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THE  LIBRARY 

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THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

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KANSAS 


A   Cyclopedia   ot    State    History,    Embracing    Events, 

Institutions,    Industries,   Counties,    Cities, 

Towns,  Prominent  Persons,  Etc. 


Edited  by 

FRANK  W.  BLACKMAR.  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 


IN    TWO   VOLUMES 

VOLUME  II 


ILLUSTRATED 


STANDARD   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

C  H  !  C  A  C  O 


Copy  rl  a  lit  i'Ji:i 

by 

Standard  publishing  Company. 


,^^^ 


LIST  OF  ILLXJSTRATIOI^S 


Kansas  \Vesle\an  University 


Page 
.     62 


First  House  in  Lawrence   "3 

Pen  Sketch  of  Lawrence   ^  ^4 

Cattle   Ranch   near   Oberlin    '"9 


21 


/ 


Old  Windmill  at  Lawrence    

Memorial   Building    

Atchison  Hall,  Midland  College   278 

Ogden  :\Ionument  at  Fort  Riley   3o6 

Monument  to  U.  P.  Track  Laborers   3o8 

A  Kansas  Oil  Well    ^SS 

Last  House  on  Oregon  Trail    393 

Osawatomie    State    Hospital    404 

Ottawa   Universit}-    

Pawnee  Rock    '^^ 

An  Early  Sod  School  House   ^ 

Consolidated  School  at  Rose  Hill    52i 

A  Modern  High  School  Building 522 

^4S 

Santa  Fe  Locomotives  

Robinson  Hall,  State  I'niversity   59i 

First  Catholic  Church  in  Kansas   °3 

Marker  on  Santa  Fe  Trail   "^9 

Great   Seal  of  Kansas    ^ 

Pioneer  Residence,  Short  Grass  Country    694 

Southwestern  College,  Winfield    /  '9 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  CONTINUED 

State  Xornial  School,  Kmporin   "60 

State  Orphans'  Home  762 

Topcka  State  Hospital    S15 

L'nivcrsity  of  Kansa-  832 

Washburn  College,  Topeka   888 

Threshing  Scene,  Western   Kansa--  904 

Whitewater  Falls  near  Tuwanda   908 

Fairmoiint  College,  Wichita 911 


KANSAS 


VOLUME    II. 


Jackson,  Alfred  Metcalf,  lawyer  and  member  of  C<mgress,  was  born 
at  South  Carrollton,  IMuhlenberg  county,  Ky.,  July  14,  i860.  lie  was 
educated  at  the  Kentucky  College  in  his  native  town,  and  in  1881 
removed  to  Kansas,  locating  at  Howard,  Elk  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law.  In  1890  he  was  elected  county  attorney,  and  two 
years  later  was  elected  judge  of  the  Thirteenth  judicial  district.  iVt  the 
end  of  his  term  he  removed  to  A\'infield.  In  1900  he  was  nominated  by 
the  Populists  and  Democrats  on  a  fusion  ticket  for  Congress  and  was 
elected  in  November  of  that  }-ear.  While  in  Congress  he  introduced  a 
bill  proposing  government  ownership  of  telegraph  lines  which  attracted 
considerable  attention.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he  was  defeated  for  a 
reelection  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law  at  A\'infield.  In  1904  Mr. 
Jackson  -was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  national  convention  that 
nominated  Parker  and  Davis. 

Jackson  County,  one  of  the  counties  formed  by  the  first  territorial 
legislature  in  1855,  is  located  in  the  second  tier  south  from  Nebraska, 
and  the  second  west  from  Missouri.  It  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  Pot- 
tawatomie county,  on  the  south  by  Wabaunsee  and  Shawnee,  on  the 
east  by  Jefferson  and  Atchison,  and  on  the  north  by  Nemaha  and  Brown. 
It  is  1,172  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

The  first,  exploration  in  the  regions  that  afterward  became  Jackson 
county  was  by  M.  De  Bourgmont  and  his  company  of  Frenchmen  who 
made  a  journey  in  1724  through  the  lands  of  the  Kansas  to  the  Padouca 
Indians.  He  passed  through  Jackson  county  in  going  from  a  point 
above  Atchison  to  the  Kansas  river  just  west  of  Shawnee  county.  The 
next  exploring  party  was  conducted  in  1819  by  Dr.  Thomas  Say,  who, 
with  four  other  scientists,  went  west  as  far  as  the  Kansas  village 
where  ^Manhattan  now  stands,  and  returning,  passed  through  Jackson 
county  on  their  way  to  Cow  island  near  Atchison.  Fremont  "the  Path- 
finder," passed  through  in   1843  "^^  '^'^  ^""'P  t"  tlie  Rocky  mountains. 

The  boundaries  defined  by  the  legislature  of  1855  contained  1,140 
square  miles.  The  county  was  first  called  Calhoun  ((|.  v.)  in  honor 
of  John  C.  Calhoun.  The  county  was  surveyed  in  the  same  year  and 
a  place  7  miles  from  Topeka  near  the  old  Calhoun  Bluff's  was  made 
the  first  county  seat.  New  boundary  lines  were  defined  in  1857,  wlien 
the  actual  organization  of  the  county  took  place,  and  the  present 
boundary  lines  were  established  by  the  legislature  in  1858,  when  tJie 
countv  seat  was  located  permanentlv  at  Holton. 
(il-2) 


l8  CVXLOI'EDIA    OK 

The  settlements  within  the  borders  of  the  county  as  first  described 
date  back  to  the  '30s,  when  Capt.  Alley  of  Kentucky  established  a 
trading  post  on  the  Kansas  river.  But  settlement  within  the  present 
borders  did  not  begin  until  1855,  when  the  county  was  divided  into 
three  townships.  Douglas,  Atchison  and  Haliday.  Franklin  township 
was  formed  in  1856,  Jefferson  in  1858,  Grant  in  1870,  Netawaka  in 
1871,  Whiting,  Liberty  and  Soldier  in  1872;  Cedar  and  Washington  in 
1873  and  Straight  Creek,  Adrian  and  Garfield  since  then.  The  town- 
ships of  Atchison  and  Haliday  no  longer  exist.  The  first  settlers  in 
Douglas  township,  who  came  in  1855,  were  John  Rippetoe,  William 
Cunningham,  David  Rice,  Josiali  Seal,  Byron  Stewart,  J.  W.  Willard, 
A.  W.  Bainbridge.  Hugh  Piper  and  Rufus  Rice.  The  land  was  not 
surveyed  and  the  settlers  established  their  lines  by  stakes  or  blazes 
on  trees.  Thev  got  their  mail  from  Indianola,  Ozawkie  or  Grasshopper 
Falls. 

Cedar  township  was  settled  in  1855  by  S.  J.  Elliott;  Jefferson  town- 
ship in  1854  by  Francis  Smith;  Franklin  township  in  1854  by  N.  D. 
Lewis;  Grant  township  in  the  late  '50s  by  Peter  Dickson,  R.  P.  Hamm, 
William  Cruzan,  J.  P.  Fraidley,  John  James,  S.  Stephenson  and  T. 
Keir;  Liberty  township  was  settled  at  a  date  not  given,  by  Missourians, 
and  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  settlement  in  the  county.  Some  of  the 
early  settlers  were:  Charles  Bateman,  J.  B.  Parrot,  Alfred  Fuller, 
James  Piper,  W.  R.  Hodges  and  J.  W.  Taylor;  Straight  Creek  town- 
ship in  1855  by  J.  H.  Thompson ;  Soldier  township  in  1857  t>y  William 
Kline,  Henry  Rancier,  William  Knipe,  W.  Branham  and  the  Fair- 
banks; and  Washington,  Netawaka  and  Whiting  townships  were  not 
settled  until  in  the  '60s. 

The  first  election  for  county  officers  was  held  on  Oct.  i,  1855.  The 
first  officers  were:  James  Kuykendall,  probate  judge;  J.  T.  Wilson, 
sheriff;  Anthony  Wilson,  treasurer;  and  James  Kuykendall,  William 
Alley  and  P.  P.  Beeler.  commissioners.  James  Ku}kendall  was  at  dif- 
ferent times  probate  judge,  register  of  deeds,  county  clerk  and  pros- 
ecuting attorney.  He  was  one  of  the  early  business  men  of  the  county. 
District  court  was  held  for  the  first  time  by  Judge  S.  D.  Lecompte 
Sept.  24,  1855. 

The  name  of  the  county  was  changed  from  Calhoun  to  Jackson  by 
Golden  Silvers,  who  was  the  representative  in  the  legislature  in  1858. 
The  county  officials  did  not  recognize  the  new  name  until  a  year  later. 
In  1858  a  vote  was  taken  to  choose  a  new  count)'  seat  and  Holton 
received  79  votes  over  all  other  contestants.  The  county  voted  51  to 
12  for  a  free-state  constitution. 

The  famous  I^ane  road  (q.  v.)  ran  through  Jackson  county  and  the 
"Battle  of  the  Spurs"  occurred  at  Fuller's  ford  on  Straight  creek,  near 
one  of  the  stations  of  the  "underground  railway."  During  the  Civil 
war  Jackson  county  furnished  175  volunteers,  most  of  whom  joined 
the  Eleventh  cavalry,  the  Fifth  cavalry  and  the   Eighth  infantry. 

Prior  to   1859  the  schools  in   the  county   were  carried  on  chiefly  by 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I9 

private  subscription.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  Miss  Harriet 
Warfield  in  1857  in  Douglas  township.  A  log  school  house  was  built 
the  following  year  and  in  1859  district  No.  12  was  organized.  The 
first  school  in  Jefferson  township  was  taught  by  Mrs.  H.  S.  Hart ;  in 
Grant  township  by  E.  S.  Hulan;  in  Liberty  township  by  Sophia  Latti- 
mer;  in  Straight  creek  township  by  James  B.  Hastings;  and  the  first 
real  school  house  was  built  south  of  Holton  in  1858  out  of  logs.  In  1910 
there  were  in  the  county  90  school  districts,  with  over  5,000  persons  of 
school  age,  and  60  libraries. 

The  first  marriage  for  which  any  definite  date  is  given  was  between 
John  Coleman  and  Phoebe  Hastings  on  Jan.  i,  1857;  the  first  birth 
in  the  county  was  probably  that  of  O.  F.  Cunningham.  Some  of  the 
early  ministers  were:  Rev.  R.  P.  Hamm,  Rev.  Byron  Stewart,  who 
settled  in  Douglas  township  in  1855,  Rev.  Eli  H.  Robinson,  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Knipe,  who  held  services  in  a  sawmill  in  Jefferson  township  in 
1858;  Rev.  J.  W.  Williams  and  Rev.  Pardee  Butler,  who  was  mobbed 
in  Atchison  for  his  anti-slavery  opinions. 

In  1871  the  voters  adopted  a  proposition  to  issue  bonds  amounting 
to  $160,000  to  get  the  Kansas  Central  railroad,  and  the  next  year 
donated  the  county's  stock  to  the  railroad  company.  A  delay  in  build- 
ing the  road  from  Holton  to  the  limits  of  the  county  caused  the  com- 
pany to  forfeit  all  but  $60,000  of  the  money.  This  line  is  now  a  part 
of  the  Union  Pacific  system.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  runs 
from  Topeka  to  Holton,  thence  northeast  to  Whiting,  leaving  tin. 
county  near  the  northeast  corner.  The  Kansas  City  Northwestern,  a 
branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific,  runs  from  Valley  Falls  through  Holton 
and  Circleville  and  north  into  Nemaha  county.  Another  branch  of  the 
Missouri  Pacific  enters  the  county  from  Nemaha  and  runs  through 
the  northeastern  part  through  Netawaka  and  Whiting.  The  Topeka 
&  Marysville,  a  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific,  is  a  new  road  crossing 
the  southwest   corner  of  the  county. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  undulating  plains.  The  largest  stream 
is  the  Big  Soldier,  which  flows  from  north  to  south  through  the  western 
part  of  the  county  and  empties  into  the  Kansas  river.  Other  streams 
are  Cross  creek,  Little  Soldier,  North  and  South  Cedar  creeks, 
Straight,  Elk,  Spring,  Bills  and  Muddy  creeks. 

The  county  contains  421,120  acres,  of  which  316,163  are  under  cultiva- 
tion (the  Indian  lands,  comprising  at  present  74,400  acres,  are  not 
cultivated  to  any  extent).  The  field  crops  in  1910  totaled  $2,013,- 
064.78,  of  which  corn  amounted  to  $1,328,664;  oats,  $210,974,  and  wheat 
$24,351.68.  The  value  of  all  farm  products  for  that  year  was  $3,322,- 
371.63.  Hay  crops  and  Irish  potatoes  were  also  extensively  raised. 
There  are  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million  fruit  trees.  Jackson  has 
a  high  rank  as  a  fruit  growing  locality,  also  for  the  breeding  of  thorough- 
bred stock.  One  source  of  wealth  is  the  quarries  of  white,  gray  lime- 
stone. Brick  clay  and  gypsum  are  found  along  the  creeks.  The  popula- 
tion in   1910  was   16,861. 


20  t  VCI.UI'KDIA    OF 

Jaggard,  a  railmail  town  in  ilic  soiuliL-astcin  pari  ui  Lcavcnwnrih 
county,  is  on  llie  Atchison,  Tojieka  i\:  Santa  I*"e  K.  K.  2  miles  northwest 
uf  IJonner  Sprinijs.  fmni  whicli  it  lias  rural  free  delivery,  and  19  miles 
from   Leavenworth,  the  county  seat. 

Jamestown,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Cloud  county, 
is  located  at  the  junction  of  two  branches  of  the  Missouri  i'acilic 
R.  R.  and  on  lUilTalo  creek,  10  miles  west  of  Concordia,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  hank,  a  feed  mill,  stone  quarries,  2  tjrain  elevators,  a 
weekly  newspaper  (the  Kansas  Optimist),  telegrajih  and  cxjiress  offices 
and  an  internationl  money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  There 
are  about  50  business  establishments.  The  i)o]nilation  in  iqio  was 
462.     The  town  was  founded  in  1878.  and  incorporated  in  188:?. 

Jamestown  Exposition. —  (See  Expositions.) 

Janssen,  a  country  jJostofHce  in  I'lllsworth  ct)unty,  is  located  on  tin- 
Si.  Louis  &  San  ]'"rancisco  U.  i\.  3  miles  southwest  of  Ellsw'orth.  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  jj^eneral  store,  a  mill  and  a  L;rain  clc\  ator.  The 
])opulation  in   1910  was   15. 

Jaqua,  a  small  settlement  of  Cheyenne  county,  is  located  on  the  south 
fork  of  the  Republican  river  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county, 
about  18  miles  from  St.  Francis,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order 
postoffice  and  is  a  tradint^'  jioinl  for  the  nei.<;lihorhood.  Si.  Francis  is 
the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Jaramillo,  Juan,  a  Spanish  soldier  and  narrator,  was  with  Coronado 
in  the  expedition  to  Quivira  in  1540-42.  Some  years  later  he  wrote  an 
account  of  the  expedition,  the  oris^inal  Spanish  manuscript  of  which  is 
in  the  Buckinsjjham  .'^niitli  "Coleccion."  It  has  been  translated  into 
French  by  Ternaux-Conipans.  and  into  Enoflish  by  George  P.  Winship, 
assistant  in  American  history  in  Harvard  L'niversity.  In  this  account 
Jaramillo  says  that  when  the  Indian  guide,  Tso])ete,  saw  the  Arkansas 
river  he  recog'nized  it  as  the  southern  boundary  of  Ouivira.  Some  of 
the  liistorians  of  the  Coronado  ex])edilion  refer  to  him  as  "Captain" 
Jaramillo,  and  he  was  evidently  a  man  of  some  ])rominencc  and  inlhi- 
ence  at  that  period.     (See  Coronado.) 

Jarbalo,  a  village  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  siiuaicd  on  the  l,ca\en- 
w-orth  &  Topeka  R.  R.  13  miles  southwest  of  Leavenworth.  It  has 
a  money  order  postoffice,  general  stores,  agricultural  iniplcmentrs  house. 
express  office,  and  in  1910  had  a  jiopulation  of  100.  The  town  is  the 
shipping  and  supply  station  for  a  rich  agricultural  district. 

Jasper,  a  small  settlement  in  the  northeastern  ]iart  of  Linn  county,  is 
about  15  miles  from  Mound  City,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  south- 
east of  La  Cygne,  from  which  point  mail  is  delivered  by  rural  carrier. 

Jasper,  a  post  hamlet  of  Meade  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Chicago. 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  l\.  R.  6  miles  west  of  Meade,  the  county  seat. 
It  is  a  local  trading  point  and  does  some  shipping.  The  po])ulation 
was  20  in   1910. 

Jay,  a  hamlet  in  the  western  part  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  15  miles 
from  Leavenw^orth  and  6  miles  southwest  of  Easton,  the  most  convenient 
railroad  station,  from  which  place  mail  is  delivered  by  rural  carrier. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  21 

Jayhawkers. — The  origin  of  the  term  "Jayliawker"  appears  to  be 
veiled  in  uncertainty.  During  the  Civil  war  the  members  of  the 
Seventh  Kansas  regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  C.  R.  Jennison,  became 
known  as  "Jayhawkers,"  and  probably  from  this  fact  the  jayhawker 
came  to  be  regarded  by  many  as  purely  a  Kansas  institution.  But  there 
is  plenty  of  evidence  that  the  word  was  in  use  long  before  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war.  There  is  a  report  that  it  was  used  freely  by 
the  Texans  during  their  struggle  for  independence,  but  this  is  not  well 
authenticated. 

In  1849  ^  party  of  gold  seekers  from  Galesburg,  111.,  bound  over- 
land for  California,  took  the  name  of  jayhawkers.  Adjt.-Gen.  Fox 
says  the  name  was  coined  on  the  Platte  river  in  that  year,  and  offers 
the  following  explanation  of  how  it  was  adopted :  "Some  kind  of  hawks, 
as  they  sail  up  in  the  air  reconnoitering  for  mice  and  other  small  prey, 
look  and  act  as  though  they  were  the  whole  thing.  Then  the  audience 
of  jays  and  other  small  but  jealous  and  vicious  birds  sail  in  and  jab 
him  until  he  gets  tired  of  show  life  and  slides  out  of  trouble  in  the 
lower  earth.  Now,  perhaps  this  is  what  happens  among  fellows  on 
the  trail — jaybirds  and  hawks  enact  the  same  role,  pro  and  con — out 
of  pure  devilment  and  to  pass  the  hours  of  a  long  march.  At  any 
rate,  ours  was  the  crowd  that  created  the  word  'jayhawker"  at  the 
date  and  locality  above  stated.  ...  So  far  as  Kansas  is  concerned, 
the  word  was  borrowed  or  copied ;  it  is  not  a  home  product." 

^Ir.  Fo.x  is  corroborated  by  U.  P.  Davidson  and  J.  \\'.  llrier,  who 
were  members  of  the  Galesburg  party,  and  by  Alexander  Majors  in  his 
"Seventy  Years  on  the  Frontier."  On  the  overland  journey  these  men 
were  lost  in  Death  Valley  and  narrowly  escaped  death  by  starvation. 
For  many  years  the  survivors  held  annual  reunions,  and  John  B.  Colton 
had  a  large  scrap-book  filled  with  newspaper  clippings  relating  to  these 
"jayhawker"  meetings. 

John  J.  Ingalls,  in  the  Kansas  Magazine  for  April,  1872,  in  an  article 
entitled  "The  Last  of  the  Jayhawkers,"  says :  "The  Border  Rufifians 
constructed  the  eccaleobion  in  which  the  jaj'hawk  was  hatched,  and 
it  broke  the  shell  upon  the  reedy  shores  of  the  Marias  des  Cygnes.  Its 
habits  were  not  migratory,  and  for  many  years  its  habitat  was  south- 
ern Kansas."  In  the  same  article  Mr.  Ingalls  says  "The  jayhawk  is 
a  creation  of  mythology.  It  was  an  early  bird  and  caught  many  a  Mis- 
souri worm." 

The  jayhawkers  alluded  to  by  Mr.  Ingalls  were  the  free-state  men 
who  composed  the  band  commanded  by  James  Montgomery  (q.  v.), 
which  for  some  time  in  the  territorial  days  kept  the  pro-slavery  set- 
tlers of  southeastern  Kansas  in  a  state  of  terror.  In  the  winter  of 
1858-59  the  term  "jayhawker"  was  used  by  J.  E.  Jones  of  Fort  Scott 
and  George  W.  Cavert  of  Osawatomie  in  letters  to  the  governor,  and 
Gov.  Medary  made  use  of  it  in  a  communication  to  the  legislature, 
under  date  of  Jan.  11,  1859,  when  he  said:  "Capt.  Brown  was  fortify- 
ing- himself  on  Sugar  creek  and  Montgomerv  claims  that  he  can  raise 


22  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

200  men.     Good   citizens   that   formerl)'  sustained   these   men   begged 
to  have  something  done  to  stop  the  'jayhavvking'  as  they  termed  it,"  etc. 

Richardson,  in  his  "Beyond  the  Mississippi"  (p.  125),  says  that  on 
June  13,  1858,  he  "found  all  the  settlers  justifying  the  'jay hawkers,' 
a  name  universally  applied  to  Montgomery's  men,  from  the  celerity 
of  their  movements  and  their  habit  of  suddenly  pouncing  upon  an 
enemy." 

The  Standard  Dictionary  defines  a  "jayhawker"  as  a  "freebooting 
guerrilla,"  and  applies  the  term  to  persons  engaged  in  plundering  their 
political  enemies  in  Kansas  and  western  Missouri  during  the  territorial 
period.  But  that  work  does  not  make  a  proper  distinction  in  its 
definition  between  the  "border  ruffians,"  who  represented  the  cause  of 
slavery,  and  the  free-state  men,  who  were  the  real  jawhawkers. 

Another  story  concerning  the  origin  of  the  word  attributes  it  to  an 
Irishman  named  Patrick  Devlin,  who  lived  in  the  village  of  Osawatomie. 
According  to  this  story,  Devlin  was  seen  entering  the  village  in  the 
fall  of  1856  with  his  horse  loaded  down  with  plunder  of  various  kinds, 
and  a  neighbor  suggested  that  he  must  have  been  on  a  foraging  excur- 
sion. Devlin  answered  that  he  had  been  jayhawking,  and,  when  asked 
the  meaning  of  the  term,  explained  that  in  Ireland  there  is  a  bird  called 
the  jayhawk  which  always  worries  its  prey  before  devouring  it. 

From  all  the  evidence  at  hand  the  story  of  the  gold  seekers  of  1849 
seems  to  be  the  best  established.  However,  through  the  operations  of 
Montgomery's  men  and  others  like  them,  the  "jayhawker"  came  to  be 
regarded  as  purely  a  Kansas  institution,  and  in  more  recent  years  the 
term  "Jayhawker"  is  applied  to  Kansas  men  and  products,  much  as 
the  word  "Hoosier"  is  applied  to  an  Indianian,  or  the  work  "Buckeye" 
to  a  resident  of  the  State  of  Ohio. 

Jean,  a  country  postoffice  in  Haskell  county,  is  located  7  miles  north- 
east of  Santa  Fe,  the  county  seat,  and  24  miles  south  of  Garden  City, 
the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Jefferson,  one  of  the  villages  of  Montgomery  county,  is  located  on 
Fawn  creek  8  mile?  south  of  Independence,  the  county  seat,  and  is  a 
station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  an  express  office,  a  good 
local  trade,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The 
population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  100. 

Jefferson  County,  one  of  the  counties  formed  and  organized  by  the 
first  territorial  legislature,  is  situated  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the- 
state,  the  second  county  west  from  the  Missouri  river  and  the  third 
south  from  the  Nebraska  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Atchison 
county,  on  the  east  by  Leavenworth,  on  the  south  by  the  Kansas  river, 
which  separates  it  from  Douglas  county,  and  on  the  west  by  Shawnee 
and  Jackson  counties. 

Jefferson  is  one  of  the  older  settled  counties  of  the  state  and  some 
of  the  most  important  events  in  the  history  of  Kansas  took  place  within 
its  borders.  The  first  visit  of  white  men  of  which  there  is  any  record 
is  the  expedition  of  Prof.  Say,  which  entered  the  county  at  the  south- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  23 

west  corner  of  Delaware  township  and  proceeded  to  the  falls  of  the 
Delaware  (then  the  Grasshopper)  river,  where  camp  was  made  on  the 
night  of  Aug.  27,  1819.  The  next  day  they  crossed  the  northern  bound- 
ary. The  first  settlement  was  made  by  Daniel  Morgan  Boone,  son 
of  the  famous  Kentuckian,  who  was  appointed  "farmer  for  the  Kansas 
Indians"  by  the  government.  He  located  in  1827  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Kaw  river  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  what  is  now  Jefferson 
county,  and  started  to  teach  the  Kansas  Indians  the  art  of  agriculture. 
His  son,  born  on  Aug.  22,  1828,  was  probably  the  first  white  child  born 
in  Kansas.  Boone  maintained  the  first  agency  for  Indian  lands  in  the 
state.  Subsequently  a  settlement  grew  up,  the  ruins  of  which  were 
found  near  the  present  village  of  Williamstown  by  settlers  in  1854. 

In  185 1  a  few  Mormon  families  en  route  from  Missouri  to  Salt  Lake 
stopped  in  Jefferson  county,  about  where  Thompsonville  is  now  located. 
They  remained  about  two  years  and  made  some  improvements.  Three 
log  cabins  were  built  and  about  15  acres  of  land  cultivated.  Three  of 
the  women  in  the  company  died  of  cholera.  They  were  buried  in  the 
edge  of  the  timber  and  tombstones  put  up  with  the  names  cut  on 
them.  One  was  a  Mrs.  Archer  and  one  a  Mrs.  Piatt.  Finding  they 
could  not  obtain  the  lands  in  Kansas  they  moved  on. 

Permanent  settlements  were  made  in  1854,  a  military  and  freight 
road  having  been  opened  that  year  between  Fort  Leavenworth  and 
Fort  Riley.  The  following  are  some  of  the  settlers  who  came  in  that 
year:  William  F.  and  George  M.  Dyer,  Henry  Zen,  Henry  Chubb, 
William  B.  Wade,  Sidney  Stewart,  Aaron  Cook,  R.  P.  Beeler,  Jefferson 
Riddle,  J.  T.  Wilson,  John  Kuykendall,  John  Scaggs,  Thomas  R.  and 
Alexander  Byne,  Charles  Hardt,  Simeon  and  Isaac  Hull,  Charles  Hed- 
rick,  John  Hart,  J.  B.  Ross,  Robert  Riddle,  James  Frazier,  A.  J.  Whit- 
ney and  T.  J.  and  H.  B.  Jolley.  The  settlements  were  made  along  the 
government  road  and  the  Kansas  river,  and  at  the  crossing  of  the 
Grasshopper.  The  lands  had  not  yet  been  opened  for  sale,  but  the 
immigrants  paid  no  attention  to  that  fact.  They  staked  off  claims  and 
began  improvements,  with  the  understanding  that  when  these  lands 
were  offered  for  sale  they  could  bid  in  their  holdings  at  the  appraised 
value.  This  was  the  famous  "squatter's  right"  that  caused  so  much 
trouble  in  territorial  days,  and  this  condition  obtained  with  nearly  all 
the  best  lands  in  Jefferson  county.  An  election  was  held  that  year, 
the  polling  place  in  Jefferson  being  at  Ozawkie.  The  Missourians 
drove  the  free-state  men  from  the  polls.  During  the  summer  Con- 
gress established  two  mail  routes  across  the  county.  One  was  along 
the  old  military  road  and  the  other  was  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to 
the  Big  Blue  by  Grasshopper  (now  Valley)  Falls.  The  first  post- 
office  was  Ozawkie,  established  on  March  15,  1855,  with  George  M. 
Dyer  postmaster.  Hickory  Point  was  established  soon  afterward  with 
Charles  Hardt  as  postmaster  and  in  Dec,  1855,  Grasshopper  Falls,  with 
A.  J.  Whitney  postmaster. 


24  cvii-opkhia  ok 

The  tirsi  white  child  horn  after  the  i)erniaiieiit  seltlenient  was  Klla 
Simmons,  (lau};;hter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alpha  Simmons.  June  19,  1855. 
The  first  marriaKf  was  hetween  .Mired  Corey  and  .Miss  Martha  Iloovey 
at   Ozawkie,    Nov.   25,    1835. 

In  the  election  of  1855  Hickory  I'ninl  was  the  polling  place.  Large 
numhers  of  pro-slavery  men  came  into  the  territory  the  day  before, 
camped  near  Hickory  Point,  laid  olT  claims  and  the  next  day  demanded 
the  right  to  vote.  On  being  refused  a  row  ensued,  and  the  election 
board  finding  it  impossible  to  secure  a  fair  election  refused  to  serve. 
When  the  free-state  voters  came  they  found  the  polls  in  the  hands  of 
non-residents  and  wont  away  without  voting. 

The  first  term  of  the  district  court  in  the  county  was  held  at  Ozawkie 
the  last  week  in  March,  1856,  with  Samuel  D.  Lccompte  as  the  pre- 
siding judge.  At  this  time  it  was  hardly  safe  to  be  abroad  unarmed, 
as  the  border  war  was  in  progress  and  bands  of  armed  men  from  other 
parts  of  the  state  and  from  Missouri  frecpiented  the  settlements  of 
left'erson  county.  If  a  free-soiler  was  caught  by  a  band  of  border 
rufifians  he  was  apt  to  be  killed.  During  the  absence  from  Grasshopper 
Falls  of  the  free-state  defense  organization  the  pro-slavery  men  visited 
the  place,  insulted  the  women  and  made  various  threats.  In  retaliation 
the  free-state  band  under  the  leadership  of  Clark  made  a  raid  and 
killed  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jackson,  who  was  responsible.*  For  the 
death  of  Jackson  Grasshopper  Falls  was  raided  mh  Sept.  8.  1836.  by 
a  bodv  of  armed  rufifians.  The  town  was  com])letely  sacked  and  the 
store  of  William  and  R.  Tl.  Crosby  was  burned,  lioth  sides  were  now 
in  arms.  Some  South  Carolinians  who  had  been  committing  various 
depredations  w-ere  discovered  and  cajiturcd  on  Slough  creek,  but  were 
released  on  promising  to  leave  the  territory.  The  trouble  culminated 
in   the   Battle  of  Hickory  Point   (q.  v.). 

The  JeiTerson  county  free-soilers  took  no  i)art  in  the  election  of 
delegates  for  a  constitutional  convention  in  1837.  In  August  of  that 
year,  at  the  election  for  state  officers,  A.  G.  Patrick  of  Jefiferson  county 
was  elected  clerk  of  the  supreme  court.  Two  conventions  were  held 
at  Grasshopper  Falls  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  one  a  mass  and  the 
other  a  delegate  body,  to  discuss  the  contest  for  the  control  of  the 
legislature.  It  was  decided  to  put  a  full  ticket  in  the  field.  (See  Grass- 
hopper Falls  Convention. ")  The  convention  for  JefTerson  county  was 
held  at  Ozawkie  the  same  month. 

The  first  county  oflficers  were  a])pointed  in  1855  as  follows:  I'lank- 
lin  Finch,  probate  judge;  W.  F.  Dyer,  treasurer:  G.  M.  Dyer,  sheriff: 
Marion  Christison,  register  of  deeds;  William  Sprague.  assessor;  Gar- 
ret Cozine.  surveyor;  James  .\.  Chapman,  coroner;  X.  B.  Hopewell, 
O.  B.  Tebbs  and  Henry  Owens  members  of  the  county  court,  which 
was  the  same  as  the  board  of  commissioners.  Ozawkie  w-as  designated 
as  county  seat.  .At  the  meeting  of  the  county  court  on  Jan.  21.  1836, 
the  county  was  divided  into  three  townships,  Slough,  Ozawkie  and 
Grasshopper  Falls.     The  first  road  in  the  county  was  located  in  .\pril 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


25 


and  ran  from  Ozawkie  east  to  Alexandria  on  Stranger  Creek  in  Leaven- 
worth county.  . 

Early  in  1858  the  legislature  authorized  a  county  seat  election.^  i  lie 
contesting  towns  were:  Oskaloosa,  which  received  177  votes;  Grass- 
hopper Falls,  173;  Ozawkie,  94;  Hickory  Point,  50;  and  Fairfield,  10. 
Another  election  was  held,  in  which  Oskaloosa  received  294  votes; 
Grasshopper  Falls,  271;  Ozawkie,  103;  Hickory  Point.  107;  and  De- 
fiance, 3.  A  third  election  was  held,  between  the  two  highest  towns, 
in  which  Oskaloosa  received  the  majority  and  was  made  the  county 
seat.  In  1864  the  legislature  again  authorized  a  county  seat  election, 
in    which    Oskaloosa  \vas   again    victorious.     A    court-house    was   built 

in  1867.  . 

During  the  Civil  war  a  regiment  known  as  the  Fourth  Kansas  militia 
was  organized  in  JetTerson  ^county,  with  S.  S.  Cooper  as  colonel.  It 
comprised  eleven  companies,  two  from  Grasshopper  Falls,  two  from 
Jefferson  township,  two  from  Oskaloosa,  one  from  Ozawkie,  one  from 
Rock  Creek,  one  from  Kaw,  one  from  Kentucky  and  one  from  Sar- 
coxie.  The  object  was  the  protection  of  the  state  from  invasion.  The 
county  was  also  well  represented  in  the  Kansas  regiments  in  the  field. 
The  first  schools  were  opened  in  1859.  J.  H.  Bennett  was  the  first 
countv  superintendent  and  organized  9  districts  that  year.  By  1865 
there 'were  20  districts.  After  the  war  all  the  old  districts  were  reor- 
ganized and  50  more  added  before  1870.  New  and  well  equipped  school 
houses  took  the  place  of  the  log  structures. 

In   the  year   i860  the  population  of  the  county  was  4446,   and   the 
assessed  valuation  of  property  $925,003.     The  drought  of  i860  and  the 
war  beginning  the  ensuing  vear  retarded  growth  and  development,  but 
by  1870  the  countv  had  a  population  of  12,565,  the  assessed  valuation 
of  farm  lands  was  $4,218,363,  and  the  number  of  improved  acres  91,004. 
The  area  of  Jeflerson  county  is  568  square  miles  or  363,520  acres.     It 
is    divided    into    twelve   townships,    viz.:      Delaware    (formerly    Grass- 
hopper)     Fairview.    Jefferson.     Kaw.    Kentucky.    Norton,    Oskaloosa, 
Ozawkie    Rock  Creek,  Rural.  Sarcoxie  and  Union.     The  general  surface 
is  undulating  prairie  with  a  few  rough  places.     The  bottom  lands  along 
the   creek  beds  and  the  Kansas   river   comprise   about   15   per  cent,   of 
the   total   acreage.     The    Kansas   river   flows   east    along   the   southern 
border  except  for  about  6  miles  of  the   southeast   corner.     The   Dela- 
ware  (formerlv  the  Grasshopper)   enters  on  the  northern  border  about 
4  miles  from  the  west  line  and  flowing  south  joins  the  Kansas  at  Perry. 
This  stream  is  large  enough  to  furnish  power  for  mills.     Big  Slough 
creek  is  the  main  'branch  of  the  Delaware.     Muddy  creek  crosses  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  county. 

Jefferson  countv  is  well  supplied  with  railroads,  the  Leavenworth. 
Kansas  &  Western  (Uiiion  Pacific)  enters  a  few  miles  south  of  the 
northeast  corner,  crosses  to  Valley  Falls  and  thence  northeast  into 
Atchison  countv:  a  branch  of  the  INIissouri  Pacific  enters  in -the  east 
and   crosses   no'rthwest   through    Valley   Falls   into   Jackson    county:   a 


26  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  enters  from  the  southwest, 
crossing  the  county  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  a  branch  diverging 
at  Meriden  and  running  east  into  Leavenworth  county ;  and  the  Union 
Pacific  crosses  the  extreme  southern  border,  following  the  Kansas  river. 
The  total  mileage  of  railroad  is  121.44.  The  population  of  the  county 
in  19 10  was  15,826. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  3d  president  of  the  United  States,  was  born  at 
Shadwell,  Albemarle  county,  Va.,  April  2,  1743.  A  mention  of  him  in 
connection  with  the  history  of  Kansas  is  appropriate  because  to  him, 
more  than  to  any  other  one  man,  is  due  tlie  acquisition  of  the  territory 
now  forming  the  state  through  the  Louisiana  purchase  in  1803.  Mr. 
Jefferson  was  educated  at  William  and  Mary  College,  and  after  gradu- 
ating he  began  the  practice  of  law  in  1767.  His  first  public  service 
was  as  a  member  of  the  Virginia  house  of  burgesses,  where  he  served 
from  1769  to  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  In  1775  he  was  elected 
to  the  Continental  Congress  and  the  following  year  was  one  of  the 
committee  of  five  to  draft  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  which  was 
adopted  on  July  4.  In  October  following  he  resigned  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress to  become  a  member  of  the  Virginia  legislature,  and  on  June  i, 
1779,  he  succeeded  Patrick  Henry  as  governor  of  that  state.  In  1800 
he  was  elected  president,  and  soon  after  his  inauguration  learned  that 
the  province  of  Louisiana  had  been  ceded  back  to  France  b\'  the  secret 
treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso.  Late  in  the  year  1802  W.  C.  C.  Claiborne,  gov- 
ernor of  Mississippi  territory,  wrote  to  the  secretary  of  state  that  the 
Spanish  authorities,  still  in  control  of  Louisiana  affairs,  were  about 
to  restrict  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  right  of 
deposit  at  New  Orleans.  The  correspondence  was  submitted  to  Con- 
gress in  December,  and  on  Jan.  11,  1803,  the  president  sent  to  the  senate 
a  message  nominating  Robert  R.  Livingston  as  minister  plenipotentiary 
and  James  Monroe  as  minister  extraordinary  "to  enter  into  a  treaty 
or  convention  with  the  First  Consul  of  France  for  the  purpose  of 
enlarging  and  more  effectually  securing  our  rights  and  interests  in  the 
river  Mississippi  and  in  the  territories  eastward  thereof." 

In  the  same  message,  not  knowing  the  exact  provisions  of  the  St. 
Ildefonso  treaty,  he  named  Charles  Pinckney  and  James  Monroe  as 
ministers  plenipotentiary  to  enter  into  a  convention  with  the  king  of 
Spain  for  the  same  purpose.  It  was  not  Mr.  Jefferson's  intention  to 
purchase  the  province  of  Louisiana,  and  when  the  word  came  from 
Paris  that  Livingston  and  Monroe  had  concluded  a  treaty  by  which 
the  entire  territory  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  he  had  some  doubts 
as  to  the  constitutionality  of  the  action,  as  well  as  misgivings  as  to 
whether  the  cession  would  meet  the  approval  of  Congress  and  the  peo- 
ple. That  these  doubts  and  misgivings  were  without  cause  is  seen  in 
the  fact  that  Congress  promptly  ratified  the  treaty  and  the  people  in 
1804  reelected  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  highest  office  within  their  gift. 
Hence,  it  was  under  his  administration  that  new  territory — an  empire 
in  extent — -was  added  to  the  United  States,  and  Kansas  is  a  part  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  27 

that  territory.  Mr.  Jefferson  retired  from  public  life  at  the  close  of 
his  second  term,  and  died  on  July  4,  1826.     (See  Louisiana  Purchase.) 

Jennings,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Decatur  county,  is 
located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  17  miles  south- 
east of  Oberlin,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Echo),  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  259.  The 
town  was  founded  in  1888. 

Jennison,  Charles  Ransford,  physician  and  soldier,  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson county,  N.  Y.,  June  6,  1834.  He  was  of  English  descent,  some 
of  his  father's  ancestors  having  settled  in  Vermont  in  the  colonial 
days  and  fought  in  the  Revolution,  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  until  he  was  twelve  years  old,  when  his  parents  went  to  Wis- 
consin. At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  began  to  study  medicine. 
After  completing  his  medical  course  he  practiced  for  a  short  time  in 
Wisconsin  and  then  came  to  Kansas,  settling  at  Osawatomie  in  1857. 
Within  a  short  time  he  removed  to  Mound  City,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years,  and  then  went  to  Leavenworth.  Dr.  Jennison  was  one 
of  John  Brown's  stanch  supporters.  Gov.  Robinson  commissioned  him 
captain  of  the  Mound  City  Guards  on  Feb.  19,  1861,  and  on  Sept.  4  he 
was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Seventh  Kansas  cavalry, 
which  became  known  as  "Jennison's  Jayhawkers."  He  was  assigned 
command  of  the  western  border  of  Missouri  with  headquarters  at  Kan- 
sas City.  He  determined  to  clear  the  border  of  guerrillas  and  his 
name  soon  became  a  terror  to  lawless  bands.  His  conduct  was  such 
that  Gen.  Hunter  appointed  him  acting  brigadier-general,  and  he  was 
placed  in  command  of  "all  the  troops  in  Kansas  west  of  and  on  the 
Neosho."  At  the  time  of  the  Lawrence  massacre  Gov.  Carney  called 
upon  Jennison  to  raise  a  regiment,  of  which  he  was  made  colonel  on 
Oct.  17,  1863,  with  headquarters  at  Leavenworth.  While  in  command 
at  Fort  Leavenworth  he  was  authorized  on  March  5,  1864,  to  raise 
and  organize  a  post  battery.  On  July  20,  1864,  he  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  a  regiment  in  the  field  and  had  command  of  the  district  of 
southern  Kansas.  During  the  summer  he  made  a  fora)'  into  Platte 
and  Clay  counties.  Mo.,  against  bushwhackers  who  had  been  commit- 
ting depredations  in  Kansas,  and  in  other  ways  he  successfully  pro- 
tected the  border  until  Price's  raid.  At  the  time  of  this  raid  he  met 
Price's  forces  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  while  reconnoitering  under  orders 
from  Gen.  Curtis.  With  his  regiment  he  took  part  in  the  engagement 
at  the  Little  Blue,  where  he  was  in  command  of  the  first  division.  In 
the  fall  of  1864  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Leavenworth  council, 
was  made  president  of  that  body  and  ex-officio  mayor.  In  1865  he 
was  elected  to  the  legislature  from  Leavenworth  county ;  was  reelected 
in  1867,  and  in  1872  was  elected  to  the  state  senate.  He  died  at  Leaven- 
worth June  21,  1884. 

Jericho,  a  country  postoifice  in  Larabee  township,  Gove  county,  is 
located  12  miles  southeast  of  Gove,  the  county  seat,  and  15  miles  from 
Quinter,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 


28  cvci.oricni A  ov 

Jerome,  a  country  postofficc  in  Jerome  townsliip,  Gove  county,  is 
located  on  tlie  Smoky  Hill  river,  12  miles  south  of  Gove,  the  county 
seat,  and  10  miles  north  of  Shields,  Lane  county,  the  nearest  shipi)ing 
point.  The  population  in  1910  was  12.  The  town  was  founded  about 
1886.  J.  L.  Cook  was  the  first  merchant.  E.  15.  Miller  built  the  first 
hotel.  It  had  a  newsi)a])er  (the  Smoky  Hill  Globe),  a  number  of  stores, 
several  ]3rolessional  men  and  was  at  one  time  a  nourishing  town. 

Jetmore,  the  county  seat  of  Hodgeman  county,  is  located  very  near 
the  geographical  center  of  the  county  on  Buckner  creek,  a  tributary 
t)f  the  Pawnee  river.  It  was  settled  in  the  sjiring  of  1879  and  was  at 
first  called  lluckncr.  .\ftcr  the  organization  of  Hodgeman  county 
(q.  V.)  the  people  voted  at  the  general  election  of  Nov.  4,  1879,  for 
the  location  of  a  permanent  county  seat,  and  the  choice  fell  on  Buckner. 
Three  days  after  that  election  T.  S.  Haun  issued  the  first  number  of  the 
I'.uckner  Independent.  The  exact  date  when  the  name  was  changed 
to  Jetmore  cannot  be  ascertained,  but  the  issue  of  the  Inde])endent  for 
June  24,  1880,  was  dated  at  Jetmore,  which  would  indicate  that  the 
change  was  made  in  the  spring  of  that  year.  Jetmore  is  the  western 
terminus  of  a  division  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R..  which 
connects  with  the  main  line  at  Larned.  ll  has  a  bank,  2  weekly  news- 
papers (the  Western  Herald  and  the  Republican),  a  number  of  busi- 
ness concerns.  Congregational,  ^Methodist  and  Presbyterian  churches, 
telephone,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  a  graded  public  school,  and 
an   international   money  order  postofficc.     The  po])ulati(:>n   in    1910  was 

317- 

Jewell,  an  incorporated  city  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  in  BufTalo 
township,  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  and  on  BufTalo  creek,  8  miles 
south  of  Mankato,  the  county  seat.  It  has  banking  facilities,  flour  mills, 
grain  elevators,  electric  lights,  weeklv  news]5apers,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postofficc  with  five  rural  routes. 
The  population  in  1910  was  839.     The  railroad  name  is  Jewell  City. 

Jewell  is  one  of  the  older  settled  communities  in  the  coimty.  .Among 
the  first  settlers  were  W.  D.  Street,  Benjamin  Lewis,  Charles  Lewis 
and  L.  M.  Stultz  in  1869,  and  James  .\.  Scarborough,  Henry  Sorrick, 
A.  J.  Davis  and  H.  Burnett  in  1870.  The  first  store  was  opened  by 
James  A.  Scarborough  in  June.  1870,  with  a  stock  that  invoiced  $130.- 
In  the  fall  John  D.  Robertson  of  Lake  Sibley  opened  a  general  store. 
The  firm  of  Scarborough  &  Street  handled  most  of  the  real  estate. 
The  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1880.  with 
IT.  C.  Jennings  as  the  first  mayor. 

Jewell  County,  one  of  the  northern  tier,  is  the  second  county  west 
of  the  6th  principal  meridian.  It  contains  900  square  miles  and  is 
divided  into  25  civil  townships,  each  of  which  is  a  Congressional  town- 
ship. It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  State  of  Nebraska:  on  tlie 
east  by  Republic  and  Cloud  counties;  on  the  south  by  Mitchell,  and 
on  the  west  b}'  Smith.  Jewell  was  one  of  the  counties  on  the  line  of 
the   historic    Pawnee   road,   and    also   one    of   the    counties   crossed   by 


KANSAS    HISTORY  29 

Lieut.  Pike  in  1806.  The  surface  is  iHilling  ])raii-ie  gradually  rising 
to  table  lands  in  the  central  portion.  The  liranches  of  the  Republican 
and  Solomon  form  its  water  system. 

This  county  was  named  in  honor  of  Lewis  R.  Jewell,  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  cavalry-,  who  died  of  wounds  received  in 
the  battle  of  Cane  Hill,  Ark.  The  earliest  known  settlement  was  made 
by  William  Harshberger  and  wife  on  White  Rock  creek  in  1862.  They 
were  driven  out  by  the  Indians  and  no  other  attempt  to  settle  the  county 
was  made  until  1866,  when  a  number  of  families,  including  those  of 
William  Knapp,  John  Rice  and  Nicholas  \\'ard,  settled  on  White 
Rock  creek.  Two  raids  by  the  Cheyennes,  one  in  Aug.,  1866,  and  the 
other  in  April,  1867,  broke  up  the  settlement.  IMany  were  killed,  includ- 
ing the  \\'ard  family,  and  the  others  were  driven  away.  In  the  spring 
of  1868  another  attempt  at  settlement  was  broken  up  b}'  Indians  and 
again  in  October  of  the  same  year  the  extension  of  the  Scandinavian 
colony  up  ^Vhite  Rock  creek  from  Republic  county  was  driven  back. 
In  May,  1869,  the  Excelsior  colony  (q.  v.)  from  New  York,  number- 
ing about  100  people,  took  clairris  along  ^Vhite  Rock  creek  and  built 
a  blockhouse  at  a  point  8  miles  north  of  the  present  town  of  Mankato. 
By  June,  1869,  they  were  all  driven  out,  and  the  county  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Indians.  In  the  fall  of  1869  a  number  of  land  entries  were 
made  and  the  next  year  the  flood  of  immigration  coming  into  Kansas 
extended  into  Jewell  count}'  in  spite  of  the  dangers.  In  the  early 
part  of  ]\Iay',  1870,  great  excitement  prevailed  over  the  news  that  the 
Chej-ennes  were  on  the  war-path.  On  the  13th  the  settlers  met  at 
"Hoffer's  Shanty"  to  devise  means  of  protection.  A  compan_\-  of  28 
men,  known  as  the  "Buffalo  JMilitia,"  was  organized  with  William  D. 
Street  as  captain;  Charles  Lew,  first  lieutenant;  Louis  A.  Dapron,  sec- 
ond lieutenant ;  James  A.  Scarborough,  orderly  sergeant.  The  per- 
sonnel of  the  company  was  as  follows :  L.  J.  Calvin.  F.  A.  I\Iay, 
W.  M.  Jones,  Samuel  Krape.  Louis  A.  Dapron,  C.  L.  Seeley,  J.  A. 
Scarborough,  Cyrus  Richart,  Chris.  Bender,  J.  H.  \Vorick,  David  J. 
Rockev.  Tames  W.  Hall,  Richard  D.  Fardy,  Charles  J.  Lewis,  C.  A. 
Belknap, 'a.  J.  Wise,  John  Hoifer,  William"  Cox,  S.  R.  Worick,  Allen 
Lightner,  James  F.  Queen,  J.  F.  Fogel,  J.  A.  Sorick,  R.  F.  Hudson- 
piller.  I.  A.  Swain.  Henry  Sorick,  A\'illiam  D.  Street  and  John  R. 
\\'ilson. 

A  fort  was  built  where  Jewell  City  now  stands,  and  was  held  by 
the  "Buffalo  Militia"  for  about  a  month,  when  the  Third  L'.  S.  mounted 
artillery  took  possession  and  relieved  the  settlers.  (See  Fort  Jewell.) 
No  more  attacks  were  made,  and  from  that  time  Jewell  county  has 
been  free  from  hostile  Indians. 

Some  time  during  this  year  the  ruins  of  what  is  supposed  to  have 
been  an  old  Spanish  fort  were  discovered,  which  seemed  to  be  a  land- 
mark of  some  former  occupation  of  the  country  by  white  men.  It 
was  located  on  the  claim  of  Oliver  Smith  2  miles  east  of  Fort  Jewell, 
and  is  described  as  an  "irregular  inclosure  containing  some  2  or  3  acres 


30  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

of  ground."  At  that  time  it  was  overgrown  with  sod  and  was  2  feet 
high  and  4  feet  thick.    Its  origin  is  not  known. 

A  number  of  settlements  were  made  in  1870.  William  Friend,  C.  J. 
Jones,  O.  F.  Johnson,  M.  Hofiveimer,  Lewis  Spiegle  and  Silas  Mann 
settled  the  Marsh  creek  district,  and  at  Burr  Oak  the  settlers  were 
A.  W.  Mann,  Zack  Norman,  Lee  M.  Tinglej',  Richard  Comstock.  Frank 
Gilbert,  A.  J.  Godfrey,  D.  H.  Godfrey,  Allen  Ives,  John  E.  Faidley  and 
E.  E.  Blake.  A  claim  was  preempted  by  Jack  Mango  at  Jewell  Center 
(Mankato)  ;  A.  N.  Cole  homesteaded  near  the  present  town  of  Ionia 
in  1869;  and  in  1871  H.  M.  George  and  H.  L.  Browning  started  a  steam 
sawmill  on  the  freight  road  between  Cawker  City  and  Hastings,  Neb., 
where  Salem  now  stands. 

In  July,  1870,  Col.  E.  Barker  and  Orville  McClurg  petitioned  Gov. 
Harvey  for  county  organization  and  on  July  14  the  governor  appointed 
C.  L.  Seeley,  E.  T.  Gandy  and  A.  I.  Davis  county  commissioners, 
and  James  A.  Scarborough,  county  clerk.  The  first  meeting  of  the 
commissioners  was  held  at  Jewell  City  on  Aug.  22.  On  Sept.  27  an 
election  was  held,  at  which  Jewell  City  was  chosen  the  county  seat,  and 
the  following  count}^  officers  were  elected :  Dennis  Taylor,  Thomas 
Coverdale  and  Samuel  C.  Bowles,  commissioners;  James  A.  Scar- 
borough, clerk;  Henry  Sorick,  treasurer;  N.  H.  Billings,  surveyor;  S. 
O.  Carman,  register  of  deeds;  Charles  L.  Sully,  probate  judge;  A.  J. 
Davis,  sheriff;  R.  S.  Worick,  county  superintendent.  .\t  the  November 
election  Felix  T.  Candy  was  elected  the  first  representative  in  the  legis- 
lature.   The  population  of  the  county  at  that  time  was  207. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  a  couple  from  Cloud  county,  the 
ceremony  being  performed  by  O.  F.  Johnson,  justice  of  the  peace,  Jan. 
2,  1871.  The  first  marriage  of  residents  was  between  Lawton  McCord 
and  Evaline  Davis  of  Highland  township,  Feb.  22,  1872.  The  first 
birth  occurred  in  Aug.,  1870,  on  the  Buffalo  creek,  the  child  being 
Jewell  Rittenhouse.  He  was  presented  with  a  lot  by  the  town  com- 
pany of  Jewell  City.  The  first  regular  mail  was  established  in  Jul}-, 
1870,  weekly  from  Sibley,  John  Hofifer,  carrier.  The  first  postofiices 
were  Amity,  Highland  township,  1872,  James  Mitchell  postmaster; 
Burr  Oak,  Burr  Oak  township,  James  McCormack,  postmaster;  Jewell 
Center,  Center  township,  1872,  J.  D.  Vance,  postmaster;  Johnsonville. 
Vicksburg  township,   1872,  P.  F.  Johnson  postmaster. 

Before  1873  the  following  towns  had  been  established :  Jewell  City, 
Jewell  Center,  Burr  Oak,  Salem,  Ionia  and  Holmwood,  and  the  county 
had  six  newspapers.  By  1886  Randall,  Omia,  Gregory  and  Rubens  had 
been  added  to  the  list  of  towns.  Some  of  these  towns  have  ceased  to 
exist  and  the  present  list  is  as  follows :  Athens,  Burr  Oak,  Dentonia, 
Esbon,  Formosa,  Gregory,  Harrison,  Ionia,  Jewell,  Lovewell,  Mankato, 
Mayview,  Montrose,  North  Branch,  Otego,  Randall,  Rubens,  Salem, 
Steuben  and  Webber. 

The  townships  of  Jewell  county  are:  Allen,  Athens,  Brown  Creek. 
Burr   Oak,    Buffalo,    Calvin,   Center,    Erving,    Ebson,   Grant,    Harrison, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  3I 

Highland,  Sinclair,  Vicksburg,  Walnut,  Washington,  While  Mound, 
Holmwood,  Ionia,  Jackson,  Limestone,  Montana,  Odessa,  Prairie  and 
Richland. 

Schools  were  established  in  several  of  the  townships  in  1872.  Five 
years  later  the  number  of  organized  districts  was  133;  the  total  num- 
ber of  school  houses,  60;  value  of  school  property,  $21,412;  and  the 
school  population,  4,561.  In  1910  the  population  was  18,148,  and  the 
assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $38,625,285. 

Jewish  Congregations. — The  history  of  Jewish  communities  in  Amer- 
ica began  in  the  year  1654,  when  a  company  of  Jews  located  in  New 
Amsterdam.  The  governor  of  the  colony  wished  to  exclude  them,  but 
by  order  of  the  Dutch  West  India  company  they  were  admitted  after  a 
delay  of  nine  months.  They  were  allowed  to  live  and  trade  in  the  colony 
but  were  denied  the  privilege  of  building  a  synagogue  and  of  acquiring 
a  site  for  burial  purposes.  They  met  for  private  worship,  however,  and 
within  a  short  time  formed  the  congregation  of  Searith  Israel,  which  is 
still  in  existence  in  New  York  city.  In  1682,  under  English  rule,  the 
congregation  occupied  its  first  synagogue.  This  was  followed  by  a 
synagogue  of  the  Jews  living  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  in  1732;  by  one  at 
Lancaster,  Pa.,  in  1776;  and  at  Philadelphia  in  1782. 

The  Jewish  congregations  in  the  United  States  have  no  religious  head, 
being  autonomous  in  character  and  there  is  no  general  ecclesiastical 
organization  controlling  the  individual  bodies.  Any  person  who  de- 
clares himself  a  Jew,  or  is  known  to  be  one  by  birth  or  affiliation,  is 
eligible  to  membership.  He  need  not  submit  to  any  test  of  faith  or 
adherence  to  a  creed,  although  in  some  congregations  the  observance 
of  certain  fundamental  laws  is  tacitly  regarded  as  an  indispensable 
qualification  for  membership. 

The  first  Jewish  congregation  in  Kansas  of  which  a  record  is  obtain- 
able was  that  of  Benai  Jerushan,  established  at  Leavenworth  in  1862. 
The  immigration  of  the  Jewish  race  to  Kansas  was  slow  and  in  many 
communities  there  are  not  enough  Jews  to  form  a  congregation,  so  that 
the  number  of  organizations  does  not  give  any  accurate  estimate  of 
the  number  of  this  faith  in  the  state.  In  1890  there  were  6  organiza- 
tions: 2  in  Leavenworth  county;  i  each  in  Sedgwick,  Shawnee,  Atchi- 
son and  Saline  counties,  with  a  total  membership  of  486.  In  the  next 
fifteen  years  only  one  new  congregation  was  organized,  and  the  number 
of  communicants  reported  in  1906  was  only  175.  This  gives  no  correct 
estimate,  however,  of  the  number  of  Jews  who  are  regular  attendants 
of  the  synagogue  but  who  are  not  members. 

Jingo,  a  hamlet  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Miami  county,  is  about 
10  miles  northeast  of  La  Cygne,  from  which  it  has  rural  delivery.  In 
1910  there  was  a  population  of  40. 

Johnson,  the  county  seat  of  Stanton  county,  is  centrally  located,  and 
is  30  miles  south  of  Syracuse,  its  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping 
point.  It  has  a  daily  stage  to  that  town.  There  are  about  a  dozen  retail 
establishments  and  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Stanton  County  Journal), 


3-  c'vci.oi'KiiiA  Ill- 

is  piiblislK'd.  It  has  a  money  urdcr  postoftice.  The  population  accord- 
injj  to  tlie  census  of  lyio  was  40.  It  was  established  in  1885  under  the 
name  of  N'eteran,  by  the  X'eteran  Town  company.  Later  it  became 
Johnson  (."ity  and  under  that  name  was  victorious  in  the  county  seat 
rij^jht  of  1887.  Duriiii,'  the  hard  times  the  population  dwindled  and  in 
the  early  "cps  was  10.  In  1906  it  had  but  one  inhabitant  and  had  the 
distinction  of  being  the  smallest  countj-  seat  town  in  the  world. 

Johnson  County,  located  in  the  eastern  tier,  is  the  sixth  north  from 
Oklahoma.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Leavenworth  and  Wyandotte 
counties;  on  the  east  by  the  State  of  Missouri;  an  the  south  by  Miami 
county,  and  on  the  west  by  Douglas  county,  its  area  is  480  square 
miles,  or  307,200  acres,  and  in  1910  it  ranked  33d,  with  a  population  of 
18,288.  It  was  organized  in  1855  and  nained  for  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson, 
missionary  to  the  Shawnee  Indians,  in  what  is  now  Shawnee  township 
in  the  northern  ])art  of  the  county.  In  1855  the  Kansas  river  constituted 
its  entire  northern  boundary  but  in  1859  the  present  boundary  was 
established.  The  comity  is  divided  into  ten  townships:  Aubrey,  Gard- 
ner, Lexington.  McCamish,  .Mission.  Monticello.  Olathe,  O.xford,  Shaw- 
nee and  Spring  Mill. 

The  general  sm-face  is  slightly  undulating  prairie,  more  rolling  in  the 
north  and  east.  The  valleys  of  rivers  and  creeks  average  from  one- 
fourth  to  seven-eighths  of  a  mile  in  width.  The  bottom  lands  com- 
prise about  to  per  cent,  of  the  whole  area,  the  remaining  90  per  cent, 
being  upland,  the  highest  of  which  is  in  the  central  and  southwestern 
porti()n.  Timber  belts  average  from  40  rods  to  one  mile  in  width,  and 
contain  oak,  hickory,  elm,  walnut,  mulberry,  redbud,  locust,  wild  cherry 
and  sycamore,  jack-oak  and  hickory  existing  in  the  largest  quantities. 
The  streams  are  not  large  but  sufficiently  numerous.  The  Kansas  river 
flowing  north  of  east  forms  more  than  half  of  the  northern  border,  and 
receives  as  tributaries  Cedar.  Clear,  Captains,  Kill.  Mill  and  Tmkey 
creeks.  Blue  and  Indian  creeks  run  eastward.  The  soil  is  from  one  to 
six  feet  in  depth  and  is  very  productive,  being  adapted  to  corn,  winter 
wheat,  oats,  tlax  and  hay.  Johnson  ranks  among  the  foremost  counties 
m  the  production  of  Irish  potatoes.  It  also  has  a  large  number 
of  orchards.  In  1907  there  were  150,000  bearing  fruit  trees.  Along  the 
streams  limestone  is  found  in  great  abundance  and  is  used  extensively 
for  buddmg  and  as  ballast  for  railroads.  Sandstone  is  plentiful  in  the 
north  and  east,  and  at  Kdgerton  gray  marble  is  found.  Coal  exists  in 
a  few  places,  where  it  is  mined  for  local  use.  Trevious  to  the  comin" 
of  the  Shawnee  Indians  in  1828,  but  little  was  known  bv  white  people 
of  what  IS  now  Johnson  county.  In  1829  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  a 
Methodist  Episcopal  missionary,  went  to  the  Shawnee  countrv  to 
establish  a  mission  and  a  school  for  the  education  of  the  Indians  '  This 
school  was  located  about  6  miles  west  of  Westport,  Mo  between  the 
Kansas  river  and  Turkey  creek.  When  the  Shawnee  lands  were  thrown 
open  for  settlement  in  1851,  a  large  number  of  people  rushed  in  to  secure 
claims.     Among  the  free-state  men  who  settled  in  the  countv  in   1857 


KANSAS    HISTORY  33 

were  Thomas  E.  Mulvane,  William  Williams,  Rynear  Morgan,  Wil- 
liam Holmes,  Dr.  I.  James,  J.  D.  Allen,  J.  C.  Forrest  and  L.  F.  Bancroft. 
Among  the  pro-slavery  men  were  Dr.  J.  B.  Morgan,  Col.  J.  T.  Ouarles, 
T.  H.  Ellis,  Jonathan  Gore,  A.  Slaughter,  J.  H.  Nounan,  C.  C.  Catron, 
M.  T.  Wells,  Dr.  Shuck  and  A.  J.  Turpin.  Along  with  those  who  came 
as  settlers  were  a  number  of  speculators,  who  examined  the  Indian 
treaties  and  found  that  an  Indian  having  selected  his  head  right  under 
the  treaty  could  sell  and  convey  a  valid  title  to  any  person  by  complying 
with  the  rules  of  the  interior  department  of  the  government  for  the  sale 
of  Indian  lands.  The  first  sales  of  such  lands  to  speculators  were  in 
Oct.,  1867,  to  Blunt,  Irvin  &  Co.  In  Dec,  1867,  the  government  made 
it  impossible  for  the  Indians  to  sell  their  property. 

The  close  proximity  of  Johnson  county  to  Missouri  caused  it  to  share 
the  disaster  and  distress  arising  from  the  early  political  difficulties.  The 
first  election  held  in  the  territory  was  in  the  fall  of  1853  before  the 
organization  of  the  county.  At  this  election,  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  of 
the  Shawnee  Mission  was  elected  delegate  to  Congress  to  urge  the 
organization  of  the  territory.  Being  chosen  without  the  authority  of 
the  law  he  was  not  admitted  to  a  seat  as  a  delegate.  At  the  election 
of  March  20,  1855,  for  members  of  the  territorial  legislature,  Mr.  John- 
son was  elected  to  the  council  and  made  its  president.  One  of  the  first 
acts  of  that  legislature  was  the  organization  of  the  settled  portions  of 
the  territory  into  counties.  Isaac  Parish  was  appointed  sheriff  of  the 
county  and  William  Fisher,  Jr., .probate  judge.  At  this  session  the  road 
passing  from  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  west  to  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  through  the 
center  of  the  county  was  declared  a  territorial  road ;  a  road  was  located 
through  the  northern  part  of  the  county  to  Lawrence,  Lecompton  and 
Fort  Riley,  and  another  along  the  eastern  line  of  the  county  from  West- 
port,  Mo.,  to  Fort  Scott. 

From  the  beginning  Johnson  county  was  the  scene  of  many  conflicts 
between  the  free-state  and  pro-slavery  parties.  The  first  ones  were 
slight  and  unimportant  owing  to  the  fact  the  land  was  not  open  to 
settlement  and  the  few  early  residents  were  practically  of  one  mind. 
As  the  controversy  waxed  more  intense,  the  conflicts  became  more  cruel 
and  insolent.  The  elections  held  were  farces  and  were  for  the  greater 
part  managed  by  pro-slavery  men.  The  rriethods  used  is  evidenced  by 
the  election  of  October  5,  1857,  for  members  of  the  legislature.  (See 
Walker's  Administration.)  The  continuous  interference  of  Missouri 
border  ruffians  in  Kansas  affairs  on  the  eastern  tier  of  counties  aroused 
the  greatest  feeling  of  animosity  among  the  free-state  men  which  re- 
sulted in  the  border  wars,  of  varying  degrees  of  importance.  A  battle 
growing  out  of  politics  was  that  called  by  some  "the  first  battle  of  Bull 
Run,"  because  it  was  fought  on  Bull  creek,  in  the  year  1858,  when  Gen. 
Lane,  commander  of  the  free-state  men,  met  the  pro-slavery  forces  of 
Gen.  Reid.  A  few  shots  were  excanged  and  Reid  retreated  into  Mis- 
souri.    No  blood  was  shed. 

On  Sept.  6,  1862,  Ouantrill  made  his  well  known  raid  upon  Olathe, 

(11-3) 


34  cVCI-OPEDIA    OF 

which  was  in  a  defenseless  condition.  With  a  band  of  about  140  men 
he  entered  tlie  town,  invaded  and  phindered  houses  and  stores,  and 
corralled  the  citizens  in  the  public  square.  Hiram  Blanchard  of  Spring 
Hill,  Philip  Wiggins  and  Josiah  Skinner  were  killed  in  an  effort  to 
protect  property.     (See  Guerrillas.) 

In  Johnson  county  500  men  were  enrolled  in  the  Thirteenth  regiment, 
of  which  Thomas  M.  Bowen  was  commissioned  colonel ;  J.  B.  Wheeler, 
lieutenant-colonel;  William  Roy,  adjutant,  and  during  the  four  years  of 
war  Johnson  county  furnished  its  full  share  of  soldiers.  In  about  three 
weeks  after  the  first  call  for  troops,  a  company  of  50  men  enlisted  and 
organized,  with  S.  F.  Hill  captain.  This  company  was  assigned  to  the 
Second  Kansas  infantry  as  Company  C.  Upon  the  second  call  for  volun- 
teers a  second  company  was  organized  with  J.  E.  Hayes  as  captain. 
For  some  time  this  company  belonged  to  the  Fourth  regiment  but  in 
the  spring  of  1862  it  became  Company  A  of  the  Tenth  regiment.  Nearly 
an  entire  company  was  raised  in  the  county  for  the  Eighth  Kansas  in- 
fantry, and  was  assigned  as  Company  F  of  that  regiment,  with  J.  M. 
Hadley  as  second  lieutenant.  In  the  late  summer  of  1862,  William  Pellet 
of  Olathe  was  commissioned  to  raise  another  company  of  infantry.  As 
Company  H  of  the  Twelfth  regiment  it  performed  garrison  duty  at 
Forts  Leavenworth,  Riley  and  Earned.  Also  for  the  Twelfth  regiment 
a  company  was  raised  in  the  vicinity  of  Gardner  and  Spring  Hill,  with 
John  T.  Gordon  as  captain.  After  the  Lawrence  massacre,  the  Fifteenth 
regiment  of  cavalry  was  raised.  Johnson  county  furnished  one  entire 
company.  This  regiment  distinguished  itself  in  1864,  fighting  Gen. 
Price's  army  on  its  notorious  raid. 

The  county  was  organized  in  1855  but  there  was  not  a  full  corps  of 
officers  until  March,  1857,  when  Gov.  Walker  appointed  the  following: 
Commissioners,  John  P.  Ector,  John  Evans  and  William  Fisher,  Jr. ; 
probate  judge,  John  B.  Campbell;  treasurer,  John  T.  Barton;  sheriff, 
Pat  Cosgrove.  In  March,  1858,  the  first  county  election  was  held  with 
the  following  results :  Commissioners,  John  P.  Ector,  John  J.  Evans 
and  William  Fisher,  Jr. ;  register  of  deeds,  J.  B.  Blake  ;  clerk  of  the  board 
of  commissioners,  James  Rich;  sheriff,  Pat  Cosgrove;  county  attorney, 
Jonathan  Gore. 

On  Nov.  7,  1865,  an  election  was  held  on  the  question  of  issuing 
$100,000  in  bonds  to  the  Kansas  City  &  Neosho  Valley  railroad.  The 
bonds  were  voted,  the  road  was  commenced  in  the  summer  of  1867, 
completed  to  Olathe  on  Nov.  19,  and  to  the  south  line  of  the  county  in 
1869.  On  April  6,  1869,  another  election  was  held  on  the  question  of 
issuing  $100,000  in  bonds  as  aid  for  each  of  two  railroads — the  St.  Louis, 
Lawrence  and  Denver,  and  the  Kansas  City  &  Santa  Fe.  The  bonds 
were  voted.  The  Kansas  City  &  Santa  Fe  was  completed  to  Ottawa 
in  1870  and  the  St.  Louis,  Lawrence  &  Denver  was  built  from  Law- 
rence to  Pleasant  Hill  in  1871.  In  1910  a  line  from  Holliday  southwest 
through  Olathe  into  Franklin  county  crossed  the  extreme  northern  part 
east  and  west  along  the  Kansas  river;  a  line  of  the  St.   Louis  &  San 


KANSAS    HISTORY  35 

Francisco  enters  in  the  extreme  northeast,  crosses  southwest  to 
Olathe,  thence  south  into  Miami  county ;  another  Hne  of  the  same  road 
crosses  from  the  eastern  border  to  Olathe ;  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas  operates  its  trains  from  Kansas  City  over  the  tracks  of  the  St. 
Louis  &  San  Francisco  through  the  county,  and  a  line  of  the  Missouri 
Pacific  crosses  the  southeastern  corner.  There  are  93-75  miles  of  rail- 
road, main  track,  in  the  county. 

At  the  organization  of  the  county,  the  county  seat  was  located  where 
Shawnee  now  stands,  which  place  was  then  called  Gum  Springs.  Early 
in  the  summer  of  1858  parties  interested  in  the  development  of  Olathe 
had  an  election  held  to  change  the  county  seat  to  that  town.  Under 
the  territorial  laws  both  elections  had  to  be  ordered  by  the  governor, 
who  had  not  heard  of  the  desire  to  change  the  county  seat,  hence  the 
election  was  illegal.  Gov.  Denver  ordered  it  back  to  Gum  Springs  but 
in  October  of  the  same  year  at  another  election  Olathe  became  the  county 
seat. 

The  first  school  in  Johnson  county  was  the  Shawnee  mission  school, 
I  mile  from  the  Missouri  line  and  7  miles  south  of  Kansas  City.  Con- 
nected with  the  mission  was  a  carpenter  shop,  blacksmith  shop,  shoe- 
maker's shop,  a  steam  grist  mill  and  a  saw  mill.  In  1834  the  Friends 
established  a  mission  on  the  Shawnee  reservation.  The  few  white  chil- 
dren of  the  communities  attended  the  Indian  schools.  The  first  schools 
for  white  children  were  established  in  1857.  The  schools  of  Johnson 
county  have  developed  into  thoroughly  equipped  institutions  of  learn- 
ing. In  1907  there  were  95  organized  school  districts  and  a  school 
population  of  5,428.  The  first  churches  for  Johnson  county  were  the 
mission  meeting  houses.  Churches  for  white  people  were  organized 
from  1859  to  1870.  The  first  newspaper  published  was  the  Olathe 
Herald,  the  first  issue  of  which  appeared  Aug.  29,  1859. 

Johnson,  Thomas,  a  Methodist  minister  and  member  of  the  first  terri- 
torial legislature  of  Kansas,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Virginia  on  July 
II,  1802.  His  parents  were  poor  people  and  he  was  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  almost  from  boyhood.  At  a  comparatively  early  age  he  went 
to  Missouri,  where  he  prepared  himself  for  the  Methodist  ministry  and 
filled  a  number  of  charges  under  the  auspices  of  the  Missouri  conference. 
In  1829  he  established  the  first  mission  school  among  the  Shawnee 
Indians  in  what  is  now  Johnson  county,  Kan.,  where  he  continued  his 
labors  for  some  ten  or  twelve  years,  when  failing  health  caused  him  to 
resign.  He  then  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  medical  treatment,  after 
which  he  lived  near  Fayette,  Mo.,  until  his  health  was  fully  regained. 
In  the  fall  of  1847  he  again  entered  upon  his  work  at  the  mission  and 
remained  there  until  after  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  On 
March  30,  1855,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  territorial  council  from 
the  First  district.  He  was  a  pronounced  pro-slavery  man  and  is  credited 
with  having  brought  the  first  negro  slaves  to  Kansas.  In  1858  he  retired 
from  mission  work  and  bought  a  home  about  2  miles  from  Westport, 
Mo.    Notwithstanding  his  views  on  the  slavery  question,  when  the  Civil 


^i)  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

war  broke  out  he  stood  l)y  the  Lnioii.  Tliis  caused  liiiii  lo  become  a 
marked  man  by  the  guerrillas  and  bushwhackers,  and  on  the  night  of 
Jan.  2,  1865,  he  was  killed  by  a  gang  of  armed  men  at  his  home,  the 
bullet  that  ended  his  life  passing  through  the  door  while  he  was  in  the 
act  of  fastening  it  to  keep  out  the  mauraudcrs.  In  1829,  about  the  time 
he  first  came  to  Kansas,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  T.  Davis  of  Clarksville. 
Mo.,  who  survived  him  for  some  time. 

Johnston,  William  Agnew,  chief  justice  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court, 
was  born  at  Oxford,  Ontario,  Canada,  July  24,  1848.  Matthew  John- 
ston, his  father,  was  a  Scotch-Irisliman,  the  old  home  of  the  Johnston 
family  being  near  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  a  brother  of  Matthew  was 
a  judge  of  the  courts  of  that  city.  Judge  Johnston's  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Agnew,  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  until  h.e  was  sixteen,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  studied  in  an  Illinois  academy.  He  then 
went  to  Missouri  and  taught  school  for  three  years,  studying  law  in  the 
meantime  as  opportunity  afiforded.  Mr.  Johnston  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1872,  and  selected  Minneapolis,  Kan.,  as  a  location  for  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  He  entered  actively  into  local  politics,  and  in 
1876  was  elected  to  the  upper  branch  of  the  state  legislature.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  state  senate  in  the  sessions  of  1877  and  1879.  In  1880 
he  served  as  assistant  United  States  district  attorney  and  the  same  year 
was  nominated  for  attorne}'-general  of  Kansas  by  the  Republican  party 
and  elected.  He  was  reelected  in  1882  and  two  years  later  was  appointed 
associate  justice  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  Brewer.  In  1888 
he  was  elected  associate  justice;  was  reelected  in  1894  and  again  in  1900 
and  on  Jan.  10,  1903,  became  chief  justice  by  seniority,  which  position 
he  still  holds.  No  one  has  ever  contested  an  election  with  Judge  John- 
ston since  his  first  term,  and  in  1900  he  was  renominated  by  acclama- 
tion. Naturally  possessed  of  a  judicial  mind,  he  has  served  with 
u])rightness  and  honesty  during  the  twenty-six  years  he  has  occupied 
a  seat  on  the  supreme  bench. 

Johnstown,  a  hamlet  of  McPherson  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Salina 
&  Mci'hcrson  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  north  of 
McPherson,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  south  of  Lindsborg,  the  nearest 
important  town,  from  which  Johnstown  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery. 

Jonah,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Washington  county,  is  8  miles 
southeast  of  Washington,  the  coimty  seat,  and  5  miles  from  Greenleaf, 
the  nearest  shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is 
distributed. 

Jones,  Amanda  T.,  author,  was  born  at  East  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.,  Oct. 
I9i  iSjS'  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  A.  (Mott)  Jones.  She  gradu- 
ated in  the  normal  course  in  the  Aurora  Academy,  and  from  girlhood 
has  been  foijd  of  good  literature.  She  has  contributed  to  some  of  the 
leading  magazines  of  the  country,  including  Steam  Engineering,  Scrib- 
ner's,  the  Century,  the  Youth's  Companion  and  the  Methodist  Ladies' 
Repository,  and  to  Frank  Leslie's  illustrated  newspaper.     Her  principal 


KANSAS    HISTORY  il 

published  works  are  Ulah,  and  Other  Poems;  A  Prairie  Idyl;  Flowers 
and  a  Weed;  Atlantis,  and  Other  Poems,  and  in  1910  she  published 
A  Psychic  Autobiography.  In  addition  to  her  literary  work,  Miss 
Jones  has  invented,  a  number  of  devices  and  processes  relating  to  do- 
mestic economy  and  the  home,  the  most  noted  of  which  was  perhaps 
her  vacuum  preserving  process,  canning  fruits  and  vegetables  without 
cooking.  She  has  served  as  president  of  the  National  Pure  Food  Pre- 
serving company,  and  although  past  her  three  score  and  ten  years  still 
takes  an  active  interest  in  current  affairs. 

Jones,  Samuel  J.,  a  notorious  character  during  the  early  border 
troubles  and  the  first  sherifl  of  Douglas  county,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. In  the  fall  of  1854  he  arrived  at  Westport  Landing  (now  Kan.sas 
City,  Mo.)  on  the  steamboat  F.  X.  Aubrey,  accompanied  by  his  wnfe 
and  two  young  children.  After  making  a  trip  through  Kansas,  he  took 
charge  of  the  postoffice  at  Westport,  Mo.  On  March  30,  1855,  he  led 
the  pro-slavery  mob  that  destroyed  the  ballot  box  at  Bloomington,  and 
as  a  reward  for  his  activity  he  was  appointed  sheriff  of  Douglas  county, 
receiving  his  commission  from  acting  Gov.  Woodson  on  Aug.  27,  1855. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  contractors  for  the  erection  of  the  territorial 
capitol  at  Lecompton.  As  sheriff  he  arrested  Jacob  Branson  in  Nov., 
1855,  which  started  the  "Wakarusa  war."  .The  following  April  he 
attempted  to  arrest  Samuel  N.  Wood,  and  about  that  time  was  shot  and 
wounded  by  some  unknown  person.  This  no  doubt  made  him  more 
bitter  toward  .the  free-state  advocates,  and  on  May  21,  1856,  he  led  the 
so-called  posse  which  practically  destroyed  the  town  of  Lawrence.  On 
Jan.  7,  1857,  he  resigned  the  office  of  sheriff  because  the  governor  would 
not  furnish  him  with  balls  and  chains  for  certain  free-state  prisoners. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  was  visited  in  the 
summer  of  1879  by  Col.  William  A.  Phillips,  who  found  him  suffering 
from  the  effects  of  a  stroke  of  paralysis  that  affected  his  speech.  He 
died  in  New  Mexico. 

Jonesburg,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Chautauqua  county,  is  located  8  miles 
southeast  of  Sedan,  the  county  seat,  and  about  6  miles  south  of  Peru, 
the  nearest  railroad  station,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Judgments.— A  judgment  is  the  final  determination  of  the  rights  of 
the  parties  in  an  action.  It  may  be  given  for  or  against  one  or  more 
of  several  plaintiffs,  or  for  or  against  one  or  more  of  several  defendants. 
It  may  determine  the  ultimate  rights  of  the  parties  on  either  side,  as 
between  themselves,  and  it  may  grant  to  the  defendant  any  affirmative 
relief  to  which  he  may  be  entitled.  In  an  action  against  several 
defendants,  the  court  may.  in  its  discretion,  render  judgment  against  one 
or  more  of  them,  leaving  the  action  to  proceed  against  the  others,  when- 
ever a  several  judgment  is  proper.  The  court  may  also  dismiss  the 
petition  with  costs';^  in  favor  of  one  or  more  defendants  in  case  of 
unreasonable  neglect  on  the  part  of  the  plaintiff  to  serve  the  summons 
on  other  defendants,  or  proceed  in  the  cause  against  the  defendant  or 
defendants  served. 


38  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

111  actions  to  enforce  a  mortgage,  deed  or  trust,  or  other  lien  or 
charge,  a  personal  judgment  is  rendered  for  the  amount  due,  as  well  to 
the  plaintiff  as  other  parties  to  the  action  having  liens  upon  the  mort- 
gaged premises  with  interest  thereon,  and  an  order  issued  for  the  sale 
of  the  property  and  the  application  of  the  proceeds,  or  such  application 
may  be  reserved  for  the  further  order  of  the  court.  The  court  taxes 
the  costs  and  expenses  which  may  accrue  in  the  action,  apportions  the 
same  among  the  parties  according  to  their  respective  interests,  to  be 
collected  on  the  execution  of  the  order  of  sale.  No  real  estate  can  be 
sold  for  the  payment  of  any  money,  or  the  performance  of  any  contiact 
or  agreement  in  writing,  in  security  for  which  it  may  have  been  pledged 
or  assigned,  except  in  pursuance  of  a  judgment  of  a  court  of  competent 
jurisdiction  ordering  such  sale.  Any  person  indebted,  or  against  whom 
a  cause  of  action  exists,  may  personally  appear  in  a  court  of  competent 
jurisdiction  and,  with  the  assent  of  the  creditor  or  person  having  such 
cause  of  action,  confess  judgment  therefor;  whereupon  judgment  is 
entered  according!}'. 

All  judgments  and  orders  must  be  entered  on  the  journal  of  the  court, 
and  specify  clearly  the  relief  granted  or  order  made  in  the  action.  The 
clerk  makes  a  complete  record  of  every  cause  as  soon  as  it  is  finally 
determined,  whenever  such  record  is  ordered  by  the  court.  No  judg- 
ment on  which  execution  is  not  taken  out  and  levied  before  the  expira- 
tion of  one  year  next  after  its  rendition,  operates  as  a  lien  on  the 
•estate  of  any  debtor,  to  the  prejudice  of  any  other  judgment  creditor. 
Judgments  arc  liens  on  the  real  estate  of  the  debtor  within  the  county 
in  which  the  judgment  is  rendered.  By  an  act  approved  March  5,  1873, 
all  "judgments  and  evidences  of  debt  secured  by  mortgage  upon  real 
estate,  as  well  as  such  mortgages,"  were  made  exempt  from  taxes  and 
taxation,  but  the  statute  was  repealed  by  an  act  approved  Jan.  26,  1874. 
Foreign  judgments  may  be  sued  on  and  judgments  recovered  on  them 
in  any  of  the  district  courts  of  the  state. 

Judicial  Association. — On  Jan.  10,  1876,  the  judges  of  the  several 
judicial  districts  met  at  the  Tefft  House  in  Topeka  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  a  state  judicial  association.  The  justices  of  the  supreme 
court  were  invited  to  take  part  in  the  proceedings,  and  accepted  the 
invitation.  The  principal  objects  of  the  association  were  to  secure  an 
impartial  enforcement  of  the  laws  and  to  elevate  the  standard  of  the 
legal  profession.  To  this  end  a  rule  was  adopted  that  "All  applicants 
for  admission  to  the  practice  of  law  must  produce  satisfactory  evidence 
of  their  statutory  qualifications,  and  pass  an  examination  in  open  court, 
which  examination  must  be  satisfactory  to  the  court,  and  to  a  com- 
mittee of  three  practicing  attorneys,  appointed  by  the  court  to  aid  in 
such  examination." 

Owen  A.  Bassett  was  elected  president  of  the  permanent  organiza- 
tion, and  Samuel  R.  Peters,  secretary.  At  the  second  meeting,  which 
was  held  at  the  same  place  on  Jan.  9,  1877,  Samuel  A.  Kingman  was 
elected  president,  Mr.  Peters  being  reelected  to  the  office  of  secretary. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  39 

The  third  and  last  meeting  was  held  on  Jan.  8,  1878,  at  the  Tefft  House. 
Papers  were  read  by  Judges  A.  G.  Otis  and  A.  S.  Wilson.  The  records 
do  not  show  why  the  association  was  discontinued. 

Judiciary,  State. — Under  the  constitution  (Art.  Ill,  Sec.  i)  the 
judicial  power  of  the  state  is  vested  "in  a  supreme  court,  district  courts, 
probate  courts,  justices  of  the  peace,  and  such  other  courts,  inferior  to 
the  supreme  court,  as  may  be  provided  by  law,"  and  all  judicial  officers 
are  elected  by  the  people.  The  supreme  court  consists  of  seven  judges; 
the  judges  of  the  district  courts  are  elected  for  four  years,  in  districts 
arranged  by  the  legislature;  there  is  a  probate  court  in  each  county, 
with  a  judge  whose  term  of  office  is  two  years,  and  who  holds  his  court 
at  such  times  and  receives  for  his  compensation  such  fees  or  salary  as 
may  be  prescribed  by  law ;  there  is  a  clerk  for  the  district  court  in  each 
county;  "two  justices  of  the  peace  shall  be  elected  in  each  township, 
whose  term  of  office  shall  be  two  years,  and  whose  powers  and  duties 
shall  be  prescribed  by  law,"  and  the  number  in  each  township  may  be 
increased  by  law.  There  is  an  attorney-general  of  the  state  and  district 
attorneys. 

The  constitution  divided  the  state  into  five  districts,  to  be  increased 
in  number  by  the  legislature  as  necessary,  and  the  district  judges 
chosen  at  the  first  election  were:  William  C.  McDowell,  A.  L.  Lee, 
Jacob  SafTord,  Solon  O.  Thatcher  and  O.  E.  Learnard.  The  judges  of 
the  district  courts  in  1910  were  as  follows :  First  district,  William  Dill, 
Leavenworth ;  Second,  William  A.  Jackson,  Atchison ;  Third,  Alston  W. 
Dana,  Topeka;  Fourth,  Charles  A.  Smart,  Ottawa;  Fifth,  Frederick 
A.  Meckel,  Cottonwood  Falls;  Sixth,  John  C.  Cannon,  Mound  City; 
Seventh,  James  W.  Finley,  Chanute;  Eighth,  Roswell  L.  King,  Marion; 
Ninth,  Charles  E.  Branine,  Newton;  Tenth,  Jabez  O.  Rankin,  Paola; 
Eleventh,  Corb  A.  McNeill,  Columbus;  Twelfth,  William  T.  Dillon, 
Belleville;  Thirteenth,  Granville  P.  Aikman,  El  Dorado;  Fourteenth, 
Thomas  J.  Flannelly,  Independence;  Fifteenth,  Richard  M.  Pickler, 
Smith  Center;  Sixteenth,  Elmer  C.  Clark,  Oswego;  Seventeenth,  Wil- 
liam H.  Pratt,  Philipsburg;  Eighteenth,  Thomas  C.  Wilson,  Wichita; 
Nineteenth,  Carroll  L.  Swarts,  Winfield ;  Twentieth,  Jermain  W. 
Brinckerhofif,  Lyons;  Twenty-first,  Sam  Kimble,  Manhattan;  Twenty- 
second,  William  I.  Stuart,  Troy ;  Twenty-third,  Jacob  C.  Ruppenthal, 
Russell;  Twenty-fourth,  Preston  B.  Gillett,  Kingman;  Twenty-ninth, 
Edward  L.  Fischer  and  Lewis  C.  True,  Kansas  City;  Thirtieth,  Rollin 
R.  Rees,  Minneapolis;  Thirty-first,  Gordon  L.  Finley,  Dodge  City; 
Thirty-second,  William  H.  Thompson,  Garden  City;  Thirty-third, 
Charles  E.  Lobdell,  Earned ;  Thirty-fourth,  Charles  W.  Smith,  Stock- 
ton; Thirty-fifth,  Robert  C.  Heizer,  Osage  City;  Thirty-sixth,  Oscar 
Raines,  Oskaloosa;  Thirty-seventh,  Oscar  Foust,  lola;  Thirty-eighth, 
Arthur  Fuller,  Pittsburg. 

In  addition  to  these  district  courts,  Wyandotte  county  has  a  court  of 
common  pleas,  the  judge  of  whom  in  1910  was  Hugh  J.  Smith,  of 
Argentine.     The  jurisdiction,  powers  and  duties  of  justices  of  the  peace 


4^  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

are  such  as  are  prescribed  by  law.  In  civil  cases  it  is  coextensive  within 
the  county  where  they  reside.  A  justice  of  the  peace  may  render  judg- 
ment for  any  balance  found  due  in  a  matter  of  controversy,  not  ex- 
ceeding $300,  and  in  actions  founded  upon  an  undertaking  in  any  civil 
proceeding  he  has  jurisdiction  when  the  sum  due  or  demanded  does  not 
exceed  .?5O0,  and  in  actions  for  trespass  upon  real  estate,  when  damages 
demanded  do  not  exceed  $100. 

The  legislature  of  1895  i)asscd  a  law  creating  a  court  of  appeals,  con- 
sisting of  six  judges  and  divided  into  northern  and  southern  divisions. 
This  court  remained  in  existence  until  the  second  Monday  in  Jan.,  190K 
when  it  expired  by  reason  of  the  limitation  contained  in  the  act  creat- 
ing it,  and  all  cases  then  pending  and  undetermined  therein  were  certi- 
fied to  the  supreme  court. 

Judiciary,  Territorial. — Under  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  the  funda- 
mental act  of  the  organization  of  Kansas  Territory ,  the  president 
appointed  three  judges  to  constitute  the  highest  court  of  the  territory. 
The  first  judges  appointed  by  President  Franklin  Pierce  were:  Samuel 
D.  Lecompte  of  Maryland,  chief  justice;  Saunders  W.  Johnston  of  Ohio, 
and  Rush  Elmore  of  Alabama,  associate  justices.  About  Jan.  i,  1855,. 
the  territory  was  divided  into  three  judicial  districts  and  a  justice  was 
assigned  to  each.  Lecompte  had  jurisdiction  over  the  northeastern 
portion,  Elmore  the  southeastern,  and  Johnston  the  remaining  portioii 
of  the  territory.  In  the  meantime  justices  of  the  iieace  had  been 
ai)pointed  in  various  localities,  before  whom  differences  could  be 
adjusted,  criminals  arraigned  and  bound  over  to  the  higher  court.  The 
act  of  organization  provided  that  the  judicial  power  of  the  territory 
should  be  vested  in  a  supreme  court,  district  courts,  probate  courts, 
and  in  justices  of  the  peace,  the  jurisdiction  of  each  court,  both  appel- 
late and  original,  to  be  as  limited  by  law,  the  supreme  and  district  courts 
possessing  chancery  as  well  as  common  law  jurisdiction. 

The  first  legislature  of  the  territory,  in  session  at  the  Shawnee  Mis- 
sion, greatly  facilitated  the  work  of  enacting  laws  for  Kansas  by  adopt- 
ing transcripts  of  the  Missouri  code.  Says  Holloway,  in  his  "History 
of  Kansas"  (p.  165)  :  "With  the  exception  of  some  oppressive  laws  of 
their  own  manufacture  the)-  enacted  the  best  code  of  laws  the  territory 
or  state  ever  enjoyed." 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  about  these  legislative  enact- 
ments was  that  all  officers  in  the  territory — legislative,  executive  and 
judicial — were  to  be  appointed  by  the  legislature,  or  by  some  officer 
that  had  been  appointed  by  it,  and  these  appointments  were  to  continue 
until  after  the  general  election  in  Oct.,  1857.  Thus  the  people  could 
have  no  control  over  the  legislative,  executive  or  judicial  afifairs  of  the 
territory  until  by  the  natural  progress  of  population  the  government 
thus  inaugurated  should  be  superseded  by  that  of  a  state  government. 
Being  solicitous  about  the  legality  of  their  proceedings,  thev  were 
referred  to  the  supreme  court,  and  in  a  lengthy  document  a  majority 
of  the  judges  sustained  the  legislature  in  its  course  of  action  and  highly 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4* 

complimented  the  talents  and  character  of  its  members.  One  of  the 
judges,  S.  W.  Johnston,  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  matter. 
During  the  tumult  and  excitement  of  the  ensuing  years  the  judiciary 
of  the  territory  was  of  secondary  importance,  and  their  tribunals  proved 
to  be  anything  but  "havens  of  refuge"  while  the  partisan  storm  was 
raging.  The  district  court  for  the  second  district  was  organized  at 
Tecumseh,  with  Rush  Elmore  as  judge,  on  April  30,  1855,  and  the  third 
judicial  district  was  organized  at  Pawnee  on  July  2  of  the  same  year, 
with  Saunders  W.  Johnston  presiding.  On  July  30,  1855,  the  first  ses- 
sion of  the  supreme  court  was  held  at  the  Shawnee  Manual  Labor 
School,  in  Johnson  county,  with  all  three  of  the  territorial  judges 
present. 

The  territorial  legislature  elected  the  probate  judges  for  the  several 
counties,  and  the  appointment  of  justices  of  the  peace  was  given  to 
commissioners  chosen  by  the  legislature.  On  Sept.  13,  1855,  Sterling 
G.  Cato  of  Alabama  was  appointed  judge  in  place  of  Elmore,  and  J.  M. 
Burrill  of  Pennsylvania,  in  place  of  Johnston.  The  supreme  court  met 
at  Lecompton  on  Dec.  3,  and  on  the  following  day  these  gentlemen  took 
their  seats  as  associate  justices.  Judge  Burrill  remained  in  Kansas  only 
a  short  time,  and  then  returned  to  Greensburg,  Pa.,  where  he  died  in 
Oct.,  1856.  Thomas  Cunningham,  of  Beaver  county.  Pa.,  was  appointed 
his  successor.  Mr.  Cunningham  visited  Kansas,  bi^it  resigned  without 
entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office.  During  the  second  week  in  May, 
1856,  the  first  district  court  held  its  sessions  at  Lecompton,  Judge 
Lecompte  presiding,  and  the  following  quotation,  concerning  what  was 
then  the  disturbing  question  in  Kansas,  is  taken  from  his  charge  to 
the  grand  jury:  "This  territory  was  organized  by  an  act  of  Congress, 
and  so  far  its  authority  is  from  the  United  States.  It  has  a  legislature 
elected  in  pursuance  of  that  organic  act.  This  legislature,  being  an 
instrument  of  Congress,  by  which  it  governs  the  territory,  has  passea 
laws.  These  laws,  therefore,  are  of  United  States  authority  and  mak- 
ing; and  all  that  resist  these  laws  resist  the  power  and  authority  of  the 
United  States,  and  are,  therefore,  guilty  of  high  treason.  Now,  gentle- 
men, if  you  find  that  any  person  has  resisted  these  laws,  then  you  must, 
under  your  oaths,  find  bills  against  them  for  high  treason.  If  you  find 
that  no  resistance  has  been  made,  but  that  combinations  have  been 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  resisting  them,  and  individuals  of  influence 
and  notoriety  have  been  aiding  and  abetting  in  such  combinations,  then 
must  you  find  bills  for  constructive  treason." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  preceding  January  a  state  election 
had  been  held  in  pursuance  of  the  "Topeka  Constitution,"  and  Charles^ 
Robinson  had  been  declared  elected  as  governor  of  the  "State  of  Kan- 
sas." In  writing  of  Judge  Lecompte's  charge  to  the  grand  jury,  Mrs. 
Robinson  in  her  book  on  "Kansas,"  says :  "To  make  the  matter  so  plain 
that  even  the  dullest  of  his  hearers  may  not  fail  to  comprehend  his- 
meaning,  he  states  that  some  who  are  'dubbed  governor,  lieutenant- 
governor,  etc.,  are  such  individuals  of  influence  and  notoriety!'" 


42  CYCLOriiDlA    OF 

Upon  tlie  induction  of  Gov.  Geary  into  office  he  sought  to  awaken 
and  infuse  new  hfe  and  virtue  into  the  judiciary  of  the  territory.  On 
Sept.  23,  1856,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  each  of  the  judges,  asking  them 
what  they  had  done.  The  rephes  showed  that  very  Httle  had  been  done, 
for  in  the  midst  of  war  laws  are  silent.  Chief  Justice  Lecompte  replied 
that  he  had  a  "party  bias,"  and  was  proud  of  it.  He  said :  "To  the 
charge  of  a  pro-slavery  bias,  1  am  proud,  too,  of  this.  1  am  the  steady 
friend  of  Southern  rights  under  the  constitution  of  the  United  Slates. 
I  have  been  reared  where  slavery  was  recognized  by  the  constitution 
of  my  state.  I  love  the  institution  as  entwining  itself  around  all  my 
early  and  late  associations."     (See  Geary's  Administration.) 

On  June  i,  1857,  Joseph  Williams  was  appointed  associate  justice  in 
place  of  Cunningham.  On  July  10  he  took  the  oath  of  office  before 
Secretary  Stanton  and  established  his  residence  in  Fort  Scott.  In  July, 
1858,  Joseph  \\'illiams  and  Rush  Elmore  were  designated  as  associate 
justices  and  served  until  the  admission  of  the  state.  Elmore  had  been 
reappointed  in  place  of  Cato,  who  left  the  territory.  In  March.  1859, 
John  Pettit  of  Indiana  was  confirmed  by  the  United  States  senate  as 
chief  justice  of  Kansas,  and  on  April  2  he  took  the  oath  of  office  at 
Leavenworth,  before  Samuel  D.  Lecompte,  whom  he  succeeded.  Hollo- 
way  says:  "While  the  Kansas  governors  generally  proved  true  to  their 
honest  convictions,  other  appointees  of  the  administration,  in  most 
instances,  used  all  their  influence  to  serve  partisan  purposes.  Such 
seems  to  have  been  especially  the  case  with  the  judiciary.  Judge  Cato 
of  Alabama  was  perhaps  the  most  perverse  and  partial  of  all  others; 
Judge  Elmore  was  the  most  prompt  to  duty,  strict  and  impartial  in  his 
judgments;  Judge  Lecompte,  the  most  learned  and  pliant  tool;  Judge 
Williams  said  the  most  and  did  the  least — as  cowardly  as  he  was  dis- 
honest— and  Judge  Pettit  of  Indiana,  the  staggering  embodiment  of  all 
vices  and  virtues." 

Julia,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Ninnescah  township,  Kingman 
county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  7  miles  southeast  of 
Kingman,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  general  store,  and  there  was  a 
population  of  27  in  1910.    The  railroad  name  is  Alameda, 

Jumbo,  a  country  postofifice  in  Gray  county,  is  located  in  Hess  town- 
ship, about  20  miles  south  of  Cimarron,  the  county  seat,  and  about  16 
miles  friini  Fowler  in  Meade  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Junction  City,  the  judicial  seat  of  Geary  county,  is  an  incorporated 
city  of  the  second  class  located  near  the  geographical  center  of  the 
United  States,  at  the  junction  of  the  Republican  and  Smoky  Hill  rivers, 
from  which  fact  it  takes  its  name.  It  is  on  the  Union  Pacific  and  the 
Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroads,  and  is  connected  by  electric  rail- 
way with  Fort  Riley,  one  of  the  most  important  military  posts  in  the 
United  States.  The  city  is  lighted  by  electricitj',  has  waterworks,  fire 
department,  sewer  system,  fine  "county  and  city  buildings  constructed 
from  native  materials,  an  opera  house,  a  high  school,  a  German  Luth- 
eran school,  the  St.  Francis  Xavier  school (  Roman  Catholic),  numerous 


KANSAS   HISTORY  43 

churches,  3  newspapers  (the  Union,  the  Republic,  and  the  Sentinel), 
4  banks  with  a  combined  capitalization  of  $225,000,  several  grain  ele- 
vators, 2  flour  mills,  an  ice  plant,  a  creamery,  machine  shops,  carriage 
and  wagon  works,  a  large  number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with 
seven  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  5,598- 

Junction  Citv  is  one  of  the  places  designated  by  the  government  for 
the  establishment  of  a  postal  savings  bank.  The  city  has  a  library  and 
library  building  of  which  any  place  of  ten  times  its  size  might  be  proud. 
It  was  founded  by  a  legacy  left  by  George  Smith,  and  in  191 1  had  nearly 
8,000  volumes.  The  Ladies'  Reading  club  and  the  high  school  also 
have  libraries. 

This  is  one  of  the  historic  cities  in  the  state.  It  is  on  the  site  of  the 
Kaw  Indian  village  which  was  occupied  by  that  tribe  as  late  as  1856. 
when  they  died  in  great  numbers  from  cholera.  The  founders  of  the 
town,  J.  R.  McClure,  Robert  Wilson,  F.  N.  Blake,  John  T.  Price  and 
P.  Z.  Taylor  organized  themselves  into  a  company  in  1857  and  selected 
the  site,  but  the  survey  was  not  made  until  the  spring  of  1858.  The 
first  building  was  erected  in  May  of  that  year  and  inside  of  a  few  months 
a  village  had  grown  up.  The  first  city  officers  were  elected  in  July,  1859, 
and  were  as  follows :  Mayor,  R.  C.  Whitney ;  councilmen,  Samuel  Orr, 
Edward  Cobb  and  W.  H.  Bartlett ;  clerk,  V.  K.  Speer.  On  Oct.  6  of  the 
same  year  the  United  States  Land  office  was  moved  from  Ogden  to 
Junction  City  and  remained  here  until  1871,  when  it  was  taken  to 
Salina.  In  June,  i860,  Junction  City  was  made  the  county  seat  of 
Geary  (then  Davis)  countv.  As  an  insight  into  the  methods  of  con- 
ducting elections  in  those  days  it  might  be  mentioned  that  the  number 
of  votes  cast  by  Junction  City  was  224,  while  the  total  population  of 
the  town  was  but  217. 

The  first  brick  building  in  the  city  was  completed  early  m  1862,  and 
the  first  school  district  was  organized  in  the  same  year.  The  buildmg 
of  the  railroad  in  1866  gave  a  new  impetus  to  the  town,  many  new  build- 
ings were  erected  and  the  population  increased  rapidly.  In  Feb.,  1867, 
the  railroad  bridge  across  the  Republican  was  carried  away  by  high 
water.  During  that  vear  a  $17,500  bridge  was  built  by  the  county  across 
the  Smoky  Hill  river  and  one  by  the  state  across  the  Republican.  The 
city  election  of  1869  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  events  in  its  his- 
tory The  opposing  factions  did  not  limit  themselves  to  verbal  argu- 
ments The  matter^  was  finallv  settled  in  the  courts.  A  fire  destroyed 
a  number  of  the  business  buildings  in  1871.  The  next  year  a  $10,000 
school  house  was  erected.  In  addition  to  the  grasshopper  disaster  in 
1874  the  city  was  visited  by  a  second  fire  which  destroyed  ten  of  the 
best  buildings.  In  1870  the  population  was  3,100,  but  in  1875  there  had 
been  a  decrease  of  several  hundred  caused  by  the  removal  of  the  shops 
of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  from  this  point  to  Den.son, 
Tex  and  by  the  removal  of  the  division  end  of  the  Union  Pacific  from 
Junction  City  to  Wamego.     In  1880  the  population  was  2,977.     A  city 


44  CYCLOI'EUIA   01" 

hall,  vvhicli  was  to  cost  ?28,ooo,  was  begun  that  year,  'llie  outlay  ol" 
so  large  an  amount  on  the  building  gave  rise  to  a  bitter  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  more  economical  people  of  the  community  and  they 
attempted  to  stop  work  on  the  structure  by  an  injunction  suit  but  were 
unsuccessful.  An  accident  which  destroyed  a  part  of  the  buildings 
brought  the  total  cost  to  $30,000  at  the  time  of  completion.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  city  in  1890  was  4,502,  and  in  1900  it  was  4,695. 

Juvenile  Courts. — Not  to  be  behind  other  states  in  caring  for  its  chil- 
dren, the  progressive  spirit  which  prevails  in  Kansas  led,  in  the  legis- 
lative session  of  1905,  to  the  passage  of  a  law  establishing  juvenile 
courts.  The  act  provides  for  the  establishment  in  each  county  of  the 
state  of  a  juvenile  court,  whose  jurisdiction  pertains  to  the  care  of 
dependent,  neglected  and  delinquent  children.  Tiie  probate  judge  of 
each  county  is  the  judge  of  the  juvenile  court.  Such  court  has  juris- 
diction of  all  cases  concerning  dependent,  neglected  and  delinquent 
children  in  the  county,  and  is  open  at  all  times  for  the  transaction  of 
business.  The  court  has  authority  to  issue  subpoenas  for  witnesses, 
compel  their  attendance  by  attachment  as  for  contempt,  and  to  issue  all 
other  process  that  may  be  necessary  in  any  case,  the  same  as  justices- 
of  the  peace  are  authorized  to  do  in  misdemeanors.  All  writs  and 
process  are  served  by  the  probation  officer  of  the  court,  or  in  his  absence 
by  some  person  especially  deputized  for  that  purpose.  The  act  applies, 
only  to  children  under  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  not  inmates  of  any  state 
institution,  but  when  jurisdiction  has  been  acquired  over  the  person 
of  a  child,  such  jurisdiction  may  continue  until  the  child  has  attained 
its  majority. 

The  words  "dependent  child"  and  "neglected  child"'  mean  any  child 
who  for  any  reason  is  destitute  or  homeless  or  abandoned,  or  dependent 
upon  the  public  for  support,  or  has  not  proper  parental  care  or  guardian- 
ship, and  has  idle  or  immoral  habits,  or  who  habitually  begs  or  receives 
alms,  or  who  is  found  living  in  any  house  of  ill-fame  or  with  vicious  or 
disreputable  persons,  or  whose  home,  by  reason  of  neglect,  cruelty  or 
depravity  on  the  part  of  its  parents,  guardian  or  other  person  in  whose 
care  it  may  be,  is  an  unfit  place  for  such  a  child,  or  any  child  under  the- 
age  of  ten  years  who  is  found  begging,  peddling  or  selling  any  article, 
or  singing  or  playing  any  musical  instrument  upon  the  street,  or  who 
accompanies  or  is  used  in  aid  of  any  person  so  doing.  The  words. 
"delinquent  child"  include  any  child  under  the  age  of  sixteen  years  who 
violates  any  law  of  the  state  or  the  ordinances  of  any  city,  town  or  vil- 
lage, or  who  is  incorrigible,  or  who  knowingly  associates  with  thieves,. 
vicious  or  immoral  persons,  or  who  is  growing  up  in  idleness  or  crime, 
or  who  knowingly  patronizes  pool-rooms  or  places  where  gambling 
devices  are  operated. 

The  juvenile  court  appoints  one  or  more  discreet  persons  of  good 
character  to  serve  as  probation  officers  during  the  pleasure  of  the  court. 
It  is  the  duty  of  such  official  to  make  necessary  investigation,  to  repre- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  45 

sent  the  interest  of  the  child  when  the  case  is  heard,  and  to  take  cliarge 
of  the  child  before  and  after  the  trial,  as  may  be  directed  by  the  court. 
Any  reputable  person,  being  a  resident  in  the  county  and  having  knowl- 
edge of  a  child  who  appears  to  be  either  depend^it,  neglected  or  delin- 
quent, may  file  with  the  court  a  petition  in  writing  setting  forth  the 
facts  verified  by  affidavit.  When  any  child  under  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  is  found  to  be  dependent  or  neglected,  the  court  may  make  an 
order  committing  the  child  to  the  care  of  some  suitable  institution,  or 
some  reputable  citizen  of  good  moral  character,  or  some  training  school 
or  industrial  school,  or  some  association  willing  to  receive  it,  embrac- 
ing in  its  object  the  purpose  of  caring  for  or  obtaining  homes  for  neg- 
lected or  dependent  children.  When  the  health  or  condition  of  the  child 
requires  it,  the  court  may  cause  the  child  to  be  placed  in  a  public 
hospital  or  institution  for  treatment  or  special  care,  or  in  a  private 
hospital  or  institution  which  will  receive  it  for  like  purpose  without 
charge.  In  any  case  where  the  court  awards  a  child  to  the  care  of  any 
association  or  individual,  the  child,  unless  otherwise  ordered,  becomes 
a  ward,  and  is  subject  to  the  guardianship  of  the  association  or  indi- 
vidual to  whose  care  it  is  committed.  Such  association  or  individual 
has  authority  to  place  such  child  in  a  family  home,  with  or  without 
indenture,  and  may  be  made  party  to  any  proceedings  for  the  legal 
adoption  of  the  child,  and  may  appear  in  any  court  where  such  proceed- 
ings are  pending  and  assent  to  such  adoption,  and  such  assent  is  suf- 
ficient to  authorize  the  court  to  enter  proper  order  or  decree  of  adop- 
tion. Such  guardianship  does  not  include  guardianship  of  any  estate 
of  the  child. 

When  a  child  under  the  age  of  sixteen  years  is  arrested,  with  or  with- 
out warrant,  instead  of  being  taken  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  or 
police  magistrate  or  judge,  the  child  is  taken  before  the  juvenile  court, 
which  proceeds  to  hear  the  defense.  An  appeal  is  allowed  to  the  dis- 
trict court  from  the  final  order  of  commitment,  and  this  may  be 
demanded  by  the  parent,  guardian,  custodian,  or  by  any  relative  within 
the  third  degree  of  kinship.  The  law  is  liberally  construed,  to  the  end 
that  its  purposes  may  be  carried  out,  and  that  the  care,  custody  and 
discipline  of  a  child  shall  approximate,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  proper 
parental  care.  In  all  cases  where  the  same  can  properly  be  done,  the 
child  is  placed  in  an  approved  family  home,  by  legal  adoption  or  other- 
wise. And  in  no  cases  are  any  proceedings,  order  or  judgment  of  the 
juvenile  court  deemed  or  held  to  import  a  criminal  act  on  the  part  of 
any  child,  but  rather  they  are  considered  as  performed  in  the  exercise 
of  the  parental  power  of  the  state.  The  result  of  this  legislation  in 
Kansas  is  similar  to  that  in  other  states  and  marks  a  long  step  forward 
in  the  treatment  of  youthful  offenders.  Instead  of  being  started  upon 
a  career  of  crime  they  are  given  the  opportunity  to  become  useful 
citizens. 


46  CYCl.Ul'KUlA    OF 

K 

Kackley,  a  village  in  Beaver  township,  Republic  county,  is  a  station 
on  the  Atchison,  Topaka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  about  15  miles  southwest 
of  Belleville,  the  county  seat.  It  is  the  principal  grain  market  for 
that  section  of  the  county,  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  express  and 
telegraph  offices,  a  bank,  several  business  establishments,  good  schools, 
and  churches  of  several  different  denominations.  The  population  in 
1910  was  250. 

Kalvesta,  a  country  postoffice  in  Finney  county,  is  located  in  Gar- 
field township,  32  miles  northeast  of  Garden  City,  the  county  seat,  and 
20  miles  north  of  Cimarron,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  gen- 
eral store  and  a  tri-weekly  stage  to  Dodge  City,  34  miles  to  the  south- 
east.    The  population  in   1910  was  25. 

Kanapolis,  formerly  Fort  Harker  (q.  v.),  an  incorporated  city  of  the 
third  class  in  Ellsworth  county,  is  located  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R. 
5  miles  east  of  Ellsworth,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  grain  ele- 
vator, a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Journal),  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population, 
according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  577.  During  its  boom  Kanapolis 
was  one  of  the  most  extensive  "paper"  towns  ever  conceived.  It  was 
founded  in  IVfay,  1886,  and  printing  presses  were  kept  busy  night  and 
day  for  a  time  by  the  promoters,  getting  out  advertising  for  what  they 
claimed  was  going  to  be  a  great  city  by  1900.  Sky  scrapers  loomed 
up  in  their  vision.  The  site  was  laid  out  on  a  scale  suitable  for  a  city 
of  150,000  people.  Four  blocks  were  reserved  for  a  "State  House 
Grounds;"  lots  sold  as  high  as  $1,000.  An  incident  of  the  legislative 
war  of  1893  was  an  attempt  by  the  Populists  to  move  the  state  capital 
from  Topeka  to  Kanapolis. 

Kanona,  a  village  in  Decatur  count}',  is  located  on  the  Chicago, 
P>urlinglon  &  Quincy  R.  R.  10  miles  east  of  Oberlin,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices^and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The 
population  in  igio  was  125.  It  is  a  trading  and  shipping  point  for  the 
adjacent  territory. 

Kanorado,  a  village  in  .Sherman  county,  is  located  near  the  west 
line  of  the  state,  and  is  a  station  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
R.  R.  It  has  a  number  of  mercantile  establishments,  a  bank,  express 
and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes. 
The  population  in  1910  was  175. 

Kansas. — The  greater  portion  of  the  territory  that  now  forms  the 
State  of  Kansas  was  formerly  included  in  the  province  of  Louisiana, 
which  was  acquired  by  the  United  States  from  France  by  the  treaty 
of  Paris.  A  small  tract  in  the  southwest  corner  was  acquired  from 
Texas  in  1850.  The  state  extends  from  37°  to  40°  north  latitude,  and 
from  94°  40'  to  ro2°  west  longitude,  being  208  miles  wide  and  406  miles 
long  and  containing  82,080  square  miles.  It  derives  its  name  from  the 
principal  tribe  of  Indians  that  inhabited  the  region  at  the  time  the  ter- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  47 

ritory  was  organized  in  1854,  but,  the  origin,  meaning  and  orthography 
of  the  word  "Kansas"  is  somewhat  uncertain.  One  authority  says  the 
Indian  word  Kansa  has  a  dual  meaning — "wind  and  swift" — and  that 
the  word  Kansas  may  be  interpreted  as  meaning  "swift  wind."  F.  W. 
Hodge  says  that  the  word  refers  to  winds,  but  the  full  definition  is  not 
known.  The  name  of  the  Indian  tribe  has  been  spelled  in  many  differ- 
ent ways.  La  Salle  referred  to  them  as  the  Akansea,  but  later  the 
French  adopted  the  form.Cansez.  Long  and  Catlin  spelled  the  word 
Konza;  Lewis'  and  Clark,  Kansus ;  Lieut.  Pike,  Kans ;  and  Gregg,  in 
his  Commerce  of  the  Prairie,  refers  to  these  Indians  as  the  Kaws,  and 
the  name  is  spelled  in  many  other  ways. 

The  first  mention  of  the  Kansas  Indians  in  the  white  man's  history 
was  about  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century,  when  Juan  de  Oiiate  gave 
them  the  name  of  Escansaques.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  second  and 
third  syllables  of  this  word  form  the  name  "Cansa,"  which  is  one  of  the 
numerous  forms  later  used.  George  P.  Morehouse  of  Topeka,  who  has 
made  a  rather  exhaustive  study  of  Indian  lore  and  tradition,  says 
"The  famous  historic  word  Cansa  or  Kansa  is  neither  of  French  o» 
Indian  origin.  The  word  is  plain  Spanish,  and  as  such  has  a  well- 
defined  and  expressive  meaning  when  applied  to  an  Indian  tribe.  Cansa 
or  Kansa  means  'a  troublesome  people,  those  who  continually  disturb 
or  harass  others.'  It  comes  from  the  Spanish  verb  cansar,  which  means 
'to  molest,  to  stir  up,  to  harass,'  and  from  the  Spanish  noun  cansado., 
'a  troublesome  fellow,  a  disturber,'  " 

Following  is  a  summary  of  the  principle  events  in  connection  with 
the  state's  history: 

1541 — Francisco  Vasquez  de  Coronado  leads  an  expedition  from 
Mexico  in  search  of  the  province  of  Quivira,  and  reaches  a  point  near 
Junction  City,  Kan. 

1601 — ^Juan  de  Oiiate's  expedition  to  Quivira. 

1662 — Don  Diego  de  Penalosa  said  to  have  visited  Quivira,  but  the 
authenticity  of  his  report  has  been  questioned  by  historians. 

1682 — Rene  Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur  de  La  Salle  on  April  9  reaches 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  claims  all  the  territory  drained 
by  that  river  and  its  tributaries  in  the  name  of  France,  giving  to  it  the 
name  of  Louisiana. 

1719 — M.  Dutisne,  a  French  explorer,  visits  the  country  of  the  Osage 
Indians.  He  may  have  touched  the  southeast  corner  of  the  present 
State  of  Kansas. 

1724 — Bourgmont,  another  Frenchman,  conducts  an  expedition  up  the 
valley  of  the  Kansas  river  to  the  country  of  the  Padoucahs  or 
Comanches. 

1762 — France  cedes  the  province  of  Louisiana  to  Spain  by  the  treaty 
of  Fontainebleau,  Nov.  3. 

1800 — Louisiana  ceded  back  to  France  by  the  secret  treaty  of  St. 
Ildefonso  Oct.  i. 


48  CYCLOPEDIA    Ol- 

1803— A  treaty  concliuled  at  Paris  on  April  30,  by  which  tlie  province 
of  Louisiana  was  coded  to  the  United  Stales,  which  government  took 
formal  possession  on  Dec.  20  following. 

1804 — Lewis  and  Clark  start  up  the  Missouri  river  on  an  expedition 
to  the  Pacific  coast.    They  return  to  St.  Louis  in  the  fall  of  1836. 

1806 — Lieut.  Zebulon  M.  Pike  leads  an  expedition  through  Kansas 
and  on  Sept.  29  raised,  for  the  first  time  in  Kansas,  the  United  States 
flag  at  the  Pawnee  village  in  wdiat  is  now  Republic  county. 

1819 — Maj.  Stephen  II.  Long's  expedition. 

1821 — Col.  Hugh  Glenn  conducts  an  expedition  up  the  Arkansas  river 
through  Kansas  on  his  way  to  the  Rocky  mountains. 

1824 — Thomas  H.' Benton  introduces  a  bill  in  Congress  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  road  from  Independence,  Mo.,  to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mex. 
The  road  was  afterward  established  and  became  known  as  the  Santa 
Fe   trail. 

1825 — First  treaties  between  the  United  States  and  the  Osage  and 
Kansas  Indians. 

1827 — Col.  Henry  Leavenworth  founds  Fort  Leavenworth. 

1828 — Napoleon  Boone,  son  of  Daniel  Morgan  Boone,  born  on  Aug. 
22  at  the  Indian  agency  farm  7  miles  up  the  Kansas  river  from  Law- 
rence.   This  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Kansas. 

1829 — A  Methodist  mission  established  among  the  Shawnee  Indians 
in  what  is  now  Johnson  county  by  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson. 

1830 — Congress  established  a  vast  Indian  territory  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river.     Kansas  was  included  in  this  territory. 

1833 — The  first  printing  press  brought  to  Kansas  by  Rev.  Jotham 
Meeker  and  put  in  operation  at  the  Shawnee  mission. 

1835 — Col.  Henry  Dodge  leads  an  expedition  up  the  Arkansas  river 
on  the  way  to  the  Rocky  mountains. 

1840 — Joseph  and  Ahcan  Papan  establish  a  ferry  across  the  Kansas 
river  where  Topeka  now  stands. 

1842-43 — Gen.  John  C.  Fremont's  exploring  expeditions  pass  through 
Kansas  bound  for  the  far  west. 

1854 — President  Pierce  signs  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  on  May  30, 
making  Kansas  an  organized  territory  of  the  United  States.  On  Sept. 
15  the  first  newspaper — The  Leavenworth  Herald — was  published,  and 
on  Oct.  7  Andrew  H.  Reeder,  the  first  territorial  governor,  arrives  at 
Fort  Leavenworth. 

1855 — First  election  for  members  of  the  legislative  assembly  held  on 
March  30.    The  legislature  met  at  Pawnee  on  July  2. 

1859 — Wyandotte  constitution  adopted  in  convention  on  July  29  and 
ratified  by  the  people  at  an  election  held  on  Oct.  4. 

i860 — The  first  iron  rail  laid  on  Kansas  soil  at  Elwood — the  begin- 
ning of  the  Elwood  &  Marysville  railroad.  A  severe  drought  this 
year. 

1861 — Last  session  of  the  territorial  legislature  begins  on  Jan.  7. 
President  Buchanan  signs  the  bill  admitting  Kansas  into  the  Union  as 


KANSAS    HISTORY  49 

a  state  on  Jan.  29;  the  state  government  inaugurated  on  Feb.  9,  with 
Charles  Robinson  as  governor,  and  the  first  state  legislature  convened 
on  March  26.  First  Kansas  regiment  for  the  Civil  war  mustered  in  at 
Fort  Leavenworth  on  June  4. 

1863 — Quantrill  massacre  at  Lawrence  Aug.  21,  and  the  Baxter 
Springs  massacre  Oct.  6.  Work  began  on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  in 
Kansas  this  year. 

1864 — Gen.  Price's  raid  through  Missouri  and  southeastern  Kansas 
causes  considerable  alarm  among  the  citizens  of  the  state. 

1868 — Indian  troubles  in  the  west;  battle  of  Arickaree  Sept.  17. 

1874 — The  great  Grasshopper  invasion.  Some  1.500  I\Tennonites  set- 
tled in  Marion,  Harvey  and  Reno  counties. 

1876 — Kansas  made  an  exhibit  at  the  Centennial  exposition  at  Phila- 
delphia that  attracted  wide  and  favorable  comment,  with  the  result 
that  during  the  next  three  years  a  large  number  of  people  settled  in  the 
state. 

1878 — The  last  Indian  raid  in  Kansas. 

1880 — An  amendment  to  the  constitution  ratified  at  the  election  in 
November  prohibiting  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  in 
the  state. 

1887 — Women  given  the  right  to  vote  at  municipal  elections  and  for 
school  officers. 

1890 — The  People's  or  Populist  party  organized  in  Kansas  by  a  con- 
vention at  Topeka  on  June  12. 

1893 — Columbian  exposition  at  Chicago.  Kansas  makes  a  fine  exhibit 
and  wins  a  number  of  awards. 

1894 — Oil   and   natural  gas  discovered. 

1898 — Kansas  furnished  three  white  regiments  and  one  colored  regi- 
ment for  the  Spanish-American  war. 

1901 — Mrs.  Carrie  Nation  starts  a  crusade  against  the  saloons  that 
results  in  better  enforcement  of  the  prohibitory  law. 

1903 — State  house  at  Topeka  completed;  begun  in  1870.  This  year 
was  marked  by  destructive  floods  in  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers, 
as  well  as  some  of  the  smaller  streams  of  the  state. 

1904 — Louisiana  Purchase  exposition  at  St.  Louis.  Kansas  again 
makes  a  notable  exhibit  of  her  products  and  wins  several  first  prizes. 

1905 — Kansas  battleship   launched  on  Aug.    12. 

1906 — Monuments  marking  the  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail  placed  in 
position  by  the  state  and  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

igo8 — First  nomination  of  state  officers  under  the  primary  election 
law  on  Aug.  4. 

igii — President  Taft  visits  Kansas  and  lays  the  corner-stone  of  the 
Memorial  Building  at  Topeka  on  Sept.  27. 

Note. — In  the  state  are  a  number  of  institutions,  etc.,  the  official 
names  of  which  begin  with  the  word  "Kansas,"  as  Kansas  States  Agri- 
cultural College,  Kansas  State  Historical  Societv,  etc.  In  a  number  of 
(II-4) 


50  CYCLOl'EDIA    OF 

such  cases  in  this  work  the  official  title  has  been  dropped  and  the  sub- 
ject treated  under  its  popular  name,  as  Agricultural  College,  Historical 
Sociel}-. 

Kansas  Christian  College,  located  at  Lincoln,  Kan.,  was  established 
in  1882,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Christian  church.  It  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  Kansas  in  1888,  and  has  property  valued  at  some 
$15,000.  The  main  building  is  two  stories  in  height  and  contains  class 
rooms  and  laboratory.  While  the  school  is  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Christian  church  it  is  non-sectarian.  Five  courses  of  study  are 
provided :  classical,  scientific,  normal,  commercial  and  musical.  Prof. 
O.  B.  Whitaker  was  the  first  president  of  the  college.  During  the  first 
ten  years  of  its  existence  the  growth  of  the  college  was  rather  slow, 
only  84  students  being  enrolled  in  1893,  but  since  then  progress  has 
been  more  satisfactory  and  the  college  is  now  one  of  the  recognized 
and  established  denominational  schools  of  the  state. 

Kansas  City,  the  county  seat  of  Wjandotte  county  and  the  largest 
city  in  Kansas,  is  located  at  the  junction  of  the  Kansas  and  Missouri 
rivers,  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the  county  and  is  separated  from 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  by  the  Missouri  river.  The  present  municipality 
was  created  in  1886  by  the  consolidation  of  Kansas  City  with  the  towns 
of  Wyandotte,  Armourdale  and  Armstrong.  The  early  history  of  the 
city  is  inseparable  from  that  of  the  Wyandot  Indians,  wlio  were  as 
civilized  as  many  of  the  whites  when  they  came  to  Kansas  in  1843  «i"<l 
bought  the  land  upon  which  the  town  of  Wyandotte  was  subsequently 
laid  out.  J.  W.  Armstrong,  the  interpreter,  built  a  log  cabin  in  the 
fall  of  1843  ^""^l  occupied  it  in  December  of  that  year,  the  first  house 
erected  on  the  town  site. 

In  the  spring  of  1857  the  tow'n  was  laid  out  by  John  H.  Miller,  a  sur- 
veyor from  Pennsylvania,  who  made  the  following  statement  upon  his 
map :  "The  present  city  company  is  formed  of  seven  original  stock- 
holders, three  of  whom  are  Wyandots.  They  purchased  the  lands  form- 
ing the  town  site  from  the  Wyandot  owners,  who  are  to  receive  patents 
for  these  lands  as  soon  as  they  can  be  issued.  The  government  com- 
missioners completed  the  assignment  of  these  Wyandots  on  the  town 
site  only  in  Feb.,  1857." 

John  McAlpine  was  to  receive  conveyances  of  the  land,  and  on  the 
sale  of  lots,  was  to  make  deeds  to  the  purchasers.  The  sale  was  adver- 
tised for  March  8,  1857,  when  people  came  from  all  directions  and 
bought  lots  at  a  good  figure.  The  rush  of  immigration  was  rapid  and 
houses  could  not  be  erected  fast  enough  to  accommodate  the  settlers. 
Carpenters  were  at  a  premium,  lumber  was  in  great  demand,  so  that 
sawmills  .sprang  up  almost  over  night,  to  supply  building  materials. 
Within  six  months  from  the  time  it  was  laid  out  Wyandotte  was  a  city 
in  full  blast.  A  postoffice  was  established  in  the  spring  of  1857  with 
Thomas  J.  Barker  as  the  first  postmaster.  It  was  located  in  the  old 
court-house  building  on  Nebraska  avenue,  where  Mr.  Barker  and  Isaiah 
Walker  had  a  store.     On  June  8,   1858,  a  number  of  the  citizens  peti- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  SI 

tioned  the  probate  judge  of  Leavenworth  count}-,  in  which  Wyandotte 
was  then  located,  for  a  town  government.  The  request  was  granted, 
Charles  W.  Click,  William  F.  Simpson,  Daniel  Cillen,  Ceorge  Rus- 
sell and  William  McKay  being  appointed  trustees.  Four  days  later 
the  trustees  held  their  first  meeting,  after  being  sworn  into  office  by 
William  L.  McMath,  the  justice  of  the  peace.  .  \Villiam  McKay  was 
chosen  chairman;  Joseph  W.  Watson,  clerk;  Charles  W.  Patterson, 
assessor ;  Walter  N.  Canfield,  collector ;  and  Samuel  E.  Forsythe,  con- 
stable. On  Jan.  29,  1859,  Wyandotte  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the 
third  class  and  the  first  election  was  held  in  February  of  that  year, 
when  James  B.  Parr  was  chosen  mayor ;  W.  P.  Overton,  J.  N.  White, 
B.  Judd,  H.  McDowell,  Isaiah  Walker  and  D.  Killen,  councilmen ;  E. 
T.  Vedder,  clerk;  David  Kirkbride,  assessor;  J.  H.  Harris,  treasurer; 
W.  L.  McMath,  attorney;  N.  A.  Kirk,  marshal;  W.  Miller,  engineer; 
and  H.  Burgard,  street  commissioner. 

The  first  religious  organization  in  the  town  was  the  Methodist  mis- 
sion among  the  Wyandot  Indians,  which  had  been  established  in  1843 
by  James  Wheeler,  a  missionar}-  sent  out  by  the  North  Ohio  conference. 
The  mission  church  was  completed  in  1844.  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  parish 
of  Wyandotte  was  organized  in  1857  by  Rodney  Nash  of  Lexington, 
Mo.  It  was  the  pioneer  parish  of  Kansas  and  was  erected  under  the 
authority  of  Bishop  Kemper. 

In  1859  ths  convention  which  framed  the  constitution  under  which 
Kansas  was  admitted  to  the  Union  met  at  Wyandotte.  The  building  in 
which  the  convention  was  held  was  known  for  years  as  Constitution 
Hall.  When  Wyandotte  county  was  created  in  1859,  Wyandotte 
became  the  seat  of  justice.  The  county  offices  were  located  in  Consti- 
tution Hall  for  a  time.  They  were  changed  several  times,  but  in  1882, 
a  fine  court-house  was  erected  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Minnesota 
avenue  and  Seventh  street. 

While  Kansas  was  still  a  territory  manufacturing  industries  were 
established  at  Wyandotte.  In  1870  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  shops 
were  located  in  the  southern  portion  of  Wyandotte — known  as  Arm- 
strong, a  town  absorbed  by  Wyandotte. 

The  first  hotel  in  Wyandotte  was  kept  by  Isaac  W.  Brown  as  early  as 
1855.  Thomas  Eldridge  opened  a  second  in  1857.  Two  banks  were 
started  the  same  year.  The  Kansas  City  Town  company  was  organized 
in  1868  by  T.  H.  Swope,  Silas  Armstrong,  Dr.  George  B.  Wood,  David 
E.  James,  Luther  H.  Wood,  \Villiam  Wier,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  and  N. 
McAlpine.  The  town  was  surveyed  by  John  McGee  in  April,  1869, 
and  the  plat  recorded  with  the  register  of  deeds  of  Wyandotte  county 
on  May  3.  Kansas  City  made  rapid  progress  and  in  1872  it  had  sufficient 
population  to  be  incorporated.  The  first  election  was  held  in  October, 
when  James  Boyle  was  elected  mayor;  S.  W.  Day,  John  McKnight, 
Charles  H.  Jones,  James  Lundell  and  George  Forschler,  councilmen; 
Cornelius  Cushin,  clerk;  James  Kennedy,  police  judge;  Samuel  McCon- 
nell,   treasurer;   and    H.    L.   Alden,   attorney.     The   fire   department  of 


52  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  furnished  fire  protection  for  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  until 
1882,  when  a  building  was  erected  on  James  street  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  police  and  fire  departments. 

In  1880  the  Weekly  Spy,  the  first  newspaper  in  the  town,  made  its 
appearance.  It  was  edited  and  owned  by  B.  M.  Brake  until  1882,  when 
Charles  H.  Van  Fossen  and  Felix  G.  Head  bought  the  Spy  and  began 
the  publication  of  the  Daily  Evening  Globe  on  Sept.  5.  Several  labor 
organizations  were  established  in  Kansas  City  early  in  the  '80s. 

Soon  after  the  town  was  founded,  Kansas  City  began  manufacturing 
with  the  building  of  Hour  mills,  but  Kansas  City  did  not  take  high  rank 
as  a  milling  center  until  about  1900.  It  now  occupies  second  place  in 
the  United  States,  having  the  largest  hard  wheat  mills  in  the  world, 
with  a  capacity  of  5,000  barrels  a  day.  The  meat  packing  industry, 
the  most  characteristic  of  Kansas  City  today,  was  one  of  the  first  to 
become  established.  The  first  packing  house  was  established  in  1868  by 
Pattison  &  Slavens,  and  by  1890  Kansas  City  began  to  take  its  place  as 
the  second  greatest  packing  center  in  the  country.  Associated  with  this 
business  are  the  stock  yards,  soap  industries  and  other  manufactures  of 
by-products. 

.'\rmourdale.  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas  river,  about  a 
mile  south  of  its  junction  with  the  Missouri,  was  named  after  the 
Armours,  the  great  Chicago  packers.  It  was  laid  out  in  1880  by  the 
Kaw  Valley  Town  Site  and  Bridge  company,  composed  of  the  following 
Boston  capitalists:  Charles  F.  and  John  Quincy  Adams.  Charles  Mer- 
riam,  Nathan  Thayer,  H.  H.  Hunnewell  and  John  A.  Burnham.  The 
company  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  not  included  in  the  town  site,  which 
they  sold  for  manufacturing  purposes.  In  the  spring  of  1882.  Armour- 
dale  had  a  sufficient  population  to  be  incorporated,  and  the  first  city 
election  was  held  on  May  5,  when  Frank  W.  Patterson  was  chosen  the 
first  mayor;  Daniel  Herbert,  Nehemiah  Shirrick,  E.  W.  Anderson,  Jo- 
seph Bradley  and  S.  Snyder,  councilmen ;  William  Ross,  marshal ;  Gran- 
ville Patterson,  clerk;  and  John  C.  Foore,  police  judge. 

In  1883  the  street  railway  was  extended  so  as  to  connect  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  Armourdale  and  Wyandotte,  which  made  the 
towns  practically  one  as  far  as  transportation  and  business  interests 
were  concerned. 

Until  1886,  the  towns  west  of  the  Kansas  river  were  a  group  of  inde- 
pendent municipalities.  These  were  all  then  annexed  to  Kansas  City, 
which  since  that  time  has  more  than  quadrupled  in  population,  added 
to  its  manufacturing  concerns,  multiplied  its  packing  houses,  until  it  now 
produces  more  manufactured  articles  than  any  other  city  in  the  United 
States  according  to  population,  and  practically  doubles  that  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.  It  has  large  railway  repair  and  construction  shops,  iron 
works,  factories  that  turn  out  hay-presses,  creamery  supplies,  tin  ware, 
agricultural  implements,  wagons  and  carriages,  gas  and  gasoline  engines, 
furniture,  foundry  supplies,  wheelbarrows,  wooden  boxes  and  barrels, 
soap,  brick,  etc.  The  residences  and  business  houses  are  lighted  and 
heated  by   natural   gas,   but   there   is   also  an   electric   lighting  svstem. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  53 

There  are  25  public  school  houses  in  the  city  and  a  high  school  with 
manual  training  department.  There  are  also  located  here  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  the  Kansas  City  University — a  Methodist 
institution,  the  Kansas  City  Theological  Seminary,  eight  Roman  Cath- 
olic institutions.  Kansas  City  has  an  elevation  of  763  feet  and  in  igio 
had  a  population  of  82,331  inhabitants. 

Kansas  City  University. — This  institution,  located  in  Kansas  City, 
Kan.,  comprises  seven  departments  or  schools,  each  having  its  own  fac- 
ulty, with  courses  of  study  leading  to  appropriate  degrees.  These  schools 
are,  Mather  College,  School  of  Theology,  College  of  Music,  Kansas 
City  Normal  School,  Wilson  High  School,  School  of  Elocution  and  Ora- 
tory, and  Kansas  City  Hahnemann  Medical  College.  Mather  College  is 
situated  on  the  university  ground  in  the  suburbs  of  Kansas  City.  It 
owes  its  existence  to  Dr.  Samuel  Fielding  Mather,  a  descendent  of 
Cotton  Mather.  About  a  year  before  his  death  he  made  a  proposition 
to  a  board  of  trustees,  appointed  by  the  general  conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Protestant  church,  to  convey  to  this  board  certain  valuable  tracts 
of  land  in  the  suburbs  of  Kansas  City,  providing  a  building  or  buildings 
should  be  erected  before  Oct.  15,  1896,  costing  not  less  than  $25,000  The 
offer  was  accepted  on  the  last  day  of  May,  1895,  j'-'st  a  few  hours  before 
Dr.  Mather  died.  His  will  gave  the  residue  of  his  estate  to  the  con- 
templated college,  provided  the  board  of  trustees  fulfilled  their  part  of 
the  agreement. 

On  Sept.  23,  1896,  the  building  known  as  Mather  Hall  was  opened  to 
students.  In  1910  there  were  three  buildings  and  plans  made  for  the 
erection  of  three  more.  H.  J.  Heinz,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  has  contributed 
$10,000  toward  a  dormitory,  as  a  memorial  to  his  wife.  The  business 
affairs  of  the  university  are  under  the  management  of  24  trustees,  12 
of  whom  are  elected  quadrennially  for  a  term  of  eight  years.  These 
trustees  elect  an  endowment  board  of  16  persons  who  have  charge  of 
the  invested  funds.  The  course  of  study  in  the  college  leads  to  a 
Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  and  is  open  to  both  men  and  women. 

The  Wilson  High  School  occupies  a  new  building  erected  in  1907  at 
a  cost  of  $25,000.  It  offers  six  courses  of  study,  classical,  the  philo- 
sophical, and  scientific  courses,  which  admit  students  to  the  college;  an 
English  course,  a  teacher's  course,  and  a  business  course  are  provided 
for  students  not  expecting  to  attend  college.  The  College  of  Elocution 
and  Oratory  presents  facilities  for  instruction  in  the  art  of  speaking,  and 
is  located  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  The  Hahnemann  Medical  College  is  also 
located  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  It  has  been  in  existence  about  twenty 
years  and  oflfers  courses  leading  to  the  degrees  of  M.  D.,  B.  S.  and  Ph.  D. 

The  catalogue  for  1910-11  gives  the  following  enrollment:  Mather 
College  30,  Wilson  High  School  149,  School  of  Oratory  198,  Normal 
School  10,  Hahnemann  Medical  College  68,  School  of  Theology  13 ; 
those  counted  twice  23,  making  a  total  of  435  students. 

Kansas  County,  named  in  memory  of  the  Kansas  Indians,  was  created 
in  1873,  with  the  following  boundaries:     "Commencing  at  the  intersec- 


54  CYCLOI'F.DIA    OK 

tion  of  the  cast  line  of  range  39  wot,  with  the  61I1  slaiidard  parallel; 
thence  south  along  range  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  south  boundary 
of  the  State  of  Kansas ;  thence  west  along  said  south  boundary  line  of 
the  State  of  Kansas  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the  State  of  Kansas ; 
thence  north  along  the  western  boundary  line  of  the  State  of  Kansas 
to  where  it  is  intersected  by  the  6th  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to 
the  place  of  beginning."  In  1883  Kansas  county  disappeared,  Seward 
taking  its  place.  The  territory  included  in  the  above  described  bound- 
aries now^  constitutes  the  county  of  Morton. 

