USA > Kansas > Barton County > Biographical History of Barton County, Kansas > Part 30
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
Sama, A. M. Collins, Lester Cox and Porter Young. H. A. Hall was elected police judge; Louis Zutavern, treasurer and Ed. L. Chap- man, treasurer of the board of education; James Clayton and J. H. Jennison continued as justices of the peace with W. T. Bennister and W. B. King as constables. F. D. Wilson was appointed marshal; Frank Hitchcock, as- sistant marshal; E. Price, street commissioner and F. A. Moses, clerk.
In 1908, the following councilmen were elected : W. F. Honnen, N. Smith, E. H. Miller and W. C. Merritt. For the board of educa- tion: S. A. Newcombe, E. E. Morrison, J. E. McMullin and Wm. Rubart. The appointive offices were filled by the same gentlemen as were appointed in 1907.
In 1908 O. W. Dawson was elected mayor with the following councilmen: W. L. Smith. G. N. Moses, B. E. Giles and O. M. Frazier. The same appointive officers were chosen with the exception of F. D. Wilson, whose place was
City Hall, Great Bend
Clayton were appointed a building committee. Then began systematic work which resulted in the building of a fine brick and stone struc- ture to be known as the Great Bend City Hall. It is located at the corner of Williams and La- kin streets and is ample for all needs of the city for years to come.
In 1906, the new city building was dedicat- ed and thrown open for the use of the city of- ficers. At the election held in the spring of this year the following were named: W. I. Honnen, N. Smith, C. N. Moses and F. H. Mil- ler, councilmen; S. J. Newcombe, W. J. Sams, E. E. Morrison and D. C. Luse, members of the board of education. Elrick C. Cole continued as attorney; F. D. Wilson as marshal and E. Price as street commissioner.
In 1907, E. W. Moses was elected mayor with the following councilmen: Amos Jolill- son, G. N. Moses, B. E. Giles, W. R. Bunting. Members of the board of education: W. J.
taken by the appointment of Axel Wemmer- gren as marshal. Louis Zutavern was again elected treasurer and James Clayton police judge. Ed Chapman continued as treasurer of the school board, for which the following were elected: E. W. Seward, F. V. Russell, Porter Young and Lester Cox.
In 1910, the following councilmen were elected: W. F. Honnen, J. F. Lewis to fill the vanancy made by the resignation of W. L. Smith, E. W. Moses, W. E. Hayes and W. G. Merritt. For the school board: S. A. New- combe, E. E. Morrison, J. E. McMullin and Louis Omer. The appointments were the same as the previous year.
It was during the administration of 1910 that steps were taken that finally resulted ill letting a contract for a sewage system for the city. The contract was let December, 1910, and called for an expenditure of approximate- ly $100,000. The contract was awarded to
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
221
Bash & Gray of Joplin, Mo. It was found, after work had been begun that the original plans were too small to give the city a proper system, therefore, they were enlarged and the work on the sewer was finished in the south half of the town in the spring of 1912. It is expected that the entire city will be afforded sewer connections within the present year. The same council appropriated $35,000 for a drainage system for the city. The work 011 this was done by home people under the su- pervision of a construction company.
In 1911, O. W. Dawson was re-elected mayor, and J. F. Lewis, G. N. Moses, D. C. Luse and S. P. Giddings were elected as members of the council. The appointments were the same as in 1910. The following were elected as the members of the board of education: Lester Cox, Porter Young and F. V. Russell. The
treasurer and justices of the peace were the same as in 1910.
In 1912, the following councilmen were elected : Louis Hans, R. A. Ewalt, W. P. Deal, L. P. Aber and Warren Baker was elected to fill the unexpired term of G. N. Moses. The appointments were the same with the excep- tion of Clyde Allphin who took the place of E. C. Cole as city attorney. The offices of sewer and electric inspectors were created and Fred Hans, and F. K. Zutavern received the ap- pointments.
The present administration of the city of Great Bend is a most aggressive one and is continuing the work so ably begun by their predecessors in making Great Bend an ideal home city with the best of religious and edu- cational advantages.
