USA > Kansas > Kansas; a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence, Voilume I > Part 85
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Furley, a village of Sedgwick county, is a station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. 15 miles northeast of Wichita. It has a money order postoffice with one rural route, telegraph and express offices, general stores and implement houses, and is the principal shipping point for a rich agricultural district in the northeastern part of the county. The population in 1910 was 52.
Fur Traders .- In the early settlement of America, the prospects of acquiring wealth through a trade in furs lured a number of adventurous spirits into the wilds for the purpose of trapping the fur-bearing animals and opening up traffic with the Indians. Chittenden says: "The nature of this business determined the character of the early white population. It was the roving trader and the solitary trapper who first sought out these inhospitable wilds, traced the streams to their sources, scaled the mountain passes, and explored a boundless expanse of territory where the foot of the white man had never trodden before."
The Hudson Bay traders were operating on the upper Missouri in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The first fur company in the United States was organized in 1794 at the suggestion of Zenon Trudeau, but it did not last long. In 1802 a company was formed by Manuel Lisa,
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François M. Benoit, Gregoire Sarpy and Charles Sanguinet. Five years later Manuel Lisa, Pierre Menard and William Morrison organized a company which in 1809 became merged with the Missouri Fur company, the most prominent members of which were Benjamin Wilkinson, Pierre and Auguste Chouteau, Manuel Lisa, William Clark, William Morrison and Pierre Menard. About the same time Astor began operations on the Pacific coast. The period of the active fur trade west of the Missis- sippi extended from 1807 to 1843. During the greater part of that time there was a spirited rivalry among a number of fur companies, the most notable of which were the Hudson Bay, the Missouri, the American, the Northwestern, the Pacific, the North American and the Rocky Moun- tain companies. The last named was organized by ' Gen. William H. Ashley, who in 1826 sold out to William L. Sublette, David E. Jackson and Jedediah S. Smith. Others who were interested in or closely con- nected with the fur trade were the Bent brothers, Campbell and Charles L'Arpenteur.
All the companies employed men and established trading posts in the Indian country. Their pirogues, canoes, bull-boats, bateaus and keel- boats covered the western waters, bearing goods to the trading posts and peltries back to St. Louis, which city was for many years the head- quarters of the fur trade. There were, however, a large number of what were known as "free hunters and trappers"-men who preferred to act in their individual capacity in the hope of making greater profits than they would by accepting wages from the fur companies. Of these, Han- cock and Dickson were hunting and trapping on the Yellowstone as early as 1804. John Colter, who was discharged from the Lewis and Clark expedition, took up the work of a free trapper, and in his peregri- nations through the western wilderness discovered the great geysers that are now in the Yellowstone national park. Ezekiel Williams was another free trapper in 1807. In numerous instances the Indians opposed the organization of fur companies, finding it easier to deal with an individual than with the representative of a corporation.
The great fur companies did not operate to any great extent on the prairie streams, but left them to the free hunters and trappers. When Lewis and Clark ascended the Missouri in 1804 they met two French- men who had been trapping during the winter of 1803-04 on the upper waters of the Kansas river. (See Early River Commerce.) A French post was established in what is now Kansas, opposite Kickapoo island. Chouteau & De Munn were operating on the Arkansas river in 1815-17. and the Sublettes were often in Kansas. Several trading posts were established by the Chouteaus (q. v.) along the Kansas river.
The influence of the fur traders was felt in various ways. Brigham Young selected the valley of the Great Salt Lake as a haven for the Mormons upon information imparted to him by trappers. In the war with Mexico old trappers and traders were employed to guide the United States troops across the country. Audubon, Nicollet, Catlin, and a host
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of other students of nature and writers on Indian life and character, received many useful hints from the fur traders, whose experience proved of great benefit to the pioneer settler some years later.
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Gabriel, an inland hamlet of Doniphan county, is located near the Missouri river in the northeastern part of the county in Burr Oak town- ship, about 8 miles from Troy, the county seat, from which place it receives mail. The population in 1910 was 50.