Kansas  Legion. — (See  Danites.) 

Kansas  Medical  College. —  (See  Medical  Colleges.) 

Kansas-Nebraska  Bill. — For  more  than  thirty  years  prior  to  the  organ- 
ization of  Kansas  as  a  territory  of  the  United  States  the  slavery  ques- 
tion had  been  a  "bone  of  contention"  in  the  halls  of  Congress.  The 
first  petition  of  Missouri  for  admission  into  the  Union,  in  March,  1818, 
started  the  agitation  that  culminated  in  the  passage  of  the  act  of  March 
6,  1820,  known  as  the  "Missouri  Compromise."  Section  8  of  this  act  pro- 
vided "That  in  all  that  territory  ceded  by  France  to  the  United  States, 
under  the  name  of  Louisiana,  which  lies  north  of  36°  30'  north  latitude, 
not  included  within  the  limits  of  the  state  contemplated  by  this  act, 
slavery  and  involuntary  servitude,  otherwise  than  in  punishment  of 
crimes  whereof  the  parties  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  shall  be,  and 
is  hereby,  forever  prohibited." 

Of  the  original  thirteen'  states,  seven  were  free  and  six  were  slave 
states.  From  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  to  1819  five  slave  states — 
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Louisiana,  Mississippi  and  Alabama — had  been 
admitted  into  the  Union,  while  during  the  same  period  but  four  free 
states — Vermont,  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois — ^had  been  added,  so  that 
in  1819,  immediately  after  the  admission  of  Alabama,  there  were  eleven 
of  each.  The  admission  of  Maine  in  1820  gave  the  free  states  a  majority 
of  one,  but  the  equilibrium  w'as  again  restored  by  the  admission  of  Mis- 
souri in  1821.  With  the  exception  of  short  intervals,  this  policy  of 
equality  was  maintained  during  the  next  twenty  years.  Arkansas,  a 
slave  state,  was  admitted  in  1836,  but  was  followed  by  the  free  state  of 
Michigan  in  1837.  The  admission  of  Texas  and  Florida  in  1845  gave  the 
slave  power  a  slight  advantage,  which  was  regained  by  the  free  states 
in  the  admission  of  Iowa  in  1846  and  Wisconsin  in  1848. 

By  that  time  practically  all  the  available  territory  south  of  the  line 
36°  30'  had  been  divided  into  states,  and  the  slaveholders  were  com- 
pelled to  look  for  a  new  field  if  the  institution  was  to  be  extended.  After 
an  acrimonious  discussion  of  eight  weeks  in  the  first  session  of  the  31st 
Congress,  over  the  admission  of  California,  Henry  Clay,  on  Jan.  29,  1850, 
introduced  the  resolution  which  formed  the  basis  of  the  celebrated 
"Omnibus  Bill"  (q.  v.),  or  compromise  measures  of  1850.  These  reso- 
lutions, and  the  bill  which  followed,  provided  for  the  admission  of  Cal- 
ifornia "without  the  imposition  by  Congress  of  any  restrictions  in  respect 
to  the  exclusion   or   introduction  of  slaverv  within   those   boundaries." 


KANSAS    HISTORY  55 

With  the  admission  of  California  as  a  free  state,  which  made  sixteen  free 
to  fifteen  slave  states,  the  slave  power  was  driven  to  desperation.  Soon 
the  region  west  of  the  Missouri  river  must  be  organized  into  territories, 
and  as  all  this  section  lay  north  of  36°  30'  and  was  part  of  the  Louisiana 
Purchase,  the  cry  went  up  for  the  repeal  of  the  "Missouri  Compromise." 

A  slight  infraction  of  the  compromise  had  been  made  in  1836,  when 
the  small,  triangular  tract  known  as  the  "Platte  Purchase"  was  taken 
from  the  Indian  Territory  and  added  to  Missouri.  But  the  territory  em- 
braced by  it  was  so  small,  and  the  change  was  made  merely  to  give 
better  definition  to  the  Missouri  boundaries,  that  no  serious  objection 
was  made  to  the  act  by  the  free-state  members  of  Congress. 

Petitions  were  received  in  the  first  session  of  the  32d  Congress 
(1851-52)  for  the  erection  of  a  territory  west  of  the  Missouri  river,  but 
no  action  was  taken.  The  first  real  effort  in  Congress  to  organize  a 
territory  including  the  present  State  of  Kansas  was  made  on  Dec.  13, 
1852,  when  Willard  P.  Hall,  a  member  from  Missouri,  introduced  a  bill 
providing  for  the  organization  of  the  "Territory'  of  Platte,"  to  include 
all  the  present  states  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  Nothing  came  of  this 
bill  and  on  Feb.  2,  1853,  William  A.  Richardson,  of  Illinois,  reported 
another  bill,  providing  for  the  establishment  of  the  Territory  of  Ne- 
braska, embracing  the  same  region  as  the  Hall  bill.  This  bill  passed 
the  house  on  Feb.  10,  by  a  vote  of  98  to  43,  and  was  sent  to  the  senate, 
where  on  the  17th  it  was  favorably  reported  by  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
senator  from  Illinois  and  chairman  of  the  committee  on  territories,  but 
on  March  3  it  was  ordered  laid  on  the  table  by  a  vote  of  23  to  17.  Thus 
ended  the  second  attempt  to  organize  a  territory  which  would  embrace 
the  present  State  of  Kansas.  No  reference  to  the  subject  of  slavery  was 
made  in  either  the  Hall  or  the  Richardson  bill,  and  had  either  become 
a  law  Kansas  would  have  been  organized  as  a  free  territory  under  the 
provisions  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  and  admitted  as  a  free  state 
without  question  or  dispute. 

The  third,  and  what  proved  to  be  the  successful,  effort  to  organize  a 
territory  west  of  the  Missouri  had  its  beginning  on  Dec.  14,  1853,  when 
Augustus  C.  Dodge  of  Iowa,  introduced  a  bill  in  the  United  States 
senate  providing  for  the  erection  of  the  Territory  of  Nebraska,  covering 
the  same  section  of  the  country  as  the  Hall  and  Richardson  bills  of  the 
previous  Congress.  The  bill  was  referred  to  the  committee  on  terri- 
tories, of  which  Mr.  Douglas  was  still  chairman,  and  was  reported  back 
to  the  senate  on  Jan.  4,  1854,  with  several  important  amendments.  In 
his  report  Mr.  Douglas  called  attention  to  the  doctrine  of  "Popular 
Sovereignty"  and  the  compromise  measures  of  1850,  in  "That  all  ques- 
tions pertaining  to  slavery  in  the  territories,  and  the  new  states  to  be 
formed  therefrom,  are  to  be  left  to  the  decision  of  the  people  residing 
therein  by  their  appropriate  representatives,  to  be  chosen  by  them  for 
that  purpose." 

On  Jan.  16,  while  the  bill  was  still  pending,  Archibald  Dixon,  one 
of  the  senators  from  Kentucky,  gave  notice  that  when  the  proper  time 


56  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

came  he  intended  to  offer  an  amendment  to  the  bill  declarmg  the  provi- 
sions of  the  Missouri  Compromise  excluding'  slavery  north  of  the  line 
36°  30'  should  "not  be  construed  as  to  apply  to  the  territory  contem- 
plated in  this  act.  or  to  any  other  territory  of  the  Ignited  States ;  but 
that  the  citizens  of  the  several  states  and  territories  shall  be  at  liberty  to 
take  and  hold  their  slaves  in  the  territory  as  if  the  Missouri  Compromise 
act  had  never  been  passed." 

To  avoid  the  open  rupture  between  the  North  and  South,  which  would 
be  certain  to  follow  the  introduction  of  such  an  amendment,  Mr.  Douglas 
secured  the  recommittal  of  the  bill  to  his  committee,  ostensibly  for  fur- 
ther consideration,  but  really  that  the  features  suggested  by  Senator 
Dixon  might  be  incorporated  in  such  a  way  as  to  accomplish  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise  without  arousing  determined  opposition. 
On  Jan.  23,  1854,  .Senator  Douglas  reported  a  substitute  bill,  providing 
for  two  territories  instead  of  one — the  northern  territory  to  be  called 
"Nebraska"  and  the  southern  one  "Kansas" — the  parallel  of  40°  north 
latitude  to  form  the  boundary  line  between  them.  This  was  the  origin 
of  the  term  "Kansas-Nebraska  Bill,"  which  in  a  short  time  became  a 
familiar  expression  all  over  the  country. 

A  long  and  bitter  discussion  followed,  but,  near  the  close  of  an  all- 
night  session,  the  bill  passed  the  senate  on  Saturday  morning,  March 
4,  by  a  vote  of  37  to  14.  It  was  then  sent  to  the  house,  where  it  was 
several  times  called  up  for  debate,  and  finally  passed  just  before  mid- 
night on  May  22,  by  a  vote  of  113  to  100.  It  was  signed  by  President 
Pierce  on  May  30,  1854,  and  thus  became  the  organic  law  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Kansas. 

The  first  eighteen  sections  of  the  bill  related  to  the  Territory  of  Ne- 
braska. Section  19  defined  the  boundaries  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas 
(see  Boundaries),  and  provided  "That  nothing  in  this  act  contained 
shall  be  construed  to  inhibit  the  government  of  the  United  States  from 
dividing  said  territory  into  two  or  more  territories,  in  such  manner  and 
at  such  times  as  Congress  shall  deem  convenient  and  proper,  and  that 
the  said  territory,  or  any  part  of  the  same,  shall  be  received  into  the 
Union,  with  or  without  slavery,  as  their  constitution  may  prescribe  at 
the  time  of  their  admission."  The  section  also  provided  for  the  protec- 
tion of  Indian  rights  until  they  should  be  relinquished  by  treaty. 

Section  20  related  to  the  executive  power  and  authority  of  the  gover- 
nor, which  were  not  materially  different  from  those  of  other  territorial 
governors.  He  was  to  be  appointed  for  a  term  of  four  years,  unless 
sooner  removed  by  the  president,  and  was  required  to  reside  in  the  ter- 
ritory. 

Section  21  defined  the  duties  of  the  territorial  secretary,  who  was  to 
be  appointed  for  a  term  of  five  years,  subject  to  removal  by  the  president. 

Section  22  provided  for  a  territorial  legislature,  composed  of  thir- 
teen members  of  a  council,  to  be  elected  for  two  years,  and  twenty-six 
representatives,  to  be  elected  for  one  year,  the  legislature  to  have  power 
to  increase  the  number  of  members  in  each  branch  in  proportion  to 


KANSAS    HISTORY  57 

the  increase  in  the  number  of  qualified  voters.  No  session  of  the  legis- 
lature was  to  last  more  than  forty  days,  except  the  first,  which  might 
continue  for  sixty  days. 

Section  23  provided  that  "Every  free  white  male  inhabitant  above  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  who  shall  be  an  actual  resident  of  said  territory, 
and  shall  possess  the  qualifications  hereinafter  prescribed,  shall  be 
entitled  to  vote  at  the  first  election,  and  shall  be  eligible  to  any  office 
within  said  territory ;  but  the  qualifications  of  voters,  and  of  holding 
office,  at  all  subsequent  elections,  shall  be  such  as  shall  be  prescribed 
b}^  the  legislative  assembly."  The  section  then  goes  on  to  declare 
that  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  those  who  might  announce  their 
intention  of  becoming  such,  should  be  entitled  to  vote,  but  that  no  sol- 
dier or  seaman,  or  other  person  belonging  to  the  army  or  navy  of  the 
United  States  should  have  the  right  of  suffrage  in  the  territory. 

Section  24  related  to  the  powers  of  the  legislature  and  the  veto  power 
of  the  governor,  and  the  next  section  defined  the  authority  of  the 
executive  in  the  matter  of  appointments. 

Section  26  set  forth  that  no  member  of  the  legislature  should  be 
eligible  to  any  office  created  during  the  session  of  which  he  might  be  a 
member,  and  that  all  Federal  officers  except  postmasters  should  be 
ineligible  for  members  of  the  legislature. 

Section  27  related  to  the  territorial  and  inferior  courts,  the  manner 
in  which  they  should  be  established,  their  jurisdictions,  etc. 

Section  28  declared  the  fugitive  slave  laws  of  1793  and  1850  to  be  in 
full  force  and  effect  within  the  territorial  limits. 

Section  29  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  district  attorney  and 
marshal  for  the  territory,  each  to  be  appointed  for  a  term  of  four  years, 
unless  sooner  removed,  and  defined  their  duties. 

Section  30  provided  for  the  appointment  of  all  territorial  officers  by 
the  president,  "by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  senate,"  and 
fixed  the  salaries  as  follows:  "Governor,  $2,500  per  annum;  justices, 
$2,000;  secretary,  $2,000;  marshal,  $200  and  fees  the  same  as  the  mar- 
shal of  Utah  Territory ;  district  attorney,  fees  similar  to  those  of  the 
district  attorney  of  the  Territory  of  Utah.  Members  of  the  legislature 
were  to  receive  $3  per  day  for  the  time  actually  emplo^'ed  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  duties,  and  $3  for  every  twenty  miles  traveled  in  con- 
nection therewith. 

Section  31  fixed  the  temporary  seat  of  government  at  Leavenworth, 
the  permanent  seat  of  government  to  be  established  by  act  of  the  legis- 
lature. 

Section  32  contained  the  features  of  the  bill  that  caused  all  the  trouble. 
In  addition  to  providing  for  the  election  of  a  delegate  to  Congress,  it 
contained  the  provision  for  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise, 
to-wit :  "That  the  constitution  and  all  laws  of  the  United  States  which 
are  not  locally  inapplicable,  shall  have  the  same  force  and  effect  within 
the  said  Territory  of  Kansas  as  elsewhere  within  the  United  States, 
except  the  eighth  section  of  the   act  preparatory  to  the   admission   of 


58  I  VCI.OI'EDIA    OF 

Missouri  into  the  Union,  approved  March  6,  1820,  which  being  incon- 
sistent with  the  principle  of  non-intervention  by  Congress  with  slavery 
in  the  states  and  territories  as  recognized  by  the  legislature  of  1850, 
commonly  called  the  compromise  measures,  is  hereby  declared  inopera- 
tive and  void:  it  being  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  this  act  not  to 
legislate  slavery  into  any  territory  or  state,  nor  to  exclude  it  therefrom, 
but  to  leave  the  people  thereof  perfectly  free  to  form  and  regulate  their 
domestic  institutions  in  their  own  way,  subject  only  to  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States.  Provided,  That  nothing  herein  contained  shall  be 
construed  to  revive  or  put  in  force  any  law  or  regulation  which  may 
have  existed  prior  to  the  act  of  the  6th  of  March,  1820,  either  protecting, 
establishing,  prohibiting  or  abolishing  slavery." 

The  remaining  five  sections  of  the  bill  related  to  matters  of  minor 
detail.  Section  33  appropriated  money  for  the  erection  of  public  build- 
ings and  the  establishment  of  a  library ;  section  34  set  apart  two  sections 
of  land  (16  and  36)  in  each  Congressional  township  for  the  benefit  of  the 
public  schools;  section  35  provided  that  the  governor  should  divide  the 
territory  into  judicial  districts,  which  should  be  recognized  until  the 
legislature  should  change  them ;  section  36  provided  that  officers  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  should  give  bond ;  and  section  2,"^  stipulated 
that  all  laws  and  treaties  with  the  Indians  in  the  territory  should  "be 
faithfully  and  rigidly  observed." 

In  section  32  the  slave  power  overreached  itself.  Under  the  influence 
of  the  Congressmen  from  the  slave  states  the  Missouri  Compromise  had 
become  a  law  in  1820.  Thirty-four  years  later,  when  the  law  stood  in  the 
way  of  the  extension  of  slavery,  the  same  influence  was  brought  into 
requisition  to  secure  its  defeat.  This  had  the  efi'ect  of  crystallizing  the 
sentiment  in  opposition  to  slavery,  with  the  result  that  the  institution 
was  finally  abolished  after  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  wars  in  the  world's 
history.  During  the  debate  on  the  bill  in  the  United  States  senate,  the 
situation  was  well  summed  up  by  Charles  Sumner,  of  Massachusetts, 
when,  as  though  endowed  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  said: 

"Sir,  the  bill  which  you  are  now  about  to  pass  is  at  once  the  worst  and 
the  best  bill  on  which  Congress  ever  acted.  It  is  the  worst  bill  as  it 
is  a  present  victory  of  slavery.  In  a  Christian  land,  and  in  an  age  of 
civilization,  a  time-honored  statute  of  freedom  is  struck  down,  opening 
the  way  to  all  the  countless  woes  and  wrongs  of  human  bondage. 
It  is  the  best  bill  on  which  Congress  ever  acted,  for  it  pre- 
pares the  way  for  that  'AH  hail  hereafter,'  when  slavery  must  disappear. 
It  annuls  all  past  compromises  with  slavery,  and  makes  all  future  com- 
promises impossible.  Thus  it  puts  freedom  and  slavery  face  to  face  and 
bids  them  grapple.  Who  can  doubt  the  result?  .  .  .  Everywhere 
within  the  sphere  of  Congress,  the  great  Northern  Hammer  will  descend 
to  smite  the  wrong,  and  the  irrestistible  cry  will  break  forth,  'No  more 
slave  states !'  Thus,  sir,  now  standing  at  the  very  grave  of  freedom  in 
Kansas  and  Nebraska,  I  find  assurances  in  that  happy  resurrection,  by 
which  freedom  will  be  secured  hereafter,  not  only  in  these  territories. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


59 


Dut  everywhere  under  the  national  government.  .  •  borrowfully 
I  bend  before  the  wrong  you  are  about  to  perpetrate.  Joyfully  i  wel- 
come all  the  promises  of  the  future."  ,  n  *  +  f 
Kansas  Orphan  Asylum,  first  known  as  the  Leavenworth  Frotestant 
Orphan  Asylum  and  Home  for  Friendless  Children,  was  organized  and 
incorporated  in  1866,  as  a  private  charitable  institution  for  the  county 
and  city  of  Leavenworth.  It  was  located  on  a  tract  of  5  acres  of  land 
on  south  Broadway  about  a  mile  from  the  city.  The  cost  of  the 
land  and  first  building  was  $4,000.  all  obtained  by  private  subscriptions 
and  donations.  At  first  the  asvlum  had  only  the  right  to  receive  and  dis- 
pose of  children  under  the  apprentice  law,  and  many  applications  were 
made  by  people  desiring  to  adopt  children.  On  Feb.  2,  1867,  the  legis- 
lature passed  an  act  authorizing  the  asylum  "to  receive  and  retain 
orphans,  destitute  and  friendless  children,  and  provide  the  same  with 
homes  for  such  time,  not  exceeding  their^  majority,  and  upon  such  terms 
as  the  board  of  directors  may  determine." 

The  institution  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  1871  the  state  was  asked  to 
make  an  appropriation  for  its  support,  and  $2,500  was  granted  the 
asylum  by  the  legislature  of  that  year.  This  amount  was  not  enough 
however,  for  the  erection  of  new  buildings  and  the  money  was  placed 
on  interest  until  a  larger  fund  could  be  raised.  As  the  necessity  for 
more  room  became  imperative,  the  board  of  trustees  asked  for  and 
received  an  appropriation  of  $7,000  in  1874.  This,  with  the  previous 
$2  soo,  was  used  for  the  erection  of  a  new  building.  The  act  of  1874  pro- 
vided that  the  name  be  changed  to  the  Kansas  Orphan  Asylum,  and 
that  children  from  all  the  counties  of  the  state  should  be  admitted  Since 
then  frequent  appropriations  have  been  made  by  the  legislature  to 
further  the  work  of  the  asylum.  . 

In  1877  the  board  of  trustees  was  empowered  to  organize  auxiliary 
societies  throughout  the  state.    The  object  of  the  asylum  is  to  provide  a 
home  for  orphan  and  friendless  children.     It  seeks  to  protect  the  help- 
less who  have  no  natural  protectors.  r  ,     ir  .  ir.,., 
Kansas  River.— This  stream  derives  its  name  from  the  Kanza  or  Kaw 
tribe  of  Indians,  which  lived  on  its  banks  from  time  immemorial       The 
river  has  been   given  various   names  by   map   makers   and   explorers, 
such  as  Riviere  des  Cans,  des  Kances,  des  Quans.  Kanza,  Konza,  Kan- 
zan,   Kanzas,  etc.     One   of  the   earliest   references   to   the   stream   wa 
by  Antonio   de    Herraray   Tordesillas,   historiographer  to     '^^   King  of 
Spain      Marquette  mentions  the  Kanza  m  1673-     A  map  of  the_  British 
and  French  settlements  in  North  America,  published  m  1758,  gives    he 
stream  as  the  "Padoucas  river."     The  Kansas  river  is  formed  by  the 
junction  of  the  Smoky  Hill  and  Republican  rivers  at  Junction  City  and 
flow    in  a  general  easterly  direction  through  Geary  and  Riley  coun  le  , 
?orms  the  boundarv  between   Pottawatomie  and  Wabaunsee  count  es 
croTses  Shawnee,  forms  the  boundary  between  Jefferson  and  Douglas, 
and  of  Wvandotte  and  Johnson  counties  in  part,  and  empties  into  the 
MissourrrTver  at  Kansas  City.     From  Junction   City  to  the  mouth  is 
about  240  miles. 


60  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Among  the  early  accounts  of  the  river  there  is  much  fiction.  Bracken- 
ridge  in  his  journal  (1811)  says:  "The  patron  of  our  boat  informs  me 
that  he  has  ascended  it  upwards  of  900  miles,  with  a  tolerable  naviga- 
tion." Morse's  Gazetteer  (1823)  says  the  "Kansas  river  .  .  .  rises 
in  the  plains  between  the  Platte  and  the  Arkansas  and  joins  the  Mis- 
souri in  latitude  39°  5'  north,  340  miles  from  its  mouth.  It  is  navigable 
900  miles."  In  1820  S.  H.  Long's  expedition  ascended  the  river  about 
a  mile  in  a  boat,  experiencing  considerable  difficulty  in  getting  over  a 
deposit  of  mud  left  at  the  mduth  by  a  recent  flood  in  the  Missouri.  Maj. 
Long  says :  "The  Gasconade,  Osage  and  Konzas  rivers  are  navigable 
in  the  spring  season,  but  their  navigation  seldom  extends  far  inland  from 
their  mouths,  being  obstructed  by  shoals  or  rapids.  .  .  .  The  Kon- 
zas is  navigable  only  in  high  freshets  for  boats  of  burden,  and  on  such 
occasions  not  more  than  150  or  200  miles,  the  navigation  being  obstructed 
by  shoals."  In  the  travels  of  Maximilian,  in  the  early  '30s  he  says: 
"The  steamboat  has  navigated  the  Kanzas  about  7  miles  upward  to  a 
trading  post  of  the  American  Fur  company,  which  is  now  under  the 
direction  of  a  brother  of  Mr.  P.  Chouteau."  During  the  period  of  early 
overland  travel  to  the  far  west  much  emigration  went  up  the  valley  of 
the  Kansas  river,  travelers  bound  for  Oregon,  LUah  and  California  cross- 
ing the  river  at  Topeka  at  Papan's  Ferry,  or  following  father  up  stream 
and  crossing  at  XTniontown  over  a  rock  bottom  ford.  Another  ford  was 
located  near  Fort  Riley,  and  considerable  travel  went  by  that  way. 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  the  territory  the  river  was  practically  un- 
known as  an  artery  of  commerce.  The  keel  boats  and  pirogues  of  the 
early  trappers  and  hunters,  laden  with  supplies  for  the  camp  or  return- 
ing to  civilization  laden  with  peltries  and  other  trophies,  or  the  canoes 
and  bull  boats  of  the  Indians  were  practically  the  only  craft  to  disturb 
these  waters.  Shortly  after  the  signing  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill 
the  first  great  influx  of  settlers  arrived  by  way  of  the  Missouri  river  in 
steamboats,  landing  at  Westport,  Mo.,  or  going  up  the  river  a  short  dis- 
tance to  Fort  Leavenworth,  near  which  was  soon  to  spring  up  the 
embryo  metropolis  of  the  territory.  As  other  free  state  towns  in  the 
interior  were  started  some  more  rapid  means  of  getting  inland  was 
needed  and  an  enterprising  river  man,  Capt.  Chas.  K.  Baker,  anticipated 
the  opportunity  by  the  purchase  of  the  steamer  Excel  for  the  Kansas 
river  traffic.     (See  Early  River  Commerce.) 

While  the  subject  of  navigation  was  a  live  one.  the  Kansas  legislature 
of  1857  passed  "An  act  to  encourage  the  navigation  of  the  Kansas 
river."  Section  i  provided  that  Powell  P.  Clayton,  P.  Z.  Taylor,  Jesse 
P.  Downer,  George  F.  Hill,  B.  F.  Simmons,  John  W.  Johnson,  D.  W. 
McCormick,  R.  R.  Rees  and  others,  their  successors  and  assigns,  be  and 
are  created  a  body  politic  and  corporate  by  the  name  and  style  of  the 
Kansas  River  Navigation  company.  Section  2  set  forth  that  the  pur- 
pose of  the  charter  was  for  the  jnirpose  of  employing  one  or  more  steam- 
boats to  navigate  the  Kansas  river  and  its  tributaries,  for  the  conveyance 
of  passengers,  towing  boats,  vessels  or  rafts,  and  the  transportation  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


6i 


merchandise  or  other  articles.  Section  3  provided  that  the  capital  stock 
should  not  exceed  $350,000.  The  same  legislature  passed  an  act  to 
incorporate  the  Kansas  River  Navigation  company.  Section  i  provided 
that  William  F.  Dyer,  C.  A.  Perry,  F.  J.  Marshall,  P.  M.  Hodges,  M.  L. 
Young,  J.  C.  Thompson,  Samuel  J.  Jones,  D.  A.  N.  Grover,  A.  H. 
McDonald,  and  those  who  may  be  associated  with  them,  their  succes- 
sors and  assigns,  be  and  are  created  a  body  politic  and  corporate  by  the 
name  and  style  of  the  Kansas  River  Navigation  company,  with  the 
powers  and  privileges  granted  to  corporate  bodies.  Sections  2  and  3 
were  substantially  the  same  as  the  original  act  to  encourage  navigation. 
Both  laws  were  approved  by  the  governor  on  Feb.  17. 

In  1864  the  railroads  secured  the  passage  of  an  act  by  the  legislature 
declaring  the  Kansas,  Republican,  Smoky  Hill,  Solomon  and  Big  Blue 
rivers  not  navigable  and  authorizing  the  bridging  of  the  same.  This 
was  intended  to  remove  any  competition  that  might  develop  if  the  rivers 
of  the  state  were  left  open  for  free  navigation. 

In  carrying  out  a  provision  of  Congress  requiring  an  examination  of 
the  Kansas  river  with  a  view  of  its  being  kept  navigable,  J.  D.  McKown, 
of  the  United  States  engineer  corps,  submitted  a  report  on  Jan.  8,  1879, 
of  an  investigation  made  by  him  of  the  river  between  Junction  City  and 
the  mouth,  with  the  recommendation  that  an  appropriation  of  $450,000 
be  made  for  the  purpose  of  contracting  the  width  of  the  channel,  for  the 
protection  of  the  banks  and  removal  of  snags,  but  no  action  was  taken 
by  Congress  on  that  report.  In  1886  the  Kansas  legislature  again  resur- 
rected the  matter  and  passed  the  following  concurrent  resolution : 

"Whereas,  Congress  in  1878  passed  an  act  requiring  the  examination 
of  the  Kansas  river  with  a  view  to  its  being  kept  navigable ;  and 

"Whereas,  In  accordance  with  said  act  the  secretary  of  war  did,  on 
Feb.  14,  1879,  transmit  to  Congress  the  report  of  Maj.  G.  R.  Suter,  corps 
of  engineers,  which  report  was  referred  on  Feb.  15,  1879,  to  the  commit- 
tee on  commerce,  where  it  has  since  lain  without  further  action,  though 
in  said  report  the  recommendations  were  made  to  have  said  river  de- 
clared a  navigable  stream,  and  that  an  appropriation  of  $480,000  be  made 
to  remove  certain  impediments;  now,  therefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  our  senators  and  representatives  in  Congress  are 
earnestly  instructed  and  requested  to  use  their  best  efforts  to  secure  the 
proper  legislation  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  objects  of  this  resolution. 

"Resolved,  That  upon  the  passage  of  the  foregoing  resolutions,  the 
secretary  of  state  be  instructed  to  transmit  to  each  member  of  the  U.  S. 
senate  and  house  of  representatives  from  the  State  of  Kansas,  a  copy 
hereof." 

The  Kansas  river  drains  an  area  of  36,000  square  miles  in  Kansas — 
almost  the  entire  northern  half — 11,000  miles  in  Nebraska,  and  6,000 
miles  in  Colorado — in  all  53,000  square  miles.  In  times  of  excessive  rain- 
fall the  channel  of  the  river  has  not  been  equal  to  the  task  of  carrying 
of?  the  flood  waters  of  all  its  affluents,  among  the  most  important  of 
which  are  the  Smoky  Hill,  Republican,  Blue,  Delaware  and  Wakarusa 
rivers.     (See  Floods.) 


62 


(  Vri.Dl'lCDlA    01" 


Kansas  Wesleyan  University,  located  at  Salina,  was  organized  under 
the  auspices  of  llic  .Mcthutlisl  Episcopal  ciuircli  and  is  under  tlie  control 
of  the  Kansas  conference.  It  was  opened  on  Sept.  15,  1886.  The  univer- 
sity building,  a  three-story  structure,  126  feet  by  74  feel,  stands  in  a 
campus  of  15  acres.  The  building  contains  class  rooms,  laboratories,  a 
chapel,  museum,  hall  for  literary  societies  and  president's  room.  The 
site,  buildings  and  permanent  endowment,  exclusive  of  real  estate,  are 
valued  at  over  $150,000.  Dr.  Aaron  Schuyler  became  the  head  of  the 
institution  and  acted  as  professor  of  mathematics  and  philosophy  when 
it  was  opened.  For  five  years  he  served  both  as  acting  president  and 
instructor.  He  was  then  relieved  from  duty  as  president  until  iXgj.  when 
he  was  elected  to  that  position,  which  he  stiJl  holds. 


KANSAS   WESLEYAN   UNIVERSITY. 

The  history  of  this  institution  has  been  the  history  common  to  ever}' 
college  struggling  through  the  difficult  first  years,  but  it  is  proud  of  the 
improvement  made.  In  1904,  Schuyler  Hall  was  erected  as  a  dormitory 
for  women.  A  good  athletic  park  has  been  laid  out  in  connection  w-ith 
the  school,  and  an  observatory  containing  a  twelve-inch  reflecting  tele- 
scope has  been  erected  on  the  campus.  In  1908  the  college  had  an  enroll- 
ment of  over  400  and  a  teaching  force  of  12  instructors.  The  courses 
offered  are  classical,  philosophical,  scientific,  a  normal  department  for 
the  training  of  teachers,  and  a  preparatory  department  which  fits  for  the 
college  or  other  colleges  and  scientific  schools. 

Kaw  Trail. — This  trail  commenced  at  Big  John,  on  the  Kaw  reserva- 
tion, near  Council  Grove  and  passed  through  the  counties  of  Morris, 
Chase  and  Marion,  to  where  Florence  now  stands ;  and  thence  to  what 
was  known  as  Big  Timbers,  on  Turkey  creek,  where  it  intersected  the 
old  Santa  Fe  trail  fq.  v.)  It  was  distinctively  an  Indian  trail,  hence  its 
history  and  traditions  are  local  and  belong  to  the  Kaw  tribe  and  the 
settlers  living  along  the  route.  Over  this  trail  the  Indians  traveled  on 
their  hunting  expeditions  every  year,  and  some  traces  of  it  may  yet  be 
found  on  the  rising  ground  west  of  Florence,  and  also  on  Diamond  creek, 
Chase  county. 

Kearney,  a  cnunlry  postoffice  in  Kearny  county,  is  located  in  Hibbard 
township,  about  17  miles  northwest  of  Lakin,  the  county  seat.  It  has 
tri-weeklv  mail. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  (>,] 

Kearny  County,  one  of  the  newer  counties  of  the  state,  is  the  second 
east  from  the  Colorado  line,  and  the  third  north  from  Oklahoma.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  county  of  Wichita;  on  the  east  by  Finney; 
on  the  south  by  Grant,  and  on  the  west  by  Hamilton.  It  was  named  for 
Gen.  Philip  Kearny,  an  officer  of  note  in  the  Civil  and  Indian  wars.  It 
was  first  created  and  the  boundaries  defined  in  1879.  These  boundaries 
did  not  differ  from  those  defined  in  1887,  which  are  the  same  as  at  pres- 
ent. The  description  was  as  follows :  ."Commencing  at  the  intersection 
of  the  east  line  of  range  35  west  with  the  4th  standard  parallel ;  thence 
south  along  range  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  north  line  of  township 
27  south ;  thence  west  along  township  line  to  where  it  is  intersected  by 
the  east  line  of  range  39 ;  thence  north  along  range  line  to  its  inter- 
section with  the  4th  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  be- 
ginning." 

In  1879  it  was  attached  to  Hamilton  county  for  judicial  purposes.  In 
1881  it  was  one  of  the  unorganized  counties  to  be  attached  to  Ford  for 
judicial  purposes  and  was  in  the  i6th  district.  In  1873  John  O'Laughlin 
established  a  trading  post  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  at  Lakin.  This  was  the 
earliest  settlement  in  the  county.  By  1883  Lakin  had  grown  sufficient 
to  have  a  newspaper  (the  Herald).  Prior  to  1885  there  were  few  people 
in  the  county.  At  that  time  the  Alameda  Grape  Growers  association 
caused  a  boom  bj'  the  purchase  of  21,000  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lakin,  and  in  the  spring  of  1886  several  thousand  acres  were  planted 
to  vines.  The  population  of  Lakin  increased  by  about  400  people  at 
the  time  this  work  was  being  done,  and  agitation  for  county  organiza- 
tion was  begun  by  the  newspapers  of  the  county,  published  at  Lakin, 
Hartland  and  Kearney,  all  three  of  these  towns  being  candidates  for  the 
county  seat. 

In  1887,  in  response  to  a  petition.  Gov.  Martin  appointed  S.  S.  Prouty 
census  taker.  The  enumeration  of  the  inhabitants  was  not  an  easy 
undertaking,  owing  to  the  fact  that  each  legal  voter  was  entitled  to  sign 
the  petition  oT  some  one  of  the  towns  for  county  seat.  The  promoters 
representing  each  of  the  towns  did  everything  they  could  to  have  as 
many  as  possible  enumerated  who  would  be  on  their  side  and  leave  those 
uncounted  who  were  opposed.  This  led  to  several  confusing  situations. 
It  was  charged  that  Lakin  shipped  in  from  200  to  300  transient  voters 
from  Colorado,  Avho  were  distributed  all  over  the  county.  These  charges 
came  from  Chantilly,  which  took  the  place  of  Kearney  as  the  candidate 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  and  was  far  ahead  until  the  very 
last  of  the  enumeration,  which  gave  some  color  to  the  charges.  Hart- 
land  openly  offered  town  lots  in  exchange  for  signatures  to  their  peti- 
tion. Gov.  Martin  advised  that  no  person  be  enumerated  who  had  not 
been  in  the  county  at  least  30  days  before  the  beginning  of  the  census. 

When  the  report  of  Mr.  Prouty  was  submitted  to  the  governor  in 
July  it  showed  a  population  of  2,891,  of  whom  812  were  householders. 
The  valuation  of  property,  exclusive  of  railroads,  was  $1,079,091,  of 
which  $799,824  was  real   estate.      Lakin   appeared  to   have  the   largest 


64  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

number  of  names  un  her  petition,  but  the  attorneys  of  Chantilly  appeared 
before  the  governor  with  charges  of  fraud  and  several  hearings  v^^ere 
held  over  the  matter  that  summer.  It  was  later  taken  into  the  court 
of  Shawnee  county.  The  charges  of  Chantilly  were  not  sustained  by 
the  courts  and  in  March,  1888,  Gov.  Martin  issued  a  proclamation  organ- 
izing the  county,  with  Lakin  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  naming 
the  following  officers:  Commissioners,  \\'.  J.  Price,  H.  A.  W.  Cornfield 
and  Samuel  R.  Ilibbard ;  county  clerk,  J.  H.  Waterman  ;  sheriff,  R.  F. 
Thorne.  Price  and  Cornfield  were  arrested  in  1889  on  charges  of  for- 
gery, and  tlu-  charges  were  sustained  by  Judge  A.  J.  Abbott.  In  Feb., 
1889,  a  county  seat  election  was  held.  Ilartland  won  over  Lakin,  but 
the  county  officers  were  Lakin  men  and  they  refused  to  move  the  offices. 
Again  the  matter  was  taken  into  the  courts  and  after  considerable  fight- 
ing the  supreme  court  in  Jan.,  1890,  ordered  the  records  moved  to 
Hartland.  This  town  continued  to  be  the  seat  of  justice  until  Sept., 
1894,  when  the  county  seal  was  again  moved  to  Lakin.  where  it  has 
since  remained. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  the  county  was  building  up  and  pros- 
pering. In  1887  an  irrigation  ditch  was  proje'cted  in  the  northern  part 
by  C.  J.  Jones.  He  succeeded  in  interesting  the  farmers  of  that  section 
and  100  miles  of  ditch  was  constructed.  This  was  much  more  im- 
portant for  the  future  than  the  county  seat  fight.  A  few  years  ago 
the  government  established  an  irrigation  plant  at  Deerfield,  which 
makes  this  one  of  the  important  irrigating  sections  of  the  country.  A 
reservoir  for  the  storage  of  the  flood  waters  of  the  Arkansas  has  been 
built  in  the  southeast.  It  is  5  miles  long  and  has  a  storage  capacity  esti- 
mated at  2,352,000,000  cubic  feet,  providing  irrigation  for  100,000  acres 
of  land.  One  of  the  most  important  crops  is  broom-corn,  which  in  1910 
brought  $225,048.  Sugar  beets  are  raised  extensively  and  marketed  in 
Garden  City.  This  crop  in  igio  was  worth.  $97,000;  the  hay  crop  in 
the  same  year  was  $108,094;  wheat,  $50,000;  and  the  total  value  of  farm 
products  was  $715,951. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  level  or  rolling,  with  an  elevation  of  3,000 
feet.  Water  is  easily  accessible.  The  bottom  lands  in  the  valley  of  the 
Arkansas  are  from  4  to  6  miles  in  width.  This  river  enters  in  the  south- 
west and  flows  across  southeast,  east  and  northeast.  Limestone  and 
sandstone  for  building  are  plentiful.  P.lue  limestone,  from  which  lime 
is  made,  and  gypsum  are  common. 

Kearny  is  24  miles  wide  by  36  miles  long,  having  an  area  of  24  Con- 
gressional townships.  The  civil  townships  are  Ilartland.  Hibbard,  Ken- 
dall, Lakin  and  Southside.  The  postoffices  are  Lakin,  Conquest,  Deer- 
field,  Ilartland,  Kearney.  Oanica  and  Windsor.  The  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  enters  in  the  east  and  crosses  southwest  to  Lakin, 
thence  southwest  and  west,  along  the  Arkansas  river,  into  Hamilton 
county,  a  distance  of  about  27  miles.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property 
in  1910  was  $5,961,662.  The  population  in  the  same  year  was  3,206, 
an  increase  of  2,099  O""  nearly  200  per  cent,  over  that  of  1900. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


65 


Keats,  a  village  of  Riley  county,  is  located  in  Wild  Cat  township  on 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  northwest  of  Man- 
hattan, the  county  seat.  It  has  a  postoffice  with  one  rural  route  and  is 
supplied  with  telephone  connections,  and  telegraph  and  express  ofhces. 
The  population  in  1910  was  79.  ,  •       r  .u^ 

Kechi  a  village  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  m  the  township  of  the 
same  name  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  ni^'es  north- 
east  of  Wichita,  the  county  seat.  It  has  several  stores,  a  feed  m'"-  ^^  ^- 
graph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  popula- 
tion in  iQio  was  100.  ,  t-  1  „ 
Keck,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Woodson  county,  is  located  on  Turkey 
creek,  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  10  miles  northwest  of  Yates 
Center  the  judicial  seat,  from  which  it  receives  mail.  \  ates  Center 
is  also  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point. 

Keel  Boats,  a  species  of  craft  much  used  by  the  Indian  traders,  were 
usually  from  40  to  75  feet  long,  with  a  15  to  20  foot  beam     They  were 
"cSr^shaped '-  i.  e.  pointed  at  each  end  after  the  manner  of  the  pirogue 
of  tlie  French'or  Canadian  voyageur,  and  were  propelled  by  a  square  sail 
and  oars,  and  in  cases  of  necessity,  by  setting  poles  and  a  tow  line^ 
Such  boats  had  a  carrying  capacity  of  10  to  20  tons,  a  draft  of  about  30 
fnches   and  cost  from  $2,000  to  $3,000  each.    Frederick  Chouteau,  one  of 
he  ea  ly  traders  on  the  Kansas  river,  mentions  one  of  these  boats  which 
was  used  on  this  stream,  as  follows :    "The  keel  boat  which  my  brothers 
had  "1828,  I  think,  was  the  first  which  navigated  the  Kansas  riv.n 
After  I  cam;  the  keel  boat  was  used  altogether  on  the  Kaw  river     We 
would  take  a  load  of  goods  up  in  August  and  ^e^P  ^^  *^^J,  ^"^     ^^ 
following  spring,  when  we  would  br  ng  it  down  1°^^^-^^  peltries^ 
At  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw  we  shipped  on  steamboat  to  St    Louis,     ihe 
kee IboaTs  were  made  in  St.  Louis.    They  were  nb-made  boats    shaped 
liS  the  hull  of  a  steamboat  and  decked  over.    They  were  about  8  or  10 
feet  across  the  deck  and  5  or  6  feet  below  deck.    They  were  rigged  with 
one  mast  and  had  a  rudder,  though  we  generally  took  the  rudder  off  and 
used  a  long  oar  for  steering.    There  were  four  row  locks  on  each  side. 
Gofng  up  the  Kaw  river  we  pulled  all  the  way;  about  15  miles  a  day. 
Go  n^  down  it  sometimes  took  a  good  many  days   as  it  did  going  up,  on 
account  of  the  low  water.     I  have  taken  a  month  to  go  down  frorn  my 
trading   house    at    American    Chief    (or    Mission)    creek,    many    times 
Sh  eSng  the  boat  with  skififs;  other  times  going  down  in  a  day.     I 
nfver  went  with  the  boat  above  my  trading  house  at  the  Amencar^ 
CWe    v^lage      No  other  traders  except  myself  and  brothers  ran  keel 
bolts  on  the  Kaw.     We  pulled  up  sometimes  by  the  willows  which 

'"^te'c^erofVLS^olTengaged  in  the  fur  trade  frequently  consisted 
of  as  many  as  100  men  and  was  called  a  "brigade,"  this  number  includ- 
S^mSiv  hunters  and  trappers  who  were  not  regular  boatmen.  Every 
boat  caSed  a  sw  vel  (small  cannon)  and  the  crew  went  armed.  Among 
Ae  appliances  used  for  ascending  rivers  were  the  cordelle,  pole,  oar  and 
(11-5) 


66  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

sail.  The  cordelle  was  a  strong  line,  frequently  300  yards  long,  fastened 
to  the  mast  by  which  the  boat  was  pulled  up  stream  by  a  force  of  20  to 
30  men.  The  poles  were  used  where  the  water  was  shallow,  and  the 
oars  where  it  became  necessary  to  cross  from  one  side  of  the  river  to 
the  other.  The  sail  was  seldom  used.  A  distance  of  about  15  miles  a 
day  was  considered  a  good  day's  work,  requiring  the  most  arduous  labor 
from  all  hands  from  daylight  to  dark  to  accomplish. 

Keelville,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  in  the  southwestern 
corner  of  the  county,  13  miles  from  Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  6 
miles  from  Faulkner,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  its  mail  is  distributed.    The  population  in  1910  was  45. 

Keene,  a  small  hamlet  in  Wabaunsee  county,  is  located  16  miles  east 
of  Alma,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  south  of  Maplehill,  the  postoffice 
from  which  its  mail  is  distributed.     It  has  one  general  store. 

Keighley,  a  village  in  Butler  county,  is  located  on  the  St.  Louis  & 
San  Francisco  R.  R.,  16  miles  southeast  of  Eldorado,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  some  local  trade.  The  population  in 
1910  was  75. 

Kellerman,  William  Ashbrook,  botanist,  author  and  lecturer,  was  born 
at  Ashville,  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  May  i,  1850.  He  graduated  at 
Cornell  University  with  the  class  of  1874,  and  in  1881  received  the  degree 
of  Ph.  D.  from  the  University  of  Zurich.  Soon  after  graduating  at  Cor- 
nell he  became  an  instructor  in  natural  science  in  the  Wisconsin  State 
Normal  School,  where  he  continued  for  five  years.  From  1883  to  1891 
he  was  professor  of  botany  and  zoology  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College  at  Manhattan,  and  for  four  years  was  botanist  at  the  state  experi- 
ment station.  He  was  also  the  state  botanist  of  Kansas  for  some  time. 
In  1891  he  went  to  the  Ohio  State  University,  where  he  continued  his 
labors  until  his  death.  He  was  the  founder  and  editor  of  the  Journal  of 
Mycology  and  the  Mycological  Bulletin ;  was  the  author  of  Flora  of 
Kansas,  Elementary  Botany,  Phyto  Theca,  and  Spring  Flora  of  Ohio, 
and  was  frequently  called  on  to  lecture  before  scientific  and  literary  soci- 
eties. He  died  in  the  spring  of  1908  in  a  Guatemala  forest,  whither  he 
had  been  leading  botanical  expeditions  for  several  years. 

Kelley,  Harrison,  soldier  and  member  of  Congress,  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  born  in  Montgomery  township.  Wood  county.  May  12,  1836.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
When  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  arrived  in 
March,  1858,  and  took  up  a  claim.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Kansas  cavalry ;  was  repeatedly  promoted  through 
the  grades  to  captain,  and  served  in  that  capacity  with  Company  B, 
Fifth  cavalry,  for  two  years.  When  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  the 
close  of  hostilities,  he  returned  to  his  homestead.  Mr.  Kelley  took  an 
interest  in  all  public  questions  and  local  politics  and  represented  his 
district  for  one  term  in  the  state  legislature.  In  1865  he  was  appointed 
brigadier-general  of  the  Kansas  state  militia  and  three  years  later  the 
governor  appointed  him  one  of  the  board  of  directors  for  the  state  peni- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  67 

tentiary,  where  he  served  five  years.  He  was  receiver  of  the  United 
States  land  office  in  Topeka  and  subsequently  became  assessor  of  inter- 
nal revenue.  Owing  to  his  experience  and  years  of  public  service,  he 
was  appointed  chairman  of  the  live  stock  sanitary  commission  of  Kan- 
sas, and  treasurer  of  the  state  board  of  charities.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  United  States 
house  of  representatives,  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Thomas  Ryan. 
Mr.  Kelley  died  at  Burlington,  Kan.,  July  24,  1897. 

Kellogg,  a  hamlet  in  Cowley  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka &  Santa  Fe,  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  and  is  located  in 
Vernon  township,  6  miles  west  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat.  It  has 
a  grain  elevator,  a  general  store,  a  grocery  store,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  52. 

Kelly,  a  village  of  Nemaha  county,  is  located  in  Harrison  township, 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  9  miles  southeast  of  Seneca,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  banking  facilities,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice.     The  population  in   1910  was  250. 

Kelso,  a  village  in  Morris  county,  is  located  in  Neosho  township  on 
the  river  of  the  same  name,  and  is  a  station  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas  R.  R.,  6  miles  northwest  of  Council  Grove,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  about  a  dozen  business  houses,  and  a  money  ord^r  postoffice.  The 
population  in  1910  was  76.     Downing  is  the  railroad  name. 

Kendall,  a  village  in  Hamilton  county,  is  located  in  Kendall  township, 
and  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  12  miles 
southeast  of  Syracuse,  the  county  seat.  It  has  several  stores,  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in 
1910  was  75.  Kendall  was  the  first  county  seat.  On  Feb.  i,  1886,  it 
had  10  houses,  and  on  April  21  of  the  same  year  it  had  over  200.  (See 
Hamilton  County.) 

Kennekuk,  the  prophet  of  the  Kickapoo  Indians  about  the  time  that 
tribe  came  to  Kansas,  has  been  described  as  "a  tall,  bony  Indian,  with  a 
keen  black  eye,  and  a  face  beaming  with  intelligence."  He  was  a  heredi- 
tary chief,  as  well  as  a  professed  preacher  or  prophet  of  a  sect  he  orig- 
inated. He  claimed  to  receive  his  knowledge,  and  the  direction  for  his 
teachings,  from  the  Great  Spirit.  The  teaching  of  the  white  mission- 
aries he  regarded  as  an  innovation  upon  the  original  belief  of  the  In- 
dians, and  consequently  he  opposed  their  work.  Among  the  precepts 
he  set  forth  for  his  followers  was  total  abstinence  from  the  use  of  intox- 
icating liquors.  He  died  about  1856  or  1857  from  small-pox.  After  his 
death  some  30  or  40  of  his  faithful  followers  remained  with  his  body, 
hoping  to  see  the  fulfillment  of  his  prophecy  that  "in  three  davs  he 
would  rise  again,"  and  all  contracted  the  disease  and  died. 

Kennekuk,  a  hamlet  in  the  extreme  northwestern  part  of  Atchison 
county,  is  located  about  2  miles  southeast  of  Horton,  the  nearest  rail- 
road town.  It  is  one  of  the  first  places  in  the  county  where  whites 
located  permanently,  an  early  mission  being  established  here  among  the 
Indians.     The  town  was  platted  in  1858  by  William  Wheeler  and  for 


68  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

some  years  flourished,  being  on  one  of  the  great  wagon  highways  to  the 
west,  during  tlie  period  of  emigration  in  tlie  late  '40s  and  '50s,  but  when 
the  railroads  were  built  it  sank  into  insignificance  and  today  has  a  popu- 
lation of  only  about  30.    Mail  is  received  by  rural  delivery  from  Horton. 

Kenneth,  a  post  village  of  Johnson  county,  is  situated  on  tlie  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  10  miles  southeast  of  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a 
money  order  postoflice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities  and  in  1910  had 
a  population  of  30. 

Kensington,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Smith  county,  is  located 
in  Cedar  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  14 
miles  west  of  Smith  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly 
newspaper  (the  Mirror),  a  large  number  of  retail  stores,  4  churches, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.  It  was  settled  in  1888.  Kensington  be- 
came a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1900.    The  population  in  1910  was  497. 

Kent,  a  hamlet  of  Reno  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  7  miles  east  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat,  from 
which  postoffice  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  delivery. 

Keokuk,  a  Sauk  chief,  was  born  on  Rock  river,  111.,  about  1780.  It 
is  said  his  mother  was  a  French  half-breed.  He  was  therefore  not  a 
chief  by  heredity,  but  arose  to  that  position  through  sheer  ability. 
When  a  young  man  he  became  a  member  of  the  Sauk  council,  and  later 
was  made  the  tribal  guest  keeper.  He  was  ambitious,  and,  while 
always  involved  in  intrigue,  never  exposed  himself  to  his  enemies, 
but  cunningly  played  one  faction  against  the  other  for  his  personal 
advantage.  At  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  he  "broke  the  feeble 
bond  of  political  union"  between  the  Sauks  and  Foxes,  which  left  the 
chief  Black  Hawk  with  a  force  entirely  too  small  to  hope  for  success. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  Keokuk  came  to  the  front  in  the  negotiations 
with  the  representatives  of  the  United  States,  and  by  playing  into  their 
hands  was  recognized  by  the  government  as  the  head  chief  of  the  Sauk 
tribe.  His  chieftainship  was  treated  with  ridicule  by  the  Indians,  be- 
cause he  was  not  of  the  ruling  clan,  but  in  the  negotiations  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  he  won  the  regard  of  both  the  Sauks  and  Foxes,  when  in 
a  debate  he  vanquished  the  Sioux  and  other  northern  tribes  and  estab- 
lished the  claim  of  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  to  the  territory  now  comprising 
the  State  of  Iowa.  He  was  fond  of  debate,  cool,  deliberate  and  logical, 
and  though  he  disliked  the  Foxes  he  managed  to  retain  his  power  until 
his  death  in  Kansas  in  1848.  His  remains  were  afterward  taken  to 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  a  monument  has  been  erected  to  his  memory 
by  the  citizens,  and  a  bronze  bust  of  Keokuk  stands  in  the  national 
capital  at  Washington.  After  his  death  his  son,  Moses  Keokuk,  became 
chief.    He  died  at  Horton,  Kan.,  in  Aug.,  1903. 

Kepple,  a  hamlet  in  Wichita  county,  is  located  in  Edwards  township, 
15  miles  north  of  Leoti,  the  county  seat  and  most  convenient  railroad 
station.    Its  mail  is  distributed  from  Sunnyside. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  9 


Kickapoo,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Leavenworth  county,  is  located 
on  the  Missouri  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  7  miles  from  the  city 
of  Leavenworth.     It  was  laid  out  in  July,  1854,  by  citizens  of  Weston 
and  Platte  county.  Mo.,  and  was  intended  as  a  rival  to   Leavenworth 
The  town  grew  rapidly  for  awhile,  but  the  location  of  the  county  seat 
at  Leavenworth  and  the  large  outfitting  trade  there  finally  P^^^VZ 
much  to  be  overcome,  and  its  growth  practically  ceased^  The  POP^  l^^ion 
in  1910  was  200.     Kickapoo  has  a  money  order  postoftice,  several  gen- 
eral stores,  churches,  a  public  school,  etc.     By  the  act  of  Feb.  26    1864, 
the  legislature  authorized  the    name    of    Kickapoo    City    changed    to 
Steuben,  and  the  name  of  Kickapoo  township  changed  to  bteuben  town- 
ship   but  for  some  reason  the  act  never  became  effective  and  the  old 
names  still  appear  on  the  modern  maps.  .    ,      ,.      ■ 

Kickapoo  Cannon._"01d  Kickapoo"  is  a  trophy  of  the  Mexican  wa. 
but  whether  it  was  a  gun  taken  to  the  war  by  Gen.  Kearney     Army  of 
the  North  or  was  captured  from  the  Mexicans  is  uncertain.     In  1848      e 
rnUitarv   authorities   at   Santa   Fe   gave   it   as   a   protection  against   the 
Comanche  Indians,  then  on  the  warpath   to  a  party  m  charge  of  a  tiam 
returning  from   New   Mexico  to  the   Missouri   "^e^"  J'^^h^^,^^^^/' 
ran      The  train  had  no  fight  with  the  Comanches,  but  by  the  time  it 
ad   reached  the  Arkansas  river,  so  many  of    the    animals    had    been 
stampeded  bv   the    Indians,  that  the   men  were  obliged   to   abandon   a 
pordon  of  their  outfit  including  this  cannon.     Later  that  year,  anothei 
tra  1  "iturmng  under  the  charge  of  a  citizen  of  Weston,  Mo     bearing 
he  historical  name  of  John  Brown,  brought  the  cannon  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth to  be  delivered  by  him  to  the  miHtary  authorities  there,  but  no 

Xer  there  would  give   Brown  a  ^-^-'^^r\'lolll7  it  the"  at; 
and  he  took  it  to  his  home  in  Weston.     Later  he  donated  it  to  the  city 
where  f°  several  years  it  was  employed  in  saluting  steamboats  on    hei 
Trrival.  celebrating  the  4th  of  July  and  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of 

"^'in  t'ile  spnng  of  1856,  as  preparations  began  for  the  campaign  which 
re  ^Ited  in  the  sacking  of  Lawrence,  the  gun  was  stolen  from  the  city 
of  \V?ston  taken  acro'ss  the  river  and  put  in  possession  of  the  Kickapoo 
Ranlers  a  militarv  organization  with  headquarters  at  the  town  of 
kSpoo  in  Leavenworth  countv.  After  the  assault  on  Lawrence,  the 
Kickapoo  in  Leave  Rangers  to  Kickapoo,  and  there  remained  until 

''"  «°«  ^hel  the  free  tate  men  of  Leavenworth  seized  it,  kept  it  in  con- 
,n  1858,  when  the  free  ^^^^^  ",^"  °  ^^g  1     at   Leavenworth  as  a 

rT\:\^:To.:-^oi'^^^^^^  connection  wUh  the 

troph).  In  he  cou  se  o  .  '  /Lg^.^enworth  coal  mine,  the  cannon 
fa''b?,i'   "La.t"  °ifbl"hMn,„  ..e  cCec.icn.  o.  .h.  Kansas 

State  Historical  Society. 

SaTo  ^iSrsZ'HS  "S'rHior,  ot  Kansas  ,p.  408)  says  the 

K  ckapoo  Kang  territorial  militia  was  known  as  the  "Kickapoo 

R;:':rs°.''Thr„:™e'nn':7;'.:™'be.n  adopted  ,a.e  in  .85S  or  ea,,v  in 


70  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

1856,  for  on  May  21,  1856,  after  the  militia  had  entered  Lawrence,  David 
R.  Atchison  made  a  speech,  liberall)^  punctuated  with  profanity,  in  which 
he  said:  "Boys,  this  day  I  am  a  Kickapoo  Ranger.  This  day  we  have 
entered  Lawrence  with  Soutiiern  riglits  inscribed  on  our  banner,  and 
not  one  abolitionist  dared  to  fire  a  gun.  And  now,  boys,  we  will  go  in 
again  with  our  highly  honorable  Jones,  and  test  the  strength  of  that 
Free-State  hotel,  and  teach  the  Emigrant  Aid  company  that  Kansas 
shall  be  ours.  Boys,  ladies  should,  and  I  hope  will,  be  respected  by 
every  gentleman.  But,  when  a  woman  takes  upon  herself  the  garb  of  a 
soldier  by  carrying  a  Sharp's  rifle,  she  is  no  longer  worthy  of  respect. 
Trample  her  under  your  feet  as  you  would  a  snake.  ...  If  one  man 
or  woman  dare  stand  before  you,  blow  them  to  hell  with  a  chunk  of 
cold  lead." 

Gihon  says  the  Kickapoo  Rangers  numbered  250  or  300  men,  and  that 
at  the  time  the  militia  was  disbanded  by  Gov.  Geary  on  Sept.  15,  1856, 
they  were  commanded  by  "Col."  Clarkson.  That  afternoon  the  rangers 
forded  the  Kansas  river  at  Lecompton  on  their  way  to  the  northern 
part  of  the  territory,  where  they  belonged.  Says  Gihon :  "This  party 
was  mounted  and  well  armed,  and  looked  like  as  desperate  a  set  of 
ruffians  as  were  ever  gathered  together.  The}-  still  carried  the  black 
flag,  and  their  cannon,  guns,  swords  and  carbines  were  yet  decorated 
with  the  black  emblems  of  their  murderous  intentions." 

This  description  was  written  by  a  free-state  partisan,  but  it  gives  a 
pretty  definite  idea  of  the  character  of  the  Kickapoo  Rangers.  On  their 
way  back  to  their  homes  some  of  the  party  left  the  main  body  and 
killed  David  C.  BufTum,  a  free-state  man.  (See  Geary's  Administra- 
tion.) 

Kicking  Bird,  a  Kiowa  chief,  was  the  grandson  of  a  Crow  Indian  who 
was  captured  and  adopted  by  the  Kiovvas,  his  adoption  being  due  to  his 
great  bravery  and  wisdom  in  councils.  The  Indian  name  of  Kicking 
Bird  was  Tene-angpote.  On  Aug.  15,  1865,  he  signed  an  agreement 
with  representatives  of  the  United  States  to  accept  a  reservation  near 
the  present  city  of  Wichita,  Kan.,  and  he  was  a  party  to  the  treaty  which 
was  made  at  Medicine  Lodge  on  Oct.  21,  1867,  fixing  the  boundaries 
of  the  Kiowa-Comanche-Apache  reservation  in  the  present  State  of 
Oklahoma.  When  the  government,  in  1873,  failed  to  carry  out  the 
agreement  to  release  certain  Kiowa  chiefs  then  imprisoned  in  Texas, 
Kicking  Bird  lost  faith  in  the  United  States  and  was  preparing  to  join 
an  expedition  against  the  Tonkawa  tribe  and  the  white  bufifalo  hunters, 
when  he  found  out  that  his  rival  chief.  Lone  Wolf,  was  about  to  join 
the  hostile  Indians  to  commit  depredations  upon  the  frontier  settle- 
ments. He  gave  up  his  own  expedition  and  induced  about  two-thirds 
of  the  Kiowa  tribe  to  remain  at  the  Fort  Sill  agency.  In  the  negotiations 
which  followed  he  was  treated  as  the  head  chief  of  the  tribe.  Kicking 
Bird  was  a  man  of  positive  character  and  labored  for  the  welfare  of 
his  people.  He  aided  in  the  establishment  of  the  first  school  among  the 
Kiowas  in  1873.     His  death  occurred  suddenly  on  May  5,  1875,  and  it 


KANSAS    HISTORY  71 

was  thought  by  some  that  he  had  been  poisoned  by  some  of  his  ene- 
mies. His  name — Kicking  Bird — was  adopted  as  a  pseudonym  by  Mil- 
ton W.  Reynolds,  the  Kansas  writer. 

Kidderville,  a  country  postoffice  in  Hodgeman  county,  is  located  in 
North  Roscoe  township,  17  miles  northwest  of  Jetmore,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  mail  tri-weekly.  The  population  in  1910  was  38.  There  are  a 
number  of  cattle  breeders  in  the  vicinity. 

Killcreek,  a  hamlet  in  Osborne  county,  is  located  between  Little 
Medicine  and  Kill  creeks,  13  miles  southwest  of  Osborne,  the  county 
seat,  and  9  miles  in  the  same  direction  from  Bloomington,  the  nearest 
railroad  station  and  shipping  point,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural 
route.     The  population  in  1910  was  18. 

Kimball,  one  of  the  thriving  little  towns  of  Neosho  county,  is  located 
in  Grant  township  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  about  8  miles 
northeast  of  Erie,  the  county  seat.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  offices 
and  a  mone}-  order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910  was  165.  The 
plat  was  filed  in  May,  1888,  under  the  name  of  Dalton,  but  the  postoffice 
and  station  have  always  been  called  Kimball. 

Kimeo,  a  hamlet  in  Washington  county,  is  located  16  miles  south  of 
Washington,  the  county  seat,  and  9  miles  in  the  same  direction  from 
Greenleaf,  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Kincaid,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Anderson  county,  is  located 
in  Rich  township  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroads,  18  miles  by  rail  southeast  of  Garnett.  It  has  a  bank, 
a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Dispatch),  5  churches,  schools,  and  all  the 
general  lines  of  business  enterprise,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and 
a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population 
according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  426. 

King,  Henry,  journalist,  was  born  at  Salem,  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
May  II,  1842,  a  son  of  Selah  W.  and  Eliza  (Aleshire)  King.  He 
received  a  good,  practical  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state;  married  Miss  Marie  Louise  Lane  on  Nov.  17,  1861,  and  served  for 
four  years  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war.  His  wife  is  a  rela- 
tive of  former  Gov.  Nance  of  Nebraska.  After  the  war  he  engaged  in 
newspaper  work  at  Ouincy,  111.,  and  after  a  year  or  two  there  removed 
to  Topeka,  Kan.,  where  he  occupied  editorial  positions  on  th«  Record, 
the  Commonwealth  and  the  Capital.  He  was  founder  and  first  editor 
of  the  Kansas  Magazine,  the  first  number  of  which  was  issued  in  Jan., 
1872,  and  to  which  he  contributed  a  number  of  interesting  articles  on 
various  subjects.  In  1883  he  removed  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  accepted 
a  position  on  the  staff  of  the  Globe-Democrat.  In  1897  he  was  made 
managing  editor  of  that  paper,  a  position  he  still  holds  in  1911. 

Kingery,  a  country  postoffice  in  Thomas  county,  is  located  in  the 
township  of  the  same  name  25  miles  southwest  of  Colby,  the  county 
seat.     It  has  tri-weekly  mail. 


72  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Kingman,  the  judicial  seat  of  Kingman  county,  is  located  north  of 
the  central  part  of  the  county  on  the  Ninnescah  river  and  on  two  lines 
of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads. 
It  is  a  fine  little  business  city  with  good  buildings  and  well-kept  streets. 
There  are  3  banks  with  a  total  capitalization  of  $125,000,  a  new  court- 
house, one  of  the  largest  Hour  mills  in  southwest  Kansas,  which  has 
a  capacity  of  600  barrels  of  flour  per  day  and  a  storage  capacity  of 
170,000  bushels  of  wheat,  2  elevators,  2  schools,  4  churches,  an  ice  plant, 
a  creamery,  an  ice  cream  factory  with  a  daily  capacity  of  400  gallons, 
3  hotels,  15  miles  of  water  mains,  a  number  of  business  houses,  an  elec- 
tric, light  plant,  a  sewer  system,  a  fire  department,  a  carpet  factory, 
cereal  mill,  and  an  opera  house.  The  water  supply  comes  from  natural 
springs  of  unusual  purity.  A  salt  mine  which  produces  the  crystal  rock 
salt  is  in  operation  2  miles  away.  The  principal  shipments  are  salt, 
live  stock,  grain,  flour  and  produce.  There  are  2  newspapers  published 
weekly  (the  Courier  and  the  Journal).  The  town  is  supplied  with  tele- 
graph and  express  offices  and  has  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  four  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census 
of  1910  was  2,570. 

Kingman  was  founded  by  two  brothers,  J.  K.  and  F.  S.  Fical,  who 
took  adjoining  claims  in  1873.  It  was  laid  out  in  March,  1874,  Jesse 
McCarty  acting  as  the  surveyor.  The  first  building  was  the  Kingman 
House  put  up  by  H.  L.  Ball.  A  small  frame  school  house  was  erected 
and  also  a  mercantile  establishment.  Two  or  three  residences  were 
erected.  The  first  attorney  was  George  E.  Filley,  who  came  in  1877. 
In  1878  a  party  of  several  men  came  from  Hutchinson,  formed  them- 
selves into  a  town  company,  and  laid  out  a  large  addition  to  Kingman 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  Several  good  buildings  were  erected,  most 
of  which  were  later  moved  to  the  north  side.  The  first  bank  was  estab- 
lished in  1881  by  Gassard  F>ros.  and  FI.  S.  Strohm. 

Kingman  County,  in  the  south  central  part  of  the  state,  is  located  in 
the  second  tier  from  the  Oklahoma  state  line,  and  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Reno  county;  on  the  east  by  Sedgwick  and  Sumner;  on  the 
south  by  Harper  and  Barber,  and  on  the  west  by  Barber  and  Pratt.  It 
was  named  for  Samuel  A.  Kingman,  who  was  chief  justice  of  the  Kansas 
supreme  court  at  the  time  it  was  organized. 

The  first  settler  is  said  to  have  been  W.  H.  Childs,  who  came  from 
Michigan  in  1872,  though  some  accounts  place  the  date  as  1874,  and 
that  of  the  first  settlement  as  Feb.,  1873,  when  Martin  Updegraflf 
located  on  the  Chikaskia  river  20  miles  south  of  the  present  city  of 
Kingman.  A  few  months  later  half  a  dozen  others  settled  in  the  county, 
among  whom  were  J.  K.  and  F.  S.  Fical  and  Charles  Barr.  Early  in 
1874  W.  H.  Childs,  H.  L.  Ball,  A.  D.  Culver,  H.  S.  Bush  and  W.  P. 
Brown  located  at  Kingman  and  took  claims  in  the  vicinity.  W.  H. 
Mosher  located  at  the  head  of  Smoot  creek,  and  a  number  of  families 
located  on  the  Ninnescah.  Late  in  the  summer  the  settlements  were 
threatened  by  the  Indians.     Mr.  Fical  was  commissioned  as  captain  and 


KANSAS    HISTORY  73 

W.  H.  Childs  as  lieutenant  to  organize  a  military  company  to  repel  any 
attack.  When  the  commissions  arrived  there  were  no  men  to  organize, 
all  the  residents  having  fled.  They  returned  as  soon  as  the  Scare  was 
over. 

During  the  years  of  1874  and  1876  there  were  few  new  people.  A 
large  number  came  in  1877  and  every  part  of  the  county  was  settled. 
The  last  of  the  butTalo  disappeared  in  that  year.  Heavy  rains  in  the 
spring  swelled  the  streams  so  that  they  became  impassable  and  the  set- 
tlers being  shut  off  from  supplies  were  threatened  with  famine.  For 
several  days  parched  corn  was  the  only  food,  and  even  this  gave  out 
before  the  flood  subsided. 

The  organization  of  the  county  took  place  in  Feb.,  1874,  when  there 
were  not  more  than  20  bona  fide  settlers.  Gov.  Thomas  A.  Osborne 
designated  Kingman  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  appointed  the 
following  officers:  J.  Harmony,  county  clerk;  and  J.  K.  Fical,  J.  M. 
Jordan  and  G.  W.  Lacey  county  commissioners.  The  officers  met  at 
Kingman  on  March  5,  and  as  J.  K.  Fical  withdrew,  W.  C.  Frink  was 
appointed  in  his  place.  A  special  election  was  called  for  April  7,  to 
vote  on  the  issuing  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $70,000,  for  court-house, 
bridges  and  general  expenses.  It  was  ordered  also  that  county  and 
township  officers  should  be  elected  at  this  time,  and  a  permanent  county 
seat  chosen.  The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following 
officers:  H.  L.  Ball,  J.  K.  Fical  and  G.  W.  Lacy,  commissioners;  J.  Har- 
mony, clerk;  F.  S.  Fical,  sheriff;  J.  M.  Jordan,  treasurer;  W.  P.  Brown, 
county  attorney;  George  Pitts,  probate  judge;  G.  A.  Whicher,  county 
superintendent;  W.  J.  Harmony,  register  of  deeds;  W.  P.  Brown,  coro- 
ner; R.  R.  Wilson,  surveyor;  and  G.  A.  Whicher,  district  clerk.  King- 
man was  made  the  permanent  county  seat  and  the  bonds  were  authorized. 
These  bonds  were  printed  but  were  canceled  and  destroyed  the  next 
spring.  Two  efforts  were  later  made  to  have  the  county  seat  removed 
from  Kingman.  One  was  in  1878,  when  a  town  called  Akron  was  started 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county.  A  petition  was  presented  to  the  com- 
missioners asking  for  an  election  to  relocate  the  county  seat,  and  when 
this  petition  was  denied,  the  town  of  Akron  was  abandoned.  The  other 
attempt  was  in  1881,  when  the  people  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
countv  succeeded  in  having  an  election  called.  The  competing  points 
were  Kingman  and  Dale  City,  a  point  about  7  miles  to  the  southwest. 
Kingman  won  by  a  majority  of  85  votes. 

The  first  child  born  in  Kingman  county  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  K.  Fical,  whom  they  named  Ninnescah,  born  in  1S73  The  first 
marriage  was  in  Nov.,  1875,  between  Jesse  McCarty  and  Cecilia  Capi- 
tolia  Scribner,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  W.  H.  Mosher,  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  The  first  school  was  opened  in  1874  with  only  5 
pupils,  Miss  Ada  Crane,  teacher.  The  first  farming  was  done  by  Charles 
Barr  in  1873.  Six  years  later  there  were  76,000  acres  under  cultivation. 
The  first  water-mill  was  built  by  Starling  Turner  in  1879,  at  a  cost  of 
$20,000.     The  Mercury,  the  first  newspaper,  was  established  in  1878  by 


74  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

J.  C.  Martin.  The  census  of  1878  gave  Kingman  county  729  people,  but 
in  the  next  three  years  the  population  increased  to  3,125,  showing  that 
the  development  of  the  county  did  not  really  begin  until  about  1880. 

Kingman  is  divided  into  23  townships  as  follows:  Allen,  Belmont, 
Bennett,  Canton,  Cliicaskia,  Dale,  Dresden,  Eagle,  Eureka,  Evan,  Gales- 
burg,  Hoosier,  Kingman,  Liberty,  Ninnescah,  Peters,  Richland,  Roches- 
ter, Rural,  Union,  Valley,  Vinita  and  White.  The  postoffices  are,  King- 
man, Adams,  Basil,  Belmont,  Calista,  Cleveland,  Cunningham,  Mur- 
dock,  Nashville,  Norwich,  Penalosa,  Rago,  Spivey,  Varner,  Waterloo, 
Willowdale  and  Zenda. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling  prairie  somewhat  broken  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Ninnescah.  The  bottom  lands  comprise  15  per  cent,  of 
the  total  area.  Cottonwood  is  the  principal  timber  and  is  found  along 
the  Chikaskia.  An  excellent  water  system  is  formed  by  the  two 
branches  of  the  Chikaskia.  The  south  branch  of  the  Chikaskia  enters 
the  county  near  the  southwest  corner  and  flows  east  15  miles,  where  it 
unites  with  the  north  branch  forming  the  main  stream,  which  leaves 
the  county  near  the  southeast  corner.  The  south  fork  of  the  Ninnescah 
enters  on  the  west  line  north  of  the  center,  crosses  in  a  southeasterly 
direction  past  Kingman,  and  leaves  the  county  near  the  central  part  of 
the  east  line.  The  north  fork  crosses  the  northeast  corner.  There  are 
several  small  lakes,  numerous  springs,  and  well  water  is  found  at  a  depth 
of  25  feet.  Sandstone,  rock  salt,  gypsum  and  mineral  paint  are  found 
in  large  quantities. 

There  are  nearly  150  miles  of  main  track  railroad  in  the  county.  A 
branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  crosses  the  northern  part 
from  east  to  west,  another  crosses  from  east  to  west  in  the  southern 
part,  and  still  another  branch  of  the  same  system  runs  through  the 
center  from  north  to  south.  A  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  enters  in 
the  southeast  and  extends  northwest  through  Kingman  into  Reno  county. 
The  Kansas  City,  Mexico  &  Orient  crosses  the  extreme  southeast  corner. 

The  area  of  Kingman  county  is  864  square  miles  or  552,960  acres,  of 
which  over  400,000  acres  are  under  cultivation.  The  county  ranks  high 
in  agriculture  and  stock  raising.  Wheat,  corn,  oats,  sorghum,  Kafir  corn 
and  hay  are  the  principal  crops.  The  value  of  the  farm  products  in  1910 
was  $3,042,500,  of  which  wheat  was  worth  $853,824;  corn,  $656,000;  and 
hay,  $156,904.  The  population  in  1910  was  13,386,  a  gain  of  about  30 
per  cent,  over  that  of  1900.  The  property  valuation  of  1910  was  over 
$30,000,000,  which  makes  the  wealth  per  capita  nearly  $2,200. 

Kingman,  Samuel  A.,  chief  justice  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court  from 
1867  to  1876,  was  born  in  Worthington,  Mass.,  June  26,  1818.  His  par- 
ents, Isaiah  and  Lucy  Kingman,  each  lived  to  more  than  "the  three  score 
years  and  ten."  Samuel  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Moun- 
tain Academy  of  his  native  town,  and  began  teaching  in  his  seven- 
teenth year.  Two  years  later  he  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  taught 
school  and  studied  law.  After  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  began  prac- 
tice at  Carrollton,  Ky.,  then  changed  to  Smithland,  Livingston  county 


KANSAS    HISTORY  75 

Here  he  was  county  clerk  and  district  attorney  for  three  years  from  1849 
to  1851 ;  represented  the  county  in  the  state  legislature;  and  took  part 
in  framing  a  new  constitution  for  Kentucky.  In  1857  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Knoxville,  Marion  county,  Iowa,  and  about  a  year  later 
became  a  resident  of  Kansas.  For  six  months  he  was  located  in  Leaven- 
worth, then  took  up  a  claim  in  Brown  county,  near  the  site  of  Horton. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  Hiawatha  and  opened  a  law  office.  In  1859 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Wyandotte  constitutional  convention  and  the 
same  year  was  one  of  the  three  commissioners  appointed  by  the  legis- 
lature to  adjust  the  territorial  claims.  When  Kansas  became  a  state  Mr. 
Kingman  was  nominated  for  associate  justice  on  the  Union  Republican 
ticket,  but  was  defeated.  Two  years  later  he  was  elected  chief  justice 
and  reelected  in  1872.  He  resigned  from  the  bench  in  1876  because  of 
ill  health.  Subsequently  he  was  appointed  state  librarian,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  this  position  for  the  same  reason.  He  was  the  first 
president  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  and  a  director  of  it  until 
his  death.  He  was  also  president  of  the  State  Judicial  association,  the 
State  Bar  association,  and  was  the  president  of  the  Ananias  club  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  Judge  Kingman  was  a  Whig  until  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party,  when  he  became  one  of  its  stanch  supporters.  On 
Oct.  29,  1844,  he  married  Matilda  Willets  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  they 
had  two  children.  Judge  Kingman  died  at  Topeka,  Sept.  9,  1904.  King- 
man county  was  named  in  his  honor. 

Kingsdown,  a  village  in  Ford  county,  is  located  20  miles  southeast  of 
Dodge  City,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  station  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  R.  R.,  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice.  The  population  in  1910  was  150.  It  is  a  local  trading  point 
of  some  importance  and  does  considerable  shipping  of  grain  and  live 
stock. 

Kingsville,  a  country  postoffice  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  Silver 
Lake  township,  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  9  miles  northwest  of  Topeka. 

Kingsley,  the  county  seat  of  Edwards  county,  is  located  about  8  miles 
west  of  the  center  of  the  county,  at  the  junction  of  two  lines  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  and  near  the  Arkansas  river.  It 
has  about  100  business  establishments,  including  a  flour  mill,  a  cement 
and  brick  plant,  2  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Graphic  and  the 
Mercury).  The  city  also  has  waterworks,  churches,  good  public  and 
high  schools,  daily  stages  to  Fellsburg  and  Fullerton,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  1,547.  Kinsley  was  founded 
in  1873  and  the  postoffice  was  established  that  year,  with  N.  C.  Boles 
as  the  first  postmaster.  The  name  was  given  it  in  honor  of  E.  W.  Kins- 
ley of  Boston,  who  built  the  first  church  edifice  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  The 
Kinsley  Reporter  was  established  as  a  monthly  in  1873.  The  school 
district  was  organized  in  1874  and  the  building  erected  in  1877.  The 
town  was  visited  by  fire,  famine  and  pestilence  in  the  early  days,  and 
in  1882  had  a  bank  robbery. 


7t>  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Kiowa,  the  second  largest  lowii  in  Barber  county,  is  located  on  the 
Medicine  Lodge  river,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  railroads,  Ji  miles  southeast  of  Medicine  Lodge,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  2  banks,  an  opera  house,  2  newspapers  (the  Journal  and 
the  News-Review;,  over  loo  mercantile  establishments,  telegraph  and 
express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  tive 
rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  1,520, 
which  is  almost  double  the  population  of  1900.  Kiowa  claims  to  be  the 
first  town  in  which  Carrie  Nation  (q.  v.)  ever  "smashed"  a  saloon. 

Kiowa  County,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  state,  is  the  second 
county  north  from  Oklahoma  and  the  sixth  east  from  Colorado.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Edwards  county ;  on  the  east  by  Pratt  and 
Barber;  on  the  south  by  Comanche,  and  on  the  west  by  Pord  and  Clark. 
It  was  named  for  the  Kiowa  tribe  of  Indians  and  was  first  created  by 
the  act  of  1867,  which  erected  26  western  counties.  In  1875  the  county 
was  extinguished  and  the  territory  divided  between  Edwards  and 
Comanche.  In  1886  Kiowa  was  restored  and  the  boundaries  defined  as 
follows :  "Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the  west  line  of  range 
20  west  with  the  north  line  of  town  27;  thence  south  along  range  line 
to  its  intersection  with  the  north  line  of  township  31;  thence  east  along 
township  line  to  where  it  intersects  with  the  west  line  of  range  15  west; 
thence  north  along  range  line  to  where  it  intersects  with  the  north  line 
of  township  27;  thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

It  contains  720  square  miles  or  460,800  acres.  Until  its  organization 
Kiowa  was  attached  to  Comanche  county  for  judicial  purposes.  Gov. 
Martin  appointed  C.  W.  Olmslead  census  taker  in  Feb.,  1886.  The 
returns  made  by  him  on  March  19  showed  a  population  of  2,704,  of  whom 
549  were  householders,  and  there  was  $236,622  worth  of  taxable  prop- 
erty exclusive  of  railroads.  In  making  the  proclamation  of  organization 
on  March  23,  the  governor  named  Greensburg  as  the  county  seat  and 
appointed  the  following  officers:  Clerk,  M.  A.  Nelson;  commissioners, 
H.  H.  Patten,  Jacob  Dawson  and  C.  P.  Fullington. 

During  the  year  1886  three  railroads  made  propositions  to  the  people 
of  the  county— the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  St.  Louis  &  San 
Francisco  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific.  The  proposition  to 
issue  bonds  for  the  first  was  not  carried,  and  that  company  changed  its 
route.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  subsequently  built  a  line 
from  Hutchinson  which  came  through  this  county,  and  later  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  built  a  line  across  the  southeast  corner.  Greens- 
burg, the  county  seat,  was  not  founded  until  early  in  1885.  In  less  than 
4  months  it  had  1,000  inhabitants  and  a  number  of  two-story  brick  and 
stone  buildings.  About  May  i,  1887,  the  ground  for  a  court-house  was 
purchased  in  Greensburg  and  the  present  court-house  occupies  the  site. 

The  county  is  divided  into  twelve  townships,  Brenham,  Butler,  Center, 
Garfield,  Click,  Kiowa,  Lincoln,  Martin,  Reeder,  Union,  Ursula,  Valley 
and  Wellsford.  The  postoffices  are,  Greensburg,  Belvidere,  Haviland, 
MuUinville  and  Wellsford. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ^^ 

The  surface  of  Kiowa  county  is  a  rolling  prairie,  slightly  higher  in 
the  center.  The  southern  half  lies  in  the  valley  of  the  Medicine  Lodge, 
river  and  the  northern  half  slopes  in  a  succession  of  gentle  foot  hills 
toward  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas.  Rattlesnake  creek,  the  principal 
stream,  enters  in  the  west  and  ilows  northeast  into  Edwards  county.  It 
has  several  tributaries  in  the  northern  and  central  parts.  Medicine 
Lodge  river  has  its  source  in  the  south  and  flows  southeast  into  Barber 
county.  Well  water  is  found  at  an  average  depth  of  50  feet.  Good  build- 
ing stone  is  abundant. 

Kiowa  is  in  the  famous  winter  wheat  section.  The  wheat  crop  of 
1910  sold  for  $1,674,553;  corn,  the  next  in  importance,  was  worth  $447,- 
464;  milo  maize,  $120,000;  and  animals  sold  for  slaughter,  $300,000.  The 
total  value  of  farm  products  was  $2,740,959.  The  assessed  valuation  of 
property  was  $15,484,314.  The  population  was  6,174  in  1910  as  against 
2,267  in  1900,  a  gain  of  nearly  300  per  cent.  The  average  wealth  per 
capita  is  $2,346,  which  is  larger  by  over  $700  than  the  average  for  the 
state. 

Kipp,  a  thriving  little  town  of  Saline  county,  is  located  on  the  line 
between  Solomon  and  Eureka  townships,  and  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  about  II  miles  southeast  of  Salina,  the  county  seat.  It  has  tele- 
graph and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population 
in  1910  was  150. 

Kirkfield,  a  small  hamlet  of  Edwards  county,  is  situated  about  10 
miles  southeast  of  Kinsley,  the  county  seat  and  most  convenient  railroad 
station,  from  which  place  mail  is  delivered  by  rural  carrier. 

Kirkpatrick,  Snyder  S.,  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  in 
Franklin  county.  III.,  Feb.  21,  1848.  His  great  grandparents  came  from 
the  north  of  Ireland  to  North  Carolina,  and  there  his  grandfather, 
.Edward  Kirkpatrick,  was  born,  but  removed  to  Tennessee,  where  he 
married,  and  where  his  son,  John  F.,  was  born.  Edward  Kirkpatrick 
removed  with  his  family  to  Illinois  in  1818,  and  secured  a  quarter  section 
of  farm  land.  In  Illinois,  John  F.  Kirkpatrick  married  Hester  Dial, 
whose  parents  had  also  emigrated  from  Tennessee.  Snyder  was  one 
of  the  children  of  this  union,  and  until  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  lived 
as  the  average  Illinois  farm  boy,  attending  the  district  school  in  winters. 
and  working  on  the  farm  during  the  summers.  He  was  too  young  to 
enlist  at  the  opening  of  the  war,  but  in  June,  1864,  he  joined  the  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-sixth  Illinois  infantry  and  served  until  mustered 
out  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  In  1865  he  engaged  with  his  brothers  in 
the  mercantile  business,  but  even  at  that  time  his  cherished  ambition 
was  to  become  a  lawyer.  In  1867  he  entered  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan.  The  following  year  he  returned  to  Illinois 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  supreme  court.  In  the  fall  of  1873 
he  located  in  Fredonia,  Kan.,  and  opened  a  law  office.  Mr.  Kirkpatrick 
became  a  prominent  figure  in  local  politics  and  in  1879  was  elected 
attorney  of  Wilson  county.  Subsequently  he  served  in  the  state  senate, 
from  the  nth  district,  and  in  1894  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Repub- 


78  CYCLOrEUIA    OF 

lican  from  the  3d  district.  Two  years  later  he  was  renominated  for 
Congress  by  acclamation,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Fusion  candidate. 
Again  in  1898  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  and  defeated  by  a 
small  majority.    He  died  at  Fredonia,  Kan.,  April  5,  1899. 

Kirwin,  an  incorporated  city  of  Phillips  county,  is  located  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  Solomon  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  12  miles  south- 
east of  Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat.  There  are  about  75  business 
houses,  among  which  are  2  good  hotels,  a  flour  mill,  an  alfalfa  mill,  grain 
elevator,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Argus  and  the  Kansan),  a  bank  and 
a  number  of  mercantile  establishments.  The  city  has  an  opera  house, 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  626.  The 
first  settlements  at  Kirwin  were  made  in  1869.  The  town  was  named 
after  a  Col.  Kirwin,  who  was  sent  to  this  vicinity  just  after  the  war  to 
erect  a  stockade  for  the  protection  of  emigrants  to  California.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  1871,  with  H.  P.  Gandy  as  postmaster.  Stores 
and  other  business  establishments  were  opened  about  the  same  time. 
The  first  school  was  taught  in  1873  by  Miss  Maggie  Shurtz.  There 
were  Indian  scares  in  1871,  1872  and  1878.  The  neighborhood  was  vis- 
ited by  hostile  Sioux,  Omahas  and  Pawnees,  and  in  the  latter  year  the 
Cheyennes.  The  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in 
1880,  and  the  following  were  the  first  officers:  Mayor,  Horace  Moulton; 
marshal,  C.  E.  Russell;  clerk,  C.  E.  Don  Carlos;  treasurer,  H.  J.  Cam- 
eron ;  councilmen,  F.  Campbell,  W.  T.  Belford,  E.  W.  Warner,  W.  D. 
Jenkins  and  J.  H.  Skinner. 

Kismet,  a  village  in  Seward  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  21  miles  northeast  of  Liberal,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  general  store  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Kling,  a  recently  established  postoffice  in  Barber  county,  is  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  25  miles  west  of  Medicine  Lodge, 
the  county  seat. 

Knauston,  a  hamlet  in  Finney  county,  is  located  16  miles  northwest 
of  Garden  City,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  in  the  same  direction  from 
Alfalfa,  the  nearest  railroad  station.  Its  mail  is  distributed  from  Garden 
City  by  rural  route. 

Knights  of  Columbus,  a  Roman  Catholic  fraternal  organization,  was 
founded  in  1882  by  Rev.  Michael  J.  McGivney  of  New  Haven,  Conn., 
where  the  national  headquarters  of  the  order  are  still  maintained.  To 
be  eligible  for  membership  one  must  be  eighteen  years  of  age,  a  prac- 
tical Catholic,  and  not  engaged  in  or  connected  in  any  way  with  the 
liquor  business.  The  basic  principles  of  the  order  are  "charity,  tmity, 
fraternity  and  patriotism."  Local  lodges  or  societies  are  called  councils. 
Four  locals  in  a  state  may  form  a  state  council,  and  delegates  from  the 
several  state  councils  constitute  the  national  council.  In  1910  there 
were  about  1,400  local  councils  in  the  United  States,  with  the  member- 
ship of  250,000,  and  the  benefits  disbursed  since  organization  amounted 
to  nearly  $5,000,000. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  79 

The  first  council  in  Kansas,  which  was  also  the  first  west  of  the  Mis- 
souri river,  was  organized  at  Topeka  on  Sept.  9,  1900,  with  27  members. 
E.  L.  Mooney  was  elected  grand  knight;  J.  W.  Gibbons,  deputy  grand 
knight ;  T.  J.  Coughlin,  financial  secretary ;  and  Thomas  Delahoyde, 
treasurer.  At  the  same  time  P.  J.  Monaghan  was  appointed  territorial 
deputy,  his  district  extending  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  Pacific 
ocean.  The  first  state  council  met  at  Topeka  in  May,  1902,  when  P.  J. 
Monaghan  was  elected  the  first  state  deputy,  and  T.  J.  Coughlin  the 
first  state  secretary.  In  191 1  there  were  46  local  councils  in  the  state, 
with  a  total  membership  of  over  5,000. 

Knights  of  Honor,  a  fraternal  organization,  was  founded  in  1873.  Its 
principles  differ  but  little  from  those  of  other  beneficent  societies,  the 
objects  being  to  care  for  the  sick  and  pay  certain  sums  to  the  heirs  of 
deceased  members.  Some  lodges  pay  sick  benefits  from  the  local  treas- 
ury, but  all  death  benefits  are  paid  by  supreme  lodge,  the  headquarters 
of  which  are  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  Knights  of  Honor  also  hold  to  the 
theory  that  true  charity  should  not  be  confined  to  any  society  or  creed, 
and  during  the  yellow  fever  epidemics  in  the  '70s  and  '80s  large  sums  of 
money  were  disbursed  by  the  agents  of  the  order  to  sufiferers  outside 
of  the  organization.  The  first  lodge  in  Kansas  .was  instituted  at  Win- 
field,  Cowley  county,  Feb.  20,  1877.  The  following  September  the  grand 
lodge  was  instituted  at  Winfield,  with  W.  G.  Graham  as  grand  dictator. 
Two  years  later,  at  the  annual  meeting  in  June,  1879,  the  grand  dic- 
tator announced  that  there  were  then  43  lodges  in  the  state,  with  a  total 
membership  of  about  1,200.  Sixteen  of  these  lodges  had  been  organized 
within  the  preceding  year,  and  during  the  same  period  the  membership 
had  nearly  doubled.  After  a  few  years  there  came  a  lull  in  the  growth, 
and  finally  the  order  actually  declined.  On  Jan.  i,  1910,  there  were  but 
1,234  subordinate  lodges  in  the  United  States,  with  a  membership  of 
21,603.    Up  to  that  time  the  order  had  disbursed  in  benefits  $94,945,399. 

Knights  of  Labor. — As  the  name  indicates,  this  is  a  labor  organiza- 
tion. The  first  lodge  or  assembly  was  formed  by  the  garment  cutters 
of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1869,  with  11  members.  No  others  were  founded 
until  in  1872,  when  26  local  assemblies  were  organized.  The  first  gen- 
eral assembly  was  held  at  Reading,  Pa.,  in  1878,  seven  states  being 
represented.  A  declaration  of  principles  was  adopted,  setting  forth  the 
objects  of  the  organization  as  being  the  education  and  union  of  the 
toiling  masses,  in  order  "to  secure  to  workers  the  full  enjoyment  of 
the  wealth  they  create."  To  this  end  the  society  demanded  legislation 
giving  to  the  people  the  initiative  and  referendum;  the  establishment 
of  bureaus  of  labor  statistics;  the  prohibition  of  employment  of  persons 
under  the  age  of  15  years;  and  the  reduction  of  the  working  day  to  eight 
hours.  An  elaborate  ritual  was  also  adopted  by  this  first  general  assem- 
bly, but  in  1881  the  order  became  practically  an  open  society,  the  main 
object  being  to  unite  in  one  great  body  the  workers  of  all  occupations. 
In  this  respect  the  Knights  of  Labor  differed  radically  from  the  ordinary 
labor  union,  which  limited  membership  to  persons  of  the  same  trade 
or  occupation. 


80  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

Several  assemblies  were  organized  in  Kansas  in  the  latter  '80s,  hut 
the  society  came  into  prominence  as  one  of  the  factors  that  organized 
the  Populist  party  in  Kansas.  In  the  convention  at  Topeka  on  June  12, 
i&X),  when  the  party  was  launched,  the  Kniglits  of  Labor  had  28  dele- 
gates. At  one  time  the  order  was  very  strong,  numbering  its  members 
by  thousands,  and  threatening  to  revolutionize  labor  legislation.  IJut 
political  strife,  strikes  and  internal  dissensions  sapped  its  vitality  and 
it  sank  into  comparative  insignificance.  The  establishment  of  the  Fede- 
ration of  Labor  drew  away  man}-  of  the  former  members  of  the  Knights 
of  Labor,  and  though  the  society  is  still  in  existence  it  is  of  little  force 
in  the  industrial  world. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  a  fraternal  and  benevolent  society, 
was  founded  in  Topeka  early  in  1892  by  Dr.  H.  A.  Warner  and  George 
H.  Flintham.  On  Feb.  22,  1892,  the  organization  was  chartered  under 
the  laws  of  Kansas  and  began  an  active  campaign  for  members.  Three 
years  later  there  were  238  local  councils  or  lodges  scattered  over  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  Iowa  and  Missouri.  At  that  time  the  order  stood  eleventh 
among  fraternal  societies  having  life  insurance  features.  By  191 1  the 
order  had  spread  to  30  states,  having  a  total  membership  of  about  120,000 
and  a  surplus  of  nearly  $2,000,000  in  the  national  treasury.  Over  30,000 
of  the  members  were  in  the  State  of  Kansas.  The  national  officers  in 
1911  were:  W.  B.  Kirkpatrick,  president;  John  V.  Abrahams,  secretary; 
W.  M.  Forbes,  treasurer;  Dr.  E.  S.  Pettyjohn,  medical  director.  The 
executive  board  was  composed  of  the  president,  secretary,  F.  M.  Bone- 
brake  of  Topeka,  R.  D.  McClinman  of  Seneca,  Kan.,  and  A.  W.  Fulton 
of  Chicago,  111.  Since  its  organization  the  society  has  disbursed  about 
$7,500,000  in  benefits,  and  in  1910  it  stood  sixth  in  the  list  of  fraternal 
organizations. 

Knights  of  Pythias.— On  Feb.  15,  1864,  five  government  clerks — 
Justus  H.  Rathbone,  Robert  A.  Champion,  William  H.  and  David  L. 
Burnett,  and  Edward  S.  Kimball — met  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  took 
the  preliminary  steps  toward  the  formation  of  a  new  fraternal  society. 
A  ritual  which  had  been  prepared  by  Mr.  Rathbone,  and  which  was  based 
on  the  drama  of  Damon  and  Pythias,  was  adopted,  but  no  organization 
was  at  that  time  attempted.  Four  days  later  Washington  Lodge,  No. 
I,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  instituted,  and  before  the  close  of  the  year 
it  had  52  members.  Franklin  Lodge,  No.  2,  was  organized  a  few  weeks 
later,  and  on  April  8  a  grand  lodge  was  established  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  Owing  to  the  war,  the  political  campaign  of  1864  and  other 
causes,  the  order  did  not  prosper  at  first,  and  on  Aug.  i,  1865,  Franklin 
Lodge  was  the  only  one  in  existence.  Then  came  a  period  of  prosperity. 
Young  men  who  had  been  discharged  from  the  volunteer  army,  attracted 
by  the  social  and  beneficial  features  of  the  order,  joined  it  in  large  num- 
bers. The  grand  lodge  was  reorganized  on  May  i,  1866,  and  on  Aug. 
5,  1870,  the  supreme  lodge  was  incorporated  under  an  act  of  Congress, 
passed  the  previous  May.  About  the  same  time  the  endowment  rank 
was  established  on  its  present  basis,  and  subsequently  the  uniform  rank 
was  organized. 


KANSAS   HISTORY  8l 

The  Knights  of  Pythias  were  introduced  in  Kansas  by  Deputy 
Supreme  Chancellor  Charles  D.  Lucas  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  who  insti- 
tuted Myrtle  Lodge,  No.  i,  at  Lawrence  on  April  4,  1872.  Fellowship 
Lodge,  No.  2,  was  organized  at  Wyandotte  just  a  week  later.  No.  3 
was  organized  at  Leavenworth  on  July  26;  No.  4,  at  Independence  on 
Aug.  2;  No.  5,  at  Olathe  on  Aug.  9.  On  Sept.  4,  1872,  delegates  from 
these  five  lodges  met  and  organized  the  Kansas  grand  lodge,  with  the 
following  officers :  J.  C.  Welsh,  grand  venerable  patriarch ;  H.  J.  Canniflf, 
grand  chancellor;  W.  A.  Offenbacher,  vice-grand  chancellor;  G.  G. 
Lowe,  grand  banker;  J.  A.  Bliss,  grand  recorder  and  scribe;  M.  C.  Dunn, 
grand  guide ;  W.  C.  Elder,  grand  inside  steward ;  Jacob  Weiss,  grand 
outside  steward. 

The  panic  of  1873  and  internal  dissensions  caused  a  slow  growth  for 
the  first  few  years,  and  when  the  grand  lodge  met  in  its  fourth  annual 
session  at  Olathe  in  1875  it  owed  about  $1,000,  the  treasury  was  empty, 
and  there  were  less  than  400  members  in  good  standing  in  the  state. 
But  the  founders  of  the  order  in  Kansas  had  faith  in  its  principles  and 
went  to  work  with  energy  and  determination  to  place  it  on  a  firm  foun- 
dation. That  they  succeeded  may  be  seen  in  the  report  of  the  grand 
lodge  at  the  session  held  in  Leavenworth  in  May,  191 1,  when  there  were 
10,855  members  and  168  subordinate  lodges  in  the  state,  with  $13,555 
in  the  grand  lodge  treasury  and  the  cash  on  hand  held  by  the  subordinate 
lodges  amounted  to  nearly  $30,000.  The  officers  elected  by  the  grand 
lodge  in  191 1  were:  W.  W.  Bowers,  grand  chancellor;  R.  L.  Barrick, 
vice-grand  chancellor;  A.  N.  Goodman,  grand  prelate;  L.  M.  Hollowell, 
grand  keeper  of  records  and  seals;  Fred  L.  Wilcox,  grand  master  of 
the  exchequer;  D.  A.  Knox,  grand  master  at  arms;  Frederick  Kaster, 
grand  inner  guard;  William  A.  Duval,  Frank  L.  Britton  and  C.  N. 
Miller,  supreme  representatives. 

Women  are  not  admitted  to  the  order,  but  an  auxiliary  degree  called 
the  Pvthian  Sisters  has  been  established,  to  which  the  wives  and  daugh- 
ters of  Ivnights  are  eligible.  The  grand  temple  of  the  Pythian  Sisters 
usually  meets  at  the  same  time  and  place  as  the  grand  lodge.  In  May, 
191 1,  the  Kansas  grand  temple  met  at  Leavenworth  and  elected  officers 
as  follows:  Ella  Shaw,  grand  chief;  Mattie  Webster,  grand  senior; 
Josephine  Wethney,  grand  junior;  Etta  V.  Downum,  grand  manager; 
Alia  Hills,  grand  master  of  records  and  correspondence;  Ruth  Morse, 
grand  master  of  finance;  Louise  Daily,  grand  protector;  Belle  Alex, 
grand  guard.  At  the  same  time  Lucy  McCague  was  elected  supreme 
representative. 

Kniveton,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  on  the  Kansas  City 
Southern  R.  R.  15  miles  northeast  of  Columbus,  the  county  seat.  Its 
mail  is  received  from  Opolis  in  Crawford  county. 

Kossuth,  a  hamlet  of  Linn  county,  is  situated  in  the  central  portion 
8  miles  northwest  of  Mound  City,  the  county  seat.  It  has  rural  free 
delivery  from  Mound  City  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  less  than  20. 

(II-6) 


82  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


Labette,  a  little  town  in  Labette  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri 
Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  6  miles  northwest  of  Oswego,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  nionej'  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route,  and  a  good  local  trade.  The  population  in  1910  was  261. 
There  have  been  three  towns  in  the  county  by  the  name  of  Labette. 
The  first  one  was  located  by  Gilbert  Martin  on  the  banks  of  the  Neosho 
in  Richland  township  in  1866.  A  trading  point  of  considerable  import- 
ance sprung  up  at  this  place.  The  second  Labette  was  located  in  Rich- 
land township,  just  south  of  Labette  creek.  The  promoters  were  G.  A. 
Cooper,  R.  G.  Tileston,  L.  D.  Bovee,  Allen  Barnes,  Gilbert  Martin  and 
Isaac  Butterworth,  and  the  town  was  founded  in  1868.  It  was  also 
known  as  Soresco.  It  was  supposed  that  it  lay  in  the  line  of  the  pro- 
posed Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  The  present  town  of  Labette 
is  located  in  Liberty  township.  It  was  founded  in  1870  with  the  avowed 
intention  of  making  it  the  count}^  seat.  The  promoters  were  Dempsey 
Elliott,  J.  S.  Waters.  James  H.  Crichton,  W.  A.  Hodges,  John  W.  Horner 
and  W.  J.  Conner.  It  absorbed  the  town  of  Neola,  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  south,  at  which  point  a  postoffice  had  been  established  in  1869  with 
J.  W.  Conner  as  postmaster.  It  was  changed  to  Labette  in  1870.  The 
railroad  company  owned  half  the  land  and  helped  promote  the  new  town, 
with  the  result  that  six  months  after  it  was  started  the  population  had 
reached  the  600  mark,  and  there  were  fifteen  business  houses  and  many 
residences.  On  failing  to  get  the  county  seat  a  depression  occurred  from 
which  the  town  did  not  recover  for  a  number  of  years.  A  newspaper 
called  the  Labette  Sentinel  was  published  during  the  first  two  years 
The  first  school  was  taught  by  J.  L.  Williams  and  wife,  in  the  city  hall 
in  the  winter  of  1871.  In  this  same  year  Capt.  Anderson  started  a 
brewerj'  which  failed  later.  A  flour  mill  was  located  on  the  creek  in 
1875  by  Williams  &  Bowen.  Many  of  the  buildings  in  Labette  had  been 
moved  from  other  little  towns,  and  most  of  them  were  moved  away 
when  the  depression  occurred. 

Labette  County,  in  the  southern  tier,  is  the  second  county  west  from 
the  Missouri  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Neosho  county,  on 
the  east  by  Crawford  and  Cherokee,  on  the  sotith  by  the  State  of  Okla- 
homa, and  on  the  west  by  Montgomery  county.  It  was  established  by 
the  legislature  of  1867  and  the  boundaries  fixed  to  include  the  territory 
extending  from  the  sixth  standard  parallel  on  the  north  to  the  boundary 
of  the  state  on  the  south,  and  from  the  Cherokee  neutral  lands  on  the 
eust  to  the  Osage  reserve  on  the  west.  Labette  was  formed  of  the 
southern  part  of  Dorn  county  (q.  v.).  It  took  its  name  from  the  stream 
which  had  been  named  in  honor  of  Pierre  Labette,  a  Frenchman. 

The  first  white  man  to  make  a  permanent  settlement  within  the  limits 
of  the  county  was  John  Mathews,  who  established  a  trading  post  among 
the  Osage  Indians,  where  Oswego  now  stands,  in  1840.  Larkin  McGee, 
who  came  to  the  county  in   1847  and  established  a  trading  post  where 


KANSAS    HISTORY  83 

Chetopa  now  stands,  found  five  families  there  at  that  time.  The}'  were 
the  families  of  Mrs.  Tianna  Rodgers,  William  Bl\-the,  Finchel  Monroe, 
Daniel  Hopkins  and  a  man  named  Tucker.  John  Mathewson  had 
attained  considerable  prosperity,  having  a  two-story  frame  house  plas- 
tered on  the  inside,  fine  blooded  race  horses  and  a  private  race  track. 
He  took  his  horses  to  all  the  big  races  in  the  west  and  was  very  suc- 
cessful. In  1857,  George  Lisle,  Abraham  Ewers,  George  Ewers  and 
Samuel  Steel  came  to  the  present  site  of  Chetopa,  built  a  double  log 
house,  a  shop  and  an  otifice,  and  established  a  trading  post.  During  the 
war  ver}-  little  was  done  in  the  way  of  settlement.  It  is  said  that  the 
raids  and  disorders  of  guerrilla  warfare  so  destroyed  the  settlements 
that  from  i860  to  1865  there  were  only  two  white  men  living  within  the 
limits  of  the  county,  S.  M.  Collins  and  A.  T.  Dickerman,  who  had 
received  the  consent  of  Chief  White  Hair  to  locate  at  a  point  4  miles 
south  of  the  present  city  of  Oswego.  In  the  fall  of  1865  immigraiion 
began  again  and  among  those  who  settled  at  this  time  were  J.  C.  Rex- 
ford,  A.  P.  Elsbee,  C.  C.  Clover,  D.  M.  Clover,  Bergen  VanNess,  C.  E. 
Simmons,  Norris  Harrar,  Cal.  Watkins,  William  White  and  sons,  and 
Grant  Reeves,  most  of  them  locating  along  the  Xeosho  valley. 

Early  in  the  war  John  Mathews  allied  himself  with  the  Confederacy 
and  raised  a  body  of  troops  over  which  he  was  commander.  He  fought 
a  guerrilla  warfare  until  killed  in  1863.  In  Nov.,  1863,  about  300  sol- 
diers (Indians,  half  breeds  and  whites),  under  command  of  Capt.  Wil- 
lits,  Adjt.  Able  and  Lieut.  Joslyn,  came  into  the  county,  and.  stating 
that  they  were  acting  under  orders  from  their  superior  officers,  burned 
practically  all  the  property  of  the  settlers  in  the  county.  The  Chetopa 
settlement  was  wiped  out  and  the  settlers  driven  to  council  Grove,  James 
Childers  was  brutally  murdered  for  his  money  and  left  unburied,  his 
neighbors  being  refused  permission  to  bury  him.  On  the  occasion  of 
Mathews  being  killed  and  his  buildings  burned,  which  must  have  hap- 
pened before  the  wholesale  raid,  the  male  inhabitants  were  all  arrested 
and  tried  by  court  martial  on  the  charge  of  assisting  the  rebels. 

The  first  postoffice  in  the  county  was  granted  to  Chetopa  in  1859. 
There  was  then  no  mail  route  to  that  point  and  no  available  means  of 
securing  the  service,  hence  the  office  was  not  opened  until  1861,  when  a 
route  was  established.  Some  of  the  early  postoffices  were:  Chetopa, 
Montana,  B.  F.  Simmons  postmaster;  Jacksonville,  M.  L.  McCaslin 
postmaster;  Oswego,  D.  N.  Carr  postmaster,  and  Neola  in  the  same 
year  with  W.  J.  Connor  postmaster.  The  first  school  was  taught  in 
Oswego  township  by  Mrs.  Herbaugh.  The  first  religious  services  were 
held  by  Rev.  J.  P.  Barnaby,  a  preacher  belonging  to  the  Southern  Metho- 
dist church,  who  established  a  circuit  among  the  settlements  in  1858. 
The  first  marriage  was  between  Sarah  Rodgers  and  Larkin  McGee,  in 
1848,  and  the  first  birth  was  that  of  their  son.  The  first  newspaper  was 
the  Eagle,  published  at  Jacksonville  in  1868,  by  B.  K.  Land. 

In  1865,  the  news  of  the  treaty  with  the  Osages  caused  a  flood  of 
immigration   to   come   into    Labette   county   and   settle   on   lands,    even 


84  CYCLOPEDIA  or 

before  the  treaty  was  ratilied  and  wliile  the  Osages  were  awa_v  from 
home  on  a  hunting  expedition.  When  the  Indians  returned  and  found 
their  lands  occupied  by  tlie  whiles,  they  were  very  much  dissatisfied  and 
asked  tiieir  agent  to  have  the  intruders  removed.  An  order  was  issued 
commanding  all  settlers  to  leave  the  Osage  lands.  This  created  great 
consternation  and  resulted  in  a  meeting  of  some  300  of  the  settlers  at 
Hickor)'  creek.  A  deputy  was  appointed  to  carry  a  petition  to  the 
Indian  agent,  asking  that  the  settlers  be  permitted  to  live  on  their 
claims.  An  agreement  was  finally  reached  by  which  each  claim  holder 
was  to  pay  the  Indians  $1  per  year  until  the  treaty  was  ratified  and 
they  received  pay  for  their  lands,  which  occurred  the  same  summer. 
The  winter  of  1866  was  an  unusually  hard  one.  The  weather  was  cold 
and  bleak  and  the  cabins  insufficient  for  protection.  The  streams  were 
swollen  so  that  it  was  impossible  for  some  time  to  secure  provisions. 
The  provender  for  cattle  and  horses  gave  out,  and  as  it  was  impossible 
to  procure  more  most  of  the  animals  died  of  starvation  or  disease,  and 
in  the  spring  many  of  the  settlers  were  without  the  means  to  farm  their 
lands.  The  Indians  who  had  been  paid  for  their  lands  and  had  moved 
away,  came  back  to  steal  from  the  settlers,  and  intimidate  as  many  as 
possible  into  paying  rents.  In  Feb.,  1866,  the  settlers  of  Labette  and 
Hackberry  creeks  formed  what  was  known  as  the  Hackberry  Mutual 
Protection  Society  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  persons  and  prop- 
erty of  its  members  from  the  red  men.  Similar  organizations  were 
effected  in  other  parts  of  the  county,  and  in  May  a  county  organization 
was  formed.  Speedy  retribution  was  visited  on  the  perpetrators  of  all 
sorts  of  lawlessness. 

In  the  fall  of  1866  the  citizens  of  what  was  soon  to  become  Labette 
county,  thinking  they  ought  to  have  a  separate  county  government,  and 
not  wishing  to  await  the  pleasure  of  the  legislature  called  an  election 
and  elected  C.  H.  Bent  as  representative  to  the  legislature.  Not  bearing- 
legal  credentials  he  was  not  given  a  seat.  The  matter  was  taken  up 
immediately,  however,  and  the  county  of  Labette  was  created,  after 
which  Bent  was  seated.  The  governor  located  the  county  seat  temporar- 
ily at  Oswego,  and  appointed  the  following  officers :  Commissioners, 
S.  W.  Collins,  J.  Rice  and  C.  H.  Talbot;  probate  judge,  Bergen  Van 
Ness ;  district  clerk,  F.lmore  Craft ;  county  clerk,  A.  T.  Dickerman  ;  sheriff 
Benjamin  Rice.  An  election  was  held  in  May,  1867,  at  which  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  chosen :  Commissioners,  Nathan  Ames,  D.  C.  Lowe 
and  Mr.  Shay;  sheriff,  Benjamin  Rice;  probate  judge,  Bergen  VanNess; 
assessor,  A.  W.  Jones;  county  clerk,  A.  T.  Dickerman;  district  clerk, 
Elmore  Craft;  treasurer,  C.  C.  Clover;  superintendent  of  schools. 
J.  F.  Newlon;  county  attorney,  J.  W.  Parkinson.  The  county  seat  was 
permanently  located  at  Oswego. 

This  county  was  the  field  of  the  operations  of  the  famous  Bender 
family  fq.  v.),  who  committed  several  atrocious  crimes  in  the  '70s. 

The  county  is  well  supplied  with  railroads.  The  first  one  built  was 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas,  which  enters  the  county  in  the  central 


KANSAS    HISTORY  °5 


part  of  the  north  line,  and  extends  southeast  to  Oswego  and  sou  h  to 
l,e  state  line.  The  next  line  to  be  built  was  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe,  which  runs  across  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  The 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  which  passes  through  the  central  part 
of  the  county  from  east  to  west,  was  constructed  m  1879.  .,^.^'"'  °; 
the  same  road  which  passes  through  the  northern  part  was  built  n  1882^ 
In  addition  to  these  lines  there  is  the  Missouri  Pacific  R-  R.'  ^^"'  j^"J 
from  east  to  west  across  the  southern  tier  of  townships  ^"^  ^^^t  °^er 
lines  of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas,  one  running  east  from  A Uamont 
one  runnning  north  from  Parsons,  and  another  crossing  the  no.  thein  line 
of  the  county   and  running  southwest  through  Mound  Valley 

The  townships  of  the  county  are  as  follows:  Canada,  Elm  ^''o^^'  ^^'^ 
yiew,  Hackber?y,  Howard,  Labette,  Liberty,  Montana,  Mound  Valley, 
Mount  Pleasant,  Neosho,  North,  Osage,  Oswego,  Richland  and  Walton 
The  cities,  towns  and  yillages  are.  Oswego,  the  county  ^^.^  ;  A  tamont, 
Anc^ola.  Bartlett,  Cecil.  Chetopa,  Dennis,  Edna,  Elm  City,  Idenbro. 
Labettl,  Laneyille,  Mathewson,  Montana,  Mortimer,  Mound  Valley, 
Osweeo,  Parsons,  Valeda  and  Wilsonton.  .  .         .^,        ,  ., 

The^urface  of  the  county  is  generally  undulating  P-ine  with  gen  le 
slopes  and  numerous  streams.  The  largest  stream  is  the  Neosho,  which 
flows  south  through  the  eastern  tier  of  townships  as  far  as  Oswega 
labette  creek  rises  in  the  northwest  and  flows  southeast  across  the 
Lunty  Big  Hill.  Pumpkin,  and  a  number  of  smaller  creeks,  drain  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  county.    Well  water  is  found  in  abundance  at  a  depth 

°' Common  limestone  for  flagging,  and  a  superior  grade  of  sandstone  are 
plentiful.     Brick  clay,  coal  and  salt  are  to  be  had  in  commeic.al  q   anti 
?ies      Oil  and  gas  underlie  almost  the  entire  surface  of  the  coun  y^ 

The  area  is  649  square  miles  or  415.360  acres,  of  which  nearly  300,000 
acS  have  bJen  bro'ught  under  cultiyation.  The  farm  products  for  1910 
we^%ared\t  $..855rn3,  of  which  corn  broug^^^^^^^^^ 
wheat  $116 0^3;  hay  (including  alfalfa),  $318,695,  animals  soiq  iu 
I^atSter$57¥,963;  poultry  and  eggs,  $155,070;  and  dairy  products 
$2;q977  The  pop  nation  of  the  county  in  1910  was  31,423,  a  gam  o 
40?  during  the  preceding  decade,   and  the   assessed   yaluation   of   all 

property  was  $35,377,355-  ^  ^    ,        „^  ^-^t.Vo  ^ 

Labor  Bureau.— (See  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics.) 
T.hor  Troubles -Owing   to   the   fact   that    a   yast    majority   of    the 

m§mmmm 


state. 


8(1  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  tirst  disturbance  lliai  ihreatened  really  serious  consequences  in 
Kansas  was  in  connection  with  the  great  railroad  strike  of  1878.  In 
the  spring  of  that  year  practically  all  the  great  trunk  lines  of  the  country 
were  tied  up  by  a  strike,  with  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  as  the  storm  center. 
A  number  of  the  employees  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  com- 
pany quit  work  and  placed  "pickets"  in  the  vicinity  of  the  shops  and 
roundhouses  of  the  conipan\'  at  the  division  points,  to  prevent  other 
workmen  from  taking  their  places.  Fearing  damage  to  properly,  the 
superintendent  of  the  company  wrote  to  Gov.  Anthony  asking  if  the 
state  would  protect  the  property  of  the  company.  The  governor  replied 
that  the  strikers  would  not  be  permitted  to  destroy  property  or  to  drive 
peaceful  laborers  from  their  work.  To  make  certain  that  this  idea  was 
carried  out,  Adjt.  Gen.  P.  S.  Noble  called  out  three  companies  of  the 
militia — Capt.  Walkinshaw's  of  Leavenworth,  Capt.  Zeigler's  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  Capt.  Wheeler's  of  Topeka,  143  men  in  all.  Capt.  Walk- 
inshaw's company  was  sent  to  Emporia  and  Capt.  Zeigler's  to  Lawrence. 
The  pastor  of  one  of  the  Emporia  churches  was  accidentally  killed  by 
one  of  the  militiamen  and  the  citizens  of  that  city  protested  against  the 
presence  of  troops.  The  company  was  then  sent  to  the  village  of  Read- 
ing, 15  miles  east.  The  militia  was  in  active  service  but  four  da}s,  but 
that  was  sufficient  to  demonstrate  what  the  state  would  do  in  an  emer- 
gency, and  serious  trouble  was  probably  averted  by  the  prompt  action 
of  the  governor.  The  legislature  of  1879  appropriated  $2,500  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  transporting,  subsisting  and  paying  the  men  for  the  four 
days'  time  they  were  employed.     (See  Anthony's  Administration.) 

In  Sept.,  1884,  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  company  reduced  the 
wages  of  a  large  number  of  its  employees.  Winter  was  approaching, 
and,  rather  than  be  thrown  out  of  work  at  an  unfavorable  season,  the 
men  accepted  the  situation.  But  as  soon  as  spring  opened  in  1885  they 
retaliated  by  inaugurating  a  general  strike.  No  freights  of  any  kind 
were  moved  for  several  days,  when  Gov.  Martin  and  the  board  of  rail- 
road commissioners  went  to  St.  Louis  for  a  conference  with  the  railroad 
officials  and  the  governor  of  Missouri.  Nothing  was  accomplished  by 
the  conference  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  railroad  men  to  attend, 
but  Gov.  Martin  of  Kansas  and  Gov.  Marmaduke  of  Missouri  joined  in 
writing  a  letter  to  them,  which  resulted  in  the  men  being  restored  at 
the  old  rate  of  wages,  with  extra  pay  for  extra  time,  the  final  conference 
reaching  that  settlement  on  March  24,  1885. 

During  the  next  twelve  months  the  Knights  of  Labor  made  great  head- 
way in  the  West,  nearly  all  the  employees  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
becoming  members  of  the  organization.  About  the  close  of  the  year 
1885  the  leaders  of  the  order  claimed  that  the  railroad  company  had 
violated  the  agreement  of  the  preceding  March,  and  on  March  6.  1886, 
all  the  Knights  of  Labor  in  the  employ  of  the  company  ceased  work. 
In  a  few  days  the  conditions  became  serious.  The  labor  organization 
was  strong  enough  to  prevent  other  men  from  taking  the  places  of  the 
strikers,  and  as  a  result  freight  accumulated  at  all  the  stations  on  the 
Missouri  Pacific  lines  because  the  company  was  unable  to  move  trains. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  Sj 

Matters  continued  thus  until  late  in  the  month.  On  March  25  Gov. 
Martin  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  operation  of  the  railroads 
"vitally  important  to  every  commercial,  industrial  and  agricultural  inter- 
est of  the  people."  While  admitting  that  the  workmen  might  have  just 
grievances  against  the  company  and  were  the  victims  of  corporate 
greed,  he  did  not  approve  of  the  methods  used  to  right  those  grievances. 

"We  are  now,"  said  he,  "in  the  third  week  of  the  most  serious  business 
disaster  that  has  ever  befallen  our  state.  The  forcible  stoppage  of  trans- 
portation on  a  long  line  of  railroads  affects  a  third  of  the  people  of  Kan^ 
sas.  Supplies  of  food  and  fuel  are  cut  off  in  many  localities ;  farmers,  me- 
chanics and  manufacturers  are  prevented  from  selling  and  shipping  their 
stock  and  goods,  and  from  paying  thousands  of  laborers  hitherto  in 
their  employ.  Thus  the  'strike'  of  a  few  railroad  men  cripples  and  stops 
the  business  and  industry  of  great  masses  of  our  people.  ...  I  there- 
fore call  upon  all  sheriffs,  county  attorneys  and  other  peace  officers,  to 
discharge  their  duties  under  the  law,  to  preserve  the  peace,  to  protect 
property,  to  see  that  the  commerce  of  the  state  is  not  interrupted  by 
violence  and  lawless  acts,  and  to  arrest  and  bring  before  the  courts  for 
trial  and  punishment  all  who  are  guilty  of  any  violation  of  law." 

Writs  of  injunction  were  issued  by  both  the  state  and  Federal  courts 
and  served  upon  the  strike  leaders,  and  on  the  27th  the  sheriff  of  Labette 
county,  assisted  b\'  a  posse,  endeavored  to  move  freight  trains  at  Par- 
sons, where  a  large  quantity  of  freight,  some  of  it  of  a  perishable  char- 
acter, was  awaiting  transportation.  His  efforts  were  resisted  by  the 
strikers,  who  ignored  the  law,  the  writs  of  injunction,  and  the  governor's 
proclamation.  Adjt.-Gen.  A.  B.  Campbell,  who  had  gone  to  Parsons 
on  the  15th  in  response  to  a  telegram  from  the  sheriff,  called  a  con- 
ference of  the  labor  leaders  and  the  civil  authorities,  but  nothing  was 
accomplished  in  the  way  of  a  settlement.  He  then  telegraphed  to  the 
governor :  "The  company  cannot  move  trains.  The  civil  officers  and 
citizens  cannot  help  them;  and  God  only  knows  what  the  end  will  be 
if  they  continue  to  defy  all  law  and  authority.  I  can  see  no  other  course 
than  the  use  of  military  power." 

This  telegram  was  sent  on  the  last  day  of  March.  On  April  i  the 
governor  replied :  "If  you  deem  it  necessary  for  the  preservation  of 
order  and  the  vindication  of  lawful  authority,  order  Col.  Patrick  to  move 
to  Parsons,  as  rapidly  as  possible,  as  many  companies  of  his  regiment 
as  may  be  necessary  to  sustain  the  civil  officers  in  the  performance  of 
their  duties." 

Acting  upon  this  authority,  the  adjutant-general  ordered  Col.  Patrick 
to  put  the  entire  First  regiment  under  orders  for  Parsons,  stating 
that  a  small  force  of  militia  would  be  liable  to  be  attacked.  The  regi- 
ment reached  Parsons  on  April  2  and  in  a  short  time  order  was  restored 
to  the  troubled  city.  Four  companies  were  relieved  on  the  7th,  when 
the  citizens  formed  a  "law  and  order  league,"  secured  arms  and  ammu- 
nition from  the  state,  and  on  the  14th  the  balance  of  the  regiment  was 
relieved  from  further  duty.    Law  and  order  leagues  were  also  organized 


88  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

at  Atchison  and  Wyandotte,  the  leaders  of  tiie  strike  were  arrested, 
tried  and  convicted,  and  after  more  than  a  month  of  unsettled  conditions 
trains  again  moved  on  schedule  time. 

In  1893  occurred  what  was  probably  the  most  serious  disturbance  in 
the  history  of  the  mining  industry  of  the  state.  All  through  the  spring 
and  early  summer  mutterings  of  discontent  were  heard  among  the  men 
employed  in  the  mines,  the  trouble  finally  culminating  in  a  strike,  which 
was  general  throughout  the  mining  districts  of  the  Western  states.  On 
July  6  the  United  Mine  Workers  at  Weir  City  gave  the  operators  until 
the  15th  to  adjust  the  differences  between  them  and  the  workmen,  but 
the  operators  ignored  the  ultimatum.  On  the  21st  C.  D.  Arnold,  sheriff 
of  Cherokee  county,  telegraphed  to  Gov.  Lewelling:  "Have  militia 
ready;  am  likely  to  call  on  you  for  them  any  minute.  Matters  very 
serious  here." 

Gov.  Lewelling  immediately  ordered  Maj.-Gen.  Percy  Daniels  of 
Girard  to  call  upon  the  sheriff  and  determine  what  action  should  be 
taken.  After  consultation  with  the  sheriff.  Gen.  Daniels  ordered  Brig.- 
Gen.  I.  H.  Hettinger  of  the  Second  brigade  to  place  his  command  in 
position  to  move  on  three  hours'  notice.  Six  companies  were  at  once 
placed  in  readiness  to  obey  the  order,  and  on  the  24th  a  similar  order  was 
issued  to  Brig.-Gen.  W.  H.  Sears,  commanding  the  First  brigade.  Five 
companies  of  that  command  were  called  out,  but  the  trouble  was 
adjusted  on  the  25th,  and  the  next  day  all  the  troops  were  dismissed. 

Prior  to  1890  each  of  the  various  branches  of  railway  employees  had 
its  separate  organization — the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors,  the  Brother- 
hood of  Locomotive  Engineers,  the  Switchmen's  Union,  etc.  Early  in 
the  '90s  an  effort  was  made  to  consolidate  all  these  into  one  association 
called  the  American  Railway  Union.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1894  the 
employees  of  the  Pullman  Car  company  made  certain  demands  upon 
that  corporation,  and,  upon  being  refused,  quit  work.  The  members  of 
the  American  Railway  Union  were  then  called  out  on  a  "sympathetic 
strike."  engineers  and  conductors  refusing  to  handle  trains  to  which 
Pullman  cars  were  attached.  The  strike  soon  reached  Kansas,  and  on 
July  6  Judge  Foster  of  the  United  States  district  court  issued  a  tempo- 
rary restraining  order  to  some  1,200  employees  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe,  the  Union  Pacific,  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Memphis. 
the  Missouri  Pacific,  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  and  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads,  enjoining  them  "from  interfering  with 
or  obstructing  the  business  of  the  roads  engaged  in  carrying  the  mails 
or  in  the  business  of  interstate  commerce." 

The  strike  ended  in  the  utter  disruption  of  the  American  Railway 
Union.  On  the  same  day  that  Judge  Foster  issued  his  restraining  order, 
J.  J.  Frey,  general  manager  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad, 
announced  that  employees  who  had  left  the  service  of  the  company  would 
not  be  restored  to  their  positions,  but  that  the  new  men  would  be 
retained  as  long  as  their  services  were  satisfactory.  A  number  of  the 
old  employees  affected  by  this  order  complained  to  United  States  Judge 


KANSAS    HISTORY  89 

Caldwell  that  they  had  been  unjustly  discharged,  and  on  Aug.  4  Judge 
Caldwell  appointed  J.  B.  Johnson,  master  in  chancery,  to  hear  their  com- 
plaints. In  the  course  of  the  investigation  it  developed  that  the  men  left 
their  work  at  the  command  of  the  union  officials  rather  than  be  called 
"Scabs;"  that  they  refused  to  take  out  trains  when  ordered  to  do  so 
by  their  employers,  and  that  they  refused  to  allow  other  men  to  take 
their  places.  In  his  report  to  Judge  Caldwell  Mr.  Johnson  said:  "It  is 
difficult  to  understand  what  greater  ofifense  an  employee  could  commit 
than  to  refuse  to  work,  and  still  insist  that  no  one  should  take  his  place. 
I  have  been  impressed  with  the  fact,  after  seeing  each  one  of  these  appli- 
cants and  hearing  his  statement,  that  they  are  well  meaning  and  well 
disposed  people.  I  should  be  glad,  if  it  could  be  found  in  my  line  of  duty, 
to  give  them  employment  again  with  the  receivers,  but  with  that  I  have 
nothing  to  do.  The  real  fact  is  that  a  so-called  'scab'  is  one  who  exer- 
cises the  natural  right  of  a  citizen  and  works  when  he  pleases." 

Through  the  order  of  Mr.  Frey  and  the  finding  of  Mr.  Johnson,  a 
number  of  Kansas  railway  men  lost  their  positions  and  were  placed  on 
what  became  known  as  the  "black  list."  If  one  of  these  men  made 
application  to  another  company  for  employment,  the  officials  of  that 
company  were  notified  by  the  man's  former  employers  that  he  was  un- 
trustworthy. By  this  system  many  of  the  men  were  forced  into  other 
occupations.  To  protect  these  men  from  such  impositions,  the  Kansas 
legislature  of  1897  passed  two  acts.  The  act  of  Feb.  18  made  it  unlaw- 
ful for  any  person,  company,  corporation  or  agent  to  prevent  employees 
from  joining  or  belonging  to  a  labor  organization,  or  to  coerce  or  dis- 
charge, or  threaten  to  do  so,  any  workman  for  such  membership  in  a 
labor  organization,  under  penalty  of  a  fine  of  not  less  than  $50  nor  more 
than  $500.  And  any  person  injured  by  violation  of  this  law  might 
recover  damages  in  the  sum  of  $2,000.  The  one  of  March  12  provided 
that  no  employer  should  attempt  to  prevent  any  discharged  employee 
from  obtaining  employment ;  that  any  discharged  emploA^ee  should  have 
the  right  to  demand  and  receive  a  written  statement  as  to  the  cause  of 
his  discharge,  and  that  no  information  should  be  furnished  to  other 
employers  further  than  to  state  the  cause  of  such  discharge. 

The  industrial  depression  which  began  in  the  fall  of  1893  threw  out 
of  employment  a  great  many  men  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  the 
year  1894  is  memorable  for  what  is  known  as  the  "Commonweal  Army" 
(q.  v.),  a  movement  in  which  large  numbers  of  the  unemployed  under- 
took to  march  to  Washington  and  demand  of  Congress  redress  for  their 
grievances.  A  detachment  of  this  "army"  from  the  Pacific  slope  seized  a 
Missouri  Pacific  train  of  coal  cars  at  Pueblo,  Col.,  and  started  eastward 
through  Kansas.  Bailie  P.  Waggener,  attorney  for  the  company,  on 
May  9  asked  Gov.  Lewelling  "to  render  such  assistance  as  may  be  neces- 
sary to  rescue  its  property,  protect  the  traveling  public,  and  prevent 
further  depredations  by  this  organized  mob,"  stating  that  he  had  called 
upon  the  officials  of  Saline  county  to  arrest  the  further  progress  of  the 
train  there,  but  the  county  officers  had  refused  to  act.    To  this  the  gov- 


90  CYCLOl^EDIA    OK 

ernor  responded  tliat  "Until  the  peace  officers  themselves  or  the  citizens 
of  the  respective  counties  are  heard  from,  I  would  deem  it  unwise  to 
take  official  action." 

United  States  Marshal  Neely  and  a  number  of  deputies  then  started 
west  on  a  special  train,  met  the  captured  train  at  Scott  City  and  arrested 
"Gen."  Saunders,  his  aides  and  about  400  of  the  "Commonwealers."  The 
prisoners  were  taken  to  Topeka  on  May  11  and  encamped  on  the  state- 
house  grounds  until  the  next  day,  when  they  were  taken  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth. Saunders  and  three  of  his  lieutenants — leaders  of  the  detach- 
ment— were  arrested  on  the  charge  of  obstructing  the  United  States 
mails,  and  after  some  delay  were  tried  before  a  United  States  commis- 
sioner. In  the  meantime,  however,  the  "army"  had  been  dispersed,  the 
movement  ending  in  failure,  the  prisoners  escaped  with  light  prison 
sentences. 

In  Aug.,  1903,  two  union  machinists  were  forced  out  of  the  Atciiison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railway  shops  at  Topeka.  This  caused  considerable 
dissatisfaction  among  the  union  machinists  in  the  employ  of  the  com- 
pany, and  the  situation  was  very  much  aggravated  b}^  Supt.  Lovell's 
letter  of  April  23,  1904,  to  the  mechanical  superintendents  and  master 
mechanics  directing  them  to  classify  the  men  and  pay  wages  according 
to  the  grades  in  which  they  stood.  It  soon  became  evident  that  a  strike 
was  imminent  because  of  this  order,  and  the  railroad  company  posted 
notices  in  the  shops  at  Topeka  that  it  would  "prosecute  to  judgment  all 
suits  against  members  of  the  International  Association  of  Machinists, 
and  other  conspirators,  for  damages  to  its  property  and  business  grow- 
ing out  of  any  and  all  unlawful  acts  during  the  strike." 

This  notice  was  promulgated  a  few  days  before  May  2,  when  the 
machinists  were  to  quit  work  at  9  o'clock  a.  m.  When  the  employees 
went  to  the  shops  on  that  morning  they  found  the  doors  closed  against 
them.  The  company  had  turned  the  strike  into  a  lockout,  fearing  that 
in  the  two  hours  prior  to  the  time  the  men  went  out  on  strike  damage 
might  be  done  to  the  machinery  and  rolling  stock  in  the  shops  and 
adjacent  yards.  The  next  day  the  shops  were  opened  with  the  union 
machinists  still  out.  Machinists  in  the  company's  shops  at  Argentine, 
Kan.,  and  Albuquerque,  N.  M.,  also  went  out.  At  Argentine  Judge  Holt 
issued  an  injunction  against  the  strikers  interfering  in  any  way  with 
the  work  of  the  shops,  and  this  notice  was  served  upon  21  of  the  labor 
leaders  with  good  effect.  A  similar  injunction  was  issued  by  Judge 
Hazen  at  Topeka  against  J.  L.  Buckalew,  3d  vice-president ;  T.  L.  Wilson, 
4th  vice-president  of  the  International  Association  of  R'lachinists ;  and 
93  other  men,  formerly  in  the  employ  of  the  railroad  company.  These 
injunctions  practically  settled  the  difficulty.  The  shops  were  soon  run- 
ning on  full  time,  and  about  the  only  result  of  the  strike  was  the  loss 
of  permanent  employment  by  a  number  of  the  men  who  started  it. 

There  have  been  a  few  minor  strikes  in  the  state  at  various  times, 
but  the  above  are  the  only  ones  that  assumed  proportions  sufficient  to 
threaten  serious  consequences  to  the  business  interests.    The  state  has 


KANSAS    HISTORY  91 

been  criticised  by  some  for  sending  the  militia  to  settle  labor  troubles, 
but  on  the  other  hand,  no  state  in  the  L'nion  has  passed  more  progress- 
ive laws  in  the  interests  of  the  working  classes  than  has  Kansas. 

Laclede,  a  hamlet  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  in  Center  town- 
ship on  the  Red  Vermillion  river,  13  miles  southeast  of  Westmoreland, 
the  county  seat,  and  15  miles  from  Wamego,  from  which  place  it  receives 
mail  by  rural  delivery.  It  has  one  general  store  and  one  drug  store. 
The  population  in  1910  was  76. 

La  Crosse,  the  county  seat  of  Rush  county,  is  centrally  located  in  the 
county,  and  is  200  miles  west  of  Topeka.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  large 
and  prosperous  farming  and  stock  raising  country.  There  are  about 
100  business  establishments,  including  2  banks,  3  hotels,  2  grain  ele- 
vators, a  foundry  and  machine  shop,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Chief- 
tain and  the  Republican).  All  the  leading  denominations  of  churches 
are  represented,  and  there  are  good  graded  schools  and  an  opera  house. 
The  town  is  lighted  by  electricity,  and  has  automobile  service  daily 
to  Rush  Center.  There  .are  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  inter- 
national, money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population 
in  1910  was  806. 

La  Cygne,  the  third  largest  town  in  Linn  county,  is  situated  in  the 
northeastern  portion  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  river  and  the  St.  Louis 
&  San  Francisco  R.  R.  The  town  was  started  in  1869  as  soon  as  the 
people  were  assured  of  the  building  of  the  railroad.  A  town  company 
was  organized  and  purchased  1,400  acres  of  land,  but  had  only  140 
acres  laid  out  as  a  town  site.  La  Cygne  was  incorporated  as  a  village 
on  Jan.  14,  1870,  and  a  board  of  trustees  was  appointed.  In  the  fall 
of  that  year  the  town  had  grown  so  that  it  had  inhabitants  enough  to 
organize  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  and  E.  A.  Foote  was  elected  the 
first  mayor.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  1869  in  Cady's  hall.  It 
was  a  private  subscription  school  and  was  kept  open  until  1870,  when 
the  public  school  house  was  built.  It  was  a  commodious  two-story 
brick  building  containing  the  graded  and  high  schools.  At  the  present 
time  La  Cygne  has  an  excellent  public  school  system.  The  Methodist 
church  perfected  an  organization  in  1870  and  soon  after  a  house  of 
worship.  The  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  the  same  year  but 
had  no  building  for  a  year  afterward.  At  an  early  date  La  Cygne 
became  a  manufacturing  point.  A  flour  mill  was  built  in  1870;  a  bank 
was  started  in  1871 ;  the  La  Cygne  organ  factory  was  another  early 
commercial  enterprise,  but  it  did  not  flourish.  In  1881  a  coal  mine  was 
opened,  since  which  time  La  Cygne  has  become  an  important  point  for 
this  industry.  The  first  newspaper  in  the  town  was  the  Weekly  Jour- 
nal, which   first  appeared   in  June,   1870. 

At  the  present  time  La  Cygne  has  a  number  of  business  blocks  and 
beautiful  homes,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  957. 

Ladder,  a  country  postoffice  of  Harrison  township,  Wallace  county, 
is  located  15  miles  southeast  of  Sharon  Springs,  the  county  seat  and 
nearest  shipping  point. 


92  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Ladore,  a  station  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  near  the 
southern  boundary  of  Neosho  county,  is  located  in  Ladore  township 
13  miles  south  of  Erie,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  south  of  Galesburg, 
whence  it  receives  daily  mail  by  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  50.  Had  the  early  settlers  been  willing  to  part  with  their  lands 
at  a  reasonable  figure,  the  company  which  established  the  city  of  Par- 
sons would  have  located  their  town  at  this  point  instead.  The  town 
was  first  called  Fort  Roach,  in  honor  of  J.  N.  Roach,  its  principal  pro- 
moter. In  the  early  days  it  was  an  important  little  town  but  gave  way 
to  Parsons  after  the  latter  was  founded. 

Ladysmith,  a  hamlet  in  Clay  county,  is  located  10  miles  southwest 
of  Clay  Center,  the  county  seat,  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail 
is  distributed  by  rural  route.  It  has  one  general  store.  The  popula- 
tion in   1910  was  20. 

Lafayette,  a  hamlet  in  Stevens  county,  is  located  in  Voorhees  town- 
ship 15  miles  southeast  of  Hugoton,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  from 
Tyrone.  Okla..  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  postoffice  and  the 
population  in  1910  was  13. 

Lafontaine,  one  of  the  thriving  little  towns  of  Wilson  county,  is 
located  in  Talleyrand  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles 
south  of  Fredonia,  the  county  seat.  It  has  all  the  main  lines  of  busi- 
ness enterprise,  including  a  bank,  a  newspaper,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  250.  The  town  had  its  beginning  in  1879,  when  a 
postoffice  was  established.  A  store  was  opened,  and  as  it  was  in  the 
midst  of  an  excellent  farming  community,  others  followed.  In  1886 
the  railroad  was  built,  which  made  the  future  of  the  little  town  secure. 
In  May,  1896,  Talleyrand  township  was  swept  with  a  cyclone  which 
destroyed  numerous  farm  buildings,  wrecked  several  buildings  and 
injured  a  number  of  people  in  Lafontaine.  The  telephone  system  was 
installed  in  1902. 

