2 10 1803 https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/460/Families-D.pdf f431ccbf3424cef5e314f08b53c34427 PDF Text Text Scratching at the earth wasn't really Cuckow's dish of tea, however. In the early 1900's he started a Garage business in Flagler which later turned into a parts shop. In the 1920's and 30's he sold Case tractor parts, an honorable enough business proposition but somewhat fiampered by the fact that there were precious few Case tractors or other implements in or around Flagler. His shop, on Main Street, now occupied by Steven's Garage, undoubtedly saw days when less than a dollar changed hands. Cuckow lives at the back of the shop which had somewhat primitive toilet facilities but, you can be certain, no bathtub. Or at least you would have been certain if you had had occasion to visit Cuckow in those days. Then there was Cuckow's dog whose na-e, unfortunatply, is lost to history. It would be unfair to say that this dog was of indeterminate breed as there were probably 50 or 60 separate breeds in that mutt. The dog was about knee-high and the only adequate description of him would be that he was a scroung'y, flea-bitten mutt but all of that is quite beside the point -because Cuckow loved him and would tell any and all who would listen that the dog had extraordinary intclligence. For instance, the dog (according to Cuckow) heartily disliked Republicans and could distinguish them by smell. A familiar sight on a Saturday evening was Cuckow and his dog slowly walking up the street to the theater where Cuckow would lay down the 15 or 20 cents that it then cost to go to the movies and he and his dog would then go in and watch it. The following Monday Cuckow could tell all visitors not only what he thought of the movie but what his dog thought of it. At any rate, sometime in the 30's the Republicans arranged to rent the theater, mid-week, for a big election year rally (probably Alf Landon versus FDR in 1936). Cuckow claimed that his dog wouldn't set foot in the theater until they fumigated it and, as far as recollection serves, he did not. Cuckow had many dislikes or pet-peeves. He was outspoken about two in particular, however and they were W.H. Lavington, the town banker and without question the richest man in the community and the other wag women in general and "high school girls" in particular. The term high-school girl, understand, included anyone under 30. It is not "character" to satisfy the whole town and western end of Kit Carson Countv. in the fall. by Donald Page CURE - POOLE FAMILY works at home. She also officiates volleyball Er42 Bill was born in Burlington, Colorado. He was the sixth of eight children born to Bunny and Ernie Cure of Stratton. St. Charles Academy was the site of Bill's first six years of education. Continuing his schooling at Stratton Public School, Bill became a member ofthe football, wrestling and track teams. As a senior, Bill was na-ed to the All-State Football f,sam, became State Heavyweight Wrestling Qlampion in helping the team bring home the State Championship and placed second throwing the shot-put at the State Track Meet. He graduated in 1974. During the years following Bill became engaged in farming and ranching with mem- bers of his family. The second of four children. Janet was born in Oklahoma in 1961 to Jim and Nora Poole. They moved to Bethune in August, 1964, where he (dad) accepted the position of superintendent of schools. Janet received all Dex and Sadie Poole, daughter of Janet's older brother Dave, share the sarne "lucky" birthdate, Friday the 13th, February 1987. Bill is still farming and ranching with his brothers Ed, Mike and John. His sisters include Jane Hubbard of Hugo, Kay Unrein of Eaton, Colorado, Mary Bohnen of Stratton and Theresa Cure of Aurora, Colorado. Presently, Janet's brother Dave and his family Janet, Sara and Sadie are in Homestead, Florida. Dave is in the Air Force training to be a fighter pilot in the F-4 Phantoms. Her sisters are Sharon Green of Simla, Colorado and Kristy Liming of Kirk, Colorado. by Janet Cure DANIEL - KYLE FAMILY It was Aug. 7, L954, that Raymond and I were married at St. Charles Catholic Church in Stratton. Colo. Raymond Urban Daniel was the youngest twelve years of education under the watchful eye of her dad! Participating in many activi- son of Frank and Gertrude Daniel, his two older brothers being John and Robert. He was born April 18, 1925 at Burlington, Colo. and spent his childhood on the farm with his ties, including volleyball, basketball, track family five miles south of Burlington. This and cheerleading she graduated valedictorian in 1979. Two years later, Janet transferred farm was where his Grandfather John Daniel came to in 1906 from Crete, Nebraska, and being a carpenter, he built the house and barns that are still on the place. Raymond and his brothers spent many hours playing in the hay mows of the barns and it is told that one of them made some wings and tried to fly out the hay mow door and consequently suffered a broken arm. It was on very rare occasions that the family ever missed Sunday from Colorado State University, Ft. Collins to the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. Graduating with a teaching degree in 1983, she accepted a position teaching kindergarten in Burlington. In December of 1983, Bill and Janet were mamied. Blessed with their first son, Luke, in March 1985, Janet continued teaching, but only half-time. Dex was born almost two years later. Janet has since resigned and Mass. Raymond attended school in Burlington and graduated in 1943. He did spen ' difficult to conclude why the poor dislike the rich (and Republican to boot), but the source of hie hatred for women lies buried with the man. If he had ever loved but lost, he didn't divulge the fact to anyone. On any given spring or summer day, however, you could find Cuckow at the front of his shop uttering low-down remarks about "high school girls." One short ditty that was current in those days was attribut€d to Cuckow but was unquestionably written by someone else - Cuckow never ghowed any such literary "f,slslf,s" at any rate, it went like this: The gum chewing girl and the cud-chewing cow, yet, different gomehow Somewhat alike - it now Ah! yes, I remember It's the intelligent look on the face ofthe cow. Well, every family should have in it's background some ancestor who qualifies as a real "character". A small town is very much like an extpnded family and one Leroy Cuckow, born Nov. 9, L872, qualifies as a predecessor or ancegtor with enough Fl43 Christmas 1987, BiU and Janet Cure with their children, Luke and Dex. �a little over a year in the army during World War II. I, Kathryne Louise Kyle Daniel was the seventh child of Loyal and Emma Kyle and my sisters and brothers were Mamie, Mildred, Evelyn, Lois, Robert, Thomas, and Imogene. I was born April 4, 1929 at the family farm thirteen miles northeast of Flagler. I remember how we all had to help with the chores such as milking cows, turning the seperator to seperate the cream from the milk, picking up cow chips to burn, helping our mother prepare dried corn, can the meat after butchering, rendering the lard and making soap. It was always eo much fun when we would get to go to a neighbor's house for dinner and really a treat when we got to spend the night with our cousins and for a number of years our family, the Sidney Huntzinger family and the Charles Kyle family always spent Christmas together because everyone was close by. We decorated our Christmas tree with cranberries and pop-corn we had strung on a string and had little metal candle holders that clipped on the tree to hold since we had no electricity. I attcnded grade echool at Liberty, a country school a half mile north from my home, and carried my lunch and water in little tin buckets. When I was ready for high school I had to stay in Flagler since there were no school buses and I graduated in 1947 and then went on to nursing school and graduated from St. Lukes Hospital in Denver, Colo. in 1950 and came to Burlington to work at Kit Carson Co. Memorial Hospital which was a pretty new hoepital at that time. I was the firgt Public Health Nurse in Kit Carson County and that was in 1953. Raymond and I both worked at the hospital aftpr we were married and in 1958 moved to Colo. Springs where Raymond worked at the Air Force Academy and then back to Burlington and in 1964 we opened Grace Manor Nursing Home. We and two other couples had built the home and we sold it in 1974. We moved to the Daniel farm south of town where Ra5mond had grown up and in the fall of L974 we both began working for the Burlington Public School. We had three children, Stephen who married June Radebaugh and they have children Staci and Brandon; Donald who married Glenda Borden, and a daughter Sue. Raymond died suddenly of a heart attack Jan. 5, 1984. by Kathryne Daniel DANIEL, VINCENT AND ALICE SULLIVAN Ft44 adobe house. That fall she began teaching at a small school 7z mile north of her homestead. Lonelinees contributed to Alice convincing her sister, Gertrude to come to Colo. and live with her. They were two lonely sisters, miles from a town, with no means of communica- tion. They did their grocery buying at a nearby trading post, known as Cole, Colo. The two girls met two Daniel brothers at a barn dance. In 1920, Alice married Vincent and Gertrude married Frank. Vincentmoved to the homeetead with Alice. Within the next few years their children arrived, 3 boys and 2 girls. In the early 40's they were forced to buy some more ground to add to the one-fourth quarter of homestead. They paid an average of $6.50 an acre for a section of ground. This allowed them to farm halfofit and have the other halffor cow pasture for a large herd of cattle. The family milked around 30 head of cows by hand. This allowed the money to buy their groceries, etc. We kids remember many hardships when we were VouB, like the dust storms in the 30's. The dust seemed to sieve straight through the windows. Our mother hung wet sheets over the windows to help catch the dust. Prairie fires would burn right up to the farm before they were whipped out by farmerg with gunny sacks. Then in 1942, the farm was hit by a tornado. The windmill was destroyed. Joe Williams, a neighbor, rode a horse over to the farm every day until he got the windmill rebuilt and set up. The children all went to school at Smoky Hill School from grades 1 thru 10. We rode a bus and thought it was a long route, maybe 50 miles long. May Blodgett, now retired, was one of our favorite teachers. Sunday was always the "Lords Day," on which we nearly always went to church. After church, we rushed home as our parents had nearly always invited some company for dinner. Our mother loved to cook big dinners with all the trimmings for her family and friends. In 1968, Alice's health forced them to retire at 75 years of age. They had a lovely home built in Burlington. She passed away in 1969, after surgery. Vincent has lived in nursing homee for several years, and now lives in a nursing home in Oregon. He is 91 years old and in good health. Two children passed away, Gerald and Margaret. Elizabeth and husband, John Cheslock, live in North Bend, Oregon; Gene and wife, Vera (Shade), live in Arriba, Colo. and Joe and wife, Mary Lue (Williams), live in Burlington. by Mr. and Mrg. Gene Daniel DAVIS FAMILY F145 In 1917, Frank Kelley gave up hig homestead 16 milee south and 2 east of Burlington. Thie homestead consist€d of a small 2 room adobe house and a hand dug well that you pulled your water up in a bucket with a rope. At that time Alice Sullivan, a couein of Frank Kelley, arrived here from Halmon, Illinois. She had heard that her asthma would be better in Colo. Alice took over the homestead and hired John Murphy and Henry Fansleu to build her a new 2 story E.G. Davis, Sr. Family It was summer in 1886. From the northeast, following the Republican river upstream from Alma, Nebraska, 3 covered wagons and some trailing livestock, approached the wide meadow in the valley. Elias Griffith Davis, Sr. had selected the location a year earlier. His doctor in Missouri had advised him to seek a higher, drier climate to benefit the health of his second son, E.G. Davis, Jr. who was "sickly". While looking for a location Davis was making one of his long trips from Missouri to Denver by rail. The route via. Cheyenne, Wyoming was the only rail Iink from Denver to the east. A fellow passenger was his friend and neighbor, Henry C. Brown. Most of their conversations relat€d to opportunities and problems afforded by the developing west. Brown's homestead was locat€d near what is now the corner of Colfax and Broadway in Denver. years later he was to build on this homestead his Brown Palace Hotel, which remains today one of the world's great hotels. Davis had the opportunity to settle on an adjoining claim. However he decided that he preferred ranching to mining. He also believed that a ranching environment would be a better place to raise a family than in the rowdy, frontier mining snmp of Denver only about a mile away. So saying good-bye to his friend Brown, he began the search for a location in eastern Colorado He finally selected the green valley ofthe little Republican River in an area soon to be open to homesteaders. The land was unsettled except for an occasional headquarters for a few large cattle outfits. These were located along the river to provide water for the thousands of cattle which grazed the uninhabited prairie. Davis' only neighbors were two such headquarters, the Tuttle ranch about 4 miles upstreem and the Cox ranch about the s"me direction down strenm. The long trek from Missouri began in 1885. E.G. Davies, Sr. was born in Abervale, South Wales, on Oct. 15, 1841, the son of John Davies, grocer. Davies attended college, studied music and taught singing in Wales before he made the decision to move to the new world. He became a pattern maker in Joliet, Illinois. Several years later he moved to Macon county, Missouri where he became a pattern maker in a railroad foundry. It is not known when or why Davies changed his name to Davis. He used the nn-e Davies on his marriage certificate and on his naturalization certificate. both in 1872. His petition to become a mason was signed Davies when he was 30 (18?1), but a dimitt issued by the sqme lodge dated Dec. 20, 1889 is signed Davis. There is not record of the use of the name Davies aftpr 1885. E.G. Davies married Leah Glass, daughter of John Glass in Glaston, Missouri on July 1, 1872. (John Glass, 73 lived in Glaston, Missouri. He was born in South Wales on Feb. 1, 1812. Leah Glass was born in Merthrtydvil, South Wales, on Aug. 27 , L847 .) To this union four sons were born by the time the decision was made to "Go West". Three farm wagons were purchased. Canvas tops were made and the wagons loaded with a small cook stove, several pots and pans, a table and chairs, tools, bedding, bookcase and books and other necessities. A plow was strapped to the side of one wagon, and a barrel of water secured to another. Supplies included staple groceries, grain for the horses il1d nrls grease for the wagons. Horace Greeley was preaching "Go West, Young Man." These pioneers were not all young, John Glass, 74, drove one wagon. Another was driven by E.G. Davis, Sr., 45, with his pregnant wife, Leah as passenger. The third wagon was driven by John Jay �Davis, 29, fost€r son of John Glass. None had ever farmed! Four Davis sons, John Glass, 11; Elias Griffith Jr., 9; Louis Glass, 7; and David Edmunds, 3, brought the population of the caravan to 8, Several weeks after leaving Miesoud the family stopped to spend the winter and to await the anival of Leah's fifth child at Abna, Nebr. The fifth son, Rosser Beynon Davis was born April 16, 1886 in Alma. The family raised hogs, traded cattle, harvested hay and planted a grove of walnut trees. Meanwhile E.G. Davis, Sr. drove on to their destination in Colorado. Two of the younger people accompanied him to the location which had been selected earlier. They scoo- ped out a dug-out where they lived while building a small sod house. They planted and fenced in a small field of feed for their livestock, then returned to join the family in Nebraska. by Wm. A. Davis DAVIS FAMILY was before telephones. Since there were no schools, the children were taught in the home, from books brought from Missouri. Soon a gchool district was organized and a school house built about six miles from the ranch. Then a school was built only three miles away. The younger children all "graduated" from the eighth grade. Welsh. By the early 1900's the German Settlement developed. They claimed most of the remaining land between the ranch and Sunday school, also was first held in the Davis home. then as other settlers arrived, it was rotated nmonB the various homes. Aftcr The names Adolph, Schlichenmayer, Weber, Schaal, Stolz, Stahlecker, Bauder, Dobler and others and were all very good friends of the Davis family. Elias Griffith Davis Sr. died at his ranch near Tuttle on Jan. 25, 1913. He is buried in Burlington. His was indeed a very active life. Morton was the first child in the family to attend High School which was located in Stratton. Annie was the first in the family to attend college. That was the Colorado State Teachers College (Now the University of Northern Colorado) in Greeley. the first school house was built, Sunday school was held there. E.G. Davis, Sr. was the first Sunday School Superintendent. He was later succeeded by Mrs. J.J. Pugh. Occasion- ally an itinerant preacher would stop by to preach. Later either the Reverend Mrs. Mary Bevier from Burlington, or the Reverend Mr. Peter Raemussen from Seibert would make the long trip by horse and buggy fairly regularly. E.G. Davis, Sr. and Leah were F146 ing towns and the whole countryside were noteworthy events. Early neighboring families included the Richards, Evans, Pugh, Corliss, Newberry, Burr, Woods and others. Many of these were Burlington. They were thrifty, hard working people who rapidly improved their farms. He led the way in the development of schools, churches, community life and government in the struggling new country. Leah (Glass) Davis died in Burlington on Jan. 5, 1935 at the age of88. Deeply religious, she was a loving mother, a resourceful leader and a stern disciplinarian who successfully raised a large fanily under unbelievably difficult circumstances. Leah is buried in Burlington beside her husband and father. members of the Congregational Church. For many years he served as Secretary for the E.G. Davis, Sr. Family Preparations were made for the final move to Colorado. John now 12, rode a pony to keep al Churches. When the Kit Carson county was formed, in 1889, the Gov. of Colorado appointed Davis to the original Board of County the ten head of cattle following the wagons. Griff 10 and Glass 8, walked the entire distance from Alna, to Tuttle driving a sow Commissioners. He was reelected twice and served as Chairman. By that time the Court House had been built, and all original county and her piglets. Times were unbelievably tough. Their only cash income for the first year cnme from the records were set up. Before the Courthouse was built the County offices met on the gecond floor of the F.D. Mann building. badger or wolf pelt. The bones were hauled to Haigler, Nebr. and sold for $8.00 per ton. Griff said they drove many, many miles over prairie searching for bones, and that it took an awful lot of bones to weigh a ton. For food the only staples were purchased: e.g., flour, salt and sugar and sugar or molasses. Flour cost $.75 for a 48# bag. Leah said she was not border of Cottonwood trees enclosed a 10 acre sale of buffalo bones and an occasional particular about the flour, but carefully select€d the brand which was packed in the best, and most durable bags, from which she made the childrens clothing. Crops failed every year until an irrigation syetem was perfected in 1892. Thereafter a fine stand of alfalfa yielded 3 or 4 cuttings per year, ercept when it hailed. John and Griff supplemented the family income by corking in the coal mines some 170 miles to the west. Glass worked as a cowboy for the Roy Best ranch near La Junta. Ed rode for the Cox ranch. Mail was received at the Tuttle Post office, it came by stage from Cheyenne Wells. Aft€r a few years the Pogt office was moved to the Davis ranch with E.G. Davis, Sr. as the post master. There was a counter with a snall grilled window. A drawer was provided for the stamps and cash. Several pigeon holes on the back wall held the patron's mail. The entire post office occupied a space about 5' X 5'in a corner of the Davis living room. The Post office in the home afforded the opportu- nity to visit with their neighbors most of whom called for their mail about once a week. When a letter came from "back eagt" it was proudly shared with the Davis'es and other neighbors. Much later the Weekly Kansas City Star or Capper's Weekly brought news from the outside world because ofcourse this by Wm. A. Davis Eastern Colorado assembly of Congregation- The ranch wae gradually improved. A farmst€ad. With their roots reaching the shallow, water bearing sand, they quickly grew to form a 75'high windbreak around the buildings, garden and orchard. The little sod house was replaced by a large two-story sod house in the north end of the grove. A huge milk room with an adjoining root cellar, was served by a pitcher pump which supplied fregh well water directly to the house. A nearby smoke house waa used for curing meat. A large concrete and wooden barn was built to replace the small rock barn which located north of the West pond. The new barn was home for many work horses and a purebred Shire stallion. Riding and driving horees, among them Liddy, Prince and Traveller were also stalled there. Haying was highly mechanized. Two mow- ing machines, two dump rakes, two buckrakes and a stacker operating simultaneously attracted many onlookers. The machines, of course, were all powered by horses. The horses were shod, mowing machine cycles sharpened and machines repaired in the ranch blacksmith shop. The Weet pond mentioned above was one of three small lakes formed by a dam at the east end of East Pond. Connecting the East and West ponds and extending southward was the South pond. With many fish, water fowl, muskrats, raccoons, quail and other wildlife, the headquarters assumed a part like appearance. this becnme a favorite picnic spot. Many family reunions were held here. The general public, too, ceme here for Sunday or holiday relaxation. Independence Day celebrations with people from neighbor- DAVIS FAMILY Fl47 E.G. Davis, Sr. Family The first son of E.G. Davis, Sr. and Leah, John Glass Davis was born in Macon county Missouri on April 3, 1873. Amelia Homrigaus was born April 19, 1878, in Tingly, Iowa. John and Amelia were married and lived on John's homestead near Kirk. They later moved to a ranch in Kit Carson county, then to Burlington when John was elected Sheriff. John died in Burlington July 25, 1930. Amelia died in Arvada, Colo. Aug. 5, 1930. Both were buried in the Kirk cemetery. Louis Glass Davis, son of John and Amelia was born near Kirk, June L7, L907. Louis married Margarette Johnstone ofVancouver, B.C. They have no children. "McGee and Lou" now live in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo). Eleanor daughter of John and Amelia, was born near Kirk, Dec. L3,19L2. Eleanor married J. Ross Mclaughlin (who died in Byers, Co. July 6, 1982). Eleanor now lives in Denver. Eleanor and "Mac" have one son, John Ross Mcl,aughlin born June 4, 1939. John married Margaret Elizabeth O'Rouke. Their children: James Ross, Dec. 24, 1965; and Margaret Amanda, July 18, 1970, live with the family in Florida. Elias Griffith Davis Jr., (Griffl was born Jan. 27,1876 in Macon county, Missouri. Zebna May Ackelson was born at Winterset, Iowa, Sept, 30, 1881. Zelma and Griff were married Dec. 23, 1901. They lived on Griffs homestead near Kirk where Willia- Ackel- son Davis, Aug. 5, 1903, and Violet May Davis, Jan 3, 1905 were born. 8.G., Zelma and the two children moved to Burlington in 1905, where Griff managed a Livery Stable. He was elected Sheriff in 1908, and served until 1914. Susan (she later changed to Suanne) on Feb. 26, l9[7; and Leah, Jan. 25, 1911, were both born in Burlington. Griff established the first Ford car "Agency" in �Burlington. He built a new building on Main Street and called the firm Griffs Garage (rhymed with carriage). Griff died, April 5, DAVIS FAMILY Fr48 1939; and Zelma died May 17, 1954, both were buried in the Burlington Cemetery, William A. Davis married Jessie Shaw (Feb. 26, 1902) on Oct. 25, L925. Jessie died in Denver on Nov. 4, 1977 and is buried in the Goodland Cemetery. Jessie and Bill have three sons. Jack Presley Davis born in Denver, Mar. 14, 1928. Jack married Wilma Daise in Goodland and theyhave one daughter, Cheryl Ann, Jan. 3, L952. Cheryl married Gene Schremmer, and they live in Hoisington, Ks. and have three daughters: Kristi,l-12-77 ; Danah 7 -980;and Jackie Sue, 1l-8-82. Jack and Wilma live in Goodland. The second son William Shaw Davis was born in Denver in April 6, 1931. Bill manied Evelyn Domingo in Mexico City. They have one daughter Jessica Dono- van Davis born May 2L, L969. They all live in Goodland. Eugene GriffithDavis, the third son of Jessie and Bill, was born in Denver, Jan 15, 1934. Gene married Evelyn Lohr and they have three children. Judith Ann married Mel Wagoner and they have two daughters; Heather, 11-10-76, and Nicole, 10-10-84. The Wagoners live in Colorado Springs. Donald Griffith Davis, 12-12-55, married Debroh Downen and they have three children; Jason 4-7-77, Summer, 8-27-78, and Tyler, 5-L-82, they all live on a farm near Burlington. Marlyn Jane Davis, (5-30-59), married David Eves and they have two sons: Joshua, S-25-84, and Jesse Davis 5-13-86. The Eves live in the Denver area (Littleton). Violet May Davis, "Vi", daughter of Griff and Zelma, married Earl G. Ormsbee and they have two daughters, Donna Coleen, 9-26-29; and Bonnita Rae. Earl "Hap" died July 13, 1963 and Vi died June 23, t975, both were buried in Burlington. Donna married Weldon Eugene Vance and they have two children; Robbie Lynn, 6-23-52 (manied Dave Fearon. They have a daughter: Kacy,6-5-71) and Michael Griff Vance, 11-6-56, (married Sharon Koop. Their children are Annie Renee and Griffith James). The Fearons live in Burlington and the Vance family live on a farm northeast of Burlington. Vi and Earl's daughter Bonnie married Lloyd Laudenschlager. They live in Edgecliff, Tex. They have two children; Shelley who lives in Denver and Wade Eugene who lives near Denver. Susan, Griffs third child, manied John Carmine and they have one son, Colton. John and Sue were divorced. Sue an invalid died in 1963 and is buried in Burlington. Colton married Evelyn Blakenship and they have three children. Colton Jr., 2-3-53, married Susan Fogal and they have two children: Michelle and Colton III; Christopher 10-25-55, unmarried; and Stacey Marie, 3-15-59, married to Randy Beintema and they have one son, Nicholas, 6-24-82. Colton and Evelyn were divorced and'each remaried. Evelyn (Mrs. Robert) Patterson and her children all live in Alemeda and San Joaquin counties, Calif. Leah, fourth child of Zelna and Griff married Robert Portennier, they have no children and live in Pueblo, Colo. by Wm. A. Davis E.G. Davis, Sr. Family Louis Glass Davis was born Aug. L2, L878 in Glaston, Missouri. Glass married Minnie Homm of ldalia. They lived on their homestead near Kirk. They have two children: Edgar and Roberta. Glass, Minnie, and Edgar are deceased and buried in Kirk. Edgar's widow, Ilda, lives in Kirk. Roberta (Davis) Ellison lives in Canon City, Co. Rosser Beynon Davis married Katherine Nowak and they have twin sons born Feb. 4, 1929. Katie died in 1967 and Rosser in 1978. Stanley Max Davis married Lucille Chalfant. They have two children: Brian Lee, 10-28-60, and Stacy Winn, 1-15-63, they all live in Colby, Ks. Russell Elias Davis married Alene Marcum, they have three children: Michael Scott (who lives in Longmont), Kenton Lewis (married Teni Butts and they have two daughters Tessica Danielle and Leah Ann,and live on a farm east of Burlington), and Jennie Kay Davis who is married to Tom Swanson and has two sons: Jacob Keith and Dylan Elias, and live in Montrose, Colo. David Edmunds Davis was born July 24, 1883, in Glaston, Missouri. "Ed" manied Jennie Jones, 2-1-1883 of Hugo, Colorado. They have one daughter and four sons. Edith Viola born at Kirk, Feb. 5, 1909, married Leonard Fehrenbach and they have three children: Ruth Lavone Robertson, 3-16-28, Kenneth William (Bill), 6-2-31, and Robert Davis, 10-4-33. Leonard passed away and Edith lives in Stratton. The Sons were: Harry Edmunds born at Kirk, 8-24-10, died 4-3-11; Robert Griffith, 10-14-12, died at Stratton, 829-73; David Earl, 1-30-17, (married Jeanne Gowdy and they have four children: David Earl Jr., 11-20-46, lives in San Francisco, Cynthia Ann 8-9-49, lives in Arvada, and the twins Douglas and Debroah, 3-14-53); and Earl Jones born in Stratton, 5-15-22. Earl lived many years as an invalid and died in Stratton on March 26, L957. Morton Harrison Davis was born at Tuttle, 9-24-1888. He was the first white child born in what is now called Kit Carson county. Elizabeth Powell was born at Rhayder, North Wales on Feb. 1, 1889, and came to America in Jan. 1913. Morton and Betty were married June 27, 1917. Their daughter Beverly (5-20- 19) married Fred Geis of Julesburg, Co. Beverly and Fred have six children: John in Hanover; and Karen Betsy born 5-20-58, in Hollywood, Calif), Del and Betsy live in Northridge, Calif; and Lowell, the youngest son of Anna and William born 4-4-22, in Correctionville. He was a member of the United States Air Force when he was killed in action on March 24, 1944. The seven Davis children except Annie who lived in lowa, live and died in Kit Carson county. The seven children died in the order of their birth. Eight members of the 7th generation of the family live in Kit Carson county at this time. They are Kacy Fearon, Annie and Griff Vance, Jason, Summer, and Tyler Davis and Tyler and Michael Taylor. by Wm. A. Davis DAVIS FAMILY F149 John Glass John Glass (1812-1892) was 74 years old when he arrived at Tuttle.He was active in founding and operating the ranch with Elias Griffith Davis Sr. Born in Wales in a family of merchants with strong religious and moral values, he pioneered in several midwestern states before joining in the Colorado adventure. John Glass died at the ranch, Nov. 11, 1892. He is buried in the Burlington Ceme- tery. John Jay Davis, foster son of John Glass, accompanied the Davis familyto Colorado in 1886. He later returned to Missouri for a visit. This roundtrip of about a thousand miles must have taken at least 40 days by covered wagon. John Jay contributed greatly to the building and operation of the ranch. He later homesteaded in Yuma county. He never married. John Jay died on August 10, 1943 at Burlington. Born November 26, 1857, he spent exactly half of his life in each the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Jav is buried in Burlington. by Wm. A. Davis DAVIS - ACKELSON FAMILY Fr50 Owen,L-7-42; Juliann, 4-8-43; Leah Jean,68-44; Fred Lloyd, 1-46; Don Paul,5-2-47; and The following article appeared in "The Burlington Republican" in Jan. of 1902: Catherine Jane, 10-20-48. Elizabeth Powell Davis died April 23, 1949 at Goodland and "Another wedding in this burg and although the young party kept their intcntions somewhat secret, the near neighbors, to the number of thirty-five, young and old, got wind ofit and very kindly gave their presence and assistance to make the occasion an enjoyable one. This time itwas E.G. DavisJr., and Miss Zelma Ackelson. The ceremony wag performed in the house of the parents of the groom by Rev. M.A. Bavier. On Monday Dec. 23, 1901 about ten a.m. friends began to gather where social chats and songs were Morton died at Burlington on 10-5-79. Anna (Davis) Stelck was born May 25, 1889 at Tuttle, Colo. William Stelck was born Jan. L6, L877 at Moline, Illinois. Annie and William were married in 1911 and moved to Correctionville, Iowa where they raised four children: Helen (Dillon) born at Cushing, Iowa,l-2-L2, (She now lives at San Fernando, Calif.); Gerald W. born at Correctionville, Iowa 4-10-18. (Gerald and Mary Ellen have two children: Jane Ellen, 8-16-46, and Michael Lowell, 3-11-56, both born in Des Moines); William Ardell born at Correctionville, 8-30-20, (Del and Betsy have three children: Lisa Ann (Boeger) 8-17-46, born in Hanover, N.H.; Kristen Lynn,5-28-56, born indulged in. Mrs. A.B. Book very kindly presided at the organ. The climax was reached when at high noon she struck up a wedding march in such a masterly manner that the strains reached the ears ofthe bridal party in an adjoining room, who responded �t*'. : ji Griff Davis. The first Ford Agency in Burlington. by marching to the music and taking their places; little Annie Pugh leading them. Rev. Bevier then performed the services and tied the marriage knot in an impressive manner, ending with a fervent earnest prayer for Heaven's richest blessing on the union. Congratulations to the young couple were followed by a dinner. Songs were again rendered until late afternoon and Rev. Bavier dismissed then in another impressive prayer." began their life together . - Sowas Griff Davis born in Macon Co. Mo. on Jan. 27. 1876 and came to Colo. with his parents, Elias Griffith and Leah (Glass), five brothers and his Grandfather, John Glass. They settled on a pre-emption and tree claim on the Republican River near Tuttle in 1886. His sister Annie was born here. The buffalo were mostly gone by then, but Griff and his brothers drove a team and wagon many miles over the prairies gathering the bones to sell. There were plenty of antelope and lots of wild horses. Many times he chased a herd of these wild horses, and once in a while would capture a good one; but as a rule they were too light for farm work. Quite often they would trap the gray wolves that stalked the cattle and killed the young calves. Sometimes they sold the pelts and again they would tan them and make them into rugs. In 1898 he filed for his own homestead near that of his parents. Zelma May, daughter of Wm. and Susan Ackelson was born near Winterset, Ia., on Sept. 30, 1881. In 1893 she moved with her Irish father, Welsh mother, brothers and sisters, by covered wagon to Colo. where her father had filed on a relinquishment situated on the "divide" between the Republican and Arickaree rivers. After she and Griff were married they lived on his homestead for about five years, moving to Burlington in 1906 where Griff operated a livery barn on the north end of Main Street. They bought a small house and some land three blocks west of the livery, and soon enlarged and remodeled their home. This house is located at l7L4 Martin Ave. In November of 1908 Mr. Davis was elected sheriff of Kit Carson Co.. and served for three terms. He started Griffs Garage, later known as Davis Auto Co., a dealer and garage for the first Ford cars. He built his first building in 1913, later expanding it to its present size. This building now houses the Ben Franklin store at 469 14th St. He poured the foundation for his second building on April L7,LgI9, and this building is also still being used today as the business offices for The City of Burlington. It was known for many ye€us as "The Old Armory". They raised their four children William A., Violet (Mrs. E.G. "Hap" Ormsbee), Suzanne, (Mrs. John Carmine), and Leah (Mrs. Robert Portenier) in Burlington. Bill and his wife, Jessie (Shaw) made their home in Goodland, Ka. He and his sons Jack, Wm. S. and Eugene have been involved in the implement business as well as ranching and farmings. For many years Bill was very active in politics, and was honored by the citizens of Goodland in Sept. of 1982 with a "Bill Davis Day". Violet and her husband Hap lived most of their life in Burlington. Hap in business and law enforcement where he served as County Sheriff; and Vi in her beloved teaching. They raised their two daughters, Donna and Bonnie here. Suzanne, an invalid to arthritis, lived most of her life in Burlington, also spending some time with her son Colton in Calif. Leah and her husband Bob chose the Arkansas Valley as home, now living in Pueblo where Bob is retired from his Real Estate business. Griff and Zelma watched with much interest the growth of Burlington, the businesses, E. G. Griff Davis and hie bride, Zelma May (Ackeleon) Davis. the churches, and the schools. How pleased they would have been at seeing our three modern schools. Two of their daughters, Vi �and Leah were teachers in the county, and one of their great-granddaughters, Robbie Vance Fearon ie now teaching in Burlington. They both believed strongly in education and knew its vdue. Griff and Zelma ca-e to the new state of Coloradoas children in covered wagons. They attended school in a vacated "soddy", Griff using books his farnily brought with them from Missouri. They saw the wild horse herds running free acroes the endless prairie, and they watched the same prairies being fenced and plowed. How beautiful grandson Gene Davis fields of wheat and corn would seem to them ifthey could see them today. They saw the railroad cane to Kit Carson Co., and they brought the firet Ford car to Burlington. There were good times and bad, as there were for all the pioneers, but good or bad, there were always songs to sing, and a book to read, older girls were leaving home to work in Denver, generally in the houses of Capitol Hill, or to establish homes of their own. Other memories of these early days was of trips across the grasslands to the store at Friend with eggs which brought three cents a dozen but still an important income to purchase tea, coffee, sugar and sometimes a length of material for home sewing. The girls also helped with the gathering of buffalo chips for fuel and dried bones to sell. But all was not work. My mother and her sisters Elizabeth and Anna once accompanied their father on a trip by wagon to Denver and then on to Colorado Springs by way of Cherry Creek and down the valley of Monument Creek. The big thing was climbing Pike's Peak in their long white dresses and wide brimmed hats, high topped shoes, and carrying coats and enough food to see them and an Irish jig to dance across the kitchen floor. In later years, sometimes in the evening, Griff would sit at the kitchen table, peeling an apple so the skin stayed all in one long piece. He'd hand this to his grandchildren to eat as he told stories of the early days. Zelma doing supper dishes at the sink would add her through the day. . . and a long day it was! The clothing for this day's adventure had been packed in a trunk for safe keeping. Along the way they camped out, cooking memories to his. Stories about the large herds of cattle that grazed the country; there were no fences to hold them, just miles and miles 1900. of prairie grass. The country dances with Dave Manley playrng the fiddle; the young cowboys, Griff and some of his brothers nmoDg them, coming all dressed up, but taking off their guns before going in. The Camp Meetings, with the baptisms in the Republican River. The terrible blizzards, the terrible dust stotme, and the prairie fires; but he always ended every story with "I don't know of any place I'd rather live." by Donna C. Vance with their father nearby, and wearing calico dresses and sunbonnets. But it was adventure that not many girls had in about the year Early in 1900 my mother married John G. Davig and they first lived in a two story sod house which my father had built near Kirk; it still stands in 1986. There they set up F161 The grey wolves still howled on the prairies of eagtern Colorado when my mother, Amelia Homrighaus, came to Colorado from Tingley, Iowa with her parents, Louis and Elizabeth Homrighaus, to eettle near Kirk and not far from the old settlement of Friend. She was the second of four girls who ca-e with their parents by train and box car to Benkleman, Nebraska, and then on to their new home by wagon and horses. Later two brothers and a sist€r came to this pioneer family. Early recollectione of my mother were of the protection of the stock necessary at night to keep the wolves away. Even after a good rock barn and yards had been built, the horses and cattle had to be watched. As soon as the girls were old enough they homesteaded land near their parents and there were memories of long dark nights in their homegtead shacks sometimes frightened by storms or the howling of the wolves and coyotes. But they all stayed with it and later their land was farmed along with the exemption and tree claim of their parents. They had come to Colorado in the early 1880's and by the turn of the century, the these first picturesque structureg were replaced with frame buildings but there were many memories of the fun that went on at the first school. . . a meeting place for dances, box suppers, and the first polling place for the community-minded citizens. And there many a romance began and later children and grandchildren attended the school but in a few years only a pile of rocks, a bit of wall remained to remind them of their pioneer families. It is hard to separate the stories of some of these families according to county lines and it is interesting to know that my brother Louis has a Kit Carson County birth certificate and mine is Yuma County, but we were born in the same house. Corrections were made in lines over the years. A bit of the Republican River came to Kirk when the sod house was built from virgin sod turned near the river bottoms. And so it went as the country developed; fanilies of the area intermarried and started new families; gifts were exchanged in the families or among neighbors and so the lives ofthe people in the whole area beceme intertwined. In writing as a descendant ofthese people, I find it difficult to separate various facets of their lives. Memories don't stop at a line shown on a map! by Eleanor Davie Mclaughlin housekeeping and farmed the drylands. My brother, Louis, was born here in 1907 and I followed in 1912. But the lands of the Republican River called my parents and we went to the river to live around 1913 or '14. Their story there is told in another section of this heritage volume. Among the early memories of the Homrighaus girls, when not homesteading or working away from home was that of learning the household arts from their German born mother. She brought with her in steerage some fine linens and taught the girls sewing and handwork as soon as they were old DAVIS HOMRIGHAUS FAMILY beside the trail and sleeping under the wagon church. It was near Friend and the Homrighaus "kids" could walk to school. Lat€r enough. She had loved nice dishes, too, and n-ong the few things she kept with her on the long trip was a glass berry set, a bowl and 12 dainty serving dishes. Two remain in my possession to remind me of her, a lady I only dimly remember. Before coming to Colorado she had gathered other nice things to the family and they ca'ne the long way to the west where they were used and cherished at family DAVIS - POWELL FAMILY Fl52 Morton Harrison Davis, first child of Elias G. and Leah G. Davis to be born in Colorado, was born Sept. 24, 1888, on the Republican River in what was then Elbert County. As soon as he was old enough, he worked forthe Homm Ranch, first as awrangler, then as a rider on their Smokey Hill River range. He often spoke of his riding companion, Lew Beck. When he was of age, he homesteaded l,and adjoining the home ranch. He and brother Rosser took over the home ranch, having the first registered cattle and horses in the area. On June 27,L9L7, he and Elizabeth Powell gatherings and shared with neighbors and friends. Grandfather Homrighaus, only a memory for me of an elderly gentleman with a long flowing white beard, had carpentry training and he built a fine two story frame house on the exemption claim where the family grew and from where they spread their wings. The were married in Burlington by Judge Wyatt Boger. Elizabeth Lewis Powell was born Feb. 1, father along with farming the land. There was a pump organ in the family and the youngest brother, Charlie, played it well but was best known for playing accompaniments for dance mugic or singing. He and his brother went to dances far and wide in the countryside where they were well known for helping with farm work, especially at hawest time, and for their cowboying when they could be spared from Birminghnm, England. Here, as well as boys learned many handy arts from their the home pLace. This family all attended a school built in the community from rocks which made sturdy buildings and fences. The whole neighborhood helped with the school and a 1889, in Rhayader, Radnorshire, Norih Wales, the oldest daughter of David and Catherine Jane Lewis Powell. She spent her early life on a farm but after the death of her mother, she went into apprenticeship in a store and tailor shop in learning business methods, she learned tailoring and dressmaking. In 1911, her father'e cousin, John J. Pugh and his daughter, Leona, ofTuttle, Colorado, were in Wales on a visit. In January 1912, Elizabeth accompanied them back to Colorado. Many of the families had a number of daughters wishing to be stylishly dressed, so she stayed with each family while replenishing their wardrobes. There were quite a few wedding trousgeaus made over the years. Sometime in 1914, she was stricken with �acut€ appendicitis. There being no hospital, she went by train to Mercy Hospital in Denver where Dr. Scherrer of the Bar T Scherrer's performed the operation. Range land was being taken up by homesteaders, so Mr. Pugh had several people take up land he was grezrng with the agreement hewould buythem outwhen the parcels were "proved up - on". Her Homestead did not become a part of the "Tuttle Ranch", however, until the 1960's when Tom Price purchased it and the ranch of Morton and Elizabeth. After their marriage, they began life together on their joint homesteads, later purchasing a few adjoining parcels of land. Here they lived thru hail, drouth, dirt storms and a big flood of May, 1935, which wrecked havoc with the river ranches. Their only child, Beverly, was born May 20, 1919. After a brief teaching career, not in Kit Carson County, she married Fred Geis of Ovid, Colorado, in 1941. Elizabeth died in April, 1949. After selling the farm in 1964, Morton moved to the Hotel CoUing in Stratton where he lived for several years before moving to Burlington, where he died in Oct. 1979 at the age of 91. None of their descendants live in Kit The Ford Garage Ed Davie operated in Stratton Carson County. 3 granddaughters: Julie Jacobs, Jean Chadwick, Katie Van Deren; 3 grandsons: John, Fred and Don Geis; 7 great granddaughters: Linda Younger, Shelly Thomas, Colette Jacobs, Mandy Jacobs, Joni Geis, Tami Van Deren, Melody Hayes; 7 great grandsons: Frank and Bill Jacobe, Jo-es and Robert Chadwick, Donn and David Van Deren, Tristan Geis; 3 great greatgrandsons: Cole and Nickolae Younger, Eric Davis; 1 great greatgranddaughter: Nicole Thomas. by Beverly Geis DAVIS, ED AND JENNIE Ed and Jennie Davis This story told by David Edmunds Davis was recorded January 3, 1934. I was born on July 24, 1883 in Ethel, Missouri and moved to Alma, Nebraska with my parents. In 1886 we emigrated by covered wagon train to Tuttle, Colorado, where father located on a homestead. Our ranch was on the Republican River and we located a good spring from which we got water for some years. A good substantial sod house was built and additions made as our family grew. What education we received was by attending the little eod school house in the community. I helped my father and older brothers on the ranch until I was thirteen years old, then I went to work for Harry Cor, owner of the then fanous "Cor Fl63 Ed Davis with Fred Weibel in the Ford Garage office Ranch" and I worked for him for thirteen years. There were large herds ofcattle all over this county then, and no corrals or fences, During our yearly round-ups we had to stand guard over the cattle to keep them from stampeding or getting away. Each cowboy took his turn in standing guard for two hours each night. The regular crew employed at that time was ten or twelve men, but during the round-up and branding season we would have as high as eighteen or twenty. Each cowboy or rider had his own bed, blanket and clothing. I still have the mattress that I used during the time I worked for Mr. Cox. It is as good as ever, altho'a bit faded from repeated washings. That is about all I �have left of my range riding days. We always had plenty to eat and had good eats, too. I guess our riding made us hungry and food tasted good to us then. ofcourse, the standby was bacon or salt pork, but we usually had plenty of good beef too, and always plenty of beans and corn bread. There were no fences, no roads, nothing but cattle trails over these stretches of prairie. The country around the river is rather hilly and there was plenty of grass and water and good places to hide. We found some Indian skulls. lots of beads and an old rifle that we plowed up when we were making a dam on the river. It was in a clump of trees and was about four feet under the ground. This rifle was given to a J.W. Gardner who is now living at Hugo, Colorado. We found any number of arrow heads. I never saw any Indians or buffalo, but there were herds of antelope and a number ofgray wolves that got so bold they broke into a corral and killed some of the horses and colts. Lanterns were hung around the corrals to keep them out, but despite the lanterns, they broke in one night and killed a colt before the men could get out to the barns. This happened on the Tuttle Ranch. Wolves were never known to attack men, but they were bad on the livestock. The winters were very severe, and we had such terrible lightning and hail storms in the summer time. But we had to be out in all kinds of weather, so we got used to it. Good grub, plenty of exercise in the open air, and the care-free life we led kept us healthy and happy. Dancing was our chief amusement, and when a bunch of cowboys went to a dance, they went in full regalia: spurs, pistols and chaps. But we usually removed our spurs and turned over the pistols to the hostess before we began dancing. I did not dance much, but enjoyed the fun the others got out of it. We were always on the watch for prairie fires, for usually a fire was hard to control and it took everything in its path. One big fire started at Lusto Springs, north of Limon, and burned down to the Republican River. It kept us busy plowing fire guards to protect the ranch and feed stacks. The following story told by Jennie Etta Jones Davis was also recorded on January 3, 1934. I was born in Shelton, Nebraska on February 1, 1883, and cq-e to Colorado with my parents in April, 1892. We arrived at Limon by train and at that time Limon was composed of a hotel, the section house, a small store and post office and one or two houses. Father took a homestead sixteen miles north of Limon near Walks Camp and we built our sod house and settled down to live on the prairies. Hugo, Forty miles away, wan our nearest town and doctor, so we did not dare to get sick. We could buy no furniture, so Father made what we needed from packing boxes. Whenever we got newspapers we would put them on the walls, thus saving all reading matter, and keeping our house warm. We got our water from a well and from springs close by. We always enjoyed living water, and never had to drink from water holes like many another pioneer in this county. I remember of Mother selling eggs for three cents per dozen, and butter for three cents per pound. We could not get any more for it, and perhaps if it had been higher people could not have bought it, for there was very little money in the country then. When we first came to Limon the "trail herds" used to pass our place about a mile east of us, great herds of from five to eight thousand head of long-horn Texas cattle on their way north to Montana to grass and pasture for the summer. There was plenty of water near us, and the crew always camped there over night. There were usually about eighteen cowboys, a chuck wagon and the supply wagon. My brother-in-law worked with this outfit for three summers and we always felt interested in the trail herds. We have seen a steady line of cattle moving north from daylight to dark. I often think of the great herds that used to pass over the prairies where now there are fields or fenced pastures. As you know, there were no trails or roads or fences in those days, and it was so easy to become confused as to directions, and lose your way on the prairie. I was a little girl about twelve years old, as my brother was working in the field, I was sent to bring home the cows. I was riding horseback, and started out in plenty of time to get the cows home before supper-time. They had wandered rather far that day and it was hard to get them turned homeward until sunset and it got too dark for them to eat. By this time I did not know where I was, and drove the cattle in the opposite direction from home. It got cold and soon began to rain, so I got off my horse and put the saddle blanket around me. I had bare feet. as it was warm when I had left home and we always had to go barefoot as soon as weather permitted and save our shoes. I got so cold and frightened and did not know what to do. About ten o'clock that night my folks and some of the neighbors began hunting for me. They built a big bonfire on top ofone ofthe hills, and then took lanterns and followed the gulleys or draws, calling me all the while. When I saw the bonfire, I rounded up the cattle and started towards it, but soon came up to where my brother was, and Oh, how glad I was to see him. I know the night was no darker than many another night, but to me it seemed so dark and the prairies so big and lonesome. I was very fortunate in that a severe storm had not come instead of a gentle, drizzling rain. Through much planning, saving and hard study, I managed to get an education and became a teacher. I taught school at the Lanchman School, also known as the Regan School from the fall of 1905 until spring of 1908. I was teaching there when I met my husband, Ed. Ed and Jennie were married April 26, 1908. They homesteaded five miles southwest of Kirk, Colorado. While on the homestead four children were born there: Harry, who died in infancy, Edith, (Davis) Fehrenbach, Robert G., and David E. Their fifth child, EarlJ., was born in Stratton, Colorado. Jennie insisted that the children must have an education. The school in Kirk, five miles away wan not very good, so they moved to Burlington in 1917. Ed went in business with his brother Griff, in the Ford Garage. In 1920 they moved to Stratton where he operated the Ford Garage and was associated with The First National Bank. They resided in Stratton until their deaths.. Ed passed away May 13, 1967 and Jennie passed away November 18' 1967. by David E. Davis DAVIS, ELIAS GRIFFITH, II Fl64 I was born in Macon County, Missouri on Jan. 27, 1876 and went with my parents to Alma, Nebr. in 1865 for one year. My father Elias G. Davis and a cousin came out to Colo. in the late fall of 1886 and liking the looks of the country filed a pre-emption and tree claim on land along the Republican River bottom. Here they built a soddy and made ready a home for the family. My cousin returned to Nebr. for my mother, Leah Davis, my grandfather (my mother'g father) and we five boys in late March 1887. We traveled in covered wagons and drove ten head of cattle and 5 pigs. We went to Haigler, Nebr., then across to old Jacqua, Kan., then followed the Republican into Colo. We brought a few household furnishings, our bedding, some food supplies, and a small cook stove. After father proved up on the pre-emption, he took a homestead right across the road east of the old location. There was no railroad thru here then, and so our nearest trading point was Haigler, Nebr. or Wray, Colo. I never saw any buffalo; I guess they had been pretty well hunted out before we arrived. But there were buffalo bones on the prairies and we used to eather them and take them to Haigler to se'il for $8.00 per ton. There were plenty of antelope on the prairie and lots of wild horses that used to coax our domestic horses away. I have chased many a wild herd and once in awhile would capture a pretty good one, but as a rule they were too light for most farm work. We used to trap gray wolves and sometimes sell the pelts or tan them and use them for rugs. Our mail was brought from St. Francis once a week by a carrier with a horse and btggy, and was taken to the postoffice established on the Tuttle ranch. About a year later the postoffice was changed to our home and my father made postmaster. He held this position for several years. The mail was the brought from Wray, Colo. When the county was first organized, my father was appointed one of the members of the first county commissioners. There was no court house at that time, so the county offices were located in the west rooms of the N.R. Brown building (the first two-story building in Burlington). I remember once father asked me to go with him to Burlington and bring the team back home. I had no shoes presentable for town wear, as it would not be proper for the son of a commissioner to go to town barefooted. So mother solved the problem by letting me wear a pair of her shoes for the grand occasion. I remember how proud I was when I got to Burlington and displayed my button shoes to the admiring natives. Can you imagine a boy of today wearing his mother's shoes? I went to school in a vacated house about 6 miles from our home. We had homemade desks and benches and used books brought from Missouri and Nebr. Our first teacher was Miss Celia Miller, and the next J.F. Gilmore. We had a three month term of school at that time. Later a sod school was built and the regular desks installed. Sunday school was held in the homes of different neighbors in the community until after the school was built, then we held our �meeting there. We had church once or twice a year. We were always glad when a traveling minister came along. Later the Rev. Peter Rasmussen and Rev. Mary Bevier both preached in our community, driving long distances to do so. I remember a young girl died and the funeral sermon was not preached until several months later, as there was no minister near tur. We moved to Burlington later and I married Zelma Akelson. We have 4 children. I served two terms as County Sheriff and was engaged in the garage business several years until I sold to the Reed Bros. by Janice Salmans DAVIS, JOHN AND AMELIA Fl66 The two story frgme home built on the John Davis Republican River Ranch, northwest of Burlington, in 1913. This picture shows Amelia Davis showing her new home to visitors, possibile some of her sisters. A screened in porch does not show in this photo. It was used as protection against rattle snakes for young daughter going on two years. was the oldest of the family and he had ridden The ranch buildings and tree plantings were placed below the rock rim of the drylands to the north of the river and on a stead sit€ ahead of the rest of the family, leaving them behind near Alma. A sister of immediate farmyards. Rattlesnakes were plentiful in the beginning and I spent my first Leah's lived nearby and helped the ggghring: family. The men built a soddy home and some outbuildings and prepared for the arrival of the rest of the family in the summer of 1887. On this river land the brothers and their sister grew to adulthood, working on the ranch or about the community as work could be found. By the turn of the century the young men of the family were seeking land of their own away from the river ranch of their parents, most of them establishing homes and families. One brother stayed with the old ranch until its ruination by the flood of 1935. My father, John, first farmed on the drylands near Kirk where he built a two story sod house, still standing. He married Anna Homrighaus, of a pioneer Kirk family but she Taken in the meadow at the John Davis Republican River Ranch in the summer of 1916. Eleanor Davis (left) and Louie Davis (right) ages 4Vz and. 10 years. Ranch My paternal grandparents, Elias G. Davis and Leah Glass Davis cnme from Macon Co., to the Republican River Valley in 1887, settling near the old post office of Tuttle, nestled on a rocky hillside above the river. Grandpa Davis had visited the site of the preemption claim before bringing the family west by covered wagon and he had chosen to settle near the river where a tree claim was planted. He had also observed the lush grasslands along the river and in time 'haying'was a part ofthe ranching operation. There were six of the Davis brothers, the fifth being born near Alma, Nebraska in a dugout home on the move west. Later the last brother and a sister to join them in the soddy home on the Republican. My father, John, year around. My mother was a famous cook! horeeback or walked the miles from Missoud, herding the livestock along the way. He and one or two of the brothers and their Grandfather Glass went with Elias to the home- died of diphtheria after only five months as a bride. A few years later, Amelia Homrighaus, a sister of Anna's married John and they also lived in the two story sod house. There my brother, Louis, was born in 1907 and I followed in 1912. My parents farmed the in the Kirk area for several years but the river lands called them and they moved to the Republican River northwest of Burlington, near the post office of Hale. I was a year old when they built a lovely frn-e farm house, substantial farm buildings, planted windbreaks, an orchard and gardens and established an irrigation system from the river. Two gardens were part ofthe homestead. one near the house and the other near the orchard area. One of the delights of this garden system was an extensive strawberry bed, the fruit of which we loved, the work we hated: picking the fruit in quantities was not a favorite chore but we loved the shortcakes, the bowls of berries with thick crearn, fresh strawberry ice cream for the ranch had an icehouse, and the preserves that appeared on the table almost bench above the meadowlands south of the year or so at the ranch in a big screened porch built across one side of the house . . . there wasn't time to watch my activities all hours of the day. As time passed the unwelcome rattlers were thinned out near the buildings but always made their homes in the rimrocks to the north. Watchful eyes were always out in the gardens, potatoe patches, the farmyard and especially at haying time in the meadows. 'Haying' was a big part of the ranching operation, furnishing feed for livestock but farming was also diversified and corn crops were also raised for ensilage to fill the big cement silo and alfalfa supplemented the native hay of the meadows. My parents were early pioneer cooperators of the Extension Service. Land was looked after, animals raised by suggestions of the specialists and hundreds of cans of food were put up, following safe methods of the service. I have many memories of the haying time when neighbors arrived to help, later to be helped in their operations. There was bustle in the kitchen where plentiful and wonderful food was prepared for the crews, and the farmyard was a busy scene with the coming and going of men, horses and machinery. I longed to go into the meadows for a closer view of all that went on. But that was forbidden and I could only watch from the yard while my brother hustled about keeping the men supplied with cool jugs of water from the well house. Memories of haying time are kept fresh by the accompanying picture of my brother and me taken by a friend of the family's out from Burlington for a Sunday visit. She chose to pose us in the delightful setting of the meadow grasses and take a snap of the Davis 'kids'. The days of living on the ranch were over by the early twenties when we moved to Burlington where my brother and I went to school and our father became the second of �the Davis brothers to serve as sheriff of Kit Carson County. by Eleanor Davis Mclaughlin DAVIS, MABEL DAVIS, ROSSER AND KATIE Fl67 Fl56 fanily was school. He received his education at the Tuttle school which was held in an abandoned homestead house. In 1907, when Rosser was twenty-one, he filed for his own I em Mabel, the middle one of nine children, born of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. (Jimmie) Winfrey. I was born June 1, 1918, on their homestead which was located about 3 milee south of the Republican River where the Bonny Dam is now. It was Yz mile eouth of the Kit Carson and Yuma County line. I remember how long the 2L miles into Burlington seemed in our Model-T Ford. In those days cousins grew up knowing their coueins as most of them lived within walking distance of each other, not so today. Even though my parents had six boys, I *e1s eyslalls a lot and worked in the fields with two. four or sometimes six horse teems. My pride and joy was my saddle horge nnmed Spot. I rode him a lot and onejob was to bring the cows in from the pasture. My dad used to call me his cowboy. We milked lots of cows by hand, morning and night, and all of us had a part in that sooner or later. I attended lst through 8th grades at the Cook School, 3 miles north. We rode horseback, took the horse and buggy or sometimes walked. I went to Idalia, Co. for the 9th grade. The lfth grade I went to Happy Hollow, a country school 4 miles south, which taught first through 10th grade. My 1lth grade year, I stayed in Burlington, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Royden Hook and worked for my room and board. They were a nice family with 5 children so it seemed like home. My senior year, I went back to Idalia. My younger sister, Lola, was ready for the llth grade so we lived in a house at the Helling farm about 1 mile from the school, (which was in the country south and east of the town then). We walked back and forth and were the school janitors to help pay our tuition. That was in the "dirty thirties", so lots ofyou know our job wasn't an easy one. But this gal was determined to get her high school diploma and she did. I graduated in 1935 from Idalia, Co. On April 17, 1938, I married Wade Davis, a good guy, who was born and raised in Kanarado, Ks. He worked for the Co-op and was the manager of the gas and oil station for 23 years. We raised five sons: Gerold, Gail, Richard, Jimm and Neil. The first four homestpad located in the breaks north of the Republican River. Except for working for a few ranches in the Stratton and Tuttle area in his youth, Rosser's entire life was expen- ded ranching and farming for himself. Katie Nowak was born near Seneca, Kansas, on December 24, L896. In 1910, Katie journeyed by train to Burlington with her mother, brothers, and sisters. They arrived on Thanksgiving Day and joined the children's father, Max Nowak, who had home- steaded shortly before on 320 acres ofland 15 miles northwest of Bethune. During the first years on the homestead the family members spent any spare time they had gathering cow chips for fuel. They also had to learn to be constantly on alert for rattlesnakes - something the Nowaks had not been accustomed to in eastern Kansas. Katie received most of her education in Katie and Rosser DAvis with twin sons Stanley on left and Russell on the right. Picture was taken in Iate 1929 or early 1930. Remembering his younger days, Rosser laughed when he said, "The parents of my good wife, Katie, homesteaded in our pasture. They made us take down our fences." It was several years after Katie's parents had staked out their homestead that Katie Nowak came to work for Rosser and his mother on the old home ranch. An aged ledger book shows that in January of 1920, Katie was receiving only eighteen dollars a month, but by fall her wages had been raised to thirty dollars a month. No records are available for 1921, so one can only speculate that Rosser thought it would be cheaper to marry Katie. At any rate, on September 30, 1921, Rosser and Katie secretly went to Denver where they were manied, much to the surprise of family and friends. Thus began Mr. and Mrs. Rosser Davis' loyal marriage that lasted forty-six graduated from Kanarado. In May 1965, we sold our home in Kanarado and moved to Burlington. At that time I was employed at Mac Lloyd's Clothing Store, which is now the Men's Shop. Wade was and still is the sales representative for the Memorial Art Co. of Salina, Kansas. Neil needed to finish his schooling but it was rumored the Kanarado School would be closed. It was a few years later. Our sons are now all married so now we have four daughters-in-law, 14 grandchildren years. Rosser was born near Alma, Nebraska, on April 16, 1886. His parents, Elias Griffith and Leah Glass, along with his five older brothers, with Grandfather Glass, and with an orphaned cousin, John Jay Davis, had started west whole gang", very much. This is 1987 and my sister, Lola Rhoades, and I are the only ones of the nine member family still residing in the Burlington area. raska, in the late fall. The winter months were spent with relatives who lived there. Soon after Rosser was born the party pushed on. by Mabel (Winfrey) Davis settled on a pre-emption and on a tree claim and 5 step-grandchildren. We enjoy "the on the south fork of the Republican River not far from Tuttle. Rosser grew to manhood on this ranch. When he and his brother, Morton, were boys, they caught two young antelope, a buck and a doe, and raised them on cows' milk. These antelope were fanily pets for several years until they ran away with a large herd of antelope that happened by. Another facet of Rogger's life as a youngster in his from Macon County, Missouri, in 1885. The traveling party included three wagons, a few cows, and even some chickens and hogs. The group forded the Missouri River then went west overland till they reached the Republican River, in south central Nebraska. They followed this river and reached Alma. Neb- When the baby was six weeks old the travelers reached their destination. They Kansas; however, she did graduate from the eighth grade at the Tuttle school near the Harvey Wood ranch. Sometime after finishing the eighth grade and before being married Katie took a course at Barnes Business School in Denver. Although she might have worked a short time for a lawyer in Burlington, Katie primarily labored as a hired girl on the nearby ranches. Miss Nowak grew to young womanhood in the Tuttle community where she took an active part in community affairs and social events. Rosser and Katie lived on the Davis ranch close to the Republican River until 1935 when a Memorial Day flood took the lives of many of their cattle, horses, and hogs. The flood also destroyed most of the haying equipment and ruined the hay meadows. After this disaster the Davises moved to a rented ranch south of the river. Then in 1942, they purchased a new farm and home east of Burlington where they resided until retiring and moving to town in 1960. Rosser and Katie raised twins, born in 1920. Stanley is involved in veterinary supply sales and now lives in Colby, Kansas, with his wife. the former Lucile Chalfant. Russell married Alene Marcum of Las Animas in 1951. They have farmed and ranched in the Burlington area since their marriage. In 1915, Rosser and his brother, Morton, started a registered Hereford cattle herd. The two also raised registered Clydesdale horses, and at one time owned an aged stallion that had been a champion at the Chicago International Livestock Show when he was a young horse. The brothers'partnership was terminated sometime in the 1920's. Rosser dispersed his registered horses in 1934; however, he was involved with Hereford cattle until his retirement. Katie passed away after a lingering illness in 1967. Rosser lived an active life until shortly before his death in 1978. They were �both laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery in Burlington. by Russ Davie DAVIS, RUSS AND ALENE Fl68 brother Stan, started school at the Tuttle School which was then located about 1% diversified because sometimes it's rather miles north of the Harvey Wood ranch. In the fall of 1934, when they were five years old, much too young to start the first grade, they started school. Even in those days, state or county aid was available to only those who an agricultural base. qualified by having so many students. In the spring of 1935, they were flooded out by the Memorial Day flood and then moved to a ranch south of the river and 13 miles northwest of Bethune. The next seven years, they attended school at District 22 which still stands 12 miles straight north of Bethune. In L942, they moved to a farm 4 miles east of Burlington. They graduated from Burlington High School in 1946. Russ then joined the U.S. NaW serving most of the next two years at the Naval Air Station at Corpus Christi, Texas. Soon after being discharged from the Navy in 1948, he enrolled at Colorado A & M which he attended until spring of 1951 when he and Alene were maried. Their mariage was at the Presbyterian Church in Las Animas on June 3, 1951, the hard to ride the "booms and busts" with onlv by Russ Davis DEVITT . GEMMELL FAMILY Fr59 ss-e day that Jim Gernhart held his first funeral here in Burlington. Those that at- tended the wedding missed the event that attracted national news coverage. Gene Penny stated that he missed out on being a pallbearer because of going to the wedding. Through the years, Alene and Russ have kept busy raising a family, farming, and etaying active in community affairs. They are both active in the Methodist Chuch where they are both on the board. They are also members of the Caroueel Toaetmast€rs Club and both enjoy traveling whenever they can. Besideg raising a family, Alene is interested Alene and Rusg Davig still smiling after nearly 36 years of marriage. Taken in March 1987. in reading, playrng bridge and oil painting. In the post war years ofthe late 1940's, the ratio of men to women students at Colorado A & M College in Ft. Collins was around 9 to Burlington Woman's Club, Pink Ladies and the United Methodist Women. For the past 36 years, Russ has been farming and ranching. He raised Registered Polled Herefords from 1952 until dispersing in 1967. He also started irrigating in 1957 and began raising 1. Withthis statistic in mind, Russ Davis wag quite relieved when a fraternity brother had arranged a blind date for him with Alene Marcum, a quiet blue-eyed Kappa Delta, for the Alpha Go-ma Rho spring formal dance. This was how Alene and Russ became acquainted in the spring of 1949. Alene was born in Lamar, Colorado to Floyd and Jennie Marcum who now live in Las Animas, Colorado. She was reared in Prowers and Bent County where her father farmed & her mother taught school. Alene graduated in 1947 from Bent County High School. That summer, she attended La Junta Jr. College and earned an emergency certificate. She then taught school for one term at a rural school in Bent County. In the fall of 1948, she enrolled at Colorado A & M which she att€nded for a year and then transferred to Colorado State Teacher's College much to the relief of Russ as the ratio at Greeley was even. After a year there, she taught the fourth grade at the Helen Hunt Elementary School in Colorado Springs for one year. She then moved to Burlington because she and Russ were married in 1951. After living in Burlington for a year, she was again employed a kindergarten teacher for Burlington schools. Rws was born in Stratton, Colorado, one of twins, to Rosser and Katie Davis. The first six years of his life were spent living on the old Davis Ranch along the Republican River northeast of Stratton. He, along with his twin She has been active in Modern Homemakers, Mae and Alex Gemmell. 1947. sugar beets in 1958 which was the second year they were raised in Kit Carson County. He had beets every year until the sugar factory at Goodland was closed in 1985. In the early years of their maniage, Russ helped in 4-H, was a volunteer fireman, member of the Lion's Club and Soil Conservation Board. In the late 1970's and early 1980's he was on the Kit Carson County Planning Commission. From 1974, until sugar beets were no longer grown in the Burlington area, he was a director of the Mountain States Sugar Beet Growers Board and was on the Great Western Growers Joint Research Committee from 1975 to 1980. He is presently serving as president of the board of the Burlington Equity Co-op and is on the board of the United Farmer'g Marketing Association. Alene and Rws have three children. Mike and Ken farm with Russ on the Davis farm east of Burlington. Mike attended college and worked around the Boulder area for several years. Ken married Terri Butts of Edson, Kansas. They have two daughters, Tess and Leah. Jenny married Tom Swanson of La Junta. They live in Montrose, Colorado and have two sons, Jacob and Dylan. Russ and Alene feel that Kit Carson County has been good to them. They hope that in some small way they have given something back in return. It's their hope that the economy in the county can become more Dad's home in Stratton. Alexander D. Gemmell was born June 25, 1879 in Moosic, Pennsylvania. He had six sisters. At age 21 he went to Stratton, Colorado to try ranching or some other work. He settled in Stratton because he had an aunt and uncle living on a homest€ad two or three miles south of town. They were Archie and Bessie Dargavall. One of the first jobs Alex had in Stratton was working as a helper drilling wells with a Mr. Messinger. Mary (Mae) Alice Devitt, born November 13, 1889 on the south side of Chicago, had three brothers and two sisters. Her father passed away when they were young. She and her family moved to Stratton for her sister �Hazel's health. They thought she had quick consumption, which we now know as tubercu- losis. Her three maiden aunts came with them. They settled on a homestead about three miles west of town and south of Rock Island Railroad. I don't know their reasons for settling in Stratton. One of her three aunts, Mary Murry, married the postmaster Joseph Smith in 1903. Another aunt, Elizabeth, was a dressmaker and the third aunt, Helen, taught at the public school. Mary and Joe Smith owned and operated a hotelboarding house in town one block west of Main Street and two blocks from the depot. Mr. Messinger was hired to drill a well on my grandmother's homestead. Alex Gemmell, his helper, went along on the job. While working there he met Mae. He courted her for a time and they were married November 26, 1906. Alex then applied for a homestead close to Mae's family. Their homestead did not have modern facilities but they were happy. They lived there for a year or two after the wedding, then Mae's family and one maiden aunt moved back to Chicago. At the snme time Mae and Alex moved to the Dargavall place, which now belonged to Alex as his aunt and uncle had passed away. Their nearest neighbor was Jeppie who owned the dairy works a mile and one-half away. Mae and Alex had two children by now. I, Agnes, was born in 1910. Alex was now working at the coal chutes for the Rock leland Railroad and their third child was born while Mae was visiting her farnily in Chicago. Soon aftpr her return, they moved into town to a small house one block east of Main Street and one block south. Around 1914 or 1915, Alex started working for the Continental Oil Company (this is now Conoco Oil Co.). He was a wholesale distributor and his territory was around a 50 mile area. Sometime after this, they started to build a home that we resided in until we moved from Stratton. Mae and Alex designed and drew the blueprints for this home. It is located on the corner of Main Street across from the public school and the Catholic Church. It was a two story four bedroom home with all modern conveniences. We had a large windmill in the back yard for our water supply and we piped some to the cistern. From there, we children were supposed to pump the pressure into the tank that had been filled from the cistern, so we could have the pressurized water in the house. Sometime around 1916 Alex was elected Mayor, which was a non-paid job. This with his oil business, kept him busy, but he always had time for his family. Both he and Mae were very active in town. Mae was busy in the Catholic Church and school affairs and sang in the choir as well as singing solo. She also sang for the Knights of Pythians, and many other social affairs. As Mayor, Alex was instrumental in getting the water tower in town and the electricity, which came from Burlington, 18 miles East of Stratton. This was a very active small town, Main Street ran from South to North about two blocks. There was Sundberg's Garage, a dentist, a General Store, a butcher shop, Drug Store, The Bank, Bakers Mens Store, Newspaper, Post Office, Holloway's garage, Black Smith Shop, and a Crenmery. At the end of this block, running East and West was the Rock Island Depot, a grainery and lumber yard, the Continental Oil Co. and across the tracks, the Coal Chutes. Going from our house South, the Catholic Church, the Prieet's house and the Catholic School. Across from the school was Dr. Beachley. Dr. Beachley delivered five of the six children Mae and Alex had while living in Stratton. One child was born in Chicago and the other three were born after they finally moved to Chicago. One of the highlights of our life in Stratton was Stratton Days, a Fair, usually lasting two days, Friday and Saturday. A time that stands out in my mind was when Alex went outside of town and set off dlmnmite to start the Fair. He also rode a white horse and led the parade. The public school was given Friday off for this but the Catholic School did not, as Father Munich would not sanction it. My father permitted us to go to school in the morning but not in the afternoon, and as the Father had warned us, we received 50 in deportment. Another highlight of the Fair was a Beef Barbecue which took days to prepare in the ground. My friend and I would head straight for the Barbecue Stand, and I can taste it to this day. This being Friday, the Catholics had a rule of no meat on Fridays. The worst had to happen to me, while walking along eating the forbidden fruit, I came face to face with Father Munich. Stratton was a very active community and it should have grown and become a nice small town. About 1923 or l924,tbe Klu Klux Klan got a toehold in town and influenced some of the people in joining. They decided to have a parade down Main Street and burn a cross on the steps of the Catholic Church but some of the church members blocked their way at the corner with their cars. They then started a rumor that the church had a regular arsenal in the root cellar, so the Klan turned the corner by our house and went West. Mae seeing this, went to the side of the house where she had a hose and turned it on the men in their "magnificent" white robes and hats. There being only dirt roads, the mud was splashed all over them and they not only got dirty, but cold as well. She knew some of them from their walk or shape, and she called them by name. Our dog, Sparrow, got loose. He didn't like these strange outfits so he began nipping at their heels. All in all, you can be sure they were glad to get away from history as a former Stratton resident and pioneer. by Mrs. Paul Goes DILLON, THOMAS H. AND JESSICA L. (KELLOGG) F160 Thomas H. Dillon, Jr. came to Burlington, Colorado in 1906, from Springville, New York. He ceme with an uncle and Morgan horses. One of the horses, a stallion, they walked and led from ranch to ranch breeding mares. He spent a few days at the Norton Ranch eight miles south of Bethune. He filed for a homestead 15 miles north and 1 east of Bethune, then returned to Springville and married Jessica Kellogg in 1909. The follow- ing year they moved by railroad in an immigrant car to Burlington. The cost of the meal and room was $1.50. The second day at daylight they headed 22 miles northwest to their new home, a sod house that Tom and the Gramm boys had built. When they were settled and had some land plowed, Tom went to work for the BarT Ranch. He had probably worked there only a year or two when it was learned that the "big boys" at the Bar-T School always ran the teachers off so they wouldn't have to go to school. It was decided that Tom take the job as teacher. He was 23 years old, stood 6'2", handy with his fists, and a graduate of Griffith Institute, Springville, New York. From then on there were no more teachers run off. He taught in the Ragan or Bar-T School and later at Yale. Tom's sister, Vera Dillon, moved to a homestead close by; she also taught school. Vera lived on the homestead that Tom had registered for their sister, Lulu Dillon. Thomas H. Dillon, Sr. arrived in Bethune in 1916 and died in 1925. In 1914, Tom took the exn-ination and was chosen for rural mail carrier. He carried mail with a mule team and a canvas-covered that corner. wagon to the German Settlement north of Bethune for several years, until cars and Alex, the Mayor, and some of his Councilmen were outside of town, trying to shut off the transformer for the electric lights in town. They wanted to put the town in darkness for was born. the Klan Parade. The Klan burned their cross West of town, which was not nearly as impressive as their original plan. This organization managed to split the townspeople, and many, including our family, sold their homes and moved away. Our parents have been back a number of times, and some of us also have been back for visits. The last time was for somebody's 50th anniversary. Alex died on May 25, Lg67 and Mae on December L2, L978.If they were still with us, they would be very proud, as they had nine children, 37 grandchildren, 49 great grandchildren and 14 great, great, grandchildren. After all the research I have done, and as much as I can remember, this is as near the facts as possible. It is as near authentic as I know. It has been a pleasure to write this so the Gemmell nnme will be in the annals of roads were practical. Later he acted as substitute carrier for Albert Anmon for many years. In 1914, a son, Carlos K. Dillon Dillons moved to Bethune when Tom becnme Manager of the Farmer's Union Elevator. They lived in the upstairs of the railroad section foreman's house. The foreman was John Day. William Yersin, Sr. had the grocery store and cresm stationjust south of the railroad tracks. Tom purchased the Jim Pfaffly ranch 1 mile south and 1 % miles west of Bethune. Erma Cordinnier, postmaster at Bethune, was Jim's daughter. Some cattle and horses were acquired in the purchase. They farmed about 80 acres which could not produce enough feed for 100 cattle, 50 horses and mules, although range grass was free in the summer and fall. The free range ran from the Rock Island Railroad south to the Santa Fe Railroad. There were only a few ranches between: Nortons, Dunlaps, McArthurs, Johnstones, and Bremeirs. Bethune was quite a town with Cora's Cafe, Bill's Poolhall, Yersin's Grocery Store, post office and Farmer's Elevator; later there was �a bank, hotel, and lumber yard. During the depression, Tom worked for PWA. He worked on the Stratton Gymnasium, also the Moon Theater and did much road construction. Carlos served in the CCC's gtationed in Durango, Colorado. Many of the cattle were shot by the Government during the dust storms. They were paid $10.00 a head. To save the herd, Tom moved the family and livestock to Millikin, Colorado, for a short time because of irrigation. During the bad years, none of the jobless traveling the railroad or highway ever left the Dillon house hungry. In 1935 the Landsman washed out the railroad bridge. Jess served lunch to the construction crews. Tom and Jess had two daughters: Mary Louise (Schanefelt) born in 1921, and Janet (Toland) born in L924. Janet and her husband, Max K. Toland, lived in Stratton for many years as did Carlos and his wife, Pauline. Mary Louise left the area after she finished school. Tom served on the Bethune School Board many years; worked in the PMA office from 1938 to 1950s; was the first rancher to bring Ayrshire Cattle to Colorado and at one time had the largest herd in the area, selling gallons of milk and cream. In L927, Tom and Jess built a new house and barn one mile west of Bethune on US Highway 24, where they lived until their deaths, Jess in 1957 and Tom in 1968. by Janet Toland DISCHNER, ANTONE JOHN F16I. Antone John Dischner was born January 30, 1889 in Columbus, Nebraska to Anna Sweeney and John Dischner. As a young man he cnme to Colorado to seek his fortune. He sold real estate and promoted the area. In 1917 he met Clara Elizabeth Jostes who came to the area to keep house for her brothers and the Bettinger cousing. Tony and Clara were manied January 8, 1918 in Lindsay, Nebraska. His military duty followed and he was stationed in Fort Louis, Washington. Of their four children, Alyce Margaret was born on October 21, 1918 in Lindsay, Nebraska. On November 11, 1918 the armistice was signed and Tony brought his family back to Stratton. In 1921 he purchased the General Merchandise Store from J.W. Borders. The previous owner had been C.H. Fuller. The store was located on the east side of the main street and at the north end ofthe block, third building from the railroad tracks. My earliest memory of the store was at Easter in 1921 when one of my aunts was baby sitting, set me up on a counter and I tasted my first marshmallow candy egg. Leonard Antone Dischner was born in Stratton October 24, 1921. I remember the several houses we lived in through the years, all of which are still occupied today. Arthur John Dischner was born April 30, 1923 just 18 months after Leonard. They were dressed alike and even after they were grown many people confused their names though they looked nothing alike and were inseparable. Several people recalled who worked in the store were the following: Grace Richardson, William Thyne, a farmer from north of town, Mrs. J.R. Brown, Ruth Thyne, Mary Weibel, Dan Thyne and Harold Thomason although I am sure there were others. Of course the three sons worked continuously after they began school. The general store which A.J. operated was very old fashioned even in those times. The prunes, raisins and other dried fruit came in the bulk and had to be scooped, weighed and sacked to be sold. Cookies cnme in large square boxes and were placed in a special rack so the customer could see through the cellophane tops to make their choices. Tobacco came in large pieces and was cut with a special cutter to suit the customer's preference. A.J. was slow to make any changes in the appearance or the operation of the business and it was only in 1945 when Leonard and Arthur calne home from the service that the first modernization was accomplished. In later years I asked my brothers what had happened to all the old high-topped ladies shoes, overshoes, clothing, yard goods and sewing notions that had been the standard available products. They claimed that a buyer from Denver cnme out and was eager to make a complete purchase. Today those antiques would be valuable. In cleaning up they burned bunches of old charge tickets that were old and never paid. In the nineteen thirties the dust storms were go bad that we could be outdoors and see the huge brown dust clouds rolling toward the town. Businees was bad because the farmers were having a difficult time due to the drought and the economy was still reeling from the 1929 etock market crash. Mr. Roy Herberger, published the Strotton Press, and A.J. sat on the street curb one A.J. and Clara Dischner day in the thirties and tried to figure out what could be done to stay in business because all Tony's credit with the mercantile warehouses had been cut off. Ray Calvery was the banker at the time and his bank was two doors south. The business men worked out something and later Tony started a wholesale business and sold to other grocers up and down Highway 24. .He worked his way back and managed to stay in the same location for 43 years. The W.P.A. worked on various projects in town during the Roosevelt administration and the grade school on Main Street in Stratton was one school they built, in which I taught school from 1961 to 1964. Edward Aloyious Dischner was born on August 19, 1928. He attcnded school and worked in the store with his dad. Ed stayed out of school one year to help and then went back to graduate. After being in the service he returned to work for his dad who sold him the business in 1962. Ed is still operating the IGA Grocery store in Stratton with his wife, Marlyn Schmidt Dischner. The children all took music lessons from the sisters at St. Charles Academy who bartered groceries for lessons. It is my understanding that A.J. went into the cattle business with some farmers. He tried everything to make a go of the business. On November 23, 1963 the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Tony suddenly took ill, was taken to the Memorial Hospital in Burlington, Colorado. He was never well but did make a couple of short stays at home until in December 1963 he was taken to Denver where he died in St. Joseph's Hospital January 7, L964. After the farmers returned from their wartime jobs and went back to farming there were some good years what with the irrigation systems and good weather. Many good conscientious farrners paid some of their old charge accounts some of which had already been marked off. by Alyce M. Lewis DOBLER FAMILY Fr62 Our great grandfather, Christof Adam Dobler, left Beutelsbach in Remstal, near Stuttgart Germany, in 1797, and made his way to Cherwinka, Botchka Yugoslavia (presently known as Austria). In 1803 a son, Peter Michael, was born to them. Michael, as Dad referred to him, was among the immigrants who came down the Danube Valley to the Black Sea in 1817. The trip was made during the winter and many of those who began the journey were unable to survive the conditions. Michael was one of the founders of the village of Teplitz in the province of Bessarabia, Russia. He was the second generation of the immigrant band and was the grandfather to our father, John Dobler. Michael manied a girl by the name of Heu, and a son called Leopold was born to them. After the death of Heu, Michael married an 18 year old orphan girl, Wilhelmina Christena Wirth. She had been born in Germany and had migrated with 2 sisters and 1 brother, along with their guardian, Gottlieb Mader, to Teplitz. To Michael and Wilhelmina were born 3 sons, Christian, Jacob and Joseph. Michael died in 1842 and Wilhelmina married twice more. The second husband's name was Kurz and the third was Joseph Haubach, a widower. No children were born to either of these unions. Mr. Haubach had a son from a previous marriage, Jacob F, Haubach. who was born Oct. 11. 1812 and �There is somewhat of a discrepancy in the records as to the time it took to cross the ocean, 12 days or 18 days, but this was explained by the differences in the calendars. We do know they landed in New York during the first part of February, travelling on to Scotland, Dakota Territory, by train with a l-day stopover in Chicago. Upon arrival in Scotland, they rented a farm near the town during 1885-86. Grandfather then took employment at "The Farmers Elevator" in Scotland, working up to the position of businese manager, from 1887 to 1889. Following the death of his wife, Dorothea in 1889, he movedhis familytoward Colorado. They arrived in St. Francis, Kansas on March 2. 1890 and then moved on to the German Settlement located north of Bethune, where theyhomesteaded on Section 37-45 West, which to this present day remains in the Dobler family. Our dad, John,lived on the homestead with Grandpa Christian from 1890 until 1892. During 1893 and 1894 he was employed at London Dairy in Denver, Colorado. In 1895 he returned to the homestead until the crops were hailed out. Then he and Peter Knodel went back to Denver and following a series of odd jobs, they both found employment at the smelters. Great grandfather Dobler and Walter Dobler in t922. died in August of 1900. Leopold Dobler, the oldest son of Michael, was the direct ancestor of the South Dakota Doblers, and also of Dr. Leopold Dobler of Teplitz, and later on of Germany. He was the father of 2 known sons. Jacob, the eldest, came to America earlier and was influential in bringing his uncle, our grandfather Christian, to America. Another of Leopold's sons, Andreas, remained in Teplitz. His son, Leopold, born in 1888, became the doctor who was widely known in the region and was forced to join the refugees and finally made their way back to Beutelsbach where Dr. Dad's brother Chris married Sophia Grosshans. Lee (Leopold) returned to the Dakotas, later making his home in Idaho. The Dobler daughters entered in the following mariages: Dorothea to Chris Strobel; Katherine to Chris' brother Jacob Strobel in a double wedding with her sister Christina, who married Peter Knodel: Maria to John Stahlecker. This will help to explain some of the family trees throughout the Settlement. John, our Dad, was united in marriage to Magdalena Stutz on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1899, and took over the farming of the family homestead after having farmed with his brothers for a short period of time. Grandpa Christian remained on the homestead along with the newlyweds. by Art Dobler Dobler had visited the Dobler families in the early 1920's. Our grandfather, Christian Dobler, was born Nov. 11, 1938, at Teplitz, Bessarabia Russia, the eldest son of Michael and Wilhelmina Dobler. He learned the trade of wagon building, and later became the builder of the Teplitzer Wagons, the Cadillac of wagons in the country during this period of time. On October 8, 1859, he married Dorothea Handel (born Aug. 30, 1842). To this union 16 children were born, 8 of whom died in infancy. The 8 surviving were our dad, John, born Nov. 6, 1875, and Dorothea, Christina, Katherine, Chris, Theresa, Maria, and Leo- pold all born in Teplilz. In 1863 the family moved to New Teplitz where grandfather was mayor for a period of time. After a 10 year stay, the family moved on the village of Nesselrode, Birsula in the province of Chereson. They remained here until 1884. After a summer in Alexandrinka, which was near Bergdorf, they decided to come to America. The day before Christmas of 1884, they began by rail through Austria and Germany. They sailed from Bremen, Germany on board the freighter, "Hopsburg", with a one-day stopover in Liverpool, England, to unload dried hides. DOBLER, ART AND EMMA ZIEGLER Fr63 I was born Aug. 31, 1910, at the family home located 12 mi. north and 1 east of Bethune, the fourth son of John and Magdalena Stutz Dobler. In 1916 I started school in the 1 room Prairie View School, District22, that my Grandfather Dobler and others built in about 1907. It was only a scant half mile from home, but was moved 1% miles west in 1919. I graduated from the eighth grade in L924. Emma Elma Ziegler, was the older of twin daughters born to John and Christina Ziegler at the family home 6 miles north and 2Vz west of Bethune on March 4.19L7. Emma attended Union School, which was located 2 miles north and Tz west of their home. She graduated in 1931. We were married on April 11, 1937, on a Sunday afternoon, and left that same day for Proctor, Colorado, which is about 20 miles northeast of Sterling. We had rented a 160 acre irrigated farm. We drove a 1926 Dodge Art and Emma Dobler. 4 door sedan that was not being used by my parents an5rmore. This farm joined the one that my brother, Ted, had leased and was farming. We moved some machinerv and a few milch cows, also a General Purpose Tractorllfrii both of us could use. To me irrigating was all new, but Ted had been there a couple ofyears so he knew how to go about it. We raised corn and barley, oats, and some wheat, as well as feed crops for the livestock. That fall we moved a Corn Sheller from home. The 1938 barley planting was interrupted when I had to take Emma to the hospital in Sterling. Kenneth Lee was born that evening on March 29. 1938. Every year we shelled our corn crop with the sheller. We tried to raise a few acres of sugar beets the second year we farmed there, but the grasshoppers ate most of them. We worked up most of the ground and planted a feed crop into it. We raised a nice Coes crop, well seeded, that we cut with the grain binder and shocked it. We did not have it hauled in or in a stack yet when the first snow fell, and flocks of wild ducks from along the Platte River discovered this nice field of shocked Coes with well seeded heads. After a few nights most of the seed was eaten by them, so that taught us a lesson - to get it hauled in and stacked up other years, before the ducks got it. We raised pretty good crops, mostly corn, barley and oats. The barley and oats were cut with the grain binder and we always had a big straw pile in the yard for the cows and the 4 head of horses we had. We lived next to a pasture a rancher owned and used to run cattle in. I asked him if we could pick cow chips for winter fuel, and he thought I was joking, but I told him it was for real and he said "go ahead and pick all you need", so Emma and I got the teem and wagon and 2 tubs, and it didn't take us very long and we had a big load of chips picked, so with corn cobs and chips, we made it through the winter. We had purchased a new 3 burner Kerosene Stove for cooking and baking, so we had to use an old heater to keep warm. After 3 years in Proctor, in the spring of 1940 we moved back onto the home place, Section 3-7-45, north of Bethune, and took �over the farming operation. We put rubber tires on the old steel wheel John Deere that spring and it surely made a difference. In the early 40's we remodeled the old home, putting in new built in cupboards, new propane range, remodeled a large front room into 2 bedrooms and a bathroom with hot and cold running water. In later years we added a propane floor furnace. An older 2 row lister was replaced with a new one, as most of our farming was row crop, electric unloader and mounted a feedbox on an old truck. Since then the feeding has been much less of a chore, and how the cattle still love ensilage. All of our farming was done on dryland ground. We never had the urge to put down a well. We hope we are leaving our ground in as good or better condition than when we started way back in 1940. Our son, Kenneth's farm adjoins ours. Our other son, Charles, died in a car-truck accident on June 23. 1963. including feed crops for the now expanding cow herd. We bought 5 head of registered by Art Dobler Hereford cattle at the "Howard Hunt" Hereford Dispersion Sale. In the late forties we had the reserve shampion bull at the Kit Carson County Hereford Breeders Sale one year. On Dec. L, L942, Charles Leslie was born. Kenneth started school in Lg44 at Prairie View School, now at a different location than when I attended and graduated from there. He had to go only a mile. In the late forties there were not enough pupils in the district to receive state aid for both schools, so the district bussed the children to one school I year and the other school the next year. We had 2 schoolhouses in the district. Kenneth graduated from the eighth grade at Prairie DOBLER, JOHN AND MAGDELENA STUTZ Fr64 View in 1951. During the summer of 1951 we bought the "Adkinson Farm", located 3 mil. west and 1 north of Burlington, to be in a district where the boys could take part in FFA. In August we moved onto the newly purchased farm. began building a new house along with Grandpa Christian, which took the better part of 2 years to build. They also did the farming on the acreage. On Jan. 20, 1900, their first son, William was born. On Sunday, Jan. 27, 1901, a little girl, Magdelena Dorothea, was born, She died of scarlet fever on Sunday, July 5, 1903. In Mother's Bible she made the notation, "She was born on Sunday and died on Sunday." Dad and Grandpa Christian planted many trees on the homestead during these years, both fruit trees and several evergreens. Mother always had a Iarge garden as well as many lovely flower beds. As the farnily grew so did Mother's garden. John Jr. was born September 10, 1904. Son no. 3 was born July 17, 1907, being named Theodore, better known as Ted. This same year the well at the top of the hill west of the house was drilled. A concrete reservoir was built so that Mother could irrigate thd garden, flowers and trees around the house. Water was piped from the reservoir to an open top 6 ft. steel tank south of the house. This was the second well on the place, the first one being drilled shortly after 1890. The first well had an "O.K." brand wildmill on it. I faintly remember the huge liooden slot wheel with a large and small tail; the small one being used to slow the speed of the wheel in a strong wind. Every revolution of the wheel completed a stroke of the pump rod, quite different from the windmills of today. It was replaced in about 1917 with a new "Samson" all steel windmill with special oil reservoirs on the bearings. This same year, 1907, Grandpa Christian, along with others, built a one-room school house about % mile from our homestead. The We kept the homestead, Section 3-7-45, and farmed both places until 1975. In the mid 40's we bought our first new tractor, an International Farmall H, Electric start. Ken enjoyed working with a tractor he could start. Not so with the old one. As time went on we accumulated more new equipment and in 1949 we traded the H tractor in on a new Farmall M. We added a used International threshing machine, and later a new drill and manure spreader. A used selfpropelled combine was quite an improvement over the Case pulltype we had been school district was formed and the 1908 census listed 24 females and 34 males. using. The old "Adkinson" two story house was Following their marriage on April 2, 1899, which was Easter Sunday, Mother and Dad began their life on the homestead. They John and Magdelena Stutz Dobler. Sherman K. Yale was the secretary of District 22. On August 31, 1910, another son, Arthur, better known as Art, was born. getting quite feeble, so we tore it down during the summer of 1959, and used the salvageable lumber to put up a new house with full basement in the fall and early winter of 1960. In 1963 we added a st€el round topped ; building,40x75, and in later years 2 steel bins. When we moved to this place, in the spring of 1952, we planted quite a number of Pine and Cedar seedling trees, and now the buildings are protected on three sides by evergreens and bushes. It does make a difference on a windy day when you get in the protection of these trees. They are a lot of work, but are worth it as much the wind blows in Eastern Colorado. We have a rough 160 acres that we have put terraces on, and saved the soil from washing away have reseeded some to grass, and will - as time goes on. do more Several years ago we had to have a new well drilled because of the lowering water table, and installed a submersible pump. We took down the windmill and put it into use on a well in the pasture. REA was on the farm when we purchased it, as well as a Kohler 1500 watt light plant to be used for standby power and light. In the mid fifties we put up a cement stave silo. After a year or so, we installed our The six sons and their wives of John and Magdelena Dobler. L. to R.; William and Ann; John and Edna; Elmer and Delores; Ted and Lydia; Art and Emma; Walter and Pauline. �In 1910 or 1911 Dad donated 5 acres of ground in the southeast corner of our section for the building ofa new church, known as the Hope Congregational Church. The small white frame building served the needs of the congregation for several years. The dedication was held Feb. 18, 1912, with a double male quartet furnishing the music. In 1928 it was replaced with a stately red brick building dedicated Sept. 2, 1928, along with a frame parsonage. In 1913 quite a building project took place on the homestead, a 30 x 60 ft. cement barn with all the sand used being hauled out ofthe creek that runs through the entire section. The cement came in returnable cloth bags. The barn was designed with a hip roof and a hayloft with a track and unloading fork for hay. In later years I remember leading the horses back and forth to pull the hay up into the loft. In the construction of the barn. the forms were set up to pour a depth of about 3 ft. of cement at a time, then the forms were raised and another 3 ft. were poured until the job was finished. It was a long tedious process, but a very sturdy barn was the end result. This same year Dad bought our first Model T Touring car, the first one in the Settlement. What a treat it was to ride in a car instead of a buggy! About 1915, a community telephone company was organized. It was quite a simple installation, with a single wire line having about 4 circuits, with the switchboard being at Aunt Christina Knodel's home. Our ring was 2 long rings. Emergencies brought one long ring to alert all of the neighbors. 1916 brought about more building and improvements on the homestead. A combination granary and corn crib under a roof was built. Dad also purchased 320 acres of land 8 miles northwest of Burlington. Walter was born January 8, 1918, boy no. 5. A new Deering Header was also purchased about this time and water was piped into the house. From now on, no more trips to the milk house to fill the water bucket. In 1919, Bill, the oldest, graduated from Burlington High School. He had rented a room and batched in Burlington during the week coming home on weekends, in order to further his education. The following fall he taught at the "Blue View School" which was District 24. In 1920 he enrolled at Colorado A & M College in Fort Collins, now known as Colorado State University, where he later received his degree in Vocational Agriculture. In 1919, the west schoolhouse of District 22 was moved 1 miles west of where it was built. Harry Degering moved it with his "Rumley Oil Pull Tractor." About this same time. a new Dodge touring car was purchased by Dad to relieve the Model T. He also added a used Hart-Parr tractor to the machinery line along with a 10 ft. tandem disc. This helped to relieve the horses of some of the hard work. An incident I will never forget, was the time Dad was raking and a thundentorm came up. Dad unhitched the team, piled some hay on top of the rake teeth and sat under the makeshift shelter holding the horses still by the reins. Lightning struck, killing both horses, but left Dad untouched. Another time we lost a team of horses by lightning as they grazed in the pasture. 1923 brought about several changes at our house. Dad bought a used Chewolet truck, which enabled us to haul about 60 bushels of grain at a time, and traded the Dodge touring car in on a 4-door Dodge sedan. Things were becoming quite modern for a farming opera- tion. In October of that same year, Grandpa Christian was taken from us. One of the many chores he always took care of around the place, was gathering eggs from both chicken houses. As was his habit, he threw his jacket around his shoulders as he went across the corral. The wind was blowing and the jacket was moving about, which caught the attention of the bull who had come in along with several ofthe cows for water. Grandpa did not see the bull attack from the rear. Mother called John Knodels for help when she saw what was happening, and then went to try to rescue Grandpa, but the bull kept a very close observation and was not about to give up his prey. By the time help came, Grandpa was dead. I remember Penny Mortuary coming out from Burlington in the little gray hearse, and then they brought Grandpa back to the homestead where they placed the casket in his little house until the funeral. Another sad time for our family, as he had shared lots of time and stories with us boys. Boy no.6, Elmer, was born September 13, L924, to complete the family. That same year Dad bought a used cement block machine. We tamped the blocks ourselves, getting about 12 or 13 blocks from 1 sack of cement. We had about 90 plates so were able to make about 90 blocks per day. The next morning the blocks were tipped off the plates and you could resume tamping more blocks. We built a 2-car garage, a workshop, and a new henhouse, as well as a new house and barn for John, all with homemade blocks. 1924 brought the first light plant, a Kohler 110 volt DC 1500 watt, and we put it in the basement of the 2-car garage. Along with this csme the lights, Mother's new electric wash- ing machine and an electric iron. On June 9. Bill married Ann Nelson. Dad also traded the Dodge disc wheel sedan in on a new Dodge 4-door sedan with natural wooden wheels. In 1928, Dad really splurged, trading the old Hart-Pan tractor for a new 18-36 Hart-Parr. That same fall he also traded the old Chevrolet truck for a new one having 30 x 5 rubber tires on all 4 wheels. We bought the chassis and the cab and built the box ourselves. Now we could haul 65 bushels of grain. The early 1930's saw many families leaving the country, trying to find better conditions than the dust storm plagued plains of Colorado. The drouth caused many hardships, including dispersion sales, which had to be postponed because of more dust storms. The community experienced the closing of the Stock Growers State Bank as well as the Bethune State Bank. Only meager amounts were paid back to the depositors after the final settlements were made. On May 3, 1931, John married Edna Conrad, a native of North Dakota. Again, Dad purchased a used 1931 Chewolet 4-door sedan at a Sheriffs Sale, so now we were riding with 6 cylinders. In 1943 John and Edna moved to their new farm northwest of Burlington, so we farmed his ground northeast of the homeplace until he sold it. As the rains came and things once again began to return to normal, the grass grew back. The first grass was mostly "pepper grass", which made the milk and cream taste bad, but as the Buffalo grass and the Blue Grama returned, things improved consider- ably. Many of the families who had left. returned to the Settlement once again. On February 22, 1934, Ted married Lydia Lebsack in Sterling, Colorado, and they moved to Ted's batching quarters on the farm northwest of Burlington. This same year, Walter started high school in Burlington. April 11, 1937, Art married Emma Ziegler. Having rented a partially inigated farm near Proctor, Colorado, they moved their few belongings there and started out on their own. Dad and Elmer continued farming part of the ground on the homeplace until the spring of 1940 when Art and Emma returned and took over the farming of the homestead, Section 3-7-45. Walter graduated from Burlington High School in 1937 and enrolled at Yankton College in Yankton, South Dakota, the following fall and graduating in 1942. On June 12 of the sqme year he was married to Pauline Schillereff of Fort Morgan. After several years in the ministry he did graduate work at Andover Newton Theological School and Harvard Divinity School. In 1967 he received his Doctor of Divinity Degree. Pauline passed away in November of 1980 and Walter in July of 1982. Their union was blessed with 3 children, David, Margaret, and Robert. After John and Edna built their new home on their farm in about 1947, Dad and Mother left the little house on the homestead and moved into John and Edna's first home. This was a modern home and was located closer to Burlington. In 1948 Dad had surgery in Goodland, Kansas at Boothroy Memorial Hospital, and died several days later on July 21, 1948. Mother remained here a few years, and later on moved to a little house in Burlington. On March 9, 1952, Elmer was married to Dolores Schaal. Mother passed away November 18, 1954. Both our parents passed away at 72 years of age. They are buried at the Hope Church Cemetery north of Bethune, Colorado, back on the same homestead where their life together began. 12 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren, will remain ever grateful for the courage and the desire to search for something better for this family in a land of freedom. for their descendants. We thank God and our parents for the privileges we have enjoyed because of their decision to come to the United States. May we always honor these privileges. by Art Dobler DOBLER, TED AND LYDIA LEBSACK F166 In the fall of 1931 the folks, the Jacob Lebsacks of Proctor, Colorado, needed another beet hauler. Ted Dobler. the third son of John and Magdalena Dobler of Bethune was in need of a job and this seemed to fill the bill. After he had been there two weeks. we began picking up the mail at Proctor, and this was the beginning of a 3 year courtship. On February 22, L934, we were married at the family home at Proctor, and moved into our �the farm. We built a new home in town in the Permer addition to Burlington. Ted drove to the farm to help as much as he could as long as he was able. On July 30, 1981 Ted passed away following a lengthy illness. During our life together we were able to travel to many different parts of the country. We visited our children and grandchildren, and sometimes just went for the pure enjoyment of it. From Canada to California, to the Mardi Gras in Louisiana or the Bahamas, home was always a welcome place to come back to. I worked at many different vocations during our lifetime and each job was rewatding in its own way. I worked in the office of Burlington Livestock Sales for 21 years, at the Burlington Rest Home during the dry fifties, and since Ted's illness began, I have babysat with many children, most of them newborns, of working mothers, and have loved each and every one of them. These little ones, my family, and my friends are a very valuable part of our community, of which I am proud to be a part of. : Hopefully, our heritage will be passed down through my 10 grandchildren and 2 :' great grandchildren. Lydia and Ted Dobler adobe "Honeymoon Cottage" on Ted's farm living in the little 2-room house. 9 miles northwest of Burlington. Times were hard and after planting anoth- The family kept busy year around with the livestock, but especially so in the summer time. We always raised chickens and sold friers to many of the people in Burlington, as er corn and feed crop that dried up (no irrigation in those days) we locked up our little house and moved back to Proctor and Ted again went to work for the folks. These were the Dust Bowl days. It was so hard for us to leave Ted's family, his folks and 5 brothers. The following year we rented a farm and raised sugar beets and alfalfa on our own. In March of 1937 our first child, Carol Jean, was born and lived only a very short time. This was a very trying time, but then in November of 1938, Bonnie Joy was born, and she was a "Joy". We still had our farm at Burlington, but it was still dry and dusty there so we stayed on the farm at Proctor for a few more years. In 1941 Stanley Edwin was born, a big happy baby. Also, by then it had rained back in Burlington, and the wheatfields and pastures were greening up once again. We moved our little family back to our adobe 2room house. Now dreams of a larger more modern home began, but a severe hail storm right before harvest time soon took care of that idea. We kept busy raising wheat, corn and feed for the cattle and horses. There were always cows to milk, with cream to sell, and chickens which also gave us eggs to sell. This was the chief source of grocery money for the family. In 1944, my sister, Leona's, husband passed away and she and her two little boys carne to stay with us for a month. We had just completed the construction of a large adobe barn with a big hayloft, so some of us slept there. A definite feeling of "closeness" prevailed, with 3 adults and 4 children in a 2room house. In 1944 we started on our new house, doing most of the work ourselves, with the help of Grandpa and Grandma Dobler. In 1946 we moved into the basement of the big house. Thomas Earl was born in September of that year. Our new home with electric lights and running water, and even an indoor bathroom was quite an improvement after everyone liked farm fresh produce. A big by Lydia Dobler DOUGHTY FAMILY Fl66 garden also furnished food for the family through the winter. In the fifties another drouth hit the area, and some of the men went away to work, this time with the women and the families remaining here to keep the children in school. This meant selling the cattle, as there was no feed in the area for them. In 1961, we put down an irrigation well and were once again able to bring the dry land back to life. We raised sugar beets, corn and alfalfa. By this time Bonnie had graduated from Burlington High School and had gone to work as a secretary at the Kit Carson County Courthouse. In 1957 she had married Dean Witzel. Stanley had also graduated from BHS and was now a student at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Tom farmed with his father until he joined the Marine Corps shortly after his graduation from BHS. Music was a real enjoyment to this family, especially to Ted. As a young man he had played the trumpet for a community band, and later he sang tenor for the Harmonaires quartet for more than 20 years. He also sang with the Christian Business Men's Chorus. that met regularly each Thursday night at Hendricks Mortuary for practice. In 1966 Ted became seriously ill and Tom returned to take over the farm. Stanley married Joanne Orehek from Minnesota, who was a student at Loretta Heights College in Denver. He graduated from Mines in 1964 with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. Their first job was in Bakersfield, California, where their 2 sons, Brent and Brian were born. By now Dean and Bonnie were on a farm and ranch south of Burlington and had 3 children, Douglas, Dena and Donn. In 1968 Tom was married to Rose Bartlett from Champaign, Illinois, and they took over Lester Doughty and Ethel Frasier Doughty, 1936. Lester Loran Doughty was born in Casey, Illinois, February 6, 1879 to John and Mary Doughty. Lester never knew his father as he died before Lester was born. His grandmoth- er, Catherine Bartlett Moore, taught him many of her Indian customs. Lester and Nora Dell Huey were united in marriage January 1, 1901, in Terra Haute, Indiana. They made their home near Casey, Illinois where daughters Sylvia and Helen �were born. They lived there until the winter of 1907 and '08 when they left by train for San Antonio, Texas. This trip was made because Nora was suffering from congumption and needed a better climate. In San Antonio the farnily lived in a tent; it was really two in one. One was the front room; the other was the kitchen where the cooking was done on a wood-burning stove. The floors were made of wood and it was built up to where the canvas connected. Two boys, Benjaman and Joseph, joined the family there. The last part of October, 1911, the family left for Berlin, Oklahoma. They traveled in a covered wagon pulled by one team ofhorses. This trip took them six weeks. They camped beside the road at night. They moved to a farm near Berlin and lived there about four years. Laura and Huey were born here. Laura died April 1, 1913, at about one year old. In 1917 Lester bought a farm near Grimes, Oklahoma. Besides raising crops of wheat and corn, they had a mill for grinding the grain and also made their own sorghum. They raised broom corn which was sold to be made into brooms. Catherine and William and Vivian were born on this farm. The farnily sold the farm in 1922 and moved to Sayer, Oklahoma. A house was built here by Lester, and a son, Luther was born here. In 1925 Nora's health was not so good and she was homesick for Arkansas, so they traded the house for a farm near Rogers, Arkansas and moved there. Wanda and George were born here. George was only six months old when Nora died August 29,L928. He was adopted by a family named Ingersoll. In 1931 Lester moved his family to a farm north of Vona, Colorado. The older children got married or went into the service. Lester met Ethel Fraiser Carpenter, and they were united in marriage May 20, 1936, in the Methodist Church in Burlington, Colorado. Lester, Wanda, and Luther moved to Ethel's farm that she had received at the death of Mr. Carpenter. He had homesteaded this land and built a sod house on it. This house still stands in 1987. Glovine was born here. In March of 1940 this marriage was dissolved in divorce. Contact with Lester was lost for several years; then in 1950 he came to see Glovine in Burlington. Lester died July 19, 1952 while visiting son Benjaman in Houston, Texas. There are four children surviving. They are William of California, Vivian of Oklahoma, Wanda and Glovine of Kansas, and many grandchildren and many, many great-grandchildren. The family of son Joseph still lives in and around Kit Carson County. Joseph (Joe) was 19 when the farnily moved to Vona, Colorado. On April 6, 1931, Joe was united in maniage to Edna Monroe. To this union was born Nora Mae, Roy Bradford and Shirley Lee. Joe worked as a service station attendant until he entered the Navy Seabees in October, 1943. He served until Novemb et 21, 1945 when he was discharged. They lived at Stafford, Kansas until they moved back to Vona in 1947. Joe was Undersheriff from April, 1961toJanuary,1963 with Sheriff Hap Ormsbee for Kit Carson County. He also worked for Kit Carson County road and bridge crew in Stratton from 1970 until 1978 when he retired. He continued to mow weeds for the county until his death in a car wreck September 10, 1979. His wife Edna and son, Roy, still live in Vona. Daughter Shirley Jackson and family live in Joes, Colorado. Several of his grand- of Kit Carson County. He and Edna moved to Burlington to be close to the job. Fr67 In 1963, they moved to Boulder, Colorado, where Joe worked as maintenance engineer for the post office. They moved back to Vona in 1968. Joe went to work for the Kit Carson County Road and Bridge crew, in Stratton, in the spring of 1970. He continued to work there until he retired in March of 1978. He continued to mow for the county each fall and was doing so at the time of his death September 10, 1979. He was killed in a vehicle accident on Highway 24. At the time of his death, Joe had 15 grandchildren and 8 greatgrandchildren. Joe was buried at the Vona Cemetery with Joseph Roy Doughty was born September military services. Edna still lives in their home in Vona. Roy children live in and around Kit Carson County. Nora May Mullen and family live in Arkansas. I, Glovine Doughty Golemboski, lived in Kit Carson County for many years, but will tell my life story with my mother, Ethel Fraiser. b;y Glovine Golemboski DOUGHTY FAMILY 14, 1910, to Nora Dell and Lester Loran Doughty, in San Antonio, Texas. He was born in a tent. The sides were built up about three feet and the canvas was attached to this; the floor in the tent was made of wood. He was lives with her and helps to care for her. Roy's children all live in the state of Florida. the fourth child in the family. During the last part of October 1911, Joe and his family left San Antonio in a covered Shirley and her husband, Paul Jackson live on a farm north of Joes, Colorado, with their wagon. They arrived in Berlin, Oklahoma shortly before Christmas. Joe's father rented a farm close to Berlin. The family lived there for about four years. Then his father bought a farm located near Grimes, Oklahoma, in 1917. They lived there until 1922, when he sold the farm and moved the family to Sayre, Oklahoma. Joe's father built a house there and they stayed until 1925, when he traded it for a farm near Rogers, Arkansas. They moved to Arkansas, where in 1928, Joe's mother died. The family lived here until 1929, when his father moved the family to eastern Colorado. In Colorado, Joe met Edna Alice Monroe. The two were joined in marriage on April 6, 1931. They lived in a sod house, north of Vona, Colorado. There, their first child, a daughter, was born, June 18, 1932. They named her Nora Mae. On October 17, 1933, a son, Roy Bradford was born. In December 1933, Joe moved his family to Stafford, Kansas. He worked at various jobs and the family lived briefly in Hudson, Kansas and Pratt, Kansas. Then he went to work for Edsel's Service Station in Stafford. While living in Stafford, Joe and Edna's second daughter was born on July 4, 1935. They named her Shirley Lee. Joe worked for Edsel's Service Station Nora Mae and her husband, Willard Mullen live on a ranch near Gravette, Arkansas. Their four children all live in the area. two younger children. Their three older children live in Colorado. by Nora Mae Mullen DOUGTITY, ETHEL FRASIER AND GLOVINE Fr68 Sod house south of Bethune, Colorado, where Glovine was born. until October 1943. At this time, Joe joined the navy, in the Seebees branch. This was during the time of World War II. He served in the South Pacific. Joe returned from the war in November 1945, and returned to work at Edsel's Service. Shortly thereafter, Joe purchased the station. Joe was baptized, in the spring of 1946, in the First Baptist Church of Stafford. He was very active in the local church activities. He had a deep respect for our Creator and a very strong sense of moral responsibilities. Due to the ill health of his wife, Edna, Joe sold his business and their home and moved to Wichita, Kansas in the spring of 1947. The family remained there for a year, after which they moved back to Colorado. Joe worked on a ranch south of Seibert for a year, then they moved to Vona, Colorado. In 1951, Joe went to work for the Snell Grain Company, as manager of the elevator in Vona. Edna also worked there as a bookkeeper. In 1971, he left the elevator to accept the job as undersheriff Ethel and Lester Doughty with Glovine about 6 months old. Taken at the farm south of Bethune in 1937. Ethel May Frasier was born May 30, 1898 at Burlington Junction, Missouri to Franklin K. Frasier and Myrtle May Gray. As a child Ethel had red measles which left her partly deaf. Myrtle was crippled with arthritis so when Everett was born, although Ethel was �only nine, she had to take care of him. March, 1910, the Frasier family moved from northern Missouri to La Junta, Colorado. Franklin's health was bad and they hoped the change in climate would help him. He died January, 1911, and is buried at La Junta. Shortly, Myrtle and children moved back to Missouri to live with her father, John Gray. He died in April of 1913. Myrtle then moved her family back to La Junta, CO. A sister, Ether, died in March of 1914; that left Ethel, Edward and Everett. Ethel often told of the horse and buggy days and how scared she was when a horse ran away with her at the reins. Ethel May and Charles Goforth were united in marriage April 11, 1915, at La Junta. Charles worked in the oil fields and traveled around the area a lot. Helen Lucille was born March 6. 1917. Charles Goforth died of double pneumonia November 15, 1918. Albert Frasier was born February 18, 1919. Ethel worked for eleven years caring for her two children. In 1930 she met Oke Carpenter; they were united in marriage September 4, 1930 in La Junta. After the wedding they left for the farm south of Bethune, Colorado. Oke had homesteaded this land and built a sod house. Times were hard. There were many trials and hardships. Oke became ill with dropsey and died Decembet 27, 1935. Helen married Lloyd Kirk August 5, 1935 and moved to Nebraska. Ethel and Albert stayed on the farm. Ethel and Lester Doughty were united in marriage May 20, 1936 in the Methodist Church in Burlington. Ethel became a stepmother to Wanda and Luther, treating them like they were her own. Glovine Alice was born Februaty 24,1937 in the sod house with the help of Lest€r. They made a living by raising turkeys and sheep; they also raised a big garden. Things went from bad to worse and Lester and Ethel were divorced in March of 1940. Ethel lost the farm to taxes, so she and Glovine moved into Burlington. In February of L942 Ethel married Art Pinckard and moved to a farm 18 miles south of Seibert, Colorado. I attended Rock Cliff, a country school, for four years. We raised cattle, sheep and horses. Art traveled all over the country, leaving Ethel to take care of the farm. She chopped wood for the heating stove and cook stove. We only went to town once a month, sometimes it would be three months. Ethel's health got bad, so we moved to Burlington in 1948. In June, 1950, Art Pinckard was killed in a car wreck. In June, 1950, Ethel and Clifford Lynn were united in marriage. Ethel and Clifford moved to Willow Springs, Missouri in 1954. They lived on a farm there for several years. In 1956 Ethel moved to Maryville, Missouri and lived alone there until she moved back to Burlington in 1963 to live with Glovine and family. Ethel then was very crippled with arthritis. I took care of her until April, 1963 when she went into a nursing home. In May of 1966 Helen Kirk cnme and took her back to Missouri to live with her. Ethel died September 26, 1966, and is buried at Burlington Junction, Missouri. She spent fifty years of her life in Colorado and thought Burlington, Colorado was really her home. June 28, 1953 Glovine and Lewis Kirby were united in marriage. We moved to a little white house on Webster Street. In June we moved to a farm north of Burlington; Lewis farmed and worked in town as a carpenter. Alice Marie was born August 31, 1954. Billy J. was born May 6, 1957. The fifties were very dry. The wind and dust was so bad you could see only a few feet in front of you. We moved back to town in May of 1957. Lewis worked in construction, for farmers and for the city of Burlington. Katherine was born July 15, 1962. In August of 1969 we moved to Goodland, Kansas. Alice graduated from Goodland High School in 1973 and entered the Navy. In 1975 Billy J. joined the Navy. Katherine returned to Burlington and lived in the group home and worked in the work shop and graduated from Burlington High School, May, 1982. In October of 1973 our marriage was dissolved in divorce. October 30, 1974, I manied Frank Golemboski. Jeanie Glovine was born January 15, 1976 in Goodland, Kansas, and Jeanie now lives in Colby, Kansas. We are active in our church and 4-H and A.R.C. I still think of Burlington, Colorado as my home and like to visit there. by Glovine Golemboski DOWNEY, RAY FAMILY Fr69 Rose and Ray Downey on their wedding day, 1945 Raymond Thomas Downey and Rose Ack- In the spring of 1947, Rose and Ray Downey and their young son Ron (born December 11, 1945 at Dodge City) left Kansas to begin farming south of Stratton. Several other young families from the Windhorst and Dodge City area also moved to the Stratton area in the mid to late forties. so eastern Colorado felt a little like home in erman Downey were married February 12, 1945 at Windhorst, Kansas. Ray, the son of Daniel Bennet Downey and Catherine Elizabeth Biernacki was born May 21, 1920 in Wichita, Kansas. He was the fourth of ten children and spent his early childhood on the family farm. The daughter of Francis (Frank) Ackerman and Clara Fredelake, Rose was born on her parents farm near Spearville, Kansas on September 30, 1920. One of seven children, Rose went to school at the academy at Windhorst and later worked in Dodge. spite of all of Ray and Rose's immediate families still being in Kansas. The early years farming in south central Kit Carson county were filled with hard work and few conveniences (electricity wasn't The Downeys, 1985 Top Row: Jo Downey, Tom May, Kim May, Karen and Gene Kerschner. Middle row: Amber Downey, Amy Downey, Lisa Kerschner. Bottom row: Bob Downey, Ray Downey, Rose Downey, Ron Downey. On Laps: Mark Kerschner and Brad Downey �was born November 16, 1947 in Stratton (the building at 2lO Kansas Avenue served as a maternity hospital for the Stratton area until around 1950). Karen Sue and Kimberly Ann Downey were born in Burlington on February 23, 1959 and August 29, 1962 respectively. Ron and Bob attended grade school in Vona and junior high at St. Charles Academy. Karen attcnded grade school and junior high at St. Charles Academy and Kim attended Kindergarten in Stratton, grades 1-6 in Vona, and grades 7-8 at Hi-Plains in Seibert. All four Downey children graduated from high school in Stratton. Ron Downey attended Sterling Junior College and later served with the U.S.Army in Viet Nnm. After leaving the military, he returned to farm with his father and continues today as one of the partners in Downey Farms, Inc. Bob attended the University of Southern Colorado and then taught business and coaches in a small community near Salida. He and his wife, Jo, returned to Stratton inL972 to join the family farming operation. Their Bob and Ron Downey, 1950 available to that part of the county until the early fifties and phone service wasn't a reality until 1965), but neighbors were plentiful and entertainment consisted of families getting together for potlucks, singing and cards at the old one-room school that was located north of the house. The old school had not held classes for years and was moved off around 1952. With it went the piano and a lot of the socializing, but the memories of the good times in a less hectic and more relaxed era still remain. Living half way between Vona and Strat- to the time when Kim was two and came within seconds ofpicking up a six-foot rattler that had slithered its way into the yard. Fortunately, the toddler was snatched away by her older sister just as she was bending down to more closely examine the huge snake, but the incident is still well remembered by the whole farnily. Ifgood fortune continues, there will hope- fully continue to be Downeys in Kit Carson County. Though being in agriculture occa- sionally presents more barriers than oppor- tunities, farming and living in a small community where neighbors, friends, family, school and church are still important is a most satisfying and rewarding way of life. residents bearing the Downey last name. Bob also still farms and Jo continues to serve as by Jo Downey Executive Director of the East Central Council of Local Governments. Shortly before graduation from the University of Northern Colorado, Karen Downey married UNC graduate student Eugene Kerschner from Merino, Colorado. They are parents of two children, Lisa Jeanne (1975) and Marc Alan (1979). After residing several years in Gering, Nebraska, they currently live in Alliance, Nebraska. Karen works in nursing and Gene continues as a Corporate Farm Manager. Kim Downey also graduated from UNC with a B.A. degree in Business and Accoun- Highway 24 complicated school choices as the ting and worked in Greeley until her marriage to Tom May in 1985. Kim and Tom now reside in Stratton where Tom is engaged in farming and Kim is employed in the offices Rose after they came to Colorado. Robert Lee pected and unwelcome, wildlife still occasionally wander onto the farm; nothing comp€ues children, Amy, Amber, and Brad (born in 1973, 1976, and 1979 respectively) bring to eight the number of Kit Carson County ton and being over ten miles south of Downey children approached first grade. Three other children were born to Ray and of the Stratton Co-op. In the early sixties, the original farm house that was the Downeys' first Colorado home was added on to and was again remodeled in 1982. An elevator system and additional outbuildings were added over the years so the 1987 farmstead bears little resemblance to the original farm established in 1947. Trees, grass and flowers have replaced the open prairies near the house and though unex- DRAGER - KLOOZ FAMILY F170 Henry Drager, son of William and Sophia Drager came to Colorado with his parents and sister, Anna (Langendorfer) in 1924 from Unadilla, Nebraska. They established their home in Burlington and proceeded to farm two sections of land 18 miles south of Burlington. Henry broke the sod with a Wallace lug tractor and a teem of horses. Flora Ellen Klooz, daughter of Fred and Flora Klooz. moved to a farm 2 miles north of Burlington form Franam, Nebraska, in 1919 along with her parents, four sisters and three brothers. She graduated from Burlington High School in 1925 after which she taught school in a one room country school north of Bethune. Downey Farms, 1985 In 1928 Henry and Flora were married and began their married life on a new farm L8 miles south of Burlington. They lived in the basement of their new home while the house was being finished by Henry's father, Bill Drager, and a nephew from Germany. They lived on this farm until 1977 when they built a new home in Burlington, although Henry continued to farm the land. Four children were born to Henry and Flora, Evelyn, June, Kenneth, and Louis. Evelyn is a teacher in Burlington and married to Ed Mountain and live two doors down the street from them. June married Bob Mangus, youngest son of Ray and Persis Mangus who lived on a farm south of Peconic, and now reside in Denver. Kenneth married high school sweetheart, Doris Chapman, whose parents, the Dale Chapmans, were former residents and manager of the Burlington Coop. Russell, Kansas is their home. Louis graduated from UNC as an engineer and married Karen Mechnm from Utah. They live in Littleton. the children all attended Smoky Hill School which was also the center for �many community get-to-gethers. Henry was president of the school board for 9 years. All four children graduated from Burlington High School. The children were members of the Smoky Hill 4-H Club of which Flora was a leader. Depression, dust storms, and the tornado of L944 was significant set backs, but good times, good neighbors and friends, and healthy children have outweighed the bad by far during their 50 years on this farm. The Dragers have 12 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. They celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in June 1978 at Trinity Lutheran, the family church, with a multitude of family and friends. by Flora Klooz Drager DROSTE, JOE FAMILY Fr7I Joe Droste was born in Ford County, Kansas, May 18, 1909. Agnes H. Fetsch was born near Munday, Texas, January 27, LgLl. They were married August 19, 1936, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, in Marienthal, Kansas. Joe had been farming with a brother-inlaw, Jacob Bogner for several years in Wichita County, north of Marienthal, Kansas. Crops were poor due to the dry weather and dust storms. Ag'nes' parents, Frank and Mary Fetsch had moved to Marienthal in 1920 with their children, Louis, Agnes, Charles, Margaret and John. One son, Edward was born in Marienthal. Agnes attended grade school there and graduated from High School in Leoti, Kansas. In 1931, she began teaching in a one room rural school north of Leoti, Kansas. She also taught in a rural school south of Marienthal, Kansas, and really enjoyed teaching. After we were married we moved to a rented farm north of Marienthal and lived there for over four years, then we moved to another farm where we lived for about two yerus. One day in the fall of L942 Mt. Henry Kliesen and a real estate agent from Dodge City, came to our place and told us about cheap land in Colorado. They brought us to Kit Carson County to look at farms which were for sale. We looked at a lot of them, some were selling for $5.00 an acre. We didn't buy anything on our first trip but came back later and purchased the farm known as the "Stoffel Place," about five miles northeast of Stratton. Later we bought some more land. We moved to Colorado on March 2nd, 1943. It was a very cold day. The temperature was well below zero and stayed that way for about three weeks. On moving day, Joe drove our truck loaded with household items and his brother Roman drove the car for me and our three small children. Joe arrived before we did and had agood fire goingin an old heating stove, when we arrived. There were no conveniences in rural homes out here at that time, no water, no plumbing no electricity, everything was done the hard way. Everybody butchered their own meat then and cured it or canned it. Later we could rent a locker in town and store our fresh meat in it. That seemed to us a great convenience. What a wonderful day it was for farmers when rural electricity came to the farms. Things really changed drastically, almost everyone got water in the house, bathrooms were built and life changed completely. This was progress, looking back its hard to believe how things have changed. Three more children came to us in Colo- rado. They all grew up on the farm and attended St. Charles Parochial School, and the Stratton Public High School. Many pets came and went at our farm. The children loved two little rat terriers given to them by the Menke family. They called them Mutt and Jeff. In the fifties, dry weather came again and for several years no crops were planted or harvested. We had a nice herd of cattle and had to sell them because there was no feed. When things got better, many farmers decided to put down irrigation well in 1960, and for several years we planted and raised corn on the irrigated acres. In 1966, we planted pinto beans, we had a fair crop, they were only $6 per cwt. Joe died in 1966, the result of a farm accident and our sons Ra5rmond and Frank too over the farm work. We continued irrigating and also farming dry land wheat. Frank left the farm in 1979, when he got married and Ray continued to farm. In the 80's we have tried sunflowers with some good results. The children of Joe and Agnes Droste are, Rose Marie, born August 2, 1937, in Scott City, Kans., Raymond J. born March 24, 1939, in Scott City, Kans., Genevieve, born January 3, L942, in Scott City, Kans., Carol Ann, born March L4, t945, in Stratton, Co., Dorothy Mae, born February 6, 1949, in Burlington, Co., and Frank Edward, born October 2L, L952, in Burlington, Co. Rose Marie went to St. Anthonys Nursing school in Denver. She graduated as a practi- cal nurse and worked at St. Anthonys Hospital for about three years. She married Leon Laird and lived in Burlington, Co. Leon died as a result of a car accident in July, 1965. Rose then worked at Grace Manor and in a nursing home in Denver. In 1968, she married Ernie Stoos and now lives in Oklahoma on Lake Eufaula where they have a land development business. Rose keeps busy with all kinds of crafts and community activities. Raymond spent three years in the Marines after he graduated form high school, then he spent some time working with custom cutters in harvest and also worked on oil rigs for a while. Now he lives on the farm with his Mother. He works at the Post Office in Stratton and also farms. Genevieve went to Central Business College in Denver after she graduated from high school in 1960. She had various office jobs and married Richard J. Rubio in 1966. They live in Anchorage, Alaska, and have two sons, Domon and Chris. Carol Ann attended the Mercy Hospital Nursing school after she graduated from high school in 1964. In 1967 she graduated as a R.N. She has kept up her nursing. She joined the Air Force Reserves in 1967, right after she graduated from nursing school. During her weeks of active duty she flew to many places. Japan was one, they would bring back a lot of boys from Vietnam. She was flight nurse on those trips. She married Rodney Whitten inl972. They have four children. Rodney was also in the Reserves. He is now a captain in the Reserves and Carol is a Major. They live in Gretna. Nebraska. Dorothy Mae went to college in Wichita, Kansas, for two years then to Greeley, Co. for two years where she graduated in 1971. She married Don White and moved to San Jose. California. She taught in kindergarten there for six years, then went into real estate in which she has done very well. She is now living in Longmont, Co. She is married to Hayward Monroe and they have two boys. Frank went to college in LaJunta, Co. for one year after he graduated from the Stratton High School, in L972. His main interest was welding. He married Debbie Pelle Nov. 24, 1979. They had two boys. Debbie died in a tragic car accident in Nov. 1982, leaving Frank with two babies. He moved to Boulder. Co. where he is employed at Micro-Motion. He is a welder. Even though they are all scattered now, the farm is still "home". They all love the land and the community! by Agnes H. I)roste DULMER FAMILY Ft72 Cornelius and Tresa Dulmer came to Seibert, Colorado by train. They arrived on December 9, 1909 on a very cold day, the temperature being 28 degrees below zero F. Daughters Emma and May came with them. The rest of the trip was by buggy and wagon. This homestead was 14 miles north of Vona, Colorado. Tresa Nauta Dulmer was born in 1856 and died in 1918. Uf8il his death Cornelius made his home with his daughters. Later he moved to California to live and died in 1928. He was born in 1857. Their children were: Myron Dulmer, 18821963; Edith Dulmer Brownwood, 1881-19?6; Anna Dulmer Eyberse 1880-1936; Catherine Dulmer Vander Ploeg 1882-1951; Florence Dulmer Seabert, 1884-1964; Emma Dulmer Klassen, 1892-1986; May Dulmer Klassen 1895-1979; Sadie Dulmer Ault Iller. 1890-?. by Edith M. Ilugley �:, .: ',-*; $ '"w "*1" .[i tua" & # ^1 t Family of Cornelius and Tresa Dulmer taken before 1909. L. to R.: back row: Myron, Edith, Anna' Catherine, and Florence. Middle row: Tresa and Cornelius. Front row: Emma, May and Sadie. DUNCAN, CHARLEY F173 My parents, Charley Duncan and Edith Simpkins Duncan, were married near Tilden, Nebraska, in February 1906. They lived on a farm and three children were born there; Ethel Marie, February 1, 1907 (died February Zt,1907); Evelyn, born December 18, 1907; and Orville, born March 19, 1909. In 1912 my father and his brother-in-law, Euse Dredge, came to Kit Carson County looking for land to homestead. They both signed for a claim. They returned to Nebraska to make preparations to move to Colorado. We arrived in Vona, by train, in February 1913 with 2 horses, 2 cows, 2 pigs, 2 dozen chickens, 2 kids and $200.00. There was plenty of snow and cold weather. Mrs. Howell, the storekeeper's wife, took us in a spring wagon to the home of Al Tilbury where we spent the night. The next day we went to our little one room shack which sat on rocks without a foundation, but it was our home, 18% miles southwest of Vona. Papa had to plow the ground before any planting could be done. Every inch was Buffalo grass. That summer we went by covered wagon to Sterling. Papa worked as a drayman. We returned to our homestead the next year so Orville and I would start to school at Rosedale. We attended this school for 8 years and our favorite teacher was Johnny Mathews. Papa went to different parts of Colorado and Kansas to work in the harvest fields and while he was gone Mama, Orville and I would go pick up cow chips to burn. We sort of made a picnic out of it. We would stop by Little Springs so we could wash our hands and eat The Charley Duncan Family - 1917. Father, Charley, Mother Edith, Evelyn, Orville and baby Alta. lunch. We had a great time but were scared to death of rattlesnakes and it took all day to get a load. In 1916 we made a trip back to Nebraska when my Grandma Simpkins'died. My folks were tempted to stay but decided against it as our home, belongings and good friends and neighbors were in Colorado, Iike the Goffs, Calhouns, Lettmans, Roses, Gallions, McAuleys, Murpheys, Myers, Deers and others. We were thankful for our wagon and horses so we could go visit them and go to church in a little school house five miles from our place. We also had Literary there, which was a program type ofgood entertainment using local talent. Dad Allen played the banjo and Red, his son, would jigg and Don McAuley gave the best recitations and others would sing or be in plays. r.;i&:,::t f, ?7:' Charley Duncan - Early 1940's with team of horses Prince and Snip, dog Fritz on the homestead. In 1917, August 6th, a darling baby girl was born into our family and we called her Alta, and then February 11, 1919, Everett was born. That was the year of lots of snow and flu. Our mother died March 1. Everett was 18 days old and Alta 18 months. Papa's sister and her husband, Aunt Ethie and Uncle Jim Sesler raised Alta and Everett. Our friends were so good to us and helped all they could. Needless to say we had very Iittle money but plenty of debts. Mr. Hungerford, a wellknown cattleman took up a collection and raised $500.00 to help with funeral expenses. That was a lot of money in those days. Then in 1922 Orville and I graduated from the eighth grade. Papa decided to move close to Seibert so we could ride the bus to high school. In the process Orville stepped on a barnyard nail and got lockjaw and died. In the meantime, Uncle Jim, Aunt Ethie, Alta and Everett moved north of Seibert. Papa and I lived about nine miles southeast of Seibert in a sod house during the school year. I rode the bus twenty-five miles every day to school. During my high school years I played baseball and was on the girls basketball and track teams. Then in the fall of 1926 I went to Lincoln, �Nebraska to college for two years. In 1927 Papa manied Stella Doss. No children were born of this marriage. He and Stella lived on the homestead until his death June 3, 1947, at the age of 64. He was a very successful DUNHAM, WALTER AND ANICE Fr74 DUNLAP - LESHER FAMILY F176 farmer and cattleman. Stella moved to Denver where she died April 25, 1977. April 13, L929,I was united in marriage to Wm. "Red" Allen. We lived on a farm south of Vona and that is where our first son, Bill, was born. ln 1933, during the depression, we moved to Denver and Red got a job hauling coal from the mines north of Denver. I did laundry for the rich people and to this day I love to wash and iron. Denver was good to us. We bought a home at 4319 Navajo. Our second son, Don, was born here in November 1945, sixteen years after Bill. Bill and Mary were married in May 1948 and had two daughters, Debbie and Pati. Bill works at NW Transport as Manager of Transportation and Mary works at the bank in Brighton where they live. Don and Connie were married in April 1964. They have three children, Scott, Wendy and Rod, and Don is a Denver Fireman. Red and four other men started their own service business in February 1961, having the office in our home. They called it "Area Gas Appliance Service". They got a good start and moved to an office in the summer of 1964 and Red died October 13, 1964. I'm 78 now and work half days five days a week for the company. This is 1986 and we have been in business 25 years. I can't bring this story to a close till I tell you what happened to my little sister and brother. Uncle Jim and Aunt Ethie did a fine job raising them. They grew up to be beautiful people inside and out. They both went to school in Seibert. In May 1936 Alta married Ralph Rowley. They farmed at Seibert several years and then moved to Denver. Four children were born to this union, Mary Lee Lopo of Eastlake, Chuck Rowley of Denver, Beverly Rowley of Denver, and Richard who died in infancy. They have 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Alta is very crippled with arthritis and Ralph has a problem breathing, but they do a good job taking care of each other. They are a real inspiration to anyone. Everett married Vyonda Overmiller in January 1939. He was a very successful cattleman and farmer. They are retired now and live in Stratton. Four girls were born to this union, Barbara Mason of Iowa City, Iowa, Virginia Burns of Denver, Marilyn Duncan of Denver and Betty Ralston of Colorado Springs. They have five grandchild- ren and two great-grandchildren. I'll always remember the good old times in Seibert and Vona. "It is still home". P.S. Lord willing, Alta and Ralph will celebrate their fiftieth anniversary this year, May 25, 1986. by Evelyn Duncan Allen Maynard and Bessie Dunhnm Walter and Anice Dunham and son Maynard came to Colorado in 1906, from Battle- creek, Michigan (to benefit the health of Maynard), to a farm southeast of Burlington. They lived in a soddy for some years and then moved into a larger frame house. Anice passed away in 1914. In 1909, Maynard and Bessie Thoman were manied. They lived with his parents for some time, then they took a homestead adjoining. Here they built a half basement, sod, two room house. In 1.910, Ines was born. They had three other children, Irene, Lee and Warren (who passed away after a ruptured appendix in 1921). These early settlers had to make a living from what they could raise, on wild gams sn4 milking cows. There was a small school close by and the three older children attended, along with Henry Basset, and Harold Rogers. Then, they moved along with Walter Dunham to the First Central school district where there was a four year school and two churches for them to attend. In 1933, they moved to a farm in Cheyenne County, Lee moved with them. By this time Ines had married Harold McArthur and Irene married George Kennedy. The family milked cows, Bess worked at making quilts, and mattresses to give to the less fortunate. In 1934, they sold most ofthe cattle and they and Lee spent most of the winter in Michigan. In 1942, Maynard's poor health forced them to leave the farm and move into Burlington; she worked in different restau- rants and both worked in the old Montezuma. They built a house and kept a beautiful yard of flowers and vegetables. They celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversary in 1959. Maynard passed away in 1964, Bessie continued to care for the yard until the age of 93, when she passed away in 1984. by Irene Kennedy and Ines McArthur Mom and Dad and Casey. Oliver c. (Buzz) Dunlap, and Elizabeth Dunlap. Oliver C. (Buzz) Dunlap was born in Rawlins County, Kansas in 1888 and moved to Sherman County, South of Goodland while a small child. Elizabeth Eicher was born in Seward County, Nebraska and moved to Sherman County, Kansas as a very small girl. Both O.C. and Elizabeth grew up in this area. They were married in Sgptember 1907. Oiiver and Elizabeth Hunlap were among the first homesteaders in the community Southwest of Burlington, They, along with Emery & Elsie Eicher, who were Elizabeth's brother and O.C.'s sister, came to Colorado in 1910 to claim their homesteads. This move was made to have access to the open range. The Dunlap's homestead was the EVz of Section 14, Township 11, Range 45, which is located 15 miles South and 7 miles West of Burlington; the Eicher homestead was the West % of Section 22, Township 11, Range 45 and Icyphene Welch, a widow, who was O.C.'s and Elsie's mother, and son Howard home-steaded the East r/z of Section 22,Township ll,Range 45. In the fall of 1910, they all returned to their old homes South of Goodland for the winter, where Lowell Dunlap was born in October. In April of 1911, they with small son Lowell and Emery and Elsie Eicher and their small daughter, Oletha, started the long slow move across the open prairie, approximately straight west from their homes to their homesteads. This journey LookBVz days to go 55 miles with 4 loaded wagons and their livestock. The wagons were each pulled by a 4 horse teem. They were driven by O.C., Elizabeth, Emery and Elsie. The livestock �llltt .tlr,,il,':: ,l.: ':::::':ili '.,:;...r-::. ,i..,iL,. tri ,l, :;."::: , furnished horses for the rodeos at the Kit Carson Fair for several years. Some of the local riders at that time were: Rueben and Archie Anderson; Joe Ross; Dewey (Dude) and Had Compher; Carl Harrison and Guy and Carl Wigton. In 1945 O.C. retired and moved to Burlington. In 1946 he was elected Sheriff of Kit Carson County and served in that office until his death in 1954. by Isaphene Dunlap Lesher EAGLETON - REID FAMILY F176 Oliver and Elizabeth Dunlap homestead. was driven by Howard Welch, O.C.'s and Elsie's half brother. O.C. Dunlap built a 4 room square sod house on their homestead where their daughter, Isaphene, was born in 1912 and son, Verlin. in 1914. In 1915 a concrete house was built by O.C. Dunlap and Emery Eicher, where another daughter, Nina, was born in 1920. This house is still standing. A small sod house was built for Mrs. Icephene Welch on her homestead. The Eicher house was a frame building, part of which was moved from Sherman County, Kansas. There it had been a small country store and post office located near the Smokey River. After Eicher's moved to Burlington in 1914, located near the Smokey River. After Eicher's moved to Burlington in 1914, O.C. bought the buildings and tore most of them down except the part of the house that had originally come from Kansas. He moved that part to the Dunlap home. There it was used as a milk house and bunk house for hired men. In 1931 the Dunlaps improved the NE% section of Icyphene Welch's homestead. This seme little two room house was moved again and built onto for their home, where they lived for 14 years before moving to Burlington in 1945. That little building really traveled and is still being lived in. When the Dunlap's and Eicher's came to Colorado, their mailing address was Beaver- ton, Colorado. This was a little country general merchandise store and Post Office. it was located 10 miles Northwest of their homestead, which was quite a trip by horse and buggy. John Higgon ran the store and Post Office, later it was ran by George Church. O.C. Dunlap was a rancher, raising cattle and horses. The cattle that were moved to the homestead were mixed breeds, mostly Gal- loways. In about 1918 he bought some purebred polled herefords and continued to raise hereford cattle until he retired in 1945. O.C. purchased his livestock brand (quarter circle C) in 1915 which is still being used by his son Verlin. The horses and mules that Norman and Vickey Eagleton, 1985. were raised bV O.C. were mostly sold to Eastern buyers. He also furnished horses for rodeos that were held in this area, as this was a favorite entertainment in the early days. He W W W w ?gryWryryyry,t*.t:i:,&',.:,rt.,' ;'. t,:,. . #n ,;\,.'t -.- **- w t:..ir '.1.: :op -Yt bt:'. ?;:e i. .?! ,*,',, &,ri :,'r The Eagleton Children: Carma Lynette, age 11; Dawn Michele, age 13; and Norman Jason, age 8, Christmas 1946. 1985. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- D Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource Brief history of the founding families of Kit Carson County whose names begin with "D." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/463/Families-E.pdf dbd4d983923073a04b35aec04f70182d PDF Text Text llltt .tlr,,il,':: ,l.: ':::::':ili '.,:;...r-::. ,i..,iL,. tri ,l, :;."::: , furnished horses for the rodeos at the Kit Carson Fair for several years. Some of the local riders at that time were: Rueben and Archie Anderson; Joe Ross; Dewey (Dude) and Had Compher; Carl Harrison and Guy and Carl Wigton. In 1945 O.C. retired and moved to Burlington. In 1946 he was elected Sheriff of Kit Carson County and served in that office until his death in 1954. by Isaphene Dunlap Lesher EAGLETON - REID FAMILY F176 Oliver and Elizabeth Dunlap homestead. was driven by Howard Welch, O.C.'s and Elsie's half brother. O.C. Dunlap built a 4 room square sod house on their homestead where their daughter, Isaphene, was born in 1912 and son, Verlin. in 1914. In 1915 a concrete house was built by O.C. Dunlap and Emery Eicher, where another daughter, Nina, was born in 1920. This house is still standing. A small sod house was built for Mrs. Icephene Welch on her homestead. The Eicher house was a frame building, part of which was moved from Sherman County, Kansas. There it had been a small country store and post office located near the Smokey River. After Eicher's moved to Burlington in 1914, located near the Smokey River. After Eicher's moved to Burlington in 1914, O.C. bought the buildings and tore most of them down except the part of the house that had originally come from Kansas. He moved that part to the Dunlap home. There it was used as a milk house and bunk house for hired men. In 1931 the Dunlaps improved the NE% section of Icyphene Welch's homestead. This seme little two room house was moved again and built onto for their home, where they lived for 14 years before moving to Burlington in 1945. That little building really traveled and is still being lived in. When the Dunlap's and Eicher's came to Colorado, their mailing address was Beaver- ton, Colorado. This was a little country general merchandise store and Post Office. it was located 10 miles Northwest of their homestead, which was quite a trip by horse and buggy. John Higgon ran the store and Post Office, later it was ran by George Church. O.C. Dunlap was a rancher, raising cattle and horses. The cattle that were moved to the homestead were mixed breeds, mostly Gal- loways. In about 1918 he bought some purebred polled herefords and continued to raise hereford cattle until he retired in 1945. O.C. purchased his livestock brand (quarter circle C) in 1915 which is still being used by his son Verlin. The horses and mules that Norman and Vickey Eagleton, 1985. were raised bV O.C. were mostly sold to Eastern buyers. He also furnished horses for rodeos that were held in this area, as this was a favorite entertainment in the early days. He W W W w ?gryWryryyry,t*.t:i:,&',.:,rt.,' ;'. t,:,. . #n ,;\,.'t -.- **- w t:..ir '.1.: :op -Yt bt:'. ?;:e i. .?! ,*,',, &,ri :,'r The Eagleton Children: Carma Lynette, age 11; Dawn Michele, age 13; and Norman Jason, age 8, Christmas 1946. 1985. �Norman Eugene Eagleton was born to Clinton Elijah and Clora Mae (Dungan) Eagleton on March 2, 1950 in Pueblo, CO. Nnmed for his grandfather and an uncle, Harold Norman Eagleton, Norman was the 2nd of 5 children - Sandra Louise (Turley), Norman Eugene, Charlotte Mae (Kelly), Gary Von, and April Lynn (Trujillo). Norman named his sister April (although she was born in May). He was a Captain in R.O.T.C.; he worked 4 years at Safeway and graduated in 1968 from Centennial High School. Vickey Lynn Reid was born at KCC Memorial Hospital to David Vinton and Betty Lou (Hughes) Reid on June 26, 1951. She has a younger brother, Ray Deon. Vickey was active in the high school band, chorus, newspaper and annual. She worked at Stuckey's Pecan Shoppe, Seibert and as hostes- s/cashier at the Little England Restaurant, Flagler. She graduated Valedictorian of Seibert High School in 1969. (Personal note of coincidence: Centennial and Seibert H.S. had the same colors and mascots - Red and White Bulldogs.) Vickey attended 3 semesters at Graceland College, Lamoni, Iowa. Vickey was attendant to 1968 Kit Carson County Queen, Kay Cure. She won a 4-H Citizenship Short course trip to Washington, D.C. in 1969. The various monuments, Capitol and White House were very impressive and awe-inspiring. She rememberg the seeming injustice in the vast difference between the abject poverty in one area and the gold banister and gold elevator doors of the Supreme Court Building just a few blocks away. Norman and Vickey met in 1968 on a church sponsored youth caravan to Mesa Verde. They were married by Vickey's uncle, Roger Reid on January 30, 1971. Their's was the lastweddingto be held in the "old" RLDS Church (a converted schoolhouse) in Seibert. The Eagleton's lived in Sedalia, MO where Norman was a machinist/painter for Turley Bros. Mfg. They moved to Seibert late in the summer of 1971, living in the white stucco house at the NE corner of Main Street across from the Seibert Coop where Norman was employed. Vickey worked as a teacher's aide at the school in Vona. Norman and Vickey moved to the Reid home place 7 miles north and 2 west of Seibert inLg72. They work with her parents on the Reid Femily Ranch raising wheat and Registered Polled Hereford cattle. A babygirl was born May 24,1972. She was named Dawn Michelle because she was born at dawn and she looked like a little french doll. Carma Lynette was born October 2, 1974. Her name was created by combining the names of her mother and grandmothers Clora Mae - Carma, Vickey Lynn and Betty - Llmette. Norman Jason was born July 25, 1977. He was nnmed Norman means, hopeful in the Eagleton tradition, and Jason means healer. The Eagleton's are active members of the Reorganized Church ofJesus Christ oflatter Day Saints. Norman serves in the Priesthood and Vickey occasionally seryes as church organist. Norman and Vickey have served as Church School Directors, teachers, choir members, Local and District Youth Directors. The girls have played the flute in church and in the school band. All three children take piano lessons from Carla Herman of Seibert. The family is active in the Go-Getters 4-H Club. Norman and Vickev serve as Emer- gency Medical Technicians on the Volunteer Family highlights have been trips to visit Uncle Ray and family and seeing the tourist sights of Southern California and trips to Independence, MO. to attend World Church Kanorado where they owned the telephone office. They had known the Eberharts when they grew up near St. Francis, Kansas and agreed to sign the tickets for any fuel Ted needed that first year to help him get started. Working those piles of blow dirt was really difficult, and that first year didn't turn out very well. After that things began to improve and they were able to survive. Ted also rented some ground from the Shamburgs, and one day Mr. Shnm[q1g drove out to see how things were doing and he couldn't find anybody at the house. He saw us down in the field. so came on down to talk to us. Bernice was out helping shock feed, so when he went back to town he told some of his friends that he wasn't worried about us, we would make it. In June of 1941, a tornado went through the community. It tore the third story off the Smoky Hill School house, the buses and the Conferences. garage and two ofthe teachers dwellings were Community Ambulance Service. Vickey teaches Community CPR classes and was elected Secretary of the Hi-Plains Board of Education for School District R-23 in 1987. Employed in 1987, Vickey serves as Medical Assistant to Dr. David Younger each Wednesday afternoon at the Flagler Community Medical Center. In 1986 the Eagleton's moved to the Reid's River Ranch home on the old Hoyt site between South Fork Republican River and Buffalo Creek. We enjoy the extra space when entertaining family and friends. We are also finding an interesting challenge in expanding our farm/ranch operation to include raising hogs. The kids enjoy hunting with Grandpa and fishing for trout in his privately stocked pond. They think fishing is seeing if you can toss in a hook and line and get it back out before you catch a fish. They also like Grandpa's homemade jerky, Gram's homemade grape marmalade (they didn't like seeding the grapes), and sledding in the snow on a car hood . . . "just like in the good ol' days!" by Norman & Vickey Eagleton EBERHART, TED AND BERNICE Fr77 After the terrible drought of the thirties, farnilies began slowly coming baek to the Smoky Hill community. In 1939, Ted and Bernice Eberhart and son Lonnie moved onto what was known as the Lawrence Olson farm, which had been taken over by the Foster Farms. It was 10 miles south and 8 east of Burlington and had been vacant for some time. They had been living on a farm in the Armel neighborhood, paying cash rent, which was increased every year, and it became more and more difficult to pay. Ted took a tour of the country and saw dirt piled fence-post high with blow dirt, not a bit of vegetation, and empty places everywhere. Hugh Gleason from the Bank of Burlington offered to rent the farm to Ted, and we all came down to look at it. We brought both of our parents along and it was a discouraging sight. Bernice thought there wasn't enough there to keep a jack rabbit alive, but if that was what Ted wanted to do, she was willing to go with him. In the fall of 1939, they moved. They were married in 1936, and had accumulated some household stuff, but on the way down the trailer hitch broke and upset the load of household goods in the middle of the road. Needless to say, we had a bunch of broken junk. Times were really hard, and Ted caught rabbits and sold the hides to help feed us. He had some hounds and a saddle horse and also caught some coyotes. Our first tractor was bought from Ted Backlund, a C Case and he traded two horses as a down payment. Jake Raile lived in destroyed. That was the day that Connie Eberhart was born. Ted had taken Bernice to the hospital that morning. Marlin Eberhart, who was Ted's nephew was with them and spent lots of summers with them. Marlin and Lonnie were planning to stay with George and Lois Blomendahl, but Lonnie didn't want to stay. Lois said they would come to town and take care ofthem, since her parents lived in town. During the afternoon the tornado came and the Blomendahl ranch was totally destroyed. A cement foundation for the water supply tank was the only thing left standing. The Lord must have been watching over all of us that day! The Blomendahls lived with the Eberharts for three months while they were trying to clean out their basement and make it livable. Connie didn't hardly know whether Bernice or Lois was her mother, until lunch time, for sure. Lonnie and Connie went their first eight grades at Smoky Hill. We hardly knew a soul until Lonnie was old enough to start to school. Almost all of the neighbors were bachelors, and there were so many deserted places. School activities brought us all together, and the Sunday School was probably the most meaningful of all the activities. We all seemed to blend into a united effort to improve homes and families. We had Vacation Bible School in the summer, and the children were picked up by parents for a special time of activities and learning. That community has some kind of a bond that keeps us friends and we have set up an annual picnic to be held the third Sunday in August at the Parmer Park in Burlington. You are invited and urged to attend. Lonnie graduated from C.U. in 1959 and went to work for John Deere Heavy Industrial Works in Moline, Illinois right away. Later he was moved to Dubuque, Iowa where designing equipment was available. All of the engineers were moved to Dubuque. One of the projects Lonnie helped desigrr is the big road maintainer, JD-570 which you will see being used by the City of Burlington. Ira Barnhart drove one of them for many years clearing out the snow and other maintenance jobs. One winter when we had a really bad blizzard,, Ted got in his Blazer and drove down town to look at the huge drifts. The grader was having problems attacking those drifts and they cleared only a single path in many places. Ted was telling Lonnie about �drought. We survived. In the 1930's we had terrible dust storms. When it started to rain the ground was like flour. Water didn't soak in, but ran off in the low places and through the creek. On May 30, 1935, our place was flooded. We salvaged what we could and had a sale. In August of 1935 we moved to Denver, CO where Zack Eckert worked for Dr. Herman Maul in west Denver and on his ranch at Red Feather Lakes. that and Lonnie said the operator needed to learn to wiggle its tail in order to keep maneuvering that machine. Lonnie is still working for John Deere and recently was involved in a huge Machinery Show in Las Vegas. It was Lonnie's job to be on the floor and answer questions from the viewers. Connie graduated from Adams State College and served as Dean of Students for thirteen years. She is about to complete twenty years where she teaches Psychology. She is also at the head of the Affirmative Action Program in the college. She recently spent some time in Kit Carson County recruiting students for Adams State. John Robertson was one of the popular teachers at Smoky Hill, and he joined in all the other community activities. His wife Carolyn and three children, Francis, Rick and Judy became an important part of the community. Bernice Eberhart wrote news for Smoky Hill for the Burlington Record for many Zack's children were educated in Kit Carson County at White Plains School. It was a one room sod school house which Zack Eckert and the neighbors helped build. We didn't get to town very often as our travels were made by a teem of horses and a lumber wagon. Sometimes in winter we used a bobsled to travel. Elizabeth Eckert (Zack's wife) passed away in December, 1932. We survived World War I and the big depression. I don't know much about Elizabeth Nickel's family. They lived in Lehigh, Kansas. She was from a large family. There were seven years. girls and one boy including, Minnie, Eva, Anna, Julia, Agnes, Amelia, Elizabeth and Valentine. Anna Nickel married Henry by Bernice Eberhart Zacharias Richard Eckert and Lizzie Eckert in ECKERT FAMILY 1927 Fr78 became theirs. They raised cattle, horses and Zacharias Richard Eckert was born February 7, 1880. At the age of four years he came to the United States with his family. They set sail in 1884 from Keix, Russia. There were several families on the ship. They were quarantined off shore for some time as they had an epidemic of Black Small Pox. Several perished and were buried at sea. Zack's father, Peter Eckert, settled his family for a short time in Illinois. They moved on to Nebraska and later in 1888 went further west to Colorado by covered wagon. Zack Eckert was 18 at the time and had remained behind to bring the livestock they owned by rail. The Peter Eckert family homesteaded in Lincoln County. They lived on the land and made improvements long enough that the land farmed for a living. The family saw many hard times, living on dry land farming and raising cattle on the range. Z.R. Eckert met Elizabeth Nickel, who had come to Colorado from Lehigh, Kansas. They were united in marriage in Hugo, Colorado, on January 1, 1902. They had eight children: Willson, Lelah, Harley, Iva, Archie, Eula, Zachie, and Elizabeth. The last two babies died at birth. In 1905 or 1906 Zach Eckert homesteaded north of Flagler on land close to the Arickaree Creek in Kit Carson County (just west of the Arickaree Creek). He built his two room sod house and a few other buildings. He dug a well and put up a windmill for water. There were many hard- Kliewer and moved to Colorado. They homesteaded about five miles north and east of Flagler. Elizabeth came out to help her sister, metZack Eckert and married. Elizabeth was also known as "Lizzie" . Lizzie's father was a Mennonite minister and her brother. Valentine, was a Methodist minister. As for churches, we didn't get to go very often as travel was slow, with horses and buggy. Emma Nickel, Elizabeth's sister, came out from Kansas and held revival meetings in different school houses. In Twin Lake School about 1914 they had Sunday School and church with Reverend Magill as minister. by Iva Levi (Eckert) EDMUNDS FAMILY Fl79 ships, such as snow blizzards, rain, hail and My grandparents James. H. and Sarah Ann (Weeks) Edmunds came to the United States from England. They settled in Burlingame, Kansas. My father James E. Edmunds and Lulu Rowley were united in marriage in Topeka, Kansas, and had 4 children. Lulu passed away and my father married Effie Kristen Marin and they moved to Stratton, Eula Davis, Archie, Iva Levi, Harley, Lelah Shrader and William Eckert in 1973 Colo. in 1917, by covered wagon and a team of mules. I, Maynard Edmunds, went to live with my grandparents until my granddad passed away. I was L5 years old and a friend and I decided to go off to Missouri to look for work. This was on February 14, 1920. My sister caught us and as ghe didn't know what else to do she put me on the train and sent me to Cheyenne Wells, my Dad met me and I went to live with him. On March 24, 1927, I married Violet Lillian Fuhlendorf in Burlington, Colo. and we lived on the farm north of Stratton, then lived on a farm northeast of Vona, until we moved into Vona in 1950. Violet worked as a cook at the Vona School and I worked at odd jobs until I retired. I drove a gas truck for Frank Wilson, and I worked for Ray Roberts at one time. I recall when I worked for Ray, when we got to the farms the gas had to be bucketed out of the truck, hauled up a ladder, and poured into the farmers supply tanks. �their front lines to their headquarters in Bouganville. Ray received a Bronze Star for action in this battle. When the war was over in 1945, he caught the first possible ship home with the dream in his mind to own and operate a quarter of Western Kansas land and raise wheat. During the next two years and a variety ofjobs, , b"*';'.' his dream started to come true. In April 1947 he loaded up his earthly belongings and headed for Stratton, Colorado. He had rented six quarters of land. So, with his old 22-36 International tractor and a new one-way plow, he set out to break sod and plant his first wheat crop. Plows in those days were not hydraulic and if you plugged one with dirt or weeds you would dig it out with a crow bar. When the wheat was all drilled in the fall, he headed back to Piqua, Kansas and on October 22, L947 he married Agnes Lampe. @,@7 w i''lr* She was the youngest daughter of Frank and Francis (Sicka) L'mpe. Her sisters and brothers were Cornelius, who married Co- Vernon Baxter and Maynard Edmunds. Maynard is the Indian, during the Seibert Indian Massacre Reenactment. Some of my early memories are the days I used to spend coyote hunting with Frank Jones of Seibert. Colo. I recall after the flood of '35', hunting up and down the Republican River for old bones. I was with Jess Miller and Fitzpatrick when we found one bone sticking service. On November LL, L947 Ray and Agnes again loaded up the old truck and headed for their "new" home 15 miles southwest of out of the river bank on ground north of Vona. I have this picture of Vernon Baxter and myself, when we were in the Seibert Indian massacre Re-enactment, I was in it twice; it was quite a sight to see. Violet and I had been in town to a dance the night the big fire started in Vona. We were taking Nate Sharp home; that is he jumped on the running board of our car. We drove north and only stopped long enough to let him off and went on out to the farm. We didn't even look back, we didn't know about Stratton. Times were hard, but life was great. The neighbors came over to visit and we played cards on our first dinette set . . a $4.00 table, one broken back chair and three apple boxes. Apple boxes were made of wood then. The money we had saved to buy a table and chairs went to put a new axle in the truck. The Eisenbarts: Norma, Agnes, Mike, Ray and Nona. Smith, hurried in with a tractor and chisel and put the fire out. A good many more reflection of the fire and smoke. Violets parents home was just behind all the stores neighbors came over to help also. That year we bought a new L.A. Case tractor for $2,900.00 and a new Case combine for $2,700.00. The tractor was a good invest- that burned, but was lucky not to catch fire. We still live in Vona and raised our family here. We have three sons, Glen, Bill, and Bob, ment but the combine was nothing but a headache. It never did work right. In 1949 we bought our first new car for 91,600.00. It 7 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. by Maynard Edmunds replacedthe 1940 G.M.C. truckthathad been our only means of transportation. We got the new car in time to make the trip to Burlington for the arrival of our son, Raymond Michael, EISENBART, AGNES AND RAY The Ray Eisenbart's harvesting in 19?6 The bombing of Pearl Harbor made his draft number come up real quickly. He took his basic training in Camp Forest, Tennessee and was assigned to the 129 Infantry, 37th nine and spent the next three years living with relatives. At that time his brother Division. He stayed in this division for his entire service career. He went overseas to the South Pacific and spent 37 months on a tour ofduty through the Fiji Islands, Guadalcanal, Bouganville, and the Phillipine Islands. His married and he and his sister lived with them. He helped with the milking and farming until he went to the service. ting a Japanese company that had penetrated Ray lost both of his parents before he was Colorado. Our first wheat crop in the summer of 1948 was a good one. A wheatfield fire started by acres in one field before a neighbor, Norman before he went in he looked south and saw a Raymond Bernard Eisenbart was born September 28, 1919 to John and Nona (Skeeters) Eisenbart at Yates Center, Kansas. His one brother, John, married Alice Hoag and they live at Iola, Kansas. His one sister, Genevieve, married Hugh Keturaket and they live at Klamath Falls, Oregon. The axle twisted off during our trip to a truck muffler burned about twenty-five the fire until the next day. Nate said just Fr80 letta Kipp. Margaret married Frank Heffern, Mildred married Valentine Link, Raymond married Ruth Koester, Ella married Myrori Haugen, and Albert married Marlene Westerman. Agnes, at that time, was teaching school in a one-room country school with all eight grades. She and Ray had been dating since shortly after he came home from the company received a presidential citation from Franklin Delano Roosevelt for annihila- born March 20, 1950. That year we built a chicken house and had 300 layers. The chickens were our salvation as the eggs we sold were our only source of money for groceries and fuel. We heated our house with kerosene which we brought home from town in five gallon buckets. We didn't raise any wheat from 1953 through 1957. We would have probably left Stratton if we would have had anywhere to go. We bought our first new diesel tractor in 1954. (We traded the worthless combine in on it.) We wore out a set of tires on the tractor before we raised another crop. In the spring of 1955 the dirt storms were many and awful. Our first daughter, Nona Kay arrived June 5, 1955 between dirt storms. There were many days that spring �when you couldn't see 50 ft. because of the blowing dirt. We welcomed our second daughter, Norma, on April 22, 1958. We had a pretty good wheat crop that year so our summer was busy with a new baby and a good harvest. We built another larger chicken house in 1958 and expanded our egg production. We spent many hours gathering, cleaning, candling, and packaging eggs. Then we would load them in the pickup and deliver them to the grocery stores in many of the neighboring towns. The egg money paid the down payment on the two sections of ground that we bought in 1960 two miles north of Vona. We tore the old homestead buildings down on our new place and built a new quonset and several grain bins for wheat storage. We also tore out miles of fence that was buried under blow dirt piles. In 1964 when Norma went to kindergarten, Agnes returned to teaching at the Saint Charles Academy until it closed in 1969 for financial rearlons and the lack of Nuns to teach. After Saint Charles closed, Agnes went to the public school as an assistant and later took the job of Secretary where she still works, The 60's were rather slim picking as far as crops were concerned. Several years we fed cattle and sold them for no more than the Sears in Burlington for six months and then took a position with the Council of Government Office in Stratton. She was the Energy and Housing Coordinator. In 1981, her department formed a separate organization and beco-e the Colorado East Community Action agency. In January of 1982, with the resignation of the director of Colorado East, she took the position ofdirector and held that position until she married Larry Fox in June of 1983. Larry is a teacher in Scott City, Kansas. After moving to Scott City, Norma worked at a school with the gifted and talented children until she took her present position as secretary to the first vice president of the First National Bank there. They have one son, Lucas Lee, born March 13, 1987. by Agnes Eisenbart EISENBART, RAYMOND MIKE AND PATSY Fl8t feed cost. In the 70's crops began to be better and of course with better crops came better times. We bought more land and better equipment. We began to see the end of the tunnel. Good crops in the 80's made things look prosperous. 