USA > Kansas > Cowley County > History of Cowley County, Kansas > Part 3
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Laughlin 531, democrats. For governor, T. A. Os- borne 1233, T. H. Walker 543. This was about the votes for the candidates for the other state officers. W. P. Campbell received 1173 votes for district judge, J. M. Atwood 603. For railroad assessor 13th dis- trict, John M. Steele 1243, Hutchinson 538. For
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state senator 25th district, M. M. Murdock 1225, Dave L. Payne 556. James McDermott was elected representative of the 75th district, which embraced Cowley county, receiving 1214 votes to A. N. Den- ning 575. T. H. Johnson was elected probate judge; James Kelly, district clerk; T. A. Wilkinson, county superintendent of public instruction; E. S. Torrance, county attorney.
This was an election in which party lines were closely drawn, and showed that the republican strength was more than double the democratic strength.
The great want of all new countries is a railroad, until they get one, and then the great want is an- other. The people of Cowley county felt this great want, and made great efforts to attract the attention of railroad builders and capitalists. Early in 1-73, the Kansas and Nebraska railroad company made a proposition to build a railroad from Junction City south, through Cowley county, by way of Winfield
are the court house, jail and other improvements, and is altogether worth abont $22,000.
At the election of Nov. 4th, 1873, William Martin was elected representative of the 75th district, (Cow- ley county;) M. G. Troup was elected county clerk; E. B. Kager, treasurer; N. C. McCulloch, register of deeds; R. L. Walker, sheriff; S. S. Moore, coroner; Wirt W. Walton, surveyor; John Manley, M. S. Rose- berry and R. F. Burden, county commissioners. R. F. Burden became chairman of the board.
Up to the beginning of 1874 the climate had been very fine in all respects. The winters were mod- Grasshopper Year erate, with very little snow, and not very cold weather; the sum- mers were not excessively hot; copions rains fell at intervals through the spring and autumn months, including the month of June and part of July and the dryest, hottest time of the year, the last part of
HACKNEY BLOCK
and Arkansas City. On April 15th, 1873, Cowley county voted $150,000 of county bonds to this road for stock in the company, by a vote of 1165 to $74. The road was not built and the bonds were not issued.
During the summer of 1873 the city of Winfield built the present brick county jail upon lots donated the city by the Winfield Town association. The jail cost the city the sum of $2, 700, and was subsequent- ly donated to the county.
During the same summer the present brick court house was built by the county commissioners on a half block donated to the county by the Winfick Town association. The court house originally cost about $11,500, subsequent additions and improve- ments have cost about $3,500. The purchase of the balance of the block, which was made six years later cost $1,000, so at the present time the county owns the full block, three hundred feet square, on which
July and the month of August were not so hot or so dry as to canse distress or injure the crops to any considerable extent. The harvests of wheat, corn, and other cultivated erops, had been excellent and even remarkable. The equable climate, the fertility of the soil and unfailing crops, attracted settlers who came in so rapidly that at the end of 1873 there were near 10,000 inhabitants in the county. The year of 1$73 had been one of great vegetable growth. The grasses on the prairie had not been burned off gen- erally for three or four years; the roots had spread and filled up the bare places and the earth was cov- ered thickly and heavily with grass. During the winter 1573-4 there were general prairie fires all over the country and all this accumulated grass was burned, making fires so hot that the roots of the grass were largely killed out, so in the spring 1874 much less grass came up than heretofore, and the prairies were but thinly covered and comparatively
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bare. The consequence was that these prairies became heated by the sun in the spring and summer and the heated air raising by day and the radiation by night prevented the condensation of the vapors passing over, and there was no rain worth mention- ing from the middle of May to October. The wheat crop was not much injured by the drouth but was so well along toward maturity that a moderate crop was harvested in the early part of June. But all the later crops were so feeble and light that the grasshoppers, when they came in August, made short work of it and the crops disappeared.
The grasshoppers came from the northwest, the Rocky mountain region, in clouds of miles in width, perhaps a hundred miles in length and of such depth that they darkened the sun. The great mass of these clouds passed over towards the Gulf of Mexico, but the small portions which came down in this county al- mnost covered the earth. In some places they made drifts of two or three inches deep. All tender vegetation rapidly dis- appeared and even some rather tough vegetation shared its fate. The leaves and even the twigs were stripped from the trees. The fields and gar- dens were cleaned out, scarcely leaving stump enough to show where a cabbage had been locat- ed. It has been said that no one harvested anyth- ing left by the grasshop- pers, but it is a fact that some few men in this county had planted corn early in March, and this corn had got so well along before the rains ceased that it ripened before the grasshoppers came, and the ears were too tough for the festive locusts, so these few far- mers harvested very fair crops of corn.
This visitation was disastrous in more ways than one. It not only caused much want, suffering and distress, but it frightened many with the fears that such disasters would be repeated. Hundreds, per- haps we might say thousands, of settlers abandoned their claims in this county and left the state .- . Those farmers who went through the crisis of 1874 in this county and did not ."go back to their wives' rela- tions" but stayed and kept staying with unflinching faith in Cowley, still standing by her and working to build her up, will live in wealth and health, hon- ored and admired, and their names will be long remembered. The population lost in 1874 was not fully made up for two years, and it was three years before there was again any considerableimmigration to settle| here. The agricultural statistics show how depressing was this season of 1874 to all the material interests of thecounty.
THE LATE D. A MILLINGTON
At the general election November 3d, 1874, the total vote was 1,526, running on the state ticket about 985 republicans, 521 democratic and 20 scat- tering, except on state treasurer. Sam Lappin received only 744 votes. T. A. Osborn received the highest vote. H. T. St. Clair received 914 votes for state senator.
Thomas R. Bryan, republican, was elected rep- resentative by 818 votes against A. S. Williams coalition 708. A. J. Pyburn, coalition, was elected county attorney, E. S. Bedilion was elected clerk of the district court by the solid vote 1,526, II. D. Gans, coalition, was elected probate judge and T. II. Wil- kinson, republican, superintendent of public instruc- tion. The republican par- ty suffered from the dis- content produced by the failure of crops, and a granger party was in- augurated and drew a considerable number from the republican ranks. The grangers coalesced with the democrats and elected a part of their county ticket.
On March 1st, 1875, $15,000 ten years ten per cent. Cowley county bonds were issued, to fund county indebtedness On June 1st, $14,800 more were issued, and on September 6th, $1,700 more, making in the ag- gregate $31,500 issued for this purpose.
At the election Nov. 2nd, 1875, W. P. Hackney was elected representa- tive, R. L. Walker, sher- iff; T. R. Bryan, county treasurer; M. G. Troup, county clerk; E. P. Kinne, register of deeds; Wirt W. Walton, surveyor; Wm. White, W. M. Sleeth and R. F. Burden, county commissioners. The lat- ter was subsequently el- ected chairman. Total vote polled, 1,525.
At the general election Nov. 7th, 1876, the presi- dential ticket ran: Republican for R. B. Hayes, 1,670; democratic for S. J. Tilden, 954; Peter Cooper, 4; Green Clay Smith, 5; total vote 2,633. The state ticket ran nearly the same, giving Geo. T. Anthony for governor, 1,401; M. J. Salter, lieutenant gov- ernor, 1,657; T. H. Cavanaugh, secretary of state, 1.676; P. I. Bonebrake, auditor, 1,673; John Francis, treasurer, 1,672; Willard Davis, attorney general, 1.675; Allen B. Lemmon of Cowley county, superin- tendent of public instruction, 1,681; D. J. Brewer, associate justice, 1,676; W. P. Campbell, judge of the 13th judicial district, 1,638. In the county A. J. Pyburn, democrat, for state senator, was elected over E. C. Manning, 1,318 to 1,140; L. J. Webb was elected representative of the 88th district and C. R. Mitchell of the 89th. The county officers elected were H. D. Gans, probate judge; James McDermott, county attorney; E. S. Bedilion, clerk of the district
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court; R. C. Story, superintendent of public instruc- tion.
At the election of Nov. 5th, 1877. the vote on the state ticket to fill vacancies was: Chief justice, A. H. Horton, 1,429, W. R. Wagstaff, 731, S. A. Riggs, 4. For lieutenant governor. L. U. Humphrey, 1,432, T. W. Watterson, 728, Hadley, 3. At this election the county officers were: Chas. L. Harter, democrat, sheriff, over Leon Lippman, 1,103 to 1,020; M. G. Troup, independent, county clerk; T, R. Bryan, re- publican, county treasurer; E. P. Kinne, republican, register of deeds; W. G. Graham, coroner; N. A. Haight, surveyor; Geo. L. Gale, W. M. Sleeth and R. F. Burden, county commissioners.
COL. E. CI MANNING
At the general election of Nov. 5th, 1878, the vote on the state ticket was: Republican, J. P. St. John for governor, 1,545; Humphrey, lieutenant governor, 1,562; James Smith, secretary of state, 1,558; Bone- brake, auditor, 1,563; Francis, treasurer, 1,377, against C. C. Black of this county 870, and A. G. Walcott, 639; W. Davis, attorney general, 1,582; Allen B. Lemmon of this county, superintendent of public instruction, 1,598; A. H. Horton, chief justice, 1,562; Thomas Ryan, congressman of the 3d district, 1,549; J. R. Hallowell, congressman-at-large (not seated), 1,551. The average democratic vote was about 600 and the average greenback vote was 750.
On the county ticket the democrats and green- backers combined with a vote of about 1,1.70, except that they elected H. D. Gans, probate judge, by a vote of 1,625, and M. R. Leonard, representative of the 89th by a vote of 584. The republicans elected E. S. Torrance county attorney, 1,517; R. C. Story, superintendent of public instruction, 1,652; E. S. Bedilion, clerk of the district court, 1,708, and E. C. Manning, representative of the 88th district, 888. The total vote polled was 2,895.
On the 24th of December, 1879, this county voted 30 years 6 per cent. bonds to an amount not exceed- ing $144,000, to the Cowley, Sumner & Fort Smith Railway, to be exchanged for a like amount of stock in said road by a vote of 1,853 for, to 955 against. This road is now a branch of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe Railway, extending from Chicago to Galveston.
On the 29th day of April, 1879, this county voted $68,000 thirty years 7 per cent. bonds for stock in the Southern Kansas & Western by a vote of 1,612 to 438. This was a branch of the L. L. & G. Railway from Cherryvale to extend west through thiscounty.
On Oct. 1st, 1879, the first, railroad in Cowley county was completed to Winfield and trains were running regularly thereon. This was the C. S. & F. S. from the north.
On Oct. 13th, 1878, $72,000 county bonds were issued, for stock in the C. S. &. F. S. railroad, and on Dec. 30th, $56,000 more of said bonds were issued for stock in the said railroad, it being completed and in operation to Arkansas City, with 32 miles of road in this county.
The Southern Kansas & Western railroad being completed from the east to Winfield, on Feb. 17th, 1880, $51,000 county bonds were issued for stock in said road, on March 16th, the road then being completed to the west line of the county, the remain- ing $17,000 of the bonds voted were issued.
In March, 1881, the $68,000 stock in this road was sold at 68 cents on the dollar, and the county bought 'in $38,500 of the bonds, at par to 21/2 per cent. premium, leaving ontstanding $29,500 of the bonds to that road.
At the election of Nov. 4th, 1879, the vote for county officers was: Sheriff, A. T. Shenneman, 1,880, C. L. Harter, 1,499; county clerk, J. S. Hunt, 2,161, G. S. Storey, 1,209; county treasurer, James Harden, 2,067, Mc. D. Stapleton, 1,322; register of deeds, Jacob Nixon, 2,060, James Benedict, 1,322; coroner, W. G. Graham, 2,143; D. V. Cole, 1,188; surveyor, N. A. Haight, 2,229, E. Millard, 1,156; commis- sioner, 2d district, Henry Harbaugh, 603, S. B. Adams, 433. Total vote polled, 3,400. All the elect were republican nominees,
At the general election, held November, 1880, the presidential vote was: For James A. Garfield, 2,630; for W. S. Hancock, 1,557; for James B. Weaver, 190. The state ticket varied little from the above. J. P. St. John, for governor, 2,630; D. W. Finney, for lieutenant governor, 2,635; James Smith for secre- tary of state, 2,640; Bonebrake for auditor, 2,638; Francis for treasurer, 2,641; W. A. Johnson for attorney general, 2,637; H. C. Spear for superinten- dent public instruction, 2,632; D. M. Valentine, associate justice, 2,633; Thomas Ryan for congress, 3d district, 2,608; E. S. Torrance of this county, judge of the 13th judicial district, 4,004, against 12 scattering.
W, P. Hackney, republican, elected state senator 2,409, against C. C. Black, combination; 1,635; Allen B. Lemmon was elected representative of the 88th district; C. R. Mitchell, of the 89th; Frank S. Jenn- ings, county attorney; H. D. Gans; probate judge; R .. C. Story, superintendent public instruction. All the. elects were republican nominees.
At this election, the vote in this county, to amend the state constitution, prohibiting the sale and manufacture of intoxicating drinks, was: For 3,243, against 870. Total vote polled, 4,382. L. B.
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Bullington was elected commissioner of the 3d dis- Strother, register; J. M. Merry, surveyor; S. S. trict. The board organized with Geo. L. Gale, McDowell, coroner; J. D. Guthrie, commissioner 2d district. chairman.
At the election, Nov. 8th; 1881, A. T. Shenne- man was elected sheriff; L. B. Stone, treasurer; J. S. Hunt, county clerk, Jacob Nixon, register of deeds; N. A. Haight, surveyor; H. L. Wells, coroner and S. C. Smith, commissioner of the 1st district. This election did not bring out near a full vote, and turned on local issues mainly. The only approach to a party test vote was on the office of treasurer which stood 1,418 republican, 836 democratic and 154 greenback.
1883 to 1885, H. D. Gans, probate County Officers judge; F. S. Jennings, county attorney; E. S. Bedilion, clerk of district court; A. H. Limerick, county superintendent; Amos Walton, county commissioner, 2d district; J. J. Johnson, C. R. Mitchell, J. W. Weimer, representatives.
1884 to 1886, Geo. H. MeIntire, sheriff; Jas. B. Nipp, treasurer; Jos. S. Hunt, county clerk; Thos. H. Soward, register; North A. Haight, surveyor; Hiram L. Marsh, coroner; J. A. Irwin, commissioner 3d distriet.
1885 to 1887, Henry Asp, county attorney; Ed Pate, clerk district court, H. D. Gans, probate judge; A. H. Limerick, county superintendent; S. C. Smith, county commissioner 1st district; E. P. Greer, L. P. King, J. D. Maurer, representatives; F. S. Jennings, state senator.
1886 to 1888, J. B. Nipp, county treasurer; G. H. Melntire, sheriff; T. H. Soward, register; S. J. Smock, county clerk; N. A. Haight, surveyor; H. S. Wells, coroner; J. D. Guthrie, commissioner 2d dis- trict.
1887 to 1889, W. E. Tansey, probate judge; Ed Pate, district clerk; C. L. Swarts, county attorney; Ella Kelley, county superintendent; W. P. Hard- wick, commissioner 3d district; John A. Eaton, L. P. King, J. D. Maurer, representatives.
1888 to 1890, H. R. Branson, register; Jno. S. Wilkin, treasurer; Jas. W. Connor, sheriff; S. J. Smock, clerk; J. M. Bradley, surveyor;s H. D. Cooper, coroner; S. C. Smith, commissioner 1 t distriet.
1889 to 1891, W. E. Tansey, probate judge; C. L. Swarts, attorney; Ed Pate, clerk district court; Julia B. Caton, superintendent; J. D. Guthrie, com- missioner 2d district; L. P. King, senator; A. H. Limerick, J. O. Campbell, S. M. Fall, representatives.
