It all began sometime in the spring of 1874 when Thomas and Miranda Rigg came to Butler County, Kansas along with their two young sons, Melvin and Perry. They came in a covered wagon and were also accompanied by Thomas’ sister, Maria and her husband, Abraham Sloan, and their two children plus Thomas and Maria’s parents, Townly and Phebe Rigg. The wagon train of three generations of the Rigg family had traveled all the way from Wabash County, Illinois. The Civil War had ended and with the peace that followed there was a renewed interest in settling into new territory bringing with it the possibility of a more prosperous life. A new beginning, that for the Rigg family must have been quite exciting. Butler was basically a county of prairie grasses and rolling hills. The most plentiful of fruit trees were peach and cherry trees. When they were in bloom it was a sight to behold. In spite of this, the Rigg’s had brought with them seedlings packed in potatoes to keep them moist on their long journey. Butler County had nearly 10,000 inhabitants at that time and would grow to twice that size in the next five years.

Thomas and Miranda would add eight more children to the population over the next fifteen years, only one of which would not survive infancy. Their growing brood consisted of eight boys and one girl. They were a typical farm family that endured the many hardships that so often accompanied the possessing of land and raising a large family. They had no idea though that in 1895 after their oldest son married and their first grandchild was expected that they would endure their most costly hardship and one that would surely be the most devastating to them.

The Rigg farm was located at Quito, just a few miles east of Leon, Kansas. In the early years there were many varieties of trees that grew in the county, ranging from walnut and oak to hickory and elm. Plenty of trees on which eight boys could learn to climb and behind which a hide and seek game could be quite fun. The main rivers in Butler County were the Whitewater, Walnut and Little Walnut, off of which sprang many streams and creeks. Water was often hauled to where you needed it. There is something about water that is so calming and refreshing, especially during a hot Kansas summer. But in the summer of 1895 something more deadly and sinister was invading that precious necessity of life. An epidemic was about to occur.

In July of 1895, Melvin Gillison Rigg and his new bride, Effie, were doing quite well. Melvin, the oldest child of Thomas and Miranda Rigg, was a professor and the newlyweds had taken up residence in Eureka, Kansas and were expecting their first child. Life was good. Then suddenly Melvin became ill. His high fever, chills and intestinal problems became so severe that his frightened wife took him back home to his parents house near Quito. She knew that Miranda was a strong woman and had taken care of a fine large family so surely she would know what to do. Little did any of them know at first how dire Melvin’s illness was and that not only would he succumb to the disease but so would many other family members. At first no one knew that the source of the contamination was the water or that the name of the disease was Typhoid Fever. Melvin died from his illness on Wednesday, August 7, 1895. He was returned to his home in Eureka via the Missouri Pacific train and his funeral was held at the M.E. Church. He is buried at the cemetery in Eureka.

Back at the Rigg farm in Quito the devastation had just begun. Eight members of the family were stricken with Typhoid Fever. And not knowing that the water source was also the source of the disease the situation only worsened. Miranda was a strong woman but how strong of a woman does it take to nurse her entire family with such consuming symptoms? But in pioneer days you did what you had to do, one day at a time. When her second son, Lewis H. Rigg, died on Thursday, August 22, 1895 she was unable to attend his funeral due to the fact that she had six more children at home that were gravely ill. Melvin was 25 years old when he died and Lewis was just a boy, fourteen years and eight months old. Lewis' funeral was a quiet one and he was buried in the Quito Cemetery just a quarter of a mile from where he had been born and had lived his short life.

Miranda and Thomas would watch two more of their sons succumb to Typhoid Fever and bury them also at the Quito Cemetery. Alva died next at the age of eighteen in early September followed by William Henry on Thursday, September 26, 1895. Henry was twenty. The image of losing four sons in one month is so grievous. Their five remaining children survived their illnesses and went on to live to adulthood and had families of their own. And as the phoenix rises from the ashes, a grandchild was born in October of 1895 to Melvin’s widow. His name was Melvin Gillison Rigg, the same as his father that he never knew. Melvin went on to become a professor as well and wrote 25 books in his lifetime. In a related matter, a Mr. Dilts, came to the aid of the Rigg family to help take care of those that were sick. He also contracted Typhoid Fever and died.

In 1903, Thomas and Miranda and the remaining children left the farm near Quito and moved into Leon. They remained there until Thomas died in 1911 and Miranda in 1924. They are buried along side three of their sons and their parents, Townly and Phebe Rigg. It is said that the things that cost dearest are the ones that lie closest to your heart. Thomas and Miranda had a dream of moving to Butler County and having a farm and raising a fine family. Their dreams were realized amidst the tragedies and hardships of the early pioneer days. In one month to lose four sons, in one lifetime to accomplish so much. Today, hundreds of their descendants live across the United States and every year the last weekend in April they come together in Butler County to celebrate the lives of Thomas and Miranda Rigg and their family, true pioneers of the early days of Butler County.