Each week we’ll take a step back into the history of Great Bend through the eyes of reporters past. We’ll reacquaint you with what went into creating the Great Bend of today, and do our best to update you on what “the rest of the story” turned out to be.

Great Bend was home to the Barton County Democrat, a weekly paper aligned with the Democratic party, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.   It reported on not only Great Bend, but the surrounding communities and townships, and offered a broad sampling of advertising.  The railroads had been established, and there was opportunity to be had.  Along with civilized commerce, shadier characters found it in the area, but they weren’t always successful in keeping out of the spotlight.   
According to the April 8, 1904 edition, “The canons have finally been mounted, and now ornament the city park.”
According to Barton County historian Karen Neuforth, they were placed on either side of the statue that still stands on the north side of the courthouse, “The Rifleman.”  Long before Brit Spaugh Park was created, the courthouse square was the city park for Great Bend.  They are no longer there because they were sacrificed to a World War II scrap metal drive.  

Labor shortage
 A shortage of skilled labor existed.  The Democrat was dropping several hints throughout the paper:
“Considerable activity is showing up in the way of buildings of various kinds in and around the city.”
“A few good carpenters could get plenty of work at Great Bend, at good wages.”
“Printers, carpenters and barbers are much needed here.  Please send some along.”  
One man heard the call.
“Roy Putnam arrived Monday morning and is at work at the Seward and Barnett barber shop.  He has been spending the past year in Texas, Old Mexico, and other southern territory.”

Delegates picked
The Barton County Democratic party picked delegates, Hon. Isom Wright and C.F. Younkin, to the state convention this week, and declared their support of Wm. A. Harris for Governor was announced, as well as the nomination of Hon. William Randall Hearst for President.  They would attend the April 12 state convention in Topeka.
“We the Democrats of Barton county, … are unalterably opposed to surrendering the party into the hands of pretended Democrats who bolt our conventions and on election day give aid and comfort to the opposition.  Therefore, be it resolved—that our delegates to the convention be instructed to support no one for delegate to the national convention who did not actively support the Hon. Wm. J. Bryan in the past two campaigns, and who is not opposed to surrender of the party to the reorganizing element.”  This was at a time when the Populist movement was on the rise, and the Barton Democrats favored an equitable division of offices between Populists and Democrats.  
The following week, the Democrat expressed satisfaction with the activity at the state convention, with Hearst in the clear lead for support from Kansas delegates.  Likely, when the actual national convention occurred in July, the opposite would be true, because Bryan himself supported one of Hearst’s opponents.  The newspaper magnate was considered radical by many, as his newspapers were friendly to labor, opposed trusts, and were positioned as “fighting the cause of the people who worked for a living.”  Ultimately, Republican Theodore Roosevelt won the presidency though, and Kansas threw it’s support behind him.  

Swindler
Interesting characters were arriving in the county, including one shady, or rather “smooth” character. “Mr. Ellis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is here looking after some Barton County lands open for purchase.”
The front page story, “Smooth Man from Iowa,” shed some light.
“A man giving his name as Ellis and claiming to be from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, dropped into one of our leading real estate offices the other day, and represented that he was in search of some land for his brother-in-law.  He talked and acted like a man of means, said he was not stuck on this county himself, but thought it might suit his brother-in-law.  The firm immediately warmed up to him and succeeded in practically closing a deal or two with him on the strength of which he seems to have gotten some $18 in money.  He also got next to one or two other men in the city, got some money, and yesterday morning hiked out without paying his hotel bill, or reimbursing those who had assisted him in a financial way.  A warrant has been issued for his arrest.”
Apparently, Mr. Ellis got away, because our search in subsequent week’s papers found no mention of him.  However, we did happen upon a juicy article, ‘The Bad Lands’ pulled:  County Officers Take Steps to Abate the Growing Nuisance.

‘Badlands’ shut down
Three ministers of the City of Hoisington demanded law enforcement take shut down a total of three houses of prostitution, which resulted in three men and 12 women being arrested.  The sting was done in the middle of the day, in order to avoid the prisoners eluding police in the dark of night.  A wise move for a small police contingent.
“Dode Hughes, as proprietress, and three other women and one male “solicitor” Don Berkley, were secured at the “Rock Castle.”  Sam Boxwell and three women were the result of the haul at the “Boxwell House”.  Joe Cooper, as proprietor, and five women inmates were secured at the place known as the original “Bad Lands.”
“These places have been a foul blot upon the fair name of our county.  They have been the ruination of a number of young men—made physical wrecks of some who otherwise had reasonably bright prospects before them.”  
In a related blurb, “That story about Lot’s wife turning to salt, must be so, for when the women from the “Bad Lands” were brought in to court, last Friday, about 300 men assembled in the court room turned to rubber.”
“Sam Boxwell, as keeper, and the James, Gray and White women as inmates of the Boxwell place, were released on bonds Sunday evening, Hugh Boyle and Albert Spencer going their bail in the joint sum of $500.”
We could not find any more information about these three, uh, well, businesses.  Please, if you have any information about what properties used to be the Rock Castle, the Boxwell House or the Bad Lands, please pass it on.
 
Another unfortunate trip
Ellinwood was the scene of an accident that sounds an awful lot like one se found a few weeks ago, concerning amputation as a result of clandestine train travel gone bad.  Apparently, stealing a ride on the train was not only common, the risks were high.
“A colored man by the name of Midad Talbot, whose home is in Lima, O., was on train No. 8 Monday night, en route home from Colorado Springs.  He was stealing his way through, and when the train reached here got off, and when he tried to board it on its pulling out, he made a misstep and got his left foot under the wheels, having his toes mashed so all five of them had to be amputated.  A bad, still rather a fortunate accident for him.”
According to a 1998 story by Nelson Taylor for Bikini magazine, Stealing Rides, the practice hasn’t ended, though railroads have fought to make ride stealing a felony offense.  The author actually interviewed several modern day hobos at the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa, where it has been held for over a century.  The next  convention is planned for August 7 – 10, 2014.