A. A. Wemmergren, City Marshal
Frank Hitchcock, Ass't Marshal
222
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
BUSINESS HISTORY OF GREAT BEND
I N 1872 H. H. Kidder realized the necessity for a store at Great Bend and to him be- longs the honor of having established the first general store on the townsite. The store was located on the east side of the park square. Mr. Kidder soon became aware of the fact that although he had had the advantage of the merchants who came later, in selecting a location, the greater part of the town's busi- ness was done by stores on the west side of the square. Therefore, he moved his building to the corner now occupied by the First Na- tional bank.
A. S. Allen opened the first drug store in 1872 on the west side of the square and later moved into the first stone building to be erected in the town in 1876.
B. Negbaur from Leavenworth started in the clothing business in the spring of 1874. Later he added dry goods to his stock and had one of the best lines of goods to be found in the state at that time.
In 1874 J. W. and J. Lightbody started In the dry goods business on the west side of the square and their business grew in volume
A. W. Gray engaged in the hardware busi- ness in 1872 on the west side of the square in partnership with E. Wilcox of Hutchinson, and S. Lehman of Newton, Kan. In the spring of 1876, Mr. Gray erected a large brick build- ing. Some idea of the volume of business done at that time can be gleaned from the fact that during the year 1878 Mr. Gray's total business amounted to $130,000 for hardware and machinery.
In 1874 the firm of Burton & Johnson, which was composed of E. W. Burton of Lan- sing, Mich., and A. Johnson, bought the E. L. Morphy hardware stock and began business at the northeast corner of the park square. Later they moved to the west side of the square and occupied the T. L. Stone building which was later used by Moses Brothers.
In 1876, W. H. Odell and G. N. Moses bought Mr. Johnson's interest and in the spring of 1877 Mr. Odell sold out to Ed R. Moses when the name of the firm was changed to Burton, Moses & Brother.
In 1878, J. H. Hubbard erected a large stone building 25x140 feet with a basement,
Sam Maher, (on right) First Banker
until the building became too small to answer the purpose of the store. In 1878 a dissolution of the firm took place and J. W. Lightbody built a large store building a few doors to the north and, in connection with W. J. Wilson of Burlington, Kansas, and Saunders & Wilson of Newton, Kansas, put in one of the finest stocks of goods ever shown in Barton County. The store occupied two floors and was known as the "People's Storc."
and at that time it was said to be the largest hardware store in the state of Kansas. The second floor. of the building was used as a hall and was known as Union hall where all kinds of functions were held. The Hubbard store did a total business of $120,000. In 1879 the store was damaged by fire to the extent of $7,000.
None of the stores mentioned above are be- ing operated now by their original owners,
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
223
Street Scene in Great Bend on Circus Day, 1910
about the only firm that remained in busi- ness that began in the 70s is the E. R. Moses Mercantile Company.
The first attempt to build a flour mill in the county was made by parties from Iowa in 1875 on the banks of the Walnut, near Dry creek. Various subscriptions in the way of a site, riparian rights, rock, etc., were given to the company. It was required that 30,000 bushels of wheat be loaned to the company by the farmers, they to take their pay in flour at stated intervals. A site was selected for the mill but the wheat loan did not come in and although work was begun on the mill it never was completed.
In the fall of 1875 a mill was built at El- linwood by Musil & Steckel. It consisted of a single vertical burr and was capable of grind- ing about 100 bushels per day. During the same year the foundation for a mill was built by the firm of Brinkman & Sooy but was abandoned until 1878 when Brinkman's elevat- or was built on it.
In 1876 W. P. Clement came to Great Bend from Kalamazoo, Mich., and immediately took steps that resulted in a steam mill being erected near where the depot stands, and by August of that year the mill was ready to be- gin operations. It was completely overrun with work. The mill ran three sets of burrs and had a capacity of 350 bushels per day.
In 1877 Sooy & Brinkman built a large water power mill on Walnut Creek below the railroad bridge. It was nearly completed when a tornado demolished it. This tornado swept a path about six miles wide and came from the north. It did a great deal of dam- age from Carr Creek in Mitchell County to No. 3 school house west of Ellinwood. This was on August 16, 1877.
This misfortune did not deter Sooy & Brinkman and before long another mill was erected in a better and more secure manner and it began grinding in December, 1877. This mill was a four-burr and had the best appli- ances known for the manufacture of flour at that time.