La  Grange,  a  hamlet  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  the  southeast- 
ern part  of  the  county,  about  21  miles  from  Marysville.  It  had  25 
inhabitants  in  1910.     Daily  mail  comes  by  rural  route  irom  Frankfort. 

La  Harpe,  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the  Missouri,  Kansas 
&  Texas  railways  5  miles  east  of  lola,  is  the  third  largest  city  in  Allen 
county.  The  town  was  founded  by  the  Fort  Scott,  Wichita  &  Western 
Railroad  company  (now  the  Missouri  Pacific),  and  was  platted  in  1881. 
When  natural  gas  was  discovered  in  the  immediate  vicinity  in  1899 
La  Harpe  began  to  grow  more  rapidly  and  soon  rose  to  be  a  city  of 
importance.  It  is  now  an  incorporated  city  of  the  second  class,  and 
has  some  of  the  largest  zinc  smelters  in  the  world,  2  banks,  an  opera 
house,  several  good  mercantile  establishments,  a  newspaper,  and  all  the 
municipal  improvements  usually  found  in  cities  of  that  class.  The 
population  in  1910  was  2,080.  Its  postoffice  is  authorized  to  issue  inter- 
national money  orders,  and  two  rural  routes  supply  mail  to  the  sur- 
rounding country. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  93 

Lake  City,  a  little  town  in  Barber  county,  is  located  in  Lake  City 
township,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  i8  miles  north- 
west of  Medicine  Lodge,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  number  of  business 
establishments,  including  a  bank.  There  is  a  daily  stage  to  Deerhead 
and  to  Aetna.  The  town  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express  offices 
and  has  a  money  order  postofifice.  The  population,  according  to  the 
census  of  1910,  was  250. 

Lakeland,  a  money  order  postoffice  of  Meade  county,  is  located  in 
Sand  Creek  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  20 
miles  southeast  of  Meade,  the  county  seat.  The  population  in  1910 
was  12. 

Lake  Sibley,  a  semi-circular  body  of  water  lying  north  of  the  Re- 
publican river,  is  about  5  miles  northwest  of  Concordia,  the  county 
seat  of  Cloud  county.  It  was  formed  long  before  white  men  settled 
in  Kansas  by  the  river  cutting  across  the  bend,  and  is  supposed  to 
have  been  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Sibley.  In  the  early  settlement  of 
Cloud  county  a  postoffice  was  established  there  under  the  name  of  Lake 
Sibley  and  a  town  grew  up,  which  was  at  one  time  an  aspirant  for 
county  seat  honors,  but  both  town  and  postoffice  have  disappeared. 

Lake  View,  a  hamlet  in  the  northern  part  of  Douglas  county  which 
is  located  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  a  branch  of 
the  Kansas  river,  5  miles  northwest  of  Lawrence.  It  has  a  money  order 
postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  popula- 
tion of  15, 

Lakin,  the  judicial  seat  of  Kearny  county,  is  located  south  of  the 
central  part  of  the  county  on  the  Arkansas  river  and  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  It  has  2  banks,  with  a  combined  capital  of 
$20,000  and  $160,000  deposits,  a  newspaper  (the  Kearny  County  Ad- 
vocate), telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  337. 
Lakin  was  founded  in  the  '70s  but  did  not  attain  much  of  a  growth 
until  1885.  At  that  time  it  experienced  a  boom.  A  newspaper  was 
started  that  year  and  the  population  increased  very  rapidly  for  a  time. 
It  was  made  the  temporary  county  seat  in  1888.  Two  years  later  the 
county  records  were  removed  to  Hartland,  but  were  brought  back  in 
1894. 

La  Lande,  Baptiste, — Soon  after  the  acquisition  of  Louisiana  by  the 
United  States  in  1803,  a  commercial  expedition  was  organized  by  Wil- 
liam Morrison  of  Kaskaskia,  111.,  to  open  up  a  trade  with  the  Spanish 
settlements  in  the  southwest.  Morrison  employed  as  his  agent  a 
French  creole  named  Baptiste  La  Lande,  who  reached  Santa  Fe  some- 
time in  the  summer  of  1804.  It  is  believed  that  La  Lande  passed 
through  Kansas  closely  following  the  route  which  afterward  became 
known  as  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  L^pon  arriving  in  Santa  Fe  he  found  a 
ready  market  for  his  goods,  but  never  made  any  return  to  his  em- 
ployer. Gregg,  in  his  Commerce  of  the  Prairies,  says :  "The  kind  and 
generous  treatment  of  the  natives  overcame  at  once  his  patriotism  and 


94  CYCLOI'EDIA    01' 

his  probity.  He  neither  returned  to  his  employer  nor  accounted  for 
the  proceeds  of  his  adventure.  His  expansive  intellect  readily  conceived 
the  advantages  of  setting"  up  in  business  for  himself  upon  this  'borrowed' 
capital ;  which  he  accordingly  did,  and  remained  there,  not  only 
unniulesled,  but  honored  and  esteemed  till  his  death,  which  occurred 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  years  afterward — leaving  a  large  family  and 
sufficient  properly  to  entitle  him  to  the  fame  of  rico  among  his 
neighbors." 

While  in  Santa  Fe  in  March,  1807,  Lieut.  Pike  saw  La  Lande,  who 
claimed  that  he  was  held  as  a  prisoner  by  the  Spanish  authorities.  In 
his  report  of  his  expedition  Pike  says :  "As  he  had  been  rather  insolent 
in  his  inquiries,  I  ordered  my  men  to  shut  and  fasten  the  door.  I  then 
told  him  that  I  believed  him  to  be  an  emissar}-  sent  on  purpose  by 
the  governor,  or  some  person,  to  endeavor  to  betray  me,  that  all  men 
of  that  description  were  scoundrels,  and  never  should  escape  punish- 
ment whilst  I  possessed  the  power  to  chastise  them,  immediately  order- 
ing my  men  to  seize  him,  and  cautioning  him  at  the  same  time,  that 
if  he  cried  out,  or  made  the  least  resistance,  I  would  be  obliged  to  make 
use  of  the  sabre  which  I  had  in  my  hand,"  etc. 

This  frightened  La  Lande  to  such  an  extent  that  he  confessed  he 
had  been  employed  by  the  governor  to  ascertain  Pike's  intentions.  The 
prompt  and  somewhat  dramatic  action  of  Lieut.  Pike  thwarted  the 
design,  and  he  suffered  no  further  inconvenience  from  the  interference 
of  the  delinquent  Creole.  Such  was  the  character  of  the  pioneer  of  the 
Santa  Fe  trade,  which  in  later  years  was  conducted  by  honorable  men 
and  reached  into  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  annually. 

Lamar,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Ottawa  county,  is  located  in  Sherman 
township  17  miles  northeast  of  Minneapolis,  the  county  seat,  and  10 
miles  north  of  Wells,  the  nearest  railway  station.  It  has  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Lament,  a  village  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Greenwood 
counlN ,  is  located  in  Shell  Rock  township  30  miles  northeast  of  Eureka, 
the  county  seat.  This  is  also  a  receiving  and  distributing  point  for  the 
adjoining  territory,  has  express  and  telegraph  offices,  a  money  order 
postoffice.  and  in  1910  reported  a  population  of  100. 

Lancaster,  an  incorporated  town  of  .Atchison  county,  is  located  in 
the  northern  portion  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  11  miles  west  of 
Atchison,  the  county  seat.  It  was  platted  in  1857  by  J.  W.  Smith,  presi- 
dent ijf  a  town  company,  and  a  postoffice  was  established  the  same  year. 
In  1858  Mr.  Smith  contributed  the  money  for  the  erection  of  a  union 
church,  in  which  the  first  religious  services  were  held  in  .Vugust.  Busi- 
ness blocks  were  built,  a  hotel  and  school  house  were  erected,  the  town 
became  the  supply  point  for  the  surrounding  country,  and  aspired  to 
county  seat  honors.  It  has  banking  facilities,  a  money  order  post- 
office,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  good  local  trade,  and  in  1910 
reported  a  population  of  220. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  95 

Land  Grants. — The  first  grants  or  concessions  of  land  in  the  province 
of  Louisiana  were  made  soon  after  the  Western  compan_v  succeeded 
Antoine  Crozat  in  the  management  of  colonial  affairs  in  17 17.  These 
early  grants  were  mostly  along  the  Mississippi  river  below  the  present 
city  of  Natchez,  Miss.,  and  were  generally  made  to  wealthy  and  promi- 
nent citizens  of  France.  The  failure  of  John  Law  in  1720  seriously 
affected  the  prosperity  of  the  Western  company  and  practically  put  a 
stop  to  further  concessions.  When  Alexander  O'Reilly  assumed  con- 
trol of  the  colony  for  Spain  in  1769  he  laid  down  rules  under  which 
all  future  land  grants  should  be  made,  and  limiting  the  extent  of  such 
grants.  Concerning  grants  made  by  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Lower 
Louisiana  about  this  time  Claiborne  says:  "Lands  were  obtained  with 
little  difficulty  or  expense.  The  immigrant  made  his  selection  of  any 
unoccupied  parcel,  and  presented  a  written  request  for  an  order  of 
survey.  If  no  obstacle  intervened  the  governor  issued  the  order,  and 
on  return  of  the  plat  and  the  payment  of  very  moderate  fees  for  sur- 
veying, the  grant  issued.  Many  settled  under  the  order  of  survey 
merely,  if  the  survey  could  not  be  immediately  made." 

The  first  land  grants  in  Upper  Louisiana,  which  included  the  present 
State  of  Kansas,  were  made  at  St.  Louis  and  bear  the  date  of  April 
27,  1766.  They  were  made  by  the  French  authorities,  although  the 
province  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  Spain  by  the  treaty  of  1762.  In 
fact  the  French  continued  to  dispose  of  the  lands  in  this  part  of  the 
province  until  the  spring  of  1770,  when  Spain  took  possession.  Some 
twenty-five  years  later  Spain  found  it  necessary  to  increase  the  popula- 
tion of  Upper  Louisiana  in  order  to  form  a  barrier  against  the  English 
in  Canada.  To  this  end  liberal  inducements  were  offered  to  people  of 
the  United  States  to  cross  the  Mississippi  and  accept  valuable  conces- 
sions of  land.  Preference  was  given  to  the  emigrants  from  the  States, 
because  "their  prejudices  against  the  English  were  a  sure  guarantee 
of  their  attachment  to  the  Spanish  interests."  Lands  were  granted  to 
them  for  the  actual  cost  of  survey  and  the  fees  of  confirmation  and 
entry  at  New  Orleans.  Maj.  Amos  Stoddard  sa3's  that  the  cost  of 
800  acres  amounted  to  but  little  over  $40.  After  the  United  States 
took  possession  of  Louisiana  under  the  treaty  of  April  30,  1803,  some 
of  these  old  claims  became  matters  of  litigation  and  were  not  finally 
settled  until  about  the  middle  of  the  19th  century. 

Only  one  of  these  early  land  grants  was  located  in  Kansas.  That 
was  the  one  made  to  Regis  Loisel  (q.  v.)  by  Charles  Dehault  de 
Lassus,  lieutenant-governor  of  Upper  Louisiana,  March  25,  1800.  The 
title  to  the  lands  included  in  this  grant  was  not  settled  until  after  long 
and  expensive  litigation. 

In  more  recent  years  the  question  of  railroad  land  grants  has  com- 
manded considerable  attention.  In  the  building  up  of  the  country 
almost  every  inducement  was  offered  to  railroad  companies  to  build 
roads  where  roads  were  not  especially  necessary.  Congress  and  the 
state    authorities   of   Kansas   granted   large   tracts   of   land    to    railroad 


96  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

companies  to  encourage  the  construction  of  their  lines.  The  report 
of  the  Kansas  railroad  commission  for  1883  gives  the  following  list 
of  railroad  companies  that  thus  received  aid  and  the  acreage  of  their  land 
grants : 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa   Fe 2,930,338.00 

Kansas  City,  Lawrence  &  Southern  Kansas 242,349.41 

Union  Pacific  (Kansas  Division) 6,625,508.11 

Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 1,041,769.17 

Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf 89,672.43 

Total 10,929,637.12 

Part  of  the  lands  thus  given  the  railroads  were  granted  by  the  state, 
but  by  far  the  greater  portion  was  given  from  the  public  domain  by 
act  of  Congress.  Of  the  above  land  grants,  the  same  report  of  the 
railroad  commission  gives  the  number  of  acres  sold  or  under  contract 
as  follows : 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 1,318,679.14 

Kansas  City,  Lawrence  &  Southern  Kansas 238,874.96 

Union   Pacific   (Kansas   Division) 1,538,284.56 

Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 1,035,769.17 

Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf 87,1 12.43 

Total 4,218,820.26 

About  the  time  this  report  was  rendered  a  large  number  of  people 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  too  much  liberality  had  been  shown  the 
railroad  companies  in  the  way  of  land  grants  and  demanded  that  the 
companies  either  perfect  their  title  to  the  land  by  carrying  out  the 
provisions  of  the  law  under  which  the  lands  were  granted,  or  that  the 
lands  revert  to  the  public  domain.  Through  the  work  of  ex-Gov. 
■  Samuel  J.  Crawford,  as  state  agent,  a  large  part  of  the  unsold  lands 
were  recovered  for  the  state.     (See  Railroads.) 

At  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  thousands  of  discharged  soldiers  came 
to  Kansas  and  entered  homesteads.  These  entries  were  not  land  grants 
in  the  ordinary  meaning  of  that  term,  but  they  were  made  possible 
by  liberal  amendments  to  the  homestead  laws,  and  have  sometimes  been 
designated  as  "military  grants." 

Land  Laws. — (See  Public  Lands.) 

Land  League. —  (See  Settlers'  Protective  Association.) 

Landmarks. — Webster  defines  a  landmark  as  a  mark  to  designate  the 
boundary  of  land,  or  "any  conspicuous  object  on  land  that  marks  a 
locality  or  serves  as  a  guide."  The  latter  part  of  the  definition  is 
especially  true  of  clififs,  tall  trees,  etc.,  along  the  seacoast  or  the  banks 
of  navigable  rivers,  by  which  the  pilots  of  vessels  steer  their  course. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  97 

Landmarks  may  be  divided  into  natural  and  artificial,  the  former  being 
those  natural  formations'  that  "serve  as  guides,"  and  the  latter  the 
works  of  man  that  have  a  historic  interest.  Among  the  natural  land- 
marks of  Kansas  the  most  prominent  are  Pawnee  rock,  Diamond  and 
Great  Spirit  springs,  Mushroom  and  Castle  rocks,  the  formation  known 
as  Rock  City,  and  the  natural  bridge  near  Medicine  Lodge.  Each  of 
these  will  be  found  under  the  appropriate  title  in  this  work.  Of  the 
artificial  landmarks  the  best  examples  are  the  markers  along  the  Santa 
Fe  trail.  Pike's  Pawnee  village,  the  old  Pottawatomie  mission,  the 
Padilla  monument  near  Council  Grove,  and  the  ruins  of  the  old  pueblo 
in  Scott  county.  The  old  wind-mill  at  Lawrence  was  for  many  years 
a  landmark,  and  the  ruins  of  the  old  capitol  near  Fort  Riley  might  be 
so    considered. 

Land  Offices. — Kansas  was  made  a  land  district  by  an  act  of  Congress, 
approved  on  July  22,  1854,  which  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a 
land  office  at  the  seat  of  government.  On  Aug.  4  John  Calhoun  was 
appointed  surveyor-general  for  the  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska, 
and  soon  after  Lecompton  was  designated  as  the  territorial  capital, 
an  office  known  as  the  Pawnee  land  office  was  opened  at  that  point. 
The  first  filings  were  made  in  that  office  in  May,  1856,  though  prior 
to  that  time  a  number  of  claims  had  been  filed  upon  through  the  office 
of  the  surveyor-general.  In  March,  1857,  Congress  provided  for  land 
offices  at  Doniphan,  Fort  Scott  and  Ogden.  The  first  preemption  entry 
was  made  on  April  21,  1857,  by  Julius  G.  Newman  for  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  25,  township  5  south,  range  20  east,  a  little  north- 
west of  Atchison. 

The  Fort  Scott  office  was  removed  to  Humboldt  in  Sept.,  1861.  Soon 
afterward  it  was  raided  by  guerrillas,  and  on  Oct.  3,  1861,  it  was  taken 
to  Mapleton,  where  it  remained  until  the  following  May,  when  it  was 
returned  to  Humboldt.  On  Dec.  15,  1870,  it  was  taken  to  Neodesha, 
and  on  Oct.  3,  1871,  to  Independence,  where  it  continued  to  do  business 
until  consolidated  with  the  office  at  Topeka  on  Feb.  28,  1889. 

The  Ogden  office  was  removed  to  Junction  City  on  Oct.  6,  1859,  and 
to  Salina  on  May  i.  1871.  On  Dec.  31,  1893,  it  was  consolidated  with 
the  Topeka  office,  which  was  originally  the  Lecompton  office,  having 
been  removed  to  Topeka  in  Sept.,  1861. 

The  Doniphan  office  was  removed  to  Kickapoo,  or  Kickapoo  City,  on 
Dec.  3,  1857,  where  it  was  retained  until  Sept.  6,  1861,  when  it  was 
taken  to  Atchison.  In  Dec,  1863,  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Topeka 
office. 

As  the  frontier  moved  westward  the  land  offices  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  state  were  either  consolidated  or  discontinued,  and  new  ones 
were  established  farther  west,  in  order  to  accommodate  the  constant 
stream  of  immigrants  looking  for  homesteads.  Two  offices  were  opened 
in  the  summer  of  1,870:  one  on  June  ri  at  Augusta,  and  the  other  on 
July  7,  at  Concordia.  The  former  was  removed  to  Wichita  in  Feb., 
1872,  and  both  were  consolidated  with  the  Topeka  office  on  Feb.  28, 

(11-7) 


y8  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

1889.  In  June,  1872,  a  land  office  was  opened  al  Cawkcr  City,  and  on 
June  20.  1874,  additional  offices  were  established  at  Hays  City  and 
Larned.  In  May,  1881,  an  office  was  opened  at  Oberlin,  and  two  years 
later  one  \vas  opened  at  Dodge  City.  In  1885  the  state  was  divided 
into  ten  land  districts  as  follows :  Topeka,  office  at  Topeka ;  Wichita, 
office  at  Wichita;  Republican,  office  at  Concordia;  Salina,  office  at 
Salina;  Western,  office  at  Wakeeney ;  Osage,  office  at  Independence; 
Northwestern,  office  at  Kirwin ;  Northern,  office  at  Oberlin ;  Arkansas 
Valley,  office  at  Larned;  Garden  City,  office  at  Garden  City. 

Under  this  arrangement  the  office  at  Kirwin  was  the  one  originally 
established  at  Cawker  City,  and  the  one  at  W^akeeney  was  formerly 
the  Hays  City  office.  The  former  was  consolidated  with  the  Oberlin 
office  on  Sept.  11,  1893.  On  Jan.  25,  1891,  the  Larned  and  Garden  City 
offices  were  consolidated,  and  on  Feb.  10  the  consolidated  office  was 
removed  to  Dodge  City.  About  the  same  time  the  Oberlin  office  was 
removed  to  Colby.  One  by  one  the  land  districts  and  offices  have  been 
absorbed  by  those  at  Dodge  City  and  Topeka,  which  in  191 1  were  the 
only  two  government  land  offices  in  Kansas.  The  Topeka  office  con- 
tains the  records  of  the  Lecompton,  Doniphan,  Atchison,  Kickapoo, 
Fort  Scott,  Humboldt,  Mapleton,  Neodesha,  Ogden,  Independence, 
JuiiCtion  City,  Salina  and  Concordia  offices,  and  a  part  of  the  records 
of  the  offices  at  .\ugusta  and  Wichita,  except  such  as  were  destroyed 
by  fire  in  the  late  fall  of  1869,  part  of  which  have  been  replaced  by 
copies  "from  the  general  land  offices  at  Washington.  The  Dodge  City 
office  holds  the  records  of  the  offices  formerly  at  Cawker  City,  Kirwin, 
Colby,  Oberlin,  Wakeeney.  Hays  City,  Larned  and  Garden  City,  and 
a  portion  of  the  records  of  the  old  Augusta  and  Wichita  offices. 

Lane,  an  incorporated  town  of  Franklin  county,  is  located  in  the 
southeast  corner  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  15  miles  from  Ottawa, 
the  county  seat.  A  postoffice  was  established  on  March  21,  1855, 
known  as  Shermanville,  although  locally  the  place  was  known  as  Dutch 
Henry's  crossing,  one  of  the  Sherman  brothers  who  lived  there  being 
known  as  Dutch  Henry,  and  his  name  was  given  to  the  ford  of  the 
Pottawatomie  at  the  place.  (See  Pottawatomie  Massacre.)  On  Jan. 
28,  1S63,  the  name  was  changed  to  Lane,  in  honor  of  James  H.  Lane. 
Subsequently  an  attempt  was  made  to  change  the  name  to  Avondale, 
but  it  failed.  Lane  has  a  bank,  a  number  of  mercantile  concerns,  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  telephone  connections,  and  is  a  shipping  point  for  a  rich  agri- 
cultural district.     The  population  in  1910  was  272. 

Lane  County,  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  is  the  fourth  east 
from  Colorado,  and  the  fourth  north  from  Oklahoma.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Gove  county ;  on  the  east  by  Ness ;  on  the  south  by 
Finney,  and  on  the  west  by  Scott.  It  was  created  by  the  legislature 
in  1873  and  named  for  Senator  James  H.  Lane.  The  boundaries  fixed 
at  that  time  were  as  follows :  "Commencing  where  the  3d  standard 
parallel  intersects  the  east  line  of  range  27  west ;  thence  south   along 


KANSAS    IIISTOKY  99 

range  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  north  line  of  township  20  south ; 
thence  west  along  township  line  to  where  it  intersects  the  east  line 
of  range  31  west;  thence  north  along  range  line  to  its  intersection 
with  the  3d  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  first  change  in  the  boundaries  was  made  in  1879,  when  the  county 
was  enlarged  by  township  15  in  ranges  26  to  30.  In  i88r  it  was 
diminished  on  the  north  by  one  tier  of  townships  and  increased  on 
the  south  by  a  strip  taken  from  Bufifalo  county.  In  1883  townships 
21  of  ranges  27  to  30  were  detached,  the  first  two  being  given  to  Hodge- 
man and  the  last  two  attached  to  Finney. 

In  Feb.,  1886,  in  response  to  a  petition  from  the  residents  of  Lane 
county  for  organization  Gov.  Martin  appointed  G.  T.  Sutton  census 
taker.  His  report,  made  on  June  3,  showed  that  there  were  2,726 
inhabitants,  of  whom  924  were  householders,  and  $739,843  worth  of 
taxable  property,  exclusive  of  railroad  property,  of  which  $462,955  was 
real  estate.  Dighton  was  the  choice  of  the  majority  of  the  voters  for 
temporary  county  seat.  The  governor's  proclamation,  made  the  same 
day  that  this  report  was  returned,  declared  Dighton  the  temporary 
county  seat  and  appointed  the  following  officers :  County  clerk,  T.  J. 
Smith ;  countv  commissioners,  Joshua  W'heatcraft,  J.  J.  Shaffer  and 
G.  H.  Steeley. 

The  first  settlements  were  made  in  1878  and  were  in  or  about 
Alamota,  where  the  first  postoffice  was  established  in  that  year,  a 
pioneer  character  known  as  "Wild  Horse"  Johnson  being  the  first  post- 
master. Dighton  must  have  been  founded  in  1879,  as  a  newspaper,  the 
Dighton  Progress,  was  established  in  Feb.,  1880,  by  Robert  Mitchell. 
The  first  school  was  taught  at  Dighton  in  1879.  The  first  birth  was 
that  of  Grace  Lane  Dow  in  1879.  The  Dighton  Republican  in  1887 
gave  a  list  of  129  people  who  came  into  the  county  in  1879.  The  first 
United  States  census  was  taken  in  1880  and  showed  a  population  of 
619.  .A.t  that  time  Lane  was  attached  to  Ness  county  for  political  pur- 
poses. A  number  of  towns  were  founded  about  this  time,  among  which 
were  Waterloo,  by  R.  W.  Hey ;  Gould  City,  or  California,  at  the 
geographical  center  of  the  coimty,  at  which  place  the  first  newspaper 
was  established  one  month  prior  to  the  Dighton  Progress,  and  Watson. 
In  1881  Lane  was  organized  as  a  municipal  township  and  held  its  first 
election.  The  first  marriage  occurred  in  March,  1881,  between  William 
D.  Larkin  and  Marg'aret  A.  Sprague,  the  ceremony  being  performed 
by  Rev.  N.  R.  Van  Derran.  In  1882  there  were  but  three  sections  of 
land  deeded,  1,198  head  of  cattle,  and  2.304  sheep.  The  real  estate  and 
personal  property  was  worth  $45,000.  Five  years  later  there  were  180 
sections  of  land  deeded,  the  live  stock  numbered  6,326.  of  which  one- 
half  was  cattle.  The  railroad  had  been  built  and  Dighton  had  attained 
a  population,  according  to  the  newspapers,  of  2,000.  The  hard  times 
of  1892-93,  which  caused  a  great  deal  of  suffering  in  western  Kansas, 
was  especially  disastrous  to  Lane  county  people.  In  the  winter  of 
1893  many  of  the  farmers,  finding  themselves  unable  to  buy  coal   for 


lOO  CVCI.OIMCUIA    I'P 

fuel,  sent  a  request  to  Gov.  Lewelling  that  they  be  supplied  from  the 
state  mines  at  Leavenworth.  This  could  not  be  done  under  the  law, 
but  they  were  helped  by  private  contributions.  Ten  years  later  the 
whole  section  had  practically  recovered  from  these  hardships,  land 
prices  in  Lane  county  had  gone  up,  and  permanent  prosperity  had  been 
established. 

The  general  surface  of  Lane  county  is  rolling  prairie.  Bottom  lands 
average  one-half  mile  in  width  and  comprise  about  8  per  cent,  of  the 
area.  A  few  small  streams,  flowing  north  and  east,  have  their  sources 
within  the  county.  There  is  a  little  native  timber,  and  some  artificial 
plantings.  White  limestone  is  found  in  the  blufifs.  and  gypsum  is 
plentiful. 

The  county  is  divided  into  nine  townships:  Alamota,  Blaine, 
Cheyenne,  Cleveland,  Dighton.  Spring  Creek,  Sutton,  White  Rock  and 
Wilson.  The  postoffices  are  Alamota,  Amy,  Dighton,  Division,  Farns- 
worth,  Healy,  Lobdell,  Pendennis  and  Shields.  A  branch  of  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad  crosses  near  the  center,  almost  directly 
west  through  Dighton.  The  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  enters  in  the 
northeast  and  crosses  southwest  into  Scott  county.  There  are  45  organ- 
ized school  districts  and  one  county  high  school. 

The  total  value  of  farm  products  in  1910  was  $691,847,  of  which 
$593,327  accrued  from  the  field  crops.  The  most  valuable  crop  is  wheat, 
which  in  1910  amounted  to  more  than  $200,000.  Sorghum  for  forage 
and  grain  brought  $110,000.  Corn,  oats,  barley  and  hay  are  other  im- 
portant crops.  There  were  13,520  head  of  live  stock.  The  assessed 
valuation  of  property  was  $6,546,431.  The  population  was  2,603,  an 
increase  of  nearly  900  over  that  of  1900. 

Lane,  James  H.,  soldier  and  politician,  was  a  prominent  figure  in 
Kansas  during  the  territorial  period  and  the  early  years  of  statehood. 
His  father,  Amos  Lane,  was  born  at  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  March  i,  1778,  and 
was  a  cousin  of  Joseph  I^ane  of  Oregon.  After  his  admission  to  the 
bar  he  began  practice  at  Lawrenceburg,  Ind.,  before  that  state  was 
admitted  into  the  I'nion.  He  served  as  speaker  of  the  Indiana  house  of 
representatives,  and  was  twice  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Democrat. 
James  H.  Lane  was  born  at  Lawrenceburg,  Ind.,  June  22,  1814.  His 
mother  was  a  woman  of  fine  intellect  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
education  of  her  son,  who  was  of  restless  disposition,  preferring  a 
life  of  activity  to  books.  He  began  his  business  career  as  a  merchant 
and  pork  packer,  but  in  1846  practically  gave  up  his  business  to  organize 
a  military  company  for  service  in  the  war  with  Mexico.  He  was  elected 
captain  of  the  company,  and  later  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the 
Third  Indiana  regiment.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  began  to  take  an 
active  interest  in  politics,  and  in  1848  was  elected  lieutenant-governor. 
Before  the  close  of  the  term  he  was  elected  in  1852  to  represent  the 
Fourth  Indiana  district  in  Congress,  and  the  same  year  was  a  presi- 
dential elector  at  large  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  While  in  Congress 
he  voted  for  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  and  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 


KANSAS    HISTORY  lOI 

Compromise.  In  April,  1855,  '''^  came  to  Kansas  and  located  on  a  claim 
near  Lawrence.  Holloway  says:  "He  came  to  the  territory  a  strong 
Democrat,  and  an  administration  man,  and  remained  conservative  in 
his  speeches,  until  he  saw  that  it  was  more  popular  to  be  radical,  then 
changed  to  be  the  most  radical  man  in  the  West." 

The  inference  might  be  drawn  from  Holloway's  statement  that  Lane 
changed  his  views  to  increase  his  personal  popularity.  Yet  he  was  not 
the  only  one  who  came  to  Kansas  as  a  Democrat  and  after  arriving 
in  the  territory  changed  his  opinions.  There  were  scores  of  such  men, 
and  in  a  large  majority  of  such  cases  the  change  was  due  to  honest 
convictions  that  the  administration  was  wrong.  In  June,  1855,  Lane 
assisted  in  organizing  the  "National  Democracy,"  one  of  the  cardinal 
principles  of  which  was  that  the  citizens  of  other  states  should  "let 
Kansas  alone."  Had  the  Democratic  party  taken  this  view  Lane  might 
have  continued  to  act  with  it,  but  at  that  time  the  policy  seemed  to  be 
to  make  Kansas  a  slave  state  "by  fair  means  or  foul,"  and  Lane  went 
over  to  the  free-state  side.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  free-state 
convention  at  Lawrence  on  Aug.  14-15,  1855,  and  was  chosen  presi- 
dent of  the  free-state  territorial  committee.  After  the  Topeka  con- 
stitutional convention  was  held  and  the  constitution  was  ratified  by 
the  free-state  men.  Lane  was  elected  Um'ted  States  senator  under  the 
new  government,  but  of  course,  was  not  admitted  to  a  seat  in  the 
senate.  In  the  years  that  followed  he  was  recognized  as  the  leader  of 
the  radical,  "fighting,"  free-state  advocates — those  who  believed  in  meet- 
ing the  border  ruffians  on  their  own  ground  and  fighting  them  with 
their  own  weapons,  actuated  by  the  ancient  tenet,  "an  eye  for  av.  eye 
and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth."  When  Kansas  was  admitted  in  1861  Lane 
was  again  elected  to  the  United  States  senate,  and  this  time  was  suc- 
cessful in  obtaining  his  seat.  At  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  war 
he  was  instrumental  in  raising  the  company  known  as  the  "Frontier 
Guard"  (q.  v.),  which  was  the  first  military  organization  to  reach 
Washington.  He  also  organized  a  brigade  and  commanded  it  for  some 
time  before  receiving  a  commission  as  brigadier-general.  While  in  com- 
mand of  this  brigade  he  recruited  the  Third  and  Fourth  Kansas  regi- 
ments. When  he  was  commissioned  brigadier-general  Gov.  Robinson 
appointed  Frederick  P.  Stanton  to  the  senate,  but  Lane  declined  the 
commisison  in  order  to  retain  his  seat.  (See  Robinson's  Admin- 
istration.) 

In  1862  Gen.  Lane  received  a  commission  as  a  recruiting  officer  and 
aided  materially  in  organizing  the  Eleventh,  Twelfth  and  Thirteenth 
Kansas  regiments.  In  1865  he  was  reelected  to  the  United  States 
senate  for  a  full  term  of  six  years.  While  serving  this  term  he  indorsed 
President  Johnson's  opposition  to  the  Freedman's  Bureau  and  the  Civil 
Rights  bill,  which  rendered  him  unpopular  in  certain  circles,  and  it 
was  hinted  that  he  was  involved  in  serious  Indian  frauds.  These  accusa- 
tions preyed  upon  his  mind  until  it  is  thought  he  became  deranged.  On 
Sunday,  July  i,  1866,  he  rode  out  in  a  carriage  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Capt.  McCall,  from  the  government  reservation  at  Fort   Leavenworth. 


I02  CYCLOPEDIA    Ol" 

W  licn  McCall  jjot  out  of  the  carriage  to  open  a  gate  Lane  also  sprang 
from  the  vehicle,  called  out,  ■'Good-bye.  Mac,"  placed  the  muzzle  of 
a  pistol  in  his  mouth  and  sent  a  bullet  through  his  brain.  He  lingerea 
until  the  nth,  when  he  died.  He  was  buried  at  Lawrence,  and  Cutler's 
History  of  Kansas  says:  "His  faults,  which  were  many,  may  well 
find  sepulchre  with  his  moldering  dust ;  but  his  virtues  are  enshrined 
in  the  hearts  of  the  thousands  all  over  Kansas,  who  still  revere  his 
memory  as  their  great  leader,  counselor  and  friend." 

Gen.  Lane  was  united  in  marriage  in  1843.  ^^  Lawrenceburg,  Ind., 
with  a  Miss  Baldridge,  daughter  of  a  colonel  in  the  L'nited  States  army 
and  a  granddaughter  of  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair.  Mrs.  Lane  died  at 
Columbus,  Ohio,  July  21,  1883,  and  was  buried  at  I^awrence  by  the 
side  of  her  husband.  Their  son.  James  H.,  became  a  lieutenant  in  the 
United  States  army. 

Lane's  Brigade. — After  the  battle  of  Wilson's  creek.  Mo.,  Aug.  10, 
1861,  the  Union  army  retreated,  the  Kansas  border  was  exposed,  and 
Price's  men  were  already  threatening  what  they  would  do  to  the 
"Abolitionists."  when  James  H.  Lane  began  the  work  of  organizing 
troops  for  defense.  The  sons  of  Kansas  promptly  answered  the  call 
and  in  a  short  time  the  Third,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Sixth  and  Seventh  regi- 
ments were  ready  for  service.  Lane  took  command  of  the  troops  at 
Fort  Scott,  fought  the  skirmishes  of  Dry  Wood  and  Papinsville,  and 
■ended  his  campaign  by  the  burning  of  Osceola,  Mo.  James  Mont- 
gomery was  colonel  of  the  Third  regiment  and  Charles  R.  Jennison 
of  the  Seventh.  These  two  men,  as  well  as  Lane,  were  anxious  to 
wreak  vengeance  upon  the  Missourians  for  their  raids  into  Kansas 
during  the  border  war,  but  Gen.  Halleck  estimated  that  "indignation 
at  the  raids  of  Lane,  Jennison  and  Montgomery  had  given  Price  fully 
20,000  men  and  came  near  losing  Missouri  to  the  L'nion."  In  1863  Lane 
planned  an  expedition  of  8,000  to  10,000  Kansas  troops,  some  4,000 
Indians,  seven  regiments  of  cavalry,  four  of  infantry  and  three  bat- 
teries of  artillery  from  Minnesota,  "to  move  down  into  Texas."  This 
was  to  be  known  as  the  "Southwest  Expedition."  The  war  department 
thought  it  feasible  and  issued  orders  for  troops  and  supplies  to  be  for- 
warded to  Fort  Leavenworth,  the  officers  to  report  to  Brig.-Gen.  James 
H.  Lane,  but  Gen.  David  Hunter  showed  the  utter  impracticabilitv  of 
the  scheme  and  Lane  returned  to  the  senate.     (See  War  of  1861-65.) 

Lane's  Road. — In  1856,  on  account  of  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
encountered  by  northern  emigrants  in  reaching  Kansas  by  way  of  the 
Missouri  river,  the  Iowa  state  central  committee  for  free  Kansas 
attempted  to  remedy  the  matter  by  opening  an  overland  route  through 
Iowa.  Iowa  City,  at  that  time  the  capital,  was  the  most  western  point 
in  the  state  reached  by  rail,  and  in  the  early  summer  of  1856  arrange- 
ments were  made  by  Gen.  James  H.  Lane,  Gov.  Andrew  H.  Reeder, 
Gen.  Samuel  C.  Pomeroy  and  W.  Y.  Roberts  of  Kansas  to  turn  the 
tide  of  Kansas  emigration  to  this  road.  According  to  a  circular  issued 
by  the  Iowa  committee,  dated  July  4,  1856,  the  proposed  course  through 


KANSAS    HISTORY  IO3 

that  state  was  as  follows :  Leaving-  Iowa  City  and  proceeding  via 
Oskaloosa,  Knoxville,  Indianola,  Osceola,  Sidney  to  Qiiincy,  in  Fre- 
mont county  on  the  Missouri  river,  distant  80  miles  from  Topeka,  "the 
capital  of  Kansas."  An  agent  went  through  Iowa  by  this  route  and 
the  citizens  in  each  of  the  aforesaid  towns  appointed  committees  to 
assist  in  every  way  any  emigrants.  The  circular  also  suggested  that 
ment  was  signed  by  W.  Penn  Clark,  chairman ;  C.  W.  Hobart,  secre- 
all  companies  formed  for  Kansas  be  sent  over  this  road.  The  docu- 
tary;  H.  D.  Downey,  treasurer;  W.  Penn  Clark,  C.  W.  Hobart,  H.  D. 
Downey,  L.  Allen,  Jesse  Bowman,  M.  L.  Morris,  G.  D.  Woodin,  J.  N. 
Jerome  and  J.  Truesdale,  committee.  Dr.  J.  P.  Root,  A.  A.  Jamieson 
and  S.  V.  Jamieson  were  appointed  a  committee  to  locate  the  road, 
which  commission  was  duly  carried  out. 

After  leaving  Iowa  the  road  entered  Nebraska  City,  and  from  there 
bore  almost  due  south  through  the  counties  of  Nemaha  and  Richard- 
son to  the  state  line,  entering  Brown  county,  Kan.,  near  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  county.  From  there  it  ran  in  a  general  southerly 
direction  to  Topeka.  When  the  road  was  laid  out  Oscar  G.  Richards 
was  employed  to  plant  the  first  stakes  on  the  highway,  and  he  also  had 
the  distinction  of  driving  the  first  team  over  it.  The  first  company 
that  passed  over  the  road  was  James  H.  Lane  and  six  companions  on 
horseback,  all  disguised,  being  a  week  in  advance  of  the  others.  By 
Aug.  I  there  were  a  large  number  of  wagons  and  several  hundred  people, 
some  of  whom  were  on  horseback,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Nebraska 
City,  preparing  to  enter  the  territory,  the  advance  portion  waiting  until 
others  came,  that  they  might  have  a  large  force  to  open  the  road.  On 
Aug.  7  a  cavalcade  of  over  53  wagons,  25  horsemen  and  over  500  other 
persons  on  foot  crossed  the  Kansas  line.  This  was  the  advance  of 
"Lane's  Northern  Army,"  which  founded  the  towns  of  Lexington  and 
Plymouth,  in  Brown  county,  and  Holton,  in  Jackson  county,  on  the  line 
of  the  road.  The  pro-slavery  element  and  their  sympathizers  at  first 
caused  the  free-state  people  no  little  inconvenience  in  reaching  Kan- 
sas by  this  route,  but  by  1857  conditions  had  so  changed  that  emigrants 
were  allowed  to  come  and  go  by  whatever  route  suited  them  best 
without  molestation  of  any  sort.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
railroad  follows  the  line  of  the  Lane  road  pretty  closely  to  the  north 
of  the  state. 

Lane  University,  located  at  Lecompton.  Kan.,  was  founded  by  Rev. 
Solomon  Weaver  in  Jan.,  1865  A  regular  corps  of  instructors  was 
organized  under  state  laws  and  the  establishment  of  the  institution 
was  approved  b}'  the  L^nited  Brethren  church,  which  owned  and  con- 
trolled the  school  during  its  entire  history.  It  was  named  in  honor 
of  James  H.  Lane,  L'nited  States  senator  from  Kansas,  who  was  to 
endow  the  college  but  did  not  live  to  carry  out  his  promise.  Mr.  Weaver 
was  the  first  president  of  the  college,  holding  that  position  two  years. 
The  first  property  owned  by  the  institution  was  the  Rowena  hotel, 
which  was  built  during  territorial  days,  when  Lecompton  was  the  capi- 


104  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

tal  of  Kansas.  The  13  acres  of  ground  and  the  foundation  of  the  old 
capitol  building  at  Lecompton  were  donated  to  Lane  University  by 
the  state  in  1865,  and  in  1882  a  college  building  was  erected  on  the 
south  half  of  the  old  foundation.  During  the  early  days  of  the  college 
its  support  was  meager  but  the  fourth  annual  conference  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  in  Kansas  and  Oklahoma,  began  to  improve  the  insti- 
tution. In  1891  Rev.  Charles  M.  Brooke.  A.  M.,  was  elected  president 
and  the  school  enlarged  to  embrace  model  preparatory,  normal,  com- 
mercial and  college  departments,  a  divinity  school  and  special  depart- 
ments of  music  and  elocution.  The  faculty  consisted  of  eleven  persons 
in  1900.  with  178  students  enrolled.  In  1902  Lane  University  was 
united  with  Campbell  University  to  form  Campbell  College  (q.  v.). 

Lanesville,  a  country  postoffice  in  Labette  county,  is  located  on  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  in  Neosho  township,  12  miles  north 
of  Oswego,  the  county  seat.  It  was  located  after  the  building  of  the 
railroad  and  has  one  store.    The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Lang,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Lyon 
county,  is  located  9  miles  northeast  of  Emporia,  the  county  seat,  whence 
it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a 
general  store,  and  in  1910  reported  a  population  of  25. 

Langdon,  a  village  of  Reno  county  in  Langdon  township,  is  a  station 
on  the  Cliicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  16  miles  southwest  of 
Hutchinson,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  thriving  little  town,  the  shipping 
and  trading  center  for  a  prosperous  agricultural  area.  A  fish  hatcherv, 
conducted  by  private  enterprise,  is  located  Here.  The  town  has  a  bank, 
a  number  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to 
the  census  of  1910,  was  300. 

Langley,  a  village  in  Ellsworth  county,  is  located  in  the  township 
of  the  same  name,  23  miles  southeast  of  Ellsworth,  the  county  seat,  and 
is  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices 
and  a  money  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  66. 

Lansing,  one  of  the  larger  towns  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  situated 
in  the  southeastern  portion  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the 
Missouri  Pacific  and  the  Union  Pacific  railroads,  5  miles  south  of 
Leavenworth.  The  state  penitentiary  (q.  v.)  was  located  here  in  1863 
and  the  town  has  grown  up  around  it,  several  of  the  houses  in  Lansing 
being  the  homes  of  officers  of  the  penitentiary.  With  the  opening  of 
the  coal  mine  at  the  prison  the  town  became  an  important  shipping 
point  for  this  product.  It  is  a  town  with  churches,  a  good  public  school 
system,  stores  which  handle  all  lines  of  merchandise,  a  number  of 
beautiful  homes,  banking,  express  and  telegraph  facilities,  a  money  order 
postoffice  and  in   1910  had  a  population  of  712. 

Lansing  Skeleton.— On  March  23.  1902,  Joseph  and  Michael  Con- 
cannon  unearthed  a  portion  of  a  human  skeleton  while  digging  a  tunnel 
on  the  Concannon  farm  near  Lansing,  Leavenworth  county.  The  skele- 
ton was  found  deep  under  a  well-defined  stratum  of  earth  and  rock,  and 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I05 

was  imbedded  in  what  is  called  river  loess.  The  discovery  excited 
no  particular  attention  until  early  in  August  of  that  year,  when  Michael 
Concannon  visited  Kansas  City,  taking  a  portion  of  the  jaw  with  him 
and  giving  particulars  of  the  find  to  a  newspaper  reporter.  Shortly 
after  the  news  was  published  scientists  from  all  over  the  United  States 
visited  Lansing,  making  reports  and  advancing  theories  as  to  the 
probable  age  of  the  "find,"  which  was  thought  to  be  anywhere  from 
10,000  to  35,000  years,  while  some  of  the  more  skeptical  residents  of 
the  neighborhood  took  the  view  that  the  remains  were  those  of  a 
penitentiary  convict  who  had  been  buried  in  this  locality,  the  use  of 
which  as  a  cemetery  had  long  since  been  abandoned.  The  skull  of  this 
man  now  reposes  in  the  national  museum  at  Washington,  D.  C,  while 
the  bulk  of  the  remainder  has  been  added  to  the  museum  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas,  at   Lawrence. 

Lapeer,  one  of  the  old  settlements  of  Douglas  county,  is  located  in 
the  southwest  corner,  in  the  Wakarusa  valley,  about  8  miles  north- 
east of  Overbrook,  the  nearest  railroad  station,  from  which  it  has  rural 
free  delivery.  The  first  settlers  located  there  in  1855,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  a  postofifice  was  established.  During  the  summer  of  1856  a 
store  was  opened  and  several  houses  were  erected,  but  the  town  prac- 
tically died  after  the  traffic  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  was  abandoned. 

Lapland,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Greenwood  county,  is  located 
in  Salem  township  16  miles  northwest  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat  and 
the  nearest  banking  and  shipping  point.  The  mail  for  this  point  is  sent 
to  Flintridge.    The  population,  according  to  the  report  of  1910,  is  20. 

Lappin,  Samuel,  at  one  time  prominent  in  Kansas  political  affairs, 
was  born  in  Ohio  about  1831.  He  came  to  Kansas  soon  after  the  ter- 
ritory was  organized,  and  in  1855  was  appointed  register  of  deeds  for 
Nemaha  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  state  senate  in  1861-62, 
and  subsequently  served  in  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature.  On 
Nov.  26,  1862,  he  was  appointed  assistant  quartermaster  in  the  Union 
army  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  mustered  out  on  Sept.  20,  1865. 
He  was  elected  state  treasurer  in  1874  and  served  until  Dec,  1875,  when 
he  was  asked  to  resign  on  account  of  certain  irregularities  in  his  office. 
On  Dec.  21,  1875,  a  suit  was  filed  against  him  for  "forgery,  counter- 
feiting and  embezzlement,"  and  on  Jan.  13,  1876,  he  was  arrested  in 
Chicago,  111.  The  following  July  he  managed  to  escape  from  the  jail 
and  went  to  South  America.  He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1880; 
was  recognized  in  Washington  Territory,  and  on  Oct.  23,  1884,  was 
brought  back  to  Kansas  for  trial.  The  claims  of  the  state  were  finally 
satisfied  through  the  sale  of  Mr.  Lappin's  property,  and  on  Dec.  24, 
1885,  the  case  was  dismissed.  Mr.  Lappin  then  again  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Seneca,  Nemaha  county,  but  later  removed  to  La  Center, 
Wash.,  where  he  died  on  Aug.  4,  1892. 

Larcom,  Lucy,  teacher  and  poet,  was  born  at  Beverly,  Mass.,  in  1826. 
Her  father  died  while  she  was  still  young  and  she  became  a  factory 
girl  at  Lowell.     She  formed  the  acquaintance  of  John  G.  Whittier,  the 


I06  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

poet,  who  encouraged  her  in  her  literary  efforts,  and  she  contributed 
a  number  of  articles  to  the  local  papers.  About  1846  she  went  to 
Illinois  with  a  married  sister  and  attended  for  a  time  the  seminary  at 
Monticello.  Then  she  taught  a  term  of  school,  after  which  she  went 
back  to  Norton,  Mass.,  where  she  taught  for  six  years  in  a  seminary. 
When  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Webb  offered  a  prize  of  $50  for  the  best  poem 
on  Kansas  Miss  Larcom  won  over  88  competitors.  Her  poem  was 
entitled  "The  Call  to  Kansas,"  a  copy  of  which  was  sent  by  the  author, 
in  her  own  handwriting,  to  F.  G.  Adams,  secretary  of  the  Kansas  His- 
torical Society,  in  Jan.,  1891,  and  is  now  in  the  archives  of  the  society. 
Miss  Larcom  died  in  the  city  of  Boston,  Mass.,  April  17,  1893. 

Larimer,  a  hamlet  of  Montgomery  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  5  miles  north  of  Independence,  the  county  seat,  and 
2  miles  south  of  Sycamore,  from  which  place  it  is  supplied  with  mail. 
The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Larkinburg,  a  hamlet  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  on  the  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas  and  Western  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  9  miles 
east  of  Holton,  the  county  seat.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  prosperous 
farming  community  and  does  considerable  shipping.  There  are  two 
stores,  telegraph  and  express  ofifices  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The 
population  in  1910  was  129.  The  town  took  its  name  from  M.  E.  Larkin, 
who  owned  the  land  south  of  the  town  site.  It  was  laid  out  in  1880, 
although  a  postoffice  by  the  name  of  Larkin  had  existed  since  1873, 
with  Henry  Priddy  as  postmaster. 

Lamed,  the  county  seat  of  Pawnee  county,  is  located  northeast  of 
the  center  of  the  county  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and 
the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  and  at  the  confluence  of  the  Pawnee  and 
the  Arkansas  rivers.  Its  altitude  is  2,002  feet.  It  is  in  the  wheat  belt 
of  the  state  and  is  the  trading  and  shipping  point  for  a  large  agricul- 
tural and  stock  raising  section.  There  are  several  blocks  of  substantial 
business  houses,  2  newspapers  (the  Tiller  and  Toiler  and  the  Chrono- 
scope),  3  banks  with  a  combined  capital  of  $125,000  and  deposits 
amounting  to  over  $850,000,  a  fine  city  hall,  an  opera  house,  a  hospital, 
a  city  park,  waterworks,  electricity  for  lighting  and  power,  a  fire  depart- 
ment, a  sewer  system,  all  the  leading  church  denominations,  a  creamery, 
2  flour  mills,  a  foundry,  several  grain  elevators,  etc.  The  city  is  sup- 
plied with  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  has  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to 
the  census  of  1910,  was  2,911,  a  gain  of  1,328  since  1900. 

Larned  was  founded  in  1873.  A  newspaper  called  the  Larned  Press 
was  established  by  ^^^  C.  Tompkinson  in  that  year.  A  number  of  new 
additions  in  the  next  five  years  marked  the  growth  of  the  town.  In 
less  than  ten  years  it  was  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  with 
about  50  business  establishments. 

Lasita,  a  station  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Rile}'  county,  is  located 
in  Fancy  Creek  township  32  miles  northwest  of  Manhattan,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  some  local  trade.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  35. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I07 

Lasswell,  a  hamlet  in  Barber  county,  is  located  in  Eagle  township 
12  miles  southwest  of  Medicine  Lodge,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping  point.  It  has  a  general  store  and  blacksmith  shop,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  iQio, 
was  25. 

Latham,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Butler  county,  is 
located  in  Union  township,  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R., 
27  miles  southeast  of  Eldorado,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a 
weekly  newspaper  (the  Mirror),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
mone}'  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population,  accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1910,  was  364. 

Latimer,  a  hamlet  in  Morris  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  about  22  miles  northwest  of  Council  Grove, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order 
postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  14. 

Laton,  a  hamlet  in  Rooks  county,  is  located  near  the  east  line  of  the 
county,  about  20  miles  southeast  of  Stockton,  the  judicial  seat,  and 
8  miles  from  Natoma  in  Osborne  county,  whence  its  mail  is  distributed 
by  rural  route.     The  population  in   1910  was  30. 

Latter  Day  Saints. — The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints 
is  of  American  origin.  It  was  founded  in  1830  under  the  auspices  of 
Joseph  Smith,  its  first  prophet.  When  he  was  about  fifteen  years  of 
age,  there  was  considerable  religious  agitation  in  his  neighborhood 
among  the  various  churches,  and  he  became  deeply  interested  in  the 
question  of  salvation.  He  was  greatly  troubled  by  the  large  number 
of  denominations  and  the  varied  interpretations  by  these  of  certain 
passages  of  Scripture,  and  anxiously  sought  to  know  which  among  the 
various  denominations  was  the  true  church  of  Christ.  He  said  that 
while  in  the  woods  near  his  father's  home  he  had  a  vision  of  great 
light  and  two  glorious  personages  appeared  unto  him  and,  answering 
his  question  with  reference  to  his  duty  to  the  religious  denominations 
holding  the  protracted  meetings,  advised  him  "to  join  none  of  them" 
for  their  creeds  were  not  acceptable  unto  the  Lord,  that  the  Lord  was 
about  to  restore  the  Gospel  which  was  not  at  this  time  fully  represented 
by  any  of  the  existing  churches.  In  the  year  1823  he  claims  to  have 
had  a  second  vision,  wherein  appeared  an  angel  of  the  Lord  who 
instructed  him  as  to  the  second  coming  of  Christ  and  also  as  to  his  own 
work  in  the  coming  dispensation. 

Other  visions  followed,  in  one  of  which  he  received  instruction 
enabling  him  to  obtain  the  records  which  claim  to  be  "an  abbreviation 
of  the  history  kept  by  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America."  A  transla- 
tion from  these  records  constitutes  what  is  known  as  the  Book  of 
Mormon.  Smith  claimed  to  have  translated  it  from  the  metal  plates 
on  which  it  was  engraved  in  characters  called  "reformed  Egyptian." 
The  translation  as  it  was  made  was  dictated  to  a  scribe,  Oliver 
Cowdery,  acting  as  such  scribe  for  the  greater  part.  Smith  stated  that 
the  plates  were  discovered  in   1827  and  about  two  years  later  he  and 


Io8  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Oliver  Covvdery  declared  that  "an  angel  appeared  to  them,"  conferred 
upon  them  the  authority  known  as  "the  priesthood  of  Aaron,"  and 
instructed  them  "to  baptize  each  other  by  immersion."  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  organization  of  the  church  at  Fayette,  N.  Y.,  April  6, 
1830.  Here  the  new  doctrine  was  first  preached.  Missionaries  were 
sent  out,  numerous  congregations  were  organized  in  different  states, 
and  in  1831  the  headquarters  of  the  church  was  established  at  Kirt- 
land,  Ohio.     About  this  time  Brigham  Young  united  with  the  society. 

From  the  first,  members  of  the  society  settled  together  in  numbers, 
as  is  usual  with  new  societies,  and  the  idea  obtained  that  the  purpose 
was  to  segregate  the  converts  from  the  Gentiles.  This  is  not  correct, 
however.  The  original  policy,  as  taught,  was  to  live  among  what  was 
generally  termed  "Gentiles,"  and  the  statement  is  made  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon  that  the  Gentiles  should  assist  in  building  up  the  cities  of 
Zion. 

Shortly  after  the  settlement  in  Kirlland  Joseph  Smith  and  one  or 
two  others  of  the  leading  men  led  a  small  colony  into  Missouri.  They 
settled  at  Independence,  Jackson  county,  where  they  established  a 
printing  plant  and  other  business  enterprises.  Their  numbers  increased 
steadily  by  immigration  during  183 1  and  1832,  but  in  1833,  trouble  hav- 
ing arisen  between  the  Saints  and  their  neighbors,  the  citizens  of  Jack- 
son county  finally  by  mob  violence  drove  the  new  religionists  from  the 
county,  north  across  the  river  into  Clay  and  Caldwell  counties.  Cald- 
well county,  largely  organized  for  the  purpose  of  locating  the  "Saints," 
was  settled  by  them.  The  followers  of  Smith  were  largely  free-state 
men,  and  the  friction  begun  in  Jackson  count)'  in  1833  finally  grew  to 
such  proportions  in  1838  and  1S39  that  Smith  and  his  devotees  were 
driven  from  the  state. 

A  settlement  was  then  started  at  Nauvoo.  111.,  which  developed 
rapidly,  but  the  people  in  the  surrounding  counties  became  hostile  to 
the  "Mormons,"  as  they  were  termed,  and  the  trouble  reached  a  climax 
on  June  27,  1844.  when  Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother,  Hyrum,  were 
murdered  by  a  mob  at  Carthage,  111.,  the  county  seat  of  Hancock  county, 
in  which  Nauvoo  is  located. 

The  death  of  the  two  Smiths  removed  from  the  church  its  leading 
officers  and  the  question  of  successorship  became  paramount.  The 
leading  quorum  of  the  church  is  the  first  presidency,  composed  of  three, 
the  president  and  two  counselors.  Joseph  Smith  was  the  president. 
Next  to  the  first  presidency  stands  the  quorum  of  twelve,  of  which 
Brigham  Young  was  president  at  the  death  of  Smith.  Young  claimed 
that  the  twelve  should  be  in  authority  in  the  church  and  act  in  place 
of  a  presidency,  and  so  made  announcement  to  the  world.  A  little  over 
three  years  later  he,  still  the  president  of  the  twelve,  led  a  migration 
of  the  converts  from  Nauvoo,  III,  to  Kanesville  (now  Council  Bluffs), 
Iowa,  where,  at  the  headquarters  of  this  immigration  in  the  winter  of 
1847,  he  was  declared  by  his  followers  to  be  president  of  the  church, 
and  assumed  that  office,  calling  as  his  counselors  two  other  members 
of  the  quorum  of  twelve. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  lOQ 

Prior  to  this  three  of  the  original  members  of  the  quorum  had 
declined  to  accept  the  leadership  of  Young  or  go  with  his  company. 
Young,  however,  called  into  existence  a  new  presidency,  organized  a 
new  quorum  of  twelve,  and  continued  his  immigration  with  his  believers 
to  Salt  Lake  Valley,  Utah,  which  is  the  present  headquarters  of  that 
people. 

A  large  part  of  the  membership  of  the  church  at  the  death  of  Joseph 
Smith  declined,  however,  to  follow  the  teachings  and  presidency  of 
Brigham  Young.  These  members  met  at  that  time  in  the  capacity  of 
individuals,  officers,  and  also  some  branches  intact,  and  formed  a  reor- 
ganization of  the  church,  the  first  conference  being  held  in  185 1  at 
Zarahemla,  Wis.  This  was  developed  from  the  association  of  churches 
mostly  in  the  states  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  which  met  in  gen- 
eral conference  at  Amboy,  111.,  April  6,  i860,  and  more  fully  organized 
under  the  presidency  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  son  of  the  first  president  and 
prophet  of  the  church.  The  organization  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois  under  the  name  and  style  of  "The  Reor- 
ganized Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,"  and  this  body 
forms  the  opponent  in  policy  and  teaching,  to  a  great  extent,  to  the 
body  which  went  out  under  Brigham  Young  and  incorporated  into  its 
system  of  doctrine  and  belief  in  the  year  1852  the  doctrine  of  polygamy 
or  a  plurality  of  wives. 

The  doctrine  of  the  original  church  as  set  forth  by  Joseph  Smith 
and  the  church  in  general  conference  held  in  1836  in  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
was  as  follows : 

"A  belief  in  God  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  Son,  and  in  the  Holy 
Ghost;  men  will  be  punished  for  their  own  sins  and  rewarded  according 
to  their  works;  through  the  atonement  of  Christ  all  inankind  may  be 
saved  by  obedience  to  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  Gospel.  These 
laws  and  ordinances  are  faith  in  Christ,  repentance,  baptism  by  immer- 
sion in  water  for  the  remission  of  sins  and  of  the  spirit  in  the  reception 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  through  the  laying  on  of  hands."  The  Bible  is  held 
to  be  the  word  of  God  and  the  translation  of  the  Bible  by  Joseph  Smith 
was  made,  as  he  claimed,  under  the  spirit  of  inspiration,  but  was  not 
published  during  his  lifetime.  The  manuscript  was  left  with  his  widow. 
Emnvi  Smith,  and  the  publication  subsequently  made  by  the  reorganized 
church,  before  referred  to,  under  the  supervision  of  Joseph  Smith,  his 
son.  It  is  claimed  also  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  contains  the  word 
of  God  as  delivered  to  the  people  on  the  American  continent;  that 
revelations  given  to  the  church  in  the  present  age  are  true  and  of 
great  importance  and  necessity  to  the  direction  and  growth  of  the 
church ;  that  such  revelations  will  continue  until  the  accomplishment 
of  the  work  on  the  Western  Continent  of  building  up  the  church, 
until  the  literal  gathering  of  Israel  and  final  restoration  of  the  tribes 
to  the  land  of  Jerusalem.  The  City  of  Zion,  however,  will  be  built 
on  the  American  continent,  and  finally  Christ  will  reign  personally  with 
his  people  upon  the  earth  in  what  is  termed  the  "millennial  reign  of  a 


I  lO  CYCLOrilDIA    OK 

thousand  years."  The  original  society  also  declared  freedom  of  wor- 
shij)  for  all  men  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience.  They 
also  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  and  of 
eternal  judgment. 

The  ecclesiastical  organization  is  based  upon  the  authority  given 
to  man  to  act  in  the  name  of  Christ  in  this  world  and  known  as  priest- 
hood, the  two  divisions  of  which  are  termed,  as  in  the  Scriptures, 
the  Melchisedec  or  higher  priesthood  and  the  Aaronic  or  lesser  priest- 
hood. The  former  holds  the  right  of  presidency  and  of  authority  in 
ihe  church,  but  the  officers  are  to  be  selected  by  the  church  because 
the  doctrine  was  from  the  first  taught  in  the  original  church  "that  all 
things  shall  be  done  by  common  consent  in  the  church."  The  officers 
of  the  Melchisedec  priesthood  are  apostles,  patriarchs,  high  priests, 
seventies  and  elders.  The  officers  of  the  x\aronic,  or  second  division 
of  the  priesthood,  are  bishops,  priests,  teachers  and  deacons.  The 
Aaronic  priesthoods  hold  the  keys  of  administration  of  angels  and  of 
authorit}-  in  direction  of  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  church. 

The  doctrine  of  polygamy  or  celestial  marriage  was  first  agitated 
and  promulgated  by  the  church  under  Brigham  Young  at  Salt  Lake 
City  in  Aug.,  1852.  At  the  time  he  presented  this  to  his  congregation, 
he  announced  that  it  was  based  upon  a  revelation  to  Joseph  Smith 
prior  to  his  death  in  1843,  but  that  the  revelation  was  burned  b)'  his 
wife,  Emma  Smith.  He  did  not  have  the  revelation  but  claimed  a 
copy.  Emma  Smith,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Smith,  was  at  that  time  living 
in  Nauvoo,  111.,  where  she  lived  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Joseph 
Smith,  and  she  repeatedly  made  statement  that  the  charge  of  Brigham 
Young  that  she  burned  such  a  revelation,  or  any  revelation,  of  her 
husband  was  entirely  false ;  and  that  her  husband  never  received  any 
such  revelation  as  Brigham  Young  had  given  out,  upon  which  was 
based  his  doctrine  of  polygamy.  Subsequently,  Mrs.  Emma  Smith 
united  with  the  Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  or  Latter  Day 
Saints  at  Amboy,  111.,  and  continued  with  this  organization  until  her 
death  in  the  year  1878. 

This  throws  the  question  of  complicity  with  the  doctrine  of  poh'gamy 
or  celestial  marriage  by  Joseph  Smith  primarily  upon  the  evidence 
of  two  individuals.  Brigham  Young,  who  says  this,  and  that  he  did 
not  have  the  revelation,  but  a  copy,  and  the  wife  of  Joseph  Smith. 
who  says  that  Joseph  Smith  "never  had  any  wife  but  herself"  and  that 
he  never  received  any  such  revelation ;  that  she  had  not  burned  any 
such  thing  or  any  revelation  that  her  husband  ever  received.  The 
doctrine  of  polygamy  or  plurality  of  wives  as  taught  by  Brigham  Young 
and  his  followers  aroused  great  discussion  throughout  the  United 
States.  The  Reorganized  Church,  being  one  of  its  most  persistent 
opponents  having  been  heard  by  its  committees  before  the  president  and 
Congress  of  the  United  States  at  various  times,  and  as  a  result  of  the 
general  discussion  and  agitation,  the  Forty-seventh  Congress  in  the 
year  1882,  passed  an  act  prohibiting  plural  marriages  in  the  territories 


KANSAS    HISTORY  1  1  I 

of  the  United  States.  In  1890,  President  Woodruff,  a  successor  in  llie 
church  in  Utah  under  Brigham  Young,  issued  a  manifesto  calling  on 
all  members  of  the  church  "to  refrain  from  contracting  any  marriages 
forbidden  by  the  laws  of  the  land."  Since  that  time  such  marriages 
have   ostensibly   been   prohibited   by  that   church. 

That  the  organization  under  Brigham  Young  departed  from  the 
original  church  doctrine  and  organization  to  a  great  extent,  has  been 
proven  before  the  United  States  courts.  (See  Temple  Lot  case — Re- 
organized Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints  vs.  Church  of 
Christ,  et  al.,  Independence,  Mo.,  U.  S.  circuit  court,  western  district 
of  Missouri,  Eighth  circuit.)  Under  Young  a  strictly  hierarchical  form 
of  church  government  grew  up,  whose  influence  became  more  than 
ecclesiastical,  extending  into  the  political,  industrial  and  even  social 
activities  of  the  members  of  his  church. 

Under  the  church  founded  by  Joseph  Smith  and  as  now  found  in  its 
continuation,  the  reorganized  church,  the  general  government  of  the 
church,  aside  from  division  of  the  priesthood,  includes  organization 
of  branches,  districts  and  stakes.  The  districts  have  their  conferences, 
known  as  district  conferences  or  stake  conferences,  and  an  organization 
of  the  proper  officers  and  delegates  of  these  local  conferences  form  what 
is  termed  the  general  conference  of  the  church.  The  general  conference 
of  the  reorganized  church  meets  once  a  year  on  April  6,  but  it  may  meet 
oftener  according  to  the  laws  of  the  church  if  necessity  and  wisdom 
direct.  The  principal  source  of  revenue  of  the  church  is  the  system 
of  tithes  and  offerings  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  and  set  forth  in  instruc- 
tion to  the  church  in  the  revelations  of  Joseph  Smith  as  early  as  1831 
and  subsequently.  Nothing  is  demanded  as  a  tithe  or  offering  except 
it  be  a  free-will  offering  on  the  part  of  the  member.  A  voluntary 
offering  is  necessary  in  order  to  fulfill  the  law.  In  the  case  of  the 
tithe,  it  is  an  offering  of  one-tenth  of  what  a  person  has  over  and  above 
his   indebtedness    or   his   net   holdings. 

For  years  these  two  churches  have  had  missionaries  in  the  different 
states  of  the  Union  in  an  effort  to  gain  converts.  Their  missionaries, 
however,  have  nothing  in  common  in  their  work,  neither  the  two 
churches,  many  of  their  principles  and  also  policy  in  church  work 
being  directly  opposed  to  each  other.  The  reorganized  church,  for  illus- 
tration, claims  that  the  law  as  contained  in  the  books  is  supreme  and 
binding  upon  all  officers,  whether  president  or  priest,  alike  with  lay 
members,  that  none  have  the  right  to  set  aside  the  law  in  any  par- 
ticular. The  officers  under  Brigham  Young  and  his  succession,  how- 
ever, claim  that  they  had  a  "living  priesthood"  and  that  the  people 
should  obey  the  "living  oracles;"  they  discarded  the  doctrine  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  as  well  as  other  statements  and  revelations  that  pro- 
hibited polygamy  and  plural  marriage,  claiming  that  they  had  outgrown 
these. 

An  organization  of  the  reorganized  church  was  made  in  Wyandotte, 
Kan.,  in  Oct.,  1877,  with  seven  members.     A  building  was  soon  erected 


112  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

by  tlie  congregatiuii  and  considerable  progress  has  been  made  since 
that  time.  At  present  there  are  organizations  in  Kansas  at  Alexander. 
Angola,  Atchison,  Blue  Rapids,  Centralia,  Columbus,  Fanning,  Fort 
Scott,  Galena,  Homestead,  Idylwild,  Pittsburg,  Pleasant  View,  Scandia, 
Scranton,  Scammon,  Shaw,  Topeka,  Twincreek  and  Weir.  At  the  re- 
port of  the  general  recorder  April  i,  1910,  there  was  a  membership  in 
the  State  of  Kansas  of  2,330  members,  not  counting  children,  and  185 
ministers,  including  pastors  and  missionaries. 

Laughlin,  Patrick,  who  was  prominent  in  Kansas  politics  for  a  short 
time  in  1855,  came  from  Scott  county,  Ky.,  where  he  had  kept  a  small 
store  on  the  Frankfort  and  Georgetown  turnpike.  After  getting  in 
debt  and  borrowing  all  the  money  he  cbuld,  he  came  to  Kansas  about  the 
time  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age.  Holloway  says  he  was  a  "chubby 
Irishman  of  some  ability."  He  was  first  pro-slavery  and  then  free- 
state  ;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Big  Springs  convention  from  Doniphan 
count}-;  later  published  in  the  Squatter  Sovereign  an  exposition  ot  the 
free-state  society  called  the  Danites  (q.  v.),  which  led  to  a  quarrel 
between  him  ancl  Samuel  Collins,  in  which  Collins  was  killed  and  Laugh- 
lin was  severely  wounded.  He  was  taken  to  Atchison  by  his  friends, 
and  a  few  nights  later  an  effort  was  made  by  some  free-state  partisans 
to  gain  access  to  his  room,  but  were  prevented  from  doing  so  by  a 
guard  which  had  been  stationed.  When  he  had  recovered  sufficiently 
to  be  removed  he  disappeared  from  the  arena,  and  no  more  mention 
of  him  can  be  found  in  Kansas  history. 

Laurel,  a  country  postoffice  in  Hodgeman  county,  is  located  in  Hallet 
township  about  10  miles  west  of  Jetmore,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping  point.  It  has  mail  tri-weekly.  The  population  in  1910 
was   18. 

Law  and  Order  League. —  (See  Army  of  Law  and  Order.) 

Lawndale,  a  hamlet  in  Pratt  county,  is  located  in  Valley  township, 
about  20  miles  southeast  of  Pratt,  the  county  seat,  and  8  from  Cunning- 
ham, the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  postoffice  and  daily  mail. 
The  population  in    1910  was  25. 

Lawrence,  the  county  seat  of  Douglas  county,  an  incorporated  city  of 
the  second  class,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  historic  cities  in  Kansas. 
In  June,  1854,  a  few  days  after  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
bill,  the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Society  sent  Dr.  Charles  Robinson 
and  Charles  H.  Branscomb  to  select  a  location  for  a  colony.  Some 
years  before  that  Dr.  Robinson  had  passed  the  place  where  Lawrence 
now  stands  on  his  way  to  California,  and  that  spot  was  finally  chosen 
as  a  site  for  the  proposed  settlement.  The  first  party  of  emigrants  ar- 
rived on  July  31.  Not  a  house  had  been  erected  and  25  tents  were 
pitched  on  the  north  end  of  Mount  Oread,  where  the  state  university 
now  stands,  to  afford  shelter  while  the  first  rude  cabins  were  being 
built.  The  second  party  of  114  persons  arrived  on  Sept.  9,  and  a  meet- 
ing was  held  on  the  i8th  to  organize  a  town  company.  Two  days  later 
an  organization  was  effected,  and  on  the  25th  the  work  of  layino-  out 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


"3 


the  city  was  commenced.  The  new  town  was  named  Lawrence,  in 
honor  of  Amos  A.  Lawrence,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  who  had  been  active 
in  the  movement  to  colonize  Kansas  with  people  opposed  to  slavery. 

About  the  time  the  survey  of  the  city  began,  a  boarding  house  was 
opened  by  Mrs.  Levi  Gates  and  Mrs.  William  Bruce,  two  women  who 
came  with  the  first  party  of  colonists.  A  little  later  a  second  hotel,  called 
the  "Astor  House,"  was  opened  nearer  the  Kansas  river.  By  cold 
weather  Lawrence  had  a  population  of  750. 


FIRST    HOUSE   IN    LAWRENCE. 

The  fact  that  Lawrence  was  settled  by  free-state  men  drew  forth 
the  Vi'rath  of  the  pro-slaveryites  against  the  prospective  city.  In  fact, 
before  the  first  settlers  arrived  some  Missourians  had  crossed  over  into 
the  territory  and  gone  through  the  form  of  taking  claims  under  the 
preemption  laws,  but  very  few  of  them  complied  with  the  provisions 
of  the  law  with  regard  to  occupancy.  The  first  emigrants  from  New 
England  found  two  of  these  men — John  Baldwin  and  a  man  named 
Sears — on  the  site  of  Lawrence.  The  latter  had  improved  his  claim  of 
160  acres  to  some  extent.  Mr.  Branscomb  bought  this  claim  for  $500, 
which  was  paid  from  the  treasury  of  the  society,  but  Baldwin  refused 
either  to  sell  or  to  submit  the  question  to  the  courts  or  to  an  arbitration 
committee.  Associating  with  him  a  lawyer  and  a  real  estate  speculator, 
the  three  proceeded  to  lay  out  a  rival  town,  which  they  named  Excel- 
sior. They  attempted  to  remove  a  tent  belonging  to  the  aid  society, 
but  were  prevented,  and  Baldwin  threatened  to  call  to  his  aid  3,000 
(II-8) 


114 


cVCLOrEDlA    DK 


Missourians,  who  would  expel  the  free-state  men.  This  did  not  intimi- 
date the  Robinson  party  and  Baldwin  finally  withdrew. 

On  Oct.  9,  1854,  Dr."  Robinson,  S.  Y.  Lum,  John  Mailey,  A.  D.  Searle 
and  O.  A.  Ilanscomb  were  elected  trustees  of  the  town  association, 
and  on  the  30lh  another  party  of  230  people  arrived  from  the  East.  On 
Jan.  16,  1855,  t'l^  'i''st  f''ee  school  was  opened  in  a  room  in  the  rear  of 
Dr.  Robinson's  office  with  E.  P.  Fitch  as  teacher,  and  by  Feb.  i  three 
newspapers  had  been  started— the  Herald  of  Freedom  by  George  W. 
Brown,  the  Kansas  Pioneer  by  John  Speer  and  the  Kansas  Free  State 
by  Miller  &  Elliott.  (See  Newspapers.) 

In  March,  1855,  a  census  was  taken,  the  district  in  which  Lawrence 
was  situated  reporting  369  voters.  With  the  opening  of  spring  a  num- 
ber of  new  buildings,  including  a  hotel  and  several  business  houses, 
were  commenced.  Three  mail  routes  were  established,  connecting  Law- 
rence with  Topeka,  Leavenworth,  Osawatomie,  Foi't  Scott  and  Kansas 
City.,  Great  progress  was  made  during  the  summer  and  early  fall, 
but  late  in  November  came  the  Wakarusa  war  (q.  v.)  which  kept  the 
people  of  Lawrence  in  a  state  of  siege  for  over  a  week,  causing  them 
to  fear  for  the  safety  of  their  lives  and  homes.  The  Free  State  hotel, 
built  by  the  Emigrant  Aid  company  at  a  cost  of  some  $20,000,  was 
completed  in  the  spring  of  1856.  It  occupied  the  site  of  the  present 
Eldridge  House,  and   it  was  badly  damaged  by  a  posse  under  Samuel 


.,.;C.J^JM'  ^^^^ 


*/ 


f-v 


'Eji  ■'" 


PEN    SKETCH    OF  LAWRENCE,    1S54-5. 


J.  Jones,  sheriff  of  Douglas  county,  on  May  21,  under  pretense  of  serving 
some  writs.  At  the  same  time  the  newspaper  offices  were  dismantled, 
the  presses  broken  to  pieces,  the  type  thrown  into  the  river,  stores  and 
dwellings  were  looted  and  Dr.  Robinson's  residence  was  burned.  (See 
Border  W'ar  and  Shannon's  .Administration.) 

.\Ithough  Lawrence  was  incorporated  by  the  first  territorial  legis- 
lature, .the.  citizens  never  organized  under  that  charter,  because  they 
refused  to  recognize  the  authority  of  a  legislature  elected  by  alien  votes. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  II5 

For  the  same  reason  they  also  refused  to  accept  an  amended  charter 
at  the  hands  of  the  second  session  of  the  legislature.  In  1857,  realizing 
the  need  of  a  better  municipal  government,  the  citizens  adopted  a  char- 
ter for  themselves.  This  brought  them  into  direct  conflict  with  the  ter- 
ritorial authorities  and  for  a  time  serious  trouble  was  threatened.  (See 
Walker's  Administration.)  The  free-state  legislature  of  1858  passed 
a  charter  bill,  which  became  effective  on  Feb.  11,  and  on  the  20th  was 
held  the  first  city  election.  C.  W.  Babcock  was  elected  mayor;  Caleb 
S.  Pratt,  clerk;  Wesley  Duncan,  treasurer;  Joseph  Cracklin,  marshal; 
Robert  Morrow,  P.  R.  Brooks,  L.  C.  Tolles,  E.  S.  Lowman,  John  G. 
Haskell,  M.  Hartman,  Henry  Shanklin,  A.  J.  Totten,  S.  W.  Eldridge. 
A.  H.  Mallory,  L.  Bullene  and  F.  A.  Bailey,  councilmen.  The  legislature 
of  i860  "amended  and  consolidated  the  several  acts  relating  to  the  city 
of  Lawrence"  into  one  act  of  114  sections  which  was  approved  by 
Gov.  iVIedary  on  Feb.  2"/.  It  defined  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city  as 
follows:  "Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  Kansas  river,  opposite  a  point 
where  the  east  side  of  Maryland  street  intersects  the  south  bank  of 
said  river;  thence  south  to  the  shore,  and  in  the  east  line  of  Maryland 
street  4,290  feet  to  the  south  side  of  Adams  street;  then  west  5,310 
feet,  to  the  west  side  of  Illinois  street;  thence  north  3,380  feet,  to  the 
south  side  of  Warren  street ;  thence  west  4,560  feet ;  thence  north  5,500 
feet;  thence  east  5,620  feet,  to  the  Kansas  river;  thence  continuing  to 
the  middle  of  the  same,  and  down  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  first  state  legislature  passed  a  bill  submitting  to  the  people  the 
question  of  the  location  of  the  permanent  seat  of  government,  and  on 
Nov.  5,  1861,  Lawrence  received  5,291  votes  for  the  state  capital  to 
7,966   votes   for   Topeka. 

The  legislature  of  1863  located  the  state  university  at  Lawrence, 
and  on  Aug.  21  of  that  year  occurred  the  most  disastrous  event  in  the 
city's  history,  when  the  guerrilla  leader,  Quantrill,  with  a  large  force 
of  rtiffians,  made  a  raid  on  the  town,  destroyed  a  large  amount  of 
property,  and  killed  a  number  of  citizens.  (See  Quantrill's  Raid.) 

The  progress  of  the  city  during  the  Civil  war  was  comparatively 
slight,  but  the  year  1869  marked  the  beginning  of  great  improvements 
in  Lawrence.  The  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  railroad  was 
completed;  a  city  hall  and  court-house  was  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Vermont  and  Henry  streets  at  a  cost  of  $32,000;  new  school  buildings 
were  projected,  and  a  number  of  a  new  private  dwellings  were  erected. 
Since  then  the  growth  of  the  city  has  been  steady,  and,  while  the  popu- 
lation has  never  reached  the  figure  predicted  by  some  enthusiasts,  in 
1910  Lawrence  ranked  tenth  in  the  state,  with  a  population  of  12,374. 

Lawrence  has  5  banks,  2  daily  newspapers  (the  Journal- World  and 
the  Gazette),  3  weekly  newspapers  (the  Gazette,  the  Democrat  and  the 
Germania,  the  last  named  printed  in  German),  besides  publications 
by  the  University  of  Kansas,  the  city  high  school,  Haskell  Institute  and 
the  Fraternal  Aid  Association.  It  also  has  29  churches,  10  public  school 
buildings,  a  free  public  library,  founded  in  1865  and  now  located  in  the 


Il6  CVCl.oriiDlA    OF 

new  Carnegie  building  erected  in  1904.  beautiful  public  parks,  an  electric 
lighting  system,  natural  gas  for  light  and  fuel,  one  of  the  best  water- 
works systems  in  the  state,  a  street  railway  system,  excellent  sewers 
and  drainage,  etc.  Railroad  transportation  is  furnished  by  the  Union 
Pacific  and  two  lines  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  and  this,  in 
connection  with  the  water  power  supplied  by  the  Kansas  river,  is  mak- 
ing Lawrence  a  manufacturing  center.  Among  the  products  turned  out 
by  her  factories  are  flour,  cement  plaster,  brooms,  vitrified  brick  and 
tile,  bicycles,  pianos,  paper,  leather,  cigars,  cooperage,  horse  collars, 
vinegar,  metal  cornices,  canned  goods,  shirts,  egg  cases  and  mattresses. 
The  city  also  has  novelty  and  iron  works,  planing  mills,  a  telephone 
exchange,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  ten  rural  routes.  A  new  postoffice  building  has  re- 
cently been  erected  by  the  Federal  government. 

Lawrence  is  preeminently  a  city  of  homes,  and  the  well  kept  streets, 
the  handsome  residences  surrounded  by  beautiful  lawns,  the  numerous 
shade  trees.  nc\  cr  fail  to  awaken  the  admiration  of  visitors. 

Lawrence,  Amos  Adams,  for  whom  the  city  of  Lawrence,  Kan.,  was 
named,  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  July  31,  1814.  He  was  the  son  of 
Amos  and  Sarah  (Richards)  Lawrence,  and  a  grandson  of  Samuel  and 
Susanna  (Parker)  Law-rence  and  of  Giles  and  Sarah  (Adams)  Richards. 
His  preparation  for  college  was  made  under  the  instruction  of  Rev. 
Jonathan  F.  Stearns.  He  was  graduated  at  Harvard — A.  B.,  1835,  -^■ 
AL,  1838 — and  entered  the  mercantile  business.  He  interested  himself 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton,  which  had  been  the  business  of  his  father, 
and  was  president  and  director  of  several  banks  and  industrial  corpora- 
tions in  Massachusetts.  Lie  became  associated  with  Eli  Thayer  and 
others  in  the  colonization  of  Kansas  and  was  treasurer  of  the  Emigrant 
Aid  company.  He  was  twice  nominated  for  governor  of  Massachusetts 
by  the  W'higs  and  Unionists.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  as- 
sisted in  recruiting  the  Second  Massachusetts  volunteer  cavalry  regi- 
ment. He  built  Lawrence  Hall  for  the  Episcopal  theological  seminary 
in  Cambridge,  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.  He  was  treasurer  of  Harvard  College 
1857-63,  and  an  overseer  1879-85.  In  1846  he  gave  $10,000  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  literary  institution  in  Appleton,  Wis.,  called  the  Law- 
rence Institute  (now  Lawrence  University)  of  Wisconsin.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  He  gave  nearly 
$12,000  toward  founding  a  free-state  college  in  Kansas,  which  sum, 
after  a  series  of  changes,  went  to  the  University  of  Kansas.  Mr.  Law- 
rence married  Sarah  Elizabeth  Appleton  in  1842.  He  died  at  Nahant, 
Mass.,  Aug.  22,  1886. 

Lawrenceburg,  a  hamlet  in  Cloud  county,  is  located  on  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  9  miles  east  of  Concordia,  the  county  seat,  and  about  2 
miles  from  Hollis,  whence  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route. 

Lawson,  a  country  postoffice  in  Grant  county,  is  located  15  miles 
southeast  of  New  Ulysses,  the  county  seat.  It  is  about  25  miles  south 
of  Hartland,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  the  nearest 
shipping  point.     The  population  in  1910  w^as  45. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  II7 

Lawton,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  lo  miles  east  of 
Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  southeast  of  Weir,  the  post- 
office  from  which  it  receives  mail.  Ashburg,  the  nearest  shipping  point, 
is  5  miles  distant.  It  has  two  general  stores.  The  population  in  1910 
was  30. 

Lead  and  Zinc  Mining. — Although  the  area  of  lead  and  zinc  fields  of 
Kansas  is  small,  this  district  is  one  of  the  important  wealth  producing 
sections  of  the  state.  The  first  discovery  of  lead  in  this  part  of  the  country 
was  made  by  LeSueur,  who  came  up  the  Mississippi  river  from  New 
Orleans  in  1700.  The  mines  he  located  are  in  Missouri.  The  mine  La- 
Motte  was  discovered  in  1720,  and  in  1723  a  grant  of  it  was  made  to 
Sieur  De  Lochon.  This  mine  has  been  worked  almost  constantly  ever 
since.  The  discovery  of  minerals  gradually  worked  westward  until  the 
field  reached  Jasper  county,  Mo.  The  lead  and  zinc  region  of  Kansas— 
a  part  of  the  Louisiana  purchase  of  1803 — was  reserved  for  the  Osage 
Indians,  and  when  they  removed,  was  held  for  the  Cherokee  absentees, 
becoming  known  as  the  "Cherokee  Strip."  David  Harlan,  a  member  of 
the  Cherokee  tribe,  who  located  on  the  Cherokee  lands  in  1835,  discov- 
ered lead  on  his  farm  at  the  roots  of  some  uprooted  trees  along  Shoal 
creek,  but  nothing  was  said  about  it.  A  legend  existed  that  the  Indians 
used  to  make  bullets  from  lead  separated  from  the  flint  by  a  crude 
smelting  process,  but  it  was  not  until  the  rich  fields  of  Missouri  were 
opened  on  the  Kansas  border  that  any  extensive  'prospecting  was  done 
in  Kansas,  although  some  men  were  thoroughly  convinced  that  the  ore 
deposits  extended  farther  westward. 

In  1870  William  Cook  discovered  on  the  tract  known  as  the  "Cook 
forty"  the  first  zinc  ore,  or  "jack,"  as  it  is  familiarly  known,  but  little 
attention  was  given  to  it,  as  everyone  was  looking  for  lead  ore.  In  1871 
a  company  was  formed  at  Baxter  Springs  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
leases  and  operating  mines.  This  company  leased  large  bodies  of  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  Baxter  Springs  and  Lowell,  and  northward  along 
both  sides  of  Spring  river.  In  the  spring  of  1872  H.  R.  Crowell  made 
examinations  in  many  places  along  Short  creek.  More  ore  was  taken 
from  the  Cook  forty,  and  several  tons  were  sold  in  Joplin  to  the  agent 
of  a  smelting  company  of  Lasalle,  111,  to  which  point  it  was  shipped 
for  smelting.  Considerable  excitement  prevailed  when  a  new  discovery 
was  made  on  the  farm  of  Jesse  Harper  on  Shoal  creek.  The  place,  after- 
ward known  as  Bonanza,  was  located  in  a  "bottom"  northwest  of  the 
present  city  of  Galena.  It  is  reported  that  while  a  field  was  being 
plowed  a  piece  of  lead  weighing  two  or  three  pounds  was  turned  up. 
A  shaft  was  immediately  sunk  and  ore  in  paying  quantities  was  found 
at  a  depth  of  from  15  to  20  feet.  As  soon  as  the  discovery  became  known 
a  party  of  men  from  Baxter  Springs  bought  out  those  who  had  sunk 
the  shaft  and  secured  an  option  on  the  tract  at  $4,000.  In  the  meantime 
parties  from  Joplin  offered  Harper  $10,000,  but  he  found  that  the  option 
held  by  the  Baxter  Springs  men  was  binding,  and  the  Bonanza  company 
was   formed.     Mining  operations   began   immediately   and   great   hopes 


I  18  CYCLOPEDIA    Of 

were  enleriained  by  the  stockliolders  for  successful  developments,  but 
water  was  found  in  large  quantities,  which  had  to  be  pumped  from  the 
mine,  hence  progress  was  slow.  A  smelter  was  built  and  attempts  were 
made  to  handle  the  ore  on  the  ground,  but  fuel  was  too  expensive,  and 
a   lull   followed   in   mining  activities. 

In  the  spring  of  1877  John  Shew  and  John  McAllen  put  down  a  shaft 
on  the  farm  of  a  man  named  Nichols,  just  south  of  Short  creek,  and  on 
March  21  struck  lead  ore.  No  other  discovery  of  ore  in  the  Missouri- 
Kansas  district  ever  attracted  more  wide-spread  interest.  Within  a 
short  time  town  sites  were  surveyed,  mining  lots  mapped  out,  and  a 
promiscuous  population  of  several  thousand  people  was  on  the  ground. 
Miss  Irene  G.  Stone,  in  her  article  "The  Lead  and  Zinc  Fields  of  Kan- 
sas," says :  "About  this  time  the  new.s  spread  of  the  discovery  of  ore 
here,  and  it  is  estimated  that  within  thirty  days  at  least  10,000  people 
came  pouring  in  from  all  directions,  in  all  conceivable  kinds  of  vehicles, 
some  even  coming,  like  the  maiden  lady  of  old,  afoot  and  alone.  Some 
rude  structures  called  houses  were  hurriedly  built,  the  less  fortunate 
ones  being  compelled  to  repose  upon  Mother  Earth  when  darkness 
overtook  them.  Those  who  did  the  most  lucrative  business  at  first 
were  the  ones  who  could  secure  a  tent  or  shack  and  prepare  any  kind  of 
food.  The  scenes  following  the  discovery  of  ore  in  such  rich  bodies  as 
that  at  this  place  have  often  been  described  as  being  the  most  exciting 
of  any  of  the  actual  events  of  human  life,  and  I  have  been  told  by  those 
who  have  been  through  such  experiences  that,  for  intenseness  of  feeling, 
with  some  features  rich  in  comedy,  the  strife  following  the  discovery  of 
ore  on  the  Nichols  tract  would  eclipse  anything  before  written." 

Just  south  of  the  Nichols  tract,  on  the  high  ground  above  the  creek 
valley,  was  the  farm  of  a  German  named  Moll,  which  seemed  the  natural 
location  for  a  town  and  Moll  had  many  applications  to  sell  his  farm.  He 
made  several  contracts  to  that  eilfect,  the  first  for  $2,500;  the  second 
for  $5,000  and  the  third  for  $10,000.  When  it  was  found  out  that  he 
had  made  so  many  agreements,  each  purchaser  insisted  on  his  rights,  and 
it  was  some  time  before  the  town  could  be  located.  The  first  ore  taken 
from  the  Nichols  tract  was  sent  to  Joplin  to  be  smelted.  The  Craig 
Mining  and  Smelting  company  was  formed  and  secured  from  the  Kansas 
City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  railroad  company  a  lease  with  option  of  pur- 
chase on  80  acres  of  land  east  of  the  Moll  farm,  which  has  since  become 
well  known  as  the  property  of  the  South  Side  Mining  and  Manufacturing 
company.  All  the  claimants  for  the  Moll  site  pooled  their  interests  under 
the  name  of  the  Galena  Mining  and  Smelting  company.  Another  com- 
pany purchased  200  acres  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  Short  creek  where 
the  town  of  Empire  was  located.  Miss  Stone  says:  "It  seemed  to  be 
a  time  when  there  was  no  other  attraction  of  the  kind,  and  those  who 
had  been  through  the  California  and  other  discoveries  of  valuable  ores 
claimed  never  to  have  seen  so  large  a  collection  of  the  tough  element 
as  was  gathered  in  this  territory  at  this  time."  By  July  i,  1877,  four  pay- 
ing shafts  were  in  operation  and  the  weeklv  sale  of  ore  amounted  to 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ^^9 

$3  ooo  all  taken  from  an  area  of  less  than  2  acres  and  less  than  50  feet 
below'the  surface.  The  first  discovery  of  ore  in  another  locality  was  on 
land  belonging  to  the  South  Side  company,  just  east  of  Galena.  This  led 
to  more  prospecting,  with  the  result  that  there  are  now  considerably 
more  than  2,500  acres  of  developed  ore-bearing  territory,  and  competent 
creologists  say  that  it  will  take  at  least  another  generation  before  the 
ore  alreadv  in  sight  will  be  exhausted.  About  3  miles  southeast  of 
Pleasanton,  Linn  county,  a  small  quantity  of  lead  and  zinc  ore  has  been 
found  and  there  are  evidences  that  mining  operations  have  been  car- 
ried on  there  in  the  past,  but  by  whom  or  at  what  date  no  one  has  been 
able  to  determine.  A  company  was  formed  to  operate  the  mines,  but  they 
did  not  pav  and  were  abandoned. 

Lead  and  zinc  may  be  classified  as  kindred  ores.  The  development 
of  deposits  of  zinc  ore  in  connection  with  those  of  lead  was  inevitable 
for  scarcely  a  shaft  was  lowered  that  did  not  produce  ores  of  both 
metals  and  frequently  one  shovel  of  earth  will  have  the  two  ores  mixed 
in  about  equal  proportions.  In  Kansas,  lead  usually  predominates  near 
the  surface,  but  at  the  loo-foot  level  the  order  is  reversed  and  at  lower 
levels  lead  nearlv  always  disappears.  Some  authorities  believe  that  at 
a  depth  of  300  or  400  feet  lead  will  again  become  the  principal  ore,  as 
in  some  of  the  mines  in  southeastern  Missouri. 

The  first  mining  and  mining  apparatus  was  of  the  crudest  kind,     ihe 
f^rst   horse  power  was  not   introduced   until    1877,   and   in  April,    i87», 
the  first  ordinary  geared  horse  bolster  was  introduced  for  raising  the 
ore  from  the  bottom  of  the  shaft.    Finally  the  necessity  for  more  rapid 
and  economical  methods  of  pulverizing  the  ores  became  apparent,  and 
Patrick  Murphy  and  S.  L.  Cheney,  of  the  Empire  Mining  and  Smelting 
company,  contracted  for  the  erection  of  a  mill  where  the  crushmg  and 
cleaning  could  be  done  by  steam  power.     It  was  located  on  the  north 
side  of  Short  creek  and  was  a  success  from  the  start.    A  more  improved 
mill  was  soon  afterward  built  on  the  property  of  the  South  Side  company 
in   Galena.     In   1873  a  zinc  smelter  was  started  at  Weir  City,  and  in 
1870  the  first  modern  smelter  for  the  reduction  of  lead  ore  into  pig  lead 
was  built  by  the  Galena  Lead  and  Zinc  company,  with  a  total  capacity 
of  -7,000  pounds  a  day.     This  was  followed  by  the  addition  to     eyes 
of  other  plants,  until  the  capacity  was  raised  to  72,000  pounds  a  day^   In 
1878  Robert  Lanyon  &  Co.  built  two  furnaces  at  Pittsburg,  arid  added 
two  more  the  following  year,  all  for  smelting  zinc.     Favored  by  the 
cheap  fuel  to  be  obtained,  more  smelters  were  built,  but  the  revolution- 
izing and  greatest  development  of  the  smelter  industry  did  not  come 
untit  the  discovery  and  development  of  the  natural  gas  fields  since  which 
time  the  smelters  of  Kansas  have  more  than  quadrupled  and  given  fresh 
stimulus  to  the  mining  industry.     The  area  of  the  mines  has  increased 
from  about  10  acres  to  over  10,000.    The  Missouri-Kansas  lead  and  zinc 
region  furnishes  more  than  of  the  zinc  ore  and  about  one-third  of  the 
lead  produced  in  the  United  States.     In  1907  alone  there  were  shipped 
from  this  field  286,587  tons  of  zinc  and  42,034  tons  of  lead,  valued  at 
$15,419,727. 


120  CYCLOI'EDIA    OK 

Leanna,  a  village  in  the  extreme  .soiuiiern  part  of  Allen  county,  is 
about  6  miles  southeast  of  Humboldt,  which  place  is  the  most  convenient 
railroad  station.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  is  a  local  trading 
center  for  the  neighborhood.    The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Learnard,  Oscar  E.,  lawyer,  journalist  and  soldier,  was  born  at  Fair- 
fax, \t.,  Nov.  14,  1S32,  in  the  same  house  where  his  father  was  born. 
He  was  of  the  ninth  generation  from  William  Learnard,  who  came  from 
England  in  1630  and  settled  at  Charlestown,  Mass.  His  mother  was  a 
descendant  of  a  French  Huguenot  family  that  was  among  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Saybrook,  Conn.  The  name  was  originally  spelled  Larned.  Mr. 
Learnard  was  educated  at  Bakersfield  Academy,  the  Norwich  University, 
and  graduated  at  the  Albany  Law  School  as  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1854.  In  1855  he  came  to  Kansas  and  located  at  Lawrence,  and  the  next 
year  he  commanded  a  "mounted  regiment"  of  the  free-state  forces  in  the 
border  war.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  helped  to  locate  and  lay  out  the 
town  of  Burlington,  where  he  built  the  first  mill,  the  first  business  house, 
and  a  building  used  for  school  and  church  purposes.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  council  in  the  first  free-state  legislature  (1857)  ;  was  president  of 
the  convention  which  met  at  Osawatomie  on  May  18,  1859,  and  organized 
the  Republican  party  in  Kansas;  and  after  the  state  government  was  es- 
tablished he  was  made  judge  of  the  Fifth  judicial  circuit.  This  position 
he  resigned  to  enter  the  army  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  First  Kansas 
infantry,  and  served  on  the  staffs  of  Gens.  Hunter  and  Denver  until  in 
1863,  when  he  resigned  his  commission.  When  Price  undertook  to  enter 
Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1864,  Col.  Learnard  again  joined  the  forces  for  the 
defense  of  the  state,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Blue  and  the  en- 
gagement at  Westport,  Mo.  He  served  two  terms  in  the  state  senate; 
was  superintendent  of  the  Haskell  Institute  for  one  year;  was  for  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  special  attorney  and  tax  commissioner  for  the  Kansas 
City,  Fort  Scott  &  Memphis  Railroad  company,  and  in  1884  bought  the 
Lawrence  Daily  Journal,  which  he  published  until  succeeded  by  the 
present  Journal  company.  Mr.  Learnard  died  at  Lawrence  on  Nov. 
6,  191 1. 

Lease,  Mary  Elizabeth,  lawyer  and  lecturer,  was  born  at  Ridgway, 
Pa.,  Sept.  Ti,  1853,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  P.  and  Mary  E.  (Murray) 
Clyens.  She  was  educated  at  St.  Elizabeth's  Academy,  Allegany,  N.  Y., 
and  soon  after  leaving  school  came  to  Kansas,  where  she  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1885.  In  1888  she  made  her  first  public  political  speech 
in  a  union  labor  convention,  and  two  years  later  she  made  over  160 
speeches  in  Kansas  for  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  attracting  wide  attention 
by  her  radical  utterances.  She  was  appointed  president  of  the  state 
board  of  charities,  being  the  first  woman  in  the  United  States  to  hold 
such  a  position.  She  was  one  of  the  orators  on  "Kansas  Day"  at  the 
Columbian  exposition  in  Chicago  in  1893;  represented  Kansas  at  the 
national  conference  of  charities  and  corrections  the  same  year,  and  was 
vice-president  of  the  world's  peace  congress.  On  Jan.  30,  1873,  she  was 
married  to  Charles  L.  Lease  at  the  Osage  mission.    In  1901  she  obtained 


KANSAS    HISTORY  121 

a  divorce  from  her  husband,  and  soon  after  removed  to  New  York.  Mrs. 
Lease  has  written  for  the  magazines  and  is  the  author  of  "The  Problem 
of   Civilization   Solved." 

Leavenworth,  the  county  seat  of  Leavenworth  county  and  the  fourth 
largest  city  in  the  state,  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  on  the  Missouri 
river,  27  miles  above  Kansas  City.  The  city  had  its  origin  at  a  meetmg 
at  Weston,  Mo.,  a  few  days  after  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
bill.  On  June  12,  1854,  the  town  site  was  marked  off  by  George  \V. 
Gist,  John  C.  Gist  and  Samuel  Farnandis  on  the  Delaware  trust  lands 
immediately  south  of  Fort  Leavenworth  military  reservation,  the  squat- 
ters there  agreeing  to  relinquish  their  rights  to  the  town  association, 
which  was  formed  on  June*  13.  George  W.  Gist  was  elected  president; 
H.  Miles  Moore,  secretary;  Joseph  B.  Evans,  treasurer;  L.  D.  Bird,  Amos 
Rees  and  E.  A.  Ogden,  trustees;  L.  D.  Bird,  O.  Diefendorf  and  H.  Miles 
Moore,  committee  on  by-laws.  The  town  site  of  320  acres  was  platted 
into  lots  and  the  property  was  divided  into  175  shares,  each  of  the  32 
members  of  the  association  receiving  5  shares,  12  lots  to  each  share, 
and  the  remaining  15  shares  were  to  be  held  by  the  trustees  to  be  used 
for  the  best  interests  of  the  town. 

The  first  sale  of  town  lots  was  held  Oct  9,  1854,  when  lots  were  sold 
anywhere  on  the  town  site,  but  with  the  understanding  that  they  were 
for  immediate  improvement.  The  Indians  viewed  with  dissatisfaction 
the  encroachment  of  the  whites  upon  their  lands,  and  stirred  up  by  emis- 
saries from  the  rival  city  of  Atchison,  sent  a  petition  to  the  government 
praying  that  something  be  done  in  regard  to  the  squatters.  As  a  result 
the  government  issued  an  order  to  the  troops  at  the  fort  to  drive  the 
settlers  off',  but  the  founders  of  Leavenworth  had  the  order  delayed  and 
upon  assuring  the  Delaware  chiefs  that  they  would  pay  the  price  fixed 
by  the  government  were  allowed  to  stay. 

One  of  the  first  buildings  in  Leavenworth  was  the  saw-mill  of 
Murphy  &  Scruggs,  at  the  mouth  of  Three  Mile  creek,  where  much  of 
the  lumber  was  cut  for  the  buildings  of  the  new  town.  The  Leavenworth 
Hotel  was  opened  in  the  fall.  On  Oct.  8,  W.  C.  Capels,  an  elder  of  the 
Methodist  church,  held  the  first  religious  service  in  the  town  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree.  By  Jan.  i,  1855,  there  were  200  inhabitants.  On  March 
6,  the  postofifice  was  opened. 

Leavenworth  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  in  the 
summer  of  1855,  and  an  election  fixed  for  Sept.  3,  at  which  time  Thomas 
W.  Slocum  was  elected  mayor;  J.  H.  Day,  Frederick  A.  Emory,  Thomas 
H.  Doyle,  A.  Fisher,  G.  J.  Park,  William  T.  Marvin,  councilmen.  The 
council  met  first  on  Sept.  11,  1855,  i"  ^  room  over  a  store  on  Main  street 
near  Delaware.  Dr.  J.  H.  Day  was  chosen  president  of  the  council  and 
S.  J.  Anthony  clerk.  William  A.  McDowell  was  chosen  as  marshal ;  John 
L  Moore,  attorney;  William  H.  Bailey,  treasurer;  H.  G.  Weibling,  as- 
sessor; E.  L.  Berthoud,  surveyor,  and  M.  L.  Truesdell,  comptroller. 
The  council  adopted  the  by-laws  of  the  city  of  Muscatine,  of  1853,  as  a 
form  of  government.  The  fire  company  of  the  city  was  organized  under 
a  charter  granted  by  the  legislature  in  the  fall  of  1855. 


]_>_>  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

On  July  5,  1858,  a  disastrous  tire  occurred.  Starting  in  the  theater 
on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Delaware  streets,  it  swept  away  a  large  part 
of  the  business  district,  and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  though  the  whole 
city  would   be   wiped   out. 

'Pile  early  commercial  development  of  Leavenworth  was  rapid,  as  it 
became  the  starting  point  of  the  great  government  overland  transporta- 
tion company  owned  and  operated  by  Majors,  Russell  &  Company.  This 
brought  stores,  and  a  business  life  that  would  not  have  come  in  years,  in 
the  natural  course  of  events.  The  Salt  Lake  and  California  traders  also 
changed  their  starting  point  from  the  Missouri  points  to  Leavenworth. 
The  great  number  of  employees  of  these  freight  companies  and  the  tran- 
sient population  demanded  more  hotel  accommodations.  This  led  to 
the  erection  of  the  Planters'  Hotel,  completed  in  the  fall  of  1856,  which 
became  one  of  the  most  famous  hostelries  on  the  Missouri  river.  By 
this  time  the  town  had  a  population  of  about  1,200,  but  the  political 
disturbances  of  1856  rather  hindered  commercial  development.  With 
the  growth  of  the  town-  means  of  communication  became  imperative. 
There  were  two  great  military  roads  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  one 
which  joined  the  emigrant  road  at  Whitfield  City,  and  a  second  known 
as  the  Oregon  and  California  road.  Roads  were  laid  out  to  connect 
Leavenworth  with  towns  up  and  down  the  river,  and  to  Lawrence, 
Lecompton  and  Topeka;  hack  and  mail  lines  were  established,  making 
weekly  and  tri-weekly  trips  to  towns  of  importance  in  the  territory ;  the 
telegraph  line  was  extended  from  St.  Louis  to  Leavenworth  in  June,  1859, 
and  the  following  spring  the  Pike  Peak  express  line  began  to  run  from 
Leavenworth  to  Salt  Lake.  The  first  railroad  to  come  near  Leavenworth 
was  the  Atchison  &  St.  Joseph,  which  was  completed  to  Weston  in  1861, 
where  it  made  connection  with  river  transportation  for  Leavenworth. 
Two  years  later  Leavenworth  became  a  terminus  of  the  Kansas  Pacific 
railroad,  connecting  with  the  main  line  at  Lawrence.  With  the  passing 
years  most  of  the  important  lines  have  built  to  Leavenworth  until  in 
191 1  service  was  provided  by  the  Union  Pacific,  Missouri  Pacific, 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  Chicago, 
Burling  ton  &  Quincy,  Leavenworth,  Kansas  &  Western,  and  the  Kansas 
City-Leavenworth  electric  line  which  connects  those  cities. 

By  1859  the  streets  of  Leavenworth  were  graded,  sidewalks  were  laid, 
and  gas  works  constructed.    The  population  at  that  time  was  over  5,000. 

In  1855  a  small  building  near  the  levee  was  rented  by  a  Lutheran 
minister  for  religious  purposes.  The  first  school  in  the  community  was 
taught  by  H.  D.  McCarty.  The  first  school  board  of  the  city  was  or- 
ganized in  July,  1858,  a  house  was  rented  and  a  teacher  hired.  In  the 
fall  the  city  was  divided  into  school  districts.  Today  Leavenworth 
has  an  excellent  public  school  system.  Besides  the  excellent  public 
schools  several  sectarian  and  private  schools  are  maintained  in  the  city. 

The  Catholic  diocese  of  Leavenworth  was  established  in  1851.  Bishop 
Miege  said  the  first  mass  in  the  town  in  1854,  and  the  Cathedral  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  was  erected  in  1863.     The  First  Presbvterian 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I23 

Church,  the  first  white  church  of  this  dcnumination  in  Kansas,  was  or- 
ganized in  Jan.,  1856.  In  November  of  the  same  year  St.  Paul's  Episco- 
pal parish  was  estabHshed.  The  United  Presbyterian  church  was  es- 
tablished in  1857,  the  First  Congregational  in  March,  1858,  and  the 
Baptist  church  in  the  fall  of  the  year.  These  pioneer  organizations  were 
followed  by  other  denominations,  so  that  today  Leavenworth  has  as 
many  and  as  fine  churches  an  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  state. 

Leavenworth  has  an  altitude  of  772  feet  and  is  admirably  situated.  Its 
manufactories  are  extensive — dtie  to  the  splendid  shipping  facilities  and 
the  large  supply  of  coal  in  the  immediate  locality.  The  chief  products 
are  mine  and  mill  machinery,  steam  engines,  stoves,  wagons,  shoes, 
bakers'  ovens,  pumps  and  implements.  The  city  also  has  large  bridge 
works,  packing  houses,  flour  mills,  furniture  factories,  creameries,  etc. 
It  is  also  a  jobbing  point  for  a  large  territory.  The  streets  are  well 
paved,  and  the  city  is  provided  with  an  electric  lighting  system,  electric 
street  railways,  waterworks,  etc.  Three  miles  north  of  the  city  is  Fort 
Leavenworth  (q.  v.)  which  is  connected  with  Leavenworth  by  the  street 
railway.  In  1910  there  were  79  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
city  employing  1,311  wage  earners;  $3,111,000  of  capital  was  invested, 
and  the  net  value  of  the  products  was  $1,678,000,  or  an  increase  of  seven 
per  cent,  in  ten  years.    The  population  in  1910  was  19,363. 

Leavenworth  County,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  state,  is  in  the 
third  tier  of  counties  south  of  Nebraska  and  in  the  first  west  of  the 
Missouri  river.  It  was  erected  by  the  first  territorial  legislature  with 
the  following  boimdaries :  "Beginning  at  a  point  on  the  southern 
boundary  of  Atchison  county  due  north  of  a  point  4  miles  west  of 
Dawson's  crossing  of  the  Fort  Riley  road  on  Stranger  creek;  thence 
due  south  to  the  main  channel  of  the  Kansas  river;  thence  down  said 
channel  to  where  said  channel  crosses  the  channel  of  the  Missouri  river; 
thence  up  said  channel  of  the  Missouri,  to  the  southeast  corner  of 
Atchison  county ;  thence  along  the  southern  boundary  of  Atchison 
county  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

As  thus  defined  Leavenworth  embraced  essentially  the  present  county 
and  that  of  Wyandotte,  which  was  detached  and  erected  as  a  separate 
county  in  1859.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Henry  Leavenworth, 
an  officer  in  the  United  States  army.  At  present  the  county  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Atchison  county ;  on  the  east  by  Wyandotte  county  and 
the  Missouri  river,  which  separates  it  from  Missouri ;  on  the  south  by 
Wyandotte,  Johnson  and  Douglas  counties;  and  on  the  west  by  Douglas 
and  Jefferson.  It  has  an  area  of  455  square  miles  and  is  divided  into  the 
following  townships:  Alexandria,  Delaware,  Easton,  Fairmount,  High 
Prairie,  Kickapoo,  Reno,  Sherman,  Stranger  and  Tonganoxie. 

In  the  eastern  portion,  along  the  Missouri  river,  the  land  is  broken 
and  hilly  in  places,  but  the  western  and  southwestern  portions  are 
rolling  prairie.  The  river  and  creek  valleys  average  from  a  half  mile 
to  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width  and  comprise  about  one-fourth  of  the  area. 
The  uplands  are  somewhat  sparsely  wooded  and  artificial  groves  have 


IJ4  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

been  i>lantcd  in  man}-  places.  Timber  belts  along  the  streams  contain 
all  varieties  of  trees  native  to  Kansas.  The  principal  water  courses  are 
the  Missouri  and  Kansas  rivers.  The  largest  tributary  creeks  are  Little 
Stranger,  Tongauoxie,  Nine  Mile,  Salt,  Wolf  and  Kaw.  Leavenworth 
county  is  in  the  front  rank  in  the  production  of  Irish  potatoes  and 
sorghum.  Winter  wheat,  corn,  oats  and  hay  are  also  extensively  raised. 
There  are  over  300,000  fruit  trees  of  bearing  age  in  the  county,  and  it 
also  ranks  high  in  live  stock  raising.  Limestone  and  sandstone  for 
building  are  abundant  and  are  extensively  quarried  near  Leavenworth. 
Gray  limestone  is  found  in  the  bluffs  and  blue  limestone  on  the  lower 
lands.  Red  and  yellow  ocher  exist  south  of  the  city  of  Leavenworth ; 
in  the  west  and  southwest  cement  rock  of  a  good  quality  is  plentiful ; 
potter's  clay  is  common  in  several  localities ;  a  great  part  of  the  county 
is  underlaid  with  a  bed  of  coal,  which  has  for  many  years  been  mined 
at  Leavenworth  and  at  the  state  penitentiar}'  at  Lansing. 

The  first  whites  to  visit  the  country  now  embraced  within  the  bounds 
of  Leavenworth  county  were  the  French  traders  and  explorers  who  came 
up  the  Missouri  river  early  in  the  eighteenth  century.  A  Jesuit  mission 
was  established  on  the  Missouri  river,  in  what  is  now  Leavenworth 
county,  for  the  support  of  which  "600  livres"  were  appropriated  annually, 
and  this  was  the  first  mission  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas.  By 
1757  the  Missouri  river  route  to  the  west  was  known  to  the  French 
voyageurs  and  fleets  of  boats  came  down  the  river  each  spring  laden 
with  furs  bought  from  the  Indians  at  the  headwaters. 

In  the  spring  of  1827,  Col.  Henry  H.  Leavenworth  was  directed  to 
ascend  the  Missouri  river  and  select  a  site  for  a  permanent  post.  (See 
Fort  Leavenworth.) 

In  1833  a  Methodist  mission  was  established  in  what  is  now  the  north- 
eastern part  of  Leavenworth  county,  and  the'  following  year  the  Cath- 
olic church  established  a  manual  labor  school  for  the  Indians  in  what 
is  now  Kickapoo  township,  but  as  they  did  not  take  kindly  to  work 
it  was  abandoned.  Thus,  outside  of  the  fort,  the  missionaries  were  the 
first  to  locate  permanently.  In  1844  Maj.  Robert  Wilson  established 
a  trading  post  in  Salt  creek  valley,  but  sold  out  in  1852.  The  first  white 
settlers  in  Leavenworth  county  who  had  any  legal  right  to  locate  within 
the  territory  were  the  farmers  who  came  to  cultivate  the  lands  on  the 
military  reservation  and  the  missionaries  of  the  immigrant  Indians. 
The  pro-slavery  residents  of  Platte  and  other  Missouri  counties,  who 
favored  the  establishment  of  slavery  in  Kansas,  knew  of  the  rich  and  val- 
uable land  held  by  the  Indians  just  across  the  line  and  only  waited  for 
its  cession  to  come  in  and  take  claims.  When  the  treaties  were  made 
they  did  not  wait  to  learn  the  provisions  for  the  sale  of  the  lands,  but 
rushed  across  the  river  and  staked  out  claims.  So  great  was  this  influx 
that  by  the  close  of  June,  1854,  there  was  scarcely  any  land  that  had 
not  been  claimed  by  settlers  from  across  the  border.  The  first  land 
claimed  after  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  in  what  is  now 
Leavenworth  county,  was  that  where  the  present  citv  of  Leavenworth 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ^^S 

(q.  V.)   Stands.     On  June  lo,  1854,  the  squatters  who  had  taken  claims 
near  the  fort  in  Salt  creek  valley  held  the  first  "squatter  meeting"   in 
the  territory.     Two   squatters'   associations— the    Leavenworth   County 
and  the  Kansas-Delaware  association— were  formed  for  the  pu-rpose  of 
preventing  non-residents  from  taking  up  land.     At  one  of  the  meetings 
a  disagreement  arose  between  a  man  named  McCrea,  who  had  a  claim 
near  the  fort,  but  not  on  the  trust  land,  and  a  man  named  Clark.    This 
led  to  a  fight  in  which  McCrea  shot  Clark  so  that  he  soon  died.     The 
pro-slavery    men    claimed   that    William    Phillips    handed    McCrea    the 
revolver,  and  he  was  ordered  to  leave  the  county.     When  he  did  not 
leave  a  vigilance  committee,  after  warning  him,   took  him   lo   Weston, 
tarred  and  feathered  him  and  rode  him  through  the  streets  on  a  rail. 
This  was  really  the  first  clash  between  the  free-state  and  pro-slavery 
factions,  but  it  did  not  deter  settlers  from  coming  into  the  county  and 
making  permanent  homes.     Subsequently  several  prominent  free-state 
men  of   Leavenworth  county  were  arrested  upon  various  charges  and 
ordered  to  leave  the  territory.     On  May  31,  1856,  a  meeting  was  called 
at   Leavenworth   at   which   a   vigilance   committee   of   pro-slavery   men 
was  appointed  to  notify  some  of  the  most  active   free-state  advocates 
to   leave   the   territory,   but   Gov.   Shannon's   proclamation   ordering  all 
committees  organized  for  the  purpose  of  driving  settlers  out  of  the  ter- 
ritory to  disband  broke  up  the  committee  in  Leavenworth  county. 

A  band  of  regulators  was  formed  in  Leavenworth  county,  with 
Frederick  Emery  as  captain,  and  a  reign  of  terror  was  again  com- 
menced. Armed  men  patrolled  the  river^and  turned  back  boats  which 
brought  suspected  free-state  immigrants.^  The  road  from  Leavenworth 
to  Lawrence  became  known  as  "The  Devil's  Highway,"  and  some  of 
the  pro-slavery  men  vowed  that  no  free-state  settler  could  travel  on  it 
between  the  two  towns.  Rev.  Ephraim  Nute,  the  Unitarian  minister 
of  Lawrence,  John  Wilder,  a  merchant  of  Lawrence,  and  a  Mrs.  Hoope 
were  taken  on  the  road  and  the  men  held  as  prisoners  of  war,  the 
woman  being  allowed  to  go  down  the  river.  The  "Regulators"  under 
Emery  killed  William  Phillips  in  the  name  of  "law  and  order,"  entered 
the  homes  and  stores  of  free-state  men  and  turned  them  out  of  doors. 
Many  of  the  citizens  were  placed  on  board  vessels  bound  for  St.  Louis 
and  other  points  down  the  river.  When  Gov.  Geary  arrived  he  soon 
put  a  stop  to  the  actions  of  the  regulators.  From  this  time  oppression 
and  cruelty  because  of  politics  began  to  die  down  in  the  county,  although 
hostilities  were  kept  alive  in  the  city  of  Leavenworth  until  violent  means 
were  used  to  bring  about  peace. 

Leavenworth  county  was  organized  by  the  first  session  of  the  ter- 
ritorial legislature.  When  the  commissioners  met  Gov.  Reeder  had  been 
removed,  and  the  commissions  of  John  A.  Halderman,  as  probate  judge; 
Joseph  M.  Hall  of  Leavenworth,  and  Matthew  R.  Walker  of  Wyan- 
dotte were  signed  by  Daniel  Woodson,  the  acting  governor.  The  first 
meeting  of  the  board  was  held  on  Sept.  7,  1856,  at  the  warehouse  of 
Lewis  Rees  in  Leavenworth.     James  M.  Lyle  was  appointed  clerk  of 


126  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  board,  and  ex-officio  recorder  and  clerk  of  the  probate  court.  At 
this  meeting  the  commissioners  divided  the  county  into  Kickapoo,  Dela- 
ware. Leavenworth,  Alexandria  and  Wyandotte  townships.  They  also 
appointed  M.  P.  Rively,  treasurer;  L.  T.  Moore,  assessor;  Bennett 
Burnham,  surveyor;  Green  D.  Todd,  sheriff;  and  James  Blake,  coroner. 
The  constables  and  justices  of  the  peace  were  appointed  within  a  short 
time,  and  the  county  was  thus  permanently  organized.  No  town  had 
been  named  as  the  county  seat  and  the  board  appointed  A.  Dawson, 
Martin  Hefferlin  and  Samuel  H.  Burgess  judges  for  an  election  to  be 
held  on  the  second  Monday  in  October  to  decide  upon  a  permanent 
location.  Eight  miles  above  Leavenworth  was  Kickapoo  City,  a  strong 
pro-slavery  settlement,  and  6  miles  down  the  river  was  Delaware  City, 
a  flourishing  community,  with  many  advantages  to  offer.  The  election 
was  therefore  a  hard  triangular  fight  for  the  location  of  the  county 
seat.  Pro-slavery  voters  were  imported  from  Missouri  to  Kickapoo 
and  Delaware.  Kickapoo  won,  and  when  this  was  learned  Delaware 
City  opened  the  polls  a  second  day,  which  resulted  in  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  votes  being  cast  for  Delaware.  A  legal  contest  followed  with 
a  decision  in  favor  of  Delaware.  A  county  building  of  two  rooms  was 
erected  and  the  county  offices  removed  there  on  Feb.  20,  1857,  but  the 
triumph  of  the  town  was  short  lived,  as  the  legislature  of  1857  ordered 
a  new  election,  at  which  Kickapoo  City  received  a  majority  of  votes 
cast.  Leavenworth  petitioned  that  the  Kickapoo  votes  be  cast  out  as 
illegal,  on  the  ground  that  the  voters  had  not  been  confined  to  the 
countv.  It  was  finally  decided  that  Leavenworth  received  the  greatest 
number  of  legal  votes  and  was  declared  the  county  seat.  Jeremiah 
Clark  donated  land  for  the  court-house  square,  which  was  accepted. 
This  was  the  east  half  of  "Block  13."  The  county  purchased  the  other 
half  for  $13,000,  and  $35,000  worth  of  county  bonds  were  voted  for  the 
erection  of  county  buildings.  Notwithstanding  this  celerity,  the  county 
offices  were  located  in  the  city  hall  for  many  years  and  it  was  not  until 
1873  that  the  court-house  was  erected.  It  is  estimated  that  the  entire 
cost  of  the  county  buildings  when  completed  aggregated  $175,000.  In 
May.  'i860,  a  tract  of  200  acres  of  land  was  purchased  about  4  miles 
southwest  of  Leavenworth  for  a  county  poor  farm,  on  which  a  county 
house  and  contagious  hospital  were  erected,  the  entire  property  being 
valued  at  over  $12,000. 

The  first  school  distr-icts  were  established  in  1858,  with  George  E. 
Budington  as  superintendent,  but  the  first  school  in  Leavenworth  and 
also  in  the  county  is  supposed  to  have  been  started  in  May,  1855.  by 
Rev.  J.  B.  McAfee,  who  purchased  a  small  building  near  the  levee  for 
religious  purposes.  Here  was  taught  the  first  public  school  in  the 
county.  In  185 1  the  Catholic  diocese  of  Leavenworth  was  created  as 
a  mission.  The  first  mass  was  said  in  the  county  in  1854.  The  Meth- 
odists held- meetings  in  1854.  A  church  was  built  in  1857.  In  Jan.,  1856, 
the  Presbyterians  organized  at  Leavenworth  the  first  church  of  this 
denomination    in    Kansas.      During  the   late   '50s   and    early   '60s    other 


KANSAS    HISTORY  127 

denominations  followed.  The  Herald  was  the  first  newspaper  in 
Leavenworth  county  and  in  the  territory,  the  first  number  being  issued 
Sept.  15,  1854.  The  state  penitentiary  is  located  5  miles  south  of  Leaven- 
worth. (See  Penitentiary,  State.)  The  Federal  military  prison  was 
built  on  the  military  reservation  of  Fort  Leavenworth  in  1874,  and  the 
Federal  prison,  for  offenders  against  the  laws  of  the  United  States  is 
also  located  there.  The  National  Home  for  Disabled  Volunteer  Soldiers 
(Federal)  is  situated  on  a  beautiful  site  of  ground  south  of  the  city  of 
Leavenworth.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  home  has  grown  up  a  considerable 
city  called  National  Military  Home. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  both  the  city  and  county  of  Leaven- 
worth were  better  populated  than  many  of  the  towns  and  counties  of 
Kansas  which  lay  to  the  west,  and  it  was  but  natural  that  many  troops 
should  be  raised.  Union  men  and  their  families  who  had  resided  in 
the  border  counties  of  Missouri  came  in  considerable  numbers  to  Leaven- 
worth for  protection  and  their  numbers  swelled  the  ranks  of  the  volun- 
teers. Many  of  the  leaders  who  gained  a  name  for  bravery  and  courage 
during  the  great  conflict  called  Leavenworth  home.  Cutler,  in  his  His- 
tory of  Kansas,  says:  "By  the  20th  of  May,  1861,  eighteen  companies 
were  organized."  After  that  date  the  following  companies  were  raised: 
Kickapoo  Guards,  Black's  Guards,  Leavenworth  Mercantile  Guards, 
Leavenworth  Light  Cavalry,  Lyon  Guards,  Third  Ward  Guards,  Fourth 
Ward  Guards,  Old  Guard  and  the  Union  Guards  (cavalry).  Leaven- 
worth county  was  represented  in  many  of  the  Kansas  regiments  and 
some  of  her  bravest  men  were  officers. 

The  Kansas  Pacific  railroad  was  started  at  Wyandotte  in  1863  and 
completed  to  Denver  within  two  years.  Leavenworth*  became  one  of 
the  terminals.  This  began  a  new  era  in  railroad  building  and  since  that 
time  a  number  of  roads  have  been  built  in  the  county  until  today  trans- 
portation and  shipping  facilities  are  provided  by  the  main  line  of  the 
Union  Pacific.  Three  lines  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  a 
line  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  from  Kansas  City,  the  Leavenworth,  Kan- 
sas &  Western,  a  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  which  enters  the  county 
on  the  east  and  crosses  west  into  Jefferson  county,  and  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy.  The  Kansas  City  &  Leavenworth  electric  rail- 
way runs  southeast  from  Leavenworth  and  connects  the  two  cities. 
There  are  over  182  miles  of  main  track  railroad  in  the  county. 

In  the  spring  of  191 1  the  court-house  in  Leavenworth  burned  and 
the  county  offices  were  temporarily  located  in  business  blocks  until 
provision  was  made  for  a  new  county  building.  The  population  of  the 
county  in  1910  was  41,207. 

Leavenworth,  Henry,  soldier,  was  born  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  Dec. 
10,  1783,  a  son  of  Col.  Jesse  and  Eunice  (Sperry)  Leavenworth.  Soon 
after  his  birth  his  parents  removed  to  Danville,  Vt.,  where  he  was 
educated.  He  then  read  law  with  Gen.  Erastus  Root  of  Delhi,  N.  Y., 
and  upon  being  admitted  to  the  bar  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
precepter  which  lasted  until  1812,  when  he  was  appointed  a  captain  in 


128  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  Twenty-fifth  U.  S.  infantry.  A  few  months  later  he  was  made 
major;  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Niagara  on  July  25,  1814,  and 
the  following  November  was  brevetted  colonel.  The  next  year  he  went 
to  Prairie  du  Chien  as  Indian  agent,  and  on  Feb.  10,  1818,  was  made 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Fifth  U.  S.  infantry.  While  on  duty  in  the 
West  he  built  several  military  posts,  one  of  which  is  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kan.,  now  one  of  the  leading  military  establishments  of  the  country. 
In  1825  he  was  made  brigadier-general  by  brevet,  and  in  1833  received 
the  full  rank  of  brigadier-general.  He  died  at  Cross  Timbers,  Ind.  Ter., 
July  21,  1834,  while  leading  an  expedition  against  the  Pawnee  and 
Comanche  Indians.    His  regiment  erected  a  monument  at  Cross  Timbers. 

Lebanon,  the  second  largest  town  in  Smith  county,  is  located  in 
Oak  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  13  miles 
east  of  Smith  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  newspapers  (the  Times 
and  the  Argus),  and  a  monthly  publication  (the  Gospel  Herald).  There 
are  2  banks,  an  opera  house,  a  score  of  well  stocked  retail  establishments, 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postofifice 
with  five  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  731. 

Lebo,  one  of  the  principal  towns  of  Coffey  county,  is  located  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Lincoln  township,  16  miles  north- 
west of  Burlington,  the  county  seat.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the 
third  class,  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Enterprise),  live 
mercantile  interests,  good  scl;ools  and  churches,  express  and  telegraph 
offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural 
routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  560. 

Lecompte,  Samuel  D.,  first  chief  justice  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas, 
was  born  in  D.orchester  county,  Md.,  Dec.  13,  1814.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  he  entered  Kenyon  College  at  Gambier,  Ohio,  but  remained 
only  to  the  close  of  his  sophomore  year,  when  he  went  to  Jefferson 
College,  Pa.,  and  graduated  there  with  honors  in  1834.  After  leaving 
college  he  studied  law  with  Henry  Page,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of 
Maryland,  and  upon  being  admitted  to  the  bar  began  practice  in  Carroll 
county,  Md.  In  1840  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature ;  was  a 
candidate  for  elector  for  Gen.  Cass  in  1848;  was  a  candidate  for  Con- 
gress in  1850  as  a  Democrat  but  was  defeated,  the  district  being  largely 
Whig.  Early  in  1854  he  removed  to  Baltimore,  and  in  October  of  the 
same  year  was  appointed  by  President  Pierce  chief  justice  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  Kansas,  which  position  he  held  until  March  9,  1859.  Upon 
retiring  from  the  bench  he  located  in  Leavenworth  and  opened  a  law 
office.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  he  renounced  his  political  beliefs 
and  became  a  Republican.  Judge  Lecompte  took  an  active  part  in 
politics;  served  four  years  as  probate  judge  of  Leavenworth  county; 
represented  the  county  in  the  state  legislatures  of  1867-68,  and  on  April 
15,  1874,  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Republican  congressional  com- 
mittee of  the  First  district.  In  1887  he  went  to  Kansas  Citj'  to  live  with 
his  son  and  died  there  on  April  24,  1888. 

Lecompton,  a  town  of  Douglas  county,  is  located  on  the  Kansas  river 


KANSAS    HISffORY  1 29 

and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  ii  miles  west  of  Lawrence, 
the  county  seat.  The  first  settlement  on  or  near  the  town  site  was  made 
in  1854  by  A.  W.  and  A.  G.  Glenn,  father  and  son.  They  were  followed 
b}-  David  Martin,  G.  W.  Zinn  and  others  that  year,  and  a  considerable 
number  of  settlers  came  in  1855  and  1856.  The  Lecompton  town  com- 
pany was  organized  at  the  Pottawatomie  Indian  agency  with  Samuel 
D.  Lecompte,  president;  John  A.  Halderman,  secretary;  Daniel  Wood- 
son, treasurer;  and  George  W.  Clark,  Chauncey  B.  Donaldson  and  Wil- 
liam R.  Simmons  members.  The  company  held  its  meetings  at  West- 
port,  Mo.,  and  on  May  14,  1855,  the  officers  reported  that  the  town  site, 
which  consisted  of  600  acres,  had  been  surveyed  by  D.  H.  Harting  with 
the  design  and  intention  of  making  Lecompton  not  only  a  large  city 
but  also  the  capital  of  the  state.  In  1855  the  territorial  legislature 
authorized  the  erection  of  a  capitol  building  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
town  on  an  eminence  overlooking  the  Kansas  valley  on  a  tract  of  10 
acres  donated  by  the  town  company.  Had  the  building  been  completed 
according  to  the  original  design  it  would  have  cost  $500,000,  provided 
Congress  could  have  been  induced  to  continue  the  appropriations.  (See 
Capitol.) 

A  frame  hotel  called  the  American  was  built  in  the  spring  of  1856; 
the  National  hotel  was  built  the  next  "fall;  the  Rowena  hotel,  a  large 
three-story  stone  structure,  was  erected  by  the  town  company  in  1856 
and  is  the  only  one  that  withstood  the  years  of  strife.  The  postoffice 
was  established  in  the  winter  of  1855-56,  with  Dr.  Aristides  Roderigue, 
the  first  physician,  as  postmaster.  Lecompton  was  incorporated  by  the 
first  territorial  legislature  with  the  following  limits :  "Commencing  in 
the  middle  of  the  Kansas  river,  at  a  point  which  shall  be  designated  by 
the  surveyor  now  engaged  in  laying  out  and  platting  said  town  site ; 
thence  running  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  designated  by  said  surveyor 
throughout  the  entire  limits  of  the  town  or  city."  Lecompton  was  made 
the  county  seat  of  Douglas  county  by  the  same  legislature.  The  second 
and  third  sessions  of  the  legislature  met  at  Lecompton.  During  this 
period  the  town  was  at  the  height  of  its  prosperity  and  gave  promise 
of  being  one  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  settlements  in  the 
territory.  It  was  the  seat  of  government,  had  a  number  of  large  hotels 
that  were  usually  full ;  four  church  organizations ;  the  United  States 
land  office;  and  was  the  headquarters  for  the  stage  line  to  Kansas 
City,  Leavenworth  and  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  It  had  a  population  of  nearly 
1,000  inhabitants  and  lots  in  the  heart  of  the  town  sold  at  $500  or  more, 
but  with  the  downfall  of  the  slave  power  in  the  territory  progress  was 
arrested  and  within  a  short  time  her  glory  began  to  wane.  When 
Topeka  was  made  the  capital  it  was  a  death  blow  to  Lecompton  and  all 
her  interests  took  a  downward  tendency.  Dwelling  houses  were 
removed,  some  to  the  nearby  towns,  some  to  farms  in  the  vicinity. 
Others  fell  to  pieces,  weeds  grew  in  the  once  busy  streets ;  work  upon 
all  public  buildings  ceased  and  the  ruins  were  left  to  stand  as  ghastly 
reminders  of  the  blasted  hopes  that  had  been  so  high.  The  population 
(11-9) 


130 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


rapidly  diminished  to  about  300  and  remained  at  that  figure  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1881  tlie  town  began  to  improve  with  the  completion 
of  the  university  building.  Subsecjuently  Lane  University  was  removed 
to  Helton.  (See  Campbell  College.)  Lecompton  has  a  money  order 
postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  reported  a  pop- 
ulation of  386. 

Lecompton     Constitution.— (See     Constitutions     and     Constitutional 

Conventions. ) 

Lee,  Albert  Lindley,  jurist,  soldier  and  banker,  was  born  at  Fulton, 
N.  Y.,  Jan.  16,  1834,  a  son  of  Moses  and  Ann  (Case)  Lee  and  a 
descendant  of  William  Lee,  who  settled  on  Long  Island  in  1681.  He 
was  educated  at  Lhiion  College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  where  he  graduated 
in  1853.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  practiced  in  New  York  city 
until  1858,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Elwood  Free  Press.  In  1859  he  was  elected  district  judge  of  the 
Second  district,  composed  of  Atchison,  Brown,  Marshall,  Doniphan  and 
Nemaha  counties.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  entered  the 
Union  service  as  major  of  the  Seventh  Kansas  cavalry,  of  which  he 
subsequently  became  colonel.  In  May,  1862,  his  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Mississippi.  He  commanded  the  Second  cavalry  brigade  at  the 
battle  of  Corinth  and  afterwards  took  part  in  the  Mississippi  campaign. 
In  Jan.,  1863,  he  was  appointed  brigadier-general,  his  commission  dating 
from  Nov.  29,  1862.  During  the  operations  around  Vicksburg  he  acted 
as  chief  of  staff  under  Gen.  McClernand.  While  in  command  of  a 
brigade  at  the  assault  on  Vicksburg  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
head.  Upon  his  recovery  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  cavalry 
divison  of  the  Thirteenth  army  corps,  which  was  ordered  to  New 
Orleans.  There  he  was  appointed  chief  of  cavalry,  Department  of  the 
Gulf,  and  was  in  command  of  the  cavalry  during  the  Red  river  cam- 
paign in  1864.  He  took  part  in  the  White  river.  Ark.,  expedition,  after 
which  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  cavalry  division,  with  head- 
quarters at  Baton  Rouge.  In  Jan.,  1865,  he  was  ordered  to  New 
Orleans  but  resigned  in  May.  He  was  editor  of  a  newspaper  in  New 
Orleans  for  a  time,  then  engaged  in  business  in  New  York  city  and 
became  a  banker.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  and  L'nion  League  Club.  He  died  in  New  York  city 
Dec.  31,  1907. 

Leeds,  a  small  hamlet  of  Chautauqua  county,  is  located  22  miles 
northwest  of  Sedan,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  from  Grenola,  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural 
route.     Grenola  is  also  the  nearest  banking  and  shipping  point. 

Leedy,  John  W.,  governor  of  the  State  of  Kansas  from  1897  to  1899, 
was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  March  8,  1849.  His  parents  were 
members  of  the  Dunkard  church,  and  his  early  years  were  passed 
under  the  strict  discipline  of  that  religious  faith.  While  still  in  his 
boyhood  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources  by  the  death  of  his  father, 
and  began  his  career  as  a   farm  hand.     In   1864,  when  in  his  fifteenth 


KANSAS    HISTORY  '3^ 

year,  he  tried  to  enlist  in  a  military  company  that  was  forming  in  his 
native  county,  but  owing  to  his  youth  and  the  protests  of  his  mother 
he  was  rejected.  He  followed  the  company  to  the  front,  however,  and 
remained  with  it  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1865  he  went  to  Pierce- 
ton,  Ind.,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  for  about  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  preferring  outdoor  life,  he  went  to 
Macoupin  county.  111.,  and  found  employment  on  a  farm  near  Carlin- 
ville.  He  remained  there  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Kansas  and 
engaged  in  farming  near  Le  Roy,  Cofifey  county.  Mr.  Leedy  was  reared 
in  a  firm  belief  in  the  tenets  of  the  Republican  party,  with  which  he 
was  affiliated  until  1875,  when  he  became  a  Democrat.  When  the 
Populist  party  was  organized  in  1890,  he  again  changed  his  party 
allegiance,  and  soon  came  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  Populist  leaders 
in  Kansas.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  where  he  served 
until  elected  governor  of  the  state  in  1896.  At  the  close  of  his  two 
years'  term  as  governor  he  became  interested  in  mining  operations  in 
the  vicinity  of  Galena.  In  1901  he  went  to  Alaska,  and  later  located  at 
White  Court,  Alberta,  Can.,  where  he  still  resides.  In  1875,  while  work- 
ing on  the  farm  near  Carlinville,  Mr.  Leedy  married  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Boyd  of  Frederickstown,  Ohio,  and  to  this  union  were  born  three 
children. 

Leedy's  Administration. — Gov.  John  W.  Leedy,  the  second  Populist 
governor  of  Kansas,  was  inaugurated  at  the  opening  of  the  legislative 
session  which  began  at  noon  on  Jan.  12,  1897,  with  Lieut. -Gov.  A.  M. 
Harvey  presiding  in  the  senate,  and  W.  D.  Street  as  speaker  of  the 
house.  At  4  p.  m.  the  same  day  Gov.  Leedy's  message  was  read  to 
the  general  assembly.  In  his  introduction  he  contrasted  the  conditions 
in  Kansas  with  those  in  the  East,  as  follows : 

"While,  according  to  the  press  of  the  nation's  most  populous 
metropolis,  her  children  linger  in  the  streets  untaught,  except  in  the 
lore  of  the  pavement:  unfed,  except  at  the  hand  of  charity;  unhoused, 
except  in  the  kennels  they  dispute  with  creatures  scarcely  less  miserable, 
the  commonwealth  of  Kansas  rejoicing  in  a  public  school  system  which 
is  the  most  grateful  heritage  we  received  from  our  fathers  and  the 
best  legacy  we  can  leave  to  our  children,  finds  ample  house  room  and 
school  room  for  every  Kansas  child  and  for  such  straggling  waifs  as 
come  to  us  from  where  penury  and  parsimony  stalk  side  by  side.  There 
are  no  tramps  in  Kansas,  except  those  birds  of  passage  who  flit  by  us, 
grim  reminders  of  the  conditions  in  older  communities." 

