open.

One evening, a group of them gathered in Mr. Brackett’s store. For some reason, not made known, one man made an attack on a man sitting in a chair. He had a knife his his hand just ready to strike the man in the chair, when the man drew a revolver, fired, hitting him in the head, causing instant death. There was a young man from Lakin in the room at the time, a nice boy, a harmless chap by the name of James Boyle. They called him “Prairie Dog Jim.” So when the man fell to the floor, Jim ran to help him if he could and in trying to help he got blood all over his hands. About the time someone thought papers should be gotten out against the man who fired the shot, so they told Jim to go find Mr. Pierce, the justice of the peace, and bring him to town.

On the way to where Mr. Pierce lived, Jim had to pass the home of Mrs. Davies. When he reached her home he thought he would stop and get his directions a little better, so he rapped at her door, as usual she called, “Who is there?” “Prairie Dog Jim,” was the reply. Well, no one was afraid of Jim so she opened the door and there he stood, as it looked to her he was blood all over, and she became frightened, and in his excitement he kept trying to tell her what had happened, until he seemed beside himself. And she was really frightened by now.

She asked, “What do you want?” He said, “Mr. Pierce, the justice of the peace.” She replied, “He lives up west – go on.” And she locked her door, went to bed, but not to sleep. She was afraid he would come back and she didn’t know how much of his story was truth. He might be the murderer and come back to do her harm because she had seen him in that condition, and so her thoughts continued until the rays of light began to lighten the eastern sky.

It was not all fun by any means for the pioneers to obtain a home even if it was given to them by their Uncle Sam.

Although uninhabitable, the Pierce home still stands west of Lakin on private land.