County of city: Barber County
Location of city: NE of center in the county; crossroads of US-160 & US-281
County is on the southern border center of the state
Courthouse located: 106 E. Washington St., Medicine Lodge
Elevation: 1,496 ft (456 m)
Population: 2,041 (2013)
"Nestled in a valley east of the Gypsum Hills is the historic town of Medicine Lodge, the county seat of Barber County. Medicine Lodge took its name from the Medicine River which skirted the townsite on the west. This stream was named by the Kiowa Indians who discovered the healing qualities of the river and often met upon its banks in council for "making medicine." For years before the settlers arrived, area Native Americans believed the spot to be under the protection of the Great Spirit.
"Council meetings were held in a large tent near the river bank. Commissioners and Indian chiefs sat on camp stools in a circle and secretaries wrote on large packing boxes. Thus after three years of constant warfare, Indians and whites met peaceably, exchanging words instead of blows and concluding arguments with mutual concessions. Each chief spoke before the council and the grievances and claims of each tribe were settled individually. At the end of the two week negotiations the treaty was signed. It fixed the southern boundary of Kansas and stipulated that south of that line should be Indian Territory "as long as grass grows and waters run."
"It ended a war of three years duration, thus clearing the way for white settlement of the entire southwest. As a result of the treaty the populations of Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Arizona were augmented, making it indirectly responsible for the entrance of those States into the Union. White men are known to have settled in the region shortly after the signing of the treaty, but, they were few. In October, 1872, William Walters had a temporary camp at the forks below what would become the townsite of Medicine Lodge, but, made no effort at settlement and moved away the following spring. In February, 1873, a party led by John Hutchinson came to area and laid out a townsite of 400 acres. The location was perfect with Elm Creek lying on the east, and Medicine Lodge River on the west, joining their waters a quarter of a mile to the south of the city. Between the waterways, the townsite sat upon a lofty plateau.
"The first building on the townsite was the structure which would later form the dining room of the Medicine Lodge House. It was built by D. Updegraff as a hotel with lumber hauled from Hutchinson. Next, Bemis, Hutchinson & Co. put up an office, which would later form the south wing of the Medicine Lodge House. This was followed by a large general store, erected by Bemis, Jordon & Co., on the spot which would later be occupied by Payne's Bank. L. H. Ulmer was the next merchant to locate on the townsite, and was followed in the summer of 1873 by D. E. Sheldon. Immigration was rapid during that year witnessing the arrival of C. T. Rigg, the first physician and later the county sheriff; W. E. Hutchinson was the first attorney; Cicero Widner put up the first blacksmith shop, and S. A. Winston established the first drug store. A post office was established with S. Winston. Mail routes from this point ran to Harper, Kiowa, Kinsley, Great Bend and Hutchinson. The first schoolhouse was also built that year at a cost of $400. Miss Lucinda Burlingame was engaged as the first teacher.
"1874 was not a good year for the fledgling settlement. It was known as the "grasshopper year," when swarms of insects destroyed the corn and vegetables that would have sustained the new settlers during the next winter. That year, the area also experienced a period of Indian outbreaks in western and southern Kansas, Thomas A. Osborne, then governor of Kansas, organized the Kansas State Guards. Sun City and Medicine Lodge furnished the two companies for this section of the state, guarding the area from Caldwell to Dodge City, and south to the Cimarron River. At this time a stockade was built by the militia and citizens in the area that now comprises the center of the business district of Medicine Lodge." ~ Ledgends of Kansas