General History of Meade County, Kansas

Long prior to permanent settlement the territory now comprising Meade County was frequently visited by hunters, traders and adventurers. Prominent among these was Jedediah Strong Smith, a great-uncle of our esteemed fellow-citizen E. D. Smith, who visited this territory as early as the year 1818. Just who the first permanent settler was, and the date of settlement, are matters of much conjecture, but it is generally conceded that the first permanent settlement was at Meade City, about twelve miles north of the present town of Meade, and was in the year 1878. In 1879 a colony consisting of sixteen families from Zanesville, Ohio, settled at Pearlette. The original Pearlette was near the site of the town afterwards surveyed and platted, but not the identical location. John Jobling was president of the company responsible for this settlement, and his son, William Jobling, still a resident of Meade County, is perhaps the "oldest citizen," considered from a standpoint of continuous residence. Andor Eliason, who resided in this county up to the time of his death about two years ago, settled in 1879, as did also Frank Sourbeer, who is at present an efficient magistrate of Meade Center Township. Perhaps the oldest unaltered building in the county is one now on the farm of Frank Marrs, built by Mr. Sourbeer.

The first newspaper published in Meade County was the Pearlette Call, the first number being issued in April, 1879, by Addison Bennett.

The early settlers endured all the hardships incident to pioneer life. For years all provisions were freighted from Dodge City, then a notorious "border town."

The railroad penetrated Meade County in the year 1887, which gave business a new impetus and practically abolished the "freighter."

The early settlers were buoyant with hope, and were quick to indorse and accept any plan calculated to develop the country's resources, and for this reason were rendered an easy prey to designing schemers with "blue sky" to sell. A scheme that appealed strongly was a proposition to establish sugar mills for the manufacture of cane sugar. Great encouragement was given these enterprises, township bonds were voted and issued in their aid, and at least two mills-one at Meade, the other at West Plains-were built. The one at Plains never attempted to operate, but the one at Meade encouraged and induced the farmers to plant large acreages of cane, and contracted for the cane at fair prices. But, unfortunately, while the cane grew and thrived, sugar could not be produced from it, or at least it could not be produced in sufficient volume, to make the enterprise a success financially, and so the sugar-mill went the usual way of wildcat schemes. Underhand methods and fraud were alleged, graft and corruption were openly charged, but it was never proved that anyone ever made any money, honestly or dishonestly, out of the sugar-mill venture.

In the late 80's and early 90's, the country at that time being largely devoted to stock-raising, the county was sorely infested with cattle thieves more or less organized, and the aggregate losses to the legitimate stock-growers from these depredations were enormous. The good citizens organized to fight the evil, many prosecutions were commenced although few convictions were secured, but the activity of the organization and of the prosecuting officers eventually convinced the law-breakers that Meade County was an unprofitable locality in which to pursue their nefarious vocation; the bands were broken up, some of the members reformed and quit stealing cattle, and others "stole away," so that for many, many years the owner of cattle has been able to sleep in peace, secure in the knowledge that his herds were safe.

During the decade from 1890 to 1900 the selling price of real estate in Meade County was nil; there was absolutely no demand for land; a good quarter-section of land could be bought for one hundred dollars, for fifty dollars, for twenty-five dollars, for any price one cared to offer, but there were practically no offers. The population decreased until but few more than a thousand souls found refuge within the bounds of the county. Most of the land was owned by the Government or by non-residents; few of these non-residents considered the land of sufficient value to warrant them in paying taxes, and they paid no tax. But finally the cattle industry had grown to such an extent that jealousy over the range sprang up, and in order to control certain range some enterprising stock-man would buy a quarter or two of land. Thus some slight market for real estate was created, but the price paid was usually from $50 to $100 per quarter-section. About the year 1900 a few adventurous persons, investors, "speculators" as they were called, commenced buying land at the ridiculously low prices mentioned. Other investors followed, land gradually advanced in price to a dollar an acre, then came the real-estate agent, who assisted the speculator in disposing of his investments and in boosting the price, the price advanced to a dollar and a quarter, to two dollars an acre, and then came the actual settler. The Government land was homesteaded, the land was cultivated, the results were profitable, land continued to advance, until today the price of wheat land ranges from $15 to $40 per acre, and very little unimproved land can be bought at the lower price.
On August 5th, 1887, B. F. Cox, while drilling a well on the northeast quarter of Section 5, Township 31, Range 27, struck a flow of artesian water at a depth of 142 feet. These flowing wells were not considered of much value as a commercial proposition at that time, but the land underlaid by artesian water has since attained a commercial value of anywhere from $50 to $150 per acre, and the beginning of the end is not yet in sight; the possibilities of this particular portion of the county have not been appreciated.

here is probably no more fertile, productive, desirable location in the whole world than the famous Artesian Valley of Meade County. Here Nature puts forth her noblest efforts to please, and the results are all that the most exacting could desire. Given the most fertile soil that Nature has provided, the most delightful climate that mankind enjoys, and Nature's most precious bestowal, pure water (more than 98 per cent pure by chemical analysis), cool and sparkling, boiling up from the earth's pure fountains, with a strong continual flow, no wind-mills to keep in repair, no gasoline engines to maintain, no creaking windlass, no moss-grown, microbe-covered bucket, no drouth to fear, no floods to destroy, what more could a farmer desire? No one can go through this valley, so wonderfully endowed with Nature's blessings, without a desire to call a part of it his own. The orange groves of California, the apple orchards of Oregon, the pine woods of Maine, the magnolia blossoms of Dixie Land, may appeal to some, but give to me a spot 'neath Heaven's canopy that puts to shame the skies of Italy, where I can see the sunflowers growing by the roadside, with their golden faces turned toward their God, and catch the fragrance of alfalfa blossoms on every zephyr that floats o'er the Artesian Valley, and you may have all the world beside.

Deposits of iron ore and of peat have been discovered ; salt is found in more or less abundance, and was at one time manufactured by evaporation, but owing to lack of transportation facilities at that time the enterprise proved unprofitable and was abandoned. Immense deposits of silica exist, which is just commencing to be of commercial importance.

Ira McSherry, from his farm about three miles south of Meade, is now filling a contract with James H. Rhodes & Co., Chicago, manufacturers of industrial chemicals, whereby he furnishes them a stated quantity of silica per year for five years. The price realized by Mr. McSherry is $2 per ton, delivered at Meade.

The Cudahy Packing Co. own large deposits of this mineral, and in the year 1915 built a railroad from their mines a few miles north of Meade, connecting with the C. R. I. & P. at Fowler, for the purpose of transporting the product of these mines.

The Puck Soap Company own silica beds just west of Meade, and other deposits are found in various parts of the county.

A great deal has been written, and more told, concerning the Indian fight which occurred on Sand Creek, in Meade County, but it is of little importance in history. In September and October of 1878 a band of about two hundred Northern Cheyennes left their reservation near Fort Reno and started north, crossing Meade County, and in fact crossed the entire State of Kansas. An all-day's fight took place in the southeast part of the county between these Indians and 140 soldiers, the latter being assisted by about 60 civilians, mostly cowboys. One or two of the whites were slightly wounded, and while the damage to the Indians is not definitely known, the loss was small.