Cholera
At Fort Riley
FORT LEAVENWORTH, K T
August 6th, 1855.
The last railroad accident, steamboat
explosion, with sometimes very little damage, is duly reported to you; I consider it, therefore, my duty to give
you an account of the ravages caused by cholera at Fort Riley, Kansas Territory.
Some two week ago, Major Ogden,
with four hundred citizens, mechanics, stone-cutters, laborers, etc.., went out to Fort Riley, for the purpose
of erecting buildings and stables to be occupied during the coming winter by some dragoon companies. Until last
Wednesday, the whole command was very healthy, and got along well with their buildings,when the cholera made its
appearance, and in forty-eight hours—i. e.,
from Wednesday until Friday noon, it took forty-five to fifty persons to a better world. Major Ogden died last
Friday. The wife and two children of Major Woods, the wife of Major Armistead, Sixth Infantry, and forty-five or
forty-six citizens, died. All the troops had left, except the Band and
Staff of the Sixth Infantry, one of which the Quartermaster's Sargeant, died also.
Yours, C. M.
Alton Weekly Courier August 16, 1855 (submitted by Janice Rice)
A BULL KILLS
A KANSAS FARMER
Leonardville, Kas., March 12---Adam
White, a farmer near Mayday, twelve miles northwest of here, was killed by a bull yesterday. We went to do chore
about 6 o'clock. His wife became uneasy and called the neighbors. They found him dead in the corral, pitchfork
in hand, at 7 o'clock.
(Kansas City Star ~ March 19, 1900)
MRS. H.
WISNER VISITING
Mrs. H. Wisner, of Manhattan, Kan.,
has been visiting at Dr. Bucher's. Mrs. W. is a sister of Mrs. Bucher, and was a former teacher of the West Side
schools, in the years 1856-57. Since leaving Batavia many years ago, she has made her home in Kansas and saw it
spring up from a wilderness, almost, to a thickly settled and prosperous country.
Batavia (IL) Herald, 12 Oct 1893, submitted by Kim Torp
A KANSAS
CHRISTMAS TREE STORY
MANHATTAN --- As winter weather
comes to Kansas, harvesting of wheat and other grain crops is complete, or soon will be. However, another harvest
is just beginning -- the Christmas tree crop.
Kansas cuts about 150,000 trees
per year, according to Dr. Gary Naughton, Extension forester and assistant state forester at Kansas State University.
He thinks it won't be long until Kansans cut twice that number.
Residents are planting 500,000
trees annually on Christmas tree farms at an average rate of about 1,000 trees an acre. Naughton predicts that
by 1980-81, the state wil be marketing 250,000 to 300,000 trees a year.
There are some 200 active Christmas
tree plantations in Kansas and although most are close to large population areas, there is one of some size in
every county in the state.
The biggest are the Hoffman Farm,
near Alta Vista, and the Delp Farm, near St. John. Both of these farms have more than 100 acres.
There are about 15 growers in the
state who have more than 25 acres in Christmas trees, but the majority of producers have small operations of one
or two acres.
Most of the Kansas-grown trees
are Scotch pine, with some Austrian and eastern white pines and a few red cedar (cut mostly as wild trees and not
marketed).
PRACTICAL LIMIT
Naughton sees the practical limit
for Kansas-grown trees sales at 500,000. More trees can be exported as production increases, he added.
Currently 15 to 20 percent of the
Kansas crop is exported with most of the 20,000 trees going to Oklahoma and Colorado.
Although Colorado has many trees
growing wild, changes in policies on public and private land have limited access to these trees for most people.
As yet, Colorado does not have significant Christmas tree plantations, such as those found in Kansas.
Michigan and Washington lead the
nation in Christmas tree production, but these states are at a considerable distance from Kansas. There is no major
source of fresh trees nearby.
It costs the same amount to grow
high quality trees in Michigan as in Kansas, so Kansas growers can compete with Michigan-grown trees, Naughton
said.
Many Christmas tree plantations
in Kansas started in the late 1950's with the soil bank program. Farmers wanted something to grow while the land
sat idle.
This will be the 20th year for
the Kansas Christmas tree industry and the 15th Christmas when Kansas trees were sold (allowing five years for
growth of the trees).
Most of the Kansas growers began
with the trees as a sideline to their farming operations. Several planted the trees for retirement and supplemental
income.
Until now, growing Christmas trees
has been profitable and Naughton expects this to continue.
"Kansas growers are now working
for a reputation of a quality product to open export channels," Naughton said.
(Salina Journal ~ December 8, 1977 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)
TEEL,
RUTH
BLAZE KILLS MANHATTAN WOMAN
MANHATTAN, KAS.--- A woman died
in a fire late Wednesday at her home despite the efforts of Kansas State university students to rescue her.
Mrs. Ruth Teel, 56, had already
died of extensive burns by the time the fire was discovered by her son, who called in students from a fraternity
house next door. Authorities suspected she committed suicide.
Students from the Pi Kappa Alpha
house fought the blaze at the home 3 blocks west of the K-State campus with a garden hose and 2 fire extinguishers
and attempted to drag Mrs. Teel out until they realized she was already dead.
Dr. Phillip H. Hostetter, Riley
county coroner, said, "Suicide is a possibility and is being investigated."
Evidence leading to that conclusion
was that she had reportedly been despondent recently and that the fire burned only the victim, a rocking chair
she was sitting in and a living room rug, he said.
Fire Chief William D. Smith said
the rest of the one-story brick veneer house was untouched but suffered extensive smoke damage.
The woman's husband was away at
the time of the fire, the chief said.
(Salina Journal ~ Thursday ~ November 8, 1973)
SUICIDE BY FIRE RULED
MANHATTAN, Kan. --- The coroner
has ruled that Mrs. Warren Teel, 56, committed suicide by setting herself afire at her home.
Mrs. Teel's body was found in a
burning chair Wednesday night.
Dr. Phillip Hostetter, coroner,
said his ruling was based on an autopsy that showed the burns were self-induced. Smoke inhalation may have contributed,
he said.
(Salina Journal ~ Friday ~ November 9, 1973)
