Barbour County

The first settlements were: At Medicine Lodge, November, 1872, by William Walters and others; at Lake City, March 27, 1873, by S. J. Shepler and William Carl Shepler; at Sun City, February, 1873, by F. Al. Forest, C. H. Douglass and James Call; at Kiowa, by Mosley Lockwood and William Leonard. - The first church edifice was erected by the Methodists at Lake City, in 1876, and is used for a church and school house combined. - School house in District No. 1, erected by the District in 1873; in District No,. 4, built by general subscription in 1876, and used also as a house of worship by the Methodists. First business established, general merchandise, by S. H. Ulmer, Medicine Lodge, 1873. - First marriages, Charles Taber and Mrs. Moore, Medicine Lodge, July, 1874; and S. Miller and Mary Hale, Sun City, date not given. - First birth, Willie Walters, April, 1873. - First post office, Medicine Lodge, S. A. Winston, postmaster, appointed April, 1873.

County organized in 1873.

Population in 1875, 366; population in 1878, 1,388; increase in three years, 1,022. Rural population, 1,249; city or town population, 139. Per cent. of rural to city or town population, 90.

Face of the Country. - Bottom land, 10 per cent.; upland, 90 per cent.; forest, (Government survey), I per cent.; prairie, 99 per cent. Average width of bottoms, one mile. General surface of the country (western half), bluffy, with narrow bottoms along streams; eastern half level, or gently undulating.

Timber. - Confined to scattering groves along the streams. Varieties: cottonwood, red cedar, white elm, hackberry, ash, walnut, etc.

Principal Streams. - Medicine Lodge river, Driftwood, Mulberry, Hackberry, and Mule. Big and Little Mule creeks flow southeast into the Salt Fork of the Arkansas, and thence into the Arkansas. Bear, Monument and Cedar creeks flow north. into the Medicine Lodge river. Turkey and Elm flow south into the same river. The county is well supplied with springs; well water obtained at a depth of from 10 to 50 feet.

Coal, etc. - No coal has been discovered.

Building Stone, etc. - Building stone is reported plenty throughout the northwestern portion of the county; said to be of good quality - generally sandstone, but limestone is reported near Sun City. Immense quantities of gypsum are found southwest of Medicine Lodge river, the beds extending over one-fourth of the area of the county. Fire and pottery clay reported to have been discovered in great quantity near Sun City.,

Railroad Connections. - There are no railroads in this county.

Agricultural Statistics. - Acres in the county, 725,760; taxable acres, 5,603; under cultivation, 5,176; cultivated to taxable acres, 92.38 - per cent.; increase of cultivated acres during the year, 3,990.

Value of Garden Produce, Poultry and Eggs Sold during the Year. - Garden produce, $25.55; poultry and eggs, $81.50.

Old Corn on Hand. - Old corn on hand March 1st, 1878, 254 bushels, or an average of one bushel to each family.

Increase in three years, 266+ per cent. Average increase per annum, 88.66+ per cent.

County organized in 1873. No returns for 1873 and 1874.

Dairy Products. - Cheese manufactured in 1875,- lbs.; in 1878, 24 lbs.; increase, 24 lbs. Butter manufactured in 1875, 255 lbs.; in 1878, 6,493 lbs.; increase, 6,238 lbs.

Farm Animals. - Number of horses, in 1877, 188; in 1878, 527; increase, 339. Mules and asses, in 1877, 40; in 1878, 104; increase, 64. Milch cows, in 1877, 500; in 1878, 583; increase, 83. Other cattle, in 1877, 1,199; in 1878, 3,568; increase, 2,369. Sheep, in 1877, 1,712; in 1878, 2,217; increase, 505. Swine, in 1877, 43; in 1878, 287; increase, 244.

Sheep Killed by Dogs. - Number of sheep killed by dogs, 17; value of sheep killed by dogs, $51.

Wool. - Clip of 1877, 1,748 pounds.

Value of Animals Slaughtered. - Value of animals slaughtered and sold for slaughter during the year, $749.10.

Horticulture. - Number of trees in bearing: plum, 6; cherry, 24. Number of trees not in bearing: apple, 515; pear, 8; peach, 3,694; cherry, 73. Vineyard, number of acres, .50. Nothing else reported.

Herd Law. - The herd law is not in force in the county. Public sentiment appears to be strongly against it, and our reporter says it would be ruinous to the county, "as stock lives all winter without being fed." It retards and discourages the building of fences, and stimulates the growing of small grains. Those favoring the law claim that they are unable to farm where stock is permitted to roam at large; and those opposing it, that this is a stock country, and it costs less to fence than to herd.

Fences. - Stone, no report. Rail, 9,815 rods; cost, $14,767.50. Board, 3,170 rods; cost, $4,755. Wire, 2,760 rods; cost, $2,208. Hedge, 160 rods; cost, $120. Total rods of fence, 15,935; total cost, $21,850.50.

Apiaculture. - No report.

Value of Agricultural Implements. - Amount invested in agricultural implements, $4,114.

Manufactures. - Medicine Lodge township: steam saw mill, capital $1,500; steam and water flour mill.

Valuation and Indebtedness. - Assessed valuation of personal property, $103,369.90; total assessed valuation of all property, $122,031.33; true valuation of all property, $203,385.55. Total indebtedness of county, township, city and school districts, $175,470.41; per cent. of indebtedness to assessed valuation, 145+.

Newspaper History. - The Barbour County Mail, the first and only paper published in the county, was established at Medicine Lodge, May 23,1878, by M. J. Cochran. His Republican in politics.

Schools. - Number of organized districts, 20; school population, 360; average salary of teachers, per month, males, $28.80; females, $18.28. School houses built during 1878: log, 2. Total number of school houses, 8; log, 6; frame, 2. Value of all school property, $1,273. The school grounds are not ornamented with shade trees.

Churches. - Baptist: organizations, 3; membership, 90. Episcopal: membership, 15. Methodist Episcopal: organizations, 6; membership, 80; church edifices, 1; value of church property, $600. Roman Catholic: organizations, 1; membership, 100.