Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-01-29
ton was the only method used in


getting freight TO the settlers The
old Colorado trail that took the gold
seekers to the mines of Colorado
started at St Joseph and Leaven-
worth and ran through Doniphan
county The townsite boomers came
from the east and wherever the Mis-
souri, made bend they saw chance
for building a great trading centre
and shipping post where the ranch
men would come for 500 miles with
cattle and get supplies and where the
wagon trains for the gold camps
of the mountains would be fitted out.
That accounts for Pittsburgh, Buff
allo, Evansville. Cincinnati, Charles
ton. Petersburg, Syracuse and some
of the other towns of that county
that have disappeared. They were
started as rivals to the big shipping
points on rivers and lakes from
which the Kansas names were taken
and it was expected that each of
these towns would be as important
shipping centers along the Missouri
river as the original eastern towns
we're important to their territory.
But the towns were established just
after the war and many big ware
houses were built. Just about that
time the railroads began building
and soon the river business disappear
ed and with it the towns established
along the river as shipping points,
unless there was actual and legitimate
need for their assistance.
Of
county probably had the most beau
tiful site available for town in Kan
sas. 1t was on the top of high hill
about half mile square. From it
could be seen the country for thirty
miles in an unbroken view. The
town was established and some POO
houses built while the townsite pro-
motors we're drilling for water. They
drilled down more than 1000 feet and
never found the least sign of water.
The people hauled water for two
miles for TWO years and then gave it
up and moved their homes to other
towns.
St. John was the county seat of
Decatur county at one time. Ober-
lin about s miles away wanted the
county seat and one night the people
of st. John were decoyed away on a
wolf hunt and when they came back
found their little frame houses on
wagons and being driven across the
prairie. Oberlin got the comfy seat
and the St. John people having been
given building sites decided it was
no use fighting and they stayed in
Oberlin.
Rome was established in Ellis coun-
ty as the headquarters of w. F.
Cody, buffalo Bill.) He had con-
tracted to furnish so many hundred
buffaloes each week to the Kansas
Pacific Railroad as meat for the
track workers. He made a camp at
Rome which later became a division
point and construction headquarters
for the Kansas Pacific and at one
time had population of 1000 people.
Then freShet washed away Fort
Fletcher farther north and the gov
eminent established Fort Hays one
mile east of Rome. The business
houses and residents catered to the
soldier trade and began moving near
Fort Hays and Hays City was estab-
lished. Then the railroad division
was moved to Ellis and Rome dis
appeared entirely. The disappearance
of a large number of towns was
brought about by the failure to get
railroads. Surveys for railroads were
run through every county in the
state and many towns sprang up
along. these surveys. In some cases
the roads We're never built and the
towns soon disappeared. If the rail-
roads were built, there was a scrap
between towns as to which would
vote the most bonds, the town that
voted the most bonds getting the
railroad if it required an additional
mileage. Some railroads were built
for the bonds voted by counties and
cities.
Down in Seward county, Spring
field was the county seat. AT the
time of the building of the Rock
Island Road Springfield was the larg-
est town in southwestern Kansas.
The road was surveyed to go through
Springfield but because the town re-
fused to vote a bond of s25, 900 the
road made a crook and left the town
out Today there is only one sod
house left on the town site. 1t was a
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