The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-29
BY HARRY ROOT.


One of the entertaining members of
the legislature is W. P. Harrington of
Cove county, who settled there nearly
a quarter of century ago. In Popu-
list times he published the Cove City
Advocate four years. He is the author
of a history of the county from its
first settlement and down to its or
ganization in 1856. He will issue
another volume soon, bringing the
history of the county down to date.
He is one of the early settlers, and
a farmer and stockman. The first
settlers came to the county in the late
seventies. The census of 1880 showed
about 1900 people, OF those whose
names appear on the census roll that
year there remains George s.. Dryer,
J. 3. Bea1 and Charles Johnson. now
living in Grainfield; Gus Peterson, K.
Van Zee, and d. A .Borah, of Grinnell;
Alex. Haney, A. 3 .Brandenburg and
VIM. Hamilton, of Quinter,sa and Jacob
Hansen, George Rhoads and o. P.
Summers, of Cove City. THE county
has had it's ups and downs in popula-
ton" said Harrington. 1t was organ
lied III 1886 with population of $500.
A year later it only had 1000. At this
time it has 5000, and climbing up. In
one year the county lost 1900 people.
That was the Year, 1911. when the
western part of the state had a crop
failure followed by the hardest winter
ever known in northwest Kansas. 1t
now looks as if they have all come
back. He went TO Cove county to
raise stock when there was plenty of
, room and grass. There are fewer cat
tie now, and more wheat is raised, amt
Cove county is now in the three mil
lion bushel wheat class. Harrington
( L. 81
will be one of the most active and
valuable members the county ever
had.
1t was in 1872 when Mai. E. w.
Warner and family came to Phillips
county and settled in Kirwin. which
was the only town in the county. He
engaged in the mercantile business,
and built up a prosperous trade. In
those pioneer times the homesteaders
were about all the people one would
see, and the white topped prairie
schooners' were seen on all sides.
Many of them owe their living be-
tween crops to the generous credit the
business men extended them. In 1887
was built the Warner hotel out of ma
tive stone Quarried near the town. This
hotel at once ranked with the best in
that section Of the state. Your cor
reSpondent-ha slept under its roof
| crowded with politicians, including
| United States senator, congressman
and state officials 1t looked as If all
iwho were travelling that way wanted
to eat and sleep at the Warner hotel.
Major Warner continued as proprietor
until his death year ago. Since then
Mrs. Warner, and daughters have con-
Quoted it. It is doubtful If there is
another hotel in the state that has had
such a wonderful record of continuous
service to the public under one man
agement as has the Warner hotel.
/ The Peterson family of Mitchell
county went there about 1873. coming
from Sweden. and homesteaded in Lo-
gan township, where they have re-
sided until moving to Beloit a few
years ago. Before he arrived in Kan
sas he borrowed $50 to complete his
journey. They now own 400 acres.
Carl Peterson is the father of four
teen children, born in Mitchell county.
nine boys and five girls Ten of the
children are living He remembers
that he helped construct the dam over
the Solomon river near the town of
Simpson. besides several houses he
helped build in pioneer days still re-
main standing The children living.
seven boys and three girls, are doing
well. One of them is H. l. Peterson.
who served the county as clerk and
commissioner. besides was two years
in the treasurer's office in Dickinson
county. served two years IN the office
of secretary of state under J. r. Bur-
row. and the last two years has had a
clerkship in the office of state auditor.
When Cove county was settled in
1856 a number of towns were laid out
along the Smoky Hill river. These