The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-08

l 1t interesting TO near Inc O14
stories of pioneer life in northwest
Kansas by those who took part in the
settlement and development of that
section of the state. Among the early
i1y named Kinslow He went to that
| county in the fall of 1875, and pur-
chased a homestead right-paying for
/ the same SIS 1t was an upland claim.
on which were many, wagon loads of
bones of buffalo and Texas cattle, that
| were killed by the early frontiersmen
i or had died from starvation. Some of
the family who are living now speak
EQf those early days on the plains of
sunny Kansas This homestead of
| the Kinslows was about five miles
from Beloit. Those who know that
| section best say it was covered with
| buffalo grass, which survived the hot
winds and drouth when all else failed,
Section lines were hard TO find. made,
| so by travel and angling roads. Sod
| houses and dugouts were the prin-
cipal homes of those pioneer settlers,
and many meals were eaten on sor-
| ghum and sheep sorrel on account of
| the scarcity OF money ana loss of
| crops by drouth- Good fellowship and
a spirit Of happiness prevailed among
! Them which is cherished by all the
| omesteaders. Wild. plurns appeared
1 to be the only fruit they had. and they
| were found along the streams. In
those early times one thing the fam
| lilies never got tired of looking at
were the acres of wild flowers of
many kinds growing where there was
any moisture and of different va
rieties. and many coIors. These disap-
peared with the~influx of settlers as
did the buffalo grass. All has now
| changed. The sod house and dugout
| gave way to modern homes. The
| buffalo bones We're gathered up and
hauled to. market, the proceeds of
| which helped many Of the poorer peo-
pie with their living. Well improved
farms are seen everywhere, and
Mitchell county can stand to be put
alongside with any county in north
| central Kansas in general prosperity.
Ex-Judge r. NJ. Pickler of Smith
Center was before the supreme court
this week on law business. He was
judge of the Fifteenth district for
| twenty-five years, resigning on ac-
count of failing health. He spent
some time in Rochester, Mimi, with
| health specialists, and went thru
enough to kill any one, Judge Pick
| Ter came out ofOit. He has opened
| a. law office in his town, and is build
ing up a fine practice. This is his
and his friends in the state house
were glad to see him. The Republ
cans. of Smith county persuaded him
to get into the race for the legisla-
ture. He consented, and he will be
elected by handsome majority.
J. w. Railsback. member of the
| legislature from Decatur county, was
so busy in other matters that he only
had a few minutes to spare to file his
| nomination papers. He is serving his
| second term, and likes it well enough
to ask for another; PeGatur county
| next Legislature needS some of the
old members, and TINS is the reason
the Republicans believe they can re-
elect him. I
Time works wonderful changes. An
instance that this is the fact is shown
in the business changes IN Smith Cen
ter in the last twenty-five years. In
January, 1904, the men doing business
in the town were eighty-nine. At this
time only three of those engaged at
that time remain in business. A c.
Coolidge, ex-member of the legisla-
ture; R. NJ. Picker, VINO served the
Fifteenth judicial district for twenty
two years. and ex-State Senator Tod
Reed. Twenty-Five more of the for
mer business men then, are living in
town but retired from business or en-
gagged in other callings. OF the re-
mainder several of them have passed
on to join the great majority.
The political STRAW" vote, as some
of the candidates are taking them,
doesn't seem to amount to much so far
as the editor of the Cawker City Led
ger is concerned. Here is what that
that a straw vote favors this or that
candidate. The only straw vote we
are interested in is the one registered
by the blower of the threshing ma
chine, and we hope the farmer wins
out by a heavy crop majority"
Rev. J. E. Wilson of Osborne coun-
ty is a candidate for the Democrat
nomination for congress in the Sixth
district. He is native Kansan, and
was born in a dugout. He served in
the overseas war in France. At pres
ent he is pastor of tine Methodist
promises to make the best campaign
that he can. His entering the race
there are now three Democrats, three
Republicans and a Socialist candidate.
The big Sixth is sure in II so far as
congressional candidates are con-
cerned. and when all OF them get to
visiting the voters in the primary no
doubt there will be many lovefeasts.
As a social center BeIoit is sure
enough entitled to jump into the band
wagon and occupy front seat. 1t
isn't to be wondered why her peo-
pie are sometime a little tardy with
their meals, or why some of them are
out a little later than the seasonable
hour for going to bed. That town of !
$500 has twenty-nine organized So
cial clubs, of which nineteen are in
town, and ten in the close by neigh |
borhoods. Only one of them is fed |
Grated with the state organization.
These society clubs organize and meet |
for good purpose, and they are doing |
splendid work in their educational
advantages to all its members Larger |
towns may be ahead of Beloit in num- |
Der of clubs, but in the interest taken |
and the work accomplished no town
can surpass her. |
1t is believed Sheridan county will |
harvest more than two million bushels |
of wheat this year. The acreage is |
the largest in the history of the coun- |
ty. According to the assessors re-
turns the county has a population of |