Greensburg was named for stagecoach driver D. R. "Cannonball" Green.
He once ejected Carrie Nation from his coach after she snatched a cigar
from his mouth and tossed it away.
On October 23, 1911, Greensburg's first speeding ticket involving
an auto was issued for exceeding the speed limit of 10mph.
In 1886, Governor John Martin organized Kiowa County and named it after the native Indians of the area. Small settlements
were springing up across the plains. Donald R. Green "Cannonball Green" was instrumental in the organization of Greensburg,
the town that would bear his name. Green was elected Kiowa County's first representative in the Kansas legislature in 1889.
Colonel Green was a flamboyant, boastful character. He liked to dominate a crowd while twirling his diamond-studed watch
chains. He owned and operated "The Cannonball Stageline." His fine stage coaches and speeding broncos blazed trails which
railroads and highways later followed. He took great pride in the speed of his coaches and advertised that even "Father Time"
couldn't keep up with the "Cannonball."
His stageline brought stability and prosperity to the towns it served as he helped his passengers become acquainted with prairie
life. But his stageline was up-staged when the railroad came to Kiowa County. And that begins the story of the World's Largest Hand Dug Well!
