The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-08-09

The counties lying south ana s0ulh-
west of Sedgwick county, viz: sum
ner, Cowley, kingman. and Barbour,
look more or less to Wichita for their
principal supplies, agricultural imple-
mcnts, etc. Their grain and cereal
product is also shipped here for ex-
port. These counties are rapidly adj
yancing in agricultural commerce.
West of the counties described lie the
great plains yet uneXplored. The
county of Sedgwick has seventy school
houses and five grist mills i'll opera
ton.
When it is remembered that a small
cattle ranch, near the present site OF
Wichita, was all that was to be found
in the way of assettlement here in
1868. and that the county OF Sedgwlck
was organized in 1870 with less than
800 inhabitants, and all the other
counties mentioned organized aud
settled since then, one can realize how
the country grows here.
Nearly all the lands in the counties
named were Of what are known as the
Usage Trust Lands, that is, lands held
in trust aud sold by the United States
Government for the benefit of the
Usage Indians. They were not sub
ject to demonstrating. but were sold to
actual settlers at Sl.25 per acre, III
quarter-section tracts. In Sedguick
county the lands have all been taken
up. but many of them by the nomadic
people. who usually constitute the
first settlers in new country, who
have sold out or who offer to sell, so
that much of the best land can yet be
purchased at very reasonable prices.
I'm the other counties named, large
amounts OF land are still open to set
tiers at the original price. In the
northern part of Sedgwick connty,the
Atchison, Topeka K Santa Fe railway
company have still some valuable
lands for sale on their usual easy
terms.
1t is very evident from the rapidity
with which this part of the Arkansas
Valley is filling up that in very short
time it will take long purse to puy
home here, as it viii have to be done
from second hands.
Messrs. Steele s. Levy, of Wichita,
are agents of the Atchison, Topeka u
Santa Fe railway company for The
sale of that company's lands IN Sodg-
wick county. In addition 10 this they
have for sale, as owners or agents,
large number of improved and unim-
proved farms in these several counties
and business lots and residences i'll
the town of Wichita.
These gentlemen were among the
first persons to locate III Wichita, aud
are the most thoroughly informed
men in the country in regard to the
transaction in real estate in all the
counties named. Their enterprise
and public spirit has done much to
aid in the material improvements OF
this section. aud contributed greatly
toward bringing il into prominent no
tice. They do a general real estate
business, buy and sell, collect rents,
pay taxes. examine and perfect titles,
etc. Parties desiring any kind of in |
formation respecting lands in this
portion of Kansas will do well 10 adj |
dress them. Mr.. j. NJ Steele is a |
public notary. and Mr.. NJ. w. Levy is |
a lawyer by profession, and will give
his professional attention to any legal |
business required in connection with |
their real estate business.
Messrs. Steele & Levy, in conjunc-
ton with their very extensive bust
ness as real estate and land agents, are
the most prominent insurance men in
Kansas. Their long eX
perience and practical knowledge re-
latibg to underwriting, gives them
many advantages not possessed 10y
others. They represent staunch aud
gigantic corporations, that do not Of
fer the shadow of an unreal substance
but which eau be relied upon.
There are four grain elevators and
two Touring mills located III Wichita.
Among these the combined mills and
elevators of Messrs Hargis, Imboden
& Co. rank first in importance. The
of their elevator is As 900
bushels, and the production of their
mills 140 barrels of -four per day, the
to this amount being kept
ND for nine months in the year. THESE
mills are run by steam, have four runs
Of stones, and are supplied with late
machinery. They manufac-
ure largely of fancy brands which
ire sold in orders in New York, Bos-
on, Philadelphia and Chicago. They
1uy and sell wheat, and do not store
w OtuCi Idi tiCs.
The same parties are largely inter
's,ed in the milling business in De-
:atur, Illinois. and Topeka, Kansas. ,
This mill and elevator is substantial
v built of stone, 45xl35 feet, four sto- :
les high, and the best building in !
Wichita This is the third year they !
ave been in operation. i
The capacity of the Westlake ele- :
'ator is 5000 bushels, the owners now
and shipping daily 1000
bushels of wheat 1hey buy and sell.
10 not do a commission business, but
tore wheat for parties, charging ele-
ator fees of one and half cents per
'ushel The firm have just com
nenced business for this year This
levator, though smaller in size than .
ONE of the others, is well fitted up.
nd for convenience of handling W heat l.
) not surpassed 1t is run by TWEEN
y-five-horse power engine, has two
barnard & Lea's grain cleaners, and is [
0 located aud arranged that two ears i,
an be loaded al one time in thirty :,
aud four wagons uuloaded u
. - 4 ..