News, Events & County History

Monthly gatherings of the local Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers used to draw large crowds of people to Lakin from all over Southwest Kansas. Unfortunately, their numbers grew thin because there just wasn’t enough new blood stepping in to fill the shoes of the members who died. Then came Covid, followed by the death of Curtis Young, the club’s president, in December 2021. What was once toted as the “best place in the world to come and have entertainment with fiddlers and pickers” folded.

The Western Plains Chapter of the Kansas Oldtime Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers met for the first time September 4, 1977, at the Lakin Grade School. There were around 135 guests with 14 performers. Officers were elected at the October meeting, and membership in the state organization was finalized in January of 1978. There were many chapters in Eastern Kansas, but Lakin’s was the first west of Arkansas City. KOFP&S had begun in 1966 as a non-profit entertainment and education corporation. The organization’s mission was to promote, encourage, educate and preserve the enjoyment by the general public of the form of entertainment known as oldtime music.

At first, the Western Plains Chapter met at various places such as the high school auditorium, the Saddle Club, Lake McKinney and even Lee Richardson Zoo. Then the Memorial Building became the venue of choice. The gatherings gave amateur musicians an opportunity to share their talents as well as hone them. The repertoire ranged from oldtime country music to gospel to bluegrass and even some original numbers. But sheet music was rarely seen; most of these musicians played by ear, and few had ever taken a music lesson. There were bass and steel guitarists, fiddlers, banjo strummers, harmonica blowers, keyboard artists, singers and more. Both experienced musicians and beginners were welcomed.

There were also those who came just to listen. KOFP&S encouraged community participation and invited guests to attend performances at no cost, but many non-musicians paid the minimal membership fee and joined to support the music, the musicians and KOFP&S objectives. There was no smoking, no drinking and no dancing; still, the seats were filled with young and old fans who clapped their hands and tapped their feet to the beat. Many sang along. Music, friendship and even some good-natured ribbing made for an afternoon of wholesome entertainment. Every musician was given a round of applause no matter how good or not-so-good his or her performance. Eventually the chapter began handing out yearly awards to performers who were voted as favorites. Musicians could also receive state-wide recognition by competing at KOFP&S conventions.

From the beginning, Lakin’s monthly jam sessions led to lasting friendships and other opportunities for the musicians to entertain at community events, senior centers, nursing homes, fairs, fundraisers and more. The fiddlers and pickers were regulars at many area events including Deerfield Days, Pioneer Day at the Kearny County Museum, and the Lakin Grade School’s Kansas Day celebrations.

In 2012, the chapter reorganized and broke away from the state organization. With numbers waning and fewer donations, sending fees to the state organization didn’t make sense. The club was renamed the High Plains Country Music Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers, but its purpose of bringing western Kansas musicians together remained the same. For over 40 years, these musicians not only spread joy every time they met, they also helped to preserve a part of America’s musical heritage.

SOURCES: Archives of the Lakin Independent and Museum archives with special thanks to Mary Grubbs.

 

In July of 1920, a stranger driving a Dodge car with Texas tags arrived in Kearny County. The man was in his early 20s and went by the name of Walter Tunis. Jesse Craig, foreman of the Finnup Ranch, hired the man to work at the ranch, but Craig became suspicious when Tunis tried to sell him the car. Craig contacted Kearny County Sheriff Orla Hefner who learned that the vehicle had been stolen. According to some accounts, another man had accompanied Tunis but left the ranch by the time that Sheriff Hefner went there to bring in Tunis.

On the evening of Tuesday, August 3, Sheriff Hefner arrived at the Craig home which was two miles east of Lakin and south of the Arkansas River. It was suppertime, and Hefner was invited to join them for the meal. Then Tunis asked if he could go upstairs supposedly to get some of his personal effects. The suspect then accompanied Hefner to the sheriff’s car. It was at this time that Tunis shot Sheriff Hefner, but newspaper accounts are very inconsistent. While one report said that Tunis shot Hefner in the back when he bent down in front of his vehicle to hand crank it, another claimed that Tunis shot Hefner in the chest when the sheriff opened the car door for Tunis to get inside. Still another report claimed that Hefner was shot in the neck, and another claimed he was shot in the stomach while reaching for handcuffs. Regardless, nothing could be done to save the lawman, and he died before Doctor Johnston arrived on the scene.

Tunis escaped on one of Craig’s horses. Officers from surrounding counties were notified, and multiple posses were formed.  Alerts regarding the fugitive were sent out by runners, phone and telegraph across the entire countryside. Some persons reported seeing a man get off a horse just south of the Deerfield bridge and stand on the opposite side of the horse as though he did not wish to be too closely observed. At this report, the Deerfield posse led by E. Vencil Morris, a deputy sheriff, sped to the area. Assuming that Tunis had fled south to the sandhills, they followed a road that went toward the hills and found a gate that had been opened and was left lying on the ground. They also found fresh horse tracks leading north. The officers patrolled the road all night.