Referring  to  the  report  of  the  state  treasury  he  showed  the 
finances  of  the  state  to  be  in  a  healthy  condition  at  the  close  of  the 
fiscal  year  on  June  30,  1896,  when  there  was  a  balance  in  the  treasury 
of  $604,529.10,  a  bonded  indebtedness  of  only  $788,500,  and  a  permanent 
school  fund  of  $7,016,993.10. 

The  various  state  educational,  charitable  and  penal  institutions  were 
discussed  in  detail,  and  in  connection  with  these  institutions  the  gov- 
ernor said  :     "A  visiting  board  for  all  charitable,  educational  and  penal 


132  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

institutions  of  the  state,  with  power  to  come  and  go,  and  report  abuses 
to  the  governor,  would  be  a  good  tiling.  Several  states  have  adopted 
this  system  of  the  supervision  of  the  different  institutions,  in  order  to 
guard  against  the  treatment  often  accorded  the  inmates  through  the 
neglect  of  the  officials  in  charge." 

He  expressed  his  willingness  to  cooperate  with  the  legislature  in 
the  establishment  of  such  a  visiting  board,  but  no  law  was  passed 
during  the  sessions  to  carry  his  notions  into  effect.  The  governor  also 
recommended  the  abolition  of  the  forestry  stations  in  the  western  part 
of  the  state,  if  it  could  be  legally  done,  and  the  discontinuance  of  the 
silk  station  at  Peabody.  The  silk  station  was  ordered  to  be  sold,  and 
all  laws  for  the  encouragement  of  silk  culture  were  repealed,  but  the 
forestry  stations  were  continued  and  an  appropriation  made  for  their 
benefit. 

Gov.  Leedy  was  elected  as  the  candidate  of  the  Populist  party,  one 
of  the  fundamental  dogmas  of  which  was  the  regulation  of  railroad 
rates  by  law,  and  it  was  but  natural  that  a  large  part  of  his  message 
should  be  devoted  to  this  subject. 

"The  question  of  the  regulation  of  transportation  companies,"  said 
he,  "has  been  one  that  has  commanded  the  attention  of  the  legislatures 
of  the  various  states  since  railroads  were  first  introduced.  These  cor- 
porations have  received  their  charter  rights  from  the  various  states, 
and  these  states  naturally  concluded  that  the}'  had  the  right  to  regulate 
and  control  the  corporations  that  they  thus  had  created.  This  view 
of  the  case  was  constantly  combatted  by  the  corporations,  who  claimed, 
as  they  were  private  corporations,  that  they  were  not  subject  to  state 
legislation  so  far  as  their  charges  were  concerned,  a  view  that  they 
have  not  yet  abandoned.  When  the  courts  of  the  states  began  to  hold 
that  they  were  public  corporations,  and  therefore  amenable  to  the 
legislatures  of  the  states,  they  appealed  to  the  Federal  courts,  claim- 
ing, first,  that  they  were  private  corporations,  and,  second,  that  if  they 
were  quasi  public  corporations,  the  regulation  of  them  could  only  be 
had  through  the  Federal  Congress.  The  courts  having  sustained  this 
view,  the  people  of  the  various  states  then  demanded  that  Congress 
should  pass  such  legislation  and  create  such  boards  of  control  as  were 
necessary  to  secure  to  the  people  their  just  rights  in  the  matter.  In 
obedience  to  this  demand  Congress  eleven  years  ago  created  that  subter- 
fuge for  justice  called  the  Interstate  Commission,  and  enacted  legisla- 
tion that  was  supposed  by  the  people  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
their  rights  and  controlling  these  corporations.  After  eleven  years  of 
weary  waiting  the  people  are  now  told  by  this  commission  in  its  tenth 
annual  report,  just  issued,  that  the  law  under  which  they  were  acting 
was  defective  and  had  been  held  by  the  court  of  last  resort  as  inoperative 
and  unconstitutional. 

"I  therefore  recommend  that  the  legislature  pass  a  maximum  freight 
law  that  will  be  fair  to  corporations  and  just  to  the  people.  I  believe 
also  that  the  board  of  railroad  commissioners  should  be  clearlv  vested 


KANSAS    HISTORY  133 

with  the  judicial  powers  of  a  court  and  giveii  the  power  to  adjust  fares 
and  freights  within  the  State  of  Kansas  as  they  deem  just,  and  not 
exceeding  the  maximum  rate,  and  that  their  powers  shall  be  made 
definite  and  certain,  but  subject  to  appeal  to  the  supreme  court  of  the 
state.  ...  If  the  corporations  will  accept  -such  just  and  fair  regula- 
tions, subject  to  review  by  the  supreme  court  of  the  state,  well  and 
good ;  but  if  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  they  flock  under  the  protecting 
wing  of  the  Federal  courts,  where  justice  to  the  people  seems  not  only 
blind,  as  it  should  be,  but  deaf  and  dumb  also,  then  I  advise  the  people 
of  Kansas  to  seek  for  justice  out  of  court.  In  doing  so,  I  can  only 
point  to  one  route  by  which  it  can  be  obtained,  and  that  is  for  the 
states  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  to  build  a  road  of  their  own  to 
tide  water  by  the  shortest  and  most  direct  route,  which  will  put  them 
in  a  position  to  command  the  situation  without  getting  into  any  com- 
plication with  the  railroad  companies  or  the  Federal  courts." 

Notwithstanding  the  radical  utterances  and  plain  recommendations 
of  the  governor  and  the  fact  that  the  People's  party  had  a  good  work- 
ing majority  in  each  branch  of  the  general  assembly,  no  law  regarding 
railroad  rates  was  passed  during  the  session.  True,  a  bill  was  passed, 
but,  for  reasons  which  will  appear  later,  the  governor  withheld  his 
approval  and  it  did  not  become  a  law.  The  session  lasted  from  Jan. 
12  to  March  20,  the  longest  in  the  history  of  the  state  up  to  this  time. 
On  Jan.  27  William  A.  Harris  was  elected  United  States  senator,  to 
succeed  William  A.  Pefifer,  for  the  term  beginning  on  March  4,  1897. 
Over  2,000  bills  were  introduced  during  the  session,  but  fewer  than 
300  of  them  actually  became  laws.  The  principal  acts  were  those 
relating  to  banking:  providing  for  the  Australian  system  of  voting  in 
all  elections ;  prohibiting  sherififs  of  counties  and  mayors  of  cities  from 
appointing  non-residents  as  deputies  to  preserve  the  peace  and  quell 
disorders,  and  making  any  person,  company  or  corporation  importing 
into  the  state  any  person  or  persons  to  act  as  peace  officers  liable  to 
a  fine  of  $10,000;  removing  from  some  50  persons  political  disabilities 
imposed  by  the  constitutional  amendment  of  Nov.  5,  1867;  requiring 
railroad  companies  to  fence  their  right-of-way  through  farms ;  the  anti- 
trust law;  authorizing  cities  to  build  waterworks  and  electric  lighting 
plants  when  the  people  voted  in  favor  of  such ;  requiring  all  mortgages 
to  be  recorded  in  the  county  where  the  real  estate  forming  the  basis 
of  the  security  was  located  ;  creating  a  text-book  commission  and  pro- 
viding for  a  uniform  system  of  text-books  in  the  public  schools. 

Soon  after  coming  into  office  William  Stryker,  the  superintendent  of 
public  -instruction,  found  fault  with'  the  text-book  on  civil  government 
because  it  defined  greenbacks  as  "promises  to  pay  money,"  and  had 
the  book  revised  defining  these  notes  as  "paper  money  and  a  legal 
tender."  .  ., 

The.  year  ;i897  was  ojie  of  general  prosperity  in  Kansas.  The  wheat 
crop.  waB' Uftusually  large^and  many  farmers  paid  ofif  mortgages  of  long 
standing..  .A- large  oil   refinery   was   established   af  Neodesha,   Wilson- 


134 


CYCLOPEDI.V   OF 


county ;  gas  wells  were  sunk  at  various  places  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  state:  the  salt  industry  was  greatly  developed,  and  new  fac- 
tories sprang  up  in  a  large  number  of  the  principal  cities  and  towns. 

When  war  with  Spain  was  declared  in  the  spring  of  1898  Kansas 
did  not  wait  for  a  demand  to  be  made  upon  her  for  volunteers.  On 
April  18  a  company  marched  to  the  governor's  office,  where  the  officers 
announced  that  they  were  ready  to  be  mustered  into  the  service  of 
the  United  States.  Five  days  later  came  the  president's  call  for  125,000 
men,  of  which  Kansas  was  required  to  furnish  2,230.  The  quota  was 
promptly  filled,  and  throughout  the  war,  especially  in  the  Philippines, 
the  Kansas  troops  met  every  call  of  duty  in  a  way  that  added  to  the 
military  reputation  of  the  state.     (See  Spanish-.\merican   War.) 

In  the  political  campaign  of  1898  four  tickets  were  presented  to  the 
voters  of  Kansas.  A  Republican  state  convention  met  at  Hutchinson  on 
June  8  and  nominated  William  E.  Stanley  for  governor ;  H.  E.  Richter, 
lieutenant-governor;  George  A.  Clark,  secretary  of  state;  George  E. 
Cole,  auditor;  Frank  E.  Grimes,  treasurer;  A.  A.  Godard,  attorney- 
general;  Frank  Nelson,  superintendent  of  public  instruction;  Willis  J. 
Bailey,  Congressman-at-large ;  William  R.  Smith,  associate  justice.  The 
platform  declared  in  favor  of  the  Nicaraugua  canal ;  strengthening  the 
-navy,  and  liberal  pension  laws,  and  criticised  Gov.  Leedy's  administra- 
tion for  its  failure  to  carry  out  the  pledges  made  prior  to  his  election. 

On  the  same  day  (June  8)  the  Prohibition  state  convention  met  at 
Emporia.  William  A.  Pei?er  was  nominated  for  governor ;  Robert  T. 
Black,  lieutenant-governor;  J.  B.  Garton,  secretary  of  state;  Horace 
Hurley,  auditor;  John  Biddison,  treasurer;  Mrs.  R.  N.  Buckner,  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction;  Mont  Williams,  Congressman-at-Iarge. 
In  addition  to  the  customary  declarations  regarding  the  evils  of  the  liquor 
traffic,  the  platform  contained  the  following:  "We  regard  civil  govern- 
ment as  an  ordinance  of  God,  and  recognize  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as 
King  of  Kansas,  and  therefore  believe  that  the  administration  of  civil 
afTairs  should  be  in  harmony  with  the  law  and  in  His  spirit." 

On  June  15  the  Populist  state  convention  assembled  at  Topeka  and 
the  Democratic  state  convention  at  Atchison.  A  conference  commit- 
tee of  the  two  parties  recommended  the  renomination  of  the  entire 
fusion  ticket  elected  in  1896,  to-wit :  Governor,  John  W.  Leedy ; 
lieutenant-governor,  A.  M.  Harvey ;  secretary  of  state,  W.  E.  Bush ; 
auditor,  W.  H.  Morris;  treasurer,  D.  H.  Heffiebower;  attorney-general, 
1..  C.  Boyle;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  William  Stryker; 
Congressman-at-large,  J.  D.  Botkin. 

The  Social  labor  party,  a  new  factor  in  Kansas  politics,  entered  the 
arena  with  the  following  ticket :  Governor,  Caleb  Lipscomb ;  lieuten- 
ant-governor, X.  B.  Arnold;  secretary  of  state,  D.  O'Donnell ;  auditor, 
E.  A.  Cain;  treasurer,  W.  H.  Wright;  attorney-general,  W.  L.  Rose; 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Etta  Semple ;  Congressman-at- 
large,  F.  E.  Miller;  associate  justice,  A.  A.  Carnahan.  The  platform  of 
this  party  demanded  more  paper  money;  better  pay  for  soldiers;  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  135 

breaking  up  of  the  land  monopoly,  and  the  government  control  of  all 
other  monopolies. 

At  the  election  in  November  the  entire  Republican  state  ticket  was 
victorious,  the  vote  for  governor  being  as  follows:  Stanley,  142,292; 
Leedy,  134,158;  Peffer,  4,092;  Lipscomb,  635.  The  majorities  received 
by  the  other  Republican  candidates  were  practically  the  same  as  that 
of  Gov.  Stanley. 

During  the  campaign  the  question  of  regulating  railroad  charges  by 
law  was  again  widely  discussed,  and  on  Dec.  15,  1898,  Gov.  Leedy 
issued  the  following  proclamation : 

"Whereas,  assurances  have  reached  me  to  the  effect  that  if  the  legis- 
lature shall  be  convened,  suitable  legislation  for  the  regulation  of  rail- 
road charges  can  be  enacted,  and  deeming  such  matter  of  sufficient 
importance  to  justify  the  convening  of  the  legislature  in  special  session: 

"Now,  therefore,  I,  John  W.  Leedy,  governor  of  the  State  of  Kansas, 
by  virtue  of  the  authority  vested  in  me  by  the  constitution  of  the  state, 
do  hereby  convene  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas  to  meet  at  the 
capital  of  the  state,  at  the  hour  of  4  o'clock  p.  m..  on  the  21st  day  of 
Dec,  1898." 

At  the  appointed  time  the  general  assembly  met  and  the  two  houses 
organized  with  the  same  presiding  officers  as  at  the  regular  session  of 
the  preceding  year.  Consequently  no  time  was  lost  in  effecting  an 
organization,  and  the  governor's  message  was  submitted  the  same  day. 
In  it  the  governor  explained  the  reasons  for  the  failure  of  the  regular 
session  of  1897  to  enact  a  railroad  rate  law.    Said  he : 

"Although  the  present  executive  and  a  majority  of  each  house  of  the 
present  legislature  were  elected  under  a  pledge  to  enact  a  maximum 
rate  law,  when  the  time  arrived  for  fulfilling  that  pledge  the  menace 
of  a  judicial  decision  by  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  land,  which  would 
make  legislative  regulation  of  railroad  charges  practically  impossible, 
caused  many  to  doubt  the  wisdom  of  attempting  the  promised  legisla- 
tion ;  and  such  dift'erence  of  opinion  prevailed  that  the  executive  felt 
called  upon  to  withhold  his  approval  from  the  compromise  measure 
finally  passed.  There  was  then  pending  undetermined  in  the  supreme 
court  of  the  LInited  States  a  case  which  involved  the  question  whether, 
as  to  railroad  legislation,  the  legislatures  of  the  theoretically  sovereign 
states  should  be  reduced  to  the  level  of  city  councils  or  district  school 
boards,  upon  the  reasonableness,  as  well  as  the  authority,  of  whose  acts 
courts  may  sit  in  judgment.  The  decision  of  that  case,  announced  soon 
after  the  adjournment  of  the  legislature,  fully  justified  the  fears  and 
anticipations  of  those  who  deemed  it  futile  to  pass  a  maximum  rate 
bill ;  for  it  rendered  such  an  enactment  a  mere  proposal  of  legislation 
— not  a  law — which  must  be  submitted  to  the  Federal  court  for  approval 
or  rejection.  That  decision  declared  by  that  whether  the  rates  of  trans- 
portation prescribed  by  a  legislature  are  reasonable  is  a  judicial  ques- 
tion, and  that,  first,  a  single  Federal  judge,  and  finally  five  Federal 
justices,  may,  upon  that  question,  reverse  and  hold  null  tlie  deliberate 
judgment  of  an  entire  legislature. 


136  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

"...  I  therefore  recommend  that  the  legislature  confer  upon  the 
board  of  railroad  commissioners  full  judicial  power  to  try,  hear  and 
determine  all  questions  as  to  the  reasonableness  or  unreasonableness 
of  every  charge  made  by  a  railroad  company  for  services  rendered 
wholly  within  this  state  in  the  transportation  of  property ;  that  they 
be  authorized  to  try,  determine  and  enter  judgment  declaring  what 
are,  at  the  time  of  rendering  the  decision,  reasonable  charges  for  the 
transportation  of  property  between  different  points  over  each  and  all 
railroad  lines  in  this  state :  and  also  what  are  reasonable  charges  for 
switching,  demurrage,  and  all  other  charges  imposed  by  them  from  the 
time  of  the  reception  of  each  and  every  kind  and  class  of  freight  to 
its  delivery  to  the  consignee,  etc.  .  .  .  The  commissioners  should 
be  given  abundant  power  to  carry  their  judgments  into  execution,  and  to 
see  that  the  law  which  prohibits  the  companies  from  taking  more  than 
the  reasonable  rate  determined  by  them  is  enforced,  and  to  this  end  the 
legislature  should  provide  an  attorney  for  the  board,  whose  special  duty 
it  shall  be  to  appear  wherever  necessary  to  protect  the  interests  of  the 
state  in  the  enforcement  of  the  law." 

Gov.  Leedy  also  recommended  that  the  people  be  given  the  right  to 
recover  damages  from  such  railroad  companies  as  should  persist  in 
exacting  greater  rates  that  those  fixed  by  the  board  as  reasonable.  His 
recommendations  were  generally  followed  by  the  legislature,  which 
abolished  the  old  board  of  railroad  commissioners  and  created  in  lieu 
thereof  a  "court  of  visitation."  This  court  was  to  consist  of  three 
judges,  to  be  appointed  by  the  governor  on  the  first  Monday  in  April, 
1899.  and  these  judges  were  to  serve  until  their  successors  should  be 
elected  by  the  people  at  the  general  election  in  1900.  Each  member 
of  the  court  was  to  receive  a  salary  of  $2,500  a  year  and  the  term  of 
office  was  fixed  at  four  years.  The  court  was  given  power  and  jurisdic- 
tion throughout  the  state  to  try  and  determine  all  questions  relating 
to  railroad  rates,  switching  and  demurrage  charges,  etc. ;  to  apportion 
charges  between  connecting  roads ;  to  classify  freight ;  to  require  the 
construction  and  maintenance  of  depots,  stock  yards,  switches,  and 
other  facilities  for  public  convenience;  to  compel  reasonable  and  im- 
partial train  and  car  service  for  patrons ;  to  regulate  crossings  and 
intersections  of  railroads;  to  prescribe  rules  concerning  the  movement 
of  trains;  "to  restrict  railroad  corporations  to  operations  within  their 
charter  powers,  prevent  oppressive  exercise  thereof,  and  compel  the  per- 
formance of  all  the  duties  required  by  law."  In  short,  the  court  was 
given  a  general  supervisory  power  over  practically  all  the  operations 
of  the  railroad  companies  doing  business  in  Kansas,  and  to  accomplish 
this  end  power  was  conferred  on  the  court  to  summon  juries,  as  a  court 
of  equity,  in  any  case  or  matter  brought  before  it  for  consideration. 
•  Other  acts  passed  by  the  legislature  at  the  special  session  provided 
for  the  abolishment  of  the  boards  of  police  commissioners  in  cities  of 
the  first  class,  and  the  establishment  in  their  place  of  a  fire  and  police 
commission  which  should  have  control  of  both  the  fire  and  police  depart- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  137 

ments ;  amended  the  election  laws  in  the  matter  of  printing  the  ballots ; 
created  a  state  labor  society ;  transferred  to  the  court  of  visitation  the 
regulation  of  telegraph  companies ;  and  provided  certain  regulations 
concerning  the  increase  of  the  capital  stock  of  corporations  or  the  con- 
solidation of  two  or  more  companies.  There  was  also  passed  an  act 
making  a  reduction  of  40  per  cent,  in  telegraph  tolls,  but  it  was  subse- 
quently declared  unconstitutional. 

The  special  session  lasted  until  Jan.  9,  1899,  which  was  the  second 
Monday,  the  time  specified  by  the  state  constitution  for  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  new  governor.  Gov.  Leedy's  administration  therefore  came 
to  an  end  with  the  extra  session  of  the  general  assembly,  and  Gov. 
Stanley  was  inaugurated. 

Leesburg,  a  hamlet  in  Stafford  county,  is  located  7  miles  southeast 
of  St.  John,  the  county  seat,  and  about  the  same  distance  southwest  of 
StaiTord,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Lehigh,  one  of  the  incorporated  town  of  Marion  county,  is  located 
in  Lehigh  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  16  miles 
west  of  Marion,  the  county  seat.  It  is  the  trading  point  for  a  large  and 
wealthy  agricultural  and  stock  raising  district.  It  has  a  bank  and  a 
newspaper  printed  in  German  called  "Das  Echo."  All  lines  of  mer- 
cantile enterprises  are  represented.  There  are  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  town 
was  incorporated  in  1901.  The  population  in  1910,  according  to  the 
government  census,  was  385.  Lehigh  was  platted  in  1881  by  Alden 
Speare  of  Boston.     L.  Monniger  was  the  first  merchant  and  postmaster. 

Leland,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Graham  county,  is  located  12  miles  south- 
west from  Hill  City,  the  county  seat,  and  9  miles  in  the  same  direction 
from  Penokee,  from  which  postoffice  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 
Penokee  is  also  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point.  The 
population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  25. 

Le  Loup,  a  village  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Franklin  county,  is 
located  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  7  miles  northeast 
of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat.  It  was  first  named  Ferguson,  after  Robert 
Ferguson,  who  owned  the  land  upon  which  the  town  was  founded.  The 
first  house  was  built  in  1870  by  J.  A.  Stonebraker  and  Mr.  Ferguson. 
A  postoffice  was  established  in  1870.  In  the  summer  of  1879  a  school 
house  was  built  and  the  fall  term  was  taught  by  Cyrus  Jenkins.  After 
the  building  of  the  railroad  the  name  was  changed  to  Le  Loup.  The 
town  has  several  good  stores,  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural 
route,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population 
of   100. 

Lenape,  a  village  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  situated  in  the  extreme 
southeastern  portion  on  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R. 
about  20  miles  southwest  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  two  general  stores,  a 
telegraph  station,  a  money  order  postoffice,  and  in  1910  had  a  popula- 
tion of  85. 


138  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Lenexa,  an  incorporated  town  of  Johnson  county,  is  located  in  the 
northeastern  part  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  7  miles  north- 
east of  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  The  railroad  company  bought  the  town 
site  and  had  it  platted  in  1869.  The  first  store  was  opened  by  Lee 
Freeman  in  i8tK)  and  the  second  by  Dr.  Bower  in  1870.  The  postofifice 
was  established  about  the  same  time,  with  Lee  Freeman  as  postmaster. 
The  Methodist  church  was  established  at  an  early  date  and  a  church 
building  erected  in  1878.  A  Catholic  church  was  also  organized  and  a 
church  building  erected  in  1881.  The  Fountain  Head  mill,  the  first 
manufacturing  industry,  was  established  in  1879  with,  a  capacity  of  30 
barrels  a  day.  Lenexa  has  an  excellent  public  school  system,  several 
general  stores,  a  hotel,  lumber  yard,  implement  and  hardware  store,  and 
is  the  supply  and  shipping  point  for  the  rich  agricultural  country  by 
which  it  is  surrounded.  It  also  has  a  money  order  postofifice  with  two 
rural  routes,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  popu- 
lation of  383. 

Lenora,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Norton  county,  is 
located  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Solomon  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.,  18  miles  southwest  of  Norton,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  2 
hotels,  an  opera  house,  a  commercial  club,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
News),  good  graded  schools  and  3  churches.  There  are  telegraph  and 
express  offices  and  a  money  order  postofifice  with  two  rural  routes.  The 
population  in  1910  was  454.  The  town  was  founded  in  1873  and  named 
for  Mrs.  Lenora  Hauser.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1875  with 
R.  C.  Sadoris  as  postmaster.  The  first  town  officers  were :  G.  W.  Hood, 
trustee;  W.  Friffin,  treasurer;  A.  Hendricks  and  A.  Bowman,  justices; 
George  E.  Dubois  and  Ephraim  Burris,  constables.  The  first  newspaper 
was  the  Leader,  established  in  1882. 

Leon,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Butler  county,  is 
located  on  Little  Walnut  river,  a  water-power  stream,  and  on  the  St. 
Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  10  miles  south  of  Eldorado,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  churches,  schools,  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Indi- 
cator), telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
three  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  494.  Leon  was  founded 
in  1879  and  was  first  named  Noble.  The  postoffice  was  established  in 
1880  with  G.  A.  Kenoyer,  postmaster.  Incorporation  took  place  in  1882 
with  the  following  fifificers ;  Mayor,  Levi  Kiser;  city  clerk,  D.  W.  Poe; 
police  judge,  J.  S.  Calvert;  councilmen,  W.  J.  Cunningham,  J.  Kunkle, 

C.  Lipscomb,  G.  A.  Kenoyer  and  Ben  H.  Wood.    In  the  fall  of  that  year 
a  disastrous  fire  occurred  destroying  property  to  the  extent  of  $10,000. 

Leona,  one  of  the  villages  of  Doniphan  county,  is  located  on  Wolf 
river,  in  Wolf  River  township  and  on  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island 
R.  R.  15  miles  west  of  Tro}'.  It  has  banking  facilities,  express  and 
telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The 
population  in  1910  was  275.  The  town  was  founded  in  1873,  by  a  stock 
company  of  which  J.  W.  Shock  was  president.     The  land  belonged  to 

D.  Kercher,  who  before  the  first  store  was  built  had  a  postoffice.  in  his 


KANSAS    HISTORY  139 

house.  The  store  was  opened  by  H.  Gregg.  The  first  physician  was 
Dr.  S.  H.  Blakely,  the  first  drug  store  was  opened  by  C.  B.  Channel,  the 
first  hardware  store  and  the  first  blacksmith  shop  by  P.  A.  Floodin. 
F.  Case  kept  the  first  harness  shop  and  Kopietz  the  first  meat  market. 
In  1875  J.  W.  Shock  opened  the  first  lumber  yard.  The  first  school 
was  taught  in  1867. 

Leonardville,  one  of  the  incorporated  cities  of  Riley  county,  is  located 
in  Bala  township  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  26  miles  northwest  of 
Manhattan.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Monitor),  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural 
routes.  .The  population  in  1910  was  525.  The  town  was  founded  in 
1881  and  was  first  called  Leonard  in  honor  of  Leonard  T.  Smith,  for- 
merly president  of  the  Kansas  Central  R.  R.  Four  general  stores  and 
a  number  of  other  lines  of  business  were  at  once  established. 

Leoti,  the  county  seat  of  Wichita  county,  is  centrally  located  and  is 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  2  banks,  a  flour  mill,  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  Standard),  stages  tri-weekly  to  Lakin,  Garwood  and  St. 
Theresa,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  and  the  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  288.  It  was  settled  in  1885  ^'^"i  was  formerly  called 
Bonosa.  Five  years  later  it  had  a  population  of  341.  Then  came  a 
depression  which  was  common  to  all  western  Kansas,  and  the  population 
fell  to  151  in  1900.  Since  then  it  has  recovered  from  the  hard  times  and 
is  again  in  a  thrifty  condition  as  shown  by  the  increase  in  population 
and  by  the  number  of  business  houses.    (See  Wichita  County.) 

Lerado,  an  inland  hamlet  in  the  southern  part  of  R§no  county,  is 
located  27  miles  southwest  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles 
southeast  of  Langdon,  whence  its  mail  is  distributed  bj'  rural  route. 
The  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point  is  Olcott,  4  miles  south- 
west on  the  Kingman  &  Larned  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  70.  The  little  town  was 
laid  out  in  1888,  and  is  the  central  trading  point  for  Bell  township. 

Le  Roy,  one  of  the  principal  towns  of  Coffey  county,  formerly  the 
county  seat,  is  located  8  miles  southeast  of  Burlington,  the  county  seat, 
at  the  junction  of  two  lines  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  at  Le  Roy  Junction,  a  short 
distance  west  of  Le  Roy  proper.  Le  Roy  has  banking  facilities,  a  flour 
mill,  a  vitrified  brick  plant,  weekly  and  semi-weekly  newspapers,  excel- 
lent schools  and  substantial  church  buildings,  a  number  of  first  class 
stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  reported 
by  the  government  census  to  be  861. 

Le  Roy  was  founded  by  Gen.  John  B.  Scott,  on  land  preempted  for 
him  by  Frederick  Troxel,  who  sold  out  his  interest  to  Thomas  Crab- 
tree.  The  first  house  was  built  by  Thomas  Crabtree  and  Isaac  Chatham 
in  the  fall  of  1855.  The  first  justice  of  the  peace,  John  B.  Scott,  received 
his  commission  in  that  year.  He  was  also  the  first  postmaster.  In  1857 
Jerome  A.  and  P.  H.  Smith  opened  a  general  store  in  a  log  building. 


I'40  CVCLOr-IiDlA    OF 

Tlie  same  year  two  sawmills  were  set  up,  one  by  Futhey,  Harvey  & 
Co.,  and  the  other  by  Smith  &  Murden.  The  former  attached  a  flour 
mill  to  their  plant  in  1859.  A  hotel  was  built  by  a  Mr.  Fisk  that  year, 
and  a  good  school  house  was  built.  A  brick  building  was  erected  by 
Dr.  George  W.  Nelson,  the  bricks  having  been  burned  by  John  Cotting- 
ham.  Until  1870  Le  Roy  was  the  largest  and  best  town  in  the  county. 
The  first  newspaper  (the  Le  Roy  Pioneer)  was  published  in  1866  by 
William  Kent  and  William  Higgins. 

Levant,  a  hamlet  in  Thomas  county,  is  located  in  Hale  township  on 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles  west  of  Colby,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  general  store,  a  grain  elevator,  and  a  mone,y  order 
postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the 
census  of  1910  was  25. 

Lewelling,  Lorenzo  D.,  twelfth  governor  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  was 
born  at  Salem,  Henry  county,  la.,  Dec.  21,  1846.  His  ancestry  came 
from  Wales,  the  name  in  that  country  having  been  spelled  "Llewellyn." 
His  father,  William  Lewelling,  was  a  minister  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
or  Quakers,  and  died  in  Indiana  in  1848  while  engaged  in  missionary 
work  in  that  state.  The  mother  was  accidentally  burned  to  death  in 
1855,  after  which  Lorenzb  for  a  time  made  his  home  with  an  older  sister. 
He  then  worked  at  such  employment  as  he  could  obtain  until  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  in  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  an  Iowa  regiment. 
This  was  contrary  to  the  religious  tenets  of  the  Friends,  and  the  fact 
that  he  was  not  of  legal  age  enabled  his  relatives  to  secure  his  discharge. 
However,  he  was  with  the  quartermaster's  department  for  some  time, 
and  later  was  employed  with  a  government  bridge  building  corps  about 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.  In  1865,  just  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  taught  a 
negro  school,  under  guard,  at  Mexico,  Mo.,  being  employed  for  that 
purpose  by  the  Freedmen's  Aid  Society.  Then,  after  attending  a  busi- 
ness college  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  for  a  short  time,  he  worked  as  a 
tow-path  boy  on  the  Erie  canal;  as  a  carpenter  in  Toledo,  Ohio;  as  a 
section  hand  and  bridge-builder  for  several  railroad  companies,  after 
which  he  returned  to  his  native  town  and  entered  Whittier  College, 
where  he  graduated  about  1868.  Upon  finishing  his  schooling,  he  became 
a  teacher  in  the  Iowa  state  reform  school.  On  April  18,  1870,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Angeline  M.  Cook,  a  teacher  of  Red  Oak,  la.  In  1872  he  was 
made  superintendent  of  the  girls'  department  of  the  reform  school,  his 
wife  at  the  same  time  being  appointed  matron,  and  this  position  he  held 
for  fourteen  years.  He  then  spent  about  two  years  in  founding  and 
editing  the  Des  Moines  Capital,  an  "anti-ring"  Republican  newspaper, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  the  reform  school.  His  wife 
died  while  matron  of  that  institution,  leaving  three  daughters,  and  subse- 
quently Mr.  Lewelling  married  Miss  Ida  Bishop.  In  1887  he  removed 
to  Wichita,  Kan.,  where  he  engaged  in  business.  While  in  Iowa  Mr. 
Lewelling  held  several  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  was 
several  times  a  delegate  to  the  national  congress  of  charities ;  was  one 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  state  normal  school,  and  was-  president 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I4I 

of  tlie  board  at  the  time  of  his  removal  to  Kansas.  While  engaged  in 
newspaper  work  he  became  a  student  of  economic  and  political  ques- 
tions, and  upon  removing  to  Kansas  he  ceased  to  affiliate  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  organization  of 
the  Farmers'  Alliance,  and  in  1892  was  nominated  by  the  Populist  party 
for  governor.  The  Populist  state  convention  of  that  year  was  held  in 
Wichita  and  Mr.  Lewelling  appeared  as  a  private  citizen  to  welcome  the 
delegates  to  the  city.  W.  J.  Costigan,  an  intimate  friend  of  Gov. 
Lewelling,  says  :  "Up  to  that  hour  scarcely  a  delegate  in  that  convention 
had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  him.  His  address  stirred  the  convention  to 
its  inmost  fiber,  and  within  the  next  twenty-four  hours  he  was  its  candi- 
date for  governor."  The  Democrats  indorsed  his  candidacy  and  he  was 
elected.  In  1894  he  was  renominated,  but  the  platform  declared  in  favor 
of: woman  suffrage,  which  alienated  Democratic  support,  and  this, 
together  with  the  recollections  of  the  stormy  scenes  attending  the 
opening  days  of  his  administration,  encompassed  his  defeat.  In  1896 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Populist  national  convention  that  nominated 
Bryan  and  Watson,  and  the  same  year  was  elected  to  the  Kansas  state 
senate,  which  office  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  died  of  heart 
disease  at  Arkansas  City,  Kan.,  on  Sept.  3,  1900,  while  on  his  way  home 
from  Geuda  Springs.  Gov.  Lewelling  was  prominent  in  Masonic  circles, 
especially  while  a  resident  of  Iowa,  where  he  was  twice  master  of  his 
lodge,  deputy  grand  master  of  the  state,  and  grand  orator  for  both  the 
grand  lodge  and  the  grand  commandery.  Knights  Templars.  He  was 
also  a  noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  belonged  to  several  other 
societies. 

Lewelling's  Administration. — Gov.  Lewelling  was  inaugurated  on  Jan. 
9,  1893.  The  dogmas  of  the  People's  party  were  reflected  in  his  inaugu- 
ral address,  as  the  following  extracts  will  show :  "If  it  be  true  that  the 
poor  have  no  right  to  the  property  of  the  rich,  let  it  also  be  declared  that 
the  rich  have  no  right  to  the  property  of  the  poor.  It  is  the  mission  of 
Kansas  to  protect  and  advance  the  moral  and  material  interests  of  all 
her  citizens.  It  is  her  especial  duty  at  the  present  time  to  protect  the 
producer  from  the  ravages  of  combined  wealth.  National  legislation  has 
for  twenty  years  fostered  and  protected  the  interests  of  the  few,  while 
it  has  left  the  South  and  West  to  supply  the  products  with  which  to  feed 
and  clothe  the  world,  and  thus  to  become  the  servants  of  wealth.  .  .  . 
The  purchasing  power  of  the  dollar  has  become  so  great  that  corn, 
wheat,  beef,  pork  and  cotton  have  scarcely  commanded  a  price  equal  to 
the  cost  of  production.  The  instincts  of  patriotism  have  naturally 
rebelled  against  these  unwarranted  encroachments  of  the  power  of 
money.  Sectional  hatred  has  also  been  kept  alive  by  the  old  powers, 
the  better  to  enable  them  to  control  the  products  and  make  the  producer 
contribute  to  the  millionaire.  And  thus,  while  the  producer  labors  in 
the  field,  the  shop,  and  the  factory,  the  millionaire  usurps  his  earnings 
and  rides  in  gilded  carriages  with  liveried  servants. 

"To  check  and  change  these  conditions  for  the  good  of  all,  Kansas 


142  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Steps  forth  to-day.  .  .  .  There  must  be  change,  and  change  must  be 
exaltation  and  progress.  .  .  .  Under  the  peaceful  revolution  that  comes 
to  Kansas  to-day.  let  us  hope  there  may  also  come  a  spirit  of  renewed 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  people,  a  spirit  of  sympathy  for  those  who 
struggle,  and  an  awakening  to  the  greatness  and  responsibility  of  citizen- 
ship. 

"The  state  is  greater  than  the  party,  but  the  citizen  is  greater  than 
the  state,  while  the  family  is  the  priceless  jewel  of  our  civilization.  The 
problem  of  to-day  is  to  make  the  state  subservient  to  the  individual 
rather  than  to  become  his  master." 

On  the  loth,  the  day  following  the  delivery  of  this  address,  the  legis- 
lature convened  in  regular  session.  The  senate  was  composed  of  25 
Populists  and  15  Republicans,  and  organized  without  difficulty,  Lieut.- 
Gov.  Percy  Daniels  presiding.  The  house  of  representatives  was  not 
so  fortunate.  Certificates  of  election  had  been  issued  by  the  state  board 
of  canvassers  to  63  Republicans,  58  Populists,  3  Democrats,  and  i  Inde- 
pendent. In  one  district,  owing  to  irregularities,  the  board  had'  issued 
the  certificate  to  the  Republican  candidate,  who  refused  to  accept  it 
because  his  Democratic  opponent  had  received  a  majority  of  the  votes 
cast  at  the  election.  In  thirteen  districts  the  Populists  contested  the 
seats  of  the  Republicans  who  had  received  the  certificates  of  election. 
Before  the  legislature  was  convened,  members  of  each  party  had  made 
their  boast  that  the  other  party  would  not  be  permitted  to  organize 
the  house. 

When  the  members  of  the  house  were  assembled,  Russell  S.  Osborn, 
secretary  of  state,  appeared  and  made  the  statement  that  he  could  not 
deliver  the  roll  of  members  as  certified  by  the  state  board  of  canvassers 
until  the  house  was  organized.  A  motion  that  the  secretary  preside 
temporarily  was  objected  to,  and  he  left  the  hall,  taking  the  membership 
roll  with  him.  The  Republican  members  then  proceeded  to  organize  the 
house  by  electing  George  L.  Douglass  speaker.  At  the  same  time,  and 
in  the  same  hall,  the  58  Populists  holding  certificates  of  election  and 
some  of  those  contesting  the  seats  of  Republicans  organized  another 
house  with  John  M.  Dunsmore  as  speaker.  Prentis  says  :  "Both  speakers 
occupied  the  same  desk,  and  during  the  first  night  slept  under  the  same 
blanket  on  the  floor  in  the  rear  of  the  speaker's  desk,  each  one  with  a 
gavel  in  his  hand." 

For  several  days  the  two  contending  bodies  continued  to  hold  their 
sessions  on  different  sides  of  the  hall.  On  the  third  day  of  the  term 
Gov.  Lewelling  officially  recognized  the  Populist,  or  as  it  was  popularly 
called,  the  "Dunsmore"  house,  and  the  succeeding  day  the  senate  took 
the  same  action,  the  Republican  senators  formally  protesting.  After 
awhile  a"n  agreement  was  reached  by  which  one  house  held  its  sessions 
in  the  forenoon  and  the  other  in  the  afternoon.  Prominent  citizens  from 
all  parts  of  the  state  visited  Topeka  and  exhausted  every  effort  to  effect 
a  settlement,  but  without  avail.  On  the  17th  the  governor  sent  his  mes- 
sage to  each  house,  where  it  was  read,  and  the  Dunsmore  house  ordered 
it  printed. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I43 

The  greater  part  of  the  message  was  devoted  to  a  discussion  of  the 
state's  finances  and  the  condition  of  the  pubHc  institutions.  He  made 
a  number  of  recommendations,  the  most  important  of  which  were  as 
follows:  I — The  enactment  of  law  authorizing  a  thorough  revision  of 
the  general  laws  of  the  state;  2— The  creation  of  an  intermediate  coiirt 
of  appeals,  which  should  have  final  jurisdiction  upon  appeals  from-  the 
district  courts  in  civil  actions  where  the  amount  in  controversy  did  noi 
exceed  a  given  sum ;  3 — A  careful  revision  of  the  election  laws ;  4 — That 
the  "gold  clause"  in  mortgages  and  securities  should  be  absolutely  pro- 
hibited ;  5 — A  constitutional  amendment  to  provide  some  method  of 
determining  controversies  growing  out  of  contested  seats  in  both 
branches  of  the  legislature.  The  last  named  recommendation  was 
prompted  by  the  conditions  then  existing.  "The  right  of  a  constituency," 
said  he,  "to  be  represented  in  the  legislature  by  the  person  receiving  a 
majority  of  the  honest  votes  cast  is  sacred,  and  should  not  be  vitiated 
by  fraud,  nor  trifled  away  by  a  throw  of  dice  or  the  chance  of  a  lottery." 

To  understand  this  allusion  it  is  necessary  to  explain  that,  in  the  elec- 
tion of  1892,  there  was  a  tie  vote  in  one  of  the  representative  districts, 
and  in  deciding  the  result  by  lot  the  Republican  candidate  was  suc- 
cessful. 

On  the  subject  of  election  reform  he  offered  some  sound  suggestions. 
"Marvelous  reforms,"  said  he,  "have  been  witnessed  in  the  United  States 
in  the  last  few  years  in  the  methods  of  exercising  the  elective  franchise, 
and  all  tending,  it  is  confidently  believed,  toward  purer  elections.  .  .  . 
It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  Kansas  has  fallen  far  behind  in  these  reform 
measures,  and  now  stands  almost  alone  among  her  northern  sisters. 
The  method  of  reform  generally  adopted  is  that  known  as  the  Australian 
system,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but  some  modifications  of  this  system 
should  be  adopted  in  Kansas." 

The  use  of  free  passes  on  railroads  came  in  for  severe  denunciation. 
On  this  question  he  said :  "The  liberal  bestowal  of  free  passes  upon  cer- 
tain classes  of  our  citizens  is  pernicious  and  corrupting  in  its  tendency 
and  should  be  prohibited.  At  the  recent  general  election,  and  the  cam- 
paign which  preceded  it,  great  scandals  arose  by  reason  of  the  plenitude 
of  railroad  passes  as  a  potent  factor  in  securing  attendance  at  certain 
conventions,  and  transporting  voters." 

No  change  occured  in  the  legislative  situation  for  several  weeks,  the 
two  houses  continuing  to  hold  their  daily  sessions,  each  ignoring  the 
acts  of  the  other.  Finally  the  elections  committee  of  the  Douglass  house 
summoned  L.  C.  Gunn,  a  prominent  business  man  of  Parsons,  to  appear 
and  testify  as  a  witness  in  one  of  the  contests.  Mr.  Gunn  refused  to 
obey  the  summons  and  was  arrested  by  a  sergeant  at  arms  of  the  Repub- 
lican house.  He  promptly  instituted  habeas  corpus  proceedings,  and  in 
this  way  the  question  of  the  legality  of  the  Douglass  house  was  brought 
before  the  supreme  court.  On  Feb.  14,  while  the  Gunn  habeas  corpus 
case  was  still  pending,  two  deputy  sergeants  at  arms  of  the  Republican 
house  arrested  Ben  C.  Rich,  the  chief  clerk  of  the  Populist  house.    After 


144  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

a  short  but  sharp  struggle,  Mr.  Ricli  was  released  by  some  of  his  friends, 
and  in  a  short  time  appeared  in  the  Populist  house  wearing  the  air  of 
a  conqueror.  Fearing  further  trouble,  the  governor  directed  the  adju- 
tant-general to  call  out  a  company  of  militia.  On  the  night  of  the  14th 
the  officers  of  the  Populist  house  took  possession  of  the  hall  of  the  house 
of  representatives  and  barricaded  the  doors.  When  the  Republican 
members  went  to  the  capitol  on  the  morning  of  the  15th,  they  found 
guards  stationed  at  the  several  entrances  of  the  state-house.  A  short 
consultation  was  held,  when,  led  by  Speaker  Douglass,  the  legislators 
brushed  aside  this  outer  guard  and  hurried  to  the  hall,  only  to  find  the 
doors  closed  against  them.  A  heavy  sledge  hammer,  wielded  by  a 
brawny  Republican,  soon  effected  an  entrance,  the  Populists  were 
ejected,  and  the  Republicans  in  turn  barricaded  themselves  in  the  hall. 

Gov.  Lewelling  then  called  out  several  companies  of  militia;  arms 
were  supplied  from  the  state  arsenal ;  a  squad  of  artillerists  with  a  Gat- 
ling  gun  was  brought  from  Wichita;  and  the  capital  grounds  soon  wore 
the  aspect  of  a  military  encampment.  On  the  other  side.  Sheriff  Wilker- 
son,  who  had  refused  to  obey  a  summons  from  both  Gov.  Lewelling  and 
Speaker  Dimsmore,  declared  himself  the  only  legally  constituted  cus- 
todian of  the  peace  in  Shawnee  county,  swore  in  a  large  number  of 
deputies,  and  with  this  force  joined  the  Republican  sergeants  at  arms  in 
the  capitol.  For  the  next  forty-eight  hours  after  they  forcibly  took  pos- 
session of  the  hall,  the  Republican  members  of  the  legislature,  v/ith 
Sheriff  Wilkerson  and  his  deputies,  were  practically  in  a  state  of  siege. 
Friends  on  the  outside  of  the  building  brought  them  food,  which  was  at 
first  drawn  up  through  the  windows  in  baskets,  though  later  supplies 
of  this  nature  were  permitted  to  "pass  through  the  lines."  The  city  of 
Topeka  stood  on  the  brink  of  a  smoldering  volcano,  so  to  speak,  and 
only  the  slightest  spark  was  needed  to  start  an  eruption.  Everything 
moved  under  high  pressure.  The  city  was  filled  with  visitors  from  all 
parts  of  the  state,  and  "nearly  every  man  carried  a  gun."  Wise  counsel 
and  self-restraint  carried  the  day,  however,  and  serious  trouble  was 
averted. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  i6th  Gov.  Lewelling  requested  those  occupy- 
ing the  hall  of  representatives  to  turn  it  over  to  him  until  the  next  morn- 
ing, but  the  request  was  refused.  A  committee  of  citizens  urged  Mr. 
Douglass  and  his  followers  to  make  the  concession,  fearing  a  contest 
with  the  militia,  though  without  success,  the  Republicans  evidently 
believing  in  the  old  saying  that  "Possession  is  nine  points  in  law." 

The  siege  was  raised  on  the  17th,  when  an  agreement  was  reached  by 
which  the  militia  and  deputy  sheriffs  should  both  be  withdrawn;  the  pro- 
ceedings against  Mr.  Rich  to  be  dropped;  the  Republicans  to  continue 
to  hold  the  hall,  and  the  Populists  to  hold  their  sessions  elsewhere.  The 
south  corridor  of  the  capitol  was  fitted  up  with  desks  and  seats  and  the 
Dunsmore  house  met  there  until  the  25th,  when  the  decision  of  the 
supreme  court  in  the  Gunn  habeas  corpus  case  was  handed  down.  The 
opinion,  an  exhaustive  review  of  the  entire  case,  was  written  by  Chief 


KANSAS    HISTORY  145 

Justice  Horton  and  was  concurred  in  by  Justice  Johnston,  Justice  Allen 
dissenting. 

After  reviewing  all  the  facts  and  evidence  in  the  case,  and  citing 
numerous  authorities.  Justice  Horton  closed  his  opinion  as  follows: 
"From  all  that  we  have  said,  our  conclusion  is,  and  must  imperatively 
be,  that  the  house  known  as  the  Douglass  house  is  the  legal  and  con- 
stitutional house  of  representatives  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  and,  being 
such  house,  it  has  the  power  to  compel  witnesses  to  appear  and  testify 
before  it  or  one  of  its  committees  in  election  contests  arising  in  that 
body.  It  has  full  power  to  punish  for  contempt  any  witness  who  refuses 
to  appear  when  personally  subpoenaed  in  an  election  contest  or  other 
proper  proceedings  pending.  It  has  also  the  power  to  protect  itself  from 
disorder,  disturbance  or  violence.  It  has  never  been  destroyed,  ousted 
or  dissolved  since  its  organization.  It  is  a  body,  or  house,  having 
authority  to  commit.    The  petitioner  is  remanded." 

Justice  Horton  received  letters  from  Judge  Brewer  of  the  United 
States  supreme  court,  Thomas  M.  Cooley,  J.  Sterling  Morton,  and  other 
eminent  lawyers  and  jurists,  complimenting  him  upon  the  soundness  and 
comprehensiveness  of  his  decision. 

On  the  26th,  the  day  following  the  decision  of  the  court,  the  Populist 
house  appointed  a  special  committee,  consisting  of  the  speaker,  R.  H. 
Semple  and  J.  M.  Doubleday,  to  prepare  a  protest  against  the  decision. 
This  protest,  with  an  address  to  the  people  of  Kansas,  was  submitted 
and  adopted  on  the  27th,  which  was  the  last  session  this  house  ever 
held  as  a  separate  body.  At  10  o'clock  a.  m.  on  the  28th,  the  members 
assembled,  and  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes  marched  into  the  hall  of 
representatives  and  took  their  seats,  recognizing  for  the  remainder  of 
the  session  the  Douglass  organization. 

While  the  disorder  was  at  its  height.  Gov.  Lewelling  ordered  Col. 
J.  W.  F.  Hughes,  commanding  the  Third  regiment  of  the  state  militia, 
to  eject  from  the  hall  of  representatives  Nicholas  Kline,  the  certified 
member  from  Jackson  county.  Hughes  refused  to  obey  the  order  and 
was  subsequently  relieved  of  his  command,  but  not  until  after  one  of 
the  most  notable  trials  by  court-martial  in  the  military  history  of  the 
country. 

'  On  Jan.  24,  the  time  required  by  law,  each  of  the  two  houses  and  the 
state  senate  took  a  ballot  for  United  States  senator.  In  the  senate  John 
W.  Ady  received  15  votes;  Frank  Doster,  10;  John  Martin,  6;  J.  W. 
Breidenthal,  6;  J.  D.  McCleverty,  B.  P.  Waggener  and  S.  S.  King,  i 
each.  In  the  Dunsmore  house  the  vote  stood  as  follows:  19  for  J.  W. 
Breidenthal;  14  for  Frank  Doster;  9  for  John  Martin;  3  for  S.  S.  King; 
II  for  M.  W.  Cobun;  i  for  Charles  Robinson;  i  for  W.  C.  Jones,  and 
I  for  y.  M.  Senter,  a  total  of  59  votes.  Sixty-six  votes  were  cast  in  the 
Douglass  house,  of  which  John  W.  Ady  received  62;  Ed  O'Bryan,  2; 
Ed  Carroll,  i,  and  B.  W.  Perkins  i. 

A  joint  session  was  held  at  noon  on  the  following  day.     When  the 
roll  of  the  senate  was  called  24  of  the  Populist  senators  voted  for  John 
fll-io) 


146  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Martin  and  i  for  .M.  W.  Cobun.  The  15  Republican  senators  were 
present,  Init  did  not  vote.  The  roll  of  the  Dunsmore  house  was  then 
called.  John  Martin  received  62  votes;  M.  W.  Cobun,  3;  W.  S.  Hanna, 
S.  II.  Snider,  Fred  Close  and  Frank  Doster,  i  each.  Fifty-six  members 
of  the  Douglass  house  were  present  but  did  not  vote. 

According  to  the  journal  of  the  Republican  house,  the  joint  session 
adjourned  to  noon  on  the  26th.  At  the  adjourned  session  Speaker 
Douglass  presided.  Mr.  Hoch  offered  a  series  of  resolutions,  the  pre- 
amble of  which  set  forth  that  160  members  holding  legal  certificates  of 
election  were  present  in  the  joint  session  of  the  2Sth ;  that  "jj  of  these 
members  were  denied  the  right  to  vote,  and  had  they  been  permitted  to 
vote,  no  one  would  have  received  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast  as 
required  by  law.     It  was  therefore 

"Resolved,  That  there  has  been  no  election  of  a  United  States  senator 
by  the  Kansas  legislature  at  this  session. 

"Resolved,  That  we  enter  our  solemn  protest  against  this  revolutionary 
and  illegal  transaction,  and  instruct  the  president  of  this  joint  assembly 
to  appoint  a  committee,  to  consist  of  three  members  of  the  house  and 
two  members  of  the  senate,  to  prepare  a  formal  statement  and  emphatic 
protest  to  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  to  be  signed  bj^  the  members 
of  this  assembly,  protesting  against  the  seating  of  John  Martin  as  sena- 
tor from  this  state." 

The  resolutions  were  adopted,  and  Speaker  Douglass  appointed  Repre- 
sentatives Hoch,  Cubbison  and  Hopkins,  and  Senators  Baker  and  \\'ill- 
cockson  on  the  committee.  The  protest  and  memorial  presented  by  the 
committee  and  signed  by  "]"/  members,  stated  that  in  the  joint  session 
of  the  25th  the  clerk  omitted  from  the  roll  call  10  members  holding 
certificates  and  called  the  names  of  10  persons  holding  no  certificates: 
that  9  of  these  pretended  members  voted  for  Mr.  Martin  and  one  for 
Mr.  Hanna ;  that  Senator  Baker  asked  permission,  on  behalf  of  himself, 
14  members  of  the  senate  and  65  members  of  the  house,  to  vote  for 
senator,  but  Lieut. -Gov.  Daniels,  who  presided  over  the  joint  assembly, 
denied  them  the  right  to  do  so ;  that  the  lieutenant-governor  then 
announced  the  whole  number  of  votes  cast  as  being  93,  of  which  John 
Martin  had  received  86 ;  M.  W.  Cobun,  i ;  Fred  Close,  i ;  W.  S.  Hanna, 
I,  and  S.  H.  Snider  i,  and  declared  Mr.  Martin  duly  elected. 

After  the  adoption  of  this  statement  and  protest,  a  vote  was  taken 
for  United  .States  senator,  in  which  John  Martin  received  26  votes  and 
John  W.  Ady  JJ.  All  this  was  without  avail,  however,  as  the  United 
States  senate  admitted  Mr.  Martin  to  a  seat  for  the  unexpired  term  of 
Senator  Plumb. 

The  legislature  adjourned  on  March  11.  So  much  of  the  session  had 
been  taken  up  with  the  "Legislative  War,"  as  this  untimely  incident 
has  been  called,  that  but  little  beneficial  legislation  was  enacted.  Among 
the  most  important  laws  were  the  Australian  ballot  law ;  the  creation 
of  a  board  of  World's  Fair  managers ;  a  law  annulling  the  "gold  clause" 
in  mortgages ;  and  granting  to  the  regents  of  the  state  university  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  147 

authority  to  erect  on  the  grounds  of  that  institution  the  "Spooner 
Library"  building.  A  proposition  to  amend  the  constitution  so  as  to 
give  women  the  right  of  suffrage  was  ordered  to  be  submitted  to  a  vote 
of  the  people  at  the  general  election  of  1894. 

On  Sept.  12,  1893,  Gov.  Lewelling  delivered  an  address  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago,  this  being  one  day  of  "Kansas  Week" 
at  the  exposition.  His  address  was  a  good  presentation  of  the  growth, 
wealth  and  products  of  the  state,  and  incidentally  he  referred  to  the 
recent  political  disturbances. 

"If  the  statistician,'"  said  he,  "seeks  a  solution  of  our  occasional  dis- 
content, and  asks  why  we  are  constantly  making  explorations  in  the 
domain  of  political  economy,  we  point  with  pride  to  more  than  9,000 
school  houses  which  nestle  upon  our  prairies.  If  he  asks  why  we  are 
the  vanguard  of  political  and  moral  reform,  we  tell  him  of  our  district 
and  normal  schools,  our  colleges,  our  great  university,  and  of  the  spires 
which  rise  from  4.500  churches.  These  are  the  institutions  which  mold 
the  sentiments  and  shape  the  destines  of  an  ambitious  people." 

The  industrial  depression  of  1893  affected  Kansas  in  common  with 
other  states,  particularly  those  in  the  West.  Several  banks  were  forced 
to  close  their  doors  and  numerous  business  concerns  failed.  In  every 
one  of  the  larger  cities,  and  in  many  of  the  principal  towns,  a  large 
number  of  workingmen  were  unable  to  find  remunerative  employment. 
The  hard  times  continued  into  the  following  year,  when  many  of  the 
unemployed  in  various  parts  of  the  country  joined  the  "Commonweal 
Army,"  a  movement  that  was  originated  by  Jacob  Coxey  of  Ohio,  and 
marched  to  the  national  capital  to  urge  Congress  to  take  some  action 
that  would  relieve  the  situation.    (See  Commonweal  Army.) 

An  organization  of  workmen  known  as  the  American  Railway  Union 
inaugurated  a  strike  on  nearly  all  the  leading  railroads  of  the  country 
in  the  summer  of  1894.  The  strike  began  in  Chicago,  but  soon  extended 
all  over  the  western  states,  many  of  the  men  employed  by  the  railroad 
companies  in  Kansas  losing  their  positions.  Added  to  these  misfortunes, 
the  corn  crop  in  Kansas  suffered  severely  from  drought,  except  in  the 
valley  of  the  Arkansas  river,  though  the  loss  to  the  state  was  oft'set  to 
some  extent  by  the  discovery  of  oil  and  natural  gas  (q.  v.). 

In  Feb.,  1894,  the  Farmers'  Alliance  held  a  convention  in  Topeka 
and  adopted  resolutions  favoring  the  sub-treasury  plan  of  government 
— that  of  loaning  money  direct  to  the  people  at  two  per  cent ;  the  free 
and  unlimited  coinage  of  silver  at  the  ratio  of  16  to  i  ;  a  national  cur- 
rency "safe,  sound  and  flexible,"  to  be  increased  in  volume  to  $50  per 
capita ;  postal  savings  banks ;  a  graduated  income  tax,  and  governmental 
ownership  of  all  means  of  transportation  and  communication. 

When  the  Populist  state  convention  met  on  June  12,  these  resolutions 
became  the  basis  of  the  party's  declaration  of  principles.  The  conven- 
tion also  declared  in  favor  of  national  and  state  boards  of  arbitration; 
shorter  hours  of  labor  without  any  reduction  in  wages :  the  establish- 
ment of  a  state  irrigation  department:   the   initiative  and   referendum 


148  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

;iiid  tlie  constitutional  amendment  extending  the  right  of  suffrage  to 
women.  Gov.  Lewelling  was  renominated,  as  were  also  the  auditor, 
treasurer,  attorney-general,  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  and 
Congressman  at  large.  The  state  ticket  was  then  completed  by  the 
selection  of  D.  I.  Furbeck  for  lieutenant-governor;  J.  W.  Amis,  for 
secretary  of  state;  and  George  W.  Clark,  for  associate  justice. 

The  Republican  state  convention  met  at  Topeka  on  June  6  and  nomi- 
nated the  following  candidates:  For  governor,  Edmund  N.  Morrill; 
lieutenant-governor,  James  A.  Troutman;  secretary  of  state,  W.  C. 
Edwards;  auditor,  George  E.  Cole;  treasurer,  Otis  L.  Atherton;  attor- 
ney-general, F.  B.  Davis;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Edwin 
Stanley;  associate  justice,  William  A.  Johnston;  Congressman  at  large, 
Richard  W.  Blue.  The  platform  declared  in  favor  of  the  use  of  both 
gold  and  silver  as  standard  money,  and  for  legislation  for  the  promo- 
lion  of  irrigation.  The  administration  of  Gov.  Lewelling  was  denounced 
"for  its  violation  of  the  laws  and  contempt  of  the  courts,  the  corruption 
and  incompetency  of  its  officials,  its  gross  mismanagement  of  the  state 
institutions,  and  for  the  discredit  it  has  brought  upon  the  good  name 
of  the  state." 

On  June  12,  the  same  day  as  the  Populist  state  convention,  the  Pro- 
hibitionists met  at  Olathe  and  nominated  the  following  state  ticket: 
For  governor,  I.  O.  Pickering;  lieutenant-governor,  H.  F.  Douthart; 
secretary  of  state,  J.  N.  Howard;  auditor,  J.  P.  Perkins;  treasurer,  James 
Murray;  attorney-general,  M.  V.  B.  Bennett;  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  Mrs.  A.  Allison;  associate  justice,  J.  R.  Silver;  Congressman 
at  large,  Frank  Plolsinger. 

The  Democrats  held  their  state  convention  at  Topeka  on  July  3. 
David  Ovcrmyer  was  nominated  for  governor;  Sidney  J.  Cooke,  for  lieu- 
tenant-governor; E.  J.  Herning,  for  secretary  of  state;  W.  E.  Banks, 
for  auditor ;  Barney  Lantry,  for  treasurer ;  James  McKinstry,  for  attor- 
ney-general;  M.  H.  Wyckoff,  for  superintendent  of  public  instruction; 
J.  D.  McCleverty,  for  associate  justice,  and  J.  G.  Lowe,  for  Congressman 
at  large.  The  platform  indorsed  the  administration  of  President  Cleve- 
land;  denounced  the  protective  tariff  as  fraud  and  robbery;  declared  in 
favor  of  both  silver  and  gold  as  standard  money;  affirmed  the  "natural 
and  legal  right"  of  wage-earners  to  organize  for  their  protection ;  con- 
gratulated the  people  of  Kansas  upon  the  election  of-  John  Martin  to 
the  United  States  senate ;  demanded  the  resubmission  of  the  prohibitory 
amendment,  and  opposed  the  constitutional  amendment  for  woman 
suffrage. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  6,  the  Republicans  elected  all  their  candidates 
for  state  offices,  the  Congressman  at  large,  and  all  the  district  Congress- 
men except  in  the  Sixth  district,  where  William  Baker,  the  Populist 
candidate,  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  194.  The  vote  for  governor  was 
as  follows:  Morrill,  148,697;  Lewelling,  118,329;  Overmyer,  26,709; 
Pickering,  5,496.  The  vote  on  the  suffrage  amendment  was  95,302  for. 
and'i30,i39  against,  hence  it  was  defeated  by  a  majority  of  nearly  35,000. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


149 


Following  the  precedent  established  by  Gov.  Anthony  ni  1879,  Gov. 
Lewelling  submitted  a  "retiring"  message  to  the  legislature  which  assem- 
bled in  Tan  1895.  In  this  farewell  message  there  was  somethmg  m 
the  nature  of  a  wail  at  the  treatment  he  had  received  from  the  people 
"The  experience  of  the  retiring  executive,"  said  he,  has  been  not 
■different  from  what  it  might  have  been  had  he  been  sent  here  by  some 
alien  power  to  govern  the  state  as  a  conquered  provmce.  He  was  elected 
by  a  majority  of  the  sovereign  people,  yet  not  for  a  smgle  hour  has  he 
had  the  loyal  support  of  all  the  citizens  as  the  governor  of  the  state 
Proceedings  in  quo  warranto  had  to  be  resorted  to  m  order  to  mstall 
appointees  to  the  board  of  railroad  commissioners. 

"Everv  attempt  bv  the  executive  to  disband  a  company  of  the  national 
cruard  as  companie's  had  hitherto  been  disbanded,  and  as  the  supreme 
court  afterwards  declared  he  had  the  full  right  to  disband  them,  was 
met  by  mutiny,  instigated  by  a  published  letter  of  the  ex-adjutant-gen- 
eral  In  one  instance,  a  probate  judge  assumed,  by  injunction,  to  stay 
the  arm  of  the  supreme  executive  of  the  state  in  the  exercise  of  his 
power  as  commander  in  chief  of  the  militia. 

"In  another  case,  at  Topeka,  an  injunction  was  applied  for  but  refused, 
only  after  full  argument,  however;  while  through  a  local  newspaper, 
the  captain  of  the  company  to  be  disbanded  mutinously  declared  his 
intention  of  resisting  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  the  muster-out  order 
of  the  commander  in  chief. 

"In  taking  leave  of  the  office,  the  executive  expresses  the  hope  that 
his  successor  may  find  that  the  people  by  whose  votes  the  retiring  chief 
mao-istrate  was  elected  know  how  to  be  citizens  as  well  as  partisans, 
and"  are  patriotic  enough  to  be  loyal  to  any  man  chosen  by  the  people  to 
be  their  governor,  no  matter  what  his  or  their  political  faith  may  be 

Lewis,  an  incorporated  town  in  Edwards  county,  is  located  in  Wayne 
Township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R  9  "^'^^'^''f, 
Kinsley,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  new  town,  founded  since  1890,  and 
presents  a  neat  and  prosperous  appearance  with  all  its  buildings  new 
and  substantial.  It  has  2  banks,  a  newspaper  (the  Lewis  Press)  tele- 
o-raph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice 
with  three  rural  routes.    The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910 

"^  LeSfs,  Meriwether,  soldier  and  explorer,  was  born  near  Charloltes- 
ville  Va  Auo-  18  1774,  a  son  of  Capt.  William  and  Lucy  (Meriwether) 
Lewis  and  a^great  nephew  of  Fielding  Lewis.  He  inherited  a  fortune 
from  his  father,  but  being  fond  of  adventure  he  left  school  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  to  begin  a  career  for  himself.  In  I794  he  w^s  one  of  the 
volunteers  to  quell  the  Whisky  Insurrection  in  western  Pennsylvania. 
The  next  year  he  joined  the  regular  army,  and  in  1800  was  commissioned 
captain.  From  1801  to  1803  he  was  President  Jeflferson  s  private  secre- 
tary After  the  treaty  of  Paris,  by  which  the  province  of  Louisiana 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Jeflferson  recommended 
Capt    Lewis  to  Congress  as  the  right  man  to  place  at  the  head  of  an 


150  CYCLOriCUIA    (IF 

expedition  to  explore  tlic  new  purchase  (see  Lewis  &  Clark  Expe- 
dition.) After  his  return  from  the  i'acihc  coast  in  1806,  he  was  appointed 
governor  of  Upper  Louisiana.  The  principal  settlements  in  that  terri- 
tory were  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Missouri.  Owing  to  conflicting 
interests,  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  recent  transfer  of  Louisiana  to 
the  United  States  go\ernmcnt,  the  new  governor  found  his  territory 
torn  by  dissensions.  All  his  life  he  had  been  subject  to  fits  of  depres- 
sion, and  the  conditions  in  which  he  now  found  himself  caused  him  to 
become  more  than  usually  despondent.  While  in  this  frame  of  mind 
he  was  called  to  Washington,  and  at  the  residence  of  a  Mr.  Gruider, 
near  Xashville,  Tenn.,  he  committed  suicide  on  Oct.  8,  1809.  In  1900 
the  name  of  Capt.  Lewis  was  selected  as  one  of  those  entitled  to 
recognition  in  the  flail  of  Fame  in  the  New  York  University. 

Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition. —  The  object  of  this  expedition,  as  recited 
in  the  instructions,  was  "to  explore  the  Missouri  river,  and  such  princi- 
pal streams  of  it  as,  by  its  course  and  communication  with  the  waters 
of  the  Pacific  ocean,  whether  the  Columbia,  Oregon,  Colorado,  or  any 
other  river,  may  offer  the  most  direct  and  practicable  water  communica- 
tion across  the  continent,  for  the  purpose  of  commerce."  It  was  deter- 
mined by  President  JefYerson  to  associate  two  commanders  of  the  expe- 
dition, and  accordingly  William  Clark  was  chosen,  and  given  coordinate 
powers  with  Capt.  Meriwether  Lewis.  Every  citizen  of  the  United 
States  became  at  once  intensely  interested  in  the  results,  and  awaited 
anxiously  for  the  return  of  the  expedition.  Capt.  Clark  joined  the  party 
at  Louisville,  and  all  arrived  at  St.  Louis  in  Dec,  1803. 

The  start  was  made  on  May  14^  1804,  the  expedition  consisting  of  9 
Kentuckians,  2  experienced  French  boatmen,  14  soldiers,  i  interpreter, 
I  hunter  and  a  colored  servant ;  and  in  addition  a  corporal.  6  soldiers 
and  9  boatmen,  who  were  instructed  to  assist  the  expedition  as  far  as 
the  Mandan  country.  They  embarked  in  three  boats — one  a  keel-boat 
35  feet  long,  bearing  one  large  sail  and  arranged  for  22  oarsmen.  It  also 
had  a  deck  provided  with  cabin  and  forecastle,  and  was  protected  amid- 
ships by  lockers  and  by  a  breastwork  that  could  be  raised  in  case  of 
attack.  In  addition  there  were  two  pirogues  of  6  and  7  oars  respectively. 
Two  horses  were  ridden  along  the  bank,  designed  to  bring  in  the  game 
killed,  upon  which  it  was  planned  the  expedition  would  largely  subsist. 
Full  provision  was  made  for  a  complete  record  of  all  noteworthy  dis- 
coveries and  occurrences.  All  the  vast  territory  of  the  unknown  western 
country  was  now  at  last  to  be  opened  to  the  enterprise  of  the  Americans. 
Lewis  and  Clark  reached  the  town  of  St.  Charles  on  May  15,  passed 
Osage  Woman  river  on  May  23,  and  on  June  i  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  Osage  river.  On  the  night  of  June  26  they  encamped  at  the  upper 
point  of  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river,  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Kansas  City,  Kan. 

Here  the  Missouri  river  runs  northwesterly,  forming  the  boundary 
ime  betw^een  Kansas  and  Missouri.  The  Kansas  counties  ascending  are 
Leavenworth,  Atchison  and  Doniphan,  and  of  the  journey  along  their 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I5I 

shores  the  following  is  a  succinct  and  circumstantial  narrative:  "Here 
[at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river]  we  remained  two  days,  during 
which  we  made  the  necessary  observations,  recruited  the  party,  and 
repaired  the  boat.  On  the  banks  of  the  Kansas  reside  the  Indians  of. 
the  same  name,  consisting  of  two  villages,  one  at  about  20.  the  other 
40  leagues  from  its  mouth,  and  amounting  to  about  300  men.  They 
once  lived  24  leagues  higher  than  the  Kansas,  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Missouri,  and  were  then  more  numerous ;  but  they  have  been  reduced 
and  banisiied  by  the  Sauks  and  Ayauways,  who,  being  better  supplied 
with  arms,  have  an  advantage  over  the  Kansas,  though  the  latter  are 
not  less  fierce  or  warlike  than  themselves.  This  nation  is  now  hunting 
on  the  plains  for  buffalo,  which  our  hunters  have  seen  for  the  first  time." 

According  to  the  journal,  on  June  30,  the  expedition  ''reached  the 
mouth  of  a  river  coming  in  from  the  north,  and  called  by  the  French 
Petite  Riviere  Platte,  or  Little  Shallow  river;  it  is  about  60  yards  wide 
at  its  mouth.  .  .  .  One  mile  beyond  this  is  a  small  creek  on  the  south, 
at  5  miles  from  which  we  camped  on  the  same  side,  opposite  the  lower 
point  of  an  island  called  Diamond  island.  The  land  on  the  north  between 
the  Little  Shallow  river  and  the  Missouri  is  not  good,  and  subject  to 
overflow ;  on  the  south  it  is  higher  and  better  timbered." 

On  July  I,  ''We  proceeded  along  the  north  side  of  Diamond  island, 
where  a  small  creek  called  Biscuit  creek  empties.  .  .  .  Here  we  observed 
great  quantities  of  grapes  and  raspberries.  Between  one  and  two  miles 
further  are  three  islands,  and  a  creek  on  the  south  known  by  the  French 
name  of  Remore.  The  main  current,  which  is  now  on  the  south  side 
of  the  largest  of  the  three  islands,  ran  three  3'ears  ago,  as  we  were  told, 
on  the  north,  and  there  was  then  no  appearance  of  the  two  smaller 
islands.  .  .  .  Paccaun  trees  were  this  day  seen,  and  large  quantities  of 
deer  and  turkey  on  the  banks.    We  had  advanced  12  miles." 

On  July  2,  "We  left  camp,  opposite  to  which  is  a  high  and  beautiful 
prairie  on  the  southern  side,  and  passed  up  the  south  of  the  islands, 
which  are  high  meadows,  and  a  creek  on  the  north  called  Pare  creek. 
Here  for  half  an  hour  the  river  became  covered  with  drift-wood,  which 
rendered  navigation  dangerous,  and  was  probably  caused  by  the  giving 
way  of  some  sand-bar,  which  had  detained  the  wood.  After  making  5 
miles  we  passed  a  stream  on  the  south  called  Turkey  creek,  near  a 
sand-bar,  where  we  could  scarcely  stem  the  current  with  20  oars  and 
all  the  poles  we  had.  On  the  north  at  about  two  miles  further  is  a  large 
island  called  by  the  Indians  Wau-car-da-war-card-da,  or  the  Bear-medi- 
cine island.  Here  we  landed  and  replaced  our  mast,  which  had  been 
broken  three  days  ago,  by  running  against  a  tree  overhanging  the  river." 

The  island  here  mentioned  is  Kickapoo  island,  a  short  distance  above 
Fort  Leavenworth,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Kickapoo  City.  By 
July  4  they  had  ascended  the  Missouri  to  a  point  not  far  from  the  present 
city  of  Atchison.  They  were  able  to  celebrate  the  occasion  "onlj-  by  an 
evening  gun,  and  an  additional  gill  of  whisky  to  the  men,"  but  in  honor 
of  the  day  they  named   Fourth  of  July  and   Independence  creeks,  the 


152  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

latter  of  which  is  still  so  called.  Jt  empties  into  the  Missouri  in  Atchison 
county.  The  next  day  they  camped  in  what  is  now  Doniphan  county, 
and  on  July  ii  they  passed  the  40th  parallel  of  latitude,  which  is  the 
northern  boundary  line  of  Kansas.  The  expedition  was  continued  to 
'  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  the  duration  of  the  journey  was  from  May,  1804, 
to  Sept.,  1806. 

Lewis  and  Clark's  description  of  the  region  through  which  they  passed 
revealed  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  the  marvelous  value  of  their 
new  possession,  but  recently  purchased  from  France.  It  was  the  first 
governmental  exploration  of  the  "Great  West,"  and  it  was  now  only 
a  question  of  time  until  the  whole  tract  would  be  peopled  by  millions  and 
enriched  and  beautified  by  a  progressive  Anglo-Saxon  civilization. 

Lexington,  a  rural  postoffice  of  Clark  county,  is  situated  on  Bluff 
creek  in  the  township  of  the  same  name,  about  12  miles  northeast  of 
Ashland,  the  county  seat,  and  9  miles  northwest  of  Protection,  which 
is  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Liberal,  the  judicial  seat  of  Seward  county,  is  located  about  4  miles 
from  Oklahoma,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has 
2  banks  with  a  combined  capitalization  of  $50,000  and  deposits  of  nearly 
$350,000,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Independent),  a  large  number  of 
substantial  business  houses,  telegraph  and  express  ofilices  and  an  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  The  population 
in  1910  was  1,716.  The  town  was  founded  in  1888.  In  1900  the  popu- 
lation was  426.  Its  growth  in  the  last  ten  years  has  been  the  normal 
result  of  the  increasing  prosperity  of  that  section  of  the  state,  and  not 
the  result  of  a  temporary  boom.  It  is  an  important  shipping  point  for 
grain,  live-stock  and  produce.  It  is  the  greatest  broom-corn  market  in 
the  United  States.  Over  800  cars  of  the  product  is  shipped  annually, 
most  of  it  in  the  month  of  August. 

Liberty,  the  former  county  seat  of  Montgomery  county,  is  located  in 
Liberty  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  10  miles 
east  of  Independence,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  Liberty  Sentinel).  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  385  inhab- 
itants, according  to  the  census  of  1910,  has  telegraph  and  express  offices 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  Liberty  was 
established  by  the  citizens  of  the  towns  of  Verdigris  and  Montgomery 
in  1869,  the  original  site  being  6  miles  south  of  Independence.  It  was 
made  the  county  seat  in  the  same  year,  but  retained  the  honors  onlv  a 
few  months.  When  the  railroad  was  built  in  1870,  the  town  was  removed 
several  miles  to  its  present  site.  One  of  the  early  important  industries 
was  the  flour  mill  of  John  McTaggart,  which  was  built  in  1875  at  a  cost 
of  $14,000,  and  had  a  cotton  gin  in  connection  with  it. 

Libraries.— The  library  was  almost  the  first  yearning  of  the  Kansas 
immigrant,  if  the  records  indicate  truly,  for  on  July  21,  1855,  the  terri- 
torial legislature  passed  an  act  incorporating  theTecumseh  Lyceum  and 
Library  Association.  On  Aug.  15,  1855,  it  granted  incorporation  papers 
to  the  Historical  and  Philosophical  Society  of  Kansas,  one  object  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ^53 


which  was  to  collect  and  preserve  a  library.  In  1857  nine  colleges  with 
plans  for  libraries  were  incorporated.  This  same  year  the  Leavenworth 
Lyceum  was  given  permission  to  organize  a  library.  In  Feb.,  1858,  the 
territorial  library  was  founded.  In  i860  the  Law  Institute  and  Library 
of  Leavenworth,  the  Kansas  Institute,  the  Leavenworth  Law  Library 
Association,  and  the  Paola  Mercantile  Library  and  Lyceum  Association 
were  incorporated.  Only  a  few  of  these  organizations  lived  to  have  the 
books  they  hoped  to  possess. 

The  State  Library— One  library  that  developed  with  the  state  was  the 
territorial,  which  later  became  the  state  library.  The  act  signed  by  the 
acting-governor  on  Feb.  9,  1858,  provided  for  a  state  librarian  to  be 
appointed  by  the  governor,  and  a  board  of  commissioners  to  direct  its 
management.  These  were,  the  governor,  the  secretary  of  state,  the 
librarian,  the  president  of  the  council  and  speaker  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives. On  Feb.  11,  1859,  the  legislature  passed  a  law  for  the 
reorganization  of  the  library  of  the  territory.  It  arranged  for  the 
appointment  of  a  librarian  and  his  salary,  it  made  rules  for  government, 
maintenance  and  use  of  books.  In  1861  the  library  was  defined,  "The 
books,  pamphlets,  maps  and  charts,  belonging  to  the  state,  now  m  the 
state  library,  or  which  shall  hereafter  be  added  to  same,  shall  compose 
the  state  library  and  be  left  in  the  office  of  the  auditor  of  the  state,  who 
shall  be  ex-officio  librarian." 

The  act  in  its  following  sections  provides  rules  and  regulations  rela- 
tive to  the  use  of  said  library  and  its  control.  The  legislature  of  1870 
passed  a  new  law  for  the  government  of  the  library.  The  governor  and 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  were  named  as  directors,  the  librarian's 
salary  was  increased,  an  annual  appropriation  was  made,  a  catalogue 
planned,  and  the  librarian  instructed  to  label  each  book  with  the  words, 
■'Kansas  State  Library."  David  Dickinson  was  appointed  librarian  and 
in  Dec,  1870,  reported  6,306  volumes  in  the  library.  Mr.  Dickinson  died 
in  1879'  and  the  following  persons  have  succeeded  him :  S.  A.  Kingman, 
H  J.  Dennis,  James  L.  King,  Annie  L.  Diggs,  James  L.  King.  The 
board  of  trustees  consists  of  the  seven  justices  of  the  supreme  court. 
The  library  is  free  to  the  public  and  is  purely  a  reference  library,  being 
especially  strong  in  law  and  medicine.  It  is  supported  by  the  appro- 
priations from  the  legislature;  the  statistics  of  1910  show  this  library 
to  have  an  income  of  $10,200  and  75,000  volumes,  which  are  classified 
by  the  Dewey  system.    It  occupies  a  wing  of  the  state  house. 

Traveling  Libraries— The  movement  for  traveling  libraries  was 
started  by  the  club  women  of  the  state,  through  the  influence  of  Lucy 
B  Johnston  of  Topeka.  The  matter  was  taken  up  by  the  State  Federa- 
tion in  May,  1897,  while  Mrs.  Willis  Lord  Moore  was  president.  In 
May  1898,  active  work  commenced  under  the  supervision  of  the  Kansas 
Social  Science  Federation,  the  Topeka  branch  of  which  pledged  500 
books  and  $20  in  monev.  Thus  encouraged,  the  federation  determined 
to  accumulate  3,000  books  as  a  nucleus  of  a  permanent  library  system. 
When  this  was  accomplished  the  legislature  was  asked  to  assume  further 


154  CVCI.OPIiUlA    OF 

care  of  the  books,  and  the  future  development  of  the  work,  thus  making 
it  a  department  of  the  state  library. 

At  the  lej^islative  session  of  1899,  a  law  was  passed  establishing  the 
Kansas  Traveling  Libraries  Commission,  making  an  appropriation  of 
$1,000  a  year  for  support,  and  providing  that  certain  books  of  the  state 
library  be  made  available  for  the  use  of  the  traveling  library  department. 
In  compliance  with  this  law,  the  trustees  of  the  state  library  appointed 
the  following  persons  to  be  members  of  the  commission:  Mrs.  Annie  L. 
Diggs,  chairman ;  Mrs.  Mary  V.  Humphrey,  Mrs.  Lucy  B.  Johnston, 
Edward  T.  Wilder  and  H.  G.  Larimer.  The  commission  organized  July 
1,  1899,  and  elected  James  L.  King  as  secretary.  The  3,000  books  and 
34  shipping  cases  collected  by  the  Social  Science  Federation  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  commission.  All  of  these  books  were  acquired  by  dona- 
tions from  clubs,  and  individuals,  either  in  single  volumes,  fractional 
libraries,  or  sets  of  50  books  each.  The  traveling  library  which  in  1899 
consisted  of  3,000  volumes  and  35  shipping  cases,  in  1908  had  30,000 
books,  with  450  cases,  and  had  visited  103  counties  and  517  towns  in 
Kansas.  This  library  is  housed  in  the  state  house  and  has  an  annual 
appropriation  of  $6,000.  The  traveling  libraries  commission  of  1908  con- 
sisted of  James  L.  King,  Mrs.  Eustace  Brown,  Lucy  B.  Johnston,  Julia 
E.  Brown  and  Harry  G.  Larimer,  with  Mrs.  Adrian  L.  Greene  as 
secretary. 

Municipal  Libraries — The  legislature  of  1886  enacted  a  law  author- 
izing cities  to  establish  and  maintain  free  public  libraries  and  reading 
rooms.  Section  i  provided  that,  "upon  the  written  petition  of  50  tax- 
payers of  any  city  presented  to  the  mayor  and  city  council  thereof,  such 
mayor  and  council  shall  cause  to  be  submitted  to  the  legal  voters  of  such 
city  at  the  first  city  election  thereafter,  or  if  the  petition  so  requests,  at 
a  special  election  to  be  called  for  that  purpose,  the  question  of  the  estab- 
lishment and  maintenance  of  a  free  public  library  and  reading  room  by 
such  city." 

This  act  also  provided  that  the  mayor  and  council  could  levy  a  library 
ta.x,  not  to  exceed  one  mill  on  the  dollar  in  cities  of  first  and  second  class 
and  not  to  exceed  one  and  one-half  mills  in  cities  of  the  third  class.  In 
1901  this  levy  was  changed  to  one  mill  in  cities  of  the  first  class  and  two 
and  one-half  mills  in  cities  of  the  third  class.  The  law  made  full  pro- 
vision for  the  organization  of  free  public  libraries  and  many  libraries 
that  had  been  founded  and  maintained  by  women's  clubs  became  the 
property  of  the  municipality.  The  following  list  of  public  libraries,  with 
date  of  organization  and  number  of  volumes,  was  compiled  from  1910 
statistics : 

Abilene,  1903.  4,002  volumes;  Arkansas  City,  1908,  3,328  volumes; 
Atchison,  subscription  library  established  in  1879,  supported  by  fees, 
9.000  volumes;  Baxter  Springs,  Johnson  public  library,  1907,  2,964 
volumes;  Blue  Rapids,  1874,  by  ladies'  library  association,  supported  by 
fees,  4,003  volumes;  Burlington,  1884,  12,119  volumes;  Caney,  subscrip- 
tion library  organized  by  ladies'  library  association  1892,  supported  by 


KANSAS    HISTORY  155 

fees,  774  volumes;  Cawker  City,  1873,  1,800  volumes;  Chanute,  1901, 
6,207  volumes;  Clay  Center,  1901,  2,874  volumes;  Coffeyville,  1907,  sup- 
ported by  fees,  1,927  volumes;  Concordia,  1890,  3,510  volumes;  Delphos, 
1888,  supported  by  fees,  600  volumes ;  Douglas,  1908,  supported  by  fees, 
910  volumes;  Downs,  Carnegie  library,  1905,  1,424  volumes;  Eldorado, 
19093  3.000  volumes ;  Emporia,  1884,  9,000  volumes ;  Everest,  Barnes  pub- 
lic library,  organized  in  1910,  supported  by  endowment,  400  volumes; 
Fort  Scott,  1891,  6,301  volumes;  Galena,  library  association  organized  in 

1899,  i.ooo  volumes;  Garden  City,  ladies'  library  association,  1898.  sup- 
ported by  fees,  1,000  volumes;  Girard,  1901,  2,814  volumes;  Goodland, 
subscription  library,  1908,  785  volumes;  Great  Bend,  1908,  3,500  volumes; 
Halstead.  1894,  800  volumes;  Hiawatha,  Morrill  free  public  library, 
founded  in  1882  by  E.  N.  Morrill,  13.500  volumes;  Horton,  public  high 
school  library  organized  in  1898,  1,800  volumes;  Hutchinson,  1896,  6,343 
volumes;  Independence,  1907,  4,568  volumes;  Tola,  1905,  4,555  volumes; 
Jamestown,  Pomeroy  free  library  supported  by  gifts,  800  volumes; 
Junction  City,  George  Smith  public  library,  1908,  supported  by  endow- 
ment, 7,713  volumes;  Kansas  City,  1891,  17,500  volumes;  Kensington, 
subscription   library,    1905,  supported  by  fees,   500  volumes;  Kingman, 

1900,  2,907  volumes;  Lawrence,  1865,  10,100  volumes;  Lebanon,  ladies' 
library  club,  organized  1900,  subscription  library,  875  volumes;  Lyons, 
1910;  Leavenworth,  1910,  17,479  volumes;  McPherson,  1905,  2,110 
volumes;  Manhattan,  Carnegie  public  library,  1904,  4,875  volumes;  Mar- 
quette, subscription  library,  1909,  supported  by  fees,  600  volumes ; 
Medicine  Lodge,  Lincoln  library,  1895,  supported  by  fees,  2,000  volumes; 
Newton,  1885.  7.735  volumes;  Oakland,  1909,  supported  by  gifts.  1.003 
volumes;  Oberlin,  subscription  library,  1903,  supported  by  fees.  1.134 
vokmies ;  Osawatomie,  1891,  2,200  volumes;  Oswego,  1909,  i.ooo 
volumes;  Ottawa.  Carnegie  library,  1876,  7,586  volumes;  Paola,  1881, 
7,200  volumes;  Parsons,  1905,  4,800  volumes;  Peabody,  1875,  8,390 
volumes;  Pittsburg,  1902,  12,000  volumes;  Plainville,  subscription 
library,  1902,  supported  by  fees,  860  volumes;  Pratt,  1910,  1,495  volumes; 
Russell,  1901,  2,623  volumes;  Salina,  1894,  6,500  volumes;  Stafford,  Nora 
E.  Larabee  free  public  memorial  library,  1908.  1,100  volumes;  Topeka, 
1870,  24,493  volumes ;  V'inland,  library  association  organized  in  1859, 
subscription  librar_y,  1,570  volumes;  Washington,  1910.  1,700  volumes; 
Weir,  subscription  library,  1896,  1,029  volumes;  Wichita,  1891.  16,000 
vohmies.  These  libraries  are  supported  by  tax,  unless  otherwise  indi- 
cated. 

In  Kansas  as  elsewhere  the  donations  of  Andrew  Carnegie  have  given 
impetus  to  the  free  public  library.  His  gifts  for  library  buildings  have 
been  made  with  the  usual  condition,  that  cities  pledge  10  per  cent,  of 
the  net  amount  of  the  gift  for  maintenance.  The  exception  to  this 
invariable  rule  was  in  the  case  of  the  Anderson  memorial  library,  Col- 
lege of  Emporia,  which  Mr.  Carnegie  erected  without  conditions,  as  a 
memorial  to  Col.  J.  B.  Anderson,  his  early  patron  and  friend.  In  1899 
Mr.  Carnegie  gave  $500  to  the  Blue  Rapids  library  for  the  purchase  of 


136  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

books,  llis  gifts  lor  the  erection  of  library  buildings  are:  Abilene, 
$12,500;  Arkansas  City,  $20,000;  Chanute,  $15,000;  Concordia,  $10,000; 
Downs,  $6,000;  Emporia  (Anderson  Memorial),  $30,000;  Emporia  (pub- 
lic), $22,000;  Fort  Scott,  $1,800;  Girard,  $8,000;  Great  Bend,  $15,000; 
Hiawatha,  $io,ooo;  Hutchinson,  $16,000;  Independence,  $30,000;  Ida, 
$15,000;  Kansas  City,  $75,000;  Lawrence,  $27,500;  Leavenworth, 
$30,000;  McPherson  (McPherson  College),  $15,000;  Manhattan,  $15,000; 
Newton,  $18,000;  Ottawa,  $15,500;  Russell,  $5,000;  Salina,  $15,000; 
Topeka  (Washburn  College),  $40,000;  Washington,  $6,000;  Wichita 
(Fairmount  College),  $40,000;  Hays,  $8,000;  Osawatomie,  $7,500;  Pitts- 
burg, $50,000;  Yates  Center,  $7,500. 

The  State  Historical  Library  is  an  important  part  of  the  Kansas  State 
Historical  Society  (q.  v.),  which  was  organized  in  Topeka  on  Dec.  13, 
1875.  It  is  especially  strong  in  material  relating  to  the  history  of  Kansas, 
its  literature,  art,  schools,  churches  and  societies,  and  possesses  a  very 
nearly  complete  set  of  the  documents  published  by  the  state.  The  gen- 
eral library  is  especially  devoted  to  United  States  and  state  history, 
description  and  travels  in  the  west,  genealogy,  biography,  Indians  and 
slavery,  besides  the  general  subjects  of  sociology,  religion,  science,  and 
the  useful  arts,  with  a  very  good  collection  of  federal  documents.  The 
society  occupies  the  south  wing  of  the  fourth  floor  of  the  state  capitol. 
The  secretary  of  the  society  is  ex-officio  librarian.  This  library  in  1910 
contained  35,320  volumes  and  a  large  number  of  bound  newspaper  files, 
pamphlets,  magazines,  etc. 

College  Libraries. — These  libraries  have  grown  as  the  colleges  of 
which  they  are  a  part  have  developed.  The  largest  and  best  is  the 
library  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  the  history  of  which  dates  from 
the  establishment  of  the  university.  When  the  first  board  of  regents 
met  in  March,  1865,  it  elected  one  of  its  members,  J.  S.  Emery,  librarian. 
His  duties  were  purely  nominal,  as  were  those  of  his  successor,  W.  C. 
Tenney.  In  1869  the  care  of  the  library  was  given  over  to  the  faculty, 
Frank  H.  Snow  serving  from  1869  to  1873,  Byron  C.  Smith  from  1873 
to  1874  and  Ephraim  Miller  from  1875  to  1887,  when  the  expansion  of 
the  librarj'  demanded  a  librarian  who  could  give  his  whole  time  to  its 
management.  In  1887  Miss  Carrie  M.  Watson  was  elected  to  the 
position  and  is  still  in  office.  At  the  formal  opening  of  the  university 
a  few  Congressional  books  were  the  only  volumes  in  the  librar}'.  The 
growth  of  the  library  was  almost  imperceptible  until  1873,  when  the 
legislature  appropriated  $1,500  to  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the  pur- 
chase of  books.  In  1874  there  were  less  than  1,000  volumes  in  the 
library.  The  first  few  books  were  housed  in  the  southwest  room  on 
the  second  floor  of  the  first  building.  In  1872  they  were  moved  to 
Eraser  Hall  and  occupied  shelves  in  the  chancellor's  office.  In  1877 
the  library  was  removed  to  the  west  room  of  the  south  wing  of  Eraser 
Hall.  There  were  at  that  time  2,519  volumes.  On  Oct.  17,  1894,  a  new 
library  building  was  dedicated.  It  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $75,000 
through  the  generosity  of  William  B.  Spooner  of  Boston,  Mass.     Since 


KANSAS    HISTORY  157 

the  occupancy  of  the  new  building  there  has  been  an  increase  in  the 
growth  and  efficiency  until  in  191 1  there  were  72,000  volumes,  accessible 
to  the  students  through  the  general  library  and  fifteen  departmental 
libraries  for  the  departments  of  English,  Latin,  German,  education, 
philosophy,  histor\',  sociology,  physics,  physiology,  biology,  geology, 
engineering,  chemistr}-,  pharmacy  and  law. 

The  library  of  the  State  Agricultural  College  is  the  outgrowth  of  the 
Bluemont  College  library,  which  was  organized  in  1878.  It  is  especially 
strong  in  scientific  departments,  is  the  depository  of  the  5th  Con- 
gressionl  district  for  Federal  documents,  and  for  the  experiment 
station  library.  It  has  regular  appropriations  from  the  state  for  mainte- 
nance.    In  1910  the  total  number  of  volumes  was  37,315. 

The  library  of  the  State  Normal  School  was  organized  in  1865.  Its 
early  growth  was  slow.  Its  valuation  in  1870  was  estimated  at  $2,000. 
In  1878  all  the  books  were  burned.  By  the  close  of  the  following  year 
350  volumes  had  been  collected  and  Senator  Plumb  added  200  more. 
On  Aug.  10,  1880,  the  school  secured  the  right  and  title  to  785  books 
from  the  Athenaeum  Library  Association  of  Emporia.  The  list  included 
461  books  belonging  to  the  old  Emporia  Library  Association.  In  Feb., 
1884,  the  old  stockholders  of  the  association  demanded  the  return  of 
the  books,  and  the  regents  ordered  them  turned  over  to  the  new  city 
library  association.  This  transfer  left  1,200  books  in  the  normal  school 
library.  In  1885  the  legislature  made  an  appropriation  of  $1,000  for 
books.  In  1889  the  total  number  of  volumes  exceeded  5,000.  L'p  to 
that  time  students,  directed  by  a  member  of  the  faculty,  acted  as 
librarians,  but  the  demands  upon  the  librarian  were  so  great  the  regents 
appointed  Miss  Mary  A.  Whitney  as  librarian.  Miss  Elva  E.  Clark  suc- 
ceeded Miss  Whitney  in  1892.  In  1902  the  library  was  moved  from  its 
quarters  in  the  old  building  to  its  new  home  erected  by  an  appropria- 
tion of  the  legislature.  In  connection  with  the  library  is  a  course  in 
library  management  conducted  by  a  librarian  employed  for  that  pur- 
pose.    The  library  contains  26,000  volumes. 

Anderson  Memorial  Library  of  the  College  of  Emporia  was  estab- 
lished in  1888  as  a  memorial  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  B.  Anderson  of 
Manhattan,  on  the  occasion  of  their  fiftieth  wedding  anniversary.  The 
plan  was  formed  by  the  Presbyterian  synod  of  Kansas.  The  library 
building  was  erected  in  1901  by  Andrew  Carnegie  as  a  memorial  to 
Mr.  Anderson.  The  building  is  modern  and  complete  and  can  accom- 
modate 25,000  volumes.  The  trustees  of  the  college  control  the  library 
which  is  especially  strong  in  the  departments  of  history  and  religion. 
In   1910  it  had  9,334  books. 

Fort  Riley. — A  library  has  been  in  existence  at  the  post  since  its 
founding.  It  is  for  the  use  of  student-officers  only,  in  attendance  at 
the  school  of  application  for  cavalry  and  field  artillery,  and  is  con- 
trolled b}'  the  commanding  officer  of  the  school.  The  allotment  for  the 
care  and  purchase  of  books  is  from  the  annual  appropriation  of  the 
United  States  government  through  the  war  college  board,  Washington, 


158  CYCLOPEDIA    01- 

D.  C.  The  library,  containinir  7.^18  volumes,  is  especially  strong  in 
works  relating;  to  military  science,  travel  and  biography,  and  has  valua- 
ble monographs  on  the  military  systems  of  foreign  countries  and 
scientitic  and  professional  reports  from  the  various  governmental 
bureaus. 

The  library  of  I'.ethany  College  at  Lindsborg  was  established  in 
1881.  In  Dec.,  1882,  it  consisted  of  6  volumes,  and  has  grown  to  7,500 
through  subscriptions  and  gifts.  The  library  is  strong  in  Swedish 
literature  and  history,  in  law  and  reference  books,  and  contains  a  col- 
lection of  old  and  rare  books  numbering  about  485. 

The  I'.ethel  College  library  was  established  at  Newton  in  1893  by  the 
Kansas  conference  of  Mennonites.  It  is  strong  in  church  history, 
theology,  English  and  German  literature,  pedagogy,  and  history,  and 
contains  2,500  books. 

The  Ottawa  I'niversity  library  was  established  Sept.  10,  1902,  the  day 
the  old  library  burned.  It  is  supported  by  fees  and  contains  5,600 
books. 

The  library  of  St.  Mary's  College  was  established  by  the  Jesuit 
fathers  in  1S69.     It  contains  22,896  volumes. 

The  library  of  the  Kansas  W'esleyan  University  at  Salina  was  estab- 
lished in  1886  by  gifts  from  friends  of  the  school.  It  is  strongest  in 
American  historj'  and  contains  6,000  volumes. 

The  library  of  Fairmount  College  at  Wichita  was  established  in  1895. 
It  is  supported  by   endowment  and  contains  31,300  volumes. 

The  library  of  Midland  College  at  Atchison  was  established  in  1889 
by  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  contains  8,345  volumes. 

St.  Benedict's  College  of  Atchison,  founded  in  1858  by  the  Benedictine 
Fathers,  has  two  libraries,  one  of  27,500  volumes  for  the  use  of  the 
instructors,  and  one  of  5,000  volumes  for  the  use  of  students. 

McPherson  College  has  a  library  of  4,000  volumes,  supported  by 
endowment  that  was  established  in  1906.  The  library  of  Highland  Col- 
lege, founded  in  1857,  has  5,000  volumes,  and  the  library  of  Campbell 
College  at  Ilolton  contains  4,000  volumes. 

The  Raker  l^niversity  library  was  established  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Kansas  in  1858.  It  occupies  quarters  in  the  Case 
library  building,  which  was  erected  through  the  liberality  of  Nelson 
Case  and  .A.ndrew  Carnegie.     It  contains  25,000  volumes. 

Washburn  College  library  was  established  in  1870.  In  1886  the  books 
were  moved  into  the  Boswell  Memorial  library,  w'here  they  remained 
until  1905,  when  a  Carnegie  library  was  erected  at  the  cost  of  $40,000. 
Washburn  library  is  supported  by  endowment  and  has  16,000  books. 

The  report  of  the  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  shows 
5,443  rural  school  district  libraries  in  Kansas,  having  books  to  the  num- 
ber of  479.142  in  all  the  school  libraries  in  the  state,  the  total  number 
of  books  in  all  libraries  in  Kansas  being  875,119. 

Liebenthal,  a  country  postoffice  in  Ru.sh  county,  is  located  8  miles 
north  of  La  Crosse,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has 
one  general  store.     The  population  in  1910  was  30. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  159 

Lien  Laws. — Judgments  of  courts  of  record  of  Kansas,  and  of  courts 
of  the  United  States  rendered  within  this  state,  are  liens  on  the  real 
estate  of  the  debtor  within  the  county  and  from  the  first  day  of  the  term 
at  which  the  judgment  is  rendered,  but  judgments  by  confession,  and 
judgments  rendered  at  the  same  term  which  the  action  is  commenced, 
bind  such  lands  only  from  the  day  on  which  the  judgment  is  rendered. 
An  attested  copy  of  the  journal  entry  of  any  judgment,  together  with 
a  statement  of  the  costs  taxed  against  the  debtor  in  the  case,  may  be 
filed  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  district  court  of  any  county,  and 
such  judgment  is  a  lien  on  the  real  estate  of  the  debtor  within  that 
county  from  the  time  of  filing  such  copy.  Executions  are  issued  only 
from  the  court  in  which  the  judgment  is  rendered. 

Any  person  who,  under  contract  with  the  owner  of  any  tract  or  piece 
of  land,  or  with  a  trustee,  agent,  husljand  or  wife  of  such  owner,  per- 
forms labor  or  furnishes  material  for  the  erection,  alteration  or  repair 
of  any  building,  improvement  or  structure  thereon ;  or  who  furnishes 
material  or  performs  labor  in  putting  up  any  fixtures  or  machinery 
in,  or  attachment  to,  an}-  such  building,  structure  or  improvement ;  or 
who  plants  any  trees,  vines,  plants  or  hedges,  in  or  upon  said  land;  or 
who  builds,  alters  or  repairs,  or  furnishes  labor  or  material  for  build- 
ing, altering  or  repairing  any  fence  or  foot-walk  in  or  upon  said  land, 
or  any  sidewalk  in  any  street  abutting  said  land,  has  a  lien  upon  the 
whole  of  said  piece  or  tract  of  land,  the  building  and  appurtenances,  for 
the  amount  due  to  him  for  such  labor,  material,  fixtures  or  machinery. 
Such  liens  are  preferred  to  all  other  liens  or  incumbrances  which  may 
attach  to  or  upon  the  land,  buildings  or  improvements,  or  either  of 
them,  subsequent  to  the  commencement  of  such  building,  the  furnish- 
ing or  putting  up  of  the  fixtures  or  machinery,  the  planting  of  trees, 
vines,  plants,  or  hedges,  the  building  of  the  fence,  foot-walks,  or  side- 
walks, or  the  making  of  any  of  the  repairs  or  improvements. 

In  any  contract  for  the  sale  of  railroad  or  street  railway  equipment 
or  rolling  stock,  it  is  lawful  to  agree  that  the  title  to  the  property  sold, 
although  possession  is  given,  shall  not  vest  in  the  purchaser  until  the 
purchase  price  is  fully  paid. 

All  bonds  legally  issued  by  a  vote  of  the  electors  in  any  county  or 
township  becomes  a  lien  upon  all  the  real  estate  therein  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  principal  and  interest  of  such  bonds. 

An  attorney  has  a  lien  for  a  general  balance  of  compensation  upon 
anv  papers  of  his  client  which  have  come  into  his  possession  in  the 
course  of  his  professional  employment,  upon  money  in  his  hands  and 
upon  money  due  to  his  client,  and  anyone  under  contract  with  the  owner 
of  any  leasehold  for  oil  or  gas  purposes,  performs  labor  or  furnishes 
material,  has  a  lien  upon  the  whole  of  such  leasehold,  and  it  becomes  a 
preferred  lien. 

Liguest,  Pierre  Laclede,  one  of  the  founders  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  was 
born  in  France  in  1724,  and  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  years  came  to  New 
Orleans,   where  he   engaged   in   business   as    a   merchant.      In    1762    he 


l6o  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

obtained  a  license  from  the  governor  of  Louisiana  giving  him  the 
exclusive  right  to  trade  in  furs  with  the  Indians  in  the  Missouri  valley. 
Under  this  license  the  firm  of  Maxent  &  Co.  was  organized,  and  in  Feb., 
1764,  he  established  his  headquarters  where  the  city  of  St.  Louis  now 
stands.  For  several  years  he  carried  on  a  profitable  trade  in  furs,  estab- 
lishing posts  at  various  points  in  the  Indian  country.  He  died  on 
June  20,  1778,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  river,  while  returning 
to  St.  Louis  from  New  Orleans.  There  has  been  some  question  as  to 
his  correct  name.  Sometimes  it  appears  as  Pierre  Liguest  Laclede,  at 
others  as  Pierre  Laclede  Liguest.  Sharp's  History  of  St.  Louis,  says: 
"In  fourteen  instances  in  which  the  name  occurs  in  the  archives  it  is 
written  'Pierre  Laclede  Liguest.'  In  the  body  of  legal  instruments, 
whether  drawn  by  himself  or  a  notary,  this  is  the  almost  uniform 
orthography.  But  whenever  Laclede  signed  his  name  to  a  document, 
the  signature  is  universally  'Laclede  Liguest.' " 

Hyde  &  Conard's  Cyclopedia  of  St.  Louis  says:  "While  a  resident 
of  New  Orleans  L.acledc  contracted  a  civil  marriage  with  Therese  Chou- 
teau, who  had  separated  from  a  former  husband,  and  who  was  denied 
divorcement  by  the  Catholic  church.  Four  children  were  born  to  this 
union,  but  all  of  these  children,  upon  confirmation  in  the  church,  took 
the  name  of  the  mother,  and  hence  none  of  Laclede's  descendants  bears 
his  name." 

Lillis,  Thomas  Francis,  coadjutor  bishop  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  for- 
merly bishop  of  Leavenworth,  was  born  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  March  3, 
1862,  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Jordan)  Lillis,  both  natives  of 
County  Clare,  Ireland.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Lafayette 
county.  Mo.,  St.  Benedict's  College  at  Atchison,  Kan.,  and  Niagara 
University  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  prepared  for  the 
priesthood  and  ordained  in  Aug.,  1885.  His  first  appointment  was  to 
the  parish  at  Shackleford,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  until  he  became 
rector  of  St.  Patrick's  church  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  1887.  In  1904 
Father  Lillis  was  consecrated  bishop  of  Leavenworth  and  installed  in 
the  Leavenworth  cathedral  early  in  1905.  At  the  request  of  the  bishops 
of  the  province  of  St.  Louis  and  the  priests  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  1910, 
Bishop  Lillis  was  appointed  coadjutor  to  Bishop  Hogan  of  Kansas  City 
to  succeed  him  at  his  death. 

Lincoln,  the  count)'  seat  of  Lincoln  county,  is  an  incorporated  city 
of  the  third  class,  located  on  the  L^nion  Pacific  R.  R.,  and  is  the  largest 
town  on  that  road  between  Salina  and  the  state  line.  It  has  city  water- 
works, which  were  built  at  the  expense  of  $40,000,  a  $60,000  court-house, 
an  electric  light  plant  owned  by  the  city,  an  ice  plant,  flour  mills,  a 
cement  plant,  a  cigar  factory,  a  hospital  and  sanitarium.,  3  banks,  with 
a  combined  capitalization  of  $85,000,  and  2  newspapers  (the  Sentinel 
and  the  Republican).  Lincoln  is  a  beautiful  modern  little  city,  with 
stone  buildings,  lining  wide  and  well  kept  streets.  It  is  the  seat  of  the 
Kansas  Christian  College  established  in  1884.  The  town  was  platted 
in  1871.     The  first  town  election  resulted  as  follows:     Mayor,  George 


KANSAS    HISTORY  l6l 

M.  Lutes;  police  judge,  Mortimer  Gregg;  clerk,  L.  A.  Minx;  council- 
men,  D.  E.  Coolbaugh,  George  Green,  Luther  Stewart,  H.  Holcomb 
and  Joseph  Cheney.  It  became  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  Sept.,  1879. 
Liquor  was  never  legally  sold  on  the  town  site  except  during  the  year 
1879.  The  town  had  a  slow  growth  until  the  college  and  the  railroad 
were  built.  During  the  year  1886  the  population  doubled  and  wealth 
trebled  on  account  of  these  two  institutions.  From  March  to  May  125 
new  buildings  were  erected.  A  city  library  was  established  by  the 
women  about  this  time.  It  has  about  2,000  volumes  at  the  present 
time.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  1,508.  There 
are  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
oiifice  with  six  rural  routes. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  i6th  president  of  the  United  States,  was  born  near 
Hodgensville,  Ky..  Feb.  12,  1809.  His  entire  attendance  at  school  was 
less  than  one  year,  but  by  reading  such  books  as  came  in  his  way  he 
acquired  a  practical  education  and  developed  considerable  power  as  a 
backwoods  orator.  In  early  life  he  removed  to  Sangamon  county,  111., 
where  in  1832  he  was  commissioned  captain  of  a  company  of  volun- 
teers and  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  The  same  year  he  was  elected 
to  the  state  legislature,  receiving  205  out  of  208  votes  in  the  county, 
and  was  instrumental  in  securing  the  removal  of  the  state  capital  from 
Vandalia  to  Springfield,  where  soon  afterward  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  John  S.  Stewart  for  the  practice  of  law^  Subsequently  he  was 
associated  with  S.  T.  Logan,  and  in  1843  formed  a  partnership  with 
William  H.  Herndon  which  lasted  until  Mr.  Lincoln's  death.  In  1840 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  presidential  elector  on  the  Whig  ticket,  and  in  1846 
he  was  elected  to  Congress.  In  1858  he  was  nominated  for  United 
States  senator  by  the  Republicans  of  Illinois,  and  his  debates  with 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  his  opponent,  attracted  world-wide  attention.  He 
was  elected  president  in  i860  and  reelected  in  1864.  The  history  of 
his  administration  and  the  great  Civil  war  is  familiar  to  every  American. 
On  Fridav  evening,  April  14,  1865,  President  Lincoln  was  shot  by  John 
Wilkes  Booth  while  attending  a  play  at  Ford's  theater  in  Washington 
and  died  the  succeeding  day.  This  brief  mention  of  Mr.  Lincoln  is 
regarded  as  appropriate  in  this  work,  because  in  Dec,  1859,  he  visited 
Kansas.  On  the  evening  of  the  ist  he  spoke  at  Elwood,  and  afterward 
spoke  at  Troy,  Doniphan,  Atchison  and  Leavenworth.  Prentis  says : 
"The  largest  political  gathering  that  had  ever  assembled  in  Kansas 
heard  him  at  Leavenworth.  His  speech  was  substantially  the  same 
as  that  delivered  afterward  at  Cooper  Institute,  New  York  city,  and 
is  one  of  the  ablest  productions  of  American  statesman." 

Lincoln  County,  in  the  central  part  of  the  state,  is  in  the  third  tier  of 
counties  south  of  Nebraska,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mitchell 
county ;  east  by  Ottawa  and  Saline ;  south  by  Ellsworth,  and  west  by 
Osborne  and  Russell.  Its  area  is  720  square  miles.  The  county  was 
created  in  1867  and  named  in  honor  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  but  remained 
practically  unorganized  territory  until  1870.  During  these  three  years 
(II-ii) 


l62  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

it  was  attached  for  all  revenue  and  judicial  purposes  to  Ottawa  county 
as  Lincoln  township,  and  later  was  attached  to  Saline  when  that  county 
was  organized. 

It  is  believed  that  the  first  white  men  to  visit  what  is  now  Lincoln 
county  were  the  French  under  de  Bourgmont  in  1724.  Pike's  expedition 
in  1806,  passed  southwest  across  the  county.  Hunting  parties  went  up 
the  Saline  and  Solomon,  but  their  slay  was  always  short  and  they  left 
no  mark  upon  the  wilderness.  In  1859  a  hunting  party,  of  which  James 
R.  Mead  was  a  member,  visited  the  valley  of  the  Saline  in  what  is  now 
Lincoln  county,  and  found  the  camp  of  a  man  who  had  raised  the  first 
civilized  corn.  In  his  account  of  the  expedition  Mr.  Mead  says,  "We 
moved  to  the  place  and  built  cabins,  stable  and  a  corral  for  the 
winter.  .  .  .  Having  completed  comfortable  quarters,  which  became 
known  as  Mead's  ranch,  I  set  out  to  explore  the  country."  Michael 
Stearns,  Thomas  Boyle,  Ade  Spahn  and  a  man  named  Dean  also  hunted 
along  the  Saline  in  1858-59,  and  nearly  always  camped  at  the  mouth  of 
Beaver  creek. 

Although  the  country  toward  the  head  of  the  Saline  river  was  not 
considered  safe  from  Indian  depredations  in  1864,  Charles,  William 
and  Marion  Chase,  John  Moffit  and  Flavius  Moody  started  to  make  a 
settlement  on  Spillman  creek.  They  located  between  Beaver  creek  and 
the  Saline  river,  where  they  built  a  log  house  and  other  buildings,  but 
one  disaster  after  another  occurred,  and  in  May  they  abandoned  the 
place  because  of  an  Indian  outbreak.  In  July,  the  Moffits,  accompanied 
by  two  men  named  Taylor  and  Henderson  returned  to  the  place,  but 
were  attacked  by  Indians  while  hunting  near  Rocky  Hill.  Two  were 
killed,  but  the  others  managed  to  reach  the  house  and  after  watching 
for  Indians  a  day  and  a  night  escaped  to  the  settlements. 

The  first  really  permanent  homes  of  white  men  were  built  near  where 
Beverly  now  stands  by  members  of  the  First  Colorado  cavalry,  which 
had  been  stationed  at  Salina  in  1865.  They  came  up  the  Saline  and  filed 
on  all  the  desirable  river  claims  from  what  is  now  the  eastern  boundary 
of  the  county  to  the  mouth  of  the  Beaver.  Six  of  these  men,  Richard 
Clark,  James  M.  Adams,  Isaac  DeGraff,  Edward  E.  Johnson,  William 
E.  Thompson  and  Darius  C.  Skinner,  who  had  crossed  the  plains  be- 
fore the  war,  returned  during  the  winter  of  1865-66,  to  occupy  their 
claims.  The  next  spring  others  were  added  to  the  population.  George 
Green  and  his  wife  came  from  Massachusetts,  and  their  daughter, 
Lizzie,  born  Oct.  18,  1866,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  county. 
W.  T.  Wild,  of  England,  and  John  Dart,  of  Connecticut,  also  brought 
their  families.  J.  J.  Peate,  William  Gaskell,  M.  D.  Green,  Michael 
Ziegler,  John  S.  Strange,  Martin  Henderson,  and  a  number  of  others 
came  in  1866,  and  the  next  year  the  population  was  considerably  in- 
creased b)'  immigrants  from  the  East,  among  whom  were  Louis  Farley, 
Ferdinand  Erhardt  and  M.  S.  Green. 

The  first  lumber  in  the  county  was  cut  with  an  old-fashioned  whip- 
saw.     By  this  method  the  logs  were  rolled  upon  a  scaffold.     On  the  top 


KANSAS    HISTORY  1 63 

of  the  log  Stood  one  man  to  pull  the  saw  up  and  one  below  to  pull  it 
down — a  "slow  but  sure"  process  of  making  lumber. 

In  common  with  other  frontier  counties,  Lincoln  suffered  from  Indian 
raids  during  the  late  '60s  and  early  '70s.  In  1868  a  detachment  of  the 
Seventh  United  States  cavalry,  under  command  of  Col.  Benteen,  was 
stationed  for  a  time  at  Schermerhorn's  ranch,  south  of  Rocky  Hill,  for  the 
protection  of  the  settlers.  After  the  Indian  campaign  of  1874  the  white 
people  were  allowed  to  pursue  their  way  without  molestation,  and 
the  progress  of  the  county  was  more  rapid,  as  well  as  more  substantial 
in  character. 

A  petition  asking  for  a  separate  county  organization  was  sent  to 
Gov.  Harvey  in  1870,  and  on  Oct.  4  he  appointed  Isaac  DeGraff,  John  S. 
Strange  and  Washington  Smith,  commissioners,  and  F.  A.  Schermer- 
horn,  clerk.  The  temporary  county  seat  was  established  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  35,  township  11,  range  8,  a  few  miles  east  of 
where  Lincoln  now  stands.  The  first  meeting  of  the  board  was  held  on 
Oct.  6  at  the  house  of  John  Strange.  The  commissioners  divided  the 
county  into  four  civil  townships — Colorado,  Elkhorn,  Salt  Creek  and 
Indiana.  At  the  election  in  November  I.  C.  Buzwick  was  elected  repre- 
sentative; Cornelius  Dietz,  Jarries  Wild  and  John  Strange,  commission- 
ers; A.  S.  Potter,  county  clerk;  Volney  Ball,  treasurer;  D.  C.  Skinner, 
probate  judge;  T.  A.  Walls,  register  of  deeds;  R.  B.  Clark,  sheriff; 
Myron  Green,  county  attorney ;  J.  A.  Cook,  district  clerk ;  P.  Lowe,  sur- 
veyor, and  Francis  Seiber,  coroner.  The  election  favored  a  change  of 
the  county  seat  and  in  Jan.,  1871,  the  county  officers  met  on  the  open 
prairie,  decided  on  a  location  about  3  miles  east  of  the  place  designated 
by  the  governor,  and  called  it  Abram.  The  Abram  town  company  gave 
the  county  a  deed  to  lots  for  a  court-house.  In  April  the  commissioners 
were  petitioned  to  call  an  election  to  change  the  location  of  the  county 
seat.  The  petitions  were  laid  over  at  that  time  by  the  commissioners, 
but  on  Feb.,  19,  1872,  an  election  was  held,  Lincoln  Center  receiving 
232  votes  and  Abram  176.  On  April  i,  1873,  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$4,000  were  voted  for  a  court-house.  This  building  burned  in  1898  and 
the  present  fine  building  was  dedicated  in  1900. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  Martin  Henderson's  house  in  1868  by 
Marion  Ivy.  The  second  was  opened  in  1869  by  David  G.  Bacon  in  a 
dugout  near  the  same  place.  Mrs.  Skinner  taught  the  first  public  school, 
at  Monroe,  in  1870.  In  March,  1871,  the  legislature  provided  for  court 
in  Lincoln  county  and  James  H.  Canfield,  of  Junction  City,  presided 
over  the  first  session,  which  began  Nov.  6,  1871.  Lincoln  county  had  no 
paper  until  1873,  when  F.  H.  Barnhart  started  the  Lincoln  County 
News.  He  sold  his  interest  in  the  paper  in  1873  and  on  July  16.  1874, 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  Farmer. 

The  surface  of  Lincoln  county  is  gently  rolling  prairie,  with  high, 
rough  land  breaking  into  bluffs  in  the  southern  and  eastern  portions. 
The  valley  of  the  Saline  averages  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width 
and    with    the    creek    valleys    comprises    a    little    less    than    one-fourth 


164  CYCLOPEDIA    01- 

of  the  area.  Native  trees  along  the  streams  are  ash,  oak,  chii,  box-elder, 
hackberry,  walnut  and  mulberry.  The  Saline  river  flows  nearly  east 
and  west  across  the  center  of  the  county,  and  its  main  tributaries  are 
Wolf,  Spillman,  Elkhorn  and  Prosser  creeks.  Springs  are  abundant  and 
good  well  water  is  found  at  a  depth  of  35  feet.  Magnesian  limestone, 
red  and  white  sandstone,  mineral  paint  and  potter's  clay  are  all  found. 
Cement  rock  exists  in  the  west  and  large  salt  marshes  are  found  in  the 
northeastern  portion,  while  salt  springs  abound  along  the  Saline  river 
and  Spillman  creek.  Coal  of  a  fair  quality  has  been  found  and  mined 
tor  local  use.  Stock  raising  is  an  important  industry.  The  principal 
crop  are  winter  wheat,  oats,  corn  and  Kafir  corn,  and  in  1907  there  were 
100,000  bearing  fruit  trees  in  the  county.  Transportation  facilities  are 
provided  by  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  which  has  a  line  nearly  east 
and  west  across  the  county,  following  the  general  course  of  the  Saline 
river,  and  a  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad  runs 
to  Barnard,  in  the  northeast  corner,  giving  the  county  nearly  40  miles 
of   main   track   railroad. 

The  county  is  divided  into  the  following  civil  townships:  Battle 
Creek,  Beaver,  Cedron,  Colorado,  Elkhorn,  Franklin,  Golden  Belt,  Grant, . 
Hanover,  Highland,  Indiana,  Logan,  Madison,  Marion,  Orange,  Pleas- 
ant, Salt  Creek,  Scott,  Valley  and  Vesper.  The  population  in  1910  was 
10,142;  the  assessed  value  of  property,  $21,198,950;  and  the  value  of  all 
agricultural  products,  including  live  stock,  $3,653,605. 

Lincolnville,  one  of  the  thriving  towns  of  Marion  county,  is  located 
on  Clear  creek  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  13  miles 
north  of  Marion,  the  county  seat.  It  has  all  the  main  lines  of  mercan- 
tile enterprise,  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postofifice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  475,  an 
increase  of  nearly  150  per  cent,  over  the  previous  census. 

Linda,  a  country  postofifice  in  Rawlins  county,  is  located  in  Grant 
township  18  miles  southwest  of  Atwood,  the  county  seat,  and  16  miles 
from  Colby  in  Thomas  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  The  popula- 
tion in   1910  was  23. 

Lindsborg,  which  claims  to  be  the  cleanest  city  in  Kansas,  is  the 
second  largest  town  in  McPherson  county.  It  is  located  on  the  Smoky 
Hill  river,  the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the  Union  Pacific  railroads,  15  miles 
north  of  McPherson,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  sewer  system,  water- 
works, electric  light  plant,  3  banks,  2  flour  mills,  3  elevators,  a  brick 
works,  a  broom  factory,  3  newspapers  (the  News,  the  Posten  and  the 
Record),  and  a  number  of  well  stocked  stores.  This  is  the  headquarters 
of  the  Swedish  American  Insurance  company.  It  is  also  the  location 
of  Bethany  College  (q.  v.),  one  of  the  leading  educational  institutions 
of  the  state.  This  institution,  as  well  as  the  old  people's  home  in  Linds- 
borg, is  supported  by  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church.  The  population 
of  the  town  and  surrounding  country  is  almost  wholly  of  Swedish  de- 
scent. The}'^  are  artistic  people,  especially  in  music,  and  the  little  city 
is  known  to  musicians  all  over  the  United  States  for  the  yearly  render- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  165 

ing-  of  the  Messiah,  an  event  which  brings  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Lindsborg  is  well  built  with  fine  business  blocks  and  up-to- 
date  stores.  It  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  telephone  connections, 
express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  three 
rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  1,939. 

The  town  was  located  by  the  Chicago  Swedish  company  in  1868.  The 
first  building  was  the  company's  house,  in  which  religious  services 
were  held  and  business  transacted.  The  first  private  house  was  built 
by  Neils  Olson  in  1869.  The  first  store  was  opened  the  same  year  by 
J.  H.  Johnson,  about  a  mile  west  of  the  town  site,  where  the  first 
postoffice  was  located.  It  was  established  in  1869  and  Mr.  Johnson  was 
made  postmaster.  In  1870  the  Swedish  Merchants'  association  bought 
Mr.  Johnson's  property  and  moved  the  store  and  postoffice  to  Linds- 
borg. In  May,  1871,  C.  Carlson  surveyed  the  town  site  for  the  First 
Swedish  agricultiH"al  society.  The  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  in 
1879,  and  John  A.  Swensson  was  the  first  mayor.  Bethany  College 
was  opened  in  1881  with  30  students.  The  Bank  of  Lindsborg  was  es- 
tablished in  1882.  By  this  tune  Lindsborg  had  grown  to  be  an  im- 
portant grain  market.  Three  large  elevators  with  a  combined  capacity 
of  50,000  bushels  had  been  built  at  a  total  cost  of  $15,000.  Two  large 
mills  had  been  put  up,  one  at  a  cost  of  $8,000  and  the  other  $12,000.  The 
first  newspaper  was  the  Lindsborg  Socialist,  established  in  1879,  The 
Kansas  Posten,  which  was  at  that  time  the  only  Swedish  newspaper  in 
Kansas,  was  established  in  1882.  The  first  railroad  was  the  Salina  & 
McPherson  branch  of  the  L^nion  Pacific,  built  in  1879.  The  Missouri 
Pacific  was  constructed  through  Lindsborg  in  1887. 

Lindsborg  was  made  the  countjr  seat  of  McPherson  county  by  the 
commissioners  in  1870,  and  remained  so  for  three  )'ears.  The  first 
school  was  taught  in  the  court-house  by  Mrs.  Warner. 

Lindsay,  a  station  on  the  I'nion  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Ottawa  county,  is 
located  in  Concord  township,  2  miles  southeast  of  Minneapolis,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  offices,  a  money  order  post- 
oifice,  and  is  a  shipping  point  for  agricultural  products  and  stock.  The 
population  in  1910  was  28. 

Linn,  a  thriving  little  town  in  Washington  county,  is  located  in  Linn 
township  10  miles  south  of  Washington,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  four  churches,  a  graded  public  school,  2 
denominational  schools,  2  public  schools,  several  secret  and  fraternal 
orders,  3  grain  elevators,  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Digest), 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three 
rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  300.  It  is  the  shipping 
point  for  a  prosperous  stock  raising  and  agricultural  area,  over  250 
cars  of  live  stock,  225  cars  of  grain,  and  $60,000  worth  of  poultry, 
produce  and  cream  being  shipped  annually. 

Linn  County,  situated  in  the  eastern  tier,  next  to  the  Missouri  state 
line,  and  in  the  third  tier  south  of  the  Kansas  river,  was  one  of  the 
original  33  counties  created  by  the  first  territorial  legislature,  with  the 


1 66  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

following  boundaries:  "Beginning  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Lykins 
(now  Miami;  county;  thence  south  24  miles;  thence  west  24  miles; 
thence  north  24  miles;  thence  east  24  miles  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

It  was  named  Linn  in  honor  of  Lewis  F.  Linn,  a  United  States 
senator  from  Missouri.  In  1868  the  boundaries  were  redefined  as  fol- 
lows: "Commencing  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Miami  county;  thence 
south  along  the  west  boundary  of  the  State  of  Missouri  to  the  corner 
on  said  line  to  fractional  sections  13  and  24,  township  23  south,  of 
range  25  east ;  thence  west  along  the  section  lines  to  the  corner  of 
sections  14,  15,  22  and  23,  township  23  south  of  range  21  east;  thence 
north  along  the  section  lines  between  the  second  and  third  tiers  of 
sections  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Miami  county ;  thence  east  along 
the  south  boundary  of  said  Miami  county  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

By  this  act  a  strip,  varying  in  width  from  a'^half  mile  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  county  to  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half  at  the  southwest 
corner,  was  added  to  the  west  side  of  the  county  and  the  area  increased 
to  637  square  miles.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Miami  county,  on 
the  east  by  the  State  of  Missouri,  on  the  south  by  Bourbon  county, 
and  on  the  west  by  Anderson  county,  and  is  divided  into  eleven  town- 
ships: Blue  Mound,  Centerville,  Liberty,  Lincoln,  Mound  City,  Paris, 
Potosi,  Scott,  Sheridan,  Stanton  and  Valley. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  undulating,  rather  broken  in 
the  eastern  part,  and  about  one-tenth  is  too  rough  for  cultivation.  One- 
fifth  is  rich  bottom  land,  very  fertile  and  productive.  The  upland  or 
rolling  prairie  is  generally  from  5a  to  80  feet  above  the  valleys,  the 
highest  elevation  being  Silver  Hill,  near  the  Marias  des  Cygnes,  which 
rises  to  a  height  of  300  feet  above  the  river.  The  timber  belts  along 
the  streams  are  usually  nearly  as  wide  as  the  valleys,  the  principal 
varieties  being  black  walnut,  oak,  sycamore,  hickory,  cottonwood,  ash, 
box-elder  and  elm.  The  most  important  water  course  is  the  Marias 
des  Cygnes,  which  crosses  the  northern  boundary  a  little  east  of  the 
middle  and  flows  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  crossing  the  eastern 
boundary  a  httle  north  of  the  center. 

The  first  white  man  to  visit  the  country  now  embraced  within  the 
boundaries  of  Linn  county  was  probably  Dutisne  (q.  v.)  in  his  expe- 
dition of  1719.  The  first  white  men  to  remain  for  any  time  in  what 
is  now  Linn  county  were  Girard  and  Chouteau,  who  in  1834  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  on  the  north  branch  of  the  Marias  des  Cygnes  in 
what  is  nojv  Potosi  township.  In  1839  the  Catholics  established  a 
mission  among  the  Pottawatomie  Indians  near  the  site  of  the  present 
town  of  Centerville.  It  was  removed  to  St.  Mary's  in  1847.  It  is 
believed  that  the  French  came  up  from  Louisiana  and  encouraged  the 
Indians  to  mine  lead  on  Mine  creek,  from  which  it  derived  its  name, 
but  the  extent  of  this  industry  is  conjectural  and  it  was  early  abandoned 
by  the  French  as  unprofitable.  It  was  the  French  who  named  the 
Marais  des  Cygnes  from  the  many  swans  on  the  swamps  along  the  river 
and  so  called  it  the  "Marsh  of  swans." 


KANSAS    HISTORY  167 

As  soon  as  it  became  apparent  that  the  territory  west  of  Missouri 
would  be  thrown  open  to  white  settlement  many  squatters  located  claims 
along  the  wooded  streams  of  Linn  county,  mostly  by  pro-slavery  men 
from  Missouri,  who  cared  little  for  progress  and  desired  to  preserve 
the  institutions  to  which  they  were  accustomed.  Some  of  these  early 
settlers  were  James  Osborne  and  Adam  Pore,  who  in  Jan.,  1854,  took 
claims  at  the  head  of  Sugar  creek,  near  the  present  town  of  Mound 
City.  D.  W.  Cannon,  William  Murray,  John  Brown,  James  Mont- 
gomery, James  Osborne  and  William  Park  all  came  that  year  to  what 
is  now  Linn  county.  Trouble  soon  arose  between  the  free-state  and 
pro-slavery  parties,  as  it  was  impossible  for  men  of  such  different 
political  beliefs  to  live  together  in  harmony.  The  first  convention,  and 
one  of  the  first  causes  of  trouble,  was  held  at  Sugar  Mound  Feb.  20, 
1855.  It  was  called  for  the  purpose  of  nominating  a  candidate  for  the 
territorial  legislature.  It  was  called  by  James  Fox,  a  pro-slavery 
leader,  and  few  of  the  free-state  settlers  were  notified  of  the  convention. 
James  Montgomery,  who  was  secretary  of  the  convention,  succeeded 
in  having  it  adjoined  in  order  that  more  settlers  might  be  present. 
A  second  convention  was  therefore  held,  but  the  free-state  men  were 
defeated  at  both  the  convention  and  at  the  election  held  on  March  30. 

Linn  county  sent  three  delegates  to  the  Lecompton  constitutional 
convention,  J.  H.  Barlow,  S.  H.  Hayze  and  George  Overstreet.  The 
free-state  men  generally  failed  to  vote  at  the  election  for  these  candi- 
dates. At  the  election  for  officers  under  the  Lecompton  constitution, 
held  at  Sugar  Mound,  -the  free-state  men  of  the  county  voted,  not 
knowing  that  the  convention  which  had  assembled  at  Lawrence  on 
Dec.  2,  had  adopted  resolutions  repudiating  the  constitution.  James 
Montgomery  learned  of  these  resolutions  on  the  day  of  election  and 
going  to  the  polls  told  the  free-state  voters  that  they  had  been  mis- 
informed as  to  the  decision  of  the  true  convention,  seized  the  ballot 
box,  broke  it  to  pieces  and  destroyed  the  ballots. 

Mound  City  was  started  in  the  spring  of  1855  by  the  opening  of  a 
store  there  by  a  man  named  Miller  and  it  soon  became  a  well  known 
pro-slavery  headquarters,  although  the  town  was  not  organized  until 
1857.  Trading  Post  was  one  of  the  early  settlements,  both  free-state 
and  pro-slavery  men  locating  in  the  vicinity,  but  in  time  it  became  a 
stronghold  of  the  latter  party.  Paris,  situated  about  6  miles  south  of 
Mound  City,  was  owned  by  pro-slavery  men  and  in  the  early  days 
became  a  rallying  point  from  which  to  make  raids  upon  the  free-state 
settlers.  Up  to  the  middle  of  the  summer  of  1856  there  was  com- 
paratively little  trouble  between  the  two  political  factions  in  the  county. 
Difficulties  arose  over  claims,  and  much  of  the  trouble  for  years  was 
laid  at  the  door  of  G.  W.  Clark,  who  it  was  claimed  burned  a  number 
of  free-state  settlers  out  of  their  homes.  It  is  true  that  he  did  burn 
several  cabins,  but  never  the  number  reported. 

In  the  summer  of  1856  the  Missourians  were  gathering  armed  forces 
along   the   border   under   the   leadership   of  Atchison,  Reid   and    Clark. 


l68  CYCLOl'EUIA    OF 

Capt.  John  E.  Davis  was  camped  with  a  force  of  150  men  on  Middle 
creek  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county.  On  Aug.  24,  Capts.  Ander- 
son, Shore  and  Cline,  with  a  command  of  about  125  men,  camped  in 
the  same  locality.  In  the  morning  scouts  of  the  free-state  party  brought 
in  word  that  about  50  of  Davis'  men  were  absent  from  camp  and  an 
attack  was  immediately  planned.  When  the  free-state  men  came 
within  range  the  Missourians  opened  fire,  which  was  immediately 
returned.  The  firing  lasted  about  ten  minutes  before  the  Southerners 
retired.  In  the  action  Lieutenant  Cline  was  wounded  and  subsequently 
died.  This  affair  is  known  as  the  battle  of  Middle  Creek.  In  the  fall 
the  Missourians  raided  Linn  county.  They  first  went  to  Paris,  where 
they  were  joined  by  some  of  the  settlers,  then  moved  on  to  Sugar 
Mound,  where  they  burned  some  houses,  robbed  Ebenezer  Barnes' 
house,  the  store  and  the  postoffice.  Many  depredations  were  commit- 
ted and  the  free-state  settlers  warned  to  leave  the  county.  This  and 
like  raids  intluenced  James  Montgomery  to  gather  a  company  of  cour- 
argeous  free-state  men,  which  started  out  on  raids  of  retaliation  into 
Missouri.  This  brave  band  was  so  daring,  and  meted  out  vengeance 
in  such  a  summary  manner,  that  Montgomery  became  known  as  the 
Jayhawk  leader  and  was  greatly  feared  by  men  of  the  opposite  party. 

The  leader  of  the  pro-slavery  party  was  Charles  Hamekon,  and 
Trading  Post  was  his  acknowledged  headquarters.  When  the  Mis- 
sourians warned  the  free-state  settlers  to  leave  the  county  Montgomery 
raided  Trading  Post  with  the  intention  of  breaking  up  the  headquarters 
of  Ilamelton's  gang.  They  did  not  kill  or  harm  anyone,  but  poured 
out  all  the  whisky  found  in  the  store  and  warned  the  pro-slavery  set- 
tlers to  leave,  saying  that  there  was  not  room  enough  for  both  in  the 
county.  As  a  result  of  this  raid  Hamelton  led  the  party  which  com- 
mitted the  Marais  des  Cygnes  massacre  (q.  v.).  After  this  atrocious 
affair  the  persons  who  took  part  in  it  disappeared.  Another  free-state 
leader  who  arose  at  this  time  was  C.  R.  Jennison,  who  became  known 
as  one  of  the  greatest  leaders  during  the  border  warfare. 

In  the  Civil  war  Linn  county  was  represented  in  the  Second  Kansas 
infantry,  the  Sixth  cavalrj-,  the  Tenth  infantry,  the  Seventh  cavalry, 
the  Twelfth  infantry  and  Fifteenth  cavalry;  many  men  also  enlisted  in 
the  regular  army  of  the  United  States.  During  the  war  raids  from 
Missouri  were  common,  and  raids  from  Linn  county  into  Missouri 
were  nearly  as  frequent.  In  Oct.,  1861,  a  party  of  Missourians  under 
Sheriff  Clem  of  Bates  county  raided  Linn  county,  killed  several  men 
and  robbed  a  number  of  houses.  In  December  a  party  of  about  125 
Missourians  again  raided  Linn  county,  robbed  and  pillaged  houses, 
killed  one  Union  man,  and  others  barely  escaped  with  their  lives  by 
hiding.  A  Union  force  retaliated  by  marching  into  Missouri,  but  being 
met  by  a  stronger  force  retired  into  Kansas.  After  this  raid  Camp  De- 
fiance was  established  on  Mine  creek  in  Linn  county,  near  the  Mis- 
souri line,  and  Col.  Montgomery  with  the  Third  regiment  was  stationed 
there  until  the  spring  of  1862.     The  most  important  and  exciting  event 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


169 


of  the  Civil  war  which  occurred  in  Linn  county  was  the  Price  raid,  m 
which  battles  occurred  at  Mound  City  on  Oct.  25;  at  Round  Mound, 
about  6  miles  from  the  river;  and  at  Mine  creek,  4  miles  south  of  Round 
Mound.     (See  Mine  Creek.) 

The  first  store  in  Linn  county  was  at  the  Trading  Post  for  trade 
with  the  Indians,  though  the  first  whites  in  the  county  also  bought 
goods  there.  The  first  postoffice  was  opened  at  Mound  City,  at  the 
store  of  a  Mr.  Miller,  who  was  appointed  postmaster  in  the  spring  of 
1855.  The  first  school  in  the  county  was  held  during  the  winter  of 
1858-59  in  the  town  hall  at  Blue  Mound,  and  the  first  marriage 
solemnized  in  the  county  was  that  of  J.  S.  Atkins  and  Maria  Man- 
nington  in  1858.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  the  pioneer 
religious  organization  in  the  county.  They  were  followed  by  the 
Baptists  and  United  Brethren,  both  of  whom  erected  churches  in  Mound 
City  in  the  early  '60s. 

Linn  county  was  organized  in  1855.  The  first  board  of  county  com- 
missioners—called a  court— consisted  of  R.  E.  Elliott,  president,  L.  M. 
Love  and  Brisco  Davis.  They  appointed  James  F.  Fox,  treasurer; 
Joseph  D.  Wilmot,  clerk;  James  Driskill,  assessor;  William  Rogers, 
surveyor;  Joseph  E.  Brown,  sheriff;  and  Elisha  Tucker,  coroner.  On 
the  same  day  these  officers  were  appointed  the  court  divided  the  county 
into  three  municipal  townships:  Scott,  Johnson  and  Richland.  Sub- 
sequently changes  were  made  in  both  the  divisions  and  names  until  the 
present  eleven  townships  were  created. 

By  the  act  creating  the  county  provision  was  made  for  the  election 
of  commissioners  on  the  second  Monday  of  Oct.,  1855,  and  that  the 
"commissioners  so  appointed  for  the  county  of  Linn  shall  locate  the 
county  seat  of  said  county  within  3  miles  of  the  geographical  center." 
There  is  no  record  available  to  show  that  this  board  was  ever  elected, 
but  on  Jan.  18,  1856,  the  county  commissioners  appointed  a  commis- 
sion to  locate  the  county  seat.  On  March  18  James  P.  Fox  and  a  man 
named  Osborne,  the  only  commissioners  who  acted,  made  a  report  that 
they  had  decided  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  8,  township  21, 
range  24.  The  town  (named  Paris)  was  laid  out  by  William  Rogers, 
the  county  surveyor.  The  board  of  county  commissioners  held  their 
first  meeting  there  on  Aug.  7  in  the  house  purchased  from  J.  P.  Fox, 
who  owned  the  land.  This  location  was  not  satisfactory  to  any  of 
the  residents  and  an  election  to  relocate  the  county  seat  was  held  on 
Nov.  8,  1859,  when  Mound  City  was  chosen,  the  first  meeting  of  the 
countv'board  being  held  there  Dec.  15.  On  May  30.  1865,  the  county 
seat  was  changed  to  Linnville,  a  town  just  south  of  the  site  of  Paris 
and  a  few  miles  north  of  Mound  City.  On  Feb.  20,  1866,  still  another 
election  was  held  to  relocate  the  county  seat,  at  which  time  Mound 
City  was  again  chosen.  An  election  was  then  held  May  29  on  the 
same  question,  the  result  being  that  Mound  City  retained  the  county 
seat.  On  Feb.  14,  1871,  the  seat  of  justice  was  changed  to  La  Cygne 
by  the  vote  of  the  people ;  on  March  27,  1873,  the  seat  of  justice  was 


IJO  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

changed  to  Farmers  Lily,  but  as  the  location  was  a  mere  brush  patch 
the  county  officers  refused  to  go  there,  and  La  Cygne  remained  the 
county  seat  de  facto  until  April  14,  1874,  when  an  election  was  held 
at  which  Pleasanton  received  the  majority  of  votes.  The  question  of 
the  permanent  location  was  still  undecided  and  in  1875  a  decisive  and 
last  election  was  held,  when  Mound  City  was  chosen  as  the  seat  of 
justice  of  Linn  for  the  third  time,  where  it  has  since  remained. 

