La Junta tribune., 1914-02-28
WHEAT FIELD HIS THRONE
4. &. Henry. first Wheat King Of
kan>as-Som~thing About His
10000 Golden Acres.

the '70s T. C. Henry vas one OF the
big men OF Kansas. He was man
with a vision; his enthusiasm knew
no bounds lie could devise in a day
hundred schemes. some OF which
were good but most OF which requir-
ed more than human ability to make
them come true. He was Just the
Kind OF leader 10 arouse the senl-
m.ut OF the struggling settlers, He
was an advertiser, spectacular In his
methods and with an abiding faith In
Kansas soil His name was known
from end to end In Kansas. and had
present day political methods been In
vogue he would have been United
States senator or governor He did
try to obtain the republican nomina-
tion for governor. but st John de-
feated him.
His fame rested on his wheat rails
ing but he did a vast number OF 9TH
er things. Reared on a little farm
in Western New York. he vent ia
1865 to Alabama. where he sank
most OF the family fortune trying to
raise cotton. withou tthe Southern
.rs familiarity with the task He
built the first log school house FOR
negroes In Central Alabama. with
impaired health he came to Kansas
two years later. becoming hay con
tractor at Abilene. then 10 the height
OF IT, cattle day glory
He WAS the towns first mayor I'm
der him Tom Smith was marshal
the quiet. sureshot officer who con
trolled the COW boys better than did
wild Bin" Hickok Henry was
county officer. regent OF the agricul-
tural college. commissioner 60 the
Centennial Exposition. state senator
and the states largest real estate
operator.
His title as wheat KIM" was de-
lIberatcly sought. for he was the
first TO have sufficient faith In Kan
sass soil 10 enter on large under
nkiugs.. He bought land adjoining
Abilene for &6.25 an acre. later he
sold It for yl5o.O0U. nearly S27o per
acre His connection with the county
offices brought him some real money,
a rather scarce article in those days
As agent for the Kansas Pacific
lands, hc had chances TO select the
portions he desired and from his ac-
quaintanc.s ia Western New York
he procured money with which to
carry on the dream OF soil conquest
lie monopolized for several year. the
real estate business of Dickinson
county and WAS the man 10 whom ey-
cry farmer went for advice and for
financial assistance.
Stretching east Of Abilene Is the
Smoky Hn Valley sn miles wide.
level ss floor In 1873 with six
yoke teams of Texas o1ru. drawing
2O-inch Moline ploV-, ho broke there
In five hundred acres Of sod The
seed Early Red May. was broadcast
ed and narrowed TO- with Scotch har-
rows drawn boy OK teams The year
1874 was gra-shupp.r year. hut that
5oo-arrr field was in o. glory with
two binders. men standing on the
machines and binding the grain. half
of u Was cut
Then the straw becam. too hrit,l"
to biui and Henry sent to Illinois
for "a header He ran IL day and
nirht with relay .hifis AZ first Il
was moonlight. then man In white
on shect-coycrcd horse led the way.
and finally lamps and rcflectors fas-
tened 10 tho reel post enabled him to
complete the work II yielded TWEEN
~ bushels and sold for ninety cents
The steam thrcsher and the header
were the first brought to Kansas. All
work was done by contract and cost
fifty ecnts a bushel. Honry's boas,
was that he 'farmcd in Md gloves.
without horse OF hoe
In 1873 he added seven hundred
acres and the l.2o0-acrc field at
traetcd much attention. II yielded
we'll. some OF It thir,y-fiye bushels
aud sold for ti.05 to ti2i bushei.
Then h" plunged Ten thousand
acres OF whoat. scattered over Dickin-
son county. were contracted In IN.
following year, The main field OF
five thousand acres east Of Abilon.
was marvellous sigir to travellers.
Through the field ran the Kansas Pa
cific Railroad and trainm.n were In
riruc,cd to call out a. III. trains
slowed down. We ar. coming 10
Henry's whca, field" Dickinson WAS
the banner ~hca, county OF the state
and the success OF his fields started
the wheat growing enthusiasm OF ev-
cry county east OF the sixth princi-
pal meridian.