When daylight came, Morris went back to Deerfield and gave orders to patrol both the Deerfield and Holcomb bridges; however, the guard on the Holcomb bridge either left his post or had not arrived. Tunis left his horse and gear at a vacant house south and west of the Holcomb bridge, walked across the bridge and on into Holcomb. He roused a woman who operated a restaurant to get his breakfast. The woman became suspicious so she told him she would have to go to the store for some groceries. Tunis continued on north across the railroad tracks to a house a mile or so north of Holcomb. He was given breakfast there then left the house and crossed a large cane field before coming out into open grassland.

A quarter of a mile north, Kearny Countians Fred Dye and Frank McAllister were hiding in an irrigation ditch. Finney County Sheriff Lee Richardson and his men were also on the scene.  As Tunis came nearer, the men called for him to surrender, but Tunis still had the revolver he had used to kill Hefner and started shooting. Shots were returned, and Tunis was struck in the shoulder. According to the Garden City Telegram, Tunis then ran into a weed patch. “Being wounded and nearly exhausted, Tunis realized that escape was impossible and to escape being captured alive, he pointed the gun barrel to his own left breast and pulled the trigger.” He was located and taken to Garden City where he died soon after his arrival there. While riding into town, Tunis supposedly bragged to the officers that they didn’t take him but that he shot himself.

A large quantity of ammunition was found in Tunis’s trunk at the Finnup Ranch, and it was soon discovered that the young man was a deserter from Fort Bliss. The War Department refused to pay his funeral expenses. Tunis claimed he had a wife and child and that his mother lived at Mason City, Illinois, but no family members came forward to pay for the body to be returned. Kearny County Commissioners paid Finney County $75 towards having the murderer buried in a pauper’s grave at Valley View Cemetery. Tunis, who also went by the name of Ralph Latour, had previously been in trouble with the law over his “sticky fingers”.

Sheriff Orla Francis Hefner was born at Harrison County, Missouri in 1881, one of William and Anna Kemp Hefner’s nine children. He was united in marriage to Miss Veva May Porter of Bethany, MO in 1903. In 1906, the young couple came to Kearny County, following Orla’s parents and siblings who had moved here the year prior and took up claims about six miles west of Lakin. Orla moved in 1914 into Lakin where he was proprietor of a livery barn, and he was appointed undersheriff in January of 1915. He was highly respected and known for his kind heart, and in 1918, Orla was rewarded for his competency when he was elected sheriff. He was up for re-election and was killed the same day as the 1920 primary election. According to the Garden City Herald, Lakin citizens were so deeply distraught over the sheriff’s murder that “there is no doubt the murderer would have been lynched if he had been taken alive.”

Orla Hefner left behind many relatives including two children who he and his wife had adopted, seven-year-old Ralph and three-year-old Dorothy Mae. Orla’s widow returned with the two children to Missouri where she re-married then later divorced. She died in 1972.

 

SOURCES: Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; “The Tragedy of the Shooting of the Kearny County Sheriff” as told by E. Vencil Morris for Vol. I of the History of Kearny County; Archives of Kearny County Advocate, Lakin Independent, Garden City Telegram, Garden City Herald, and Decatur Daily Review; Ancestry.com; findagrave and Museum archives.

Deerfield’s annual Summer Celebration is coming this weekend, and throngs of people will converge on the little town to partake in its down-home hospitality. The late Oliver and Hazel Shriver knew a thing or two about hospitality. Both were strong leaders in the Deerfield community, and their contributions there and in the surrounding area are still felt to this day.

Oliver W. Shriver was born December 26, 1903 on a farm near Clearwater, Kans., the third son of Aza and Ruby (Coulson) Shriver. When Oliver was six, the family moved to Barber County where he grew to manhood. In the late teens, Oliver’s parents bought land near Hooker, Okla., but later traded this for land near Moscow, Kans. At this time, Oliver and his father entered into a farming partnership whereby Oliver was the “suitcase” farmer during the summer months and returned to the family farm near Lake City, Kans. in the winter to help his father feed cattle and hogs. Oliver eventually bought out the partnership and moved to Deerfield in 1928.

Hazel Adeline Steenis was born September 21, 1907 at a farm just southwest of Hartford, Kansas, the oldest of three daughters born to John “Jack” and Edith Brewer Steenis. In 1913, Hazel and her family moved to Kearny County and settled on a farm near Deerfield where she attended school and graduated from Deerfield High School with the class of 1926. After attending Emporia Teachers College for two years, she returned to Kearny County and taught for one year at a rural school north of Deerfield known as Harmony Hill.

