As we travel across Kansas, we continue to track down all 25 of the remaining Strengthen the Arm of Liberty statues. Medicine Lodge’s little liberty still stands today. You can see more pictures of her here.
We were running late again, but I still wanted to check out the Carry A. Nation Home and Stockade Museum.
For those of you unfamiliar with Carry Nation. She was a prohibitionist with an axe to grind. She and her husband, David, bought the house in 1890. She is best known for attacking saloons and bars with a hatchet during the early 1900’s. She started with a bar in Kiowa but became famous after attacking the saloon at the Eaton Hotel in Wichita.
Nation’s home is filled with personal items that belonged to the woman that created the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Bars across America had signs saying, “All Nations Welcome, but Carrie.” Madison, the employee on duty, was a great source of information about Nation’s home.
We did not have any time to check out the stockade, a re-creation of popular fortified areas from the time of the early settlers. I grabbed a few pictures before we left the area.
Equatorial Sun Dial – This site sits in front of the Medicine Lodge Junior/Senior High School. It is one of only eight Equatorial sun dials in the U.S. The shadow tells the time, of course so does my apple watch, but this would be harder to carry around on my wrist. The clock is made from Colorado granite and weighs over a ton.
Memorial Peace Treaty Statue– This statue is dedicated to the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty. It honors the October 1867 signing of three treaties between the U.S. and the Kiowa and Comanche tribes on October 21st. The second signed at the same time was between the U.S. and the Kiowa Apache. The third treaty signed on October 28 was between the U.S. and the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.
The Treaties lasted less than a year and things did not turn out well for the Native Americans. Every three years the city host the Peace Treaty Festival which includes a re-enactment of the treaty and features hundreds of actors and representatives of the tribes.
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