O. J. Ward

                                                         Salt City, Kansas.
                                               FROM THE NEWSPAPERS.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 9, 1877. Front Page.
Coal at Salt City.
SALT CITY, KAS., April 28, 1877.
At a meeting called for the purpose of taking action with regard to the organization of a coal company at this place. On motion Mr. L. Small was elected Chairman and W. E. Chenoweth, Secretary.
A letter was read by Mr. Wm. Berkey, from Todd & Royal, with regard to their proposition, on the shaft already begun. Short speeches were made by the following named persons, concerning the past, present, and future coal prospects: Messrs. Foster, Broadbent, Acton, Mills, Ward, Berry, Chenoweth, Berkey, Reynolds, and Lewis. A lively time was had.
On motion of Mr. Wm. Berkey, an election of five directors for a coal company was ordered. This resulted in the selection of the following gentlemen: George Reynolds, J. H. Hudson, Robert Mills, L. Small, and Wm. Berkey.
Moved and seconded that H. B. Pruden be the Treasurer of the company. On motion, W. E. Chenoweth was chosen Secretary.
Messrs. Berkey and Mills were instructed to confer with Todd & Royal and make arrangements with them on a proposition to proceed with the old shaft.
Motion made by Mr. Lewis that the two men who confer with Todd & Royal meet the Board of Directors on Saturday, May 5th, 1877, at 10 o’clock a.m., and give their report of the result of the conference, and that they invite Todd & Royal to meet the board at that time in the schoolhouse at Salt City.
Motion carried that there be a meeting of the citizens of the vicinity, and all interested parties, at 2 o’clock p.m., at the same place, May 5th, 1877.
Moved and carried that the Arkansas City Traveler, Winfield Courier, and Oxford Independent be requested to publish these minutes.
On motion the meeting adjourned. L. SMALL, Chairman.
W. E. CHENOWETH, Secretary.
Winfield Courier, June 21, 1877.
SALT CITY, KAN., June 15, 1877.
EDITOR COURIER—Dear Sir: I send you a list of city officers for this city, who were duly elected yesterday.
Mayor: Robert Mills.
Marshal: W. E. Berry.
Council: Daniel Roof, O. J. Ward, D. T. Baker, Dr. W. T. Arnold, and Thos. Mills.
Trade good; two more stores came in here yesterday. W. M. BERKEY.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 27, 1877.
SALT CITY has elected city fathers. One of the principal amusements in a western city of the third class is to pass ordinances. Some western Legislatures are addicted to the same habit.
[SALT CITY, SUMNER COUNTY, CORRESPONDENT: “RUDY.”]

Winfield Courier, February 13, 1879.
SALT CITY, KS., Feb. 11, 1879.
Mr. Ward anticipates making a trip to Colorado in the spring.
Hattie Ward...
Arkansas City Traveler, February 11, 1880.
MARRIED. At the residence of the bride’s sister, by Elder Broadbent, February 7th, 1880, Mr. James Lobdell and Miss Hattie Ward.
Both parties are members of the Christian church at Salt City, are well known and highly respected, and although they have stepped from the circle of the young and taken upon themselves the responsibilities of married life yet we hope still to have their society. May they long remain among us and the Lord bless them on the journey of life.
JOHN J. BROADBENT.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 8, 1881.
SALT CITY’S SALT WORKS.
A representative of the Press attended the public meeting held at Salt City last Saturday and picked up some items in reference to the salt resources of that vicinity. Long before the first pioneers ventured west of the Arkansas River, the numerous salt springs of Walton Township and the Slate Creek bottom were well known to the Indians and buffaloes that occupied Sumner County at that time; and before this territory was ceded to the United States by the Osage Indians, these springs were “claimed.” There is no available record of the earliest opera­tions in salt manufacture from their brine.
In 1873, O. J. Ward constructed a vat 20 inches wide, 8 feet long, and 3 inches deep. In this he evaporated the brine taken from little oozes in the ground. By this means he manufactured 63 pounds of salt in 7 days. He also took one gallon of this water; and by boiling, obtained 3½ pounds of salt from it.
When we say salt, we mean salt, and the purest and best of the arti­cle. Repeated and careful chemical analysis show that this salt carries only a trace of foreign substances. The large majority of the old settlers in this county have used this salt; they testify, with one accord, that it has no superior for ordinary purposes, and that it preserves meats much better than imported salts.
Cowley County Courant, April 20, 1882.
Typo sends us the following items from Geuda Springs, which will no doubt be of interest to most of our readers.

“The springs have taken a new boom within the past ten days, houses are springing up in every direction. Two new, two-story, boarding houses, and a number of residences have been commenced this week. The Chicago Lumber Co. have opened a yard here, and have built a neat office. Messrs. Hubbell and Riley [Reilly] of Caldwell have just identified themselves with the new town. Mr. Riley [Reilly] bought the Ward place (ten acres) between the old and new town, on Tuesday, for $1,000. They let the contract for a business house opposite the springs, and have obligated themselves to build a two-story stone or brick house this summer. We have now five boarding houses, all two-story but one, but the need of a larger hotel is felt more and more every day. Why is it that some man with money does not see this chance for a splendid investment? Some two or three hundred visitors were at the springs Sunday, and the number will increase every week from this time. We have now three groceries, two dry-goods, and two drug houses, and nearly fifty dwellings built and contracted for. Dr. Perry is just finishing the last of his ten cottages, he will furnish them all. Mr. McCarty of Wellington is building a small hotel, and quite a number of strangers are here looking out for a chance to invest.”
[GEUDA SPRINGS CORRESPONDENT: “G. W.”]
Arkansas City Traveler, April 26, 1882.
Geo. W. Riley [Reilly], of Caldwell, is building a good business house, which will be occupied as a store by Mr. Hubbell, formerly of Caldwell. Riley [Reilly] has also bought the O. J. Ward ten acres at $80 per acre.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 31, 1883.
[From the Geuda Springs Herald.]
Mr. Ward expects to lay off four blocks of town lots on the northwest corner of his place next week. We understand that he has already been offered as high as two hundred dollars apiece for some of his lots. These lots are on the Cowley County side of Main Street just south of McCarty’s hotel.
[Above was the last item found relative to O. J. Ward. MAW]