The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-15


ing to his many years in Wichita he said
he started with little and had it yet, not
venturing, of course or intimating how
much more.
1t was in the early days of windy March,
1870, that Mr.. Allen, accompanied by Mrs.
Allen, reached Wichita coming from
LeavenwOrth, and from Emporia travelled
IN wagon. Mr.. Allen had been here a few
months before and decided that some
where in the Arkansas valley some time
there would be city. He thought Wich-
tia would be the future city, or at least
had the best chances, and he would locate
here in the retail drug business. He had
spent nine years clerling in a drug store at
LeavenwOrth and the other fellow had
been footing expenses and standing the
loss of mistakes, but he thought he was
able then to foot the bills of his own mis-
takes and conduct a business for himself.
So it was, and reaching Wichita the town
seemed to be upon Main street and he Sc
cured lot near Pine street. 1t was of the
usual size, and he hauled lumber from
Wamego, on the Union Pacific line, to put
up building. 1t did not take many hun
dred thousand feet of lumber to put up the
building but only part of it. The build
ing provided for a drug store room in front
fourteen by twenty-four feet, and a contin-
uation Of the building back gave room for
residence. The stock of goods costing
about 81 900 was Systematically arranged
and in about four weeks from the time he
reached Wichita he was ready to open the
door for business.
There were about fifty people in the
town at the time and no one in the whole
town was in the habit of getting sick or
needing anything very bad that was in
stock In the purchase of goods it is sup
posed special care was taken to get emer-
gency remedies in order to secure the trade
that would certainly come from the use of
the cowboys gun and knife. The ague
remedy shelf it is supposed had brace
under it besides being supported by an eX
ira nail. The trade no doubt was carefully
studied and the pecUliarities provided for
as nearly as possible. Everything arranged
for business on the night of the 14th of
April, 20 and the next morning at least
four hours before 10 o'clock the door was
OPEN 1t was the first drug
store in the Arkansas valley from Pueblo
to Fit. Smith, and the demand for it, &C
cording to the first days business, indicat-
ed that there might be too many stores of
the kind in this section. The first pre-
scription filled was made out by a physi-
clan yet in the city and the strange feature
Of it is the patient is yet alive and, by the
way, resides in Wichita. The next day no
fatal results were reported and business
started on the increase.
After about two years at the first loca-
ton the town seemed to be going south
and Mr.. Allen moved his store down be-
tween First and Second streets on Main.
Doing business there for seven years, he
moved to his present location on Douglas
avenue.
While Mr. Allen is the oldest business
man in the city, it may also be observed
that his son, Frank, was the first child
born in Wichita. And in con
nection with his business success it
may be observed that there is not
an EAGLE on file weekly or daily that does
not contain his business card.
Mr.. Allen served in the city council five
years from the Fourth ward, being elected
without opposition three times. Serving
one year OF his third term he resigned as
member of the council and shortly after
ward was elected mayor by the largest ma
iority ever given q candidate for that office
in the city. On taking the position where
council committees were appointed he
created the committee known ever since as
the sewer committee" and with that mo-
ment the investigation for sewer system
Many will wildly recall the
long and tedious efforts to secure informa-
ton on the question and to get some sys-
TEN and plan which, if properly executed,
would be a success. The problem it was
thought was finally solved and the contract
awarded. At the ceremony for breaking
dirt for the sewer, as will be shown by the
EAGLE file. he spoke of the sewer system
being the first in the line of extensive i'm
provements and observed that very soon
the paving problem would force recogni-
ton.