Brief
History from Kansas State Historical
Society:
Sheridan County,
named for General Philip Sheridan, was
organized by William Stevens; W. M.
Rogers; W. C. Hausafus;
and K. A. Ellithorpe, on June 2,
1880. Sheridan County contains the towns
of Hoxie and Selden. Local legends in
Sheridan
County states that Sam Morgan was
believed to be the earliest settler in the
county, and is said to have hunted buffalo
with
Buffalo Bill Cody. Monty Dillon, a
shell-shocked or "just born that way"
recluse of the county was returning from
his
service in World War I when a motor
broke down on his transport. He repaired
the motor from odds and ends and the ship
was able to reach the United States.
Legend has it that the rest of his life he
remained a recluse, lived on dog, and
seldom
shaved or bathed. It is also said
that the story concerning the ship was
written in an old edition of an
encyclopedia but no
one can locate the story.
The moving of the town of Kenneth to
Hoxie and the subsequent change of the
county seat to Hoxie because of the move
of
the two towns allowed an increase in
population necessary to have a county
seat. Later in 1888, the coming of the
Union
Pacific Railroad further boosted the
population.
In 1896 the courthouse burned and
most of the county records were destroyed
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