The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-02
County Seat of Sherman County
a Thriving City.
Had Stormy Times in Early
Days to Get Records.
ROCK ISLAND HELPS.
Has Made 1t a Passenger and
Freight Division.
Extensive Shops With Payroll
$4,000 to $4,000 Monthly.

Goodland, March 2.-The growth OF
Goodland has been phenomenal Your
correspondent first visited Sherman
county when Eustis was the county
seat, and Sherman Center, Itasca,
Leonard, Candy and Voltaire were all
striving to be centers of trade. Time
has made wonderful changes, new
boomers came into the county, another
town was laid out and named Good
land, petitions calling for an election to
settle the county seat were circulated
and the election was held and resulted
in an overwhelming victory for Good
land which forever settled the strife
for the permanent county seat. All
that is left of the once fiourishing town
of Eustis is the ground where the
town was located and several founda-
tions on which buildings stood, but
long ago were moved to GoOdland.
The other towns went the same road
Eustis did, and apparently all of them
consolidated to stop strife and build up
one good trade center instead of sew
eral struggling villages within almost
the range Of shotgun. 1t was stormy
times in those early days in Sherman
county, and when the final test came to
move the county records from Eustis
to GoOdland state troops were called
ords were moved without any accident.
Then came the building of the Rock
Island road through northwest Kansas.
Goodland was one of the objective
points, and the company made it a
passenger and freight division. The town
is situated in the geographical center
of the county. So far as the eye can
reach in any direction it is a country
level as floor, and with fewer
draws than any county in north
west Kansas.
1t is surrounded with a good farm
ing country, and the water supply IS
vert Realty Co is said to have sold
over 100000 worth of real estate in
Sherman county in the last ten months,
about one-half of which was purchased
by wealthy citizens of southeastern
Nebraska There are several other real
estate firms in business in GoodIand,
and if the sales of Sherman county
lands is any criterion to judge by then
the county must be meeting with a
transformation that will surely make
IT a wonderful garden of productive
ness.
The Rock Island road has extensive
shops here, and the pay roll runs
from $50, 900 to $50,OO0 monthly With
the projected north and south road the
Gulf & Northwestern, built and Good
land made a division point, what must
be the future of the town. If the build
ing of the Rock Island and maintaining
an important division center has helped
to build up a town of $500 inhabitants
then what must the town expect of the
Gulf & Northwestern if this line is
built. 1t is almost certain Goodland
viii largely increase her population.
Goodland has fine schools, including a
county high school. five churches, three
banks. two newspapers, and all other
business avocations are represented by
energetic and prosperous business men,
Resides Sherman county, of which
Goodland is the county capital, is out
of debt and money On hand to pay
every dollar of outstanding Indebted
ness The town made history in the
early times. it being the home of two or
more rain making companies And now
stock is being subscribed to build and
operate an airship here. Everything
the town has gone after has been a
success. 1t can be said of her people
they pull together.
Goodland has a live commercial club
of more than so members. G. l. Cal
vert has been it's president since the
organization. He came to Sherman
county in 1885 with SIS in his pocket
He had the grit to stay, and he has
won out. He is a man who never lets
up pulling for his town.
The city owns a baseball park fair
grounds and improvements, water
works and electric light plant Besides
it is estimated there are about Is miles
of brick and cement sidewalks There
isn't a vacant residence or business
house in the town.
One of the active business men of
today in Goodland is G. L. Calvert. He