The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-08
owN LOO AoRI#.s OF LANp.
Judge Peters Gives a History Of the
CoIlingwood Brothers.


Judge S. r. Peters writing in the
Newton Kansan, sa Us:
We note in the dispatches OF Au-
gust 8. that the Plains State bank
opened for business With J. H Col
lingwood. president p. T. Colling-
wood vice president, and J.-H. Colling-
wood. cashier. West Plains is q little
village on the Rock Island west of
Meade in Meade county, Kansas It Is
about the size of Walton this county
1t is situated on a treeless open prairie
which years ago was thought to be
useless except for cattle grazing.- The
dispatch stated that the deposits for
the nrst day in the bank amounted to.
$2O.901.
The success of the CoHingwood
brothers brings to our mind a trip that
was made by the writer in July, 1873.
from Hutchinson to Medicine Lodge
for the purpose of holding a term of
the district court in Barber county. The
distance from Hutchinson to Medicine
Lodge was seventy-f1ve miles and there
were but few houses along the road
After leaving the settlement in the vi
entity Of Hutchinson there were but
three until you reached the vicinity Of
Medicine Lodge. The only building IN
q ofe-stoFy shack in which an eastern
man who was nearly dead with con-
sumption had started a little store not
with the idea Of doing much business
but IN oFQer TO SaItSLE me cravings Oh
some of those who took passage on
the stage line from Hutchinson to
Medicine Lodge, for Old Style smok
ing tobacco and crackers and occa-
sionaIly some canned fruit Another
point was the ChfckaShaf ranch where
the stage changed broneos or mules as
the case might be. Near the city Of
Pretty Prairie in Reno county, now a
station on the Hutchinson b Southern
road, there was a house occupied by
~ r1f1
pretenttous one, situated out in the
open prairie, without a tree and with
no outhouSes, no fences. couple OF old
horses and as many cows, but the pre-
siding genius of that little prairie home
was the Widow COllingWOOd. She was
enterprisiTg. an excellent hOusekeep-
er and a good cook. On this trip we
started out early from Hutchinson and
drove to this place for breakfast. This
consisted of coffee with. cream and
the meal was. obtained from buffalo
chips The breakfast was paIatable
and the meal enjoyed. The family
aside from the widow consisted of a
little girl and three boys ranging IN
age from four to ten years All of
them were barefoot and not overly
we'll clad. They were bright, activs
and evidently rustlers- Time has
changed and these boys have become
men. They now own $4,000 acres of
! land in the vicinity Of Pretty Prairie
ana 50. 600 acres in Meade and Seward
counties. They own and operate a
bank in Pretty Prairie and also own
and operate the bank just esta blished
az Plains They also own an elevator
at the latter place with q capacity of
$4,000 bushels They have about 25s-
900 acres in cultivation. It is almost
impossible to. eStiWata this number OF
bushels of wheat raised this year. It
| is safe to~say. however, that their ela-
vator with its capacity VIII be filled
several times with this years crop &.
These are they who have come UP
through much tribnlation. ?
The widowed mother gave them
their start upon the open prairie in
Reno county. So Tar as the writer
knows she is stI1l living and when last