Thomas County cat. [volume], December 19, 1889, CHRISTMAS EDITION, Image 2

About Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891

Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

                
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" This creditable structure is sitnated on
;hill overlookingthe citj on the west and
though hardly sufficient to meet the in--,
. , creasing demands of the county, will ans-
; ' - wer for a few years yet. It is a two-story
building with all the county offices down
stairs and the court room on the second
floor. The newly elected officers to take
their positions on January next are as
follows:
County Clerk W. W. Smith.
County Treasurer J. F. Rowland.
Sheriff Alex 8howalter.
Coroner Scott Harner.
Surveyor W. H. Eaton.
Register of Deeds J. C. Passell.
Commissioner, 3d District W. L.
Thompson.
The retiring officials have been splen
did officers and their conduct and man
' - agement of county affairs has been with
out blemish and their faithful attention
to duty will co on record as seivice well
rendered to the people of Thomas coun
ty. They are as follows:
County Clerk J. 31. Summers.
County Treasurer C. 31. Hovey.
Sheriff M. W. Witbam.
County attorney J. L. Loar.
Probate judge J. E. Lesh.
Coroner L. N. Hitchcock.
t Surveyor T. P. Chambers.
Register of Deeds J. C. Passell, (re
elected.) Commissioner. 3d District W. M.
Baldwin.
The Railroads.
WHY THEY ARE HERE.
Thomas county since its recent organi
zation has indeed been fortunate in the
matter of railroad facilities, and this
alone is evidence of the worth of the
land in this section of the great "sun
flower" state andjan'indication that at no
distant day, Thomas count' will have as
many miles of railroad as any other coun
ty in the state. Railroad companies are
quick to peer into the future prosperity
of a county and their judgment can be
almost wholly relied upon. The bright
prospects of Northwest Kansas attracted
the attention of the best companies in
the west and Colby has been made their
central point. The surveys of many other
roads have been made and in each in
. stance our city has been the central
figure, and before the leaves have fully
budded at least two other roads will have
been built, one west to Denver, and the
other, probably from Bismack, Dak.,
south to the gulf. Snould the govern
ment establish a deep water harhoj on
the gulf of Texas, the latter is an assur
cd fact as the line will pass through the
richest wheat lands of Dakota, Nebras
ka, Kansas and Oklahoma.
THE ROCK ISLAND ROETE.
The Chicago, Reck Island and Pacific
company was not slow to see the future
greatness of this country and the enor
mous returns to be made by tapping
Tnomas county. Their Denver. Kansas
City and Chicago line passes through
, Colby and is one of the best laid tracks
in the west. Their equipments are first
class in every respect and time the
fastest of any road in Northwestern
Kansas. They have an elegant depot in
this city, one that would be an honor to
any city of 25,000, and the agent, Mr. D.
Wallace, is one of the most popular men
along the line. He is ably assisted in his
duties by Samuel Wallace and J. J.
Ackerman the night operator. Two pass-
engers pass each way every day and
freights are passing every few hours.
THE UNION PACIFIC.
The first road in the west to open up
the rich prairies inNoithernand Western
Kansas is the Union Pacific, that friend
of the homesteader. This popular line
has brought to this county men who
1 were willing to face the trials of early
settlement and in this way has done
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prairies than say .otfc!ig&t
The line from Kansas 'City to Denver
passes through the nostfertile lands in
Kansas and passes 28 miles south of Col
by. The first line to this cTtywss built
by them from Oakley and not long after
they put down a track' from Salins to
Colby with a view of extending it west
to Denver. This will be done next spring
and Colby will then have two worthy
friends and competing lines? The Union
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rich praires and prosperous tillers of- thev
soil.
OEM.
Is rightly named and has a good loca
tion about 8 or 9 miles northeast of Colby
on the Rock Island road . A great deal of
grain is shipped from this point and
though the town is an infant it is a gem
set with gold for in each direction from
the village last summer was seen wav-
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aWsfibtfrfffawser?to back it
pleasantly located!
Kid! Sillily
OPELT HOTEL.
Pacific yards here are large and the toot
ing of the bWitch engine is hear.! almost
every hour in the day. The crews lay
over heie from one day to the second
day after and a more genial set of fel
lows would be hard to find. A regular
passenger goes each way once a day and
an accommodation freight does likewise
while way freights are expected at any
time. It is a live ro.id and has a share of
public patronage. The local force is as
follows and it- popularity is due in a
great measure to the efficient:
Agent F. G. Nichols.
Night operator W. E. Burgess
Day engine watchman William Rob-bins.
ing in the bright sunlight the golden
rain,a staple article in that vicinity.
MENLO
Is quite a business point for a small
place but the Union Pacific carries out
from there more treight than from many
larger towns farther east. They have a
btore which is piosperous and the far
mens thereabouts are clever, intelligent
people.
LEVANT
Has a commanding view of the sur
rounding country and is situated 8 miles
wet of Colby on the Rock Island. It is
a live place, has a stoic, postoffice and
a good school house. The patrons of the
