The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-07-22

afforded a starting point for the vest
an oasis, and the last--in the long jour
ney from the populated east to the
| hopeful land of promise over and be-
| yond the wilderness of great plains.
| One Seth Allen, whose memory is still
| revered along with that of his famed
colonial ancestors, of whom he often
boosted, flung his lank frame from a
| prairie schooner at the door of the
principal tavern on the eastern shore
one spring day in the early SOS, re-
| ceived his small stipend and swore he
| would go no further. The emigrants of
whose party he had been one recupera-
| ted few days, and then started for
| the gold fields. Allen stood on the riv-
| err bank and watched the wagons cross
| the stream; he stood on the bank and
watched them touch the further shore.
Then, it is presumed, an idea occurred
| to him that the western side of the
Missouri river was the proper place for
emigrants to outfit and make their de-
parture. At any rate, a few days
passed before a wooden building, with
| the sign Last Chance Tavern" swing
| ing from the door, stood on the pleas
ant prairie across from st. Joseph.
Other houses soon clustered around
Tavern Keeper Aliens, and Yankee in
dustry, combined with foreign capital,
had a line of ferry steamers--sturdy
stern wheelers-actively churning the
muddy waters of the Missouri into
| foam before the summer was dead.
EIwood grew. grew and prospered.
Truly it filled a,long felt want.
The next year overland traffic in
| creased Long caravans came and
went; settlers and pioneers came and
| remained The busting real estate
agent, the honest home-seeker, the rak-
| ish river gambler. the arsenal-begir-
| died terror, the nondescript hanger-on,
all drifted into Elwood. The Great
Western Hotel, the finest structure o.
it's kind anywhere on the river, was
4 built, and d-timers-former residents
of Elwood, who came and went with us
! power and glory-to-day relate many
wonderful tales OF the revels that went
on beneath its prosperous roof.
Meanwhile st. Joseph was enjoying
its share of the prosperity, and the RI
valry between the cities on either side
of the river grew apace with their
growth In 1857, the date of the forna-
ton of the Ewood Town comuany, the
big real estate boom in Elwood was
launched One hundred dollars was
the price of an ordinary lot. and corner
lots sold much higher. Dozens OF citi-
zens of ST. Joseph can stand to-day at
the foot of Francis street and look out
to the west on the river TRANQUILITY flow
ing over the place where their corner
lots were once located.
Interesting relics of the Elwood Town
company come to the surface OCCASION
ally. Purchasing Agent George Dixon
Berry of the st. Joseph and Grand Is
land railroad has one of the original
certificates of stock in the town-site
scheme. 1t is remarkably well pre-
served. 1t was issued to Richard ;.
Graves and bears the signature Of
Henry Douglas, president, and Edward
Russell secretary.
Little by little the best part of Ell
wood crumbled and was swept into the
stream To-day there is but little of
the once prosperous town left standing.
One of the most interesting OF the old
landmarks yet remaining is the Elwood
Jail, built on high land and dry, far re-
moved from the river bank. Within its
narrow confines many tough charac-
ter has been thrust by the town mar
shall. Jim Robis of Tennessee was
marshal of Elwood when the town was
first organized. He was succeeded at
the end of four years by Bill Brown,
native of South Carolina, who had
spent several years in the gold mines
of California prior to locating in Ell
wood.
AS the place looks to-day, it presents
the appearance of a deserted village.
The houses now standing were in the
suburbs before the current OF the river
was changed. The greatest evidence
of life that is there now is the depot OF
the st. Joseph and Grand Island rail-
road company, which is about a mile
from the original town site. This road
was built after Elwood was on the
wane. The few remaining houses are
occupied by fishermen and people who
exc out a precarious existence by do
ing odd jobs in the city across the nv
er.
Elwood at night presents a weird
scene Darkness, unbroken by light
except the reflection from myriads OF
arc lamps across the river in 81 Jo'
seph, prevails, and the monotony is
broken only by the croaking of frogs II
summer and the dismal howl of the
Kansas winds in winter
And this is the story of the passing Of
Elwood