In the spring of 1911 the McKaig family at Wichita loaded up 2 wagons and with 2 teams
  of horses headed for Barber County. They had bought a farm 12 miles southwest of Medicine 
  Lodge. Dewey was 12 years old at the time. He and his father drove one wagon, the sisters,
  Bula and Faye, drove the other one. They came across country. Roads just went from one
  town to another, no bridges, so they forded all creeks. At Cheney the father broke his 
  shoulder in putting a wagon into a livery barn, and they stayed there a week while it 
  healed. The sisters were sent back to Wichita, and Dewey stayed to hilp his Dad care for 
  the teams. Finally they came on, traveled for days, reaching their new home by March.
      The mother and younger brother, Frank came by train. In 1915 their first car was 
  bought, a Model T Ford. They had many good neighbors, and a church was built on a hill.
  It was called Union Chapel. Ministers from four churches in Medicine Lodge took turns
  going out to preach each Sunday.
     An acre of ground from the farm had been given in the 1870's for a cemetery and 
  named Lodi. Many babies and old timers are buried there. Later a mail route was established
  and a store and post office built a few miles west, named Laswell.
     The McKaigs farmed on; at one time their barn burned. In 1927 a tornado just missed
  the McKaig farm; it took the little church, Union Chapel, and five neighbors' homes along
  the road. Mr. McKaig died on his farm at 91 years of age. Mrs. McKaig lived to be 97 on
  the farm, living with Frank, the youngest son.
     Dewey married Elsie Miller and lived several places but came back to the area as oil and 
  gas was developed in the neighborhood.
      Elsie and Dewey had one son, Bill. He went to school at Dry Creek Rural School near
  the gas field, then graduated from Medicine Lodge High School. By that time World War II
  was on, and he entered the Navy. Following the war, he entered Purdue University and
  graduated an Engineer in Aeornautics. From his Engineergin he went into space work and
  is now at work on the Shuttle, which will be launched in the summer of 1979 to go and
  return from space.
     From grandfather coming to Barber County with wagons and teams, our history goes on
  to grandson helping engineer the Space Shuttle to go and return other vehicles in space.
  This is quite a progress in so short period of time.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 304 
     Submitted by: Mrs. Dewey McKaig