Wichita daily eagle., 1886-08-01
KINGMAN.
A Thrifty City of $500 People Forty Five
Miles West of Wichita.

klHgman, the terminus of the Wichita d
Western railroad, is situated forty-five
miles west of this city in the heart of one
Of the best counties in the famous Arkansas
valley. Two regular messenger trains
daily furnish easy and convenient COM
munication with the metropolis and the
rest of the world The progress of the city
from small village to its present pro-
portions is easily told
1t was plated in 1874, the entire popula-
ton of the county being but little more than
one hundred. AT first its progress was very
/ slow, and it was not until 1883 that it call
ed for charter of a city of the third class,
which requires a population of $50. The
establishment of the Kingman and MINES
scah Touring mills gave the young city a
big advantage over surrounding settlements.
The city is beautifully located on the Mn
nescah river, the business portion being
located on the river bottom, while the
higher land ad jacent furnishes excellent
sites for numerous fine residences From
any of these splendid view of the city may
be had. The streets are broad and
well drained and there is sand enough in
the soil to prevent their getting very muddy
Perhaps no city of $500 population has
more fine residences and substantial brick
business houses, indicating that the people
have confidence in the future and have de
termined to make permanent homes.
In 1888 the fist brick business house was
erected Since that time no one has
thought of building of less permanent
material One block is made up entirely
from street to street, of two-story brick bus
iness houses, while three Others contain
| from four to seven brick buildings and
the old frames are rapiply giving place to
better structures. Ten new brick business
houses have been built this year and there
is every probability that several others will
be built before the season closes The
number of residences built or under way
will reach three hundred and fifty for the
year 1t is doubtful if any other city of
its size can show such a progress for one
year, and too at time when there is no
special impetus.
Whatever may be SAID about the bonding
of cities and counties to aid railroads, it is
certain that Kingman and Kingman county
have made their greatest progress since the
advent of the Wichita e. Western railroad
in 1884 The population of this city has
more than quadrupled in two years, and the
county has also made rapid and per-
manent growth both in population and
wealth. The Denver Memphis & Atlantic
now built to Norwich in the southeastern
portion of the county, will reach Kingman
by September first, furnishing through
line to Memphis, and easy communication
with the Gulf and the entire south. This
road is part of the Missouri Pacific sys
tenn and will have close connection with
the Fort Scott Il Wichita at Conway
Springs The building of the Kansas Il
Panhandle and the Chicago, st. Joseph u
Fl. Worth railroads is now almost an as
sured fact, aud looking at the strides the
city has made in two years with one road,
who can guess the progress of the future,
when four grand competing lines keep time
to her onward march.
Kingman is just close enough to Wichita
to get the greatest possible benefit OF our
wholesale houses, which are now in a posi-
ton to compete with advantage against job
bing houses further east, and far enough
away that our retail trade is not damaged
10 any great extent by competition. King
man has magnificent territory OF tbe finest
farming lands in the world, with 10 com
peiitors nearer than Wichita on the east;
Hutchinson on the north Pratt on
the west and Harper on the south.
With such a state of things the PROCESS OF
the city cannot be otherwise than onward
and upward The business men Of the city,
the men who have to Il great extent made
it what it is, are young, energetic, aad have
the greater part of life before them. They
went there full of life and determined to
succeed Their progress has been mosi
gratifying and their hopes of the future
grow brighter every day. In kingman, as
all over the west the young men build the
cities.
The county was organized in 1874. is |
thirtv-siX miles east and west and twenty |
four north and south The surface IS an un-
dulating prairie about fifteen per cent. be
ing bottom land The county is well
drained by the Ninnescah and Chicaskia
rivers. which are fed by numerous springs
and spring branches, watering every town
ship and nearly every section. These !
springs and streams furnish excellent water |
for stock and for power, there being two
water mills already in operation at klngman
The numerous springs all over the county
furnish water of the purest kind for stock
and for domestic use, while good water is
readily obtained by digging from twelve to
forty feet There is no swamp land and
the county lies high enough to be free
from malaria The soil is a dark, san
dy loan, very rich and deep, /
with the exception of small
tract of red land between kingman and |
Murdock Strangers think this red land is
not good. but experience proves that it is
about as good for serial crops and very su
perior for wheat and grass. The farmers
have good stock. and all thiogs considered,
are prosperous. The county contains a
population of about l 900 and not more than
one-fourth of the quarter sections are occu-
pied; ii will support in prosperity and thrift /
a nopulation four times as large as il now |