Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-08-11

harrow were bought between them
The four pioneers accompanied by the
Ellsworth surveyor then proceeded to
advance tho banner of civilization into
the now best wheat district of the
state. Their first work in the new ly
adopted locality was to locate the de-
sired claims. To accomplish this line
was surveyed from Ft. Z.rah along
the Walnut to where their choices
were. By doing this, the indistinct
marks of the governm ment survey were
found and descriptions of the claims
made possible. The scientific help
cost $50.
The choice trees for miles from the
mouth of the Walnut had fallen before
the axes OF the soldiers formerly sta>
toned at Ft. Zarah. So to have sup
ply of good timber for building pur-
poses the pioneers necessarily settled
on the creek where none but beavers
had ever interfered with the growth
of the sylvan belt. accounting in full
why the first claims were taken more
than ten miles from the military post
and not near 1t.
America was discovered by accident,
named by another. The most gigan-
tic naval battle in history was won by
one who, by accident, was the COM
mander for che day. By accident the
most conspicuous landmark IA ten foot
ledge of Dakota sand stone rising from
the bed and on the bank above con-
siderable bluff whose bank line is al
found on the banks of the Walnut will
ever be commemorative of the pioneers
of it's valley, it being on one of the
original claims. The claims taken had
the following locations: Reinecke's,
s. E. +, and Schultz N. e /. of S. 10;
Wilka's, S. E. !, S. 3. and Johns, n.
K. /, s 4, all in r IA w, T. I9, s..
Buffalo township. These claims are
the first land of the really distinct
valley of the Walnut Below that he
creek bottom and that of the river are
one.
What appears to have been true.
ages ago, that is, that the Walnut ex>
tended only this far down, is an unde
niable fact today, for it is in sight of
Reinecke's door yard that the purling
waters of the Walnut are swallowed
up by the mighty torrents of the Kosn
ditch.
When the survey was com oleted
about March 10 dugouts were made
and some ten acres broken and planted
with corn. But two score years be-
fore, Lincoln abandoning the drudgery
of wooded Indiana farm, had ven.
tured to try the possibilities OF the
Illinois prairies and by. breaking fifty
acres WAS for that year the greatest
prairie breaker on earth. Now with
ten acres of corn to their credit the
pioneers had become the greatest farm
ers in the Arkansas valley Some lit
tie improvements were made on each
of the four claims, and their good faith
as settlers thus established, Wilka and
John left their claims, having been on
them three weeks, to find employment
on the Kansas Pacific then under con-
struction to Denver. The real brunt
OF the frontier, therefore, for the next
five months rested on Schultz and Rei-
necke. Their claims joined; their
equipments were in common; their la
bors were directed to the equal i'm
provemenS of each place Thus at the
very inclpiency Of Barton history we
find an example Of mutual co,opera-
tion very worthy of note, and more, of
emulation. Once month the two re-
naming settlers quilted their lonely
abodes to report to their life compan-
ions on the Smoky that all was yet
well in the valley of the Walnut And
after having renewed their acquaint-
ance they with supply of rations
again resumed their posts IS sentinels
of the frontier.
The summer of 1870 was very dry
and as consequence, the first corn
crop was very typical of many that
have been grown since. Enough was
raised to feed the team for the year.
While the crop was growing two very
comforts BILE log cabins were construct
ed.
The first to follow and unite his for
tune with the pioneers was Henry
Meyer. He came some three weeks
after them and when some improve
ments were made, like Wilka and
John, sought employment on the K. 2.
Ry. In the fall of 1870 new recruits
arrived, and the next spring others, so
that by the summer of 1871 all the
GnYRrnmant land alnnn the Wnlnnt In