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Chase County Kansas Historical
Sketches
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Roberts E. C. WORLD CHAMPION FAMILY
E.C. Roberts
The E.C. Roberts family moved from the Council Grove vicinity to Chase County, near Strong
City, on the old Dr. Miller farm (formerly the old
Woodspace). E.C. was a good farmer who also
liked to raise good horses, bred them, train them,
ride and sell them. Even has several good teams
for field and feed wagons. Some big beautiful Belgians and a team or two of fine mules.
Mrs. Roberts, Clara was a busy woman, with
5 children to take care of, cooking and cleaning
the house, and the kids, plus a million chores:
cows to milk, chickens to feed water, and sometimes nearly a thousand turkeys, gather eggs, wash
and crate them, separate the milk, as site sold cream
and eggs, in fact the produce bought most of the
groceries for the table. At least the staple supplies. Her garden did a good bit of the rest. She
always had a big garden from which she canned
and canned, so we would have vegetables to eat
in winter. Clara has a green thumb. In each window,
today her house plants are nearly always in bloom.
Washdays were nightmares, (not Dads kind).
There was water to pump, boilers and tubs to fill;
clothes to sort and soak before scrubbing them on
the board. Kids to keep an eye out for, beans to
watch so they wouldn't boil dry because that was
washday dinner. (Dinner was at noon).
The Roberts kids consisted of oldest daughter
Marjorie, a Freshman in high school, when we
arrived in Chase County. Kenneth S. was in the
7th grade. Gerald G. about the 5th grade, Howard
L. in the 2nd, and Clifford C. just wanting to go,
and wasn't quite old enough, and Gloria Ann hadn't
put in an appearance as yet. She made her debut
when Marjorie was sweet 16, and about as much
help as most teenagers.
Somehow we all managed to get by and the
years piled up. Marjorie graduated in 1931 from
Strong City Rural High School. We didn't have a bus
to come take us to and from school; so we rode
horses back and forth to get our education. It really was better than most farm kids had it. Many of
them had to walk several miles a day.
Well anyway E.C. had a good many colts that needed lots of riding to get them broke and keep
them broke. When we kids got one gentle we tired
of it, so E.C. would sell the gentle one and run in
an unbroken spirited one for us to start on, and he
kept us interested.
We were very experienced riders at an early
age. Horses were our only babysitters. Dad would
take us to the barn, park us on the back of a gentle
mare, while he did his chores. It would give our
mother time to get a meal on the table without
having to worry about what we were getting into in
the way of mischief. Kids have a habit of doing
this when mothers are busy.
Soon after the family settled in Chase County,
the three oldest children Marjorie, Kenneth and
Gerald, rode their horses in and out of most Flint
Hills pastures, from home to Council Grove, they
learned every gate, spring pond, brand and where to
dig for coyote pups, or set traps for skunk, muskrat,
possum and others. It was an ideal life for any kid,
sometimes we had a bit of field work, such as raking hay, rolling corn, shocking wheat, getting in
the cows, picking up cobs to burn, feeding bucket
calves, tending our horses or carrying water to the
field to our Dad.
Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, when things
were a bit slack, we would buck out a few horses
or mules, the neighbors would loan us. Often we
would run in every cow on the place, put them in a
chute and ride them across an area that we had
rigged up for that occasion. One old cow called
"tizzy" gave Ken a lot of experience that came in
quite handy when he was riding spinning bulls in
the big rodeos later in life.
E.C. would be the pick-up man, so his horses
learned something new and he learned which horses
were the most trustworthy in tight places. We would
tell the folks around town and our neighbors that
we planned to ride a few wild ones. Consequently,
by 2:00 p.m. several cars would be parked around
for the fun, and many times they would take up a
collection. Once we ended the day with $6.00 plus
practice and a good time.
We gradually got better and started going to
other places to ride in the 'Pumpkin Rollins'' as
small amature rodeos were called. We would hitch
hide a ride just about anywhere to try out our ability. Marjorie, came across the "Clyde S. Miller
Society Horse Show and Rodeo" out of Waterloo,
Iowa in 1933. They taught her trick and fancy riding in a short time. Soon she rode jumping horses,
square-dance horses and even the fancy gaited
ones in the shows. In the Fall Mr. and Mrs. Miller
drove Marjjorie home to go back to school, and got
permission for Ken and Gerald to join them for the
next season. Gerald was only 12 years old, but already a good rider.
We learned a lot out on the road. Most everyone was kind and willing to show us things about
the Rodeo business. It was good to know we had
a home to come to every autumn when the rodeo
circuit closed for winter. It was always good to get
back to Chase County and the lush Flint Hills.
Also to a soft bed and some of moms meat, potaties and gravy.
Howard tried Rodeoing about a year, but decided farming was more his speed. He is still a
Chase County farmer and builder. lHe farms many
acres in season and in the winter he builds a Hay-
hauling Monster, or maybe builds a new house, or
just spends a day tinkering in his shop helping
someone weld a gadget or rub a piece of native
walnut wood into a grandfather clock. Howard and
his wife Connie have five children: Terri, Jerri,
Carol Jo, Robin and last but far from the least Jill,
a darling baby girl.
