The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-23
Sixth District Net0s Notes
Items and "reminiscences by An Old Timer With His
Ear to the Grass Roots

three miles farther west a town
started up named Barlow. but it's
name was changed to Port Lands.
This town succeeded in getting a post
office established as early as 1873.
John Lands, who's owned the land,
until about 1876. Lands laid out the
town in 1875. He thought he saw
| big center for business growing up in
/ this beautiful Solomon valley, but
when the railroad was built up the
valley the town of Edmond was favor
ed by the railroad, and Port Lands
ceased to exist. Lands had been in
the Mexican war. He came to Kansas
| in 1857, settling in Doniphans county.
He was a member of the Topeka con-
; stitutional convention, besides repre-
scented Doniphan county in the legis-
| lature. He went to Norton county i'll
/ 1879. He favored Norton for the per-
manent county seat, while most of his
neighbors worked for another town
named Weston, which was later
changed to Leota. He served in both
the Fourth and Tenth Kansas regi-
ments during the Civil war, most of
the time as Quartermaster under Colo
mel Phillips. He was shot from am
bush near the Solomon river. from the
effects of which he died in September,
ISIS. His town of Port Lands died
I when. the railroad took>sides with Ed
| mond. After the county seat had been
settled in favor of Norton, and Wes-
ton deota) had ceased to be factor,
another town named Dallas was laid
out on the Prairie Dog midway be-
tween the present towns of Oronoque
and Clayton. With building of the b.
& NJ. and Rock Island roads. Dallas
went out of business, as did Leota.
The Central Branch, now the Missouri
Pacific, carried your correspondent to
within three miles of Lenora, where
he changed cars from a luxurious pas
lsenger coach to lumber wagon, and
was hauled the balance Of the way in
that vehicle to Lenora. Heavy rains
had retarded railroad work, and it was
ten days or more before laying iron
was resumed. The United States land
office at Kirwin was discontinued in
February, 1894. On this date Lafe c.
Smith, one of the officials of the Of
flee, stood up in his chair and said ::
Hear we; hear ye; hear We; the
United States land office at Kirwin,
Kan, is this day discontinued for
everp The procession of horse con-
veyances hauling passengers and bag
gage from the end of the road to town,
about three miles. was all they could
do; the road was heavy and frequent
ly the wheels sank in the mud to the
hubs. and some of the way passengers
walked. The railroad company paid
the expense except the walking. A
: later visit to Lenora your correspond
| tent was hauled all the way by the
iron horse.
Some people are born to be lucky.
This is the case of H c. Ia gtneyer OF
Sherman county He landed in that
county with good health and set of
carpenter tools in March, 1886. He
now owns two sections of land, besides
the best irrigation plant in northwest
Kansas. near Good1and. In former
years he has raised vegeta bles, and
not only supplied the wants of the
home people, but he has shipped the
surplus in CARROTS. He is said to be
worth today $4,000 and he made 1t
sticking to the farm and rustling-
One Of the earliest settlers to Sher-
y man county is Esther Phillips Rose.
She landed there in March, 1886. She
was telling her early experiences there
and among them she told of the dug
out where she first made her home.
Sheytold about the cupboard that was
: built in the wall of the house. that II
was used for a dining table. library
stand and a bed. Chairs were placed
around it so she couldn't fall out
Many times the dugout was buried
under snow
IPalco. Rocks county items: poll
| tfcians are scarce. 1t is just as well
he don't come along, for our people
are too busy to be pestered with their
! cheap talk.-Mrs. Bert Inflow is one OF
the hard working women of Paico. and
ambitious, none of your society ladies
She Just quit cooking for a threshins
} crew, and the next morning opened ur
a boarding house. If 1t wasn't fol-
: these women it would be hard to tel
what would become of this old world
. Mrs Inflow was a bright paragraph
l er on the paper her husband issued
= in Palco several years-Another item
is to the effect that while Topeka