Dance in Morris County

Morris County has a long and rich history of dancing which has continued more or less successful for over 150 years.  Although we do not have detailed accounts of all the venues, musicians, and occasions we have enough memories to give us a good look at how dancing and music has been a part of the lives of our denizens present and past.

The old Morris county courthouse was dedicated with a ball on Christmas night of 1873.

In January of 1876 John Hamilton of Council Grove threw a leap-year party.  Apparently some ladies had given a dance previously and neglected to invite the men.  So Hamilton made up for it by inviting the outcasts and no ladies were invited to the party.  The Council Grove Democrat of January 13^th gives a description of the attendees and their attire.  It was a custom back in the day to print in the paper who attended and what they wore, so the boys decided to make a mockery of it.  “John B. Hamilton acted the part of host and was sweetly dressed in a bathing suit; ornaments, cigar holder.  Louis Wismeyer was much admired.  He wore a wooden talma [cloak or cape] made of tin; ornaments, post office orders.  E. J. Marks was dressed in a Kerosene oil barrel, with broom corn trimmings.  His feet were incased in snow shoes, and as he glided over the floor he was pronounced divine; ornaments, horse collar.  John B. Flemming wore a splendid moiré antique horse blanket; ornaments, mumps.  Walt Miller wore a malt tub “entrain” with spigot bustle; ornaments, barley ear drops.  G. J. Wright wore one of Madame Foy’s corsets with shoe knife attachments; ornaments, shoe peg necklace.  A. T. Bush was appropriately clothed in a pair of stove pipe pants; ornaments, flat irons.  Jas. Tedstone was dressed in a pair of striped stocking suspenders, and had his hair dressed with car grease; ornaments, telegraph poles.  L. McKenzie was well dressed and looked sweet as usual in an oil cloth dressing gown and gum overshoes.  His hair braided with cockleburs.  He trotted through the “Highland Fling” with great alacrity; ornaments, a pensive smile.”  As you can see, everyone came attired in something pertaining to their line of work.

It has been mentioned in the history of the Hallmark family that during the late 1880s and early 90s dances were held in a private home in the Parkerville, White City neighborhood.

Some time in the 1920s a family by the name of Critchfield moved into what is now the Post Office Oak Museum.   The previous owner had used the cave for cheese making and a flood had put an end to his operation.  The Critchfields cleaned it out and waxed the floor and their son used it for square dances.  It was said that twelve couples could dance in the cave.

The Council Grove Squares is the longest running dance group in the community.  A visit with Bob Blackburn, a charter member, gave me some interesting information about C. G. Squares. This square dance group got started about 1962.  When they first started dancing they would meet in an old barracks out at the fair ground that was heated by a wood stove.  Later they danced in the community building at the City Lake, it was also an old barracks.  They have also danced at the lunchroom of the elementary school and at the armory.  Currently the dances are held at the Senior Center in Council Grove.  They meet on the second and fourth Monday evenings at 7 o’ clock.  The public is encouraged to attend.

During the 1954 centennial a dance was held each night of the celebration.  On Monday night a military ball was held at the armory.  Tuesday night a free square dance was held on the street for Farmer’s Day.  And Wednesday night ended with a centennial ball at the armory.  The Council Grove Republican showed that somewhere around 600 people attended the latter.

A dance was advertised in the Dwight Signal of December 1914.  Music was to be provided by fiddle and banjo.  It has been some time since I have seen this ad but I believe the dance was held at the roller skating rink in Dwight.

One other dance venue I’d like to cover, even though it was not in Morris County, is the Chalk dance.  The little town of Chalk, located across the northeast border of the county, has gone the way of Helmick.  There is nothing there that remains of a town.  But at one time it was a swinging place.  I talked with Alice Schultz whose grandparents, Leona and Claude Button, owned the Chalk store.  Around 1937 a dance floor was built out back of the store and regular dances were held there for many years after.   If the weather was bad they would dance in the upstairs of the store.  Charlie Massey called the dances.

In more recent memory, there were contra dances held in the parking lot of the Kaw Mission during Wahshungah Day weekend.  I believe these began shortly after I moved here.  The first that I could remember would be in 2004.  Garry Hughes of Kechi , Annie Wilson of Middle Creek, Charlie Laughridge of the old Kaw Reservation, Garry Rinehart of Lyndon, and myself were usually the ones to play the dance.  I think we had various callers through the years.  The dance only lasted for four or five years.

In the spring and summer of 2006 the rec. dept. was looking for another activity to do that wasn’t a sport and would get young and old involved so I was asked if I would get a dance started.  I thought it sounded like a good idea and we gave it a shot. The dances were held on the fourth Saturday in the Middle School lunch room. We had various people come and play and call for us.  I finally called it quits due to low turnout and having to pay a band out of my own pocket.  This is not unusual though.  Garry Hughes who helped get the Wichita dance started funded that dance out of his pocket (with the help of some others) for nearly three years before it finally supported itself.  Now they seem to have a very active dance community.

A couple years ago my wife and I held dance lessons at the Field School house in town.  The McClintocks wanted to take lessons to be prepared for an upcoming ball.  So we got a group of people together and for four or five weeks learned some quadrilles, waltz, contra, and schottische.  Everyone did very well and we had fun at it too.

And now we try once more to continue a tradition of dancing.  On the third Thursday of the month there will be mid-nineteenth century dance instruction at the Morris County Historical Society.  We will meet at 7 in the upstairs.  This is free to the public and anyone interested is encouraged to come.  You can get yourself in shape for the Spring Ball April 28^th.

Smallpox at Delavan

In April of 1903 a tramp was taken in by a gang of laborers on the Missouri Pacific at Delavan.    The result of this act of charity was the death of many of the gang and an epidemic spread of ‘black’ smallpox through several counties along the Missouri Pacific.

The railroad gang had moved on to Bushton in Rice County before the disease became violent.  I do not have a complete list of casualties but the Council Grove Republican listed nine deaths and many sick within a few days after being exposed.  Among some of the deaths were listed three men in Bushton, a man named Isenhour in Geneseo and two brothers named Maupin.  Mrs. Isenhour, a Dr. Stredder, and a child of the Maupins had taken ill.  Two former residents of Council Grove who had moved to Bushton also died of the pox; a Mrs. Whelpley and a baby of John Davis.

As usual there was debate as to exactly what the disease was and how many dead because of it.  The papers reported that the numbers of dead and diseased were likely exaggerated, even though the cases were severe.   Doctors didn’t quite agree on what it was.  A doctor from Lyons insisted it was not small pox; however he did not give an alternative diagnosis.  Rumor also went around that it was the bubonic plague.  Of course that turned out to be false.

Vaccinations were available at the time and everyone who had not got one was encouraged to get one.  Towns were in a panic over the smallpox and many had proclaimed quarantines.  Salina had quarantined against Geneseo, Frederick and Bushton.  Guards were placed at all the Missouri Pacific depots in Rice and Ellsworth counties.  It appears that quarantine was also put on Delavan as well.  Even if there had not been one I’m sure the letter from the Republican’s editor would have prevented anyone coming from or going to Delavan.  It read as follows:

“Considerable alarm over the above report is being felt over the city (Council Grove) and the people are beginning to think that we should do something in the matter, as it (is) becoming quite serious, the Republican does not wish to be sensational or create a scare it is time something was done for should the disease break out in this town, it will be the deadliest it ever was until it is over with.  The Editor has lived in the south where there was such cases and a rigid quaranteen (sic), even to a shotgun protection was put on and it killed the town until it was over.  Do we want such a state of affairs here?  We hope not.  The above article is very explanatory and it does not need much comment only that another victim died yesterday, Mr. Varner, and there are several others very sick.”

