The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-27
AS WICHITA TOWN"
This City Had a Name Way
Back in the Sixties.
MR.MEAD CORRECTS STORY
That the Gentleman ir Cali
f0rnia Named 1t.

The following communication was re
ceived yesterday:
To the Editor Of the Eagle
In the Eagle Of Sunday there Is an ar
ticIe from correspondent in San Jose
Gala, entitled He Names Wichita, -
which is SO very wide Of the facts that
i should be corrected Accepted fiction
sometimes becomes history.
1 have been doing business az the juno
ton OF the Little and Big Arkansas
since 1853 and have been on the plains Of
Kansas since May q, 1853, and know
whereof speak
Your correspondent had no more to do
with naming, founding or building Wich-
tia than the wild geese which made the
present townsite one Of their camping
grounds in their seni-annuaI migrations.
The name had been given 10 the local.
~ The Wichita Town" by all the
plainsmen and Indians as early as 1854,
and an organized company, including the
then governor of the state, had organized
the Wichita Town Company and ex-
tensively advertised il in 1861, OF which
the writer was a member.
By chance IL happened that William
Greifensteiu. an Indian trader, bought
from E. P. Waterman eighty acres Of
the first tract Of land TO which title had
f5een acquired under the presumption law.
The eighty acres west Of Lawrence ave-
nue., south Of Central and north of Doug
las avenues, and by written agreement
with Mr. Munger, y. a English and the
writer, this eighty acres, together with
the claims held by the parties named.
should constitute the town Of Wichita 20
And this agreement was carried out by
fling the plat and name at Augusta, But
Ter county, then the United States land
Office for this district.
Your correspondent did not lay out the
tran from Wichita to the viciniay Of
Fort Cobb on the Washita in 1858, as
there already existed a trail and wagon
road as plain as the road 10 market. from
the mouth Of the Little Arkansas south
10 the vicinity OF Fort COBB, made in the
fall Of 1854 by a train OF wagons OF Jesse
Chisholm, and two heavy four-mule yvag-
ons loaded by the writer and in charge
Ct Henry DonHeH, now living in Butler
county, and which road was known as
the Chisholm Trail and was a great
highway Of travel at the first settling Of
Wichita
The writer bought ?. herd Of 400 cattle
which were driven over that trail from
the Washita and Canadian rivers in the
spring Of 1866 by Jesse Chisholm: also in
the same year bought 10 head Of Agar
rfG
sas which were brought up over that
trail In 1866 John Stevens bought and
held 5000 head Of cattle at the mouth Of
the Little Arkansas river, which were
driven up over that TRAN from the south.
There was also an Indian trail up the
Little Arkansas 10 the Smoky Hi IN
$50. long before Fort Harker or Els
worth was built or founded. The treaty
of-the Little Arkansas was not held at a
lone tree, one mile above Durfee's trad
ing post but fixe or six miles above on
the east bank Of the stream on which Is
now the farm Of E. P. Thompson. at
about the south end Of his farm along
continuous belt Of cottonwood timber.
II William Greifeustein or his wife.
Jennie" were at the treaty. I did not
see them, and 7 doubt very much his ac-
cepJing any grub or blankets" as he
was then in good circumstances. In fact.
10 rations in the proper sense Of the
word were issued. Presents and provis-
ions were given the Indians, as was the
custom at all treaties.
When Mr. Grelfenstein and Jennie
abandoned their station on Walnut creek
up the Arkansas they came directly TO
the ranch Of the writer al Towanda. But
Ter county. They were very poor, had
two light pony wagons. a few loose
ponies. some saddles and. camp equipage
I supplied them with horses. wagons.
harness and merchandise to trade with
the Cheyennes. They were very success
fuI and in a years time were 5000 TO
the better. Hardly needed TO draw "a
tiors. I think.
Your correspondent says he opened uD
the cattle trail plotting the first herd
OF cattle from the south that crossed the
river just below the mouth Of the Little
Arkansas. in ISL"
I am under the impression that Col J.
@. Mccoy Of cur city first laid out the
trail north from Wichita and the writer
crossed two herds Of cattle from the
south just below the mouth OF the Lit
tie river as early as 1854.
The statement. Had it not been for me
there would have been no Wichita" IS
Eood; quite modest
7 had al along supposed William Gre5n-
ensteiE. 2. :. MunSer y. \. English ard
myself had something 70 do with the
early history Of Wichita. but IL seems
that one of a small squad % soldiers
who brought the cholera here which kill
ed $50 Indians and fifteen white men,
women and children here and n Butler
county. and for whose coming there vas
10 occasion or use. who did not cre
dimes worth Of good while they mara
here was the fellow who did It all v5s
the whole thing. in fact
Dom Paul should send for him at once. (
J. 2. MEAD.
Wichita. March e. 1900