Thomas County cat., 1886-05-27
Prent;s on Thomas County.

The objective point of the expedi
ton was Thomas county and the pres
ent port for Colby, is a station which
formerly bore the name of Cleveland
but is now officially known as Oakley
From this point daily stage runs to
Colby. If you wish to leave any
property to your children, you will
take this stage. If you are a reckless
prodigal, bent on squandering your
wealth as soon as possible if you
wish to enable bandit to fix up his
cave with oriental splendor, you will
patronize an Oakley livery stable
keeper. The distance from Oakley to
Colby is estimated at from twenty
two to twenty-eight miles, but as an
Oakley livery team can make the dis
tance in three hours and have strength
enough left to return the next day, it
is not much above the first figure
Monument Station is nearer to Colby,
and it is probable that hack line will
soon be established between the two
points.
The traveller who thinks that he re-
=, ,I:.,ne, +l., h;rrl, ,-,ctrncc Of tbo Main o
b. looking from the car windows is
That is like looking at the
ocean from tho shore. while he who
journeys in carriage or on hoseback
is like voyager in the midst of the
deep. Ever time this great high
country is visited the higher and wider
it looks. 1t never encourages that IA
miliarty which breeds contempt. Ali
the Fourth OF July speeches do not
say as much for the boundless enter
prise of American people as the fact
that they dare enter upon the settle
ment OF these hitherto tremendous.
treeless. shaIciess solitude. If new
seal is ever designed for the State of
Kansas. it ought TO represent the vic
torious American eagle perched on the
roof of sod house. with the motto,
Proved Up"
Colby, a town which has attained
5hc mature age of one year, was
.eached at sunset and was inspected
oy moonlight and by daylight 1t has
nothing to mark it as 4 frontier Or
wen now town. There is not Il sod
house Or a shanty in the place, not q
building of any magnitude that'is not
the sidewalks are better than
he average Atchison. article. The
stores sell dry goods and groceries at
Commercial street prices. Art, too,
las obtained foothold. The Martin
lrug store obtained the services of an
eastern paper hanger, and now you
zee his work all over town. We had
lreadcd the frontier hotel, having ex-
,erienced hunger and some bloodshed
n the course of day and night ex-
'erience at such in the past, but we
eally met, rs old Shenstone has it, |
Our w;lrmest welcome at an inn."
'he Colby House supplied every want
# the Champions commissioners.
Iere we refreshed ourselves rs we
tudied Thomas county, past, present
nd future.
Thomas county is now fully incor-
'orated and is eligible to vote bonds,
stablish poor house, and perform
IL and singular, the duties of cOun-
V. The first term of the district
ourt was held by Judge Pratt two
Ieeks ago. In these days when lot
f imported cranks and ruffians are
in favor of the abolition of
;od and the extinguishment of law,
is refreshing to see that the Ameri-
an citizen who deserves the name will
OF live without law. As soon as
ossible after a county has settlers, it I.
,sists on a district judge ana term
court Thomas county, with the .
ssistance of Sherman. attached for
ldicial purposes, mustered a docket
twenty-five cases-including di-
orce cases. The local historian states
lat the county has had its first mar
age, its first baby and its first di-
Orce.
As has been stated before in these
II e