334 – 1900 Cheneys

Mark Jarvis

1900 dawned bright and clear for Ralph and Mollie Cheney and family. Enos Ralph was age 29, Mollie was 31. Things were going well.

William and Eliza Cheney were still actively farming in McPherson County.

1900 began a decade of amazing transformation, even in rural McPherson County and small-town Gypsum. Our grandparents were introduced to telephones, electric lights, motion pictures, and motor vehicles.

Dawn of the Century – E.T. Paull – 1900

To Dr. E.R. Cheney, New Year’s Day 1900 must have seemed like Groundhog Day instead. As often happened, he was called to attend a suffering patient.

He had better luck on his 29th birthday, March 1. He was the focus of a surprise party and was able to attend without interruption.

Oysters – Edouard Manet

After all we’ve read and learned about Enos Ralph Cheney, it’s hard to imagine he was only 29 years old.

Family photo

I think this photograph of the Cheney family was taken in 1900 at J.H. Ogden Studio in Gypsum.

Back row: E.R. (29) and Rollo (7), Front row: Ned (5), Fred (3), Mollie (31)

In the above photo, Mollie is wearing the watch and chain that Ralph gave her for Christmas, 1898.

Mollie’s watch – gift from Ralph – December 25, 1898

News sampler

Here’s a sampler of news tidbits. E.R. Cheney was on the school board, the first of many years he served.

While E.R. was on the Gypsum school board, his father W.T. was on the Groveland school board.

A sad loss

In October 1900, Mollie and Ralph had the sad task of burying their newborn son.

St. Louis World’s Fair

In May 1904, the Mollie and Ralph and boys set off for a two week trip to visit relatives in Illinois and attend the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The official name was the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, as it was the centennial of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.

Technology was on display everywhere, but let’s talk about food. There were over 125 eateries at the fair, and many popular modern-day eats were first introduced there.

Perhaps the most amazing food was Fairy Floss, invented by dentist Dr. William Morrison and businessman John Wharton. Their machine could melt and spin sugar into Fairy Floss, later called Cotton Candy. The pair sold over 68,000 boxes of Fairy Floss at 25¢ each. The machine won the prize for “Novelty of Invention.”

The Cheney boys – Rollo, Ned, and Fred – may have sampled their first cotton candy at the fair. Or maybe they preferred other newly-introduced goodies like ice cream cones, peanut butter, or Jell-O.

A first automobile

In November, E.R. Cheney bought a 1904 Cadillac Model B, a one-cylinder masterpiece of engineering.

He was the first doctor in Saline County to purchase an automobile. What a transformation it must have been for his trips to patient’s homes and farms around Gypsum.

1904 Cadillac Model B

The Cadillac earned a reputation for reliability, ease and economy of maintenance. The Model B was available as a runabout or a touring car with a detachable rear-entrance tonneau and optional surrey top, or with a delivery body. The passenger cars were both priced at $900 and weighed roughly 1,450 lb.

Cadillac Runabout and Tonneau – Wikipedia

Some close calls

1904 was mostly a good year, but there were a few close calls for the doctor himself. He was thrown from a railroad handcar and almost drowned in a flood.

Another sad loss

Once again, Mollie and Ralph Cheney had to bury a newborn child in October 1904.

Country Doctor

Dr. E.R. Cheney was the official physician of the railroad.

In October 1904, a railroad fireman looking out the window was almost scalped by a mail crane.

In July 1905, Dr. Cheney was called to treat a railroad worker who had fallen between cars.

Of course Dr. Cheney treated the maladies of the people of Gypsum and surrounding towns and farms. He also took care of family and relatives.

In particular, Mollie Cheney was starting to have bouts of illness that were difficult to diagnose. In 1903, Mollie and Ralph went to Kansas City for specialized treatment.

Timeline

Sources:

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