USA > Kansas > Sedgwick County > History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas, past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county, Vol. II > Part 21
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The development of this great industry called for markets. For a long time Cincinnati was the great hog market of this country, but time demonstrated that the seat of the manufacture should be near to the source of supply. Soon Chicago began to grow as a live stock market. Chicago is always great in all that she undertakes. The first great necessity of a live stock market is the supply of hogs and cattle, next comes the railway facilities. It has been demonstrated beyond any question that it is an im- possibility to build a great live stock market, save upon a com- peting point of great lines of railway. Hence, other things being favorable, the great live stock interests of the West have centered at Chicago, and later on, at Omaha, Kansas City and Wichita. We hear frequent complaints, in these times of great injustice and wrongs, perpetrated by the various stockyards' companies. It is probable that the injuries are mostly imaginary, for the stock yards of the West are a great blessing to the western. farmer. They furnish a sure and ready market for all of his cattle and hogs. Wipe them out and he would be at sea, as to his chief and most important products.
A careful reading of the daily press will furnish him at all times reliable reports as to the exact state of the market. Twelve hour's time over one of the great lines of railway will put him with his product into the market.
A glance at the growth of the great live stock markets of the West may be of interest. As everybody knows, Chicago leads in every thing. As to her continuing this supremacy will depend on many things. She has the competing lines of railways, one of the great factors of this trade. She taps the surrounding
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683
THE LIVE STOCK INTERESTS
country with her railways, all converging to her and draining the surrounding territory for many, nay for hundreds of miles.
For the last few years, Omaha has made wonderful progress in building up a live stock market.
Her growth in this direction has been a surprise to her com- petitors, and a source of gratification to her friends.
Her location is favorable, she drains a large corn producing territory. Early in 1884 a number of capitalists associated them- selves together with a view to the development of these natural facilities. The outcome was the organization of two separate companies, composed chiefly of the same parties, and including in their number some of the most enterprising capitalists of Omaha, Chicago, Cheyenne, Boston and St. Louis. It was in- tended that these two companies, known as the Union Stock Yards Company and the South Omaha Land syndicate should work in harmony with each other, and they purchased a large tract of land comprising 260 acres, lying immediately south of the city limits of Omaha. The stock yards company commenced the building of yards, while the land syndicate laid out a town site, giving it the name of South Omaha. The original capital of the stock yards company was $700,000, but with the rapid development of the industry, the capital has been increased to $2,000,000, and new stockholders have been added to the list.
The Omaha yards opened for business in August, 1884. Their receipts and business was flattering from the very start. The fol- lowing is their present capacity for live stock: 10,000 cattle, 20,- 000 hogs, 5,000 sheep, 500 horses and mules per day. The follow- ing figures of receipts and shipments at the Omaha yards are almost incredible.
It was the Hon. Jerry Simpson, of Kansas, who said quoting the old adage, "That figures never lie but that liars make figures." However I believe that the figures below are authentic.
LARGEST RECEIPTS OF STOCK IN ONE YEAR.
Cattle, 1890
606,699
Hogs, 1890
1,673,314
Sheep, 1889
159,053
Horses and Mules, 1889.
7,595
Cars, 1890
54,283
684
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
TOTAL RECEIPTS OF STOCK FOR SEVEN YEARS.
Years
Cattle
Hogs
Sheep
H&M
1884, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov.
36,898
1,863
4,188
466
1885
114,163
130,867
18,985
1,959
1886
144,457
390,487
40,195
3,028
1887
235,723
1,011,706
76,014
3,202
1888
340,469
1,283,600
158,503
5,035
1889
467,340
1,206,605
159,053
7,595
1890
606,699
1,673,314
156,186
5,318
Total
1,995,749
5,698,442
613,124
26,603
TOTAL SHIPMENTS OF STOCK FOR SEVEN YEARS.
Years.
Cattle
Hogs
Sheep
H&M
1884, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov.
