USA > Kansas > Reno County > History of Reno County, Kansas; its people, industries and institutions, Vol I > Part 6
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Around the cattle business as it was conducted in the days before rail- roads broke up this method of reaching the market-around the "old" cat- tle business clings the romance of the "trail," the "round-up," and of the features of a business that has passed away and can never exist again. All of the hardships and roughness is forgotten. It had no competition in any occupation. It stood out alone. Its reproduction is attempted in circus and "wild west" shows, but the original cannot be reproduced in the limited area now afforded for exhibition purposes. Its operations covered half a continent. Its season of work embraced all times of the year. It required a combination of military and commercial qualities to develop the trail and the cattle business. The herd on the trail had to be handled much as an army. It had its time of danger, in the early years, from Indian attacks. Water and pasturage had to be looked for as carefully as any army looks after its supply trains. It had its ambulance attachment. The young calves and the weaker cows had to have especial care.
Upon the Western cattle business now has settled the haze of Indian
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summer. It is impossible now to estimate properly its dangers and hard- ships. It is impossible now to properly understand the sagacity and knowl- edge, of the early cattle man-the kind not learned in books or from others, but a knowledge gained only from the "round-up" and "trail." Like all pioneers, he is entitled to have all his virtues recorded and all his faults softened for the sake of what he accomplished, for his development of the cattle industry. The cattle man's life was a hard life, unromantically labo- riously and wearisome. Death lurked in every canyon, in every stampede, in every "round-up." There was one feature that was always dread by the cowboy. namely, the intense heat developed in a stampede. Heat would blister the side of the face and hands of the cowboy who happened to be on the windward side of the moving herd. The herds were generally driven in bunches of from three thousand to five thousand. In 1872 Chisholm broke the record by driving six thousand head in one herd over the trail he laid out from the Red river to Kansas. The track or the trail would be a half mile wide and as close together as the animals could walk. The tracks were parallel to each other, bending in and out as the cattle swayed from one side to the other. The outfit required to handle a herd of three thousand cattle would be a cook, a "horse wrangler," who looked after the herd of horses that were driven along to afford changes of mounts for the cowboys, and one cowboy to every one hundred and seventy-five head of stock. The herds were difficult to start for the first day. The cattle did not want to leave their native ground and it was always a hard matter to get them to take to the trail. After a few days, leaders would be developed who would go ahead and the balance of the herd would drop in after them. These leaders would hold their places until footsore or some weakness would develop, when they would drop back and other cattle would take the lead.
The Chisholm trail has disappeared. The steam tractor or the riding plow has cut its worn tracks and its identity has passed away. The header reaps where the cowboy once rode to urge his herd. The cowboy days exist in romance and are reproduced in puny form in the circus of the "101 Ranch" shows. But they did their work well. They pioneered the way. They were the connecting link between the buffalo and the shorthorn. Their glory is gone, but the good the "cow system" developed is with us yet.
CHAPTER VIL.
BOUNDARY LINES.
The Legislature of Kansas that met in 1855 passed three acts estab- lishing counties in the territory of Kansas. The first of these fixed the boundary lines of thirty-three counties in the eastern part of the state. The government survey at that time had not progressed sufficiently to describe these counties by metes and bounds, so the only description given in that act was one of distances. The starting point was the middle of the channel of the Kaw river where it crossed the Missouri state line.
The second act of this Legislature created two new counties. The first, Marion, was cut out of a tract of land one hundred miles long and eighteen miles wide, west of what is now Morris, Chase and Butler counties and also the territory that is now called Marion. The second county created by this act was called Washington county and included all that part of the territory west of what was Marion county in 1855 and east of a line drawn north from the northeast corner of New Mexico, virtually what is now the southwest third of Kansas.
The third act of the Legislature created Arapahoe county out of all that territory west of the line running north from the northeast corner of New Mexico. Commissioners were appointed for this county, but the organi- zation of the county was not completed, for the Legislature at the same ses- sion provided for an annual election of delegates to the Territorial .Assembly and attached all of the newly created counties to Marshall county. This act further provided that all of the territory west of Marshall county and east of Arapahoe county should be attached to Marshall county for judicial purposes and all of the territory west of Riley and east of Arapahoe county should be attached for all civil purposes to Riley county.
