But they contend that Beersheba and the other settlements provided many Jewish immigrants with a better start than they would have had in most cities. Any of those options provided crucial capital which they could then use to start businesses in cities. Several Beersheba settler families became influential business and political leaders in early 20th Century Kansas. Weary from the heat and the mileage, we drive on to our last stop of the day, the small Jewish Cemetery north of Garden City. The cemetery includes some Beersheba settlers, though most of them probably died long after the settlement itself had passed into history.
Pebbles rest on some of the nameplates.
Don Cramer, the freelance researcher traveling with us, is not Jewish. He says he became interested in Beersheba when he accidentally stumbled across a reference to it while researching local history. Its existence was such a shock that he found himself drawn in. So I thought I'd find out what I could about it. JWR contributor Louis Jacobson writes for National Journal.