It was fate that Oliver’s and Hazel’s paths would cross, and in June of 1936, they were married in the court house at Garden City. They immediately moved to the Rector farm north of Deerfield where they spent nearly 40 years acquiring land, developing irrigation and growing with the times. Hazel worked alongside Oliver, playing a major role in the success of their farming operation. In 1974, the couple moved into Deerfield, but then left in 1978 for Arizona only to return to the place they called “home” two years later.

Both Oliver and Hazel were active in community affairs and belonged to various organizations, but it was their generosity that stood out the most. Because Oliver wanted a place to gather with the farmers and drink coffee, the Shrivers built and furnished the Deerfield Café for the community and deeded the café to the Deerfield Lions Club in 1981. The building now serves as the Deerfield Recreation Commission’s Fitness Corner.

The Shrivers were also the benefactors of the Deerfield City Shop and provided funds for remodeling Deerfield’s City Hall. They purchased a back hoe for use at the Deerfield Cemetery and provided funding for the water well and irrigation system there too. It was their way of “repaying the community of Deerfield for the hospitality it is has shown us,” Hazel said.

Hazel and Oliver had strong feelings for their church too and made major contributions to the Deerfield Methodist Church’s building fund, carpet, remodeling and furnishings. As a result, the church’s Sunday School wing was named in Hazel’s honor.

Oliver preceded Hazel in death in March of 1984. To honor the couple for being such fine citizens and generous contributors, Saturday, September 29, 1984, was proclaimed “Oliver and Hazel Shriver Day” by Deerfield Mayor James Jarboe, Sr.

Hazel decided to set up scholarships at Garden City Community College in her and Oliver’s names to benefit young people in the area. “In this world, there are so many interesting things to do, to see and to learn. Each of us should continually have a mind open to new ideas and accept the challenge to learn. If these scholarships help the young people to achieve a goal, they will have been very worthwhile,” she said. In all, Hazel established 12 different scholarships at GCCC representing a wide range of interests. The GCCC Endowment Association honored her with the 1985-86 Outstanding Service Award.

Hazel was a staunch supporter of Camp Lakeside near Scott City and the Russell Child Development Center of Garden City too. She also contributed to the Kearny County Hospital, Family Health Center and Kearny County Museum. An active member of the Kearny County Historical Society, she assisted with both History of Kearny County books as well as the supplemental index. Genealogy was one of Hazel’s many interests, and she held memberships in the genealogical societies of Finney County, Dodge City and Topeka. She was recognized for meritorious service/distinguished work in the field of family history in June of 1992 by the Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies.

In 1993, Hazel moved to Garden Valley Retirement Village at Garden City, and she passed away in January of 2000. She and Oliver had no children; however, countless Deerfield children were blessed with their kindness, especially those who were lucky enough to have Hazel “babysit” them or assist with their 4-H projects. Oliver was described as the kind of man who made quick decisions but never looked back. He was mechanically minded and never afraid to try something new. Hazel was spunky, joyful and smart. Not only were they made for each other, they made a lasting impression on those who were fortunate enough to know them.

 

SOURCES: History of Kearny County, Kansas Vols. I & II; Museum archives; and archives of The Lakin Independent and Garden City Telegram.

Chances are, Merlin Line will come up in more than a few conversations this week. Afterall, it is Kearny County Fair week, and Line was a familiar face and fixture at the local fair for 36 years. Under his tutelage as Kearny County’s Extension Director and Ag Agent, a multitude of changes took place here which expanded programming and improved services not only to the farming community but the entire population of the area. Permanent fair buildings were con­structed in Loucks Park, planned and built with Merlin’s assistance, and the Kearny County Fair just kept getting better. A total of 880 4-H members participated in Kearny County’s 4-H program during his tenure, and the annual fair was opened up to all county residents, not just 4-Hers.

Born at Sabetha, Kansas in November of 1920, Line attended Kansas State University after high school. He not only received his bachelor’s in agriculture there but also met his future wife, Mary Gasche, a native of Lyon County. They married in 1943 when Merlin was a private in the U.S. Army. He would go on to serve in the European Theater.

Merlin began his career with the Kansas State Extension Service in July 1946. His first assignment was with the Dickinson County Farm Bureau as the county’s 4-H Club Agent. In January of 1949, Merlin was hired as Kearny County’s new agriculture agent, replacing F.M. Coleman who resigned to become manager of the Lucky Key Hereford ranch at Hutchinson. Merlin began his duties April 1.

While Line grew Kearny County’s fair and extension programs, he and Mary also grew their family. They moved here with their 20-month-old daughter and eventually added a son and one more daughter to the fold. Merlin also continued to grow his knowledge. In 1964, he received his Master’s degree from Colorado State University at Fort Collins.

