USA > Kansas > Barton County > Biographical History of Barton County, Kansas > Part 38
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not expect any compensation, but years after- wards when the old man's failing strength and years compelled him to secure quarters in the Soldier's Home at Leavenworth, just before de- parting, came into my office and with tears in his eyes and in the most feeling words ac- knowledged the friendly acts I had done for him and his inability to compensate me in money, and, with a "God bless you, my brave lad," presented me with a pint bottle of whis- key. While I did not drink whiskey I never- theless appreciated the spirit that bestowed the gift just as much as if it had been a bottle of gold dust.
Mose was a staunch character. He had been during the war a soldier in the Union army in Missouri. After the war he had been with the United States marshal's forces as a deputy marshal in helping to restore civil or- der. He belonged to a good family of people, who, through the war, had come into contact with the most thrilling scenes in it. About '67 he had driven cut from Missouri to Western Colorado and had had gone through many wild experiences, a miner in California Gulch, a prospector and hunter in Taylor Park, South Park and all over New Mexico, and finally drifted to old Fort Zarah, where I first be- came acquainted with him in 1871. He was
six feet high, straight as an Indian, good fea- tures, steady steel blue eyes, strong as a giant, a splendid shot, and, while I have seen him in many tight places, I never saw him exhibit the least excitement or feeling of fear. Under ex- citement his features looked a little sterner and his countenance perhaps a little paler. He was a man of splendid impulses of heart, and while he had come through all phases of excitement incident to frontier life and become familiar with the hardest, yet when civilization overtock him he naturally settled down and assimilated with it and became one of the most prosperous citizens in his section of the coun- try.
Jim had gone through much the same ex- perience, was more sensational in tempera- ment but with undaunted courage. Hc set- tled down to the marshalship cf a Texas cattle shipping town and was a terror to the lawless element of the cowboy fraternity. In keeping them regulated and submitting them to lawful authority he had to kill a number of them, but he did it in the full performance of his duty. There were but few better shots with a Navey 44 than Jim. He never pulled his gun until the last extremity, but when he did, he rarely missed.
DUNCAN BOTTLING WORKS
T. E. Winstead, Proprietor
T HERE are very few people in this day and age who do not enjoy a bottle of soda pop as it has gained a place among the summer beverages that nothing else can fill, and the pleasure derived from drinking a bottle of pop is greatly enhanced if you get the product of the Duncan Bottling Works of Great Bend. This is one of the man- ufacturing interest of Great Bend that has been built up on merit. It was established in Hoisington where it was operated for some time before it was moved to Great Bend in 1909. It was operated by Mr. Duncan until March, 1911, when he sold a half interest to Mr. Winstead who bought the remainder of the business in November of the same year. Mr. Winstead was born in the City of Great Bend in 1881 and is a son of Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Win- stead, the former having been marshal of the town and sheriff of the county and whose biog- raphy will be found in another part of this book. Mr. Winstead was married June 5, 1907, to Miss Carrie Collins of Great Bend and they
have one child, a boy, Kenneth, who was born on the 4th of July, 1908. Mr. Winstead has given his personal attention to the manage- ment of his business and ships the products to all parts of this and surrounding counties within a radius of 150 miles. The plant has a capacity of 400 cases of soda water per day and it is found on sale at all drink emporiums that appreciate the best in the beverage line Mr. Winstead makes his own flavoring ex- tracts which is a guarantee of their purity and strength. All mixing and bottling is done un- der Mr. Winstead's personal supervision and during the busy season the place gives em- ployment to five people which number is in- creased as the demand grows greater. This is one of Great Bend's manufacturing enterprises which has gained its high standing among the people of this part of the state by turning out only the best of goods at all times. Mr. Win- stead was one of the first two mail carriers in the City of Great Bend.