1890 to 1892, W. H. Grow, county treasurer; O. S. Gibson, sheriff; A. A. Jackson, register; Salem Fouts, clerk; D. Cunningham, coroner; Alex Cairns, surveyor; W. P. Hardwick, commissioner 3d district.
1891 to 1893, A. F. Sutton, probate judge, C. T. Atkinson, attorney; O. P. Fuller, clerk of the district court; Lida S. Brady, superintendent; D. W. Pieree, commissioner 1st district; Jacob Nixon, Jas. L. Andrews, L. J. Davidson, representatives.
1892 to 1894, Jno. S. Wilkin, county treasurer; J. B. Nipp, sheriff; J. B. Fishback, county clerk; R. S.
1893 to 1895, Jno. Leach, commissioner 3d district; H. T. Alberts, probate judge; O. P. Fuller, district clerk; Eva L. Kirkpatrick, superintendent; Geo. W. Scott, attorney; L. P. King, senator; E. F. Green, F. G. Powers, representatives.
1894 to 1896, Jno. S. Wilkin, treasurer, Jno. W. Skinner, sheriff, J. B. Fishback, clerk, R. S. Strother, register, S. S. MeDowell, coroner, J. M. Merry, county surveyor, D. W. Pierce, commissioner 1st district.
1895 to 1897, D. D. Parry, probate judge, Adam Staggers, clerk of the district court, S. E. Fink, county attorney, J. H. Anderson, superintendent, W. H. Upton, commissioner 2d district, J. V. Beekman, F. G. Powers, representatives.
1896 to 1898, Jno. W.Skinner, sheriff, Jno. D. Man- rer, register, Frank H.Conkright, treasurer, S. J. Neer, clerk, F. W. Miller, probate judge, J. M. Bradley, surveyor, H. D. Cooper, coroner.
1897 to 1899, C. C. Craig, clerk of the district court, J. W. Cottingham, probate judge, J. C. Stanley, attorney, Julia B. King, county superin- tendent, L. P. King, senator, Chas. L. Brown, Edwin, Jaquins, representatives.
1898 to 1900, S. A. Daniels, sheriff, Jno. D. Maurer, register, Frank H. Conkright, treasurer, S. J. Neer, clerk, J. M. Bradley, surveyor, F. M. Pickens, coroner, J. W. Irons, commissioner 2d district.
1899 to 1901. C. C. Craig, district clerk, J. W. Cottingham, probate judge, H. C. Hargis, attorney, Julia B. King, superintendent, A. H. Abrams, Edwin Jaquins, representatives.
1900 to 1902, S. A. Daniels, sheriff, C. W. Bailey, register, A. F. Smith, treasurer, Geo. W. Sloan, clerk, J. M. Bradley, surveyor, F. M. Piekens, coroner, D. W. Pierce, commissioner 1st district.
1901 to 1903, Ed F. Nelson, district clerk, J. W. Cottingham, probate judge, J. E. Torrance, attorney, Julia B.King, superintendent, Chas. Howard, commis- sioner 2d district, L. P. King, senator, E. F. Green, A. C. Bangs, representatives.
Comparative Vote
In the presidential election of 1888, the republicans had 4,111 votes, the democrats 1,933, the union labor 1,533 and the prohibition 120-a total of 7,697 votes.
In the presidential election of 1892, the republi- cans had 3,886 votes, the peoples party 3,896 and the prohibition party 127-a total of 7,809 votes.
In the presidential election of 1896, the republi- cans had 2,841 votes, the peoples party 3,410 and scattering, 126-a total of 6407 votes.
In the presidential election of 1900, the republi- cans had 3,667 votes, the fusion, or combined democrats and peoples party 3,436, prohibitionists 138, socialists 36-a total of 7,286 votes.
