USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 23
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Wells, James H., -- Priv., Co. A, 103 Ill. Inf., Colum- bus, Kan.
Williams, Samuel,-Priv., Co. C, 40th Tenn. Inf., Columbus, Kan.
Wilson, T. J.,-Corp., Co. M, 2d Iowa Cav., Colum- bus, Kan.
Willard, A.,-Priv., Co. C, 6th Kans. Inf., Baxter Springs, Kan.
Weaver, T. C.,-Ist Lt., 53d Il1. Inf., Baxter Springs, Kan.
Walker, Ilenry S.,-Priv., Co. G, 6th Ind. Cav., Baxter Springs, Kan.
Whipple, E. R.,-Musician, 20th Ill. Inf., Colum- bus, Kan.
Woostern, I.,-Priv., Co. M, 2d Kans. Cav., Empire City, Kan.
Winters, Solomon L.,-Serg., Co. I. 56th Mass. Inf., Baxter Springs, Kan.
Webb, Thomas,-Kansas Militia, Empire City, Kan. Williams, E. M.,-Corp., Co. A, 6th Mo. Cav., Bax- ter Springs, Kan.
Warren, E. T.,-Serg., Co. G, 18th Conn. Inf., Bax- ter Springs, Kan.
Walker, W. A.,-Surg., Co. L, 5th Mo. Cav., Galena, Kan.
Warren, L. A.,-Ist Lt., Co. G, 19th Ky. Inf., Galena, Kan.
Wasson, J. A.,-Priv., Co. G, 15th Iowa Inf., Galena, Kan.
Williams, Thomas,-Serg., Co. E, 10th Mo. Militia, Baxter Springs, Kan.
Willabee, John,-Priv., Co. D, 94th Ill. Inf., Baxter Springs, Kan.
Williams, H. C.,-Priv., Co. C. 92d Ill. Inf., Galena, Kan.
Webb, Geo. W.,-Capt., Co. A, 38th Ind. Inf., Weldy, L. C.,-Priv., Co. F, 83d Ohio Inf., Galena, Kan.
Zimmerman, J. J.,-Priv., Co. B, IIIth Ill. Inf., Columbus, Kan.
Zook, Thomas,-Serg., Co. B, 15th Kans. Cav., Columbus, Kan.
Zimmerman, J. T.,-Priv., Co. HI, 187 Ill. Inf., Sher- win, Kan.
THE EX-UNION SOLDIERS' INTER-STATE RE- UNION,
Held annually at Baxter Springs, Kansas, is perhaps the greatest soldiers' reunion in the world. It has become such wholly without public aid of any kind. The enthusiasm which gave rise to it, and which has since sustained it, came itself out of the spirit of the "Border War" back in the late "fifties," and which ex- tended to, and became a part of, the great Civil War, which had its outbreak in 1861. While the reunion had its rise under the control of men who, for the most part, were from other States, and did not participate in the ante-bel- lum struggles on the "Border." it is not wide of the truth to say that no State but Kansas could foster and sustain so great an annual soldiers' reunion. The incident which. more than all other incidents, gave rise to the re- union is that of the massacre of General Blunt's body-guard, by Quantrell, guerrilla chief of the
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"troublous times," on the side of the South. In the chapter of this volume devoted to the his- tory of Baxter Springs an account of the mas- sacre is given.
Charles W. Daniels, of Baxter Springs, one of the men who have been in control of the re- union since the first, and who is yet as enthusi- astic as ever, has written me a letter which gives an account of the inception of the reunion and an outline of what it has grown to be ; and to me it seems proper that the letter shall be given here, in full. in his own language, which those who know him will quickly recognize. It follows :
"In October, 1863. Quantrell. the famous guerrilla, made an attack on the garrison in the fort at Baxter Springs, then a small, half-way station, between Fort Scott and Fort Gibson. He was repulsed, with some loss; but he was preparing for another attack, when he was in- formed that a small detachment of Union sol- diers were on their way from Fort Scott, and would soon arrive at the fort. He then deployed his men in such a way as to form an ambuseade just north of the famous chalybeate springs and succeeded in almost completely surrounding the Union force, before they were aware of his presence. The Union soldiers surrendered, without firing a gun.