1982 was an exception when we had 660 acres of wheat flattened in a l0 minute hail storm. In April of 1987, we broke ground to build our new brick home at 519 New York. That was always another one of Ray's drenms. In the basement of our new home we built a large room to accomodate Ray's collection of toy farm implements and farm tractors. We moved into our new home October 1, 1987 and on October 22nd we celebrated our 4oth wedding anniversary. Our children grew up in Stratton. They attended Saint Charles Academy until it closed in 1969. They all graduated from Stratton High School. Mike went to Durango to college for one year and then enlisted in the Navy for a four year tour of Duty. He married Patsy Kordes while he was in the Navy and after coming home from the Navy, they moved to their farm seven miles northwest of Stratton where they still live. They have four children, Brandy born February 2, L974, Clint, born October L4, L975, Ryan, born October 3, 1980 and Jill, born August 18, 1982. Nona married Stanley Willer after high school. Stan had been working for us part time before they were married and they are still working with us on the farm. They have rented land of their own as well as helping with ourg. Nona has been a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician with the Stratton Ambulance Service for eleven years. She worked at Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital for two years after they were married and has been working at the Stratton Coop for the last five years. They have four children, Michelle, born January 30, 1973, Kristine, born Januar5r 25, 1974, Brian, born November 30, 1977, and Victoria, born November 17, t979. Norma graduated in 1976. She worked at his favorite sport was football, his favorite past time was Patsy, who would later become his wife. He also enjoyed farming with his Dad when it didn't interfere with Patsy. Mike attended one year of college in Durango where he learned the art of drinking, which would later cause much trouble in his life. In Oct. 1969 Mike joined the Navy and was a good sailor proud to serve his country. Boot cnmp was in Great Lakes, illinois, where for your past time you manned a broom and kept the snow off the sidewalks at nights. He went to school in Lakehurst, New Jersey and studied Metcrology. He finished 3rd in his class so he received stateside duty in Virginia Beach, Virginia rather than sea duty. Mike returned home and married his highschool sweetheart June 5, 1971 in St. Charles Catholic Church. Patsy Ann Kordes is the fourth child of Val and Leona Kordes born on August 13, 1951. She has one brother Dennis and three sisters Betty Jean, Beverly and Valerie. She grew up with many treasured memories on a farm 5 miles northeast of Stratton. The family visiting neighbors, making Christmas cook- ies, pulling taffy and learning to sew are some of the more memorable times. Patsy attended the St. Charles Parochial School in Stratton for 8 years. In her teen years she spent her summers running an 830 John Deere tractor helping her Dad farm. She graduated from Stratton High School in May 1969. After graduation she moved to Denver working for an insurance company as a receptionist and secretary for 2 years until she beco-e Mike's bride. Patsy and Mike moved to Virginia Beach; they recall pleasant memories of the carefree newlywed days of the east coast beaches. w Raymond, Mike and Patsy Eisenbart and family, 1987 March 1, 1950 the dirt has been blowing days and days, at times so bad you can hardly see your hand in front of your face. There were 3 foot blow dirt drifts on one side of the house one day and 3 foot blow dirt drifts on the other side the next. Wet sheets were hanging on the windows to keep the dust down. The wind has died down for a few days now. It's March 20, 1950. Raymond Michael Eisenbart is the first of three children born to Raymond and Agnes Eisenbart. He has two sisters Nona Kay and Norma Jean. Mike, as he is called, had younger years full of wide open spaces. He spent hours playing with his dog Bullet, pigeons, and in the dry creek beds and climbing trees. Mike worked on the farm as a kid. It was his job along with his mom and sisters, to care for 2 to 3 thousand chickens. His dad said those bird eggs kept the farm alive in the 50's. Mike remembers some pretty good egg fights where several dozen eggs never made it to market. He enjoyed those frequent trips to eastern Kansas where he fished with his Grandpa Lfmpe and played in the fishing holes with frogs, turtles, crawdads and even water snakes which were good for scaring off girls which he didn't care for at the time. That would come later. Mike graduated from Stratton High School in 1968, his favorite subject was study hall, Patsy worked for another insurance company until Mike received word in July, 1972, he would be transferred to Adak, Alaska. Limited housing on his Naval Base Island forced Mike to live in the barracks until housing was available. Patsy returned home and lived with her parents for 6 months until March, 1973, a house became available and she was able to join him. During this time Mike's drinking became more of a problem in his life. By far the most exciting event for us on Adak was the birth of our first child Brandy Joy born on February 2, 1974. Mike was honorably discharged from the Navy in March 1974. After having seen other places, there was still no place like our home town. We decided to move back to Stratton and farm. In August, L974, we bought a used mobile home and moved to a farm 8 miles northwest of Stratton that his Dad had purchased from Guy Paintin. Mike rented 3 quarters of land northwest of Seibert and farmed with his Dad. His first tractor was a 1969 XT 190 Allis Chalrners. Later that year we purchased r/z section of land that tied to the land we lived on. We ran a few calves. October 14, 1975 our second child was born, Clint Michael. That same year we started raising a few hogs. We still had calves and were farming dryland wheat. We rented more ground closer to home and started doing custom farming also. Our third child, Ryan Raymond arrived on October 3, 1980. Mike's drinking became more of a problem and he decided to get some help. He entered Valley Hope Alcholic Treatment Center in March 1982. A sober husband and father brought he family much enjoyment and �closer together. Our fourth child, Jill Ann was born on August 18, 1982. In the fall of 1982 we built a farrowing house and increased the hog operation to 45 sows, farrow to finish. Mike remained sober from March 1982 until Sept. 1983 when he took that first drink. This was a great setback in life for all concerned. As the children were getting older, our mobile home was getting smaller. In December, 1984, we were able to move into our new home. What a super Christmas present. Mike, not at all happy with his life of alcoholism, realizing it was definitely a disease returned to Valley Hope for another shot at a sober and happy life, both for self and family in March 1986. His second trip to the treatment center gave him greater knowledge of the disease and how to live without the crutch of alcohol. As 1986 progressed we decided to increase the hog operation to around 100 sows. We started selling weaners as well as finishing some. We were actively involved in 4-H. Brandy and Clint wanted to take sheep as well as hogs to the county fair. We bought them 2 lamfs ...6 and they kept their ewes to start their own herds. We all enjoyed working with the sheep so much in the fall of 1986 we bought 50 bred ewes and are slowly building our own herd. Throughout the 1980's it has been tough times for young farmers. It hae become more of a necessity to supplement the farm income from outside sources to maintain the farm. For this reason we took on a Purina Feed dealership in May of 1987. Clint and Mike tremendously enjoy birds; for recreation Mike takes the boys pigeon hunting under bridges. We have raised quite a few pheasants and turned them out. Today our farm has all sorts of animals aside from the livestock. The children enjoy their rabbits, ducks, pigeons and a horse. We have a few chickens and guineas. We are proud to be farmers and hopefully this is our future. by Raymond Mike Eisenbart ELLIOTT, BUNNIE Fl82 I was born in 1926 at the home of my parents, Ben and Bessie Short, on their homestead sixteen and a half miles southwest of Seibert. I'm next to the youngest of eight children. When my younger brother, Larry, was born I had whooping cough; so our good neighbors, Mac and Ethel McConnell, kept me at their home for 6 weeks eo the new baby would not get whooping cough. The older children took turns staying with me so I wouldn't get homesick. From then on the McConnell's were like second parents to me, and I visited them often; J.C.'s and my children "adopted" them as grandparents. It was fun growing up on the farm close to our cousins; Bud and Eleanor Shori, Bill and Rose Livingston, and Larry and I could walk to each other's homes to play or stay overnight. Once in awhile we stayed too long and got a good whipping when we got home! At our home there was a huge apricot tree in the garden, and we had a bed under its boughs. That was a great place to sleep in the summertime. We had a big orchard which was a good place for a group of kids to play games such as Hide'n Seek; Ally, Ally Outs in Free; and years. Our other two daughters, Lori and Jerri, were born while we lived there. These Hope I Don't See the Old Ghost Tonight. Of course, at the right season we also had to pick mulberries and cherries for pies. Among our other jobs were picking up cow chips on the prairie (for fuel), picking up corncobs from the pig pen, and pulling weeds in the garden in 4-H and many Sunday School and school forapennyarow! I remember well the Dust Bowl days in the 30's when the kerosene lamps would have to be lit at school; and our bus, driven by Elmer Joy, crept along taking us home. The table would be covered with dust and have to be cleaned before supper; and we'd sweep a path to the bed. Seems there was always plenty of cleaning for us girls to do we'd sprinkle - on bran dampened with kerosene the cement steps and tiled kitchen floor to keep the dust down when we swept. We were fortunate to have a pump in the house so we didn't have to carry water; but we didn't have an indoor bathroom. I attended grades one through nine at Second Central School, District 19. I liked my first grade teacher, Mrs. Winona Graham, very much, and always liked school. I loved spelling at school and was fortunate, though I was really scared at the time, to go to the county spelling contest twice when I was in ?th and 8th grades, and placed second or third each time. County music contests and track meets were also exciting and much anticipated. My older brothers and sisters graduated from Seibert High School; but my brother, Art, just older than me, felt Flagler's curriculum had more to offer. So after he went there. I and Larry followed suit. We would rent a room or two in someone'g home and "batch" during the week, and most always went home on the week-end to help with work. Of course very few high school students had cars then, and we certainly didn't. Larry helped the janitor one term, and rode a bicycle across town to work awhile; then back home for breakfast, and back to school. Class plays were fun; also roller skating on Wednesday nights, and a dance once in awhile. After graduation I helped my mother with her work on the farm since two or three of my brothers were at home, and once in awhile a hired hand. My first job was at the drug store in Flagler, where I worked for a year, as a "soda jerk." We made our own simple syrup, combining sugar and water, for the fountain drinks. Part of that year I roomed and boarded with the Aubrey Walker's. In 1947 my parents got REA on their farm. We had had electric lights from a windcharger; but having a refrigerator was great! In April 1948 J.C. Elliott and I were married in Hugo. We borrowed my brother's car and J.C. borrowed 950 from a friend to go on our hone5rmoon - two or three days in the Colorado Springs area. We lived in Hugo until 1956 with the exception of two years when J.C. was in the Marine Corps, and we lived in California. Our first daughter, Monte, was born in San Diego. In 1956 J.C. was transferred to Burlington with his job for the State Highway Department. We moved there when our son, Lynn, wag six weeks old. In the fall of 1958 J.C. quit his job with the S.H.D., and we moved to the Buol's homestead. Ly2 miles North of Burlington. J.C. worked for Buol's for ten years, then leased the feedlot from them for eight were busy, happy years with the kids involved activities. J.C. was a 4-H livestock leader for nine years and a livestock superintendent at the county fair several years.. I was a Girl Scout leader and taught Sunday School several years. Jerri caused me to almost have a heart attack of the kids were taking turns - some riding Pat Andrews' shetland pony around in our corral. They could barely get him to move 'til someone left the handgate open and he headed for the pasture (by Kermit Buol's) on a dead run. Jerri, who was only three, was hanging onto the saddle for dear life as the pony ran across the highway ! Halfway down the hill she fell off and the pony stopped immediately. Her only injury was a bruised chest from hitting the saddle horn tely! - fortuna- Each fall we enjoyed having J.C.'s brother, Grove, and family come for a week-end of pheasant hunting. I learned later of neat injuries when the kids were jumping into the silo onto the fresh ensilage. What fun washing those green clothes! J.C. also liked to go deer and elk hunting with his friends from Hugo when he could arrange it. Many times we gave gas to someone who had run out (since we had a pump on the place), and J.C. took the tractor and pulled someone's vehicle out of a snowdrift or the mud. A few times someone was stranded at our home for a few hours or a few davs because of a snowstorm. In the fall of 1976 we moved to a home we built on the north side of Prairie Pines golf course. (J.C. enjoyed playing golf very much.) Ours was the first home completed in that subdivision; but that same winter and spring the Martin Buol's, Mel Gross', Leland Reinecker's and John Harker's moved into their homes. In February 1977 we had a terrible dirt storm; then two weeks later we had a bad snowstorm with lots of drifting (especially across our driveway!). Our electricity was off for over four days. We stuck it out huddled in blankets around the fireplace for two days: then took the Jeep and went across the golf course and to tovrrn to Russ and Alene Davis' home. J.C., I, Lori, and Jerri spent three nights and three days with them. I started working at the Pro Shop in 1928 and still work there during the golf season. We sold our home on the golf course in 1982 and eventually bought the home in town where I still live. J.C. died on October 10, 1985. All of our children attended college for various lengths of time. Monte married Paul Clarke on May 25, 1985. Lori married Ernie Love on February 14,1987. by Bunnie Elliott ELLISTON CORDELL FAMILY Fr83 On my dad's side, the early Elliston history is traced to England. The people who were believed to become the "Elliston Clan',, staded in the year 825 under the leadership of Eriwulf (The Fighting Bishop). They and the people of Somerset proceeded to a stone �Over the centuries the name had been modified/modernized into many variations to include Elliston, Ellystone, Elston, Alliston, and even McAlliston which means son of Alliston. Great-grandad Robert Elliston born April 15, 1838 in Kentucky, married Milly Holt. March 25, 1863 marks their wedding date in Jefferson County, Illinois. Milly died June 13, 1864 leaving Great-grandad with a son, Uncle Al. Uncle Al was said to have 17 children. On March 23, 1868 Great-grandad married for a second time to Sarah Nichels. They had 4 ELLISTON - WRIGHT FAMILY more boys and 2 girls; Grandad, George was born March 91, 1869, Willinm, Ella, Charles, Lilly, and Benjnrnin Frank. In 1865 Greatgrandad fought in the Civil War. Moving to Nebraska in the early 1880's he and his family survived the covered wagon journey, accompanied by a wagon train. Leaving home at about 16 years of age, he rode on horseback to northern Oklahoma, Granny and Grandad Elliston (George M. and Nancy J.) where he is believed to have worked on the famous "101 Ranch". Earning his living by helping on the railroad construction, and trading with Indians proved to be sufficient for his new bride Nancy Jane Cordell. Granny was born November 3, 1876. Grandad was believed to have participated in the "Cherokee Strip". This was a race in which the Government provided free land to those who chose to run and stake their homestead. One of Dad's favorite stories to tell was that ofhis father's plight to get to the spot he had chosen for his homestead. A woman also in the race had a lame horse. The horse had fallen into a rut and had broken its leg. (In those days the only right thing to do was to shoot them to put them out of their misery.) Grandad got off his horse to do the lady a service, and she grabbed her horse and staked the homestead he had chosen. Grandad and Granny lived on the Osage Indian Reservation in Osage County, Oklaho- ma. It was there that my father James Franklin Elliston was born and raised along with two sisters, Nellie and Gladys. 1909 found the family moving to Washington County, Kansas, living on a rented farm. In 1923 they migrated to Lincoln County, Colorado, working on the ranch which was developed to include property in Washington and Kit Carson Counties as well. ln L947 Dad, Aunt Gladys, Granny, Grandad and Aunt Nellie (taken prior to 1950, in front of "Old Soddy" at Grandad's house) Mom and Dad (Marge and Frank Elliston) taken in the 1940's "D?-CAT" used in the Blizzard of '46. taken on Elliston Ranch prior to 1950 Grandad and Granny retired and moved to Skiatook, Oklahoma. Grandad passed away in Skiatook in 1968. At 22 years of age Dad married Luella Meyer to have 8 children, one of which died as an infant, Fred, Neva, Grace, George, Jim, Robert and Nancy. Fred and Charles had one daughter Lisa. Neva and Les Tyler had two sons Tim and Dave. Grace and Frank Aggus had Kenny, Connie and Gary. George and Geneva had one son Bruce. Jim and Nancy had Gary, Jerry, Dave, Dan, Pat, Tim and Jamie. Robert married the former Kay Horrigans. Nancy and Robert Myer had Christina and Stephen. by Dolly Mae Elliston John Kirkenschlager, Dad, Bert Edleman (taken in front of house in Kansas prior to 1950) which was a meeting place. Along with King Egbert they fought the "Battle of The Forest". A great victory was won. It was this victory that destined the clan to be called Aleystone. Aleystone comes from The Olde English Language meaning ancient stone. "Old Soddy" at Grandad's House Married in the 1940's my parents, well known as Marge and Frank Elliston, remembered the dust bowl days of the 30's well. "Dirty 30's" my Mom called them; "The Depression" was Dad's common term. Tum- bleweeds, drought and hunger ravaged through the plains with anger and rage. They survived those days of hardship with starnina and courage. As we unravel the tales of yarn, �Lumberyard, Apartment Houses, and owned and operated the Case Dealership under "J.F. Elliston and Sons." In 1947 they bought and moved to a place in Eureka, Kansas. Jim was 12 that year and drove one ofthe trucks loaded with furniture. This venture found the family rotating between Kansas, Flagler, and the ranch north of Flagler, depending on where the work demanded the most presence. My first and only full sister was born in Kansas on Apr. 11, 1948. It was in that big old house in Kansas that Mom, while pregnant with Ruby Luceil, sat and watched the big tree spiders make large webs of intricate designs. Mom and Jim used to walk after the cows in the evening. The handsized spiders would swing from tree to tree, as Jim would Children of Frank Elliston: Fred, Grace, George, Jim, Robert, Davie, Nancy, Scotty, Cordell, Ruby, Roy, Dolly Mae, and Doug taken in 1970. through the stories told by our parents and their parents, we see how the cloth of our family was woven. Sometimes there were only threads ofhope, love, and faith entwined with barbed wire, death and God's helping hand. They started out their life together on their property known to our family as the "Old Thompson Place". The 3 youngest children of Dad's former marriage lived with them, Jim, Nancy and Robert. Situated just west of the Arickaree Creek. 22 miles north of Flagler, they resided until the house burned down. Scotty Nathan, my eldest brother was born on Oct. 6, 1941. When the tragic fire was engulfing the house with flames, Mom remembers how she, Dad, and the hired hand carried out the piano by themselves. The basement contained fuel for the winter, cowchips and corncobs so it went down pretty fast. It was cold out so Mom thought she would leave Scotty in the house to keep warm while they carried out the piano, but Jim got worried and wrapped the baby up and carried him to the safety of the car. Having more than one house enabled them to move to a house we called the "Joe Eckert Place." Grandad and Granny Elliston lived just north of there on the "Home Place". Almost a year later my second brother Davie McClellan, was born on Oct. 13, 1942. Davie was born with the opening to his stomach closed, causing the need for much attention and special care. He was the 5th child under about 7 years old in the household. With much consideration for the baby's health, they decided that he could be given that special care staying with Grandad and Granny. When they retired and moved back to Oklahoma, he went with them. It was during the Depression that people could no longer stand up to the harsh environment. People fled the country in droves leaving behind acres and acres of windswept barren land. The government took over much of this land and later on sold it off. I remember Dad saying many times, of how he bought land for $1.00 an acre during those days. My third eldest brother was born at home on Aug. 19, 1945. God brought them their first blond haired, blue eyed baby boy, Charles Cordell. Between raising kids, cattle, horses and chickens, and farming about 4000 acres they kept pretty busy. Roy Pearl, my fourth eldest brother was born on Sept. 19, 1946. It was that winter that Colorado seemed to have been swallowed whole by a ferocious blizzard. They had over 1200 head of cattle that there was no feed for. as it was covered by almost 4 feet of snow. Desperately trying to find a solution, Dad realized he had to get the cattle off the ranch and into Flagler to the railroad station. Mom remembers it took Dad, the hired hand and some of the boys 4 days to get to town. (Only about 25 miles). They drove a D-7 Caterpillar to make tracks in the snow for the cattle to follow and some of the boys followed behind the cattle on horseback. Alot of folks were shut in for weeks so the "Cat" made them a nice track. Neighbors were known to have watched the cattle go by their houses for 5 hours. One neighbor was said to have had to stand out in her yard waving a dish towel to keep the cattle from getting in her yard. Finally reaching Flagler, there were no trains. Dad had to call the Governor and convince him that he had to have 31 railroad cars, quick, to load the cattle on. The cattle were so hungry they ate at the sides of the sale barn. The Governor took 2 days to get the cattle cars there. (A display is said to be at one of the museums in Denver, Colorado, of this event). Cattle loaded on the trains, Dad sent the hired hand and some of the boys back to the ranch on the "Cat". Mom said she was ever so glad to see that old "Cat" coming down the road with groceries, as food supplies were getting pretty low. The cattle were put on corn fields in Iowa and some perhaps Illinois. During the years to follow Dad bought property in Flagler, known as the "Sloans Addition". He and Mom moved into town and lived in the "Yellow House". While moving back and forth from the ranch and town he bought the Flagler Sale Barn, the tease Mom that the spiders wouldn't hurt anyone. "The little things would land on you and jump right off' he would say. That is until the day one of them jumped on his back. White as a sheet he turned. Mom recalls with a hint of amusement on her face. My fifth and last brother, red haired and freckled, Douglas Franklin enhanced the family on June 22, 1949. Doug and Ruby always used to argue whose "Reka" it was. Your reka or my reka. It was in'55 or'56 that found them selling the place in Kansas to return to Flagler. By that time most of the businesses they had in Flagler were no longer in operation, although most of the property was retained until after Dad's death. I being the youngest of the ? living children was born in the Flagler Hospital Apr. 4, 1957. As I allow my mind to walk slowly through the pages of my past, I remember sitting by -y Mom's side in the winter time. I would watch her darn socks and patch overalls andjeans, and listen quietly as she spoke of her childhood. The winters were cold and harsh abreasting the seemingly God- forsaken plains. With old fashioned irons heated in the coal stove to keep the beds warm at night, Mom said that there were times when the only source of food was the squirrels and jack rabbits her Dad had trapped and hunted, along with small rations of ground corn from the summers' minimal harvest. Before they had electricity the meats were hung out in the smoke house to cure or Granny would can it. "We were in God's care though, and Mom would always read the Bible to us", Mom would say. The most precious memories I hold are those times spent on Sunday afternoons after church at Thurman, Colorado. Our families would gather either at our house or at Grandad Wright's to have lunch and sing the Gospel or other old fashioned songs. Those afternoons were always a festivity with cousins, aunts and uncles gathered around the piano singing and playing the fiddles. The kids would play games like "Red Light-Green Light", "Red Rover-Red Rover" and "Simon Says". Dad and Grandad always played the fiddles and the aunts would sing and play the piano. One of my favorites was the "Red River Valley", which Grandad played on the harmonica. A blessing from God indeed, is that of the closeness felt at the family gatherings of those long-ago Sunday afternoons. During the week at home there were always chores to be tended. Living on such a big ranch seemed to invent things to do. At various times we employed hired hands that lived in one of the 5 houses on the ranch. At one time Jim and his family moved back on the ranch to help with all of the work. �Between Cordell's 8th and 9th grade, Dad kept him at home from school for a year to help with the work. Before some of us kids were old enough to brand cattle and drive the guidance just as he does his own natural children. The Elliston families try to get together tractor, we found time to build forts out of stacked fence posts and sometimes even tumbleweeds. With Jim's kids there we even had enough kids for regular Indian battles. We also used to get our summer fun out of swimming in the various ponds and playing "King on the Mountain" in the hay lofts in the barns. In the evenings was a special time aftcr the older kids came in from the fields, we would all play "Hide and Seek". Work sometimes hard to get everyone rounded up but it strengthens that family cloth ever more. couldn't elude anyone though as in the spring it was time to bring in cattle from the pastures and sort them for the cattle sales. Also the heifers needed to be put in corrals for calving. Pent safely in the wooden corrals that we all helped to build you could hear the cattle rebel at night of their sudden enclosure. Along with the bellows deep in the night, one could hear the coyotes howling at the moon. Those coyotes seemed to be right outside the bedroom window. There were always fence rows to mend; wires broken from the winter's heavy snow and new fences to put in, old ones moved or taken out. Moving a 2 mile fence is something everyone should have the opportunity to do at least once in their lifetime! Summer soon to follow found Mom and us kids in the garden. Mom would direct us where to spade spots for many vegetables for canning. We didn't mind the blisters too much, knowing that Dad would There is nothing better than fresh strawberries on also put in several rows of strawberries. top of fresh buttered bread, dipped in Granny's fresh cream! (We didn't have it too bad!) The most historical building on the ranch was what we called the "Old Soddy". A Soddy is a building the early settlers built when they first cnme to the west. Sod was dug from the pastures and homes were built by layering a row of sod and sod mixed with mud and water to form a paste to seal the next layer. The Soddy at one time even contained a grinding mill that connected to a nearby wind mill. each year for a family reunion. This is by Dolly Mae Elliston ELLSWORTH - REED FAMILY F185 Gene Ellsworth, expert sharp-shooter. Sherman and Clara Ellsworth and son Lee. Lee was born at their new homestead five months after arriving at their homestead in Colorado. On April 13, 1906, Sherman and Clara (Reed) Ellsworth anived at Burlington, from their former home in Norton, Kansas, via the Rock Island train. The Ellsworths' along with the Feese and Mills stayed three nights in a large tent near the stockyards, while they waited for the boxcars containing their livestock, wagons, buggy and household goods to be unloaded. They left their 10 year old son Clarence, with his sister Roysten, in Norton, so he could finish his school term. In a letter Clara wrote to Clarence after they arrived in Burlington, she writes that one could see for miles from Burlington. She states that there were 1000 head of sheep in the stockyards. This was at one time used to grind grain. My Dad passed away on Apr. 3, 1970. At On Easter morning, they started their journey to their homestead on the NE % of that time he had 8000 ranch acres and several properties in Flagler. My brother Doug was killed in a harvest truck accident on Aug. 5, Sec. 18-11-44 southwest ofBurlington. Their 1971, leaving his wife Darlene and one daughter Waiva Louceil. Scotty and Beverly had 5 children, Wade, John, Craig, Debra and Jessie. Davie and Kay had 2 children, Erin and Reece. Cordell and Kathy had 2 children, Jayce and Kami. Ruby and Al Dieckman had 2 children, Julie and Jenni. I have 3 children, Laurie Wilcox, Lonnie and Jennifer Vincent. All we have left of those precious days on the ranch are memories embedded in our minds forever. Some faded pictures and a few reel to reel tapes have recorded a deep personal gratification of life. Our families are scattered around the world now. and distances seem so vast. From the Middle East, to Alaska, Texas to Iowa and Arizona the threads of our parents' love is stretched. Mom has shown true spirit to the area though, as she still resides in Flagler. She calmly states as she wans a friendly smile, "This is my home". Remarried in 1973 to Floyd Rowe, they share their golden lives together in their new home west of Flagler. In the absence of our natural father, Floyd has given each of us strength, support and tff daughter and son-in-law, Walter and Cora Feese homesteaded what they thought was the SW % of Sec. 18-11-44. but when the land was resurveyed, they found that their home was on the wrong section. Sherman and Clara had four children: Roysten Matthies, Cora Feese, Clarence and Lee. Lee was born five months after they arrived at their Colorado home. by Shirley Matthies ELLSWORTH, THOMAS EUGENE F186 "Listen my children and you shall hear, Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere; On the eighteenth of April, '75, Hardly a man is now alive who Remembers that famous day and year, And the midnight ride of Paul Revere." And hardly a man is now alive who remembers a day much later April 18, - Yankee 1850. On that day a Pennsylvania and his English-born wife were delighted by the arrival of a son. The boy was christened Thomas Eugene Ellsworth. His father was A.C. Ellsworth, and his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Jellus. This all took place at Paris, Linn County, Iowa. There, the young man remained until the year 1896. In boy- hood young Gene learned the trade of tinsmith, a trade at which he worked for many years, and to which, in 1890, he added that of gunsmithing. A natural thing for him, since at an early age he became a proficient marksman with shotgun and rifle. So expert had he become, that the Winchester Arms Co. employed him as traveling demonstrator. He thus beco-e known all over the United States. In the many matches in which he entered he became acquainted with and was often pitted against such world famous gunners as; Carver, Bogardus, Topperwein, Hardy, Mrs. Toppenwein, Cal Wagner (winner of the National match and a $14,000.00 purse), and others. In 1874, Mr. Ellsworth was married to Annie Brooks of Sumner, Iowa. Their first two children died, a boy at the age of 2, and a daughter at 7 weeks. Other children were; Frank and Ralph, both on the police force of Long Beach, Calif., Jessie, who was a sergeant in the World War, and later a farmer on a large scale near Aberdeen, South Dakota, and a daughter Hazel, now Mrs. Webster. The first Mrs. Ellsworth died at their home in Fairbury, Nebr. Two years later, Mr. Ellsworth again married, this time at Center, Nebr., his wife being Mrs. Mattie H. Lickey, whose maiden name was Wanderluss. In 1911, he came to Colorado, land seeking. He returned to Nebr. and bought a relinquishment, of John Hanis. Mrs. Bllsworth continued her occupation of nurse in Fairbury, Nebr., for five years. They came to Seibert, Colo., in 1917, to their home 8 miles south and 3 W. of Seibert. On their farm they went in for dairy cattle, horses, hogs and chickens, at which they prospered until the bad years. Mrs. Ellsworth died April 14, 1937, and soon after he moved into Seibert. He lived in �the house built by Roy Johnson, in the west part of town. by Janice Salmans ELRICK, CLYDE AND LULU F187 Clyde Elrick was the youngest son of Scott and Margaret Elrick of Iowa. Clyde's parents' history was entered in the Marshall County Historybook in Iowaas beingin awagon train to California in the Gold Rush of 1849. In Utah, their wagon and occupants, along with three other wagons chose to withdraw from the wagon train and take another route. The original wagon train continued on the planned route where the entire train was massa- cred by Indians. Lulu (LaRue) Elrick, whose parents, Edward and Jennie LaRue, came to Colorado first from Minnesota, settling north of Flagler, near where Clyde and Lulu settled in 1915. Clyde and Lulu came from Minnesota with five children: Carol, Hazel, Jennie, Lonnie and Wilma. Three of us were born in Florence, Violet and Rozella. Colorado We were- raised in a four room house with no modern conveniences. The house was heated by a cook (coal) stove and a parlor furnace, also heated by coal. We attended school in a one room schoolhouse called "Dazzling Valley" in School District No. 14. We attended the first eight grades there, later attending high school in Flagler. Since 1927, several Elricks have graduated from the Flagler High School. Farming in the early years was done by horse drawn machinery, later tractors were added. There were years when drouth and hail took the crops. We also survived the "dust bowl" days. ning was done. Pork and beefwere butchered and preserved for later use. Eggs, milk, cream and butter were supplied from the farm. On Kirk; Rozella and John Beatty: Beverly Farley. our farm was a cellar or cave which was concrete lined with shelves for canned goods and bins for potatoes, apples and vegetables. It also doubled as a storm shelter in case of tornadoes or severe storms which threatened some times. Staples and supplies were bought at Flagler. They were transported by a horse drawn wagon and later by automobiles. Our entertainment in our young years were school plays, box suppers, gatherings where the neighbor women took the food and had by Florence Gries ENGLAND, CIIARLES AND HATTIE UHL Ft88 quilting parties, the men visited, pitched horseshoes, played cards or played and watched baseball games. At one time the Elricks had their own baseball team which consisted of family members, also in-laws and grandchildren. There are many yet who are avid sport fans with the younger ones still participating in one sport or the other. Raymond Elrick, the oldest grandson and his wife, Imogene, still reside on a ranch and farm near the original Elrick farm. Clyde and Lulu retired in 1944 in Flagler on the place now owned by their daughter, Jennie Potter. Rozella Beatty also resides in Flagler and yours truly, Florence (Peggy) Gries resides in the Golden area. We, in 1985, are the remaining three of the eight children. Following are the sons and daughters of Clyde and Lulu Elrick: Carrol and Elsie (Lake) Elrick: Raymond, Scotty (deceased), Williem, James (deceased), Caroline Farmer, and Donald; Hazel and Gale Kelley: Robert, Shirley Herbert and Jerald; Jennie and Glenn Potter: Betty Dalgetty ', Charles L. England and his grandsons, Robert C. and Jeffery Doyle Coles. (deceased) and Harold; Lonnie and Opal (Charles) Elrick Allen, Gary, Linda Green and Sherry; Wilma and Pearl Johnson; Florence and Albert Horst: Keith Horst: Florence married Edward Gries; Violet and Murle Haworth: Calvin and Gardens were raised every year and can- t$tiiiig,rffi r" 1 . ' Charles England was born near Piedmont, Missouri to John and Lusetta England in 1887. His first trip to Colorado was in 1910 when he and his brother Bill worked on a cattle ranch near Lamar, Colorado. He rejoined his family in Kansas in 1914 and married Hattie Uhl in August of 1914. They returned to Lamar for a short period and then returned to Kansas where he stayed until 1950. In December of 1928, Hattie died of diabetes leaving Charlie to raise two daughters and a son. In 1950 Charles, his daughter Franceis and his son-in-law Doyle Coles moved to land purchased near Stratton Colorado. Before leaving Kansas they bought a 55 Massy Harris tractor, Jeffery chisel, John Deere 1620 drill, Massy Harris one way, and a 1000 propane tank and hauled it all to the old Kordes place west of Stratton on a 1947 Chevy truck. A good crop in 1951 and a fair crop in 1952 were followed by bad years forcing Doyle and Franceis to return to Kansas. Charles continued on the farm, hanging on by selling land and making minimal crops until 1959 when good years began to return and Doyle and Franceis were able to come back to Stratton. Charles left the farm in 1961 moving to Stratton where he purchased a small home and remodeled it, living there until his death on November 5, 1962. Charles and Hattie had three children: Charles of Port Angeles, Washington, MaxThe Clyde Elrick Family in 1940. Front Row: Florence, Clyde, Lulu, Rozella. Back Row: Hazel, Lonnie, Jennie, Violet, Carrol, and Wilma. �ine Herd of Protection, Kansas and Franceis Coles of Stratton, Colorado. by Robet and Linda Coles EPPERSON - MILLER FAMILY F189 time, so we sold the farm and moved to town. Since my father was out working most of the time and didn't want me to be alone, he asked Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Gibson, who printed The Flagler Progress, a weekly newspaper, if I could help in their office - no pay expected, of course. The old round-up days were almost over when I first remember anything. There were no fences. In the spring cattle were branded and turned loose to pasture and they strayed as far south as the Union Pacific Railroad. About the last round-up days, I remember, the men stayed and slept in the loft of our barn and started on their trip real early. Soon after, people began buying herds of sheep and fences were built. That caused some hard feelings between them and cattlemen. I have very fond memories of my parents. My father served on the school board, helped in our church activities and served as Kit Carson County Commissioner. My mother was a very kind mother. After my first week with the Gibsons at The Flagler Progress, they began paying me $10.00 a week. a small fortune then. The printing office was one of the most interesting jobs I ever had. Then after that I went to work for W.H. Lavington in his General Store, that was also very interesting. Farmers drove in from miles in the country, a day's trip with team and wagon. They would leave a long grocery list with us to fill. We would have it ready to go Edley Thomas Epperson and his bride, Nina Mae Miller Epperson, married December 25, 1892, in the first wedding in the Flagler Congregational Church. My father, Edley Thomas Epperson came west from Galesburg,Ill., where he was born on March 11, 1864. He was working for the Rock Island Railroad being built at that time. In Flagler, he met my mother, Nina Mae Miller, who was born in Kansas. They were married Dec. 25, 1892, the first wedding performed in the First Congregational Church building. They decided to make their home there and started on a cattle ranch four miles south of Flagler, near the Republican River. My brother, Roy and sister, Retta and I were born there in a sod house. I was born on April 4, 1900. My sister and I were baptized in the Republican River about 1906. My brother was later baptized in a Baptist Church in Denver. We attended school in Flagler. Our grand- father drove a covered wagon which was transportation for us and a few neighbors. One of Colorado's blizzards stranded the wagon away from home. The folks spent a sleepless, worrying night, since there were no telephones. The next day, the wagon was safely home after spending the night at a neighbor's. So before I started to school, my folks bought a small place close to Flagler, located about where the M&S Garage was located for so many years. We lived there in the winter and went back to the ranch in the summer. My mother passed away at an early age in 1911, and my sister in 1913. My brother was older and at that time was gone most of the by about 6 a.m. the next day. Then they had a long trip going home. Later Mr. Lavington turned the store over to his son, Leon, and he went full time to the Flagler State Bank of which he was president. He asked me to go to work there. Although I didn't want to leave the store, my father thought I should go. So I spent many years at the bank. During the years ahead, times were hard. Then in 1933, President Roosevelt ordered all banks closed, I believe, for three days. After that time was up, only about three banks reopened in the county, the First National Bank being one of them. Subsequently Jennie married Dan Schlagle, who had come to work for the Rock Island Railroad, sometime during the 1920's and probably quit work to raise a family. Their son, Dick, is a 1948 graduate of Flagler High School. Dick started to school in the same building where Jennie had started school many years before. (The brick school building had replaced the frame building when built, but later the frame building was put into use again for the lower grades as enrollment increased). After the beginning of WWII, some time in the 1940's, Jennie went back to the First National Bank to work and continued until her retirement. Then she went to live with her son. Dick and wife, in the Kansas City area (Raytown, Missouri) where she cared for two little granddaughters, while their parents worked. The "little girls" are now grown and there are two great granddaughters for Jennie to enjoy, now that she is nearly 88 years of age. by Jennie Epperson Schlagle ERNEST, HARRY Fr90 Harry Ernest was born February 15, 1895 near Goshen, Indiana, the youngest son of Alfred (1852-1936) and Dorinda (Fones) (1854-1934) Ernest. Alfred's ancestry was German. Harry's great, great grandfather, Conrad Ernest (1763-1815) came from Ger- many; his great grandfather, Conrad Ernest (1797 -1847) was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; his grandfather, George Washington Ernest (1820-1897) was born in Tyrone Twp., Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, now Perry County; his father, Alfred, was born near Goshen, Indiana. Harry's mother, Dorinda, was born near Tonawanda, New York. Her ancestry was French. Her grandfather, William Fones (1764-1839) fought in the Revolutionary War from North Kingston, Rhode Island; and her father, John Fones (1795-1885), was born near Schenectady, New York. After living in South Carolina and Oklahoma, Harry moved with his parents to the sandhills of Nebraska and there met his wife, Ida Rhodes. They were married on Christmas Day 1916 in her parent's home north of Lewellen. Later the next year they moved into a sod house five miles northeast of Oshkosh, Nebraska where four of the children were born. In 1917 Hauy bought a new Model T Ford with side curtains for about $600. Harry raised hogs and farmed there until 1925. His father, Alfred, owned a quarter of land on the plains of eastern Colorado eleven miles southwest of Burlington. He deeded the land to Harry in exchange for their taking care of his parents in their latter years. So the Harry Ernest family moved with five horses, a cow, and some furniture. We lived with a neighbor, Cash Locke, until my father and a friend, Hugh Bennett of Burlington, built a tworoom cement house on the quarter of land. We then went on a six-week trip to the east coast. I remember many things about that trip as my twin brother, Elvin, and I were seven years old. My father started breaking sod, getting ready to farm. He bought two registered Hereford cows and through the years built the herd to around 100 registered Hereford cattle. His specialty was selling registered Hereford bulls to the Denver Stock Show and also to private individuals. He spent many hours weighting their horns and getting them ready for the Show. It paid off as he came home with lots of blue ribbons and sales. Harry's parents came to live with us in 1928. He had to build two more rooms on to our home. Then came the great Depression and the dirt storms! The grass was too dry to grow so for a while Harry salted down Russian thistles to feed the cattle. but he finally had to truck them to pasture on his father-in-law's place up by North Platte, Nebraska. One day the wind would blow white dust from the north and the next day it would change directions and blow red dust up from Oklahoma and Texas. Our faith was strong in God and we depended on Him to take care of us during those years. We didn't realize how really bad it was. We were a happy family. We attended the Calvary Church of the Nazarene, eleven miles southwest of our place. So many people moved away after losing their farms and some �died of dust pneumonia. My father had to mortgage our place and at times we thought we would lose it but managed to hang on to it. Finally he brought the cattle back and sometime later he put in an irrigation well. Through the years he managed to buy eight more quarters of land and rented some besides. We had some exciting things happen once in a while on the farm even though we had no electricity, phone, or radio. Charles Lindberg was flying his plane, which he had been getting ready to fly across the Atlantic, and as he came over our pasture south ofthe barn, his plane developed some kind of trouble. We read "The Spirit of St. Louis" on the side of his plane. He was flying so low it scared the cattle and he had to gain altitude to miss hitting the barbed wire fence. We read about it in the newspaper afterwards. Harry prospered through the years and in 1959 my parents moved to the Ardueser place a mile south of Bethune. They lived there for 1? years and then had a new home built at 1798 Lowell Avenue in Burlington. They moved there in 1975. Harry worked very hard through the years and it came time for him to retire from the farm. He sold his beautiful cattle to a rancher in Wyoming and had a sale of many of the farm things. A renter has farmed the land now for several years and another irrigation well has been added. My folks raise mostly wheat, pinto beans, and corn now, but have had sugar beets in the past when the sugar beet factory was thriving. (Harry Ernest passed away quietly in his sleep form a heart attack on September 1, 1986 at the age of91 years. He and his wife would celebrate their ?0th wedding Anniversary on Christmas Day 1986. by Eleanor (Ernest) Varce have had four great grandchildren. She is still raising a garden, canning and sharing. She does most of her work at the age of 93 in 1986. She has been a very devoted wife and mother, attending church faithfully, has after. always put others first in her thoughts. Ernest were married as well as sometime Then Harry and Ida moved northeast of Oshkosh, Nebraska into another sod house. On March 11, 1918 Elvin and I (Eleanor) were born one month premature. The doctor - parents not to expect me to live, we told my were both very tiny. There were six pairs of twins born in that community that year and all of them died who were both twin boys or both twin girls. Another baby boy, Stanford, came to bless our home on November 13, 1920; and on February 23, 1924 Paul was born. He weighed more than the twins both together. The twins started to school in the first grade, but went only six weeks when they both got measles, and mother taught us at home until we started in the fourth grade at Prairie Star in 1926 south of Bethune, Colorado. One of the hardest things during the Depression to contend with was to have enough clothes to wear. But Mother always found a way. She made a lot ofour clothes out of feed sacks, even a lot of our sheets for our beds came from sacks. We always had enough to eat since we lived on the farm, but we had a real problem getting much of a variety to put on the table. We couldn't always have much garden because of shortage of water since the stock needed it, until we got a large storage tank and then we could irrigate it. When we did have a big garden Mother canned and canned. Since we didn't have electricity, she had to can most of the meat; of course. we cured the hams and bacon. Another real problem was to get enough fuel to keep us warm or to cook with. There weren't any trees to cut down. So many times Mother and we children went out into the ERNEST, IDA (RI{ODES) there were very few trees with which to build homes. Ida went to Norton, Kansas to take several weeks of normal training in order to teach in the country schools. She taught in the school east of them before she and Harry F191 pasture with gunny sacks to gather cow chips. It took many sacks to bake bread twice a week and get all the meals. Later on we were able to buy a little coal and a few old railroad ties to burn. Ida Rhodes was born August 18, 1893 near Westboro, Missouri, the second daughter of George (1868-1955) and Lydia (Johnson) (1869-1943) Rhodes. Ida's great, great grandfather, Caleb Rhodes (1739-f830) was born in Schylkill County, Pennsylvania; her great grandfather, Lewis Rhodes (U98-1886) wag born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania; her grandfather John Rhodes (1827-1875) was also born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania and was in the Civil War; and her father, George Rhodes, was born in Stark County, Illinois. On December 7, 1934 our baby sister, Irene, was born, but she didn't live but two weeks. I wanted a That was a sad time for all us baby sister so very much. - Then on July 20, 1936, Leland came to bless our home. How happy we all were! Since I was 18 I had to be his first nurse as all Mother's children were born at home. most of The children have scattered them graduated from college and-did graduate work. Elvin and Stanford went into the ministry. We were all saddened when Elvin passed away with cancer on October 7, 1973 Ida's mother, Lydia Johnson, was born near Gentry, Missouri. Her grandfather, Joseph Wesley Johnson (1832-1910) was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania; her great grandfather, Wesley Johnson (18091837) was born in Fayeteville, Pennsylvania and died while young in a logging accident. After living in Iowa for several years, Ida with her parents and brother and sister moved to Orleans, Nebraska where she while pastoring at Royal City, Washington. He had pastored for 30 years or more. Paul has irrigated farms in the State of Wash- home north of Lewellen, Nebraska. All the families around there lived in sod houses as teaching. finished high school. When she was around 20, they moved on west in Nebraska to the sandhills. Her father rented a farm with a sod ington. Leland, the youngest, got his Doctor's degree in Botany at the University of Iowa and taught in the Science department in our College in Massachusetts. I did my graduate work at the University of Colorado and taught in our College in Nampa, Idaho as head of the Secretarial Department. I married a minister, got another under-graduate major in Home Economics and taught 16 more years, making a total of 20 years of Harry and Ida have 9 grandchildren and is still worked very hard through the years, and by Eleanor (Ernest) Varce EVANS - GRIFFITHS FAMILY F192 John P. Evans, a young bachelor, first cnrne to eastern Colorado in the fall of 1886 from Columbus Junction, Iowa. He was told to "go West to the dry prairie country" by a doctor in Iowa who treated him for bronchitis and a lingering cough. He filed on a homestead and pre-emption southwest of Idalia in what was then Arapahoe County. This county extended from the Kansas line to Denver and was about thirty miles wide. Later several counties were formed from a division of Arapahoe County, among them Washington and Yuma. John P. built a dugout home. There were no wells the first winter and water had to be hauled from the Republican River, about eight miles. He had met a young lady, Elizabeth Griffiths through a mutual friend, and they had corresponded several years. Elizabeth lived with her father and brothers in Macon County, Missouri. In 1893, he returned to Missouri to marry Elizabeth. It is interesting that her father would not give his consent to the marriage unless John P. agreed to try farming in Missouri for a year. The prize was worth the demand to John. and on Christmas day, 1893, John P. Evans and Elizabeth Griffiths were married and settled down to the very different environment of "Muddy Missouri". John kept his promise to his father-in-law and farmed in Missouri for a year. Their first child, Anne, was born in October, 1894, and about six weeks after her birth John and Elizabeth prepared to return to his prairie home. They came by rail with some household furnishings, a barrel or two of apples, dried fruits and a hogshead (a large wooden tub) packed with homechurned butter. The years that followed were years of hard work, battling the elements of drouth, winds and hail. A second daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born on the homestead in the summer of 1897. They were accumulating some cattle and settlers were coming in to take homesteads. Rangeland, on which the cattleman depended to graze his herds, was disappearing and they felt the need to get where prairie was more grass. In addition to the homestead near Idalia, John had taken a timber claim about thirty miles south in what is now Kit Carson County. It was to this land that they moved to accommodate their growing herd of cattle. They added more land as they were able. Three more daughters were born to them, Margaret Alice in 1900, Elsie S. in 1904 who died in 1905 and Grace Eleanor in 1907. They built up their cattle herds, developed their land and reared their children, but they were always ready to lend a hand for the good their community. From being kind and �helpful neighbors to serving on the school board and helping organized Sunday schools, their influence was felt in many ways in the betterment of their community. They believed firmly in the value of education beyond conventional schooling and encouraged their children to read and develop their minds. Daily newspapers and magazines were always in their home. Life was not always unrelenting hard labor. As the land was more settled there were neighbors to visit with and make friendships. They had an interesting group of neighbors. Young men and women seeking new free land, a hillbilly farmer from Tennessee who never did understand the prairie, and a cultured widow from eastern Nebraska. There is a humorous story about this widow. She lived in a "shack" like everyone else, but she maintained a life style more suited to the east. The story goes that a minister from Stratton cnme to call on her one morning. the widow Loveland was doing some baking and was pretty "floury" and in her everyday house dress. The minister knocked at her screen door, introducing himself, for she was in plain sight in the kitchen. After a few minutes he heard a cultured voice say, "Mrs. Loveland is not receiving this morning". [t was told that the minister turned, scratched his head and slowly went back to his buggy and drove the long miles to town. For entertainment they had "Literary Societies" which met in the schoolhouse on a Friday night, usually. Everyone who had a talent would use it for the entertainment, debates were popular and the social value of meeting and visiting were probably the greatest value. John and Elizabeth bought more land for his growing cattle herd and also had more farm land. He was proud in 1923 of raising someone in the neighborhood would fill his wagon from the then plentiful supply of buffalo bones on the prairies, collect the letters neighbors had ready for mailing to friends and relatives "back East", and make railroad town, Haigler, Nebraska, where he would dispose ofthe bones, purchase supplies After several years of batching on the plains of eastern Colorado, he returned to Missouri to marry his sweetheart, Elizabeth M. Griffith. With his bride he began farming in Missouri, but the call of the prairies was too strong and about a year later they returned to the homestead in eastern Colo- a doctor's care, nursing those children through severe illnesses, usually without benefit ofthe doctor, for the horse and buggy transportation was slow and calls on the doctor were many. The pioneer wife and mother was on the alert for snake bites and accidents of all kinds, and if they occurred she had to keep her head and know how to meet any emergency. Once when a new building was being erected, her five year old daughter suffered a scalp wound from a falling rafter; my mother snlmly sterilized a needle and with white silk thread sutured the wound skillfully without benefit of any anesthetic. Too much praise cannot be given these pioneer wivee and mothers who worked beside their husbands building a home and community. Perhaps the greatest reward of these pioneers was in seeing the development of Kansas line. Latcr several counties were this land from bare prairie with "dugout" formed from a division of this county, among homes to fine productive ranches and farms. John P. Evans, having seen this transformation of the prairie, passed on in 1924, still on the ranch and "in the harness" as he wished to go. His widow, spending her last years County. When family larders needed replenishing, ' couraged during the panic of'93 and the dry years following. Later he bought this land back for $125.00, and it was here they moved when they felt the need of more grassland for their growing herd ofcattle, gradually adding more land as they were able. It was during these years they becnme the parents of five daughters, one of whom died in infancy. Ownership of the old home ranch now rests with the four daughters. The years they spent on the ranch, rearing a family, building their cattle herd and developing the land, were busy years. But he and his wife were never too busy to lend a hand in the upbuilding of their community, to being kind and helpful neighbors to those about them, to serving ou the school board, and develop their minds. No story of a pioneer cattleman would be complete without the part played by his wife, who suffered the privations of a harsh life gladly, bearing her children many miles from them Washington and Yuma. Kit Carson County was at one time a part of Elbert ili:r':t : ' In addition to the homestead and preemption near Idalia he had a timber claim about thirty miles south of Idalia, which he had traded off for a cow when he became dis- She died in 1938 at age 72. Ownership of the In the fall of 1886, when he was a young bachelor of twenty-four, my father, John P. Evans, heard the call of the boundless West, the call for pioneers who would dare follow the star of empire that guided into the land which has, verily, become the Promised Land of our great county. Arriving in Colorado from Iowa where he had spent his young manhood, he filed on a homestead and preemption near Idalia, in what was then Arapahoe County, with Denver as the county seat. Arapahoe County wag then approximately thirty miles across and one hundred fifty miles long, extending to the ',l F194 rado. Their influence was felt in many areas in the betterment of their community. They had a firm belief in the value of education beyond the conventional schooling and encouraged their children and those about them to read Fl93 FAMILY hauled eight miles from the Republican River. and helping to organize Sunday Schools. EVANS, JOHN P. FANSELAU BAMESBERGER and collect the mail for the neighborhood. There were no wells that first winter, and as with supplies and mail, water had to be 10,000 bushels of corn on the place. In 1924, by Grace Evans Weybright by Mary Evans the thirty-five mile trip to the nearest still on the ranch and still working vigorously, he died of a heart ailment, "in the harness" as he wished to go. His widow leased the ranch the following year and spent her last years in Stratton with her daughter, Mary. ranch rests with her daughter, Grace Evans Weybright, of Liberal, KS. more comfortably in Stratton, Colorado joined him in 1938. Henry and Lillie Fanselau, taken in 1932. Henry Fanselau was born February 28, 1890, south of Idalia, Colorado near the Kit Carson County line. He was the seventh child born to German immigrant parents, August and Wilhemina (Wolff) Fanselau. Three of his sistere died in infancy and one sister died at the age of nine of diphtheria in 1893. She was buried in what was known at that time as the Hedinger Cemetery, which is gituated on the Yuma County line and two miles west of Highway 385. At that time there was a small Lutheran Church near the cemetery. About this time the family moved 8 miles North and 2 east of Bethune. Henry's sisters Katie and Minnie Fanselau, married brothers; Gottlieb and Fred Bauder. Henry and his only brother Edward, three years younger than he, attended Blue View, a one room public elementar5r school. For a time they attended church school at Immanuels Lutheran, which was two or three miles from their home. Lillie Bamesberger, adopted daughter of Ferdinand and Dora BenegSttttt, was born on February 18, 1893, in Denver, Colorado. Her adoptive parents were also German immigrants and moved from Denver to the Bethune area a few miles from the Fanselaus. The Bamesbergers also raised a foster son, � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- E Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource A brief history of the founding families of Kit Carson County whose names begin with "E." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/466/Families-F.pdf cc228efacb349af665586233b6ce422e PDF Text Text helpful neighbors to serving on the school board and helping organized Sunday schools, their influence was felt in many ways in the betterment of their community. They believed firmly in the value of education beyond conventional schooling and encouraged their children to read and develop their minds. Daily newspapers and magazines were always in their home. Life was not always unrelenting hard labor. As the land was more settled there were neighbors to visit with and make friendships. They had an interesting group of neighbors. Young men and women seeking new free land, a hillbilly farmer from Tennessee who never did understand the prairie, and a cultured widow from eastern Nebraska. There is a humorous story about this widow. She lived in a "shack" like everyone else, but she maintained a life style more suited to the east. The story goes that a minister from Stratton cnme to call on her one morning. the widow Loveland was doing some baking and was pretty "floury" and in her everyday house dress. The minister knocked at her screen door, introducing himself, for she was in plain sight in the kitchen. After a few minutes he heard a cultured voice say, "Mrs. Loveland is not receiving this morning". [t was told that the minister turned, scratched his head and slowly went back to his buggy and drove the long miles to town. For entertainment they had "Literary Societies" which met in the schoolhouse on a Friday night, usually. Everyone who had a talent would use it for the entertainment, debates were popular and the social value of meeting and visiting were probably the greatest value. John and Elizabeth bought more land for his growing cattle herd and also had more farm land. He was proud in 1923 of raising someone in the neighborhood would fill his wagon from the then plentiful supply of buffalo bones on the prairies, collect the letters neighbors had ready for mailing to friends and relatives "back East", and make railroad town, Haigler, Nebraska, where he would dispose ofthe bones, purchase supplies After several years of batching on the plains of eastern Colorado, he returned to Missouri to marry his sweetheart, Elizabeth M. Griffith. With his bride he began farming in Missouri, but the call of the prairies was too strong and about a year later they returned to the homestead in eastern Colo- a doctor's care, nursing those children through severe illnesses, usually without benefit ofthe doctor, for the horse and buggy transportation was slow and calls on the doctor were many. The pioneer wife and mother was on the alert for snake bites and accidents of all kinds, and if they occurred she had to keep her head and know how to meet any emergency. Once when a new building was being erected, her five year old daughter suffered a scalp wound from a falling rafter; my mother snlmly sterilized a needle and with white silk thread sutured the wound skillfully without benefit of any anesthetic. Too much praise cannot be given these pioneer wivee and mothers who worked beside their husbands building a home and community. Perhaps the greatest reward of these pioneers was in seeing the development of Kansas line. Latcr several counties were this land from bare prairie with "dugout" formed from a division of this county, among homes to fine productive ranches and farms. John P. Evans, having seen this transformation of the prairie, passed on in 1924, still on the ranch and "in the harness" as he wished to go. His widow, spending her last years County. When family larders needed replenishing, ' couraged during the panic of'93 and the dry years following. Later he bought this land back for $125.00, and it was here they moved when they felt the need of more grassland for their growing herd ofcattle, gradually adding more land as they were able. It was during these years they becnme the parents of five daughters, one of whom died in infancy. Ownership of the old home ranch now rests with the four daughters. The years they spent on the ranch, rearing a family, building their cattle herd and developing the land, were busy years. But he and his wife were never too busy to lend a hand in the upbuilding of their community, to being kind and helpful neighbors to those about them, to serving ou the school board, and develop their minds. No story of a pioneer cattleman would be complete without the part played by his wife, who suffered the privations of a harsh life gladly, bearing her children many miles from them Washington and Yuma. Kit Carson County was at one time a part of Elbert ili:r':t : ' In addition to the homestead and preemption near Idalia he had a timber claim about thirty miles south of Idalia, which he had traded off for a cow when he became dis- She died in 1938 at age 72. Ownership of the In the fall of 1886, when he was a young bachelor of twenty-four, my father, John P. Evans, heard the call of the boundless West, the call for pioneers who would dare follow the star of empire that guided into the land which has, verily, become the Promised Land of our great county. Arriving in Colorado from Iowa where he had spent his young manhood, he filed on a homestead and preemption near Idalia, in what was then Arapahoe County, with Denver as the county seat. Arapahoe County wag then approximately thirty miles across and one hundred fifty miles long, extending to the ',l F194 rado. Their influence was felt in many areas in the betterment of their community. They had a firm belief in the value of education beyond the conventional schooling and encouraged their children and those about them to read Fl93 FAMILY hauled eight miles from the Republican River. and helping to organize Sunday Schools. EVANS, JOHN P. FANSELAU BAMESBERGER and collect the mail for the neighborhood. There were no wells that first winter, and as with supplies and mail, water had to be 10,000 bushels of corn on the place. In 1924, by Grace Evans Weybright by Mary Evans the thirty-five mile trip to the nearest still on the ranch and still working vigorously, he died of a heart ailment, "in the harness" as he wished to go. His widow leased the ranch the following year and spent her last years in Stratton with her daughter, Mary. ranch rests with her daughter, Grace Evans Weybright, of Liberal, KS. more comfortably in Stratton, Colorado joined him in 1938. Henry and Lillie Fanselau, taken in 1932. Henry Fanselau was born February 28, 1890, south of Idalia, Colorado near the Kit Carson County line. He was the seventh child born to German immigrant parents, August and Wilhemina (Wolff) Fanselau. Three of his sistere died in infancy and one sister died at the age of nine of diphtheria in 1893. She was buried in what was known at that time as the Hedinger Cemetery, which is gituated on the Yuma County line and two miles west of Highway 385. At that time there was a small Lutheran Church near the cemetery. About this time the family moved 8 miles North and 2 east of Bethune. Henry's sisters Katie and Minnie Fanselau, married brothers; Gottlieb and Fred Bauder. Henry and his only brother Edward, three years younger than he, attended Blue View, a one room public elementar5r school. For a time they attended church school at Immanuels Lutheran, which was two or three miles from their home. Lillie Bamesberger, adopted daughter of Ferdinand and Dora BenegSttttt, was born on February 18, 1893, in Denver, Colorado. Her adoptive parents were also German immigrants and moved from Denver to the Bethune area a few miles from the Fanselaus. The Bamesbergers also raised a foster son, �Amos Holland, who was three years younger living in their home at 333 5th Street for 22 than Lillie. They too attended Blue View years. In 1973, poor health did not allow them to remain in their home. Lillie spent her last five school and Lutheran Church School, which also taught the basic three R's. Schools were in session 5 to 6 months out of the year and few pupils at that time finished the eighth grade. Henry and Lillie grew up in the same community. In the year 1911, most ofthe land had been taken for homesteads in the area. At the age of 21, Henry ventured further. He purchased a relinquishment on a homestead of 320 acres, located 16 miles south and 4 east of Burlington. Prior to this time only 160 acres could be proved up. On April L4, LgLz, Henry and Lillie were married at Immanuels' Lutheran Church, located 10 miles north and 1 east of Bethune. This was the some date as the sinking of the luxury liner, Titanic. Following their mauiage they moved to their home which was later known as the Smoky Hill Community. There was a Post Office about 4 miles from their home which was called Cole. It wae in a private home and mail was delivered from Burlington two or three times a week. Some staple groceries were also sold there. Rural mail delivery was realized about 1923 or L924. In March, 1916, complying with legal regulations, Henry proved up on the half section, described as S%, T 11, R. 43. This was during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. The Fanselaus struggled and sacrificed the same as most of the pioneers at that time in history. They butchered, cured and canned beef and pork, canned vegetables and fruit, made laundry soap and raised chickens for meat and for laying hens. Eggs were exchanged for groceries at the store. In the 23 years that they lived on the farm, the water was canied in buckets from the well for household use. The only lights were two kerosene years of life in the Burlington Rest Home. Her death was May 1978. Henry was in Grace Manor Nursing Home for seven years, and his death was April, 1980. Outside of the time lived in Oregon, Henry spent the rest of his 90 years in Kit Carson County. by Leona Wiedman FANSELAU, AUGUST F195 My father, August Fanselau, was born in Germany in 1852 and come to the United States when he was 18 years old. He lived in and around Philadelphia and was married to Miss Minnie Wolf in 1876. Then he moved to Texas for a short time, then back to Philadelphia and lived there until 1882 when he moved to Denver, Colorado. They had two daughters by this time. In the spring of 1889 they moved to the homestead that he had taken up the year before, in Kit Carson County about 20 miles north of Burlington. How they enjoyed living out on the open plains after having spent their lives up till then in towns, but they missed a lot of things too, such as schools and church. There were no schools but in town, 20 miles away. The nearest church was 8 miles. Father had some 20 acres of sod broke that first year so we put it into corn and he went back to Denver to his old job, that of cleaning coaches on the U. P. Railroad. Mother and we girls stayed on the homestead. Father had bought a milk cow before he left so we had milk and we had some chickens so we had our eggs. We had no well lemps. so had a neighbor haul water for us. The Three daughtere were born to Henry and Lillie; Mildred, Leona and Geneva. Married, a farmer and a father, Henry was deferred from the draft during World War I. In 1919, the family owned their first automobile, a used 1917 Model T Ford touring car. neighbor was a mile away. They had the only windmill that we knew about except the one in Burlington. They didn't charge for the water but we paid 10 cents a haul for the hauling. The cow we led to water a half mile The girls attended Smoky Hill School where ten grades were taught. In 1934, Mildred married Robert Stahlecker and Leonamarried GeorgeWiedman. Both couples moved to Oregon in the spring of 1935. In 1934 a severe drouth plagued most ofthe high plains states and very little cattle feed was raised. Due to the drouth and the great depression of the 30's, the Fanselaus sold their livestock and belongings and following the pattern of many families in the midwest, they migrated to the west coast, settling in Newberg, Oregon, in September, 1935. Crops were being raised there and jobs were available. Average wage for a man was 25 cents per hour for cutting cord wood, labor in the saw mills or generd farm work. Henry and Lillie both worked at seasonal jobs, picking fruit, berries and hops. They also worked in a cannery during fruit and vegetable seasons. In 1940, Geneva married in Newberg, Oregon and still lives in that area. Living in Oregon seven years, Henry and Lillie returned to Eastern Colorado and settled in Bethune where they resided for nine years. In 1951 they moved to Burlington, away. Later the fathers in the neighborhood went together and built a sod schoolhouse, so we had school for the first time in the fall of 1890. Just four months. Father would come and go to Denver to earn a little money so we could keep going. One time he came home driving a nice pair of bay mares. We worked hard at home with what we had so father could come home to stay. In 1893 we lost our dear little sister, from the after effects of diphtheria. We had had a visitor in our home who came from a home where they had recovered from this illness. They said they had fumigated but it must not have been good enough to have killed the germs for shortly after that we had it. We did not have much chance to get well. I will never forget that gargle and that was about all the doctor did for us. I don't think the gargle was a thing but alum water. We thought Tillie was getting well but her throat was so dry, like mine, and she had just lost too much strength. In 1894 we had our first drouth and it was very dry. No feed was raised. No one would buy cattle here then, so we would trade cattle to the Bar T Ranch and the Spring Valley Ranch for the wild hay. Then with what we had left over from the year before we were able to take the rest of the stock through the winter. Things were never very easy for papa. I think we came after the buffalo were all gone as I do not remember seeing any. I do remember hearing about one being killed around Burlington before we came. I remember the time the big barn burned on the Chase Ranch. That is where John Richards lives now, 1958. It burned in 1896 and I was a small girl at home. It seemed to me that it was as nice a barn that I have ever seen. It was big and they had been particular about building it. They hauled all the sod for the walls clear from the Spring Valley Ranch on the river and the roof was made of the long tough hay that never let the water through. They had been working the horses that day and there was other stock in it and they were about ready to eat supper and Mrs. Chase wondered why it was so light in the house. It was dark outside. Then she noticed what the reason was. The nice big barn was on fire. Theyjust got one horse out and it was burned so around the head that they had to shoot it. The loss was awful. We thought that it was the house that was on fire and papa sent me over to tell them to come to our house and stay and eat. We felt bad about it. The first little church that I can remember stood just two miles west of where George Homm is living now. At that time there was a road that went west from the Homm place and on west from there beyond the church. It was just a little church but as far as I knew it was at that time the only church in the country. My brother Henry Fanselau was baptized there in 1890. It was built of sod. There were a few burials in the plot close by. My sister Tillie was buried there in 1893. Then there was a nine year old boy buried there in 1893 also. He was from the Lange family that lived east of the George Homm place. The boy did in a snowstorm. The father had gone to get supplies and died not get home until late in the evening. It had started to snow so the mother told the boy to see about getting the cows in. They were not usually very far away, but with no fences and the storm struck quickly with such fury, that the boy did not get back. They looked for him all night but he was not found until after the storm was over. He had drifted nine or ten miles with the wind and so was far from home. Shortly after this the father passed away and he was buried in this little plot. Then in 1901 the other boy was riding home from the Spring Valley Ranch, when a thunder shower came up and he was killed by lightning. He was buried there also. The mother and the girls moved away shortly after that. It did not seem to me as a girl that this country was fenced very fast. We did not even have a fence to keep away cattle from our meager stacks of feed, and I have known of Papa getting up at all hours of the night to drive stock away. We tried to protect it with the wagon on one side and the sod barn on the other, but they would still get it. The grass was not too good then as I heard so many say it might have been. I have seen lots better grass since the land has been fenced. Those herds of cattle that used to roem the prairie were larger and after they passed over it, it was not too good and these large ranches knew where it was ifthere was any good grass. There were horses too and some wild ones. We never tried to catch any of the wild ones for it was hard to do and vou did not have �much after you caught one for they were small, just about too small for work. But quite often one was caught and broken and was used for riding, but sometimes not even good for that. by Minnie Bauder FARR FAMILY Fr96 I, Charles Farr, was born November 3, 1860, at Rochelle, Illinois, and came to it was hard to face it. I noticed the cattle suddenly bunched close together, and kept swinging, as it were, from side to side. Then I saw that the lightning seemed to flash and strike on each side of the great herd, first to one side, then on the other. The stampede was in perfect formation, horn to horn, twelve steers wide, and about three miles long. When the storm had calmed down enough that we could overtake them on our cow ponies, we got them turned toward the corrals. by Charles Farr ofcattle. Strange to say, none ofthe stampeding cattle were hurt or killed, but some of the cows which were near the corral were killed by lightning. Of course, we had no wire fences then and the cattle were right out on the open range, or it might have been a different story. In the spring of 1881, I helped drive a bunch of three thousand head of cattle from poor, and at times we got tired of the bacon and salt "sowbelly" they fed us. They bought Wallace, Kansas to Wano, Kansas, south of where St. Francis, Kansas is now located. That was a slow hard drive and we had no water after leaving Smoky Hill Creek, about twenty five miles south of where Goodland now stands. There was no railroad, no towns, no camps along the way. It was while making this drive that we saw the skeletons of the horses that were killed in the Indian uprising in 1876, which were in a small thicket along the creek. It seems that a band of North Cheyenne Indians wandered to the Paxton Company in Omaha to be slaughtered, packed and shipped to the Indian reservation in Nebraska.. Every outfit had its own "chuck wagon" and cook, and each cowboy had his own clothing and blanket. Many a time I have slept on the prairie with my blanket around me and my saddle for a pillow. When I first went to work as a cowboy in this new country, I found the food rather bacon in slabs and I remember once of cleaning out a cellar where the cattlemen had moved out ofthe house and finding slab after slab of bacon stored away. Of course everything was bought wholesale and freighted in by barrels, so we always had enough food and salt meat. We would slaughter a beef once in a while but it was hard to keep fresh meats in the summertime. I cooked for one season and know what it means to try to fill a hungry man with "flapjacks." I got so I could make them pretty good, too. Every year, a number ofthe cowboys would take grub, blankets, and any other supplies needed and go out on a ten-day hunt for strays. We knew all the brands, so if we found a cow belonging to an outfit close to ours, we took it along with our strays and returned it to its rightful owner. We were out in all kinds of weather, and I remember one day in late summer we were driving a herd of four thousand cattle - two thousand steers and the rest cows and calves. We saw a storm coming and tried to beat it to the corral to get the calves in, but it came right down on us. I have always been a little afraid of thunder and lightning storms, as I had had one horse killed under me by lightning, and another one was stunned and fell, but he soon got over it. On this particular day the lightning was the worst I had seen for some time and suddenly the cattle stampeded and got away from us. I rode hard to head them off. The rain was coming down so fast The Republican River is just a few feet from my door, so we always had plenty of water. I worked one winter rounding up strays that had wandered from their range down to creeks around Wallace and Sharon Springs, Kansas. A number of cattle from different outfits were disappearing, and I was sent south to investigate, and found that these cattle were being rounded up, butchered and sold to the people of Wallace and Sharon Springs. This was the fall that Goodland, Kansas was incorporated, 1889. Usually the folks who had these cattle would not say much, they knew they were in the wrong. But Colorado in a covered wagon in the spring of 1877 from Independence, Missouri, with a friend of the family. We followed the Arkansas River from Nebraska to Rocky Ford, crossing the Republican River, along which I later worked for some years. I went to work for a cattleman by the name of Ab Enyart, who lived near Rocky Ford, and whose cattle ranged along the Arkansas River, working as a cowboy for him for two years. Then I began work for the "Mill Iron" outfit, who ranged about five thousand head of cattle. Later I came north with the "Hash Knife" outfit. who owned about ten thousand head of cattle and had eight cowboys working regular, but who employed more for the round up season. This cattle company, at one time, gathered five thousand head of steers which were sold FARR FAMILY just west of this claim and I still own both places, but built my home on the tree claim. Fr97 I Drove the Texas Longhorn Steers But I shall not forget that scene and how the lightning seemed to "play" with that herd away from their reservation, taking their squaws with them. They were on their way south and when they arrived at Dodge City, Kansas, they were noticed acting rather suspicious. So the Colonel sent a scout out with them and about the first thing the scout noticed was that when these Indians shot wild game, they did not use their bullets, but used their arrows instead. The Indians then tried to steal some horses and in the fight that ensued between the owner and the Indians, two white men were killed. The Indians fortified themselves behind stone walls they had built up in the bluffs and there met the troops which had been sent out from the fort. About the first thing the troops did was to go to the thickets where the Indian squaws and horses were hid, remove the squaws and shoot all the horses. After the skirmish with the Indians, they found a few of the Indians dead, and the rest too weak to fight, so they were taken back to the reservation with the squaws. I believe this was about the last Indian trouble we had in this part of the country. There was a man murdered on his ranch near here, and some folk tried to blo-e it on the Indians, but as none had ever been seen around here, we felt sure that some white man had committed the crime instead. We never found the murderer. (Hatch murder, first case on record in district court records of this county.) In 1888 I filed on a tree claim on the Republican River and later took a homestead one day I found a cow and calf in a man's yard and the cow had our brand on it, so I told him I wanted it. He tried to convince me first that the cow belonged to him and when that failed, he tried to get me to give him the calf for the keep of the cow. That proposition didn't work, so I started to drive the cow out of the yard. Then the man's wife cnme out and was very profane in her abuse. However, I did not answer and when I was a few rods from the house a bullet whizzed by me. I do not know who fired the shot, but I kept going with the cow and calf and finally got them back to their owner. That was the only time I was shot at, although in this kind of work I always had to be on the alert and watch both ways so no one would get the drop on me. I was well acquainted with Kit Carson's niece, Mrs. Nelson, who lived with her family at the Nine Mile House, south of LaJunta. She had four children at the time I visited her, and her husband traveled with Kit Carson. She was a very fine woman and we always enjoyed visiting at her home. Mr. Farr lived in the Flagler area. Copied from an old copy of the Burlington Call, September 23, 1934. by Charles Farr FASSE - HUDLER FAMILY F198 Eugene Fasse remembers riding a horse or walking to school in the District 5 schoolhouse at the site where the town of Carlyle used to be before the railroad ceme through, and the people moved to Kanorado, Kan. The Fasses have farmed this land for over 50 years, and Gene has boyhood memories of finding broken dishes and remnants where some of the dugouts and foundations used to be. Gene's family moved here from Nebraska just in time to fight the dirt storms of the 1930's. Selling milk and eggs produced on the farm helped the family survive the sifting winds and harvest the bumper crops of the 1940's that put the farm back on its feet. Drilling one of the first irrigation wells in 1954 to help raise enough feed for the milk cows helped stave off the economic hardships of the red dirt storms of the 1950's. Sugar beets were planted for the first time in 1959 with beets and cattle becoming the mainstays of the operation for the next 25 years. In 1961 a Burllington girl, Adrienne Hudler, became a partner in the operation. Soon a son Ernie and daughter Francine were �up in the sky. We figured we would get home before it got here, but it hit while we were still in town, so we took the south road home. It wan so dusty and dark that I had to drive looking out the door at the grader ditch. I had the lights on and was just creeping along, when all at once we were in the middle of a bunch of cattle,lucky we never hit any. Some days when it was real bad the teacher in our school would keep the kids in the school until the parents would come and get them. Fowing up, and Adrienne started teaching junior high English in the Burlington school system in 1971. Ernie graduated from college in 1985 and is pursuing an advanced degree in mechanical engineering while Francine graduated in 1986 with an accounting major. In 1985 Francine married Greg Floerke, a petroleum engineer. by Adrienne Fasee In 1933, Elmer went back to eastern Nebraska and worked in the harvest a couple of weeks. Blfrieda stayed home and tended to chickens, milked 5 cows, and tried to raise FASSE, ELMER AND ELFRIEDA some garden stuff. My father was staying with us at that time, so Elfrieda was not alone. Our daughter, Doris, was born in 1929 F199 so Elfrieda had to look after her too. The year the grasshoppers were so bad I had a field of Elmer and Elfrieda Fasse with son, Eugene. taken in 1934. Brockmeyer, were moving out here at the Irrne time. We arrived here March 1, 1931. Our emigrant car was set on the sidetrack in Kanorado, Kansas. That way we did not have to pay to enter another state. It was a nice day to unload. We pulled a 4wheel trailer behind our Desoto touring car. In it we had several dozen laying hens and other things. We put the hens in what had been a chicken or hen house. A friend ofours, Rudolf Aeschliman, suggested we stay at his home until we could fix and clean up the house we were going to live in, so we stayed Elmer and Elfrieda Fasse and daughter Doris in front of their home. They moved here in 1931. there about a week. The old house had about all the window panes broken and rags were stuck in them. One even had a pillow in it. Plaster was off in places. The place had been rented, and no one ever fixed a thing. The first night we slept there we kept the kerosene Inmp lit, and once in a while a rat would peek out of the holes in the walls. We had no more than moved in when one of the worst blizzards we had ever experienced cAme. It was 30 degrees below zero, and strong north wind caused the snow to drift real badly. The was the storm when a school bus at Towner, Colorado, stalled in snow drifts and several kids froze to death. The storm lasted a couple of days and Elmer Fasse and his mules. In 1930, my father, Louis Fasse, purchased two 320 acre parcels of land, the North West 1/q sec29-8-42. On this quarter section there was a house and some sheds. The house was very run down. He also purchased the South East l/t sec20-8-42 and the West Yz sec 9-842.We loaded our belongings in an emigrant box car on the Rock Island Rail Road. Elfrieda and I farmed in Gage County, Nebraska, five years. So a John Deere D tractor, a John Deere 3-row lister, a John Deere 3-row weeder, a grass mower and hay rake were loaded in the emigrant car along with two families'household furniture, etc., as my sister Meta, and husband, Henry nights. The snow drifted through the cracks between the boards on the hen house so when the storm was over the snow was almost under the roosts where the hens were sitting. We thought they would surely quit laying eggs after hauling them so far and now this storm too, but they never slowed down at all. Elfrieda had brought along about 30 dozen eggs to play it safe, so she sold the eggs and bought groceries. In 1932, the dust storms started and got real bad for a few years. The dust csme in everywhere. Elfrieda would have to shake the dust out of the bed covers before we went to bed. The wind would subside some over night. Some days it would get dark as night. We had to light the kerosene lamps. One day we started to Burlington and way up north we could see on of those dust clouds rolling spring barley. Since it was ready to cut I set up the grain binder on the end of the field before dinner. Some say without me noticing it, my coin purse slipped out of my pocket and fell on the ground. When I cnme back after dinner, all that was left of the purse was the metal part, and the silver coins. The grasshoppers had eaten the leather and the paper bills. I doubt if there were too many bills in the purse as money was pretty scarce then. The following article was taken from the Burlington Record printed in 1933. A series of rabbit drives is doing much towards ridding the county of this destructive pest. Nearly every day a drive is held in some locality, but the one held north of Bethune Tuesday is the biggest yet. It is estimated that between 9,000 and 10,000 rabbits were killed that day. Fencing with extended wings were put up and the rabbits were driven into this enclosure. People would form lines on four sides all having to walk about the same distance towards the enclosure. No guns were allowed, everyone had a club of some sort, so the rabbits were clubbed to death. At one rabbit drive near Peconic, there were over 400 rabbits killed. The dead rabbits were sold to some pet good processing plant, 8 to 10 cents per rabbit was paid. Most of these drives were supervised by some clubs or organization. If it wasn't one pest it was another. One time the grey army worms moved through. They did not turn out for anything, crawled right up the sides of buildings, ate the foliage off weeds. Driving into Burlington one afternoon about 4:30, Highway 24 was just covered with worms, they were crawing north. In 1934, we took some stock cows to Albert Weinholts who lived on the Smokey River. The cows lived on thistles that grew on the dirt piles. When we took the cows there that spring some cows had little thistles coming up in their hair on their back; the hair was full of blow dust. In 1934, the grading was being done in highway 24. This was done byfarmers using 4 horse teams, who worked in the gravel pit in 8 hour shifts, 24 hours a day. Several kept their horses in our barn. Elfrieda cook for them, and charged 25 cents a meal. Some times there were ten men at the table. 6 or 7 men slept up stairs at night and ate 3 meals too. Due to poor or no crops and low prices times were really tough. The first year we farmed (1931), we planted over 400 acres corn, 320 acres on rented ground E,ast Vz 89-42. That year had fairly good moisture, so that fall the corn averaged 20 bushels per acre. We hired part of the corn picked, so after shelling and picking and other expenses �and selling the corn for 14 cents per bushel, we probably worked all summer for nothing. Wheat averaged 20 bushels per acre, price 20 cents per bushel. We hired a neighbor to combine it, who had a 20 foot pull type Holt combine. Then the dust storms got started with no rain or snow, so for several years no one raised very much. We never had much income or raised enough to sell, and my father could not make the payments to the Federal Land Bank, so he let the land go back to the Bank in 1939. So we moved to the Hugo Arnsmeier Farm in 1940. I had put the wheat out on this farm in the fall of 1939. Mrs. Arnsmeier, having lost her husband, had moved to Lincoln Nebraska. That year the wheat made 50 bushels per acre and was a good price, so we were able to purchase this % section. We lived on this farm till 1944, at which time we purchased the old place from the Federal Land Bank for $12.50 per acre. My father had paid $30 per acre in 1931. At that time the Federal Land Bank would only loan $7.50 per acre. We sold the Arnsmeier Farm in 1946, and moved back to where we lived in 1931. In 1934, Elmer wanted to purchase a few stock cows, so he went to see about a loan from the Bank ofBurlington, but was refused a loan. That year the Production Credit had some meetings and Elmer attended. He applied for a loan of $350. The loan was approved, so for geveral years we borrowed money from the PCA, for operating expenseg and also for purchasing land. In 1948 we had all our land paid for, also the PCA loans. Our daughter Doris had attended college, and in 1947 she was married to Bert Rice. They now live in Centrailia Washington. In 1948, Eugene was going to Burlington High School, so we rented the farm out for 3 years and moved to Burlington so Eugene could use all his energy studying and be close to home. We rented and have farmed the South East l/e 29-8-42 ever since 1945. This is the quarter section where the Town of Carlyse was located. There was no railroad then. When we first farmed there still was a dug out where there might have been a cave. Even now when we work the ground we turn up pieces of pottery or dishes. Eugene liked farm life, so he made this his life career. In 1954, we had our first irrigation well dug. This was also the Eugene joined the army, so Ma and Pa had some new experience irrigating. When Eugene was discharged from the service, we farmed together for several years. Eugene married Adrenne Hudler in 1961. We moved to Burlington in 1966. Eugene moved where we lived. We sold the farm to Eugene and Adrenne in 1979. We look back and marvel at how things have changed. It worries us to see all the pasture land being plowed up. There could very well be dust storms again as bad or even worse, if we have several dry years in succession. We are enjoying life and will be celebrating our 60th anniversar5r February 10, 1986. We are both in fairly good health and looking forward to more anniversaries. by Elmer & Elrieda Fasse FERGUSON - CHRISTIE FAMILY F200 Mitchell Clayton Christie was born September 23,1879 in Rosendale, Missouri. His mother Mary Eleanor Munkreus died when he was seven years old. His father Cyrus Christie and family then moved to Rexford, Ks, where they lived for three years before moving back to Missouri. He married Mamie O'Bright after Mary died. While living seven miles west of Rexford, the burned coal which they had to haul thirty miles from Oakley, Ks. Dad knew Mom's grandfather, Solomon Ferguson. He drove a span of milk cows and lived five miles west of Rexford, Ks. only two houses between them and Seibert. One bitter cold day Uncle Lonnie who lived with them, went to town to get coal. He was lucky to get some in rSeibert as Vona and Flagler had none. It was snowing and the snow drifted so deep making it very difficult for the horses to pull the load. Lonnie unloaded some of the coal and made it home just as Mitchell was pulling up fence posts to burn to keep warm. When it was about time for the first babv to be born, Dad went over to get Mattie Murphy while Lonnie went to town to get the doctor. The weather was terrible. the snow was drifted over the fences and it was 32 degrees below zero. Lonnie froze his ears. The surrey. doctor started out from town at noon and arrived at 5 in the afternoon. By this time Mattie had assisted with the birth and had taken care ofeverything. The doctor checked mother and baby and charged 917.00. He warmed up and went back to town arriving there at 2 a.m. They baby was born on December 29, 1911and nnmed Virginia Pearl. Four other children were to be born later. Fonest Coleman; Ernest Norris, married Hazel Johnson; Virgil Elmer, married Joy Moody; Mary Eleanor, married Charles Earl Allen of Seibert. Virginia married Lloyd Mullen. Mom, Ada Margaret Ferguson, came from Montrose, West Virginia with her mother, Louisa Bell Murphy Ferguson, and sisters, Elsie, Hazel, Allie, Nellie, Charity, Donna and Gladys. Grandmother Ferguson came dances (in later years Mary and Virgil played with him), he was quite good at it. He played once for a dance for Joe Anderson for 93.00. There were three single girls and Wes and Joe When Grandmother Mary Munkres first married Grandad Cyrus Christie, she ran away and went back to her own Dad's house. Her Dad, John Munkres, made her go back to her husband. Dad went to Colorado in 1908 and home- steaded L8 miles south of Seibert. His brother, Alonzo (Lonnie) Christie lived with him. Lonnie had a span of mules and an old west because of her health-she had asthma real bad. Later her husband Coleman came out and farmed a half section of land. Grandad Ferguson made several trips back and fourth to West Virginia. He did not like eastern Colorado very much but Grandmother had to stay because of allergies and asthma. Finally they got so bad that she moved with Gladys to Tolleson, Arizona and Grandad moved back to his beloved West Virginia. Dad met Mom at Ellis Murphy's house when she came out to the windmill to get water. Ellis (Mom's uncle) and Lou's house was a half dugout. Mom and Dad would go courting by going on buggy rides. Dad would buy a box of brown sugar and they would share the sweets. One day they were riding along and there was this big pile of black stuff. Not having seen anything like it in West Virginia, she asked what it was and Dad replied "That is Colorado coal." It was sheep manure piled up to be used for fuel. On December 25, 1910 Dad and Mom were married in Vona, Colorado by G.W. Snyder. Mom's sister Elsie and Dad's brother Lonnie were the witnesses. Theywent back to Mom's folks' house where they spent their wedding night. People from all around came to the house for a wedding dance. They drove horses and they had to put them in out of the cold so some had to be put in the chicken house. A few chickens escaped when they opened the door and they froze, so the next morning the were dressed and cooked for breakfast. Ada and Mitchell's first home was the sod Mitchell Christie played the fiddle for Anderson there, The farmers had a Farmers Protective Association to protect the range cattle. A man butchered a steer, so to have a little fun Dad said to Coleman Murphy, "Do you know why Al Hunkeford thinks Mr. ? did it? He traced him through the frost!" The man was stand- ing there and excitedly said, "That's a lie-there wasn't any frost!" He then realized that he had let the cat out of the bag. Except for three of four years around 1915 when the Christies lived in eastern Kansas, they lived south of Seibert until 1944. by Mrs. Virgil Christie FINLEY, ELMER AND KAROLINE KUGLER F201 My father, Ebner Burcher Finley, was born to Willinm and Mary Adeline Burcher Finley, August 4, 1880 in Belmont County, Ohio. His parents cnme from Green County, Pennsyl- house that Mitchell homesteaded in. It consisted of two 12 by 14 foot rooms with shaped boards bent at the ends for a roof. Then a layer oftar paper was laid on and then a layer of sod. They had a sod barn, one cos' and calfand 18 chickens. They also had a few pigs which they kept in a sod building and fed milo maize which they raised. There were Arthur, Francis, Jake, Floyd, Bob and Mary Finley riding on the Finley farm, in 1916. �musical talent. Most of us played by ear. Mother also taught music at home and one student I remember was Don Smith from Kirk. Brothers Arthur and Francis and I played for dances. Francis was a great violinist; Arthur played Banjo and guitar; I played piano. Literary at the Keckter School was always fun. We memorized poems, Bang songs, had plays, and box suppers. Sister Nellie and I always sang specials at church .,lr! r# l*r -r:. ELner and Carrie Finley's fanily in 1926: back row, left to right: Arthur, Francis, Carrie, Jake, Elmer, Floyd, Bob. Center row, left to right: Nellie, Mary, Eula. Front: Marjorie. lived in the barn until they finished building the adobe house. Noah Morris, a friend, brought the horses and mules from Nebr. on the train to Colorado for my Dad. Morris later lived at Idalia, Colorado. Mary started school in Nebraska before the move to Colorado. There were nine of us children. The five youngest, Francis, Arthur, myself, Nellie and Marjorie, were born on the homestead. Granny Gleaves, as I remember her called, was the lady who helped my Carrie Finley with the sheep on the home place in 1932 when she was 55. vania, where William was born. Elmer had one sister Blanch and one brother Forrest who died at two years old from a fire accident. My mother was born to George and Karoline Schneider Kugler on October 13, 1877 in Sheffield, Illinois. Her parents had come from Hsmburg, GermanY. TheY met and married in New York, and moved to lllinois. Carrie had five brothers - George, Louis, William, John and Alex. In the late 1800's my Kugler grandparents moved to Superior, Nebraska where my parents, Carrie and Elmer, were married June 12, 1900. They lived near Superior, Nebraska at Oxford, where their first four children were born - Mary, Bob, Floyd and Jake. In approximately 1905 my Finley grandparents came to Colorado. Their homestead was 3 miles west and 1/z mile south of Kirk, Yz mile south of the Young brothers farm in Yrrma County. My father' Elmer, came to Colorado and took a homestead in 1907 in Kit Carson County, 17-% miles north and 1 and Vz miles east of Vona. Our place was bordered on the north by Yuma County - location section 1 - Township 6 - Range 48. My father first built a barn. Oldest sister Mary tells me when they came to Colorado on the train, she remembers Dad coming onto the train to meet them, my mother, and 4 children, Jake the baby at that time. They mother deliver the last five of us. My mother was a midwife and delivered many babies in the area during the 1920's and 1930's. The neighbors adjoining us were, to the north, Eligah Coleman, Clyde Coleman's parents. I cannot remember Clyde's Mother's name, but the Coleman's ran the central (telephone) office. To the northwest were Alva (Buck) and Ethel Crist, with their children, Faye, Cecil, Heron, Elizabeth and Philip. Calkins lived on the east and Atwoods on the southeast. In later years my Dad owned the Atwood Farm after they moved away. Ira and Rosy Crist, two daughters Sarah and Susie, along with Lawrence Crist lived to the south of us. To the southwest were William and Emma Seaman. Emma's mother, Permelia McHenry, had her own house in their yard. The Seaman children were Pearl, Chester, Orville, Dave, Florence, Avirene and Bertha. My older brothers and sister attended school S- % miles west at the Floegelle School. August Carlstedt was a teacher there. We all later attended Seaman School. I have been told it was earlier called Pioneer School. The school was 1-% miles south and % mile west of our house. Helen Klassen was a dear teacher and friend and I believe a great influence on all of us kids. Helen Herrell and John Weaver also taught there. We always went to Sunday school. My mother taught Sunday school for many years. It was held at the Seaman School and the Boone School west of Kirk. Music and literary was our entertainment. My family was fortunate to all be born with and Christmas programs . . . Nellie being a natural alto. For Christmas Mother knitted our mittens, made sweaters for the boys and rag dolls for the girls. She sewed shirts and overalls for the boys, and dresses for the girls. Our Christmas stockings she made from old lace curtains with red linings. My best memories are of everyone coming home for holiday dinners. Mother always baked a tiered cake for Christmas. The bottom was a large fruit cake, the next - chocolate, the next - marble, with a wonderful white cake at the top. All of this with white coconut frosting. We had a big garden. Usually on good Friday my Dad had us all out planting potatoes. We did raise lots of potatoes and watermelon. Mother canned vegetables and made jams and jellies. In the Fall we butchered several hogs, and my parents cured the hams. My Dad would take a load of corn to Vona and come back with supplies such as several sacks of flour, coffee, 100 pounds of sugar, and staples intended to last the Winter. In the Spring of 1931 my Father became ill. Dr. Virgil Hewitt came out from Vona and treated him. On Friday April 17, 1931 Dr. Hewitt and Mr. Monroe, a depot agent in Vona, came and took my Dad to Denver. Brother Bob went along. On Saturday he had surgery. His gall bladder had already ruptured. He died on Sunday morning, April 19, 1931. The funeral was held in our home. Mother Carrie stayed on the farm; we lived through the hard years and drought of the 30's with a few cattle, a little corn and feed. In the early 40's Mother rented the homestead to Pat McCart, later to Gus Schreiner, and in 1959 sold to Lloyd and Opal Klassen, whom she loved so much. Lloyd and Opal Klassen still own our homestead along with the Atwood place. Mother moved to Seibert, Colorado. She bought a house across from the Reorganized Latter Day Saint Church, which she owned when she died. She spent some time with me, then with Mary at Eckley, Colorado. She was in Renotta Nursing Home in Wray, Colo., then to Burlington where Chris and Helen Klassen cared for her. She died in Burlington, June 25, 1964 ofCoronary thrombosis and kidney failure. Our oldest sister, Mary Caroline, was born October 20, 1901, in Superior, Nebraska and lives in Eckley, Colorado. Robert George was born September 2L,1903, in Oxford, Nebraska and died February 25, 1967. Floyd William was born March 9, 1905, at Oxford, Nebraska and died September 13, 1956. Jake Schneider was born March 2,1907, at Oxford, Nebraska and died February 25,t967. Francis Jay was born May 20, 1909 near Kirk, Colorado and died October 18. 1966. Arthur Elmer was born November 25, L9L2 at Vona, Colorado and died October 23. L973. Euladine Lucille was born February 16, 1915 north of Vona and is living today in South Dakota. Nellie Lorraine was born February 24, 1917 north of Vona and died December 30, 1968. Marjor- �ie Juanita was born November 7, 1920, at Vona and died October 16, 1979. by Eula Finley Browning FISHER - STRODE FAMILY F202 In 1887 Stephen Strode and wife Hannah came from Missoui bringing their family of five girls and one boy to this country in a covered wagon, making their homest€ad east of Flagler, Colorado. Their youngest daugh- the National Directory Co. which has become a national company. In the depression I was going broke in the newspaper business. With Bonny Gaunt (Gould) as a partner and fiUing station man Joe Kaufman as field man we stanted in Lincoln County, Colorado. We eventually covered parts of seven states with more than 25,000 sponsor-advertisors. We had, 42 workers in the field and 14 in the 10,000 spectators. In the years of 1938-40-41 I launched newspapers at Flemming and Craig, Colorado. During World War II I spent 38 months all over the Pacific. I had learned to fly in Haxtun, Colorado in 1919. I aleo sailed the sea. While in the Pacific I managed the creation of the book Hawaiian Mernories. I managed the Arno School of Music and homestead. Albert grew to manhood working for large took a sabbatical. I had three helper teachers. I then proceeded to form the Plains Conservatoire, with many schools and more than 400 students. Students from 8 to 58 years studied piano, any instrument, vocal and drsmslis. Hundreds still acclaim it as great. Januar5r, 1897. He was the second person buried in the Seibert Cemetery. On May 6, 1903 Stella Strode and A.C. Fisher were married at Flagler where they both proved up on homesteads. They were one of the first to breed up an Aberdeen Angus herd in this area. To this union three children were born Marguerite, October 30, 1904, deceased October 2, L979.Ida, April 10, 1908, and Weston, "Buck", August 14, 1910. Stella passed away May 18, 1953, and Albert on January 10, 1959. "Buck" still lives on the original homestead. In 1906, the Gwyn family ceme to Flagler from Decatur, Nebraska. In 1918, they returned to Nebraska. In 1921, James Gwyn returned to Flagler and worked for the late C.J. Farr. On October 16, 1924, he was married to Ida Fisher. b" Id" R. Gwyn FITZPATRIC, V. S. F203 I, V.S. Fitzpatric, arrived in Seibert, Kit Carson County, on September 20, 1920. I last dwelt there in the summer of 1952. My age was 34 when I cnme and 66 when I left. During those years I had tried to "fill each hour with sixty minutes of living." The following are a resume of my life's activities. I helped to start the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Seibert, Colorado. We formed and trained a town band in the 1920's. The town had a big auction to raise money to equip the band. It was a great success attending Denver's annual music week. Seibert and Ft. Collins tied for first. I rescued the local newspaper as it was22 weeks behind on publication. A country club was organized which included rural people. Was elected mayor four times. The Plainsman' Association w{ur founded which promoted summer fallowing and other practices. Membership covered parts of seven states with over 7,000 memberg. I founded by V.S. Fitzpatric FLAGEOLLE, HENRY, JR. printing plant. We "farmed out" work to other printers. The exciting event was starting "Days of the Old Wegt." A replica of a real Indian massacre was staged with 432 actors, 16 covered wagons, 140 mounted Indians, and ter, Stella, started teaching school as soon as she was old enough. Part of the time she rode horseback to school using a side saddle, which her daughter still has. Lafayette Fisher and his son Albert, or A.C. Fisher, came here from Wisconsin in 1887. When the oldtimers first came here it was necessar5/ to ride into Denver to file on their cattle outfits of the area. Lafayette passed away at his home Northeast of Seibert in hand, cowboy, civil engineer and newspaper editor before coming to Seibert. Dramatic Art in Denver while the owners I traveled to South Africa and went far inland as a member of the ship's orchestra. In 1952 I toured Europe and the Mediterranean countries, I was sent to Paris as a delegate to the world convention of American Veterans'Committee to try to make it world wide. In 1955 I joined the "uranium rush" twice going to South America as a consultant or representative of some company member of the National Minerals and Research. I then beca-e a congultant for a mining group with world wide membership. I wrote, researched and had published three books on The Last Frontier. It is now out of print and the last copies of Volume One sold for $200 each. I have been hospitalized seven times and have been within seconds and inches of death. People love to say "My you have had wonderful health." At the present time I continue to publish at intervals ofabout two or three months, 100 page books about unusual persons and unusual events along his "road of life." The title of these books is The Back Trail. I am in my 101st year and eat three square meals of plain food, sleep like a baby and awake full of pep for the day's work - and I do work every day, often 12-15 hours. My father was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was a mineralogist and miner. He came eastward to England, South Africa, India, Australia, Hawaii, Canada, California, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgetown, Colorado where he metand married my mother. She was a companion to a wealthy mine owner'e daughter and had come from London to New York and then to Georgetown, Colorado. At the age of 8 months I went with the family to the homestead our father had taken on Lay Creek, about 20 miles west of where Craig, Colorado later came. This was the last frontier of the United States. I was a ranch F20,4 And IIis Descendants The following information is offered for Charles Louis Flageolle and Gerald Joseph Flageolle. Their story begins with the same Henry Flageolle I spoke of in my story about John S. Flageolle. John S. and Henry Jr. were brothers. The following are the people on this branch of the family tree: Henry Flageolle, Jr. born May 22, t860, in Bay City, Michigan, and Marie Fountaine, born October 6, 1866, whom he manied September 8, 1885. Henry died February 9, 1952 and Marie on February 9, 1945. Ulalia, their eldest daughter, born January 15, 1887 at Jefferson, South Dakota married Mike Balanga (Magloire Balanger) on January 17, 1905. Mike, born on September 3, 1876, at Jefferson, South Dakota algo, and Ulalie are buried at Stratton. Ulalie died January 28, 1958, and Mike July 10, 1961. Charles Louis Flageolle was born in Jefferson, South Dakota, March 26, 1899, and his wife Amerila Marie Wieber, whom he married April 18, L922, was born on May 27, 1902. Henry and Marie moved their family by train to Wray, Colorado from Jefferson, South Dakota in 1907. They cn'ne with seven children, furniture, farm eqipment, a covered wagon, cows, hogs, horses, and chickens. Their oldest daughter, Ulalie was married and had a daughter of her own. She and her husband Mike cnme also. Henry's family lived in their covered wagon and a tent until they had built a sod house. The soddie was finished in 1908. Water was a problem for 4 years. It had to be hauled 6 miles from a ranch. Wells had to be dug over a hundred feet before there was water. Once water was reached there was a good 14 feet of that precious liquid. After the soddie was completed a cowshed was built of lumber and soap weeds. A horse barn and pig pen were built next. The children worked hard as well as the adults but they didn't have to go to school the first year so the work didn't seem so bad. There was a school opened 3 miles from the homestead the second year they were there. The school was one large room which was for all eight grades. One of the homesteader's wife was the teacher. The soddie was enlarged after the well was dug. Tbo bedrooms and a kitchen were added to the eoddie. Henry Jr. bought a Model T Ford while they lived on the homestead. It only had room for two people on the seat and was open on both sides with a cloth top and no windshield. In 1919 Henry Jr. moved the family to Heartstrong, Colorado where he operated a blacksmith shop. Again in 1921 Henry Jr. moved the family to Stratton, Colorado. He eventually bought six corner lots on the main highway on which he located a large howe, afillingstation, and five cabins. Marie did the book work for the two businesses and kept �the cabins in order as well as plant a garden and tpnd to the housekeeping. In 1936 Henry in the community to go for the things that they needed. They would buy machinery together like threshers and steam engine because one farmer could not buy one by and Marie retired and moved to Denver, Colorado. Their children were Ulalie, Mandy, Lizzy, wilhelm, Louise, Charles, David, and himself. They did all their harvesting together. They would buy a good stud and would share it with each other. When they discontinued the church in this community the bodies were moved to Calvary cemetery at Stratton. This is where John and Lavina are buried. Descendents of John and Lavina still living in Kit Carson County are Richard Flageolle, Angela Isenbart, Diane Miller, Vickie Cure, Jack Brachtenbach, Larry Brachtenbach, Denny Brachtenbach and their children. Pat. Ulalie and Mike Balanga farmed in various places north of Stratton aftcr they left their homestead. They lived in Stratton after they retired from farming. They raised 14 children: Florence, Lawrence, Cecelia, Mildred, Mary, Ruben, David, Louise, Ed, Therese, Anna Marie, Bertha, Dorothy, and Mike. Ulalie and Mike engaged in lively games of checkers in their spare time. They were their grandson Gerald's godparents and a deep mutual love existed between them and Gerald. There was always a bed waiting for Gerald anytime he cared to occupy it and in turn any thing he could do for them he did. Gerald remembers when he was young trying to get all the burrs out of his grandpa's favorite horse's trail. He was so thorough that when he was finsished what had been a beautiful flowing taill was a pitiful mess. Mike would have skinned alive anyone else for having done such a thing but since it was Gerald who had done the terrible deed, he laughed and let it pass. Charlie and Amelia Flageolle lived on his parent's homestead whom they were first mauied. They moved from there to various places, finally moving to Stratton around 1930. Charlie was the custodian at St. Charles Church and school until sometimes in 1937. While he was thus employed, he also started repairing shoes and later even sold cars in Burlington.During this time his children were busy also. Vera recalls when her cousin Anna Marie coached her for plays the children gave in their backyard. For one performance Vera was dressed in old clothes and had dirt all over her face while ehe recited, "Here I stand all ragged and dirty, and if a boy kissed me I would run like a turkey". Charlie moved his family to Denver in 1937. They returned to Stratton for awhile. Eventually in 1956 Charlie and Amelia bought a farm near Kiowa. They now live in Denver, Colorado. by Laura M. Flageolle FLAGEOLLE, JOHN AND LAVINA F206 John S. Flageolle was born on February 22, 1857 in Lansing, Michigan. He was a freighter for several years from Council Bluffs and Sioux City, Iowa through the Black Hills of South Dakota to parts of Montana and Minnesota. John hauled freight with a six mule hitch. They were small mules but were strong and faet. The Indians called him "The rat freighter" becauee of his emall tenm. He would haul supplies for the homesteaderg and sometimes even the Indians. He always had to have some whiskey and tobacco to trade with the fudinnn. One of his favorite past times was sitting and telling his grandchildren of his long hauls with a tenm and wagon and variow encountere with the Indiane. One tine they were traveling early in the morning when they saw a young squaw on the river bank washing her clothes. One of the men by Ruth Brachtenbach Robinson FLAGEOLLE, JOHN S. F206 Descendants John S. and Lavina Flageolle. As other frontiers were conquered, people turned to Eastern Colorado, an area passed riding horseback rode down and attacked the land brought them to this last frontier. squaw. He left her and rode back to the wagon Owning land gives people a strong sense of independence even though at times it would seem the land owns them. Working the land is always demanding. The conditions which by until the latc 1800's. Then the offer of free train. The wagon train kept traveling and in the early morning they were surrounded by Indians. The Indians asked "Big John" as he was called for the man who attacked the squaw. They said they would not harm anyone else or bother them, they only wanted the quality man. The Indians took the man and scalped him and left him. He died a short time later and they buried him and went on for the freight. He said the Indians would not harm them if they did not try to cheat them and respected their rights and customs. John also helped survey for the railroads and help plot several towns in the Dakotas and Nebraska. John and his first wife had two children, William and Pearl. Her name was Anna Homer and she died before he moved to Colorado. He came to Colorado to homestead with a tenm and wagon. He came with his second wife, Lavina, she was born in Oct or Jun 20, 1858. John and Lavina had 5 children, Ester, Ralph, Grace, John and Alvie. William moved out ahead of his father to homestead also and Pearl stayed in Jefferson, South Dakota. John and his family moved 17 miles north and l-r/z west of Vona, known as the Brownwood community. He received his patent on the SE% S4-T6S-R48 on September 21, 1912 and another patent on the SW% of S3-T6S-R48 on June 13, 1913. He built a sod house to start and later on built a frame house. They went into Haigler, Nebraska to haul lumber to build the home and other buildings. He raised wheat and corn and cattle and the usual garden to support themselves. John had a good life and made a home for his family here until February 28, 1930 when he moved to Stratton. He passed away in July 9, 1944. His wife Lavina died March 27, L94L. There was a mass held in a church once a month at the Brownwood community and the priest came out from Stratton by horse and buggy. On October 12, 1917 John deeded 3 acres ofland in SE% of S3-T6S R48 for the Catholic church and cemetery. John S. Flageolle was the person exist in Eastern Colorado make these demands extremely difficult. Yet many of the homesteaders made the area their home as have many of their descendants. Of concern to me are the following people: John Sylvest- er Flageolle, born February 22, L857 at Lansing, Michigan and his wife Louvina Jane Homer, born June or October 20, 1858 at Menominee, Wisconsin. Louvina died March 31, 1941 and John S. July 13, 1944. Both are buried at Stratton, Colorado. John Rudolph Flageolle, born April 18, 1900 at Jefferson, South Dakota, married Mary Agatha Balanga, born January 6, 1914, north of Vona, Colorado, on January 10, 1931. John R. died January t, L97L and is buried at Stratton. Gerald Joseph Flageolle, born Januar5r 22, 1933, atVona, Colorado married Laura Marie Sawyer, born June 19, 1934, at Oelwein, Iowa, on May 25, L957. Victoria Lynn Flageolle, born June 20, 1959 in Denver, Colorado, married Denis Dean Cure, born November 27, 1954 at Flagler, Colorado, on June 9, 1979. Eastern Colorado could be likened to an island in its geographic isolation an island caught in a time and culture lag. The boundaries of this island were the Platte River to the north, the Arkansas River to the south, the Rocky Mountains to the west, and Kansas to the east; an area around which people had gone as they followed the Oregon Trail and the Sante Fe Trail; a last frontier left to the Indians until the white men had to have this land, too. This area of Colorado had been known as the Great American Desert since 1820. There were some two hundred square miles of arid, treeless, limited short grass upland with a few strenms and these few streams often had no water in them. It was observed that buffalo had done well on the prairie grass; why then wouldn't cattle? The desert concept began to change to the newer concept that land was good for growing grass. Sheep, horses, and �cattle could be raised successfully on the grass but the land was too dry for crops. However, the 160 acres a rancher owned and located his ranch buildings on weren't sufficent to feed large numbers of stock. It was the open grazing range which made ranching feasible. Just as the ranchers had replaced the Indians, the homesteaders began to replace the ranchers. The Homestead Act of 1862 provided 160 acres (a quarter section) to anyone 21 years or older, who was a citizen of the United States or who intended to become a citizen, who would live on the said claim for five years and improve it. The quarter section could be bought for $1.25 an acre, which did away with the five year residence requirement. If the terms were met the land patent was issued at the end of five years, giving the homesteader title to the land. The homesteaders had help in displacing 87 the ranchers. The bitter winter of 1886 hit the ranchers hard, killing large numbers of stock. A new invention which made the manufacture of barbed wire at low cost possible, allowed homesteaders to fence their land effectively. These barbed wire fences cut up what had been open grazing land. Homes- teaders were often forced to abandon their claims, due to periodic droughts, grasshoppers, hail, blizzards, or their inability to cope with the isolation. But in place of those who left, others cnme and many more stayed fragmenting the ranchers more and more. Thus my story begins! Henry Flageolle left Montreal, Canada and entered the United States by way of Michigan with his wife Eulalia in 1846. Their son John Sylvester was born in Lansing, Michigan in February of 1847. Another son, HenryJr., was born in Bay City, Michigan in May of 1860. They moved on to Jefferson, South Dakota where several French families settled. Eulalia died in 1862 and is buried in Jefferson. Henry and Eulalia had three daughters and two sons. Henry spent the rest of his life in Jefferson, where he was a blacksmith and vet. He died in 1926. He had remarried and raised a second family before his death. John S. was a successful freighter and contractor owning a hundred wagons and tenms. He built roads thru the Black Hills and built trestles, grades and bridges for the railroad. He also ran a freight line. Henry Jr. was a blacksmith and vet as his father had been. John S. sold out his business around 1900. In the year 1900 he made his first trip to Colorado. He found land in Kit Carson County which he liked. He returned to Jefferson, South Dakota to inform his family of his success in finding land he thought was worth homesteading. In 1904. John S. returned to Kit Carson County with his son William, who was old enough to file a homestead claim and a younger son Ralph. John S. and William filed their claims in Hugo, Colorado for quarter sections in Township 6 R 48 between Cope and Vona. John S. had also brought with him two pine treee which he planted on his claim. Nick Brownwood had a section of land in the same township on which he had built and operated a general store. Nick allowed the men who homesteaded in Township 6 R48 to build a large community building on his section. The building was used for community functions and meetings. It also served as a church until one was built. Until the building was completed the men slept in tents andwagons. Upon completionof the building the men slept and ate inside it. Each day thereafter the men went out to a claim site to build a house for whoever was going to live there. This was done until each man had a house on his claim. Thus, when they returned with their families, there was a house waiting for them. Since there was no timber available the housee that were built at this time were made with sod. The sod was obtained by ploughing furrows. The sod turns in thick, root-matted strips that are cut into chunks a foot and a half long. After the first layer is laid the next layer is laid grass side down, seeing that the joints don't match up, so each sod piece overlapped the two pieces below, much the same as you would do with bricks. Wide eaves were left when the roof was put on so the rain would not wash the sod down. The roof was a layer of sod. Poles placed in the middle of the soddie helped support the roof and with blankets hung from them served as room dividers. The soddie itself was one big room about 14 feet by 24 f.eet. The homesteaders who csme out at this time left some open acres when they filed their claims to afford grazing land and to keep the land from blowing away after it had been ploughed. A township consisted of 36 sections. Ofthose 36 sections, section 16 and 36 were left aside for the support of public schools. They were commonly called "school gections." This land could be rented or leased; the money generated was put into the state's school fund. As later homesteaders came the open land was claimed. A section was one mile square. Thus a township was 36 square miles. In 1906, John S. made the big move to Colorado with his family and all their possessions. His first wife Anna had died some time before. They had two children, Pearl and William. He had remarried, marrying his wife Anna's sister Louvinna who had been married before also. John S. and Louvinna had five children of their own, Ralph, Ester, Grace, John R. and Alvie. John S. and Louvinna loaded their children, all their husband, Charles Homer, Louvinna's father, was gone from home for long periods of time. Louvinna had lived between two haystacks with her mother, her sister Anna and the rest of the children, a cow, and the rest of the things they had been able to carry from their house before a prairie fire had destroyed the house and everything around them. The haystacks had been left when the harvesting crews had gone through. The crews that worked the harvest had lived between the stacks with canvas stretched between them to form a tent. The area round the stacks had been backploughed to form a fire break. Louvinna had a remarkable memory. She kept a journal after she moved to Colorado. In it she wrote the dates the mares would foal, the cows would calf, etc. She also would enter a few personal notes once in awhile. One such entry went something like this: "Today is Valentines Day. It doesn't look like anyone is going to remember, so I will write myself a verse." Then she proceeded to write a poem. She, too, made do in so many ways. Life for the homesteader wasn't easy. They had to hunt their own meat, grind their owrr corn, doctor their own sick and bury their own dead. They learned quickly the sound of a rattle snake and what to do when thatbuzz was heard. Money was something most homesteaders didn't have. When something had to be bought, he would work for the money if he could or find some commodity to sell. Butter, cream and eggs were cash commodities. So were bones. By 1886 buffalo had been virtually made extinct by the hide and tongue hunters. Their bones, however, could be found scattered across the prairie a decade after they had ceased to roam those same prairies. These bones were ground and used for fertilizer. Homesteaders would gather a wagon full of bones and take them to a railroad town to collect cash for them. The bones were shipped back east to fertilizer plants. As a result of John S.'s move to Colorado, family and friends moved to the area also. His brother Henry moved his family by train to Wray, Colorado in 1907. Henry and his wife possessions plus his wagons, livestock, fancy buggy, and matched team of fancy horses Marie brought their children and all their belongings with them to a homestead in Township 6 R48. Their oldest daughter onto the train for the ride to Vona, Colorado. At Vona they disembarked for their home- their infant daughter to a homestead in stead. Once on the homestead all available hands were put to work. A well had to be dug, a barn built to protect their livestock from wild animals, a chicken house had to be built, fences put up to keep stock out of places they shouldn't get into, and ploughing had to be done and crops planted. They may have been crowded inside the soddie but when the work had to be done there weren't too many hands. John R. and Alvie were only six and four but since there was no wood to burn they were old enough to gather cow and sheep chips to burn. They were also old enough to chase the chickens away from places where they didn't belong and to bring in the cattle when older people were busy doing other things. Digging the well was a problem because they had to go so deep for water, over 100 feet. It was a couple of years or more before the well was completed. There was a good 14 feet of water once it was reached. Louvinna was well suited to this kind of life for she had been raised by a mother, Martha Curtis, who knew how to make do while her Ulalie and her husband Mike moved alsowith Township 6 R48. A married sister and family came, as did uncles and cousins. It wasn't long until Township 6 R48 was a third populated with relation of John S. Flageolle. For John S. Flageolle what had looked like a good investment turned out to be a bad one. He had come to Kit Carson County to retire. He watched most of his investment blow away during the dry years. He wasn't alone; there were many like him. He stayed anyway as have some of his descendants. John R. stayed with the land all his life except for a few years spent in retirement in Stratton. He married Mary Balanga and they raised 13 children: Alfred, Gerald, Rose, Robert, Angie, David, Lorena, Donald, Doris, Diane, Jane, Mark, and Gregory. Of these 13 children, only Angie and Diane still live in Kit Carson County. John R. farmed in several areas north of Stratton. As his children reached school age, he began to think of moving closer to town so that school would be accessible. In 1947, John and Mary bought 400 acres of land 3 miles north of Stratton. He farmed the land. �raised hogs and chickens, and kept from 25 to 30 milk cows. He sold cream to the FLAGEOLLE, WILLIAM AND crenmery. For a period of about three years, Town- ship 6 R48 had a Catholic Church and a PAULINE cemetery. Someone would got to Vona and bring Fr. Keifer to the church for Sunday mass, or to officiate at weddings, Batisims, or funerals. The church was abandoned when I.207 St. Charles Catholic Church was built in Stratton around 1910. John R. Flageolle transfened the bodies in the cemetery to the cemetery in Stratton in 1935, at the request of Fr. Munich, the parish priest. Gerald J. Flageolle has many fond memories ofhis father John R. and his grandfather John S. The boredom of milking cows wag relieved by his father's stories and old songs. His grandfather lived with them for a time after Louvinna's death. He would walk into town after the noon meal to play cards or checkers with the group of retired men who met each day down town. Then he would walk home again when school was over. Gerald would walk with him and list€n to the stories he would tell about the places he had been, the things he had done and the people he had met. Gerald lived in Kit Carson County until he went into the Air Force in 1953. William and Pauline on their wedding day. Gerald J. Flageolle's daughter, Vickie, maried Denis Cure and lives a mile north of Pauline (Wynn) Flageolle was born in 1894 in South Dakota. Her father, stepmother, two sisters, one brother and one half-sister moved to Colorado from Jefferson, South Dakota in 1908. William and Pauline were manied in raise hogs and sheep. Joehua is aheady active helping with chores on the farm and is active 1910. They had 5 children. Stratton, just off the Kirk highway. They have five boys: Joshua, Kevin, Douglas, Bradley and Eric. They farm the land, and in 4-H. Kevin is beginning to help with the farm chores. Douglas, Bradley, and Eric enjoy following their father around as he works and accompanying him in the truck. They think the farm life is the only life. The descendants of John S. are still a part of Kit Carson County. They live an work to fullill the sn'ne kind of goals their ancestors had eighty years ago. The land was free, the investmentwas hard work, and the homesteader was his own boss. He lived on hope . . . hope for sufficent moisture, hope that they could survive the winter storms. Someone once said, "East€rn Colorado wag one ofthe wonders ofthe world. Wonder anyone's here. I cnme here with nothing and still have it. We live on air, water . . . when we can get it, and good times." Eastern Colorado was a last frontier. There are some people who need a challenge, who meet that challenge and don't back down no matter what the coet to themselves. There are people who don't know how to live any other way. Surely these are the people of Eastern William and Pauline and family. Catherine is not in this picture. Back row L to R: Pearl, Richard, Ruth. Front row: Willio-, Archie and Pauline. William Flageolle, son of John and Anna Flageolle was born on July 29, 1886 at Council Bluffs, Iowa. He came to Colorado in 1906 to homestead in the Brownwood community 1672 miles north of Vona, Colorado. William's dad, John Flageolle, homesteaded a farm north and one east of the William's farm. We would have terrible tornadoes every summer. Dad would send us all to the cellar and he would stand on the top step and raise the door a little to tell us what was blowing away. One time the tornado picked up a colt and dropped it in the horse tank. Another time Dad was farming with six horses and some dark clouds came up and he no more than got home when the storm hit one and killed it. They used a horse and buggy to go to Mass at Stratton, and to get supplies in town. Dad was caught in a blizzard and never got home until real late at night one time and when he Colorado. Unless we know where we came from, something about the road we traveled as people, how can we know who we are and where we are going? Because I feel this way, I have gathered togetherthe information that precedes. Eastern Colorado is where my children's grandparents chose to make their home. Their story is my story too, because it is everyone'e story who had grandparents who were in the United States in the 1?00's and 1800's. A frontier is a frontier, whenever or wherever it is happening. by Laura M. Flageolle William Flageolle standing by his sod house on the homestead. �did he was alnost frozen to death. My folks rented a house in town across from the Catholic church and sent the children to the Catholic echool. My father interest in the affairs of the community. He was never too busy to lend aid to a worthy cause or to someone in need. During World War II, he served as the Red Cross officer for stayed on the farm during this time. They the Kit Carson County area. He was a member of the school board for 15 years, 1930 and then they moved to a farm north of served on the city council of Burlington and was active in the Burlington Rotary Club. lived in the Brownwood co-munity until Stratton. They moved to Minnesota for 4 years but decided it wae too cold and moved back to a farm one mile north and one mile west of Stratton. They lived there until Willinm's death on August 3, 1951. Archie stayed with Mother for one month after Dad's death to help get ready for a sale. Mother moved to Denver and lived with Catherine and worked in a Rainbow Bakery for 10 years. After she retired she bought some acreage in Parker, Colo. and built a house and retired. She still residee in her own home at the age of 93. When they lived on the homestead, my dad only lived just a V, mile north of the Brownwood store so he would to to Vona, Seibert or Burlington to haul supplies back to the store for Mr. Brownwood. Later he sold out to people that cnme from Holland. Their name was Fred Loppstra. They had a child that was sick when they came over and he had to stay in Holland. I do not know if he lived or not. They went to Chrietian Endeavour Church which was also in that community. The school house was about 1/z mile west of the store. Fred Loppstra sold the store in the 30's after most of the eettlers left their land because of drouth or lost it to delinquent taxes. He ca-e back years later and looked up my father at Stratton and asked him if he knew where any of the people had gone or if some still lived around here. He said that my father did not owe him any money but if he could find some of the people they might pay gome to clear the debt. The ledger was quite large. I don't know if he ever go any money from anyone. Most people just gave up and left for the city and got jobs in factories or somewhere and had juet enough to live. So the 30's were hard on everyone. Archie lives and works in Denver Colo. Richard is retired and lives in Stratton, Colo. Pearl lives in Denver, Colo. Catherine lives in Parker, Colo. Ruth liveg in Chappell, Nebraska. William and Pauline received a patent on their homestead on March 3, 1913 signed by William Taft. The legal description of the land is SWYr and SE% of S15 T6S R48. Richard and Dorothy Flageolle, Jack Brachtenbach, Larry Brachtpnbach and Denny Brachtenbach and their children are the only family of William that are etill in Kit Carson County. Dr. Flatt maried Bernice Hartstine in 1928. Tbo children were born to them, William Stanley and Cynthia Jane. They also raised a nephew, Jack Dillon who cnme to live with them at the age of four years. Dr. Glenn S. Flatt was born on Januar5r 3, 1899 and died on November 1, 1952. After Glenn died Bernice taught in the Burlington School system and received her degree by attending summer school. After retiring she helped teach refugee families English and was active in several community organizations. Bernice was born on March 10, 1903 and died in January of L977. by Bill Flatt After our marriage we lived with his parents south of Vona until we established our own farm which was located 12 miles south of Vona. It was difficult to make a living farming. Our income wae made by growing crops, cattle, and selling creo- and eggs. After our first three boys were born, Ray had to leave one winter and work in the oil fields in Texag to supplement our income. I stayed home with the boys and took care of the cattle, horseg, and chickens. We lived on the farm until 1936 when we moved to Vona. At this time Ray becane Poetmaster of the Vona Post Office. In 1949 he became a mail carrier until his retirement in 1970. During these years we had 11 children: Leon, (deceased); Merl, (manied Hazel Thompson); Pat, (married Nina Lou Walker); Jack, (deceased, married Peggy); Ramon, (deceased); Jo Ann, (married Kenneth Pickard); Mary Lou, (married Roch Luebbers); Colleen, (deceased); Kay, (married Bill Crum); Carol, (mauied Art Taylor); and Linda (married George Card). Atthis writing there are 29 grandchildren and 25 gteat- FORD - MOHR FAMILY grandchildren. by Ifarriet Ford F209 In 1912 my parents, Fred and DeEtta Mohr, my brother, Bill and I moved to Kit Carson County. We boarded an immigrant car at Corsica, South Dakota. We brought with us all of our personal belongings, 8 horses and 6 cows. Our homestead was located 2 miles NE of Vona. We lived in a 2 room sod house and my father farmed. During this time I remember many visits from gypsy caravans. They would travel from farm to farm and town to town and beg. FRANKFATHER, CLAY AND DACY F210 In the coming years my parents had 6 more children, Henry, Gladys, Mildred, Lester, Myrna, and Betty. All of the above are deceased except for Myrna and Betty, who now reside in California. We attcnded school in Vona, walking 2 miles each way every day. I also belonged to 4-H and Bertha Wear was the 4-H leader. Our main transportation during those years were horges. They were much more than working animals though, they were also beloved pets. Eventually my father decided to quit farming and opened a Harness and Shoe Repair Shop in Vona on Main Street. A Crenmery was added later, At this time Vona congigted of 2 hotels, 2 cafea,2 grocery stores, a livery stable, hardware store, a bank, drug store and post office. by Ruth Brachtenbach Robingon In 1908 Pat and Julia Ford moved their family to Kit Carson County from South FLATT FAMILY F208 to a homegtead south of Vona. During this time, Pat Ford worked for the Rock Island Railroad and ran a butcher shop before Dr. Glenn S. Flatt was a native of the moving to the farm. Pat and Julia had 4 children, Clair, Giles, Dakota. They lived in Stratton before moving Hawkeye State, Iowa. While etiil very young the family moved to Stanley, North Dakota, where Glenn grew up. Glenn attended the Stanley Schoolg and graduated from high school in 1918 and immediately entered the Denver University School of Dentistry. As a licensed dentist, he came to Burlington in 1924 to practice his profession. "Doc," as he was known to his friends. had a sincere Ray, and Celia; all of whom are deceased except for Celia, who ie married to Bob Straughn and lives in Longmont, Colorado. In 1921 Ray Ford and I were married at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Denver. Prior to this, Ray had attended a country school and went to high school in Vona. He went on to attend Barnes Business College in Denver. Wedding picture of Clay and Dacy Franlf,ather, June 3, 1902. Clay Demaree Frankfather was the firgt male child born in Roca, Nebragka. His parents were Snrnuel S. Frankfather and Anna Maria Gilson Frankfather, who came from Potterstown, Ohio in 1868 and homesteaded near Roca. Dacy Lee Frankfather was born at Lucas, Iowa. She loet her father at an early age and her mother, Arbella Lee and two children, Dacy and Allie, moved two miles north of Seibert, Colorado. �Burlington, also at a school four miles east and four north of Seibert, and in the town of Vona. Clay and Dacy moved to Denver in 1947 and had a rooming house. Aft€r five years Dacy started teaching again at a school 30 miles north of Denver. She retired from teaching in 1958. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June, 1952. Clay Demaree Frankfather born August 28, 18?6 and died March 22, L966. Dacy Lee Frankfather born June 13, 1879, died August 5, 1961. by Irene Boger FROMONG, Iil.AZE'L F2l1 The Dwight Frankfather family, back row; Kevin Thomas Fitz Simmons and his wife Clara, Dwight Jr. and Karen. Seated; Arwen, Shannon, with their three daughters, Florence, Dorothy and Hazel, moved from Nebraska to and Kirk. Standing; Joanne, Dwight, Helen, Vidrik, Lori and Todd. building roade into Cripple Creek for 93.00 Clay and Dacy Frankfather's SOth wedding anniversaq/, June, 1952. per day. They also staked a gold mine claim, had it surveyed and patented, and built two houses and a barn on the property. On the strength of a gold find near their claim and since their claim had not yet produced, they sold it for $6000 and returned to Roca in the fall of 1899. In the spring of 1900, the family returned to Colorado and settled on a ranch one and a half miles northwest of Vona. It was here that Clay met Dacy Lee, a schoolteacher. They were married on June 3, 1902 by H.H. Priest, Justice of the Peace, two miles north of Seibert. Clay and Dacy went to Cripple Creek but due to a big miner's strike at that time, they returned to Seibert. In 1903, Samuel Frankfather traded his land for a store in Colorado Springs and Clay and Dacywentthere to help in the store for I year, after which Clay bought a team and wagon and moved to Flaglerwhere their son, DwightLee, was born on September 11, 1904. r 986 Dwight and Helen Frankfather on their 5fth wedding annivereary. After homeeteading, Clay's parents opened a general merchandise store and hotel in Roca. Clay worked in the area at odd jobs and for a time drove a tenm and wagon, working at a stone quarry ten hourg a day, eix days a \peek for $20 a month including room and board. In 1896, he and his father combined their money and bought another tenm and wagon and two heavy used railroad tents and took the family to Cripple Creek, Colorado. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Frankfather and three children, Clay, Mabel and Grace, who had all been born in Roca. It took them 40 days to reach Cripple Creek. They found an area on Spring Creek near a freshwater spring and set up their tents. Clay and hie father goon found work with a crew The next several years were spent in Seibert where Clay worked in stores, served as a deputy county assessor and auctioneered, crying numerous public auctions. He later opened his own grocery store and closed it in 1927 because during the dry years farmers were not able to pay their bills. Fuel became scarce about this time and residents of the area walked along the railroad track, picking up coal which had fallen from the trains, and algo resorting to old railroad ties and cow chips to burn in their stoves. Dacy taught echool for a total of 23 years, 20 of which were in Colorado. She first taught a six-month school 12 miles north of Seibert. Her second school was in 1898 on the Osage Indian reservation near Gray Horse, Oklaho- Burlington in 1921, living south of Burlington . for a few years. In 1924 Dorothy passed away at age sixteen. In 1927 they moved to the Smoky Hill Community. They were active in all ofthe school activities and the church and Sunday School there. Hazel attended school at Smoky Hill, graduating from Burlington in 1929. Her mother passed away in 1933. Florence taught school in the Pond Creek district and in other country schools. She later married Ted Woods from Stratton. When the dirt storms came they moved to Oregon where she remained with her family until her death in 1982. Hazel manied Everett Fromong from Kanorado. They are the parents of three children, Tommy, Terrence and Phyllis. Everett served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. When he returned he established the Fromong Body Shop, which he operated until his death in 1965. During World War II, Hazel continued her education at Greeley, and started teaching, and continued for 30 years. Four of those years were at Smoky Hill, and in other country schools, until the re-organization of the school districts, and she taught in the Burlington School for 22 years. After retiring, Hazel went back to school and got her real estate license. She worked in that capacityfor several years. The Fromong children attended Burlington Schools, and chose different careers. Tommy was engaged in farming until his death in 1985. Terrence is a psychologist in Tacoma, Washington. Phyllis has served as County Clerk in Burlington for seventeen years. Her husband, Doug Collins is engaged in farming and cattle and also serves the community as an auctioneer. Hazel is now employed in the new project called, Old Town, here in Burlington. ma. She returned to Seibert and taught in her home district three miles north of Seibert, and when heavy rain washed down the native limestone schoolhouse she was forced to finish school in a tent. The next year she taught in the district where the Frankfathers lived and boarded with them. In 1929, Mrs. Della Hendricks, Superintendent of Schools for Kit Careon County, asked Dacy to complete a term of school 20 miles northeast of Burlington. She later taught at Smoky Hill which was 12 miles south and five east of by Mrs. Ted Eberhart �FUHLENDORF, ELIZABETH HENRIETTA Fogg place, a mile north and a mile east of Vona. I, Alma Bigelow Becker, was born on this place on Jan. 15, 191.9. A big snowstorm had blocked roads so Dr. McBride from Seibert had to come to Vona, on a handcar, F2I-2 My mother, Elizabeth Henrietta Fuhlendorf, was born July 27, LBW on a farm near Odebolt, in Sac County, Iowa. Grandfather Fuhlendorf operated a crermery in Iowa. It was at this crenmery that mother's oldest brother, Gus, was scalded fatally when he fell into a vat of hot water. The Gus Fahlendorfs moved to Armour, South Dakota in 1896. Here is where my mother lived until she graduated from high school in 1908. Grandfather Gus and Uncle Fred had homesteaded northeast of Vona, in early 1907. When mother finished high echool in the spring of 1908, Uncle Fred came to Armour and escorted mother to the homestead in Colorado, 5 miles north,3 miles east and. t/z mile north of Vona. Grandfather's homestead house has been moved into Strat- ton, and is today the dwelling at 211 New York Ave. Mother, having a high school education, was a certified school teacher for the state of South Dakota, but in Colorado, she was not eligible to teach before she finished a course in Colorado civics. Mother says she put her nose in some book learning and in the fall of 1909, started a career in teaching. Her firet gchool was the Ashview school, a half mile south of grandfather's homestead. In 1910 and 1911, mother taught at the Murphy school, northeast of Seibert. Father and Mother were married on March 30, 1911. Dr. Beechley lived in Stratton, and was the Justice of Peace. My parents were married by him in his home. Father often remarked, that he never became his own boss, because he got married a few days before he becn-e of age. My parents roamed around for bwo years. They had a team of horses and a b,esm of mules and a Jersey cow. They hitched the horses and the mules to a covered wagon, tied the Jersey cow to the rear and headed to the beet, potato and hay fields, around Fort Morgan and Hudson, Colo. In 1912, they rented a farm about 2 niles southeast of Fort Morgan. On March 14, 1913, my parents ca-e back bo Kit Careon county. They homesteaded rbout 10 miles northwest of Stratton, Colo. Ihis is the place where LeRoy Brachtenbachs Live today. Mother returned to teaching again. This bime at a country school called Solid Center. Ihis school was about 2 miles east and north rf my parents homestead. Mother does not know if there are any remains left of this Solid lenter School. Mother knows of at least one rf the pupils still living today, Cora Tuttle, rrho lives at Wray, Colo. One day, as mother was driving to this rchool, she turned back to see smoke billow,ng from their homestead house. Earl was rorking in the field. Both arrived and uatched as flames burned their home to rshes. They could not even find mother's redding ring, which she had taken off that norning because it was a bit loose and ghe vas afraid of losing it. The fire start€d from r defective chimney. My two older brothers l'loyd and Howard were born here. In 1918, Earl and Elizabeth bought the on the Rock leland railroad, and then rode a horse to our place. The doctor was too late, before he got to our house, I was born. I was such a small baby, my parents feared for my life. The flu epidemicof 1918 was still around. In 1920, my parents moved from the Fogg place (where the Kenneth Pickards live today) to a farm 1 mile south and % mile esst of Vona. This is where my sisters Louise and Rose Anna were born and also where my future hugband, Wilbert, came to court me. About 20 years ago (after the folks sold the place) this house also burned to the ground, and the people that lived there lost all their belongings. The descendants of Earl and Elizabeth Bigelow fanily are 5 children, 12 grandchildten,24 great grandchildren, and 3 great great grandchildren. by Alma L. Bigelow Becker FUHLENDORF, VIOLET LILLIAN F213 Gustav Fuhlendorf came to America by boat from Germany, and then by boat up the Mississippi River to Davenport, Iowa. Eventually the family moved into Colorado. Fredrick Carl Fuhlendorf, the 3rd child, 2nd son of Gustav and Fredricka Fuhlendorf and Chloe Altha Lloyd, the 5th child, Srd daugh- ter, of So-uel Merida Lloyd and Alvira Vianna (Cage) were married in Vurlington, Kit Carson County, Colorado, on Oct. 13, 1909. When they got married, the folks drove into Burlington and as it was a long trip they had to stay overnight. Today it is only an hours drive there and back to Vona. Dad's homestead was located 6 mi. north and 2 mi. east of Vona, Colo. To sign up and prove on the homestead, Dad had to go to Farming hadn't been good because of the drought years, so they moved into Vona. Dad wae the Assistant Postmast€r for 6 years. Then they moved to Wheatridge, where he was the school janitor for the Wheatridge School. In 1944, they returned to Vona and he becnme the janitor of the Vona School until he retired. There were three song in the service; Wayne was in the Navy, and Carl and Dale were in the Army dwing World War II. Dad passed away in Denver on Sept. 9, 1950, and Momlived in Vona, untilherhealth got worse. Then she moved into Grace Manor in Burlington, until her passing. by Violet Ednunds FULLER FAMILY E2t4 With the development of Stratton and that section of Kit Carson County, Nason Hoyt Fuller was closely identified through his farming operations and through general merchandising. He lived a busy, useful, active, clean and honorable life and left to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. He was born in Canada February 6, 1846 and pursued his education to the age of 16 when he moved to Piatt Co., Illinois, later moving to McDonough County, Tllinois. He worked in a wood shop assisting in the building of wagons and other wood work. It was here he met his wife, Miss Angeline Ingram. They were married and moved to Iowa where he worked at blacksmithing and farming. They had two children, Ira D., and Manda Iva who later became the wife of J.W. Borders. In 1888 they moved to Colorado and homesteaded near Stratton. Theyfarmed but his health was impaired so they moved into Stratton. Mr. Fuller once more embarked in General Merchandising, but a year later his store was destroyed by fire. He was entering the store with a lighted lemp when he suffered a heart attack and ths lamp fell, breaking and starting a fire. His friends came Hugo, Colo. to do it. Our land was the SW% in 31, and the NW% in Sec. 6-8-47. Our Address was Stratton, which was 5 mi. E. and 6 mi. South of the homestead. There were 11 to the rescue, taking him from the burning building. All the buildings on the store's side of the street were burned including the relatively new home of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. ber the time when I was about 4-5 years old, Borders. Mr. Fuller then sold his farm in order to get ready money to resume his business. He remained in active business until his death in December, 1917. children and all were born in the general vicinity of the homestead. I, Violet, remem- we were in the horge drawn buggy and headed downhill from our home to town. The horses ran off and Mom wan so scared she tried to jump out. Dad had all he could do to hold her in and gain control ofthe horses. They finally turned at the top of hill and stopped. We kids were under the buckboard and were so scared; I still remember it to this day. Dad's first Model T car had to be started by jacking up the hind wheels and cranking on it. One day Dad was starting the car this way but it ran thru the clothes line, clothes and all. Mom was scared and didn't get mad till it was all over with. To get to go to the County Fair in Burlington, we would get up and leave home before daylight in an old Model T car and spend the whole day. It would be way up in the night when we got home. Dad farmed until 1936. Times were so hard and I don't know how they fed all of us. by Floyd Borders � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- F Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource Brief family history from founders of Kit Carson County whose names begin with "F." