We thank you for the compliment paid us last week at the heading of our article. The sound of the saw and hammer can be heard early and late in our town on improvements that are being constructed. We understand that other improvements are in contemplation.
     Now for the Lone Elm that we promised you in our last article. There are few people living today who know the history of this noted tree that stood four miles northwest of Huntington. The reader, perhaps, will begin to wonder about the history of this beautiful tree.
     The tree stood about where Bud Council lives. No other tree stood near it. The branches and foliage of this tree were beautiful and was a fine resting place for the hawk, owl, eagle and other fowls who seemed to be monarch of the whole prairie.
     Away back in the early days before the Civil War, a race track was made commencing at the Lone Elm, running southwest in the direction of what is now known as the John F. Williams farm, owned now by Frank Hoff. The track was about one half mile in length. Horse racing was very common in those days. These tracks became very noted. The racing season commenced about the first of September.
     About three weeks before the time fixed for racing to begin, parties that expected to participate in the racing, began to come in. They came from Kentucky and other adjoining states and the Indian Territory, and by racing time the Lone Elm was surrounded with tents, sheds and shelters and shades of all kinds. It had the appearance of an old time camp meeting. The time up to the beginning of the racing was spent training the race horses. A bunch was here from Kentucky. I well remember a small mare they called Little Nell. She always won. The Lone Elm race track was known in several states. The racing season lasted about a month, and some of the finest race stock in the United States was brought here. Thousands of dollars was bet. The track was kept in fine condition. The farmers and others always attended the races. It was more like a picnic than anything I can think of. When Little Nell's time came she could hardly wait for the signal, and, oh boy, she could run.
     The racing was kept up each season until the commencement of the Civil War. This all occurred in four miles of where Huntington is now located.