It was soon found that there was insuffi- cient water in the creek at times to keep the mill in operation, but the firm with character- istic enterprise, built a race at a point a mile and a half up the Arkansas river in order to get an additional supply of water. The fall from that point was ten feet in addition to that already atttained on the Walnut, and dur- ing the high water in the Arkansas the plan worked nicely. When the water fell in the Arkansas, as frequently happened, the head of the race would become filled with quick- sand from the bed of the river. After various
experiments that had for their object the remedying of this condition the business was finally abandoned and the mill was moved from its site to a point just south of the rail- road tracks and it is now one of the biggest and best mills in the state of Kansas and is
Đảo
Y
.NUTCREEK MILLING CO.
ELEVATOR "B"
Walnut Creek Mill
225
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
operated by the Walnut Creek Milling Com- pany.
During the years from 1872 to 1880 there were numerous manufacturing enterprises started in Great Bend but none of them sur- vived any great length of time. These includ- ed a broom factory, cigar factory, etc.
In the early days of Great Bend it was the place of residence of a large number of cattle- men who grazed their herds in the valleys of the Ninnescah, Chicaskia and Medicine Lodge rivers. The cattle business seemed to thrive at times when farming life was very discour- aging on account of droughts, grasshoppers, wind and other undesirable conditions. The first cattle in the country were from Texas and it was a peculiar fact that high bred stock, natives of northern climates could not live in the vicinity of Texas herds without contracting a fever that ofttimes proved fatal. However, if the native cattle withstood the first year's contact they were immune there-
after. The best success in the cattle business was achieved by crossing Texas stock with northern cattle.
An effort was made in the early 70s to es- tablish herds of sheep in the county, but all that were brought here seemed to be unable to become acclimated and the industry never thrived as did the cattle business.
The first to attempt to raise thoroughbred stock in the county was C. Q. Newcombe whose farm was known as Bloomingdale Park and was located in Cheyenne township. Ile came to the county in 1876 and engaged in breeding fine cattle and horses. His horses were of the Messenger and Black Hawk stock. He had one brood mare, known as Nellie Seeley, that had a record of 2:30 when she was 10 years old. His cattle were of the best shorthorn stock. He was also a breeder of Berkshire and Suffolk pigs many of which he import d.
BUILDING THE COURT HOUSE
A PETITION signed by E. L. Morphy and fifty-one others was presented to the board of county commissioners on September 2, 1872, asking for an election to be called for the purpose of issuing bonds to the amount of $25,000 for the building of a court house and jail.
On October 8, a special election was held at which the bonds were votcd on and resulted as follows:
Township- For.
Lakin
1
Against. 32
Total. 33
Great Bend
156
1
157
Buffalo
5
3
S
Total 162 36
198
On March 26, 1873, a contract was made with John McDonald of Emporia to build the court house for $24,200 in bonds of the coun- ty, the court house to be completed during that year, according to the plans and specifi- cations on file with the clerk. Bonds in the suni of $50,000 were given by McDonald for the faithful performance of his part of the contract, W. T. Soden and P. B. Plumb be- ing sureties.
In April the A. T. & S. F. railway got out an injunction restraining the issuing of the bonds for the building of the court house and certain bridges. A. A. Hurd was employed by the defense. The matter was finally adjusted, the bonds issued and the necessary taxes were paid by the railroad company.
In May, 1873, John H. Taylor was appoint- ed to superintend the work of construction on the court house building, and at the close of December, 1873, the building was not com- pleted according to contract and McDonald had stopped work after drawing all the money that was due him. Early in 1874, the board of county commissioners took possession of the building and materials on hand in the name of the county. The work was finished and the cost of the part undone when Mc- Donald quit was assessed against his bondsmen and suit begun to collect the amount. This matter hung fire in the courts for some time and was finally settled in November, 1879, by McDonald's bondsmen, Plumb and Soden pay- ing the county the sum of $2,000, and paying all expenses of the litigation.
