Yes, some Milford people elected to leave Milford Twp for the gold of another area when the McLain family, John, his wife and two sons, William, Russel, and M. and FA McLain pulled up stakes and left for Colorado on the 22 of March 1859.
As the Story County Advocate paper writes: "Six "prairie schooners," propelled by fourteen yoke of oxen and cows, started from Nevada on Tuesday last, bound for Pike's Peak, well loaded, and with fourteen passengers and crew. The starting called together quite a number friends to bid them "God speed".”
Some of the McLains were residents of Milford Township and William was back in Milford Twp by 1860.
The country boy from Milford, Dale Hughes, `55, met the TV personality, Johnny Carson, in New York when their paths crossed as Hughes was headed to Europe on a "student" type vacation in 1962.
Hughes hoped to get a "job" working on a freighter going to Europe and, as obtaining this type of job was a time consuming task, he had some time to explore other adventures. A call was made to the producers of the Johnny Carson TV show "Who Do You Trust?". The format for the show was an interview of three couples and then three questions for money with $25, $50 and $100 for the correct answers; then the couple with the highest winnings was invited back for a "Grand Prize" question.
Following an in-person interview and a lengthy telephone interview it was posted that Hughes would be on the show. At the appointed hour, about two hours before showtime, he went over to the studio. A producer greeted him and handed him a script. The show, which might appear to the viewer to be impromptu, was, in fact, all done from a script. The contestants memorized their lines but were not told what Johnny would respond for a joke so the contestant's reaction would be spontaneous.
Hughes was paired with a lady who had painted open eyes with makeup on her eyelids and two tepees on her chest so, as she explained, she would appear to be awake when her hubby came home from his late shift work. The tepee makeup was not done for the show.
Johnny came by just before airtime and exchanged some minor pleasantries for a couple minutes and then it was showtime. We were the first couple and Johnny enjoyed visiting with the lady with the eye makeup so much that there was only time for two couples. The Three questions were reasonably easy and we gave the correct answers but the "Grand Prize" question was about some little known author and we missed it. Anyhow, we'd each won $50 for a little fun and a few days later I got a job on a freighter and went to Europe.
Dale Hughes `55