Necrology. 331 



He had a lively interest aud took an active part in all work of 

 "the Academy, and it was always a treat to hear him recount his 

 early experiences, when thousands of buffalo, elk, deer and other 

 game animals pastured on the plains of western Kansas and crossed 

 them in their migragrations northward and southward. Here were 

 the great hunting grounds of the Indians, among whom Colonel 

 Mead established several trading posts, the most important of 

 which was on the present site of Wichita, which thereafter became 

 his home. Its name was adopted from his suggestion that the 

 place had been occupied for years by the Wichita Indians and ap- 

 propriately should bear their name. In these early days he had 

 great influence with the Indians and was much esteemed by them. 

 He knew many of their chiefs, like Satanta, and Heap-a-bear, as 

 well as the celebrated scouts, Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill and other 

 pioneers; and so, in the time of our civil war, he was able to do 

 much in preserving our frontiers from Indian ravages. He was 

 active in all public affairs, and contributedlargely to bring Wichita 

 into prominence and make it the metropolis of southern Kansas. 

 He represented his locality both in the house and in the senate of 

 the Kansas legislature, though political life was not relished by 

 him. He was a leading member in the Academy, in the State His- 

 torical Society and in several other organizations, and his numer- 

 ous contributions to these societies are held in high esteem, ex- 

 hibiting rare powers of observation as well as a racy piquancy 

 which made their presentation very delightful. 



His ancestry were of puritan stock, landing on our shores in 1642, 

 and were prominent in colonial and revolutionary days. His father 

 was a graduate of Yale and was a Presbyterian minister in Vermont 

 and Iowa. Colonel Mead is survived by his third wife and two 

 young daughters, and by a son and two daughters of his first wife. 

 In these descendants his name will be worthily perpetuated. 



Our Academy has been fortunate in its comparatively few losses 

 by death in late years, but we are reminded that the ranks are clos- 

 ing up and there are not many left who can bring personal testi- 

 mony of the conditions that obtained here when our commonwealth 

 was young. 



