User:IveGoneAway/sandbox/Hogback, Kansas

Hogback or Hog Back, originally Hog Back Siding, is a rural location in western Ellis County, Kansas, between Ellis and Yocemento within Section 18 of Township 13 S, Range 19 W.

Name
The name "Hogback" comes from the topographic resemblance to a hog's back of the ridge immediately to the south of this location. The name Hogback was given by the UPRR to a new Kansas Pacific Railway siding constructed at the location in 1907. The name was reused from the 1870s Hog Back Station siding another 3 mi east. The earlier, remote siding had become redundant when a siding for the new Yocemento factory and town was installed one half mile to the east of the earlier siding.

History
The new Hog Back Siding was located at the farms settled in 1878 by Kepple Disney and his children. These are the grandfather, aunts, and uncles of Walt Disney. From there, Walt's father, Elias Disney left for Florida in the 1880s. The Disneys frequented Ellis while that community recognized that the Disneys' home was "at Hogback". After Walt Disney established Disneyland, the family farms there were known locally as "Disneyland, KS".

No town was ever established there and the farm residents received rural mail delivery from the Ellis station rather than from the siding. By the 1880s, a school had been established there one half mile north of the railroad tracks, which was named Beaver Bank for being built on the bank of a beaver dam on Big Creek. The Disneys supported and taught at that school, Elias meeting Walt's mother there. Much later, the school was the meeting place of the Busy Beavers 4-H Club.

A cattle corral and a wooden granary were built early at the new siding. However, by the 1950s, only a shed depot remained, which was later removed, leaving only the railroad sign announcing "Hogback" until the 1980s.

Physical geography
In western Ellis County, between the Smoky Hill and Big Creek valleys arises a stone-capped ridge, lying from Ellis to within miles of Hays. Viewed from present day Interstate 70 across to the valley to the north, a line of small buttes along the ridge add to the resemblance of the ridge to a hog's back, hence the settler's name for the ridge, Hogback. The crest of the ridge is about 3 mi closer to Big Creek than it is to the Smoky Hill River, while the south slope broader, given to a wide area of relatively level cropland, the heights of the ridge are given to high bluffs, especially the north face that drew the attention of frontier photographers and geologists in the 19th century. Notably, the soils of the steeper upper slopes are weathered from the Blue Hills shale. This sticky gumbo soil was difficult to till and of poor quality for wheat farming, giving the ridge and its community's name a reputation for uselessness. Much of these hilltops remain largely in pasture today.

History
The Kansas Pacific Railway laid its track along the base of the north bluffs in the winter of 1867-68, during a lull in the war with the Cheyenne and other tribes,  the war being triggered by the very construction of the railroad into the west of the state.

In one particular place, a bow of Big Creek came up against the base of the prominent bluff of the Hogback, the track threading a narrow passage between the creek and the bluff. A siding was installed on track just west of the base on the bluff. Robert Benecke photographed the bluff from the that location in 187...

Initially, not much was considered at the original siding, the thin, rocky soil of the hills was poor for farming and no natural resources were recognized.

Soils overlying the slopes of Blue Hills shale tend to be thin with no storage of subsoil moisture to support summer crops. gumbo

Disneys
or Hogback siding In 18..., Erasmus Disney with one of his sons acquired 3...0 acres at Hogback siding. The 190... atlas of Ellis County indicated parcels occupying and adjoining Hogback siding as being owned by Erasmus, Mary, and William Disney, who were, respectively, the grandfather, grandmother, and an uncle of Walt Disney.

Relocation
When a siding was installed just to the east of that bluff in 190..., when I. M. Yost established a cement mill and the village of Yocemento, the siding was moved 3 mi west to the present location.

Commonwealer Army
Coxey's Army of Commonwealers In protest of the economic policies of the Federal Government, a Commonwealer Army led by General Sanders stole a series of trains before being stopped and arrested by United State Marshal Neely and a hundred armed deputies in Scott City, Kansas on May -- of 19. Weeks later, another Commonwealer Army stole a train in Denver

Coal hoax
F. A. Nichty Twenty five investors from Iowa and Illinois coal McQuarry

Actually, this was at the present Yocemento site.

Hog Back was a railroad siding and granary 3 mi east of Ellis.

Buffalo Bill Cody was familiar with the terrain of the Hogback, having frequently crossed it on hunting forrays West of Fort Hays. When indians had start to harass his hunting wagons he set up a counter-ambush in a defensible ravine on the Hogback. Two locations are historically recorded for

DYN that in 1917? ?|Hogback siding was relocated to the Ellis County, Kansas farm settled by Kepple Disney, grandfather of Walt Disney (pictured)?

DYN that the Commonwealer's hijacked train was stopped at Hogback siding to prevent public violence?

before he surveyed the future Yellowstone Park, F.V. Hayden surveyed the geology and geography of the of the Kansas Pacific Railway, including the Ellis Co. Hog Back?

Railroad
The Ellis station had no passing siding so that a late west bound Portland Rose (train) was required to stop here if the east bound was occupying the station.

