Pioneers of Ford County - Page 2

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Herman J. Fringer - Born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania in 1845, he was raised in Canton, Ohio. There, he began life in the drug trade and made that his life’s business. During the Civil War, he enlisted for the 100-day service in Company C, One Hundred and Sixty-second Ohio National Guard and was mustered out at expiration of service. He first came to Fort Dodge as a Quartermaster's Clerk in 1867, and after some time clerked in a sutler store until he opened a drug business. He was appointed as the Dodge City postmaster in 1872, a position he held for the next decade. The same year, he also opened a drug store in Dodge City. He served as Justice of the Peace before the county was organized. He assisted in organizing Ford County in 1873 and was appointed County Clerk. He also held the position of Clerk of the District Court, until an election could be held. In 1876, he elected Probate Judge, holding the office two terms; was again elected in the fall of 1882.

George M. Hoover - A well known Dodge City business man, Hoover was was born in Canada on August 8, 1847. He came to the Ford County area by way of the Santa Fe Trail in 1871 and became Dodge City's second settler in June, 1872. With a business partner named John McDonald, he set up the first saloon in Dodge City in a sod building but later built a wooden structure on Front Street. He became the first elected mayor when Dodge City was founded and served four terms. He was also a County Commissioner several times and was elected twice to the state legislature from Ford County. He later was the founder and president of the State Bank of Dodge, a position he held until his death. He married Margaret Carnahan in 1875 and raised a foster son, George Curry, who became one of the Roosevelt Rough Riders, and was first territorial governor of New Mexico. By the time he died in July 1914, he had amassed an estate of at least $500,000, leaving $100,000 of it to Dodge City, in addition to thousands of dollars more for churches and $10,000 to build Hoover Pavilion in Wright Park, Dodge City.

James H. “Dog” Kelley - Though not a lawman himself, Kelley was the Dodge City Mayor at the time that several of the Old West's most famous lawmen worked under him, including Bat, James, and Ed Masterson, as well as Wyatt and Morgan Earp. Kelley served under George Armstrong Custer in the army and came to Fort Dodge in 1872 when Custer’s 7^th cavalry was transferred there. He loved to hunt and race the greyhounds and when he honorably discharged in 1872, Custer gave him a dozen greyhounds as a gift. This was how he acquired the nickname of "Dog." He then went to Dodge City, where he associated with P.L. Beatty in the restaurant business. Beatty became the acting mayor in 1875 and James Kelley later followed in 1877, a position he held until 1881. During this time, the early city government and law enforcement were controlled by a group of men referred to as the "gang." These men were merchants, saloonkeepers and gamblers in favor of a wide-open town to accommodate the Texas cowboys, with Kelly in the lead. However, in May, 1877, those same cowboys had become so rough and rowdy, that he wired Wyatt Earp, who was then in Deadwood, South Dakota, to return to Dodge to help tame the lawless men who were shooting up the town. When he returned, Wyatt was made the new town marshal and deputized his brother Morgan. He plagued the courts for more severe sentencing, barred certain men from the town, and organized a "citizens’ committee" of reformers to help watchdog the streets. By the time Kelley's term of mayor was over, the town had begun to settle down. He continued his restaurant partnership with Beatty until 1885 and in 1886 he opened his famous Kelly Opera House. For 26 years Kelly operated a saloon, restaurant and opera house on the corner of Front Street and First Avenue.
 

N. B. Klaine - Editor of the Dodge City Times, Klaine was born in Bordentown, New Jersey on February 5, 1839. He moved with his family to Rock Island, Illinois in 1851 where he lived until 1859. He then moved to St. Louis, Missouri and married Julia Kinkaid, a native of Missouri, in August, 1859. Three years later, in August 1862, he enlisted in Company K of the Tenth Missouri Cavalry. Was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and commanded his company one year. He was mustered out in May, 1864 and went to Warrensburg, Missouri in 1865, where he began the publication of the Warrensburg Standard, which he continued for ten years. He also served as City Clerk of Warransburg for a year. He represented Johnson County in the Missouri Legislature in 1869-1870. Klaine first came to Dodge City in November, 1877 and became the editor and proprietor Dodge City Times.

J. M. Leidigh - A large merchandise dealer and banker in Spearville, Leidigh was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania on December 14, 1842. He followed agricultural pursuits and stock-raising before he entlisted in the army during the Civil War, first joining Company F of the 130th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in August, 1862. He was wounded in the battle of Antietam and discharged in 1863. He re-enlisted in 1864 in Company F of the 207th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was again wounded in Petersburg while leading his Company. He was mustered out in June, 1865. That same year he married Kate A. Myers, of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and the couple would have four children. He and his family first came to Kansas, settling at St Marys in 1870, but moved to Hutchinson in 1872, where Leidigh engaged in ranching. However, in April, 1878, he opened a general merchandise store in Spearville in April. In 1881, he erected a new stone building and his stock increased dramatically over the next decade, employing three men in the business. He also continued to ranch in the area.

Dr. T. L. McCarty - A physician, surgeon, and dealer in a general stock of drugs and medicines, McCarty was born in Tuscola, Illinois in 1848, and educated in his native state. He then went to the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1870. He began his practice in St. Louis, Missouri, where he practiced until he moved to Kansas. While there, he married S.L. Artt, of Cynthiana, Kentucky in 1871 and the couple would have one son. He moved to Dodge City in November, 1872 and opened a medical office, becoming the town’s first doctor. He opened the City Drug Store in 1877. He also served as County Physician for Ford County a number of years, Superintendent of Public Instruction for six years, and was a surgeon for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad for a number of years.

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