Barton County KS Archives History - Books .....Pawnee Rock 1912 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com November 9, 2005, 10:27 pm Book Title: Biographical History Of Barton County Pawnee Rock FOURTEEN miles southwest of Great Bead, in one of the richest agricultural sections of Barton County is the town of Pawnee Rock. It derives its name from the historic cliff of sand-stone that for countless ages has stood a silent sentinel of the plains, Just north of what is now the townsite. It was a stopping place for the hardy men and women who came from their eastern homes to find wealth and fortune in the boundless west, and the entire length of the Santa Fe Trail, noted for its historic points of interest affords no spot that has woven around it more real history of the early days than this old pile of rock. Before the advent of the white man it marked a way for the Indians in their periodical migrations from what is now Southern Kansas to the valley of the Platte river in Nebraska. For years and years Pawnee Rock was a point at which the Comanche, Kiowa, Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians held their councils of war and peace. Within the shadow of Pawnee Rock many famous Indian battles were fought, battles that never found a place in United States history, but were described to the early white settlers, by descendants of the noble warriors of the plains who took part in them. Countless bones have been dug out of the soil adjacent to the Rock, and they bear witness to the bloody history that was made before civilization claimed it for the abode of the white man. BEGINNING OF THE TOWN The first building to be erected on the site in this part of the Great American Desert, of the town of Pawnee Rock was the Rock Hotel which still stands today and has been the stopping place of hundreds of old timers who came to this part of the country in the early days, and it has housed some famous men and women since it was built in 1874. The town grew in population and area, slowly at first but in 1887 the progressive citizens of the town began the work that resulted in the town being incorporated. The first set of officers were elected April 1, 1887. Previous to the election a rather exciting campaign was carried on by the two opposing factions, the main issue being pool rooms, and whether or not they should continue in the town. There were two tickets in the field and after the votes had been counted it was found that a part of each ticket had been elected and the first council of Pawnee Rock was composed of the following gentlemen, all of them men who had an interest in the town and stood for progress and growth: William Bunting, mayor; L. K. Benefield, John Hepler, William McDougal, W. H. Bowman and William Walton, councilmen. At one of the first meetings of the council the following city officers were named and sworn in to serve: J. D. Welch, city clerk; J. W. Ratcliff, city attorney; Alvin Iles, city marshal; Earnest Smith, city treasurer. This administration laid the foundation for the building of one of the most important small towns on the main line of the A. T. & S. F. Railroad. The first elevator in the town was built in the year 1878 by W. H. Bowman, Aaron Garvick and Eli Bowman. They also built a flour mill and operated it until 1899 when it was purchased from them and moved to Garfield, near Lamed. The year 1878 was a good one for the town, many new buildings having been erected, some of them fine residences. [photo] Pawnee Rock School Building At this writing Pawnee Rock has three general stores, two banks, two furniture stores, two hardware stores, five elevators, a fine electric light and ice plant, owned and operated by home people, three churches, Christian, Methodist, New Jeruselem, fine public schools and everything and more than is found in many towns of twice its population. [drawing] Pawnee Rock in 1859 [photo] Pawnee Rock In 1878 The present officers of Pawnee Rock are: John Bowman, mayor; A. S. Gross, clerk; R. G. McDougal, E. L. Robinson, W. C. Lamb and Grant Lippincott, councilmen. Pawnee Rock contains some of the nicest and most modern residences in Barton County. It is a supply point for a large territory in Barton, Pawnee and Stafford counties and s-.s a shipping point for grain, cattle and other live stock it ranks well up among the best in this part of the state. From Inman's Tales of the Trail: "If this sentinel of the plains might speak, what a story it could tell of the events that have happened en the beautiful prairie stretching out for miles at its feet. All over its scarred and weatherbeaten front, carved in quaint and rude letters, are the names of hundreds who in early days