Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-12-23
OUR KANSAS LETTER.


The 2nd of December, and the
thermometer Co. in the shade.
Yesterday the same with gentle
breeze from the south, as balming.
and pleasant as June. But you
must not imagine it is always so.
Last monday morning the thermome-
ter stood at 100 with an icy gale
from the north, that seemed to pierce
ones marrow bones almost like a
knife. L am informed that it was as
cold as 1t ever gets to be here, but |
will wait and see before believe it.
Sumner County, is situated on the
west side of the Arkansas river, aud
is joined to the Indian Territory
south. w lllngton is the county seat,
and is just eighteen miles north from
the northern boundary of the Indian
Territory, and one hundred and fifty
miles west from the eastern boun
Diary Of the state. The first house
was built here about five years ago,
and for three years the town and
surrounding country grew and i'm
proved with almost unexampled rap
idlty. The first backset the country
received was from an Indian scare in
July, 1874, caused by rumor that
the Indians were coming in from the
territory for the purpose of massa~
creing the inhabitants. | have not
ascertained that there were any In
dams seen, and the general testimony
is that there was probably not an
Indian within one hundred miles of
the county, but the story once start
ed, lost nothing in its travels, and
general panic was the result. l am
told that the town was full of people,
and TIE road crowded with teams
from the southern part of the county,
| fleeing from the anticipated attack
of the savages. A great many left
the country at that time. About the
same time the country began to
suffer from the effect of the severe
drouth of that year. At that time
corn was the principle production
q good deal of it was planted on sod
and put in late, AMI the long contin-
ued dry weather, attended with hot
south winds, scorched the life out OF
nearly everything, especially on the
uplands. In September. or perhaps
| August, came the locust and cleaned
the country of every remaining green
thing. The people were left desti-
tute with the exception of the little
wheat that was harvested in June,
and few fields of corn planted early
on bottom land, that ripened before
The drought became SO severe.
There was nothing to eat for either
man or beast. Many left the coun-
try for good, and those that staid,
know what "hard times" meant.
Many of the hogs in the country
were driven down into the territory
and left to run wild. Horses and
cattle were fed with wheat. Every
man that had the land and seed ex-
erted all his energies TO get in q crop
of wheat, as it VS. found by this
time that this was crop that could
be relied on.
The long and severe winter brought
with it much suffering, and the
spring brought but little relief The
teums were in bad condition, poor
and i'll fed. migration had ceased
and it was all that the farmers could
do to plant what little ground they
had broken without attempting to
break more. As the season advanced
times began 10 improve Grass and
vegetables grew with rapidly. The
wheat crop, what there was it. was
immense, and other things in proper
ton. As al example, one man who
was reduced to almost nothing,
sowed forty acres of wheat, deter
mined it it failed that be would leave
the country in disgust. From that
forty acres he threshed 1900 bushels
of wheat, worth s1,10 per bushe
He thinks be will try it another
year.
immigration is settling in again
quite rapidly, and the country is
assuming an air of contentment and
prosperity. j. B. Cory,
Wellington, Kansas, December u.