I am searching for some information and thought maybe someone here could help. Does anyone know of a on-line source that would have a listing of items sold in the early 1870's out of their store? Or perhaps has a source they could copy and E-Mail to me?
I'm doing some research and a list of items sold at the height of the buffalo hide harvest would help a lot I'm coming up blank so far.
Yer Friend from up North of the border in Newbrassky.
Delmonico aka Glen Carman
You may have already done so but if you have not and can't find anything otherwise, you could go to your local library.
Ask their interlibrary loan people order a Dodge City microfilmed newspaper of the era from the Kansas State Historical Society at Topeka.
Be prepared for a wait, though, and your library would have to have a microfilm reader and hopefully an attached printer.
You would have to provide a reel number.
The Dodge City Messenger is on reel numbers S678 and D399 for a few issues.
The Society website will show other Dodge City newspapers at http://www.kshs.org/library/news.htm
Local stores were steady advertisers in early Howard County newspapers listing some of the items they had.
Many times the editor gratuitously helped out by announcing a new wagon load of specific goods coming in at the local general or hardware store, etc.
Perhaps a trip down there might be better sometime. I have planned to for sometime because of some other items I want to check on/discuss with them down there.
Thanks for the information.
Let me provide you with some crucial advice.
When you enter the Kansas State Historical Society be sure you do not have a pen in your hand.
Take only a pencil and use only a pencil to sign in and fill out requests for material, etc.
If you do not have a pencil, they will provide you with one.
Boy, those kind of things on the web seem few and far between. Maybe these will find some leads.
http://www.csrmf.org/doc.asp?id=104 (http://www.csrmf.org/doc.asp?id=104)
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/684/files/hardware.pdf (http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/684/files/hardware.pdf)
I did run into several references to hardeware store ledgers and inventory sheets that were on microfilm in state or county historical societies. There were a few that mentioned manuscripts, so they must have the originals to look at. None of the ones I saw were in Nebraska or Kansas. It might be worthwhile for you to email a couple of the historical societies near you and see if they have what you want. Or, as others have said, to just go ask
The Kansas Genealogical Society and library is headquartered in Dodge City, Kansas. I ahve been a member of it and they do have an exstensive library and historical material. You can go to their website for review.
Frank
If you really get stuck, let me know and I'll take a whirl through the historical collections at the University of Kansas libraries. They have one of everything, but it's always in that corner WAY over there.
;)
Get that scooter!
I can do most of my "whirl" on the computer and the phone. But going to look at stuff or getting copies from the KU historical libraries will probably be the thing that makes me do just that. Some time, probably soon, I'm going to be unable to get to them from even where I can park. If that won't do it, nothing will.
;)
Do you mean Zimmermans Hardware? There was a store of that name in early Dodge. You might try Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City
http://www.boothill.org/
another place to try may be
http://www.dodgedev.org/Tourism.html
Yes I meant Zimmermans, CRS again. They supplied gear to a lot of the early hide hunters.
Maybe I should explain what I'm trying to find and it coming our of Zimmermans would be best. Got some friends, good folks, but somethimes I wonder about their research skills. Anyway they are setting up a hide hunters type camp when they go out. Since they can't find meantion anywhere of a buffalo hunter using a lantern, they have it in their heads that buffalo hunters did use coal oil (kerosene) lanterns in camp. Of course it is well know that these lanterns were cheap in the post Civil War time period as well as the coal oil and most likely about every sod buster owned at least one and they were meantioned a lot as being used on cattle drives.
Now there a a couple of accounts of them adding buffalo tallow to a fire for more light, but heck I do that with lard all the time when I need a bit more light for a few minutes even with 2-3 coal oil lamps going. Just can't see why anybody that spent the several hundred dollars that a buffalo hunting outfit cost would not include a couple of lanterns at about a buck apiece and a couple gallons of coal oil that sold for 'bout 10 cents a gallon. They have a funny notion no matter how common something was, if someone didn't write about it, they didn't use it, a flawed idea among a lot of the Living History community.
What I want to do is find where Zimmermanns had a large stock of them since in that time period Dodge City's main bussiness with the hide hunters. I want to see how they will explain a large stock of coal oil lanterns if buffalo hunters didn't use them.
I will check those links out and thanks.