Howard,

If the frontier of West Kansas had been about Abilene in 1866 the Civil War would have had a role in that development and to that point, through the security of the road and communication links. I have discovered that the community of Moonlight north of Abilene was named after Col. Moonlight. I also know of that name existing in 1901 for that community but do not know when it was first named or for what reason. It might have been for his defence of Kansas in the East or his work at Laramie in the West during the Civil War, or for his services to the state or for agriculture – that is pure conjecture. I would be interested to discover the reason for the naming of Moonlight in Kansas.

Graham Duncan