Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-09-12
BARBER COUNTY.
It's Early History. as Told to
The
old Settlers Ric-Mc Sept. 7,
1883,
By Hon. 7. A. McNe0L. HstoY-
ian of the Association.
BARBER COUNTY.

more formidable proportions and wider
scope than first thought would con-
celve, or first glance reveal. The first
thought Is that Barber county had its
beginning some fifteen years ago and
that 1t is a comparatively easy task to
gather together the materials, the
points, the scraps, and the ends which
make up the warp and wOOf of her
short but interesting history. But
history Is not abrupt or clearly marked.
II was not bounded by definite lines.
1t can not be measured by the square
and compass of records, or even by the
plant tape of memory.
Starting on the well beaten highway
OF the present, as we run back to find
the beginning, the road grows dim and
grass grown; becoming less marked
and by degrees almost imperceptible in
their difference until we find ourselves
wandering in the uncertain paths of
tradition and speculation. Out in the
canyOns-thOse sluicewayS cut by the
rushing waters of long ago, we find
almost numberless oyster shells and
forms of fishes, emb Mined by natures
unknown art and tul ned to everlasting
stone. The present Is lost to view, and
before the untrameled eye of imagina-
ton, stretches out vast and open sea.
We hear the Sullen roar of the waves
beating the rock-bOund shore, and the
hoarse cry OF the gull as it heralds the
coming storm.
Further OH we discover half covered
by the sod, what was once a bone, and
gazing in wonder on it's proportions,
the scene shifts and changes. No
longer do the miSts hang over tire head
lands. No longer do sea gulls skim
with steady wing the foaming tops of
crested waves, but in their place stands
the bulky form of the giant maStodon;
SO huge in his proportions that in COM
parisOn the ASiatic elephant becomes
but Shetland pony, and the largest
buffalo but a grasShOpper. The eli
mate is tropical and the vegetation
luXurient in proportion TO the size of
the animals which now rOamed where
once rolled the mighty surges of the
open sea. No modest buffalo grass
curled into thick mat upon the prai-
rie, but giant blue stem, standing
forty feet in height, sighed and swayed
in the summer gale. No stunted elmS
and gnarly cOttOnwOOds grew by the
streams and Isn't their shade TO the
llmpid waters. bu, lofuiy walnuts, oaks
aud cedar, .eue. their tops four hun
dred feet toward The sky. The mock
ing bind ami Wild canary did not MAKE
vocal the morning air with the music
of their song. but huge condors and
other birds OF prey famed the earth
with their wide reaching piniOns, and
dl.ed the air with their discOrdant
CRIES. Further along on this grass
-iuHL PGtirS.s. "e FtCS up al AK and
hammer OF stone, and the scene shifts
ars.u. These were Hade by human
itls. Who were these people who
...e lived E.Cre We H0w dwell, who
ai.l .ie.r a.rt, and luyS. their ambi-
t.cIs. LaI u.aiitG; their trials and
tolls as We have ours now; who builded
cities and planted fields. no doubt, but
persisted at last leaving no written sign
Oi their existence; only these imperish-
aole relics OF their handiwork in stone
which will tell not what they were, but
that they must have been. Whether
they were finally overcome by All accu-
mutation OF alkali in their systems, or
perished from the too free use of
gypsum water. Will probably always
remain an unsOlved mystery.
Leaving the field of speculation we
come to the earliest bits of recorded
history. The land is still shrouded, it
is true, with the fogs of tradition, but
through the mists and fogs which hang
heavy around, begin to break the
morning rays of authentic narrative.
a band of Spaniards bold, brave and
ambitious headed by the chivalrous
leader, Coronado, have started north in
quest of tabled land of gold. Across
the barren plains aud rugged mountains
of New Mexico. Up the narrow, but
fertile valley of the Rio Grande; fight
ing with famine and hostile Indians,
until at last they reach the 37th paral-
lei of latitude, when they turned east
ward south of the great Arkansas river,
until they struck land of swift run
ming streams and green groves. This
must haye been the valley Of the
Medicine. But little account is given
by Coronado of the tribes which then
inhabitated this region, aud we look in
vain for any mention of the effects
when he and his followers quaffed the
waters of Bitter creek. 1t may have
been that there was no time to make an
entry in his diary, and subsequently
Coronado may not have been able to do
SO.
There is every reason TO believe, how
ever, that though Coronado and his
followers may haye suffered some in
convenience from over loading their
systems with the sparkling mineral
waters of Bitter creek and kindred
streams of Barber county, they were
still ready TO pronounce it the most
gOOdly land they had yet struck. Here
was the favOriie rendeZvOuSe of the
copper cOlOred sons of guns and dusky
maidens. who rOamed over the un-
Subdued prairleS and coyOrted through
these sylvan shades. Here when the
open yisaged coyote was engaged in
lifting his voice IN the air, Young
man-with his nose knocked of" and
kindred braves were preparing for the
green corn dance. Here the little
Indian trundled his war whOop, and the
old warrior mediatively picked the
line back louise from his raven tresses
and smoked the pipe of peace. Here
the noble warrior affectionately watch
cd his wife as she did whatever work
there happened to need being done
around the place; and here he and his
sQuaw when they got too ugly to live
any longer, were gathered to their
fathers
In 1867 occurred notable event, not
only in the history of the West, but also
in the history OF the entire country.
1t embraced a radical change in Indian
policy. It was the OutgrOwth of a
policy which proposed to tear the
Indian from the hunting grounds which
De loved From lie graves of his sireS,
from Z climate Z 81 which ne was accus-
tomeI. from every thing. in fact, which
an INDIAN s. supposed to hold dear, and
force bim - "a, ept new home III a
strange land. Tie result was Indian
outbreaks cruel nlassacreS. settler s
BONES laid waste. murdered men, and
women ravaget. 1t was resolved to
hold peace conference, to treat with
these unsofIicated tribes and induce
them in this way to accept lands in the
Indian Territory in place Of their
former reservations. This council was
held at or near the place where Medicine
Lodge now stands and was in many re-
spects the most notable Indian gather
better known by his non de plume Of
kicking Bird" one of the most elo-
qnent Of Kansas writer's, who was pres
ent on that occasion, writes me as fol-
i lows: