Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-06-11
OFT VEST

An INDGx representative vas o0t
Wesl this week over the Colorado line.
on the Santa Fc railroad, stopping at
several towns, meeting parties from
nearly every one Of the new counties
and representatives from many of the
new towns being established. He was
impressed with great amount of en-
thusiasm displayed oyer the new west;
he was gratilied TO know that there
was some reason for this enthusiasm,
but the thought Was continually arising
that these people had passed the estab-
lished county of Barber for a country
where agriculture is yet but an expert
ment, where the rainfall is not estab-
lished, where water is an unknown
quantity, too frequently, and where
there Is no occupation or industry, save
speculation, that now keeps these peO-
pie alive. There are thousands of peo-
pie entering hOmesteads, timber cul-
ture and presumption claims in the
Garden City land district who have
barely money enough to pay the entry
fees, aud how these people will live
this year is a question; how they will
live any year without rains and crops
is more serious question. They can
secure loans on their presumption
claims, but cannot borrow money ON
their tree-claims or hOmesteads. The
new towns. and they are as numerous
as the sands of the sea, it may be said,
are in nearly the predicament of the
settlers, their prosperity or collapse de-
pending entirely on the success of the
settlements. From Dodge City west,
every town is an experiment. Garden
City is wonder, full of life and energy
with liberal class Of citizens. several
substantial buildings and every class
of business is fully represented there.
1t has a population of at least 300 and
is steadily growing. This city has
been built by land seekers, they fur
nishmg the money that has built up
the land agents, mercantile establish
mentS and other business. There is
nothing produced there or near there.
and when the land is all taken I'D and
there are no more subjects for the land
agents to prey upon, there must be a
hegira from Garden City. The best
hotel we have ever been in in Kansas,
outside of Topeka, is the Buffalo
House, kept by Ben Phillips, formerly
of this place. Another former citizen
of Barber county, Judge Orner has,
with his partner, Mr.. Louck, a large
and lucrative business in the law.
Prof. Quick, also a resident of this
town, ut one time, is conducting n sue
cessful grocery store there, and has
fond hopes i'll the future Of his new
town, Creola, % miles northeast of
Garden City.
Further west, in Hamilton county.
there appears to be more towns than
Carter had oats" Kendall and Syra-
cuse are in the lead, each lighting for
the county seat, with the latter in
possession, though surrounded with
injunctiOns, mandamuses and other
legal distractions. At Kendall, Thad.
Cutlip, John Jones, the Mills boys,
Roll CLARK and other capitalists and
taxpayers of Barber county ale hang
ing up. They report cattle doing well.
Trail City Frequently spelled now
without the ri is To be the great cattle
shipping point in the west. 1t Is only
mile and half from Coolidge and is
a temporary town, full of saloons,
gambling dens and resorts of feminine
wickedness. The Texas trail crosses
the Santa Fc here and several hundred
thousand cattle will pass through Trail
City this season.
Beyond it 10 miles is the new town
of Grenada, in which Thos. Doak, of
Coldwater and l.. II. White, will known
here, are interested, and twenty miles
further on is Lamar, the coming town
of Eastern Colorado. But this was far
enough. We turned back, satisfied
that Barber county was superior to
any land We saw; convinced that Medi-
cine Lodge has a brighter future than
any place we visited. This town is not
an experiment; it Is, as compared with
the mushroom growth noticeable on
every hand out west, as the house
built on the rock, unmoved by winds,
unseorched by drouth and yet firm in
the force of floods.
NNnaW- A. l.