Gove County History
"History of Jerome Township," Fred Baker, 1918
Fred Baker was a high school student at Gove City who submitted the following manuscript to a history contest at Hays. It won first prize. Part of this history is also found in the "Schools" section of this website.
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This Civil Township is composed of four Congressional Townships;
namely fourteen and fifteen south of Range
fifteen south of Range twenty-nine West, of the Sixth Principal Meridan.
It is the the central township on the southern side and is bounded by
Gove and Payne Townships on the north, Larrabee Township on east, Lewis
Township on the west and Lane County on the south.
The land of the township is rolling and has only one river running
through it and two dry creeks, the river being the Smoky Hill, and the
creeks are Plum and Indian Creeks. The bluffs and canyons of the Smoky
Hill River extends back from one-half mile to a mile on each side of the
river. This land is used mostly for grazing purposes being to rough to
farm.
Sometime between the years of eighteen forty-two and eighteen
fifty-nine John C. Fremont returned from one of his exploring expeditions,
passing down the Smoky Hill river, thereby transversing what is now Gove
County, Kansas. On this exploit he passed through the southern part of
Jerome Township. Fremont was without a doubt the first white nan that
ever set foot in Jerome Township. In the year of eighteen fifty-nine
"The Pony Express" took up Fremont's route across Kansas, hence passing
through Jerome Township. Later "The Wells and Fargo Express Company", took
up the route of the Pony Express; and still later the "Overland Stage",
took up the same route.Then we have the wild rush of the gold seekers to
California taking this short cut to the gold fields of California. When
the east had been made acquainted with the far west, we have the coming of
the freightors. Then last but not least came our settler. Hence the trail
that Frement made become quite a highway in the undeveloped west.
With the coming of the Pony Express might be termed the beginning of
civilization in this township. In the beginning the framers of the
Pony Express said that they must have a Relay station every twenty miles.
According to ruling one of these Relay Stations was organized in
Jerome Township. With the origin of this Relay Station in this township it
one have the commencing of its history. By this time a few cattle men had
come and the cattle industry began to thrive where once the buffalo
ranged. In the spring of the year eighteen eighty-eight came, to the
locality of the Relay Station. Two men namely, Andy and Joe whitehair, of Jerome,
Idaho. These two men took active part in the organizing of Gove County
in eighteen eighty-six and Jerome Township was named in honor of Jerome,
Idaho, the former being the home of the Whitehair Brothers.
March the third eighteen eighty-seven Jerome City was organized by
"The Jerome Town Company" being named after the township. This
city is the largest platted town in the county, also the only city in
Jerome Township. This City at one time was a very flourishing, as well as a
city with a brilliant future but for some reason unaccounted for it has
had a great nisfortune, falling from a flourishing city of between two
hundred fifty and three hundred inhabitants to a near existing town of
seven people. Jerome at one time had a Post Office, Real estate Office,
Hotel, Hardware Store, Blacksmith Shop, Livery Stable and many dwellings.
Most of the buildings were of frame structure, the lumber for these
buildings having been hauled from Park, Kansas, a distance of thirty-six
miles. The Smoky Globe, a newspaper published by Crosby and Reed in
Jerome in eighteen eighty-seven gives a glowing account of the young
metropolis as follows:
"Jerome the coming metropolis of the Smoky Hill Valley, is located on a beautiful
sunny slope on the north bank of the Smoky Hill
River in the southern part of Gove county and is surrounded by as fine an
agricultural country as can be found in the far famed �golden belt' of
the west. Jerome is situated seventeen miles south of Gove City and
eighteen miles north of Dighton and is destined to become the great
railroad center of western Kansas. The grade stakes have already been
set through the town for three railroads.and.before January the first
eighteen eighty-eight, her citizens confidently expect to see the
�varnished cars� streaming into the city. A number of good business and dwelling
houses are already completed and many more are under headway.�
Indian Creek runs through the northwest corner of the Township
and on this creek is located the famous Indian Springs, now owned by
W. P. Harrington, particularly located on the northeast corner of section
thirteen, township fourteen, range twenty-eight. This Spring at one time
was a watering place for the Indians; it is supposed that the Indian made
this his camping place after fighting his battles or returning from his
hunt, as many arrow heads and other implements of war-fare have been
found near the Spring. In after years this Spring was used by the Smoky
Hill Cattle Company of which Mr. Rodes was foreman, this Cattle Company
had an area fenced in just north of Indian Creek containing forty
square miles, within this pasture grazed about fifteen thousand head of
cattle. The Smoky Hill Cattle Company did business in this locality until
the severe blizzards of the winter eighteen eighty-five and eighteen
eighty-six, when at the spring roundup they found only four thousand
head of their cattle, the remainder being drifted away in the snow
storm.
