Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-06-26
Our Western Neighbors.

The distance from Mead Center to
TOuZalin is five miles south. TOuzalin
is on the east side of Crooked creek and
situated on a high table land. We
found the Touzlain people somewhat
unsettled, portion of the buildings had
been moved to Meade Center, those re-
naming still insisted that everything
depended upon their move and that
they would make the move in about
three days. A failure to procure water
was the cause of their trouble, having
dug Ia and bored 82i making 1861 feet
without seap. Here another surprise
awaited us, viz: That Mead Center had
no country around it and that Touzalin
had. From Touzalin back to Meade
Center, where we took dinner with Mr..
Robinson, former Barber county man.
From Meade Center we went to Car
thage, distance about five miles in a
northwest course. Carthage consists
of about so or go buildings, principally
business houses; is built near a small
lake and on high table land, has
well l36 feet deep from which is pump
ed as good water as your correspondent
ever placed to his lips, which was an
other surprise to us, as we had been
previously informed that the well had
gone dry and that the town company
hauled water from the lake at night to
supply the we'll for the next day. At
Carthage we learned that they were
certain of the county seat, that they
had the country around it and were in
the center of population; that Rain
Belt had no show for it, because they
had no country about their town, etc.
We went to Rain Belt, distance four
miles from Carthage in a northwest
course, where we found village of
about or 10 buildings. Stayed over
night with j. T. Taylor, former Bar
Der county man. They are well pleased
with their new home and chain that
they design to stay.
Rain Belt people are very certain that
they are in the center of the population
and.as consequence are sure of the
county seat, but should they fail they
know that Carthage will not win, be-
cause they have no country around it.
We. started across the prairies to
Fowler City, and on our route passed
some very fine looking crops of oats and
corn. Fowler is about 35 miles from
Dodge City east Of Crooked creek on
the Jones 81 Plumber trail and has
some very good buildings. The people
of Fowler do not bank very strongly on
the county seat, but claim that owing
to the rest of the towns not having any
country around them and they having
superior article, that Fowler will
make a good town and will always lead
the rest. Spring Lake is a new town
just started southwest of Fowler about
seven miles and two and a half miles
north of Belle Meade, on the west side
of Crooked creek. Belle Meade is near
the Jones & Plumber trail, about seven
miles southwest Of Fowler and five
miles northeast of Meade Center and is
also contesting for the county seat also
claims they have the country and are in
the center of population.
Your correspondent is of the opinion
that the various town companies
through their inordinate greed do
Meade county great deal of harm.
To visit all those towns and believe
the one half that each town tells about
the other would convince any one that
Meade county land was not susceptible
for agriculture, and that water could
not be obtained or If obtained was not
ut for mans use. AS matter of fact
the land of Meade county is a beautiful
undulating prairie, very little broken
and great majority OF it is of a rich,
black loan with and occasional gumbo
| spot, and undoubtedly destined to be a
wealthy agricultural county. Crooked
creek water Is not 1T for man or beast.
Some wells along the creek are not good
but major part Of them are good and
some Of them afford excellent water.
Wells in the Crooked creek valley range
from fifteen feet to sixty feet in
depth,1 the deeper wells furnishing a
better grade of water. The high or Ia
bic lands OF the county are of better
quality but wells are scarce and at some