A Visit to the New
Town of Pomona
["Ottawa Journal, 21 Apr 1870]
Monday last we paid a first visit to the new town of Pomona, in the western part of this county, and situated in the southern edge of Pomona lands, a tract of 12,000 acres owned by Messrs. J. H. Whetstone and S. T. Kelsey, both old settlers of this city and county. This enterprise is the largest ever attempted in this county, or, indeed, in the State; the whole tract being enclosed in one fence, making a field of four by six miles, the most extensive, perhaps, in the world. to enclose this required twenty miles of fence wire. The posts are set twenty-five feet apart, slats being placed every five feet, and staples driven through the slats to fasten the wire to them, leaving the slats to spring or give with the wire, the bottom of the slats being loose above ground, so that when stock run against it it gives with the pressure, then rebounds; each section of fence between the posts forming a sort of swinging gate, thus preventing breaking, the whole making an exceedingly handsome and strong enclosure, capable of repelling the most persistent "fence breaker." This is the first fence made after this fashion, and is, no doubt, a successful experienment; in addition to it suitability and cheapness, all breakages are easily repaired.
The owners of this large tract have adopted an advanced and enlarged view in their system of preparing and beautifying the grounds. They have selected for the site of the town of Pomona, 240 acres in small lots of one-eight acre, making wide streets and alleys. Immediately adjoining the town site they have laid out lots of from one acre and two-thirds to two acres and a half, and so on up to ten acres, for residences and gardens for those who contemplate settling in the town or on the lands. The system of laying out the town is novel, and a short description of its principal features may be of interest: The main street runs north and south through the town, and extends through the center of the land on the section line; in the center of the town is another business street, running east and west on the township line, corresponding with the thoroughfare from Osage county to Ottawa, forming a center of trade, and showing the new comer at a glance where the center of business will be. The streets running from east to west are numbered from one to the highest number-that is, from one to eight. The streets running north and south are alphabetically arranged from Main street east and from Main street west, showing at a glance the distance and position of each lot from the main street. The lots are not numbered by the block, but by the street; for instance, the street east of Main street would be East A street; the lots numbering from the south end of the street, alternately, to the north end; so a person can easily explain the exact position of his residence, by letter, to a person at any distance. The town is beautifully elevated, with a gradual slope south to the Marais des Cygnes, one mile distant, and on the natural road-bed of the east and west road from Holden to Ottawa. Passing on through the lands, we find every quarter section being plowed for hedge rows, and the plants being delivered for the purpose of setting out, planting around every quarter-section in the lands. All this body of land is rich, elevated and rolling; has an abundance of pure water, plenty of first quality lime stone, numerous indications of good coal, and surrounded by timber; the center of the town is ten miles from the center of Ottawa, 25 miles from Lawrence, and about 35 miles from Topeka, and the east and west business street being the main traveled road from Osage county to Ottawa. These natural advantages, added to the capital, energy and experience of the owners, cannot fail to make Pomona a thriving, handsome, healthy town. A source of profit to our merchants, a source of wealth to the owners, and add largely to the taxable property of the county and be the means of giving us a population of industrious, intelligent emigrants, who, but for such an opportunity presenting such novel features, might pass on in search of homes possessing few of the advantages offered here. About half a dozen new buildings are in course of construction, mainly on the old thoroughfare, and before many days the indispensable blacksmith, harness maker, etc., will be settled on the inviting plains of Pomona.
That indefatigable and enthusiastic pomologist, Mr. Kelsey, we found hard at work, the numerous ideas about fruit trees and their culture tripping over each other in their haste to get a first utterance, that the inexperienced could learn more of the practice of experienced fruit growers in a half hour's conversation with him than from the pages of a formal and theoretical author. Mr. Kelsey owns a section of "sandstone" land, which, he contends is the best for fruit, adjoining the town, in which he has set out two bushels of apple seed, 27,000 apple grafts, and fifteen bushels of osage orange seed, from which he intends planting over one hundred miles of hedge next spring; two acres of black walnut north of his house, to ward off "northwesters;" a large quantity of grapes, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, currants and other small fruits, and has just commenced setting out twenty-five miles of osage orange hedge; has just completed a good dwelling, cellar under the whole; cistern, stable, work shops, consisting of carpenter's, blacksmith's &c., for the mending of wire fence and iron instruments, for which he has new and improved tools of his own invention; and all this has been accomplished since last July. The natural skepticism which takes hold a visitor on his first entry into a "new town," fails to drive out faith in the appropriately named Pomona. that a handsome, cultivated village will ere long cover the new town site, no one who pays a visit to the place can doubt.