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/467/Families-G.pdf 178bc7b3934fe78242859297f8b4170e PDF Text Text Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Gaines on their 45th wedding anniversary May 15, 195?, at their home on Main Avenue in Flagler. with Jean McMaster, born April 17, 1887, a daughter of Willian Ogden and Nancy Fuller/Borders four generationg: Back row: Floyd Borders, J.W. Borders, Hal Borders. Seated: Grandma Fuller holding Dick Borders, Hal's son Bob Borders, Grandma Sarah Borders and Diana Borders. GAHM, MRS. ELLA F215 On August 22,1962, we spent the evening in the home of Mrs. Sadie Raines in order that we might record some of the facts about and experiences of her mother, Mrs. Ella Gahm, who celebrated her 91st, birthday in January, 1962. Mrs. Gahm, her husband Ed, and their three children, took up residence in Kit Carson County in Feb. 1906. Mr. Gahm had come out in December of 1905 and filed on a homestead, having bought a relinquishment. This quarter section was located 5 miles south of Peconic. He and a friend. George Cowing, came out in an emigrant car containing their household goods, farming equipment, a team of horses, etc. When Mrs. Gahm and the children ceme they spent the first night in the Montezuma Hotel, and had to all four occupy one room. The Gahm'g lived with neighbors until their own home was built of adobe. The roof was covered with boards, tar paper, then sod on top. This was cozy and comfortable until one day a "twister" went through the area and tore the roof off. To help out the first year, Mr. Gahm worked for Grant Mann, a well driller, employed by many of the homesteadere. The family raised a large garden, and made kraut in half barrel lots. There were of course no phones, no electricity, no hospitals and no doctor service very near. When Mrs. Gahm's fourth child, Vannie, was born in 1908, she had the servicee of a midwife, Mrs. Burlington, and she herself acted as a midwife and delivered four babies for neighbor families. She was dso called many times in the case of sicknesg or death. Mrs. Gehm also acted as a barber and cut her son's and husband's hair. She says she always cut it as close as she possibly could. She made all clothes by hand, other chores including gathering cow chips for fuel, and coal oil lamps meant a daily task of cleaning lamp chimneys. There were many hardships for the set- Liddle McMaster. They were the parents of two children, Arthur Edwin, Jr. born November 14, 1914 and Doris May born on July 14, 1920. She died of spinal meningitis on May 24,1923. tlers, blizzards in the winters and high winds and fires in the summer. One frightening experience was the big fire of 1910. "I don't remember how wide the burned area was but as the fire neared our home, it divided and went on each side, leaving us unharmed, but the possibility of being surrounded and burned left a memory never to be forgotten. The fire posed a real hardship on the cattlemen, who depended upon the rich and nutritious grass for food for their cattle. After visiting Colorado in about 1919, Art bought a half section of land eight miles south of Flagler, and two years later he held a farm sale near Omaha and brought a calf, some chickens, an Avery tractor, and some furniture in a "box car" to a rented one-story frame house across the road from his land. Meanwhile the family and Jean's mother, Nancy, rode the Rock Island passenger train, arriving in Flagler February 22, L92L. Art kept busy raising wheat, barley, oats, The writer asked Mrs. Gahm what she and corn with corn being the main crop. remembered most about homestead life and she answered, "hard work" but Mrs. Raines spoke up and said, "But we had lots of good timeo", she went on to say that seldom did Livestock raised included cattle, horses and they ever spend Sunday alone. Either their family would go to a neighbors for dinner or some family would stop in at our place for dinner. Many modern wives would throw their hands in the air if a family of four or five would drop in unannounced. During her later years, Mrs. Gahm pieced and quilted some fifty or more beautiful quilts. One, a postage stamp pattern, (made up oftiny blocks sewn together by hand) now belongs to Mrs. Raines. by Mrs. Bessie Peggy T9ilson GAINES, ARTHUR E. FAMILY F2l6 Arthur Edwin Gaines, the eldest son of Charles Thomas and Emma Liming Gaines was born Februar5/ 2, 1888, in a log cabin near Jacksonville, Illinois. His childhood was spent on the family farm, where with four sisters and a brother he attended the Liter- berry school through eight grades. At age twelve he beco-e a member of the Shiloh Methodist Church. As a young man, he went to Omaha, Nebraska where he worked for five years and spent ten years farming by himself. On May 15, 1912, he was united in marriage hogs. Jean spent many hours whenever needed acting as a practical nurse and/or midwife in the area. For entertainment, they played cards and danced in each other's homes. Neighborhood clubs with a big hearty meal served at midday were popular with farm families. As many as fifty might gather at one time. The Gaines family purchased land two miles northwest of Flagler, built a two story modern fra-e houge, a large Gordon Van Tyne pre-cut barn (shipped from lowa), and other buildings, moving there in Lg2l. Jean was a charter member of the Flagler Woman's Club and served actively in the Flagler Congregational Ladies Aid. Art and Jean belonged to the Flagler Country Club for many years. They helped the club celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. The club was so large it owned dishes, silverware, coffee pot, and even chairs, which passed monthly to each family as food and friendship were enjoyed by all. Jean was also one of the first Home Demonstration Club presidents in the Flagler area. As the years went by, Art became involved in Farm Bureau, serving as the local president, then for seventeen years as State Farm Bureau treasurer. Through his Farm Bureau work, he was asked to investigate ways and means to get electricity to this area. As a result of much hard work and several selffinanced trips to Washington, D.C., electric power was brought to eastern Colorado. Art served as president of K.C. Electric for its first twenty-one years, 1945 till 1966. He was �also active in signing people for the rural telephone syst€m. He wae a member of I.O.O.F. lodge for more than thirty-five years. The Gaines'built a brick home on Main Avenue in Flagler in 1948 and moved to town. Jean and Art enjoyed nlmegt, 50 years of married life before his death on March 23, 1962. On March 19, 1966, Art married Anna Stouffer of Bellevue, Nebraska. Anna died in 1969. Martha Kessler was joined in marriage with Art on July 30, 1970. She died December 27, L986. When Art ceaged active farming, he continued taking care of his yard and large garden. He derived much enjoyment from many town children and his great-grandchildren. An open howe was held in 1983 in honor of Art's 95th birthday. Arthur Gaines passed away at the age of 95 on May 15, 1983. by Arthur Gaines, Jr. GAINES, ARTHUR 8., JR' F2r7 ArthurEdwin Gaines, Jr. was born November 14, 1914 at the Irvington, Nebraska farm home of Arthur E. and Jean McMaster Gaines where he lived until the family moved to a farm eight miles south of Flagler, Colorado February 2L, LgzL. His younger sister Dorie May was born July 14, 1920 and died May 24,1923. Art, Jr. attended the Texarado school for the remainder of that year. He was the only boy enrolled there. He was transported daily by the teacher, Aljy Stinton. The following year he transferred to the Flagler School and ':l:l .,'.4:' 'l:t ,i; *::lt.. was graduated from Flagler High School in 1934. He attended college at Colorado University in Boulder and Colorado Agricultural College in Fort Collins. During the following three years Art was a distributor for Conti- nental Oil Company in the Seibert and Flagler areas. On January 31, 1938, Arthur married Pearl Fay McCart, daughter of Joseph Andrew and Diana Bratley McCart. Pearl was born December 10, 1917 near Neosho, Missouri. At the age of three, her parents, a sister, and three brothere moved to a farm south of Seibert, Colorado. Pearl attended Sunday School and grade school at Pleasant Meadow, Spring Creek and Rock Cliff, later going to grade school and high school in Seibert, where she was outstanding in scholastics and athletics. She graduated as salutatorian of her class in 1934. Three children were born to the Gaines': Willinm Arthur, November 11, 1940; Terry Jay, May 8, 1944; and Phyllis Ann, September 19, 1945. In the spring of 1940, Art and Pearl moved one mile west of Flagler and began farming. Two years later the three Gaines'moved to the old "'Schwlm place" two and a half miles west of Flagler and continued working on the farm for four years. The farm sold to the Roy Dragoo family, so the five Gaines'moved to 526 Main Avenue while Art worked on the railroad for a yeer and originated the Flagler-Denver Truckline. In 1948 the Art Gaines, Jr. family moved to the family farm two miles northwest of Flagler where Art farmed until 1970. Pearl passed away aftcr a short battle with leukemia on October 16, 1950 at the age of 32. Virginia Barr Gainee, daughter of Aubrey and Florence Swaneon Barr was married to Art on May 3, 1952. She was born November 3, 1915 at York, Nebraska. She attended country grade school and graduated from York High School. Ginny graduated from Kearney State College in 1937 with a degree in English, then taught English, home economics and art for three years at the Madison, Nebraska high school. Virginia attended the Lincoln General Hospital school of nursing for three years and becsme a registered nurse. She went to Denver in 1944 where she volunteered and served her coun- try during World War II in the Army Nurse Corps, journeying to the Phillipine Islands and Japan. She returned to Denver, taught and supervised obstetric's in Denver Presbyterian Hospital during the post war "baby boom". Upon coming to Flagler in 1952, Ginny soon became busily involved in family life a Den Mother, Girl Scout council - beingpresident secretary, of PTA and band parents, along with nursing part time at the Flagler Hospital. Later she served as director of nursing in a Limon nursing home. Virginia and Art joined the Flagler Congregational Church and have been active in church activities through the years. Art's volunteer community sewice has included: nine years on the Flagler Equity Co-op board; twenty-five years in Boy Scouts of America, having been awarded the Silver Beaver in 1955; six years on the Flagler school board during construction of the new school building; two years as 4-H tractor club leader; chairmanship of the fund raising campaign for the Community Medical Center; service on all local boards of the Flagler Congregational Church, and on the board ofthe Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Chrigt. Art was a member of the Community Ambulance service for twelve years afier its formation in 1968. He was assistant director for two years, director for four years and taught CPR and EMT classeg for seven years. Having been appointed to the Flagler Housing Authority in 1976, and elected chairman in 1979, he was deeply involved in the construction of what is now the low-cost housing projects known as "Pioneer Valley". Along with' his volunteer activities, Art continued to carry on an active farming progrrm, including hog and sheep production. After semi-retirement in 1981, Art and Virginia have had time to enjoy being with their children and grandchildren and taking extensive winter trips in their fifth-wheel :,i,it r ?:i; trailer. Theycontinue to live on MainAvenue in Flagler. t ::' !t f,t{.:;;:, r,t::::,, ,t:';titer:: Present fanily members include: BiU, his wife Kay (Oehrli) and son, Gregory in Puyallup, Washington; Terry, his wife Sally (Mock) eons Jay, Andrew and Todd, and daughter Rebecca on the "home falm" northwest of Flagler; Phyllis, her husband Allen Petereon and sone Mark and Steven and daughter Jean Ann on the "Schwyn place" two and a half miles west of Ffuler. by Arthur E. Gaines, Jr. GALES FAMILY The Arthur E. Gaines, Jr. family, November 12, 1961. Seated: Virginia Barr Gaines, Arthur E. Gaines, Jr.; Standing: Phyllis Ann, Terry Jay, William Arthur, 2nd Lt. Navigator in the U.S. Air Force. F2l8 My grandfather James William Gales wag born January 2, Lffi7 in Promise City, Iowa and married Martha Davis there. They moved to the Seibert, Colorado area approximately 1915 looking for land to homestead or buy. They lived in several homes in the Seibert area. They had three daughters before they moved to Seibert; Eva, Pauline and Fern Artie. Grandpa Bill was a very �loving and caring man. Some of my happiest memories are the times I spent with him. He was one of the early members of the R.L.D.S. church and continued faithful until his death in 1961. Grandpa died December 1931 of dropsy. He wae a member of the I.O.O.F. lodge and Community Club. Even after a back injury forced him from the farm, he loved to take ridee in the country to see the crops. Eva never married and continued to live at home. Pauline married Ralph Roberts in Seibert in 1917 while he was working on the railroad. They moved to Kanorado, Kansas and then to Goodland, Kansas where he continued working on the railroad until his death in 1953. They had one daughter Lois, Wayne, and Delbert, who died at birth. Harrison and Augusta farmed and ran cattle like everyone else. They took great pride in their garden and always had their cellar full. Gardening was a family affair. Each spring Harrison would plowthe plotwith horses and float the ground to make it level. Tomato, cabbage, pepper and celery plants were st€fi,ed early in hot beds. The extra plants were eold in Flagler. Each fall about 1000 quarts of food was put up. This consisted of chicken, beef, corn, green beans, tomatoes and fruit. There were some cherry trees on the farm until the hail killed them in 1934. Canning in those days was lots more work than now. Corn was canned in the copper wash boiler and you hauled wood in all day Juaneta who married Ernest Middleton. They had four children and several grandchildren. Pauline wan very active in the R.L.D.S. church playrng the organ and to keep the fire going. Harrison and Augusta's grandchildren even enjoyed grandpa's help in teaching class. She always had a large garden and shared it with family and friends. Fern married Ernie Akers inl924 and they Farming was done with horses, and I don't really remember when we got a tractor. We did get our first modern conveniences in 1940, a gas stove and refrigerator! Like most had five children. After their divorce she traveled to Canada and Alaska, returning to California in 1974 where she died in 1987. by Dorothy (Akers) Noel GANGWISH - RUHTER FAMILY F2l9 l1 .iiir,, ,:. the garden. Grandpa could cut corn faster than anyone! everyone else, we milked cows and sold cren- and eggs. Harrison believed in paying cash. He never owned anyone and always paid cash or they just didn't have it. One day during a dirt storm a baby lpmb wandered into the farm yard. Of course the kids loved it, and they bottle fed the baby for three days before the neighbors could see to come get it. When they took the lnmb home, the ewe wouldn't claim the lnmb, so they gave it back to Geraldine, Lois and Wayne to raise. The lamb was called Tiny and followed them everywhere. Augusta wasn't so proud of that lamb. The girls liked to hold Tiny and he would chew the bias tape ties on their dresses to shreds. Tiny did grow up and it was a sad day when Tiny was sold. Evenings and snowy days were spent Harrigon and Augusta Ganpish on their fiftieth wedding anniversary, January 2, 1962. Harrison Morton Gangwish (born August 14, 1888 in Juniata, Nebraeka) and Augusta Marie Ruhter (born November 3, 1892 in Roseland, Nebraska) were married on January 1, 1912, in Sidney, Nebraska. In the spring of 1918, they bought and paid for 320 acreg of land north and east of Arriba. Colorado. It wasn't until 1923 when they moved to their farm from Juniata, Nebragka. They cnme by car when they moved to their farm from Juniata, Nebragka. They came by car with their baby daughter, Geraldine, and ahipped their belongings on the railroad. Their firet home wae a little house "acrosg the road" from the present farm. They lived here while building the new house during the errmmer of 1923. The fun features of this new house were a big picture window in the living room and an open full basement. The basement was used for roller skating and dances. Neighbore came on Saturday night every couple weeks. The ladies brought sandwiches for supper and everyone pitched in to pay the mwicians for square dancing music. Three children were born in Colorado. playing cards and games. Favorite pastimes were pot luck dinners with the neighbors. Harrison and Augusta loved their children and grandchildren. They always had time to talk and play with their kids. That's one thing their three children and nine grandchildren will always remember - Grandma and Grandpa loved us! The family always enjoyed one another and summer reunions were a big event. We always tried to spend at least a week together every summer fishing and camping. Geraldine, Lois, and Wayne still like to travel together and continue to spend a couple weeks together each year. by Geraldine M. Smith GARNER - HAMPTON FAMILY I.220 Joe W. Garner and Susie S. Hnmpton were married in Gove County, Kansas, on April 2, 1911. Joe had grown up in Phillips and Gove Counties of Kansas. Susie was born and grew to young womanhood in Mason County, Illinois. Her parents the P.C. Hamptons had come wegt as pioneers a few months before her marriage. In October of 1911, Joe and Susie packed their belongings into a covered wagon and with a few head of livestock trailing the wagon they began their adventure to move Joe and Susie Garner. westward to locate and claim a homestead in Colorado. Their goal had been to go into the Flagler or Limon area or beyond. They were marooned in the Bethune area for a few days due to an early fall snow storm. As they approached Stratton they had been told of the beautiful bluestem grass, belly high to a horse, in the sand hills northwest of Stratton. It sounded good, so they moved in that direction and settled 13 miles northwest of Stratton, one mile north of the Republican river. Days were difficult in their new homeland. Joe used his team and equipment to help other neighbors break sod and also did custom work to earn some cash. Susie looked after the home area, milked the cows and herded their livestock. A number of their relatives soon cnme to settle on near by land. George and Agnes Paintin homesteaded just east of Joe and Susie about a half mile. Another sister and her husband, Sam and Alice Travis, settled on a homestead northeast of Garners. Then Susie's parents and brother, P.C. and Maggie Hampton and Johnny crme a few years later and settled on a homestead about one mile north of them. Their first house was a flat roofed "soddy". The house walls were laid up with sod and the roof was constructed of boards covered over with strips ofsod to keep out the weather. It was blown away in a cyclone only a few months after completion. For several months then Joe and Susie lived in their covered wagon parked near George and Agnes Paintin's house. Susie's father was a builder. When they came to homestead, he built the Garner's new home. Using adobe blocks he constructed a very nice six room two story house. It was stuccoed on the outside, plastered on the inside and had wooden shingles on the roof. The house still stands on the Garner Ranch. One of the sorrows that came in their early homestead days was the loss of their first baby girl a few days after birth in 1914. Medical care was very limited for these early homesteaders and the difficult birth resulted in the baby's death, surgery for Susie in �Denver some months later and resulting poor and ranch management during their stay. health for several years. Joe and Susie began attending a Sunday School in the school house at Solid Center about a mile and a quarter from their home. Several relatives shared their home at different periods during their long years of homemaking also. They were well known for their warm Christian hospitality through the good years and the bad. Joe and Susie left a legacy for their children, a strong example of noble, upright, thrifty living, and a spirit of genero- They soon accepted Christ and became active members in the Church of God congregation which developed from that Sunday School and later moved into town beginning the congregation that now worships in Stratton. Joe was a hard worker, a good stockman, and Susie was an excellent manager and sity in giving. by Mabel Scheierman assisted in many ways as they developed their ranch with Aberdeen Angus Registered cattle. They did farming to supply their own food and feed for their livestock. They sometimes raised extra produce which they sold or took to Stratton to trade for needed commodities. One time during World War I days Joe took a wagon load of sweet water- melons to town and traded it for a one GARNER, WILLIAM JENNINGS F22r My father, Thomas A. Garner was born in England in 1854. Along with my Grand- hundred pound sack of sugar. Joe and Susie were finally blessed with parents, Jernes and Sarah Gatner, the family sailed from Manchester, England and embar- three daughters, Mabel Scheierman and Wanda Sweet, who have both spent their lives as active residents of Kit Carson ked at St. Paul, Minnesota. They took a tree claim in Gove County, Kansas and planted lots of Cottonwood trees. On April 24, 1880, my father married Eunice Patience Silvers Grushus. She was the daughter of Edwin and Lucretia Silvers. To this union nine children were born. James was born in 1880, Maude in 1882, and Joe on November 19, 1885, in Phillips County, Kansas. Agnes was born in Gove County, Lpri|22,1890. Alice was born April 10, 1888, Edith on September 5, 1892, and Thomas on September 6, 1894, all in Norton County, Kansas. I was born September 24, 1896. My appearance was made in a dug out four miles south of Morland, in Graha- County, Kansas. Gladys was born September 17, 1898, in Graham County. County. Norma Borden, a minister's wife has apent her life in various states and twelve years in Kenya East Africa as a missionary with her family. They also had three sons, one who died at birth, Robert who was killed in a car train accident in Littleton, Colorado in December of 1949 at the age of 19. Lyle K. who now owned the family ranch and resides in Stratton. Joe and Susie faced many difficulties as they weathered the dust bowl days and the depressions years. Many years they struggled to pay their taxes and the Federal Land Bank loan. During theee years many of their neighbors gave up the struggle and left the farm to move away to find greener pastures or a different livelihood. Joe and Susie pulled together and worked hard, lived frugally and were able to buy several near by farms to add to the acreage of their ranch. One set back came on the heels of the depression when after a summer storm Joe rode out to check his cattle and found 17 head of his heifers, goon to calve, dead along the fence row, the result of the severe lightning storm the night before. To add to the problem they had dropped the insurance they had carried for years on the cattle, in order to cut expenses to make it through those rough years. In 1950, soon after Bob's death they moved into Stratton where they resided for their remaining years. For several years they commuted to oversee the farm work until the falm was turned over to their son, Lyle. In 1952 another storm brought devastation to their home place when a tornado struck the home site, demolishing every building on the original homestead except the adobe house. Even the large barn with high cement walls and a large haymound was completely destroyed by this storm. Through it all they lived by a strong faith in God, which gave them an anchor that held them steady through the storms of life. Susie was one who was often called in by her neighbors to assist in times of illness or death. Joe faces the trails and tcsts with assurance that their God would see them through. Through the years their home was always open to those who might need a meal or a place to stay for awhile. A number of young men made their home with them for various periods of time and received training in farm My father worked in a flour mill in Morland. There were two places to hang the burlap sacks and two sets ofscales. The sacks offlour weighed fifty pounds and were sewed shut. A byproduct of the wheat milling consisted of bran and a coarse meal called shorts. Sacked separately, the bran was used for milk cow feed and the shorts was mixed up into slop to feed the pigs. Flour was $1.00 for forty eight pounds. I wasn't very old at the time but I remember seeing the sacks on the scales. I went to Dalton Valley school. Mable Bentley and Mrs. Bertha Martin were two of my teachers in Gove County. In Graham County I went to the Shiloh School. I only had a few years of schooling. My best subject in gchool was arithmetic. Brother James died in 1909 at the age of 29 years. After his death our family moved down on his homestead located seven miles east of Jerome in Gove County, Kansas. There was a well on his homestead. The well was caged up with four inch boards which soon rotted out. It would only pump about a barrel of water at a time and the water was poor. We finally dug a cistern and hauled water from a spring two miles away for our house use. Henry Nordman owned 280 acres next to ours which we rented. My father eventually purchased this land in 1907 for $10.00 per acre. I helped him pay for it. We milked a few cows and sold cream in Jerome. We farmed only with horses. Our meat consisted of rabbits and a few prairie chickens. In the spring we picked lambsquarters and raised potatoes and we had plenty of beans. In the winter the neighbors helped each other butcher and cure their yearly supply of pork. The fuel supply consisted mostly of cow chips, corn cobs and a little coal. I can remember when I was twelve years old, I was sick with pneumonia. My father had a doctor come out from Wakeeney. He made two trips out, a distance of about forty miles each time. The Doctor told my Dad that he wouldn't bother to make another trip out cause "he was going to die anyway". My sister Agnes was at home and along with a neighbor lady that knew about doctoring put a poultice on my chest. In a month or so I was able to walk the three miles to school with the other kids. My first trip to Colorado was in 1911 by covered wagon along with brother Joe. He married gsa llampton that so-e year and came out to homest€ad twelve miles north- west of Stratton. When I went back to Kansas, I got on the train at Stratton which took me to Grainfield. I rode with a mail carrier to Gove City and caught another ride to Jerome. then I walked seven miles to home. When I was eighteen, I went to Hays, Kansas to take a physical for the draft in World War I. I didn't pass due to not having enough wind in my lungs to expand. Ray Phelps sold me my first car. It was a 1918 Dodge Touring car for $780.00. It had side curtains, two seats and a small running board. We didn't have to take a drivers exemination at that time. The car had a reverse gear and three forward gears, low, intermediate, and high. We sold horses and mules to pay for it. Horses were good property. I traded two mules for a registered Morgan stallion from George Heineman who lived east of Digton in Lane County. I belonged to the American Percheron Society of America in 1922. They were large fast-trotting draft horses. I bought a mare from H.L. Salmon and O.D. Dun, Fowler, Kansas. In 1925 I bought a registered Percheron mare from C.E. Simonsen of Healey, Kansas. In 1939 we had sleeping sickness in our horses and we lost some. Dr. C.A. Gibson came out and vaccinatpd the herd for $15.50. I made wind breaks from soap weeds. Posts were set two feet apart then wire strung across and the space filled in with soap weeds. The cattle wouldn't eat them and they would last as long as the posts did. At one time or the other all of the Munsell boys worked for me, also Delbert and Wally Johnson. My father passed away on October 20, 1925, at the home of my sister Agnes Paintin. He is buried at Shields, Kansas. Agnes married George Paintin at Hill City, Kansas on October 14, 1908. They went to Colorado by covered wagon in 1912. Alice married Sa-uel Ernest Travis at Morland, Kansas on June 7, 1907. Edith maried Potter Gabler. He passed away several months later. She later married John Mclean of Jerome, Kansas. Gladys married Glenn Parks at Morland. They moved to Stratton, Colorado and later to Oregon. Glayds passed away March 7, L975. My mother moved to Kit Carson County, Colorado, to make her home with brother Tom south of Vona, Colorado, in 1935. She passed away on July 31, 1941, at the age of 86. Ed Grushus, our half brother, took sist€r Maude to Utah and on to Union, Oregon to stay with an Aunt and Uncle Tinkam and go �to school. She married Wallace Lisle of Tacoma, Washington. She passed away March 16, 1966. Thomas manied Irene Burton, August 18, 1941. He departed this life August 28, L962. I stayed on the farm in Gove County, GATTSIIALL, FRANK AND MILLIE F222 Kansas until 1939. I had Devin Conaway, Joe and lvan Paintin to help drive my sixty head of horses out to the farm six miles eouth of Vona, Colorado. I survived the dirt storms and depression by raising mules. I had over "In testimony whereof, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America. have caused these letters to be forty head at one time. I started buying the Joe Collins ranch south and east ofStratton, Colorado in 1940. I kept adding to it until now we have four in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fourteen, and of the indepen- the other half is farm ground. President Wilson, the east half of S ection 2411-45 became the property of Millie Beatrice Hartzler, Beaverton, Colorado. At the soddie on this homestead near Beaverton, Laveta sections. One half of it is in native grass and I married Emily Niles of Stratton at Kinsley, Kansas, May 15, 1940. We lived on the farm for a few years. It was hard to get help during World War II, so I rented the farm out and we took a trip to Tacoma, Washington to see sister Maude that I had only seen twice. She loved that country and said it was "Gode Country". We bought a forty acre chicken farm across the peninsula at Lake Bay, Washington. We soon discov- hereunto affixed. Given under my hand at the city of Washington, the Sixteenth day of May dence of the United States the one hundred and thirty-eighth. The recorded Patent number 406135." With the signature of Thelma Gattshall was born February 24, 1912, and Wallace Frank Gattshall on June 15, 1913 to Millie and Frank Gattshall. In about 1916 Frank and Millie bought a half section of land six miles north of Flagler, Colorado from a brother of Dr. Neff. It was here that Frank and Millie made their best effort. They hand-milked as many as nineteen good Holstein cows. Their dairy barn was the best option for a derelict school house known as the Huntly School. Since its abandonment because of consolidation for the Flagler School, its only other use had been by a large family of skunks under its floors. The skunks were captured by Lee Nussbaum, an old bachelor who lived about seven miles north of Flagler. Frank made a two row sled planter to plant corn in the fresh plowed sod, which was plowed by Bill Stone with his steam engine and a twelve bottom sod plow. Other machin- ery was customized by Ed Malbaff, a blacksmith in Flagler other ensilage, stored in a pit silo. The ensilage cutter was hand fed and powered with a stationary gas engine, hand cranked, and it ran some times, too. The ensilage was elevated from the silo with a derrick, a rope and pulley, powered by a saddle horse. The ered there was more work with seven hundred old hens and twelve milk cows than back home on the farm. We thought it might be God's Country but God didn't say we all had to gtay in the ssme place, so we moved to Stratton, Colorado, In June 1948. Duane Kindred and I worked together for sevent€en years until I retired. We have four children. Verlin has two children and lives south of Bethune, Colorado. Jennifer Singley has two children and lives at Longmont, Colorado. Willetta Dickey has two children. They live in Lakewood, Colorado. Nilee Ray is the father of one daughter. He and his wife are serving in the Armed Forces in Germany. Our church home has been the Church of God in Stratton. We have traveled quite extensively. When the family was home we took many trips across the country and we still travel. We have taken bus tours, had our feet in the watpr ofthe west coast, crossed by boat at Bar Harbor, Maine and into Canada. We have gone by bus to Seattle, by boat to Fairbanks, Alaska then flew to Nome. We flew to Puerto Rico in 1968 for a week. I have traveled by covered wagon, boats and planes. I have eeen the change from cow chips to microwaveg for cooking. Neighbors were friendly and we helped each other. They rejoiced in one's good fortune and lent a hand Last day of school at Fairview; 28 pupils all grades; Milie Gattshall, teacher. in time of trouble. Time has a way of marching on. I have been blessed with a healthy body. Along with the failures, I'm grateful for the opportunity and freedom to carry out my dren-e and goals. Since retiring to our home in Stratton, we've enjoyed the two one-row listers - and a seven foot made into a two-row lister disc extended to ten feet. The corn crop was made into feed, some of it as dry stover and iirri:.,iiil fellowship and activities with the Senior Citizens groups. I will be 90 years old on September 24, L986. by Mrs. Emily Garner Millie Hartzler Gattshall's homestead at Beaverton in September, 1914. �expression now days is "labor intensive." Millie taught school at Fairview, a school on the Thurman road, perhaps ten or eleven He continued to farm and ranch. Elsie was an excellent geamstrese. She loved to cook and hundred dollars per month for the three years she taught there from 1918 to 1920. In 1923 Flagler in 1954. Hillert was baptized at the age of 32 at the First Baptist Church at Gothenburg. He later entertain friends. They did much traveling and went over-seas once. They moved to miles north of Flagler. She was paid one Millie taught at West Fairhaven, northeast transferred to the First Baptist Church at Flagler, where he and Elsie were members at the time of their deaths. Hillert died July 12, 1968 following a heart attack, just three years on that date after his 1951, '52 and ofFlagler and for three years '53 at Sunny Slope northwest- of Flagler. In L924 Wayne Alfred Gattshall was born at home with Dr. Neff in charge. Laveta and Wallace were sequestered at the Ed Leasburg home just south of the Buffalo Creek on Thurman Road. Somewhere in the interim time, Frank helped build the basement to Flagler Baptist Church. Frank and Millie sold the farm on the Buffalo in 1926 and moved to Washington County north of the Shiloh neighborhood. by Wallace Gattshall GEIKEN, HILLERT JAKE F223 Hillert and Else Geiken bv their new home in Flagler, Co. 1954. Hillert Geiken. They ceme to the Gothenburg, vicinity in 1881-82 residing on a farm in the northeast area in Blaine precinct. Other children were Dick, John, Mary, Lilly, and Anna, two dying in infancy. Hillert attended District 87 (Grandview) school. In 1916, he manied Ruth Margaret Viter. She was born Nov. 2, 1900 at Etna, Nebraska. Ruth's father was, Charlie Viter. Charlie's father was Johan Weiter who came to America from Sweden in 1879. His wife Marie csme with him. Their trip across the North Sea went well. The name "Weit€r" was changed later to Viter. They cnme to Gothenburg and bought land for $6 - $10 an acre. Ruth's mother, Anna Olsen, was born Jan. 1, 1868 in Sweden. She came to America in 1887, and married Charlie Viter in 1887. They lived at Tsllin, Custer Co. Nebraska, and eight children were born, four boys and four girls. Charley Viter died in 1902, leaving her with eeven children, the oldest 14 yrs. ofage. In 1904, she manied Charley Nelson, and to them two daughters were born. Their names were Selma and Ellen. They moved to Gothenburg. Anna died August 22, L947 at Carlotta, California, where she resided 3 yrs. Hillert and Ruth resided on the family farm a few years. Two children were born there, Bernice Rhodna, born July 11, 1917, and Stanley Keith, born April 29, 1919. In the 1920's, the family moved to Holly, Colorado to farm. A daughter, Deloris Iola was born October 15, 1923. Due to the drouth years there, they moved back to Gothenburg and Hillert worked on an irrigated farm. Ruth enjoyed crocheting, piecing quilts and caring for the family, until she became ill, and was Hillert J. Geiken and daughter Mrg. Bernice Maloney and Verda Rose Malony, grandaughter. Picture taken 12 milee north of Seibert. on the Geiken farm by their eod house in 1940. Hillert Jake Geiken Jr., son of Hillert Jacob Geiken and Marie Christine Bunger, was born 16 July, 1897 at the farnily farm in the Grandview area northeast ofGothenburg, Nebraska. Hillert Sr. came to Panola. Illinois from Germany in 1868. He was born in Victorbur, Upper Saxony in Germany January 13, 1857. He was the third son of Dirk and Henrietta Antone Brussner Geiken. He came to America, hoping for a better life there. Maria was born Oct. 1, 1862 in Clayton, Illinois and April 13, 18?9 was manied to hoepitalized. Hillert raised the three children, with the help of relatives. he was always very devoted to them. The ages of the children then were eight, six, and two yrs, Deloris being the youngest, stayed some with an aunt and uncle, Olaf and Esther Pearson. Esther sewed clothing for the children. Deloris stayed later with Henry and Agnes Jenkins for some time. Hillert married Elsie (Swanson) (Sheridan) April 30, 1934. They resided several years at Inghnm, Nebraska, and one yr. at Wellfleet, Nebraska. Elsie was born Oct. 12, 1903 at Atlanta, Nebraska. Her parents were Malcolm and Jennie Swanson of Wellfleet, Nebraska. She had one son, Maurice Wake- field Sheridan. Hillert and Elsie moved to Seibert, Colorado in 1940, on a farm north west of Seibert. brother John died. Elsie died April 19, 1975, after a lingering illness and both are buried in the Flagler Cemetery. Ruth Geiken moved to Portland, Oregon, and on March 15, 1945, she manied Phillip L. Norman. They lived together about two yrs. and Phillip died. She moved to Boise, Idaho and lived there 2t years. She did maid work at hotels and motels, until she retired. She came to Colorado in 1968 to be closer to her children. She lived in Pueblo 8 yrs. She was in the nursing home at Burlington a few months, when she died of a heart attack, March 15,1977. She was buried in the Seibert Cemetery. by Mrs. Bernice Maloney GILLETTE, DR. AND MRS. I.224 Mrs. Viola Gillettc is one of our pioneers who can tell many interesting experiences of the early days here. Her father, the late, Robert G. Campbell cnme here in February, 1887 from Illinois. The family cnme out in March of the snme year. The family consieted of Mr. and Mrs. Cnmpbell, Seward, Violaand a foster son, C.F. Moore. Mr. Canpbell homest€aded about two miles this side of Kanarado. The next year Mrs. Gillette took a preemption about 2 L/z milee northeast of where Kanarado now is locatpd. She had a sod house built and taught school there in her home. She had six pupils and their parents paid her. The county seat was then at Kiowa and she had taught six months before the superinten- dent found it out. Later she took the ex"minations and received a Colorado Certificate. She taught one term northeast oftown in Precinct 1. After the railroad was built, she taught two more terms, in Kansas. Mrs. Gillette said that for the first two or three year they were here there were no social affairs but later there were dances and literaries. They at first did their trading at Haigler, Nebr., or Wallace, Kan. Later the small town of Carlyle was etart€d. Mrs. Gillett€'s father was elected County Clerk and the family moved to Burlington in Jan., 1892. She helped him in the office. She was manied in April, 1892, to the late Dr. C.A. Gillette. They led a happy busy and colorful life. Dr. Gillette for quite a while was the only doctor between Goodland and Colorado Springs. Mrs. Gillette accompanied him on many of his trips. They drove a team hitched to a buggy. He used to take a day to go to Cope and a day to return. Many a time they had been caught in a heavy rain toward evening and as darkness came on they would unhitch the tenn and tie them to the buggy �and sit in the buggy until daylight. Even those who were used to traveling the prairies did not try to drive after dark. The vagt sea of open country had no fenceg or landmarks and it was very easy to become lost. In the years that followed, Dr. and myself took part in an active social and business life in our town. We built the building that was occupied by the Shank's Cafe and Peterson's recreation parlor and other buildings. Dr. Gillette retired several vears before his death in 1937 or 1938. by Mrs. Viola Gillette GODSMAN FAMILY F226 Charlotte J. Godsman Charlotte Godsman was born in Madison County, Iowa July 10, 1869. She cn-e to Colorado in 1888 with her pioneer parents, John and Lucinda Rose, and settled near Hoyt, Colo. She began her teaching career in Iowa when she was eighteen years old. Her first teaching position in Colo. was at Hoyt. In 1889, she manied Dr. Paul Godsman who was a physician, attorney at law, legislator, and judge. They had one child, a son, Sidney Paul Godsman. Her Uncle George lived near a little town called Hoyt, which was about fifty miles across country east by a little north of Hugo, Colo. They had taken claims there and seemed to like it very much. Uncle George had wanted us to go there but Father preferred California at the time. Later, Father sent word to Uncle that we were on our way to settle near him. May 6, 1888, we arrived in Hugo, which was a terrible contrast to Pasadena. Uncle met ue with a lumber wagon and a team ofhorses. The next morning he took us over a long houselese road, dry, sandy, monotonous, to his place a half mile west of Hoyt. Mail, groceries, and supplies of all kinds people; they "corralled" cows, sheep, horses, business, friends, and opportunities; a "dra\p" wag used for a valley, etc. The settlers were good whole-souled people, and very kind to us. They were pleased that I was a teacher and gave me the Hoyt school. The men had a "building bee" to plow the sod and lay the walls for a sod school building. They left openings for the window sashes. The roof was made of pine boards covered with sod. When the windows came, they were fow inches too short, but they were made to "do". The unfilled area was at the top of the windows, and furnished ample ventilation. often when the wind blew (and there was plenty of wind) dust would blow in so much that the air would become thick and foggy with dust. Father's claim, a Preemption, lay a mile north and a little west of uncle's place, and adjoining Mr. Brafford's land on the south. The Brafford's oldest girl, Etta, was a year younger than I and becane my friend. To begin my four-month school, I had to have a "Permit" to teach until the next regular Teacher's Examination in August. At that time, I made a grade of 86 7 /L2 percent and was given a Second Grade Certificate, issued by Bernard, C. Killian, Supt. of the Elbert County Schools. It was so far to Kiowa, the county seat that he sent me the questions by mail. I wrote the answers and mailed them back to him. The past two years in Iowa, I had received First Grade Certificates. The Colo. Examinations were harder or were different enough to give this result. It dashed my pride a bit. Mr. and Mrs. Lee Hutchens kept a general merchandise store in Hoyt. They kept the Post Office also. Etta and I would walk down there after school to await the mail with all the other people waiting for the mail. Father would meet us and take us home. James H. Priest, later a son-in-law of uncle George, having maried Edna Rose, filed on a homestead south of Hoyt, April 1887. He says at that time, Dr. Hoyt's little house was the only building. That summer it grew with several stores, a Post Office, tavern, printing office, lumber yard, dance hall, etc. by Della Hendricks were freighted by wagons from Hugo to Hoyt once a week. How we looked forward to the 'mail day'. Uncle George had a very good sod house for the short time they had been there. There were no floors, but the ground was smooth and hard. Father was delighted with everything. It seemed dreadful to mother and I. I felt discouraged. Father was so happy, whistling, as he built our little one-room house, that mother and I tried not to dampen his spirits by fault finding. The sod houses, while not works of art, were very cool and comfortable in the Bummer and warm in the winter. The deep window seats were excellent for house plants. On the other hand, we were stubbing our toes on the cactus at every st€p, driving the sharp thorns through the shoes leather. Also we had to be on the look out for rattle snakes which were very nnmeroug. There were no amusements for the young people except the country dance. I had been taught that it was wrong to dance and I believed it. To me, it appeared that no one in the west cared for correct English. They talked any old way. Such terme were used: "round-up" for any eort of a gathering of GODSMAN FAMILY r.228 Dr. Paul B. Godsman On July 4, 1888, the Fourth of July Celebration was held in the lumber yard at Seibert, where it was possible to obtain enough seats for the crowd. The oration ofthe day was delivered by a young doctor, Paul B. Godsman, who had come out to Colorado for his health. he had had pneumonia three times the preceding winter. Mr. Maddox the R.R. suryeyor, told him of the dry, beneficial climate of Eastern Colorado and urged the doctor to accompany him westward. Seibert was determined to have a big celebration for the 4th. We all gathered at the home of Mrs. Hutchens to practice singing. That was how I got to meet Dr. Godsman. He would take me and bring me home from practice. A Grand Stand was erected between two buildings, facing west. There were the usual gnmes and races for the occasion, but Dr. Godsman was the most interested in the foot races as his partner Mr. Luane was quite a foot racer and won all the races. Afterwards we ate the fine picnic lunch mother had put up for us. Father, my friend Etta, Mr. Luane, Dr. Paul and myself, (Charlotte Rose) even enjoyed iced lemonade. (A neighbor had put up ice the winter before.). On July 14, a most beautiful moonlight night Dr. told me he loved me and wanted to marry me. I was shocked! Some time after we were married, he said to me one day "Do you realize that you never did say that you would marry me!" I told him that I said "Yes" to the preacher in the wedding ceremony, anyway. That fall was the first General Election in the new county of Kit Carson. Dr.. Godsman was asked to "run" for County Judge, on the Republican ticket, a term of three years. He came to tell me and asked if I would marry right away before the gnmpaign sta*ed. I demurred on the grounds oflack of preparation; he said he was quite willing to risk it, well, I consented! Law, as Doctor expressed it, was his "first love", but Dr. Allen, his step-father, encouraged him to take medicine instead by telling Paul that he would help him financially, if he would go to Medical School. Therefore, he went to Medical School at St. Joe, Missouri for one year. Dr. Allen then persuaded Paul to go to a larger city where he could be brought in contact with many different kinds of cases and diseases; accordingly, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated from the Ohio State Medical College, in the Spring of 1884. He won the Gold Medal of Physiological Prize. I was proud of my husband to be, being a doctor, but if he preferred to be a lawyer, that was his affair, and it was all right with me. We were married Wednesday, September 4, 1889, Rev. H. Meade of the Congregational Church of Seibert, officiating. Some months previous Doctor had taken a "Tree Claim" two and one-ha]f miles west of Seibert. He had had a cozy little sod house erected on it. We lived here a short time but Dr. seeing he would have to be away a lot decided to build a small room onto his office and we moved in there. Well, in the November election, 1889, Burlington won the eounty seat, and Doctor Godsman was elected as the County Judge. We moved to Burlington so that Paul might be closer to his work. (In 1903, the Godsman'g moved to Denver and in 1904 Charlotte began her 35 year teaching career. She retired in 1939. Godsman Elementary School in Denver was named for Charlotte Godsman.) by Charlotte Godsman GOEBEL - CHANDLER FAMILY I.227 My father, Henry E. Goebel, was a well known early day Kit Carson County, Colo. rancher and farmer. He was born January 21, 1874 at Rodinghausen, Westphalia, Germany. He came to the United States with his father, three brothers and two sisters. Their �on a Saturday night in the homes. Dad played the violin, others who played the violin were, Johnny Jacober and Walter Korthas. We children can remember many happy times, when neighbors came in on a Sunday for dinner and visiting, neighbors getting together for Sunday picnics, we would go to the Republican River where there were many large trees and water to go wading. Many family reunions were held. Aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins living in the area Henry Goebel and Mary J. Chandler Goebel wedding picture, May 29, 1901. mother, Carolina Louisa Carlotta Schreve Goebel passed away May 16th, 1885. Later that snme year Grandfather and his five children came to America. They first settled near Claytonia, Nebraska. In 1891 at the age of sixteen he anived in Kit Carson County with his parent's. The parents soon returned to Nebraska. Father had staded to work for a Mr. Ed. McCrillis on the ranch that is now known as the Spring Valley Ranch, so he stayed with the job. The ranch is located along the Landsman Creek. At that time, there were springs and large water holes up and down the valley and natural hay meadows. Father was foreman at the ranch until 1916. He moved his family back to their homestead, located twelve miles north and three west of Burlington along the Landsman Creek. My Mother, Mary Josephine Chandler was born February 23, 1882 at Shelbyville, Illinois, and arrived in Colorado in the spring of 1888 with her parents, three brothers, Frank, made up quite a large group. Mother worked very hard raising her large family, what with no conveniences compared to what we have now. She always raised a big vegetable garden, did a lot of sewing for us girls, a lot of cooking and baking and always got us off to school on time. We, too, can remember some very hard times we endured. Dad worked very hard. After World War No. I, and the depression, cattle prices dropped and Dad was nearly wiped out. But he had faith in the country and did see better times. Mother passed away July 18th, 1941. Father continued to live on the ranch until 1951 when he sold the place and moved into Burlington. He spent the last two years of his life living at Ebenezer home in Brush, Colo. He passed away September 19th, 1955. Both he and mother were of the Lutheran Faith, internment at Fairview Cemetery, Burlington, Colorado. by Ruth Bauder GOODRICH, ROBERT AND ORPIIA four miles west and ten miles north of Burlington. May 29, 1901 my parents were married here in Burlington by Reverend C.L. Yersin, Minister of the Christian Church. The young Goebels proved up on their homestead while he worked for Mr. McCrillis. They later moved to the ranch to be nearer his work as he had been promoted to foreman, a job he held until 1916. He moved his family back to the homestead and started farming and raising cattle. He also bought cattle and hogs for a commission company out of Denver. Thirteen children were born in this family, two died in infancy. Their girls, Mable Alice Rathbun, Mildred Ellen Stump, Ethel Mae Jacober, Ruth Irene Bauder, Helen Marie Martens, Elva Louise Warner, Edith Eliz- abeth Thompson, Frances Henrietta Brenner; the boys, Henry 8., Keith Ernest, and Dale Dwain. Those still living are: Ruth Irene Bauder, Frances Brenner and Keith Ernest. The first school in our area was organized May 16, 1889 and was known as School District No. 3. The first school house was built of sod. The first teacher was Mrs. Helen Slusser. School warrant No. 1 was drawn October l2th, 1889 for $20.00 for the first month teaching. Our parents always took an active part in all school activities, such as school programs, literary progrnms, last day of school picnics. Father was a member of the school board for many years. Square dancing was another activity in the neighborhood. These were held Nears , a position she held for nearly 35 years. We had many good neighbors in our moves. We had Ed Malbaff, Art Schiedeggars, and Harold Means. Later neighbors have been Esther Malbaff, Mildred Funkhouser, Merl Saffers, Ed Conartys, Bennie Hughes, John Herzogs and Kenneth Beattys in Flagler. While living in the country in our early married life, Bob and his father played for country dances, hauling our organ to homes for Bob to accompany his father who played the violin. Bob also played with the Hell Creek baseball team. Our three boys attcnded all 12 years of schooling in Flagler school. Lloyd attended junior college at La Junta. Harold received his masters degree from Adams State College in Alemosa, having attended all his college years there, Our son Gerald served with the Signal Corps in Pusan, Korea, and Lloyd served as an Engineer Supply Specialist in Japan in the Korean War. While living in Flagler we enjoyed the many school activities with our boys. We also enjoyed the 100F and Crystal Rebekah Lodges. Our family were members of the Baptist Church in Flagler and took part in the many activities. My husband, Robert, died in September, 1970, and I still reside in the snme home we made together in 1942. Gerald is presently a printer in Boulder, Colorado. Lloyd is with the Soil Conservation District and works as an Engineer out of Limon. Harold is a teacher in the Middle School at Burlington. F228 Grover and Charles. Her parents were, Hendrick Virgineus Chandler and Elizabeth Ellen Yarnell. Their homestead was located for four years in the country school, helping fill in during the teacher shortage. Then she clerked in some of the Flagler stores. Final$ she went to work part time for the Flagler Robert Goodrich and Orpha Jensen were married in Burlington, Colorado, November L2, L925. Our parents were Enos and Lillie Goodrich and Thomas and Emma Jensen. Our children were Dolores Maxine (deceased), Gerald Dean, Robert Lloyd and Harold We have 5 grandchildren and three great grandsons. Grandchildren are Kevin and Lindon Goodrich, Tami Goodrich Witt, Russell Goodrich and Holly Goodrich of Littleton, Colorado. Great grandchildren are Brian, Christopher and David Witt. by Orpha Goodrich Lee. We had come with our parents from Kansas, Robert from Phillipsburg and Orpha from Kanona around the year of 1910. I attended grade school at Pleasant Valley, District No. 40, and high school at Shiloh and Flagler High School, graduating with the class of 1925. Robert attended a country school one half mile south of their farm. After our marriage we made our home on his father's farm about 14 miles north and 2 east of Seibert. Later we moved to his step mother's farm a few miles from there. Robert farmed several years, but during the dirty "30's" there were no crops or feed raised, so we moved to Bird City, Kansas, where Robert shucked corn and worked in a potato cellar. From there we moved to Strasburg, Colorado, and worked for a farmer and later tried farming again. Our children were all born while we lived in the Strasburg area except Harold who was born in Flagler in 1941 after Pearl Harbor. while in Byers we lost our daughter with dust pneunonia. In 1935 we moved north of Seibert and worked for a rancher, later moving into Flagler where Bob started working for Kit Carson County, retiring in 1965. Then he worked for the town of Flagler taking care of the city park. After returning to Flagler, Orpha taught GORTON - HANEY FAMILY E22S Fosha Sheldon Gorton was born December 2. 1890 to Frank Sheldon Gorton and Frances Adele (Taylor) Gorton at Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Elfie Mae Haney was born October 27, 1893 to Lewis M. Haney and Mary Susannah (Lundy) Haney. Fosha and Elfie were married March 17, 1913 at Dunbar, Nebraska by Rev. E.W. Love. They were blessed with three sons, the oldest died at birth, Fosha Sheldon, Jr., and Ralph Francis. Fosha and Elfie both received their education in Nebraska. After their marriage, Fosha worked for Ed West in a garage as a mechanic in Dunbar. In 1919 they came to Colorado to farm for Ed West, northwest of Vona, using a Rumley tractor. In 1920 they moved north of Seibert, then went back to Nebraska for the winter, coming back to Colo. in March 1921, to northwest of Vona, where he continued working for Ed. Some of the winter months he spent working for Cec Reed in Burlington, and for Pat Chew in Seibert as �Elfie oftcn would tell about loading the boys into the old Model T and heading to Vona for groceries or the basketball ga'nsg. Of cooking and preparing meals for their hired men, and how after moving to Seibert, of the many baeketbail players that spent much time in their home before the gnmss, and of the special food the coach wanted them to have before their games. EUie attended and graduated from Dunbar, Nebraska High School in 1910. She taught school for a while in Nebraska. At the age of 13 she joined the Presbyterian Church in Dunbar; in 1925 she transferred her membership to the Baptist Chuch in Vona and Fosha and Fosha Jr. joined at that time. Mr. and Mrs. Fosha S. Gorton Sr. and their first grandchild, Dee Ann Gorton, May 13, 1945 a mechanic. In 1930 they purchased a hardware business in Seibert, Co. located in the building where the grocery store is now on the east side of the street, later moving across the street in the north side of the Blake Building, and in 1934 they purchased the C.C. Gates Building on the west side of Main Street and Ralph joined in 1926. All transferred their membership to the Evangelical United Brethern Church at Seibert in 1952, and it later became the United Methodist Church when the Methodist and E.U.B. merged. All remained members there until their deaths. Fosha was an avid fisherman and hunter of all game. He spent many elk and deer hunting trips in the mountains with one of the boys or Elfie along. Fosha Jr. worked for Herb Shults and Harley Greenlee who operated the Conoco Service Station on Highway 24 in Seibert, and in 1953 Fosha took over the station on his own and Ralph worked for him. In 1937 when Fosha started carryingmail on the rural routes, Ralph operated the Conoco station for sometime. F osha served in the Air Force during WWII. He married Marjorie May Miller, a teacher at Seibert, on April L2,t94L at Powell, Wyo. Ralph substituted as mail carrier from 1943 to Oct. 1980. He married Twila Murphy December 19, 1943 at the Murphy family home south of Seibert. by Twila Gorton operated the hardware store there until Ralph closed it in 1971. In 1955 Fosha decided to retire and his son Ralph and wife Twila purchased the store, and operated it until its closing in 1971. Gorton Hardware was known as having the largest stock of Intprnational Hawester parts for over a hundred mile area. Fosha Sr. was active in Community activities as was Elfie and the boys. Fosha was a Past Master of Kit Carson Lodge L27 AF&AM, a Past Patron of Flagler Order of Eastern Star #113, a member of Rocky Mountain Consistory #2, El Jebel Shrine, and Independent Order of Odd Fellows, GORTON, RALPH AND TWILA MURPHY F230 Ralph Francis Gorton was born Nov. 5, 1918 to Fosha Sheldon Gorton and Elfie Mae (Haney) Gorton in Dunbar, Nebraska. He was the youngest of three sons, a brother older died at birth, and Fosha Sheldon Jr. being the other. Some of his early years were Seibert Lodge #37. He was also past President and Charter member of the Lions Club spent in Nebraska, Oregon and Colorado. Most of his education was gotten at Vona, Seibert and Barnes Business School in of Seibert, active church member, past school Denver. board membel, town Council member, and Mayor. Elfie was also very active in Eastern Star of Flagler, VFW, Ladies Aux. to post #6492 (John Maurice Wrenn), church Organist and pianist for m€my years until her health failed her. Elfie was also a member of the Lotus Rebecca Lodge #37. Elfie lived alone in the home in Seibert after Fosha's death while on a fishing trip at Perham, Minnesota, in July 1955, that took his life. When Elfie broke her Wrist in 1977, and being in poor health, she sold her home in Seibert and made her home with her son Ralph and wife Twila. In December 1980 she went to Prairie View Nursing home in Limon where she resided until her death on April 24,1985 at the age of 9172 years. December 19, 1943 he married Twila Arleene Murphy, who was born Dec. 28,L923 to Coleman Elmer Murphy and Mattie Bell (Wilmoth) Murphy, on their homestead home south of Seibert. Twila attended all her school years at Rock Cliff and Seibert High School, graduating 1941. Twila had 4 sisters and 5 brothers. Five children were born to this union: Dee Ann, Ralph Francis, Jeanette Kay, Randy Bob and Shari Lynn. The first year of our marriage we operated a grocery store for Ralph's mother, which she later sold to Clint and Hazel Wilhite. Ralph then went to the hardware store to help his father. We both helped there, and in 1955, his father decided to retire and Ralph purchased the business. We operated it until 1971, when Wedding picture of Twila Murphy and Ralph Gorton Sr. on December 19, 1943, at the Coleman Murphy home south of Seibert. we sold much of the stock to other businesses in the area, and closed the doors. The children had helped in the store. Ralph and Twila were both active in church as they and all the children were members in the E.U.B. and later United Methodist Church. Ralph and Twila were also active with the Community Ambulance Service from its origin. Ralph was a charter member of Lions club, Volunteer Fire Dept., Gun Club, Past Master of Kit Carson Lodge 127 F.M.&A.M., Church Choir, very active in all school sports and activities. Ralph had just been honored at the athletic banquet on May 10th, for 39 years faithful never faltering service of all athletic activities, and on May 17, 1983 died of a heart attack, just one week later. Dee Ann married Donald L. Felker and they have two daughters, Lee Ann and Lori Ann. Lee married Kevin Wicks Aug. 17, 1985 and have a boy, Derek Edward, born July 29, 1987. Ralph Francis Jr. married Donna Diane Pizel and have one son, Randy Michael. Jeanette Kay manied Larry Leonard Kemp, and has three children: Yolanda Kay, Shauna Lynn, and Jason Anthony. Randy Bob married Charlene Rose Wigton, they have two sons, Rodney Francis and Bryan Dean. Shari Lynn married Curtis Earl Graham and has two sons: Brad Curtis and Jeffrey Josh. Twila still lives in the family home in Seibert. All our children got their education in the Seibert school, graduating from Seibert High School, the latter two graduating from HighPlains High School, after the consolidation of Vona-Seibert, at Seibert. Dee attended Barnes Business School, later worked at the Credit Bureau in Colorado Springs, and currently for J.C. Penneys. Ralph Jr. graduated from C.S.U., worked for �Cecil Boren on the farm, and Doug Becker on GRAMM - STUTZ the farm, served in the U.S. Army and Vietnam 1969-1971, then worked in construction business until a methane gas explosion in a tunnel in 1977 and was severely burned. He resides in Aurora, Colo. Jeanette helped in the hardware business, worked at Stuckey's at Seibert until her marriage, and is now employed in the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs. Randy Bob got his beginning as a farmer at an early age working for Richard O'Niell, and is now a farmer and dairy operator southwest of Stratton. Shari worked in Colorado Springs for Western Temporary Servicee for a short before returning to Seibert. She then worked for Herman Construction before and after her marriage to Curt on December 9, 1979. They now reside in Stratton, Co. Our home was richly blessed with extra FAMILY I.232 and kept that interest all his life. On November 10, 1916, Gottlieb was united in maniage to Lydia Stutz of Bethune, CO. They lived on Gottliebs homestead on a one room shack for about four months. Later they moved to the John Weiss place where they made their home for over 60 years and raised their family. This is where their son Lawrence now lives. To this union 3 sons and 2 daughters were born: Loyd, Lawrence, Edmund, Elma (Mrs. Ted Schaal) and Esther (Mrs. Mervin Corliss). children through the years our children were Gottlieb and Lydia Gramm, taken 1958 at their weekends and holidays. We loved every minute of it. It was such a pleasure when summer or other vacation time ceme and the Grandchildren could all come to spend the s\rmmers with us. And later can bring their Christ and Christina (Strobel) Gramm, their 3 children, Jake, Gottlieb, and Elizabeth, and other relatives came to America from Russia in 1899. They were on the ship for 21 days. This was quite a trip for the friends with them now. Ralph had spent 10 years on the town smaller children, especially for Gottlieb who was 7 years old at the time. His uncles likes to tease him a lot, so one day Gottlieb got tired of all the teasing and decided to hide. He hid, and got lost, and it was quite some time before they found him sitting on the outside steps of the ship. They settled north of Bethune, CO in the Tuttle community along the Republican River. Christ worked for Harry Cox for many growing, many of them from their school years and college friends who came on council, and was serving a second term as the mayor of Seibert at the time of his death. by Twila Gorton GRAMM - ADOLF FAMILY F231 John Grnmm and Frieda Adolf were married February 2t, L929 at the Hope United Church of Christ north of Bethune. They were one of the first couples to be married there. They both were born and raised in the settlement area where they helped John's parents and brothers farm. They moved to different places where they could find work. John worked for the WPA for several years. In 1943, the house burned down, which was north of Burlington. it was known as the Davis place. After the house burned down, the family lived with different families until they could find a place to live. In 1952, John, Frieda and their three children, Richard, Raymond, and Gladys, moved to Burlington, Colorado where they were both employed. John worked for the Kit Carson County Court House as a janitor for 29 years. He worked there until his death. John passed away on October 12, 1985. He is buried at the Hope United Church of Christ cemetery. Frieda is living in Burlington. by Cheryl Beeson he got out of the loop and had to walk home for many miles. His shirt was all torn to pieces and he lost one boot and had several bumps and bruises. Later he took up a homestead of his own and started his farm and cattle operation. His main occupation was taking care of his cattle home. years. This is where Pauline (Mrs. Emil Schaal), William, and Chris were born. Later the farnily moved to the Settlement Community and took up a homestead and built their own home in 1906. They lived in a one room shack with the older boys sleeping in a grainery while they built their house. All the neighbors helped put up the adobe walls and shingle it. This is when John, the youngest, was born before the house was finished. This is where a grandson, Edmund Gramm and his wife Esther are living today and a greatgrandson, Fred, built a new house on the sa-e place and is living there with his family now. Gottlieb was born on October 5, 1891 in Ungeen, Russia. He and his brother Jake attended the Tuttle School. After several years of school, he started to work on the Cox Ranch at a very young age. Later he worked on the J. Pugh Ranch. The Pugh Ranch is now owned by Tom Price. While he worked on the J. Pugh Ranch, he earned $17.50 a month and later $25.00. He remembered several incidents that happened while he worked there. Once, he and another boy were cleaning out a stall in the barn where the stallion was kept. The stallion grabbed Gottlieb by the arm and threw him in the corner. The other boy took the pitch fork after the stallion saving Gottlieb's life although the horse had bit all the muscles in his arm above the elbow. Another time he was by himself and went into the corral to catch a horse. He got the rope around the horse's neck and the horse took off and went through the gate. While he was trying to stop the horse he stepped into the loop, so the horse drug him around all over the pasture. An this time he was trying to stop the horse or get out of the loop. Finally Lydia was born October 23, 1893 to Fredrich and Maria (Baltzer) Stutz in the Settlement north of Bethune, CO on the Andrew Bauer place. Her sister Minnie (Mrs. Karl Hammelmann), was born here. Her parents came from Blotche, Russia with 3 children, Magdalene (Mrs. John Dobler, Fredrich, and Maria (Mrs. Issaih Stahlecker), and landed in Scotland, South Dakota. This is where daughter Ida (Mrs. Jake Knodel) was born. They and some families co-e by covered wagon to Colorado and settled on the prairies near relatives that had come from Russia earlier. Here they lived in a one room dug out with their children. This is where Emma (Mrs. Jake Gra-m) was born. They had no table or chairs and hardly any dishes. Grandpa Dobler gave them a fork and knife and made a bench for a table. They ate mostly corn bread since they had very little to eat. When it rained the water would run in the dug out. They had to keep the few things they had up high to keep them dry. Fredrich spent most of his time away working to earn money to buy food. They planted a garden to help, but had no fence around it. One good neighbor had given them 2 hens and a rooster which kept getting into the garden to scratch. Maria finally tied up the rooster and the hens stayed out most of the time. They had one milk cow which got bit by a rattlesnake and died so there waa no milk for the ehildren. Maria and the children were alone most of the time. On Monday mornings Fredrich would walk to work and Saturday evenings walk back home. This walk was 10 or 12 miles one way. He was working for the J. Pugh Ranch and got 25 cents a day. This amount was slightly increased over the years. Things went on like this for several years and they could hardly make a living. Maria finally wrote to relatives in Scotland, S.D. for help. They sent $50.00 and told them to leave Colorado and come to Dakotato live and they would help them. In the spring they sold their land and oxen and bought some horses and made a covered wagon. They loaded their belongings and staded on their journey with 8 other families and covered wagons. It took about 3 weeks to get to Scotland. Maria had baked a lot of bread. She toasted it and dried it and put it into flour sacks to keep it from getting moldy. The family hoped to have enough bread to last till they reached their destination. They ran out of bread so they had to stop and build an oven and bake. Other families also had a hard time financially during the dry years in Colorado �and had decided to give up and try their luck in a new location. Lydia was 5 years old at this time. They had lived in Scotland for several years and got a good start there and were doing fine when her father Fredrich got sore eyes. The doctor told him to move back to Colorado or else he L at Burlington, Colorado. From Jan 1, 1917 to Jan 1, 1923 she served as County Superin- tendent of Schools for Kit Carson County. After 44 years of teaching and 6 yrs. as County Superintendent she retired in the spring of 1948 at the age of 70 years. At that time she cared for her ailing husband Joe. She married Joseph Festler Gray of Burlington on Aug. 30, 1917. They met when he was County Commissioner and she wag would go blind. The water there didn't agree with him. They loaded their belongings again and returned to Colorado. Reports from people in Superintendent of Schools. His son Claude Colorado were much better now, so they weren't afraid of coming back. So they and two other familiee startcd their return trip in September, 1898. Lydia's youngest brother, was a young boy when they married. Claude graduated from Burlington High School in L922. Af,ter L922 they moved back to Seibert and she taught there until she received a contract Bill, was only 3 weeks old when they started on the journey. Now there were 7 children in the family. Lydia's oldest brother Fredrich and sister Magdalena had to walk several days and drive cattle. A man wanted her father to take some cattle to Colorado and to teach the 6th grade in the Burlington School District. That first year she finished part of the school year and lived with Jack and Vera Magee. Joe died in 1950 and her brother Frank csme to live with her in 1950. Jessie passed away on April 3, 1960 of heart failure. Nancy Hissem, a niece, and her 2 sons came to Burlington to live and care for Frank. care for them on shares. When they reached the railroad the cattle were loaded and shipped the rest of the way. Magdalena went with the family on the covered wagon but her brother Fredrich had to ride the train to take care and watch the cattle. She taught in the Burlington school system for several years before moving to Castle When they arrived in Colorado, they settled again in the Settlement Community, but they had no place to live. They went to her uncle's place and lived in a one room house till the next spring. Some men dug a well along the Landsman Creek where the families went to get their water. They hauled the water with 2 oxen and a sled with 2 barrels. During this time they built a 2 room sod house on the homestead her father had taken. This was built on the place where the Milbert Berringer family now live. Martha (Mrs. William Schlichenmayer) and Nettie (who died at the age of 17) were born here. Fredrich still worked away from home part time but things came easier for them. Later the parents moved to Bethune where Karl Weisshaar lives. Lydia remembered that when she was 8 years old her parents took her and her sister Emma to town to get some shoes. They found a bargain table and some mismated shoes for 25 cents a pair. The girls each got new shoes. Lydia said she would never forget hers as one had a pointed toe and the other had a rounded toe. All that mattered was that they had shoes they could wear. Gottlieb and Lydia had hard times while they were raising their family. One thing that keptthem going wastheir faith in God to help them in their trials. Their church, The United Church of Christ. north of Bethune meant a lot to them. There they attended worship regularly. They celebrated their 50th and 60th Wedding Anniversaries. Their final resting place is in the church cemetery. by Esther Corliss GRAY, JESSTE C.M. F233 Jessie, daughter of Nancy Mitchell Jacob Magee and Coleman Lauck Magee was born April 23, 1878 in Cherry Hill, West Virginia. She graduated from High School in 1895 at Cleveland, Tennessee and staded her teaching career in Gainesville, Georgia in 1896. She taught in Georgia for two terms. One school was at Graysville as an assistant in a school Jessie Catherine Magee Gray. 6th grade teacher in the Burlington Public School. of 60 pupils in a one room building in 189798. The school year of 1898-99 she taught a rural school near Tunnell Hill, Georgia and received $27.00 per month. Board and room for a month was $9.00, this included washing. The school was located on the top of a ridge in the forest. Water was carried from a near by spring. The boys cut wood to burn and hunted the forest for pine knots for kindling. The desks were home made. The black board was just painted boards behind the teacher's desk which stood on a raised platform. She boarded with a family having six children. "All of us walked a little over a mile to school, always going together. Some of the children had no shoes so they came to school over the frost covered ground in their bare feet. Their meals were very simple. Very little light bread was used. Corn bread and biscuits were used through the week and salt rising bread was a treat on Sundays. A great deal of pork was used. Sorghum took the place of jelly. Sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and beans were staples. During the summer large gardens were planted so fresh vegetables were used then. These people, though poor, seemed to get a great deal of pleasure out of life." From Georgia, in 1899, Jessie returned to her home in Cleveland, Tennessee and in a few months left for Ida Grove, Iowa where teachers salaries were $40.00 per month. While in Iowa she taught in four different rural schools. They were just two miles apart and the other near the old home in Silver Creek, Iowa. From there she went to Drake Univ. from January to September. Again in September, she took up teaching at Laurens, Iowa. After teaching there one year she was given a contract to one of the grade rooms in Ida Grove, Iowa. She taught there until coming to Colorado where she began her school work in 1911-12 in the town of Seibert. Colorado. The winter of 1911-12 was a stormy one with 16" ofsnow on the level prairie. She taught at Tinsley school that first winter. From then on her teaching in Colorado was confined to Dist.37 and Consolidated District Rock, Colo. Frank died on March 7, 1963. Both Frank and Jessie are buried in Ida Grove, Iowa. by Barbara Butterfield and Marilyn Hasart GRAY, JOSEPH F. F23'4 Joseph Festler Gray was born on October 15, 1863 in Lucas County, Iowa where he grew to manhood. On August 6, 1884 he married Sarah Emma Conrad with whom he moved to Missouri 14 years later, for a brief time, only to return to Iowa in 1899. Three years later, in the summer of 1902, Joe and Sarah came to Colorado with their children, Ora, Harry, May and Fred. Joe homesteaded south east of Seibert. These days of adventure and hard work will always remain in our minds. In 1904 Claude was born. Sarah died on May 7, 1915. An infant son, Jimmie, died while they were in Missouri. Joe Gray was elected County Commissioner in 1908 and served one term ending in 1912. He liked and was active in politics. He met Jessie Catherine Magee while she was serving as County Superintendent of Schools and they were married on August 30, 1917. They lived in Burlington where Joe ran a pool hall. They moved back to Seibert for a few years and he also operated and owned a pool hall in Golden, Colorado from 1929-31. In 1936 Jessie started teaching the 6th grade in Burlington and they moved back to his home there. Joe was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge. On May 23, 1950 Joe passed away after a long illness. He is buried in Chariton, Iowa. by Marlyn Hasart �e*a& Harry and Marie Greenwood, year 1923. Joe Gray in his pool hall in Golden, Colorado. 1929-31. GREENLEE, H. C. F235 My father, Harley C. Greenlee, came to Kansas from northwest Missouri in a covered wagon in the late 1890's, with his father. His father died when H.C. was twelve years old, so H.C. worked on farms, livery stable, milk routes until he learned to barber. I think before he was nineteen he went back to Missouri, and not too much later married my mother, Leila Shopbell. I had one brother that died when he was five, and at that time I was two. My mother passed away and I lived with my grandparents until I was five, when my father remarried and came for me. We then moved to Denver in 1918. My father came to Seibert in 1920 looking for a location to buy a barber shop. I had gone to five schools in the first grade, so he had been looking. He arrived in Seibert with Rose, my stepmother, and me. He bought the barber shop in Seibert As I wasn't setting the world on fire, I thought I would give it a try. At that time, it was about impossible to sell or rent a farm. He had bought the old Puncheon place (80 acres) to go with his 320 acres. We rented a school section one mile south for 10 cents an acre and added on to the place by buying land from the Federal Land Bank at $1.25 per acre, ending up with 1,920 acres, which wasn't saleable until 1944 when we sold it to Claude Rivers, and I moved north of Seibert. Before the Second World War, the Federal Land Bank was selling land for 91.25 an acre which about set the price, so five percent commission on $1.25 land didn't add up too fast. During and after the war in the 1940's, land worked up to $25.00 per acre, the highest price my dad ever sold land for until he retired. I wish I knew how many thousands ofacres he sold or traded for people; it was a lot; he was quite a salesman and trader. by Harley L. Greenlee which he ran for a while before building a place across the street that at first housed us, the barber shop and the local newspaper, ?he Seibert Settler. in the basement. A few years later, he added a second story and built onto the back. He then had a hotel and restaurant to go with the barber shop. Around 1923, he got into the land business by trading a 1923 Chewolet to Jay Jeffries for 320 acres of land seven miles southeast of Seibert. By 1928, he had been selling insurance along with barbering, so he needed help in the barber shop. He was able to hire different barbers, but after they tired of shooting prairie chickens and jackrabbits, they would quit as they were out of entertainment. At that time, in August of 1928, I was loafing in the shop and my dad asked me how I would like to be a barber. I told him, "No way!" and he told me to get up and shave this man's neck (Roy Ingrem). So that started my barber career after school, Saturdays and summers after I learned the trade. In 1935, when Juanita and I were maried, me how I would like to be a farmer. :r-*a Harry Howard Greenwood was born Aug. GREENWOOD, HARRY FAMILY F236 4, 1899, at Franklin, Nebr., the eldest son of Theodore and Laura Greenwood. The family moved to Smith Center, Kansas, then immi- grated to Stratton, Colo. in March, 1907, where they homesteaded eleven miles south of town. Marie Elizabeth Chandler was born Nov. 11, 1901, near Wagner, South Dakota, the eldest daughter of Charles and Meta Chandler. They lived for a time in Chicago, Ill., then moved to Pleasant Hill, Mo. In March, 1909, they immigrated to Stratton, Colo., settling on a homestead, seven and one-half miles northwest of town. Harry and Marie became acquainted while Marie was teaching the L922-23 term of school at First Central, located on the correction line, southeast of Stratton. Marie boarded with a family by the name of Mel and Gladys Wall, who lived nearby. On Feb. 14, L923, a neighbor family living a mile east, gave a Valentine party, to which we were all invited. Marie walked with Gladys and Mel the mile to the party, while they pushed their baby in the baby buggy ahead of them. Harry was there, coming in his new, shiny, black Model T Roadster. We played games, calds, and had refreshments. When the party was over, Harry very graciously offered to let Marie drive his car to take Gladys and her baby home, while he and Mel walked behind with the empty buggy. A short time later, he loaned the car to his kid brother, Russell, who attended high school at First Central, to take the schoolma'am and two or three of his classmates to a home off south, where the family owned a miraculous new invention, a box, not connec- w 4q *J t The Greenwood children, L, to R. - Allen, Laura and Thelma at home south of Stratton. ted to any telephone or telegraph wires, but equipped to catch sounds over gound waves for long distances. We spent the evening taking turns wearing head-phones, listening to music, stories, and news over that incredible new device, a radio. Harry and Marie were married on May 2, 1923, at the Church of God in Stratton. They lived with Harry's family for almost two years, while they bought a quarter section of land, thirteen miles south and one mile west of Stratton, on which they built a 2-room house, barn, and adobe chicken-house. Marie �taught the Jewell School east of Burlington, and then the Oriska School, four miles southwest of their new home. The furniture in the home was all second-hand and very simple, - bed, dresser, table, chairs, cup- board, creem separator, and a small kitchen stove about thirty inches high, four lids on top, and a tiny oven, that, when heated with a few corn cobs, would bake delicious goldencolored biscuits. About 1928 or 1929, they built an addition to the house, - one large room, porch, and cement walled basement. Harry and Marie reared three children, Laura Ruth, born Nov. 13, 1925; Thelma Grace, born Dec. 25, 1927; and Allen Theodore, born Jan. 5, 1931. They all attended the Smelker School, one mile west. Some of their teachers were Esther Davis Beattie, Stratton; Violet Campbell Ban, Stratton; Rose Henry, Denver; Elsie Huebner, Denver; OraCruikshank, Seibert; and Jennie L. Tressel. Miss Tressel was an early Kit Carson pioneer and was prominent in educational circles. She was County Superintendent of Schools when Marie graduated from the eighth gxade in 1913, and would drive a horse and buggy to visit the many country schools all over the county. She was Principal of several town schools, and was teaching the Smelker School when Thelma graduated from the eighth grade in 1941. One of Harry's hobbies was raising differ- ent kinds of animals and we had a great variety on the farm, - horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, including bantams, ducks, geese, turkeys, guineas, rabbits, dogs and cats. The children made pets of many of them, including a baby pig that became a terrible nuisance, as it grew older. There were dogs and cats that they cuddled and taught tricks. Then there was Queenie, the tricky Shetland pony, who had a mind of her own. One evening, when Laura rode her out to the pasture to bring in the cattle, she very docilely rounded up and followed the cattle in, until she got a short distance from the corral, when she suddenly decided that she had done enough. She started bucking and capering, easily dislodging her rider, then galloped around the cattle and took for the barn. Laura's mother went out, brushed her off and soothed a very perturbed little girl. Then there was the riding horse that Thelma used to bring the cattle herd in from the open range. She would ride like a fly and could cut a stray steer out of another herd by "giving the horse the rein". One afternoon, she decided to reward her mount by giving him a drink at a nearby lagoon, but he decided that he not only needed a drink, but also a roll in the cool water. This time, when Thelma got home, her Mother soothed and put dry clothes on a disgusted little girl. Also, there was the old gander with his gaggle of geese, who got his bluff in on the girls by chasing them whenever he could catch them out of the yard. One day, when their Mother asked them to go to the wellhouse to get some butter that we kept cool in the drinking barrel, they were very reluctant until 4 yr.-old Allen, assured them, brave little man that he was, that he would go along and protect them from the gander. Sure enough, the gander spied them, came running, screeching and flapping his big wings. He ignored Allen, knocking him down and tramping over him, as the girls fled to the shelt€r of the well house, Mother went out with a stick, and chased the gander off, who with a triumphal honking, returned to his harem. That time Mother cleaned the dirt off her little boy, who had only his pride hurt. I think their favorite pet was Diamond, the spotted riding pony. Some days, they rode him to school and in the evening, neighbor children, as many as could, would climb on, to catch a ride home, often four or five deep. The more a-straddle, the more carefully Diamsp6 would walk. Then Diamond contracted encephalitis and lay in the barn for several days. The children went out and talked to him while they bathed his feverish head with cold water, but to no avail. For entertainment in the country, we had many neighborhood parties. We attended school programs, Get-Togethers, and Literaries at the school house, Sunday School at Smokey Angle, went to barn dances, or had a Sunday Potluck Dinner, with a baseball game in the afternoon. The school districts were small, with one or two country schools in each district. Every May, we made an occasion ofSchool Election Day, by gathering early and spending the afternoon visiting. Harry served on the school board several years. We lived through the Dust Bowl Days of the early 1930's, when, in spite of all out efforts to make a home tight, the dust would pile up on the windowsills and filter clear across the rooms. In the late 1930's, Harry and a neighbor, a mile north, Lloyd Megal, rigged up a battery-powered, two-party telephone line, running it along the barbed wire fence. Later, the line was expanded to four parties, using short poles and smooth wire. We also made use of the wind by erecting a 32-volt windcharger, using six car batteries. We usually had lights at night and even had enough electricity to operate an electric iron, on a windy day. We elevated a small supply tank at the well and piped water to the house. In the winter, we broke chunks of ice out of the tanks, and stored a quantity in a dugout cellar, packed in straw. With luck, we would have ice for a wooden icebox and for freezing ice cream, until the Fourth of July. On April 15, 1943, Marie received her appointment for the position of Stratton Postmaster. The family had a farm sale and moved to town. Harry worked for Dillon Hardware until they changed hands, then for Snell Grain for many years. The children all graduated from the Stratton High School. Laura and Thelma attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. Laura taught the Pautler School, north of Bethune, one term, then got a position in the Elementary School in town. Thelma was receptionist for Dr. Keen and several other doctors in Stratton and Burlington. from college. They are Janet Thomason Boller, Manlius, N.Y.; Carol Thomas Nordtvedt, Canfield, Ohio; Donald Thomason, Houston, Texas; and Karla Thomason Gunnoe, Hinton, West Va. They also have five grandchildren. On Oct. 24, L948, Thelma married Jim Hutton from Hale, Colo. He is the son of Roscoe Hutton, whose family were early settlers in the Kirk, Colo. community. His Mother is the former Hazel Messenger, daughter of I.D. Messenger, who was a Kit Carson County Commissioner for several years and renowned as one of the commissioners who bought the Carousel for Kit Carson County. Thelma and Jim operate a ranch on the Republican River. They have two children, Jerry and Peggy. Jerry graduated from the School of Mines in Golden, Colo., and is now farming with his Father. He married Linda Wheeler, from Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 11, 1980. They have two children, Kathleen Flora, born Jan. 15, 1984, and Neil James, born April 10, 1986. Peggy graduated from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., and completed her education as a registered nurse at the University of Colorado Medical Center, Denver, Colo. She and Dean Wheeler. also from Detroit, were married at the Air Force Academy Chapel on Jan. 20, 1978. They live in Elgin, Ill. Allen married Audrey Carter, Burlington, Colo. in 1953. They had two children, Dianna Greenwood Huseman and Robert Green- wood. They also had two grandchildren. Dianna lives in Ventura, Calif., and works as a receptionist. Robert works for a construction company near Portland, Oregon. Allen and Audrey's marriage was dissolved and Allen is now married to the former Rosalie Stoffel. The Stoffel family were early resi- dents of Stratton and Allen and Rosalie were classmates. They live in Stratton. Rosalie has two daughters by a former marriage and four grandsons. After graduation from High School, Allen worked for Snell Grain Co. for many years. After the company sold out, he worked for other grain companies. He also did some farming. Because of ill health, Harry retired from the Snell Grain Co. He spent much time hunting and fishing. Marie retired from the U.S. Postal Service on Nov. 30, 1971. In June 1977, Harry and Marie took a memorable tour of the State of Alaska. Sightseeing there included a chartered fishing trip out of Ketchican. Harry passed away on July 17, 1977. Marie remains in the home in Stratton. by Marie E. Greenwood One Sept. L2, 1945, Laura married a schoolmate, Francis Thomason. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Francis taught school for a few years, then joined the accounting firm of Haskins and Sells. As a partner in the firm, he was assigned to several different districts in the United States. Over the years, Laura, Francis and family lived in Washington State, California, Boulder, Colo., and finally settled in Mclean, Virginia. His final assignment before retiring, was a two and one-half year stint in Saudi Arabia, with a group of other accountants from the firm. This gave them the opportunity to travel extensively. Laura and Francis have four children, all of whom graduated GREENWOOD, THEODORE FAMILY F237 Theodore Greenwood, born Nov. 12, L857, at Belleville, Wisc., and Laura Haskins, born March 8, 1862, at Oregon, Wisc., were married March 19, 1886 at Oregon, Wisc. They soon moved to Franklin, Nebr., near Grand Island, where Theodore worked at one time for "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Later they moved to Smith Center, Kansas. In March, 1908, the Greenwoods came to Stratton, Colo. �.:...,r:f .r!. r:r.1r-i,r:i:.i rll?i Mrs. Theodore Greenwood. on the Rock Island Railroad, and settled on their homestead eleven miles south of Stratfurniton. They moved their belongings - and ture, feed, farm implements, a few cattle in an emigrant car, a service then horses - by the railroad. provided The Greenwoods came with their five children: Maude, Letta, Harry, Laura, and baby Russell. When Maude, the eldest, reached the age of twenty-one years, she homesteaded a quarter section of land ad- joining to the east of the original homestead. She married Peter Burrggraff, another homesteader living nearby. They had eight children: Ellen, Theo, Mar5r, Leo, Helen, and Martha, and Ida. The - Margaret Burrggraffs moved to Stratton in order to send their children to the parochial school. Several years later, they moved to Brighton, Colo., where they operated a truck farm, and twins finally settled in Denver, Colo. Letta married Winifred Hall, who had homesteaded a few miles east. They later moved to Hasty, Colo. and then to Carthage and Springfield, Missouri. They had four children: Faye, Frances, Ray, and Alice Lee. Harry married Marie Chandler, and they continued to live south of Stratton until they moved to town in 1943. They had three children: Laura Ruth. Thelma Grace. and Allen Theodore. Laura married a neighbor boy, Archie Lowe, and they settled on a ranch south of Cheyenne Wells, Colo. They had three children: Marvin, Merrill, and Patricia. Marvin and Merrill live with their families near Cheyenne wells. Patricia (Patty), who married Richard Borders, of Stratton, lives near Genoa, Colo. Russell married his First Central schoolmate, Grace Wellman. They had one child, Wayne, who with wife Vera, operate the original Greenwood farm. Theodore and Laura Greenwood lived in a sodhouse for many years. About 1920, they built a comfortable frame house. Theodore was a carpenter by trade and insisted that only the best material should be used in that house. He was also a lover ofhorsee and bred and raised race horses, Arabians, and Pintos, some of which were spotted. His pride and joy mule colt. was a rarity - a spotted The Greenwoods were active in the community. There was a little creek just below the house and they succeeded in growing a grove of trees on their barren prairie land. Many a community Memorial Day or Fourth of July picnic were celebrated there. They also had a small orchard of apple, peach, cherry, and plum trees near the house. "Grandma" also had some rose bushes and chrysanthemums. "Grandpa Greenwood" helped many an early settler, who found himself in dire straits, during the severe winter months. He would loan them money or feed for their cattle and one time he loaned a fresh cow to a family with a small baby, because all of their cows had gone dry. "Grandma" was a good cook and neighbors or transients who happened to drop in about mealtime were always invited to "draw up a chair." Then, there were birthdays, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas, always occasions for family gatherings. It was the night after preparing for one of these celebrations, Nov. 10, 1934, that "Grandma" passed away quietly in her sleep, of an apparent heart attack. Soon their son, Russell and daughterin-law, Grace, moved to the home place to keep house and care for "Grandpa". He suffered a long illness and died May 11, 1937. All five of the children are now deceased. by Marie E. Greenwood Herb and Gertrude Griffith about 1946. were born: Roy in May, 1911; Quma in July, 1919; Floyd in August, 1921, who passed away at 6 months of age from pneumonia. Ahda passed away in 1927. He came back to Colorado a couple of times and worked in the round house at Limon, shoveling coal and also worked on W.P.A. building bridges south of Stratton. During this time he met Gertrude Bartholomew and they were mauied in February, 1930. To this union three children were born: Bill in May, 1931; Bob in April, 1934; and Pat in August, 1949. In the mid-thirties the family attended Sunday School in schoolhouses as there were no churches in the country. Roy and Quma attended school at Grandview School: Bill and Bob attended at Nuttbrook. and Pat attended at Stratton Public Schools. The older children rode horses to and from school. It was partly open range so they had their short cuts across prairie. The Kit Carson trail ran through Hugh's property and southwest on the Fred Wagoner land was one of the first dug wells in the area. It was used by the trail and stages that passed through. The first home that Herb built was a cement room with a dirt floor. Later on they put in a wood slat floor. The family then built GRIFFITH, HERB F238 Herb Griffith and fanily traveled from Lebanon, Kansas, to Stratton, Colorado, by train in 1914. They later moved their belongings out as they could. Herb went to Hugo, Colorado, to the Land Office and applied for one-half section of land 8 miles south of Stratton under the Homestead Act. He had 4 years to make improvements on this land; he paid $1.25 per acre. Herb's homestead papers were final and signed in 1919. Herb was called to military duty on August 8, 1917; his serial number was 433. He was exempt from the service because of his family having no other means of support other than his farming. Herb was married to Ahda Woodard in March of 1910. To this union three children adobe blocks and added a room on their house. A little later Herb's brother, Glen, moved and he moved his one room wooden house over and attached it to the front, so they then had three rooms. Herb did his farming by tesm and plow. They picked corn by hand and also shocked feed by hand. At threshing time all of the neighbors helped each other. They had milk cows, pigs, and chickens and this all was his way of making a living. Through all the hard times of the depression Herb always had a good sense of humor. We remember the story that he told about he mountain lion that chased him up the windmill. The tale madethe Denuer Post and the Stratton papers. Herb and his family traveled to most of the barn dances in the area. Gertrude played the guitar and Clarence Brennan played the fiddle at most of the dances, �In 1935 Gertrude's two brothers moved in shed that had once been used for chickens. with them. Also at this time they had severe Marvin is fond of saying, "Abe Lincoln was rains and the Launchman Creek cnme within 10 feet of their home. This flood took several lives and people's livestock. In 1951, Bill, their oldest son, went into the born in a log cabin, but I was born in a chicken house (1926)." Married in 1948, we moved to our farm three miles west of Burlington. The old house Army. He was in the Korean War and spent 8 years in the service. In 1952, Bob, his brother, joined the Army and was also in Korea; he spent 4 years in the service. In the spring of 1954, Herb and his family moved into Stratton. Gertrude waited tables for Al and Lil Young. In 1956 they moved behind the Toland Crenrnery and Gertrude worked at the Stratton Cafe for the Franken- there had a lot of room, but wasn't very well every hard windstorm we had, the built felds. In 1957 Gertrude took over the crenmery and ran it until 1967. They bought the Elva Holloway house, and this was their last home. Herb's favorite pastime after moving to town was going fishing with Rob Piper. He also enjoyed his family and loved to have them all together. He also enjoyed having his garden and flowers. Gertrude did a lot of sewing for people in the community. She was also involved in the Senior Citizens group and played the piano and steel guitar with their band and enjoyed it very much. She was also deeply involved in her church, taught Sunday School for many years, and was always there when anyone needed her help. Gertrude died in 1985. by Pat Alderson GRUSING - HUDSON FAMILY F239 - cabinet doors would rub on one kitchen corner or another, depending on the direction of the wind. But the wind wasn't all bad because (like many of our neighbors) we had a windcharger and 32 volt electricity until REA came. When there was a gale blowing, our 16 large glass batteries would charge like crazy and usually I'd be ironing like crazy, because that was the only time the iron really got hot. In addition to our electricity we also had butane (lishts, stove, refrigerator and self-starting furnace) plus a windmill with an elevated water tank that gave us gravity flow to the house. Therefore, we were hardly dependent at all on electricity, which was especially nice during long hard blizzards. However, our first winter on the farm, our water froze up deep underground so that for nine weeks we had to cany watet for euerything, including flushing the toilet. It was then that I would have appreciated an outhouse! Then, when our water uos flowing, visiting city friends didn't know how to conserve it, so we often had to man our old hand-pump to relieve the over full septic tank. Time flies when you're having fun! In the Sifty-Fifties, which were a repeat performance of the Dirty-Thirties, we adopted Gary (1953) and Marvanna (1956) - each an only 10-20 days old. Sometimes after unusually hard windstorm, since Gary was a very sound sleeper, he would leave a white silhouette on his dusty sheets when I'd pick him up from his nap. Marvin and I met in my native Burlington, We weathered the storms, although our married. Buying land at Dighton, they were cash-poor, go for a couple of years lived in a pastures died from sifting dust, some of our cattle died from dust-pneumonia, we raised no crops for three years, and we finally had to sell our cow herd since we couldn't even raise weeds to feed them. It was at this time that I threw up my hands and wanted to quit where he'd moved after serving in the Philippines during WWIL All four of his grandparents had come from Germany, settling in Kansas, where his parents were but Marvin insisted it was not the time to -quit, but to hang in there. Of course he was right, because that's when things began to fall into place for us economically. In 1959 we began commuting to Tucson, AZ, spending the school years there, and the summers on the farm, since Gary had developed sinus problems and couldn't stand the cold Colorado winters. Yet he worked in the dirty fields and grain bins and stayed well, as long as he kept warm. ln 1970, we c'me back to Burlington full time, when Marvanna was in the eighth grade. Following a few years of living in just one place, we began getting restless, so bought a vacation townhouse at Woodland Park, CO. Yet in another ten years, gypsy fever overcame us so we bought a home south of Tucson in 1983 (we now spend the winters there near our travel agent son, Gary). Soon thereafter, Marvin semi-retired, rented out most of his land, but with the help of our daughter Marvanna, he continues to do all his own office work. We have since moved our permanent residence from Burlington to Woodland Park, where we spend the summers in our mountain home near Marvanna, Marvin Grusing family Summer 1987. Marvanna and Gary, Georgeanna and Marvin Hudson. who now lives in the townhouse. In order to conduct business, we come down to Burlington for a night or two; every week or so and stay at a local motel. As neither Marvin nor I are fishermen, hunters or goUers, and since we both like to travel, we find we very much enjoy our g5psy-style of life and plan to continue shuttling back and forth between Arizona and Colorado for as long ar| we c{rn. At present we have a four wheel drive vehicle and have set a goal of traveling every state and county road in Colorado, Arizona, and eventually the neighboring states. Visiting ghost towns, old mines, restored homes, national parks and monuments, we often picnic along the way, marvelling at the unspoiled beauty that still remains in our fantastic land and we feel greatly blessed. - by Georgeanna Hudson Grusing GULLEY, JOHN FAMILY r.240 Amanda Edwards was born in Tennessee in 1870, the oldest living child of 10 girls and one boy. Since Grandfather Edwards was a judge, he was not always home, so most of the farm work fell on the entire fanily. Finally the farm was sold and the family moved to Hutton Valley, Missouri. There Amanda attended a Normal School earning a teaching certificate. John Gulley was born in Hutton Valley in 1872. He was the oldest of six boys and seven girls. One time when Ananda was teaching school, they had a box supper. John was attracted to the black-headed, brown-eyed teacher, winning her away from a competitor. They were married in 1896. The following year a baby boy was born. Grandmother Gulley took care of the baby that year while Amanda was teaching. John helped his father with the farming. When Hayden was quiteyoung they moved to Lawrence, Kansas. They rented a store with an apartment upstairs. While there they were flooded out of their store two times by the Kansas River. John would stand at the window and watch his canned goods float down the river. John borrowed a hundred dollars which helped him get started in the grocery business again. Theodore was born three months later, the second time they were flooded. With two children to raise, John thought he could do better in Colorado. He loaded all their possessions into a freight car and came to Stratton where they lived a short time until they could file on a homestead. They moved 15 miles north and two milee west to their new adobe home. But farming wasn't enough for John, so he started a little store in the front part of the home. Not only that, but they would load his car with groceries and go from farm to farm selling them. The boys attended the Kechter School about two miles away with three cousins who lived close by.By 1911 Edward was born and in 1915 Ruth, the only girl, was born. In the fall the family left Kit Carson County for a while, moving to Kirk in Yuma County where John had built a new building with a store in front and living quarters in the back. In 1932 the family moved east of Stratton. I, Ruth, in my last year of high school, rode �with neighbors the five miles into Stratton where I graduated. During my teaching years my parents moved back into Stratton where they lived for about 19 years. I attended college in Greeley. Then I taught eight years in country schools. I took a year off from teaching to work in the Office of Price Administration in Burlington. I then taught 10 years in Stratton before moving to Brush, Colorado, to finish my teaching career of 42 years. by Ruth Gulley GULLEY, N. O. F24l These homesteads lay one mile apart, running north and south and were located 16 miles north and 4 west of Stratton. Colorado. In July 1909, the houses were ready to move into, except for flooring, and for a few months a dirt floor had to do. The ground was smoothed and leveled and water poured over it. When it was dry it was hard and could be swept with a broom. The men returned to Lawrence and loaded their belongings on the train boxcars and themselves and families in a passenger train and headed west for Stratton. Here they unloaded and piled their furnishings onto lumber wagons which they had left in Stratton. Oscar, driving a buggy, led the procession home. Oscar was a bachelor, but in 1940's. The history of the Gulley family in this country begins with John Gulley Sr. who crme from Wales prior to the Revolutionary War and assisted in American Independence through civil service. He settled in North Carolina and his descendants migrated to Tennessee and eventually to Hutton Valley, Missouri. It was there that Nathan Oliver Gulley, better known a N.O. or Ollie, was born to Hulin and Sarah Gulley in 1877. Also born in Hutton Valley in 1879 was Bertha Ross Paine. She was one of ten children born to Dr. and Mrs. John Paine. Bertha and N.O. were childhood friends and when grown they were married on Feb. 8, 1902 at Lawrence, Kansas. They made their first home there at a farm called 9 Mile where N,O. was employed as overseer. Their first child, Velma, was born here in 1903. When Velma was three days old, there was a flash flood on the Kaw River and the family lost all of their belongings and only one wall of their house remained. N.O. and Bertha returned to Hutton Valley to get a new st€rt and their son, Nolan, was born there in 1904. N.O. and Bertha were finally able to again secure work at 9 Mile and returned to Lawrence where their daughter, Opal, was born in 1908. In 1909, many families began moving to Eastern Colorado where there was still some land open for homesteading. N.O. was anxious to go, but Bertha was not sure it was the thing to do with three small children and little money. After much discussion and with many doubts they decided to go. N.O. went first, accompanied by Bertha's brother, Oscar Paine, and a lifelong friend and neighbor, Bunt Smith. Working together, they made adobe bricks. Aftcr many days of miring dirt and water and pouring the mud into molds to dry, they finally had enough bricks to build three one room houses. One wae built on each of the homest€ads staked out bv the men. F242 I was born in Greenock, Scotland, on May 24th, 1860 and spent my girlhood days with my mother and sister and grandmother in the old family home in which the fifth generation is now living. My father, Robert Morrison was a Civil Engineer, and was sent to Africa to draw plans for an iron pier to be built at Lagas on the west coast of Africa. While there he contracted malaria fever and died and was buried at Lagas. We did not hear of his death until six months later. his mother had lived with him since the death of Dr. Paine in 1900. Now at the age of 63 she had accompanied him to this new land to help build a community. All intended to build a larger frame house the following year but time or money did not permit and the Gulley's one room house was their home for eight years. Bunt was the first to build a new house, as he had built on the I was married to Peter Guthrie of Greenock, on November lst, 1883, and after living In 1910, Carey Post Office was established 16 miles north and TYz east of Vona. Mr. business and pleasure trip, and while there my husband received word from a lawyer in bank of Hell Creek and the first hard rain brought flood waters up to his door. N.O. and Bertha Gulley at their home in Stratton GUTHRIE, CLEMENTINA Carey was the postmaster. N.O. was appointed mail carrier from Carey to Tuttle which was nine miles east of his home. He made the trip three times a week in a buggy pulled by his faithful 1sam, Dolly and Sampson. He carried mail until Carey was discontinued when the Vona mail route was extended to in Greenock, Scotland for three years, we moved to the United States going to live in Philadelphia, where my husband's brother Alexander was then living. We arrived in Philadelphia in April 1886, and the two brothers worked together as contractors and carpenters, building ninety houses and storeg in the two years we lived there. In 1888, I returned to Scotland on a Burlington, Colorado that James Guthrie, who had taken a homestead here in 1887, had been found dead in his claim shack under suspicious circumstances that looked like murder. My husband left at once for Colorado, coming west on the Union Pacific to Hugo, Colorado, then traveling by stage the community in about 1915. coach across the prairies to Burlington. The N.O. and Bertha, after much hard work of making adobe bricks, built a long, low building and divided it into four sections to body had been buried in the corner of the be used as a hen house, horse barn, cow barn, and grain bin. It stood for ten years until a homestead and was exhumed for inspection and my husband was fully convinced that the coroner and Dr. Bishop were right. The man had come to his death by being struck on the twister blew it down while N.O. watched from a window in the house. A frame barn was then built and a hen back of the head with a blunt instrument. Two men were suspected but nothing could house moved in. A frame house had been built a couple ofyears earlier as were a granery and returned to Philadelphia, leaving the affairs in the hands of a lawyer, Mr. S.D. King. James Guthrie was known as a very reserved man, reticent in manner, and with no bad habits, so no reason could be given for the deed except that his homestead was close to the new town and right by the railroad line, and was envied by some who felt the sale of milk house. So now. all the old adobe buildings were gone. The bricks were gathered up and thrown into a low place where they had been made. The rain fell on them and more dirt blew in and soon they had become solid dirt again. That spot always was low and after a rain the lagoon made a wonderful place to play on hot summer days. The Gulleys lived on the homestead from 1909 until 1934. They farmed the land, had milk cows and raised chickens and ducks. Always, there was a big garden and potato patch. In 1934 they moved to Golden where they ran a rooming house. They came back in 1939 and lived near their daughter, Opal Boger, north of Vona. In 1941, they moved to Stratton and lived there for the next nine years. Then they moved to Arvada where N.O. passed away in 1951 and Bertha passed away at Wheatridge in 1971. by Opal Boger be proved at that time, so my husband the land would turn them a pretty penny. This homestead was located on the NE % of Section 31, Township 8, Range 43. After returning to Philadelphia from my trip abroad, I had a very severe sickness and was ordered by the doctor to return to Scotland or farther west. My husband was so thrilled with the new western country that he was eager to return to Colo. We packed our furniture and bedding in a freight car and came to Burlington on the new Rock Island Railroad which had been completed in the fall of 1888. We arrived in Burlington in April 1889, on a cold night and a drizzle was falling. We went to the hotel, which was the only one in town, a two-story box-like structure, and tried to rest, but the very quiet atmosphere rather frightened me. In the morning, I looked out upon the open prairie stretching miles away on one side and a few dingy shacks on the other side of the hotel. I felt rather disconsolate over the prospects of a home in such a dreadfully lonesome place, but decided that we would have to make the best of it. We bought a nice home in town and lived �there for a short time getting acquainted with western ways and the new land. Then my husband took a homestead or rather we bought a relinquishment from an old man named Peter McGinnis, and we, my husband, myself and eight children, moved into a "dugout" to hold our claim until the house could be built. We had no well, so had to haul water from a farm house south of us which my husband owned and on which we had lived a short time. While we were living in this dugout, my husband took ill with pnerrmonia. An anxious time I had, nursing a sick husband and trying to run a farm I knew nothing about. But my husband got well and our new sod house was soon finished and we moved into it and my, how we did expand. I had so much to learn, and had to work so hard, but thank God, I had regained my health and was able to do my work for my family. Then we had a well drilled and got a large water tank, and built barns and sheds and started farm life in earnest. I was very timid at first, but soon got used to the farm animals, and got so I could raise chickens and ducks and make butter as well as an old timer. We had our gains and losses, our many ups and downs, but we never gave up or lost our faith in this country. We always managed to have enough to eat, good plain food that helped to build the sturdy bodies of our twelve boys and girls. I was the mother of the first pair of twins in Kit Carson County (Sara M. and Clyde) and what excitement there was over this event. People came from miles around to see the babies. Three years later, I gave birth to a second pair oftwins (Laura K. and Luben H.). Through care and planning and working over, we managed to clothe our children respectably. They did not need ag much as boys and girls do now. We attended the little M.E. church and Sunday school in Burlington, for our ranch was just 1% miles northeastofBurlington. The wagon and team w{u} our conveyance, wherever we went, and we felt quite rich when we acquired a two wheeled cart, and later a buggy. My children attended the first schoolhouse built in Burlington. The bricks used in this building were made from clay dug at Beaver Creek south of town. I remember when the first large schoolhouse, in fact too large for Burlington, for no one ever thought there would ever be enough children attending school to require four rooms. Just look at your school today and think ofthe students attending. I see our pretty little town today and think of the morning in April 1889, when I looked over such a dismal place, and then said to my husband, "Peter Guthrie, where have you brought me?" He replied "Tuts, woman, this is a fine country," and I said "God help us!" by Clementina Guthrie mother was there on business. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean when only three weeks old. (The history of why they came can be read under his mother's history.) I will start with his coming to Burlington on April, 1889, with his mother, sister Bessie and brothers Peter and Robert on the Rock Island Railroad to join his father. The family's first home was a dugout, then a two-room sod house was built north of Burlington. By 1893 therewere eight children in the family and so John was sent to live with some friends who wanted him. The couple was all right but really worked him and he missed his family. Every year or two a new sister or brother was born. He sometimes would see them at church and the older children at school, but not often. His school attendance was very irregular. First he was kept out for spring work and then for fall work. He used to walk to his parents home, a distance of five miles, just to see the family and would be spanked by his father and sent business for himself. My mother was an excellent manager because we survived the closing ofthe "stock Grower's Bank" failure and during the depression years we never were on welfare. There was no buildinggoing on. People would buy small appliances, like electric irons and promise to pay 25 cents a week, but often failed to come in and my parenls never charged interest. They sent me to college, but children. My father never got over missing his family. This writer is nmazed how he could always be so caring and willing to help his family and other people, when he was almost by his townspeople to serve on the City Council for several terms. He was alwavs willing to do anything that benefited Bur- forgotten as a child and had such a sad childhood. He never talked about this, but I got this information from an aunt and uncle. At the age of twelve, he went to work on the Bar T. Ranch on the Republican River and lived with Gordon Burr, Sr. and family. Here he got to finish the eighth grade at the "Tuttle" School. He saved his wages and bought himself a violin and taught himself to play it. He loved to square dance and even "called" for square dances. (I used to think my parents would rather dance than eat.) When of age my father took a homestead north of Flagler, Co. In the summer of 1913, he went to work in the wheat harvest for John S. Stevens in Colby, Kansas. Mr. Stevens was the Western Kansas Wheat King in those years. John met Mr. Stevens'oldest daughter Hazel Ann, my mother, and they fell in love. This was the first time my father said he found real happiness. Days before their wedding my father had ridden by horseback from Flagler to Bur- lington to get the marriage license. My mother and her parents were now living north of Flagler near Thurman, Co. On the day of the wedding, which was to be at my Grandparents'home, my father could not find the license. He never did find it. He and my mother had to come to Burlington by horse and buggy and get another license. So they just decided to be married in Burlington on January 22, tgL4. My parents lived on the homestead until 1916 and after the death of their first child. worked nights at the A.L. Anderson Buick Garage. In those days people didn't build John Simpson Guthrie was the fourth child of thirteen children (two sets of twins) born to Clementina (Morrison) Guthrie and Peter Guthrie on July 11, 1888 in Pharos County, Antrim, Ireland. My father was born in Ireland because his When Mr. Pierce left Burlington, my father became the electrician for the N.R. Brown Hardware. In 1928 he went into I know they deprived themselves. My mother died of cancer in 1950. months, they moved to Burlington. My father F243 lington, a daughter Marjorie, and a son Wendell John who only lived three years and died during the bad siege of pneumonia which took many lives in Burlington. back. His parents were good neighbors, honest, hardworking and church-going people, but very harsh and strict with their a daughter nemed Vivian who lived only a few GUTHRIE, JOHN SIMPSON known in this Kit Carson Countv and throughout the state. He wired the present County Courthouse, and I state this with pride because my Grandfather Guthrie helped to build the first courthouse in Burlington. Two other children were born in Bur- garages and so the garage was kept open and they would bring their cars in and if it was cold or stormy, then my father would take them home and bring the car back. It was here, he met Mr. Otis Pierce, an electrician in Burlington. He convinced my father to become an electrician. He even paid to send him to Chicago to take an electrical course and learn to read blueprints. He becnme one of the first licensed electricians and was well My father felt honored when he was elected lington. He was a volunteer fireman and Fire Captain many years before they got a pension. I can still see him running to get on the back of the firetruck. He was a Mason and Worshipful Master of the Lodge, a member of the Rotary, and my mother and he were members of the Methodist Church. He decided to sell his business in 1g68 as he was 75 years old and tired of climbing around in attics. His first car was his service truck which was a Model T. Ford. I am so glad he lived to see and enjoy his grandchildren, Melissa Ann his granddaughter and his grandson John, who is named after him. They are the children of Marjorie and the late Chester Robinson. Of all the wonderful memories I have I can remember so clearly them telling me to be truthful, and that honesty is the best policy, don't forget kindness and love. All these made the world go round and without them and God, life is no good. How fortunate I was to be born to Hazel and John Guthrie. Daddv died Dec. 28, L973. by Marjorie (Guthrie) Robinson GUY - JEFFRIES FAMILY F244 Horace Greeley said, "Go west, young man, go west," so in the 1890;s Leroy & AdaJeffries did just that. They moved all the way from western Kansas to the bleak eastern Colorado plains. At about the same time a dashing young man, Harrison Guy, came out of Nebraska and met Leroy and Ada's daughter, Anna. This meeting cuhninated in marriage. Harrison and Anna homesteaded near Seibert and out of this union cn-e five boys and one girl who left a distinctive mark on the small towns of eastern Colorado. Leroy, the first born was an outstanding basketball and track star. Garland (#2) was also a prolific basketball player and an �outstanding softball pitcher and in 1932 led Seibert to the district basketball tournament. Jay (#3) followed in his older brother's footsteps by excelling in everything he undertook. Ventan (#4) died at an early age in the influenza and diphtheria scourge of the early 1920's. Robert (#5) was the youngest of the boys and carried on the Guy tradition in grand style. Then, "Lo & Behold," along came a girl Ada May (#6). She was the baby for many years and Hanison even reserved a seat on the school bus for her. Today in 1986, there are four of the Guy family left. Leroy is retired from thorobred horse training and lives in Phoenix. Garland is retired from Ford Motor Co. after 35 years of service and is really enjoying life by raising, breeding and racing thorobred horees in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Robert lives in Lag Vegas, Nevada, and baby Ada May and her husband, Merle, live in Phoenix where they slso race horses in Arizona & New Mexico. The Guy family has cnrne a long way from Grandpa & Grandma Jeffries and the Hotel and Poolhall in Seibert, Colorado. by Ada May Midgett GUY - WEMMER FAMILY filing the final papers it was discovered they were not yet 2L, the legal age to file a homestead claim, and they had to relinquish these claims. They then helped their father on the ranch until they were 21. At that time Francis turned the ranch over to his sons and moved to Eads, Co. where he opened a general merchandise store which he owned and operated until his retirement, then moving to Canon City, Co. In 1916 Jerry and Mabel (Pugh) were married and they and Jess continued the ranching operation. In the crash of "29" they lost the ranch. At this time Jess moved to Westcliffe, and later to Canon City where he owned and operated a green house. Jerry remained in the area, farming at various locations in the north part of Kit Carson County until in 1938, when he bought the old John Knodel homestead in the Settlement from the Federal Land Bank. In 1948 he retired and sold the farm to his son David, moved to Stratton, where he lived until his death in L977 at the age of 91. Eight children were born into the family. Richard of Bethune Colo., Jane (Bandimere) of Arvada, Colo., David of Stratton, Colo., Leona (Chapman) of Mesa, Arizona, Margaret (Chapman) of Mesa, Arizona, Pauline (Berver) of Silver City New Mexico, Joanne (Wolfl of Monte Vista, Colo., and Roberta (Kindred) of Spokane, Wash. Mabel passed away on April g, 1986 at the F246 age of 92 years and 9 months. by David Guy HALL FAMILY r.247 We, Robert and Maxine Hall, moved from southeastern Kangae in May 1948, to a farm 15 miles east of Fountain, Colo., known as the Hanover District. In Sept. of that year, our son James Michael (Mike) was born. In May of 1950, we moved to Flagler, Co. where farming prospects seemed much better. We beca-e acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. E.F. Wright of Flagler and he rented us some farm ground. We lived on the corner three fourths of a mile northwest of Flagler, where the oil road turns to the north. This house was owned by Guy Spear of Liberal, Kansas. He was the manager of the Baughman Land Company. He rented us more ground to farm. Our daughter, Vicki Sue, was born in March 1955. We bought a lot at the north edge of Flagler, from Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Huntzinger and built a quonset on it. In 1959, Mr. Spear wanted to sell the house and have it moved. We bought it and Hnm61 $1t"* helped us move it over to the lot where the quonset was. We remodeled it and are residing there at this time. Our son Mike, graduated in 1966 as class Valedictorian of the Flagler High School. He went on to the college at Boulder, Colo. and then to Medical School at Denver General in Denver. In June L972, he married Kathy Lorince, daughter of Delin and Tony Lorince of Arriba, Colo. Mike served in the Air Force in Washington, D.C., and their daughter Michelle Delin was born there, in March 1975. About two years latcr Mike was trans- GWYN - FISTIER FAMILY ferred to San Antonio, Texas. Later, he moved to Colorado Springs where they reside In 1906, the J.A. "Gus" Gwlrn family came at this time. Their son, Mathew Lorince, was born in April 1979. Mike is an Anesthesiologist at Penrose Hospital. Our daughter, Vicki, graduated as Saluta- they homesteaded on the SW 1/r -23-8-50. In 1918, they returned to Nebraska. In 1921, the youngest son, James Gwyn, returned to School. She went to college in Greeley, Colo. where she majored in Special Education. After graduating in June of 1977, she married F246 to Flagler from Decatur, Nebraska, where Flagler where he worked for the late C.J. Farr. On October L6, t924, he was married to lda Fisher. They lived on several places along the Republican River. In L942, they returned to their own place which was land Jim had bought from his father early in 1924. Their children were: Albert, born November 7, torian of her 1973 class at Flagler High Robert Sanderson, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Sanderson Sr. of Greeley. She began teaching at Madison Elementary. She got her Masters Degree in 1985 and is still residing and teaching at Madison, in Greeley. by Mrs. Robert llall 1927, and Margie, born September 10, 1929, on the original A.C. Fisher homestead, where their mother was born. Agnes was born Jess and Jerry Guy. No one is sure oftheir age in this photo but a good guess would be 18 months to two years. They were born August 30, 1886. In the late 1800's Francis and Matilda (Wemmer) Guy moved from the Wichita, Kansas area, along with their three children, daughter Myrtle (1884), twin song Jess and Jerry (1886), and their possessions in a covered wagon, possibly the last covered wagon coming to this area. They settled first at Laird, CO. then sometime later moving to a ranch north and east of Kirk, Co. When Jegs and Jerry turned 18, they each filed for a homestead north and west ofJoes, Colorado. After proving up their claim and August 8, 1932, in a eod house on the Wm. Kneis homestead. The family struggled along in the thirties - eating beans, going to town with the team and wagon - selling a few eggs, a dab of home churned butter to buy necessary groceries. Mr. Chas. Blake, the grocer, of Seibert provided a small sack of candy as a treat for the kids. In February of 1957, Jim and Ida traded their ranch for property in town and moved to Flagler. Jim passed away in December, 1959. Ida still lives in Flagler, enjoying her family and busy with her many hobbies. by Ida R. Gwyn HALL. GREENWOOD FAMILY F248 My parents, Winford (Wink) Scott Hall and Julia Boletta (Letta) Greenwood of Stratton, Colorado were married January 10, 1912 in Kit Carson County. They were early settlers of the county having homesteaded land as early as 1906. Winford was born May 31, 1882 in Knox County, Missouri. He was the son of William Graves Hall and Beatrice Maud Scott. His father was from Indiana and mother from Kentucky of Scotch-Irish ancestors. Boletta was born September 8, 1894 in Franklin County, Nebraska. She was the daughter ofTheodore Greenwood and Laura Delilah Haskins. Theodore and Laura were originally from Wisconsin. They moved to � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- G Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource Brief history of the founding families of Kit Carson County whose names begin with "G." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/483/Families-H1.pdf 68ac81036a489051a5264bc3303bea90 PDF Text Text outstanding softball pitcher and in 1932 led Seibert to the district basketball tournament. Jay (#3) followed in his older brother's footsteps by excelling in everything he undertook. Ventan (#4) died at an early age in the influenza and diphtheria scourge of the early 1920's. Robert (#5) was the youngest of the boys and carried on the Guy tradition in grand style. Then, "Lo & Behold," along came a girl Ada May (#6). She was the baby for many years and Hanison even reserved a seat on the school bus for her. Today in 1986, there are four of the Guy family left. Leroy is retired from thorobred horse training and lives in Phoenix. Garland is retired from Ford Motor Co. after 35 years of service and is really enjoying life by raising, breeding and racing thorobred horees in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Robert lives in Lag Vegas, Nevada, and baby Ada May and her husband, Merle, live in Phoenix where they slso race horses in Arizona & New Mexico. The Guy family has cnrne a long way from Grandpa & Grandma Jeffries and the Hotel and Poolhall in Seibert, Colorado. by Ada May Midgett GUY - WEMMER FAMILY filing the final papers it was discovered they were not yet 2L, the legal age to file a homestead claim, and they had to relinquish these claims. They then helped their father on the ranch until they were 21. At that time Francis turned the ranch over to his sons and moved to Eads, Co. where he opened a general merchandise store which he owned and operated until his retirement, then moving to Canon City, Co. In 1916 Jerry and Mabel (Pugh) were married and they and Jess continued the ranching operation. In the crash of "29" they lost the ranch. At this time Jess moved to Westcliffe, and later to Canon City where he owned and operated a green house. Jerry remained in the area, farming at various locations in the north part of Kit Carson County until in 1938, when he bought the old John Knodel homestead in the Settlement from the Federal Land Bank. In 1948 he retired and sold the farm to his son David, moved to Stratton, where he lived until his death in L977 at the age of 91. Eight children were born into the family. Richard of Bethune Colo., Jane (Bandimere) of Arvada, Colo., David of Stratton, Colo., Leona (Chapman) of Mesa, Arizona, Margaret (Chapman) of Mesa, Arizona, Pauline (Berver) of Silver City New Mexico, Joanne (Wolfl of Monte Vista, Colo., and Roberta (Kindred) of Spokane, Wash. Mabel passed away on April g, 1986 at the F246 age of 92 years and 9 months. by David Guy HALL FAMILY r.247 We, Robert and Maxine Hall, moved from southeastern Kangae in May 1948, to a farm 15 miles east of Fountain, Colo., known as the Hanover District. In Sept. of that year, our son James Michael (Mike) was born. In May of 1950, we moved to Flagler, Co. where farming prospects seemed much better. We beca-e acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. E.F. Wright of Flagler and he rented us some farm ground. We lived on the corner three fourths of a mile northwest of Flagler, where the oil road turns to the north. This house was owned by Guy Spear of Liberal, Kansas. He was the manager of the Baughman Land Company. He rented us more ground to farm. Our daughter, Vicki Sue, was born in March 1955. We bought a lot at the north edge of Flagler, from Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Huntzinger and built a quonset on it. In 1959, Mr. Spear wanted to sell the house and have it moved. We bought it and Hnm61 $1t"* helped us move it over to the lot where the quonset was. We remodeled it and are residing there at this time. Our son Mike, graduated in 1966 as class Valedictorian of the Flagler High School. He went on to the college at Boulder, Colo. and then to Medical School at Denver General in Denver. In June L972, he married Kathy Lorince, daughter of Delin and Tony Lorince of Arriba, Colo. Mike served in the Air Force in Washington, D.C., and their daughter Michelle Delin was born there, in March 1975. About two years latcr Mike was trans- GWYN - FISTIER FAMILY ferred to San Antonio, Texas. Later, he moved to Colorado Springs where they reside In 1906, the J.A. "Gus" Gwlrn family came at this time. Their son, Mathew Lorince, was born in April 1979. Mike is an Anesthesiologist at Penrose Hospital. Our daughter, Vicki, graduated as Saluta- they homesteaded on the SW 1/r -23-8-50. In 1918, they returned to Nebraska. In 1921, the youngest son, James Gwyn, returned to School. She went to college in Greeley, Colo. where she majored in Special Education. After graduating in June of 1977, she married F246 to Flagler from Decatur, Nebraska, where Flagler where he worked for the late C.J. Farr. On October L6, t924, he was married to lda Fisher. They lived on several places along the Republican River. In L942, they returned to their own place which was land Jim had bought from his father early in 1924. Their children were: Albert, born November 7, torian of her 1973 class at Flagler High Robert Sanderson, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Sanderson Sr. of Greeley. She began teaching at Madison Elementary. She got her Masters Degree in 1985 and is still residing and teaching at Madison, in Greeley. by Mrs. Robert llall 1927, and Margie, born September 10, 1929, on the original A.C. Fisher homestead, where their mother was born. Agnes was born Jess and Jerry Guy. No one is sure oftheir age in this photo but a good guess would be 18 months to two years. They were born August 30, 1886. In the late 1800's Francis and Matilda (Wemmer) Guy moved from the Wichita, Kansas area, along with their three children, daughter Myrtle (1884), twin song Jess and Jerry (1886), and their possessions in a covered wagon, possibly the last covered wagon coming to this area. They settled first at Laird, CO. then sometime later moving to a ranch north and east of Kirk, Co. When Jegs and Jerry turned 18, they each filed for a homestead north and west ofJoes, Colorado. After proving up their claim and August 8, 1932, in a eod house on the Wm. Kneis homestead. The family struggled along in the thirties - eating beans, going to town with the team and wagon - selling a few eggs, a dab of home churned butter to buy necessary groceries. Mr. Chas. Blake, the grocer, of Seibert provided a small sack of candy as a treat for the kids. In February of 1957, Jim and Ida traded their ranch for property in town and moved to Flagler. Jim passed away in December, 1959. Ida still lives in Flagler, enjoying her family and busy with her many hobbies. by Ida R. Gwyn HALL. GREENWOOD FAMILY F248 My parents, Winford (Wink) Scott Hall and Julia Boletta (Letta) Greenwood of Stratton, Colorado were married January 10, 1912 in Kit Carson County. They were early settlers of the county having homesteaded land as early as 1906. Winford was born May 31, 1882 in Knox County, Missouri. He was the son of William Graves Hall and Beatrice Maud Scott. His father was from Indiana and mother from Kentucky of Scotch-Irish ancestors. Boletta was born September 8, 1894 in Franklin County, Nebraska. She was the daughter ofTheodore Greenwood and Laura Delilah Haskins. Theodore and Laura were originally from Wisconsin. They moved to �County, Colorado where they stayed until about 1928 moving to Barry County, Missouri and then to Barton County, Missouri. They continued to be a farming family. Winford and Boletta had 4 children: Faye Winifred (Johnson), Portland, Oregon, Frances Dee (Daniel), Springfield, Missouri, Ray Alney, East Carbon, Utah and Alice Lee (Varner), Willard, Miesouri. Winford Scott Hall died April 7, 1975 and Julia Boletta (Greenwood) Hall died November 5, L977; both are buried in Clear Creek Cemetery in IIANSEN, JOIIN AND CORA F260 Greene County, Missouti. My parents had to work hard but had a very interesting life. At times when we would travel across Kansas by automobile they would point out places where they had spent the night in a covered wagon as they made two trips by wagon. One summer just after they were married they followed a threshing machine around the country during harvest season. My father hauled water for the steam engine and mother and another girl had the cook shack. They certainly had a long exciting life together celebrating 63 years of marriage before my father died in 1975. Winford Scott and Julia Boletta Hall - 50th by Alice Hall Varner Wedding anniversary' LXiz. IIALL, CLAUDE II. FAMILY F249 John and Cora Hansen, 1948 1917, Sod house of neighbors. Winford Hall standing behind man holding child. Julia Boletta Hall setting behind their two girls, Francis and Faye. Nebraska about 1886 staying there until about 1900 when they moved to Smith County, Kansas. Theodore and Laura moved to Kit Carson County about 1908 and homesteaded land south of Stratton. Theo- dore and Laura had five children: Frances Maud (Burggraff), Julia Boletta (Hall)' Harry Howard, Laura Ellen (Lowe), aod Russell Lyman. Laura Delilah Greenwood died November 10, 1934 and Theodore Greenwood died May 11, 1937. They are both buried in the cemetery at Burlington, Colorado. Winford Hall first came west from Missouri about 1906 in search of adventure and his goal to homestead land which he did. He filed his homestead affidavit with the Land Office at Hugo, Colorado on September 20, 1906 for 160 acres in Section 29, Township 10S. He moved on to the land in February 190? and farmed 35 acres the first year, 45 acres in 1908, 80 acres in 1909, 90 acres in 1910,95 aqes in 1911. In 1909 he filed for an additional 160 acres and proved claim to the land in 1912. The improvements made on the first 160 acres was a sod house 12x16 ft., sod and frame stable 16x40 ft., adobe henhouse 8x10 ft., frame buggy shed 8x12 ft., well, pump, windmill and tank, 13l miles wire fencing. Value $600.00. After Winford and Boletta were married they continued to live on the land in Kit Carson County until about 1919 when they moved to the Arkansas Valley in Bent Claude and Annie Hall along with their four children, Thomas, Goldie, Claude and Inez, resided on a farm in Clay County, Nebraska, until February 26, 1923, when they moved to a farm north of Burlington, Colorado. The farm was one mile south of the Broadsword School which the children all attended until they graduated from the eighth grade. Mr. Hall and family engaged i! farming 1320 acres of land adjacent to and near the farmstead. In 1933 they purchased a property in west Burlington and converted an unused paint shop into a residence and chick hatchery. Local poultry flocks were upgraded and the poultrymen sold eggs to the hatchery for producing the chicks. Baby chicks, ducklings, and poults were hatched for sale to growers, as well as pheasants for the State Game Commission. In 1936 Mr. Hall moved to Lakewood, Colorado, where he engaged in contracting and building homes. His son, Tom and his wife, Myrtle Kreoger Hall, remained in Burlington and operated the hatchery until 1939 when they, too, moved to Lakewood and joined his father and brother in the building business. When the building material freeze developed in World War II, the building came to a halt and the family members accepted positions with the duPont Company's Remington Arms Division to aid in the war effort. by Thomas Merlyn Ilall John Hansen and animals he made as a hobby John and Cora Hansen were maried May 9, 1906 on a cloudy, rainy day. They went 25 miles in a horse and buggy to be married in Orion, Kansas. They resided in and around Oakley, Kansas until 1911 when they moved to Cedar, Kansas where my father dug wells by hand and followed the threshing machine for a living. In 1914 they moved back to Orion, Kansas where Daddy worked on a farm. The farming was done the modern way of 1911, by horse and the walking plow. In 1928 my parents rented a farm and Daddy built a four room sod house south of Oakley, Kansas. It was in 1928 that he bought his first tractor and a Model T car. Their only means of transportation until this time was the horse and buggy. The next 6 yean saw them thru the dirty 30's. During this time their only means of heat were "Grassolines" (Cowchips). They would pick them by the wagon loads and stack them in a stack like you would bundles of feed. These were very hard times as it was for all the people in the 30's. Daddy worked asl an assessor for the county. He would do a lot of it on horse back, going from farm to �farm. One time he got caught in a dirt storm, so black that he couldn't see where he was going, so he just turned the horse, Buster, loose and he took him home. I do remember this terrible storm, guess just because Daddy wagn't home. In 1935 my parents moved to Firstview, Colorado on a farm south ofthere, where they rented a farm from J.W. Baughman. Daddy drove the school bus and Mother was the cook at the school in Firstview. She was the first cook at this school when the government put the hot lunch progrnm in the school. They received commodities and that time we paid 100 for dinner. Mother baked all the bread for the school. In 1941 we moved to Stratton. My parents purchased the Asa Wood farm southeast of Stratton. While on this farm they farmed and raised Hereford cattle. In 1948 when illness forced them to retire from farming, they moved to Stratton. They purchased the Ivan Houtz property. While living in Stratton, my father was the caretaker for the city park. The park at that time had not been taken care of and he restored it back to it's beauty. He enjoyed this so much. He enjoyed visiting with the people who came to use the park. Many times tourists would come back geveral years in a row and made sure that they would stop to visit with him. His hobby was making animals out of plywood. He made a complete set of Hereford cattle. He made a windmill that the wheel even turned. He placed these animals in the yard, which was a great attraction to many people, as they looked so real. My mother was active in the Legion Auxilary and the Ladies Aid. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in May of 1956. Many friends and relatives came to help them celebrate. Shortly after that bad health forced them to go to the Grace Manor Nursing Home in Burlington, Colorado. Theywere fortunate to be able to celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary before one was taken in death. My father passed away in 1968 and Mother passed away in 1971. They were blessed with 3 children, Letha, Hillis and Netha. Letha Gee lives in Denver; Hillis passed away in 1956. Netha Kindred lives in Stratton. Colorado. They had five grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. by Netha Kindred HANSEN, JOHN AND ROSIE F261 This article prepared by Lewis A. Flansen, Ann Misner, and Bernice E. Rudnik for the Centennial of Kit Carson County, Colorado. Our father, John Theodore Hansen, was born in Prasto, Denmark September 1, 1889 to Mr. and Mrs. Rasmuss Hansen. He came to America in 1906 and becnme an American citizen. Our mother, Rosie LaZetta Clark, was born to Elias Luther and Eva May Clark on June 2, 1905 in Hornell, New York. John and Rosie were united in marriage October 9, 1920 in Page, Nebraska. To this union ten children were born. After the death of their daughter, Eva May, the decision was made to leave Page, Nebraska and move to KitCarson County, Colorado. Wanting to provide a country environment for their children, they purchased a 160-acres farm one mile east and two miles south of Seibert in 1930. The children's names are IIARDIN FAMILY F262 Irene M. Hansen (Zahnter), Doris M. Hansen (Stewart), Nels R. Hansen, Hans P. Hansen, Louise E. Hansen (Harsh), Kenneth R. Hansen, Lewis A. Hansen, Anna Belle Hansen (Misner), and Bernice E. Hansen (Rud- nik). Because of ill health and bad times, Dad and Mom lost the farm in December 193?. Dad then moved to Nebraska and Mom stayed on in Colorado. She made her home in Seibert, then moved to Vona in 1941. She always enjoyed a large garden and, of course, her pet cow, which only she could milk. After manyyears of separation, Dad and Mom were divorced in 1945. Dad passed away Januar5r 19, 1958 in O'Neill, Nebraska. In 1946, Mom moved to Elsie, Nebraska for a year and a halfand worked as a housekeeper, then returned to Vona. Then on March 24. 1952, Mom married John Gray of Vona. He had been in World War I and also worked on the railroad. In later years, he took care ofthe cemetery grounds. Mom and John moved north of the schoolhouse in Vona until the school wanted to enlarge the football field. They sold the place and bought another home east of the Oasis Service Station. John had a small rat terrier dog which he took everywhere. He put a dish pan on the fender of the tractor for the dog to ride in. Mom had a passion for bright colors in her sewing and needlework and she loved to make beautiful tatted edgings for pillowcases and gifts. Then, in 1970, they moved to a retirement home in Buena Vista, but they didn't like it there and returned to Vona. John was enlarging the house and building a garage in September 1973 when he fell and broke his hip. Needing care, they moved to Grace Manor in Burlington. In December, he learned to walk again only to have a stroke and he died December 27,1973. Mom stayed at Grace Manor a short time and one day the discontented lady walked to the bus stop and went home to Vona. After several stays between daughters and nursing homes, she became ill and had surgery in January 19?8. She passed away October l9?8 and was buried in Vona. At the time of this writing, two sisters and one brother are deceased. Eva May died shortly after her birth and Doris Hansen (Stewart) burned November 11, 1945 in Stratton when she put kerosene in a hot coal stove. Kenneth Hansen was killed in Korea July 20, 1950. Irene is now a retired widow living in Syracuse, Kansas. Hans and his wife are now retired and living in New Jersey. Nels and his wife are farming in Walback, Nebras- ka. Louise is working at a nursing home in LaJunta, Colorado. Lewis and his wife are now retired and living in Northglenn, Colorado. Ann and her husband are farming north of Seibert, Colorado. Bernice and her husband are operating a paint and repair service in Burlington, Colorado. by Bernice Rudnik A.V. and Christine Hardin with great-grandsons, Steven and Kris Barber. Alton and Christine Hardin met in White Hall, Wisconsin; they were united in marriage July 21, 1906. In May 1907 on the ?th they came to Colorado where they homesteaded on a place west of Smelkers which is some eighteen miles southwest of Stratton. His parents, a brother Ralph and wife Anna, all came together. They brought two carloads ofhorses, machinery and house- hold goods. His parents put up a sod house. Part of them slept and ate there, but A.V.'s had a tent at first. They did not have any good sod, so Alton dynamited some rock on their place and built a two room rock house. Later they had to go to Goodland, Kansas, where A.V. got a job in the round house. They rented out their land to Ed Lowe, father of Art Lowe, who had lived neighbors to them in Augusta, Wisconsin. Faye was a baby then . . a very wee baby who needed a doctor's care if she was to live, so Christine and A.V. had two reasons for moving to Goodland. Because she was a skilled dressmaker and millner, Christine found much work also in Goodland. Every year they had to break out ten acres of sod on the claims, so Alton would come home every so often on the train from Goodland, riding in the engine and scooping coal for his ride. When his brother and father preempted their claims and paid one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, Mr. Hardin sent his horses back to Wisconsin as he thought they were not getting enough to eat. While he worked in Goodland, the depot there was a two-story affair, had some apartment, a dining room and a regular hotel within the depot building. In 1912 they witnessed the "big blizzard" that caused the death of so many cattle. The Lange outfit had about seven thousand head and lost most of them. Walter Harrison also lost most of his. Harrison and his helper got lost in the blizzard and cnme to Hardins' fence, followed it to their house, and came in and stayed all night. Lange had an angle fence from Cheyenne Vvslls nlmegl to Hardin's house, but after the blizzard the fence didn't stay long. The wires were cut loose and left laying on the ground. [t was at this farm home that they reared their two children, �Jess and Faye. This was their home for most of forty years. That stone part of their homestead is still standing. When the Hardins came to Stratton it had but recently been renamed from "Claremont" to "Stratton;" the name "Claremont" had not yet been removed from the depot. The forty-odd years in eastern Colorado were not always happy years for the usual hardships of pioneering confronted them, and the cycle of drouth and years of abundance that is a characteristic ofthis part of the United States had to be weathered. They always felt that the drought of the 1930's was the most severe trial. The Hardins owned the first automobile in their community,a 1916 Overland, which made trips to town less strenuous especially for Mrs. Hardin who learned to drive the car. A.V. and Christine saw many changes in Eastern Colorado, especially in Stratton which had very few buildings when they arived. Their daughter Faye and son Jess attended the Smelker School. Faye went to Vona High School, leaving in 1929 to go to California. Both children went to California, maried and raised their families. A.V. and Christine moved into town in Stratton in 1948, and again built their home which is where their daughter Faye now resides. A.V. always went to help the neighbors work on windmills. In his last years he was often seen sitting in his back yard grinding files and making knives for his friends. On Sunday, July 22,1956, an open house was held at the American Legion Hall in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. A.V. fell and broke his hip and passed away in a nursing home in February, 1963. He is buried in Stratton Cemetery. Faye carne to take care ofher father, and when he was gone she remained to care for her mother. Chris- tine spent many hours making beautiful afghans which she gave to her cloee friends for wedding gifts. She always made all her own dresses, sewed for Faye and often for others who appreciated her dressmaking skills. A.V. and Christine both loved to dance. Christine continued to go to dances until her death at the age of95. She is buried along side her husband. by Faye Mohr sorority meetings filled the rest of their time. Daughters Joan Todd and Jean Andersen, both won 4-H trips to National 4-H Congress at Chicago in their foods projects. We enjoyed many good meals as they were learning their skills. After both were in college at Colorado State University, we planned a trip to ward off the empty nest syndrome. Visiting our Capital at Washington D.C., museums and theater at New York City, we found another dimension. In the spring of 1963, John had a survey done to determine the feasibility of another bank in this area. The need for a banking facility was indicated and John chartered the First National Bank at Burlington. In August the charter was approved by The Comptroller of Currency and with a lot of work the bank was ready and open for business in October of 1963. The need was there and with the support of the local stockholders, the F253 Our bumper sticker should read "Native" as both John and Norrene Harker were born in Eastern Colorado. John was born only three miles from where he established the headquarters for his farm which is twenty miles north and three miles east of Burlington. Eugene L. and Shirley Harker were his parents. They were from Missouri Valley, Iowa. Norrene was born at Holyoke, Colorado and raised near Arapahoe. She is the daugh- ter of Wilbur and Mildred Summers. The Arapahoe High School was attended by both John and Norrene and twenty years later by both of their daughters. Their life was adventuresome with ranching and raising wheat. Then the many social activities of church, school, 4-H, trapshooting, lodge and In 1882, Harrison married Miss Mary E. Knight of Bolivar, Missouri, and to them were born four children, Myrta, Millard, Carl (thats me) and Mary. In about 19fi), father moved to Wallace Co., Kansas, not far from Sharon Springs and Weskan, and in time acquired land, some on each side of the Kansas-Colorado line, about twenty miles south of Kanorado, where he carried on his cattle business, partly in Kansas and partly in Colorado. During the spring and summer of 1911, the grass didn't even green up on the surrounding range. So father decided that something had to be done concerning cattle pasture. In the late summer he rode west up into Colorado board ofdirectors, the main street businesses, until he found some wonderfully good grass the ranchers and farmers, the totals of the bank have continued to grow year by year. In about 20 miles southwest of Stratton. He located a homesteader who had become dissatisfied with the lot of homestead life, 1968, the Kit Carson State Bank was offered for sale by Don Collins to John. The transac- tion was made with John C. Clark also purchasing an interest and operating the bank as CEO. After his death in 1975, Bruce and Jean Andersen purchased his shares and now operate the bank. Another honor in banking was John's when he was elected President of the Colorado Bankers Association in May of 1976 after having served on the Board of Directors for four years. The bill for the electronic transfer of funds became an Act after many weeks of meetings during John's year of service. In the spring of 1977 , we made a move from the farm to the new home we had built on the golf course north of town. We still are not in town but so much closer. This is really nice for the business and social activities we are involved in. The Pink Ladies, Heart Fund, Woman's Club and Ladies Golf have all made claims on my time. Thirty years of living on the farm and also still being engaged in wheat production, has given us a real appreciation of the land and the tremendous capabilities of agriculture in these wonderful United States. Now with the loss of exports, a whole new set of problems must be dealt with. Our faith in God, in the land and in the fine young people of our country is the very substance that will be needed for the changes that lie ahead. HARKER, JOHN AND NORRENE and started for Kansas. They arrived at the Doc Hayes ranch near Russell, Kansas, in the fall of 1877, where they both took up homesteads, began farming some and getting started in the cattle business. As it is written in Psalms 128, we are blessed with grandchildren. Joan and Doug Todd live on a ranch at Rexford, Kansas. They have three children, Jay Todd, Jeff Todd and Jody Todd. Jean and Bruce Andersen at Kit Carson, Colorado have two sons, Aaron Andersen and Seth Anderson. With many successes in their own activities, they have already shown their capabilities and will be contributing citizens wherever their future plans will take them. by John E. and Norrene Harker HARRISON A. \ry. F264 A.W. Harrison was born near Birmingham, Ohio, in 1856. In 1877, on becoming of age, he and a neighbor boy between them bought a team of horses, harness and a light wagon and bought his relinquishment, got immediate possession, rode back home and moved his family and 600 head of cattle to their new home in October of 1911. It looked like a good deal, the cattle were filling up on the big grass and the free range was elmost limitless. Along in the late November, big snow storms began. Twelve to fourteen inches covered the ground and with it ca-e gale winds that whipped the snow into furious blizzards almost every day. There was six inches of grass under the snow but it didn't do a cow any good down there as they can't paw it out like a horse does. There was no other feed available in the country as the few homesteaders barely raised enough for their own use. At last father managed to buy a stack of feed from a neighbor, paying $75.00 for a couple of tons of cane, which was badly needed for horse feed. And so the winter continued, new snow being added every few days and blizzard conditions existing whenever the wind blew, which was often. Finally, an attempt was made to plow the snow off the grass with an A shaped snow plow made of lumber and pulled q'ith four horses. Some days they had a fair degree of success and the cattle would follow the plow and get some grass that was uncovered in this way. But on windy days the snow plow tracks would fill up with snow shortly after they were plowed out. Two car loads of cotton cake had been ordered earlier and had been delivered to Stratton, but it was a man sized job to buck the deep snow and blizzards everyday to and from Stratton. Father hauled it all himself with a four horse team and wagon, as it was impossible to hire a disinterested man to make the trip. It was a trip to Stratton one day and back the next, 20 miles each way. There were few fences and no lanes in those days and the road to Stratton was an angling cross country trail almost the entire distance. On some days when night would catch him before he got home and the trail would be completely covered with drifting snow, he would lose his way and wander until he would find some neighbor's place where he could spend the night. On one occasion when he had lost his way but was still continuing to travel in what he thought was the general direction of home, his team stopped suddenly and �dozed a few winks between rounds. On awakening he found that a large chunk had been chewed from his coat tail and about four feet of his bullwhip was missing. Despite the very gtrenuous life of the early settlers here and the tragic and discouraging results of their efforts, a great many of them made astonishing comebacks, continuing on in the only life and buginess that they knew. A.W. Harrison continued in his cattle operation at the old ranch site until 1928 at the age of 72. He and mother retired to an easier life at Colorado Spring, Co. by J. Carl Harrison HARRISON, E. E. F266 Elmer Ellsworth Harrison, the son of William and Anna Hanison, was born at The Building of the Rock Island Railroad two and one haU miles west of Vona, taken in 1887. Forman Bill of Roy Leapar standing on the track. E.H. Haynes, old time regident of Vona helped in the construction of the railroad near Bethune. Mrs. Jack McConnells grandfather, Albert Bradghaw was also in the crew. would not move any further regardless of his urging. He went around in front of the horses to see if he had come to a fence, but instead of finding a fence, he fell off a bank into the snow beneath which he was unable to see, but his horses could see. Some nights on losing the road he would get in deep drifts and he would have to leave his load until the next day. On one such occasion he traveled toward the only lightthat he could see and eventually arived at the homestead of A.V. Harden where he stayed until morning. ' At last father got the cake all hauled but cake alone with no filler wasn't sufficient feed for cattle. There was no way of getting the cattle to the railroad to move them out to feed and no way of getting enough hay to them if intended planting to corn and feed, and which was not fenced. The neighbor was it could have been bought. So before the snow melted off in the spring some time in March, father had lost more than half of his herd. father had lost 365 head of cattle, mostly big It kept one man busy skinning cattle most of the winter. The store keeper in Vona (Newt Howell) and others in Stratton used to say of father that he would bring in a wagon load of cow hides and take out a wagon load of supplies. Those starving cattle would eat anything that they could chew, such as harness straps, rope, soft posts, gunny sacks, rags, and clothing. They even chewed the twist off each others tails or horses tails if they could get them. In the spring, after the bone yard had rotted away, we found a great many hair balls as big as baseballs and smaller, that had formed in the stomachs of the cattle. In the spring of L912, father was notified taken somewhat aback when father offered to furnish posts and wire and help him fence his 40 acres and he could work out the cost of material working for father at his odd spare time on the ranch. The neighbor being somewhat belligerent before his call on father refused the offer, but when he reported at the next Association meeting, the offer that father had made him in regard to fence, the rest of the members of the Association quickly realized that they had nothing to fear of a man of that caliber, so their Farmers Protection Association just simply fell apart from that time on. Before grass came in the spring of 1912, steerg. Harrison had plenty of shed room for his cattle, but considering the outcome that wasn't too good an idea as the cattle with nothing to eat spent most of the time in the shed. The ground floor of which soon was llamped up into about a foot of sticky mud not fit for them to lay down in. After standing up constantly for a week or two, some of the weaker or tired ones would lie down. Then because they were so tightly crowded in the shed there would be 15 to 20 in a pile unable to get up because of the jam. So usually some on the bottom of the pile would be dead before we could get them all up. It became necessary for a man to stay up with the cattle at night constantly walking back and forth in the shed to keep them from piling up. by registered letter from his new homesteader neighbors that they had organized "The Farmers Protection Association" and in the event that his cattle trespassed on any member'g land, that he (Harrison) would be sued for domages by the Farmers Protection Association and assess their own estimate of Eventually we decided to try shutting them out of the shed at night, only to experience damages. Shortly after the letter arrived, a near neighbor, one of the Association members, made a personal call on father to give personal warning not to let his cattle trespasg on his forty acres of plowed land that he never stood up again. This tragic heart-breaking experience oc- Racine, Wisconsin on August 19, 1863. His father and mother were married at Maisey, l{ampton, England, on November 15, 1853 and sailed from Liverpool bound for the United States in the sailing ship, The Adriatic, on May 10, 1854. They arrived at New York on July 4th and from there they traveled overland to Racine, Wisconsin where the family lived until 1873. In that year they moved to Clay Center, Nebraska. On February 5, 1888 he married Mary Josephine Yarnell. They moved to Dundy County Nebraska where he had filed a timber claim and planted five acres of trees. For the benefit of better schools, Mr. Harison, with his family, moved to Burlington, Colorado in the fall of 1897 and purchased the Montezuma Hotel which he operated for several years. During this time he carried mail on a Star Route from Burlington to Goff, the home of J.T. Jones, thence to Lansing, the Lee Yount Ranch, and from there to Yale, the home of Sam Schaal Sr., a distance of 45 miles, using horses and a spring wagon or top buggy. In four years he missed only one trip because of snow. He served two terms as president of the school board, and was justice of the peace for ten years. In 1906 he filed on a homestead four miles south of Burlington which he improved and farmed until he proved up on it, and moved back to Burlington in 1909. During this year, Mr. Harrison and members of his family moved to Gypsum, Kansas, where he spent some months, considering it to be beneficial to his health. In the fall they moved back to Burlington. Elmer and Mary Harrison had five chil- dren: Ella Harrison O'Brian, Ethel, and Gertrude Harrison Punshon of Boulder, and two sons, Ben and Hobart. The Harisons were active members of the Methodist Church. a worse condition. The cattle driven from the wet would lie down on the snow and ice in the corral in temperatures around zero a good bit of the time, and would freeze their legs from their knees down and consequently they casionally had a humorous happening. One of the hired men who was assigned to keeping the cattle on foot at night, got sleepy and HARTMAN FAMILY F256 Ed and Eda Hartman moved from Blue Hill, Nebraska, to Colorado in 1925. They bought a half section of open prairie eleven and one half miles south west of Stratton. They moved a team of horses nnmed Dick �HARTMAN - VANCE FAMILY F268 A big snow in 1930 near the Hartman farmetead. SOth Anniversary of Herman and Augusta Hartman, married Sept, 11, 1919 in Stanton, NE. Taken Sept. 11, 1969 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Bur- lington, CO. also. The family name 'Hartmann' became 'Hartman'when Herman choge the drop the second n. Four children were born to this union: Hilda, Regina, Cecilia, and Ewald. Hilda died when one year old of indigestion. Due to the asthmatic condition of Regina, the September 11, 1954 when Ed and Eda Hartman won first prize as a bride and gtoom in a Stratton Day parade. and Dan, some bales of hay, and their furniture on the Rock Island train. Ed and Eda with their children, a daughter Louise, and a son Howard, followed in a Model T car. The furniture was surrounded with bales of hay in the yard in all kinds of weather while the house was being built by an uncle. I do not recall where the folks lived until a room in the house was finished enough to live in, but Howard and I went to stay with our aunt and uncle, Jennie and Louie Waechter, so we could go to school which was at Green Knoll. Later we attended Grandview. After the house was built, a cave was dug and a barn was built. Ed and Eda broke the farm ground with Dick and Dan. Eda worked in the field right along with her husband Ed. They cut across the prairie to get groceries from Stratton. Sometimes they went with a wagon pulled by Dick and Dan, sometimes in the Model T. Sunday School was started in the Grandview country school and they attended regularly. They saw many hardships when the great drought had set in with the crop failures that followed and the dust storms becoming more frequent. Then came the grasshoppers. Ed and Eda loved to be in Stratton parades. In 1954 they won first prize by dressing like a bride and groom in their old buggv. Their daughter, Louise, married Norman Smith in 1938 and they had three sons, Dean, Doyle and Denis. Howard never married and helped farm at home. by Louise Smith HARTMAN FAMILY F267 August Herman Hartman was born 3-91888 in Stanton Co., Nebraska. He was one of fifteen children. He maried Augusta Mathilde Maria Boldt 9-11-1919 in Stanton. She was born 8-10-1897 and raised in Stanton fanily doctor advised them to move to Colorado. They were farmers in Stanton Co. so sold their farm equipment and animals. Being Lutherans, they located a Lutheran Church in Colorado and in 1938 the Hartmans with their three children made their way to Stratton, Colo. in a 1929 Model A pulling a small trailer house containing all their possessions. The pastor of the Statton church advised them to live in Burlington because of more jobs being available there. In 1942 they bought a house at 193-13th St. in Burlington. Herman worked for Ernest 1973 Beet harvest at Ewald Hartman Farm 10 miles S.E. of Burlington. The Hartmans enjoyed playing cards and belonged to card clubs. Ewald Hartman and Yvonne Vance were married November 28, 1948 at the Burlington Methodist Church by Rev. Henry Beatty. We had both graduated from Burlington High but it wasn't until after Ewald returned from serving his country in World War II in the U.S. Air Corps as a B-17 flight engineer and I had graduated from business school in 1947 that we started dating. Ewald, with the help of his Dad and mine, built a little house southwest of the Burlington Court House where we lived for ten years. Two of our children were born while living there; Joedy Allen 1950, and Jana Lou 1953. Ewald worked for various local farmers during this time. His dream of having a farm of his own became a reality when we had the opportunity to move to and eventually purchase the Bob Schleusener place 6 miles east and 5 miles south of Burlington. The 1950s had been anything but a profitable time for local farmers. The drought caused terrible dirt storms and many had left the area but that didn't dampen Ewald's enthusiasm. So, March 5, 1958 we moved to the farm with 50 chickens, 5 milk cows, and a few pieces of used equipment. It wasn't easy but In the 1950s when Bonney Dam was being we never missed a meal, were never cold, had built, Augusta furnished room and board to young men who worked on the dam. g1t" considered them "her boys". Regina worked as a waitress and later left Burlington and moved to Mesa, Arizona all the necessities and each other. Our third child, Julie Kae was born in 1959. It turned out to be a good time to get into Lucke on a ranch NE of Burlington until 1946. He then farmed for himself on a small scale till 1961 when he retired. Augusta worked as a cook at Shanks Cafe and later as a clerk at Red Front Grocery in the early 40s. Ewald also counted eggs and carried out groceries. Herman and Augusta enjoyed their work in the Trinity Lutheran Church where Augusta taught Sunday School, served as alter committee for years, and was active in Ladies Aid. She always asked newcomers at church for Sunday dinner. She was a very active member of the Kit Carson Co. Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and spent hours making or mending gowns, sheets, and other supplies. where she died of cancer in 1978. Cecilia graduated from Burlington High School and worked as a telephone operator until marrying J.D. Piner and moving to Cedar Creek, Nebraska. Ewald also graduated from BHS. He was active in football and basketball sports. He served in World War II as a B 17 flight engineer, cnme home and married Yvonne Vance. They still farm and ranch 10 miles southeast of Burlington. Herman died in July 1979 at the age of 91. Augusta is a resident of Grace Manor Care farming for things started upward in the 60s. Irrigation was starting up big and in the fall of 1962 we put down our first well. Sugar beets - a frustrating crop to say the least were good to us. But, we had a big snow in October 1969 and much of the crop was frozen in the ground before the harvest was complete. During the warmer, thawing days we \ilere able to get a few loads out each day until we finally succeeded in wallowing the last beets out of the mud and hauled to the huge piles on the ground at Peconic Receiving Station on December 23. But all the beets - could be in the piles rotted before they processed. What a terrible loss to everyone in the county. The cattle kept us afloat that Center. by Ewald Hartman year; diversification paid off. We battled the problems that went with hiring and housing migrant labor and raised beets for 20 years. �I drove a truck for twelve. Ewald served as a director, sec.