By 1857 the survey of the eastern counties of the territory had proceeded so that it was possible to definitely bound the eastern counties of the terri- tory by township and section lines. An act was passed by the territorial Legislature on February 20, 1857, correcting the boundary lines of all of the counties, except Marion, Washington and Arapahoe counties. Wash- ington county was also created with the boundary lines it has now and as a
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matter of necessity the territory formerly called "Washington" county, the southwest third of the state, was left without a name. The Legislature either did not think the land to which they had formerly given the name of Washington, worth a name or forgot they had taken this name from that portion of the territory and given it to another county. So that the land that now embraces the seventh and eighth congressional district was nameless for five years. When the Legislature of 1860 met. the slight that had been given the Great Southwest was corrected and the land that once bore the name of the Father of his Country was given the name of "Peketon." Whether this name was intended as a salve for the omission of nameless- ness by the former Legislature or as an irritant because it seemed necessary to give this territory some name, is not disclosed in the records. But "Peke- ton" it was and "Peketon" it remained until another Legislature met. The name was of Indian origin; what it meant, what its significance was, is not known. There are but few documents left from "Peketon county." only one being in the state historical collection. It is a letter to a Kansas man, notorious in southwestern Kansas in later years, Brigadier-General Samuel N. Wood. It was dated "Kiowa, Peketon county, May roth, 1864." and was signed by John F. Dodds.
In 1865 another change was made by the map makers of Kansas. By an act of the Legislature of that year Marion county was enlarged to include all of the territory embraced in Peketon county and two years later the last general step toward putting Reno county on the map was made. Out of Marion county were made thirty-four counties that now compose the seventh and eighth congressional districts, with the exception of Mont- gomery and Howard counties, which were once also a part of Peketon county, but are not in either of the two congressional districts named.
But the boundary changes of Reno county were not yet completed. By this act of the Legislature in 1868, Butler, Sedgwick and Reno counties were all the same size, forty-eight miles long from north to south and forty-two miles wide from east to west. The changes that were afterward made were due to the location of the city of Hutchinson and showed the foresight of the founder of that city, C. C. Hutchinson. To appreciate the reasons for the changes that were afterwards made in the county lines, it will be neces- sary to relate some of the things that led to the selection of the present site as the county seat of Reno county.
C. C. Hutchinson founded the town of Ottawa, Kansas. By profes- sion he was a preacher, belonging to the Baptist church. He was well known to the builders of the Santa Fe railroad as a man of integrity and
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foresight. Hutchinson made a contract with the head of the land department of that road to locate a town on their road somewhere west of Newton. Hutchinson held to the idea that a town should be built on a watercourse, partially because of the drainage and also because the easy way of get- ting water now known was not known to the pioneer. Hutchinson drove along the line on which it was proposed to build the railroad. He crossed the Little Arkansas river where Halstead now stands. This place was
offered as a location for the new town. For some reason it did not appeal to him, although today it has one of the finest natural parks in central Kansas. The Santa Fe road at that time was surveyed to the Arkansas river south from Halstead. It was the intention of the railroad officials to extend this line to San Antonio, Texas. Hutchinson, selected a section of land on the Little Arkansas river where Sedgwick now stands as a place to build his town.
