The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-05-09
THE SOUTHWEST.
An Interesting Description Of Barton
County.
Frontier Life "a Sketched by the
First White Settler.
GREAT BEND.

GREAT BEND.
EDITOR TINES: From Larned glide on
to Great Bend, the county seat and princi-
pal business point OF Barton, one Of the
garden counties Of all the West The town
takes its name from what was known, in
the days when the Santa Fee trail was the
only means of communication between the
Missouri and New Mexico, as "the big bend
of the Arkansas" The pride of the resi-
dents is the splendid great Court House
that looms up so grandly above the prairie
and certainly it is worthy of their pride,
for it is not only an improving structure,
but was built for Just what it cost, with no
ring of plunderers to have .i4eir division Of
double prices charged for everything.
From the apex Of the tower one is as if
upon a very ocean Of land, re eye finding
no resting place even in the horizon, and
the mind actually oppressed by the incom.
prehensible immensely of the situation while
none of us can fathom the future, We are
here almost as much at a loss 10 compre-
bend the past.
1t seems as almost but yesterday when all
this glorious country was one vast e1panse
OF no.hingness, so far as any good came OF
it, to human kind. Then, rank grass tan.
gled the feet of the buffalo, wolf, the
coyote and kindred, when startled, by
sight of man jack rabbit, prairie dog, and
owl, sank on the instant from sight into its
wondrously luxuriant depths.
Now the broad beautiful prairie is trans
formed into diversified divides Of grain, the
ripe rich heads of which the wind sends in
long sweeping pillows until they become as
very oceans OF golden wealth.
Twining its serpentine way as lar as the
vision comes to us, is the gloriously foliage
fringed Walnut river, with its long and
gracefully modulated southern slopes as ii
follows its easterly course to the Arkansas,
To the westward where the Dry Walnu,
comes into the Walnut proper, challenge
the world for finer scope Of country than
the triangle thus formed by the Walnut
and Arkansas, with tie Dry Walnut pierc
ing its centre. Watching the cloud shad
ows sweeping over the broad plain, ant
witnessing the going down OF the sun in al
its beauty, and the stiffness Of twilight over
stretching the happy valley, l cannot hell
but declare with others who have beel
here before me, that in diversified scenery
slopes ard wooded streams, In rich and lux
urient foliage and park-like valleys, Barto
is the garden county Of southwestern Kan
sas.
= Six years ago Barton county was not i
existence, and had no mention of whateve
character in the report q 1872 of the Sta,
e Board of Agriculture, and was wholly give
up to the cattle herders; but to-day Barto
J, has over $1,000 acres in wheat.
While here l made the acquaintance I
Mr.. III. ii. Kidder, the first white man tn:
e settled in this county, snd agreeable to m
e request he handed me the following as
II partial history OF his experience in tn
i county:
e GREAT BEND, April 80, 1873.
e DEAR SIR: Agreeable to your request
e will try and give you few items OF Il
l. old times of a frontier life in this, Barto
A. county. Fifteen years ago last fall l a
rived on Walnut creek, three miles east
Great Bend, in company with Kit Carso
n the famous frontiersman of the past, al
re William Bent, who built Bents old TO
l. fifteen miles above the mouth OF the Pu
,e patoire river, on The Arkansas river in Ct
v orado, where We found the plains cover
m with Indians and buffalo. The India
ne treated us all very kindly, and we renal
IS ed during the night, and in the morniI
ID Kit Carson, some Indians and myself We
ct on a buffalo hunt aud found plenty OF the
We on this ground, and after killing what
r. needed, returned to camp. l remained
e. the Indian camp and at Fort Larned d.
it. ing the winter, and the following spring
We commenced carrying mail en- the San
he Fe stage line from the States
Santa Fe, New Mexico, in
or employment of Barlow, Sanderson &
", remained in their employ for four yea
ty crossing the plains one hundred and fl
nv times in that time, and during the Fl
three wears the Indians were constantly
the war-path, and during that time "
attacked BY the Indians great many tim
DO One time, when travelling with worn-e
ne team, with one lady and two small childr
W. en- route to Mexico, and as we were gOi
NJ along through some tall grass, with not
an Indian in sight, the next moment the gr
Ire was literally alive with Indians, who h
W. been laying in wait for us in the tall gra
ng They rushed upon us, caught hold Of
Pile team, and stopped us, demanding somethi
ch to eat, with arrows drawn in half a doz
bows, and as there was only myself and
driver, / consented to part, gracefully,w
for our provisions, and we were allowed to p
he on without further harm. Again, VIII
of returning from Mexico with one lady
le- passenger, who now lives near In
tv. pendence, Missouri, We stopped to wa
an. from the Arkansas, aud before we kn
,as what we were about some seventy-tive
.rs, dams came rushing and shooting with g
on. and bows and arrows at us and yelling |
en- the very devil, that horrible yell which
M ly an Indian can make. We returned tn
fire and beat them out of range, and
ties made running fight with them for fit
Of miles-killing one and wounding sevel
zen while we only lost one mule from th
for shots. Several bullets hit our stage dur
all the fight. Another time, in 1867, the
cen dians attacked train en-route for Mex
ate near the mouth of Walnut Creek, cut
be an ambulance from the rear end of
train and killed an old lady and gentlem
cutting the old lady in quarters, piling
- clothes on her remains, and setting her
on fire, and carried off the scalI's of both BILE
ave ing at their belts. Another time afte
u u had quit staging and lived on Wal
ny Creek, with large herd of stock, the
% dians tried to stampede my stock from
-: corral. but instead Of their getting
gh' stock we had dead Indian for breakf
cen and of course we raised his hair, the pl
me- me- of which have now in my possession.
am Shortly after, they tried and made
"o cess of capturing my stock and leaving
dead broke" but ! shortly after got v
and hay contracts from the Government
nnd Fort Zarah that put me on my feet az
sus- During the fall Of 1868, We fought the
nch Indian fight of Barton county, five N
N a below where Great Bend now stands, on
uld Arkansas River. We had twelve men
,ob- the Indians had about seventy-fve in
in we fought them about three hours, xii
!. six and wounding several, also killing
W. Lost fwn men that