Living Off the Water: The Challenge to Tame and Sustain Life in the Solomon Valley
Shared human experiences with water along the Solomon River from Glasco to Hoxie, Kansas.
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Robert McBratney
Leads Solomon Valley Exploration |
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The Robert McBratney excursion set out to locate the route for the Junction City, Solomon Valley and Denver Railway. The assumption was not if, but where.
The primary participants confirm this intention: U.S. Senator Edmund G. Ross, B. F. Mudge, Professor, Agricultural College, Manhattan, geologist; Richard Mobley, State agent for sale of railroad lands; and Robert McBratney, President of the Junction City, Solomon Valley and Denver Railway. State troops were assigned to accompany them, changing as they moved from location to new location. U. S. troops would have provided a more disciplined escort. McBratney documented conditions observed—river as obstacle and resource, wildlife and land. These diary entries footnote the exhibit panels for the Solomon Valley Water/Ways stories. The 1869 comments provide a baseline for the developments since that time. |
Photo courtesy of KS Historical Society
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McBratney encountered challenges of ignorance, lack of coordination, unrealistic expectations, forcing him to abandon the exploration.
The search for the railroad route was overshadowed when presented with the immediate needs and dangers faced by settlers: buffalo, Indians, extreme weather, lack of protection.
The unaddressed “if” turned out to be critical — for no continuous East-West railroad ever did go through the Solomon Valley. The survey did provide an early look at the Solomon Valley, the importance of water, and the prospects for settlement.
The search for the railroad route was overshadowed when presented with the immediate needs and dangers faced by settlers: buffalo, Indians, extreme weather, lack of protection.
The unaddressed “if” turned out to be critical — for no continuous East-West railroad ever did go through the Solomon Valley. The survey did provide an early look at the Solomon Valley, the importance of water, and the prospects for settlement.