The  first  railroad  in  Linn  county  was  the  Kansas  &  Neosho  Valley. 
A  proposition  was  made  for  the  county  to  issue  $150,000  worth  of 
bonds  with  which  to  buy  stock  of  the  railroad,  but  as  the  county 
officials  and  the  railroad  officials  could  not  agree  this  was  never  done. 
The  road  was  built,  however,  but  was  located  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  county.  At  the  present  time  there  are  over  90  miles  of  main  track 
railroad  in  the  county.  The  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  crosses  from 
north  to  south  along  the  eastern  boundary  through  Pleasanton  with 
a  branch  into  Missouri.  The  Missouri  Pacific  crosses  the  southern  part 
of  the  county  east  and  west,  branching  at  Blue  Mound  in  the  south- 
west, one  branch  running  west  into  Anderson  county  and  the  other 
south  in  Bourbon  county.  The  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  enters  in 
the  northwest  and  crosses  south  into  Anderson  county.  These  lines 
provide  excellent  transportation  and  shipping  facilities  for  all  portions 
of  the  county  except  the  center. 

The  chief  agricultural  products  of  Linn  county  are  corn,  flax,  winter 
wheat,  oats,  Kafir  corn  and  hay.  Live  stock  is  a  profitable  industry. 
There  are  more  than  125,000  bearing  fruit  trees  in  the  county,  which 
bring  in  a  considerable  revenue.  Common  and  magnesium  limestone 
are  plentiful  and  large  quarries  are  operated  near  Pleasanton ;  salt 
springs  exist  in  the  southern  portion ;  coal  of  a  good  quality  underlies 
a  considerable  part  of  the  county  and  has  for  many  years  been  mined 
in  commercial  quantities  for  exportation ;  cement  rock  abounds  and 
clay  is  plentiful  in  the  southeast ;  oil  and  natural  gas  have  been  found 
near  Pleasanton,  and  the  latter  is  used  for  heating  and  lighting. 
Pleasanton  is  the  largest  town  in  the  county.  Mound  City,  the  seat 
of  justice,  is  81  miles  south  of  Kansas  City  and  is  a  shipping  point  for 
a  rich  district.  La  Cygne  is  also  an  important  town.  The  population  of 
Linn  county  in  1910  was  14,735,  '*nd  the  value  of  her  agricultural 
products,  including  live  stock,  was  $2,219,376. 

Linton,  a  hamlet  of  Linn  county,  is  situated  in  the  southeast  corner 
on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  about  8  miles  south  of  Pleas- 
anton.    It  has  mail  from  Prescott  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  32. 

Linwood,  an  incorporated  town  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  situated  at 
the  confluence  of  Stranger  river  with  the  Kansas  river  and  on  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.  about  30  miles  southwest  of  Kansas  City.  It  has 
several  excellent  stores,  a  hardware  and  implement  house,  school, 
churches,  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and 
is  the  supply  and  shipping  point  for  the  prosperous  farming  country 
by  which  it  is  surrounded.    In  1910  the  population  of  the  town  was  323. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ^7^ 

Lippincott,   Joshua   Allen,    clergyman   and    fourth    chancellor    of    the 
University  of   Kansas,  was  born  in  Burlington  county,   N.  J.,  Jan.  31, 
1S35.     He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Richard  Lippincott,  who  came  to 
America  in   1619  from  Devonshire,   England.     Mr.    Lippincott  passed 
his  childhood  and  youth  in  Burlington  county,  receiving  his  early  edu- 
cation   in   the    rural    schools.      His    higher    education    was    received    in 
Pennington  Seminary  and  Dickinson  College  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  at  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in   1858.     The  same  year  he  began  teach- 
ing   at     Pennington     Seminary,    where    he    was     made    professor    of 
mathematics  and  German.     Four  years  later  he  became  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools  in  Scranton,  Pa.     From  there  he  was  called  to  a 
position  in  the  New  Jersey  state  normal  and  model  schools  at  Trenton. 
In  1865  he  was  admitted  to  the  Wyoming  conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  although  he  had  previously  been  a  Quaker.     While 
doing  his  educational  work  he  frequently  acted  as  pastor  and  answered 
frequent  calls  to  the  pulpit.     After  having  filled  the  pulpit  at  Ashbury 
church,  Hackensack,  N.  J.,  he  accepted  the  professorship  of  mathematics 
and  astronomy  in  Dickinson  College,  where  he  remained  until   1883, 
when  he  resigned  to  become  chancellor  of  the  University  of   Kansas. 
During  his  administration  great  progress  was  made  by  that  institution, 
but  as  the  position  was  not  entirely  to  his  taste  he   resigned   in   1889 
to   accept   the  pastorate  of   the   First  Methodist   Episcopal   church   at 
Topeka   Kan.,  from  which  church  he  went  to  the  Arch  Street  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.     Following  his  services  there  he 
became  secretary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  hospital  at  Philadelphia. 
In    1882    Franklin   and   Marshall    College   of   Lancaster,    Pa.,   conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  D.  D.,  and  in  1886  the  University  of  Michigan 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.  D.     Dr.  Lippincott  died  on  Dec. 
30    1906    at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.     He  was  survived  by  two  sons— J.  B. 
Lippincott  of  Los  Angeles  and  Dr.  Walter  Lippincott  of  Seattle,  Wash. 
Liquor  Laws.— (See  Prohibition.) 
Lisa,  Manuel.— (See  Fur  Traders.) 

Litchfiield,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Crawford  county,  is  located  14 
miles  southeast  of  Girard,  the  county  seat,  and  about  a  mile  from  Mid- 
way, its  railroad  station,  which  is  on  the  Kansas  City  Southern.  Its 
ma'il'  is  supplied  from  Pittsburg,  2  miles  away. 

Literature.— Whether  the  first  writers  in  Kansas,  writing  of  Kansas, 
can  be  called  makers  of  literature,  is  a  question  that  involves  the  tech- 
nique of  higher  criticism.  However  that  may  be,  the  young  journalists 
who  arrived  in  the  first  immigrant  train,  armed  with  pencils  and  ink, 
and  filled  with  literarv  aspirations,  are  deserving  of  notice.  Some  of 
these  men  came  to  edit  newspapers  in  the  cause  of  freedom.  Others 
as  correspondents  for  the  eastern  press.  All  contributed  toward  the 
recordin<^  of  state  history,  and  these  descriptions  of  early  pioneer  life 
reveal  the  atmosphere  and  spirit  of  the  time  more  picturesquely  than 
later  narratives.  A  nearly  complete  collection  of  these  compositions 
can  be  found  in  the  scrap  books  of  T.  H.  Webb,  now  in  possession  of 


17-'  CVCLOl'EDIA    OF 

the  State  Historical  Society.  Among  these  who  became  editors  were 
R.  G.  Elliott,  G.  VV.  Brown,  John  A.  Martin,  John  Speer,  D.  W.  Wilder, 
T.  D.  Thacher,  Sol.  Miller,  G.  VV.  Martin,  D.  R.  Anthony,  M.  M. 
Mitrock  and  Jacob  Stotler.  Tiie  foreinost  names  among  the  journalists 
are:  Richard  J.  Ilinton,  James  Redpath.  W.  .\.  Phillips,  A.  D.  Richard- 
son, J.  H.  Kaga,  Nicholas  Smith,  T.  H.  Gladstone,  Douglas  Brewerton 
and  T.  H.  Higginson. 

Another  newspap'er  correspondent,  and  one  who  achieved  much  dis- 
tinction through  his  proficient  verse  making,  was  Richard  Realf,  said 
to  have  been  a  relative  of  Lord  Byron.  In  1889  Richard  J.  Hinton  pub- 
lished a  collection  of  Realf's  poems.  The  interest  of  eastern  editors, 
literary  men  and  song  bards,  promoted  in  Kansas  further  literary 
growth.  Dr.  William  Herbert  Carruth,  in  his  bibliography  of  Kansas 
books,  shows  twenty-three  numbers  between  1854  and  i860.  During 
these  years  a  number  of  books  were  published  under  the  auspices  of 
the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  society.  These  books  were  descriptive 
of  the  territory  and  its  advantages.  One  was  "Kansas,  Its  Exterior  and 
Interior  Life,"  written  by  Mrs.  Sara  T.  D.  Robinson  of  Lawrence.  The 
simplicity  and  directness  of  style  characterize  the  book,  making  it  the 
most  notable  of  the  period. 

Between  i860  and  1870  the  output  of  books  decreased,  there  being 
issued  ten  less  than  in  the  preceding  decade.  The  years  of  war  and 
recuperation  therefrom  were  not  conducive  to  imaginative  or  poetical 
composition.  However,  one  volume,  both  poetical  and  imaginative, 
"Osso,  the  Spectre  'Chieftain,'  "  an  epic  in  eight  cantos,  was  published 
b)'  Evender  C.  Kennedy  of  Leavenworth  in  1867.  It  is  distinguished 
by  being  the  first  imaginative  work  produced  in  the  state. 

The  flood  of  immigration  during  the  years  between  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war  and  1874,  the  "Grasshopper  year,"  increased  the  development 
of  towns,  railroads  and  schools.  The  buoyancy  and  hopefulness  of  the 
people  arc  expressed  in  the  foundation  of  the  Kansas  I\Iagazine  in  1872, 
a  literary  journal  of  high  merit.  It  is  said  to  have  used  the  Atlantic 
Monthly  as  its  model,  and  to  have  fallen  onjy  a  little  short  of  its  excel- 
lency. The  first  editor  was  Henry  King,  who  possessed  rare  taste  and 
the  power  to  exercise  it.  His  successor  was  James  W.  Steele.  The 
shortage  of  suitable  material  made  Mr.  Steele's  duties  more  difficult 
than  those  of  Mr.  King  had  been.  He  was  often  obliged  to  fill  more 
than  the  space  allotted  to  editorials,  and  this  he  did  by  stories  written 
under  the  name  of  Deane  Monahan.  or  some  sketch  written  under  his 
own  name.  The  dearth  of  worthy  composition  brought  an  end  to  the 
Kansas  Magazine,  at  the  close  of  its  second  year.  Among  those  who 
were  introduced  to  the  public  through  the  columns  of  the  Kansas 
Magazine  are  Rev.  Charles  Reynolds,  Rev.  James  H.  Defouri,  Annie 
F.  Burbank,  D.  L.  Wyman,  J.  M.  Roberts,  M.  H.  Smallwood,  Eurique 
Parmer,  R.  S.  Eliot,  Edward  Schiller,  Charles  Robinson,  Noble  Prentis. 
M.  W.  Reynolds.  Richard  J.  Hinton,  John  J.  Ingalls  and  D.  W.  Wilder. 
Occasional  contributions  were  received  from  well  known  writers  outside 


KANSAS    lUSTOUV  1/3 

the  state,  such  as  Walt  Whitman  and  W.  E.  Channing.  Those  who 
wrote  with  highest  literary  merit  were  Mr.  Ingalls  and  Mr.  Steele.  Mr. 
Ingalls  gave  up  literature  for  politics,  but  his  mastery  of  language 
made  many  regret  that  he  did  not  devote  his  life  to  a  literary  career. 
His  power  of  invective,  his  conception  of  beauty,  his  highly  developed 
sense  of  humor  and  keen  insight  of  character  gave  his  orations  pic- 
turesqueness,  originality  and  magnificence.  An  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful  and  a  skill  with  words  necessarily  made  him  a  poet.  After 
his  death  Mrs.  Ingalls  published  his  essays,  addresses  and  orations, 
dedicating  them  to  the  people  of  Kansas.  Mr.  Steele,  another  Kansan 
of  ability,  wrote  some  very  good  stories,  among  them  "The  Sons  of  the 
Border,"  "Cuban  Sketches,"  "Frontier  Army  Sketches,"  "To  Mexico  by 
Palace  Car"  and  "Old  California  Days." 

Only  a  few  volumes  were  published  in  the  late  '70s,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  is  the  "Annals  of  Kansas,"  an  invaluable  chronicle  of 
Kansas  events  by  D.  W.  Wilder  of  Hiawatha.  In  1878  Noble  L. 
Prentis,.  who  bears  the  reputation  of  humorist,  produced  "A  Kansan 
Abroad,"  the  first  of  his  entertaining  volumes.  His  later  books  are 
"Southern  Letters,"  "Southwestern  Letters,"  "History  of  Kansas"  and 
"Kansas  Miscellanies."  The  year  1885  witnessed  the  publication  of 
Edgar  W.  Howe's  "The  Story  of  a  Country  Town,"  Eugene  F.  Ware's 
■  "Rhymes  of  Ironquill,"  Leverett  W.  Spring's  "History  of  Kansas,"  and 
several  other  volumes  of  lesser  value.  "The  Story  of  a  Country  Town," 
by  Mr.  Howe,  as  a  realistic  novel  possesses  more  than  local  interest, 
and,  while  gloomy,  has  true  literary  merit.  The  effect  of  this  book  is 
attained  by  a  direct  truthfulness  with  which  he  portrays  the  conditions 
of  a  country  town,  and  through  his  powerful  descriptions  and  keen 
delineation  of  character.  Mr.  Howe  (q.  v.)  was  editor  of  the  Atchison 
Globe  from  the  date  of  its  foundation  to  Jan.,  191 1.  His  pointed  para- 
graphs, called  "Globesights,"  were  widely  read  and  copied. 

The  poems  of  Mr.  Ware  are  mostly  lyrical  in  nature  and  often  express 
an  exuberant  fancy,  a  quick  sight  for  social  and  professional  shams, 
a  whimsical  sympathy  for  the  dumb  patience  of  toil  and  a  vigorous 
enthusiasm  for  the  "strenuous  life."  "The  Washerwoman's  Song"  is 
well  known  throughout  the  land.  Mr.  Spring's  "Kansas :  The  Prelude 
to  the  War  for  the  LTnion,"  in  the  American  Commonwealth  Series, 
is  the  first  unprejudiced  history  of  the  state.  It  is  a  scholarly,  dignified 
narrative  from  an  unbiased  point  of  view.  Another  book  of  this  same 
year  is  "Annabel  and  Other  Poems"  by  Ellen  P.  Allerton.  Her  "Walls 
of  Corn"  is  the  best  known  of  the  collection. 

The  period  from  1885  to  1895  is  a  very  prolific  one  in  Kansas  books, 
showing  an  accelerated  interest  in  literary  activity.  Among  the  books 
are  the  first  one  from  the  pen  of  Col.  Henry  Inman  "In  The  Van  of 
Empire,"  Osmond's  "Sulamith,"  Sheldon's  "Robert  Bruce,"  Cole's  "The 
Auroraphone,"  Blackmar's  "Spanish  Institutions  of  the  Southwest," 
Chittendon's  "The  Pleroma,"  Florence  Kelly's  "Francis,"  Mill's  "The 
Sod    House    in    Heaven."    Woodward's    "Old    Wine    in    New    Bottles," 


1/4  cyi;loi'1£Uia  vv 

Nina  Morgan's  "A  Slumber  Song,"  "Letters"  by  Charles  F.  Scott, 
,  George  1\.  Peck's  "The  Nation  and  the  Soldier,  and  other  addresses," 
W.  Peffer's  "The  Farmer's  Side,"  Moody's  "The  Song  of  Kansas,"  and 
Cree's  "Direct  Legislation." 

In  1891  "The  Agora,"  a  Kansas  Magazine,  appeared  under  the  aus- 
pices of  certain  men  of  Salina  and  Abilene,  chief  among  whom  were 
Messrs.  Dewey,  Phillips,  Chittenden  and  Bishop,  with  T.  E.  Dewey 
as  editor.  It  had  as  contributors  the  best  writers  of  the  state,  but 
financially  was  unsuccessful.  Though  a  creditable  magazine  "The 
Agora"  did  not  achieve  at  any  time  during  its  five  years  of  publica- 
tion the  excellent  standard  of  the  first  Kansas  Magazine.  Albert  Bige- 
low  Paine  of  Fort  Scott  made  frequent  contributions  to  its  columns. 
In  1893,  with  Mr.  White,  he  published  a  volume  of  verse,  entitled 
"Poems  by  Two  Friends."  He  achieved  later  success  by  writing  non- 
sense rhymes  for  children.  His  works  are:  "Garbiel,"  a  poem;  "The 
Mystery  of  Evelin  Delorme;  A  Hypnotic  Story,"  "The  Dumpies,"  "The 
Hollow  Tree"  and  "The  Arkansaw  Bear."  Miss  Florence  Snow  of 
Neosho  Falls  may  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  "The  Agora."  She 
issued  a  volume  of  sonnets,  "The  Lamp  of  Gold,"  in  1896. 

It  was  not  until  many  years  later  that  another  Kansas  magazine 
was  started.  In  1908,  however,  a  Kansas  Magazine  company  was 
formed  with  Thomas  Blodgett  as  president;  William  Allen  White,  vice- 
president,  and  F.  M.  Cole,  secretary.  The  first  number  of  this  pub- 
lication came  out  in  Jan.,  1909. 

The  period  from  1895  to  1910  produced  the  most  brilliant  work  of 
native  writers.  Nearly  every  field  of  literature  was  invaded  by  Kan- 
sas men.  In  1896  William  Allen  White  of  Emporia,  in  his  paper,  the 
Emporia  Gazette,  wrote  an  editorial  entitled  "What  is  the  matter  with 
Kansas."  The  week  following  he  was  famous  and  has  remained  so 
since  through  compositions  of  a  more  serious  nature.  "The  Real 
Issue,"  a  book  of  Kansas  stories,  was  published  that  same  year.  "The 
Court  of  Boyville"  came  out  in  1899  and  met  with  immediate  success. 
The  people  of  whom  he  writes  are  Emporia  people,  Kansas  people, 
humanity  at  large.  His  provincial  friends  are  cosmopolitan.  His 
greatest  work  is  a  novel  entitled  "A  Certain  Rich  Man,"  published  in 
1909.  The  theme  is  a  modern  one  in  that  it  treats  of  a  poor  boy  who 
reaches  the  pinnacles  of  wealth  by  a  continued  sacrifice  of  honor  and 
friends.  The  moral  note  is  held  throughout  the  book,  good  conquering 
evil  in  the  end.  During  the  first  eighteen  months  of  publication  75,000 
copies  were  sold. 

Col.  Henry  Inman  (q.  v.)  is  best  known  as  the  author  of  "The  Old 
Santa  Fe  Trail,"  which  was  published  in  1897.  The  story  is  a  thrilling 
narrative  of  that  famous  highway  reaching  from  Independence,  Mo., 
to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mex.,  which  was  a  scene  of  frequent  conflict  between 
traders  and  Indians.  Mr.  Inman  is  said  to  have  spent  forty  years  on 
the  plains  and  in  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  was  familiar  with  all  the 
famous  men,  both  white  and  red,  whose  lives  have  made  the  story  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  175 

the  trail.  He  has  written  a  great  deal  about  the  adventures  of  the  early 
days  in  the  west.  His  tales  are  historically  invaluable  because  they 
depict  the  customs  of  a  highly  colored  life  just  past. 

An  author  of  wholly  different  type  is  the  Rev.  Charles  M.  Sheldon 
of  Topeka,  whose  sermon  stories  are  read  throughout  the  world.  A 
few  years  ago  Mr.  Sheldon  adopted  the  method  of  giving  his  evening 
sermon  in  the  form  of  fiction.  These  sermons  later  were  put  in  book 
form  and  published,  carrying  a  lesson  of  right  living  to  those  beyond 
his  church  doors.  The  value  of  his  books  is  more  ethical  than  literary. 
Among  the  books  written  are:  "The  Twentieth  Door,"  "Robert 
Hardy's  Seven  Days,"  "Malcom  Kirk,"  "One  of  the  Two,"  "The 
Miracle  of  Markham,"  "His  Brother's  Keeper,"  "John  King's^  Ques- 
tion Class,"  "The  Redemption  of  Freetown"  and  "In  His  Steps,"  which 
is  the  one  of  largest  circulation. 

In  "The  journey  of  a  Javhawker"  is  found  an  interesting  collection 
of  letters  published  by  William  Yost  Morgan  in  1905  :  These  were  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  Morgan  for  the  Hutchinson  Daily  News,  of  which  paper 
he  is  editor,  during  his  sojourn  in  Europe.  They  are  written  in  a  happy 
humor  and  are  more  than  the  impressions  of  an  ordinary  tourist. 

Dr.  William  Herbert  Carruth  of  Lawrence  has  published  a  little 
volume  of  poems  of  unusual  grace  and  merit.  His  "Each  in  his  Own 
Tongue"  is  one  of  the  best  poems  lately  written.  Mr.  Carruth  has  an 
insight  of  beautv  and  a  keenness  of  expression  that  marks  all  his  poetical 
work.  He  does  not  follow  Hterature  as  a  profession,  being  the  head  of 
the  German  department  in  the  University  of  Kansas,  and  the  time  not 
given  to  teaching  has  been  employed  in  compiling  text-books,  making 
translations,  and  writing  gems  of  literature. 

Esther  Clarke's  poem,  "The  Call  of  Kansas,"  has  received  favorable 
comment  from  critics.  She  has  published  a  volume  entitled  "Verses 
by  a  Commonplace  Person."  Margaret  Hill  McCarter,  in  her  "Price  of 
the  Prairie,"  published  in  1910,  depicts  the  conflict  of  Indians  and  whites 
in  early  days  of  Kansas.  It  is  a  mild  love  story  built  up  with  good 
description  of  the  plains  before  civilization.  Mrs.  McCarter  also  wrote 
"The  Cottonwood's  Story,"  "The  Cuddy  Baby,"  "The  Peace  of  Solo- 
mon Valley,"  biography,  text-books  and  miscellanies. 

There  are  a  number  of  Kansas  men  who  have  written  books  that  can 
scarcely  be  classed  as  literature,  yet  are  deserving  of  notice.  A  group 
of  these  books  that  are  of  interest  to  Kansans  are  those  published  by 
William  Elsev  Connelley  of  Topeka.  His  principal  works  are  "  The 
Life  of  John  Brown,"  "Quantrill  and  his  Border  Wars,"  "Fifty  Years 
in  Kansas:  a  brief  sketch  of  George  Martin,"  "The  Provisional  Gov- 
ernment of  Nebraska  Territory,"  "The  Journals  of  William  Walker,^^ 
"Overland  Stage  to  California"  and  the  "Memoirs  of  John  J.  Ingalls. 
Another  group  are  those  by  Dr.  Frank  Wilson  Blackmar  on  sociology, 
economics,  and  history.  In  his  last  book  Mr.  Blackmar  departed  from 
his  usual  subjects  and  wrote  a  biography,  "The  Life  of  Charles  Robin- 
son "  the  first  state  governor  of  Kansas.     It  is  a  splendid  portrait  of 


176  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

Mr.  Robinson  and  is  written  with  the  fine  literary  spirit  that  is  shown 
in  all  his  works.  Among  his  other  books  are  "Elements  of  Sociology," 
"Economics,"  "The  Story  of  Human  Progress"  and  "Spanish  Coloniza- 
tion in  the  Southwest." 

Among  those  men  who  have  compiled  text-books  are  Edgar  H.  S. 
Bailey,  who  wrote  ".\  Laboratory  Guide  to  the  Study  of.  Qualitative 
.\nalyses,"  and  a  text-book  of  "Sanitary  and  Applied  Chemistry." 

Herbert  Spencer  Carruth,  previously  mentioned,  wrote  "Woman's 
Suffrage  in  Kansas,"  made  translations  of  Ekkehard  by  J.  V.  von 
Scheffel,  William  Tell  by  Schiller,  and  the  Legends  of  Genesis  by  Her- 
mann Gunkel.  He  also  edited  Auswahl  aus  Luther's  Deutschen 
Schriften,  and  Wallenstein. 

Mr.  Ephraim  Miller  has  "A  Treatise  on  Plane  and  Spherical  Trig- 
onometry," published  in  1891.  Prof.  Frank  H.  Hodder  is  author  of 
"The  Government  of  the  People  of  the  State  of  Kansas,"  and  has  a 
History  of  Oregon  in  press.  Another  Kansas  work  is  L.  L.  Dyche's 
"Campfires  of  a  Naturalist;  the  story  of  fourteen  expeditions  after 
North  American  Mammals,"  edited  by  Clarence  E.  Edwards.  Samuel 
John  Hunter  is  author  of  "Coccidae  of  Kansas."  Lucius  Elmer  Sayre 
wrote  "A  Manual  of  Organic  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacognosy," 
An  introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  Vegetable  Kingdom  and  the 
Vegetable  and  Animal  Drugs.  Dr.  Arthur  Tappan  Walker  is  the  author 
of  Latin  text-books  entitled  "Bellum  Helveticum"  and  "Caesar." 

A  book  of  agricultural  industry  is  Foster  Dwight  Coburn's  "The 
book  of  Alfalfa,  its  history,  cultivation  and  merit,"  and  Walter  Mason 
of  Emporia  published  a  volume  of  prose  poems  in  1912.  Prof.  Boodin 
of  the  L'niversity  of  Kansas  published  a  book  on  "Truth  and  Reality," 
which  was  published  in  191 1. 

Little  Arkansas  River. — The  starting  point  of  this  stream  is  not  far 
from  the  town  of  Geneseo,  Rice  county.  It  flows  in  a  southeasterly 
direction  through  the  counties  of  Rice,  McPherson,  Reno,  Harvey  and 
Sedgwick,  and  empties  into  the  Arkansas  river  at  the  city  of  Wichit*. 
The  origin  of  the  name  is  unknown,  but  the  stream  was  called  as  at 
present  as  early  as  1825-27,  when  the  Santa  Fe  trail  was  surveyed  and 
the  names  of  the  streams  thereon  were  given.  The  Osage  Indians 
called  the  stream  the  "Ne-Shutsa-Shinka,"  the  "Young,  or  Little  Red 
Water."  The  river  is  about  80  miles  in  length,  has  high  banks  in  many 
places,  making  it  rather  difificult  to  cross,  and  the  flow  is  subject  to 
sudden  rises.  On  Du  Pratz's  map  of  Louisiana  (1757)  the  course  of  the 
Arkansas  is  correctly  given,  and  at  the  junction  of  the  Big  and  Little 
Arkansas*  "a  gold  mine"  is  marked.  This  section  was  a  favorite  hunt- 
ing ground  with  the  Indians,  buffaloes  and  other  game  being  very  plenti- 
ful. In  Oct.,  1865,  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Indians  on  the  east 
bank  of  this  stream,  in  which  William  S.  Harney,  Kit  Carson,  John  B. 
Sanborn,  William  W.  Bent,  Jesse  H.  Leavenworth,  Thomas  Murphy 
and  James  Steel  represented  the  United  States,  while  Black  Kettle, 
Seven  Bulls,  Little  Raven  and  others  looked  after  the  interests  of  the 
Indians. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  177 

Little  River,  the  third  largest  town  in  Rice  county,  and  an  incor- 
porated city  of  the  third  class,  is  located  in  Union  township,  on  the 
Little  Arkansas  river  and  at  the  junction  of  two  lines  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  It  is  13  miles  northeast  of  Lyons,  the  county 
seat,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  rail.  It  is  the  business  center  for 
Union  township,  has  2  banks,  a  grain  elevator,  a  weekly  newspaper, 
known  as  the  Monitor,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  inter- 
national money  order  postofifice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  popula- 
tion, according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  661.  The  town  was  founded 
in  1880.  The  first  store  was  built  by  Walker  &  Russ  of  McPherson. 
The  first  newspaper  was  published  soon  after  the  founding  of  the  town 
and  was  called  the  Little  River  News.  Valuable  stone  quarries  exist 
in  the  vicinity. 

Little  Rock,  a  Cheyenne  chief  of  some  prominence  during  the  years 
immediately  following  the  Civil  war,  belonged  to  Black  Kettle's  band, 
which  caused  so  much  trouble  on  the  western  frontier  in  the  latter 
'60s.  He  took  part  in  the  conference  at  Fort  Lamed,  Kan.,  Aug.  16, 
1868,  and  almost  immediately  afterward  joined  the  hostiles  of  his  tribe. 
When  Black  Kettle  was  killed  in  the  battle  on  the  Washita,  Nov.  27, 
1868,  Little  Rock  assumed  command  and  was  soon  afterward  killed 
by  a  detachment  of  Custer's  force  under  command  of  Maj.  J.  H.  Elliott. 
His  daughter,  Mo-nah-se-tah,  and  two  other  squaws  were  carried  as 
captives  by  Gen.  Custer  to  assist  in  communicating  with  the  Indians. 

Live  Stock. — Kansas  was  settled  by  tillers  of  the  soil,  who  brought 
their  little  flocks  and  herds  with  them  from  the  older  states,  and  from 
the  organization  of  the  territory  more  or  less  attention  has  been  given 
to  stock  raising.  In  the  early  days  little  thought  was  given  to  the 
improvement  of  the  breeds,  quality  was  sacrificed  to  quantity,  the  broad- 
horned  Texas  cattle  being  the  principal  species  raised  for  market.  In 
March,  1881,  a  writer  in  the  Kansas  Monthly,  published  at  Lawrence, 
called  attention  to  the  advantages  of  Kansas  as  a  stock-raising  state 
as  follows :  "The  State  of  Kansas  has  made  satisfactory  showing  in 
all  classes  of  live  stock,  but  more  particularly  in  cattle,  sheep  and 
swine."  Then,  after  enumerating  the  advantages  of  climate,  grazing 
ranges,  etc.,  adds :  "The  local  stock  market  here  is  so  much  better  than 
Eastern  people  suppose,  that  it  is  well  to  mention  it  as  a  strong  stimulus 
to  business.  Right  here  at  the  gateway  to  Kansas  is  Kansas  City, 
already  the  second  cattle  and  hog  mart  of  the  Great  West.  It  has 
extensive  stock  yards,  a  magnificent  stock  exchange,  and  half  a  hun- 
dred stock  commission  merchants,  whose  representatives  visit  every 
stock  ranch  in  Kansas,  and  pay  full,  round  figures  too,  so  near  to 
Chicago  prices  that  only  the  heavy  dealers  can  afford  to  ship  to  that 
market." 

There  is  little  question  that  the  establishment  of  the  stock  yards  at 

Kansas  City  had  much  to  do  with  stimulating  the  live  stock  industry 

in  Kansas.    At  the  time  the  above  was  written  Kansas  had  been  a  state 

for  twenty  years.     In  1880,  the  year  before  it  was  written,  the  value 

(U-12) 


178  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

of  live  Stock,  including  horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep  and  swine,  in  the 
slate  was  $C)i,5()3,950.  Ten  years  later  it  had  increased  to  $113,533,342; 
in  1900  it  was  $143,457,753,  and  in  1910  it  was  $242,907,611,  an  increase 
of  nearly  400  per  cent,  in  thirty  years.  Not  only  did  the  live  stock  of 
the  state  thus  increase  in  value ;  it  also  improved  in  quality.  The  old 
"scrub"  stock  of  the  pioneer  and  the  range  cattle  of  the  early  ranch- 
man gave  vvav  to  better  breeds,  so  that  the  value  per  head  of  animals 
increased  during  this  period  in  even  greater  proportions  than  they  did 
in  numbers,  when  compared  to  the  market  prices  at  different  dates. 

The  state  has  encouraged  stock  raising  by  favorable  legislation.  In 
1884  Gov.  Click  called  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  to  provide 
for  some  means  of  protection  against  the  "foot  and  mouth  disease." 
At  that  special  session  laws  were  passed  providing  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  live  stock  sanitary  commission,  the  appointment  of  a  state 
veterinarian,  and  a  quarantine  against  Texas  cattle.  (See  Click's  Ad- 
ministration.) A  long  act  of  33  sections  relating  to  live  stock  was 
approved  by  Cov.  Hoch  on  March  4,  1905.  This  act  authorized  the 
appointment  by  the  governor  of  a  live  stock  commissioner — some  one 
who  had  been  actively  engaged  for  not  less  than  ten  years  in  breed- 
ing and  handling  cattle — whose  duty  it  should  be  to  protect  the  health 
of  domestic  animals  from  contagious  and  infectious  diseases  by  the 
establishment  and  maintenance  of  quarantines,  and  the  killing  of  dis- 
eased animals  when  necessary  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease.  The 
act  authorized  the  commissioner  to  establish  a  patrol  along  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  state  to  supervise  the  movement  of  cattle,  and  to 
inspect  all  cattle  before  permitting  them  to  cross  the  state  line.  A 
penalty  of  $50  to  $1,000  fine,  with  imprisonment  in  a  county  jail  for 
not  less  than  thirty  days  nor  more  than  one  year,  was  provided  for 
those  bringing  diseased  cattle  into  the  state. 

In  1909  the  legislature  passed  an  act  providing  that  city  authorities 
might  require  dairymen  to  subject  their  milch  cows  to  a  test  for  tuber- 
culosis, and  that  milk  offered  for  sale  might  be  subjected  to  the  tuber- 
culin test  under  the  direction  of  the  live  stock  sanitary  commissioner. 
This  power  has  been  exercised  in  nearly  all  of  the  principal  cities  of 
the  state,  with  the  result  that  dairymen  have  usually  selected  their 
cows  with  great  care,  and  this  has  indirectly  been  the  means  of  improv- 
ing the  grade  of  dairy  stock.  The  same  legislature  (1909)  appropriated 
$7,500  as  a  revolving  fund  in  the  Agricultural  College  to  buy  stock, 
feed  and  experiment  in  breeding,  etc.  The  fund  is  called  "revolving," 
because  the  college  authorities  are  directed  to  turn  all  proceeds  from 
the  sale  of  stock  back  into  the  fund,  thus  making  it  perpetual.  Through 
the  operation  of  this  law  it  is  expected  that,  within  a  few  years,  the 
farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  the  state  will  derive  much  useful  and 
scientific  information  regarding  the  breeding,  care  and  feeding  of 
domestic  animals. 

As  the  stock  raisers  of  the  state  began  to  realize  the  advantages  to 
be   gained   from   improved   breeds   of   animals   breeders'    and    growers' 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


179 


associations  were  formed  for  the  interchange  of  ideas.  A  great  impetus 
was  given  to  this  line  of  procedure  in  the  fall  of  1897.  On  Nov.  16  of 
that  year  the  Colorado  Cattle  Growers'  association  and  the  Denver 
Chamber  of  Commerce  issued  a  call  for  a  convention  of  stock  raisers 
in  that  city  on  Jan.  25-27,  1898.  Kansas  sent  13  delegates  to  that 
convention,  viz. :  G.  W.  Melville,  B.  J.  Ladd,  Taylor  Riddle,  Joseph 
G.  McCoy,  George  M.  Ivellam,  J.  W.  Johnson,  J.  D.  Robertson,  Frank 
Weinshank,  F.  A.  Lane,  W.  R.  and  C.  H.  Nunemacher,  I.  L.  Dresin, 
all  practical  stock  men.  At  the  Denver  convention  the  National  Live 
Stock  association  was  organized  as  a  permanent  institution,  its  mem- 
bership being  made  up  of  delegates  from  local  and  state  associations. 
In  1905  there  were  nine  such  associations  in  Kansas,  to-wit:  The  Im- 
proved Stock  Breeders'  association  of  Topeka ;  the  Live  Stock  associa- 
tion of  Cottonwood  Falls ;  the  State  Live  Stock  association  of  Emporia ; 
the  State  Cattlemen's  association  of  Abilene ;  the  Stock  Growers'  asso- 
ciation of  Ashland  ;  the  Hodgeman  Counts-  Cattle  Growers'  association 


A  CATTLE  RANCH  NEAR  OBERHN. 


of  Jetmore ;  the  Southern  Kansas  and  Oklahoma  Breeders'  associa- 
tion of  Caldwell ;  the  Southwest  Kansas  Cattle  Growers'  association  of 
Dodge  City ;  and  the  Horse  Breeders'  association  of  Topeka.  All  these 
organizations  are  working  systematically  for  the  advancement  of  the 
live  stock  interests  of  the  state,  and  visitors  to  the  state  fairs  of  Kan- 
sas in  recent  years  can  bear  testimony  as  to  the  success  of  their  efforts. 

Lobdell,  a  country  postoffice  in  Lane  county,  is  located  in  Sutton 
township,  about  20  miles  southwest  of  Dighton,  the  county  seat,  and 
13  miles  from  Grigsby,  in  Scott  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Lockport,  a  country  postofifice  in  Haskell  county,  is  located  near  the 
east  line,  12  miles  east  of  Santa  Fe,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  south 
of  Colusa  in  Gray  county,  from  which  place  its  mail  is  distributed  by 
rural  route. 


i8j  cyclopedia  or 

Loco,  a  count ly  postoffice  in  Seward  county,  is  located  about  17 
miles  noitheast  of  Liberal,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point. 
It   has  mail  tri-weekly. 

Logan,  a  thriving  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Phillips 
count\,  is  located  in  Logan  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R. 
and  the  Solomon  river  15  miles  southwest  of  Phillipsburg,  the  county 
seat.  It  is  lighted  with  electricity,  and  has  waterworks,  a  sewer  sys- 
tem, a  tire  department,  an  opera  house,  2  banks,  a  newspaper  (the 
Republican),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to 
the  census  of  1910  was  714.  Logan  was  toundea  m  1870  and  named 
for  Senator  John  A.  Logan  of  Illinois.  Very  little  growth  was  made 
during  the  first  ten  years.  In  1878  a  number  of  energetic  men  came 
in,  and  two  years  later  the  railroad  was  built,  which  gave  things  a  new 
impetus.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1870.  Logan  was  organized 
as  a  town  in  1872,  with  A.  B.  Miller,  trustee;  and  John  Sears,  clerk. 
It  was  organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1880,  with  Charles  H. 
Bridges,  mayor;  W.  W.  Gray,  clerk;  T.  M.  Bishop,  Dr.  Thomas,  F.  R. 
Hamilton,  W.  A.  Johnson  and  Charles  Smith,  councilmen. 

Logan  County,  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  is  the  second  from 
the  Colorado  line  and  the  third  south  from  Nebraska.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  counties  of  Sherman  and  Thomas ;  on  the  east  by 
Gove ;  on  the  south  by  Scott  and  Wichita,  and  on  the  west  by  Wallace. 
It  was  first  created  in  1881  out  of  that  part  of  Wallace  county  lying 
east  of  range  38,  and  was  named  St.  John  (q.  v.).  The  description  of 
the  boundaries  in  the  creative  act  was  as  follows:  "Commencing  at 
a  point  where  the  east  boundary  line  of  range  32  west  crosses  the 
2nd  standard  parallel  south ;  thence  west  on  said  2nd  standard  parallel 
to  a  point  where  the  east  boundary  line  of  range  38  west  crosses  the 
said  2nd  standard  parallel  south ;  thence  south  on  said  range  line  to 
a  point  where  the  said  range  line  crosses  the  3d  standard  parallel 
south ;  thence  east  on  said  standard  parallel  to  a  point  where  said 
standard  parallel  crosses  the  east  boundary  of  range  32 ;  thence  north 
on  said  range  line  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

In  1885  the  legislature  changed  the  name  from  St.  John  to  Logan 
in  honor  of  Gen.  John  A.  Logan.  In  July,  1887,  J.  H.  Downing  was 
appointed  census  taker  and  made  his  report  to  Gov.  John  A.  Martin 
in  September,  showing  3,112  inhabitants,  of  whom  358  were  house- 
holders. The  value  of  taxable  property,  aside  from  railroads,  was 
$447,534,  of  which  $123,505  was  real  estate.  In  his  proclamation  of 
Sept.  17,  1887,  the  governor  declared  Russell  Springs  (which  was  the 
choice  of  the  majority  of  voters)  the  temporary  county  seat  and 
appointed  the  following  officers :  Sheriff,  N.  G.  Ferryman ;  county  clerk, 
Joseph  Jones ;  county  commissioners,  J.  W.  Kerns,  N.  C.  Phinney  and 
R.  P.  McKnight.  The  first  county  election  was  held  the  following 
December,  and  about  all  the  towns  in  the  county  were  candidates  for 
the  county  seat.    They  were:    Russell  Springs,  Logansport,  McAllaster, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  lii\ 

Elkader,  Oakley,  Monument  and  Winona.  The  Russell  Springs  town 
company  deeded  a  site  for  the  court-house  to  the  county  and  even  built 
a  court-house,  the  ground  and  building  together  being  valued  at  $20,000. 
That  town  won  by  18  votes.  The  full  Republican  ticket  was  elected, 
except  treasurer,  and  the  officers  were  as  follows :  Representative,  Col. 
J.  J.  Sears ;  commissioners,  J.  H.  Morgan,  A.  C.  Sims  and  James  Der- 
mott;  treasurer,  C.  A.  Black;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  G.  A.  Fleming; 
county  clerk,  J.  W.  Kerns;  sheriff,  N.  G.  Ferryman;  probate  judge, 
J.  E.  Dodge;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  J.  VV.  D.  Foote ; 
county  attorney,  K.  E.  Willcockson ;  coroner.  Dr.  F.  M.  Burdick ;  sur- 
veyor, A.  J.  Meier;  register  of  deeds,  R.  P.  McKnight.  The  new  county 
started  out  with  an  indebtedness  of  less  than  $3,000,  not  a  dollar  of 
which  was  bonded  indebtedness. 

Considerable  excitement  was  occasioned  in  the  summer  of  1888  by 
the  discovery  a  few  miles  southwest  of  Russell  Springs  of  a  vein  of 
nickel.  Inside  of  a  few  weeks  more  than  sixty  mining  claims  had  been 
taken  in  the  rocky  portions  of  the  county.  There  is  plenty  of  native 
limestone  for  building  purposes,  and  a  coarse  quality  of  sandstone 
Chalk  formations  lie  along  the  waterways.  Charles  H.  Sternberg,  who 
explored  the  chalk  beds  of  Hackberry  creek  to  its  source,  says :  "The 
chalk  beds  once  composed  the  floor  of  the  old  Cretaceous  ocean,  and  con- 
sist almost  entirely  of  the  remains  of  microscopic  organisms  which 
must  have  fairly  swarmed  in  the  water."     (See  Chalk  Beds.) 

The  general  surface  is  undulating,  some  portions  being  nearly  level, 
a  very  small  portion  rough  and  bluffy.  Native  timber  is  scarce,  but 
there  are  a  few  artificial  plantings.  The  north  fork  of  the  Smoky  Hill 
river  enters  in  the  northwest  and  flows  southeast  for  some  distance, 
where  it  unites  with  the  south  fork,  which  enters  in  the  west,  the  main 
stream  then  flowing  southeast  into  Gove  county.  Twin  Butte,  Turkey 
and  Hackberry  creeks  are  important  tributaries,  and  there  are  a  num- 
ber of  other  creeks. 

Logan  is  divided  into  11  townships — Augustine,  Elkader,  Lees, 
Logansport,  McAllaster,  Monument,  Oakley,  Paxton,  Russell  Springs, 
Western  and  Winona.  The  postoffices  are :  Russell  Springs,  Edith, 
Elkader,  Gill,  McAllaster,  Monument,  Oakley,  Page,  Poe  and  Winona. 
There  are  40  organized  school  districts. 

The  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  enters  in  the  northeast  corner  and  crosses 
west  and  southwest  into  Wallace  county.  A  branch  diverges  northwest 
from  Oakley  in  the  northeast  to  Colby  in  Thomas  county.  There  is 
a  daily  stage  coach  from  Russell  Springs  to  Winona. 

Less  than  half  of  the  area  of  the  county  is  under  cultivation,  and 
the  farm  products  are  worth  over  $1,000,000  per  year.  Corn  and 
sorghum  are  the  leading  crops,  the  former  being  worth  $204,000  in 
1910,  and  the  latter  $224,000.  Wheat  brought  $125,000  and  animals  sold 
for  slaughter  $135,000.  The  total  value  of  all  products  was  $1,033,310. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $8,312,854,  and  the  population 
was   4,240,  the   average   wealth   per   capita  being  nearly   $2,000.   which 


iKj  CVCLOI'EUIA    OF 

is  above  the  average  for  the  slate.  'I'he  gain  in  population  during  the 
last  ten  years  was  2,278  or  nearly  200  per  cent. 

Logan  Grove,  a  beautiful  natural  grove  near  Junction  City,  is  of 
historic  interest  because  in  1902  a  monument  was  unveiled  there  to 
commemorate  the  exiiedition  of  iM-anci.sco  Vasquez  de  Coronado.  (See 
Quivira.) 

Loisel,  Regis.— .\niong  the  early  iMench  fur  traders  that  operated 
along  the  Missouri  river  was  Regis  Loisel,  whose  history  is  of  peculiar 
interest  to  Kansans  on  account  of  the  extensive  land  grants  made  to 
him  bv  the  Spanish  authorities  before  Louisiana  was  ceded  to  the 
I'nited  States.  Loisel,  whom  Ingalls  calls  a  soldier  of  fortune,  was 
born  near  Montreal,  Canada.  In  1798  he  landed  in  St.  Louis,  and  soon 
afterward  conceived  the  idea  of  extending  the  fur  trade  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Missouri.  Interesting  Pierre  Chouteau  and  Jacques 
Glamorgan  in  his  scheme  the  three  formed  the  firm  of  Clamorgan, 
Loisel  &  Co.,  and  the  following  year  Loisel  established  a  trading 
post  on  an  island  in  the  Missouri  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Bismarck,  X.  Dak.  The  partnership  did  not  last  long,  but  Loisel  con- 
tinued in  the  business  until  the  spring  of  1800,  when  he  made  appli- 
cation to  De  Lassus,  lieutenant-governor  of  Upper  Louisiana,  for  a 
grant  of  land.  In  his  application  he  explained  at  some  length  the 
sacrifices  he  had  made  to  form  friendly  relations  with  the  Indians  "in 
the  interest  of  future  commerce,"  and  continued : 

"The  petitioner,  intending  to  continue  on  his  own  account  the  com- 
merce his  partners  have  abandoned  in  that  quarter,  hopes  that  you 
will  be  pleased  to  grant  to  him,  for  the  convenience  of  his  trade,  per- 
mission to  form  an  establishment  in  Upper  Missouri,  distant  about 
400  leagues  from  this  town.  .  .  .  And  it  being  indispensable  to 
secure  to  himself  the  timber  in  an  indisputable  manner,  he  is  obliged 
to  have  recourse  to  your  goodness,  praying  that  j-ou  will  be  pleased 
to  grant  to  him  a  concession  in  full  property  for  him.  his  heirs  or 
assigns,  for  the  extent  of  land  situated  along  the  banks  of  the  said 
Missouri,  and  comprised  between  the  river  called  the  Old  English- 
man's and  the  one  called  Medicine  Blufif,  hereabove  mentioned,  by  the 
depth  of  one  league  in  the  interior  on  each  side  of  the  Missouri,  and 
including  the  island  known  b}^  the  name  of  Cedar  island,"  etc. 

This  petition  was  filed  with  De  Lassus  on  March  20,  1800,  and  on 
the  25th  Loisel's  request  was  granted,  the  ofificial  order  to  that  effect 
stating  that  "the  said  land  being  very  far  from  this  post,  he  is  not 
obliged  to  have  it  surveyed  at  present ;  but,  however,  he  must  apply  to 
the  intendant-governor  in  order  to  obtain  title." 

The  tract  granted  to  Loisel  at  that  time  was  5  by  15  miles  in  extent, 
and  was  located  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  present  State  of 
Nebraska.  Loisel  continued  in  the  fur  trade  until  the  fall  of  1804, 
when  he  became  ill  while  on  his  way  to  New  Orleans.  A\niile  he  was 
in  that  city  he  made  his  will  and  started  back  north,  but  died  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Arkansas  river  on  Oct.  2,  1804.     In  his  will  Loisel  named 


KANSAS    HISTORY  183 

Auguste  Chouteau  and  Jacques  Clamorgaii  as  exL-cutoi's,  wliu  in  Jul}-, 
1805,  by  order  of  the  court  at  St.  Louis,  offered  the  Cedar  island  con- 
cession for  sale  to  the  highest  bidder.  It  was  sold  to  Jacques  Clamor- 
gan  for  $io  worth  of  dressed  deer  skins,  but  for  many  years  the  author- 
ities refused  to  recognize  the  validity  of  the  title  thus  established, 
although  in  the  treaty  of  cession  the  United  States  agreed  to  recognize 
the  land  grants  made  by  the  French  and  Spanish  governments  while 
Louisiana  was  under  the  domination  of  those  powers.  By  the  acts 
of  Congress,  approved  May  24  and  June  2,  1858,  the  grant  made  to 
Regis  Loisel  was  confirmed  to  his  legal  representatives,  and  provision 
made  for  the  relocation  of  the  claim  "upon  any  vacant  lands  of  the 
United  States." 

Pursuant  to  these  acts  John  Loughborough,  surveyor-general  of 
Illinois  and  Missouri,  on  Aug.  8,  1859,  issued  his  certificate  of  location 
for  38,111.16  acres  in  the  counties  of  Jackson,  Pottawatomie,  Marshall, 
Nemaha  and  Marion,  in  the  State  of  Kansas,  and  on  Sept.  6,  1866,  a 
patent  was  issued  by  the  United  States  for  these  lands  "to  Regis  Loisel, 
or  his  legal  representatives."  By  a  decision  of  the  district  court  within 
and  for  the  county  of  Nemaha,  and  State  of  Kansas,  rendered  on  May 
23,  1872,  the  title  to  these  lands  was  perfected  and  vested  in  certain 
parties  at  interest — heirs  and  legal  representatives  of  the  original 
grantee.  Regis  Loisel.  The  lands  were  also  divided  b}'  the  decree  of 
the  court  among  the  claimants,  so  that  they  could  sell  and  convey 
them  by  deed  to  actual  settlers.  The  Seneca  Courier  of  May  24,  1872, 
in  commenting  upon  this  case,  said :  "This  decree,  was  rendered  in  an 
action  wherein  ever}-  person  in  any  way  connected  with  this  hereto- 
fore complicated  title  was  made  a  party,  and  this,  as  before  stated, 
effects  a  complete  settlement  of  the  question  at  issue.  This  conclusion 
will  be  further  cemented  and  secured  by  full  deeds  of  mutual  release 
between  the  parties,  which  will  be  immediately  placed  upon- the  record." 

Lomando,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in 
Woodson  county,  is  located  about  6  miles  northeast  of  Yates  Center, 
the  county  seat,  whence  it  receives  daily  mail  by  rural  route. 

Lomax,  a  station  at  the  junction  of  two  lines  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  in  Osage  county,  is  located  2  miles  north  of  Quenemo,  from  which 
place  it  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery,  and  10  miles  east  of  Lyndon, 
the  county  seat.     The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Lone  Elm,  a  historic  camping  ground  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  was 
situated  about  4  miles  south  of  Olathe,  the  county  seat  of  Johnson 
county.  The  place  took  its  name  from  the  fact  that  a  single  elm  tree 
stood  there,  like  a  sentinel  of  the  prairie,  serving  as  a  landmark  to 
travelers  and  indicating  a  resting  place.  Several  roads  centered  at 
Lone  Elm  and  frequently  trains  were  made  up  there  for  the  long  jour- 
ney to  Santa  Fe.  On  Nov.  9,  1906,  one  of  the  trail  markers  was  unveiled 
at  Lone  Elm  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  It  bears  the  customary 
inscription :  "Marked  by  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution 
and  the  State  of  Kansas.  1906.     Lone  Elm  camp  ground — 1822-1872." 


184  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Lone  Elm,  one  of  the  villages  of  Anderson  county,  is  located  in  Lone 
Elm  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  14  miles  south  of  Garnett, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  dozen  or  more  retail  establishments, 
express  office  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910 
was  175. 

Lone  Jack,  a  camping  place  on  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail,  was  some  15 
or  20  miles  from  the  Friends'  Shawnee  mission,  and  15  miles  from 
Council  Grove.  It  was  also  called  Black  Point.  The  place  is  men- 
tioned by  Dr.  Wilson  Hobbs  in  an  article  in  Vol.  VIII,  Kansas  His- 
torical Collections,  p.  257. 

Lone  Star,  a  village  of  Douglas  county,  is  located  in  the  central 
portion  8  miles  southwest  of  Lawrence,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a 
money  order  postoffice,  some  local  trade,  and  in  1910  had  a  population 

of  75- 

Lone  Star  Order. — This  was  one  of  the  organizations  of  the  pro- 
slaver}'  men  in  the  territorial  days.  It  was  a  secret,  oath-bound  society, 
similar  in  its  plans  and  purposes  to  the  "Blue  Lodges"  (q.  v.)  and  had 
for  its  ultimate  object  the  making  of  Kansas  a  slave  state.  But  little 
can  be  learned  of  its  work,  further  than  that  David  R.  Atchison  was 
one  of  the  moving  spirits,  as  he  was  in  practically  every  pro-slavery 
movement  at  that  period. 

Long,  Chester  I.,  lawyer  and  United  States  senator,  was  born  in 
Perry  county.  Pa.,  Oct.  12,  i860,  a  son  of  Abraham  G.  and  Mary  L. 
Long.  In  1865  the  family  removed  to  Daviess  county.  Mo.,  and  in 
1879  to  Paola,  Kan-.  Chester  received  an  academic  education,  after 
which  he  studied  law,  and  in  1885  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  at 
once  located  at  Medicine  Lodge,  the  county  seat  of  Barber  county, 
where  he  built  up  a  good  clientage  and  became  an  active  factor  in 
politics  as  a  Republican.  In  1889  he  was  elected  state  senator  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  F.  C.  Price,  who  had  been 
elected  district  judge,  and  in  1894  was  elected  to  represent  the  Seventh 
district  in  Congress.  Two  years  later  he  was  defeated  for  reelection 
by  Jerry  Simpson,  but  was  elected  to  the  56th,  57th  and  58th  Con- 
gresses. Before  taking  his  seat  for  the  last  term  he  was  elected  United 
States  senator  for  the  term  beginning  on  March  4,  1903.  After  serving 
one  term  in  the  senate  he  resumed  his  law  practice  at  Medicine  Lodge. 
On  Feb.  14,  1895,  Mr.  Long  married  Miss  Anna  Bache  of  Paola,  Kan. 

Long,  Stephen  H.,  engineer  and  explorer,  was  born  at  Hopkinton, 
N.  H.,  Dec.  30,  1784,  a  son  of  Moses  and  Lucy  (Harriman)  Long.  He 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1809 
and  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1812.  Two  years  later  he  was  commissioned 
lieutenant  of  engineers  in  the  United  States  army,  and  from  1815  to 
1818  was  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  military  academy  at  West 
Point.  In  April,  1819,  he  was  brevetted  major  and  appointed  to  lead 
an  expedition  to  explore  the  territory  between  the  Mississippi  river  and 
the  Rocky  mountains.  (See  Long's  Expedition.)  Only  a  month  before 
receiving  this  appointment— March  3,  1819—  Lieut.  Long  married  Miss 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I85 

Martha  Hodgkins  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  After  returning  from  the  expe- 
dition he  sp^nt  several  years  in  surveying  and  building  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  and  other  railroads,  and  when  the  United  States  topographical 
engineers'  corps  was  organized  in  1838  Maj.  Long  was  given  an  impor- 
tant position  in  connection  with  it.  After  several  years  of  service  in 
this  corps  he  retired  from  the  army  and  died  at  Alton,  111.,  Sept.  4,  1864. 

Long's  Expedition. — An  important  expedition  was  sent  up  the  Mis- 
souri river  in  1819  under  Maj.  Stephen  H.  Long  of  the  topographical 
engineers  by  order  of  the  war  department  for  the  purpose  of  thoroughly 
examining  the  country,  conciliating  the  Indians  and  otherwise  bene- 
fiting the  government.  A  steamboat  built  near  Pittsburgh,  called  the 
Western  Engineer,  was  well  loaded  with  supplies  of  provisions  and 
presents  for  the  Indians  and  despatched  down  the  Ohio,  reaching  the 
Mississippi  about  June  i.  After  a  few  days  at  St.  Louis  the  expedition 
started  up  the  Missouri.  On  July  5  the  village  of  Cote  Sans  Dessieu 
was  reached,  on  the  13th  Franklin,  on  the  22nd  Chariton,  and  on  Aug.  i 
Fort  Osage,  where  a  detachment  under  Thomas  Say  left  the  boat,  and 
entering  what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas  about  3  miles  south  of  the 
Kansas  river,  marched  across  the  country  to  the  Kansas  villages.  On 
Aug.  16  they  camped  where  Topeka  now  stands,  and  on  the  19th 
arrived  at  the  Kansas  village  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue  at  Man- 
hattan. Say's  intention  was  to  visit  the  Pawnee  villages,  but  being 
robbed  of  his  horses  and  camp  equipage  he  was  forced  to  return  to 
the  Kansas  village,  from  which  point  he  struck  across  the  country, 
northeast,  and  caught  the  boat  near  the  mouth  of  Wolf  river. 

On  the  "Western  Engineer"  was  Maj.  Benjamin  O'Fallon,  the  In- 
dian agent  for  the  government,  on  his  way  up  the  river  to  hold  peace 
treaties  with  the  various  Indian  tribes  and  punish  them  for  their  many 
misdemeanors  of  the  recent  past.  On  the  Missouri,  a  short  distance 
ibove  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  was  an  encampment  of  white  hunters, 
a  number  of  whom  had  fied  from  the  vengeance  of  the  law  farther  to 
the  east.  They  were  little  less  wild  than  the  savages  themselves,  and 
were  shunned  by  the  honest  trappers.  Near  Diamond  island,  about 
5  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Platte,  was  noticed  the  ruin  of 
an  old  French  fortification  or  stockade.  Below  Independence  creek 
were  the  old  Kansas  villages  on  the  west  side  of  the  Missouri.  At  this 
place  they  found  Capt.  Martin  with  three  companies  of  riflemen,  who 
had  left  St.  Louis  in  Sept.,  1818,  and  arrived  in  October  at  Isle  au 
Vache,  where  he  had  since  remained,  nearly  all  the  time  without  pro- 
visions, his  men  subsisting  almost  wholly  on  the  game  which  they 
killed.  They  were  given  a  plentiful  supply  of  provisions  from  the 
boat. 

It  was  decided  to  hold  a  council  here  with  the  various  Indian  tribes, 
and  accordingly  messengers  were  sent  to  their  villages  inviting  them 
to  send  delegates  to  the  meeting  to  be  held  at  Isle  au  Vache  on  Aug.  24. 
There  came  161  members  of  the  Kansas  tribe  and  13  of  the  Osage. 
They  were  sharply  taken  to  task  for  their  many  ofifenses  against  the 


l86  CYCLOPKUIA    OF 

whites  by  Maj.  O'Fallon,  l^ut  they  promised  in  the  most  abject  man- 
ner possible  to  be  "good  Indians"  ever  afterward,  and  thereupon  were 
given  vakxable  presents  of  cloth,  tools,  trinkets,  weapons  and  ammuni- 
tion. As  the  steamboat  was  short  of  men  Lieut.  Fields  and  15  men 
were  taken  on  here  to  assist  in  going  up  the  stream.  On  Sept.  1  they 
were  near  the  mouth  of  Wolf  river,  and  here  they  were  overtaken  by 
the  party  under  Say,  which  had  been  driven  back  by  the  Pawnees,  as 
before  related.  On  Oct.  3  a  council  was  held  with  the  Otoes  and 
lowas,  all  of  whom  promised  submission  to  the  government  and  were 
given  valuable  presents. 

Then  in  succession  came  councils  with  the  Osages,  Kansas,  Pawnee 
Loups,  Republican  Pawnees,  Grand  Pawnees,  Poncas,  Omahas,  Sioux, 
Padoucas,  Bald  Heads,  letans  or  Comanches,  Sauks,  Foxes  and  lowas. 
The  ceremony  was  usually  introduced  by  the  "beggar's  dance,"  where 
all  the  Indians  gathered  around  a  post  and  in  turn  advanced  and  struck 
it,  at  the  same  time  recounting  their  most  notable  achievements  as 
warriors.  Maj.  Long  had  returned  to  Washington  in  October  and  the 
proceedings  were  conducted  by  Maj.  O'Fallon. 

The  party  wintered  near  Council  Bluffs,  and  on  June  6  of  the  follow- 
ing year  Maj.  Long,  having  returned  from  W'ashington,  sent  the 
boat  back  to  St.  Louis  and  started  at  the  head  of  a  party  to  explore  the 
valleys  of  the  Platte,  Arkansas  and  Red  rivers.  Following  the  course 
of  the  south  fork  of  the  Platte  to  near  its  source  in  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains, and  having  pursued  his  discoveries  there  as  far  as  his  instructions 
warranted,  i\Iaj.  Long  separated  his  command  into  two  divisions,  one 
of  15  men  under  Capt.  Bell  to  descend  the  Arkansas,  and  the  other  of 
about  10  men  under  Long  himself,  to  go  south  to  the  Red  river  and 
descend  that  stream.  Both  parties  started  July  24,  1820,  from  near 
Wharf  creek,  one  of  the  upper  branches  of  the  Arkansas.  That  under 
Long  struck  nearly  due  south,  expecting  to  reach  the  upper  branches 
of  the  Red  before  turning  to  the  east,  but  struck  the  Canadian  fork  of 
the  Arkansas  on  the  28th,  and,  mistaking  it  for  a  branch  of  the  Red, 
descended  it  until  on  Sept.  10  the  party  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Arkansas,  where  for  the  first  time  Long  learned  of  his  mistake. 

After  various  stirring  experiences  with  Indians,  and  after  suffering 
severely  for  want  of  food,  the  party  under  Capt.  Bell  arrived  in  due 
time  at  Fort  Smith,  where  it  was  joined  by  that  under  Maj.  Long  a 
few  days  later.  An  expedition  to  the  village  of  the  Osages  was  then 
projected.  At  that  time  the  Osage  tribe  was  divided  into  three  branches, 
one  on  the  Verdigris,  another  on  the  Osage  and  a  third  on  the  Neosho. 
The  expedition  left  on  .Sept.  21,  and,  visiting  these  bands,  arrived  in 
due  season  at  their  predetermined  destination — St.  Genevieve.  Mo.  Capt. 
Kearne}'  and  two  other  persons  passed  bj'  way  of  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

Longford,  a  little  town  in  Clay  county,  is  located  in  Chapman  town- 
ship on  the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  about  20  miles  south- 
west of  Clay  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  cement  and 
plaster  mill,   an   elevator,  a  town  band,   telegraph  and  express  offices, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  iSj 

and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in 
1910  was  250. 

Long  Island,  an  incorporated  city  in  Phillips  county,  is  located  on 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.  and  Prairie  Dog  creek,  a  water- 
power  stream,  22  miles  northwest  of  Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  New  Leaf),  churches,  schools, 
express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three 
rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was 
291.  It  is  the  principal  trading  and  shipping  point  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  county. 

Longton,  an  incorporated  city,  the  third  largest  in  Elk  county,  is 
located  about  12  miles  southeast  of  Howard,  the  county  seat,  at  the 
junction  of  two  lines  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  It 
has  2  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers,  good  schools  and  churches,  telegraph 
and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with 
three  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910, 
was  611. 

The  town  was  founded  in  1870  by  a  company  consisting  of  J.  \\'.  Kerr, 
J.  C.  Pinney,  J.  Hoffman,  J.  B.  Roberts,  James  Reynolds  and  a  Mr. 
Gardner,  under  the  name  of  Elk  Rapids.  Wright  &  Kirby  of  Ottawa 
set  up  a  steam  sawmill  immediately,  Kirby  built  a  storehouse,  Hitch- 
ing a  hardware  store  and  C.  P.  Alvey  erected  a  two-story  house,  the 
upper  floor  of  which  was  used  by  the  town  company.  A  two-story 
hotel  was  erected  by  George  Hansbrough  of  Garnett.  The  postoffice 
was  established  in  1870  with  Dr.  J.  W.  Kerr  as  postmaster.  The  first 
school  was  taught  by  Miss  Eleanor  Smith  in  the  same  year.  The  first 
newspaper  was  the  Floward  County  Ledger,  issued  by  Adrian  Re}'n(jlds 
in  1871.  At  first'  the  new  town  grew  very  fast  and  at  one  time  was 
the  largest  in  the  count}-,  with  prospects  of  becoming  the  county  seat. 
It  was  incorporated  and  a  list  of  officials  elected,  but  the  city  govern- 
ment later  went  down,  and  was  not  revived  for  a  number  of  years. 

Lorena,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Butler  county,  is  located  on  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  16  miles  southwest  of  Eldorado,  the 
count}-  seat,  and  7  miles  west  of  Augusta,  the  postoffice  from  which  its 
niail  is  distributed. 

Loring,  a  village  in  the  extreme  southwestern  part  of  Wyandotte 
count}-,  is  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  20  miles  southwest  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  a  money  order 
postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population 
of  about  50  inhabitants. 

Lorraine,  a  little  town  in  Ellsworth  county,  is  located  in  Green 
Garden  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  St. 
Louis  &  San  Francisco  railroads,  15  miles  south  of  Ellsworth,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  flour  mill,  2  grain  elevators,  a  number  of 
retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  according  to  the  census 
«f  1910,  was  250. 


1 88  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Lost  Springs,  one  of  the  historic  points  in  Marion  county,  is  an  incor- 
porated town  located  in  Lost  Springs  township,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &;  Santa  Fe  railroads  iS 
miles  north  of  Marion,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes. 
All  the  regular  lines  of  business  activity  are  represented,  and  one  of 
the  largest  mills  in  this  section  of  Kansas  is  located  here.  There  is 
a  hotel  and  livery  stable  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers.  Accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1910  there  were  276  inhabitants. 

The  springs  for  which  the  town  was  named,  a  noted  camping  place 
on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  are  about  2  miles  west  of  the  depot.  Many 
explanations  have  been  given  as  to  why  they  were  called  Lost  Springs, 
none  of  which  are  authentic  enough  to  bear  repetition.  These  springs 
were  known  to  the  earliest  travelers  on  the  trail,  and  this  was  a  camp- 
ing point.  The  first  historical  mention  of  this  place  was  by  Josiah 
Gregg  in  his  work,  "Commerce  of  the  Prairies,"  written  in  1845.  I" 
his  table  of  distances  he  places  it  175  miles  west  of  Independence,  and 
15  miles  west  of  Diamond  Springs,  the  previous  stopping  place.  A 
trading  post  was  established  there  in  1859  by  J-  H.  Costello  and  a  part- 
ner, Joshua  Smith,  who  six  months  afterward  sold  out  to  Costello. 
Some  time  during  the  Civil  war  a  detachment  of  soldiers  was  ordered 
up  from  Mississippi  to  guard  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  and  Corporal  Fred 
Sucksdorf,  with  a  few  men,  was  stationed  at  Lost  Springs.  In  1908  a 
large  granite  boulder  was  set  up  to  mark  the  trail  at  Lost  Springs. 
The  usual  inscription  was  cut  on  the  stone  and  a  fitting  ceremony 
attended  the  occasion.  In  1904  the  town  of  Lost  Springs  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city  of  the  third  class. 

Louisburg,  the  third  largest  town  in  Miami  county,  is  located  on 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  14  miles  east  of  Paola,  the  county 
seat.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  1868  and  called  St.  Louis,  but  in 
order  to  avoid  confusion  with  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  name  was  changed 
to  Louisburg  in  1870.  A  postoffice  was  established  in  1867  before  the 
town  was  surveyed.  The  first  residence  was  built  in  1869,  and  a  hotel 
was  opened  the  same  year.  This  was  followed  by  some  general  stores 
and  a  drug  store.  The  first  school  was  opened  in  the  town  in  1871. 
The  following  year  Louisburg  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third 
class  and  began  a  period  of  great  prosperity.  There  are  several  large 
brick  business  blocks  and  three  churches.  It  is  the  supply  town  for 
a  rich  agricultural  district  and  has  large  nurseries.  In  1910  the  popula- 
tion was  603. 

Louisiana  Purchase.— On  April  9,  1682,  La  Salle  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi  river  and  claimed  all  the  country  drained  by  it  and 
its  tributaries  in  the  name  of  France,  and  conferred  upon  the  territory 
the  name  of  Louisiana,  in  honor  of  Louis  XIV,  then  king  of  France. 
In  1762  all  that  portion  of  the  province  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  with  the  island  of  New  Orleans  east  of  that  river,  was  ceded 
to  Spain  by  the  secret  treaty  of  Fontainebleau,  which   was  concluded 


KANSAS    HISTORY  189 

on  Nov.  3  and  ratified  ten  days  later.  By  the  treaty  of  Paris,  Feb.  lo, 
1763,  Louis  XV  ceded  to  Great  Britain  all  that  portion  of  Louisiana 
lying  east  of  the  Mississippi  "except  the  town  of  New  Orleans  and  the 
island  upon  which  it  is  situated."  By  the  treaty  of  Sept.  3,  1783, 
which  established  peace  between  the  United  States  of  America  and 
Great  Britain  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  all  the  British 
possessions  east  of  the  Mississippi  and  south  of  Canada  became  the 
territory  of  the  United  States.  That  portion  of  the  original  province 
of  Louisiana  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi  was  ceded  back  to  France 
"with  the  same  extent  that  it  now  has  in  the  hands  of  Spain,  and 
had  while  in  the  possession  of  France,"  by  the  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso, 
Oct.  I,  1800. 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  Thomas  Jefferson  was  inaugu- 
rated as  president  of  the  United  States  on  March  4,  1801.  Abont  three 
weeks  after  Mr.  Jeft'erson  was  inaugurated  a  definitive  treaty  of  peace 
was  concluded  at  Amiens  between  France  and  Great  Britain,  but  it 
was  not  long  until  the  peace  was  "broken  by  the  vaulting  ambition 
of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who  had  been  made  first  consul  of  the  French 
republic  in  1799,  and  in  1802  secured  the  consulate  for  life."  In  the 
fall  of  1802  Napoleon  sent  Gen.  Victor  to  Holland  to  fit  out  an  army 
and  sail  for  America  for  the  purpose  of  taking  possession  of  Louisiana, 
but  the  English  were  on  the  watch  for  some  movement  of  this  nature 
and  Victor  was  not  permitted  to  leave  Europe.  President  Jefferson 
was  somewhat  anxious  over  the  prospect  of  having  the  lower  Mississippi 
pass  from  the  hands  of  Spain  to  a  powerful  nation  like  France,  and 
another  cause  for  anxiety  among  American  statesmen  was  that  the 
cession  of  Louisiana  might  aft'ord  England  a  pretext  for  invading  that 
province  in  case  Great  Britain  and  France  became  engaged  in  war. 

The  relations  between  the  United  States  and  France  at  that  time 
were  of  the  most  amicable  character,  owing  in  a  great  degree  to  the 
treatv  of  alliance  concluded  on  Feb.  6,  1778,  one  provision  of  which 
was  that  "Neither  of  the  two  parties  shall  conclude  either  truce  or 
peace  with  Great  Britain  without  the  formal  consent  of  the  other  being 
first  obtained ;  and  they  mutually  engage  not  to  lay  down  their  arms  until 
the  independence  of  the  United  States  shall  have  been  formally  or 
tacitly  assured  by  the  treaty  or  treaties  that  shall  terminate  the  war." 
The  independence  of  the  L'nited  States  was  acknowledged  by  Great 
Britain  in  the  treaty  of  1783,  above  referred  to,  when  France  and  the 
United  States  agreed.  The  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso,  being  a  secret 
one,  the  United  States  authorities  were  somewhat  at  sea  as  to  the  best 
course  to  pursue.  However,  in  the  spring  of  1803  Mr.  Jefferson 
instructed  Robert  R.  Livingston,  the  American  minister  to  France,  to 
commence  negotiations  for  the  purchase  of  the  island  of  Orleans  and 
the  Floridas,  if  they  were  included  in  the  secret  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso, 
in  order  to  secure  for  American  commerce  an  outlet  through  the 
Mississippi  river.  To  encourage  the  negotiations  he  was  also  instructed 
to  intimate  that  "on  the  day  that  France  takes  possession  of  New 
Orleans  the  United  States  will  go  into  an  alliance  with  Great  Britain." 


190  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Against  such  an  alliance  Napoleon  realized  that  he  could  not  possibly 
hold  Louisiana,  and  decided  to  sell  the  whole  province  to  the  United 
States.  The  Memoirs  of  Lucian  Bonaparte  say  that  this  decision  was 
reached  as  early  as  April  6,  more  than  three  weeks  before  tlie  final 
treaty  of  cession  was  concluded.  On  Easter  Sunday  (April  10) 
Napoleon  called  in  two  of  his  ministers — Barbe  Marbois  and  Alex- 
ander Berthier — and  laid  before  them  the  whole  situation.  After  refer- 
ring to  the  attjtude  of  England  he  said :  "The  conquest  of  Louisiana 
would  be  easy,  if  they  only  took  the  trouble  to  make  their  descent 
there.  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose  in  putting  it  out  of  their  reach.  I 
know  not  whether  they  are  not  already  there.  It  is  their  usual  course, 
and  if  I  had  been  in  their  place  I  would  not  have  waited.  I  wish,  if 
there  is  still  time,  to  take  from  them  any  idea  that  they  may  have  of 
ever  possessing  that  colony.  J  think  of  ceding  it  to  the  United  States. 
I  can  scarceh'  say  I  cede  it  to  them,  for  it  is  not  yet  in  our  possession. 
If,  however,  I  leave  time  to  our  enemies,  I  shall  transmit  only  an 
empty  title  to  those  republicans,  whose  friendship  I  seek." 

In  the  long  conference  which  followed  Barbois  favored  the  cession 
and  Berthier  opposed  it.  No  conclusion  was  reached  that  day,  but  early 
the  following  morning  Napoleon  sent  for  Barbois  and  showed  him 
despatches  from  London  to  the  effect  that  "military  and  naval  prepara- 
tions were  being  pushed  forward  with  great  rapidity."  After  going 
over  the  whole  matter  carefully  the  discussion  ended  by  Napoleon's 
saying:  "1  renounce  Louisiana.  It  is  not  onljr  New  Orleans  that  I 
will  cede ;  it  is  the  whole  colony,  without  reservation.  I  renounce  it 
with  the  greatest  regret.  To  attempt  obstinately  to  retain  it  would 
be  folly.  I  direct  you  to  negotiate  this  afifair  with  the  envoys  of  the 
United  States." 

About  this  time  James  Monroe,  whose  term  as  governor  of  Virginia 
had  just  expired,  was  expected  in  Paris  as  an  envoy  extraordinary 
to  assist  Mr.  Livingston  in  the  negotiations.  He  had  been  minister 
to  France  in  1794  and  had  been  recalled  by  Washinton  on  account  of 
his  sympathy  for  the  French  republicans — a  fact  that  doubtless  influ- 
enced Mr.  Jefferson  in  making  his  appointment.  Monroe  arrived  on 
the  13th  with  a  draft  of  a  treaty  for  the  cession  of  the  island  of  Orleans 
and  the  Floridas,  but  the  entire  situation  was  changed  by  the  decision 
of  the  first  consul  to  cede  the  whole  province.  After  several  consulta- 
tions, in  which  Livingston,  Monroe,  Barbois,  Berthier  and  Talleyrand 
participated,  a  treaty  was  concluded  on  April  30,  1803,  by  which  the 
province  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  for  80,000,000  livres,  with  the 
understanding  that  20,000,000  livres  should  be  used  for  the  liquidation 
of  the  French  spoiliation  claims — indemnity  for  cargoes  and  prizes. 
These  claims  at  that  time  amounted  to  about  $3,750,000,  so  that  the 
total  purchase  price  was  about  $15,000,000.  Thus  not  only  was  much 
more  territory  ceded  to  the  United  States  than  was  originally  contem- 
plated by  Mr.  Jefferson,  but  it  was  also  an  entirely  different  territory. 

.■\rticle  III  of  the  treaty  provided  that  "The  inhabitants  of  the  ceded 


KANSAS    HISTORY  IQI 

territory  shall  be  incorporated  into  the  Union  of  the  United  States 
and  admitted  as  soon  as  possible,  according  to  the  principles  of  the 
Federal  constitution,  to  the  enjoyment  of  all  rights,  advantages  and 
immunities  of  citizens  of  the  United  States ;  and  in  the  meantime  they 
shall  be  maintained  and  protected  in  the  free  enjoyment  of  their  liberty, 
property  and  the  religion  which  they  profess." 

Under  this  provision  practically  all  of  the  territory  now  comprising 
the  State  of  Kansas  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States,  and 
fifty-eight  years  later  Kansas  was  admitted  into  the  L'nion,  being  the 
2ist  state  admitted  after  the  formation  of  the  Federal  republic. 

Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition. —  (.See  Expositions.) 

Louisville,  one  of  the  incorporated  cities  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is 
located  in  Louisville  township  on  Rock  creek,  ii  miles  southeast  of 
Westmoreland,  the  county  seat,  about  3  miles  from  Wamego.  It  is 
connected  with  both  these  places  by  daily  stage.  It  has  a  weekly  news- 
paper, a  flour  mill  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in 
1910  was  264.  The  town  site  was  preempted  by  Robert  Wilson,  who 
built  a  log  cabin  on  Rock  creek  at  the  old  military  crossing  in  the  early 
'50s  and  kept  a  hotel  there  for  many  years.  With  him  were  his  sons, 
James  and  Louis,  the  town  being  named  after  the  latter.  It  was 
recorded  as  a  town  site  in  1857.  It  is  very  pleasantly  situated  and  there 
are  said  to  be  mineral  springs  with  medicinal  properties  near  it.  Louis- 
ville was  the  county  seat   from   1861   to   1882. 

Lovewell,  a  village  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  in  St.  Clair  township 
18  miles  northeast  of  Mankato,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  postoffice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Lowe,  a  post-village  in  Chautauqua  count}-,  is  a  station  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  west  of  Sedan,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
banking  point.  It  has  an  express  office  and  some  local  retail  trade. 
The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  74. 

Lowe,  David  P.,  jurist  and  member  of  Congress,  was  burn  in  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  22,  1823.  His  early  education  was  such  as  most 
boys  received  in  that  early  day,  but  he  decided  upon  a  professional 
career  and  graduated  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  College  in  1851.  Imme- 
diately after  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  began  to  practice  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  but  ten  years  later  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west 
and  removed  to  Kansas.  He  soon  became  actively  interested  in  local 
and  state  politics,  and  was  nominated  attorney-general  by  the  conven- 
tion held  at  Lawrence  on  Sept.  29,  1862,  but  declined  the  nomination. 
In  November  of  that  year  Mr.  Lowe  was  elected  state  senator  from 
the  13th  district,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  1864,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded Hon.  Solon  O.  Thacher  as  judge  of  the  4th  judicial  district. 
On  March  4,  1867,  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  6th  judicial  district, 
and  continued  to  hold  that  office  until  after  his  election  to  Congress 
on  Nov.  8,  1870,  as  a  Republican.  He  was  renominated  as  a  candidate 
for  Congress  Sept.   i,   1872,  and  again  elected  on   Nov.  5  of  that  year. 


192  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

After  serving  his  last  term  in  Congress  he  was  appointed  chief  justice 
of  the  supreme  court  of  Utah  Territory.  Subsequently  he  returned  to 
Fort  Scott,  and  in  1880  succeeded  W.  C.  Stewart  as  judge  of  his  old 
district,  the  6th,  remaining  in  that  office  until  his  death  on  April  20, 
1882. 

Lowell,  a  little  town  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  in  Garden  town- 
ship on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  14  miles  southeast  of 
Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  about  4  miles  from  Galena,  from  which 
place  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route.  The  population,  according 
to  the  census  of  1910,  was  156. 

Lowemont,  a  village  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  located  in  the  north- 
ern portion  on  the  Atchison,  Topcka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  11  miles  north- 
west of  Leavenworth.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  express  and  tele- 
graph facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  25. 

Loyal  Legion. — The  official  designation  of  this  society  is  "Military 
Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States."  On  April  15,  1865, 
a  few  army  officers  met  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  resolutions  rela- 
tive to  the  death  of  President  Lincoln.  At  that  meeting  some  one 
suggested  a  permanent  organization  of  the  commissioned  officers  who 
had  served  in  the  Union  army  during  the  war,  and  at  another  meeting 
on  May  3,  1865,  the  Loyal  Legion  was  launched.  In  1910  there  were 
21  state  commanderies,  with  a  total  membership  of  8,902. 

The  Kansas  commandery  had  its  beginning  in  a  meeting  at  Leaven- 
worth on  March  25,  1886,  Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles  presiding  and  Col. 
James  P.  Martin  acting  as  secretary.  Capt.  M.  H.  Insley  was  chosen 
acting  recorder,  with  instructions  to  correspond  with  the  recorder-in- 
chief  of  the  grand  commandery,  which  had  been  instituted  the  pre- 
ceding year,  regarding  a  charter.  No  trouble  was  experienced  in  obtain- 
ing a  charter,  and  on  April  9,  1886,  the  following  officers  of  the  Kansas 
commandery  were  elected :  Commander,  Bvt.-Col.  Andrew  J.  Smith ; 
senior  vice-commander,  Bvt.  Brig, -Gen.  Charles  W.  Blair;  junior  vice- 
commander,  Bvt.  Lieut.-Col.  James  P.  Martin ;  recorder,  Capt.  M.  H. 
Insley ;  registrar,  Bvt.  Col.  Thomas  J.  Anderson ;  chancellor,  Capt. 
John  D.  Barker;  treasurer,  Capt.  Lafayette  E.  Campbell;  council,  Bvt. 
Brig.-Gen.  Thomas  Moonlight,  Col.  Milton  Stewart,  Col.  J.  H.  Gil- 
patrick,  Capt.  J.  R.  McClure  and  Capt.  W.  B.  Stone. 

The  objects  of  the  Loyal  Legion  are  to  promote  good  fellowship 
among  the  officers  who  served  in  the  army  and  navy  in  the  Civil  war 
and  to  preserve  historical  information  regarding  that  great  conflict. 
At  the  annual  meetings  war  papers  are  read,  after  which  they  are 
usually  printed  and  filed  away  in  the  archives.  The  Kansas  Historical 
Society  has  a  complete  collection  of  the  war  papers  read  before  the 
Kansas  commandery.  They  contain  a  great  deal  not  to  be  found  in 
the  published  histories  of  the  war. 

Lucas,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Russell  county,  is 
located  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  25  miles  northeast  of  Russell,  the 
county  seat.    It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Sentinel),  a  num- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  '  193 

ber  of  retail  mercantile  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  The 
population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  573. 

Lucerne,  a  hamlet  in  Sheridan  county,  is  located  in  Adell  township 
18  miles  northeast  of  Hoxie,  the  county  seat,  and  11  miles  from  Studley 
on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  stage 
daily  to  Jennings,  a  general  store,  a  hotel  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Luctor,  a  hamlet  in  Phillips  county,  is  located  17  miles  northwest  of 
Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat,  and  3  miles  from  Prairie  View,  the  post- 
office  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed  and  the  nearest  railroad  station. 
The   population   in   1910  was   53. 

Ludell,  a  little  town  in  Rawlins  county,  is  located  in  the  township 
of  the  same  name  on  Beaver  creek  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
R.  R.  It  has  a  bank,  2  grain  elevators,  a  number  of  general  stores, 
public  schools,  and  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Lund,  a  hamlet  in  Decatur  county,  is  located  12  miles  south  of  Ober- 
lin,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  northwest  of  Dresden,  the  nearest 
shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed  by 
rural  route.    The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  24. 

Luray,  an  incorporated  town  in  Russell  county,  is  located  in  the 
township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  16  miles  north- 
east of  Russell,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Herald),  churches,  public  schools,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population, 
according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  341.  It  is  the  principal  trading 
and  shipping  point  for  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 

Luther,  a  hamlet  in  Washington  county,  is  located  12  miles  south- 
west of  Washington,  the  county  seat,  5  miles  from  Palmer,  the  nearest 
shipping  point,  and  10  miles  from  Clifton,  the  postoffice  from  which  it 
receives  mail. 

Lutheran  Church. — Lutheranism  is  a  system  of  doctrine  and  church 
government  established  in  the  i6th  century  by  Martin  Luther  and  his 
associates,  who  made  an  effort  to  maintain  and  continue  the  historical 
development  of  Christian  life,  aiming  only  to  purify  the  church  by 
reforming  abuses  rather  than  the  founding  of  any  new  church  or  organ- 
ization. Wittenburg  was  the  center  of  the  movement,  which  rapidly 
spread  among  all  classes  but  Luther  restrained  all  radical  measures 
and  was  conservative  in  his  preaching.  The  early  ceremonies  of  the 
church  were  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic,  and  the 
direction  of  ecclesiastical  affairs  was  in  the  hands  of  the  civil  rulers. 

Nearly  all  the  Protestants  of  Germany  became  and  still  are  Luther- 
ans;  the  established  churches  of  Denmark.  Sweden  and  Norway  are 
Lutheran  in  belief;  most  of  the  people  of  Finland  and  about  one-fourth 
of  the  population  of  Switzerland  profess  this  faith.  Lutheran  organiza- 
(n-13) 


194  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

tions  have  been  founded  in  other  European  countries  and  in  all  lands 
where  the  Lutherans  have  migrated. 

Lutheranism  was  introduced  into  America  by  the  early  Dutch  emi- 
grants from  Holland,  who  located  on  Manhattan  island  about  1623. 
They  were  followed  by  the  Swedish  Lutherans  who  settled  in  Dela- 
ware about  1637.  Early  in  the  i8th  century  the  Germans  began  to 
come.  Unlike  the  Puritans  the  Lutherans  had  no  religious  motive 
back  of  their  emigration.  For  some  years  the  Lutherans  in  America 
were  without  pastors,  one  of  the  first  being  Jonas  Minuit,  who  came 
in  1628.  The  first  church  was  built  and  the  first  school  opened  in 
1633.  Minuit  was  followed  by  a  number  of  educated  pastors  from  Halle 
under  whom  the  church  prospered  and  gained  wide  influence  in  the 
colonies.  The  first  Lutheran  synod  was  held  in  1735,  but  was  not  a 
synod  in  the  sense  in  which  the  word  is  used  today,  being  merely  a 
conference   of  pastors   and   representatives   of  the   congregations. 

One  of  the  earliest  synods  was  formed  in  Pennsylvania  in  1748;  New 
York  followed  in  1786;  Carolina  in  1803,  and  Ohio  in  1818.  In  1820 
the  general  synod  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  all  Lutheran 
organizations.  The  question  of  slavery  caused  a  division  in  the  church 
and  the  southern  synods  withdrew,  forming  the  United  synod  of  the 
South.     In  1910  there  were  twenty-four  synods  in  the  United  States. 

The  Lutherans  were  among  the  first  of  the  religious  organizations 
to  become  established  in  Kansas.  A  church  was  organized  in  Jefifer- 
son  county  in  1857  under  the  leadership  of  J.  B.  McAfee,  and  a  build- 
ing was  erected  the  same  year.  The  Leavenworth  church  was  organ- 
ized in  1861,  the  first  services  being  held  by  Bishop  Dubs  and  a  Mr. 
Miller.  The  same  year  another  Lutheran  church  was  established  at 
Leavenworth  by  Michael  Meier,  who  was  the  first  minister.  In  1866 
a  Lutheran  church  was  started  at  Atchison  by  C.  F.  Liebe,  a  home 
missionary  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  synod  of  Missouri,  and  the 
first  pastor  was  a  Mr.  Menge,  who  was  installed  in  April,  1867.  In 
Douglas  county  a  church  was  organized  at  Lawrence  in  March,  1867, 
by  a  minister  named  Morris,  with  19  members.  The  Swedes  of  Shaw- 
nee county  organized  at  Topeka  in  1868,  and  the  German  Lutherans 
organized  there  in  1874.  J.  C.  Young  established  the  English  Lutheran 
church  at  Salina  in  1868,  and  two  years  later  the  Swedish  Lutherans 
became  established  under  the  leadership  of  a  Mr.  Dahlsten.  One  of 
the  earliest  and  largest  Lutheran  colonies  in  the  state  was  established 
at  Lindsborg,  McPherson  county,  in  1868.  The  next  year  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  Church  of  Bethany  was  organized  there  by  Prof.  O.  Olsson, 
the  first  superintendent  of  schools  of  McPherson  county.  The  Free 
Mount  Lutheran  church  was  organized  there  by  A.  W.  Dahlsten  in 
1869;  the  New  Gotland  Lutheran  church  in  1872,  and  four  years  later 
a  church  building  was  erected  by  this  organization.  In  1880  the  Elms- 
borg  Lutheran  church  was  established  at  Lindsborg  and  from  these 
beginnings  the  Lindsborg  colony  has  become  one  of  the  strongest  cen- 
ters of  Lutheranism  in  Kansas.     A  Lutheran  college  has  been  estab- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I  95 

lished  there  under  the  general  supervision  of  the  church,  to  fit  the  youth 
of  the  church  for  the  ministry  as  well  as  for  other  walks  of  life.  (See 
Bethany   College.) 

In  1878  the  Lutheran  church  in  Kansas  had  58  organizations,  33 
church  edifices,  and  a  membership  of  4,560.  i'.y  188G  the  organizations 
had  increased  to  95  and  the  total  membership  in  11.(151.  1  Hiring  the 
five  years  following  the  number  of  organizations  tldubk-d  but  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church  increased  only  about  3,000,  due  to  the  start  of 
churches  in  new  parts  of  the  country  where  the  population  was  scant. 
In  1906  the  Lutheran  bodies  in  the  state  ranked  sixth  in  number  of 
all  denominations,  with  an  aggregate  membership  of  28,642.  making  il 
one  of  the  leading  religious  bodies. 

Lydia,  a  country  postofifice  in  White  Woman  township,  Wichita 
county,  is  located  16  miles  south  of  Leoti,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping  point.     The  population   in    1910  was    16. 

Lykins  County. —  (See  Miami  County.) 

Lykins,  David,  a  member  of  the-  first  territorial  legislature  of  Kan- 
sas, was  born  in  Iowa  about  1820  or  1821.  He  received  a  good  educa- 
tion and  became  a  physician.  In  early  life  he  became  interested  in 
missionary  work  among  the  Indians  and  in  1845  came  to  what  is  now 
the  State  of  Kansas  to  engage  in  that  work  among  the  tribes  there. 
In  1853  he  was  connected  with  the  Pottawatomie  mission,  and  two 
years  later  was  made  superintendent  of  the  mission  for  the  Weas, 
Piankeshaws,  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias.  He  was  an  ardent  pro-slavery 
man  and  advocated  the  annexation  of  Cuba  in  order  that  the  slave 
power  might  have  more  territory.  At  the  first  territorial  election  on 
March  30,  1855,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislative  council  from 
the  4th  district.  The  present  county  of  Miami  was  originally  named 
Lykins  in  his  honor.  After  the  ascendency  of  the  free-state  men  Dr. 
Lykins  disappeared  from  the  political  arena. 

Lyle,  a  hamlet  in  Decatur  county,  is  located  on  Sappa  creek  about 
20  miles  northeast  of  Oberlin,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  north  of 
Norcatur,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postofifice  from  which  it 
receives  mail  by  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  30. 

Lyndon,  the  judicial  seat  of  Osage  county,  is  located  in  the  central 
part  of  the  county  on  Salt  creek,  and  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads.  It  has  2  banks, 
2  newspapers  (the  People's  Herald  and  the  Osage  County  Democrat), 
an  opera  house,  flour  mill,  good  public  schools  and  churches.  The 
chief  shipments  from  this  point  are  live  stock,  grain  and  produce.  There 
are  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postofifice  with  four  rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  763. 

The  town  was  founded  in  1869,  immediately  after  the  Sac  and  Fox 
Indian  tribes  gave  up  their  possessions  and  the  district  was  opened 
for  settlement.  M.  M.  Snow  started  a  store,  and  when  the  postofifice 
was  established  in  the  fall  of  1869  he  was  made  postmaster.  The  next 
year  a  town  company  was  formed,  with  Judge  Lawrence  D.  Baily  as 


igb 


CYCLOPEDIA    Of 


president.  The  new  town  started  off  with  a  boom,  but  a  depression 
followed  when  it  experienced  so  much  trouble  in  securing  the  county 
seat.  Before  the  first  year  was  out  there  were  20  business  houses  and 
over  500  population.  The  county  seat  election  was  held  in  October 
and  Lyndon  declared  the  victor.  A  long  series  of  quarrels  and  legal 
battles  followed  until  the  people  lost  faith  in  Lyndon's  prospects  and 
withdrew  their  interests.  Although  the  records  were  moved  in  1875 
it  was  not  until  1878  that  the  matter  was  finally  settled,  and  by  this 
time  other  towns  had  such  a  start  that  Lyndon  never  regained  its 
prestige.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1871,  when 
the  following  officers  were  elected:  Mayor,  S.  C.  Gilliland ;  council- 
men,  W.  H.  Jcnness.  John  S.  Edie,  William  Haas,  M.  M.  Snow  and 
J.  W.  Hammond. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  1870  by  J.  W.  Watkins.  The  first 
sermon  was  preached  the  same  year  by  a  Baptist  minister  named 
Barker.  The  first  birth  occurred  during  that  summer  and  the  child 
was  named  Lyndon  Smith.  On  Jan.  3,  1871,  the  first  marriage  took 
place,  the  contracting  parties  being  L.  D.  Gardiner  and  Sarah  E. 
Thomas. 

Lyon  County,  created  as  Breckenridge  county  (q.  v.)  by  the  first 
territorial  legislature,  was  not  organized  until  1858,  and  did  not  assume 
its  present  boundaries  until  1864.  These  boundaries  are  as  follows: 
\\'abaunsee  county  on  the  north ;  Osage  and  Coffey  on  the  east ;  Green- 
wood on  the  south,  and  Chase  and  Morris  on  the  west.  In  1862,  the 
former  vice-president  Breckenridge  having  become  a  secessionist,  the 
patriotic  anti-slavery  legislature  changed  the  name  of  the  county  to 
Lyon,  in  honor  of  Nathaniel  Lyon,  the  L^nion  general  who  had  lost 
his  life  at  Wilson's  creek  the  previous  August. 

The  first  settler  was  Charles  H.  Withington,  who  located  in  the 
extreme  northern  part  of  the  county  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  a  short  dis- 
tance south  of  the  present  town  of  Allen,  in  1846.  He  opened  a  store 
in  1854,  which  was  the  first  one  in  the  county,  and  also  the  only  one 
in  southern  Kansas  outside  of  the  regular  Indian  posts.  His  store  was 
a  hotel  as  well  as  a  supply  station.  Mr.  Withington  was  influential  in 
the  settlement  of  the  county  and  prominent  in  all  public  affairs.  In 
April.  1855,  Oliver  Phillips  located  on  One  Hundred  and  Forty-second 
creek.  He  was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1859;  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Osawatomie  convention,  and  repeatedly  held  count}'  offices.  Chris 
Ward  and  J.  S.  Pigman  came  about  the  same  time.  Others  who  came 
during  the  same  year  were :  Charles  Johnson,  James  Pheanis,  David 
Vangundy.  John  Rosenquist,  Joseph  Moon,  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Addis 
fat  that  time  the  only  free-state  man),  Lorenzo  Dow,  R.  H.  Abraham, 
\\'illiam  Grimsley,  Thomas  Shockley,  Joseph  Hadley,  A\'illiam  H. 
Eikenbery,  Joel  Halworth.  Dr.  Gregg,  Mr.  Carver,  James  Hendricks, 
Albert  Watkins,  John  Fowler,  G.  D.  Humphreys  and  L.  H.  Johnson. 
These,  with  very  few  exceptions,  settled  along  the  creeks  in  the  north- 
ern half  of  the  count  v. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  197 

A  number  of  new  settlers  came  in  1856,  and  a  much  larger  number 
in  1857.  The  problem  of  securing  mail  now  became  a  serious  one. 
Previous  to  this  time  the  mail  for  the  settlements  had  been  thrown 
oS  the  Santa  Fe  coaches  at  Mr.  Withington's  place  and  was  distributed 
by  a  horseman  at  private  expense.  When  the  government  began  giving 
them  their  mail  by  way  of  Jefferson  City  and  Council  Grove  and  estab- 
lished a  postoffice  at  Columbia,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  dissatisfac- 
tion, as  the  settlers  did  not  wish  to  trust  the  pro-slavery  men  who 
handled  it.  Finally  they  secured  a  box  at  Lawrence,  where  all  mail 
was  sent,  and  thence  brought  by  private  conveyance  to  the  hotel  at 
Emporia.  John  Fowler,  the  postmaster  at  Columbia  in  the  fall  of  1857, 
resigned  and  the  office  was  moved  to  Emporia,  where  W.  H.  Pick 
became  postmaster.  In  August  hack  lines  were  established  to  Topeka 
and  to  Lawrence.  A  great  deal  of  the  mail  was  lost,  there  being  about 
three  bushels  of.  mail  belonging  to  Emporia  lying  at  Osawatomie  in 
Jan.,  1858.  The  next  year  regular  mail  routes  were  established  from 
Council  Grove  to  Fort  Scott  by  way  of  Emporia,  and  from  Lawrence 
to  Emporia.  In  Aug.,  i860,  there  were  tri-weekly  coaches  from  Law- 
rence. By  March,  1861,  Emporia  was  receiving  ten  mails  per  week 
from   dift'erent  points. 

The  first  school  was  established  in  1858  and  taught  by  Rev.  G.  W. 
Torrence.  The  first  newspaper  was  the  Emporia  News,  founded  in 
1857  by  Hon.  P.  B.  Plumb  under  the  name  of  the  Kansas  News.  (See 
Newspapers.)  The  first  sawmill  was  built  by  G.  D.  Humphreys  on  the 
Cottonwood  river  in  1857.  The  first  marriage  was  between  Charles 
Carver  and  Sarah  Vangundy  in  Jan.,  1856.  The  first  birth  was  in  1856 
in  a  family  by  the  name  of  Hennick.  The  first  assessment  of  property 
was  made  in  1858,  but  was  of  little  value,  as  the  assessor  is  said  to  have 
been  prejudiced. 

Nearly  all  authorities  give  1858  as  the  date  of  organization  of  the 
county,  although  an  election  for  county  officers  was  held  on  Oct.  6, 
1857,  which  resulted  in  the  election  of  the  Americus  ticket  as  follows: 
Probate  judge,  A.  I.  Baker;  sheriff,  E.  Goddard ;  treasurer,  N.  S.  Storrs ; 
clerk  and  recorder,  C.  V.  Eskridge ;  surveyor,  Mr.  Yoke;  coroner,  W. 
B.  Swisher;  commissioners,  H.  W.  Fick  and  William  Grimsley.  Prior 
to  Oct.,  1858,  the  county  seat  was  at  Agnes  City,  which  was  the  resi- 
dence of  Arthur  I.  Baker,  whom  the  legislature  had  appointed  probate 
judge.  The  first  term  of  district  court  was  held  on  Dec.  20  at  Ameri- 
cus, Judge  Elmore  presiding.  At  the  general  election  of  i860  Emporia 
was  chosen  as  the  permanent  county  seat.  Other  early  towns  which 
figured  in  the  contest  were:  Fremont,  8  miles  north  of  Emporia, 
founded  in  1857;  Waterloo,  on  the  State  road  15  miles  north  of  Em- 
poria, laid  off  in  1858;  and  Forest  Hill,  east  of  the  Neosho  river  opposite 
the  junction,  founded  in   1858. 

In  i860  there  were  3,500  inhabitants  in  Lyon  county,  but  the  drouth 
of  that  year  so  discouraged  the  settlers  that  many  returned  east  and 
those  who  stayed  saw  actual  want  and  suffering  in  spite  of  the  relief 


198  .  CVCLOriCDIA    OF 

obtained  from  Atchison.  IIk-  ncxl  year  the  Ijieakiiig  out  of  the  war 
put  an  end  to  the  already  i)aralyzed  activity  in  business  and  industry. 

The  first  military  company  to  leave  for  the  seat  of  war  was  the 
"Emporia  Guards"  in  May,  1861.  They  numbered  50  men  and  had 
been  drilled  by  \\'.  F.  Cloud,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war.  The  com- 
pany took  part  in  the  engagement  at  Wilson's  creek,  Mo.,  in  August. 
A.  J.  Mitchell  raised  a  company  of  artillery  numbering  47  men.  L.  T. 
Heritage  recruited  a  company  for  cUity  within  the  state,  which  became 
Company  B  of  the  Eighth  regiment.  In  the  fall  of  1862,  in  response 
to  President  Lincoln's  call  for  more  troops,  150  Lyon  county  men  im- 
mediately offered  their  services.  They  were  recruited  by  P.  B.  Plumb 
and  formed  a  company  in  the  Eleventh  regiment.  Soon  afterward  they 
were  engaged  in  a  battle  at  Prairie  Grove,  where  several  were  killed. 
In  1864,  when  Gen.  Price  threatened  Kansas,  300  more  answered  the 
call  to  repel  the  invasion.  They  were  in  active  duty  about  a  month. 
Besides  this  the  men  of  Lyon  county  played  their  part  in  protecting 
their  homes  and  in  driving  out  hostile  Indians  in  the  west  and  south- 
west and  the  bushwhackers  in  the  south. 

A  number  of  tragedies  occurred  in  connection  with  the  guerrilla 
activities  between  pro-slavery  and  anti-slavery  bands.  One  of  these 
was  the  death  of  Mrs.  Carver,  who  was  killed  by  a  free-state  mob 
from  Topeka.  She  was  in  bed,  and  the  men,  on  being  refused  admis- 
sion to  the  house,  fired  into  the  building  at  random,  two  of  the  shots 
taking  effect  in  her  body.  In  1862  occurred  the  most  noted  raid  in 
the  history  of  the  county.  Judge  A.  I.  Baker  had  called  the  notorious 
"Bill"  Anderson,  his  father  and  brother  Jim,  horse  thieves,  and  later 
was  obliged  to  shoot  the  elder  Anderson  in  self-defense.  About  the 
sa:me  time  a  Mexican  who  belonged  to  the  .Vnderson  gang  was  hanged 
by  a  mob  at  Americus.  A  few  weeks  later  the  Andersons,  with  four 
others,  one  of  whom  represented  himself  to  be  Quantrill,  came  to  the 
Baker  home,  persuaded  him  to  go  to  his  store  to  get  them  some 
whiskey,  and  just  as  he  was  goin^  down  the  cellar  steps  shot  him  a 
number  of  times.  He  drew  his  revolver  and  inflicted  a  flesh  wound 
upon  Jim  Anderson.  The  ruffians  shot  Baker's  brother-in-law,  Segur, 
and  threw  him  into  the  cellar.  Then  they  piled  boxes  on  the  cellar 
door  and  set  them  on  fire.  Baker  died  before  the  fire  reached  him, 
and  Segur  escaped  by  a  back  window  but  died  a  few  hours  later.  All 
of  Baker's  property  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  his  horses  stolen.  After 
a  number  of  other  robberies  the  guerrillas  came  to  the  residence  of 
C.  H.  Withington  at  Allen.  Here  they  placed  all  the  men  under  arrest, 
took  what  they  wanted  and  destroyed  some  property.  Mr.  Withington 
escaped  death  through  the  intercession  of  Quantrill.  At  Elm  creek 
they  attacked  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Jacoby,  whose  life  was  saved  by  a 
Santa  Fe  train  which  happened  to  be  passing. 

The  first  efforts  to  secure  a  railroad  were  in  1864,  but  it  was  not  until 
T870  that  the  first  road  was  built.  This  was  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe,  which  runs  south  from  Topeka.     The  county  issued  $200,000 


KANSAS    HISTORY  I99 

in  bonds  to  aid  in  its  construction.  A  like  amount  was  voted  to  the 
Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas,  which  crosses  the  county  in  a  southeasterly 
direction  and  which  was  built  in  the  same  year.  Another  line  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  from  Kansas  City  enters  the  county  in 
the  east  and  crosses  into  Chase  county.  A  third  line  runs  from  Em- 
poria south  into  Greenwood  county.  The  Missouri  Pacific  crosses  the 
northern  part  from  east  to  west. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  prairie,  with  but  few  bluffs. 
The  principal  streams  are  the  Neosho  river,  which  runs  across  the  county 
in  a  southeasterly  direction;  the  Cottonwood  river  which  crosses  from 
west  to  east  and  joins  the  Neosho  just  above  Neosho  Rapids ;  and  numer- 
ous creeks,  of  which  Duck,  Dows  and  Eagle  are  the  most  important.  The 
timber  belts  along  these  streams  average  one-half  mile  in  width,  and 
contain  the  following  varieties :  oak,  walnut,  cottonwood,  hickory,  elm, 
hackberry,  coffee-bean  and  locust.  Magnesian  limestone  and  sandstone 
are  abundant,  and  a  good  quality  of  potter's  clay  is  found  between  the 
Neosho  and  Cottonwood  rivers.  The  bottom  lands  along  the  rivers 
and  creeks  comprise  about  15  per  cent,  of  the  total  area. 

Lyon  is  one  of  the  two  leading  counties  in  the  production  of  Kafir 
corn.  In  1910  this  crop  amounted  to  nearly  $300,000.  Corn  the  same 
year  brought  $1,750,000;  oats,  $130,000;  wheat,  $40,000;  tame  grass, 
$170,000;  and  wild  grass,  $260,000.  Live  stock  netted  $1,630,000; 
poultry  and  eggs,  $180,000.  The  total  output  of  the  farms  for  the 
county  that  year  was  nearly  $4,500,000.  About  400,000  acres  are  under 
cultivation.  There  are  300,000  fruit  trees,  two-thirds  of  which  are 
apples.  L_yon  is  the  foremost  county  in  the  state  in  the  production  of 
live  stock.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  24,927. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  the  same  year  was  $38,600,000. 

Lyons  (formerly  Atlanta),  the  county  seat  of  Rice  county,  is  located 
in  the  central  part  of  the  county  at  the  crossing  of  three  lines  of  rail-- 
road — the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco.  It  is  situated  about  midway  between  the 
Arkansas  river  and  the  Little  Arkansas,  at  an  elevation  of  1,696  feet. 
It  has  an  electric  light  plant,  3  banks,  2  good  hotels,  i  daily  and  2 
weekly  newspapers,  2  fiour  mills,  a  large  salt  works,  gas  engine  works, 
machine  shops  and  cement  building  block  works.  It  is  beautifully 
laid  out  with  the  court-house  square  in  the  center.  Around  this  are 
handsome,  modern  retail  establishments.  The  city  is  equipped  with 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  has  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  six  rural  routes.  It  is  divided  into  four  wards  and 
according  to  the  census  of  1910  had  a  population  of  2,071. 

The  original  town  of  Atlanta  was  founded  in  1870.  It  was  absorbed 
by  Lyons,  which  was  laid  out  adjoining  it  in  1876,  and  the  same  year 
was  made  the  county  seat.  The  first  postofSce  was  established  at  this 
place  in  1871  and  was  called  Brookdale.  It  was  also  the  first  one  in 
the  county  and  Earl  Joslin  was  postmaster.  The  town  was  incorporated 
in  1880  with  T.  W.  Nichols  as  the  first  mayor.     In  the  same  year  the 


200  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Marion  &  McPherson  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  was 
extended  to  Lyons.  Two  years  later  it  was  a  thriving  town  of  900 
inhabitants. 

Mc 

McAllaster,  a  hamlet  in  Logan  county,  is  located  on  the  Union  Pacific 
R.  R.,  about  15  miles  northwest  of  Russell  Springs,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  general  store,  telegraph  office  and  a  money  order  postofEce.  The 
population  in  1910  was  50. 

McBratney,  Robert,  journalist,  was  born  near  Columbus,  Ohio,  Jan.  i, 
1818,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Margaret  (Hoskins)  McBratney,  the  father  of 
Scotch  and  the  mother  of  English  descent.  He  received  a  common 
school  education  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  began  learning  the 
printer's  trade.  Four  years  later  he  commenced  the  publication  of  the 
Union  County  Star  at  Marysville,  Ohio.  In  1841  he  visited  Louisiana 
and  Texas,  after  which  he  worked  on  newspapers  at  Xenia,  Ohio,  and 
Detroit,  Mich.,  until  1856.  He  was  a  delegate  that  year  to  the  conven- 
tion that  nominated  Gen.  John  C.  Fremont  for  president,  and  after  the 
election  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  West.  In  Feb.,  1857,  he  located 
at  Atchison,  Kan.,  where  he  became  identified  with  the  company  that 
bought  the  Squatter  Sovereign.  \\'ith  F.  G.  Adams  he  assumed  the  edi- 
torial management  of  the  paper  which  was  changed  to  a  free-state  organ. 
In  1861  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Frontier  Guard  (q.  v.)  and  was 
then  register  of  the  Junction  City  land  office  until  the  fall  of  1864.  He 
was  interested  in  the  building  of  some  of  the  early  Kansas  railroads, 
and  from  1872  to  1875  was  president  of  the  First  National  bank  of 
Junction  City.  Mr.  McBratney  was  twice  married.  On  March  28,  1848, 
he  married  Mary  Palmer,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  who  died  on  March  18, 
1859,  and  subsequently  he  married  Mary  E.  Harbison,  of  Xenia,  Ohio. 
She  died  on  May  10,  1859.  Some  time  later  Mr.  McBratney  went  to 
New  Mexico  and  died  at  Santa  Fe  on  Feb.  6,  1881. 

McCandless,  a  small  hamlet  of  Johnson  county,  is  situated  about  10 
miles  southeast  of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat,  and  4  miles  from  Rantoul, 
the  nearest  railroad  station,  from  which  it  has  rural  mail  delivery.  In 
1910  it  reported  a  population  of  21. 

McCarter,  Margaret  Hill,  author  and  educator,  was  born  near  Car- 
thage, Rush  county,  Ind.,  May  2,  i860.  Her  parents,  Thomas  T.  and 
Nancy  (Davis)  Hill,  came  to  Indiana  from  North  Carolina  in  1858. 
They  were  Quakers,  and  through  the  Parker  and  Wickersham  families 
Mrs.  McCarter  can  trace  her  ancestry  back  to  the  members  of  that  sect 
who  came  over  with  William  Penn.  She  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  the  Carthage  high  school,  Earlham  College,  a  Quaker  institu- 
tion at  Richmond,  Ind.,  and  in  1884  was  graduated  in  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  She  taught  for  nine  years  in  the  Indiana 
public  schools,  and  in  1888  came  to  Topeka,  Kan.,  where  for  nearly  six 
years  she  was  a  teacher  of  English  in  the  high  school.    Oa  June  5.  1890, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  201 

she  was  married  to  Dr.  William  A.  McCarter.  She  has  contributed  to 
the  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  is  the  author  of  The  Cottonwood's 
Story,  Cuddy's  Baby,  In  Old  Quivira,  The  Price  of  the  Prairie,  One 
Hundred  Kansas  Women,  and  The  Peace  of  the  Solomon  Valley. 

McKeever,  William  A.,  educator,  author  and  lecturer,  was  born  on 
a  farm  4  miles  east  of  Hoyt,  Jackson  county,  Kan.,  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools.  He  then  entered  Campbell  College  at 
Holton,  Kan.,  where  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in  1893.  For 
the  next  two  years  he  was  principal  of  the  Holton  high  school,  and  in 
1898  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  the  University  of  Ivansas. 
He  was  then  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Smith  Center  for 
two  years,  and  in  1900  was  made  assistant  professor  of  English  and 
philosophy  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan.  The 
next  year  he  became  the  head  of  the  department  of  philosophy,  which 
position  he  still  holds  (1911).  In  1904  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of 
Ph.  M.  by  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  the  same  year  he  took  grad- 
uate work  in  the  Harvard  summer  school.  Prof.  Mclveever  has  given 
a  number  of  lectures,  especially  on  topics  relating  to  psychology  and 
children.  A  few  years  ago  he  conceived  the  idea  of  distributing  pam- 
phlets on  child  culture  in  the  same  way  that  circulars  relating  to  agri- 
cultural topics  are  distributed.  The  result  has  been  the  pamphlets 
known  as  the  "Home  Training  Bulletins,"  which  have  attracted  consid- 
erable attention.  They  are  intended  to  aid  in  teaching  boys  and  girls 
how  to  work  and  save ;  to  assist  them  in  the  choice  of  a  vocation,  and 
to  discourage  bad  habits  in  the  young.  Prof.  McKeever  has  written  a 
number  of  pamphlets,  contributed  to  magazines,  and  is  the  author  of  two 
elementary  books.     Prof.  McKeever  married  Miss  Edith  Shattuck. 

McClung,  Clarence  Ervin,  professor  of  zoology  in  the  University  of 
Kansas,  was  born  at  Clayton,  Cal.,  April  5,  1870.  He  was  educated  at 
the  L'niversity  of  Kansas  and  Cambridge,  England,  receiving  the  degree 
of  Ph.  G.  in  .1892,  A.  B.,  1896,  A.  M.,  1898,  and  Ph.  D.,  1903— also  A.  B. 
at  Cambridge,  1903.  He  was  assistant  professor  of  zoology  from  1897 
to  igoo;  associate  professor,  1900  to  1906;  head  of  the  department  and 
curator  of  vertebrate  paleontological  collections,  1902,  and  acting  dean 
of  the  medical  school  from  1902  to  1906.  Prof.  McClung  has  carried  on 
a  number  of  important  investigations  that  have  drawn  the  attention  of 
scientists  in  Europe  and  America.  Among  these  are  sex  determination 
from  the  study  of  germ  cells  of  insects ;  osteology  of  upper  cretaceous 
fish  of  Kansas,  spermatagenesis  of  insects,  etc.  He  is  fellow  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and  of  the  So- 
cietv  of  Vertebrate  Paleontology.  He  has  been  recently  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  state  biological  survey.  In  1899  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Anna  A.  Drake,  of  Lawrence,  Kan. 

McCormick,  N.  B.,  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  in 
Favette  county,  Pa.,  Nov.  20,  1847,  and.  reared  upon  a  farm.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county,  where 
he  lived  until  twenty  years  of  age.     In  1867  he  decided  to  start  in  life 


202  CVCLOPEDIA   OF 

for  himself  and  caiuo  west,  lie  first  look  up  laud  in  Marion  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  until  1877.  when 
he  removed  to  Phillips  county,  Kan.,  and  settled  upon  a  homestead.  His 
great  ambition  was  to  become  a  lawyer  and  he  began  to  read  law  while 
farming  for  a  living.  In  1882  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  within 
a  short  time  formed  a  partnership  with  S.  VV.  McElroy,  under  whom  he 
served  as  deputy  county  attorney  for  four  years.  He  was  elected  county 
attorney  of  Phillips  county  in  1890  and  reelected  in  1892,  serving  in  that 
capacity  four  years,  but  refused  a  third  nomination.  In  1896  he  was 
nominated  for 'Congress  by  the  Populist  party  and  elected.  After  serv- 
ing one  term  in  Congress  he  retired  from  politics  and  gave  his  attention 
to  his  law  practice. 

McCoy,  Isaac,  missionary,  was  born  near  Uniontown,  Fayette  county. 
Pa.,  June  13,  1784.  The  next  year  his  family  removed  to  Kentucky, 
where  his  youth  was  passed,  and  in  1817  he  began  his  work  as  a  mis- 
sionary among  the  Miami  Indians  in  the  Wabash  valley  in  Indiana.  In 
the  spring  of  1820  he  went  to  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  and  in  Dec,  1822,  fol- 
lowed the  Pottawatomie  Indians  to  Michigan,  becoming  the  founder  of 
the  Grand  river  mission  in  1826.  Two  years  later  he  was  one  of  the 
commissioners  appointed  to  visit  the  western  country  and  select  homes 
for  the  Ottawas  and  Pottawatomies.  In  Jan.,  1829,  he  visited  Washing- 
ton and  made  a  report  of  his  investigations,  and  in  July  he  again  started 
west.  In  1837  he  was  sent  by  the  government  to  survey  the  Delaware 
lands  and  while  on  this  work  he  made  arrangements  for  missions  among 
the  Otoes  and  Omahas ;  held  a  council  with  the  Pawnees;  visited  the 
Cherokees  and  Creeks  and  assisted  in  adjusting  the  boundaries  of  their 
reservations,  and  made  a  report  proposing  locations  for  the  Pottawato- 
mies, Ottaw^as,  Miamis,  \ew  York  tribes  and  some  others.  His  report 
was  accepted  by  the  government  and  he  remained  with  the  Indians  on 
their  reservations  until  1842,  when  he  went  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  to  assume 
the  management  of  the  work  of  the  American  Indian  Mission  Associa- 
tion. Mr.  McCoy  was  the  author  of  a  History  of  Baptist  Indian  Mis- 
sions.   He  died  at  Louisville  in  1846. 

McCoy,  Joseph  G.,  founder  of  the  cattle  trade  in  Kansas  and  orig- 
inator of  the  Abilene  trail  (q.  v.),  was  born  in  Sangamon  county,  III., 
Dec.  21,  1837,  the  youngest  of  eleven  children  born  to  David  and  Mary 
(Kirkpatrick)  McCoy,  natives  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  respectively. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Knox  College,  and  in 
1861  he  embarked  in  the  cattle  business.  On  Oct.  22,  1861,  he  married 
Miss  Sarah  Epler.  In  1867  he  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a  ship- 
ping depot  for  cattle  at  some  point  in  the  west  and  selected  Abilene, 
Kan.,  from  which  place  he  opened  a  trail  to  the  Indian  Territory.  Some 
people  sneered  at  his  ideas,  but  he  demonstrated  their  practicability. 
About  75,000  cattle  were  shipped  from  Abilene  in  1868,  and  by  1871  the 
number  had  increased  to  600,000  or  more.  He  lived  in  Abilene,  where 
he  served  as  mayor,  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
In  1881  he  was  employed  by  the  the  Cherokee  Indians  as  agent  to  col- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  203 

lect  the  revenue  on  outlying  lands  belonging  to  that  tribe  and  removed 
to  Wichita,  where  he  still  lives.  Mr.  McCoy  is  a  Democrat  in  his  po- 
litical affiliations  and  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. In  1890  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  range  cattle  de- 
partment by  the  United  States  census  bureau,  a  position  for  which  he 
was  well  fitted  by  his  long  connection  with  the  cattle  trade.  It  is  said 
that  his  wedding  coat  was  one  which  had  been  made  for  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

McCracken,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Rush  county, 
is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  and  on  Big  Timber  creek,  17 
miles  west  of  La  Crosse,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  flour  mill, 
grain  elevators,  and  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Enterprise).  All  the 
leading  chiu'ch  denominations  are  represented,  and  there  are  telegraph 
and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.  The  retail  establishments  number  nearly  100,  and  the 
population  in  1910  was  371. 

McCune,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Crawford  county, 
is  located  16  miles  southwest  of  Girar'd,  the  county  seat,  and  is  on  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  McCune  Herald),  a  high  school,  the  leading  church  denomina- 
tions, telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  six  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1910  was  736. 

McCune  was  laid  out  in  1879  by  Isaac  McCune,  who  owned  and  had 
been  farming  the  land.  He  built  the  first  store,  which  was  opened 
by  J.  D.  Rodgers.  The  postoffice,  which  was  called  Time  prior  to 
founding  the  town,  was  changed  to  McCune  and  Mr.  McCune  was  made 
postmaster  in  1878.  The  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third 
class  in  Oct.,  18S1.  The  following  were  the  first  officers:  Mayor,  Isaac 
McCune;  councilmen,  I.  V.  McCime,  R.  O.  Harris,  M.  Casey  and  K. 
P.  Minard.  The  first  newspaper,  the  McCune  Standard,  was  estab- 
lished in  that  year  by  D.  A.  Burton.  By  1882  the  town  had  made  con- 
siderable progress,  having  500  inhaTjitants  and  a  dozen  stores. 

McDonald,  a  little  town  in  Rawlins  county,  is  located  in  Celia  town- 
ship on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.,  22  miles  west  of 
Atwood,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
News),  and  a  number  of  mercantile  establishments,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  reported  as  350. 

McFarland,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Wabaunsee 
county,  is  located  in  Newberry  township  4  miles  from  Alma,  the  county 
seat.  It  is  at  the  junction  of  two  lines  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
_  Pacific  R.  R.  and  has  over  30  passenger  trains  per  day.  All  the  lead- 
ing lines  of  mercantile  enterprise  are  represented ;  there  are  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in 
1910  was  388.  It  is  one  of  the  new  towns  of  the  county,  founded  by 
the  railroad  company  a  few  years  ago. 


204  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

McGee  County,  inie  of  the  33  counties  created  by  the  first  territorial 
legisliiiurc  in  1855,  was  located  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  terri- 
tory and  was  bounded  as  follows:  "Beginning  at  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Bourbon  county;  thence  south  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
territory ;  thence  west  on  said  boundary  24  miles ;  thence  north  to  a 
point  due  west  of  the  place  of  beginning;  thence  east  24  miles  to  the 
place  of  beginning."  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Mabillon  W. 
McGee,  a  member  of  the  Kansas  house  of  representatives  in 
1855.  The  count)  was  attached  to  Bourbon  for  all  civil  and  mili- 
tary purposes.  In  18O0,  the  name  of  the  county  was  changed  to  Chero- 
kee and  some  changes  made  in  the  boundaries.    (See  Cherokee  County.) 

McGraw,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in 
Harve.\  cnunty,  is  located  3  miles  south  of  Newton,  the  county  seat, 
from  which  place  it  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery. 

McLain,  a  discontinued  postoltice  in  Harvey  county,  is  located  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  5  miles  southeast  of  Newton,  the  county  seat, 
from  which  i)ostoffice  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  delivery.  Tlie 
population  in   1910  was  26. 

McLouth,  one  of  the  thriving  towns  of  Jefferson  countj',  is  located 
near  the  east  line  of  the  county  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads.  It  is  in  Union 
township  7  miles  east  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat.  McLouth  is 
an  incorporated  town  with  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Times),  bank- 
ing facilities,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  775.  The 
town  was  founded  in  1881  and  named  after  the  original  owner  of  the 
land.  The  grange  store  was  moved  from  Dimon  when  McLouth  was 
laid  out  and  was  kept  by  L  Pearson.  The  amount  of  business  done 
in  1882  was  over  $20,000.  At  present  all  lines  of  business  are  repre- 
sented and  considerable  produce  is  shipped. 

McPherson,  the  judicial  seat  and  largest  town  of  McPherson  county, 
is  located  in  the  central  part  of  the  county,  about  25  miles  northeast 
of  Hutchinson  and  about  50  miles  northwest  of  Wichita.  Four  of 
the  most  important  railroads  converge  at  this  point,  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  the  Missouri 
Pacific  and  the  Union  Pacific,  making  this  one  of  the  important  shipping 
points  of  this  section  of  Kansas.  It  has  5  banks  and  there  are  a  number 
of  manufacturing  establishments  which  work  up  various  raw  ma- 
terials produced  in  the  vicinity.  The  broom  and  sorghum  factories 
are  supplied  by  the  broom-corn  and  cane  raised  by  McPherson  county 
farmers  and  each  turns  out  a  high  grade  finished  product.  The  ce- 
ment works  gets  the  raw  material  from  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 
There  is  also  a  smoke  consumer  works,  and  a  stove  drum  factory. 
The  McPherson  Republican  is  published  daily  and  weekly,  and  the " 
Freeman,  the  Democrat,  the  Opinion  and  Der  Deutsche  Western  (Ger- 
man) are  published  weekly.  Rays  of  Light  is  a  college  publication  is- 
sued monthly. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  205 

McPherson  is  the  seat  of  two  colleges  of  standing  in  the  state,  Mc- 
Pherson  College,  which  was  established  some  years  ago  by  the  Ger- 
man Baptist  church,  and  Walden  College,  established  in  1908  by  the 
Swedish  Evangelical  church.  Both  are  equipped  with  large,  sub- 
stantial buildings.  In  addition  to  these  things  McPherson  has  two 
good  hotels,  an  opera  house,  3  flour  mills,  which  are  among  the  largest 
in  the  state,  4  grain  elevators,  ice  and  cold  storage  plant,  electric  plant, 
fire  department,  waterworks  and  sewer  system.  The  streets  are  wide 
and  well  kept  and  the  business  blocks  are  of  brick  or  stone.  Main 
street  is  lined  for  several  blocks  with  well  appointed  retail  stores.  The 
town  is  supplied  with  telegraphic  communications  and  express  offices 
and  has  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  seven  rural  routes. 
A  board  of  trade  has  recently  been  organized  and  a  retail  dealers' 
association  has  been  in  operation  among  the  merchants  for  some  years. 
The  population  of  McPherson.  according  to  the  census  of  1910, 
was   3,546. 

The  town  was  founded  by  L.  G.  Skancke  in  1872.  ^Ir.  Skancke  was 
chief  clerk  of  the  government  land  office  at  Salina  at  the  time,  and 
being  informed  that  a  colony  of  Kentuckians  were  about  to  settle  on 
"McPherson  Flats"  he  conceived  the  idea  of  starting  a  town  in  that 
location.  He  interested  several  friends,  and  the  party  which  composed 
the  town  company  drove  from  Salina  on  Sunday,  Jnne  4,  and  located 
the  town  site,  which  they  called  McPherson  Center,  and  made  "improve- 
ments," which  consisted  in  turning  over  a  little  of  the  sod,  enabling 
them  to  hold  the  ground  until  it  could  be  properly  entered.  The  next 
month  H.  Bowker  erected  the  first  building  and  opened  a  store.  In 
December  the  foundation  of  the  town  hall  was  laid.  Although  the  town 
grew  quite  rapidly,  the  postoffice  was  not  established  until  1873.  In 
the  spring  of  that  year  the  detachment  of  a  tier  of  townships  from  the 
southern  part  of  the  county  made  McPherson  the  center  of  the  county 
and  at  an  election  held  on  June  10,  1873,  it  w-as  made  the  county  seat. 
It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  on  March  4,  1874.  The 
first  election,  at  which  30  ballots  were  cast,  was  held  the  i6th  of  the 
same  month,  when  the  following  officers  were  chosen:  Mayor,  Sol 
Stephens;  councilmen,  H.  Bowker,  C.  E.  Pierce,  William  West,  W.  B. 
McCord  and  M.  P.  .Simpson.  In  July,  1877,  a  money  order  department 
was  added  to  the  postoffice.  The  first  school  building  of  any  size  was 
erected  in  1882  at  a  cost  of  $12,000.  The  first  newspaper  was  the  Mc- 
Pherson Messenger,  established  by  the  Yale  brothers  in  1872.  It  still, 
continues  under  thp  name  of  the  Republican.  The  first  bank  was  the 
Farmers'  and  Merchants',  founded  in  1882.  A  mill  and  two  large  ele- 
vators were  built  in  1879  and  1880.  A  colony  of  German  Baptists 
(sometimes  called  Dunkards)  located  at  McPherson  in  1887,  and  later 
founded  McPherson  college.  The  first  railroads  did  not  reach  Mc  Pher- 
son  until  1879  and  1880.     McPherson  is  now  a  city  of  the  second  class. 

McPherson  College. — An  institution  conducted  under  the  auspices 
■of  the  German  Baptist  Brethren  church  was  founded  at  McPherson  in 


206  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Aug.,  1887.  Its  aim  is  to  provide  a  thoroiigli,  Christian  education  for 
the  young  people  of  tliat  denomination,  altliough  it  admits  any  person 
of  good  moral  character  who  is  in  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  the  in- 
stitution. It  endeavors  not  only  to  cultivate  the  intellect  but  also  to 
instill  principles  of  morality  and  the  truths  of  religion.  Devotional 
exercises  are  held  each  school  day  in  the  chapel  and  regular  evening 
prayers  are  held  in  the  dormitory.  This  college  advocates  plainness 
of  dress,  simplicity  in  the  habits  of  life,  and  discourages  caste,  thus 
making  it  a  home  for  rich  and  poor  alike.  It  occupies  three  buildings, 
a  main  school  building,  a  dormitory  and  a  library  erected  through  the 
generosity  of  Andrew  Carnegie.  It  embraces  four  departments,  the 
department  of  arts,  literature  and  science,  the  department  of  fine  arts, 
the  business  department,  and  the  Biblical  department.  There  are  three 
literary  societies.  In  1910  Edward  Frantz  was  president  and  profes- 
sor of  Biblical  languages  and  literature.  There  are  24  instructors  and 
about  700  students. 

McPherson  County,  one  of  the  best  wheat  producing  counties  of  the 
state,  is  located  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  center  of  the  state,  and  in 
the  first  tier  of  counties  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Saline  county;  on  the  east  by  Marion;  on  the 
south  by  Harvey  and  Reno,  and  on  the  west  by  Rice  and  Ellsworth. 
The  Santa  Fe  trail  ran  through  McPherson  county  and  the  first  ranch 
for  the  accommodation  of  travelers  was  established  on  the  east  branch 
of  Turkey  creek,  about  7  miles  east  of  the  present  city  of  McPherson, 
in  1855.  It  was  kept  by  Charles  Fuller.  The  first  settler  was  Isaac 
Sharp,  who  took  a  claim  in  the  winter  of  i860  on  the  creek  which  bears 
his  name.  He  brought  with  him  his  father  and  mother  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mrs.  Sharp  died  and  was  buried  on  the  creek.  Sharp  trapped, 
hunted  and  traded  with  the  Indians.  When  the  war  broke  out  and  the 
Indians  became  troublesome  he  moved  to  Council  Grove.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  when  Sharp  became  a  candidate  for  governor  ten  years 
later  that  out  of  198  votes  cast  in  McPherson  county  he  received  but 
one  or  two.  From  the  time  of  Sharp  there  were  no  settlements  of  any 
consequence  for  several  years,  although  the  county  was  visited  by 
trappers  and  traders.  One  of  these,  Lewis  by  name,  located  a  claim  on 
the  Smoky  Hill  river,  which  he  improved  to  some  extent.  A  man  by 
the  name  of  Peters  located  on  Sharp's  creek,  but  died  shortly  afterward. 
A  man  by  the  name  of  Wheeler  built  a  stone  corral  at  the  crossing  of 
the  Santa  Fe  trail  over  the  Little  Arkansas  river  in  1865.  The  next  year 
Col.  Grierson  with  the  Seventh  Kansas  cavalry  encamped  with  his 
troops  at  this  place.  They  built  a  stockade  of  cottonwood  logs  for  a 
headquarters,  and  put  up  huts  to  live  in. 

In  1866  settlers  came  in  considerable  numbers.  In  January  Milton 
and  Jefferson  Harper  and  S.  Delano  located  on  Sharp's  creek;  in  May 
ten  Swedes— A.  Klingbery,  F.  Lundstrum,  J.  Ericson,  A.  Lend,  J.  F. 
Huldquist,  P.  Ahlquist,  N.  Sponberg,  G.  Johnson,  B.  Johnson  and 
Andrew  .Hanson,  located  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river.  The  same  month 
H.  B.  Telle  and  Sanford  and  Lowell  Reese  settled  on  Gypsum  creek. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  207 


Others  who  located  in  various  parts  of  the  county  that  year  were,  D.  B. 
Ray,  Robert  Minnis,  J.  G.  Maxwell  and  family,  E.  R.  Falley,  G.  W. 
and  S.  D.  Shields  and  William  Brown. 

In  1867  the  Pawnee  Indians  made  a  raid  on  Gypsum  creek,  murdered 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Temple  and  hid  his  body  in  a  ravine.  The  next 
year  the  Osages  raided  the  vicinity  of  Sharp's  creek  and  carried  off  a 
Mrs.  Bassett  and  a  child  a  few  days  old.  The  woman  was  too  weak 
to  ride  a  pony  so  was  left  on  the  open  prairie,  where  she  and  her  baby 
were  later  found  by  the  searching  party,  in  a  pitiable  condition.  The 
baby  died  from  exposure. 

The  year  1868  saw  the  advent  of  several  colonies  of  Swedes.  One 
colony  purchased  13,000  acres  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  company 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town  of  Marquette,  and  settled  on  it.  The 
Chicago  Swedish  company  made  heavy  purchases  especially  along  the 
Smoky  Hill  river  and  located  the  town  of  Lindsborg.  Other  smaller 
colonies  located  in  different  parts  of  the  county.  The  town  of  Sweadal, 
now  extinct,  had  its  beginning.  A  postofifice  was  established  with  L.  N. 
Holmburg,  the  first  store  keeper,  as  postmaster.  The  first  marriage 
ceremonv,  which  united  F.  Lindstrum  and  Miss  Larson,  was  performed 
by  Mr.  Holmburg.  In  1870  he  was  made  captain  of  a  military  company 
organized  for  protection  from  the  Indians.  Solomon  Stephens  was  first 
lieutenant  of  the  same  company  and  G.  W.  Shields,  second  lieutenant. 

In  1871  the  Ashtabula  colony,  the  officers  of  which  traveled  nearly 
all  over  Kansas  in  search  of  a  location,  came  to  McPherson  county  and 
settled  in  King  City  township.  They  founded  the  town  of  Kmg  City, 
which  was  at  one  time  a  dangerous  rival  of  McPherson  for  the  county 
seat,  but  which  is  now  extinct.  The  colony  took  its  name  from  Ashta- 
bula, Ohio,  the  town  in  which  it  was  organized.  In  Feb.,  1873,  a  colony 
from  Ashland,  Ky.,  located  3  miles  east  of  McPherson.  They  hauled 
the  timber  for  their  houses  from  Salina.  In  September  of  that  year  the 
first  Mennonite  colony  came  to  the  county  and  bought  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  the  southern  part  from  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R. 
company,  besides  making  extensive  purchases  from  settlers. 

The  first  birth  in  the  county  was  that  of  Andrew  Brown  on  Sharp's 
creek  Aug.  19,  1869.  The  first  destructive  storm  after  the  settlement 
of  the  coSnty  occurred  on  June  17,  1876.  It  passed  over  the  northern 
part  wrecking  a  great  deal  of  property  and  injuring  a  number  of  per- 


sons 


McPherson  county  was  originally  a  part  of  Peketon  county,  which 
was  established  in  i860  and  contained  all  the  territory  in  Kansas  west 
of  the  6th  principal  meridian  and  south  of  township  16.  This  county 
was  abolished  in  1865  and  McPherson  was  made  a  township  of  Marion 
county,  which  covered  a  territory  similar  to  Peketon,  except  that  its 
eastern  boundary  extended  to  the  west  line  of  Chase  county.  Solomon 
Stephens  and  L.  N.  Holmburg,  who  were  appointed  justices  of  the  peace 
in  1868,  were  the  first  civil  officers  in  what  is  now  McPherson  county. 
A  township   election  was  held   in   1869  and  the  following  ticket   was 


208  CYCLOriiUlA    OF 

elected  witlioiii  ii()position :  Justices  of  the  peace,  J.  (i.  Maxwell  and 
L.  N.  liolmbiirg ;  constables",  R.  D.  Bagley  and  David  Ray;  trustee, 
D.  H.  Page;  treasurer,  David  Stephens;  clerk,  John  F.  Hughes. 

The  county  was  organized  in  1870  by  proclamation  of  Gov.  Harvey 
in  response  to  a  petition  prepared  by  a  mass  meeting  of  citizens  held 
at  Sweadal.  The  population  at  that  time  was  738.  John  H.  Johnson 
and  Samuel  Shields  were  appointed  commissioners  and  John  Rund- 
strum,  clerk.  Sweadal  was  made  the  temporary  county  seat.  The  com- 
missioners organized  the  following  townships.  Gypsum,  Turkey  Creek, 
Smoky  Hill  and  Sharp's  Creek.  At  the  election  held  on  May  2,  172 
votes  were  cast.  Sweadal  was  made  the  county  seat  and  the  officers 
chosen  were:  Commissioners,  T.  E.  Simpson,  James  Weir  and  John 
Ferm;  clerk,  J.  R.  Fisher;  treasurer,  Solomon  Stevens;  probate  judge, 
Nathan  Bean;  register  of  deeds,  S.  D.  Shields;  sheriff,  M.  E. 'Harper; 
coroner,  John  Rundstrum;  county  attornc}-,  D.  H.  Page;  clerk  of  the 
district  court,  S.  J.  Swenson ;  surveyor,  J.  D.  Chamberlain ;  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction,  O.  Olsson.  Sweadal  was  located  less  than 
2  miles  from  Lindsborg,  and  in  Sept.,  1870,  the  commissioners  moved 
the  county  seat  to  the  latter  place.  In  April,  1873.  a  petition  for  reloca- 
tion was  filed.  The  election  was  held  on  June  10,  the  contesting  towns 
being  McPherson,  King  City,  New  Gotland  and  Lindsborg.  The 
McPherson  town  company  had  offered  the  county  the  use  of  rooms  for 
county  offices  for  ten  years,  and  ground  on  which  lo  Jiuild  a  court-house. 
It  is  said  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  illegal  voting  on  the  part  of  the 
McPherson  people.  L.  N.  Holmburg  of  New^  Gotland  would  have  put 
a  stop  to  the  practice,  but  before  he  had  an  opportunity  to  do  so  he 
was  arrested  on  a  spurious  charge  and  taken  to  King  City,  where  he 
was  detained  until  evening.  Out  of  934  votes  cast  McPherson  received 
605.  The  county  commissioners  picked  out  the  grounds  in  accordance 
with  the  offer  of  the  town  company  and  the  company  erected  a  two- 
story  frame  court-house,  which  was  used  for  ten  years  when  a  large 
stone  structure  was  built. 

The  next  winter  after  the  grasshopper  disaster  of  1874,  the  grangers 
of  McPherson  county  asked  the  government  for  rations  for  10,000 
people  for  six  months,  10,000  blankets,  and  10,000  of  each  article  of 
clothing.  T.  D.  Wickersham,  who  was  the  promoter  of  this  request, 
helped  to  distribute  the  goods  and  got  into  serious  trouble  for  supposed 
theft  of  money  and  supplies.  Wickersham  was  an  ill-starred  name  in 
McPherson  county,  a  James  Wickersham  having  fled  the  country  in 
1870  to  escape  lynching,  and  another  James  Wickersham  having  been 
shot,  but  not  killed,  by  James  Abercrombic  in  1876.  In  1875  the  sum 
of  $3,300  was  stolen  from  the  county,  there  being  no  safe  place  for  the 
treasurer  to  keep  the  funds  collected. 

