As Published - November 1939
November 1939 (Vol. 8, No. 4), pages 407 to 414
Transcribed by lhn;
digitized with permission of the Kansas Historical Society.
Forty years of banking in Glasco was reviewed by L. Noel in the Glasco Sun, May 13, 1937.
Reminiscences of Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Blass, early residents of Fredonia, were reported by Belle C. Lyon in the Wilson County Citizen, Fredonia, July 5, 1938.
One of the oldest advertising bulletins of the city of Parsons, a broadside printed in October, 1871, when the town was some six months old, was discussed in the Parsons Sun, August 12, 1938.
The story of "Allen G. Campbell's Rise to Wealth," as told by John T. Bristow, was published in the Holton Recorder, December 19 and 26, 1938. Mr. Campbell was noted as a pioneer mining operator, principal benefactor of the old Campbell University at Holton, and Nemaha county's first millionaire.
Articles of historical interest to Kansans featured in recent issues of the Kansas City (Mo.) Star include: "Class of Three a Century Ago Started Training of Teachers [Kansas joined the movement in the Civil War period]," by G. H., July 3, 1939; "William Allen White Remembers Walt Mason [`rhyming reporter'], `a Real OldTimer,"' July 6; "A Bishop [Francis Clement Kelley] Who Grew Up With West Jots Down a Story of Progress," by D. P., July 8; "Old Central City [Colo.], Revived by Art, Started Its Career 80 Years Ago," when the new territory of Kansas extended westward to the Rockies, July 9; "A Visiting Kansan [Jack Harris, publisher of the Hutchinson News and Herald] Looks at London," July 16; "The Old Covered Bridge [near Springdale, in Leavenworth county, spanning Big Stranger creek] Still Stands," by M. W., July 23; "Old Baptist Missions in Kansas Mark the Trail of Settlement," by Cecil Howes, July 26; "All Quiet on the Turkey Creek Front of Our Own Home Guards," by H. V. B., July 28; "Rise of American Newspaperwomen Hailed By a Veteran Journalist [Florence Finch Kelly, who started her newspaper career in Topeka in 1880]," by J. D. W., August 12; "Spickardsville, Mo., Crusaders Stormed Ahead of Carry Nation," by William R. Denslow, August 16; "Literary Talent Shown By Raider [Capt. William H. Gregg] Who Led Quantrill to Lawrence," by E. R. S., August 21.
Included among Victor Murdock's historical feature articles in the Wichita (Evening) Eagle were: "Performance of Prairies [in
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yield of wheat] Over Fifty Year Period Shown in [C. Q.] Chandler Table," July 4, 1939; "Memory of Buffalo Wallow Marking a Favorite Spot With Bison on the Prairies," July 13; "Following [D. S.] Munger Family Who Had First Big Home in the City of Wichita," July 14; "Revolution Is Revealed When New Prairie State Is Contrasted With the Old," July 19; "How the Growth of Wichita Has Transformed Farms Into Multiple Town-Lots," July 21; "Experience of Sidney Dellaplain, Five Years Old at the Time, When Old Man Ryan and His Hosts Engaged Dick Yeager and Ike Black in Battle," August l; "Sod-House Construction Given in Exact Detail By H. S. Judy, a Pioneer," August 3; "What Estell Gates Palmer, Whose Life Has Been Passed Along No. 54, Has Witnessed in Expansion in This Corner of the Country," August 12; "Wichitan's [Henry York] Close View of Everything Offered on the Prairie Program," August 17; "First Plane Name-Plate Turned Out in Wichita Preserved By W. R. Snook," September 1; "One Quiet Night in June [1917] Which Will Always Linger in a Wichitan's Memory," September 5; "Why Wichita Has Edge in Making of Macaroni Over All Other Localities," September 8; "Experience of a Wichitan, George T. Bailey, South of the State Line Below Anthony When the Cherokee Outlet Was Opened Forty-Six Years Ago," September 15; "Walking Sixty Odd Miles Across Kansas Prairies To Locate a Homestead," September 23; "With Abilene's Birthday Comes Memory of Three Men, McCoy, Myers and Hersey," September 25; "Heroes of the High Plains Who Are Manning Outposts in Great Prairie Battle," September 26.