Galatia, a country postoffice in Barton county, is located in Fairview township 24 miles northwest of Great Bend, the county seat. Olmitz, on the Missouri Pacific, is the nearest shipping point, with which it has daily stage connections. The population according to the census of 1910 was 65.
Galena, an incorporated city of the second class in Cherokee county, is located near the southeast corner of the county on Short creek and at the junction of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas and St. Louis & San Francisco railroads. There is also an electric line to Joplin, Carthage and Webb City, Mo. The first railroad was completed to this point in 1871, but the town was not started until after the discovery of lead ore ' in the spring of 1877. The Galena Mining & Smelting company pur- chased 120 acres of land and laid out the town. Lots sold rapidly, and within two months the population numbered over 2,000. A postoffice was established soon after the town was platted, and in May, 1871, Galena was incorporated as a city of the third class, with G. W. Webb as the first mayor. The first school was taught in the winter of 1877-78 in a building that had been erected for mercantile purposes, and the first regular school house-a frame structure of four rooms-was built in 1879. On May 16, 1879, the first number of the Galena Miner made its appearance. This was the first newspaper.
For some time after Galena was started, the buildings were of that "balloon" type so generally found in new mining towns, and a large part of the population was composed of individuals as "rough" as the build- ings. Saloons flourished, the gambler was early on the ground, drunken brawls and shooting scrapes were common. But this has been changed. The Galena of the present day is equipped with substantial business buildings, waterworks, electric lights, a fire department, a sewer system, well paved streets, good sidewalks, a telephone exchange, an electric street railway, modern public school buildings, good hotels, well stocked mercantile establishments, and a number of fine residences. Lead and zinc mining and smelting are the principal industries, but there are also foundries, stamping works, grain elevators, a novelty works, a broom factory, etc. The city has 3 banks, I daily and 2 weekly newspapers, an opera house, and lodges of the leading fraternal organizations. The population in 1910 was 6,096. Empire City was annexed to Galena in 1907.
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Galesburg, an incorporated city of Neosho county, is located in Center- ville township, on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas R. R., 10 miles south- west of Erie, the county seat. It has a bank, telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with two rural routes. The popu- lation in 1910 was 183. The land on which the town was located was taken up by a Mr. Tracy for a town company of which the following were the personnel : J. W. Crees, David Bonham, E. Sapp, Levi A. Doan and J. W. Snyder. The first building was erected by William Young. J. W. Snyder built and opened the first store. The postoffice which belongs to this place was at first located at Rose Hill, about a mile south, but when the town was founded in 1871, it was moved to Gales- burg. The first school was taught by Miss Parna Whittlesey in the winter of 1871-2, the school being held in the town hall.
Gallagher, a rural postoffice of Logan township, Comanche county, is located a few miles east of Coldwater, the county seat and most con- venient railroad station.
Galt, a country postoffice in Rice county, is a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R., II miles northeast of Lyons, the county seat. It is also a trading point, having one general store. The population according to the census of 1910 was 15.
Galva, one of the thriving little cities of McPherson county, is located in Empire township 8 miles east of McPherson, the county seat. It is well equipped with railroads, having the main line of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, and the Florence & Ellinwood branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. It is the receiving and shipping point for a large and prosperous farming district; is supplied with a bank, telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 322. Galva was laid out in 1879 on lands belonging to the Marion & McPherson Railroad company. Good stock yards were constructed and a number of general stores opened. In 1880 the "Central Kansas Congregational Academy" was chartered and a building was erected at Galva at a cost of $1,000. Galva has always been prosperous, and is at present a city of the third class.
Game Laws .- When the first white settlers came to Kansas they found game, both large and small, in abundance. Herds of buffalo and antelope roamed over the plains; deer, wild turkey and an occasional elk were to be found in the woody country; wild geese and ducks often stopped for awhile in Kansas in their migrations; in the brakes and along the streams lived large numbers of rabbits, quails, snipes, plovers, etc. In those early days the rifle was depended on to a large . extent to furnish the supply of meat for the family. So plentiful were the game animals and birds that little or no thought was given to their protection until after the state was admitted into the Union.