This Mr. Varner was my great-great grandfather who lived in Delavan and was thought to be one of the Missouri Pacific workers; family history doesn’t prove that he was or not.  The whole Varner household was taken sick with the small pox namely John who died, his wife Clara and son Orville and daughter Pearl, all who recovered.  The best way to show you the terror and the heartache of such a malady is to give you a section of the Delavan news from the C G Republican.

“We had hoped that last week’s account of our small pox trouble would be the last to chronicle.  The taking of the disease by Mr. Varner’s family closely followed the interment of the last of the railroad gang and now comes the saddest to us of the events in the death of Mr. John Varner, husband and father of the family that died Saturday night and was buried Sunday.   Saddest to us because of their long residence here, the children a boy and a girl having been born here and grown to almost manhood and womanhood among us. The mother and children all sick with the dread disease unable to give the usual parting salutations to a loved one, with no friends who dare come to them in this hour of extreme sorrow, made the Easter morning full of gloom to this stricken family, leaving them so far as earthly considerations are concerned but little encouragement yet in the sight of the light of divine truth a glimmering light in a trustful faith of the resurrection morn which this day commemorates.  We are glad to note that the living ones of the family are hopefully better.  No new cases.  The sick ones are being as tenderly cared for as is possible under the circumstances.”

You will notice that burial was soon as possible for fear of the body spreading more disease.  John Varner is buried in the Delavan Cemetery in what was once the south east corner of the cemetery.  Of course the cemetery has grown since then and the grave is not in the extreme corner anymore.                       John’s son Orville grew to manhood and married Jennie May Scott also of Delavan and they later moved to what is now our family farm in Osage county where my parents live.  Orville and Jennie had ten children and a few that died at birth.  One of their daughters Ellen died of diphtheria in 1922 about the age of 5.  It was a very similar story with the neighbors near the farm; everyone was terrified and nobody came to visit the Varners.  Ellen was taken to the Delavan Cemetery and buried next to her grandfather who she had never seen.  Two diseased bodies laid to rest in the corner of the cemetery out of fear by the living, but with the hope of an incorruptible resurrection.

The smallpox had run its course and those who were to live kept on living and mourned the ones who did not make it.  The next column in the Delavan news read: “The ordeal seems to be past and we can now truthfully say we have no smallpox at Delavan, as was expressed in giving to the public warning of its existence.  Mr. Varner’s family is now well and there are no new cases.  We think we can confidently say to the people come back, get your mail, do your trading and help make our village what it should be a true trading post.”

Not only did disease take away family and friends, but it also crippled a community economically.

The three survivors later in life. Pearl, Clara and Orville.

Addenda-  Henry Kingman, founder of Delevan, wrote a book about his life in 1917.  Near the end he mentions a little bit about the town of Delevan, and more of the Varner history.  Kingman was running for County commissioner and a hostile attack was made upon him in the paper because of $25 he had accepted from the County.  I will give the entire account of his defense which was printed in the Council Grove Guard.  Kingman also won reelection as commissioner by a greater number than he did the first election.

“Here are the circumstances all of which are proven by records anyone may see in the County Clerk’s office.  In March 1903 some extra crew section men broke out with small-pox in the car they used as a sleeping place on the Missouri Pacific side track at Delevan, this county.  The disease was of the most virulent type.  Of nine railroad men who had it, seven died either at Delevan or after going to their home.  In and around Delevan seven had it and four died.  The patients were kept at the home of a man by the name of Varner.  His family caught the disease and the father in the home died.  Three others died in this house.  It became a neighborhood scare and scourge.  No one could be secured to nurse the sick, to go near them with food or care for them.  Mr. Kingman, being the county health officer in that part of the county it fell to him to give at least some attention and gradually the main part of the care fell to him.  A man who had had the disease and was therefore considered immune, helped, and with Kingman, were the main ones attending the cases.  One man who died in the car was not buried until after some delay because no one would do it.  Kingman finally did it alone, risking his health and the health of his family.  Kingman and one other man buried five small pox patients.  During Mr. Varner’s illness Kingman took time and pains to render assistance to the family, every time risking much to do so.  After it was all over and the community felt that the scourge had passed, it was a neighborhood request that the Varner house, bedding and clothing, be destroyed by fire to destroy all disease germs and prevent a possible outbreak of the dread disease germs at some future period.  A committee from the township waited on the county commissioners at a special session and the request to burn the house was granted as a measure of public safety.  The commissioners paid Mrs. Varner $300 for the house and $150 for the furniture and clothing, after proper appraisement by a committee of disinterested citizens had been given the county board.  The burning was done only after the recommendation of Dr. Painter, county health officer, and John Maloy, county attorney, that it was strictly a legal transaction and warranted by the facts.  These recommendations are on file in the county clerk’s office.  Now the contention of the Kingman opposers (sic).   The county board ordered Kingman to burn the house, paid him $25 for his services in the small pox matter in his neighborhood, and Kingman’s acceptance of it has become an issue in this campaign.  Behold what some people will do in the name of politics.  Does any one who reads this want the job of looking after seven small pox patients and burying five of them for $25?  It was no pay.  It could not be considered as pay.  The small pox trouble extended through part of four months.  Five hundred dollars could not be considered as pay if risk and all other features are considered.  It was more of a present than pay.  Both of the other commissioners, when considering the matter, said they would not have rendered the same service for $100, and one of them said he would not have done  it at any price.’

“If there is anything in this at all, it is that Kingman deserves re-election more than he otherwise would, and people who use this against him are showing lame ideas of good citizenship, to say the least.  Authority for the burning of the house was the written opinion of County Attorney Maloy, which closed with these words, “I would therefore advise you to procure appraisement  and estimate of the said building and such of its contents as ought not be preserved and at once condemn and order building and contents destroyed by fire.”  Maloy was right, therefore Kingman and the remaining commissioners were right.  The epidemic was well controlled and there is no telling how many Morris County homes were protected by the good management.”

One question that comes to mind is why the sick were kept at the Varner’s.  The Varner home was close to the track, so it is probable that the sick were simply taken to the nearest house and the family cared for them.

“ARTHUR POOLE, clerk, was born at Crewe, in the county of Cheshire, England, August 10, 1856. He came to Kansas in 1870 with his parents, locating on a farm three miles north of Parkersville. For several years he remained on the farm with his father. During the past five years he has been employed as a clerk in the store of A. J. Eastman at Parkersville. He was married at Parkersville May 19, 1881, to Miss Florence Rouse, daughter of David and Margaret Rouse.” From Cutler’s History of the State of Kansas 1883.  I believe Arthur is of some close relation to Clara Poole Varner.

The Anti-Monopolist

The Anti-Monopolist was a newspaper nearing its eighth year when it came to Council Grove from Enterprise.  W.H.T Wakefield moved the paper to town in 1888 and shortly thereafter bought the interest of George L. Page and became sole proprietor.   Wakefield came through Council Grove in 1854 and seemed to be quite impressed with the country and the beauty of the land.  So he settled in the area and farmed for a number of years.

After arrival in Council Grove a few issues of the paper were missed due to a part of the cylinder press being sent to Chicago for repair.  Although the Rock Island line made a direct route there the part was on the road for 21 days.

