Annals of Pomona, Kansas
As taken from the
"Pomona Enterprise," Pomona, Kansas.
05 Jun 1884-12 Jun 1884
05 Jun 1884
"I. N. Davis is going to build a barber shop instanter."
"Howard Topping has accepted a position with J. Parkinson & Co."
"Miss Emma Willis has taken a position as clerk in Paul & Hensleys."
"Mr. J. F. Maxey is building a residence on north Main St. which will be a credit to any town."
"Mr. J. Owens is putting up a black smith shop north of the mill in blacksmith row. It is in good shape."
"Mr. T. P. Lyman has fitted up the old red building on east Franklin street and has opened a flour and feed store."
"J. H. Whetstone is building a large ware house adjoining the sugar works for storing the products of the establishment."
"Sam Combs, our lively fleet footed liveryman, is about to build a residence on his lots on Main street near his office."
"The Pomona band was out on Decoration day at Ottawa in high colors and furnished the sweetest and only music for the occasion. The Ottawa band is 'nones'."
Prof. Dicklow; principal of public school here.
"To Messers E. W. Fine, C. Chrisman, Silas Hughes and J. Collins belong the credit of assisting in unloading and setting up the first printing press in Pomona."
Welcoming the newspaper.
"Our good barber has gone into a tent on Main street for want of a room to do business in. If some one would build some shop rooms they could be let at a good profit."
"Topping & Curry, the new milling firm are erecting in connection with their mill building a commodious grain elevator, having features for convenience peculiar to itself. After the wagon loaded with corn is weighed it is driven a little ahead and dumped into an underground room where the corn in ear is taken to the sheller and thence elevated to large bins in the upper part of the mill house to be let down by a spout and directly delivered in wagons on the outside."
"The Pomona Creamery is in full blast and the company is much encouraged. It is making three thousand pounds of butter each week. In two more weeks it will turn out five thousand. Ten routes are being worked by five cream wagons twice a week. The product of the creamery has thus far brought from twenty five to thirty cents per pound and has found a ready market. The company is now storing butter for the fall and winter trade."
"Shields, Ricksecker & Gray are busy making brick on north Main street. They are confident of being able to make a good article. We understand these brick will all be used right here in Pomona for building purposes. One good stone and brick business house is worth a whole row of wooden ones for durability. Besides, stone structures give that real permanence to a town and substantial business look so sadly wanting in a town build with a saw and a jack knife."
05 Jun 1884
"Mrs. Mackey, our postmistress completed two or three nice little cottages which she now rents at good figures and is now building a substantial business house, two stores stone body with brick front, east Franklin street. It is to be occupied, when finished, by Mr. McClintock as a harness and saddle store.
"POMONA - The domain of the United States is very broad and covers about one half of the great continent of North America, divided by many boundries into States each one of these possessing advantages and drawbacks peculiar to itself. We have enjoyed traveling through some of them and have been often delighted with reading graphic and truthful description of all the others, but when we were yet free to adopt any state of the union for our home we visited Kansas and after due consideration decided to make it the place of our abode, at least for a period of years. Nor have we ever regretted having done so. and after an experience of nearly twenty years we are perfectly satisfied that we could find no other spot upon the face of the greeen earth, all things considered, which could at all approach Kansas in climate, soil, natural productions, mineral wealth and, in fact about everything the comfort and happiness of an enlightened and go ahead people could desire. Though we have been the unwilling witness of many disastrous failures we can yet prove from the records of our own observation, securely backed by the statistics of finance gathered from every State of our great common wealth, that fewer failures have occured and that a larger number of, and more brilliant successes have obtained in Kansas than in any other part of this country.
We think, therefore we have been long enough in Kansas to know something about the devious paths which lead to success, varying as they do, requiring that one should 'go slow till he gets his hand in,' as we sometimes hear it said. Of course as Kansas is now on a boom, there are hundreds of places where the newcomer might settle with a fair show of success, but among these are some better prepared to receive and can do better by immigrants than others.
A new railroad through some rich valley already largely developed but which, under the impetus imparted to it by the new facilities opened up to market and industry affords a safe opportunity for investment and a much better guarantee for early profits. Such a location is now open and inviting the attention of the people in Marais des Cygnes valley full of every natural resource, civilized, mobalized and educated to hand.
We have long been acquainted with every portion of this valley, but for reasons patent to all who will investigate, we have given preference to Pomona on the Kansas City & Emporia R.R., twelve miles west of Ottawa. Without any railroad until now, her people have planted, reaped, built, traded, and many of them have grown rich by pursuing the legitimate branches of industry along, while other towns west along this valley have been sickly, either for a want of proper locations.
Are these things true? They surely are. What town west of Pomona for a distance of forty five miles has a mill, or other manufacturing interest? Not one. but Pomona without a newspaper even to publish abroad her advantages long since supported a well built flouring mill costing about fifteen thousand dollars, which is now shut down to under go repairs and to put in the patent roller process machinery, making it the only first class mill between Ottawa and Emporia.
Her advantages of soil and location gave Pomona her name, being surrounded on every side with immense bearing orchards and small fruit farms, which are calling for a fruit canning and drying establishment soon to be erected, we understand. A sandy loam is just the thing for the northern sugar cane and a single man, Mr. Whetstone, is planting two hundred acres to be manufactured into delicious syrup by steam coil evaporators at the Pomona Sugar Works located in the city limits of Pomona, and which cost ten thousand dollars? This is a great thing in itself, giving employment to labor and scattering not less than fifty dollars a day in our midst during the running season.
