The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-13
Oil Beats Corn and Wheat as a
Money Maker.
Many Farmers in the Gas Fields
Are Becoming Wealthy.
STORY OF j. B. KEYS.
Develops His Own Land and
Pulls Out a Cool $500, 900.
The Blind Luck of Banker Sny-
der an Illustration.


Independence. kan, April 1s.-'It is
surprising how independent the farm
ers OF this section have become" said
r. N Allen, a business man Of Cha
mute the other day. Why, they have
reached that point where they will not
patronize our creamery much any
more. This used to be a. great cream
cry point. Thousands of dollars were
paid to farmers for milk But we have
hard time now getting enough cream
TO put IN our coffee and none is being
shipped out. Banked up against Cha
mute L have a farm. In years past it
has not been any trouble whatever for
me to get good tenants to farm it. 1t
laid IDLE last year and will be idle this
year, for have been unable to find a
tenant There are two reasons for
these changed conditions. One is that
the farmer who owns his own farm is
getting rich on oil. The other is that
men who have made a living by rent
ing farms can make more money, they
think, working for oil companies 1t
takes much labor in an oil field. Teams
ana wagons can always find plenty of
work at big wages Some operators
have paid as high as Sc a day for haul
ing. About "a is the average price"
Throughout the Kansas oil field are
numerous cases of farmers becoming
immensely wealthy off of oil leases
and royalties. While nearly all the
farmers in the oil belt are picking up
some money few cases stand out in
bold relief.
In the Neodesha district, for in
stance, J. B. Keys, an oldtime farmer,
has made over $500, 900 in oil. He is the
only farmer in the whole Kansas field
who has developed his own land. He
refused to lease it but skiTmished up
enough money to drill wells of his own
and has hit it big. He owns two sec
tions of land in the very heart of the
trend at Neodesha.
S. NJ. z. Long owns two sections
there, and his royalties on oil average
him 800 a day He has refused $780,
900 for his farm. 1t is claimed by some
oil men that his farm contains some of
the best wells in the field.
G. M. Condor, of Coffeyville, sold s
H. Hale a farm near Neodesha for $780,,
refused 100000 for it. Hale bought a
lease on eighty acres six months ago
for 81 and sold it a few days ago for
$40. 900.
Standards refinery, was sold for taxes
Today, it. is yielding its owner $500 a
month in royalties. There is only 40
acres in the tract.
Theodore Johnson had a poor farm
and it kept him jumping to make both
ends meet Now he is drawing $3.50
month royalties. @
one of the most striking cases in the
Chanute district is that of Fred Het-
rick He owned a farm near town. lie
had a hard time keeping the wolf from
the door. He can neither read nor
write. His oil royalties now amount
to $500 month He has Just eompIe-
ted the finest opera house in Kansas
1t occupies a quarter of block in
Chanute. He said he wanted to leave
something as a monument. II OIL
should give out he would probaoly
leave white elephant. His wife gives
a box party at every performance and
Hetrick himself, is always behind the
scenes seeing how the actors and ac-
tresses do things. He is enjoying life.
S. E. Beach, another farmer, takes
in more than $1,000 a month on royal
ties. He is now building the finest
home in Chanute. Mrs. Margaret
Walker sold 40 acres for $55,0OO; A. F.
Blackburn, sold 140 acres for $4,000; J.
T. Powers sold the lease on $50 acres
for s1S 600; J. B. NJ. Reed sold a lease
on 12O acres for 81, 0OO-
In the Humboldt district James
Iockhart has 400 acres of land. He sold
the lease for $25 an acre, or $4,000.
The operators who got the lease Of
fered him an additional Sl25 an acre
for his eighth royalty. This would still
leave the title in him and give him the
right to farm it. But he declined the
royalty proposition and his daily pro-
fits from royalties run up to 500 on an
average.
r. z. Work, a Chicago clothing man.
years ago simply to say he owned a
Kansas farm. It is netting him 500
q day on royalties now l. Perenaud
is making 500 a day on an so acre
farm.
So far development has not been
pushed in the Coffeyville district be-
cause of lack of connections with. the
pipe line Still, some of the farmers
stand to make fortunes. Jasper. Swan
has wells on his 320-acre farm. Thomas
Parent has twelve wells on his quar-
ter section. Henry Wilson has fifteen
on his farm. They are owned by OPP
orators. but the farmers will all get
royalties and before long will be count !
ing their money by the thousand.
The Peru district is making many |
farmers rich. William Afford has five /
wells on his quarter section and up to
the present his royalties amount to $66 |
a day on an average. While the out /
put of these wells will soon decrease, !
enough more wells viii be drilled on |
his farm to bring his royalties up to
300 or more a day. A quarter section /
of land will stand forty wells.
Austin Spurloek is getting about s25 |