In  1877,  McPherson  was  the  foremost  county  in  the  state  in  agricul- 
tural products  and  a  great  celebration,  attended  by  5,000  people,  was 
held  at  the  county  seat.  Although  agitation  for  railroads  had  been  going 
on  since  1872,  these  products  were  still  being  marketed  at  Salina  and 
other  town<  outside  of  the  county.    The  first  railroad  was  built  in  1879. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  209 

It  was  the  Marion  &  McPherson  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe.  A  great  celebration  took  place  at  McPherson  on  its  com- 
pletion to  that  point.  The  Kansas  &  Southwestern  was  completed  to 
McPherson  on  Jan.  i,  1880.  This  is  at  present  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific,  which  enters  the  county  midway  on  the  east  line,  extends 
west  to  McPherson,  where  it  turns  southwest  crossing  the  southern  line 
into  Reno  county.  About  the  same  time  the  Salina  &  Southwestern 
road  was  built  from  Salina  to  McPherson.  This  is  at  present  the  Union 
Pacific.  A  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  from  Newton  terminates 
at  McPherson,  and  another  branch  of  the  same  road  crosses  the  north- 
western corner. 

The  county  is  divided  into  25  townships,  viz :  Battle  Hill,  Bonaville, 
Canton,  Castle,  Delmore,  Empire,  Groveland,  Gypsum  Creek,  Harper, 
Hayes,  Jackson,  King  City,  Little  Valley,  Lone  Tree,  Marquette, 
McPherson,  Meridian,  Moundridge,  New  Gotland,  Smoky  Hill,  South 
Sharp's  Creek,  Spring  Valley,  Superior,  Turkey  Creek  and  Union.  -The 
postoffices  are,  McPherson,  the  county  seat  and  largest  town.  Canton, 
Conway,  Dolespark,  Elyria,  Fremont,  Galva,  Groveland,  Inman,  Linds- 
borg,  Marquette,  Moundridge,  Roxbury  and  Windom. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling  prairie,  somewhat  broken 
in  the  north  and  level  in  the  central  part.  Bottom  lands,  which  com- 
prise 7  per  cent,  of  the  total  area,  average  from  one-half  to  one  mile  in 
width.  The  timber  belts  along  the  streams  are  a  few  rods  in  width  and 
contain  Cottonwood,  box-elder,  ash,  oak,  mulberry,  hackberry,  coffee- 
bean  and  willow.  The  Little  Arkansas  crosses  the  southwestern  corner, 
and  the  Smoky  Hill  river  flows  through  the  northwestern  section. 
There  are  a  number  of  fair  sized  creeks,  among  which  are  Sharp's, 
Gypsum,  Blaze,  Turkey,  Black  Kettle,  Emma  and  Crooked.  Limestone, 
sandstone  and  gypsum  are  abundant. 

Stock  raising  and  agriculture  are  the  chief  occupations  of  the  people 
and  this  locality  is  second  to  none  in  the  state  in  products  of  this  char- 
acter. The  annual  output  of  the  farms  is  over  $5,000,000.  The  corn 
crop  of  1910  brought  $1,500,000;  oats,  nearly  $1,000,000;  barley, 
$100,000;  sorghum,  $100,000;  Kafir  corn,  $80,000;  wheat,  $77,000;  tame 
grass,  $300,000,  and  wild  grass,  $100,000.  The  total  value  of  field  crops 
was  $3,500,000,  the  value  of  livestock  for  slaughter  $1,600,000.  Other 
important  products  are  poultry,  butter,  milk,  fruit,  eggs  and  broom- 
corn.  AlcPherson  county  makes  a  specialty  of  the  latter  crop  and  it 
is  manufactured  locally. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was  $44,589,000.  The 
population  in  the  same  year  was  21,521,  which  makes  the  wealth  per 
capita  nearly  $2,100. 

McVicar,  Peter,  clergyman,  soldier  and  educator,  was  born  at  St. 
George,  N.  B.,  Canada,  June  15,  1829.  His  parents  were  natives  of 
Argyleshire,  Scotland.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  went  to  Wisconsin, 
and  in  1852  entered  Beloit  College.  Subsequently  he  studied  for  the 
ministry  at  the  Union  Theological  and  Andover  seminaries,  graduating 
(II-14) 


2IO  I  YCLOrEDIA    OK 

at  tlic  latter  in  iSCh).  In  Uciobcr  uf  tliat  _vear  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
within  a  few  months  became  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  church 
of  Topeka.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  army 
and  served  under  Gen.  Curtis.  From  18O6  to  1870  he  was  superintendent 
of  public  instruction  of  Kansas  and  while  holding  this  position  was 
instrumental  in  saving  to  the  state  the  school  lands  in  the  Osage  Indian 
reservation.  .\t  the  close  of  his  second  term  as  superintendent  he  was 
otTered  and  accepted  the  presidency  of  Washburn  College,  which  at  that 
time  had  neither  site,  endowment  nor  buildings  and  the  building  up  of 
this  well  known  educational  institution  may  be  regarded  as  his  life  work 
and  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  memory.  Mr.  McVicar  married  Mar- 
tha Porter  Dana  of  Waukesha,  Wis.,  in  Sept.,  1863.  He  died  on  June 
5.  1903- 

M 

MacGraw,  a  hamlet  in  Sheridan  county,  is  located  on  the  north  fork 
of  the  Solomon  river  12  miles  amost  due  north  of  Hoxie,  the  county  seat. 
It  receives  mail  from  Dresden,  which  is  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Macksville,  an  incorporated  cit}'  of  the  third  class  in  Stafford  county, 
is  located  in  Farmington  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  R.  R.,  12  miles  west  of  St.  John,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks, 
a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Enterprise),  all  the  leading  lines  of  merchan- 
dising, telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census 
of  K)io  was  626.    It  was  settled  in  1878. 

Macyville,  a  hamlet  in  Cloud  county,  is  located  in  Summit  township 
9  miles  southwest  of  Concordia,  the  county  seat,  and  about  11  miles 
northeast  of  Glasco,  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed  by 
rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  62. 

Madison,  the  second  town  in  importance  and  size  in  Greenwood 
coimty,  is  located  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  railroads,  and  on  the  Verdigris  river  in  Madison  township, 
27  miles  northeast  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat.  It  is  the  only  important 
shipping  and  receiving  station  for  many  miles  around  and  has  a  number 
of  mercantile  establishments.  There  are  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Spirit),  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  five  rural  routes.  The  schools  are  excellent  and 
all  the  leading  denominations  of  churches  are  represented.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  721. 

The  first  Madison  was  established  in  1872,  northwest  of  the  present 
town.  E.  Smith  opened  a  general  merchandise  store,  and  later  four 
men  named  Green,  Strails,  Cunkle  and  Oglesby  erected  log  buildings 
and  began  business.  In  1879,  when  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
R.  R.  was  built,  the  town  was  moved  to  the  present  site,  which  was 
laid  out  by  a  town  company  with  the  following  officers :  President,  L.  J. 
Cunkle;  secretary,  S.  J.   Wells;  treasurer,   W^.   Martindale.     The  post- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  211 

office  was  also  moved,  the  postmaster,  T.  A.  McCIure,  still  retaining 
his  office.  A  school  house  was  built  at  the  cost  of  $i,ioo,  and  E.  Wal- 
ters was  the  first  teacher.  The  first  building  on  the  new  town  site  was 
the  residence  of  W.  H.  Green.  Professional  people  came  in,  new  busi- 
ness enterprises  were  established  and  inside  of  two  years  the  popula- 
tion had  increased  to  300.  The  first  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  H.  P. 
Baker  before  the  founding  of  the  town.  The  first  newspaper  (the 
Madison  News)  was  established  in  1879  by  W.  O.  Lundsford. 

Madison  County,  created  in  1855,  was  bounded  as  follows :  "Begin- 
ning at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  county  of  Breckenridge ;  thence  south 
24  miles ;  thence  west  24  miles ;  thence  north  24  miles ;  thence  east  24 
miles  to  the  place  of  beginning."  In  1861  the  territory  embraced  by  the 
county  was  divided  between  Breckenridge  and  Greenwood  counties  and 
Madison  county  disappeared. 

Madison,  Edmond  H.,  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  at 
Plymouth,  Hancock  county,  111.,  Dec.  18,  1865,  a  son  of  James  W.  and 
Frances  (Doty)  Madison.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  began  teaching.  In  1885  he  went  to 
Wichita,  Kan.,  where  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  G.  W.  C.  Jones, 
and  in  1888  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  same  year  he  was  elected 
county  attorney  of  Ford  county,  which  office  he  held  for  two  terms.  On 
Jan.  I,  1900,  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  31st  judicial  district  and 
served  in  that  capacity  until  Sept.  17,  1906,  when  he  resigned  to  enter 
the  race  for  Congress.  He  was  elected  as  the  representative  of  the  7th 
Congressional  district  that  year,  reelected  in  1908  and  again  in  1910, 
but  died  suddenly  from  apoplexy  while  seated  at  the  breakfast  table  on 
the  morning  of  Sept.  18,  191 1,  before  completing  his  third  term.  While 
in  Congress  Mr.  Madison  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  President  Roose- 
velt's policies  and  was  a  member  of  the  committee  to  settle  the  Bal- 
linger-Pinchot  controver.>:}-.  Mr.  Madison  was  twice  married.  On  Nov. 
5,  1885,  he  was  united  in  marriage  at  Wichita  with  Miss  Lillie  Vance. 
She  died  at  Topeka  on  Xov.  9.  1S99,  and  on  Dec.  12,  1900,  he  married 
Miss  Lou  Vance  of  Oklahoma  City,  Okla.,  who  survives  him.  Judge 
Madison  belonged  to  that  class  of  young  Republicans  who  were  so 
active  in  Kansas  politics  during  the  years  immediately  preceding  his 
death.  He  was  president  of  the  Kansas  League  of  Republican  clubs 
in  1896-97,  was  an  active  member  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans;  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  to  serve  as  delegate  to  conventions,  and  his  services 
were  in  great  demand  as  a  campaign  orator. 

Magda,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Lyon  count}',  is  located  9  miles  south  of 
Plymouth,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route,  12  miles 
from  Emporia,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  west  of  OIpe,  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  the  nearest  station  and  shipping  point. 

Mahaska,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Washington 
county,  is  located  in  Lfnion  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  R.  R.,  20  miles  northwest  of  Washington,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice 


21:;  (.YCI.OI'EDIA    OF 

with  two  rural  routes.  Tlic  ixipulation  in  1910  was  246.  it  is  the  princi- 
pal trading  and  shii)ping  point  lor  a  large  agricultural  district  in 
Kcpubiic  and  Washington  counties. 

Maize,  a  little  town  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  in  Park  township 
on  the  Missoiui  Pacific  R.  R.,  13  niilcs  northwest  of  Wichita,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  bank,  all  the  leading  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural 
route.     The  ])opulalion  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  200. 

Majella,  a  little  settlement  of  Bourbon  county,  is  located  about  15 
niilo  northwest  of  Fort  Scott,  the  county  seat,  and  6  iniles  northeast 
of  Bronson,  the  most  convenient  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  mail  is  delivered  by  rural  carrier.    The  population  in  1910  was  28. 

Malgares,  Don  Facundo. — ]n  1806  the  relations  between  the  United 
States  and  Spain  were  somewhat  strained,  the  latter  country  liaving 
opposed  the  cession  of  the  province  of  Louisiana  to  the  United  States 
by  France.  When  Lieut.  Zebulon  M.  Pike  was  fitting  out  his  expe- 
dition at  St.  Louis,  Spanish  emmissaries  there  managed  to  get  word  to 
the  authorities  in  New  Mexico,  and  a  counter  expedition  was  planned 
to  prevent  Pike  from  exploring  the  country  and  to  make  treaties  of 
amity  with  certain  Indian  tribes.     (See  Pike's  Exped,ition.) 

The  leadership  of  the  Spanish  expedition  was  given  to  Don  Facundo 
Malgares,  a  native  of  Spain,  a  nephew  of  one  of  the  royal  judges  of 
Xew  Spain,  and  a  man  who  had  distinguished  himself  as  a  commander 
of  Spanish  forces  in  numerous  encounters  with  hostile  Indians.  Mal- 
gares marched  from  Santa  Fe  with  100  regular  dragoons  and  500 
mounted  militia,  under  instructions  to  turn  back  Pike  in  case  he  should 
meet  liim,  and  in  any  event  to  make  friendly  treaties  with  the  Indians, 
in  order  that  their  allegiance  might  be  secured  in  case  of  a  rupture 
between  the  United  States  and  Spain.  \\'hile  on  the  march  an  incident 
occurred  that  showed  the  determined  character  of  the  commander.  A 
jjetition,  signed  by  200  of  the  militia,  was  presented  to  Malgares,  asking 
him  to  turn  back.  Malgares  ordered  a  halt,  had  a  gallows  erected, 
separated  the  petitioners  from  the  rest  of  his  command,  and  then 
directed  that  the  man  who  presented  the  petition  should  receive  fifty 
lashes,  the  gallows  standing  ready  to  receive  any  man  who  grumbled 
at  his  order.  Under  this  heroic  treatment  there  was  no  more  talk  of 
turning  back,  and  the  expedition  soon  after  divided,  240  men  remaining 
in  camp  while  Malgares  with  the  remainder  of  his  force  went  on  to  the 
Pawnee  republic,  in  what  is  now  Republic  county,  Kan.,  where  he  made 
a  treaty  with  the  Pawnees.  The  Spanish  flags  which  Pike  found  there 
a  little  later  had  been  presented  to  the  Indians  by  Malgares,  who  failed 
to  meet  Pike,  and  in  October  returned  to  Santa  Fe. 

When  Pike  reached  Santa  Fe  the  governor  there  notified  him  that 
he  and  his  men  would  have  to  be  conducted  to  Chihuahua  under  a  mili- 
tary escort,  which  Lieut.  Malgares  was  selected  to  command.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  Pike  and  his  men  were  virtually  prisoners 
of  war,  Malgares  would  not  examine  Pike's  private  papers,  and  refused 


KANSAS    HISTORY  2I3 

to  allow  Others  to  do  so.  Robinson,  one  of  the  men  with  Pike,  in  a 
letter  to  his  superior,  referred  to  Malgares  as  "a  gentleman,  a  soldier, 
and  one  of  the  most  gallant  men  you  ever  knew,"  and  Pike  himself 
expressed  the  hope  that  sometime  he  might  have  the  opportunity  of 
reciprocating  the  l^indness  shown  him  by  Lieut.  Malgares. 

Manchester,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Dickinson 
county,  is  located  in  Flora  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  R.  R.,  14  miles  north  of  Abilene,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank, 
a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News),  a  hotel,  a  number  of  general  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  250. 

Manhattan,  one  of  the  important  cities  of  the  state,  is  located  at  the 
junction  of  the  Big  Blue  and  Kansas  rivers  in  Riley  county,  of  which 
it  is  the  judicial  seat.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  on  the 
south,  both  enter  the  city  from  the  east.  The  former  road  continues 
in  a  northwesterly  direction  into  Clay  county,  and  the  latter  diverges, 
one  branch  going  southwest  into  Geary  county  and  the  other  following 
the  valley  of  the  Blue  river  into  Marshall  county.  Manhattan  is  a  well 
improved  and  well  kept  city,  having  paved  streets,  an  electric  street 
railway,  a  $50,000  court-house,  a  $25,000  city  hall,  i  state  and  2  national 
banks,  two  daily  papers,  three  weeklies  and  three  college  papers.  There 
are  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  an  international  mony  order  post- 
office  with  eight  rural  routes.  Manhattan  is  the  seat  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural College.    The  population  in  1910  was  5,722. 

Before  the  year  1855  two  towns  had  been  located  in  the  vicinity  of 
Manhattan — Poleska,  in  1854  by  Col.  George  S.  Park  of  Parkville,  Mo., 
on  which  Seth  I.  Childs  had  built  a  house,  and  another  place  called 
Canton  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue  located  by  Samuel  D.  Houston 
of  Illinois,  Judge  J.  M.  Russell  of  Iowa,  Judge  Saunders  W.  Johnston 
of  Ohio,  E.  M.  Thurston  of  Maine  and  Dr.  A.  H.  Wilcox  of  Rhode 
Island.  The  two  towns  were  consolidated  by  a  committee  of  the  New 
England  company  from  Boston  in  1855,  and  the  place  called  Boston. 
In  June  of  the  same  year  a  company  of  75  persons  from  Cincinnati,  who 
had  come  to  Kansas  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  town  the  name 
of  which  should  be  Manhattan,  appeared  on  the  scene.  They  were  given 
half  of  the  town  site  of  Boston  as  an  inducement  to  locate  at  that  point, 
and  the  name  was  changed  to  Manhattan.  They  had  come  all  the  way 
from  Cincinnati  in  the  steamer  Hartford,  and  brought  with  them  ten 
houses  ready  to  be  put  up.  These  houses  were  commodious  for  Kansas 
buildings,  some  of  them  containing  8  or  9  rooms.  The  site  occupied 
by  the  town  was  originally  two  Indian  floats,  each  containing  640  acres. 
Prominent  in  the  Cincinnati  company  were  Judge  John  Pipher  and 
A.  J.  Mead,  while  the  leaders  of  the  Boston  company  were  I.  T.  Good- 
now,  J.  Denison  and  Rev.  C.  E.  Blood.  Samuel  Houston,  of  the  original 
Canton  company,  was  the  only  free-state  man  elected  to  the  first  terri- 
torial legislature,  this  locality  being  far  enough  away  from  the  Mis- 
souri border  not  to  be  molested  with  illegal  voting. 


214  tVCLurEDlA    Ul' 

Tlie  fust  scliool  was  taught  in  1855  by  Mrs.  C.  E.  lUuod.  The  first 
school  house  was  built  in  1S58  at  a  cost  of  $2,500.  The  first  birth  was 
that  of  Irvine  Lovejoy,  son  of  Rev.  C.  F.  Lovejoy,  in  1855.  The  first 
marriage  was  between  Thomas  Olatt  and  Sally  E.  Pipher  in  1856.  The 
first  death  was  that  of  G.  VV.  Barnes,  son  of  Charles^Barnes.  The  first 
store  was  kept  by  George  Miller  and  John  Pipher.  The  postoffice, 
which  was  established  in   1856,  was  kept  at  this  store. 

Manhattan  was  incorporated  as  a  city  by  the  legislature  in  Feb.,  1857. 
The  first  election  was  held  the  next  May  with  the  result  that  the  fol- 
lowing men  were  the  first  city  officers:  A.  J.  Mead,  mayor;  S.  G.  Hoyt, 
.\.  Scaninion,  Ira  Taylor,  Fred  Marvin,  John  Hoar,  George  Miller, 
Edward  Hunting,  John  Pipher  and  C.  W.  Beebe,  councilmen.  It 
became  a  city  of  the  second  class  under  Gov.  St.  John  in  1880.  In  1910 
bonds  to  the  extent  of  $20,000  were  voted  to  aid  in  the  con.struction  of 
an  interurban  electric  line  from  Manhattan  to  Fort  Riley. 

Mankato,  the  county  seat  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  a  little  to  the 
nunli  ul  the  center  of  the  county  on  a  table  land  which  lies  between 
White  Rock  creek  on  the  north  and  the  Solomon  river  on  the  south, 
and  is  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  run- 
ning east  and  west  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  running  north  and  south. 
It  has  good  banking  facilities,  graded  and  high  schools,  2  opera  houses, 
3  weekly  newspapers  (the  Monitor,  the  Western  Advocate  and  the 
Republican),  express  and  telegraph  ofiices,  and  a  postoffice  with  five 
rural  mail  routes.  It  is  a  trading  and  shipping  center  for  a  large  and 
prosperous  section  of  country.     The  population  in  1910  was  1,155. 

Mankato  was  settled  in  1872  under  the  name  of  Jewell  Center,  on 
account  of  its  being  centrally  located  in  Jewell  county.  Earlier  thaji 
this  David  Blank  had  located  on  the  site  and  opened  a  blacksmith  shop. 
The  land  which  was  platted  for  the  town  consisted  of  320  acres,  a  part 
of  which  had  been  preempted  by  Jack  Mango  in  1870.  The  officers  of 
the  town  company  were:  M.  W.  Whitney,  president;  P.  S.  McCutchen, 
secretary ;  G.  S.  Bishop,  treasurer.  It  was  started  with  the  idea  of 
making  a  county  seat  town,  and  accordingly  the  next  year  the  question 
of  changing  the  county  seat  began  to  be  agitated,  with  the  result  that 
in  a  few  weeks  a  petition  was  filed  for  a  special  election,  which  was 
held  on  May  13.  It  resulted  in  favor  of  Jewell  Center  and  May  17  the 
county  offices  were  moved  from  Jewell  City  and  Jewell  Center  became 
the  county  seat.  A  store  had  already  been  built  by  C.  W.  Pettigrew 
and  the  town  company  had  built  a  town  house,  the  lower  part  of  which 
was  occupied  by  a  store  and  the  upper  part  used  as  a  public  hall.  A 
combination  saw  and  grist  mill  was  in  operation.  The  postoffice  was 
established  in  1872  with  D.  T.  Vance  as  postmaster. 

The  similarity  of  names  caused  the  Jew-ell  Center  and  Jewell  City 
mails  to  get  mixed,  and  in  1880  the  residents  of  the  former  decided  to 
change  the  name.  "Alta"  was  at  first  chosen,  but  when  it  was  found 
that  a  postoffice  of  that  name  already  existed  in  Kansas  it  was  named 
Mankato  after  a  town  of  the  same  name  in  Minnesota.  It  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1880.    The  first  city  officers  were: 


KANSAS    HISTORY  215 

B.  J.  Thompson,  mayor;  A.  Evans,  clerk;  L.  P.  Vance,  treasurer;  J.  W. 
McRoberts,  police  judge;  M.  Stone,  C.  Angevine,  L.  M.  Butts,  S.  C. 
Bowles  and  C.  G.  Bishop,  councilmen.  The  first  newspaper  was  the 
Jewell  County  Monitor  established  in  1874. 

Manning,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Scott  county,  is 
located  11  miles  east  of  Scott,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  postoffice,  a 
general  store,  and  in  1910  reported  a  population  of  22. 

Mansfield,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in 
Finney  county,  is  located  7  miles  southeast  of  Garden  City,  the  county 
seat,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery. 

Manteno,  a  country  postoffice  of  Ness  county,  is  located  on  Guzzlers 
Gulch  creek,  15  miles  southwest  of  Ness  City,  the  county  seat.  It  has 
a  postofiice  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  25. 

Mantey,  a  small  hamlet  of  Linn  county,  is  near  the  southern  boundary 
8  miles  from  Mound  City,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  west  of  Pres- 
cott,  from  which  place  mail  is  delivered  by  rural  carrier.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  25. 

Manual  Training. —  (See  Education  and  Public  School  System.) 

Manufacturing. — The  manufacturing  district  of  Kansas,  if  the  scat- 
tered flour  mills  and  a  few  other  minor  industries  be  left  out,  is  prac- 
tically confined  to  a  strip  of  territory  not  more  than  200  miles  wide  at 
its  greatest  extent,  extending  across  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  Geo- 
graphical lines  cannot  be  observed  with  entire  accuracy,  however,  as 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  is  economically  a  part  of  Kansas,  and  to  a  certain 
extent  must  be  considered  in  any  discussion  of  Kansas  manufactures. 
West  of  the  middle  of  the  state  there  is  little  manufacturing  to  be  con- 
sidered. 

The  development  of  manufactures  cannot  be  considered  separately 
from  the  development  of  the  natural  resources  of  the  state,  as  one  has 
followed  the  other  in  nearly  logical  order.  In  i860,  when  the  8th  census 
was  taken,  the  country  was  sparsely  settled  and  the  main  occupation 
was  agriculture.  Timber  was  abundant  enough  to  offer  a  good  raw 
material  for  furniture  factories,  which  were  located  at  Atchinson, 
Leavenworth,  Fort  Scott  and  some  other  towns.  The  large  streams 
were  of  great  economic  value  at  that  period,  ofifering  a  convenient  source 
of  power  for  industries  that  did  not  demand  heat.  The  census  of  1870 
gave  the  first  record  of  water  wheels  in  use,  there  being  then  62  in 
operation  in  the  state,  furnishing  power  for  saw  and  grist  mills  scat- 
tered over  the  eastern  portion.  In  1875  there  were  79  wheels  furnishing 
power  for  flour  mills  and  26  more  for  combined  saw  and  grist  mills. 
A  year  later  there  were  105  wheels,  and  in  1881  the  number  had  grown 
to  150.  From  this  time  on,  due  to  the  opening  of  the  coal  fields  and 
the  enlargement  of  a  few  mills,  the  water  wheels  fell  off  rapidly  and 
but  a  few  are  now  in  operation. 

In  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  state  covering  an  area  of  about  45 
square  miles,  which  contains  the  valuable  lead  and  zinc  deposits  of  the 
Galena  district,  and  great  coal  bearing  beds  of  shale  cover  nearly  half 


2l6  CYCLOVEDIA    OF 

the  stale  of  Kansas.  (.See  Geology.)  At  intervals  in  tlie  beds  of  shale, 
and  exposed  to  the  surface  in  eastern  Kansas,  are  heavy  beds  of  lime- 
stone that  are  becoming  of  greater  commercial  value  in  a  manufacturing 
way  for  the  production  of  Portland  cement.  These  materials  are  made 
more  valuable  by  their  proximity  to  the  cheap  and  abundant  fuel  supply 
of  coal  and  natural  gas.  The  production  of  natural  cement  was  one 
of  the  earliest  industries  at  Fort  Scott  and  other  towns  in  the  vicinity. 
With  the  great  development  of  the  cement  industry  since  1900,  the 
importance  of  the  limestone  beds  has  greatly  increased.  It  has  been 
estimated  by  the  state  geologist  that  there  is  enough  limestone  shale 
in  Kansas  to  supply  the  world  with  Portland  cement  for  thousands 
of  years. 

The  oil  and  natural  gas  area  of  Kansas  is  confined  within  an  irregular 
strip  from  40  to  50  miles  wide  and  some  250  miles  long,  extending  in 
a  southwesterly  direction  from  Kansas  City  to  about  100  miles  south 
of  the  northern  boundary  of  Oklahoma.  The  gas  and  oil  of  this  region 
generally  come  from  the  layers  of  sand  or  from  the  sandstone  shales 
immediately  above  the  Cherokee  shales.  The  last  resources  of  great 
importance  with  which  the  Kansas-Oklahoma  region  has  been  endowed 
by  nature  are  the  gypsum  beds  of  the  central  portion  of  both  states 
and  the  vast  and  valuable  salt  beds  of  central  Kansas. 

The  beginning  of  a  historj'  of  manufactures  in  Kansas  cannot  date 
back  of  i860,  for  previous  to  that  time  there  were  no  factories  of  any 
importance  in  the  prairie  region.  When  the  census  of  i860  was  taken, 
less  than  one-fourth  of  the  state  was  settled  or  improved,  and  although 
a  prairie  state,  124  of  the  209  establishments  listed  were  devoted  to 
manufacturing  lumber  and  shingles.  The  sawmills  were  located  on  the 
larger  streams  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  Two  other  lines  of 
manufacturing  were  of  importance  at  this  time — milling  and  the  manu- 
facture of  wagons  and  carriages.  There  were  36  grist  mills,  operated 
mostly  by  water  power.  A  few  of  them  were  of  fair  size  and  did  a 
good  business,  but  most  of  them  were  small  custom  mills,  grinding  for 
local  consumption  as  the  farmers  brought  the  grain.  There  were  3 
wagon  and  carriage  factories,  with  a  capital  of  $18,000,  making  in  i860 
about  $65,000  worth  of  vehicles  and  employing  only  35  workmen. 
Among  other  industries  listed  for  Kansas  were  6  boot  and  shoe  shops, 
4  brick  yards,  3  harness  shops,  and  some  dozen  others  of  one  or  two 
establishments  to  a  trade. 

During  the  decade  from  i860  to  1870  was  a  period  of  stress  in  Kansas 
and  immigration  was  slow.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  settlement 
again  began  to  pour  into  the  state,  and  by  1870  the  population  had 
about  trebled,  manufacturing  in  all  lines  had  increased,  and  the  state 
was  becoming  self-supplying  in  the  lines  of  manufacturing  that  its 
natural  resources  favored.  The  number  of  establishments  increased 
seven  times,  capital  the  same  amount,  the  number  of  men  employed 
nine  times,  and  the  value  of  products  five  times.  The  lumbering  estab- 
lishments increased  70  per  cent,  and  in  numbers  was  still  in  the  lead, 


IvANSAS    HISTORY 


217 


but  tlio  milling  industry,  second  in  number,  was  first  in  value  of  prod- 
ucts with  an  output  of  $2,938,215.  From  this  time  until  1885,  tlour 
and  feed  milling  was  the  leading  industry  of  the  state,  and  the  most 
widely  distributed.  The  mills  were  usually  small,  one-third  were  run 
by  water  power  and  the  remainder  by  steam,  with  the  exception  of  a 


OLD   WINDMILL   AT   LAWRENCE. 
(One  of  Kansas'  first  factories.) 


few  wind  driven  mills.  Nearly  20  per  cent,  of  these  mills  were  "saw- 
and-grist"  mills,  using  the  power  for  running  the  saws  when  not  grind- 
ing grain,  and  thus  could  run  at  a  profit,  when  either  alone  could  not. 
The  growth  of  the  furniture  and  wagon  shops  was  also  great,  the  census 


2i8  cvcLoi'EuiA  or 

of  1870  showing  thai  tlierc  were  52  furniiure  factories  and  68  wagon 
and  carriage  shops  or  an  average  of  more  tlian  one  for  every  organized 
county  in  the  state.  Tiie  wagon  shops  soon  diminished  in  number  as 
tlicy  were  of  necessity  small,  and  could  not  compete  with  the  products 
of  the  larger  factories  of  the  east.  The  furniture  factories  continued  for 
a  number  of  years  and  furnished  the  local  demand  for  the  cheaper  grades 
of  furniture.  Harness  shops  jsrospered,  and  in  1870  they  did  a  business 
of  about  $400,000.  The  number  of  brick  yards  had  increased  to  27,  a 
few  lime  kilns  had  begun  operations  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state, 
where  the  surface  veins  of  coal  had  been  opened.  There  were  but  5 
iron  works  and  only  3  establishments  making  agricultural  implements. 

From  this  time  the  growth  of  the  milling  industry  was  rapid,  and  it 
soon  became  the  most  important  in  the  state.  It  was  based  upon  the 
needs  of  the  people  and  products  of  the  country,  and  could  not  help 
but  grow  with  the  increasing  population.  From  1870  to  1880,  the 
increase  of  capital  in  the  milling  business  was  200  per  cent.,  and  the 
output  increased  300  per  cent.  The  greatest  increase  was  during  the 
first  six  years.  At  this  period  there  was  little  to  indicate  that  Kansas 
would  ever  develop  as  a  manufacturing  state,  the  mineral  resources 
being  unknown  and  wholly  undeveloped.  The  scanty  timber  supply 
precluded  the  idea  of  any  extensive  manufactures  of  wood,  and  it  was 
taken  for  granted  that  the  state  would  remain  an  agricultural  state,  with 
flour  mills  as  the  principal  manufacturing  industries. 

The  coming  of  the  railroads  made  greater  concentration  possible,  well 
defined  centers  of  distribution  were  established,  and  the  towns  with 
transportation  facilities  began  to  secure  factories  of  various  kinds.  All 
over  the  state  manufactures  have  followed  the  railways,  rather  than 
having  the  railways  push  forward  to  accommodate  manufacturing 
enterprises. 

In  the  report  of  the  state  board  of  agriculture  for  1876  the  growth  of 
a  few  towns  of  importance  is  indicated.  Those  in  the  eastern  and  north- 
eastern part  of  the  state  had  the  greatest  number  of  manufacturing 
establishments,  and  all  of  them  had  the  advantage  of  the  early  lines  of 
railroad.  The  most  prominent  were  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Emporia,  on 
the  Santa  Fe;  Leavenworth  and  Lawrence  on  the  Union  Pacific;  still 
further  west  on  that  road  was  Junction  City,  and  Fort  Scott  on  the 
Kansas  City.  Fort  Scott  &  Memphis  road.  In  1875  Fort  Scott  had  over 
20  enterprises,  with  capital  varying  from  $2,000  to  $80,000  and  aggre- 
gating over  $300,000,  considerably  more  than  one-half  of  which  was 
invested  in  flour  mills,  the  city  at  this  time  leading  in  the  milling  indus- 
try, while  the  other  towns  showed  a  greater  activity  in  other  manu- 
facturing lines. 

A  coal  supply  is  of  vast  importance  in  connection  with  the  growth 
of  manufactures.  It  is  probable  that  there  are  numerous  industries  in 
the  state,  particularly  zinc-smelting  and  salt-making,  which  would  never 
have  been  developed  had  not  the  mines  yielded  large  supplies  of  good, 
cheap  fuel.    Almost  contemporaneous  with  the  opening  of  the  coal  beds 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ^^9 


in  Kansas  came  the  discovery  of  lead  and  zmc   and  within  a  short  time 
the  stnelting  industry  grew  up  in  the  v,cm.ty  of  '\llT'lJJXT\^l 
of  the  mineral  district  has  been  steady  and  constantly  increasmg    me 
comb  n  d  districts  of  Missouri,  Oklahoma  and  Kansas  today  supplymg 
ZToi  the  zinc  and  a  large  portion  of  the  lead  of  the  country. 
'^Be  weenSoTnd  iSgo^e'veral  of  the  larger  towns  in  the  state  began 
lo  compete  for  the  position  of  leading  trade  centers,  and  to  this  end 
new'Xs^ries  were 'encouraged.     A  half  dozen  towns  rose    o  posmons 
of  importance  in  manufacturing  duruig  this  period.     Atchison.  Leaven 
worUiand  Lawrence  were  so  situated  that  they  experienced  a  consider^ 
Tie   oTOvvth   in  manufacturing  establishments.     Topeka,   Emporia  and 
?nrt  SCO  t  also  experienced  a  growth,  but  in  a  less  degree.     Leaven- 
fvor  h  and  Lawrence  once  had'-more  industries  than  they  have  today, 
b"  as  the  establishments  were  built  on  the  basis  of  conditions  that  were 
b       t  mporary,  they  became  competitors  with  industries  located  whe^e 
natural  fitness  gave  them  advantages,  so  that  business  fell  off  in  the 
old  r  towns  and  the  industries  were  removed  or  discontinued^    At  the 
t  me  manufactures  were  declining  in  the  towns  °f"°^heastein  Kansas 
Kansas  City    Mo.,  and  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  were  developing  as  centers 
of  trade  and  manufacturing.     The  beginning  of  the  growth  of  mami- 
fac  uring   in   these   cities   was   simultaneous   with   the   great   period   of 
IctX  in    he  smaller  and  older  towns,  but  when  the  latter  began    o 
decline  this  centralized  junction  of  trade  and  commerce  continued  to 
^row      One  of    he  most  important  reasons  for  the  rapid  growth  and 
£nrentra"on  of  manufacturing  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Kansas  City^ 
Kan     is  their  location,  which  makes  them  the  natural  gateway  for  the 
produce  to  pass  through,  on  its  way  to  the  west. 

With  the  introduction  of  hard  wheat  into  Kansas  in  the  eaily    80s 
(see  Mennonites)  the  wheat  crop  became  more  assured  and  the  growth 
of  the  milling  business  in  Kansas  City  and  the  towns  of  the  wheat  belt 
wa     mSked.^  Meat  packing  was  another  of  the  now  -P-  ^^^ --- 
factures  of  Kansas  City  to  make  its  appearance  soon  after  the  close  of 
the  war     The  pioneer  packing  house  was  built  at  Junction  City  in  1867. 
?helSiow'ing'year  the'first  packing  hotise  was  erected  in  Kansas  C.y 
pnd  some  4000  head  of  cattle  were  packed.     In   ib68  the  nrst  pacKin 
houseTor  to^s  was  opened   in  Kansas   City,  to  supply  the   Irish   and 
S^lsh  markets.    One'of  the  most  important  factors  in  the  rise  o^  t h  1 
industry  at  Kansas  City  was  the  great  number  of  cattle  on  the    lexas 
rMa  ns  It  the  close  of  the  war.     When  that  region  was  opened  by  the 
Sroad      Kan  as   City  became   a   great   market  for   which   there   were 
pknty  of  cattle.     (See  Kansas  City.)     By  1900  the  number  of  packing 
houses  increased  to  eight;  the  capital  invested  to  $15,000,000,  and  the 
valeo    packing  house^roducts  to  more  than  $73,000^000,  or  more  than 
Ihe  va°ue  of  alf  the  manufactured  products  of  both  Kansas  City    Mo 

nd  Kansas  City  Kan.,  in  1890.  The  growth  during  the  past  decade 
Ta  btn  conS  fout  Capital  has  increased  over  50  per  cent. ;  the  output 
ha    'ncreased  even  more'  and  at  the  present    time    amounts    to    over 


220  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

$250,000,000.  I'roni  llif  by-prodiicls  of  the  packing  houses  a  large  soap 
and  tallow  business  has  grown  up;  one  plant  turning  out  25,000  tons 
and  another  40,000  tons  of  laundry  soap  annually,  nearly  all  of  which 
is  marketed  in  the  Missouri  valley. 

Natural  gas  and  oil  have  revolutionized  some  lines  of  manufacturing, 
and  have  caused  a  new  manufacturing  district  to  grow  up  in  south- 
eastern Kansas.  The  importance  of  the  development  of  the  natural  gas 
field  is  in  its  relation  to  several  branches  of  manufacturing.  It  is  of 
particular  advantage  as  a  fuel  to  certain  kinds  of  industries,  and  to 
some  industries  it  is  absolutely  essential,  as  in  glass  factories,  which 
have  to  make  gas  when  they  cannot  secure  the  natural  product.  Port- 
land cement  mills  find  it  advantageous,  it  has  greatly  stimulated  the 
brick  industry,  and  has  made  the  smelting  of  zinc  more  economic.  Most 
of  these  industries  have  grown  up  since  1890. 

An  important  result  of  this  growth  of  manufacturing  due  to  the  dis- 
covery of  natural  gas  was  the  great  demand  for  machinery,  which  led 
to  the  establishment  of  iron  foundries.  This  led  to  the  consolidation 
of  several  large  iron  working  establishments  into  one  company  capi- 
talized at  $650,000,  with  eight  plants,  reaching  from  Springfield,  Mo., 
to  lola,  which  has  given  cheaper  machinery,  more  prompt  repairs  upon 
the  special  kinds  of  machinery  used,  and  the  iron  trade  has  become  a 
prosperous  industry. 

There  is  a  noticeable  tendency  in  recent  years  for  the  encouragement 
of  important  manufacturing  centers  through  the  central  part  of  Kansas, 
to  produce  articles  that  have  heretofore  been  imported  from  Kansas 
City  and  the  east.  Topeka  and  Wichita  are  the  towns  where  this  growth 
is  most  noticeable.  Not  counting  the  manufactures  of  Kansas  City, 
Topeka  and  Wichita  have  over  one-ninth  of  the  capitalization  of  the 
rest  of  the  state;  more  than  one-sixth  of  the  wage  earners;  pay  more 
than  one-seventh  of  the  wages;  and  produce  more  than  one-fourth  of 
the  products. 

Of  the  36  flour  and  grist  mills  in  Kansas  in  i860  the  average  capital 
was  a  little  over  $3,000,  the  value  of  the  product,  nearly  $300,000,  the 
trade  being  confined  to  41  counties.  In  1875  there  were  158  grist  mills 
with  an  average  capital  investment  of  $11,000  each,  but  only  about  a 
half  of  the  mills  were  valued,  the  total  number  in  the  state  being  300. 
During  the  following  decade  the  milling  business  made  great  headway. 
This  was  due  to  several  causes,  the  first  of  which  was  the  introduction 
and  cultivation  of  hard  wheat,  and  the  second  was  the  introduction  of 
the  gradual  reduction  process  into  the  Kansas  mills.  In  1878  exporta- 
tion outside  the  limits  of  the  state  began  and  by  1890  the  product  of 
the  Kansas  mills  was  exported  to  the  states  south  and  southwest. 
About  1900  Kansas  City  rose  as  a  milling  center,  and  one  of  the  largest 
hard  wheat  mills  in  the  world  was  erected  there.  In  1910  there  were  in 
Kansas  a  dozen  towns  having  a  milling  capacity  of  from  1,500  to  over 
3,000  barrels  of  flour  a  day.  Topeka  heads  the  list  with  6  mills,  pro- 
ducing 3,750  barrels.  Hutchinson  and  a  number  of  other  towns  in  the 
heart  of  the  wheat  belt  are  also  milling  towns. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  221 

The  youngest  of  the  manufacturing-  industries  is  glass,  the  first  estab- 
lishment in  Kansas  being  opened  at  Independence  in  1902,  and  within 
four  years  16  factories  were  built  in  the  gas  belt.  The  capital  invested 
was  then  $1,467,571  and  the  value  of  the  products  $1,792,034.  The  indus- 
try is  increasing  materially  in  output,  glass  being  13th  in  manufactured 
products  and  15th  in  the  amount  of  capital  invested.  (See  also  the 
articles  on  Lead  and  Zinc  Mining,  Cement,  Salt  and  Gypsum.) 

Maple  City,  a  village  in  Spring  Creek  township,  Cowley  county,  is 
located  about  20  miles  southeast  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat,  and  7 
from  Silverdale,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  several  stores  and 
a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  92. 

Maplehill,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Wabaunsee 
county,  is  located  in  Maplehill  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  R.  R.,  17  miles  northeast  of  Alma,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2 
banks,  a  hotel,  all  lines  of  mercantile  establishments,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  277.  The  town  was 
founded  about  1882  by  George  Fowler.  In  1884  a  store  was  opened  by 
Brooks  &  Verits,  who  soon  took  Joseph  N.  Dolley,  the  present  state 
bank  commissioner,  into  the  firm.  Mr.  Dolley  has  been  closely  con- 
nected with  the  development  of  the  town.  In  1885  a  stone  church  was 
built  and  dedicated.  The  railroad  was  built  in  1887,  when  the  first  store 
with  the  postoffice  was  moved  to  it  and  more  stores  built.  The  first 
house  was  moved  from  the  Fowler  ranch.  There  have  been  three  dis- 
astrous fires,  two  in  1900  and  one  in  1901.  The  Business  Men's  Com- 
mercial club  was  organized  in  1900. 

Mapleton,  a  village  of  Bourbon  county,  is  situated  near  the  Little 
Osage  river  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  19  miles  northwest  of  Fort 
Scott,  the  county  seat.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  the  county, 
having  been  located  in  May,  1857,  by  a  company  of  men  from  New 
England.  They  abandoned  it  and  a  company  of  western  men  was 
formed,  known  as  the  Eldora  Town  company,  which  preempted  the 
abandoned  site.  The  town  was  called  Eldora  for  a  time,  the  name  being 
changed  to  Mapleton  because  the  postoffice  had  been  established  there 
in  1857  under  that  name.  The  first  store  was  opened  in  1858  and  the 
following  year  a  mill  was  built  on  the  Osage  river  south  of  the  town. 
In  1910  Mapleton  had  3  general  stores,  a  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop, 
a  money  order  postoffice,  express  and  telegraph  facilities,  and  a  popu- 
lation of  275. 

Marais  des  Cygnes,  Massacre  of. — As  early  as  1856  trouble  arose 
between  the  free-state  and  pro-slavery  settlers  in  Linn  county,  when 
a  large  body  of  southerners  marched  through  the  county  destroying 
the  little  property  there  was  and  capturing  the  free-state  settlers  who 
were  not  fortunate  enough  to  get  out  of  the  way.  One  of  the  men  who 
escaped,  although  vigorously  pursued,  was  James  Montogomerv,  who 
became  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  free-state  men  in  the  countv. 


222  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

\'arious  outrages  CKiuiiuicd  iinlil  1857,  wIkmi  Geii.  Lane  assembled  a 
company  to  intimidate  the  pro-slavery  men  of  Linn  county  and  the 
adjoining  counties  of  Missouri,  lie  established  headquarters  at  Mound 
City  and  for  a  time  quelled  the  forays,  but  after  his  force  was  dis- 
banded trouble  broke  out  afresh  and  it  was  then  that  James  Mont- 
gomery {q.  \\)  took  the  field  in  defense  of  the  frightened  free-state 
settlers,  and  ordered  the  pronounced  leaders  of  the  pro-slavery  party 
out  of  the  county.  Many  of  them  obeyed  the  summons  and  moved  with 
their  families  to  Missouri. 

Around  Trading  Post,  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  river  in  Linn 
county,  a  bitter  pro-slavery  settlement  had  grown  up,  the  leader  of 
which  was  Charles  llamelton.  The  post  thus  became  the  rendezvous 
of  the  abolition  haters  not  only  for  the  immediate  vicinity  but  for  the 
territory  across  the  line.  Montgomery  determined  to  break  up  this 
gang.  He  began  by  emptying  the  contents  of  several  barrels  of  whiskey 
on  hand  at  the  "doggery,"  and  leaving  a  notice  for  the  ruffians  to  quit 
Kansas  Territory,  llamelton  and  some  of  his  neighbors  left  the  ter- 
ritory. Subsequently  they  called  a  meeting  at  Papinsville  to  incite 
the  men  to  an  invasion  of  Kansas.  llamelton  addressed  the  meeting 
and  with  a  unanimous  vote  it  was  decided  to  invade  the  territory  at 
once.  A  band  was  organized  to  exterminate  the  free-state  settlers  in 
Linn  county. 

W'hen  the  party  arrived  at  the  line  between  Missouri  and  Kansas  a 
halt  was  ordered  to  make  final  arrangements.  One  of  the  men  named 
Barlow,  who  had  spoken  against  the  invasion  at  the  meeting,  again 
did  so,  and  this  time  with  better  effect.  They  were  on  the  border  of 
the  hated  but  also  dreaded  Kansas,  and  Barlow  assured  them  that  the 
crack  of  the  Sharpe's  rifles  might  be  expected  from  Montgomery's 
men  at  any  minute.  A  panic  seemed  imminent,  but  at  the  summons 
of  Hamelton  about  30  of  the  most  resolute  rode  after  their  leader  and 
reached  the  post  on  the  morning  of  May  19,  1858,  where  they  captured 
one  man  and  then  proceeded  on  the  road  toward  Westport,  capturing 
three  more  on  the  way.  The  next  capture  was  Austin  Hall  and  his 
brother  Amos.  In  all  11  men  were  taken  prisoners,  nearly  all  of  whom 
were  known  to  llamelton  or  some  member  of  his  party.  They  were 
not  known  to  have  taken  any  active  part  in  the  disputes,  and  having 
been  neighbors  of  Llamelton  they  had  no  suspicion  that  he  meant  to 
harm  them,  especially  as  they  were  guilty  of  no  oft'ense  but  that  of 
being  free-state  men.  The  11  victims  were  driven  at  a  rapid  pace  into 
a  deep  gorge,  where  they  were  lined  up  facing  east.  Hamelton  then 
ordered  his  men  to  form  in  front  of  them  and  fire.  One  of  the  men 
turned  out  of  the  line  and  refused  to  do  so,  but  Hamelton  brought  the 
remainder  into  line  and  fired  the  first  shot  himself.  Six  of  the  victims 
were  not  killed  and  the  men  fired  at  them  again.  One  man,  Austin 
Hall,  was  not  touched,  but  feigned  death  and  thus  escaped.  The  dead 
were  carried  to  the  Trading  Post  and  the  wounded  cared  for.  The 
State  of  Kansas  later  appropriated  $1,000  for  a   memorial  monument, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  223 

which  has  been  erected  at  the  Trading  Post,  beneath  which  rest  the 
ashes  of  Colpetzer,  Campbell,  Ross  and  Robinson.  The  body  of  Stil- 
well  was  taken  to  Mound  City  for  burial. 

Margaret,  a  hamlet  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  20  miles  southwest 
of  Lincoln,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  northeast  of  Wilson,  Ells- 
worth county,  the  nearest  shipping  point,  and  the  postofifice  from  which 
it  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery. 

Marienthal,  a  hamlet  in  Wichita  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  9  miles  east  of  Leoti,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money 
order  postoffice  and  daily  mail.    The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Marietta,  a  hamlet  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  Oketo  township 
on  the  L'nion  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles  north  of  Marysville  and  about  2 
miles  from  Oketo.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  post- 
office.     The  population  in   1910  was   100. 

Marion,  the  judicial  seat  of  Marion  county,  is  located  a  little  to  the 
east  of  the  central  part  of  the  county,  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads, 
and  at  the  confluence  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Cottonwood  river  and 
the  Luta.  It  is  the  central  trading  point  of  a  rich  agricultural  and 
stock  raising  district.  It  has  city  waterworks,  paved  streets,  a  fire 
department,  electric  lights,  3  banks,  2  newspapers  (the  Marion  Record 
and  the  Review),  a  creamery,  flour  mills,  a  good  hotel,  and  all  lines 
of  mercantile  establishments.  It  has  a  fine  court-house.  Marion  is 
the  home  of  ex-Gov.  Hoch  and  other  noted  men.  It  is  supplied  with 
express  and  telegraph  offices  and  has  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  seven  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census, 
of  1910,  was  1,841. 

Marion  was  the  first  town  in  the  county  to  be  platted.  A  store  was 
opened  in  1861  and  a  postoffice  was  established  in  1862,  but  the  town 
was  not  laid  out  until  1866.  The  town  is  beautifully  located  among 
streams,  woods  and  springs.  Limestone  is  abundant  and  most  of  the 
buildings  are  constructed  of  this  material.  A  few-  are  made  of  cement. 
The  first  newspaper  was  the  Western  News,  published  by  A.  W. 
Robinson  for  a  company  of  prominent  townsmen.  Marion  became  a 
city  of  the  third  class  in  1875.  Good  substantial  buildings  were  erected 
in  the  late  '70s  and  early  '80s  and  they  are  still  in  use,  although  many 
new  ones  have  been  added.  One  of  the  best  high  schools  in  the  state 
is  maintained  here,  the  curriculum  of  which  includes  a  domestic  science 
course.  A  good  graded  school  was  maintained  as  early  as  1878.  The 
town  has  a  public  library  for  which  the  legislature  authorized  a  tax 
levy  in  1885.    It  is  under  the  auspices  of  the  Marion  Library  association. 

Marion  County,  which  at  one  time  covered  more  than  a  third  of  the 
area  of  Kansas,  including  all  the  territory  in  the  state  south  and  west 
of  the  present  northern  and  eastern  lines  of  the  county,  is  located  mid- 
way between  the  northern  and  southern  boundaries  of  the  state,  and 
is  in  the  first  tier  of  counties  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian.  It 
is   bounded  on   the   north   by   Dickinson   and   Morris   counties ;   on  the 


224 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


east  bv  Murris  and  Chase;  on  the  soulh  by  Butler  and  Harvey,  and 
on  the'  west  bv  Harvey  and  McPherson.  The  original  location  of  the 
county  was  lixcd  by  legislative  act  in  i860.  It  comprised  less  than  the 
present  area,  ilie  original  boundaries  were  altered  by  an  increase  of 
territory  on  the  west  and  a  decrease  on  the  seat.  In  1865  the  legis- 
lature by  special  act  fixed  the  boundaries  to  include  all  of  southwestern 
Kansas.'  In  June  of  that  year,  on  petition  of  the  citizens  of  the  county, 
the  governor  restored  the  previous  boundaries  and  ordered  a  separate 
organization  of  the  county.  There  were  162  inhabitants  at  that  tiifle, 
and  but  200  acres  of  land  under  cultivation.  Under  the  name  of  Marion 
township  the  county  had  been  attached  to  Chase  county  for  judicial 
purposes  since  1862. 

William  H.  Billings,  Levi  Billings  and  Thomas  J.  Wise,  Sr..  were 
appointed  the  first  commissioners.  The  first  meeting  was  held  at  the 
home  of  William  H.  Billings  at  Marion,  which  at  the  election  in  Dec, 
1866.  was  made  the  county  seat.  The  first  election  was  held  on  Aug. 
7.  1865,  when  23  votes  were  polled  and  the  following  officers  elected: 
William  H.  Billings,  probate  judge  and  county  commissioner;  Thomas 
T.  Wise,  treasurer  and  county  commissioner;  Levi  Billings,  commis- 
sioner; R.  C.  Coble,  county  clerk  and  register  of  deeds;  John  C.  Snow, 
sheriff;  W.  P.  Shreve,  county  surveyor;  Reuben  Riggs,  county  attor- 
ney. Mr.  Wise  being  ineligible  to  office  A.  A.  Moore  was  appointed 
in  his  place.  A  second  county  seat  election  was  held  in  1881,  which 
resulted  in  favor  of  Marion.  The  first  court-house  was  in  the  same 
building  with  the  school  house.  The  county  appropriated  $999  for  this 
building.  In  1881  another  appropriation  of  $5,000  was  made  and  a 
new  court-house  built.  A  third  building  has  lately  been  erected,  which 
is  one  of  the  best  court-houses  in  the  state. 

The  first  settlers  in  the  county  located  on  Doyle  creek,  near  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Florence.  They  were  Moses  Shane,  who  came  in  1858,  and 
whose  death  the  next  year  was  the  first  in  the  county ;  Patrick  Doyle, 
in  1859,  for  whom  Doyle  creek  and  township  were  named,  and  a  farnily 
by  the  name  of  Welsh,  in  which  occurred  the  first  birth  in  the  county 
in  Aug.,  1859.  In  the  spring  of  1859  a  trading  post  was  established 
at  Lost  Springs  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year  Moore  Bros,  established  a  ranch  near  the  present  town  of  Durham. 
The  first  postoffice  was  established  at  this  place  with  A'.  A.  Moore  as 
postmaster.  Later  in  the  same  year  a  postoffice  was  established  at 
Lost  Springs  with  J.  H.  Costello  as  postmaster.  Previous  to  this  the 
nearest  postoffice  was  Emporia.  Thomas  J.  Wise  settled  on  Clear 
creek  and  John  Brenot  on  Brenot  creek  in  1859.  The  next  year  Wil- 
liam H.  Billings,  George  Griffith  and  William  Shreve  located .  where 
the  city  of  Marion  now  stands.  The  population  of  the  county  in  that 
year  was  74. 

The  famous  Santa  Fe  trail  ran  through  Marion  county,  entering  in 
the  northeast  corner,  running  through  Lost  Springs  and  southwest  into 
McPherson  county.     The  settlers  were  for  many  years  in  danger  from 


KANSAS    HISTORY  225 

the  Indians.  In  1864  a  man  was  scalped  on  the  trail  at  "Cottonwood 
Holes,"  near  the  headwaters  of  the  Cottonwood  river,  by  a  party  of 
Cheyennes  and  Kiowas.  At  Marion  there  was  a  log  house  surrounded 
by  a  high  stone  corral,  which  was  used  as  a  fort.  A  ruling  existed 
among  the  settlers  to  the  effect  that  no  gun  was  to  be  fired  unless 
there  was  danger  from  the  Indians.  Many  times  those  who  were  too 
far  away  to  get  to  the  "fort"  hid  in  the  cornfields  and  at  times  whole 
families  remained  in  such  concealment  all  night.  In  1868  numerous 
depredations  were  committed  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  by  the 
Cheyennes,  who  stole  horses  and  cattle,  and  were  followed  by  white 
thieves  committing  the  same  offenses  in  Indian  guise.  The  people 
in  the  outlying  settlements  flocked  to  Marion  for  refuge.  David  Lucas 
rode  to  Council  Grove  and  secured  relief,  which  in  all  probability 
averted  an  attack. 

The  first  school  in  the  county  was  taught  in  the  winter  of  1865-66 
by  Dr.  J.  N.  Rodgers  of  Marion.  The  district  took  in  the  whole  of 
southwest  Kansas,  which  at  one  time  was  included  in  the  county.  The 
first  term  lasted  four  months  and  the  assessor  had  to  go  clear  to  the 
west  line  of  the  state  to  collect  taxes  to  support  the  school.  Some  of 
the  pupils  came  from  Larned,  Fort  Dodge  and  other  remote  settlements. 
The  school  house  was  of  logs  with  a  dirt  roof,  and  the  teacher's  desk 
was  a  dry  goods  box. 

The  first  store  in  the  county  was  started  by  A.  A.  Moore  and  W.  H. 
Billings  at  Marion  in  1861.  The  first  grist  mill  was  erected  in  1872 
on  the  Cottonwood  by  Moore  &  Fuller.  The  first  wheat  that  was 
raised  in  the  county  was  grown  by  Silas  C.  Locklin  in  1863.  It  was 
threshed  b_v  the  old  treading  process  used  in  Bible  times  and  was 
cleaned  by  pouring  it  in  the  wind.  It  had  to  be  hauled  to  a  mill  near 
Emporia  to  be  ground,  and  the  hauling  was  difficult,  as  there  were  no 
roads.  The  first  sermon  was  preached  in  the  school  house  above  men- 
tioned. The  minister  came  45  miles  to  hold  the  service,  and  he  was 
clad  in  overalls  and  a  woolen  shirt. 

The  first  railroad  proposition  was  made  by  the  Kansas  &  Nebraska 
company,  and  the  agreement  was  that  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $200,000 
should  be  issued  to  the  company  on  the  completion  of  the  grade  to 
Marion.  The  grade  was  completed  and  the  bonds  issued,  but  no  rail- 
road was  built.  The  railroads  now  in  the  county  are  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific.  The  main 
line  of  the  former  enters  on  the  east  line  of  the  county  and  crosses 
southwest  through  Florence  and  Peabody.  A  branch  diverges  north- 
west, which  runs  through  Marion  and  Hillsboro,  and  another  branch  goes 
south  through  Burns  into  Butler  cou^t3^  Another  line  of  the  same  road 
crosses  the  extreme  northeast  corner,  passing  through  Lost  Springs. 
Two  lines  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  enter  in  the  northeast 
from  Herington.  One  runs  south  to  Marion,  thence  southwest  to 
Peabody  and  on  into  Butler  county,  the  other  cuts  off  the  northwest 

(n-15) 


226  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

corner  passing  tlirough  Ramona,  Tampa  and  Durham  and  on  into 
McPherson  county. 

Aside  from  tlie  public  schools  there  are  three  private  institutions, 
the  English-American  preparatory  school  at  Hillsboro,  a  German 
Lutheran  school  at  Lincolnvilie,  and  the  school  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  at  Burns.  Physical  culture  is  taught  in  a  number  of  the 
schools  in  the  county. 

Marion  county  was  originally  divided  into  three  townships,  Marion, 
Cedar  and  Santa  Fe.  In  1870  the  townships  were  Clear  Creek  and 
Doyle.  In  1875  the  additional  ones  were  Branch,  Grant,  Peabody, 
Kisley,  Summit  and  Wilson;  in  1880  four  more  had  been  organized, 
Catlin.  Fairplay,  Gale  and  Liberty ;  in  1882  Branch  was  divided  into 
East  Branch  and  West  Branch.  Durham  was  organized  and  ten  more 
have  since  been  organized,  making  24  in  1910.  The  new  ones  are: 
Blaine,  Clark,  Colfa.x,  Durham  Park,  Lehigh,  Logan,  Lost  Springs, 
Menno,  Milton  and  Moore. 

Marion  county  is  one  of  the  beauty  spots  of  Kansas.  The  main 
branch  of  the  Cottonwood  river  rises  in  the  northwestern  part  and 
flows  southeast  to  Marion,  where  it  is  met  by  the  south  branch  and 
continues  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  It  is  a  beautiful  stream  skirted 
with  woods  which  form  delightful  natural  scenery  for  many  miles. 
There  are  a  number  of  tributaries,  among  which  are  the  Doyle,  Cedar 
and  Luta.  Springs  are  abundant  throughout  the  county,  some  of  them 
containing  minerals  in  medicinal  quantities.  The  most  notable  of  these 
are  the  Chingawassa  springs,  located  6  miles  north  of  Marion  in  the 
midst  of  a  beautiful  natural  park.  The  general  surface  is  somewhat 
broken  and  hilly  in  the  east  and  a  gently  rolling  prairie  in  the  west. 
The  bottom  lands  along  the  streams  average  from  one-fourth  mile  to 
a  mile  in  width,  and  comprise  15  per  cent,  of  the  total  area  of  the  county. 
The  timber  belts  comprise  about  3  per  cent,  of  the  total  area  and  con- 
tain Cottonwood,  hackberry,  elm,  oak,  walnut,  box-elder,  sycamore, 
honej-locust,  coffee-bean  and  mulberry.  Gypsum  and  magnesian  lime- 
stone are  abundant,  the  latter  being  found  along  the  banks  of  the 
streams. 

This  is  an  agricultural  and  stock  raising  county  and  ranks  among 
the  foremost  in  the  state  in  the  amount  of  money  realized  from  the 
sale  of  stock  sold  for  slaughter.  The  total  value  of  farm  products 
averages  over  $5,000,000  annually.  Corn,  the  heaviest  crop,  netted 
$1,500,000  in  1910;  oats,  $600,000,  and  animals  sold  for  slaughter  nearly 
$2,000,000.  Kafir  corn,  oats,  hay,  poultry,  butter  and  eggs  are  impor- 
tant products,  and  there  are  200,000  bearing  fruit  trees. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was  over  $40,000,000,  as 
against  $40,000  in  1870.  In  1870  the  population  was  768,  and  in  1910 
it  was  22.415,  which  shows  that  the  property  values  have  not  only 
increased  a  thousand  fold  in  40  years  but  the  wealth  per  capita  from 
$52  to  $1,800.  According  to  the  figures  presented  by  the  Marion  news- 
papers and  real  estate  men  there  is  more  money  per  capita  on  deposit 
in  the  Marion  county  banks  than  in  any  similar  district  in  the  world. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  227 

Marmaton,  one  of  the  historic  old  towns  of  Bourbon  county,  is 
situated  on  the  Marmaton  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  6  miles 
west  of  Fort  Scott.  The  original  town  site  was  located  in  1858  and 
within  a  short  time  several  buildings  were  erected.  In  i860  a  mill 
was  built  and  in  1862  the  town  probably  reached  the  height  of  its 
prosperity.  On  Oct.  22,  1864,  it  was  sacked  and  burned  by  part  of 
Price's  army  during  his  raid  through  Kansas.  \\'hen  the  railroad  was 
built  in  1882  it  passed  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  town, 
which  was  abandoned  and  a  number  of  the  buildings  were  moved  to 
the  railroad.  For  many  years  the  name  was  spellel  Marmiton,  but  upon 
the  petition  of  citizens  the  name  was  changed  back  to  the  old  form  in 
1882.  The  new  town  on  the  railroad  has  prospered.  It  has  a  money 
order  postofifice,  several  good  stores,  express  and  telegraph  facilities 
and  is  the  supply  and  shipping  point  for  a  considerable  district.  In 
1910  the  population  was   108. 

Marquette,  one  of  the  important  little  incorporated  cities  of  McPher- 
son  county,  is  located  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.,  16  miles  northwest  of  McPherson,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2 
banks,  a  flour  mill,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Tribune  and  the  Journal), 
good  public  schools  and  substantial  church  edifices.  The  town  is  sup- 
plied with  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  has  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to 
the  census  of  1910,  was  715.  Marquette  was  laid  out  in  J874  by  a 
town  company,  of  which  S.  J.  Darrah  was  president.  The  first  build- 
ing was  erected  by  J.  A.  Foster,  who  was  the  first  postmaster.  A 
water  mill  was  built  by  H.  S.  Bacon  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  This  locality 
has  been  unfortunate  in  a  number  of  instances  in  its  history,  when  it 
has  suffered  from  wind  storms  and  cyclones.  There  is  not,  however, 
a  more  prosperous  section  of  agricultural  country  in  the  state. 

Marshall  County,  one  of  the  original  33  counties  created  by  the  first 
territorial  legislature,  is  located  in  the  northern  tier  of  counties.  The 
act  defining  the  boundaries  is  as  follows:  "Beginning  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Nemaha  county,  thence  west  on  the  boundary  line  30 
miles,  thence  south  30  miles,  thence  east  30  miles,  thence  north  30 
miles  to  the  place  of  beginning."  By  the  act  of  Feb.  16,  i860,  the  county 
seat  was  permanently  located  at  Marysville. 

The  history  of  Marshall  county  goes  back  to  the  expedition  of 
Stephen  H.  Long,  who  passed  through  this  territor}'  in  1819  and  1820 
on  his  wa}'  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  Rocky  mountains.  Gen.  Fremont 
led  a  similar  expedition  through  what  is  now  Marshall  county  in  the 
early  '40s,  and  in  1847  John  Smith,  the  jMormon  apostle,  with  his  band 
of  followers  from  Illinois  opened  a  permanent  trail  crossing  the  Big 
Blue  river  6  miles  below  the  present  city  of  Marysville,  at  a  place 
afterward  called  "Mormon,"  for  the  reason  that  it  became  a  camping 
place  for  these  people,  who  during  the  next  two  years  crossed  the  plains 
by  the  thousands.  In  1849  this  trail  was  used  by  California  gold  hunters 
and  the  place  was  called  "California  crossing."     Later  it  was  known  as 


228  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Independence  crossing.  The  tirsl  permanent  settlement  was  made  at 
this  place  by  A.  G.  Woodward  in  1848. 

The  most  prominent  man  in  the  settlement  and  early  development 
of  the  connty  was  Francis  J.  Marshall,  after  whom  it  was  named.  He 
came  from  Missouri  in  1849  and  established  a  ferry  at  California  cross- 
ing, but  for  several  seasons  he  returned  to  his  old  home  every  winter. 
In  the  spring  of  1851  he  moved  his  ferry  6  miles  up  the  river  and  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  where  Marysville  now. stands.  In  1854  James 
McCloskey,  who  had  been  out  to  the  Rocky  mountains  and  had  there 
married  an  Indian  woman,  came  with  half  a  dozen  other  traders  and 
their  families.  McCloskey  settled  near  Marshall's  ferry  and  the  others 
settled  on  the  Vermillion  on  invitation  of  a  Pottawatomie  half-breed 
by  the  name  of  Louis  Tremble. 

Earlv  in  the  spring  of  1855  settlements  were  made  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  county  along  the  Vermillion.  Some  of  the  first  to  come 
were  John  D.  Wells  and  his  family  from  Kentucky,  A.  G.  Barrett,  the 
Brockmeyer  brothers,  Joseph  Langdon,  Thomas  Warren,  H.  Ashdown 
and  the  Farley  brothers.  A  number  of  new  families  located  in  and 
around  Marysville.  In  1857  Smith  Martin  took  up  a  claim  in  Center 
township  and  built  a  cabin.  William  Reedy  and  M.  T.  Bennett  set- 
tled on  Coon  creek ;  George  Guittard  and  his  sons  located  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  count}-,  about  3  miles  north  of  the  present  town  of 
Beattie;  Blue  Rapids  City  township  was  settled  by  James  Walter,  M.  L. 
Duncan  and  others ;  Blue  Rapids  township  was  settled  by  four  brothers 
— Ambrose,  East,  Martin  and  James  Shipp — who  located  near  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Irving.  In  1858  Samuel  Smith  settled  near  the  east  line 
of  Noble  township  and  the  next  year  Isaac  Walker  had  taken  a  claim 
on  the  west  fork  of  the  Vermillion. 

The  county  was  organized  in  1855  and  the  county  seat  established 
at  Marysville.  The  first  election  was  held  on  March  30  of  that  year. 
It  was  an  interesting  event.  The  Kansas-Nebraska  act,  which  provided 
for  the  organization  of  the  territory,  conferred  the  right  to  vote  upon 
every  "inhabitant"  of  the  territory,  otherwise  qualified,  who  should  be 
an  actual  settler.  Nothing  was  said  about  any  required  period  of 
residence.  A  most  liberal  construction  was  put  upon  this  provision  by 
the  Missourians  who  came  into  the  territory  by  the  thousands  and 
voted.  The  party  which  came  to  Marysville  numbered  several  hun- 
dred men  who  came  in  wagons  with  camping  equipment,  stayed  long 
enough  to  vote,  and  then  left.  The  polling  place  was  in  the  "loft" 
of  F.  J.  Marshall's  store.  The  voter  would  go  up  a  stairway  far  enough 
for  the  clerks  and  judges  to  see  his  head,  call  out  a  name,  deposit  his 
ballot,  go  back  down,  absorb  some  bad  whiskey,  think  up  another  name 
and  repeat  the  process.  It  is  said  that  Jonathan  Lang  of  Vermillion 
(nicknamed  "Shanghai"),  after  voting  all  day  long  between  drinks, 
sprang  upon  a  whiskey  barrel  and  offered  to  bet  $100  that  he  had  out- 
voted anybody  in  the  crowd.  The  challenge  was  accepted  and  the 
money  put  up.  The  investigating  committee  found  that  "Shanghai" 
had  lost  the  bet,  the  winning  party  having  deposited  nearly  100  votes. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  229 

It  is  said  that  this  man  had  in  his  possession  a  St.  Louis  city  directory 
and  had  voted  half  way  through  the  "A"  list.  As  a  result  Marysville, 
which  consisted  of  only  three  or  four  log  cabins  (although  it  was  the 
only  town  in  northern  Kansas  of  any  importance  at  that  time),  rolled 
up  1,000  votes.  Francis  J.  Marshall  was  elected  a  member  of  the  ter- 
ritorial  legislature. 

The  first  probate  judge  of  Marshall  county  was  James  Doniphan, 
who  held  the  first  term  of  court  on  Oct.  lo,  1855.  Alexander  Clark,  the 
first  sheriiif,  received  his  commission  in  October  of  that  year  and  was 
killed  the  next  June  while  attempting  to  arrest  two  horse  thieves. 
M.  L.  Duncan  was  appointed  to  serve  out  Clark's  term.  James  Mc- 
Closkey  was  the  first  county  clerk.  W.  N.  Glenn,  John  D.  Wells  and 
M.  L.  Duncan  were  the  first  commissioners. 

In  1856  a  colony  of  85  South  Carolina  men  organized  at  Atchison 
what  they  called  the  Palmetto  Town  company.  The  site  of  the  old 
ferry  at  Independence  crossing  was  bought  from  Francis  J.  Marshall 
for  $500  and  a  town  laid  out,  which  was  called  Palmetto.  Among  those 
who  came  and  settled  were  J.  S.  Magill,  J.  P.  Miller,  O.  D.  Prentis, 
Albert  Morrall,  W.  B.  Jenkins,  J.  R.  Allston,  John  Vanderhorst,  A.  S. 
Vaught  and  Robert  Y.  Shibley.  About  the  same  time  Marshall  laid 
out  a  town  around  his  trading  post  and  ferry  which  he  called  Marys- 
ville, after  his  wife.  The  two  communities  were  at  variance  for  the 
next  two  years,  and  in  some  cases  their  quarrels  were  settled  with 
pistols.  At  last  Marshall  induced  the  South  Carolinians  to  move  their 
town  up  the  river  to  Marysville. 

The  first  newspaper  established  in  the  county  was  the  Palmetto  Kan- 
san,  owned  by  the  Palmetto  Town  company  and  edited  by  J.  E.  Clardy, 
in  1857. 

The  first  marriage  was  in  Aug.,  1856,  between  Timothy  Clark  and 
Judy  North  on  the  Vermillion.  They  were  married  by  Squire  Ault 
at  the  home  of  James  Smith.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  Emma  Shipp 
in  1857,  and  the  first  death  was  that  of  Ellis  Myers,  who  froze  to  death 
in  a  terrible  storm  in  the  winter  of  1856-57.  The  first  postoffices  were 
Marysville,  1854,  Francis  Marshall,  postmaster;  Barrett,  1857,  E.  Pugh, 
postmaster;  Irving,  i860,  M.  D.  Abbott,  postmaster;  Waterville,  i860; 
Lanesburg,  1863,  E.  Lewis,  postmaster;  Nottingham,  1867,  D.  C.  Ault, 
postmaster. 

The  population  in  i860  was  2,280,  well  distributed  over  the  county. 
Churches  had  been  built  and  school  districts  had  begun  to  be  organ- 
ized. The  first  school  was  taught  by  Miss  Jennie  Robb  in  1859  ^^ 
Marysville.  Other  early  teachers  were  Miss  Kate  Webber,  R.  S.  Newell 
and  P.  O.  Robbins.  In  the  spring  of  1861  the  war  broke  out  and  the 
growth  of  the  county  was  retarded  for  four  years.  The  war  depart- 
ment made  Marysville  the  recruiting  station  for  Washington  and  Mar- 
shall counties.  Three  full  companies  were  recruited  here.  Company 
K,  Ninth  Kansas  cavalry,  which  consisted  of  80  men  under  Capt. 
Thomas    M.    Bowen,    J.    D.    Wells    as    first    lieutenant;    Company    G, 


230  CYCLOIEDIA    OF 

Thirteenth  Kansas  infantry,  recruited  in  Marysville  in  Aug.,  1862,  Ver- 
million township,  furnished  the  most  of  the  men,  VV.  S.  Blackborn 
captain  and  Thomas  Hensel  lirst  lieutenant  Company  E,  Thirteenth 
Kansas  infantry,  was  recruited  in  JMarysville  in  the  fall  of  1862,  with 
Capt.  Perry  Hutchinson  in  command.  Company  H,  Second  Kansas 
cavalry,  was  made  up  entirely  of  Washington  and  Marshall  county 
men,  and  Marshall  county  men  joined  other  Kansas  regiments  and  regi- 
ments raised  in  other  states.  Out  of  450  voters  Marshall  county  fur- 
nished in  all  431  men  for  the  L'nion  army.  At  that  time  Marshall 
county  was  on  the  border  and  was  at  times  the  seat  of  panics  arising 
from  Indian  depredations.  Emigrants,  ranchmen  and  settlers  who  had 
ventured  farther  west  were  often  driven  in.  There  was  some  fear  that 
the  older  settlements  would  be  attacked  while  depleted  of  able-bodied 
lighters.  In  1862  a  raid  was  made  into  Washington  county.  A  detach- 
ment of  troops  being  recruited  at  Marysville  was  sent  out,  but  no  In- 
dians were  seen.  In  1864  a  raid  was  made  on  the  Little  Blue  river. 
On  Aug.  ID,  1864,  the  refugees  began  arriving  at  Marysville  in  wagons, 
each  parly  telling  of  terrible  outrages  and  tortures  of  those  captured. 
The  next  day  two  companies,  one  under  Capt.  Frank  Schmidt  and  one 
in  charge  of  Lieut.  McCloske\-,  had  been  raised  and  were  on  their  way 
to  the  scene  of  trouble.  A  company  from  Vermillion,  under  Capt. 
James  Kelley,  and  one  from  Irving,  under  Capt.  T.  B.  Vaile,  joined 
them.  The  Marshall  county  troops  were  commanded  by  Col.  E.  C.  :Man- 
ning.  -A  brigade  expedition  of  Nemaha,  Riley  and  Washington  county 
men  also  went  out  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Perry  of  Seneca.  Both 
expeditions  returned  without  finding  the  Indians. 

During  this  time  considerable  domestic  trouble  was  caused  b_\'  what 
■was  know^n  as  the  '"Oketo  cut-ofif."  In  1863  the  overland  stake  route 
came  by  Guittard's  station  through  Marysville.  The  proprietor  of  the 
stage  line  for  some  reason  did  not  like  Marysville  and  proposed  to 
change  the  route  to  go  through  Oketo.  Accordingly  he  built  the  "cut- 
off" at  great  expense,  and  in  Oct.,  1862,  the  stage  began  traveling  that 
route,  leaving  Marysville  several  miles  to  the  south.  This  was  bad 
for  the  town,  for  it  not  only  diverted  travel  but  delayed  the  mail  so 
that  it  was  sometimes  a  month  behind  the  regular  time  in  reaching 
the  town.  Instead  of  daily  mail  they  would  get  it  twice  a  week  or 
once  in  every  two  weeks  with  exasperating  irregularity.  This  pre- 
cipitated a  sort  of  neighborhood  struggle  in  which  no  one  was  killed, 
but  many  tricks  played  by  both  sides,  some  of  which  were  destructive 
to  property.  At  one  time  the  Cnited  States  troops  were  called  out 
from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  protect  the  stage  line.  After  losing  some 
$50,000  by  the  cut-ofT  the  proprietor  of  the  stage  line  changed  the  route 
back  to  Marysville  in  March,  1863. 

As  was  the  case  with  nearly  every  county,  Marshall  had  a  county  seat 
contest.  The  territorial  legislature  placed  it  at  Marysville  in  1855,  but 
in  1859  T.  S.  Vaile,  who  was  a  member  of  the  free-state  legislature, 
had  the  county  seat  changed  to  Sylvan,  a  jjlace  located  on  Section  25, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  23I 

township  3,  range  8.  By  a  vote  of  the  people  it  was  taken  back  to 
Marysville.  In  1871  the  matter  again  came  before  the  people,  with 
Waterville,  Blue  Rapids,  Frankfort  and  Marysville  contesting.  The 
election  resulted  in  favor  of  Marysville.  The  number  of  votes  cast 
would  indicate  that  there  were  between  13,000  and  14,000  people  in  the 
county  at  this  time. 

The  first  train  came  into  Marshall  county  over  the  St.  Joseph  & 
Western  R.  R.,  which  was  begun  in  i860  and  reached  the  eastern  limits 
of  Marshall  count)'  in  1870.  The  next  year  it  was  extended  to  Marys- 
ville. Marshall  county  is  now  well  provided  with  railroads.  The  Union 
Pacific  crosses  the  county  from  north  to  south  a  little  west  of  the 
center ;  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  crosses  the  northern  part  of  the 
count}' ;  the  Missouri  Pacific  crosses  the  southern  part,  and  a  branch  of 
the  same  system  crosses  the  northeast  corner.  These  lines  afford  ample 
transportation  and  shipping  facilities  to  all  parts  of  the  count}'. 

The  surface  of  Marshall  county  is  prairie,  broken  by  hills  and  bhvffs 
along  the  Blue  river  and  its  branches.  The  geological  formations 
include  gypsum,  limestone  and  coal.  Building  stone  is  quarried  out 
of  the  blufifs.  The  Big  Blue  river  runs  through  the  county  from  north 
to  south,  furnishing  a  water  power  unequaled  elsewhere  in  the  state. 
The  Little  Blue,  one  of  its  branches,  enters  near  the  central  part  of  the 
west  line  of  the  county  and  empties  into  the  Big  Blue  2  miles  above 
Blue  Rapids.  The  Black  Vermillion  flows  through  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  county  and  empties  into  the  Big  Blue  a  few  miles  below 
Irving.  Numerous  smaller  streams  complete  the  water  system  of  the 
county. 

Marshall  is  divided  into  23  civil  townships ;  Balderson,  Blue  Rapids, 
Blue  Rapids  City,  Center,  Clear  Fork,  Cleveland,  Cottage  Hill,  Elm 
Creek,  _Franklin,  Guittard,  Herkimer,  Logan,  Marysville,  Murray,  Noble, 
Oketo,  Richland,  Rock,  St.  Bridget,  Vermillion,  Walnut,  Waterville  and 
Wells. 

The  leading  farm  crops  are  corn  and  wheat.  The  value  of  the  corn 
crop  in  1910  was  $2,416,480,  and  of  the  wheat  $115,200.  The  minor 
crops  are  grains,  grasses  and  potatoes.  Considerable  live  stock  is  raised 
and  shipped.  The  total  value  of  farm  products  in  1910  was  $5,383,- 
389.52.    The  population  in  1910  was  23,880. 

'  Martin,  David,  chief  justice  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court  from  1895 
to  1897,  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  Oct.  16,  1839.  liis  father, 
John  Martin,  was  a  native  of  London,  England,  but  came  to  the  United 
States  as  a  boy  and  located  in  Clark  county  in  1837.  David  received 
a  good  education  and  read  law  in  the  ofifice  of  J.  Warren  Keifer  at 
Spring-field,  Ohio.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866,  but  soon  after 
decided  to  go  west,  and  in  May,  1867,  he  opened  a  law  ofifice  at  Atchison, 
Kan.  In  a  short  time  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Atchison  bar.  In  1880  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  Second 
judicial  district  and  reelected  in  1884,  both  times  without  opposition. 
He  resigned  in  1887,  and  gave  his  time  and  attention  to  his  law  practice 


232  CYCLOPEDJA    Ol" 

until  April  30.  1895,  wlien  lie  was  appointed  chief  justice  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  Judge  Albert  H.  Horton.  The 
following  year  he  was  elected  to  the  vacancy  as  a  Republican  by  a 
majority  of  over  80.000  and  served  until  Jan.,  1897.  At  the  close  of 
his  term  Judge  Martin  opened  a  law  office  in  Topeka,  but  retained  his 
residence  at  Atchison.  On  Jan.  5,  1882,  he  married  Lissa,  the  daughter 
of  Willim  B.  Kipp  of  Atchison.    He  died  in  Topeka,  March  2,  1901. 

Martin,  George  W.,  secretary  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 
was  born  at  Ilollidaysburg,  Blair  county,  Pa.,  June  30,  1841,  a  son  of 
David  and  Mary  ( Howell j  Martin,  the  former  born  near  Belfast,  Ire- 
land, Dec.  I,  1814,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  He  received 
a  good  common  school  education,  after  which  he  served  a  five-years' 
apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade,  beginning  in  the  office  of  the 
Hollidaysburg  Register  and  completing  his  trade  in  a  printing  office 
in  Philadelphia.  His  father  first  came  to  Kansas  in  1855,  but  returned 
to  Pennsjlvania  in  the  fall  of  1856  and  the  following  April  brought  his 
family  to  the  territorj-.  Young  Martin  worked  in  printing  offices  at 
Lecompton  until  the  fall  of  1859,  and  in  Aug.  i,  1861,  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Junction  City  Union,  which  paper  he  edited  for  several 
years.  From  Jan.  i  to  Oct.  i,  1865,  he  was  postmaster  at  Junction 
City,  and  from  .Xpril  i,  1865,  to  Dec.  i,  1866,  he  was  register  of  the 
United  States  land  office,  w^hen  he  was  removed  by  President  Johnson 
— the  first  removal  of  an  official  jn  Kansas  for  political  reasons.  In 
1867-68  he  was  assessor  of  internal  revenue  and  was  then  reappointed 
register  of  the  land  office  by  President  Grant,  where  he  served  until 
in  187 1.  In  1873  he  was  elected  state  printer  and  was  three  times 
reelected,  serving  four  terms  of  two  years  each.  In  1872-73  he  was 
grand  master  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Kansas. 
For  ten  years  he  led  the  fight  to  change  the  name  of  Davis  county  to 
Geary,  and  in  1883  he  represented  the  county  in  the  state  legislature. 
The  same  year  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Junction  City,  which  office  he 
held  for  two  years.  On  July  i.  t888,  he  removed  to  Kansas  City,  Kan., 
where  he  published  the  Gazette  until  Dec,  1899,  when  he  was  elected 
secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  which  position  he  still  holds. 
Mr.  Martin's  long  residence  in  Kansas  and  the  intense  interest  he  takes 
in  historical  matters  eminently  qualify  him  for  the  duties  of  secretary 
of  this  society,  and  notwithstanding  his  "three  score  vears  and  ten" 
he  is  active  and  energetic  in  the  discharge  of  those  duties.  Mr.  Martin 
has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  with  whom  he  was  united  on 
Dec.  20,  1863,  was  Miss  Lydia  Coulson.  She  died  on  June  7,  1900,  and 
on  Oct.  10,  1901,  he  married  Mrs.  Josephine  Blakely. 

Martin,  John,  United  States  senator,  was  born  in  Wilson  county, 
Tenn.,  Nov.  12,  1833,  the  eldest  son  of  Matt  and  Mary  Martin,  who 
were  descended  from  some  of  the  first  settlers  in  Virginia.  He  was 
given  the  best  education  possible  to  obtain  in  that  day  on  the  frontier. 
Shortly  after  he  attained  to  his  majority  he  came  to  Kansas  with  Judge 
Rush  Elmore  and  located  at  Tecumseh.    He  at  once  took  an  active  part 


KANSAS    HISTORY  233 

in  public  affairs  and  was  elected  assistant  clerk  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives in  the  first  territorial  legislature.  Mr.  Martin  served  as  clerk 
and  register  of  deeds  of  Shawnee  county  from  1855  to  1857.  In  1856 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  the  next  year  was  appointed  postmaster 
of  Tecumseh.  In  1858  he  was  elected  the  first  attorney  of  Shawnee 
county,  serving  one  year  and  was  then  appointed  assistant  United 
States  attorney  until  he  opened  a  law  ofiice  in  Topeka  in  1861.  Mr. 
Martin  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  national  convention 
in  1872  and  was  one  of  the  committee  to  notify  Mr.  Greeley  of  his 
nomination.  In  1873  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature ;  was  reelected 
in  1874;  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  governor  in  1876,  and  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Democratic  national  convention  of  that  year.  He  was 
appointed  district  judge,  and  subsequently  was  elected  to  that  office. 
In  1893  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate,  to  fill  the  unexpired 
term  of  Senator  Plumb,  and  served  until  1895,  when  he  was  elected 
clerk  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court,  but  resumed  his  law  practice  in 
1899.  Mr.  Martin  has  been  a  member  of  various  well  known  law  firms 
and  has  won  a  wide  reputation.  On  Nov.  12,  i860,  he  married  Caroline, 
daughter  of  C.  B.  Clements  of  Tecumseh. 

Martin,  John  Alexander,  governor  of  the  State  of  Kansas  from  1885 
to  1889,  the  tenth  man  to  hold  that  office,  was  born  on  March  10,  1839, 
at  Brownsville,  Pa.,  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  Montgomery  (Crawford) 
Martin,  the  father  a  native  of  Maryland  and  the  mother  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  the  family  was  related  to  Gen. 
Richard  Montgomery.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Thomas  Brown,  was 
the  founder  of  Brownsville,  Pa.  Gov.  Martin's  education  was  acquired 
in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  began  learning 
the  printer's  trade.  In  1857,  when  only  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  came 
to  Kansas,  bought  the  newspaper  known  as  the  "Squatter  Sovereign," 
published  at  Atchison,  and  changed  the  name  to  "Freedom's  Champion." 
This  paper  he  continued  to  publish  until  his  death.  He  was  a  firm  free- 
state  man  and  soon  became  actively  identified  with  the  political  affairs 
of  the  territory.  In  1858  he  was  nominated  for  the  territorial  legisla- 
ture, but  declined  because  he  was  not  yet  of  legal  age.  In  1859  he  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Osawatomie  convention  which  organized  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  Kansas,  and  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  he  was  an 
unswerving  supporter  of  the  principles  and  policies  of  that  organiza- 
tion. His  intelligent  activity  in  political  affairs  naturally  led  to  his 
being  honored  by  election  or  appointment  to  various  positions  of  trust 
and  responsibility.  On  July  5,  1859,  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the 
Wyandotte  constitutional  convention ;  was  secretary  of  the  railroad  con- 
vention at  Topeka  in  Oct.,  i860;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican 
national  convention  of  that  year,  and  was  elected  to  the  state  senate 
in  1861.  Before  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  senator  the  Civil  war 
broke  out,  and  in  Oct.,  1861,  he  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
volunteer  service  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Eighth  Kansas  infantry. 
Early  in   1862  he  was  appointed  provost-marshal  of  Leavenworth  and 


J34  I  VCLOI'EDIA    01" 

lield  the  position  until  his  rcyiincnt  was  ordered  to  Corinth,  Miss.,  in 
iMarcii.  There  the  Eighth  Kansas  became  a  part  of  Gen.  Buell's  army, 
and  it  remained  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  On  Nov.  i,  1862,  Lieut.-Col.  Martin  was  promoted  colonel,  and 
a  few  weeks  later  was  assigned  to  duty  as  provost-marshal  of  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  which  position  he  filled  with  signal  ability  until  the  fol- 
lowing June.  \\  ilh  his  command  he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Perry- 
ville  and  Lancaster,  Ky. ;  the  various  engagements  of  the  TuUahoma 
campaign ;  the  sanguinary  battle  of  Chickamauga,  where  on  the  second 
day  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Third  brigade.  First  division. 
Twentieth  army  corps;  and  in  November  was  present  at  the  siege  of 
Chattanooga  and  the  storming  of  Missionary  Ridge.  With  Gen.  Sher- 
man's army  he  marched  to  Atlanta  in  the  memorable  campaign  of  1864, 
the  line  of  march  being  marked  by  engagements  at  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Dalton,  Resaca,  Kingston,  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  various  other  points. 
After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  Col.  Martin's  regiment  joined  in  the  pursuit  of 
Gen.  Hood  as  he  marched  northward  into  Tennessee,  where  it  closed 
its  service.  During  the  closing  scenes  of  his  military  career  Col.  Martin 
commanded  the  First  brigade,  Third  division,  Fourth  arm)'  corps,  until 
he  was  mustered  out  at  Pulaski,  Tenn.,  Nov.  17,  1864,  receiving  at  that 
time  the  rank  of  brevet  brigadier-general  "for  gallant  and  meritorious 
services."  Returning  to  Kansas  he  resumed  the  editorial  management 
of  his  paper,  and  again  he  became  a  factor  in  political  afifairs.  In  1865 
he  was  elected  mayor  of  Atchison,  of  which  city  he  had  served  as  the 
third  postmaster,  holding  the  office  for-  twelve  years.  For  twenty-five 
consecutive  years  he  was  chairman  of  the  Atchison  county  Republican 
central  committee;  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  national  commit- 
tee from  1868  to  1884,  and  secretary  of  the  committee  during  the  last 
four  years  of  that  period ;  served  as  delegate  to  the  national  conven- 
tion of  his  party  in  1868,  1872  and  1880;  was  a  member  of  one  of  the 
vice-presidents  of  the  L'nited  States  Centennial  commission ;  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  of  which  he 
was  president  in  1878;  was  president  the  same  year  of  the  Editors'  and 
Publishers'  Association  ;  and  from  1878  to  the  time  of  his  death  was 
one  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Leavenworth  branch  of  the  National 
Soldiers'  Home.  -During  all  the  years  following  the  Civil  war  he  mani- 
fested a  keen  interest  in  the  work  and  welfare  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  when  the  Department  of  Kansas  was  organized,  he 
was  honored  by  being  elected  its  first  commander.  It  is  said  that  for 
years  before  his  election  to  the  office  of  governor  Mr.  Martin  had  a 
laudable  ambition  to  be  the  chief  executive  of  his  adopted  state,  but 
that  he  knew  how  to  wait  and  prepare  himself  for  the  duties  of  the 
office  in  case  he  should  be  called  to  fill  it.  The  call  came  in  1884,  when 
he  was  nominated  and  triumphantly  elected.  His  first  administration 
commended  him  to  the  people,  and  in  1886  he  was  reelected.  His  years 
of  experience  as  a'jdurnalist  and  political  leader  gave  him  a  ripe  judg- 
ment  which   enabled   him   to    discharge   his  gubernatorial    duties   with 


KANSAS    HISTORY  '  235 

marked  ability,  and  it  is  probable  that  no  governor  of  Kansas  ever 
retired  from  the  office  with  a  larger  number  of  friends.  On  June  7, 
1871,  Gov.  Martin  married  Miss  Ida  Challis,  and  to  this  union  were 
born  seven  children.     Gov.  Martin's  death  occurred  on  Oct.  2,  1889. 

Martin's  Administration. — Gov.  John  A.  Martin  was  inaugurated  on 
Jan.  12,  1885,  and  the  next  day  the  legislature  met  in  regular  session 
with  Lieut. -Gov.  A.  P.  Biddle  presiding  in  the  senate,  and  J.  B.  John- 
son occupying  the  speaker's  chair  in  the  house.  Through  his  long  and 
intimate  connection  with  editorial  work  and  political  matters  generally, 
the  new  governor  was  thoroughly  familiar  wirh  conditions  in  the  state, 
and  this  familiarity  was  shown  in  his  inaugural  message.  At  the  time 
he  was  inducted  into  office  Kansas  was  just  entering  upon  her  twenty- 
fifth  year  of  statehood,  and  the  governor's  review  of  a  quarter  of  a 
century's  progress  is  both  interesting  and  instructive,  covering  as  it 
does  all  phases  of  development — educational,  political  and  industrial. 
Presented  in  tabulated  form  his  comparisons  are  as  follows: 

i860  1885 

Number  of  acres  cultivated 406,468  9)458,737 

Bushels  of  wheat   raised 194,173  48,050,431 

Bushels  of  corn  raised 6,150,727  190,870,686 

Assessed  value  of  property $27,774,333  $237,020,391 

Number  of  school  districts 217  (nearly)     7,000 

Number  of  teachers 319  8,342 

Value  of  school  property $10,432  $5,715,582 

Number  of  votes  cast i4,47i  265,684 

Miles  of  railroad none  4,486 

Assessed  value  of  railroads....        nothing  $28,455,907 

"The  marvelous  growth  and  prosperity  these  figures  reveal,"  said  he, 
"are  not  only  gratifying  to  the  pride  of  every  citizen  of  the  state,  and 
honorable  to  the  men  and  women  whose  industry,  energy  and  intelli- 
gence have  wrought  this  miracle  of  development,  but  they  should 
admonish  you,  gentlemen  of  the  legislature,  of  the  larger  and  graver 
duties  and  responsibilities  devolved  upon  you  b}-  the  greatness  of  the 
state  you  represent." 

To  illustrate  still  further  the  development  of  Kansas  during  this 
quarter  of  a  centurj'  it  is  worth  while  to  note  that  in  i860  she  had  not 
a  single  public  building,  nor  an  institution  of  an  educational,  penal  or 
charitable  nature  permaneiitly  established.  In  1885  the  various  insti- 
tutions occupied  2,186  acres  of  land,  and  the  public  buildings  of  the 
state  were  valued  as  follows:  State  capitol,  $1,600,000;  penitentiary, 
$1,391,090;  insane  hospital  at  Topeka,  $596,000;  insane  hospital  at 
Osawatomie,  $357,000;  state  university,  $351,300;  agricultural  college, 
$213,728;  industrial  reformatory,  $160,000;  deaf  and  dumb  asylum, 
$105,000;  state  reform  school,  $86,000;  blind  asylum,  $75,000;  state 
normal    school,    $68,400;    soldiers'    orphans"    liome,    $49,000;    home    for 


236  CYCLOl-EDIA    Ul 

feeble-minded  youth.  $27,500,  making  the  total  amount  invested  in 
))ermaiu'nt  institutions  $5,080,018. 

In  his  message  Gov.  Martin  staled  tlic  bonded  debt  of  the  state  on 
Jan.  1,  1885.  as  being  ¥935,500,  all  of  which  was  held  by  the  various 
state  funds,  except  $321,000,  which  was  in  the  hands  of  individuals 
or  corporations.  He  congratulated  the  people  of  the  state  upon  the 
fact  '•That  the  credit  of  Kansas  has  always  ranked  high,  and  the  out- 
standing bonds  of  the  state  command  a  large  premium." 

Although  the  state  debt  was  small,  that  of  the  counties,  cities  and 
townships  had  reached  a  figure  that  was  alarming.  According  to  the 
message  the  outstanding  bonds  and  warrants  of  these  municipalities 
were  as  follows:  Counties,  $8,065,748.29;  townships,  $2,650,030.90; 
cities,  $2,487,436.17;  school  districts,  $2,748,714.50,  making  a  grand  total 
of  $15,951,929.  86.  "In  one  Kansas  county,"  says  the  governor,  "the 
munici])al  indebtedness  aggregates  more  than  one-fifth  of  the  assessed 
value  of  all  the  propert}-  in  the  county,  and  is  nearly  double  the  bonded 
debt  of  the  state.  In  another  county  the  aggregate  of  municipal  debts 
exceeds  the  state  debt  over  $10,000." 

Discussing  this  subject  further  he  said :  "The  limitations  and  restric- 
tions put  upon  the  powers  of  counties,  townships,  cities  and  school  dis- 
tricts, to  create  debts  and  levy  taxes,  are  too  few  and  feeble.  The  dis- 
ease which  afil'ects  the  body  politic  is  too  much  local  government.  The 
state  is  more  fortunate  than  any  of  its  local  subdivisions,  because  the 
framers  of  its  constitution  wisely  limited  its  debts  to  one  million  dollars. 
If  proportionate  limitations  had  been  placed  upon  the  debt-creating 
authority  of  our  local  governments,  Kansas  would  today  have  been  in 
a  much  better  financial  condition,  and  in  all  other  respects  her  people 
would  be  quite  as  prosperous  as  they  now  are." 

He  admitted  that  the  provision  and  application  of  remedies  consti- 
tuted a  problem  difficult  of  solution,  but  suggested  the  following  as 
worthy  of  trial:  ist — Stringent  limitations  upon  the  debt-creating  and 
tax-levying  powers  of  municipalities;  2nd — Relegating  about  one-half 
of  the  so-called  "cities"  to  the  rank  of  towns  or  villages  with  less 
expensive  forms  of  government :  3d — Reducing  the  number  of  officials 
in  cities,  thereby  cutting  off  a  large  part  of  the  expense  of  local  gov- 
ernment :  4th — Permit  no  municipality  to  issue  bonds  except  upon  the 
vote  of  three-fourths  of  the  legal  voters. 

The  governor  then  reviewed  the  condition  of  the  state  institutions, 
discussed  the  Price  Raid  claims,  the  eastern  boundary,  the  work  5f  the 
state  agent  at  Washington,  the  New  Orleans  exposition,  the  advisability 
of  creating  a  state  board  of  health,  the  prohibitory  amendment  and 
law,  and  suggested  that  the  laws  relating  to  assessment  and  equaliza- 
tion of  property  needed  "thorough  r^evision,"  as  well  as  the  crimes  act, 
which  was  "originally  brought  over  from  Missouri  in  1855." 

.\fter  calling  attention  to  the  several  laws  enacted  or  repealed, 
relating  to  a  state  census,  he  says:  "I  venture  the  suggestion  that 
these  several   acts,   commencing  with   that   of   1873,   are   inadequate  in 


KANSAS    HISTORY  237 

their  provisions  for  a  regular  decennial  census,  which  ought  to  follow, 
as  nearly  as  may  be,  the  forms  used  in  the  Federal  census,  so  that  com- 
parisons may  be  made  with  it,  thus  giving  us  the  benefit  of  a  complete 
census  every  five  years.  Your  attention  is  respectfully  invited  to  this 
subject,  and  to  the  necessity  of  an  appropriation  for  the  expenses  of 
such  a  census  as,  in  your  wisdom,  you  shall  make  provision  for." 

Section  2,  Article  X,  of  the  constitution,  as  originally  adopted, 
required  a  reapportionment  of  the  state  for  legislative  purposes,  based 
on  the  census  of  the  preceding  year.  The  adoption  of  the  amendment 
providing  for  biennial  sessions  was  found  in  1885  to  come  in  conflict 
with  the  section  authorizing  the  reapportionment,  as  no  regular  legis- 
lative session  would  be  held  in  the  year  1886.  "This,"  said  the  gov- 
ernor, "is  one  of  the  anomalies  of  our  organic  law  growing  out  of  its 
frequent  amendment,  and  the  difficulty  of  adjusting  these  amendments 
to  all  sections  of  an  originally  consistent  instrument.  .  .  .  You 
may,  perhaps,  be  able  to  devise  some  measure  by  means  of  which  the 
necessity  for  an  extra  session  in  1886  may  be  avoided." 

A  number  of  important  laws  were  passed  during  the  session,  which 
came  to  a  close  on  March  7.  The  trustees  of  the  school  for  feeble- 
minded youth  were  directed  to  secure  a  new  location  for  the  institu- 
tion within  two  miles  of  the  city  of  Winfield ;  state  and  local  boards 
of  health  were  established;  the  militia  of  the  state  was  organized  as 
the  Kansas  National  Guard;  a  board  of  pardons  was  created;  also  a 
board  of  pharmacy,  a  board  of  examiners  in  dentistry,  and  a  bureau  of 
labor  statistics ;  railroad  companies  were  required  to  fence  their  right- 
of-way ;  jurisdiction  over  the  site  of  the  National  Soldiers'  Home  at 
Leavenworth  and  a  site  for  a  Federal  building  in  the  city  of  Fort  Scott 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States ;  the  prohibitory  law  was  amended ;  pro- 
vision was  made  for  remodeling  the  east  wing  of  the  capitol ;  a  state 
reformatory  and  a  soldiers'  orphans'  home  were  established ;  and  a  con- 
stitutional amendment  increasing  the  number  of  supreme  court  justices 
was  proposed. 

On  March  i,  1885,  the  state  census  was  taken,  in  accordance  with 
the  constitutional  provision  above  alluded  to,  and  showed  the  popula- 
tion of  the  state  to  be  1,268,562,  upon  which  the  new  apportionment  of 
the  state  into  legislative  districts  must  be  made.  The  general  assembly 
of  1885  had  not  been  able  to  devise  a  method  to  avoid  an  extra  session, 
and  on  Dec.  3,  1885,  Gov.  Martin  issued  a  proclamation  calling  the 
legislature  together  on  Jan.  19,  1886,  to  make  a  new  apportionment  as 
required  by  the  constitution ;  to  correct  some  mistakes  in  the  acts  of 
1885  relating  to  the  reform  school  and  the  school  for  feeble-minded; 
to  make  an  appropriation  to  pay  the  salary  and  expenses  of  the  com- 
missioner of  labor;  and  to  correct  the  boundaries  of  certain  judicial 
districts. 

The  legislature  met  at  the  appointed  time,  with  the  same  officers 
as  the  regular  session  of  1885,  and  remained  in  session  until  Feb.  20. 
In  his  message  the  governor  called  attention  in  detail  to  the  defects 


238  (.YCLOl'EIJI A    OF 

in  llic  laws  iclfrrcil  tn  in  liis  pruclaniation,  as  well  as  the  failure  of  the 
last  regular  session  to  make  an  appropriation  fur  the  state  board  of 
health.  He  also  gave  an  account  of  the  Cheyenne  Indian  invasion  of 
the  previous  year,  and  the  strike  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  in 
March,  1885,  shortly  after  the  adjournment  of  the  legislature,  and 
recommended  the  enactment  of  a  law  providing  for  some  means  of 
arbitrating  disputes  between  the  workmen  and  their  employers.  He 
aiiiHiunccd  that  ex-Gov.  Samuel  J.  Crawford,  state  agent  at  Washington, 
had  turned  over  to  him  drafts  on  the  L'nited  States  treasury  aggre- 
gating .$332,308.13  "for  reimbursement  for  expenses  in  repelling  invasions 
and  suppressing  Indian  hostilities,"  exclusive  of  any  Price  Raid  claims. 

Although  the  session  was  a  short  one  a  number  of  good  laws  were 
enacted.  A  complete  legislative  apportionment  was  made;  the  errors 
suggested  by  the  governor  in  his  proclamation  and  message  were  cor- 
rected; cities  were  authorized  to  establish  and  maintain  free  libraries; 
the  game  laws  were  amended;  jurisdiction  over  certain  lots  in  the  city 
of  Wichita  was  ceded  to  the  L'nited  States  as  a  site  for  a  Federal  build- 
ing; counties  were  authorized  to  establish  high  schools;  the  appoint- 
ment of  boards  of  arbitration  was  provided  for,  and  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  Gov.  Martin  May  30  was  declared  a  legal  holiday.  (See 
Memorial  Day.) 

On  Jan.  29,  1886,  while  the  general  assembly  was  in  special  session 
the  quarter-centennial  of  the  admission  was  celebrated  with  appropriate 
ceremonies  and  observances  in  the  city  of  Topeka.  The  movement  for 
a  celebration  of  this  character  originated  with  the  survivors  of  the 
Wyandotte  constitutional  convention  on  July  29,  1884.  At  a  second 
meeting  on  Nov.  24,  1885,  a  committee  of  arrangements  was  appointed, 
with  Col.  D.  R.  Anthony,  president  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  as 
chairman,  and  Franklin  G.  Adams  as  secretary.  This  committee  per- 
formed its  work  well,  and  the  celebration  on  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary 
of  admission  was  an  acknowledged  success.  Speeches  were  made  by 
ex-Gov.  Robinson,  Samuel  N.  Wood,  Cyrus  K.  Holliday,  John  Speer, 
T.  D.  Thacher,  Noble  L.  Prentis,  Daniel  W.  Wilder,  Eugene  F.  Ware 
and  a  number  of  others,  each  reviewing  some  particular  feature  of  the 
history  and  development  of  Kansas. 

In  March,  1885,  a  strike  occurred  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad, 
and  it  was  chiefly  due  to  this  fact  that  Gov.  Martin  recommended  to 
the  special  session  of  the  general  assembly  the  enactment  of  some  law 
providing  for  arbitration.  Another  strike  began  in  March,  1886,  when 
the  Knights  of  Labor  employed  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  lines  left  their 
work  and  used  every  efTort  to  prevent  others  from  taking  their  places. 
The  center  of  the  difficulty  was  at  Parsons,  and  on  the  14th  the  sherifT 
of  Labette  county  notified  the  governor  that  he  was  not  able  to  control 
the  situation.  Gov.  Martin  at  once  despatched  the  adjutant-general  to 
Parsons,  with  instructions  to  call  out  the  state  militia  if  necessary.  This 
was  finally  done  and  order  was  restored.     (See  Labor  Toubles.) 

On  July  7,  1886,  a  Republican  state  convention  assembled  at  Topeka 


KANSAS    I-IISTORY  239 

and  nominated  for  reelection  all  the  state  officers  except  auditor  and 
treasurer,  which  places  on  the  ticket  were  filled  by  Timothy  McCarthy 
and  James  W.  Hamilton. 

The  Democratic  state  convention  met  at  Leavenworth  on  Aug.  4. 
Thomas  Moonlight  was  nominated  for  governor ;  S.  G.  Isett,  for 
lieutenant-governor ;  W.  F.  Petillon,  for  secretary  of  state ;  W.  D. 
Kelley  (colored),  for  auditor;  L.  P.  Birchfield,  for  treasurer;  A.  S. 
Devenney,  for  attorney-general;  W.  J.  A.  Montgomery,  for  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction;  and  W.  M.  Whitelaw,  for  associate 
justice. 

The  prohibitionists  also  placed  a  state  ticket  in  the  field,  headed  by 
C.  H.  Branscomb  as  the  candidate  for  governor.  At  the  election  in 
November  Gov.  Martin  was  reelected,  receiving  149,615  votes  to  115,- 
697  for  Moonlight,  and  8,094  for  Branscomb.  The  Republican  candi- 
date for  Congress  from  each  district  was  also  elected. 

Gov.  Martin  was  inaugurated  for  his  second  term  on  Jan.  10,  1887, 
and  the  next  day  the  legislature  met  in  regular  biennial  session,  with 
Lieut. -Gov.  Riddle  again  presiding  in  the  senate  and  A.  W.  Smith  as 
speaker  of  the  house.  Gov.  Martin  began  his  inaugural  message  by 
saying:  "To  be  elected  chief  magistrate  of  this  great,  intelligent  and 
prosperous  state  for  a  second  term,  is  a  distinguished  honor.  And  I 
trust  it  is  not  inappropriate  for  me  to  express  to  the  people  of  Kansas, 
through  you,  their  chosen  representatives,  my  grateful  appreciation  of 
their  generous  confidence,  my  profound  sense  of  the  responsibilities 
devolved  upon  me,  and  my  earnest  hope  that  I  may,  by  honest,  faithful 
and  conscientious  performance  of  my  official  duties,  in  some  measure 
justify  the  faith  they  have  reposed  in  me." 

He  pointed  out  that,  since  the  last  regular  session,  nearly  2,000  miles 
of  railroad  had  been  constructed  and  placed  in  operation;  over  $40,000,- 
000  added  to  the  value  of  the  taxable  property  of  the  state ;  more  than 
2,000,000  acres  of  land  brought  under  cultivation,  and  approximately 
400,000  added  to  the  population.  Fifteen  new  counties  had  been  organ- 
izedj  and  since  Jan.  i,  1885,  the  state  debt  had  been  reduced  $105,000, 
leaving  a  bonded  indebtedness  of  $830,500,  of  which  $574,500  was  held 
by  the  different  state  funds  and  institutions.     (See  Finances,  State.) 

Regarding  municipal  debts  and  taxation,  upon  which  he  dwelt  at 
such  length  in  his  former  message,  he  said:  "I  called  the  attention 
of  the  legislature  to  this  subject,  in  my  biennial  message  of  1885,  ^"d 
again  in  my  special  message  of  1886,  and  I  earnestly  urged  that 
stringent  limitations  be  placed  on  the  debt-creating  and  tax-lev)'ing 
authority  of  counties,  townships  and  cities.  No  action  was  taken,  how- 
ever, and  the  municipal  subdivisions  of  the  state  have  g'one  on,  voting 
bonds,  and  piling  up  interest-bearing  debts  that  will,  in  a  few  years, 
cripple  and  dishearten  every  energy  and  ambition  of  their  people,  and 
paralyze  public  spirit." 

He  then  goes  on  to  show  that  the  municipal  indebtedness  of  the  state 
had  been  increased  $3,445,922   since  Jan.    i,    1885,   and   had   reached   a 


240 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


total  of  $19,397,851,  of  which  over  $12,000,000  had  been  voted  to  aid 
in  the  construction  of  railroads.  In  addition  to  this,  within  the  pre- 
ceding two  years  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $11,222,000  had  been  voted, 
but  not  vet  issued.  Of  these  bonds  $11,146,000  had  been  in  the  interest 
of  railroad  companies.  If  they  sliould  be  issued  the  total  municipal 
debt  would  be  augmented  to  over  $30,000,000. 

"I  am  as  anxious  as  any  citizen  can  be,"  said  he,  "that  every  section 
of  our  state  shall  be  provided  with  the  most  abundant  transportation 
facilities.  But,  in  my  judgment,  Kansas  long  ago  passed  that  stage  of 
development  when  a  bond-voting  stimulus  was  necessary  to  promote 
the  building  of  any  legitimate  railroad,  .^s  long,  however,  as  authority 
to  vote  bonds  is  given  by  law,  the  railroad  companies  will  make  sub- 
sidies a  condition  precedent  to  building  roads,  and  the  people  of  different 
counties,  townships  and  cities  will  be  compelled  to  give  the  aid  asked 
in  order  to  protect  their  own  local  interests  against  injury  or  destruc- 
tion. To  repeal  this  authority  will  not  prevent  the  building  of  railroads, 
but  it  will  prevent  the  necessity  of  any  further  increase  of  our  already 
large  municipal  indebtedness." 

The  authority  was  not  repealed  at  this  session,  but  by  the  act  of 
March  4,  1887,  the  law  of  1877,  relating  to  extending  aid  to  railroad 
companies  was  amended  so  as  to  require  a  petition  signed  by  two- 
fifths  of  the  resident  taxpayers  before  an  election,  to  vote  on  the  ques- 
tion of  issuing  bonds,  could  be  ordered  by  the  municipal  authorities. 
A  second  election  on  the  same  subject  could  be  ordered  only  upon  the 
petition  of  a  majority  of  the  legal  voters,  and  in  all  cases  the  railroad 
company  seeking  the  aid  was  required  to  deposit  with  the  county  com- 
missioners a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
election.  It  was  also  provided  that  no  county  could  issue  more  than 
$100,000  worth  of  such  bonds,  with  an  additional  five  per  cent,  of  the 
assessed  value  of  the  property  in  such  county,  and  no  township  more 
than  $15,000  worth  of  bonds,  with  the  additional  five  per  cent.,  and  in 
no  case  should  the  total  amount  of  aid  voted  by  any  county,  township 
or  city  exceed  $2,000  per  mile  for  any  railroad  constructed  in  the  county. 

Another  act,  on  the  following  day,  provided  that  all  bonds  hereafter 
issued  by  counties,  townships  or  cities,  should  be  redeemable  at  the 
option  of  the  authorities  at  any  time  after  ten  years  from  date  of  issue, 
payment  to  be  made  from  a  sinking  fund  created  and  maintained  for 
that  purpose. 

Other  subjects  discussed  by  the  governor  in  his  message  of  1887  were 
the  state  institutions;  the  necessity  for  some  sort  of  relief  for  the 
supreme  court,  which  was  overburdened  with  cases  on  appeal ;  the  work 
of  the  pardoning  board,  the  insurance  department  and  the  labor  bureau ; 
silk  culture;  the  advisability  of  making  some  equitable  adjustment  of 
judicial  districts;  and  an  amendment  to  the  divorce  laws,  so  that  citi- 
zens of  other  states  could  not  take  advantage  of  loose  provisions  to 
secure  divorces  in  Kansas.  On  the  subject  of  railroads  he  said:  "The 
issuing  of  'watered  stock'  should  be  prohibited,  under  the  severest  pen- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ■  24I 

alties.  No  railway  company  should  be  permitted  to  issue  a  single  dol- 
lar of  stock  in  excess  of  the  actual  cost  of  building  and  equipping  the 
road." 

During  the  legislative  session,  which  closed  on  March  5,  a  large  num- 
ber of  acts  were  passed.  Provision  was  made  for  the  payment  of  the 
Ouantrill  Raid  claims ;  the  office  of  commissioner  of  forestry  was  cre- 
ated ;  the  appointment  of  supreme  court  commissioners  was  authorized ; 
an  equitable  division  of  the  state  into  judicial  districts  was  provided 
for;  the  political  disabilities  of  a  number  of  persons  were  removed;  and 
amendments  were  made  to  the  laws  relating  to  the  improvement  of 
highways  and  to  the  assessment  and  collection  of  taxes  in  cities  of  the 
second  and  third  classes.  The  legislature  of  1887  also  passed  what  is 
known  as  the  "Municipal  SutTrage  Bill,"  giving  women  the  right  to  vote 
"for  the  election  of  city  or  school  officers,  or  for  the  purpose  of  authoriz- 
ing the  issuance  of  any  bonds  for  school  purposes."  (See  Woman  Suf- 
frage.) 

In  the  first  administration  of  Gov.  Martin,  serious  difficulties  occurred 
in  several  counties  over  the  location  of  the  countA'  seat.  An  election  was 
held  in  Pratt  county  in  Oct.,  1885,  to  determine  the  site  of  a  permanent 
seat  of  justice  and  resulted  in  a  local  war,  which  was  onl}-  settled  by 
Adjt.-Gen.  Campbell  and  Col.  W.  E.  Hutchinson,  of  the  governor's  staff, 
going  to  the  scene  of  the  disturbance  and  adopting  the  somewhat 
heroic  remedy  of  placing  guards  about  the  rival  towns,  with  instruc- 
tions to  permit  no  one  bearing  arms  to  enter  the  town.  In  Hamilton 
county  there  was  a  contest  over  the  county  seat,  which  was  finally 
adjudicated  by  the  supreme  court.  In  some  instances,  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  new  counties,  as  many  as  seven  elections  were  held  before  the 
county  seat  was  permanently  located,  and  even  then  there  was  more 
or  less  dissatisfaction  over  the  result. 

To  remedy  this  condition  of  aiTairs,  the  legislature  of  1887  enacted  a 
new  law  regarding  the  organization  of  new  counties  and  the  location 
of  seats  of  justice.  Under  the  provisions  of  this  law,  before  a  county 
could  be  organized,  a  census  must  show  2,500  bona  fide  inhabitants, 
400  of  whom  must  be  householders,  and  that  the  property  of  the  county 
possessed  a  value  of  at  least  $150,000,  one-half  of  which  must  be  in  real 
estate.  When  these  conditions  were  complied  with,  the  governor  was 
authorized  to  appoint  three  commissioners,  a  clerk  and  a  sheriff,  who 
were  to  designate  a  temporary  county  seat  and  order  an  election,  within 
from  90  to  120  days  after  the  county  was  organized,  to  determine  the 
permanent  county  seat. 

It  was  thought  that  this  would  alleviate,  if  not  entirely  put  an  end 
to,  the  acrid  disputes  in  the  organization  of  counties.  But  on  June  7 
an  election  in  Stevens  county  started  a  feud  which  resulted  in  the  killing 
of  Sheriff  Cross  and  three  others,  and  the  wounding  of  several  more. 
The  towns  of  Ingalls  and  Cimarron  in  Gray  county  became  involved 
in  a  contest  and  a  detachment  of  the  militia  was  sent  to  restore  order. 
In  Wichita  county  the  towns  of  Coronado  and  Leoti  became  contestants 
fll-i6) 


242 


CYCLOI'EDIA    Ol' 


for  county  seat  lionors,  and  the  excitement  was  quieted  only  througii 
tlie  intervention  of  Adjt.-Gen.  Campbell.  {.For  a  more  complete  account 
of  these  county  seat  wars,  see  the  historical  sketches  of  the  several 

counties.)  ,     . 

Near  the  close  of  the  legislative  session  of  18S7,  Speaker  Smith  was 
presented  with  a  gavel  by  a  Grand  Army  post  of  Richmond,  Va.  It  was 
made  from  wood  taken  from  the  historic  Libby  prison,  in  which  Mr. 
Smith  was  held  for  some  time  as  a  prisoner  of  war  in  1863. 

In  the  spring  of  1888  a  movement  was  started  to  remove  the  capital 
from  Topeka  to  some  point  nearer  the  geographical  center  of  the  state. 
Some  600  delegates  met  at  Abilene  in  April,  adopted  resolutions  oppos- 
ing any  further  appropriations  for  the  completion  or  improvement  of 
the  State-house  at  Topeka,  and  inviting  the  cooperation  of  the  people 
of  central  and  western  Kansas  to  secure  the  removal.  Nothing  ever 
came  of  the  scheme,  however,  as  the  people  were  not  inclined  to 
abandon  a  state-house  that  had  cost  them  nearly  $1,500,000,  and  go  to 
the  expense  of  erecting  another. 

Conventions  of  the  various  political  parties  were  held  early  in  1888, 
for  the  purpose  of  selecting  delegates  to  the  national  conventions,  but 
the  first  convention  to  nominate  candidates  for  the  state  offices  was 
held  by  the  Democratic  party  at  Leavenworth  on  July  4.  John  Martin 
was  nominated  for  governor;  H.  M.  Moore,  for  lieutenant-governor; 
Allen  G.  Thurman,  for  secretary  of  state;  W.  H.  Wilhoite,  for  auditor; 
William  H.  White,  for  treasurer;  C.  F.  Deflfenbacher,  for  attorney-gen- 
eral; A.  N.  Cole,  for  superintendent  of  public  instruction;  and  W.  P. 
Campbell,  for  associate  justice.  John  C.  Sheridan  and  J.  L.  Crider  were 
named  for  presidential  electors  at  large,  and  the  district  electors  were : 
B.  A.  Seaver,  C.  E.  Benton,  E.  A.  Scammon,  John  Watrous.  W.  C. 
Buchanan,  W.  D.  Covington  and  B.  F.  Milton.  The  platform  indorsed 
the  nomination  of  Cleveland  and  Thurman  by  the  national  convention; 
expressed  the  party's  opposition  to  sumptuary  legislation;  denounced 
the  metropolitan  police  system,  and  demanded  a  reduction  in  tarift" 
duties  on  imports.  Two  changes  were  subsequently  made  in  the  state 
ticket,  F.  W.  Frasius  taking  the  place  of  H.  M.  Moore  for  lieutenant- 
governor,  and  Albert  Hurst  that  of  A.  N.  Cole  for  superintendent  of 
public  instruction. 

On  July  18  the  Prohibition  state  convention  met  at  Hutchinson  and 
named  the  following  ticket:  For  governor,  J.  D.  Botkin;  lieutenant- 
governor,  R.  J.  Finley ;  secretary  of  state,  L.  K.  Mclntyre ;  auditor, 
Gabriel  Burdette;  treasurer,  R.  M.  Slonecker;  attorney-general,  Stanton 
M.  Hyer;  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  Miss  Sarah  A.  Brown; 
associate  justice,  I.  O.  Pickering.  The  platform,  in  addition  to  the  usual 
declarations  regarding  the  liquor  traffic,  favored  government  ownership 
of  railroads  and  telegraphs ;  the  election  of  president,  vice-president  and 
United  States  senators  by  direct  vote  of  the  people;  and  opposed  alien 
ownership  of  land.  The  Prohibition  electors  at  large  were  J.  H.  Byers 
and  W.  H.  Ransom;  the  district  electors  were:  J.  N.  Schouller,  W.  H. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  243 

Lemon,  Miles  Brown,  J.  H.  Thompson,  Charles  Fairfield,  C.  H.  St.  John 
and  W.  M.  Friedley. 

The  Republican  state  convention  met  at  Topeka  on  July  26.  Resolu- 
tions were  adopted  in  favor  of  "Home  rule  against  the  saloon;"  the 
strict  enforcement  of  the  prohibitory  law;  legislation  to  protect  Amer- 
ican labor  against  Chinese,  convict  and  pauper  competition;  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  legal  rate  of  interest  to  six  per  cent.,  and  demanding  the 
overthrown  of  the  trusts.  In  the  selection  of  candidates  for  the  state 
offices,  Lyman  U.  Humphrey  was  nominated  for  governor;  Andrew  J. 
Felt,  for  lieutenant-governor;  William  Higgins,  for  secretary  of  state; 
Timothy  McCarthy,  for  auditor;  James  W.  Hamilton,  for  treasurer; 
L.  B.  Kellogg,  for  attorney-general;  George  W.  Winans,  for  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction;  and  William  A.  Johnston,  for  associate 
justice.  John  L.  Waller  and  Eugene  F.  Ware  were  the  Republican 
candidates  for  presidential  electors  at  large  in  this  campaign,  and  the 
candidates  for  district  electors  were:-  Alonzo  W.  Robinson,  Frank  R. 
Ogg,  Thomas  P.  Anderson,  John  Madden,  Delbert  A.  Valentine,  James 
B.  McGonigal  and  Willis  G.  Emerson. 

A  Union  Labor  (Greenback)  ticket  was  also  placed  in  the  field.  The 
candidates  for  presidential  electors  at  large  on  this  ticket  were  John 
Davis  and  Cyrus  Corning;  for  district  electors,  T.  D.  Eraser,  D.  O. 
Markley,  J.  L.  Shinn,  P.  B.  Maxson,  L.  G.  Frybarger,  Albert  Fuller  and 
Charles  Rumsey.  For  the  state  offices  P.  P.  Elder  was  nominated  for 
governor;  S.  B.  Todd,  for  lieutenant-governor;  M.  J.  Albright,  for  secre- 
tary of  state;  J.  H.  Lathrop,  for  auditor;  Samuel  Nutt,  for  treasurer; 
W.  F.  Rightmire,  for  attorney-general ;  H.  F.  Hixson,  for  superintendent 
of  public  instruction;  H.  A.  White,  for  associate  justice. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  6,  the  Republican  presidential  electors  car- 
ried the  state  by  a  plurality  of  over  76,000.  The  vote  for  governor  was 
as  follows:  Humphrey,  180,841;  Martin,  107,480;  Elder,  35,837;  Botkin, 
6,439.  The  Republican  candidate  for  Congress  in  each  of  the  seven 
districts  was  elected. 

About  this  time  the  gigantic  combinations  of  capital,  known  as 
"trusts,"  were  attracting  widespread  attention.  In  May,  1888,  a  far- 
mer's convention  met  in  Topeka  to  discuss  the  subject  and  propose  a 
remedy.  Five  states — Kansas,  Nebraska,  Missouri,  Illinois  and  Indiana 
— were  represented.  Nothing  definitely  was  at  that  time  accomplished, 
and  the  convention  adjourned  until  Nov.  14,  when  the  "Farmers' 
National  Congress"  met  in  Topeka,  where  the  National  Grange,  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  met  at  the  same  time.  The  resolutions  adopted  approved 
of  the  encouragement  and  assistance  extended  to  the  sugar  industry  by 
the  United  States  department  of  agriculture;  commended  the  liberality 
of  Congress  in  making  appropriations  for  experimental  work  in  further- 
ance of  that  industry;  opposed  all  combinations  of  capital  in  trusts  or 
otherwise  to  exercise  control  of  the  markets ;  urged  the  speedy  passage 
of  the  bill  creating  the  cabinet  office  of  secretary  of  agriculture,  and 
recommended   "that  said  position    be    filled    by    a    practical    farmer:" 


2  11  I  \  I  l.til'lCDlA    (11" 

fxprcssc.l  llio  opinion  that  the  a.i^ricnltnral  activities  of  the  country 
would  he  much  imiiroved  l)y  an  increase  in  the  circulating  medium,  and 
I'avored  the  free  coinat;e  of  silver. 

I!y  the  i)rovisions  of  the  constitution,  the  ,L;overnor's  term  begins  on 
the 'second  Mondav  in  [anuary  following  his  election,  and  the  legis- 
lature meets  on  the  second  Tuesday.  In  1889  January  began  on  Tues- 
day, the  legislature  convened  on  the  8lh,  and  Gov.  Martin  did  not  retire 
fro'm  the  office  until  the  14th.  Hence,  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  deliver  a 
retiring  message  to  the  general  assembly.  After  referring  to  the  con- 
stitutional provisions  governing  the  time  of  the  governor's  inaugura- 
tion and  the  opening  of  the  legislative  session,  he  said:  "This  year,  for 
the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  state,  the  term  of  the  retiring  gov- 
ernor does  not  expire  uiilii  six  days  after  the  assembling  of  the  legis- 
lature, and  thus  it  is  made  my  duty,  under  th'^  provision  of  the  consti- 
tution above  recited,  to  transmit  to  yon  this  communication." 

Municipal  indebtedness  again  became  one  of  the  principal  themes  of 
iiis  message,  lie  pointed  out  that  the  law  of  1887,  reducing  the  amount 
of  railroad  bonds  that  could  be  issued  by  any  municipality  from  $4,000 
to  S2.000  per  mile,  did  not  take  effect  until  July  i,  1887,  and  that  some 
municipalities  had  taken  advantage  of  this  delay  to  issue  bonds  before 
the  new  law  became  effective.  At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  on  June 
30,  1888,  the  total  debt  of  counties,  cities,  townships  and  school  dis- 
tricts amounted  to  $31,107,646.90,  from  which  could  be  deducted  the 
cash  in  the  sinking  fund  (S373.712.03),  leaving  a  net  indebtedness  of 
530,733,934.87.  Of  this  amount,  he  stated  that  four-fifths  had  been  for 
bonds  issued  in  behalf  of  railroad  companies.  Said  he:  "'Pay  as  you 
eo'  ought   to   be.   henceforth,   the   motto   of   every   municipality    in    the 

state." 

He  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  secretary  of  war  had  requested, 
by  letter,  the  passage  of  an  act  ceding  jurisdiction  to  the  United  States 
over  the  Fort  Riley  military  reservation ;  recommended  a  revision  of 
the  laws  relating  to  insurance,  public  highways,  fees  of  officers,  capital 
ininishment,  judicial  districts  and  railroads;  and  closed  his  message 
as  follows : 

"In  conclusion,  I  desire  to  express  my  profound  gratitude  to  the 
I)eople  of  Kansas,  who  have  not  only  honored  me  with  two  elections  to 
the  highest  office  in  their  gift,  but  sustained  me  with  a  constancy  as 
imfailing  as  it  was  generous. 

"I  wish  also  to  acknowledge  the  steadfast  and  helpful  support  given 
me  by  all  the  state  officers  and  heads  of  departments,  during  the  past 
four  years.  No  executive  has  ever  had  the  counsel  of  more  competent 
and  faithful  officers. 

"That  Kansas  may  continue  to  grow  and  prosper ;  that  her  citizens 
may  enjoy,  for  centuries  to  come,  the  blessings  of  wise  and  just  laws, 
protecting  the  rights  and  interests  of  all  alike;  and  that  your  labors, 
gentlemen  of  the  legislature,  may  be  not  only  pleasant  to  you,  but  bene- 
ficial to  those  you  represent,  is  my  fervent  hope  and  prayer." 


KANSAS    HISTORY  245 

Marvin,  Frank  Olin,  professor  of  ci\il  engineering  and  dean  of  the 
school  of  engineering  at  the  University  of  Kansas,  was  born  at  Alfred 
('enter.  X.  Y.,  May  27,  1852.  He  was  edncated  at  Allegheny  College. 
Aleadville,  I'a.,  where  he  received  the  A.  B.  degree  in  1871  and  the  A.  M. 
in  1874.  Jrle  was  principal  of  the  Lawrence  (Kan.)  high  school  in 
1876-78;  was  instructor  in  mathematics  and  physics  in  the  University  of 
r<ansas  from  1879  to  1883,  when  he  became  professor  of  civil  engineer- 
ing. He  was  appointed  dean  of  the  school  of  engineering  when  it  was 
organized  in  1891.  His  great  service  to  education  has  been  in  the  build- 
ing of  a  successful  engineering  school  at  the  university.  In  1895  ^^ 
became  engineer  for  the  Kansas  state  board  of  health.  He  is  fellow  of 
the  American  Association  of  the  Advancement  of  Science,  member  of 
the  Societ}'  of  Civil  Engineers,  and  the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science.  His 
publications  consist  of  papers  before  scientific  societies,  and  contribu- 
tions to  scientific  journals.  In  1901  he  married  Miss  Josephine  Alarch, 
of  Lawrence,  Kan. 

Marvin,  James,  third  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  was 
born  in  Peru,  Clinton  county,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  17,  1820.  His  childhood  and 
youth  were  spent  on  his  father's  farm.  His  earl}'  education  was  obtained 
in  the  common  schools  of  the  township  and  in  the  Keeseville  and  Alfred 
academies.  He  engaged  in  teaching  during  the  winter  inonths  in  rural 
districts  until  1849,  ^^  which  time  he  entered  Allegheny  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  185 1  and  was  appointed  professor  of  mathematics 
in  Alfred  Teachers'  Seminary  in  New  York.  In  1854  he  went  to  \Var- 
ren,  Ohio,  as  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  and  remained  there  until 
1862,  when  he  returned  to  Allegheny  College  as  professor  of  mathe- 
matics. On  Nov.  19,  1874,  he  was  elected  chancellor  of  the  L'niversity 
of  Kansas,  resigned  from  Allegheny  College,  and  assumed  control  of  the 
university  early  in  the  winter.  The  institution  under  his  administration 
made  considerable  progress  notwithstanding  adverse  conditions.  He 
served  for  eight  3'ears  and  eight  months,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1880 
accepted  the  superintendency  of  Haskell  Institute,  the  government 
school  for  Indians  at  Lawrence,  Kan.  Dr.  Marvin  spent  eighteen  months 
organizing  Haskell,  but  resigned  because  he  thought  the  school  needed 
a  younger  man.  In  early  life  he  had  become  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  in  1847  was  given  permit  to  preach  that  faith. 
Wlien  he  resigned  from  the  Indian  school  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of 
the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Lawrence.  He  was  pastor 
five  years,  and  during  the  last  two  years  a  new  church  edifice  was  erected 
at  the  cost  of  $40,000.  In  1865  the  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  Alfred  University  and  in  1883  that  of  LL.  D.  by  the  University 
of  Kansas.  On  July  14,  1851,  he  married  Armina  Le  Suer.  To  them 
were  born  two  children,  a  son,  Frank  O.,  who  is  dean  of  the  engineering 
school  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  and  a  daughter,  Armina,  wife  of 
Prof.  A.  F.  Wilcox  of  Lawrence. 

Marysville,  the  county  seat  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  a  little  to 
ihe  northwest  of  the  center  of  the  county  on  the  Big  Blue  river,  at  the 


246 


t  VCLOI'KDIA    OF 


junction  of  the  tiiion  Pacinc  and  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  rail- 
loads.  It  is  one  of  the  most  important  towns  of  northeastern  Kansas 
both  historically  and  commercially.  It  has  paved  streets,  city  water- 
works, electric  lights,  a  sewer  system,  an  efficient  fire  department,  3 
weekly  newspapers  (the  Courier,  the  Advocate-Democrat  and  the 
News),  7  cigar  factories,  a  broom  factory,  flour  mill,  brick  and  tile 
works,  planing  mill,  grain  elevators  and  banking  facilities.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  2,260. 

Marysville  was  laid  out  by  Francis  J.  Marshall  in  1855  and  the  same 
year  it  was  named  as  the  county  seat.  Marshall  operated  a  ferry  at 
that  point  on  the  Big  Blue  river  and  had  already  built  a  log  cabin 
14x16  feet  with  a  counter  in  one  end  of  it  where  he  sold  a  poor  line  of 
groceries  and  whiskey.  The  Marysville  Town  company  was  incor- 
porated by  an  act  of  the  territorial  legislatitre  on  Aug.  27,  1855,  the 
following  being  the  incorporators:  A.  G.  Woodward,  David  Galispie, 
John  Doniphan,  R.  T.  Galispie.  Francis  J.  Marshall,  James  Doniphan, 
Robert  C.  Bishop  and  M.  G.  Shrewsbury.  They  bought  up  100  shares 
of  the  stock  of  the  Palmetto  Town  company  and  laid  off  an  addition  of 
320  acres  on  the  north  half  of  section  33,  township  2,  range  7. 

A  sawmill  was  erected  in  1857  by  Shibley  &  Quarles.  The  roster  of 
early  business  men  includes  the  names  of  Dr.  John  P.  Miller;  J.  S. 
Magill.  attorney;  Francis  J.  Marshall,  general  store;  A.  G.  Barrett, 
hotel ;  Ballard  &  Morrall,  drugs.  In  1863  a  company  was  organized  to 
build  a  bridge  across  the  Big  Blue  river  and  $8,000  worth  of  stock  was 
soon  sold.  The  officers  of  the  company  were:  J.  Samuels,  president; 
A.  E.  Lowell,  treasurer;  J.  D.  Brumbaugh,  secretary;  T.  W.  Waterson 
and  J.  S.  Magill,  directors.  The  bridge  was  of  the  Howe  truss  pattern. 
Marysville  was  incorporated  as  a  city  by  the  territorial  legislature  in 
1861.  Ten  years  later  it  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class 
and  is  now  a  city  of  the  second  class.  In  1861  a  small  frame  school 
building  was  erected  at  the  cost  of  $700.  which  was  replaced  five  years 
later  by  a  fine  $8,000  limestone  building.  The  first  newspaper  at  Marys- 
\ille  was  the  "Palmetto  Kansan,"  a  pro-slavery  organ  established  in 
1857  and  the  next  was  the  Democratic  Platform  in  1859.  The  first  ser- 
mon was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Millice  in  1857  ''^  ^  saloon.  A 
church  was  organized  which  was  supplied  with  "circuit  riders"  until  the 
\\;ar  broke  out,  when  it  disbanded.  Marysville  is  now  supplied  with  all 
denominations  of  churches  and  with  good  graded  and  high  schools 
accredited  at  the  state  college  and  other  leading  institutions  of  learn- 
ing. In  1891  Marysville  built  a  $40,000  court-house  which  it  donated 
to  the  county. 

Mason,  Walt,  poet  and  humorist,  was  born  at  Columbus,  Ontario, 
May  4,  1S62,  a  son  of  John  and  Lydia  S.  (Campbell)  Mason.  He  is  self- 
oducated,  and  in  1880  came  to  the  United  States  to  engage  in  news- 
paper work.  From  1885  to  1887  he  was  employed  on  the  Atchison  Globe. 
and  later  was  connected  with  the  Nebraska  State  Journal  published  at 
Lincoln.     In  1893  he  became  a  paragrapher  on  the  Washington  Evening 


KANSAS    HISTORY  247 

News,  and  since  1907  has  been  associated  with  William  Allen  White 
in  the  publication  of  the  Emporia  Gazette.  Mr.  Mason  is  the  author  of 
'■Rhymes  of  the  Range,"  "Uncle  Walt,"  and  a  Calendar.  His  "Poetic 
Philosoph}'"  has  been  published  in  a  number  of  newspapers  throughout 
the  country.  On  Feb.  15,  1893,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Ella  Foss  of  Wooster,  Ohio. 

Masterson,  William  Barclay,  better  known  as  "Bat"  Masterson,  was 
born  in  Iroquois  county,  111.,  in  1854.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the 
State  of  New  York  and  by  occupation  was  a  farmer.  In  1870  the  family 
removed  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Sedgwick  county.  During  his  boy- 
hood days  he  became  an  expert  in  the  use  of  firearms,  and  accompanied 
expeditions  that  went  out  after  buffaloes.  The  nickname  "Bat"  was 
conferred  on  him  by  his  companions  one  day  while  out  on  one  of  these 
trips,  the  name  descending  "to  him  as  it  were  from  Baptiste  Brown,  or 
'Old  Bat,'  whose  fame  as  a  mighty  Nimrod  .  .  .  filled  with  admiration 
that  generation  of  plainsmen  which  immediately  preceded  Mr.  Master- 
son  upon  the  western  stage."  In  1874  he  was  employed  as  a  scout  in 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Elliott  in  the  Pan  Handle  country.  While  at  Adobe 
Walls  he  seems  to  have  incurred  the  displeasure  of  a  jealous  sergeant 
from  Fort  Elliott,  who  came  over  on  purpose  to  settle  scores.  Locating 
Masterson  in  a  dance  hall,  the  sergeant  forced  an  entrance  and  opened 
fire  on  him.  The  woman  operating  the  hall,  in  an  effort  to  protect 
Masterson  from  the  onslaught,  thrust  herself  between  the  belligerents 
only  to  receive  a  shot  that  killed  her  instantly,  the  ball  passing  through 
her  body  andseverel}'  wounding  Masterson,  who  fell  to  the  floor.  While 
in  this  position  he  raised  himself,  drew  his  gun,  and  took  one  shot  at 
the  sergeant,  killing  him  before  he  could  make  another  move.  This 
was  his  first  man  and  the  killing  was  done  in  self-defense.  Some  months 
later  he  was  one  of  the  besieged  hunters  at  Adobe  Walls  (q.  v.)  in  a 
several  days'  fight  with  infuriated  Indians  who  were  out  on  a  war  of 
extermination  against  the  buffalo  hunters. 

He  served  two  terms  as  sheriff  of  Ford  county,  and  his  brother,  Ed 
Masterson,  was  marshal  of  Dodge  City  while  Bat  was  sheriff.  One  day 
a  squad  of  Texas  cowboys  came  into  town,  took  possession  of  one  of 
the  dance  halls  and  started  a  row.  Bat  and  Ed  went  over  to  straighten 
out  matters,  the  former  going  inside  while  the  latter  kept  guard  in 
front.  Another  cowboy  appeared  on  the  scence  whom  Ed  asked  to  sur- 
render his  gun.  He  replied  by  placing  his  gun  against  Ed's  body  and 
firing,  giving  him  a  mortal  wound  and  setting  his  clothes  on  fire  at 
the  same  time.  Bat,  hearing  the  shot,  came  out  to  see  what  was  the 
matter,  told  his  brother  to  go  for  help,  and  turned  his  attention  to  the 
assailants.  A  few  minutes  later  two  of  the  cowboys  were  dead  and  the 
disturbance  in  the  dance  hall  was  quieted. 