Nor is this all. Our brother editors west of us write of thier towns as 'great' 'grand' 'glorious' - poor dears? have nothing whatever to write about and they must say something. But Pomona has another institution which cost nearly as much as it would take to buy a town in some other locality: we refer to the Pomona Creamery establishment, the neatest completest and only way to make a uniform and pallatable article of butter. This, too, gives constant employment to quite a number o fteams and men during the entire year and relieves the over drudged house wife of the labor of butter making and gives her a handsome price for her cream, leaving her the pure sweet milk for the pigs and calves.
What other town of the Marais des Cygnes valley can present such an array of prospective growth and wealth? Does beauty of surroundings build up a town? If so, Pomona can't be excelled in its particular and the great numbers of handsome residences thickly set between with a solid sword of blue grass with grounds tastefully arranged with shrubbery and walks and some even with splendid driveways, show the town itself is now a whit behind its environment.
But trade and manufactories after all are the best basis on which to build. Pomona's manufacturing resources have already been spoken of. It now remains to point out the vast territory which constitutes her dependence for trade. Taking into consideration her shipping rates which are cheaper than any point west of her and the ease, with which loaded teams may reach her, she will hold the trade for six miles west, five or six miles east, nine or ten miles south and from fifteen to sixteen miles north and northwest.
Parties wishing to see what branches of business are represented in Pomona would do well to read carefully the advertisements in the current number of the Enterprise. As to whether any of these branches are over done, we are not prepared to speak at present but we are inclined to think not.
Though Pomona is now seen to be a driving, to ahead town with a first class milk-wagon along with the rest, yet she needs a bakery, foundry and repair shop, carriage factory, fruit and vegetable drying and canning works and a grain elevator, which last, we believe, is being already provided for at the mill; another one should be at the depot.
There, we are tired and all is not yet. From time to time we shall be pleased to speak of our business men and farmers more in detail which is a great work in itself and requires an extensive acquaintance to execute property. Mean time should any wish to know particularly about this place write to any of our real estate dealers or business men for a little book entitled 'Pomona for a Home'."
PETITION FOR INCORPORATION.
"To his Honor, Judge Stevens,
Judge of the Judicial district:
We the undersigned majority of
the legal voters and residents of the village of Pomona, Franklin
county, Kansas, would respectfully represent to your Honor that
there resides within the limits hereafter described, about six
hundred bonifide inhabitants. we would, therefore, petition your
Honor that you declare said town as incorporated city of the
third class, as the City of Pomona. Said corporate limits to be
bounded as follows: on the south by First street, on the north by
Seventh street, on the east by East E street, on the west by West
E street, as laid down on the plat of town site of Pomona,
Franklin county, Kansas. And your petitioners would further
represent that they complied with the law by posting printed
notices in ten conspicuous places in said town three weeks before
the presentation hereof.
Adolph, Geo.
Alexander J.
Ankeny, t. F.
Bailey, Jas. K.
Bentley, John
Billmeyer, H. N.
Bingimen, Joe
Bledsoe, G. W.
Bledsoe, R. S.
Boyd, A. H.
Brothers, A. C.
Collins, James
Combs, S. P.
Curtis, J. T.
Davis, J. L. N.
Davis, O.
Dicklow, F. M.
Dotson, A.
Downey, J. A.
Finch, Sammial
Fine, E. W.
Fine, J. A.
Fine, S. L.
Fleak, Jos.
Flora, J. D.
Gaddis, John
Graves, M.
Griffin, J. M.
Halsall, John
Hand, N. F.
Hamilton, J. H.
Hamilton, N. C.
Harrah, J. T.
Hendrix, C.
Howe, J. K.
Hughes, S. A.
Johnson, A. J.
Johnson, A. S.
Jones, Bradley
Jones, Jas.
Kaub, Jacob
Keethley, Wm.
Keohane, T. J.
Maxey, J. F.
McClintock, E. L.
McConnel, Abbie
McCord, S. B.
McRill, J. M.
Miles, J. T.
Moore, H. N.
Moore, J. P.
Morris, Geo. F.
Mott, E. A.
Munday, Jeff
Myers, T. I.
Newcomb, L.
Newcomb, T. L.
Owens, Jos. G.
Parker, Geo.
Parkinson, A. F.
Parkinson, Chas. W.
Parkinson, J. H.
Parkinson, Jon't.
Parkinson, O. L.
Pasley, A. G.
Paul, Maj. A.
Phillips, S. H.
Preshaw, Wm. S.
Price, Z.
Riddle, W. H.
Searing, C. W.
Shields, A. H.
Shoaf, Alford
Shoaf, M.
Smith, R. M.
Spangler, J. W.
Stancil, D. E.
Suter, F.
Sweena, A.
Topping, C. B.
Topping, E.
Topping, E. H.
Walker, J. O.
Warren, T. L.
Wilson, J. W.
Winkler, J.
Winter, H. A.
12 Jun 1884
"Mundy & Parkinson shipped a car load of cattle last Thursday."
this page created by Louis Reed on 07 Jul 97