The old newspapers are a great way to see what the towns and communities were like at different periods.  The Anti-Monopolist starts out with minimal advertisements from local business.  I suppose people were leery at first.  One of the first ads in this paper was from Bradford and Son physicians and surgeons.  This was T.H. and C.B. Bradford the namesake of the Bradford Guest house on East Main.  Doctor Bradford the senior had an office located near his home out of which they practiced.  Another ad shows M. Cook a harness maker located on E. Main.  We always think of the main business district of Council Grove being located in the 1, 2, and 300 blocks of West Main, but East Main was a thriving part of the town early on as well.  In fact it would be to the benefit of those businesses as they would catch travelers as they came from the east.

Later on we find Maloy and Kelley Attorneys at Law; this is the Maloy that was newspaper editor, county attorney and writer of the History of Morris County.  We also find P.O. Raudebaugh a general merchant in Kelso.  Dr. J.R. McIlvain a physician and surgeon who specialized in electric treatment, was also located on East Main and the corner of fourth.

I like to see what else was going on in the nation and world in those times. It’s interesting that things haven’t changed much in 130 years; murder, drugs, disease, crime and such. Some of the headlines from February 16, 1888 are; Choked by a Chinaman, in Boston; Cattle Quarantined, Illinois; Opium Smuggling Ring, San Fran.

In Belmont Ohio a boiler in a sawmill blew up and killed six men.  Jim Cornellius a Negro 14 years old was hung in Minden Louisiana for the murder of Ernest Wren a four year old child.  A run was made on the Metropolitan National Bank in Cincinnati, the line extending from the tellers window out the door to the other side of the street.  A rumor started the panic but confidence was regained by the end of the day as the bank cashed all the checks throughout the day.  A memorial tablet to General John A. Logan of Civil War fame was decided on at the Metropolitan Methodist Church in Washington.  Eulogies on the life of Logan were delivered by a number of prominent senators including one of Kansas’ Senator Ingalls.

I’m not sure when the Anti-Monopolist went out of print, the MCHS only has papers for the year 1888, there may be some more in storage waiting to be found.  At some point I’ll attempt to give the reader a more thorough history of the newspapers of Morris County.   I’ll share more when I know more.

Before I sign off I must send out a call for assistance.  I had intended to mention this sooner but of course got distracted.  The last article called it to my attention.  During the 1954 centennial celebration there was an old fiddlers contest.  I have been loosely compiling a history of music and musicians in Morris County and would love to know if any one remembers who the fiddlers were that attended this contest or who won it.

Helmick

 

J.O. Rochat’s flour mill at Helmick.

A few weeks ago while I was at the Historical Society I found the Coroner’s Record.  Not as exciting as it sounds but there were a few interesting things in it.  It started about 1911 or so and went on up into the 60s, however there were not many entries in the book.  From the records I read it appears that the leading cause of death in Morris County in the early 20^th century was being hit by a train.  Ever since the first tracks were laid people have walked the rails between towns as it was the shortest distance.  And it seems a lot of deaf people walked the tracks.

Well, the very next week while I was at the MCHS a Mrs. Adam came in who is researching Helmick.  She is taking classes at K-State and is studying the population decrease and demise of towns.  Helmick of course is a prime example as nothing remains to hint that there was a town there.  Anyway, this lady started to tell me of one of her ancestors that was a deaf mute and I think he lived in Wilsey.  He had walked into Council Grove to get his little girl a new pair of shoes.  I don’t know if it was on his way there or on the way home he was hit by the train.  I remembered reading of a deaf mute being hit on the road between Helmick and Wilsey and I went to get the coroner’s report and produced the page for this lady.

The coroner’s report reads,” Now, to-wit, on this 31^st day of July, A.D. 1917, I was notified of the dead body of one O.J. Ashwell lying on the tracks of the Missouri, Pacific Railroad Company between Helmick and Wilsey in said county and whereupon I did immediately go to said place and upon investigation I found that the said person was both deaf and dumb and was walking upon the railroad track when hit; I found that the train crew had done everything possible to avoid the accident by blowing the whistle and attempting to stop the train; the evidence was such that I deemed an inquest unnecessary and made my orders for the disposal of the body.”  Signed by coroner B.E. Miller.

Mrs. Adam told me the rest of the story.  O.J. Ashwell’s wife was also a deaf mute.  The little girl, who never got her new shoes, was eventually taken from her mother and put in a home.  A few years after, the son or nephew of Ashwell was hit by a car and died of the same injuries, namely a broken leg and internal damage.

Stockyard at Helmick.

Since I brought up Helmick let’s talk a bit about that.  What we know now as Helmick started out as Milton.  I do not know when Milton was established but it was in existence in 1886 and is shown on the 1887 Kansas Map.  We do not have a whole lot of information on Helmick, but we do have a few pictures in the archives.  The pictures are not of a busy little town with crowded streets, although from the plat it appears there were buildings and activity.  The three pictures that I am aware of show J. O. Rochat’s flour mill situated beside the tracks.  J.O. Rochat was one of Morris County’s early day fiddlers.  His fiddle is on display in the Post Office Oak museum.

As Milton was laid out the streets that ran north and south were, from east to west Main, Grant, Logan, Lincoln, and Blaine.  The streets running east and west were first and second street.  The streets remained the same after the name was changed to Helmick.  When this name change happened I am not certain but it is noted on the 1901 plat as Helmick ‘formerly Milton’.  The Stener Post Office was and had been located there at least as long as Milton had been established.  There was a Methodist Episcopal Church, stock yards, flour mill, hay barn and numerous other businesses and houses in the town.  By 1923 the plat shows a line branching off to the south of town to the ‘rock crusher’.

I’ve not been around here long enough to know, but I have been told by those who have been here for a while that there was nothing to be seen of Helmick in the 1950s that would make you think it was once a town.  Perhaps Mrs. Adam will be able to add to our history of Helmick and give us a better understanding of what gave birth to the town and why now the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

J.O. Rochat in the middle, unloading the generator for the mill.

Addenda October 26^th 2012:  Stener post office was shown on the town plat, but I have found no evidence of an office by that name in State records.  It does show that the Helmick post office was established May 14^th of 1887.  It closed on November 30^th 1907.

I suppose the list of post offices could be incomplete as we have evidence of ‘Beond Bend’ post office in Morris County.  From the CG Rep 1954: “A collector’s item, which is almost a philatelist’s dream, appears among heirlooms on display in Main street windows this week.  It is a postal cancelation by the now abolished “Beond Bend” post office in Morris county.  The envelope bears a 2-cent brown stamp and the cancellation date of Jan. 4, 1888.  It is the property of O. L. Burnett.”  Other than this little snip in the paper, we know nothing of Beond Bend post office.

Susan Hallmark

Susan Hallmark, from the tin type that was pasted in the front of her diary. Courtesy of Bob Strom.

          When I began writing for the paper it was my intention to cover history in all of Morris County, not just Council Grove.  Part of the reason for being stuck in the Grove is that the Council Grove papers are all that I’ve had access to, besides that I am always finding great stuff in them.  I am pleased to inform you that the Historical Society will soon get the papers from other towns moved over to the archives and when they are here I can assure you I will dive right in.

            For my first historical sketch outside of the Grove I am going to head out west, Far West.  This is something we need to clear up as best we can first off.  If you have ever taken a look at some old maps of Morris County you may have noticed Far West.   I had always been under the assumption that Far West was the same as Latimer.  As it turns out it is not, yet was very close.  Far West was a Post Office located in Section 15 of Clarks Creek Township in 1887.  Latimer is in Section 23 of the same Township, roughly a half mile south-east of the Post Office.  There is one plat extant that shows Far West platted out in 1887 as a town on the south side of the tracks opposite Latimer.  The only explanation that I can come up with is that an effort was made to establish Far West, but it never came to fruition.  In fact, I don’t think it ever so much as budded.  Although the maps of the time show Far West and omit Latimer, the former is never mentioned in the following diary, only Latimer or Clark’s Creek.  Any reader who may be able to shed some more light on the Latimer/Far West quandary is welcomed to do so.

