News, Events & County History

Charming, outgoing, talented and happy are all words used to describe the third child of John and Mary O’Loughlin. Mary Catherine O’Loughlin, better known as Mame, was born July 3, 1886, above the O’Loughlin mercantile on Main Street, and she lived to the ripe old age of 103. Mame attended Lakin schools until the fall of 1902 when she went to Wichita with her older sister, Margaret, to attend Mount Carmel. She became proficient in Latin while there, and as a member of the Class of 1906, Mame received a gold cross in catechism and music during June commencement exercises. She returned to Lakin and to the high school when it became a four-year institution, graduating with the class of 1912.

After working in several county offices and clerking in her father’s store, Mame moved to Dodge City where she worked as a saleslady for Locke Mercantile. On February 19, 1916, she wed Frank Fleetwood Thomas at the residence of the Reverend John Handly in Dodge City. Fleet was the son of Rev. Franklin F. and Ella Thomas who had moved to Lakin in 1907 when Rev. Thomas became pastor of Lakin’s Presbyterian Church.

Fleet and Mame returned to Lakin to make their home, and they welcomed a son, Frank Forrester, to their family in 1917. Two years later, they were blessed with another son they named James Edward. Two daughters were also born to the couple, Mary Catherine (Mrs. P.D. Phillips) in 1922 and Marcella Claire (Mrs. Marvin McVey) in 1924.

Mame devoted most of her life to homemaking and rearing her children. She raised chickens, gardened and canned. She also enjoyed club work, flower gardening, crafts and visiting, and her unique personality touched all those who knew her. Mame was not given to worry nor did she ever meet a stranger. Always ready to lend a hand or do whatever she could do to help, Mame loved holidays, birthday gatherings and after-school tea parties with her grandchildren who delighted in her expert story-telling skills.

Mame’s faith was steadfast; she simply trusted God. While Fleet continued his membership with the Presbyterian Church, Mame remained an active member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and the Altar Society. She devoted much time and labor to help build the first church and was the first organist of the parish. She was a charter member of the Kearny County Historical Society and assisted with the Kearny County History volumes by verifying biographies and genealogy and doing research. Mame was also a charter member of the Lakin Women’s Club which established county welfare, sponsored a public library, promoted health drives and helped with other activities and charities.

She served as the first president of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and also belonged to the American Legion Auxiliary. During World War II, women gathered in the Red Cross room of the courthouse to knit and sew blouses, hospital gowns, sweaters and other articles. Later the sewing was let out to organizations and individuals. As she was the production chairman, all work had to pass Mame’s inspection. This work was very important to her as both sons were serving their country. Mame was the first president of the Lakin Home Demonstration Unit which was the first organization to provide upkeep for the Veterans’ Memorial Building. In 1972, she was one of nine Lakin Extension Homemaker members who were 80 years of age or older. She also belonged to the Blossom Club and Kearny County Old Settlers.

Fleet suffered a fatal heart attack in July 1953 while working near Scott City. Mame remained in their family home until October of 1984 when she entered High Plains Retirement Village. She had witnessed many changes and advancements in her long life, but Mame dearly missed her parents and siblings who had all gone before her. She died April 28, 1990, at Lakin. Her grandson, Joe McVey, is the lone O’Loughlin descendant who still resides here.

SOURCES: Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny County Vols. I & II; archives of Catholic Advocate, Dodge City Daily Globe, Investigator, Advocate and Lakin Independent; and Museum archives

Margaret Bridget O’Loughlin Hurst took to heart the lessons taught to her by her mother. She was a faithful Catholic who was devoted to her family and to her community. Known as Maggie in her younger years, she was the eldest child of John and Mary O’Loughlin’s seven children and was born September 27, 1883, 10 years after her father established his trading post and became the first permanent resident of Lakin.

Maggie attended school in Lakin until leaving for Wichita where she received her high school education from the Sisters of Mount Carmel. She graduated with high honors and received a gold medal for Christian doctrine in June of 1903. The popular and well-known young lady returned to Lakin where she eventually became deputy clerk in the District Court. On February 12, 1916, at the Catholic Church in Garden City, Maggie married former Southside farmer Bertchard Hurst who had recently moved to Ingalls where he was engaged in the hardware business. The two made their home in Ingalls until 1920 when they moved to Dodge City. Bert became a highly successful salesman for J.I. Case. He contracted pneumonia after assisting motorists through snow drifts during a severe storm in February 1927 and died on March 5 at the age of 39. Margaret was left to raise their two children, eight-year-old Betty Hurst (Williams) and three-year-old Frederick. Eventually the threesome moved to Lakin and into Margaret’s childhood home to care for her mother, Mary.