81,955
500
1,273
417
1885
83,233
71,919
8,408
1,415
1886
73,120
187,369
17,728
1,857
1887
151,419
140,726
56,444
1,856
1888
206,064
333,228
118,208
3,799
1889
227,921
179,916
103,250
6,744
1890
283,880
275,638
94,464
4,935
Total
1,107,592
1,189,296
399,775
21,023
With the stock yards always goes its twin industry, the pack- ing house. Four great meat packing establishments are now in operation at South Omaha. The aggregate cost of the buildings and equipments exceeds $2,000,000, independent of the value of the ground occupied by the plants. About 3,000 men are em- .ployed in the stock yards and packing houses of Omaha. If the hog and cattle market of Omaha is a surprising one, what shall I say of that of Kansas City, known all over the land as the sec- ond largest great live stock market of the Union? In twenty years the growth of the live stock market of Kansas City has been enormous. Beginning in 1871 with 120,827 cattle, 41,036 hogs, 4,527 sheep, 809 horses and mules and 6,623 cars, the year 1890 showed 1,472,229 cattle, 76,568 calves, 2,865,171 hogs, 535,- 869 sheep, 37,118 horses and mules, with 108,160 cars handled. The total receipts for the year 1890 have simply been enormous
685
THE LIVE STOCK INTERESTS
and there has been a steady increase each year since. The ques- tion arises, Where does all of this stock come from ?
VALUATION OF STOCK HANDLED AT THESE YARDS IN TWENTY YEARS.
1871
$ 4,210,605.00
1872
9,175,071.00
1873
9,133,399.00
1874
8,692,337.00
1875
6,574,473.00
1876
7,210,033.00
1877
9,129,047.00
1878
7,721,999.00
1879
10,635,231.00
1880
14,277,215.00
1881
23,595,276.00
1882
32,660,445.00
1883.
35,824,499.00
1884
41,145,551.00
1885
39,181,940.00
1886
35,340,150.00
1887
43,514,050.00
1888
55,949,004.00
1889
59,554,276.00
1890
75,503,119.00
And the number has increased each year since. For years the rich and prosperous valleys of the Missouri, the Platte, Re- publican, Kaw, Arkansas, Canadians and Red rivers, the rich pastures of the Cherokee outlet and the plains of the Texas have poured their trainloads of hogs and cattle into the yards of this great city. . Can it be wondered at that she has flourished and waxed strong and opulent, draining all of this magnificent area of territory? Immense packing houses have sprung into exist- ence, and we see here today all that is needed to continue to en- large the present tremendous business and market at this point. Born of the needs of the traffic and the product of that rule which regulates supply and demand and which naturally, all other things being equal, will place the manufactory close to the source of supply, a new Richmond has lately entered the field.
686
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
The Wichita Union Stock Yards is the largest candidate for public favor as a live stock market. Located in the heart of the corn belt and starting in a small way, the success of the Wichita yards has been a surprise to their founders. Following closely upon the location of the yards at Wichita came the immense packing plants of Jacob Dold & Sons and the Cudahys, with an invested capital in the plants and machinery of many thousands of dollars. The Dold and Cudahy packing companies at Wichita have been very important factors in building a live stock market. They have at all times been liberal buyers. With few favors from the great railway lines centering at Wichita they have built up an extensive trade. Their meats seek all of the southern and western ports, and their hams have a reputation as broad as the continent. Time has shown that those points which are natural grain centers can easily maintain themselves as live stock mar- kets. For instance, look at Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City, and later at Wichita. Wichita is a wheat and corn center. Wheat produces bread, but corn makes both pork and beef. That coun- try which will raise corn will make a live stock market.
So that we can reasonably say that the territory tributary to the four points named will continue the present great live stock interests there. If consumption and markets increase production, and we know that this is so, no man can measure the growth of the live stock markets of the great West. There is, however, one great question that must be handled-that is the question of railway transportation. Its importance in connection with the movement of live stock cannot be underestimated.
CHAPTER LIII.
HISTORY OF THE WICHITA UNION STOCK YARDS.
While Wichita, the gateway of the Southwest, has many large wholesale houses which supply the trade for hundreds of miles around, no one class of business is so great or has so far-reaching an effect in building the city as has the Wichita stock yards.
This is essentially a stock-raising and grain-growing territory, and the elevators and grain men are doing much in bringing trade to Wichita, yet it will be conceded that no one of them is doing as much as the Wichita Stock Yards Company, nor any combination of any single business doing as much as are the stock men and packing houses of the North End. For they have prac- tically made a market for all kinds of live stock and to the push and enterprise of the stock yards management is largely due the upbuilding of a gigantic industry second to none in this territory.
