USA > Kansas > Reno County > History of Reno County, Kansas; its people, industries and institutions, Vol I > Part 19
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This same pioneer, who spoke of the owner of a cow as the "aristocrat of their street," also refers to the luxury of hen eggs. She remarked that eggs were so scarce that good cakes were impossible and soft-boiled eggs were a luxury reserved for the sick. She added that she had been tempted very often in her girlhood to play sick that she might enjoy the luxury of an egg for breakfast.
This absence of milk, butter and eggs is all the more remarkable in view of the extent to which these industries have been developed in recent times. But the pioneers here, as in so many other things, realized but little of the productiveness of the soil and of the development along lines considered impossible then. Perhaps those who live here fifty years hence will wonder at the short-sightedness of those of today, who pride themselves on such a wide development of the resources of the county.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
RENO COUNTY FAIRS.
The first Reno county fair was held on September 28, 29 and 30, 1875, three years after the county was organized. The early timers knew the value of such things, both as a means of affording a place for comparison of products and as an advertisement for the county and its resources. The same spirit that acted as a stimulant toward having a county fair actuated the old settlers in organizing an old settlers' association. The first organ- ization of the old settlers, however, was made when the oldest of the old settlers had been in the county but a little more than two years.
The first county fair was held the year after the grasshopper raid. The crops that year were abundant and immigration into this part of the state had begun to be an item to be considered. Every effort possible was made to attract settlers. The land agent was, of course, the principal agency in inducing settlers to visit Reno county. The Santa Fe railroad had its land and immigration department, that was pushing the sale of land along the railroad. When they first built their road over Reno county, they pub- licly declared they never expected to sell any land beyond Great Bend, and they thought it would be a half century before the lands outside of the bot- tom lands would be settled. But the settlers crowded into the county and the railroad men's faith grew in the upland. so that they pushed the sale of lands out of the valley with the same confidence and the same guarantee to the land buyer that the land was rich and would yield abundantly. They sold land rapidly, on long time and at a low rate of interest and the land department of the Santa Fe always acted fairly and liberally with the land buyer
The first county fair was but little more than a reunion. There is no record of any cash prizes or of any charges. But the next year the fair assumed larger proportions. L. J. Templin was elected as secretary and general manager. Mr. Templin was a Methodist preacher and had moved to Reno county from Kokomo, Indiana, with his family in 1875. He was a stalwart man in appearance : a genial, whole-souled man, equally qualified to preach the Gospel or handle a horse race. In either position his sturdy
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manhoed was evident. There was no gambling at the fair. Mr. Templin lived in the county for many years and reared a large family, the best known of them being Prof. Olin Templin, dean of the faculty of the State University. Professor Templin was only a boy when his father moved to Reno county and he afterward became a successful teacher. When he first came to Reno county, Olin was considered too small to load the old-fashioned muzzle- loading shotguns, but not too small to go out and kill geese that were so abundant. So the young man would have his father load his shotgun and he would do the shooting, coming back generally with a big goose, to have his gun loaded again.
The managers of the second fair charged an admission fee. The total receipts of this fair, which was held on October 17, 18 and 19. 1876. were three hundred thirty-four dollars and fifty-one cents. It is not stated in the accounting whether the total included the two hundred dollars given by the state to stimulate county fair or not, but the probabilities are that the two hundred dollars was in the item of receipts. There was a "small balance" left, according to the report : at least there were no unpaid bills and per- haps but little money in the treasury of the fair association. But the asso- ciation did not have 'its meeting every year. The burden of taking care of all such organizations falls on the same persons year after year. It becomes irksome, especially when there is no compensation. So the Reno County Fair Association lived some years and in other years languished. Occasionally a racing meeting would be held. Such a meeting as this was held over on a track east of town and at this particular meeting two noted horses raced, "Ashland Wilkes" and "Joe Young." This race drew an immense crowd, more than the fair association could accommodate in the small grandstand.
The present state fair had its beginning on February 7. 1901. \ few men met at the Commercial Club rooms to talk over the advisability of organ- izing a fair association. A canvass was made shortly after this meeting. wherein it was agreed to raise money to start a fair. Frank Fearl carried the subscription paper .. The first signature secured was that of Matthew Smith and Mr. Fearl signed for the second one. The total number of names secured was fifty-two. When the list was completed a second meeting was held on the date mentioned and the subscribers organized by selecting F. E. Fearl as president and J. L. Sponsler as secretary. The first directors chosen were as follow: R. H. Holton. J. Q. Patten, Thomas H. Foley. C. W. Peckham, H. S. Thompson, John R. Price, W. H. Johnson. E. Rayl.