made the dangerous and exciting passage of the Santa Fe Trail. Some names are roughly chiseled there, too, who were not ambitious at the time of more enduring fame, and gave no further thought of their effort than was concentrated in the bare idea of relief from the ennui of the moment, while their horses and mules were resting, but who will go down to history cursed or praised—as viewed from varying aspects—long after the storm of centuries shall have obliterated ever mark of this isolated mass of sandstone. Conspicuous among these is that of Robert E. Lee, the famous leader of the Confederate armies, who, in 1843, crossed into the borders of Mexico as an officer of the Mounted Rifles. Under the shadow of Pawnee Rock, perhaps Coronado, the celebrated Spanish explorer, and his little band of faithful followers rested en their lonely march in search of the mythical Quivira. The Rock alone is all that remains, in all probability, upon which the Spaniards looked, for the mighty interval of nearly four hundred years relegated all else—trees, water courses and the entire landscape, that the hardy adventurers looked upon, to the domination of vast modification—and this iron-bound hill—whose unsusceptibility to change is almost as the earth itself—the only witness of their famous march. "During the half century included between the years 1823-73—which latter date marked the advent of the railroad in this portion of Kansas—Pawnee Rock was considered the most dangerous place on the central plains for encounters with the Indians, as at this particular point on the Trail the Pawnees, Kiowas, Comanches, Arrapahoes and Cheyennes made, their not infrequent successful raids upon the pack and wagon trains of the freighters across the continent I well remember, in the earlier geographies, that most exciting and sensational of all the illustrations—to my boyish mind at least—which depicted the Santa Fe traders attacked by Indians, but that was long ago, and such scenes have passed away forever. [photo] Bird's'Eye View of Pawnee Rock—Half View [photo] Bird's Eye View of Pawnee Rock Today—Half View "In those primitive days of the border, Kit Carson, Lucien B. Maxwell, John Smith, the Bents and the Boones, with other frontiersmen, commenced their eventful lives in the far West—mere boys then—but whose exploits have since made for them a world-wide reputation. Kit Carson, Maxwell, Smith and Bents are all dead with the harness on, and on the confines of the civilization which is rapidly closing up the gap at the foot of the mountains, amidst which there would have been nothing congenial—so they passed away while there still remained fresh prairies and quiet streams. "Kit, one of the most noble men it has been my fortune to know, is sleeping peacefully under the gnarled old Cotton woods at Fort Lyon, on the Arkansas that river he loved so well— every foot of whose silent margin could tell a story of his daring. It was at Pawnee Rock many, many years ago, that Kit, then a mere boy, had his first experience with the Indians, and it was because of this fight that the Rock received its name. "In those days the Pawnees were the most formidable tribe on the eastern plains, and the freighters and trappers rarely escaped a skirmish with them either at the crossing of the Walnut, Pawnee Fork, or at Little or Big Coon creeks. Today the historic hill looks down only upon peaceful homes and fruitful fields where for hundreds of years it could tell of nothing but death; where almost every yard of the brown sod at its base covered a grave; where there was nothing but shadow, now all is sunlight. In place of the horrid yell of the savage, as he wrenched the reeking scalp from his vanquished victim, the whistle of the locomotive and the pleasing whirr of the reaping machine is heard; where the death cry of the painted warrior rang mournfully over the silent prairie, the waving grain is singing in beautiful rhythm as it blows to the summer breeze. Almost every day in the opening spring, or before the grain planting in the early fall for several years during the first settlement of the country in the vicinity of Pawnee Rock, the skeletons of those killed there in the long years gone by sometimes the bones of the white man, sometimes the bones of the red man were plowed up; and even now where new fields are opened, the Rock thus gradually unfolds the sphinx-like secrets of its dead." PRESERVING THE ROCK In the year of 1908, the Women's Kansas Day Club contracted with the owner of Pawnee Rock, to raise $3,000 to improve Pawnee Rock, and he was to deed about five acres to the state park to be open to the public at all times. The monument was to cost not less than $1,500. The