Twin horses mystery solved
A horse having twins is a highly unusual event. When a mare gave birth to twin colts in Grange, Ind., The Washington Observer editors felt the news odd enough to publish an Associated Press photo of the equine family on the front page of the newspaper June 23, 1947. Two days later, a similar picture appeared on the front page, but this one celebrated a local birth.
“Twin colts occur about once in 100,000 equine births,” the caption of the photo read. “That makes them rather rare, but Willis J. Kiger, R.D.2, Claysville, is the proud owner of a pair. They are shown with their dam above. Willis is holding the twins and his father, C.J. Kiger, is holding the mare, Wanda Main. Spencer the Great, Arden Downs, is the sire. The Kigers are operating the former Thad Miller property and have planted 10 acres of corn, 10 of wheat and 10 of oats.”
We were able to locate the photo by going through all the papers from the spring and early summer of 1947. When the identity of the men were known, we asked Frank Ramage, a longtime Claysville area farmer and horseman, if he remembered them.
“I do remember Willis,” Ramage said. “They lived not too far from me. I live on Route 231, and I was born and lived all my life in the same place. I believe the Kigers lived on what they now call School House Road.”
More information about the Kigers can be found on the Internet. From their obituaries, we learned their names in the caption were not correct. Arvel C. Kiger moved to Waynesburg from the farm and worked there as a school bus driver and as custodian for First Methodist Church. He died in 1960. His son, Willis A. Kiger, worked as an officer of First National Bank in Morgantown, W.Va. He died in 1973.
Jim Hrutkay of Somerset Township and Mike Kopko of Canton Township were two of the readers who called about the photo, and although their guesses turned out to be wrong, their input was helpful.
Look for another Mystery Photo in next Monday’s Observer-Reporter.