Rogler Ranch records, 1874-1988

Summary

Creator:
Rogler Ranch Records
Physical description:
106.50 Linear Feet, 65 Boxes Post-Fire Oversize Extent: Boxes 63-65 (16.5 x 20.5): 509S: 19/3/2 Box 62 (16.5 x 20.5): 509S: 19/5/3
Language:
English
Latin

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the activities of the Henry Rogler family and the Rogler Ranch Incorporation, also known as Pioneer Bluffs Ranch, from 1874 to 1993. It contains information on the family history, family correspondence, corporate records, photographs, and the Tallgrass Prairie.
The Family History series is comprised of one (1) box and includes information pertaining to the personal lives of family members separate from the work of the ranch. Included are obituaries, family stories, marriages, divorces, Henry Rogler as Kansas Legislator, and Wayne Rogler’s time as a Senator.
There is a wealth of information in the six and one-half (6.5) boxes of the Family Correspondence Series. This series has two sections. One is arranged alphabetically and the other is chronological by decades. The alphabetical section has information pertaining to life on the ranch, college life, married life, individuals living in other states, grandchildren, anniversary cards, birthday cards, and sympathy cards. The chronological section is made up of correspondence written to Helen Rogler, Henry and Maud Rogler, and Wayne Rogler from their friends and associates.
The Ranch Records Series (1925-1988) consists of fifty-three (53) boxes and is the largest part of the collection. It includes ranch records beginning in 1894, while Henry Rogler was living with his parents, Charles W. and Mary Mariah Satchell Rogler. Included are account ledgers and journals (1894-1900; 1920-1959), cattle book records (1960-1973), and yearly records (1925-1988). There is a gap in the account ledgers and journals between 1901 and 1919. The early yearly records between 1925 and 1948 are not complete. The records include some banking information on cattle bought and sold, the inventory of cattle, feed purchases, land leased from other ranchers and farmers, correspondence to ranchers, farmers, and companies, monthly bills, and taxes showing what was spent on operating the ranch and a list of employees.
The Tallgrass Prairie Series (1957-1984, undated) is made up of six (6) file folders in one-half (.5) of a box. Tallgrass Prairie vehicle bumper stickers and postcards were removed from this series and placed in the Artifact Series.
The Photograph Series (1882-1987, undated) consists of one and one-half (1.5) boxes. Included are members of the Rogler family and Kansas State University class photographs from 1898 to 1902, cattle, grass and oil leaks. There are also three (3) photograph books that include photographs of the Rogler family and the ranch.
The Scrapbook Series (1918-1978) consists of three (3) scrapbooks in two and one-half boxes (2.5). Scrapbook one (1) includes newspaper clippings about Wayne Rogler, the Bluestem Prairie and Henry and Maud Rogler. Scrapbook two (2) contains newspaper clippings about Kansas History and the Rogler family. Scrapbook three (3) contains newspaper clippings, cards and letters to Henry and Maud Rogler on their 50th, 60th, and 65th wedding anniversaries.
The Artifact Series (1934, 1951, 1958-1959, 1981, undated) contains blank postcards that Henry and Maud Rogler and Wayne and Elizabeth Rogler collected on their travels. Also included in this series is a dried corsage that Maud Rogler wore on her 50th wedding anniversary on July 21, 1951. There are two (2) envelopes with clips of human hair belonging to Susan Ferris Sauble, mother of Maud Rogler, and Helen Rogler, daughter of Henry and Maud Rogler.
The Rogler Ranch Records have been assigned Accession Number P1993.12.

Biographical / historical:

