Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Medicine Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Barber County, Kansas, United States.<ref name=gnis/> As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,781.<ref name="Census-2020-Profile">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

19th century

The particular medicine lodge, mystery house or sacred tabernacle from which the Medicine Lodge River received its name was in reality an arbor-like shelter of tree trunks and leafy branches which was erected by the Kiowa people for the celebration of their annual sun dance in the summer of 1866. It was in the valley of the Medicine Lodge River, several miles below the present town of Medicine Lodge, which is at the mouth of Elm Creek. In their own language, the Kiowa people called this stream A-ya-dalda P’a, meaning "Timber-hill River."<ref name="digital.library.okstate.edu">Template:Cite web</ref> The Kiowa had considered the site sacred due to the high content of Epsom salts in the river.<ref>Medicine Lodge. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/372512/Medicine-Lodge</ref>

In October 1867, the Medicine Lodge Treaty was a set of three treaties signed between the United States of America and the Kiowa, Comanche, Plains Apache, Southern Cheyenne, and Southern Arapaho. The site of the Peace Council camp was about three miles above that of the future town and on the same side of the river.<ref name="digital.library.okstate.edu"/> A Peace Treaty Pageant, first presented in 1927 in an outdoor amphitheater on a quarter section of Kansas prairie, commemorates this significant event in Western history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Settlers led by a man named John Hutchinson founded the town of Medicine Lodge north of the confluence of Elm Creek and the Medicine Lodge River in February 1873.<ref name=Cutler>Template:Cite web</ref> The community grew rapidly with a hotel, stores, and a post office established within a year.<ref name=Cutler/>

In 1874, in response to Native raids in the region, residents and the state militia constructed a stockade. A group of Osage killed three settlers within a few miles of the compound, but no direct attack on the fortifications occurred.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Medicine Lodge was incorporated as a city in 1879.<ref name=Cutler/>

Temperance activist Carrie Nation launched her crusade against the sale of alcohol while living in Medicine Lodge in 1900.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her home and a reproduction of the 1873 stockade are open to the public.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Medicine Lodge is located in south-central Kansas in the Red Hills region of the Great Plains.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The city sits immediately north of the confluence of the Medicine Lodge River and Elm Creek. The city is on the northeast side of the river. Elm Creek flows south around the eastern and southern sides of the city. A tributary of Elm Creek, which flows south through Medicine Lodge, has been dammed immediately north of the city to form a reservoir, Barber County State Lake.

The city is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 160 and 281.<ref>DeLorme. Kansas Atlas & Gazetteer. 4th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2009, p. 72-73. Template:ISBN.</ref>

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">Template:Cite web</ref>

Climate

Medicine Lodge has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The hottest temperature recorded in Medicine Lodge was Template:Convert on August 12, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was Template:Convert on February 13, 1905.<ref name = NOWData></ref>

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 1,781 people, 806 households, and 459 families in Medicine Lodge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=:0 /> The population density was 1,486.6 per square mile (574.0/kmTemplate:Sup). There were 997 housing units at an average density of 832.2 per square mile (321.3/kmTemplate:Sup).<ref name=:0>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup was 89.67% (1,597) white or European American (87.82% non-Hispanic white), 0.34% (6) black or African-American, 1.52% (27) Native American or Alaska Native, 0.45% (8) Asian, 0.06% (1) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 3.03% (54) from other races, and 4.94% (88) from two or more races.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hispanic or Latino of any race was 5.73% (102) of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 806 households, 26.3% had children under the age of 18; 43.2% were married couples living together; 28.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.1% of households consisted of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name=:0 /> The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 12.6% of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

24.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males.<ref name=:0 /> For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 106.3 males.<ref name=:0 />

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $48,052 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,097) and the median family income was $70,441 (+/- $15,748).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Males had a median income of $42,644 (+/- $9,795) versus $24,038 (+/- $7,191) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $30,637 (+/- $3,653).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Approximately, 13.7% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.8% of those ages 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2010 census

As of the census<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 2,009 people, 876 households, and 530 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,031 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 876 households, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.5% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median age in the city was 40 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 2,193 people, 922 households, and 609 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,085 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 98.08% White, 0.36% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.

There were 922 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,262, and the median income for a family was $41,053. Males had a median income of $30,319 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,231. About 7.4% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

• National Gypsum

Government

Medicine Lodge has a mayor-council form of government. The city council consists of five members, who are elected on a rotating schedule.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The day-to-day operations of city government are managed by a City Administrator who operates under the supervision of the elected officials. The current City Administrator is Brian Daily who started in November 2022.

Education

Barber County North USD 254 (a unified school district),<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> which covers Medicine Lodge, provides public primary and secondary education with two schools in Medicine Lodge: Medicine Lodge Grade School (Grades Pre-K-6) and Medicine Lodge Junior-Senior High School (7-12).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

U.S. Route 281, which runs north-south, and U.S. Route 160, which runs east-west, intersect in the southwest corner of the city.

Medicine Lodge Airport, which hosts general aviation, is located approximately Template:Convert southeast of the city.

Medicine Lodge is the western terminus of the Medicine Lodge line of the V&S Railway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The rail line runs northwest-southeast through the southwestern part of the city.

Media

Print

Newspapers

• The Gyp Hill Premiere, weekly<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Radio

The following radio stations are licensed to Medicine Lodge:

FM

Frequency	Callsign<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Format<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Notes
91.5	KSNS	Contemporary Christian	-
101.7	KREJ	Christian	-

Culture

Triennially, Medicine Lodge holds a pageant to commemorate the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty, signed near the city's present-day location. The city first held the pageant in 1927 and has held it every three years since 1961.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Area attractions

• Carrie Nation House
• Stockade House.
• Peace Treaty Statue, located on North Main Street.
• Wisner Fountain, originally used to water horses on North Main Street.
• Kansas Historical Marker - Medicine Lodge Peace Treaties, located 1 mile east of Medicine Lodge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

• Carleton Beals (1893–1979), journalist, author, historian, political activist
• B. H. Born (1932–2013), All American basketball player
• Dorothy DeLay (1917–2002), violin instructor at Juilliard, Sarah Lawrence College, University of Cincinnati.
• Edward Hunkeler (1894–1970), Roman Catholic Archbishop
• Chester Long (1860–1934), U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kansas
• Carrie Nation (1846–1911), radical member of the temperance movement
• Jerry Simpson (1842–1905), U.S. Representative from Kansas
• Jasper Tincher (1878–1951), U.S. Representative from Kansas

Further reading

• Yost, Nellie Snyder. Medicine Lodge: The Story of a Kansas Frontier Town. Sage Books: Chicago, 1970.

External links

• City of Medicine Lodge
• Medicine Lodge - Directory of Public Officials
• USD 254, local school district
• Lincoln Library
• Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant
• Medicine Lodge, Kansas Barber County, Kansas: History and Genealogy
• Digital Medicine Lodge History
• Medicine Lodge city map, KDOT