However, the contract was never carried out by either party. A dis- covery was made by the railroad officials that completely changed their plans. When it is remembered that the original builders of the Santa Fe railroad were Boston men, who built the road solely out of the sale of the land given them by the government, the importance of this discovery will be realized and the reason they changed their plans of buikling their road south to San Antonio, Texas, to the place it was afterwards built, westward, along the Arkansas river into Colorado, and later to the Pacific coast, will be made plain. That discovery was made by Mr. Hutchinson. From the beginning he had urged the railroad officials to build westward along the river. He told them that in his judgment, it would be a generation before the uplands would be settled; that the settlers would locate in the river bot- toms and that they could not sell the uplands and that their source of reve- nue would be cut off, but that they could sell the river bottom lands. These arguments did not convince the railroad men. They were determined to build on south from Halstead into Texas. Hutchinson accidentally obtained a copy of the treaty made with the Osage Indians in 1865. This treaty had not been acted on by the United States Senate until 1867. Even then it was not published, but Hutchinson obtained a copy of the treaty made with the Osage Indians and found it impossible for the railroad to get every other section for a distance of five miles on each side of the road, and not only this, but by the terms of the treaty they would have to pay for their right of way at the rate of a dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. This pro- vision regarding the building of railroads across the land purchased from the Indians in the treaty of 1865 was suggested by a St. Louis newspaper
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man, who was with the party representing the government. This man was Henry M. Stanley, afterward known to the world as the great African explorer. It is said that Stanley, in a mockingly serious manner, when the commissioners had about concluded the work of making the treaty, sug- gested to them that they made a serious omission in the treaty, that they had made no provisions for building railroads across the land! It was regarded as a joke and the provision inserted that not only would bar Con- gress from making the usual land grant to railroads, but would require the railroads even to pay for their right of way.
When the Santa Fe officials had this pointed out to them, they con- cluded to act on Hutchinson's suggestion and follow the Arkansas river westward. Suppose, however, this joker had not been in the treaty, what would have been the results? Hutchinson would be located where Sedgwick now is. Dodge City would be without a railroad, perhaps be simply "Ft. Dodge." Garden City and Kinsley and Syracuse would be waiting yet for a railroad-in fact, the whole of southwestern Kansas history would have been changed, all due to a joker in an Indian treaty in 1865.
Following his idea of town building, Hutchinson came on west, after it was decided to build the main line of the road westward, and picked the section on which the city was to be built. However, there were some things which disturbed Hutchinson in his selection of a townsite and made him realize he had chosen an undesirable location for his town. Hutchinson thought he could remedy part of these things by action of the Legislature. Reno county at that time was unorganized. It required six hundred inhabit- ants at that time to organize a county. So a petition was prepared and the necessary six hundred names attached. The petition was presented to the governor, who appointed temporary county commissioners. Hutchin- son explained his anxiety regarding the location of the county seat to the people here then and it was thought that the Legislature would help remedy matters. An election was called and Hutchinson was unanimously elected representative. This election was held on January 6, 1872. The regular election for members of the Legislature was held in the fall, but, recognizing the emergency. the Legislature seated Hutchinson. He began at once to pro- teet the city he had located from a possible county-seat contest. As was stated. Butler, Sedgwick and Reno counties were all the same size, made so by action of the Legislature in 1867. A bill was introduced creating Kingman county. The northern end of Harper county was cut off and a row of town- ships taken from the southern part of Reno county and the new territory called Kingman county. In the same way Harvey county was put on the
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map. The northern end of Sedgwick county was taken and the new county called Harvey. Also a row of townships was taken from Sedgwick county, as it was laid out in 1867, and added to Reno county. But these changes did not take away all the chances for a county-seat contest. It was only two miles from Hutchinson to the north line of the county and the Legis- lature very accommodatingly cut a row of townships from Rice and McPher- son counties and added them to Reno county. This made Hutchinson more nearly the geographical center of the county and Hutchinson was relieved from his fear of a rival for county seat. In these changes Hutchinson had the help of the representatives of Sedgwick and McPherson counties. Hut- chinson had some personal friends in the Legislature, men whom he helped in some of the enterprises in which they were interested. Notably among them was "Oklahoma Payne," the man who kept up the agitation for the opening of the Cherokee Indian lands and who was among the pioneers of Oklahoma when Congress finally opened the land for settlement.
