|
|
|
Dr. Robert H. McKay (1840-1927) first came to Crawford County in 1871 as an Army surgeon, stationed at Camp Limestone, established to protect the railroad during the Cherokee Neutral Land troubles. Following service, he returned to Girard by 1882, practicing medicine there for a couple of years, then entered into real estate. He became involved in purchasing thousands of acres of coal land for the Cherokee & Pittsburg Coal & Mining Co; the coal branch of the Santa Fe Railroad. He maintained offices at Girard and Pittsburg. McKay Street in Frontenac was named for him. This short 1890 article demonstrates his involvement:
“It is reported that Dr. R. H. McKay, well known as an extensive owner of Pittsburg real estate, is associated with the late vice-president of the Santa Fe in a business enterprise which will require his presence in Kansas City for several months.”
Later in life he would write a biography, entitled “Little Pills, in 1918. Dying at his home in Girard, he lies buried at Girard City Cemetery.
Source: The Pittsburg Smelter, Saturday, 8 March 1890, Vol. XI, No. 10.
Born in 1944 at the old Mt. Carmel Hospital, Pittsburg, Jerry D. Lomshek has been a lifelong resident of Crawford County and the Chicopee area. The grandson of a Slovene immigrant coal miner, he became interested in history at a young age, and began researching family and local history at the age of 14. This being a lifelong passion, he has amassed a mammoth amount of local historical data over the years. He has lectured and written several manucripts concerning the history of Southeast Kansas. From his service in the Navy, and as a registered nurse, he spent 45 years involved in various aspects of health care. Since retiring, he has devoted his time to further local historical research and various community involvement.
