The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-11
BY HARRY ROOT.

1.-The best town of its size in the
state" is the motto the Jennings peo-
pie have given their town. AS early as
1874 Warren Jennings came to Deca-
tur county with his family, home
steaded, and started a store on the
Prairie Dog stream, a mile from the
now thrifty town of Jennings, which.
was afterwards named for him. Your
correspondent remembers the trading
post, which was originally named Slab
City. The family struggled and fought
hard times and Indians for several
years. HIS store was patronized by
the buffalo trappers, the white COW
cred prairie schooners and their oc-
cupants. and at times friendly Indians.
He succeeded in getting a postoffice
started in Slab City, the mail coming
by horseback from Norton, 80 miles
east. Few years later a weekly mail
route was started at Lenora, the pres
ent terminus of the North Solomon
branch of the Missouri Pacific, its
terminus being Oberlin. Later on the
mail was increased to twice a week
The Jenningses, father and son,
started in the stock industry. The
buffalo were numerous, and to a large
degree helped to provide for the table
needs. Now and then the season
would be favorable for the growing of
tiers were J. p. Rouse. o. E. Munson
l. L. Jordan and ]. 1. Taylor. In 1888
the Rock Island surveyors rama line
up the Prairie Dog to where the pres
ept town of Jennings is built. For a
time there was some strife where the
town company would locate their town
and what they would name it. Some
of them wanted it named Greer. Sew
eral names were suggested. It was
finally named Jennings and the land
was bought of o. E. Munson and 1. L.
Jordan; Thirty-two years is a long
ell
and many of those years the settlers
had to undergo untold hardships.
Geo. w. Shook was also one of the
early timers and, besides being agent
for the Rock Island town lot COM
pany, he started the Echo, a newspa-
per which he published for upwards
OF 80 years. Warren Jennings, after
whom the town was named, is now
dead. His son operates an elevator
and does a livestock business. He is
mayor, the town having been incor-
porated several years ago. The place
churches and schools. The visitor will.
find cement walks and a town with
waterworks and electric lights. 1t
is surrounded by a rich wheat, corn
and alfalfa section, with abundant
prosperity on all sides
In pioneer times in Phillips county.
when the county seat fight was raging
fur1ously, poetry figured in the
scrap so it is claimed. Phillipsburg
was located way up in the clouds"
the site being on the prairie between
the solomon and Republican rivers.
while kirwin was in the valley of the
Solomon. 1t had a good start, and
her townspeople were holding corner
lots at fancy prices. In the election
some fellow wrote the following, which
was freely circulated:
10 H..
Phillipsburg, so dry, than a corner lot
IN k1rwin. say how is that for high -
The county was organized in July
1872 and Phillipsburg was designated
the temporary county seat. In Octo-
Der. the same year, a special election
was held to choose the Permanent
county seat This town was again
chosen. While the fight was at fever
heat no blood was spilled. On the
day of election there were more buff
fa'o and antelope in the county than
inhabitants, and their meat kept many
settlers from starvation. At the time
the organization of the county there
wasn't a building on the town site.
Three railroads now run thru the
county. There was shipped in the
county in 1875 several carloads of
provisions and distributed to the
needy. donated by the state, as we'll
as contributions from other states
Your correspondent witnessed the
building Of three court houses in
Phillipsburg. Judge W. H. Pratt
came to the county in May. 1872. He
was admitted to the bar in 1876. In
1881 he was elected Judge of the Sew
enteenth district In a noted case
when Judge Joel Holt was serving
the district, and Pratt was county at
turney. he was trying a case, which
resulted in securing from the defend
ants property every dollar of the