So, after years of planning and scheming, Reno county got its present form. What we are now familiar with as the county lines, will doubtless remain. An attempt was made to divide the county in 1887. The pro- posed dividing line was to be run north and south, with the line of Salt Creek township, the eastern boundary line of the new county, jogging east to include Troy and Center in the new county. The enterprise had consid- erable strength, partially due to the claim among those politically interested that Hutchinson had all the best of the county offices and left the country with small representation in the court house. At that time there were a number of western counties that were being divided and those interested in that enter- prise had to make their alliance in the Legislature with the representatives of the eastern counties, especially in the state Senate, where the eastern part of the state was much stronger than the western portion. So but little headway was made by the advocates of making two counties out of Reno.
However, had this agitation started in 1875 or even a few years later. it would have gained much more headway. It was the one great thing that C. C. Hutchinson feared, and one he did more to guard against than any- thing else. But the city had gained much and many of the early reasons for division had been removed, among them the lack of roads and the absence of bridges over the Arkansas river. This was not a formidable proposition in 1887, but would have been a serious matter to Hutchinson and to Reno county had the agitation been begun ten or twelve years earlier.
CHAPTER VIH.
THE EARLY SETTLERS.
The first man to settle in what is now Reno county was Lewis M. Thomas, of lowa. Early in January, 1870, he left Iowa and drove his cov- ered wagon southward, crossing the Solomon and Smoky Hill rivers, intend- ing to strike the Santa Fe trail, then the only traveled road to the west, through Kansas. He started for California, but when he reached the rich valley of Cow creek he was so fascinated with it that he abandoned his California trip. He camped at the Stone Corral, which was one of the stopping places on the trail. This corral was located in Rice county, close to the northern boundary of Reno county. Mr. Thomas first visited a small settlement called AAtlanta. He started down Cow creek in a southeasterly direction, looking for a suitable location. He picked out a part of section 8, township 22, range 5, and filed on this claim in Novem- ber, 1870. Shortly after filing on this land Thomas drove to Lawrence, Kansas, purchased some stock and some provisions, and returned to his claim in December. On his return from Lawrence, he was accompanied by an Englishman named Hunt, who unfortunately filed on an odd-numbered section that had previously been granted to the Santa Fe Railroad Company by Congress. Hunt was disappointed in his failure to get government land and did not remain there long. He never tried to get another piece of land and disappeared from the country.
In January, 1871, there were two different settlements made in Reno county, one day by J. H. D. Rozan in the northwestern part of the county and one by Luther Dodge and others in the southeastern part of the county. just below the mouth of Cow creek. Neither of these settlements were then in Reno county. Rozan's claim was then in Rice county and Dodge and his party were in Sedgwick county, but the boundary lines of Reno county were changed by the Legislature that met in January, 1872, and both of these settlements are within the present boundary lines of this county.
Rozan's settlement preceded Dodge's. It was some time be- fore either knew of the other's settlement. Hunt's claim was also in Rice county, which soon became a part of Reno county. They are
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entitled to the distinction of being "the first settlers of Reno county." On February 9, 1871, A. S. Dimmock filed on a quarter of land that was like- wise then in Rice county. The first filing in what was then Reno county was made by Luther Dodge, on February 19, 1871. John Shahan followed closely after Dodge, filing on his land on March 20, 1871. Later in the year W. H. Cadwell settled on some land southeast of Hutchinson. Later in the year Charles Collins took his claim north of town. Shortly after Collins Gled on his claim, D. B. Miller, with his father-in-law and brother- in-law. also Amasa Smith. with his two sons, filed claims. On August 8. 1871. L. S. Shields with his two sons, Samuel and George, reached Reno county. \ few days later Peter Shafer came to the county and filed on a claim northwest of town in what is now Grant township. A few days after Shafer filed on his land, Lewis Swarens filed on a claim that lies directly northwest of town on Cow creek. Here, within a hundred yards of the spot on which he camped the first night he reached Reno county, Mr. Swarens built his home. There he lived a long and useful life. In March, . 1903. he passed away. At the time of his death he was the only man in Reno county who had lived continuously on the land on which he camped the first night he was in the county. Later in the month of August, 1871. B. F. Evarts and George Laferty came to the county. Miller and his sons filed on land that is now a part of Hutchinson. being platted as Miller & Smith's addition. This land was subjected later to much litigation. It is now covered by houses and one of the recent school buildings, the North Side building, is located on this land. In the latter part of the year A. K. Burrel, T. J. Decker, a Mr. Parker, Mrs. Mead and her sons, filed on land northwest of town in the Cow creek bottoms.
