Kansas Boy

"This is the childhood and early adulthood memoir of lawyer and judge A.J. (Arthur Joel) Bolinger (1881-1977), who was born and raised in Elk County, Kansas. Recounting cattle drives and ranching, farming, small-town life, college years at Topeka's Washburn University, and the beginning of his law career in Oklahoma, Bolinger's account provides a window through which modern readers can see how middle Americans experienced national events, from the Spanish-American War and the Populist Movement to presidential elections and temperance campaigns. Walker and Barker-the latter of whom is also Bolinger's grandson-have thoroughly annotated the memoir, substantiating it with research in family and historical archives and an introduction that gives an overview of Bolinger's life and places his story in the context of Kansas, Oklahoma, and American history"--