The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-28
PASSING OF
PRAIRIE DELL.
Most Famous Horse Breeding
Farm to Close.
r. /. Lee VIII Retire from the
Business.
PUT KANSAS TO FORE.
Home of Robert McGregOr,
Greatest Of TrOtting Sires.
Place One Of the Historic Ones
i'm the West.
PUT KANSAS 10 FORE.

AAA -AAD " ~-'-e
On March Col L. H. Bean the
auctioneer. from Ravenna. Ohio, viii
stand on tie block and cry the sale
with which VIII begin the passing Of
Prairie Dell farm. the most famous
horse farm in Kansas and. one Of the
most celebrated in the country, ana the
sale win signal the retirement Of the
veteran horseman. r. l. Lee, from the
business.
Prairie Dell farm, three miles and a
half west of Topeka, snuggled away
among the bluffs and hills that make up
the rough country that follows the kaw
river for miles on the southern side is
one Of the most picturesque country
places about Topeka. The farm com
prizes $40 acres and on the ground is
one Of the most historic buildings in
Kansas. the old Shawnee Mission build
Ing that was the largest and most inn
portant edifce in the surrounding coun-
try. 1t was the first Indian mission es-
tablished for the Shawnees by the Bap-
lists i'm the later fOrties. Since Mr.. Lee
acquired the property in 1874 on which
was located the old mission building.
he has used it as stable for his fine
horses. This stable has been the home
of Robert McGregor the sire of Ores
Ceus, and other famous horses lne
home of Paula. the mother of Grattan
Boy, who had a record of POS. was in
this old stable which also houses the
sire and dam of Pansy McGregOr, the
worlds champion for her age the sire
and dam of Maxine. 2.0SA the colts oe
Baron Wilkes, Jay Bird and Wilton, the
three greatest sons of George Wilkes
Jackdaw. the sire of Maxine and many
other celebrities.
lit was in 1859 that Mr.. Lee came to
IoDeka Then the grade of horses to
be seen was low and Indian ponies were
in the majority Perhaps half the ball
ance were halI pony The deSlrablllty of
improving the horse was patent to the
least obserVant. Then and for years
afterwards horses were shipped to To-
peka from the older states. and any
Very ordinary driving horse readily sold
FOR $3.50. and it has only been compare
lively in the last few years that Kansas
has exported horses to the east. south
and west. Now one or more carloads OF Y
horses are shipped from Topeka to the
Kansas City and eastern markets every
week. The business in the aggregate
amounts to many thousand dollars q
year
In the early seventies and previous
Topeka was quite a sporting town and
tnele were many quarter horses own
ed here. Matches for short distances,
Tor small or large sums up to one thou
sauu collars, were of frequent occur
renee Congressman Charles Curtis
was one of the star riders of the period
when he was a boy. His uncles and
grandfather owned some of the best of
the horses and were free to back their
judgment with their money. Hon
Thomas Ryan as well as many other
prominent Topeka people took great
interest in harness horses.
In 1871 demand for q superior har-
ness stallion being apparent Mr. Lee
bought at Kalamazoo Michigan, the
stallion Hiram Woodruff and kept him
for some three or four seasons in To-
peka. and there he sired the dams of
the game race horse and grand stallion
Now. 2.12h, and of SIkwOod (pacer)
2.01, at one time the champion pacing
stallion, besides leaving a marked inn
provement in the horse stock of the
county.
Hiram Woodruff turning out a sue
cess encouraged Mr.. Lee to further
purchases. With this end i'm view in
1873 he visited Orange county n Y.
armed with letter of Introduction
from Thomas Ryan, the county attor-
ney, to General Miller. an old ac-
quaintance of Ryan's. Mr.. Miller turn
ed out TO be the right man. for he was
then, as he is now, one of the best post
ed horsemen i'm the state of New York.
Upon Mr.. Lee presenting his introduce
tory letter and saying he wished to
buy a son of Rysdyks Ham bletonian
he was asked how much he wished to
nay. When told not to exceed two
thousand dollars he remarked he did
not think a good Individual son of that
horse could be had for less than five
thousand dollars. and after further talk
he said he knew OF what he thought
was as good q colt as was i'm Orange
county by Major Edsal. a horse then
without much prominence that could
be bought for one thousand dollars. 1t
was decided to look a this colt. which
Mr.. Lee did in company with Mr.
Miller. and there discovered the great
Robert MCGregor in q big gTOWthy UNI
hempt fellow, but on the whole Il grand
looking s0rrel colt coming two years
old MIR. Whitman the owner, was
peculiar. and 1T was said he had never
sold "a horse always backing out when
ever any one came up to his price. de
had already priced this colt to two diff
ferent parties. but each time had de
clined to take their money when his
price had been accepted. and he prob
ably would have crawfished q third
time on this occasion, but unfortunate
~ for him his COW barn had gotten so
old that it had just blown down and
he had no money to replace it, so after
considerable maneuNering he sold ms
great colt to Mr.. Lee. and there and
then was the beginning of the reputa-
tion Kansas now enjoys as great
horse breeding state
Mr. Lee followed the purchase Of
Robert McGregor then and during the
next two years by adding twelve high
~ bred Orange county mares and two
other stations, Evan Dhu by RysdyS s
Hambletouian. and Monroe. who five
weeks after landing on Kansas soil won
at "a Denver meeting purses in one week
amounting to $500. The following year
he won every one of his races in the
Michigan. Indiana and Illinois circuits,
twice winning the champion gold medal
for "free for all" stations offered by the
Illinois circuit Among those Orange
county mares was Agnes Ethel, bought
al price of S1500 and in fOal to Rys-
dyks Hambletonian. then standing at
fee of $500 The colt was sold as a
yearling to New Yorker for 81 400
This mare is an ancestress of Crattan
BOY. 2.08. Glen Arthur. 2.14iz. Turk,
2.17t. and other fast ones. Two other
of these mares were daughters of Rys-