The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
Sixth District Ne1us Notes
Items and "reminiscences by An Old Timer With His
Ear to the Grass Roots.

the ups and down of western Kansas
pioneer life, and ate buffalo meat
when there wasn't anything else to be
had for sustenance. They still reside
on their well improved farms, which
came to those who had the real stick
to-it nerve, and staid thru grasshopper
and drouth times. Other homestead
ers got discontinued and sold their
turned east. Not SO with the PerkinSeS
They are now comfortably located,
and surrounded with the means to
make life worth living for. In the
early time they witnessed good sea-
son for crops in the spring, when hot
up all crops to a brown crisp in a
single day. It is interesting to hear
the Perkinses tell of their early ex-
periences in that section. Your cores
pondent is glad he can number the
Perkins brothers among his friends.
One of the first hunters and trap
pers to reach Phillips county was
VIM. Mitchell, who went there in the
early part of 1859. He and man
named Smith built a dUgout on Bow
creek, near the present site of Speed.
at which time there wasn't another
house in sight. They discovered a
beaver dam and believed they had a
fortune in sight in hunting the buff
falo and antelope and trapping for
beaver. They were successful in their
catch of furs and buffalo hides. That
winter being mild one the buffalo
herded on the grass which made a
big growth along the creek. The win
ter being an open one the cold weather
didn't set in until the spring months,
and hunting and trapping were car
ried on with difficulty. 1t was some
months after before they reached the
Missouri river. where they sold their
furs and hides at good prices Nit
Ill T@% -zrl L,r@
Gaylord. where he is now living and
enjoying the fruits of his early pio-
neer days in northwest Kansas He
doesn't get tired talking of the thrill
ing times of his pioneer experiences
The Goodland Republic offered a
five dollars gold piece for the best
article on why Sherman County is
the best place for a family to live"
The award was given to Erwin Trach-
sci. Among his several reasons he
wrote: Because Sherman county lies
between the north and south and east
and west, causing the climate to be
neither too cold or too warm, nor too
wet or dry; the area of it's deep rich
soil Is limited only by its size. All the
land is good to farm except a few acres
that are rough where creeks run thru:
consid erinG the quality of the soil the
land is priced cheaper than either
east or west, giving a family mod
farm, instead of farming the high
priced eastern land, and paying a steep
cash rent. besides having to use a lot
OF expensive fertilizer to raise a crop;
land that has been farmed continu-
ously for the past 80 years without a
pound OF fertilizer being used. pro-
duced 20 to 80 bushels of wheat per
acre, 80 to 40 bushels of corn, and
240 bushels of potatoes per acre this
last year of 1920; there is an abund-
ance of water Of the best quality for all
purposes The wind blows just enough
to keep the windmills running; Good
land is the county seat. located in the
center Of thea county, and is the best
town in this part of the state. having
several large, well equipped garages.
good stores and school. also division
on the main line of the Rock Island
road; 1t does not matter what kind
Of work family wishes TO take up,
it can be found in Sherman county;
there have been several cases in the
last two years where q farmer bought
some land and paid for it with a single
crop raised on the land The writer
then asks: Where is there q place
that equals Sherman county?
In the pioneer rush for northwest
Kansas lands one of the early tiAers
was n. L. Wilson, of Beloit. He came
in the fall of 1879, from Iowa, and
like many others he had the Kansas
fever, and the nerve to grow up with
Uncle Sam S14 against homestead.
which he squatted upon in Decatur
county near where the town of Jen-
nings is now located, that he would
win. He lost the bet The spring of
1880 was dry, and the prairie was so
hard the breaking was almost impos-
sible- With a slow mule team he