Starbuck Fire Anniversary

Posted on March 6, 2020 by vanbraman

Today was the third anniversary of when Ashland, Kansas was evacuated due to the Starbuck Fire.

Clark County Kansas, Wildfires, Ranching Country, Satelitte pic, hot spotsI graduated from High School in Ashland, Kansas, so knew many people who were affected by the fires.

Starbuck Fire, Ashland, Englewood, Kansas WildfiresThe fire eventually covered more than half of Clark County. Although Ashland is right in the middle of the fire area it did not burn. I believe this to be a combination of the geography around the town itself and the direction the fire was moving. If the fire had been moving in a different direction the town would have been in grave danger.

Firebreak, Tractor, Western Kansas FiresI had been in Missouri for my younger sister’s wedding when the fires started. I fley home to California on a late flight and as I flew over Kansas I could see the many wildfires from the windows of the plane. I was saddened knowing that people I knew were trying to preserved their ranches and homes.

Starbuck Fire, Kansas wildfires, Englewood, Houses destroyedI was home for only a short time before I flew on to Singapore to teach a course. I had to continue following the news from afar.

This screen clip from KWCH12 shows close family friends who lost their home in Englewood, Kansas. The small town of Englewood, which has less than 100 residents, was hit very hard with 12 homes being destroyed.

While flying to Singapore I had been wondering about the Ediger family and was saddened when I saw this news report. Their son, who was one of my best friends in school, also lost his house. Unfortunately it was not long after that he had heart trouble and passed away.

See: Zane Grey Memories

Some of my other High School classmates also lost cattle and homes. It was a very stressful time for all of them.

Grassfire, wildfire, Western Kansas WildfiresI have seen several posts on Facebook today from people remembering what they went through and how the area has been recovering. It is hard for me to believe that it has been three years since the fires.

The Case of the Monster Fire, John R. Erickson, Hank the Cowdog, BooksHank the Cowdog: The Case of the Monster Fire by John R. Erickson was about a fire in the Texas Panhandle from the same time frame. This book was really good as Erickson wrote from experience as his own home and ranch were burned in the fire.

See: The Case of the Monster Fire

Lots of memories tonight.

Steven

 

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Old Wapello County Roots

Posted on March 5, 2020 by vanbraman

Many of my friends know that I spent my early years in Ottumwa, Iowa which is the county seat of Wapello County.

Chief Wapella, Chief of the Mesquakees, Ottumwa, Iowa, Wapello County, Iowa History, native americans, American IndiansWapello County was created in February 1843 and was named for Wapella or Chief Wapello who was a chief of the Mesquakees. He was born in 1787 in what is today Wisconsin and died on March 15, 1842 after getting sick on a hunting trip near Ottumwa, Iowa.

wapello county iowa, ottumwa, iowa, GenealogyHere you can see where Wapello County is in Iowa.

google maps, wapello county, Iowa counties, Ottumwa IowaLike many county seats Ottumwa is in the middle of the county. I was not born in Ottumwa, but my parents moved back there not too long after I was born and we lived there until I finished 5th grade.

Pleasant Township, Wapello County Iowa, Ancestors, Census, 1854However, I have some very old family roots in Wapello County. My 3rd great-grandfather Silas Calvin Ramsey lived in Pleasant Township back in 1854. The entry below him in the census is his father-in-law Adam Sears, who is of course my 4th great-grandfather.

Adam Sears was a Restoration Movement preacher which is quite interesting as almost a hundred years later a Restoration Movement Bible school was founded in Ottumwa which is where my parents met.

Pleasant Township, Wapello, Iowa, Ottumwa, AbingdonPleasant Township is in the eastern part of Wapello County. You can see that it is near Abingdon where my 4th great-grandmother is buried across from the Abingdon Church of Christ.

Competine, iowa, Wapello County, OttumwaIn the 1856 census they have a Competine, Iowa address. The tiny village of Competine is where the red flag is on the map. I don’t know exactly where they lived, but since they lived in Pleasant Township it would have been to the south.

chillicothe, Iowa, Braman, Wapello CountyI also have a Braman ancestor who lived in Wapello County in the early days. In 1873 my 2nd great-grandfather Joseph Harvey Braman was living in Chillicothe, Iowa. He did not live there long as by 1880 his family was living in Hamburg, Iowa.

It is always interesting for me to see how my ancestors moved across the country. Wapello County was definitely a very significant place for my family.

Steven

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