It means the bringing to Wichita of thousands of dollars; of bringing to the city, and finding employment for them, of hun- dreds of men, and the bringing to the city of countless people who, were it not for the stock yards, would go elsewhere to spend their money. The men of southern Kansas and Oklahoma ship their products here, and in return Oklahoma and southern Kan- sas are encouraged to purchase their supplies of all kinds from other firms throughout the city. The stock yards are far reaching in their effects, not only to the advantage of a few men directly engaged in the stock business, but to the city in general. And it means a good market close at home for all southern Kansas, Okla- homa and northern Texas. This is one advantage which is felt by all cattle raisers, for long hauls and risks of selling on a falling market are things of the past. Better rates proportionately are given here than in Kansas City. In some instances so fierce is the rivalry between buyers that even Kansas City prices are equaled and never is the market more than a fraction below that city. The shipper who passes Wichita and sells to Kansas City does it at a loss and is beginning to realize the fact.
687
688
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
The stock yards were established in Wichita in 1887 upon twenty-eight acres of land north of Eighteenth street and on both sides of Emporia avenue. Here hog pens and cattle sheds were erected and a three-story brick exchange put up. But disaster met the infant enterprise almost at its completion, for the day after the yards were opened the whole caught fire and burned down. Not in the least dismayed, the company immediately be- gan rebuilding and by January 1, 1888, three months later, were ready to receive stock. In 1900 the yards were removed to their present location on Twenty-first street, where ten acres of land were covered with sheds for all kinds of live stock. In this same year the exchange building was erected. Four years later, June 2, 1904, the yards burned a second time, but were immediately rebuilt.
William R. Dulaney was the first superintendent and retained the management of the yards until four years ago. He assumed his duties in 1888 and remained until April, 1906, a period of eighteen years. The organization was effected in the first instance with J. O. Davidson, president; Robert McQuitty, secretary ; Taltom Embry, general manager; W. R. Dulaney, superintendent, with the following additional directors: W. R. Dulaney, G. L. Pratt and George Hutchinson. The yards were located on ground belonging to George Hutchinson. In 1889 forty more acres were added and seven years ago several more were purchased, making in all seventy-five acres belonging to the company. The same year the stock yards opened up Jacob Dold built his packing house, which provided a local market for hogs and butchers' stuff. In the fall of 1889 Whittaker established his packing house, but closed it in 1893, when he was succeeded by John Cudahy, who continued the business until November, 1906, when the business was turned over to the Cudahy Packing Company, which is plan- ning many extensive improvements. The capacity of the Wichita stock yards at present are sufficient for 2,000 cattle, 2,000 sheep and 5,000 hogs daily. The yards and pens are well built and care- fully kept, so that stock received here are well cared for. The hog sheds are all covered and the cattle pens have all been given a solid floor of brick.
In, 1890, for the convenience of the great business being done in the stock yards and packing houses, the railroads entering the city pooled together and established the joint railway station on Twenty-first, operated by the joint railways, and handling the
689
THE LIVE STOCK INTERESTS
business of all the roads. The value of this method is now begin- ning to be fully appreciated. For years the company seemed con- tent merely to take what came and give the gods thanks. True, it was a vast scheme, and one worthy of commendation-the work done in early days by the infant industry, but it was with the advent of the new company that plans were made for branching out and inducing business to come here which had been going elsewhere. A most enterprising system has been inaugurated, and instead of allowing other cities to hold the lead in stock, Wichita began a strenuous effort to show to shippers that they could not only save money but also make money by shipping here instead of to other points.
In the furtherance of this scheme agents have been sent out to post the people with regard to the facts in the case, and the result is already apparent.
The Wichita market, with its short haul, small freight rates, which means to you less shrink, less expense, less time and more money, is being recognized as one of the best markets in the West. The Wichita market is located in the heart of a great corn and alfalfa raising country, also close to the greatest grazing lands in the United States. Wichita has two large packing houses, viz .: the Cudahy Packing Company and the Jacob Dold Packing Com- pany, which have a capacity of 700 cattle and 5,000 hogs daily. Located as it is, and with the packing capacity it has, there can be no question but what you can find a ready market for any class of stock you may have. Also it is the best market to buy or sell your stockers and feeders. Why? The rate to market is less; the rate to the feeding and grazing country is less; conse- quently the seller can well afford to take as cheap a price for his stockers and feeders on this market as any other market, as his expenses and shrinkage are less in getting them to market. The buyers can afford to pay better prices for them here, for the rea- son that they are close to his pastures and feed lot. He not only saves in expenses, but he can deliver his cattle at home in better condition on account of short haul and less handling. Wichita also has this advantage: You can ship your stock with the privi- lege of the Missouri river markets. With the present shipping rules, the greater per cent of the cattle passing through our mar- ket have to be unloaded and fed en route, and if billed with Wichita privilege you do not lose any time or incur any addi- tional expense by showing your cattle on our market, thereby get-
690
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
ting the benefit of two markets. The Wichita market now has a magnificent live stock exchange building, just completed, in which is located a national bank which will make a specialty of handling cattle paper. This will give the shipper the benefit of any accom- modation that can be extended to him in any market .- From the " Arkansas Valley Farmer."
