F.A. Etrick Collection

Collection — Box: A20

Identifier: KHC-115

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection contains a typewritten account of Frederick Etrick's life, including topics such as his childhood in Prussia, his emigration to the United States, politics and the presidential election of 1884, and farming. There is a great deal of information regarding his move to Dodge City in the 1880s, including descriptions of the town and its inhabitants, information about buffalo hunting, cowboys, sod houses, gambling, contemporary fashion and dress, the blizzard of 1886, saloons, and local politics. There is also information about his various business ventures. The collection also contains a printed work of Etrick's, showcasing Dodge City and its various businesses in 1902. This "Souvenir of Dodge City and Vicinity" contains photographs and illustrations of the city, and was originally presented to the visitors of the Southwestern Veteran Association. It also includes information and photographs of the State Soldier's Home in Fort Dodge, the Kansas state forestry station, Ford County, and Dodge City's City Park.

Dates

Creation: 1902 - c.1920

Biographical / Historical

Frederick Augustus Etrick (also known as F.A. Etrick) was born on December 17, 1861 in Danzig, Prussia. Etrick, his widowed mother, and his two sisters emigrated to the United States in 1869 and they settled near Springfield, Illinois. While living in Illinois Etrick worked as a clerk in a store, as an early photographer, and as a farmhand. In Auburn, Illionois, Etrick established a merchandise store which sold clothes, shoes, and jewelry, though the store would ultimately burn down after just four years. In Auburn Etrick became eligible to vote and took an interest in politics, voting for and betting on Grover Cleveland to win the 1884 presidential election.

In May 1885, Etrick visited Dodge City and established a homestead near Ensign, where he brought his family. In 1890, Etrick moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where he attended the University of Kansas, where he studied Electrical Engineering – though he ultimately decided not to continue in that field and returned to Dodge City. In 1895 Etrick married Mary Tryphema Peacock, though she would pass away in 1913. In 1914 Etrick married Rose Allen Hardin. Etrick was a father to 3 sons and 1 daughter.

In 1900, Etrick established the Etrick Printery in Dodge City, where he established multiple short-lived newspapers, such as “The Live Stock Farmer." During a spirited political campaign, he converted the paper into a daily edition, and published articles against illegal liquor sales in town, which swayed public opinion and forced the county attorney to take action to end the practice. Etrick eventually stopped printing the newspaper, but continued on in the printing business. In the early 1900s, Etrick was also associated with the Ford County Socialists, serving as a secretary for the organization. Other business interests included movie theaters (at one point owning all theaters in town) and a grain processing mill which produced “Middo Wheat” breakfast food which was sold in local stores. Etrick retired from his business pursuits in 1935.

F.A. Etrick died on April 9, 1944.