Wichita eagle., 1888-09-28
PROGRESS IN THE BRoADHoRN.

| To the Editor Of the EAGLE:
Yesterday stood in amongst w. R.
| Dulany and his COW punchers at the
Wichita Union stock yards while they
| loaded forty-two cars at fine cattle.
While man was lacking thick card
on each car marked ''From the Union
Stock Yards, Wichita,"I fell into rev.
erie of sixteen years Of history. At that
time the broad prairies of Sedgwick were
covered with vast herds of Texas cattle,
with small buttocks, long legs, heavy
fore shoulders, large heads and great.
spreading horns, often five feet
from tip to tip in line. The festive
cowboy was then numerously abroad in
the land. All that great empire from
the Great Arkansas to the Rio Grande
was fenceless free pasture. Wichita
was then the smallest villa ge in the list
OF what are now the large places of Kan
sas. The NJ, K. & T. railway was the
only rail connection with the Lone Star
state. The great question then was
'what sort of a cattle country this would
make, anyhow" 1t was avowed that it
was no good for agriculture. / then
understood learned men to say that the
status of the Texrs steer, the develish
cowboy and his tantalizing bug juice
beverage, the Kansas grasshopper and
drouth were all fixtures, pure, everlast-
ing and interchangeable. And l thought it
must be true.
But looking at these cattle l saw that
they had been 'bred up until the broad
horns were the exception. They were
the true proportions of the high breeds
which have been introduced with such
remarkable success into Texas-a mir
acle spread over two hundred thousand
square miles of territory and affecting
most favorably millions of the scrawniest
and meanest cattle on earth. l looked
at these stock wards, but yesterday start
ed and today doing good business. At
this city of $4,000 active people, where
there stood rowdy village in vast
PLAIN tabooed by the wisdo III
of the learned, the large packing
house hard by ready to begin its career.
stood towering above US. Its chimney re-
minded meof beacon on the commercial
shore of the immediate future that is to
guide similar enterprises in clustering
about it. Away to the north were the
pillow works, with the smoke boiling from
its chimney, and then the Burton car
works-and then l saw the name Bur
ton Car Works, Wichita on the very
cars there being loaded with cattle I
felt as if l had doubted this always; that
it was sham and could not be true. i
wanted to pinch myself to see if I was
there, duly sober and alive, when a COW
puncher doubled me over with a rear
lunge of his hickory pole with curt ad-
monition of Give me room, gentle
men,"
Turning to Mr.. Dulany, 1 asked if he
eyer expected to get any more cattle in
those yards. He said: Yes, there
will be thirty-two cars more
along in the evening. Who
would show me miracle after
this would engage in task of supperero-
CATION. He who seeks miracle, if he
has dwelt on these prairles sixteen years,
let him open his eyes and he will sec it
in wonderful reality.
And this miracle is evidently not half
wrought, SO long as a noble and high
souled people remaining here are faith
full to their interests. Every year adds
to our acquaintance with each other in
this newest of communities. The accom-
plishments of this unorganized commun-
ity is the greatest assurance of thepossibil-
tiles of the future when we are, as we
will be, organized. And our glorious
triumphs cannot fail to assure our friends
and command the respect of our detrac-
tors. w. E. HUTCHINSON.