LARGEST RECEIPTS IN ONE DAY.
Cattle-November 8, 1909 4,041
Hogs-January 20, 1909 7,186
Sheep-March 1, 1900. 3,124
Horses and mules-November 24, 1909 158
Cars-November 8, 1909.
193
LARGEST RECEIPTS IN ONE WEEK.
Cattle-Ending October 23, 1909 7,566
Hogs-Ending January 23, 1909 22,735
Sheep-Ending March 6, 1909. 3,662
Horses and mules-Ending November 27, 1909. 321
Cars-Ending November 13, 1909
422
LARGEST RECEIPTS IN ONE MONTH.
Cattle-October, 1909 27,319
Hogs-January, 1909 80,952
Sheep-October, 1909 5,657
Horses and mules-November, 1909 669
Cars-November, 1909
1,599
LARGEST RECEIPTS IN ONE YEAR.
Cattle-1909
184,659
Hogs-1909 751,560
Sheep-1899 22,796
Horses and mules-1909 3,645
Cars-1909
14,083
RECORD GROWTH IN LIVE STOCK BUSINESS.
The accompanying tables of figures tell more quickly and more clearly than words the wonderful growth of the Wichita
691
WICHITA UNION STOCK YARDS
live stock market during the past sixteen years. These figures are taken from the records of the Union Stock Yards Company and are authentic. They show that the total amount of business handled by the yards has increased 700 per cent in the sixteen years from 1893 to 1909. No other market in the United States can show such a large percentage of business increase in a like period. The most remarkable growth appears in the hog trade. In 1893 the average yearly crop of hogs at the Wichita market was 80,000. Last year over 750,000 hogs were yarded and mostly sold in Wichita. The increase in the sixteen years is just 925 per cent. The cattle growth has not been so marked during the same period. A decade and a half ago the average yearly receipts of cattle were 30,000 head. In 1909 the receipts were 184,000, show- ing the increase to be something over 600 per cent for the period. Half of the stupendous growth made by the Wichita live stock market in the past sixteen years has come in the last three years of the period. In three years, from 1906 to 1909, cattle receipts made a gain of 400 per cent. In the same time the hog business made a gain of 150 per cent. These are remarkable figures and they become more remarkable from the fact that the greater por- tion of the increased supply of hogs and cattle was consumed by the Wichita packing houses. In fact, the growth of the live stock market is merely a reflection of the increased activities of the Wichita packers. For instance, in 1893 nearly half of the hogs received were shipped on to other markets for want of buy- ers here. Last year less than one-seventh of the total receipts went past this market. Sixteen years ago hardly one-fifth of the total receipts were consumed here. Last year one-third of the supply was used by the Wichita packers.
These facts are but an index to the coming greatness of the Wichita live stock market. It is only in the past three years that the live stock industry has really begun to grow in Wichita. Although Wichita has but two packing plants, both are growing in size and capacity at a remarkable rate. In the past two years these two plants have increased their capacities for the slaughter of cattle and hogs fully 50 per cent. To secure this additional capacity they have expended considerably more than a million dollars. In order to keep pace with the enormous growth of its business the Union Stock Yards Company has been compelled to build acres of new pens and sheds every year. The average an- nual budget of new improvements at the stock yards is $50,000,
692
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
most of which goes for additional yardage. At the present time Wichita has one of the best equipped stock yards to be found in the United States. Ninety per cent of the yardage has been built in the last four years after the most modern methods of drainage and sanitation. The entire twenty acres of pens are paved with brick. Each pen is furnished with individual watering and feed- ing troughs. Within the past year many southern cattle have been marketed here. This has called for the expenditure of many thousands of dollars for the improvement and enlargement of the quarantine division of the yards. A thousand head of southern cattle can be easily cared for now and additional pens are being built this fall. Less than a year ago the stock yards company finished one of the finest exchange buildings of the coun- try. In this building are located the offices of fifteen commission firms, a national bank, stock yards company offices, the Wichita Terminal Railway Company and branch offices of the packing houses.
YEARLY SHIPMENTS BY THE RAILROADS.
Year.
Cattle.
Hogs.
Cars.
1893
41,013
37,561
2,453
1894
27,689
14,645
1,343
1895
25,078
15,315
1,034
1896
9,947
12,924
495
1897
17,741
19,994
779
1898
13,088
91,143
1,291
1899
20,637
84,025
1,496
1900
19,604
119,767
2,270
1901.
