Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1919-12-18


been waiting for a chance to work
something out of his system on the
subject of s'The Passing of the Pralr-
ies''' but the time has never seemed
right until the present when we are
working out these special editions of
The Western Kansas World. Such a
story would come in nicely with the
historiaca1 informa ton being publish
ed. The subject is a large one and is
worthy of a long story, but all we
shall attempt to give at this time will
be a sort of summary of the book
which should be written, hoping that
at some future date some author with
more ability and renoun will take the
foundation which we have laid and
build thereon the rest of the story of
love, adventure and romance.
In conversation with the pioneers,
settlers and the plainsmen, from
whom we have secured the informa-
ton and ideas contained within this
little story, we have found those who
considered the passing of the prairies
calamity to the county while
others contend it is a great blessing
1t is with the idea of giving both sides
y
into two parts. No attempt at dates
will be made but in a general way the
plainsman and the pioneer settler will
do the talking and tell the story as Il
comes to their recollectionS.
You can find the hearty pioneer
settler in almost any part of the cen
tral west prairie country and If you
ask for a version of the passing cf
the prairies you will get almost the
same story from each Of them He is
of different type and character from
the Plainsman. He has kept in line
with the progress of ci1ilIzaticT1 ,no
development of the country and fror,
his appearance and dress you could
not distinguish him from one of the
later arrivals. Engage hin, in a con
versation and in a short time ne vii
let you know that he was one of the
first settlers of the country and tha
he has helped develop It from raw
and trackless prairie into the rich ant
productive country which it now is
He is not the type which you feel 1ik
addressing as "Uncle" but you cal
him Grandpa" So when we learne
the man from whom we wanted tn
story of ssThe Passing of the Prairies
from the settlers side we went to hir
one day and said: "Grandpa, tell u
the story of the passing of the prai
ries and what this country was lik
when you first came here This
mis- story:
The Pioneers Story
at will soon be fifty years since
first came to this country and it wa
what they called a barren waste E
that time. There were a few ranch
men settled along the creeks and ws
ter holes but they were long way
apart and they were not doing an,
thing to develop the country. The
wanted to keep it for cattle. I worke
for one of those men for awhile, vi
til the railroad came through, ar
then filed a homestead about 81
miles from town along the cree
where there was plenty of water. Yo
see in those days we didn't know an,
thing about how far 1T was down
water and there wasn't enough peop
here but that each one of us could e,
a spring or water hole if we wante
it, I wasn't married at that time b,
1 built sod house on my claim al
called it home. I worked on ranch
and in town and wherever cou
just so I-was making a little none
All the time had in mind girl bat
east who I knew would some ds
come out and keep house for me.
saved up money until I had enous
with which to buy a team of bro
chos, wagon and plow, and son
boards with which I made a table a.
a cupboard, and then went back ca
and got married. It didn't look like
very inviting place to bring ne
wife to but she said it was a home a,
that it just the foundation for t
palace we were going to have in
few more years. Wife's folks gave
4gYZ sT&9 ~