Where Main Street and Markland Avenue meet, there is a little grass lot just east of the Fraternal Order of Police #078 Lodge.
For some, that patch of land isn’t anything extraordinary, just some railroad tracks, a walking trail and a few shrubs scattered about.
But what perhaps is extraordinary is what lies beneath the surface.
In July 1942, it’s reported over a thousand people gathered on that site to bury and say goodbye to one of man’s best friends.
Ellers Funeral Home donated a casket for the occasion, which also saw a rose-filled trellis and gravestone marker that would adorn the site for a long time afterward.
His name was Rags, and he reportedly patrolled that area affectionately known as “Main and Markland” for over a dozen years in Depression-era Kokomo.
In a time when families struggled to feed themselves, they took care of Rags.
He was everybody’s dog.
Of course, Rags resembled more of a mop than a dog at times, Tribune archives note, and it isn’t really clear when Rags became a fixture in the Main and Markland area.
Legend has it that began sometime around the 1920s and 1930s.
An article from the Kokomo Tribune — dated July 10, 1942 — seemed to sum up Rags’ mission in life.
A photo of Rags in his coffin at his funeral in 1942.
“Just plain dog, he knew everyone who frequented the busy business center at Markland Avenue and Main Street,” it read in part. “He patrolled the beat with each policeman, ignoring those who were not in uniform. He ate his meals regularly in the section’s best restaurants, dropped in the taverns now and then for a little session with the boys.
“He guarded little children at busy corners and wagged a little mop of a tail hundreds of thousands of times each day when spoken to by his multitude of friends,” the article added.
But while those who perhaps personally knew Rags, petted his fur or fed him some scraps of food are few and far between these days, two city councilmen — Greg Davis, R-District 5 and Bob Stephenson, D-District 2 — are now helping lead the charge for a new memorial bench dedicated to the dog’s memory.
This granite bench, complete with Rags’ name, likeness and a bit of history on the animal, is set to be placed next month on the same corner Rags was buried on, that little grass lot just east of the FOP Lodge.
The granite bench — complete with Rags’ name, likeness and a bit of history on the animal — has been created by Caldwell Monument Company, and it’s set to be placed next month on the same corner Rags was buried on, that little grass lot just east of the FOP Lodge.
And perhaps that’s where you come in, Davis and Stephenson said.
The councilmen recently set up a GoFundMe page for public donations, a move they said would help offset the overall cost of the memorial and give residents a sense of “ownership” in a piece of Kokomo history that deserves to be heard and shared.
Davis and Stephenson told the Tribune earlier this month the idea for a Rags memorial was brought to them by another Kokomo resident and close friend who had heard stories of Rags from his own parents.
“He had a passion for Rags,” Davis said of the resident. “He wanted to see it revitalized, for people to commemorate the dog, and it really is a cool story.”
Both Davis and Stephenson grew up close to that area of town, and though they didn’t really know the story of Rags until they were approached with it last year, they said they were excited to be a part of the memorial project.
“I grew up a half block from there,” Stephenson said. “I grew up on Markland, right between Main and Union. So I can remember the trellis and the roses there. I don’t remember the stone, and I never really kind of knew what it was for. But my grandfather was a policeman back in the ‘20s. So he would have been very well aware of Rags.
“And you know, stories like this, they give you a sense of community,” he added. “I think that’s an identity worth saving and celebrating. … I hadn’t really thought of this, but there are no dogs running the streets anymore. I mean, that used to be a part of neighborhoods. Several families had dogs that ran loose. It’s better that we don’t, obviously, but this dog (Rags) meant a lot to a lot of people.”
Davis agreed.
“Dogs just demonstrate that unconditional love,” he said. “… And this thing will resonate with everyone, whether you’ve had a dog or not. This is a good story. Who doesn’t like a feel-good story? With the world the way it is sometimes, we have to step into things that are positive and filled with love. This is one of those things.”
The councilmen did admit that Rags is a specific part of Kokomo history, but in the end, it’s stories like his that makes up the fabric of a community.
“I think it connects us to our roots, to our past and to our ancestors,” Stephenson said. “Kokomo’s got a great history. We have things to celebrate, and it’s just a shame if we don’t take advantage of that. Most people love dogs, and this project gives us a chance individually to celebrate and honor the dogs in our own lives.”
It’s documented in Tribune archives that Rags died July 10, 1942, after being struck by a passing motorist.
And while that July 10 was likely a sad day, Davis and Stephenson said, they hope this July 10 — when they dedicate the memorial in a ceremony at the corner of Main Street and Markland Avenue that’s open to the public — will be a happier one.
Because Rags will finally be home again, they noted, watching over the same neighborhood as he did when he was alive.
“I’ve lived in Kokomo my whole life,” Davis said. “So when my day comes, it wouldn’t make sense to bury me in Nebraska. It makes sense with Rags to be memorialized right on that spot he loved so much. As a Christian, I don’t believe in chance. I think things happen for a reason.
“We have this wonderful bike trail that’s literally feet from where he was buried,” he added. “Then you look at these two little bushes, and there’s a gap in between big enough for a bench. It’s logical. He belongs right there. And the people that walk or bike along that path will have a chance to sit and read Rags’ story. I think that’s pretty special.”
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