The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1884-02-14
AHIsToacAL SKETCH.
Read before the SdliRd Literary 80
ciety, Feb. sth. 1854, By Hour
ard c. Rash.


ard c. Rash.
The writer first entered Salina
about the middle Of October. 1870.
He emerged from a hot, closely
crowded railroad ear into air which
seemed a. thin as the edge of razor
and as cold as the ieieles Of his ma
tive southern Illinois.
The first gentleman we met was
Uncle John Smith, the mail carrier
He stood beside an open lumber
wagon crying, "All aboard for the
American House" We climbed into
the wagon. and on arriving at the
hotel, found no fire, and learned that
we were the only people who thought
It cold others being accustomed to
the thinness Of the atmosphere. The
American House, then kept by Geo.
]. Lay, was an old, tumble down cot
tonwOod building, which stood on the
site now occupied by the fine KOthe
block. We were assigned to a room
which needed no commonplace win
dows to furnish it light (althOugh 1t
had one) for the light Of day streamed
in through scores Of openings Of vari-
ous and irregular sizes and shapes.
The bed was hard enough 10 be ae-
counted solid. The bedelOthes were
sufieiently short and narrow and thin
to be received as vouchers for the
landlords economy. Our remem-
branee Of the boarders whom we met
there is largely confined TO DR.. J. w.
Daily and Mr.. H. G. Stanley. So far
AZ our observation went, DR.. Daily
was aIwavs seated at the ladies' table
with his newly found Kansas appe-
tite, eating with = table spoon plate
ful after plateful OF hash. Said hash
being composed principally OF stale
beef. buffalo meat, refuse potatoes
and onions-reduced to the eonsls..
tenev of souD. IL was the custom Of
the landlord at the beginning OF each
meal to politely seat the ladies before
announcing the meal In the ONCE.
Mr.. Stanley led three times q day
the rush Of thirty or forty hungry
men for seats at the tables, after the
ladies had been seated and the office
door thrown open.
In this grand rush few inevitably
got left. And with a fallen air, they
would resume their seats In the office,
TO nurse their gnawing stOmachs, and
contemplate mOurnfully the fearful
risk they ran In being compelled to
accent seats at the second table after
| the landlords grub had been attacked
by the wolfish crowd who had out
stripped them In the grand rush.
AT that time Salina had only few
hundred inhabitants, and the pOpula-
ton Of the whole county did not ex-
ceed the present population Of the
/ cltv. There was not a single brick
building In the town. Two story
| buildings Of any kind were very
scarce. Fences and sidewalks were
| almost unknown. The school house
was homely frame building stand
ing away out in the country" on the
ground now occupied by the large
brick school 90 creditable to the city.
i 1t has since been moved to the cor
ner Of Santa Fe avenue and Ash St,
and "a used as livery stable by Mr..
G. T. Hilton. Upon the lots now Oc-
cupied by the residence Of Mr.. J. q.
Rash, fiourished q pOpulOus dog
town-its prairie dogs, owls and rat
tlespakes protected from too much
publicity by the tail prairie grass,
which abounded from the post Ofiice
corner. where now stands the stone
corner. the Grand Central Hotel, the
opera house block, the Mitchell
House and by and around the resi-
dences Of SIR. Powers and Mr.. Lub-
bers. on TO the Buttes and the land Of
the setting sun.
The only churches were the Bap-
tist, as it now stands, and the old
Methodist church, now used by the
coiored people. The principal busi-
ness corners were In early days ct
the crossing Of Ash and Fifth streets.
The large store building Of Lull Bros.
still stands there. The Planters
House, the leading hotel Of the town,
with Major Z. L. Norton proprietor,
occupied the lot WhcreOn Is now the
Office and elevator belonging to Tay-
lor Miller. Beside, or over the kitch-
en- door, on the outside Of almost all
houses, could be seen hung upon 9
nail the then Omnipfesent buffalo
ham, Il hung there, encased In the
original shaggy buffalo robe which
had never been removed from II, and
furnished, as the housewife needed
them. sweet, Juicy steaks with which
she attempted % appease the insatiate
appetites OF the family. o, how So
lima people did eat In those days
During the first six or eight months
| of his stay here, the writer ate con.
tnuslly, and was hungry without
ceasing.
Tie festive Texas cattle men wefI
prominent citizens Of Salina Ia thos'
DAYS. They went from place 70 plse'
| on the backs Of small ponies. TheS
wore broad brimmed hats with RAJ
tlesnake bands. woOlen shirts, higl
heeled boots, spurs, revolvers anS
bowie knives. They spoke three ian
Ruages-the English, the protane and
the language Of the Great American
Desert They swore with neatness
dispatch and great power. They pat
ronIzed saloons, gambling places and
bawdy houses. They get drunk, sho
people, terrorlsed over marshals, sher
ifs and police Offlcers-and command
ed 10y force Of srmsl the respect o
everybody. When they moved Of
to the west and southwest, they lei
no one to mourn over their departure
save q few merchants. bankers an'
Others 10 whom they owed sewers
thousand doliars Of filthy lucre.
About ten years ago Salina begal
to improve rapidly in size, eharacte
and moral tone. Those who have no
witnessed Il can hardly realize p
= progress that has been made u %
short space Of q single decade. Frou
, a small rude border town, sitting ul
! on the plains, with hardly q slngi
7 improved farm or oomlortaole faf
, house In the whole regicn round
about, she has advanced % the posi-
tion Of q cultured city with bushes
: streets lined with plate glass yln yln