"The detachment was acting as a body guard to General Blunt, and it consisted of two companies of the Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry, some detached horsemen and a brass brand. The General and a few of the soldiers escaped ; but about one hundred and sixty, who surren- dered, were lined up and shot down, in cold blood. It was one of the most fiendish, brutal and unealled-for massacres of the war.
"About the year 1883, twenty years after the massaere, the government had all the bodies of the murdered men that could be found taken up and transferred to a military lot in the Bax- ter Springs Cemetery. A magnificent monu-
ment was erected on the lot. and the American flag now floats over the sacred remains of our fallen comrades. In this same year a few of the Union soldiers concluded to hold a reunion on the old battle-field. Some of these men are alive to-day and are still in control of the big reunion at Baxter Springs ; but J. R. Hallo- well, R. P. McGregor. J. P. Ilartley, L. C. Weldy, and others, have passed away. Among those living are John M. Cooper. J. J. Frib- ley. C. W. Daniels, F. D. W. Arnold and S. O. McDowell.
"The first reunion was held in the northi part of the city of Baxter Springs, where our martyred comrades fell: and it was a real hot one. It was all blue. There was no comming- ling of 'the blue and gray' on that old battle- ground. The attendance was quite liberal, and the enthusiasm and the effervescent loyalty was immense. The sham battle was a particularly noted feature, with quite a number of casual- ties ; but the sortie at night was terrific. Sol- diers seemed to forget that the war was over. or that Kansas might be a loyal State. Raids were made on the peaceful citizens, by squads and details ; chicken houses and pig pens were assaulted : gardens were bombarded ; cows were milked; drug stores were ravished; mules dared not bray, and pigs ceased to squeal; two 'blind tigers' were raided and demolished, and no rooster attempted to crow in Baxter Spring's for more than a month. In fact, it was sure enough war times in old Baxter Springs. The entire night was made hideous with jay-bird bands, tom-toms, hew-gags, and other musical instruments of warfare, accompanied by war songs, war whoops and rebel yells.
"This first reunion proving such an emi- nent success, it was decided to hold another the next year; and this also proving satisfactory, they have been held annually ever since that time, until they have grown to be the monster gatherings we now behold, where, annually. at
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least fifty thousand people gather around the fires of Camp Logan, to listen to the war sto- ries. music, songs and speeches of the men who made things hot for the 'Solid South' in the days of 1861-65.
"In 1890 a charter was obtained, a stock company of old soldiers formed, officers elected, grounds purchased and buildings erected. As the institution continued to grow, more land was required, and in 1899 one hundred acres were bought, on the banks of Spring River, just south of Baxter Springs. It is a most magnificent grove of forest trees, hills, hollows, springs, brooks and everything to make an ideal camping ground. In this new park The Inter- State Reunion Association has erected a new and commodious amphitheater ; they have cleared and beautified the grounds, made roads, built a fine system of water works, purchased an elegant electric launch and induced the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway Company to build a track two miles long, into the grounds, so that passengers inay be landed right in the center of the camp.
"There are no meetings in the West. of any kind, that approach the Baxter Springs re- unions, in point of numbers, enthusiasm or per- fect enjoyment. Thousands of people, citizens as well as soldiers, come every year, with their families, and spend a whole week, tenting on the old camp ground. The association provides soldiers and war widows with tents, wood, straw and water, all free. They have shady groves for citizens' private tents, and more than eighty acres for parking teams. They provide the best of instrumental and vocal music, glee clubs and orators that the country affords.
"In order to attract and entertain this vast crowd of visitors, there are a half a mile of side- shows, restaurants, fakers, peanut roasters, juice racks, hot tamales, cider mills, lunch joints, Jew stores, cigar spindles, shooting gal- leries, knife racks, red lemonade, fortune tell-
ers, faith healers, witch doctors, and a thousand other interesting, instructive and amusing fea- tures to please the old and the young. Then there is Red Hot street, with its many varied and unique devices, leading up to the show grounds, and the celebrated Midway, or 'Pike,' where may be found twenty or thirty shows. museums, exhibitions, vaudevilles and spectac- ular sensations. Here we have the Ferris Wheel, the Grand Carousal, the Loop-the- Loop, the Shoot-the-Chutes, the Scenic Rail- way, the Electric Fountain, the Slide-for-Life. the High-Dive and many other thrilling and astounding devices of the Twentieth Century. Every year new and attractive features, and better accommodations for the Old Boys in Blue, are added, so that all may be assured of a full measure of enjoyment and comfort.
