In 1886 George Parker, his wife and eight children left Macon county, Missouri, by railroad for the west and landed in Kiowa, Kans. His daughter, Almada (Mrs. Frank King) was 16 years old at the time.Mr. and Mrs. Parker and the children came in a coach, but the household goods, etc., came in an emigrant car, which was like a freight car, divided so two people could use one car. A son, Webb Parker, came with it and a man named Sterling McFadden had the other half of the car.
The Parkers brought two horses, one big wagon (unassembled) a stallion, two pigs, two dogs and 3 dozen Barred Rock hens. These hens belonged to Almada and were to be the beginning of her flock, but they were stolen the night they arrived at the depot. The family arrived 10 days before the emigrant car.
As soon as the car arrived, things were unloaded and the big wagon was assembled and converted into a moving wagon (prairie schooner); everything loaded into it ready for the trek to their claim, which was 50 miles from Kiowa, and it took two days to make the trip.
Since they were too heavily loaded and too many to ride all the time, they took turns riding and walking.
Where the claim was is known as Poverty Flats and is now the McMoran ranch in southeast Comanche county. It had a one room, half sod and half log house with a fireplace, which was used as a cook stove also until a cook stove arrived.
There was an 18 months old baby in the pioneer family and someone walked a mile and a half each day to get milk for it.
The first year on the claim they broke out 10 acres of sod and had a bountiful crop of watermelons, averaging around 40 pounds, and a fine garden.
Here it might be said that Mrs. King says she wasn't too much interested in all that happened, as she had left her sweetheart behind in Macon, and she never saw him again, but she recalls one incident that happened that first summer: Two cowboys caught a black bear and butchered it. They gave it to the Parkers and her mother rendered the lard and had 5 gallons of grease to use. She says that she definitely does not like bear meat.
Almada was married in April, 1880, to Frank King of Medicine Lodge. He at that time was foreman of the Comanche County Pool. He closed the pool out that year and took charge of the T. A. Ranch on Red Fork in Oklahoma.
Evansville was then the headquarters for the Comanche County Pool and was located on the former John Arrington ranch, now the Davis ranch. Mr. King first came to Comanche county in 1874 and drove cattle to Dodge City from San Antonio.
Charley Colcord had a horse camp, where they kept the horses that they used in the Pool, and fed them all winter. It was located on the head of the Salt Fork, which farm May McDonald now owns and which was the McDonald homestead. Nig Atteberry lives there now, and traces of the dugout can be seen today on the west side of the house. The grass was tall, and is how Colcord decided to put the camp at this place.
At the time some Indians, who had been sent from Oklahoma to the Dakotas, decided to come back to their old hunting grounds.
As they came by Colcord's horse camp they shot the man in charge and took the horses. The man was shot in the back of the neck and after they left he wrapped a gunnysack around his neck and, as luck would have it his saddle horse was still there. He rode as hard as he could to Evansville, shouting, "They have killed me," and the Evansville cowboys went in hot pursuit after the Indians and got the horses back They herded the Indians in some trees on Big Timber, south of Cherokee, Okla., and kept them there until morning, so they thought, but learned when the sun came up that not a live Indian was there. Two had died in the night and were swung up in trees in Indian hammocks.
The Comanche County Pool shipped 40,000 calves one year when Billy Blair was foreman before Frank King took over.
Mrs. King relates that the one and only wedding present that she received was a bull calf, which Billy Blair gave her. They had some milk cows and she raised the calf and it was the beginning of the King herd which they later developed.
When the Kings were married they went to Kansas City, then to Caldwell, where they stayed that night. The hotel was full and the clerk gave them his bed. Next morning Mr. King got up before she did and went out and talked to the clerk. In the meantime Mrs. King awoke and noticed something in the corner with a blanket over it. She investigated, and what she found was a skeleton. In less than it takes to tell it she was out of there. She learned that the clerk was studying to be a doctor and he thought the skeleton hanging up might scare the bride, so the skeleton was taken down and covered up.
In 1884, when Mr. King was with the Comanche County Pool, he and Bob Beels came upon a partly burned wagon and bed clothes and two dead men. It was learned later that they were salt haulers and the Indians had killed them and taken their horses after setting the wagon afire. Mr. King and Mr. Beels buried the bodies there and erected cedar post to protect the grave. These graves are on the R. E. Hill ranch. He has since put up new markers. They are located on a trail road in a pasture.
The Kings lived in their ranch, located one and one half miles north of the Earl O'Connell ranch, in Comanche county for 35 years. They started housekeeping in a one-room house bought from Harper Elliott, who proved up the place.
They moved to Coldwater into the residence where Darrell Smith now lives, which they bought from Mr. McLaughlin. They lived there until 1915, when Mr. King died. Mrs. King has lived in her present home ever since.
Mrs. King remembers a lot about hardships of the pioneers. She learned to make home made soap and still makes her own soap.
Mrs. King was 86 last February 17 and has a number of interests that seem to keep her looking and acting young. She embroiders and crochets lovely pieces.
Her favorite hobby is making lovely baby layettes for her many friends. Each one who receives one of these sets feels she is a special friend of this friendly, happy lady.
Her many friends drop in for a chat and if they aren't feeling on top of the world when they arrive, they will be before they depart.
RELATED HISTORIES:
Jessie Evans of Evansville, Comanche County, Kansas Notes from the research of Phyllis Scherich.
The Comanche Pool, Comanche County, Kansas by Mary Einsel, from Kansas: The Priceless Prairie.
Perils of the Plains An account of pioneer life as experienced by Will and Hattie Wimmer, how they met, married, and lived within the boundaries of the vast Comanche Cattle Pool of South Central Kansas in the late nineteenth century. Written by Hattie Pierce Wimmer in 1929.
Bill Hill, The Comanche Pool's Bronc Buster
John and Lizzie Platt John Platt and his Uncle came to Comanche County in 1884, buying shares in the old Comanche Pool.
John W. Platt and the Platt Ranch A history by Mike Platt and Joyce Reed, Chosen Land: Barber County, Kansas, p. 368..
Obituary of John W. Platt Published in The Western Star, 6 August 1920. Transcribed by Shirley Brier.
Obituary of Colonel Dick Phillips, an organizer of The Comanche Pool From The Western Star, 30 June 1916.
Frank & Almada (Parker) King Frank King was the last foreman of the Comanche Pool.
Christopher Carson "Cap" PEPPERD Born in Ireland. Confederate Civil War veteran, cowboy, bronc buster, cattle trail driver & early (1874) Comanche County rancher. His ranch foreman, Tommy Wilmore, was a Union veteran of the Civil War.
Charles F. Colcord One of the organizers of the Comanche Pool.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!
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