Merlin was honored with the Distinguished Service Award in 1966 from the National As­sociation of County Agricultural Agents. Also that year, he was elected to the office of secretary-treasurer for the Kansas Association of County Agricultural Agents, and the following year he was promoted to president of the association, a position he held through 1970. The Kansas Wheat Com­mission recognized him in 1971 for his work in promoting Kansas Wheat at the Kansas State Fair. In 1975, Line received the Kansas award in Rural Develop­ment, and he was awarded the Kansas Wheat Promotion Award from the Kansas Wheat Commission again in 1983.

Merlin’s ambition and devotion to his fellow man and community was unparalleled. He served as the first chairman of the Deerfield-Lakin-­Kearny County Planning Com­mission, and Line also belonged to the VFW, Lions Club, Rotary Club and the Lakin Methodist Church. He researched and wrote for Volume II of the History of Kearny County and held membership in the Kansas Extension Agents Associa­tion, the extension honorary fraternity known as Epsilon Sigma Phi, and the Fort Collins chapter of Phi Delta Kappa.

The Lines were avid KSU fans and were season ticketholders to both Wildcat basketball and football games. Upon Merlin’s retirement in 1985, they purchased a home in Manhattan because of their long association with K-State and because the central location also took them closer to their children and other family. Sadly, Merlin Elmer Line died on August 5, 1988, only a few short years after his retirement, but his legacy of service to our community and to the Kearny County Fair has not been forgotten.

SOURCES: Archives of the Lakin Independent, Fairview Enterprise and Manhattan Mercury; Ancestry.com; findagrave; and Museum archives.

It won’t be long before the dirt flies and the crowd cheers as cowboys and cowgirls take the spotlight at the Kearny County Saddle Club’s annual rodeo. The Saddle Club is in its 75^th year and still going strong. The club was organized January 9, 1950 when a group of people who were interested in both 4-H and saddle club met at the courthouse. Bob Caldwell was elected as the club’s first president with Ed Holt as vice and Cecil Tate as secretary-treasurer.  All 38 in attendance pledged membership.

Membership fees went towards buying roping calves and other necessary equipment as well as two former army barracks from the Garden City Air Force Base which were purchased on a rent-to-own agreement. Charles and Rhoda Loucks offered a tract of 18.2 acres just west of Lakin on a “use-and-occupancy basis” for one dollar. Saddle Club members built the foundations, and Fred Rogers, Elmer Ploeger and Leonard Enslow were appointed to prepare the army buildings for the move. Everett Kemper moved the buildings which were ready for 4-H Club use by late summer. The Saddle Club and other organizations held a box supper and dance to celebrate.

A committee arranged for materials to build an arena with a racetrack around it and to make other improvements. Several members agreed to donate calves for roping practice, and plans were made for the first rodeo to be held Saturday and Sunday, August 19^th and 20^th, 1950. A prevue of the event was given on a Sunday afternoon in July when members of the local club staged a home talent rodeo for local fans which included calf roping, fancy riding, calf riding and other events.

The inaugural Saddle Club rodeo was a huge success that August in spite of chilly and threatening weather. Rodeo “specials” were offered at local grocery stores, and the Dorothy clothing store advertised “Rodeo Outfits.” Lakin stores closed at noon that Saturday so that both employees and customers could attend the big event. More than 100 cowboys and cowgirls participated in a huge parade down Lakin’s Main Street Saturday morning. Other displays, floats and farm equipment comprised the remainder of the procession. The official program began at 1 that afternoon with a 4-H livestock parade and sale which was followed by the grand entry at 2 p.m.

Stock for the rodeo was provided by Paul Long who was well known on the rodeo circuit for his feisty Brahma bulls and other “salty” stock. Contestants came from New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and elsewhere in Kansas, but there were very few local entries. Kearny Countians Avonda Kiistner (later Burrows) won the kid’s pony race on both days, and Bob Caldwell and Virgil Rice split honors in the stock saddle horse race.  Bareback riding, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, girls’ chariot race, bulldogging and bull riding were also on the agenda. There was even a novelty act put on by Claude Smith, his son and their well-trained Brahma. A total of 1,700 paid admissions were counted at the two-day event.

After that, assistance came from everywhere to make improvements to the rodeo arena. The City of Lakin provided poles for arena lights, the Garden City Sugar Beet Company dug holes and set the poles up, and Colorado Interstate Gas Company provided casing for a well. Proceeds from the annual rodeo went towards improvements and maintenance of the rodeo arena and 4-H facilities.  In March 1953, the Saddle Club released a strip of land along the south edge of their tract to be used as a fairway by the golf club. According to an article written by the late Irene Rice, Mr. and Mrs. Loucks made a new contract to the Saddle Club and 4-H Club in 1957 which effectively divided the two areas and left the Saddle Club with 10 acres of the original 18.

