Walter L. and his cousin William A. Maddox came from Northern Missouri
     to Barber County, Kansas in the Spring of 1883. They established their
     cattle and farming operations on Spring and Sand Creek, three miles west
     of Crisfield. Such an abundant water supply was very important to the
     early settlers. Walter also acquired one half section of land five miles
     north of Hazelton. They farmed together till they married. Will's farm
     stead was just across Sand Creek sough of where Sand Creek school was to
     be located. This is now known as the Hoppes Farm. Walter located his
     farmstead about one mile southwest of Will's. It is now owned by the
     Werley McGee family.
       Walter married Minnie Caton, his childhood sweetheart and Will married
     Gertrude Bolteman, whom hemet in his new country. Will and Gertrude had
     six children: Imo, Letha, James, Blanche, Roland and Bryan. Walter and
     Minnie had two children Mabel and Harold. Minnie died in 1887. The two
     children spent their early years with their grandparents. Mr. and Mrs.
     Caton of Bucklin, Missouri.
       At the time Walter and Will were locating in Barber County the Santa
     Fe Railroad terminated at Harper. Walter added to his income by freighting
     from Harper to Medicine Lodge and Kiowa. He told us of breaking sod north
     west of where Hazelton was to be when the first building, a barn, was
     being built. One of Hazelton's futureleading citizens, Daniel O. Edwards,
     spent his first night in the area in the barn. The railroad was extended 
     thru Hazelton in about 1886. The country was settled rather rapidly with 
     the benefit of the railroad. The open range soon became a land of many
     families. Many country schools were soon organized.
       The early settlers endured enough hardships to break many, but the
     determined souls survived. There were prairie fires, drouth, blizzards,
     Texas tick infestation of the cattle, financial difficulties, loneliness
     for those exposed to entirely new environment, even an Indian scare,
     carried out by the cattlemen to discourage the settlers.
       Eleven lonely years after Minnie's death, Walter married Edna May Bell,
     the eldest child of Caroline and Cashus Bell. The Bells lived four miles
     east of Crisfield in Harper County. To this family was born three children:
     Lawrence Edward, Virgil Dean and Mildred Caroline.
       During 1905, the first rural mail route and the first rural telephones
     were installed.
       At about this time Walter's youngest brother, James Arthur, came to
     Barber County. He took normal training at Medicine Lodge and taught at
     least one year at the Cedar Valley School. He purchased a farm about
     midway between Sharon and Hazelton; it is now known as the Grover Lichlyter
     farm. Arthur, like Walter, married his childhood sweetheart, Anna (maiden
     name unknown). She came with him to their new home. Fate stepped in and
     Anna died of tuberculosis six months after they were married. After
     operating the farm several years, Arthur moved to Oregon where he spent
     the remainder of his life.
       Most early day farms were set up to be as self sustaining as possible.
     There was usually a mixed fruit orchard, a vineyard, a garden, a poultry
     program, from one to several milk cows. Butchering and curing pork, plus
     rendering lard, was a part of the farm program.
       Most families were large enough that the children took care of most of
     their own entertainment quite well. Since neighbors lived closer together
     than at the present time, visiting with the neighbors was a usual thing.
     Community entertainment came by way of Literary Societies which consisted
     of debates, recitation, dialogues, and the community paper. The usual
     community paper was a comic imitation of the people and happenings in the
     community. These community gatherings were held on Friday evenings at the
     rural school houses where Sunday School and church was often held on
     Sunday. Square dances in the homes were quite common. In the spring of
     the year, when the hay was pretty much used up in the big barns, they 
     would clean the hayloft up nicely and hold square dances or parties as 
     they called them. Beds were set up for the little ones when they became
     sleepy. The moms and das visited and young folks "Skip-to-Malooed."
     Saturday nights were also a special time for most folks. They would go
     to town to replenish supplies, visit with neighbors and catch up with
     the local news.
       Those of us who have had the opportunity to see almost eighty years of
     this land's growth have benefited by the thrift and hard work of those
     before us and have an especially warm feeling for Barber County.
                 
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 310 
     Submitted by: Lawrence E. Maddox