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W. H. S. Benedict, J. U. Brown, Henry Hartford, Matthew Smith, John M. Kinkel and J. B. Talbot. This board of directors met on April 24, 1901, and elected the following officers: President, A. L. Sponsler; vice-presi- dent, D. J. Fair : treasurer, W. H. Eagan ; secretary, Ed M. Moore; assistant secretary, John L. Sponsler. The prizes for the fair were fixed at two thousand five hundred dollars.
The fair association had no grounds on which to hold this fair. They made a contract with the Park association, which had a tract of about fifty acres north of town, to give the park association ten per cent. of the gate receipts and one-half of the money taken in from the sale of privileges. The Park Association was to erect all the necessary horse and cattle barns, build a race track and put up a grand stand. The total receipts of this first fair of the Central Kansas Fair Association, as the association called itself, were $6,049.47. The total expenditures for this year, including the percent- age due the Park Association, was $5,293.84, leaving a balance of $755-47.
Encouraged by the success of this first fair, the association greatly enlarged the scope of the fair of 1902, by adding many departments not represented in 1901. More money was added to the speed ring, more and larger prizes for hogs, cattle, sheep and poultry were offered. The fair grew constantly in size and interest. Larger crowds attended. Premiums were always paid and exhibitors were satisfied and came year after year. In 1905 the total receipts were more than four times what they were in 1902.
On March 12, 1907, the capital stock of the fair was increased to fifty thousand dollars and a contract made for the purchase of grounds and build- ings of the park association. The boys' and girls' corn contest was added as a feature of the fair, the purpose being to arouse a deeper interest in corn growing and to make this feature of the fair an educational one.
By 1908, the fair had increased so that the total receipts were $40.285.71. and netted the association $8,534.51. The two following years were equally prosperous and in 1910 a meeting to organize a movement for the celebra- tion of the semi-centennial of the admission of Kansas to the Union. The result was that the fair for 1911 was the largest ever held in the state. The time was extended to two weeks, the semi-centennial part of the celebration following the regular fair. The total receipts for this fair were $65.520.34. the net receipts being $11.680.40. There were a total of one hundred and eighty-three thousand admissions during the time of the celebration.
Two years later the state of Kansas, through the state agricultural board, took charge of the fair and the name was changed from the Central Kansas
UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOO STUDIOS, N. Y.
W. E. HUTCHINSON
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Fair Association to the Kansas State Fair Association. As a part of the consideration of making it a state fair, Reno county was to turn over the grounds and equipment free to the state. Prior to this time the fair associa- tion, having outgrown the grounds on which it first started, bought one hun- dred and twelve acres of land immediately north of the old grounds. In order to pay for these grounds, the question of buying the fair grounds of the fair association was submitted to a vote of the people of Reno county. The election was held on April 22, 1913, and resulted in Reno county voting fifty thousand dollars, in bonds to purchase the fair grounds. The vote on this stood six thousand four hundred and forty-nine votes for the bonds and one thousand five hundred and fifty-five votes against the bonds.
Having turned the equipment over to the state, after the Legislature had designated the Hutchinson fair as the state fair, it was supposed that the Legislature would appropriate money with which to run the fair. But they failed to make any appropriation in 1913. In 1915, after the fair had been handled by the state agricultural board, an appropriation for more permanent buildings was made by the Legislature. Likewise an appropria- tion was made for a "revolving fund" to take care of the expenses of the fair up to the time of the fair meeting. But the governor vetoed the appro- priation for permanent buildings and allowed only the "revolving fund" to remain.
The state fair is thus an outgrowth of the efforts of the few men who met and organized the Central Kansas Fair Association. The growth of the fair has been phenomenal. Its success is due to many things. The location is right for a great annual gathering. It is the visiting place of central and southwestern Kansas. Men and women from various points in the southwest meet here, having come for years and enjoy the associations the fair affords. It has become a common meeting ground for friends and acquaintances. The exhibits furnish the best in live stock that is to be found. Agricultural exhibits form a large part of the attraction for visitors. And the exhibition, in more recent years, of farm machinery by the various manufacturers adds to the value of the fair.
Another element that has been a constant factor in the growth of the fair has been the character of the men who have managed it. The directors are now practically the same men who started with the fair in 1901. Five of them have dropped by the wayside, John R. Price, D. J. Fair, J. U. Brown. Matthew Smith and James Haston. The other directors are the
( I.Į)
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ones who started with the fair in its beginning and were active in its sup- port all the years of its growth. They have worked with but little com- pensation and they have achieved a success that is worthy of their efforts. Recognizing the fact that much of the success of the fair was due to the personal efforts of the officers and directors, when the fair was turned over to the state board of agriculture they made no changes in the directorate and continued the officers for the state fair who had built up the Central Kansas Fair.
The future of the fair is with the Legislature of Kansas. By the terms of the donation, whenever the state ceases to maintain a fair the land, now worth over a hundred thousand dollars, reverts to Reno county. Its loca- tion is such that it will increase constantly in value. The fair is a great element in the development of the resources of the state.
CHAPTER XXLX.
THE GRAIN BUSINESS.
The grain business of Reno county today is of such vast proportions it is hard to realize that it has been only a few years since there was no wheat or corn sold in Reno county. The earliest buyer of farm produce was C. B. Myton, who purchased all the hay he could obtain and shipped it to Colorado; also bought some corn, but very little of that. The first person who really made a business of buying grain was Chas. D. Christopher, who began buying corn in 1875, which he shipped to Colorado where it was used in the mining camps. The volume of business done by Mr. Christopher was not very large compared with what it is now, but it was of great importance to the early settlers, to whom the business meant a money income from their small crops. In the early days there was very little ready money in the community, and the chief source of it from 1872 to 1875 was from the sale of buffalo bones in town. Mr. Christopher purchased nearly fifty cars of grain in 1875, when corn was selling from thirty to forty cents a bushel.
Shortly after Mr. Christopher began buying grain, J. B. Potter came to Hutchinson, built a little elevator close to where the Rock Mill Elevator now stands and began buying wheat. Empey and Burrel were in the gro- cery business then and did a little grain business, but their dealings were more like barter than sale, since they would trade groceries to the farmers for their grain. In 1880 J. M. and W. F. Mulkey moved to Hutchinson from Illinois and began buying and selling grain. They remained in this business for seven or eight years, after which they went into the salt busi- ness, which they later sold when they moved to Detroit, Michigan.
There were several other grain buyers in the city from 1880 to 1890; among them Ken Ringle, George Woodard, A. S. Vance and A. N. Bontz. In 1880 T. J. Templar came to Hutchinson, bought the little elevator built by C. B. Myton and added to it until it grew to the proportions of the present Kansas Grain Company's plant. In addition to buying grain in Hutchinson, the Kansas Grain Company, which was soon enlarged by L. B. Young joining the enterprise and becoming its secretary, began erecting ele- vators at other points in Kansas, until they were doing business at fifty differ-
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ent stations in this state. this being the largest and most extensive grain firm that ever did business in Hutchinson. Mr. Templar and Mr. Young continued with this company until 1917, when they sold their interests to J. B. Hupp, T. L. Hoffman and T. J. Holdridge, who now are the proprietors of the business. Mr. Templar, the biggest single factor in the grain business, sold his interests only a few months before his death, which occurred on August 6, 1917. Mr. Young, who was associated with Mr. Templar until the business was sold out, is still a resident of Hutchinson.
There are many grain buyers in Hutchinson now. The Board of Trade was organized in May, 1910, with a membership of fifty, T. J. Templar being the first president and H. M. Talcott the first secretary. There are fifty firms buying grain in Hutchinson at the present time, and the growth of the enterprise is a fine index of the growth of grain farming in Reno county and of the southwestern part of the state. In 1875 probably fifty cars of grain were bought and sold in Hutchinson, but the business increased as the farms were developed until in 1880 when there were about one million bushels of grain of all kinds handled in Hutchinson. In 1890 the business had increased until there was about ten million bushels of grain sold through the various elevators and mills of the county. In 1900 this had increased to 15,000,000 bushels, in 1910, 25,000,000, and in 1917, 50.000,000 bushels. These figures represent the growth of the grain production of Reno county. It is not long in point of time from 1875 to 1917, but in the amount of grain grown the increase has been very large. From the 25,000 bushels marketed in 1875 to the 50,000,000 handled in 1917 is the measure of the increased pro- duction and development of Reno county. The price of grain has varied much. Corn which has been sold as low as fifteen cents a bushel in 1891 and 1892 reached its highest price in 1917, when under the stimulus of the war and a short crop it reached two dollars and thirty-five cents a bushel. Wheat has sold as low as forty-five cents a bushel, but in 1917 it reached its highest point of three dollars and twenty-five cents a bushel. Rye and oats have kept along with wheat and corn, varying in price with the principal grains.