In 1853, Charles W. Rogler, age 17, left family in Asch, Austria, for the United States. At age 23, he settled his first 160 acres in Matfield Green, Chase County, Kansas. By 1883, Charles had increased his holdings to 720 acres and by the time of his death in 1888, he had acquired 1,800 acres.
By 1900, under the management of long-time friend, Henry Brandley, the estate encompassed 4,020 acres when it was divided among Charles’ five children. In 1902, Henry Rogler, an 1898 graduate of Kansas State Agricultural College, purchased one of his sisters’ sections of the ranch that included the original 1872 homestead and old barn.
In 1901, Henry Rogler married Maud Sauble, a 1901 graduate of Kansas State Agricultural College. They designed and built a large home on the property in 1908. They named the ranch Pioneer Bluffs Ranch.
Between 1905 and 1925, Henry made the transition from farming to ranching. He was a farmer-stockman and pastureman. Pasturemen were local agents who brought together cattle owned by capitalists from outside the Flint Hills. Therefore, Henry was key to the development of the transient grazing industry that dominated twentieth century land use in the uplands of Chase Country. Transient grazing provided stable and conservative income for ranchers. The size of the Pioneer Bluffs ranch fluctuated dependent on the acreage rented or held as payment/security. As Henry managed more cattle for others, the more his own herd grew. By 1931, Henry’s son, Wayne, a 1926 graduate of Kansas State Agricultural College, grazed 2,000 head of cattle during the summer.
In the 1930s, the ranch became a leader in modernized production of feed crops, cooperating with Kansas State Agricultural College in pioneering alfalfa production, some sorghum and soybean crops. In addition to the livestock and crops aspect of the ranch, the Rogler’s also sold poultry and dairy products. Maud Rogler was a founder of women’s farm bureau work in Chase County and carried out model projects in poultry raising to exemplify self-sufficiency and diversification. She bragged that she put their four children through college with her “egg money.”
Henry Rogler served the state by serving two years in the Kansas House of Representatives (1914-1916) and four years in the Senate (1928-1932). Henry served eight years as Vice President for the Chase County Farm Bureau and his involvement in agriculture was noted when he received the first Kansas Master Farmer Award in 1927. He operated the ranch until the late 1950s when he sold a large part of it to his son, Wayne. After Henry died in 1972, Wayne purchased the remainder of the farm and ranch land.
The younger Rogler followed in his father’s footsteps as a prominent farmer-stockman, serving four consecutive terms (1929-1946) in the Kansas House of Representatives and was appointed one term in the Kansas Senate. Wayne served as president of the Chase County Farm Bureau, the director of the National Farm Loan Association and as chairman of the state Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of various other organizations and a charter member of the National Cattlemen’s Association. Wayne owned and managed Pioneer Bluffs Ranch until his death on April 8, 1993. His wife, Elizabeth died on January 24, 2004.
The Rogler Ranch or Pioneer Bluffs Ranch was one of the best known in the region. Under Wayne’s management the ranch grew to some 60,000 acres, including leased pastureland and managed 15,000 head of cattle a year. After Wayne’s and Elizabeth’s death no other family member was interested in the ranch and it was placed in trust. In 2006, Pioneer Bluffs Ranch was sold at auction for $6.92 million. A group of local Chase County members knew the value and importance of the ranch and were able to purchase 12-acres that included the house and outbuildings. Today, the Pioneer Bluffs Ranch is a historical tourist site (http://pioneerbluffs.org/).
Charles W. Rogler (1836-1888) married Mary Mariah Satchell in 1869. They had five children: Albert (1870-1953), Katherine (1872-1915), Emma (1875-1961), Henry (1877-1972) and Mary Jane (1879-1854).
Henry Rogler married Maud Sauble (1880-1972) on July 21, 1901. They had four children: Helen (1902-1999), Wayne (1905-1993), Irene (1908-2000) and George (1913-2003).

Acquisition information:
Acqusition Source: Wayne Rogler Acqusition Method: Donation. Acqusition Date: 19930701
Processing information:

Finding Aid Author: Cynthia A. Harris
Processing Info: Cynthia A. Harris, Library Assistant III, Manuscripts/Collections Processor, processed the collection and Dave Allen, curator, reviewed it on February 1, 2017.
Publication Date: 2017-02-02

Arrangement:

These records were kept in the original order and arranged in seven (7) series: (1) Family History Series (1931-1984, undated); (2) Family Correspondence Series (1874-1986, undated); (3) Ranch Records Series (1894-1988); (4) Tallgrass Prairie Series (1957-1984, undated); (5) Photograph Series (1882-1987, undated); (6) Scrapbook Series (1918-1978; and (7) Artifact Series (193, 1951, 1958-1959, 1981, undated).

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
General note:

Published

Dacs citation:

Preferred Citation: [Item title], [item date], Rogler Ranch Records, Box [number], Folder [number or title], Morse Department of Special Collections, Kansas State University Libraries.

Subjects

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Subjects:
Kansas life and culture
Agriculture and rural life

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