286
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
Judge Dan A. Banta
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
287
JUDGE DAN A. BANTA
D AN A. BANTA was born near Union City, Ohio, in the year 1851, and it was in that state that he received his early education. He went to the state of Indiana in 1866, where he remained until 1884 when he came to the state of Kansas. Before leaving Indiana he studied law with the firm of Steele & St. John and in 1879 was admitted to the bar in the town of Marion, Indiana. After his arrival in Kansas Judge Banta took up the practice of law and has made a record in the different courts of the state of which he may well feel proud. Early in 1910 the Republican party wanted a candidate for dis- trict judge who had earned a place in the dis- trict by his untiring efforts in fighting for right and justice and when Dan A. Banta's name was suggested the party workers knew that he was just the man they needed for this
important place on the ticket. That their judgment was correct was proven at the elec- tion in the fall of 1910 when Dan Banta was elected judge of the Twentieth judicial district of Kansas by a most flattering majority. Since Judge Banta has been called upon the bench he has been called upon to decide some important cases and the record he has made has been most gratifying to his friends in all political parties. Judge Banta is married and has three boys: Dan Worth, George and Ar- thur. Dan Worth is a musician of rare abil- ity, George is an expert mechanic while Ar- thur is engaged in the practice of law in Great Bend. Judge Banta is of that type of man that makes friends and retains them by his universal genial manner, and high sense of right and justice.
Residence of Judge D. A. Banta
288
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
CHARLES L. GUNN
C HARLES L. GUNN was born at La Salle, Illinois, August 24, 1859. He came to Barton County with his parents in 1877 and for some time worked for farmers in the neighborhood of his father's homestead. Later he acquired 160 acres of land and began farm- ing for himself. He is one of five boys of whom Levi Gunn is the father, his brothers are Frank, William, Lou and Howard, all of whom are mentioned in another part of this book. Charles L. was married in 1882 to Miss Fannie Lee of this county and they are the parents of six children as follows: Walter, Leonard, Grace, Ray, May and Edward. Wal- ter is vice-president of the Barton County Milling Co., Leonard is secretary and treas- urer, while their father is president and man- ager. The remainder of the children are at home and are being educated along modern lines. The Barton County Milling Co., of which Mr. Gunn is the president, was organ- ized in 1903, and since that time its pro-
duct has added greatly to Great Bend's fame as a milling city. The mill owned by this company was formerly the property of Moses Brothers but seven years ago Mr. Gunn pur- chased a two-thirds interest and later ac- quired possession of the one-third. Since Mr. Gunn has had control of the mill he has added to its efficiency by the addition of the latest approved machinery and by using only the best methods in flour making which has made for it a most enviable reputation. Mr. Gunn gives per- sonal supervision to the management of the mill and in addition to the milling business owns a thousand acres of land near Heizer and other farms in different parts of the county. Most of this land is farmed under his direc- tion. The Gunn family is one of the best known cf the early comers and they are famil- iar with the early history of this section of Kansas.
Barton County Flour Mill
289
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
DR. SIMEON JESSIE SHAW
M ANY there are who will read this biog- raphy with sorrow as it is a brief ac- count of the life of one who during the '80s in Great Bend gained for himself a warm place in the hearts of the people who made up the population of the town and Barton County. Dr. Simeon Jessie Shaw was born in Ohio and came to Barton County in 1884. He was a graduate of the Starling Medical College of Columbus, Ohio, and immediately upon his ar- rival here took up the practice of his profes- sion. It was but a short time until he was known and respected in all parts of Barton and surrounding counties, not only as a careful, painstaking physician but as a citizen whose counsul was eagerly sought and whose friend- ship was highly prized. He was married to Miss Orlinda G. Lewis of Ohio and they were the parents of cne child, Vida, who is now the wife of Dr. E. E. Morrison of this city. Dr. Shaw died in December, 1901, and never in the history of Great Bend had there been a fun- eral previous to his where such genuine sor- row was shown by so many people. The fun- eral was one of the largest that ever was held in this part of the state and was attended not only by local people but by friends of the dead physician from all over Kansas. Dr. Shaw with all of his practice found time to take an interest in public undertakings and
served the county as coroner several times. He ran for the office of representative but like all the candidates on his ticket was defeated. In the eighties Dr. Shaw opened a drug store but later sold it and bought land and at the time of his death owned about 720 acres of land in Barton County. He was a member of the Masons, A. O. U. W., Modern Woodmen and in the Masonic fraternity was a member of the Shriners and belonged to Isis Temple of Salina. He will always be remembered by the old timers of Barton County and all who knew him as a good, conscientious doctor, and a citizen of which any community could be proud.
