The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1878-05-09
PRESIDENT ANDERSON ON SEDGWICK
AND C0wLEY COUNTIES.
TEE GREAT SOUTHWEST FRoK A KAw RIVER
STANDPOINT.

Jno. A. Anderson, President of the
State Agricultural College, who visit
ed this section OF the State for the first
time few days aimee, writes down
his impressions for the hdastridlist,
paper published at the College, in
the following graphic STYLE. 1t will
be remembered that this is from an
old Kansan, one who is not only OBJ
servant, but one who has been con-
versant with the older settled portions
of the State for many years:
Last week we hugely enioyed first
visit to Sedgwick and Cowley coun-
ties. Reaching Wichita at midnight
and leaving early the next morning.
our first impressions of the general
character Of the Great Southwest
as an agricultural region were photo
graphed by bright sun during an ex-
hilarating ride of forly-liye miles to
Winfield. State Superintendent Lem
mon, who is the right man in the right
place, and who had been ''out west
dedicating new school houses, was in
command, and puDctualed enthusiast
tic discussions of plans for increas-
ing the efficiency of the Kansas school
system by such remarks as How is
that for wheat?'' I'VE will see hua-
drcd miles of hedge to-day, just as
good as this" Butler county is off
here; Belle PLANE there; beyond lies
Wellington "Nop how many wheat
fields can you count 2" That is Wal
nut Valley; Arkansas City is yonder :
this is Winfield /; and here is the best
piece of wheat going!'
We had heard good deal OF The
"Great Southwest" knew from its pa
pers that it must be wide-awake re-
gion. and fancied that we fairly real
lied its development; but the whole
dav was a succession OF agreeable sur
prises-- Wichita, wheat; hedge, wheat:
timber, wheat: houses, wheat; stream
wheat: cattle, wheat; orchards. wheat; ;
mill, wheat; Winfield, wheat; as far
as the eve could see-wheat with the
assurance that all the rest of the
Great Southwest" was either wheat
or some other sort Of field. And seven
years ago not an acre had been bro
ken. Ii is mystery.
Like all the rest OF it, Winfield is a
mystery-with its fine residences,
beautiful churches, papers, stores,
banks aud people. 1t believes in it.
self and proposes TO win greater
field than its present one, as is shown
by the new houses. We spoke that
evening in the "Courier course of free
lectures" and the faces of the audi
ence " ere a guarantee of the capacity
and future OF the county-that sort OF
people are not fooled by surroundings,
and don't stay long in poor country.
And the next day, on returning, the
broad valleys seemed broader, the gen
TEST possible divides were gentler, the
whale landscape was more variegated
and beautiful. and somehow the wheat
fields had multiplied themselves!
And then Wichita was vet more Of
q mystery, with Its "only greatest
steam mill in Kansas: its elevators dit
to: its streets, stores, papers, banks.
residences, elegant churches. trains,
hotels, stages, wagons, people, push
and faith-all, ditto! A man who
doesn't believe in Wichita Is shot on
the spot, and ought to be; and none of
its citizens have ever been shot for
that cause. But where in the world
did it all come from, anyhow? When?
How long does ii propose to keep
coming, or will it ever stop? Not so
long as such soil, farms and people are
everywhere about it. Our part of
''the trouble Mark Twain calls it,
was for the benefit of successful IL
brary association, before such bright
audience who made things so agreea-
BILE; and thereafter, as before, came
pleasant meetings with new friends
and old-among the latter couple of
army comrades in the California Sec
ond and Third
AS we write, it all seems like hap
Ply dream, except the fields, towns and
people. which are happy realities and
-our only regret is that 1t was all SO
hurried, as were off again at daylight.
Down there they insist that while the
other counties of the ''Great South
west may not be quite so good as their
especial locality, yet they are far bet
ter than any other counties any other
where's: that the ''Great Southwest"
is just the richest section Of the grand
est State in the Union: that
Hereafter we stand ready TO believe
every good thing that can be said
about it; we believe it all now-in adj
vance; aud the illustrated immigra-
ton issues only hint at its growth
even they can't tell the whole of it ali
at once. We believe in people who
believe in themselves, in their BUSH
ness, county and town, because such
people are apt to have good reasons
for their beliefs; and that sort of peo-
pie with that sort of reasons arc as
plenty down there as wheat. At any
rate we haven't seen finer section of
Kansas: and if Horace Greeley, of
vigorous memory, should go through
the State now, he would be apt to use
HIS pet phrase and assert that the man
who says that Kansas isn't the Invest,
brightest and best State in the Union,
sis horse thief and liar"