Alternately Beveled Knife from the Lundeen Site, 14MD306
Date: 1237-1435 CE
This alternately beveled knife was recovered during excavations at the 1998 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school in Meade County at the Lundeen site. It is made of Smoky Hill silicified chalk, which outcrops in western Kansas and Nebraska. Archeologists believe that knives shaped like this would have been used for butchering bison and other large game animals. Repeated sharpening on alternate sides created bevels. Knives with this general diamond shape are also called Harahey knives. The site is a Middle Ceramic period camp that is part of the Wilmore Complex.

Angell disc plow advertising pamphlet
Creator: Ohio Cultivator Company
Date: Between 1930 and 1935
This is a pamphlet for the Angell disc plow, invented by C. J. Angell (Charles John/Charlie John), a wheat farmer from Plains, Kansas. It was manufactured by the Ohio Cultivator Company in Bellevue, Ohio. It contains testimonials from the following men from Plains, Kansas: J. D. Golliher, D. B. Baty, Clyde Atkinson, and W. W. Coons

Angell Plow
Creator: Angell, Charlie J.
Date: 1926
One-way disk plow manufactured by Charles Angell of Plains, Kansas. Angell, a wheat farmer, developed a plow that set all disks at the same angle, or "one-way," to increase tilling efficiency. Farmers liked that it plowed faster and easily broke up hard soil, but its overuse created a fine, dusty layer that quickly blew away in heavy winds. This is a smaller version of the actual plow, which was ten feet wide. Angell made this four-foot model for use in his family's vegetable garden.

Bone Awl from the Lundeen Site, 14MD306
Date: 1237-1435 CE
This bone awl was recovered during excavations at the Kansas Archeological Training Program in 1998. It was found in Meade County at the Lundeen site, a Middle Ceramic period camp site that was part of Wilmore Complex. The awl was made from a medipodial of a deer or antelope and used as a perforating tool.

Bone Awls from the Lundeen Site, 14MD306
Date: 1237-1435 CE
These bone awls were recovered during excavations at the 1998 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school in Meade County at the Lundeen site. Awls such as these are usually made from deer bone. They were used to make holes in soft material, like hides, and possibly in basket and pottery manufacturing. The site is a Middle Ceramic period camp that is part of the Wilmore Complex.

Bone Pendent from the Lundeen Site, 14MD306
Date: 1237-1435 CE
This bone pendant was recovered during excavations at the 1998 Kansas Archeological Training Program field school in Meade County at the Lundeen site. The thin, curved bone has a drilled hole at one end and is broken at the other end. The site is a Middle Ceramic period camp site that was part of the Wilmore Complex.

Carpenters in Plains, Kansas
Date: Between 1900 and 1909
This black and white photograph shows carpenters building a two-story brick structure in Plains, Kansas. In the foreground to the right, the following is visible written across the metal container "Manufactured by Nelson, MFG & Supply Company, Hutchinson, Kansas".

Charlie John Angell
Date: Between 1915 and 1927
Charlie Angell, of Plains, Kansas, was a wheat farmer with a special knack for machines. In the 1920s, Angell sought to develop a plow that was particularly suited to the environmental conditions in the windy, semi-arid plains of western Kansas where he lived and farmed. He eventually perfected a new type of implement. It became known as the one-way disc plow because its vertical discs were mounted on the same axle and, therefore, they all moved the soil in the same, single, direction. It plowed faster, handled heavy stubble well, broke hard sun-baked soil, and destroyed weeds. Charlie Angell built close to 500 plows on his Meade County farm, then sold the rights to the Ohio Cultivator Company in Bellevue, Ohio.

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railraod depot, Plains, Kansas
Date: 1972
This photograph shows the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad depot in Plains, Kansas. The one-story wooden structure no longer stands.

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot, Fowler, Kansas
Date: 1972
This photograph shows a general view of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad depot in Fowler, Kansas. In the background a grain elevator is visible.

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot, Meade, Kansas
Date: 1972
This photograph shows the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot in Meade, Kansas. The wooden structure is no longer standing.

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot, Plains, Kansas
Date: Between 1900 and 1909
Theses series of photographs show a general view of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot in Plains, Kansas. The first photograph shows the depot with the background of rolling stock. The second image shows a steam locomotive in front of a one-story wooden structure.

Claims, 1878 Indian Raid, Ford - Meade counties
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1877-1879: Anthony)
Date: 1878
The following documents are reports given and claims filed by those affected by the Native American raids in Meade County. This description does not cover all the claims made in this file, only just a few. A claim on May 13, 1879, made by H. W. Chapman and Solomon Tuttle, state their losses sum to $7150, the clerk approved $2175. A report filed on May 30, 1879, states that F. A. Crissey's damages sustained during the raid totaled to $269 and was approved for $30. On September 30, the Cheyenne tribe passed through Decatur County on their way back to South Dakota. During their journey, they passed through and raided many counties in Kansas.

Claude Grim, World War I soldier
Date: 1918
Around 1919, the Kansas State Historical Society and the American Legion solicited biographical information from returning veterans (primarily members of the 35th and 89th infantry divisions) and the families of those who died in service, notably from the Gold Star Mothers. Each veteran or family member was asked to provide letters, photographs, a biography, and military records. This file contains information on Claude Grim, Company F, 137th Infantry, 35th Division.

