Seywood Larrick, of Lenora, Kan., prominent capitalist, banker, ranch owner, and formerly a stock dealer on a large scale, was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, Son of Asa Larrick, of Logan, Kan. Asa Larrick moved from Ohio to Illinois, then to Iowa, and in 1872 came to Kansas, locating in Phillips county, on the present site of Logan. They drove from Kearney, Neb., by team, and took a homestead on the Solomon river. Buffaloes and other big game were plentiful in those days. In 1878 the Indians raided the country west of Logan and a stockade was built at that place for the protection of the settlers. The first house the Larrick family lived in was built of logs, with a dirt roof, and our subject attended the common schools in Phillips county and finished at the Logan schools. At the age of thirteen he hunted buffaloes with his father, for hides, and the last year on the range he killed a number of buffaloes himself. He and his father hunted for three years, and took the hides to Wallace, Kan., Kit Carson, and Julesburg, Col. The freight for Logan was hauled from Russell, and the mail came from Concordia to Kirwin, the Logan people depending on anyone who could to bring it over.

After hunting buffaloes three years young Larrick went to the Black Hills, remaining there for one year, and in coming back he stopped on the range in Nebraska for three years. In 1880 he took a homestead in Sheridan county and started into the cattle business, which he followed, and in 1887 entered the banking business. On May 14 of that year he, with others, bought the Exhange[sic] Bank, of Lenora, of which he is principal stockholders, and of which he has been cashier for twenty-five years. He remained in the cattle business until about ten years ago. In two years his company shipped over 7,000 head of cattle from Arizona, and handled hundreds of hogs and horses. Upon going out of the cattle business, in 1904, he established the State Bank, of Edmond, Kan., which in 1906 was changed to the First National Bank. He is president of this bank and owns more than four-fifths of the stock. In 1908 he with others estabtablished[sic] the Hoxie State Bank, of Hoxie, Kan., of which he is president. In that same year he with others established the Farmers' State Bank of Speed, in which he sold his interest last year. In 1891 he organized the Lenora Lumber Company, of which he was treasurer for twenty-one years, selling his interest last August. Mr. Larrick was one of the original stockholders in the Osage Fire Insurance Company of Topeka. He owns about 1,700 acres of land in Kansas. He was councilman of Lenora for a number of years, is a member of the Congregational church, of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and of the Modern Woodmen of America. In politics he is a Republican, and has been a school director for nine years.

On July 22, 1885, Mr. Larrick was married to Miss Celestia A. Hardeman, daughter of John M. Hardeman, a native of Missouri, who came to Kansas in 1879, and was engaged in farming. They came here from Iowa, and Mrs. Larrick attended the common schools of Graham county, after which she taught school for two years. Mr. and Mrs. Larrick have five children: Lottie A., married to W. L. Leidig, assistant cashier of the Exchange Bank, of Lenora, and is living in that town; Ollie I., Fern A., and Lewis L., attending Washburn College in Topeka, and Emma, attending high school at Norton, Kan. The family are members of the Congregational church.

When the Larrick family first came to Logan there were no settlers west of that point on the river and the country was covered with buffalo grass, ehere[sic] being no hay except in the draws. The Indians camped on the river during the winter and cut down cottonwood trees to allow their horses to browse. During the first two years at Logan they could go out any time and kill buffaloes and antelopes. In 1873 our subject was on Frenchman river, in southwest Nebraska, with his father, when they saw the main body of a herd moving southward. They estimated that more than 200,000 buffaloes passed their camp within two days, and they killed ten by moonlight in one night, and the next day were kept busy skinning carcasses. As soon as one was finished another was killed. In the summer these hides brought as low as 60 cents for cow hides, and 90 cents for bull hides. The highest robe-hide price received was $3.25. After the county was settled the blue joint grass came, rains were more frequent and better crops were raised. In 1890 they sowed wheat in the dust. It did not come up till spring, but they harvested the biggest crop they ever had. The creeks were full of beaver dams when they located in this country, but after all the beavers were trapped the dams washed out, and since that time the creeks remain dry a part of the year. In 1877, while in the Black Hills, Mr. Larrick discovered a rich mine, but left the hills for the winter, and as there was an Indian raid, he never returned, although the mine was successfully worked later. When they came to Kansas the Larrick family had no money, and one winter wore buffalo hocks for shoes, so that our subject has made all of his money right where he lives. He is the largest individual taxpayer in Norton county. He is interested in banks at Norton, Phillips and Sheridan counties. The capital and surplus of the Exchange Bank is $61,000, of the First National Bank of Edmond, $32,000, and of the Hoxie State Bank, $43,000. The Larrick residence in Lenora is the second finest in the whole northwestern part of the State. In the same neighborhood where he made his fortune Mr. Larrick once worked for $8.00 per month. When he was a cattle dealer, in 1882-83, he shipped in stock from Missouri for this section of the country, and at one time the settlers were so anxious for stock that five car loads were sold by moonlight on arrival at the station. In those days there was an abundance of range.

Mr. Larrick's father and mother still live on the original homestead, which they took forty years ago, near Logan, the former at the age of seventy-five and the latter past seventy-three, both active for their age.