Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-05-29
LABETTE COUNTY, KANSAS.
4 Sketch sf lie eeuismeut aua Of las Present
Asd Prospective Rcsoa. ce.. s4t

~ WY ~ wv AhS as ~
osko and Lsbeiie eounsies IL thit
State and tir ,besala of the lands
in these cpanties a. pos less' thar
one dollar and swruiy.fise osn pei
acre to actual settlement in lots mol
exeeeding 100 acres. a or b
Prior TO the above date which
was less thar fourteen years ago,
these counties as we'll as all that
portion of the State lying west 81
us, were owned and occupied by ths
red man Of the forest land of the
plains. whose natural usso ciate is tbs
wolf and the deer, thu panther and
the buffalo. But the deer aud bnf
falo at least, had moved on To west
ward, as if TO make room far ths
coming man, and the country had
consequently grown compar atively
worthless TO the Osages: so they
sold out and followed IN the trail oil
their old friends, aud the white man
who already loDged to possesses the
land, began the same Fall to take
their places. Although ihe treaty
was complete so far rs the Indian
was concerned, Congress failed to
ratify until June the following year.
Consequently the Indians returned
10 the early Spring of '66 bolster
Gus and bostil /; so that the agency
at Usage mission, for the safety oil
the people, ordered them out of the
country, and most of them left. A
few however, remained, agreeing
to pay the Indians for their lands
in case the treaty should net be
ratified. But the settlement was
substan TALLY broken up for that sea-
son During the summer Of 1866
the Indians again retired and the
following spring the whites fairly
rushed into the country But in the
Fall of 81 a new tronble arose
which very much hindered tho fur
Their set cement Of this portion OF
the State. Two railroads known
here as the NJ. X. & L. and the L
L, Il G. having previously obtained
grants of land one TO the even sec
tions and the othur 20 the odd SIC
tons 10 the State north OF us, now
reached over and gobolsd about
.two-thirds of the land in LAbette
county and Immediately ordered
the people to contract With them
for the purchase Of the land or leave
and some did contract. but Others
left their claims, and others std re.
fused either TO purchase land Of the
companies or to abandon their
claims. Consequently suits were
instituted against some Of them for
removal. but the people formed
leagues for self protection and the
fight becama lively aud determined.
The contest was carried through all
the courts, ending fi.slly in the
United Sta.es Supreme Court in
favor of the settlers 1abelte coun.
" was orgaiz ID in April, 1867. In
1870 the population numbered near,
ly 10000. In 1875 they had in.
creased to IA 500 and at the present
to ever $4,000, There are 415 800
acres Of land in the county, nearly
all OF which is now owned by Cit.
zens, and l78 $50 acres are row u .
der cultivation. In the fall of n
we sowed 33, 1874 acres of wheat in
our county which, although last
year was one IF our famine years,
yielded 430,755 bushels, worth here
10 our market now IS cts per bush.
el We planted last year, 65 485
acres Of corn ind notwithstandiDp
the foods which sadly damaged
thousands of acres we harvest, d 2
243 500 bushels Owing TO the 10 y
price of wheat last fail we only SOW
ed % 1875 acres Of wheat but the o.
usually favorable spring has enabled
ust, utilize every acre Of cul,ivat.
ed soil. We began planting corn il
this county this spring OF the 90 /
Of March.
We of Labette county boast thai
we occupy the rainiest portion o.
the State but last year we got by
far too much for farming purp oses
In connection with the rainfall a
the State into three diVisions-the
eastern, middle and western. w,
had during the year 1873, as record
ed at the city Of Independence, 4a
and twenty one hundredibs incae,
of rain. almost four feet deep of sol.
i'd water. 49, inches of which fell ia
the months of May and June Al
Dodge City, in the third division
less than 10 inches of rain fell dur
ing the entire year During tn,
first quarter of the present year We
report 4 and Is 100.bs inches O
rainfall and Dodge City but and IL
100ths. People who are coming Il
droutby Kansas should study vel
these statistics always to be found
in the agricultural reports of the
State. Besides corn and wheat VIZ
raise rye. oats, fax. castor beans
sorghum, Irish and sweet potatoes
and some cotton and tobacco.
The wild prairie grass gov,
very rank and heavy. aud the diff
ferent tam grasses are said to dc
well. Stock of all kinds do we'll.
liz 1877 We made 327,742 pounds
of butter and 10000 pounds o
cheese.
We had March LIST, 1873, 228, 64(
peach trees 10 orchard, and 255, 70(
apple trees in orchard. We have il
this county 5000 rods of stone fenc,
% $40 rods Of board fence, IT'S 85t
rods of rail fence. 1924 rods O
wire fence and SIT ass rods of he g,
fence. We have three incorporated
cities, each of which sends out eacl
week lively, readable newspap or
There are fourteen church edifice
10 our county, valued at SAG. 050
and there are 95 organized schoo
districts and ninety.two school
houses in the county.
We have the benefit of two rail
roads running north and south, 90,
of which runs through the eastern
part Of the county and ex tends t,
Hssnilton and Chicago on the nortI
aod east, and via Dallas to Calves
ton, Texas, IN the south. Anothe
road caming out from 81. LOUIS vi
Spsingf Id and Pierce City, Mo
reached O-wego, oar county seal
Two years ago, and the present sea