The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-10-07
ELK COUNTY.
A Correspondent Writes An Interesting Let
ter from Howard Cisy-Ths County, Its
Advantages aad VIVA: is Needed.


Advantages aad VIVA: is Needed.
HOWARD CRY, KAN, Sept. %, 1875.
EDITOR TIMEs: We are away down here
in the south, but am happy to say we are
in the glorious old State of Kansas, and as
your columns are open to correspondence
from every portion of the State, perhaps
your readers Will not object to few lines
from the new county OF Elk. Our county
is composed OF the north-half of what was
once known as Howard. We are bounded
on the north by Greenwood, on the west by
Butler and Cowley, on the south by Chau-
tauqua, and on the east by Montgomery
and Wilson counties and, with due re-
spect for each, think Elk is little bet
ter than either of the surrounding group
Our population is not SO large as some
counties in the State, but better class of
citizens cannot be found in the West. The
motto of each farmer seems to be: Go
ahead and improve and beautify the coun-
try. have lived in the county but few
months, but must say / never saw any
country better adapted TO the growth Of al
most every kind Of grain and farm products
than this part OF Kansas, although / sup
pose il Is the same all over the State. There
are three towns in the county, Howard
City, the county seat, Elk Falls, nine miles
south, and Layton, about fifteen miles
southeast but owing to the unsettled con
dition of the local difficulties heretofore,
neither has attained a metropolitan size.
But now that these difficulties have ceased
i to exist, and the col 1ty seat is located in
the geographical center OF the county, 1
| think / am safe in saying that Howard
City is in a fair way of making a live
little inland city. Business men are flock
ing in from almost every direction and
soon we may be able to say that ours is the
city of southern Kansas. There are, how
ever, some branches of business which are
not represented equal to the demands. We
need good stock Of hardware, one or two
able dry-goods firms, that will carry COM
plete stocks and compete with railroad
points. The town and county are also in
need ola good reliable banking house,
there being none within thirty or forty
miles of our place. However, this bust
ness will no doubt soon be represented
here, as there are always plen-
~ OF men who are only
waiting to find some good town in which TO
locate, and We are confident Howard City
will soon be recognized as such. The coun-
ty is inhabited by people from, We may say,
every State in the Union-not of such a
class as is generally found in new country,
the outcasts of different States-but they
are as rule, people OF enterprise and re-
finement. Several different churches are
organized, and have large membership;
societies are well represented, and it is more
like an old settled State than county but
four or five years years old. The Republic
can and Democratic parties are both organ
lied in the county, the Republicans being
in the majority some three or four hundred.
| am pleased to see that the merchants Of
this portion of the State are gradually fall
ing into the line that believe in patroniz-
ing home enterprise. Many Of those who
have heretofore sent the bulk of their money
to Kansas City and other points out Of the
State, are, of late, trading with the mer-
chants of Leavenworth and other Kansas
towns. This is right, and should be en-
couraged by the entire press OF the State,
and by the merchants OF our large cities.
As this is my first, / will not wear your pa
thence, and, hoping that our people may be-
come more closely identified, l am,
Very truly, \. +.