Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-09-20
The Big Rush.

f"9 ptiij uc1Didtc prairie - HOH tlc
la5itatl0G of thousands Of people Whe
us transformed into Il populoGs
immunity; ana as if by magic new
towns baye sprung up to become cen
ters of trade.
AT Kiowa the registration was about
COCO. The jam in the border city last
81 up to saturday noon and during
last week was so dense as to often
blockade tie streets. Thousands
IF wagons. horses and vehicles had soon
cut the roads and streets so that when
the ever present zephyr appeared on the
scene the dust arose in dense clouds and
penetrated everything from wire net
ting to solid stone wall. All week
long The surging crowds kept the dust
kicked up to the best of their ability,
and Friday, when the wind arose in
righteous Indignation and raised every
thing but sheol, it was difficult to dis
tinguish a next door neghbor. But the
boomer never halted in his mad career.
he kept jammng the streets and kick
ing up dust.
Saturday morning a change for the
better was on, the wind had quoted
down and the air was cool. In town 1t
was veritable blockade during the
earlier hours, but as the hour of eleven
drew near the line along the border
could be seen augmenting and the town
began TO depopulate. At 80 the line
was practically formed, extending
soidly for about three miles at Kiowa
and in irregular condition for several
miles farther All kinds Of vehicles
were there, in various stages of preser-
walton, from the front axle and wheels
of a jolt wagon TO a covered phaetOn.
The train loaded with Alva boomers
pulled up to the line about twenty min
uteS before the time and the excite
ment of anticipation began. AT last
shot was heard in the distance toward
Capt. Hardie's headquarters, the sol
diers took it up along the line and the
pell NELL race was on. Gradually the
moving avalanche widened out as the
tleetest were leading out, and in few
minutes it could be seen that those who
were mounted on good horses knew
where they were going and would get
just what they wanted. The train
moved out slowly, and until within
three miles OF Alva did not average over
ten or eleven miles an hour All along
the track men iumned off and stucl
their stakes into the choice land that
av.erGs nearly All tba wav down II
wa. a8sv 10 seq that tba horseoan who
started from the line p few miles west
of Kfewa wouId have cbo,ce Iots in Al.
ye before the train arrived Inst no.
fore rr rg Salt Forl, tho encincar
mis- on steam and when q noint onnosife
the town site was reached the tra;, was
r..v--- ruita raoiilv F,nalIv man
-,.t..,sf .sF rolled over n tho d,rt cot
.r1 startled for . corner lot An.
.....--...-..I another followed until with.
it var, eb0rt enaca of time owe, .
tf..rs-rr7 paoola ,capa baeIinr #
over f}e rr3fr7a like . herd of
-l4mrpfed bryirea 1T vas vary NO.
fa-able r,rtt'.st tne majority we've nat
.,- ,.:r,.loy ol.-,,t ,,,ooae,,,l,, .t;o.l.+;-...
.-.... train was ,,o,.f,,., At ahont r,flss
. NOM as tfa .avo1rs fror, tho COR,
hacuu ami # left . row of mon ~ al
sorts of oroteeoua attitudes Frar,,
posifiou tI,at man ON, assume VIC ol,,,,
renresented The Medicine o1ra dol.
poation Noted their mart noblv rohn
SINGER made q frantic loan and discord
inc all his early TRAINING in et,onprto
stood ON his head batwean two ra,lro,d
Ties A +, Nohle was an tha RIM no
fore he lit and was etonnad NV cor,a
kind hearted individuoI hofora
ne had zone entirely +hronor
the town sife II II Case s.ru,.k tarr,
firma in excellent shane hut encoprfar.
ed q fire Guard and his haels wont n,
He reoained his eonitibrum and etarted
ont and with Frank Tanis folIou,i,,o
in his wake was AMONG tho first IN
reach the main street and sit down ON
the back end of q block GINS Schmidt
leaned into the air and came down all
over with n stined orupt Tim Fhv
was seen leaning against the train
yelling at the top of his voice and pes-
ticulating fiercelv. w. II. Harmon had
driver. across and beat The train
in. but stood on the site watcb,pq tho
performance until the crowd rushed nv
He happened to think then that II
would be a good idea to get q lot HIM.
self. SC he ran off the one he was stand.
ing on and stuck his stake in the mid.
die OF an alley. Such were the y;cissi-
tuGe of the foot race at Alva.
The population of the town Satur
day night was estimated at 1000 or
thereabouts. The first man to the
town site was Albert Galbraith Of