1881
The Vogels of Grant Township
One of the themes of the Altenbernds, Schaakes, Vogels and Veehs has been a love of the land. The father of Magdalena Altenbernd, 1881-1954, came to Douglas County in 1860; during Quantrill’s raid, Wilhelm Altenbernd and his brother Conrad hid in a cornfield. Later, William Schaake, also from Germany, settled on the south side of the Kaw River and held land on the north side too. One son, Edward, married Magdalena; with their two girls, Frieda and Irene, they lived in Leavenworth County. In 1920, the four moved to a new home with golden oak woodwork not far from a walnut grove in Grant Township. The girls took the interurban railway to town for piano lessons. Frieda married Arthur A. Heck, whose family farmed nearby.
When ABC broadcast a program on wheat in 1935, Gov. Alfred M. Landon spoke from the farm just east of Bismarck Station. Collier’s featured the farm in an article after the flood of 1951. When ABC-TV came to film The Day After in 1982, the farm became the home of the Dahlbergs. At “Wilderwild,” Magdalena crocheted tablecloths and planted 150 varieties of iris. Cherries came from the orchard; grapes, from the arbor; and Decoration Day flowers, from the gardens.
George Veeh, the grandfather of John H. Vogel Jr., walked from Minneapolis, Kan., to Phillips County to have land of his own. When John came to the University of Kansas, he met Irene at Trinity Lutheran Church, where they were married. John received a WWII draft exemption to farm. Livestock included Hampshire hogs (later SPF) and cattle, mostly Herefords. Growing up, Nancy and Jerry had Angus. Jerry, an amateur radio operator, contracted polio in 1952 and spent a week in an iron lung.
Over the years, the farm produced wheat, corn, potatoes, soybeans, peas, watermelons and cantaloupe, alfalfa, brome, seed wheat and seed corn. Most of the farm dogs were German Shepherds; tractors, John Deere, but also Ford and Caterpillar. Fescue and bluegrass sod came with the turn of the 21st century.
The Vogels have been associated with many organizations, including Bismarck School, University of Kansas, Douglas County Bank, Farm Bureau, Douglas County Amateur Radio, Independence, Inc., the Kansas Legislature, Fort Hays State University, Plymouth School, Progressive Circle, P.E.O., Sertoma and Rotary.
In Topeka, John took special pleasure in furthering the cause of Audio Reader and helping retire the old dairy barn at Kansas State. At home, Irene was known for baking pies (cherry and butterscotch), but her signature dessert was a burnt sugar layered cake, with an icing of equal parts of brown sugar, white sugar, and Jersey cream.
Nancy’s holiday presents came from the Book Nook, and in third grade she won a blue ribbon at the county spelling contest, setting her path to becoming a scholar and university professor, author and editor. Magdalena’s family continues to grow iris. Lawrence honored each of her sons-in-law as “Citizen of the Year.” Even her great-grandchildren consider Grant Township home.
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