In 1974, the rodeo went to a three-day schedule, and in 1978, J & J Rodeo Company began supplying the stock which it still does to this day. Also in 1978, the Saddle Club broke in a new metal building with a dance on the second night of the annual rodeo. The building still sits right next to the arena and houses a concessions area and bathrooms which have recently been renovated. Chutes, pens, arena fences, grandstands and the announcer’s booth have repeatedly been rebuilt and updated. Camper hook-ups have also been added. In addition to Saddle Club events and their annual rodeo, the arena has been used for other events such as Little Britches rodeos and most recently in May for a huge Kansas High School Rodeo Association competition. Some may remember chasing a “greasy” pig around the arena during fair week or even witnessing a donkey baseball game there.

The annual rodeo isn’t the only event that the Saddle Club has been involved with over the years either. They have held trail rides, calf-fries, barbecues, inter-club meets, round robins, play days and more, and members travel to compete in rodeos in other communities as well. In the 1970s, the club even sponsored a youth drill team known as the Sunshine Rascals. Saddle Club members have ridden steeds and entered floats in Lakin’s Christmas parades too. One year, the organization’s nativity scene had several animals crowded around a manger, but the donkey fell off the truck.

Still, most people associate the group with the annual Kearny County Saddle Club Rodeo. Various related activities have come and gone such as the crowning of a rodeo queen and Saturday night dance, and the Saturday parade has been replaced with an ice cream social complete with games and wagon rides at the Kearny County Senior Center. As for the rodeo itself, there is an ample supply of riding and roping at the two-day event to thrill audience members. Mutton busting and stick horse races are fun for the kids, and even the pickiest of cowboys will be happily satisfied with the vittles at Saturday night’s barbecue (included in the cost of ticket for the first 300 people.) If you’re looking for some rootin’-tootin’ fun, the Kearny County Saddle Club Rodeo is the place to be this weekend! It’s a 75-year-old Kearny County tradition!

SOURCES: History of Kearny County Vol. I, “Clowning Around Is Serious Business for this Rodeo Family” by Vivian Fankhauser; archives of The Lakin Independent, Museum archives and the Kearny County Saddle Club’s Facebook page.

Wheat harvest is well underway in Southwest Kansas, and all those beautiful kernels of grain must go somewhere. Most are hauled by truck to area grain elevators. One of the first elevators in Lakin was constructed in 1922 near the corner of Lakin Street and Railroad Avenue. Nearly 55 years later, the 100-foot tall elevator caused quite a stir in the Lakin community after hurricane force winds caused the structure to swing, sway and twist.

The abandoned landmark had already shown signs of weakness due to old age and years of use. Add to that, the jarring and vibrations from thousands of Santa Fe trains as they rumbled by. Talks about demolishing the structure were already in progress prior to the high winds that arrived in March of 1977. As winds began gusting to 80 m.p.h. on Friday, March 11, Kearny County Sheriff M.L. McCue cordoned off the area to vehicle and foot traffic, and residents were warned not to travel within two blocks of the elevator. Residents at Pioneer Home, which sat 85 feet across the street to the east, were evacuated to the Veterans Memorial Building.

Law enforcement officials kept vigil over the weakened structure throughout the weekend. A four-foot bow developed about 30-feet from the ground, and some of the sheathing was blown off, exposing the wooden walls underneath. Come Monday, the structure was still standing, but Co-op officials reached an agreement with insurance company officials and got the go-ahead to knock down the elevator. A crew of experts from Saint Lyne Industries had been standing by since Saturday to get the liability release. With the assistance of a giant crane from Garden City and two winch trucks, the elevator came tumbling down on Monday about 3:30 p.m.

According to The Lakin Independent, “The building gave up gracefully and fell to its demise with dignity. There were no complications and no injuries nor damages.” The sheriff said “It made a little noise, and pigeons were still flying – or should I stay staggering – out minutes later.” The 24 Pioneer residents were back at the home 30 minutes later.

The elevator was built for H.S. Darr, a grain, seed and feed dealer who dealt in wheat, broomcorn, milo, cane seed, rye seed and more. The structure originally held 11,000 to 12,000 bushels of grain, and the dump was suitable for either wagon or truck use. The machinery within was operated by electricity. A blower was used to elevate the grain, and a small elevator was installed for the use of the mechanic in going to the top to look after the machinery. The first floor was used as a grinding and sacking room, and all the bins were overhead. The machinery pit, which ran below the high-water line, was re-enforced with cement walls. The entire structure was covered with galvanized iron.

According to The Independent, the Equity Exchange owned the structure following Darr, and then the elevator was purchased by the Farmers Cooperative of Lakin and Kendall in 1945. The building was remodeled in 1947, and 30 to 40 feet was added to its height. The elevator served the Co-op until the first concrete silos were completed in the 1950s.

 

SOURCES: Archives of The Lakin Independent, Garden City Telegram and Hutchinson News.