Media
(Reading of local news at community gatherings)

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209418/page/25 1905 Ellis, Kepple Disney, (no siding!)

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209418/page/27 1905 Smoky Hill City

1922 https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223993/page/29 Thomas Disney estate, Hog Back Siding

https://www.kansasmemory.org/ Standard Atlas of Ellis County, Kansas - 43

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209418/page/25 1905 Ellis, Kepple Disney, (no siding)

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209418/page/27 1905 Smoky Hill City

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209418/page/20 1905 Thomas Disney, Mary Disney, B. F. Replogle (no Hog Back)

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209418/page/28 1905 Hays Yost mill on Chestnut Street (Main), Pump

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209418/page/30 1905 Smoky Hill City Plat

1922 https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223993/page/34 1922 Thomas Disney, Golden Belt-Union Pacific Highway https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223993/page/29 1922 Thomas Disney estate, Wm Disney, Hog Back Siding M.E. Replogle

http://www.archercountynews.com/news/old-news-finds-its-way-back-into-the-headlines/article_6e7f26a2-7ae4-59f4-970a-d9737eb840fb.html

Anton (Tony) Schlumpf, 89-year old Windthorst pioneer, in 1894 helped coin a phrase when he joined Coxey’s Army and got as far as Hogback Switch, Kan., when his portion of the “army” was disbanded.

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/93432346/

June 4, 1894

Salina Daily Republican from Salina, Kansas · Page 4

Publication: Salina Daily Republican Location: Salina, KansasIssue Date: Monday, June 4, 1894

AN ARMY CAPTURED.

MARSHAL NEELEY CALLED TO THE WESTERN PART OF THIS STATE AGAIN.

He Captures Another Army but Sends it Back to Denver in Stock Car

Hogback Becomes Known to the World. The name of Hogback, a little station this side of Ellis has become known. It was there that Marshal Neeley captured an army of commonwealers last evening and regained possession of a stolen train. Last Friday morning about fifty men took possession of number 12, through freight train, at Watkin's water tank a few miles this side of Denver. The train crew was unable to put the Coxeyites off and finally consented to go on. During the day the army was increased by many tramps along the road, and by the time the freight reached Ellis. Saturday morning, the army had been increased to about a hundred members. The Union Pacific company tied the train up at this point and sent for Marshal Neeley. The commonwealers were on three cars of ore that were known to be billed for Kansas City. They had persistently refused to leave these cars, arguing that they were bound to reach Kansas City if they remained upon them. The Ellis people fed the army Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night, by a clever ruse, the train crew managed to get out of Ellis with all of their train except the three cars of ore upon which the commonweal army was camped. The commonweal remained in charge of their three cars and waited for an opportunity to get hold of an engine. Meantime Marshal Neeley had organized a posse of nearly seventy-five men, and started for Ellis on a special train. This train passed through here [Hays, Kansas] at 3:80 yesterday afternoon. When it became known that the marshal's train was on the way, arrangements were made by the U. P. company to let the commonwealers get out of Ellis and meet the official train at the little sidetrack station of Hogback. This was accomplished and when the stolen train reached Hogback it met Marshal Neeley's train. The deputies lined up alongside the flat cars and the commonwealers were ordered to get down. They at first refused, saying that they would not give up their cars unless they were arrested and taken to Leavenworth. They were very anxious to be arrested and treated in the same manner as the Sanders army had been. Mr. Neeley assured the men that they were under arrest, and they came down and lined up by the deputies. The marshal then made known that his intention was to take only three of the leaders east for trial and he was going to send the rank and file back to Colorado in some hog cars that were on the sidetrack at Hogback for that purpose. This raised a furor and one or two of the members of the army swore. They couldn't do anything except obey the marshal, however, so they gave up in disgust and were loaded into the hog cars. These cars were then locked and sealed as common livestock and started for Colorado in charge of thirty deputies. "General" Carlson said that he was the leader of that army and didn't propose to let the men go back to Colorado. Marshal Neeley gave a coarse laugh and told Carlson that he himself was now general of the army and that the resignation of General Carlson had been asked for. The marshal's special returned at once to Leavenworth with Carlson, and two other leaders in charge, passing through here about midnight last night.

GREAT EPOCHS IN AMERICAN HISTORY - USGenNet

www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/preservation/epochs/vol10/pg96.htm

1.

Such became at last the declared purpose of all the Commonwealers; and so the three "armies" began their march to Washington from different points—Coxey ...

Marching on Washington: The Forging of an American Political Tradition

https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0520931203

Lucy G. Barber - 2004 - ‎History

To further discredit Coxey's Army, senators and others described the Commonwealers as being precisely what the Commonwealers accused Congress of being: ...

The Libertarian Labyrinth | Address to Commonwealers

www.library.libertarian-labyrinth.org/items/show/200

1.

ADDRESS TO COMMONWEALERS. BY J. K. INGALLS. Hirelings who for gold have bled! Voters to polls by bosses led! Toilers, begging "work or bread,"

April 23, 1894 - MUST VACCINATE