-treas., and president of the Kemp Beet Growers Assoc. from 1971 to 1976. We stood helplessly watching as the hail destroyed our wheat or corn crops through the years but the successful ones always outnumbered the lost ones. The children learned how to work and helped with whatever needed to be done. Ewald did well for himself and took pride in his farming. Our son, Joedy, seemed destined to be a farmer-rancher also. We worked together watering our crops with gated pipe until replacing the pipe with circle sprinklers in 1980. We also had time to play. We were both 4H leaders when all three of our children were very active ghnmpions. We both taught Sunday School and headed the youth group in our younger years at Trinity Lutheran Church where I played the organ for 35 years while Ewald served on all the various boards and Elder. Ewald enjoyed playing in the softball and bowling leagues and served on the board of Fellowship of Christian Athletes several years. I have enjoyed sewing for years and we both enjoy golf and bridge with our friends. Our annual 4th of July barbeque for the Hartman and Vance families at the farm has become a tradition. Have missed only 2 or 3 in the past 27 yeats. Another tradition - all granddaughters come to our house during the first week of December to help trim our Christmas tree. They have supper with us, help with the trimming, and stay overnight in sleeping bags across the living room floor. Fun for all! All three of our children graduated from Burlington High. They were very active in school and sports and we followed all activi- ties everywhere. Julie was an all-stater in basketball and clothing grand champion at Colorado State Fair. October 22,t985 Ewald had double bypass heart surgery. Joedy married Susan Hitchcock, built a new home on the section and is engaged in farming. They have three daughters: Jennifer Lynn, Renee Dian, and Kelly Ann. Jana married Vince Schreivogel. They own and operate "Vince's Chevrolet, Olds, Cadillac, Inc." (formerly Sim Hudson Motor Co.) in Burlington. They have three daughters: Jessica Dawn, Andrea Jae, and Lanie Jo. Julie is finishing her masters degree in Exercise Science at C.S.U. and will marry Donald Anderson of Otis, Colo. June 7, 1986. by Yvonne Hartman HARTZLER, ALFRED JEROME F259 Alfred Jerome Hartzler bought a farm three and a half miles east of Flagler and moved there in 1916. He developed the farm by opening up small springs along the Republican River and planting trees. He stocked the ponds along the river with fish. His livelihood csme from farming and livestock. He and a group of Flagler citizens developed the Crystal Springs Park with private funds. He was a charter member of the i Threshing in days long past. Flagler Farmers Union and its first president. Even with his failing health, he was retained as honorary president of this organization until his death on December 31, 1939. He was born February 13, 1859. He homesteaded in Sherman County, Kansas in 1887 and raised his family there. His son Melven Hartzler taught school in Flagler as high school manual training instructor about 1917 and 1918. His daughter Millie Gattshall taught school in Kit Carson County south of Flagler at Fairview in 1918, 1919 and 1920. She was at West Fairhaven in 1923 and at Sunny Slope in 1951 through 1954. Evidence of the efforts of Alfred Hartzler are still to be seen on his farm in spite of nearly fifty years of neglect and misuse since his death. Duane Loutzenhizer who owns the land today is a great-grandson. by Wallace Gattshall HARTZMANN MITCHEM FAMILY F260 Jacob Hasart, my great-great-grandfather, was born in 1865 in Germany. He immigrated to Russia with his parents during the rule of Catherine the Great. They remained true Germans and could not accept the Russian way of life. He came to America in the late 1800's. While living in Russia, he married Magdalena "Lena" Weisshaar. She was born in 1867 and was only 15 when she married Jacob. Jacob and Lena, with their son Tobias, went to Independence, Missouri, after crossing the ocean. From there they went to Cope, Colorado, then to Idalia. From Idalia they went to Lawrence, Kansas. They came back to Colorado to homestead on land north of Stratton. This area was called the Russian German Settlement. This was where Germans that had immigrated to Russia settled. Jacob and Lena had three more children: Lena, John, my great-grandfather, and Jacob. Jr. "Jake". Tobias died when he was a teenager. Magdalena died in 1943. Jacob died in 1948. My great-grandfather was born in 1896. He was married to Anna Dora Adolf in 1919. Anna was born in 1900. She was the daughter of August and Kathrina Adolf. August and Kathrina were Germans who had immigrated to South Russia. In 1888, they ceme, along with their two Russian-born children Danny and Katie, to America. After living in Scotland, South Dakota, where August was a shoemaker, they homesteaded on the Russian German Settlement in 1890. They were the second family to homestead on the settlement. August was a shoe cobbler here. Anna had four brothers and two sisters: Danny Katie; August, Jr. "A.W.", who was the first white baby born on the settlement; Luella; Chris; and Gus. Anna was the young- est. Danny died in 1901 when diptheria struck the settlement. John and Anna had 2 daughters: Leota, my grandmother, and Della. Anna died in 1930 of a brain tumor. My grandmother then had to take care of the house and cook. Della was raised by A.W. and Mary Adolf. My greatgrandfather was remarried to Edith Powers in 1938. They did not have any children. They are both still living in Stratton. My grandmother was born in 1920. She mauied Verl "Buck" Mitchem in March, 1938 against the wishes ofher father. Grandpa was born in 1914 and came from Kansas when he was four years old. In his early twenties he worked for Jake Hasart for awhile, then for John. This was how he met my grandmother. They lived on a farm north of Stratton. Their first daughter Drusilla was born in September, 1938. Their second daughter Cathy, my mother, was born in August, 1940. That same year they moved to Florence, Colorado. Grandpa worked for the steel mill. Later, they moved to Canyon City where he worked in the prison. They then moved to Simla where he worked in a filling station, then to Agate where he worked on a ranch. In L947, they ceme back to live on a farm north of Stratton where Grandpa helped great-Grandpa. In 1952, they had another daughter named Bunnie. Grandma died in 1967 of a massive heart attack. Grandpa was remarried to Hazel Fisher. They both live in Burlington. My mother married Wayne Hartzmann in April, 1962. He is the son of Lester and Ruby Hartzmann and was born in February, 1940. �They moved to St. Paul, Minnesota where Mom worked in an insurance claims office, government to put in the next crop in 1937. It was some better; at least we had enough feed. Frank caught skunks, coyotes, badgers for some money to eat on, also got a job up in the sand hills picking corn. It helped some. Jack-rabbits were plentiful so helped many families to eat. The lady cooks could cook a jackrabbit so it really was tasty. Frank was 21 and Dorothy still 16 when they were married in 1934. Didn't start their family too soon almost 6 years before Coreena Mae came- along on August 10, 1940, then Carl Ray, May 4, L945, then Sharion Rose Jan. 30, 1948, then Earl Dean Oct. 10, f951 weeks after the airplane crash in - at3 an Flagler air show which killed 20 people including Frank's brother Leighton's daughter Illa Mae Harwood. and Dad worked for John Deere. They moved back to Colorado in the beginning of 1968 and settled on a farm north of Stratton. They have two children: my brother Andy, age 15, and me, age L7. Note - John passed away Aug. 25, 1986. by Anna lfartzmann HARWOOD, FRANK F26I. In 1941 in April Frank and Dorothy and Coreena moved to the place where they lived for 45 years; moved in a two room house on his father's land he had bought in 1923. They kept making more improvements; a barn and chicken house; in 1946 built on the house so they had a big house for their family. They now have sold it to Frank's niece and husband Bill and Madlyn Grimes in 1980, then the -last 80 acres to Brad their sons in 1986. Frank and Dorothy Harwood at Akron, Colorado, just after their marriage, August 21,1934. Colorado, then took a week's honeymoon and bought treats because we knew we'd be chivaried which we were. They lived one year with his father. The fall of '34 was very dry, had no rain in '34, but it clouded up that fall and lightning struck the fence where the cattle had drifted and killed 1 cow and 1 calf so only left them Dorothy and Frank had bought another 160 to go with the 320 his father had to make 480 acres and they rented other land besides. They bought in Arriba, Colo. as houses were cheaper than in Flagler, so live in Arriba and are very happy there close to stores and post office. It's so handy and are both pretty well but getting older. Earl was our only redhead. We always wondered if the plane crash could have caused it. Maybe not, but we always wondered, by Frank Harwood with 1 cow and 1 calf. They had mortgaged the two cows and two calves to buy 4 horses and some harness to farm with. I don't expect Frank and Dorothy Harwood's 50th wedding anniversary. From left to right: Coreena, Carl, Earl, Sharon, Dorothy and Frank. Frank Harwood was born December 25, 1912 in a 2 room sod house to Sam and Fanny Harwood. Frank lost his mother when very young so didn't even remember her. Frank was raised by his father and the help of sister Rachel and Leighton; Hazel was still to young to help much. When Frank was only 4 years old his father built a new LVz story frame house. Frank and his brother and 2 sisters grew up to be independent and go ahead with the chores when the father had to go to town with tenm and wagon for supplies, a big day's trip. They all worked hard but kept their head above water. His father and mother had homesteaded in 1907. Frank was born there. In 1923 his father managed to buy another 320 acres 1% miles south of the home place which was 15 miles north of Flagler, Co. As Frank grew up and we finally got a car, he started dating the girls around and in 1933 met Dorothy Stedman and they were manied in 1934, August 21. Frank sold what little wheat he had for 54 cents a bushel to get married on; had 27 dollars and 2 cows and 2 calves, a lot of love, and as much determination. He decided he had just as much right to starve a woman to death as the other boys around, so Dorothy and Frank started their life together. We spent that 27 dollars to get married in Akron, Mr. Creighton would have let them have enough money had he known the lightning was going to kill half our cattle but it was too late for him to back out. We got the flood in 1935, so raised a little corn, had feed for the livestock. Frank and Dorothy went to New York in the fall of 1935, leaving the horses and cattle with his father. Frank was able to get some work there on a dairy at 30 dollars a month, a house to live in, and 1 qt. of milk a day. The day started at 5:00 o'clock in the morning; we started milking; when that was done breakfast, then back to work at 7:00 a.m.; got t hr. for dinner; then back to work; then 5:00 p.m. milking again and other chores and supper, and at 8:00 p.m. we could go after groceries or whatever we wanted to do. Frank played for a dance with his cousins every Sat. night. They got around 80 cents a piece which bought picks and strings but had a wonderful time. Got home about 2:30 a.m. then up at 5:00 a.m. to milk again Sunday HARWOOD, SAMUEL F262 Sam Harwood and children. Frank, Leighton, Rachel, Hazel and Sam at the homestead in 1915. M morning. We came back to Colorado about Christmas time. Colorado looked pretty good; at least it wasn't so cold and icy. The next spring we moved to the Sloanker place. In 1936 we planted 100 acres of corn with a 1 row lister and horses. It was so dry the corn hardly reached the top of the ridges, then died. We had rented 320 acres. By that time we had 2 cows and 2 calves and 4 horses but we had to buy feed that winter. It just didn't rain. We had to get a $100 feed and seed loan from the Sam Harwood and children on June 1, 1947. Rachel Kyle, Frank, Leighton, Hazel Conger and Sn-. �Sa- Harwood was born in 1874 at Angelica, New York, to George and Margaret "Well," he said, "One afternoon Les and I, Bunny Sue, Russell and Vickie all decided we were going to have a picnic so we packed lunches and got on our ponies and rode off for the afternoon, boy we really thought we were something! I remember when I got my first job. I was thirteen and I hauled irrigation pipe for one of the neighbors and I got five dollars a day but didn't manage to keep a dime of it. It always got spent somehow. When I went to the high school we went to the State Basketball Championship. I was just a sophomore but I was thdlled to have the chance to play." "And you were Prom King," I reminded him, smiling in the darkness at the picture in my mind of a much thinner Jerry sitting next to a very pretty Prom Queen, both wearing Harwood. As a young man of 22 he moved to Hubell, Nebraska, bought 40 acres, had a 2 room house, batched there 4 years, then sold. At the geme time he met Fanny Shook. They were married and moved to Agra, Kansas, where they had bought 80 acres. Two children were born there; Leighton in 1902 and Rachel in 1906. They lived there 4 years. Then he heard of homest€ad land in Colorado so in 1907 he took a homestead of 160 acree, 15 miles north of Flagler, went back to Kansas and came back in a covered wagon alone. He built a 2 room sod house and small barn, drove back to Kansas, finished the work there, loaded their household goods, and headed for Colorado again to live, the wife and 2 children coming on the train with other goods. He had a tubler well down for water. Everything was very hard. He broke some sod and got some feed planted for stock and some corn. About 2 years later the government allowed them to homestead another 160 a. if it joined the other land which they did; this made 320 acres. There was plenty of open range, so all crop land had to be fenced to keep range cattle out. In 1910 another child was born Hazel a girl, - along. and in 1912 Frank came - was still very hard. Fanny became Everything sick in 1913, the last of the year, and never improved, only got worse, and died in 1921. Sam raised the 4 children with the help of the older ones. In the spring of 1917 and that fall he built a ftame house which he lived in until leaving the farm in 1946. The children were all raised in that house. Many times things were very hard but he was able to save his land, and in 1923 he bought another 320 aetes lr/z miles south of the home place. His son Frank and wife lived on that land after they were married in 1934. Sam moved to Flagler in 1946 and passed away in 1956. Sam's children all married and raised their families nearby. Times were hard. A team of wagon or buggies was the mode of travel in those early days. He raised corn and hogs, feed and cattle, horses to farm with. Also raised barley, wheat, corn and oats. He'd shuck corn most of the winter. Sam died with cancer of the prostrate in 1956 at the age of 82. He had remarried in 1933 after the children were all gtown, but this wife also died of a bursted appendix in 1934 so he stayed single the rest of his life. by Dorothy Harwood HASART - SPELTZ FAMILY F263 The year was 1984, Jerry and I had been married all of two months and it was early in the spring and this had been a late winter with lots of snow and the rains had begun. Early one particular evening in June, Jerry and I sat watching TV when a subtitle ran across the screen warning of a tornado north of Vona. "That'g awful close," Jerry observed, "let's go see if we can see it." "Where are you going?" I asked. foil covered cardboard crowns. The only Jerold and Beth EIIen Hasart, married April 7, 1984. "To the bedroom, maybe we can see something from the west and north windows if the lightning flashes." He got up and turned off all the lights in the house as well as the TV. Then he took my hand and led me to our extra bedroom and there he sat next to the north window and I sat by the west window. With each strike of lightning I would look out to the horizon for any ominous cloud formations that looked threatening. The silence was deafening and the darkness seemed to cover me like a blanket. Panic was beginning to form in my mind and I realized that this was not just an exercise of curiosity but a real threat to our livelihood as well as our very existence. The atmosphere was as tense as any of the barbed wire fences on the farm. Jerry seemed to sense my panic or just because he was tired of the quiet, he began to speak. "You know when I was a kid I remember inviting all the neighbors over and having weiney roasts. We burned corn cobs in a five gallon bucket to cook them." "That sounds like fun," I said, anxious for him to continue. "Sometimes Grandpa Hasad would come out in his green Ranchero and would bring us a treat usually lemon drops. The thing he loved mostwas the garden and hewould come out and spend the entire day. We grew every kind of vegetable imaginable. One year he even tried to grow peanuts. Grandpa, Les and I would work in the garden until fair time and then we spent the day before the garden show picking and sorting each vegetable exhibit until it was perfect. Seemed like we always did pretty good at the garden show at the fair. After the fair it was up to Mom to can and freeze eve4rthing and that meant lots of work for her. After the fair Grandpa was done with the garden, all except the pumpkin patch which he carefully tended until fall, his goal was one large pumpkin." "You must have had lots of good times with yourgrandpa,"Isaid. "Yes, I really miss him, " Jerry said quietly. Eager for my new husband's easy walk through memory lane to continue, I urged him on as it was calming to hear him as I watched the storm edge closer and closer to the farm that had taken three generations to build. "What else do you remember from your younger days?" I asked. evidence that this had ever happened was a very outdated pair of wingtip shoes sitting next to a stringless banjo in the closet. "You've lived a charmed life hon, hasn't anything bad ever happened to you?" I asked. "Oh sure," he replied without hesitation. It was the Friday before graduation and somehow I managed to forget my cap and gown and I was half way home when I remembered them so I turned around and headed back to town but by the time I got there all the doors were locked. Luckily I found an open window, crawled on the hood and shimmied through the window. I got my cap and gown and since all the doors were locked from the inside all I had to do was walk through the door. There was a moment of silence as I heard the distant rumble of thunder. "How about you Beth, what was growing up like for you?" Jerry asked. "Oh, much different from your life. Growing up in a large metropolitan area there were always lots of kids around. Almost every summer all the neighborhood kids got together for a picnic on top of the hill about 3/ of a mile away. We packed lunches and rode our bikes to the top where an irrigation ditch and lots of cottonwood trees where, there we ate and waded until it was time to go home. In the evenings we gathered under the street light to play kick the can and on the Fourth of July some of the neighbors would come over and light fireworks. You know, Jer, I remember one time Terry and I got in big trouble. Mom had left us off at swimming lessons and was to pick us up at 11:30. By noon we decided she had forgotten us so we started to walk home. The thing we didn't know was that both of our grandparents had come to visit and after a while Mom sent our two grandfathers to pick us up. By the time they caught up with us Grandpa Spelts was nearly as red as his Rambler, boy, he sure was mad! I'm sure he thought we'd been kidnapped and couldn't possible return without us." Suddenly the room was lit for a split second, followed by a horrible ripping sound. It was as if the sky was being torn like an old rag and then there was a huge crash. I could hear a slight patter on the window pane as the rain began. Jerry stood up and stretched. "The folks just lost their electricity, I suppose we'll be next." He sat down again to resume his vigil looking out between the drops of rain. I too sat peering out into the darkness, but in my minds eye I was years and miles away with Grandpa and Grandpa Spelts in their red �Rambler and their small camp trailer at our annual family ssmp out above the Poudre River. It's odd that our childhood memories are so sketchy and of all the camping we've done and only a few incidents are prominent. Like the mooge who stood by the roadside in Canada and the deer that resided in the city park at Jaspar (Canada). The bear that ate the leftover spaghetti from the trash can one night. As the rain becsme more intense, Jerry left the room, but his absence had escaped me as my train of thought had changed from snmping to snowmobiling. We spent two or three glorious winters snowmobiling abnost every winter weekend. During one of these trips we found ourselves at Tiger Run. It was a hunting lodge that was being converted to a ski lodge. The day had been nasty, cold and windy. By early evening the electricity was out and being too early to retire, we went to the lodge where a group of college students had gathered and were singing "Peter, Paul and Mary" songs. We all joined in and had a great time. New Year's celebrations for us during that time consisted ofhot dogs roasted on an open fire built in the snow and chempagne (pop for the kids) consumed on a mountain top somewhere. A truly unique the back of my knee. Terror seized me as I byes were said and off the couple sailed to was sure the next thing I was going to feel was somewhere near Idalia, Colorado. We do not sharp teeth ripping and tearing into my flesh. In a split second, I pointed the flashlight down only to find our blue healer pup had climbed into the pen. She had an expression on her face that seemed to be laughing and saying "gotcha." One thing I know for sure, Jerry was in absolute agreement with her. Here it is almost four years later and I have learned to work with the hogs and become a capable farmers wife overcoming lots of fears and growing to be more confident in difficult situations. We becnme the parents of a baby boy, Joshua Jacob, on March 1, 1988 and it looks like that we will have manv adventures ahead of us. by Beth Hasart HASART WEISSHAAR FAMILY F264 The "fateful" message came from America. I hadn't seen any funnel clouds yet. Jerry This letter came to the family of Jacob Christian Hasart Sr. Newly married on February 10, 1887 to Magdalena Weisshaar and with one son just over a year old this "We gotta shut those hog feeders before the doctor had told Jacob that he had experience. The storm was increasing in intensity but csme in and handed me a jacket and grabbed a flashlight. they're a mesg." "Jetry?" "Ya?" "Did I ever tell you about the time Kerry Sue brought me home from college?" ttNott "Well on the way home she started talking about this guy who went out to feed his pigs and while he was feeding them he had a heart attack and died in the pig pen and she said the pigs ate him!" I gave him my best 'please don't send me out to the wife eating hog pen'look but to no avail, I slipped on the jacket which completely covered my top and shorts. It was pitch dark out and the wind and rain felt cold against my bare legs. Our only light was the flashlight that Jerry held. At the firEt feeder I stood safely outside the pen holding the flashlight as Jerry flipped the letter brought hope and promise to them as tuberculosis and that he had one year to live unless he would leave the country. The area around the Black Sea was damp so they needed a place where the air was dry. His brother-in-law wrote that "this country could be the answer to their desires of wanting to go to a better place. Here one could hope for a better life and with hard work and the blessing from God a new beginning could be made." The thought of obtaining "land for the settling" was a dream to those whose future was very bleak due to crowding and life under Russian rule. So the decision was made to leave. Good- know which port of embarkation that they arrived, just somewhere on the east coast. They made arrangements with the railroad people to go to Idalia but they could not find it on the map so they figured that Otis, Colorado was near there. Their thoughts of this trip are mostly unknown but we do know that it took them three weeks to sail across and they came in stearage class and brought along bread and cheese to eat on the trip. One comforting thought was that they were going to be with relatives and Lena's brother, John Weisshaar, lived near Idalia. Upon arriving at Otis they hired a man with a team of thin horses and a wagon to haul their trunks and little children. Two other families came with them on this trip. They were the Kamlas who later went on to St. Francis, Kansas and the Howagners. The adults had to walk along and they were very depressed. Lena said that she was so frightened on this trip from Otis to Idalia because the man who was taking them could not speak German and they couldn't speak English. She was afraid that this man was not taking them to the right destination. They stopped at farms along the way and they were given shelter for the night in their barns. They stopped at a farm just south of what is now highway 36 justnorthof Kirk and found that this family, the Reidasels, could speak German and she was so happy to know that they were near their destination. At this time Jacob vowed that as soon as he could earn enough money they were going back! No one could live on this bleak barren land, the rabbits even died here as they found dead rabbits along the trail. It was in April that they arrived in Idalia and found the farm of John Weisshaar. They had left Russia on March 11, 1889 and on May t he took up a homestead five miles southwest of ldalia. He purchased a relinquishment and took a tree claim. They must have lived with the Weisshaars until they could build their home which was made of rock held together with adobe. That first year he broke out 20 acres and planted it all to feeder lid and locked it down. The next feeder, however was very tall and the lock had been broken. Jerry began to gather some old bricks and broken pieces of cinder block to weigh the lid down. He said that he would climb up and shut the lid and that I was to hand him the bricks and blocks. This of course meant that I would have to get inside the pen. Shear panic was welling up inside and all I could think was "I'm going to die!" I could see in my mind a tombstone that read "Here liee Beth who was dumb enough to get into a hog pen in the middle of the night." With these thoughts firmly planted in my mind I did as I was told, climbed in the pen and reflected the flashlight on the feeder as Jerry shut it. But every few seconds I would whoop and holler in hopes that it would frighten the hogs enough to stay away. We staded putting the bricks and cinder blocks on the lid and everything seemed to be going well. My screnming was working and it looked as if I was going to live to tell about it. When I felt something bump up against 'fhe liasan, ianri, Idalia, Colorado. 1903. Jacob ready to go to the field and John, Magdalena, Lena and Jake ready to leave with the horse and buggy for town. �wheat. He had obtained a pair of oxen and some implements and tools. The other set- horses and arrived in the middle of the night and he headed out across the prairie with the ing rock out of native limestone and threshed the wheat. He was able to sell his extra wheat to the miller. He also worked for J.P. Evans horses and arrived at the farm by daylight. After John and Jake were married Jacob and Lena moved to Burlington where he helped construct the "Penny" building on Main St. This building housed "Penny" Bros. Machinery and Hardware for many years. In 1930 they moved to Stratton, Colorado where they spent the remaining years of their lives. While living on the farm they were mem- tlers made fun of him for doing this. At harvest time he cut it with a hand scythe and stacked it. He proceeded to fashion a thresh- and they became very good friends. He possibly worked for others to earn the much needed cash and was able to purchase a saddle horse. Supplies were hard to get so he and a neighbor went to Burlington, a two day trip, with the team sn4 *rton. Mrs. Lehman came to stay with Lena and Toby as it was very scarry to stay alone out on the prairie. After it was dark the women heard something outside. Mrs. Lehman's son Eads thought it was Indians. They kept hearing this scratching sound and were really frightened so they decided to put on the coats and hats of the men folk and lit the lamp (there were no curtains on the windows) so the Indians would think the men were home; they stayed up all night. The next morning they gathered their courage and went outside to find that the source of all the sound was the horse. It had gotten loose and had rubbed on the house all night. Such was the life on the prairies. They saw very few Indians as they rarely bers of Immanuel Lutheran Church and Jacob helped supervise the building of the new church building in 1925-26. All the benches were made in the barn by him with the help of others. He also constructed the barns and other buildings on the home place and John's place. The frame house on the home place was built in L925-26. Jacob Christian Hasart Sr. was the oldest son of Tobias Hasart and his wife Frederika. He was born in Lichenthal, Bessarabia, South Russia on November 2, 1865. He was married to Magdelena Weisshaar on February 10, 1887. Lena was born on September 29, L867 at Lichtenthal, Bessarabia, Russia and died on May 7, L943. Jacob died on October 1, 1948. After Lena passed away Jacob went to live with his sons Jake and John. They were members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Jacob made caskets for the community. Stratton. Their children were Tobias who died in 1902. Magdelena (Lena) Kirby of Great Falls, Montana; John F. of Stratton; and Jacob C. of Burlington. All of the One winter he ran out of lumber and there children are deceased. Grandson Jim Hasart passed through and they were in small groups and bothered no one. was another death so he pulled up the flooring in his bedroom and made the casket. They stayed on the farm and survived the dry years in the middle 1890's. Their children Lena, John and Jacob Jr. were born during this time. Toby became ill with osteonyelitis and died on March 10, 1902 and was buried in St. John's United Brethren Church's cemetery. In 1904 Jake traveled to Fall River, Kansas to see a farm that was for trade. He was pleased with what he found and the trade was made with the Motsenberger family. They wanted to go where there was more rainfall so they loaded up their personal belongings, as they had made a swap for the machinery and other farm items, boarded the train and moved to Kansas. When they got there and looked around they found that the equipment that they had traded for was all gone and had been replaced with other pieces. They were heart broken as they had left good equipment back in Colorado. Jacob went to the barn and brooded for days. They made the best ofthe situation and proceeded to get to work. While in Fall River the children attended school and Jacob also attended so that he could become proficient in the English language and could figure and learn the skills necessary for the carpentry trade. The family never spoke German at home as they were in America now and they were Americans. They farmed and raised Galloway Angus cattle and were able to make a go of the farm. They lived in Kansas until 1918 when they moved back to Colorado where their boys, John and Jake were living and working. They had bought the farm land from the Fisher brothers who moved back to Nebraska. This farm is located 7 miles north and 4 miles east of Stratton, Colorado. At that time there was a trail that headed northeast across the prairie that came by the farm. When Jake cnme out from Kansas he brought some now resides on the farm northeast ofStratton along with his sons, Jerold who lives on John's farm and Lester who lives north of the home place. by Marlyn Hasart HASART, JACOB AND NETTIE F265 Jacob Hasart Sr. came to Colorado from Russia in 1889 and had settled on a farm south west of ldalia before moving to Kansas in 1903. Jake, John and Lena were born in Idalia. Jake was born on December 2L, 1897 and attended school in Kansas and then worked with a threshing crew that traveled with the harvest across Kansas in the summer. In 1917 Jacob Christian Hasart Jr. came to Colorado to help his brother who had been working for J.P. Evans and was farming 7 miles north and 4 miles east of Stratton. Jake's dad, Jacob Hasart Sr. was still living in Fall River, Kansas but had purchased several quarters of land from the Fisher brothers who wanted to move back to Nebraska. Because John and Jack were facing induc- tion to serve in World War I, their parents moved back to Colorado. Jake farmed and lived with his parents as John had purchased land from J.P. Evans just east of the home place and started his own home. Before his marriage Jake had acquired 2 quarters of land and rented the remaining farm ground. Jacob and Annette (Nettie) Adolf were married on April 27, L927 at Immanuels Lutheran Church north of Bethune. Colorado. Nettie and Jake Hasart, taken in the early 1970's in Phoenix, Arizona. Nettie Adolf was born on December 21. 1907 in Michaelsfeldt, Bessarabia, Russia. She ca-e to this country in 1908 as a baby with her parents. They established a homestead north of Bethune where she grew up and attended school at Prairie View and the German school at the church. She was the next to the last child of 11 children born to William and Margaret Adolf. She grew up learning how to work outside milking the cows as well as helping with the household chores. She also worked in other households caring for the children and helping cook when illness struck. She and Jake made their first home in the small adobe house on the home place. She brought 1 cow, a bed, and some bedding with her to start their new household. Nettie soon began to take part with the farm work by helping bring in the milk cows and helping with the milking and other chores. Jakes mother never milked and the cattle were afraid ofher so it took awhile before the cows settled down and let her milk them. That fall of 1927 they raised a good corn crop and Jake and Nettie worked side by side picking corn starting a pattern of sharing the farm work for as long as they lived on the farm. Dry land crops of corn, barley, wheat, and cattle and horse feed were raised. Jake raised work horses running about 75 head of horses and only 25 or more head of cattle during the 1920's and 30's until tractor power took over the farming work. He also bought and traded yearling horses matching up teams and training them every winter. This was difficult physical work which took lots of patience. Bus Guy came in the winters to help him break the horses to work as tesms. There were Iots of run-a-ways and lots of wagons destroyed in the process. Jake always attended the sales and bought young calves over the years. Later their cattle herd grew and replaced the horses. Jake and Nettie purchased the home place soon after they were married and moved into the frame house after Jake's parents moved to Burlington in 1928. That year on April 5, �their first boyJerald was born and died 6 days later from a difficult birth. On November 10, 1929 their second son Jimmie Lee was born and on January 24, L932 their daughter, Virginia was born. Jake and Nettie worked together bundling the children up and taking them to the field with them as they picked corn and shocked the feed. They always milked several cows and sold the cream and raised chickens, setting eggs under the old hens which wasn't easy, raising 100 or so chicks for fresh meat in the summer and had eggs to sell providing money to purchase their groceries and clothes. Later the chicks were purchased from the hatchery. In 1931 Nettie hatched 200 turkey poults from eggs set under the hens. She ended up with 75 turkeys that she sold for 100 a pound. This wasn't an easy job as turkeys are "born to die" making them difficult to raise. The "bad years" of the 30's came along with the drought and the financial collapse of the nation causing a very stringent lifestyle. They managed to stay on the farm and live even though it was difficult to raise feed for the horses and cattle. Cows were herded in the road ditches and thistles were harves- ted for food. The dust storms and grasshoppers cr-e and went leaving little behind but bare ground. The dust that came into the house was a source of constant irritation as you had to hang wet sheets over the windows and beds so one could breathe and live. Cooking was done on a cast iron stove using corn cobs as fuel. Most living was done in the kitchen until propane was available to the farm and they could heat the house with it. They purchased a Servel gas refrigerator in 1938 and it was such a help and joy to have. Nettie washed by hand and used a gan powered washing machine carrying the water over to the wash house. They didn't have running water into the house until 1942 and a bathroom wan built in 1943. Electricity came in 1947 and that was the best thing that happened for farm families. This farm was located along the route where people from the Settlement traveled to Stratton and back. This farm was used as a watering stop for the horses. It seems as if they were always short of water. At first a cistern was dug by the corral to help maintain more water supply butif the wind didn't blow developed osteonyelitis and was very ill until 1945 when he recovered. Virginia was married to Lowell Corliss in November 6, 1949 and on June 6, 1954 Jim married Marlyn Magee. Atthis time Jake and Nettie moved to Burlington, Colorado fulfilling a dre"- of Netties to live in town. She had always wanted to work in a restaurant so she soon found employment in town working until 1960. Jake came out to help with the farm work until his health declined. They were able to spend several winter months each year in Phoenix, Arizona until the middle 1970's when Jake had a heart attack. Jake passed away on April 25, 1976. Nettie has remained in the home and celebrated her 80th birthday on December 21, 198?. She is active in her womens group in church and enjoys her home demonstration club. She fills her time by crocheting and making many craft projects with the Senior Citizens group. She has made many beautiful quilts that she has given to her children. Jake and Nettie were members of Immanuels Lutheran Church north ofBethune until they moved to Burlington at which time they transferred their membership to St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Jake served on the church board of Immanuels serving as secretary and president for many years. He also served on the board of directors of the Stratton Equity Co-op and after moving to Burlington he served on the board of the Equity Co-opera- tive Exchange. by Marlyn Hasart HASART, JIM AND MARLYN Jimmie Lee Hasart was born in his grand- mother Adolfs home north of Bethune. Colorado on November 10, 1929. Jacob Hasart Jr and Nettie Adolf Hasart are his parents. Jim grew up in the farm that was Jim and his sister, Virginia spent their early years helping on the farm and attending Union school where he graduated from the 8th grade. He walked the three miles to school the first year and the next summer his small pony was bought and he rode "Tippy', to school those first several years. Jim was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church by Rev. Woebler. Jim loved the outdoors and spent summers herding the milk cows and bringing in the work horses first thing in the mornings. In the winter he set traps to catch skunks and coyotes. Some days he was late for school and the teacher didn't appreciate the aroma that was on his clothes. He remembers standing on the edge of the stock tank to climb on the horse and his foot broke through the ice filling his boot with water and upon arriving at school his boot was frozen on so he sat bv the stove to thaw the ice. His teacher liked to trade her "store bought" cookies for his homemade ones as he thought her cookies were a special treat. One day while the teacher was ringing the bell he ran by her and the bell came down and struck him on the forehead and he still has the scar. The bovs played games and some times bucked their horses out ofthe barn. Those were rough and tough times. Jim bought his first heifer calf when he was in the 8th grade. Jim stayed at home helping his parents on the farm. They raised cattle and dry land crops of milo, feed for the livestock and corn., The first tractor that he purchased was an M & M tractor on propane. His first car was the 1926 Model T that his grandad Hasart gave him. On June 6, 1954 Jim married Marlvn Vera Magee of Burlington, Colorado. They were married at Immanuel Lutheran Church during a terrible dust storm. Marlyn remembers riding in the car with the doors open so they could determine where the edge of the road was. Some people didn't make it because of the storm. Jim always said that when he got married he'd have a big "blow out" and there was! Marlyn is the last daughter of Clarence (Jack) Magee and Vera Harbison Magee Reeve. She was born in Burlington and grew up and attended school at the Burlington Public School. In 1950 her father died. In 1952 she moved with her mother to Denver or the cattle and horges came in to drink the water was soon gone. This was a constant problem for years. Household needs come last, it seemed. Their first tractor was purchased in 1936 and Jake taught Nettie how to run it so she could help pull the binder and the combine in those years. The winter of 1942 Jake had an infected throat putting him in the hospital for two weeks in Burlington and was sent to Denver. An abscess formed in the throat and this broke as they were waiting to get on the train to go to Denver. They made the trip and bhe Dr. treated him and sent him home. Jake always said he had a barley beard caught in his throat causing the problem. That winter where she lived and worked for her room and board with Dr. and Mrs. Hicks. There she attended and finished her sophmore year at East High school. That summer she went to live with her aunt and Uncle Howard and Evelyn Kite of Auburn, Nebraska attending her Jr. year at Auburn High. She returned to Burlington the summer of 1953 and finished her Sr. year in Burlington. Jim and Marlyn moved on the farm as his parents moved to Burlington. That first year was terribly dry and very little crop was raided. The 1950's were very dry with 1954 being the dryest year on record for this area. Jim baled up thistles and anything else that he could find. They sold some cattle and bought feed and determined that this was a loosing game. Jim fixed up his tractor with a homemade heat houser and went out that bhe snow and cold was bad. The windmill quit and needed fixing so Jim and Marvin Schaal had to haul water from the neighbors in banels with the horses. In the late 30's Jake and Nettie purchased more land and in 1941 they purchased 5 quarters ofland from the Federal Land Bank. Their son Jim became ill in 1943. He had F266 purchased by his grandfather, Jacob Hasart Sr. in 1917. winter to chisel up the fields that were Jim and Marlyn Hasart, June 6, 1954. blowing and finally using a lister to keep the ground from blowing. In 1955 they put in their first irrigation well �,J''' ,,.':t , ,:r. -. ';,L:, :];,irr ,r: il;r.,.,:;; 1fl '.,.. .,,i :,:. .,,. weather. In 1959 we had a terrible blizzards in the spring. It snowed for 3 days and 3 nights. The cattle had drifted south and Jim found dead cattle everywhere. We lost 25 head, mostly cows. They had smothered. We :,:i:,,:,,,&,,7 ),:,, &,i: I ,.., .:ilr:..,:i' ,,.,$,,,1::.. t:.. .:',*:, l: Y , ti:,' ; lost one fourth of our cattle herd. Two more irrigation wells, one in 1961 and the other in 1968 were developed. All the irrigation was done by ditch and siphon tubes those first years. It was a family affair when it was time to change water usually twice a day and sometimes more often. Later Irriga- ::: ''fu;L ;,. $:*:: ti' .:t l::. tion pipe was purchased and now 4 sprinklers have been installed. At first Jim raised cane for silage and milo for grain. Later sugar beets, alfalfa, and corn were raised. Wheat, both dry land and irrigated, corn, alfalfa, cane for silage, and millet for feed are raised now. Jerry and Lester attended school in Stratton and graduated from High School in 1974 and 1976. They joined in the operation of the farm and are full partners in its operation. Jim's father retired from farming in the mid 1960's but continued to come to the farm and help put out a large garden with the help of the boys and Marlyn. Some years it all was destroyed from hail so Jake built screens to cover the plants. The family participated in the Kit Carson County fair when the boys were old enough to join 4-H. Jim and Marlyn were leaders of Country 4-H Club for several years. Jim participated in the Opel Class Crops division while the boys exhibited in the Jr. Gardens The Jim Hasart family, Lester, Jim, Marlyn and Jerold. 1984. and Crops departments. They also had sheep and hog projects. Marlyn was Open Class to raise feed for the cattle. They watered to pay for their groceries. Jim always enjoyed hunting so they enjoyed pheasant and duck some wheat and they sold all they raised for seed for $2.00 a bushel that fall. Jerold Garvin Hasart was born on December 18, 1955 in Burlington. He was beptized to eat when in season. They loved to go fishing and went to Bonny Reservoir when Those first years were spent farming and there was only barren pasture along the shore Iine. On March 30, 1958 Lester Jacob Hasart was born. He was baptized by Pastor Boese coming from a town) selling eggs and crenm at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Living on the farm raising livestock and crops one is always concerned about the at Immanuel Lutheran Church by Pastor A.F. Boese. milking 6 or 7 cows and raising chickens (which was a new experience for Marlyn .P^ ; ':, .:: .iii: .,tr.:flr]..i::iti,:.i '"'l:,-'L'1; ":;' il;,' r, --. "r . 'il: :- | '1' ..rr.. .,.i ,,., I, ii$:. . ir:..1 ,J t' "--,'" Baking champion in 1974. In the early 1970's Marlyn learned how to do oil painting and has been pursuing this hobby since. Jim had always made his toys as a child so he tried his hand at wood carving and has many beautiful carvings of waterfowl, game birds, and characters of people. In 1984 he completed carving a miniture "carousel". Jim does the carving and Marlyn puts the finishing painting on them. Improvements added over the years have been the metal shop and machine building erected in the1960's along with several grain storage bins had new corrals. The windbreak planted in the 60's provides us with excellant protection from winds and shelter for the livestock and wild animals. The new home was built in 1975 replacing the small house that Jim's grandfather had built in 1935. InL977 we had a terrible storm with 90 mile per hour winds which caused dirt to blow as in the fifties. Two weeks later we were victims of the worst blizzard that can be remembered with winds of 100 miles per hour blowing snow so hard that the trees were buried in the windbreak and the couals were filled level with snow and the cattle walked out of corrals on the snow drifts. The boys built fences on top of the drifts to keep that cattle from walking out. In 1981 a devastating hail storm (Solf ball sized and larger hail stones) swept through the farm breaking windows in the house, pickups, and tractors destroying our entire corn crop. The leaves on the trees and bushes were completely stripped from the limbs. It looked like late October because everything died. Some golf ball sized hail fell destroying the shingles and rain gutters around the The Hasart farm and ranch farmstead northeast of Stratton, 1980. house. We found hail stones and debris from the trees in the living, dining and bedrooms on the main floor and the basement had 5 �windows broken with the screens destroyed. Jim and Marlyn were in the process of turning off the irrigation wells when the storm hit and they will never forget the sound of being pounded by those hail stones while creeping home ae visibility was only about as far as a vehicle length. In May of 1982 another hail storm pounded us. The winter of 1983-84 it snowed and snowed with a total snow measurement of over 100 inches falling during that period. In 1976 Marlyn was asked to prepare a program featuring "Pioneer Women" from the county for Church Women United. She presented this progrnm many times. Jim and Marlyn are active members of Immanuel Lutheran Church with Jim serving two terms on the board and Marlyn teaching Sunday School for many years. She is active in the women's group being a delegate to the National ALCW convention in Detroit. Michigan in 1984. Marlyn has been active in the Republican Party and was elected as delegate-atJarge from Colorado to attend the National Republican Convention in Dallas, Texas in 1984. Jim, Marlyn and sons have shared the work of the farm with everyone helping out where needed. Jim, Jerold and Lester are managing and working the farm that has been in the Hasart family since 1917 when Jim's grandfather purchased it. by Marlyn Ilasart HASART, JOHN AND EDITH I.267 John Frederick Hasart was the second son bornto Jacob and Magdelena Hasart, on Dec. 31, 1896, at Idalia, Co. Jacob and Magdelena came from Russia to homestead in 1888. John came from a family of four; three boys and one girl. He attended school at Idalia for three years, then the family moved to Fall River, Ks. in 1903 following the death of his older brother, Tobias. Here John completed the 8th grade. He began working for the neighbors, then in 1915 he went to Sterling, Co. where he worked for his cousin. In 1916, he csme to the Stratton vicinity where he bought his first piece of land through the encouragement of Mr. Evans. This became his home until 1963 when John and his wife Edith retired and moved to Stratton. On March 20,L920, he married Anna Adolf and to this union 2 daughters were born, Leota May and Della Ann. Anna passed away in Sept. 1930. John and Leota made a home together until Leota manied in March of 1938 and his marriage to Edith Powers on April 17, 1938. Della was cared for by her aunt and uncle A.W. and Mary Adolf. He met Edith and married her in 1938 and at that time staded attending the Church of God. Until that time, he was Lutheran. He helped build and finance the new Church building in 1965. He took care of the lawn and shrubs for approximately ten years. He served on the Fire District Board for 18 years. He joined the Coop in 1916 and has been a member for 79 years. (The following as related to Lynn Ware) "He ghared several storiee, all of which I was so interested in. He told me of when Collins bought the lumber yard and built the motel in 1921, the names of his first three school teachers, and about the dirty 30's. He knew of only one living classmate, Anna Flurkie of Idalia. My favorite story was how a man no-ed Fuller traded land for a grocery store. Ed Dischner's dad, Tony, made that trade. John passed away at the Kit Carson County hospital on Aug. 25, 1986 at the age of 89 years. He left his wife Edith of the home, his daughter Della,6 grandchildren, 8 great- grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren. The following is a story of his life and times. "In 1919, we had a good corn crop. Corn was a good price but the people held their corn for a better price, corn went down to 21 cents and in 1920 some people burned ear corn all winter and said it was cheaper than coal. I bought the rent share from one one of my neighbors for 21 cents a bushel and then corn went up to a fair price again. Then the dirty 30's cnme. It was so dry you couldn't raise a thing. There was so much dust in the air you had to have a light in the house to see. I had a windmill in Section 21 and I went out to turn the mill on and it wouldn't run, so my brother, Jake, and I went and pulled the pipe and the cylinder was full of mud. There was a drift of dirt in the front of my grainery seven feet high. It took me a half day with a tenm and scraper so I could get the door open. At that time the government came and bought cows, anything that was in good shape they shipped out but what was a little thin, they shot them. They set a day for people to bring the cattle to town. I saw them get up on a truck and shoot them right in the truck. I sold yearling steers and heifers for 2 cents a pound. In those days some people picked cow chips to burn and in 1938 things got better and it was good until 1952 and'53. In 1953 it was so dry we didn't have any grass so I sold all of my cattle but 20 head. I had to stad again. Then people started to put down wells and you all know how it is now. In 1963 I retired, sold my cattle, rented my farm and moved to town. Been here 20 years now and all I do is work a little in the yard and garden, sit in my rocking chair and sometimes think of the past. It was in 1921 the Equity built the gas station across the street and later they sold propane. I bought my first tank in 1947 and the boys that managed it were Bob Collins, on the river. Some of the people on the river said that it rained 18 inches. I had 8 inches at my place and a man and his wife were drowned. Rosser Davis found the man at his place and they never found the woman. Then in 1932-33 and '34 it was so dry nothing would grow and the jack rabbits were so thick they would eat anything that cane up. Then they started the rabbit drives. They made a large pen with a wing on two sides and the people could start several miles away. People came from towns to help sometimes. They had over 1000 rabbits in the pen. Boys with clubs would go in to kill the rabbiLs. The men that had charge of the drive sold the rabbits to anyone that had hogs for 10 cents and also sold them to some fur company. It makes me think of a story. There was an elderly man and his wife, lived on a small farm. They had 1 milk cow and a team of horses and the cow died. The people went and sympathized and he said it could be worse. Then one ofthe horses died, they went again. He said it could be worse. Then his wife died and they sympathized again. The old man said it could have been worse. Someone said, How could it be worse? He said, It could have been me. And that is the way of the past, it could be worse." John loved good quality livestock. He raised registered Hereford cattle and sold breeding bulls for many years. His v5rrk horses were good animals, large and beauti- ful. He worked very hard and established a nice farm north east of Stratton. by John Hasart HASART, LESTER AND DIXIE Lester Jacob Hasart, son of Jim and Marlyn (Magee) Hasart, as born March 30, 1958 at the Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital in Burlington, CO. Lester has one Lyle Hooper, Delbert Kordes and Larry Dasenbrock. Larry was there for a long time. In the 20's the Equity built a house for the manager. It is the house that Rev. Bloomer lives in now. In 1930 they sold the house to my dad for $2,800 and in 1943 he sold it to the Church of God. In 1947 I built a new house and sold the little house to Terry Atkins. He sold it to Jack McConnell. Terry built some rooms on it. It is the house Mrs. McConnell lived in. In the early days we had floods. In 1925 there was a cloud burst on Spring Creek and the water was backed up around the railroad bridge. A train from the east went across. The engine, coal car and baggage car got across and the bridge collapsed and two pullman cars went into the water. Several people drowned. One girl from New York. Her mother put up a reward of $500 to anyone who found her. Fred Meyers and the dreyman by the name of Turner found her about 12 miles north. Then in 1935 was the big flood F268 Lester and Dixie Hasart, 1986. �Lester put over 5000 miles on his pickup. A lot of Lester's trapping is done as preditor control as coyotes are very hard on sheep, calves and farm birds. Last year, Lester did preditor control for the Jim Leoffler farm south of Stratton. Coyotes had killed approximately 50 lambs. Lester and Jim took over 45 coyotes offhis property from July'86 to April'8?. When Lester isn't trapping he does maintenance and mechanical work for the farm and with his brother and dad raise cattle, hogs, corn, wheat and feed. We also have cows so in the spring we're kept busy checking on the baby calves. It seems there is always something that should have been done the day before but I guess that is farm life and we love ,",,i$-}:, it. :r..r:... 1986-87 season catch, approximately 180 coyotes, 2 red fox, 4 kit fox, 7 raccoon, and several badgers. brother, Jerald Garvin born Dec. 18, 1956, married Beth Ellen Spelts on April 7, 1984. The Hasart family farm and ranch northeast of Stratton was bought in 1917 by Lester's great grandfather, Jacob Hasart Sr. Lester, his brother and neighbor children enjoyed many Sunday afternoon swims in the family irrigation pond when he was young. Later. Lester's interest turned to motorcycles. He and his friends raced dirt bikes at the blowouts north of Bethune. Lester raced in St. Francis, Kansas and won third place in a wheely contest. He and his brother now use motorcycles to move cattle. Lestpr graduated in 1976 from Stratton High School. After graduation he and his brother farmed and ranched with their father. Lester also worked part-time during silage and corn harvest, and beet harvest for neighbors and friends. Lester is active in the Immanuel Lutheran Church, serving on sOveral committees. He is also involved in the Republican party, serving as chairman and currently vice-chairman of the First Senatorial District. Active in the Colorado Trappers Association since approximately 1979, he is currently serving a second term on the board of directors for the CTA. In 1984, Lester designed and built a passive solar home, just north of the family farm, which we live in today. In 1986, Lester manied Dixie Gale Wachs, the daughter of Ivan G. and Bonita J. (Ruddell) Wachs. Dixie was born Dec. 18, 1960 at the Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital in Burlington. Her sister, Anna Lea was born Jan.27,1963 and she married Craig Quint of Cheyenne Wells on July 29, 1983. Dixie has one brother, John Marlin born March 5. 1970. The Wachs family lived south west of Burlington on a farm owned by Marvin Grusing, farming and ranching for the Grusings from 1958 to 1971, dad then accepted a position working for Kit Carson County. After we had moved to town, Anna Lea and Dixie were thrilled not to have to ride the bus. However, dad informed us differently. Living nert to the fairgrounds we were still in the country, so we rode the bus until 1974 when dad and mom bought the house across the street. Anna, cousin Brenda and Dixie spent meny enjoyable afternoons walking home from echool and stopping on the way at the bakery and checking out the stores. When Dixie was 15 1/2, Anna and our two cousins, Brenda and Doug, all went to work for the Western Motor Inn. I worked there for about 1 Vz years and then at Skelly Truck Stop for 2 years as waitress. After graduation in 1979 from Burlington High School, I went to work for the Burlington Record in the advertising paste-up department. In 1982, Dixie took her faithful companion, Sadie, and moved out on her own. She lived across from the Record office so was able to walk to work and church. Dixie held the offices of Treasurer, Missionary President and Secretary at the Church ofthe Nazarene. She also enjoyed teaching Sunday School for by Les & Dixie Hasart HATFIELD, GORDON LESLIE AND MABELLE GERTRUDE F269 junior and primary classes. She was also Caravan Leader on Friday nights and helped to keep the grass mowed, the church clean, the walks scooped in the winter and pick up the children on Sunday mornings. Dixie is glad now that she had the opportunity to serve her church when needed as the church is a very important part of their lives. In 1985. Dixie moved to a little house on 17th Street and was living there when she met Lester in January of 1986. She was swept off my feet, he even talked her into going dancing for the first time in her life. Lester and Dixie were married on Friday, May 23,1986 at the Church of the Nazarene. Rev. Richard Messer, his wife Elaine, Betty (Boland) Chandler and Kevin Weisshaar were our witnesses. We spent our wedding night in Goodland, Kansas and surprised everyone on Saturday. (Maybe we didn't surprise them as much as we thought). Dixie still works for the Burlington Record but with 20 miles to town, she only works part-time is still secretary for the Church of the Nazarene and Lester and Dixie try to take turns going to their churches. Dixie has learned how to drive a truck for ensilage and corn harvest and in her spare time she enjoys oil painting. Lester and Dixie both enjoy hunting and fishing. In Oct. of 1986, they went elk hunting and Lester got his first elk, a cow, with a muzzleloader. It took a day to pack it back to camp and another back to the road. We also like to hunt antelope and deer and Lester enjoys trapping. From the middle of November to the middle of January, he is gone most every day running his trap line. Mostly he catches coyotes and he tries to skin them as soon as he gets home. On her days off, Dixie fleshes and washes the hides. Then they are stret- ched, dried and taken to the CTA Fur Auction. There is a lot of work involved and also a lot of miles covered. This past season Leslie and Mabelle Hatfield Gordon Leslie Hatfield and Mabelle Gertrude Hatfield moved to Stratton, Kit Carson County, Colorado, from Fowler, Meade County, Kansas. A strong desire for a "place of our own" had sent them West searching for just the right place. I do not know why my parents chose Kit Carson County to fulfill their drearns, but I do remember waiting in the car while they looked at many places from Flagler to Burlington. Exhausted and discouraged after looking for days at every place the real estate agent had to offer and finding nothing, we were ready to start back to Kansas. It was evening and the real estat€ man had just one more place for us to look at and it was on the way, no problem, just two miles East of Stratton on Hiway 24 on the South side of the road. We drove into the yard and looked around. Dad got out ofthe car and walked out to the granery, crme back and leaned in the caf window to talk to Mom. I can still hear him say, "Mom, if the house will do for you, this is it". And that was it, we moved that fall, October, 1944. It was a good time, a time of growing and changing. As wheat farmen', crops were good. It wasn't long before the folks expanded buying more land as well as business build- ings in town, owning at different times the theatre building, the drug store building, the grocery store building and the dry goods building. They even operated the dry goods �store for awhile. It was during World War II and I remember it was very hard to buy items such as sheets, towels, overalls and nylon hose. It wasn't long before they realized a store wasn't for them and it was then sold to Waldrons. Many changes were taking place during this time. The school district consolidated and school buses beco-e a part of our community. The fire district was also formed and I remember Dad working long and hard for a fire truck to service the country people as weU as the city folk. He worked especially hard for this aft€r he was burning weeds in the ditch and the fire got away from him and burnt the neighbors feed stack. Then we got a telephone. What a thrill for a teenager to have a phone. Dad served on the Equity Board and Mom worked at her Home Demonstration Club. They were strong workers in the Evangelical United Brethern Church and served their community at every opportunity. Eight children were born to Leslie and Mabelle Hatfield; Geneva, Howard, Harry, Fontella, Marvin, Melvin (Leslie Kenneth, who died in infancy) and Joy. Gordon Leslie passed from this life December 25, 1970, and Mabelle Gertrude died November 25, 1981. As I said before, I do not know why my parents chose Stratton, Colorado to make their home, but I am glad they tid. Faith in God, the love of the land, the lriends of a rural community and the values ;aught me . there could be no better .nheritance. by Joy Blancken HAUGHEY, JOSHUA ALLEN F270 Joshua Allen Haughey was one of the six :hildren of Stephen G. Haughey, and descenled from Thomas Haughey who migrated iom Ireland in L725, whose line of descent vas Thomas Haughey, John Haughey, lhomas Haughey, Barnett Haughey, John {aughey, and Stephen, Joshua's father. loshua was born at Winterset, on April 17, .863, and married Margaret Hooton in \urora, Nebr. They had one child, William \llen, born in Omaha, Nebr., on Nov. 11, 905. Mr. Haughey's formal education ceased n the 6th grade, but he persisted, and learned urveying and trigonometry, later surveying he town of Burlington, in the "Dirty Thir- ies", conforming it to the original Rock sland survey. His conversiou of the Monezuma Hotel from a 50 foot square 2 story ize to the present structure was his major rroject. In Omaha, he headed 150 carpenters n the Omaha Central High School, the ugest building under one roof in the world t that time, and etill in service today. While rorking there, he felled a 100'brick chimney, llling it on a predetermined spot in a ongested area after several "professionals" ad failed. He also raised a 6 story 100'X 100' uilding 8 inches and formed a new foundaion under it, after it had settled due to the lose proximity of the Missouri River. He built the Anderson (Coast to Coast), {idway (lengthened twice), the north addi.on to the High school, (now demolished), Penny (Vance Decor.), Haughey Shop (Hoskin) buildings, and many of the homes in the area, two ofwhich are at 1692 and 1820 Senter Street., and drew up specifications for many "They just nailed those blocks on too Damn tight." by William Ifaughey others. One interesting sidelight of his career was the Haughey's homestead area near Keota, Colo., where they lived in 1916, in a 14'X 16" home, for a few months, with rabbits, antelope and rattlesnakes, and where Mr. Haughey refused to return the second year, which HAUGHEY,'W. A. AND RUTH I. F27r ended that episode. During the Montezuma construction he installed a gasoline powered electric plant in the basement, and before the exhaust was connected, he started the engine to test the plant. Feeling woozy, he climbed the stairs and started to walk across the street. when some of the town loafers spotted him and remarked, "Look, there goes old man Haughey, drunk as a Lord!" This happened long before the danger of gas engine exhaust was known. Other areas of the county where he oper- ated included the construction of the west half of the Cope School, which he built around 1922. He also built the brick church north of Bethune, built around 1926, and several homes in the country, including the Buettel home southeast of Burlington, and one on the Louis Hann farm, now owned by the Schaal family, northwest of Burlington. Mr. Haughey also acted as Architect's Superintendent for two large building projects for Krein & Krein Architects of Kansas City, Mo. The first one was in Beatrice, Nebr., where a large Junior High School was built, plus two grade school buildings and remodeling of several others in L924. After his return to Burlington, he was again called by them to Lexington, Mo. where Bussboom Brothers were in charge ofanother large school project, with another Junior High project, plus remodeling and enlarging four other area schools. Mr. Haughey also developed and patented a glass cutting board and rule, which used the parallel ruler principle enabling much more accurate cutting, because of which he was able to sell many boards and rules to companies who did very close and accurate work with glass, for the geared rules were not capable of such fine work. Although he was then 84 years old, with the help of Oscar Olson, he built cabinets for the J.V. Brown house and worked on installing them the day before his death. On Sunday, April 6, 1947, Mr. Haughey, following his life long custom attended services at the Christian Church, now the Masonic Temple building. During the services, while the congregation was singing the hymn, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord", he was stricken by a fatal heart attack and passed away in the church, a glorious end to his lifelong dedication to the church. During his years of activity in Burlington, he trained many young men as carpenters and builders, instilling in them his pride in workmanship and accomplished craftmanship, giving them by example the foundation for a worthwhile life. In the many years of working with Mr. Haughey, Bill says that he heard a single swear word from his Dad, when someone nailed on furring blocks too tight on concrete forms. After several had pulled out previously, one particular board ripped out five of the blocks, and Mr. Haughey said, Both Bill and Ruth were born in Nebraska, Bill at Omaha on November 11, 1905, and Ruth at rural Plymouth, on May 1, 1906, but it took about 30 years for them to meet. Ruth attended a small country school near Plymouth, and later high school and graduated as a registered nurse in 1931. Bill went through grade school in Omaha, Nebraska and through High School in Burlington, plus one year at C.U. and learned cabinet making, plumbing, sheet metal work, gunsmithing, and precision machine shop work. They met through mutual acquaintances and were married in 1936 and began house' keeping at 1670 Senter Street for one month, moving to their present location at 192 L4th Street in July of 1936, where they still reside. Carol Haughey arrived in 1937 and James was born in 1939. There are many memories of that period of their lives, much centering on the "Trolley", where most of the neighbor- hood children spent hours riding, without many serious injuries. After high school both attended college, Carol at C.W.C. and Jim at C.U. Carol is now Mrs. Ken Taylor, of 5280 W. Plymouth Drive, Littleton, Colorado and has four children, Carrie, Curt, Paul and Mike. Jim is Dr. Jemes Haughey, General Practitioner in Los Angeles, California. Bill and Ruth have engaged in many activities in Burlington, beginning with Bill's appointment as a Postal Clerk in 1930, with Bob Wilkinson as Postmaster. Years later Bill was appointed Assistant Postmaster under Mike Vogt, and later transferred to Rural Carrier on the northwest route from Burlington. Bill retired in 1970. Bill was active in Company I of the Colorado National Guard for many years, attending samp each year at Golden, and earning a spot in the Colorado National Guard Qamp Perry rifle team in 1931 and placing in the Chief of the Militia Bureau Rifle Matches several years. During his membership he also acted as Instructor on Rifle Marksmanship, first aid, musketry, and served as Company Clerk and Supply Sergeant, and has used much of this training in outside activities over the years. After retiring from the Postal Service in 1970, Bill says that is when he got busy! During the war, he felt that his skills were needed more in instrument making, and worked a short time at Hathaway Instru- ments in Denver, during which time he made parts for the recording oscilloscope which recorded the first atomic bomb blast at Los Alamos around 1940. He also has been a member of the Burlington Masonic Lodge No. 77 for 58 years, serving as Worshipful Master in 1937, as District Lecturer from 1959 to 1970, and as Secretary from 1983 to date. Shortly after High School, Bill was interested in music, tenming with Claude Smith and Carol Fundingsland in a small Jazz band which played in the Walters "Sheep Shed" northwest of town, and many other locations �in the area plus the Burlington Town Band, and engaged in the mass band concerts in the District Mass Band Meetings. awhile. approximately 30 years in Goodland and Burlington, some of it being part time, and has been a member of the local P.E.O. and East€rn Star organizations for many years. Outside activities for the Haugheys include nembership in the United Methodist Church, gardening, restoring and refinishing antique furniture, and creating new furni- Carson County. We then moved to Bur- Ruth worked as a registered nurge for ture. by Bill Haughey After returning to Vona, and building our house there, we lived here a year, and then my husband was elected County Judge of Kit lington, and lived there for eight years. Then we returned to our homestead to live. We had five sons and one daughter. I enjoy recounting the experiences of the early days in this country; I shall always appreciate the friendships made and the neighborly folks who were willing to share in our joys and sorrows. We have seen the town of Vona grow from a railroad well and section house to the substantial little place it is today, and we rejoice to know that we did our bit towards the development of this new HAYNES FAMILY I.272 I was born in Clay County, Kansas on Sept. 21, 1864. I spent my youth in Kansas with my parents, then was married to Elmer H. Haynes in 1887, and came to Colorado with my husband and baby son in 1887. My husband had come out eight months before and taken the homest€ad which is part of the Haynes Addition to the town of Vona, Colo. On this homest€ad site he built a dugout and we lived there for a few weeks, then we bought a frame building which was originally a saloon, and moved it to our location, and lived there for seven years until we proved up. My husband was a contractor, and helped to build three miles of the railroad; his business was what caused us to come to Colorado. He followed this work for about fifteen years, and we lived in different places during that time, but always keeping our homest€ad. Finally we returned to Vona, and built the frame house we lived in. When we first came west the little station at Vona had just been built and the place named "Vona" after a daughter of one of our pioneer printers, Fred King, living at Burlington. The railroad had dug a well here, and this is where we got our water, water was hauled from this well by people who were living on homesteads ten or fifteen miles away. I shall always remember how very frightened I was in this new place, so many strangers around, and so many tramps going acrose country and following the railroad. My husband was away so much of the time he gave me a revolver with the caution to always keep it handy, and never open the door at night. One night a knock cnme to our door, and I did not open it but called out "Who'g there?" A gruff voice answered "Open the door, I'm about to freeze." I did not open the door but told him to go to the section house where he would find ehelt€r. Next day I learned it was just another tramp. While returning to Vona from Burlington one day the conductor on the freight train told me the day before he saw a woman running towards the train and waving to the crew, and a man running after her. So the conductor stopped the train, and when the woman came up they learned that the man was a trnmp who had broken into her house, she had gotten away from him and seeing the train, had run towards it for protection. The crew chased the tr4mp over the prairie for some distance but he ran to Burlington and got away, but had the crew caught him they would have given him something to think about for country. Dated Jan. 24,L934. by Mary Belle Kiser llaynee HAZEN. JONES FAMILY I.273 The Jones family came to this area from Kentucky in 1907, along with the McCon- to them in the lemplight. She earned many pennies, nickels, and dimes showing her precocity. One of eight children in the farnily, Della had memorized most of lhs alynans6s by listening to her older brothers and sisters reading aloud from them. The children had found the almanacs left behind by former tenants when the Gnmbles moved from Missouri to Iowa in March, 1874. Della Ganble is now Della Hendricks. She celebrated her 101st birthday last December 7th. She must wear glasses and use a large magnifying glass, but she is still an avid reader. Living at Grace Manor in Burlington, Kit Carson County, Colorado, Mrs. Hendricks has two sons and their families nearby. Although her mind betrays her now and then, she recalls most of her life very clearly. In 1878, the Gambles moved from Iowa to a farm in Harrison County, Missouri, a short distance from where Della had been born. Being close to a school, Della began to attend school in 1879 and quickly learned to read this time not by memorizing what she heard others read. The school was interrupted in 1881 by a fire and classes had to be held in a one-room shack, but Della was always one of the few pupils present. The school was at what was Dolton, Missouri, and Della laughs now as she t€lls about the school's rule regarding whispering. nells, Hughes and Henry Wilsons. They all homesteaded southwest of Stratton. They were all related the Jones being cousins to the McConnells. Ethel Jonee attended the Boden School. Ethel said she often walked that four miles when it was stormy, cold and windy. Ethel married Truman Hazen who came here to homestead in 1906. Their place was three miles east of her parent's home. It has been said that Ethel would get in the car, take a Those who whispered three times got a "whuppin". "One day, I went to the outdoor dinner for the farm workers. They were a real delicacy. In the beginning all of the buildings on Truman's homestead were made of sod. Later some frame buildings were built. In the engaged to. Gossip caused mothers to take their daughters out of the school, but Mrs. rifle and go out hunting young jacks for later years they sold out and retired and moved to a home in Stratton. Truman passed on and is buried in the Stratton Cemetery, and Ethel lived several years alone. She now has passed on and is buried beside her husband. by Florence McConnell HENDRICKS FAMILY F274 Della Hendricks "Would you like to hear me read?" "Read? You? Why, I'll give you a dime if you can show me that you can read." Four year old Della Ga-ble reached for the almanac on the oak table, opened it, and read aloud in her little high voice. The year was 1875. The place was the living room of the home of John R. and Bliza J. Hughes Gamble. Locatedtwoand ahalf miles east of Garden Grove, Iowa, the Gnmble two privy," Della says, "and I saw two boys playing marbles. The boys'parents thought they were in school and the teacher thought they were at home. I'd already been caught whispering twice, but I whispered again when I got back in the school room. The teacher let me off, however, and I didn't get a 'whuppin'." At one time during Della's school years, the teacher suddenly married the girl he'd been Gamble decided the school was not involved, and Della remained in class, the only girl left. The parents of the teacher had a niece come to stay with them and go to school so Della would have company. Telling about her school days, Della says, "A little later, we had a teacher who could teach me high school subjects. Then I went to Grand River College in Edinburg, Missouri. The college had an academic department where I could take Latin, physics, and other subjects. I passed high school examinations while carrying my college work. I studied all the time and graduated in 1891 (at the age of nineteen after only 12 years of formal education). H.W. Owens was the college President." While attending Grand River College, a coeducational institution where strict rules were enforced relating to boy and girls and their relationships, Della and a boy were late getting to class. Although, according to regulations, the boy should have stayed a few feet behind Della, neither he nor she would stop in their haste to get into the building and to class. Out of several windows schoolnates called warnings that both of them would be disciplined. Della and the boy pushed through the doorway together and somehow Immigrants trekking westward were often both avoided punishment. Della says, "I guess I was just lucky." Gamble home, and the travel weary lodgers by M. Hendricks story house was on the Mormon Trail. provided with overnight shelter at the were delighted to have darkhaird Della'read' �HENDRICKS FAMILY F276 Della llendricks Grand River College was an exceptional school ofhigher learning. Opened in 1850 and chartered in 1851, the college offered instruc- were at Seibert, in the eastern Colorado county of Kit Carson. Della and Dick decided to join them and in March, 1908, they and their small children moved via boxcar, settling on a homest€ad three and a half miles south of Seibert. While Dick worked at getting the homestead on a self-sustaining basis, Della found employment as a clerk in the A.V. Jesse students. At the time, Della Gamble graduated from Grand River College, she was asked to teach at Stevens School. The honor of being asked to teach at a certain school did not come to Department Store in Seibert. She had to take young Samuel with her and keep an eye on him while waiting on customers. The store's long hours often required Della to be on the road in her buggy before the sun was up and after the sun was down. In summer there was the added danger ofrattlesnakes on the road. For protection Della carried a .25-30 rifle in her buggy and knew how to use it. With her two older children going to school in Seibert by means of a buggy and an old horse na-ed "Hop", and having to drive another rig back and forth to her own work, Della realized it would be much better to live in town. In the fall of 1910 the family moved into a house in Seibert. but retained the every graduate. Stevens School was also homestead. tion to women on an equal footing with men at the exceedingly early date of its opening. One woman was included on the first faculty of the school. It was eventually absorbed by the William Jewell College at Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. A grade school now stands on the original Grand River college site. An appropriate marker telling of the College is on the school grounds as the result of efforts by Della and a few of the other former referred to as the Rock Island Schoolhouse. Della taught this ungraded school for the by Mary Hendricks 1891-1892 term; then taught a spring term and the following winter, 1892-1893, at a school north of her home and nine miles south of Mt. Moriah, Missouri. It, too, was HENDRICKS FAMILY F276 ungraded. Continuing her teaching career, Della taught her 3rd and 4th term at Springer, Missouri; her fifth term at the Knightstown school, four miles from her home. Both of these schools were ungraded. She then taught at Ward 9 school, out of Bethany, Missouri, and it was while she taWht at Ward 9 that state grading began. Della remained at Ward 9 for six years. During this time, she had a five room house built at Gilman City, about 16 miles from Bethany. She taught the first school Gilman City had. While preparing to teach at one of these rural schools, where she had to find room and board, Della had a cousin from the district ask her to tutor her son in return for board and room. Della says, "The man realized his son was mentally retarded as he was unable to keep up with the other children his age, and the child needed additional help. I accepted the offer. When I went to the boy's home and was introduced to the youngster, I ssid, 'I've come to teach you'. The boy answered, 'I knowed it.' I corrected him immediatelywith,'No, you knew it.'The next morning the child's mother looked out of the kitchen window at newly fallen snow and said to me,'It snew last night."' Between regular school terms Della attend- ed sessions of Teachers' Institute, one of which was held at Trenton, Missouri. These Institut€s gave the teacher information on updated teaching methods, new books and materials, and helped them improve their teaching credentials. At Gilman City, Della met Norman Miles "Dick" Hendricks, a veterinarian. She and Dick were married on Valentine's Day, 1901, at Gilman City. Three children were born of this mariage: Williem, in June, 1903; Elaine, in March, 1905; and Samuel, in December, 1906. By this time, Colorado was drawing many settlers from 'back East'. Among them were a number by the name of Hendricks, all from Missouri. Five of Dick's uncles and auntg Della llendricks earned as a teacher. Books, such as geographies, were liberally illustrated and were printed in language the child could easily understand. There were no libraries in the schools, and the students had to provide their own books and other supplies, such as slates. Slates were often received as Christmas presents and the children were always proud of them. ln Colorado, certificates for teaching were issued according to the amount of education a prospective teacher had and the grades achieved in school. A third Grade Certificate was issued if a person completed eight years of school, was 18 years old, and had an average grade of 75. This certificate was good for one year of teaching. A 2nd grade Certificate was issued upon completion of 12 years of schooling plus special instruction at a "Teachers' NORMAL', held a various points in the state. lst Grade Certificates, good for three years of teaching, were not given until a teacher had at least 9 months of teaching experience and then took an exsrnination to qualifY. According to records from the office of the County Superintendent of Schools, Kit Carson County, Della Hendricks received a lst Grade Certificate in 1915. Della taught First, Second, and Third grades at School District No. 37 in Seibert, for two terms, 1915-1916, and 1916-1917. One of Della's pupils at this time was the son of Mrs. V. Morrison, owner and editor of The Seibert Settler newspaper. During the summer of 1917, when the neighboring town of Burlington was looking for a good teacher However, Della's love for teaching reasserted itselfand, after Sam started to school, she was again teaching in country schools near of Seibert's Seibert. She bought a car - onealong first her way and picked up children for a school 4 miles east of Burlington, - Other children came to school on to school. District No. 34, Mrs. Morrison unhesitatingly recommended Mrs. Hendricks. Della was hired immediately and that fall she and her children moved to Burlington. The homestead had been sold but the house in Seibert horseback. was kept. Telling of those days, Della says, "A big dust storm came up one day. The children's horses were tied outside the barn in which I kept my car. I thought the car could stand the dust better than the horses, so I put the car on the protected north side of the school and we got the horses tied down in the barn. Mine was an open car, as most carg were then, and I had to spend an hour getting the dust out before I could drive home that afternoon. We had dust storms and terrible blizzards, but kept our schools open if we possibly could." Teachers had a lot of bookwork to do, including keeping attendance records. They also often provided crayons, chalk, and other supplies out of their meager wages for those children whose parents were unable to afford them. Teachers in rural schools were their own janitors and had to chop wood for kindling to start the fires in the coal stoves in the schools. They had to bring in the coal from a coal pile nearby, and if they wished, "banked" the fire in the stove for the next morning. Many of the early schools were "soddies" with dirt floors; later, wooden planks were used for flooring. Desks and other pieces of furniture were of the simplest design and manufacture. The fathers of the children built the furniture when they didn't have the money to buy it. The teacher, if from outside the area of the school in which she taught, had to find room and boardwith some family near the school, usually one of the School Board members. Payment for room and board was also from the small wages Before moving, however, Della took the first group of 4-H Club girls to the County Fair in Burlington. Her work with youth was not limited to school hours. by Mary Hendricks HENDRICKS FAMILY F.277 Della Hendricks Della's daughter, Elaine, joined the 4-H Club in 1917. She and another Burlington girl, Bertha Boger (now Mrs. Bertha Wear), took part in a canning club during the summer of 1922. With Della's help, they entered into a 4-H Club canning competition. In August of that year, the girls entered competition as a team at the State Fair at Pueblo, Colorado, and won. They were the only entries in the Regional Competition and automatically won that. Going into the National Competition, held at Chicago in December. Elaine and Bertha won second place. With the two first place winners, the two Colorado girls were awarded a trip to France, where they demonstrated to women in war devastated areas how to can their home grown produce and fowl. Both girls felt they owed much of their success in the competitions to the help and encouragement �they'd received from Della. With her interest in school, it was natural for Della to consider the office of County Superintendent of Schools. Running for the office during the fall of 1922, she won the election in November and won reelection two HENDRICKS FAMILY r.278 Della Hendricks years later. While performing the duties of her office, Della was instrumental in starting many young people on a teaching career, among them being her own son, Sam. Another, now Mrs. Blanche Lipfored Carper of Flagler, Colorado, says, "Mrs. Hendricks was always interested in getting young people to teach. She would give teachers whatever breaks it was possible for her to give." A pupil during Della's terms as County Superintendent, now Mrs. Marie Fisk Smith of Flagler, remembers that she "was always scared when Mrs. Hendricks came to visit the school. She was so dignified and all business. No nonsense was accepted in Della's schools, particularly those in which she taught. Children went to school to learn, and learn they did." Della made it a point to visit each school in the County at least once during each school term. In visiting School District No. 10 in the southwest part ofthe county, she recalls she "drove ten miles over hills and plains where the horizon seemed to retreat farther and farther under an immense sky before I saw a habitation of any kind. In fact, I saw only the schoolhouse and wondered where the children lived." State Teachers Normal Institutes, which had begun in 1904, came to an end during f925. The state was divided into 13 Normal districts, Kit Carson, Lincoln, and Cheyenne Counties making up District No. 6. Each county seat held the Institute in turn. The last Institut€, in Burlington in 1925, had an enrollment of t25, the largest attendance on record. Della conducted this last Institute. State laws regarding teacher training had been changed, thus eliminating the Institutes. The money on hand in District No. 6 was used to purchase books for a county school library which was placed in the office of the County Superintendent. The books were checked out to teachers, filling a school need at that time. The winter of 1926 was a sad time for Della. Although she was happy with the birth of her 2nd grandchild in October, she lost her bid for reelection in November. In December, her daughter, Elaine, died of complications following the birth of her first child, a daughter; Della's first grandchild. Della returned to teaching District No. 34 for the term of 1927-1928. In July of 1928 the winner ofthe 1926 election resigned and the County Commissioners asked Della to serve out the rest of the term. On October 31, 1928, Della Hendricks wag awarded a State Teacher's Honorary Life Certificate, which states: "This is to certify that Della Hendricks, having shown superior ability as an educator in the State of Colorado by distinguished success as attested by satisfactory testimo- nials. has been awarded this Certificate which confers authority to teach in any Public School in this State." The certificate was issued by the Department of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, sigrred by State Superintendent Katherine L. Craig. by M. Hendricks In November, Della was elected again, and, two years later, reelected. In trying to be of assistance to the county's teachers, she began issuing a regular bulletin each month. In her December bulletin, she urged the organization of music classes in the schools, an innovation much to the liking of teachers, pupils and parents. Again visiting the schools in the county, Della went to visit a school district in the northeast part of the county, a district which in 1928 was conducting its second term of school. Della had heard ofthe school and had frequently inquired about roads leading to the school but had been unable to get any directions. She finally decided to take her time and hunt for the school house. After leaving the graveled roads and following a trail which, she said, "might have been made by the ancient aborigines", she came upon a modest little school, attractively built and well equipped. She found the teacher and students engaged in industrious work and the school, as a whole, spoke ofgood results being obtained. Mrs. Hendricks made a lengthy call at the school as it was their first visit by a County Superintendent. Then she went to the County Commissioners and asked for a better road into Peaceful Valley, the site of the school. While on her county crossing trips, Della had become fascinated with the history of the area and the many kinds of wild flowers found on the open prairies. Having started accumulating material on both the history and the flowers during her first years as County Superintendent, she now continued these activities. Roads had improved and she found it easier to hunt out Indian artifacts and historical markers. and locate the few remaining residents who had helped settle the county. She added to her own writings which she'd started in L922 and went on with her scrapbooks, ofwhich she had literally dozens. Obituaries of the county's earliest settlers were of great help and constitute a history in themselves. She had also gathered impressive amounts of data on the wild flowers of the country side. At the end of her second four year term as County Superintendent of the Kit Carson County schools, Della again returned to teaching, this time at District No. 71 in the Flagler area. Here she taught during the school terms of 1932-1933 and 1933-1934. staying at the Ollis James farm home during the school months. In the fall of 1934, Della went back to District No. 34 and taught at this rural school just out of Burlington for four years. Evenings were devoted to the work required of her as a teacher, but weekends and vacations were spent in searching out "ghost" towns long forgotten by most of the people. She spent many hours typing up pages for her files and her scrapbooks. Becoming known for her insistence on facts, Della was called upon by historical societies and publishers of historical periodicals to verify writings of others or to supply information. Students of the pioneer West came to regard her as an authority. In the realm of wild flowers, Della familiarized herselfthrough long and careful research with most of the native species so she could recognize them on sight. She was a true pioneer of this work in her part of Colorado. She also readily knew on sight the differences between edible and poisonous mushrooms found on the virgin prairie land. Della's interest in flowers extended into her own garden. She held a lifetime membership in the Burlington Garden Club and was a staunch promoter of conservation long before the word began to receive national notice. At one time her garden contained a collection of 140 different varieties of iris plants, many of which cnme to her as gifts. by M. Hendricks HENDRICKS FAMILY F27S Della l{endricks Della's long years of teaching appeared to come to an end with the 1938-1939 school term which she taught at District No. 21 out of Burlington. She had seen schools develop from one room "soddies" to one or two room frame buildings, then to gradual consolidation of districts and larger school buildings. Instead of one teacher for a group of children of varying ages and grades all in one room, there were now separate rooms for each grade and a teacher for each grade. Few children depended on a horse to get to school consolidation had brought busing of the children to the larger schools. Teachers were required to have more and more years of education before receiving credentials for teaching. But Della did not retire. In addition to all her other activities, she had been active in Red Cross work for many years. She became County Chairman in L942. Also in 1942, Della was appointed Stat€ Chairman of Consewation of the Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs. She received official notice of the appointment in a letter from the State President who said, "We won't take 'no' for an answer." Telling about the appointment, a local newspaper said, "We doubt if the Federation could find a more able head for this important department. Mrs. Hendricks is a keen student of nature and an authority on Eastern Colorado wild flowers and is interested in conservation of all wild life. The Burlington Garden Club is honored to have one of its members thus recognized. According to Della's own personal notes, she was employed to open school at 1st Central District No. 29 and to teach until the school board could get a teacher. She taught grades 9 through 12 and acted as principal. Interestingly, Della's first grandchild, Jac- quelyn Hendricks (Snm's daughter), was teaching grades 1 through 4 at this school at this ssyne time. Della wrote in her notes. "f taught 9 weeks my last teaching." She was 74 years old. - During the years of World War II, Della grew her'victory garden'and continued with Red Cross work. The funds of the Red Cross would go only so far and Della refused to turn �down a call of distress. She often used her own money to help a stranded service man or extend aid to the traveling family of a serviceman. In 1946. Della received a letter of commendation from the Colorado Gover- nor, John C. Vivian, and a citation for "meritorious personal service performed in behalf of the nation, her armed forces, and suffering humanity in the Second World War", signed by Harry S. Truman, President of the United States, and Basil O'Connor, National Chairman of the American Red Cross. The mounting number of candles on her birthday cakes did not deter Della Hendricks. She continued her research of Eastern Colorado history and other activities. In 1952, she received a gift from Ed C. Johnson, the United States Senator from Colorado, for the Burlington Library and also a gift for the auction which was to be held for the benefit of the new Burlington Library building. These gifts were being assembled by a group known as Friends of the Library, of which Mrs. Hendricks was a member. She also remained active in the Garden Club and the Inter SeSe Sorority. Many nights she would fall asleep while typing her notes or articles relating to historical events or personalities of Eastern Colorado. Her interest in this never slackened. Sponsored by the Burlington Library Board, an Open House was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sem Hendricks on December 7, 1961, in honor of Della's 90th birthday. During the afternoon, between 65 and 70 friends came to greet her and many friends and relatives, unable to attend, sent cards or called on her later. The next spring found her with spade and rake in hand, planting her garden as usual. Throughout the years, Della's husband, Dick. had carried on his work as a veterinarian and had spent most of his later years on one of the family's farms. However, he and Della were living in a small house in Burlington in January of 1965 when Dick suffered a massive stroke and died a few days later. Following the death of her husband, Della went to live at the home of her son, Snm. She had her own telephone, desk and typewriter, and spent her time reading, typing, talking to old friends, and carrying on her extensive correspondence. She was still receiving and answering queries about persons, places and events of Eastern Colorado such as frontiersman Kit Carson; William H. Bleakley, the first aviator in Burlington, who in 1915 was instrumental in forming the National Guard in Kit Carson County; the Battle of Beecher Island; early political figures; and the sit€s of historical markers. Later in October of 1968, at dinner time one evening, Della fell. Although not serioue- Congressman Frank E. Evans. She also received many gifts, flowers and telephone calls from people unable to attend the reception. Della's son, Sam, taught for several years and later entered the U.S. Postal Service from which he retired in 1969. Her son. William, became a mortician, owning and conducting the Burlington Mortuary and Ambulance Service. He is now semi-retired. the business being carried on mainly by his oldest son. Besides the two sons, Della has 8 grandchildren,25 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren. Today Della Hendricks, 101 years of age, maintains her interest in local and world affairs. Ifshe were to walk into a schoolroom today, with all the changes that have taken place she would still be a schoolmarm, one of the very best. Della died at Grace Manor on July 22,L973 at the age of 101 years, 7 months and 15 days. by M. Hendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY F280 In the latter years ofthe 19th century and the early years ofthe 20th century, there were Great Uncles and Great Aunts of Bill Hendricks that migrated from Missouri to what is now known as Kit Carson County. Some data about these individuals follow. A.F. Hendricks was the first Dry Goods Merchant in Burlington, the old building that housed the store was eventually razed by Doren Knapp. This edifice was probably in the vicinity of the present day Equitable Savings and Loan. A.F. Hendricks moved to Denver in 1890. Abrahsm, commonly known as Abe, was one of the committee who journeyed to Denver to establish Kit Carson County of Eastern Colorado. He moved to Denver and later to Kansas City, MO. Oliver and his wife, Tammy moved to Seibert, CO. and built the first hotel in that community. Oliver planted a grove of trees north of Seibert which became a popular spot for picnics. In 1888, he sold the hotel to his sister and her husband, Kate and Lee Hutchens who had also migrated from Missouri to Seibert. They continued the operation of the hotel for many years and they also farmed. Two brothers, George and Bert operated the first land business in Seibert. Later, both moved to Denver. Two sisters, Harriet Brown and Alice Carter and their husbands lived on homesteads S.E. of Seibert. As previously mentioned, several Hendricks families had migrated from Missouri to the area of Kit Carson County. In March of 1908, Dick and Della Hendricks, parents of Bill Hendricks, had decided to join their kin and moved via box car, settling on a homestead 372 miles south of Seibert. While Dick worked on the homestead Della found employment in Seibert as a clerk in a department store. She took her son Sam who was a mere toddler with her. Two buggies were making the trip to town drawn by her, the other by her young -sonone Bill with his sister Elaine who attended school in town. So Della realized it would be much better for them to live in town. In the fall of 1910 the family moved into a house in Seibert but they retained the homestead. By profession, Della was a school teacher. After Sam started to school she taught in schools near Seibert. Eventually she bought a car one of Seibert's first. It was a 1916 Model- T. William R. Hendricks (Bill) of Burlington, CO has resided in Kit Carson county for approximately eighty years. Following are episodes relating to those years and also some historical events that involved him. Bill had a vivid memory of his childhood and adolescent years. To this day he will not eat rabbit regardless ofhow it is prepared. It seems that rabbit was a prime source of food : -::tr:.- {ll *' '.1i.. ly injured, she had to be hospitalized for about two months. Upon her release from the hospital, Della went to Grace Manor, a nursing home in Burlington, where she has continued to reside. On December 7,197L, Della celebrated her 100th birthday. A reception was given in her honor at Grace Manor by her two eons and their wives, Mr. and Mrs. Sa- Hendricks and Mr. and Mre. William Hendricks. Approximately 150 relatives and friends attended. She received nearly 150 cards, a personal letter from President Richard M. Nixon and a congratulatory greeting from Colorado George and Bert Hendricks. First land office in Seibert, Colorado, 1890's. ff t4 ...,1;;,i.,.,:l1:r.r.,i:ill �when living on the homestead south of Seibert. He remembers going to school in Seibert he and his sistcr Elaine - via an old buggy and the old horse "Hop". Bill was only five years at this time when he had the responsibility of driving the rig 3% miles back and forth to school. He was seven years old when the family moved to town. From the stories he tells, one concludes that he was quite an ingenious young lad. By connivance won't tell you - heAlthough they he acquired two oxen. how were -approximately the same height, they did not match, one was full bodied and had a smooth hide; the other was scrawny and scraggly. With the help of a local blacksmith, Bill made a yoke to fit the oxen. He would hitch the oxen to any old wagon, sled or buggy that he could gain possession of and using a rope for reins he would drive those "critters" all around town and the surrounding areas. He could leave the oxen at a halt, enter a store or go wherever he wanted to; however, regardless of how long he was gone, the oxen would still be standing wherever he had left them. by Mary Hendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY individual owners. For this chore, Bill was paid a dollar a month for each "town cow". One summer while still living in Seibert, Bill went to his Aunt Kate's to help with putting up hay. She had a number of hired hands working for her. Among them was this "mean man" - this is what young Bill called him. Other workers, including young Bill, teased this so called "mean man". One day he beceme very irate with young Bill and took after him with a pitch fork. Instead of running away from him in an open space, he ran into the barn and was trapped against a stall. The pitch fork aimed directly at Bill was getting very close; however, quite suddenly this so called "mean man" was grabbed around the neck with such force and strength that the pitch fork fell to the ground. The man's name who saved Bill's life was Claude Huges. Following this incident there was much commotion for a while. Soon Aunt Katc had this culprit running down the road. Years later when operating Hendricks Ambulance Service. Bill remained somewhat intimidated by the mentally deranged. He could perform his duties with compassion, concern, and professional efficiency; however, arriving in the corridors of a mental hospital and a door was unlocked for him to enter with his patient and then the door locked behind him - sometimes this proce- dure repeating itself several times - Bill had F28t to overcome his fear of being trapped. The boyhood experience he had had with the "mean man" had made an indelible impression on his memory. Young Bill had a memorable experience when he was nine years old. At this time his father Dick Hendricks, was operating a livery stable in Seibert. His service included rental of a buggy and a horse and, when needed, included rental for a rig and a driver. At this specific time there was in Seibert a gentleman, Alvin T. Steinel, editor of the Southwest Trail, a farm magazine. He needed to go to Flagler. Young Bill who had earned reputation of successfully making many trips, was chosen as driver for Mr. Steinel. Driving a buggy pulled by a horse named "Old Fred" they began their journey. They t'--*ii: Willie Hendricks, age 9, Seibert, Colorado. In those early days people were permitted to keep horses, chickens, hogs, cows - whatever - in town. One of Bill's main sources of making spending money was to herd what they called "town cows". After milking them in the morning, he would round up the cows and drive them to a near pasture where they could graze. Before milking time in the evening he would drive the cows back to their encountered a torrential rain. Although they managed to cross the bridge that spanned the Republican River, in a short time they were forced to find shelter because of road conditions, wind and the down pouring rain. Shelter was found in an old abandoned shack. The Editor. Bill and of course "Old Fred" remained in the shack until the storm receded. Then once again the horse was hitched and without any further trouble they arrived in Flagler where young Bill spent the night. The next day he returned home safe and happy - the buggy seat was loaded with candy and nuts. Later Steinel came to the Hendricks'home at Seibert to get Bill's picture. The picture and the story ofthe trip appeared on the front page of the Denver Post. The Burlington Record on Apri6 l, 1978 printed an article captioned 1912 Newspaper Clipping Lauds "Willie Youngest Livery Man". The conclusion of the article was verbatim -. Mr. Steinel mentioned by the News later beco-e editor of Western Farm Life Journal and the boy, a father, grandfath- er, and great grandfather many times over - now affectionately called "Pa Bill" by his progeny who would agree in retrospect, that there was a lot of "Pa Bill" in young Willie and still much of Willie in Pa Bill. Bill Hendricks was at this time 75 years old. by Mary Hendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY F282 During the summer of 1917, the town of Burlington was looking for a teacher for a school east of Burlington. Della Hendricks was recommended and was hired immediate- ly. The following fall, the homestead was sold and Della with the three children drove the car and moved to Burlington. Later Dick joined them walking and driving three milk cows all the way from Seibert to Burlington, a distance of thirty-two miles. Bill Hendricks was in his early teens when he moved with the family to Burlington. Most of the summers he spent living and working on farms. He had varied employment while attending high school. He worked at a soda fountain, a restaurant, a bakery and also in a men's clothing store. In his senior year, Bill played basketball position center. The tenm made state playoffs - Boulder - lost. He was also on the first football team organized at Burlington High School. He played tackle, year 1920. After graduating from high school in 1923, Bill went to work at Penny Hardware which was owned and operated by Orin P. Penny. As was common in those days, the store's merchandise included furniture and in addition was licensed for funeral and nmbulance services. There was no mortuary edifice. Caskets were displayed in the basement of the hardware store and it was also there that the preparation room was located. Quite frequently families, mostly those living at the settlement, would request that their departed one be embalmed and prepared for burial in the home. Many nighls Orin and Bill would be secluded in an unheated, cold room with only an oil lnmp or lantern for light. The trips to the home would occur every day - carr)nng supplies and equipment - until after the funeral was conducted. The funerals were held sometimes in homes, churches or a schoolhouse. Bill Hendricks'interest in mortuary science was activat€d when first employed by Orin Penny and remained steadfast throughout the years. In the late spring of 1926, Bill met Mary Louise Wilson. Her parents, Rolla and Myrtle Wilson, had given up housekeeping immediately after Mary left for college in Missouri - 1925. Rolla Wilson was the head buyer of Arizona Packing Co. He and wife Myrtle traveled extensively, their home, hotel rooms. However that spring of 1926 a school teacher of Burlington High School, J.R. Walters, was leaving with his family to attend summer school in the east. They rented their home intact for the summer months to Rolla. The Walters family moved out - the Wilson family moved in. The address of this house is 150 14th St. Today it is the home of Bertha B. Wear. The house directly south was the home of Dick and Della Hendricks and their son Bill. With the assistance of Della Hen- dricks who was at this time County Superintendent of Schools, Mary started a summer �ded one sometimes found herself in an atmosphere of black, oily particles that were adhering to everything. One of the happiest days of my life was when my grandfather Earl gave me a green and ivory colored cook stove. All that space on which to cook and there was also a water weU so I readily had access to hot water. The large oven had no thermometer; however, I soon learned to gauge the temperature by holding the palm of my hand just outside the open door ofthe oven. I sincerely believe that during the eighty years of my live have I ever baked better bread, cookies, biscuits, cornbread, cakes, pies, etc. I graduated from the kitchen range to what was then the ultra modern bottled gas stove. It boast€d a deep well cooker that operated similar to our present day crock-pot. Every Sunday the children and I could leave home for Sunday school and church with me content that the bulk of our dinner was slowly cooking. It was a Sunday ritual for Bill's parents and my mother to join us for noon time dinner. In addition, as long as Bill remained active, I knew knew, Sundays or week days, how Burlington High School football team, 1920. Kindergarten. She was given permission to use the facilities of a room in the school house. Some of her wee-little students are still living in this area - among them are the Ford brothers, J.C. Penny and Betty Chal- fant Sutton. The romantic relationship that developed between Bill and Mary continued throughout the summer; however Mary was adamant about one matter - Bill must go to Mortuary School before they could marry. In the fall, the Wilsons moved to Norton, Kansas taking Mary with them. They had been advised by an eye specialist that Mary should not return to college for at least a year. Eventually, Mary planned to teach school so following her year of inactivity she decided to postpone college, go to Burlington where she could take the exnmination for a teachers certificate and then teach for a year or so. It was at this time during her stay in Burlington that she realized that Bill - due to family circumstances - would not go to mortuary school in the very near future. Bill and Mary eloped and were married in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado on April 27, L927. Following the marriage, Mary's frugality alienated some members of the Hendricks family; however, she was persistent in her determination to help raise sufficient funds for them to go to Kansas City for school. She augmented her hoardings by the approval of her application for a substitute teacher at Smokey Hill. Mary taught seventh and eighth grades and Latin and English to the upper classmen. At this time, Ora Cruickshank was a teacher at Smokey Hill some will remember her. "The icing on the cake" - so to speak - followed. In her will, Bill's grandmother, Martha Hendricks, was leaving one hundred dollars to each of her grandsons. When she becnme aware of Bill's endeavor she advanced his legacy to him. ln January of 1928, Bill and Mary left for Kansas City where he attended Williams Institute of Mortuary Science. After receiving his degree he went to Denver, took the state exnmination and in 1929 was awarded his first State Mortuary Practitioners License #459. When Bill returned from school. he resu- med his emplo5ment with Orin Penny. Most of Bill and Mary's friends were as hard pressed for money as they were; however it did not necessarily take much money to have entertainment. They played games and there was extensive visiting in homes. Square dancers would gather in country homes and dance the hours away. In Burlington, the dilapidated old armory as it is today, was built in 1926. For many years, it was an ideal place for dancing. The dance floor was superb - the rest rooms were clean, shiny and most accommodating. One of the outstanding dances of the year was the Fireman's Ball. Many of the ladies wore formals. Over the years, Bill Hendricks, bit by bit, was acquiring land, some cattle and horses (always horses). His family was multiplying, Wilson Robert (Bob) was born on July 30, 1928; Dixie Lee was born on July 15, 1931; John Joseph (Joe) was born on December 29, 1932; and George Thomas (Tom) was born on September 24, 1936. Twice he quit his employment at Penny Hardware. His wages were always frugal. He sold cars for C.D. Reed Motor Company and also at one time joined Rolla Wilson in his buying and selling of hogs and cattle. by Mary Hendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY many extras he would bring home for a meal. I learned to improvise; I never knew whether I would feed six, sixteen or more. In later years when we were blessed with daughters-in-law, I assiduously discouraged them from becoming slaves to lavish Sunday meals. I remembered my self inflicted martyrdom. Following a Sunday dinner Bill took the grandparents home for their naps, the guests would leave and Bill and the children left to ride the horse. I remained home faced with a "slug" of dirty dishes to wash by hand. There were so many women like me in those days; did we think we were saints by being martyrs? I laud the modern day women! "You've come a long way, baby!" We must acknowledge that during our life span we all experience obstacles. Some are world wide - some national and others a bit closer to home. Seemingly there are people who live in gloom and despair - others who learn to handle troubles and never lose sight of the miracles of "progress". One summer grasshoppers were spotted in one of the fields that Bill was farming. Grandpa Dick, Bill's father, drove an old pickup all around the boundaries ofthe field. I rode in back - legs hanging over the tailgate scattering grasshopper poison along the edges of the field. Today there are planes equipped to spray entire fields using a formula specified for the encroachment of the bug or insect. Hundreds of acres are sprayed in less time than it took to toss grasshopper poison to the boundaries for the field. "Progress". F283 How did I do it? I was always a stickler for well balanced meals so I know I prepared hearty meals three times a day for four children and Bill and I. How did I do it on just a two burner kerosene stove and without a single electrical appliance? In those days there were no packaged foods nor were there any frozen items; all cooking was done from scratch. One advantage, no worry about preservatives. Does anyone reading this recall how the wicks on those ancient kerosene stoves had a tendency to creep when lit? If left unatten- Having lived in Burlington for 60 odd years, I have experienced and lived through many types of dirt storms. The rolling type of the Dust Bowl of the thirties were hellions to me. All window curtains, wall pictures and bric-a-brack were concealed in any drawer or covered space available. Damp sheets were in the bathroom. Whenever I would spot a monstrous, vicious black cloud rolling in the sky, I would hang wet sheets on the window curtain rods. Soon that cloud would settled over the house like a canopy, dirt penetrating every crack and crevice. When the hellish cloud eventually rolled on and away I would carry out the dirt using a shovel, broom and coal bucket. At this time Bob was in Kinder- �city resumed the annual 4th of July fireworks display. On July 18, 1929, a Rock Island passenger train traveling east while attempting to cross a bridge collapsed. The story is that two cars had safely crossed before the breakdown of the bridge which plunged several cars into the water. Ordinarily the creek was dry; however due to a torrential rain there was adequate depth to the water to trap and drown the passengers. All bodies were taken to the Penny Mortuary. Bill Hendricks today doesn't remember for certain how many - over the years he was involved in many drowning tragedies. The local weekly newspaper published that were were 15 or more. Bob Hendricks of Hendricks Mortuary, has searched through all old records of Orin Penny but can find no mention of this specific tragedy. In thoee days, detailed records were not compiled and filed as they are today. The catastrophe of the train wreck caused a gteat influx of outsiders to Burlington. Besides editors, reporters and newspaper men, there were many curiosity seekers. Seibert Boys Band, July 1916 at Colorado Springs band competition. Standing, I to r; G.W. Klokenteger, Paul Morrison, Parker Calvin, Elmer Ericson, PauI Jeffries, BiIl Klokenteger, Elmer Everett. Seated; Ted Cruickshank, Wm. Hendricks, Lindley Cates, Snm Hendricks, Reginald Allen, Monta Jeffries, Floyd Johnson, Harry Simmons, Dwight Frankfather, Abe Hendricks. garten. On stormy days he was sent home, Dixie was a toddler and Joe a crawler. I scooped dirt out of the kitchen sink and the bathtub before flushing with water. I had a horror of mud plugging the drains. During those days we women fought our battle to protect our families and our homes. Our battles were minimal when compared to those of the farmers and merchants. New methods of farming and the ever increasing Pse of irrigation have helped diminish the in Burlington a business man by the name of Earl Baber. He unexpectedly approached Bill and Mary and offered to finance the transaction of the sale of the mortuary business. It didn't seem to worry Earl that Bill and Mary did not have sufficient collateral for the loan. He remarked, "You two will make it". They did make it! The following fall Bill had a bumper wheat crop. Earl was paid in full. enter competition against him. Twice Bill was offered financial support for a mortuary business of his own. Bill remained loyal to his promise to Orin. John Curtis and Gene Penny, sons of Orin, approached Bill. They informed him that they had no desire or intention to operate a mortuary. They advised Bill to persistently tag their dad and culminate a sale of the business. October 1944, Penny Mortuary became Hendricks Mortuary. After all these years, the dream and goal of Bill and Mary's became a redity. Orin was surprised when Bill paid him cash for the business and equipment. There lived that is how he - in Burlington that referred to them, who were he had a friend Grace Milburn, stay with Mary and baby, Billie Bob. Mary remembers one heartbreaking story that Bill told her about one of the victims. A young girl was returning home from a swim meet where she had won the championship. She drowned in Spring Creek. by Mary Hendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY atrocious dirt storms of bygone years. ttProgress". seemingly can be completely devastated. If mother nature works in her wondrous ways giving us sunshine, moisture, adequate temperatures, etc. in one years'time our lands can again display luxuriant growth. Always, after Bill had quit his job at the hardware store and mortuary, Orin Penny would contact him and induce him to come back to work for him. Definitely Orin Penny needed Bill. He had built a small mortuary and had depended on Bill for many years to do all the professional work. This reactive cycle would tire Mary; however in due time proved beneficial. Orin held a restraining advantage over Bill. He had had Bill promise that he would never the many vagabonds by Mary Hendricks possibilities of a recurence of the violent, How many people in the world live in a "Garden of Eden" as we do? Our land Some one had to be on duty day and night at the mortuary. Bill Hendricks would return home only long enough to bathe, shave and change clothes. He was so concerned about HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY F285 r.284 The train wreck west of Stratton, Colorado. One girl wasn't found until 5 days later. 1929. The bon fire celebrating the end of World War II in Burlington. Bill Hendricks had heard that the signing J.E. McFadden, age thirty-three, a mail carrier for the Burlington Postal Service, suffered a tragic and brutal death on July 4th, 1928. He was the one discharging all the fireworks display for the annual 4th of July celebration sponsored by the City of Burlington. One of the rockets back fired and exploded in McFadden's face. Orin Penny and Bill Hendricks were morticians and coroners at this time. Mr. McFadden's wife and eleven children were left to mourn his death. A duration of years passed before the of the Armistice that would end hostilities of the World War would officially be announced in the afternoon of August 14, 1945. He anticipated the mob-like hilarity, jubilance and the intensive high to celebrate. With the cooperation of the local merchants in Burlington and the help ofyoungsters, the alleys were confiscated of all boxes, papers, wood anything that would burn were piled - and at the intersection of 14th and Senter. On the roof of the Bank of Burlington Bill placed a music box illd emplifier. �Crowds were gathering in anticipation. When the announcement was broadcast by PresidentTruman at fiive o'clock, pandemonium broke loose. The bonfire was ignited, people were crying, laughing and hugging one another. The din of the sirens, cars honking, music blaring, noisemakers and wildly happy shoutings ofthe people who were gathered in the paper and confetti strewn streets was immense. All boys and men had to forfeit shirts and ties - some their coats and haLs - to the bonfire. Tears mingled withthe smiles of more than one in the community as thoughts were turned to the boys who made the supreme sacrifice and would not be coming home rmong the several hundred from this county. Fuel was added to the big bonfire until the midnight rain came to put an end to the festivities. Although celebrating was riotous throughout the county, Sheriff R.W. Plummer, undersheriff Roy Peters, nor the Hendricks Ambulance Service received a single call. The majority of the residents remained quietly and thankfully at home listening to the radio for further details of Japan's unconditional surrender. On Wednesday a joint religious service was held at the Community Center, preceded by band and decorated floats at 2:00. Following that, a huge crowd enjoyed a free show and several barrels of lemonade, donated by the city. A big dance at the State Armory climaxed the day. During the war's duration of three years, eight months and seven days, Kit Carson County folks had done their utmost toward this victory raising more than the alloted quota on all seven war bond drives, donating thousands of dollars to the Red Cross, USO and other similar causes, sending preciorur sons and daughters to the Armed Forces and taking over the work on the home front, planting and harvesting three record food crops. by Mary Hendricks IIENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY F286 Bill couldn't delay contacting architects and contractors for bids on building the mortuar5r. He had only a five year lease to rent the Penny edifice. After that he would be compelled to move out. Orin Penny died during this period and his son, John and his wife Deane had plans to remodel and enlarge the building and make it their home. An architect from Denver and Bill and Mary compiled a blueprint for the mortuary to be built. To hire a contractor becnme a big headache. All prices they would quote were exorbitant for Bill. There was no possible way he could raise the money any one of them were asking. At this time there \Das a gentleman, Leonard Krebs, living in Burlington who did construction work. He and other parishioners had recently built their first St. Paul's Lutheran Church. The construction was most impressive. Leonard Krebs became the supervisor for building the mortuary. He was very meticulous, wouldn't tolerate a flaw; however he had the personality and ability to cooperate with all labor and the ability to relieve any tension that would occur. Most labor was local men. Some construction necessarily had to be contracted such as the brick laying, plast- ering, wiring, plumbing, etc. but whenever feasible the contractors were local. Bill sold land, the farnilyhome and borrow- ed money to finance the building. He had always said that if it were ever possible for him to build a mortuary he wanted a building that the town, he and his children and future grandchildren would be proud of. He anticipated the growth of Burlington which is an explanation for the size of the building. Also he wished to discourage competition. When the five year lease on the Penny building terminated, John Penny immediately began excavating and Bill was forced to vacate and move everything to his mortuary that was still under construction. The preparation room was completed; however, that was the only room ready for use. Caskets that would eventually be displayed in the Show Room that would be located in the basement quarters were lined up in the room that was to become the chapel. They were covered with heavy plastic sheets. When Bill had an undertaking call and the family of the deceased was expected, all construction on the main floor would come to a halt. The men would sweep up shavings, sawdust and any other debris from the bare wooden floor and remove the plastic sheets from the caskets then Bill or a member of his staff would ready them for display. Bill and Mary always marveled at the public's tolerance of their crude facilities. After the sale of their home the family moved to a tiny three room apartment in the back of what was then Ed Hantens Dress Shop and was located directly across the alley from the Penny Building. Mary had packed in crates and boxes all but the bare essentials. These were stored in the basement of the Hantens and that is also where the boys slept. Ugh!Bugs! Mice! On New Years Eve the Hendricks family vacated the Hanten apartment and moved bag and baggage to the top floor of the mortuar5r which was to be their home. Heat, water and electricity were available and also there were bathroom facilities, a kitchen sink, a stove, a refrigerator, an automatic washer and some furniture. There were no doors, rods, hooks or cupboards and the bare floors were splotched with plaster. Mary especially appreciated the many windows that would afford sunlight and fresh air. The Hanten apartment had only one window located in the small kitchen. Trying to keep abreast of the book work and the care of the family in that stagnant air had begun to make Mary sick. Following the move, the Hendricks tribe became increasingly involved in the construc- tion work of the mortuary. They were assigned their daily tasks by Leonard Krebs. Bill and Mary have repeatedly said that they could not have built the mortuary nor functioned in the early years without the labor and dedication of their family. During the early years there was a shortage ofmoney available to hire help. All through high school and during college vacations their family was on call at the mortuary. At the time the mortuary also had the Ambulance Service and the Flower Order Business. There were times when the progeny were tempted to leave it all and find a good paying job but their loyalty remained steadfast. Perhaps they had pride in what all were trying to accomplish. Bill suffered a coronary. Joe postponed entering college for a year so he could help with the farming and the mortua4r business. The mortuary, as all new buildings do, gradually reached creditability. Mary revels in her contribution. The outmoded, very rough plaster used in those days could not be painted for a year. Painting the walls and ceilings on three floors was emong her contributions. Although Bill Hendricks had many interests and hobbies, the mortuary took precedence over all. Except on occasions when he was gone, he made it clear to his family and all employees that he was "Boss". When conducting a funeral he expected complete autonomy - the funeral must run smoothly and in his way. Anyone helping him must be alert and be able to interpret his little hidden gestures of hand or head and then follow through. In 1974, Bill relinquished his status as "Boss" to his son, Bob and wife Bonnie. They moved to the apartment while Bill and Mary moved to a house at 85 Cedar Circle, that is owned by their son, Joe. Mary said that she almost shed tears ofjoy when Bonnie told her that she was willing to move to the mortuary. Mary was becoming very tired; she had experienced much satisfaction in her close association with the many diversified responsibilities, however the years were taking their toll. Bill had insisted that she continue with all bookwork; however she knew her methods were most antiquated in contrast to son Bob's. Also she was worried about Bill's health. She realized that the many stair steps were becoming a problem - she wanted to move before health conditions forced them to do so. In June of 1984 Bob and Bonnie Hendricks purchased the mortuary; they also own a Funeral Home in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado. They have spent much time and money on repairs, decorating and remodeling. Mary had inherited money from her Aunt which made it possible for them to sell the mortuary debt free. by Mary Ilendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY F287 The Flagler plane tragedy occurred on September 15, 1951. Surely someone from Flagler will contribute the details of the crash. Although no one from the staff of Hendricks Mortuary or Ambulance Service was present at the time of the tragedy, Bill and Mary and staff allocated many hours in Flagler subsequent to the tragedy. Mary speaks; "I, with a friend Peggy Shamburg, were returning home from Ft. Collins, we had taken my daughter, Dixie, back to college. To accommodate all her paraphernalia I was driving a station wagon that could be converted to a small ambulance. I became apprehensive, didn't know why, but felt the urgency to return home quickly. On the way, the Hendricks embulance wan �taking a patient to Denver and passed us. A.^ Since Bill had gone to Eads, Colorado to the races, I realized that our son Tom - 15 years old - was alone at the mortuary. That did not cause me great concern since I knew he could ^^l 71"fui' / clov Hotsl, Seibert, rely on Steve Rockwell at the hospital to aseist in atty emergency. I was nearing the grounds of the air ehow at Flagler and noticed that traffic was being directed at the gate. This appeared normal to me since I had heard a large attendance was expected. After driving a ehort distance, a string of cars, one with a siren, and all driving very fast was approaching me. I hurriedly parked the car on the side ofthe road and told Peggy to help unload. We had spent the night in Ft. Collins so there was luggage. Riding in a car approaching me wae a fireman who on recognizing me and the car that could be ueed as a small nmbulance. took the cue and practically jumped from his vehicle to the one I had been driving and shouted "A plane cragh". I do not remember who brought me home to the mortuary. I can still see young Tom sitting on the outside stairway looking quite forlorn and lonely. He said "Gosh, am I glad to see you". There was no 911 to dial in those days. Tom, however, who all his life had been associated with emergencies, had called Steve Rockwell at the hospital, Bob Shamburg who was a fireman and called the sheriff and state patrol. I contacted an operator at Limon and asked her to alert someone who would flag down Hubert Hill. driver of the Hendricks ambulance and give him the message to go directly to the grounds of the tragedy at Flagler. A call from Flagler was received informing me of the urgent need of Bill Hendricks, the county coroner. I replied that Ralph Clapp who Iived in Flagler was deputy coroner and to call him for all duties. I was dismayed when told that Mr. Clapp was on a plane that was flying his critically injured wife to Denver. I called Dr. H.M. Hayes to go help in any way he could until I was able to send Bill. After calling Bill at Eads he immediately left going directly to Flagler. After identifying the 20 dead, the morticians who had come to Flagler to help insisted that Bill who was still recuperating from a heart attack go home. Hubert Hill remained. For the following two days, Bill and I were occupied at the funeral home in Flagler compiling essential data for death certificates and burial permits. Our contacts with the mourning families were heart breaking. Twenty died and thirty or more were injured at this tragedy." by Mary Hendricks A.--rt*l-:* Aunt Kate's Hotel, Seibert, Colorado, 1908. passing was a great loss to us all. Dick Hendricks, Bill's father, was affectionately called "Grandpa Dick". He lived with us periodically over the years. At one time he lived on a farm 2Vz miles north of Burlington that Bill had leased from Merritt Stanton. Merritt and Dick batched. They farmed, raised garden, chickens, hogs and milked cows. Every day Grandpa Dick brought us milk and cream and when in season a variety of produce. He helped our boys train horses and break and ride the many colts born at this location. After Merritt died. he moved to town and Bill did not renew his lease on the farm. During the final years of his life, Grandpa Dick helped at the mortuary discharging the small tasks that his health would permit answering the door bells, moving the hose, emptying wastebaskets and licking stamps on statements and other outgoing mail. Grandpa Dick suffered a stroke and died shortly after at the Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital on January 28,1965 at the age of 92 years and 15 days. Many, many tears were shed - he was loved dearly. My parents, Rolla and Myrtle Wilson, bought a home at 295 14th St. and moved from Goodland, Kansas to Burlington. This home is today the location of Tyrrell Insurance Agency. Rolla Wilson was the head buyer for Arizona Packing Co. Due to a head injury he received in a car accident, my father died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 26, 1933. He left my mother Myrtle Wilson, financially HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY F288 independent. Prior to her move to Burlington she suffered a broken hip. She was crippled for the remaining years of her life. "Mamo Myrtle" as she was lovingly called by her grand and great grandchildren, had many, rnany friends and was on the go I have been told that a history on the life of Della Hendricks, Bill's mother, is being included in another story, so I will not dwell on her many accomplishments as County Superintendent of Schools in Kit Carson County, as a school teacher and historian. Her progeny called her "momee". Della died at Grace Manor on July 22, L973 at the age of 101 years, 7 months and 15 days. Her whenever possible. She loved parties, her card clubs and the association with Eastern Star and the Methodist Church. Before arthritis severely crippled her hands, Myrtle Wilson was an artist with her needle and also with her Archer foot controlled sewing machine. She made aprons, some quite fancy, for her family and friends; she crocheted insertion lace and embroidered dozens of pillow cases; she appliqued many tea towels and pieced quilts for all members of her family including grandchildren. She crocheted and embroidered most intricate works of art. The pot holders she crocheted were awarded first prizes locally, nationally and internationally. It seems that all friends and members of her family wanted a pot holder that Myrtle Wilson had crocheted they decorated kitchens in many, many homes. She was able to remain living in her home for many years; however in her later years she became pathetically crippled with arthritis and made her home at Grace Manor. Follow- ing a stroke she passed away at the Kit Carson County Hospital on February 14, 1970 at the age of93 years, S months, and 17 days. She never lost her mental faculties. There are ones today who say to me "You had a wonderful mother". I agree. By 1973, Bill and I had lost both our parents. We were grateful that they had never experienced isolation from family. Many a feast was shared and happy hours were spent in family togetherness. Bill had a sister, Elaine, born March 5, 1905. The summer following her graduation from Burlington High School in 1922, she and another girl, Bertha Boger, (today known as Bertha Wear), won a 4-H canning competi- tion and were awarded a trip to France where they demonstrated to the women in the war devastated areas how to can their home grown produce. Elaine's first year of college was at Greeley - the following two years at Colorado State University (then known as Aggies) - Sorority Gamma Phi Beta. On August 15th, 1925, Elaine married Holmes Burnett of Fort Collins. They had one daughter whom they called Connie. On December 27, L926 Elaine died of complications following the birth of her daughter; never had she been able to leave the hospital which was over a period of two months, Bill's brother, Snm, died at a Care Center in Denver at the age of 79 years, 11 months, and 8 days. Lucille, his wife, continues to live in the home she and Sam bought. Her two daughters and a son are scattered from � https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/483/Families-H2.pdf 8e212c986ff3dd11cf94411c87e59eec PDF Text Text Denver to the west coast. All of the Bill Inclusive in membership were Rotary, Jay- Manor. Hendricks family love "Aunt Cille" very cees, Elks, Odd Fellows, Golf Club, Country William R. Hendricks (BiU), was bornJune much. Club, Cattlemnns and Quarter Horse Associations, etc. He received life membership in Burlington A.F.&A.M. Lodge #77, also in ?, 1903 at Cross Timbers, Missouri. At the age of five, via box car, he moved with his parents, In his younger years Sam taught school. For a number of years he was associat€d with Bill in farming with the title of "Hendricks Brothers". Before retiring he was the city mail carrier. I had one brother, Cecil E. Wilson, that was two years older than me. He wae born on February 23, 1905. At the age of 2L he joined the navy. As a Warrant Officer, he was a prisoner of war in Japan for 3% years. After 30 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Navy he retired as a Captain and was a recipient of many medals. He and his wife, Louise, had no children. As in a Navy tradition, when Cecil andLouise died in 1984, their bodies were cremated and the ashes gcattered in the Pacific Ocean. by Mary Hendricks HENDRICKS - WISON FAMILY d,?^* t rbl F289 Denver Rocky Mountain Consistory and Denver El Jebel Shrine. Mary says that Bill over the years developed a great pasgion for horses. In the thirties when their children were small he owned a pony and a pinto horse. The pinto, whom the entire family adored, was sold to pay the delinquent rent on their home. Bill continued to "wheel and deal". He bought, sold, raised and traded horses. He had registered stallione and collected stud fees. His boys broke the colts and his sons were also his best jockeys. His race horses traveled all over the state of Colorado, Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheyenne, Wyoming and New Mexico. As BiI grew older his physical disabilities worsened and also following the sale of the mortuary, he and Mary were living on a fixed income. Bill had to be persuaded to relinquish his long love affair with horges. It was tough! In the fifties, Bill suffered an emergency appendectomy and a short time following he had a heart attack. In the sixties he was diagnosed as having Parkinson; however for several years the disease was not excessively debilitating. In addition to his customary 8Ll*u '8*',( activities he and Mary enjoyed tripa abroad. They traveled to the Hawaiian Islands, to St. Croir, went down the east coast of South Anerica on a ship that docked for tours of varioug countries. They aleo traveled extensively in Africa with a camera Safari. Shortly after returning from Africa, Bill's lifestyle changed drastically. During the next several years he was a patient at St. Joseph Hoepital in Denver or Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital in Burlington sometimee two or three times each year. He had five operations on the bladder to remove malignant tumore, a hernia operation, one on his back and two on his hip. In July of L974 Bill and Mary moved from their apartment at the mortuary to a home owned by their son Joe. For awhile Bill's recuperation permitted him to walk with the Pa Bill ag "Buffalo Bill" on Baby Ki August 1, 1964. Won lst prize in the "Old Timee" contegt, Ttail Ride Days in Burlington. Bill Hendricks was a gregarious fellow. He sincerely likes people and he wants them to like him. During the years that he was physically active he seldom missed a celebration held in the tovms of Kit Carson County. He loved to join the people in their revelry. The County Fair Days were very specid to Bill. There may be a few who remember him leading the parade riding his palamino horse, "Wildo". His sons would show hie horseg and aleo were the jockeya for his race horses. During World War II Bill helped instigate the Sunday free rodeos held at the Fairgrounds. The participants were mostly local - male, female, children and adults. At the conclusion ofthe rodeos war bonde were eold. Bill wag nmoDg the instigators of "Trail Ride Daye". In 1964, dressed as Buffalo Bill and riding his horse "Baby Ki", he won first prize in a Trail Ride Parade. Several mem- bere of his family also participated in the parade including grandchildren. He was a "joiner" during his active years. aid of a cane or a walker and also to drive hie pickup. However, rapidly his health deteriorated and soon he was a wheelchair patient. Linda Romer, companion and nurse assisted in the care of Bill for over two years. Bill and Mary loved her dearly. She was on duty eight hours a day for five days a week. In addition to the usual care, he continued with his "outings". He especially enjoyed the trips to the Burlington Bakery where he drank coffee and visited with his friends. Bill wae a big man - six feet and one half inches tall and at this time weighed around 190 pounds. He was becoming more and more dependent and the bulk of his medication wag caueing confusion. Mary is around five feet three inches and her weight varies between 90 and 100 pounds. The care of Bill on weekends, morning, evening and night hours were becoming arduous tasks. She finally agreed with her fanily and the full consent of Bill that he ghould make his home at Grace Manor Care Center. He moved July 24,L984. He received excellent care which includes T.L.C. He never complained and his seemingly innate beautiful personality prevailed. As etat€d before, Bill was a gregarious person. He was surrounded by others at Grace Dick and Della, a young sister and brother, Elaine and Sam, to a homest€ad south of Seibert. When he was 13, he moved with his folks to Burlington. Burlington was his home for the remainder of his life. Bill passed away on August 28, L987 at Grace Manor Care Center at the age of 84 years. by Mary Eendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY F290 During our 60 years of marriage our family has always come first. Our four children and their marriage partners have given us 16 grandchildren and they in turn have awarded us with 13 great grandchildren. We happily anticipate many more "greats". We are a most fortunate fanily. All our progeny are healthy, handsome and seemingly well adjusted individuals. I reluctantly realize there is not space in this history to elaborate on their lives. (I will strive to be brief and concise.) Son W.R. (Bob); CSU, degree Psychology, Frat. Sigua Chi, Air Force, politics, CSU Alumni, horses, wife Bonnie, own and operate Hendricks Mortuary in Burlington and Cheyenne Wells,6 children; Daughter Vicky Tapis, Brush, Politics, city clerk, husband Ken, RN - 2 children Joshua and Joy. Son Terry, Tucson, wife Lynn, 3 children, Angel, Bart, Jake. Daughter Tammy Baughn, Englewood, handwork in great demand, hus- band Russell, machinist, 3 children - Becky, Aaron, Daniel. Son Randy, Austin, TX, degree Stering, Durango - Social Service Hot Line, single. Son, Troy Vance, Burlington, degree paremedics, Denver, College of Mor- tuary Science, Austin, TX, single. Vickie Vance, degree Sterling, Larnmer Vo-Tec, Orthodontics assistant, Ft. Collins, single. Daughter Dr. Dixie Sullivan, California, Degree Psychology, CSU, Sorority Tri Delt, PhD Degree, California, lucrative clientele, Rolling Hills. widow, 3 children - John, Los Angeles, Degree Mexico and California, Masterg and PhD from USC, wife Angelina, 2 children John, Carlos. Erin, San Francigco, degree Loyola Marymount Univ., Mgr. of Employment Randolf Hines Inc., single. Bill, Los Angeles, degree Loyola Mar},mount Univ., P.R. Profs. Surfing Ass. of America, single. Son Joe, Ft. Collins, CSU, Frat. Sigma Chi, football, army, J.J. Hendricks Realty, Broker, Ft. Collins and Burlington, wife Pat, 5 children - Ki, CSU, Lic. real estate insurance, owner and mgr. Rocky Mtn. Escrow, Estes Park, single. Mike, degree CSU, football, Hendrickg Reality, broker, Burlington, wife Nancy, 2 children, Barrett and Jacky. Wyn, art, travel agent, employed Rocky Mtn. Escrow, Estes Park, CO. divorced, 1 child, Jordon. Dai, Dickerson, CO, co-owner Health Spa, Phys. therapist, husband Dennis, Pres. Rye Telephone. Tobin, college, repair and sales of cars, Mesa, AZ, single. Son Tom, Burlington, CSU, Air Force, counselor alcohol and drug abuse, farming, �think not. There are old timers and their progenythat remain with us and ask us about the many eventg of the past. AU this eulogizing has a tendency to make Bill appear a saint, that he is not. He is just an ordinary run-of-the-mill man (Question mark here). He has been known to be miechievous and full of tricks. Although he had always had a tenacious attraction for the female gender, he is basically, a Man's man. During his younger active yeara he was often lazy. He would nonchalantly sit and watch otherg work. Luckily for me, he cannot expose my many idiosyncrasies. In 1977 our caring family sponsored a 50 year wedding anniversary celebration for us at the Country Club; in 1987 the again Bill and Mary Hendricka on their 50th wedding anniversary, Prairie Pineg Country Club, Burlington, CO. trucking, insurance, divorced, 2 children. Tryn Pizel, Lakewood, CO. VO-Tec Goodland, Ks. Secy-Mgr, Howard Electric, husband Mike, Howard Electric, mechanic, no children. Todd, Burlington, Vo-Tec Good- old song?) "I Can't Help Loving That Man of Mine". To many, Bill and I are known as Pa Bill and Mnmo Mary. land, KS, mechanic, single. by Mary Hendricks HENDRICKS WILSON FAMILY sponsored an Open House in celebration of our 60th wedding anniversary, this time at Grace Manor. Blees our family! Over 100 joined us for this social time and we received over 200 cards. God bless all ofyou. I am more fortunate than so many lonely and elderly women. I wish they could have the concerned attention that is mine. Our son Bob and his wife live close by as do our grandson Mike, with his wife, Nancy, and their two children and our son Tom lives with me. They all humor and wait on me. They glorify this old lady's life. Nevertheless, I do miss Bill. I may be or not be prejudiced; however the absolute truth is (remember the by Mary Hendricks HENRY, LEROY AND CINDY F29l D2S2 The passing of time has a tendency to play tricks on ones memory. There may be thoee who do not recall episodes or dates ag reiteratcd in this history. Memorieg are as diversified as the people that have them. I have heard said that with each telling of history, history changes a bit. Anyone reading this history will readily conclude that it wae writt€n by an (elderly) woman. I have in my family members of the male gender. Although they encourage me to write the history their cooperation ie minimal. It is impossible for me to depict the male vergion of a conglomeration of episodes and events that happened over the yeare relating to Kit Careon County. I have concentrated at times on the woman's interpretation of events, her lifestyles, bad and good tines and obstacles that were overcome. During these yeals, man's lifestyles, his ways and meane, delineated progress and simultaneously it was so for woman. A few days ago a highly respected and long time reeident of Burlington, Henry Hoskin, was visiting with me in my home. He told me, Mary, that Bill Hendricks had always been one of his most favorit€ people. We spoke of his sincerity, nothing phony about Bill, hie love and respect for otherg was absolut€. His generosity and trust in mankind caused him at times to experience costly and unhappy repercussions; however it did not seem to dnmage his continuous trust and generosity. Bill was active as a mortician, nmbulance Mary and Bill Hendricks celebrating their 60th wedding anniversar5r at Grace Manor Care Center. Leroy and Cindy Henry, May 28, 1983. operator and coroner for over 50 years. Never did he become calloused to the anguish and In January of 1982 Leroy Henry, a handsome young bachelor, wentto supper at Velda suffering of the fanilies he served. His compassion and sympathy were always manifeet. There is a possibility that I, Mary, Bill's wife, have been a bit prejudiced in my commendable nanations concerning Bill. I Adolfs house and met an "old maid school teacher" nemed Cindy Kosley from Vona. Velda was a mutual friend and was not really trying to introduce Leroy and Cindy. Several months later, Leroy hit Cindy with a sledge hammer and asked her out for their first date. �They dated several months before Leroy asked if they could have their first kiss. Two weeks later he proposed. On May 28, 1983 LeroyLynn Henrymarried Cindy Sue Kosley at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They now live six miles southwest of Kirk on the farm that Leroy's parents purchased in 1953. Leroy is busy ranching where he raises hogs and cattle. Cindy enjoys her fanily and tcaching Kindergarten and Special Education at Lib- erty School. Leroy Lynn Hen4r, second child of the late Ralph and Lois (Corliss) Henry Schafer was born January 12,L955 at Kit Carson Memorial Hospital in Burlington, Colorado. He has lived on his parents'farm four miles south and two and a half miles west of Kirk all his life. Leroy went to school in Kirk until the school moved to Liberty in 1966. During his high school years, Leroy played football and basketball and participated in FFA activities. He graduated in 1973 and began raising hogs with ten gilts he had purchased. He has expanded his farrow to finish hog operation managing over eight sows. He also has a small cow herd of his own. Leroy has two brothers, Clifford Eugene and Melvin Lee and one siet€r Maltha Marie Kroll Maxey. Cindy Sue Kosley was born to Raymond and Christina (Manyik) Kosley on December 13, 1956 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cindy attended school in Colorado Springs and graduated from Waseon High School in 1974. She went to the University of Northern Colorado and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Special Education: EMR in 1978. She then taught for two years in Pueblo, CO. In 1980 she moved to Vona and began teaching Special Education at Hi Plains Schoolg for the East Central BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services). She taught four years in Vona and Seibert and went to Aniba on Mondays for one year. During the summer of 1988, Cindy began working on her Master's degree in Special Education: Emotionally Disturbed and Learning Disabled. She received her Master's in August of 1983. In 1984 she transferred to West Yrrma School District R"I-l to teach Kindergarten part-time at Liberty. Cindy has an older brother, Andy Joe Kosley and a younger sister, Becky Rae Kosley. On August 9, 1984 Nicholas Sherman Henry was born on his Grandpa Kosley and Grandma Lois (Henry) Schafer's birthdays. He was no-ed after his Great Grandpa Sherman Henry Corliss. One year later on the fourth ofJuly, Daniel Raymond Henry was born. He was named after his Grandpa Raymond Edward Kosley. Both boys have been a very special addition toour family. We do hope toadd to our family sometime and look forward to raising our family on the farm. by Cindy Henry HENRY, RALPH AND LOIS F293 1931 he moved with his parents to the Seeman farm 17 miles north of Vona. This is where Ralph grew up and attended the Searnan school. He graduated from the Kirk High School in 1947. Ralph worked in Denver for a short time with Gates Rubber Company. Ralph returned to his father's farm and started his farming career. He also bought a Minneapolis Moline corn sheller and did custom shelling for several years. On June 10, 1951 at Goodland, Kansas, Ralph married Lois Marie Corliss, the daughter of Sherman and Grace Messing Corliss. Lois was born August 9, 1935 at Burlington, Colorado at the home of her Aunt Luella Hitchcock. Lois grew up on her folks ranch northeast of Stratton, near the Republican river. She attended the South Tuttle School and two years at Kirk High School. Ralph was inducted into the Army November 15, 1951. Leaving Burlington, he was sent to Crmp Gordon, Georgia for his basic training, later taking special schooling for the signal corps. In June 1952, Ralph was sent to the Marshall Islands. He was stationed on the island Eniwetok, and while there he partici- patcd in Operation Ivy (testing of the Hydrogen bomb). Ralph returned to the states in January of 1953 and was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and was assigned to duty at the Pentagon at Washington, D.C. Ralph was honorably discharged November 15, 1953. Lois joined Ralph whenever she could while he was in the service. Clifford. our first son, was born November 4, 1953 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. After Ralph's discharge we returned to Kit Carson County, buyrng a farm 1? miles north and.2r/z west of Stratton. Here we raised our family of four children. Leroy was born January L2,l9ll,Melvin, March 1, 1956, and Martha, May 7, 1957. Our children attended Kirk School. In 1955 Kirk and Joes consolidated, the school was named Liberty and is located three miles east of Joes, Colorado on Highway 36. This is where the children all graduated from high school. In December of 1973 Ralph became ill. His illness was diagnosed as leukemia. Ralph passed away May 17,1977 in Denver at the age of 47 and is buried at the Kirk cemetery. I have continued to live on our home place with our sons. As time went on each son has married and lives nearby with their families, Clifford and Gay (Mitchell) Henry, Leroy and Cindy (Kosley) Henry, Melvin and Peggy (Becker) Henry, and Martha and Robert Maxey of Denver. by Lois Henry HERBURGER - SHORT FAMILY F294 Roy Herburger had been working in Haigler, Neb. when he purchased the Stratton Press. He bundled up his baby daughter, his one-and-a-half year old son, and his wife in On November 10, 1929, Ralph Orin Henry his Nash and arrived in Stratton in the beginning of 1932 to take possession of his Elizabeth Avirene Sea-an Henry, four miles west of Kirk, Colorado, Yuma County. In new enterpriee. His wife Gladys, had a feeling of dread when she surveyed Stratton's treeless, barren lands. The stormy day did not was born at home to Earl Eugene and help her depression. Roy, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Joseph Herburger, had been born March Brd, 1901 in red Cloud, Neb. He met his bride-to-be. Gladys Ahilda Short, daughter of Chester and Jennie Short of Prairie View, Kansas, in McCook, Neb. while he was working on the Camfli6*", Neb., CJorion. Gladys was a doctor's assistant. Roy and Gladys were married July bth, 1929 in Norton, Kan. They purchased the Haigler News before selling it and moving to Colorado. The only house available to rent in Stratton was a one bedroom house on the edge of town and it was in such a sad state that the family had to stay in the Collins Hotel a few days while it was being cleaned. Their baby LaRene, born Nov. 21, 1931, in Haigler was cranky, and their son, Roy Emmel, Jr., born Aug. 2, 1930 in Cambridge was sick, as they crammed the cribs into a large closet of the small house and began a stay that last€d for twenty seven years. In April, 1935, Gladys wrote in her diary, "I can't keep the house clean. I can't keep the children clean. I've never disliked land so much as I dislike this land. The dust is so thick that we must turn on the lights.', Farmers were forced to sell their farms because of lack of rain for their crops, or the farms were foreclosed and Roy printed hundreds of "Sale Bills" which listed farmers' belongings for sale, cheap. But things did improve and as they did, the family becnme valuable members in the town. Roy served three terms on the Stratton Town Board, was on the council almost every year that they were there for St. Paul Lutheran Church. He was on the WW II Selective Service Board, Head of the Scrap Iron Drive, was active in the promotion of "Stratton Days" and the accompanying parade, was a charter member of the Rotary Club, among other things. Gladys, who was co-owner of the Stratton Press and an active participant in the operation of the business wag also an active helper for the town. She was one of three women who were head of the planning and excavation for the city park. The other two women who oversaw the WPA project were Elora (Mrs. Ray) Calverly and June (Mrs. Jerry) Schofield. Gladys was one of the founding members of MSA Club and was twice their president; she was an active assistant with the 4-H clubs; was Sunday Superintendent and teacher for St. Paul Lutheran Church. During this time there were no school buses so she volunteered manv hours driving students from the Stratton Public Schools to sports events, to Drama meets and to Band events, often getting stuck in heavy snow drifts or finding herself driving after midnight with weary pep club members. The young family, during the "Dust Bowl Days" often went arrow-head hunting in the wind swept fields around Stratton. Roy had many frames of beautiful artifacts on the walls of his office and was known as being quite knowledgeable about the area's history. Their son, Roy Jr., was active in sports, drnma and band at Stratton and graduated from high school i 1948. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1953, served with the U.S. Airforce, and eventually ended up near Sacrarnento, Ca. He married July B, 1954, in Riverton, N.J. to Mary J. Hull. To this union were born two children: Elizabeth �Jo, born oct.17,1962, and David Roy, born June 6, 1965. In Nov., 1981, in Manila, Philippines, Roy manied Aurora Santiago. They have a baby girl, Leah, born Oct. 1982. Roy has been a successful newspaper man' owner, publisher of several newspapers in and near Sacramento. He'g been a civic leader, head of many organizations in communities where he owns newspapers such ag Elk Grove and Galt, as well as being the chairman of the Camelia Feetival in Sacremento. He currently livee in Sacremento. LaRene also graduated from Stratton High School where she was a member of the pep club, the drama club and was in the musical activities. She was the piano player for the Rotary Club and St. Paul Lutheran Church moved to eastern Colorado where we settled she graduated from Stratton High School. She graduated with her undergtaduate de- side. from the time she was in eighth grade until gree from the University of northern Colorado and with her graduate degree from the University of San Francisco. On Sept. 2L, L954, ehe maried Harold Dean Kauffman, They lived in Denver, Germany, Illinois, and finally settled on the Monterey Peninsula in Ca. where their son Eric was born on Feb. 21, 1962. Remaining in on a farm about eix to eight miles south of Bethune, Colorado. I (Luella) moved to Denver in May, 1938. I went to the Emily Griffith Opportunity School at night to brush up on typing, shorthand and bookkeeping. I have worked for various companies including an orntmental iron company. The owner bought in with a steel company in 1964, and took me along to work in that office. I retired in January, 1979. In 1970, I was able to go to Europe and the Holy Land on a three week trip with a church group from Kansas City, Mo. Thiswas a trip I'll never forget. Also, in August, 19?7, Violet and I took a trip to the Scandanavian countries as well as Amst€rdam and London. We visited five different families in four cities in Sweden, all related to us on my mother's My folks moved to Denver in 1941. My mother passed away on January 19, 1957 and my father passed away September 24, L97L, and both are buried at Crown Hill Cemetery is a t€acher in the Pacific Grove Public in Denver. Gordon married LaDene Mock. Their oldest son, Robert, was born in 1943, and Kris wag born in 1946. They lived in Denver after Gordon was discharged from the eervice. A few years later they moved to Greeley as it was more central for his work as a traveling St. Timothy Luthern Church in Monterey. don retired in May, 1985. Ca. after the death of her husband, LaRene Schools and is organist and mueic director for She is also an active member of organizations in her community and in the tcaching profession. While they were in Stratton, Roy and Gladys had a third child born to them. Sharon Leah was born April 23, 1949 in Goodland, Kan. She was in Girl Scouts, in the St. Paul Sunday school, and was also a musician. Sharon graduatcd from Loveland, Co. High and on Oct. 10, 1967, she married Gerald Thomas lrvin at a ceremony in ldaho Springs. Sharon graduated from the University of Neb. at Chadron. She and her husband are the parents of Lisa Ann, born Aug. 10, 1968. They are teachers and are presently living in Seward, Alaska. They are active in their church and school and community affairs. Gladys and Roy sold their newspaper in 1959 retiring to Loveland, Co. Roy died in Loveland on July 5, 1966. Gladys moved to Pacific Grove to be near her daughter in 1976 and presently resides there. by Gladys llerburger, LaRene Kauffman in Burlington, later being transferred to the phone company in Denver and in Portland, Oregon in the early 1950's. She married Edgar Storey in 1952. A son, Jnmes was born in 1953. In June, 1954, they moved to Denver. In 1955 another son was born, Jeffrey Earl. Jeff was killed in 1973 in a motorcycle accident when he was a senior. Jim is married and lives near Mesa, AZ. Violet graduated in 1934. She married Leo Kirkendall in 1936, and lived in Burlington where Leo worked in the courthouse and later for the T.W. Backlund Co. They had two daughters: LaDora and LaDene. Leo worked with Elnore in the heating business for a number of years, and Violet worked for the Denver Motor Vehicle Dept. until she retired in 1977. Leo died suddenly in 1977 of a heart attack. by Luella Ilernblom HERNDON FAMILY F296 saleeman. They have 4 grandchildren. Gor- Roland married Edna Sealock in April, 1942 in Goodland, Kansas. They have one son, David, born in Stratton in June, 1945. They lived in Burlington a number of years where Roland worked for the T.W. Backlund Co. Later he worked for hie brother-in-law, Wayne Clark. Roland and Edna now live in Stratton. Their son, David, went to Anderson College in Indiana. After graduation he worked for an accounting firm for one year before enlisting in the Air Force. He married Mary Lu Waggy in Denver in March, 1970. They have three children: Christy, Richard, and Ryan. Elmore married Irene Calvin on July 5, 1935. They had a double wedding with Clarence Iseman and Allie Jean Beck. They were married by Rev. R.E. Hooper at his home south and east of Stratton. They had a daughter, Karolyn Marie, in 1937. They moved to Denver that summer to look for work and to get away from the dust storms we were having. A son, Gary Kelvin, was born in 1939. ELnore worked at various jobs and learned the heating and air conditioning business. Later he formed his own heating company - L&H Sheet Metal Co. He had to retire early on account of his health and his George Washington Herndon and Emma Wood Herndon, parents of Walter Herndon. son, Gar5/, took over the business. They George Washington Herndon was born in Daviss County, Missouri, April 18, 1863. His wife was Emma Florence Wood, born in Boon mother, Edith E. Olson, married on February 20, 1907 in Stromsbwg, Nebraska. Seven children were born on their farm located 4 miles northeast of Stromsburg. The oldest one died when hewas five months old. Roland was born on July 20, 1909; John Elmore was born June 26, 1911; I (Luella) was born August 7, 1913; Violet was born January 28, 1915; Gordon was born September 30, 1917; Gladys was born January 8, 1920. We attend- moved to Arizona in 1978. Irene developed cancer in 1983. On Feb. 16, 1985, Elmore had a heart attack and passed away. On Feb. 27, Irene passed away. Both are buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery. After graduation in 1939, Gladys came to Denver to look for work. She married Lyle Hooper, also from Stratton in 1943. They had three children: Barbara, Ron and Don. Lyle worked for many years at the Gates Rubber Company in Denver before retiring. Clarice and Cleona graduated in 1940. In 1946, Clarice and Vearl Fager were married. They lived in Pratt, Kansas. They had three day School and Church. In April, L922, we daughters and one son. Clarice n9w has seven grandchildren and lives in rfrfrchita, Kansas. Cleona worked for the telephone company Elsie and Wdt Herndon taken in the 1930's. HERNBLOM, DAVID F296 My father, David A. Hernblom, and my ed a school a half mile north of us. We attended the First Baptist Church for Sun- County, Indiana, March 6, 1864. They lived �before buying our farm. [t was only two miles from where I was born. The years of 1955 and 1956 were bad drought yea$; we had to sell our stock and look for work. Our children were gone from home, Hazel maried Ernest Adolf and Roy had a job. We lived in Colorado Springs since Sept., 1956. Archie first worked at a tree nursery, then at School District #11, where he retired from in 1978. I worked at Pike's Peak Green House for gome time. The last four and a half years, I worked ae a cook in Wasson High School. In 1970, my sister Elsie passed away in Iowa, and in 1973, my mother passed away and in 1983 my brother Harold passed away. Were such sad times. Archie retired in 1978. Seems our happiness these past few years has been our 6 grandchildren and our 5 great grandchildren. We now live in a beautiful Mobile Park of 240's mobiles. We have activitieg to keep us busy and enjoy our good friends. by Clara Matthies Hicks The Herndon family, gtanding: LeRoy, Leola, and Dean. Seated: Elsie and Walter. in Daviss County Miesouri. Their children were: Harley Webster, born Sept. 8, 1890; Clarence Elmer, born Nov. 8, 1892; Lydia sworths. At this time, back in1906 and 1907, my father Fred Matthies was a bridge on September 8, 1929. They have three children: Leola Mae (Herndon) Bunch, foreman on the railroad. My oldest brother, Harold, was born in Norton; the other brotherg and sigt€rs were born out on the homeet€ad. There were 6 boys and us three girls. For several years even after taking the homestead my father still worked on the railroad. My mother and my grandfather put in the crops. After a few years my dad quit the railroad and got involved in his ranch work. He wan more of a stock'nan than down to earth farmer. In the 1924 and 25 winter, we children had the scarlet fever and had a quarantine put on our house, for the second time as there were geveral of us children to take it. The disease Edwin LeRoy and Darrell Dean. Walter and Elsie farmed in the Stratton and Bethune area until 1935 when they moved to Oregon. While there Walter worked in the lumber industry. They later moved to California left my brother, Okie, who was 4 years younger than myself, with Bright's disease. He was but a little over 5 years old when he passed away, afber eeveral months of being quite ill and a stay in the Children's Hospital where he was employed by General Motorg until 1942. At that time they moved to a farm eouth ofBethune. In 1948 they purchased a farm south of Stratton. They resided there until 1976 when they retired and moved into Stratton. Walter died in May 1987. Elsie lives in Stratton. As ofthis writing the only one of Walter's brothers and sister yet living is his sister, Lydia Herndon Tschanz, who is 93 yeare old. She liveg in Eldorado Springs, Missouri. in Denver. Myrtle, born Dec. 20, L894; William Woody, born March 10, 1897; Homer Lewis, born March 14, 1899; Ora Lester, born January 3, 1902; and Walter Lee, born April S, 1904. Wdter and possibly some of the other children were born in Dedrick, Miesouri. The family moved to Colorado in 1915 and lived in a sod house on a homeetead beeide the Smokey, south of Bethune. The children attended school at Firgt Central. Later George and E-ma lived in Stratton and then moved back to Missouri in 1945. Walter wag married to Elsie Mae Beeson by Eleanor Herndon IIICKS AND MATTHIES FAMILY Then in the winter of 1932, my brothers Paul age 23 and August age 2L both passed away within a week of each other of flu and pneumonia; Paul leaving a wife and small daughter. All the family were ill at this time. December of 1932, there was no Christmas at the Matthies house this year. My mother and youngest sister were the only ones who kept well. I feel the reason for keeping mother well was to care for the sick ones. Eighteen months later my dad passed away from a stroke; this was in June of 1934. Archie had been working as a hired hand for the folks for sometime. In Sept. of 1934, he and I were married and we made our home with mother for the first 7 years as she needed I am going to begin the history of us back to where my parents moved from Norton, help with the farming and ranching. We milked 60 to 70 cows and sold the cresm to keep bills paid. Our two children were born through this time. Hazel in 1935 and our son Roy in 1937. These were my very happiest days. My two children were my joy. Kansas to their homestead 20 miles south of Burlington. This homestead joined the homeetead of my grandparents; the Ell- In 1942, we moved to a rented farm, our two children, our stock and what we'd accumulated through these years. We lived here 1 year F2S7 HINES, DARWIN WILBER F298 Darwin Wilber Hines was born in Guthrie County near Guthrie Center, Iowa on January 3, 1877, first child ofJohn and Florence Hines. In the fall of 1878, John Newton Hines (Darwin's father) moved by covered wagon to near Long Island, Kansas. Darwin, a sister Estella and their Mother followed sometime later, after the father had established their new home. At the age of twenty-three, Darwin Wilber Hines was united in marriage to Ethel Arvilla Hicks on February 28, 1900 in Norton County, Kansas. To this union were born seven children - five boys and two girls. Darwin, (Dar, to all who knew him), his wife and their first child, Viola, departed Norton County on September 3, 1901 by covered wagon. Four days later they arrived at their new home, a rented farm, 772 miles southeast of Kanorado, Kansas. Although they were sad to leave their families and friends, they were looking forward to building a home on the virgin plains of Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado. The winter of 1902-1903 wae spent working at the Dyatt Brothers Ranch where their second child, Marion, was born. On March 23, 1903 they moved back to their farm and obtained the property through a tax titled purchase. An uncle and previous owner, Elmer Harrington, was paid one hundred dollars for his imagines equity. On this farm their third child, Clifford, was born. In the spring of 1904, Dar traded a cow, valued at twenty-five dollars, to Wallace McKinzie for a homestead relinquishment located in Kit Carson County, Colorado, four and one-half miles west of Kanorado, Kansas. Dar filed for the land, under the homestead act, on April 4, 1904. He built a two-room sod house and moved onto the homestead in August of 1905. Final homestead proof was obtained on February 20, 1911. Four children were born on the homestead, which complet ed their family. �passed away Januar5r 16, 1933 and was laid to rest beside his wife. Mr. Hines was a soft-spoken, self-made, righteous man. He treated all acquaintances with respect, never ggadgmning Snyone, speaking only oftheir good qualities, and not of their faults. by Velna Hines HITCHCOCK, GORDON A. AND Dar and Ethel Hines Homestead LUELLA (CORLTSS) F300 Our Dad, Gordon A. Hitchcock, born in Douglas County, near Lawrence, Kanoas, on April 28, 1890, and Mother, Luella YaIe Corliss, born on December 29, 1894, in a sod house, at Yale, Kit Carson County, Colorado, were married in Burlington, Colorado on July 25,L92L, by Rev. C.A. Yersin, in the home of H.G. Hoskin. Thie becnme my (Marie Hitchcock Hoskin) home when I married Henry Y. Hogkin, in 1951. Dad cnrne to Colorado in 1911 with his parents, A.E. and Rose Holloway Hitchcock, from Lawrence, KanBaE, and homesteaded south of Kirk, in Kit Carson County, Colo- Dar and Ethel Hines 1931 rado. Dad and hie father built the house, which still stands in the curve ofthe Stratton- By 1916, the Golden Belt Road (the only graded road in Kit Carson County at that Kirk road. They evidently believed the time), now marked "U.5.24", was being resurveyed, for grading with dirt, and would property line to extend farther west than it pass through the sod house on the homest€ad. Mother's father, A.N. Corliss, came to Kit Carson County in 1889 from Vermont, home- did. Being forced to move the buildings that were on the homest€ad because of the highway, Mr. Hines built a well improved farm about a mile southeast of the homestead. On steaded near Yale, Colorado, and manied Lillian Yale. Dad served in the Army Ambulance Corps in World War I in France and Belgium. On his return he took a homestead near Delhi, Las Animas County, Colorado. He and October 30, 1917 they moved to their farm. They lived on this farm nearly twenty-five years, before retiring to a modern home in Burlington, Colorado on September L, L942. Ethel Hines was well known for her unselfish assistance to friends and their neighbors. She often traveled by wagon, brggy, sled or auto to care for the sick, or to act as midwife with many deliveries, when a doctor could not be present. One trip, in particular, occurred at night during a blizzard, and required traveling 15 miles on a large, flat barn door, drug through the snow by a team ofhorses - to assist a young mother in the birth of her first child. Mr. and Mrs. Hines, being of hardy ancestry, following the pioneer life of their era - planning and toiling for the future, never faltering and facing hardships with a determination that never failed. by Velma Hines HINES, JOIIN NEWTON John and Florence Hinee 192? Emily Harrington on February 17, 1876. Mrs. Hines was born in Guthrie County, Iowa on October 16, 1869. To this union were born seven children - five girls and two boys. The two eldest children, Darwin and Estella were born in Guthrie County, Iowa. Late in the fall of 1878, Mr. Hines moved by covered wagon to a pre-emption in Phillips County, west of Long Island, Kansas. Mrs. Hines and the two children came west after the home was established. While residing there, John was employed as mail carrier the only time he engaged in an enterprise other than farming. Tbice a week he hauled mail, express, and passengers by springwagon from a post office west ofLong Island to Norton, and returned; the next trip being to Republican City, where he stayed overnight and returned the next day. Later, he moved to a homest€ad timber claim in Norton County, Kansas. At this residence, five children were born, completing their family. F299 John Newton Hines was born in Urichsville, Ohio on March 26, 1853. His parents and family moved to Lucas County, Iowa in 1861, residing there until 1867, at which time they moved to Guthrie County, Iowa. John Newton Hines married Florence On June 12, 1905, they arrived at the home they had purchased in Kit Carson County, Colorado - near Kanorado, Kansas. They lived on this farm until 1911, when they built a home in Kanorado, Kansas and retired. Mrs. Hines passed away at their Kanorado home on November 6, L929. She was laid to rest in the Kanorado Cemetery. Mr. Hines Mother lived in a tar paper shack on this land the first year and a half they were married. Following Delhi they went to live on her fathers ranch on the Republican River where they spent the next 11 years and where their four children were born; two daughters, Rose Mae and Marie, and two sons, Merton (Mert) and Albert (Bert). In the early days of the depression, when the bank in Burlington went broke (1931), Mother and Dad lost everything. Shortly after this Dad became ill and spent several months in hospitals. Mother was left to run the ranch, care for 3 children, and she wag expecting a fourth child. Because of his illness, we moved to Burlington, Colorado in 1933, where Dad plowed gardens and did odd jobs. We kept 2 horses, a milk cow, chickens and a pig or two. In 1936, Dad built a service station at the corner of 18th Street and Rose Avenue in Burlington, Colorado, which wag a family operated business. We all learned to pump gas and check oil! From 1941 to 1949 our home was connected to the station, and during World War II operated 24 hours to accommodate service men and truckers. In addition to the service station, Dad beceme the bulk agent in 1945 and continued in that capacity until 1953. Mother and Dad sold the gtation in 1949, and moved to a home at 153 17th Street where they lived the remainder of their lives. �In retirement Dad worked on and repaired bicycles for many children of the area. They were both active and interested in community affaire. Dad in American Legion and Masonic Lodge. Mother, American Legion Auxiliary, two Extension Homemakers Clubs, Hospital Auxiliary, Garden Club, Eastern Star, United Methodist Women and a Church Circle. Both were active and long r& * is ..wrr time members of the Burlington United Methodiet Church. Mother was one of the t* {' .*..ir. t* {$ *, * .@- -i .-rtJtr first Cub Scout Den Mothers in Burlington. She received the Kit Carson County Homemaker Award in 1967. Mother and Dad were charter members of the Polka Dots and Dashes, a square dance club that was active in Burlington for some twenty years. Dad played the fiddle for some ofthese dances and Rose Mae played the piano. Both of us, (Roee Mae and Marie), married local men and have always lived in Burlington. Rose Mae married Hubert Tyrrell who owns and manages Tyrrell Insurance. Marie married Henry Y. Hoskin who owns and manages the Kit Carson County Abstract Company. Our brother Mert lives in Salina, Kansas, and brother Bert in Ellsworth, Kansas. Dad died September 25, 1966, and Mother on August 19, 1980. r It, ir ."d. ,*. ;m- &ft 31 - | ffi* *"!.*,.. '{ * *l 6s ''$ t-I ). t t li::irlrrr,::;, ,-& SLA(I.F: R. Key: 1915, Flagler High School built in 1915, Burned down in 1951. 1917, Remodeled Lutheran Church. 1893, Public School in Flagler, Grades 1 thru 8, Farmers State Bank-was changed to First National in 1918. 