About  1881  he  removed  to  Tombstone,  Ariz.,  and  while  there  received 
word  from  a  Dodge  City  friend  that  his  brother  James  had  been 
injured  in  a  quarrel  with  the  proprietor  of  the  Lady  Gay  dance  hall — 
a  resort  operated  by  a  man  named  Peacock  and  his  barkeeper  named 


248  CYCI.Ol'EDIA    OF 

Updegraff.  Me  took  tlie  tir.st  train  for  Uodge  City,  reached  there  at 
II  a.  m.,  and  soon  met  I'eacock  and  Updegraff,  whom  he  invited  to  come 
shooting.  During  the  fracas,  which  was  participated  in  by  friends  on 
both  sides,  only  one  man  was  hurt,  Mr.  Updegraff,  and  he  subsequently 
recovered.  After  the  battle  was  over  the  mayor  arrived  on  the  scene 
with  his  Winchester  ritle,  and  ordered  ^lasterson  to  throw  down  his  gun, 
which  he  did  at  the  solicitation  of  his  friends.  He  was  then  arrested, 
fined  $5  and  costs  which  he  cheerfully  paid  at  12  o'clock,  and  at  3  p.  m. 
took  the  train  for  Tombstone. 

Some  years  later  he  removed  to  Trinidad,  Colo.,  where  he  filled  the 
office  of  deputy  marshal.  He  also  saw  military  service  as  a  ranger 
under  Gen.  Xelson  A.  Miles,  and  in  1893  he  went  to  New  York  City 
at  the  request  of  a  former  superintendent  of  police,  Thomas  Byrnes. 
At  that  time  George  Gould  had  received  a  number  of  threatening  let- 
ters, in  one  of  which  the  writer  threatened  to  shoot  Gould  on  sight. 
Byrnes  suggested  to  the  multi-millionaire  that  he  needed  the  services 
of  some  man  who  wouldn't  be  afraid  to  "shoot  up"  Broadway  during 
the  busy  hours  if  necessary,  who  would  hit  the  man  he  shot  at  instead 
of  some  other  individual,  and  suggested  Masterson.  For  eight  months 
he  shadowed  Mr.  Gould,  finally  apprehending  the  letter  writer  at  the 
home  of  Miss  Helen  Gould,  whom  he  insisted  had  promised  to  marry 
him.  Since  then  he  has  lived  in  New  York.  In  1905,  at  the  request  of 
President  Roosevelt,  he  was  appointed  deputy  United  States  marshal 
for  New  York. 

Mastin,  a  hamlet  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  Johnson  county,  is 
a  station  on  the  Ivansas  City,  Clinton  &  Springfield  R.  R.  it  miles  east 
of  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  facilities  and 
receives  mail  at  Kenneth.     In  1910  the  population  was  25. 

Matfield  Green,  a  little  village  in  Chase  county,  is  located  on  the  south 
fork  of  the  Cottonwood  river  in  Matfield  township,  near  the  south  line 
of  the  county,  17  miles  south  of  Cottonwood  Falls,  the  county  seat, 
and  9  miles  south  of  Bazaar,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping 
point.  It  has  a  bank  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural 
route.     The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  275. 

Mathewson,  a  post  hamlet  of  Labette  county,  is  located  on  the  Ne- 
osho river  and  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  in  Neosho  town- 
ship, 12  miles  north  of  Oswego,  the  county  seat.  It  had  a  population 
of  25  in  1910.  The  plat  for  the  town  was  made  in  1879.  William  Downs 
erected  a  building,  in  which  he  lived  and  kept  a  store  and  the  post- 
office.     The  railroad  name  is  Strauss. 

Maxson,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Agencv  township,  Osage  county 
IS  located  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  10  miks  south- 
east of  Lyndon,  the  county  seat,  and  about  6  miles  northeast  of  Mel- 
vern,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.  The  population  accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1910  was  40. 

May  Day,  a  hamlet   cf  Riley  county,  is  located  in  Center  township 
35  miles  irom  Manhattan,  the  county  seat,  and   10  miles  from  Green,' 


KANSAS    HISTIIKS'  ,  249 

Clay  county,  the  nearest  railroad  station.  It  has  a  mcmey  order  post- 
office.     The  population  in  1910  was  59. 

Mayetta,  a  village  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Cedar  township,  about  8  miles  south  of  Hol- 
ton,  the  county  seat.  All  the  general  lines  of  business  are  represented, 
including  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices.  Three  rural  mail 
routes  emanate  from  the  Mayetta  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910 
^vas  350.  The  town  was  founded  by  Mrs.  E.  E.  Lunger,  who  laid  off 
the  lots  on  Dec.  i,  1886,  and  sold  16  of  them  immediatel}-.  She  gave 
the  railroad  company  some  10  acres  of  land  on  condition  that  she  be 
allowed  to  name  the  town.  The  name  is  a  combination  of  Mary  and 
Henrietta,  which  was  the  name  of  Mrs.  lounger's  little  daughter  who 
died   some   time   before. 

Mayfield,  one  of  the  villages  of  Sumner  county,  is  located  in  Osborne 
township,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  8  miles  west  of 
Wellington,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  number  of  well  stocked  mercan- 
tile establishments,  2  flour  mills,  good  schools  and  churches,  express  and 
telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes. 
The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  225. 

Mayview,  a  hamlet  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  in  Brown's  Creek 
township  on  Brown's  creek,  12  miles  south  of  Mankato,  the  county 
seat.  It  had  35  inhabitants  according  to  the  census  of  1910  and  receives 
daily   mail   from  Jewell. 

Maywood,  a  hamlet  in  the  western  part  of  Wyandotte  county,  is  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  14  miles  west  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  rural 
delivery  from  Bethel.    The  population  in  1910  was  16. 

Meade,  the  county  seat  of  Meade  county,  is  located  north  of  the  cen- 
tral portion  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  2 
banks,  2  newspapers  (the  News  and  the  Globe),  all  lines  of  mercantile 
Enterprise,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international  money 
order  postoffice.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was 
664.  Meade  was  founded  in  1885.  The  buildings  were  all  of  native 
stone  which  existed  in  abundance.  During  the  first  few  months  the 
growth  was  very  rapid  on  account  of  prospects  of  county  organization. 
A  bank  was  established  and  two  newspapers  were  started.  It  was  de- 
clared the  temporary  county  seat  on  Nov.  4,  1885.  A  few  days  later 
the  town  was  organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  and  the  following 
officers  elected:  Mayor,  Peter  E.  Hart;  police  judge,  William  C.  O. 
Osgood  ;  councilmen,  Nelson  Button,  Evan  A.  Furst,  George  M.  Rob- 
erts, David  Truax  and  William  H.  Stewart.  In  Jan.,  1886,  Meade  was 
chosen  permanent  county  seat.  It  was  originally  called  Meade  Center, 
but  the  name  was  changed  to  Meade  by  the  act  of  Feb.  26,  1889. 

Meade  County,  one  of  the  southern  tier,  is  the  fourth  east  from  the 
Colorado  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Gray  and  Ford  cotmties; 
on  the  east  by  Clark;  on  the  south  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  and  on 
the  west  by  Seward  and  Haskell  counties.  It  was  created  in  1873  and 
named  in  honor  of  Gen.  George  G.  Meade.     The  boundaries  were  de-  • 


250  tyCLOPEDIA    OF 

fined  as  fulluw.s:  X  i.inmcncins;-  at  llic  intorsccliun  of  llie  east  line  uf 
ranyi'  _'7  west,  with  the  north  line  of  township  29  south ;  thence  south 
along  range  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  south  boundary  line  of  the 
Stale  of  Kansas :  thence  west  along  said  boundary  line  of  the  State  of 
Kansas  to  a  point  where  it  is  intersected  by  the  east  line  of  range  31 
west :  thence  north  along  range  line  to  where  it  intersects  the  north 
boundary-  line  of  town  29  south;  tlience  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  county  was  dissolved  in  1883,  but  was  reestablished  in  1885  with 
slightly  different  boundaries.  The  northern  boundary  was  made  the 
north  line  of  township  30  south,  and  the  east  boundary  vvas  extended 
to  the  east  line  of  range  27  west,  adding  another  tier  of  townships  on 
the  east.  The  county  was  organized  in  1885,  when  a  petition  signed  by 
250  householders  attesting  that  the  county  had  more  than  1,500  in- 
habitants and  that  more  than  250  of  these  were  householders,  was  sent 
to  the  governor,  John  A.  Afartin.  He  api)ointed  I.  N.  Graves  census 
taker.  The  returns  showed  a  population  of  3,507,  of  whom  1,165  were 
householders.  The  governor  made  the  proclamation  of  organization 
on  Xov.  4.  Meade  Center  was  declared  the  temporary  county  seat 
and  the  following  temporarj-  county  officers  named :  County  clerk, 
A.  D.  McDavid;  commissioners,  L.  S.  Sears  of  Meade  Center,  H.  L 
Mullen  of  Fowler,  and  E.  M.  Mears  of  West  Plains.  The  election  for 
the  location  of  the  county  seat  and  the  choosing  of  permanent  officers 
was  held  on  Jan.  5,  1886.  The  candidates  for  county  seat  were  Fow- 
ler, Pearlette  and  Meade  Center,  the  last  named  being  the  winner.  The 
officers  elected  were  as  follows:  County  clerk,  M.  B.  Peed;  clerk  of  the 
district  court,  W.  H.  Willis;  treasurer,  W.  F.  Foster;  probate  judge, 
K.  K.  McCall;  sheriff,  Mr.  McKibben ;  register  of  deeds,  C.  W.  Adams; 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  M.  B.  Clark ;  county  attorney, 
Samuel  Lawrence;  surveyor.  Price  Moody;  coroner,  E.  E.  Buchecher; 
commissioners,  John  D.  Wick,  Chris  Schmoker  and  H.  L.  MuUer;  rep- 
resentative, R.  M.  Painter. 

The  first  settlements  in  Meade  county  were  made  in  1878.  In  1879 
a  colony  from  Zanesville,  Ohio,  settled  at  Pearlette.  Daniel  Dillon 
and  John  Joblin  were  prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  colony.  A 
little  newspaper,  the  Pearlette  Call,  was  issued,  the  first  number  ap- 
pearing in  April,  1879.  In  February  of  the  same  year  a  salt  sink  was 
discovered  about  3  miles  south  of  Meade  Center.  This  hole,  which 
was  said  by  scientists  to  be  one  of  the  remarkable  natural  curiosities 
of  the  state,  made  its  appearance  suddenly  on  the  site  of  a  favorite 
camping  ground.  A  traveler  having  camped  on  the  spot  returned  after 
3  days  and  found  the  salt  sink,  which  was  a  hole  200  feet  wide  and  over 
100  feet  deep,  and  about  half  full  of  water.  Salt  was  manufactured  by 
evaporation  for  four  or  five  years,  but  the  enterprise  was  abandoned 
for  lack  of  a  market.  Peat  was  discovered  in  the  fall  of  1878.  About 
the  middle  of  the  '80s  artesian  water  was  discovered  and  by  1887  a 
large  number  of  wells  had' been  sunk  on  farms  in  Crooked  Creek  town- 
ship.    At  present  there  are  1,000  artesian  wells  in  the  northeastern  part 


KANSAS    HISTORY  25  J 

of  the  county,  within  an  area  of  6  miles  wide  by  30  long,  known  as 
Artesian  Valley.  The  water  is  found  at  a  depth  of  150  feet.  A  good 
grade  of  pumice  limestone,  sandstone  and  gypsum  is  also  found. 

The  county  is  divided  into  nine  townships,  viz :  Cimarron,  Crooked 
Creek,  Fowler,  Logan,  Meade  Center,  Mertilla,  Odee,  Sand  Creek  and 
West  Plains.  The  postoiifices  are  Atwater,  Carmen,  Fowler,  Jasper, 
Lakeland,  Meade,  Mertilla,  Miles,  Plains  and  Uneda.  The  general  sur- 
face is  a  rolling  prairie  with  some  rough  lands  and  bluflrs  in  the  south- 
east. Bottom  lands  average  a  mile  in  width  and  comprise  10  per  cent, 
of  the  area.  Timber  is  scarce.  Crooked  creek  enters  in  the  northeast, 
flows  east  about  10  miles,  thence  by  a  devious  course  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  county.  It  has  several  tributary  creeks.  The  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  enters  in  the  northeast  and  crosses  south- 
west through  Meade  into  Seward  county. 

The  leading  crop  is  wheat,  which  in  1910  brought  an  income  to  the 
farmers  of  $618,938;  Kafir  corn  the  same  year  was  worth  $170,340; 
alfalfa  and  other  tame  grasses,  $128,097;  barley,  $75,644.  Corn,  oats, 
buckwheat,  millet,  milo,  maize,  sorghum,  Irish  potatoes  and  wild  grasses 
are  other  important  crops.  The  raising  of  live  stock  is  profitable.  The 
animals  sold  for  slaughter  in  1910  brought  $264,644,  and  the  total  value 
of  farm  products  for  that  year  was  $1,642,089.  The  assessed  valuation 
of  property  in  1910  was  $9,192,283,  and  the  population  was  5,055,  show- 
ing an  average  wealth  per  capita  above  the  average  for  the  state.  The 
population  in  1900  was  1,581,  the  gain  in  the  last  ten  years  being  over 
200  per  cent.  In  common  with  other  western  counties  Meade  ex- 
perienced a  depression  during  the  latter  '80s  and  the  '90s  from  which  it 
has  now  fully  recovered. 

Medal  of  Honor  Legion. — On  April  24,  1890,  a  meeting  was  held  in 
Topeka,  having  for  its  object  the  uniting  in  an  organization  of  all  sol- 
diers and  sailors  who  received  medals  of  honor  while  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States.  Every  one  who  received  such  a  mark  of  distinction 
was  eligible  for  membership  on  payment  of  one  dollar.  A  temporary 
organization  was  eflfected  with  M.  A.  Dillon  as  commander-in-chief, 
and  Thomas  M.  Reed  as  adjutant.  A  circular  was  sent  out  on  July 
23,  1890,  requesting  all  persons  holding  medals  to  become  members, 
but  the  records  do  not  show  that  the  legion  ever  became  a  permanent 
institution. 

Medary,  Samuel,  the  last  regularly  appointed  territorial  governor  of 
Kansas,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county.  Pa.,  Feb.  25,  1801.  The  name 
was  originally  spelled  "Madeira."  On  the  maternal  side  he  was  of 
Quaker  extraction,  his  mother's  ancestry  having  come  to  America  with 
William  Penn.  He  was  educated  at  the  Norristown  Academy,  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  was  a  contributor  to  the  Norristown  Herald. 
The  encouragement  he  received  from  the  editor  of  that  paper  doubtless 
influenced  him  to  select  journalism  for  a  profession.  He  learned  the 
printer's  trade  and  in  1825  went  to  Batavia,  Ohio,  where  three  years 
later  he  started  the  Ohio  Sun,  in  the  interest  of  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson's 


.'5^  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

candidacy  lor  presidency.  In  1834  he  was  elected  as  a  Deniocrai  lo  the 
lower  house  of  the  Ohio  legislature,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term 
was  clu>sen  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  senate.  He  then  pur- 
chased the  newspaper  known  as  the  Western  Hemisphere,  at  Columbus, 
and  chany:ed  the  name  to  the  Ohio  Statesman,  which  he  continued  to 
edit  until  1857.  His  paper  became  a  power  in  Ohio  politics,  and  even 
wielded  a  national  influence  with  the  Democratic  party.  When  the  Ore- 
gon boundary  became  a  subject  of  dispute,  Mr.  Medary  is  credited  with 
being  the  author  of  the  slogan:  "Fifty-four  Forty  or  Fight."  In  1844 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  national  convention  at  Baltimore, 
where  he  produced  a  letter  from  Gen.  Jackson  requesting  him,  in  case  of 
discord,  to  present  the  name  of  James  K.  Polk  for  the  presidency.  This 
was  done,  and  Polk  was  nominated.  In  1856  Mr.  Medary  was  temporary- 
chairman  of  the  national  convention  that  nominated  James  Buchanan  and 
did  all  in  his  power  to  secure  the  nomination  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 
In  March,  1857,  he  was  appointed  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Minne- 
sota. When  it  was  admitted  as  a  state  in  May,  1858,  he  was  made  post- 
master at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  held  that  position  until  appoinced  gover- 
nor of  Kansas  the  following  November.  He  resigned  the  governorship 
in  Dec,  i860,  returned  to  Columbus  and  established  the  Crisis,  which 
he  continued  to  publish  until  his  death  on  Nov.  7,  1864.  Gov.  Medary 
was  endearingly  called  the  "Old  wheel-horse  of  Democracy,"  and  in  1869 
the  party  in  Ohio  erected  a  monument  at  Columbus  "In  commemoration 
of  his  public  services,  private  virtues,  distinguished  ability,  and  devotion 
to  principle." 

Medary's  Administration. — Samuel  Medary  was  appointed  governor 
of  Kansas  Territory  on  Xo\ .  19,  1858.  He  took  the  oath  of  office  before 
Roger  B.  Taney,  chief  justice  of  the  United  States  supreme  court,  on 
Dec.  I,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office  on  the  i8th  of  the  same 
month.  At  that  time  there  was  considerable  excitement  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  territory  over  the  operations  of  Capt.  Montgomery's 
company  of  free-state  men.  (See  Montgomery,  James.)  The  day  after 
Gov.  Medary  entered  upon  his  executive  functions  he  received  a  com- 
munication from  Fort  Scott,  signed  by  Charles  Bull,  the  sherilT  of  Bour- 
bon county  :  William  T.  Campbell,  a  deputy  United  States  marshal ;  and 
J.  E.  Jones,  editor  of  the  Fort  Scott  Democrat,  notifying  him  of  an  attack 
on  that  place  "by  100  armed  men,"  and  asking  him  to  take  such  action 
as  would  protect  the  people  of  that  section  from  these  raids. 

Judging  from  the  reports,  the  governor  proceeded  in  a  somewhat  leis- 
urely fashion  to  grant  the  request  of  the  petitioners.  On  the  20th  he 
sent  his  private  secretary,  Samuel  A.  Medary,  to  Fort  Leavenworth,, 
"to  ascertain  the  number  and  character  of  the  troops  at  the  disposal  of 
the  commandant."  On  the  24th  a  mass  meeting  at  Paola  appointed  H. 
M.  Hughes,  J.  M.  Breeding  and  G.  W.  Miller  a  committee  to  appeal  to 
the  governor  for  aid,  as  Montgomery,  John  Brown  and  others,  with 
from  100  to  200  armed  men  were  moving  toward  that  town.  Appar- 
ently, the  governor  was  still  unwilling  to  resort  to  extreme  measures,  but 


KANSAS    HISTORY    '  253 

OH  the  25111  he  wrote  Capt.  Arnold  Elzey,  commanding  at  P'ort  Leaven- 
worth, that  he  had  received  confirmatory  information  concerning  the 
outrages  in  Luin  and  Bourbon  counties,  and  suggesting  that  "If  it  be 
possible  for  you  to  call  upon  me  without  delay,  you  will  confer  a  favor, 
and  assist  me  materially  in  the  confirmation  and  execution  of  such  plans 
as  must  be  adopted.  Jf  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  leave  your  post,  I 
would  request  the  presence  of  Lieut.  Jones  with  such  powers  to  speak 
for  you  as  you  may  be  able  to  confer." 

A  week  had  elapsed  since  the  call  for  help  from  Fort  Scott,  but  the 
governor  had  not  yet  perfected  his  plans.  On  the  28th  he  telegraphed 
to  President  Buchanan,  requesting  the  secretary  of  war  "to  order  the 
issuing  of  6do  rifled  muskets,  with  the  necessary  accouterments,  from  the 
St.  Louis  arsenal ;  also  that  the  officer  commanding  at  the  arsenal  be 
instructed  to  issue  ammunition  (ball  and  cartridge)  upon  the  requisition 
■of  Capt.  A.  J.  Weaver,  of  Linn  county,  the  quantit_y  not  to  exceed 
10,000  rounds." 

Another  communication  of  the  same  date  was  addressed  to  ALij.  John 
Sedgwick,  commanding  at  Fort  Riley,  and  requested  four  companies  of 
cavalry  to  assist  in  the  execution  of  writs  held  by  the  sheriffs  of  Linn, 
Lykins  and  Bourbon  counties.  Maj.  Sedgwick  replied  on  the  3rst  that 
he  had  only  two  companies  of  cavalry  available,  and  these,  under  com- 
mand of  Capt.  W.  S.  Walker,  had  been  ordered  to  report  to  the  governor 
for  instructions.  While  all  these  preparations  were  under  way,  the  situ- 
ation in  southeastern  Kansas  had  become  more  quiet  and  the  troops  were 
not  used  at  that  time. 

On  Jan.  3,  1859,  the  legislature  met  at  Lecompton  and  organized  by 
the  election  of  C.  \\'.  Babcock  as  president  of  the  council,  and  A.  Larza- 
lere  as  speaker  of  the  house.  At  the  evening  session  of  that  date  Gov. 
Medary  submitted  his  message,  in  which  he  said:  "As  the  subject  of 
forming  a  state  constitution,  and  asking  admission  into  the  LInion  has 
been  extensively  agitated,  it  might  be  expected  that  I  should  allude  to  it 
in  this  place.  In  doing  so,  I  shall  speak  of  it  only  in  a  practical  sense — 
it  has  no  political  connection.  The  territorial  condition  is  certainl}-  not 
desirable  for  a  large  and  wealthy  community — it  is  a  transition  from 
youth  to  manliood —  from  weakness  to  strength.  It  is  a  "question  with 
the  people  of  Kansas,  whether  they  are  prepared  to  assume  the  weighty 
responsibilities  of  a  state  government.  Personal  ambition  should  not  be 
permitted  to  step  in  between  them  and  their  true  interests.  The  ques- 
tion should  be  discussed  in  all  its  bearings,  and  brought  to  a  decision 
favorable  to  the  interests  of  the  whole  people.  Population  has  much 
to  do  with  the  question,  it  is  true ;  but  to  the  people  of  Kansas,  who- 
have  the  expense  of  government  to  pay  out  of  their  own  pockets,  their 
ability  to  do  so  is  of  deep  interest  to  them,  and  should  not  be  over- 
looked." 

The  governor  then  announced  that  he  had  "received  by  mail,  from 
the  secretary  of  the  interior,  authority  to  offer  a  reward  of  $250  each 
for  the  apprehension  of  Capts.  Montgomery  and  Brown."     He  next  dis- 


254  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

cussed  at  some  length  tlic  troubles  in  Linn  and  Bourbon  counties,  but 
refrained  from  any  analysis  of  "the  differences  of  opinion  growing  out  of 
past  political  strife,"  though  he  intimated  that  Montgomery  was  respon- 
sible for  most  of  the  unsettled  conditions  in  that  portion  of  the  territory. 

"Kansas,"  said  he,  "has  long  enough  been  made  the  scapegoat  of 
political  parties  and  political  demagogues  outside  the  territory.  She  has 
a  character  of  her  own  to  make — she  has  interests  of  her  own  to  sub- 
serve— she  has  rights  to  wield  through  her  own  intelligence,  and  on  her 
own  responsibility,  without  gratuities  by  way  of  advice  from  those  who 
have  enough  to  do,  if  they  would  look  after  their  own  affairs.  Thou- 
sands are  looking  to  these  broad  prairies,  rich  beyond  estimate  in  their 
agricultural  abilities,  with  a  climate  healthful  and  invigorating,  for  homes 
for  themselves  and  their  children.  Millions  of  capital  is  ready  to  be 
invested  in  our  midst,  confident  of  abundant  returns.  But  without  quiet 
and  protection,  all  other  blessings  will  not  avail." 

As  soon  as  the  message  was  read  and  referred,  each  house  adopted  a 
resolution  to  adjourn  at  noon  on  the  4th  to  meet  at  Lawrence  on  the 
/th,  "for  lack  of  suitable  rooms,  hotel  accommodations  and  other  con- 
veniences." The  remainder  of  the  session  was  therefore  held  at  Law- 
rence. 

The  committee  to  which  was  referred  the  governor's  message  made 
two  reports.  The  majority  report,  signed  by  John  W.  Wright,  James  h. 
McDowell,  T.  R.  Ivoberts  and  W.  Spriggs,  all  free-state  men,  recounted 
in  detail  the  massacre  of  a  number  of  free-state  men  on  the  Marais  des 
Cygnes  by  Capt.  Hamelton,  and  recommended  that  all  armed  bands 
should  be  dispersed,  in  order  that  the  law  might  be  sustained  and  the 
people  permitted  to  pursue  their  peaceful  vocations  without  fear  of 
molestation. 

"Kansas  has  too  long  suft'ered  in  her  good  name,"  says  this  majority- 
report,  "from  the' acts  of  lawless  men  and  from  the  corruption  of  Federal 
officers.  The  committee  believe  the  government  possesses  sufficient 
power  to  suppress  outrages  and  would  enforce  the  law ;  but  unfortunately 
now,  as  in  the  past  time,  the  officers  at  Washington  interfere  and  direct 
a  policy  that  only  adds  to  the  power  of  bad  men,  and  paralyzes  the 
efforts  of  those  who  wish  to  sustain  the  law.  The  policy  of  the  general 
government,  "of  offering  a  reward  of  S500  for  Capts.  Montgomery  and 
Brown,  will  not  succeed.  The  man  of  Kansas  that  would,  for  a  reward, 
deliver  up  a  man  to  the  general  government,  would  sink  into  the  grave 
of  an  Arnold  or  a  Judas.  While  such  is  public  sentiment,  we  believe  a 
large  portion  of  our  people  would  march  under  the  flag  of  their  country 
to  arrest  Montgomery  or  other  violators  of  law ;  but  such  have  been  the 
acts  of  the  general  government  in  this  territory,  that  public  .sentiment 
will  not  permit  any  person  to  receive  the  gold  of  the  general  government 
as  a  bribe  to  do  a  duty." 

The  majority  also  reported  a  bill  extending  the  criminal  jurisdiction 
of  Douglas  county  over  certain  counties  where  the  trouble  existed; 
recommended  to  President  Buchanan  the  removal  of  the  United  States 


KANSAS    HISTORY  255 

marshal  and  the  "appointment  of  a  man  of  nerve,  if  he  has  any  of  that 
kind  of  stock  on  hand ;"  and  closed  the  report  with  a  resolution  to  sus- 
tain the  governor  in  all  proper  efforts  to  enforce  the  law  and  maintain 
peace. 

The  minority  report,  which  was  signed  by  H.  J.  Cannilf,  George 
Graham  and  S.  S.  Vaile,  recommended  the  appointment  of  a  committee 
of  three  members  of  the  house  to  visit  Linn  and  Bourbon  counties  on  a 
tour  of  investigation,  and  an  appropriation  of  $250  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  such  visit. 

The  legislature  adjourned  on  Feb.  11,  after  repealing  the  acts  of  the 
legislative  sessions  of  1855  and  1857  and  establishing  in  their  stead  codes 
of  civil  and  criminal  procedure.  Other  acts  authorized  the  governor  to 
employ  courisel  for  Dr.  John  Doy,  who  was  accused  of  freeing  slaves ; 
provided  for  the  appointment  by  the  governor  of  a  territorial  auditor  and 
treasurer,  and  made  a  new  apportionment  for  members  of  the  legislature. 

On  Feb.  9  Gov.  Medary  approved  the  bill  providing  for-the  formation 
of  a  state  constitution  and  government.  By  the  provisions  of  this  meas- 
ure the  people  were  to  vote  on  the  fourth  Monday  in  March,  1859,  on  the 
question  of  holding  a  constitutional  convention.  If  a  majority  decided 
in  favor  of  the  convention  fifty-two  delegates  were  to  be  elected  on  the 
first  Tuesday  in  June ;  the  convention  was  to  meet  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  July ;  the  constitution  was  to  be  submitted  to  the  people  on  the  first 
Tuesda}'  in  October,  and  if  ratified  state  officers  were  to  be  elected  on 
the  first  Tuesda}-  in  December.  It  was  the  convention  thus  provided 
for  that  framed  the  Wyandotte  constitution,  the  one  under  which  Kan- 
sas was  finally  admitted.     (See  Constitutions.) 

Near  the  close  of  the  session  the  governor  approved  a  bill  to  establish 
peace  in  Kansas.  It  provided  "That  no  criminal  offense  heretofore 
committed  in  the  counties  of  Lykins^  Linn,  Bourbon,  McGee,  Allen  and 
Anderson,  growing  out  of  an}^  political  differences  of  opinion,  or  arising, 
in  any  way,  from  such  political  differences  of  opinion,  shall  be  subject  to 
any  prosecution,  on  any  complaint  or  indictment,  in  any  court  whatso- 
ever in  this  territory,  and  all  criminal  actions  now  commenced,  growing 
out  of  political  differences  of  opinion,  shall  be  dismissed." 

On  the  day  of  adjournment  the  legislature  adopted  a  joint  resolution 
requesting  the  governor  to  issue  a  proclamation  to  the  people,  publish- 
ing this  act.  Gov.  Medary  issued  the  proclamation  the  same  day,  and 
just  before  the  final  adjournment  announced  the  appointment  of  Hiram 
J.  Strickler  as  territorial  auditor,  and  Robert  B.  Mitchell  as  territorial 
treasurer. 

One  of  the  most  important  political  conventions  ever  held  in  Kansas 
assembled  at  Osawatomie  on  May  18,  1859,  and  organized  the  Republican 
party  in  and  for  the  territory.  Among  the  distinguished  visitors  present 
was  Horace  Greeley,  who  addressed  the  convention.  The  declaration  of 
principles  enunciated : 

"That,  while  we  declare  our  submission  to  the  constitution  and  laws 
of  the  I'nited  States,  and  disclaim  all  control  over  slaverv  in  the  states 


_.:;(,  CVCLOI'EDIA   OF 

in  which  it  ixisl;^,  wc  hnUl  ihal  the  coiislilution  does  not  carry  slavery 
into  tlic  territories,  but  tliat  it  is  the  creature  of  special  enactment,  and 
has  existence  only  where  supported  hy  it ;  and  we  reprobate  and  condemn 
the  perversion  of  the  power  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States  to 
sectional  demands  and  partv  purposes. 

"That,  with  the  founders  of  the  republic,  we  believe  that  governments 
derive  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed,  and  that  it  is 
proper  that  the  people  of  an  organized  territory  should  be  permitted  to 
elect  their  own  officers  and  enact  their  own  laws,  free  from  Congres- 
sional and  executive  control. 

"That  freedom  is  national,  and  slavery  sectional,  and  that  we  are 
inflexibly  opposed  to  the  extension  of  slavery  to  soil  now  free. 

"That' we  condemn  the  administration  for  its  feebleness  and  impotency 
in  the  enforcement  of  the  law  prohibiting  the  importation  of  African 
slaves  into  the  United  States,  and  demand  such  further  legislation  by 
Congress  as  will  forever  suppress  the  inhuman  traffic. 

"That  the  Wyandotte  constitutional  convention  be  requested  to  incor- 
porate in  the  bill  of  rights  in  the  constitution  a  provision  that  neither 
slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  shall  ever  exist  in  Kansas,  except  in 
punishment  of  crime. 

"That  the  passage  of  a  liberal  homestead  bill,  giving  i6o  acres  of  land 
to  every  citizen  who  will  settle  upon  and  improve  it,  would  be  a  measure 
just  in  principle,  sound  in  policy,  and  productive  of  the  greatest  good  to 
the  people  of  the  nation  :  and  that  we  regard  the  defeat  of  Mr.  Crow's 
bill  in  the  senate  by  the  Democratic  party,  as  a  direct  blow  at  the  labor- 
ing classes  of  the  country,  and  as  unworthy  of  the  liberality  of  a  great 
government." 

With  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  the  old  free-state  organ- 
ization disajjpeared.  and  the  names  "free-state"  and  "pro-slavery,"  as 
used  to  distinguish  political  parties  or  factions,  also  disappeared,  the 
names  "Republican"  and  "Democrat"  taking  their  places.  The  first  con- 
test between  the  parties  under  the  new  names  was  for  the  election  of 
delegates  to  the  Wyandotte  convention  in  June,  1859,  and  resulted  in  the 
choice  of  35  Re]Hiblicans  and  17  Democrats.  (See  Constitutional  Con- 
ventions.) 

By  the  ratification  of  the  Wyandotte  constitution  by  the  people  on 
Oct.  4,  it  became  necessary,  in  order  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the 
act  authorizing  the  formation  of  a  state  government,  to  elect  state  officers 
on  the  first  Tuesday  in  December.  On  Oct.  12  a  Republican  convention 
met  at  Topeka  and  nominated  the  following  candidates :  Governor, 
Charles  Robinson;  lieutenant-governor,  Joseph  P.  Root;  secretary  of 
state,  John  W.  Robinson;  auditor,  George  S.  Hillyer;  treasurer,  William 
Tholen ;  attorney-general,  Benjamin  F.  Simpson ;  superintendent  of  pub- 
lic instruction,  W.  R.  Griffith;  chief  justice.  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.;  asso- 
ciate justices,  Samuel  A.  Kingman  and  Lawrence  D.  Bailey  ;  representa- 
tive in  Congress,  Martin  F.  Conway. 

The  Democratic  nominating  convention  met  at  Lawrence  on  Oct.  25 


KANSAS    HISTORY  257 

Samuel  Medary,  the  territorial  governor,  was  selected  as  the  candidate 
of  the  party  for  governor ;  John  P.  Slough  was  nominated  for  lieutenant- 
governor;  A.  P.  Walker,  for  secretary  of  state;  Joel  K.  Goodin,  for 
auditor;  R.  L.  Pease,  for  treasurer;  Orlin  Thurston,  for  attorney-general; 
J.  S.  McGill,  for  superintendent  of  public  instruction ;  Joseph  Williams, 
for  chief  justice;  Samuel  A.  Stinson  and  Robert  B.  Mitchell,  for  associate 
justices ;  and  John  A.  Halderman,  for  representative  in  Congress. 

At  the  election  on  Dec.  6  Robinson  received  7,908  votes,  and  Medary, 
5,395,  the  remainder  of  the  Republican  ticket  being  elected  by  substan- 
tially the  same  majority.  In  the  meantime  an  election  for  delegate  to 
Congress  had  been  held  on  Nov.  8,  when  Marcus  J.  Parrott,  the  Re- 
publican candidate,  defeated  Saunders  W.  Johnston,  Democrat,  by  a 
vote  of  9,708  to  7,232. 

On  Jan.  2,  i860,  the  legislature  was  convened  in  regular  session  at 
Lecompton.  W.  W.  Updegraff  was  elected  president  of  the  council,  and 
G.  A.  Colton  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  house.  In  his  message,  which 
was  presented  on  the  3d,  Gov.  Medary  recommended  the  passage  of  a 
law  to  abolish  the  boards  of  county  supervisors  and  substitute  therefor 
a  board  of  three  commissioners  in  each  count}'.  He  also  recommended  a 
law  regulating  the  rate  of  interest,  and  made  a  virulent  attack  upon  the 
registry  law  passed  by  the  preceding  session,  which  law,  according  to 
the  governor,  had  "deprived  many  of  our  citizens  of  the  elective  fran- 
chise ;"  it  was  "crude  and  mischievous,"  and  he  thought  its  total  repeal 
would  "add  much  to  the  relief  of  the  taxpayers." 

A  resolution  to  adjourn  to  Lawrence  was  passed  in  both  houses  on  the 
4th,  but  it  was  vetoed  by  the  governor,  because  the  completion  of  a  large, 
new  hotel  at  Lecompton,  "making  four  very  good  hotels,"  afforded  ample 
accommodations  at  the  seat  of  government.  The  resolution  was  then 
passed  over  the  veto  by  a  vote  of  9  to  4  in  the  council  and  22  to  7  in  the 
house,  and  on  the  7th  the  legislature  reassembled  in  Lawrence.  Gov. 
Medary  and  Sec.  Walsh  remained  at  Lecompton.  They  asked  the  United 
States  attorney-general  for  an  opinion  as  to  the  legality  of  the  removal, 
and  refused  to  recognize  the  acts  of  the  assembly.  Consequently,  on 
Jan.  18,  the  legislature  adjourned,  but  on  the  same  day  the  governor 
issued  a  proclamation  calling  a  special  session,  to  meet  at  Lecompton  on 
the  19th. 

The  assembly  met  pursuant  to  the  call,  elected  the  same  officers,  and 
on  the  20th  received  another  message  from  the  governor,  in  which  he 
called  attention  to  the  reports  of  the  territorial  auditor  and  treasurer, 
recommended  a  revision  of  the  election  laws,  and  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  last  session  failed  to  provide  for  sessions  of  the  supreme 
court.  Immediately  after  the  reading  of  the  message,  the  legislature 
again  voted  to  adjourn  to  Lawrence,  and  again  the  proposition  was  vetoed 
by  the  governor.  By  a  vote  similar  to  that  of  the  4th,  the  measure  was 
passed  over  the  veto,  and  the  assembly  met  at  Lawrence  on  the  21st. 
This  time  Gov.  Medary  accepted  the  situation  with  as  much  complais- 

fII-17) 


258  CYCLOrEDIA   OF 

ance  as  cuuld  be  cxiioctcd  under  ilic  circumstances.     The  general  laws 
passed  during  this  session  made  a  volume  of  264  pages. 

The  greatest  interest  of  the  session  centered  upon  the  bill  abolish- 
ing and  prohibiting  slavery  in  the  territory,  which  was  vetoed  by  Gov. 
Medarv  on  Feb.  20.  In  his  veto  message  he  said:  "This  bill  appears 
to  be  more  political  than  practical— more  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
men's  opinions  than  for  any  benefit  or  injury  it  can  be  to  any  one.  I  am 
the  more  fully  convinced  of  this  from  the  articles  which  have  appeared 
in  the  organs'of  the  Republican  party  in  this  territory,  which,  it  is  proper 
to  presume,  speak  by  authority  of  those  they  represent.  Two  of  the 
papers  before  me  call  upon  you  to  pass  the  bill,  to  see  what  I  may  say, 
and  compel  me  to  act  in  the  premises." 

Then,  after  quoting  from  some  of  the  newspapers  referred  to  and  giv- 
ing an  exhaustive  review  of  the  slavery  question,  he  said:  "You  merely 
enact  into  a  law,  the  provisions  of  the  Wyandotte  constitution.  It  is 
merely  declaratory.  You  give  no  notice  to  the  owner  of  the  slave — you 
take  "snap  judgment'  on  him;  but  are  careful  to  impose  no  penalty  if 
he  should  laugh  at  your  sudden  interference,  and  pursue  the  even  tenor 
of  his  way." 

The  governor  also  called  attention  to  the  provisions  of  the  organic 
act,  giving  the  people  the  power  to  regulate  their  own  institutions.  "You 
claim,"  said  he,  "under  this  declaration  of  the  organic  act,  the  right  to 
prohibit  slavery  in  the  Territory  of  Kansas.  By  so  doing,  you  mistake 
both  the  words  and  the  meaning,  and  misconceive  the  true  spirit  of  the 
text." 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  this  caustic  criticism  from  the  governor,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature  felt  that  they  were  exercising  the  same  power 
as  that  exercised  by  the  "bogus"  legislature  of  1855,  when  they  passed 
the  notorious  "black  laws,"  and  construed  the  organic  act  in  such  a  way 
as  to  force  slavery  into  the  territory.  With  this  view,  the  legislature 
passed  the  bill  over  the  veto  by  a  vote  of  29  to  8  in  the  house  and  9  to  4 
in  the  council.  Judge  Pettit  of  the  territorial  supreme  court  later  held 
the  act  to  be  unconstitutional. 

A  census  of  the  territory,  reported  to  the  governor  early  in  the  year 
i860,  showed  a  population  of  71,770.  As  this  was  not  equal  to  the  num- 
ber required  to  secure  a  representative  in  Congress,  the  legislature  feared 
a  delay  in  the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  state,  and  appointed  a  commit- 
tee to  take  another  enumeration.  This  committee  reported  a  population 
of  97,570,  and  the  Federal  census,  taken  June  i,  showed  a  population  of 
109,401  within  the  limits  as  defined  by  the  Wyandotte  constitution,  or 
about  16,000  more  than  the  population  of  the  average  Congressional 
district. 

In  anticipation  of  speedy  admission  to  statehood,  both  the  political 
parties  held  conventions  to  select  delegates  to  the  national  conventions. 
The  Democratic  convention  assembled  at  Atchison  on  March  27,  and 
selected  as  delegates  to  the  Charleston  convention,  John  A.  Halderman, 
Isaac  E.  Eaton,  John  P.  Slough,  H.  M.  Moore,  George  M.  Beebe,  Charles 


KANSAS    HISTORY         .  259 

W.  Blair,  James  Christian,  Charles  Sims,  William  Wcer,  K.  W.  .Mitchell, 
Robert  Wilson  and  Cyrus  K.  HoUiday.  The  convention  adopted  reso- 
lutions denouncing  the  law  prohibiting  slavery  passed  by  the  last  session 
of  the  legislature,  and  commending  Gov.  Medary  for  his  veto. 

The  Republican  convention  met  at  Lawrence  on  April  ii.  .\.  C. 
Wilder,  John  A.  Martin,  \\'.  ^\^  Ross,  William  A.  Phillips,  .\.  G.  Proctor 
and  John  P.  Hatterscheidt  were  elected  as  delegates  to  the  national  con- 
vention at  Chicago,  and  T.  D.  Thacher,  R.  Gilpatrick  and  C.  I!.  I-ines 
were  nominated  for  presidential  electors.  The  resolutions  adopted  by 
the  convention  denounced  "'certain  territorial  bonds  and  warrants  issued 
for  claims  allowed  under  the  commission  created  by  the  legislature  of 
1859,"  and  charged  the  territorial  officials  with  "palpable  perveisions  of 
duty  in  giving  these  evidences  of  territorial  indebtedness." 

The  great  drought  of  i860  (See  Droughts)  caused  intense  suffering 
in  all  parts  of  the  territory.  Gov.  Medary  was  importuned  to  call  a 
special  session  of  the  legislature,  in  the  hope  that  it  might  be  able  to 
devise  some  means  of  relief,  but  he  declined  to  do  so,  and  traveled  over 
the  territory  to  ascertain  the  conditions.  On  Sept.  10  he  wrote  to  Gen. 
Cass,  the  United  States  secretary  of  state,  asking  for  leave  of  absence  to 
visit  the  United  States  fair  at  Cincinnati  and  the  Ohio  state  fair  at  Day- 
ton, "to  correct  false  impressions  that  may  be  started  to  our  injuries, 
while  at  the  same  time  state  the  facts  just  as  they  are,"  etc.  Leave 
was  granted,  but  the  governor  remained  so  long  in  Ohio  that,  toward  the 
latter  part  of  the  month,  Gen.  Cass  ordered  him  to  return  immediately  to 
Kansas.  This  order  was  evidently  not  to  Gov.  Medary's  liking,  for  in  his 
reply,  dated  Sept.  25,  he  said :  "On  my  return  to  Kansas,  I  will  endeavor 
to  satisfy  the  department  that  I  am  not  justly  chargeable  with  frequent 
and  unnecessary  absence  from  duty.  I  am  now  nearly  sixty  years  of 
age,  and  yours  is  the  first  imputation  ever  cast  upon  me  from  my  youth 
up  of  "neglect  of  duty,'  in  any  capacity  of  a  public  character  I  ever  held." 

Gov.  Medary  did  not  return  at  once,  however,  and  on  Nov.  22  he  tele- 
graphed Gen.  Cass  from  Columbus,  Ohio,  as  follows:  "I  have  just 
received  alarming  news  from  Fort  Scott,  K.  T.,  of  which  you  are  by  this 
time  apprised.  From  the  fact  of  my  salary  being  withheld,  I  had  deter- 
mined to  resign  my  office ;  but  from  the  horrible  news  from  Kansas  I 
shall  leave  on  the  first  train  to-night  for  that  afflicted  territory.  I  will 
be  at  Leavenworth  on  next  Sunday,  where  dispatches  can  reach  me." 

Obviously,  the  relations  between  Gov.  Medary  and  the  state  depart- 
ment did  not  improve,  and  on  Dec.  17,  i860,  he  tendered  his  resignation, 
to  take  eftect  on  Jan.  i,  1861.  He  did  not  wait  until  that  time,  however, 
to  relinquish  the  office,  as  a  letter  from  George  M.  Beebe,  territorial 
secretary,  to  President  Buchanan,  dated  Dec.  21,  i860,  saj^s:  "The 
resignation  of  Gov.  Medary  temporarily  devolves  the  duties  of  executive 
on  me."  The  records  of  the  territory  show  that  Mr.  Beebe  became  act- 
ing governor  on  that  date. 

Medical  Association. —  (See  Medical  Societies.) 


26o  •         CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Medical  Colleges.— A  picparalory  medical  course  was  Jiicorporated  in 
tiie  curiiciilum  uf  the  slate  university  in  1880,  but  the  first  regularly 
established  medical  college  in  the  state  was  the  Kansas  Medical  College 
of  Topeka,  which  filed  articles  of  association  and  incorporation  in  the 
office  of  the  secretary  of  state  on  July  3,  1889.  Among  the  21  incorpora- 
tors were  Albert  H.  Horton,  John  Martin,  Thomas  A.  Osborn,  George 
W.  Veale  and  some  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  state.  The  capital 
stock  was  fixed  at  $100,000;  John  Martin  was  elected  president  of  the 
board  of  trustees ;  Thomas  A.  Osborn,  vice-president ;  Dr.  M.  B.  Ward, 
secretary,  and  J.  S.  Collins,  treasurer.  The  college  opened  on  Sept.  23, 
1890.  in  a  building  located  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Tyler  streets, 
with  a  faculty  of  24  members.  At  the  time  the  college  was  established 
there  was  no  provision  of  law  furnishing  subjects  for  the  dissecting 
room,  and  in  1895  the  robbery  of  a  number  of  graves  in  adjacent 
cemeteries  created  a  great  excitement  and  led  Gov.  Morrill  to  call  out 
the  militia.  (See  Morrill's  Administration.)  In  1903  the  college  became 
the  medical  department  of  Washburn  College,  and  the  old  building  at 
Twelfth  and  Tyler  streets  was  torn  down.  In  the  college  -year  1909-10 
there  were  68  students  enrolled  in  the  department,  13  of  whom  grad- 
uated at  the  close  of  the  year. 

The  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Kansas  City  was  given  a 
charter  by  the  State  of  Kansas  on  July  12,  1894,  with  the  following  phy- 
sicians as  a  board  of  trustees:  J.  W.  May,  president;  William  C. 
Boteler,  first  vice-president;  J.  C.  Martin,  second  vice-president;  E.  M. 
Hctherington,  secretary;  R.  A.- Roberts,  financial  secretary;  John  Trout- 
man,  treasurer,  all  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.  The  college  opened  that  fall 
at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Central  streets  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
building,  with  a  faculty  of  31  members.  In  1897  it  was  removed  to  the 
corner  of  Sixth  street  and  Ann  avenue,  and  in  1903  to  the  corner  of 
Central  and  Simpson  avenues.  When  the  clinical  department  of  the 
University  of  Kansas  medical  school  was  reorganized  in  1905  it  absorbed 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 

Two  medical  colleges  were  opened  in  Kansas  City  in  the  fall  of  1897 — 
the  Kansas  City  Medical  College  and  the  Kansas  City  College  of  Medi- 
cine and  Surgery.  The  former  began  operations  on  Sept.  14,  with  the 
following  board  of  trustees :  George  W.  Fitzpatrick,  president ;  Warrer 
L.  Seaman,  vice-president ;  J.  A.  Smith,  secretary ;  G.  E.  Tead,  treasurer, 
and  P.  S.  Mitchell.  It  was  located  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  street  and 
Minnesota  avenue.  The  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  was  located 
in  the  New  York  Life  building  and  opened  its  doors  on  Sept.  22,  with  a 
faculty  of  29  members.  The  board  of  trustees  was  composed  of  S.  A. 
Dunham,  president ;  George  M.  Gray,  vice-president ;  James  L.  Harring- 
ton, secretary;  Ernest  T-  Lutz,  treasurer;  John  B.  Scroggs,  M.  B.  Ward, 
G.  O.  Coffin,  H.  M.  Downs,  A.  J.  Welch,  P.  L.  McDonald  and  R.  E. 
Morris.  Like  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  these  two  insti- 
tutions were  merged  into  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Kansas  in  1905.     (See  L^niversity  of  Kansas.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY  2(>l 

Medical  Societies,  State. — On  Feb.  lo,  1859,  the  governor  approved  an 
act  of  the  territorial  legislature  providing  for  the  incorporation  of  the 
Kansas  Medical  Society  and  naming  29  physicians  as  the  incorporators. 
They  were  M.  Bailey,  H.  H.  Beals,  G.  W.  Beaumont,  J.  G.  Blunt,  O. 
Brown,  H.  J.  Canniff,  A.  Danford,  A.  Fuller,  William  Graham,  S.  C. 
Harrington,  M.  Hartman,  M.  F.  Holaday,  Amory  Hunting,  C.  F.  Kobb, 
J.  Leigh,  T.  Linsey,  W.  Madison,  C.  E.  Miner,  A.  Newman,  J.  M.  Pelot, 
J.  H.  Phelps,  S.  B.  Prentiss,  A.  J.  Richey,  Charles  Robinson,  J.  W.  Rob- 
inson, J.  P.  Root,  L.  C.  Tolles,  J.  B.  Wheeler  and  j.  B.  Woodward. 

The  same  day  a  portion  of  the  incorporators  met  at  Lawrence  and 
effected  an  organization  by  electing  Dr.  S.  B.  Prentiss  president  and  Dr. 
J.  B.  Woodward,  secretary.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  formulate  a 
constitution  and  by-laws,  and  one  to  prepare  a  code  of  ethics.  At  the 
meeting  on  Feb.  23,  i860,  the  code  of  ethics  of  the  American  Medical 
Association  was  adopted,  as  was  also  the  constitution  and  by-laws  pre- 
pared by  the  committee  appointed  the  preceding"  year.  Delegates  to  the 
American  Medical  Association  were  elected  for  the  first  time  in  1867, 
when  the  Kansas  society  underwent  a  reorganization,  and  the  annual 
meetings  have  since  been  dated  from'  that  year.  The  act  of  1859  con- 
ferred on  the  society  the  power  to  issue  certificates  to  all  its  members, 
to  grant  licenses  to  respectable  physicians  who  were  not  graduates  of 
medical  colleges,  and  to  organize  auxiliary  societies  in  the  several  coun- 
ties of  Kansas.  At  the  meeting  in  1867  resolutions  were  adopted  urging 
the  members  to  further  the  organization  of  such  auxiliary  societies, 
Fifteen  years  later  there  were  in  existence  the  Northwestern  Medical 
Society,  the  Southern  Kansas  Medical  Society,  the  Eastern  Kansas 
Medical  Society,  the  Kansas  Valley  Medical  Society,  and  the  Third 
Judicial  District  Medical  Society,  all  of  which  were  adjuncts  to  the  state 
organization.  Others  organized  later  were  the  Golden  Belt  Medical 
Society,  the  Eastern  Central  branch  of  the  state  society,  the  Missouri 
Valley  Medical  Society,  and  there  are  a  large  number  of  county  and 
city  societies  in  the  state. 

On  June  i,  1867,  the  first  number  of  the  Medical  Herald  was  issued 
at  Leavenworth  b_y  Logan  &  Sinks.  It  was  succeeded  by  the  Kansas 
Medical  Index,  published  at  Fort  Scott  by  Dr.  F.  F,  Dickman  as  the 
organ  of  the  state  medical  society.  The  Kansas  Medical  Journal  began 
its  career  in  1889,  and  subsequently  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Jour- 
nal of  the  Kansas  Medical  Society.  It  is  published  at  Kansas  City, 
Kan. 

In  recent  years  the  annual  meetings  of  the  society  have  usually  been 
held  in  May,  at  such  places  as  the  society  selects.  The  officers  elected 
at  the  annua!  meeting  of  191 1  were  as  follows:  President,  J.  T.  Axtell ; 
vice-presidents,  George  M.  Gray,  H.  G.  Welch  and  G.  W.  Anderson ; 
secretary,  Charles  S.  Huffman;  treasurer,  L.  H.  Munn.  The  member- 
ship runs  into  hundreds,  all  parts  of  the  state  being  represented.  Con- 
cerning the  meeting  of  191 1  the  Medical  Journal  says  :  "The  attendance, 
while  not  up  to  the  standard  set  at  the  last  meeting  at  Kansas  City,  was 
good.    Two  hundred  and  thirty  members  signed  the  registration  book." 


irra 


'riiroujjli  llio  iiilliuMicc  of  llic  society,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Kansas 
legislature  niakiny  it  "unlawful  for  any  person  to  practice  medicine 
in  Kansas  who  has  not  attended  two  lull  courses  of  instruction  and 
,_dnated  in  some  respectable  school  of  medicine  in  the  I'nited  States 
'r  some  foreign  country,  or  produces  a  certilicale  of  qualification  from 
some  state  or  county  medical  society."  The  act  also  provided  for  a  fine 
of  from  $50  to  $100  for  each  violation  of  the  law,  to  which  might  be 
added   imprisonment  in  the  county   jail   for  a  period   nnt   exceeding  30 

davs. 

The  above  refers  to  tiie  Allopathic  or  "regular"  school  of  medicine. 
On  .\pril  14,  1869,  a  number  of  Homeopathic  physicians  assembled  at 
Leavenworth  and  organized  the  Homeopathic  Medical  Society  of  Kan- 
sas, with  the  following  officers :  President,  I^ichard  Huson ;  vice-presi- 
dent, lames  A.  Rubicon;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Martin  Mayer;  board 
of  censors,  Lewis  Grassmuck,  B.  L.  Davis,  W.  B.  Bolton,  R.  M.  Hunt- 
ington and  T.  J.  Edie.  The  society  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of 
the  state  on  Jan.  24,  1871,  with  John  J.  Edie,  H.  F.  Klemp.  J.  .\.  Rubi- 
con, Richard  and  S.  K.  Huson  as  charter  members.  Annual  meetings 
have  since  been  held,  at  which  topics  relating  to  the  medical  profession 
are  discussed,  the  proceedings  frequently  closing  with  a  banquet.  The 
191 1  meeting  was  held  at  Kansas  City,  and  the  banquet  was  a  joint 
atlfair  with  the  Missouri  Homeopathic  Society.  The  officers  elected  in 
191 1  were  as  follows:  Dr.  O.  L.  Barlinghouse,  of  lola,  president;  Dr. 
C.  D.  .Armstrong,  of  Salina,  secretary;  Dr.  Marian  E.  Swift,  of  Topeka, 
treasurer. 

An  Eclectic  Medical  Association  was  organized  on  June  i,  1869,  at 
Lawrence,  with  Samuel  E.  Martin,  of  Topeka,  president ;  N.  Simmons, 
of  Lawrence,  recording  secretary;  M.  Summerfield,  of  Lawrence,  corre- 
sponding secretary ;  David  Surber,  of  Perry,  treasurer.  This  association 
later  developed  into  a  state  organization,  which  was  incorporated  by  the 
act  of  March  27,  1871.  as  the  Kansas  Eclectic  Medical  Association, 
Daniel  B.  Crouse,  Ansel  M.  Eidson,  George  H.  Field,  Samuel  E.  ]\Iar- 
tin,  David  Surber  and  Caleb  D.  Ward  as  incorporators.  In  1883  a  joint 
stock  company  was  formed  under  a  charter  providing  for  a  capital  stock 
of  $30,000  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  medical  college,  but  the  insti- 
tution never  became  a  realitj'.  The  society  still  holds  annual  meetings, 
and  in  191 1  numbered  several  hundred  members. 

By  the  act  of  Feb.  27,  1879,  the  three  medical  societies — Allopathic, 
Homeopathic  and  Eclectic — were  each  authorized  to  appoint  a  board  of 
examiners  of  seven  members  to  pass  upon  the  qualifications  of  and 
issue  certificates  to  the  physicians  of  the  state.  Every  practitioner  was 
required  to  show  his  diploma  to  the  board  representing  the  school  of 
wdiich  he  was  a  member,  and  to  make  an  affidavit  that  he  was  the  lawful 
possessor  of  the  same,  and  that  the  institution  issuing  it  was  engaged  in 
good  faith  in  the  business  of  imparting  medical  instruction,  etc.  This 
law  was  decided  unconstitutional  by  the  state  supreme  court  in  Jan., 
1881,  when  the  boards  were  "summarily  deposed."     No  efficient  law  for 


KANSAS    HISTORY  263 

the  examination  and  licensing  of  physicians  was  then  placed  on  the 
statute  books  until  the  act  of  March  i,  IQOI,  which  provided  for  a  board 
of  "medical  examination  and  registration."  This  board  was  made  to 
consist  of  seven  members  "who  shall  be  physicians  in  good  standing  in 
their  profession,  and  who  shall  have  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of 
medicine  from  some  reputable  medical  college  or  university  not  less  than 
six  years  prior  to  their  appointment,  representation  to  be  given  to  the 
different  schools  of  practice  as  nearly  as  possible  in  proportion  to  their 
numerical  strength  in  the  state,  but  no  one  school  to  have  a  majority  of 
the  whole  board." 

In  the  apointment  of  the  first  board  one  member  was  to  be  appointed 
for  one  year,  two  for  two  years,  two  for  three  years,  and  two  for  four 
years,  after  which  all  appointments  were  to  be  for  four  years.  With 
some  slight  modifications  this  is  still  the  law  of  the  state.  The  board  is 
composed  of  three  Allopaths,  two  Homeopaths  and  two  Eclectics.  It 
examines  into  the  qualifications  of  all  physicians  of  the  state,  and  has 
been  a  stimulus  to  the  medical  societies  of  the  several  schools. 

Medicine  Lodge,  the  county  seat  of  Barber  county,  is  located  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  county  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R. 
R.  and  is  also  the  terminus  of  a  branch  of  that  road  which  is  extended 
from  Kiowa  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county.  The  town  is  situ- 
ated at  an  altitude  of  1,468  feet.  It  has  substantial  business  blocks, 
good  graded  and  high  schools,  5  churches,  2  state  banks,  and  two  news- 
papers (the  Barber  County  Index  and  the  Medicine  Lodge  Cresset). 
There  is  a  daily  hack  to  Eagle  and  Lasswell.  The  town  is  supplied 
with  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  has  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1910,  was  1,100.  This  is  the  home  town  of  Chester  I.  Long,  and 
was  the  home  of  the  late  Carrie  Nation,  before  she  began  her  career  of 
wrecking  saloons.  Medicine  Lodge  was  named  after  the  river  which 
flows  along  its  southern  edge.  The  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  camp- 
ing here  to  make  medicine.  The  town  was  not  founded  until  1S73,  but 
there  were  settlers  at  this  point  before  that  date,  as  it  is  recorded  in  the 
historical  collections  that  the  Indians  made  a  raid  through  this  territory 
in  1868  and  murdered  women  and  children  at  Medicine  Lodge.  In  Feb., 
1873,  John  Hutchinson  came  with  a  party  of  men  and  laid  out  a  town 
on  a  site  of  400  acres.  The  first  building  was  a  hotel  erected  by  D.  Upde- 
graff.  A  number  of  buildings  were  erected,  including  two  stores.  Im- 
migration was  very  rapid  during  the  first  year.  The  first  physician  to 
locate  was  C.  T.  Trigg;  the  first  attorney,  W.  E.  Hutchinson;  the 
first  druggist,  S.  A.  Winston ;  the  first  merchants,  Bemis,  Jordan  &  Co. 
The  postoffice  was  established  in  1873,  with  S.  A.  Winston  as  post- 
master. It  was  made  a  money  order  office  in  1879.  The  town  was 
incorporated  in  that  year,  and  the  first  officers  were :  Mayor,  W.  W. 
Cook ;  police  judge,  H.  M.  Davis ;  city  clerk,  S.  J.  Shepler ;  councilmen, 
W.  W.  Staniford,  J.  N.  Ilifif,  George  Mitts,  J.  Storey  and  D.  M.  Car- 
michael.    The  first  newspaper  was  the  Barber  County  Mail,  which  was 


264  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Started  in  1878  by  M.  J.  Cucliran.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  1873 
by  Miss  Lucinda  Burlinganie. 

Medicine  Lodge  River,  a  stream  of  southwestern  Kansas,  rises  in 
the  southern  part  of  Kiowa  county  and  flows  eastward  for  about  40 
miles,  entering  Barber  county  near  the  northwest  corner.  From  this 
point  the  general  course  is  southeast  until  it  crosses  the  state  line 
near  the  southeast  corner  of  Barber  county,  where  it  turns  southward 
and  empties  into  the  salt  fork  of  the  Arkansas  river  in  Oklahoma. 
The  name   is  of   Indian   origin. 

Medina,  a  discontinued  postoffice  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  in 
JctTerson  county,  is  located  16  miles  southwest  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county 
seat,  and  2  miles  from  Perry,  whence  mail  is  supplied  by  rural  route. 
Medina  was  established  in  1865,  when  the  railroad  was  built.  Lutt, 
Kunkle  &  Menzer  bought  the  land  and  platted  it  and  established  a 
store.  A  postoffice  was  established  the  next  year  with  William  King, 
who  opened  the  second  store,  as  postmaster.  The  town  was  at  one 
time  quite  prosperous  and  had  a  weekly  newspaper  and  a  dozen  busi- 
ness establishments. 

Medora,  a  little  village  of  Reno  county,  is  located  at  the  junction 
of  the  main  lines  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  with  the  St. 
Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  It  is  in  Medora  township,  10  miles  north- 
east of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  grain  elevator,  telegraph 
and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  ac- 
cording to  the  census  of  1910  was  75. 

Meeker,  Jotham,  missionary,  was  born  at  Xenia,  Ohio,  Nov.  8,  1804. 
His  boyhood  was  spent  on  a  farm,  after  which  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade.  He  then  joined  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy  in  mission  work  among  the 
Indians,  beginning  his  career  as  a  missionary  among  the  Pottawatomies 
at  Carey,  Mich.,  in  1825.  Two  years  later  he  was  sent  to  the  Ottawa 
mission  at  Thomas,  Mich.,  and  while  there  he  devised  a  system  of  ap- 
plying the  English  alphabet  to  the  phonetic  spelling  of  the  Indian 
words,  which  greatly  simplified  the  work  of  the  mission  teacher.  In 
1833,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  McCoy,  he  came  to  Kansas  with  an  old- 
fashioned  hand  printing  press— the  first  ever  brought  to  Kansas — for 
the  purpose  of  printing  books  in  the  Indian  language.  The  first  one 
of  these  was  known  as  the  "Delaware  First  Book."  Copies  of  several 
of  the  books  thus  printed  by  Mr.  Aleeker  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  He  died  at  the  Ottawa  mission  in 
Kansas,  in  Jan.,   1855. 

Melrose,  a  country  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  about  15 
miles  southwest  of  Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  7  from  Faulkner, 
the  nearest  shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  its 
mail. 

Melvern,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Osage  county,  is  located 
in  Melvern  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  the 
Marais  des  Cygnes  river,  ro  miles  south  of  Lvndon,  the  county  seat. 
It    has   ample   banking   facilities,    a    weekly    newspaper    (the    Review), 


KANSAS    HISTORY  265 

good  schools  and  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was  505.    . 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  1870  by  a  town  company  consisting  of  S. 
B.  Enderton,  Charles  Cochran,  J.  P.  Ball,  L.  F.  Warner,  J.  W.  Beck, 
J.  F.  Want,  J.  M.  Woods  and  Alexander  Blake,  and  was  named  for 
Malvern  Hills,  Scotland.  The  prospects  of  a  railroad  made  the  imme- 
diate growth  of  the  town  very  rapid.  This  was  followed  by  a  depression 
when  the  road  failed  to  materialize  within  a  reasonable  time.  In  1881 
a  terrific  cyclone'swept  down  the  north  side  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes 
river.  It  was  a  half  mile  in  width  and  leveled  everything  in  its  path. 
Two  men  were  killed  and  a  great  deal  of  property  was  destroyed.  The 
first  school  was  taught  in  1870  by  Miss  Anna  Want ;  the  first  birth  oc- 
curred the  same  year  and  was  that  of  Thomas  M.  Beck,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Beck.  The  first  marriage  was  between  O.  B.  Hastings  and 
Cecelia  Wallace.  The  first  death  was  that  of  Mary  A.  Huffman.  The 
first  store  was  opened  about  the  time  the  town  was  founded,  by  Coch- 
ran &  Warner,  and  the  postofifice  was  established  soon  afterward  with 
J.  W.  Beck  postmaster.  A  tiour  mill  was  built  the  next  year  on  the 
river   by   Asher   Smith. 

Memorial  Building. — Soon  after  the  war  of  1861-65  a  number  of  states 
took  the  necessary  steps  to  erect  mortuments,  or  some  other  suitable 
form  of  memorial  to  commemorate  the  deeds  of  their  volunteer  sol- 
diers. At  the  close  of  the  war  a  large  number  of  discharged  soldiers, 
taking  advantage  of  the  liberal  provisions  of  the  homestead  laws,  came 
to  Kansas  to  secure  homes,  and  within  a  few  years  the  state  had  a 
larger  population  of  veterans  proportionately  than  most  of  the  northern 
and  western  states.  Grand  Army  posts  were  organized  in  almost  every 
county,  and  after  a  time  an  agitation  was  started  for  the  erection  of 
a  soldiers'  monument  or  memorial  hall  of  some  kind.  But  Kansas 
was  a  new  state,  with  an  income  hardly  sufficient  to  defray  the  ex- 
penses of  actually  necessary  public  improvements  and  the  maintenance 
of  the  state  institutions,  and  nothing  was  done. 

Congress,  by  the  act  of  May  29,  1908,  appropriated  the  sum  of  $97,- 
.466.02  to  reimburse  the  state  of  Kansas  for  expenses  incurred  in  re- 
cruiting, equipping  and  subsisting  soldiers  in  the  war  for  the  Union. 
Another  act  of  Congress,  approved  on  March  3,  1909,  appropriated  the 
sum  of  $425,065.43  to  reimburse  the  state  for  expenses  incurred  in  re- 
pelling Indian  invasions.  These  two  appropriations  gave  Kansas  money 
enough  to  carry  out  the  long  cherished  idea  of  a  memorial  to  the  sol- 
diers of  the  Civil  war.  Consequently,  the  legislature  of  1909  passed 
an  act  authorizing  a  commission  to  purchase  or  condemn  a  site  for  a 
memorial  btiilding,  the  commission  to  be  composed  of  the  governor, 
•  lieutenant-governor,  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives,  the  de- 
partment commander  of  the  Kansas  department  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  the  secretary  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Society,  one  mem- 
ber of  the  state  senate  and  one  of  the  house  of  representatives. 


266 


CVCI.OIMCUIA    Ol" 


The  act  :ilso  pnnidcil  lliat  the  site  selected  should  be  near  llie  state 
capitol.  that  tlie  coniinissidii  should  employ  the  state  architect  to  pre- 
pare i)lans  f<ir  a  memorial  l>uildini,'  suitable  for  archives  and  relics  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  collections  of  the  Kansas 
Historical  Society.  To  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  act  an  appro- 
priation of  S200.000  was  made,  of  which  $39,115.58  was  ( 


$39,115.58  was  expended  in  the 


priation  ol  ,S200.ooo  was  made,  ot  wnicn  ;t>39,ii5.5o  was  e.xpcnucu  in  mc 
;)urchase  of  a  site  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Tenth  and  Jackson  streets 
in  the  city  of  Topeka.  immediately  opposite  the  state  capitol  grounds, 
and  the  remainder  lapsed  because  it  could  not  be  used  within  the  time 
and  npon  the  conditions  imposed  by   law. 


MEMORIAL  BUILDING. 

The  commission  created  by  the  act  of  1909  first  asked  for  the  total 
amount  of  the  two  Congressional  appropriations — $522.531.45 — but 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  state  needed  a  large  sum  of  money  for  other 
enterprises,  it  was  decided  to  ask  for  but  $250,000,  which  sum  was  ap- 
propriated by  the  act  of  March  8,  1911.  The  act  also  approved  the  site 
selected  and  continued  the  cornmission  authorized  by  the  previous 
legislature.  As  soon  as  the  appropriation  of  1911  v^'as  assured,  the 
commission  advertised  for  bids,  which  were  opened  on  March  22.  but 
all  ran  beyond  the  amount  available  under  the  appropriation.  Some 
changes  were  made  and  new  bids  opened  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month. 
The  contracts  and  estimates  as  finally  agreed  upon  aggregated  $261,411. 

The  plans  as  prepared  by  the  state  architect,  provided  for  a  building 
three  stories  high,  with  basement,  the  foundation  to  be  of  granite  and 
the  superstructure  of  brick  with  marble  facing,  the  whole  to  be  prac- 
tically fire-proof.  Work  of  setting  marble  was  commenced  on  July  8, 
191 1,  and  on  Sept.  27  the  corner-stone  was  laid  by  William   H.  Taft, 


KANSAS    illSTOUY  267 

president  of  the  L'nited  States.  W'lien  ci^implcted,  Kansas  will  have  one 
of  the  finest  memorial  and  historical  buildings  in  the  Union,  another 
evidence  of  the  "Kansas  spirit,"  which  is  a  synonym  of  progress. 

Memorial  Day. — It  may  not  be  generally  known  throughout  the  North 
that  the  custom  of  placing  flowers  upon  the  graves  of  soldiers  who 
.=erved  in  the  great  Civil  war  originated  with  a  Southern  woman  near 
the  close  of  that  conflict.  It  is  claimed,  on  apparently  good  authority, 
that  this  beautiful  and  touching  memorial  observance  originated  with 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Williams,  of  Columbus,  Ga.  Her  husband,  Col.  C.  J. 
Williams,  of  the  First  Georgia  regiment  (Confederate),  died  in  the 
spring  of  1862  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Columbus.  Mrs.  Wil- 
liams, accompanied  by  her  little  daughter,  was  accustomed  to  visit  her 
husband's  grave  at  frequent  intervals  and  place  fresh  flowers  upon  it. 
Upon  one  of  these  occasions  the  child  asked  her  mother's  permission 
10  put  some  flowers  on  the  graves  of  other  soldiers  near  b}',  and  this 
incident  suggested  to  the  mother  the  idea  of  having  one  day  in  each 
year  consecrated  to  the  work  of  decorating,  with  appropriate  cere- 
monies, the  graves  of  those  who  had  died  in  military  service. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  several  ladies  of  Columbus  joined  Mrs.  Wil- 
liams in  the  decoration  of  the  soldiers'  graves  in  the  local  cemetery, 
and  a  year  later,  at  a  meeting  of  these  women,  Mrs.  Williams  was  ap- 
pointed to  write  a  letter  to  the  public  on  the  subject  of  a  memorial  day. 
In  her  letter,  which  was  dated  March  12,  1866,  and  widely  published 
through  the  South,  she  said :  "We  cannot  raise  monumental  shafts 
and  inscribe  thereon  their  many  deeds  of  heroism,  but  we  can  keep  alive 
the  memory  of  the  debt  we  owe  them  by  dedicating  at  least  one  day  in 
each  year  to  embellishing  their  htimble  graves  with  flowers.  Therefore, 
we  beg  the  assistance  of  the  press  and  the  ladies  throughout  the  South 
to  aid  us  in  the  effort  to  set  apart  a  certain  day  to  be  observed,  fi'om  the 
Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  be  handed  down  through  time  as  a 
religious  custom  of  the  South,  to  wreathe  the  graves  of  our  martyred 
dead  with  flowers;  and  we  propose  the  26th  of  April  as  the  day." 

The  proposal  of  Mrs.  ^^'illiams  and  her  associates  found  favor  with 
the  people  of  the  North  as  well  as  those  of  the  South,  and  the  ceremony, 
if  not  the  date,  is  now  observed  in  every  state  of  the  Union.  Several  of 
the  Southern  states,  by  legislative  enactment,,  set  apart  the  day  sug- 
gested by  Mrs.  Williams  and  declared  it  a  legal  holiday,  but  in  the 
North,  the  season  being  some  weeks  later,  May  30  is  the  day  generally 
observed. 

By  the  act  of  the  Kansas  legislature,  approved  by  Gov.  Martin  on 
Feb.  19,  i860,  May  30  is  made  a  legal  holiday.  The  custom  of  placing 
flowers  on  the  graves  of  soldiers  was  observed  by  the  people  of  the 
state  for  years  before  the  passage  of  the  law,  especially  in  the  larger 
towns  where  there  are  a  number  of  soldiers  interred  in  the  cemeteries. 
Music  of  a  patriotic  character,  and  orations  calculated  to  keep  alive 
the  memory  of  the  gallant  deeds  of  "the  boys  of  '61"  usually  comprise 
the  ceremonies  in  connection  with  the  decoration  of  the  graves.     In  the 


268  CVCLOPEDIA    OF 

archives  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Society  there  are  a  large  number  of 
Memorial  Day  addresses,  delivered  by  citizens  of  the  state  at  various 
times  and  places. 

On  May  30,  1904,  the  people  of  Topeka,  in  addition  to  the  usual  cere- 
monies of  the  day,  celebrated  the  semi-centennial  of  the  passage  of  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  which  organized  Kansas  and  Nebraska  as  ter- 
ritories of  the  United  States.  The  program  for  the  day  was  arranged 
by  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  pioneers  of  the  city,  and 
William  H.  Taft,  then  secretary  of  war,  and  later  president  of  the 
United  States,  was  the  orator  of  the  day.  His  address  on  that  occasion 
ma>  be  found  in  volume  six  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Collections. 

Manager  Junction,  a  railroad  station  in  the  extreme  western  portion 
of  Wyandotte  county,  is  at  the  junction  of  two  lines  of  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  16  miles  west  of  Kansas  City.    It  has  mail  from  Piper. 

Menda,  a  small  hamlet  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Lyon  county,  is 
located  7  miles  from  Hartford,  the  nearest  railroad  station,  whence  it 
receives  daily  mail  by  rural  delivery,  and  13  miles  from  Emporia,  the 
county  seat. 

Mendota,  a  country  hamlet  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  Hamilton 
township,  about  20  miles  northwest  of  Hays,  the  county  seat,  and  10 
miles  from  Ellis,  its  shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it 
receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Menlo,  a  village  in  Thomas  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of  the 
same  name  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  16  miles  southeast  of  Colby, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  2  elevators,  several  general  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Menno,  a  country  postoffice  in  Hamilton  county,  is  located  in  Lamont 
township,  about  18  miles  southeast  of  Syracuse,  the  county  seat,  and 
8  miles  from  Kendall,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  The  population  in 
1910  was  25. 

Mennonites,  The,  are  Germans  who  received  this  name  from  the  re- 
ligious denomination  to  which  they  belong,  and  which  was  founded  at 
Zurich,  Switzerland,  in  1525..  Members  of  this  sect  located  in  Switzer- 
land, Austria  and  Russia  and  it  is  from  these  countries  that  the  greatest 
number  emigrated.  In  1783  Catharine  II,  of  Russia,  invited  the  Men- 
nonites to  colonize  the  recently  acquired  province  of  Taurida.  As  an  in- 
ducement to  gain  these  settlers,  they  were  granted  immunity  from  mili- 
tary service,  religious  freedom,  their  own  local  administration,  and  a 
community  grant  of  land  equal  to  about  160  acres.  They  did  not  own 
ihe  lands  but  leased  them  on  condition  of  cultivating  thern,  the  improve- 
ments alone,  belonging  to  them.  The  Mennonites  had  little  to  do  with 
the  general  government,  as  each  of  the  villages  had  its  burgomaster 
and  the  government  carried  on  its  business  with  them  by  means  of 
three  officials.  The  privileges  were  granted  to  these  emigrant  Germans 
for  100  years,  when  each  family  was  to  get  title  in  fee  simple  to  the  land 
allotted.    The  villages  increased  to  about  fifty  in  number  and  from  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  269 

jirst  settlements  which  were  made  along  the  Dnieper,  spread  through 
the  Crimea,  eastward  toward  the  foot  of  the  Caucasus.  Other  settle- 
ments were  made  along  the  Volga  and  the  members  of  the  colonies 
grew  in  wealth  and  importance. 

Everything  went  well  for  a  number  of  years,  but  a  feeling  of  jealousy 
grew  up  against  them  because  of  their  exclusiveness  by  refusing  to 
intermarry  with  the  Tartar  and  Russian  natives,  and  most  important 
because  of  their  success  and  wealth,  which  was  attributed  to  their 
privileges.  In  1871  the  government  announced  its  intention  of  with- 
drawing the  privileges  and  making  a  general  conscription,  against  which 
the  Mennonites  protested.  The  privileges  could  not  be  legally  with- 
drawn before  1883,  the  end  of  the  century,  and  they  were  told  that  they 
could  leave  if  they  did  not  like  it.  A  period  of  ten  years  was  granted, 
during  which  time  any  of  the  3,000,000  colonists  might  leave,  but  few 
knew  of  this  and  had  not  one  of  their  leaders,  Cornelius  Jansen,  ad- 
vised emigration  to  America,  many  would  have  become  Russian  sub- 
jects. For  enlightening  his  people  Jansen  was  expelled  from  Russia 
and  visited  the  United  States  just  at  the  time  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  railroad  began  its  scheme  of  colonization  in  the  summer  of 
1873.  He  spent  a  week  looking  over  the  land  of  the  company,  where  a 
few  Mennonites  had  already  located. 

Three  delegates  had  been  sent  to  this  country  to  see  about  land  and 
report.  The  railroad  then  sent  an  agent  of  its  own,  C.  B.  Schmidt,  to 
Russia  to  look  into  the  conditions  and  encourage  emigration,  with  a  view 
to  having  them  take  the  land  of  the  railroad.  The  Russian  government 
was  loth  to  have  these  excellent  colonists  leave  and  made  it  as  difficult 
as  possible  for  them  to  secure  passports,  but  notwithstanding  this,  400 
familes  or  1,900  people,  bringing  with  them  over  $2,000,000  in  gold, 
arrived  in  Kansas  in  1875  and  bought  60,000  acres  of  land  in  Reno, 
Harvey,  Marion  and  McPherson  counties. 

While  waiting  to  select  their  lands,  these  families  lived  for  a  month 
in  the  King  bridge  shops  at  Topeka  which  had  been  purchased  by  the 
Santa  Fe  road,  but  were  not  yet  fitted  with  machinery,  and  they  fur- 
nished excellent  accommodations.  Before  the  Mennonites  left  for  their 
homes,  the  governor  asked  them  to  visit  him  at  the  capitol  building 
and  the  strange  company  in  their  foreign  clothes  filed  through  the  build- 
ing shaking  hands  with  the  chief  executive  and  other  state  officials. 
Following  the  first  emigrants  came  many  others,  and  during  the  ten 
vears  there  was  a  steady  stream  of  these  excellent  farmers  pouring  into 
the  state.  It  was  estimated  that  by  1883  some  15,000  had  settled  on 
the  lands  of  the  Santa  Fe  road,  and  since  that  time  they  have  increased 
to  60,000.  The  emigration  from  Russia  started  a  similar  movement  from 
South  Germany,  Switzerland  and  West  Prussia.  The  importance  of  the 
settlement  of  these  people  in  Kansas  can  not  be  overestimated,  as  they 
were  professional  farmers,  with  ample  means  and  settled  in  large  num- 
bers. They  brought  with  them  and  introduced  the  Turkey  red  wheat, 
Avhich  revolutionized  the  milling  business  of  Kansas,  and  led  to  its  rapid 


270  CYCL0I'EX)1A    OF 

de\elopment  as  a  great  grain  stale.  In  1890  tliey  had  31  cluncli  edifices 
in  the  state,  with  a  membership  of  4,620.  Fifteen  years  later  tlie  num- 
ber i<i  mcmliers  had  increased  to  ",445. 

Mencken,  a  hamlet  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  the  Idunshi])  of 
tlie  same  name,  5  miles  northwest  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a 
station  on  the  Union  Pacilic  R.  R.  and  has  a  telegraph  office.  Its  mail 
is  distributed  from  Topeka.    The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Mentor,  a  hamlet  of  .Saline  coimty,  is  located  in  Smolan  township,  on 
the  L'nion  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles  south  of  Salina,  the  county  seat.  Jt  has 
an  express  office,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  ijne  rural  route. 
The  poptUation  in  1910  was  38. 

Meredith,  a  hamlet  in  Cloud  county,  is  located  about  15  miles  south 
of  Concordia,  the  county  scat,  and  8  miles  from  Delphos,  Ottawa  county, 
the  nearest  shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is 
distributed.     The  ]50pulation  in  1910  was  78. 

Meriden,  a  little  town  of  Jefferson  county,  is  located  at  a  point  near 
the  west  line  of  the  county  where  two  branches  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  diverge,  and  17  miles  west  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county 
seat.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  with  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  I.edger),  banking  facilities,  high  school  and  city  library, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postotifice  with  three 
rural  routes.  Aleriden  was  platted  in  1872  on  land  owned  by  Albert 
Owens.  The  first  building  was  a  section  house,  the  next  a  small  struct- 
ure erected  by  N.  Colby.  The  first  dwelling  was  built  by  Dr.  A.  Daw- 
son. After  three  close  elections  the  township  voted  $20,000  in  bonds 
to  the  railroad  for  a  depot,  which  was  built  in  1873.  The  first  store  was 
opened  in  that  year  by  \\'illiam  and  Perry  Riggs.  The  postoffice  was 
established  in  1872.  The  first  marriage  was  between  Dr.  A.  Dawson 
and  Miss  Dantie  Graydon  in  1872,  and  the  first  birth  was  that  of  A.  A. 
Dawson  in  1874.  The  first  death  was  that  of  George  W.  Riggs  in  the 
same  year. 

Merriam,  a  village  of  Johnson  county,  is  located  on  the  St.  Louis  & 
San  Francisco  R.  R.,  13  miles  northeast  of  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  several  general  stores,  a  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  ex- 
press facilities  and  is  a  considerable  shipping  point.  In  1910  the  popu- 
lation was  127. 

Mertilla,  a  rural  money  order  postoffice  in  Meade  county,  is  located 
in  the  township  of  the  same  name,  about  14  miles  northwest  of  Meade, 
the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  north  of  Jasper,  the  nearest  shipping  point! 

Messer,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  10  miles  east  of  Columbus, 
the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  north  of  Galena,  the  postoffice  from  which 
Its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  73. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church.— This  religious  organization  was  started 
m  Rngland  by  John  Wesley,  while  he  was  a  student  at  Oxford.  A  few 
students  of  religious  inclination  became  associated  in  1729,  and  were 
called  by  the  other  students  of  the  university,  Methodists  or  the  Club 
of  Saints,  and  by  1735  became  known  as  the'  Oxford  Methodists.     The 


KANSAS    lllSTUKV  2/1 

community  formed  by  Charles  and  John  Wesley  retained  the  form, 
organization  and  liturgy  of  the  Anglican  church,  but  differed  from  it 
in  requiring  fasts,  special  prayers,  reading  of  the  Bible  and  frequent 
communions.  The  Methodists  did  desire  separation  from  the  estab- 
lished church  and  were  not  formally  cut  off  until  forced  to  do  so  by 
the  orthodox  ministers. 

The  Methodist  chtuxh  in  America  was  first  established  in  the  colony 
of  Georgia  under  Oglethorpe,  who  returned  from  a  trip  to  England 
in  1736  with  300  emigrants,  among  them  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  the 
former  having  come  to  America  to  be  not  only  a  missionary  among  his 
fellow  countrymen  but  also  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  Indians,  while 
Charles  acted  as  secretary  to  Gov.  Oglethorpe.  Difificulties  arose  be- 
tween the  colonial  authorities  and  John  Wesley  determined  to  re- 
turn to  England  and  lay  the  whole  matter  before  Gov.  Oglethorpe. 
Although  he  never  returned  to  America  the  seeds  he  had  planted  grew, 
and  in  future  years  bore  much  fruit.  Soon  after  his  departure,  George 
Whitefield  arrived  at  Philadelphia  and  began  to  preach  the  Methodist 
doctrine.  Philip  Embury  arrived  in  New  York  City  from  England  in 
1760,  with  a  party  of  protestants,  a  few  of  whom  were  avowed  Metho- 
dists. Before  coming  to  America  he  had  served  as  a  local  Wesley 
preacher,  but  he  did  not  hold  any  services  in  America  until  1766,  and 
from  that  time  Methodism  began  to  flourish.  Embury  was  a  successful 
leader,  who  organized  societies  on  Long  Island  and  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and 
Capt.  Webb,  a  convert,  established  Methodist  congregations  at  Phila- 
delphia and  Wilmington.  The  church  was  first  started  in  Maryland 
by  Robert  Strawbridge,  who  came  from  Ireland  and  located  in  Freder- 
ick county.  The  first  conference  was  held  at  Philadelphia  on  July  11, 
1773,  and  by  1774  the  number  of  preachers  had  reached  17  and  the 
lumber  of  members  over  2,000. 

In  1787  the  colored  people  of  Philadelphia  belonging  to  different 
Methodist  organizations  became  dissatisfied,  withdrew  from  the  church, 
and  a  colored  preacher  was  ordained  for  them.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  the  movement  that  resulted  in  the  colored  people  organizing  an  in- 
dependent body  with  the  same  doctrine  and  standards  as  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  They  held  a  first  conference  in  1816,  when  the  Af- 
rican Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  formed.  Since  that  time  many 
different  Methodist  organizations  have  been  started.  Early  in  the  '40s 
it  was  seen  that  the  church  was  divided  upon  the  question  of  slavery  and 
in  1844,  the  Southern  churches  withdrew  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
general  conference,  deciding  upon  a  separate  organization  to  be  known 
as  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  South.  In  i860  the  Free  Methodist 
church  was  organized  in  New  York  with  but  slight  modifications  of 
the  articles  of  the  Methodist  church,  but  some  change  in  the  form  of 
government.  Other  branch  organizations  have  been  perfected  until 
today  the  origirfal  Methodists  are  divided  into  the  following  churches: 
Methodist  Episcopal,  Union  American  Methodist  Episcopal  (Colored), 
African  Methodist  Episcopal,  African  Union  Methodist  Episcopal,  Af- 


2-J2  CYCLOl'liUIA    OK 

rican  Metliudisl  Episcopal  Zioii,  Methodisl  PiuleslaiU,  VVesleyan  Meth- 
odist Connection  America,  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  South,  Congre- 
gational Methodist,  New  Congregational  Methodist,  Colored  Methodist 
Episcopal,  Reformed  Zion  Union  Apostolic  (Colored),  Primitive  Meth- 
odist Episcopal,  Free  Methodist  North  America,  and  Reformed  Meth- 
odist Union  Episcopal  (Colored). 

The  first  work  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Kansas  was  started  while 
the  region  was  unorganized  Indian  Territory.  At  the  Missouri  con- 
ference held  in  St.  Louis  on  Sept.  i6,  1830,  action  was  taken  with  re- 
gard to  the  mission  work  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  Kansas.  A  so- 
ciety was  formed,  the  constitution  of  which  set  forth  that,  "The  mem- 
bers of  the  Missouri  conference,  considering  the  great  necessity  for  mis- 
sionary exertions,  and  feeling  a  willingness  to  aid  in  the  great  work 
of  sending  the  Gospel  among  all  people,  formed  themselves  into  a  mis- 
sionary society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church." 

The  first  missionary  appointments  of  1830  read:  "Shawnee  Mission, 
Thomas  Johnson,  Kansas  or  Kaw  Mission,  William  Johnson."  A  little 
later  missions  were  formed  among  the  Delawares,  Peorias,  lowas.  Sacs 
and  Foxes.  (See  Missions.)  When  the  Methodist  church  was  divided 
on  the  question  of  slavery,  the  Indian  missions  of  Kansas  fell  to  the 
Southern  branch.  One  of  the  last  Indian  missions  was  established 
among  the  Wyandottes  in  April,  1844,  and  subsequently  resulted  in 
one  of  the  earliest  permanent  Methodist  organizations  in  Kansas.  The 
actual  mission  work  of  the  Methodist  church  among  the  Kansas  In- 
dians ceased  in  1854.  These  Indian  missions  were  nearly  all  in  what  is 
now  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  of  Kansas.  A  few  missions  were 
maintained  until  the  Indians  were  moved  to  the  Indian  Territory. 

In  Douglas  county,  the  first  religious  services  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  were  held  by  W.  H.  Goode,  at  Lawrence  in  Dec,  1854.  A 
class  was  organized  in  the  early  spring  of  1855,  but  was  soon  disbanded. 
In  July  a  permanent  Methodist  organization  was  perfected  by  L.  B. 
Dennis,  and  a  tent  used  for  services  until  rooms  were  secured  for  the 
winter.  A  year  or  so  later  a  church  was-  erected.  The  first  Methodist 
services  in  Shawnee  county  were  held  at  Tecumseh  in  Oct.,  1854,  by 
J.  B.  Stateler,  who  soon  succeeded  in  having  a  church  building  erected. 
On  Oct.  8,  1854,  the  first  Methodist  sermon  was  preached  at  Leaven- 
worth, but  no  church  organization  was  formed  there  until  1857,  when  a 
charter  was  obtained  from  the  state  legislature  for  a  regular  organiza- 
tion and  M.  M.  Harm  was  called  as  pastor.  A  church  building  was 
completed  by  1861.  Fort  Scott  was  first  established  in  Bourbon  county 
as  a  government  military  post,  and  religious  services  were  held  there 
while  it  was  a  garrison,  but  no  organization  was  perfected  until  1855. 
C.  E.  Rice  preached  in  Allen  county  early  in  1856  and  a  church  was  es- 
tablished at  Humboldt  in  i860.  One  of  the  first  ministers  in  Atchison 
county  was  James  Shaw,  who  came  to  Kansas  territory  in  the  spring 
of  1857,  and  in  May  delivered  a  sermon  in  S.  C.  Pomeroy's  office  at 
Atchison.     In   October  of   that   year  the   Methodist   Episcopal   church, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  273 

South,  was  regularly  organized  there  and  a  building  erected.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  South,  was  organized  at  Doniphan,  Doni- 
phan count}',  in  1856,  and  though  no  church  was  erected  by  this  organi- 
ation,  services  were  held  at  different  points  for  some  time.  The  first 
Methodist  church  was  established  at  Doniphan  on  May  10,  1857,  and  a 
church  edifice  erected  early  in  the  '60s.  The  Methodists  in  Miami 
county  were  organized  in  the  summer  of  1858  at  Paola  by  M.  M.  Pugh. 
They  formed  part  of  the  Stanton  circuit  until  1864,  when  the  church 
became  an  independent  organization  and  erected  a  building  in  1865. 
The  first  meetings  in  Ottawa,  Franklin  county,  were  held  in  the  spring 
of  1866,  by  a  Mr.  Adams  and  in  1867  the  first  accredited  preacher  was 
sent  there  by  the  Kansas  conference.  Johnson  county  had  early  Indian 
missionaries,  but  the  first  regular  church  was  organized  in  Olathe 
in   1868. 

As  new  settlements  were  formed,  the  outlying  districts  were  served 
by  Methodist  circuit  riders,  who  rode  through  the  nearly  unbroken  wil- 
derness and  organized  congregations.  The  Methodists  were  among 
the  first  denominations  in  Kansas  and  today  are  the  strongest  in  num- 
bers, having  in  1906  a  total  membership  of  over  121,000,  or  more  than 
26  per  cent,  of  the  membership  of  all  the  churches. 

Miami  County,  one  of  the  eastern  tier,  and  the  second  south  from  the 
Kansas  river,  was  one  of  the  original  33  counties  created  by  the  first 
territorial  legislature,  with  the  following  boundaries :  "Beginning  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Johnson  county;  thence  south  24  miles;  thence  west 
24  miles ;  thence  north  24  miles,  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Johnson 
county;  thence  east  24  miles  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

It  was  named  Lykins  in  honor  of  David  Lykins,  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  county  and  a  member  of  the  territorial  council.  In  1861 
the  name  of  the  county  was  changed  to  Miami  for  the  Miami  Indians 
and  in  March,  1868,  the  boundaries  were  changed  so  as  to  include  an 
additional  half-mile  strip  on  the  west,  so  that  today  the  county  has  an 
area  of  588  square  miles.  Miami  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Franklin  and  Johnson  counties ;  on  the  east  by  the  State  of  Missouri ; 
on  the  south  by  Linn  county,  and  on  the  west  by  Franklin  county.  It 
is  divided  into  the  following  townships :  Marysville,  Miami,  Middle 
Creek,  Mound,  Osage,  Osawatomie,  Paola,  Richland,  Stanton,  Sugar 
Creek,  Ten  Mile,  Valley  and  Wea. 

The  general  surface  of  the  country  is  undulating  prairie,  with  a  few 
blufl^s  and  some  broken  land  along  the  streams.  The  valleys  of  the 
rivers  and  creeks  average  about  a  mile  in  width  and  comprise  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  area.  Belts  of  timber  are  found  along  the  streams,  the 
principal  varieties- of  trees  being  walnut,  cottonwood,  oak,  hickory, 
hackberry,  ash,  elm,  soft  maple,  coflfee  bean  and  box-elder.  Artificial 
groves  have  been  planted  on  the  uplands.  The  soil  is  exceedingly  fer- 
tile. On  the  uplands  it  averages  about  4  feet  in  depth  while  in  the  val- 
leys it  runs  as  deep  as  30  feet.  The  principal  water  courses  are  the 
Marais  des  Cygnes  and  Pottawatomie  rivers.  The  former  enters  the 
(II-18) 


274 


CYCLOPEXIIA    OF 


county  on  the  west  and  flows  in  a  general  easterly  direction  for  8  miles, 
where  it  is  joined  by  the  Pottawatomie  which  crosses  the  western  botm- 
dary  about  4  miles  north  of  the  southwest  corner  and  flows  northeast. 
The  main  creeks  in  the  north  are  Bull,  Ten  Mile,  Wea  and  Middle,  and 
the  southern  portion  is  watered  by  Mound,  Middle  and  Sugar  creeks. 
The  county  ranks  high  in  agriculture,  especially  in  the  production 
of  corn,  oats  and  flax.  Live  stock  raising  is  an  important  and  pro- 
ductive industry  and  large  quantities  of  poultry  and  eggs  are  sold. 
There  are  150,000  fruit  trees  of  bearing  age.  Limestone  and  sandstone 
for  building  are  plentiful.  Marble  of  a  good  quality  is  found  and  quar- 
ried near  Osawatomie  and  Fontana.  Potters'  clay  exists  in  several  lo- 
calities; salt  water  is  found  in  places;  and  coal  is  mined  for  local  con- 
sumption. Natural  gas  is  abundant  in  most  parts  of  the  county.  Wells 
have  been  sunk  at  Osawatomie,  Louisburg  and  Paola,  and  the  gas  is 
extensively  used  for  heating  and  lighting.  There  are  numerous  oil 
wells  near  Paola,  where  a  refinery  has  been  established. 

The  territory  now  embraced  within  the  boundaries  of  Miami  county 
was  originally  owned  by  the  Miamis,  the  Pottawatomies,  the  Shawnees 
and  the  Confederated  tribes.  It  is  believed  that  the  first  white  man 
to  visit  the  country  through  which  the  Osage  river  flows  was  Dutisne 
(q.  v.),  a  French  officer  sent  out  by  the  governor  of  Louisiana  to  ex- 
plore the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  1719.  One  of  the  first 
white  men  to  come  to  Miami  county  as  a  permanent  settler  was  David 
Lykins,  and  after  whom  the  county  was  first  named.  He  came  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Confederated  tribes  in  1844.  The  Methodists  estab- 
lished a  mission  in  the  county  in  1837  a  little  east  of  the  present  town 
of  Osawatomie,  but  it  was  abandoned  in  1847  when  the  Pottawatomies 
moved  to  their  reservation  on  the  Kansas  river.  In  1840  the  Baptists 
established  a  mission  a  little  east  of  the  present  city  of  Paola.  This 
was  followed  in  1847  by  the  Miami  mission  about  10  miles  southeast 
of  Paola.  The  Catholics  established  their  mission  among  the  Potta- 
watomies in  1850.  The  men  carrying  on  this  religious  work  were  the 
first  whites  in  the  county  of  whom  there  is  any  definite  record. 

Some  of  the  first  men  who  came  after  the  organization  of  Kansas 
Territory  to  make  homes  and  develop  the  country  were  S.  H.  Houser, 
who  located  in  what  is  now  Stanton  township;  Daniel  Goodrich,  C.  A. 
Foster,  John  Childers,  C.  H.  Crane,  S.  L.  Adair  and  others  took  up 
claims  in  Osawatomie  township;  T.  J.  Hedges,  the  Shaw  brothers  and 
D.  L.  Perry  were  the  first  settlers  in  Paola  township;  and  A.  Mobley 
settled  in  what  is  now  Osage  township  in  1854.  The  following  year 
Charles  Alexander,  S.  P.  Boone,  Elias  Hughes,  W.  D.  Hoover,  James 
and  Joseph  Lykins,  J.  H.  Phillips,  Allen  Ward  and  several  oth'ere  set- 
tled near  the  present  city  of  Paola.  Thomas  Roberts,  James  Williams, 
S.  M.  Merritt  and  John  Littlejohn  were  among  the  first  to  take  claims 
in  what  is  now  Osawatomie  township.  John  Brown,  Jr.,  Jason,  Owen 
and  Salmon  Brown  all  took  claims  on  the  banks  of  Middle  Creek. 

Paola  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1855  and  later  incorporated  by  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  275 

legislature.  A  store  was  opened  there  in  1856,  and  it  became  one  of 
the  flourishing  villages  of  the  early  period.  Stanton  was  located  by 
H.  B.  Stanford  in  the  summer  of  1855.  The  following  year  a  postoffice 
was  established  and  a  store  was  opened.  Osawatomie,  one  of  the  most 
^listoric  towns  in  Kansas,  was  surveyed  in  Feb.,  1855,  by  A.  D.  Searl. 
The  name  was  formed  by  combining  the  first  part  of  the  name  Osage 
with  the  last  portion  of  Pottawatomie,  the  names  of  two  streams  which 
unite  near  the  town  site  to  form  the  Osage  river.  Settlement  had  been 
made  in  this  locality  early  in  1854  and  the  first  postolifice  was  established 
in  1855  with  Samuel  Geer  as  postmaster. 

Trouble  between  the  pro-slavery  and  free-state  settlers  began  at  an 
early  date  in  Miami  county.  Most  of  the  actual  settlers  of  Miami  county 
were  free-state  men  who  were  opposed  to  the  laws  passed  by  the  first 
territorial  legislature,  which  had  been  forced  upon  the  residents  of  the 
territory  by  Missourians.  On  April  16,  1856,  a  meeting  of  the  free- 
state  men  was  called  at  Osawatomie,  at  which  resolutions  were  adopted 
opposing  the  payment  of  taxes  levied  under  laws  of  this  legislature. 
At  this  meeting  John  Brown  made  a  spirited  speech  against  the  bogus 
laws  and  legislature,  as  did  others  present.  At  the  May  term  of  the 
second  judicial  district  court  the  grand  jury  found  an  indictment  against 
John  Brown,  John  Brown,  Jr.,  O.  C.  Brown,  O.  V.  Dayton,  Alexander 
Gardiner,  Richard  Mendenhall,  Charles  A.  Foster,  Charles  H.  Crane, 
William  Partridge  and  William  Chestnut,  in  which  it  was  charged  that 
they  "did  unlawfully  and  wickedly  conspire,  combine,  confederate  and 
agree  together  to  resist  the  enforcement  of  the  laws  passed  by  the  legis- 
lature for  the  collection  of  taxes."  This  indictment,  and  other  inci- 
dents about  the  same  time,  caused  the  smothered  blaze  to  break  into 
open  flame.  There  had  been  no  act  of  hostility  by  either  side  in  Miami 
county  up  to  that  time,  but  on  June  7  a  company  of  about  170  pro- 
slavery  men,  under  the  leadership  of  John  W.  Whitfield,  entered  the 
county,  and  at  Osawatomie,  which  was  defenseless,  they  plundered  sev- 
eral stores  and  houses  and  carried  off  several  horses.  This  affair  was 
known  as  the  first  battle  of  Osawatomie.  The  Missourians  were  gath- 
ering their  forces  just  across  the  border  preparatory  to  entering  Kan- 
sas, the  intention  being  to  wipe  out  some  of  the  strongest  free-state 
towns,  among  them  Osawatomie.  The  party  chosen  for  this  purpose 
was  under  command  of  Gen.  John  W.  Reid.  On  the  morning  of  Aug. 
30,  they  were  approaching  Osawatomie  from  the  northwest,  the  object 
being  to  surprise  the  town,  when  discovered  by  Frederick  Brown,  who 
was  on  his  way  to  Lawrence.  He  returned  to  the  town  and  gave  the 
alarm  about  twenty  minutes  before  sunrise.  John  Brown,  Sr.,  Dr. 
W.  W.  Updegraif  and  Capt.  Cline  commanded  the  defense.  (See  Osa- 
watomie, Battle  of.) 

One  of  the  routes  of  the  underground  railway  lay  through  Miami 
county,  Osawatomie  beings  its  most  important  station.  It  is  well 
known  that  a  number  of  negroes  escaping  from  the  slave  states  were  as- 
sisted on  their  way  to  Canada  by  the  free-state  residents  of  Miami,  who 
provided  clothing,  food  and  safe  conduct  to  the  stations  beyond. 


276  CYCl-Ol'liDIA    01" 

.Miami  c.uiniv  was  the  cradle  of  tlic  Rqiul.lican  party  in  Kansas,  as 
it  was  organized  at  the  Osawatomie  convention  called  May  18,  1859. 
This  was  the  most  important  and  notable  political  event  in  the  territory 
that  year.  v, 

At  the  outbreak  ol  the  Civil  war  the  men  of  Miami  county  showed 
their  patriotism  bv  enlisting  for  the  defense  of  the  Union.  Company  D 
of  the  Tenth  Kansas  infantry;  Companies  C  and  D  of  the  Twelfth 
Kansas ;  Company  F  of  the  Fourteenth  Kansas  cavalry  and  Company  C 
of  the  Fifteenth  cavalry  were  all  recruited  in  Miami  county.  During  the 
war  Miami  county  suffered  perhaps  less  than  any  of  the  other  border 
counties  from  Confederate  raids  and  border  warfare.  On  Oct.  24,  1862, 
Price  with  his  Confederate  army  entered  the  southeast  part  of  the 
countv  and  passed  through  into  Linn  county  in  retreat.  The  most 
important  event  of  the  war  was  the  passage  through  the  county  of 
Ouantrill,  the  famous  guerrilla  leader,  and  his  forces,  after  the  sack 
of  Lawrence.  News  was  brought  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  and 
preparations  were  made  at  Paola  for  defense.  Quantrill  heard  of  this 
and  when  2  miles  west  of  the  town  turned  northward,  camping  for  the 
night  on  the  west  side  of  Bull  creek.  A  Union  force  following  Ouantrill 
spent  the  night  at  Paola,  but  no  attack  was  made  and  Quantrill  con- 
tinued into  Missouri. 

When  Lykins  (Miami)  county  was  created,  provision  was  made  for 
the  election  of  county  commissioners  and  Paola  was  named  as  the 
county  seat.  The  body  which  corresponds  to  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners of  today  consisted  of  the  probate  judge  and  two  commis- 
sioners. According  to  the  records  that  have  been  preserved  the  first 
board  consisted  of  A.  H.  McFadin,  probate  judge,  James  Beets  and  L. 
D.  Williams,  commissioners,  who  first  met  on  April  2,  1857.  In  i860 
the  county  commissioner  form  of  government  was  established,  and  the 
first  meeting  of  the  new  board  was  held  on  April  2,  i860.  It  consisted 
of  Israel  Christie,  John  M.  Ellis  and  R.  W.  Shipley.  The  other  county 
officers  in  1857  were  E.  W.  Robinson,  clerk;  Richard  Mendenhall,  as- 
sessor; L.  McArthur,  clerk  of  the  district  court;  B.  P.  Campbell,  sheriff; 
\V.  A.  Heiskell,  register  of  deeds;  Allen  T.  Ward,  treasurer;  J.  N.  Ros- 
cone,  surveyor;  Cyrus  Holdridge,  coroner,  and  B.  F.  Simmons,  county 
attorney.  On  July  27,  1857,  the  first  steps  were  taken  toward  erecting 
a  court-house  for  the  county.  On  that  date  the  cornmissioners  ordered 
an  issue  of  $15,000  in  ten  per  cent,  bonds,  the  money  to  be  used  to  erect 
a  building  at  Paola  for  court-house  purposes,  but  the  bonds  were  never 
issued  and  no  court-house  was  built.  Union  Hall  was  rented  and  used 
for  such  purposes  for  some  time,  when  the  county  offices  were  moved 
into  the  second  story  of  an  office  building.  On  May  8,  1876,  the  old 
school  building  of  Paola  was  rented  for  a  court-house  and  in  the  fall 
it  was  purchased  by  the  county  for  the  sum  of  $9,200. 

The  earliest  school  of  which  there  is  a  record  was  that  taught  in 
Paola  in  the  fall  of  1856  by  Mrs.  May  Williams.  The  first  white  child 
born  in  the  countv.  of  which  a  record  can  be  obtained,  was  Sue  Heis- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  277 

kell,  who  was  born  May  31,  1857.  The  first  marriage  solemnized  was 
that  of  George  Tomlinson  and  Mary  Mead  in  the  spring  of  1856.  In 
that  year  the  Methodist  church  was  organized  at  Osawatomie,  though 
missions  among  the  Indians  had  existed  for  3-ears.  By  an  act  of  the 
legislature  of  1863  the  first  state  insane  asylum  was  established  at  Osa- 
watomie. (See  Insane  Hospitals.)  The  first  newspaper  in  the  county 
was  the  Southern  Kansas  Herald,  which  was  started  at  Osawatomie 
about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1857. 

Immediately  after  the  war  a  great  deal  of  interest  was  manifested 
in  Kansas  in  railroad  building.  In  1865  Miami  county  voted  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $150,000  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  Kansas  & 
Neosho  Valley  road,  and  in  1869  $100,000  and  $125,000  were  voted  re- 
spectively to  the  Paola  &  Fall  River  and  the  Paola  &  State  Line  -roads, 
which  were  to  be  completed  in  1871.  The  Kansas  &  Neosho  Valley  road 
was  changed  to  the  Missouri  River,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf,  and  the  Paola 
&  State  Line  road  to  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas.  Some  of  the  bonds 
were  forfeited  because  the  roads  were  not  completed  on  time,  but  $225,- 
000  became  a  valid  lien  on  the  county. 

At  the  present  time  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco,  the  Missouri, 
Kansas  &  Texas,  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railway  systems  have  lines 
radiating  in  six  different  directions  from  Paola;  a  branch  of  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  runs  west  from  Osawatomie  to  Ottawa,  and  a  line  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  system  crosses  the  extreme  northwest 
corner.  Altogether  there  are  about  100  miles  of  main  track  in  the 
county,  affording  good  shipping  facilities  to  all  parts  except  a  district 
in  the  southeast  corner. 

The  population  of  Miami  county  in  1910  was  20,030.  The  value  of 
all  farm  products,  including  live  stock,  etc.,  was  $3,496,104.  The  five 
principal  crops  were  as  follows:  Corn,  $1,017,060;  hay,  $443,132;  wheat, 
$355,535  ;  oats,  $249,264;  flax,  $53,662.  The  value  of  animals  slaughtered 
or  sold  for  slaughter  was  $1,073,343. 

Michigan  Valley,  one  of  the  villages  of  Osage  county,  is  a  station  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  10  miles  northeast  of  Lyndon,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  a  number  of  mercantile  establishments,  a  bank,  good  schools  and 
churches,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the  government 
report  of  igio  was  200. 

Middletown,  a  little  inland  hamlet  in  Wilson  county,  is  located  in 
Verdigris  township  14  miles  north  of  Fredonia,  the  county  seat,  and  8 
miles  west  of  Buft'alo,  the  nearest  railroad  station,  whence  it  receives 
mail  b}'  rural  route. 

Midland,  a  hamlet  in  Douglas  county,  is  located  on  the  L'nion  Pacific 
R.  R..  about  4  miles  north  of  Lawrence,  the  county  seat  and  the  post- 
office  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  50. 

Midland  College,  located  at  Atchison,  Kan.,  was  the  first  college 
founded  in  Kansas  under  the  auspices  of  the  general  synod  of  the  Evan- 


278 


CYCLOl'KDIA    or 


gelical  Lutheran  duircli.  For  years  ilic  ministers  of  the  church  had 
felt  the  need  of  a  college  in  Kansas,  to  educate  the  youth  of  the  church 
and  prepare  young  men  for  the  ministry.  In  1885  a  petition  was  pre- 
sented to  the  synod  asking  for  the  establishment  of  such  an  institution. 
The  synod  decided  to  locate  the  college  in  the  town  which  would  make 
the  most  liberal  donations.  Atchison  pledged  $50,000  for  suitable  build- 
ings and  gave  a  tract  of  25  acres  of  land  in  Highland  park  for  a  site,  and 
was  therefore  chosen.     The  main  building.  Atchison  Hall,  was  erected 


ATCHISON   HALL.    MIDLAND   COLLEGE. 

in  1889,  at  a  cost  of  $28,000.  on  the  grounds  overlooking  the  Missouri 
river.  It  is  64  by  106  feet,  four  stories  high,  and  in  it  are  situated  the 
president's  office,  chapel,  reading  room,  library,  museum,  chemical  and 
physical  laboratories,  ten  recitation  rooms  and  rooms  for  about  50  male 
students.  The  college  was  dedicated  the  same  year.  In  1891,  a  dormi- 
tory for  women,  known  as  Oak  Hall,  was  erected,  with  accommodations 
for  about  40  students.  The  other  building  on  the  campus  is  a  gym- 
nasium, 61  by  31  feet,  equipped  with  suitable  apparatus.  The  college 
possesses  a  six-inch  refracting  telescope  housed  in  a  permanent  build- 
ing, which  is  valued  at  $i,8oo.  The  library  and  reading  rooms  contain 
about  8,000  volumes.  Andrew  Carnegie  has  offered  the  college  $15,000 
for  a  new  library  building  as  soon  as  a  like  amount  is  set  aside  as  a  per- 
manent endowment,  and  in  191 1  it  was  expected  that  the  sum  would  be 
secured  and  the  library  erected  within  a  short  time.    In  1895.  the  endow- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  279 

ment  fund  of  the  institution  had  reached  $30,000,  $24,000  of  which  was 
bequeathed  by  Rev.  George  D.  Gotwald,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

There  is  a  four-years'  college  course,  a  preparatory  course,  normal, 
business  and  music  departments.  The  college  and  preparatory  depart- 
ment offer  three  regular  courses — classical,  scientific  and  literary.  In 
1904  the  Midland  cadet  corps  was  organized  and  instruction  in  military 
tactics  and  the  use  of  arms  is  given  three  times  a  week.  The  average 
number  of  students  enrolled  in  the  college  is  over  300.  In  1910  Rev. 
Millard  F.  Troxell  was  president  of  the  college,  which  had  an  able 
faculty  of  18  members.  Midland  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading 
denominational  schools,  and  is  rapidly  gaining  a  reputation  for  its  high 
standard  of  scholarship. 

Midway,  a  mining  town  in  Crawford  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  railroads, 
16  miles  southeast  of  Girard,  the  county  seat.  The  mining  company 
maintains  a  general  store  and  there  is  a  money  order  postofifice.  The 
town  was  formerly  known  as  Nyack.    The  population  in  19 10  was  400. 

Miege,  John  B.,  the  first  Roman  Catholic  bishop  of  Kansas,  was  born 
in  the  parish  of  Chevron,  Upper  Savoy,  in  181 5.  He  completed  his  liter- 
ary studies  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  but  spent  two  years  more  in 
the  seminary,  and  on  Oct.  23,  1836,  he  was  admitted  into  the  Society  of 
Jesus  at  Milan.  On  Oct.  15,  1838,  he  pronounced  his  first  vows,  after 
which  he  studied  in  various  institutions  until  1847,  when  he  was  ordained 
to  the  priesthood.  Two  years  later  he  came  to  America  to  take  up  the 
work  of  missionary  among  the  Indians,  but  was  made  pastor  of  a  parish 
at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  until  March  25,  1851,  when  he 
was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Messenia,  his  diocese  embracing  the  territory 
from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  Rocky  mountains.  His  first  chapel  was 
a  building  24  by  40  feet  at  Leavenworth,  and  in  1855  he  began  the  erec- 
tion of  the  cathedral  there.  In  1864  he  visited  South  America  to  raise 
funds  for  the  completion  of  the  building.  He  retired  from  the  episcopate 
in  1874  and  was  then  connected  with  the  St.  Louis  University,  Wood- 
stock College  in  Maryland,  and  with  church  work  at  Detroit,  Mich., 
until  stricken  with  paralysis  in  the  early  '80s.    He  died  on  July  20,  1884. 

Milan,  a  little  town  in  Sumner  county,  is  located  in  Ryan  township, 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  15  miles  west  of  Wellington, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  mill  and  elevator,  a  number  of  good 
retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910 
was  250.  The  town  was  founded  in  1880,  the  postoffice  and  school  house 
antedating  the  town  by  several  years.  The  first  teacher  in  the  new 
school  building  in  Milan  was  a  Mrs.  Merrill,  and  the  first  postmaster 
was  I.  D.  Moffitt,  who  was  also  the  first  storekeeper.  The  first  birth,  as 
well  as  the  first  death,  was  that  of  the  little  son  of  Mr.  Moffitt.  The 
first  marriage  was  between  Nannie  Hankins  and  W.  D.  Baker.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Cummings  was  the  first  physician  and  erected  a  drug  store  when 
the  town  was  founded. 


28o  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Milberger,  a  cuuntiy  postoffice  in  Russell  county,  is  located  in  Lin- 
coln township,  13  miles  south  of  Russell,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping:  point. 

Mildred,  a  thriving  little  town  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Allen  coun- 
ty, is  a  station  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  about  15  miles 
from  lola,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  express  and 
telegraph  offices,  a  good  local  trade,  and  in  1910  reported  a  population 
of  300.  It  is  also  a  shipping  point  of  some  importance  for  that  section 
of  the  county. 

Miles,  a  country  postoffice  in  Meade  county,  is  located  in  Cimarron 
township  and  on  the  Cimarron  river,  about  22  miles  south  of  Meade,  the 
county  seat,  and  16  miles  north  of  Beaver,  Okla.,  the  nearest  shipping 
point.    The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Milford,  a  village  in  Geary  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of  the 
same  name  on  the  Republican  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  12 
miles  north  of  Junction  City,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  grain 
elevator,  2  flour  mills,  all  lines  of  mercantile  business,  a  telegraph  oflSce, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in 
1910  was  250.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  1855  under  the  name  of  Bach- 
elder.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1861  and  the  first  postmaster 
was  Major  Barry. 

Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion. —  (See  Loyal  Legion.) 

Military  Posts. — (See  Forts  and  Camps.) 

Militia. — The  first  session  of  the  territorial  legislature,  which  met  on 
July  2,  1855,  passed  a  long  act  of  27  sections  providing  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  militia.  This  was  what  is  known  as  the  "bogus  legislature," 
elected  by  the  votes  of  Missourians,  and  the  actual  residents  of  the  terri- 
tory refused  to  be  governed  by  its  enactments.  Consequently,  the 
organization  of  the  militia  under  the  provisions  of  the  act  mentioned 
was  more  in  theory  than  in  fact.  On  Feb.  12,  1858,  the  first  free-state 
legislature  passed  an  act  declaring  every  white  male  inhabitant  between 
the  ages  of  18  and  45  years  subject  to  military  duty  and  a  part  of  the 
militia  of  Kansas.  The  act  also  provided  for  a  major-general,  8  brig- 
adier-generals, an  inspector-general,  an  adjutant-general,  a  quartermas- 
ter-general, a  commissary-general  and  a  surgeon-general,  these  officers 
to  be  elected  by  the  legislature  and  to  constitute  a  military  board,  which 
should  have  control  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  militia.  The  object 
of  the  legislature  in  creating  this  board  was  to  take  the  matter  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  territorial  authorities,  which  were  friendly  to  the  slave 
power,  and  for  that  reason  the  act  was  vetoed  by  the  governor,  but  was 
passed  over  the  veto.     (See  Denver's  Administration.) 

A  thorough  reorganization  of  the  militia  was  effected  soon  after  Kan- 
sas was  admitted  into  the  Union.  By  the  act  of  April  22,  1861,  all  male 
citizens  between  the  ages  of  21  and  45  years  were  declared  to  be  part 
of  the  militia,  except  such  persons  as  might  be  exempt  by  the  laws  of 
the  United  States ;  those  who  had  served  for  five  years  in  the  United 
States  army   or  the   active  state   militia;   superintendents  of  the   state 


KANSAS    HISTORY  28 1 

charitable  and  penal  institutions,  and  railway  conductors  or  engineers 
actually  engaged  in  the  train  service  of  any  railroad  company.  Persons 
having  conscientious  scruples  against  bearing  arms  could  be  exempted 
by  payment  of  $5  annually.  The  active  militia  was  defined  as  the  mem- 
bers of  volunteer  companies,  subject  to  the  call  of  the  governor,  who 
was  commander-in-chief,  by  virtue  of  the  state  constitution. 

Under  the  operation  of  this  law,  Kansas  was  divided  into  two  militia 
districts,  separated  by  the  Kansas  river,  and  the  number  of  brigades  in 
each  district  was  to  be  directed  by  the  commander-in-chief.  From  three 
to  six -companies  of  the  active  militia  were  to  constitute  a  battalion; 
from  five  to  eleven  companies  were  to  be  formed  into  a  regiment,  and  all 
enlistments  were  to  be  for  a  period  of  five  years.  Counties  were  auth- 
orized to  create  a  military  fund  for  the  volunteer  companies  therein,  and 
the  mayor  and  council  of  every  city  where  a  volunteer  company  might 
be  enrolled  were  directed  to  erect  an  armory  for  such  company.  By  the 
act  of  May  i,  1861,  the  governor  was  authorized  to  tender  to  the  United 
States  government  one  or  more  regiments  of  the  state  militia. 

While  the  Civil  war  was  in  progress,  very  little  attention  was  given 
to  the  organization  or  discipline  of  the  militia.  Practically  all  the  men 
subject  to  service  in  the  active  militia  enlisted  in  some  of  the  volunteer 
organizations  and  were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States 
"for  three  years,  or  during  the  war."  Early  in  1865,  when  it  became 
apparent  that  the  war  was  nearing  an  end,  the  legislature  again  turned 
its  attention  to  the  subject  of  the  state  militia.  On  Feb.  13,  1865,  an 
act  was  passed  providing  for  the  compensation  and  discipline  of  the  state 
troops,  and  for  their  expenses  incurred  in  tke  Price  raid  the  previous 
autumn.  This  law,  with  some  amendments,  remained  the  militia  law  of 
the  state  until  1885. 

By  the  act  of  March  7,  1885,  the  militia  of  Kansas  underwent  for  a 
second  time  a  complete  reorganization,  and  the  name  was  changed  to 
the  Kansas  National  Guard.  In  April  the  work  of  reorganization  was 
commenced.  All  the  old  organizations  that  did  not  desire  to  remain  as 
part  of  the  national  guard  were  mustered  out  under  the  new  law ;  new 
companies  and  regiments  were  mustered  in ;  rules  and  regulations  for 
the  government  of  the  guard  were  adopted,  etc.  The  stave  was  made 
one  military  district,  to  be  under  the  command  of  a  major-general,  but 
there  were  four  brigade  districts,  each  under  the  command  of  a  brig- 
adier-general. The  major-general  and  the  four  brigadier-generals  were 
authorized  to  act  as  a  military  board.  The  first  board,  which  was  organ- 
ized on  June  21,  1885,  consisted  of  Maj.-Gen.  Thomas  M.  Carroll,.  Brig.- 
Gens.  a"  M.  Fuller,  T.  McCarthy,  Adam  Dixon  and  J.  N.  Roberts,  with 
Adjt.-Gen.  A.  B.  Campbell  as  secretary.  The  law  also  provided  for  an 
annual  muster  and  camp  of  instruction,  and  the  first  annual  muster  was 
held  at  Topeka  from  Sept.  28,  to  Oct.  3,  1885.  Since  then  annual  musters 
and  camps  of  instruction  have  been  held  regularly,  and  they  have  been 
the  means  of  awakening  considerable  interest  among  the  young  men  of 
the  state  in  military  maneuvers.     Friendly  rivalry,  or  rather  emulation. 


282  CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 

has  been  stimulated  by  the  act  of  Feb.  27,  1907,  which  provided  for 
target  practice,  the  state  pa3ing  three  cents  for  each  shot  fired  on  a 
state  range,  under  the  direction  of  a  commissioned  officer,  upon  a  proper 
report  being  filed.  Since  the  passage  of  this  law  the  members  of  the 
national  guard  have  become  much  more  proficient  in  the  use  of  the  rifle. 

.Another  act  relating  to  the  national  guard  was  approved  by  Gov. 
Stubbs  on  March  12,  1909,  authorizing  the  military  board  to  build 
armories  for  drill,  meeting  and  rendezvous,  and  provided  that  such 
armories  should  be  open  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Spanish- 
American  War  Veterans  and  auxiliary  societies.  At  the  same  time  it 
was  provided  that  enlistments  should  be  for  four  years,  and  that  the 
military  board  should  act  in  an  advisory  capacity  to  the  commander- 
in-chief. 

On  a  number  of  occasions  the  militia  or  the  national  guard  has  been 
called  upon  to  aid  in  the  enforcement  of  law  or  to  preserve  order.  The 
most  notable  instances  of  this  character  were  in  the  county  seat  con- 
tests in  some  of  the  western  counties,  particularly  in  Stevens  and  Sher- 
man counties.  In  the  great  railroad  strike  of  1878  some  of  the  companies 
were  called  into  active  service,  and  the  troops  were  in  evidence  in  the 
Missouri  Pacific  strike  of  1886.  The  state  has  been  liberal  in  her  sup- 
port of  the  national  guard  since  the  passage  of  the  law  of  1885,  about 
$20,000  being  annually  expended  on  the  camps  of  instruction,  and  some- 
thing like  $30,000  more  for  the  support  of  the  adjutant-general's  office, 
coinpany  drills,  armory  rent,  medals,  target  practice,  etc. 

The  state  constitution  provides  that  "Officers  of  the  militia  shall  be 
elected  or  appointed  and  commissioned  in  such  manner  as  may  be  pro- 
vided by  law."  Under  the  law  of  1909  the  state  constitutes  one  brigade 
district,  under  the  command  of  a  brigadier-general,  and  is  divided  into 
regimental  districts.  The  governor  appoints  the  brigadier-general,  with 
the  consent  of  the  senate ;  the  field  officers  of  each  regiment  are  chosen 
by  the  commissioned  officers  of  the  several  companies  composing  the 
regiment,  and  the  company  officers  are  elected  by  the  enlisted  men  be- 
longing to  the  company.  The  adjutant-general  has  control  of  the  mili- 
tary department  of  the  state,  in  which  he  is  subordinate  only  to  the 
governor.  He  exercises  a  general  supervision  over  all  military  aflfairs 
and  performs  the  duties  of  his  department  under  the  usage  and  regula- 
tions of  the  United  States  army.  The  governor,  as  commander-in-chief, 
has  power  to  call  out  the  national  guard  at  any  time  to  suppress  insur- 
rection, repel  invasion,  or  to  aid  in  the  execution  of  the  laws.  Mayors 
of  cities  of  the  first  class  also  have  power  to  call  out  any  local  company 
of  the  guard  to  disperse  unlawful  assemblies  or  to  assist  in  preserving 
the  peace. 

Every  company  is  required  to  meet  at  its  armory  for  drill  and  instruc- 
tion at  least  twice  each  month,  and  at  such  meetings  some  officer  capable 
of  imparting  military  instruction  conducts  a  drill  of  not  less  than  two 
hours'  duration  in  the  "school  of  the  soldier,"  the  manual  of  arms,  etc. 
In   addition  to  the  annual  camp  of  instruction,  there  is  a  semi-annual 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


283 


inspection  of  each  regiment  and  battalion,  made  by  the  commanding 
officer  thereof,  or  under  his  supervision.  These  are  known  as  the  spring 
and  fall  inspections.  In  April,  19",  the  Kansas  National  Guard  was 
composed  of  one  brigade  of  two  regiments— the  First  and  Second  intan- 
try— each  made  up  of  twelve  companies ;  a  battery  of  field  artillery ;  a 
signal  corps  and  a  hospital  corps.  The  First  regiment  was  commanded 
by  Col.  Wilder  S.  Metcalf,  and  the  Second  by  Col.  Perry  M.  Hoismgton. 
The  brigade  was  at  that  time  under  the  command  of  Brig.-Gen.  Charles 
S  Huffman.  In  addition  to  this  organization  there  were  two  provisional 
companies-Capt.  Clinton  R.  Shifter's  company  at  Lawrence  which 
was  attached  to  the  First  infantry  for  duty,  and  Capt.  Harry  M.  Snyder  s 
company  at  Independence,  which  was  attached  to  the  Second  infantry. 
Battery  A,  field  artillery,  was  commanded  by  Capt.  William  A.  Pattison, 
with  headquarters  at  Topeka. 

Such  is  the  peace  footing  of  the  national  guard,  but  the  military  spirit 
is  stronc^  in  Kansas,  and  with  the  excellent  commanders,  the  inculcation 
of  the  proper  esprit  de  corps,  the  state  has  as  fine  a  body  of  citizen  sol- 
dierv  as  any  in  the  Union,  always  ready  to  answer  the  call  of  duty. 

Millard,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Barton  county,  is  located  20  miles  north- 
west of  Great  Bend,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  in  the  same  direction 
from  Hoisington,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  mail  is  delivered  by  rural  route. 

Miller  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  Lvon'  county,  is  located  19  miles  northeast  of  Emporia,  the  county 
seat  ■  and  8  miles  west  of  Osage  City,  Osage  county,  from  which  place 
it  is  furnished  with  mail  by  rural  route.  It  has  express  and  telegraph 
offices   and  the  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  24. 

Miller,  James  Monroe,  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  at 
Three  Springs,  Pa.,  May  6,  1852,  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Christiana 
Miller  He  was  educated  at  Dickinson  Seminary,  Williamsport,  Pa  and 
oon  after  arriving  at  his  majority  he  decided  that  the  West  offered 
oreater  opportunities  for  young  men  than  did  Pennsylvania^  Accord- 
fngly  he  came  to  Kansas,  located  at  Council  Grove  where  he  took  up 
the  study  of  law,  and  in  1880  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Soon  after 
his  admission  he  was  elected  county  attorney  of  Morris  county  and  was 
twice  reelected.  During  the  six  years  he  served  as  county  attorney  he 
became  well  acquainted  throughout  the  county;  was  ac  ive  in  political 
af^-airs  as  a  Republican;  was  one  of  the  presidential  electors  on  the  Re- 
nubl  can  t-cket  in  1884;  and  in  1898  was  elected  to  represent  the  4th 
5Sc  in  he  lower  brtnch  of  Congress.  He  was  reelected  at  each  suc- 
c  eding  election  until  1908,  and  was  a  candidate  for  renomination  in 
go  but  was  defeated  in  the  primary  by  Fred  S.  Jackson.  In  his  reh- 
^ous  affiliations  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopa 
Surch,  and  in  1896  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  general  conference  of  that 
denornination.  On  Dec.  23.  1884,  while  serving  as  county  attorney,  Mr. 
Miller  married  Miss  Mamie  R.  Dillon,  of  Council  Grove. 


2S4  CYCLOriiUIA    OF 

Miller.  Josiah,  who  slarlcd  one  of  the  tirst  newspapers  in  Kansas, 
was  born  in  Chester  district,  S.  C.  Nov.  I2,  1828.  He  was  educated  at 
the  Indiana  I'nivcrsit)-,  where  he  graduated  in  1851,  after  which  he  also 
graduated  at  the  law  school  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  m  Aug.,  1854, 
he  came  to  Kansas.  .\s  his  father  had  been  waylaid  and  mobbed  because 
of  his  anti-slavery  views,  it  was  but  natural  that  Josiah  should  be  an 
ardent  opponent  of  slavery,  and  on  Jan.  5,  1855,  he  began  the  publica- 
tion of  the  "Kansas  Free  State"  at  Lawrence.  A  pro-slavery  jury  found 
an  indictment  against  him  for  maintaining  a  nuisance  in  the  publication 
of  this  paper,  and  on  May  21,  1856,  his  printing  office  was  destroyed  by 
the  territorial  authorities.  In  that  year  he  made  speeches  in  several 
states  for  John  C.  Fremont,  the  Republican  candidate  for  president,  and 
in  1857  was  elected  probate  judge  of  Douglas  county.  In  1861  he  was  a 
member  of  the  first  slate  senate,  but  resigned  his  seat  in  that  body  to 
become  postmaster  at  Lawrence.  While  in  the  senate  he  was  chairman 
of  the  judiciary  committee.  In  1863  he  was  appointed  a  paymaster  in 
the  army,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  in  1866  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  legislature.  His  death  occurred  at  Lawrence  on  July  7,  1870,  after 
having  a  leg  amputated.  The  inscription  on  the  monument  erected  to 
his  memory  in  Oak  Hill  cemetery  credits  him  with  being  the  author  of 
the  motto,  ".Ad  astra  per  aspera,"  on  the  Kansas  seal  of  state. 

Miller,  Orrin  L.,  jurist  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  at  New- 
bury, Me.,  Jan.  11,  1856.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education, 
studied  law,  and  in  1880  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Bangor.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  Kansas  and  located  at  Kansas  City,  where 
he  opened  a  law  office.  Within  a  short  time  he  became  recognized  as 
one  of  the  local  Republican  leaders,  and  was  appointed  judge  of  the  29th 
judicial  district  in  March,  1887.  He  was  elected  to  that  office  in  No- 
vember of  the  same  year,  but  in  1891  he  resigned  to  resume  the  practice 
of  law.  He  accepted  the  nomination  for  Congress  on  the  Republican 
ticket  in  1894,  was  elected  and  served  one  term.  After  retiring  from 
Congress  he  resumed  his  law  practice. 

Millerton,  a  hamlet  of  Sumner  county,  is  located  in  Illinois  township 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  about  15  miles  northwest  of  Wellington, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  some  general  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  etc.    The  pojiulation  in  1910  was  60. 

Millspaugh,  Frank  Rosebrook,  Protestant  Episcopal  bishop  of  Kan- 
sas, was  born  on  April  12,  1848,  at  Nichols,  Tioga  county,  N.  Y.  He  is 
of  Dutch  and  Huguenot  ancestry,  the  name  having  originally  been 
spelled  "Miltzbach."  In  1857  his  parents  removed  to  Minnesota,  where 
he  received  his  early  education  in  the  parish  schools,  after  which  he  com- 
pleted the  course  at  Shattuck  Hall  in  1869,  and  in  1872  graduated  at  the 
Seabury  Divinity  School  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity.  In 
June,  1873,  he  was  made  a  deacon  in  the  church,  and  the  following  year 
was  ordained  to  the  priesthood.  His  first  charge  was  at  Duluth,  Minn. 
In  1876  he  was  made  dean  of  the  cathedral  at  Omaha,  Neb.,  where  he 
remained  for  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  St.  Paul's 


KANSAS    HISTORY  285 

church  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.  In  1894  he  became  dean  of  the  Grace 
cathedral  at  Topeka,  Kan.,  and  the  next  year  succeeded  Bishop  Thomas 
as  the  executive  head  of  the  diocese.  Bishop  Millspaugh  has  been  active 
in  his  work  of  building  up  the  church  in  Kansas.  He  has  cleared  off  a 
debt  of  $35,000  against  Bethan)-  College  at  Topeka;  has  built  sixteen 
new  churches,  and  has  been  the  means  of  increasing  the  membership 
in  most  of  the  older  congregations.  He  was  tmited  in  marriage  in  1882 
with  Miss  Mary  M.  Clarkson,  daughter  of  Bishop  Clarkson,  of  Omaha. 

Mile,  a  country  trading  point  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  about  16  miles  northeast  of  Lin- 
coln, the  county  seat.  It  has  2  stores,  an  express  office,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Milton,  one  of  the  villages  of  Sumner  county,  is  located  in  Eden 
township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  and  on  the  Kansas  City,  Mexico  & 
Orient  railroads,  about  21  miles  northwest  of  Wellington,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  two  sets  of  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route,  a  number  of  retail  stores  and  a  bank. 
The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Miltonville,  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  Cloud  county,  is  located  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Union  Pacific  railroads,  21  miles 
southeast  of  Concordia,  the  covmty  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  Record),  a  hotel,  all  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise,  express 
and  telegraph  affices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with 
four  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  829.  It  is  an  important 
shipping  point  for  grain,  live  stock  and  produce. 

Mina,  a  hamlet  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  St.  Bridget  township, 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  20  miles  northeast  of  Marysvillc,  the 
county  seat,  and  6  miles  from  Summerfield.  It  has  an  express  office  and 
postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  38. 

Mine  Creek,  Battle  of. — In  the  fall  of  1864  Gen.  Price  began  his  raid 
through  Kansas.  On  Oct.  24  the  Confederate  forces  entered  Kansas  and 
camped  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes.  At  that  time  Mound  City  was  de- 
fended by  80  men  of  the  Fifteenth  Kansas,  under  Capt.  Green,  and  three 
companies  of  militia,  negroes  and  exempts.  The  Confederates  were 
followed  by  the  Union  forces,  and  Gen.  Pleasanton  despatched  Col. 
Moonlight  with  his  regiment  to  the  right  to  flank  the  enemy  and  keep 
him  from  going  too  far  west,  and  at  the  same  time  reinforce  Mound 
City,  which  was  reached  about  midnight.  Early  next  morning  Gen. 
Pleasanton  drove  Price's  rear-guard  from  the  Marais  des  Cygnes.  Be- 
fore Col.  Moonlight  reached  Mound  City  scouts  had  brought  word  that 
a  detachment  of  Price's  army  was  advancing  on  the  town  and  had  taken 
position  on  the  heights  to  the  northeast.  The  Union  forces  attacked 
before  daylight  in  a  heavy  rain.  After  being  challenged  they  advanced 
rapidly  up  the  hill,  a  Confederate  battery  opened,  but  the  Union  men 
steadily  advanced  to  the  top  of  the  mound,  drove  the  defenders  from  it 
and  opened  fire  on  the  men  drawn  up  in  the  fields  beyond.  The  mound 
at  the  right  was  next  carried  and  the  Union  forces  then  advanced  upon 


286  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  Confederates,  2,000  strong,  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  on  the  edge 
of  the  timber,  with  a  battery  of  artillery.  Gens.  Curtis  and  Pleasanton 
were  in  command  and  directed  the  advance.  The  Confederates  retreated 
to  a  point  where  three  roads  met  the  main  one,  which  crossed  the  stream. 
Gen.  Pleasanton  pressed  them  closely  and  ihey  formed  in  the  timber 
along  Mine  creek,  about  5  miles  south  of  Mound  City.  One  line  was 
drawn  up  on  the  north  bank,  and  by  this  time  showed  a  force  of  12,000 
men.  Gen.  Price  commanded  in  person,  with  Pagan  and  Marmaduke 
under  him.  A  long  train  and  the  divisions  under  Shelby  and  Tyler  were 
drawn  up  on  the  south  bank  of  the  creek,  while  on  the  left  of  the  Con- 
federate line  were  stationed  10  pieces  of  artillery. 

The  Union  army  charged  the  enemy's  center,  the  line  broke  and  fled 
across  the  creek,  and  Col.  IJenteen  pursued  until  recalled  by  Gen.  Pleas- 
anton. A  number  of  Confederates  were  captured  and  a  number  of 
Union  officers  and  men  woimded.  Richard  Hinton  says:  "The  field 
was  won  against  12,000  by  two  brigades,  numbering  not  more  than 
2,500."  It  is  believed  that  the  victory  was  largely  due  to  the  vigorous 
driving  of  the  Confederates  from  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  early  in  the 
morning,  and  the  successful  capture  of  the  mounds  before  daylight. 
Had  the  tide  of  battle  turned  in  favor  of  Price,  Fort  Scott,  an  important 
post,  and  "the  whole  southeastern  part  of  Kansas  would  have  fallen 
prey  to  the  rebel  army." 

Mineral,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Cherokee  county, 
is  a  mining  town  on  the  Missouri;  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  8  miles 
northwest  of  Columbus,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  post- 
office.  West  Mineral,  an  addition  to  the  original  town,  has  an  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice.  The  combined  population  of  the  two 
towns  is  1,170.  There  are  all  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise,  a  bank,  a 
newspaper  (the  Mineral  Cities  Times),  an  opera  house,  an  electric  rail- 
way to  Columbus,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  etc. 

Mineral  Springs. — Many  definitions  are  given  mineral  water.  One 
chemist's  definition  is  water  which,  "by  the  nature  of  its  principles 
or  by  its  therapeutic  action,  differs  from  drinkable  waters,"  and  another 
is,  "natural  water  which  is  employed  in  therapeutics  because  of  its 
ciiemical  composition  or  its  temperature."  The  United  States  govern- 
ment in  gathering  mineral  water  statistics  issued  the  following  state- 
ment written  by  S.  C.  Peale,  of  the  U.  S.  geological  survey,  in  a  circular 
sent  to  all  mineral  springs  proprietors  m  the  United  States :  "Our 
reports  do  not  restrict  the  term  'mineral  waters'  to  medicinal  waters, 
but  includes  all  spring  waters  put  on  the  market  whether  they  are  util- 
ized as  drinking  or  table  waters,  or  for  medicinal  purposes,  or  used  in 
any  other  way.  If  the  water  comes  from  a  spring  and  is  put  on  sale, 
in  bottles,  jugs,  barrels  or  any  other  way,  it  is  entitled  to  a  place  in  our 
reports." 

The  geological  survey  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  in  explaining 
the  origin  of  mineral  springs,  gives  the  geological  distribution  of  M. 
Garrigau  :     i — warm  water  found  in  the  oldest  rocks  (granites) ;  2 — bi- 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


287 


carbonate  and  gaseous  waters  in  the  midst  of  volcano  rocks;  3 — fer- 
riginous  waters  which  have  their  origin  in  the  strata  of  transition; 
4 — simple  saline  waters  obtained  in  the  secondary  strata  or  at  their 
limits.  There  seem  to  be  two  sources  of  mineral  water.  One  theory  is, 
that  "while  this  globe  was  hot  and  surrounded  by  vapor  there  was  min- 
gled with  the  vapor  of  water  that  of  other  substances  which  at  the 
present  time  are  solids.  This  condensing  vapor  would  carry  with  it 
to  the  earth  greater  or  less  quantities  of  other  elements  condensed,  and 
there  formed  a  basis  for  the  oceans  as  they  now  exist."  The  other 
source  is  the  rain  water. 

