The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-29
HOW uIxasss Was Born.

George carp. contrary 10 az llie Ira
ditions Of the shoe business. was in a
remarkable mood yesterday. No living
man has ever before known a dealer in
shoes to be reminiscent-always argumen-
tative Mr.. carp told how he built a town
and ran it. 1t was the town of Ulysses
Grant county. Mr.. carp was only nine
teen and recently from Missouri IT alb
solutely didn't know anything in those
Gays" said Mr. carp I was the green
est boy you ever saw-greener than a
cucumber. / didn't know enough TO spend
money, and, as result, It kept piling up
on me. 1t was nothing for me at one
time 20 make sl25 and $50 day
Grant county wasn't Grant county at
all in those days. a lot of US fellows
out at Garden City got together and de-
cided that Kansas should have a county
named after America g great general and
TO doubly honor him we decided to build a
town named Ulysses-to be the county
seat. 1 was elected secretary of the
town company and ! Vas sent ont % ind
a townsite. We cut a big square out Of
the map of Finney county, square
about as big as Delaware and decided to
organize it into Grant county. / went
went away down TO the center OF that
square and found a school section there.
We took it and started Ulysis. We didn I
start it as soon as we expected. for q
Texas cattlemaR was branding eighteen
or twenty thousand steers on the very
spot we had picked out for the business
center and we could not start our town
tiu the Texas man moved away.
I took fellow with me TO Garden
City with a team and a plow and one
morning when the sun came up and
got my bearings. / started him 10 piow
a furrow TO Meade. the then nearest point
to civilization. That fellow plowed a lit
tie over fifty miles and no crow ever few
straighter than he did It. 1 had fifty
some odd mile posts painted and had
them set mile apart. Tho first one
cut of Meade said . miles 10 Ulysses
water. 40 feet.
''The money l invested IN that furrow
and the mile posts was the best invest
meut / have ever made. Every stras-
Cling land hunter IN the county struck
is somewhere and followed it-"water 20
feet caught 'en. Ulysses began 10 boom.
/ located from ten to twenty-five home
seekers every day at SO per or two for
sl5-ana Gid i right ] received daily the
filings al the land-cfice az Garden City
and knew exactly what was taken and
net taken. made money hand oseS fist
and had good time besides
And talk about the Office seeking the
man. continued NJ. carp. 4 cou!dn :
dodge Il. They insisted or electng me
district clerk before 7 was OF age. but
fortunately for me. didn't have TO
qualify uatn I was few days over =.
Then they elected me may ar 4 ulysses
when the town was At its toughest
I actually saw men using their Win
chester rifles, SIS cues IN billiard games,
and one night i saw a fellow So inso the
Edwards hotel. wake Up al The guests.
drive every one CT them ou5 and occupy
the house ali night hy himself 4 vas
very exciting 20 be mayor Of such a town
specially after the tough element had
been exiled from Dodge City ard Sought
asylum al Ulysses Wed h7t times there
IA uttie hotter than 7 expect e see
asain. They were net satisfied with
making me mayor bur shey Insisted also
that I - county cle~E Tbs Republicans
had the county foer 70 one. but ms
friends thought could Re elected. lly
opponent lived IN the rival town and We
al knew thar party tines wouldn't he
drawn very yight at Ulysses, The funniest
thi-g about the election wzs that We each
had exactly The same number Z votes
il was . tie. 7 was up against t. f5r The
commissioners. who were Republicans
-s- s..--.se.-- ~ .. e.-- r-s
IL tbs county. almost went down 10 tAs
court hoGse-a franz store baidlng-,o
see Who would pull The shoTt straw ard
every mothers zen q them carried a
sun Two of sssogrieRi ebanthrseHI-L
gan Two o. these Eeaaslllaa commits
s.eaers we're friendly TO Ulysses. wanted