226
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
ST. ROSE HOSPITAL
I N 1893, after having lived in Great Bend for about a year, during which time the preliminary work was done, representa- tives of the Dominician Sisters established St. Rose hospital. No public undertaking in the city of Great Bend ever met with a more hearty response from the citizens than did the work of soliciting aid for the establisli- ment of the hospital. On June 9, 1902, the tol- lowing resolution was unanimously adopted by the Great Bend Commercial Club:
"Great Bend Commercial Club, Great Bend, Kansas, June 9, 1902 .- To the Rev. Mother Superior of the Nuns of the Third Order of St. Dominic, Great Bend, Kansas:
"I have the honor to transmit to you the following resolutions which were unanimous- ly adopted by the members of the Great Bend
ing need of such an institution in this vicinity;
" "That there is a large and well-populated district tributary to Great Bend which is on- tirely without modern facilities where the sick and afflicted may receive proper hospital care, treatment and nursing;
" "That it is a matter of common knowledge that patients from this large expanse of coun- try are continually traveling to and from the cities east of us in search of expert surgical relief and treatment;
" 'That it is equally well known that large numbers of people are financially un- able to meet the extraordinary expense of such a trip, or are physically unequal to the fatigue of the journey, and hence are com- pelled to remain at home, there to languish, suffer and die from lack of expert care, treat- ment and nursing, such as can be procured
Ambulance For St. Rose Hospital
Commercial Club at their regular meeting ou this date, to wit:
" 'Whereas, It has come to the knowledge of the general public that the Rev. Mother Su- perior and the Rev. Sisters of the Nuns of the Third Order of St. Dominic, now residing in our midst, contemplate, or are considering the expediency of establishing and maintaining a general hospital in our city; Now, therefore, be it
" 'Resolved, By the Great Bend Commer- cial Club, that the movement in question is one which commands our hearty support and most cordial endorsement;
" 'That we have long recognized the press-
only in connection with a modern and well- equipped hospital ;
" 'That neighboring cities and villages have frequently signified their willingness to co-operate with this city, and to lend their moral and financial support to the promotion of such an institution;
" "That in our opinion the movement is a worthy one in every respect, and will com- mand the instant and profound respect and sympathy of all classes of our people;
" 'That we confidently believe that a hos- pital here under the auspices of these Rever- end Sisters would receive a cordial and gener- ous patronage from the entire western half of
St. Rose Hospital
228
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
Kansas and from portions of Eastern Colo- rado;
" 'That our railway connections are good, our climate unsurpassed, all local conditions most favorable, and the time most opportunc; " 'In consequence of all of which, we be- lieve the proposition would be a pronounced success from the beginning, and that it would be not only a benediction to the general pub- lic but a source of revenue to the founders;
"'Wherefore, We bid these Reverend Sisters God-speed in their great and glorious work and give them strong assurances of our cordial sympathy and good will.'
"Most respectfully submitted, "F. V. RUSSELL, Sec."
The only institution of its kind in Central Kansas. Is a commodious, substantial, fire- proof, brick structure, fully equipped for effi-
and second floors. They are elegantly fur- nished by various business firms of the city and every effort was made to impart a home- like atmosphere and eliminate the ordinary features of hospital life.
There are several semi-private rooms for patients of more moderate means.
The men's ward is on the first floor and will accommodate eight patients. It is large, well lighted and ventilated. The same nursing and attention will be given as to those occupying private rooms.
The women's ward is on the second floor and is neatly furnished.
The drug room has an ample stock so that all prescriptions can be filled at the hospital.
The hospital is equipped with a Morton- Wimshurst-Holtz machine of the latest design; a new Scheidel sixteen-inch coil X-Ray, capa-
Interior View of St. Rose Hospital
cient hospital service for forty patients.
Situated on the crest of a high ridge of land on West Broadway ,the hospital is sur- rounded with beautiful lawns, shade trees, flower beds, and all that can add to its natural beauty.
The building has two stories and a base- ment. The arrangement is such that sunlight enters every room. Steam heat, electric lights, elevator and all modern conveniences have been installed. A separate building for the laundry work of the hospital is located on the grounds. A brick addition was construct- ed and equipped in 1910 at a cost of $25,000.
Both private rooms and wards are avail- able. Private rooms are located on the first
ble of taking skiagraphs through the body when desired.
An electrical vibrator is used for patients unable to leave their apartments. An electric bath cabinet and hot air apparatus have been installed especially adapted for the treatment cf chronic arthritis and rheumatic cases.
On the first floor is located a room equipped for free dispensary work. There are many of the poorer class who take advantage of this and receive both medical and surgical service.