entire expense has been about $4,700 and the citizens of Pawnee Rock have raised $1,500 of this amount. Pawnee Rock covers about four acres and rises abruptly from the surrounding valley. It is about fifty or sixty feet in height and ou its summit stands a granite shaft, towering thirty feet in the air, placed in honor of those 1 who in the long ago blazed the way for civilization. [photo] Entrance to Pawnee Rock Park Pawnee Rock has changed through the agency of man, much since the advent of the railroad. Its once lofty summit has been stripped and the stone used for all sorts of purposes by the railroad and others, until now, if some of the old scouts and Indian hunters were to review it, they would not recognize it as the scene of their earlier lives. On May 24, 1912, the monument situated on Pawnee Rock, was unveiled and dedicated to the State of Kansas, of which event, a program of the services will be found elsewhere in this book. With the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad, began the destruction of the Rock, much of it having been moved by the railroad company to build foundations for water tanks, depots, etc. A great deal of the Rock was used in the construction of buildings by the early settlers, but early in this century the patriotic people of Pawnee Rock realized that if something was not done soon the Rock would have been entirely obliterated from the landscape. In 1905 and 1906, a movement began that had for its purpose the creating of a public park to be composed of the land surrounding the Rock and being about five acres in area. The matter was taken up with the governor, and members of the state legislature. However the owner of the land wanted too much money to relinquish his title and in spite of all these patriotic citizens could do the matter dragged along until 1911, when with the aid of the Womans Kansas Day Club, the Womans Relief Corps, Daughters of the American Revolution, State Federation of Womans Clubs and individual citizens, the land was finally obtained. On May 24, 1912, a magnificient monument was unveiled in the park in the presence of 8,000 people from all parts of the State of Kansas. [photo] M. E. Church Pawnee Rock [photo] New Jerusalem Church Pawnee Rock How the Money Was Raised The following table shows how the money was raised that made the preservation of what remained of the Rock possible. Mrs. J. S. Simmons, president, 1908, and members of the Park Board to 1912. $2738.31 Mrs. A. H. Horton, president, 1909 100.00 Mrs. E. W. Hoch, president 1910 200.00 Mrs. Cora G. Lewis, president 1912 55.00 Total $3093.31 Daughters of American Revolution, one Bronze tablet valued at $50, cash $155, total $ 205.00 Woman's Relief Corps, the flag that veiled the monument and 159.00 State Federation of Womens' Clubs 50.00 W. C. T. U. 50.00 Citizens of Pawnee Rock 1359.34 Money paid into the fund from sales of "Echoes of Pawnee Rock," compiled by Miss Margaret Perkins, and all expenses of publishing, shipping, mailing, etc., paid for by Mrs. J. S. Simmons, president of W. K. D C., with money from proceeds of sale of said book, approximately $800 above all expenses. Total receipts $5715.65 The following letter from Governor Hoch written in 1905 shows how the interest in the matter was aroused in the state's chief executive. It required years of hard work after this time however to get the matter adjusted in a way that brought the work to such a successful conclusion on the date mentioned: State of Kansas, E. W. Hoch, Governor, To-peka, July 25, 1905. Mr. T. H. Brewer, Pawnee Rock, Kansas. My Dear Sir: I share most heartily with you the sentiment of your letter concerning the preservation of what remains of old Pawnee Rock. I remember it well as I first saw it in the spring of 1872. Hundreds of names had been carved upon it, some of them dating back, I remember, as far as 125 years ago. It seems incredible that people should be so devoid of sentiment as to blast and destroy a historic monument like this for ballast and other commercial purposes. Better, a thousand times to have hauled the stone a thousand miles than to have done this. I was one of 14 young fellows who built the first house and dug the first well in Pawnee Rock, and will be glad to do anything I can to preserve what remains of the historic relic of the old trail. Cordially yours, E W. HOCH. PAWNEE ROCK'S BIG DAY [photo] Pawnee Rock, May 24, 1912, When Monument Was Unveiled The unveiling of the monument erected in Pawnee Rock park to the memory of the pioneers who withstood the hardships and fought the battle that resulted in making this part of the State of Kansas one of the leading agricultural sections of the world was witnessed