As an auxiliary of the grain business, the flour mills, have played a conspicnous part. At the present time there are eight big flouring mills in Reno county, four in Hutchinson, and four in other parts of the county
The Hutchinson Flour Mill, which was built by W. E. Mckinney, is now owned by L. B. Young, J. W. Burns. R. L. Burns and Fred Burns. It has a capacity of two hundred barrels of flour a day and a storage capacity of one hundred and fifty thousand bushels of wheat.
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The Monarch Mills were built by W. E. Carr and William Kelly, and now have a six-hundred-barrel daily capacity and storage for one hundred thousand bushels of wheat.
The William Kelly Milling Company, built and largely owned by William Kelly, who was formerly one of the owners of the Monarch Mills, has a daily producing capacity of nine hundred barrels of flour and a storage capacity for two hundred and fifty thousand bushels of wheat.
The Larabee Flour Mills Company, owned by the Larabee Brothers, has a daily capacity of two thousand barrels of flour, and a storage capacity for five thousand bushels of grain.
The Turon Mill Company, located at Turon, was built by John R. Price. It has a capacity of producing one hundred and fifty barrels of flour daily, with a storage capacity for one hundred and fifty thousand bushels of wheat.
The Haven Milling Company, with mills located at Haven, has a daily flour producing capacity of two hundred barrels and a wheat storage capacity of fifty thousand bushels.
The Buhler Milling Company, with their mill located at Buhler, has a capacity for producing five hundred barrels of flour a day and a wheat stor- ing capacity of one hundred thousand bushels.
The Sylvia Milling Company, located at Sylvia, has a capacity to make two hundred barrels of flour daily, and has a grain storage capacity for seven- ty-five thousand bushels.
George Herr's mill. located in South Hutchinson, has a capacity of one hundred and fifty barrels daily and a storage capacity of twenty-five hundred bushels of grain.
In addition to these mills there are located in Hutchinson four large ele- vators capable of storing five hundred and seventy-five thousand bushels of grain, distributed as follows :
Kansas Grain Elevator, two hundred thousand bushels.
Rock Mill & Elevator Company, two hundred thousand bushels.
Hutchinson Terminal Elevator Company, one hundred and twenty-five thousand bushels.
Pettitt Grain Company, fifty thousand bushels.
These mills and elevators receive grain from all over the southwest. and the flour from the Reno county mills sells all over the country. Besides these big storage elevators there are many smaller elevators which have facilities for handling the grain from the wagon to the car. Reno county has sufficient ele- vator and mill capacity to handle the big wheat crop, not only of this county, but for southwest Kansas.
CHAPTER XXX.
POSTOFFICES AND MAIL ROUTES.
The first mail came overland from Newton to Hutchinson, as described in another chapter. As soon as the Santa Fe railroad was completed to this city, these mail routes were discontinued. But there was a great demand for mail to outlying points. Hutchinson began to be the distributing point for a big territory south and north. The mail was hauled in cumbersome stage coachies. Six "star routes" were formed within two years after the Hutchinson postoffice was established. Six more were established in 1878, another six in 1882, and the last ones, five in number, were established in 1886.
Some of the points to which mail was hauled cannot now be identified and the postoffice department at Washington cannot locate them. Many, perhaps, were just private homes for the distribution of mail and some member of the household designated as postmaster. The following are the various star routes with the distances and the name of the contractors :
Hutchinson was supplied by service from Newton, thirty-two miles, by James A. Hawkes, Circleville, Ohio, without pay, front December 25, 1871, to April 22, 1872, when star route No. 14233 was established between those offices and a contract awarded to Mr. Hawkes at the rate of $790 per annum, the route being discontinued July 15. 1872. Special service was also employed between these points at eight hundred dollars per annum from January I to June 30, 1872. Special service was performed between Farland and Hutchinson, thirteen miles, from October 1. 1872, to June 30, 1873, at the rate of eight hundred dollars per annum.
