USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 13
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Although Cherokee County may not be classed with the very best agricultural districts in the State of Kansas, there is as large a pro- portion of well-to-do and wealthy farmers as can be found in any other county. The soil, while not so deep as the soil of the Kaw Val- ley, in the northern part of the State, is won- derfully productive: and there is never a year of entire failure. There are perhaps a larger number of retired farmers in Cherokee County than in any other county in the State,-men who have endured the hardships of frontier life, saved up the earnings of their labor and are now enjoying it in a quiet, peaceful life, either in the rural districts or in the towns and cities, where they have comfortable homes.
THE HOME MARKET.
One of the big factors in the make-up of the prosperity which has come to those who have given their time to agricultural pursuits is the good, home market for the products of the fields and gardens of Cherokee County. It is safe to say that not more than one-half of the people of Cherokee County can be numbered among the agricultural classes. The rest of the population is engaged in other pursuits. The good markets are due to the fact that so many of the people are profitably engaged in mining and in the various followings which are inci- dent thereto. Hundreds of thousands of dol- lars change hands in the county every month, and a very large part of the expenditure is for such things as are classed among the prod- ucts of the soil. As related in another chapter the mines of Cherokee County produce an im- mense value, in minerals and metals, but the operator does not get all. The gross products are very great, but when the expenses have been paid, which are distributed among many classes the clear profit is not so large, after all. The benefits are widely distributed, and this to the building up of more than a select few. The farmer of Cherokee County, as well as the live- stock dealer, has had his portion, and he is yet receiving the benefits of the varied industries of the county.
THE PROFITS IN AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS.
As showing that agriculture has not fallen off in the profits derived from it, it is only nec- essary to state that the prices of farm lands have advanced fully 100 per centum in the last 10 years. Lands that were sold 10 years ago at from $10 to $20 an acre cannot be bought now
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Baptist Church, Galena
Christian Church, Galena
#16
East Galena School
South Galena School
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A Log Cabin Pioneer Home in Galena
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for less than from $20 to $40 an acre, and the tendency is still upward, with the condition that owners are not seeking to sell. Buyers are much more numerous than those who want to dispose of their lands. This condition prevails all over the county.
Another condition is that there are almost no farms for rent. The farmers of Cherokee County, as a rule, own their homes, and they want to remain on them, except in cases where the owners have retired from active work, having laid by a competency in the years gone by. A little incident came under my no- tice since beginning this chapter. It seems that through some kind of mistake a 40-acre tract of land belonging to a well-to-do farmer was advertised for sale. He was asked why it was for sale; and he replied that the advertisement was a mistake, and to this he added the signifi- cant sentence : "I never sell any land in Cher- okee County, for when I appear in a transac- tion of the kind, it is always as a buyer."
In certain parts of Cherokee County the growing and feeding of stock for the market has been a very profitable business. In other parts the growing of wheat has been found profitable. Some wheat growers have, from a small beginning, spread out their ownership of land until they have hundreds of broad, fer- tile acres, and they annually get a good return from them. Of course, there are years when the yield is comparatively small ; when to a less courageous people it might appear discourag- ing; but they have, in the general average, found a profit sufficiently large to encourage them in continuing in the work. The seasons are becoming constantly more favorable ; droughts are less frequent, and the rains are more uniformly distributed through the year, so that, while there are seasons when the yield
is not up to what would be wanted, there is a constantly improved condition of the agricult- ural classes.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE ROADS.
Another matter deserves to be mentioned here: The era for the improvement of the public highways of the country is at hand, and the good-roads spirit is abroad in the land. The soil of Southeastern Kansas is especially adapted to the easy building of good roads. Except in a few parts of Cherokee County, there is enough of sand in the soil to save it from the condition of extreme muddiness, even in the wettest weather. The city of Galena, always forward in matters of this kind, has improved a number of roads leading into that place, by the use of the "tailings" of the mines or mills, the finely crushed stone from which lead and zinc ores are sifted, after the whole has been run through the crushers. If properly applied, upon well drained roads, it forms a solid, cement-like surface which will endure for a score of years. Many miles of this kind of road may be seen in the vicinity of Galena, as also in the vicinity of Baxter Springs. Besides affording easy transit for the people, in going to and fro, these roads give the country an ap- pearance of tidiness much above what was for- merly seen, and they stand as an index of thrift and economy which give an attraction to rural life. In 1903 the people of Columbus organ- ized a movement for the improvement of the roads leading into it, and some work has been done. Crusher gravel or "tailings" had to be shipped from Galena, and then hauled out on the roads, at a good deal of cost: but the roads so improved have shown that the work will pay. It is expected that within the next 10
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
years nearly all the principal roads of the coun- ty will be so improved ; that the farmers and all other interested classes will favor the matter. It is not improbable that the roads of the county will be improved as above described, at public expense, so that the tax payers will bear the burden proportionately. But no effort of this kind has yet been suggested.
