COMING TO / LEAVING THE AREA

In correspondence, Robert Camp described the beauty of Kansas and its potential.  It was a boom time for raising stock, with wool prices steadily rising.  Early in 1883, seeking to make his fortune, Frederic Remington arranged for Camp to purchase a sheep ranch for him, sight unseen, with a portion of his inheritance, even though he knew nothing about the business.  He figured there would be plenty of people who could handle the details while he played the part of gentleman rancher.

But stepping off the train in Peabody to discover that Kansas wasn’t what he expected, he spent two weeks in deep depression at the Peabody hotel.  He had imagined the cowboys and outlaws of Dodge City.  Also, his ranch house was little more than a shack and the sheep stench was terrible.  Raising sheep was exactly what Camp had told him, promising a fine return on his investment, but it was ugly.

Deciding to make a go of it, he hired two ranch hands from the area, Billy Kehr and Grandom Scrivner.  Kehr, having experience in sheep ranching, lived at the ranch doing most of the work.  Several hundred sheep, horses and cattle were purchased, and improvements made.  Remington did the cooking and watched the stock.  Often he would find willing neighborhood boys to watch the stock while he sketched or roamed the surrounding countryside.

Perhaps the longing for a more “Wild West” led to his later writing a legal friend in New York a hasty note:  “Paper came all right – are the cheese – man just shot down the street – must go.”  An examination of Peabody newspapers shows there was no such catastrophe.

Remington took a special interest in the children of the area, giving them free run of his ranch.  One day he bought candy for a handicapped boy named Hervy Hoyt.  He told Hervy to “make them pay,” knowing how the other boys teased him.  Hervy shared the candy by tossing it in the air for the others to catch in their mouths like dogs.

As winter came, work grew more difficult and more boring, causing Remington to grow restless.  His general lack of skill in managing a sheep ranch, as well as an ill-fated Christmas Eve party, led to his decision to leave Kansas.

The fateful festivity was held at the Plum Grove School, the small stone building also serving as a church, which was crowded beyond capacity.  Young Remington and “the boys” were there, as well as Nathan Duncan, against whom they nursed a grudge.  The target proved irresistible, resulting in paper wads being aimed at Duncan’s bald head.  The offenders were asked to leave.

Anger fueled by liquor led to more mischief.  A box of excelsior was found, brought up in front of the double doors of the school building, and set afire; the doors were opened and someone yelled “Fire!”  After looking, Dr. Seaman of Plum Grove realized that there was no real danger and tried to quiet audience.  But the prank led to a near panic, with residents diving out of the windows.  One plump maiden lady got stuck in a window before calm was restored and the program continued.

Authorities called the prank criminal and warrants were sworn out for the arrest of the five perpetrators.  Remington was blamed for everything, referred to as “Billy the Kid.”  The trial was held in the justice court under Justice of Peace Charles E. Lobdell.  Frank S. Allen, later donator of the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital to El Dorado, was one of the jurors.  The trial lasted two days, resulting in a hung jury.  It was never retried, being dismissed upon payment of court costs by Remington.

No longer accepted in the community, Remington headed back east, selling both quarters in the spring of 1884 for $5,500.  The new owner, finding the walls of the buildings covered with Remington sketches, painted over them.  In light of that spring’s crash in stock values, Remington would appear to have done well in getting out when he did.

His time in Kansas was the only time that he established residence in his beloved West, although in subsequent years he made frequent Western trips for inspiration and fresh material.  The spirit of Kansas continued to color his later work.  One small volume of Kansas sketches remains, at the Remington Art Memorial in Ogdensburg, New York.