During the Great Depression, there were almost no employment opportunities for teenagers, and many young people had nothing to occupy their time. To combat this situation, the National Youth Administration was created, and Margaret was appointed to head the program in Kearny County.  She inspired many young people to take an interest in projects for the betterment of the community. The NYA sponsored programs for vocational guidance and recreation, and under Mrs. Hurst’s direction, the local group made many useful things such as road and bridge signs, chairs and tables for schools, and birdhouses for Preston Osborn’s biological survey,

Margaret began researching history in 1942 and became an authority on the history of Southwest Kansas and Kearny County. She was elected as the first historian of the Kearny County Historical Society when it was organized in 1957, and she was an indispensable guide through the tangle of history of the early years of the county. Margaret lived through a great deal of the history herself, remembered stories told to her by the old-timers, conducted many personal interviews, and saved historical articles. She spent a great deal of time corresponding with handwritten letters to those who had moved away from the community to gather information for the History of Kearny County volume books.

In a note addressed to Naomi Burrows, chief of the editorial staff of the second volume, Margaret wrote, “I have sent more than 60 envelopes to the museum, but I am afraid time will run out for me before I get this work completed.” Margaret lived to see the second volume published and tendered her resignation as historian at the age of 92. She died November 3, 1977, less than a month after attending ceremonies for the unveiling of the O’Loughlin monument and dedication of the Kearny County Historical Society site which was donated by the O’Loughlin family.

Margaret O’Loughlin Hurst was a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and the Altar Society, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, and Kearny County Old Settlers where she served terms as president and secretary/treasurer. She was a kind and true pioneer of the western plains who was always eager to share her knowledge and help others.

SOURCES: Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny County Vols. I & II; archives of the Wichita Daily Eagle, Catholic Advance, Advocate and Independent, and Museum archives.

Much has been written about Lakin’s founding father, John O’Loughlin. He was already highly successful and well-known prior to his marriage, but what would John’s life and the community of Lakin have been like without Mary Veronica O’Loughlin? The matriarch of the O’Loughlin family, Mary’s life was the epitome of living for God, family and community.

Born in May of 1861 at Xenia, OH, Mary was the eldest daughter of five girls and one son born to Dennis and Bridget Farrell who had migrated to America from Ireland. The Farrell family came to the Sunflower State in the 1870s, moving in with an uncle at Brookville. Mary was tasked with looking after the younger children. When she was left in charge of several younger cousins, a sudden flood came down the stream near where the house was built. Mary took the children to the second story where she kept them safe for several hours before help arrived. When the house caught fire, she took the children to safety and ran back into the burning building when she discovered that a small baby had been left sleeping inside. Mary reached the open air with the infant in her arms just as the entire structure collapsed. Her courage, resourcefulness and protective nature were just some of her endearing qualities.

In April of 1874, the Farrells moved further west to Wilson where Mary attended public school. She had earlier attended parochial school at Junction City for one year. In her parents’ home on February 5, 1882, Mary married John O’Loughlin who was 19 years older than her. A fine supper was served to the large crowd in attendance, and because Mary was well and favorably known in the community, she and John received some very fine and costly gifts. The reception lasted late into the night with musical entertainment being provided by some of the locals.  John then brought his bride back to Lakin, and they were given a reception in the Boylan’s White House. The late Carrie Davies remembered that Mary was very shy and amazed that so many people showed up to wish them well. Perhaps Mary was unaware that her Irish husband was such a hero in these parts. The newlyweds made their home upstairs in John’s mercantile store building that had been moved from near the railroad to the corner of Main and Waterman. It was there that Mary gave birth to their first child, Margaret, in 1883. Six more children would follow: William, Mary Catherine, Jack, Jennie Rose, Helen and Thomas.

In 1888, the O’Loughlin family moved to their new home located on the southeast outskirts of Lakin. Education for her own children and those of the community was important to Mary, and a large number of men and women spent time in the O’Loughlin home where they were taken into the family and encouraged to attend school and prepare themselves for lives of usefulness. A devout Catholic, Mary offered her home for services prior to the church being erected. She was a gracious hostess and entertained often.

