"In the first week of April 4,1870 They met with William Henry Cameron, John Worick and S.R.Worick at the Teachers Institute in Freeport, Illinois. They said they were leaving for Jewell the following week and he could join them. After two days journey they arrived at Waterville, Kansas, the end of the railroad. They then rented a room to store their trunks. They then took their guns and started on the eighty mile trip to Jewell County.
When they got to Clyde, which was about a half of the way, they were told they could get good prairie claims there, about two miles from town, but they wanted claims with timber and water. While they where stopping there, J. D. Robertson came from Manhattan with three wagon loads of merchandise to start a store. He kindly offered to carry their baggage. They stayed at Lake Sibley until the next morning. They then waded the Republican River to about a quarter of a mile north of Buffalo Creek.
When they arrived at Buffalo Creek, Cameron said he would file claim on the east quarter for his father Samuel and on the west half for his brother in law Henry Wolfe. In the fall he would return with a team and he wanted Mr.Hoffer to try and keep the claims for them. W.H.Cameron said he would take the claim north of Hoffer's. Cameron and Hoffer left for Junction City to homestead and file for the other neighbors. They traveled together along with three other men until below Clinton. They then followed the river and the other three men turned to the left. When Hoffer got back from Junction City some new settlers had come in. They kept it a secret that the Cameron and Wolfe claims were only filed on. Hoffer wrote the Camerons and warned them of the danger of losing their claims.
With in two weeks Samuel Cameron and Henry Wolfe was there. When they came, they cut the logs for Cameron's house. They then stayed with the Hoffers until the house was done. When Henry Wolfe was ready to start home, three men came along on their way to Topeka. He made a bargain to ride to Junction City.
But before they got started someone brought a report that a 1,000 indians were on the warpath about 200 miles north west. That scared Wolfe so that he asked Cameron to go home with him. He left Kansas without homesteading. In the fall he came back with his family and took claim east of W.H.Cameron."
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On D. J. Matter moving to Washington the paper said: "D. J. Matter came to Jewell county 48 years ago. There is only one other man in town who has been here that long. That man is William Cameron. They came in 1870. Mr. Cameron came in the spring with the Freeport Colony and is the only survivor of that colony, now living in the county. S. R. Worick and we think John Hoffer, were members of the colony but they are now on the Pacific coast. Mr. Matter came here the same year, but not with the colony. He was then a young man of 28 years, full of energy and ambition. Kansas, in those 48 years, has furrowed his cheek, silvered his brow, but money in his pocket, and given him hundreds of friends whom he will sadly miss and who will greatly miss him. Mr. Matter has always been an upright reliable citizen, who has stood like a rock for the things he thought were best. Next after day, after his sale on Saturday, he and Mrs. Matter will depart for there new home at Bellingham, Washington. We are sure Mr. Matter will always keep a sunny spot in his heart for old Kansas as will his old Kansas friends for him." (from Gladys Kuhn, late 70's) from Jewell City Kansas Internet Site, 2001 by Leland M. Haines, Northville, MI.
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September 5, 2001