The Lone Tree Massacre

Preparing Southwest Kansas for settlement often ended in tragedy for both Indian and white man.

On August 24, 1874, a government survey party of six, marking the township lines of Odee Township was ambushed by Cheyenne. Twenty-four Cheyenne from Fort Reno, Oklahoma led by Chief Medicine Water killed the six members of the surveying team. The slain men were temporarily buried near their camp by a lone cottonwood tree on Crooked Creek. This old tree stood for 64 years as a memorial to the surveyors.

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Meade County Historical Museum

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The Eva Dalton Whipple Home

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Keep it easy.

The best days usually come without pressure or overplanning.

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