Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1910-02-10

in at the Graves and Twist place OF
business. AS before remarked the
streets were nhddy, muddier, than
they have ever been since and there
was no sidewalk with the exception
of landing in front of the hotel,
one in front of Gum and Salt'z drug
store where Griggs' Office now is.
one before the McDaniels store and
the Graves and Twist building at the
southwest corner of the square the
one now owned by Jim Stamper and
used for ware house.
In short time Mr.. Graves and
the young ladies returned to the
hotel and there was general visit
ing all round. On March 16, 1888
following, the lady Miss Minnie
Gerow and ]. r. Graves were united
in marriage and began house keep
ing in house where Mrs. Dalgsrn
and her daughter Edna now reside.
For two years Meade grew like
Jonah's gourd, all the adjoining farm
lands had been plated and sold for
town lots, four Banks were doing
business in the town, the room where
George Cones Office is and the one
adjoining it as well as the one east
of that rented for $25.oo per month
and the buffalo grass was not worn
off the square in front of them.
But the boom creaked, broke short
off and the end of all things seemed
to be at hand. The exodus began
and continued till there was only
handful of people left in the county.
The G. R. l. & P. railroad had been
completed through to Liberal in
1887 but In carried settlers out of
county and not into it as we all
supposed that it would. By wagon
and on horseback the settlers return
ed to their wives folks if not able
to pay fare on the railroad. Mer-
chants closed their doors and left,
Banks failed or settled their accounts
with their depositors and joined the
throng going east.
All through these troubled times
Graves and Twist sold goods to any
and all and bought the stock of
some merchants who were leaving.
However lessning trade and the
fact that many of those leaving the
country were owing them and failed
to settle before leaving, cut into
their profits and ate into their re-
serve fund. At last they in 1890
divided their business ard Mr.
Graves continued in the business in
the room south of the one now
occupied by Mrs. Hittle as a milli-
ner. But Mr.. Graves had been bred
a farmer and stockman, his faith in
the outcome of the country never
wavered but he had enough of mer-
chandising. There were many de-
serted timber claims and homestcads
in the county and Mr.. Graves found
a tract subject to homestead entry
at the north of Stumps Aroya on
Crooked Creek and filed on it.
He erected a good roomy sod house
of adobe sod with shingle roof,
full length windows and hoored in
side and later good frame barn,
with farm shop and other out
buildings. Soon after settling on
the place he took out from Stump
Aroya an irrigation ditch, the first
one in the county south of the Crook
ed L ranch with which he irrigated
considerable tract of land. Stock
and farming prospered with him and
his herds and land holding increased.
His family of two boys had grown
up to the age where better schools
were needed by them and one near
er than the district school In which
the farm was located. For that
reason in 1900 he sold his ranch to
Henry Borchers who yet owns it
and removed to Meade, buying an
alfalfa farm adjoining the town site
on the east and lying mostly in the
Crooked Creek valley. Soon after
getting the place he drilled for and