Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-01-07
DIcKINsoN's THREE KINGS.
They Have Marked IT. ,grsss To-
Permanent ProsM ity.


deposed and the latter Is in the as
tendency at the present time. The
wheat fever was in the '7Os and it in.
volved all the newcomers. They put
into the venture all the available
cash they could raise in their
own name and that of their friends.
The time was, during this period,
when the trains on the Union Pacific
then the Kansas Paciiic) stopped for
the passengers to see the great wheat
harvest in progress on the Dickinson
county bottoms. All the land con.
trolled by the spectators was put in
to the grain then so popular and the
county was wild on the wheat sub
ject. Suddenly the bottom dropped
out Of the business and the farmers,
who had believed that they could de-
pend on the land Of Central Kansas to
produce wheat year after year with
out any danger Of failure, woke up to
the idea that they were mistaken.
Then came the sheep boom, when
all the lands were given up to the
hocks that were to prove the salvation
Of the West. Mer paid for the ami.
mails $6 and 81 a head because Of the
fancy names they bore and, when The
price Of wool fell in 1888, it was with
difficulty that they could realize on
them 81 a head. This made the
farmers feel blue, and with some rea-
son.
There was another difficulty that
they had to overcome, and that was
the prevalence Of the money changer.
The land agent was everywhere, and
the loan department Of the offices was
doing altogether too great business.
Farmers borrowed money when they
had no reason for doing SO, and too
many got the idea that there was an
easier way to get living than to
work for it. This had to he lived
down, and then the county got on its
|eet and the upward climb began on a
b sis that has solid foundation, one
that can be depended upon to give the
State report every year that is not
to be looked at. with dodbt and mis-
giving.
This was "far West" in the days
when the fighting was going on, and
when peace came to the nation the
county had to wait until it could be
known. The end Of the Texas cattle
trail was here and the lands were
flooded with the long horned stock
that came up from the pastures OF the
South. They had the characteristics
of the South, and they made the set
Tier feel that the way to success was
not through the cattle route, but II
ne had seen the right side of the
picture he would have been quicker
relieved of his burdens. 1t is a COM
non remark: ave had too much OF
he cattle business TO start on, and
We got sick Of it too soon."
But the time came when the folly
# depending oni the rainfall for
traight farming, this far West, was
,pparent and the diversified farming
'egan. This was about ten years
90, and the county has made more
cal progress and paid off more debts
n the past decade than in all its his
ory before. 1t has commenced to
lake the most Of its real advantages
nd to depend less on luck lthas q
lilion dollars worth OF land at the
aluaton of the assessors, which is
,ss than one-fourth, and when the
ther property is added it finds that
,ere is 5 million dollars worth, or at >
real value fully 20 million dollars
orth-and all made out Of the soil
the county, for there has been no j
anuiacture or mine to materially
lhancc the production Of the county.
his is of itself strong argument for d
e farming industry of the State, and
is the stronger because 1t is in the
lrt Of the State where the rainfall is I
It so sure as in some Of the eastern a
lrts. !.
When the people Of the county saw 9 :
at they could not get rich by the +
ethods Of speculation they took up a
her things. One Of these was the 81
eamery industry and it has grown J
proportions that has astonished the [
en- who began its development.
st ten years ago the first creamery
IS established, and now there are