I was born November 24, 1896, to Mr. and Mrs. Zig Smith near Jet,
     Oklahoma. My father made the run in the strip and got a claim there.
     It is now about two miles south of the Salt Plains Dam. Their first
     house was a dugout where I was born. As soon as they could, they built
     a frame house where my brother, Ralph, was born.
       When I was four years old, they sold their farm and bought one in
     Kingman County, Kansas, where both of their families lived. We lived
     there until March, 1913, when we moved to Barber County, thirteen miles
     north of Medicine Lodge.
       At a fourth of July picnic I met Herbert Rose who was the son of Mr.
     and Mrs. W.R. Rose. He was born December 2, 1888. A friendship culminated
     into a courtship, and we were eventually married February 11, 1914.
       We lived in a one room house the first year. It was the scale house
     where they weighed the cattle when selling. It was 14X16 feet, plastered
     just like a house, so it was very comfortable, but a little crowded.
       We started building our house that summer, hopin g to get in it before
     winter, but due to bad weather and other troubles, we didn't make it. So
     our first little girl, Erma, was born in the one room house on December
     26, 1914. A wonderful Christmas present for us!
       Finally the house was finished and we moved into it in April. I think
     I was about the happiest wife in Barber County.
       We kept busy; Herb ws farming and taking care of a herd of Hereford
     cows, and needless to say, a rancher's wife is always busy.
       On July 19, 1917, another little girl, Orva, was born. That completed
     our family. We lived on the ranch all of our married life except six
     years when we moved to Pratt where the girls attended high school. After
     they finished school, we moved back to the ranch. We lived there until
     November, 1975, then moved to Medicine Lodge.
       We celebrated our sixtieth anniversary in 1974.
       We named our ranch "Rosedale" at the suggestion of our daughter, Orva.
     The nameplate accompanied us on our move to Medicine Lodge.
       Herb had been in poor health for some time; and just a year after we
     moved to Medicine Lodge, he passed away. I still live here, but spend
     the winters in Arizona. Erma McKee lives in Tucson, and Orva Serena in
     Phoenix.
       Erma lost her husband, who was a doctor, in 1965. She had three little
     girls, Orva has two children, a girl and a boy, so I had five grandchildren.
     I have five great grandchildren; these are the joy of my life.
      
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 391 
     Submitted by: Edna Smith Rose