1921, Improved farm buildings of Wm. Hohenstein who homesteaded 4 miles West and 4 Miles North of Flagler, in 1907. Our grandmother, Rose Holloway Hitchcock, made her home with Mother and Dad Zastrow, cnme to Colo. from Vernon Center, Minn., and each filed for a claim side by side, 4 miles west and 4 miles north of Flagler. At the very beginning, they dug a "Dugout" in a side of a small hill, and they lived in it for 3 months. They had just enough money to buy a teem of horses and a wagon. Many until her death in L944, at the age of 92. by Rose Mae llitchcock Tyrrell early settlers shared their farm equipment with each other. Dick Blanken was one who shared in many ways with William and HOHENSTEIN, WILLIAM 'ii i \' Herman. F301 In 1908, William married Minnie Blanken. They made their home in a one room house William (Wilhelm) Hohenst€in of German nationality was one of the many settlers in Kit Carson County, who filed for a claim under the Fed. Homestead Act. In 1907, at the age of 21, William and his cousin Herman On the left is the one room house. After 4 years, two rooms were moved from another farm and added with space in between. on his homestead. Thru hard work, other buildings were added, and finally, around 1917 to 1920. a new house and barn were built. William and Minnie parented four children: Hartwin, Erwin, Lorena, and Alma. William was an active member in the commu- nity and also a charter member of the Lutheran Church. All their children were baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran i,, i I.ii' Faith, and were educated and graduated from the Flagler High School. As years went by many changes occurred, and finally, his son, Erwin, operated the farm. William and Minnie retired in Denver, Colo. Erwin farmed the land until he sold it and moved away in 1960. Hartwin worked in the CC Qamp during the depression years and later spent most of his life in Denver. Alma taught in a rural school near Genoa, Co., later going to Denver to work for the government during World War II. Lorena'g first teaching job was at the Brownwood School, locatcd 10 miles north, and 4 miles east of Seibert. She taught in the Arriba Public School, and at Olathe, Co. During W.W. II, she worked at the Reception center at Ft. Logan, Co. On her 50th high school reunion, she donated a painting that she had painted of buildings, (that no longer exist) to the Flagler Historical Society. Front row: Harwin Hohengtein, Erwin Hohenstein. Back row: Alma Hohenet€in Thyssen, Lorena Hohenetein Davig, Minnie Blanken Hohenst€in, Willian Hohenstein. by Lorena Davis �good; however we did end up with 8 grand- HOLDEN FAMILY kids, 12 great grandkids and 5 great great grandkids and there were some girle among them and they were all beautiful children. F302 by Mrs. Anna Moore HOMM FAMILY Fairview School in 1928: Front row, Ieft to right: Warren Clemens, Irene Holden (me), Isaac Gustin. Second row: Gracie Moody, Eva Johnson, Clarence Holden. Third Row: Marjorie Clemens, Pauline Moody, Maxine Clemene, Oscar Gustin. Back row: Frances Holden. Mrs. Dora Wolverton, Beulah Guetin, Mildred Holden. My mother, Iva Van Syoc, cnme from Milo, Iowa to Colorado and homest€aded 16 miles north of Flagler in the year 1909. She married Charles Holden on March 12, 1911. He had a homestead in Lincoln County; they chose to live on her place, in a dugout or now they call them "outdoor cellar". As the family enlarged, they built a two room frn-e house. Just before I was born in L922, they built a cement house that was home for us 9 children altogether. Charles died in 1958 and Iva in 1959. They were still the owners of the homestead. We went through dirt storms and floods, hail outs and drouth, but we had love in our home. Our school dietrict # 14 had four schools in it Mount Pleasant, White Plaine, Dazzling Valley, and Fairview. We went to Fairview School, a one room school house with eight grades. I spent all my eight gtades there. Then we had a big graduation the last day of school with a picnic dinner and games. We had to walk three miles to school. Bad days my dad took us in the wagon. He was on the school board with Aaron Thompson and Charley Huntzinger. My dad, Charles Holden, served 12 years on the board. We had literaries or talent progrnms, pie suppers and Chrigtmas programs in the school for entertainment in the winter time. We all met at Mount Pleagant for Sunday School and Church. Everyone took baeket dinners and stayed all day in the summer time. The picture was taken in 1928 and includes Clemene, Holden, Gustin, Moody, and Johnson children. Our teacher that year was Mrg. Dora Wolverton. "Going to Town?" Shown in the picture, L. to R. are: Chris Dowell, Annie Glaister Hawthorne (wife of John Hawthrone,) Esther Glaigt€r Dowell (wife of Chris), Elizabeth Glaister Holliday (wife of John Holliday), and Annie Holliday (later Mre. Frank Moore). The youngeat on the cart floor is Verla Holliday (Mrs. Dan Sheratt). Taken at Seibert about 1905. er Holliday. I had just started to the 5th grade of school in Lafayette, Colorado, when my parents decided to go to the barren plains of Kit Carson County. It broke my heart to leave my friends and I never went back to school after that. Some of our relatives who had already settled in Seibert were my Uncle Walker Glaist€r, who was a school teacher, a lawyer, a county judge and hardware store owner. (A Walter Caywood had a shoe shop and a harness shop in the back of his hardware etore.) The Hawthorne's, the Jef- fries and the Guys were all realted by marriage to my family. My folks took a homestead claim about Yz mile south of Kipling Crossing, and there my dad built a 2 room frnme house to which he added 2 more rooms and we ended up with a 4 room shack. He ueed to get railroad tieg which he sawed for fuel for the little kitchen stove, our only source of heat, and once in a while, he would buy a ton of coal, but for the most part, we burned cow-chips which we would gather during the summer and fall until there would be a high pile on the side of the house, but by early spring, these would be gone. Dad smoked a corncob pipe and had a spittoon which I had to clean. This was the worst job I ever had. We had feather beds which are hard to make and we sank out of sight in them when we went to bed. Our only floor coverings were home-made rag rugs but it helped keep our feet warm in the winter time. It seems to me that all we did was work. When I was 17 or 18, I working in a regtaurant across from Aunt Kate's Hotel and one time, when I was working for Tom & Gladys Manion, ghe had her first baby and I helped fp. llnmle1g deliver it. This muat have been about 1910. We had a couple of cows which eupplied milk by Irene Barnum HOLLIDAY GLAISTER FAMILY F303 and we had chickens which mother would cook for Sunday dinner with home-made noodles made from flour and our own eggs. We had a garden in the summer time and I would have to carry water in a bucket from the horse tank to the garden to water the plants. As I remember, we had potatoes, squash, lettuce, and some oniong. Pancakes were generally made for breakfast. The winds Annie Holliday Moore was born on the 29th of July, 1891. This is her story of Kit Carson County as told to Jack Messinger on the 16th of January, 1986: I am 90-what? I think I an 93 but I wouldn't swear to it. My maiden name was Annie Margaret Holliday. My father's nryne was John (Jack) Holliday and my mother's nnme was Elizabeth Glaist- F804 were terrible, sometimes with dust and sometimes with snow, but just the winds were bad and they seemed to blow all the time. Afrb,er we left the homestead, I married Frank Moore and we had 3 boys: Bill, Fred and Jack and my husband, Frank, would ask why we couldn't have a gitl and I would say because you're no do-n good-you're just no damn Howard and Burdine Richards Homm. Iloward Homm I was born March 18, 1921 to John and Zuella (Knapp) Homm at the farm that my folks bought on S.3-T.6-R.44 about 2 miles northwest of the Spring Valley Ranch. I staded to school at 5 years old at the north school in District #3. I and my family lived there until I was 8 years old. This was cattle country and I learned things about cattle even at my young age. One of my first lessons in the cattle industry was one ofthe funniest that has even happened to me even though I didn't think it was very funny at the time. I was about 5 or 6 years old when my Uncle John (Hans) Knapp one day gave me a young billy goat for a pet. I taught him to lead and generally played with him and had a lot of fun with him. The goat loved staying with the cattle and when the cattle would come in for water I would catch the goat and tie him up to play with him, but if he ever got loose then he would go back out with the cattle. Our cattle were used to him and would pay no attention to him. Now the Rhineholt Brothers were leasing the Spring Valley Ranch, and running a lot of cattle there at the time. Slats Senti was the foreman of the Rhineholts and lived on the Spring Valley Ranch. This particular day Slats and some of his cowboys were moving a big herd of cows by our place. I had my goat tied to the leg of the windmill. Just as the cows start€d to come up the hill east of our house a terrible thing happened. My goat got loose and went down the road to meet that herd of cattle. I ran and tired to catch him. I don't think these cows had ever seen a goat before becawe when they saw hin back they went and nothing the riders could do would stop them. They really made a cloud of dust and when it cleared so you could see there in the road were three cowboys and Slats in his old model T car. Now if you knew �Slats Senti you knew a man that would stutter and a man who could cugs. He caught the goat for me. He was really mad; he said "SSSSSon of a GGGoathome and youtie him up and keep him tied up." I promised him that I would never let my goat loose again. It must have been an hour or more before they got the cows gathered up and moved on past our house. It was a real catastrophe for me that day but today I have to smile when I think about it. At the age of about 13 years I joined the 4H at Happy Hollow Club. Reuben Anderson was my first club leader. I selected a steer from my Grandad's herd. I fed steers for three years. In 1936 I caught a calfin the "catch-it- calf'contest at the National West€rn. In the three years I saved and put together enough money to buy two registered herefords. In 1940 I made an agreement with E.D. "Doc" Mustoe, Manager of Foster Farms of Redord, Kansas to run gome registered cows on ghares. We had barely gotten started acquiring cows when we dissolved because of the possibility of me being drafted into the Armed Forceg. I bought Mustoe's shares to add to my herd. I now had 15 or 20 head of cows. On February 3, 1945 I married Burdine Richards, daughter of John and Mayme (Anderson) Richards. The first five years aftpr we were married we lived on the old home place (where I was born). In 1949 we built a house on the ranch down on the river and moved there in early 1950. It was then that we joined my Father, John and Brother, Jim in the operation of John Homm & Sons. We specialized in the production of registered Herefords. I was in charge of registered cattle, records, selection, and fitting. I exhibited carload buls in the yards at National Western from L944tn 1984. I helped organize the Kit Carson County Hereford Breeders The Homm Fa-ily, standing, Larry, ZuAnn, Richard and John. SeatBd, Howard and Burdine. the way to a very successful judging career. Three of our children took music lessons and make an attcmpt to play music. ZuAnn played the piano, John played the accordian and Dick played the guitar, and for a while had a Country Western band called "The Outlaws". At present our oldest son Larry lives on the ranch. He attended Colorado State University and graduated with a degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He then manied Dorthea Ruple of Kremmling and they have two children, a daughter, LaDee, and a son, Wade. Association and served that organization as Our second son, John, also lives on the ranch. John attended Chocise College in number of years. We also have staged many production sales of our own. One of my most prized possessions is a plaque I was presented in 1941 by the Kit Carson County Farm Douglas, Arizona and University of Texas at El Paso on a baseball scholarship, Colorado State University and graduated from University of Southern Colorado with a degree in President and also Sale Manager for a Bureau naming me the outstanding 4-H member of the year. Another honor ofwhich I am equally proud is a silver platter presented to the Homm Family in 1983 by the Colorado Hereford Aseociation nnming us the outstanding registered breeders of the year. It was presented at the Annual Banquet during Stock Show to my wife, Burdine, and I and our children and grandchildren present. We have four children and ten grandchildren. by Howard Homm IIOMM FAMILY F305 IIOWARD IIOMM Our children and grandchildren have all been active in 4-H work. They mostly have projects in Market Beef, Breeding Beef, Swine, and Horses. Starting in 1960 and continuing for about 15 years Homm Ranches Inc. sponsored a 4-H and FFA beef judging contest during Christmas Vacation in December. We are proud that the contest and workshops etarted many 4-H beginners on Accounting. John married Gail Silcott of Castle Rock and tbey have three children, girls, Erin and Jacie and one son, Bret. Third son, Dick lives on the ranch also. He attended college at Northeastern Jr. College in Sterling and Lo-ar Community College, La-ar. He joined the Army and spent a year in Viet Nam with the 101st Airborne Division. He maried Marilyn Armagost of Yuma, and they have three children, daughter, Kristi, and sons, Cy and Bob. Our daughter, ZuAnn, attended Northeastern Jr. College in Sterling, Colorado State University and graduated with a degree in Psychology from Southern Colorado State University. She marriedRon Hogan of Lamar and has a son, Glen and a daughter, ZuElla. They presently live in Yuma, Colorado. Through the years we have been active in a number of Civic Organizations. In addition to the Hereford Associations I have been on the School Board, served for 20 years on the board of the EquityCo-op Exchange, andwas a 4-H Leader when my children still had projects. My current interests include help- ing on the ranch as usual and square dancing which I find very enjoyable. by Howard llomm HOMM FAMILY F306 Iloward llomm I was born August 25, L926 on this ranch where we presently live. Part of this ranch was homesteaded by my grandfather Wm. A. Richards. I have lived on the same ranch my entire life. I walked to school at No. 4&I which was only a short way from our house. The 9th grade was also taught there, but I graduated from the Burlington High School in 1944. I then taught school at the home school, #4&I, for one year. As long as I can remember Grandpa Richards lived with us until he moved to Burlington in 1945. My Grandma Richards passed away shortly after their youngest child was born in 1900. I still remember the big gardens that Grandpa planted and how hard he worked at it, as we kidg had to help him plant, hoe and etc. He rode a little black ponyto church whichwas about 7 miles away. He passed away in 1947. I can remember a number of tragedies: there was the blizzard of 1931 where a number of school children froze to death on a schoolbus at Towner, Colorado. Then there was a great drought of 1933-34-35. The dust storms followed and were caused by the drought. I remember in some of these dust storms it would get so dark in the house that my mother would soak sheeta and blankets in water and hang them at the windows to keep some of the dust out, and taking the blankets down they were pure mud, while outside you couldn't at times see more than 8 or 10 feet. The dirt and dust drifted everywhere just like snow in a blizzard. It covered roads, fence lines, and put big drifts around houges and barns. There were many people who moved away at this time. In the spring after those t€rrible dust storms we had cattle that just layed down and died. By cutting them open it was found their lungs were filled with mud. Also we were invaded by millions of jack rabbits during these drought years, there were rabbit huts where �the people drove the rabbits into pens where they would kill them. From these hunts there would be truck loads of dead rabbits hauled off, some were even sold. There was the 1935 flood which sure had a deep impression on my mind as I could never build or live on the river bottom since. There was a lot of rain one night and my mom got up and locked our porch door as the wind and rain was so strong it would blow it open. When we got up the next morning the flood was on, water was ever5rwhere the glow water was around our chicken house and barns. We could see animals and barn roofs etc.going down the river which wag very fast. Out in the center the waves jumped, 20 ft. high. You could see big trees fall in the water and would not see them again for about % of a mile down the river. My Dad lost a number of cows and a few horses in the flood. Dad found some of them dead as far away as Benkelnan, Nebraska. There were some reports that we had around 24 inches of rain. Many people in Burlington did not know it rained that muchanywhere. This flood ruined all the nice level hay land in the valley, the irrigation ditches and any thing else that happened to be in its way. It turned it all into one big sand creek. The next year the river bottom came up with lots of trees which are very pretty today. There were not that many trees before the flood in 1935. I have been very active in different organizations. I was the first president of the Kit Carson County Cowbelles, an office I held for a number of years. During the time I was president we put together the Kit Carson County Cattleman's History. This book was started by Roy Bader, he put alot of hard work into this and it was after his death Avis Bader, Harley Rhoades, and myself had the book completed and published. I was a director of the Colorado Hereford Auxilary and also was the president for 2 terms. We in the Hereford Auxilary are in the procese of compiling a book on the History of Herefords in Colorado. Howard and I have 10 grandchildren, 5 boys and 5 girls. We enjoy them very much as we all go camping and swimming in the dnms in the summer. They like to come to our house and help me paint, sew, or what ever I have to do. Howard suffered a heart attack in April of 1985; since then he has turned more of the active management of the ranch over to the boys. We still live here on the ranch and we do what we can to help out. by Burdine llomm HOMM FAMILY F307 The Homm family came from Ostfriesland, Germany. Herman, the oldest child, cnme first. He worked very hard, saved his money and sent for the rest of the family, which was George, the father; Altamina, the mother; and John, George, Anna and Henry. They came in a German sailing ship and took 3 weeks because the weather was so bad. This was in December of 1869. A friend persuaded George to take along his son, John Bruns, because his stepmother made life so miserable for him. When they arrived in New York (Ellis Island), John Bruns eyas so lousy they wouldn't release him until he was deloused. Altamina didn't want to stay and wait for him so they went on to lllinois. When John got deloused they put a tag on him and sent him to Illinois. While he was walking to the Homms and he heard horses coming, he'd think they were Indians and jump into the brush and hide. Father George died in Illinois. He was hauling wheat to town in a wagon with one of the boys when he had a heart attack. The mother, Altamina, went to Grinnell, Kansas, with several of her children. She took a homestead, as well as George and Henry. She died in 1893, before proving up on the homestead. George's girls, Alma and Minnie, can remember that they went to their grandmother's a lot of times and she always fed them prunes. The son, George, married Anna Duelm in Illinois before moving to Kansas. They lived in a part dugout with the front laid up with magnesia rock. There was a spring close to the house where they kept their milk and butter. In 1889, George went to St. Francis, Kansas, to cut corn, then brought his family there in a wagon with a team of mules, one black and one white. Then he went back to Grinnell for his cattle. On the way back to St. Francis he drank from a pond and contracted typhoid fever. He died after 5 days. He is buried at St. Francis. Since typhoid fever is contagious, Anna took care of him in St. Francis and got a neighbor girl to stay with their little girls. The girls remember that the neighbor told ghost stories and had them scared. Another neighbor, Mrs. Shanklin, cnme to help get the girls ready for the funeral. George's brother, Herman, came from Kit Carson, Colorado, to help with the cattle and other things. Herman had lost his wife, Emma, in 1888, and his 2 daughters, Minnie and Mary, were living with their Lengel grandparents at Grinnell. Herman took the mules back to Kit Carson with him and sold the cattle to John Lengel in Colorado. Anna went back to her parents in Illinois and son George was born there. In 1892, Herman went back to llinois and married Anna. They, along with her children, Lena, Kate, Alma, Minnie, Mary and George came to Colorado and lived on a rented place on the Republican River just above where Bonny Dnm is now located. They had 2 more children, John and Tillie. In 1896, Herman got a carbuncle under his arm and soon died. He is buried in the Lutheran Cemetery on the Kit Carson-Yuma County line. That left Anna a widow again and now she had 6 girls and 2 boys to raise. She had some cattle on the rented place which had irrigation so they could always raise something. Later she bought the home ranch and homesteaded 160 acres nearby. The girls had to help with the cattle, irrigating and other work until George and then John got big enough to work. Part of the time she sent her cattle down to pasture on the Smoky, southwest of Burlington with hired men, Charlie Stump, Glass Davis and Jake Lengel. Anna lived alone for several years after her children were grown and later spent some time with some of her children as she got older. She died in 1941 and is buried at the St. John's Cemetery south of ldalia. Lena married Carl Zick, Kate married Charlie Stump, Alma married Jake Lengel, Minnie married Glass Davis, Mary married John Brenner, George married Clara Fleer, John married Zuella Knapp and Tillie married Roy Russmann. Kate and Charlie Stump took their fanily to Oregon in 1936. The others lived around the BurlingtonIdalia area. Only George's wife, Clara, is still living. Of the 8 Homm children, 5 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaries. There were 39 grandchildren. George built a sod house and brought his bride there in 1912. Gilbert was born there in 1913, Velma in 1915 and Clifford in 191?. They moved to the Herman Zick place in Kit Carson county and Hazel was born there in 1921. Later George bought his mother's home place and they lived there while the children were going to school and growing up. The children attended the Newton school. In 1963, George, Clara and Gilbert moved to Burlington and George died there in 1969. Hazel married Ernest Langendoerfer in 1941, Velma married Hugh Gerber in 1943 and Clifford married Carolyn Chase in 19b1. There are 5 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. George was always interested in the better- ment of the community. He encouraged literary at the school, organized several ball teams in the area and donated land for the teams 1P 01"t. Clara's greatest joy is to have her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren around her. George and Clara spent many hours entertaining the grandchildren by telling them stories and taking them fishing. by Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Homm HOMM FAMILY F308 A herd of horses that belonged to Herman Zickmn on the range. Nothing had been done with them for so long that they had nearly turned into a herd of wild horses. I remember Grandad bought those horses and brought them home and sorted them out. There were about 8 or 10 head of pretty nice young horses. Grandad hired a man named Joe Queen who lived up by Cope to take and break them. There were four or five that broke out real gentle. One of them was a beautiful gray mare that Grandad gave to me. I rode this mare home and nemsd her Grace. I rode Grace for a couple of months, one day my dad needed a saddle horse and he didn't have a bridle or saddle. He put a blinded bridle on her, (one from a work harness) and got on her bare back. All of this change spooked her and she threw him off. After this Dad wouldn't let me ride her anymore. He said that she couldn't be trusted and she might hurt me. He finally sold her to a horse buyer that cnme through from Arkansas. I remember many times of helping Grandad salting the cattle. He would come by in his old Dodge coupe and take me along to open gates. Grandad leased the old Zick and Jansen places as his summer range. In the early 1930's Grandad sold the north part of the ranch, on the Republican, to Foster Farms, one of the most prominent Hereford breeding establishments in the nation at the time. They bought the ranch and had plans to establish a registered polled hereford herd there. The flood on Memorial Day 1935 changed all their thoughts and I'm sure they �were more than glad to sell it to the Government where they built Bonny Dam. My uncle Don Knapp had kept the part of the Godsman ranch on the Launchman. The U.S. Government took this land too when acquir- ing land for Bonny Dam. Don moved on a Iittle farther south and bought the old Homm Ranch from my uncle George Homm. Don's wife, Violet lives there yet today. I also can remember my Mother's Grandad John Knapp. He was very old when he used to come and visit my Mother and Dad. I remember that when he came he would always ask mother to play the piano for him. He was a Civil War Veteran and his favorite song was "Marching Through Georgia". by Howard Homm HOMM FAMILY F309 When I was a little boy my Grandad had a favorite trick he used to play on me. First he would ask me what I had in my pockets, I knew I didn't have anything, he would have to look and everytime he would find a nickel. I always ended up with the nickel. It took me quite awhile to figure this trick out. I remember a story my mother used to tell about when Grandad was the Sheriff. During the summer mother and her sisters and brothers stayed out at the ranch and helped out there. On this certain Saturday evening the kids were making plans to go somewhere to a dance. They had the good driving team and they were primed for a great time. Along about dark Grandad sent word out that he had an unexpected sheriffs call to make and he wanted Clyde to bring the driving team and buggy to him. Of course the kids were all mad so Clyde hitched the team to the buggy and got up in the driver's seat and rapped the horses a good one with the end of the lines. The horses reared up and came down and broke the tongue out of the buggy. Sometime about the last day of World War I Grandad disposed of most of his ranching operations and went to drill for oil in Wyoming. It proved to not be a very profitable move. Not that he didn't find oil but because the refinaries were all owned by the major oil companies and they would not buy his crude. In the early 1920's he came home and started over. Grandad first acquired the Dr. Godsman Ranch on the Launchman. I remember my folks taking me to the Godsman farm sale. I remember my uncle Johnny Knapp, (Hans) and how he carried me around and the big crowd of people that were at the sale. Later Grandad lived back and forth between the Godsman Ranch and his house in town. At this point Grandad had a pretty big operation, lots of cattle and horses not to mention several hired men. I'll never forget the old bunkhouse. I spent many an hour there playing records on the old Victorola they had there. I also remember that down in the feedlot where Grandad fed steers and hogs there was a spring that ran, Grandad had a dam put across this gulley and made a nice pond. Everyone referred to it as the "Hog Pen". It was a real good fish pond. I Jim Knapp, father of Zuella Knapp Homm. I Remember Grandad The things that I remember my Grandad for are probably different from other people. The Grandad I'm talking about is J.H. "Jim"; spent many happy hours there as a boy. Grandad at one time bought the entire registered Hereford herd owned by Julius Stutheit. He ran them as commercial cattle. My first steer I fed when I started in 4-H came from his herd. by lloward Homm Knapp. My Grandad Homm died in 1879 when my Dad was only 2 years old. So the only Grandad I ever knew was my Grandad Knapp. My first memories of him were when he lived in Burlington during which time I was only 2 or 3 years old. He lived in the house now owned by Lucy Russman across the street southwest of the Post Office. He also owned the lots south of the house now occupied by Dave's Body Shop and the library. He had a big corral and barn and always had a lot of horses there. Many times his well drill would be parked there too. I also remember a friend of my Grandad's. His name was Grant Mann. He was a short heavyset man with a big handlebars mus- tache. He must have owned a lot of horses and mules for everytime I saw him he would ask me if I came to ride his "Hee-Haw" todav. John and Zuella Homm, parents of Howard Homm. open range; it was open at that time from his place to the Bar T. Dad leased a water gap from the Bar T on the lower end of the Bar T close to Lee Yount's irrigation dam. The cattle could get water there when they were on the north end of the range. In 1923 we raised a real good crop of corn, he put his steers in the feedlot, fed them out, and had a very successful financial experience, while making a good profit. However, from then until 1929 his corn was hailed out 5 times. He ended up returning to the river to put up hay on shares with his father-in-law (Jim Knapp) to keep his cattle through the winter. In 1929 after being hailed for the 5th year they decided to give up and move back to the river where hay was a little more dependable than farming crops. And so they bought and moved to the Herman Zick Ranch which is on Highway 385 at the Kit Carson - Yuma County line. Here they raised commercial cattle as their main occupation. In 1936 they built a filling station and general store, called The County Line Store. They operated it until 1939. In 1939 John traded his ranch and store for the ranch which is the headquarters for the present day Homm Ranches Inc. Only 31,'z years earlier this ranch had been hit by the worst flood that the Republican River has ever known. All fences had to be replaced, hay meadows had to be cleaned up and irrigation ditches had to be rebuilt. This took much HOMM - KNAPP FAMILY F310 John Homm married Zuella Knapp, daughter of J.H. Knapp and Celia (Barkley) Knapp. They had two sons, Howard born March 18, 1921 and James Herman born, August 20, 1926. They first started farming and ranching on the farm they bought on S.3T.6-R44 northwest of the Spring Valley Ranch. They were here from about 1919 to 1929. They farmed 300 acres to wheat and corn. Horses were used to plant corn and the wheat was then planted in the cornstalks in the fall of the vear. Dad also ran steers on the hard work. In 1932 John had bought the first registered Herefords, 15 head of late heifer calves that were bred by Rosser Davis and Sons. This was the start of an operation that has run through three generations. For 20 years the purebred Hereford operation was known as John Homm and Sons consisting of John and sons, Howard and James. In 1959 the partnership was dissolved. John and Zuella retired. Howard kept the home ranch and purebred cattle and James took the commercials and the place on S.3-T.6-R.44. Zuella passed away in 1968, and John died in 1975. James married Lois Thomas in 1953; they lived on the place on S.3-T.6-R.44 for a number ofyears when they sold the farm and moved to Burlington. They have 2 daughters and a son. Their daughter, Dorothy, married �Richard lbbetson and lives at Yates Center, Kansas, she has two boys and a girl. Daughter, Barbara married Torrence Button and lives in Denver. Ron, their son, is unmarried and also lives in Denver. Jim died in 1973 in a truck accident. His wife, Lois, still lives in Burlington. by Howard Homm IIOMM, ANNA F31r I was born in Warsaw, Ill., on September 29, 1856, and spent my girlhood days there with my parents, then came to Kansas and lived there for nine years. I came to Colorado on July 19, 1892, coming by train to Burlington, and hiring a wagon and team, went to a rented farm then owned by Sam Shepherd of Denver. We built our sod house, plastering the walls with native lime and covering the roof with tar paper and sod and putting in a wooden floor. We made our furniture from packing boxes and a little lumber; we made a table, bedstead, bench, or two. Then we bought some chairs, two other bedsteads and a stove. Our supplies were brought from St. Francis, Kansas, from Wray, from Burlington and some were shipped from Kansas City. I had six daughters before my sons were born, so the girls had to help my husband in the fields, with the cattle and with the irrigation. Mail was brought every other day to Newton, Colorado, a post office about a mile and a half from us. A Miss Linnie Jones was the mail carrier. We kept a herd of two hundred fifty cattle and it was a necessity for the girls to help care for them. One very severe winter when the cattle had to be fed all winter and then in the spring .we lost forty-five head by a disease known as blackleg but that goes with the life of a pioneer farmer. My husband did not live long after we settled here and then I had to raise my family alone, but we managed to keep going and when land was not selling at boom prices, I bought 305 acres right down on the river bottom for which I paid $1050.00. Later, I sold this same piece of land for $10,000.00. My children went to school at Newton, Colorado. Miss Annie Attis was the first to our house to ask for some cough syrup for one of his children. We noted then, that he had a revolver with him. He went out, presumably to go home, but met two neighbor men coming into our yard. One of those men accused him of stealing a pig. There were some words, then we heard a shot and discovered that Munsinger was lying in the yard dead, by the cellar door. None of us saw the shooting or heard the quarrel, but the man claimed that he shot in self defense as Munsinger tried to get his gun first. The body lay there all night; there was no coroner near and the two neighbor men left at once to go and surrender and send the coroner out. Note: As this was across the county line in Arapahoe, now Yuma county, accounts for the delay in getting a coroner or deputy, as Denver was the County seat. The two men involved were August Meyers and Bill Harachek. They were tried and acquitted. The Munsinger family moved to Denver after this tragedy in their lives. The mother died within a few years and the children, it was reported, were put into foster homes. One of the children was named Ralph. Named for Ralph Talbot, the attorney at Denver, who defended Munsinger for the slaying of the Bar T. foreman. Mr. Allen. by Della Hendrickes HOMM, CLIFFORD F3l2 Clifford John Homm was born in a sod house in southern Yuma County, December 7, LgL7. His father, George, had built the house in 1912 just before he married Clara Fleer, daughter of Louis and Caroline Rohlfing Fleer of the Idalia community. They also had a sod barn. chicken house and nice cemented cellar. The farmstead looked very nice with a big garden and alfalfa growing all around the house, but it was away from the road and Clara got lonesome with George working away from home all day. "Doc" Godsman's wife saw how nice the place looked so she persuaded her husband to buy it for her. She was a school teacher in Chicago so she never did live there. The Homm's moved to Herman Zick's place along the Launchman Creek then, It was a new cement brick house. Herman had painted the living room red. He said all the parlors he ever saw were painted red. He also planted rows of cottonwood trees all around The furniture was moved into one room and everyone danced. The very small children were put to sleep on beds or any available place. Each family brought something for a midnight snack. Sometimes the dance would last until dawn. Another pastime was card parties. They especially enjoyed Auction Bridge. A few times they and their company were still playing when breakfast was ready. One visitor got disgusted with his playing or luck and took the lid off the kitchen range and dropped the cards into the fire. That stopped the party. Most evenings just the family would gather around the kitchen table and play games by the light of the kerosene lamp. In 1931, George, Gilbert and Clifford bought their first registered Hereford cattle from Rosser Davis who lived just up the river. This proved to be a profitable and very enjoyable venture. Hereford breeders are noted for their hospitality and the Homm's took many trips to see other herds. The Fulschers of Holyoke and Wyoming Hereford Ranch of Cheyenne were the favorite places to see good cattle. The Homms liked to show their cattle to visitors, too. They have now sold their cow herd and retired. In 1939, Clifford bought Herman Zick's place where he had lived a few of his early years. He and his family, except Gilbert, moved there. Gilbert bought the home place and he stayed there. The men always worked together, however. The girls, Velma and Hazel, ran the grocery store and gas station on Clifford's place that John and Zuella Homm had started. As soon as Clifford bought his ranch he started making improvements. All the outbuildings were eventually removed and new ones built and corrals were improved. More trees were planted nearly every year. The house was enlarged and remodeled. Y.W. Electric came with an electric line in 1950 and an irrigation well was put down. Electric appliances were put in the house and other buildings. In 1951 Clifford married Carolyn Chase from Beecher Island. George Howard was born in 1952 and Helen Elaine in 1953. Now the family is complete. George and Helen went all 12 years to Burlington schools. George got a B.A. from Boulder and law degree from Denver University. He practices law in Burlington. Helen got a B.A. and M.A. degree from University of Northern Colorado. She was a librarian at Burlington then Stratton. Now she is the librarian in the Holvoke school teacher and Sam Nelson was the second. The children walked and when it got real cold they wrapped their feet in gunny sacks to keep them warm. In the early days we did not buy anything that was not really needed. I bought calico and made the girls dresses and when a bit of the farmstead. After only a few years, Clifford and the rest of the family moved to another house. By 1926, George had bought his lace was added, that became their best or Sunday dress. They were just as contented as could be. I made my yeast cakes, my soap, and by for Grandma Homm to live. The Homm children walked to Newton school. As long as Clifford can remember, they HOMM, IIERMAN saved in every way that was possible, but we always had enough to eat and although we worked hard, we had good times also, for we had a number of good neighbors around us. received the daily paper. Sometimes when he and his father walked to the mail box, they'd stop along the way to read the sports page so they could see how the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals were doing. Clifford was and 1850. He was 14 years old when he cnme with We were acquainted with the man Munsinger, whom we always classed as a desperado and who kept the neighborhood in fear by his actions. He killed a man, a Mr. Allen, shot at others and caused the home of a neighbor to be burned and was finally shot by one of his neighbors in our back yard. He always carried a pistol and this night he had come system. by Mr. & Mrs. Clifford Homm mother, Anna's, home place and the family moved there and built a smaller house close is a loyal Cubs fan. George rooted for the Cardinals. Literary evenings were an enjoyable community pastime. Nearly everyone participated in the plays, programs and debates. As the children grew, the whole family went to house dances in the neighborhood. F3r3 Herman Homm was born in Germany in an Uncle to the U.S. A short while later the rest of the family came to this country. Herman's family consisted of three brothers, one sister, and his parents. They settled in Illinois across the Mississippi River a short way from St. Louis. Later the Homm family moved to western Kansas to a place south of Grinnell. Herman's brother John and sister Anna stayed in Illinois. �At Grinnell one of their neighbors was the Lengel family. Here Herman met and married Emma Lengel. Two girls were born of this union. Later Herman took his family with his brothers-in-law, Jake and John, and followed the railroad on west to Kit Carson, Colorado. Here the open range offered many opportunities to one interested in the cattle industry. Here at Kit Carson they ran cattle for a number of years. According to stories Iater told by Uncle Jake they grazed their cattle at such places as: Big Springs, Little Springs, Rush Creek, Sheridan Lake, Sand Creek, and the Smokey. This country was all open range at that time and the cattle were moved around and grazed in any area where there was water. At the museum in Old Town at Burlington there is an old sword that one of Herman's men found near the site of the Sand Creek Massacre near Chivington when they were moving cattle through there. No one knows whether the old sword belonged to an Indian, an Army Officer, or a Soldier or who? Even though the Kit Carson area was a good grass country they found that it didn't offer much for protection of feed during the winter. There were some winters that they moved the cattle to the Republican River north of Burlington and on down the river as far as St. Francis. Here they leased corn stalk fields from homesteaders to feed on when snow covered the grass. Later Emma died and Herman took her back to Kansas for burial and left the two little girls with the Lengel Grandparents. These girls, Minnie and Mary, both died in their teens. Later he left Kit Carson and went back to Illinois. It was in Illinois that he married Anna Homm. Anna was his brother George's widow. George had died of Typhoid Fever. So Herman and Anna and her family of six children came back to Colorado. This time they settled about 20 miles north of Burlington, Colorado where the Republican River and the Launchman Creek meet. This land today is owned by or covered by the waters of Bonny Reservoir Here they leased a ranch, stacked the hay in the fall and grazed their cattle on open range. Much open range was still available on the Smokey south of Burlington and Stratton. For many years they trailed their cattle south to the Smokey. It was a hard drive to take the cows south in the Spring, but it was an easy job in the fall, the cows would nearly come home by themselves. Dad told about a year when they were coming home, they reached a spot somewhere east of Stratton where some homesteaders had the road fenced on both sides for about a mile. They thought this an ideal place to bed down for the night. They ran the cattle in the long lone, they parked their chuckwagon in the north end of the lane, staked out their horses and layed down in their bed rolls in the north end ofthe lane. It had been a long day and they were very tired. Long about midnight someone woke up to hear the last cow slip by. The cows had crept by them one by one during the night and were headed on home. So everybody got up, packed their things, mounted their horses and followed the herd on home. They made it on home the next night and were a very tired bunch of cowboys. Uncle Jake told about a time they were moving the cows south one spring. There on the prairie they came upon a herd of wild horses. The horses ran on ahead and soon out ofsight. A little farther on they were surprised to see a little baby colt following the chuck wagon. They caught the little fellow and put him in the wagon, and took him home and raised him on a bucket. Dad said he never did get very big, he was quite a pet and was kind of ornery. Uncle Jake told many tales of wild horses. It seems these horses were a constant threat to all of the other horses in the area. If horses were turned out in the pasture wild stallions would many times come in at night and drive off the mares. Many a homesteader thought horse thieves were responsible only to find them with the wild horses. One of the worst things the early day cattlemen had to contend with was the gray wolf of which there were many of in this country. There are people today wl,o are worried that the gray wolf will become an endangered species, I just don't understand. Uncle Jake always told about the time when he rode up on a pair of old gray wolves who had just cut down a four year old bull. The wolves would cut the ham string in the rear flank and then the animal would go down and could not stand up. In this case the wolves had eaten part ofthe rear quarter and the bull was still alive. Jake said he killed the bull and tried to get the wolves. It is easy to understand why early day cowboys killed every wolf they could. Herman died in 1897 and is buried in the old Evangelical Luthern Salem Church cemetary north of the Spring Valley Ranch at the county line. After Herman died Anna stayed and operated the ranch with the help ofhired men and the help of her family who were all quite young. She held on until her boys were big enough to take over. Few people realize the hardships that were endured by this strong willed pioneer woman. She died in 1942 and is buried in the St. John Church Cemetery south of ldalia. Anna's children were: Caroline, Lina as she was better known, married Catl Zick, lived in Burlington. Kathrine, known as Kate, married Charlie Stump, lived by Kirk, and later in Oregon. Minnie who married Glass Davis lived by Kirk, and later in Burlington. Alma who married Jake Lengel and lived a mile or so southeast of the home place. Mary married John Brenner and lived south of Idalia. Son, George Jr. who lived on the home place and married Clara Fleer. In addition to Anna's family Herman and Anna had two children of their own. Matilda, or Tillie married Roy Russman. Son, John born in 1895 married Dee, LaDee, Wade and Larry Homm. Shirlene Walters; Ray, Roger and Catherine Richards, Wilma Schaal. Also there were Bruce and Dale Richards, Dennis and Linda Moore, Kenny, Mary Lou, and Betty Thomas, Lora and Karen Schlichenmayer, Rick and Randy Pratt, and Phyliss and Don Scheir. In the fall of 1960 this school was closed and everyone was bussed to Burlington. My first year in High School 1959-60 I stayed in town with Ray and Sara Rhoades. I graduated from BHS in the spring of 1963 and attended CSU that fall. My roommate was Bruce Poley from Burlington and we stayed in Braiden Hall on campus. I attended Vet College until 1971 when I received my DVM degree. I moved to Glasgow, Montana and started work at a vet clinic. While in Vet College I met Dorathea Ruple and we were married on November 6, 1971 in Grand Lake, Colorado. Dee, as she is known was originally from Kremmling, Colorado, and was working at LaPlatta County Hospital in Durango when we were married. We moved to Montana and lived there until the spring of 1972 when we moved back to the Burlington area. Dee has worked as a registered nurse at the Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital since 1972. We have two children. LaDee Ann was born March 11, 1976 and Justin Wade was born September 13, 1978. LaDee and Wade are both active in 4-H and enjoy working with animals. LaDee also enjoys art and Wade likes working cattle. I have a limited vet practice since my ranch work takes up most of my time. I still enjoy veterinary work and raising cattle. by Larry Homm Zuella Knapp. by Howard Homm HOMM, LARRY AND DEE HOMM, RICHARD AND MARILYN F3r5 F314 My name is Kristi and I am proud to say that I am a part of the Homm family. My family has lived in Kit Carson County for as I was born January 31, 1946 in Burlington, long as I can remember, which isn't very long since I'm only 16. I currently am attending CO and grew up on a cattle ranch on the south fork of the Republican River. I attended country school, Ritizius 48J, for eight years. I started first grade in the fall of 1951. My first grade teacher was Lucy Russman. Other teachers I remember were Mrl. John Schaal. Mrs. Leo Devlin, Mrs. Jesse Wagoneer, Mrs. Willi Schrayer, Mrs. Bergstein, Mrs. House, and Ms. Gay Rigdon. People that attended school during this time were Jerry and Bob Paintin, Sharon, Beverly, and Sandy Langendoerfer, Larry and Stan Mangus, Carole and Burlington High School. My interests are writing, reading and riding horses, I also help with the ranch work as much as possible. My family is a source of much talent; we all do as much as we can to promote and encourage people to follow their dreams, if someone hadn't then none of us would be where we are today. My Grandfather on my mother's side, or Poppy as we call him is very special to me. His name is Mervin and my grandmother's is Roberta or Bert as she is commonly called. �4-H. I have been in for eight years and enjoy it thoroughly. My real love is horses and I would like to learn everything I can about them. I used to have this old horse that would not get into the trailer for my dad or anyone else, but when I would go and tell him to stop all this nonsense and just get in the trailer he would just step right in. This same horse used to hate to be worked in the round corral so he would just follow you everywhere you went in the corral. I have this friend that hadn't ridden before and I took her with me. She rode behind my brother Bob, we were almost back to the house without any trouble when the horse takes off and she is sitting there with both hands on the saddle horn and she totally let go of the reins. All she could say was help me, help me, and all I could do was laugh at the very sight of her. Finally we made it back to the house and got her hands pried off of the horn. purchased a home in Stratton where he and his wife resided until her death in 1956. Mr. Hoot also owned another place, which he rented to Elvin "Boots" Wilson. The Wilson daughters remember him as a very kind man. When he came out to check the land which he did often he always brought them all day suckers. After her death, he went to Denver. to make his home with his sons. He lived to the age of 100 years, 6 months and 28 days. by Florence McConnell HORNUNG FAMILY F317 by Kristi llomm Richard and Marilyn Homm. HOOT, J. H. FAMILY F316 Edith and Swidbert Hornung Swidbert A. Hornung rode through Eastern Colorado on a train with his parents on a family trip when he was ten years old and made a vow that he would live in this area Joseph, Nellie Hoot and son Dale in front of their home in Stratton. Joseph Henry Hoot was born in Freeport, Ill. Nov. 3, 1869 to Ira and Maria Young Hoot. Mr. Hoot Iived in Illinois until the age of 3, then in Missouri for four years. He moved to Johnson County, Nebraska where he received his early education in rural schools. He gained a high school diploma at Tecumseh, Nebraska and attended State Teach- er's College in Peru, Nebraska where he Kristi, Cy and Bob Homm, children of Richard and Marilyn Homm. My mother has five brothers and sisters: Sandy currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona, Hope lives at Yuma as does Jack, Peggy, and Pat. My Grandfather has sold seedcorn since 1957, and currently sells and farms northeast of Yuma, CO. My Grandmother Homm is a great storyteller. She tells of a time when my dad and his brother were supposed to be trimming their steers, but instead they were shaving their sister's favorite cat like a lion. It seems to me that they were always doing something that they knew would get them into a lot of trouble. I have two brothers that take after their father and uncle. They are usually up to something and it isn't always on the best of their judgement or common sense. Cy and Bob, my brothers, have both had their share of stitches and knocks in the head or all over. The whole family is or has been active in earned his teacher's diploma. He taught in county schools near Tecumseh for ten years. Joseph was united in marriage to Nellie L. Beech at Tecumseh in 1895. Nellie was born at Bedford, Iowa July l,1874. She attended elementary school at Red Oak, Iowa, learning all the counties in the state beginning at the northeast corner. Her parents, Hiram and Alice Friar Beech, got the western fever and moved to Dundy County, Nebraska and fought the grasshoppers and dry weather for two years. Giving up pioneering, they moved to Arapahoe, Furnas County, Nebraska, where Nellie graduated from high school and taught school for two years. Here is where she got acquainted with Joseph Hoot. Joseph taught school for five years after they were married. Three sons Joseph W., Wilber M. and Henry Dale, were born and a daughter died in infancy. Getting an urge to farm, Mr. Hoot bought a farm near Goodland, Kansas which he tilled for three years; then he purchased a farm south ofStratton, Colo. which he operated for 17 years. In 1952 Mr. Hoot sold his farm and some day. In 1943, "Swede" brought Edith, his wife, and their children, Palamon, Albert and Joyce to Stratton, Colorado. They first settled about nine miles northeast of Stratton. Swede, not only farmed, but he also was a real estate salesman. He first started working at Batt Realty, and later he bought Batt Realty. He trained and employed Joe Hendricks before Joe went on to Burlington to form his own business. Swede was very active in the community. He served on the Stratton Town Council. He promoted many community projects: a swimming pool, the Stratton Days barbeque. He had Mr. John McCracken of Holly, Colorado, come show Stratton people how to set up the barbeque process. Swede pushed for progress for Eastern Colorado and Stratton. He was one of the first farmers to produce sugar beets, as well as irrigate his land. He convinced several people from his hometown area in and near Spearville, Kansas, to come live in the Stratton and Burlington areas. Swede and Edith (Kasselman) had four children: Palamon William, Albert Maurice, Joyce Marie, and Kenneth Vincent. All three of the boys graduated from Colorado State University - 1961, 1961, and 1968, respectively. They majored in agricultural business, engineering and physical education, respectively. Pal farms in Stratton. He and his wife, Shirley, have four children: Stan, Whitney, Susan, and John. Albert works for Brock, Easley in Englewood, Colorado. He and his wife, Carla, have �two girls, Tara and Kendra. Albert was previously married to Elaine Smelker and they had four children; Devon, Kris, Kirk, HORNUNG, PAL AND SHIRLEY and Lane. Joyce and Ron Austin live in Stratton and have five children: Rhonda, Lyle, Debbie, Julie, and Roger. Ken was married and is divorced and has Swede and Edith Hornung's oldest son, Palamon, returned to Stratton in 1972 because he wanted to farm and raise his children in his hometown. Pal met and married Shirley Andrews from McDonough County (Industry), Illinois and Grand Junction, Colorado, at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Pal and Shirley lived in Fort Collins, Des Moines, Iowa; Portland, Oregon; and Colorado Springs, Colorado before returning to no children. He has his own business, a recreational distributorship in the Kansas City area. by Shirley Hornung HORNUNG - LISTUL FAMILY Stratton in L972. They had four children; Stanley Byron who presently lives in Dallas, Texas, and is a manager trainee for NW Transport trucking F318 Terrence Hornung and Shelley Listul were married in Stratton on April 23, 1977. Now, in 1985, we are lucky enough to have four children. Michael was born in November, 1977; Jonathan in March, 1980; Thomas in November, 1982; and Savannah, our daugh- ter, born in August, 1984. In 1980 we purchased the farm we are living on from Val Kordes. Terry was born in Stratton on October 19, 1947. He is the oldest child of William Hornung and Joan (Conrardy) Hornung. His parents had moved here from the Spearville, Kansas area. Terry went to school at St. Charles Academy and Stratton High School. He graduated from Colorado State University in 1970. He is farming and raising cattle. F319 lines; Whitney Anne who is a public relations director for one of the five casts for "Up with People", an international musical tour group; Michael, Jonathan, Savannah, and Thomas Hornung. 1985. Susan Lynn, a senior at Colorado State University who plans to continue on to law school; and John Robert who is a senior at Stratton High School. He presently serves as Student Council President and loves varsity Colorado when I was 8 years old. That was where I grew up and went to high school. My great-grandparents emigrated from Norway and Sweden in the 1880's to homestead in North Dakota and Minnesota. Stan and Whitney graduated from Colorado State University in 1984 (the 100th class to graduate from Colorado State University) by Terrence Hornung Class of 1986 from CSU. Stan was a Colorado All-State basketball I was born in Grafton, North Dakota on March 9, 1955 to Norman Listul and Avis (Anderson) Listul. As a small child I lived in North Dakota, California, and Westminster, Colorado; but my family moved to Elizabeth, basketball. and Whitney graduated with honors in the and football player and received a footballacademic scholarship to both Colorado University and Colorado State University, upon high school graduation. Whitney was selected to Who's Who at CSU along with several honorary society invitations. Susan will be graduating from Colorado State University in 1988 with honors. John is first in his class academically and is senior class president. Pal has served on the Stratton Town Council, Stratton Swim Pool Association, Plains Ground Water District Board, Burlington Soil Conservation District Board. He too has his real estate sales and brokers license. He has been active in Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, PTA and 4-H. He received his Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Business from Colorado State University in 1961. Shirley received her Associate of Science Degree from Mesa (Jr.) College in Grand Junction, Colorado, in 1958 and then went on to Colorado State University. She majored in Home Economics and Sociology. by Shirley Hornung Terry Hornung and Shelley Listul, in April, 1977. Also in the picture are David Hornung, Robert Cure, Tammy (Monsebroten) Grasser, Arlene (Hornung) Brinkhoff, Patrick Hornung, Dennis Listul, LaDaen Polzin, and Mark Hornung. �The storm in 1977 left 20 and 30 foot drifts in the trees. The cattle could walk over the fences of the corrals, but lucky enough they didn't. Instead, we had cattle walk into our corrals from outside. We lost 27 head of steers that were in a shed when the weight of the snow caused the roof to collapse. The feedlot construction started in 1954. Almost every year additions and improvements have been made, until now it has capacity for 3,000 head. We have seven sons: Terrence, Stephen, David, Patrick, William, Jr., Timothy and Mark; and five daughters: Victoria, Cynthia, Arlene, Janine and Annette. The children attended St. Charles Parochial Grade School until it closed in 1965 and then they attended the Stratton Public Schools. Terrence graduated from Colorado State University. He and his wife Shelley Listull have four children: Michael, Jonathan, Thomas and Savannah. Terry is farming near Stratton. Victoria received her R.N. degree from St. Joseph School of Nursing in Wichita. She and her husband Richard Sutton have six children: Stephen Jad, James, Jeffrey, Lindsey, Sara and Kathrine. In 1966 Stephen won the catch-it calf Stanley, Whitney, Susan and John with their parents, Shirley and Palamon Hornung IIORNUNG, WILLIAM AND JOAN F32o nie Conrardy, at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Wright, Kansas. Joan attended school in Wright and Dodge City, Kansas. Before she married, Joan was a student nurse in the Nurse Corps program. On November 13, 1946 we moved on a farm, 7-112 miles northeast of Stratton, owned by Swidbert Hornung. When we arrived we could hardly get to the farm. There was 30 to 40 inches of snow on the level. Bill and Ray Schiferl fed cattle by pulling a sled behind a tractor. The snow was almost all melted by Thanksgiving. In 1948 we purchased the farm owned by Carl Arends just 1/2 mile north of Swede's farm. After our good wheat crops in 1958 and 1959 we built our new house on this farm. Harvest crews from Oklahoma were William, the son of Andrew and Elizabeth Hornung of Spearville, Kansas was born in 1923. Bill attended school in Windthorst, Kansas. On March 30, 1944 he was inducted into the Naval Air Corps Reserves and was discharged on June 6, 1946. Bill was in Portland, Oregon when World War II ended, ready for action with flight crews in the Aleutian Islands. On November 12. 1946 Bill manied Joan Conrardy, the daughter of August and Min- Cynthia graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. In 1971 she was Kit Carson Queen Attendant. She married Kent Luebbers and they have two daughters, Kerri and Kendra. David attended Northeastern Junior ColIege in Sterling. He and his wife Barb (Schwieger) have six children: Andrew, Christopher, Brian, Darren, Marci and Greg. David operates his own farm. Patrick attended Southern Colorado State College in Pueblo, majoring in woodwork and constructional engineering. Pat is now farming near Stratton. furnish meals for them when weather permit- Arlene graduated from Parks Business School in Denver as a Medical Assistant. She and her husband David Brinkhoff have four ted them to work. children: Shantel, Matthew, Benjamin and During the winter of 1960 we received a lot of snow. It snowed every day for weeks. The ground was frozen before the snow so that when the snow started to melt, the moisture could not go into the ground. AII the creeks were up and it was almost impossible to go anywhere except on horseback. Arrangements were made for the school children to stay in town for a week as so many students were absent from school. Terry and Steve stayed with the Ray Schiferl family. Vicki and Cindy stayed with the Myron Dischner's. In 1964 we drilled an irrigation well just Cassandra. hired to combine our wheat. We had to Bill and Joan Hornung, November 10, 1986 on their 40th wedding anniversary. contest, fat beef Champion and the Hereford Steer Champion at the Kit Carson Fair. He attended Northeastern Colorado Junior College in Sterling. On March 1, 1970 Steve and a former high school classmate were killed at a railroad crossing in Stratton. north of our home. Before that we were renting irrigated land. We then began raising our own sugar beets and corn. All ofthe wheat was dryland. It was not until we had our irrigation well that we were able to get our shelter belt established. It had been planted three times. The third time is a charm. After the 90 mph wind and dirt storm on February 23, 1977 and the 90 mph blizzard on March 12th and 13th of that year the shelter belt was severely damaged. In 1980 we replanted trees and added five more rows using the drip irrigation system. Janine is married to James Fox. She and Jim have four children: Corey, Amanda, Kyle and Cody. Annette is a hairdresser and she and her husband Lee Bennet Short have a son, Luke. William, Jr. attended the University of Northern Colorado. Billy married Jeanine Stegman. They have a son, Louden. Billy manages Triple-H feedlot. Timothy graduated from DeVry, Phoenix, Arizona as an electronic technician and is currently employed in California. Mark is busy with high school, sports and helping on the farm. In 1982 Bill ran for Kit Carson County commissioner of the 2nd district and was elected. He started his second term in 1987. by Joan Hornung �HOSKIN FAMILY F32r Henry G. Hoskin I was born in Perranporth, Cornwall, England, March 30, 1871, not far from Land's End, and in the historic setting for the adventures of King Arthur. My father was a blacksmith in the tin mines. When I was about five, my father and mother crossed the ocean in the steamship "Cirsassian" and we finally arrived at certain mines in Nova Scotia, located just across the "Basin of Minas" from the early home of Evangaline. After spending a very short time here we entered the United States in the year 1876 and located at New Diggings, Wisconsin. Two of my father's brothers had preceded him to the U.S. and one located in Wisconsin at a small town near New Diggings and the other in Central City, Colorado. When the lead mines played out, my father decided to go out to Colorado and find a job. My mother, brother, sister and myself were left in Wisconsin. Father found a new place to work and live at the Freeland mine, several miles above Idaho Springs, Colo. Very shortly thereafter, my mother and her children took the Union Pacific train for Colorado. One particular item that stands out in my mind from this trip is our arrival at Windsor Hotel in Denver, and the Negro porter, who carried our luggage up the broad stairway, broke off the handle of a parasol that stuck out from a shawl wrap. It was soon found out the altitude was too great for my mother and the doctor ordered us out of the mountains. Stopping for a week or two at the city of Golden, we went on to Denver. Here my father found work at his trade, first with Colorado Iron Works and later with the Rio interested and The Burlington Shops. When the Burlington short cut was built into Denver, many of the railroad men became highly interested in the cheap farms along the route and we finally moved to Holdrege, Nebr. in 1883. However, it took money to buy even a cheap farm so my father went back to his old trade of blacksmith. When the Rock Island road was built in 1887 and 1888, it attracted a great deal of interest because it was opening up a new tract of land to homesteading. In L886, a rough character in Holdrege, who claimed to have been a buffalo hunter and to have traveled over all of what is now Eastern Colorado, made up a party to go out to the new country and take up tree claims. They took the train to Wray, Co. and there, this buffalo hunter, named Baker, had a light covered wagon. They drove south from Wray about 70 miles and each person in the party filed on a tree claim of 160 acres. After leaving Wray, the party passed through country that was occupied only along the three streame that were crossed. This man, Baker, had already been tried for assault with intent to kill and was later to be lynched at Cheyenne Wells for shooting a man who drove across the corner of his homestead. As this will probably be completely covered by other parties who are better posted than I am, I will not tell this story. In 1888. father moved his blacksmith equipment to Beloit, Colorado, eight miles south and two miles west of Bethune, Colorado. This town had been largely boomed on the strength of a survey that had been made which would take the Rock Island through Beloit. However, the Rock Island went through eight miles to the north and Beloit soon passed from the picture. Our pre-emption had been taken near by, and as father wanted to have holdings close at hand he filed on a homestead in the adjoining section. In 1892, I filed on my homestead so we had 800 acres in a fairly compact body. By this time, the original settlers began to leave and by 1894, we had no neighbors closer than seven miles. This was fine for a ranch and we exerted every effort to increase our holdings ofhorses and cattle. In 1895, we took 600 head ofsteers to hold for the Bar T Ranch and I got my first experience of what life in the saddle really meant. These were all big southern steers and could be at the ranch house in the morning and in the other county by morning. However, with some breaks and some assistance from the Bar T people we accounted for every head. We lived on the ranch until the early 1900's, when the younger children began to need schooling and the folks moved into Burlington, leaving me on the ranch. In 1905, I was candidate for the office of County Treasurer, running against Fred Flexer and was defeated. In the same year, I moved into Burlington, selling the stock and equipment. In Burlington, I was the first Clerk of the county court, for Walker Glaister who had been elected County Judge and did not care to leave the school he was teaching to stay in the office. This lasted four months. by Henry Hoskin HOSKIN FAMILY F322 Henry G. Hoskin In the middle of the summer of 1905, Mrs. W.D. Selder offered me a place in the Stock Growers Bank at $12.5 a day. Later this was raised to $65.00 and I felt rich enough to marry. I married Nannie B. Yersin, whose people had homesteaded near us at about the same time we did. This has been the outstanding good fortune of my life. Since joining the Stock Growers Bank I have been continuously connected with the banking or abstracting business until the present moment. In 1916, I purchased from Geo. D. Gates, the Abstract business and incorporated the Kit Carson County Abstract Company of which myself and family hold all the stock. My education was begun in a small one room school at Freeland, Colorado, continued at the Twenty-fourth street and Gilpin Schools in Denver, and ended in the early part of high school at Holdrege, Nebr. I received a teachers certificate from the county Supt. of Elbert county in 1888 and held a certificate for many years thereafter under both Elbert and Kit Carson counties. I have taught in seven different country schools covering a period of 10 years. I now hold an honorary life certificate from the State of Colorado. Also I have been both Sec. and Treas. of the old Beloit Dist. #29, and was for ten years Sec. of the Burlington Consolidated Dist. school board. I have since, coming of age, taken an active part in politics and have voted at every election, at which I was eligible to vote, with two exceptions in that entire period. I have been precinct committeeman for many years in different precincts and for four years, county chairman for the Republican party and served in the state legislature in 1927 and again in 1929. For ten consecutive years, I managed the Kit Carson County Fair. And so this is the story, the short and simple annals of the poor and I find myself at 62, with my fortune consisting of my wife and two children, Katherine and Henry, having enjoyed immensely the years as they have gone and hoping to enjoy many more as they come. by llenry G. Hoskin HOSKIN, H. G. F323 I was born in Perranporth, Cornwall, England, on March 30, 1871, not far from Lands End and in the historic setting for King Arthur. My father was a blacksmith in the mines. When I was about five years of age, my parents, a younger brother and sister and myself crossed the ocean in the steamship 'Circassian'and we finally arrived at certain mines in Nova Scotia, located just across the 'Basin of Mines' from the early Evangeline. After spending a very short time here we entered the United States in the year 1826 and located at New Diggings, Wis. Two of my father's brothers had preceded him to the United States, and one was located in Wisconsin at a small town near New Diggings. The other was at Central City, Colorado, and had been doing very well for himself. The lead mines on which New Diggings depended played out and my father decided to go on to Colorado and find a job. My mother, brother and sister and myself were left in Wisconsin until he could locate a place to work and live. He found this at the Freeland mine, several miles above Idaho Springs, and very shortly thereafter my mother and her children took the Union Pacific train for Colorado. It was soon found that the altitude was too great for my mother, and the doctors ordered us out of the mountains. Stopping for a week or two at the city of Golden, we came to Denver. Here my father worked at his trade. When the Burlington short-cut was built into Denver many of the railroad men became highly interested in the cheap land and farms along the route and we finally moved to Holdrege, Nebr. When the Rock Island was built in 1887 and 1888, it attracted a great deal of interest because it was opening up a new tract of land which was open to homesteading and a party came to the new country. They took a train to Wray and driving about 70 miles south each person in the party filed on a tree claim. In 1888 father moved his blacksmith equipment to Beloit, Colo., eight miles south and two west of Bethune. This town had been Iargely boomed on the strength of a survey that had been made which would take the �Rock Island through Beloit. However, the Rock Island went through eight miles to the north and Beloit soon passed from the picture. Our Pre-emption had been taken nearby, and as my father wanted to have holdings close at hand he filed on a homestead in an adjoining section. In 1892, I filed on my homestead, so that we had 800 acres where she grew up. Grandfather Bert (Barney) Hough was born in 1863 and came with his father, three brothers and one sister from Saaler, Norway when he was 7 years old. He was the youngest. His mother had died in Norway. They came to Ottertail County, Minnesota, which was mostly timber country and also some farming. His father's name was Ole Nyhougen, but in a fairly compact body. By this time the original settlers began to leave, and by 1894, we had no neighbors closer than seven miles, We lived on this ranch until the early 1900's when the younger children began to need schooling and the folks moved to Burlington, leaving me on the ranch. In 1904 I was a candidate for the office of county treasurer, running against Fred Flexer, and I was defeated. In the same year I moved to Burlington, selling the stock and equipment. In Burlington, I was the first clerk of the county court for Walker Glaister, who had been elected county judge and did not care to leave the school he was teaching to stay in the office. In the summer of 1905, W.D. Seider offered me a place in the Stock Growers State Bank at the salary of $1.25 a day. Later this was raised to $65.00 per month and I felt rich enough to marry. I married Nannie B. Yersin, whose people had homesteaded near us, and about the same time as we did. This has been the outstanding good fortune of my life. Since joining the Stock Growers State Bank I have been continuously connected with the banking business until the present moment. In 1916 I purchased from George O. Gates the abstract business and incorporated the Kit Carson County Abstract company of which my family and myself hold all stock. My education was begun in a small oneroom school at Freeland, continued at the twenty-fourth street and Gilpin schools in Denver and ended in the early part of high school at Holdrege, Nebr. I received a teacher's certificate from the county superintendent of Elbert County in 1888 and held the certificate for many years thereafter under both Elbert and Kit Carson counties. I have taught in seven different country schools covering a period of ten years. I now hold an honorary life certificate from the state of Colorado. I have also been secretary and treasurer of the old Beloit district No. #29, and was for ten years secretary of the Burlington consolidated district. Ever since coming of age, I have taken an active part in politics and have voted at every election at which I was eligible to vote, with but two exceptions, in that entire period. I have been precinct committeeman for many years in different precincts and for four years I was county chairman for the Republican party, and served in the State Legislature in 1927 and,1929. For ten consecutive years I managed the Kit Carson county fair. (Mr. H.G. Hoskin passed away in 1949.) by H.C. Hoskin HOUGH FAMILY F324 Grandmother Petra Gilberts was born in Iowa in 1862. At an early age she moved with her parents and their family to South Dakota and then to Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, he shortened it to Ole Houg. There were so many Hougs around there, some of them started spelling it differently to avoid confusion. Haug, Huage, Haugen, Houg, Houge, Howg. Barney added a silent "H" making it Hough. He worked in the woods and farms around Barnesville. In 1882 he married Petra Gilberts, and they started housekeeping in Barnesville, and three children were born there. In 1892 they decided to join many relatives and friends from that locality who were going to Roberts County, South Dakota, where the government had opened up part of an Indian Reservation for homesteading. They filed on a claim of 160 acres, 1 miles northeast of Sisseton, put up some buildings and started farming. Five more children were born there. Then in 1904 they moved to Sisseton where Grandpa went into the grain elevator business. Herbert (Bert) the last of their nine children was born there in 1905. In the spring of 1908 they moved to Cheyenne County in eastern Colorado where they had bought 320 acres of land with the intention of farming. There were six children with them when they moved. Oliver Melvin, the oldest boy, died in 1907 and was buried in Sisseton. Ida was working in a store in Omaha. She married James Chase, a circus performer. After a few years of traveling with circuses in all 48 states, they settled in Chicago. After James died quite young in 1939, Ida ran a rooming house. She was quite influential in Democra- tic circles, a trait she inherited from her father. She died in Chicago in 1970 leaving one son, Bruce, who has a wife Phyllis and four children. Albert had moved to southern Alberta, Canada, with quite a few relatives and friends from Sisseton. and homesteaded 160 acres of land. He never farmed it. He went into the Iumber business in Enchant. Alberta. He was not married so when Grandma needed a home for herself, Bernice and Bert, it made it nice for her for a few years. He got married late in life and moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. Died there in 1937. No children. When Grandpa and Grandma moved to Colorado in 1908, this turned out to be a very disastrous move. That territory was having a cycle of short rainfall at that time. After two years ofno crops, they had to figure out some other way to make a living. they moved to Wild Horse where Grandmother started a restaurant and Grandpa did construction work. He took quite an interest in politics and was a leader in Democratic circles. This rubbed off on some to the children, Ida and George for sure. He was killed in an accident in 1911. Joe and George had stayed in Colorado as they were working there. Elmer .went to Sisseton to stay with relatives and then she went to Canada with Bernice and Bert and stayed with Albert for some time. In 1918 she moved back to Colorado with Bernice, but Bert stayed in Canada where he had gotten into banking early in life. After working in many towns there, his company, The Canadian Bank of Commerce, moved him to Los Angeles, and he worked for them until retiring. He married Ellen (De De) Lee in 1940 and they are living in retirement in Temple City, California. They have no children. Grandma got married again in 1924 to arr old neighbor, Iver Peterson, from Wild Horse, He was section foreman for the U.P.R.R. there. He had two daughters, Ida and Ellen, who were welcomed to our family. They were near in age to Lucille and Eunice Beeler, and they had many good times. They also acquired a grandpa of whom they were very fond. They enjoyed for Grandmother Peterson to visit them in Flagler. She came on the train and sister Marian would meet her at the depot, with her little wagon and bring the luggage home. Ida Ristesund lives in Manning, Alberta, Canada. Ellen Patterson is deceased. Bernice married Claude Kelly and moved to Denver. but died before she had been married very long and is buried in Denver. Had no children. She had TB and was never in very good condition. Joe and George both moved back to South Dakota. Joe was in the army for a time at Fort Lewis, Washington. When he was discharged, he went to Canada to live. He managed grain elevators in southern Alberta and married Vera Dawson in 1934. When he retired, they moved to Calgary where they still live. They have one son, Alan, who has a wife Carol and two children. George went back to South Dakota in harvest time 1914. He worked different places before stopping at Bradley. He married Vera Phelps there in 1924. They farmed in that locality until they retired and moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota in 1962, where he still resides. They had three children. Herbert, the oldest, died in 1969 at age 44. He and his wife Marcella Schneider had one daughter. Gordon married Janet Marx. They have three boys and one girl. Avanell lives in Olympia, Washington. Her name is now Mrs. George Taylor. Elmer Hough worked in North Dakota, Wyoming and South Dakota. He married Effie Johnson near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, and had a timber farm there. He died there in 1980. He left a son Merle at Detroit Lakes and a stepdaughter Mrs. Mavis Frazier at Pelican Rapids. by Lucille M. Morgan HOWELL MUSSELMAN FAMILY Clara had married a rancher in Kit Carson County named Hubert Beeler, and they were living on a ranch near Flagler, so there were five children left now. Grandma got married in 1914 to a man n"med Braley and with her three youngest eastern Colorado in the spring of 1887. They moved with him to Missouri. This did not turn out very well, so she left him and moved to St. Paul in 1915 with her three youngest. came from the Lacona - Chariton. Iowa vicinity. They shipped a team and wagon from Omaha, Nebraska by train to Haigler, F325 The Sylvester L. Howell family came to �helped plant trees at the Kit Carson County Court House. In addition to farming and raising cattle, S.L. wag also a Land Agent. He measured the land by tying a rag on his wagon wheel and figuring so many wagon wheels per mile. He would meet prospective buyers at the train and show them around the country. Four more children were born, Ruby R. in 1890, Henry 1892, Harry E. 1895, and Clark A. 1900. In 1915 they moved to town and built a house on Howell Street. Clara Howell wae a charter member of the Vona Baptist Church and remained active until about a year before her death. The lots for the church were donated by the Howells. She also served on the School Board. She was affectionately known as "Grandma" Howell to all who knew her in later years. She related a story to me about one time that S.L. had gone to Haigler for groceries and left her alone on the North farm. He gave her a pistol and showed her how to use it. When night came on the coyotes started howling and scaring her and the children, so she opened the door and shot out into the dark. when morning came she found a dead one lying in the yard. She also told of a few Indian stragglers who roamed the prairies. They were friendly and moved around and camped wherever they found a dead animal to eat no Fo-ily reunion, Howell - Musselman. Back row, L. to R.; Ruby Howell Fuhlendorf, Charles Howell, Clark Howell and Glenn Howell. Front row; Harry Howell and mother Clara Howell. Nebraska and then traveled on to the Vona rrea by wagon train. S.L. as he was known, married Clara Alice Musselman in Lucas County, Iowa. Clara suffered from malaria rnd it was thought a dry climate would help her. Their oldest son Charles was born in 1881 in Iowa and traveled to Colorado with them. They took a pre-emption two miles west rnd eight miles north of where the town of Vona is now located, and they lived in their wagon until they built a sod house. Water was hauled form a spring on the Republican River, about six miles away, for some years. Mail was brought from Haigler, Nebraska, to Floyt, Colorado, a small town and post office north of where Seibert now stands. S.L. was I freighter for some time until the railroad :nme through and freighting by rail estab- lished. He freighted from Haigler to Hoyt, using a horse team and wagon, and taking rbout six days to make the round trip. He rsually made a trip every week, bringing in lupplies for the whole community as well as lor his family. There were lots of buffalo on the prairies and they were selling at 'ones r pretty good price, so S.L. always planned o pick up a wagon load on his way to Haigler, ;hus getting money enough to buy groceries. Ihe first well in the community was a handlug well 280 feet deep. Water was hauled up ry a windlass by horse power. This well was ;ood for years, and supplied many families rnd livestock with good water. In 1888, Vona was eetablished when the lock Island Railroad came through, so in t890 S.L. took a homestead, and drove to Kiowa, the County seat of Elbert County, to ile his papers. He moved his family including ris son Glenn, who was born in 1889 to the romestead two miles north of Vona. There he rlso took a tree claim which consisted of rlanting trees and caring for them. He also matter how long it had been dead. S.L. Howell was born September 7, 1853 in Iowa and died February 15, 1928 at Vona. He was the son of David L. and Malinda Howell. Clara Alice Musselman was born September 19, 1864 in Lucas County Iowa, the daughter of Daniel E. and Nancy Musselman. They were married there December 23, 1881. Clara died June 19, 1950 in Burlington. Charles R. married Laura Evans and they had one son Rex G. Glen L. married Blanche Bridge and had two children Velma and Roy. Ruby R. married Arthur Fuhlendorf and they had two sons Leland and Gus, and three daughters Alice, Wilma and Mildred. Henry died as a baby and Clark married in Califor- Harry and Amelia Howell. moved to Paonia Colorado where Don was in partnership with his family in a garage and machine shop. Our two children graduated from Paonia High School. Don graduated from Colorado University in 19?5 as a pharmacist. He and his wife own the Medicine Shoppe in Delta, Colorado. On September 4, 1976 he and Judith Pecharich were married in Paonia. They have two children, Donald Joseph born June 7, tgTg and Cheryl Renae born April 18, 1982 on her great grandmother Amelia Howell's 89th birthdav. Beth attended Mesa College and on July li, 1973 she married Ross A. Allen at Paonia. They own and operate a sheep ranch and reside at Hotchkiss, Colorado. They have two sons John Donald born July 5, 197b and Gregory Mark born April 2, 1978. Kit Carson County holds many fond memories for me and my family. by Betty J. (Howell) Chapman nia. by Betty Chapman HOWELL - WEPEL FAMILY F326 My father and mother, Harry Howell and Amelia S. Wepel were married April 15, 1916 at Burlington, Colorado. Amelia was the oldest daughter of Martin and Sarah Wepel. She was born April 18, 1893 in Hamilton County Iowa. Her mother died when she was 12 years old and she, her father and sisters, Odessa and Rachel all moved to Vona in 1911. Martin farmed and raised cattle on a farm two miles west of S.L. Howell ranch. In August 1913 he passed away while harvesting at his place. His body was taken back to Webster City Iowa for burial. When the girls returned to Vona they moved to town. I was born November 24,1929 in Vona and graduated from Vona High School in 1947. On June 11, 1950 I married Donald L. Chapman of Bethune. We lived in Bethune when our two children, Donald Howell. March 2, 1952 and Elizabeth Anne, Septem- ber 8, 1954, were born. In June, 1956, we HOWELL, GLENN AND BLANCHE F327 I was born in Colorado on a homestead near what is now Vona, on May 2, 1889. My parents came from Iowa to Haigler, Nebr., then joined a wagon train coming to Colorado, arriving in the spring of 1887. Among others in this emigration were the Ferris and Walton families, both long-time residents of this county. Father took a pre-emption two miles west and eight miles north of what is now Vona. He and mother lived in the wagon until our sod house was built. Father was a freighter for some time until the railroad carne through. He freighted from Haigler to Hoyt using a horse team and wagon, and taking about six days to make a round trip. He usually made a trip every week, bringing in supplies for the whole community as well as for his family. For years we had no cows or chickens, then father traded for a cow and we had our own milk. I do not remember seeing any buffalo, but there were lots of bones on the prairies and �they were selling at a pretty good price, so father always planned to pick up a wagon load on his way to Haigler, thus getting money enough to buy our groceries. I used to have some very fine specimens of buffalo horns, but in moving I have lost them. The first school I went to was located in Vona, and was held in a little frame building. The first teacher was Ruth Burnett. Our greatest danger was the prairie fire, which when started would get out of control. I remember of one time when a fire burned up to within 100 feet ofthe barn, and it took some hard fighting to hold it there. The largest fire around here was start€d by a man burning weeds and let the fire get away from him. I took a homestead in 1910 and proved up on it, and then took additional land in 1919, and own both lands now. My wife, Blanche and I are now living in Vona, and have four small orphan children which we have taken Hudler III and Adrian Wellington Hudler II. John III was married to Linda Christian Liley in 1982. Hudler editors of the Republican Record include Bill, his son John, and his grandson Rol. His great-grandson John III is anticipating the job in the future as he learns the ropes from his Dad, as generations before have done. by Maxine Hudler HUDSON - POOLE PURINTON FAMILIES F329 by Glenn Leroy Ilowell Older brother Clyde lived close by and F328 Adrian Wellington (Bill) and his wife Martha May Houbbold Hudler cnme to the Burlington community in the fall of 1919. They were both born and raised around Audubon, Iowa, where they were also married. Bill was a "Printer's Devil" as a very young man but poor health forced him to change jobs at the age of 23 at which time he and Martha homesteaded in South Dakota for several years. However, he kept at hie printer's trade by publishing a "Claim Paper" while living there. Upon returning to Iowa, Bill went into the real estate business in Audubon where their My mother, Dolly Barker Hudaon, Aunt Amber Hudson Purinton, in front of the "Ma Hudgon" home, 210-12th, in the mid 1920'g. in Yuma for a couple of years where Bill The history of The Burlington Record now includes fotr generations of Hudlers. Bill and Martha'e son John was manied to Maxine Frances Backlund in 1936 and to this union was born a daughter, Adrienne Anne, and a son, John Rollin, Jr. Adrienne was married to Eugene Donald Fasse in 1961 and the Fasses have two children, a son Ernest Dean, and a daughter, Francine Anne, who manied Gregory Scott Floerke in 1985. John Rollin, Jr. (Rol) and Joy Lindsey were married in 1960 and they have two sons, John Rollin Mexican sniper, he becnme a mechanic in his own service station. He had borrowed $500 from Wanen Shamburg to start his business. 13th Street where Duerst's Machine is now located. In the early 20's he bece'ne the Chewolet dealer in Burlington and soon moved around the corner to Senter Street, where he later established the Sim Hudson Motor Co. The "Garage" remained at the same location until 1983, when his widow Hazel (my st€pmother), sold the sixty someyear-old business to Vince's Chewolet, Olds Same company. Burlington Record. having been shot through the knee by a Before long he began selling Whippet cars on worked for the Wolf Land Company, later transferring to Burlington working for the papers merged to become the present day wet and chilled during his first winter in greatly assisted the family, so that, although Sim no longer attended school, the younger ones managed to keep going to a nearby country school. Often they would ski or ride horseback in order to get through the deep snow that lay on the ground. The family stuck it out near Elizabeth for five or six yeare before moving to Burlington, where 33 year old Bert was quite well established as a custom thresher (using a huge steam threshing machine so common to the times). They did fairly well, financially, until Sim was called by the Army to the Mexican border at Nogales, LZ. ta frght Poncho Villa (1917). In order to survive, Grandma and Aunt Amber provided room and board for several bachelors and schoolmarms, while Pete and Mike did odd jobs. When Sim returned from the Army, after HUDLER FAMILY Burlington Call from the Wilsons and the two children, moved on to Elizabeth, CO., where in 1910, Deck died of pneumonia after getting overnight, doing the farming as best he could, with Grandma and the smaller ones (Pete 11, Amber - 8, and Mike - 6) doing the chores. Dated Jan. 24,L934. He eventually left the real estate g'me to go back to his first love, the newspaper business, working for many years for Arthur Wilson, editor of The Burlington Call. In 1930 Bill and Martha bought The Burlington Republican and Record from the family of George (Stormy George) Wilkinson, who founded the paper in 1888. The name was changed to The Burlington Record and in 1944 the Hudler's son John purchased The moved from Lenora to Goodland, KS. for about four years, and then with their younger Colorado while he was feeding the family's dairy herd. Since Sim, just 15, was the oldest child at home, he became head of the household to raise. son, John Rollin, was born. When John was two years old they were forced to make another move because of their son's bout with asthma. The Hudlers moved west and settled stopped by lndians, who only wanted to do some trading, which was much to the relief of everyone who had thought they were being attacked. Grandma's parents later moved to Wyoming, homesteading there. While in Kansas, when Grandma was only 10-12, a neighbor, Deck Hudson (born 1857), came to work for the Poole family as a wheat thresher. He kidded Grandma that when she grew up he would marry her, which he did. . . when she was all of 14 in 1880. From 1883 to 1904 they had eight children: Bert, Only, Clyde, Bertha, my dad Sim (born Dec. 9, 1894), Pete, Amber and Mike. The family Grandma Susan Hudson and I (Georgeanna) in the early 1930'g by a spruce tree that still stands at 1187 Donelan looking NE. - My grandmother, Susan Poole Hudson, was born in New York State (Apr. 15, 1866), where, living on a houseboat, she learned to swim before she could walk, because her mother would tie a rope around her babies' chests and toss them in and fish them out of the water, until they managed to stay afloat. Then when Grandma was just barely old enough to remember, her family came in a covered wagon to western Kansas, settling near Lenora. On their way west, they were and Cadillac, where it still remains today. During the years 1919-1926, Sim married my mother, Dolly Barker, Bert married Mabel Walters (later Mable Parke) and Amber married Ed Purinton. Within a year of his marriage Bert died (age 38); within six years Ed died and in 1938 my mother died (age 36), when I was eleven. Since death struck so often and so early, our family learned to survive byjust plodding on, rather than caving in to each unhappy situation. But this was no different than what most pioneer families did in order to survive. Over the years, the various Hudson brothers and sisters moved to other Kansas and Colorado locations, leaving just Sim and Amber to make their homes in Burlington. For seven years Sim and Mother lived in the "Ma Hudson" household consisting of �Grandma. Pete. Amber and Mike. Then I was due to arrive so they moved across the street to 1187 Donelan, where a previous Methodist parsonage had been relocated and where I was born (L527). By 1931 they had added on more house than was originally there, built a two-story, two-car garage, a large sunkin lily .l 'irrr..'i"'1.!. pond that accommodated 10-15 neighborhood "swimmers", and had planted many trees including the huge spruce trees that still stand today. The next year, when I was 5, Sim added on, and extensively remodeled his Garage, having a grand opening that featured an Indian doing a native dance on the long counters in the showroom, and I was absolutely thrilled to be so close to a "real" Indian! li. After Mother died. Sim and Hazel Carmichael of St. Francis, KS. were married and they, along with Eldon Snowbarger, maintained the Garage as a thriving business, selling and servicing Chevrolets, Oldsmob- $&:,, .@ .,,'ll :llilli .. . .l:il l5:l.,',11i1 iles, and Cadillacs for many years. l.*'r:rr After Ed died, Amber, along with her children (Eddie - 4, Gwendolyn - 2, and Raymond - 8 months) moved back home with Grandma. From that time on Amber dedicat- ed her life to serving others, although she never considered it a sacrifice. Because of Grandma's weak legs, even though she was otherwise quite healthy and did most of the cooking, the work burden fell on Amber and the kids. Grandma lived until 1959 (age 93); then Sim died in 1960. and soon afterward Raymond ceme home to live with Amber since he had recently been paralyzed from the chest down, in a swimming accident. In spite of his paralyzed hands, he learned how to repair antique clocks, which frequently made it necessary to cease conversation every hour, on the hour, due to all of the chiming and cuckooing that was taking place. For 23 years, until Raymond's death in 1983, Amber unselfishly cared for him, and together they led a happy life despite their individual obstacles that most people would've considered insurmountable. By now all the Deck Hudson family is gone except Amber who presently makes her home in Arvada, CO. with her daughter and son-inlaw, Gwen and Roy Courtney. by Georgeanna Iludson Grueing Vena Scheierman age 2. This was by the homestead sod house. Vena's birthplace. . .,4.;:.,..::, HUGHES FAMILY F330 Schools and Early Settlers Harve Hughes and Rosa Wilson Hughes ;- l were born and grew up at Marion, Kentucky. They married there and lived on a farm. After a few years, they decided to go West and take a homestead. Raymond Lester Hughes and Martha Wilson Hughes Reeder were born to them in Kentucky. They, with two other families, moved their household goods and some livestock (cows and horses) in a railway car. They stopped at Seldon, Kansas and farmed two years. Hail and drought took both years crops. Ida Wilora Hughes Waite was born to them in 1903. In 1907, they filed for and received a homestead eleven miles southeast of Claremont, CO. (now Stratton, co.) They brought their household things in The Hughes family and their horses by the homestead sod house. -&--.. �for the kitchen and cellar. They burned cow chips and after they began to raise corn for livestock and chicken feed, they burned big ears of yellow corn. It was cheaper than coal and made a hot fire as there was no wood. Fresh fluffy white corn shucks or barley straw made stuffing for bed mattregses. A heavy musling was used to cover these mattresses. It cost from 20 to 50 a yard. Most household needs cnme by mail order. Mr. Van Hook drove a one horse buggy in summer and a sleigh in winter and brought 1:' j the mail. Most clothing and some foods were ordered by mail. The children cut cardboard insoles to go in their shoes when the soles wore out. These soles wore out in a day at school. All the cardboard was saved and sometimes my father made new leather soles on our shoes by using cow hide, a shoelast and tacks. Two pair of shoes a year was about it. One pair was for school and chores and a pair for Sunday School. Three children were born to Harve and Present Hughes homestead, the Herbert Scheierman Ranch, 1980. The sod house was torn down and this 8 room frnme house and porch was built in L922 for $1200.00. Rosa Hughes on the homestead. They were Vic Hughes Whitmore, Vena May Hughes Scheierman and a little brother, James Thomas Hughes. James Thomas passed away when young. There were six schools in this area south of Claremont. Bethel, a sod school house was located one half mile east of the present Ed Herndon home. Bethel Sunday School was held there also. A sod wall fell in on this building and a frame school building nnmed East Bethel was built. It was near the Clarence Borden home. Another school was built on the R.O. Hoover land. It was called West Bethel. This land is now the cow pasture near the Hughes homestead. There was a school nnmed the Day School. This was one and one half mile south of the Hughes homestead. District 58, an adobe building, near the Weingardt farm is still standing. Two other schools, North Pious Point and South Pious Point were in this vicinity south of Claremont (Stratton). First Central School was located on the correction line, four miles south of the Hughes homestead. It was a grade school and a high school at one time. Early teachers at the Bethel sod school were, Ella Rhen Dunlap, Shek Mc Connell, Ray Dorothy, Dora Jean Baird, Miss Root, and Miss Troup. The following is a list of early settlers and homesteaders. Not all homesteaded. Some families bought Iand or rented it from Vena Scheierman 1970. Harve and Rosa Hughes. covered wagons from Seldon to the home- this was much better than the path out to the adobe outhouse that my father built. What were homesteaders to do for a home? Buffalo Grass with prairie rattlers was about all there was in eastern CO. at that time. They plowed and cut large pieces of this sod and neighbors gathered in for a work day and neighbor wives brought food, as the sod walls stead that is now known as the Herbert Scheierman Ranch. The horses and cows were led or trailed back of the wagons. Along with them they brought bedding, clothing, two stoves, utensils, wash stand, wash pans, tubs, a sewing machine and sewing needs. They also brought hand pieced quilts and coverlets that my mother and her mother (Martha Paris Wilson) had made in Kentucky. They also made wool and linen bed spreads. We still have some of these items. They brought wool blankets and rugs that my mother wove on a loom. They brought a table, which I still have. There were four chairs and two benches. and featherbeds. Tucked in somewhere in these wagons were blue and white enameled cha-bers. These were to go under the beds and on a zero degree night, for a house were laid. The wooden roofs, doors and windows had to be shipped into Claremont by railroad. They put pieces of sod and tarpaper on the wooden roofs. These houses were warm in the winter and cool in summer. The deep windows were ideal for the popular geranium houseplants. A wagon with two or homesteaders. These people at one time lived south of Claremont (Stratton) in an area 10 miles wide and extended to the correction line. This area is five miles east of the Hughes homestead and five miles west. Harve and Rosa Hughes, (parents of Vena M. Scheierman), Henry and Ida Wilson, George and Mattie Hopkins, Alice Webster, Roy and Addie Hoover, Ray and Zelia Deakin, Hope Root, Faith Root, Ed Hooper, Walter and Lulu Hooper, Ray and Winnie Hooper, Albert and Minnie Clift, A.D. and Julia Reeder, Mr. and Mrs. Coad, Charlie and Iva Day, George and Orpha Hodge, Julia four horses made the trip to Claremont Felch, Jap York, Ed and Mable Besson, Charlie and Pearl Kern, Ora and Lettie Wellman, Mr. Filback, Alpha and Sarah Waite, Mack and Myrtle Whitney, Bill and Bess McFarland, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Collins, Mr. and Mrs. Howe, Mrs. Rhen and daugh- hauling the wood for the sod house. They also brought coal, two or three bushels of apples, sacks of flour, sugar, coffee, and other staples ters, Ada Kalb, Ella Rhen, Tina Rhen, Grace Rhen, and son Sam Rhen. Mr. and Mrs. D.L. Walker, Mrs. Phoebe Simpson, Mr. and Mrs. �Weingardt, Jim and Ruby Hollaway, Mr. and Mrs. Harris, Mr. and Mrs. Dargraval, Mr. and Mrs. Stein Dunkle, Mrs. Mc Pheeters and son Jim, Dr. and Mrs. Troxel, Mr. and Mrs. Tape, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Megel, Mr. and Mrs. Zern Ryan, Bill and Esther Brantley, Asa and Anna Wood, George and Bertha King, Frank Yelek, Bert Hull, Mr. and Mrs. Tom McMahon, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burgraff, Harry and Eva Hamiliton, Mr. and Mrs. Nevins, Fabe and Dell Anderson, John Gerhke, Mr. and Mrs. Wence, Jerry and Miranda McNair, Mr. Huntleys left behind a rich legacy of family and service. by The Editors Their children, Ruby and Albert, were born in the sod house, but Homer and Agnes had the honor of being born in the frame house built ]n 1922. The children attended the Liberty School, two and one-fourth miles HUNTZINGER BRANDENBURG FAMILY and Mrs. Obermeyer, Leonard and Kate Calvin, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Holstein, Mr. and Mrs. Grinnell, Mr. and Mrs. Unger, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Collins. Mr. and Mrs. George Church, Mr. and Mrs. Higgins, Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Bradshaw Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Cook, Paul and Edith Webster, Charlie and Lucy Barr, Mr. and Mrs. Boehm. south of their home. Ruby and Albert F332 by Vena Scheierman HUNTLEY - JOHNSON FAMILY 1917: My parents first home - Gerda and Sidney Huntzinger's F331 first generation English immigrants. He was educated in the common schools of Spring- Flagler. Their daughter, Agnes, attended St. field, Illinois, near his father's farm. Anna E. Johnson was born near Springfield, Illinois, other necessities. In 1921 they moved into Flagler and were active in building the community. A Republi- can in political matters, George served as county commissioner from the third district from 1904-1908 and 1920-1928. From 19291930 he also served as deputy sheriff. The Huntley's were faithful and active members of the Flagler Congregational Church and involved themselves in other community organizations. George was a member of Kit Carson Lodge No. 127, A.F.&A.M., serving as master of the lodge for two terms. He was also a charter member of the Flagler Lodge of the IOOF. Anna was a charter member of the Order of the Eastern Star. In his later years, George was one of the organizers of the Crystal Springs Country Club, and invested much time and effort in making the lake a popular family recreation area. George passed away on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1931. Anna died ten years later on November 5, 1941. They left behind nine children: Freda, Opal, Vernon, Gladys, John, Cecil, Lloyd, Maurice, and Donald. As one of Flagler's pioneering families, the attended high school for two years at Shiloh School, four miles northeast of their home. Albert, Homer and Agnes graduated from Flagler High School but had to board with families in Flagler and their parents had to pay tuition for their education. Sidney was a wheat farmer and a stockman. They managed to persevere during the dirty 30's even though Sidney spent a month in Colorado General Hospital in 1934 with dust pneumonia. Sidney raised Black Angus cattle and was well known in the area for his fine herd. He usually fattened his own steers in his feed lot before selling them. Gerda raised lots of chickens to eat and for eggs to sell. The family milked lots of cows so they could sell the cream. Red Duroc hogs rounded out the diversified farm. Their son, Albert, served in the Air Force in World War II. Their son, Homer, became interested in irrigation from deep wells and drilled the first two irrigation wells north of George W. Huntley was born in Franklin, New Hsmpshire, on September 4, 1862, to where she was schooled and raised. The two were wed in 1882, and continued to farm in Illinois until 1884 when they moved to Nebraska. However, the lure of the West had captured George's imagination and in 1887 he came farther west to Colorado, where he was the first to file a homestead in the western part of Kit Carson County. There, the Huntley's first home was a oneroom dugout that was later replaced by a sod house. In the early days, George would gather up a wagon load of bones from the prairies, haul them to Haigler, Nebraska, the nearest trading point, where he would sell them and return home with a supply of groceries and probably how she became a crack shot that was used to good advantage during the depression and dry years of the 30's, when Sidney and Gerda hunted rabbits, skinned them, stretched and dried the hides to sell. Lukes Hospital School of Nursing during World War II, graduating in 1946. Agnes, Homer, Albert and Ruby Huntzinger, ages 4, 6, 10 and 11 years in 1929 Sidney V. Huntzinger was born at Thurman, Colorado on his parenLs', T.J. and Elsie Huntzinger's, homestead. In 1900 when he was four years old the family moved to land they had purchased twelve miles northeast of Flagler in Kit Carson County. He attended the sod school known as the Huntzinger School near Hell Creek. He was able to attend only when there was no farm work to do and managed to complete the 8th grade at the age of 18. In 1915, Gerda Brandenburg, daughter of Ferdinand and Emma Brandenburg of Creighton, Nebraska, arrived to keep house for her brother, Conrad, who lived northeast of Flagler. She was told that she would have to cross the "river" three times before she arrived home. Little did she know the "river" would be the loops of the dry Buffalo Creek. Following the war, Albert returned to the area with his wife, Allie Jo (Kountz) and began farming south of the farm that Sidney and Gerda now owned. In 1950, Sidney and Gerda sold most of their farm land and moved to Flagler. Following Albert's death from cancer in 1964, his widow sold their farm and in 1981 Gerda sold the last section of their farm land. 1981 was the first time since 1900 that no farmland was owned by Huntzingers in Kit Carson County. by Agnes Ottenan HUNTZINGER. GREENWOOD FAMILY F333 Thomas Jefferson Huntzinger came to Colorado with three brothers in 1886. They walked in from Independence, Kansas. He was born in Anderson, Indiana on May 18, Her brother, Conrad, got acquainted with Cora Huntzinger, who lived a few miles northwest of them. Cora's brother, Sidney, got acquainted with Conrad's sister, Gerda, and the couples were married in a double wedding in Burlington, Colorado, June 26, 1917. Sidney and Gerda began their married life in a sod house on land owned by Sidney's father thirteen miles north and two miles east of Flagler. Gerda remembers setting the kerosese lamp on the floor in the evening while she waited for Sidney to come in for supper. With the lamp on the floor she would take the 22 rifle and shoot the mice that poked their heads out to investigate. This is December, L924: Jeff and Elsie Huntzinger and their 7 children in front of their home north of Flagler: Edith (Gering), Charles, Ida (Jensen), Sidney, Ivan, Harvey, and Cora (Brandenburg). �1864. The brothers became disillusioned and left. T.J. or "Jeff'staked his homest€ad east of Thurman in Washington County. In a letter he wrote in 1934, he stated that he had the firet sod shanty between Akron and Hugo. He also wrote in that letter that he had plowed the first furrow in that part of the county. There was nothing on the prairie but buffalo grass and one thistle. He said that you could plow a furrow and leave it for two years and no weeds grew on it. In 1888 the Charleg Sala Greenwood family arrived from Kangas to help build the Rock Island Railroad. One of the brothers had a contract for one mile of grade in the Limon area and the father and brothers helped him with his contract. The mother, Sarah (Cook) Greenwood staked a homestead claim east of Thurman. Before coming to Colorado, Charles and Sarah helped build the church in Iowa that was made famous by the song "Little Brown Church inthe Vale". All eleven of their children were born in Iowa. According to fanily records, the ancestors of Charles Sala Greenwood fought in the Revolutionary War. His great great grandfather, Sylvanius Perry, was one of the patriots at Lexington who fired the shot that was heard around the world. On October 21, 1891, Jeff Huntzinger and Elsie Jane, the daughter ofSarah and Charles Greenwood, were married at a small church east of Thurman. Their first five children were born on the homestead in Washington County but by April, 1900 they had moved twelve miles northeast of Flagler in Kit Carson County. Their children were: Charles, Edith (Gering), Sidney, Harvey, and Cora (Brandenburg), all born at Thurman, and Ida (Jensen), Thomas, and Ivan, all born north of Flagler. Thomas died in infancy. All their children except Ivan attended the sod house Huntzinger School near Hell Creek. Ivan attended Liberty School which was a frnme school built in 1919 one mile west of the Jeff Huntzinger home. The oldest son, Charles, went to Wyoming to live and make his home. The rest of the children established homes on farms near their parents north of Flagler. When the Huntzingers moved north of Flagler, their home was on a direct trail for wagons coming from the north going to threshed into the wagons and then scooped into the bins at Thurman, then when all finished it would be scooped into wagons and hauled to their farm north of Flagler and scooped into the bins. Then when that was completed it would be scooped into wagons and hauled to Flagler where it would be scooped into the granary there. When the sons had enough to fill a rail car it would be scooped into wagons, taken to the railroad and scooped into the car on the tracks. Sidney used to say the wheat was worn out by the time it was shipped out. Ivan remembers that it was scooped into the bins at Flagler and scooped back out and scooped into the rail car to save the two cents per bushel that the elevator charged for handling it. by Agnes Otteman HUPPERT, GEORGE F334 My grandfather, George Huppert was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1868. His parents were Frederick (1831 to 1895) and Elizabeth Fritz (10-10-1840 to 7-7-L922). They were MoIIie Huppert America with an older brother and Elizabeth came by herselfat the age ofsixteen. She had followed Fred here and could not speak any English. Fred had settled in Milwaukee, homestead. At that time the land was still being surveyed and the young people would gather at the surveyor's station and that is where George and Mollie met. They were both born in Germany. Frederick came to Wisc. and Elizabeth had taken a train to Wisconsin to be with Fred. They were married in Mequon, Wisc. in 1862. Fred moved his family to Blue Hill, Nebraska where they homesteaded. At that time you had to plant a tree claim. Some of those trees are still standing at the farm 3 miles west of Blue Hill. It is recorded at the Red Cloud married in 1898. George had a threshing machine and moved houses for a living. My Aunt Tres said My grandmother, Mollie Lichleiter, was that when World War I ended her dad started up the steam engine tractor and let the kids blow the whistle. In 1921 he shipped the tractor and thresher to Stratton, Colorado by train. Some friends from Blue Hill had moved here earlier and told him there waa a need for a thresher in this community. He cnme back born in lllinois on April 15, 1880. Her parents were Mathias (1831) and Mary Armburster (1839). They also both came from Germany and moved to Nebraska from Illinois. They again came out during the harvest season and rented a farm so he could move his family to Colo. court house in Webstcr County on 12-8-1880. bought land 3 miles from the Huppert to Blue Hill for the winter and in 1922 he When he returned to Blue Hill. Mollie was Flagler for supplies. Their home became the stopping place for water for the horses and even milk for the babies if needed. Ivan rememberg his mother recalling that she had counted up to forty teame and wagons going by. Ivan recalls that his dad bought the tax title on two quarters of land for $64.00. During World War I, Jeff mortgaged seven quarters of land for $4000.00 to the State Land Bank so he could buy Liberty Bonds, thus assuring himself of getting the job of going around the countryside to sell bonde. Afterwards he failed to pay off the mortgages when he cashed the bonds. During the depression he wae unable to pay the interest and taxes and the land was put up for sale but no one would buy it. The State land Bank leased it back to the family and it was later purchased by sons, Sidney and Ivan. Jeff and Elsie moved to Flagler after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1941. One of the stories that Sidney used to tell was: Jeff built a granary in Flagler for grain storage. It was built on the site of what is now the Community Medical Center. The wheat from the homestead at Thurman would be George Huppert family taken in Blue HiIl, Nebraska shortly after Mollie's death. Back row L to R: George, Tres, Mary, Gertrude, Frank, Helen. Front row L to R: Dorothy, Mildred, Leona, Irene, George. �very ill and died on Aug.ust 29, L922. George moved the family out to Stratton in June 1923. They lived 1 mile south of Stratton. At that time their neighbors were John Gerke and Pautler dairy farm. They shipped the furniture and other belongings by train and moved out here in a Model T touring car and Ford truck. Circles painted in colors on telephone posts were the highway signs. Free range was the law and only fields were fenced. There were many acres of grass land and cattle roamed freely. It was not unusual for some farmers to come by looking for their cattle and if it was meal time they were always invited to come in for a meal. Later George moved his family three miles east and one and a half south of Stratton. George's son, George, drove a team of horses and a wagon and took the children to school. Later on they drove a car. Aunt Tres went to high school and Leona, Irene, Mildred, George and Dorothy went to grade school at Stratton's St. Charles Catholic Grade School. In 1926 George became ill and had an operation for cancer in Denver at St. Joseph Hospital, and the day he was to come home, he died from a blood clot. There were 11 children in the family and three are still living. Frank (10-12-1899 to 85-1961) married Catherine Colgan. They had 2 children. One died as an infant. Helen (1901 to 1968) married John Harrison. She taught school in a country school in Stratton. They moved to Missouri. They had 5 children. Mary (8-26-1902 to 6-11-1957) married Joe Kloecker and lived in Denver. They had 5 children. 1 son died. Gertrude (3-27 -L904) married Tony Beller. They had 5 children and still live in Denver. Theresa (8-19-1907) maried Raymond Bush and had 4 children. ISEMAN FAMILY F335 Febr. 1924 brought Ralph and Josie Iseman to Kit Carson County with their children Clarence, Loraine, Agnes and John. Ralph had been out from Burlington, Ks. to look things over earlier. So with the George Bailey and Hill families they loaded their household items on two immigrant cars on the train. They drove out in a Model T car. The windows were ising-glass. The weather was very cold and they kept warm with a heater that had something like charcoal briquettes inside. The trip took five days. They stayed at the Collins Hotel in Stratton until the Austin place was available. Ralph always said that his ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch. How right he was. In reality Pennsylvania Dutch means German born. The first Iseman of Ralph's family to enter America was Peter and he came from Germany in 1749. Those first Isemans spelled their name many ways: Eyseman, Eisaman, Eiseman, Isaman. Westmoreland Co., Pa. has many of Peter's descendants and most of them spell their names Eiseman. The ones from Freeport, Pa. spell their name Iseman. Ralph's father and mother, John Andrew and Evaline Nancy (Hill) Iseman, were born in Freeport, Pa. One of Ralph's distant cousins lives outside Freeport on Iseman Rd. Ralph was the seventh generation of Isemans in America. John Ralph Iseman was born in Guthrie Co., Iowa in 1890. Ralph married Josie Thene Updegraft 23 Jan. 1912 in Burlington, Ks. Josie was born in Burlington, Ks to Sidney Denton Updegraft and Susan Lane Dawson Loraine, Agnes, and John were born in Burlington, Ks. Wayne and Maxine were lives there. George (10-10-1910 to 7-12-1950) married Tbila Boul and they had 4 boys. Pauline died at the age of 3 from measles and is buried in Blue Hill, Neb. Irene (8-25-1912 to 1976) married Walter Halloway and lived in Denver. They had 5 children and 1 died as an infant. Walter still lives in Denver. Leona L924 to L946. chtenbach. Millicent Luebbers, daughter of Gertrude and Willard, Walter and Wilford Huppert and their mother Twila, sons and wife of George. After the death of their father Uncle Frank and Aunt Tres took care of the younger children until they were able to be on their own. My Aunt Tres had started a business known as the T V Booties after they had moved to Denver awhile. by Betty Jean Brachtenbach lius Wood. Neil died in 1985. Loraine still lives in Burlington. Agnes married Leonard Beeson. They live in Burlington and are still involved in farming and cattle south of Bethune. John married Ellen Bemis, a Kansas gal. They live in Burlington, Ks and farm in the area where Ralph and Josie first lived. Wayne still lives and farms south of Bur- lington. Maxine married Jake Chandler. They are both retired and living in Denver. Josie died 9 Sept. 1974. Ralph died on his 96th birthday 27 Oct.1986. Both were real pioneers. Their friends and family loved and respected them. Ralph spent the last 6 years of his life in the Grace Manor Nursing Home. His determination and out look on life was an inspiration to all. by Lenora Sexson JACKSON, DEWEY AND REVA (BRALY) F336 13 Nov. 1893. Their children Clarence, Two boys died as young men. They lived in Denver and moved to Lag Vegas, Nev. in 1981 where Raymond died in 1985. Theresa still (5-25-LgL4\ married Val Kordes and has 5 children and farmed in Stratton area. Mildred (1916 to 3-19-L924) died of sugar diabetes and is buried in Stratton. Dorothy (12-19-1919 to 5-19-f96f) married Coy Pearson. No children. The family of George and Mollie that still reside in Kit Carson County are their daughter Leona Kordes and her daughters Patsy Eisenbart and Betty Bra- selling cattle and fishing. Ralph and Josie's family was so important to them. Clarence married Allie Jean Beck. He still owns land south of Stratton. Allie Jean and Clarence are retired and live east of Colorado Springs. Loraine married Corne- born south ofStratton. Ralph and Josie lived and farmed on the Austin place, Glaze place, Collins Ranch and the Beveridge Ranch from Memories of the family include the time spent hunting the driest, most productive spot for cow chips, loading the wagon, getting them all home, keeping the pile dry and removing all the ashes that hot fire created. The fun basket dinners after church and Sunday school at First Central included fried chicken, rhubarb pie, lemonade!!! The Ladies Aid and sewing clubs provided needed social contact for the women in the neighborhood. From these activities beautiful quilts were created and close friendships developed. There were the local ballgames on Sunday afternoon for the old and young to enjoy. In the 30's there were very few fences. Most of the cattle ran free and the crops were fenced. The grasshoppers were terrible. The poison was placed around the fences because the grasshoppers even ate the fence posts. You never left leather harnesses out because in a few hours there was nothing left but the metal. You could take a clear drinking glass and coat it with smoke from a kerogene lnmp, to protect your eyes as you looked directly at the sun, and see the grasshoppers flying through the air. In 1946 Ralph and Josie moved to Burlington. Josie babysat with grandkids and Jeanne Zick. Josie loved to sew and make quilts. Many a wedding dress, Raggedy Ann, and quilts are prized possessions of her descendants. Ralph kept busy buying and J. Dewey Jackson's first residence in Kit Carson County in 1925, shown with his 1916 Reo truck, 1925 Fordson tractor and a new Ford car J. Dewey Jackson was born north of Phillipsburg, Kansas in 1898, the 5th of ten children born to William A. Jackson and Betty Mae (Bales) Jackson. He walked to school 2t/z miles. While still at home he took a correspondence course on Basic Electricity out of Chicago, Illinois. He rode a horse to Woodruff, Kansas, 19 miles for 8th grade examinations. To help the family income he did trapping; then skunks were worth $20 a piece. When he started his one year of high school, his mother gave him a gold pocket watch to encourage him not to start smoking. This prized possession was pawned several times thru the years to buy life's necessities. The winter of 1917 he went to Kansas City, Kansas, worked as a street car conductor, and attended Sweeny Automobile School. Summer of 1921 traveled to Canada where he was a jack of all trades: helped paint a church, built a school house, hauled logs, and then summer of 1922 helped build a wooden elevator at Sturgis, Saskatchewan. In 1923 back to Alma, Nebraska to rent a garage for one year. Then in L924he traded all the shop supplies for half of the cost ($10 A.) on his first purchase of land in Colorado. His dad � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- H Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource A brief history of the founding families of Kit Carson County whose names begin with "H." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Janice Salmons Marlyn Hasart Dorothy Smith Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/486/Families-I.pdf 9b412aea385e5ea613ab0a5ee19ba7fa PDF Text Text very ill and died on Aug.ust 29, L922. George moved the family out to Stratton in June 1923. They lived 1 mile south of Stratton. At that time their neighbors were John Gerke and Pautler dairy farm. They shipped the furniture and other belongings by train and moved out here in a Model T touring car and Ford truck. Circles painted in colors on telephone posts were the highway signs. Free range was the law and only fields were fenced. There were many acres of grass land and cattle roamed freely. It was not unusual for some farmers to come by looking for their cattle and if it was meal time they were always invited to come in for a meal. Later George moved his family three miles east and one and a half south of Stratton. George's son, George, drove a team of horses and a wagon and took the children to school. Later on they drove a car. Aunt Tres went to high school and Leona, Irene, Mildred, George and Dorothy went to grade school at Stratton's St. Charles Catholic Grade School. In 1926 George became ill and had an operation for cancer in Denver at St. Joseph Hospital, and the day he was to come home, he died from a blood clot. There were 11 children in the family and three are still living. Frank (10-12-1899 to 85-1961) married Catherine Colgan. They had 2 children. One died as an infant. Helen (1901 to 1968) married John Harrison. She taught school in a country school in Stratton. They moved to Missouri. They had 5 children. Mary (8-26-1902 to 6-11-1957) married Joe Kloecker and lived in Denver. They had 5 children. 1 son died. Gertrude (3-27 -L904) married Tony Beller. They had 5 children and still live in Denver. Theresa (8-19-1907) maried Raymond Bush and had 4 children. ISEMAN FAMILY F335 Febr. 1924 brought Ralph and Josie Iseman to Kit Carson County with their children Clarence, Loraine, Agnes and John. Ralph had been out from Burlington, Ks. to look things over earlier. So with the George Bailey and Hill families they loaded their household items on two immigrant cars on the train. They drove out in a Model T car. The windows were ising-glass. The weather was very cold and they kept warm with a heater that had something like charcoal briquettes inside. The trip took five days. They stayed at the Collins Hotel in Stratton until the Austin place was available. Ralph always said that his ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch. How right he was. In reality Pennsylvania Dutch means German born. The first Iseman of Ralph's family to enter America was Peter and he came from Germany in 1749. Those first Isemans spelled their name many ways: Eyseman, Eisaman, Eiseman, Isaman. Westmoreland Co., Pa. has many of Peter's descendants and most of them spell their names Eiseman. The ones from Freeport, Pa. spell their name Iseman. Ralph's father and mother, John Andrew and Evaline Nancy (Hill) Iseman, were born in Freeport, Pa. One of Ralph's distant cousins lives outside Freeport on Iseman Rd. Ralph was the seventh generation of Isemans in America. John Ralph Iseman was born in Guthrie Co., Iowa in 1890. Ralph married Josie Thene Updegraft 23 Jan. 1912 in Burlington, Ks. Josie was born in Burlington, Ks to Sidney Denton Updegraft and Susan Lane Dawson Loraine, Agnes, and John were born in Burlington, Ks. Wayne and Maxine were lives there. George (10-10-1910 to 7-12-1950) married Tbila Boul and they had 4 boys. Pauline died at the age of 3 from measles and is buried in Blue Hill, Neb. Irene (8-25-1912 to 1976) married Walter Halloway and lived in Denver. They had 5 children and 1 died as an infant. Walter still lives in Denver. Leona L924 to L946. chtenbach. Millicent Luebbers, daughter of Gertrude and Willard, Walter and Wilford Huppert and their mother Twila, sons and wife of George. After the death of their father Uncle Frank and Aunt Tres took care of the younger children until they were able to be on their own. My Aunt Tres had started a business known as the T V Booties after they had moved to Denver awhile. by Betty Jean Brachtenbach lius Wood. Neil died in 1985. Loraine still lives in Burlington. Agnes married Leonard Beeson. They live in Burlington and are still involved in farming and cattle south of Bethune. John married Ellen Bemis, a Kansas gal. They live in Burlington, Ks and farm in the area where Ralph and Josie first lived. Wayne still lives and farms south of Bur- lington. Maxine married Jake Chandler. They are both retired and living in Denver. Josie died 9 Sept. 1974. Ralph died on his 96th birthday 27 Oct.1986. Both were real pioneers. Their friends and family loved and respected them. Ralph spent the last 6 years of his life in the Grace Manor Nursing Home. His determination and out look on life was an inspiration to all. by Lenora Sexson JACKSON, DEWEY AND REVA (BRALY) F336 13 Nov. 1893. Their children Clarence, Two boys died as young men. They lived in Denver and moved to Lag Vegas, Nev. in 1981 where Raymond died in 1985. Theresa still (5-25-LgL4\ married Val Kordes and has 5 children and farmed in Stratton area. Mildred (1916 to 3-19-L924) died of sugar diabetes and is buried in Stratton. Dorothy (12-19-1919 to 5-19-f96f) married Coy Pearson. No children. The family of George and Mollie that still reside in Kit Carson County are their daughter Leona Kordes and her daughters Patsy Eisenbart and Betty Bra- selling cattle and fishing. Ralph and Josie's family was so important to them. Clarence married Allie Jean Beck. He still owns land south of Stratton. Allie Jean and Clarence are retired and live east of Colorado Springs. Loraine married Corne- born south ofStratton. Ralph and Josie lived and farmed on the Austin place, Glaze place, Collins Ranch and the Beveridge Ranch from Memories of the family include the time spent hunting the driest, most productive spot for cow chips, loading the wagon, getting them all home, keeping the pile dry and removing all the ashes that hot fire created. The fun basket dinners after church and Sunday school at First Central included fried chicken, rhubarb pie, lemonade!!! The Ladies Aid and sewing clubs provided needed social contact for the women in the neighborhood. From these activities beautiful quilts were created and close friendships developed. There were the local ballgames on Sunday afternoon for the old and young to enjoy. In the 30's there were very few fences. Most of the cattle ran free and the crops were fenced. The grasshoppers were terrible. The poison was placed around the fences because the grasshoppers even ate the fence posts. You never left leather harnesses out because in a few hours there was nothing left but the metal. You could take a clear drinking glass and coat it with smoke from a kerogene lnmp, to protect your eyes as you looked directly at the sun, and see the grasshoppers flying through the air. In 1946 Ralph and Josie moved to Burlington. Josie babysat with grandkids and Jeanne Zick. Josie loved to sew and make quilts. Many a wedding dress, Raggedy Ann, and quilts are prized possessions of her descendants. Ralph kept busy buying and J. Dewey Jackson's first residence in Kit Carson County in 1925, shown with his 1916 Reo truck, 1925 Fordson tractor and a new Ford car J. Dewey Jackson was born north of Phillipsburg, Kansas in 1898, the 5th of ten children born to William A. Jackson and Betty Mae (Bales) Jackson. He walked to school 2t/z miles. While still at home he took a correspondence course on Basic Electricity out of Chicago, Illinois. He rode a horse to Woodruff, Kansas, 19 miles for 8th grade examinations. To help the family income he did trapping; then skunks were worth $20 a piece. When he started his one year of high school, his mother gave him a gold pocket watch to encourage him not to start smoking. This prized possession was pawned several times thru the years to buy life's necessities. The winter of 1917 he went to Kansas City, Kansas, worked as a street car conductor, and attended Sweeny Automobile School. Summer of 1921 traveled to Canada where he was a jack of all trades: helped paint a church, built a school house, hauled logs, and then summer of 1922 helped build a wooden elevator at Sturgis, Saskatchewan. In 1923 back to Alma, Nebraska to rent a garage for one year. Then in L924he traded all the shop supplies for half of the cost ($10 A.) on his first purchase of land in Colorado. His dad � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- I Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource A brief history of the founding families of Kit Carson County whose names begin with an "I." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/487/Families-J.pdf 5cb9855edfe322ce49340c2a3f8251d6 PDF Text Text very ill and died on Aug.ust 29, L922. George moved the family out to Stratton in June 1923. They lived 1 mile south of Stratton. At that time their neighbors were John Gerke and Pautler dairy farm. They shipped the furniture and other belongings by train and moved out here in a Model T touring car and Ford truck. Circles painted in colors on telephone posts were the highway signs. Free range was the law and only fields were fenced. There were many acres of grass land and cattle roamed freely. It was not unusual for some farmers to come by looking for their cattle and if it was meal time they were always invited to come in for a meal. Later George moved his family three miles east and one and a half south of Stratton. George's son, George, drove a team of horses and a wagon and took the children to school. Later on they drove a car. Aunt Tres went to high school and Leona, Irene, Mildred, George and Dorothy went to grade school at Stratton's St. Charles Catholic Grade School. In 1926 George became ill and had an operation for cancer in Denver at St. Joseph Hospital, and the day he was to come home, he died from a blood clot. There were 11 children in the family and three are still living. Frank (10-12-1899 to 85-1961) married Catherine Colgan. They had 2 children. One died as an infant. Helen (1901 to 1968) married John Harrison. She taught school in a country school in Stratton. They moved to Missouri. They had 5 children. Mary (8-26-1902 to 6-11-1957) married Joe Kloecker and lived in Denver. They had 5 children. 1 son died. Gertrude (3-27 -L904) married Tony Beller. They had 5 children and still live in Denver. Theresa (8-19-1907) maried Raymond Bush and had 4 children. ISEMAN FAMILY F335 Febr. 1924 brought Ralph and Josie Iseman to Kit Carson County with their children Clarence, Loraine, Agnes and John. Ralph had been out from Burlington, Ks. to look things over earlier. So with the George Bailey and Hill families they loaded their household items on two immigrant cars on the train. They drove out in a Model T car. The windows were ising-glass. The weather was very cold and they kept warm with a heater that had something like charcoal briquettes inside. The trip took five days. They stayed at the Collins Hotel in Stratton until the Austin place was available. Ralph always said that his ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch. How right he was. In reality Pennsylvania Dutch means German born. The first Iseman of Ralph's family to enter America was Peter and he came from Germany in 1749. Those first Isemans spelled their name many ways: Eyseman, Eisaman, Eiseman, Isaman. Westmoreland Co., Pa. has many of Peter's descendants and most of them spell their names Eiseman. The ones from Freeport, Pa. spell their name Iseman. Ralph's father and mother, John Andrew and Evaline Nancy (Hill) Iseman, were born in Freeport, Pa. One of Ralph's distant cousins lives outside Freeport on Iseman Rd. Ralph was the seventh generation of Isemans in America. John Ralph Iseman was born in Guthrie Co., Iowa in 1890. Ralph married Josie Thene Updegraft 23 Jan. 1912 in Burlington, Ks. Josie was born in Burlington, Ks to Sidney Denton Updegraft and Susan Lane Dawson Loraine, Agnes, and John were born in Burlington, Ks. Wayne and Maxine were lives there. George (10-10-1910 to 7-12-1950) married Tbila Boul and they had 4 boys. Pauline died at the age of 3 from measles and is buried in Blue Hill, Neb. Irene (8-25-1912 to 1976) married Walter Halloway and lived in Denver. They had 5 children and 1 died as an infant. Walter still lives in Denver. Leona L924 to L946. chtenbach. Millicent Luebbers, daughter of Gertrude and Willard, Walter and Wilford Huppert and their mother Twila, sons and wife of George. After the death of their father Uncle Frank and Aunt Tres took care of the younger children until they were able to be on their own. My Aunt Tres had started a business known as the T V Booties after they had moved to Denver awhile. by Betty Jean Brachtenbach lius Wood. Neil died in 1985. Loraine still lives in Burlington. Agnes married Leonard Beeson. They live in Burlington and are still involved in farming and cattle south of Bethune. John married Ellen Bemis, a Kansas gal. They live in Burlington, Ks and farm in the area where Ralph and Josie first lived. Wayne still lives and farms south of Bur- lington. Maxine married Jake Chandler. They are both retired and living in Denver. Josie died 9 Sept. 1974. Ralph died on his 96th birthday 27 Oct.1986. Both were real pioneers. Their friends and family loved and respected them. Ralph spent the last 6 years of his life in the Grace Manor Nursing Home. His determination and out look on life was an inspiration to all. by Lenora Sexson JACKSON, DEWEY AND REVA (BRALY) F336 13 Nov. 1893. Their children Clarence, Two boys died as young men. They lived in Denver and moved to Lag Vegas, Nev. in 1981 where Raymond died in 1985. Theresa still (5-25-LgL4\ married Val Kordes and has 5 children and farmed in Stratton area. Mildred (1916 to 3-19-L924) died of sugar diabetes and is buried in Stratton. Dorothy (12-19-1919 to 5-19-f96f) married Coy Pearson. No children. The family of George and Mollie that still reside in Kit Carson County are their daughter Leona Kordes and her daughters Patsy Eisenbart and Betty Bra- selling cattle and fishing. Ralph and Josie's family was so important to them. Clarence married Allie Jean Beck. He still owns land south of Stratton. Allie Jean and Clarence are retired and live east of Colorado Springs. Loraine married Corne- born south ofStratton. Ralph and Josie lived and farmed on the Austin place, Glaze place, Collins Ranch and the Beveridge Ranch from Memories of the family include the time spent hunting the driest, most productive spot for cow chips, loading the wagon, getting them all home, keeping the pile dry and removing all the ashes that hot fire created. The fun basket dinners after church and Sunday school at First Central included fried chicken, rhubarb pie, lemonade!!! The Ladies Aid and sewing clubs provided needed social contact for the women in the neighborhood. From these activities beautiful quilts were created and close friendships developed. There were the local ballgames on Sunday afternoon for the old and young to enjoy. In the 30's there were very few fences. Most of the cattle ran free and the crops were fenced. The grasshoppers were terrible. The poison was placed around the fences because the grasshoppers even ate the fence posts. You never left leather harnesses out because in a few hours there was nothing left but the metal. You could take a clear drinking glass and coat it with smoke from a kerogene lnmp, to protect your eyes as you looked directly at the sun, and see the grasshoppers flying through the air. In 1946 Ralph and Josie moved to Burlington. Josie babysat with grandkids and Jeanne Zick. Josie loved to sew and make quilts. Many a wedding dress, Raggedy Ann, and quilts are prized possessions of her descendants. Ralph kept busy buying and J. Dewey Jackson's first residence in Kit Carson County in 1925, shown with his 1916 Reo truck, 1925 Fordson tractor and a new Ford car J. Dewey Jackson was born north of Phillipsburg, Kansas in 1898, the 5th of ten children born to William A. Jackson and Betty Mae (Bales) Jackson. He walked to school 2t/z miles. While still at home he took a correspondence course on Basic Electricity out of Chicago, Illinois. He rode a horse to Woodruff, Kansas, 19 miles for 8th grade examinations. To help the family income he did trapping; then skunks were worth $20 a piece. When he started his one year of high school, his mother gave him a gold pocket watch to encourage him not to start smoking. This prized possession was pawned several times thru the years to buy life's necessities. The winter of 1917 he went to Kansas City, Kansas, worked as a street car conductor, and attended Sweeny Automobile School. Summer of 1921 traveled to Canada where he was a jack of all trades: helped paint a church, built a school house, hauled logs, and then summer of 1922 helped build a wooden elevator at Sturgis, Saskatchewan. In 1923 back to Alma, Nebraska to rent a garage for one year. Then in L924he traded all the shop supplies for half of the cost ($10 A.) on his first purchase of land in Colorado. His dad �paid for the other half of WVz30-7-47 inKit Carson County. Dewey came to Colorado to start farming on March 1st 1925. His first home was a hole in the ground with a tent over it. Heat was a brooder stove. One month of this and he built a wooden shack. He broke sod for himself and others with a Fordson tractor; main crop was corn. In 1926 he took C.A. Monroe and older boys to Cheyenne Frontier Days in his Reo 3/ T truck; it would haul 100 bu. On return trip, they drove the Fall River Road; curves were so sharp one had to back up to make the curve. Later he rented a place Vz mile north of S. Fork Republican. He cooked for corn pickers and others when Hank Howell, owner of a corn sheller, was shelling corn. In June 1930, Dewey married Reva Grace Braly. They lived north of the river in a 2 story tar paper house. Here the three oldest children, Virgene, Paul and Betty were born. Here Reva had to kill her first rattle snake. After the flood in May 1935 they moved up on a hill north 1/z mile. Lost in the flood was a hog shed and hogs, cattle, side of cement tank and windmill pushed over some and other damages. The fall of 1935 they moved 2t/z miles west where a third girl Mary was born 1936. In spring of 1937 they moved again on north 3 miles where the two older children started school at Boger School #12. Then in 1939 they had another girl Anna Belle. By now farming was done by horses or an International high wheel row crop tractor with steel wheels. He sold wheat crop, went to Vona Bank for a loan, was turned down, so on to Stratton Bank. Ray Calvealy, banker at Stratton, approved a loan so Dewey has banked there ever since. In 1940 he made dov,rn pa5noent on 5 quarters. Then spring of 1942 they moved to location L4-7-48, From here the kids walked about a mile to attend the (Adobe) Plainview School #64 on 22-7-48. After planting a lot of trees on their building sit€, the home place was nomed Shade Lane. Traded 4large Pigs for a piano so the girls could take lessons from Ruth Vincent and later the Catholic Sisters in Stratton. Basic crops were corn, certified coes, Fremont cane and Wichita wheat. He also raised beef cattle; milked up to 12 cows by hand. In 1956 Dewey won the Skelly Award and Reva was named outstanding home maker of the county. Both were 4-H leaders for 5 years or more. Dewey was very active in Farm Bureau, served on school board, helped organize the new phone system and many other community or county activities. They both enjoyed traveling for a few years after all the kids were out on their own. Then in fall of 1961 after death ofa son's wife, they helped raise three grandchildren for 10 years till their son remarried. They slowly phased out of cattle and, having rented the farm, had their main farm sale in February, 1972. Then in the fall of L977, they moved to a house they purchased in Burlington, Colorado. In October 1978 they had another sale to sell extra items and to clean up the farm. They still enjoy visiting with friends and family, Dewey at the coffee shop with the guys, and Reva busy with her yard work, fancy work, church and club activities. by Mary (Jackson) McCaffrey JACOBER FAMILY F337 John and Marie (Matteis-Matthies) Jacober were part of the Germans who came to this country by way of Russia. John was born March 12, 1866, in Tirraspolftrispol, Russia, and Marie was born Dec. 22, 1868, in Geidetown, Russia. Their obituaries list Glueckstahl, So. Russia as their birthplaces and Tirraspol is listed for both of them on their Petition of Naturalization dated Oct. 30, 1909. When the ancestors of John & Marie went to Russia, Catherine was Empress. She wanted to settle the Ukraine with German farmers so she promised them free farms, less taxes and freedom from military service for 100 years. The land there was somewhat like our Great Plains but had better water, timber and deeper soil. Years went by, Russian Emperors changed, the 100-year military exemption expired and the Russians started calling the young German men into their troops. At that time John was a young farmer with a wife, having married Marie on Nov. 10, 1887, and two small children. He was taken into the military for a year's service and was attached to a cavalry regiment located at Odessa. Since he was handywith blacksmith tools he was made farrier, or horse shoer, for the regiment and several times shod the saddle horse of the Royal Duke. After serving five months, with no bad marks against his record, he was told he would be granted a month's furlough at the end of his 6-month service. Just before his furlough he received a letter from a cousin who had migrated to the United States and was living in the Dakotas. He told John the U.S. had given him 320 acres of land, and that he had raised 2,000 bushels ofwheat that year. John began to visualize himself on a farm in America, sowing the seed by hand from a sack over his shoulder, harrowing it, cutting it with a sickle or cradle, llamping it out with horses on a hard clay bed or pounding it with a flail, and winnowing it by dropping it from an upheld pail. Farming was certainly not an easy task in those days. Finally, unable to get the thought ofa farm in America and 2,fi)0 bushels of wheat out of his mind, he wrote to his wife, Marie, to sell their farm and everything else she could. She followed his instructions, and when he arrived for his furlough all their possessions had been converted into money except for the few bundles of personal belongings they could carry. That night, after farewells to friends and relatives, they took their two small children, Anna, 3 years, and Louise, I year, and left. They traveled only at night for fear of being caught, and after passing through a forest and over a river arrived in Austria. While waiting for a train, an official, sensing that they were running away, arrested John, put him in jail and took half of his money. At the next stop the same thing happened, and Marie, with the two small children, spent the night on a bench outside the jail. The next morning the chief military officer came by, saw her and the children, and sent his orderly to inquire as to what had happened. When he learned the story, the officer made the jailer release John, return all his possessions and money. The orderly was then instructed to accompany John's fanily to the station and see that they got safely on their way. After a long journey they arrived in Hamburg, Germany. They sailed for New York aboard the ship "Warl" on March 24, 1892, and after arriving there April L2,1892, spent three days in a day coach to Burlington. They reached Burlington at 3:00 in the morning of April 15, 1892. Not knowing the English language they were unable to communicate with anyone. About noon that same day, Frank Mann heard of their situation and with T.G. Price, who could speak German, went to the depot and arranged to take them to the Settlement. There they found friends who located work for John and a place for the family to stay. John went to work for the railroad. They built a sod house and plastered it with native lime. Every Saturday Marie would get fresh lime and whitcwash the walls so the house would always look fresh and clean. The floor was plastered with a mixture of clay and straw, which when dry became so hard it could hardly be broken with a hatchet. John moved with his family to Denver in 1895 and worked in the smelter at Globeville until 1898. At that time they moved to Brighton and had a truck garden until 1905 when they moved back to Kit Carson County. They homesteaded 320 acres, which included 240 acres in the N 1/z E r/z SW %, Sec. 27, T. 6, R. 44 and 80 acres in the NE % NW % and NW % Ne % of Sec. 34, T. 6, R. 44, about 17 miles north of Burlington. With the help of neighbors they hauled rocks and soon had a stone house and barn built. John then bought a horse and a set of harness. After he borrowed a rod breaking plow and Henry Goebel loaned him another horse, he was ready to start working his American farm. Though it took several years of hard work, John finally one day saw his dream of 2,000 bushels of wheat come true. In addition to their two daughters who came with them from Russia, Anna, born in Tirraspol, Russia Oct. 11, 1888, and Louise also born in Tirraspol, Aug. 5, 1890, there were three sons born after arriving in the United States. John, Jr. was born Mar. 3, 1893, and Ralph Oct. 24 L894, both in Burlington, and Christian "Chris", born Dec. 15, 1897, in Globeville, Colorado. When World War I started two of their sons, John and Ralph went into the service. John died shortly afterward aboard the USS Pocahontas near Brest, France, Sept. 29, 1918. Ralph was wounded at the Battle of Metz near Paris, France, and received his honorable discharge in Feb. 1919. John had not married before he went to war so Ralph took over his homestead when he returned from service. In L922 Chris started working John & Marie's homestead and they moved into Burlington a short time later. On Oct. 8, 1934, John passed away and Marie followed him on Dec. 15, 1950. Both John and Marie set good slamples to their descendants as good citiz- ens and faithful followers of God. They became official American citizens on June 15, 1910 and were a true credit to their adopted country. In addition to their two sons who served in World War I, they had grandsons serving in World War II, andthe Korean War andgreatgrandsons in Vietnnm. None of John & Marie's children are living. Anna passed away Feb. 7, 1981, Louise March �16, 1918, John, Jr. Sept. 29, 1918, Ralph Oct. 8, 1970, and Chris May 15, 1967. by Alice M. Jacober JACOBER - OUTHET FAMILY F338 Christian "Chris" Jacober, son ofJohn and Marie (Matteis-Matties) Jacober, was born 15 December 1897, in Globeville, CO. and on 14 Septembet 792L, in Burlington, CO. was married to Bessie June Outhet, daughter of John William and Mary Annora "Nora" (Broadsword) Outhet. Bessie was born 18 June 1903 in Y 'ma County, Colorado, near Hale. Inl922 Chris took over the operation of his parent's homestead about 17 miles north of Burlington. He and Bessie continued to farm there until 1951 when they moved into Burlington. While they were on the farm they were blessed with five children: John Chris "Jake" born 10 Sept. 1922; Dortha Viola born 20 May 1925; Edwin Chris born 20 August 1927; Darlene Josephene born 10 Sept. 1929 and Elmer Jnmes born 7 November 1931. The children all attended Columbine School District # 3 about a mile or so southwest of their home. Their lunchboxes were syrup buckets which they also sometimes used for playing kickball on the way home. Lunch might even consist of syrup sandwiches when times were hard. When they were fortunate enough to get a bucket of jelly or jnm with the bright emblem on it, they all wanted that one for their lunchbox. With the depression, the onslaught of the "dirty 30's" and five children to feed, it was hard to keep food on the table; but by working together and working hard, they persevered. There were times the old chickens had hardly enough fat on them to even make soup, but the family stuck together. The boys did some trapping of skunks, muskrats, coyotes and sold their fur. A good skunk or muskrat fur would bring $4.50 to $5.50 and an average skunk about $2 to $2.50, a jackrabbit about 25 cents. John worked at CCC Camp when he was about 16 years old and Ed worked at the farm ofFloyd Jacobsen. When World War II started Chris and Bessie's son John and their son-in-law, Clarence "John" Schlosser, Jr, both served in the Navy. Following in the Navy tradition, their other two sons, Ed and Elmer and another son-in-law, Ben Nix, served in the Navy during the Korean War. Two of their grandsons, Steve and Ed Schlosser, also served in the Navy in the Vietnnm War. In 1951 Chris and Bessie moved into Burlington as all three boys were still in the Navy and the two girls both married and away from home. They bought a small house in the east part of town. Chris worked part time at one of the elevators in town. When Ed and Ebner returned from the Korean War, Blmer married Vivian Sailer and Ed maried Alice Barnhart. Dorothy had married Clarence "John" Schlosser, Jr. and Darlene married Ben Nix of Texas. John, "Jake", spent 20 active years and 10 inactive years in the Navy and during that time he married Patricia Travis of Massachusetts. Chris and Bessie lived in their home in Burlington until November 1959 when they moved to Lakewood, CO. near Ed and Elmer's families. Chris enjoyed woodworking projects and was official "master of the barbecue" at family gatherings. In November 1963 they moved into a small house in Wheat Ridge, CO. and were living there when Chris died very suddenly on May 15, 1967. Since Chris passed away Bessie has lived with her son Ed's family and now resides with He is a Lutheran. Mr. Jacober has proven to be a proficient and resourceful farmer and rancher, and his efforts have been rewarded with a great measure of success. by Janice Salmans JAMES FAMILY them near Westcliffe, CO.; Dortha and "John" also live in Westcliffe; John "Jake" and Pat live in Wheat Ridge, CO.; Darlene F340 and Ben in Edgewater, CO.; and Elmer and Vivian in Lakewood, CO. by Alice M. Jacober JACOBER, RALPH F339 Ralph Jacober is owner and operator of a fine farming and ranching property seventeen miles northwest of Burlington, where he specializes in high grade Shorthorn cattle, with registered bulls and raises feed, corn, sorghums, and wheat. Mr. Jacober's farm is located thirteen miles north and four miles west of Burlington and was homesteaded by his brother, John. Mr. Jacober was reared in ranching and farming. He worked with his Shiloh Baptist Church. Photo taken many years aftcr building was abandoned. father prior to entering World War I. Mr. Jacober served with the 28th Division in France. Following his discharge in May of 1918 he returned to his father's farm and then took over his brother's homestead nearby. His brother was a victim of the flu epidemic of 1918. Here Ralph has lived and reared his family since that time. He has put up all the buildings on the farm and has planted trees and lawn. Ralph was born on October 24, 1894, in Kit Carson County to John and Mary Mathies Jacober, ranchers. His parents were born in Russia, his father in 1864 and his mother in 1868. They were married in Russia in 1887, and ceme to the United States in 1892. In 1894, they took a homestead north of Bur- Summer fun, about 1929. Marie Jones, Virginia James. Helen Jnmes and Reta Jnmes. O.R. and Gertrude James O.R. and (Ollie) James and wife Gertie and Cleo, Lola, Rollo, and Virginia moved from- Washington, Kansas to lington. Ralph Jacober attended public schools in Kit Carson County. Mr. Jacober manied Miss Bthel Goebel, their four children the daughter of Henry and Mary Chandler Rock Island Railroad Goebel, on February LL,L925, in Burlington. Mrs. Jacober's father was born in Germany and came to Wilbur, Nebraska, from there with his parents in 1875. In 1891, his parents - they purchased a farm Vona. Two years later came to Kit Carson County and took a homestead northeast of Burlington. Mr. Goebel went to work at the age of twelve years for Mr. McCurtis, owner of the Spring Valley ranch north of Burlington. In a few years, he beceme foreman. In May of 1901, he married and in 1916, he acquired a ranch of his own. Here he remained until 1951, at which time he sold out. He was well known in his area and engaged in the buying of livestock, traveling widely throughout the state. He passed away in September of 1955. Mr. and Mrs. Jacober are the parents of one daughtcr, Helen Marie, who is married to Dale Young. They are the parents of two children, Bruce, born in 1951, and Gregg, born in 1954. Mr. Jacober is a member of the Farm Bureau, Colorado Wheat Growers Association, and the Burlington American Legion. Kit Carson County via "immigranf,, ss" in the spring of 1917, bringing livestock - horses, cattle, hogs, chickens, as well as- household furnishings, their destination a rented farm north of from Marvin Barnett in the Shiloh community north of Seibert. This area was nickna-ed "Suckers Flat". Why it was called that I never knew because it was and still is a very choice spot with table level land and rich black soil. The newly acquired farm was improved with a good barn and a 2 room "soddie". The fifth child was born in this house which was home to this family of seven for six years. Having been accustomed to better living conditions, the rodents etc. that went along with sod house living were a constant source of frustration for my mother. However, her Irish good humor managed to prevail and to see everyone through happily. Mother and Dad took part in community "Literarieg" in those early years. Neighbors included the Ace Harmons, Quentins, Grover Todds, Alec Todds, Mason Wilsons, Andrew Hermans, �Vic and Marvin Barnett, the Millers (George, Ord, and others) the Houglands, Teeters, Porteniers, Gerings, Jenkins, Loutzenhizers, Nelsons, Probascoes, Backs, Elmer Kings, Denver where Helen died in 1965. Buss died about 15 years later. In 1946 Ollie and Gertie James sold the farm in the Shiloh community to Walter Clinton Jones's. The North Flat School was located a few hundred feet from our house. Water for the school children was carried daily from our well house in the "water bucket", Teachers that I can remember who taught there were Madeline Ott Becker, Della Hendricks -Julia Bancroft Wnmczyk Dugan - Irene Bernice Harmon McBlair. Timm. They moved to Denver and spent the remainder of their days there. Until Ollie's death in 1962 they lived on an acreage in Lakewood. After his death, mother and Virginia moved to north Denver where they lived out their lives. Only survivors of this large family are Lola and Reta. Reta married This farming community enjoyed economic good times during the 20's as did most of the country and many new homes were built. My parents built a new frame house with a finished basement the winter of.'24 and'25. They moved into the new house in April. I was born a couple of weeks later on May 3. The James's were active members of the Shiloh Baptist Church which was located 3 miles to the west of our place. My older brothers, Cleo and Rollo along with my dad helped dig out and construct the new basement under the church. This was about 1928. The digging was done with horses. Dad, (Ollie James) served on the board of directors of the Seibert Equity for many years. He was interested in politics and was reside. Percy Lounge in 1945. They have lived most of the years in Burlington where they still by Rita James Lounge JAMES FAMILY F341 to care for sick animals. He was called out of bed many a night to take care of a neighbor's cow that was bloated or couldn't deliver her calf to pull a horse's tooth or whatever - ordoing people knew who to call. needed In 1928 my -younger brother was born my parents seventh child. He was named He nicknamed Robert and "Buzzy". William Our father at the age of 36 sitting beside the "soddie'with Virginia and Helen. j $: -;; out of that quarter eection of pasture land until it was absolutely clean. He stacked them in a pile the length of the yard but I don't think he ever did get the cows to eat them. At least the pasture was cleaned up anyway never stand sunflowers growing could -on he his land either. In 1934 my brother Rollo married Ruth - daughter ofCharlie Purvis ofCope. Theyspentthe firstyears of their married life locally and then moved to Denver where they have lived since. Rollo died in 1984. Christmas Eve of 1937 my sister Helen Purvis married Buss Reynolds (son of Walter Reyn- olds of Flagler). They were married at our home. They lived all their married life in brick. Even the roof was covered with sod instead of shingles. The roof was re-sodded every year and fresh sod would green up with the grass growing like a lawn. Buffalo grass had strong roots that held the soil firm. One room of the "soddie" was the kitchen, dining room and living room all in one. The other room was the bedroom, draped off to give us four bedrooms. The drapes could be opened for light during the day but drawn at night for privacy. One of the spaces was used most of the time like a closet except when relatives came for a visit. Cots would be placed for them. We also had a "dugout" building near the house. This building was half under and half above ground, the above ground part built of sod. Good windows gave light and this teacher's desk was placed here. The stage also had curtains to draw closed and many plays weakness and have to be helped up. Because overgrown with cactus. Dad was sure he could somehow make cattle feed out of those cactug if he could just figure out a way to get rid of the stickers. He dug by hand all the cactus ginia. We had never seen a "sod house" before but soon learned to enjoy the comfort it gave us. Two large rooms with outer walls made of sod blocks cut from the prairie and laid like quarters for hired help during cattle drives and harvest time. The schoolhouse, also a sod building, had been built on the northeast corner of the farm, not more than a hundred feet from our barn and corral. It was built with a stage a foot higher than the rest of the floor. The contribution to the community was his ability of the drought our pastures had become Our father, Ollie James, moved us to the farm he bought north of Seibert in 1919. A real change for all of us my mother, brother Cleo, myself, brother -Rollo and sister Vir- made a good workshop and also to hang hams and beef from the raftprs in the wintertime. Later the building was used for sleeping a fervent Democrat. Probably his biggest died in 1961. The fall of L929 my oldest sister, Lola went off to college at Fort Collins (Colo. State Agricultural College). She received her teacher's license 2 years later and taught school at Prairie Gem (north of Flagler) and at Progress (north of Seibert). Lola married Loren Portenier. Loren joined the navy shortly after their marriage where he spent an interesting and productive life retiring after 30 years. Loren died in 1983. Lola resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Oldest brother, Cleo died at age 25. He is buried in the Shiloh cemetery. The Depression and the "dust bowl" hit hard. Dad was hard pressed to find feed for his animals. They would get down from O.R. and Gertrude James A gathering of the Shiloh Church ladies and children. and progrsms were performed there by the students especially at Christmas time. The teachers also used this area as their living quarters. Often ate their dinners with us at our home. The schoolhouse wan heated with a regular pot-belly stove that burned corn cobs and coal. The sod school was torn down and a nice fra-e school house built in the same location. The only high school in the area wENr three miles west and half mile south from our house. After graduating 8th grade, I rode horse back to and from Shiloh school for three years then transferred to Flagler �High School for my senior year. I worked for graduated spring of my board and room Virginia and Helen also 1929. Younger sistcrs attended Shiloh High School. Virginia graduated from Flagler High in 1934 and Helen from Seibert High in 1937. Our father was a horse and cattle breeder. He used the free range to run the cattle so the "L-Dismond" brand was selected. Cleo and I spent many days riding the range to keep the cattle from roaming too far away. Our father took out a hundred year leaee on a school section that he fenced in. A deep well with windmill was added to pump water into two large tanks. The cattle would be herded into the corral around the water tanks to be fed extra food when necessary. This corral was also used at branding and dehorning time. Most of the herd were shorthorned some however had to have their horns sawed off. In 1925 our family moved into a newly constructed frame house with a good basement. The "soddie" was torn down. Where the sod house had gtood a grove of trees were planted. To the south of the yard was a large garden space. Dad would plow with a one horse walking plow in the early spring and our mother would take it from there raising all the vegetables (except potatoes) that we would need to last through the year. Potatoes were planted in the fields. Mother always managed to work in some flowers along with the vegetables, usually zinnias and cosmos. She took great pride in her garden and definitely had a greenthumb. Soon after the new house was built we enjoyed the convenience of a telephone. Our ring was "one long and four shorts". Everyone on the party line would be sure to listen in whenever the phone would ring and sometimes several people would be in on the conversation before it was over. by Lola James Portenier JAMES, CHESTER AND WINIFRED F342 Chestcr and Winifred James were married September 22, 1943 on Winifreds 22nd birthday, in Stratton, Colorado. We lived in Kanorado, Kansas until March L7, 1944 - lt was a cold, windy, snowy day when we decided to move 41/z miles North of Peconic. Colorado. We had a 1941 white (Coyote catching) Ford car and we loaded it down We stopped at the post office in Kanorado and picked up 500 baby chickens we had ordered. The baby chickens went in the back seat (along with the lemp and mirror), We had a big old white sow, and she went in the trunk of the car - we had to stop every once in awhile to open the trunk and give her some air - We headed the Ford North of Peconic and to work. - went Lyle Jn-es, Chester's father, having our best int€rest at heart, told us to get some milk cows and milk - but youth being as it is, that was not what we wanted to do - We bought 1100 turkey poults and start€d in the turkey business - we learned a lot - a whole lot, even our neighbors learned a lot. Between disease hail storms and hungry coyotes we did manage to raise a few and sold them in a Back Row: Diane W. James, Carlyle J"-es, Debbie Brown Jnmes, Heather James. Front Row: Chester James, Winifred Jones, and Cody James. Turkey Co-op at the Kit Carson County Fair Grounds. The people of Kit Carson County realized the need of a hospital, people hauled loads of wheat to town to help finance the building of our local hospital. A telephone line was badly needed and the Beaver Valley Telephone Company was formed - 110 miles of line was built - the poles were stock-piled at our place and cross arms assembled. The neighbors worked hard on that line - it was a big help to the community - This line was later sold to Mountain Bell Telephone Co., for 91.00. The oiled road north of Peconic was helped along by the farmers in the community by hauling gravel, the county laid the oil. We were privileged to live in a very industrious community and that holds true today - "The Happy Hour" Home Demonstration Club was started in 1935. Today it is one of the larger clubs in the county and "Community Pride" is one of the main could be. I say we because it takes involvement of the whole family - We feel 4-H to be one of the finest programs for youth there is. I was a 4-H leader for quite a few years. We worked hard, (No more than many other farmers), farmed hard too - hooking 2 John Deere D Tractors together to pull large machinery - We hauled our entire cattle herd to Nebraska for pasture during the drouth in 1955. We were blessed with 2 children our son, Carlyle and daughter Diane. Carlyle and his wife Deborah Brown James have two children, Heather and Codey. They live 6 miles east and 472 miles north of Burlington on the "home place". Diane graduated from Colorado State University in 1986. She majored in Ag-Journalism, and is Associate Editor of the High Plains Journal, Dodge City, Kansas. We moved into Burlington in 1972. Winifred and Chester James projects. We purchased Sheep from the Jolly Ranches at Deertrail and Hugo, Colorado running one band of 1500 one year and 2 bands later on We ran them on wheat pasture from October until March - Sheep were good to us - The old adage being "Sheep make more money accidentally than cows do on purpose". The Sheep bought the Angus Cow Herd. Later on, we crossbred using Limousin Bulls and then Chianina Bulls. This 3 way cross worked well for us, producing a large, black calf. In 1975 under the management and hard work of our son Carlyle and his wife Deborah. We started holding a Club Calf Sale in November. The Sales proved very successful - had buyers coming from many States and quite a few winners on the Big Show Circuit. Our daughter Diane was successful many times in the Show Ring with our calves. We held these Sales until 1985. Our children were enrolled in 4-H about all the years they JAMES, LYLE AND BLANCHE F343 Lyle James was born at Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. His parents were Bert and Emma (Brewer) James. In 1894 Lyle and a sister Bessie along with their parents came by covered wagon to their homestead, the SW L3-6-42 in Grant Township, about 18 milee north of Kanorado, Kansas. Seven more sons were born to this pioneer family: Harold, Jesse, Earl, Howell, Lowell, Delph and Curtis. This made them enough for a baseball team, which they enjoyed playing together. They broke the ground and farmed with horses and mules. Bert Jnrnes was quite a horse lover and trader. The fanily went to a country school known as the Kemp school, or �.' :r' :'1.1' "1]:,:j' ,'.'. 'l:;-,::l1l;,1.:;1;...'.y:,,,, ..;, ra,,, t.a :,:]ll- ., rrll The sod house on the Lyle James homestead was built in 1915. The young man in the picture is Blanche's nephew, Galen Weeden. He spent his summers helping on the farm. Lyle and Blanch Jo-es, their wedding picture taken on Feb. 25. 1914. Pleasent Hill District #49. D.O. Fortmeyer and Harold Kemp were two of Lyle's teachers. Lyle moved to Kit Carson County, Colorado when he was 22 years old and took care of some cattle for W.J. Detwiler. Blanche (Nealley) Jn-es was born in Kit Careon County, on her parents'homestead 18 miles NE of Burlington, Colorado. Her parents, Charles and Lizzie (Paul) Nealley, were married Feb. 1, 1888, at Ceresco, Nebraska. Soon after that they started by emigrant train for Haigler, Nebraska, which at that time was as far west as the railroad co-e. They drove a wagon loaded with their possessions and drawn by a pair of mules across country to their homestead in Kit Carson County, Colorado. Blanche had an older sister Haidee who was born in Nebraska. The Nealleys first home was a frnrne house and they had Jim Knapp dig them a well, which was dug by hand. Their first place was located on NW 26-6-43, and some trees Nealley section, ag at one time four Nealley families owned and lived on 160 acres of it. They all sold to Charles Nealley later on. Haidee and Blanche went to school 1 % miles west of where they lived. It was a sod school house and believed to be in SE 34-6-43. Blanche's first teacher was Eva White. Charles retired from farming and moved his family to Kanorado in 1919. Lyle and Blanche drove their teem and buggy to Burlington on Feb. 25, 1914, and were married at the Court House. At this time Lyle was living on 22-6-43 on the place that Orrin and Cellestia Mesch had formerly lived. Lyle and Blanche continued to live there till the fall of 1916, when they moved to their homestead located on NW L-7-43, where Terry James lives now. They had built a 2-room adobe house, a barn, and had a well and well house to start out with. Later they added one more room on the house. We can still stand there today that they planted. In remember several of the hired men that worked for Lyle. They slept in the bunk 1898, they moved to SE 35-6-43 where Greg Jo-es now lives. This section is known as the house. We also boarded several of the school teacherg in our home. Most of them walked w M ', t\fi, rc ;'.-j-r*. Lyle and Blanch James family taken April 1, 1945 when Marvin was home on furlough. L to R: LiIa, Orma, LyIe, Marvin, Blanch, Elna and Chet. Lyle and Blanch Jsmes, taken in 1962. almost 2 miles across the pasture to ow small one-room school, District #66 known as Tip Top. On one occasion Lyle rode our horse "June" to check the cattle and break the ice in the water tank two miles north. The horse stumbled and fell and Lyle suffered a broken leg. His first thought was that he would freeze to death as there was a deep snow and bitter cold. Finally "June" put her head down and Lyle layed across her neck and was able to get back on good enough to ride home. The Dr. cnme out and set his leg and he spent 6 weeks in bed that winter. Lyle would take the tenm and wagon and go to town for supplies - usually it took 2 days to make the trip. He usually went about once a month. We raised a lot of our own staple foods such as meat, butter, potatoes, eggs, chickens and garden products. He would bring large quantities of flour, apples, oats, �prunes, raisins, baking powder, soda and spices from town. Lyle was partial to Black Angus cattle and kept a good sized herd. He fattened quite a few head most winters. We can remember getting up about 2 AM to start driving those big critters to the stock yards in Kanorado. They were then loaded on freight cals and shipped to market at Kansas City or Omaha. Lyle rode in the caboose to accompany them to market, which I'm sure wasn't very comfortable. Blanche had a pump organ which she chorded on and enjoyed. It had a frame with a mirror in it. One day while we were gone a hired man evidently aimed his gun at himself in the mirror and pulled the trigger, as there was a hole through the mirror when we returned. He never did confess he was guilty though. Our recreation took place mostly in the school houses in the area. They would have school progtams, box and pie suppers, plays, debates, parties and ball games. As a family we always looked forward to going to Sunday School every Sunday. We first went to Happy Hollow school house, then in later years to The Gospel Hall north of Kanorado. Lyle played a lot of checkers with his brothers and neighbors in the winter time. The 4th of July celebrations in Kanorado and fair time in Burlington, were fun times we enjoyed and usually spent all day, getting home late to do our chores, Our folks built a new house on the farm in 1929, and we really appreciated the electric- ity and all the modern conveniences. Then in 1945 they moved to Burlington to take life a little easier. They bought a large home on 10th St., then in 1959 they built a new smaller home on Senter Ave. They traveled quite a lot over the years and spent 13 winters in the Ft. Myers, Florida area. Lyle and Blanche had five children: Orma Turner, Elna Johnson, Lyla Enyart, Chester E. and Marvin W. Marvin passed away May 5, 1980, at Parker, Colorado. Burlington is the home address for the rest of the family. Lyle and Blanche celebrated 50 years of married life on Feb. 25, 1964. Lyle passed away of a heart attack on July 4, L964. been a radio minister, founding the daily Bible Fellowship Hour in Fresno, California previous to their coming to the Smoky Hill Area. Theyhad originally come from Western Coldwater, except for two years of grade Nebraska. While they were in Colorado the Janzen's actively supported several missionary families whom they knew personally. school. which were attended in the New Eden Along with several others, particularly Bernice Eberhart, they helped organize the Smoky Hill Sunday School. Nick and Bobbie enjoyed working with the people of the Smoky Hill area. Later Nick also filled the pulpit occasionally for Dr. Henry Beatty at the Burlington Methodist Church. Nick's severe illness brought the Janzen's three year stay to an abrupt halt. The family moved back to Fresno, Calif, in March of 1950 so Nick could have the medical attention he needed after brain surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Marilyn was the only one of the family who stayed in the area. She became the bride of Russell Scott, a neighbor, in August, 1949. They have three sons, Steve, Doug, and Tim. Steve and Darlene and Tim and Debbie and boys farm around Smoky Hill, and east of Burlington. Doug lives in Houma, Louisianna, with his wife Mary and children. Nick died in Fresno in Oct. 1950. After several years, Bobbie remarried and now lives in Reedley, Calif. Francis and his wife Waneta, Vernon and his wife Shirley live in Fresno and Gracie and John in Clovis, California. Manyhappymemories are enshrined in the lives of the Janzen's family of their stay in the Smoky Hill Area. Bobbie says she misses the wheat fields, and she comes to visit when she can, Vernon comes back every summer to help Russell and Marilyn harvest wheat. by Mrs. Ted Eberhart JARNAGIN - LIPSETT FAMILY F345 Blanche passed away November 30, 1982, of a broken hip and complications. In those times farming was a lot of hard work. They made do with what they had by raising livestock and grain crops. There were many good years along with several lean Colorado. by Elna M. Johnson JANZEN, NICK AND F3,44 Nick and Amanda, better known as "Bobbie" Janzen came to Burlington, Colo. in March, 1946 with their family, Marilyn, Vernon, Francis and Gracie. All of the children except Marilyn, who was attending college in Calif. were enrolled in the Smoky Hill School. Nick was the manager for some of the Albert Kirschmer farms. Nick had school. Jean D. Lipsett was the second of four children born to Sheldon Butler and Hattie Fern Johnston Lipsett in Buffalo, Ok., on Oct. 15, 1926. When she was four years old the family moved to Ashland, Ks., where she attended school. Dean graduated from Coldwater High School in 1941 and ventured to California, where he was employed in an arsenal for two years. He enlisted in the Navy, in May of 1943 and was sent to Farragut, Id. for basic training. Shortly thereafter, he was sent to Port Hueneme, Calif. Dean and Jean met at a barn dance at Protection, Ks. They both continue to enjoy dancing after 43 years of marriage. Dean and Jean were married on Sept. 15, 1943, at a Baptist Church in Ventura, Calif. After two weeks of marriage, Dean was sent overgeas on a 21 month tour of duty to Pearl Harbor and the Gilbert Islands. Jean remained in Calif. for several months, living with her uncle Paul Johnston and family. Much of her stay was spent touring Calif., and Mexico before she returned to Erie, Ks. and her job as a telephone operator. Dean was attached to the 907th U.S. Naval Air Base and shipped out to the atoll of Tarawa. 