Indian Raids in Lincoln County, Kansas, 1864 and 1869 (1910) (ePub)

"A splendid history of the Indian raids...many of the settlers were killed, their homes burned and livestock stolen." -Lincoln Sentinel, Mar. 13, 1913

"A very interesting tale of the Indian raids in Lincoln...hardships of the frontiersmen." -Greenleaf Sentinel, Dec. 15, 1910

"Bernhardt has...gained considerable fame as a historian through his book 'The Indian Raids of Lincoln County.'" -Salina Evening Journal, Jun. 28, 1911

"Bernhardt...handles the subject in a very thorough and entertaining manner." -The Archaeological Bulletin (1916)

What sparked the harrowing Sioux, Kiowa, and Cheyenne raids on pioneering settlers in Lincoln County, Kansas, during 1863 and 1869 and why did many settlers abandon their homesteads?

In 1910, Christian Frederik Bernhardt (1847-1918) published the harrowing details of the raids based on his first-hand interviews of the survivors, in his book titled, "Indian Raids in Lincoln County, Kansas, 1864 and 1869."

In discussing the victims of the raids, Bernhardt writes:

"The settlers who were killed herein 1864 and 1869, were fifteen in number, and mostly foreigners, hence innocent parties as far as doing harm or provoking the Indians was concerned. There were among them five children ranging in age from a few months to fourteen years. There were five foreigners who had not been here in the state more than from three months to two years....None of the surrounding counties have lost so many from Indian depredations as has Lincoln county."