Volume 24,
Number 1
Volume 24,
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September 1999 |
"KIDDER
MASSACRE" THIRD EDITION PUBLISHED It is with
great pleasure that the Sherman County Historical Society announces a book signing
honoring the author of, "A Dispatch to Custer: The Tragedy of Lieutenant
Kidder", on Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26, 1999, in Goodland, Kansas.
Randy Johnson, the author, a Custer Devotee and charter member of the Little Big Horn Association, will be in Goodland for several days to visit History classes in the local schools, present the program for the Goodland Rotary meeting Friday noon, September 24, and participate in the Flatlander Fall Festival, signing his book and visiting with the crowd. He will be at the corner of 11th and Main in front of Knott Just Books, (formerly the Family Bookstore) from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. MST. This is the third edition of Johnson’s book relating the tragedy of Lt. Lyman Kiddder who lost his lift, along with ten troopers and a Sioux Scout in July of 1867, along Beaver Creek in northeast Sherman County. Formerly titled, "Find Custer, The Kidder Tragedy", the author had self-published a hard cover edition of 100, and later a soft cover edition of 350, all of which sold within a year of each printing. In 1998, Mountain Press of Missoula, MT contracted to print the well-researched and illustrated manuscript. Mountain Press publishes non-fiction and educational material, recently releasing the best seller, "Lakota Noon" by Gregory Michno. Mr. Michno’s comments on the Kidder story appear on the back cover of this third edition. On Sunday, September 26, the Second Annual School House Days will be celebrated at Union School next to the High Plains Museum. Randy Johnson will be the guest of the Historical Society to sign his book and visit from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. All members and the public are most welcome. A lifelong interest in George Armstrong Custer culminated in Randy’s joining the Little Big Horn Association in 1976. Custer’s autobiographical account, "My Life on the Plains" mentioned in detail the brutal slaying of young Lt. Kidder and his patrol in July of 1867 while searching for Custer in the vast area between Fort Sedgewick, located near Ovid, Colorado and Custer’s camp at the forks of the Republican River near present day Benkleman, NE. Johnson became interested in the seemingly obscure junior Officer and the awesome irony of Kidder obviously being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The results of many hours and indeed years of research, trips to Goodland, phone calls and letters to the National Archives, personal contact with Kidder’s elderly niece in California, and reams of paper are now available in a very attractive package. The cover, an original painting by David J. Boyle, was rendered in 1969 and presented to a noted Historian, Everett Sutton, on the occasion of the dedication of the monument and Historical marker at the site of the Kidder Massacre in Sherman County, August 3, 1969. The painting was later presented to Mrs. Hazel Nordmann, a lifelong resident of Sherman County, and President of the Friends of the Library, who spearheaded the drive to recognize the historical site. In 1998, Mrs. Nordmann graciously presented the painting to the author for his pleasure and use in future publications. The Little Big Horn Association showed their appreciation for Randy Johnson’s efforts by presenting him the Little Big Horn Associates Literary Award during an annual convention. He also had the honor, with co-author Nancy Allan, of reading excerpts from his book at the LBHA National Convention at Gettysburg, PA in August o f 1990. On June 29, 1997, 130 years to the day Kidder and his ten man patrol accompanied by Red Bead, a Sioux scout, left Fort Sedgewick to carry a dispatch to Custer, the Sherman County Historical Society honored these martyrs in a ceremony at the remote site, in the northeast quadrant of Sherman County. The reading presented at Gettysburg was narrated; a stirring rendition of taps was played and re-enactors from Fort Larned and Lamar, CO took part garbed in period uniforms. Horses furnished by local ranchers were saddled with McClelland saddles and authentic tack of the era. Over 150 attended the celebration, some after over four hours in travel time. All forms of the media were gracious in their coverage of the event. The mid-summer weather impressed one and all, and several requests were heard to inform them of the date of the next get-together. In the summer of 1998, Judge William Moody, the Editor of The Research Review, the scholarly magazine of the LBHA, requested an article for the military history of the Kidder Massacre, as well as the account of the 130th Anniversary Memorial. The subsequent piece in Volume 13, No. 1 was a beautifully printed and illustrated article, much appreciated by those who contributed to the issue. A reference copy is available at the Goodland Public Library. Johnson’s interest in Custer has led him to another mission which was featured recently in the Chicago Sun Times. A trooper at the Little Big Horn survived because he was assigned to the supply train many miles from the final battle site. Pvt. Keegan, nearing fifty and suffering from crippling arthritis, was given a medical discharge six months after the June, 1876, battle after serving twenty one years in the Cavalry. A smell pension, less than one dollar a day, was his only means of financial survival. He lived from one Old Soldiers Home to another, at the time little better than run-down rooming houses, and when he died in 1900, he was buried in a pauper’s grave in Evanston, IL. Researching a related project for LBHA, Randy discovered the trooper had not had a proper military funeral, and set about correcting the oversight. Fellow members at VFW Post 2202 rallied to the cause and have gone through the necessary legal process. In November of 1999, Post 2202 will participate in the re-internment of Private Michael Keegan in the military cemetery at Fort Sheridan beside his comrades in arms. Randy Johnson was born in Chicago. He served in Viet Nam, and after his discharge, attended Harper College in Palatine, IL. He is currently employed by the U.S. Postal Service and makes his home in Palatine, Illinois. M. Cooper-September, 1999 YEAR 2000 CALENDAR The Collector's Item Year 2000 Calendar has had a tremendous response to our sales! There are approximately 200 calendars left to purchase. To purchase the calendars locally, you may do so at the following two locations for $15. The calendars are now available at the High Plains Museum and Knott Just Books, formerly the Family Bookstore. If you would still like to order your calendar through the Historical Society, please do so by sending a check for $18 ($15 for the calendar and $3 postage) to: The Sherman County Historical Society, PO Box 684, Goodland, KS 67735. The calendar contains historical events from the founding of Sherman County printed on each day of the 366 year of 2000. The events are excerpts taken directly from the 3 volume set of history books published in the late 1970's. SHERMAN COUNTY ONE ROOM SCHOOLS The Historical Society is currently gathering information on the students and teachers of the Sherman County One Room School Houses. We would appreciate any stories or photos of past experiences while attending school. HOMESTEADERS TO BE HONORED Twenty-Eight families who are still framing the original homesteads established by their ancestors in early Sherman County will be honored at a special ceremony in January of 2000. Evelyn Ward, Chairman of the project, has requested we remind our members if they are aware of any other residents that are still working or working and living on the original homestead, to please inform her. This is a unique situation and we certainly don't want to inadvertently exclude any family. Call Evelyn at 899-3351, or any other Board member with the information. DONATIONS: A special Thank You to the following for their donations to the Sherman County Historical Society! Perry Warren:
Office Supplies The following graciously cleaned, scraped and painted the Union 51 Schoolhouse: Spencer Ketterl, Robert Moore, Bobbie Jo Monter |