Riley County History
"Riley County--Blue Ribbon County of Kansas," 1881
Mayday Township
MAYDAY TOWNSHIP
Mayday township contains the
north-western part of the county.
The portion not lying in the delightful
Fancy creek valley is nearly all a superior quality of rolling prairie. It
has less rocky bluff land than any of
the eastern townships ; and but for the
persistent efforts of railway companies to induce all immigrants to go to
the western part of the State, it would
have been as thickly settled as the
rest of the county, years ago. At
present it is making rapid strides, and
will soon become densely populated.
Land is still cheap, but it will not
long remain so. The native element
largely predominates in the population, which is quite enterprising and
intelligent.
MAYDAY is a small hamlet on Fancy creek, consisting of one store, owned and conducted
by S. Weichselbaum, a blacksmith shop, shoemaker shop, by John
Osborn, a dressmaking and millinery
establishment which will soon be
opened by Mrs. Byarlay, and the house
of S. A. Byarlay.
REAL ESTATE AND MACHINE AGENCY.
S. A. BYARLAY, PROPRIETOR.
As has been mentioned before, there
is no better section of country in Riley
county than that situated on the head
waters of Fancy creek and its tributaries. The north branch of this creek
runs south from Marshall county, and
unites with the southern branch a
short distance below Mayday. Otter
and Walnut creeks come in from the
south. Some of the best bottom farms
in the State are located on these creeks
and their tributaries. The uplands
are not as broken as in some other
parts of the county, and many good
improved and unimproved farms are
located there.
As a fruit-bearing section this part
of the county excels all others.
The inhabitants are mostly native
Americans from the Eastern States
and the mountains of Tennessee. No
better class of people are found in Kansas.
Mr. Byarlay has a large number of
farms which are improved, and a large
amount of unimproved land, for sale
in this vicinity. He has been engaged
in this vocation now for about three
years, and has done a considerable
business, which has increased gradually to the present day. The distance
to a market has heretofore operated
against him ; but, with the present
prospects of a road running up Fancy
creek and another running north to
connect the Junction City and Fort
Kearney railway with the Central
Branch, this will, no doubt, be one of
the most popular agencies in the county.
Farms and lands placed in his hands
are sure to be sold in a short time, as
his correspondence is extensive. He
also deals in farm implements
of the best manufactories, which he is
selling as cheap as they can be purchased at any other point.
Mr. Byarlay is a young man who
has lived from his early childhood in
the northern part of Riley county, and
is thoroughly acquainted with every
section of land in that vicinity. He
has built up an enviable reputation as
a man of unblemished character and
sterling integrity.
He was elected Trustee of Mayday
township in 1880, and re-elected in
1881. He attends strictly to his business, and, being thoroughly reliable,
his agency is destined to soon become
one of the most prominent in this section of Kansas.
Return to Riley Co. KHHP
|
This website created June 9, 2004 by Sheryl McClure.
© 2011-2012 Kansas History and Heritage Project
|