March 7, 2017
This is “Our Past Is Present” from
the Geary County Historical Society.
Today’s story comes from a March 1874
“Junction City Tribune” newspaper article in which the reporter gave this
account of a visit to the Davis (now Geary) County Poor Farm. He wrote:
“On last Monday, Bob Wilson dragged me out to the poor farm behind a spanking
team of bays and in company with N.L. Prentis of this city and Hugh Cook of
Lawrence. Both were respectable
paupers. We found the farm in quite
admirable condition. We have already
forgotten how many trees have been set out this season, but the number runs way
up into the thousands. All of them are
doing well and but a very few have died.
A large orchard is growing and it will be sheltered by a large number of
forest trees. Mr. Wilson, the manager,
is getting things into tip-top shape. By
the time his lease expires the county will have a farm that will support all
the paupers and leave a surplus. What
Bob DON’T know about the growing of trees and their proper arrangement isn’t
worth knowing and he is putting his knowledge and skill to use that will prove
a public benefit. He is doing more work
for less money than has ever been done in Davis County. He becomes completely disgusted whenever
anyone mentions that Davis County has no tillable land, for he knows better,
having proved the falsity of the statement.”
Perhaps this
was a slow news day in Junction City.
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