Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-02-06

citizens, and, if need be, to lombard and
destroy the city.
The city was ever afterwards known, until
it passed from the recollections of the peo-
Die, as ssPawnee on the Reserve"
The bombardment of "Pawnee on the Re
serve" and of Greytown,in Nicaragua, were
the two Preat military achievements which
gave fame and renown to the Pierce admin
istration.
should, perhaps add, as third, the e1-
the mouth of shotted cannon, of the legisla-
ture, under the Topeka constitution, at To-
peka, on the 18th day of July, 1886.
| In these modern days, when we wish to
express, in the superlative degree, any great
movement in trade, in manufacture, in real
estate, in the rapid growth of cities, or what
not, we call it 'sboom."
| The biggest boom that Kansas ever had
in the city line, or perhaps ever will have,
took place in 1857, continuing into 1858.
The causes of this movement we're too nu-
merous and lengthy to be enumerated in de-
tail, within the time allotted to this address.
Principally, however, a great panic was pre-
vailing in the eastern states, and the many
persons failing there, strove to place the
remnG nts IS we'd from the wret ks of their for.
tunes, where they would best escape the Wig
lance of creditors, and, at the same time, be
most remunerative.
Kansas, having been extensively advertised
through our ''border ruffian troubles" an6
by the Buchanan-Fremort campaign of 1S56
peace being at last assured and large anC
valuable bodies of public lands being offered
for sale, the rush of people to our territory
was most extraordinary. Unlike those who
| had come the three preceding years, those
who came in 1857 were possessed of consid-
cradle means.
! The result was, that both lands and
city lots-especially the latter, were in the
| greatest demand. All sales were made fo,
cash. The older and really more substan,
| tial cities and towns, having been sold and
! resold, and the demand being still unsUp-
| piled. new towns or cities-everything was q
! city then-were being daily organized, sur
veyed, plated and sold.
! Lots or groups of lots were seldom sold
| The plan was almost universal, to issue GER
| tifcates of shares in the new city, and sell
the certificates. The city would be divided
into from one hundred to. say four or five
| hundred Shares-according to its size, and
| the sanguine temperaments of its founders,
! and each share would represent from two to
| twenty lots. The avidity with which these
| certificates of shares in the cities
were bought, was something start
| ling. The standard and average price
! for city shares was about 500 each, some
favorites, of course, commanding more. 9TH
ers, perhaps, less.
| It was not, merely, the newcomers who
were enthused. and lost self control in this
new city movement, but the old settlers
were equally infected and carried along by
| the tide. Many who had valuable proper
ties in the old and well established towns.
such as Leavenworth, Wyandotte Lawrence,
Topeka and others, sold the same. and,
with the proceeds bought certificates of
shares i'll the new cities. In this county
alone, l call to mind the five cities
of Avoca, Canema, Essex, Day.
ton and Kansapolis. There were many 9TH
cry whose lots to-day are doubtless parts of
some fine cornted or orchard. and, whose
sites the oldest inhabitant would try in vain
to determine.
To half dozen of the mos: prominent of
these cities wish to invite your special at
tention: Quindaro Delaware, Sumner, Don
iphan, Palermo and Elwood.
These cities were organized almost stimuli
taneously, and their early progress was most
extraordinary. Large hotels and fine busi-
ness blocks, and valuable stocks of goods
could be found at each; and the population
of each increased with astonishing rapidity,
especially when the sparseness with which
the territory was then settled is taken into
consideration. In fact, question whether
with our present large population, and the
mania that has again broken out among our
people for the building of new towns, l say
question whether any city of the present
time has been built so thoroughly, or has IN
creased in population so rapidly as some of
those cities to which am now calling your
attention.
Perhaps their great prosperity is not to be
marveled at, when we remember who were
the founders of those cities. or who early be-
came their champions. The most distin-
guished citizen of our Territory at that time,
and afterwards governor of our common
wealth, and who has been the foremost
10 co. {Ia rvbnlo fbjrtu-
one years of our history, was among the
leading spirits of Quindaro. lieutenant
governor and many others of distinction
championed the prosperity of Delaware. A
gentleman of wide literary fame, and who
has since honored both his state and the ma
ton upon the floor of the United States
senate, was the special friend OF Sumner.
Territorial days, and afterwards dis
tinguished senator in congress, was the
leader of the hosts and of the enterprise
at Doniphan. Gentlemen of almost equal
prominence and ability were directing at
fairs at Palermo. But it was reserved for
Ellwood to be especially blessed with list
of names as its founders and friends, OF
which any city might well be proud. One,
afterwards often honored by his friends
with q seat in the state legislature, and other
civil offices; another, high literary author
ity in the territory, and afterwards an ac-
complished state officer; another, afterwards
distinguished general in the union army,
and subsequently holding high positions In
the civil service at New Orleans; another, af-
forwards the leading citizen of neighbor-
ing state, millionaire, and member of the
United States senate; and still another,
greater than all who afterwards held
Of ed' our state, and moro recently
envoy extraordinary and minister pienlpo-
Tertiary to a powerful but friendly empire:
Yet, notwithstanding, all this great array OF
talent and ability, the fates seemed 70 be
against these cities. Their 'boom" contin-
ned bat for a year or two, and, like some of
the other cities to which l first referred, 1t
would be difficult to-day to determine even
the sites upon which some OF these last
named cities were erected.
AS there may be persons present tonight
who have never heard of the cities about
which / am speaking, and who do not know
where such cities were located, and, as the
enthusiastic exhumists of cities, after they
shall have gotten through with Pompeii and
Herculaneum, and Babylon, and Troy and
other, of the old world, may want to try
their hands upon the lost cities OF this
continent. it might be well for me to state,
that they were all situated upon the Missouri
river Quindaro, some three miles above
Wyan dotte; Delaware, about half way be-
tween VyanuOlt5 anu Ie'tseiiHoi'ii' outlii
four or five miles below AtchisoD: Donl-
phan, as many miles above Atchison; FL
wood. Immediately opposite the city of st.
Joseph. and Palermo, about midway be-
tween Elwood and Doniphan.
Two great causes contributed to bring
about the collapse of these cities: Fir. t =
Being located but few miles apart, along
the Missouri river, which already had upon
its banks the large and prosperous cities OF
Atchison. Ieayenworth and Wyandotte, they
necessarily became rivals, and greatly an
tagonized each others interests.
Second-They were unquestionably Tar IN
advance of the times The business of the