Dull Knife was killed and when the Indians returned and recovered his body, the battle was ended. The river bed was strewn with the dead warriors and ponies of the Indians; the wounded whites received but little aid as Dr. Moore had been hit in the head early in the engagement. Col. Forsyth and Lieut. Beecher were both wounded, many of the men were dead, and all suffered for lack of water. At midnight two scouts were started on their perilous journey to Fort Wallace for aid, and reached the fort at sundown on Sept. 20. A command left at midnight for the Arickaree. As help was so long in coming to the besieged men, who were suffering, two more men volunteered to try to get through the Indian lines. They met the relief party under Col. Parker, and guided it to the island. It was later learned that the Indians lost between 700 and 800 warriors during the battle, which broke their power in the west.
Arispie, a hamlet of Pottawatomie county, is located 9 miles east of Westmoreland, the county seat, and 7 miles southwest of Onaga, from which place it receives daily mail.
Arkalon, an international money order postoffice of Seward county, is situated in Fargo township at the point where the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. crosses the Cimarron river, 13 miles northeast of Liberal, the county seat. Although the population is small, Arkalon is an important shipping point, especially for grain and live stock.
Arkansas City, the largest city of Cowley county and one of the most important commercial centers of southeastern Kansas, is beautifully located on the elevation between the Arkansas and Walnut rivers, about 4 miles north of the state line and 12 miles south of Winfield, the county seat. The city was laid out in 1870, about the time Cowley county was organized, and the postoffice was established in April of that year with G. H. Norton as postmaster. Mr. Norton built the first house—a pioneer log structure—and was one of the first merchants. The place was first called Adelphi, later Walnut City, still later Cresswell and finally the name of Arkansas City was adopted. On June 10, 1872, Judge W. P. Campbell of the 13th district issued the order for the incorporation of the town, and at the first election for municipal officers on July 2, A. D. Keith was chosen mayor. For a few years the growth was comparatively slow, but in Dec., 1879, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad company completed a line to Arkansas City, after which the growth was more rapid and of a more substantial character. Following this road came the Kansas Southwestern, the Missouri Pacific, the Midland Valley and the St. Louis and San Francisco lines, providing transportation facilities as good as are to be found in any city of its size anywhere.
With the advent of the railroads, manufacturing became an important industry. Water power is provided by a canal 5 miles long connecting the Walnut and Arkansas rivers. Among the manufactured products are cement, flour and feed, brooms, paint and alfalfa meal. The city also has a meat packing establishment, planing mills, ice factory, creameries,