The act of May 10, 1861, made it unlawful "to shoot, kill or trap, within the limits of the state, any prairie chicken, quails, partridges. wild turkey and deer between the first day of April and September of
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each year," and imposed a fine of $5 or less for each violation of the law. Justices of the peace were given jurisdiction for the enforcement of the provisions of the act. This was the first game law passed by the legislature of the State of Kansas.
As time passed and game grew scarcer, more stringent laws were passed for the protection of game animals and birds. In 1871 the California quail was placed under legal protection. The act of 1897 imposed penalties upon railroad companies for shipping game out of the state during the closed season. The act of March II, 1903, made it unlawful to kill quail or prairie chicken in certain counties of the state for a period of three years. On Feb. 18, 1905, Gov. Hoch approved an act authorizing him to appoint a state fish and game warden for a term of four years, whose duty it should be to take charge of the fish hatchery (q. v.) and carry out the provisions of law regarding the propagation of game and food fish in the waters of the state. To assist him in the discharge of this duty, the warden was directed to appoint one or more deputies.
The law of 1905 was repealed by the act of Feb. 28, 1911, which reenacted, however, a number of the provisions of former laws. The office of fish and game warden was continued, the term of office to be for four years, the annual salary to be $2,000, and the warden was placed under the supervision of the regents of the University of Kansas. The warden was authorized to appoint one or more deputies in each county of the state, in which ten resident taxpayers might request him to do so, and the warden and his deputies were given power to arrest any person caught in the act of violating the law. A license fee of $I was required from every resident of the state before he would be allowed to hunt, and non-residents were required to pay $15 for, such privilege, all licenses to expire at the close of the fiscal years in which they were issued. Every person thus licensed was also required to carry his license with him while hunting, and to show it to the warden, deputy warden, or other officer upon demand.
The open season, that is the season in which game birds or animals might be killed, was as follows: For squirrels, from Sept. I to Jan. I; fur-bearing animals, Nov. 15 to March 15; wild geese, ducks and brants, Sept. I to April 15; snipe, Sept. I to April 30; grouse or prairie chicken, Oct. I to Nov. 1; plover, Aug. I to April 30; quail, Nov. 15 to Dec. I. No game bird was to be shot at or killed while sitting on the ground or in the water, unless wounded, and none was to be killed earlier than one hour before sunrise nor later than one hour after sun- set. The number of birds that could be killed in any one day was limited to 12 snipe, prairie chicken, wild ducks, quail or plover. and 6 wild geese or brant. Beaver, otter, deer and antelope could not be killed or trapped in any manner for a period of ten years from the passage of the act.
Owners of farms, orchards or gardens were not prevented by the act from killing bluejays, owls, hawks, crows, blackbirds or other
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destructive birds, but it was made unlawful for any person to kill,. destroy or take into captivity any eagle, or to destroy the nest or eggs of any wild bird or to have such nest or eggs in his possession except under certain conditions.
Section 20 of the act provided that "It shall be unlawful for any person to catch, take, or attempt to catch or take, from any lake, pond, river, creek, stream or other waters within or bordering on this state, any fish by any means or in any manner except by rod and line and fishhook; provided, that not more than one hook shall be used on such line; and provided further, that no person shall use more than one trot-line at any one time, and that no trot-line shall have attached to it more than 25 hooks; provided further, that no trot-line shall be set within 300 yards of a dam or within 200 yards of the mouth of any creek or river; and provided further, that this section shall not be deemed to prohibit the catching of fish in the creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes of this state by means of a seine having a mesh which stretches not less than three inches; and provided further, that if any fish are caught less than three pounds in weight by means of any seine it shall be unlawful to injure or take said fish away, but they shall be thrown back into the water."