The operating rooms are located on the sec- cnd floor; the main operating room is used only for non-infective cases and was so de- signed as to afford plenty of light and be readi-
-
+
Chapel at St. Rose Hospital
230
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
ly fumigated. The second operating room is for all intective cases.
The sterlizing room adjoins the operating room and has all mcdern equipments.
Most careful attention is paid to the dietary. Expense, time and attention are not spared jn providing the best.
The hospital has two fine ambulances for the service of its patients which can be called at any hour.
They are all Sisters of St. Dominic and of long hospital experience. Special nurses will be provided for patients desiring services of same at additional rates.
ST. MARY'S ACADEMY
Another Catholic institution that was estab- lished in 1901 was St. Mary's Academy. This academy or school was established by the Dom- inican Sisters, they being of the same order as
closed for a time after which it was and is now being used as a school where Sisters are train- ed for school and hospital work. It is the iu- tention of the Sisters to again take up the
St. Mary's Academy, Formerly Central Normal College, Great Bend
those who later established the St. Rose Hos- pital. The school was located in the building on West Broadway formerly used by the Cen- tral Normal College and was built in 1880. The school was operated until 1909 when it
school work within the near future. During the time that the school was operated it had a good attendance and was well conducted along modern ideas of education.
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
231
BARTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
T HE history of the public schools of Bar- ton County since the first district was organized in '72 has been one of steady
progress and consistent improvements. New buildings have been added and additional teachers employed as fast as demands made it necessary. The first school district was cs- tablished June 3, 1872, by A. Hownson, super- intendent of public instruction of Ellsworth County, Kansas, and included the following territory. Sections 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34 in township 19, south of range 13 west. It was known as District Number 1, and included the City of Great Bend. The first meeting of the board which consisted of J. C. Martin, G. W. Nimocks and D. N. Heizer, was held in the store of John Hubbard in Great Bend June 15, 1872. It may be of interest to some to
GREAT BEND SCHOOLS ..
The increased attendance during the past year is evidence of the increasing population of the county. So crowded has the two grade buildings become that it has been necessary to open three rooms for grade purposes in the high school building and next year additional rcom will need to be provided for grade pur- poses. At the present rate of increase it is only a matter of a very short time before a new ward building must be built to accommo- date the children of the city. The course of study followed is the one used in most of the first and second class cities of our state.
HIGH SCHOOL.
The Great Bend High School is organized under the Barnes High School Law and there- fore belongs to the whole county. The school
New High School, Great Bend
know that the teachers in those days were paid very small salaries as can be seen from the following. The teachers in the first district were James Bickerdyke, $45 per month; Mrs. H. Ingersoll, $20 per month; J. A. Mcclellan, $75 per month; Charles Dodge, $23 per month ; Miss C. Storrey, $50 per month; Miss Haddie Hartman, $50 per month; Miss C. Bacon, $59 per month and Andrew Mckinney, $40 per month. Soon after the establishment of the first district other districts were added until now there are in the county 104 districts, with 150 teachers and 107 buildings. The first su- perintendent of public instruction was A. C. Moses and the present incumbent of the office is Jennie B. Momyer. The schools of Barton county are among the best in the state of ansas and in 1912 the attendance is the largest in the history of the county, it being slightly over 1,000 in Great Bend alone.
is well equipped with a splendid modern build- ing, apparatus of latest kind in every depart- ment. This year a faculty of nine members, including the superintendent, is necessary to take care of the increased enrollment, and the new departments which are being added.
The school enrolled in 1911 about 200 pupils from Barton County and adjoining counties. This is an increase of nearly forty per cent over the enrollment of the previous year. Pros- pects for a still larger enrollment are bright for the coming school year.
Some conception of the many lines of work offered in the high school may be obtained by briefly considering the various courses of study.
The college preparatory course is designat- ed for those whose ambitions direct them to a college course. It includes Latin, Mathematics, English, History and Science. Those complet-
232
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
ing this course are admitted to the Freshman class of the Kansas University and the other colleges and universities of this and other states.
The Normal Training Course is arranged for those who intend to teach. This course in- cludes about the same subjects as those found in the college preparatory course but includes besides Psychology, Methods and Management and a thorough review of most of the common branches. Persons completing this course and passing a state examination in eight subjects indicated above, are given a state certificate good for two years and at the end of that time renewable.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.