I have been reading the diary of Susan Hallmark Reeves, thanks to Bob Strom from Parkerville who took the time to transcribe her diary.  Susan and her family lived in the Clark’s Creek area (which is near present day Latimer) in the 1880s-90s.  I will be perfectly honest, the diary is not a pleasure read.  In fact, it is very much like our present day televised soap opera, in that the same stuff happens nearly every day and you can skip through it and miss some episodes and when you next tune in you haven’t missed a thing.  For those who have the patience to read through it, they will be gratified to find what daily life was like in the 1880s and 90s.

Susan as a young teacher. Bob Strom collection.

Born January 30^th, 1869, Susan was 17 years old when she began keeping a diary January 1^st, 1887 and she kept it fairly regular till April of 1892.  She lived in a very basic and small stone house with her parents Daniel and Clarinda Hallmark, along with two brothers and three sisters.  Their home was approximately 4 miles south of White City and three miles east of Parkerville.  During the time the diary was being written the family had a new and larger framed house built.

Susan was in the process of becoming a teacher when she started her diary.  She had exams to take and she taught at the Burton school house which was about one mile north of her home.   From her we learn that school started around 9 o’clock in the morning, or whenever the teacher got there.  Sometimes she was late due to weather.  School went until about 4 o’clock, sometimes it was let out earlier if few showed up because of poor weather.  She writes about going to Council Grove to have examinations that take nearly the whole day, after which she and her friends go shopping in town.

The one thing that I have gleaned from the pages of her diary is that everything anybody has ever said to me about the ‘olden days’ was a lie.  If you have ever been told that life way back when was hard work and boring; everyone was isolated and had nothing to do; they didn’t go anywhere because it was too far away and took too long to get there; went to bed early and got up early because all they had to do was work, you have been hoodwinked.

Early stone house of the Hallmark family. Bob Strom collection.

Although I am sure the Hallmark family is not the rule of frontier living; neither are they the exception.   The family had a very active social circle.  To give you an idea of life in the Clark’s Creek area, church was a very regular and looked forward to activity.  Regular prayer meetings were held on Thursday evenings.  It appears that the meetings alternated between different homes in the neighborhood.   Some church services were held at the school house; otherwise the family went to church in Parkerville or White City.  The family usually attended church service Saturday evening, and then Sabbath School at 11:30 on Sunday.  The family went back to church again Sunday evening.  During Sabbath School Conventions or revivals church services would be held every night of the week for one sometimes two weeks.

Another amusement that the family often partook of was Lyceum.  Lyceum is a word we have corrupted from its original Greek.  The idea of a secondary schooling having its foundation in ancient times, the Lyceum we know today is a bit different.  Through the 19^th century to present it has been preserved as an educational institution.  It is difficult to tell what took place at Lyceum as Susan never gives details, but it seems that an individual or a group would give a presentation or a reading.  Lyceum was held every Wednesday evening in Parkerville.  Susan also mentions Literary on the same evening; it is hard to say if Literary was a different gathering or if the two terms were used interchangeably.

The Magic Lantern was another popular form of entertainment of the time.  And in a few places Susan mentions going to a Magic Lantern show at the school house or in Parkerville.  A magic lantern is a lamp that projects images on the wall, something like our modern slide shows.  These lanterns have been around in one form or another for nearly 300 years.  The magic lantern made its rounds through the country as a traveling show.  I have seen one of these lanterns for sale in an antique store once, and if only I had money to burn!  The images are often nature or landscape scenes with four or more pictures on each glass.  Some are actual photos of world famous places, some are cartoons and characters, and some even create the sensation of a motion picture.   Occasionally local musicians would provide music to go along with the show.

Among the other social gatherings Susan mentions, is dancing.  For a time her brother Will went to a dance every Tuesday night at one of the neighbors.  When I say neighbors, that may have been three or four miles or more away.  Susan more than a few times writes of going to a party at someone’s home where they play games, sew, play music or sing or just talk till one or two in the morning.  Music was another recreation in the home.  The pump or reed organ must have been a household staple as there was mention of several homes that had one and Susan took lessons from two different instructors in Parkerville.

Daniel and Clarinda Hallmark with Susan age 16 months and Willie age 1 month. Bob Strom collection.

Now that we have covered all the fun stuff let’s talk about the daily chores.  Susan usually tells what time she gets up each morning.  At times she may not get up till 8 sometimes 10 o’clock.  On the other hand there were times when she was up at 5 or earlier because she could not sleep.  When classes were in session she was considerably more punctual.  She swept the house every day.   Often helped with or prepared the meals.  It’s hard to pin down their meal times but it seems dinner was usually at 11 and supper at a late hour but occasionally dinner and supper were combined at about 5 or 6, depending on what the day’s activities were.

Her mother had a loom on which they made rag rugs.  This was a very popular past time then and many women did this to use up their old clothes that could no longer be mended and to make a little extra income for the household.  Susan mentions evenings where she sewed rags on the machine and mother and father sewed by hand.  She also writes that she and the other women were making quilts.  Susan had made a crazy quilt.  To my surprise (of course what do I know about it) Susan quilted her quilt on the sewing machine!  And she broke her needle and had to wait till someone could run to town and get new needles.  She also spent much time in learning lace patterns and crocheting lace for her collars.  She was very capable of cutting out and sewing her own dresses.  Her mother could nearly get a dress cut and finished in one day.

Probably the most monotonous and tedious chore was the laundry.  She never complained about doing it other than when company would show up unexpectedly and they would have to hide the laundry till their guests had left.  Many times she writes of rubbing the clothes, drying, starching and ironing.  They spent a good deal of time ironing.

I read so much about the baking that went on in the Hallmark house that I had a great desire for an apple pie.  So, one day after work I went home and made an apple pie to satisfy myself.

Another inconvenience of the times was travel.  Not so much that travel was slow or bumpy, that didn’t stop folks from driving miles every night to go do something, or from going into town daily.  Sure, they only came to the Grove once or twice a month since it took about three hours to get there, but they might go to White City or Parkerville three or four times a week or more.  Or if the whole family didn’t go to town at least one person went keeping the family always supplied with their needs and connected to the latest happenings.  High water would put an end to a trip because at that time there were only low water crossings, no bridges had been built yet.  If it had been raining for a considerable time you just planned on staying home because there was no way to get across the creek.

Another less enjoyable part of life was dealing with death.  Susan mentioned the first time she ever touched a dead person.  In those times death was a near and regular visitor. Susan mentions a number of deaths that touched the neighborhood, some from farm accidents and others by sickness.  During an epidemic of influenza they lost three neighbors in the space of a week.  In the event of a death the neighbors would help with the preparation of the body for burial, and it was at such a time that Susan helped to wash and dress the body of one of their neighbor lady’s.