The professional life of Dr. Shaw in this community is well pictured in the story of Dr. Wm. McClure, by Ian McLaren. He was indeed a doctor of the old school, through rain and sleet, over rough roads and at all hours of the night he drove on his errands of mercy. No thought of financial returns gave him strength for his labors and his cheery smile brought hope and comfort wherever he went. It is not too great a meed of praise to give to his memory that he gave his life to the people of Barton County as fully as a soldier on the field of battle or the pioneer on the western plains.
FRED NUTTLEMAN --- (Nuttleman Manufacturing Co.)
A MONG the manufacturing industries of Great Bend the Nuttleman Manufactur- ing Company occupies prominent place as its products are shipped all over the country and add to Great Bend's reputation as a place where they do things. The Nuttleman Manufacturing Company's establishment is owned and operated by Fred Nuttleman who gives his personal attention to the manage- ment of the plant. Mr. Nuttleman was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, February 7, 1875, and remained there until he was twenty-two years of age when he came to Great Bend and en- tered the employment of the firm of Miller & Hemker, hardware dealers. At the end of three years Mr. Nuttleman purchased Mr. Miller's in- terest in the business and the firm name was changed to Hemker & Nuttleman. Four years ago Mr. Nuttleman sold his interest to Mr Hemker and established the Nuttleman Man- ufacturing Co. The factory is contained in a building two stories high and 50 by 70 feet in dimensions and is located on Williams street between Forest and Lakin in Great Bend. Here are made wheat bins, tanks and cul- verts and it has become known all over this
part of the state that anything bearing the name of the Nuttleman Manufacturing Co., represents all that is best in the line of goods made of sheet metal. This concern employs seven people and adds in no small way to the pay roll of the city. Everything in the sheet metal line is manufactured and no job is too small or too large for this concern to success- fully undertake. Mr. Nuttleman is the active manager of the plant and all work is done un- der his supervision. The material used in the work at this plant are the best that can be ob- tained and the prices charged are consistent with the very best material and workmanship. The business of this establishment has grown each year and is growing bigger all the time as the merit of its products becomes generally known. Mr. Nuttleman was married Febru- ary 6, 1903, to Miss Rosa Brandt and they oc- cupy a nice residence at 2923 Forest. Mr. Nuttleman has always been identified with the business interests of Great Bend since his arrival here and he has done much to add to Great Bend's reputation as a manufacturing city.
290
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
GEORGE H. HULME
I N business circles in Barton County there is no man who is better known than George H. Hulme who was one of the pioneer merchants of Great Bend. George H. Hulme was born February 4, 1844, at Man- chester, England and came to America with his mother in 1849, two years after his father had arrived in this country. The family first located at Fall River, Massachusetts, where they remained two years. They went from there to Magnolia, Illinois, and remained there until 1875, when George came to Barton Coun- ty, Kansas. He brought with him a $7,000 stock of general merchandise which he placed on sale in a building located on lot 1, block 103, which is the ground now occupied by the First National Bank Building. Later the stock was moved to the opera house block at the corner of Williams and Forest Avenue. This was in 1888 after the completion of the opera house building which was erected by Mr. Hulme and C. F. Wilner. Later the merchan- dise stock was moved from there to a building on Forest Avenue next to the postoffice where it remained under Mr. Hulme's management until July, 1911, when he sold out the stock to George O. Hunt. The Great Bend Flour Mill which Mr. Hulme still owns was built by W. W. P. Clement in 1876 and at that time had a capacity of 25 barrels per day. In 1886 Mr. Hulme and William Kelley purchased an interest in the mill. This partnership contin- ued until 1898 when Hulme and Kelley bought out Mr. Clement and in 1905 Mr. Hulme bought out Mr. Kelley and became the sole owner of
the mill. It now has a capacity of 400 barrels per day. The leading brands of flour made by the Great Bend Mills are "Perfection," for the export trade and "Sunbeam" both of which are noted for their quality. Mr. Hulme was mar- ried to Miss Anna M. Bosley at Magnolia, Il- linois, November 11, 1875, and they are the parents of seven children, five of whom are liv- ing. The children are: Georgia, who is now Mrs. G. W. Green; James H., who aids his father; Raymond, who is engaged in the farm- ing business in Barton County; Charles looks after his father's farming interests; and Viv- ian, the baby of the family, lives at home. In addition to the above Mr. and Mrs. Hulme are the parents of two children, Clara, who died when six years of age and Vivin who died when he was four years of age. Since making his home in this county Mr. Hulme has always been known as a substantial business man and in addition to his business interests in Great Bend he has accumulated considerable farm land. He owns nineteen quarter sections in Barton County, three quarters in Cowley County and six quarters in Stevens County, nearly all of which is being farmed by renters. There are few if any of the old timers of Bar- ton County who have not bought goods of Mr. Hulme as his store was one of the first gen- eral stores in the City of Great. Mr. Hulme has held public offices on different occasions and has always found time to take an inter- est in the public affairs of the community in which he lives.
