Barber County Kansas
|
Barber County Kansas |
|
Marion Francis McLain, 83, Sun City, died Monday at a Greensburg rest home. He was born May 12, 1889, in Nebraska. A retired rancher, he was a resident of the Sun City area for 60 years.He belonged to the Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Survivors include sons, Max of Medicine Lodge, Mark, Satanta; brothers, Samuel, Berryton, Tex., Glen, Clayton, N. M.; sister, Mrs. Ruth Burgin, Felt, Okla.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at Forsyth Funeral Home, Medicine Lodge. Burial will be in Sun City Cemetery. The family suggests memorials to the cardiac unit of Medicine Lodge Memorial Hospital.
Email from Kim Fowles to Jerry Ferrin, 26 August 2005:
"This is a message David Massey sent to my father regarding these rodeo photos:Ronnie: I received a nice group of rodeo pictures, do you have more?Those you sent were all of the early years weren't they?
I couldn't help but wonder how those old rodeo cowboys would compare with today's breed. Those steers they were riding in the pictures were about half the size the bulls the youngsters are riding today.
I couldn't help but be reminded of a story they used to tell about Mr. McLain (Frank) when I was viewing those pictures of the cars parked around the arena. Seems like the cars that parked up next to the fence either paid an additional fee or were reserved, don't remember which.
One of Mr. McLains responsibilities was parking and what other security problems that needed his attention. He always rode a big old buckskin horse when I could remember him, and on this day he asked a man who was illegally parked to move his car, the man didn't want to and told Mr. McLain so. Mr. McLain just dropped his loop over the bumper and old "Buck" just started dragging him off. Drug him all the way to the gate and out.
The man kept whining until Mr. McLain said "don't make me get off of this horse, boy." As he was about Mark's size except broader I can imagine the old kid didn't really want him to step down off of old Buck."
Dave
Marion Francis McLain at the McLain Roundup at Sun City,
Kansas, with his sons: Mark,
at left, and Max,
at right.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
"Grand Entry 1930 McLain’s 8th Annual Round Up Sun City Kansas. Truit on his grey horse on the right carrying the flag. Mark McLain, 10 yrs old, on the left. Marion F. McLain at center, Max McLain, 15 years old. Mark on Hi Time, Marion on Big Buck, Max on Badger. This is the year we brought 100 head of horses out of Colorado. Trailed em. Badger was a broke one." -- Caption by Joe Massey, 1994, Clovis, Calif."
Marion Francis McLain of Sun City, Barber County, Kansas.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Marion Francis McLain of Sun City, Barber County, Kansas.
Photo courtesy of Ruth Ann (Lott) Edwards.
Marion Francis McLain, at left, with Lewis
Maple Hastings, photo taken before 1916.
Photo courtesy of Brenda
McLain.
Marjorie McLain with her horse, Patches.
Photo
courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Max, Marjorie and Mark
McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Left to right: Max and Mark
McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Left to right: Max and Mark
McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Ruth (Massey)
McLain with her daughter Marjorie.
Ruth was the daughter
of Joseph
Pierce Massey.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Marion Francis McLain
Photo courtesy of Brenda
McLain.
L-R: Marjorie (McLain) Hunter, Ruth
(Massey) McLain, Artha
(Van Horn) Massey Surber
The boy is Barger or Red Hunter, son of
Marjorie McLain.
Photo courtesy of Nell (Sisk) McLain.
Back, L-R: Max
McLain, Mark
McLain, Marion
McLain.
Front, L-R: Marjorie McLain, unknown, Artha
(Van Horn) Massey Surber, Ruth
(Massey) McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Draft Registration card: Marion Francis McClain of Sun City,
Barber County, Kansas.
United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
Ruth (Massey) McLain, wife of Marion Francis McLain.
Practical Jokes and Backfired Actions - See "Bus and the Hobo" by David Massey for a story about a practical joke Bus Saunders tried to play on "Mac" McLain which Mac caused to backfire on Bus.
Marion Francis McLain was the founder of the McLain Roundup rodeo in Sun City.
McLain's Round-Up, Sun City, Kansas, July 8-9-10:
Big Barber Co. Attraction Announces Entry of World Famous Performers.
Barber County Index, June 25, 1938."Homer Venters: Vintage Rodeo Photographer", The Western Horseman, July 1972.
McLain Roundup photos by Homer Venters
Courtesy of his great-nephew, Mike Venters.McLain's Roundup: the Memories of Joe Massey Photos by Homer Venters captioned by Joe Massey, from the collection of Brenda McLain, courtesy of Kim Fowles.
McLain Roundup photos by Homer Venters
From the collection of Brenda McLain, courtesy of Kim Fowles.McLain's Annual Roundup, Sun City, Kansas. Photograph by Murphy
Courtesy of Nathan Lee and William Lee.Sometimes, though, the end of the rodeo wasn't the end of the excitement for local people, such as when Alva Trummel of Comanche County was kidnapped by Bonnie and Clyde while he was headed home from the "Sun City Rodeo":
Alva Trummel Kidnapped By Bandits, The Western Star, September 8, 1933.
See Sun City Basketball Teams for more photos of Mark McLain.
Shooting an anvil at Mac-L Park on the 4th of July by Wendel Ferrin.
Carl Studer Rodeo Scrapbook & Ephemera Center -- FF2/D01 Oversized Posters: McLain's 5th Annual Roundup: The Roundup ca. 1930.
Willard H. Porter Rodeo Collection -- Kansas, Medicine Lodge, 6th Annual McLain's Round Up, 1927 [1]
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site, to Brenda McLain and Nell (Sisk) McLain for the photos and to Kim Fowles for scanning and sending the photos!
|
|
|