Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-11-29
.MENN0NITES MOVE
YOUNGER oENEEATIoN SEEN
NEW HOMES in WESTERN
KANSAS.
Their Fathers Came 70 Kansas u the
Early Days, Conquered the VIII
derness and Became Well'to-
Do-sons win Go and Do
Likewise.

LgOm MHriOu NOuutyg ioVoAS 8. 4
to Hamilton County, on the Santa re-
and preempted homesteads. They are
established in all parts Of the county.
but the most Of them have their farms
on the upland. adjacent to Bear Creek
valley, in the Southeastern part.
They are well established. as Men
nonites always begin, with COMFORT
able, although mot pretentious. habita-
tons, and their stock 10 equally wen
sheltered.
They are young married people Just
beginning life, and they have come @
this region, because the Government
BY its homestead law, invited them
to take free homes in the public do
main.
They are OF the second generation.
some of them perhaps the third, Of
a race Of German Russians, who were
brought to this country by the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Company in 1874 and 1875. About
that time there was great exodus
Of the Cars German subjects out 81
Russia -Mennonites, Lutherans and
Catholics-and the tide was set to-
ward Western America. The United
States public domain and the railroad
land grants especially were inviting.
Kansas received vast army OF these
immigrants, and for two years they
were on the move across the missouri
river. They temporarily camped at
Topeka and other land oflces and land
grant towns. For many months these
towns, until the newcomers were 10
Gated on homesteads, ab0unded with
sheepskin coats. roomy trousers, now
ing petticoats and cooking utensils Pc
euliarly Russian.
Finally they chose their homes. ana
the Atchison. Topeka q Santa re,
with it, usual good luck, got the most
Of them. The Lutherans and the Cath
oNcs choGS adjoining counties n the
upper valleys OF tho Smoky, and the
Monnonites, who OutaumbereA the
others about four - one, followed the
old Santa Fs Trail. and took lands IN
the valleys 81 the Cottonwood and the
Arkansas, In the counties OF Marion,
Mcpherson, Harvey, Reno and Bar
ton. Ehey began with sod houses, but
soon they substituted wood, brick, o.
stone, and now by thrift and 5000
farming, they have become among the
first citizens Of the communities In
which they live, and, besides farming,
do much Of the banking, merchandise
ing and milling.
These people brought with them
seed for gardens and field. especially
wheat seed, and by 1t they wrought
complete change in the wheat crop.
They also brought the mulberry
tree and the silk worm, expecting to
introduce here silk culture, as they
had learned It in Russia. But the
silk worm in Kansas has been fall
ure. and for the present at least has
been abandoned The mulberry tree,
however, has come to stay, and from
the original Mennonite settlements It
has spread all over the Southwest,
making shelter and food for birds,
shade for children, and firewood for
the family.
In addition they brought from Rus
sia their religion, and in the genera
ton or more that has elapsed, they
have not departed from 1t one jCt or
little, they, nor their children, nor
their children's children Never has
a more God-fearing and industrious
people come to Kansas to make duu-
full and thrifty citizens.
And now, q younger generation OF
these excellent people have departed
from the homes Of their immediate ia
thera and moved westward to q new
ana comparatively untried region,
which they, taught BY and following
the methods Of their fathers, win
make productive and habltable. Al
ready, they have harvested crops Of
milo make, kafar and sorghum, and
NEXT they wiz harvest their nrst
crop Of wheat which always is the big
CROP for these Russians. II was their
big crop IN Russia, and 80 Il is in
America. They will also plant al
falfa, orchards. broom corn, small
fields Of Indian corn, and the iner-
table garden patch. Except the gar.
dsn atuh and the fruit trees, all win
grow without artificial irrigation. For
he Garden and the orchard, Il IL only
20 or 80 feet to water, and . wind
min or two viii do the rest.
The writer Of this has seen grown
on the upland, By WIN and Robert
Austin. II mlles south Of Syracuse,
iris season, wheat that win thresh out
thirty bushels to the acre and Indian
corn that win shuck forty. The same
land grows all the other cereals in
abundance.
Carl Kaesler, on the farm adjoining
has a garden patch. Watersd By two
windmfils, which produced. In great
abundance this year. cabbage. toma'
toea sweet potatoes. Irish potatoes,
parsnips, carrots. gherkins beans,
caulinower. peanuta pumpkins,
rouash. watormelons, canteioupoI. and
50 on to the end Of the garden king
dom. IN this garden. 3 square Of one
tenth Of an acre produced forty bush
az OF Irish potatoes The zane soll
properly cultivated. would produce
CELERY. The orchards bore appies
pc.chcs. cherries. ETC.. and surround
IN ne house Il thrifiy groEih q
locust box elder and c,her tres -