A kind friend and neighbor, Mary walked several miles many times to “sit up” and care for the sick and prepare the dead for burial. “No night was too dark nor a day too stormy to prevent her from going to the aid of a family in need at a time of sickness, injury or death.” When a floral club was organized in 1909 to improve and beautify the grounds of the Lakin Cemetery, Mary was elected president. She had a green thumb when it came to flowers but especially rare and unique ones. She also served a stint as president of the Old Settlers’ Association, was the first vice-president of the American Legion Auxiliary, a member of the Lakin Woman’s Club, and was one of a group of Lakin pioneer women who made garments and gave them to little children and other needy persons of the community.

As the O’loughlins had ranches on the Canadian and Cimarron rivers, Mary went several times to the Cimarron, a distance of 50 miles, driving a horse and buggy. Most of her time; however, was spent in her home taking care of her seven children and raising them with the same priorities and values of which she lived by. The devoted wife and mother died in October of 1936. An unusually large number of old-time friends were among those who came to extend their sympathies to her family and show their respects for Mary, a true pioneer woman who had influenced and helped the community in so many ways.

SOURCES: Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny County Vols. I & II; Museum archives; and archives of Wilson World, Dodge City Daily Globe, Lakin Investigator and Advocate.

The fourth child of Lakin’s founding father, John O’Loughlin, and his bride, Mary, was a strong advocate for Lakin and for veterans. Familiarly known as Jack, John Charles O’Loughlin was born in 1888 and attended school at Lakin. He then went to St. Mary’s College at St. Mary’s, Kansas where he received high honors and graduated in June of 1908 from the English Commercial department. Jack returned to Lakin, and in 1910, he and his older brother, Will, began running their father’s mercantile business on the corner of Main and Waterman under the name, “O’Loughlin Brothers.”

Jack had many friends and was well known throughout the area. Not only did he play on the local baseball team, but he also managed teams in Lakin and surrounding towns. Jack also played on the town football team. Wherever he went, he was a proud booster for the growth of Lakin and for those who served our country.

In July 1918, Jack left Lakin to answer our country’s call during World War I. He wrote home from Fort Riley in August that he had passed all examinations, and by November 1, Jack was overseas where he was assigned to the medical department of the war. He took care of the sick and wounded at Camp Hospital No. 12 in Dannes-Camiers, France. Notes from Jack often appeared in the Advocate, and no matter the circumstances, his attitude was one of optimism.

“Jack O’Loughlin, writing the Advocate from “over the big drink,’ says he is in the best of health, enjoying army life to the limit, and everything quiet as a May morning, and sends kind regards to his friends.”

Upon his return, Jack was back with Will running the mercantile business, and the brothers also had charge of the O’Loughlin’s livestock and farming interests. Jack married Josephine Schwarz at Wilson in 1922. The bride, a graduate of the University of Kansas, was a teacher. Upon their arrival in Lakin, the newlyweds were greeted by their many friends and chivareed in quite an unusual fashion. Jack and Josephine were loaded into an old buckboard coupled to a Ford then “driven at a high rate of speed over town.” The O’Loughlins had two daughters, Patricia and Josephine, and in 1928 the family moved to Garden City where Jack was in the farm implement business. He later went into insurance.

Jack’s dedication to his fellow comrades was unparalleled. He was a charter member and served as commander of the Sheppard-Moore post of the American Legion here at Lakin, and O’Loughlin was a delegate to the 1924 and 1928 national Legion conventions. He was given high praise for his untiring work in making the local post one of the “best in the west.” After moving to Garden, Jack served as the adjutant of the Harry H. Renick post of the American Legion there. He helped organize and was a charter member of the John J. Haskell Veterans of Foreign Wars post and served several terms as its commander as well as commander of the Eighth VFW district. When the McAfee-Stebens Post was organized in Lakin on February 6, 1946, Jack was the Comrade District Commander who conducted the official election for the post’s first officials. From 1936 to 1938, he served as commandant of the Old Soldiers’ Home at Ford Dodge.

Jack was also involved with Lions Club, Elks Club, Knights of Columbus and the Old Settler’s Association. He was very prominent in Democratic politics and was a member of the Democratic central committee of Finney County for many years.

Jack O’Loughlin died unexpectedly in February 1948. The 59-year-old had been admitted to the Halstead hospital several days prior to his death, but his condition had not been considered serious. He had, however, been in poor health for several years.

SOURCES: History of Kearny County Vols. I & II, archives of the Advocate and Lakin Independent, and Museum archives.

William O’Loughlin was quite the catch. He was athletic, handsome, smart and well-liked. At the age of 29, the eldest son of John and Mary O’Loughlin was elected to represent Kearny County in the 1915 Kansas State Legislature, and he and his brother Jack were running the general store that their father had built decades before. A young Grant County teacher by the name of Grace Blake won over Will’s heart, and the two were married in August of 1918 at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Kansas City.

