Railroad Attracts Emigrants to Kansas
The Dodge City Globe (Dodge City, Kansas)
19 Feb 1878
page 2
Coming to Kansas
They are coming ti Kansas in gangs and droves; they are coming by wagon and railroad; single-handed and with families; some with children enough to found an orphan asylum and others with not enough to pick up chips; the rich and the poor and the sick and the well — they are coming father Abraham, three hundred thousand strong, and we have a section of land for every mother’s son of them — land that will grow corn so fast you can see it coming; so rich and fertile that the harvest is gathered by machinery, and so tillable that the farmers hardly consider it recreation; with a climate that has earned it the name of the Italy of American.
Yesterday morning three hundred and fifty excursionists or land buyers went out on the Santa Fe road, ticketed to Kinsley, Kansas, with the privilege of stopping at any point this side of there. Of this number Gen. M. Solomon the agent of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, road at Chicago, had general supervision of two hundred and twenty-five, he being assisted by Dr. Williams, and L. H. Wilson, of Iowa, and local agents of Michigan and Wisconsin. This party came in on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific road.
Mr. Peter Hitty, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, assisted by H. Kahlo, of Toledo Ohio, was in charge of a party of one hundred and twenty-five, which came by Hannibal & St. Joseph road.
The Santa Fe train which took them out consisted of seven passenger coaches, in charge of conductor Lew Head.
The very great majority of this body of excursionists were well-to-do intelligent looking men — just such as will make desirable citizens for Kansas. There were one hundred and ninety-two pieces of luggage accompanying them. — Atchison Champion
Three hundred thousand, huh? They sure knew how to promote homesteading – much to many settlers sorrow.
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