Barber County Courthouse
| Barber County |
County Seat: Medicine Lodge
Founded: 1873
Population:
· 5,307 (2000)
· 5,874 (1990)
· 6,594 (1900)
Area: 1136 Square Miles
Standard Abbreviation: BA
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Description
Barber County's beautiful Gyp Hills
offer scenic views straight out of a Technicolor movie. Highway
US 160 passes through this area and there
is a marked scenic route to take you by some of the best places. For more information on this, visit http://ksbyways.org/.
Most of the county is hilly, and the economy is based on ranching,
petroleum, and mining.
History
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Organized in 1873.
County seat Medicine Lodge.
In honor of Thomas W.Barber, a Free State settler of Douglas County,
who was killed in consequence of the political troubles,
near Lawrence, December 6, 1855. (the county was
originally named in the statute as "Barbour," but
was corrected by special act of the Legislature in 1883.)
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Map and text from History of Kansas,
Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)
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Thomas Barber's death inspired a passionate
poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.
Carrie Nation
began her crusade against saloons in Kiowa. Her home in Medicine Lodge is now a museum.
Medicine Lodge was the site of a famous gathering of Indian tribes
to make a treaty with the U. S government. A
marker on the east side of town
gives more details.
William G. Cutler's History of Kansas, first published in 1883, tells about early Barber County.
The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of
Medicine Lodge,
Sun City,
Sharon, and
Isabel.
The Kansas State Historical Society also has
more
historical data for Barber County online including a rich bibliography and lists of
cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.
Cities, Towns, & Villages of Barber County
2000
Year Elev Population Name ZIP
==== ==== ========== ================ =====
1640 Aetna
1951 Deerhead
1670 Eldred
1720 Elm Mills
1577 Forest City
1396 Gerlane
1420 199 Hardtner 67057
1360 144 Hazelton 67061
1887 1850 108 Isabel 67065
1330 1,055 Kiowa 67070
1619 Lake City 67071
1510 2,193 Medicine Lodge 67104
1540 Mingona
1512 Pixley
Red Creek
1879 1464 210 Sharon 67138
1378 Stubbs
1872 1676 81 Sun City 67143
Census Bureau Profile & Map
Barber County School Systems
Barber County Libraries
Barber County Museums
- Kiowa Historical Society - In the old city building/jail
107 N. Seventh Street / Kiowa, KS 67070
- Carrie Nation House (620) 886-3908
Highway 160 / Medicine Lodge, KS 67104
- The Stockade Museum (620) 886-3417
Highway 160 / Medicine Lodge, KS 67104
Barber County Newspapers
- Barber County Index (620) 886-5617
106 W. First / P. O. Box 349 / Medicine Lodge, KS 67104
- Gyp Hill Premiere (620) 886-5654
110 N. Main / Medicine Lodge, KS 67104-0127
- Kiowa News (620) 825-4229
614 Main Street / Kiowa, KS 67070-1414
Special Places in Barber County
- Carrie Nation, the famous prohibitionist lived in Medicine Lodge and
her house is open for visitors. Her tactic of breaking things in bars
began in Kiowa.
- The Wisner Library in downtown Sharon is in a beautiful old brick
building.
- Hathaway's in Sun City still serves beer in giant schooners and
good hamburgers.
Special Events in Barber County
- Every few years Medicine Lodge presents a historical pageant
about the Peace
Treaty signed there.
More Data About Barber County
Economic Development
- Kansas County Profile Reports
Statistical data from The Institute for Policy and Social Research, the University of Kansas
Health Data
Genealogy
Barber County Links
References
- WPA The WPA Guide to 1930s Kansas ( Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. 1984 )
Barber County Offices
- Barber County (620) 886-3961
120 E. Washington Ave. /
Medicine Lodge, KS 67104
- Extension
Service
For more about Barber County:
Last updated on
November 29, 2009
by COUNTIES@KSLIB.INFO
Hosted by
A service of the Kansas State Library
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| Graphics by John Howell, photos by Susan Howell, used by permission. |
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