Frederic Remington has Peabody connection
By MARILYN JONES
Contributing writer
Remington was born in 1861, in Canton, N.Y. On his way to "make his fortune," he wandered through the Dakotas and Montana, and prospected for gold in the Arizona territory. Remington came to Kansas, to Clifford Township in Butler County, to visit his friend, Bob Camp. Camp's ranch was about nine miles south of Peabody. It was spring and apparently the land was appealing, so Remington bought a quarter section next to Camp and planned to become a sheep rancher.
Remington and his young friends (at this point he was only about 22 years old and had little actual art training) enjoyed boxing, riding, and horse racing. Remington's favorite horse was Terra Cotta, whom he lost on a bet with a neighbor. "Coursing Rabbits on the Plains" apparently was the only Kansas story recorded by Remington.
The nearest store was Plum Grove and there was an old stone store run by Edwin Hoyt. Hoyt was the grandfather of the late Gladys Hoyt, longtime Peabody librarian. There was a party at the Plum Grove school on Christmas Eve and Remington and some of his friends apparently had a bit too much to drink and they indulged in pestering some of the party-goers and even piled straw against a window and set it afire and shouted "fire." Panic started in the school but no one was really hurt. The party-goers were quite unhappy and demanded arrest of the Remington group, but the case was dismissed because the jury could not agree.
Right after this affair, Remington decided sheep ranching was not for him. David Greene of Peabody bought the land from Remington in 1884. The original deed shows that Greene paid $5,500 for both quarters of land.
Grant Scrivner, father-in-law of Orlene Scrivner, was the ranch foreman. He gained fame when Remington sketched him bringing two lambs, one under each arm, back to the ranch. Remington's arrival at the scene (with pen in hand) apparently scared the horse and caused him to buck. This scene was the basis for the well-known sculpture of the bucking horse. Grant Scrivner's family lived in the same township and until recently, the land had remained in the family. Remington apparently covered anything available, from barn doors to lids of flour boxes, with his sketches. He had given Grant one of his pictures but the cyclone of June 8, 1941, blew away most of the area buildings and the picture was "gone with the wind."
Remington was regarded as the foremost artist of the early West and left behind more than 2,800 paintings and sketches and 24 bronzes. He died in 1909 in New York of appendicitis, but his paintings had changed drastically by that time. Many pictures were of the Hudson River school with many landscapes.
Chris Johns, now editor of National Geographic magazine, was the first guest at Jones Sheep Farm Bed and Breakfast in 1987. He was a photographer for the magazine at that time, and the editors had sent him to Peabody to photograph the area of Remington's early works. He finally concluded that "all that is left is the quality of light in the Flint Hills" and he spent about a week photographic the Flint Hills and cowboys at work. Mac Clark of rural Peabody, was one of the "models" for his photos.
Remington school is about 15 miles south of Peabody and honors Remington. The Remington Society is an active historical group with monthly meetings and programs dealing with early day history of the area. Frederic Remington's Christmas in the Peabody vicinity truly was a memorable one!
