The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-25
PASSES OFF MAP.
Brakeman, Rawlins County.
Gives Up Ghost.
Townsite Will Be Seeded Down
to Alfalfa.
A RAILROAD TOWN.
H, & NJ. Tried to Make It COun-
ty Seat.
Atwood Houses Moved There Till
Citizens With Guns Interfered.

Atwood, Kan. May 25.-Another
northwestern Kansas townsite has
passed into history. The Lincoln Land
company, a Nebraska organization. sold
the townsite of Brakeman, in Rawlins
county. to w. E. Thompson. who will
pillow it up and sow it to alfalfa.
Only a few of the original promoters
of this once promising town are living,
enc of whom was Cy Anderson, who has
been a politician as well as a town
site promoter. He is now prosperous
farmer and a grower of alfalfa. He
owns a large tract of land in Raw
Inns county, close to the once promls-
ing town of Brakeman.
Way back nearly a quarter of a CEN
tury a Nebraska organization WITH the
aid of a few Rawlins county people,
tried to build up Brakeman and pun
the county seat away from Atwood In
this movement they had the aid or the
Is. & M. railroad. Brakeman was only
five miles by railroa,E west of Atwood.
The B. & M built a branch of their
line from Orleans, Neb.. to Atwood,
thence west to Bird City and St Fran
els, in Cheyenne county. The roao
was built about mile away from At
| III.
town was without a depot The b. q
| NJ. road and the Lincoln Land company
were doing all they could to kill OFF At
wood and build UP Brakeman. 'Then
came year of partial crop failure IN
, that section, and these two Nebraska
| CORPORATIONS thCr ght that this was the
/ proper time to pound the iron while 1t
was hot
Began to Move Houses.
Things went on from bad to worse
! Suddenly some fellow appeared on the
streets of Atwood and with COM
riete moving outfit he was hired to
move the buildings from Atwood TO
! Brakeman. This fellow did move sew
eral of them. and put them down on
| foundations in Brakeman. The people
of Atwood watched the WORK OF n1 NOV
ing for several days, but at last they
rose up in their might and entered
such a vigorous protest that if the town
movers hadn't hoisted flag of truce
there would have been bloodshed.
At one time, one of the buildings
vas being moved to Brakeman when
| the Atwood people left their places or
! business and proceeded to where the
men were at work, and with one &C
cord and armed with guns. they pro-
tested forcibly against the moving OF
this building any farther: they also in
sisted that no more buildings would be
moved from Atwood TO Brakeman.
Refuse to Hold Election.
Previous to this time petition had
| been presented to the beard of county
commissioners of Rawlins county ask
| ing for the calling of an election for
| the relocation of the county seat, with
| the view of moving the county seat
| from Atwood to Brakeman. the boaru
| &C county commissioners had refused TO
call the election asked for. for the rea-
son that the petition was not sufficient,
having not been signed by three-fifths
of the electors of the county, as was
| required by the law in force at that
| time. From this decision of the board
| the people of Brakeman and the rail-
road company appealed TO the supreme
court of the sta te. And the people OF
Atwood cid rot want any more build
| ings moved from Atwood to Brakeman
until the matter was finally settled eth
er in the courts or by election. The
matter was submitted to the supreme
court and the decision of the board in
refusing to call an election was sus-
| tanned.
The B. & M built a big depot and
the fight continued for some years az
| ter. The excitement was at fever heat
and had the workmen continued NOV
/ ing the buildings after the Atwood peo-
pie had organized to prevent 1t trout
| Bile would have ensued right there. 1t
was the most exciting event that has
Lever occurred in the history OF the
| town. Realizing that it was no use to
| fight further these few townsite boom
| ers," together with the Nebraska cor
| pc rations surrendered, and Atwood was
| declared winner by a decisive majority.
| Atwood Still on Map.
Atwood is still on the map while tbs
buildings in Brakeman were sold and
| moved into the country on farms and
| some of them were moved back to A.
wood. while the townsite. cellars
thrown in. will be converted into an
| alfalfa field.
| In her palmy days Brakeman had
about 500 population. a Touring mill,
| elevators, bank, newspaper, hotels, sew
era1 mercantile houses, large, rooEy
brick school house, and one of the
| largest depots on the Beaver Valley
branch, which long ago was loaled on
train and moved back to Nebraska
At one time Brakeman had a larger
population than Atwood, which was the
county seat, besides it had more bust
ness houses 1t is claimed the B. &
M road and Lincoln Land company
dropped a big wad of money to best
Brakeman and pull the county seat
away from Atwood. One of the sights
yet to be seen on the hill overlooking
handsome brick school house. good
enough for town of 500 inhabitants.
During the progress of the county
seat fight in Rawlins county the head
of the Lincoln Land company predict
ed on the streets of Atwood that her
people would see before the close of
the fight grass growing on her streets.
He also predicted all sorts of nice
things for Brakeman. And now after
so many years since this exciting and
memorable county seat fight the At
wood people bear no malice toward any
. of those who took part in the trouble
The town never had any overgrowth
, | it has built up with the settlement ani
development of Rawlins county. Coos
> schools and churches adorn the towa
, comfortable houses are scattered hert
; and there Everywhere is seen the
true grit of the pioneers and of thost
who came later, whose combined e.
: forts have tended in the same direc.
ton: to build up Atwood. and make il
| ,,afrira seams TO have intended