Clifford had a horse fall on him returning from
school one evening hurting his elbow very badly.
It was in a cast for a long time and he seemed to
lost interest in horses. After graduating from Strong
City High School, he started working for the Santa
Fe Railroad, and is now an engineer. During World
War II he and Howard joined the "Merchant Marines" and saw about all parts of the world, under
very trying conditions. It probably satisfied their
urge to see much farther than Chase County. They
have spent their lives being very good home lovers.
Now and then Cliff, flies his plane on a vacation
tour with his wife Coral. They have a lovely new
home in Chase County near the east line close to
Emporia. Included is an air strip and hanger for
his plane. They have two children, Karen Sue and
Alan (who is now with the U.S. Air Force.) Karen
Sue is married to a Chase County boy, Roy Kuertzal. Sue and Roy are the parents of a little boy
Gary and a baby girl Kelly. They also live in our
Dear Flint Hills of Chase County. Coral is the
lady in the Strong City Post Office.
Gloria Ann, our little sister, came along just
in time to take Marjorie's place as mothers helper,
chauffer, and pal to Mom. She traveled a lot with
Mom and Dad from Rodeo to Rodeo in the Summer. Also in the Winter she went to School at Strong
City. She ended up with a Masters Degree from
K.S.T.C. and now is a teacher at Clay Center,
Kansas. Though, she taught a few years at Cottonwood Falls, while her husband Joe Beck was in
the service for his country. He is also a teacher
at Clay Center. They have two children, Melissa
and Joey.
Grandad Roberts gave them a pony last
summer, so maybe we will have more cowboys and
cowgirls in the Roberts family. They get back to
Chase County several times a year to see the rest
of us. Gerald and Pat his wife have a Western
Apparal Factory at Abeline, Kansas. He hires
several employees at the Chap-Parral Plant. His
merchandise goes to all parts of the world where
people rodeo, or ride horses.
While rodeoing, Gerald got many of his ideas,
as to how western wear should fit and feel while in
actual service. Gerald is a top-notch cowboy, not
rodeo variety, he is excellent at training horses.
He was world's Champion All-Round Cowboy, at the
age of 18 years. In 1942 and 1948, his main events
were the riding events, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull-
Riding, and Bare-Back Bronc Riding. He could
Bull-Dog a steer given enough time, but I doubt he
could catch a calf by roping it in a week from Sunday.
Gerald traveled nearly all over the world with
rodeos, Germany, Japan, etc. His daughter Lala
(Lolly-pop) became a trick and fancy rider. She
also traveled to foreign countries, France and all
of Central America, Mexico, and Canada. Gerald
is the father of four other children. They all did
their share of rodeoing. Claudette, is married,
has two children; Geraldine is married, has two
children; Jim is at present in the U.S. Navy on a
destroyer headed to Viet Nam. Jim has tried riding
in the Strong City Rodeo several times, but so far
can't catch his Dad's winning ways. Kasey, is
studying in Kansas City to be a fashion buyer. She
has a darling little girl ''Shannon.'' They all put
in appearances at E.G. and Mrs. Roberts home on
holidays and rodeo times.
Ken is back in Chase County, after a trial in
living in the Ozarks, Missouri. He purchased
''The Old Marble Hills School House from Avery
Bell and Aileen in 1968. Has turned it into a fun
house, dancing every Saturday night. Outside in
summer and enclosed throughout the winter. Ken's
wife Jois busy selling more and more Chase County
Real estate to people from other places who would
like to live in beautiful, peaceful, clean and prosperous Chase County.
Ken was a World's Champion Brahma Bull
Rider three times in 1943, 44 and 45. Until on a
Rodeo Booster trip advertising the Strong City
Rodeo. Everybody boosted a few to many. On the
return trip the car was wrecked, five of us escaped
unscathed, but Ken's shoulder muscles and ligaments were badly torn, his bull riding arm ruined.
However he learned to ride with his right arm, but
never quite so successfully.
E.C. and Ken started buying Bucking Stock,
Bucking Horses from Canada and North and West
United States. Brahma Bulls from the Palmetto
Swamps in Florida. Long horned Bull-flogging
steers from Old Mexico. They furnished the stock
for the Strong City Rodeo many times. Their string
of stock included the best bucking horse of the
year in 1961, Jessie James.
E.C. planned to retire, so the bucking stock
was sold to the highest bidder at a bucking tryout
in Salina, Kansas in 1962.
To date 1972, E.C. at 77 hasn't retired. He
got interested in raising and racing Quarter Horses.
One of his top runners is ''Go Robin.'' A triple
AAA Horse now standing at stud in Strong City
at E.C.'s.
Sponsored By:
Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Miser,
Rock Creek Ranch
by Lorna Marvin
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