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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Medicine Lodge (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Medicine Lodge. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Medicine Lodge ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Medicine Lodge: Medicine Ldg. (or less commonly used: Medicine Ldge.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Medicine Lodge is located in Barber County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Kansas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Barber County: Comanche, Harper, Kingman, Kiowa, Pratt, Alfalfa (OK) & Woods (OK).

Below are the counties that are near Medicine Lodge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Medicine Lodge:

  • Barber County     (The home county of Medicine Lodge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.
    • Pixley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pixley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
      • Pixley is located in Barber County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pixley
      • From Medicine Lodge to Pixley
    • Mingona
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mingona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingona
      • Mingona is located in Barber County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mingona
      • From Medicine Lodge to Mingona
    • Forest City ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Barber County
    • Sharon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon is located in Barber County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
      • Former name for Sharon:
      • Bible Valley
    • Gerlane
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gerlane. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerlane
      • Gerlane is located in Barber County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gerlane
      • From Medicine Lodge to Gerlane
    • Elm Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Mills
      • Elm Mills is located in Barber County
    • Isabel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isabel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabel
      • Isabel is located in Barber County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
    • Lake City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Hazelton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hardtner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Deerhead
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deerhead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerhead
      • Deerhead is located in Barber County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Deerhead
      • From Medicine Lodge to Deerhead
    • Kiowa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Eldred ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eldred. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
      • Eldred is located in Barber County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eldred
      • From Medicine Lodge to Eldred
  • Harper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.
    • Crisfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Attica
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
      • Attica is located in Harper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 547 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Attica <3>
    • Ruella
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruella have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruella
      • Ruella is located in Harper County
    • Duquoin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Waldron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waldron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
      • Waldron is located in Harper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10 people
    • Harper
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Kingman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.
    • Nashville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Zenda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zenda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenda
      • Zenda is located in Kingman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zenda <3>
    • Willowdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Spivey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cunningham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cunningham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
      • Cunningham is located in Kingman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
    • Rago
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rago have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rago
      • Rago is located in Kingman County
  • Kiowa County
  • Pratt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.
    • Sawyer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Coats
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coats have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
      • Coats is located in Pratt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Cairo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Pratt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Natrona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Natrona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
      • Natrona is located in Pratt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Natrona
      • From Medicine Lodge to Natrona
    • Cullison
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Alfalfa County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.
    • Burlington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Alfalfa County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlington <3>
    • Amorita
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amorita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amorita
      • Amorita is located in Alfalfa County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amorita <3>
    • Byron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Byron is located in Alfalfa County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
  • Woods County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.
    • Winchester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Capron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Medicine Lodge, see our County-by-County Page for Medicine Lodge.

Cemeteries Near Medicine Lodge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Medicine Lodge.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Medicine Lodge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.

  • Highland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • John Jesse Gravesite
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mumford Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mumford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mumford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sharon Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sharon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sharon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Boniface Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Boniface Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Boniface Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burgess Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burgess Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burgess Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Isabel Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Lodi Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lodi Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lodi Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Liberty Twp. Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ellenwood Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellenwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (51 more) ...
    • Pleasant View Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rosehill Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosehill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosehill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Crisfield Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crisfield Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crisfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Medicine Lodge had a population of 1,095 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Medicine Lodge had a population of 1,804 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Medicine Lodge, with the one closest to Medicine Lodge listed first.

  • Pixley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pixley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
    • Pixley is located in Barber County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Pixley
    • From Medicine Lodge to Pixley
  • Mingona
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mingona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingona
    • Mingona is located in Barber County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Mingona
    • From Medicine Lodge to Mingona
  • Sharon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
    • Sharon is located in Barber County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Former name for Sharon:
    • Bible Valley
  • Elm Mills
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Mills
    • Elm Mills is located in Barber County
  • Isabel
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isabel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabel
    • Isabel is located in Barber County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
  • Nashville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Sawyer
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Hazelton
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Crisfield
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hardtner
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Deerhead
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deerhead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerhead
    • Deerhead is located in Barber County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Deerhead
    • From Medicine Lodge to Deerhead
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Eldred ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eldred. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
      • Eldred is located in Barber County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eldred
      • From Medicine Lodge to Eldred
    • Kiowa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Attica
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
      • Attica is located in Harper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 547 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Attica <3>

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Medicine Lodge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Medicine Lodge.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Medicine Lodge ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Medicine Lodge.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Medicine Lodge. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Medicine Lodge and those printed in the larger area surrounding Medicine Lodge.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Medicine Lodge.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Medicine Lodge:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Medicine Lodge. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Medicine Lodge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Medicine Lodge) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Medicine Lodge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.2829, Longitude: -98.5808    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025