The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-07

1nere was. a large immigration u
co1ored people to Graham county in
1877. The first colony of thirty came
from Topeka, with W. H. Smith and
z. T. Fletcher, both colored, president
and secretary. They were originally
from Kentucky. The second colony of
$50 in numbers also came from that
state. This colony arrived in Nicode-
mus in September, 1877, under the
leadership OF the Rev. NJ. NJ. Bell, col
ored. 1t was worked up-b by W. R. Hill
now dead, who is entitled to much of
the credit in getting the colored people
to immigrate to Graham county. The
county seat of the county is Hill City,
and in honor of this man the town
was named The third colony, also
from Kentucky, numbering $50, reach
ed Nicodemus in charge of Hill, in
March. 1873. The fourth and fifth
colonies under. the leadership of a
minister named Goodwin and S. p.
Roundtree, and mum bering in the first
fifty, and the other twenty-five, came
from Mississippi and Kentucky. These
families of eolored people as a general
rule brought with them some ready
cash and household effects. Besides
the state gave them some aid while ].
P. St, John was governor. On their
arrival at Nicodemus the heads OF
families went to work at whatever
they, could find. and the women held
down the homesteads. Horses and
vehicles were. scarce. and many of
them We're known to carry their flour
from Ellis, the nearest railroad point.
distance of 35 miles, on their backs.
They were ignorant of farming in
western Kansas, had no teams to
speak Of nor implements. and many
used spades to work garden patches.
1t was a common sight to see them
walking to and from Ellis, carrying
large burdens, The Nicodemus char
ter was issued in 1917, with the fol-
lowing officers: W. H. Smith. presi-
dent; Berry Carr vice. president; S. P.
Roundtree, secretary; w. r. Hill, man
ager and locator. Circulars were
printed addressed to the colored people
Of Kentucky and Tennessee, setting
forth the propositions of the organiza-
ton, and the benefits of their locating
on government lands and securing
homes in Graham county. Most of
them located in Nicodemus township
and in pioneer times the thrifty town
of Nicodemus built up. Your CORE
spondent remembers his first visit to
the town. It had two newspa pers,
hotel, two general stores bank, drugs,
aid other business enterprises. They
looked for the extension of the Missouri
Pacific from Stockton, and had hopes
of securing the Union Pacific. Neither
one has ever reached Nicodemus. The
town commenced to go backward, and
in few years her business moved to
other towns. In later years the coun-
try commenced to prosper, farmers
commenced making some money, the
sod homes gave way to frame and stone,
and some of them went to raising
hogs and cattle. But Nicodemus never
came up again. Several of the colored
people were honored with political of
ffces. E. P. McCabe. once county
clerk, later assistant state auditor. and
was state auditor two terms. He was
a lawyer; J. r. Hawkins served in the
office of clerk of court, John Deprad
was county clerk, w. L. Savers has
served as county attorney, and is now
one of the leading attorneys of the
Sixth district, Lewis Welton and Dan
iel Hickman have served the county
as commissioners and George w. Jones
was a candidate for congress in the
PhilIipsburg convention, besides served
Graham county as county clerk. On
account of crop failures many of them
drifted elsewhere, but one thing sure
those who stayed, many of them, own
from 800 acres to a section. And they
are well served with schools and
churches.
Not all the people in Mitchell county
could afford to remember their friends
with Xmas and New Year gifts.
Here is an item correspondent in the
Beloit Gazette who thanks them all in
a general way, as follows: Wishing
everybody a Happy Xmas and a pros
porous New Year, I am, as ever, re-
spectfully.''
OF the five towns in the Sixth con-
gressional district with a population of
over 1000 Beloit is first with 1915 :;
Hays is second. 3,165; Goodland,
2,664: Norton, 2,1S6, and Ellsworth,
2,065.
Richard owens, one of the large
wheat raisers of Trego county, is a
pioneer settler as well, who settled
in the Voda section in that county.
He remembers that in the early times
he has harvested good crops of wheat
which was. sown between Christmas