05/07/2026
Pictured here on March 21, 1952, is George W. Rice seated at his desk while serving as manager of the Dodge City branch of the T. M. Deal Lumber Company. Though this image captures a quiet office moment, it also reflects part of a much larger story tied to the growth of Dodge City and the lumber industry in Kansas.
The history of T. M. Deal Lumber began in Wichita at the turn of the twentieth century. T. M. Deal arrived there in 1900 after already having experience in the lumber business dating back to 1889. His first office was located in the old Bitting Building, which was later destroyed by fire. In July of 1900, he partnered with Joseph Trent to form Deal & Trent, purchasing a retail lumber yard from the Jackson Lumber Company. That yard was later sold to the J. W. Metz Lumber Company.
On January 1, 1906, the T. M. Deal Lumber Company was officially incorporated with T. M. Deal serving as president and Joseph Trent as vice president. After Trent retired due to ill health, Deal purchased all remaining stock in 1913 and the corporation was temporarily discontinued. Over the years following its incorporation, the company steadily expanded into communities across Kansas, with locations in places such as Arkansas City, Hugoton, Minneola, and eventually, Dodge City. On December 12, 1916, the Dodge City Globe announced that the Wichita-based company had purchased a local lumber yard here in town, on the corner of Third and Spruce.
George Winter Rice became manager of the Dodge City branch in the early 1950s after years of varied work and service. Born on October 1, 1917, in Kansas City, Missouri, he later moved to Fowler after the death of his father. He graduated from Fowler High School, attended Wichita University for a year, and later studied business in Hutchinson. In 1939, he married Ferne Barger, and together they raised four children: Dennis, Floyd, Randy, and Judy.
Before arriving in Dodge City, Rice worked for the Ideal Food Company in several cities and later contributed to wartime aircraft production in Wichita during World War II. After the war, he joined T. M. Deal Lumber Company and moved his family to Dodge City in 1951 to manage the local branch. While there, he was highly respected and extremely professional as he dealt with a series of attempted and successful robberies. In 1955, the Globe reported that the family would relocate to Wichita so George could pursue a position with Walling Sash and Door Company, but it is likely he simply commuted from his home in Dodge.
Known as an active member of the First Christian Church and a former Lions Club member, George Rice was deeply involved in the communities he called home. Tragically, his life was cut short on July 25, 1960, when he was killed in an automobile accident near Cherokee, Oklahoma, while traveling for work as a salesman.
Photographs like this preserve more than faces and places. They help tell the stories of the hardworking people who kept local businesses running and helped shape the communities around them. 👥🛠️