The happy couple made their home in a “pretty” two-story house on Buffalo Street. The house had recently been remodeled, stuccoed and outfitted with electrical wiring. It was a new beginning for the home as well as for the newlyweds. The house had been built to house the Alonzo Boylan family over 40 years before when Lakin had few citizens and fewer buildings. In its early years, the home symbolized the hope of many Kearny County pioneers who envisioned prosperous futures and a great town springing up along the Santa Fe railway. It seemed only fitting that the son of Lakin’s founding father would make the dwelling his family home.

About 10 months into their marriage, William and Grace were “greatly elated” by the arrival of their firstborn, a 12-pound baby girl who they named Dorothy. In 1921, another baby girl was welcomed to the family, and she was given the name, Mary. Their family was made complete when baby brother, William Jr. or “Billie,” was added to the fold in 1922.

The senior William operated O’Loughlin Brothers general store until 1928 when the brothers sold it. William had already taken up farming and ranching by that time, and in 1931 he was elected to the office of county clerk. Grace became a civic leader and was influential in the organization of the Kansas Federation of Women’s Clubs. She devoted her time, talents and energy to her family, community and the Catholic Church.

Tragedy hit in 1933 when 10-year-old Billie was struck by lightning and died. The entire community mourned the loss of the little boy with a sunny disposition and considerate heart who was frequently called upon to settle playground disputes because of his fairness and honesty.

Three years later, William was appointed to the position of postmaster at Lakin. He retired from that position in 1943, and he was employed in defense work at the airbases at Victoria and Garden City during World War II. Active also in the Lions Club, Knights of Columbus and the Cattle Growers Association, William D. O’Loughlin passed away at the age of 73.

Grace was greatly traumatized by Billie’s death. She died at the age of 93 in 1983 at the Manor Nursing Home in Alma after a long illness. Both she and William are buried in the family plot at the Lakin Cemetery.

Their daughter Dorothy married Bert Sells in 1942. At her funeral in 2003, Dorothy’s children eulogized their mother for always putting her family first yet finding the time for others. She was an avid sports fan, enjoyed playing bridge and loved a good practical joke. Smart and well-read, the gentle-hearted Dorothy often wound up as the caretaker for the family’s many pets. She was living in Cincinnati, OH, at the time of her death.

William and Grace’s daughter Mary married John Walters in 1943. She too was active in church life and her community and loved K-State sports. Having grown up during the Great Depression, Mary had a deep sense of gratitude and a very generous nature. She was always proud of her beginnings, her Irish ancestry and her Catholic faith. A resident of Manhattan, KS, Mary died in January 2003, nine months before her sister Dorothy.

William and Grace’s home remained in the O’Loughlin family even after they moved out. In 1974, their home was deeded to the Kearny County Historical Society by William’s sister, Jennie Rose O’Loughlin, and the “White House” became the centerpiece around which the rest of the Kearny County Museum has grown.

SOURCES: Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny County Vols. I & II; archives of The Advocate and Lakin Independent; and Museum archives which were contributed to by members of the O’Loughlin Family.

Southwest Kansans can rely on the Deerfield Brotherhood to continue their tradition of serving up the “Grand Daddy of All” groundhog suppers each year regardless of Punxsutawney Phil’s ability to see his shadow. Around 125 volunteers work together to pull off what just might be the longest running groundhog supper in Kansas. Preparations have already begun for this year’s event which is slated for February 7^th. Thirty hogs will be butchered this Sunday yielding roughly 4,500 pounds of sausage that will be seasoned with the Brotherhood’s secret recipe. Of this, 1,100 pounds of patties will be cooked and served the day of the meal, and the rest will be sold.

The supper has grown immensely since the early days when the tradition began with a single hog. Brotherhood and Epworth League records indicate that the supper started in 1938 with a profit of $27.17. The first mention of the event in the Lakin Independent was in 1940 when Rev. I. W. Woolard announced that the Deerfield Methodist Brotherhood had decided to put on a groundhog dinner on February 1. Ticket prices were 25¢ and 15¢, and approximately 125 meals were served.

Frank West came up with the idea of the groundhog supper. He and fellow Methodist Ed DeKeyser were instrumental in organizing the Boys Scouts in Deerfield which also became a Brotherhood mission. In addition, proceeds from the supper in the 1940s helped with improvements and supplies for Deerfield’s Methodist Church, bought worship books for local men serving in the war, and aided the youth camp at Lake Scott.

The suppers were originally served in the basement of the old Methodist Church. The late Max Miller wrote, “The basement could seat 50 and at times the crowd was so large that guests were seated in the sanctuary by numbers and waited until their number was called. The south basement windows were taken out so the food that was cooked at the parsonage, Harley Rector’s, and the High School could be passed through.”

Due to the growth of the supper, the event was moved to Rex Miller Hall in Deerfield’s newly built grade school in 1957. Seating capacity went to 180, and the cost for meals was $1.25 for adults and 75¢ for children. In February 1966, the Garden City Telegram reported that the supper had grown from a two-frying pan operation to a three-kitchen operation with a two-way radio system. The supper had already earned the reputation for being the best in Southwest Kansas, and in 1967, the gathering netted over $1,000 for the first time. Funds from the event in the 1950s and 1960s were mainly used for equipment and emergency expenses at the Methodist Church. The Brotherhood also made 28 wooden banquet tables which were stored at the school and used by other groups such as the Lions and Grange.

Butchering and processing took place at various locations until 1976, the first year that cut-up was done at Duncan Lockers. By 1979, the supper had become more than the Methodist men could handle. Other congregations and community volunteers became involved leading to the formation of the Deerfield Brotherhood in 1980. During the next 10 years, over 10,000 people attended the suppers and over $29,000 in profit was shared with the Deerfield community, churches, and Boy and Girl Scouts. The meal’s growing popularity throughout Western Kansas was evident by local media coverage and supporters who were willing to drive to the little village of Deerfield for what was labeled “The Original Southwest Kansas Groundhog Day Supper.”

In 1992, the event was moved to Deerfield’s Community Building where the seating capacity went to a whopping 396. Sausage was cooked in the old firehouse, biscuits were baked at the Deerfield Grade School, and gravy was stirred together in the Home Ec. Room of Deerfield High School. Still today, the old firehouse and Grade School are utilized for cooking with corn being the only menu item cooked at the Community Building. Volunteers coordinate delivery to the community center, and they have their system down pat. During the 1990s, the net profit distributed throughout the Deerfield community was $30,480, and the Brotherhood established a scholarship for local college-bound students in 1994. This tradition continues with two scholarships usually being awarded each year.

In 2005, the supper cleared $6,000 for the first time ever. In 2009, 3,600 pounds of sausage was processed, 35 gallons of gravy was used along with 2400 biscuits, the applesauce ran out before the evening’s end, and a record-setting 1,411 meals were served. Last year’s meal netted a record $14,256, bringing the total raised since 2000 to over $190,000.

“It is just amazing how much money has been raised through the years,” said Joe Eskelund, treasurer of the Brotherhood. The men meet immediately following the meal to decide how the monies earned will be used. Proceeds have helped Deerfield’s Summer Celebration, Kearny County DARE, Deerfield schools and churches, the Kearny County Historical Society, Deerfield Community Building, Chachis Place, DHS Trap, Lakin Gun Club, multiple youth organizations, community events and much more.

Up to and including the 1999 supper, a time-honored order known as ‘The List’ was used to designate future leaders. Following that year’s event, a ‘By Committee’ leadership was adopted with the work spread among committees which are headed by loyal volunteers. Ross Miller volunteered his time to oversee the big event, and Eskelund agreed to serve as secretary/treasurer. Miller, a 1976 Deerfield High School graduate, and Eskelund who graduated from DHS in 1977 both came up through the ranks, first helping back when young men in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades were required to assist with the meal. Deerfield students still help with serving but are no longer required to.

Miller credits the success of the groundhog supper to the dedicated men who have helped and continue to help pull off the well-orchestrated meal. He said some have been volunteering for more than five decades. “I don’t know where we would be without the help we get. So many deserve praise to be heaped upon them. Many will never have their name mentioned in written word, but those who are in the know understand the efforts of these local heroes and sacrifices they made for the good of the community. It’s been a blessing.”

Beginning in 2000, letters were sent out as a call to arms for volunteers for cut up, ticket sales, set-up and the supper. Roughly 400 letters are sent to rural and town mail boxes just prior to each year’s event, and the Brotherhood welcomes anyone who would like to help sponsor the shindig or volunteer. Membership in the Brotherhood and Deerfield residency is not required; however, volunteers must be male.