Historical articles of interest to Kansans printed recently in issues of the Kansas City (Mo.) Times include: "Kansas Constitution Was Formed at Wyandotte Eighty Years Ago," by Cecil Howes, July 5, 1939; "Bishop Fenner [new Episcopal bishop of Kansas] Charts His Course With the Accuracy of an Engineer," by Paul I. Wellman, July 21; "The Old Frankensteins of Kansas Journalism Make Their Last Stand," by Cecil Howes, August 10; "New Trees on Kansas Prairie Carry on an 80-Year Struggle," by Cecil Howes, August 15; "Country Realizes Immense Profit From [Dr. David Fairchild, dean of America's plant explorers, who spent his boyhood days in Kansas] Plant Explorer's Adventure," by Dwight Pennington, August 17; "William Allen White Expresses His Confidence in the New West," September 14.
KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 409
An "Honored American Mother," Mrs. Louisa Schwindt of Holton, died July 13, 1939, at the age of ninety-five years. Capper's Weekly, Topeka, of July 22, featured her picture with the information that in the past two years she had received third honors, based on the number of direct living descendants, in Sen. Arthur Capper's "All American Grandma" contest. Mrs. Schwindt was the wife of a union soldier who came to Kansas following the Civil War. At the time of her death she had 209 living, direct descendants-nine children, 65 grandchildren and 135 great-grandchildren. "This was the same number which last year gave Mrs. Terence McCabe, Cresco, Iowa, first award as `Honored Mother of America,'" Capper's Weekly reported.
Commemorating its sixty-seven years of service to Wichita and the Southwest, the Wichita Sunday Eagle issued a ninety-six page anniversary edition on July 30, 1939. Included among the articles of historical interest were a reprint of a description of the city of Wichita, written in April, 1876, by Col. M. M. Murdock; an article entitled "The Wichita Eagle, Its Course in Developing This Region Over a Period of Sixty-seven Years," and stories picturing Wichita as the chief wheat and stock market, and the business, industrial and athletic center of southwest Kansas. Other articles were devoted to aviation, the cultivation of wheat, and sorghum grains, the development of the industrial resources of the community, the city's transportation system, and its civic and cultural interests.
The Manhattan Morning Chronicle and Mercury issued a special "Town and College 1939 Progress Edition," July 30 and 31, 1939, respectively. In it were featured the attractions, advantages and progress of the town, and Kansas State College.
An account of the prehistoric Indian burial pit near Salina, which is being excavated by Mr. and Mrs. Guy L. Whiteford and son, Jay Dee, was published in Winners of the West, St. Joseph, Mo., in the August, 1939, issue. The excavation, which has been in progress for three years, was described by Mr. Whiteford at the annual meeting of the Kansas Historical Society on October 18, 1938.
Phases of the early history of the Kansas Indians, especially pertaining to their occupancy of the Missouri river region and their meeting with the military expedition commanded by Maj. Stephen H. Long, which was sent in 1819 for the protection of fur traders, was related by George J. Remsburg, in the Leavenworth Times, August 3, 1939. Biographical information on Wom-pa-wa-ra,
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known as White Plume, a Kaw chieftain, who was the great-grandfather of the late Charles Curtis, was included in the article. Historical data concerning the village of Dispatch, in Jewell county, were compiled by Mrs. Joe Beeler from the reminiscences of Peter DeBey, a pioneer settler of the community, and printed in the Downs News, August 3, 1939.
The Herington Times-Sun issued a special twenty-eight page "Golden Anniversary Edition," August 3, 1939. An article entitled "The Times-Sun Mirrors the Community for Fifty Years," was featured on the front page. Other articles of historical importance were: "St. John's Lutheran Church First to Bring Gospel Here," "'It Pays to Advertise' Said Herington Merchants in 1889," "First Community Post Office Established at Aroma in '69," "Enthusiasm of M. D. Herington Brought Rock Island Here," "First Newspaper in County Appeared At Detroit in 1870," "Bert Harris Recalls Quarter Century on Herington Times," "Herington a Way Station on Map in 1887, Population 300," "Herington's Business Men" by A. M. Crary, "Seventy Years of Journalism in the Tri-County Community," "Kansas in '54," "Mrs. Minnie Koepke Recalls the Kansas of the Sixties," "Skiddy, the Only Town By That Name in United States," "Perspective Drawing Gives `Bird's Eye View' of the City of Herington As It Appeared Fifty Years Ago," "TwentyOne Herington Firms in Business Over 40 Years," "Juan De Padilla Mysteriously Murdered Near Here in 1542," "First Kansas Press Brought to State 105 Years Ago By Baptist Missionary," "Notes of 1889," "Railroads and Prosperity Came to Herington Together," "Kansas Oil Could Supply the Demand of the Entire Nation," "First Hello Girl," and "A Change in Newspaper Style Since Vol. 1, No. 1 of the Times."
