Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-02-20
WA-KEENEY.
S]ne Of Her Early History Her Present
Proportions Her Directory
In Detail.


Wa-Keeney was laid out on section
nine, township twelve, range twenty
three, being one entire section GAG
acres-and being about the center of the
large tract of land purchased by Warren.
Keeney & Co. of the Kansas Pacific rail
road company nearly in the center OF
Trego county, and just half way between
Kansas City and Denver. 1t was named
by Mr.. Keeney, and is an abbreviaton
OF Warren & keeney. O. C. Gibbs says.
in the Chicago Tribune, it means the
man who pushes things. 1t was survey
ed and laid out by Messrs. Warren, Kee-
ney & Co. in January, 1873. The streets
all cross each other at right angles, each
street being eighty feet wide, with the
exception of sore streets by which the
court house square is bounded, each OF
which is one hundred feet in width. This
town was laid out after the most APPROX
ed fashion, as Warren, Keeney & Co..
have had large experience in building
towns, having laid out and built several
Of the suburbs of Chicago. The town
site is one of the most beautiful on the
Kansas Pacific railway, and can be seen
from ten to twenty miles in almost any
direction. The regularity and beauty OF
the design of its streets have done much
to show off the place, and it is the gen.
eral remark of every one who visits the
place: "What a beautiful town site
what fine, broad streets!-each being
Just one mile in length it looks more
like New England city than a western
town"
The county was organized in July,
1879, with Wa-Keeney as the county
seat.
This place is very different from most
frontier towns, as it has from the first
taken high social, moral and intellectual
standing, and is attracting here many
people of that class. No liquors are al
lowed to be sold in this place, as bever-
age, and if man wants to get the peo-
pie of this town down on him, let him
advocate or take course opposite to
this deep-rooted sentiment, and it won't
take him long to do it.
OF the character of many of the build
ings in Wa-Keeney, we write with keen
pleasure. There are the railway depot
and the Keeney block, which are illustra-
ted in this ISSUE We could have gone
on and on, and found worthy of illustra-
ton the Cakes House, stone structure,
two stories heavenward, 100 feet long.
averaging more than fifty feet wide fol
this length, and taking on large IL" OF
stone at the east side of the north end
There is no city in Kansas where this
house would not show creditably. Then
there are the two-story stone buildings
of Lawrence & Hall and Geo. I. Verbeck
Either of these would show well in pic.
ture. The two-story wooden building Of
J. H. Baker would capture the eye il
presented in the same form. County
Treasurer Kelly's two-story stone resi-.
dence building would look nice in pic.
ture. There are several other residences
of which the same. remark could Justly
be made, among which are J. Werlich'f
Lee Monroe's, Cyrus Monroe's, G. NJ
Paull's.
Still we remark freely that, with ou1
high opinion of the splendid nucleus
which Wa-Keeney now presents for one
of the early big cities, it was our notion
that the reading matter would be more
valuable to all concerned than so much
space devoted to pictures, those we present
being illustrative, in large degree, o.
many other buildings in Wa-Keeney. In.
deed we will not refrain from saying, In
this connection, that many people have
been attracted to this city and county
through their memories ofthe appearance
of Wa-Keeney, although perhaps when
they passed it they did SO on rapid
railway train, in the season Of our de.
preston, without even dreaming that
this region could ever hold them as citi-
zens. Such is the logic of appearance.
Wa-Keeney was organized in the spring
of 1880, as city of the third class
and, through thick and thin, the organi.
cation has been maintained. These are
her officers at present: