Volume 9 , Issue 38

Pioneer Tidbits of 1893

The following pioneer tidbits were taken from The Alva Pioneer, dated September 22, 1893, Alva, O.T., M County.

* Dr. Murphy has opened his drug store on the southwest corner of the square, and the handsome shelving, show cases and fixtures generally therein would do credit to any city in the west.

* A general "kick" is being made about the high price of bread. Ten cents for a loaf containing three cents worth of flour is said to be the cause. We offer the bakers space to explain the matter, if they so desire.

* Henry Nichols, who resides on a claim on the Eagle Chief, was the first man to bring eggs to market in Alva. He took his chickens with him, and on Tuesday following the opening came to market with several dozen eggs.

* Mr. White of Pratt, Ks., is putting in a tubular well 125 feet deep on the west end of the square. He is an experienced man in that business, and expects to find first class water. The business men in the western part of town are paying for the work.

* W. J. French left here for Medicine Lodge Wednesday, where he will stop a few days. He will then go to Chicago, and thence to his home at New Orleans. Mr. French will return to Alva in about two months. He has valuable property interests here.

* The city has little or no protection except on the north, in case a prairie fire should get on the rampage. Business men should make up a purse and employ some one to plow five or six furrows on each side of the last street south, east and west of the townsite.

* A combination runaway and balky mule created lots of amusement on Sunday evening. He started to run from near the land office and the entire population could not stop him until he finished his exercise, and then he balked when they wanted him to return.

* The Alva Lumber Co., Everhart Bros., proprietors, from Attica, Ks., have located on the north side of Main Street, about half a block west of the northwest corner of the square. Their office is going up and lumber is arriving daily.

* The land office building is a vertible bulletin board. All kinds of notices, in chirography unique and ornamental, are plastered or tacked on the walls, and the spelling punctuation and construction is amusing to the bystanders awaiting their turn to file.

* Two fellows whose names are not known, thought to frighten a fellow from his claim, two miles from town, by drawing a gun on him. The fellow was a German, but he had sand in his craw. He says, "Here's my gun, it's empty, but shoot me if you want to."

* People should be careful to have responsible persons make out their filing papers. Attorneys who occupy responsible position and who are here to stay are the ones upon whom you may safely depend. Don't be humbugged by fellows who are here for money and not for the good of the town and country.

* U. T. Marshal, correspondent, solicitor and collector for the Kansas City Journal, was in the city several days last week, and left for home Saturday. He said there was undoubtedly a united effort on the part of the people to make Alva a splendid town, and the indications in her favor are very flattering.

* An excellent opportunity is afforded for a study of human nature as the homesteaders surround the land office; but there are two classes that are utterly despisable (sic). One class is the claim jumper and the other is the fellow who sooners his filing. Ever since the days of Adam -- or shortly after -- some fellows would rather make a sneak than go straight forward.

* Violators of the law are reaping their harvest every few days. What are laws worth if people do not abide by them? We cannot expect a law will be obeyed in every particular, but we may expect them to be reasonably well obeyed. If a man openly and knowingly violates a law, he must expect to be punished. Then, who is to blame? Is it the violator, or is it these who enforces the law?

* Some fellows are so hard to please. We meet a kicker occasionally who thinks he ought to have a claim fenced, 150 acres broke out and sown to wheat, five acres planted to orchard, a stone front mansion built on the other five acres with a bluegrass lawn around it. He also expects to find a $50,000 stock of goods in every store, in Alva."
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