Recollections of an Osborne county pioneer, John Kaser, were printed in the Osborne County Farmer, Osborne, August 3, and reprinted in the Clyde Republican, August 10, 1939.
The Concordia Blade-Empire on August 15, 1939, sketched briefly the founding of the Elm creek colony in 1860, the first permanent settlement in Cloud county.
"Hats Off to the Builders of Lincoln County" is the title of a series of historical articles by Thelma J. McMullen in the Lincoln Sentinel-Republican. The stories, consisting chiefly of biographical material relating to early settlers in Lincoln county, have appeared each week since August 31, 1939.
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The Dickinson County Community High School at Chapman has had fifty-one years of progress, reported the Chapman Advertiser in a special souvenir edition August 31, 1939.
A description of the annual Quad-County Old Settlers' Reunion, held at Mulvane on August 31, appeared in the Mulvane News, September 7, 1939. Photographs of the pageant and parade were republished from the Wichita Beacon of August 31, and the Wichita (Morning) Eagle of September 1.
Biographical sketches of pioneer Johnson county residents were included in a twenty-page souvenir edition issued by the Olathe Mirror, August 31, 1939, in connection with the forty-second annual reunion of the Johnson County Old Settlers Association on September 2.
The Oregon Historical Quarterly, Salem, Ore., for September, 1939, published portions of the diary of William T. Newby as edited by Harry N. M. Winton. Newby emigrated to Oregon from Dadeville, Dade county, Mo., in 1843, passing through northeastern Kansas en route. His journal records that he and his party were five days in reaching the "Caw" river from Westport (Kansas City), and that six days were required to carry the party across the river because it was necessary first to build a boat. Probably the crossing was made in the vicinity of Papan's ferry, on the site of present Topeka; possibly rates of ferriage were more than the cost of provisioning the party for a week. "The Caw Indians," Newby reported incidentally, "is tollerably theaveish."
The nineteenth anniversary of the Wichita Booster was the occasion for a special sixteen-page anniversary edition issued September 1, 1939. An article of historical interest in this edition was entitled "Recollections of the Pioneer Days of West Wichita," by G. R. Dominic, an early settler. The article was continued in the issues of September 8, 15, and 22.
A special two-section, eighteen-page edition of the Howard Citizen on September 13, 1939, announced plans for the annual fall festival and Elk county old settlers' reunion September 28 to 30. The second section was largely devoted to an article, "Pioneer Days in Elk County," by F. C. Flory. Mrs. W. P. Heisler also contributed a story entitled "Howard's First Sunday School."
The Hebron Mennonite church east of Buhler, Reno county, celebrated its sixtieth anniversary on September 10, 1939, according to the Mennonite Weekly Review, Newton, September 13.
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The Burden Times on September 14, 1939, announced preparations for the opening of the forty-sixth annual Eastern Cowley County Fair and the sixtieth anniversary celebration of the founding of Burden, on September 20, 21 and 22. Photographs of early buildings in the town were reproduced, and an article, "Early History of Burden, Kansas," compiled by Edith D. Collins of Wichita, reviewed the history of the community and listed names of pioneers. Settlers who lived in the county in 1889 or earlier were especially honored. Featuring the program on September 20 and 21, according to the Times of September 28, was a historical pageant consisting of nine episodes in which the history of Burden during sixty years was depicted.
W. G. Goenner, a pioneer resident of Rochester township, Kingman county, began a series of articles on the history of Zenda in the Kingman Leader-Courier, September 15, 1939.
An article, "Cherokee Run Lives in Memories of Pioneers," by Col. Herman Edwin Mootz, appeared in the Wichita Sunday Eagle, September 17, 1939.
Reminiscences of a pioneer resident of Newton, A. L. Egy, were printed in the Newton Journal, September 21, 1939. Announcement of plans for observing the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Swede Creek Community Church, located in Riley county, was made in the Manhattan Mercury, September 21, 1939. Programs were scheduled for September 28, 29 and October 1. The church was organized in 1864 by the Rev. S. W. McKeeson, and its first building was constructed in 1876. A similar announcement appeared in the Topeka Daily Capital, September 25. The Waterville Telegraph, of September 28, published a short history of the church, with a list of the ministers since 1864, and reported that a souvenir booklet had been printed.
Names of the eighty-eight persons who migrated from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, to the Rinehart neighborhood south of Chapman, Dickinson county, between 1873 and 1880, were listed by W. H. Hollinger and Emery Diehl in the Abilene Daily Chronicle, September 22, 1939. Mr. Hollinger is the oldest of the thirty-two surviving members of this colonizing group.
