Barber County Kansas
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Barber County Kansas |
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1886 map of Barber County, Kansas, showing Painted Post.
The Cresset, May 8, 1879. Painted Post
Painted Post, April 23rd, 1879: To the citizens of Barbour county. We the citizens of Big Mule and vicinity, would like to know the feeling of the people in this county in regard to the Texas Cattle Trail, running through this part of Barbour. People coming in here as permanent citizens, would feel it an outrage to have this trail continue any longer. If we can expect any help from the county at large, we would like to know it, as we need it now we have learned that this season's drive are coming on this trail, and, if not turned, we will have to hunt homes elsewhere. We would prefer that before we would suffer with the fever. We have been informed that there was a dead line established, two years ago last winter, six miles west of the west line of Comanche county, and, on the strength of that, we have located here permanently. If that and paying taxes, will not guarantee us protection, we would like to know what further can be expected of us, as taxes, are supposed to defray the expenses of protection to person and property. -- J.C. Boston.
"The Simses also loaned us a lumber wagon and team after the cyclone. We had some rather unusual horses to blow away during the cyclone. They were probably horses that very few ranch children ever had. They were merry-go-round horses. My grandfather and Dad used to have a picnic every fall at what they called the "Painted Post Timber." This was long before us children were born. It was a three- day affair, with horse racing, and all kinds of amusement that the old timers could have. I've heard them tell many stories about it. But at this last fair, the merry-go-round company had gone broke. They went off and left the merry-go-round and the horses there. So Dad brought four of the horses and the little carriage or wagon, that is on practically all merry-go-rounds, down to one house and set them there for us kids to play on. He brought two more down, and put them at the house down south. During the cyclone it blew all of our merry-go-round horses away. Several families over in Comanche County had also gotten horses from that merry-go-round, and I do not know if any of them still have them today or not."
-- Cyclone at the Platt Ranch, 07 May 1927, by Mike Platt, The Hardtner News, 4 September 2003.
"The Platt Ranch was a gathering place for the lower Mule Creek neighborhood; the Painted Post Picnics with a merry-go-round, were held in the timber north of the house. The ponies and chariots were later used as yard toys for us children."
-- The Family of John & Lizzie Platt, by Joyce E. Platt Reed, Comanche County History, pages 606 - 607, published by the Comanche County Historical Society, Coldwater, Kansas, 1981.
Thanks to Kim Fowles for finding, transcribing and contributing the above Cresset news article to this web site!
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