The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-01-30
KAxsAs nisronY.

II 1Gf 81 Ero|rG88-A NfID0N9 70 so8n
Brown ssa other Lssdsrs.
The following IL the excellent ad-
dress delivered before the Kansas
State historical society ct the four
tenth annual meeting, January q,
1890, by Hon. William A. Phillips Of
SaIina, president Of the society:
History 10 the record Of events
not the advertisement Of localities.
The northern half Of Asis IL a. much
q blank book, - Canada away from
the Sc. Lawrence. IL we take out
Egypt and Carthage, Africa IL .
dark "A very dark-eontinent, In
deed. Nor can We accept from
Egypt Q pyramid for history. The
names Of the arist0eratie families
entombed there, even II we could
rescue them from oblivion, are Of
far less consequences than the tears
and agony Of the thousands Of slaves
who persisted building them. His
tory proper 10 the capitalization OF
thought; ideas grown into works
and Institutions.
But few years ago-you and i can
remember the time Kansas vas the
"Grsat American Desert" That 10,
historically, and We have learned
that what 10 called history 10 not,
necessarily, accurate. Still, the
Desert" was not all q myth. can
remember several long stretches Of
eountry, where, In ants-bellum
days, the sands drifted and blew,
where the grass grew not, but O few
miniature plum trees might be seen,
or wild rose bush. In the course Of
time, however, grass struggled over
and covered IL, and the squatters
finally made farms upon it; and i
ceased to be positive la my opinion
| concerning lt. Who can sketch the
ancient history Of Kansas, when, In
one Of the earth's mighty cata-
clysms, all the ridges and hills and
peaks were all heaved up from the
sea or lake where they had rested,
and were first In narrow serrated
hills and ridges with . gorge 1t the
bottom which gradually filled up,
aud leVeled, with Washings from the
hills, and until the board rich val.
legs appeared, and the present Kan
sas landscape took shape. Would 10
be wonderful IL beaches, and sandy
reaches from the depths Of the for
gotten sea should be left here and
there, or even saline or alkaline
| deposits, or the bones Of monstrous
saurians who once deposited on the
waters banished for ever more.
And then came the buffalo and the
buffalo grass, aud the beautiful
herds Of antelope, and the majestic
herds Of elk. have, as late NJ 1SG9,
seen several thousand Of these latter
magnificent creatures In q herd and
small bands Of black tailed deer
among the bluffs and cedars Of the
upper smoky, Saline and Solomon.
I have seen immense herds Of buff
fAlo cover the landscape, and make
Il black ~ Ink In the early summer
time, as far ~ the eye could reach.
Who can tell how many centuries
| passed, In which these mighty herds
KraZsd on aud enriched, and fell
down and left their bodies to create
the deep black soil Of Kansas. Frag-
! ments Of their bones are still found
IN digging wells, ten and even
twenty feet from the surfare. EnOr-
nous deposits Of gypsum In central
Kansas added TO the wOndrous fer
tility. With the buffalo and other
game. followed those who preyed on
them. When the little marmet, we
call the prairie dog, founded its
towns on the beautiful plains, the
owl and the hawk, the rattlesnsks
and coyote followed IL. With the
buffalo aud elk there sneaked along
the prairie wolf and mountain lion.
| have heard the deep bass roar Of
the latter many q time along the
valleys Of western Kansas. Last
but not least among the foraginE
races came man-the nOmadic red
man Of the plains. For them these
were the primitive happy Arcadihn
days. Their white skin tents cast q
shadow In the sun light, and SHIN
mered In the moonlight. The buffa-
10 was to them the gift of the great
spirit, and when slain they per-
mitted no part Of the carcass TO be
wasted. Their women dug wild po-
tatOes on the hillside, and gathered
fruits aud nuts in the woods. They
were not altogether Iusensible TO
sanitary conditions, for instead OF
moving the hlth the town moved.
Tine chase was ut once their occupa-
ton and enjoyment, war the Oc-
easiOnal but startling event. Free
as the breeZes that swept over Kan
sas, these, lite early deniZens, recog-
nized no authority save the vOlun-
taTy respect to the words OF the
wise, or the command Of an accepted
leader in battle. They had their
historical societies, too; when the
wampun belts were brought out, aud
the knots Of years aud decades, and
the events represented by beads and
colors explained, telling Of the old
time Immigration, Of q battle-and
alliance treaty, or the boundaries
claimed for their domains. They
were sovereign, too, In their own
country, aud ~ proud Of Kansas -
you or /. They granted permission
tn the SpAuiard, the Frenchman aud
the American to visit them and
make roads through their country,
subject to certain conditions. Nor
were they destitute Of amusements.
Society life was varied by ball play,
foot and horse races and dancing.
The melancholy music Of their
drums I have heard In the bends OF
eur rivers; the monotOnous pipe and
the feeble twanging Of the stringsd
Instruments, and above all the
weird, wild song. Romantic youths
sang or played to catch the ear OF
their desired lady loves. Who can
tell what epics may have been
dreamed aud uttered among the skin
tents OF Cheyenne and AraPahOe.
can remember one fall afternoon, In
1853, when we came on the great
camp Of the Cheyennes on the upper
SaliBe. The temporary city stood
in the valley, between the timber Of
two small creeks about q mile aud
quarter apart, aud extended from
blutf to river, about two miles. It
consisted Of an oval belt Of tents
some four wide on each side, 90 that
YOU had to travel over this oval for
several miles going through the
town. It was estimated that not
less than 10000 people were there.
The central space was reserved for a
very large herd Of horses, mules and
Toniss. With them were o half
dozen lodges Of visiting Sioux, and
one or two lodges of other tribes and
few Mexicans. There We met
White Antelope, the aged chief, and
Roman Nose and Black Kettle and
other celebrities. To those we gave
some presents. White Antelope
took what he got and divided Il
among his people, and then fielding
his blanket across his breast, retired
To his tent. IL was n romantic and
Inspiring scene. The wife Of each
soldier, when the Gun rose, erected
in front Of their tent, on q spear aud
club, her husbands shield and his |
arms across Il all Furnished. Little
did the people dream how soon all
these forms and customs should be |
swant away NNhaRa are fhav al