One household would often furnish the lumber and build a casket and line it with muslin or whatever they might have.  Another household would dig the grave and another would wash and dress the body.  I might take some time to explain some of the lesser known practices of the old fashioned burial here.  Some might find themselves uncomfortable at the following descriptions and are encouraged to skip this paragraph if they are especially queasy with the macabre.  Customs differ from region to region, but most practices remain standard.  It is always best to prepare the body as soon after death as possible because as soon as rigor mortis sets in it is difficult to wash and dress the body.  The body was usually laid out on a board so that it would stiffen in a straight posture.  Some have told of breaking bones while trying to position the body for the casket.  Silver coins would be place on the eyes to keep them closed.  Copper coins were not used as they could leave the skin green.  The body would be washed thoroughly and the hair combed.  If the deceased did not already have their burial clothes set aside for the day (which was quite often the case), then a neighbor would furnish them.  Women would often be buried in a shroud of white.  The clothes were cut in the back and tucked around the body to make it easier to dress them.  Once the body is placed in the casket it is set on a couple of chairs and a wake is kept.  The wake is not so much to make sure the body is dead as most assume, but it is a last show of respect for the person and a time of mourning for friends and family.  The burial usually takes place the following day, however it was sometimes put off till longer to allow distant relations to arrive.  In such a case the body would have to be kept in a cool room and sometimes cooled with ice.

In the Appalachians it was tradition to ring the church bells when someone died.  As soon as a person deceased some one immediately went to a nearby church and rang the bell in observance with the age of the deceased.  Folks in a small rural community could pretty well figure out who had died by the number of the bells.  Although this could have been done in early Morris County no proof of this practice has ever been found to my knowledge.

The Hallmark home around 1903. Bob Strom collection.

One other incident that I must insert here to give us one more look at early burial practices, is the drowning of four children near Parkerville.  November 11^th, 1879 Thomas Poole sent his son Frank to pick up his other four children at school.  The team and wagon crossed Laird’s Creek without any problem on the way to the school.  Two neighbor boys by the name of Evans were riding back with the Pooles.  When they came back over the creek the water appeared to be the same depth.  They entered the creek and while mid-stream a three foot high wall of water hit the wagon throwing the children out.  The oldest boy Frank and the two Evans’ boys managed to get out alive.  Martha, age 11; Ida, age 8; Clara, age 6 and Walter, age 4 were all drowned along with the horses.  The wagon maker in Parkerville made two caskets.  Friends of the family lined the caskets and places two girls in one and the other girl and boy in the second.  They were taken to the Swartz school house as there had been a few other funerals held there.  A hymn was sung and a prayer said and they were buried there.  My great, great grandmother’s maiden name was Poole, and I think she had a brother named Ralph.  I suspect Thomas is relation but have never been able to make any connexion.  If anyone knows anything of the Poole family, or Clara Alzina Poole Varner Miller in particular, I am anxious to know something.

Lee and Sudie May 5, 1891. Bob Strom collection.

Let’s end on a brighter note.  Susan mentions a friend who was to be married and it wasn’t more than two weeks after the announcement was made and they were hitched.  Engagements were very short in those times.  In fact, in the Mennonite community today short engagements are customary.  Well, to draw my story to a close, Susan married her sweetheart Levi Reeves before the end of her diary.  They had no children but lived to old age.  Aunt Sudie, as she was known, passed from this world in 1967 at the age of 98.  And if you care to know more of her family and personal life I recommend you contact Bob Strom of Parkerville at 407 Main St.  You can obtain a copy of Susan’s diary for your own perusal.

Addenda 12-16-2011

Bob Strom who is an avid historian in Parkerville has shared some more information on Far West.  He has his information from the Kansas State Historical Society’s publication ‘Kansas Post Offices’.  The post office Far West was established April 26^th, 1864; William M. Walter was the postmaster.  On March 23^rd, 1869, the post office was moved to Aroma in Dickenson County.  The post office operated out of a corner cupboard in the 16 by 20 foot log cabin of Alexis Blanchett.  On October 3^rd, 1872 the post office was reopened at Far West and remained in operation there until it moved to the town of Latimer on September 20, 1887.  For unknown reasons the post office closed June 20^th 1888 then reopened February 5^th 1889, and closed again April 15^th 1895 reopening November 2^nd 1895 and closing permanently on January 6^th 1961.

Printed in the Kansas History A Journal of the Central Plains Volume one number one of 1978 are the edited reminiscences of Catharine Emma Wiggin. She was a teacher in Northwest Kansas near the same time that Susan Hallmark was.   She was in the Hill City, Graham County from 1888-1895.  I cannot include everything she wrote here but her story is nearly identical with Susan Hallmark.  It only helps to reinforce the evidence of daily life in that time period.  Among the things mentioned were Literary meetings, Lyceum, magic lantern shows, church meetings, dances, late parties, organ lessons, wakes and funerals.

Farmers & Drovers Bank

   The Farmers and Drovers Bank has a history that reaches back nearly as far as the beginning of our town.  Born August 27^th, 1847, William Henry White came to Council Grove from Kentucky with his parents by wagon train in 1857.  His mother died along the way.  He helped his father Thomas survey the original town site, as well as homestead the family farm.  His father having passed, William was left alone to make it in a new country at only seventeen years of age.   With a very humble inheritance of dry rock strewn prairie and a bony horse, he hired out to a bunch of ex-freighters to guide a cattle train to Fort Lyon Colorado.

According to descendant Steve White, W.H.  walked this herd of cattle all the way to Colorado where he sold them and promptly bought a mule with his profits.  You bet he was no fool.  On the way back White stopped at an Inn for the night.  All the rooms were taken except the owner’s.  So he slept in the owner’s room which did not have the convenience of a door.  He slept with a revolver under his pillow along with his three thousand dollars in green backs.  As he had anticipated, he heard someone coming up to the door and slowly put their head in the doorway.  White cocked the revolver and told the intruder he had best find another place to poke his nose.  It was at this point in his life he decided his money was better off in a bank.

White’s first business venture in Council Grove was buying interest in a grocery and hardware store located at 131 W Main in the old Conn Mercantile Store.  For many years after he continued to have an interest in that building with Jacob Barth.   While young White was employed as a clerk in this building he slept upstairs.  On the night Jack McDowell was hung from the Neosho River bridge, White was awakened close to midnight by a group of men who desired to purchase some rope for their business meeting they were about to hold.  No questions were asked and by the next morning White found out what his length of rope was used for.

In 1882 W.H. White, Jacob Barth, Lewis Mead, J.D. Dumm, H.W. Gildemeister, J.M. Hensson and A Mosier Jr. met in the Masonic Lodge (not the one at 106 W Main as it was not built until the following year) to organize the Farmers & Drovers Bank.  By March of 1882 the bank had opened at 213 W Main Street, the center building where Valerie’s Gifts and Such is presently.  The lot was purchased from B. R. Scott and a building was erected on the site.  Construction on a new building at 201 W Main began in 1892 and was not complete until March of 1893.  Workers found a corner stone of the mail section while excavating for the new bank building.  It had the letters ‘U.S.M.  J. Hall COR’.  This stone marked the location where the Santa Fe stage station once stood.

The bank maintained the building at 213 until 1901 when they sold it.  In 1902 the bank had a new building constructed to the west at 203 W Main.  This building was known as the Indicator.  It housed a general store on the ground floor and a large dinning and dance hall upstairs.  It was not until 1981 that the Farmers & Drovers Bank expanded their floor plan to include the Indicator building.  That year the wall was removed between the two buildings and a walk up teller window was built along with an extensive remodel.  Part of the original oak counter from the F&D can be seen at the Republican Newspaper office.

W.H. White came a long way in his time here in the Grove.  From not having a penny in his pocket when he got here to owning 4,000 acres in the County and almost a third of the business buildings in town by 1930.  When W.H. died February 7^th, 1935 just short of 88 years, he was known as the oldest active bank president in Kansas.  At the time he was also the oldest continuous resident of Morris County.  Five generations and nearly 130 years later the family legacy continues.

