Wichita eagle., 1888-03-08
A TRIP THROUGH THE PANHANDLE.

A TRIP THROUGH THE PANHANDLE
Business Alliance Formed and Direct
Communication Opened With
Wichita.
To the Editor of the Eagle.
| Having spent a week in travelling
through the Panhandle country and Wis
iting the principal towns and making
overland trips, feel like saying as many
good things about the towns and country
as space will allow. In the first place,
we found a country similar to that of our
home state, Kansas: splendid climate,
fine soil. most of which is susceptible of
cultivation, and before many months go
by will be farmed like our Kansas farms.
| Of course the cattle men Of the Pan
handle are not particularly anxious to
see that day come, but it is coming and
| not far distant, either. Then again, why
should the cattle men object? For there
| is plenty of room for them outside of the
Panhandle part of Texas. Then why
! should they not drive back their herds
and show by so doing that they are as
anxious as any to roll to the front the
ball of immigration, civilization and set
| Element. A better class of gentlemen, a
more liberal class. can scarcely be found
than the cattle men of the Panhandle.
The second town we visited in the Pan
handle was Miami. town of something
like hundred inhabitants, full of life
and enthusiasm; two hotels, and soon to
be another which is being built
by Mr.. Baldwin of that place. and
will be called the Baldwin Hotel;
two drug stores, two grocery stores, one
large general livery, feed and sale stable.
kept by G. w. Bennett, and very social
gentleman he is. Captain Walsh, pur-
chasing agent of supplies for troops at
Fort Elliott, is located at Miami.
Our trip from Miami to Fort Elliott
and Mobeetie was one long to be remem-
bered by the writer. 1t is eighteen miles
from Miami. where we leave the rail-
road, to the fort. The first two or three
miles is somewhat rough. and especially
just before reaching that point which is
known all over that country as freight
er's heaven" We did not learn why it
was thus called unless it is point hard
to reach by freighters when heavily load
ed. Then again there is a drop off to
the side of the road of several
feet and a bountiful supply of fine
pure spring water gushing from the side
of the banks, then short distance from
the spring is beautiful canon where
one can sleep undisturbed regardless of
winds and storms.
Then again why should not the foot of
this immense hill be called "Freighters
Hill'' for it is as all freighters know, and
myself as well, rough looking old place
and if some Of the people Of Sedgwick
county could have seen us pounding and
pushing an old range horse which was a
wheel horse, and yet he wasn't wheel
horse, for when we was about one-third
the way up the hill cold Balky Brownie
which we named him, positively re-
fused to assist in bearing us safely
to that point called ''Freighters
heaven" There we were, stuck in the
sand, and old "balky Brownie standing
as unconcerned as COW in clover up to
her belly. We tried and tried; we
whipped. we pushed and we coaxed, but
''never, never, never no more" The
writer never swears, but It's evident
there would have been swearing going
on about that time by the driver, Mr..
Sherer,. big double-fsted fellow, had
it not been for the presence of Mrs.
Montgomery, of Mobeetie, the lady who
rides horseback, goes hunting, kills inn
mense quantities of game and who
should be highly respected for having
the nerve to be professional marksman
and perfect lady.
But we got to the top of the
hill all the same and the way ws
did it was by taking the old
Brownie out and letting the lead horsee
pull the stage to the top of the hill while
| lead old Brownie up. When at the
top of the hill we hitched him in and
had very pleasat trip the rest of the
way.
We found Fl. Elliott to be very
beautiful place indeed, and place
which it will pay any one going for
pleasure or business to visit. Capt.
Prices was headquarters for us while in
the fort as it naturally is for all Wichita
folks. The Captain is one Of the many
men who has unbounded faith in the
future greatness of the city of Wichita
II was through his kindness that we met
almost all of the officers of the fort.
Captain Leggett has q number of fine
greyhounds and invites any OF the boys
who may come down to drop round and
go antelope chasing.
d. W. Van Horn is located at the fort
with an immense stock of general pler-
chandise, and hereafter will be a con-
slant reader of the Wichita EAGLE;
furthermore. he says what is to the in
terest of Wichita is to the interest of the
Panhandle. and vice versa.
We next landed in Mobeetie. the oldest
and most substantial town in the Pan
handle, a place we would judge to be
of about six or seven hundred inhabi-
tants. \ splendid class Of business
men, all seeming 10 be doing
rerx we'll considering the time