While Eskelund plans to continue as treasurer, Miller is stepping down after this year’s event and 25 years of leading the charge. He has been grooming some of the younger men to take his place. Watch the Lakin Independent for more details about this year’s groundhog supper or check out the Deerfield Brotherhood’s Facebook page.

Special thanks to Ross Miller and Joe Eskelund. Other sources included: History of Kearny County Vol. I & II; archives of the Lakin Independent and Garden City Telegram; Deerfield Brotherhood Facebook page; deerfieldbrotherhood.wordpress.com; usd216.org; and the Winter 2006 Legend.

As one of the first residents of the Deerfield area, Samuel Harrison Corbett was deeply interested in the welfare of Deerfield and its citizens. A highly respected and a prominent member of the agricultural community, Sam was widely and favorably known as a man of sterling worth and a worthy representative of the courageous pioneers who settled the county. In fact, Corbett was once referred to as the number one citizen of the Deerfield Community by Foster Eskelund, a life-long Kearny Countian and former president of the Kearny County Historical Society. Born at Baltimore, Maryland in 1859, he was but 12 years old when his father died unexpectedly. Sam went to Boonsboro, Maryland to live with an uncle and remained in his home for a year. Later he spent two years at Sharpsburg where he rose at 4 a.m. every day to do chores and repeated them each evening after school. In return, Corbett received his board and clothes and $30 a year.

In 1877, Sam left to seek his fortune in Kansas and lived in both Lincoln and Graham counties where he worked for claim holders for board and the barest of wages. He survived on two meals a day with supper being a steady diet of only mush and milk. Sam grew extremely homesick but couldn’t gather enough money to return to the East. He started with a caravan to Silver Cliff, Colorado in 1880; however, when the group arrived at Fort Wallace, Corbett decided instead to remain there and become a sheep herder. He eventually made his way to the Arkansas Valley where he gained employment as a cow punch for the XY Ranch. He traversed the XY’s range from Garden City west to Hartland, and the spring round-ups brought him in contact with almost every hill and vale within a radius of 250 miles. That was a dangerous time, and the ranch boys had to stay on high alert. Sam grew to know all the country, the cowboys, ponies and brands from the Adobe Walls region to the Smoky Hill River and loved the stories the cowboys told around the camp fires on the open plains or sheltered from the storms in the sod bunk house at ranch headquarters.

After four years with the XY, Corbett intended to make a business of catching mustang ponies; however, his plans were changed by a charming young lady whom he wooed and won. In 1883, he married Miss Dolly Caswell who came to Deerfield in 1882 with her widowed mother. Instead of chasing ponies, Sam filed on a piece of land and established his home on the southwest quarter of section 16, township 24, range 35. He built his bride a 14×20-foot box house which was then considered a “mansion” in this section of the country. As his wealth increased, Mr. Corbett added to the house until a one-story dwelling of seven rooms sheltered he and Dolly and their six children.

While working for the XY, Corbett started building up his own ranch; thus, he had a small bunch of cattle to start with when he assumed possession of his ranch. After losing his entire herd in the great blizzard of 1886, Sam borrowed $150 and began buying and selling condemned cow horses. Stock raising became a highly profitable endeavor for Sam, and his tenacity helped to develop the open prairie from a cattle range to a fine agricultural paradise.

Corbett was also a highly successful business man. In 1902, he went into business with Fred Sower, purchasing the grocery house of George H. Tate at Deerfield. Corbett & Sower dealt in general merchandise and groceries, selling everything from pitch forks to “Moses’ best flour.” Sam bought out Sower in 1904 and built a new store building in 1907, advertising as “the old reliable.”  Corbett’s store was a gathering place for nearly every resident of the city. He also continued to sell cattle and horses and raise hay on the side. Following his retirement, Sam and Dolly moved to Colorado Springs in 1918.

Sam Corbett never took an active part in political affairs, but he served as clerk of the first school board of the township. He also served as Deerfield postmaster for over five years and was instrumental in establishing a rural route with over 80 boxes on it. Although he was raised under Catholic influence, Sam became a Sunday school leader and active member of the Methodist Church to which his wife and children belonged. He was also a wide reader of history, both ancient and modern. During retirement, Sam wrote stories of his life on the range and sent them with letters to his friends. Samuel Harrison Corbett died in 1931, and his body was brought back to Kearny County for burial in the Deerfield Cemetery. Dolly died in 1949 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.

SOURCES: A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans by William E. Connelley; Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; Southwest History Corner by India H. Simmons; History of Kearny County Vol. 1; Museum archives; and archives of the Kearny County Advocate and Hutchinson Gazette.