The Hanging of Jack McDowell

One story I had every intention of including in the Heritage Tours, but somehow overlooked, was the hanging of Jack McDowell.  We made up for that at the Greenwood Cemetery Tour Sunday.  It was a lovely day and there was a great turn out to what we hope will be an annual event.  There were even a few spectators who expressed a desire to participate next year.

Let me get back to McDowell.  There is not much known about the man and what little information we have is conflicting.  Even his name is uncertain.  Some sources say it is John others say Jack.  I would say John was probably his given name and Jack is what he was called.  We do not know when he was born, as most men of the bush don’t seem to keep accurate family records.  We know that he served under Quantrill and carried on a rough and roguish life.  He had claimed to have killed a number of men and seemed unrepentant for doing so.  Historians disagree as to whether or not McDowell participated in the raid on Lawrence in 1863.  Some seem certain he did, others believe he was in southwestern Missouri at the time of the raid.

What we do know is he stole a team of horses and a buggy from W.K.Pollard who ran a livery here in town.  When Pollard was made aware that his goods were not to return he got a warrant from Governor Crawford and went to Nebraska City to arrest McDowell.  He was brought back to Council Grove and kept under guard.   According to Ken McClintock McDowell was kept at the Commercial Hotel located where the Post Office is now.

Quick off hand note: Jack McDowell was not held in the Early Day Calaboose now in Durland Park as the sign in front of it states.   Jack McDowell was hung before that jail was built; and no, that jail did not serve the ‘city’ since 1849.  There was no ‘city’ here in 1849, only Seth Hays and his log house to trade with the Indians and a man named Kennedy also a trader and probably the Choteau brothers were here by that time to trade with the Indians.  Lala Brigham in her History of Council Grove states that the calaboose we know today was built in 1871.  Ken McClintock has found a Town Council record from 1870 that shows the jail was built in said year.  We’ll take time elsewhere to talk more of the old jail.

While in confinement a sheriff’s deputy by the name of Cunningham came through here from Shawnee County.  He seemed to have a bit of sympathy for McDowell’s predicament and attempted to slip him a pistol with which he could force his escape.  Cunningham was caught in the act and nearly hung himself but for a certain secret order which saved him.

On February 3^rd, 1867 just after midnight a gang of disguised men took McDowell from his relatively safe confinement by force and placed a rope around his neck.  They promptly marched to the Main Street bridge spanning the Neosho and without wasting time in parley propelled McDowell into eternity.  The body was left hanging there all night and in the morning the townsfolk stared at the ghastly sight but no one seemed surprised by it.  It was of common opinion that if McDowell had not been hung here justice would have caught up with him elsewhere before too long.

No one was ever arrested for the hanging and I highly doubt that much effort was made to find the men responsible.  It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the coroner’s report said no more than “death by strangulation.”  Jack McDowell lies in Greenwood Cemetery in an unmarked grave.  I’m sure it was the intentions of those who left it unmarked that he should be forgotten forever.  However, try what they might, they couldn’t burry the legend with the body.

Addenda 12-16-2011;

Ken McClintock had seen the coroner’s report for Jack McDowell.  The secretary at the court house snatched it from him saying that is was confidential information and he couldn’t see it.  The judge told the secretary that it was okay because it was such an old case.  McClintock said the report said McDowell was ‘hung by unknown persons’.

1-3-2012; Blanche Osborne a descendant of Mary Metzger who lived in the Hebrank house and brewery and drew water for the Indians in 1868, also saw the hanging (or rather the aftermath) of Jack McDowell.  Blanche related that Mary said the town people left him hanging most of the day and cut out his heart and then buried him in Greenwood.  I believe the cutting out of the heart is a bit of storytelling flourish added to entertain the children as I have found no other source that mentions it.

Andrew Hughes Strieby wrote a history of a few incidents in Council Grove.  The hanging of McDowell was one of the subjects he wrote about.  He mentioned Kansas’ Diamond Jubilee coming up so I assume the writing is from 1936.  Strieby was born in 1881, long after the events he relates, however the Strieby family had been in Council Grove very early on.  It is possible that what A.H. was relating was what his ancestors and the locals had related to him.  He gives a number of details which I have not found anywhere else which leads me to believe he may have even had access to official records, newspaper accounts or at least a firsthand account from someone who helped hang McDowell.  His details are not farfetched or contradictory to any other accounts, so I am willing to accept it as an accurate history.  One piece of information we get from Strieby that I would like to point out is he says McDowell was kept under guard at a log cabin near the river, not at the Commercial Hotel as stated above in the original article.

Murder of Claude Buckley

The remains of Claude Buckley laid out at the Morris County courthouse.

The building at 300 W Main in Council Grove was built in 1895 by Alex Cunningham.  Originally built for a dry goods store, it has housed a number of businesses over the years.  The second floor was used for school rooms; a feed store by 1908, an ice cream parlor for a short time in the 30s, also having apartments upstairs, and from the 50s to present is occupied by the gas company.   It also hides a dark secret that may never be fully revealed.

April 4^th 1941, termite inspectors from Abilene uncovered something everyone hopes never to find. A human skeleton in the basement of the Gas Company at 300 W Main.  The remains were taken to the courthouse and reconstructed on a tarp where they were identified as those of 36 year old Claude Buckley.  Friends of Buckley confirmed the identity by the shoes, teeth and clothing.  The skeleton was clothed in blue denim overalls and jacket.  Upon search of the pockets a rusty key, pocket knife, gas bill and letters addressed to Claude Buckley and a small hand book were discovered.  The hand book was very much deteriorated but the pages that could be clearly read all had the same entry of $1.50.  No money was found.

The Buckley murder has had many versions told.  I will attempt to present you with the facts, and where facts cannot be obtained local lore will have to suffice.  The common story that has come down through the years is that a regular poker game was held in the back room of 300 W Main.  Many of our present citizens will confirm this by telling of a near relative they know that once attended these card games. It has been said that one of our town’s lawmen was known to play poker in said building.   Buckley was thought to have played the game as well, and perhaps a gambling debt was the motive behind his murder.  All of this however, is hearsay and speculation.

Buckley went missing in mid April of 1937. After his car was seen on Main Street for several days people started looking for him. His family put an ad in the paper asking for information as to his whereabouts.  His house in Wilsey was searched. A few months before Buckley went missing his house burned down. He rebuilt a small one room house over the remaining basement.  All that was found in it was a bed frame, box spring and mattress. His geese and chickens had also vanished about the same time he did.  It was not known if he had sold them or if they were stolen.

300 West Main served as an ice cream parlor prior to Buckley’s disappearance.  The parlor was operated by Lucy Braun (pronounced Brown).  The building was vacant at the time Buckley was murdered.  The murderer was likely aware of this and found security in hiding the body there. Sheriff Jim Parker who was working on the case said the victim “knew his murderer.”  The fashion in which Buckley was killed seemed to prove this.  The police report said that the skull had two large holes in it, evidence that Buckley was struck in the head with something. The feet and hands were tied with wire and there was wire tightly twisted around his throat.

Lawrence Strouts was thirteen years old when his father took him in to Council Grove to see the skeletal remains of who he knew as ‘Arkie.’  Strouts assumed that Buckley must have been from Arkansas and that’s why he was called Arkie.  According to a newspaper clipping Buckley was also known as ‘Slim.’  Strouts does not know if his father went out of curiosity or if he was there to identify the remains, but the image was very vivid for young Strouts and he never forgot it.

