La Junta tribune., 1911-10-21
y Wslsss Wllisa.s

4 north b6nk Of the Arkansas river up
To Bent's old fort
Hiram u. Chiiienden. In his work
on THE American Fur Trade" says
that Captain william Beckneli. Of
Franklin. Howard county. was the
first trader to cross the Arkansas
river TO the Cimarron river and
thence up that stream TO Santa Fe-
This he did in the year lse, with
three wagons when expeditions
frs, began to be made from Missouri
TO Santa Fe." says Chittenden. they
ascended the Arkansas river to the
vicinity Of where La Junta. Colo. now
stands and then turning south went
first TO Taos and then to Santa Fe.
Even after the shorter trail was es-
by the upper Arkansas continued to
b. used. for there was always a large
amount of trade from that section" ="
Other controversies have stirrc d
Gray county beyond the controversy
existing over the location OF the old
trail Chief among these OF historic
interest was the controversy over the
county sat between Cimarron and
Ingalls, Many Kansas counties have
had county seat fights But the
struggle between Ingalls, and Cimar-
ron for the posss ssion Of the county
seat Of justice Ia perhaps the most
notable. Cimzrron was the first town
established In Gray county. being 10
Gated soon after the county was
settled In the late seventies To
ward the latter part OF the eighties
Asa r souIe. a millionaire of Roches
ter. y. Y. became interested In
Gray county and In connection xith
English capitalists planned a number
Of Napoleonic projects. some of which
were carried out One was the Eure-
ke irrigation Dit h.ninety miles long.
costing about a million dollars This
originated ~est o. ingaIls and ex-
tended thrcu;h Gray. Ford and I'd.
wards counties. II vas unused for
about twenty years. but Is a; present
being rehabliiiated by Eastern and
Denver capitalists and IL again In
use. striking Illustration OF what
Secretary = ID Coburn aptiy calls
the rebirth of Western Kansas -
eoulc and his as associates. the Gil
bert brothers. wanted the county seat
established at Ingalls, at the head
OF the big ditch. This brought on the
county sat war between the two
towns. In order To get tn. support
OF the people Of the south part OF
the county for ingalls,. Souie promised
them a railroad. which vas to run out
from Dodge City to Monteruma- This
railroad was actually Constructed. bu,
When the boom burst u Was torn up.
The railroad Will be- reconstructed. by
the ~ay. next year. II the plans os
the Santa fe are carried out
Two elections we're held to deter.
mine tn. location of the county
seat. but these wsre No compile ate d
by ballot boz stnffinr and various
questionable methods that the r.ia.
tive claims OF the two towns are diff.
ficult to determine. cimsrron. how.
ever. appears to have had the best OF
the argument A cimsrron partisan
had possession Of the records. hoidin
his office as county clerk by reason
Of III. action of the county commits.
sloners In declaring tn. election
fraudulent. whereby ingalls, had OBJ
nincd the county seat ingalls, par.
ties determined to se, posscssion OF
the records. Tn. sheriff. Reynolds.
was an ingalls, man and he deputixcd
a number of men. among whom were
Jim Masi.rson. of Dodge city. aud
other outside parties Who were noted
~ bad men" and brought them TO
cimarron ON January IL. 1859 They
droy. up to the court house In a
wagon. went To the county clerk and
demanded the books lie delivered
them over and the Invaders started
out for ingalls, Meanwhile the
population of ctmarron. numbering