Syracuse, one of the important cities of western Kansas and the judicial seat of Hamilton county, is an incorporated city of the third class, located on the Arkansas river and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. 15 miles from the Colorado line. It is a division point for the railroad and is the principal town in the state west of Garden City. It has 2 banks, a flour mill, machine shops, 2 weekly newspapers (the News and the Republican), 4 churches, a county high school in which 10 teachers are employed, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice. The population in 1910 was 1,126. A new steel bridge was built over the Arkansas river in 1909 and a fine rock road runs through the city, leading to the country on either side. Many of the residents own automobiles. Prior to 1873 the town was called Holliday in honor of Cyrus K. Holliday of Topeka. In that year a colony from Syracuse, N. Y., settled here and changed the name. In 1886 Syracuse was victorious in the county seat fight, in which Kendall was the opposing candidate. Although it suffered from the drought and hard times for the next fifteen years Syracuse did not fare as badly as the majority of western towns. The population in 1890 was 324. During the next decade, which was the worst in the history of that section of the state, it increased to 460. Between the years of 1907 and 1909 the town is said to have doubled in population and there is a steady growth in progress at present. A number of immense pumping plants have been installed in the vicinity in recent years and much of the prosperity now enjoyed is due to irrigation of the farm lands. A fine $75,000 hotel belonging to the Harvey system is one of the features of Syracuse.