Seines could not be used, however, from April 15 to June 15, nor from Dec. 15 to March 15, and owners of seines were required to secure a permit from the warden and give bond that they would be used according to law. The warden was authorized to seize and destroy all nets, traps, etc., used in violation of the act. For violation of any of the provisions of the law the offender should be fined not less than $5 nor more than $25 for the first offense; not less than $50 nor more than $200 for the second offense; and not less than $100 nor more than $500 for the third and each subsequent offense, and should be committed to the county jail until fine and cost of prosecution might be paid.
Railroad companies, or other common carriers, were prohibited from shipping any game birds, except upon a permit from the warden, but nothing in the law prevented the taking of fish or game for propagation or scientific purposes.
Garden City, the largest town and county seat of Finney county, is centrally located on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Garden City, Gulf and Northern railroads, and on the Arkansas river. It is the commercial center for a large and prosperous irrigating district, and is in the midst of the Kansas beet sugar region. It has electricity for lighting and power, waterworks, sewer system, fire and police depart- ments, a county high school, public library, hospital, opera house. 3 banks, 3 newspapers (the Telegram, a daily and the Imprint and Herald, weeklies). There is a beet sugar factory, erected at a cost of $1,000,000, which handles 1,000 tons of beets and turns out 200,000 pounds of refined sugar daily. There are two seed houses, which cure and market native seeds, several firms which manufacture stock tanks, pumps, and
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all sorts of well supplies, 2 elevators, a flour mill and a planing mill. Daily stages run to Santa Fe, Eminence and Essex, and tri-weekly stages to Terryton. The.shady streets and fine lawns in the residence portion of Garden City indicate that it is well named. The business district, which covers several squares, is solidly built with structures of brick and stone. The city is supplied with telegraph and express offices, telephone accommodations, and an international money order postoffice with two rural routes. Garden City was first settled in 1884. For the first few years the growth was rapid, but, in common with other western Kansas towns, it lost in population during the period of business depression from 1889 to 1896. Since then its progress has been along more conservative lines and the improvements are consequently of a more substantial character than those of earlier years. In 1900, the first U. S. census after the city was incorporated, the popu- lation was 1,590. Ten years later the city was divided into three wards and reported a total population of 3,171, an increase of almost 100 per cent. during the decade.
Garden Plain, one of the leading towns of Sedgwick county, is located in the township of the same name and is a station on the Wichita & Pratt division of the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe R. R. 20 miles west of Wichita. It has a bank, a money order postoffice with one rural route, telegraph and express offices, telephone connections with the surrounding towns, general stores, hardware and implement houses, and is the shipping point for a rich agricultural district. Garden Plain was incorporated in 1902 and in 1910 reported a population of 296.
Gardner, the third largest town in Johnson county, is located in the southwest portion on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. 9 miles southwest of Olathe, the county seat. It was surveyed and laid out in 1857 by O. G. Gardner, Benjamin B. Francis, A. B. Bartlett and others who composed the town company, and was named in honor of Gov. Gardner of Massachusetts. The first building was a large frame struc- ture, erected by the town company for temporary use. The first hotel was kept by Benjamin Davis in a small log building, subsequently he built a frame hotel and in the spring of 1857 the town company built a stone hotel building. Dr. W. M. Shean, the first physician, located in Gardner in 1857, and in the fall of the year a blacksmith shop was opened. J. W. Sponable opened the first store in the spring of 1858. A second store soon followed and a shoe shop was also started. Myra D. Shean taught the first school. In 1861 a stone school house was erected. The Methodists became established in Gardner in 1857, but did not build a church until 1878. A Presbyterian church was erected in 1858. A library association was formed in 1862. On Oct. 21, 1861, Gardner was sacked by a band of guerrillas, under Upton Hays. With the building of the railroad the town began to prosper and today is the banking, shipping and supply point for a rich and large agricultural district. There are several general stores, a hardware and implement house, lumber yard, hotel, and other commercial enterprises, a money
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order postoffice, telegraph and express facilities, and in 1910 Gardner reported a population of 514.