45 miles from the coast of Calif. His company was shipped on a tanker, that was used for refueling other naval ships. After the takeover of Tarawa, the men explored the atoll, and many of the nearby atolls, which became connected at low tide. The natives found on the atolls were able to speak fluent English and were supplied with cases of food from the U.S. When Dean returned from his overseas assignment in June of 1945, he had a brief furlough in western Ks. He and Jean then made their home in Corpus Christi, Tx., where Dean was assigned to the Naval base as a Storekeeper Disbursement clerk. Jean continued working as a telephone operator. On Feb. 2,L946, Dean was discharged from the Navy and they moved to Coldwater, Ks. In 1947, they moved to Arapahoe, Co., where Dean and his brother, Byron, broke out a quarter section of sod for Simon and Fishman. A family friend, Bill Chance, and his girl friend, M'Lee Isenbart remained in close years. As a pioneer family they saw many changes in their life time and were thankful they could be a part of the history of Eastern AMANDA N. Dean Jarnagin was born to Engiver and Edith Johnston Jarnagin, at Coldwater, Ks. on Sept. 5, 1923, and attended school in Dean and Sheldena Jarnagin Sept. 15, 1943. contact with Dean and Jean. Miss Isenbart's relative, C.L. Hickman, leased land 11 miles south of Seibert, to Dean and Bill. The following year, 1948, Dean and Jean bought their home place 3 miles south and 4 mi. west of Seibert, from Heye Wilkinson, which they still own today. Their first tractor was an F-30 International with an 8 ft. oneway. At that time, they thought they were really getting the farming done in a hurry. Their farming operation eventually became much larger, and they were soon planting and harvesting over 3000 acres of wheat a year. They have two children, a daughter, Sheldeana Marie (1954), and a son, Kevin Jay (1958). Sheldeana lives in the Los Angeles, Ca. area with her two sons, Christopher (1973) and Michael (19?5). She worked in the computer field for an engineering construction firm in Pasadena. Kevin married Shirley Brachtenbach from Stratton, and they have �two sons, David (1978) and Ryan (1981). They are engaged in farming and ranching operations in the Seibert area. In 1958, Dean and Jean purchased a home in Seibert, which had been built by G.W. Klockenteger, the then banker of Seibert. Jean and friends Vivian Hatfield, Lou White and Stan Strode, spent many hours stenming off paper, painting and hauling plaster until the house was remodeled. Dean missed the excitement of the remodeling, as he was the field manager of the Colorado Springs Production Credit Association. Dean was also kept busy driving and delivering LP gas and doing custom farm work for others in the JENKINS, HAROLD AND STELLA F347 In March 1906, Harold Jenkins, a curlyhaired farmer and sometime well driller, married Stella Gardner, a pretty little school teacher. In 1908, a son, Dale, was born. In 1909, the little boy died. In 1910, Harold and Stella sold everything, left families and friends in Nebraska to homestead their half section of land in what was to become Shiloh community, 20 miles Dean was hired by Matt to mix and carry northeast of Flagler in Kit Carson County, Colorado. They built a L2' x 14' frame "shanty." The following year they built a 14' x 16'"soddy" attached to it. wa"s a great asset in helping them get started "shanty" but the "soddy" was really a snug little house with window seats a foot deep, the thickness of the walls. A frame roof was area. They beceme acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Matt Simonson, who operated a ranch 14 mi. southwest of Seibert. For a short time "mud" for Sig Viken to stucco the old schoolhouse in Flagler, which was being converted into an apartment building. Matt in the cattle business, in 1949. by Sheldena Jarnagin JEFFRIES - GUY FAMILY F346 Horace Greeley said, "Go west, young man, go west," so in the 1890's Leroy and Ada Jeffries did just that. They moved all the way from western Kangas to the bleak eastern Colorado plains. At about the same time a dashing young man, Harrison Guy, came out of Nebraska and met Leroy and Ada's daughtcr, Anna. This meeting culminated in marriage. Harrison and Anna homest€aded near Seibert and out of this union came five boys and one girl who left a distinctive mark on the small towns of eastern Colorado. Leroy, the first born was an outstanding basketball and track star. Garland (#2) was also a prolific basketball player and an outstanding softball pitcher and in 1932 led Seibert to the district basketball tournament. Jay (#3) followed in his older brother's footsteps by excelling in everything he undertook. Ventan (#4) died at an early age in the influenza and diphtheria scourge of the early 1920's. Robert (#5) was the youngest of the boys and carried on the Guy tradition in grand style. Then, "Lo and Behold," along came a girl, Ada May (#6). She was the baby for many years and Harrison even reserved a seat on the school bus for her. Today in 1986 there are four of the Guy family left. Leroy is retired from thorobred horse training and lives in Phoenix. Garland is retired from Ford Motor Co. after 35 years of service and is really enjoying life by raising, breeding and racing thorobred horses in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Robert lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and baby Ada May and her husband, Merle, live in Phoenix where they also race horses in Arizona and NewMexico. The Guyfamilyhas come along wayfrom Grandpa and GrandmaJeffries and the Hotel and Poolhall in Seibert. Colorado. by Ada may Midgett There was nothing wrong with the covered with tar paper and a layer ofsod. The inside was plastered with native magnesium which had an interesting texture and was naturally white and was calcimined as needed to keep it that way. It was lived in until 1924, then used for a wash house and storage. High on the list of priorities in living on a homestead was breaking ground a - with walking plow and the lines from the horses tied over one shoulder and around the waist planting the crops and hurrying to fence -the fields before crops cAme up and the "critters" began visiting. And then the well drilled. Neighbors helped build the windmill to pump the water and dig and cement a cistern for storage. People with no wells of their own would come to get water in barrels and tanks on wagons until they had wells. With a garden and some livestock to care for, Stella usually stayed home alone while Harold made the frequent two-day trip to town alone for supplies like lumber for building; tubing, pipes and rods for the well; posts and wire for fencing. Of these times Stella said, "There is no sound lonelier than a coyote howling on the prairie at night." When Henry's tin lizzie became available a few years later, it was the answer to many pioneers'prayers. However, before that in 1911, Harold and Stella and Stella's parents from Nebraska went by teem and buggy to visit relatives in La Junta, Colorado. While Harold farmed and built barns and shops and graineries and huntedjack rabbits, Stella helped him where she could, raised a garden and taught school in a sod school house four miles away, driving "old gray Pete" morning and evening. The livestock increased. With more ground planted, crops were larger. So life became, if not easier, at least more abundant. Then in 1914, a long wished for baby arrived, a girl named Lila. Somewhere about this time, shortly before or after WW I, Harold and Ed Gering got phones and strung the wire on fence posts. In 1917, Harold and Stella rented their place to Bill Gering and sold out to him and his brother, Ed. Then they moved to Washington state. Harold and his brother, Charlie, had a Maxwell agency in Garfield. A second daughter, Myrle, was born there. The auto business wasn't great, so the brothers sold out and moved to Spokane where Harold and Willard opened the No-Tie Mattress Works. That wasn't great either so the Jenkins family moved back to the homestead. InLg24, a third daughter, Maxine, was born, complet- ing the family. The family weathered grasshoppers, dust storms and depression and Harold set up a 6-volt, wind-powered electric system while the girls went through ten years of schooling at Shiloh. Lila graduated from high school at Seibert and Myrle and Maxine at Flagler. Harold's health had been deteriorating, and by 1942 he couldn't take care of the farm so they moved to a smaller place near Littleton for four years, then to Arlington, California. Harold's health was bett€r in the lower altitude for several years. He and Stella ran a variety store in Cucnmonga from 1948 until 1955, when he becnme so ill they moved to Los Angeles to be closer to Myrle and Maxine and their families. Harold died just a few weeks later months to the day short - four of their fiftieth anniversar5r. Stella was quite ill for a while after Harold's death. When she was better, she went to work as a practical nurse caring for the elderly-ill. She was taking care of a sick "old lady" when she had a stroke in 1963 at age 77. She had a fair recovery but had hardening of the arteries and went down hill pretty fast. She died in 1973, age 86. Lila (Jenkins) Nodacker had 3 children. The youngest died of a brain tumor in 1966, shortly before his tenth birthday. Her remaining son has a son, her daughter has a daughter and a son. Lila died in 1973. Her husband lives in San Diego. Myrle (Jenkins) Kappmeyer had one son. He has two sons and one daughter. Myrle lives in Yucaipa, California with her husband. Maxine (Jenkins) Thompson started working for Western Union in January 1943. She is still working for them and is the only instructor in the Western United Statps. She is a widow and lives in Reno, Nevada. Much of this information was obtained from a personal history written by Stella Jenkins. by Myrle (Jenkins) Kappmeyer JENSEN, THOMAS AND EMMA BAILEY F348 Thomas and Emma Jensen cane to Colorado with their four oldest children, Leslie, Oliver, Goldie and Orpha from Decatur County, KS. Thomas and son Oliver came by covered wagon in the spring of 1910. They plowed some of the land and put in epring crops and made a dug-out for temporar5r living. Mrs. Jensen and the other children came by train. The rest of their belongings and livestock were shipped by train. Mr. Jensen and Oliver met the others at Seibert by wagon. Leslie and Oliver drove the livestock to the homesite on foot. Alma, Leon, Letha, and Marion were born in the years after the move to Colorado. All of us children but Letha and Marion attended the Pleasant Valley adobe school, and the younger children attended the North Flager School, one mile east of our home. My dad purchased one quarter and homesteaded another quarter of land. They lived for a time in the dug-out. Later a close neighbor, the Tandy Todds, moved away and the family lived in their sod hous€ until their �own sd house was completed. This home was located fourteen miles north and four west of Seibert. Later it was gituated in the Pleasant Valley School District No. 40. My father was a cattleman, farmed wheat, barley, and corn and feed crops. The open range joined on the south with many water holes made an ideal place for grazing cattle. They also raised hogs and chickens, sold eggs and cream to help buy groceries and needed items. Dad did some blacksmith work for himself and to help out the neighbors, and that activity made him a little cash too. At harvest time Dad and the older boys operated Alms Jensen Lammey, died in Commerce Tennessee Pass, down the western slope to City, Co, in October, 1983. Sister Goldie is in the Grace Manor Nursing Home in Burlington, CO. The rest of us and our families live in Colorado, except for Leslie's family Glenwood Springs and from there to Grand Junction. members who live in Idaho, Washington, and cattle, fruit orchards, and the majestic moun- California. by Orpha Jensen Goodrich JOIINSON FAMILY F349 a threshing machine and a header crew, exchanging work many times with the neighbors, and doing some custom threshing. Living this far from market was a big chore. They hauled the grain and other products to sell by team and wagon, bringing back groceries and needed itcms. They would leave home early in the morning, returning home late at night. They usually went to Siebert as it was the closest town. The old timers burned cow chips, cobs, wood and some coal, but mostly cow chips. Most used cook stoves which cooked on top, baked, and heated water at the seme time and heated the kitchen. They used small heating stoves in the other rooms. The school was the center of entertainment. Literaries, box and pie socials were held, and also Christmas progrnms with treats for the children. In 1913, the Shiloh Baptist Church was built and was the church center of the community. Later the men organized a baseball tenm, with the men and boys playing ball and the women folk coming for the entertainment. Some private dances were held in the homes. Sleigh rides, taffy pulls, and parties were enjoyed along with visiting in the various homes. The women of the conmunity enjoyed getting together in harvest time to help with the cooking for the men. During the grain cutting time, the men liked to play croquet at the noon hour while the horses rested. In 1918 the influenza hit about every home. Sometimes all in a family would be in bed at the same time. Then the neighbors would help out with the chores. Some lost loved ones, but our fanily was one of the lucky one8. The winters were long and very cold, with blizzards lasting three days, and some times the feed crops becnme very scarce too early in the spring. Later in 1918 until the 1920s were better years. My dad bought both a touring car and truck, which made marketing much easier as well as attending recreational activities. The 1930's brought the dust storms and no crops, the time called the "dirty thirties". Our early neighbors were Ace Hatmons, Mason Wilsons, Jim Millers, Delbert Todds, Burr Borings, Harold Jenkins, Fred Landaus, and later the Gene Teeters and Ord Millers. One very early neighbor \pas Calvin Hembrees who had the first etenm engine plow in the neighborhood. There were not many organizations at this time. Dad belonged to the Seibert and Flagler Equity Coop. Vernie and Marion served in World War II, with Marion serving overseas. Dad died in January, 1930, at the age of 62 years. Mother died in May, 1971, at the age of 92. Leslie, who lived in Idaho, died in 1975; his wife Viola dicd 5 years later. Our sister, All of this country was like heaven to us dryJand farmers all the rushing streams, - lush full flowing rivers, hay meadows, fat Asa and Elberta September, 1965: This story of our "courting" will seem really corny to the youths of today, but keep in mind there was no radio, television, movies, nor even easy transportation to help'us learn the ways of the world. For myself, even books weren't easily available. My formal education consisted of the first three grades, so I would have had a hard time reading, let alone understand anything. So bear with me now as I recall eome of our experiences. September, 1911: I was 22 years of age. My father, Richard Martin Johnson and my oldest sist€r Katie Murray and her husband, Tom, chartered a Rock Island Emigrant boxcar at Goodland Kansas, and in it we put all our belongings and headed off to Hotchkiss, a small town on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies. Another sister, Minnie Foust, husband Joe, and their children Mabel and Tilman lived there as well as some of our Kansas neighbors, who had moved there earlier. In those days an emigrant car was used to haul household goods, livestock and machinery across country. Only the persons needed to care for the livestock were allowed to ride in the emigrant car. Since I would be helping my brother-in-law Tom with his stock, I was permitted to ride in that car. My mother, sister, and the children rode in the passenger car, We were three days and nights on the trip. What interesting sights and spectacular scenery we saw! Being a "high and dry, short grass country boy, my eyes bulged with excitement and wonder. The "emigrantg" who for some reason didn't haul barrels of water in their boxcars had to unload their livestock at every regular water stop. Fortunately, all we had to do was refill our barrels of water at the stops to keep our 6 horses and one cow satisfied. Besides the stock, we had a few chickens, our household possessions, beds, dressers, a tains, it was a feast for the eyes and soul. We finally "landed" at Midway, between Hotchkiss and Paonia. I don't think there is even a post office at Midway an5rmore. Father and Mother moved in with my sister Minnie Faust and her husband, Joe and their two children. Katie and Tom pitched their tent between the homes of the Mclntires and the Potts', and for a couple of months I shared the tent with Katie and Tom. We knew the Mclntire family as they had been our neighbors in Kansas. In fact they were the ones who promoted and encouraged our move. We were not acquainted with the Potts family. The Mclntires had a daughter, Maude, who was 17 or 18 years of age and even though I was still single, I was not interested in courting her as we had practically grown up together and she seemed like a sister to me. The Potts' had a daughter, Elberta. However, from bit^s of conversation with the Mclntires, mostly from Maude, I got the impression Elberta was about 12 years old. Even though she looked too big for a 12 year old, I had seen a few girls who were large for their age, so it didn't even enter my mind that she might be available for courting. Much later it dawned on me that it just might have been Maude was interested in me and didn't want me to know that Elberta was really 16! One day Elberta was visiting at the McIntire home, and when she started home she suddenly remembered she would have to pass by where I lived. She was barefooted, and although in those days girls wore their skirts well below their knees, she wasn't about to take any chances that I should see her bare legs, so she sashayed quite a distance out of her way to avoid me. Somehow, I did manage to visit the Potts' home at intervals. In fact I got pretty well acquainted with Mrs. Potts. It so happened that she acted as midwife for my sister, Katie, when one of her children was born, and came by daily to care for things. I didn't have work at the time so I helped out with the household chores and with the other Murray children. by Opal Joy JOHNSON FAMILY F360 sewing machine and cookingutensils. We also packed in some farm machinery, most of which proved to be of little vdue to us in an irrigated country, such as the Hotchkiss area was. At Pueblo, Colorado we trangferred to the Denver and Rio Grande line which would take us through the mountains via the Royal Gorgeto Salida. Thiswas a steady, slow climb so I got off and walked alongside the train 'till we crme to the Royal Gorge suspension bridge the firet I'd ever seen. The engineer- involved in that project boggled my ing work mind. After leaving the Royal Gorge, we followed the Arkansa! River to Leadville, crossed Aea and Elberta Johnson I soon found out what a wonderful person Mrs. Potts was, and my esteem for her has endured. The winter months crept by, and in March, 1912, my sister, Melinda, accompanied me on a train trip back to Kansas to visit our brother Joe and family who lived in CIay Center. I might add here that I was the 5th child of 15 born to my parents. I had 9 sist€rs and 5 brothers. I needed work and the good man Nels Nelson, with whom I had worked before �traipsing off to Colorado, needed help so I ended up staying in Kansas. Meanwhile, things had not gone well for the Murrays in Colorado. In December, 1911, fire had destroyed their home, then in May, 1912, the Potts' family lost their home and possessions when the North Fork of the Gunnison River flooded. The Murrays deci- ded to return to Kansas and Mr. Potts wanted to locate in the Denver area. The two families rigged up covered wagons and left Midway on the 19th of June, crossed the Continental Divide and arrived in Canon City the Fourth ofJuly. They then separated, the Murrays taking the route to Bird City, Kansas while the Potts family went on to Dodge City Kansas, for a visit with Mrs. Potts'brother, Henry Smith. Aftpr their visit there, they went back to Denver, where Mr. Potts decided he liked the suburb town of Littleton. That's where they made their home. Fall of 1912: Mr. Nelson's harvest was all completed, and no immediate work available, so sister Melinda and I boarded the train again. This time we went to Seibert, Colorado where we visited our sister Pearl Thorson and her husband, Thalmer. With their two children Benny and Marvin, they lived on their homestead 18 yz miles north and 1 % miles east of Seibert. I'd made up my mind that after our visit I wanted to go to the South Park area or to Gunnison to find work and a place to call my home, but Pearl and Thalmer could talk fast€r than I could, and succeeded in talking me into staying there, and filing a homestead claim. Before I could file, though, I had to find a suitable, unclaimed piece of property, which proved to be quite a task, as nearly all homestead land had already been filed on. I think it was about 1909 that Congress passed a bill a single individual could file for a halfsection claim. It was established that a family needed a full section. A section is a piece of property a mile square, 640 acres. Therefore, I, as a single man, could file for 320 acres. 640 acres should support a family, or so Congress members determined. There were scattered pieces of disconnected land we looked at that was still available but I didn't like the inconvenience that would cause in trying to do anything with it, so we kept looking and inquiring around. Finally we found a 7z section 18 miles north of Seibert. The east side of it bordering on what later was named Highway 59 and the north side near the Washington County line. Although this parcel had already been filed for by an Earl Simmons, we found out his claim could be contested since he had not complied with the homestead requirements. However, ws nlse !6alned that contesting was time consuming, anywhere from 90 to 180 days. We learned that if Mr. Simmons would sell his relinquishment, we could then file without a contesting period. Somehow we found out that the person who had a claim on the south side on Simmon's parcel was a relative of Simmons. We contacted him and he, in turn, contacted Earl Simmons who was willing to sell the relinquishment. I don't remember how much I paid. It couldn't have been much, as I didn't have much money. Anyway, I went ahead and filed my claim. I might add here that I later beco-e well acquainted with this relative of Mr. Simmons. His ntme was Keep Lee. He had a twin brother named Quit! Can you believe it! The story they told was the their mother already had several children and when along ce-e these twins she decided they'd "keep" them, but "quit". They proved to be neighborly and were a lot of help to me. Building an adobe shack was the next step after filing, and I located it as near as I could to the center of the half-section so as not to wake up gome morning on someone else'g property. This shack was 14 feet long and 10 feet wide. It had one small window in the south and one in the west. The door was made of floor boards. There weren't enough boards for the floor so it remained dirt. I packed it down good. Then I built a fence to keep out the livestock that ranged freely over the prairie. I'll skip ahead a little now to tell you what happened to my shack. It was Spring, 1915. Mother nature blessed us with a three-inch rain accompanied by a strong north wind. I didn't realize what was happening even though I was confined most of that time inside that shack. Suddenly I heard a loud cracking noise and before I could even think what was happening, the North wall began to buckle. Well, my bed and bedding were against that wall and did I ever fly into gear to get that out of the way and where it would be protected. Nothing else in there could be harmed so I took off, hoofed it a mile north to the Wrape home. by Opal Joy JOHNSON FAMILY F351 Asa Elberta qlohnson I had worked offand on for them and they, John and Belle, were like family to me. To this day I'm grateful for their kind friendship and all the help they gave me. In the few days, the Wrapes gave me a lift into Siebert where I bought lumber and stripping and soon my shack was once again my happy home. Later on you'll read how it cerne in handy for me to be able to say that my home was "part" frnme. Now getting back to Fall of 1912. Even after all of the above expenses, somehow I managed to have a little money left, and with some of it I bought a little 2 lz yeat old pony. She was black with just a sprinklilng of grey, all four feet were white, and she had a "blazed" or white face. She weighed about 650 pounds. I named her Polly and she and my saddle were my treasured companion and possession. I sure was thrilled with them. Before winter set in that Fall of 1912 I rode my pony to Bird City, Ks. where my sister Katie and family lived and I made my home with them, working around the country picking and shucking corn, and any other odd jobs I could get. By spring, 1913, I again had a little "nest egg" so I returned to my homestead. I took over Thalmer Thorson's horses and equip- my home with Katie and Tom. One day during this stay, Katie who had kept up a correspondence with Mrs. Potts since their journey across the mountains said, "Asa, why don't you start writing to Elberta Potts?" "Oh," I said, "I don't care to be writing to or courting a yolrng school girl." "Well, Bertie (as she was being called then) may still be in school," Katie said, "but she's old enough for you to correspond with." Katie didn't give me their addresses and I didn't ask for it and no more was mentioned. But one daywhen the family had all gone to town, I became curious and snooped around a bit 'till I found Potts'address. However I didn't write until Easter, 1914, when I mustered up enough courage to write a note on an East€r card. Months went by and finally I received a note from her on a Christmas card so then we started corresponding regularly. Bertie was studying German in school and in one of her letters she signed off in German. It could have been chinese or Greek as far as I was concerned. . . I didn't know what she meant, so I wrote and asked her what she was trying to tell me. She always read her letters to her parents and after reading this particular one, her father said, "well, if he can't read your writing you just quit writing." Right here I'd like to add that Bertie's handwriting was beautiful. Well. she couldn't think of what she might have written and wanted me to send that letter back so she could straigh- ten it out. She hadn't written anything she was ashamed of she said in her letter. I didn't return the letter. Bertie's two brothers Ezra and Ted could be quite mischievous and hard telling what they might add if they got hold of the letter and cause Bertie trouble so I wrote that if I ever came to Littleton again I'd bring the letter with me. June, 1915, I went Litteton, above letter in my pocket and she explained, "Why that's just my name in German, that's all." So, we all relaxed and had a chuckle. My visit there lasted about a week. Bertie and Ezra showed me places of interest in downtown Denver and a few days after that Bertie and I were permitted to go to Denver by ourselves. This was the first opportunity we'd had to be alone. I was as shy as she wds, but on the one-anda-ha]f mile walk from their home to catch the street car, I ventured to ask her ifl could hold her tender little hand and started to do so. She jerked it away saying, "It's too hot." Gee whiz, I hadn't noticed. I don't think we missed any of the sights. We toured the State Capitol building and the Capitol museum . .a whole bunch of walking. I was feasting my eyes but I was feeling like a feast for my stomach. I asked her if she'd like to stop at a restaurant, but no, no, she wasn't hungry. There was still a lot of walking after that as we went to City Park and all through the museum there. By then I was so hungry I could have eaten the part of a bear that goes up the tree last. Aromas from the eating joints and bakeries we'd pass made my mouth water. Do you think she'd stop to eat. . no. (Later, I found out she'd rather crochet, shop or play cards, then take dryest. The crops were miserably meager. time to eat). Well, when we got back to Littleton her mother had one swell dinner and did I ever relish it. Another day we were allowed to visit headed back to Bird City for the winter. This time with a team and wagon. Again I made Bertie's sister Laura Mumm and family and on the way back by golly I got to hold her hand and at last feel a little of the affection ment and farmed his place and my claim also. That summer had to be the hottest and There was nothing to harvest, so again, I �of my future life companion and helpmate. I didn't waste any more time. I popped the question then and there. She didn't answer. by Opal Joy JOHNSON FAMILY F362 Asa and Elbert Johnson A couple days later I asked her if she had mentioned my proposal. She said, "No." But she did say that if they gave their consent she'd be willing to marry me. I felt it would be easier to approach her mother first. We waited until her father was out in the raspberry patch and with a lump in my throat as big as a goose egg, I asked Mrs. Potts for her coneent. I don't remember exactly what she said, but you girls remember how grandma looked when she was pleased as punch about something, yet didn't want to let on that's the cute look she had all - well, over her face. She did say, "I hate to give Bertie up but she couldn't get a better man." That stat€ment made the goose egg in my throat shrink to the size of a pigeon egg, giving me the courage to head out to Mr. Potts in the raspberry patch. In all my younger years when I had my natural teeth I was always whistling or singing as I worked. Evidently Mr. Potts had heard me many times as we did work with each other when we were all on the western slope. I didn't realize though that thig habit irritated him. As Bertie and I made our way towards him, out of habit I was whistling. I blurted out my question as quickly as possible. He didn't even look at me, but glued his eyes on Bertie and said, rather sarcasti- cally, I thought, "I sure thought we had gotten away from this whistlin' boy!" Hi! voice softened a bit as he said "Well, I suppose you've already talked it over with your mother. Just remember, you're making your bed, so you'll have to lie in it." I took that statement as his consent and we hurried out of the patch. Now that she knew we had their consent, I got-my very first kiss from her. The first thing I did then was to buy an engagement ring. But being such a gteenhorn Kansas Jayhawker, it turned out to be the wedding band. I didn't have ertra money for another ring so it had to be put away for the wedding. That show of ignorance didn't "make points" with her father. Everything was smoothed over but Bertie never did get Littleton for our wedding. The two months went by in a hurry, and I was hoofing the 18 miles to Seibert to catch the train. I didn't town and offered us a lift home in their wagon. Before the festivities were over though, storm clouds rolled in quickly from know of agood place in townto leave myteam the north west. Many people decided not to and wagon so decided to start out walking and by chance maybe someone would come along to give me a lift. There were no travelers that day, so by the time I got to Seibert I was sure looking forward to the long train ride into Denver. I knew Mr. Potts would be meeting me at the depot, however I didn't expect to see him toting a shotgun. I spied him before he saw me so I sashayed around to try to get close enough to tap him on the shoulder or get hold of the gun. His brother-in-law Henry Smith whom I'd not yet met was with him. He had seen me sneaking up on them and since he didn't know me, he wondered if I was some kind of nut trying to rob them or something. Anyway, I finally got Pott's attention and asked him where he thought he was going with that gun! It turned out the gun needed repairs but there hadn't been time to leave it at the gunsmith shop before meeting me. We all had a good laugh and proceeded to the gunsmith's, then on to Littleton. A marriage license had to be purchased at the courthouse in Littleton. I thought Bertie and I could surely go alone to take care of that. Oh, no! Bertie's brothers Ezra and Ted hooked old Netty, an iron grey, flea-bitten mare to the single seated buggy, and Mr. Potts and the boys accompanied me. I guess Potts wanted to be sure everything was done legally and carried out to the point of no return. All arrangements were made including getting the Justice of the Peace lined up to pronounce the wedding vows at the Potts' home at 7:30 pm, Monday September 6th. September 6th. The family shoved Bertie and I out of the house early in the morning for another day of sightseeing with the admonition to get ourselves back in time to get fixed up proper for the 7:30 ceremony. We returned in time and what a transformation awaited us. Everyone in the house had set to decorate the front room just beautifully and a real banquet had been prepared. Everything was simply gorgeous. Begides Bertie's parents and brothers, others who witnessed our ceremony were Bertie's sister Laura Mumm and husband Pete and their children, also Henry and Susan Smith, her Uncle and aunt from Dodge City, Ks. The knot was tied. September 9th. My bride, with her hope chest and clothes and I boarded the train for Seibert. by Opal Joy an engagement ring. She was curious about the kind of house there was on the farm. I gaid real quick to keep from lying that it was part frame and part adobe. Fortunately she didn't ask how large it was or about the floor. Later I realized JOHNSON FAMILY how heart sick and disappointed she was when we entered that 10 ft. x 14 ft. shack with Asa and Elberta a dirt floor. When she said, "I thought you said the house was part frame", I said, "well, it is, there'e frnming around the windowe." At that point I'm sure if she could have gotten back to Seibert to catch the train she'd have gonetopapaandmo-a. . . andlookingback I could not have bln-ed her. After our engagement was settled I went back to the homestead knowing that in a couple of months I'd be going back to attempt the long drive to their homes. Townspeople generously opened their homes. I don't remember where the Wraps stayed but Bertie and I were given a room in the Clay Frankfather home. The rain and hail pounded all night three inches of moisture by morning! That was Bertie's introduction to Seibert. Finally we went to my bachelor hut to set up housekeeping. I didn't realize until much later how crude Bertie must have thought I was to bring her into such a shack. . . but she stayed by my side through thick and thin. . . and regardless of the hardships and heartaches brought on mostly by my thoughtlessness, she seemed to always keep a positive outlook. Prairie life was a terrific adjustment my bride had to make. It didn't dawn on me at the time though. She was quick to make friends. All the neighbors were wonderful. But neighbors were not close enough to visit frequently so there were long, lonely days for her. No phone either, so she couldn't call anyone. One day I hooked up a young team I'd purchased the previous year, old Cap and Midget. I seemed to call the horses old this or that, even though they were young. Anyway we took a ride over our half-section. I guess she thought I owned the whole country as about every quarter mile she'd ask whose property we were on and I'd say "ours". It seemed like endless miles to her not a tree in sight, no hill higher than a prairie dog mound, no house except the Wrap home, and a seemingly never- ending wind blowing across the flat land. I think her desolation and loneliness for the city, the mountains and greenery, and her folks was deeper than I ever dared imagine. I was so accustomed to this prairie life and had high hopes for our future, I couldn't sense any other thing. To make our "home" a little brighter and cleaner I plastered the walls. It made them cleaner but not much more interesting. While I was in Seibert one day Bertie gathered all the Farm Journal papers we hadand pasted the pages on the walls. They made for interesting reading while we ate our meals. Eventually we knew the "news" by heart. To cook on during the hot summer we obtained a perfection oil stove. One day Bertie put some "vittles" on to cook, then joined me on a errand that took us away for about a half hour. Those oil stoves had a way of playing dirty tricks. The flame wouldn't always stay in the position it had been set. It and oily smoke would creep higher. When we F363 got back to the house pages of the Farm Journal hung like black sooty webs from the walls. I think we both had a good cry before tackling the clean up chore. When we arrived in Seibert we found a Seibert Day celebration was in full progress so we took in all activities. It so happened that prizes were being given to the couple married the most years and the most newly married couple. We won a 50 pound bag of flour for the later category. Were we ever thrilled with that. My good neighbors, the Wraps, were in Another mishap occurred that first winter. For some reason our Big Ben alarm clock refused to keep proper time. On a stormy day when little work could be done outside I decided to give old Mr. Ben a good cleaning and oiling. I was ready to take the clock apart when Bertie said, "Oh my, you know what? I just remembered that Papa always boiled the clock in milk to clean it." So that's what we did for 20 minutes. Guess what we had? - clock coated with clabbered milk A no-good and whey. We probably had another good cry �then a good laugh when Bertie remem-bered that it wasn't the clock her father boiled in milk but his meerschaum pipe! Thus began our wedded life. Today is Monday, September 6, exactly 50 years later. I wish her parents could have been here to help celebrate. Her father's bark was worse than his bite. He did have a heart of gold and they both would have been as happy as larks that we'd made it to the 50 mark. We've had our troubles, illnesses, squabbles, sadnesses and financial difficul- ties (the homest€ad was lost during the depression), but the memories of the many happy times we've had and the rich rewarding experiences we have shared with our six daughters, 17 grandchildren and 3 great needed to be done. Roy and Elna were married Sept. 3, 1935 in Burlington at the Christian Church par- times. sonage. The depression was on, but somehow we managed to have groceries and our needs together. by Opal Joy JOIINSON - JAMES FAMILY F354 ltl ri:&:llsr,it9l would pick us up at school in a wagon or sled. After we got to school we walked % mile to get drinking water at Jake and Pauline Schlichenmayers home. We girls, being the oldest, helped our Dad do chores, work in the field, check cattle by horseback or whatever grandchildren far outweigh the difficult This is our Golden Anniversary and we're now looking forward to our truly golden years ,:,lir : r, Elna Mae James was born on her parents homestead NE of Burlington, Colorado. Her parents were Lyle and Blanche (Nealley) Jnmes, and Elna had two sisters, Orma and Lyla and two brothers, Chester and Marvin. The children attended school at Tip Top District #66 which was a country school one and three-fourth miles across the pasture. After doing our chores we walked to school. The weather had to be real bad before they were supplied. We lived in Ft. Collins for 3 months in the fall of 1935 and Roy worked in a dairy. We moved back to the farm north of Ruleton, Kansas where Roy farmed. At first he farmed with horses then bought a tractor in 1938. Our first wheat crop was hailed out. Our daughter, Wanda, was born Elva Asel, and Gustavis "Gus" Lesley Johnson in L924 in Goodland, Kansas in 1938. In January 1939 we moved 18 miles NE of Burlington in the Happy Hollow area. There was still open range NW of our farm for about two years before it was fenced. Over the years we built up the farm buildings and planted several trees. We also remodeled the house ae we could afford to - nothing fancy but at least it was modern. Two sons, Dwaine, and Gary, joined our farnily circle. All three of the children attended grade school at Happy Hollow, then after the country schools consolidat€d with tov,'n they went by bus to school in Burlington and graduated from high school there. Wanda lived in Germany for 3 years after her marriage to Larry Klinger. They also lived in Louieiana after coming back to the states. They have made their home in Broomfield, Colorado for several years, and Wanda workg for AT & T. Dwaine attended college two winters at Emmaus Bible College in Chicago, Ill. He also went three years to Rockmont College in Denver, Colorado, before coming back to Roy and Elna Johnson was taken in August 1985, just before their 50th wedding anniversary. Roy Johnson's patents, Joe and Annie, owned the store and Postoffice at Thurman, Colorado and Rry was born on a farm in that area 10 miles south of Anton, Colorado. Roy Burlington. Gary went to NE Jr. College in Sterling, Colorado one fall, then he went to Vo-Tech School in Goodland the nert winter. Dwaine and Gary both live NE of Burlington now with their families, and farm. We moved to Burlington on May 31, 1971 and enjoy living in this small town of eastern Colorado. We have seen many changes over the years. by Roy Johnson JOHNSTON - WEST had an older brother, Roscoe, and two younger sisters, Mae and Ruth. When Roy was 4 years old his Dad passed away of tuberculosis. Over the next several years Roy lived in Arriba and south of Karval and attended schools in Arriba, Blue Cliff, Karval and Sugar City. In 1932 Roy picked corn north of Goodland, Kansas. In 1933 and 1934 he farmed in the area north of Ruleton, Kansas and lived with his sister Mae and her Some time in the early part of the year 1904, my parents, Charles Edgar and Elva Ansel Johnston, plus my older brother, Gus, who was age three years at the time, loaded their wagon with everything they owned and husband. left Corning, Iowa. They finally stopped in FAMILY Barney lra Johnston, age L2, and his brother, Gustavis "Gus" Lesley Johnston, age 21. Flagler, Colorado, where Dad filed on a homestead, two miles west and four miles north of the water tank at Flagler. Dad built a dugout and this is where they lived the first year. The first thing after that was to dig a well. Mother said he just started digging and kept getting deeper and deeper. Finally at about sixty-five feet there was a big rock which covered the whole bottom of the shaft. In anger and disgust he slammed the digging bar down on the rock and it went right on through. He pulled the bar out and water shot up aboutthree feet. He made a few F355 more jabs and water ran him up out of the well. Water came up to fifteen or twenty feet of the surface and it stayed there. No matter how much was pumped out, the level of water never varied. The next thing of course was to build a house. Dad fashioned a sod cutter so that he could cut the sod in strips, then go along with �a spade, cutting the stips into blocks, twelve inches wide and eighteen inches long and about six inches thick, and there were the walls of our house. For a roof it was one inch by twelve inch planks bent over a ridge pole, forming a round shape. The planks were covered with heavy tar paper with a layer of sod on top ofthat to hold the tar paper down. When it was finished, it was L-shaped; the short length was the kitchen, running east and west. The long length ran north and south. It contained a parlor and three bedrooms. The parlor and bed rooms had a wooden floor, while the kitchen had a cement floor. I don't remember the size of the rooms; they were probably small. But the kitchen nowthiswag a kitchen. This is where we lived. That kitchen was the heart and soul of the Farm. A cool place in the summer and warm place n the winter, and when it rained the roof did not leak. Mother, like all farm wives, had certain days for certain chores. It so happened every Saturday was for doing the baking for the week. This was my day. And so it is even today; the odor of fresh baked bread is the sweetest odor in the world! I was born in that sod house 16 October '07, and lived there the first six or seven years of my life. There was a sister, a year or two before me, born premature, only weighing one pound at birth. She only lived a couple ofweeks. Then there cnrne a younger brother. He lived two years and died with cholera infantrrm. Dad died in 1916. A cancer had developed on his check. Mother said he was just getting on his feet when he got sick. My older brother passed away in 1972 and is buried in National City, Cdifornia; but the rest of the family still has a small piece of Colorado in the Flagler Cemetery. They are all there, lined up nice Mother, Brother, Sister and - Father, Grandma and Grandpa West, Mother's folks. Life was never easy in the "good old days" even in the city. On the farms and homesteads it was even tougher. Think about it: load our worldly goods in a covered wagon, behind a tenm of horses, travel with the sun for several hundred miles. Take a bare piece of land and make it into a home. With only a strong constitution and good teem of horses, and a whole lot of Guts, and with very little of a very important ingredient money! - Our human nature prevails; they had their lighter momentg church socials, box suppers, dances and- all kinds of other things to lighten their life. I know one of my own fondest memorieg is Mother popping a big dishpan full of popcorn. Everyone got a tin pie pan and dug in. Now there is popcorn and there is more popcorn, but there never wa!r, nor will there ever be popcorn like that . . . make up a big lunch for us. Dad would put hay and grain in the wagon, and off we would go. This was a three day trip: one day going, one day visiting, and one day going home. The older folks would have a great time bringing everybody up to date, and we kids, and believe me there was plenty of kids to go around, would have our own good times. The whole family looked forward to this trip in the fall. There was a neighbor just south of us on the west side of the road. He was of Dutch extraction and a widower. Dad and Mom were going to town in the buggy. The old Dutchman stopped them and asked my dad to find out how much the implement company wanted for a corn lister they had. So Dad said he would find out and he did. It was listed at $40. It seems that the Dutchman and Dad were going to go pratners on the planter if it didn't cost too much. On the way home the old man was waiting for them at his gate. He asked how much and Diirl told him they wanted $40. Dad got all excited and forgot Mom was right there. He pounded on the buggy wheel and said, "They can just kiss 40 times our. . " When Mom would tell about it in later years, she would say that after that the old Dutchman would hide from them. For a few years the elevator operator in Flagler had things pretty much his own way. No one had any way of holding their grain at harvest time. So when they would harvest, they had to take their grain to the elevator right away and take whatever he offered. Well, Dad didn't think this was such a good idea. So he built a barn, a nice big double wing barn. On the south end he had horses on one side and cows on the other with a hay loft. But on the north end it was a solid grainery where he could store his whole crop even if it was a bumper. He had big doors on both sides where he could drive a team of horses and a wagon right into the barn. Then he could shovel the wheat right into the bins. At this period in time we were still living in the sod house. Mother couldn't quite understand the advantage of storing the wheat until later when the price came up. Dad's life was pretty miserable for awhile. Mom felt she should have had a new house rather than a pretty new barn. Things remained about the same until the harvest that fall. Then Dad was able to show her the advantage of holding their wheat. Well, through all the trials and tribulations, the good times and the bad, I have often wondered how it would have been if Dad would have lived his normal life span. My brother would have gone his own way. I would have stayed and helped Dad and today I I. He told me one time about the time Dad proved up on the place. It seems he had to go over to Hugo to do it. He did it, and then he would have been retired into town, a farmer like my Dad. So instead, Mom had to sell the place and we moved into Denver. I started my schooling. In June, L925, I graduated from West Denver High School. Then Mother died in July, 1925. My aunt from Omaha came out and made all the arrangements for the funeral. Mother is buried next to mv dad in got drunk, Gus said. He finally got home and Flagler Cemetery. on a cold winter night with lots of good country butter. My older brother was nine years older than the next day he had the world's worst hangover. When I look back at it now, I think he had every right to celebrate. Mom ehouldn't have gotten so mad at him. There were two Thompson families living about 20 miles north of us. They were fairly close relatives on Mother's side of the family. After the hawest and while the weather was still good, we would go visiting. Mom would by B.I. Johnston JONES - HEISZ FAMILY F366 My father, Roy Eugene Jones, was born to John Lewis and Electa (Brown) Jones 28 August L872 in Richland Center, Richland Co., Wisconsin. My mother, Matilda Heisz, was born to Adam and Augusta (Naylor) Heisz 20 February 1875 in Old Omio, Jewell Co., Kansas. Roy and Matilda were manied 20 February 1895 in Belleville, Republic Co., Kansas. While residing in this area, Father worked with a threshing machine crew oqAed by his uncles, John and George Heisz. My brother, Harry Lee, was born 22 December 1895 and died 19 April 1896 at Grandma Heisz's near Courtland, Republic Co., Kansas. After his death, they moved to Arkansas in a covered wagon. They lived on top of Boston Moutain in a one room log cabin with a dirt floor. Although it was very damp and moss grew everywhere, it was so rocky not much else would grow. It was a difficult life and many meals consisted of cornbread made without salt and wild hog meat; peaches were eaten while in season. Moonshine country harbored unfriendly neighbors. I was born 30 March 1897 and weighed five pounds. Father left for Kansas the next August and Mother stayed until January. She said it wan a very hard trip, walking several days to get to the railroad at Little Rock and then the cold train ride to Kansas. We stayed with Grandma Heisz in Courtland, Kansas till James Alfred was born 2l January 1899. By November, 1900, we had treked on toSelden, Sheridan Co., Kansas, where geveral other family members had already settled. Our house was a one room dugout built into the hillside. Minnie Adella was born here 9 November 1900. Uncle BertJones moved to Canada in August, 1902 so we moved onto his place. That fall I attended Enterprise School which was one mile north of our home. Elmer Fred was born here 20 December 1903. Father and a neighbor, George Osborne, drove a tean hitched to a buggy to Colorado looking for a homestead in January, 1906. Father returned to prepare all of us for the move onto 160 acres nine miles north and four miles east of Claremont, Kit Carson Co., Colorado in October 1906. With proceeds from the farm sale he bought us a beautiful little bay pony so that Alfred and I could herd our cattle. He also bought Mother a new "Home Comfort" range. Mother drove the covered wagon and Father the header box. Mr. Osborne and his three boys had their wagon also. Father chartered a railroad car from Goodland, Kansas to Burlington loading it with the cattle, one favorite horse, machinery, and furniture. It took us three days by wagon. On the fourth day we started out to Osborne's homestead leaving two of our horses in the livery stable and returned the next day to find the stable burned to the ground taking both of them. When we arrived in Colorado, Claremont had been changed to Stratton. The land was barren with no treeg or roads. Wherever the settlers wished to go they started across the prairie. Soon trails were formed crossing the country later known as cattle trails or ruts. We camped on the north side of the draw, known as "Lost Man's Creek" in a tent while a shack was built for George Osborne, a two �Pop was away at work so Mrs. Williams cnme ::*;a to be with Mother. The mail route was sublet to Pop for 6 months. Pop built a 10 x 12 foot shack in Stratton and stayed there thru the week coming home on Saturday night. He carried the mail from Stratton to the old Tuttle Post Office, a distance of 24 miles. He made the trip both ways six days a week, never missing a trip. When Pop's term for carrying the mail was up, he brought his shack out, putting it near the kitchen door and it was used as an extra bedroom. Since Mother's health was poor she requested to return to Republic Co., Kansas to stay with her brother (Simeon) till the birth of Elizabeth Lenora, who was born 4 November 1912. Minnie and I traveled with Mother by train. She never regained consciousness from the birth and passed away 5 November 1912. Father and the boys were sent for and her funeral was held at John Brown school. She was laid to rest in McDonald's Cemetery at Courtland, Republic Co., Kansas. Father left Stratton Day 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller and the Borders children with Roy Jones driving his tenm of horses. James Alfred, Elmer Fred, Roy Eugene (father), Leona Pearl, Minnie Adella, and Mettie Love Jones. Year about 1912. room house for Fred Osborne. and a 12 x 16 foot shack on Pop's homestead with lumber bought in Burlington. We were settled by Christmas day. Pop sold our pigs to Mr. J.P. Evans (our nearest neighbor) on Christmas day since we had no feed or money. The folks let us kids ride home with Mr. Evans and spend the afternoon. He gave us each a big red apple which was quite a treat. Alta Mae was born 22 February 1907 and passed avtay 27 July 1907 while Pop and AUred were in Kansas for the harvest. From Mom'g letter to him earlier, he knew she was ill and had already started home. There was no place to buy a casket so the neighbors made one. With no minister or church available Mr. Evans gave a short service and prayer in our home. The school house was in the process of being built when we arrived in Colorado so we were able to attend school the next fall. The school term was only six months. The first year here Alfred and I herded the cattle thru the cold winter until finally they got use to the range and would return on their own. Each year a little more sod was broken with a walking plow. The new sod was sown to corn by Alfred following behind the plow. For fifty cents/acre Pop broke land for the neighbors also. In the Spring of 1908 the government shipped in wheat seed. Pop got enough to plant 18 acres and our first crop made 18 bushels/acre. Pop broke sod near St. Francis, Kansas in 1909 and returned in the fall. The kids thought it would be fun to sleep with Mom and Pop in the covered wagon the night he returned only to discover our house in flemes during the night. The neighbors helped Pop build an adobe room (14 x 20) for it us. When it rained, the roof didn't leak poured. - In 1908, the government passed an ordinance giving a homesteader the right to another 160 acres. Pop homesteaded the north quarter. The only crops planted up to this time were corn and wheat. Mother planted a garden every year but with no water Back row: Minnie Adella, Mettie Love, James Alfred, Elmer Fred. Front row: Leona Pearl standing beside father Roy Eugene Jones. it didn't amount to much. However, we seemed to always have more than we could use. Leona Pearl was born 8 October 1909 while Elizabeth to be raised by Uncle Simeon's family. Alfred married Louise Klotzbach 30 September 1919 and to this union six children were born: Eva Matilda, Lily Mae, Lila Fern, Kenneth Verne, Ronald Keith and Verla Rae. I got married 16 June 1920 to Eugene Lee Sisson and to this union one child was born: Ernest Leroy. Minnie Adella never married and was nearly blind in her latter years. She died 9 September 1951. Elmer Fred has never married and resides with me (Mettie) on the homestead place. Leona Pearl married Clarence Everett Churches 28 August 1933 and to this union three children were born: Eugene Clarence, Harold Wayne, and Donald Dee. Elizabeth Lenora married (lst) Lavern Libhart 10 December 1930 and to this union two children were born: Janet R. and Robert S.; (2nd) Mark N. Goddicksen. Father (Roy Eugene) passed away 3 October 1947 and is buried at the Claremont Cemetery, Stratton, Kit Carson Co., Colorado. by Mettie Sisson JONES, DANIEL II. F357 One by one the pioneers of Kit Carson county are passing away. One of the last to pay the debt of nature was Daniel H. Jones. He had been a resident of our county about 30 years. I have known him 25 years as well as I remember. When you first felt the grip of his hand and saw his face you were impressed with the thought that his friendship was worth having. And after that all that you would see and know of them would confirm that first impression. He was a plain, blunt man freely outspoken. I think there was as little hypocrisy about him as any man I ever knew. He was the same Dan Jones to everyone he met, no matter whether it was a beggar, or a tremp, or president, or king. He was one of the kind of men whose acquaintance wore well, The more you saw of him, the better you liked him. I worked with him when he was on the board �of county commissioners (elected in 1891) and learned to admire him for his earnestness, honesty, and unflinching adherence to right and duty. He had a tact for getting over difficult places and carrying his point, that was simply irresistable. As an instance, one of the commissioners advocated strict parlimentary usage in the board, each member should arise to speak, address the chair, and if recognized should refer to the member of the board, as the honorable commissioner from district etc. Uncle Dan sat and listened without a word and when asked what he thought about it replied about like this, "Boys, parlimentary usage is all right, but it is hard to learn old dogs new tricks, I guess we have killed enough time, lets go to work, Mr. Clerk, what is the first thing on the program this morning?" And the work commenced. He despised fraud and graft of every kind. He was optomistic and charitable. Not only did he nurture faith in God and Christ but he had confidence in mankind. He was a great believer in Eastern Colorado. I do not believe that he ever for a moment thought these plains would finally come to the front as agricultural county. He loved to live here better than any other place. During his last illness when told by his physician that he could not cure him, he quietly and deliberately got his house in order for the change he knew was near. He spoke to me about it, just as he would have a trip to Missouri, or any other place. Speaking about his suffering he said, "I suffer, of course, but there is no kick coming from me, God has been very good to me, better a great deal than I have been to him." Lately, we had a many heart to heart talks together. Good bye, neighbor, friend, comrade, brother, while I live, your memory will be dear to me. When my task on earth is done I confidently hope to have more of your companionship in the world beyond. by C.A. Yersin - lgl4 JONES, FLORY AND PERNA F358 Flory Bruce Jones came to Seibert, Kit Carson County, in 1912 from Goodland, Kansas. He left his wife, Perna and son, Bruce with her parents Cad Wallander Jones (no relative) until she had her second child. He homest€aded some land about 7 miles northeast of Seibert arriving in the spring of 1913 with their eons Bruce and Wayne, in a spring wagon. They told us in order to keep the baby warm they put a kerosene lantern under the blanket and when they got to Seibert he was quite smokey and dark. Often wonder how they lived in those days. Flory started farming and buying cows. We don't knowwhat they lived in, but Wayne can remember when they built a sod house, when he was about 6, cutting the sod from the banks of the Republican River. Bruce and Wayne went to a small country school about 172 miles N.E. from home riding a horse to school. There was a small shed they kept the horse in while in school. They added 5 more children to their family; Emily Jane born Oct. 12, 1914; Clyde Clark born July 28, 1916; James Levi born The Flory Jones family taken 1924. Back row: Emily, Wayne, Bruce, FIory holding Irma, Mother Perna, Front row: Delbert, James o16 gttd.. Dec 17, 1917; Delbert Ray born April 27, 1920; and lrma Mae born Aug l, 1922.They all went to school in Seibert and Bruce graduating in 1929; Wayne 1931; Emily 1932; and Clyde 1934. About 1920 Flory bought a 360 acre farm on Cope highway about 4 miles north from Seibert. There was a large 3 bedroom house. They built a large barn. He also rented, leased or bought more land. They farmed up to 2,000 acres and all with horses; raising mainly wheat, corn, cane, and broomcorn. One time he bought some Jennys, but they disappeared during a storm in the winter. In the spring they appeared under a bluffunder snow drift; they froze to death. They also had cows. They milked up to 20. When the children got old enough, which was about 9 or 10, each one grabbed a pail and headed to the barn to milk cows morning and night (there were no milking machines). At one time they had a dairy and delivered milk in Seibert. Mother Jones always said it was the milk cows that carried them through some of the hard times. Flory tried about everything on the farm. One time in about 1934 he bought a band of sheep. Wayne had to herd them. They only had them about a year. Flory learned to take care of his animals because there was no veterinarian around so it got so the other farmers called on him a lot to look at theirs and he had to pull many calves when the cow couldn't have them. They also had good times, too. In that big barn they had barn dances up in the hay loft. Flory liked to dance and wanted the children to dance, too. Mother Jones would make cake and pies and sell them. Everyone around would come. That big barn was also used for boxing. A mat was put in and they practiced with Flory teaching them. Flory loved to box and some times wrestle. He did most of his training by running about 4 or 5 miles every morning up and down hills. When a carnival came to town, he would either box or wrestle, which ever they wanted. He also was the main feature on some of the American Legion and other cards. One of his last fights was with Pat Andrews of Burlington, Co. about 1931 or 1932. He also taught some of the boys. Wayne was on some of the boxing cards. Beginning of the 30's, times were starting to get hard; one thing on account of the depression and so many of the banks were closing. Flory had lost some money in the bank, too. Also the crops weren't too good because of the dry weather and no rain and what was good, the grasshoppers started eating everything in sight. They would clean out a field in a day. They would have to put a pitchfork handle in the hay stack or they would eat it, too. It kept getting dryer and the dust started to blow; it got so dusty that it would turn dark in midday. When Perna set the table she would set the plates upside down and you still ate dirt. They still tried to farm but it didn't do very good. Weeds would sprout on the hollow of the cows back. The cows were dying, too. The government stepped in and bought them paying from 98 to 916 a head; if they were real bad they shot them and the best ones were shipped away. In 1932 Bruce went to Kansas City to work, Emily wentto Wichita to school, Wayne went to the fruit harvest, picking peaches and apples in western Colorado and shucked corn in Kan. In 1936 Flory decided to go to LaGrande, Oregon to a cousin, see if he could find work. He, Wayne and Jim drove a 1928 Chevy, leaving Clyde in charge of farm and family. They got a job working in a sawmill. Clyde put in some corn and when he went to cultivate it, the grasshoppers ate it to stubs. The rest of the family, Mother, Clyde, Delbert and Irma loaded a L929 Chevy and headed to Oregon, too. Their white collie dog started following so they put him on top and he came to Oregon, too. Flory died in 1950; Bruce in 1951; Perna in 1969; Delbert in 1983 and Emily in 1985. by Wayne C. Jones KAISER, BRUNO F. F359 Bruno F. Kaiser was born at Olean, Indiana, Nov. 13, 1858. He left home at the age of. 22 in the spring of the year 1884, went to Wymore, Nebr., then to Gibben, Nebr., then to Holdrege, Nebr., remaining there for � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- J Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource Brief history of the founding families of Kit Carson county with names starting with "J." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/489/Families-K.pdf b29b172411ae7573d0a7becfcd69a715 PDF Text Text of county commissioners (elected in 1891) and learned to admire him for his earnestness, honesty, and unflinching adherence to right and duty. He had a tact for getting over difficult places and carrying his point, that was simply irresistable. As an instance, one of the commissioners advocated strict parlimentary usage in the board, each member should arise to speak, address the chair, and if recognized should refer to the member of the board, as the honorable commissioner from district etc. Uncle Dan sat and listened without a word and when asked what he thought about it replied about like this, "Boys, parlimentary usage is all right, but it is hard to learn old dogs new tricks, I guess we have killed enough time, lets go to work, Mr. Clerk, what is the first thing on the program this morning?" And the work commenced. He despised fraud and graft of every kind. He was optomistic and charitable. Not only did he nurture faith in God and Christ but he had confidence in mankind. He was a great believer in Eastern Colorado. I do not believe that he ever for a moment thought these plains would finally come to the front as agricultural county. He loved to live here better than any other place. During his last illness when told by his physician that he could not cure him, he quietly and deliberately got his house in order for the change he knew was near. He spoke to me about it, just as he would have a trip to Missouri, or any other place. Speaking about his suffering he said, "I suffer, of course, but there is no kick coming from me, God has been very good to me, better a great deal than I have been to him." Lately, we had a many heart to heart talks together. Good bye, neighbor, friend, comrade, brother, while I live, your memory will be dear to me. When my task on earth is done I confidently hope to have more of your companionship in the world beyond. by C.A. Yersin - lgl4 JONES, FLORY AND PERNA F358 Flory Bruce Jones came to Seibert, Kit Carson County, in 1912 from Goodland, Kansas. He left his wife, Perna and son, Bruce with her parents Cad Wallander Jones (no relative) until she had her second child. He homest€aded some land about 7 miles northeast of Seibert arriving in the spring of 1913 with their eons Bruce and Wayne, in a spring wagon. They told us in order to keep the baby warm they put a kerosene lantern under the blanket and when they got to Seibert he was quite smokey and dark. Often wonder how they lived in those days. Flory started farming and buying cows. We don't knowwhat they lived in, but Wayne can remember when they built a sod house, when he was about 6, cutting the sod from the banks of the Republican River. Bruce and Wayne went to a small country school about 172 miles N.E. from home riding a horse to school. There was a small shed they kept the horse in while in school. They added 5 more children to their family; Emily Jane born Oct. 12, 1914; Clyde Clark born July 28, 1916; James Levi born The Flory Jones family taken 1924. Back row: Emily, Wayne, Bruce, FIory holding Irma, Mother Perna, Front row: Delbert, James o16 gttd.. Dec 17, 1917; Delbert Ray born April 27, 1920; and lrma Mae born Aug l, 1922.They all went to school in Seibert and Bruce graduating in 1929; Wayne 1931; Emily 1932; and Clyde 1934. About 1920 Flory bought a 360 acre farm on Cope highway about 4 miles north from Seibert. There was a large 3 bedroom house. They built a large barn. He also rented, leased or bought more land. They farmed up to 2,000 acres and all with horses; raising mainly wheat, corn, cane, and broomcorn. One time he bought some Jennys, but they disappeared during a storm in the winter. In the spring they appeared under a bluffunder snow drift; they froze to death. They also had cows. They milked up to 20. When the children got old enough, which was about 9 or 10, each one grabbed a pail and headed to the barn to milk cows morning and night (there were no milking machines). At one time they had a dairy and delivered milk in Seibert. Mother Jones always said it was the milk cows that carried them through some of the hard times. Flory tried about everything on the farm. One time in about 1934 he bought a band of sheep. Wayne had to herd them. They only had them about a year. Flory learned to take care of his animals because there was no veterinarian around so it got so the other farmers called on him a lot to look at theirs and he had to pull many calves when the cow couldn't have them. They also had good times, too. In that big barn they had barn dances up in the hay loft. Flory liked to dance and wanted the children to dance, too. Mother Jones would make cake and pies and sell them. Everyone around would come. That big barn was also used for boxing. A mat was put in and they practiced with Flory teaching them. Flory loved to box and some times wrestle. He did most of his training by running about 4 or 5 miles every morning up and down hills. When a carnival came to town, he would either box or wrestle, which ever they wanted. He also was the main feature on some of the American Legion and other cards. One of his last fights was with Pat Andrews of Burlington, Co. about 1931 or 1932. He also taught some of the boys. Wayne was on some of the boxing cards. Beginning of the 30's, times were starting to get hard; one thing on account of the depression and so many of the banks were closing. Flory had lost some money in the bank, too. Also the crops weren't too good because of the dry weather and no rain and what was good, the grasshoppers started eating everything in sight. They would clean out a field in a day. They would have to put a pitchfork handle in the hay stack or they would eat it, too. It kept getting dryer and the dust started to blow; it got so dusty that it would turn dark in midday. When Perna set the table she would set the plates upside down and you still ate dirt. They still tried to farm but it didn't do very good. Weeds would sprout on the hollow of the cows back. The cows were dying, too. The government stepped in and bought them paying from 98 to 916 a head; if they were real bad they shot them and the best ones were shipped away. In 1932 Bruce went to Kansas City to work, Emily wentto Wichita to school, Wayne went to the fruit harvest, picking peaches and apples in western Colorado and shucked corn in Kan. In 1936 Flory decided to go to LaGrande, Oregon to a cousin, see if he could find work. He, Wayne and Jim drove a 1928 Chevy, leaving Clyde in charge of farm and family. They got a job working in a sawmill. Clyde put in some corn and when he went to cultivate it, the grasshoppers ate it to stubs. The rest of the family, Mother, Clyde, Delbert and Irma loaded a L929 Chevy and headed to Oregon, too. Their white collie dog started following so they put him on top and he came to Oregon, too. Flory died in 1950; Bruce in 1951; Perna in 1969; Delbert in 1983 and Emily in 1985. by Wayne C. Jones KAISER, BRUNO F. F359 Bruno F. Kaiser was born at Olean, Indiana, Nov. 13, 1858. He left home at the age of. 22 in the spring of the year 1884, went to Wymore, Nebr., then to Gibben, Nebr., then to Holdrege, Nebr., remaining there for �1 and one-half years. Heard there was government land in Colorado to be had so he started to Colo. in August, 1886, in company with Scott Ready, Wm. Van Osdol, Wm. Stout and Ed Hoskin, by B & M R. R. to Wray, Colorado and took a tree claim and then returned to Holdrege. Later in the fall Kaiser, Ready, Osdol, and (Shorty) Stout left Holdrege by covered wagon for Colorado. After driving over the prairie for about ten days, they stopped at Wray, then drove south to the soddy store. There a man by the name of L.R. Baker, who had a claim nearby, helped them locate. Mr. Kaiser located on Sec. 10-9-44, which was l-t/z miles south of the first Burlington. Only a sod house was in sight at that time, and it was on Sec. 15-9-44. He had to go about 18 miles to the McCrillis ranch to get his mail. He built a sod house on the northeast corner of his claim, and proved up on his claim in the summer of 1887, by paying $1.25 per acre. He received a patent signed by President Benj. Harrison. He built a sod shanty for his anvil and did blacksmithing in Burlington. When the two towns consolidated, and when he got title to his land, he moved to old Burlington, then he moved in 1888 to present Burlington, Lot 28 in block 30. In December, 1888, he returned to Olean, lnd. and married LauraI. Thum of Versailles, Ind., on Jan. 13, 1889, and after a few days returned to Burlington and the house he built there. The house he built is still standing. They lived there for seven years and on Nov. 24, L892, a daughter was born. They nemed her Anna M. Kaiser. On Dec. 25, L892, they had the first Christmas tree in Burlington, which caused considerable comment. Mr. Kaiser reports that very few crops were grown at that time; mostly sheep and cattle were kept on the free range. The land is still owned by the daughter now Mrs. Anna Smith of Versailles, Ind. Mr. Kaiser was elected county treagurer in Nov. 1893 and served for two years. (The house built by Mr. Kaiser is now owned by San and Lucille Hendricks.) (Written in 1935) by Della Hendricks KALB, ADA F360 Ada Kalb cane here in 1905. She was working for Mr. Wtherall as a printer when he told her of the homesteads here. She and her mother sat all night in the Hotel Emery with no rooms, the windows out, and the weather very chilly. Mr. Witherall cnme with a one-horse buggy and took them to Bur- lington to sign up for homestead. On the way he stopped to milk and ate dinner from the lunch they had brought along. He charged ten dollars for locating them. They made a dugout on the hillside with doors on the lowest side. She sometimes had to walk seventeen miles to get the horses for work. There was no rifing machinery then. One neighbor worked a bull and a mule. When still in her eighties she was seen doing her own farming, with a tractor and she drove a Model T Ford car. Her sons, with their families lived on the homestead near her, and they finally had to take her car away form her because it was dangerous for her. One son has passed away and Kenneth retired and moved to Missouri. by Dessie Cassity KENNEDY AND DUNHAM FAMILY F36r In the early 1900's, Elizabeth and William Kennedy ca-e by box car, with their worldly possessions and took up a homestead south of Cheyenne Wells. There was no water to be found so they moved north west ofCheyenne Wells. They had three boys here, Frank, William and George. The mother passed away when George was 15 yrs. old.; with there being three younger children, the three boys started working out, sometimes they got a $1.00 and other times worked for a place to sleep and meals. George worked for Buss Dunlap, Bert Loaper and Tom Taylor. The father passed away in a short time and George had to help care for the younger children who were boarded out in other homes. George worked in helping build the Loveland Pass, in the boom oil fields of Texas and in 1929, he returned to Burlington area and worked for Warren Shamberg, Joe Eastin, and Mr. Bruner, who ran the Foster Lumber Yard, as well as renting the Alvia Bacon farm. He rodeoed at the fairs and helped entertain in the Sun. Afternoon shows. In 1931, he rented Mr. Bruner's farm south of Vona and took a cow herd on shares. In 1932, he and Irene Dunham were married, hard times and dirty dry years had hit. In 1936, they bought a farm South of Seibert, This was beautiful grass country and Oh! how nice it was to get away from the dirt. They had a daughter. Many back-breaking days were spent with Irene picking up cow chips with the wagon for fuel. George was gone from home quite a bit working for the WPA. When he was quite young he contracted the disease of arthritis and the work was doubly hard for him. Times got better and they accumulated a nice herd of cattle along with the ranch. In 1966, due to ill health of both, they sold the ranch, and bought a home in Burlington, and moved there in 1976. George worked at different things until 1980, when he passed away. Elizabeth still lives and enjoys her yard work, daughter and grandsons when she gets to see them. by Irene Kennedy KENNEDY ACKELSON FAMILY F362 Thomas E. Kennedy and Bessie Ackelson met in Yuma County, Colorado, around 1905. They were married March 8, 1908, at Wray, Colorado. Bessie Ackelson cnme to Yuma County at the age of seven with her parents, Willian and Susan Morgan Ackelson, the youngest of eleven children. She was born in Winterset, Iowa on April 24, 1884. Traveling by covered Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Kennedv in 1930 at their Stratton home. wagon, her parents migrated from lllinois to Iowa, then Nebraska, and finally Colorado, an area being settled. During the winter months the family would go to the Arkansas River, taking their livestock. Before her maniage she carried mail by horse and buggy to Fox, Colorado. She also filed on a homestead which adjoined her parents home. She had a small two room house built on it. Our parents lived here for five years, and it was here that their eldest child, Hazel, was born. Thomas Edwin Kennedy came to Yuma County around 1905. His birthplace was Cora, Smith County, Kansas, on August 23, 1882. His parents, John Kennedy and Almetta Morgan Kennedy migrated to Kansag from lllionois. He was one of eight children. We recall him telling about playing hockey on ice nearby and he enjoyed playing baseball. He had an excellent knowledge of horses, and we remember the many "horse trades" that he made. You never knew for one day to the other when one would be gone, with a different one replacing it. A desire ofhis early life was to some day own a motorcycle, but he never did own one. By 1916 or so, however, he did purchase a Ford Model T automobile, but he never farmed with a tractor, preferring to use horses or mules. In 1913, the family moved to a homestead that our father filed on, which was seven miles northwest of Stratton. The first "homestead" house was a two story freme covered with black tar paper. It was here that Helen was born in 1915. We left Colorado to reside in Arkansas for one year, about 1920 or 1921. Our father purchased cattle there and shipped them to Colorado by immigrant car where they were sold. It was very difficult life than we were accustomed to, and father soon learned he didn't like chasing cattle in the brushy hills there, so we returned to the open plains ofthe Old Homestead, as we're used to hearing it called. This house burned about 192L or 1922. Mother was home at the time, but she was alone, so most of our possessions were lost. The present house was built in 1923 by a close neighbor, Mr. Malone, who was a carpenter. He built several of the homes still being occupied in Stratton. It was in this home that Tom and Zelma joined the family in 1923 and 1925. The barn was built about 1928. When it was completed, a dance was held in the hay loft. Since Father practiced "diversified" farm- ing, the crops were usually fed to the livestock. Some of the livestock were sold, which provided the cash we had to spend and save. A big part of the food we raised were beef, pork, chicken, milk, butter, cream and eggs. Some eggs and crearn were sold and provided money for most of the staple �groceries. Mother canned all kinds of food items, including beef, chicken, fruit and vegetables. In our memory no food ever tasted as good as the biscuits, pies, cakes, cookies or the roast beefor pork that Mother prepared on the old "Home Comfort" range. We had many chores to do, gathering corn cobs from the pig pens to burn in the stoves, bringing coal into the house, filling kerosene Inmps, washing the cream separator, gathering eggs, 6illrilg cows and feeding the calvee. Living on the homestead was filled KINDRED, CORA AND EARL F363 with daily activity. The family lived on the farm until 1938. Since Father was a lifetime Republican, in 1937 he decided to become a candidate for breaking through the fences and drinking all the water. Duane, Leo, and Dale were born at home on this farm. The boys went to school at Blakeman, 2 miles west of their home. For awhile they had a white horse that Leo and Dale rode while Duane walked; after the horse died they all walked. Perhaps the horse didn't appreciate their wanting a spotted horse and getting Mother's blueing bottle to make a spotted horse, so he gave up the ghost. The country school of Bethel was the meeting place for Sunday School and Church for the neighborhood. It was near where Eddie Herndon now lives. Neighbors were Bordon, Scheierman, dear mother, Father's helpmate, passed away in 1945. After Mother's death, Father lived with his daughter, Helen, and her husband, Eddie Kerl, until his death in 1950. We feel we grew up having a good life. We were taught to work hard, to be honest, and to help others. We were always encouraged to get an education. Our parents were strong advocates ofgood schools, and Dad served on the Idlewild School District Board. We received our elementary education there. It Brantley, Wilson, Hodge, Dunlap, Kalb, was a typical rural school of the times - grade 1 through 8. We had to leave home to attend high school. Hazel graduated from Burlington, while Helen, Tom and Zelma all The first grandchildren, their twin sons, Dona]d T. and Ronald E., were born March 8, 1943. All have resided in the California area for the past forty years. Paul died in 1974. Helen and Eddie Kerl have resided in Stratton since their mariage in 1937. She worked for the Co-op for forty years, retiring in 1975. Since their retirement they are very active in many activities. Tom, Jr. served in the Naw in World War of them a half section of land. Later, her mother and sister, Rose, owned and lived in the house where Allen Greenwood now lives. Leo still farms and land that was Anna Hughes', that Marie Greenwood now owns. Earl and Cora farmed and had livestock and persisted through all the hardships of early settlers. It was always interesting to hear their stories about the blizzards, floods, and the way neighbors helped each other at birthings and deaths, barn buildings, and harvesting crops. It was still open range then and they told of the problem of horses County Commissioner from the second district. He was elected and served two termg. At this time they purchased a houge in Stratton. A few years later the farm was sold. They made their home in Stratton until our graduated from Stratton. Hazel taught school for twelve years in Kit Carson County. She and her husband, Paul Gagnon, moved to the BayArea of California. here and bought quite a bit of land, and nearly all of her brothers lived in or around Stratton at one time, as her father gave each Earl and Cora Kindred taken in 1970. Coraand Earl Kindred came to Kit Carson County in 1921 from Smith Center, Kansas. They, along with Leonard and Kate Calvin, shared a railroad box car to bring their belongings to Stratton. They had purchased a farm three miles east and four south of Stratton, next to a half section that Cora's father had given her. Her father had come out Wood, Bassinger. During the depression and "Dirty thirties" and after Leo's dad was laid off of WPA because he owned land, he and a neighbor, Ed Stevens, went to Castle Rock, Colorado, and got work helping build a new school house. Earl later got a job working for a farmer south of Castle Rock and was able to move his family there. Leo says they moved everything in the back of an old Model A Ford truck even the milk cow and a crate of chickens. When moisture began to fall again, they moved back to the farm and continued to farm there. The war came and Duane was in Australia for four years and, a baby girl, II. He maried Betty Blancken in 1946, residing in Flagler, Colorado. Diana, the first granddaughter, was born January 20, 1950; Karen Kay was born Auguet 31, 1951; Larry Gene was born April 15, 1953. Tom died in 1973. Betty gtill livee in the home there. After graduation from Stratton High, Zelma attended school in Denver where she also worked. She married L.G. Eubanks, and they resided in New Mexico. Their children were Gar5r, born December 15, 1974, and Debra, born March 19, 1951. Debrawas lrilled in a car accident in May, L970.7*lma died in 1980. Surviving Thomas and Bessie Kennedy are two daughters, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren. by llazel Gagnon and Helen Kerl ar;'-l'";,S rf' .,.-..4-zl Earl and Cora Kindred farm southeast of Stratton. They built these improvements in the 20's. The man is Earl Kindred with sons, Duane and Leo. �in that area worked together to put up a Earlene, was born to complete the family. In 1947 they sold the farm and bought the Rose Bud Court in Loveland, Colorado. This was during the time before Esteg Park was telephone line from Stratton to this area. The farmers pooled their labor and set and strung the wire for Mountain Bell and then later sold the line to Mountain Bell for $1.00. Mountain Bell then serviced the line. It has now been torn down and underground wiring has been built up very much and lots of vacationerg stayed in Loveland in order to fish and relax along the Big Thompson Canyon. Earl would work at the sugar factory dwing the winter. In 1951, the Hughes family made good use of the Court and had a farnily reunion, withJim, put in. While on this farm many good things happened to us. We were successful in Clarence, Ray, Ida, Anna, and Rose all farming and ranching. Some of our neighbors that we enjoyed visiting with were the Walt Herndons, Kenneth Scheierman, Herb Scheierman, Walt and Kenneth Kalb, Francis Grubbs, Bill Drietz, Leroy Herndon, Howard Rouse, Fred Storrer, Louis Pickards, Shelby Taylor and Louis Werner. In 1968 we coming. They later sold the court and bought a small acreage in Qampion, a small town south of Loveland. Mom Kindred was active in American Legion Auxiliary and received honorable mention at a national meeting for her work of making lap robes and such for the hospitals. Until her eyesight failed, her hands were hardly ever idle, for she loved to crochet and make quilts. They celebrated their 50th anniversary while living s1 Qnmpion, and we had an open house for them at the Loveland Methodist Church. After several years, they decided that it would be nice to live nearer Duane and Leo, and sold their acreage, and bought a home in Stratton, which was very enjoyable for all of us, and they had a chance to get to know their grandchildren and great-grandchildren who lived here. They enjoyed their comfortable home and neighbors, the Al Kittens and John Hasarts, and usually had a wonderful garden. In 1979. all of us kids and their friends joined them in celebrating their 60th anniversary in the newly completed Fellowship Hall at the Stratton United Methodist Church. Cora died in 1981 at the age of 82. Earl died in 1982 at the age of 88, after living in this mind-boggling era, spanning having only horses for transportation, to taking a trip in a jet plane, and from the time when records were kept with a tedious quill pen, to the coming of the mighty computer. Duane married Netha Hansen, daughter of John and Cora Hansen, and they live in Stratton. Dale is married to Roberta Guy, daughter of Mabel and Gerald Guy. They live in Spokane, Washington. Earlene married Bill Smith and lives near Loveland. (I nm married to Leo, and we own a farm 5% miles south of Bethune. We have a daughter, Carol, who lives at Sterling, Colorado.) had a farm sale and moved to Stratton, Colorado. We purchased the A.J. Dischner home, where we still live. We raised and educated our children in the Stratton Public School. All of them graduated from Stratton High School. After moving to tov"n Duane and Jack Titsworth built the Burlington Commercial Feedlot. Duane later went to Duane and Netha Kindred. 1986 Duane was the first son born to Earl and Cora Kindred. He was born on the farm southeast of Stratton in t922. He attended grade school at the Blakeman School south of Stratton. One of his teachers was Edith Powers Hasart. He attended high school in Stratton. In 1941 he volunteered for the service by joining Co I in Burlington, Colorado In 1941 Co I mobilized and he was shipped to Texas with the unit. Duane spent 5 years in the service of his country, serving in the Pannma and Southwest Pacific. He was discharged in 1945. After being discharged, he returned to Stratton where he did custom trucking and later went into farming with his brother Leo. I was the daughter of John and Cora Hansen. I wag born in Oakley, Kansas. In 1935 I moved with my parents to a farm south of Firstview, Colorado. I attended my first five years of school at the Firstview School. My parents moved to Stratton, Colorado in 1941. I finished my grade school at the Pious Point School. My teachers at this school were Caroline Husenetter and Ruth Gulley. I graduated from the Stratton High School in 1948. by Maxine Kindred KINDRED, DUANE AND NETHA F364 On June 1, f948 Duane and I were married at the EUB Church in Stratton, Colorado with Rev. Erickson officiating. Charles Sholes and Claudine Stoner were our attendants. We had a wedding dance at the Legion Hall. The music was furnished by Mr and Mrs Howard Gall and Clarence and Nadine Pottorff. Our first home was the little house just north of the Church of God. It was at one time the parsonage of the Church of God when Rev. Hooper was the minister. While we Duane and Netha Kindred's wedding day, June 1, 1948 were living there our first son, Dennis was born. In 1951 we sold this house and moved to the ranch of W.J. Garner. Duane and Leo farmed together on this farm. While we were living on this farm another son, Gary was born in L552. A daughter, Janis was born in 1955. While living on this farm we saw many changes being made in the country. When we first moved to this farm there was no electricity. REA csme to the area in 1952. What a sight to see the lights. Driving around the country side everyone had a yard light. It looked like a big city. In 1960 the farmers work for the Stratton Equity Coop. He worked there for 15 years as a feed truck driver. He retired from the Coop in 19&1. I presently am working at the Coop as a receptionist. I have worked for the Coop for 18 years. We have been blessed with two lovely daughters-in-law, Roberta, wife of Dennis and Mary Anne, wife of Gary and a son-in-law, Jerry, husband of Janis. Two grandchildren, Brian and Bridget, are children of Gary and Mary Anne. We will celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary this year, 1988 on June 1st. Through the last 40 years let me relate some the things and happenings, old and new that have come and gone while we were married. They will not necessarily be in order, but just as they come to mind. Consolidation of school into district R-4, eliminating First Central, Pious Point, Blakeman and schools north of Stratton. Needing school buses, Carlos Dillon and Bob Eberhart were the first bus supervisors and owners; Dirty 50's; Bonny parn; new high school; '60 snow storm and the mud that followed. Our children missed 32 days of school due to this storm and mud; black rust in the wheat 1961; closing the Stratton Locker Plant; new grade school; fire that destroyed the feed mill at the Stratton Coop; new Coop Hardware; moving the Coop lumber yard to the new Coop Hardware location; new elevator at the Coop; Interstate I-70, street signs; GPI Motel; new Catholic Hall, Church and Parish; new Legion Hall; new Church of God; new Fellowship Hall at the United Methodist Church: new swimming pool; new library; remodeled Collins Hotel now is Twin Oaks; new First National Bank; Doughnut Shop; new Post Office; the old school gym remodeled into a bowling alley and restaurant, Dairy Delight. Some of the old buildings that once were are now into something else. Red and White Store is Gambles; McCheseny Grocery is Bob Miller; Wolfrums Service Station, (Vacant); Lutheran Church is Jostes home; Seventh Day Adventist Church became the Library; Nazarene Church is Berry home; Spurlin Creemery is the Coop Hardware; Toland Creamery is Kenny Pottorff fertilizer; Hor- nung Realty and Batt Realty are Road Runner; the first sale barn that was in downtown Stratton is the Storage Barn; �Collins Hotel Annex, that was once called the Selby House is the Park Malone home; Homer Shoe Shop and Toland Cafe are B&B Drug; Al and Lil's Bar is the Brandin lron; Zurcher Garage is Jim Leoffler Garage; Cassidy Station is J&B Automotive; Sam Adair Station is Pottorff Fertilizer; Snell Grain is the Coop. I am gure there are many more that have come and gone and that have changed hands and been made into other services. Just as the service station that Del Kordes has run for many years that all may have forgotten was once the Lee Zurcher station where you saw stuffed northern animalg that he and his brother shot and had stuffed and were put on display at this station that many children loved to see. The Medical Clinic is another addition. by Netha Kindred the Dillon Hardware. People were anxious to get their name in line for the machinery orjust parts that were not available during the war. New- elevator bins were going up in all the towng as crops were good and wheat sold for $2.85 a bushel. Wheat harvest meant leaving your truck parked in a long line down main street, perhaps for days, until rail cars csme in; otherwise you made your own wheat pile on the ground. I could watch the Kit Carson Memorial Hospital being built from my window in the County Treasurer's office where I worked under Steve Rockwell and Ssm Travis. The new slab facing was added to the courthouse also. The new sale barn was built on the north edge of Stratton and the old one, practically in the center oftown, was torn down. Bonny Dam was under construction so Burlington was building and booming also. The spring of 1953 we had a beautiful crop ofwheat so Leo and Duane bought a fabulous KINDRED, MAXINE AND LEO F365 new self-propelled combine from Dillon Hardware to replace some old pull combines. But, the rains didn't come and very few bushels were raised that year or for quite a few following. They did some custom cutting in various areas where there was a little more moisture. Leo and Duane both had to find other ways to make a living. We had Federal Crop Insurance, and they had to scratch a little seed in the dry powdery soil to qualify for the payments. The winds blew as they always seem to during a drought and the dust was so dense a lot of days one could hardly see across the street. During the years when no crops were raised, Leo worked at various jobs to keep food on the table along with the dust! Carlos Dillon owned- the school buses at that time and Leo drove a bus. He usually drove the southwest route, but ifhe had to go north, I always worried on the dirty days as the "Rocket" passenger train went through town about evening bus time. he also worked at the Coop station and elevator. This was during the era when an individual from the community went to the homes of property owners to the Crouses by driving a beet truck during the "good" beet years . . and also the muddy ones when it was virtually impossible to get the beets out. Later on, he started driving a school bus for the Bethune district, where our daughter was attending school. After she was older, I also drove one of the buses a lot of the time on regular routes, and to ball games, and special trips. We have tried to figure how many years Leo had drive a bus - with the interruptions here and there. We decided that at least twenty-five years had been spent this way, as he had picked up some Bethune students from the time they started to Kindergarten through graduation. Our daughter graduated inl977, and went to Sterling for college. We were happy for her to seek out her destiny, but we missed the hours of her playing the piano. However, driving the buses gave us the opportunity to continue our interest in young people and school activities. Most Sundays found us at church in Stratton and visiting Leo's parents before their death, or perhaps Netha and Duane, as they live in Stratton. The years of doctoring and coping with the rheumatoid arthritis that Leo has had for twenty-five years began to take their toll and he retired from the school buses in 1985 and has not experienced very good health since. We are still living on our farm, but it is beginning to be time for us to retire from that also. As I nm qryi1i1g this, we are happily looking forward to Carol's marrying the man of her dreams, Monte Keil of Crook, Colorado. She is the office manager at the Superior Fertilizer Company at Crook and they will live on a farm east of there. So we will have new things to interest us with this addition to our lives. I am looking forward to pursuing some of the project that I've never made time for previously. Leo passed on May 31, 1987. by Maxine Kindred assess them for county taxes, and Leo did that for several years under Assessor Park Marine and Leo Kindred. My husband, Leo, was born on his parents farm southeast of Stratton and I have told in my parents (Galen and Emma Stoner) story how I cnme to this vicinity. We were married in 1947 by Rev. Erickson at the Evangelical Church. Leo and his brother Duane farmed together on what was known as the Collins Ranch, owned by Bill Garner. We lived in town in the house just north of where the Coop manager's houge is now. This was during the post WWII time when prosperity and building was in evidence ever5nrhere. The new Legion Hall was built and for awhile roller skating was held there as well as dances and other activities. The big Catholic Church replaced their small one and the Evangelical Church (now Methodist) was remodeled under the guidance of Rev. Bayles, Mrs. Ray Calverey, Vena Scheierman, Adeline Sawyer, and others. The Foster Lumber was a proud and busy business then, as was Guthrie. Even household property was taxed then. Two different years we went to Loveland, where he worked at the sugar beet factory during the fall campaign. We would stay in one of his folks' kitchen units, at their motel. Our first child, Everett, was ill during these years and died in 1956. The summer of 1956 we stayed in Colorado Springs while Leo helped Clifford Messenger, my brother-inlaw. build a house. Leo then worked at the sugar factory in Loveland that winter. There was finally enough rain for crops in 1958. Our daughter, Carol Anne, was born in April 1959 and that fall Leo realized his dream of getting out of town when we moved to a farm 5% miles south of Bethune. Naturally, that was the winter that it never quit snowing until we had at least thirty inches on the level. At that time, most farmers did not have the large equipment to take care of livestock or to get to town. During these years irrigation wells went down all around us (no permits were required), but for various reasons we stayed with dry land farming and running cows and calves. Leo had a self-propelled swather and did quite a KING, CLARENCE F366 The Clarence King family lived south of Bethune from 1915 to 1919, then moved 1 % miles west of Levant, Kan. We went back through Kit Carson County often. In May L927.we moved back south of the Kit Carson County Line, 20 miles straight south of Bethune. Clarence had 10 children, Orvis King, born Nov. 9, 1914, Levant, Kan., Morris M.'King, born July 11, 1916, Levant, Kan., Delores L. King Schroeder, born April 23, 1918, North of Cheyenne Wells, Co., June Y. King Jones, born Oct. 10, 1920, Levant, Kan., Max L. King, born Jan.26, 1923, Levant, Kan. died Nov. 3, 1949, Mary K. King Fuhren, born June 6, 1925, Levant, Kan,. Ord L. King Moore, born Jan. L9, L927, Levant, Kan., Wanda F. King Barnett, born March 29, 1929, North of Cheyenne Wells, Carrol C. King born April 10, 1931, North of Cheyenne Wells, Co., Verlyn F. King, born July 7, 1933, Cheyenne Wells, Co. died Feb. 19, 1969. We bought m{rny groceries in Burlington lot of custom swathing for our neighbors. and Stratton. Went to Dentist, Dr. Flatt, Doctors, Dr. Remington, Dr. Robinson, and After wheat drilling was done, he would help Dr. Hayes. My sister-in-law, Martha Schroe- �summer of 1933 Maynard raised enough feed to last al'nost 2 wintprs. He had an old bull, was born Sept. 1, 1916 and Wilda was born by Mar. 1935 the bull wouldn't eat dusty thistles, so he fed the bull horse manure and molasses. A little gtass grew in July and he Early in 1919, George King went to Denver to be on the Jury, he got the flu and died in Denver. He was about 37 years old. World loaded some old cows and gtandpa's bull and came by our old dusty place and said "I'll get him in to that Burlington sale ring and if Ray McDaniels opens his head just once, he's War I was over and the prices of livestock and gonna own that bull." Maynard was having a hard time getting the furniture down the stairs into the basement, so he said, "When I leave here I hope they take me out feet first." We knew Herndons, Dudley Swaneon, Fred Storrers, Guy McAr- hurs, all the Schlossers, Roy Taylor Tom Taylor. The adobe school and cracker box school, Fred Mathis family, Joe Eastons, The Knapp family, Bill Meads, Bill Smiths Pete The Clarence King Family. Seated, L to R: Clarence L., Nettie E., Verlyn F. King. Standing, L to R: CarroII C., Wanda F. Barnett, Delores L. Schreoder, Mary K. Fuhrer, June Y. Jones, Orda L. Moore, Morris M. King der King passed away in Burlington, age 20, April 1939, with too much sugar in her blood, the doctor couldn't do much about it. Tom Johnston was a real good sheepman. I helped Tom drive sheep 4 t/z d.ays to May Valley, must north of Lamar in Sept. 1930, a wonderful trip for a kid of 14 yrs old. Tom died June of 1939. In 1915 Frank Daily was drilling a well for Ted Stubbs near N. Smokey Hill River, 1 % miles west of the Tom Johnston sheep ranch, a big rattle snake was hid in Ted's dugout, so Boydes, Legter Piersons, So- Allens, John Boggs, Bill Kelly, Fuzzy Walstrom, Fred Nortons, Cage Bunch, Art Low, Charlie Barr, Jim Ausbern, Charlie Smelker, Bill, Alfred, and Mont Pfaffly, Lashers Magnisons, Sedmans, Rollie Smith, Willis Perkins, Charlies Perkins, the Airs Family, Ora Welmans, Art Welmans, Clif Beeson, Ed Beeson, Frank Beeson, The Nazarene Church L2 miles south and 1 mile west of Bethune. The Holstine family, Allen Jenkins, Lee Raines, Bill Schaal and many more. Bill Eslinger didn't speak to good, he said, "I tharmed with a tharmall thour years and didn't raise a thing." Feebe Simpson was like a grandma to me. Harold King stayed with her a lot. Harold done a lot of shop work on everything. He drove us in to Cheyenne Wells just after the March blizzard in 1931 and almost bit his pipe stem in two when he drove by the poor old lady froze stiff about 40 feet from the road, her name was Terall. Harold looked in Daily wouldn't sleep in there. The dog throwed the snake upon Ted under the covers, Ted got the shotgun and said, "I'll shoot the dog." The dog jumped aside and Life Magazine and read where Jim Gurnhart was going to have a mock funeral for himself and said to my mom, "Are you going to Jim's funeral?" She said "well I didn't know he died." and Harold said, "Well he ain't." We went from Yoder and visited Bertha Ted shot holes in his lard bucket and his King, Harold King, Leo E. Kings, Bud Kings, water bucket. Dorthea Humphrey, E.R. Mills, Charles There were lots of stills running in the years of no whiskey. The Andrews, Hightowers and Clarence Brannon, Ray Schlosser played the fiddle for dances. A lot of people went to the Nazarene Church and First Central School to Sunday School. We went from 1929 until 1931. They had Grange in a school about 10 miles south of Bethune. My brother and I passed the 8th grade the spring of 1929. I was about 12 years and 10 months. Mills, Bverett Allman, Doc Burds, Bud Mathews, Duane Taylor, Pete Schlicken- meyer, and Victor Sponsel. by Morris King KING, GEORGE in 1918. grain were down and the wind and dry weather was a problem. Aunt Bertha's children were well behaved and were not bad to drink liquor. There were many bad years for all the people. Bertha King married Ray Knapp. Virgil Bud King and Dorothea were born about 1924 and 1926. In the spring of 1928, Grandma Simpson died. She didn't have many livestock left and others had the so-e troubles. Harold King bought a 640 acre nearby. He could fix almost anything from a pocket watch to a 40 horse on the draw bar tractor, which would weigh about 7,(M) to 10,000 lbs. Mabel King married Ed Mills, about 1930. They worked for wages and did OK. When Charles was born, they got a place 3 miles south of Burlington and milked good Holstein cows and delivered and sold milk in glass bottles. Joyce Mills was born there at Burlington, too. Charles Mills'wife is one of Art Lowe's children. They have been farming in Kit Carson county, south of Vona for a long time. Charles and his family farm wheat, sorghum, corn, and have a feed lot and sell Grade A milk. Ed Mills also spent three years proving up on 640 acre homestead southwest of Hartsel, Colo. Les King married Alpha McCracken, in about 1939. Les worked for wages at farm work, and lived in rented places in the county and in Eade. Their daughter Becky King Morgan has one girl and two boys and lives in Denver. Their son George, helped his father a lot, moved away and is back again. Jim King (born Jan. 18, 1943), has a wife and two boys. Elmer (JUly 28, L944) has a wife, a girl and two boys, and operated King Sale in Burlinton. Leo D. King (June 28, 1945) is with Farm Bureau. has a wife and home north of Lamar. Bertha King is married and has a son and a daughter and lives near Casper, wyo. Tom King has a home in Eads, a wife, two boys and a girl, Bob lives south of Lamar, has wife, two boys and a girl. Les King died in July 1961, and Alpha lives in Eads. Leo E King and V.R. Bud King went into the Army all through World War II. Leo married Charlotte Munstdr. Leo worked at different things, one of which was the trash hauling, Charlotte does official office work. F367 Bud married Mildred and they live in too. I wanted to play the guitar and sing over the radio. I did sing and play a little. I went to a rodeo or two, was that something, it is still my number one show. We broke many horses to work and drove eight head a lot. I worked for A.J. Pfaffley, Guy Thoman, O.C. Dunlap, Leon Smelker and Burt Loper, all in Kit Carson County. M.W. Dunham and Mr. Herrington would ride after horses near Back about 1906, George King an older brother of my father, Clarence King, home- Burlington. He still has his grandma Simpson's place. Their boy Richard was born in Burlington, and a little girl died of Polio. Bqd worked at selling cars and trucks for marty Charlie Peterson and Tom Johnstone's north of what I knew as the Grandma range. Maynard said Johnstone would ask them in for dinner, but Charlie would come to the corral gate and talk and talk, never Simpson place. I helped at farm work and worked out some even say get down and rest your saddle. Maynard saw a sheep herder a mile over there then Maynard rode down in N. Smokey, there was a coat and a dinner bucket, he got offthe horge and had dinner right there. The steaded a northeast 160 acres, 5 miles south and 2 miles west of Bethune in Kit Carson county. Albert and Mrs. Simpson, also her brother, Malin McNare, homesteaded or had land 1 mile west and 2 or 2Vz miles north of where George King's buildings were. Doyle Roberson lived one mile east and 7z mile In the early 1920's, Mrs. Simpson's only child, Bertha married Uncle George King. Not long after, he built his one room sod house. He had a big barn and many head of livestock. Harold King was born, then Mabel King, and then Les King on July 13, 1913. One small boy died no-ed Elmer King. Leo years. Wilda married Joe Humphrey in 1937. The twins Larry and Gary were born in 1938. Ronnie was born in Casper, Wy. Bonnie is a musician and travels all over. Keith Humphrey is a good worker even though one leg is short. Joe's family moved many howes in Wyo. Jack and Kathy were both born in Casper. Jack died in Casper and Wilda and Joe are gone now too. Ronnie died in a truck accident. Dorthea King maried Claud Humphrey in 1944. Claudia Humphrey, the next sister, a third sister and a brother lived in Burlington in the 50's and early 60's. Claud died a few �the children. The Kings still have land near Uncle George's place. by Morris King ltl ':: !:i:r: KLASSEN, ABRAHAM AND KATHERINE &'rl, ,! r,:. F369 Abraham and Katherine Wiebe Klassen 4 _p11t 9f Bqtha King's family. Back row, L. to R.: Claud Humphrey, Mildred King and their little girl, Ed Mills, V.R. "Bud" King, Leo E. King, Charlotte Minster King, Wilda King Humphrey, and small boy, Joe Humphrey, Harold King. Front row, L. to R. Mabel King Mills, Dorothy King Humphrey, Humphrey boy, two of Dorothy's girls, Bertha King, and Dick King. years ago and Ed Mills died in 1984. Aunt Bertha died in 1964 and Harold in Sept 1971. Harry Roberson has been gone some time now, but Dorthy and Doyle are still southwest of Bethune. A Garner boy has some of the King Place. I knew a lot of the cousin's neighbors. Our cousins played a lot of music with our family. The Hightowers played the fiddle too. They were at many gatherings, fish fries, harvest, threshing, hauling feed, and shucking corn. We'd go to Burlington and Eads to the fair and rodeo's. One of America's finest sports I think. Neighbors I knew were: Chandlers, A.V. Harding, many young Smelkers, Schaals, Perkins, Taylors, McMahans, Jim and Richard Ausborn, Clarence Brannen, (who played fiddle for many dances), and Charlie and Geo. Bar, and their bunch. Aunt Bertha could Jan. 19, 1892, Greeley, Co. and I don't know when Bill King was born. Marie died sometime in 1892, Henry died in 1884. The six children were taken to their Uncle Lambert and Annie Brooks' home, six miles west of Colby, Kan., about 2 miles east of the William Waters home, who owned the town of Levant. The 4 older ones were soon working out. Lois and Herman moved northeast of Seattle, Wash. with their Aunt. Bill King lived many places and raised a family. George M. King homesteaded a good 160 acres, 5 miles south and 2 miles west of Bethune, Co. He did well, but died in 1919, leaving his wife Bertha with came from Margenau, South Russia. They came to Marion County, Kansas in 1876. Abraham and Katherine were connected with the Mennonite Church and left Russia to flee from religious oppression. They needed more room so moved to Flagler, Colorado in 1883. Due to a drought they moved to Kirk, Colorado in 1896. Their children were: Marie Klassen Muncy, 18921972; Emma Klassen Elmers, 18gg -; Helen Klassen Heinrichs, 1896-1978: Frank W. Klassen, 1888-1975; Henry Klassen, 18941952; Cornelius K. Klassen, 1880-19b4; Mar- garet Klassen Braun, 1890-1971; Anna Klassen Burkard, 1876-1959; Katherine Klassen Nikkel, 1883-1970; Johannes Klassen, 18851887; Agnes Klassen, 1887-1901; Jake W. Klassen, 1882-1955; Abe W. Klassen, 18281951. Daughters-in-law: May Dulmer Klassen, 1895-1979 and Emma Dulmer Klassen, 1892-1986. Son-in-law: Peter A. Braun, 18881963. Marie, Katherine, Helen and Emma all taught in the early schools in the northern parts of Kit Carson County. These were schools north of Bethune, Stratton, Joes, and Burlington. Emma taught in the Murphy and Brownwood schools in t923-24. Frank. Henrv and Peter Braun all farmed. Abe'was a blacksmith at Kirk, Colorado. Jake was a rancher and Cornelius farmed and ranched north of Vona. tell many stories of neighbors and fun they had. Harold looked at the paper one day and eaid "Aunt Nettie, are you going to Jim Gernhart's funeral?" She said "I didn't know h?dlf,ieT7-'r"E EAsn't", He said. It was one of his mock funerals. I think I left out some important parts and didn't name enough people. The Kings have owned land almost 100 vears. by Morris King KING, HENRY F368 Henry M. King, my grandfather, was born about 1836 and lived on a small farm near Greeley, Co. He enlisted in the Army April 17, 1861, discharged Aug. 6, 1861, at Pittsburg, Pa. He enlist€d again in 1864, discharged Aug. 3, 1865, at Atlanta, Ga. He came to Kellerton, Iowa and married Marie Dun- ii.':l.il bar. Henry and Marie had 6 children. George M. King, born April 27, 1882, Kellerton, Iowa, Laura M. King, born Oct. 14, 1883, Kellerton, Iowa, Clarence L. King, born Aug. 22, L886, Kellerton, Iowa, Lois A. King born May 3, 1889, Kellerton, fowa, Herman A. King, born This picture was taken in front of Gtandmother Klassen's sod house about late 1913 or early 1914. Back Row: Marie Klassen Muncy_, Emma Klassen Elmers, May Dulmer Klassen, Helen Klassen Heinrichs, Frank W. Klassen. Middle Row: Henry Klassen, Jake W. Klassen, Abe W. Klassen, Peter A. Braun, Cornelius K. Klassen. Front Row: Katherine Wiebe Klassen, Margaret Klassen Braun, and Emma Dulrner Klassen holding baby Paul C. Klassen. �The father, Abraham C. Klassen was born Cornelius Klassen was a pioneer resident in 1852 and died in 1900 and mother, of Kit Carson County having lived here for 62 years. In the early years he helped build and died in 1941. the Rock Island Railroad. He rode horseback from Yuma to Hugo, from Limon to the state of Kansas, helping with roundups and eating in chuckwagons. As foreman of the Wm. Lavington Ranch, located six miles north of Vona, Colorado, taking care ofthe cattle and sheep, breaking bronco horses, and buying calves from the homesteaderg were Cornelius's duties. He rode many miles over eastern Colorado and the settlers would invite him to Katherine Weibe Klassen was born in 1854 by Edith M. HugleY KLASSEN, CORNELIUS F370 Jack and Helen Klaseen hunting rabbits on the Republican River on Ned and Prince in 1938. August 8, 1912, Emma Dulmer Klassen and Cornelius K. Klassen in their buggy on their honeymoon trip to t-ireir ranch home five and one-half miles north and one and one-half west of Vona, Colorado, near the Republican River Valley. Loyd Klassen in Merchant Marines in 1943. This ie a picture of Emma Dulmer Klassen and her children, except Mabel. Back Row: Paul C. Klassen, Deitrich A. Klassen, Edith Mae Klassen Hugley, Ervin E. Klassen, Doris L. Klassen Klooz, Loyd J. Klassen. Front Row: Helen M. Klassen Smart, Emma Dulmer Klassen, and Cornelius C. Klassen (Jack). Taken during the 1981 reunion in California. eat a meal. Emma's folks were very hoepitable people, so he was invited to eat and to go to box suppers and church socials. They, no doubt, sold some calves to him. Emma was nineteen or twenty when she fell in love with her cowboy. Cornelius had taken out a claim here in about 1910, so there was already a nice little house and some other buildings, a windmill and big wooden corrals with a snubbing post in the center of one. Here he �The Cornelius and Emma Klassen family in 1935 or 1936, this was taken on the farm north of Vona. Back Row: Paul C., Deitrich A., Ervin E., Doris L., and Edith Mae. Front Row: Mabel T., Jack, Emma (mother), Cornelius (father), Loyd J. and Helen M. i,*t* .,a,..l.l.l ,$ ,.:.,l|,,',i,.,"" ,, was able to take care of the livestock and break the wild horses. The weekends he would spend with his widowed mother and younger sisters and brothers. He suffered some years with arthritis. ',1:tl s s $ st $ t Ford car of C,K. Klassen in 1920. This is a picture of Cornelius and Emma Dulmer Klassen taken in 1911 or 1912, in August or September. Note the large turnip and the fence made of adobe brick. Moving storage tank back to school section after a big storm. Dick and Jack Klassen and their team, Ned and Prince in 1936. Loyd Klassen P.F.C. U.S. Army, 1946, and Bill Corwin E.N.C., U.S.N. and Joan 14 months. q-._*1 h.Fh.n 'k-, n aA Cornelius K. Klassen and his horse Stinger, about 1912. ".,\" - i, l',& q,--'- :\ Deitrich Klassen. conductor on Rock Island Railroad, he worked 40 years for the railroad. �Clarence Klooz. She died at the age of 93 on January 20, 1986. by Edith M.Ilugley KLASSEN, EMMA DULMER F371 Memories Cornelius K. Klassen born August 11,, 1880 in Hillsboro, Kansas and Emma Dulmer, born April 8, 1892, in Garfield, New Jersey, were married on August 8, 1912, at my folk's home 14 miles north of Vona, Colorado. We had just had the house built. It was made of adobe bricks. So this was a big event! The pastor, Charles Ashley, drove out form Vona Paul Klassen, U.S. Marines, 1946. Dick Klassen, U.S. Army and Mabel Klassen, Ensign in U.S.N.R. in 1943. Glenda, one son, Richard (Richy), four granddaughters, one set of twin grandsons. Mabel and William (Bill) Corwin live in Gig Harbor, Washington. They have two daughters Joan and Katherine, two grandsons, one granddaughter. Loyd and Opal live on their farm home about 15 miles north of Vona, Colorado, and one mile east. They have four daughters and three sons, five granddaughters and three grandsons. The daughters are Diane, Marsha, Terri Jo, Virginia Lee; the sons are Bruce K., Verl L., and Troy J. Helen and Herb Smart live in Diablo, Washington. They have two daughters and two sons, three granddaughters. Their daughters are Barbara J. and Joanne E., the sons are Robert L. and Douglas F. Jack and Audry live in Ojho, California. They have one daughter, Emily Lou and two sons, Jack Ryan and Russell Paul, one granddaughter and one grandson. Cornelius passed away on July 1, 1954 of arteriosclerosis and a cerebral hemorrhage. Many of this family served their country throughout the Second World War. Ervin eerved in the Navy and was on the cruiser, Phoenix on December 7, L94L, but survived the holocaust of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese warplanes attacked the home base Ervin Klassen in 1943. Cornelius and Emma Dulmer were married in 1912. They had 9 children and lived on the ranch five and one-half miles north and one and one-half west of Vona, Colorado down near the Republican River Valley. Their children include Paul and Joyce who live in Joes, Colorado. They have one son Darrel, and two daughters, Linda and Jary Lee, two grandsons and three granddaughters. Dick and Esther live in Goodland, Kansas and have two daughters, Pamela and Sally, three grandsons and two granddaughters. Dick retired from working on the Rock Island Raihoad. Edith Mae and Earnest Hugley have one son, Cornelius Claud (Jim), two daughters, Patricia Jo and Janet, three grandsons and three granddaughters, and two geat grandsons and one great granddaughter. Ervin and Vera have three daughters, Debra, Susan and Carolyn, and twin grandsons. Doris and Clarence Klooz have three daughters, Barbara, Beverly and of the U.S. Pacific Fleet on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Ervin received a Purple Heart. Dick served in the Railroad Engineers in Alaska. Mabel T. Klassen Corwin served in the Navy Nurse Corps. Paul served in the Marine Corps. Loyd served in the Army on the Pacific front. Helen Klassen Smart was a Cadet Nurse. Jack joined the Navy Air Force after the war, Mother's sons-in-law who served were Willinm Corwin who was in the Submarine Corps, Clarence Klooz was a Marine and served in the Pacific front. Herbert Smart served in the Army in the Europe Front. There were no war fatalities in this family group, a blessing for which we are all thankful. Mother was about a nine star Mother, and a lot more. Emma made quilts by hand for each of her children and for each of her grandchildren. The folks were charter members of the Vona Baptist Church. Mother's life and testimony have been a great blessing to her family and friends. Mother was usually humming a tune while she worked. Mother spent her last years in Sacramento. California with Doris and to perform the wedding ceremony. Cornelius and I got our license from Burlington a couple of weeks before. We got our pictures taken at Stratton, Colorado, too. We were surprised to have relatives from Hillsboro, Kansas, come to our wedding. My father went to meet the train in Vona. He had a team of horses and a Spalding Spring Wagon with two seats. We just invited the immediate families on both sides to the wedding since that is all we had room for. Everyone had a good time though, the Dutch and the German. We got lots of gifts. We bought some furniture for our house which had two rooms, a small cellar and a porch. We sent an order to Montgomery Wards for a pretty cast iron stove with a warming oven and a reservoir that held about three gallons of water, linoleum for the kitchen floor, a kitchen cabinet, and a bedroom set. We had homemade carpets which I had made. We also bought a table and chair and a few other things. It came to Vona by freight from Denver. Dad hauled it home with his team and wagon. This was all exciting at this time. Vona was new on the map in those days. Mr. S.L. Howell filed on the West side of town and H.K. Haines the East side. There was always lots going on at our ranch with the cattle and horses around. The colts were so cute. My folks would stop by quite often since we were half way to Vona, Our ranch was 6 miles north and a mile and a half west. About this time the First Baptist Church of Vona was organized. Before that we held meetings in the Boger School. The minister, Ira J. Calahan, would drive out and preach. We had good crowds. Later we drove to Vona. Later on my sister Sadie Iler taught school in the Boger school. I remember the picnic ll miles north and 1 east of Vona. It was in a gxove of trees on a timber claim. We had a good crowd. They played games like baseball, foot races, horse shoe pitching, jumping rope and other games. Each family brought dinner. We enjoyed the day. The fourth of July was usually a happy time. There were quite a few roads graded over the country. Each land owner had to pay a tax to work on the grading and plowing of roads. It was easier to get around. Most all the ranchers would plow fire guards too, in case of fire, so the grass couldn't burn up. There had been a fire in the sandhills some years earlier. Mrs. Frank Boger who lived near Hell �miles we had a central station. There was one at Vona, then 12 miles north, then at the Charley George Place, then at Mrs. Coleman's Place and at Kirk, Colorado. As the years went by we had other babies. Our family grew to include besides Paul and Deitrich, Edith May, Ervin, Doris, Mable, Lloyd, Helen, and Jack. We built a room on the north side of the kitchen and made the porch larger. Dad did most of the work. Henry came down from :i.;r:i li,:l,l: 'i.-i.i Kirk and helped him. The material was .rl.:: hauled from Vona. The school district rented a little sod house 7z mile west where Paul and Deitrich went to school. We had pretty good .:I'i:: crops. The grass was good too. We would irrigate from the storage tank when it would run over. We had some fruit trees and a strawberry patch. We all enjoyed the berries with the rich cren- from the cows. About this time we got a washing machine. Dad bought it from Harlin Haines Hardware in Vona. I could get a big washing out in half a day with a little help! Later the new Murphy School was built. It was in the center of the school district. There were lots of people and farms and ranches in the country by this time. Cars were in style by this time. Dad had the first Model T Ford in Kit Carson County. We even made a cover of light weight canvas to keep it clean. We all enjoyed riding in it. We didn't have too many good roads yet, mostly cattle and horse trails. The driver had to watch out for loose sand. The above was written by Emma Klassen after she turned eighty years old. She wrote much more. Still living in the area are her son Lloyd Klassen, grandsons Bruce Klassen and Troy Klassen and grand daughter Virginia Johnson. Emma died on Jan. 20, 1986. She was 93 years,9 months, and 11 days old. Edith May Hugley KLASSEN, MARY DULMER F372 In December of 1909 we left for Out West. Nick Brownwood had made trips to Colorado with groups of men to interest them in homesteading. He bragged about the country and had no trouble getting men to travel to see the area. My father, Cornelius Dulmer, was one of them. It was in June when the land was green and beautiful. Dad thought it was Cornelius and Emma Klassenn August 8, 1912' a beautiful place and wanted to own the land that he could get by homesteading. Several Creek said she could read the paper by the light of the flames shooting up over the hills! To go north from our ranch we always had two big hills to climb. We called them the Spark Hills. We always had to go 4 miles north to the school section Dad had leased for several years. We fenced it in and had a well drilled. The well was deep. We had a big storage tank to have a supply ofwater for the Iive stock. On August 29, 1913, Paul was born. My mother was at our house. Dad rode with the teo- and buggy to get the doctor. They got back in time. The work was different then. We had the baby to feed, bathe and play with. He was a good baby. Henry Klassen brought Grandma Klassen over to see the baby. Bv this time the Brownwood Store was open for business. Nick Brownwood did the hauling for supplies with a team and wagon. Edith, my sister, worked in the store. They bought creo- and eggs. There was a new school built a half mile west of their store. It was called Elfis, Colorado. It was 15 miles north and 1 west of Vona. We had a mail route north of Vona 20 miles. Mr. August Carlstead was our mail carrier. He drove a team and buggy. Our baby Paul was growing. On May 25, 1916, Deitrich was born. Dad drove to Flagler to get Dr. McBride. They got home in time. I had an oven full of bread baking. The doctor sure thought the house smelled good. Later on I had help again. Dad herded the cows and broke the horses. He had help. Telephones came in style by this time. They run the lines on the fences, about every 12 of the Dutch families decided to go along. We had to be there in six months. We arrived on December the 9th, 1909. We had a special car on the train for all ofus to travel on and bring our belongings. We arrived in Seibert at eight o'clock in the morning. It was 28 degrees below zero! All of us went over to a big hotel there and had a hot breakfast. Myron, my brother, was there. He had a spring wagon with a closed top and side curtains. There were other spring wagons there to take us to my sister Edith Brownwood's home, many miles to the north. We travelled all day, stopping whenever we could to watm ourselves at peoples' houses on the way. Edith's house was a two-room frame house with no insulation. The walls weren't completed. It was very cold. There were many of us to sleep �in that little two room house. Later Nick built Mother and Dad, May and Frank Klassen a much nicer home and opened a store called are dead now and leave fond memories for us the Brov,rnwood Store. We all stayed in with Edith until the men had houses built for us to cherish. to move into. I want to tell you about the comet. Well, it was so beautiful out there outside in the cold. You know, you could see for miles and miles, which we weren't used to, coming from New Jersey. There were no trees around us and the prairies were so flat. But on the tenth ofJanuar5r, I looked out one evening an here was this comet called Halley's Comet. It was just beautiful!There was a large head to begin with and out from that streamed a long, huge tail. Oh, it was so beautifuMt seemed to light up the whole sky. That was January 10, 1910. It showed for several nights. Then, all of a sudden it was gone. It cerne back in June with an eclipse of the moon and this comet. That was the most gorgeous sight I have ever seen. It kind of made a hissing noise. Later on after she married Frank Klassen he would tell about this comet that they had stayed up all night to watch. He lived near Joes then. Later they met and were married. Well, when they began to build for us on our land, Dad and Nick and the others built our barn first. They partitioned off part of the barn for us to live in until they could get the house built. We had to make the adobe blocks. We had to fir a place where a horse went around and around to mix the mud or adobe. There was a lagoon close to the place to use the water to mix the mud for the adobe. We had forms to fill with this mixture. We made these adobe blocks by the hundreds. Just one after another. It only took them a short time to dry with the wind and the hot sun. Our house had two bedrooms and a big living room and kitchen combined. He made a pantry and clothes closet and a place for a milk separator. We had a warm place. It didn't get cold in that house. Mother kept plants in there all winter. We brought some furniture with us and we ordered some from the mail order house. We had to help Dad with the cows. I was 14 and my sister Emma was 17. We'd stack feed. Clean the barns. We used to help put up fences. We did everything around there. Of course, there would be cows to watch the cows always wanted to get into the cornfield. I'd be the one to ride herd. Myron gave me a big black whip which I always was thankful for. As I rode along watching cows I'd kill rattlesnakes. I killed with the whip. The whip had a swirl handle and all I had to do was snap it at their heads. Sometimes I'd be on the horse and some times I'd be off, but I killed lots of snakes. Then we had meetings at the Brownwood schoolhouse. People from here and there and everywhere would meet and get acquainted. We had socials. On Sundays we would have youth meetings. Sometimes we'd have a visiting preacher come and hold services. This is how Emma met Cornelius Klassen. Later I met Cornelius's brother Frank and we were manied. Frank had a homestead near Kirk where we lived until our oldest son Robert was ready for school. Then we traded the Kirk homestead for the one that my Dad had improved and owned. Our children went to the Brownwood School until we had to sell our belongings and leave, since the bank foreclosed in 1925. By then we had Robert, and twins, Philip and Phyllis, and Miriam and Deane. Deane was a baby when we left the farm and moved to Denver. by Phyllis Klassen Rehmer KLIESEN FAMILY F373 Joseph Conard Kliesen was born on Febru- ary 5, 1906 and grew up on the family farm near Wright, Kansas. Loretta Schaffer was born March 3, 1910 and was raised in nearby Speawille. J.C. and Loretta were united in marriage June 22, 1931 and moved to a farm south of Dodge City, where they lived for 14 years. They had two sons: Leon, born Januar5r 2L, L932 in the hospital at Dodge City; and Roger, born at home during a dust storm October 27, 1935. Both attended country school at Rickland Valley as young boys. In the spring of 1946 they moved to Stratton, Colorado with all their belongings in a car and a pickup with a horse trailer. Their first home, which had been the old telephone office, was located south of the Collins Hotel (now Twin Oaks). This twobedroom home was purchased for $4000 and was one of three in town at that time with an indoor bathroom. At that snme time, they purchased 80 acres for $3000, which now is the Stratton Golf Course. They lived on a farm northeast of Stratton for a year and moved to their present residence on 340 Colorado Avenue in September of 1960. This house was built by J. W. Borders, and originally had a maternity ward on the second floor. Leon attended school in Stratton, after moving with his parents, and attended the Abbey School in Canon City his junior and senior years of high school. In May of 1951 he married Dorothy Drietz at St. Charles Catholic Church in Stratton. They have two sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren: Darrell and family of Ft. Morgan; Dennis, who lives in California; and Jody and family of Denver. Leon passed away June 19, 1981. Roger graduated in 1954 from Stratton High School. After graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving from January 1955 to December 1956 on the U.S.S. Wisconsin. During his tour of duty, he spent time in Denmark, Spain, Scotland, England, South America, Cuba, Haiti, and New York City. After returning home, he attended Northeastern Junior College and was a member of the NJC football team. On August 2, 1958 he married Marcia Peters of Burlington at St. Charles Church. Soon after their marriage, Roger and being the new elementary school. At the time they moved out of the "soddy", Roger and Marcia had two daughters: Kendra, born November 13, 1959 and Moira, born October 7, 1960. Soon to follow were another daughter, Trina, born May 17, 1962, a son, Wade, born November 2, 1963, and their youngest daughter, Dana, born August 1, 1966. All five children graduated from Stratton High School. They now have one grandchild, Sheena Hawks. Kendra married Bryce Monasmith from Burlington on August 23, 1980. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in March of 1986 with a B.A. in secondar5r math and currently teaches at Bethune High School. Bryce taught and coached at Stratton High School for three years. They now reside in Burlington. Moira was very active in the Future Homemakers of America while in highschool, serving as a State President and a national officer for two years. She manied Bob Hawks from Flagler June 6, 1981. She graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in occupational therapy in 1983 and now works for the East Central BOCES as an occupational therapist. Bob and Moira presently live in Burlington with their daughter Sheena, born May 10, 1985. Trina married Russ Benson from Flagler September 5, 1981. She graduated from NJC with a degree in cosmetology in 1983 and now works at the Hair Gallery in Stratton. Russ and Trina live north of Stratton. Wade is currently attending the University of Southern Colorado. He is pursuing a degree in industrial arts. Dana graduated from NJC in 1986, where she was a member of the volleyball term. She currently is a student at UNC majoring in special education. J.C. and Loretta have enjoyed their 40 plus years living in Stratton and they and their farnily remain close to the community and its people. by Loretta Kliesen KNAPP - BARKLEY FAMILY F374 My Grandad, James Harvey Knapp, cnme to McDonald, Kansas, in a horse and ox drawn covered wagon with his parents, John H and Lucy E. Knapp from Winchester, Illinois in 1885. After helping his parents establish their Marcia moved seven and one-half miles south of Stratton, where they farmed, milked cows, and lived in a sod house. In December of 1960 they moved into a new home built just a few feet away from the old "soddy". This home is their current residence. Roger decided to sell the milk cows in 1962 and bought Angus beefcows. In 1966 he started breeding his cow herd by the procedure of artificial insemination (A.I.), which was somewhat revolutionary at the time in commercial beef cattle. By 1972, all the breeding was completely done by A.I., and a herd bull hasn't been owned since then. Roger served on the Stratton School Board from 1965 through 1983 and during that time the school saw many changes - one Right: James Harvey Knapp, Left: Son John W. Knapp (Hans). Taken 1943. �.laii:rr. , ,llr:tri dren: Virginia Mae Kelley, Duane Arnold tt Kelley, Junior Darrell Kelley, Kenneth Lloyd Kelley, Ronald Lee Kelley, Marvin Gerald Kelley. In January they started to school in Seibert. That spring we had to move our fences so the county could grade up the road, which now is road nineteen by our house. At this time there were still roads thatwere more or less just trails. lai:'r::'1. Grass was good for the cattle and we Right to Leff John W. Knapp (Hans), James Harvey Knapp, and Jap Willin-s. Drilling well in Wyoming. Picture taken 1920. home at McDonald, Kansas, he worked at various jobs that were available. In 1887 he walked to Kit Carson County and chose a homesite 15 miles northeast of the present Burlington, Colorado. The Rock Island Railroad ca-e into being the following year. In these years he dug many wells with a shovel. October 1, 1889 James Harvey Knapp married Celia Hester Barkley of McDonald, Kansas and lived on the homesite he had school. It was now 1906 that he purchased the Penfold Property, now 489-15th Street in Burlington. The house is presently owned by his daughter Lucy A. (Knapp) Russmann. The family lived here during the winter; come spring they moved back to the ranch, and all the children had jobs to do. Grandma Knapp died September 1, 1920 from cancer; leaving a couple young children. Grandad later manied her sister Della, loved and known to the familv as Auntie. by Iva Gross selected, then known as a pre-emption. Their first home was a little dugout, but it was "A Home in The West". After the railroad was built. Jo-es and Celia made several trips during the winter to Pueblo where Jnmes would work in the F376 LucyA. Knapp (Russmann, ClydeA. Knapp, Cora Zella Knapp, Jomes Harvey Knapp Jr., Zuella M. Knapp (Homm), John W. Knapp, Nettie V. Knapp (Homm), Donald W. Knapp, and Elsie M. Knapp (Schutte). The Knapp's moved to several different locations and they always had to build a house and dig a well. There houses ranged from a little dugout to a 2 room sod house with dirt floor and finally a frame home. Celia served as the Post Master of the Goff Post Office for some time. Grandad Knapp followed the Well Drilling Business all his life. From digging with his shovel, then a derrick with a pulley pulled by a horse, then to a well auger which resembled an auger in the carpenter's brace and bit, (pictured is his well drill). He drilled many water wells as well as oil wells in Wyoming. It has been related that he drilled the first town well for Burlington. My Dad, John W. Knapp (Hans) drilled the first town well for Burlington. My Dad, John W. Knapp (Hans) drilled with him for many years, then later on his own. Jgmes H. Knapp raised lots of cattle and his ranch was well known of over the country for his fine herd. Jemes H. Knapp was elected Kit Carson County Sheriff in 1906 and served thru 1910. It was at this time he moved the family to town so he could be cloee to the Sheriffs Office, also so the children could go to a better Seibert. by Ruby Knapp KNODEL FAMILY F376 Gottlieb and Christena Knodel and seven children started the trip on November 20, i,ffiaN& smelters and Celia cooked for the laborers. To this union there were 9 children born; farmed mostly wheat and feed. Fields blew pretty easy in the fifties and we had many a dirty day with schools being dismissed. It was one ofthese days January 1, 1956, when we were blessed with a baby girl, Janice Marie Knapp. The "Flagler News" man came to our farm and took pictures of Fay listing some of our land to keep the land from moving. All our children graduated from Seibert High School. The school bus came by our door for twenty-five years. The spring of 1958 we planted a large six row windbreak on the north and west sides of the buildings. The wind break took a lot of hoeing and replanting of trees for several years. We did some remodeling in 1958 and added a new addition in 1966. Through the years with seven children, twenty-one grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren we've had no great excitement but a good life south of The Knapp hackberry tree, Nov. 1985 I remember, when in October, L947, we, Fay and Ruby Knapp, bought the Ned and Grace Clark farm located eight miles south, three miles east and one-fourth mile south of Seibert. Ned and Grace Clark homesteaded here about 1914 and lived in their sod house till they built the house we now live in. On a trip back from Iowa, Ned brought back a small hackberry tree in his suitcase. They planted the tree south of the house by the stock tank. This tree was thirty years old when we bought the farm and is now a graceful seventy years old. December, L947, we moved to the farm from McDonald, Kangas, with our six chil- 1906 to America. I em Eva Knodel Schaal. We came from Josephdorf, South Russia. My sister Mary was 16 years old, Edward, 13 Gottleib, 10; David,8; Eva 6; Benjo-in 4; and Gustave, 2. We went by train to Bremen, Germany, and spent a week there for physical examinations, shots and so on. Then we were loaded on a freighter ship; that's how poor people traveled. It took us 16 days and nights to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It was a tiresome trip when you don't see nothing but water and sky. Gottlieb and David got scarlet fever and were real sick. We never saw them for days. The rest of us never got it. Dad took us kids on deck on nice days and the sharks swam along the ship to grab anything that was thrown overboard. Sometimes the sea was really rough and the waves splashed against the port hole or windows. Mother prayed aloud that the Lord be merciful if it's His will to bring us to shore safe. Finally one clear day word spread all over the ship, "We can see the Statue of Liberty". Soon we landed in New York. Another physical for health's sake. Mother was expecting her eighth child and got sick there and was put in the hospital. Our Uncle John and Dora Knodel and their children were on this trip with us so we went on by train to Burlington, Colorado. We left Mother and Dad behind to have the baby. When we cnme to Burlington, Dad's cousin, Peter Knodel was there to meet us in the wagon. That night nearly everything was moved out of the kitchen to make beds on the floor for us fourteen visitors with our feather ticks which we brought with us. I want to say this: we called this cousin Uncle Peter and his wife �Aunt Christena and they were worthy of hauled to the elevator in town. The oats were being called that. Who would do such a good deed for so many people at once today? Dad and Mother came a week later with baby Andrew but he died. A month later we moved in an old house belonging to a family nemed Martin Stahlecker, total strangers but shocked by hand after being cut with a binder. The corn was picked and shucked by hand and piled in long ricks to be shelled by a custom cornsheller, Jim Weaver, and again ground and then hauled to the elevator in really good Christian people. Uncle John's moved into a granary at Uncle Peters until our soddy, one room, was built on our town in a lumber wagon pulled by two horses. Fred later bought a Hart Parr tractor with which to farm. hospital bill took everything Dad had. Here we were a family of nine and nothing to go on. But the good people which were poor too, shared. They brought food to keep us until we moved in our soddy and dad went to work for a big rancher to help support the rest of Daisy. Bessie married George Stubbs, Flora married Henry Drager, Rosa married Bus Rhule, and Bertha married Clifford Hines, all men from this locality. homestead. We were terribly poor and that us. The worst ofall happened after a couple of weeks that we left Uncle Peter: their six children got scarlet fever and three died inside of a week. The other three got well; they were Ted, Lydia, and Emil. The school with the neighbor help. Corn was piled on the All the Klooz children graduated from Burlington High School except Bessie and Claude served in the armed service in World *war I in 1918. Clarence, Lawrence, Ra5rmond, and Earl served in World War II and all returned safely home. Flora and Bessie still reside in this area. The rest live in different parts of this state with the we're all older we realize with a grief and heartache that must have been on Uncle Peter and Aunt Christena. No one will every exception of Clarence and Raymond who live in California. Fred Klooz died of a heart attack in 1929 leaving his wife, Flora, to rear young children and manage the farm. The family moved into know. Burlington. Flora died in 1964. was closed and no one else got sick. But since The first years were awful, drought, no rain but gradually things picked up. Oh how homesick the folks used to be for Russia. They left a paradise, everything grew there because ofthe rich soil and plentiful rainfall, fruit of all kinds and grapes, the very best. But never enough to own a home because each farmer had a few acres, just enough to make a living. Our parents have been gone for years. Mother died in December, 1935, at the age of 66 from sugar diabetes. Dad died in 1940 at the age of 71 from cancer of the bowels. Mary died at the age of 44 due to heart trouble in 1941. Brother Gus died due to cancer of the lungs in 1967 at the age of 62. Sister Lydia died due to hardening ofthe liver in 1954 at the age of 46. Brother David died on March 6, 1982 at the age of 83. Brother Ed died on February 22, 1983 at the age of 88. Sister, Eva Schaal, lives in Loveland, Colorado with her husband Bill. by Fern Gramm KOOZ, FRED by Flora Klooz Drager KORBELIK FAMILY F378 The Fred Klooz family arrived in Kit Carson County in a 1914 Model T touring car at Burlington on August 1, 1919, Colorado Day. They settled on a farm two miles north of Burlington. The family consisted of wife, Flora, and children Bessie, Daisy (now deceased), Flora, Rosa, Bertha, Clarence, and Lawrence. Raymond and Earl were born in Burlington. Claude, Fred's son from previous marriage whose mother died, came in a railroad car on the Rock Island line with the horses and milk cows to water and feed them as it was a three day journey from the home at Farna-m, Nebraska. The farm grew wheat, oats, and corn. The wheat was hawest€d with a push binder called a header which was done by six horses. The cut grain was elevated into a header barge and hauled away and put into a stack to be threshed later by a thresher and a crew and helo from neiehbors. The crain was Carson County to stay. They moved to Section 16-9-42 and it was their home for many years to come. This is where their son, Harvey Lee was born in 1937. The crops were poor in the 30's due to the drought and the hungry grasshoppers and rabbits. Adolph found summer employment in various areas. He worked for a farmer near Holyoke and while there one day they were blessed with a nice rain at home. So Rose went out with tractor and grain drills and sowed the millet seed into damp soil! (Yes, it made a short crop.) Another summer, Adolph, along with a group of local men helped with wheat harvest near Imperial, Nebraska. Their house was destroyed by fire on January 26, 1938. The dense smoke awake- ned Vernetta and her screams awakened them. Harvey was a baby asleep in his crib. They got the children into the car and Rose hurried them a half mile to the neighbors, Fred and Mildred Schaaf. From there she drove another half mile to Harold and Minnie Schmidt's for help and back home. There was no phone in the area at that time and the severe cold and high wind made the fire too far along to save the house. Somehow, Adolph managed to pitch a cream separator out the west window and also tried to pull a mattress Hauling water from the creek to mix concrete for the basement of the house. 1931. Adolph and Rose Korbelik F377 sold weighed 400 lbs. and they got $2.75 for it (total). They rented a tractor for use in drilling wheat that fall. Soon csme the beginning of the dust years, remembered as the dirty 30's, and also as the "depression years" nationwide. Farmers tried very hard to stop the fields from blowing. The government was paying 25 cents per acre for working the ground with a lister. Adolph listed many acres in our community, which eventually helped pay off the new International tractor he had purchased at a cost of $1,025.00. In 1934, in the fall, they were back in Kit In 1931, Emil Frank Korbelik and Catherine Marie Korbelik came to Kit Carson County, Colorado from Milligan, Nebraska with their six song: Emil, Jim, Sylvin, Arvil, Lee and Adolph, with Adolph's new bride, Rose. They made their new home on a half section of land which they had purchased southeast of Burlington, now part of the Green Valley community. They arrived two days ahead of the "Big Blizzard" of 1931. What later beco-e the barn was the first building they built there and was where they lived until the basement of their house was finished enough to move into. So the "barn" was where the family also survived the blizzard. Adolph and Rose rented a farm 16 miles north of Kanorado. Kansas in 1933. Their daughter, Vernetta, was then 2 years old. They lived in a sod house there, which was a new experience for them. The landlord had a herd of Angus cattle, which they cared for for half the calves born. The first calf they through a window, not realizing it was on fire and guffered severe burns on his hands. His parents were still living two miles east so they lived there for a few years together. Adolph's father passed away in November, 1938. Ray and Persis Mangus lived and farmed about a mile north with their four sons: Glen. Jack, Dale and Leslie and their two daughters: Ona Jean and Ina Lea. Vernetta rode to school with the Mangus children in their buggy in good weather and horses and wagon sled when the snow was too deep. During these depression years, cattle grazed on free range and were herded on horseback, usually by the "kids". Cow chips were gathered for fuel. Rabbits were hunted for feed for hogs. Grasshoppers and dust storms and drought made survival a struggle. Russian thistles were harvested and stacked for feed for cattle. by Rose Korbelik �Harbor, but happened to be out at sea at the time of the attack. Alois was wounded in the battle of the Solomon Islands and hospitalized for a time at Guadalcanal. Germany and Italy declared war on the United States of America a few days after the President declared war on Japan. Everyone in our country was issued "War Ration Books" of stamps to be used in buying sugar, flour, shoes, fuel, etc. during the four year war. Harold Schmidt and Adolph sponsored a dance at the Armory in Burlington in honor of our local servicemen who were leaving for war duty. Adolph and Rose helped organize the Green Valley 4-H Club in 1944 and were active as 4-H leaders, Rose for five years and Adolph for 17 years. Rose was a charter member of the Green Valley Home Demonstration Club. In May, 1948, the Green Valley Home Demonetration Club painted the basement walls and hung pretty curtains in the windows in the schoolhouse. They also built a much needed storage cabinet in the basement. That summer there was much of the interior finish work that needed to be done in the new Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital. The club was happy to be of Korbelik'e "barn" houge. L. to R.: Emil Korbelik Sr., Emil Korbelik Jr., John Kucera (Roge's father)' Jim Korbelik, Bill Koca, Catherine Korbelik, Helen Kucera (Rose's sister), Rose Korbelik, Adolph Korbelik and Darlene Koca in front, 1931. KORBELIK FAMILY F379 or pitching horseshoes, children played together and the ladies visit€d. Musical talent in the community made dances and suppers together a treat. Neighbors visited often in the evenings or played cards together. Children enjoyed vieits listening to the grownups tell stories of their experiences or of the "old days". Our community remembers the first big tornado, June 8, 1941, when the George BlomendaN farm wae taken and it plowed its ugly path through the McCullough farm where it tore the baby from Mrs. McCullough's arms and left her badly injured. (The assistance. Rose remembers they were applying an oil finish on the doors and shellacing chairs. Later on there was landscaping to be done. Rose attended the groundbreaking ceremony and broke ground in the southwest area of the hospital for the evergreen tree which the club donated in memory of their deceased member, Julia Broadsword. Years later the hospital was enlarged. There was an addition to the south and so the plantings there were removed. by Rose Korbelik KORBELIK FAMILY F380 baby was found unharmed). Because of flooded roads, Mrs. McCullough had to be transported milee out of the way to get to a Korbelik family moving to Colorado, 1931. doctor. The tornado continued its devastation into Kangas and past Ruleton before it lifted. The family was happy to be relocated back to Section L6-9-42 (Road 57 and S) in March, 1942. They had replaced their house, which they lost by fire, with one which they found south of Kanorado. It was just a ehell and they had to plaster the walls and remodel. They were then only a mile and a half from the brand new Green Valley school. Their son, Hawey, start€d his first year in school in the 1942-43 term in the Green Valley school. Their daughter, Patricia Jane, was born then in March 23. 1943. By this time, the depression had broken up Firgt Korbelik home built in Colorado, later beco-e the barn after their house was built. Adolph and Rose Korbelik These were hard years but they were also years that created warm memories of close friends and togetherness. Neighbors helped each other and got together regularly for basket dinners where the day was spent with the men and boys playing ball in the pasture the family with Jim returning to Nebraska, Sylvin and Arvil working their way west and settling with jobs in California, Lee working his way through electrician school and finding himself settled in Washington. Emil moved to Burlington and Adolph remained to beat the depression and build his farm. Our United States had been at war since December 8, 1941 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war on Japan, after the Japanese Air Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Rose's younger brother, Alois, was in his third year in the Naw at the time. He was stationed at Pearl Emil Frank and Catherine Marie Korbelik with granddaughter Vernetta Korbelik, 1936. �Green Valley School in 1944. In 1948 she reigned as homecoming queen and graduated a$ valedictorian from Burlington High School. She went on to Colorado A&M (now CSU), was attendant to Kit Carson County Queen when Bonny Dam was dedicated and aleo Engineer Queen Attendant at Colorado A&M. She transferred to Barnes Business College in 1951 and latpr studied under Florence Keeeler School of Dance and Fred Astaire Studios in Denver. She then taught dance for Fred Astaire Studios, sang and did dance exhibitions with her dance partner, _# Korbelik's new houee built in 1942. Bob Tate. She earned her private pilot's license in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she also met and married Eno Mallet in 1960. They had four sons: Rick Anthony, Todd Joseph, Gary James and Christopher Jnmes. The family moved to Arnold, Missouri in 1963 where Eno worked for the Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis. That was home for 15 years during which time Vernetta was involved in civic, community and church affairs. She held office on the parish council, taught third grade in School ofReligion, organized and led The house that burned on January 26, 1938. the second metropolitan 4-H Ctub in Jefferson County, which rapidly grew to second largest in the country. She served on County Adolph and Rose Korbelik Council and was awarded outstanding leader of the year in 1976 by the President of the Rose worked for a time in the Kit Carson County Clerk's office. Adolph was a charter member of the Isaac Walton League. He was Co-Op Board member fot 25 years, Farm Bureau member and officer. school board member and officer 17 years. He helped organize and establish the Green Valley Telephone Association in 1948. Their phone system was sold and became part of the S&T Telephone Cooperative Association in 1955. He helped otganize and establish REA electricity in Green Valley. John Guthrie and Eddie Johnson hooked the wiring to their house and their lights were turned on at noon March 4, L952. In 1947 they bought Section 17-9-42 and planned to build a house there some day. They planted a few rows ofpine tree seedlings for a windbreak the next year. The new house was built in 1974 and ready to move into on Christmas Eve. They, with their family, enjoyed a special Merry Christmas! They continued to raise Hereford cattle and stayed with the cow-calf operation until their retirement a few years ago. Life got better but things still happened. In the early 60's, Adolph experienced another tornado. This time he was in it. Caught working in the field, he held tight to the one way plow he was using, while lying as flat as he could in a furrow as, first, the front of the tornado hit, then the eye and, finally, the back. Finding himself still alive, he made his way to his pickup as tennis ball size hail began to hit. He found the pickup with one glass left in it. As he started for home the hail claimed that glass too. When the family helped him into the house they found him bleeding from the hailstone pelting and in shock but alive, thank God! Rose and Adolph say, "Thinking back to the 30'swhen some families moved awayfrom the "dust bowl" area, we were tempted to do 80, too. Ifwe could have found a buyer for the stack of millet we had, we might have left, also. Wethank God we didn'tfind the buyer". Vernetta graduated from eighth grade in University of Missouri for work in Career Education and for getting it recognized by the schools and as an approved 4-H project in the State of Missouri. She was a charter member of the Arnold Chapter of the National FISH organization started by combined efforts of five churches in the Arnold area. She served there as counselor for five years until she moved back to the Green Valley community in Kit Carson County in 1978 to finish raising her four sons. She went into partnership in Western Engravers and Designers in 1976 and took sole ownership of the business along with her move to Colorado Adolph Korbelik farnily. Back row, L. to R.: Vernetta, Rose and Adolph. Front: Patricia and Harvey, 1946. in 1978. Rick graduated from Burlington High School in 1979 and went on to the University of Southwest Louisiana as did Todd one year later. Todd graduated with honors in Business Management and is presently Night Audit Manager atthe Downtown Holiday Inn in Denver. Rick moved to Denver in 1987 and went into business with his mother. Gary graduated from Burlington High School in in sports, dramatics and many other activities during his four years at Burlington High School. He received a scholarship to Colorado School of Mines but after one semester decided to enlist in the Air Force. Four years being able to finish raising her own sons in her home Green Valley community and to watch them do well and graduate from her he spent in the Air Force, most of the time being in Texas. He was honorably discharged in the rank of S/Set. in 1959. During 1959 he worked on the construction of the East elevator at The Kanorado Co-Op. In October of 1960 Harvey was united in marriage with Connie Still. They had five children, two of which died in infancy. Susan Marie is now the wife of Russell Corliss and they live northwest of Bethune. Williem lss is engaged in farming and ranching with his parents. David Dean is presently a freshman same Burlington High School. at Burlington High School. 