The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-01-22
PIONEERS POINTERS
If About to Take Greeley's Advice and
Come West, Come to Sherman
County.
Some Of the Advantages That We Have
-.-Our SchOOls...Our Churches
.-.0ur Societies.

which time we have observed closely
the crops and the general outcome of
the seasons, we have not changed our
minds in regard to the grand future of
the western plains. We believe there
is no new country that offers the adj
vantages to settlers that western Kan
sas and eastern Colorado does.
AS to fertility of soil, this county is
ahead of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
The average depth of soil is from two
to four feet, while the subsoil is from
thirty to sixty feet deep, and IS as fer
tile when brought to the surface as the
surface soil.
There has not been year of general
crop failure in the seven years we have
resided here except 1890, and then
good deal of grain was raised in the
country and plenty of fodder crops.
The Touring mill here ran one year
with capacity of seventy-fvc barrels
of flour daily on wheat taken from
farmers of this and adjacent counties,
even in this year of short crops Now
when we consider that not per cent
of the country was cultivated in wheat
the result is remarkable. This year
(1891) was a good year for small grain
and in some sections for corn and po-
tatoes. Hundreds of thousands of
bushels of wheat have been exported
from Sherman county, Kansas, alone;
and everyone is familiar with the glut
of the wheat market at Chicago, and
the grain-car blockade in that great
mid-continental mart. The extent,
resources and advantages of the great
west is not, and cannot be appreciated
10y the people of the eastern states.
and we doubt, if fully, by even long
time residents of the country itself.
Railroads now cross all these great
fertile plains and no one need be far
Their than twenty to thirty miles from
trunk line railway; no one need be
far Instant from good towns and con-
venient trading points. Schools and
churches abound, law and order are
maintained, with rare exceptions, and
the people of the west are bright and
intelligent. They are the pick of the
eastern states, while also there is
sprinkling of German and Scandana-
Wan emigration the majority of whom
make excellent and thrifty citizens
You are not out of the world coming
west, but nearer its geographical cen
ter. AS on illustration-here in Sher-
man county, Kansas. county organ
lied Only five or six years ago, there
are eighty school districts, and many
of them have fine new school houses,
with modern furniture and equipment,
while many of them are of sod, but
tloored and seated with patent seats.
The teachers Of the west are well-up TO
the standard.
Goodland, the county seat Of Sher-
man county is little over four years
old, has 1900 people, is division
station on the Rock Island railway,
has fine court house and public school
building, four church buildings and an
opera house, a Grand Army hall, four
banks, four weekly papers, four good
hotels, three livery stables, three lum-
Der yards. three hardware stores, three
drug stores, two implement houses,
three tailoring establishments, one
large clothing store, three large gen
eral merchandise stores, three meat
markets, three drug stores, five grocery
stores, four coal yards, one Touring
mill, one billiard hall, but no saloon.
The city of Goodland has 800 people,
is we'll known throughout the United
States as the place of Melbourne's ex-
pertinent, and the location of the new
industry, the ''rain companies"
The Rock Island has extensive rail-
road works here including machine
and repair shops, round house, fine
depot hotel, freight house and stock
yards, and capacious sidings. There
are ordinarily from twelve to twenty
engines here. and large number of
railroad men reside and own houses
here, and are an excellent class of cit
liens.
Resident and business lots can be
obtained here very reasonable as to
the price and terms. The city has
excellent and extensive water works
and the water is of the purest quality
free from deleterious ingredients.
Pure air. pure water and good society
are found here.
Goodland has all the fraterlities-
the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fell
lows and Rebecca lodge, the Modern
Woodman, the Blue Lodge of Masons,
Chapter Lodge of Royal Arch
Masons, the Knights of Labor, Brother
hoods of Locomotive Engineers, Fire
men, Trainmen and Conductors. The
church organizations represented here
are the Methodist. Congregationalist,
Christian, Episcopal and Catholic,
while in the county besides these are
the Dunkards and Lutherans.
Through the Denver dailies and the
associate press dispatches, we get the