Corner-Notched and Side-Notched Arrow Points from Meade County
Date: 1000-1850 CE
These two arrow points were found near Fowler, in Meade County, and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1967. The smaller, corner-notched point, is of a type considered by Archeologists to be the earliest form of arrow points found on the Great Plains. The larger, side-notched point is an example of those used by Native Americans from about 800 years ago until they changed to metal arrow points in the 18th- and 19th-centuries. The notches aided in hafting the points to the arrow shaft.

Correspondence on the Lone Tree massacre, Meade County
Creator: Scott, Charles F., b. 1860
Date: 1931-1932
This is correspondence among Charles F. Scott, Harold C. Short, Frank Fuhr, Mrs. F.C. Montgomery and George A. Root. The correspondence focuses on the Lone Tree massacre, Meade County, 1874, where a group of United States Surveyors were killed by Indians.

Council of National Defense Woman's Committee correspondence
Date: 1918
This collection consists of correspondence between individuals and committee members to the state chair of the Woman's Committee of the Kansas Council of National Defense. The Council of National Defense was established at the federal level in 1916 as an emergency agency under the Army Appropriation Act and abolished in 1921. It was created in reaction to World War I to coordinate resources and industries for national defense and improve civilian morale. The Woman's Committee of the Kansas Council of National Defense performed the same functions at the state and local levels, coordinating women's activities for national defense. The materials are organized alphabetically by county. The digitization of this collection was paid for through the Margot R. Swovelan Endowment Fund.

County Affairs, Meade County
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1885-1889 : Martin)
Date: 1885-1889
These letters, spanning 1885, are from the residents and offices of Meade County, Kansas regarding its organization to Kansas Governor John Martin. Letters discuss the appointment of county officials like the coroner, commissioners, clerk, and census taker. There are official certificates of election. A Governor's Proclamation appoints an official to verify that the county meets requirements. Many of the letters are signed petitions confirming the population requirements are met for the county's organization and a temporary county seat. Meade County was organized on November 4, 1885.

Courthouse in Meade County, Kansas
Date: 1910
This is a postcard showing the Meade County courthouse located in Meade, Kansas.

Crazy quilt
Creator: Haywood, Martha E. Hutchison
Date: between 1888 and 1915
Crazy Quilt made up of irregularly shaped cotton and silk fabric pieces assembled around a central blue medallion featuring the embroidered letter "H." Each fabric piece is decorated with featherstitched outline embroidery, and some have painted designs and additional needlework. Pink sateen binding and backing. Tied with pink cotton yarn. The elaborate embroidered "H" at center stands for "Haywood." This quilt was begun in 1888 by Martha Hutchinson Haywood and used as a bedcover in the sod house she shared with her husband, Charles, and their children in Fowler, Kansas. The Haywood cattle brand appears on the quilt, as well as a horse depicting the steed ridden by Charles when Martha first saw him. The embroidered names "Carl" refer to the Haywoods' eldest son. The "C" may refer to their middle son Clarence, and the quilt also incorporates pieces of a graduation gown worn by their daughter, Nettie. "Ben" was Charles' brother.

Digging Stick Tip from the Lundeen Site, 14MD306
Date: 1237-1435 CE
This reconstructed digging stick tip was recovered during excavations at the 1998 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school in Meade County at the Lundeen site. It was used to dig holes and plant seeds. It has a beveled bottom for working in the soil and was attached to a handle at the top. The site is a Middle Ceramic period camp that is part of the Wilmore Complex.

Ed Angell and A. V. Angell plowing a field in Meade County, Kansas
Date: 1904
This photograph shows Ed Angell, left, and A. V. Angell, right, using a Port Huron steam engine to plow a field on their farm in Meade County, Kansas.

E.D. Smith to George W. Martin
Creator: Smith, E.D.
Date: June 09, 1906
This is a letter from E.D. Smith, Meade County, to George W. Martin, Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas. Smith writes to Martin telling how much he enjoyed reading volume eight of the Historical Society's report, but that he disagrees with W.E. Richey's paper on Coronado's trip to Kansas. Smith believes that Coronado's route wasn't exactly the way Richey recounts.

Eighth biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, 1891-1892
Creator: Kansas State Board of Agriculture
Date: 1893
This biennial report from the Kansas State Board of Agriculture contains two parts and the page numbering starts over at the beginning of Part II. The volume contains a section on each county, providing summary information about the history of the county, a description of the landscape, crops, livestock, schools, and churches. A large number of tables with statistics about Kansas residents and crop yields, broken down by county, are also included. Other chapters are devoted to interesting subjects such as apiculture, artificial forests, loco weeds, and chinch bugs.

Eleventh biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, 1897-98
Creator: Kansas State Board of Agriculture
Date: 1899
This biennial report from the Kansas State Board of Agriculture includes information on beef and pork production, farm poultry, Kansas mineral products, livestock, and other agricultural topics. Also covered are county statistics for population, acreages, productions, livestock, assessed valuation of property, and a listing of churches for each county. Proceedings and other activities of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture are included.