1984, attended University of Southwest Louisiana and went on to graduate with honors from Colorado Aero Tech in 1986. He now works for Continental Airlines in Den- ver. Chris is now a freshman at Burlington, is also following in Gary's footsteps as a drummer. Vernetta is feeling great satisfaction in by Rose Korbelik KORBELIK FAMILY F381 Adolph and Rose Korbelik Harvey went eight years to Green Valley School graduating in 1950. Harvey was active Harvey, Connie and family started farming with Harvey's parents in the early 1960's. The family farm has expanded and is still in operation southeast of Burlington. The emphasis being on successful farming and raising quality type cattle. Harvey and Connie are most proud of raising three wonderful children who all have a great sense of community spirit which has been instilled in them through active involvement in their schools, their 4-H and FFA work and their church. Youngest of three children, Patricia �Jane, known a Patsy in early years, was one of the luckiest kids I know. Growing up on a small eastern Colorado farm with a beautiful big sister and a big brother whom she worshipped, in a home full of love, is not KORBELIK - STILL FAMILY F382 everyone's good fortune. The Korbeliks were not rich but Patsy never felt deprived. She was happiest in blue jeans, barefooted and riding her pony, Stardust, pigtails flying. She went to school eight years at Green Valley School, which had a Korbelik enrolled every year of its existence. Don Gilbert and she were the last eighth grade graduating class. She attended and graduated from the old Burlington High School in 1960. The old one-room Green Valley schoolhouse offered students much personal attention. Recesses were spent playing ball, Kick the Can, Fox and Geese, plus, and all ages played together. Green Valley and Smoky Hill had a track meet one year, thanks to organization by Dorothy Baney. Willa Zick, County Supt., used to bring "outside readers" to the country schools. She remembers Catechism and summer school in the basement of the old Catholic Church in west Burlington. Saturday late afternoons and evenings were spent in Burlington doing the weekly shopping. While the neighbors visited at Red Front Grocery, then on Main Street, the kids sat at W-B Drug reading comic books, which could be bought for a dime. The family would grab a bite of supper at Carpers Cafe and then take in a picture ghow at the Midway, hoping they'd be the lucky "Bank Night" winners. Women's Lib wasn't needed on their farm. Mom drove the tractor, helped work cattle and helped Dad whenever he needed it, and Dad, in turn, helped Mom when needed, too. The kids grew up doing the sayne thing. Pat remembers the sound of hundreds of baby chicks, purchased from Mrs. Stewarts Hatchery in Goodland, all in boxee in the living room and remembers rubbing and drying baby calves in the kitchen if they were unfortunate enough to be born during a blizzard. The whole farnily was very involved in Green Valley 4-H Club and the Annual Kit Carson County Fair was a highlight every year. There were basket suppers, minstrel shows, and skits put on by the HDU club. In 1961 she moved to Goodland, where she met and fell in love with James Allnman from Wallace, Kansas. They married in June 1962. Jim is now owner of and self-employed at Jim's Independent Mechanic Shop in Goodland and Pat is employed by Goodland CoOp as Grain Accountant. They have three children. Their oldest daughter, Terri, graduated from college with a degree in Animal Science and Industry and is currently a freshman in Veterinary School at Kansas State University. Their second daughter, Cindy, is married to Mike Weaver and resides in Dillon, Colorado. Mike is employed in lift maintenance at the Keystone Ski Resort and Cindy is teller at a bank in Frisco, Colorado. They will become parents in September! The youngest, a son, Monte, has graduated from NWKA Vo-Tech in Communications Technology and is employed by Northern Telecom, home-based in Dallas, Texas. Katy Korbelik, came to farm in 1931. by Connie Korbelik KORDES, TONY AND ELTZABETH F383 Tony Kordes was born in St. Anthony, Indiana on September 5, 1878. His parents were Valentine and Phelomena Kordes. He moved to Nebraska in March of 1907. He farmed for an aunt and uncle for a while. Elizabeth Reining Kordes was born in Harvey and Connie Korbelik on their wedding day, October 29, 1960. Hawey Korbelik and Connie Still were married October 29, 1960. The sun was shining at the wedding but as they started on their honeymoon trip it began to snow, complete with white shoe polish whipping in the wing window off the car. Reaching Limon, the muffler fell off the car, there's Harv under the car trying to fix it. Back on the road again they were stopped by a patrolman for having a headlight out. They were maried five years or so before Connie realized Harvey could use some Ferdinand, Indiana on February 7, 1888 to Herman and Sophia Reining. It was in Lawrence, Nebraska that Tony and Elizabeth were married on February 16, 1909. They had six children. Tony did not have enough to farm in Nebraska so he sold the land he had there and moved to Colorado in 1930. They put everything they owned on a train and stayed in a hotel when they got to their new farm. He had bought 3 quarters for $30 an acre. There was lots ofland to rent and grandpa and the boys raised corn and feed for the cows and had lots of hogs. Before he came to Nebraska he worked in a foundry in Kentucky for a year. He played the harmonica in a band in Indiana but I don't remember him ever playing it for us profanity - or vise versa - raising pigs can do that! One sow they owned had a favorite trick of lifting the yard gate off its hinges and plowing up the lawn. Loading the fathogs can when we were growing up. In September of 1950 they sold their farm be a trying experience! around the house and her crocheting. I guess all the grandkids will always remember her most for her angel cookies, her flowers and her beautiful crocheting. Elizabeth died on July 22, 1985 at the age of 97. The last summer of her life she was still making fancy work for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Each great grandchild has at least They were blessed with three children, Susan, Bill, and Dave. Susan had a passion for her blanket as a child. If Connie tried to wash her favorite, Susan would be found under the clothesline - blanket in one hand and the other thumb in her mouth. The only child who had to be convinced that Linus (off of Charlie Brown) didn't really take his blanket to school! BiU is a goer. When he was two, he disappeared. Looking eve4mhere - checking stocktanks, creeks - no Bill - finally someone spotted Sparky, the family dog, in an adjoining sugar beet field. Heading in that direction, we found first one shoe, a sock, another shoe, another sock - as Billy had run out of them in the tailwater mud. About 3/t of the way across the field, there we found Bill. Had it not been for little Sparky's trick ofjumping straight up in the air, we would never have seen Bill in those towering beets! Dave, with the help of his much older brother and sister, developed an early use of words and questions. When he was first starting to talk, he was out helping Grandpa Korbelik fix pasture fence. Grandpa warned him to be careful of snakes. Davey replied, "Don't worry Grandpa, we've been over this 'territory'before." As a three year old, he also caught on to the phrase, "Dad, let's drag main!" Actually, it didn't work any better for Davey than it did for his brother and sister. Though there have been a few sorrows, including the loss of their daughter, Sharon, by Rose Korbelik parents, R.A. and Frieda Still, came here in 1923 and Harvey's grandparents, Emil and to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, there have been endless joys in their married life. They are both proud of having long time roots in Kit Carson County. Connie's grand- and moved to a new home in Stratton. Grandma kept busy with beautiful flowers one piece she made when she was 97 years old. Tony was the most perfect grandpa anyone could have. He loved to play with the grandkids, and I know we remember the hand clapping games he used to play. We never could get to be as fast as he was. I still remember the aroma of his pipes when you would come in. He walked downtown to play cards with his friends everyday, even when his rheumatism w{Nl hurting him very much. He always had a smile or was laughing about something. Until a week before he died he still was walking downtown to see his friends. He always had a pony beer before he walked home. Tony and Elizabeth attended Mass everyday or a communion service as long as they were able. Tony died in November 22, 1970 at the age of 92. He used to tell us grandkids that he would catch turtles of all sizes and make turtle soup. He always would tell us kids something and then laugh about it and we were never really sure whether to believe him or not. Grandpa and grandma celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with all the children and most all the grandkids there. Ferdie lives in Stratton. Sophie married Ervin Wolf and lives in Burlington, Colo. They have 6 boys. Delbert lives in Stratton and has 3 children. He married Wilma Schmidt Bruckner. Val lives in Stratton and �grass. Dad also farmed a quarter of wheat land for his dad and rented land from Pat Doughtery from Lincoln, Nebraska for many years. Denny (5-14-194f) is married to Kathleen Hoffman and they have4 kids, Scoot, Wendy, Kelly and Tony. Denny workg for IBM and lives in Denver. Betty (L-22-19,14) is married to Larry Brachtenbach and they had 3 children, Laura, Dee and Matthew. Laura and Dee died as young girls. They farm in the Stratton alea. Beverly (L-26-L947) ig married to Gene Beattie and they have 2 children, Troy and Aaron. They live in Seattle, Washington. Patsy (8-13-1951) ie married to Mike Eieenbad and they have 4 children, Brandy, Clint, Ryan and Jill. They farm in the Stratton area. Valerie (7-21-1955) is married to Ron Thyne and they have 4 children, Denise, Ronda, Clay and B.J. (Bradley). They live in and work in Wray, Colorado. We had a good life on the farm when we Tony and Elizabeth Kordes at their 50th wedding anniversary, L to R: Ferdie, Val, Del, Tony, Elizabeth, Dorothy, Sophie and Joe. has 5 children. He maried Leona Huppert. Dorothy lives in Denver and has 4 children. She maried Richard Schreiner. Joe lives in Goodland, Kansas. The family that still lives in Kit Carson County are Ferdie, Sophie, Val and Del. Grandchildren are Larry Wolf, Jerry Wolf, Patsy Eisenbart and Betty Jean Brachtenbach and their children. Grandpa was really a hard worker and the age of 70 would come out and help my dad shock feed and could stay way ahead of everyone else helping. by Betty Jean Brachtenbach KORDES, VAL AND LEONA F384 My mother and dad both moved to Kit Carson County from Nebraska. Dad came from Lawrence, Nebraska in 1930. He was born January 27, 19L4. His parents were Tony and Elizabeth Kordes. He has two gigters and three brothers. My mother, Leona Huppert Kordes, was born on May 25, l9L4 in Blue Hill, Nebraska. She came to Stratton with her father and brothers and sisters in June, 1923. Her mother had passed away in August of L922, from sugar diabetes. There were two boys and 9 girls in her family. She attended St. Charles grade school and to the tenth grade in high school. Her father died in 1926 after they had been here three years. Mother and Dad were married in January 16, 1940 in St. Charles Catholic Church. They moved to a farm west of Stratton and rented it from Fritz Kruse. Their son, Denny and daughter, Betty Jean, were born while living there. They then bought a farm from Dick Kruse northwest of Stratton. They raised wheat, corn, feed and had cattle and hogs. Three more daughters wete born, Beverly, Patsy and Valerie. Dad bought five more quarters west of their home place. It was farm ground and some grass. Eventually he broke it all out and raised wheat. All of us took our turn running the tractor for Dad and helping with the gummer work. Dad and Uncle Ferdie worked together on some of their farming. My dad has always been an avid card player and likes nothing better than to get into a good challenging card game. He also enjoys very much the greyhound dog races. He also likes to travel whenever he gets a chance to. Dad always tried to teach us kids the true value of a friend. Mother is always happy at home doing her fancywork or just making a home for all of us to come to. She is a very important part of the ladies sewing circle at St. Charles Catholic Church in Stratton and has quilted on Wednesday afternoons at the church hall for many years. She also helps arrange the Taken at Val Kordes' place the day of grandma's funeral. Back row: Denny, Beverly. Front row: Mom, Betty, Patsy, and Valerie. flowers for the altar every week. In 1980, they sold the home place to Terry and Shelly Hornung and moved to Stratton into a new home. They enjoy living in town and having friends drop in and being so close to church. After they moved to town Dad rented the rest of the land out to Patsy Eisenbart and her husband Mike. In 1986 he began to sign it all up into the conservation reserve progrnm and is drilling it all back to were growing up. Even when times were hard somehow Mom and Dad seemed to make holidays special. They gave us a set of values that we have been able to call on during our lives. We will always be forever grateful for our parents. by Betty Jean Brachtenbach KOUNTZ FAMILY F386 James R. Kountz, wife Emma and three daughters, Hazel, Betty, and Pauline, moved to Kit Carson County in 1920. They were late arrivers but still found many hardships. Mr. Kountz visited the county the summer of 1919 and found such relief from his hay fever and asthma that he purchased a ranch 15 miles south of Flagler, consisting of a four room house and small horse barn and a good well. He returned to Crawford County, Kansas, sold most of his livestock and prepared to move. In March of 1920, he loaded his horses, Model T. Ford, and family and moved to the southwest corner of Kit Carson County. He soon found that the Model T Ford could not get over the hill at the "brakes" south of Flagler except in reverse, so until the road was changed, they backed over the hill. Shortly after arriving and getting settled, he went to Denver to purchase cattle and in a few days returned home with a herd of sheep. This was a profound shock to his family. By fall, he had built a sheep shed and suitable corrals to handle sheep. Through the years he algo accumulated a small herd of cattle, two more daughters and two sons Allie Jo, June, James R., and Richard - Hazel and Betty started school at Texarado school, about 3 miles across the prairie from their home and one by one all the children attended this country school. For many years, a herd of wild horses many of them locoed, tore up fences and watering tanks. During the depression and drought these disappeared but the Kountz's prospered and remained on the ranch. Through drought, grasshoppers, hail, and severe winters, Mr. Kountz continued to love Colorado. Many hired men and sheep herders �later, his health failing and age a handicap, he eold his livestock and moved to Seibert where he passed away in 1947. by clune Pottorff KRAMER STAHLECKER FAMILY Lutheran Church. We are members of Immanuel Lutheran Church and Bill served on the church board for five years as V. Chairman in the late 1950's. Theresia taught Sunday School for many years and also served as Tri-State Conference A.L.C.W. Sec. of Education for one term beginning in 1967. Theresia also is active in her local A.L.C.W., serving as an officer through the years. In 1969, she had a heart attack, While the kids were home, Bill and Theresia were leaders for the Settlement 4-H Club. We are active Farm F386 Bureau members, attending the Settlement Farm Bureau Community organization until it was disbanded. We always had a Christmag progrrm with skits and "readings", singing and treats. Theresia performed many humerous readings and skits for her community and church. In 1981, Theresia was selected as Kit Carson county "Heart Mother of the year". In 1983, Theresiawas asked to prepare the program for Church Women United. Theresia and sisters Martha and Lydia wrote their families'story about the Stahlecker and Dobler families. by Theresia Kramer The Bill and Theresia Kramer farm north of Bethune, Colorado showing Bill and his tenm of Mules, Jack and Jerry. KREOGER FAMILY F387 Louis Kreoger was born on November 21, 1881 in Smith County, Kansas, in a dugout. The water in Kansas was poor and scatce, so in 1902 Louis cnme to Colorado with his dad, \{illinm, and his brother Charles. They drove their cattle and brought all of their belong- ings, including their dog. They lived in a dugout northeast of Burlington for a while, and William eventually bought a farm nearby with a sod house on it. Lou homesteaded some land on the Repub- lican River near Hale, Colo. He did this because it was easier to raise good hay on the river bottom, and they hauled the hay with a teem and wagon back to the farm northeast September, 1985, the new home of BiIl and Theresia Krn-er north of Bethune, Colorado. This house replaces the home that burned on April 13, 1985. William (Bill) Kramer and Theresia Stahlecker were married in 1928, at Mosca, Colorado. "The boys ceme and got us girls back to Bethune." Bill bought the Reinhold Weiss homestead in the mid'20s. We lived in the small house with 2 rooms down stairs and 2 attic rooms up stairs for 19 years. InL947, we felt we could build a bigger house that we are still living in now. We have lived on the snme farm all our married life. This house burned to the ground on April 13, 1985, due to a gas leak. Everything was lost except the clothes on our backe. A new home was built on the old site and we moved in on September 22 the same year. We have three children, Norman who married Betty Lillich, Irene who married Gilbert Hilt, and Doris who married George Bartchenger. We had our good years and bad years. In the dirty thirties and again in the fifties we were back eating jackrabbits and beans, grinding our own wheat and corn, picking up cow chips to burn and carrying out ashes. We got electricity in 1949 and 1950. This was a real blessing. In 1978, we celebrated our fiftieth Wedding anniversary at Immanuel of Burlington for the cattle and horses. On April 20, 1909, Lou manied Mary Ann Broadsword, born February 28, 1885. They lived on the snme place with Lou's father for a while. Lou and Mary lived in the sod house and his father, William, moved in a small green frame house to live in. Two sons were born to Lou and Mary in that sod house. Carl was born March 7,tglz, and Julian was born September 20, L914. Later they built a frame house where they lived for several years. In 1925 Lou bought a place 13 7z miles north of Burlington along what is now Highway 385. In 1926 Lou moved his family there. He and hig wife Mary lived there for about forty years. Lou farmed and raised cattle until he was about 80 years old. In 1965 Lou and Mary moved to town and lived in Grace Manor because of failing health. They had a lot of good years mixed in with bad ones of hail, drought, grasshoppers and such. They made it through the hard years of the 30's and the 50's. Louis Kreoger died on April 15, 1968 at the age of 86. Mary Broadsword Kreoger died on July 4, L977 at the age of 92. Carl and Julian farmed with their father, and in spare time and lean times they also worked outsome. Julianworked in ldaho four different summers. They both worked for other farmers in the area from time to time. Carl and Julian were both in the army during WWII. Carl was in the Pacific, spending some time in the Phillipines. Julian start€d out in North Africa and worked his way north to Germany. After the army Julian moved to Denver where he married Helen Pitt in 1951. He worked for Gates for a while, then International, and finally the Post Office, where he remained until he retired due to his health. Julian died in July of 197?. Carl remained in Kit Carson County and on March L, L952, he married Doris Keeler, born December 8, 1920. Doris had been teaching at the Broadsword School 14 miles north of Burlington. They moved to a farm 12 miles north of Burlington where Carl farmed for many years. Carl and Doris had two daughters. Margaret was born September 20, 1954, and Marilyn was born October 16, 1956. Margaret moved to Denver where she married Tim McCandlegs in 1977. Theyhave two sons, Danny and Kevin. Marilyn remained in Kit Carson County and took over the family farm in 1979 when Carl and Doris moved to town and semiretired. Carl still stayed active in farming, helping his daughter keep things running. In 1983 Marilyn married Roy Schlichenmayer and they are now engaged in farming north of Burlington and also north of Bethune. by Marilyn Kreoger Schlichenmayer KREOGER FAMILY F388 William Kreoger was born September 5, 1854, at Starr Garr, Germany. He was the youngest of the family of three, his parents passing away when he was around 8 years of age. In L872, he cnme to America aboard a ship as a stowaway, landing in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. In 1878, he moved to Smith County Kansas near Kirwin, where he took a homestead. He married Emma Hoft in 1879. to this union three children were born in a dug out, Louis in 1881, Charles in 18&1, and Louisa in 1888. Emma died at the birth of Louisa and three months later Louisa died. Emma had a daughter from a previous marriage, Katherine Coles. Katherine received a head injury from a pump handle accident after she was grown, and later was entered in the State Mentd Hospital in Topeka, Kansas. William continued caring for her until her death in 1945. In 1889, he married Elizabeth Penicost and in 1896 she died. After the death of his wife and with a desire to find better water, he and his sons came to Colorado in 1902, and settled 14 miles northeast of Burlington, where they lived in a dug out for several years. Later he bought adjoining land with a sod house and other improvements. He with his two sons drove their herd of cattle out from Kansas (200 miles). In later years he sold his cattle herd to his sons, who then developed a Black Angus herd. Louis and Charles held a cattle partnership for 64 years. Having disposed of his herd, and to supplement his income, he ran a medicine wagon selling Baker Products. His route covered the area north ofBethune and ldalia, and many a night was spent at his customer's �Coop which was located at the north end of Main Street. Shoveling coal was his main task. He also worked for his sister, M5rrtle, and husband, Tom Hall,61 ths llalls Hatchery. Maybe this is why he never was fond of chickens while I was growing up. Bill was offered a football scholarship to CU at Boulder, but was unable to take advantage of it because he was needed on the farm. He graduated in 1938. On July 22, 1945, he married Helen Charlotte Wilson, from near Lindon, Colo- rado, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Burlington. To this union were born two This was taken for Charles and Ethel Pearls Kreoger 40th Wedding Anniversar5r. Back row: M5ntle Kreoger HalI, Ethel Kreoger Stewart, William C. Kreoger, Ella Kreoger Runge, Eilene Kreoger Lightle. Front row: Charles and Ethel Pearl Kreoger. home. He helped otganize the Equity at Burlington and was a charter members. He played an accordian and played for many a dance. He told of early dances where there were very few women, so the men tied ribbons on their sleeves and danced as women. The women that were there were very tired as they never got to sit a dance out. He endured many hardships, but there were good times too, and he lived to be almost 98 years old. Louis was married to Mary Ann Broadsword, April 20, 1909, and lived most of their lives on a farm north of Burlington. Two sons were born to this union, Carl and Julian. Charles was married to Ethel Pearl Inman, October 7, 1908, at Goff, Colorado, by H.A. Rankin, Justice of the Peace. Charles had homesteaded the quarter of land with the dug out when he became of age. A few years later the second homestead act came out and he homesteaded an adjoining quart€r of land. Here he built a two room frame building which they lived in until they could build a sod house. The sod house had three rooms with plaster on the walls. The Goff post office was at this site for a short time. For several years after the post office was moved, they would find coins in the dirt where they had fallen through the wood floor. About 1925, they built a modern frame house which they lived the remainder of their lives in. Claude Hall did the carpenter work. age 20 died in 1930, Ethel died in 1974, was married to Calvin Stewart, Myrtle married Thomas Hall and resides in Kennewick, Washington, William died in 1984, was married to Helen Wilson, Ella died in 1972, was married to Harvey Runge, Eilene was married to Harold J. Lightle, June 8, 1956, and stiU resides on the old homestead. In 1976 a new house was built and the old frame house moved to Bethune. Harold and Eilene had two sons, James and Jerry who were raised on the old homestead. Eilene Lightle passed away on September 26, 1985. by Eilene Kroeger Lightle children, Katherine Mar5l, on March 25, 1949, and Charles Louis, on August 29, 1951. Their first home was on the farm ofhis grandfather, William Kreoger. In 1950, they built a brick home on the land they had purchased from Frank Moose. Thiswas one andone half miles west of their first home. During their early years of marriage, Helen taught school in Kanorado, Kansas, Hale, Colorado, and Broadsword School. They also ran the dance hall and were the owners of the town of Hale, Colorado, from the spring of 1946 to November of 1948. At the dance hall, Bill was his own bouncer. Helen helped run the concession stand and was the postmaster. Being an adventurous person, Bill drilled one of the first deep irrigation wells north of town. This well later led to two more and convincing his father, Charles, that he needed one. He enjoyed collecting and restoring antique tractors. Bill's life centered around his family and doing for others. He helped to organize the Kit Carson County Association for Retarded Citizens, which later led to the development and incorporation ofthe East Central Activities Center. He served on numerous local, state and national committees and offices for the retarded citizens. Recognition csme his way from several Colorado Governors for work with the retarded, and from the Colo- rado Association for Retarded Citizens as outstanding contributor to the handicapped. Helen has taught Special Education in elementar5r and secondary levels for the past seventeen years. KREOGER, WILLIAM c. F389 William Charles Wilbert Kreoger was born in a sodhouse, on the homestead of his parents, Charles and Ethel Pearl Inman Kreoger, on September 13, 1920, 14 miles north and 2 miles east of Burlington. He farmed many years with his father using horses and later they used a Farmall tractor with lugs. As a young boy he trained his Bill and Helen were members of the First Christian Church, where he served as elder, both were 4-H leaders, and members of the Rebeka Lodge. Bill joined the I.O.O.F. Lodge nearly fifty years ago so that he could take his Grandfather to the meetings. He served as secretary ofthe Broadsword School Board for seventeen years. In August of L974, Bill and Helen, built a brick home and moved to Burlington. Their daughter, Katherine, and husband Richard Lundien, now live on the homeplace north of Burlington. They have three daughters, Katrina Marie, born December 27, 1973, in favorite dog to pull his wagon. During his early years at the Broadsword School he often told how his older sisters, Meade, Kansas, Annea Jane, born May 28, 1978, in Burlington, and Rylana Lydia, born March 12, 1982, in Burlington. On September Ethel, Pearl's mother, Martha and stepfather, Aaron Gaines, came to Colorado in 1907, and homest€aded a quarter of land a Ethel and Myrtle, would bundle him up, place him in the bottom of the buggy and cover his head with a blanket. It was the 30, 1984, Bill passed away. mile northeast of Charles' place. Aaron never covering ofthe head that made him unhappy. proved up on his homestead and left in 1908, Tbo years of High School were spent at moving to Republican City, Nebraska, and Happy Hollow School. He and Dale Guffy would ride their horses across country to the school. Burlington High School was the site eventually back to Kirwin, Kansas. Charles farmed until he was 80 years old and his eyes began to fail him. He enjoyed farming the land and had a special feel for his cattle. He and Pearl were married 59 years. There were six children in the familu Cecil, of his last two years and his main extracurricular interest was playing on the football team that went to the state playoffs. To earn his room and board he worked at the Equity by Katherine Lundien �The Kruse's, Dick and Margaret, were the parents of Fritz, Peter, Elmer, Hilda and Lilah. They moved to Stratton, Colorado, from the Syracuse, Nebraska, area in March, L926. Elmer, Matilda and son Keith moved to Stratton, Colorado, in March, 1932. Dick and son Peter managed a meat market in Stratton. After the death of his brother, Peter, Elner helped his father in the meat market and also worked for his brother Fritz in the filling station. Fritz had come to Stratton in 1919 and first farmed; later he operated a filling station and was a substitute rural mail carier. Elmer and Tillie in their later years worked in the Stratton post office as clerks. Their son, Keith, graduated from Stratton High School in 1946. He and his family reside in Omaha, Nebraska, where he teaches school. Four generations taken in 1951. L. to R.: Willinm C. Kreoger, Katherine Kroeger Lundien, Charles Kreoger, William Kreoger and Charles Louis Kreoger. KRUSE FAMILY Nebraska, where she now lives. Dad has F39O passed on. The exodus of the Kruse family from Nebraska started when my uncle Fritz Kruse and another uncle, John Harms, migrated to Colorado to farm and raise wheat as wheat prices after the first World War were high. They farmed ground on what later was the George Leoffler farm. In 1926 my grandparents, Johann Dietrich (Dick) and Margaret Kruse moved to Stratton because my grandmother had asthma which could be somewhat alleviated with the drier climate. Moving with them were my uncle Pete and aunts Lilah and Hilda. My After retiring from the post office Elmer and Tillie remained in Stratton until poor health prevailed, and they felt a move back to Nebraska closer to their son would be wise. They chose Syracuse as their home. Elmer passed away March 15, 1986. Tillie stil resides in their home in Svracuse. Nebraska. by Tillie Kruse by Keith Kruse KRUSE, DICK FAMILY KUEKER, ELMER F392 F391 uncle Pete and grandfather then start€d a slaughterhouse and meat market which was open until about 1934. Their slaughterhouse was on a sit€ which was close to the place where Jim and Susie Carnathan nowlive weet of town. My aunt Hilda was in high school and aunt Lilah etill was in grade school in 1926. Hilda married George Claussen and lived on a farm somewhat north of Stratton. thig was the farm where Valley Kordes lived after the Claussens moved to Loveland in the 1940's. My Aunt Lilah graduated from high school in 1934 and was on the famous high Elmer C. Kruee, P.O. mail clerk, November, 1971 school girls'basketball team that I think was state chempions and even defeated gome semi-professional teams from Denver and Kansas City. As I recall from stories, Stella Sholes was the super star of the tenm. Another star player was Helen Bardwell. My aunt Lilah married Wayne Campbell. Neither of the aunts had any children. My uncle Pete died in 1932 and my aunt Lilah died in Elmer Kueker 1953. My parents moved to Colorado in 1932. Dad start€d working with his brothers, operating the meat market and slaugherhouse. In the mid-thirties Fritz and Dad opened a service station and fuel delivery Elmer F. Kueker came to Colorado with his parents, Henry and Bertha, brother Arthur and sisters, Ella, Ester and Clara. Sister Adela died. They cnme to Colorado in 1915. In 1917 the family moved to the Flagler area. Children attended a country school over the service. Dad started working with the postal service in 1940. I graduated from Stratton High School in 1946. I worked for Roy and Gladys Herberger at the Stratton Press for one year and then left to work for the Goodland Daily News. My father and mother moved to Syracuse, line in Lincoln County. Elmer worked for Matilda H. Kruse, P.O. Clerk, November, 1971 others, a necessity to survive in this early day; one employer was the Reece family south of Flagler, where he attended school at Second Central for a time. Ebner was confirmed in the Zion Lutheran Church on June 15, 1919 at Flagler by Pastor Bierwagen. In 1919 the �family moved to Southern Colorado, return- ing to the Flagler area in 1924. When the family returned to Flagler, Elmer then attended Flagler High School, where he graduated in 1927. He was a valued tackle on the football tenm and served as class presi- dent in his sophomore and junior years, writing the class prophecy for his graduating class. Elmer attended Concordia College in Sew- ard, Nebraska for a year. On January 12, 1938, Elmer married Natalie Blanken in the parsonage at Arriba, Colorado. Two children, Lawrence and Lucille were born, both dying at an early age. Natalie gave loving care to her aging parents and after their passing, Elner Association. Elmer was a Kit Carson County Commis- sioner in 1959 when a new grandstand was dedicated at the Kit Carson fair grounds. Elmer served faithfully as a county commissioner, representing the county at many meetings taking him far from home and conducted his share of direction of county business to the best of his ability. For many years, Elmer worked to have the State of Colorado assume care of Hwe. 59, becoming a reality just now in 1987. Elmer and "Tollie" moved to Flagler when his health began to fail, ending many years of farming northwest of Flagler. and Natalie occupied the D.F. Blanken homestead, where they lived until retirement when they moved to Flagler. The bitterness of World War II was felt in the Kueker family when Elner's brother, Arthur, lost his life on the coast of France on June 14, 1944. He had enlisted in the army in March, 1942 shortly after the war started. He was a member of the 90th. Divieion. Elmer was vitally interested in affairs of the communityand county, giving aid to most who required his help. Through this unselfish part of his nature, he served the community in many ways. He eerved as president of the Zion Lutheran Congregation for 24 years. He served ae a 4-H Club leader for 14 years, served as a board member of the Flagler Farmers Cooperative Association, often as president, for 24 years. He was elected County Commissioner for his district by his friends, neighbors and electorate, serving faitMully in this capacity for 12 years. In the early 40's, Elmer saw a need and started working toward getting electrical posrer for rural communities. Working through the Flagler Farm Bureau in 1942, a need for such an improvement of rural living was discussed. A committee consisting of Elmer Kueker, Arthur Gaines and Roy Bader were appointed by the Kit Carson County Farm Bureau to look into the possibility of obtaining this service for the area. Much work went into the promotion of electrical power and in 1945, a "sign up" time was reached. Elmer was elected secretary-treasurer on the board of directors of the local REA. When K.C. Electric was organized in 1948, Ebner continued in this capacity. At this time, Elmer wrote a check, which was probably the largest ever written for K.C. Electric in the nmount of $550,000.00 for the purchase of Inland Utilities distribution system in Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties. Elmer continued to serve on this board for many year8. Elner served on the board of directors of the Colorado REA, as vice president in 1954 and '55 and as president in 1957, perhaps serving other years not known. When the hospital was built in Burlington, working through the Farm Bureau, Elmer helped promote a progrnm of donated wheat to aid in financing the building. Other organizations participated in this program. Since the largeet donation ca-e from the Farm Bueau, this organization was requested to be present at the laying of the corner etone. Elmer attended this event and an open house at the hospital in 1968. Promotion of FFA in the Flagler School system was another of Elner's interests. This has become a vital part of the school system. He as also active in the Colorado Shorthorn the Flagler Country Club. For the past twelve years he has been a 4-H leader. He is a member of the Lutheran church and serves as superintendent of the Sunday school at Flagler. Mr. Kueker has been very active throughout the years in community and school affairs, and his nnme has been synony- mous with progress and community improvements. by.Ianice Salmane KUKUK, F. \ry. by Lyle W. Stone F394 F.W. Kukuk was born Aug., 1876, and died June 10, 1936. He was born in Germany, a son KUEKER, ELMER FREDRICK F393 Elmer Kueker, one of the leading farmers and ranchers of Flagler, is owner of the KarLyn Farm. Mr. Kueker specializes in Shorthorn cattle, nearly all registered, and raises hogs for sale and home use. His brand is Reverse K Slash Reverse L. Some years ago, Mr. Kueker went into the egg production business and had three thousand DeKalb laying hens, all housed and individually caged. Eggs are shipped to the Denver Market. Mr. Kueker came to Kit Carson County at the age of nine years with his parents, who rented several farms in the area. He went into farming on his own in 1938 when he bought his present place. About half his farm is in pasture and the balance planted in wheat. Ehner Kueker was born on November 14, of Fred William and Carolyn (Boehm) Kukuk. In 1906, he came to Colorado, settling on a homestead southeast of Burlington. He lived there until 1913, when he moved to town and built the blacksmith shop. He also ovmed the lease on Sunset Camp, at the southwest corner of town. During his residence in Burlington, he served the town as mayor, and councilman, and gave honest efficient service throughout the years. by Janice Salmans KVESTAD, BIRGE F396 1905, in Red Bud, Illinois, to Henry and Bertha Hartman Kueker. His parents were married in Illinois. Ebner attended public schools in Kit Careon County. He married Mise Natalie A. Blancken, the daughter of D.F. and Marie Eisenberg Blancken. Mrs. Kueker's parents were married in Missouri and homesteaded the present Kueker farm in 1903. Here Mr. and Mre. Blancken reared their nine children, three of whom still live in the area. Mr. Blancken engaged in the cattle bueinese. His brand was L Cross H. Mrs. Kueker, recalls that early cattle shippers made her parent's ranch their headquarters when bringing cattle from outlying districts. From here they took their cattle to the railroad station at Flagler for shipping. Mr. and Mrs. Kueker have no children. Elmer Kueker has served as county commissioner for three years. He was instrumen- tal in organizing the Rural Electrification Asgociation in Kit Carson County and has served on its board since its inception. He is a member and former president of the Colorado Rural Electrification Association and a member of the Farm Bureau. He has served for the past five years on the board of the Flagler Farmers Co-operative Association and helped organized the Flagler Rural Fire Department in 1947. This is said to be one of the first rural fire depadments to be organized in the state of Colorado. He is a member of the Colorado Cattlemens Association, Kit Carson County Cattlemen's Association, Flagler Soil Conservation Board, and Mr. Bert Kvegtad. In Memory of Birge Kvestad, commonly known as Bert was born April 25, 1886 in Noaa Hardanger Norway, to his parents Ommund and Synva Noaa Kvestad. Bert came to Anerica in 1903 making his home in Iowa for five years then moving to Vona, Colo. here he homesteaded in 1908. Bert was united in Holy Matrimony to Roxie Orcena Gray, April 12,L924 by Rev. W.T. Gatley in the Methodist Church in Burlington, Co. They made their home on the �l,':lil r'i]::t:',tl KYLE - RIESBERG FAMILY 1ir,.111 ;:; :lt:.]:l;::l. ',:il ' ,i:llir il. ,:U:ii, :t:: .ia'f F396 .. ,:1.:r.'rril,. ,:,,: .:.:aai:..:,: ... ...: :',:.ra.,:.. "' ,l :,."';lrl' ' ::a:a:, tr,,,.'i':r'" :1.'.',,tt'' rrtll'l :l.1rl a::i .:t1,1 ::ll:1 ,tli:: Bert Kvestad's homestead in the fall of 1909. Rocking K Herford Ranch, north of Vona until Roxie passed away on July 10, 1956. In the spring of 1957 Bert sold the ranch to the Harris Brothers, and taking his car he returned to Norway to visit relatives and friends. He traveled on the ship Oslofjord Den Norske Amerikalinje (The Norwegian American Line). Following is an excerpt from his own words in a Dairy: "I remember just before our ship left New York - there was a lot of hustle and bustle and moet of the passengers throwed thousands of colors "Streamers" to the relatives, friends or wellwishers on the pier below. So it looked as our ship was "Spider Bound" in colors. Sure pretty and very impressive. Then as the ships motors started and the tugboats begun to pull and push - the ships band played 'The Star Spangled Banner'and after we was out from the pier and turned out the band struck up 'Ja Vi elsker ditta Londe'- It was all so fittin we floated right past the and trilling - and asI could see as well as feel Statue of Liberty, going home for some the queer emotions Leaving home for- others. I remembered -when the big ship "Titanic" went down (In 19f2) with 1,513 lives - it was one of the biggest tragedies of all times. - We also bought a big book and later saw a motion picture show on this sinking, So I have a "Deep" feeling on this matter. - I inquired if we would go near the fatal "Spot" - Oh yes - said the officer - The Spot is marked we got quite close and we will let you know. It was Iater in the afternoon when we heard the Fatal Spot. A quarter or half a mile to our left - I was on the top deck the weather was cloudy windy blustry rough sea and bitter I looked at the spot no humans cold And- as we passed, (almost) I could hear the Titanic's band playrng 'Nearer My God To Thee'- and as we sailed into the their cries for help could-last long out there dark night - just ahead. Life aboard was most interesting and well organized, we had church - Picture shows - dancing Coming home we missed a hurricane -by 10 mi. it rolled some out of their beds - but I really wished we had come closer - we might got a real triller out of it. There was "Only" three meals, each one an Event yes - they in itself with every thing - atOh4:30 P.M. in served coffee and "Bullion" the Garden Lounge. There was flowers and plants all around so it looked like a city park. The coffee was awful strong so I put in a "Liberal" amount of sugar and a lot of thick cream, The Bullion was nothing but a sickly looking greasy water with a few tears floating on top. One evening my waiter come with a I looked Lobster on a fine big Silver Tray - and ugly at them large claws and long legs head and body, but the waitcr said "This is food for the Gods" So I tried to eat some but it was the worst I ever tasted and I said "I am not dead yet take it away" later I found out that Russian Caviar was no better. I hope you enjoyed this little voyage with me." Bert then returned to American in October 1957 and moved to Stratton, Co. where he lived until 1975. Then due to failing health he could no longer live by himself. Bert chose to live with his friends Mr. and Mrs. D.C. Malone. They made their home in Denver, Co. for the summer of 1975 and moved back Loyal and Emma Kyle. It was the year 1918 when three Kyle brothers Thomas, Charles and Loyal came to Flagler, Colo. from a homestead south of Kimball, Nebraska, to make their homes north of Flagler. Thomas was a bachelor and remained so all his life. He had been in the Flagler area earlier when he homesteaded in the Shiloh community, sold it and returned to Kimball. Charles crme as a single man and later married Rachael Hardwood. Loyal came with his wife Emma, whom he met at a dance in a little school house and married Sept. 27, 1913 at Kimball, Nebraska and it is these two people, my parents I will write about. Loyal was born July 16, 1890, in Frontier County, Nebraska to Alexander and Theresa Kyle, and Emma Riesberg was born Nov. 22, 1893 at the now historical site of Pawnee Buttes in Weld County, Colo. to Frederick and Mary Riesberg, her parents who had come from Germany. Loyal and Emma decided to come to Flagler in April 1918, Loyal driving a four horse drawn wagon loaded with their belong- to Stratton for the winter of 1975-76. Bert then spent his last eight months at the ings to a place approximately 16 miles northeast of Flagler. Emma with two little Burlington Rest Home. He went home to be with the Lord, March 18, 1977 while at the Kit Carson Memorial Hospital in Burlington. He had attained the age of 90 years, 10 girls, Mamie age three and Mildred age one, came in a model-T driven by a 14 year old months, and 21 days. by Janice Salmans neighbor boy a few days later. Loyal had drawn a map for them but when they went to cross the Arickaree Rivet they got stuck in the sand, finally got backed up and Emma sat the two little girls on the bank and spread out blankets she had brought along and they got across. Loyal returned to Kimball on horseback to bring a herd of horses. He got back with the horses only to have them get away during the night and he was never able to find them. In 1922 they bought unimproved land 13 miles northeast of Flagler and built a small �cement house and barn. The family in a few years needed more room so a basement house was built, all the neighbors helping. They worked long hard hours struggling to provide for their family, farming with horses, fighting the grasshoppers and the blowing dirt, picking up cow chips to burn in the stove, washing clothes on a washboard, but as time went on progress was made and a tractor and machinery purchased, a new house was built and rural electricity available. Loyal had worked in the 1930's during the real depression years for W.P.A. which was a govern- ment progrnm that built bridges, da-s, buildings, etc. He was in a cave-in on one of the dems; he did survive from a broken back; he lay many months in a full body cast. These were probably the most difficult years for the family, the dirt blowing so bad that Emma would hang wet sheets over the windows to try and prevent dust in the room for those that were ill with pneumonia. Millie and I did finish, I graduated in 1926, and she in 1929. Millie is retired from the telephone service having 55 years of service. She is a golfer and enjoys living in Escondido, Calif. I worked for the telephone 18 years and finally retired to get married. Art and I were married on April 5,L942,so we will be having our 45th wedding anniversary this year. We both belong to the Trinity Lutheran Church on Seventh Street and try to be as active as we can. by Mrs. Arthur J. Lange LANGENDOERFER, ERNEST F398 There were eight children in the family, Mamie, Mildred,Evelyn, Lois, Robert, Thomas, Kathryne, and Imogene. All the children attended school thru the eighth grade at Liberty which was a half mile north of the farm. It was at the school where "Lit€raries" were held, people in the community putting on plays, singing,jigging, rattling bones, playing musical instruments, giving readings or sharing some talent they had. Other social things in the community were box and pie suppers, ball gamsg and going to someone's house for Sunday dinner. The teacher of the school usually stayed at the Kyle home since she could walk to school and get the fire started each morning. Loyal and Emma retired from the farm in 1955 and moved to a home in Flagler. Loyal became ill in 1960 and was in ill health until 1967 when he died. Emma was confined to a wheelchair the last few years of her life with arthritis and she died in 1977. Their son Thomas (Tom) and wife Delores now live on the farm. by Kathryne Daniel LANGE FAMILY Ernie was born on his family's homestead 5 miles west of Idalia in 1917. His descendants were from Weingarten, Germany, and settled in Missouri in the early 1800's. His grandparents homesteaded south of Idalia in 1887. His parents, William and Mnmie (Helling) Langendoerfer had three sons: Harold, Ernie, and Alvin; one daughter, Florence, and raised an "adopted" cousin, Stan Voss, orphaned by the flu epidemic of 1918. The fanily raised wheat'and hauled it to Burlington to sell. It took one day to prepare the wagon for the trip, one day to go and one day to come home. The wagon hauled 55 bushels ofwheat. In 1925, the Langendoer- fers bought a Ford Model-T Truck, which also canied only 55 bushels of wheat, but at a speed of 25 MPH on the level and 5 MPH on the hills, they could make three trips to Burlington in one day, quite an advantage over the tenm and wagon. Ernie married Hazel Homm in 1941 and together they ran a general store in ldalia before moving to the Bar-T ranch in 1943. His father had purchased 2080 acres from Bertha M. Bently, a wealthy Nebraska investor, for $4.00 an acre in 1939. The Republican River bottom land had been heavily damaged in the 1935 flood, which contributed to its depres- F397 Bart and Emily Rice Hoschouer cnme from Friend, Nebr. to Colorado in 1900. They homesteaded southeast of Holyoke, Colo. in Phillips County. They built a two room sod house and other buildings. Dad farmed corn, and wheat. There was a lot of free prairie in those days and we always had cattle. We had many prairie fires, sand storms, rattlesnakes (lots of them), and a tornado once in a while, to say nothing of the blizzards. It was rough going as my mother and dad worked hard. We would pick up the most anowheads and there was a large bucket we'd throw them in. When we sold the farm, we left the anow heads. I have regretted that many times. My dad always said he wanted to have a good education for his family, so we cnme to Burlington. We lived in the house where the late Mable Parkes lived. We later bought a home in east Burlington. My oldest sister, Sylvia eloped with her boy friend and lived in Nebr. Albert quit school and found a job on a farm. Clifford, Clarence, and Glen did get to junior class, then quit and found jobs. sed value. Dad and Mother began by repairing and rebuilding the ranch. The one-room bunk house served as their first home until they built a ranch house the following year. They rebuilt a cattle shed that had burned down, moved in a large barn, built corrals and fences to accommodate the 100 head of cattle they acquired to start their business. They began farming 25 acres of dryland feed, hayed the salvagable meadows for winter feed, and cleaned flood-stricken land oftrash to regen- erate growth. They bred with registered Hereford bulls and saved the quality replace- ment heifers to build their cattle herd. In 1952 they drilled one of Kit Carson County's first irrigation wells and went from farming 30 acres of poor dryJand corn to 300 acres of top producing irrigated corn. Dad told folks he raised "corn, cattle, and kids" on his ranch. The three daughters, Sharon, Beverly, and Sandra were born between 1944 and 1948. Having no sons in the family, we all were enlisted to help with the work, but Mother worked side by side with him. Dad kept a hired family all the time and had neighbors help at roundup and haying time, the big events of the year. We bought and built a sheep herd in the 50's, but bobcats became a vicious predator, killing a large number of the herd. Friends and neighbors hunted and killed the wild animals over a few years time, but not before we were forced to sell the surviving part of the herd. By early 1960's we had &illed three irrigation wells, and broke out 200 acres of pasture land, infested with soap weed, to plant irrigated grass. It was an innovative idea that later became popular for heavy cattle grazing. We also began to cross-breed our Herefords to Shorthorn and Angus bulls. We saw positive results in the feedlot performarce of those cattle. Soil conservation was important to Dad. He put in dnms and terraces and worked at the projects faithfully. He and I would ride the ranch to check cattle and the dams. He was faithful and meticulous about greasing windmills, filling backscratchers, and providing salt for the cattle. In 1971 Dad and Mother moved to a new home they built just outside of Burlington, and Dad became active in feedlot and salebarn management. They sold the ranch to my husband and me, and Dad bought and sold cattle. He always laughing called himself a "bullshipper". He was a devoted Christian who took time to live and grow in his faith. He taught us to trust God's timing for our lives. He died of a heart attack in 1986, and we know it was in God's perfect timing. by Sandee Strobel, daughter LAVINGTON, WILLIAM IT. F399 During the latter part of the nineteenth century stories of gainful opportunities and adventure began to reach the eastern part of the United States. Those stories appealed strongly to ambitious, restless young men. One of these young men was my father, William Henry Lavington. He was born March 5, 1859, near Liverpool, New York, the son of Charles C. Lavington and Elizabeth Price Lavington. He was educated in the Syracuse, New York, area and atten{ed Fulton Academy. About 1881, at the age of 22, my father decided to move west and seek his fortune. He arrived in Fremont, Nebraska, where he farmed for 2 years. Following this he settled near Kearney, Nebraska, and spent three more years farming and teaching school. by then he had accumulated enough money to form a grading contracting business which he operated in Nebraska for two years. He had acquired equipment, horses and worlrmen ready for any grading needed. In 1888 he returned to Syracuse, New York, where he was married on March 14, 1888, in North Syracuse, to Louella Isabel Van Heusen. She was born August 30, 1864, at Pitchers Hill, Salina, New York, the daughter of Captain Stephen Van Heusen and Rachel Delong Van Heusen. After their marriage they returned to Nebraska where they soon learned that the Rock Island Railroad was planning to extend their line west across Colorado. It was af that time that my father moved his entire opera- � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- K Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource Brief histories of founding families of Kit Carson County whose names begin with "K.' As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/491/Families-L.pdf 109740d5deb8a224545b821dea71a0df PDF Text Text cement house and barn. The family in a few years needed more room so a basement house was built, all the neighbors helping. They worked long hard hours struggling to provide for their family, farming with horses, fighting the grasshoppers and the blowing dirt, picking up cow chips to burn in the stove, washing clothes on a washboard, but as time went on progress was made and a tractor and machinery purchased, a new house was built and rural electricity available. Loyal had worked in the 1930's during the real depression years for W.P.A. which was a govern- ment progrnm that built bridges, da-s, buildings, etc. He was in a cave-in on one of the dems; he did survive from a broken back; he lay many months in a full body cast. These were probably the most difficult years for the family, the dirt blowing so bad that Emma would hang wet sheets over the windows to try and prevent dust in the room for those that were ill with pneumonia. Millie and I did finish, I graduated in 1926, and she in 1929. Millie is retired from the telephone service having 55 years of service. She is a golfer and enjoys living in Escondido, Calif. I worked for the telephone 18 years and finally retired to get married. Art and I were married on April 5,L942,so we will be having our 45th wedding anniversary this year. We both belong to the Trinity Lutheran Church on Seventh Street and try to be as active as we can. by Mrs. Arthur J. Lange LANGENDOERFER, ERNEST F398 There were eight children in the family, Mamie, Mildred,Evelyn, Lois, Robert, Thomas, Kathryne, and Imogene. All the children attended school thru the eighth grade at Liberty which was a half mile north of the farm. It was at the school where "Lit€raries" were held, people in the community putting on plays, singing,jigging, rattling bones, playing musical instruments, giving readings or sharing some talent they had. Other social things in the community were box and pie suppers, ball gamsg and going to someone's house for Sunday dinner. The teacher of the school usually stayed at the Kyle home since she could walk to school and get the fire started each morning. Loyal and Emma retired from the farm in 1955 and moved to a home in Flagler. Loyal became ill in 1960 and was in ill health until 1967 when he died. Emma was confined to a wheelchair the last few years of her life with arthritis and she died in 1977. Their son Thomas (Tom) and wife Delores now live on the farm. by Kathryne Daniel LANGE FAMILY Ernie was born on his family's homestead 5 miles west of Idalia in 1917. His descendants were from Weingarten, Germany, and settled in Missouri in the early 1800's. His grandparents homesteaded south of Idalia in 1887. His parents, William and Mnmie (Helling) Langendoerfer had three sons: Harold, Ernie, and Alvin; one daughter, Florence, and raised an "adopted" cousin, Stan Voss, orphaned by the flu epidemic of 1918. The fanily raised wheat'and hauled it to Burlington to sell. It took one day to prepare the wagon for the trip, one day to go and one day to come home. The wagon hauled 55 bushels ofwheat. In 1925, the Langendoer- fers bought a Ford Model-T Truck, which also canied only 55 bushels of wheat, but at a speed of 25 MPH on the level and 5 MPH on the hills, they could make three trips to Burlington in one day, quite an advantage over the tenm and wagon. Ernie married Hazel Homm in 1941 and together they ran a general store in ldalia before moving to the Bar-T ranch in 1943. His father had purchased 2080 acres from Bertha M. Bently, a wealthy Nebraska investor, for $4.00 an acre in 1939. The Republican River bottom land had been heavily damaged in the 1935 flood, which contributed to its depres- F397 Bart and Emily Rice Hoschouer cnme from Friend, Nebr. to Colorado in 1900. They homesteaded southeast of Holyoke, Colo. in Phillips County. They built a two room sod house and other buildings. Dad farmed corn, and wheat. There was a lot of free prairie in those days and we always had cattle. We had many prairie fires, sand storms, rattlesnakes (lots of them), and a tornado once in a while, to say nothing of the blizzards. It was rough going as my mother and dad worked hard. We would pick up the most anowheads and there was a large bucket we'd throw them in. When we sold the farm, we left the anow heads. I have regretted that many times. My dad always said he wanted to have a good education for his family, so we cnme to Burlington. We lived in the house where the late Mable Parkes lived. We later bought a home in east Burlington. My oldest sister, Sylvia eloped with her boy friend and lived in Nebr. Albert quit school and found a job on a farm. Clifford, Clarence, and Glen did get to junior class, then quit and found jobs. sed value. Dad and Mother began by repairing and rebuilding the ranch. The one-room bunk house served as their first home until they built a ranch house the following year. They rebuilt a cattle shed that had burned down, moved in a large barn, built corrals and fences to accommodate the 100 head of cattle they acquired to start their business. They began farming 25 acres of dryland feed, hayed the salvagable meadows for winter feed, and cleaned flood-stricken land oftrash to regen- erate growth. They bred with registered Hereford bulls and saved the quality replace- ment heifers to build their cattle herd. In 1952 they drilled one of Kit Carson County's first irrigation wells and went from farming 30 acres of poor dryJand corn to 300 acres of top producing irrigated corn. Dad told folks he raised "corn, cattle, and kids" on his ranch. The three daughters, Sharon, Beverly, and Sandra were born between 1944 and 1948. Having no sons in the family, we all were enlisted to help with the work, but Mother worked side by side with him. Dad kept a hired family all the time and had neighbors help at roundup and haying time, the big events of the year. We bought and built a sheep herd in the 50's, but bobcats became a vicious predator, killing a large number of the herd. Friends and neighbors hunted and killed the wild animals over a few years time, but not before we were forced to sell the surviving part of the herd. By early 1960's we had &illed three irrigation wells, and broke out 200 acres of pasture land, infested with soap weed, to plant irrigated grass. It was an innovative idea that later became popular for heavy cattle grazing. We also began to cross-breed our Herefords to Shorthorn and Angus bulls. We saw positive results in the feedlot performarce of those cattle. Soil conservation was important to Dad. He put in dnms and terraces and worked at the projects faithfully. He and I would ride the ranch to check cattle and the dams. He was faithful and meticulous about greasing windmills, filling backscratchers, and providing salt for the cattle. In 1971 Dad and Mother moved to a new home they built just outside of Burlington, and Dad became active in feedlot and salebarn management. They sold the ranch to my husband and me, and Dad bought and sold cattle. He always laughing called himself a "bullshipper". He was a devoted Christian who took time to live and grow in his faith. He taught us to trust God's timing for our lives. He died of a heart attack in 1986, and we know it was in God's perfect timing. by Sandee Strobel, daughter LAVINGTON, WILLIAM IT. F399 During the latter part of the nineteenth century stories of gainful opportunities and adventure began to reach the eastern part of the United States. Those stories appealed strongly to ambitious, restless young men. One of these young men was my father, William Henry Lavington. He was born March 5, 1859, near Liverpool, New York, the son of Charles C. Lavington and Elizabeth Price Lavington. He was educated in the Syracuse, New York, area and atten{ed Fulton Academy. About 1881, at the age of 22, my father decided to move west and seek his fortune. He arrived in Fremont, Nebraska, where he farmed for 2 years. Following this he settled near Kearney, Nebraska, and spent three more years farming and teaching school. by then he had accumulated enough money to form a grading contracting business which he operated in Nebraska for two years. He had acquired equipment, horses and worlrmen ready for any grading needed. In 1888 he returned to Syracuse, New York, where he was married on March 14, 1888, in North Syracuse, to Louella Isabel Van Heusen. She was born August 30, 1864, at Pitchers Hill, Salina, New York, the daughter of Captain Stephen Van Heusen and Rachel Delong Van Heusen. After their marriage they returned to Nebraska where they soon learned that the Rock Island Railroad was planning to extend their line west across Colorado. It was af that time that my father moved his entire opera- �tion to Colorado. My parents were emong the first inhabitants of what is now Flagler, Colorado. Soon my father sold his contracting business and opened the first general store in Flagler in a tent. Later the store business was moved into a new frane building. My mother assumed part time management of the store thus giving my father time for other activities. During 1889 to 1894 my father served as Kit Carson County Commissioner and he was Postmaster of Flagler from officers training school at Camp McArthur in Waco, Texas, until the end of the war in 1918. In 1921 I graduated from the University of Colorado in geology, a profession I followed until I retired in 1962. I was married to Marguerite Deidesheimer in Denver on December 28, 192t. We became the parents of two sons. Marguerite died in 1945. by Charles S. Lavington 1889 to 1894. By now the Homestead Act had been extcnded and many homesteaders from farther east were moving into the area and much building was being done. The need of LAYMON FAMILY F400 The dateline was from Springfield, Colorado, and the pictures were of Springfield and Holly, Colorado and Elkhart, Kansas. It was written by the person who wrote the movie "Grapes of Wrath." I really remember that Sunday April 14, 1935, real well. I had been in Kansas shearing sheep and was on my way home to Stratton. I had to stay all day at Beloit, Kansas and didn't get to Stratton until Tuesday. I got as far as Stockton and my cousins whom I stopped to see were scooping dirt out of their house with a scoop shovel at midnight. Monday is my birthday and I will be 84. Stratton sure changed a lot since I went there 50 years ago. I was there almost 20 years. I building material was the main reason for my father to open a lumber yard. He was also involved in building a brick veneer hotel as My dad and I moved to the Stratton area the first part of January, 1935. We lived in the basement part of the house west of town land men and homesteaders needed to place to live while they could provide homes for which is now the Grasser place. Nels Moody by Clarence Laymon February 14, Valentine's Day. He went into the beer parlor Shorty Bush and Joe Riley were operating. I did other things and then LENGEL, ELIZABETH GUTTING themselves. Up to this time cattle grazing was the principle industry for most of the land was virgin soil. Gradually small tracts of ground were plowed and cultivated to produce food for the people and animals, thus eliminating the need for provisions to be brought in from the east. During the years my father had acquired a herd of cattle which he gtazed on a large ranch north ofVona. He later bought a ranch south of Flagler where he raised sheep. Earlier a bank had been established in Flagler but in 1910 it suffered difficulties. It was saved by the intervention of my father and other stockmen. With the assistance of money from Denver and the reorganization of the business, the bank survived and it is a strong thriving business to this day. My father was elected president and he remained in that office until his death. About 1930 my father sold the store and lumber yard but he continued to oversee his cattle and sheep business. Both ofmy parents were active in community affairs. My mother served on the school board several years. She died in Flagler, July 25, 1936. My father died in Glendale, California, March 12, 1940. My brother, Leon E. Lavington, the eldest child in the family, wae born in Flagler in 1889. He was the first child born in the town and later became the first mayor when the town was incorporated. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1915. After graduation he returned to Flagler and established a Ford Agency which he operated until about 1942. After retiring from private business he served as state purchasing agent, later state auditor and state treasurer. He was a candidate for governor in 1946. He was married to Marjorie Dixon of Denver and they becnme the parents of three children. Leon died in Denver in 1961. My sister Anna N. Lavington, was born in Flagler on June 20, L892. She maried Clyde Seal of Flagler, and they became the parents of three daughters. They later moved to California where Mr. Seal died. Anna remained in California and in 1943 she married Arthur Lockwood, a former Flagler business man. She died in California in 1982 at the age of ninety. I was born in Flagler April 5, 1898, and qthe only living member of the W.H. Lav- ington farnily. I attended grade school in Flagler and graduated from high school in Colorado Springs. I enlisted in the armed services in the last year of WWI and attended was still living there and Nels was an alcoholic. I and him went to Stratton on saw a dirt storm coming and drove my car up by the beer joint. Nels was very intoxicated but Shorty and Joe got him in my car and I got him home before the dirt storm struck. When Moody came up through the basement door he hollered, "God, Clarence, come here. Did you ever seen anything like this?" You couldn't see the windmill and it wasn't more than 60 feet to it from the house. have been on the Western Slope of Colorado for thirty years in July, 1985. F401 I, Elizabeth Gutting, was born in Patterson, New Jersey on Jan. 31, 1866, and went to Omaha with my parents when 5 years old. In the spring of 1880, father, Chris Gutting, came to Colorado and built a little frame house and dug a well. I went to Haigler, Nebr., from Omaha bytrain, then traveled by wagon When I moved there the first part of to Kingston (near Armel) and then hired a January the water tank never froze and it was nice weather until February 14. From then on it blowed nearly every day until Decoration Day. Then came a big rain and washed out the railroad bridges at Bethune, Vona and Seibert. There was no trains for a week or so, but Stratton got no rain that time. As long as Moody was there I had plenty of company . . . Fred Wagoner, Joe Adkins, Fred Hyman, and all of the drunks. Finally Nels moved to Edgewater, Colorado, on the team and wagon to bring me across with a few supplies. The country seemed so strange to me, so outskirts of Denver. There were several rabbit drives when they killed rabbits by the thousands. May Tatcher moved in during March, 1936. My father was a veterinary and when the sale bam got started he was appointed the veterinarian to inspect the livestock that was sold through the sales at Stratton, Burlington, Flagler and Limon. All hogs that was not to be slaughtered had to be vaccinated for hog cholera and I did not care for the job of holding the pigs while he vaccinated them, but I did it. As far as I know he was the only licensed veterinary in Kit Carson County at that time. I, Frank Seelhof and his brother, Walter, and Ray Bey went coyote hunting one Sunday. The coyote was going northwest. There was a small patch of green thistles and the coyote went to run across it. He jumped about 4 feet high and went northeast. Our dogs all came back, so we went up to see why they quit. Walter Seelhof saw a big rattlesnake and shot it with a 22 rifle and snakes came from ever5mhere. All four of us killed 185 rattlesnakes that day. The Stratton paper had it right; if I remember they said 185; Burlington's paper said 135. But I think 185 was right. It has been 45 years ago this October since that happened (written May 15, 1985). There is a piece in the Kansas City Times about the Dust Bowl day of April 13, 1935. very few settlers and homes to be seen; although the rolling hills and the closeness to the river made this part of the country much more attractive than the high plains south of the river. I took a pre-emption and a timber claim in what was then Arapahoe county. My father and I planted together. That clump of trees you can see yonder is my father's claim, which I still own. There were plenty of antelope and gray wolves in the vicinity, and the coyotes would howl so mournfully, that it made me feel lonely, but I kept busy and forgot to be lonely. I kept house eight years for my father. We used homemade bedsteads, table, and cup- board, but bought our stove, and chairs in Flagler and brought them overland. I had no clothes line and I would hang the clothes on a J rcca plant - soap weed, which grows so plentiful in the sand. Mail was brought from Jauqua, Kans., and from Cheyenne Wells, Colo. to the Landsman post office, where we got our mail. I was well acquainted with the man, Munsinger, a homesteader in the middle of the Bar T cattle range, who had so much friction with most everyone around him, homesteaders as well as cattlemen. He kept the community fearful of just what he would do next. I knew Mr. Allen, the Bar T foreman, whom Munsinger shot; I spoke to Mr. Allen that morning when he was passing on his way to fix fence and he was carrying no visible firearms then, but at the trial that followed the murder, it was claimed a gun was found by his side, thus helping to establish the pleas of self-defense on the grounds of which Munsinger was freed. My father and I were questioned about the visit with Mr. Allen as to whether or not he �had carried a gun. Our replies being in favor of Mr. Allen, aroused the ire and enmity of Munsinger and he had our little home burned to the ground in revenge. We lost everything, including the keepsakes of my deceased mother. Then father and I built a sod house, and startcd all over again. It may sound heartless, but the community wae relieved to hear of Munsinger's death. He and Mace Old Bill - kept the community in fear as to where they were, what they were doing and who would be the next victim of their revenge. After living with my father for 8 years, I married J.L. Lengel, and he filed homestead papers on the land on which we are now living. We raised a family of seven children and gave them a good education. I boarded the men that built the Emerson ditch; a project headed by a company in and managed by a man in Kansas. The plan was to use this ditch for irrigation purposes, taking water from the Republican River and using it on the farms of eastern Colorado and Kansas. But the project did not extend beyond the Colorado-Kansas boundary line. This ditch is just a short distance north of our home. It took two days to make the trip to the nearest railroad, to market our wheat and hogs; we had nothing to travel in except our wagon, to go to Burlington for supplies, which is 22 miles from here. some home made furniture and dishes. At that time a branch line of the Union Pacific from Kit Carson to La Junta was later discarded. The ties from this old road bed were used by the settlers for posts, corrals, and shacks. I engaged in the cattle business homestead. Our sod has been displaced by a cement block horse, and other buildings have been displaced by ones of frnme and stone. with mybrother-in-law, Herman Homm, and was out on the prairie much more than I was in my shack. Many nights I have camped on the lone prairie while watching the herd and have had to endure all kinds of storms. There were numberless herds of antelope on the plains when I came here, a few buffalo, plenty of coyotes, and a few gray wolves. In variety of fruits. But the terrible hailstorms we have had the last few years have broken the summer of 1889, we had 11 head of calves killed one night by the wolves, and in the summer of 1894, one of my horses was bitten by a gray wolf. The bite of a wolf was considered as dangerous as the bite of a rattlesnake so the animal was always under treatment until it got over the effects of the bite. In 1888, while riding with the 111 ranch outfit with head quarters near Wray, the foreman and I rode into the hills north of the Arickaree river, and there we saw five buffalo. This was about the last bunch seen in this country. We did not molest them, but learned later that there had been six in the bunch, but one had been killed, by a man living west of their trail, earlier in the day. I think that the severe winters of the early years helped to exterminate the antelope and We have endured the hardships subsequent to pioneering, having endured the severe storms in summer; the blizzards of winter; the losses of livestock and other disappointments in the years past, but we buffalo in this country more than anything else. Even after we came, we had such terrible blizzards and such cold winters when the ground would be covered with snow from November to early spring. There was nothing fared as well as most pioneers and are glad to have been, to some degree instrumental in the development and economic life in this for the wild animals or stock to live on, people did not learn until experience taught them, that one had to prepare food and shelter for the livestock in order to keep the herd safe. So when there was no food. water and shelter for the wild animals, they just starved or froze to death. When riding one day I noticed an area. We are now alone in the large frame home, in which we reared our family but we are blessed with happiness and appreciation of pioneer days. by Janice Salmans LENGEL, JONATHAN L. F402 I was born in Pennsylvania in 1861 and came to Kansas in 1879, then came over into Colorado in 1881. I did not stay long, but returned to Kansas and stayed there a while. In the fall of 1887, I returned to Colorado, at a place known as Big Springs, about eleven miles north of town. Kit Carson was a prairie town on the U.P. Railroad and consisted of a store, a saloon, a livery barn, and a few shacks. I worked for the "77" outftt for some time, and worked for different small cattle owners. This was quite a cattle country in the early days and many a bunch of cattle have I trailed across the country to winter headquarters in Kansas cornfields. We would drive the herds from Big Springs to Hoyt, which is north of Seibert, and we would water and rest. We would then drive down the Republican River into Kansas and to our destination. In 1888, I took a homestead near Rush antelope standing up against a bluff, I wondered why it did not run, but kept riding toward it. When I got to it I found that the poor thing had been frozen and was still standing in an upright position, although dead. I saw thousands ofbuffalo bones on the prairie where the buffaloes had either died or We planted an orchard down by the Emerson ditch and at one time had one of the finest orchards in this country. We had a the trees and destroyed our orchard so much that we get little benefit from it. We have worked hard to build our home, and to educate our children. We have endured the hardships that went with pioneering, and had experiences that were lessons for the future, broadening and mellowing our lives. But in all my experiences I do not remember anything so tragic and far reaching as the past few years have been for everyone. It has been hard on the young folks just starting out. I have always loved the outdoors, the great plains, and the great herds of cattle roaming the prairies. My faithful cow pony and I have enjoyed many a communion with nature. There was some fascination in the care-free, romantic life of a cowboy. I like to be alone to think of the beauties of nature and to ride wherever I wanted to go. One time while riding across country I stopped at a ranch home and asked for water for myself and pony. I was told that the well was too deep to haul water by man-power. There was a yoke of oxen near but I had never handled oxen so I would not try them now and my pony was unfit for such work. I decided to travel on and take my chance at the next place. I came to a dugout a few miles farther on and stopped to ask for a drink. What was my surprise to see W.M. Hollowell, later a surveyor of our county come out to greet me. I knew him in Indiana and did not know that he was in Colorado. Needless to say, I enjoyed a visit as well as a drink of water for myself and pony. The west did not seem so far away after all. by Jayne Hubbell LENNEMAN FAMILY F403 killed by hunters. Buffalo bones are very heavy and when we gathered them, we had to sell them for $4.00 per ton, later, we got as high as $14.00 per ton for them. Of course, that was when they got scarce on the plains. I never saw any Indians in Colorado, but saw them in Kansas, and during the time of the Indian scare at Fort Wallace, the town of Grinnel was used as a fort, and the people from the country came there for safety. The town was surrounded byguards and lookouts, and I was one of the guards who kept watch. We had no trouble, with the exception of the fight with the soldiers, there were no other fight that I heard of. The Indians had a bad name and the people were easily frightened. In 1893 my brother-in-law and I dissolved partnership. I sold my relinquishment and moved north of the Republican river. Here, I bought a relinquishment, built a sod house, plastered it with native lime and put in a floor, dug a well fourteen feet deep to good clear water and again started in as a cattleman and as a farmer. I married Miss Elizabeth creek, south of Kit Carson, and built a shack Gutting and she filed papers on my relin- out of old railroad ties and furnished with quishment and we are living on this original Homestead Days My father, Frank Antone Lennemann, age 29, died June 9, 1910 in Orleans, Nebraska, of an appendectomy. My mother, Lena (nee Mary Magdalena Willy) age 22 was left a widow with two small children, my sister Regina (2 years) and myself Leona (6 months). My father and mother were renters on a farm north ofOrleans. The corn crop was maturing abundantly. Mother, with help, assumed the responsibility to see the crop harvested and the correct rental of returns properly paid. Then faced with the reality that the future held no hope for her to continue living on the farm without a husband to manage farm responsibilities ehe moved into town to do domestic work and readjust her life. She had manied at age 19. My father (7 years her senior) had fallen in love with Mother when she was only 15 years old and he had waited for her parents to give their consent to her marriage when she becaure 19 years old. Her one hope had been to be a good wife, a good mother, and a �Willy, a bachelor, who had gone to Stratton, Colorado, to homestead land under the Government's Homest€ad Act of 1909, wrotc to mother informing her that the adjoining west acreage, to his own assigned land, was being returned to the Government for reassignment. He asked mother if she wished to sign up for this acreage. Mother at age 23 took the challenge. The Homestead Act required the applicant to actually live on the land only a part of each year. Mother took us children by train to Stratton where Uncle George met us and took us in his buggy to the homestead 12 miles north of Stratton. Mother's acreage was divided from Uncle George's by a narow prairie-grass-road. His homestead cabin housed his living necessities. His barn sheltered his cattle, horses and his farming equipment. His windmill watered his garden and sustained his cattle. We lived in a similar one-room cabin-shelter with rag rugs covering the grass floor. Our table, Picture of my mother Mrs. Lena Lennemann taken about 1906. Regina and Leona Lennemann. Taken in the Rectory of St. Charles Catholic Church 1914 when Mother was housekeeper for the priest during months when she did not have to be on the homestead. helpmate to her husband. This hope was now suddenly altered by my father's sudden death. Mother, as a child, had attended school only partway through the fifth grade when she stopped going to school in order to remain at home to help her own mother raise a family of eight children on a rented farm. In those days there was no law requiring parents to send children to school. Therefore, mother had never signed a check and she knew little about business transactions. She now assumed her duty of supporting us two children. She learned to handle business as a dedicated responsibility. In 1912, mother'g oldest brother, George chairs, stove, bed and dresser were all under this one-roof -shelter. Our water supply was from Uncle George's windmill. Periodically Regina and I barefooted pulled a large milkcan in our wagon over the grass pathway to the windmill. One day we encountered a rattle snake in the pathway. We abandoned the wagon and ran screaming back to the cabin and mother. Uncle George's barn provided "keep" for mother's horse and buggy and we shared in planting a garden. Sometimes at night the howl of the coyotees awakened us. Mother then took from a redvelvet-lined leather case a pearl handled revolver which she told us our father had purchased before his death when he took his cattle to sell in Kansas City, Missouri. Mother pointed the gun to the sky and we heard the shot. The coyotees were quieted and we slept. On each Saturday Mother's horse and buggy took ug the twelve miles over the prairie road (now Highway 57) to Stratton. Regina and I wore our gunbonnets until we were a half mile from Stratton. Mother then took from under the buggyseat a hatbox. We traded our bonnets for lovely white straw hats with blue and pink velvet ribbons with forget-me-not trimmings. We then road into town and stayed overnight with the O'Neil family in order to attend Sunday Mass at St. Charles Catholic Church. I loved Granny O'Neil. Once as I sat on her lap I asked her "Where did all your wrinkles come from?" She hugged me and replied that each wrinkle was a part of her love. After Mass and dinner we returned home. One Sunday as we were driving home a black and churning storm cloud frightened mother. With a vocal prayer she directed the horse toward the Anthofer's home and paddled the horse with the reins. The horse dashed forward, stumbled on the turf, the buggy jerked and I, sitting in the middle of the seat, bounced forward over the buggy dashboad. I fell directly between the horse's back feet and the buggy wheels. The Anthofers recognizing us and seeing the accident ran with children our own ages. Mother explained the sadness of death when the young Collins boy (son of the Collins Hotel Manager) fell from a tree and died. Mother wept as we stood with mourners and she explained that he would never return to play again. I was learning the realities of life. One summer the homest€aders organized a picnic celebration. Children partook in the program. I was only four-and-half years old. I stood on a rag rug (center ofthe crowd) and quoted: "Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a dinmond in the sky." Muchto my mother'g delight I remembered all the words. When mother took us back to Orleans, Nebraska. to visit our relatives we traveled part way on a cattle and freight train and we sat in the caboose. I can still remember the sound of the whistle at crossings. The engine smoke and dirt blew in our faces and our clothing from the open window in the summer. Mother insisted we be clean-faced and tidy when we stepped from the train. Her handkerchief served as our washcloth. Uncle George had been a bachelor. One day he returned from a trip and introduced to us his new bride, a former school teacher, as Aunt Agnes. Soon Regina and I watched men digging the earth for they were building a new house near Uncle George's windmill. We soon walked over wooden floors and through rooms which would now be home to Uncle George and Aunt Agnes. In 1915 mother had lived the required time on the land. The land was now hers. She could return to Nebraska. She said "goodbye" to wonderful friends - Alice Connor, the O'Neils, the Colgans, the Anthofers, the Knockels, the Pughs, the Garners, and many others who had befriended her. She loved them with a grateful heart for these homesteaders had helped her complete a challenge. They had been her friends and now she was leaving, but she would never forget them. Mother had gone to school only partway through the fifth grade. Her determination had been her education. The memory of my father's love had sustained her. Her faith had been her constant companion. Mother passed away March 23,L971. Today the homestead, with Mr. and Mrs. Larry Brachtenbach as tennants, provides two-year scholarships to help teenager attend Notre Deme and Carmelite Catholic high schools in California where Mother passed away. This is possible because of "THE HOMESTEAD DAYS." Poem which I wrote about my mother - My Mother - Magdalena There was never a happier bride than she . . . A girl of nineteen - sweet as could be/ out and picked me up. I was crying but As the sun shone in Nebraska's April sky . . . Surely no sadness ahead could lie/ A happy year passed without a regret. . . And a blue-eyed child with ringlets was sent/ To enrich their happiness and bless their love . . . Surely this child had been sent from above/ So proud of this first-born baby was unharmed. Mother tightened the reins of the horse to stop the buggy.We all reached the house as the storm broke. During winter months mother kept house for the Catholic priest, Father Alphonse Keifer, in the St. Charles Church Rectory. Regina Louise/ . . . Sometime later to little Regina God gave . . . A plump blue-eyed sister: Leona Marie/ These two babies were Mother taught us to be helpful in household duties. We also learned to play and associate she . . As she watched it with young motherly glee/ And to honor the heavenly Model of Queens . . This baby was baptized the pride and delight . . . Of this happy couple whose future looked bright/ Six �months sped by and then came a cross .. . As she wept at the deathbed and faced the loss/ Of her beloved husband as she heard him say . . "Take good care of the girls." as he passed away.l Then followed a period of heartache and sorrow. . For in sadness of death there is no tomorrow/Lingering memories of one who has been taken away . . . Will cling forever with the one who must stay/ Prayer and faith brought Magdalena healing grace. . When at age twenty-three with the future to facel She journeyed to Colorado to live on homestead land . . . Her brother, George, was there and he lent a hand/ In helping her establish a nearby prairie home . . . Where all nature nestled under heaven's dome./ New friends were sincere, helpful and kind . . . Thus the prairie life she did not mind./ When under a trillion stars, the umbrella of night . . . Prairie coyotees howls caused moments of fright/ Or when lightning and thunder crashed a stormy sky . . . Magdalena taught her daughters on prayer to rely/ After three years of homesteading the land was her own . . . So she and the girls returned to Nebraska to make a home./ The girls she enrolled in a parochial school . . . To educate them in the Christian rule./ But one o-bition burned in her mother-heart . She must never fail, she muet fulfill her part/ To rear the girls in the very best way. . . And hold true to the promise she made that sad and on at intervals when they needed an English teacher and none happened to be available from 1947 until 1964. I always enjoyed it . . . particularly the fact that I learned to know so many of the young people who have grown up to be worthwhile citizens now. After Kenneth's death, I stayed on in Stratton and married Jim Clark. Jim had just returned from his tour of duty with the Navy and purchased the Stratton school buses. He At the close of World War II, Kenneth Lepper and I moved to Stratton to go into farming. He had the opportunity of going back to his job in Texas, which was a stationary engineer for the Natural Gas Company, or to break all ties and come to Stratton and start farming, which was what he always wanted to do. Of the land that my father had purchased, we choose and bought the one from him which was known as the Al Simon place. It is 2 miles north and 1 east of Stratton. Al Simon had moved off of it and Dad purchased it; then we bought it from my father in 1946. From that time on we lived there for 16 years until Kenneth passed away in 1961. Chris and Yvonne Schwieger and girls moved down from Arriba at that time and started farming out of here as their headquarters, having remained on there ever since. Yvonne is now operating the place since Chris's passing away. We as farmers here learned to love the country and really appreciate Eastern Colorado. And we liked it better than Western Kansas. and we were never alone because so many people from Western Kansas had moved out here and bought land and etarted farming in this part of the country. So far as we are concerned, it has always remained home to us. I taught school in the Stratton schools off scrubbed on a washboard. Washing machines by Lucile Clark sold, helped to buy groceries. Leshes left Kit Carson County, in 1936, and moved to California. Later, in 1943, they moved of to Oregon. Harve, Paul, and Loren, along with their families, still live in Oregon. Hazel and her husband live in California, Ralph and his wife live in Boulder, Co., Dale and his wife in Florida, and Frank and his wife in Arizona. Irwin and Dutch both passed away in 1972. LESIIER, W. F. F406 to Denver. That cream check, along with eggs by Isaphene Leshers LEWIS FAMILY by Miss Leona M. Lennemann F404 to have one, or into wash tubs with laundry were 'hand powered'. Also, the wringer had to be turned by hand. After the washing was hung out on clothes lines to dry, ironing was done with'flatirons', which were heated on the cookstove. Not a pleasantjob during the summertime. Everyone helped in milking the cows. Milk was seperated by'hand powered' seperator. Cresm, in five and ten gallon crerm cans, was taken to town where it was sold, and shipped - FAMILY There were lots of Mouths to feed and it was a big job with no modern conveniences. Wash day was another big job for a family of that size. Water had to be carried in from the water barrel at the windmill. and heated in a wash boiler on the range (cook stove). After the water was hot, it was poured into the washing machine, for those fortunate enough operated the school buses until 1972 when he sold out and the school bought them to put them in with their system. After that we have been spending our winters in Arizona and coming back here for summers and traveling in between. Traveling being our hobby, we do a great deal of it. But when it is all said and done the Stratton area is our home and we still always think of it as such and we will never change that address. day./ For through the years that were passing too fast . . . She must faithfully continue to accomplish the task/ Which was bestowed with love on her alone to do . . . A mother's task veiled by a father's blessing too. LEPPER AND CLARK young roosters were used for fryers to eat. W. F. and Susie Lesher's 50th Wedding Anniversa- ry in 1955. On March 30, 1905 Willaim Frank Lesher and Susan Harriet Manges were married in Agra, Kansas. Frank heard about homestead land in Colorado. In the spring of 1907 he went to Colorado and filed on a quarter section, Section 26 - Township 11- Range 46. In the fall of 1907 they chartered an immigrant car on the railroad and moved their belongings, including livestock, machinery and household, to Stratton, Colorado. They hauled their belongings 16 miles south and 3 miles east of Stratton by team and wagon, and there they set up a tent to start life in their new home. They had their baby, Hazel, who was about a year old with them. By Thanksgiving they had a sod house built, later a sod barn, a cave dug and had a well drilled. They made several moves back to Kansas and then back to the Homestead. They finally came to stay in Colorado in 1916, until they moved to California in 1936. The Lesher family consisted of 8 boys, 'each of whom had a sister'. Hazel, the eldest, was born 1906; Ralph in 1908; Irwin (Skin) in 1910; Harve in 1912; Allen (Dutch) in 1914; Dale in 1918; Frank in 1921; Paul in 1924; and Loren in 1929. They all attended school at First Central, Dist. #29. They also went to Evangelical Church, held in the school house. Susie always raised a large garden and did a lot of canning, pickling and made her own sauerkraut. In the spring she set the incubator and raised young chickens for food, as well as young pullets for next years eggs. The F406 My parents, John H. Lewis and Evelyn Burton Lewis; my brother, Russell E. Lewis; my grandparents, Ernest and Alla Wright Lewis; and my aunt, Helen Lewis csme to Burlington in 1934 from Nebraska, originally from Bedford. Iowa. The house at 350 12th St. in Burlington was purchased in 1935 and remains in the family to this day. This house was built about 1906 and homes in that era were without insula- tion plus the upper story had no heat. It was "hot water bottles" and "heated bricks" in the winter time. We spent many months remodeling this house in the 1950's and since. An interesting point is Ernest and Alla Lewis celebrated their 50th wedding anniversar5r plus John and Evelyn Lewis celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary while living in this house, plus my Aunt Helen married Laurence Pugh in this snme house. An attraction ofthe Burlington area during those times were the advertisings from the land agents to "buy your land in Kit Carson County, put in a crop of wheat, and the first crop will return enough to pay the land off'. The recommended farming mode was to pulverize the soil, no clods, which would result in better crops. What it did was help produce the dust bowl, watching the earth go by at 40 miles per hour on its way to Texas and on out to sea. After planting many acres in wheat and corn throughout the 1930's, without harvest success, Ernest and John decided to stop the no-win farming program, no government subsidies in thoge days, and starbed the "Lewis Dairy". Everyone helped with the daily operation of the dairy (no days offl which included feeding and milking the cows, �bottling the milk in glass milk bottles, storing the finished product overnight at the icehouse and delivering the milk the next morning before school . . . 40 hour work weeks are a piece of cake compared to that work. Milk was 100 a quart, delivered, and this was an improvement over farming. Soon after the dairy was started the rains LEWIS, DWIGHT AND ESTHER F408 came, the drought lessened, farming practices improved, resulting in good crops. There were a number of bumper crops during the 1940's which turned some farmere into country gentlemen. Hail storms took the place of dust - as the current problem - and could blast the field on one side ofa road and leave the other side untouched. This had a sobering effect on your financial status, resulting in liquidation for one family and a good living for the other. Ernest and Alla Lewis had 8 grandsons and no granddaughters; talk about discrimination. John and Evelyn had 3 sons, Russell, Homesite of Dwight and Esther Lewis Dean and Duane. Helen and Laurence Pugh had 5 sons, Allan, Owen, Evan, Steve and Bryan.Russell was lost in a truck accident on June 8, 1949 when we were following the wheat harvest in Oklahoma. Steve Pugh was lost in another accident in Oklahoma on December 2. L978. We miss them. John finished his working career as a tinsmith, learning this new trade at age 55; he quit working at age 70. Evelyn taught 22 years in the Burlington School System. Helen and her family moved to Hanison, Arkansas in the early 1950's. Duane is a basketball coach at Alameda High in Lakewood. Dean has been a special agent for Northwestern Mutual Life for 24 years in Grand Junction, Colorado. Life Goes On! by C. Dean Lewis LEWIS, ALYCE MARGARET DISCHNER r.407 Alyce Lewis was born in Lindsay, Nebraska, grew up and graduated from the Stratton High School in the dust bowl days of Eastern Colorado in 1937. She was a telephone operator and supervisor in Manitou and Colorado Springs, Colorado during the war year8. She was united in mariage to Marshall Maurice Lewis of Nacogdoches, Texas in 1945 in Colorado Springs, Colo. They lived in Nacogdoches, Brownwood, and Dalhart and Meridian, Texas for nine years. In 1953 they moved to Stratton, Colorado and bought the Gamble Store which they operated for eleven years. It was during this time that she attended the University of Northern Colo- rado and received her BA degree. She taught school in Stratton from 1961 to 1964. She also worked with kindergarten youngsters during this time. They sold the bueiness to a cousin, Eugene Jostes, and moved to the lovely North Platte Valley of Nebraska and made their home in Bayard, Nebr. She taught school in Bayard and in rural schools in Nebraska for nineteen years. She was president of the Morrill Country Teachers Association and of the Bayard Teachers Assn. She taught music and was church organist for 24 years. We moved to Stratton in September of 1960. We came from Sharon Springs, Kansas. Linda, Jim and Bob are the children. We lost Bob to cancer in 1976. Alyce Dischner Lewis During these years she had the good Linda is married to Harold Miller from Flagler and has two children, Bill and Cindy. They live in Hudson, Colorado. fortune to travel in 1969 and 1975 to Europe with the Foreign Study League. Each trip lasted six weeks and she studied the Humanities. She has been to the Costa Del Sol in Spain, to Hawaii twice, Africa twice and on a Carribean Cruise. In 1984 over the Christmas holidays she toured the Holy Land in Israel and Egypt. In 1985 she went on an inspirational tour of Fatima, Portugal, Lourdes, France, Spain, England and the shrine at Knock. Ireland. While teaching she becnme interested in art and began study with various teachers. She hoped this would come in handy when she was ready to retire from teaching. Mike died May 20, 1983 and with two large store buildings empty in 1986, she started the Art and Craft Mart as her new career. She displayed, handled and sold crafts and arts for the area craftspeople and artists. This venture evolved into the present Lewis Gallery in 1987 when she sold the buildings at 424 Main Street in Bayard. Hobbies are reading, crafts, music and photography. She was Does Musician for the Scottsbluff Drove #21 for nine years. She now teaches music and tole painting. She attended the Halsey Autumn Workshop at Halsey, Nebraska the past five years and has studied under such artists as Gwen Middleswart of Bridgeport, Ne., Amy Sadle of Columbus, Ne., Pat Hall and Nancy Jim is married to Kathy Lempp from Stratton and they have three children, Kris, Brian and Kim. We were one of the first to put down irrigation. I believe it was in 1963. We bought our place from Al and Mary Wy. September of that year received his honorable discharge in Texas. They made their home in Texas for nine years. One Thanksgiving in 1952 Mike was fascinated with the pheasant hunting in the area and always marveled at the wide open spaces of the plains. We moved to Colorado and purchased the Gamble Store from Grace Hyde in 1953. They operated the business until they sold it to Eugene Jostes in 1963 and they moved to Bayard, Nebraska and purchased another Neibauer of Scottsbluff, Rose Edin of Staples, Mn., Charles Rogers of Lakewood, Co., and Barbara Schaffner of Torrington, At present she has a one woman art show at the Country Club in Scottsbluff, Ne. Although she has sold some of her work, she has never received any awards probably because she hasn't entered any competitions. by Alyce Dischner Lewis Kitten. We planted a windbreak of trees to the north. Dwight and I planted it. Then every Saturday it was the boy's job to water the trees. Then came the weeds and all of that hoeing. We very seldom grounded the chilit was "go hoe the trees." dren - by Esther Lewis LEWIS, MARSIIALL MAURICE F409 Marshall Maurice Lewis was born in Denton, Texas January 2, 1913 to Catherine Martine and Charles Wllliam Lewis. His family lived in East Texas around Cleveland, Texas until the family moved to Nacogdoches when the children were old enough to attend Stephen F. Austin College. "Mike" had two years of college and taught school for a short time. In 1941 he entered the service and spent four years in the Canibean. His rank was that of Staff Sargeant. He married Alyce Dischner Lewis in Colorado Springs in 1945 and in �hood including going to town with Dad, sneaking outside while Mom was napping, playing the piano, playing on the playground and in the treehouse, herding sheep, learning how to ride a bike (thanks to Jan and Shan!), riding horses and Frisky, our dog. When we were little we visited our relatives and grandparents in Oklahoma every summer and Christmas. We always went swimming at Crrmberland Cove on Lake Texoma. Both grandparents, Jim and Nina Poole and JC and Berniece Long, had fishing ponds in their backyards. What fun was spent fishing. I still remember the first fish I caught! My Grandpas are gone now but I thorough- ly enjoy my Grandmas who traveled to Colorado together for a visit the summer of '87. They're special ladies! My first and dearest teacher was Mrs. Esther Daum. She was like a gecond Grandma to me. I mowed her lawn when I was older and enjoyed spending time with her. I'll always treasure her. I nm a member of the United Methodist Marshall "Mike" Lewis Gamble Franchise. He sold the business to retire in 1977. He died May 20, 1983. by Alyce M. Lewis LIMING, ROBIN AND KRISTY F4lO Church in Burlington. I was in MYF and always enjoyed the trips we took. We went se-ping in the mountains, traveled to Texas, and went snow skiing a couple of times. I made a lot of friends. I went to school at Bethune. Dad is superintendent there. I was involved in volleyball, basketball, track, FBLA, FHA, drnma and speech. In 1981 I earned a second place medal in my poetry division at the State Speech Festival in Fort Lupton. That was quite a moment. I still enjoy volleyball and participate by officiating at local schools. I graduated from high school in 1983 receiving the honor of being nemed valedictorian. I also received the President's Scholar- ship at UNC. I've always loved horses and have been involved in the 4-H horse program. In 1981 I was Kit Carson County Fair and Rodeo Queen. And what's better was that my best friend Penny (Ziegler) Aeschliman was the lst Attendant. We always rode together, so why not go to rodeos and parades together! It wae a time I won't forget. For my junior and senior prom my escort was Robin Liming. He's still my escort and very best friend today. We were married October 1, 1983. We have such fun together! We live southeast of Kirk, Colorado. We water ski, golf and enjoy hunting. We farm and own land in Kit Carson County. We have hogs and share horses. I'm thankful for this ru $o' $ ,-,e' life! ri{ by Kristy Poole Liming 1 : S i1*r $ Kristy and Robin Liming, September of 1987. My life began March 25, 1965 at Ardmore, Oklahoma. Although my parents, Ja-es and Nora Poole lived in Bethune, Colorado, Mom attended her Granny's funeral in Oklahoma. The timing was such that I'm an "Oakie." My name is Helen Kristy (Poole) Liming. My brother is David Poole. My sisters are Janet Cure and Sharon Green. All are maried and each have two kids. I have many fond memories of my child- LIMING, WILLIAM MELVIN AND IJAZEL MYRTLE HAGAN F4l1 Willi"m, or Bill as he was known, was born in Lawrence, Kansas, on March 30, 1891, and was of English and Irish descent. His mother was Elma Smart. His father, William Bainbridge Liming, was the son of George Washington Liming and Hanna Malvina Murphy, both of Ohio, near Cincinnati. Their children The Bill Liming family, (back row) Bill and Hazel with children (left to right) Melba, Alma, Marvin, Robert and our dog, old Queen our belovedAirdale. Our neighbors, Bill and Susie Thompson's car, taken in 1928. were Mary Jane (Mollie) Hitchcock, William Bainbridge, Matilda Olive (Tint) Harman, Elizabeth Street and George T. Liming. May (Liming) Wixon researched George Wash- ington Liming's ancestry and traced it to John Liming I who cnme to America from Yorkshire, England, in 1665 on the "Nevis Merchant" ship from Dover, England, and was married in 1680. The older Limings were farmers in Ohio. George Washington Liming and his familymigratedto Lawrence, Kansas, and in 1907 cqme to Colorado and homesteaded 1 mile south and 3 miles west of Kirk. He and his family made adobe bricks and built their house a home that knew many - with all of our families. happy get-togethers Grandmother would spend hours playing games and running with the grandchildren, and Grandfather had a long white beard, sparkling eyes, and was always very kind to all he knew. Dad had two brothers, George Jemes (Dock) and Bert. Bert died in infancy. Dad and Dock were raised by their grandparents, George and Hannah Liming. Dock married Bessie Taylor and they had seven children Melvin, Hazel, Clarence, Frances, Gladys, Juanita and James. They lived near Kirk until the late 30's, when they moved to Dearing, Kansas. Dad had four half sisters - Emma (Herrin) White and Ruth (Herrin) Braizer (his mother's daughters from her marriage to Mr. Herrin), and Melvina (Liming) Wise and Nellie Bain Payne (his father's daughters from his marriage to Nell Dod- dridge Liming). Dad also had two step brothers - Milton and William Doddridge, and one step sister - Visa (Doddridge) Heberlein. Previous to 1907, several of the men folk came to Colorado an homesteaded (or applied for a homestead) and built dugouts on their respective lands. Then in 1907, they formed a caravan of covered wagons to move their animals and belongings to Colorado. After traveling from Lawrence to Topeka, Kansas, in near impassable trails due to heavy rains and mud, and seeing their animals losing weight that would be vital for them to keep in order to face a winter on the plains of Colorado, they decided to put the animals on the train. They told about slipping the "boys" Liming, - Bill andOraDock Milton and Bill Doddridge, Street, and possibly others on the train with the animals. There -was a wagon box turned upside down that the boys hid under so the brakeman wouldn't see them when he made his rounds. I guess the food didn't keep too good and the boys developed dianhea, which �created quite a problem as you can imagine. Visa Heberlein tells me that she, her mother, and sister Melvina came by train at a later date. Her memory of seeing her first sunset on the plains is still very vivid, in contrast to coming from an area dense with trees. When Dad was 18, his father got typhoid fever while working in the sugar beets in Brush, Colorado, and died. At the time of his death, the family was living in a dugout. His stepmother, Nell, remained on the homest€ad and with courage and a lot ofhard work, Nell and the boys built a sod house, and then the house east of Kirk where Melvina Wise now resides. Dad was in World War I and served in Company C-110 Infantry as a Private. In July of 1918, he wae wounded and gased in the Aragon Forest in the Battle of Aragon. He was discharged October 5, 1918. In 1919, after getting his Patent Deed, he built a dugout on his land and helped his grandfather farm. Hazel Hagan was born to Robert McDonald Hagan (Mack) andElizabeth (Edwards) Hagan on June 10, 1902, in Waverly, Kansas. She was one of 11 children - Pearl Smith, Cecil, Johnny, Hazel Liming, Ralph, Lela, Lester, Ray, Delilah, Merle and Betty Avers. Her father's descendants have been traced to John Graves (1703-1804) on his mother's side, and to his father, Elijah Hagan, from Guilford, Missouri, on his father's side. Mom moved to Colorado in 1907 in a covered wagon and buggy with her parents. Their first stop in the Kirk area was at Rufus and Ellen Graveg' home. Then the families went together to Ike and Emeline (Robert McDonald Hagan's mother) Gleaves for supper. Mack moved his family into a dugout that another family had left, and then homesteaded there. He worked as a sod cutter and layer and also did carpentry work. Later they moved to Kirk where he had a butcher shop and sold sandwiches. In 1929' they moved to Missouri and remained there until his death on Feb. 13, 1946. Elizabeth then stayed with family until she moved into Heinrich's Nursing Home in Burlington until her death in 1965. Mom went to Boone School, working during the summers ag domestic help. She maried Dad in 1920, and devoted her life to her husband and children. On April 6, 1920, Dad married the girl that he had picked out to be his wife when she was Hazel Hagan. To still playing with doUs - born this union 4 children were - Alma Van De Weghe, Robert, Melba Rehor, and Marvin. Their lives were filled with happiness, LINDLEY, WENDELL CLARK r.4t2 Wendell Clark Lindley was born April 23, 1910 to Luke and Pearl Lindley who lived with their two small daughters on the homestead northwest of Stratton' Wendell lived all his life in the Stratton area except for the first three years of his life when his family was in Arizona and Calhan, CO. He greatly appreciated his neighbors and friends, and enjoyed talking with them. He wanted to be helpful when he could. Wendell is to be remembered by all who knew him by his long beard and it was said that he never cut his hair. He always wore a hat. Young and old alike knew him as "whigkers". He walked very where and always relied on a friend to come along and pick him up and take him to where he wanted to go. In January 1979 he suffered a stroke and severe exposure in cold weather. After leaving the hospital he made his home at Grace Manor Care Center. He regained most of his speech and was able to get around in a wheelchair. During the last 10 months of his life his health declined and another stroke csme in February. He died June 22, 1982. He was 72 years old. His mother died in 1948 and his father in 1965. His brother Kenneth still survives and lives in New York. \^c, ri He was laid to rest 6y his parents and sisterg in the Claremont Cemetery, Stratton, fields on "snipe hunts"), the first hot lunch progrem overseen by mothers and featuring those ever-present peanut butter cookies, 4H box socials, Saturday night on Main Street in Burlington, and the 4-H square dancers who went to Fort Collins. The Lindseys fought the dirt for awhile through the 1950s, but when Joe becnme ill with cancer, his health finally forced a move to Amarillo, Tex., in 1955. He died February of 1957 and Muriel, Joy and Hap moved back to Burlington, Lucky had attended Parks Business College in Denver and married. Muriel sold the home place to Ed Rainbolt in the late 1960s. (Ed, too, was also a Protection childhood friend of Joe's.) She moved to Burlington, later to San Jose, Calif., where she still resides. Lucky Jeanette Gipe and her husband, Karl, live in Burlington where he is a mechanic at John Deere. Their daughter, Debbie, lived in Burlington; son Ken, Beaver, Okla.; and Lee, Washington state. Muriel Joy Hudler, too, resides in Burlington with her husband, Rol, publisher of The Burlington Record. Their oldest son John (and wife Chris) is in business with them and their youngest, Ad, works for a large city newspaper in Fort Myers, Fla. Janeen Louise (Hap) Schrader and her husband Dave are the parents ofsix children: Eric, Endie, Derek, Emily, Cord and Ward. The family lives in Eagle, Idaho, where Dave is an insurance broker. The Lindsey girls'lives are still entertwined with the Smoky Hill residents and their happy memories of the community. by Bernice Eberhart Colorado. by Florence McConnell LIPFORD, CARL W. F4t4 LINDSAY, JOE AND MURIEL F413 Stationed at Camp Carson, Colorado Springs, during World War II, Joe Lindsey was farming before he got out of the service, being a partner of Howard Mountain, who had been a childhood friend in their hometown of Protection, Kans. In Colorado Springs, Joe met Muriel Ward Burghard and her three daughters, Lucky, Carl William Lipford was born to Lena and John William (Jack) Lipford on March 1, 1910. at their homestead in the Shiloh neighborhood twenty miles northeast of Flagler. He grew up on the homestead with two older sisters, Hetty and Blanche, until the family moved into Flagler a few years later. A brother, John Thomas, born in 1912, lived only a few months. He attended the Flagler School, as well as one year at Shiloh, and graduated with the class of 1928. He attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Then he transferred to what is now Colorado State University at Ft. mixed in with trials and hard work known to that era. Shortly after their maniage, they purchased a one- room school house and moved it to their land, partitioned it and made it their home. As time went by, Dad turned the farming over to the boys and he and Mom bought a restaurant in Joes in 1948. They kept the restaurant until 1957 when they sold it to Rex Shafer. They then moved to West Plains, Missouri, but their ties were in Colorado, so they come back to the farm. Daddy passed away on April 29, 1973' and Mom stayed on in her home until ehe had a stroke in May, 1982. She has reeided at the Grace Manor Nursing Home in Burlington since then. Joy and Happy, and began his arduous campaign to make them his own family. After his discharge, he lived in Wichita, Kans., for awhile before he and Muriel were manied but by Alma Van De Weghe purchased and a new way of life had begun. InL942, Carl joined the Air Force where he served until 1945, and was stationed in Texas, would have to include the pinochle parties at the schoolhouse (while the kids roo-ed the much of the time. he continued farming operations with Moun- tain, buying the farm on the Correction Line from him in 1948 and moving his'girls'out to batch in a machine quonset/shed the summer of $59 while they built their home. The adjustment wasn't an easy one for the displaced city gals, who discovered soon after classes start€d at Smoky Hill that their pretty especially when dregees just would not do - the boys and you played tag football with crawled under the merry-go-round to tell jokes. So, off came the skirts and hems were put in the "new" blouses, new jeans were Special memories of life at Smoky Hill Collins which he attended for two years. There he was a member of the Advanced R.O.T.C. which was a cavalry unit at that time. After he returned to Flagler he was employed at the Flagler Equity. On Decembet 29, L937, he was united in marriage to Margie Jane Ellis, daughter of Herbert L. Ellis and Anna M. Ellis of Flagler in a home wedding atthe home of the groom's parents with members of both families present. The couple made their home in Flagler. Jane first worked in the telephone office and then began working for the First National Bank. After returning from service, he was em- �ployed at the Lavington Motor Company as a mechanic. In 1947, he received an appoint- ment as mail carrier and continued with that until he was stricken with a heart attack on Oct. 11, 1960 while preparing the mail for delivery. Burial was in the Flagler Cemetery. Survivors included his widow, Jane; his father, Jack Lipford; his sister, Blanche Carper; and a niece, Jacqueline Spiars. Preceding him in death were an infant brother, his mother, Lena, and his sister, Hetty McCormick. He was a member of the Congregational Church and active in Lions Club. He was also a member of the Volunteer Fire Department and the American Legion, serving as presi- dent the year that the Legion building was planned. by Blanche Lipford Carper LIPFORD, JACK AND LENA F4l6 Bethel community, farming. Lena, born Jan. 3, 1878, wae the daughter of Sylvanus and Mary E. (Moore) Bragg. Her father was in the drugstore business as well as farming and cattle raising. Lena and her brother, Tom, were born to this union. After her mother,s death, her father remarried after several years, with seven children being born in that family. After completing public school, she attended an academy at Columbia, Missouri, for a year. When she was 16, she inherited some money from her mother's estate and bought an organ. The organ came west with the Lipfords and is now owned by Gus and Vella Vassios of Flagler. The Lipfords and their two daughters possibly made the move to Colorado for Mrs. Lipford's health. A son, Carl W. was born in 1910 and in 1912, a second son, John Thomas, was born on June 8, but lived onlv until October. A Dr. Wheeler, who had moved to Colorado for his health had homesteaded south of Cope, delivered both Lipford sons. The Lipfords lived like the other homesteaders, with a lot of hard work for all members of the family. Hetty was her father's helper while Blanche helped with the household chores although both did the farm chores typical of the era. After moving to the homestead, they found they were closer to Flagler, so came to Flagler for their trading like others heading across the prairie in the -straightest line possible. When telephones cnme to the area, it was transmitted bv the fence wires but was an improvement oir not having a phone. When the family acquired a surrey with "a fringe on the top", it made the trips across the prairie more comfortable. In the fall of 1915, when Hetty was ready for high school, the Lipfords rented a house, between 5th and 6th on Navajo (now remodeled and moved to Main Street). They moved J.W. Lipford god house in Shiloh community and Lena Lipford and children near house. Harveste in back row, neighbor children in front. John William (Jack) Lipford and his wife, Lena, with their two daughters, Hetty and Blanche, were among the group who came from Shelby County, Missouri, and home- steaded in Sucker's Flat in 1908. Jack had come with friends in the fall of 190? to file on the homesteads and returned the spring of 1908. The men csme first to begin the sod homes with the women and children follow- ing a few weeks later. Like others they chartered an immigrant car, along with Walter Currys, and brought their household furnishings. In the Lipford's case, they brought only chickens and purchased their livestock after they reached here. Jack had been born on Dec. 8, 1878 in Boardley, Kentucky, to John William Lipford and Mary Henrietta (Hewitt) Lipford. Hig father died when he was only 6 months old and he and hig mother then made their home with his mother's sister and husband, Jacob and Missouri (Hewitt) Curry and their son, Walter. Upon Jack's mother's death when he was 21/z,he was raiged by the Currys, who moved to Shelby County, Missouri, to avoid any claims other relatives might have on him. It was some years before he knew he had been orphaned and when he was 18, he began using the Lipford ne-e. On Dec. 29, 1897, he and Lena (Moore) Bragg were married at the home of her uncle, John Moore, and made their home in the LITTLE, ROBERT Last Sunday, at noon, word was received that Robert Little, the nineteen year old son of Mr. and Mrs. F.P. Little of this city, had met death by accidental drowning in the Corliss lake north of town. th9_ unfortunate young man in company with Willie Trude and Hescoe Murphy left a day or two prior to the accident for a few days outing at the lake. It seems that it was the intention of the party to run a seine across the lake and the boy decided to test his ability as a swimner before doing so. On his way to the opposite side he was seized with cremps and sank before the eyes of his companions. Burt Corliss, who was with the boys, swnm to the young man and reached him just as he was going down the third time and succeeded in towing him quite a distance nearer to the shore, but in the struggle Mr. Corliss became too exhausted and in order to save his own life was compelled to release his hold on the drowning man. A boat was procured and the body recovered lying on a bed of moss which in summer rises within a few feet of the surface. An automobile party left as soon as the sad news was received and returned with the body which was taken to the undertaker. The funeral services were conducted bv Rev. C.A. Yersin, pastor of the Christian Church, at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning; Pearl Shannon, Hescoe Murphy, Ben Buchele, John Gates, Wm. Wilcox, Vernon Coak- ley, six of the unfortunate young man's friends, acting as pall bearers. by Myra L. Davis to town on Oct. 15, 1915, the day the cornerstone of the new brick school building was laid in Flagler. After living in town during the school year for two terms, the Lipfords returned to the homestead and Blanche sta*ed high school in the new Shiloh Center scbool where thev offered the first year of high school. After a few weeks, the family sent her back to Shelbyville, Mo., where she stayed with relatives and completed her freshman year. In 1918, the Lipfords moved back to Flagler from the homestead, soon buying the house on Srd and Ouray, which remained their home for the rest of their lives. After they moved to town, Mr. Lipford worked for W.H. Lavington in his store and also owned a clothing store for awhile in what is now the Pool Hall on Main Avenue. In 1923, he became manager of the Flagler Equity Co-operative Assn., which he managed until his retirement in 1952. Among the activities of that business was a flour mill. operated by Joe Eckert, which ran for many years. Coal was also sold. Jack helped organize the Fire Department in 1920 and was a member until 1946. He also was a member of the Masons, IOOF Lodge, Modern Woodmen of America and the Eastern Star. Lena Lipford passed away suddenly on June 1, L944, of a heart attack. Jack continued to make his home in Flagler after his retirement. He passed away on July 26, 1963, at the age of 84 years. by Blanche Lipford Carper F4l6 LIVINGSTON - SHORT FAMILY E4t7 In February 1920, Earl and Verna (Short) Livingston moved from a farm near Alexandria, Nebraska to a farm southwest of Seibert in Kit Carson County, with their two small daughters, Vera and Viva. They stayed with Verna's parents, Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Short. while -waiting for the Conley family to get moved out of the place where they were to live-. Everybody was having the flu so moving took longer. They farmed, milked cows, raised hogs and chickens. The cream and egg money lielped eke out a living in the dust bowl days of the 1930's. - Two more daughters and a son joined the family; Eloise, Rose and Bill. The children all attended school at Rock Cliff and then Seibert High School where all were graduated. The family was active in the Rock Cliff Sunday School as long as they had services there. During the 30's when money was scarce, Earl put a hitch on the front ofthe car q"9 t!" 9ld $ay lsam pulled us to Sunday School, the gas was saved for the long trip to Seibert for groceries. Later, when Rolf efff no longer had Sunday School they attended at Second Central. Earl was Sunday School superintendent at Rock Cliff for many years. �Verna was active in the Rock Cliff Helpers Ladies Aid and served as President and Secretary. In L922 Rock Cliff school district pur- chased three school busses. At that time there were almost 60 pupils, with 14 beginners that year. Earl was one of the drivers for the new busses; much of his school route was a trail across the prairie. He drove the bus for several years and when he was busy in the field Verna would drive the bus. Later Earl served on the School Board for many years. Earl worked on Farm Progromg for many years. He measured acreages all over Kit Carson County, and also traveled the county as Assessor. calf, and one car left friends and relatives, to embark on an exciting new adventure. They drove into a blinding, choking duststorm. It took another trip to bring the horse, other cars and another truck load of belongings. Claude and Genevieve had an eighteen month old daughter, Claudia Ann. Then in 1951 two babies joined the family. Jeanetter Jeanne born to Claude and Genevieve, and Gary Joe born to Joe and Pauline Long. A few years later, Pnmela Sue was born to Joe and Pauline. The families were made to feel welcome in the community. There was soon participation in the Friendship Circle Extension Club, and the non-denominational Sunday School. In 1958, Earl and Verna moved into Seibert and Bill and Rogene took over the farm. Verna passed away in December 1965. In February of 1970 Earl sold out and moved to California. In March of 1970 he and There were community dinners held in the school lunchroom. Most entertainment all Viola Goff were manied. He remained in California until her death in December 1979. Now at the age of 95, Earl is back at the farm with Bill and Rogene. next time they reversed the food brought. The children played their running games and had a lot of fun. Warm, close friendships were formed. by Vera Gottshall After Claudia and Jeanette started to school, Genevieve took her turn as the lunchroom helper. All mothers took turns helping the cook with the hot lunches. When the sod was broken up many arrowheads became visible, and looking for arrowheads became a fascinating activity, in the LONG - BELL FAMILIES winter was the Saturday night pinochle parties. Half of the families brought sandwiches, the other half brought cakes. The F418 The Longs and Bells Enter Smoky Hill Community The westward expansion continued in 1950. The Long family pushed west, since farm land for erpansion in northwestern Oklahoma was impossible to find. The pre- vious generation had moved from Pennsylva- nia and Kentucky, through Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas into Oklahoma. Addison Joseph Long and his eon-in-law, Claude Martin Bell drove through western Kansas and eastern Colorado looking for a tract of land to lease. A man driving a tractor in a field suggested that they could contact A.G. Kirschmer in Burlington, Colorado. Nine miles southeast of Burlington, Addison and Claude leased twenty-eight quarters of land, 4480 acres, from Mr. Kirschmer. It consist€d of 2320 acres of summer fallow, 1840 acres of wheat and 320 acres of pasture land. Along with the lease, a purchase was made of tools, equipment, and machinery. The exciting acquisition was a D-7 Caterpil- lar and the machinery it pulled. It tilled a seventy foot swath. Addison gold his farmland at Fairview and Longdale, Oklahoma to finance his son Joe Arthur Long and his soninJaw Claude Bell in this farming venture. Claude sold his automobile and tractor repair garage, and Joe graduated from Oklahoma State University, then moved to Colorado to form this three-fanily partnership. In March of 1950 the three men began their farming operation known as the LBL Ranch. The LBL was also their cattle brand. The women, Addigon's wife Dollie May Long, Claude's wife, Genevieve May Long Bell and Joe's wife, Pauline Edwards Long, began to pack and sort and prepare for a farm and home sale. On March 1, the caravan, a truck with home furnishings, a pick-up with a cow and fields and along the Smoky riverbed. The partnership lasted for six years, until the leased land was sold, and each family LONG, WILLIAM MELVIN F4r9 I was born in Harrison county, Mo., December 10, 1864 and spent my youth near Blue Ridge, Mo. In 1887, another party and myself came by covered wagon and settled in the northwest corner of Kansas, in Sherman County. In 1889, I moved into Colorado and took a homestead. I lived in my covered wagon until a sod house was built, and the lumber for the roofing and frame were hauled from Haigler, Nebr., along with other supplies needed. Water was hauled from Sand Creek several miles away and often we had to get water from holes which held water. I plastered my house with native lime, sometimes these soddies were plastered with clay, most of them had dirt floors, very few of them having wooden floors. I never saw any buffalo, but the day I went to Jacqua for supplies, the last buffalo seen in Kit Carson County was chased across my yard and killed a little further north, and I enjoyed a steak from this one. T.G. Price, a pioneer judge of this county, had one of the heads of the last two buffalos killed here. We saw plenty of antelope and some wild horses. I remember we drove to Denver in July, 1888, following the trail west from the divide between Haigler and Burlington and through the Hash Knife, which was north of Limon killed in a car accident at the age of L7. and east of Deertrail. 1rys samped the evening before on the Arickaree river, and planned to go to Lusto Springs the next evening, for we wanted to be near water. So we drove to a point below the low-lying hills, and got ready to camp. We began to pitch our tent and then we noticed someone riding toward us and waving. We had not seen another rider all Addison remarried Inez Richardson and they moved into Burlington. In 1960 the Bells moved to town, and in the man came up to us and we were told a continued to farm independently in the area. Irrigation farming was introduced to the community, and Joe and Claude went into irrigation. Addison stayed with the dry land wheat farming. Genevieve taught in the Smoky Hill School for two years, 1958-60. Dollie Long died in 1965, and Pamela Sue was 1970 they were divorced. He continued to farm until his death in 1983. Genevieve taught in the RE6J district for 18 years and retired in May 1986. Claudia entered Oklahoma State University for three semesters, then entered Good Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing in Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated from there as a registered nurse, moved to Salmon, Idaho where she worked in Steele Memorial Hospital for eight years. She has lived in Colorado Springs since and works as a critical care nurse in the Intensive Care Unit of Penrose Hospital. Jeanette married Clord D. Meyer of Bethune, and attended Arizona State University for one year. She and Clord graduated from the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo. They divorced after 15 years of marriage. Jeanette has worked since 19?2 as Communications Coordinator in the Marke- ting Department of the St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo. Joe and Pauline moved to Stroud, Oklahoma in 1981. Pauline worked in TG&Y store until it closed. Joe drives a refrigerated reefer truck in a seven state area. Their son Gary Joe and his wife Corrine, operate a carpet cleaning business in Prague, Oklahoma. They have three daughters, Jessica. Cn-ela and Chelsea. by Bernice Eberhart day, so we wondered who the rider was approaching us in this manner. As we waited, herd of five thousand Texas longhorn steers were being driven to Montana for grass and were watering at Lusto Springs, and our camp was right in their path. We quickly moved and gave the herd plenty of room. I shall not soon forget the sight of the vast herd passing us, and how grateful we were to be warned in time to move out of the way of the dangerous path of such a herd. It took us four or five days to drive to Denver to file on homesteads. Folks drive it now in that many or less hours. Mr. Long was a pioneer teacher in this county and the third county judge of Kit Carson County. He moved to Stratton in 1917 and operated a hardware store there until his death. His wife, Jennie was also a pioneer teacher and preceded him in death. (Your scribe liked to visit with Judge Long as we were both from Harrison County, Mo. and knew many of the ssme people near Blue Ridge.) by Della Hendricks �LOUTZENHISER - WILDMAN FAMILY I.420 The day of the sale a terrible wind hit about LOVTZENIIISER, DONALD mid morning. People that weren't already there had trouble traveling, as it was like a snow blizzard except it was dust in the air. The sale warl well attended though. Prices F42l were extremely high as the inflation of World War I wag still in effect. A week or so after the sale a big snow blizzard. hit and everything cnme to a halt. By the time the roads were again passable, a depression had set in and the bottom fell out ofthe financial world. Everything snm6 t 'mHing down. E.T. and Edith decided not to make the move to Colorado at this time. The farm was restocked and farming was as usual for a few years. In L924F,.T. started to farm in Kansas and Colorado both, as the older boys were able to handle most of the farming in Kansas. [n December of 1928 the family moved to Colorado, all except one son Donald, who came later. By this time the family had grown to nine children: Lester, Donald, Clair, Everett, Irene, Vera, Rex, Millard and Lila. E.T. rentcd a farm near by with improvements on it and moved the family into the rented house until one could be built on their section. A bad depression start€d in 1929 or there about, and last€d all through the 30's, along with one of the worst droughts that start€d in 1934 and last€d until 1939. Late in 1935, Edith had become partially paralized, and the doctors in Denver, ColoErnest Talmage Loutzenhiser and Edith Glynn Wildman. They were married November 25, 1908 and moved to the Shiloh community north of Flagler in December of 1928. rado, discovered it was caused by a tumor on the brain. In an attempt to remove it by surgery, she didn't recover. On January 11, 1936, she went to be with her Lord and Savior, of whom she was a faitMul follower all her life. She was buried in the Flagler cemetery. Ernest Talmage Loutzenhiser, better known as 8.T., was born July 28, 1885, at Bridgeport, South Dakota. When he was two weeks of age, his parents, John and Mary (Nichols) Loutzenhiser, and two older sons, Ramie and Orie, traveled by covered wagon to Jewell County, Kansas. There he attended school and grew to manhood. November 25, 1908, he married Edith Glynn Wildman (born May 4, 1886). They set up house keeping on one of his father's falms. After ten yearg or so of farming, four sons and two daughters, they decieded a vacation was needed. So, somewhere along the line after World War I and the Armestice was signed on November 11, 1918, they bought their first new car, a Model T Ford. E.T.'s brother, Ranie, and his family had moved to Yuma County, Colorado a few years earlier, so the family decided to go to Colorado to visit them. While they were in Colorado, it only seemed natural to think of a new territory to move to. While they were looking around, they purchased a section of land eighteen miles north-east of Flagler, Colorado, in Kit Carson County. This section of land was decided on because it was level, the Shiloh School was on it, which taught the first eleven grades, and the Shiloh Baptist Church was acrogs the road on one corner. Sometime later, March 31, 1920, E.T. and Edith billed a farm sale so they could move to Colorado. The neighbots cAme in and had a farewell oyster supper for them. During the course of the evening, the remark was made by someone, "Why should you risk taking them kids to East€rn Colorado! If a winter blizzatd didn't get them, a rattle snake would". Times were rough during the 30's. By the late 30's improvements were built on the section. By this time the oldest sons were married and on farms of their own. Along with the help of his sons and daughters at home, E.T. got into the purebred Duroc Jersey Hog raising business. This turned out to be a real success and the family took great interest in this adventure. He won his share of the grand chnmpion ribbons at the Colorado State Fair and also at Lincoln, Nebraska State Fair one year. E.T. held a pure bred gilt and boar sale every spring during these trying years, which turned out to be a great thing for many farmers in Eastern Colorado to get started raising a better class of hogs. On May LL, t947, E.T. married Ruby Leona Gearing. By then all of the children were married or out on their own. E.T. and Ruby continued living on the farm. In the early 1950's R.E.A. built power lines to the farm area, which made them more modern. In the fall of 1956, E.T. entered the Flagler Hospital for exploratory surgery. It was found he had a large gallstone that was causing a bile blockage. He was later moved to a hospital in Denver, Colorado, where he passed away on December 2, 1956. E.T. was buried beside his first wife Edith in the Flagler Cemetery. by Donald Loutzenhiser Donald Loutzenhiger. fall of 1954. Donald Loutzenhiser and Laveta Thelma Gattshall were married February 23, 1933, at St. Francis, Kansas. Donald was twenty-two and Laveta twenty-one. Everybody that ever got married had to set a wedding date. We discovered my birthday was February 22 and Laveta's was February 24, so we settled for February 23. A bad depression had set in a few years earlier, but that didn't drmpen our spirit. We set up house keeping on a rented 160 acre farm just across the road in Washington County, about 21 miles north-east of Flagler, Colorado. We had an unusually wet spring and corn planting time was a little late. When thatjob was out ofthe way, I plowed ten acres witha team of mules and awalking plow. This was planted to millet on the fourth day of July. After the millet seeding was done, we went to Seibert, Colorado, to celebrate the 4th. Seibert has always been famous to remember certain days. We didn't receive much rain that summer, especially in the early fall. The millet crop was great, the corn was fair, but the prices had fallen to nlmsst, nothing. I think around twenty-five cents a bushel, but others remembered it being lower than that. The next spring, 1934, we moved three and one-half miles east of Flagler on a farm owned by Alfred Hartzler, he being Laveta's grandfather. There were two living quarters there and grandfather wasn't getting any younger, so we were able to see that he had transportation to town and elsewhere. By then a long nation-wide drought had set in and along with the depression, people didn't have much income. Our first child, Duane, was born May 30, 1934. In those days doctors made house calls and cnme out to the farm. The drought lasted into the late 30's. With the help of the good �Lord and the government programs, people seemed to survive. There were days when the air was filled with duet so thick it was so dark the chickens went to roost about 12 o'clock noon. The spring of 1935, there wasn't much wind blowing. One day the sky began to turn red about midday and a good manY PeoPle thought the end of time had arrived. The red dust from down Oklahoma way was passing through. It was so bad with dust in the air, it was terrible to see where to turn corners you were familiar with. On May 30, 1935' a terrible flood hit Kit Carson and Washington Counties, maybe others too. The storm hit northern Kit Carson County and Southern Washington County during the daylight hours, later after dark, it hit the town of Flagler. Several people lost their lives in the flood swollen streams. People didn't realize just how bad a storm had struck, being no weather reports like we have now. Our oldest daughter, Darlene, was born July 21, 1935, while we were living out east of Flagler. The jack rabbits and grasshoppers seem to thrive in dry weather. The rabbits were more like flocks of sheep, so rabbit drives were organized. People didn't have a lot to do in the way of farming, so everybody came out to help herd the rabbits toward a holding pen in the center of the area being covered. Lots ofrabbits were destroyed. Lots ofpeople were using rabbit for food also. In the spring of 1936 we moved to a rented farm twenty-two miles northeast of Flagler in the Shiloh Country. The Shiloh Baptist Church was close by as well as the Shiloh School. It was close to church services and school for the children. Our third child' Josephine, was born November 15, 1937. In the late 30's the drought began to taper off, and things began to look up. Price-wise, things were still low. When World War II was declared on December 7, L94L, prices began tn rise and inflation set in. All wars seem to do this. In 1942 we bought the present farm we still own, twelve miles north and three east of tractor less. as I had rented the farm to the oldest son Duane. by Donald Loutzenhiser F422 Arthur Lowe personifies the pioneer spirit that promoted the gowth of this County. Arthur's roots in Kit Carson County were established long ago. He and his twin brother, Archie Merril, were born January 18, 1897 near Augusta, Wisconsin to Edward Augustus and Harriett Elizabeth (Cooper) Lowe. There were four older children in the family; Beatrice (Lowe) Braddy, Kenneth, and twins Vern and Vernice (Lowe) Thomas. In 190? the family immigrated to Kit Carson County where you could acquire a tract of land from the government under the Homestead Act of 1812. Arthur's sisters were teaching schools near Augusta, Wisconsin at the time, so they stayed in Wisconsin to finish their school term. Vern stayed behind to ride the Jersey Milk train with the family belongings. Arthur, Archie, Kenneth and their parents rode the train to Stratton, Colorado, where they rented rooms to stay in temporarily until Vern arrived. They bought some lumber which they loaded on their wagon, along with their belongings, hitched their team ofhorses to the wagon and headed twelve miles south and four miles west of Stratton. There they pitched a tent and staked out a quarter section of land to start their homesteading. The Homestead Act of 1812 provided that anyone who was either the head of the family, twenty-one years of age' or a veteran of fourteen days active duty in the military service, and was a citizen of the United not to States, could acquire a tract ofland by settling on- it for a exceed 160 acree - Edward Lowe and his sons built a cook shack near the tent with the lumber they had purchased. They began to plow the land and put in crops. They also cut sod blocks from the surrounding prairie with which to build a house for the family. Within a month, the walls of the sod house were ready for a roof. LOWE, ARTHUR MYRON period of five years. They carefully tore down the cook shack and used the lumber for building the roof. Arthur's sisters, Beatrice and Vernice, came to Colorado as soon as their school terms were completed. It was nearly a year before a well was drilled for water. In the meantime, their water had to be hauled by a team of horses, pulling a wagon loaded with four water barrels, from a farm located two miles southeast of their homestead. Arthur and Archie attended the Nutbrook School which was three miles east and one mile north of their home. They also attended the Jones School located three miles north of the homestead. Some of their teachers were Annie Matson, Bessie Lightfoot, Hope Root, and Beatrice Lowe. Arthur and Archie worked for a neighbor herding sheep. One winter an unexpected blizzardswept the area and sheep piled up in the gulleys and ravines trying to find sheltpr. When the storm subsided, the boys helped dig the sheep out of the snow banks. Many were dead, however, the boys earned one dollar for every live sheep they dug out' In some places they found twelve to fifteen sheep piled on each other, all smothered to death in the deep snow. In early 1918 Vern, now married, left to work in the Portland Gold Mines at Victor and Cripple Creek, Colorado. Arthur soon decided he would like to try his luck in the gold mines and went to Cripple Creek where he worked in the mine and lived with Vern and his wife. In August of 1918, Kenneth was called to the service and Arthur came home to enlist in the Navy. He did not weigh enough so had to wait for the draft, which placed him in the Army. He was sent to Carnp Fort Lewis, Flagler. Crops were real good through the fortiee and early fifties. The fall of 1946 we purchased a home in Flagler so the children could attend school, there being no schools north of the old Flagler school district open that fall. We found out the Eummer of 1951 Laveta had cancer. It was too lat€ for a hysterectomy surgery to eave her life, and we lost her on May 28, 1954. She was buried in the Flagler cemetery. January 9, 1955, I married Irene Nola Host€tler. She had lost her husband, Charles, from a heart attack in 1953. We were blessed with a son, Gregg Kent, on September 27, 1955. We were saddened again in June of 1957 when we learned Irene had breaet cancer and surgery didn't save her. We lost her February 16, 1958, and she was buried in the Flagler cemetery by her first husband, Charles. Gregg was three years old then. October 16, 1958, I married Nyla M. Asher. I don't know how time got away so fast' it didn't seem long before he was out of school and on his own. Nyla and I moved to Burlington, Colorado, the spring of 1980 so I could be close to a golf course. The idea being to play more golf and run the farm Art and Thelma Lowe and fanily. L to R. Elva, Alvin, Art, Paul, Thelma, Judy, Velva, Ladeen and Velma. �Washington to train for the infantry. He expected to be sent to France. However, the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1919, so he never left the United States. His discharge was delayed for three months when he got the mumps. Arthur was now past twenty-one and he and some other young men decided to look for land near Trinidad, Colorado. He bought a section of relinquished Homeetead land for $1000.00 near Model, Colorado. He cut sod blocks and built a house ten feet by fourteen feet. He also dug a cistern and worked for neighboring farmers cutting and stacking hay. On June 29, t920, Arthur went back to Stratton and manied Agnes Marie Radspinner, daughter of Arthur and Lucy Radspinner. They were married in Burlington, Colorado by Judge Boger and witnesses were Audrey M. Glaze and Frank Whitmore. Arthur took his new bride to the soddie house near Model where they lived for a time. They moved to Swink, Colorado, where Arthur worked with the sugar beets until the season's crop was processed. Their first child, Cecil Alvin, was born January L9, L922, in Swink. Arthur moved his family to Colorado Springs while Alvin was quite small. Here he operated a street maintainer and on May 16, 1923, Vehna Lorene was born. In August of that same year, the family moved back to Swink and in September they went back to the homestead at Model, where they lived until they returned to Kit Carson County in 1926. For about a year they lived with and helped Arthur's parents, who by now had built a lovely wood frame home. The old soddie house was now a barn. (This farm is now owned and operated by Arthur's daughter Ladeen and her husband Charles MiUs.) By the spring of 1927 Arthur had located a farm to rent. This farm was twelve miles south and four miles east of Stratton, Colorado, near the First Central School. It was about one mile from Agnes's parents farm. Arthur worked this farm and again he cut sod from the surrounding prairie with which to place around the outside of the farmhouse to keep it warm in the winter. He took a team of horges and wagon, and with his family, went out on the prairie to gather cow chips for winter fuel. Arthur took his wife and children to the First Central School house every Sunday morning to attend church cnme to live with the family and help make a home for the seven of them. During that year of 1931, the children had chicken pox, measles, mumps and whooping cough. Vernice also got the mumps and was very ill. On May 22, 1932, Arthur was greatly blessed when Thelma Arnetta (Nielson) Armstrong became his wife and the mother of his four children. She was no stranger to the family as she had taught at First Central for four years. Among her teaching duties was music teacher for all the grades. Thelma's first husband had died in a tragic drowning accident in 1928, just three months after their mariage. grand children and great grand children gathered in Burlington to celebrate with Arthur and Thebna on their 50th wedding anniversary. raised hogs there until 188?, when the hogs all got cholera and died. Things got bad for Grandpa and he was about to give up. The Government had land for homesteading in Colorado, so my Dad and his older brother (Oscar) got on their bicycles and followed the Republican River and cow trails till they got a couple miles south of Hale, Colo. At that time there was no Hale or any towns close. When the boys left my Grandpa had told them "Now boys, I've lived in the swsmps and by ponds with mosquitoes all mylife, and I wish you would find a place higher up." Well they did a real good job of that, when they went south of Hale and got in those hills and that old yeller dirt. There they staked out by Velva Lowe Pickard LUNDVALL STAFFORD FAMILY F423 My Dad (Emil Lundvall) was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 18?2, and came to this country in 1875 with his parents (The Nels Peterson family) 5 brothers, 1 sister, and an uncle. They settled in Holdridge, Nebr. There were so many people in Nebraska with the nn-e of Peterson, that Grandpa had trouble getting his mail, so he changed his name to Nels Peter Lundvall and his brother took the neme of Carlson. They farmed and Alvin and Velma start€d school at First Central while living on this farm. Then Arthur moved his family to a farm one mile east ofFirst Central School on the Correction Line. This was a much larger farm with a nice house, big barn and chicken house on it. Arthur was able to get cattle, hogs, chickens and turkeys to raise. The A/L became his registered brand and the farm becnme known ag the AIL Ranch. Twin daughters, Elva May and Velva Fay, were born on this farm on October 6, 1930. When they were seven months old tragedy struck the family. Their mother Agnes became ill and died in Denver General Hospital May 4, 1931. Arthur was left a widower at the age of thirty-three, and with four small children. Arthur's sister Vernice and her son Donald Wooley by their Dad'e 1916 Ford truck. Photo was taken at the old homestead. Arthur and Thelma, together with their family, withstood the drought and depression years, the dirt storms, blizzards, bad times and good times. On July 22, L933, Arthur and Thelma had their first child, Margaret Ladeen. Their first son Paul Arthur was born August 1?, 1936, and daughter Judith Elizabeth was born on September 10, 1943. In 1948 they moved to their home in Burlington, Colorado, and Arthur retired from farming a few years later. The A/T, Ranch is now owned by son Paul. In 1982, all seven children, along with services. Arthur's neighbors were very kind. Mrs. Lloyd Megal, who lived a quarter mile east, came to help the family every day. Soon Virgil and Archie Lundvall and friend Donnv Rudolf, Axel, Emil and Oscar, The Lundvall Brothers. some quarters for the family, and rode on to Lamar, Colo. to file on them. My Dad was only 15 and too young to own his, but Oscar filed on his and they got applications for Grandpa and the other boys. Dad and Oscar had no money and ran across a man in Lnm61 that had 20 acres of onions that needed to be weeded and taken care of, and he offered them a percentage if they and 2 Japanese families would take care of them. They got credit at the general store for food and clothing, and lived in a tent that summer until the onions were harvested. They made enough money that summer to pay the grocer and have a few dollars in their pocket. Before leaving they made a verbal agreement to work for this man the next summer in Greeley, Colo. They then rode their bicycles to the quarters they had staked out, and on to Holdridge, aniving there about Christmas. �The next spring my Dad and Oscar went to Greeley to work. My Grandpa and two of the other boys hitched up the oxen and loaded the wagon with supplies and groceries, which was mainly beans, cornmeal, scorched corn and coffee. They used the scorched corn with the coffee to make the coffee go further. I'm not sure what kind of house they built but I think it was sod. The next year (1889) my homestead in 1928, but he was a gardener and we moved a lot of places where new ground had been plowedup. All of us kids would work in the garden, and sometimes go with him to peddle garden truck. He was known for his watermelon days when he would give free melons to all the people that ceme. The drought came and then the gras- Grandma came out. She had raised some broom corn and had about 30 turkeys, so they built a crate on the wagon to put the turkeys shoppers, and just about everyone left the homesteads. By 1934 most of the Lundvall's were gone. One person now owns what 12 people owned back in the homestead days. in. Once again they started to the homestead, but along the way they hit a rut and the crate by Virgil Lundvall broke and turkeys got out. They couldn't catch them so started on without them. Soon they noticed the turkeys were following behind the wagon. They were catching grasshoppers and taking care of themselves. The oxen were so slow the turkeys had no trouble keeping up with them. railroad wan coming up the Republican River and some post offices were built. Some of these were the Jaqua, Hale, Bonnie, Hermus and the Tuttle. These were built about 8 to 10 miles apart, and all were the same with a 9 ft. rock wall then about 4 ft. of board and the sloped roof, which made them about 15 feet high. I don't know if the government or the postmasters built them. The railroad never cAme thru, but little towns were springing up and more settlers were coming. Kanorado was one of the fastest growing little towns, but if you needed supplies you either had to go back to Holdridge or to Lemar. On one trip to Lnmar, one of Dad's oxen got sick and died. He bought an old black horse for $8.00 and put it with the oxen, but that didn't work. The horse would take 2 steps and have to wait on the oxen to catch up. They stopped at some willows and got some branches and made some shafts so they could drive each the horse and the oxen a half a day. Later on my Dad bought another horse from Bill Cody. I asked Dad why he ever fooled with the oxen and he said, "Because the oxen were easy to keep. They never strayed far and ifthere was a storm they would come home. You had to have a fence for horses or they would stray or some one would take them and you'd never eee them again." In 1905, my Grandpa Stafford and his brother Rube came to homestead. While they were improving and starting to dig the basements, a fella by the name of Bud Hill came by and asked if they had filed on the land. Rube said, "No, but we are going to Wray and file in the morning." The next day when they went to file they found out that Bud Hill had filed on uncle Rube's earlier that day and beat him out. Rube told Grandpa Stafford, "Well, if they are going to be that crooked and mean out here I'm just going back home." Rube caught the train that afternoon and went back to Decatur, Illinois. Grandpa Stafford had a family of 6 children and went back to the homegtead to build. He dug a hole in the bank, the north, east and south walls were dirt. On the west, he nailed boards and tar paper, leaving a door and 2 emall windows. He had two 10 ft. x 10 ft. rooms, but it was very dark and not much air could get in or circulate. Dad married my Mother, Flora Mae Stafford, in 1911. They had six children. Ethel, Thelna, Violet, Virgil (myself), Archie, and Lillian. Dad mortgaged and lost the organized the first M.E. Church in Burlington. Our supplies were either freighted in from Haigler, Nebr. or gotten at the small store at Lo-born, Kans. (now called Kanarado). We could not always get what we wanted, so just had to be content with what we could get. My husband worked in Denver for a while, then went east to work for the Foster Lumber Company and while he was away I stayed on the homestead with the children. His wages were the means of getting what supplies we needed, so we did not suffer the hardships of a great many other pioneers who could not get LUNDY, MARTHA GILMORE F424 In 1899, my Dad cnrne back and improved on his homestead. There was a rumor that the teachers in this county. Rev. Frank Thomas I was born in Putman County, Ind., in July 1856, and spent my girlhood and young womanhood in that state; then after my marriage to Charles L. Lundy, we came west with our two small children to visit my mother and sister, who were then living in Beaver City, Nebr. That was on May 20, 1888 when we arrived in Beaver City. My husband had been ordered west for his health and he came on out to Colorado, and liking the looks of the country, he drove to Denver and filed papers on his homestead. He then returned to Beaver City in March 1889. We came out and settled on our homestead. We built a sod house and otu goods were shipped to Denver work and had not the money to get the needed supplies for themselves and their children. We would have such terrible storms during the winter and it was always a worry when our husbands or children were out on the prairies for fear of a storm coming up suddenly and causing them to lose their way home. It was so easy to get lost for there were no fences to follow, no trails, no landmarks of any kind. It has always been a wonder to me that more people were not frozen to death on the prairies. I remember Rev. Thomas telling of his first meeting in the new town of Burlington, being in or very near a saloon building, and when some of the converts becgme happy over their religion and some of those in the saloon becnme loud from too much tippling, there was quite a loud babel of voices. But it was not long until the little frame building was put up and the first M.E. Church held and on down to Burlington. Water wag hauled from Carlisle, the place now known as Peconic Siding. The railroad dug a well there, and the people of the surrounding country would go there for the water. It was six miles from where we lived, and we hauled water with a team and wagon and barrels. Later we had a well dug and had water hauled up by a windlass. A short time after we were settled, a sod school house was built and our children were sent to school. At first school was held just three monthe in the year, as we were always afraid of our children getting lost in the storms that would come up suddenly. In the early fall and spring we would have terrible dust storms and in winter it would be the blizzards. My children had to go so far that I was glad they concluded to have school in good weather only. picked up a hunter's knife and steel on the prairie and we always thought that some hunter had been skinning a buffalo and happened to leave the knife laying beside the carcass, as there was quite a pile of bones at the place where the knife was found. And it was no unusual thing to pick up Indian arrow heads on the prairie. My husband returned to Colorado and helped to transcribe the county records aft€r the county was organized. He worked in the office of county clerk for many years. He served one term as county clerk and recorder. When we first came to Colorado there was no cemetery anywhere near us, and the dead were laid to rest in a corner of the homesteads. Finally someone donated an acre of ground and a neighbor lady and myself went There was no church or Sunday school; this round the community and into Burlington was a missionar5r field of the Methodist Church, so my brother-in-law, Rev. Frank Thomas, was sent here as the first minister. He preached in school houses and little churches all over this county, and helped to organize many a Sunday school in the little communities scattered over these broad prairies. When the visiting preachers would come to the community, I was the one who always entertained them, and kept them overnight and we would enjoy their visit, for we got glimpses of the old home and news of the outside world so far removed. Although I was a Presb5rterian, I acted as Sunday school superintendent of the M.B. Sunday School for some years; our preacher was Methodist, and one of the teachers was of the Christian faith. We used to have some good natured arguments, but we all did what we could for the furtherance of this new field. My brother, Jarree T. Gilmore, was one of the pioneer meetings there. I did not see any buffalo, but my boys and solicited funds enough to put up a woven wire fence around the plot so our dead would not be molested by coyotes or badgers that always dug holes in the soft earth that was on the graves. by Martha Lundy MAGEE, C. L. AND VERA F426 Clarence Lauck Magee was born Sept. 19, 1889 at Cleveland, Tenn. His family moved to Ida Co., Iowa in 1899 and it was there that he grew up and attended school. He went to his brother "Zan" who lived in Washington and intended to finish high school there but � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- L Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource Brief histories of the founding families of Kit Carson County whose names begin with the letter "L." As found in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> https://kccarchives.cvlcollections.org/files/original/17/503/Families-M.pdf 4ea46e06dcbc7a3b313b92d21582fb03 PDF Text Text The next spring my Dad and Oscar went to Greeley to work. My Grandpa and two of the other boys hitched up the oxen and loaded the wagon with supplies and groceries, which was mainly beans, cornmeal, scorched corn and coffee. They used the scorched corn with the coffee to make the coffee go further. I'm not sure what kind of house they built but I think it was sod. The next year (1889) my homestead in 1928, but he was a gardener and we moved a lot of places where new ground had been plowedup. All of us kids would work in the garden, and sometimes go with him to peddle garden truck. He was known for his watermelon days when he would give free melons to all the people that ceme. The drought came and then the gras- Grandma came out. She had raised some broom corn and had about 30 turkeys, so they built a crate on the wagon to put the turkeys shoppers, and just about everyone left the homesteads. By 1934 most of the Lundvall's were gone. One person now owns what 12 people owned back in the homestead days. in. Once again they started to the homestead, but along the way they hit a rut and the crate by Virgil Lundvall broke and turkeys got out. They couldn't catch them so started on without them. Soon they noticed the turkeys were following behind the wagon. They were catching grasshoppers and taking care of themselves. The oxen were so slow the turkeys had no trouble keeping up with them. railroad wan coming up the Republican River and some post offices were built. Some of these were the Jaqua, Hale, Bonnie, Hermus and the Tuttle. These were built about 8 to 10 miles apart, and all were the same with a 9 ft. rock wall then about 4 ft. of board and the sloped roof, which made them about 15 feet high. I don't know if the government or the postmasters built them. The railroad never cAme thru, but little towns were springing up and more settlers were coming. Kanorado was one of the fastest growing little towns, but if you needed supplies you either had to go back to Holdridge or to Lemar. On one trip to Lnmar, one of Dad's oxen got sick and died. He bought an old black horse for $8.00 and put it with the oxen, but that didn't work. The horse would take 2 steps and have to wait on the oxen to catch up. They stopped at some willows and got some branches and made some shafts so they could drive each the horse and the oxen a half a day. Later on my Dad bought another horse from Bill Cody. I asked Dad why he ever fooled with the oxen and he said, "Because the oxen were easy to keep. They never strayed far and ifthere was a storm they would come home. You had to have a fence for horses or they would stray or some one would take them and you'd never eee them again." In 1905, my Grandpa Stafford and his brother Rube came to homestead. While they were improving and starting to dig the basements, a fella by the name of Bud Hill came by and asked if they had filed on the land. Rube said, "No, but we are going to Wray and file in the morning." The next day when they went to file they found out that Bud Hill had filed on uncle Rube's earlier that day and beat him out. Rube told Grandpa Stafford, "Well, if they are going to be that crooked and mean out here I'm just going back home." Rube caught the train that afternoon and went back to Decatur, Illinois. Grandpa Stafford had a family of 6 children and went back to the homegtead to build. He dug a hole in the bank, the north, east and south walls were dirt. On the west, he nailed boards and tar paper, leaving a door and 2 emall windows. He had two 10 ft. x 10 ft. rooms, but it was very dark and not much air could get in or circulate. Dad married my Mother, Flora Mae Stafford, in 1911. They had six children. Ethel, Thelna, Violet, Virgil (myself), Archie, and Lillian. Dad mortgaged and lost the organized the first M.E. Church in Burlington. Our supplies were either freighted in from Haigler, Nebr. or gotten at the small store at Lo-born, Kans. (now called Kanarado). We could not always get what we wanted, so just had to be content with what we could get. My husband worked in Denver for a while, then went east to work for the Foster Lumber Company and while he was away I stayed on the homestead with the children. His wages were the means of getting what supplies we needed, so we did not suffer the hardships of a great many other pioneers who could not get LUNDY, MARTHA GILMORE F424 In 1899, my Dad cnrne back and improved on his homestead. There was a rumor that the teachers in this county. Rev. Frank Thomas I was born in Putman County, Ind., in July 1856, and spent my girlhood and young womanhood in that state; then after my marriage to Charles L. Lundy, we came west with our two small children to visit my mother and sister, who were then living in Beaver City, Nebr. That was on May 20, 1888 when we arrived in Beaver City. My husband had been ordered west for his health and he came on out to Colorado, and liking the looks of the country, he drove to Denver and filed papers on his homestead. He then returned to Beaver City in March 1889. We came out and settled on our homestead. We built a sod house and otu goods were shipped to Denver work and had not the money to get the needed supplies for themselves and their children. We would have such terrible storms during the winter and it was always a worry when our husbands or children were out on the prairies for fear of a storm coming up suddenly and causing them to lose their way home. It was so easy to get lost for there were no fences to follow, no trails, no landmarks of any kind. It has always been a wonder to me that more people were not frozen to death on the prairies. I remember Rev. Thomas telling of his first meeting in the new town of Burlington, being in or very near a saloon building, and when some of the converts becgme happy over their religion and some of those in the saloon becnme loud from too much tippling, there was quite a loud babel of voices. But it was not long until the little frame building was put up and the first M.E. Church held and on down to Burlington. Water wag hauled from Carlisle, the place now known as Peconic Siding. The railroad dug a well there, and the people of the surrounding country would go there for the water. It was six miles from where we lived, and we hauled water with a team and wagon and barrels. Later we had a well dug and had water hauled up by a windlass. A short time after we were settled, a sod school house was built and our children were sent to school. At first school was held just three monthe in the year, as we were always afraid of our children getting lost in the storms that would come up suddenly. In the early fall and spring we would have terrible dust storms and in winter it would be the blizzards. My children had to go so far that I was glad they concluded to have school in good weather only. picked up a hunter's knife and steel on the prairie and we always thought that some hunter had been skinning a buffalo and happened to leave the knife laying beside the carcass, as there was quite a pile of bones at the place where the knife was found. And it was no unusual thing to pick up Indian arrow heads on the prairie. My husband returned to Colorado and helped to transcribe the county records aft€r the county was organized. He worked in the office of county clerk for many years. He served one term as county clerk and recorder. When we first came to Colorado there was no cemetery anywhere near us, and the dead were laid to rest in a corner of the homesteads. Finally someone donated an acre of ground and a neighbor lady and myself went There was no church or Sunday school; this round the community and into Burlington was a missionar5r field of the Methodist Church, so my brother-in-law, Rev. Frank Thomas, was sent here as the first minister. He preached in school houses and little churches all over this county, and helped to organize many a Sunday school in the little communities scattered over these broad prairies. When the visiting preachers would come to the community, I was the one who always entertained them, and kept them overnight and we would enjoy their visit, for we got glimpses of the old home and news of the outside world so far removed. Although I was a Presb5rterian, I acted as Sunday school superintendent of the M.B. Sunday School for some years; our preacher was Methodist, and one of the teachers was of the Christian faith. We used to have some good natured arguments, but we all did what we could for the furtherance of this new field. My brother, Jarree T. Gilmore, was one of the pioneer meetings there. I did not see any buffalo, but my boys and solicited funds enough to put up a woven wire fence around the plot so our dead would not be molested by coyotes or badgers that always dug holes in the soft earth that was on the graves. by Martha Lundy MAGEE, C. L. AND VERA F426 Clarence Lauck Magee was born Sept. 19, 1889 at Cleveland, Tenn. His family moved to Ida Co., Iowa in 1899 and it was there that he grew up and attended school. He went to his brother "Zan" who lived in Washington and intended to finish high school there but �Fairview Cemetery at Burlington. Barbara Ann graduated from Burlington High School in 1942. In 1948 she manied Melvin D. Butterfield. He served as County Clerk and Recorder from 1950-59. They have three children, Kerry Lee, Dea Ann and Lonny Jack. They moved to Denver in 1959 and have lived at 10845 Morrison Road, Denver, Colorado 80227, for 20 yrs. Melvin ig retired from the Real Estat€ Profession. Nathale graduated from B.H.S. in 1943 and entpred Nurses Training at Corwin Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado and graduated in 1946. In 1945 she married Roger W. Foster of Port Washington, Wisconsin who was stationed with the Army in Pueblo. They made their home in Waukegan, Ill. where he was a Physical Ed. teacher. Roger is retired and they make their home in Eagle River, Wigc. Nathale works as an R.N. in a Nursing Home in Phelps, Wisconsin. They had three children, Steen, who was killed in Cembodia in 1970, and Eileen and Gwen Natalie. Ellen Jessie graduated from B.H.S. in 1947. In L947 she married Floyd D. Winfrey (class of '47) who was the son of James and Jessie Winfrey of Burlington. They had two chilThe Magee family taken in 1943. Standing: Nathale, Ellen and Barbara. Seated; Clarence L, (Jack),Marlyn, and Vera. they needed him to work so he returned to lda Grove, Iowa and finished his senior year and neighbors of the Harbigon's in Salina, Kansas. The Kerrs operated a cafe and there she met Jack. Vera needed to return to Salina and gradauted along with his sister, Polly. Both were valdictorians of the class of 1910. His parents had moved to Colorado and homesteaded south ofSeibert, in 1907-08. He and his sisters remained in Iowa to finish school. "Jack" as he was known, attended Drake University at Des Moines, Iowa and completed a course in law. Jack ovrned and operated a dairy bar to support himself and his sister Jack drove her back in his Model T Ford. Orville remained to help with the harvest. He met Freda Mae Dittmer, daughter of Berton and Lillie Dittmer of Seibert. Freda and Orville were married in L924. They lived in Flagler, Colo. before moving to Loveland, Colo. Orville died in 1980 and Freda died in Polly as they attended Drake University, finishing in 1915. He became ill with a ruptured appendix the last weeks of school 1923 in Salina, Ks. They returned to Seibert and did not receive his diploma. He worked in Iowa and passed the Bar before coming to Colorado to be with his family. At the beginning of World War I he was drafted and inducted into the Army but failed the physical and was discharged in 1918. In 1919 Clarence came to Seibert, Colorado. He took the Colorado Bar Exarn. and passed. He began practicing law in the office of G.W. Klockenteger. Mr Klockentcger moved to the state of Washington as business was slowing down and Jack remained to practice law and purchased the law books. Vera Iona Harbison was born April 30, 1905 in Salina, Ks. She was the daughter of William Sedgwick and Olive Addie (Richards) Harbison. The mother Olive died April 8, 1916 at 32 yrs. of age, after giving birth to her eighth child on March 16, 1916. The father made a home for the older children, Orville, 14, Eula 13, Vera 11, and Vernon 6 yrs. old. Evelyn, not quite 2 yrs., went to live with an Aunt. The new baby, Willard, was raised by another Aunt who was expecting her 5th child at the time. After graduating from the Eighth grade in 1919, she began the ninth grade but was needed at home and was not encouraged to continue school. In 1922 she worked in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Neal, who owned a Drug Store in Salina, Ks. In the summer of 1923. Vera cane to Seibert with her brother Orville to visit Mildred and Jim Kerr. who were former 1987. Jack and Vera were married on Aug. 17, and lived in the Magee home with Jack's brother Bruce and father Coleman. Their first daughter, Barbara Ann was born June 2, L924. In 1925 they purchased a home one block east of the Church. On Oct. 24, L925 Nathale Olive was born. Jack was appointed Deputy District Attorney in Jan. 1929. They moved to Burlington and rented a house from Mr. Fred Kukuk, just behind the ice plant, for $25. a month. Jack practiced law in Mr. Sidney Godsman's office. Their third daugh- ter, Ellen Jessie, was born July 12, 1929. Jack was elected County Judge and took office in Jan. 1933. The County Judges office was in the basement of the Courthouse. During this time he was appointed Attorney for the Federal Land Bank. He served one term as County Judge. Marlyn Vera was born August 19, 1936. Jack returned to private practice and had his office above the Midway Theater for many years, later moving to an office in the Ha-mond Building on the second floor. Jack took an active interest in community affairs and was appointed to fill a vacancy on the school board in 1936 and was re-elected for several terms, ending in 1948. Jack loved his yard work and raised many flowers. He was a member of Rotary Club and held the office of Sec. for many years. Jack belonged to the Masonic and Odd Fellow's Lodges. Both Jack and Vera were members of Eastern Star, Rebeccas and American Legion. They were active members of the Methodist Church. Jack died Jan. 10. 1950 and is buried in dren, Michael and Ruth Ellen. Floyd died in 1978 in Independence, Missouri. Ellen still lives in Independence and is bookkeeper for her son's Tire and Auto Supply Store. After Jack's death, Vera remained in Burlington with Marlyn, working at the J.C. Penney Store. In Jan. 1952 Vera and Marlyn moved to Denver where Vera worked as a housekeeper for Mrs. Shay and Marlyn lived with Dr. and Mrs. Hicks, as live-in help while finishing her sophmore year at East High School. In June, Vera went to Salina, Kansas to work and Marlyn went to live vrith Vera's sister and husband, Evelyn and Howard Kite at Auburn, Nebraska. At one time the Kite's farmed the Guthrie Farm north an east of Burlington. In 1936 Evelyn Harbison spent the summer with Jack and Vera. Evelyn met Howard Kite while attending the Methodist Church and they both sang in the choir. They were married in 1937 and still live in Auburn, Nebraska. In the summer of 1953 both Marlyn and Vera returned to Burlington and on Aug. 10, Vera married Mr. Raymond Reeve. Vera and Raymond moved to Loveland, Colorado in 1959. In February of 1975 Raymond died and in September 1975 Vera moved to Denver to be near her daughter Barbara. In 1987 Vera made her home with Barbara and Melvin Butterfield. Vera died on March 25. 1982 from Cancer. Marlyn Vera graduated from B.H.S. in 1954. In 1954 she married Jimmie Lee Hasart, son of Jacob and Nettie (Adolf) Hasart. who farmed north and east of Stratton, Colo. They have two sons, Jerold and Lester. by B. Butterfield and Marlyn Haeart MAGEE, COLEMAN AND NANCY F426 Coleman Lauck Magee, son of Jesse Bent- ley Magee Jr. and Catharine Star Lauck Magee, was born Oc/". 22, 1848 near St. Clairsville, Ohio, on a farm that was homesteaded by his grandpatents, Elizabeth Cole- �man and Jesse Bently Magee Sr. in 1788. There he grew to manhood and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church which was located near his home. On Feb. L7,L875 he was united in marriage to Nancy Mitchell Jacob, who lived near Wheeling, West Virginia. She was the daughter of Alexander Mitchell Jacob and Mary Julia Woods and was born Oct. 1, 1853, Wheeling, West Virginia. Her father was Deputy Sheriff in 1847-48. He was interested in politics and was a State Senator 1870-73, and was in the Civil War. Coleman and Nancy lived on a farm near ,.r*i...,l,,. Wheeling for a few years. They had 7 children. Their first son Alexander Jacob was born in 1876 on this farm. Jessie Catherine was born in 1878 at Cherry Hill, West Virginia. Julia Woodg was born 1880 in St. Clairsville, Ohio. In 1882 they moved to Ida County, lowa and lived on a farm in Blaine township, later moving to Silver Creek Township. On Jan. 1, 1883, son Frank was born at Silver Lake, Iowa. In 1883 Coleman and Nancy moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he worked in a foundry. Robert Bruce was born in 1885 and Clarence Lauck was born in 1889. Mary Mabel (Polly) was born Jesse Bentley Magee Jr. in 1891. The last 3 children were born in Cleveland, Tennessee. In 1899 they moved back to Ida Grove, Iowa. The father Coleman and son Frank moved to Colorado in 1907 and took up homesteads 4 miles south and Yz mile westof Seibert, Colorado. The mother Nancy and son Bruce csme to Colorado in 1908. Frank and Bruce proved up their homesteads and Coleman signed over his homestead to Frank. Jessie came to Seibert in the winter of 1911-12. She taught at Tinsley School. That winter 16 inches of snow covered the prairie and a Mr. Mullen lost 1500 head of cattle. Traine were blocked for 3 days and in Catherine Star Lauck Magee the town of Seibert, feed was exhausted. The Hendricks family were neighbors of the Magees. In 1915-16 a home was built in Seibert, Frank and Nancy stayed on the farm and Coleman and Bruce lived in town. Clarence, known as Jack, crme to Seibert in 1919 after finishing school at Drake Univ. and working a few years in Ida Grove, Iowa. Coleman died on Nov. 27, 1934 in Seibert, Colorado. All the fanily were affiliated with the Methodist Church in Seibert. Nancy Magee was able to pursue her art during the years on the farm. She painted many pictures oflife on the prairie by capturing the subjects of sod houses, howling coyotes and other scenes. When visiting her children she painted pictures of Washington's Crater Lake and farm scenes on visits to Tennessee and [owa. In 1934 Frank and Nancy left the farm and went back to Ida Grove, Iowa to work. This was due to the depression and the drought that occurred during thie time. Nancy died in Ida Grove, Iowa on Sept. 26, 1937. by Barbara Butterfield & Marlyn Hasart MAGEE, FRANK F427 In early days, there were two established Magee ranch south of Seibert, 1920's ranches on Sand Creek, six miles west and three south of Seibert. Colorado. A family by the name of Hawthorne lived on one gide of the creek, while on the west side Frank Magee sitting in front of his "soddy" south of Seibert. lived a family named Glasiter. Frank relates, "we homesteaders hauled water from what was known as the'Hawthorne well'. There was a faucet in Hawthorne's backyard where we would get the water." The Magee farnily arrived in the month of January of 1907 and built the first sod house in that neighborhood which was located four miles south and a half mile west of Seibert. Later, there was one frame house built in the neighborhood; otherwise, sod houses were built by the homesteaders. Before the arrival of homesteaders, Hawthorne went over on Shanty Creek and dug a well by hand. It was an open well, 120 feet deep, on government land. It was named "Shanty Creek", because an old shanty had been built there to be used by cowboys for shelter when in that territory. Provisions were kept there, possibly some canned goods, a cot and a supply of cow chips for fuel. Whoever used the shack lagt was to replace the chips before leaving for one never knew what the weather conditions, or time of night, might be when the next occupant would arrive for food and sheltpr. There was a cistern dug on higher ground above the "Hawthorne well" and it was to serve as a supply tank. A windmill pumped the water from the "Hawthorne well" into this cistern. It was then piped to the Hawthorne yard. There was a tank on lower ground where the water was controlled by a float valve. Here the Hawthorne cow 6avnp wat- ered their cattle before the homesteaders anived. Homesteaders filed government claims all around this Hawthorne Ranch, the well still being on government land. In fact, the homesteaders were so thick that Hawthorne could not run his cattle herd an5rmore and they all hauled water from the neighborhood well. None of the homesteaders had funds to hire a well dug on their own slqimg. Frank and others had to dig cisterns and hauled water from this well to fill them. Hawthorne told the neighbors that if they would take care of the windmill and pump, keeping the mill oiled and repaired, that they could have dl the water they wanted. Maggie Hawthorne finally filed "homestead rights" on the land on which the well was located to protect rights to the well. The land was finally sold to a fellow by the name of "Erickgon". The well eventually was ruined by a big flood that c'rne down the creek and the well caved in. "That was the end of the Hawthorne well." Frank chuckles and says that "going to the well on a Sunday morning was about as good �as going to church", since everybody was there and one would get to see all the neighbors. And in case someone had left the water on and it all drained out, making the cistern dry, there was a "prayer meeting in reverse", and sometimes they would all have to stay a half day to get a barrel of water. If Hawthorne hadn't let the neighbors get water, they just couldn't have stayed since none had money enough to dig a well on their claims. "The water wag hauled in banels in lumber wagons with a gunny sack over the barrel top to keep the water from splashing out as they drove home over the rough prairie trailg." An acquaintance of Frank's used to say, "this isn't farming country", and he was right! He said a person could raise crops here by tillage, or as we commonly call it, summer fallowing. But Frank laughs, "they forgot to tell us it took some rain along with it". When questioned about prairie fires, studied art while attending classes of high education in a private school, while her father lived in Wheeling, West Virginia. Her father had been elected to the "legislature". Those were the only art lessons she had taken, but Frank says, "during all those years she never lost interest in art". Many are the beautiful pictures of wildlife which she painted, proving the wider appreciation and understanding of the arts. Her collection of early day one-room sod houses on the virgin prairie proves she had been a keen observer, with an instinctive feeling for color and composition. The collection is naive, but sincere and highly individualistic portraying the early life of the settlers of these prairies. Today, these sod houses are mere memories and just a few dry clods of grass rooted in earth are left to tell the tale ofwhere they were standing. Some ofthe sod houses looked so desolate, pictured on the snow-covered Max Mason, custom farming. Frank recalls his first memory of one was in January of 1907. "The fire broke loose at the prairie. However, the collection will be a memorial to the lonesome, difficult lives of Arkansas-Missouri countryside. He had at night was red, like a quarter circle. It burned to within seven miles of Seibert. the early day settlers and record their feeble attempts to improvise a shelter from nothing more than the virgin soil of the prairie. Of all the pictures, which fascinated, there and had enjoyed the creeks and told of caught of a horseback rider, picturing a wild and furious storm about to break with giant thunderclouds forming a menacing background while the wind made a vicious onslaught on man and beast, madly blowing the mane and tail of the horse, while the flying scarf was secured tightly about an upturned coatcollar. Grass on the terrain was buffeted madly about as the waves of any storm-ridden sea. The man rested a gun across the pommel of his saddle. Wild ducks, buffaloes, fish, deer and forest scenes lived in perfect surroundings by the masterful stroke of her hand. Frank's mother was over 50 years of age when she did most of her paintings; like the beautiful collection of pictures which Grandma Moses painted, the pictures of Mrs. Magee portrayed the everyday scenes about her in a beauty and serenity all their own. Her pictures were not frivilous, as her daughter Polly recently remarked, but had a subdued passion and beauty of living. It is certain the and jellies by his mother or visiting grandmothers. While living there the family home burned so at that time the Mason's moved to a couple of farms south of Stratton. Max's dog, "Sock," was grudgingly allowed to be south railroad, down by Kit Carson. The sky There wasn't too much of a breeze and the fire stopped in the vicinity of a place called 'The Cox Ranch'." Another recollection of a fire was when one startcd on the Rock Island railroad around Seibert and burned eouth to the Union Pacific railroad tracks before being burned out. The only way to fight a fire was from the edge. One didn't dare to get in front of a prairie fire or behind it. Oft times a critter would be killed and split open to make it wider and two horseback riders would drag it between them to snuff out the fire. Again, another fire spread from the rail tracks to the north tracks. It was said there was nothing to do with the stock except move them out of the country to get fed. Later the railroade maintained fireguards, which were several plowed furrows. Frank said "it sure would surprise you how fast that little Buffalo grass would burn!" He also recalls a few wild horses. 18 or 20 miles south of Seibert, in what was known as the breaks. The most drastic storm Frank recalls was the one wherein the Towner school bus tragedy occurred. It was a huge blizzard with high winds and temperature readings of 12 degrees below zero. He said he never went outside to do his chores, as he didn't consider it safe to go from one building to another during ablizzard. Frank's sister, the late Mrs. Jesse Magee Gray, an early day teacher, and also later the County Superintendent of Kit Carson County, came to this country in the summer of 1911. She had been an Iowa school teacher. Her sister, Polly, a young lady, was here. Both wished to teach school. Since Polly hadn't taught before, it was natural she should take the teacher's examinations before teaching. However, it was unique, so it seemed for Mrs. Gray, to do so coming to an undeveloped country to teach in a "soddy" after the standards oflowa schools. Jesse taught in the "Flint Sod House School" on the Flint homestead; Polly taught southwest of the Magee homestead. One outstanding thing should be noted in this article on the Magee history and that is the fact that Frank's mother was a real artist, as well as a well-educated person. She had is one favorite. It was a wonderful scene helped his parents raise hundreds ofchickens swimming with water moccasins and smelling a strange odor and realizing they were in danger. The family had enjoyed picking wild berries and fruit which were made into jems moved to Colorado. Max had many pets through the years badger, monkey, - fox, animals raccoon, and he enjoyed such as horses, pigs, cattle and dogs. Max attended country school south of Stratton and attended Stratton High School, graduating with the class of 1952. He enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to La Junta to attend La Junta Jr. College. After attending school he went custom harvesting and started working in the oil fields at Sterling, Colorado and oil fields near Kimball, Nebraska. In 1956 Max married his high school sweetheart, Margaret Jean Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Oscar Smith. The Grandma Moses had, as quoted, "So that people will know how we lived". couple's first home was La-ar and later Liberal, Kansas. In the spring of 1957 Max had the pleasure of working on an oil rig which was on land previously owned by his grandfather, William Lawrence Mason, near Beaver City, Oklahoma. by Marily;n Hasart family. On January 25, L959, Margaret same thought was prevelant in her mind as On December 6, 1957, James Lee joined the Maxine was born. This family lived briefly in MASON, CLIFFORD MAX F428 Max Mason, a Lincoln County and Kit Carson County rancher and farmer, died as a young man nearly 46 years of age on October 15, 1981 after a two and one halfyear courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Beaver City, Oklahoma, on November 21, 1934, and moved from there to Pea Ridge, Arkansas, with his parents, Clifford and Averil (Swiger) Mason. During his childhood in Arkansas many memories of an interesting home and childhood terrain were imprinted on Max as he retold his children many stories of his childhood. As a young boy he had enjoyed swinging on vines in the timbered Denver while Max attended Colorado Barber College and then moved to Fort Collins where Jean finished college at Colorado State University as a mother of three with Linda Lea joining the family on August 8, 1960. The family lived there for three years while Max barbered for the College Barber Shops on Laurel and College Avenue. In 1962 the Mason's moved to Arriba and enjoyed farming and Max continued to barber, owning and operating his own barber shop for ten years. While residing there, Max also sold feed for Ralston Purina and raised swine. Jean taught home economics at Arriba Junior-Senior High School for five years and kindergarten for one year. In 1967 Carol Lynn, the Mason's third daughter, was born on her father's 33rd birthday, November 21. During the summers beginning in 1959 Max and his custom cutting partner, Clifford Hughes of Seibert, went to Oklahoma to cut �s&, Jean Mason family in 1986: Seated, Carol holding Michael Mason; Jean holding Jayme Mason; Standing: Jim Mason, Bill Mason, Marla Mason, Michael McPhilomy holding Matthew, Don Mason, Margaret McPhilomy holding Michael, Blake and Linda Hemmert. wheat. This operation continued for 22years. Max stayed home the summer of 1969 to await the anival of his second son, William Dean, who was born June 28. When the swine operation became too large, the family bought their present home site and moved to Seibertwhere Max excavated a basement and poured his own walls with some help from his son, Jim. Mar and his three older children enjoyed many hours of pleasure working with sheep, swine, cattle, horses and farming operations. When the Masons raised registered swine they gave iron shots, ear-notched, and maintained a quality sanitation program. On January 29, L974, the Mason's were thrilled to have their third son, Donald Eugene, join the fanily. Don spent his first five years in the care of his dad and some excellent babysitt€rs, but mostly enjoyed the family shop, combine, and tractor in the company of his father. In 1979 Max's biggest challenge in life seemed to be of little concern as he carried on farming routine, but he was disabled in 1980 and continued chemotherapy treatments on a monthly basis. His love of people and God sustained him in his last months of life as he had time to reflect on his brief but complete life. He had served as school board member and president for six years for HiPlains Schools, was a member of the Masonic Lodge, El Jebel Shrine, and United Method- ist Church as chairman of the board and enjoyed Men's Breakfast as a cook and Christian layman. Margaret graduated from CSU in 1981 with a degree in Home Economics with a concentration in Human Development and Family Studies. After marrying Michael McPhilomy of Aurora, she started a home day care. The McPhilomy's have two sons, Michael James, born on June 8, 1983, and employed by the downtown Broker Restaurant in Denver. Blake is a professional musician and has been in the Minneapolis and Denver area band circuits. Jim is married to Marla Jean McGriff of Seibert and they have two children, Michael James, who arrived July 12, 1978, and Jayme LeeAnn, born January 3, 1981 on her mother's birthday. Carol, a 1986 graduate of Hi-Plains H.S., is a student at Adams State College in Alamosa and currently studying education. Bill, a 1987 senior at Hi-Plains H.S., is studying Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State College in Denver. Bill was active in Honor Society, FFA, and sports at Hi-Plains H.S. Don is a Jr. High student at Hi-Plains H.S. He is active in camping, bicycling, shooting sports, basketball, and other teen activities. Jean is employed bythe Hi-Plains H.S. and teaches Home Economics, is acting H.S. librarian, teaches a reading class, and keeps busy with United Methodist Church work as lay conference delegate for four years; Youth Fellowship sponsor; and is church pianist. Jean also is FHA sponsor, and was the sponsor of both the 1981 and 1987 class. by Jean Mason MATTHIES ELLSWORTH FAMILY F42g In the spring of 1906, Frederick Matthies and Roysten Ellsworth were married at Mike is employed by Boyd Distributors and Norton, Ks. The following year they came to Colorado to claim a homestead adjoining Roysten's parents. Their homestead was Southwest of Burlington, on the SE t4 of Sec. sells commercial turf equipment. 