19,278
113,211
2,196
1902
28,749
61,884
1,923
1903.
27,439
45,025
1,510
1904
22,271
41,037
1,313
1905
26,460
67,797
1,862
1906
29,432
34,246
1,476
1907
71,394
28,849
2,625
1908.
80,880
142,026
4,202
1909
125,685
93,290
3,976
Totals
606,385
1,023,239
33,244
693
WICHITA UNION STOCK YARDS
WICHITA'S PROMINENCE AS A STOCK AND FEEDER MARKET.
As a stocker and feeder market Wichita has sprung into prominence with unusual rapidity during the past five years. Even three years ago the stocker and feeder business transacted at the Wichita yards was almost a negligible quantity. Now a very respectable portion of the annual business is in the stocker and feeder division. Adverse freight rates and discriminatory interpretation of tariffs has hindered the growth of the market not a little. However, recent adjustments have been made along this line and the effect is already showing in the greater activities of the stock cattle market. Recently the Wichita transportation bureau secured a favorable ruling for the manner of handling out shipments of stocker and feeder cattle. The tariff rates on this class of business are 75 per cent of the fat cattle rate into the market. Owing to a rigid interpretation of the provisions of this rate Wichita cattle men were not able to take advantage of it. This obstacle has been removed, however, and now stock cattle may be shipped anywhere from the Wichita market at 75 per cent of the rate charged for bringing them into the market.
Another sweeping change in the manner of handling stock hogs is being made at the Wichita yards. In fact, Wichita is in a fair way to become an open market for the sale of stock hogs. Quarantine laws have prevented any such thing in the past, but the discovery of cholera preventatives promises to revolutionize the stock hog business. At the present time Wichita has a market for stock hogs in a restricted sense. The state live stock sanitary inspector recently appointed Charles Fay as local inspector for stock hogs. Under the supervision of Mr. Fay stock hogs may be removed from the Wichita yards into certain territory for feeding purposes. This gives Wichita a much freer market for stoek hogs than has ever existed prior to this year. It is believed that in time the new cholera preventative will make it possible to handle hogs just as native cattle are handled. Stock hogs will be shipped to market subjected to a test of one week or ten days during which time they will be innoculated with cholera preven- tative and then taken anywhere for feeding. Perhaps the great- est opportunity of the Wichita market lies in the building up of a great stocker and feeder market. The country to the south and west of Wichita is rapidly developing along the line of intensive
694
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
farming. In the past five years thousands of great ranches have been cut into small farms. With the changing of cattle ranges into corn and wheat-producing sections there comes a change in the class of live stock handled. The rough western steer is giving place to the highly bred meat producing animal. Corn and alfalfa are rapidly becoming the chief products of Arkansas valley soil. From them comes the 1,500-pound steer and the 300-pound hog.
The officers of the Wichita Union Stock Yards: C. H. Brooks, Wichita, Kan., president ; J. A. McNaughton, South Omaha, Neb., vice-president; Wallace P. Bache, Wichita, Kan., secretary-treas- urer; G. B. Albright, Wichita, Kan., general manager; H. E. New- lin, Wichita, Kan., traffic manager.
STOCK MARKET THAT SATISFIES.
Wichita has passed the preparatory stage and has become one of the great packing centers and live stock markets of the West. It spent a good many years in the preparatory struggle, but the Wichita packers are now reaching out to new territory for cattle and hogs to supply the demand for their products. When an army invades a country it first secures a base; rations are col- lected, new regiments, brigades and divisions are added to the fighting strength of the army before it makes a final movement toward the interior of the country. These are important things for the army, just as it is important for the packing centers and live stock market from which it can get its daily supply of cattle and hogs. A packing house without a regular live stock market is bound to be a failure. It cannot keep a large force of work- men and depend on buying its live stock in the country. It can- not go out after the stock, but the stock must come to it. When the Cudahy and Dold Packing companies enlarged their plants and the word went out that they were going to buy all the stock that came to this market "that was a notice that the army had completed its preparations and was ready to move into the in- terior and capture the country." The Wichita packers have ad- vanced and they are everywhere winning victories. In the past eighteen months they have spent nearly a million dollars enlarg- ing their plants. The stock yards company has spent a quarter of a million dollars building new cattle and hog pens and a mag- nificent new exchange building, wherein will be housed commis- sion firms and all the adjuncts of a great live stock market, in-
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