"Nearly all of the old officers of the asso- ciation who are living are still in control ; but the active management has been, to a great ex- tent, relegated to some of the younger men, or 'Sons of Veterans,' who will gradually but surely replace the old veterans, whose terms of service will soon expire. The following is the list of the present officers : President, John M. Cooper; Ist vice-president, J. J. Fribley : 2nd vice-president, F. D. W. Arnold ; 3rd vice-pres- iclent, J. M. McNay ; secretary. C. W. Daniels ; treasurer, J. J. Fribley ; platform, A. C. Hille- goss ; reception, J. M. McNay : general mana- ger, C. E. Collins; license agent, Charles 1. Smith."
A more lovely or a more suitable site for great gatherings could not be found anywhere in all the country than the Inter-State Reunion grounds near Baxter Springs, Kansas. The immediate site of the grounds where the pa- vilion is located is upon a high bluff overlooking Spring River and a broad valley beyond. Be- tween the bluff and the river there is a narrow lowland covered with stately elms and other forest trees beneath which there is a sward of
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bluegrass and white clover running down to the edge of the stream. The view of the land- scape, from the bluff, looking toward the east and northeast for many miles, is of a beauty rarely equaled, and in some respects never ex- celled. The whole valley is checked out in farm plats, and here and there are the comfortable homes of thrifty, contented families whose in- dustry and tasteful care have given to the whole an attractiveness which always delights and never tires the beholder. On the 20th of July, 1904, Preston Daniels, a brother of C. W. Daniels, secretary of The Inter-State Reunion Association, took me over the association's grounds and pointed out the natural beauties which make up their attractiveness. A great deal of work has been done in clearing out the undergrowth and opening longer vistas along the little valleys and up and down the sloping hills, and much vet remains to be done; but under the skillful direction of the association's managers nothing is being left undone that will add comfort and delight to the thousands of people who annually gather there. In years to come it will most surely be one of the most popular resorts in the great Southwest; for to its natural beauty will be added what art can do. The water power of Spring River, turned into electric energy, will be a big factor in the work. An electric road is soon to be built, a thorough system of lighting the grounds will be put in and numerous electric launches will be provided.
It is a part of the program at the annual meetings of the reunion, to have the best speak- ers that can be obtained, many of them being men of wide reputation. In former years the reunion has been addressed by J. R. Hallowell, George T. Anthony. D. R. Anthony. Governor
Humphrey, Governor Bailey, Governor Stan- ley, Governor Glick, J. K. Cubbison, T. B. Dawes, John J. Ingalls, Bishop W. Perkins, Senator Plumb, Chester I. Long, Senator Lu- cian Baker, Webster Davis, Henry Watterson, Col. R. W. Blue, Charles Curtis, A. M. Jack- son, P. P. Campbell, Thomas Moonlight, Mary Ellen Lease, Bernard Kelly, General Prentiss, Judge Glasse, Judge Madison and Charles Scott.
The part which the ex-Union soldier, more than any one else, will take in the development and permanent establishment of the resort, will grow less as the years go on ; but to him is due the credit for the effort which marked the incep- tion of the undertaking, and which, up to the present, has given it a direction and growth portentious of greater things. He may be out- numbered in the vast throngs which annually come to spend a few days amidst the delightful surroundings which Nature and Art have pro- vided ; but the influence which he has exerted in laying the foundation, and in making possi- ble the great superstructure yet to be builded, can never be eliminated and counted as naught, even by those who look upon it from a view- point far in the future. The boom of the can- 11011 may cease, the sound of the fife and drum may die away and the stories of heroism and valor may pass into history, to be read and not told ; but the effects of what men have done, in) the feverish hour of strife, in the battle strug- gles of the nation, and what they have done toward commemorating the events which have marked the nation's course, can never cease to be of interest to the coming generations, though they can never gather it only from the lifeless page of cold, historic facts.
CHAPTER XVII.
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS
In writing the history of a county, where one is limited to a short time. as in the present instance, it is nearly impossible to get the sub- ject matter arranged consecutively, either in respect to the time of the occurrence of events or as to the order of their importance. On this account I have, at the close of the work of preparing the copy for this history, found it necessary to write a chapter on miscellaneous matters, which have come to me after matters of a similar character, with some not of a similar character, have been prepared and sent away to the printer. This chapter is designed to take the place of the one announced in the prospectus to cover the incidents of the lives of the early settlers, related by themselves ; and there are some things not covered in the origi- nal design.
