Founded: 1873, Pop.: 2,193, Elev.: 1,510 ft.
Located in Barber County, (county seat). With the scenic Gyp Hills on the West, the town is situated south of Great Bend at the junction of Hwys-160 & 281 near Barber State Lake and Pratt to the north.
The general surface of the eastern half of the county is very level, but the western half, which includes the famous Cedar Mountains, is largely broken and bluffy. The economy is based on ranching, sugar production, petroleum, and mining.
The principal streams are Medicine Lodge, Driftwood, Mulberry, Hackberry, and Mule. The tributaries of the Medicine Lodge River are Bear, Cedar and Monument Creeks, flowing north, and Elm and Turkey flowing south. Big and Little Mule Creeks run southeast and empty into the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. US government & Native American, treaties were signed here in 1867 and 1870. Most of the Plaines Tribes were represented and as many as 15,000 camped in the area during the negotiations.