The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-27
BY HARRY ROOT.

In the pioneer times of Jewell
county townsites seemed about as nu-
merous as prairie dogs. A town was
chartered in March, 1873, known as
the Limestone Town Co., with a capt.
tai stock of $1,000. A site of $50 acres
was selected and the stockholders were
James Calls, L. F. Davis, r. Smith
and A. S. Hoag. Earlier years the
Athens Town Co. was chartered in
July, 1871. Its capital stock was
$500, divided in twenty equal shares.
The directors were John McAfee, D.
G. Slagle, r. F. Albertson and d. c..
Everson. Then soon after another
wagon load OF men came along, and
selected another site for a booming
town and organized the Huron Town
Co. and secured a charter in February,
1877. The capital stock was $4,000.
The names of the promoters were
James Fog1e, Jr., Adelbert Godding,
Benz. F. Hardin, Gabriel B. Wade, and
julius C. Robinson. These promoters
gave their postoffice address Johnson
vile, whether Kansas or some other
state, the charter doesn't state. The
Greenville Town Co. was chartered in
December, 1873. Only twenty acres
was selected for fhis Metropolis"
The capital stock was only $780, The
directors were J. s. Turner, James H.
Palmer, Joseph Lehman, s. P. Morse
and Jacob s. Baskins, all residents of
Cerro Gordo, which town was char
tered in January, 1879, with a capital
stock of $4,000. The incorporates
were c. L. Emery. Joseph Lehman, J.
s. Turner, Charles Murphy and E.
Monasmith. 1t also had a townsite of
about 20 acres. There was also the
Delta Town Co.. chartered in 1879,
with capital stock of $4,000. The
directors were Joseph Sturtevant, 3.
Hobson, d. c. Cluster, e. L. PIERCE
a M r w al -
towns to charter was named E1son. 1t
was chartered in January, 1887. with
a capital stock of $4,000. 1t was sup
posed the Elson Town Co. was
launched for the object of beating
some other "townsite" who had
better cinch of securing some rail-
road. The promoters were John H
McCammon, c. Angevine, Geo. H.
Case, Geo. g. Bishop, Mankato people
and W. M. Jones. of Burr Oak Your
correspondent has been a visitor to
Jewell county years before Jewell
Center's name was changed to Man
kato and knows many of the directors
and promoters of the Jewell county
townsites of pioneer days. Many of
them went back to the farm and are
now known as among the lost town
Of Kansas.
The most fearful storm of wind.
hail, rain, lightning and thunder ever
seen on the prairies of northwest Kan
sas your correspondent witnessed in
the night drive of six miles between
Marvin in those days, now Glade, and
Phillfpsburg. Our load consisted of
l. d. Young, w. c. Perdue and Capt.
W. H. Mitchell of Beloit, your cor
respondent who was then with the
Atchison Champion, and the driver
The mission of the first three named
was to meet Rock Island train go
ing to Colby, where a congressional
convention was going to be held the
next day. The storm came suddenly
and furiously when our load of human
freight was half way to PhilIipsburg.
One could have seen to read paAers,
the lightning was SO constant, and the
road was plainly seen very step of
the horses. On account of this no
doubt the daily papers were saved the
trouble of reporting a. frightful acci-
dent. The rain came down in sheets
and the hail pelted the curtains and in
some instances came thru the top
covering Every passenger was
thoroly drenched, and the nice con-
vention suits were literally covered
with mud. The driver let the horses
walk to prevent accident, and the load
hauled up in front of the hotel more
than an hour late, missing the night
train, the politicians went to their
rooms and stayed up the rest of the
night drying their clothes and digging
the mud off of them No such a
storm has been recorded since the set
Element of that section, and on ac-
count OF the continuous lightning
which showed US the road, we believe
We were saved from a disastrous ac-
cident Later years L d. Young served
the district in congress, Capt W. H.
/ Mitchell, now dead, was a delegate-at-
large to the national Republican con-