town :uc awake to the importance o.
Night engine watchman William
Garlech.
Message boy Walton Stanton.
FARM BCXSnt.
Onr Neighbors.
THOMAS COUNTY VILLAGES
A large number of thriving villages al
ready dot the rich prairie of Thomas
county and the growth in this respect is
wonderful. No count' seat in the state
is prouder oi has greater cause to be
than Colby is of her ricighbors in the vat
ious mercantile lines. One passing over
the county from one town to another
can hardly realize that but a few years
ago the wild buffalo pawed the dirt and
basked in the sunlig'it while making the
deep wallows which are yet to be found
on almost every section. Yet such is the
fact and the enterprise of the village res
idents is indeed commendable. It would
take up too much.sp-ice to make separate
mention of the different towns but n few
of the largest ones will suffice.
REFORD
Is situated 17 miles eat of Colby and a
little to the north, on the Rock Island
route. It has a few hundred inhabitants,
several stores, a black smith shop, hotel,
livery stable, lumber yard and wide
awake business men and farmers in the
vicinity. The sound of the hammer is
continually heard and in a few years it
getting out eaily into '.he field nu" sow
the sefd in ordei to nv.p a bountiful har
vest. This the Levant people did the past
year and alrauy th town , has taken a
boom.
BI.EWhTEIl
Is a few miles further wo-t and the
largest suburb Colby has It is a town
of seveial hundred inhabitants, nil pros
perous, thriving and go ahead peorle.
There is a bank there and numerous bus
iness houses introducing every branch
of trade W. L. Thompson, the banker, is
also the recently elected county commis
sioner and is a gentleman of high quali
fications. coi-eland
Is a small place 1) irdly more than a
postoffice bu. already business men have
their eye directed that way and it will not
be long before new store buildings will
be erected. The people surrounding the
village are good, happy farmers and ex
ceedingly prosperous.
OTTERBOUHNE.
Though small and off a considerable
distance from Ihe inilro.id is a lively
town and the residents in that vicinity
are noted for their kind hospitality.
ICUKA
Is situated in the southwest part of the
county and at no distant da it will be a
THcnroRD
Is situated on the U. P. (Oakley branch) .
a dozen miles or more from Colby and ,
as yet Is only a postoffice but has good
prospects when spring opens up the
trade.
DEMDNN
Will be a 'grown village before the
oldest settlers have passed away if en
terprising business men, noble farmers
and wide-awake people are any criterion.
EdHcatienal.
COUNTY SCHOOLS.
Though located on the far off border of
the State, Thomas county can point
with the finger of pride to the efficient
work being done by her educators, and
does not fear the result of a comparison
between her schools and those of her
more eastern competitors,
By an examination of the Superinten
dent's records we find ninety organized
districts in which an average of more
than six months of school is taught dur
ing the year. Following is a list of the
teachers of Thomas county
W.P. SulIivan,County Superintendent,
Prof. J. W. 3IcDougal, Mrs. Alta 31. Sul
livan, Associate examiners. J. 31. Stew
ardson, Margaret Doom, Etta Smith,
AnnaD'ike, J. J. Dilatusb, Hattie Ded
rick, Blanch Senter, Nettie Talbert. Zella
Hatcher. Mrs. Flora Walker, Frankie
Seed, Emma Winchel, Jean Jardinc,
3Iable Heming, Con McGrevy, 31. J. Rolle
J.L. Winner, Newt Williams, 3Irs. M.
A Turner, Villa Munn. Dee Munn, Chas.
Gevrez, Lillian Souders, Nora Fike,
Laura Sigman, Asa Smith, Alice Gordy,
Carrie Gevrez, Nellie Hamilton, Geo.
Trontfetter. Laura Ball, Clara Dowty,
Flora Davidson. Iona Jones, Vena Rob
bins, Pearl Summers. J. A. Cole, Clam
Ball W. E. Kale. Isabel Keck, J. W. Sum
mers, Laura Baldwin, Carl Smith, Ida
Pratt. P. E. Green, C. K. Smith, Lucy
Landers. Eva Kellogg, all of Colby.
Mrs. N. E. Pratt, N. 3IcArthur, Clara
Rosenquist, Stella Hawk, Kittie 3IcArth
ur, Alice Mallory, and Debbie Wester
man, of Brewster.
Annie Bates, Albert AVeaver, Mrs. Ab
bie Potter, J. M. Talcott, J. F. Croft. J.
W. Mason, Effie Grayson, 3Iay Gilbert,
3Iollie Camp, Daisy Leet, Annie Doer
ing, and Jennie Bates, of Oakley.
Emma Rawsou, Quickville.
George Benson, Northfield.
Anna Bixler and Ella Sliter. Monu
ment. Grant Blake, John Connely, Solon Gal
lad, J. H. Isenbeiger and D. L. Spitzer,
3Ienlo.
Lennie JesMip, Minnie Cumpston, 3Iel
Hai per. .1. W. 3IcPherson, Alice 3Iark
ham, Clara Harper, Mattie Munkrcs, 3Irs.
L. C. Hancock, all of Rexford.
3Isr. Eva Ta. lor, Thurford.
H.-.N. Williams and Clara Collins. Wi
nona Ota Miller Copeland.
Eva GiuwcII and Vada Runnel, Gem.
Nettie Wilson. Illion.
J. E. Bixby, Levant.
Kate Ketchum aud G. C. Scott, Otter
bourne. Tom Kennedy Alice Hoover, Kuka.
Travel the state of Kansas from one
end to the other and you will not find a
more haid working, intelligent, studious
clas of people, or a class more deeply
interested in education, regardless of
their vocation, than those of Thomas
county. As a proof of this we will cite
you to the Normal Institute rceently held
in our city, where every able bodied
teacher in the county were present ex
cept two. The citizens too, are a read
ing class of people; which is shown by
the fact that every teacher, and a vast
majority of the school boards are sub
scribers to the Western School Journal
of Topeka, while many of them are con
stant readers of various other periodicals.
Another very important factor in
moulding education is the Teachers
Reading Circle of our county. A very
elaborate and thorough course has been
Vi rr'yTaSBgggy
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