The first matter of which a narrative is giv- en is that covered by the experiences and obser- vations of Josephi Wallace, who was among the first settlers of Cherokee County, and who had mitch to do in its public affairs. I believe it the more interesting to follow Mr. Wallace's own language in this narrative, which can not be other than of interest to those who can re- call the early days. It is here given :
"It was in the fall of 1858 that news came to the East that gold had been discovered along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, near where Denver now stands. This caused a great excitement in the States east of the Mis- sissippi River, as was usually the case concern-
| ing gold discoveries in those days; and it caused a large emigration from tthe States, for many persons eagerly sought the Eldorado of the West, upon hearing of the discovery of gold.
"With thousands of others, we left Ohio, for Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, in the spring of 1859, there to begin the journey across what was known as the Plains of Kan- sas and the Great American Desert, to make our fortunes in the new gold fields which had so recently been discovered.
"Conveyance in those days was by the slow process made with ox teams, or in wagons drawn my mules. This gave an excellent op- portunity for observation and for one to form conclusions as to the agricultural and future commercial possibilities of the plains and des- erts of Kansas and Colorado. One could take his time in these matters, as the wagon trains made their way slowly over these vast stretches of dreary, desolate wastes of country.
"We left Leavenworth at the last of March, in the year 1859. taking our way along Fre- mont's southern route, for the most part, until we reached the mountains. On our return the next fall we took the route of the Platte River trail. The conclusion arrived at, from crossing this vast reach of country, was that Kansas would be one of the greatest granaries of the nation, and that the so-called American Desert in connection with the plains, would be the meat producer of the world. These observa-
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tions and conclusions induced mne to seek a home in the West.
"The Civil War began soon after our re- turn from the gold fields of the mountains ; and when the call for volunteers was made by Presi- dent Lincoln, I enlisted and served out my term. When the smoke of battle had passed away; when the carnage had ceased, and when the ensign of peace waved over the land and quiet was restored, I followed the tide of home- seekers, in 1866, as they took their way west- ward along the course of the general trend of population. I came to Kansas, and stopped a while at Quindaro, in Wyandotte County. There I taught the white school in the summer and in the winter I taught in the Freedmen's University, all the while seeking, by inquiry and observation, for some suitable location where I might make a home. Learning of the Cherokee Neutral Strip, and being favorably impressed by what I heard of it ; its location in the southeastern part of the State, where were beautifully undulating prairies and streams of pure, clear water, and hearing that it was to come in for settlement, under the homestead pre-emption laws. I concluded to visit it, and I determined that, if its climate and its agricul- tural possibilities suited me, I would settle there and roam no more.
"It was in the early part of August, 1867. that I saddled up 'old Gray' and started on my journey for the promised land. Be it remembered that, at the time of which I write, there were no railroads in Kansas, south of the Kaw River. All travel had to be by vehicle, on horseback or by going on foot. I made my way to Fort Scott, which required several days. After resting there one night, I had an early breakfast and started south, hoping, if possible. to reach Baxter Springs that night. As I passed along over the beautiful prairies I was careful to make close observations as to the natural resources of the country, in order to de-
termine what inducements there might be for attracting immigrants here to pitch their tents and afterwards to build homes. On the south side of Drywood Creek, some distance south of Fort Scott. I saw some campers, off at the road- side, and not knowing why they had stopped so early in the day, and being on the alert for in- formation, I stopped and engaged them in con- versation. Among them I found David Har- lan, a Cherokee Indian, who lived on Shoal Creek and owned the land where the Galena water-works now stand. From his looks and his conversation I would not have considered him other than an immigrant seeking his home in the West; but I soon found that he had a vast fund of knowledge of the country ; that he was a walking encyclopedia of history. I ob- tained much useful information. He was familiar with the Cherokee Neutral Lands, from north to south, and he could point out all the good and all the bad locations. After I had conversed with him a good while, and was about to mount and ride away, he asked me if I knew the danger of attempting to cross the big prairie which lay before me, during the heat of the day. I was surprised to learn that danger lurked in the prairies in the daytime. He informed me that the enemy was not of human form, but that it was more numerous, more bloodthirsty and more aggressive. He described them and told how they waged their deadly work; that horses and cattle had fallen by the wayside, robbed of their life blood. The enemy consisted of innumerable green-head flies. All the early settlers now living well remember what a pest these small. voracious insects were during the time the pioneers were developing the agricultural resources of Chero- kee County.
