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William H. Middaugh arrived on the front range of the Rocky Mountains in the middle of the 1859 gold rush. Middaugh was born near Painted Post, N.Y., in 1814. By 1836 he married Mary Marvin and was living in Erie, Penn., building wagons.
Read moreI was fortunate enough to be asked to write a series of articles on volunteerism in our community. The first one was “The Benefits of Volunteerism,” which outlined some of the advantages of choosing to volunteer. The second article, “Where Have All of the Good Volunteers Gone?”, discussed reasons why volunteerism has recently declined. This third piece will simply lay out three volunteer leadership opportunities that exist in our community. Hopefully, a few volunteers will step forward to help.
Read moreOne of the most enduring images of the Old West is that of a great herd of Texas Longhorn cattle snaking its way north over the dusty Chisholm Trail to railroad stockyards at the end of the trail. Hundreds of thousands of cattle walked their way into oblivion, herded by leather-skinned, trailhardened cowboys whose names have been forgotten to all but a few disciples of trail history.
Read moreEllsworth County services temporarily on hold — again
Read moreGeneral Sheridan’s Winter Campaign to force the Indians out of Kansas was launched in November 1868. The most famous action of the campaign was the attack on Black Kettle’s camp by the Seventh Cavalry led by “Gen.” George Armstrong Custer. However, the entire campaign lasted until early spring 1869.
Read moreMarch. It comes in like a lion. So far, we haven’t been disappointed.
Read moreRailroad fever spread like a wild prairie fire across the Kansas plains in the early part of 1870. The Kansas Pacific Railway had just crossed the entire state from the Missouri River to the western border and was about to reach Denver. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, building toward southwest Kansas, had temporarily halted a few miles north of Osage City. A new supply of iron rails was all they needed to reach Emporia while the summer was yet young.
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