 

The popularity of June weddings dates back to early Roman times and a Roman festival which honored the goddess Juno. Wife of Jupiter, Juno was considered to be the protector of women in all aspects of life, but especially in marriage and childbearing. A June wedding was thought to bring good fortune and many offspring. June marriages often led to pregnancy with babies born the following spring when their chances of survival were much better than in the long and often very lean winters. Also, spring births would not interfere with harvest in the fall.

The history of June weddings is also connected with the Celtic calendar. Even the term “honeymoon” has an historical origin. The first moon after the summer solstice, June 21, was called the “honey moon.”

Another less popular belief was that most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May. The overall population smelled fairly fresh still in June, and the bride’s bouquet masked her body odor. Whether or not there is any truth to this notion, the good weather of June promised ample fresh flowers for the ceremony and celebrations.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, June is still the most popular month to marry, but a list of early marriages performed in Kearny County indicates that June was no more favored than any other month for weddings. As far as days of the week, Sunday used to be the most popular wedding day as it was the one day most people were free from work. In early U.S. history, Wednesday was considered to be the luckiest day for weddings, and Fridays were avoided as they were known as “hangman’s day.” An old rhyme reads, “Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all, Thursday for losses, Friday for crosses, Saturday for no luck at all.” Despite the rhyme, Saturdays are currently the most popular day for weddings (which might explain the high divorce rate).

The concept of weddings as a reflection of romantic love is a rather new one.  The first weddings were more like a business transaction between the bride’s father and the family of the groom. The bride and groom had very little say in the matter. Women were considered their father’s property; hence, the tradition of being walked down the aisle and “given away” by their fathers. In some cultures, the father had to pay a dowry to the groom’s family; while in others, the groom had to give a “bridewealth” to the bride’s family. Often a bride with a handsome dowry was kidnapped on her way to the wedding and forced to marry her captor. The original purpose of bridesmaids and best men was to aid in capturing brides, getting them to the church, and keeping away anyone who might interfere with the wedding.

Bridesmaids were dressed in the exact same clothes as the bride so as to confuse any would-be captors. The groom stood on the right of the bride so he could wear a sword on his hip should anyone try to steal the bride during the ceremony. Standing on the right allowed him to draw his sword without beheading his bride.

In the 1800s and 1900s, many marriages were born out of necessity. During times of war, men were often obligated to marry their fallen brother’s widow. Widowers often took younger wives to help them raise their offspring, and children meant guaranteed help on the farm. Romance versus practicality was the topic of an entry in an 1892 Lakin Index, “The young man in search of a wife goes about looking for an ideal woman. The older man goes about looking for a practical woman when he wants to wed.”

The historical roots of mail-order brides can be traced back to the days of the Wild Wild West. Although many men found financial gain upon migrating West, they lacked the company of a wife. With few women to pick from, they attempted to attract women living back East by writing letters to churches and publishing personal ads in magazines and newspapers. Wanting to gain financial security and intrigued by what life on the frontier could offer them, women would write to the men and send photographs of themselves. Courtship was conducted by letter until a woman agreed to marry a man she had never met. In 1906, the Kearny County Advocate reprinted an article about an H.W. Flowers of McLean, Tex. who asked an employment agent to find him a young widow or old maid in Kansas who was matrimonally inclined. Flowers said he wanted a Kansas wife and that he had heard there were good crops of wheat, widows and old maids in our state. The employment agent replied that there was a good crop of wheat but there was a shortage in widows and old maids and “the latter crops never remain on the market.”

After Queen Victoria wore a white lace dress when she married Prince Albert in 1840, white wedding dresses became more popular. Prior to this time, brides often wore their best available dress or a new gown that could be worn again. White dresses were considered impractical; however, the color white had long been associated with purity, virginity and innocence in some cultures. Following World War II, white wedding dresses became increasingly popular in the U.S. as economic prosperity allowed more people to purchase a special dress for their wedding day.

Kearny County Museum is home to many wedding artifacts including dresses, men’s attire, wedding certificates, invitations and more! Some of our items date back to the late 1800s with the oldest dress on display being that of Louise Sower worn in 1884. Dresses from June weddings in our display include those worn by Ethel Beymer in 1913, Barbara Kash in 1954, Ann Tate in 1956, Twila Smith in 1957, Diana Loeppke in 1966, Sheryl Bostrom in 1967, and the dress that Debby Yount made for her wedding in 1972. We also have the suit that she made for her husband, Dale. We encourage visitors to come in and check out our wedding exhibit as well as all the other fascinating displays and items we have in our hometown, home-grown museum! Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

SOURCES: Lakin Index; Kearny County Advocate; Saturday Evening Post; Old Farmers Almanac; Museum artifacts; brombergs.com; and Wikipedia.

