Menges had at one time practically a thousand acres, which since his departure has been split up and sold to various parties. J. J. Kinney's ranches, which expanded to about four thousand acres, were west of town, on both sides of the railroad. He sold these holdings to H. A. Clark of Columbus, who disposed of them to Wm. Webster, of Kansas City. While part of this ranch has been split up. the most of it is yet together. The L. C. Kinney holdings, west of Bushnell, have been sold.

The Clarkson land was afterwards disposed of and came into the hands of numerous settlers, and much of it has now passed into hands of third and fourth parties.

These early settlers, with a pride becoming their faith and enthusiasm in the supporting qualities of this region for an extensive population, collected samples of their products and exhibited at the Omaha and state fairs as early as 1885, and thus aided materially in securing the second premium at each fair on county exhibits.

Kimball ix 1886

A good grasp of the state of progress then made by Kimball county can be secured from that portion of a booklet issued in 1886 by a "Guide to the Lands cf Cheyenne County." issued that year by the members of the Real Estate Association of Cheyenne county, Nebraska. Those members of that association then living within the present confines of Kimball county were: Jones & Stevens, S. F. Fleharty and Theo. Menges of Kimball and James Newell of Bushnell. Of the Kimball region, these enthusiastic advocates of western Nebraska said :