Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-06-02


they we're one vast herd. They presented
an easy target, and a merciless fire was
poured upon them from the car windows
by company of fifty government scouts
who were on the train. The baggage car
was filed with the hams of the buffaloes
killed close to the track, for the train
stopped several times to gather up the
harvest of meat, and several times it was
obliged to stop or slacken speed to allow
the buffaloes to get out of the way.
Earl Spaulding (now dead, who lived
three miles west of Ellis, was the first
farmer in Trego county.
The settlers in Trego county who had
preceded the Chicago Colony (of 1870
were J. G. Henry, Harlow Orion, Earl
Spaulding, J. K. Snider, D. o. Adams,
Geo. Brown, Geo. McCaslin, Geo. Pink
ham, B. o. Richards and his son Peleg
Richards.
The fall of 1877 marked most impor-
tanG era in the history of Trego county.
The firm of Warren & Keeney, from Chi
cago, became possessed of large pant of
her lands. With them came w. s. Har-
rison, Geo. Barrett, F. o. Ellsworth,
Thomas K. Peck and G. W. F. Street, all
of whom took claims close to Wa-Keeney.
Among the settlers who came in 1878
were T. w. Miller, G. w. and James
Duckworth, J. M. Davis, s. G. Robb,
David Fouts T. A. Shorthill, Stuart
Shorthill, Jno. Lemke, J. F. Allen, Geo..
Dobson, Geo. Baker, John Weckel, B. G..
Gaisford, G. 81. Gibbs, W. G. Olson, W.
II. Fuson, W. T. Hunter, Harmon Pence,
J. r. Kershaw, Joseph Werlich, B. w. s.
Huffaker, G. L. Gavett, E. Russell, Jno.
J. Anderson, J. w. Scott, NJ. D., Richard
Evans, J. G. Philips, F. D. Morse, J. A.
De Berg, W. II. Derby, N. Fuller, A. L..
Cook, Joseph Escher, Rem Halstead, Geo.
". Griswold, E. L. Roberts, Fl. J. Hille,
d. M. Nixon, - Crawford, James Kelly,
A. W. Newman, Jerry Minor, John Ma
ginnis, W. B. Kritchfeld, w. s. Mead,
L. W. Ball, D. G. Fast, P. M. Cassidy,
Geo. Howell, Robert r. Scott, Rev. J. z.
Wilson, Fred Wolcott, Edwin Hoyt, Mrs.
81. d. Monroe, w. H. Hartshorne, Cap
tain j. NJ. Welsh, Chas. N. Tibbits, G. P.
Keeney, John Keeney, D. F. Keeney, w.
s. Kyle, Ben G. Rich, G. G. Yetter, J. F.
Conden, T. K. Phillips, S. G. Davis, Jno.
W. Burns, Larry LIE Bron, G. A. Sperry,
r. G. Kessler, DR.. Geo. F. Nealley, Enos
Click, d. Barclay and number of others
whose names we do not now recall.
The people of Trego county in 1878
were thoroughly aroused to theinsecurity
of life on the border. In September a
tribe of Cheyenne Indians moving north
ward killed men, outraged and murdered
women and stole much property. Peo-
pie from the country hocked to Wa-Kee-
ney, and all was excitement and confu-
sion. Governor Anthony, on receipt of
kilograms from J. G. Henry and J. F.
Keeney, sent Adjutant General Noble to
Wa Keeney with arms and ammunition.
One hundred Sharpe's carbines and $500
rounds of ammunition were brought to
Messrs. Henry and Keeney. A company
OF eighty men was organized at Wa-Kee-
ney, called the Trego County Home
Guards. of which John Keeney was cap
tain; W. H. Fuson, first lieutenant, and
G. W. Milford, second lieutenant. The
Indians passed near Buffalo Park, short
distance west of the Trego county line.
and murdered several persons in that vi
cinity. Some days elapsed before people
ceased to come into Wa-keeney with the
news that Indians had just been seen in
this locality or that. The redskins we're
well out of the way, in Nebraska, before
our people resumed steadily their usual
occupations or slept soundly.
The first immigration boom in Trego
county began in 1873 and ended in the
fall of 1879. The records of the q. S.
land Office in Wa-Keeney for the latter
year show that nearly all the available
lands of the government were taken up.
The population of the county was then
estimated at $500. Perhaps two-thirds
of this population were east of a line
drawn north and south through Wa
Keeney.
The crop of 1879 was nearly total
failure, and many, becoming thoroughly
discouraged, left the county to seek more
congenial homes. The year 1880 proved
even more disastrous to the crop than
1879 had, and the faith of many settlers
who had remained was utterly destroyed.
The exodus continued until the popula-
ton dwindled down to about 1900. The
conditions in the year 1881 were little
changed, except that the settlers recoe-
nized that stock-growing constituted
their only safe course. The flow of en-
igration from the county was almost
wholly checked. An occasional new
conner arrived. Wealth increased rapid
ly. This state of affairs continued until