 

There had been numerous floods in the Ark River Valley before 1965, but the flood that ravaged Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico in June of that year was labeled a 100-year-flood or a once-in-a-lifetime flood. The catastrophic event was the by-product of torrential rains that began on the eastern slope of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains on Monday, June 14 and continued for three days. Many of Colorado’s streams began to flood, including East Plum Creek which joined the equally swollen Plum Creek at Sedalia about 20 miles south of Denver. Their combined waters demolished bridges and swept houses off their foundations. Floodwaters reached the South Platte River then began spreading over open farmland. The Clay, Bijou, Fountain and Purgatory creeks and flooding Platte all rushed towards the Arkansas River, and on the 17th, a 15-foot flood crest struck Pueblo. Gates at John Martin Dam were closed to trap waters in the early morning hours of June 17, and the reservoir held nearly the entire volume of flood run-off. Still, many of the streams that were flooding were east of the big dam.

Flood waters inundated Holly, Colorado where more than six inches of rain fell overnight and caused the raging river to expand even more as it headed further east. Granada also sustained heavy damage. The flood crossed into Kansas early on June 17, and more heavy rain exacerbated the issue. Water from six to eight feet deep filled homes south of the Santa Fe Railroad tracks at Coolidge. The flood stretched more than 1.5 miles across by the time it reached Syracuse where one home was moved a half-mile from its foundation, four others were destroyed and a total of 100 were affected in varying degrees.

The turbulent tides raced towards Kendall, and the rain just kept falling. Residents there were spared the damage because the water never crossed the protective railroad dike at the south boundary of the berg. Miraculously, the approaches to the Kendall bridge were not cut out, but nearby rural residents were not as fortunate. Whole herds of cattle were carried away, and numerous farm homes fell victim. The normally dry Bear Creek also went on a rampage, and the water soon spilled out of the hills into farmland west of K-25. Several sections of roads and highways in Kearny, Grant and Hamilton counties were washed out by Bear Creek water.

In the early morning hours on June 18th, 45-year-old Emanuel “Bud” Weldon, a ranch hand at the Bar-HK Ranch five miles southwest of Lakin, drowned in the high waters. Bud and five others were attempting to flee the area in a pickup after doing what they could to get livestock to higher ground, but the rapidly rising water engulfed the truck. The men clung to a 25-gallon gas tank that was in the back of the truck and floated until reaching a large tree where three took refuge. One man made it to another tree, and another clung to a gatepost. The men had hold of Bud at first, but the force of the water and his weight made him slip from their grasp. Weldon’s body was recovered two days later by helicopter, and the others in his party were eventually rescued via boat and helicopter.

The waters edged into the south side of Lakin around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Volunteers from all over the community joined forces with city and county employees, the fire department and civil defense to build a dike on the south side of Avenue C. They came with shovels to fill sandbags and with trucks to haul material or do whatever was necessary. As building of the dike progressed, the flood waters were forced to flow east away from town. On the other side of the dike, flood water raced over HWY 25 to a depth of 22 inches. It soon became evident that the highway was acting as a dam. About the time the dike was completed, with permission of the State Highway Department, Gene Hornbaker maneuvered his backhoe around the dike and cut a gash across the road about a quarter of a mile south of the dike which allowed the water to escape on east.

Elderly patients at Lakin’s Sabo manor were evacuated to the Memorial Building in busses, cars and ambulances. Property damage was minimal as most residents who lived south of the tracks had sandbagged around their basement windows. As soon as the dike was completed, county road crews moved their equipment to Deerfield and did revetment work to protect the town. There was no flooding in Deerfield as the water only came up to the railroad tracks, but the south approaches to the river bridges at both Lakin and Deerfield sustained damage. Water poured into Lake McKinney via the Amazon ditch, and the intake at the headgates was badly damaged. State and county health officials ordered the lake closed for all recreational purposes until the first part of July.

The flood waters had taken on a large amount of debris and dead livestock by the time they reached Finney County. By mid-afternoon on Friday, the swirling waters were seen under the Holcomb bridge, and a few minutes later the bridge was cut off and water was spreading out from the edge of the small community south into the sandhills. On higher ground than the river valley, Holcomb was virtually unharmed. At Garden City, famers trucked loads of dirt and sand to build a 25-block long dike which stood six feet high in some places. Three hundred families were evacuated from the south part of the city where the water reached a depth of 16 feet, and most of the animals at Lee Richardson Zoo were relocated. Flood water backed up through storm sewers, causing serious flooding along Fulton and Chestnut, and some basements north of the tracks filled up. Over $1 million in damage occurred at Garden City, and 24-year-old Jerry Morris drowned when he was swept away as he scrambled toward a tree for refuge south of the Garden City airport.

Pierceville residents were evacuated, and the water rose 15 feet and grew to a mile width in half an hour at Ingalls. Cimarron homes and businesses south of the railroad tracks received extensive damage. A 1/2-mile wide sheet of water rose from 3.8 to 17.2 feet in 15 minutes at Dodge City Saturday morning, and about 1,500 residents in south Dodge left their homes. Boats and helicopters were kept busy in rescue and supply operations. The following day, six feet of water was coursing through some of the homes, and 615 residences and 155 businesses at Dodge City and Wilroads Gardens were damaged. The flood waters reached Kinsley June 21 where highways from three directions were blocked by gushing waters of the Arkansas River and Coon Creek. Dikes at Larned and Great Bend prevented serious damage in those communities, but the surrounding rural area looked like a swamp.

