The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-12-18
THE GOLDEN BELT RAILROAD
Barton, Rush and Ellis Counties to
Have New Railroad Soon
(By A. Hemphill, Special Core
spondent)

coming out north of the city and driv-
ing northwest about forty-five miles
along the Santa Fe Railroad to Ellin-
wood, in Barton County, at the inter
section of that read leading to Ness
and Scott City. Thence they drove
westward four miles along that road
to Dartmouth Junction, just east OF
the junction of the treacherous Wal
nut creek with the Arkansas river,
thence again northwest on as direct
a line as possible, driving by section
lines, to the northwest line of Barton
county, about six miles south of the
Russell county line. Then westward,
through Pleasantdale township, six
miles south of Pfeifer, then northerly
down the draw east of Pfeifer to the
Smoky Hill river, over the bridge, still
northwest through Freedom and
Wheatland townships, stopping few
minutes at the Alex Philip ranch
close to Old Fort Fletcher. The party
then drove northward along the west
side of Munjor, and three miles north
to the Union Pacific Railroad track,
alighting, and standing on the track
Just west of the Toulon switch, with
powerful spyglasses, they looked in
every direction and saw one mighty
field of wheat. While they sat in their
car eating their lunch of cold chicken
and grape wine, the through freight
on the Union Pacific, with fifty-one
cars Numbered by bringing visions of
part of those cars switched south
through Hutchinson to the Gulf at
Galveston, the shortest possible route
from the great Northwest and the
Rocky Mountains to Europe and also
carrying out the orders of the Gov
eminent that every possible car of
freight for the east should be shipped
by the way of the gulf ports. The
reason for this request was of course
to relieve the congested eastern ports
and steamships, which by the way
show no ready signs of becoming any
less congested.
The party now rode north through
west Catherine township, east Buck
eye and down the east prong of Elm
canon, crossing the Saline river at
the Dalton crossing, following around
the river bend, north by the stone
school house of No. 9, up the old
Goeky, Millison canon, near the old
home of the Bices, and coming out
on the Plainville flats, with its beau
tiful area of farm lands, then still
north to point about one mile north
they sought out big farm house and
were made welcome for supper, bed
and a good old fashioned country
breakfast. After supper the members
of the party sat in their car for over
an hour discussing the possibilities of
the country over which they had trav-
eled. They were railroad men and
they were unanimous in the opinion
that they had found site for a
splendid railroad from Hutchinson in
to the heart of the Golden Belt Wheat
country. They had found few rivers,
necessitating few bridges or culverts,
and they had found only easy grades,
meaning but few fills and cuts.
Next morning with an early start
southwark, they went west of the
PlainHille road and down a canon
across the Saline at an easily bridged
spot, up another ravine coming out
on the immense Buckeye plateau, with
its miles and miles of Immense wheat
fields, great in the possibilities for
transportation to European markets,
via the Gulf. Going south the party
crossed Northfork on the old Reem-
snyder crossing, just west of the
Plainville road into the Will Mont
gomery draw with easy fills and cuts.
Now they came into view of Hays and
the wheat fields of the Big Greek bot
tom which seldom ever fail, they
struck directly to point west of the
City water works and electric light
plant, over the Ward lands to the Re
servation road at the old Sanford
Sites house.
Coming along the Reservation lire
and through the Public Park, Il
Chestnut street and the THONGS
bridge, they decided that if the Stase
Administration Board would give
them a lease of a fifty foot right of
way along the north line of the Rese~-
walton they would not have to look
further than the park gate for a cite
for their depot. This will place the
depot about the same distance from
the U. P. depot as the Frisco at Els
worth and Rock Island depot at Abb;
lene, and would save congesting TIE
city streets with railroad tracks.
Now the Party drove up Chestnut
Street to the Brunswick for dinner,
and down Wilson avenue to the Mum
jor road, near Schlyer's, from the
Ward corner in as direct a route as
the Reservation land would allow (for
they knew no railroad could buy an
inch of the Reservation land and it
could be had only by leasel. Int .