The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1883-03-01

ADDRESS or J. Z. MAD BDPORD I'm OH
6HTTLIkS ASSOCIATION.
, or the history Of this valley for the pest
twelve or fourteen years, most Of you who
| are present to day are faniliar, you were the
potent factors Of that history.
But what Of the ages proceeding your set
Element, in which the sam has shoue, the
rains have fallen and Tie rivers flowed 70
the sea, as they do at this day. Each return
ing spring covering the earth with carpet
Of grass and 6owers. and rejoicing the heart
Of man and beast, history 10 silent. The
races Of men who lived, loved, fought and
died, on the land we now occupy, len NO
monuments. or il any, they have long since
crumbled to dust. and their name and deeds,
as we'll IS their history and traditions, have
persisted from the earth, hut from lew facts
We do know that this valley has been peo-
pied through the ages Of the past, even back
to the time when the Mammoth roamed the
plains the monarch OF the brute creation.
A time before Jacob was herdihg cattle on
shares in the valleys Of Syria, or Cheops had
laid the foundation Of the great Pyramid on
the plains OF Gizah. will give but one item
OF evidence at this time. A few miles east
OF this city was found beneath eight feet OF
compact yellow clay, q black, alluyial soil,
belonging to former Geological era. On
the surface Of that soil was the remains OF .
| campfire, containing ashes, charcoal, burnt
stones, and broken pottery; here In similar
| formation bones OF the extinct Mammoth
are found. In my own limited experience
l have witnessed this valley Inhabited and
In possession OF three different people. First
the Usage Indians, next the Wichita In
dams and last yourselves. The traditions Of
the Wichita Indians say, that many genera
tions past they came from the far northwest,
and settled upon the west bank Of our river,
not far below this city, and remained their
hunting and cultivating the soil for num-
Der of years, afterward removing to the
mountains now called by their name, thence
into Texas, where the early Spanish explor-
ers found them. Several Of the Indian Tribes
Of the plains had traditions that their An.
cestors came from the frozen regions OF the
northwest.
Did our valley contain cliffs Of rock, we
would find evidence of mans presence COM
Ing down To us from the misty centuries Of |
the past. unfortunately our valley contains |
no material upon which permanent records |
could be made, even mounds of earth would |
soon be leveled by the tramping OF Buffalo |
and the blowing winds.
Coming down to historic times Coronado |
first crossed the plains. about A. d. l5l2. |
Three hundreI and forty years ago: He
passed over some portions Of Kansas, but
what route he Travelled Is mere conjecture.
My friend, Maj Inman, says he crossed ut
the mouth Of the Little Arkansas and named
the two rivers st. Peter and st. Paul,
Coronado speaks OF meeting people who
had no fixed habitation, and no domestic
animals but dogs, which they used Is pack
animals, and subsisted on the crooked back
ed oxen, which covered the plains then, q
they did twenty years ago. He also says on
those great plains hail stones fell rs big ~
oranges, which statement from the personal
experience OF some present you will not
doubt
In the latter part Of the last century q
party Of Spanish Priests, with an escort,
passed through Central Kansas to found q
mission among the Missouri Indians, In the
eastern part Of the State they, by mistake.
entered hostile camp and but one escaped.
In 1850 the writer found cave on Smoky
Hill river, wherein Mr.. "TVREDO, 1857
Q1S6), had recorded his name and date In i
the solid rock, which is the oldest known
record made by civilized man In Central
Kansas.
In 1896 Gen. Zebulon Pike first unfurled
to the gentle zephyrs Of the plains, the stars
and stripes of our country. He crossed the
Little Arkansas near its source, and after
wandering north to the Republican, return.
ed to the Arkansas which he followed to the
To come down to recent times, there are o ]
few present to-day, who were here In those
grand old happy years. when the country
was entirely in state of nature, before the 4
pioneer settler had heard Of this valley. The
cattle on thousand hills were ours. Our
range extended from the British line to the .
iulf, and from the mountains to the sea-
Neither the tax gatherer or money changer ,
our substance. No section lines
Or hedge rows obstructed our path, earth 9
was as free rs air, and water, and sunshine. q
I'VE were monarch of all we surveyed" 4
'were lords Of the plains and the BRUTE" d
except when our red brethren saw DIT to dis e
'ute pessessory title with US, not by the q
low process Of courts, but In more sum. a
nary and peremptOry manner, pi ct armis, 8
With bow and arrow. lance and shield aud 4
'un. Then the rife was the court Of last Y
esort. In those happy days the plains re-
DICED in In their pristine beauty, unmarried .
y civilization, which first destroys, 80 far
$ is possible, whatever Providence placed
ere for mans use. and then commence the
low process OF reproducing what they have
estroyed. Then these plains were covered
With unnumbered myriads of buffalo, sum.
lent to supply the Nation with meat. The
'anton greed OF the white man has slaugh-
cred the last one. The elk, the deer aud
he antelope, have likewise disappeared.
'ur rivers and streams once swxrmed with
Sd, now the State Fish Commissioner 10
seking to restock them. In my recollection,
ur water courses were skirted with noble
roves Of cottonwood, walnut, blackberry,
Ak and elm. They are gone. and the men
no occupy the land are planting trees.
erily, in some respects, to quote the re.
ark Of my Indian friend, "Not-ta-tunka,"
10 white man Is cheap no good.''
VI the men who came upon the plains TO
ny, prior to ls6O, few are living, and pres
It with you to-day; unassuming men, who
ldom speak Of those exciting times, or Of
e part they took therein. might tell Of
cir skill and success In the chase, Of their
'ris with fire and food, tempests and wild
asts their prowess In battle with the red
an, or Of their diplomacy by which they =
aintaied peace with warning tribes, and
ssed unframed through scenes OF savage
srfare. Would their were some ADLER pen u
an mine, to write their history. It would
IKE volumes of more enhancing interest
an those tales of border life, in which the
thors have usually drawn largely upon
cir imagintions for their facts. -.
Did time permit, would speak of come Of
,se who met tragic death in those early r.
,es, OF Shaw and Green. who were killed ella,
the Big Hill Osages, on the Cimmaron in ~. =
g; Of MOsely. lion.hesrted man, 70 org
om fear was unknown, who, scorning to S sc9