Mauk Family Odds and Ends
Reminiscences by Solon Steere
March 4 1921
Solon Steere, husband of Sarah Rachel Mauk, who was daughter of George and Elizabeth Sartain Mauk,
recalls coming to Mitchell County Kansas

Submitted and transcribed from the original by Doug Dufva

REMINISCENCES BY SOLON STEERE

Referring to your question as to how or why I happened to settle in Mitchell County, I have prepared the following:

After arriving home at Rockford, Ill., from serving as a cavalry soldier during the Civil War, my vision had broadened to the extent that I was not content to go back to the harvester shop as a business. Therefore, father and I went west into Iowa and settled in Bremer County, where it was said it rained so much the chickens grew webfooted.

People began to move farther west where there was not so much rain. Some had gone to Nebraska where homesteads could be had for the taking (1874). We went out to Nebraska, but, upon arriving there, found the crops burned out and many settlers returning to the East. While we were looking around, a Mr. Shearer from the Paradise Creek country in Rooks County arrived. He had driven about 200 head of Texas cattle north to sell them at an Indian Agency in Dakota. From him I learned of the enticements of the Solomon Valley for the home seekers. He sent his cattle on with his men and agreed to pilot me through to the Solomon Valley country. We started south with my family, 1 nearly new wagon, 1 team of horses, 1 riding horse, 3 colts, 26 head of cattle and a few chickens. I think we drove 50 miles before we came to a house where anyone lived. Norfolk, Nebr., was the first town. We journeyed through Columbus to Grand Island, where we crossed the Platte on 9 large bridges about the size of our river bridge here at Beloit. The island was said to be 25 miles wide at that place. We continued west on the south side of the Platte. We stopped in the middle of the day to rest our stock as we expected to cross about 5 miles of sand hills and then 50 miles without any settlers. We started again at sundown to give our stock the benefit of the coolness of the night. While we were in the sand hills a rainstorm came, whereupon we staked down the wagon and waited until daylight to resume our journey. The rain filled the buffalo holes and afforded us plenty of water. We next passed through Republic City. On the way we saw several wild buffalo some of which were killed for fresh meat. Shortly after leaving Republic City, we reached a ford in Prairie Dog Creek. Here we had some excitement. A band of Indians was camped in the bottoms, and our dog rushed their horses and chased them off on the run. The Indians became very much excited and seemed to want to fight. One of them stuck his hand up in my face and I struck at him. He cooled down a little and stepped back, saying as he pointed at the dog, �Bad dog.� I said �Yes, bad dog.� We loaned the Indians a horse to use in catching up their own. We resumed our journey, feeling it advisable to put as much distance between ourselves and the Indians.

Our next point to make was Kirwin. Shortly before reaching Kirwin we saw another small herd of buffaloes, and managed to get within a hundred yards of them. They stood still and paid very little attention to us. I shouted at them and they moved off at a lope.

We crossed the north fork of the Solomon River, then crossed Bow Creek and then went south to the South Fork of the Solomon. The grasshoppers had been here and the many stories of their devestation were not exaggerated. Many settlers were returning to their former habitats. Our next stop was at Bull City (Alton). We were out of flour. I went to the store and was told they were just invoicing the goods belonging to Gen. Bull, who had recently been killed by his pet elk, and could not sell anything. I told them I had a family on my hands that were out of flour and that I just had to have it. At last they concluded to sell me a sack. I then drove as far as Cawker City and stopped to buy a few things. Some elderly man, who had been drinking a little, came out to talk with us. He was from Bremer County, Iowa, where we formerly lived. He asked us to remain over night with him but we decided to camp near Great Spirit Springs. The next day we crossed Granite Creek (I think they called it) to find our Iowa man of the day before, a Mr. Farnsworth. He had just built a new home. We found Mrs. Farnsworth to be one of the nicest women ever. But so far as that goes, everybody wherever we went treated us nice. I think there were three houses between Granite Creek and Glen Elder belonging to Mr. Farnsworth, a son and a son-in-law. There was also a stone shack on the creek. I left my family and the wagon near Mr. Farnsworth�s for about a week while I rode a horse over the country looking for a place to locate. Nothing looked right. Buffalo heads, buffalo grass and desolation! There was not a claim taken or a bit of improvements made in all that country south of the Solomon River bottoms except in two places where little log cabins had been started but never finished. One night I returned and Charley asked me what kind of luck I had. I told him. After talking a little, he said �There is just one place for you to go. I know what ails you. You want to go some place where the grass looks like it does back in Iowa, and there is just one place in all of this country where it does that. It is down around Asherville. If you can�t find anything there to suit you, you might as well pull out for it is not here.� Well, I hitched up and started again, driving through Beloit and towards Asherville. We found a vacant log house and camped there until I could look around. Sure enough there was grass there big enough to mow. The neighbors came to see us - - Farrows, Stileyes and Snows. The next day I went out to see about cutting some hay on the present George Wagner farm. Another man was there, too, and he proposed I buy him out. I drove to his place just a mile north of Asherville. He had 160 acres, 10 acres of which had been broken, a 10 X 12 dugout, and a little stack of hay. I gave him for the place four cows, 1 calf and 1 mare and colt, all of which was valued at that time at about $150. I believed the place was worth it and I think it is worth it today. We lived in the dugout two winters. I then decided we wanted a house. I bought some cottonwood trees along the creek, took some to Beloit, some to Asherville and some to Brittsville (Simpson) and had them sawed at the sawmills. But we needed some pine siding, windows, doors and shingles. I loaded up a load of rye and took it to Clay Center - -50 miles east. The load of rye brought me $11 and I brought back a load of lumber. The round trip took 4 days.

About this time one of my neighbors said he thought he could make a little by buying some of my wheat and hauling it to Solomon as he had the promise of a load of merchandise to haul back. He paid me 40 cents for the wheat and went away happy. He returned five or six days later, not so happy. He sold the wheat for less than he paid and didn�t get the load of merchandise to haul back to Asherville. Times were very hard. We dressed poor, lived poor; but we were all alike then and we were young.

If a man could get 50 cents for a good, long day�s work he was lucky. Men had to work in those days - - no riding or improved farm machinery. Henry Griffin once sold me 100 bushels of as good corn as was ever grown for $10. But times have changed. Nearly all of the men of those days are gone. But there are still A. O. Foote, Howard Baker, Sam Pearson, C. L. Brown and Geo. Wagner.

But the country was all right. The land was the best that God ever made. It had been the bed of an ocean for countless centuries and the deposit from waters had resulted in a soil rich in plant growth beyond computation of man. Some of this land has been cropped for fifty years and still produces as good crops as in the beginning with no manure added. And every man has prospered according to his ambition. Those that desired land could satisfy their wants to the limit, and the same was true of cattle, sheep or other chattels. All any man had to do to prosper was to work and not spend a cent. And this rule will hold good today if followed.

Later the railroads came, then the telephones, motor cars, motor trucks, taxes and Democrats. Now even the most insane are satisfied.

I subscribed for the Gazette when I first settled near Asherville in 1874, and believe we have received it every week since. And we would dislike to do without it.