Who killed Claude Buckley and why? Some of the locals of that time had their ideas as to who it was. Russell Gilmore, a nephew of Buckley’s, often said that if his uncle were found dead he was certain that he knew the identity of the murderer. He refused to discuss the matter, even with his wife. If he did know something which would help in bringing the criminal to justice, it would never be revealed. Gilmore died in January of 1938, before his uncle had been found.

Was he killed because of a gambling debt? Is that what the $1.50 entries in the hand book meant? Were the police involved, is that why the murderer was never found? Did Buckley burn his own house down to collect insurance to pay someone off? Did someone just have a vendetta against Buckley and take everything he had, even his chickens? All that remain are questions, and the ghost of Claude Buckley.

Ghost Stories

I was asked to write some historical sketches for the Chamber’s Sunflower Sampler Ghost Tours on September 24^th.  Folks took a self guided ghost tour down town and got to learn some things they probably didn’t know.  Now, whether or not there are any ghosts attached to these stories I will not pretend to know.  Since we are nearing that time of year when spooks are thought of I figured it would be fitting to share these stories of mystery and tragedy with you.

Tragedy at the Neosho River Crossing

As told by John Maloy. “On the night of the 14th of May [1872] occurred a most appalling catastrophe; one that sent a thrill of horror through the entire community, and pierced with keenest agony the hearts of more than one household. We allude to the drowning of J.B. Somers, Mrs. Annis Baker Somers, Miss Susie Huffaker and Phillip B. Roberts. Somers, his wife and Susie Huffaker had been attending the anniversary exercises of the Methodist Church South Sabbath School, held at Huffaker’s Hall, now over R. M. Rigdon’s store. About 9 o’clock in the evening, and not long before the exercises were to close, Mr. Somers goes to P.B. Roberts, who kept a livery stable and employed him to take a two-seated buggy and convey the party to the residence of Judge T.S. Huffaker, where Somers and wife, who had but recently married, were temporarily staying. The night was rainy and stormy, and the Neosho river rising very rapidly. Somers directed Roberts to cross at the ‘Mission ford,’ a crossing place near the old Kaw Mission building above town. W.F. Shamleffer and the writer saw the party getting into the vehicle and heard Somers’ directions about crossing the river at the ford. We immediately represented the danger of such an attempt, and begged him to cross the river on the Main street bridge. But Somers, who was stubborn and unyielding when he once made up his mind, persisted in carrying out his original intention, and the entire party were driven into the swollen stream at headlong speed, the approach to the water being a rapid descent. The river was very high and the water was running like a mill-race. When the buggy was struck and turned with the current a shriek of despair went up, and every soul in the party went down to be seen no more alive. A man who was living in the mission building hurriedly ran down town and spread the news. The horses had kicked loose from the buggy and swam out. Soon the banks were lined with an anxious crowd, but nothing could be done but construct boats and rafts and go to work and search for the drowned. It was a wild, dark and stormy night. Day came but not a body was found, though the subsidence of the waters during the day enabled the searchers to recover all four of the bodies before night, and restore them to their friends. The funeral took place on the 16th. It was the largest attended funeral that ever took place in Morris County. Somers was a rising young lawyer of our place, and at the time of his death County Attorney. His wife was the widow of Judge Baker, who was murdered on Rock Creek in 1862, and was the happy bride of but one short month. P.B. Roberts was one of our most estimable citizens, a man of strict integrity and beloved by all who knew him. He was a brother of P.S. Roberts of Council Grove. Miss Susie Huffaker was a young lady of amiability and accomplishments, a general favorite, and of a happy, joyous nature. She was born within a hundred yards of where she met her sad fate, in the Mission building which had once been used as a school for Indians when her father was teacher. The Kaw Indians testified their esteem for the family by turning out to the funeral to the number of about two hundred.”

The Ghost of William Hess

The alley behind what is now Aldrich Apothecary seems to have been a favorite place for folks to try out their pistols on one another back in the 1860s. We do not know exactly how many have bit the dust behind the Apothecary, but we do know of one William Hess. Hess and another William with the last name of Polk had some disagreement and thought it a good idea to shoot out their differences. The duel ended in Polk killing Hess after which Polk fled the area. After a few months Polk was found in Illinois and was brought back to Kansas. After two years having passed by, Polk had swift justice exercised upon him and was tried in Cottonwood Falls and acquitted. He afterwards lived in Wichita.

As for Hess, well I really don’t know, but I think I would not care too much to walk down the alley late at night.  Just never know who you might run into.

Addenda- For what it’s worth, while I was looking through some old photos of Council Grove in the Historical Society I found more details to the Hess story written in pencil on the back of an 1873 photo of the town. It was difficult to make out everything and it looked like some other things not pertaining to the story were written on it as well.  But it read, “Bill Polk killed Bill Hess, Kahl sheriff.  Polk went to 100 mi west of [Chicago?] for 2 years.  Kahl went after him.  John Wise depty shf.  Trial at Cotton Wood Falls.  Polk cleared by Negro witness who swore Hess tried to kill Polk first.  Bill was on north side of Main st.  He was informed a man was drunk over across the street on the west side of the Regulator Store Bldg.  While a salvation meeting was in progress or dedicating a new two step elevated rock front porch on Main St.  Polk had been playing the same woman as Hess and this was his opportunity.”

Race track at Council Grove.

Phantom Horses of the Race Track

On your way to Fairgrounds Park you will notice a stone at the fork of the road. The stone reads, “Tennessee Hal track record 1910 2-11 1/4 ~ Died 7-16- 1910; Maple Sign record 2-20 ~ Died 7-30-1910” No one seems to know for sure the story behind these two horses, but local legend goes something to this effect. The race horses were of good breed and owned by a prominent family in Morris County. Supposedly the horses were drugged and they won setting a new record. They died shortly after the race.

Horses were highly valued by families and served for work and travel; they were often a status symbol. In fact, I was told by a descendent of A.G. Alexander that A.G. made a point to send his boys to school on a horse just because his boys were too good to walk.

Horse racing was once a very big deal in Council Grove. Hockaday Street was used as a race track for a time; the horses had a straight run. At the Morris County Fairgrounds where our present ball diamonds are, there was once a race track and stables and several out buildings.  Hale White when only 10 or 12 years old had a horse he was very proud of. He wanted to put this horse in a race because he thought it would do very well.  He actually raced the horse himself, and won. He was a bit embarrassed after the race however. As soon as the horse crossed the finish line he headed straight for the stables clippity-clop.

So my friends, if you ever take a stroll down to the base ball diamonds on a cool summer night, down among those ancient oak trees in the quiet near the woods, when the mist of the evening sets in, just listen closely. Hold your breath. You may likely hear the galloping of the horses as they round the track; the cheers of the crowed as they chant their horse onward. And, if you are so fortunate, you may hear the whinny of the wining nag as she thunders across the finish line.

Race track at Council Grove.

 

The hanging of two Kaw Indians

            Shortly before 8 o’ clock on the morning June 2^nd 1859, somewhere around 90 Indians came down Main Street from the west and halted in front of Seth Hays’ store.  The Kaw had stolen two horses from a Mexican trader and were ordered by Hays to return the horses and hand over the Kaw that had stolen them.  Chief Ah-le-gah-wah-ho was the head of this band and did the speaking through an interpreter.  The horses were brought with but Ah-le-gah-wah-ho said that they would not turn over the Indians without a fight.