BERRY AND FRUIT GROWING.
It may not be improper here to speak of the industry of berry growing, which has been found very profitable in Cherokee County. In 1903 the acreage in blackberries was 158, and the acreage of strawberries was 192, and these did not include the smaller growers. Black- berries have not been so valuable as strawber- ries, There have been years when the profit on strawberries has been very large. Thous- ands of crates have been shipped out every year, and the industry has so grown in favor that many persons who formerly looked upon it with doubt have recently gone into it as a regular business. Cherokee County is the third county in the State, in this particular under- taking.
By protecting the trees from frost, fig trees may be grown in the county. Since begin- ning this chapter I have seen a few, full size, ripe figs from a tree grown by a Mr. Chase, who lives in the south part of Columbus. Ex- periments will be continued with the fruit, in the hope that the tree may yet be so acclimated as finally to do well, even in a latitude so far north.
Almonds can be grown in Cherokee Coun- ty. A few persons have experimented with them, and they have found that the nut does
fairly well here; but I am not informed as to whether the industry can be be made profitable.
RURAL ROUTES AND TELEPHONES.
Rural life in Cherokee County has been vastly improved in the few years next preced- ing the present in the conditions which have made it more desirable. It now even has a charm attaching to it. The monotony and irk- some routine usually so characteristic of rural life have been much changed through the oper- ations of the rural free delivery of mail and the rural telephone systems which have been estab-
lished throughout the county. They have done much toward bringing the rural districts into easy communication with the towns and cities of the country and, as a consequence, to broaden the intelligence of the people and to make life more worth living.
Elsewhere in this history the intelligence of the people of Kansas is spoken of; and it is there said that, in proportion to the inhabitants, the people take and read more newspapers than the people of any other State. No one who travels among them, and becomes acquainted with them in their daily life in their homes, can fail of being impressed with their ready intelli- gence upon the current events and the ease with which they converse upon subjects of general interest.
The farmer of Cherokee County, even in the remotest parts of it, keeps himself in touch with the outside world ; the rural free delivery system has brought it to his door. His daily paper, which reaches him the next day after it comes from the press, informs him of the mar- ket covering every commodity with which he may be concerned; it spreads before him the
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news gleanings of the whole world and inspires him with the consciousness that he is a factor in the great aggregation of human effort. There are bits of philosophy and short outlines of the achievements of science, and here and there a touch of romance and a short, interest- ing fiction which enter as spice to enliven the whole. To the farmer and his family the daily paper enters into the necessaries of life, and its coming is looked for with eagerness with which a hungry person marks the approach of the hour of his regular meal.
Cherokee County, with its slightly undu- lating surface, its generally good roads and its thickly settled population, could not be other than a suitable field for the rural free delivery experiment ; and from the time of its incep- tion here, about four years ago, the number of routes has been increased until nearly every nook of the county has been reached. With the road improvements now contemplated, and for which there is an effort soon to be put forth, it will not be long until every family in the rural districts, however out of the way it may now live, will have a daily delivery of mail at the very door of its home, a convenience which many families in the towns and cities do not enjoy.
In the year 1903, after the long-distance tel- ephone had been extended to Columbus, thus connecting it with the larger cities of the State of Kansas, as well as with those of other states, and after the local telephone companies had connected the towns and cities of the county, the farmers began to establish rural telephones, through which, at a nominal expense, they may
have easy intercourse with one another. Ross and Salamanca townships were the first in the work, and now, within less than a year after the beginning of the project, the north half of the county is a network of rural telephone wires; and it will not be long until the entire county, from farm house to farm house, will be supplied with the cheap, easy means of inter- communication. The rural telephone system is under the mutual ownership of thosewho join in its establishment and in its extension.