A contract for service on star route No. 14300, New Gottland to Hutchinson, seventy-five miles, three times a week, was awarded April 9, 1873, to Eric Forsse, Falun. Kansas, at the rate of $700 per annum for the remainder of the contract term expiring June 30, 1874.
Service was authorized on star route No. 14293, Hutchinson to Camp Supply, one hundred and sixty miles, once a week, and a contract awarded March 20, 1873, to D. T. Parker, of Parker, Kansas, at the rate of $4.975 for the remainder of the contract term.
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Star route No. 14299, Lindsborg to Hutchinson, 541/2 miles, once-a- week service, was established, and a contract awarded March 20, 1873, to Samuel D. Bradley, of Salina, Kansas, at the rate of $970 per annum.
Contracts were awarded for service on star routes during the four-year term beginning July 1, 1874, as follows :
Route No. 33117. Salina to Hutchinson, via Marquette, 70 miles, once a week, $750 per annum, Eric Forsse, Falun, Kansas, contractor.
Route No. 33118, Salina to Hutchinson, via Oasis (located in Salina county), and Farland in McPherson county, 70 miles, three times a week, Henry E. Mckee, Washington, D. C., contractor.
Route No. 33126, Hutchinson to Camp Supply, 180 miles, once a week. $2,440 per annum, James Call, Sun City, Kansas, contractor.
Route No. 33237, Wichita to Hutchinson, 55 miles, twice a week, $750 per annum, Charles H. Miller, Eldridge, Kansas, contractor.
Route No. 33247, Hutchinson to Leanville (located six miles west of where Partridge is now), 18 miles, once a week, $177 per annum, A. H. Scott, Concordia, Kansas, contractor.
Route No. 33313, Hutchinson to Zenith, 41 miles, once a week, $286 per annum, John C. Beem, Hutchinson, Kansas, contractor.
The following contracts were entered into for the four-year term com- mencing July 1, 1878:
Route No. 33145, Salina to Hutchinson, via Salensburgh and Leslie (now Medora), 76 miles, three times a week, $750 per annum, James Lehr- ing and R. E. Fletcher, Hutchinson, Kansas, contractors.
Route No. 33146, Falun to Hutchinson, 62 miles, twice a week, $773 per annum, Beriat Wagoffin, Sedalia, Missouri, contractor.
Route No. 33266, Wichita to Hutchinson, via Ferris (a farm house in Sedgwick county), 551/2 miles, twice a week, $498 per annum, Rolando L. Bell, Eldridge, Kansas, contractor.
Route No. 33272, Hutchinson to Medicine Lodge, 90 miles, three times a week, $947 per annum, W. W. Warren, Albany, Wisconsin, contractor.
Route No. 33273, Hutchinson to Haynesville (located near where Pratt is now), 68 miles, twice a week, $775 per annum, John C. Beem, Hutchin- son, Kansas, contractor.
Route No. 33334. Iuka to Hutchinson, 63 miles, three times a week, $830 per annum, U. W. Parker, Atchison, Kansas, contractor.
Contracts were awarded for the term from July 1. 1882, to June 30, 1886. as follows:
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Route No. 33381, McPherson to Hutchinson, 34 miles, three times a week, $490 per annum, M. A. Thompson. Sedalia, Missouri, contractor.
Route No. 33382, McPherson to Hutchinson, via Westfield (a farm house in McPherson county). and Little Valley (another farm house in McPherson county from which mail was distributed), 37 miles, three times a week. $535 per annum. M. A. Thompson, Sedalia, Missouri, contractor.
Route No. 33390, Wichita to Hutchinson, 52 miles, three times a week, $694 per annum, John R. Tuffer, Graysville, Vermont, contractor.
Route No. 33409. Hutchinson to Medicine Lodge, 84 miles, three times a week, $1.790 per annum, John R. Misser, Independence, Missouri, con- tractor.
Route No. 33410, Hutchinson to Prattsburgh, So miles, three times a week, $1,270 per annum, Newell C. Keyes, Windsor, Missouri, contractor.
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