The Kaw also derided Hays for meddling in this affair, as Mexicans and Indians are more closely related than the whites and the Mexicans. These words exasperated Hays who told his clerk to bring him two revolvers that were kept behind the counter.  Hays fired off both revolvers intending to scare the Indians away.  The Indians in the rear off course could not see what was happening.  One of the braves cried out, “Hays is shooting at us, shoot him!”

Hays responded to this by barricading himself in the store, leaving two or three other men outside.  Charles Gilkey was struck in the chest with an arrow and a man by the name of Parks was shot with a rifle.  Parks was thought to be dead and Gilkey mortally wounded.  Both, however, recovered from their wounds.  The interpreter, Judge Huffaker told the Indians that they should leave immediately as the town folk would desire revenge for this outrage.  So the Indians left town at a gallop and quickly removed their camp south of town on Elm Creek to Four Mile Creek where they could make a stand.

The townsmen gathered in the old Kaw Mission and held a council deciding to go fight the Kaw and wipe them out.  A few thoughtful personages saw the futility of forty whites armed with shotguns and old squirrel rifles attacking 400 well armed and entrenched Indians and talked the men into holding their horses.  It was decided that Judge Huffaker would go and talk to the Kaw and have them turn over the two Indians who had shot Gilkey and Parks and that the fate of said Indians would be decided by a council of citizens.

At the council, the Kaw handed over the brave that shot Parks but claimed they did not know who shot Gilkey.  A young chief in the council was the one who had done it.  The Kaw were not willing to give him up.  When Huffaker insisted that nothing short of complete compliance with his request would satisfy the settlers, the Kaw tied up the chief and surrendered him.

The two Kaw were taken into town where, without judge or jury, they were promptly hung from the framework of a building that was in mid-construction.  That building was located directly west of our present Carnegie Library building.  The bodies were cut down and hauled to the Kaw Reservation by oxen.  When the women of the village saw the bodies coming they broke loose in the most chilling, lamentable wails ever heard.  This noise frightened the oxen causing the cart to be overturned dumping the bodies on the ground.

Earthquake

Most every reader is aware (especially those who have lost some color in their hair) that our town has survived numerous floods, fires, blizzards, wind, drought, famine, pestilence and all other sorts of natural disturbances.  It may surprise you however, that our town has survived more than a few earthquakes.  I found in the January 12^th 1906 Council Grove Guard a report of a noticeable earthquake in Morris County.  It occurred Sunday evening January the 7^th.  Every family in town felt the effects of the quake.  In some homes a picture was shaken from the wall, in others a poker rattled down from the chimney corner or a vase fell from a mantel.  Although the quake did not cause any serious damage or injuries in Morris County, chimneys were thrown down and people were injured in Manhattan.

A number of townsfolk thought that a boiler had exploded on the railway.  One man went so far as to think that a runaway freight train from Helmick had crashed into another train in town.  Most remarked that the shake was accompanied by a low rumbling sound which may have given good cause to believe it was an explosion.

Before the official report came out in the paper, stories had started circulating as to what caused the tremor.  It started out that a car of dynamite exploded at Alta Vista.  Then it grew to 15 cars of dynamite at McFarland, and finally topped off at 30 cars of dynamite; a great example of traditional story telling in Morris County.

Dr. Fredenburg commented on the quake, “Yes, I heard it and saw it too.  I do not think much of it.  I would rather have several earthquakes if that is what they are than to have one flood.”

            Rufus Watkins “thought the chimneys had been blown off the house when the first jolt came.  He said, “I went out to see and found all the neighbors out rubbering at their chimneys.  All the chimneys in the neighborhood so far as I could see were well behaved and I went back in the house to conclude there had been an earthquake.”

Tom Endicott said, “Well, I heard the thing and felt the house tremble, but thought I would not say anything about it until I heard someone else mention it, for fear I had imagined the whole thing.  I have been laughed at too much for much less cause and I thought it a good idea to let someone else talk.”

Even more interesting than the 1906 earthquake was the one that hit Morris County in 1867, the first documented earthquake in Kansas’ history.  The settlers that were here in ‘67 shared their reminiscence in the paper after the 1906 shake.  William Stenger was in a school building on Main Street Council Grove in 1867 when the earthquake happened.  According to Stenger,”About ten o’clock one fine April morning [the 24^th] soon after books had been called, the building took a decided fling one way and then the other.  The doors rattled and the windows creaked.  There was no wind and the sun was shining as bright as could be.  All the pupils caught their breath and for one piece of a second there was a dead silence in the room.  Just then Mrs. James [the teacher] threw up both hands and screamed as loud as she could ‘An Earthquake!’  As by one impulse teacher and pupils made for the door pell-mell.  They wedged in the door and no one could get out.  Some of them cried.  In a short time however they wiggled loose and got outside to find nothing had happened that left any trace.  Calmness gradually came to both teacher and pupils and school work began again.”

W. H. White was in Cottonwood Falls when he experienced the earthquake.  While eating dinner the shock came.  Two plates fells from the cupboard in the dining room.  White said it was a much more severe shock than the one of 1906.

Throughout Kansas and several other states including Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas and even Kentucky the quake of 1867 was felt.  Clocks stopped running, animals were frightened, and buildings swayed.  In Manhattan stones were shaken loose from buildings and walls cracked.  A two foot high wave swept the Kansas River.  On a farm east of Manhattan and south of Wamego the earth opened up and water gushed from the fissure.   In Lawrence objects were thrown from shelves and doors and windows were rattled.  In some places ground waves were even seen.

Kansas has a considerable history of earthquakes.  According to the geological records Kansas has had over 125 quakes since 1867; some two dozen of those were strong enough to be felt.  There are a number of fault lines in Kansas and the Nemaha Ridge or uplift runs right through Morris County.  So don’t be too surprised if sometime in the near future you feel the ground move beneath you.

Addenda November 8, 2011:

Less than two months after this article was printed in the paper, on Saturday November 5^th shortly before 11:00 p.m. Council Grove experienced another earthquake.  The epicenter was west of Oklahoma City.  The shock was felt in twelve surrounding states.   The quake was a magnitude 5.  More shocks followed in the next few days, some were felt in the area.

I was upstairs sitting on the bed trying to watch “Give Me the Banjo” on the computer, a very nice banjo documentary by PBS.  The bed started to shake as though a big truck was going by on the highway.  We were accustomed to this experience at our apartment above the barber shop as the floor shook very much when a truck went by.  However, we had never experienced our house shaking when trucks passed.  Then I realized that there was no traffic.  I looked up at the ceiling fan and saw it shaking.  The mobile on Emmett’s crib was swinging back and forth.  It was windy when this happened so it is difficult to say, but I thought I heard a rumbling noise.  My friend Ronda who lives in Allen about 17 miles east said she did hear a noise because she thought it was a helicopter at first.

It clicked just like that in my head that we were having an earthquake.  I grabbed Emmett out of his crib and ran downstairs.  Kelsie was in the bathroom downstairs and didn’t feel anything.  When she heard me running down the stairs she asked what I was doing.  I told her that I thought we were having an earthquake.  She didn’t believe me.

You couldn’t feel anything on the ground floor, but you could hear the walls cracking and popping.   It probably lasted no longer than a minute.  No damage.  Everyone in town had a similar story.  Some slept through it, some didn’t feel a thing, and some did.  It wasn’t a big earthquake, but for those who have never felt one it gave an eerie sensation.

Addendum:  On August 22, 2015 at about a quarter to 4 a.m. I was awakened by the bed shaking.  Found there was an earthquake near Medford OK.