The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-08-07
ADDITIONAL CITY NEWS.
THRIVING CITY OF KANSAS
Wichita as Seen From Other Quar-
tiers of the Globe.

] ;
ago the widest scenes Of western real
estate speculation were here upon the
banks Of the Kansas Nile. There were
other booms. There was only one boom
like that OF Wichita. After the collapse
it seemed as if the settling down would
never stop. Shrinkage continued until
1898. And when finally the city touched
bottom it seemed for a time uncertain
Of the foundation From Wichita 5000
people went to Oklahoma. Other thous-
| ands went elsewhere; still other thouS-
ands remained, only because they could
not get away But the period Of depres-
sion as weel as that of undue elation IS
of the past. A more solidly grounded,
a more hopeful community of its size is
| not to be found in the west. The afflic-
| ton Of the widest boom on earth called
| for heroic remedies; they were applied I'M
sparingly Wichita has been restored TO
municipal sanity, with a most promising
| future. Thousands of town lots had to be
turned back into agricultural acres.
| street railroads which traversed unpop-
u,ated suburbs had to be torn up. The
| houses Of the more distant additions
were moved into town. Concentration and
| RECOMMENDATION were praciced.
| Today Wichita is actually building new
| houses and adding to her population.
! There are not as many people as were
| claimed in 1885, but there are 1000 more
| than was there at the time of greatest
depression about 1898. What has hap
pened to a railroad running out west of
| Wichita into the short grass country
fairly illustrates the process which has
!
| The road was 125 miles long. It went
into the hands Of receiver The officer
of the court was a practical man. He
hadn't had the property in control many
days until he had learned that the loose
end in the short grass was a dead loss
of $4,000 a year for operation, to say
nothing Of the investment. Two-thirds
of the line was self-supporting. The re-
naming third was drain, and likely to
be so for all time. The receiver had been
a politician in st. Louis years before
His name was Joseph B. McEntire. He
had learned that when it was necessary
to unload, the thing to do was TO IN
load. The receiver went into court for
instructions. The court told him that I'M
doubleday the thing he proposed was what
the condition Of the property demanded,
but there was no law for it.
''Try and settle 1t out Of court" said
the bench.
The receiver went out to the loose and
losing end of the road. He wrestled with
the county authorities. In some way he
got the rails off the ties, moved the build
ings away and restored some forty miles
of right Of way to the original prairie.
,sY,f,. d,
put upon paying basis. The other day
it was offered for sale and bought by one
of the large system a valuable prop
erty.
THAT was the very best thing you
could have done but you had no legal
right to do it." was the comment of the
court after the receiver reported the re-
duction of mileage.
One of the strange forms which the
Wichita boom assumed was the building
Of colleges to enhance the value of neigh
boring property. In as many outlying
additions half dozen of these schools
were founded on liberal encouragement
from the real estate agents who had sur
rounding lots to sell. Garfield university
was one Of these enterprises. The Chris
titan church was induced TO take hold of
the enterprise. the real estate men ad-
vancing funds for construction. An I'M
mense structure, said to be the largest
under one roof for educational purposes,
was erected and well toward completion
before the collapse. The university pass
ed through several unhappy stages. At
length the building was bought by Bos-
ton man, who in turn sold to the Friends
Under the auspices of the Quakers the
university has become a well established
institution
Another Of the colleges OF the boom was
Wichita university, built by the German
reform church, with financial aid from
the real estate people This institution
went through adversely. It became in
time the property OF the Catholics The
locality is known now as Mount ST.
Mary's The school is run as a normal
department for the education of Catholic
school teachers. and is flourishing
Paramount college was started by the
CongregadonaLsts in the boom It strug-
gled along year after year Prof. Morri-
son was brought out from Drury' college
in Missouri. Tody the college is on a
stable foundation
The Presbyterians started Lewis Acad-
envy and the Catholics established All
Hallows academy These institutions
were near the residence center. They
went through trying experiences in the
period Of depression. Both Of them are
now prosperous, and the Catholics are
about to enlarge All Hallows to accom-
modate increasing numbers OF students.
Strangers who went that way after the
leges. The collection II Institutions
which didn't educate was sore point
with the people who lived here But to
day the city points with pride to such
an array ~ colleges and academies in
active and successful operation as per
haps no other place % the size IN The
country can show Without the r7e-,,,a-
tive excitement Wichita would never
obtained Slese institutions. a-d when
they think Of that the wichita oegrla
admit that the boom was not an ad-
mixed curse
One Of the curious conditions in Kansas
at the present time is the widespread in
cInatlon 10 exchange the town for the
farm. I x encountered evers-whe-a.
Real estate aRetns tell the same story
q inquiries for farms. Il is a movement
% population directly reverse q that Wit
messed few years ago Then farm prop
ertT VS. seeking exchange 1or town lots
and houses Nov the tendency IS in ire
o-1er way Probably IN a few months
many q The town people xiU have reoov-
cred from the attack, 5ut now Tire GA
tucIr q Town Hfe is strong TIE slim
ulus cay re accounted tor y the asuud-
aat crops u az kinds and re god
prices F'a-ms-s ars taking prosperity
with az much energy as thsy once s.s
calamity They come II toEn wtth theGr
u. l-k-tas s-a-s s-n-.rE - - -