Barber County, Medicine Lodge
On many tours through the state, this area is memorable. It seems that Medicine Lodge is on the western edge of civilization. We all know that is not true, but driving west on highway 160 through Barber County is an experience worth living. The red gypsum hills are just west of Medicine Lodge and they still look wild and uninhabited! When in the area, watch for rattlesnakes, deer, coyotes, badger, and the encroaching armadillo.
Barber County is bordered on the west by Commanche County, on the east by Harper County and on the north by Pratt and Kingman Counties. The southern border is all Oklahoma.
Like the stone said, erected in 1956. This building replaced an older designed red brick with white trim two story building, complete with a clock tower.
Communities in this county include, Aetna, Deerhead, Hardtner, Hazelton, Isabel, Kiowa, Lake City, Sharon, and Sun City. Numerous smaller communities are dotted along the rail lines through the county.
A good visit here is the Pioneer museum and the Carrie nation home on the western edge of Medicine Lodge.
Saturday March 21, 1908 was a sad day for the county. The Sheriff's Office suffered their only officer killed in the line of duty. "Sheriff McCracken was shot and killed as he and a marshal were attempted to arrest a man on a warrant for selling whiskey. The man fled into an outhouse. As Sheriff McCracken attempted to talk him into surrendering the man shot through the outhouse door, killing Sheriff McCracken. The marshal was able to return fire and kill the suspect." This plaque will be found in the courthouse.
Being a Kansas Native and touring the state regularly, it was neat to find this little guy just west of Medicine Lodge in the red gypsum hills, the first one! He slowly fed along, even though there was a 400 horse 427 powered 1968 Camaro idling away on the roadway. The noise and vibrations really did not seem to disturb him, he slowly walked off, stopping to browse along the way. Lots of these have been spotted as road kills, this one was very much alive.
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