It is needless to say that the people fully appreciate and highly enjoy the convenience, the comfort and the advantage which they have from the free delivery of their mail matter and the operation of their rural telephone systems; for now that they have these, and what they have wanted has been realized from them, the monotony and prosaic hardship of rural life have been so removed as to take away the drudge of toil and bring the cheer and gladness which spring from contented employment.
The establishment of the rural free delivery of mail and the putting in of the rural tele- phone systems mark an era in the progress of the people of Cherokee County. In the genera- tions to come on, the drudgery and cheerless toil of farm life, from which the people are now beginning to be relieved, will be mere matters of tradition related in story by those who can recall them. Other things are yet to follow, no doubt, and through them the people will ad- vance in the achievements of civilization, set- ting now and again the marks of their progress as they pass along the way.
CHAPTER X.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MINERAL RESOURCES AND THE WATER POWER OF THE COUNTY
THE COAL MINES OF THE COUNTY-THE FIRST COAL SHAFT-THE CENTRAL COAL & COKE COMPANY-STATISTICS OF COAL PRODUCTION-GAS AND OIL-THE LEAD AND ZINC MINES OF THE COUNTY-BIG REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS-THE MINING OF LEAD AND ZINC-THE DISCOVERY OF LEAD AND ZINC-STATISTICS OF LEAD AND ZINC PRODUCTION-THE OPERATION OF MINES-THE FEATURE OF UNCERTAINTY PRESENT -THE WATER POWER OF THE COUNTY-THE SPRING RIVER POWER COMPANY.
THE COAL MINES OF THE COUNTY.
Coal mining is the second greatest industry carried on in Cherokee County. It requires more capital than any other industry in the county, and a greater number of men are em- ployed. It may also be said that it yields a larger clear profit. The whole of the north- central part of the county is underlaid with a two-and-a-half-foot stratum of coal, at a depth of about fifty feet, and a four-foot stratum at a depth of about one hundred and fifty feet. The output of coal in Cherokee County is more than one-third of the whole output of the State of Kansas. In the year 1900 it amounted to 1,629,108 tons, not including a great deal of coal taken from what are called strip pits, which was not reported to the State mine in- spector. The output now is much greater, but there are no figures at hiand for determining the amount taken out for the last two years.
Although mining has been going on for
about thirty years, and immense quantities of coal have been taken out, it is believed, by those who are best qualified to judge of such matters, that not one-tenth of the field has been worked. Some think that not more than one acre out of fifty has been mined. Within recent years the greater demand, and the consequent higher prices, have stimulated to greater activity among operators. In Ross township, where there was but one shaft nine years ago, there are now 28 and all of them are in full opera- tion. The townships of Cherokee, Mineral and Ross are a network of railroad tracks, which have been built out from the main lines of the four roads which traverse the district; and from any point from which the entire field can be seen (which is not difficult, for the country is an almost level prairie), the whole presents a scene of the intensest activity. Switch en- gines, bringing in "empties," and others draw- ing great trains of loaded cars, may be seen going in all directions, at all times ; and, from
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the way the work is going on, one might judge that the coal of the entire district would soon be exhausted in a little while. It is probable, however, that even forty years from now the industry of coal mining will still be profitable in the county, and that many companies will be engaged in it. New deposits may be discov- ered; and in the districts where the more shal- low strata are now being worked deeper strata will be found, thus continuing the industry for many decades.
There are three principal districts or cen- ters of operations : Weir City, Scammon and Mineral City, the last named being the newest, or the district in which the more recent exten- sive operations have been put on foot. Weir City is in Cherokee township, Scammon in Mineral township and Mineral City in Ross township.