The Department of the interior reported 14 drownings and at least two other deaths resulting from the storms and activities related to what many consider the worst flood in Kansas history. Millions of dollars of damage was done in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, and the laborious task of cleaning up began as soon as the waters started to recede.

 

 

 

 

SOURCES: U.S. Dept. of Interior; National Weather Service; History of Kearny County Vol. II; archives of the Lakin Independent, Hutchinson News, Garden City Telegram, and Wichita Eagle; and museum archives.

One of the oldest houses in Lakin has graced the northwest corner of Waterman Avenue and Kansas Street since its completion in 1900. Originally the home of Daniel Patrick Kearny, the structure’s historical charm is undeniable.

Born in 1846 in Brooklyn, N.Y., D.P. Kearny moved with his parents at an early age to Racine, WI where he grew to manhood. He married Eliza McKenna in 1868, and their family moved to several different states before coming to Kansas and settling on a claim 20 miles north of Syracuse in 1887. Mrs. Kearny died in 1889, leaving behind D.P. and their three children: Edward, 23; Evelyn, 12, and William, 10. Kearny then moved his family to Hartland where he operated a blacksmith and wagon shop on the west side of Hartland’s Main Street.

In November of 1893, Kearny relocated again, this time to Lakin. He purchased a residence and blacksmith shop on East Waterman Avenue, and by December of 1894, his business had become so successful that he was building an addition to the shop. Soon he was selling carriages, buggies, plows and other implements. By 1899, Kearny had expanded into the hardware trade, and customers could purchase stoves, tinware, windmills, and more at D.P. Kearny & Co.

In 1899, work began on Kearny’s new residence which sat just to the east of his booming hardware business. The Oct. 18, 1899 Investigator reported that Kearny was “sparing no pains to make his new dwelling elegant and comfortable, Mr. Kearny is one of Lakin’s most successful business men.” By the end of January 1900, the fine residence was near completion. “He has been careful to have all the work done in first class style, and this has taken a little longer than was at first expected.” The cottage was eye-catching with its gingerbread trim, tin roofing and cupola. In 1906, Kearny constructed a three-room addition “to his already extensive and handsome mansion.” D.P. spared no money when it came to his lawn either. He recruited expert floriculturists from Topeka and Manhattan to lay out flower beds and plant flowers.

In October of 1903, the beautiful residence was the scene of Kearny’s wedding to Florence Amelia Caton who was 34 years his junior. In February of 1904, daughter Evelyn married John J. (Jack) Nash at the Kearny home. “The house was handsomely decorated with carnations and roses, which were sent by friends from Hutchinson, and the most beautiful the florists of that city could provide.”

In November of 1904, P.D. and Florence joyfully welcomed a daughter they named Mary Frances. A few months later, D.P. received word that his eldest son had died in the Philippines where he had been sent in 1898 to fight in the Philippine-American War. Daniel Patrick Kearny died February 14, 1910 at his East Waterman residence. At the time of his death, his youngest son had not been heard from since 1894 and was presumed dead; however, it was later learned that William died in Montana in 1930.

D.P.’s widow and young daughter continued to live in the Kearny house, and it was the site of yet another pretty wedding when Florence remarried in February of 1914. Her second husband, Homer Allyn, hailed from Washington State, and the couple soon moved to the west coast where Homer raised Mary Frances as his own. The Allyns also had a son, but he died in infancy. Mr. Allyn died in 1938, and Florence married again in 1944 to Ora Penning. She died in 1962 at Centralia, Washington. Mary Frances was 24 when she married Dayton Van Vactor. The couple had one son, and Mary Frances died in 1995 at Portland, Oregon.

After Homer and Florence Allyn went west with Mary Frances, the Kearny home was utilized as a boarding house/hotel. In 1919, Joseph and Martha Dunkle purchased the home and ran it as the Dunkle House. In 1922, Orren and Lydia Francis began running the Francis Hotel out of the building, and they resided there until the 1940s. About 1947, Arthur “Pete” and Gladys Marx began operating it as the Marx Hotel, but many Lakinites will remember it as the home of their son Vernon “Dutch” Marx, his wife, Vicki, and their two children, Marc and Kathy. The home remains in the Marx family.

 

SOURCES: “Diggin’ Up Bones” by Betty Barnes; Ancestry.com; Archives of Lakin Investigator, Kearny County Advocate, Lakin Independent and Garden City Telegram; and Museum archives. Special thanks to the Kearny County Appraiser’s Office.