DON A. WELTMER
D ONALD A. WELTMER, Don Weltmer as everybody knows him, was born in Eu- reka township, Barton County, February 24, 1879. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Chris- tian A. Weltmer, who came to this section of the state in 1878. The family moved to Great Bend in 1886. In 1900 Don and his brother Pete established the firm of Weltmer Brothers and for five years they conducted the gro- cery business now owned by Turner & Son. In 1905 Don bought out the soda water bottling business owned by H. E. Dean. It occupies a building on Kansas Avenue that houscd the first electric light plant in the City of Great Bend. The business occupies a building on Kansas Avenue 25 by 65 feet in dimensions
and during the busy season employs eight people. In addition to manufacturing all kinds of pop and soft drinks Mr. Weltmer is the exclusive bottler of Cocoa Cola and Jer- sey Creame in this territory. The works are equipped with the most modern machinery and appliances for bottling in a sanitary man- ner. Mr. Weltmer was married in 1904 to Miss Lelia A. Giddings who came to this part of the state from Connecticut. They have one bright eyed baby boy two years old. His name is Donald, Jr., and while Donald, Sr., is manager of the bottling works, thejunior mem- ber of the firm is sole manager of the house- hold.
Great Bend Mills
292
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
LOUIS P. AND KATE A. FREY
S
EPTEMBER 23 will always be celebrated in some manner by the descendants of Louis P. and Kate A. Frey, because it was on September 23, 1871, that they arrived on the townsite of Great Bend, and were the first party of emigrants to join those who had located the town. Starting at Liberty, Adams County, Illinois, on August 26, 1871, and accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Paul F. Schneck and three children, and Thompson Frey, the party had covered the distance in three wagons drawn by mules. They, of course, had been preceded by the members of the townsite company who had surveyed and plotted the site, and who had been notified of their com- ing; otherwise this little band would have driven past the ground laid out had it not been
foot pieces of a scantling that remained after making these pegs. There were no houses or tents to house them, and the nearest lumber, provisions, or postoffice was in either Ells- worth or Russell, a distance of forty or fifty miles. Texas cattle, wild buffalo, and other wild animals had possession of the field, and . a few days after their arrival the party were regaled by cowboys who had roped some buf- falo and tried to stampede these newcomers by a rush through the townsite. In time such happenings as this, the pilfering of friendly Indians, and the reports of massacres in other parts of the state became common and the women folk less afraid and they screwed up their courage and determined to conquer.
A little home was first built on the town-
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Residence of Louis and Kate Frey
that Wm. H. Odell discovered the passing wagons and followed them a distance on horseback and directed their return. The mules driven were the first animals of their kind to join tlie colony, and Mrs. Frey was the first white woman to set foot within the confines of what is now the corporate limits of a great metropolis. She, of course, was soon joined by Mrs. Schneck, who arrived in the second wagon of the same party; and fol- lowing was Thompson Frey, driving the rear team. What they found was a waste plain with stakes driven in a portion of it marking the outlines of lots and streets, and two six
site, and then Mr. Frey entered a homestead of eighty acres, where the widow now resides with her only son, Adam G. Frey and wife. They call the place "Freyhurst," and it is three miles northwest of the court house at Great Bend; has a comfortable residence, barn and other buildings, and the soil is very fer- tile and grows corn, wheat, and four or five cuttings of alfalfa yearly.
