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>