18-11-44. Matthew Allen, born on March 29, 1986. Linda married Blake Hemmert of Burlington on July 4, 1981. Linda is currently Fred continued working for the Rock Island railroad for several vears. This meant Fred August Matthies and Raysten Sophia Ellsworth. Married April 3, 1906 at Norton, Kansas. he had to be gone several days at a time and then he would be home a few days. It took five hours to make the trip to town one way by wagon. Roysten, a neighbor, or her father would take Fred to town, so he could catch the train. Many times they would leave home in the wee morning hours, in order to catch the 8:30 train. At times Fred would walk home arriving in the early morning. During the spring of 1909, Roysten said she planted over 300 cabbage plants, lots of potatoes, and pumpkins as well as many other vegetables. Early fall they would take some of the cabbage, pumpkin and potatoes to Cheyenne Wells and Burlington by wagon to sell. On one trip, they sold 1795 pounds of potatoes for $17.90. At that time, one hundred pounds of sugar cost 95.80. They bought 10 bu. seed corn and nine bushels ofcane seed for $23.25. Fred and Roysten had nine children: Harold, Paul, August, Elsie Medaris, Clara Hicks, Okie, Charles, Bessie Boyd and Leonard. They lost three sons: Okie passed away at age 5, Paul and August died in Dec. of 1932 from pneumonia at the ages of 24 and.2L years. Fred passed away in 1934, after suffering a stroke. Roysten remained on the farm and raised her children. The family milked cows and shipped the cream on the train to creameries at Phillipsburg and Concordia, Kansas and sometimes Denver. by Shirley Matthies �MATTHIES - SCHAAL FAMILY MATTHIES, LEONARD F4g2 F430 Leonard Matthies and gome of their saddle horees. The adobe garage in the background is still being ueed. Early threshing days on the Matthiee farm. Leonard and his brothers. brothers-in-law and neighbors. Leonard Matthies, youngest son of Fred- rick and Roysten Matthies, was born in sod house, 19 miles southwest of Burlington. Mrs. In the fall of L947, Leonard Matthies and Shirley Schaal were married. We lived on a farm southwest of Burlington. In 1962, we bought the farm Fred and Roysten had homesteaded. This farm had been in the family since 1907. When Leonard's oldest brother, Harold and wife, Della retired in 1968 and moved to town, we bought their farm, the former Ellsworth homestead, belonging to Leonard's grandparents. We milked cows during our early mariage years and shipped the cream by railroad. We also raised chickens and sold the dressed chickens to the local grocery stores and the hospital for several years. We raised seven children: Frederick. Everett, Carolyn Martell, twins Gene and Dean, Betty Ganser and Allen. In 1949, there was an epidemic of polio and Frederick contracted this disease at age 3 months. He spent several weeks every summer at the Children's Hospital in Denver, until he was about eighteen, for surgery and treatments on his leg and foot. by Shirley Matthies MATTHIES, AUGUST AND CHRISTINE F43r August and Christine Matthies homesteaded, NW% of Sec. 29-10-45, two miles south of Beloit. The Matthies Brothers had a hardware store in Beloit. When the railroad by-passed Beloit they moved their store to Claremont. August and Christine had five children: Fred, Emma Dunham, Carl, Lena Sy and Mary Whitlew. Around 1906 or 1907, August and Christine and children, except Emma and Fred, moved to Washington County, Oregon. Will and Emma Dunhn- later moved to Oregon also. Fred stayed in Colorado and at the age of twelve he worked for the Lang sheep ranch. Later, he worked for the Rock Island railroad with the bridge building crew. by Shirley Matthies Ed Clark was the midwife that attended the birth of Leonard. The midwife would go to the home about the day the birth was expected. Sometimes they would have to live several days or weeks with the family that was Harold and Ines McArthur expecting a new member to arrive in their grew up and spent her childhood years family. The thirties brought dry, dusty weather. In order to have feed for their cows, the family moved their cows from the farm southwest of Burlington to a farm near Anton, Colo. They drove the cows by riding saddle horses and they also walked as the weather had turned cold. They would stay overnight with the nearest farm family, after bedding the cows attending the neighborhood country school. Her parents moved to the First Central down for the night. It took three days to move the cattle to Anton. Leonard was eight years old when he made this trip on foot and horseback. Part of the family stayed at the farm near Anton while the children went to school there. Some of the older children stayed on the farm south of Burlington. They all moved to the farm south oftown as soon as the rains cn-e and the grass improved. Leonard always enjoyed working with the horses. When he was nine years old, he had four head of horges hitched to a wagon to go to the field about 3/ of a mile from home, to 'weed'the feed. The horses spooked and took off on a run. The road was very rough and Leonard bounced out of the wagon. The rest of the family was harvesting wheat in a community south and west of Bethune, Colorado in 1920. She attended First Central School and graduated in 1929. After leaving home, she met Harold McAr- thur at a "literarie" gathering in the local school house. These were fun and educational social events for the people living in the area. Harold McArthur was born on October 29, 1910 in Bellaire, Kansas. He was one of twelve children. Harold grew up and attended the country school north of Bellaire where he finished the 8th grade. The McArthur family came to Bethune, Colorado in May of 1926. They purchased land and lived 17 miles south of Bethune. Harold and Ines were manied on January 6, 1932. Their first home was in Bellaire, Kansas where they lived for a short time before moving to Burlington. Harold worked on road construction and he and Ines tried t6 farm in the dirty '30's. He worked for Jack Chalfant who owned the John Deere dealership in Burlington for one and a half years. In 1938 an opening for a John Deere dealership beceme available in Flagler, Colorado. nearby field and saw what happened. When Harold and Ines made their home in they caught the horses about three miles from home, the little dog was still in the wagon, barking loudly. Leonard was "out" most of Flagler for the next eight years. In May of 1945 Mr. Chalfant was ready to give up the John Deere dealership in Burlington and asked Harold if he would like to purchase the business. Harold acquired the business and in the summer of 1945 they moved back to Burlington. the afternoon. Leonard's father passed away from a stroke when Leonard was six years old. by Shirley Matthies When the Montezuma Hotel burned it went up for sale and it was purchased by Harold and Ines along with four other parties. McARTHUR - DUNIIAM FAMILY F433 Ines Dunham was born on the farm southeast ofBurlington on July 29, 1910. Her parents were Maynard and Bessie Thomann Dunham. Ines was their first child. Along with her sister Irene and brother Lee. she Ines was asked to help run this business consisting of the hotel and apartments, dining room, bar and beauty shop. Good managers were hard to keep so she kept the books andmanaged the hotel until Mr. Albert Crouse bought their interest five years later. Harold and Ines lived on 8th and Martin in the old Valine house until 1966 when they had a new home constructed for them on Pomeroy Street. Both Harold and Ines have enjoyed their �lifetime as residents of Burlington and Kit Carson County and have participated in many community activities and organizations. Ines is active in the Burlington Garden Club, Inter Sese, and the Rebecca Lodge. She is now helping with the Sod House picture display at "Old Town." Harold was active in the Lions while in Flagler and is a member of Rotary in Burlington. He was elected mayor of Burlington and served 12 years in that capacity. He has been a member of the Kit Carson County Hospital Board for 25 years and helped organize Dynemiq Dimensions, Inc. by Ines McArthur McARTIIUR PIERSON FAMILY F.434 When I was twelve I broke my leg. It was a bad break with the bone breaking the skin. They put me in bed and called the doctor. The girls held me down and the doctor pulled my leg, reaching through the bed fra-e and using his foot against the mattress for leverage and pulled the leg into place. They used boards for a splint and wrapped it up and made me crutches from broom handles. One year, when the grasshoppers were bad, we spread poisoned bran (treatcd with arsenic and flavored with banana oil and mixed at the county fairgrounds in Bur- lington) to kill the hoppers. We buried some of the bran and later the cows pawed it up and ate it. All our milk cows died. a terrible loss. For recreation the family attended the "Grange" dinners, the country dances, box suppers, and "literaries" held at the school house with all the family attending. As a young man I participated in the local rodeos at Kit Carson, Cheyenne Wells, Seibert, Stratton and all the town around. They charged a gate fee and paid the riders $3.00 ifthey rode and $1.50 ifthey got bucked off. for 20 years. He was president of the N.E. Stratton Telephone Co. as long as it existed, served on the board of the Kit Carson County Cattlemans Association and was president for several terms. He served 12 years on the board of the Arickaree Ground Water Management District. In 1946 Ernest was elected County Commissioner, 2nd District, for Kit Carson County and served until 1958. Projects completed during his term were; 194748, Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital; 1953-54, Remodeling of The Kit Carson County Courthouse. 1958, Built the grandstand at the Kit Carson County Fairgrounds at a cost of $48,000. Ernests latest project is the building of the "Old Town" in Burlington and he is chairman of this project. by Erneet and Mary McArthur McARTHUR, KENNETH P. Ernest McArthur and Mary Pierson were married on July 18, 1935 in the Courthouse at Burlington. We moved 14 miles south and 2 miles east of Burlington and lived in this basement home for 2 years. Our firet child, F436 Kenneth was born there. The dirt was so bad in the 30's that "blow dirt' covered the basement house and the cattle feed. Then we moved to the O.C. Dunlap place south of Bethune. Elaine, Mary Ellen, and Betty were born there. We milked cows and raised chickens and had a garden. We bought only "neceggities". From 1936 to 1939 Ernegt worked for the county in his spare time. He put in the intersections on the county roads that they were building with a four horse scraper. They paid $6.00 a day and it took most of that to feed the horses. It was hard work but he was glad to get the job. He would go to work at 7:00 in the morning and quit at 6:00 in the evening. Mary would have the cows milked Mary Pierson and Ernest McArthur on their wedding day, July 18, 1935. Photo was taken on the north end of Main Street, (14th St.) in Burlington, juet south of the old depot. My parents, Guy Franklin McArthur and Margaret May McArthur, came from Smith County, Kansas. They cnme to Colorado in March of '26 with nine children, Clifford, Harold, Ernest, Russell, Faye, June, Guy Jr., Dean, and Dave. Three older children remained in Kansas. We cnme in a solidwheeled chain drive "Little Car" truck. They loaded up their belongings and family and drove 250 miles and eet up a tent in Bethune, Colorado, behind Corbit's Lunber Yard and stayed there until late April and then moved 17 milee eouth of Bethune. Bethune was about the snme size as Burlington at that time. Dad bought the place for $15 an acre. The ground was sod so they started plowing sod. They raised corn and wheat, hogs and sheep, about 150 ewee. when he got home. We moved 16 milee north of Bethune in 1946. We bought the place from Mark Jay in March. The cattle were hauled up in a truck and the driver dumped them out at night and they scattered all over the area. The cows couldn't find their calvee and they got all mixed up with the neighbors cattle and we lost three cows. The place was in bad shape from the flood of 1935 on the Republican River. Our family grew up here. They attended school in Bethune, Colorado. Ernest and Mary and the children worked very hard to bring their farm and ranch into a very nice and productive home. This place was known as the Cor Ranch (Six Mile ranch). The house is the old house constructed ofrock in 1895. Ernest remodeled this house and built a beautiful rock fireplace in it. Their son Kenneth and his wife, Beverly, and their family live on the home place north of Bethune. Mary and Ernest moved to Burlington, Colorado, in 1982. Mary's hobby over the years has been quilting for herself and others. Through the years she has been active in the Cowbelles, Republican Women, Hospital Aurilliary and Home Extention club since moving to town. They are members of Hope United Church of Christ north of Bethune. Ernest served on the Bethune School Board Kenneth and Beverly McArthur, Wedding Day, October 1957. In December 1936 my parents, Ernest and Mary (Pierson) McArthur, had a baby boy; nemely myself. We lived south of Bethune, Colorado until 1946 when the family moved north of Bethune to the old "Cox FLanch" on the Republican River. I graduated from Bethune School in 1954 and decided to join the Navy "to see the world" and was fortunate to do just about that. My last several months before discharge were spent in Norfolk, Virginia and it was here that I met my future wife. Beverly Jean Geel was born in September 1935 in Chatanooga, Tennessee to Charles Lambert and Ella (Bush) Geel. After living in Tennessee and New Jersey, the family settled in Clarence Center, New York and it was here she graduated from high school in 1953. After college, she followed her family to Norfolk, Virginia where her father worked for the U.S. Navy. Needless to say, this is how an "easterner" and "wegterner" met and were married in Ithaca, New York in October 1957, just three �days after my discharge. We packed our belongings in a 1954 Buick and started on our trek to Colorado. I had a tearful bride on my hands as we crossed the vast expanse west of the Mississippi since she had never been further west than New York. We spent our hone5nnoon on the ranch, Bev getting acquainted with my family and myselfenjoying a reunion after being gone for four years. We then settled in Denver, Colorado where I worked for Thompson Rnmo-Wooldridge and Bev at the University of Colorado Medical Center. In 1960. we decided to continue our journey weet and ended up in Sunnyvale, California where I was employed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, and Bev worked for an orthopedic surgeon. In 1964, we were blessed with the arrival A gathering of neighbors beside Pleasant Meadow School, summer 1938. everyChing onto a box car and shipped it to Vona. My grandmother, cousin Winnie, and sister Eva stayed with an aunt until we got to Vona. It took us two weeks to get there as it rained a lot and we had to stay in peoples machine sheds for up to three days till the gtorms passed. The road we cnrne on was the Golden Belt Highway and it was marked with a gold belt around a telegraph pole about one mile apart. The highway was one mile north of Vona which later wasrmoved and beco-e of our first child, Patricia Lynn. Kenneth Charles was born one year later; and this certainly made for a bustling household. We were findingcity life very confining and hectic at this time, so in 1970 we returned to Colorado to farm with my Dad. Our third child, Elizabeth Anne, was born one month highway 24 through Vona. After we got to following this move. In addition to learning to farm all over again, I have spent many hours in community Vona we telegraphed Grandma, Eva and Winnie and they came on the train to Vona. My grandmother had bought a 320 acre and church activities. I was a member of the School Board at Bethune for 12 years, on the Equity Coop Board in Burlington for six, and have been active in 4-H, most recently managing the sale at the Kit Carson County Fair. I em currently a trwtee at Hope United Church of Christ and very active in the relinquishment 15 miles south of Vona. The old shack we moved into was tar-papered and had a wood floor and was about 12 foot square and quite drafty. When we got to our new home, my pa killed a rattlesnake before my sister Ora and I got out of the wagon. In the Grandpa W.E. McAuley, 1938. next two years we killed three or four Gideons International. Bev has been active in 4-H. and has served rattlesnakes a day during the summer. My cousin Winnie filed on a 160 acre homest€ad joining Grandma's. Later on my in many capacities at the Hope Chwch, in addition to being an active member of the pa bought a relinquishment of 320 acres joining grandma's land too. The first winter we were here it stormed early in the fall and snowed about three feet. It was frigid and bad Gideons Auxiliary. She has also become quite a "farmer" and an invaluable helpmate. Patricia graduated from Bethune School in 1964 and attended Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas receiving her degree in Social Work in May of 1987. She is currently working for Kit Carson County as a Social Caseworker. Kenneth graduated from Bethune in 1965 and is currently pursuing a degree in Anthropology and Archeology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. * r I' Elizabeth is a Senior at Bethune this year and plans on attending college in the fall. Dad has since "retired" and he and Mom presently live in Burlington. We can still drive around the ranch and see the many hours ofhard work and sacrifice that they put into making "McArthur Ranch" a place to be proud of. We currently live in the two-story stone house built in 1898 which they lovingly cared for over the years. It is our hope and desire that we can carry on their tradition and that our children can say "we are proud ofour heritage." i by Kenneth McArthur lli ' ji;is:';. ' McAULEY, W. DON F436 W. Don McAuley was born on March 30, 1905, in Phillips County, Kansas on a farm 9 miles north of Phillipsburg. On September 4, 1911 when I was six years old we arrived in Vona, Colorado from Phillipsburg in a covered wagon. My pa Bill and grandmother Margaret, my two sisters, Eva 14 and Ora 13 Harvesting barley, summer '43. and a cousin Winnie Kivett, 24, all traveled together. My mother had passed away in the spring of 1910. We began our trip in two covered wagons. My pa drove one and Eva drove the other. Our wagon was pulled by a span of mules and Eva's was pulled by two horses. When we got to Logan, Kansas one of our horses died so we unloaded the household things and tore down the wagon and loaded all winter. We had to buy feed for one cow and three horses and haul coal from town to heat and cook by. My first year of school I walked two miles to school and was in first grade. But the next year they built a new school house, Rosedale, one mile further west so for the next seven years I walked three miles to school. My pa took the train back to Phillipsburg on business in the winter of 1911 and got stuck down there because of the blizzard. On his return he had to shovel snow offthe tracks so the train could go. When Pa finally got to Vona he had to walk 15 miles to our home. While Pa was gone our neighbor Henry Case made it to town and got us horse feed, coal and food. It was a long hard winter and many cattle died of starvation. We stayed on and homesteaded with our neighbors: Henry Hinds, Emery Helderman, George Lettmann, Henry Rose, Bill Goff, Orley Cockran, Al Gallion, and Charlie Duncan. We allhad to remainon and improve the place for three years, then go to Hugo where the land office was located and get the title to the land. Later in 1918 Pa bought 160 acres from Henry Hinds who left his homestead. About 1915 Oriska store was six miles east and one mile south of our home so we did some of our trading there. Herman Martin was the storekeeper in those early days. Many times when hunting for horses I would stop in and buy lunch. Pa had many horses and it was free range and there were very few �fences so our horses could be far away. The winter of 1918 and 1919 we had Spanish flu epidemic and my cousin Winnie died of it and I was quite ill with it. In 1918 my sister Eva married Clem Rose and moved to Iowa. In the spring of 1920 we had a cow killer blizzard. Whole herds of cattle were piled in fence corners dead. Four hundred head drifted into seven lakes south of Eads and drowned. My grandmother in 1921 passed away at the age of 89. My other sister Ora married Clarence Rose and moved to Iowa. My two sisters married two brothers. Every year Pa and I farmed with horses and raised cattle. After picking our own corn, I got jobs of picking corn for our neighbors. In the late twenties and early thirties we had a plentiful corn crop and rabbits were abundant. We had rabbit hunts in our own corn fields. We killed aroundtwo thousand rabbitg on one hunt. In the mid-thirties I shot up to 50 rabbits a day and skinned them and got paid twenty cents a hide. The money helped pay the taxes and put food on the table, when there was very little corn to pick. On January 30, 1937, Gladys Simonson and I got married. We raised cattle and barley and I sold barley seed all over the county. In 1940 we bought 960 acres that joined our land for $1,500. In 1941 Pa died at age 83. Gladys and I continued to live on the ranch. December of 1945 we were blessed with a son Richard Lee. In March of 1948 we sold the ranch and land and two weeks later we sold all of our livestock. We moved to Flagler to take care of Gladys' stepmother and I helped Gladys' father Matt Simonson do chores during the winter. At harvest I drove a combine for Glen Boyington for twenty six days straight. In the spring and summer of 1949 I worked for Matt on the ranch. In the fall of 1949 we moved to Missouri and stayed until the spring of 1951. Seibert area. Dex started working for my Dad, Horace Boger, in about 1948. He was a kind and honest man and we enjoyed having him around. I was just a small child when he first came to work here and he always took time to pay attention to me. He was one of my favorite people. I remember on one occasion, he helped me put my initials in fresh cement that my Dad and he had poured for a sidewalk. As I recall, my Dad wasn't too pleased when he noticed it but never said anything about it. Dex ate dinner with us and, once in a while, ate supper with us. A couple of these meals are well remembered. The first is still recalled by my mother and she finds it amusing now, but sure didn't at the time. Dex had only been working here for a few days and my mother fixed hash for dinner. When we were all seated for dinner, I picked up the dish ofhash and asked, "Well, is this dog food?" My mother was embarrassed, but it kept Dex laughing all through dinner. One of the times that he ate supper with us ig memorable for me. I was in the living room when he called me into the kitchen and gave me a pearl that he found in his oyster soup. I thought that was really great and always watched for one in my soup hoping that I would find one, but I never did. One time, Dex and a friend of his went into a gypsy tent at the county fair to have their fortunes told. When they came out, he found that his wallet was gone. He told us about it and said it was alright and good enough for him because he had no business going in there. When Dex was at home, he spent many hours working with his flowers and yard. When his health failed he moved into Seibert and later to Greeley where he passed away in March of 1970. He was a dear friend of the family and we missed his friendly presence. We left because we were ill and homesick. We moved back to Flagler and took care of Gladys' stepmother till the spring of 1952. The summer of L952 we bought our farm north of Seibert from Earl Bigelow. That fall we moved into an old house on the place and start€d building a new home, where we have lived ever since. We raieed cattle and in 1959 built a slaughter house and stad€d custom butchering which we did for seventeen years. Retiring in 1976, Gladys and I have enjoyed many vacationg and fishing trips all over the United States. Here on the home place our son Dick and his wife Linda built a new home in 1983. We enjoy them and our three grandsons Lance, Eric and Kurt living beside us. On Sunday, January 25,L987, we celebrated our SOth wedding anniversary at the HiPlains School with our family and many friends' r.\,-\Qto. Looce diec lh " by W. D. McAuley by Joyce Miller McBRIDE, DR. F438 Dr. McBride was born in Mankato, Jewel county, Ks., on Oct. 19, 1885, the son of Robert H. (an attorney) and Mary Young McBride. He graduated from the Kansas City College of Medicine and Surgery in 191?. He arrived in Seibert in the spring of 1918, to begin his practice and continued to serve this area of eastern Colorado until his retirement in 1962. By 1925, he had established a small emergency hospital in Seibert. When the depression years of the 30's forced a change in plans for a new hospital, he purchased a hotel building in Flagler and remodeled it into a nine bed hospital, which he opened in the fall of 1937. At the time it was opened, McBLAIR, DEXTER F437 Dexter McBlair was born October 2, 1898 at Glen Elder, Kansas to Mr. and Mrs. Charles McBlair. His boyhood days were spent around Cawker City and Glen Elder, Kaneas where he attended school. He lived for a time at Clifton, Colorado before moving to Seibert. He spent most of his life in the the Flagler Hospital was considered to be the best equipped hospital between Colby and Denver. For more than 25 years, this private hospital performed a most important and unique gervice for this area until economic conditions forced its closing in 1963. Dr. McBride's years in medical practice began when the country was emerging from the horee and buggy days and continued into the atomic and jet ages with the practice of medicine making revolutionary changes. Dr. McBride was one of those doctors, who were able to tie the old in with the new, serving a rural area with a general practice and employing the latest methods and procedures. His practice spanned three generations of families he served. In 1952, he was the subject of a Denver Post Empire Profile, which described his years as a doctor on the eastern Colorado plains. The article com- mented that the family operating team, which worked together for so many years following World War II, when his step-son Dr. John Straub, returned to take over the operation of the hospital, was believed to be unique in medical history. The team consisted of Drs. McBride and Straub, Mrs. Marie Straub, a registered nurse and Mrs. McBride and Douglas Straub, both trained in operating room procedure. "Because we had our hospital," Dr. McBride said, "and because a hospital, nowadays, means plasma, oxygen, penicillin when you need it, we were able to carry on when the Flagler air tragedy struck our town on Sept. 15, 1951." (of the twenty persons killed in that disaster, seven were adults, thirteen were children. And nine of those children Dr. ushered into the world. With one exception, all persons injured by the low flying plane that day, if they lived an hour, are still alive, thanks to prompt hospital care.) In September, 1918, Dr. McBride and Dr. J.V. Beachley of Stratton organized the Kit Carson Medical Society. For twenty years Dr. Mac was the secretary. It was reorganized in 1935, renamed the Eastern Colorado Medical Society, comprising Cheyenne and Lincoln as well as Kit Carson counties. In 1952, Drs. McBride and E.W. Reid of Flagler and Dr. Frank L. Bergen of Burlington are the three survivors of the original society. Before them, the eastern Colorado short-grass country was pioneered by Drs. Paul B. Godsman and C.A. Gillett both of Burlington. Dr. McBride's first wife died and he married Mrs. Zeta Straub of Flagler, she had two sons and a daughter. The boys were: Dr. John Straub and Douglas Straub the hospital manager (in 1952) and the girl was Mrs. Lloyd Moore (later of Denver, who took nursing training at St. Lukes before her marriage). Dr. John Straub's wife, Marie was also a registered nurse. And as Mrs. Zeta McBride said: "if you're not a nurse when you marry a doctor, you soon get to be one." Dr. McBride had a son and a daughter by his first wife. The son, Robert is an accountant in Las Vegas, and the daughter Annabelle, is a registered nurse and married a Lt. Robert Campbell, a navy doctor in Winthrop, Mass. In Sept. 1967, Dr. McBride was one of several doctors in the state presented a 50year gold pin by the Colorado State Medical Society at their annual convention. On October 4, 1967, Dr. McBride passed away at only two weeks away from being 82 years of age. by Straub �McCAULEY, THOMAS McCAFFREY, FRANCIS AND ALBERTA J. F439 F440 Thomas John McCauley, seventh child of Jordan Mason and Bessie McCauley, was born March 12, 1939, near Sallisaw, Sequork County, Oklahoma. Times were very hard in eastern Oklahoma, so the family moved to Walsh, Colorado in 1948. Thomas finished school in Walsh and attended La-ar Junior College, graduating with an A.A. degree in Business Administration in 1960. After laying out of college to work for another year, Thomas received his B.A. degree in Business Administration from Panhandle State University, Goodwell, Oklahoma, in 1963. While at Panhandle, he met Trulene Garrison and they dated off and on for several years. Thomas took a job as middle school teacherprincipal at Taloga School, a rural school near Elkhart, Kans. in 1963. He taught there two years before coming to Burlington to teach in 1965. Trulene had taken a school position teaching first grade in Garden City, Francis McCaffrey family 1956, Ieft to right: Bobbie, Kenny, Wayne, Hazel, Francis, Darrell, Neva and Junior Francis William McCaffrey was born Februar5/ 4, 1907 at Seneca, Kansas. The oldest of six children born to Richard D. and Sarah Gregg (Clark) McCaffrey. Francis attended school in Kansas, and cnme to Otis, Colorado area with his folks, brothers and sisters in L920. Shortly after coming to Colorado, Francis becnme a member of Bethany Church south- west of Otis, Colorado. Francis worked at the sugar factory in Fort Morgan till his mariage to Alberta Lorraine Preyer on May Lg, L927. Francis and Alberta lived eouthwest of Otis on a farm. Here the five sons were bornl Francis L. 1927, Darrell H. 1929, Richard W. 1931, Kenneth J. 1932 and Robert E. 1934. Alberta died March 28, 1936, leaving Francis with five small sons to raise. The youngest was less than two years. After numeroun housekeepers to help raise five onerous boys, Grandma Sarah McCaffrey, Francis'mother, lived with them to care for the family. Francis married Hazel (Wilson) Back July 3, 1940. In fall of 1940 Francie, Hazel and fanily moved l07z miles north of Vona where they raised Francis' five sons and Hazel's daughter Neva. All the kids attended Boger country school #12 and all graduated from Vona High School. Francis and Hazel lived here till 1959 when they moved into Flagler, Colorado. Francis continued ranching and farming till his death June 9, 1973. All five sons still farm or ranch in Kit Carson County. Francis Jr. married Neva Back; they reside in Burlington. Darrel married Pauline Boese Harrison; they live south west of Vona. Wayne married Fern Pickard; they live on the home place north of Vona. Kenneth married Ethel Tubbs; they live west of Seibert, and Bob married Mary Jackson; they live north of Seibert. On April 19, 1976 Hazel manied Wayne Tubbs and they reside in Flagler. by Robert McCaffrey Kansas. She moved to Juneau, Alaska in 1965, where she taught first grade for four years. Trulene moved to Burlington in 1969 to teach first grade. She and Thomas were manied July 8, 1972. Thomas received his M.A. in Business Education from Western State College in Gunnison in 1966, and his PH.D. in Vocational Administration from Colorado State University in 1982. Trulene received her Master's degree in Reading from Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas in 1966. There are two children in the family;Truitt Jon, born Feb. 10, 1976, and Tryth Amber, born June 23,L978. Thomas was very instrumental in getting cooperative Vocational Education started in Burlington High School in 1970, and this has been his driving force ever since. Thomas is currently Vocational Director for Burlington High and the East Central Board of Cooperative Educational Services serving all the schools from Burlington to Bennett, as well as Kit Carson, Karval, Hugo and Bennett. Trulene is teaching flrrst grade at Burlington Elementary School. The McCauley's are active members of the First Baptist Church in Burlington. Tom is very active with the Gideons International, many vocational and educational organizations, and enjoys working with youth as well as adults. by Trulene McCauley Their original plan to stay in Colorado for 4 years was changed when the decision was made to purchase the farm they moved onto from Lyle James. That was home for the McClellands for 33 years, until they moved into town. Their children are Leslie, who died in 1965, Peggy Scott, a teacher in the Kremmling Schools, and John, who is working in the Burlington area. The whole family was a part of the Smoky Hill activities. There was 4H in which both Bob and Wanda dedicatpd time and energy and enthusiasm for many years. One year at the County Fair a special day was dedicated to honoring Bob for his 4H leadership and devotion. At the F irst Christian Church Food Center they put a sigrr above the door that said, "Bob McClelland eats here!" Bob has also been one of the instructors for "Gun Safety", which is so very important for those learning to handle guns. An award-winning square dance team represented Smoky Hill in competition for 6 or 7 years. The club members were one solid family group as they competed at the County Fair. They were there to cheer for each other or to protect one another if they saw the need. The Smoky Hill Gun Club was an impor- tant part of the community. The trap was located on the banks of the Smoky. Many a Saturday or Sunday afternoon was spent there enjoying tall tales and competing with each other. The McClelland family has many memories of school activities, including Christmas progrrms, and Spring track meets. Other memories include the Sunday School, the 4H Club, the Friendship Circle Extension Home- makers Club, pinochle parties and square dancing. Friendships begun there have lasted through the years, even though the people have scattered. Many of those families are now living in Burlington. by Mrs. Ted Eberhart McCOMBS, JAMES B. F442 James Bluett McCombs was born in Hen- derson, Henderson County, Kentucky, on Nov. 2, 1852 and lived there until 21 years of age. There were no public schools in Ky., in those days only privatc schools where the teacher was fortunate enough to get enough students to earn $3 to $5.00 a month and the parents to furnish the books. My mother taught me at home. ln 1872, my family moved to Kansas. In McCLELLAND, BOB AND WANDA I.44l In the spring of 1946, Wanda and Bob McClelland came across the stat€ line from Sherman County, Kansas to live in the Smoky Hill neighborhood. Their first social event was a charivari given them by their fanilies and friends from back home. Their mattresg had a new home in a tree and the outhouse seat was greased with axle grease. The newlyweds had a ride in a hastilyprepared cart. 1874, the grasshoppers came and ate every- thing including the fork handles, if left in the fields. In those days, the homesteaders hunted buffalo for meat, so I went on one trip with a man nnmed Bruce Cuthbertson and I killed my first buffalo on the head of Landsman Creek in Colorado. We got a load of meat and drove back to Kansas, arriving the day before Christmas, 1875. In 1887, I came to Colorado first locating at Friend, near where Idalia is today. On April 1, 1888, my brother Tom, my sister Maude and myself took up government lands 1% miles southeast of where Seibert now stands. On the newly acquired land, we �engaged in farming, raising cattle and horses, and general ranching, and although many hardships and privations wan our lot in common with all pioneers, we forged onward in a rest home in Wichita. Myrtle wag the youngest daughter of Charles Albert and Rebecca Ellen Bradshaw. Her oldest sister Minnie was Amy McCon- nell's mother and Myrtle was an aunt of Amy's but was also a sister-in-law having Central vicinity, south of Seibert and Flagler. Ellis McConnell was born March 18, 1888 near Creswell, Kentucky. He moved from Kentucky in 1905 to Decatur Co., Kansas. In her early years Myrtle was also a teacher. One of her pupils who remembers her best was Helen (Kennedy) Kerl. After his first wife's death he left Kansas and came to Colorado. He met Ethel Clark and they were married May 11, 1924 at the Baptist Parsonage in Vona, Colorado. This young couple lived on her homestead south of Flagler along with her mother who partnership with A.V. Jessee, in the lumber by Florence McConnell passed away in 1933. Ethel was a teacher of the Sunday School and coal bwiness, which, in 1915, we sold to B.E. Roller. During W.W.I, I managed the Caley Lu-ber Yard for 1 year, while the owner did his bit in the army. My experience is that you have to work if you get any0hing in this old world, and the McCONNELL. CLARK FAMILY and onward with grim determination. My brother took the SW% of 2-9-49, my sistcr the NE%, and I took the SE% of 3-949. We always raised plenty of root crops such as beets, turnips, and potatoes. They make good feed for milk cows as well as humans. In 1907, I moved to Seibert, and went into fellow that is trying to get something for married brothers. I.444 nothing is going to come out at the little end of the horn. In Novembet, L92L, Tom and I went to California to vigit Maude, who had moved there some years before. Tom died there quite suddenly. Soon after, on May 3, L922, I returned to Seibert and remained. Although now, well past the scriptural three score and ten, and nearing the four score period, my mind is clear and alert. . . . Taken from the Della Hendricks youth group for many years. During their years living in Second Central neighborhood their home was a favorite spot for young folks. Their nephew Jim lived with them two years in the early forties and went to high school at Second Centra]. Having not been blessed with children they cared a great deal for the neighbor children, taking care of them whenever needed. One special person was Bunnie (Short) Elliot. Through their last years Bunnie and Jim took care of them. They farmed the land until 1947 when they retired and moved to Loveland, Colorado. There they continued to live with Ellis passing away in 1966. Ethel remained alone in the home until forced to enter a nursing home because of failing health a few years scrapbooks later. She passed away May 7,L974. They are both buried in the Loveland Cemetery. by Janice Salmans by Florence McConnell McCONNELL BRADSIIAW FAMILY r'443 Ellis and Ethel McConnell Ethel May Clark was born August 22,t887 in Beatrice, Nebraska. With her parents, Ethel lived at Selden and Goodland, Kansas in her girlhood. She graduated from Goodland High School. Her family came to Colorado in 1913 and lived near Stratton where she served in the Stratton Poet Office and also worked in the Stratton State Bank until its closing. In 1913 she homesteaded in the Second J McCONNELL - HILLYARD FAMILY F.445 In the year 1904, James and Rebecca McConnell, loaded what earthly possessions they had and alongwith their six children and several other families, Harvey Hughes, Henry Wilsons and Dick Jones migrated all the way 1,'. Ernie and Myrtle McConnell E.A. Ernie McConnell was born February 18, 1896 in Marion, Kentucky. Atayoungage he cnme with hie family to eastern Colorado where hie parents homesteaded. The year of L924 he met and courted Myrtle Bradshaw. They were married in May of that year. They continued to live and farm in Kit Carson County. One daughter Shirley was born. She and her mother suffered from allergies and things were very bad in the early 30's go Ern decided to move his family. They moved to Springdale, then Fatteville, fukansas. Here he got a job in the Veterans hospital where he worked until his retirement. Their health failing, their daughter moved them to Wichita, Kansas to be close to her and her family. Myrtle passed away inAugust 1986, atthe ageof92 years. Ern still survives The Jo-es McConneII family. Front row, L to R: Ellis, father Jnnes, Ernie, mother Rebecca holding son Jack. and Bill. Back row: Shedrick and DelI. �from Marion, Kentucky. These families were grandfather's homestead from the estate. He then remodeled the house, making it modern, and he continued to live with his parents, Then in 1952 Jack decided to run for County Assesgor. He won and served two terms. He and Amy purchased a small home in Burlington where they continued to live for years. While in Burlington Amy enjoyed a wide circle offriends and belonged to various women's clubs and enjoyed working part time all cousins. They all settled on homesteads in Kit Carson County. Their oldest son was old enough to file a claim. Their youngest son was six years old. They farmed and raised their family through some very rough years and enjoyed the company of several grandchildren. There was only one grandson with the McConnell name. Afier the war he purchased their homestead from the heirs. Ja-es passed away in 1936. Rebecca went to live with her oldest son, where she died in in the Burlington City Library. They were both active in the Odd Fellow and Rebecca Lodges. They both enjoyed reading and loved books. After retirement and tiring of city life they moved back to their farm south of Vona, 1937. They are both buried in the Claremont Cemetery, Stratton, Colorado. The Jones settled not far from the McConnell homesteads while the Henry Wilson and Harvey Hughes family settled in the Bethel Community. Every Sunday the McConnell home wae a gathering place for all the families. Colorado. He enjoyed farming and spending time caring for his small Polled Hereford cow herd. He also enjoyed spending time walking in the creek with his three grandchildren when they cnme to visit. In 1981 they held a sale, and as health was failing moved to Stratton, where they purchased a small home across the street from by Florence McConnell McCONNELL PETEFISH FAMILY Jack and Amy McConnell and son Jim. I.44(d the high school. Their last years were spent in this home. Jack enjoyed his garden and yard where he spent many hours and he also liked to build furniture. Their home was furnished with many pieces of furniture that he had made through the years. They enjoyed going to the Senior Citizens Center, and going to the grandchildren's various school activities. Jack went to be with the Lord in 1983. Amy continued to live alone in their home. Then in August of 1984, no longer able to stay alone, her son moved her to his farm to a small trailer house. She continued to attend church, and remained active in the American Legion Auxiliary and Senior Citizens, Farmerette Club as well as attending her grand- children's events. She had a dear friend that always cnme and took her to church, especially Ladies Aid and Jack and Amy McConnell in 1971. grew to young womanhood on the family farm at Bethune, Colorado. She boarded and Jack and Amy McConnell on their honeSnnoon. E.R. Jack McConnell was born in Marion, Kentucky, December 20, 1898. At the age of nine he came with his parents to eastern Colorado, where his father homesteaded on a quarter ofland, 13-10-47 now owned by his grandson, Jim. Jack, as he was known, was educated in Grandview and Nutbrooke schools. Amy Belle Petefish was born February 7, 1901 in Vona, Colorado. She was the oldest daughter of Snm and Minnie Petefish. She worked her way so she might graduate from Burlington High School. She then went to Greeley, Colorado where she attended Greeley Teachers College receiving a teacher'g certificate. Her firgt teaching job was at First Central. Who should she meet teaching there but Jack McConnell. They started courting for a time and were married May 3, 1924. They moved to their first home, a little green house on his father's homestead, where their son, only child, Jatnes Elvin was born October 2L,1926. After the death of his father, his mother went to live with the oldest son; they moved to the big house. He continued to farm and Amy taught school at the Grandview and Nutbrooke schools. Not being able to forsee the future, one of her little first grade students became her daughter-in-law in 1955. Jack farmed with horses, then with a tractor. They enjoyed the radio in early days. They were thrilled as everyone else to have electricity come in 1950. Their son went to service after graduation, and when he cnme home he purchased his Quilting. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in their son's new home south of Stratton, in 1974. The enjoyed fifty-six years of marriage. They are both buried in Claremont Ceme- tery, Stratton, Colorado. by Florence McConnell McCONNELL UNDERWOOD FAMILY F447 W.E. McConnell was born at Princeton, Kentucky, Dec. 5, 1891. At sixteen years of age he came with his family to a homestead southwest of Stratton. He was not old enough to file a claim for a homestead so he purchased a place south of the Underwood homestead. They had a daughter named Susie whom he met and courted. Susie Bessie Underwood was born October 13, 1893 in Oberlin, Kansas. She was a school teacher. She met Bill as he was known and they were manied May 4, 1920. �and she would make him custard. His early school years, through the eighth grade, were attended at Nuttbrooke and Grandview schools. He rode a horse to school. He tells about having to take bean sandwiches in his lunch. The other kids thought this was great and would trade their sandwiches for Jim's bean sandwiches. Money being scarce and no transportation to high school, he spent a year at home. Then he went to live and work for an aunt and uncle south ofFlagler, Colorado where he attended two years of high school at Second Central. -'&4 At this time Jim rode his horse from his parents'home twenty-two miles across open prairie to his uncle's home. He then returned home and used his folks car, a 1937 Chevy, and hauled the neighbor children to town to high school for a small fee so he might finish his high school. He graduated with the class of 1945. Early in his senior year, he was drafted into the service. After graduation he entered the U.S. Army to serve his country in World War II. He was discharged after the war ended in 1946. He came home from service and purchased his grandfather's homestead. He purchased L to R: Bill and Susie, Cousin Everett and lgabelle, and Brother Ellis and Ethel McConnell. Following their marriage, they lived three years in Salem, Oregon, where their first daughter Agnes was born. They returned to Colorado on their place where they made McCONNELL WILSON FAMILY F448 their home. Another daughter Violet was born. They attended grade school at the Grandview and Nut Brooke schools. Both girls stayed in town and attended Stratton High School where they both graduated. The oldest daughter Agnes married a local boy, Ebner Boecker, and they made their home in Denver. She worked for the Federal Center. Violet married a F.B.I. man and lived in several different stat€s. They enjoyed the birth of five grandchild- ren. Jim and I recall the year 1960, the year of the big snow. Uncle Bill and Aunt Susie were snowed in for three long months. Jim rode a horse in to see about them. Even in those days they had a large enough food supply that he only carried groceries to them twice during this time and then it was only On October 2L, L926 in a small green house on his Grandfather's homestead, James Elvin McConnell was born to E.R. "Jack" and Amy McConnell. When only a small boy he helped his father farm with horses, and they always milked a bunch of cows. At the age of ten years he was driving a teem of horses. He recalls the rough times he and his family endured during the dirty thirties. He remembers going in a wagon and team of horses to town to get supplies. As a very young boy he recalls his trips down to see his Grandmother McConnell. She would tell him to go gather the goose eggs his first tractor, a 1932 John Deere tractor, and started farming and ranching. His parents continued to live with him until 1950 when they moved to Burlington. Jim recalls the year 1950 when electricity came to our part ofthe country. A close friend taught him the electrician's trade and they started wiring all the farm homes for electricity. He also worked on a sewer gang, putting in the first sewer system for the town of Stratton. He often jokes about waiting for the little neighbor girl to grow up. This she did and when she finished high school in 1955, Florence Denise Wilson and Ja-es Elvin were married, The times were bad when the dry years in the early fifties forced Jim to go to the city for employment. He worked as a electrician, making $3.00 an hour. Both missing the farm, flour, coffee, and sugar. We had been snowed in nine days and we went down to see about them and Aunt Susie fixed the most delicioug dinner with all her canned goods she had. Then in 1963 they had gone to Kansas to visit an aunt and on their way home in a blinding rain storm they met their untimely death. They were both killed in a head on crash near Levant. Kansas. Joint services were held and they are buried in Claremont Cemetery, Stratton Colorado. The daughters still own the land and rent it to Jim. by Florence McConnell Garrett, Denise, Jim and Raymond and Donna McConneII. 1984 �school and graduated from Stratton High r:ill.a'l -3ili:' :rt:l School. For a period of several years Jim suffered bad health. In 1973 he underwent open heart surgery. He was one of the very first people in the county to undergo this surgery as it was relatively new. :]r'.,.: .':;;;, .'lrji:lr', He continued his farming plus his mail 4r.,.] , carrier career. He has seen many changes take place in the farming industry. He grew up learning to farm with horses, then to tractors without cabs, then being able to purchase a new tractor with a cab. He also saw the beginning of irrigation, having put down an irrigation well on his present farm. He went from ditch irrigation to sprinklers. He recalls many times as a boy and young man working and helping the neighbors thresh their grain. He was forced to retire from his mail "l:ll: carrying job in 1984, having served twentyseven years as a carrier south of town. Through his life of sixty years and her life of fifty years they have made a wide circle of friends. He has always had an active interest in politics serving as a Republican Precinct ' a't.tl'l $ ;i. Committeeman for twelve years. He also ' ,&:uti, ti:' worked a few years as a deputy assessor, After retiring from his job, he could not sit still so he studied to be an EMT, helping get the ambulance service started in Stratton. He has also served as an active fireman. He has been an active member of the American Legion Post 138 receiving his forty year membership card. He is also a Mason, belonging to the Burlington Lodge A.F. and A.M. No. 77. He served all the chairs, to his term as a Master. He also belongs to the Rocky Mountain Consistory. Florence has spent her years in the home, taking care of her family and working beside Jim on the farm. She loves to cook, sew, do things for her family. Her favorite season on the farm is spring when the baby calves arrive. She has belonged to various clubs throughout the years. She has been a member of M.S.A. Federated Woman's Club, serving two different terms as President. She has been a member of the American Legion Auxiliary for thirty years. In 1980 their children hosted a Silver Wedding Anniversary celebration for them. Through the years of their married life they have traveled, taking several long trips. They Wedding picture of Denise and Jim McConnell, April 22, 1955. they gave up the city to return to the farm. In 1957 Jim worked at a local factory building Colorado Caynpers. In the year 1960 a chance of a life time dream ca-e along for Jim, and he took the exnm to become a Rural Mail Carrier. He received the appointment September 3, 1960. They moved to town. After a year or so in town, Florence got ajob cooking at the school, a job she held for five years. In 1965 they decided something was missing from their life and so they adopted their first child, Raymond Frederick on March 7, 1966. Then in December, another son Garrett Lee cnme to make his home. Three years passed and January, 1969, a baby sister Donna Denise arrived. In 1970, wanting their children to grow up on a farm, they built a new home just two McConnell family; Garrett, Jim, Raymond, Denise and Donna. 1973 miles south of Stratton, where they still reside. Their children have all attended grade have taken their children on several trips, their favorite was a trip to Disneyland, and one year to the Grand Canyon. They have traveled to all parts of the state that they dearly love, Colorado. Florence was born in her Grandmother Wilson's home on January 22, 1937. They moved three times during her childhood. She attended Grandview her first three years, where Amy McConnell, Jim's mother was her first school teacher. She also attended Nuttbrooke school and then in her eighth grade the school districts consolidated and school buses were purchased and the children were bussed to town. She went all four years of high school in Stratton and graduated in 1955. The year 1981 they hosted an exchange student from Denmark who spent six months in their home. The next year a student cnme from Columbia, South America. These students became their host children. Jim enjoyed the companionship of his father-in-law Elvin "Boots" Wilson for twenty three years. They spent many hours �together walking through the fields admiring their crops. They shared a lot of farming wild yellow roses. experiences through the years. Jim and Florence recall lots ofstories about family especially his nieces and nephews. He managed to take care of himself all his Kit Carson County. They now reside only life until he euffered a stroke and spent the miles from where they were both born. Jim especially remembers a lot about the early history. They have both grown up remembering and seeing great things in the County take last months of his life in a rest home in Wray. He passed on to eternity in September 1955. He is buried in the family plot in Claremont Cemetery in Stratton, Colorado. shape. Sheck never married. He enjoyed his by Florence McConnell by Florence McConnell McCONNELL, SHEDRICK McCORMICK, HETTIE LIPFORD F450 F44S Mary Henriette (Hetty) Lipford was born in Shelby County, Missouri, on June 5, 1899 to J.W. (Jack) Lipford and Lena (Moore) Lipford, their first child. In 1908, ghe came with her parents to a homestead in the Shiloh neighborhood, 20 miles northeast of Flagler, where she continued with her schooling at the first school that the new settlers built in the area. Later she attended Flagler High School in its new building for two years. After the family moved into Flagler, she was employed in the dry goods department of the Wilson Brothers General Store on Main Avenue. Later she started an apprenticeship in the undertaking business at the Shaw Mortuary. In 1928, she was married to Carl McCormick of Colorado Springs, where she continued in the undertaking business, working at the Decker Mortuary. In 1930 she received her embabning license and in 1940, a funeral director's license. Later the McCormicks moved to Pueblo where her husband's wholesale distributing business wag located. In the mid-50'e she began having health Shedrick Garrett McConnell Shedrick Garrett McConnell, the oldest son of Jnmes and Rebecca McConnell was born January 20, 1886 in Princeton, Kentucky. He cnme to Colorado with his parents in 1907. Being of age he was able to homestead. He homesteaded one-half mile from his parents. The house and barn still stand on his place. His nephew, James owns the land now. In the early days he farmed with horses. He went to college in Greeley, Colorado to get a Teacher's Certificate. Timeg were so rough that he had to carry a pistol with him while at college for protection. He came back to the county and taught school at the sod school at Bethel. His niece by marriage, Denise Wilson remembers him passing by their home in his Star car. Quite a car in its day. Later he served several years an County Earl and Nellie Burk. A sod school house was built 1% miles on grandfather's homestead, this was where she got her first start of education. Neighbors were few and far between, but they enjoyed one another when they chanced to meet. As time went by William married in 1919 and in 1923 Roscoe and Grandfather Houlton were lost. The district moved the school to another location and built a frame building. My greatgrandmother went there to finish the 7th grade. When the district was consolidated, problems and died in 1958. Burial was in the Flagler Cemetery. what was then Smokey Hill school was built. There she finished her school days in 1924. by Blanche Lipford Carper In that time she had met Earl Burk, my great-grandfather, they married in July of 1925. So started an all new life. Earl cnme to McCRARY - BURK FAMILY F46l Marion Fredrick McCrary and Dora Lav- ina Houlton started their married life in Storm Lake, Iowa. They decided to go west and find a homestead with 2 son's, Williem Ernest and Roscoe Marion. Their Grandfather Houlton also went with them. They loaded an emigrant car in 1904 and proceeded to Selden Kansas, unloaded there and resided for a few months. Marion traveled by team and wagon to Colorado where he homesteaded % section of land. He built a 2 room native sod house. The family moved out in March of 1906;they then began to build sheds for their horses and cows and plowing the ground to put in the crops. My great-grandmother, Nellie M. McCrary, was born in the spring of 190? on a bright sunny Sunday morning, April 21. Assessor. Marion began to work for other homesteaders The family always had a tradition that the graves were decorated on Memorial Day. They always picked wild flowers. He picked Grandfather Houlton and William took care of the live stock and farming. for a small wage to help out at home. Colorado in 1923 from Nebraska. His folks had bought a wheat farm here. They met at an ice cream social at a Smokey Hill school party. After they married they bought a small farm south ofthe school and continued on for 17 years there. Theynowhave one daughter, Helen (Burk) Scheierman, she also went to Smokey Hill school until a tornado went through the area in June of 1941, destroying the school building. She then finished her school days at Burlington High school in 1944. In 1945, they then decided to sell their farm and in 1946, they had a farm sale and moved to Burlington. Earl worked at odd jobs and helped to build the Memorial Hospital. He also did some work for the city. In Spring of 1948 they moved to Loveland and worked for the sugar factory till he got in an accident. After that he worked for a contractor. In Fall of 1950, they came back to Burlington where my great-grandfather worked for the city for 20 years and retired. He now works at odd jobs carpentering and helping friends and family. by Nellie (McCrary) Burk, submitted by Launa Kay Cooper �McCURDY, C. Iry. AND BERTHA (IIOGSETT) F.462 C.W. McCurdy was a Scotch-Irish decent, born September 19, L872.He was the young- ffirl FRESH AND CURED MEATS FRESH OYSTERS, POULTRY & GAME IN SEASON HICHEST MARKET PRICE PAID FOR HIDES Advertisement for C.W, McCurdy in Burlington paper. est of a large family of boys. He was born near Roseville,Illinois and grew to manhood there. He married Bertha (Hogsett). She was born December 18, 1880. They were manied near Shenandoah, Iowa December 22, 1898. To this union two children were born, a son, Leslie McCurdy and a daughter Mildred McCurdy (mother of Winifred James). They lost their only son, Leslie, from pneumonia when he was 18 years old. The death of their son weighed heavy on their hearts all of their days. The family lived in Iowa, near Red Oak and Shenandoah. They later moved to Lincoln Center, Kaneas, where he had a meat market and then moved on to Burlington, Colorado where he opened a meat market on main street, next door to the Record Printing Office - later he moved to a farm Southwest of Burlington. Farming with horses was a tedious task, and when you had 4 to 6 horses hitched to a disk you had the inevitable "Runaway"! More than once someone got a leg cut, and the women were supposed to fix them up, at least "Patch em" until someone could get Dr. Gillette and his good wife Viola. They had a small black and white rat terrier dog, named Trixie, they had brought him with them from Iowa, and that little dog hated rattlesnakes. Trixie had been bitten so many times on the head that his head wag permanently enlarged and he was completely deaf. He didn't seem to mind, he still went after any snake he saw. Prairie Fires were always a threat. What fences they had usually had "gunny" sacks wrapped around the wire near the corner posts - when smoke appeared on the horizon - water in buckets and crenm cans was hauled by wagon - jugt in case - It was coming on through! "Charley", as he was known, was a very pleasant, personable man with his easy smile and copper hair and mustache. Charley had a Model T Ford, and was he proud of it - he knew he could always back up the hills, when he couldn't make it going forward! He would stop by a neighbors house, who rarely got to town, to see if they needed any supplies. He usually ended up with a long list and then when he brought the supplies back - they quite often forgot to pay him - He felt he had helped, but his wife was most unhappy! Money was hard to come by! C.W. McCurdy Meat Market in Burlington, CO. 1905 ln L927 the family moved to Matheson, Colorado where Charley opened a General Store, but this was a short lived venture and in 1930 Charley and Family were preparing to move East of Stratton, Colorado. Charley was repairing the windmill when his canva{r glove caught in the windmill gears breaking his little finger - the wound was a small thing but Blood Poisoning set in and then Lock Jaw. He died at his daughter, Mildred Esch, home on April 4, 1930. His wife Bertha died June 30, 1947, in Goodland, Kansag. Written by his granddaughter Mrs. Chester (Winifred) James. McDONALD FAMILY F463 McDonald ranch Steers for the meat market. The McDonald Ranch was known as the CorRanch. It was firstowned byaMr. Tuttle until 1889 when he deeded a % section to Harry Cox. Mr. Tuttle died in 1892 and Harry Cox died in 1928 or 29. Hie wife, Marie L. Cox leased the place sometime in the 1900'g to John Davis. Morton Davis leased the land after the death ofJohn Davis. Jerry Guy and family lived there from 1933 until March 1, 1935. A Mr. Earl Radcliff lived there for some time and worked for Mrs. Cox. Mrs. Radcliffe was a school teacher in the area and Bud Wood remembers her as being his teacher when he was in the second grade. The Radcliffs lived on the McArthur place and then on the Kennedy place. Frank McDonald homest€aded in Mildred, Colorado just north of Eckley, Colorado in �& ii"'0"'trf""HtT;"J*1T,H.";'il""fr Jt:T;'j family to Colorado in 191.1. They lived in Mildred for 20 years before moving his family to the Bill Mace place east of the Cox ranch in 1929 or 1930. The family consisted of Sylvia, Goldie, Opal, Bertha, Hawey, Clarence, Marion and Rufug. In the early spring of 1935, Frank and his family leased the Cox ranch from Mrs. Cox. They were there just a month or so before the flood of 1935. The McDonalds bought the ranch in 1942 and they farmed and bought more ground to join to the ranch. Frank McDonald died December 13, 1955 and his wife died in the spring of 1955. Clarence lived in Denver several years and then came back to help Harvey and Rufus farm. Their sister Sylvia, who helped care for the home with Bertha passed away on September 22, Lg70 and Clarence passed away on August 8, L977. Harvey and Bertha moved to Yuma, Colorado in 1984. Goldie lives in Denver, Colorado. Opal lives in Iowa and Marion lives in Yuma, Colorado. Rufus still lives on the home place and with the help of his nephew, Verlin, son of Clarence, still takes care of the ranch tending the hogs, cattle and farming wheat, corn and alfalfa. Harvey McDonald told this story to Bud Wood. by Edward (Bud) Wood McKINLEY FAMILY F464 W w The Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital built under Willi"- McKinley's supervision while on a year's sabbatical from Burlington Public Schools new chapter in our lives. By the end of that chapter, we had come to be known most as "Mr. Mac" and "Jo". At this writing, Mr. Mac is gone and this account by me, Jo, from my 83 year-old's vantage recalls the things that felt important to us as they happened. We entered the Flagler community in 1925 with conviction, from our own experience, that education of the young was among the most important of human endeavors. Teach- ing youth to prepare for their lives, to seek out and develop every available opportunity to enrich their own lives and the lives of others, was a life pursuit which neither of us ever doubted. The early years in Flagler were good to us. Mac focused on recruiting a faculty of high quality, improving school attendance, gaining accredited standing with universities and colleges, and generally developing his special style of teaching the pursuit of excellence that touched many lives and endeared him to his students. Together we worked to involve the community more closely with the schools and to develop the spirit of cooperation and to enhance community pride. There were many wonderful people and life was rewarding. Athletics increased in popularity and became a focal point for all, especially as our young athletes won recognition at county, district and etate levels. One of the most memorable events was the Girls'State Basketball Championship and the memoryof the quality of that group of young people lingers on. Some difficult times made deep impresWilliam W. McKinley, superintendent of many schools sions too. An auto accident with Mac and part of the girls' basketball team was too near to tragedy for comfort. It also damaged our new car! Dr. Williams cnme to our house late at night to be sure Mac's neck was not badly injured and many friends rallied with transportation and help to repair our car. Even hard times beco-e good ones when shared with good people. The market crash of '29, followed by severe drought and awful dust storms, tested the stamina of everyone. The blizzards what - storm fear they could produce! I recall one when we worried for six days about one bus driver before hearing he was safe. Most drivers lived in town and we could check that William McKinley in the classroom On a hot day, in early August of 1925, the McKinley family began its 40 year history in Kit Carson County. William W. and Josephyne A. McKinley, with their infant son William (Jr.), left their roots in Fowler, Colorado, and drove to Flagler. We were young and ambitious and eager to begin this the children were home, but one driver was a senior in high school and lived some 20 miles from town. The phones went out after qerlves rrom rlauoween lesf,rvlf,les. rrevloug mischief such as putting a cow in a bell tower and, hazardously, blocking the highway with farm equipment were displaced by a wholesome fun-filled Halloween carnival. held in the theatre building and sponsored by the Woman's Club with help from other organizations and attended by both youth and adults. The carnival's guccess was gratifying to us all. In Januar5r, 1935, we left Flagler and our friends there and moved to Burlington where Mac had accepted the position of superintendent of schools. Besides the school and community activities recalled above, Mac and I had ensured that we would always be busy. We had added two more sons, C. Robert and J. Richard. Some years later we had our fourth and final son, James, and I wisely decided to make do without a daughter. Instead I taught the boys to do dishes and some of them to knit and my penchant for crafts led me to many happy hours of teaching and sharing handwork. The difficult 1930's continued and the dust storms with them. I recall one sudden storm catching about 200 neighboring schools' people at an event in Burlington. Burlington responded sharing homes, supplying food - and, not the least, providing and blankets good companionship to the stranded. The years in Burlington were good. Mac and his faculties developed a school system with high standards and high success. Well prepared teachers with strong ideals and athletic progr4ms designed to develop the young people as well as to win proved to be something in which we all could take pride. And then there was social progress. A new gymnasium with kitchen and hot lunch room, meeting rooms, music rooms and a stage was built as a WPA project. It provided work for residents and became the site for many community as well as school activities. The drought ended and the future began to look bettcr and then came another major time. World War II brought some prosperity but left us with the loss of many of our talented youth. Some teachers moved to better paying positions and there were increased opportunities in business. All ofus, in Kit Carson County and the whole country, were involved in the war effort. One of the most gratifying times for us was the episode of community spirit activated by the building of Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital. Mac had been active in snmpaigning for the hospital, especially while he was president of Rotary. When Rotary voted to sponsor the project and the people of the whole county responded and helped get it done, it was a major highlight for our family. Without government subsidy, our county pitched in and every citizen and organization helped in some way. Hours of labor with shovel and hammer, or needle and thread were donated. Donations by the "10 Acre Club" and other clubs and individuals furnished rooms dedicated to beloved relatives and friends. Service clubs contributed freely. Some I can recall include landscaping by the Garden Club and cooking facilities supplied by the Inter Se Se and Past President's Clubs. his last passengers were delivered, but before we could hear that he was home. In town the The School Board granted Mac a year intended for a banquet were unceremoniously but gratefully divided among those short of food. One exemple of our maturing community sabbatical and allowed him to supervise the building of the hospital. We, he and I, felt a deep satisfaction from the effort when the hospital was open and providing care. After a year (academic 1948-49) in Wray, supplies got so low that seven turkeys �we decided to return to Burlington and Mac joined the Burlington Building and Supply Co. (BBS). There was a growth period and the new company built several nice homes, the new Montezuma Hotel (carefully designed not to burn as the previoue one had), school buildings (in Flagler too), and a face lift on the court house. When the droughts of the fifties affected the building boom, Mac decided to return to In the "dirty thirties", the dirt blew so hard, it would get into the creeks and strenme and just make mud. The cattle would try to get a drink and get buried in this mud, with only their heads sticking out. Lloyd would get a rope and put it around the cow's head to pull her out. One winter, Lloyd raised his 75 head of cattle by feeding them on wheat and rye pasture, 35 acres of wheat and 17 acres of rye, with some corn stalks too. They were 'i'j& t.* He was very proud his real love - teaching. but building lives was always of the buildings, the real action. He and I always agreed on that! We spent three years in Bethune and five more in Flagler, where several of his earliest former students had asked Mac to return "to do for our kids what you did for us." Those years were less hectic, but gratifying and always were blessed with a supportive community and a forward looking school board. The Flagler alumni dedicated the football field as "McKinley Field" on a cool autumn evening that remains a highlight for our family. All four sons, Mac and I were all together during a tribute to all that Mr. Mac L... *r. \, &: $.1- r. . W;*,*a,,, had stood for and taught and exemplified. Those later years I spent deeply involved clubs, church and in community affairs Lloyd and Georgia Megel taken in front of groups. out here in Colorado. They moved south of Stratton and lived there until the thirties. Dave and Eugena finally moved into Stratton where they spent the rest of their lives. Lloyd went to school at First Central. and knitting sponsoring china painting We decided to retire one year early and Mac resigned at Flagler, but then we changed our minds and decided to finish one last year in education. We spent a very nice final year in Stratton where Mac finished as he had teaching in the classroom. After- 40 years in a county that had grown from "no fresh vegetables" in the grocery begun stores to super markets rivaling the city ones, we went to Arizona. Those 40 years were happy developing years for the communities .as well as for us and it is a joy to visit friends of many years and be aware of the growth of our "prairie home". by Josephyne A. McKinley MEGEL, LLOYD AND GEORGIA F466 Lloyd and Georgia Megel's SOth Wedding Anniversary taken at home gouth of Vona. Dave and Eugena Megel came from Marysville, Kansas in 1906, in a covered wagon with their family, Olive, Laura and Lloyd. Lloyd and Laura were four years old. Dave originally cn-e from Bogton where his family were all tailors. He worked for the railroad Armstrongs in early 1930's, by Lloyd's Star Car. Lloyd and Frank Whitmore took singing lessons together. Years back when we were young we'd go to all the dances at Smokey Hill and other schools. Lloyd played the violin, or fiddle. Back then you didn't have to have a driver's license, but the car had to be licensed. The neighbor boys were hard up allowed to graze on the wheat in the spring until the wheat began to joint, then removed to other feed. The wheat had been damaged by a severe hail storm, but we averaged 11 bushelg per acre at harvest time. Once it w{ur so dry, we had to sell out and we only had 11 cows left. So in the spring, when the cows calved, we'd go to town and buy another calf to put on the cow with her calf. To do this Lloyd would put a harness strap around the necks ofthe calves and then a swivel and a rope between both calves. We ended up with 11 cows and 22 calves this way. We built the herd back up in this manner. Our sons Dewayne and Jerry were both in the army. Lloyd passed away on July 29, 1983. I still live on the farm south of Vona. My son, Larry and his wife Nancy, live here also in their own home, with their three sons: Mark, Michael, and Anthony. Larry is a teacher and he taught his first school 20 miles north of Burlington. by Georgia Megel MESSENGER, EARL AND LUCY (WOODJ66 and they couldn't afford one, so they'd borrow ours and off we'd go. Lloyd and I, Georgia Lonzona Armstrong were married in Wray, Colo., in 1929. My sister Cora was married at the seme time to Guy Petefish. We lived with Lloyd's folks l year, then we moved to the McFeeder place for about 1 year. Then back north to my folk's homestead, while they moved into our house. Then back north to a place south ofStratton called the Dick Reisch place. Then to a place south of Bethune. We had 6 children. We lost our flrrst two babiee, a girl and then a boy. My doctor was Dr. Bergen. Out sons, (Larry) Lawarence, Dewayne and Jearold (Jerry), and daughter Carol, were all born in Stratton. Larry and Dewayne were delivered by Dr. Cavey, Jerry by Dr. Hewitt, and Carol by Dr. Keen. Marvin was born at home, south of Vona, delivered by Dr. Hewitt. Marilyn was born in Flagler and delivered by Dr. Straub. We have 17 grandchildren, and 9 greatgrandchildren. We farmed and raised cattle and kids. Whenever someone asked what we did in our spare time, we said, "just raise kids and cowg". Lloyd made wind chargers and sold them to make extra money and that helped us get by. He also worked on the railroad and had hie own threshing machine. Once a Melvin Rogers came by and Lloyd welded his leg back together. That is he welded his braces. He had broken his leg, I guess from a fall from a horse years before, and the brace was falling apart. Jean, Clifford, and Dorothy Messenger, year 1937. Children of Lucy and Earl Messenger. Earl, was born the 31st day ofAug., 1895, to Isaac D. and Lulu P. Messenger in the small trading post town of Cattlee, Cherokee Nation, Okla., and in the spring of 1896, was moved to Loveland, Co., and then to Kit Carson Co. Colo., in the spring of 1901, where he was nurtured to manhood on the old Messenger homestead 21 miles NE of Stratton. His formal education start€d in an old sod building located just south of the Repub- �hone5rmoon, Earl moved his bride onto the homestead to reside until 1939 (Earl's parents had moved into town). It was here their 3 children were born: Norma Jean, Clifford Wayne, and Dorthy Darlene. After the tough and lean years of the 1929 depression and 4 years of drought (1935-39), he gave up the farm and moved into Stratton where he worked with the county road crew for 4 years, 2 years for the electric power company, 2 years again for the county under County Commissioner McArthur. In 1948, he became the manager of the American Legion Club in Stratton and served there for 10 years. On May 27, L948, his beloved Lucy died of cancer after many months of illness. During the next few years all ofthe children married Home of Earl and Lucy Messinger at Stratton, Co. and moved away. On Wednesday, Dec. 17, 1958, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Elsie Proctor and shortly thereafter moved with his bride to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he worked and resided until his death, Jan. 9, 1973. He was buried in the Claremont Cemetery, Stratton, Colo., beside his wife, Lucy. After Earl's death Elsie moved back to Stratton, and resided there close to her children until she passed away May 30, 1983, and wae buried beside Earl. Earl had worked hard all the days ofhis life and was still actively engaged in a good work until his final illness. He had empathy for all who suffered and was a charitable man. He taught his children well to be thrifty, honest, and to do an honest day's labor for a honest day's pay, to do good to all and to honor their parents, by C.W. Messenger MESSENGER, ISAAC D. Earl and Lucy Messinger in 194?. lican River and the old "Wood" ranch, with his classmates; Gladys Quinn, Ethel Whipple, and Louella Hitchcock. He went to school at the old "Tuttle" School through the 9th grade and Yz of the tenth grade before duties at home demanded his time. Earl shared his parents with two brothers, Archie and Ernest, and five sisters: Stella, Clara, Hazel, Mar5/, and Eva. They all grew up, married, and moved away form thie home except; Ernest, who moved to Stratton when his parents did in 1926, and Ernest, who was killed by lightening Aug. 29, 1925. Earl went to the Army on Oct. 2, 1917, and served until May 1919, in the European theatre of England, France, Belgium, and Germany, as a horseshoer for the Cavalry. Upon returning to the farm he helped his father in the building of a new 2-story, L2room home, a garage, shop, a large rambling hog shed, and a new chicken houge. Lucy, a daughter of Henry H. and Rachel Wood, was raised within 2 miles of the Messenger homest€ad with 6 brothers: Art, Harvey, Ted, Earl, Ralph, and lvan. Even though she lived close by for 15 plus years, it wasn't until Aug. 8, 1926, that she and Earl were married, when they were both 30 years old. When Earl and Lucy returned from their West Virginia to Benkelman, Nebr., then went by stagecoach to Bird City, Kansas, where we left Mother with relatives, then my brother and I came by wagon train to Colorado, where we went to my brother's claim northeast of Brulington. He ceme out in the fall of 1885. There were no crmps, towns, or roads; we angled across the prairie from Bird City. I saw no Indians, but there were plenty of buffalo, wild horses, and antelope. We found my brother's claim and lived with him for about a year. In 1887, I took a pre-emption and a homestead beside my brother's claim, 15 mile northeast of Burlington. I proved up on the pre-emption, but let the homestead go back to the government. About 30 years ago I took another homestead in Township 6 in Range 46, Burlington was then situated on the old townsite. and all the water used was hauled from Lostman Creek, a distance of 10 miles, and the haulers charged 25 cents for a 3 gallon pail of water. Folks did not waste water then. Everything used then was freighted in from Haigler, Nebr., Wray, Colo., and Cheyenne Wells. Colo. My brother hauled water until I got located, and then we put down a "company" well in Sand Creek, hauling up the watcr by windlass, and we had plenty for all purposes and for everyone. the fellow who had a good well was the richest man in the community. I worked as a blacksmith for years; in fact, that was my trade when I came west. After taking out the pre-emption and homestead, I would live on it the required time each year, and the rest of the time I worked for companies in different places. I worked for the Colorado City Water Works for some years and also for the Pueblo Street Car Company. During the time I was living on my homestead, I helped by brother put down a few of the drilled wells around Burlington and other places in the county. He had a well- I.467 drilling outfit which he purchased after he Born 1866, in West Virginia, I lived in West Virginia until young manhood, then came to Colorado in the spring of 1886. My mother and a brother and myself cane by train from had been here for awhile. I remember when the Countywas new, that so many people were starving; they had no fuel or clothes when winter came on, and no way of getting anything, for money was very 1952, Stratton, Co. Ira and Lulu Messinger with children, Mary, Eva, Earnest, Stella, Clara and Hazel. "Archie" wae killed by Iightening in 1925. �scarce. Word of this predicament got to Denver, and the store owners there made up a large shipment of clothes, shoes, and whatever was needed to help keep the people warm. The Trinidad coal miners mined coal free. A committee was appointed to distribute these supplies and the people were taken care of until the severe winter weather was over. I know that many people were saved by this timely help. The County Commissioners shipped in three carloade ofwheat and loaned it to the farmers for seed wheat. This was to be paid back when the crop was raised, and was the means of starting wheat raising, in this county. But even with the help given, the winter was so severe that a number of people froze to death and many cattle and horses were lost and died from exposure. It was really dangerous to get far away from home, for one never knew when a storm might arise that would turn into a blizzatd, and as there were no roads to follow, and no fences to use as a linemark, it wan so easy to become confused and wander until exhausted and then to sleep the sleep that meant "another person frozen to death". So we always tried to make it to some farm house before dark or ifthe weather got suddenly cloudy which was likely to mean a storm, It is rather hard to express in writing all the hardships endured by those people who cnme west seeking new homes and often times a better livelihood. Many a man has come here and settled down with his family and lost all he had in trying to make a go of farming, for I know that year after year no crops would be raised, the cattle died, ofdisease or exposure. When a man lost everything he had no way of leaving, so just had to stay and make the best of it. A number of settlers, especially those coming in north of the Republican River, had quite a bit of trouble with the big cattle companies. Of course, the cattlemen resented the intrusion of farmers fences, and small herds, and they tried different ways to scare the people out. I remember that one of the foreman of the "Bar-T" Ranch tried to make a settler by the nnme of Munsinger move off his homestead. He tried many ways, but the settler stayed. Then the foreman, and one of the cowboys went to Munsinger's home and was going to run him out. But they did not figure that Munsinger was a fighter too, so he met those two men with a shotgun and gave them fair warning to get off his land and stay off. However, the foreman would not heed the warning, so Munsinger shot him dead and then shot the heel off the cowboy's boot. By that time, the cowboy was heading towards home and safety as fast as he could. There MESSINGER FAMILY F468 Pioneers To Kit Carson County John W.J. Messinger, a tailor by trade, immigrated to this country about 1765, when a young man of twenty, to make a home in the wilderness, settling in York County, Pennsylvania, where he bought a farm. He married Miss Catherine Goswiler, daughter of John Goswiler of Cumberland County, Pa. John and Catherine Messinger had ten children: Mary, Henry, John, Jacob, William, Catherine, Susannah & Bostorra (twins), Daniel and Margaret. These items were recorded on page 542 of Biographical Sketches in the History of Perry County, Pa., and, on that same page, under the heading of John Loudon was the following: In these early times, the Indians were very numberous, and their depredations troublesome. At one time when some children were going to school they saw a party of Indians, and on reaching the schoolhouse told their teacher, who did not seem to fear any trouble, for he told them to recite one lesson, and then he would let them go home. In a few moments the "redskins" were upon them, and, though the teacher begged for mercy for the children, they were all mercilessly killed and scalped but one, who escaped to tell the horrors of the tale. Wm. Messinger, a son of John W.H., was born in 1787 in Cumberland County, Pa., according to a biography ofhis grandson, J.J. Messinger. His wife was Barbara and they had six children: Elizabeth, John, Hannah, Sarah, Barbara and Susannah. Several times in the f/fstory of Perry County he is referred to as Captain and it mentions that he ran the first store at Grier's Point, once a postoffice, which is located in Rye Township of Perry County. Another item mentions that he built the chop and sawmill east of Keystone about 1835 and the Preseott, Kansas, historian, Florine Norbury, in her article, The Way It Wos, wrote that Wm. visited his son, John, his grandson, John J. and his great grandson, Jesse, in the year of 1886 at Barnsville, Kansas, when he was 97 years of age. John Messinger was born on the 6th of May, 1823, in Perry County, Pa., and he married a Miss Sarah Kell who was born on the 28th of February, 1821, in Perry County, Pa. They had four children: Levi Frank, John Jefferson, Emily and Sarah. In 1860, the John Messinger familymoved toTexas and, inthat same year, they took up residence in Neosho County, Kansas. At the outbreak of the Civil War, John, who was farming Section 20 of Bourbon County, Kansas, entered the state militia and was stationed at Barnsville, Kansas, in Captain Lounsberry's company. In 1865, he sold his farm and opened a store in Barnsville. John Jefferson Messinger was born on the 14th of December, 18b1, in Clinton County, Illinois. Although some of his youth was spent in Clinton County, much of it was in Barnsville, Kansas, and in 1871, at the age of 20, he took over the operation of his father's store. On October 3, l8?b, he married Miss Susan Ann Pierce, whose family had traveled by covered wagon from Kentucky to Illinois, back to Kentucky and back to Illinois before settling in Neosha County, Kansas,and, during these travels, Samuel and Ann (Johnston) Pierce had nine of their total of twelve children plus one adopted girl. John and Susan Messinger had five children: Martha, Cora, JesseThronton. Evaand John S. In 1882, John was one of the first settlers in Hume, Bates Co., Missouri. He hauled the first load ofstone and constructed a two story building which housed the City Hall, an Opera House and a gristmill. This building was still standing in 1982 at the Centennial celebration of Hume. John Jefferson Messinger sold all his holdings in Hume, loaded the family including his wife, Susan, his unmarried son, Jesse, his unmarried daughter, Eva, along with some personal effects and one prize high-spirited horse on the train with a destination of Kit Carson County, Colorado, about the year of 1906. The journey went well except for the horse which died of nervous prostration on the freight car and may have been an omen for the future of this family on the homesteads of Eastern Colorado. by John (Jack) W. Messinger was a bit of excitement at the time, but nothing was ever done to Munsinger, for most everyone felt he was jusified in doing what he did, for he had already stood quite a bit of abuse from the cattlemen around him. (This life hietory was asgembled by Bessie Gunthrie, as a W.P.A. Project in about 1933, directly from Isaac. Received from Henry Hoskin, Kit Carson County abstract office in Burlington, Sept., 1985, by Clifford W. Messenger.) by Clifford Messenger Windmill, storm cellar and cement block house with hardwood floors built on the J,J. Messinger homeetead by J.J' and Jesse Messinger about 1908 at Seibert, Colorado. 3 miles west and 10 miles rorrth of Seibert. �MESSINGER FAMILY F469 Weibert State Bank and slivers into store buildings across the street. The general store they had bought from Fred Probasco was one damaged by the lst storm. This building had a hall above the store with an outside staircase. The hall was used for lodge meetings-the Royal Neighbors and Modern Woodmen to which my mother and father belonged. Later they boWht a store on the south end of the business block and on the west side of the street. I gtarted school in a two-story white frame building on the southeast edge of Seibert. About 1918 a new red brick two-story building was built for grade and high school. It was here that I began my lifelong friendship with Bonny Gaunt. We lunched together often either at school or at our store. For dessert we always had a nickel Hershey bar. Jack and I were expected to help in the store, especially on those busy Saturdays when many of the farmers came to town to do their shopping. On the Fourth of July we always had a stand built outside the store, and we kids sold candy, gum, pop, and especially fireworks. We were one of the few Catholic families in Seibert. A priest from Stratton came to our house and said Mass one Saturday each Maxine and Jack Messinger children of Mary C. Hughes and Jesse T. Messinger about 1918. The John J. Messingers, son Jesse T., and daughter Eva M. came to Seibert, Kit Carson County, Colorado, in about 1907 and homesteaded on a section of land twelve miles southwest of town. Early in 1910, Mary Cecelia Hughes had finished teaching a fourmonth school in weetern Kansas when she and a friend of the Megsingers, Ethel Durbin from Fulton, Bourbon County, Kansas, decided to visit the Messingers in Colorado and file on land for a homestead. Mary (called Mae by most of her friends) met the bachelor Jesse Thornton Messinger. A courtship ensued then letters were exchanged between the two, a proposal by Jesse, and Mae Hughes returned to Colorado for the wedding on August 22, Lgt}, with Eva Messinger and Ethel Durbin as witneeees, and with Rev. Raber officiating. I was born in the cement block house of my grandparents south of Seiberg with only them and my father in attendance as recorded on my birth certificate July 18, 1911. I was christened Margaret Maxine Messinger by the Rev. Geo. P. Fenske on the 29th of August, 1911. I don't remember much about my life on the farm, but I've seen pictures of my brother John (Jack) William and me in front of the block house which our grandfather had built on the homestead. Jack was born there with the assistance of Dr. Blomberg on June 19, 1913. Our parents had moved into the elder Messingers'house when they had moved to California. Later our family moved into the town of Seibert. We first lived in the Clarence Bell house north and west of the main street of town. A tornado that turned day into night caused the chickens to go to roost, then lift€d the hen house, leaving them roosting, but twisting the hen houge to bits. Several years latcr another tornado lifted Kliewer'g lumberyard into the air and drove a two-by-four into the bathtub of living quarters in the month. For an altar he used the round dining table that I now have in my kitchen. My junior high school years in Seibert were filled with parties, picnics, and studies. Mr. and Mrs. MacArthur came from Chautauqua Park in Boulder to teach Math, English, and History. He was principal while Jessie Magee-Gray was assistant principal. The two science teachers, Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Slattery, took us on interesting field trips-especially to Crystal Springs, a wonderful picnic area between Seibert and MESSINGER HUGHES FAMILY F460 James Wells emigrated from England to America about 1695, and settled on the site which is now Baltimore, Maryland. His son, Capt. Richard Wells, born in 1715, served in the Revoluationary War as a rifleman in Captain John Nelson's Company. He was married 3 times and had 24 children, one of whom was George, born in 1745in Baltimore, Md. George had 2 wives and many children amoDg whom was William, born on the 20th of Feb., 1765, in Bedford County, Pa., who had 3 wives and many children, one of whom was Ann Wells, born in 1800 in Ohio. Another William Wells, who was closely associated with this family in Howe's Historical Collec' tions Of Ohio, Yol. II, pages 141-144, was kidnapped as a child by Indians after his parents were killed and he was raised by Little Turtle of the Miami Tribe. He became an Indian brave but abandoned them and joined the white forces when he foresaw the futility of resistance. He was a spy for General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and acted as interpreter between the white forces and the Indians when a treaty was signed at Fort Greenville, Ohio, in the summer of 1795. The first mentioned William Wells established the city of Wellsville, Ohio, married Ann Clark, and one of their off-spring, the afore mentioned Ann Wells married Oliver P. Shearman, born about 1800 in Ireland, and one of their children, Mar5r S. Shearman, born on the 26th of Sept, 1825, in West Virginia manied William H. Green, born on the 27th ofJuly, 1838, at Plattsburg, Clinton County, Missouri. William Green's family in Flagler. America goes back to an estate granted by Academy at Leavenworth, Kansas, which was about 30 miles from Kansas City, Kansas, Tobacco, Md. One of the interesting stories of this family concerns Alice Green, who In the fall of 1926, I enrolled in St. Mary where my maternal grandmother Anna Hughes lived. At the end of my senior year I was awarded a scholarship to St. Mary Junior College, but because of the Crash of '29, I could stay only one semester. After trying various occupations and gaining more college credits through correspon- dence courses and extension work from Teachers' College at Greeley, Colorado, in 1931, I took the Teacher's examinations administered by Della Hendricks, Kit Carson County Superintendent. I received a teachers'certificate which allowed me to teach a couple years with a chance to renew it for another two years. I later upgraded my certificate. My first teaching experience was in a oneroom school near Landsman Creek and Spring Valley Ranch north of Burlington, Colorado. I renewed my contract each year for three years. In 1935, I decided to teach at the Tuttle School north of Stratton, Colorado. While in this district I renewed my acquaintance with Earl Radcliff who was living on the Pugh Ranch. He later became my husband. by Maxine Messinger Radcliff Cecil Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore, at Port married Prince Iturbide of Mexico, whose father was Emperor in L822-23. In 1864, Maximillian was crowned Emperor of Mexico with the assistance of French troops. In the meantime, Alice Green Iturbide gave birth to a boy named Augustine de Iturbide and subsequently, Carlotta, the wife of Maximillian, kidnapped this child to act as heir apparent for Maximillian. Alice Green lturbide petitioned Sec. of State Seward under Abraham Lincoln for help in recovering her son, and, failing to receive help from the Ameriean government, she went to France and petitioned Napoleon III who withdrew the French troops from Mexico, and Maximillian was defeated by Juarez and the Republic of Mexico was re-established. Williem H. and Mary S. Green had 2 children: Anna E., born on the 22nd of Sept., 1861, and Teresa. Anna E. Green married John S. Hughes, born on the 8th of December, 1858, in Pulaski County, Kentucky. His grandfather, born about 1775 in Wales, came to this country from Ulster, Ireland, and settled in Virginia. He was interested in farming and tanning and was also a dealer in slaves. Later, he continued west and purchased a farm of 900 acres at Wolf Creek, Russell County, Kentucky, after which he went to Tennessee and married Miss Sarah Thomas, thought to be a childhood sweetheart. They returned to the farm in Kentucky where he left her in the care of slaves and returned to Kentucky a �townspeople. Kate Hutchens ran the hotel and her niece played a piano in the lobby. She fit entirely around the piano etool. The movie house, cat-a-cornered from the hotel, ran Saturday afternoon matinees of Tarzan and Tarzans' Son in silent black and white pictures which never ended and the cowboy pictures, featuring Wm. S. Hart, Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix fighting Indians, outlaws, rustlers and upholding the rights of the popular moral majoritieg of our day allowed my friends and I to emulate their activities by going to the Roller Lunber Yard where Mr. Roller allowed us to use wooden lathes for horses and we carved guns of wood with an appropriate firing mechanism to shoot rubber rings cut from inner tubes with which we shot up the town without any adult superviaion. Mae Messinger and her mother, Anna Hughes at the Jesse and Mae Messinger home in Seibert, Kit Carson County, Colorado, in 1924. Car ig a 1922 Willys Overland Sedan with a 4 cylinger motor. year later. This union produced l0 children of whom the oldest was Thomas Hughes, Jr., who fought in the Mexican war after which he married Mary Jane Turpin and settled in Fulton, Bourbon County, Kansas, where he was a blacksmith, an Inn keeper and a horse dealer. This couple had 3 children: John S., Rosa and Elizabeth. John S. Hughes married Anna Green as previously noted and they had 8 children: Mary Cecelia, George, William, James, Agnes, John S., Leonidas & Arthur Wayne. Mary Cecelia becnme a country school teacher and, in pursuit ofthis occupa- tion, she and her friend, Ethel Durbin, went to visit the Messingers on their new homestpad southwest of Seibert, Kit Carson, Colorado. There ehe met Jesse Thornton .Messinger and they were married on the 22nd of August, 1910. They settled on a homest€ad claim of their own just north of his parents' claim. The documentaries of the Messinger, Hughes and their related families has been done to show the various cultures which with my mother and there I met Dorothy composed the background of our family as well as many other families which came together to make Kit Carson County one of the integral parts of this gEeat nation of ours. Rockwell. Dorothy and I were married on the 1lth of March, 1936. She did not have the background of Seibert but her ancestry could be traced to the Vikings of Norway, Ralph de Rocheville of Normandy and Britain, Wm. Deacon Rockwell who came to America in 1620, Josiah Rockwell who was killed and by John (Jack) W. Messinger MESSINGER, JOHN AND DOROTHY Jack Messinger and his pet coyote in front of Messinger residence at Seibert, Colorado about 1928. F461 3rd. Generation John (Jack) W. Messinger was born on the 19th ofJune, 1913, on my parents homestead, 3 miles west and 10 miles south of Seibert, Kit Carson County, Colorado. Mysister, Maxine, had been born 2 years earlier on this same homestead without a doctor in attendence. My Uncle Walter Caywood, who had filed on a homest€ad 5 miles south of Seibert, becnme very ill during the harsh winter of 1913-1914 and, eventually, went to St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver where he died ofcancer on the 22nd of February, 1914. His wife, Cora Messinger Caywood, and their three children moved to Denver after which my grandparents gave up In the early days in Seibert, my parents operated cream stationg where they bought cream and milk from the farmers, test€d it for cream content by placing small bottled with long necks, filled partly with milk and a small nmount of acid in a rotary rack, then turning a handle which swung the rack and bottles with enough speed that the centrifugal force separated the cream from the milk with the acid forming a line between so they could accurately assess the amount of butterfat in each can and determine the proper payment to the farmers. Later, the Messingers opened a general merchandise with living quarters in the rear, and lastly, they bought the A.V. Jessee store on the west side of main street. Here, I remember the plug tobacco which was cut by a hand-operated tobacco cutter; the giant wheels of cheese which were cut in wedges by a giant cheese cutter; the caddies of cookiee with lids, when removed, were replaced by a metal and glass display front and fit on a cookie rack; the liquorice stick and the jaw breakers in the candy case; the big barrels of pickles with slime over the top but which came out as delicious morsels for the early settlers. In 1933, my parents separated and I went to Kansas City, Kansas, their homestead and moved to Denver. A few years later my parents, my sister and myself moved from the homestead into the town of Seibert where I remained until the early part of 1933. I will try to reminisce on my memories of that time: Seibert was a typical small western town with a one block long gravelled main street bordered with wooden eidewalks which were covered by overhanging wooden roofs extended from each business place. After the armistice of WWI, some of the younger men about town shot holes through these roofs and hung a straw replica of the Kaiser with a cabbage head in the center of main street and proceeded to try to shoot it down into a bonfire underneath; unable to do this they cut the Kaiser down and let him burn to the delight of the scalped by Indians, Josiah, Jr., who was captured but returned by friendly Indians, Oren Porter Rockwell, a nephew of her 2nd great grandfather, who was the body-guard of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young during the early days of the LDS Church and the account of his exploits as the first Marshall of Satt Lake City is more exciting reading than Marshall Dillon and Dodge City; a second great grandfather who froze to death on the prairies of Minnesota and a great Uncle, Alonzo Rockwell who was the first postmaster at Hale, Yuma County, Colorado, in 1890, so I do believe that she understands the life and times which make all of us perpetual citizens of Kit Carson County, Colorado. by John (Jack) W. Messinger �MESSINGER, JOIIN THORNTON F4B2 2nd of August, 1899, in Hume, Bates County, Missouri, and, in 1901, this family moved to Canon City, Fremont County, Colorado, where Walter Caywood became quite famous for his leather work and his custom-tailored saddles through the year of 1906. Another son 2nd Generation was born in Canon City by the name of Arthur Bernard on the 26th of September, 1903. In 1907, this family joined the Messing- Jesse Thornton Messinger was born on the ers on the plains south of Seibert, Kit Carson 16th of January, 1879, in Hume, Bates County, Missouri. He came to Kit Carson County, Colorado, about 1906 with his parents, J.J. and Susan, and his sister, Eva. John J., the father, filed claim on the SE% of Sec. 24,5 L0 R 70 and, on this slaim, the family built a fro-e barn in which they lived until they built a cement block house with hardwood floors which was an unheard of luxury in those early days. The house faced east but, more importantly, the kitchen door was on the south side and all outside activities revolved about this doorway; a deep well was dug about 50 feet to the south and a windmill was assembled here; a root and storm cellar was between the house and the windmill and, of course, the proverbial outhouse was on the west side far enough away arl to not pose any problems except during the prevailing west winds. Eva, the unmarried daughter, filed claim to the SW% of the same section; however she did not remain on her homestead land for long for she was enticed away by Asa Lemuel Bryant who married her on April 23, 1911, and they settled in Lem's hometown of Island, Kentucky. Another daughter of J.J. and Susan Messinger was Cora Ellen, born on the 27th of August, 1877, at Barnsville, Bourbon County, Kansas, and married Walter Leander Caywood on the 20th of October, 1897. Mr. Caywood was a traveling artistic photographer as well as a creative artist in leather desigl. A son was born to Walter and Cora Caywood by the nnme of Russell Eric on the County, Colorado, by filing aa claim on the SE%, NZz SW, SE SW of Sec 28 T 9 R 49 which was 5 miles south of the town of Seibert on Colorado highway #59, a gravel road which had been a part of the old Kit Carson Trail, named after the famous Indian fighter. The Messingers and the Caywoods proceeded to build a sod house on this claim. The top layer of soil which was held together by the short buffalo grass was cut in slabs. A cutter sled with a three-sided blade was used to cut pieces about a foot wide and three inches thick. These were taken up in lengths easy to handle and laid up as walls without mortar of any kind. A roof of rough boards was covered with slabs. This made a structure with thick walls, warm in winter and cool in summer. This sod house had the luxury of a wooden floor. Mary Pauline Caywood was born at this sod house on the 8th of January, 1909. Two silos were dug by hand, using a courtship, Jesse Thornton Messinger and Mary Cecelia Hughes were married on August 22, 1910, at Seibert. Two children were born of this union: Margaret Maxine Messinger was born on 18th of July, 1911, at Seibert, and was delivered by her grandmother, acting as a midwife, with the help of the rest of the family. Her birth certificatc was signed by her father, Jesse Thronton Messinger, as the party in attendence. John (Jack) W. Messinger was born on the 19th of June, 1913, at Seibert, but his birth was aided by Dr. A.M. Blumberg, who became quite famous for establishing the out patient clinic of the American Medical Center in Denver, which was associated with the National Jewish Hospital. This birth signalled the end of the beginning of the third generation of Messingers in the History of Kit Carson County, Colorado. by John (Jaek) W. Messinger MEYER - ADOLF FAMILY F463 bucket, pulleys and rope pulled by a horse to remove the dirt and clods after which the walls were plastered. (In 1986, this sod house was still standing, disheveled with no roof, but, as a monument to the care and craftsmanship of these early homesteaders.) Early in the spring of 1910, an event took place at the Messingers which was to change the life style of the fanily. Ethel Durbin came to Colorado from Fulton, Bourbon County, Kansas, to visit Eva Messinger who had been a friend of hers in Kansas. She brought a young school tcacher by the name of Mary Cecelia Hughes with her. After a whirlwind Picking corn, Conrad Meyer at the reins and Norman on the barge, The early 1800's were very rough for the people of Germany. There were ware and other political events that effected the lives of the common man. Femine came to many parts ofthe land and the poor and young were among its victims. The land was controlled by the nobility and there was no chance to obtain land to farm and exist. Catherine the Great of Rusgia sent out a call for settlers. Many moved to Russia. Life wae satisfactory until the Ruesian government changed the system in 1871. At this time military duty was changed to compulsory service. They lost their rights and were to change their nnrnes to conform to Russian forms of spelling. The only solution was to leave. The messages of opportunities in the United States spread. The first immigrants used visas, the others used forged documents. So the German settlers moved again, this time acrogs the ocean to America. Eastern Colorado and many other areas looked like a good place to settle and raise their families on a farm. Conrad Meyer came to America in 1902 from Russia at the age of thirteen with his Cora Caywood, Susan Pierce Messinger, J.J. Messinger, Pauline Caywood, Bernard Caywood, Russell Caywood, and Marine Messinger in front of Cora and Walter Caywood's sod house built about 1908 at Seibert, Colorado, 5 milee south of town on Colorado Highway #59. older brother George. His mother, stepfather and brothers, Alec and John and sisters Anna and Marie, had come over earlier and settled at Herrington, Kansas. The following year he went with his brothers to Sugar City, Colo- rado to find work. He later went to Denver and worked for the Rio Grande Western �Railroad. The Willhelm Adolf family also came to America in 1904 from Russia. Margaret, Willhelm's wife, was the midwife for the Settlement area. Their eldest daughter, Margaret, then at age seventeen, stayed with them awhile where they settled north of Bethune, which became known as the Settle- ment. Later she moved to Denver to frnd work to help support the family. Conrad Meyer met Margaret Adolf in Denver during that time and they decided to get married May 7, 1910. They rode the train from Denver to Bethune, then got a horse and buggy from the livery stable. Conrad had dressed light and later commented how he froze going all the way out into the Settle- ment. They were married at Immanuel Lutheran Church north of Bethune, in the old rock church. In later years it was replaced by a new building. They returned to Denver to live. In 1916 they moved to the farm 9 7z miles north of Bethune with their small son William. They had five more children; Reuben, Clord, Norman, Alma and Mabel. Alma died as an infant and William died when he was twenty-three years of age from pneumonia. They made their living on the farm, raising wheat, corn, cattle, hogs, and chickens. Draft horses were used to pull the machin- furs of rabbits, skunks, badgers, raccoons, and other small animals were sold for supplies. Lye was bought, then mixed with craklins and water. Craklins was the refuse from cooking fat to make lard. This mixture School was located 2 miles south of the Meyer homestead and later was within a mile of the home. Children had chores to do every morning before going to school. Checking the traps, feeding the animals, milking. School lunches consist€d of whatever you brought from home to eat. Children didn't go past the grade of eight unless taken to town to school. They were needed at home to help with the work. Times were hard and you made do with what you had. Neighbors weren't any better off either. Everyone helped each other when the need arose. No pay involved, one day's work for one day's work. We had our good times, too. Sunday afternoons during the summer everyone would go to baseball games. In the winter we would go to the school programs and box socials. The box was auctioned off and the money was used for school supplies. The buyer of the box ate the box lunch with the one that made the lunch. Home remedies were used for most ailments, and people hardly ever visited a horses were harnessed up to the header; this machine would cut the wheat with the straw with molasses and bran for grasshoppers. machine separated the wheat and straw; the wheat went into a wagon box. This was pulled by a ten- ofhorses then scooped by hand into the granery bins. Lat€r some of it was loaded back into a wagon and hauled to town to be ground into flour. Some was sold and the rest This was usually sparingly strung along fence rows, so the livestock couldn't reach it. Wood wae not plentiful; therefore, houses were built out of mud and prairie grass. This is called adobe. The roof was made of lumber. The adobe houses are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Many are still lived in today. The kitchen stove provided heat as well as cooked the meals. Cow chips and corn cobs were gathered and used for this purpose. The Meyer family grew up as members of Immanuel Lutheran Church, located two miles from home. Immanuels helped estab- and elevate it up on canvas rollers onto a header barge. When the barge was full one person would fork it down while another person arranged it in a neat stack and rounded the top so the rain would run off when it rained. This was latcr threshed out by a big threshing machine and crew. The kept for planting in the fall. The flour was brought back home all sacked up to be used for baking bread, etc. Corn was raised for livestock feed and the rest was sold. The corn was husked by hand, using a hook fastened onto a piece of leather that fit neatly inside the palm of your hand. The ears of the corn were thrown on the wagon, hauled home, and put into corn cribs. Cattle were branded and those to be sold were put into a cattle drive and herded to Bethune to a stockyard, loaded on the train and shipped out to be sold. Hogs that were to be gold were hauled in horse drawn wagons. The money was used to pay taxes, and purchase supplies. dimina Kuhl was born in Nemaha County, Nebraska in 1897 and grew up in Johnson County, Nebraska with her parents, 5 brothers and 3 sisters. Frank and Ida were manied June 9, 1915. They farmed in Nebraska for a while and realized there was no opportunity for expansion. So in 1919 Frank, along with a number of other farmers who had been contacted by a land agent, came out to Colorado on a train and looked at the prospects of purchasing land here. Many of the men chose to eettle around the Yuma area and many chose this area. In 1920 Frank, Ida, their daughter, Helen, and their foster son, John Willinmson, started a new life, one ofjoy and one of hard times, like so many back then. The Michals had 6 children - Helen Larine, Florence Eula, Eunice Elizabeth, David Junior, LaVern Henry and William Norman. They also raised a foster son, John. Helen married George Jones and has 5 sons: Florence married Alfred Dorsey and had 1 son; Eunice married Jimmy T. Shaw and has 1 son; David married Gwenn Henningsen and has 2 sons and 3 daughters; LaVern married Barbara Kennedy and had 2 sons. has remarried and has 2 daughters; and Norman married Vivian Schaal and has 1 son and 2 daughters. The first house the Michals lived in was on a hill west of the present home place. They then purchased a two room house from from Russia. Reuben married Amelia Beringer of St. Francis, Kansas. They still live on the farm one mile south of the home he was born and raised in. Clord married Clara Beringer, sister to Amelia. Shortly afterward Clord was inducted into the Army and sent to the South Pacific to fight for the United States during WWII. When discharged, he farmed on the old Bauer place, two miles East ofwhere he was born and raised. After sixteen years, they moved to Bethune. Clara became the Postmaster in 1962. She retired in April were paid 91.00/day. Farming was done with horses and nules and their main crops were dry land corn, wheat, oats, barley, and pinto beans. To go to town there were trails across the pasture as there were no fences to start with. Some trips took two days if they were hauling grain in a wagon because you couldn't get it all unloaded and then reloaded with coal and supplies to get back home before dark so they would have to stay overnight in Flagler. The open range on the west side of Kit Carson 1985. The present Postmaster is Kathy (Adolfl Witzel, Willhelm Adolfs great grand stacked to be fed to the livestock during the daughter. Norman and his wife, Doris, live on were valuable in a number of ways; Fresh meat and eggs. Eggs that weren't uaed during the week, were gathered from the storage area cdled the cellar and sold. Milk was separated and the cream also was sold. Trapping was another source of income for the familv. The brothers and 3 sisters. They settled in Pawnee County, Nebraska. Ida Louisa Willu- a mile from the church on a farm. Their pilents were Germans that also immigrated lish Salem Lutheran Church west of St. Francis. Amelia and Clara Beringer grew up Hay was stacked teepee style to dry. When was wasted. Butchering day was a busy one to cook and fry everything up for storage. Meat was fried and put into crocks. Fat was fried and poured over the meat for storage. This kept the meat from spoiling. Chickens Frank Michal was born near Prague, Czechoslavakia in 1890 and came to the United States in 1899 with his parents, 2 Shorty Lebiedzik on the present home site and lived in it until 1938 when they moved in a house that had been Hans Windel's and was located south and east of the Huntley place north of Flagler. Van Goodwin helped move it and some of the Michals' neighbors helped to join the two houses together and dry, it was hauled in from the field and winter. Gardens supplied vegetables and were canned and stored in cellars. Nothing F464 was their soap. doctor. Chemicals weren't used then. Paris green was mixed with water and sprinkled on potato vines for bugs, and arsenic was mixed ery and wagons. At wheat harvest time, MICHAL - KUHL FAMILY the home place and Mabel lives in Burlington. Conrad and Margaret celebrated their 50th wedding anniversar5r in 1960. Conrad died in April, 1974 at age 85. Margaret died in January 1978 at age 90. by Clara Meyer County and into the east side of Lincoln County was shared and cattle were individually branded so the owners could keep track of their own. As crops were planted in broken out land, fences were put up to keep the cattle out and then roads were built into town. Homesteads were much closer together out here in the early 1900's. Most people left during the early 1930's during the terrible dust storms and then the flood of 1935 drove a lot more away. Some of the old neighbors weteZack, Joe and Frank Eckert, Tom Potter, Joe Ostrowski, Paul Andre, John Holter, Charlie Holden, the Lewis's, Oliver La Rue, Charlie Haeseker, Mike Andrewjeski, Abe Sparks and Tom �graduated from there in 1964. The following year, I attended Northeastern Junior College at Sterling. In 1965, I moved to Burlington where I worked for several years. While working in Burlington, I met Mrs. Frances Parsons. She was many years older than I, but we shared an interest in antiques, animals, and plants and I always enjoyed visiting with her. Another older person that I enjoyed visiting with was Carl Riekoff. I met him while working for Sherm Jarrett at his insurance office. Carl lived in the Courtney building and would stop in to visit almost every day. He would tell stories of his early railroad days and once in awhile he would bring me flowers that he had swiped from Mrs. Courtney's garden. In 1971, I met my husband, John Miller, while he was alsoworking in Burlington. John was born March 4, L943 in Denver, Colorado to Lyle and Nell Miller. He grew up at Cope, attending school at Cope and Arickaree. He also attended four quarters at NJC. He joined the army in 1966 and served in Germany and Viet Nnm. At the time of our wedding, he had just Frank and Ida Michal and their family in 1944 when they drove to Burlington to a gtudio: Back row: Florence, Eunice, David, Helen. Front row: LaVern, Frank, Ida, and Norman Kraft. Literary meetings were common and held in schools. Some of these were held at TVin Lakes (which was 2 lagoons west of the old Joe Eckert Place). Revival meetings were held at the old country schools or eometimes in tpnts. The first telephones were neighborhood phones that consist€d of a wall crank phone that was wired out to the barbed wire fence. This way neighbors could talk to each other. The first tractor Michals had was a John Deere Model G purchaeed new from Harold McArthur when he was still in Flagler. The Michal children went to school at White Plains and Dazzling Valley. David also went to Sunny Slope north of Arriba. All 6 graduated from Flagler High School. The three girls boarded at the Fred Garrett's home in Flagler and David and LaVern at the Nels Jorgensen's to finish their high school education. By the time LaVern and Norman were that age, there were school buses. Cowchips, cobs, coal, kerosene lamps, gas lamps, wood ranges, Saturday night "shared water" baths, milking cows by hand, etc. was dl part of growing up. It was a good life and it was a rewarding life. Frank passed away in 1955, Ida in 1961, John in 1972 and Florence in 1973. Helen lives in Chico, California, Eunice also lives in Chico, David livee on the home place north of Flagler, La Vern in Enterprise, Alabama, and Norman in Flagler. by David J. Michal MILLER, JOHN FAMILY F465 Our family has just recently moved back "home" to Kit Carson County after spending the last four years in the Kirk area. We have moved north of Vona to the place my grandfather, Frank Boger, homesteaded in 1896 and are enjoying getting back to the graduated from training for the State Patrol. Since the patrolmen weren't told where they would be stationed until after their training, we didn't have time to find a place to live before our wedding. We were married on the eve of August 28, L97L and afterwards we drove in a down pour of rain all the way to Denver. Early the next morning we began to frantically search for a place to live in the Littleton area where John would be working. We finally found an apartment that would be available in two weeks. Since we were short on funds, we spent the next two weeks (our hone5moon) living with another rookie patrolman and his family. After a short time, we were able to transfer to Elizabeth. a much nicer location for a John, Joyce and Holly Miller at the Kit Carson County Carousel, 1985. peace and quiet of country life. I was born to Horace and Opal Boger on December 20, 1945 at Flagler, Colorado and grew up here on the farm enjoying the farm animals and the outdoors. My closest friends during those years were Linda Schreiner and Emma and Marion Joy. We always looked forward to the days when we could get together and play. In 1957 some of us got the idea of starting a 4-H club in our area and asked Fred (Fritz) and Fern Moffitt to be our leaders. We soon had a meeting at their home to get organized and chose a name for our club. We chose the name Happy Hustlers, much to the disappointment of one of the boys who wanted to call it the Hairy Bee Club. We started out having the meetings in the members homes and eventually moved the meetings to the Church of Christ building 13 miles north of Vona. We always had a good time and there was never a dull moment with Fritz around. A couple ofevents we especially looked forward to were Halloween and our annual hayrack ride and wienie roast. Our leaders and parents went all out on Halloween to create a spook room. They also went to a lot of work in the summer to prepare our hayrack ride which was held in Joy's blowout. My family spent a few winters in Arvada and I started school there. When I was in the fifth grade I started to school at Vona and couple of country folks. We lived there for two years then moved back to Kit Carson County in 1974. Though we missed the forest and hills of the Elizabeth area, we were glad to be back. John went to work for RPM Industries and worked for them for several years before they moved out ofthe area. Since then, he has worked for the Stratton Equity Co-op. Our daughter, Holly Jo, was born at Goodland, Kansas on January 17, 1975. We moved from Stratton to Vona shortly after she was born and she attended kindergarten and first grade at Hi-Plains Elementary in Vona. She attended second through fifth grade at Liberty and is now back at Hi-Plains for sixth grade. One of our favorite things is the Kit Canon County Carousel. I have enjoyed being a member of the Carousel Association for several years and Holly also enjoys helping out occasionally. All of our family enjoys history and Holly and I are currently interested in geneology, crafts, and oil painting. John enjoys reading, sports, and hunting. Elk hunting I've found is a year round project as John and his brother plan their trip for six months and then re-live it for the next six! I will close our story with a favorite verse of mine author unknown. "Let's light the Inmp of -memory/and feel it's glow so warmAMe'll dream awhile of yesterday/and childhood on the farm." by Joyce Miller �MINER, FRANK the flu. I started High School in 1912 and F466 My father, Frank Miner gotto Flagler from Minnesota in December 1906. He arrived in Flagler with all property such as horses and cows and machinery on an immigrant train. He came with a group of men from the gnme locality in Minnesota. In the group was Tom Wright, Otto Bronelle and Fred Miner. Mr. and Mrs. Hodgekins and daughter and her husband, the Lnmbertsons. Win and Ellen McQuat (brother and sigter) and perhaps others. I can't remember. They all filed on claims close by. Elaine Briggs (Posie) was also in the group, and also Tom Wright's wife Esther. The day that my father got to Flagler was the snme day that Dr. H.L. Williams got there. The Miner family c4me by train from St. Peter, Minnesota on January 3, 1907. It was a cold day but very little snow. My father met the train with a big lttmber wagon and a team of horses. The family consisted of Leslie, 13 years old, (born March 19, 1894). Dorothy, 12 years old, (born October 14, 1895) Marjorie, 9 years old, (born October 15, 1898) Stanley, 6 years old, (born Jan 23 1901) and Virginia 2 years old, (born January 20, 1905). My father was 40 years old (born May 24, 1867), and my mother Charlotte Briggs Miner was 33 years old (born April 1, 1870). The family were all born in Nicolett, CO. Minnesota near St. Peter, Minnesota. My father homesteaded on a claim South West of Flagler. He and the other men of the group had built a shack on one of the claims and the women and children slept in the building until my father completed the very livable "dugout" that we lived in. The dugout ,was 24 feet long and about 2O feet wide dug into the south exposure ofa hill. The roofwas covered with eoa and in the Spring it becnme partly covered with grass and weeds. My mother had made a large rag carpet-blue and graduated with the first class that ever graduated from Flagler. 1916. My class consisted of Gilbert Robb, Ray Thompson, Robert Greenleaf, Clark Alexander, Atwood Knies, Agnes Quinn, Mabel Seal, Lydia Schwyn and me, Marjorie Miner. We graduated May 16, 1916. My brother Leslie was ill with inflamatory rheumatism and "leakage of the heart" and he did not go to High School but worked at various jobs. My brother Stanley passed away May 16, 1916 what was then diagnosed as Brights Diseage. My sister Virginia went to high school and graduated 1922. The Miner family moved into Flagler from the homestead after proving up on the homestead. Also want to say, we only lived in the "dugout" a short time. My father built a large sod house just north of the dugout where we miles away. "Before school started my father went back to Kit Carson County, near Beaverton and with the help of Willis Perkins built a nine by twelve sod house for me. Drum, a dog, belonging to Harry Loomis, dug a hole almost through the sod in front of my soddy before I moved in. When it was time for school to start, I rode the Rock Island Railroad train from Denver to Stratton. Mr. Perkins let my father borrow a tenm and wagon to meet me at the station. After my trunks, bed, etc. were loaded, a drenching rain started so we had to stay in Stratton overnight. The next day after a drive of some twenty miles we came past Beaverton, and on to the Willis Perkins place. For some reffron we slept at the abandoned Dickey Place, and that night I was new bait for all the hungry insects in this house. By morning my face was a mass of ugly red bites and I looked horrible. That afternoon a whole buggy full of children came to the house to lived the last year of our time on the see the new teacher! homestead. "When I anived at the school - also. built of sod - I found the blackboard to be three boards about four feet long. At one time, they had been painted black. There was a small heater in the middle of the room, and the walls were unpainted." Ruth Ganett play the piano beautifully and people from miles away used to get together and sing. Victor Mitchell, another My mother, Charlotte Miner, died Dec. 9, 1954. My father Frank Miner died Sept. 2, 1959. My brother Leslie died Feb. 24, 1938. At the time of this writing the only members of our family are Virginia Miner Blackford and Marjorie Miner Allison. by Marjorie Allison homesteader, came to these song fests. Before MITCHELL, RUTH NAOMI GARRETT their homest€ading days were over, they were engaged, and in the fall of 1914, they were married in Denver, Colorado. I nm their oldest daughter. F467 by Helen Mitchell McDowell MITCIIELL, WILLIAM VICTOR white and had it woven before we left Minnesota so we had that on the ground F468 :a::a',.1':, flood. After the old Majestic range was placed in the middle, the beds in three corners and the dining table and chairs in the other corner; we were very well fixed and very comfortable. Leslie, Dorothy and I (Marjorie) went to gchool at Mt. Pleasant School. The men had built a small building and the first year we borrowed books from a nearby school. Some of my books had been used by Gilbert and Pearl Robb who were also early settlere. We had several different teachers, one was Nellie Norburn. The last teacher I had was Ida M. Cassidy. She was a sister of Mr. Gibson who published the Flagler Progress. Mrs Cassidy was an excellent teacher Our 8th grade class consigted of Fred Joels, Lawrence Buck, Agnes Stellar, Gertrude Gibson, (She was Mrs. Cassidy's niece) and me, Marjorie Miner. Jennie Tressel was the Co. Superintendent, and we took a very hard co. exam. We all passed, due to the coaching of Mrs. Cassidy. My sister Dorothy went to Flagler and stayed with the Ora Bodwell family and went to High School, some of her classmates were Winnie Anderson, Robert Weller, George Quinn and Nathaniel (Than) McBride. On February 28, 1911 my sister Dorothy passed away after complications following Ruth Garret's sod school house Ruth Naomi Garrett was born September 22, 1889 in Denver, Colorado. Her parents, John Fletcher Garrett and Rachel Asquith Fitts homesteaded near Cuba. Kansas before moving to Denver where John Garrett was a minister, and later the District Superintendent of the Free Methodist Church. In 1911, at a time when few women went to college, Ruth Garrett graduated from Denver University. However, this accomplishment did not satisfy her. She wanted land.. .Her f.ather and grandfather had homesteaded in Kansas and her great grandfather was one of the earliest white settlers in Indiana, and later in the Illinois territory. Though unaccustomed to the hardships of prairie life, she took a homestead in Kit Carson County. Following is an account of some of her experiences as she wrote them shortly before her death in 1973: "My father had gone out from Denver to Kit Carson County to preach. He knew I wanted to homestead and found a quarter section ofland open for filing; I was fortunate to get a job teaching the school some two Victor Mitchell on homestead 1911. William Victor Mitchell was born in Ohio on September 25, 1886. His parents were David Leroy Mitchell and Sarah Aricula Johnson. His great, great grandfather, Samuel Mitchell, came to America in 17?1 from Derry County, Ireland, and settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He fought in the American Revolution. After the war, he moved his family to the western Virginia frontier, and later in 1813 settled in Ohio in the newly opened Northwest Territory in Preble County. The Johnsons, the nsme was originally Johnston, had come to Ohio by the way of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky in �the early 1800's. Victor's father died when he was three years old, leaving his mother in very difficult circumstances. When he wag thirteen, having finished the eighth grade, he went to work supporting himeelf. In 1910 he cnme to Kit Carson County and filed on a homestead. This haff section of land was twelve miles south of Bethune, but he received his mail at Beaverton which was six miles northwest of his homestead. He built a house of sod on this land and lived there until he proved up on the pl,ace in 1914. In the fall of that year he married Ruth Naomi Garrett whom he had met while she was living on her homest€ad some three miles away. They lived first in Weld County, Colorado where their first child, Helen Gail, and Victor followed her in 1974. They are buried in Rushsylvania, Ohio. by llelen Gail Mitchell McDowell MONROE FAMILY F469 until 1935. In 1921 a son, Marvin Victor, was born. Another daughter, Alice Jean, was born in 1932. Dr. Remington cnme all the way from Burlington, about twenty five miles, to make house calls after these babies were born. The Mitchell land lay in the Norton School district. Here both Helen and Sarah started to school. Later the land was transferred into the First Central District which boast€d a high school. Victor Mitchell drove a school bus some years and Ruth taught school at various times to try to supplement the poor farm income. There was church and Sunday School at the First Central School. The Mitchells were usually there having many times driven a \pagon or buggy the long six miles to attend. Drought was a constant companion of the Kit Carson County farmer, and there was always just enough moisture to tempt him to Btay "one more" year. It was a great "next year" country, but the rain rarely came. There were blizzards that howled down unexpectedly and left all marooned for days in a solid white world. Finally there were the dust storms that cnme in the thirties and tore away the top eoil and the spirit of those who had hoped to make the prairie bloom. In 1935 the Mitchells gave up and moved to Ohio. There, through hard work and perseverance, they soon owned their own farm again. Three of their children, Sarah, Marvin and Jean live in Ohio. Helen lives in neighboring Kentucky. Ruth died in 1973 homestead. Mom passed away on May 18, 1930. Vernon and Orval of the boys went to the service, Vernon to the Navy and Orval to the Army. ffi'' On Oct. 31, 1931, Pop married Cleo Roxie (Elsey) Inman. She was born the oldest daughter of Ernest E. and Mary M. Elsey, June 11, 1904 at Lineville, Iowa. Papa and Cleo resided on a farm 2 miles north of Vona until 1960, when they moved into Burlington. (This farm land is now owned by Raymond Elsenbart (1987). Cleo had four children of her own: Jo-es C. Inman, Paul G., Frances (Foxworthy-Gonsalves), and Doris (Kerr). was born in 1915. In 1918 during World War I the MitcheUe moved back to their homest€ads and began farming them. Early in the spring they piled into their new Model T touring car and headed back to Kit Cargon County. There in May, their second daughtcr, Sarah Grace was born. Mrs. Guthrie, a wonderful Scotch lady from Burlington came to manage the household during that period. There was no well at this place and water had to be hauled in. Soon a new survey determined that their new house, made of rough lumber and covered with tarpaper' was on another man's property; this was above what came to be known as the correction line. Victor set to work building a sod house on the south side of this correction line. The sod was cut from the west quarter section of land and for years it was possible to see where the sod had been taken. The tarpaper covered house was moved to the new location, a deep well was drilled and the family lived in this soddv wheat was thrown upon the barge by the header, and then thrown off by hand to a stack, where it was later thrown by hand into the threshing machine. The Lloyd brothers helped work the harvest many years. All ten of these children were born at the Nine children were born to this union: Vaughn Dean, Jean Marie, Chester Lee, Helen Rena and the twins Bonnie Kaye The Monroes: Everett, Ira, Chester Alvin (Pop), Vernon, Raymond, Orval. (Sitting), Grace, Edna, Neva, Irene (Toots), Inez. Chester Alvin Monroe was born to Rhoda Monroe on March 26, 1885, in Milo, Iowa. Shortly after his birth he was taken to the home of his relatives living in Washington County, Kansas and remained there until 1905. The winter of 1904, he spent working on the large Lavington Ranch near Seibert. He returned to Ks. where he was united in marriage to Anna Alkire, on Aug. 22, 1905' Anna May was the daughter of Isaac Richard, and Mary Ann Alkire, and was born on May 22, L885 in Haddam, Kansas. In 1906, Chester and Anna and their baby Vernon cq-e by wagon to Colorado. He homest€aded 5 miles north and % mile east of Vona, Colorado. Chester's mother also took a homestead just east of the folk's place. Ten children were born to this union: Vernon Orin, Gracie May (Maag)' (Mick) Everett Roy, Ira Earl, Raymond Arthur, (Wheeler) and Ronnie Faye. Three children died in infancy and Chest€r Lee passed away at the age of 19, in 1960. The Vona school that year dedicated its school annual to his memory. Papa had a real interest in farming and raising cattle and belonged to the Colorado Cattleman's Assn. He was a member of the Farmers Equity Union of Vona, a chairman ofthe board ofthe Vona-Joes Telephone Co., and a member of the school board a number of different times. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Vona, and had a keen interest in the rebuilding of the church after it burned down. The picture of our family was taken at one of our many reunions. We had 107 members of the family present at this reunion. On Memorial Day we always try to get together in the Vona Lion's Hall or park for a picnic. Papa passed away Dec. 4, 1,965, in Burlington, and at the time of his death his family consisted of 13 children, 4 step-children, 53 grandchildren, and 59 great-grandchildren. On April 1, 1987, Edna, Ira, and wife Gertrude, Orval and Mick's wife Isabelle, were recorded by a video carnera, by Edna's son Brad, and we were able to see it instantly on the TV, while we were recalling this story. by Edna Doughty myself, Edna Alice (Doughty), Geneva (Neva) Belle (Wasson-Finley), Orval Ward, Roxie Irene (Crist), and Inez Gertrude (Standley-Youngren). At one time, Papa went back to Kansas to get work; he left Mom to care for the homestead, children, and the chores. One day when she went after the cows she tied Vernon to the iron boiler so he wouldn't get lost, but it wasn't long before he broke the handles off' Another time, when she went after the cows, Gracie pushed the baby, Everett (Mick) off the stove. He received a severe burn from this incident. In about 1919, I think, Chester and the older boys built an adobe house on the homestead. Rawley Scott, Bert Kvestad, and others helped also, maybe even Cornelius Classen. The basement was dug and the dirt mixed with water in a pit around the house. A horse was ridden around in the mud to mix the adobe and it was set up to form the walls with a mud fork. Ira recalled the days when wheat was put up with a header and header barge. The MOORE FAMILY F470 George Moore, who was born at Blue Rapids, Kansas, on Aug. 21, 1884 and Marga- ret Edwards, born at Loomis, Nebr., on June 12, 1885, were married on December 14, 1910 in Washington, Kansas. As young children, both had accompanied their families to Washington County, Kansas, in covered wagons in the late 1800's. Dad was a barber and Mother a telephone operator at Morrowville, Kansas. They moved to a farm near Washington, Kansas, in 1913. Two children, Mildred and Muriel were born. In October, 1919, they moved to eastern Colorado, hopingthe change in climate would benefit Muriels'health. The family made the trip in a Model T Ford touring car, pulling a small trailer, bringing our dog and cat with us. The rest of our belongings were shipped by rail to Seibert. They farmed and raised �cattle, hogs, chickens, etc. In the fall, Dad hauled grain to Seibert with tesm and wagon and brought home coal by the ton and all staples flour, sugar, etc., by the 100 lbs. or by case.-The neighbors would group together and go to Canon City after a Model T truck load of apples in the fall. Each family raised their own beans, potatoes, popcorn, etc., and butchered their own meat. We never used cow chips for fuel but I picked up tons ofcorn cobs for fuel. We lived in a 2-room soddy with a sod roof that had a big "pig-eared" cactus, red and yellow, blooming every spring. The sod would deteriorate and need replacing often. I rode a horse to school, attending Fremont through the 8th grade, and then riding to Shiloh, 7 7z miles each way three years to high school, graduating from Flagler High School in 1929. My brother, Paul Moore, was born in July of 1926 and my brother, Muriel, died in October, 1927, from asthma and heart trouble. We made our own entertainment. We attended church and Sunday School at Shiloh. Rev. W.J. Petersen of south of Seibert, was our minister for years. The schools had "Literaries" during the winter with debates and programs. At Christmas there were progrnms and treats and gift exchanges. When the candles were lighted on the Christmas trees, the men stood near with pails of water to dowse the fire in case one should start. Radios were few and TV as yet unknown. My parents had a sale in 1945 and spent the winter in Texas. In the spring of 1946, they bought a home in Flagler and enjoyed their retirement and gardening. My father served as Justice of the Peace for the community for a number of years. My father passed away in June of 1969 and mother in September of that year. by Mildred Moore Miller Carl Franklin Morgan, son of Elroy Clifton and Mary (Hall) Morgan, was born in a rock house north of Dorrance, Kansas. He was united in marriage to Mary Eddings Crayne, daughter of Thomas Elbert and Minnie (Eddings) Crayne of Tasco, Kansas, on October 22,19L9. In March of 1922, Carl, Calvin and Ralph Humrich (Ralph was married to Carl's sister, Rosie) decided to move south of Bethune, Colorado. It took them one month to move the 150 miles because they could go no more than five miles a day. They pulled a cookshack and had 35 head of livestock, horses and mules. At Colby, Ks. they encountered a bad blizzard that was blowing across the plains. They went on the highway (only dirt then) and through the main streets of towns. Goodland, Ks. had the cobblestone street that is still in use today. The men took the train back to get their wives and children and to begin their new life in Colorado. They milked the cows, sold the cream for 30 cents a gallon and used this money to purchase groceries. (This was a trade and the people in the Burlington area still say, "do my trading"). Carl purchased some hounds for the purpose of hunting and made a good living from selling the coyote pelts for $9.00 a piece and skunk pelts for 91.50. The three men killed over 100 coyotes one winter. During this time their three children were born, Doyle, Gene and Bonnie. Mr. Kemp came in a big Packard car and he was looking for a family to live on 1,659 acres of grassland 25 miles northeast of Burlington. This place was originally the Jim Barnett place (grandfather to Iva Stephens and Don Teman). Carl accepted the opportunity and moved his family. The sunflowers were so high you could hardly see the tworoom house but couldn't miss all of the rattlesnakes. Carl farmed the land with 8 head of horses until 1930 when he bought a McCormick-Deering tractor at the Ted Anderson sale, MORGAN FAMILY F47l The first car they owned was a Baby Overland. They later bought a second hand Model T for 9125.00. The new Model int924 sold for $590.00. The Great Depression, October 1g29, triggered by the stock market crash caused an unemploSnnent of 12 million. More than 37,000 banks and corporations failed by 1931. The drought came at the snme time and the wind blew so hard the dirt clouds darkened the sky. Times were very difficult for the whole area. One time Carl recalls that he didn't have enough money to buy groceries. A neighbor (Ralph Clark, father of Della statler) cnme with several horses that he wanted pastured and he paid in advance. What an answer to prayer. Big gane hunting was a big excitement each fall. Carl always took his sons hunting. A hunting party was formed with friends and neighbors. Some years the women joined in - it was a special time. Thinking of other special times: Mary played the guitar, Carl the mouth-harp, Doyle, Gene, Bonnie and Mary sang. They were asked to sing at the Farm Bureau Carl and Mary Morgan at their home in Burlington, Colorado, taten for their 65th wcdding anniversary, October 22, Lg8/- meetings and school programs. They entered an amateur conteston KMMJ in Clay Center, Nebraska and won first place. Carl served his country during World War I until the armistice ended the war on November 11, 1918. Doyle and Gene also served time during World War II on the front line in Germany and France. Mary wrote them every day. The war walr over in 194b. What a happy day for the Morgan's when the boys cnme home. In February of 1963, the purchased their home in Burlington and leftthe days of trying to make a living from the land. They are especially glad when the blizzards come and they have no cattle to feed or milk. But the plains of Colorado are home to Carl and Marv and they have enjoyed 64 years in the areal by Kathryn Anderson Morgan MORROW - TAYLOR FAMILY F472 My parents, Sam Morrow and Gertie W. Taylor, were married in Wayne, Nebraska. Their wedding announcement was printed in the local newspaper as follows: "fn Wayne, by Judge Hunter, on Saturday, Dec. 29, 1899, Miss Gertie W. Taylor to Mr. Sa-uel Morrow. This is the kind of notice the Tribune delights in publishing, next to the arrival of kids, and we heartily congratulate this estimable young couple on the wise move they have made. The groom is well known here as being a sober, industrious and energetic young m{rn, and the bride is more than usually cultured and attractive. Mav they have a long and happy life is the sincere wish of the Tribune ." At the turn of the century, Israel Morrow and two of his sons, Frank and gem, came together in covered wagons with mule teqms and a few cattle. All homesteaded in the snme area, 18 miles northeast of Burlington. My parents homesteaded the 160 acres which is still owned and farmed by the youngest son, Sam. Daddy's possessions were a teqm of mules, a moldboard plow, a few household items and 9100. Mother and Rell (10 mos. old) came later by train to Kanarado, Ks., and spent a week at Germann's Hotel until the sod house was livable. When they arrived it wasn't completed on the inside so Mother hung sheets over the eating and cooking area to keep out the dirt. When the house was finished with windows, plaster, wallpaper and wooden floor, it was very cozy and comfortable in the winter and cool - warm in the summer. The cookstove was alwavs used. Fuel was coal (when we could afford ii), corn cobs (ifavailable) and the always - cow chips! Though we always had chickens, Mother said the cows were our security for meat, butter and fuel, milk and cream to sell. Daddy would take his mule teqm and go help neighbors for 50 cents a day or exchange work or machinery (as everyone was in the same circumstances). The homestead was covered with buffalo gass so tall that Mother made Rell wear a red bonnet so she could keep track of him. Daddy, using his mule team and moldboard plow, walked, turning the sod and working the soil to plant the garden and crops ofwheat and corn. This was dry land farming, trusting in the Lord to eend rain. What faith! Daddy's pride and joy were his registered Percheron mares and stallions. These, along with other horses and mules, made good reliable power for all the farm work. �MORTON, LeROY AND Id.AZEI l E47g LeRoy and Hazel Morton moved in 1940 to take over the farm of Mrs. Mary Morton, LeRoy's mother. This farm was just southeast of the Pond Creek school house. Their daughter Judy was one year old and Juanita was born there in 1943. Judy attended the Pond Creek School until it closed and then she went to Smoky Hill. Juanita also attend- as Daddy died March 18, and buried at ed Smoky Hill. The Mortons were involved in all of the social activities, especially the Sunday School and Hazel belonged to the Friendship Circle Extension Homemakers Club. LeRoy was a brother of Jane Morton Matthews and both families were active in the Smoky Hill Community. The farm was sold to the Elbert brothers in 1952 and then the Mortons moved into a house they had purchased in Goodland, and moved into Burlington locatcd at 340 9th St. Another daughter, Kimberly was born while. theylived in Burlington. Theybuiltthe Dairy Queen and operated it for about four years, then moved to Englewood, Colo. in 1956. All three of their daughters live close to them in Englewood, and they now have 7 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. LeRoy and Hazel were both employed at the Gates Rubber Company and have recently retired. They are thankful for good health and they continue to help raise the coming to help plow a fire breaker strip. Winter Beaver Valley Cemetery. This was a shock to everyone and a tragedy for Mother who was made sure the wintcr food supply was bought early. The 100 # bags of sugar and 50 lb bags of flour were in cloth bags. These were left with five children: Rell 16, Ted 13, Mate 11, Sam 8, and Gertrude 5. Life was never the sa-e. But Mother rose above the loss and the spring crop was planted with the kindness of neighbors, especially Ralph Clark. Rell be- generations. They treasure their time in the Smoky Hill The Morrow Fr-ily: Aunt Sarah Love, Gertrude Morrow, Gertrude, Sam Morrow, Rell Morrow, Ted Morrow, So- Morrow, Mate Monow and dog, Ring. There were many anxious times: not enough rain, the possibility of hail to ruin the crop, rattlesnakes, or prairie fires. When a fire was spotted, Daddy would take his fastest 1snm, put the plow in the wagon, and take off blizzards were very dangerous. Everyone carefully chosen so the material matched, because it was used to make clothing for the family. When Rell was 8 years old he was bitten on the shin by a rattlesnake. He ran the r/z mile home, Daddy made a crigs-cross cut to make it bleed, then they headed for the doctor in horse and buggy. Rell recovered and lived to be 79 years old. Life was very primitive: water was carried to the house in buckets, water was heated in the water reservoir on the back of the cookstove. Baths were taken in the largest wash tub in front of the cookstove, everyone using the seme water! There were outdoor toilets, Searg Roebuck catalogs for toilet paper, feather mattresses, or cornhusk mattresses which were filled fresh each fall. The neighborhood tclephone was on the barbed wire fence, which worked fine until a fence was repaired causing a short. Each family had their own ring and you could count the clicks and know how many were "rubbering" (listening in). The school houge was used as the center of community events: occasionally a Sunday School during the summer (no church). When school was in session there would be programs, usually with a box supper. The young folks had to make their own entertainment barn hay lofts made good places to have a dance, singing "Skip to My Lou", etc. No music usually. These were pioneer days requiring detcrmination to live, the cooperation of all family members and neighbors. You knew you had to work, for you had to pay as you went - there were no charge accounts! In January 1917, Daddy and Mother went via train to the Stock Show in Denver and left the children with dear Hannah Staulgreen. This was their first and only trip for pleasure Community and try to attend the Annual Picnic whenever they can. by Bernice Eberhart ceme a man overnight. Daddy had bought a new Titan tractor and had never driven it. The neighbors tried to get Mother to return it but her answer: "No, if Snm thought we needed it, we still need it", which was true. As years passed, we all shared in the work. Money gained from the sale of cream and milk was made to stretch enough to supplement the food from the farm. As many as 20 cows would be milked by hand. At harvest time, 3 meals a day were cooked on the cookstove for 12-15 men. This lasted L-2 weeks, depending on the crop. There wan no time to "goof off'. About 1920, the sod house began to fall apart. Due to the high wheat prices of WW I, Mother was able to tear down the soddy and replace it (in the same spot) with a large good but not as warm as frame house - verythe house the soddy. While was being built, we lived in two empty granaries, which was quite an experience! During WW I, teachers were scarce so Mother went back to teaching (always her joy) at Plainview School 2 1/z miles avtay, where all 8 grades were taught. She took us along, except Rell and Ted. Mother taught most of the time up to 1928. She also did private tutoring. On Nov. 16, 1945, Mother passed away at home surrounded by 20 members of her loving family and friends. by Sam Morrow MOSS - BAXTER, FLORA BELLE r'474 In 1911, Flora (Flo) Bell Moss arrived in Flagler by train with family members. Her father, Judson, and older brother, Roy, had preceded them, bringing the family belongings by horse and wagon. Other members who came were her mother, Carrie; brother, Orson; and sister, Bess; her husband, Art Strong, and son, Maynard, adopted after sister Edna's husband had been killed in a buzz-saw accident. The Moss family homestead was several miles southeast of town. The Art Strongs homesteaded near town. At the Mosses, after digging several dry wells, water wag finally located some distance from the house. In later years when Flo was asked what modern convenience she would miss the most (expecting her to say washing machine, refrigerator or other appliance) she surprised us by answering "Running water in the house" which we took for granted. - Sometime during the years they home- steaded, Judson Moss worked for the Sinton Dairy in Colorado Springs. He was in charge of the milking barn. Carrie and Flo also worked there as cooks. Before moving to Colorado, their homes were in and around Belvidere, Illinois, where Flo taught school a short time - which she did not enjoy. �better pianist. On August 11, 1914, Flo was married to G.M. Baxter. George Gibbs was the officiating minister and Art and Bess signed as witnesses. Bess and Mr. Winegar supplied the music. Among the 40 guests were the Gibbs, Winnie, Nina and Dewey Anderson, Aubrey Walker, Alma Weller, Hazel Searcy, Iva Reynolde, Claude, Opal and James Gw1rn, Mabel Seal, Agnes Quinn, Opal Parke, Marjorie Miner and Flo's family. George's family was unable to attend becauge of the distance from their home in Kansas. Flo took her piano to the soddy on her homestead where the young couple lived. She continued to give lessons at her parents' home in Flagler. Music played an important part in her life. She enjoyed classical, semi- : ,:i:llii:at:,i: .irtti :ilridlillr',,ti Flo (at left in picture) with one ofher many Congregational Church Choirs 1950 or 51. Others in the picture are: Back Row: Alice Fruhling-Liggett, Lee and Louise Lavington, David Rowden, Cecil Jackson. Front Row: Nettie Deniston, Mabel Eberhart, Doris Rowden, Tom Creighton, Bill Deniston. classical, religious and popular music. Her repertoire of ragtime pieces (committed to memory) was the highlight of many informal gatherings. Her talent was much sought aftcr for dances, school activities, community progrnms, funerals, etc. She even accompan- ied Chautauqua several different years as well as providing background for the silent movies at the Flagler theater. For countless years she helped with graduation, music festivals, homecomings, even during the school day, she accompanied choruses and glee clubs if an accompanist was not available in the school. Her most important musical contribution was to the Flagler Congregational Church where she was pianist and organist from Januar5r 1926 to September 1971. (A Hnmmond organ was purchased in memory of her husband, George, who died in 1948). As a young lady in Belvidere, she had played pipe organ at the Baptist Church where she was a member. In 1922, Bess died and shortly after this the Moeses and Art Strong (an early manager of the Flagler power plant) returned to Illinoig. Flo loved to travel and made several trips back to see her family. She planned extended family trips, the most memorable being to the World's Fairs in Chicago in 1934 and New York in 1939 (included in this trip was Canada and much of the East coast), and the West coast in 1941. Another adventure was a Colorado mountain trip in lg28 along the Front Range. In later years, she enjoyed many trips with Jean and her two granddaughters who made their home with her Flo in 1942 or 43. Flo, George and Jud around 1918 in the yard of home 12 mileg southeast of Flagler. Another job was at a local sewing machine factory where she put eyes in needles. Flo wae born at Belvidere on December 25. a Christmas baby, which may explain why -she always loved the holiday preparations. All her relatives and friends looked forward to her packages as each held a generous sampling of her delicious candies for which she was well known. She graduated from Belvidere High School in 1909. One of 1890 the great joys of her life was music. She started chording on the piano and pump organ, later playing by ear at an early age. This gift continued to add much to her musical ability. Her entire family was musical, especially her sister, Bess, who was provided with piano lessons which were then taught to Flo thus getting two lessons for - the price of one! Flo later rode the electric train to Chicago where Bess had moved after marrying Art Strong to help her give piano lessons. This collaboration continued in Flagler where the two sisters continued teaching piano. One program has been saved listing the music pupils of Mrs. Strong and Miss Moss for a recital at Seal's Hall on April 25, 1913. Their pupils included Helen and Opal Parke (daughters of Mrs. George Gibbs) Agnes Quinn, Retta Epperson, Mabel Seal, Gertrude Gibson, Winnie Anderson (Mrs. Aub- rey Walker) Flo and Bess, and Mr. W.W. Winegar (violinist). The program consisted of readings, vocal and piano solos and duets. Both Bess and Flo continued to give piano lessons until her death and Flo into - Bess the 1950's. The sisters provided entertainment for many community functions. Flo felt that Bess (who had played pipe organ at both a church and a theater in Chicago) was the from 1954. In September 1971, her health began to deteriorate following surgery. She died at the Limon nursing home after a six month stay. She was born on Christmas day 1890, and died on the Fourth ofJuly 1975. Although she was a devoted wife and mother, her 60 years of musical contributions to the communitv were incalculable. by Jean K. Mudd MOSS, LEE AND REBA F476 Reba (Oliver) Moss was born at Elder, Ks., daughter of Cyrus and Minnie (Sweet) Oliver. Brothers and sisters were Ross, John, Irma, Alma, Marie, Merle, Reba, Gertrude, Marjorie, Nedra, Garold and Joe. Reba's father came to their homestead 12 mi. N. between Seibert and Vona by covered wagon. The mother and 8 children came bv train. �They raised corn, and barley to feed the horses, cows, pigs, and chickens. Milked cows, separated, milk - fed the calves, and pigs, and had lots of cream, and butter, for home use. The youngsters helped cut corn with a knife for winter feed, for stock. They raieed lots of watermelons, and would cut corn a while, then eat watermelon. Neighbors were Pearl Bancrofts, McBlairs, Frank Bogers, Fred Martins. They drove teo- and wagon to visit in each other's homee. The children attended Bancroft school SW of their home, and also Boger school, with 8 grades, east of them. They walked 5 mi. to, and from school every day. Some of their teachers were Elizabeth Wrenn, Mrs. Broadstreet, John Husband, and Mr. Wagner (who had an artificial leg). When he was tagged to be'JT', he held his artificial leg straight out and hopped. There was lots of entertainment - ciphering matches, literary meets, music eve4nnrhere, and a barn dance at Olivers every Saturday night. Mr. Oliver played the violin. And for the younger set there was baseball, ante-over, fox and geese, black man, last couple out, drop the handkerchief, or playing in the sand creek and digging down to water. While a group was playrng one day, Reba sat on the side of the tank, and fell into the freshly pumped cold water. The other children ran around the house screaming. There was Sunday School, and Church at the Boger and Shiloh schools. The preacher cn-e with I tenm and buggy from Erie, and spent the night at Olivers. During the 1918 flu epidemic, there were 14 family members in bed at one time (including Irma, and little son who had come to visit). Nedra was unconscious for 10 days. When she awakened she eaid, "Daddy, what'd I do with my clothes last night?" Garold served in WW I. Roes had the flu when his call came and he could not go. The mother did not knit for WW I, but was an excellent seamstress. Mr. Oliver died in 1938, and she in 1941. Reba married Charles Lee Moss 11-281923. They lived in an adobe house, on the Oliver place, on Hell Creek. They had one daughter, Rosalee (Moss) Loutzenhiser. They moved to Flagler in 1957. Lee's parents came from South Dakota about the same time as the Oliver fanily. Lee's health failed and he died 8-24-1969. by Lorris Wickham MOUNTAIN DRAGER FAMILY F476 School during the busy harvest season of those times, she met Jesse Edwin (Ed) Mountain, one of a dozen wheat harvesters eating every day at the kitchen dinner table. He had just been discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps and arrived from San Diego to drive a wheat truck for his brother for the bumper crop of 1946. Ed was born in Buffalo, Oklahoma, later moving to Colorado with his parents and eight brothers and sisters and attended schools in Rocky Ford, Ordway, and Canon City. He joined the U.S. marine Corps in 1943 serving in the Asiatic-Pacific area. Evelyn and Ed were married in Trinity Lutheran Church in Burlington on July 23, 1950. Evelyn taught school in Bethune, Kanorado, and Burlington retiring in 1960 to rear a family. Ed worked at Burlington Building and Supply as a cement foreman and farmed wheat. Ed Mountain Cement Construction was formed in 1963 and prospered during the prosperity and growth of Burlington in the 60's and 70's. The wheat farm 10 miles south of Peconic was purchased at an auction in 1968, one of life's "greatest moments" for Ed as he had farmed it since 1947. Being selected "Young Mother of the Year" of the Rocky Mountain States that same year was a highlight for Evelyn. Ed continues with the cement construction and wheat farming. He is retired from the Volunteer Fire Department after 26 years of active services and has 24 years of perfect attendance in the local Lion's Club. Evelyn has been equally active in several service, educational, and social organizations. When her "baby" went to the first grade Evelyn went back to teaching now in her 16th year at Burlington Middle School. Trinity Lutheran is the family church. Three daughters, Roxie Ann, Candi Sue, and Sandee Jo, always their "pride and joy", filled the home with love and adventure. All three girls graduated from Burlington High School, their home away from home! They were active in all varsity sports, drqma, plays, band, flag corps, choir and cheerleading. As youngsters, Mom was a leader for their Girl Scout troops and Sunshine 4-H Clug. County Fair was always an exciting week. The girls all won their share of medals with the Burlington Competitive Swim Team. All three feel they've had the "good life" of a traditional "hometown" including Grandma and Grandpa Drager out on the family farm to love them and share experiences. They still laugh aboutthe Easter they spent on the farm hunting Easter baskets and eggs nmong the haystacks and barns like Mom used to do. Roxie and Candi are graduates of UNC and teach school in Limon and Springfield, respectively. Sandee is an elementary educa- tion major at Fort Hays State University graduating in May, 1986. Evelyn Drager Mountain was born in Burlington, the oldest of four children of Henry and Flora Drager. She attended Smoky Hill, a ten year school, and harbors fond memories of school plays, track meets, baseball games, box suppers, basket dinners, and Saturday night square dances. Education continued in Burlington High School graduating with the claes of 1947. She was awarded a "joint honor" Scholarship to Colorado The local lake at Bonny has brought countless summer weekends of family fun and togetherness boating, skiing, and fishing the past dozen years. In conclusion: We all love living in a little town, Where you wave your hand and say "hello." For every house in a little town, Is more than a house. it's a home! by Evelyn and Ed Mountain MURPIIY, COLEMAN AND MATTIE wrLMorH F477 The Coleman Murphy family taken August 21, 1955: Father Coleman, Mother Mattie, Florence, Lionel, Loyd and Loren. Seated: Awetta, Dale, Twila and Troy. Coleman Elmer Murphy was born, April 26, 1886, at Rexford, KS, in Thomas County, to Herbert J. Murphy, born October 18, 1862 in Randolph County, West Virginia, and Almeda Bell (Gower) Murphy, born December 20, 1862, in Tucker County, West Virginia. Coleman's father died, July 29, 1893, at the age of 31 years and was buried in the corner of their farm at Gem, KS. At the age of 7, Coleman became "head of the household" and helped his mother raise three other children, a sister Mina Evelyn (Minnie), and brothers: Albertis (Bert), and Floyd Edward. Almeda, Coleman's mother, filed on a tree claim two miles west of Kit Carson County, when she first came west in 1887 or 1888. Coleman, his Uncle Ellis Murphy and Lonnie Christie, came to Colorado by team of horses and wagon to look around. They then stayed all night in Seibert. Coleman and Ellis Murphy, Lonnie and Mitchell Christie, all came back and filed for homesteads in November, 1907, through the U.S. Land Office at Hugo, CO. They all homesteaded south of Seibert near the correction line. Mattie Bell Wilmoth, born April 11, 1887, at Kearns, West Virginia, to Charles Wyatt Wilmoth and Lousia A. (Murphy) Wilmoth, born October 30, 1868. On February 21, 1895, Mattie's mother died at the age of twentyseven, leaving Mattie only seven years old, who also helped raise a fanily at an early age, sister Lou, brother Harvey and baby boy Arthur, who died in infancy. Her sister, Lousetta, married an uncle of Coleman's, Ellis Murphy. They came to Kansas but returned for a visit to West Virginia, and Mattie returned to Western Kansas with them. Mattie and Coleman were married March 3, 1908 at Seibert, CO, by a Preacher Seibert. To this union were born five boys and five girls: Florence Alveretta, Lionel Floyd, Lena Sylvia, Loyd Harvey, Grace Elaine, Loren Arthur, Troy Ellis, Twila Arleene, Dale Herbert, and Arvetta Rose (Betty). Mattie filed on a homestead just across the University and later transferred to Colorado State Teachers College graduating with a B.A. and a life teaching certificate. road from Coleman's claim in either late November or early December of 1907, through a county judge at Burlington, but I Mountain wheat farm north of Smoky Hill can find no records of this in Burlington. She did not prove up on this. Coleman and Mattie While helping Frieda on the Howard �moved into their soddy on the homestead, April 1, 1908. The frame house was built approximately 1919 and is being torn down now. They occupied the homestead until they held a farm sale in 1950, having sold their farm to W.B. Weaver of Larned. Kansas in December 1949. Coleman then moved to Flagler, Colorado where they built a home and resided until their deaths. Coleman purchased the pool there in 1950 and operated it. Due to his son Troy's health, he gave up farming and went into the pool hall with his and later was owner, Mattie died April 16, 1969 and Coleman remained in the home, until health caused him to go to the hospital, and after a two months stay in the hospital and the Prairie View Nursing Home in Limon, he passed away July 6, L974. Both are buried in the Flagler Cemetery at Flagler, Colorado. Lena (Murphy) Patterson, Grace Elaine Murphy, Loren Arthur Murphy and Florence (Murphy-McCart) Gibbs are all deceased. Lionel resides at Safford, Arizona, (Betty) Arvetta Rose Randall atTalihina, Oklahoma, Loyd and Troy both at Flagler, Colorado, Dale at Goodland, Kaneas and Twila Gorton at Seibert, Colorado. by Twila Gorton MYRICK - JESSEN FAMILY F478 road that year, for this day was her birthday. In Castle Rock, Keith owned his own concrete contractor business and before their marriage, on May, 29, t970, Yvonne was working at Porter Memorial Hospital, in Englewood, CO., as a Licensed Practical Nurge. Now they were about to live their dren-s of becoming ranchers. A small herd of cattle was purchased from Len Beeson and then Brenda Jean was born on Feb. L2, L975. Nine months later the Myricks moved to the Walter Herndon place, one mile west. This was their place of residence until Sept., 1980, when they moved back onto their ovm property, "the old Husenetter place", residing in a mobile home. Robbie attended K-6 at Stratton Elemen- tary and 7th grade, (at the time of this writing), at Stratton Junior/Senior High. She is an accomplished flutiest and enjoys mar- ching and concert band, volleyball and baeketball. Her plans for the future are to be a "secretary/receptionist". Brenda attended K-5, (at the time of this writing), and she is already an accomplished clarinetist and is looking forward to sports in Junior/Senior High School. Her future plans are still in the making. by Yvonne Myrick Keith won second place,($lO), for'Iongest beard', In the spring of 1974, George 'Keith' Myrick and a friend, Charles Miller, left on a journey from Castle Rock, CO., to southeast of Stratton, CO., to make the "old Husenetter place" livable. During the week a blizzard hit, but they kept up the work and at the end of the week, Keith was able to return to Castle Rock, where his wife, Yvonne Carol (Jesgen) Myrick and daughter Robbie Cay, were waiting his arrival. April 24, 1974, was spent moving from Castle Rock to the ranch/farm of Stratton. Robbies first birthday was celebrated on the cattle and we were always afraid, but they never took after us. Our first teacher was Eva White. Later she married a man from south of Kanorado and continued to make her home in this new country. After a few years she died and was buried in the Kanorado Cemetery. When papa and mamawould go to town for the monthly supplies in the wagon, my sister and I would be left at home to look after things. We always kept our eyes peeled for tramps who sometimes roamed around the country, begging for eats. We were always afraid one would come but none ever did. One thing we always did when mama was gone was to get into her mincemeat jar and pick out all the nice large raisins and eat all we could andthen finish up with brown sugar, which we seldom had otherwise. The raisins in those days were so much larger than they are now, and were real good, especially seasoned by the mincemeat. The next time mama went to bake a pie she missed the raisins but didn't say anything and just smiled because she knew her little girls didn't take them to be mischievous. but had to do something to while away the long hours that they had to spend alone. NEALLY FAMILY NEALLY FAMILY Charles Neally andLizzie Paul of Ceresco, Nebraska, were married February 1, 1888, and soon started by train from Haigler, Nebraska, which at that time was the farthest west the railroad cnme. There they unloaded their belongings and loaded a wagon drawn by a pair of muleg that they had bought and One time when I was about ten years old and was going to look for eggs, I saw a man F47g drove across country to the land they had homesteaded in Kit Carson County, Colorado. Here they had to build their home. At first they just put up a shelter to cover them till they could build a house. They had a neighbor, Jim Knapp, come and dig them a well. It had to be dug by hand in those days. Colorado CentenniellBicentenniel Celebration Stratton, CO. August 1, 1976. Keith holding Brenda and Robbie standing in front of Yvonne Myrick. Waiting for coetume and beard judging. Robbie won first place, ($15), on costume and we were always coming across some of their Most of the homegteaders built houses of sod but the Neallys built a freme house. A little later Charlee'father and two sisters and their husbands came out and homesteaded. They just stayed here long enough to prove up on their homesteads. When they left they sold out to Charles. They soon got three or four milk cows and another horse so as to make a three horse team, as they put the horse with the mules. Then they were able to break some ground and do a little farming. Then they began to get stock cattle to run on the open range. The old McCrillis Ranch line fence was on their west and north and the riders rode the fence every day so they had no trouble with their cattle. The Neallys got their own land fenced in as soon as they could. There were lots of wild antelope on the prairies at that time. Many settlers killed them for meat. In due time two daughters were born to this family. In 1898, they moved over to his brother Harry's place, which was the E. % 356-43 where they lived for several years. When we were old enough we went to a school about a mile and a half west of us. Haidee and I nearly always walked. Knapps didn't have their land fenced like we did and F480 coming down over the hill. I didn't think anything about it as I thought it was a neighbor coming, so I went about my business. About this time he saw some men and all at once he turned and took offover the hill as fast as he could go and that was the last I saw of him. Then, when the next week'g Kansas City Star came out, there was an item about a women down in Kansas who was hunting for her husband who had left home. We often thought about that man and wondered if it could have been him, but we never heard anything more about him and never heard if the woman ever found her husband, but.it gave us something to think about for a long time. We had very little sickness in our family, but some families suffered from smallpox and diphtheria. Doctors were so far away, so if anything went wrong we were doctored vrith home remedies and always got better. Our friends, the Reischs, had smallpox and we would take their mail and some food supplies to help them out. We were very careful and would circle around their place at a safe distance until we attracted the attention of the family. Then we left the things where they would find them and hurried on our way so as not to get the disease ourselves. I remember one time mema had to go to town to the dentist. She had 21 teeth pulled that day and then had to ride that long way home jolting in the lumber wagon. I sat on the floor of the wagon and rested my back between her knees. At first we didn't go to church as there was none around. After the Wallet Post Office and store were established and people went there for the mail, it becnme a meeting place for the people. Here a minist€r would come sometimes on Sunday, and we would have a � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families of Kit Carson County Description An account of the resource Brief biographies of the founding families of Kit Carson County Colorado. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Families- M Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1988 Description An account of the resource Brief histories of founding families of Kit Carson County whose names start with "M." As told in the book, History of Kit Carson County. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salmons, Janice Hasart, Marlyn Smith, Dorothy Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. History of Kit Carson County Volume 1 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Curtis Media Subject The topic of the resource History Kit Carson County Biography Genealogy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a>