THE FIRST COAL SHAFT
Opened in the county was at Scammon, in 1877, owned and operated by the Scammon brothers, for whom the town was named. This shaft was the first coal shaft opened in Kansas, south of the Leavenworth coal district. The de- mand for coal was then comparatively light, and many persons, who now know better, thought at that time that the industry would never amount to much. The ownership of coal lands then was considered of light importance, and the fact that a farmer knew that his land was underlaid with fine coal did not impress him with an idea that it was more valuable than lands not so underlaid. Twelve years ago Johnson Patterson, then living in Ross town- ship, near where the railroad station at Mineral City now stands, offered his quarter section at $20 an acre ; and two years afterward, when a
company offered him $25 an acre for the land, the transaction was closed at once, and he thought he had sold his land at a big price. His brother, Leslie Patterson, who owned the quarter section just north of his, did not accept the offer of the same price for his. He kept his land. He had taken it as a claim, when he first came to the county, had improved it ; had his ups and downs on it, as a farmer, and the family felt attached to it. Afterwards he leased the land to a company, for the purpose of min- ing only, and he is now getting $300 an acre, in the way of royalty, and he has sold $14,000 worth of town lots, and has most of the surface left. There was a time within the last twenty years when Leslie Patterson offered to take less than $1,000 for his quarter section, which is now worth $75,000. Such has been the revo- lution brought about by the development of the coal industry of the county. A great many people now say they have been extremely near- sighted ; that they have passed over many an op- portunity for making a fortune in a compara- tively short time, to take up something else, which promised good things and turned out nothing but disappointment to them.
THE CENTRAL COAL & COKE COMPANY.
One of the leading coal companies operat- ing in the district of Cherokee County is The Central Coal & Coke Company. It is among the great coal companies of the West. I here make use of information which has been furnished me concerning this company, for the purpose of showing what a small beginning may some- times develop into, as well as to call attention to the possibilities within the scope of this indus- try. The information is not set forth for the purpose of advertising the company ; it does not
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
need it ; but it is done to stand as an index to what is being done in the field by other com- panies.
The pioneers in the operations of The Cen- tral Coal & Coke Company were Richard H. Keith, the company's president and general manager at this time, and John Perry. In 1871, Mr. Keith began his active connection with the coal business in Kansas City, by open- ing a retail yard there. Within a year the busi- ness increased to such an extent that he needed a partner. A copartnership was formed, under the firm name of Mitchell & Keith; and later, this firm was succeeded by R. H. Keith & Com- pany. Changes took place in the firm several times before the present style of the firm or company was reached. In 1873 the partner- ship of Keith & Henry was formed, which con- tinued until 1881, when a change was made to Keith & Perry. In 1884 it was The Keith & Perry Coal Company. The Company was in- corporated, under the laws of the State of Mis- souri. The capital stock was $800,000. The style of the company was continued until 1893, when it was changed to The Central Coal & Coke Company, with an authorized capital stock of $3,000,000, the additional capital being used in the purchase of The Sweetwater Coal Mining Company, at Rock Springs, Wyoming. This gave the company charge of the two larg- est mining undertakings in the West, capable of producing 3,500 tons of coal every day in the year, and which employ 700 men.
In April, 1902, the capital stock was in- creased to $7,000,000, and the bonded indebt- edness was raised from $904,000 to $2,500,- 000. The funds raised from the sale of the ad- ditional bonds were used in the purchase of the mining properties of The Kansas & Texas Coal
Company, with all the latter's allied interests. This company is interested in six different fields, and it produces as many different kinds of coal. Its properties are located in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Indian Territory and Wyo- ming. It operates 45 mines, requiring 9.000 men. Its average pay roll is $10,000 a day. Its leases cover 70,000 acres of land, and the stratum of coal under the entire tract is five feet thick.
The officers of the company at present are as follows: R. H. Keith, president and gen- eral manager; W. C. Perry, vice-president ; Charles S. Keith, assistant general manager and general sales agent ; and D. Mackie, mana- ger of mines.
The workings of the various districts are in a great measure similar, entailing a great effort and each one bringing in its adequate re- turn. The original coal district in Kansas lies between Weir City and Scammon ; and here the famous Cherokee steam coal was first mined. The mines at Weir City were opened in 1877. In the Cherokee district the company has 13 mines and employs 3,000 men, and these mines produce 9,000 tons of coal each working day. The mines at Weir City are under the manage- ment of Hugh Reid, and through his superin- tendence they are well equipped, well ventilated and properly supplied with modern hoisting and screening machinery. A stranger, coming by chance to Weir City, would fancy himself at some great railway terminal point, the network of track, the spurs, switches and junction points all being required for carrying out the work of such mining operations as are here going on. Four lines of railroad reach this district at Weir City: Missouri Pacific. Kansas City Southern, Santa Fe and St. Louis & San Francisco.