The Pittsburg Headlight on September 25, and the Pittsburg Sun on September 26, 1939, published their eleventh annual "coal issue," in which the coal industry of Pittsburg and southeastern Kansas was discussed.
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On September 26, 1939, Dickinson county's first annual Pioneer Day was held in Abilene, celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the city's incorporation. A pioneer society was organized and the following offIcers were elected: Ed. Armold, Chapman, president; Dave Naill, Herington, vice-president; Bert Ramsey, Solomon, secretary. Fred H. Staatz of Woodbine, introduced as the oldest man born in the county, was chosen honorary president. Historical articles and reports of Pioneer Day events appeared in the Abilene Daily Chronicle and Daily Reflector in issues contemporaneous with the celebration.
A special edition of the Canton Pilot was issued under date of September 28, 1939, for the first annual Canton frolic, held September 26 and 27.
"Propaganda and the Kansas-Missouri War," an address delivered by Lloyd Lewis, of Chicago, at the annual meeting of the State Historical Society of Missouri at Columbia on April 25, 1939, was published in The Missouri Historical Review, in its October issue. Missouri lacked press agents, reported Mr. Lewis. "To match the tremendous energies and inventive zeal of this [the Kansas Antislavery] corps of propagandists, the Missourians on the border had but one active correspondent, Henry Clay Pate, a lazy, windy, adventurous arrival from Virginia, editor of Westport's Star of Empire and representative of the Missouri Republican. Pate could write well, but he possessed something that will ruin any propagandista sense of humor. Once he led Missourians over the line to fight Old John Brown who was in insurrection against Kansas law. There was a battle, and the Antislavery correspondents wrote reams about the atrocious Border Ruffians invading the humble fields of an honest settler. Pate wrote for the outside world a short, matter-of-fact description of the fight and ended with the cryptic finale, "I went to take Old Brown and Old Brown took me."
Mrs. Ida White, a resident of Arkansas City since 1880, described the city in the 1880's in an article printed in the Arkansas City Daily Traveler, October 4, 1939.
Celebrating the completion of fifty years of continuous publication, the Colby Free Press-Tribune on October 4, 1939, issued an illustrated twenty-eight page anniversary edition. The history of the paper from its founding in 1889 by Joseph A. Borden and Sam W. Edwards was told in a feature article. Other material of historical interest in the first section included biographical sketches of early
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settlers and prominent citizens of the community, and sidelights on events in Colby during 1885-1886 as taken from the Thomas County Cat, an early newspaper. Articles in the second section narrated the histories of Colby's churches, the county fair, and the schools of the town and county. Names of pioneer settlers in the county, compiled in 1907, were also printed. In the third section stories of the Thomas county farm bureau and the Colby experiment station, and an article on the Foster farms, widely known as breeders of Hereford cattle, were of special interest.
The story of pioneer days near Turon as experienced by John Fulks, the oldest living person in the community, was related in the Turon Press, October 5, 1939. In the same issue were published the recollections of "Judge" J. M. Pound, of Turon, who came to Kansas in 1875.
The Rooks County Pioneer Settlers' Association met October 6, 1939, at Stockton. W. W. Marshall was elected president, F. N. Schruben, vice-president, and Mrs. John Cole was reelected secretary and treasurer. The Rooks County Record, Stockton, reporting the meeting in its issue of October 12, printed a list of those present who had lived in the county for fifty years or longer.
Early residents of Mount Hope, Sedgwick county, met October 7, 1939, for the seventh annual reunion and homecoming celebration, according to the Mount Hope Clarion of October 12. The Clarion published a list of the pioneers who attended, with the dates of their first arrival in the community.
From a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and pictures prepared by Mrs. D. A. Crist, The Gove County Advocate of Quinter, October 19, 1939, featured extracts dealing with the history of the community from its beginnings in 1885.
On October 19, 1939, the Sedgwick Pantagraph issued a special "pink" edition in connection with the Sedgwick homecoming festival which was held on the following two days. Historical articles and reminiscences of early days were written for the Pantagraph by C. L. Foster, Mack Cretcher, Mrs. Lucy Doty, C. L. Pollard, W. E. Kiser, Mrs. J. P. Fry, W. S. Utz, Mrs. T. J. Cooper, C. A. Seaman and Mrs. Emmeline Wiley, all early settlers. Histories of local churches, clubs and other community organizations were also included.