There was another settlement made about the same time at the mouth of Cow creek, some of the claims being below the mouth of the stream. These settlers thought they were getting their land close to the railroad. A.s is mentioned in another chapter, it was understood then that the Santa Fe road would be built south from Halstead to San Antonio, Texas, but the discovery of the fact that no land could be obtained as a bonus and the rail- roads would even have to pay for their right of way, induced the builders of that road to change their route and build up the Arkansas river. Conse- quently, the settlers who had filed on land southeast of where Hutchinson was finally located were greatly disappointed, as it left them several miles farther from the railroad than they expected to be. Some of the early set- tlers always blamed C. C. Hutchinson for making the change, when, in fact.
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it was an Indian treaty made years before that was the cause of the change in the route of the road. Among those who thought they were locating near the railroad were. J. C. Shalian, William Bell, Robert Bell, W. H. Cad- well. a Mr. Havelin, John Butcher. P. Welch, William Lacy, a Mr. Folly, Isaac ljams and wife. William Shoat and wife, James Freese, Hanna and Mary Freese and James Scan.
These two settlements, the one below Hutchinson, the other above the city, all on Cow creek, shows how closely the early settlers clung to the water courses. At that time they knew but little of the underflow, but found the good rich soil of this bottom land and sought here to make their homes.
On the claim below town. W. H. Cadwell built a sod house. He was more nearly the center of the settlement than any of the others, so he was appointed postmaster. Perhaps this is the only postoffice ever located with a due regard for the wishes of the patrons, and it is doubtful if congres- sional patronage was necessary to secure his appointment as postmaster. The postoffice. the first in the county, was called "Queen Valley." The settlers agreed to haul the mail without cost to the government, in consideration of its establishment. In addition to his duties as postmaster, Cadwell ran a hotel and on the side of his dug-out he had a big canvas on which he had scrawled in big. awkward letters the inscription "Pro Bono Publico."
These early settlers found an abundance of game. In the sand hills there were elk, deer and antelope and an occasional buffalo. There was considerable timber, cottonwood and box elder in the hills. An abundance of sand hill plums, most delicious fruit, equalling anything the horticul- turist of today can produce, provided the jellies and butter. So the early settler was not without the things that were necessities then, but would be the rarest luxuries now. They lived well as long as these things lasted. They had to hanl their flour and corn meal some distance, but their meat was in abundance.
In March, 1871. J. H. D. Rozan and his brother. Charles Rozan, drove the first herd of Texas cattle into Reno county. The pasturage of the buffalo grass was fine and the creek bottom in the northern part of Reno and the southern part of Rice counties afforded exceptionally good grazing. In April. 1871. a bunch of Kaw Indians camped on the north side of the Arkansas river and a similar band of Sac and Fox Indians camped on the south side of the river. A careful watch was kept on both of these Indian bands, although apparently there was no danger from either of the tribes. In July
RENO COUNTY, KANSAS.
a report came in from the West that a war party of the Cheyennes was headed eastward to make war on both of these tribes. The Cheyennes claimed the land as their own, as their territory lay to the west of the Osages and they were dissatisfied with the treaty the government had made that dispossessed them of this land and gave the proceeds of the sale to their ancient enemies. Some of the settlers left their claims and went to Sedg- wick City. Most of the settlers, however, remained on their claims. The Cheyennes came. as was expected, but did but little damage. However, they drove off a goodly portion of Rozan's stock. The settlers would not stand for this They organized into a little band, armed themselves and pursued the Indians. They caught them off their guard, scattered the band and recovered most of the cattle. There were about fifty herders and frontiers- men in the party. No lives were lost in the little skirmish that occurred when the settlers reached the herds. The Indians vanished and never again visited Reno county in a hostile manner. There were rumors at later times of Indian raids, and there was a company of militia organized in Langdon township at a later date to fight the Indians in southern Kansas.
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