Jewell County was established in the late summer of 1870. Its first election was held in September. The county was growing as more settlers arrived. Soddies and dugouts were built to house the settlers and their families. Getting the living quarters built happened quickly so farm and ranch work could begin. One can imagine the scene in the Kansas song, “Home, home on the range where the deer and antelope play. Where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.”

Yet, those early settlers had to face a lot of challenges, though they had already had to endur...