My father, James W. Ragan, moved from St. Louis, Missouri, in the fall
      of 1910 to Harper, Kansas, with his wife Viola (Heacock) Ragan and four
      sons: Roy, Clarence, Virgil, and Loyd (myself).
        In 1911 he moved to Medicine Lodge and went to work at Cole's Mill.
      March 13, 1912, Velma was born, and in June, 1912, they moved to Pixley
      on the Prosper Lake Place; later Stones bought the place.
        Eddie Dye had the store and ran the grain elevator. In the fall of
      1912 Father bought out Dye and went to buying grain for Hunter Milling
      Company, Wellington, Kansas. Our father ran the elevator until April 10,
      1927, when he passed away. Brother Roy took over and ran the elevator
      until the fall of 1938, when he passed away. Virgil passed away at
      Springfield, Missouri, in 1972. Clarence passed away in Richland, Missouri,
      in 1976. Velma married Thomas Garrett of Sharon, Kansas; they now live
      in Independence, Missouri. I reside in Mount Vernon, Illinois.
        We all attended Walstead School, one mile north of Pixley. Teachers as
      I remember, were Edna (Stitt) Ball, J.E. Thomas, and Mrs. J.E. Thomas,
      Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Morris, and Opal Cox. The teachers served in different
      years in a one-room school.
        Neighbors were the Slack family just north; the Baldings, 1 mile north;
      Charley Porter, east; the Turners and sons, Roy and Vow, lived 1 mile
      west. Later, Gaines Brown moved on to the place. Royal Schnelle lived on
      the Howard Stone place south of Pixley. Our church was one mile south and
      two miles east of Pixley.
        One of the memorable days of my life was the big coyote hunt on February
      22, 1922. They formed lines 8 miles square, all carried shot guns and walked
      to the center. They didn't shoot coyotes unless they broke the line. They
      shot only jack rabbits. I saw jack rabbits by the wagon loads. We centered
      1/2 mile square on the Luke Chapin place. They turned the dogs loose. We
      saw a big fight, there were 19 coyotes. After the hunt, the young men put
      on a rodeo to round out the day.
        When we went to Medicine Lodge, Fred Moomau ran the pump house in the
      northeast part of town. Our mother and Mrs. Moomau were sisters.
        Luke Chapin was a cattle rancher and farmed a lot. He shipped all his
      cattle from Pixley throught the stockyards; they would hold about 10 car
      loads of cattle at a time. 
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 373 
     Submitted by: Loyd G. Ragan