Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-10-01

BY Interests seeking . oo9ss oallet.
Three reports made Id Thu aag gave
varying estimates Of the, skpene Of,
putungslineup the valley. but ths thSes
conceded In this, that TIE oost would
be prohibitive. Engineers u repVtAa
ton had In this respect agresl. BUT
Glover, Who lookeG after sucA york
for Bucks, remained unconvinced. and
before McCloud vas put ints the OBJ
,rating department on tie short ibins
Ne vas asked BY Glover u rSi Q pre-.
liminary up Crawling EtsAs valley.
Before the date Of his report the con-
illusions reached by Other ne,pses
had stood unchallenged
The valley was nol uAksDnn 10
McCloud. His FIRST year IN the noun-
tains, In which. fitted q thoroughly
as he could fit himself for Ms profe1
sion, he had come west snt found him.
self unable to get work, hal been
spent hunting. fishing, and, wandering.
often cold and otter hungry, In tie
UPPER Crawling Stone country. The
valley in itself offers to q construc-
ZIONIST no insuperable obstacles; The
difficulty Is presented in the canyon
where the river bursts through TIE
Elbow mountaina South Of this can
yon, McCloud, one day on o hunting
trip, found himself with two Indians
pocketed In the, rough country, end
was planning how to escape passing a
night away from camp when his con-
psnions led him past q vertical wall
OF rock 1000 feet high, split into q
narrow defile down which they rode,
as 1t broadened oout, for miles. They
emerged upon an open country that
led without a break into the valley Of
the Crawling Stone below the canyon.
Afterward, when he had become 0 rail-
road man, McCloud, sitting at q camp
fire with Glover and Morris Blood,
heard them discussing the coveted and
impossible line up the valley. He had
been taken into the circle of consruc-
tionists and was told Of the earlier re-
ports against the line. He thought he
knew something about the Elbow
mountains, and disputed the findings
Offering in two days ride TO take the
men before him to the pass called by
the Indians the Box, and 10 take them
through 1t. Glover called II a ind, and
a big one, and though more immediate
matters in the strategy Of territorial
control then came before him. the pre-.
liminary was ordered and aMcCloud's
findings were approved. McCIogd him.
self was soon afterward engrossed in
the problems Of operating the noun.
tain division; but the dream OF his
life was to build the Crawling Stone
line with maximum grade Of eight
tenths through the Box.
The prettiest stretch Of Crawling
Stone valley lies within 20 miles Of
Medicine Bend. There 1t lies widest,
and has the pick Of water and grass
between Medicine Bend and the Mis-.
sion mountains. Cattlemen went into
the Crawling Stone country before the
Indians had wholly left 1t. The FIRST
house in the valley was the Stone
ranch, built by Richard Dupning,. and
1t still stands overlooking the town oil.
Dunning at the junction Of the French,
man creek and the Crawling Stone.
The Frenchman is fed By unfailing
springs, and when by summer sun and
wind every smaller stream n the mid.
die basin has been licked dry, the
Frenchman runs cold and swift be-
tween its russell hills. Richard Dun.
ming, being on the border OF the In, :
dian country, built for bis ranch
house a rambling stone fortress. He.
had chosen, It afterward proved the
choice spot in the valley. and he.
stocked 1t with cattle when yearllngs
could be picked up in Medicine Bend
at ten dollars head. He got together .
great body Of valley land when II
could be had for the asking. and BE-
came the rich man Of the Long Range.
The Cummings were Kentuckians
Richard was a bridge engineer and
builder, and under Brodie built some
Of the first bridges on the mountain
division, notably the great wooden
bridge at Smoky screek. Richard
brought out his nephew, Lance Dun
ming. He taught Lance bridgebuild
ing. and Murray Sinclair, who began :.
as cowboy on the Stone ranch,
learned bodybuilding from Richard /;
Dunning. The Cummings both came
west though at different ttmeS a.
young men and unmarried. and a. far
as western women were concerned,
might always have remained 30 But
Kentucky cousin, Betty. one Of the
Fairfield Cummings. related 10 Richard
within the sixth or eighth degree.
came to the mountains for her health.
Betty's mother had brought Richard
up as a boy. and Betty. when he left
Fairfield. was baby. But Diek-as
they knew him at home-and the
mother wrote back and fOrthe and he
persuaded her to send Betty out Tor
trip, promising hs would send her
back in year a well woman.