Fran and I have lived most of our married life in Ft. Collins, Colorado,
     involved in furniture business. Recent winters find us where the weather
     is warmer. This story relates my Medicine Lodge memories.
       Being one of twelve children has a leveling effect. None of your brothes
     or sisters think of you as being outstanding.
       I'm possibly the only presently living person to have arrived in Medicine
     Lodge in a covered wagon. My father, Charlie, was a horse trader and stockman
     and after having gone broke in the 1920's, as an aftermath of the 1919
     livestock price slump, decided to start again in a new location.
       In 1925 Dad made a covered wagon, a copy of the prairie schooners, and
     pulled by horses or mules. It held crude beds, equipment for cooking over
     a campfire, a few clothes, dishes, groceries, lanterns, rope, saddles, a 410 
     shotgun, and Dad's 6-shooter kept close at hand between the bed quilts in
     case a quick draw was needed. We started down the road trailing about a
     hundred head of horses and mules. Dad rode alongside the wagon, which I
     drove; and Max rode behind the horses and mules. Mules can be stubborn
     and ours were no exception. Being around mules encouraged swearing.
       Dad was always looking for trades and stopped at nearly every farm.
     Luckily, nobody wanted two boys, for I think he would have traded us for
     mules. This trading was our only source of income, so we were very patient
     when Dad was trading, which sometime took a half day.
       After several days we arrived in Medicine Lodge, which was a livestock
     area. Dad was real busy trading. Max and my duties were to herd the horses
     and mules to some untraveled road or a wheat stubble field, fix meals, water
     the livestock twice a day, and keep watch on our valuables in the wagon.
       In the fall we rented a place known as the Ben Wadsworth place, northwest
     of Medicine Lodge. We had a house, pasture, water, and feed for the livestock.
     Max and I took turns working for the neighbors, usually at $2.00 a day plus
     noon meal. This kept us in haircuts, tobacco, a few clothes and, once in a
     while, a sandwich when we went to town.
       When grade school was out in 1926, Mother and the youngest boys, Dorcil,
     Brooks, and Dub, who were still living in Kingman County, joined us on
     another place we rented. Our neighbors were the Jeff Mills and Paul Adams
     families.
       In 1927 we rented the Best Place adjoining Medicine Lodge. By then we
     had become a part of the community, church, school, and social activities.
       Mother was a goood cook and had no worries about leftovers. When we didn't
     clean our plates, we were always reminded to think about the "poor starving
     Armenains" who would have been grateful for a bite of food.
       Dad's theory was that being busy kept one out of trouble, especially boys,
     and we were seldom in trouble. "Early to bed and early to rise" kept you
     away from town.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 383 
     Submitted by: R.D. Rickard.