The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-02-20

and there was one grocery" that sold
s'territoriai teas for amedIcal pur-
poses,a while all the boys went regn-
larly up to the HAddition"-a shanty
on the KaW reserve Immediately north
Of town, to eVade the municipal au-
thorities-tO see II @anybOdy had tied
their dog loose" Those whohaVe only
known Americas since It became in
reality the nearest a total abstinence
village of any in Kansas, should have
seen her In 1859 rs perfect illustra-
ton of the other extreme.
Il WAS during this season of ''finsh
times" that the Sentinel said: "Buzi.
nsss, In all IT'S branches, IL daily
Frightening, aud emigration Is wsnd-
ing its way To Southwestern Kansas,
In search OF homes and lands. Money
l. brcoming more plenty and business
men are breathing easier. Our nerch-
anita are receiving large stocks OF
goods from the river, and they disap-
pear as rapidly rs they come TO hand.
Americas IL now taking its place in
the front rank of trading points in the
Southwest. Ready pay and low prices
Is the motto"
In one of the December numbers
appears call for meetings In all of the
townships In the county for joint dis
cussions on the 'tstOck law q subject
which at that time agItated the people
Of the county considerably. The ques-
ton was upon "fencing the stock and
letting the crops run out" But the
advocates of the law were sadly In the
minority, and as the matter entered
somewhat into politics afterward, some
Of them had much difficulty In exc
planning to the voters that they were
'sonly In fun"
On January 10th, 1850, the editor
jubiiantly announces the discovery by
Jacob DIETRICH, nine miles west of
EmporIa, of an s'inexhaustible vein of
very good bituminous COAL" the seam
being two feet thick, and adds: sThis
discovery will prove a great convent
enee to this part of the country, which
has heretofore been supplied from
considerable distance" So it seems
that the recent Council Grove discov-
cry WA not the s'flrst original" ind
after ali.
August 18th, 1850, the following item
appears:
"MoRE ARRIvALs.-The population
Of Americas has considerably aug
mented within the past week. Among
the arrivals are three families by the
name of 10y, q father and his two
sons) from Minnesota, who came in
town on Monday. These people
brou Rht with them seven wagons, with
nineteen horses and mules, and haYe
come for the purpose of purchasing q
large quantity of land, with q view of
engaging In stock raising. There
were not enough unoceupied houses in
town to accommodate them all, and q
portion OF them are now living in
their wagons, In Imitation of the i'm
migrants of '07, while houses are being
finished for them. They express
themselves highly pleased with this
locality, and design locating in this
vicinity, provided they can find land
to suit them"
There were frequent announcements
In those days that the kaw lands were
In market, or were sure to come In
right away, and great benefits to the
town were anticipated from their i'm
mediate settlement. People who are
now here watching" for these lands
to "come i'm would probably have
their ardor cooled by reading those old
dispatches from Washington" and
other "off1cial" intelligence that prov
ed only delusive.
We have looked these papers through
to see II We could not find some re-
ports of the prices of produce In those
early times, before railroads "ruined
the farmers" but have only found the
two following items published in the
fall OF 1850:
Several hog spectators have been
through these parts within the last few
days, buying up nearly all the hogs IN
the country. The average price paid
for hogs is about az cents per pound.
Most of these hogs are to be driven to
Missouri"
SOMETHING NEw.-Apples, onions
AMI potatoes have been brought into
this place from Missouri during the
week, ali Of which found ready mar
ket, at extremely high prices"