The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-01

to live stock but confined itself to people.
This branch was organized at that time
and the fact was developed that bullock
costing three or four dollars to produce
was selling for forty and fifty dollars. The
result was great boom in cattle and in
crease in production. The boom in cattle
brought millions of money west for few
years, until followed by overproductlon,
and the boom dropped and the depression
for a time as emphatic almost as the
increase in value but short time before.
The overproduction resulted in sending
two or three hundred thousand head of
cattle annually to Europe seeking foreign
market.
1t is estimated that it will take the field
workers from three to six months to
secure the data required. This will be
sent to the Office here and from it the re-
port made out, calling for many pages of
written matter and innumerable tables.
It would be difficult to estimate how long
it would take to complete the report for
the department, but it is thought that 1T
will certainly take all Of the present year
and far into the next.
In the tenth census the Hon. Clearance
Gordon, of Newberg, n. Y, had charge Of
the department and Mr.. Mccoy was in
the field, having been assigned the Indian
territory His first report was more than
satisfactory. giving more information than
was anticipated by the experiment, as 1t
was at that time. As a result Mr.. Mccoy
was given the work in the Panhandle of
Texas, western third Of Kansas and New
Mexico. His name appears frequently in
the report and his work was most highly
complimented by Mr.. Gordon. This proved
most valuable in the contest for his pres
ent appointment. In addition to this and
the Wichita support he was highly re com
mended by many of the leading catflemen
throughout the country and also by some
of the United States senators and repre-
SentativeS.
Over twenty-three years ago Fir. Mccoy
moved from Central Illinois to Abilene,
Kan. He originated the ide2. of the Abb
Iene trail and went Down to St.
Louis and presented the scheme to the
management of the UnioR Pacific. They
looked at him with Amusement and
thought it the widest scheme ever heard
on earth or anywhere else They entered
into a contract about cattle shipments,
however, and allowed Mr. Mccoy to spend
his own money on . corps of engineers to
locate the trail leading to Texas, III that
day supposed to be many thousand of miles
away. IL hebS IA W tIlt OO1 JS pttSoCu SOullL
through Wichita, Wellington and Cald-
well and down through the territory into
Texas. Very soon the Texas cattle were
grazing nOrthward, and in due time reached
Abilene anG the freight department of the
Kansas Pacific commenced to hear from
the wild scheme. Suffice it to say that
over four million head Of cattle came north
over the Abilene Jrail. in '72, owing to
the fact that the Kansas Pacific manage
ment failed to comply with the contract,
Mr.. Mccoy commenced to work for stop
pin Q and turning the cattle to Wichita
TIE Santa Fe had just reached here and
the leading citizens here went to
work earnestly and Abilene lost
the trade and it came to Wichita.
During the first year $40 car loads of
cattle left Wichita over the Santa Fe and
only 2, 300 car loads went over the Missouri
river by the Kansas Pacific As all the old
settlers will recall, the cattle days were
quite important to Wichita and at that
time Mr. Mccoy was leading cattle man
and assisted Wichita in controlling the
trade Of that day.