by fully 8,000 people. Some of them came from distant states to take part in the celebration and as was truthfully said by one of the speakers of the day, "It is Pawnee Rock's supreme moment, and the greatest day in her history." May 24, 1912, was the date chosen by those who had the arrangements in charge, and the elements seemed to enter into the spirit of the occasion and it resulted in an ideal day. All day long the air was filled with music and promptly at 1:30 in the afternoon, the big flag that, had been wound around the shaft was pulled aside and the park became the property of the people of the State of Kansas, a permanent memorial .had been erected to the memory of the pioneers and what remained of Pawnee Rock was protected for all time against further destruction and will remain to attract the eyes of countless thousands yet to come. F. C. Woodbury, one of the leading citizens of Pawnee Rock and to whom great credit is due for arranging and carrying out the celebration program gave the address of welcome. He paid a beautiful tribute to the pioneers and •welcomed the people to the city in a way that made a deep impression. Mr. Woodbury introduced Mrs. George Barker of Lawrence, Kansas, who told in an interesting manner the part the women had played in securing the ground for the park and the money for the monument. She compared the old and the new Pawnee Rock, and while she spoke the words that made this historic spot and the beautiful monument the property of the State of Kansas, the ropes were pulled that released the flag and it fell away. Lieutenant Governor Richard Hopkins followed Mrs. Barker and accepted the park and monument on behalf of the people of the state. He painted a beautiful word picture that made a lasting impression on those who heard it. The young people were afforded all kinds of entertainment. There was a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, a balloon ascension, a base ball game and dozens of other features to make the day one of fun and frolic. The speech of Mrs. Milo D. McKee of Independence, who acted in lieu of Mrs. George Guensey, state president of the D. A. R. of Kansas who followed Governor Hopkins was especially fine. She brought greetings from 1,500 women, and she asserted that in the history of battle fields, there was record of no greater one than Kansas. The best money a state can spend, she said, in closing, is that used in inculcating patriotism and reverence. Mrs. Cora Deputy, a past state president of the Womens' Relief Corps, speaking in behalf of Mrs. L. A. Mendricks, the president, gave a patriotic address and presented a flag to the city, a gift of the state W. R. C. Perhaps no speech of the afternoon was better received than that made by Mrs. W. D. Atkinson of Parsons, president of the State Federation of Womens' Clubs. Six thousand women she represented, and as a native Kansan she spoke with feeling and authority on pioneer life as lived by her parents. The keynote of her speech was the keynote of the afternoon: "We necessarily are living largely in the past today, with Coronado, in Quivera, with Pike, the emigrants, the '74ers, the pioneers." Mrs. C. W. Mitchner, state president of the W. C. T. U., told how proud she was to bring the best wishes of the 10,000 women of the state union to Kansas, "higher in per capita, lowest in death rate, lowest in illiteracy, highest in college education; the state where 25,000 school children never saw an open saloon." History and reminiscences of remarkable interest filled the remarks of Mike Sweeney of Pawnee Rock, who has lived 4 years in the western land, and saw> the Rock in all its original highness. He introduced ex-Gov. E. W. Hoch, who gave the address of the afternoon. In the beginning Governor Hoch took occasion to say how much he disliked the task of following his feminine predecessors, and trying to "live up to them." "If I had not been for suffrage before (as I always have been,") he asserted, "I should certainly have been converted this afternoon, for such eloquent speeches argue as intelligent use of the ballot as man can exercise." Judge D. A. Banta of Great Bend closed the speaking program with a few remarks which were well received. He told how the men should feel ashamed that they had allowed the women of the state to accomplish something in the way of preserving the Rock which should have been done before it had been despoiled of a great deal of its beauty and historic features. [photo] Marker On Santa Fe Trail Near Pawnee Rock File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/barton/history/1912/biograph/pawneero34gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ksfiles/ File size: 19.4 Kb