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The local officers of the company, at Weir City, are C. N. Sweeney, district manager ; and C. A. Hess, agent.
STATISTICS OF COAL PRODUCTION.
The following table shows the quantity and
value of the coal produced in the State of Kan- sas, for the II years next preceding 1902, and the quantity and value of the coal produced in Cherokee County for the same time, with the per centum which the latter is of the whole.
YEAR
PRODUCTION IN STATE
VALUE
PRODUCT IN CHEROKEE COUNTY
VALUE
PER CENT OF VALUE
1890.
2,516,054
$ 3,170,870
724,861
$ 882,186
28
1891
2,753,722
3,607,375
832,289
989,785
28
1892,
3,007,276
3,954,568
825,531
1,009,524
25
1893.
2,881,931
3,960,331
807,796
1,009,704
25
1894.
3,611,214
4,889,774
1,036,614
1,295,768
25
1895.
3,190,843
3,590,141
1,013,612
1,013,612
28
1896
3,191,748
3,227,357
1,085,132
1,206,022
37
1897.
3,291,806
3,488,380
1,061,409
1,010,343
29
1898
3,860,405
4,193,159
1,309,868
1,375,361
32
1899
4,096,895
5,124,248
1,306,239
1,472,385
23
1900.
4,269,716
5,500,709
1,357,631
1,629,108
25
1901.
4,793,374
6,231,386
1,507,282
1,959,467
32
41,464,984
$50,938,298
12,863,264
$14,853,265
29
The quantity of the coal produced in the State and in the county is given in tons. The table shows that, in round numbers, the state output was 41,000,000 tons, while, in round numbers, the output of the county was 12,000,- 000 tons, or a little more than 31 per centum of the State output. The value of the State output, in round numbers, was $50,000,000; the value of the county output, in round num- bers, was $14,000,000, or a little more than 29 per centum of the value of the State output.
The coal producing counties of the State of Kansas, given in the order of the quantity pro- duced in each, are as follows: Crawford, Cherokee, Leavenworth, Osage, Linn, Coffey, Bourbon, Labette, Franklin. Cloud, Ellsworth, Atchison, Chautauqua, Shawnee, Republic, Lincoln and Russell. The following table
shows the output of the State for the year 1900, by counties :
COUNTIES
NUMBER OF TONS PRODUCED
VALUE
Crawford
2,335,998
$2,769,629.70
.
Cherokee
1,357,631
1,629,108.16
Leavenworth
250,183
455,365.48
Osage
194,618
377,350.24
Linn
36,320
45,900.00
Coffey
35,524
00.252.00
Bourbon
23,000
56,000.00
Labette.
9,670
21,757.50
Franklin.
8,250
18,187.50
Cloud.
7,208
18,020.00
Ellsworth
2,510
8,527.50
Atchison.
1,200
3,600.00
Chautauqua
1,100
2,750.00
Shawnee.
592
1,776.00
Republic
501
1,252.50
Lincoln
400
1,200.00
Russell
11
33.00
Totals
4,269,716
$5,500,709.58
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
Up to the year 1900 there were 46 shafts in operation in Cherokee County. There are now about 60, and the increase in the output of coal has been about in the same ratio, as, in addition to the increased number of shafts, those al-
ready in operation are widening the areas of the mines, which gives an increase of produc- tion. The following table shows the mines in operation in the year 1900. The quantity is given in tons, of 2,000 pounds.
No.
NAME OF COMPANY OR INDIVIDUAL
LOCATION OF MINE
OUTPUT
1
Central Coal & Coke Company.
34 mile west of Weir.
70,212 83,624
3 4 5
-
21/2 miles southwest of Weir
1 14 miles west of Scammon.
173,713 75,178 44,034
Kansas & Texas Coal Company .
North of Weir.
75,320
At Weir.
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