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Arkansas City is the second city of im- Arkansas City portance in the county. It was always noted for the intelligence. energy and enterprise of its inhabitants, Such names as Prof. H. B. Norton, Capt. G. H. Norton, Prof. L. B. Kellogg. Dr. H. D. Kellogg, Capt. C. M. Scott, Hon. C. R. Mitchell, Hon. M. R. Leon- ard, Hon. Timothy MeIntire, Rev. B. C. Swarts, Rev. S. B. Flemming. Hon. James Christian, II. O. Miegs. A. N. Demming, I. H. Bonsall, W. M. Sleeth, S. P. Channel, A. A. Newman, Reuben Houghton, Harry and Fred Farrar. Will Mowry, Dr. Alexander, C. R. Sipe, Benedict Stanley, and many others of note, having figured largely in its history. It has grown steadily
The general history of this city has already Winfield been given. It has always had a large class of the most intelligent and enter- prising business men, who have been keen and wide awake to the interests of their city and county. The population of this city steadily increased from the start, except in 1874-5. and in 1880-1. Its most rapid in- crease was in 1879. The United States census of June 1880. gave it a population of 2844, and the United States census of 1900 gives it a population of 5,554. It is the county seat and business center of the county. has five railroads, three flouring mills, three elevators, various manufactories, and some of the finest buildings in the state. It has many fine brick buildings, but its
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SCENES FROM ISLAND PARK
SCENES FROM ISLAND PARK, ASEMBLY GROUNDS
from the start, and has done a very large trade with the surrounding country, and with the Indian territory. It's stores and ware houses are large and well filled, and embrace every variety of merchandise. It has many large, fine buildings of brick and stone, and one of the finest brick school buildings in the state. It's crowning glory is it's canal, built in 1880 and 1881, which is two and a half miles long and carries an abundant supply of water from the Arkansas river to its fall into the Walnut of more than twenty feet, which furnishes one of the best water powers in the state. Flouring mills and factories utilize this water power and the eity is taking rank as a manufacturing town.
most elegant structures are of the fine magnesiau lime- stone from the adjacent quarries. From these quarries are brought the most elegant flagging stones, with which more than eighty miles of sidewalks are built along its streets. These quarries present an article of a trade of great importance, furnishing other cities and towns with the best building and flagging material. The shipments of this stone are very extensive. Among the buildings constructed of this stone is the U. S. building at Topeka.
Winfield has four weeklies and one daily newspaper, the best looking in the state, one of which claims a greater circulation than any other connty paper in the state. Winfield has three banks, of the soundest char-
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acter, and almost every business is represented. Adja- eent to Winfield are four fine iron bridges, three across Walnut river and one aeross Timber creek. These are wagon bridges, and do not refer to the five fine railroad bridges across the Walnut, nor the two across Timber creek. It is the location of an immense produce and cold storage business extending over the entire west. Its mills have a mited capacity of about twelve hundred barrels of flour per day.
Geuda Springs
This is a new village commenced in 1880, on the west line of the county, and the growing fame of the medicinal springs at that place, has caused the town to spring up rapidly, and promises soon to be a place of much importance. This place is fast becoming a noted health resort, and is likely to become as famous as other noted springs. Already the place is so erowded with visitors that much more hotel room and many more cottages are imperatively demanded, and will be supplied as rapidly as possible. Not far from these springs are salt springs, which yield large quan- tities of strong brine.
Gowns In the general history of the county, some more towns have been overlooked, which deserve notice, and will here receive attention.
DEXTER The Dexter town company was organized by enterprising citizens of Emporia in July 1870. Its incorporators were Alex Stevens and L. W. Manning, living in the vicinity of the place selected for the town, and L. W. Robinson, C. B. Bateheller and G. W. Frederick of Emporia. The in- corporation was not perfeeted. The first house erected upon the townsite was built by James McDermott, who moved into it June 25, 1871. In September 1870, the Dexter postoffice was established with I. B. Todel, post- master, and in March 1871, the first mail arrived by regular carrier from Eureka. On October 21st, 1875, the Dexter town association was incorporated and the town site was then laid ont into lots, blocks and streets. It has three or four stores, a blacksmith shop, a hotel and other business houses, and does a good business with the surrounding farming population. It has a water power flouring mill and saw mill in its immediate viein- ity on the Grouse. The present postmaster is Samnel Nicholson.
Is a town of four hundred population on the UDALL main line of the Galveston branch of the Santa Fe railroad and is located in Ninnescah township. It is a thriving place with a good bank and touring mill.
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