Kansas Ghost Town

[M. R. Byrd]

Seems that most are pretty uptight about our current financial situation and the upcoming election. Maybe you are like me and could use a little break from all that.

My brother from Alaska is back and wanting to do some metal detecting, so I have been doing some research on a ghost town about fifteen miles east of Dodge City. It has been some interesting research, searching microfilm of old newspapers and maps.

The town was called Ryansville, after founder Pat Ryan, who was an Army teamster under General George A. Custer. After leaving the army at Ft. Dodge, Kansas, he was a buffalo hunter and later established a ranch at the mouth of the Mulberry Creek and the Arkansas River. On September 28, 1885, he incorporated the city of Ryansville.

Ryansville had its own newspaper, "The Ryansville Boomer" and a large ad reading, "Money can be made radidly by investing in Ryansville, the future metropolis of southwest Kansas. Ryansville is in the garden spot of the earth on the classic banks of the Arkansas River and is only two months old. Ryansville has a post office, two newspapers, an excellent schoolhouse, one of the finest livery stables in the country, a number of stores, and plenty of good water. A bridge spans the river at this point. A big wholesale lumber yard, a grand drug store, a general merchandise store, flour, feed, and coal store, blacksmith shop, hotel, and stage and transfer line."

Mr. Ryan, who was born in Turone, Ireland, died on November 29, 1885 at the age of forty-five.

On New Year's Eve, 1885, Ryansville held a big celebration for the opening of its Windsor Hotel, which included a banquet and a dance. Music was provided by Chuck Beeson's orchestra from Dodge City.

I enjoyed reading some of the issues of "The Ryansville Boomer"

December 18, 1885-
"Christmas Dance is the next picnic."
"One more house of Ford City is on wheels bound for Ryansville."
"The music of the hammer and the saw can be heard all over the city."
"A spelling match is on tapis. It will occur at the school house in a short time."

January 1, 1886-
"The Boomer has been printed on a man-killing press. If a continuation this should occur, there would not be many Christians left in this neighborhood. In order to save many souls, we have ordered a new press, which will be with us in about two weeks."
"A hardware store is coming next."
"A Montrose girl has a pair of lovely feet nineteen inches long and seven and a half inches wide, and her father has offered $5,000 cash and a well-stocked ranch to the man who marries her."
"Lumber for four more buildings has arrived."
"Weston and Bates are touching up their new store building this week, with a large plate glass front."
"O. Marsh & Sons, leading clothing merchants of Dodge City are the next on the string. They will have a $2,000 stock of goods at Ryansville in the short distant future."
"Harry Wilkes and Fred Dickson, two well known druggists of Dodge, were in the city fore-part of the week making arrangements to open up a fine drug store in Ryansville."
"Mr. Samuel Hawley sent freight teams to Dodge, last Wednesday for a car load of groceries. He will have one of the largest supplied grocery houses in this part of the country."

There was a feud with adjacent town of Ford and when the railroad went through Ford, Ryansville died. "The Ryansville Boomer", printed its last newspaper on June 18, 1886, after just twenty-eight issues. Overnight many of the buildings were moved to Ford.



I had heard the stories of Ryansville growing up, but never really had researched it, especially since there are really no remnants of the town left. We will do a little prowling in hopes of finding something left behind from the old town.

With today's uncertain financial situation, I had to think back about the money that was invested in Ryansville and its very short life. I can just imagine all the activity that was going on in this boom town and all for naught.

Anyway, I enjoy looking back at our history.

[recoil junky]

Pretty interesting Maynard. Hope you find some good trinkets. Having grown up in the Alder Gulch and Bannock areas of Montana, I share your intrest in old ghost towns and abandon mining claims. I never got near any of it with a metal detecter though.

RJ

[RatherBHuntin]

I love history, and that sounds like a lot of fun researching ghost towns.  Good reading there Maynard

[davidlt89]

Good post Maynard, very interesting! God bless.

[M. R. Byrd]

We spent the day searching the town, but with no roads or other visible remnants it is difficult. We tried to imagine where the two hotels might have sat. We did find a number of dugouts, but they had filled in with about three foot of dirt.
 
The first thing we found was what I think is a 12 gauge pinfire brass bottom. I am not familiar with pinfire shotguns, but that is what I think it is.

[M. R. Byrd]

Next we found a large rimfire. The case measures approximately .44 x .925". It was struck with two firing pins, directly opposite of each other.

[M. R. Byrd]

We found plenty of 10 and 12 gauge brass, but no coins or anything of value.

[rockinbbar]

Cool stuff, Maynard.

Looks like that pinfire was made in England as well.

The .44 looks like a Henry case. Is it stamped "H" in the middle that you can tell?

[M. R. Byrd]

Barry,
 
I cannot see any markings on the case, but from what I am being told it is a 44 Henry fired from a Winchester 1866(Yellowboy) lever action. I was told that because of the double firing pin. I don't know, of course, so have to defer to people that are knowledgeable of period firearms and ammo.
 
We were hoping to get out today to an area that the calvary defended themselves against an Indian attack, but no permission yet.
 
This afternoon we may hunt an early fort for relics.

[bowhunter 51]

I like to get out with my metal detector sometimes...That pin-fire shot
shell brass really caught my eye...I didn't know anything like that ever
existed...most unusual...Thanks for sharing.........................................BH51...

[M. R. Byrd]

Here is the other side of the pinfire-

[Nelsdou]

Very cool to find that kind of stuff and be able to figure out what it is.

I grew up in Sumner Co. and back in the late '50's seemed like there was a small settlement and a one-room school house in every township. But when I started to go to school (I believe in '61) school consolidatation was underway so I went to "town" for schooling. About that time most of those small settlements started disappearing, then later a lot of the short rails followed suite.

So there's a bunch of ghost towns but unfortunately a lot of history disappeared with them. Pretty neat you found some history kept on one of them.

On a separate topic have you found any iron meteorites with the metal detector? Seems like I saw something on TV on how the prairie soils do a good job catching and retaining meterorites.

Nels

[M. R. Byrd]

Nels-
 
I don't have a metal detector, yet. My brother from Alaska will be traveling via fifth wheel for the first time this winter and he bought one to use along the way, so the experience level is low at the moment. The area around Greensburg and Haviland is known for finding meteroites.
 
Sumner County, Kansas? I have a friend that lives in Caldwell.

[Nelsdou]

Yep.  One of my brothers lives in Belle Plaine.

Nels

[M. R. Byrd]

My wife and I lived in Wichita for a few years. We purchased season passes at the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. What a beautiful place on this earth.