J. P. Thomas, a rider for the Smoky Hill Cattle Company and Walter White, a rider
for another Company, had a camp a few rods west of the spring, consisting of a dugout
for themselves and one for their horses; here they spent several years
doing their duty as cowboys on the
plains. J. P. Thomas is now a prosperous farmer and ranchman living three
miles south of Gove City on the Kalamazoo Ranch.
The homeseeker in the spring of eighteen eighty-six began
to file homestead entries upon the land which put the Cattle
Company entirely out of business. Several of the settlers came so early
in the season that they encountered some of the blizzards of the later
part of the winter of eighteen eighty-six but no lives were lost. By the
fall of eighteen eighty-seven there were from to three settlers on every
Government section. Section sixteen and thirty-six were given by the State
for school lands, and the north three miles of the township were within
the limits of The Union Pacific Railway Grant, which made every other section
in this part of the township subject to homestead extry. These settlers homes
were dugouts and sod houses. These houses when plastered and
finished made very comfortable abodes. During the first season they
raised plenty of feed for their stock and were as well fixed for the
winter of eighteen eighty-seven and eighteen eighty-eight as could be expected
in a new country. Of the many who settled in the township in
eighteen eighty-seven and eighteen eighty-eight there are a few remaining, namely:
J. Y. Johnson, Wm. Fullmer, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Garner, Mr. and Mrs.
L. M. Baker, and Mrs. Geo. Cridling. Besides the above named there are a few
early settlers of the township who are living in Gove County,they are
as follows: T. L. Smith Grainfield; J. W. Purdum, Grinnell; C. H. Cole, the Clinton
Phelps family, Mr. and Mrs. D. S. Maxwell, and Geo. T. Brown, Gove.
The Goodwater Ranch located in the northwest part of the
township was a prominent place in the earlier day. A post office
situated near, bearing the name Goodwater. The Goodwater Ranch was also a
place of rest for the weary immigant who often stopped here
going to their claims The name Goodwater Ranch probably was called this
because of a well of water of excellent quality that was located on this
Ranch. This well was one of the first that was dug in the township
and the settlers for miles hauled water for their use from this well.
T. L. Smith the original owner owner and founder of this ranch is the owner
yet to-day. Although Mr. Smith lives a retired life at grainfield he still
takes an interest in the welfare of his ranch, employing a foreman and
other men to take his place.
Plum Creek runs through the central part of the township.
This Creek is situated a few miles north of the Smoky Hill River and
about the center of the township it unites with the Smoky. This creek
is often called the "Specimen Beds", because of its many curious shaped
rocks, petrified fish bones and sharks teeth. It is at this place that
Professor Sternsberg gathers many of his fossils, a great number of these
fossils are in the Museum of the State University of Kansas. This creek
as it nears its mouth spreads into a broad fertile valley. Many tons of
hay are harvested from these lowlands each year.
In the central part of the township is a level plateau
known as the "Missouri Flats". This section of the township was probably
named after the colony of settlers, "who hailed from Missouri". This locality
is one of the garden spots of western Kansas, raising a large amount
of wheat and an abundance of corn when the season is favorable.
The east six and one-half miles of the Smoky Hill River Valley
is owned and controlled by the Bentley Brothers, who are known far and wide
for their excellent herd of Hereford cattle. W. H. Fullmer owns and controls
two and one-half miles of the Smoky Hill Valley in the central part of
the Valley. The Fullmers have one of the best orchards in the county.
Their fruits have taken prizes in several Inter-County Fairs. Another
progressive man of this valley is Frank Stittsworth, who owns a large
herd of Holstein Dairy Cattle. And the western four miles is owned and
controlled by several men namely, W. H. Fullmer, Ed Hinchsliff, B. F. Campbell,
W. E. Jacket, and A. Rush. These men perhaps harvest more prairie hay than
any other Ranchers of the Valley.
In about four-fifths of the township we find the sandy loam
soil which is a very best crop producer. The remaining is either sand
or magnesia soil, the last soil being found along the Smoky H111 River.
The only thing hindering Jerome Township from being a still
greater agricultural country is because there is not enough rainfall
for the crops in some seasons. Corn was the first crop raised in the
township, mainly for two reasons: the settlers had came from a corn
country and corn could be used for both human and animal consumption.
But by experience wheat was found to be more profitable Rye at one
time was farmed quite extenmively owing to the fact that it made
good spring pasture but people found that it was a crop that had to
have more rainfall then we have in this locality.
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