Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-29
Barbour County,
Its Past, Present and
Future!
MEDICINE LODGE.
AS it was, AS it is and
AS it Must Be!
BUSINESS Men Not Afraid of Printers Iok.
MEDICINE LODGE.
Business Men Not Afraid of Printers Ink.

4
| In the limited space at the command of a
country newspaper it is impossible to pub
lish anything like an elaborate history of a
town or county; but there are portions of
that history, Of interest to every reader, that
may be condensed. We have prepared a
short account of the first settlement of
Barbour county and Medicine Lodge, the
information having been obtained from sew
eral old settlers who are now living here,
among them, more particularly, Judge S.
j. Shepler, Judge Updegraff, Eli Smith, DR..
Z. L. Rigg, John Mosley and John Upper
man, to whom we are under obligations.
The first settler in Barbour county was
MIR. Griffin, who settled on ranch on the
site now occupied by Sun City. He had
small stock of goods which he traded to the
Indians. This was during the winter of
lS71-72. He was killed bv the Indians in
the summer of 1872 when on trip in the
Territory. That Spring E. II. Mosley, the
father of John Mosley, who had hunted in
this country previously, with two others.
Messrs. Leonard and Lockwood, located at
klowa. Mosley had small stock of goods
which ne traded to the Indians. He spent
his time hunting buffalo and collecting the
hides for market. Lockwood and Leonard
attempted farming. July 30, 1872 the In
dians, who were opposed to the whites set
Illng in that section, made a raid on the
residences of Leonard and Lockwood, and
In the fight Mosley was kiIfeJl, the others
saving their lives by remainisg in the house
inside stockade The Indians killed near
ly al! the stock at this ranch and went off.
In October 1872 Eli Smith located at Kiowa
and continued the business of hunting, in
which he had been engaged before. The
first store at that place was opened by Gus
Hegwer, in the Spring of 1873. Wichita
distant 90 miles, was the metropolis for
that entire country.
| The first actual settlement of Medicine
Lodge was made in February 1873, when
the town site was laid out by Bemis, Hutch
inson u Co., who came down from Hutch
inson, this state, for the purpose. During
the fall of 1872 VIM. Walters had located
on the point between the Medicine river
and tElm creek; but this camp was only
temporary. 1t was here that John Upper
man, John Hutchins and several others
| wintered.
The town got its name from the Medi-
cine river, and was not named by the Indi-
ans as many suppose. True, the river was
named by the Indians, it being a stream on
which they frequently held their councils.
''Making medicine" with the Indians means
to council together and decide what is best
for their good. So the stream was named
and on the early government surveys it was
called Medicine creek.
The first building erected in the town
was what is now the dining room of the
Medicine Lodge house, which was put ur
by Judge Updegraff in the winter of 1872
73 for hotel, and in that small building
being but story and half high, Judge
J tells us he frequently accommodated forty
men. On one occasion he slept thirty ir
! the half story up stairs. He declares he
could accommodate more guests in thai
small structure than the enlarged house
can now take in. The lumber for this
building was hauled from Hutchinson.
AT the same time this lumber was hauled
down Bemis, Hutchinson & Co., had sever
al loads brought for buildings they had il
contemplation. The first erected was theil
office, OH the lot now occupied by Jack'
livery stable. That was the first busines.
house. 1t is now part of the hotel, being
the addition on the South with the squar
front. About this time Bemis, Jordon 4
Co., erected a large store on the lot nov
occupied by the new bank building. I
was the building used by Love as liver,
stable until few months ago. In thi
building was kepta general stock of good:
considered big for those times.
The hotel was kept for the first thre
months by Dave Hubbard. Then Judg
Updegraff brought his family here all,
J took charge Of the house. He managed ]
several months and rented it to Dawson
who kept it six months then the Judg
took it back. Then Walters had it awhil
then one Steel; then Updegraff again the
Dick Lee; then Mort Strong; then one Ba
ley then Strong again, who has howeve
disposed of it to Mr.. Shelly, who will TAX
d charge on the first of January. So the oil
house has quite history.