The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-03
AREFROM WAMECO
Many Topeka People Lived in
Thriving Town.
Where Bryan Spoke at First
Chautauqua.
SISTER OF EX-MAYOR is HERE
Also Son of Commercial Club
President.
AS Many Automobiles as
WheeIbarrOWS.
SISTER OF EX-MAYOR IS HERE

in WamegO, ~ miles west u AOPOHNeN
on the Union Pacific. 1t closes today.
A number of town people are from
/ Wamego Among them is E. H. Cow
drick, teacher of history in the Topeka
high school, who was superintendent
of the Wamego school, about Is years
ago. At that time he tried to work
! up interest in a chautauqua, but the
| time was not ripe However, it will
be remembered that through Mr.. Cow
drick, an interhigh school oratorical
association was formed and Topeka
people will remember how representa-
/ tives of the Wamego high school ran
the T. H. S. c. a close contest in an
oratorical and literary contest here in
! the latter sos.
Mrs. L. w. Smith Sister of Ex-Mayor.
Other Topeka people much interest
! ed in the chautauqua are Mrs. l.. w.
| Smith, of 1103 Central avenue, North
! Topeka, and Fred L. Baker, of 1921
| Clay street. Mrs. Smith is the sister
of George Jenkins, ex-mayor of Wa
mego. His administration helped pave
| the way for the meeting. Mr.. Baker
| is the son of c. N. Baker, president
| of the Wamego Commercial club. Abe
Glitter, junior, at whose home Bryan
| was entertained, is the present mayor.
| He is the son of a Wamego pioneer.
| He and the Wamego Commercial CLUB
! also deserve the greatest of credit for
| binging the chautau1ua to the town. The
| club was willing to guarantee the as
! ISOLATION more than 81 900. Their guar
antee was more than exceeded, for SOC
! season tickets were sold.
! Wamego Primary Teacher 20 Years.
| Working with the club was K. c.
| Smick, editor of the Wamego Reporter
! and other newspaper men of the town.
/ And it must be mentioned in passing
| that Mrs. Smick, who recently resign
| ed as primary teacher after 20 years OF
| service was present at every meeting.
| She has seen many of those attending
| grow from childhood and has been the
| inspiration of many Wamego citizens
and some who have gone out into the
| world. At one time she had charge
of about 100 pupils. Among them was
| Lee Stanley, now gaining reputation as
a cartoonist in the east. Mrs. Smick
| gave him his first encouragement
when he drew a picture of Robinson
Crusoe's boat-from an illustration in
| the First Reader.
From Wamgo also came ]. K. Cod
ding, lawyer who is warden at the
! state penitentiary in Lansing.
Topeka Musicians From Wamego.
Two we'll known Topeka musicians
came from Wamego. They are Frank
Crawford of 507 West Tenth avenue,
who plays a clarinet in Marshall's
band and in the theater orchestras,
and B. B. Clary of 1910 West Fifth
street. who plays ''double-B" bass in
Clary also are from Wamego. The
latter is a sister of the late George
Trout, Wamego pioneer and banker.
Wamego Surveyors at Curtis Home.
Wamego should possess a peculiar
interest for Topeka people. The first
surveying party-13 in number by the
way-which laid out the townsite in
May, 1856, stopped over night with
Charles Curtis, the grandfather of Sen
ator Charles Curtis.
later he
Merritt House, was built by James
! Merritt, brother of A. c. Merritt, of
Hlllcrest farm north of Topeka, on the
Central avenue road. And among the
first settlers was Antoine Ulrich, father
of Mrs. A. F. F1orsech, 1905 Harrison
| street.
| The name "Wamego'' was adopted a 8
! a compromise. 1t was suggested that
the town be named Lincoln, after Abra-
| ham Lincoln, but that name was apaI
! ly given to the main business street
| Wamego is said to have been derived
| from the exclamation of an Indian who
said to a group of tribesmen hesita+ino
TO cross the Kaw just south of the
'Wah-Me-Go!" as he plunged into
| the current Allto
| And They Are Still "Goers.,,
Be that as it may, the enternrise
ana ai courage of the hypothetical In
alan is Characteristic of the people 81
hoy
nay Haee Deen going, either to all parts Of
the globe, or in steady climb -
build up their home town.
| Iopeka people Will remember the
| Wamego band which played in the
| procession when the Twentieth kansas
J returned to Topeka from the PhiIin
| pines; And in that regiment, Tunis
Arnold, a near-Wamego bow. was ona
| OF those who passed the best pI1vsicaI
entrance examination when the bows
| enlisted.
Topeka people may remember an
! Indian character "Wamego," named
after the town, in the play Across
| the Desert, written by a Wamego ac-
tor, Fred Wayne Campbell. The play
| house several years ago. 1t was staged
by the Walter Van Dyke company
: Wamego was represented in the To-
peka Chautauqua; Ed Chapman and
| in a quartet. Gale Parsons, a Wa
| mego girl, was reader for the I,inds-
| borg College Chautauqua association
Among Topeka railroad circles Wa
| mego boys are we'll known. From the
| time the Union Pacific, formerly Kan
sas Pacific, reached the town IN 1869. |
Wamego has been a railroad town |
| Nearly every freight train passing
| through Topeka has one or more Wa |
mego boys in its crew.
Mrs. Hayden From Wamego,
1t may be mentioned in passin~ that
Mrs. R. F. Hayden of 426 Topeka ave
| nue., formerly Miss Florence John
| stone, State Journal society reporter, !
| and later with the Kansas City STAR
| threw the first shovelful of earth for |
! the waterworks trenches when the |
plant was built at Wamego in 1899 |
| She was then local girl for the Wa
mego Times and already gaining d |
reputation as a writer.
/ Now Wamego is a city of bust ness
and homes Topeka people who have
| passed through have often noticed the |
| wide Lincoln avenue and the gem of q