Wichita eagle., 1888-04-08
SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.
Crop Prospects Brilliant and Her People
Hopeful and Happy---A Remark
ably Fertile Section.
spondeuce Daily Eagle.

bears Is at present very small collec-
ton of very small houses, situated just
one mile from the site of the station of
the Chicago, Kansas q Nebraska rail-
way, bearing the name of Liberal, but
from all indications il will not long con-
tinue ar its present size as the railway
made this the end of the line, division
headquarters, and will put up repair
shops. besides an elegant depot. large
hotel and division offices. The c. X. Il
n. Town Company has bought st1me
400 acres OF land and will proceed in
a few weeks to lay out town which they
say will surpass anything they have yet
built. To do this it will have TO eclipse
the brilliant record of Horton, their shop
town in Brown county near the north
east corner of the state. This city was
laid out September, 1886 and today has
fully 1000 people.
To even thoroughly initiated Kan
san, one who unlike his\ lethargic
brother Of the east, is able to compre-
bend the condensed energy and vim
which are truly and only indigenous to
Kansas, such development as has been
wrought and is being constantly aug
mented in Southwestern Kansas must
appear astounding. The place from
which | write is located southwest of
the center of Seward county and is
about five miles from the strip or
mo Mans Land as it is called
As late as 1880 large herds of buffalo
roamed in unrestrained freedom over the
very prarfes, or as they were then called
plains, across which, now the
the iron horse giides, bringing an en-
lightened civilization. The cattlemen,
who drove the buffalo out, have in turn
been driven out by the actual settler,
who has come to stay, as Is everywhere
evidenced by the improvements, some
times very meagre It's true, but
IN all eases sheltering the family of an
honest tiller of the soil, the bone and
sinew of every country.
The stranger from the older portions
of Kansas even, gazes in open mouth
wonder. when in answer TO an inquiry
he is told that none, or practically none,
OF the claims in these southwest coun-
ties have been located more than three
years. On every hand the broad, smooth
pastures of buffalo grass afford food for
hundreds and thousands of cattle, while
the freshly turned sod, the cultivated
fields and growing crops, all raise their
voices in praise of as fertile Il virgin
soil as can be found in equal
extent, anywhere on this continent.
which with proper farming will produce
in degree that will surprise some of
the most prosperous counties Ill the
state. As yet the extreme western por-
ton of the state has not had "a fair trial
as a farming country, for the reason
that only for the past two years has
there been enough ground in crops after
a second blowing to show what the soil
might do. These two years,
as is well known, have been
remarkably dry throughout the
whole Mississippi Valley ard of course
Kansas has been no exception. Not
withstanding this state of affairs, Sew
ard county, which is typical South
western Kansas county, took the prize
at the State fair last fail for the best dis
play of crops made by any county in
Kansas All over these counties, III adj
vance of the railroads, have sprung up
enterprisrng and promising towns, with
i'll the last two or three years. Some of
these have from 500 to 1900 people and
built in manner that would put to shame
almost any towns of their respective
sizes in the older states. Each town, If
it has not the county seat or a railroad.
aspires and expects TO possess both al
most Immediately. The county seat
questions, while they have stimulated
the several competitors, have not caused
any internicine fights, but have in
nearly all of the conflicts been amicably
settled. Railroads are fast reaching for
the west and southwest and seek their
routes through this section, which will
in few years prove good local territory.
Every town has its bank, its hotels and
last, but most Indispensable, its one, two
or Ihree pugnacious newspapers, whose
editors with dilating pupils eagerly scan
the columns of each exchange to see if
some old fogy weekly paper of the east,
that has never known what energy feels
like, has not been very solemnly admon-
ishing its few readers mot To go 10
Kansas as she is busted, etc.
Should such an article be found
there is ''chip to knock off
of somebody's shoulder" and the south
western Kansas editor does it.
Speaking of hotels one viii be sur
prised at the excellence of some. with
others he will be correspondingly dis
gusted with the meagreness Of the fare,
the eagerness of certain well-known in
sects who post as the advance guards of
civilizations and the rapacity Of the lazy
landlord, whose sole occupation Is
maxim change for guests, while his
wife Is working herself to death, that
cher liege lord may slowly dry up and
blow away"
The frontier barber shop Is also usually
a model in its line, but one there Is in
thS sSftioh t4Aiou5h '" 4i4~b i@sIeDb -
compelled TO travel overland, where the
sponge seems to have a cookie barr IN y
and the puff BALI is a sleeps tail. This
Is only one Of the few remnants Of an
earlier civilization when the six shooter
was mightier than argument, persuasion,
arbitration and all mild methods Of the
present day.
That a more progressive civilization Is /