The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-01
Sixth District NetUs Notes
Items and "reminiscences by An Old Timer With His
Ear to the Grass Roots.

He is one Of the pioneer settlers OF
the Solomon valley, and is living in
comfort on his Riverside stock farm.
adjoining his town. Speaking Of the
early times of his section. he told
some interesting history of early day
settlers, many of whom may have
lacked the wherewith to build COM
Portable homes, but that they had the
spirit was well demonstrated in the
way in which they made use of the
material then available. Those who
settled on the prairie found very httle
in the way to assist them in their
building operations. In order to Sc
cure timber they had to go to the
able was the surface rock found along
| the breaks of the streams, and in or
der to quarry the stone out it required
| hard labor and both man and horse
mower were limited. such material be-
ing used only when necessary in the
! building of the dugout and sod houses.
On the completion of the home, the
yard was laid out, and trees planted,
then the flower beds had to be pro-
tected. and here is where the buffalo
heads came in for their part of the i'm
provement of the lawns of many
Mitchell county pioneer settlers Sem
ator Logan says the custom was to
spade up the ground in a circle, and
place the heads on the outer edge,
making a coping OF the heads. Buff
DIeHIlluI
the early seventies, and care was
/ taken to select heads of the same size,
and those that had the horns on them
as well They were placed right side
up, facing outward. SO that no differ
| ence the way one approached the bed
one had to face the buffalo. The
building of the railroads gave a value
to the bones, and the prairie was soon
cleared of them. Many of the pioneers
! earned a livelihood gathering and sell
ing buffalo bones. The price paid was
Is cents for 100 pounds. Some Of the
! bone pickers tell this day how they
| fleeced the buyers out of double and
| treble prices for the bones by filling
| the surplus space in their wagon load
! of them with sand. 1t is claimed that
/ as a general rule the professional bone
! picker was the floater and not the
home seeker. The early timers to
/ Mitchell county, many of them, made
| good wages gathering buffalo bones
and hauling them to market. and in
some cases this means of livelihood
kept them in subsistence.
| Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Thompson,
wen-to-do farmers of Mitchell county,
visited Beloit to buy the children some
Christmas presents. One of the little
| girls saw something she liked. In
| the good old times the article could
have been bought for less than a dol
| lar. On inquiry the father and mother
| were Informed that it would now take
q wagon load of oats at present prices
to pay for the article. The Eureka
!. itemizer for that paper is responsible
for this item.
The recent deaths of P. @. Chubbic
and Frank Schungel. chairman and
secretary of the Republican commit
tee of Mitchell county. was the occa
sion which proved a Waterloo to the
women politicians in Beloit and
Mitchell county. The committee met
to select successors to the two de-
ceased members Only two of the re-
naming officers of the committee
were present, Frank Smith and Mrs
Lucy Caughey. It is said there was
a good sprinkling of the fair sex pres
ent. a big majority. Business com
Emenced at once by the treasurer de-
Gliding that the committee should have
d chairman. and suggested the nams
of Thomas Prewett as the one for this
position In the meantime the treas
.;urer had written the members of tbs
committee to attend the meeting. and
in case they couldn't be present fol
them to send word, besides authoriZ
ing Mrs Caughey TO act for the alb
sent members. At this state of TIN
meeting other political women leader.
put in their appearance. Mrs Thoma
APrewett, Mrs. ]. o. Evans, Mrs JOSEPH
Crietz and Mrs ]. E. Tfce, all activi
women workers for the G. o. P Mrs
Caughey and the women won thei
point. resulting in the defeat of J. r
Harrison. Of the Beloit Gazette. 70
chairman OF the county COMMITTEES
and the election of Thomas Prewet
TO succeed P. G. Chubbic. deceased
: Jack Harrison took his defeat in goo.
humo-. After the meeting adiournei
: The watched the political bandwago1
90 by with the five women eccupyinl