Garfield, one of the principal towns of Pawnee county, is situated on the Arkansas river and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. II miles southwest of Larned, the county seat. It is a shipping point of considerable importance, has a bank, a money order postoffice with one rural route, telegraph, express and telephone accommodations, a flour mill, 4 grain elevators, a hotel, a public library, graded and high schools, Congregational, Methodist and Swedish Lutheran churches, and a number of well stocked mercantile establishments. It was incor- porated in 1910 and the same year reported a population of 333.
Garfield County, created by the act of March 5, 1887, and named in honor of James A. Garfield, was bounded as follows: "Commencing where the north line of township 21 south, intersects the east line of range 27 west ; thence south along the range line to its intersection with the north line of township 24 south; thence west along township line to where it intersects the east line of range 31 west ; thence north along range line to where it intersects the north line of township 21 south ; thence east to the place of beginning."
In 1889 a decision of the supreme court transferred the county seat from Ravanna to Eminence, and the people of the latter place demanded the immediate removal of the county offices. One attempt to remove the treasurer's office was defeated by the citizens of Ravanna, the safe being badly damaged in the fracas. Gov. Humphrey was temporarily absent from the state at the time, and on Aug. 3 the attorney-general notified Adj .- Gen. Roberts, who visited Eminence and persuaded the citizens there to do nothing further until the court met in September, when the matter was peacefully adjusted. The boundaries as defined by the creative act included only 12 Congressional townships, 6 of which were taken from Finney county and 6 from Hodgeman, and in 1892 proceedings were instituted against the county to test the validity of its organization, as it embraced only 432 square miles. It was accord- ingly declared illegally organized and was attached to Finney county in 1893.
Garfield University .- The idea of erecting a university in memory of President Garfield originated with W. B. Hendryx, a personal friend of Mr. Garfield. There seemed to be no opportunity for establishing such a school in the east, so Mr. Hendryx came to Kansas and after some con- sideration the matter was taken up by the Christian church. The col- lege committee of that body, consisting of A. J. Thompson, R. F. Lotz, W. D. Stone, Walter Chenault and Howard Rash, made a report to the Kansas convention of the church at Wichita on Oct. 7, 1886. The report stated that the committee believed $100,000 could be secured for the location of the college, if the committee could guarantee that the church would raise an additional $100,000.
Of the several locations considered, Wichita was chosen. That city named, organized and chartered Garfield University, with a board of nine
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directors, and secured options on desirable college sites. On May 29, 1887, a contract was signed by the directors and the college committee, by the terms of which the board was to erect a university building on a 23 acre campus in the southwest part of the city, the building to cost not less than $75,000, nor more than $100,000. Instead of following the orig- inal plan, work was begun on a five-story building, covering three- fourths of an acre of ground, and in the second report of the committee this statement is found; "It is now certain that the building will cost not less than $200,000."
Mr. Hendryx, who had been elected business manager, secured funds to carry on the work and efforts were made to complete the north wing of the building in time to open school in the fall of 1887, but this was found to be impossible. The board then secured another building near the university, and there the first classes were held, with Dr. Harvey W. Everset as chancellor. A faculty of twelve persons was selected, and the following departments were provided: preparatory, normal college of letters and science, college of music, college of Bibical theology, and school of art. The law school was opened in Sept., 1888, and the college of medicine the following December. Some 500 students were enrolled in 1889 and the faculty was increased to forty members. In 1890 a busi- ness college of Wichita was affiliated with the university, which swelled the enrollment to over 1,000.
In the meantime the Wichita "boom" began to decline, property values decreased, and the land belonging to the university could not be sold without great sacrifice, which meant ruin to the institution. A mort- gage of $65,000 was placed on the building and grounds, but the busi- ness depression continued and at the close of 1890 the university had no funds to continue its work. The university, therefore, closed its doors after three years in which it had gained an enviable reputation among the institutions of its class.
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