Louis P. Frey was born in 1845 in Illi- nois and died March 7, 1903, and rests in the Great Bend cemetery, sadly missed by all his associates fwho helped to tame this then "farthest west" and make it inhabitable for the present generation.
293
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
GREAT BEND ICE, FUEL AND STORAGE CO.
O NE of the industrial enterprises of which the people of Great Bend and this part of the state are justly proud is the new, modern plant of the Great Bend Ice, Fuel and Storage Co., located near the Missouri Pa- cific depot in Great Bend. It is safe to say that but few people of this section realize the mag- nitude of this establishment or have an under- standing as to the amount of money it required, to say nothing of the work and faith in the future of the city that was manifested by the promoters of the enterprise when they resolv- ed to establish in Great Bend an ice cream and ice factory along the lines of the most modern plants in the world. The plant is housed in a thoroughly modern building of sufficient size to allow plenty of room for all the different departments. The plant is owned by home peo- ple and is under the management of George L. Seeley, a gentleman who has had years of experience in the manufacture of ice and ice cream and knows the business in all its de- tails.
The plant has been producing a highı grade of ice for the past year and at times the demand for the product has been so great that it was necessary to run the plant to ca- pacity which was twenty-five tons per day. Ordinarily the plant produced between twenty and twenty-five tons per day. The plant is equipped with two 100 H. P. high pressure boillers, two 50 H. P. Murray-Corliss engines and two powerful ammonia compressers.
To this equipment there was recently added another big engine which brings the capacity of the plant up to thirty tons of ice per day.
The steam after passing through the engines and compressers is conveyed to the rear of the building in pipes where it is condensed and piped to the filters where it passes through two charcoal filled tanks in the shape of distilled water. From there it passes through another tank filled with fine grain sponges and finally it is filtered through a series of closely wovell cloths before it reaches the tanks where it is frozen and come forth a cake of absolutely pure ice. There are three hundred and twenty- five of these tanks and after the water con- tained therein is frozen the result is cakes of ice weighing three hundred pounds each. The water is frozen by ammonia evaporation sys- tem. The ammonia is compressed until it has a pressure in the pipes of 150 pounds to the square inch and in this form it is conducted to the brine tanks where it escapes as a gas at a pressure of 15 pounds to the square inch, and by the evaporation thus caused the heat is taken from the tanks to such an extent that the temperature is reduced sufficiently to cause the water to freeze. It is possible to produce ice at a much smaller expense but it is the determination of this company to spare neither work nor expense in producing the best that can be obtained and it can readily be seen after reading the foregoing that some of
the features of this plant's product is that it is absolutely pure.
The ice cream department is in charge of Mrs. George L. Seeley who has had years of experience in the manufacture of ice cream and from the time the cream is delivered at the factory until it comes from the freezer it is under her careful supervision. First the cream must be of the very best grade before it can be used at this establishment. Its purity and quality being determined by treating it in a modern tester which shows its purity and worth in butter fat. After having passed the test successfully the milk and cream is placed in a big tank from which it is piped into the pasteurizing machine where it is heated to a temperature of 160 degrees. It is then reduced to a temperature of 40 degrees while passing over a series of coils containing brine which cools the pipes to any point desired. From there it is run back into the cans and is ready for the agitator where the other ingredients and the milk and cream are mixed and allowed to ripen. After the mixtures have been in the agitator a sufficient length of time it is then ready for the freezer from which it comes out the finished product that is known wherever ice cream is eaten in this section of the state as the acme of ice cream perfection. The room in which the ice cream is made is a model of neatness and is thoroughly sanitary in every way and the different pieces of ma- chinery are so arranged that a minimum of work is required in handling the materials and the finished products. The plant has been run- ning over a year now. The machinery that is used in this department is the very latest to be had and the pasteurizing apparatus while not absolutely necessary is another evidence of this company's policy to produce nothing that is not absolutely pure in every way.
This company handles all grades of coal and have bin room for a large quantity which is obtained from the best Colorado mines. The company will buy in large quantities, nothing but the very best, and is equipped for delivery in any size lots to all parts of the city on the shortest possible notice.
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