"On the big prairie over which I had to pass there was not a house to be seen on either side of the road or trail, for more than twenty miles. and there was not a shrub of any kind any-
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where to be found; but this vast stretch of virgin soil, over which the home seeker hur- hiedly passed in the summer season, in order to escape the fly pest, and which he dreaded in winter, on account of the unobstructed, cut. ting winds, is now thickly studded with beau- tiful homes and checked off in fertile farms, and the greater part of it is underlaid with a vein of coal from 36 to 42 inches thick. This is one instance in which the pioneer of 37 and 38 years ago failed to grasp the future possi- bilities of the Neutral Lands.
"About dusk the campers were ready for the movement for crossing the prairie at night. Being the only one on horseback, I started in advance. The route lay along the General Scott military road, which the government had established between Fort Scott and Fort Gib-
son. The ride was a long, dreary, lonesome one, with nothing to disturb the solitude of the night. About three o'clock in the morning we saw evidences of human habitation ; here and there a log cabin and a little inclosure. Seeing a hay stack a short distance from the road, we used a portion of it for beds, and lying down we slept tranquilly until the meadow lark and the finch bade us arise and restune our journey to the south. About ten miles farther on we came to Pleasant View, then the county seat of Cherokee County. It was a village of about 25 inhabitants. While here I was urged to go west to where Weir City now stands, because there was in that lo- cality a beautiful scope of country well suited for agricultural purposes. Here is where my foresight failed me. I pushed ahead to Baxter Springs, at that time the largest town in the county, or even in the Neutral Strip.
"On arriving at Baxter Springs, I found quite a stirring, frontier town, full of home- seekers and adventurers; but there were many substantial citizens engaged in various com- mercial pursuits. A big excitement arose on
the streets the first evening after my arrival, it being reported that a father and son had been murdered on Rock Creek, a short distance south of town, in the Indian Territory. As we learned afterward, the criminals were never found ; but some years afterward a man who was about to be executed under a judgment rendered by 'Judge Lynch' confessed that he was one of the murderers, and told that it was committed in order to secure a lot of fat cat- tle which the father and son were driving north to market. I gave my six-shooter to a man who was going, with others, in pursuit of the suspects. They were overtaken in Bates County. Missouri, and were brought back to Baxter Springs; but they proved their inno- cence, and the curious were disappointed in not having a hanging-bee. Criminals were sam- marily dealt with in those days, in the vicinity of Baxter Springs. It seemed a necessary evil, resorted to in order to protect the immi- grants and to deter evil men.
"After a good night's rest at the best hotel in the town ( which, by the way, was a half- finished, box house), I started north in the morning, in quest of a small portion of the Neutral Lands. An hour's ride brought me four miles north of Baxter Springs. Here I found a man mowing in the prairie, and I en- gaged him in conversation, and was informed that he had a claim on a quarter section, which he would sell. I looked it over, got his price. and learned that it was what was then known as a treaty-right claim. The bargain was closed by my paying him the price asked. Erecting a log cabin, a frontiersman's castle, I moved in and commenced to learn the first les- sons of a pioneer's life. Here we encountered the hardships and passed through the vicissi- tudes of the early-settler period in subduing wild nature and making Cherokee County one of the foremost counties in the State. From the North, East and South came ex-soldiers
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and civilians, all expecting to obtain homes un- der the homestead and pre-emption laws; but here was one of the many cases where the gov- ernment authorities thought more of one man than of the thousands of brave defenders of the nation's honor. Here began a two-fold struggle ; one to subdue the soil and make it produce food for ourselves and little ones and for shelter to protect us from the storms of winter; the other against a soulless monopoly which was seeking either to drive us from the homes we had builded or to extort from us an unjust price for them. The struggle was long and bitter. causing much anxiety and doubt ; but it bound most of the settlers, all over the Strip, into a firm brotherhood. We early identified ourselves in the fight with those who were struggling against the common oppressor ; and we stayed with it until a partial victory was won.
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