The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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were born four children, Grace, Ada, Edwin and Kate, all of them are now living in this county.

With four companions he arrived in Norton county December 9, 1872. He stopped with his brother-in law, L. A. Aplington on Elk Creek in the north east corner of the county. They then went on a buffalo hunt, went as far as Decatur county. They then returned to the head of Big Timber creek about 10 miles south east of Norton where he now resides. Here they found four foundations laid for houses: one by Pete Hansen and one by Wm. McClellan; the names of the other two are now forgotten. Their stakes showed that their claims had been located on June 15, so they discovered that in two days their six months would expire as this was December 13. They spent these two days in looking for corners; the 15th came and no one came to claim the land so they threw aside their stakes and foundations and made settlement on the land but were unable to get the numbers of the land so they then returned to Elk Creek and Alf. Aplington went down to within five miles of Republican City borrowed a compass and chain of a Mr. Whitney and returned. They found a starting point at Morris Atkins and chained south eight miles one bitter cold day and come to the N. W. corner of sec. 3, town 4, range 22, a part of which he subsequently entered. This brought them to Christmas, and for Christmas dinner they had wild turkey roasted. Again they returned to Elk Creek and wrote to the land office at Cawker and obtained a plat of said township - 4 22. No lands being taken in this township, he started on his return to Iowa. At Cawker on Jan. 15th he put a soldier's filing on the land upon which he now resides. On July 13th of same year he was here with his family, no settler nearer than Tom Atteberry's on Cactus Creek, six miles away. After spending a few days on his claim in July '73 they went over to visit Alf Aplington on Elk Creek who returned with them July 31. It was near sunset when they got home and as they came down from the divide they saw several hundred buffalo about one mile west of Steven's place. Alf went up to get one; he succeeded and they drove up with the team to get such of it as they wanted. The country is quite rough the moon became obscured by a rising storm, so they came back without finding the buffalo, it was so dark and the country new to them. The coming storm was very threatening so they drove down into the timber at the only point possible and turned around to be ready to drive out again: this at 10 o'clock in the evening. It is necessary to say that the bank at their right hand - as they drove down - was abrupt, 18 or 20 ft. down to water; at their left the ground sloped gradually down to within 3 or 4 feet of the water. Having turned around they stood headed toward this abrupt bank, on a point not much larger

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