From  the  very  earliest  times  mineral  and  thermal  baths  have  been 
considered  of  great  importance  in  the  maintenance  of  health  and  in  the 
cure  of  disease.  The  Egyptians,  Israelites,  Greeks,  Romans,  and  mod- 
ern peoples  had  resorts  near  springs,  the  waters  of  which  were  sup- 
posedly mineral  and  medicinal.  At  many  of  the  old  resorts,  both  the 
external  and  internal  use  of  the  water  was  prescribed  by  a  physician, 
and  the  same  method  is  followed  at  present  day  resorts,  as  the  prop- 
erties of  mineral  waters  vary  greatly,  and  what  is  beneficial  to  one  is 
harmful  to  another.  Waters  are  divided  into  three  classes  as  far  as 
their  reaction  is  concerned,  viz:  neutral,  acid  and  alkaline,  and  are 
divided  into  groups  with  regard  to  their  ingredients. 

The  waters  from  mineral  springs  and  wells  in  Kansas  are  classified 
by  the  university  geology  survey  as  follows :  The  chlorid  group ;  the 
sulfate  group ;  the  chlor-sulfate  group ;  the  carbonate  group ;  the  chlor- 
carbonate  group ;  the  sulfid  group ;  the  chalybeate  group ;  the  special 
group,  and  the  soft  water  group.  Waters  of  the  chlorid  group  are  gen- 
erally called  "brines"  because  they  contain  a  large  quantity  of  sodium 
chloride.  The  most  important  springs  producing  this  kind  of  water 
are  the  Geuda  springs  in  Cowley  county.  The  sulfate  group  of  waters 
have  sulfates  as  the  predominating  ingredient.  Under  the  familiar  name 
of  "salts"  or  "Epsom  Salts"  there  exists  magnesium  sulfate,  and  under 
the  name  of  "Glauber's  Salts"  there  exists  sodium  sulfate.  Kansas  is 
rich  in  waters  of  this  class,  and  while  most  of  them  are  derived  from 
wells  some  come  from  springs. 

Waters  representing  this  group  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Carbon- 
dale,  Osage  county,  in  the  Chingawassa  springs  in  Marion  county,  the 
Sun  springs  at  Morrill,  Brown  county,  Sycamore  springs,  near  Morrill, 
and  the  White  Rock  springs  in  Jewell  county. 

The  chlor-sulfate  group  embraces  waters  which  retain  many  of  the 
constituents  of  the  chlorid  group,  yet  contain  sulfates  in  considerable 
abundance.  The  Morrill  mineral  spring  at  Carbondale,  Osage  county, 
belongs  to  this  group.  It  has  a  flow  of  600  gallons  an  hour,  which  is 
supposed  to  come  from  a  fissure  in  the  rock  several  hundred  feet  in 
depth.  Near  this  spring  is  a  sanitarium  where  nervous  diseases  are 
treated.  The  most  interesting  and  best  known  spring  in  Kansas  is  the 
Great  Spirit  mineral  spring  near  Waconda,  Mitchell  county.  It  is  thus 
described  by  G.  E.  Patrick:     "The  spring  is  distant  from  Cawker  City 


& 


288  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

about  aj/j  miles.  *  *  It  flows,  not  after  the  manner  of  most  springs, 
from  some  hidden  nook  or  cavern,  but  from  the  summit  of  a  nearly  sym- 
metrical mound,  shaped  like  a  low  statured  sugar  loaf,  or  to  be  more 
mathematical,  like  a  truncated  cone.  This  mound  is  42  feet  high,  nearly 
as  level  on  the  top  as  a  floor,  and  in  the  center  of  this  small  table  land  is 
found  the  spring  itself,  which  is  quite  as  remarkable  as  its  surround- 
ings. Instead  of  a  gurgling  rivulet,  trickling  away  among  the  rocks,  the 
visitor  sees  before  him  a  smooth,  almost  motionless  body  of  water,  more 
than  50  feet  across,  and  fllling  its  basin  to  overflowing,  or  if  not  to  actual 
overflowing,  so  near  it  that  its  surface  appears  to  be  upon  a  level  with 
the  top  of  the  mound.  *  *  *  The  only  reason  why  siich  overflow 
does  not  occur  is,  that  the  rock  forming  the  mound  is  very  porous,  and 
aftords  innumerable  minute  outlets." 

The  story  of  the  spring  is  as  follows:  Waconda,  the  daughter  of  a 
great  Indian  chief,  became  infatuated  with  the  son  of  a  great  chief  be- 
longing to  another  tribe.  The  two  tribes  being  hostile  to  one  another, 
the  intimacy  was  strongly  opposed  by  the  parents,  and  when  the  tribes 
met  by  this  spring  a  conflict  ensued.  The  lover  of  Waconda,  weak  from 
fighting  and  loss  of  blood,  fell,  or  was  hurled,  in  the  pool.  Waconda 
plunged  in  after  him  and  both  were  drowned.  The  spring  since  that 
time  has  been  called  "Waconda"  or  Great  Spirit  spring  and  the  Indians 
believe  the  spirit  of  Waconda  still  dwells  in  the  mound.  Every  tribe  of 
Indians  that  has  visited  Kansas  since  its  earliest  settlement  has  shown 
the  greatest  reverence  for  this  spring.  There  has  been  much  litigation 
over  the  Waconda  spring,  which  has  hindered  its  development.  There 
is,  however,  a  hotel  there,  and  much  of  the  water  is  shipped.  About  a 
half  mile  southeast  of  the  spring  is  another,  called  "Waconda  No.  2." 
The  important  constituents  of  the  water  exist  in  about  the  same  pro- 
portion as  in  the  big  spring. 

Near  Lincoln  Center,  Lincoln  county,  there  are  three  mineral  springs, 
and  at  Topcka  there  is  another  called  Phillips  mineral  spring.  The 
carbonated  waters  are  perhaps  the  most  numerous  of  any  class.  Among 
these  are  Dixon's  spring  at  Atchison ;  the  Baxter  Chalybeate  springs  in 
Cherokee  county;  Bonner  springs,  Nos.  1,  2  and  3;  Kickapoo  springs  in 
Leavenworth  county ;  Chilo  springs  in  Cherokee  count)- ;  Chautauqua 
springs  in  Chautauqua  county;  Eagle  springs  in  Doniphan  county;  Mur- 
phy springs  in  Geary  county ;  Hoover's  spring  at  Onaga,  Pottawatomie 
county ;  Sylvan  springs  and  Stanly  spring  in  Johnson  county.  Bonner 
springs  are  the  most  important  of  these,  being  a  resort  of  some  impor- 
tance, 17  miles  west  of  Kansas  City.  There  are  20  springs,  a  lake,  a 
park,  hotels,  a  sanitarium,  a  pavilion,  and  other  improvements- neces- 
sary to  accommodate  guests  and  tourists. 

The  chlor-carbonate  group  of  waters  are  those  containing  quantities 
of  chlorids  and  bi-carbonates.  They  are  not  very  numerous  in  Kansas 
and  are  found  mostly  in  wells.  Sulfid  waters,  or  those  giving  ofif  free 
hydrogen  sulfid  gas,  exist  in  small  numbers  and  are  found  in  wells 
instead  of  springs. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  289 

The  chahbeate  or  iron  waters  are  usually  carbonates,  though  the  iron 
in  some  cases  is  regarded  as  a  sulfate.  Arrington  springs,  in  Atchison 
county,  and  McDuiil:  spring,  in  Atchison ;  Bonner  springs,  Nos.  4,  5  and 
6;  Locust  Lake  iron  spring  in  Leavenworth  county;  Parkhurst's  spring 
at  Independence ;  Wetmore  springs  in  Nemaha  county ;  La  Cygne  iron 
spring  near  La  Cygne ;  Clarus  spring  in  Woodson  county,  and  Louis- 
ville springs,  north  of  "VVamego,  are  the  principal  springs  of  this  class. 

The  special  group  of  waters  contain  special  substances  that  have 
thereapeutic  value,  such  as  lithium,  barium,  bromin,  strontium,  iodin, 
boric  acid  and  arsenic.  This  group  is  represented  by  Baxter  springs 
Nos.  I  and  5  in  Cherokee  county,  and  Lithia  spring  in  Jewell  county. 

The  soft  water  group  of  waters  are  called  by  some  "inditterent"  and 
"neutral"  waters  because  they  contain  a  very  small  amount  of  solid  mat- 
ter, some  having  less  than  a  grain  to  the  gallon.  They  often  have  great 
value  as  therapeutic  agents.  The  principal  springs  of  this  class  are 
Parker's  spring  at  Atchison;  Brookville  spring  in  Saline  county;  Cali- 
fornia spring  in  Franklin  county;  Cave  and  Chico  springs  at  Salina; 
Chautauqua  springs;  Clarus  spring  at  Batesville,  Woodson  county; 
Conway  springs  in  Sumner  county;  Delaware  springs  in  Wilson  county; 
Linwood  spring,  Leavenworth  county,  and  Sand  springs  in  Dickinson 
county.  The  waters  from  nearly  all  the  Kansas  springs  are  used  for 
medicinal  or  domestic  purposes.  Many  of  them  have  hotels,  sanitariums 
and  picnic  grounds  and  are  patronized  extensively  as  pleasure  resorts. 

Mingo,  a  port-hamlet  in  Thomas  county,  is  located  in  Summers  town- 
ship on  the  Lhiion  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  southeast  of  Colby,  the  county 
seat.     The  population  in  1910  was  45, 

Minneapolis,  the  judicial  seat  of  Ottawa  county,  is  located  a  little  to 
the  west  of  the  center  of  the  county  on  the  Solomon  river  and  at  the 
'  junction  of  the  Union  Pacific  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  rail- 
roads. The  Solomon  river  furnishes  water  power  for  manufacturing 
purposes.  There  are  machine  shops,  flour  mills,  grain  elevators,  a  foun- 
dry, alfalfa  mills,  a  creamery,  an  ice  plant,  an  electric  light  plant,  water- 
works, an  opera  house,  public  library,  2  weekly  and  3  monthly  news- 
papers and  3  banks.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  ofifices  and  an 
international  money  order  postoffice  with  7  rural  routes.  The  main 
products  shipped  are  wool,  live  stock,  poultry  and  produce.  The  city 
has  fine  church  and  public  school  buildings,  and  in  1910  reported  a  popu- 
lation of  1,895. 

Minneapolis  was  laid  out  in  1866  by  Israel  Markley,  Elijah  Smith,  Dr. 
James  McHenry,  A.  C.  Stull  and  A.  J.  Smith.  It  was  first  called  "Mark- 
ley  Mills,"  because  Mr.  Markley  built  a  grist  mill  at  that  point  in  1866. 
In  that  same  year  the  county  seat  was  brought  there  from  Ayersburg 
by  vote  of  the  people.  At  the  same  time  Col.  John  Kerwin  moved  his 
store  from  Fort  Solomon.  The  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the 
third  class  in  1870.  The  first  hotel  was  opened  in  1870  and  the  first  bank 
established  in  1875.    The  railroad  was  built  in  1878. 

(II-19) 


290  CYCLOPEDIA    Ol" 

Minneha,  a  hamlet  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  on  the  St.  Louis  & 
San  Francisco  R.  R.  5  miles  east  of  Wichita,  the  county  seat,  from  which 
place  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route. 

Minneola,  an  incorporated  city  of  Clark  county,  is  located  near  the 
northwest  corner,  about  25  miles  from  Ashland,  the  county  seat.  It 
is  a  station  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  has  a  bank, 
2  grain  elevators,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Record),  a  money  order  post- 
office,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  telephone  connections,  several  gen- 
eral stores,  hardware  and  implement  houses,  a  hotel,  and  in  1910  re- 
ported a  population  of  348. 

Mirage. — The  phenomenon  known  as  mirage  has  been  classed  as  fol- 
lows by  scientists:  i — The  mirage  of  the  desert;  2 — the  mirage  of  the 
sea;  3 — looming;  4 — a  combination  of  the  2d  and  3d;  and  5 — the  Fata 
Morgana.  The  first  has  been  frequently  witnessed  on  the  Western 
plains  in  the  United  States.  It  is  due  to  the  refraction  of  rays  of  light 
passing  through  strata  of  air  of  unequal  density,  and  may  be  illustrated 
by  the  following  simple  experiment:  Place  a  small  coin  in  a  shallow 
opaque  vessel  and  take  a  position  where  the  edge  of  the  coin  is  just 
visible.  Then  have  an  assistant  pour  clear  water  into  the  vessel  and  in 
a  short  time  the  whole  coin  can  be  seen.  The  density  of  the  water  be- 
ing greater  than  that  of  the  air,  the  line  of  vision  is  refracted  or  bent 
downward,  bringing  the  coin  into  view.  So,  in  like  manner,  a  ray  of 
light  may  be  bent  in  passing  through  layers  of  air  of  diffeernt  density, 
bringing  into  view  distant  objects  below  the  horizon.  The  Herald  of 
Freedom  of  Feb.  17,  1855,  gives  the  following  description  of  a  mirage 
seen  in  Kansas : 

"On  yesterday  we  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  a  rare  sight — a  mirage 
on  the  prairie.  On  approaching  the  town  of  Lerny,  about  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  this  side,  we  found  the  whole  intermediate  space  between  us 
and  the  grove  of  trees  be3'ond  the  town  apparently  occupied  by  a  beau- 
tiful lake  of  water.  On  the  apparent  shores  next  to  ourselves  the  road 
ran  down  and  disappeared  in  the  lake,  as  did  the  fence  upon  one  side 
of  the  road,  while  the  placid  and  beautiful  water  extended  upon  the 
right  and  left,  until  lost  in  the  distance.  The  trees  in  the  distance  ap- 
peared to  be  immersed  for  half  their  length  in  the  lake,  as  if  growing  in 
the  water.  Even  the  reflection  of  the  trees,  and  of  the  clouds  above, 
were  distinctly  visible.     We  approached  the  vision  and  it  vanished." 

Frank  P.  Root,  in  his  History  of  the  Overland  Stage  (p.  251),  de- 
scribes a  mirage  he  once  witnessed.  Says  he :  "In  connection  with  my 
first  trip  by  overland  stage  coach,  I  witnessed  a  grand  and  beautiful 
sight  that  I  shall  never  forget.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  Jan.  27, 
1863,  in  the  South  Platte  valley,  between  Alkali  lake  and  old  Julesburg, 
upwards  of  400  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  river.  The  air  was  cool,  but 
the  sun  shone  with  dazzling  brilliancy.  Sitting  on  the  box  with  the 
driver,  as  we  were  making  good  time  up  the  valley,  suddenly,  a  few 
miles  beyond  us  to  the  west,  there  loomed  up  in  the  distance  something 
that  appeared  to  resemble  a  lake.     Going  a  short  distance  farther,  the 


& 


KANSAS    HISTORY  29I 

scene  changed,  and  there  appeared  a  number  of  buildings,  only  they 
were  above  the  horizon  and  inverted.  It  was  one  of  the  strangest  and, 
to  me,  one  of  the  grandest  sights  I  had  ever  beheld." 

Numerous  instances  of  this  character  have  been  recorded,  and  in  some 
cases  the  mirage  has  been  so  perfect  that  the  town  or  object  brought 
into  view  has  been  recognized.  As  the  "Great  American  Desert"  has 
been  brought  under  cultivation  mirages  have  become  less  frequent, 
though  they  are  still  sometimes  seen  in  the  western  part  of  Kansas  and 
Nebraska,  and  at  other  places  on  the  sparsely  settled  plains. 

Missions. — Soon   after  the  first   settlements   in   North   America   were 
made,  missionaries  began    to    visit    the    natives    for    the    purpose    of 
instructing  them   in   the    Christian    religion    and   to   persuade    them    to 
adopt  the  customs  of  civilization.     The  Catholic  church  was  especially 
active    in    this    work.      Early   in   the    17th    century   Jesuit    missionaries 
crossed  the  ocean  and  began  the  establishment  of  missions.     While  the 
Jesuit  father  was  something  of  a  fanatic  in  his  religious  views,  he  was 
generally  a  man  of  courage,  filled  with  a  sincere  devotion  to  his  calling, 
and  loyal  to  his  king.     As  the  white  settlements  grew  in  number  and 
strength,  the  Protestant  denominations  became  interested   in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Indians  and  sent  missionaries  among  them.     Prentis  says: 
"The    missionaries    were    heroic    pioneers    of    Kansas.      They    invented 
phonetic  alphabets;  they  created  written  languages,  wrote  dictionaries 
and  song  books,  and  gave  to  the  Indian  the   Bible  and   the   Christian 
religion.     They  went  into  the  rude  lodges  and  wigwams  and  cared  for 
the  sick  and  dying.    They  suffered  from  poverty  and  often  from  savage 
cruelty;  they  sacrificed  home  and  friends,  and  many  died  alone  on  the 
prairie  that  the  Indians  might  know  the  better  way  and  the  higher  life." 
The   first   missionary   to   the    Indians   in   what   is   now   the    State   of 
Kansas,  of  which  there  is  anything  like  an  authentic  record,  was  Father 
Juan    de    Padilla    (q.    v.),    who    accompanied    Coronado    to    Ouivira    in 
1540-41.     A  year  later  he  returned  to  that  province  as  a  missionary  and 
died  among  the  Indians.     But  it  was  not  until  in  the  early  part  of  the 
19th  century  that  any  organized  movement  to  establish  missions  among 
the  western  tribes  was  undertaken.     In   1820  Bishop   Dubourg,  of  the 
Catholic   see  of   New   Orleans,   sent    Father   Charles   de   la   Croix   as   a 
missionary  to  the  Osage  Indians  in  Missouri,  which  formed  the  northern 
part  of  the  diocese.     It  is  probable  that  the  first  baptism  of  Kansas 
Indians  was  at  Harmony  mission,  just  across  the  state  line  from  the 
present  city  of  Fort  Scott,  where  Father  La  Croix  baptized  a  number 
of  natives  in  the  fall  of  1820.     Two  years  later  he  visited  the  Osages  in 
the  Neosho  valley,  where  he  baptized  two  children— James  and  Francis 
Chouteau.     Harmony  mission  was  founded  by  the  Presbyterians,  who 
were  among  the  first  of  the  Protestant  denominations  to  establish  mis- 
sions among  the   Indians.     In  June,    1824,   Father   La   Croix  was   suc- 
ceeded by  Father  Van  Quickenborn,  who  visited  the  Neosho  valley  in 
1827,  a  vear  before  his  death. 

Hopefield  mission  was  established  among  the  Osages  in  1823  by  the 


292  CYCLOl'tCDlA    OF 

American  board  of  commissioners  for  foreign  missions  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  It  was  at  first  located  on  the  Neosho  river  in  what  is 
now  the  Indian  Territory,  but  was  twice  moved  northward,  being 
located  the  second  time  near  White  Hair's  village  in  Labette  county, 
Kan.  It  was  discontinued  in  iiS37.  Two  other  Presbyterian  missions 
were  located  among  the  Osages  in  1824.  One  of  these  was  the  Boudinot 
mission,  which  was  situated  on  the  Neosho  river  near  the  mouth  of 
Foiu--mile  creek,  and  the  other  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  Neosho,  with 
the  Rev.  Benton  Pixley  in  charge.  Botli  these  missions  were  aban- 
doned in  1837. 

In  1829  the  Methodist  church  took  the  necessary  steps  to  found  a 
mission  among  the  Shawnees,  and  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  was  selected 
by  the  Missouri  conference  to  take  charge.  The  mission  was  located 
in  what  is  now  Johnson  county,  Ka:n.,  about  3  miles  from  Westport, 
Mo.,  and  a  mile  from  the  state  line.  A  year  or  two  later  William  John- 
son, a  brother  of  Thomas,  was  appointed  missionary  to  the  Kansas 
Indians  and  went  to  their  villages  about  10  miles  west  of  Topeka,  where 
he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1832,  when  he  went  to  the  Delaware  mis- 
sion. In  1835,  when  the  government  established  farms  for  the  Kansas 
Indians,  he  returned  to  his  mission  work  with  that  tribe.  He  died  in 
1842  and  was  sticceeded  b}^  Rev.  J.  T.  Peery  in  1844.  In  1839  a  manual 
labor  school  was  started  in  connection  with  the  Shawnee  mission.  It 
vv'as  located  a  short  distance  southwest  of  the  original  mission  and  was 
attended  by  children  of  other  tribes.  The  first  year  the  enrollment  was 
72,  including  27  Shawnees,  16  Delawares,  8  Peorias,  7  Pottawatomies, 
6  Kaws.  3  Kickapoos,  and  i  each  of  the  Munsees,  Osages  and  Gros 
Ventres.  The  attendance  in  1851  reached  over  100  and  included  several 
Wyandots,  Omahas  and  Ottawas. 

A  Baptist  Shawnee  mission  was  established  in  1831,  about  2  miles 
northwest  of  the  Methodist  mission  above  mentioned,  and  the  Friends 
had  a  mission  about  3  miles  west — established  in  1834.  The  Baptist 
mission  was  founded  through  the  influence  of  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy  and 
Dr.  Johnston  Lykins  and  his  wife  were  placed  in  charge.  In  April, 
1832,  an  appropriation  was  made  by  the  Baptist  board  of  missions, 
buildings  were  erected,  and  in  1833  Dr.  Lykins  and  his  wife  were  joined 
by  Jotham  Meeker  and  Robert  Simerwell.  The  mission  was  abandoned 
in  1855  or  1856.  At  the  Friends  mission  Henry  Harvey  was  the  leading 
worker.  This  denomination  never  undertook  to  print  books  in  the 
Indian  dialects  as  some  of  the  others  did,  but  tried  to  teach  the  Indian 
youth  to  speak  and  write  the  English  language.  The  Friends  became 
engaged  in  missionary  work  about  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century. 
and  no  sect  was  more  earnest  in  trying  to  elevate  the  natives. 

The  Methodist  mission  among  the  Delawares  was  located  on  section 
3,  township  II,  range  23  east,  in  the  western  part  of  Wyandotte  county, 
not  far  from  the  present  village  of  Maywood.  It  was  founded  in  1832 
hy  William  Johnson  and  Thomas  B.  Markham  and  continued  in  suc- 
cessful  operation   for   several   years.     Another   Methodist   mission   was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  293 

that  among  the  Kickapoos,  estabhshed  by  Rev.  Jerome  C.  Benyman  in 
the  fall  of  1833  in  the  northeast  part  of  Leavenworth  county.  The  next 
year  the  Catholics  started  a  manual  labor  school  there,  but  the  Kicka- 
poos did  not  take  kindly  to  the  idea  of  wording,  and  the  school  was 
practically  abandoned,  one  of  the  buildings  subsequently  being  used  as 
a  publication  office  of  the  Pioneer,  of  Kickapoo  City.  The  Catholics, 
however,  founded  a  mission  among  the  Kickapoos  in  1836,  with  Rev. 
Christian  Hoecken  and  Felix  Verreydt  in  charge.  Two  years  later  these 
two  zealous  workers  went  to  the  Pottawatomie  mission  on  Sugar  creek, 
not  far  from  the  present  town  of  Centerville,  Linn  county,  where  they 
remained  until  the  removal  of  the  Pottawatomies  to  their  new  reserva- 
tion on  the  Kansas  river.  This  removal  was  effected  under  the  treaty 
of  1846.  A  new  mission  was  established  where  the  town  of  St.  Mary's 
now  stands,  and  the  mission  school  developed  into  St.  Mary's  College. 
In  Sept.,  1848,  Father  Maurice  Gailland  succeeded  Father  Hoecken  and 
remained  in  charge  of  the  institution  until  his  death  in  1877. 

Three  Protestant  missions  were  started  in  the  year  1837.  The  Metho- 
dists established  one  among  the  Pottawatomies  where  Osawatomie  now 
stands;  the  Baptists  opened  one  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  river  near 
the  present  city  of  Ottawa ;  and  Revs.  S.  M.  Irvin  and  William  llamil- 
ton  started  a  Presbyterian  mission  among  the  lowas.  Sacs  and  Foxes 
not  far  from  the  present  town  of  Highland,  Doniphan  county,  on  the 
emigrant  road  from  St.  Joseph  westward.  The  Methodist  mission  was 
discontinued  when  the  Pottawatomies  removed  to  their  new  reserva- 
tion. The  Baptist  mission,  which  was  under  the  management  of  Rev. 
Jotham  Meeker,  continued  vmtil  his  death  on  Jan.  11,  1854.  The  Pres- 
byterian mission  remained  in  successful  operation  for  a  number  of 
years.  A  tract  of  115  acres  of  land  was  obtained,  a  mission  house  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $8,000,  and  in  1846  a  school  was  opened.  (See  Irvin, 
S.  M.) 

A  Baptist  mission  was  opened  among  the  Weas  in  1840  by  Dr.  David 
Lykins.  It  was  located  about  a  mile  east  of  the  present  city  of  Paola 
and  continued  as  a  useful  and  successful  institution  for  many  years. 
From  this  time  until  1847  there  is  no  record  of  the  establishment  of 
new  missions  in  Kansas.  In  1847  there  was  a  revival  of  mission  work. 
A  Baptist  mission  was  opened  among  the  Delawares  at  Briggsvale,  near 
the  town  of  Delaware,  where  a  tract  of  about  22  acres  of  land  was 
obtained,  and  another  mission  was  established  among  the  Miamis  about 
10  miles  southeast  of  the  present  city  of  Paola,  near  the  site  of  the  old 
Miami  village  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes.  The  same  year  the  Catholics 
established  a  mission  among  the  Osages.  This  mission,  which  was 
founded  by  Rev.  John  Schoenmaker,  was  located  just  east  of  the  Neosho 
river,  where  La  Croix  and  Van  Ouickenborn  had  engaged  in  missionary 
work  some  20  or  25  years  before.  A  school  was  opened  and  the  place 
was  known  as  "Osage  Mission"  for  almost  50  years,  or  until  it  was 
changed  to  St.  Paul  by  the  act  of  the  legislature,  April  12,  1895. 

In  1848,  after  the  Pottawatomies  were  settled  upon  their  new  reser- 


294  CYCLOl'EDIA    OF 

ration,  a  Baptist  mission  was  opened  there  under  the  direction  of  Rev. 
Isaac  McCoy.  It  was  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas  river, 
about  6  miles  west  of  Topeka,  and  not  far  from  the  present  station  of 
Menoken  on  the  Union  Pacific  railway.  Traces  of  the  mission  buildings 
still  remain  on  the  site.  Rev.  Robert  Simerwell,  who  began  mission 
work  among  the  Pottawatomies  in  1833,  was  stationed  at  this  mission 
for  some  time.  Under  the  treaty  of  April  19,  1862,  the  mission  was 
granted  a  tract  of  320  acres  of  land  which  was  sold  to  the  Baptist  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  New  York,  which  sold  it  to  actual  settlers  when  the 
mission  was  abandoned  some  years  later,  and  it  is  now  used  for  agri- 
cultural purposes.  A  Methodist  mission  was  opened  among  the 
Shawnees  in  Douglas  county  in  1848  with  Rev.  Abraham  Still  in  charge. 
It  was  located  on  section  8,  township  13,  range  21  east,  not  far  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Wakarusa,  and  was  abandoned  in  1857. 

In  1850  the  Methodists  erected  a  mission  school  building  at  Council 
Grove,  where  a  school  was  opened  the  following  year  by  T.  S.  HufTaker 
and  Henry  Webster,  wlio  also  engaged  in  missionary  work  among  the 
Kansas  Indians,  the  treaty  of  1846  having  appropriated  $1,000  of  the 
annuity  for  educational  purposes  on  the  "diminished  reserve."  The 
same  year  the  Catholics  opened  a  mission  among  the  Miamis.  Six  years 
later  the  Presbyterian  missionary  board  established  a  boarding  school 
for  Kickapoos  in  Brown  county,  and  it  continued  until  i860.  From  1866 
to  187 1  a  da)-  school  was  taught  there,  the  revenue  for  its  maintenance 
being  derived  from  the  Indian  fund.  The  building  was  then  torn  down. 
About  i860  or  1861  a  mission  was  established  among  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  on  the  Osage  river  about  6  miles  east  of  the  line  between  Osage 
and  Franklin  counties  by  a  Methodist  minister  named  Duvall  and  his 
wife.  Some  years  later  it  was  removed  to  a  point  about  a  mile  south- 
west of  the  present  town  of  Quenemo.  This  was  the  only  Indian  mis- 
sion ever  established  in  Osage  county. 

Among  the  Methodist  missionaries,  the  names  that  stand  out  most 
conspicuously  are  those  of  Thomas  and  William  Johnson,  J.  T.  Peery, 
L.  B.  Stateler,  J.  C.  Berryman,  Joab  Spencer,  Jeese  Green,  Nathan  Scar- 
ritt  and  T.  S.  Huffaker.  The  most  prominent  Baptist  missionaries  were 
Isaac  McCoy,  I.  D.  Blanchard,  Johnston  and  David  Lykins,  Jotham 
Meeker,  Robert  Simerwell,  I.  S.  Bacon  and  John  T.  Jones.  Among  the 
Catholics  the  names  of  Van  Ouickenborn,  Hoecken,  Schoenmaker, 
Verreydt  and  Gailland  will  ever  be  revered,  and  Hamilton,  Irvin  and 
Dunbar  were  foremost  in  the  missionary  work  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

Missouri  Compromise. —  (See  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.) 
Mitchell,  a  village  of  Rice  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  8  miles  northeast  of  Lyons,  the  county  seat. 
It  is  a  trading  and  shipping  point,  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  has  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  according  to 
the  census  of  1910  was  100. 


IO\NSAS    HISTORY  295 

Mitchell,  Alexander  C,  lawyer  and  Congressman,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Oct.  ii,  i860.  Before  he  had  completed  the 
course  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  his  parents  removed  to 
Kansas  and  located  at  Lawrence,  where  Mr.  Mitchell  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  attended  the  public  schools  in  Lawrence  until 
he  was  prepared  to  enter  the  University  of  Kansas,  graduating  in  the 
law  department  of  that  institution  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1889.  For 
four  years  he  was  deputy  city  attorney,  after  which  he  was  city  attorney 
for  a  similar  period  of  time,  and  for  six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  regents  of  the  state  university.  His  qualifications  as  a  lawyer 
led  to  his  appointment  to  a  place  on  the  board  of  law  examiners,  and 
he  served  in  that  capacity  for  three  years.  In  1906  he  was  nominated 
by  the  Republicans  of  the  13th  district  in  Douglas  county  for  repre- 
sentative in  the  state  legislature,  and  in  November  he  was  elected.  His 
record  commended  him  to  his  constituents  and  in  1908  he  was  reelected. 
While  in  the  legislature  he  was  chairman  of  the  good  roads  committee 
and  assisted  in  making  the  first  effective  "rock  roads  law"  ever  passed 
by  the  general  assembly  of  the  state.  He  was  the  author  of  the  bill 
abolishing  capital  punishment ;  drafted  the  law  permitting  judges  of  the 
district  courts  to  parole  prisoners;  fought  for  the  primary  election  law; 
was  influential  in  securing  the  passage  of  the  two-cent  fare  law,  and 
directed  the  movement  that  led  to  important  changes  in  the  juvenile 
court  law.  In  1910  he  went  into  the  primary  campaign  as  the  progres- 
sive Republican  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Second  district,  defeated 
Charles  F.  Scott  for  the  nomination,  and  in  November  was  elected. 
During  this  campaign  he  made  a  vigorous  fight,  and,  having  been  a 
sufferer  from  cancer  of  the  stomach  for  about  two  years,  his  health 
failed  to  such  a  degree  that  when  Congress  was  called  in  extra  session 
in  April,  191 1,  he  was  barely  able  to  get  to  Washington.  Mr.  Mitchell 
took  his  seat  in  Congress  and  cast  one  vote  which  was  in  favor  of  the 
bill  for  reciprocity  with  Canada.  After  a  short  stay  in  Washington  he 
returned  to  his  home  in  Lawrence,  where  he  died  on  July  7,  191 1.  In 
1890  Mr.  Mitchell  married  Miss  Helen  M.  Baldwin  of  Lawrence,  who 
survives  him. 

Mitchell  County,  one  of  the  counties  which  was  settled  after  the  Civil 
war,  is  centrally  located  east  and  west,  and  is  the  second  county  south 
from  Nebraska.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Jewell  county;  on  the 
east  by  Cloud  and  Ottawa;  on  the  south  b)'  Lincoln,  and  on  the  west 
by  Osborne.  The  name  was  given  it  in  honor  of  Capt.  William  D. 
iVIitchell,  who  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a  private  soldier  in  the 
second  Kansas  cavalry,  and  after  being  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain 
was  killed  at  Monroe's  cross-roads,  N.  C,  in  1865. 

The  honor  of  being  the  first  settler  in  Mitchell  county  is  divided 
between  Joseph  Decker,  who  located  near  Glen  Elder  early  in  1866,  and 
Hon.  John  Rees,  who  located  in  Ashbury  township  at  a  date  not 
definitely  known,  except  that  his  son,  S.  G.  Rees,  the  first  while  child 
born  in  the  county,  was  born  in  1866.     Mr.  Rees  opened  the  first  store 


296  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

in  the  county  and  kept  the  first  postoffice,  both  at  Ashbury.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  1869.  Mr.  Decker  brought  a  large  herd  of 
cattle  with  him,  which  the  Indians  drove  away  before  fall.  This  so 
discouraged  him  that  he  quit  the  country.  In  1S67  a  number  of  people 
settled  in  the  county,  and  by  early  spring  of  1868  the  following  had 
started  improvements:  Thomas  Howie  and  William  Joiner,  just  below 
the  forks  of  Asher  creek;  Alathias  Nelson,  David  Bogardus  and  B.  Bell 
at  the  mouth  of  Plumb  creek;  Whit  McConnell  and  Tunis  Bulis  between 
Asher  and  Plumb  creeks  on  the  river;  James  Farrow  and  James  Duff 
just  above  Plumb  creek  on  the  river;  H.  A.  Bell,  John  Whitehurst  and 
his  sons,  Vinton  and  Abraham,  on  the  Solomon  river  where  Beloit  now 
s^lands ;  and  John  Smith  at  Solomon  Rapids.  Andrew  Peterson  settled 
in  Logan  township  in  1868.  Other  early  settlers  were  Abram  Marshall, 
Charles  Welsh,  B.  F.  Moody  and  A.  A.  Bell. 

In  Aug.,  1868,  roving  bands  of  Cheyennes  and  Sioux  visited  the  settle- 
ments and  lingered  about  the  mouth  of  Plumb  and  Asher  creeks  for 
several  days,  hoping  to  be  able  to  steal  something  from  the  settlers. 
Finally,  to  intimidate  the  settlers  they  called  B.  Bell  and  David 
Bogardus  from  their  cabin  and  shot  them.  Mrs.  Bell  was  fatally 
wounded  in  attempting  to  avoid  being  carried  away.  They  killed  Mr. 
Hewitt  of  Brown  creek  and  wounded  his  son,  two  sons  of  Abram  Mar- 
shall and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Thompson  lost  their  lives  in  pursuing 
the  Indians,  and  two' little  daughters  of  A.  A.  Bell  were  stolen  but  were 
afterward  abandoned  by  the  Indians  and  picked  up  by  the  settlers  on 
the  Saline.  A  stockade  was  established  at  Howie's  ranch,  just  below 
the  forks  of  Asher  creek  a  few  miles  above  the  present  town  of  Asher- 
ville,  and  nearly  all  the  settlers  spent  the  next  winter  there.  They  were 
joined  by  George  Ealand,  William  Holton,  John  Gushing  and  John 
Owen.  The  latter,  who  led  a  wild  life  as  a  trapper,  was  unanimously 
elected  commander  of  the  stockade.  Finding  his  protests  in  vain,  he 
secretly  packed  his  traps  and  fled  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Cimarron. 
Shortly  after  the  raid,  company  G  of  the  Seventh  U.  S.  cavalry  made  a 
reconnoisance  of  the  Solomon  valley.  The  Indians  managed  to  escape, 
although 'hard  pressed  on  two  occasions.  That  fall  the  soldiers  built 
a  blockhouse  on  the  Solomon  2  miles  south  of  Cawker  City,  but  did  not 
remain  long. 

Early  in  1869  Dr.  Rose  of  Junction  City  filed  on  the  tract  of  land 
occupied  by  the  blockhouse,  but  was  driven  out  by  the  Indians  and 
killed  near  Glen  Elder  in  trying  to  make  his  escape.  Later  in  the  year 
the  government  established  a  post  west  of  Waconda  and  north  of  the 
river,  in  which  Battery  B  of  the  Fourth  U.  S.  artillery,  under  Capt.  H.  C. 
Hasbrouck,  was  stationed.  This  company  was  relieved  in  April,  1870, 
by  G  Troop  of  the  Seventh  U.  S.  cavalry,  under  Lieut.  C.  C.  de  Rudio, 
with  Lieut.  Mcintosh,  a  fidl  blooded  Chippewa,  second  in  command. 
The  raids  of  the  Indians  became  less  frequent,  but  on  May  9th  a  party 
of  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes  came  upon  four  men — Lew  J.  Best,  John 
Hatcher,  R.  G.  F.  Kshinka  and  John  A.  Seger — on  Oak  creek  near  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  297 

west  line  of  the  county.  The  men  made  such  a  determined  resistance 
that  the  Indians  gave  it  up,  passed  on  down  the  river,  and  made  an 
attack  at  Glen  Elder,  killing  Solomon  Meiser,  John  Greer  and  a  Mr. 
Kenyon.  Most  of  the  settlers  then  took  refuge  in  a  stockade  built  on 
the  farm  of  George  W.  Stinson.  The  soldiers  from  the  post  followed 
the  Indians,  who  divided  themselves  into  two  bands  and  escaped.  They 
reappeared  three  weeks  later  at  Cawker  City,  where  John  Seger  led  them 
into  thinking  the  place  well  manned.  They  then  went  on  west  and  stole 
10  horses  from  the  ranch  of  Best  &  Hatcher,  where  a  dozen  men  were 
concealed,  but  did  not  dare  attack  the  savages.  The  final  raid  took 
place  July  2,  1870.  A  settlement  was  made  near  the  center  of  the  county 
in  the  spring  of  that  year  by  C.  J.  Brown,  G.  W.  Anderson,  R.  C.  Clark 
and  J.  S.  Smith.  They  built  a  stockade  and  lived  together.  Civilization 
was  then  pretty  well  established.  The  last  buffalo  seen  in  the  vicinity 
was  one  which  came  down  the  main  street  of  Cawker  City  (then  a  town 
of  250  people),  in  July,  1872. 

The  first  school  houses  in  the  county  outside  of  Beloit,  four  in  num- 
ber, were  built  in  1872,  in  Lidu,  Bloomfield,  Center  and  Solomon  Rapids 
townships.  The  first  church  was  built  in  Blue  Hills  township,  by  the 
Baptists  in  1873,  the  second  was  built  at  Beloit  by  the  Methodists  in 
1874.  The  lirst  marriage  was  in  Asherville  township  between  W. 
McConnell  and  Nancy  Marshall  in   1868. 

The  county  organization  was  effected  in  1870,  when  the  governor 
appointed  as  commissioners  J.  M.  Myers,  William  E.  Schooley  and 
Charles  Brown,  and  as  clerk  Don  A.  Peaslee.  The  commissioners  held 
their  first  meeting  in  Oct.,  1870.  At  the  first  election  Beloit  was  selected 
as  county  seat  and  the  following  officers  were  chosen;  Commissioners, 
C.  L.  Brown,  William  E.  Schooley  and  Lew  J.  Best;  clerk,  L.  C.  Smith; 
probate  judge,  James  Britt;  sheriff,  W.  B.  Smith;  county  attorney,  Don 
A.  Peaslee;  treasurer,  H.  J.  Messenger;  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, J.  W.  Elliott;  coroner,  J.  W.  Clark;  representative,  E.  Harrison. 
A  court-house  was  built  by  T.  F.  Hersey  at  a  cost  of  $4,000  and  pre- 
sented to  the  county. 

There  were  originally  17  townships,  Asherville,  Beloit,  Bloomfield, 
Blue  Hill,  Cawker,  Cedar  Creek,  Center,  Glen  Elder,  Hayes,  Logan, 
Lulu,  Pittsburg,  Plumb  Creek,  Salt  Creek,  Solomon  Rapids,  Turkey 
Creek,  Walnut  Creek.  Cedar  Creek  has  disappeared  and  the  following 
have  been  added,  Carr  Creek,  Custer,  Eureka  and  Round  Springs.  Some 
of  the  early  towns  which  have  disappeared  from  the  map  are.  West 
Asher,  Round  Springs,  Naomi,  Pittsburg,  Elmira,  Danville,  Shockley, 
Springfield,  Brown's  Creek,  Ulysses  and  Excelsior.  The  principal  towns 
and  villages  of  the  present  are,  Beloit,  the  county  seat,  Asherville,  Blue 
Hill,  Cawker  City,  Glen  Elder,  Hunter,  Scottville,  Simpson,  Solomon 
Rapids,  Tipton,  Victor  and  Waconda  Springs. 

The  Central  Branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  came  through  the 
county  in  1879  and  was  aided  by  the  people  to  the  extent  of  $50,000. 
The  Solomon  Valley  road  was  extended  from  Solomon  City  to   Beloit 


298  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

the  same  year.  The  Missouri  Pacific  enters  the  county  in  the  northeast 
corner,  runs  southwest  to  Beloit,  where  it  connects  with  the  Union 
Pacific,  thence  west  tiirough  Solomon  Rapids,  Glen  Elder  and  Cawker 
City,  leaving  the  county  a  few  miles  south  of  the  northwest  corner. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling  prairie  with  bottom  lands 
about  3  miles  wide  along  the  Solomon  river,  and  from  one-quarter  to 
one-half  mile  wide  along  the  creeks.  The  north  and  south  forks  of  the 
Solomon  join  just  within  the  western  limits  of  the  county,  forming  the 
main  river,  which  flows  southeast  into  Cloud  county.  It  has  several 
small  tributary  streams  within  the  county,  among  them  being  Salt, 
Oak,  Brown's,  Limestone,  Walnut,  Carl,  Plumb  and  Asher  creeks.  Salt 
marshes  are  plentiful  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  and  Waconda 
spring,  at  the  place  of  that  name,  is  heavily  laden  with  salt.  Magnesian 
limestone  and  sandstone  of  good  quality  for  building  material  are 
extensively  quarried  along  the  bluffs.  Potter's  clay  and  gypsum  are 
found  in  several  localities. 

The  area  of  the  county  is  720  square  miles  or  460,800  acres,  of  which 
about  300,000  acres  are  under  cultivation.  The  total  farm  production 
in  1910  amounted  to  over  $4,000,000.  The  corn  and  wheat  crops  were 
almost  even  in  value,  running  over  $1,000,000  each.  Live  stock  for  the 
same  year  was  worth  $750,000,  and  the  assessed  value  of  property  was 
$28,648,000.  The  population  was  14,089,  which  makes  the  wealth  per 
capita  about  $2,100. 

Mitchell,  Robert  B.,  soldier,  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
April  4,  1823.  He  was  educated  at  Washington  College  in  Pennsylvania, 
after  which  he  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  practiced  at 
Mansfield,  Ohio,  from  1844  to  1846.  He  then  entered  the  army  as  a 
first  lieutenant  in  an  Ohio  regiment  and  served  through  the  Mexican 
war,  resuming  his  law  practice  in  1847.  I"  1856  he  removed  to  Kansas, 
where  he  became  an  active  participant  in  political  aflfairs  as  a  free-state 
advocate,  and  in  1857  was  elected  to  the  legislature.  From  1858  to  1861 
he  held  the  office  of  territorial  treasurer.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out 
he  again  entered  the  army,  this  time  as  colonel  of  the  Second  Kansas, 
and  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Wilson's  creek.  Subse- 
quently he  raised  a  regiment  of  cavalry  and  was  commissioned  brigadier- 
general  of  volunteers.  At  the  battle  of  Perryville,  Ky.,  Oct.  8,  1862, 
he  commanded  a  division  of  the  Third  arm}-  corps,  and  at  Chickamauga 
he  was  in  command  of  the  cavalry  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  governor  of  New 
Mexico  and  held  that  office  until  1867,  when  he  removed  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  where  his  death  occurred  on  Jan.  26,  1882. 

Modoc,  a  hamlet  in  Scott  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  9  miles  west  of  Scott,  the  county  seat.  It  has  an  express  office 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population 
in  1910  was  75. 

Moline,  the  second  largest  town  in  Elk  county,  is  located  9  miles 
south  of  Howard,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


299 


l.-e  R  R  and  in  Wild  Cat  township.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  news- 
paper' (the  Gazette),  good  churches  and  schools,  telegraph  a'^d  e^P;";;^ 
offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural 
routes'.  It  is  an  enterprising  little  city,  with  all  modern  improvemen  s, 
and  IS  heated  and  lighted  with  natural  gas.  Several  flowing  gas  wells 
are  found  in  the  vicinity.    The  population  according  to  the  census  report 

of  igio  was  808.  J     u     A/r^;    T    M 

MoHne  was  laid  out  m  1879,  the  survey  being  made  by  Maj.  J.  M. 
Chapman  for  the  Moliue   Town  company.     Ihe  first  building  erected 
was  a  general  store,  opened  by  M.  Carter  and  S.  B.  Hemmenway.     A 
number  of  the  buildings  were  brought  from  the  town  of  Boston    located 
on  the  line  between  Chautauqua  and  Elk  counties,  as  was  also  the  post- 
office      The   first  journalistic  attempt  was  the  publication   of  the    h.lk 
County  Signal  in  1881  by  W.  C.  Parker  and  I.  N.  Boicourt. 
Monahan,  Deane,  psuedonym.— (See  Steele,  James  W.) 
Monett,  a  countrv  postoffice  in  Chautaaiqua  county,  is  a  station  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Washington  township,  10  miles  northeast 
of  Sedan,  the  county  seat.     It  has  telephone  connections,  and  according 
to  the  census  reports  of  1910  had  a  population  of  12 

Monmouth,  a  village  in  Crawford  county,  is  located  in  Shendan  to^^  n- 
ship  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  12  miles  south  of  Girard, 
he  county  seat.  It  has  an  elevator,  a  few  stores  churches  and  a  school, 
elegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  79- 
This  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  town  in  Crawford  county,  having  been  aid 
off  by  L  Manlove  on  his  own  farm  in  1866.  The  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  that  year  and  Manlove  was  the  first  postmaster. 

Men  ovia.  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Atchison  county,  ,s  located  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  15  miles  southwest  of  Atchison.  The  town 
was  platted  in  1856.  Caleb  West  was  president  of  the  town  company, 
whch  expected  Monrovia  to  become  a  large  town,  but  it  never  grew 
To  heir  expectations.  It  now  has  two  or  three  general  stores,  a  church 
and  dlstrS  school,  money  order  postoffice  and  telegraph  station.  In 
Tnin  it  had  a  population  of  104.  ,      ,.t       r         • 

^Montaka,  a  village  of  Labette  county,  is  located  on  the  Neosho  rive, 
.n  Montanl  township,  8  miles  north  of  Oswego,  the  county  sea^  and 
4  miles  from  Laneville,  the  nearest  shipping  pointy  I  has  a  inone.^ 
order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910  was  153-  I"  1866  Fiank 
°  mons  put  up  a  log  hovL  at  this  point  and  opened  a  store.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  that  year.  In  1867  a  ferry  was  established  at 
?in.noTnt  where  the  bridge  now  spans  the  Neosho.  A  town  company 
was  orlan^  d  n  868,  of^which  Levi  Seabridge,  J.  S.  Anderson,  Henry 
^^as  °'Sl'''^^'t\l  \    s    Waters  and  D.  M.  Watson  were  members. 

TLTeJy  %ZToi\L  town  was  rapid  and  inside  of  two  years  there 
were  if  general  stores,  3  saloons,  3  hotels,  2  livery  stables,  2  wagon 
rhops  and  about  500  inhabitants.  Disappointed  ,n  not  getting  the 
SiSuri    Kansas  &  Texas  railroad,  the  growth  was  checked  in    1870, 


300  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

when  tlie  town  of  Labette  sprang  up  with  glowing  prospects  and  many 
of  the  buildings  were  moved  to  that  point.  City  government  was  main- 
tained from  1873  to  1884. 

Montana  County,  nuw  a  part  of  the  State  of  Colorado,  was  created 
by  the  territorial  legislature  of  Kansas  on  Feb.  7,  1859,  with  the  fol- 
lowing boundaries:  "Commencing  at  a  point  on  the  40th  parallel  of 
latitude,  20  miles  east  of  the  105th  meridian  of  longitude;  running 
thence  west  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas;  thence 
following  the  boundary  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas,  on  the  summit  of 
the  Rocky  mountains,  to  a  point  20  miles  north  of  the  39th  parallel  of 
latitude;  thence  east  to  a  point  JO  miles  east  of  the  105th  meridian  of 
longitude;  thence  due  north  to  the  place  of  beginning."  By  the  same 
act  J.  H.  Turney,  William  H.  Prentice  and  A.  D.  Richardson  were 
appointed  commissioners  for  the  county  and  were  authorized  to  select 
a  location  for  the  scat  of  justice  at  or  near  the  geographical  center. 

Montezuma,  a  country  postofifice  in  Montezuma  township,  Gray 
county,  is  located  18  miles  south  of  Cimarron,  the  county  seat.  It  has 
tri-weekly  mail.  The  population  in  1910  was  11.  Montezuma  was  a 
thriving  little  town  during  the  '80s,  when  it  had  prospects  of  a  railroad 
and  of  becoming  the  county  seat.  The  first  newspaper  published  in 
Gray  county  was  established  in  Montezuma  in  1879.  -f"  ^886  the  town 
had  a  population  of  over  100,  a  newspaper  and  a  bank.  The  springs 
at  this  point  are  said  to  have  medicinal  qualities. 

Montgomery  County,  located  in  the  southern  tier  of  counties,  is  the 
third  west  from  the  Missouri  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  b}'  Wilson 
county;  on  the  east  by  Labette;  on  the  south  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma, 
and  on  the  west  by  Chautauqua  and  Elk  counties.  It  was  settled  to 
some  extent  before  1870,  though  the  lands  still  belonged  to  the  Osage 
Indians  until  the  treaty  of  Drum  Creek  in  September  of  that  year. 
However,  there  was  a  narrow  strip,  3  miles  in  width,  extending  along 
the  eastern  side,  belonging  to  the  ''ceded  lands,"  which  was  opened  to 
settlement  in  1867.  In  that  year  the  first  settler,  Louis  Scott,  a  negro, 
located  in  the  Verdigris  valle}-.  In  Dec,  1867,  Zachariah  C.  Crow,  P.  R. 
Jordan  and  Col.  CofTey  located  in  the  same  neighborhood.  In  Feb., 
1868,  R.  W.  Dunlap  established  a  trading  post  near  the  mouth  of  Drum 
creek,  and  about  the  same  time  a  post  was  established  by  John  Lush- 
baugh  at  the  junction  of  Pumpkin  creek  with  the  Verdigris.  The  next 
winter  Moses  Neal  opened  a  store  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Hill  creek,  and 
in  1869  Maj.  Fitch  began  a  similar  business  on  the  north  side  of  Elk 
creek  near  the  mouth  of  Sycamore.  Among  the  settlers  of  1868,  all 
of  whom  located  along  the  river  and  creek  valleys  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  county,  were  John  A.  Twiss,  T.  C,  J.  H.  and  Allen  Graham,  J.  H. 
Savage,  Jacob  Thompson,  E.  K.  Kounce,  William  Fain,  Green  L. 
Canada,  W.  L.  and  G.  W.  Mays,  John  L.  Mclntyre,  Joseph  Roberts. 
John  Russell,  J.  B.  Rowley,  Patrick  Dugan,  William  Reed,  Christian 
Greenough,  John  Hanks,  Mortimer  Goodell,  D.  R.  B.  Flora,  R.  W.  Dun- 
lap,  Mrs.  E.  C.  Powell,  Thomas  C.  Evans,  Lewis  Chouteau,  George 
Spece  and  James  Parkinson. 


KANSAS    MISTOKV  3OI 

In  order  to  obtain  a  "squatter's  claim"  the  settler  had  to  secure  the 
consent  of  the  Indians,  which,  by  a  treaty  made  in  the  Tipper  Elk  valley 
in  1869,  was  to  be  had  on  payment  of  $5  for  a  prairie  claim  and  $10  for 
one  in  the  timber.  Considerable  trouble  was  experienced  between  the 
settlere  and  the  railroads  over  the  title  to  the  lands  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  county.  The  matter  was  finally  settled  in  favor  of  the  settlers, 
by  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States.  The  unreliability  of  the 
early  surveys  caused  no  little  trouble  as  to  ownership  of  certain  tracts 
of  land  after  the  authorized  survey  had  been  made.  Lnwilling  to  await 
the  tedious  and  often  expensive  process  of  law  on  these  matters  there 
were  formed  in  different  parts  of  the  county  what  were  called  "Settlers 
Claim"  clubs,  to  which  all  disputes  of  this  character  were  referred.  A 
code  of  laws  was  drawn  up  to  cover  all  points  liable  to  arise  in  any 
case  of  disputed  land  title.  All  cases  were  settled  according  "to  law 
and  evidence"  and  whenever  a  decision  had  been  reached,  the  party 
against  whom  such  decision  had  been  rendered  was  given  notice  to  move 
from  the  claim  within  a  certain  length  of  time.  Upon  failure  to  obey 
he  was  ejected  forcibly  from  the  premises  and  his  buildings  and  other 
property  destroyed.  Occasionally  these  clubs  took  a  hand  in  criminal 
cases,  as  in  the  punishment  of  the  three  murderers  of  John  A.  Twiss, 
who  were  hanged  to  an  oak  tree  after  a  trial  by  the  club. 

The  county  was  organized  in  1869  by  proclamation  of  Gov.  Harvey. 
Verdigris  City  was  named  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  appointed :  Commissioners,  H.  C.  Crawford,  H.  A. 
Bethuran  and  R.  L.  Walker;  clerk,  E.  C.  Kimball.  The  commissioners 
divided  the  county  into  three  townships,  Drum  Creek,  Westralia  and 
Verdigris.  An  election  for  county  officers  and  to  locate  the  county  seat 
was  held  in  November  of  the  same  year.  The  returns  from  Drum  Creek 
were  thrown  out  on  technical  grounds,  and  the  remaining  vote  gave 
a  majority  for  Libert)'.  A  board  of  commissioners  favorable  to  that 
place  were  elected.  Independence  filed  a  notice  of  contest  and  the 
matter  was  taken  before  the  court  of  Wilson  county,  to  which  Mont- 
gomery was  at  that  time  attached  for  judicial  purposes.  The.  court 
decided  that  there  had  been  no  election.  The  old  board  of  commis- 
sioners continued  to  serve,  but  the  county  seat,  in  face  of  great  oppo- 
sition was  removed  to  Liberty.  The  Independence  men  sent  Charles 
White  to  Topeka  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  state  authorities.  He 
succeeded  in  getting  a  new  board  of  commissioners  appointed,  which 
was  composed  of  W.  W.  Graham,  Thomas  Brock  and  S.  B.  Moorhouse. 
The  new  board  went  to  Verdigris.  City  where  they  organized  and 
appointed  the  following  officers:  County  clerk,  J.  A.  Helpingstine; 
treasurer,  Samuel  Van  Gundy;  register  of  deeds,  J.  K.  Snyder;  super- 
intendent of  schools,  R.  B.  Cunningham.  They  selected  Independence 
as  the  county  seat  and,  finding  it  useless  to  dissent,  the  old  board  gave 
up  the  fight.  At  a  hotly  contested  election  in  Nov.,  1870,  Independence 
received  the  largest  number  of  votes  and  became  the  permanent  county 
seat.  The  court-house,  erected  shortly  afterward,  was  the  first  brick 
building  in  the  countv. 


302 


CYCLOPEDIA    OK 


The  organization  of  the  county  government  was  followed  by  reck- 
less and  extravagant  bond  issues.  Before  1872  the  people  had  for 
various  purposes  voted  a  debt  upon  themselves  to  the  amount  of  nearly 
$1,000,000.  Money  loaned  to  private  parties  drew  from  25  to  50  per 
cent,  interest.  The  people  were  very  anxious  for  a  railroad  and  in  1870 
they  voted  $200,000  in  bonds  to  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Gal- 
veston company,  which  built  a  line  through  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county  terminating  at  CoiTeyville.  Independence,  indignant  at  bemg  • 
deserted  by  the  railroad  company,  after  being  foremost  in  securing  the 
bonds,  vet  over-zealous  for  a  road,  paid  the  company  an  immense  bonus 
to  build  a  branch.  This  was  called  "Bunker's  Plug,"  and  was  in  use 
from  Jan.,  1872,  to  1879.  In  the  latter  year  the  South  Kansas  &  West- 
ern built  a  line  across  the  county  connecting  with  the  main  line  at 
Cherryvale,  and  the  next  year  the  St.  Louis,  Warsaw  &  Western  built 
a  line  across  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county.  At  that  time  there 
were  65  miles  of  railroad  in  the  county.  At  present  there  are  160  miles. 
The  early  companies  have  since  sold  out  and  the  names  of  the  roads  have 
been  changed.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  enters  in  the  north- 
east corner,  passes  southwest  through  Cherryvale  and  Cofieyville  and 
continues  on  into  Oklahoma.  A  branch  of  this  line  diverges  at  Cherry- 
vale, runs  southwest  through  Independence  and  into  Chautauqua 
county.  There  are  three  lines  of  the  Missouri  Pacific.  One  enters  in 
the  north  and  runs  south  through  Independence  to  Bearing,  where  it 
united  with  a  second  line  that  crosses  the  southern  part  east  and  west, 
and  the  third  line  crosses  the  northwest  corner.  The  St.  Louis  &  San 
Francisco  enters  near  the  northeast  and  runs  to  Cherryvale,  where  it 
diverges  into  two  branches,  both  running  to  the  Joplin-Galena  lead  and 
zinc  district.  The  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  crosses  the  southeast 
corner. 

The  county  is  divided  into  12  civil  townships  as  follows :  Caney, 
Cherokee,  Cherry,  Drum  Creek,  Fawn  Creek,  Independence,  Liberty, 
Louisburg,  Parker,  Rutland,  Sycamore  and  West  Cherry.  The  post- 
otfices  in  the  county  are,  Bolton,  Caney,  Cherryvale,  Coffeyville,  Bear- 
ing, Elk  City,  Havana,  Independence,  Jeiiferson,  Liberty,  Sycamore, 
Tyro  and  Wayside. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  prairie.  The  bottom  lands  along 
the  creeks  and  rivers  average  over  a  mile  in  width  and  comprise  25  per 
cent,  of  the  area.  The  timber  belts  on  the  streams  average  a  few  rods 
in  width  and  contain  walnut,  cottonwood,  hickory,  oak,  pecan,  hack- 
berry,  ash,  mulberry,  sycamore,  elm,  maple,  box-elder  and  locust.  The 
Verdigris  river  enters  from  the  north  and  flows  south  into  Oklahoma. 
The  Elk  river  enters  in  the  northwest  and  flowing  east  joins  the  Ver- 
digris. Big  Hill,  Drum,  Pumpkin,  Sycamore  and  Onion  are  important 
creeks. 

The  best  quality  of  limestone  and  shale  are  found  in  abundance.  Sand 
for  glass,  coal  and  building  stone  also  exist  in  commercial  quantities. 
The  entire  county  is  a  great  natural  gas  and  oil  field.  This  gas  enables 
the  county  to  be  one  of  the  foremost  manufacturing  districts  in  the  state. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  303 

While  not  strictly  an  agricultural  county,  the  yearly'  product  of  the 
farms  bring  over  $2,000,000.  In  1910  the  wheat  crop  was  worth 
$200,000;  corn,  $650,000;  Kafir  corn,  $112,000;  oats,  $250,000;  and  prairie 
grass,  $150,000.  There  are  150,000  bearing  fruit  trees.  Live  stock  is 
raised  to  considerable  extent. 

The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  49,475,  which 
was  an  increase  of  more  than  20,000  in  ten  years.  The  assessed  valu- 
ation of  property  in  that  year  was  $60,650,000. 

A  number  of  disasters  in  the  way  of  fires  and  floods  have  occurred 
in  the  history  of  Montgomery  county,  but  perhaps  none  was  so  pic- 
turesque as  the  prairie  fire  of  1868.  A  long  spring  drought  was  followed 
by  an  exceptionally  wet  summer.  The  rivers  and  creeks  were  swollen 
so  that  they  were  impassable  and  the  ground  was  soaked  so  that  no 
crop  could  be  raised.  Wild  grass  grew  rank  all  over  the  county,  and 
when  this  became  dry  a  terrific  but  magnificent  conflagration  swept  the 
county.  While  it  lasted  it  kept  the  skies  bright  at  night,  so  that  ordinary 
handwriting  could  be  read  by  the  light  of  the  fire  at  a  distance  of  a  mile 
or  more.  Live  stock,  utensils,  settlers'  cabins  and  whole  villages  were 
destroyed,  and  a  number  of  lives  were  lost.  In  1874  this  section  suf- 
fered in  common  with  the  whole  state  from  the  grasshoppers.  The  next 
most  disastrous  occurrence  was  the  flood  in  the  valleys  of  the  Elk  and 
the  Verdigris  in  1885,  when  homes  were  inundated  and  a  number  of 
lives  lost. 

Montgomery,  James,  pioneer  and  soldier,  was  born  in  Ashtabula 
county,  Ohio,  Dec.  22,  1814.  He  was  a  cousin  of  Gen.  Richard  Mont- 
gomery, who  fell  at  the  storming  of  Quebec  in  1759.  He  received  an 
academic  education  and  in  1837  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  for 
a  time  engaged  in  teaching  school.  While  there  he  joined  the  Christian 
church  and  became  a  minister  of  that  denomination,  but  later  in  life 
espoused  the  doctrines  of  the  Adventists.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Pike 
county.  Mo.,  with  his  family,  and  a  year  later  he  went  to  Jackson  county, 
in  order  to  be  ready  to  enter  Kansas  as  soon  as  the  territory  was 
organized  and  the  lands  opened  to  settlement.  Some  of  his  friends, 
among  whom  was  Dr.  Thornton,  knowing  him  to  be  opposed  to  slavery, 
persuaded  him  to  go  to  Bates  county.  Mo.,  by  telling  him  that  he  could 
obtain  as  good  land  there  as  he  could  in  Kansas.  He  accepted  their 
advice,  but  quickly  became  dissatisfied  in  Bates  county  and  returned  to 
his  original  resolution  to  settle  in  Kansas.  Accordingly  he  purchased 
a  claim  from  a  pro-slavery  settler  about  5  miles  from  the  present  town 
of  Mound  City  late  in  the  year  1854.  It  was  not  long  until  he  was 
recognized  as  a  leader  by  the  free-state  men  of  that  locality.  In  1857 
he  organized  and  commanded  the  "Self-Protective  Company,"  which 
had  been  formed  to  defend  the  rights  of  the  anti-slavery  settlers,  and 
backed  by  this  company  Montgomery  ordered  some  of  the  most  rabid 
pro-slavery  citizens  to  leave  the  territory.  After  their  departure,  he 
settled  down  to  improve  his  claim,  but  later  in  the  year  some  of  the 
free-state  men  of  Bourbon  county,  who  had  been  expelled  by  George 


304 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


\V.  Clarke  in  1S5O.  returned  to  take  possession  of  their  homes  along 
the  Little  Osage  river.  They  met  with  opposition,  and  called  upon 
Montgomery  for  assistance.  In  December  he  took  the  field  with  his 
company  and  created  so  much  disturbance  that  Gov.  Denver  found  it 
necessary  to  order  a  detachment  of  soldiers  to  that  part  of  the  state  to 
preserve  order.  (See  Denver's  and  Medary's  Administrations.)  In 
1859  he  was  a  candidate  for  representative  in  the  territorial  legislature, 
but  was  defeated  by  W.  R.  Wagstafif.  On  July  24,  1861,  he  was  mustered 
into  the  Union  army  as  colonel  of  the  Third  Kansas  infantry,  but  was 
transferred  to  the  command  of  the  Second  South  Carolina  colored  regi- 
ment, with  which  he  made  a  raid  into  Georgia.  This  regiment,  with 
Col.  Montgomery  in  command,  distinguished  itself  at  the  battle  of 
Olustee,  Fla.,  Feb.  20,  1864.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Linn  county,  Kan.,  where  he  died  on  Dec.  6,  1871.  During  the  border 
troubles  preceding  the  Civil  war,  some  of  his  men  would  frequently 
indulge  in  plundering  their  enemies,  but  Montgomery  never  was  a  party 
to  such  proceedings.  One  writer  says :  "He  died  poor,  although  he  had 
ahtmdant  opportunity  to  steal  himself  rich  in  the  name  of  liberty." 

Monticello,  an  old  settlement  in  Johnson  county,  is  located  on  Mill 
creek  a  short  distance  southwest  of  Zarah,  the  nearest  railroad  station, 
and  about  10  miles  north  of  Olathe,  from  which  place  it  has  rural  free 
deliver)'.  It  was  laid  out  by  a  town  company  in  June,  1857,  and  a  store 
was  opened  by  Rich  &  Rivley.  The  postoffice  was  established  the  same 
year  but  it  was  discontinued  when  the  rural  delivery  was  established, 
in  1858  the  town  was  almost  destroyed  by  a  tornado  but  was  quickly 
rebuilt,  and  for  a  time  aspired  to  become  the  county  seat.  It  did  not 
meet  the  expectations  of  its  founders,  however,  and  for  many  years 
has  remained  about  the  same  size.  At  present  it  has  several  general 
stores,  a  school  house,  churches,  blacksmith  shop,  about  15  dwellings 
and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  63. 

Mont  Ida,  one  of  the  thriving  little  towns  of  Anderson  county,  is 
located  in  Washington  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  9  miles 
southwest  of  Garnett,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  score  of  business  houses, 
express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  200. 
The  town  was  surveyed  and  platted  by  the  railroad  company  in  1880. 
The  first  store  was  opened  by  Frank  Gray,  who  was  appointed  postmaster 
when  the  postoffice  was  established  the  next  year.  The  school  house 
was  erected  in  the  spring  of  1882,  and  the  first  school  was  taught  by 
Maggie  Moore. 

Montrose,  formerly  "Delta,"  a  little  village  of  Jewell  county,  is 
located  7  miles  east  of  Mankato,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  from 
Formoso.  It  has  banking  facilities,  postoffice,  express  and  telegraph 
service,  and  a  good  local  trade.     The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Monument,  a  village  in  Logan  county,  is  located  in  Monument  town- 
ship on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  16  miles  northeast  of  Russell  Springs, 
the  county  seat.     It  has  a  bank,  a  grain  elevator,  a  hotel,  a  number  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  3O5 

Stores,  an  express  office,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural 
routes.     The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  150. 

Monument  Rock. — One  of  the  most  imposing  landmarks  in  Kansas 
ii  the  one  in  Gove  county  by  the  above  name.  This  rock,  situated  in 
the  valley  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river  a  few  miles  west  of  Gove  City,  rises 
out  of  the  level  plain  to  a  height  of  75  feet  or  more.  One  of  the  stations 
on  the  line  of  the  Butterfield  Overland  Despatch  (q.  v.),  was  located 
near  the  rc5ck,  but  it  was  abandoned  in  the  late  '60s  on  account  of 
troubles  with  hostile  Indians..  According  to  traditions  there  was  a  lively 
fight  here  between  the  employes  of  the  stage  line  and  the  Indians.  A 
large  crack  has  recently  appeared  in  the  main  portion  of  Monument 
Rock,  indicating  that  in  a  few  more  years  the  elements  will  finish  the 
work  of  destruction. 

Monuments. — In  all  the  civilized  nations  of  the  world,  the  custom 
prevails  of  marking  historic  events  and  places  by  erecting  enduring 
monuments  bearing  appropriate  inscriptions.  Among  the  historic 
monuments  are  the  Nelson  column  in  Trafalgar  square,  London ;  the 
Arch  of  Triumph  at  Paris,  France ;  the  Washington  and  Bunker  Hill 
monuments  of  the  United  States,  and  the  universal  peace  monument 
standing  on  the  summit  of  the  Andes  mountains  on  the  boundary  line 
between  Chili  and  Argentine — a  large  statue  of  Christ,  cast  from  old 
Spanish  cannon. 

Kansas  history  is  full  of  incidents  worthy  of  such  commemoration 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  her  people  have  erected  suitable  memorials 
to  tell  the  story  of  her  suffering,  her  patriotism  and  her  progress.  No 
doubt  the  oldest  structure  of  this  character  in  the  state  is  the  pile  of 
loose  stones  at  Council  Grove,  supposed  to  have  been  erected  by  some 
ancient  Indian  tribe  to  the  memory  of  Friar  Padilla,  who  accompanied 
Coronado  on  his  expedition  in  1541.  Four  other  monuments  have  been 
erected  by  the  Ouivira  Historical  Society  to  mark  supposed  sites  or 
incidents  in  connection  with  that  expedition — one  at  Logan  Grove,  near 
Junction  City;  one  at  Herington  in  honor  of  Padilla;  one  in  the  city 
park  at  Manhattan  in  honor  of  Tatarrax,  chief  of  the  Harahey  Indians, 
and  one  at  Alma  in  honor  of  that  tribe.  In  1901  the  state  legislature 
appropriated  $3,000  to  mark  the  site  of  the  Pawnee  village  in  Republic 
county,  where  Lieut.  Pike  first  raised  the  United  States  colors  in 
Kansas,  and  a  monument  was  unveiled  there  on  the  centennial  anni- 
versary of  that  event,  Sept.  29,  1906.  The  old  Santa  Fe  trail,  which  for 
half  a  century  was  the  leading  highway  to  the  southwest,  was  marked 
by  the  State  of  Kansas  and  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution 
in  1906  by  95  granite  boulders  along  the  route,  the  legislature  of  1905 
giving  $1,000  for  the  purpose.  Pawnee  Rock,  a  famous  camping  place 
in  early  days,  and  the  walls  of  the  old  capitol  at  Pawnee,  near  Fort 
Riley,  have  been  preserved  by  suitable  legislature  as  historic  landmarks, 
and  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  have  marked  by  suitable 
tablets  the  site  of  the  first  cabin  in  Topeka  and  of  the  old  Constitution 
Hall.  In  1883  the  legislature  appropriated  $1,000  to  mark  the  site  of 
(II-20) 


3o6 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


the  Marais  des  Cygnes  massacre  of  May  19,  1858,  and  two  stones  stand 
in  the  gulch  5  miles  northeast  of  the  little  town  of  Trading  Post.  On 
Aug.  30,  1877,  the  21  St  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Osawatomie.  a  monu- 
ment was  unveiled  upon  the  field.  It  is  called  the  John  Brown  monu- 
ment and  hears  the  inscription:  "'In  commemoration  of  those  who.  on 
the  30th  of  .\ugust,  1856.  gave  up  their  lives  at  the  battle  of  Osawa- 
tomie in  defense  of  freedom.    This  inscription  is  also  in  commemoration 


OGDEX   MOXUMKXT   AT   FORT   RILEY. 
(Geographical  Center  of  U.  S.) 

of  the  heroism  of  Capt.  John  Brown,  who  commanded  at  the  battle  of 
Osawatomie,  August  30,  1856,  who  died  and  conquered  American  slav- 
ery on  the  scaffold  at  Charleston,  Va.,  Det.  2,  1859."  The  monument 
also  bears  the  names  of  Theron  P.  Powers,  Charles  Keiser,  David  R. 
Garrison,  George  W.  Partridge  and  Frederick  Brown,  free-state  men 
who  were  killed  in  the  action. 

A  number  of  monuments  have  been  erected  by  the  state,  or  by 
coimties  or  cities,  to  commemorate  the  deeds  of  valor  of  Kansas  soldiers 
in  the  War  of  1861-65.  I"  1889.  through  the  influence  of  Senator  P.  B. 
Plumb,  the  United  States  secured  a  plat  in  the  cemetery  at  Mound  City, 
removed  there  the  bodies  of  the  45  soldiers  killed  at  Mine  Creek  in 
1864,  and  erected  monument  and  flagstaff.  The  inscription  reads : 
"Erected  by  the  United  States,  1889.  I"  memory  of  the  officers  and 
soldiers  buried  within  this  cemetery,  who  gave  their  lives  in  defense 
of  the  nation."  In  1895  the  legislature  appropriated  $5,000  to  mark  the 
positions  of  the  Eighth  Kansas  regiment  at  Chickamauga  and  Chatta- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  307 

nooga.  One  is  located  on  Missionary  ridi^e,  one  at  Orchard  Knob  and 
one  at  the  Viniard  place.  They  were  turned  over  to  the  state  and 
accepted  on  Sept.  20,  1895. 

The  first  soldiers'  monument  erected  in  the  state  is  probably  the  one 
at  Marysville,  the  county  seat  of  Marshall  county.  Franklin  Post,  No. 
68,  G.  A.  R.,  erected  a  monument  at  Olathe  in  1893  "In  memory  of  our 
dead  comrades,"  and  in  Johnson  count}'  there  are  also  monuments  at 
Monticello,  Wilder,  Gardner  and  Spring  Hill.  On  Memorial  day  in 
1896,  a  monument  erected  b_\  Guilford  G.  Gage  was  unveiled  in  the 
cemetery  at  Topeka  "in  memory  of  his  comrades  killed  in  the  battle 
of  the  Blue,  Oct.  22,  1864."  The  same  day  a  monument  was  dedicated 
at  Baldwin.  Douglas  county.  It  was  erected  by  E.  D.  Baker  Post.  No. 
40,  G.  A.  R.,  and  the  ^^'oman's  Relief  Corps,  No.  102,  and  bears  the 
inscription:  "In  memory  of  the  soldiers  who  fought  for  the  preservation 
of  the  Union  in  the  war  of  the  great  rebellion  from  1861  to  1865."  Sol- 
diers' monuments  have  also  been  erected  at  Manhattan,  Cherryvale, 
Marion,  Wichita,  Clay  Center,  Belle  Plaine,  Bluff  City,  Girard,  Junction 
City,  Elmdale,  Fort  Scott,  Burlingame,  Parsons,  Erie,  Princeton, 
Quenemo,  Coffeyville,  Garnett,  W'infield  and  some  other  points.  In 
Mount  Hope  cemetery,  Cowley  county,  a  monument  "To  the  memory 
of  unknown  soldiers,  sailors  and  marines"  was  dedicated  on  Oct.  24, 
1907.  It  was  erected  by  the  Sunflower  club,  and  cost  $1,000.  Many  of 
these  monuments  were  built  b}'  private  subscriptions.  Some  of  them 
are  mei'ely  old  cannon,  mounted  on  substantial  stone  bases,  but  all  bear 
testimony  of  the  gratitude  of  the  people  to  the  "Boys  in  Blue,"  who 
gave  iouT  of  the  best  years  of  their  lives  to  save  the  country  from  dis- 
ruption. 

Several  memorial  monuments  mark  the  sites  of  Indian  battles  or 
tell  the  story  of  Indian  raids  upon  the  frontier.  In  1893  a  monument 
was  erected  by  the  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  Seventh  U.  S. 
cavalry  "To  the  soldiers  who  were  killed  in  the  battle  with  Sioux 
Indians  at  Wounded  Knee  and  Drexel  Mission,  South  Dakota,  Dec.  29 
and  30,  1890."  The  monument  cost  $2,000.  The  states  of  Kansas  and 
Colorado  united  in  erecting  a  monument  on  Beecher  island,  where  the 
battle  of  Arickaree  was  fought  on  Sept.  17,  18  and  19,  1868.  The  monu- 
ment was  dedicated  on  the  anniversary  in  1905  and  cost  $5,000.  Six 
laborers  working  on  the  Union  Pacific  railway  were  killed  by  Indians 
near  Victoria,  Ellis  cotinty,  in  1867,  and  some  years  later  their  burial 
place  was  marked  by  a  stone  bearing  the  inscription :  "This  stone  marks 
the  burial  place  of  six  track  laborers,  who  were  in  the  employ  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  and,  while  on  duty,  about  one 
mile  west  of  here,  were  massacred  by  a  band  of  Cheyenne  Indians  in 
October,  1867.  Erected  by  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company."  On 
May  31.  1909,  the  people  of  Lincoln  county  dedicated  a  monument 
"Erected  by  free  gifts  in  memory  of  those  massacred  or  captured  by 
Indians  in  what  is  now  Lincoln  county,"  with  the  names  of  the  victims, 
gqi  JO  333UI  B  'spjBA\p3   .^JBj/\[   -sjjAj  Aq  pajiaAun  sba\  juaiunuotit  aqj 


3o8  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Mrs.  AUerdice  w  lio  was  killed  by  llie  savages.  The  legislature  of  1909 
appmpriatod  the  sum  of  ^1.500  for  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  the 
citizens  of  Decatur  county  who  were  killed  in  the  Cheyenne  raid  of  iS/S. 
The  Kansas  boys  who  served  in  the  Spanish-American  war  and  in 
the  Philippines  have  not  been  neglected  in  the  erection  of  appropriate 
memorials.  A  tablet  has  been  placed  in  the  Miami  county  court-house 
at  Paola  and  dedicated  to  the  soldiers  from  that  county  who  served  in 
the  war.  At  Ottawa  a  memorial  gateway  at  Forest  park  has  been 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,000  "In  honor  of  Company  K,  Twentieth  Kansas 
regiment,  in  appreciation  of  their  gallantry  and  patriotism  in  the  Philip- 
pine islands,  1898-99."     In  the  chapel  of  the  University  of  Kansas  is  a 


MONUMENT  TO  UNION   PACIFIC  TRACK  LABORERS. 


bronze  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Lieut.  Alfred  Cecil  Alford,  "commanding 
Company  B,  Twentieth  Kansas  infantry,  killed  near  Caloocan,  Feb.  7, 
1899."  Two  memorial  windows  have  been  placed  in  the  chapel  at  Wash- 
burn College,  Topeka,  for  John  H.  Bartlett,  Company  F,  Twentieth 
Kansas,  and  Richard  M.  Coulson,  Company  H,  Twenty-second  Kansas. 
In  Albert  Taylor  hall  of  the  State  Normal  school  at  Emporia  is  a  bronze 
tablet  erected  to  four  students  of  that  institution  who  died  while  serv- 
ing in  the  Twentieth  and  Twenty-second  regiments. 

-Among  the  monuments  erected  to  the  memory  or  in  honor  of  citizens 
and  individuals,  the  one  at  Lawrence  stands  foremost.  It  stands  in 
Oak  Hill  cemetery,  and  bears  this  inscription :  "Dedicated  to  the 
memory  of  150  citizens  who,  defenseless,  fell  victims  to  the  inhuman 
ferocity  of  border  guerrillas,  led  by  the  infamous  Quantrill  in  his  raid 


KANSAS    HISTORY  3^9 

upon  Lawrence,  Aug.  21,  1863.  Erected  May  30.  1895."  At  Fort 
Leavenworth  is  a  beautiful  bronze  statue  of  Gen.  Ulvbses  S.  Grant.  It 
is  the  work  of  the  well  known  sculptor,  Lorado  Taft,  and  was  unveiled 
on  Sept.  14,  1889.  It  cost  nearly  $5,000,  which  was  contributed  by 
officers  and  enlisted  men,  employees  of  the  quartermaster's  department, 
citizens  of  Kansas  and  Missouri,  and  some  of  the  Kansas  Grand  Army 
posts.  The  legislature  of  1903  voted  to  place  a  marble  statue  of  John 
J.  Ingalls  in  statuary  hall  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  appropriated  $6,000 
for  that  purpose.  A  fine  monument  to  Gov.  John  A.  Martin  was  erected 
at  Atchison  by  John  A.  Martin  Post,  No.  93,  G.  A.  R.,  of  that  city  "To 
commemorate  his  public  and  private  virtues."  Appropriations  amount- 
ing to  $1,500  were  made  by  the  legislatures  of  1881  and  18S3  for  a  monu- 
ment in  the  Topeka  cemetery  to  Alfred  Gray,  in  token  of  his  services 
as  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  agriculture.  Burnside  Corps,  No.  i. 
Woman's  Relief  Corps  of  Kansas,  erected  a  monument  to  Mary  A. 
Sturges,  an  army  nurse,  in  the  Oak  Grove  cemetery  at  Kansas  City, 
Kan.,  and  other  individual  monuments  commemorating  deeds  of  valor 
or  patriotism  are  those  to  Thomas  Smith,  marshal  of  Abilene  in  1870; 
Hugh  H.  Siverd,  a  deputy  sheriff  of  Cowley  county,  who  was  killed  on 
Oct.  25,  1903,  while  trying  to  arrest  two  desperadoes;  Edward  Graf- 
strom,  who  lost  his  life  while  trying  to  save  some  of  the  citizens  of 
Topeka  during  the  flood  of  1903 ;  Carl  A.  Swensson,  founder  of  Bethany 
College  at  Lindsborg;  Mary  T.  Gray,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Kansas 
Federation  of  Women's  clubs,  and  the  monument  to  Thomas  Morgan, 
a  student  in  the  Winfield  high  school,  who,  while  skating,  sacrified  his 
life  in  the  effort  to  save  a  schoolmate,  Paul  Bedilion,  both  boys  being 
drowned.    (See  also  Memorial  Building.) 

Moodyville,  a  country  postoffice  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located 
on  the  Kansas  Southern  &  Gulf  R.  R.  4  miles  north  of  Westmoreland, 
the  county  seat.  It  is  a  camping  and  health  resort,  having  one  of  the 
best  medicinal  mineral  springs  in  the  state.  The  town  was  laid  out  in 
1882  with  great  prospects  for  building  up  a  place  of  importance,  but 
in  1910  the  population  was  only  33. 

Moonlight,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Dickinson  county,  is  located  7  miles 
northeast  of  Abilene,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  from  Detroit,  the 
nearest  shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 
The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Moonlight,  Thomas,  soldier  and  politician,  was  born  in  Scotland  on 
Nov.  10,  1833.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  ran  away  from  home  and 
came  to  America  as  a  forecastle  hand  on  a  schooner.  He  landed  in 
Philadelphia,  "a  stranger  in  a  strange  land"  and  without  a  cent  of 
money.  Not  disheartened  by  circumstances,  however,  he  went  to  work 
at  the  first  thing  he  could  find  to  do,  and  during  the  next  seven  years 
he  was  employed  in  mills,  glass  factories  and  on  truck  farms  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  On  May  17,  1853,  he  enlisted  in  the  artillery 
service  of  the  regular  army,  took  part  in  the  Seminole  war  in  Florida, 
and   Avas   with    Albert    Sidney   Johnston    in    the    campaign    against    the 


3IO  CVCLOl'EUIA    OK 

MornKiiis.  At  llic  expiration  of  liis  term  in  1858  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  for  the  next  year  he  occupied  the 
position  of  chief  clerk  in  the  commissary  department.  In  1855,  while 
ser\  iny^  in  the  army,  he  married  Miss  Ellen  Murray  of  Elmira,  X.  Y., 
the  wedding  being  solemnized  at  Ringgold  barracks,  Tex.  In  i860  he 
bought  a  farm  in  Leavenworth  county,  Kan.,  and  settled  down  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  \\hen  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  he  raised  a  light  bat- 
tery and  was  commissioned  captain  of  artillery.  Promotions  followed 
and  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas 
cavalry,  with  the  brevet  rank  of  brigadier-general.  In  1864  he  was  a 
presidential  elector  on  the  Republican  ticket ;  was  soon  afterward 
appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue,  and  in  1868  was  elected  secre- 
tary of  state.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he  declined  a  second  nomination 
and  later,  on  account  of  his  views  on  prohibition,  went  over  to  the 
Democratic  party.  He  was  an  elector-at-large  on  that  ticket  in  1884, 
and  in  1893  he  was  appointed  minister  to  Bolivia  by  President  Cleve- 
land, which  position  he  held  for  four  years.  Col.  Moonlight  died  on 
Feb.  7,   1899. 

Moore,  Horace  L.,  banker  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  at 
Mantua,  Ohio,  Feb.  25,  1837.  He  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  the  Western  Reserve  Eclectic  Institute  at  Hiram, 
Ohio.  He  taught  his  first  school  at  Yankeebush,  near  Warren.  Pa., 
when  onlj'  seventeen  years  old.  In  1858  he  moved  to  Kansas  with  his 
brother  Francis,  who  died  a  month  after  their  arrival  in  Atchison 
count}-.  Mr.  Moore  taught  a  six  months'  term  of  school  at  Barry, 
Clay  county.  Mo.,  during  the  winter  of  1859-60,  and  joined  the  Masonic 
order  there.  In  i860  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Christian  &  Lane, 
where  he  studied  until  he  enlisted  on  May  14,  1861,  as  a  private  in 
Company  D,  Second  Kansas  infantry,  a  three  months'  regiment.  In 
the  organization  of  his  company  he  was  made  a  corporal  and  served 
until  Oct.  31,  participating  in  all  the  actions  of  the  regiment.  The  day 
he  was  mustered  out  he  reenlisted  and  on  Dec.  11,  1861,  was  made 
second  lieutenant  on  the  reorganization  of  Company  D.  On  May  i, 
1862,  he  received  his  commission  as  first  lieutenant  and  was  promoted 
to  the  captainc}-  of  his  company  in  1863,  but  never  mustered,  as  he 
was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Fourth  Arkansas  cavalry 
by  the  secretary  of  war  and  mustered  into  that  regiment  on  Feb.  18, 
1864.  He  held  this  command  until  mustered  out  of  the  service  on 
June  30,  1865.  In  1867,  with  the  rank  of  major,  he  commanded  a 
battalion  of  cavalry,  called  the  Eighteenth  Kansas,  during  its  service 
on  the  plains  against  hostile  Indians.  On  Oct.  30,  1868,  he  was  mus- 
tered in  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Nineteenth  Kansas  cavalry  and  on 
March  23,  1869,  was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy.  With  this  regiment 
he  took  part  in  the  campaign  conducted  by  Gen.  P.  H.  Sheridan,  which 
resulted  in  forcing  the  hostile  Indians  back  upon  their  reservations. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Moore  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at 
Lawrence,    in    Trinidad,    Col.,     Las    Vegas    and    Albuquerque,    N.    M., 


KANSAS    HISTORY  31 1 

under  the  firm  name  of  Moore,  Bennett  &  Co.,  but  in  1882  he  sold  his 
interest  in  the  business  and  returned  to  Lawrence.  Subsequently  he 
was  treasurer  of  Douglas  county  for  two  years.  In  1892  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  to  Congress  by  the  Democrats  and  Populists, 
but  was  not  seated  until  Aug,  2,  1894,  as  Edward  II.  Funston  had 
been  given  the  certificate  of  election  and  was  not  unseated  until  that 
time.  Since  retiring  from  Congress  Mr.  Moore  has  resided  in  Law- 
rence. He  is  president  of  the  Lawrence  National  Bank;  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  all  historical  matters ;  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  Kan- 
sas State  Historical  Society;  was  its  president  in  1906;  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  society  for  the  term  ending  in  Dec, 
1912.  Mr.  Moore  has  spent  much  time  and  labor  in  compiling  a  record 
of  the  Moore  family.  On  Sept.  16,  1864,  Mr.  Moore  married  Esther 
Amelia,  ■  the  daughter  of  Capt.  Samuel  and  Jane  (Deming)  Harmon, 
at  Ravena,  Ohio,  whose  ancestors  were  pioneer  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land, having  come  to  Springfield,  Mass.,  in   1644. 

Moran,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Allen  county,  is 
located  12  miles  east  of  lola,  at  the  junction  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
and  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroads.  It  has  an  internationl 
money  order  postoffice,  from  which  emanate  four  rural  delivery  routes, 
a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Herald),  several  good  stores,  etc. 
When  the  Missouri  Pacific  road  was  under  contemplation  the  people 
of  Marmaton  township  voted  bonds  and  the  railroad  company  agreed 
to  establish  a  station  somewhere  near  the  center  of  the  township.  It 
was  first  known  as  Moran  City,  but  the  first  postofilice  was  called 
Morantown,  the  last  syllable  being  dropped  in  1900,  since  which  time 
the  place  has  been   called   Moran. 

Moray,  a  country  postofifice  of  Doniphan  county,  is  located  in  Wolf 
River  township  on  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  R.  R.  5  miles  west 
of  Troy,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  express 
and  telegraph  offices,  and  some  local  trade.  The  population  in  1910 
was  40.     Moray  was  settled  in  1857  by  Norwegians. 

Morehead,  a  village  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Neosho  county,  is 
in  Shiloh  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  20  miles 
southwest  of  Erie,  the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
several  general  stores,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural 
route.  The  population  in  1910  was  150.  One  of  the  main  business 
enterprises  is  the  shop  for  the  manufacture  of  the  Smith  detachable 
plowshare. 

Morganville,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Clay  county, 
is  located  in  Sherman  township  on  the  Republican  river  and  on  the 
Union  Pacific  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads,  7 
miles  north  of  Clay  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly 
newspaper  (the  Tribune),  all  the  leading  lines  of  mercantile  enter- 
prises, churches  and  schools,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was 
285.     The  town   was  founded  in   1870  by   Ebenezer   Morgan   and   was 


312  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

formerly  known  as  Morgan  City.  The  first  store  was  opened  by 
W.  R.  Miidgc  in  1871. 

Morland,  an  incorporated  town  of  Graham  county,  is  located  on  the 
Solomon  river  in  Morland  township  and  on  the  l7nion  Pacific  R.  R., 
14  miles  west  of  Hill  Cit)',  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly 
newspaper  (the  Progress),  a  mill,  an  elevator,  about  20  retail  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  237. 

Mormons. —  (See   Latter   Day  Saints.) 

Mormon  Treiil. — On  the  original  surveys  of  Kansas  appear  a  number 
of  roads  designated  as  "Mormon  Trails."  These  highways  all  bear 
towards  the  northwest  and  are  simply  feeders  of  the  trail  taken  by  the 
"Saints"  during  the  '40s.  During  the  exodus  under  Brigham  Young, 
the  Mormons  left  by  way  of  Independence,  Mo.,  over  the  Santa  Fe 
trail,  following  this  road  to  "no  creek,"  where  they  turned  to  the 
northwest,  passing  through  what  is  now  Wabaunsee  county,  the  old 
trail  being  a  little  south  of  the  village  of  Eskridge  and  following  on 
to  the  Kansas  river,  which  it  crossed  at  a  point  between  Junction  City 
and  Fort  Riley,  since  known  as  "Whisky  Point."  From  there  the  road 
bore  north  across  Riley  county,  passing  near  the  present  site  of  Ogden, 
thence  into  Marshall  county,  and  following  up  the  Little  Blue  river  left 
the  state  in  what  is  now  Washington  county  over  the  Oregon  trail. 
At  a  later  day  much  of  the  Mormon  emigration  left  by  way  of  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  crossed  the  Missouri  river  where  Atchison  is  located,  and 
followed   west,   intercepting  the  old   California   trail. 

Morrill,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Brown  countj^  is  located 
on  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  R.  R.  11  miles  northwest  of  Hiawatha, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  4  churches,  an  accredited  high  school,  2  banks, 
a  flour  mill,  a  grain  elevator,  an  opera  house,  a  newspaper  (the  News), 
about  100  business  establishments  of  various  kinds,  express  and  tele- 
graph offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was 
398.  The  town  was  founded  in  1878,  although  it  had  been  settled  many 
years  before.  The  depot  was  built  in  1877  and  the  high  school  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1882. 

Morrill,  Edmund  Needham,  thirteenth  governor  of  the  State  of  Kan- 
sas, was  born  at  Westbrook,  Cumberland  county.  Me.,  Feb.  12,  1834, 
his  ancestry  for  generations  having  been  prominent  in  New  England. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Westbrook  Academy, 
and  after  leaving  school  learned  the  trade  of  tanner  with  his  father. 
In  March,  1857,  he  landed  in  Kansas  and  located  in  Brown  county, 
where  he  and  a  partner  established  a  sawmill.  The  same  year  he  was 
elected  to  represent  Brown  and  Nemaha  counties  in  the  first  free-state 
legislature,  serving  in  the  extra  session  of  Dec,  1857,  and  the  regular 
session  which  began  in  Jan.,  1858.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Company  C,  Seventh  Kansas  cavalry,  but  in  a  short  time  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  sergeant.     In  Aug.,  1862,  he  was  commissioned 


KANSAS    HISTORY  3I3 

captain  and  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  Grant  at  Corinth,  Miss.,  where 
he  was  made  commissary  of  subsistence  and  placed  in  charge  of  gov- 
ernment stores  in  Tennessee.  Near  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
brevetted  major,  and  was  honorably  discharged  in  Oct.,  1865.  Re- 
turning to  Brown  county  he  engaged  in  the  banking  business,  in  which 
he  continued  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
it  was  said  that  during  his  long  career  as  a  banker  he  never  foreclosed 
a  mortgage.  In  1866  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district  court.  The 
following  year  he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  held  that  office  by 
reelections  until  1872,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate.  He 
was  reelected  to  the  senate  in  1876,  and  during  his  second  term  in  that 
body  served  as  president  pro  tem.  In  1882  he  was  elected  Congress- 
man-at-large,  and  at  each  of  the  three  succeeding  biennial  elections  was 
chosen  to  represent  the  First  district  in  the  lower  house  of  the  national 
legislature.  In  1890  he  declined  a  fourth  term  as  Congressman  from 
that  district  and  announced  his  intention  of  retiring  permanently  from 
politics,  but  in  1894  he  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  his  friends  and 
accepted  the  Republican  nomination  for  governor.  At  the  election  in 
November  he  carried  the  state  by  a  plurality  of  30,000.  He  was 
defeated  for  a  second  term  in  1896,  though  he  led  the  presidential  ticket 
by  more  than  3,000  votes.  Gov.  Morrill  was  a  man  of  great  public 
spirit  and  was  always  a  willing  helper  of  any  enterprise  for  the  material 
advancement  of  the  state.  He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  drought 
sufferers,  gave  the  city  of  Hiawatha  its  fine  library  and  academy,  and 
no  church  ever  appealed  to  him  in  vain  for  assistance.  On  July  7,  1886, 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Kansas  Commandery  of  the  Military  Order 
of  the  Loyal  Legion,  in  which  he  held  the  offices  of  vice-commander 
and  chaplain.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  died  without 
issue,  but  the  second  marriage  was  blessed  with  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.     Gov.  Morrill  died  on  March  14,  1909. 

MorriU's  Administration. — Pursuant  to  constitutional  provision,  and 
in  accordance  with  established  precedent,  the  legislative  session  of 
1895  began  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  January,  which  in  that  year 
fell  on  the  8th  day  of  the  month.  Lieut. -Gov.  Daniels  presided  over  the 
senate  at  the  opening  of  the  term,  and  Charles  E.  Lobdell  was  elected 
speaker  of  the  house.  As  the  time  for  inaugurating  the  new  gov- 
ernor was  fixed  on  the  second  Monday,  Gov.  Morrill  was  not  inaugu- 
rated until  the  14th,  when  Lieut. -Gov.  Troutman  succeeded  Mr. 
Daniels  as  the  president  of  the  senate,  the  latter  retiring  after  receiving 
a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  from  the  senate  for  the  impartial  and 
dignified  manner  in  which  he  had  discharged  his  duties  as  presiding 
officer. 

Much  of  the  inaugural  message  of  Gov.  Morrill  was  devoted  to  a 
discussion  of  the  weakness  of  the  state  constitution.  He  pointed  out 
and  emphasized  the  fact  that  when  the  constitution  was  adopted  but 
10,326  persons  voted  for  it,  and  5,521  against  it,  the  whole  number  of 
votes  then  cast  having  been  only  one-twentieth  of  the  number  cast  in 


3'4 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


the  general  election  of  1894.  "It  would  be  hardly  possible,"  said  he, 
"for  the  small  nnmber  of  people  living  in  the  state  at  that  time,  with 
nearly  two-thirds  of  the  state  practically  unsettled,  to  understand,  or 
to  anticipate,  the  wants  and  needs  of  a  state  as  large  as  this  has 
become." 

The  changes  in  the  organic  law  recommended  by  him  were  as  fol- 
l^.vvs:  1— To  remove  or  extend  the  limit  of  legislative  sessions,  which 
at  first  were  held  annually,  while  since  1877  they  had  been  held 
biennially,  and  the  population  had  increased  to  fifteen  times  the  num- 
ber when  the  constitution  was  adopted ;  2 — The  reorganization  of  the 
judiciary,  especially  an  increase  in  the  number  of  supreme  court  jus- 
tices ;  3 — A  radical  change  in  the  apportionment  laws,  so  that  repre- 
sentation in  the  general  assembly  would  be  more  equitable ;  4 — More 
rigid  provisions  with  regard  to  the  organization  of  counties  and  town- 
ships; 5 — A  limit  to  the  value  of  the  homestead  exemption;  6 — The 
constitutional  prohibition  of  trusts  and  combinations  of  capital  for 
the  purpose  of  enhancing  prices;  7— Better  provisions  for  the  care  of 
the  permanent  school  fund. 

"Many  other  reasons,"  he  continued,  "in  my  judgment  urgent  and 
unanswerable,  might  be  presented  in  favor  of  a  constitutional  conven- 
tion. The  expense,  I  presume,  would  be  the  most  serious  objection 
urged  against  it;  but  1  am  satisfied  that  a  simple  clause  limiting  the 
power  of  the  legislature  to  appropriate  money  and  to  alllow  the  incur- 
rence of  debt  by  municipalities,  and  the  further  provision  allowing 
the  governor  to  veto  any  clause  in  an  appropriation  bill,  would  save 
the  state  more  every  five  years  than  the  entire  cost  of  a  convention." 

At  the  opening  of  Gov.  Morrill's  administration  the  supreme  court 
was  so  far  behind  that  it  was  hearing  cases  filed  four  years  before,  and 
the  governor  announced  in  his  message  that  "at  the  rate  of  progress 
it  has  made  since  the  commission  expired,  it  will  be  six  years  before 
the  case  filed  today  can  be  heard." 

The  logical  remedy  for  this  condition  of  alifairs  would  be  to  increase 
the  number  of  justices,  but  as  this  could  not  be  done  without  a  con- 
stitutional amendment,  and  as  such  an  amendment  had  once  been 
defeated  bv  the  people,  the  governor  suggested  as  a  means  of  relief 
that  the  court  be  permitted  to  dispense  with  written  opinions  in  cases 
where  a  precedent  had  already  been  established  and  made  a  matter 
of  record,  and  the  cases  that  could  be  appealed  be  limited  to  constitu- 
tional issues,  titles  to  real  estate,  franchises,  or  where  the  amount 
involved  exceeded  $300.  The  legislature  found  another  method,  how- 
ever, of  relieving  the  pressure  on  the  supreme  court,  and  that  was  by 
the  establishment  of  two  appellate  courts,  for  which  purpose  the  state 
was  divided  into  the  northern  and  southern  districts.  In  the  former 
the  court  held  its  sessions  at  Topeka,  Concordia  and  Colby,  and  in  the 
latter  at  Fort  Scott,  Wichita  and  Garden  City. 

For  several  years  prior  to  the  inauguration  of  Gov.  Morrill  there 
had  been  a  growing  dissatisfaction  with   regard  to  the  inequalities  in 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


315 


the  assessment  of  property  for  taxation.  Th.s  subject  -ened  ^.e 
attention  in  the  message  of  1895.  "The  inequahty,  ^-y;}^^'^^^^^^ 
"arises,  not  from  the  fact  that  the  property  of  the  state  is  assessed 
toTow,  but  because  it  is  assessed  unequally.  When  one  piece  of  prop- 
erty is  kssessed  at  ten  per  cent,  of  what  it  is  really  worth  a.Kiano  her 
piece  is  assessed  at  its  full  value,  and  other  property  is  not  asses  ed 
at  all,  great  injustice  is  done  to  some  of  the  taxpayers;  and  vet  that 
condition  actually  exists  in  our  state  today. 

He  attributed  this  condition  to  the  fact  that  the  assessment  v  as 
made  bv  some  1,600  assessors,  elected  because  they  were  good  tel- 
"ows,"  whose  reelection  depended  upon  the  support  of  ^he  persons  whose 
property  was  valued,  and  who  were  interested  in  keeping  the  assess- 
ment as  low  as  possible,  so  that  their  township  would  not  have  to  pay 
mo  San  its  ju'st  share  of  the  public  expenses.  As  a  remedy  he  sug- 
gested the  establishment  of  the  office  of  county  assessor,  he  mcum- 
b:nt  of  which  should  be  appointed  by  the  i-^ge  of  the  dis  r.c^  o.rt 
thus  takino-  the  office  out  of  politics  to  some  extent,  and  as  a  further 
remedy  tt  taxpayers  should"^  be  given  the  right  of  appea  in  cases 
where'the  county  commissioners  refuse  to  equalize  assessments 

The    governor    also   paid   considerable    attention    to    the    acts   of   the 
Coneress  then  in  session,  his  utterances  on  this  subject  being  as  fol- 
lows        For   several   years  a   steady   and  determined  effort   was   made 
Zpen  Jp  the  markets  of  the  old  country  to  some  of  the  produ^ts.n 
which    Ivansas   excels,   especially   Indian   corn,  beef   and   PO^^^  J^"^^^ 
Abetter  light,  secured  by  wise  legislation,  prejudice  and  cupidity  were 
tradr  ally  yie  ding,   and  our  exports  of  these  products  were  becoming 
SimportJnt  factor  of  great  value  to  our  people,  -^^  gave  a  promise 
of  an  increased  demand  for  the  articles  in  producing  which  ^^^"Sf;^  '^^^^ 
kad   the  world       But  the   present   Congress,   in   my   judgment,   by   .11- 
idvised  aJ    ude  legislation,  assumed  to  dictate  to  foreign  nations  then 
htrnal  pohcv  of  protection  to  their  home  industries  by  d.scnmma Ung 
d   tTe     on     u4r  imported  from  countries  having  export  duties  on  that 
a  dele      Th  s  has  led  to  active  retaliation  on  the  part  of  those  coun- 
tries   and  all  the  nations  of  central  Europe  have  become  commercially 
estranged    from    our   country,   and   are   taking  active,    and    what   prove 
to   be    effective     measures   to   prevent    the    importation   of    our    meats, 
n-t^fvino  tiemseh^es  bv  a  revival  of  the  exploded  and  senseless  claim 
^l^J^^^^^^  are  diseased.     The  repeal  of  the  reciprocity  pro- 
vsMonoour   tariff    laws   has   caused    Spam    and    other    countries    to 
mak     a  most  un  ust  discrimination  against  the  importation  of  our  farm 

A   .t.      To  rilieve  us  of  this  embarrassment  by  the  removal  of  this 
products.     To  ;^lieve  us  ot  ^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^   ^^^^^^^^  ^^ 

Uru"r^:;t  Hi..^r°x;onation  of  those  articles  which  -e  our  main 
IZ  I  a  matter  of  universal  concern  to  the  people  of  Kansas.  I 
"',Sd  thereforur<^e  he  passage  of  a  concurrent  resolution  by  your 
ho°noram;T.ores"^mstructi'ng  our  -"-°-  -^-^"-^"2,:;^  ^fth; 
sentatives  in  Congress,  to  introduce  and  work  for  the  passage 
most  etifective  remedial  legislation. 


3l6  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Upon  the  governor's  recommendation,  a  law  was  passed  at  this  ses- 
sion giving  force  to  the  constitutional  provision  prohibiting  lotteries, 
and  also  a  law  making  it  a  crime  to  receive  a  bribe  as  well  as  to  offer 
one  to  a  public  official.  Such  had  been  the  law  up  to  1869,  when  that 
part  of  it  relating  to  receiving  a  bribe  was  repealed,  the  theory  of  the 
legislature  being  that  those  receiving  bribes  would  be  more  willing 
to  testify  against  the  party  or  parties  giving  them,  if  they  were  permit- 
ted to  go  free.  The  law  of  1895  punished  both  the  giver  and  taker  of 
bribes  with  fine  and  imprisonment. 

Another  recommendation  of  Gov.  Morrill  was  that  the  sum  of  $3,600 
be  appropriated  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  three  monuments  on  the 
battlefield  of  Chickamauga,  which  had  been  made  a  national  park  by 
the  act  of  Congress,  approved  Aug.  19,  1890.  One  of  these  monuments 
was  to  represent  Gen.  R.  B.  Mitchell's  division,  one  the  brigade  com- 
manded by  Col.  John  A.  Martin,  and  the  third  the  Eighth  Kansas,  com- 
manded by  Lieut.-Col.  J.  L.  Abernathy.  By  the  act  of  Feb.  18,  1895, 
the  legislature  appropriated  $5,000  for  the  monuments  and  authorized 
the  governor  to  appoint  a  commission  of  five  soldiers  who  served  at 
Chickamauga  and  Chattanooga  to  mark  the  locations  and  select  the 
designs  for  such  monuments.  Immediately  after  the  passage  of  the 
bill  Gov.  Morrill  appointed  as  commissioners  J.  L.  Abernathy,  G.  W. 
Johnson,  L.  Akers,  S.  R.  Washer  and  J.  F.  Starnes.  On  March  4  the 
commission  organized  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Abernathy  as  president 
and  Mr.  Washer  as  secretary.  In  April  the  commissioners  visited  the 
field  and  in  their  final  report  showed  that  they  had  expended  $4,472.63 
of  the  appropriation,  leaving  a  balance  on  hand  of  $527.37. 

At  this  session  of  the  legislature  was  adopted  a  concurrent  resolu- 
tion asking  the  Kansas  representatives  and  senators  in  Congress  to 
secure  the  passage  of  an  act  donating  the  Fort  Hays  military  reserva- 
tion to  the  state  of  Kansas  for  a  western  branch  of  the  agricultural 
college,  a  western  branch  of  the  state  normal  school,  and  a  public  park. 
(See  Fort  Hays.) 

Another  resolution  requested  the  "proper  authorities,  in  charge  of 
the  United  States  statuary  hall"  at  Washington,  D.  C,  to  permit  a 
monument  of  John  Brown,  then  in  process  of  construction  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Lincoln  soldiers'  and  sailors'  national  monument  asso- 
ciation, to  be  placed  in  the  hall. 

On  Jan.  22  a  vote  for  United  States  senator  was  taken  in  each  of 
the  two  houses.  In  the  senate  Lucien  Baker  received  16  votes ;  L.  P. 
King,  10;  A.  W.  Dennison,  8;  J.  D.  Botkin,  Frank  Doster,  E.  R.  Ridgely 
and  Percy  Daniels,  i  vote  each.  The  vote  in  the  house  resulted  in  91 
for  Baker,  26  for  King,  5  for  John  Martin,  i  for  Ridgely  and  i  for 
ex-Gov.  George  W.  Click.  In  the  joint  session  on  the  next  day  Mr. 
Baker  was  elected  senator,  receiving  104  votes  as  against  53  for  King, 
3  for  John  Martin,  i  for  Botkin  and  i  for  Glick. 

The  legislature  adjourned  on  March  8.  Besides  the  acts  already 
mentioned    was    one    removing   from    a    large    number    of   persons    the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  317 

political  disabilities  imposed  by  section  2,  article  5,  of  the  constitution, 
as  amended  on  Nov.  5,  1867,  and  another  act  creating  the  state  board 
of  immigration. 

Col.  J.  W.  F.  Hughes,  who  was  tried  by  court-martial  and  relieved 
of  his  command  as  colonel  of  the  Third  regiment,  Kansas  National 
Guard,  by  Gov.  Lewelling  on  Sept.  25,  1893,  for  refusing  to  remove 
certain  members  of  the  Douglass  house  of  representatives  (see 
Lewelling's  Administration),  was  reinstated  by  Gov.  Morrill  and  made 
a  major-general  on  April   12,  1895. 

Twice  during  the  administration  of  Gov.  Morrill  the  militia  was 
called  into  active  service.  Toward  the  close  of  the  year  1895  it  was 
discovered  that  several  graves  in  the  •cemeteries  near  Topeka  had  been 
robbed,  the  bodies  taken  therefrom  later  being  found  and  identified  in 
the  dissecting  rooms  of  the  Kansas  Medical  College  at  Topeka.  Late 
on  the  afternoon  of  Dec.  11  the  sheriff  of  Shawnee  county  called  on 
Gov.  Morrill  for  a  detachment  of  troops  to  guard  the  college. against  an 
attack  threatened  by  the  incensed  citizens.  Acting  under  orders  from 
the  governor  Adjt.-Gen.  Fox  ordered  out  Company  H,  First  regiment, 
Capt.  McClure,  and  Battery  H,  Capt.  Phillips,  the  former  stationed 
at  Lawrence  and  the  latter  at  Topeka.  Gen.  liughes  was  then  called 
upon  to  take  command.  He  found  Phillips'  company  already  on  duty 
at  the  state  arsenal,  with  26  men,  and  learned  that  Capt.  McClure  had 
37  men  at  the  railroad  station  in  Lawrence  awaiting  transportation. 
These  men  were  disbanded  and  returned  to  their  homes,  but  the  police 
fearing  an  attack  might  yet  be  made  the  men  belonging  to  the  battery 
remained  on  duty  until  the  13th,  by  which  time  the  excitement  had 
quieted  down  and  the  danger  was  past.  It  is  probable  that  no  attack 
on  the  college  would  have  been  made,  but  it  is  equally  probable  that 
the  prompt  action  of  Gov.  Morrill  may  have  averted  serious  trouble. 

The  second  call  for  troops  came  on  April  20,  1896,  when  the  sheriff 
of  Stafford  county  attempted  to  serve  warrants  upon  some  persons 
connected  with  Bond  Bros.'  circus,  showing  that  day  at  St.  John. 
These  persons  resisted  arrest,  a  riot  ensued,  and  the  sheriff  and  county 
attorney  telegraphed  the  governor  for  assistance.  About  midnight  that 
night  Col.  P.  M.  Hoisington,  commanding  the  Second  regiment,  received 
at  his  home  in  Newton  a  telegram  from  the  adjutant-general  order- 
ing him  "to  move  with  Company  D  to  St.  John  to  suppress  riot  by 
first  train."  Col.  Hoisington  immediately  ordered  Capt.  Kaufman,  com- 
manding Company  D,  to  mobilize  his  company  and  report  as  soon  as 
they  were  ready  to  move.  The  company  left  Newton  early  on  the 
morning  of  the  21st  and  arrived  at  St.  John  before  noon.  In  the  mean- 
time the  circus  had  gone  to  Dodge  City,  and  all  was  quiet  in  the  town 
of  St.  John.  After  consulting  with  the  sheriff  and  the  county  attorney, 
who  were  not  certain  they  could  identify  the  parties  wanted,  even 
if  they  were  still  with  the  show,  the  company  gave  an  exhibition  drill 
and  returned  to  Newton  that  evening.  In  his  report  of  the  occurrence 
Adjt-Gen.  Fox  says:     "There  was  at  no  time  any  necessity  for  troops, 


3i8  cycr.oi'EDiA  of 

and  the  sheriff  and  count}'  attorney  were  not  justified  in  making  the 
call :  they  deserve  censure  for  creating  this  expense  against  the  state. 
The  aggregate  expense  was  $162.77." 

The  industrial  depression  of  1893-94  had  brouglit  about  a  general 
feeling  of  discontent.  It  will  be  remembered  .that  President  Cleveland, 
soon  after  his  inauguration  in  March,  1893,  had  called  a  special  session 
of  Congress  to  repeal  the  purchasing  clause  of  the  Sherman  silver  law. 
This  was  believed  by  many  to  be  the  cause  of  the  hard  times,  and  it 
had  given  an  impetus  to  the  agitation  in  favor  of  the  free  and  unlimited 
coinage  of  silver.  L'nder  these  circumstances  the  political  campaign 
of  1896  was  one  of  unusual  interest,  and  in  Kansas  it  was  hotly  con- 
tested. At  the  opening  of  the  campaign  party  leaders  were  somewhat 
chary  of  expressing  an  opinion  on  the  silver  question.  A  Republican 
state  convention  met  at  Wichita  on  March  10  for  the  purpose  of  select- 
ing delegates  to  the  national  convention.  The  delegates-at-large  were 
Cyrus  Iceland,  Thomas  J.  Anderson,  A.  P.  Riddle,  C.  A.  Swensson, 
M.  M.  Murdock  and  Nat.  Barnes.  They  were  instructed  to  vote  for 
William  McKinley  of  Ohio,  but  a  resolution  was  adopted  that  it  was 
not  advisable  at  that  time  to  make  a  platform. 

On  March  18  the  Populists  held  a  state  convention  at  Hutchinson 
and  selected  as  delegates  to  the  national  convention  ex-Gov.  Lewelling, 
Frank  Doster,  W.  A.  Harris  and  John  W.  Breidenthal.  The  conven- 
tion declared  in  favor  of  the  free  and  unlimited  coinage  of  silver  at 
the  ratio  of  16  to  7;  that  all  money  should  be  issued  by  the  govern- 
ment, and  denounced  "government  by  injunction." 

Delegates  to  the  Democratic  national  convention  were  not  selected 
until  June  3,  when  representatives  of  the  party  met  at  Topeka  and 
selected  as  delegates-at-large  John  Martin,  David  Overmyer,  J.  D. 
McCleverty,  Frank  Bacon,  J.  H.  Atwood  and  James  McKinstry. 

On  July  16  the  free  coinage  sentiment  found  expression  in  a  con- 
vention at  Topeka.  Resolutions  were  adopted  approving  the  course 
of  Senator  Henry  M.  Teller  of  Colorado  and  his  associates  in  bolting 
the  Republican  national  convention,  and  delegates  to  the  national  free 
silver  convention  at  St.  Louis  Avere  selected. 

Two  state  conventions  assembled  on  Aug.  4 — the  Democratic  at 
Hutchinson  and  the  Populist  at  Abilene.  In  order  to  effect  a  coalition 
of  the  two  parties  a  conference  committee  from  the  Democratic  conven- 
tion went  by  special  train  from  Hutchinson  to  Abilene  with  overtures 
for  a  joint  ticket.  After  some  delay,  both  conventions  remaining  in 
session  until  the  7th,  a  fusion  was  arranged  and  the  following  ticket 
nominated:  For  governor,  John  W.  Leedy ;  lieutenant-governor,  A.  M. 
Ilarve}' ;  secretary  of  state,  W.  E.  Bush;  auditor,  W.  H.  Morris; 
treasuere,  D.  H.  Hefflebower;  attorney-general,  L.  C.  Boyle;  superintend- 
ent of  public  instruction,  William  Stryker ;  chief  justice,  Frank  Doster; 
Congressman-at-large,  J.  D.  Botkin.  The  presidential  electors  on  this 
ticket  were  pledged  to  the  support  of  Bryaii  and  Bewail  for  president 
and   vice-president,   respectively.     This   arrangement   did    not   suit    the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  3I9 

"Middle  of  the  road"  Populists,  and  tliis  element  of  that  party  decided 
to  nominate  a  state  ticket.  A  convention  for  that  purpose  was  called 
to  meet  at  Topeka  on  Sept.  19,  but  before  the  time  arrived  the  leaders 
of  the  movement  became  fearful  that  the  convention  would  be  packed 
by  Fusionists,  and  the  scheme  was  abandoned.  The  Bryan  and  W^atson 
electors  were  then  chosen  by  petition. 

The  Republican  convention  for  the  nomination  of  candidates  for  the 
various  state  offices  was  held  on  Aug.  11.  All  the  state  officers  elected 
in  1894  were  renominated  with  the  exception  of  the  lieutenant-governor, 
for  which  place  H.  E.  Richter  was  chosen.  T.  F.  Garver  was  nominated 
for  chief  justice  and  I-lichard  \V.  Blue  for  Congressman-at-large. 

Although  numerical!}'  the  weakest  party  in  the  state  the  Prohibi- 
tionists experienced  the  greatest  difficulty  in  the  nomination  of  a  state 
ticket.  One  faction,  calling  itself  the  National  Prohibition  party, 
nominated  H.  L.  Douthart  for  governor ;  E.  Clark,  for  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor; T.  S.  Walter,  for  secretary  of  state;  Levi  Belknap,  for  auditor; 
James  Murray,  for  treasurer;  J.  T.  Merry,  for  attorney-general;  Mrs. 
Virginia  Greever,  for  superintendent  of  public  instruction ;  J.  R.  Silver, 
for  chief  justice ;  and  M.  Williams,  for  Congressman-at-large.  Another 
faction  named  Horace  Hurley  for  governor;  George  Hollingsberry,  for 
lieutenant-governor;  H.  H.  Geyer,  for  secretary  of  state;  T.  D.  Tal- 
madge,  for  auditor;  John  Biddison,  for  treasurer;  A.  H.  Vance,  for 
attorney-general,  but  made  no  nominations  for  superintendent  of  pub- 
lic instruction,  chief  justice,  or  Congressman-at-large.  A  third  faction 
of  the  party  nominated  A.  E.  Kepford  for  governor. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  3  the  Fusionists  carried  the  state  by  plural- 
ities ranging  from  7,500  to  12,000.  The  highest  vote  received  by  any 
Fusionist  presidential  elector  was  that  of  Sidney  Hayden — 171,675.  The 
highest  polled  for  any  Republican  elector  was  159,345  for  John  R.  Hamil- 
ton. For  governor,  Leedy  received  168,041  votes;  Morrill,  160,530; 
Douthart,  756;  Hurley,  2,347;  Kepford,  703.  Gov.  Morrill's  term  as 
governor  came  to  an  end  on  Jan.  11,  1897. 

Morris,  a  hamlet  in  the  southern  part  of  Wyandotte  county,  is- 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.  10  miles  west  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  stock  yards  and 
is  a  feeding  station  for  cattle.  Mail  is  received  by  rural  delivery  from 
Kansas  City. 

Morris  County,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  historic  in  the  state,  is 
located  in  the  northeastern  section,  the  5th  west  from  the  Missouri 
line  and  the  4th  south  from  Nebraska.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Geary  and  Wabaunsee  counties ;  on  the  east  by  Wabaunsee  and  Lyon ; 
on  the  south  by  Chase  and  Marion,  and  on  the  west  by  Marion  and 
Dickinson.  Prior  to  1858  this  county  was  a  municipal  township  of  the 
district  composed  of  Wise,  Breckenridge  and  Madison  counties.  In 
that  year  it  was  organized  as  Wise  county  and  the  following  officers 
were  elected:  Probate  judge,  H.  J.  Espy;  surveyor,  N.  S.  Brazle- 
ton ;  supervisors,  T.  S.  HuiTaker,  Harvey  Munkers  and  Lewis   Baum. 


320  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

The  first  full  ticket  of  county  officials  was  elected  in  Nov.,  1861.  In 
1859  the  sentiment  of  the  state  having  changed  from  what  it  was  in 
1855  when  the  county  was  named  Wise  in  honor  of  a  southern 
celebrity,  the  name  was  changed  to  Morris  in  honor  of  Thomas  Morris, 
United  States  senator  from  Ohio.  The  county  seat  contest  did  not 
come  up  until  1871,  as  prior  to  that  time  Council  Grove  had  no  rival. 
When  Parkervillc  became  an  incorporated  town  it  entered  the  lists  for 
county  seat,  and  an  election  was  called  to  settle  the  matter.  All  sorts 
of  trickery  was  resorted  to  by  both  sides.  Men  were  brought  into 
the  county  for  voting  purposes  by  the  hundreds.  The  population  of 
the  county  at  that  time  was  2,225.  The  number  of  votes  cast  was 
1,312,  of  which  899  were  for  Council  Grove  and  413  for  Parkerville. 
The  question  was  not  brought  up  again. 

The  Santa  Fe  trail  crossed  Morris  county  and  Council  Grove  was 
for  many  years  one  of  the  most  important  points  on  that  famous 
route.  The  Kaw  trail,  one  of  the  hunting  routes  in  use  by  the  Indians, 
also  passed  through  the  county.  The  land  belonged  to  various  tribes 
of  Indians  until  a  reservation  was  set  apart,  which  included  the  site  of 
Council  Grove.  Later  the  reservation  was  limited  to  a  small  area  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  known  as  the  "diminished  reserve." 
(See  Indians.)  The  government  tried  various  methods  of  civilizing 
the  Kaws  who  occupied  these  lands.  It  maintained  schools,  which  no 
one  attended  but  orphans.  It  built  a  number  of  three-room  houses  on 
the  reserve,  but  the  Indians  quartered  their  horses  in  them,  and  con- 
tinued to  live  in  wigwams.  As  long  as  the  Kaws  occupied  these  lands, 
the  settlers,  especially  at  Council  Grove,  were  in  more  or  less  appre- 
hension. Perhaps  the  most  serious  trouble  was  in  1859,  when  the 
town  was  visited  by  400  armed  Kaws.  Two  white  men  were  wounded 
and  a  bloody  war  was  averted  only  by  the  Indians  giving  up  the  two 
of  their  number  who  did  the  shooting.  They  were  hanged  by  the  whites. 
Considerable  alarm  was  caused  among  the  settlers  in  1868  by  the 
Cheyennes  who  came  to  fight  with  the  Kaws.  They  were  mounted 
and  well  armed,  but  after  a  skirmish  of  several  hours  were  forced  to 
retire. 

The  first  white  men  in  the  county  were  missionaries  and  traders. 
S.  M.  Hays,  the  first  trader,  located  at  Council  Grove  in  1847;  Chou- 
teau Bros,  in  1848;  T.  S.  Huflfaker,  a  missionary,  in  1850;  and  Columbia 
Bros,  in  1852;  J.  C.  Munkers  came  in  1854;  C.  P.  Eden,  Henry  Thornby, 
Joseph  Dunlap  and  John  Warnecke  in  1857;  June  Baxter,  William 
Atkinson,  Charles  Guenter,  J.  M.  Douglas  and  John  O'Byrne  in  1858, 
and  in  1859  the  population  of  the  county  was  about  600  people. 

In  i860  the  settlers  suffered  greatly  from  the  drought.  Not  a  single 
bushel  of  corn  was  raised.  About  62,000  pounds  of  food  out  of  the 
relief  supply  at  Atchison  were  issued  to  Morris  county  people  in  the 
winter  of  i860.  Before  there  was  opportunity  to  plant  another  crop 
the  Civil  war  broke  out.  The  total  population  did  not  exceed  800, 
only    158  of  whom  were  of  voting  age.     They  were   divided  in   their 


KANSAS    HISTORY  32I 

sympathies  between  the  North  and  the  South.  However,  before  the 
close  of  the  war  Morris  county  had  furnished  125  Union  soldiers.  A 
number  of  Kaw  Indians  were  enlisted,  which  raised  the  total  to  180. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  military  organizations  of  Morris  county 
which  took  part  in  the  war  either  as  home  guards  against  the  border 
ruffians  or  in  the  regular  service :  Morris  County  Rangers,  cavalry, 
Capt.  S.  N.  Wood ;  Neosho  Guards,  cavalry,  Capt.  W.  T.  Lard ;  Clark's 
Creek  Rangers,  cavalry,  Capt.  Charles  Guenter ;  Neosho  Rangers, 
cavalry,  Capt.  S.  D.  Price;  Council  Grove  Guards,  infantry,  Capt.  R.  B. 
Lockwood.  During  the  war  and  for  a  number  of  years  afterward  the 
community  was  molested  by  guerrillas  and  horse  thieves  and  a  number 
of  l}nchings  and  murders,  justifiable  and  otherwise,  occurred. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war  a  new  influx  of  settlers  came  into 
the  county.  A  little  set-back  was  experienced  the  same  year  by  the 
failure  to  secure  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad,  which  was 
built  about  25  miles  to  the  south.  Settlers  continued  to  pour  into 
the  county  and  great  herds  of  cattle  were  driven  in  for  pasturage.  By 
1871  large  colonies,  some  of  them  numbering  150  people,  were  coming 
in.  A  negro  colony  came  in  1874.  A  disastrous  prairie  fire  swept  over 
the  western  part  of  the  count}-  in  1873,  destroying  the  grass  and  grow- 
ing crops.  By  1875  the  population  had  grown  to  4,597.  In  1880  it 
was  8,422.  The  next  year  there  were  200  farm  dwellings  built  at  a  total 
cost  of  $160,000;  the  value  of  farm  implements  in  use  was  over  $53,000; 
the  value  of  live  stock,  $685,673 ;  there  were  75,000  bearing  fruit  trees 
and  100,000  young  trees  not  bearing.  About  one-third  of  the  land  had 
been  brought  under  cultivation.  In  1890  the  population  had  increased 
to  11,381.  In  the  next  ten  years,  when  many  of  the  counties  in  Kan- 
sas were  losing  in  population  on  account  of  the  money  panic,  hard 
times,  and  the  boom  in  the  southwestern  states,  Morris  showed  a  sm^all 
gain,  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  1900  being  11,967.  The  flood  of 
1903  raised  the  Neosho  river  several  feet  above  all  recorded  high  water 
marks  and  destroyed  considerable  property.  That  of  1908  was  serious 
but  not  as  disastrous  as  the  flood  of  1903. . 

Morris  county  is  divided  into  14  townships :  Clark  Creek,  Council 
Grove,  Diamond  Valley,  Elm  Creek,  Four  Mile,  Garfield,  Grandview, 
Highland,  Neosho,  Ohio,  Parker,  Rolling  Prairie,  Valley  and  Warren. 
The  postoffices  are :  Burdick,  Council"  Grove,  Delavan,  Diamond 
Springs,  Dunlap,  Dwight,  Kelso,  Latimer,  Parkerville,  Skiddy,  White 
City  and  Wilsey.  A  line  of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroad 
enters  in  the  northwest  and  crosses  southeast  through  Council  Grove. 
The  Missouri  Pacific  crosses  east  and  west  in  the  south,  and  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  enters  in  the  northeast  and  crosses 
southwest  into  Dickinson  county.    There  are  107  miles  of  main  track. 

The  general  surface  is  an  undulating  prairie,  practically  all  of  which 

is  tillable.     The  bottom  lands  along  the  streams  average  one  mile  in 

width  and  comprise  15  per  cent,  of  the  total  area.     The  area  of  native 

timber  is  above  the  average  for  the  state.     All  the  varieties  of  wood 

(11-21) 


^22  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

common  lo  Kansas  soil  grow  along  the  streams  in  belts  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  in  width,  and  a  number  of  artificial  plantings  have  been  made. 
The  Neosho  river  rises  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  and  flows 
southeast  into  Lyon  county.  It  has  several  tributaries.  Clark's  creek 
flows  north  through  the  western  portion.  Limestone  underlies  the 
entire  county  and  is  extensively  quarried  and  shipped  at  Council  Grove 
and  Parkerville. 

The  value  of  farm  products  is  more  than  $3,000,000  annually,  the  lead- 
ing crop  being  corn,  which  in  1910  brought  $879,127.  Oats  the  same 
season  was  worth  $87,482;  wild  grass,  $180,000;  tame  grass,  $151,344; 
millet,  $81,390;  Jerusalem  corn,  $75,834;  the  value  of  animals  sold  for 
slaughter  was  $1,511,625.  The  value  of  all  farm  products  that  year  was 
$3,251,523.  The  total  value  of  all  live  stock  on  hand  was  $2,620,962. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $22,119,714,  and  the  population 
was  12.397. 

Morrowville,  a  village  in  Washington  county,  is  located  in  Mill  Creek 
township  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.  8  miles  west  of 
Washington,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  hotel,  several  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three 
rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was 
250.    The  railroad  name  is  Morrow. 

Morse,  a  village  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Johnson  county,  is 
situated  on  the  Kansas  City,  Clinton  &  Springfield  R.  R.,  about  6 
miles  southeast  of  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  It  has  general  stores,  a 
money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had 
a  population  of  100. 

Mortgages. — L'nder  the  laws  of  Kansas  mortgages  may  be  given  on 
either  real  or  personal  property  in  the  possession  of  the  mortgagor, 
or  to  which  he  has  the  right  of  possession.  They  constitute  merely  a 
security  for  debt  and  pass  no  title  to  property,  except  by  foreclosure. 
Mortgages  must  be  executed,  acknowledged  and  recorded  the  same  as 
deeds,  but  in  the  absence  of  stipulations  to  the  contrary,  the  mortgagor 
of  real  property  may  retain  the  possession  thereof.  When  a  deed  of 
real  property  purports  to  be  an  absolute  conveyance,  but  is  intended 
to  be  defeasible  on  the  performance  of  certain  conditions,  such  deed  is 
not  defeated  or  affected  as  against  any  person  other  than  the  grantee 
or  his  heirs  or  devisees,  or  persons  having  actual  notice,  unless  an 
instrument  of  defeasance,  duly  executed  and  acknowledged,  is  recorded 
in  the  office  of  the  register  of  deeds  of  the  county  where  the  lands 
lie.  Any  mortgage  of  lands,  worded  in  substance  as  follows:  "A.  B. 
mortgages  and  warrants  to  C.  D.  (here  describe  the  premises),  to  secure 
the  payment  of  (here  insert  the  sum  for  which  the  mortgage  is  granted, 
copies  of  the  notes  or  other  evidences  of  debt,  or  description  thereof, 
sought  to  be  secured,  also  the  date  of  payment),"  dated  and  duly 
signed  and  acknowledged  by  the  grantor,  is  deemed  to  be  a  good  and 
sufficient  mortgage  to  the  grantee,  his  heirs,  assigns,  executors  and 
administrator,  with  warranty  from  the  grantor  and  his  legal  representa- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  323 

tives  of  a  perfect  title  in  the  grantor  against  all  previous  incumbrances; 
and  if  in  the  above  form  the  words  "and  warrants"  be  omitted,  the 
mortgage  is  good  without  warranty. 

The  recording  of  the  assignment  of  a  mortgage  is  not  deemed  of 
itself  notice  to  a  mortgagor,  his  heirs  or  personal  representatives,  so 
as  to  invalidate  any  payment  made  by  them  or  either  of  them  to  the 
mortgagee.  A  mortgage  given  by  a  purchaser  to  secure  the  payment 
of  purchase  money  has  preference  over  a  prior  judgment  against  such 
purchaser.  Any  mortgage  of  real  property  may  be  discharged  by  an 
entry  on  the  margin  of  the  record  thereof,  signed  by  the  mortgagee 
or  his  duly  authorized  attorney  in  fact,  assignee  of  record  or  personal 
representative,  acknowledging  the  satisfaction  of  the  mortgage  in  the 
presence  of  the  register  of  deeds  or  his  deputy,  who  subscribes  to  the 
same  as  a  witness.  Any  mortgage  is  also  discharged  upon  the  record 
by  the  register  of  deeds  whenever  there  is  presented  to  him  an  instru- 
ment executed  by  the  mortgagee  or  other  duly  authnrized  person 
acknowledging  the  satisfaction  of  such  mortgage  and  certified  as  other 
instruments  affecting  real  estate.  When  any^  mortgage  has  been  paid 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  mortgagee  or  his  assignee  within  thirty  days  after 
demand — in  case  demand  is  made- — by  the  mortgagor,  his  heirs  or 
assigns,  or  by  anyone  acting  in  their  stead,  to  cause  satisfaction  of  the 
mortgage  to  be  entered  of  record  without  charge ;  and  failure  so  to 
do  renders  the  mortgagee  liable  to  the  mortgagor  in  damages  to  the 
amount  of  $ioo,  together  with  reasonable  attorney's  fees.  It  is  unlaw- 
ful for  any  person  or  persons  to  contract  for  the  payment  of  attorneys' 
fees  in  any  note,  bill  of  exchange,  bond  or  mortgage,  and  any  such 
contract  or  stipulation  for  the  payment  of  attorneys'  fees  is  null  and 
void. 

The  legislature  of  1872  provided  that  if  the  words  "appraisement 
waived,"  or  other  words  of  similar  import,  be  inserted  on  any  deed, 
bond,  mortgage,  note,  bill  or  written  contract  thereafter  made,  it  shall 
be  ordered  in  any  judgment  rendered  thereon  that  lands  sold  to  satisfy 
the  same  may  be  sold  without  appraisement,  order  of  sale  being  with- 
held for  a  period  of  six  months.  Under  the  operation  of  this  statute 
great  abuses  crept  into  the  practice.  There  usually  being  no  competi- 
tion at  sheriff  sales,  lands  mortgaged  for  one-half  their  value  were  not 
infrequently  struck  off  to  the  judgment  creditor  for  only  a  small  frac- 
tion of  the  judgment  debt — in  many  instances  sufificient  only  to  pay 
the  costs  of  the  court  proceedings.  Notwithstanding  the  property  was 
taken  from  the  debtor  for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  indebtedness,  the 
debt,  or  the  major  portion  of  it,  still  remained  unsatisfied  against  him 
and  could  be  enforced  should  he  then  have,  or  afterward  acquire,  any 
real  or  personal  property  not  exempt  from  seizure.  In  his  message  to 
the  legislature  of  1893  Gov.  L.  D.  Lewelling  recommended  the  repeal 
of  the  "waiver  of  appraisement"  law,  which  was  accordingly  done.  By 
an  act  passed  in  1873  mortgages  were  exempt  from  taxes,  but  this 
statute  was  repealed  in  1874,  and  a  gold  clause  in  written  obligations 
has  also  been  forbidden. 


324  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Mortimer,  a  station  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  in  Labette 
county,  is  located  in  Osage  township  23  miles  northwest  of  Oswego, 
the  county  seat,  and  about  12  miles  west  of  Parsons,  from  which  place 
it  receives  mail  daily.  The  town  was  platted  by  Emanuel  Mortimer 
in    1883. 

Morton  County,  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  state,  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Stanton  county;  on  the  east  by  Stevens;  on 
the  south  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  and  on  the  west  by  the  State  of 
Colorado.  It  comprises  the  territory  defined  as  Kansas  county  in  1873, 
except  that  it  extends  3  miles  further  east.  The  boundaries  were 
defined  in  Feb.,  1886,  by  the  legislature  as  follows:  "Commencing  at 
the  intersection  of  the  section  line  3  miles  east  of  the  west  line  of  range 
39  west  with  the  6th  standard  parallel ;  thence  south  along  said  sec- 
tion line  to  where  it  intersects  the  south  boundary  line  of  the  State 
of  Kansas ;  thence  west  along  said  boundary  line  to  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  State  of  Kansas ;  thence  north  along  the  west  boundary 
line  of  the  State  of  Kansas  to  where  it  intersects  the  6th  standard 
parallel :  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

Morton  was  constructed  out  of  territory  belonging  to  Seward  county, 
and  was  organized  in  1886.  In  response  to  a  petition  presented  to  the 
governor  E.  F.  Henderson  was  appointed  as  census  taker  in  April,  the 
returns  were  made  in  September  and  showed  a  population  of  2,360, 
of  whom  780  were  householders,  the  assessed  valuation  of  property 
was  $681,835,  of  which  $504,520  was  real  estate.  Two  petitions  were 
sent  in  for  the  location  of  temporary  county  seat — one  in  favor  of 
Frisco,  to  which  were  attached  1,488  names,  and  the  other  for  Rich- 
field with  1,473  names.  As  these  petitions  could  not  be  legall)'  signed 
by  any  but  legal  voters,  and  the  two  petitions  contained  2,231  more 
names  than  there  were  legal  voters  in  the  county-,  the  organization  of 
Morton  had  to  'be  held  up  pending  an  investigation  to  ascertain  which 
had  the  most  eligible  names.  This  took  until  November,  and  in  the 
meantime  another  petition  came  in  for  Richfield,  which  was  found 
to  be  the  choice  of  the  majority.  The  proclamation  was  issued  by  Gov. 
John  A.  Martin  on  Nov.  17,  1886,  and  designated  Richfield  as  the  tem- 
porary county  seat.  The  following  officers,  recommended  by  the  peo- 
ple, were  appointed :  County  clerk,  E.  F.  Henderson ;  commissioners, 
D.  D.  Sayer,  James  McClain  and  Frank  Robinson.  In  December  the 
Kansas  Town  company,  which  had  founded  Frisco,  sold  that  town  with 
its  site  of  480  acres  for  $25,000  to  the  Aurora  Town  company,  which 
owned  Richfield.  The  county  seat  election  was  held  on  Feb.  3,  1887. 
Richfield  won  over  Frisco  by  a  inajority  of  303,  and  the  "People's 
Ticket"  was  elected  as  follows:  "County  clerk,  J.  R.  Webster;  regis- 
ter of  deeds,  L.  B.  Weidenhamer;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  George 
M.  Havice;  treasurer,  E.  Evershed ;  sheriff,  J.  E.  Kelly;  superintend- 
ent of  public  instruction,  Walter  L.  Holcomb ;  surveyor,  G.  A.  Henry; 
county  attorney,  J.  G.  Northcutt ;  probate  judge,  D.  D.  Sayer;  coroner, 
II.  C.  Finch;  commissioners,  G.  B.  Pack,  Thomas  Cooper  and  J.  W. 


KANSAS    IlISTOKV  3^5 

McClain  ;  representative,  John  Beatty.  The  election  was  attended  by 
considerable  trickery  and  scheming.  At  Taloga  the  opposition  to 
Richfield  rented  every  vacant  building  in  town  so  that  the  election 
board  could  not  find  a  place  to  locate  the  polls.  The  board  went  to 
work,  soon  erected   a  building  and  the  polls  were  opened. 

The  settlers  in  Morton  county  came  principally  from  the  older  coun- 
ties of  the  state.  While  it  was  known  as  Kansas  county  a  village 
called  Sunset  had  been  founded.  When  the  new  influx  of  settlement 
came,  the  prospect  of  Morton  county  being  organized,  led  to  new  towns 
being  founded  and  the  old  ones  were  allowed  to  die. 

In  1888  an  agricultural  exhibit  from  Morton  county,  on  display  in 
Topeka,  attracted  considerable  attention,  especially  the  Egyptian  corn, 
the  stalks  of  which  were  used  for  fuel  in  the  early  days.  Of  the  2,905 
claims  in  the  county,  nearly  two-thirds  had  been  taken  by  1886.  Many 
of  these  were  later  sold  for  taxes.  The  county  officials  had  the  fore- 
sight to  buy  up  a  great  many  of  these,  and  sold  them  later  at  a  big 
profit.  This  is  one  reason  that  Morton  county  is  out  of  debt  and  has 
a  fine  court-house  all  paid  for. 

The  "hard  times"  began  early  in  Morton  county.  In  the  four  years 
following  the  organization  the  population  shrunk  from  2,560  to  724. 
In  the  next  ten  years  it  went  as  low  as  304.  In  1936  it  had  begun  to 
recover,  but  the  population  was  still  very  sparse.  A  series  of  good 
years  helped  the  growth,  and  the  population  in  1910  was  1,333. 

The  county  is  divided  into  3  townships,  Cimarron,  Richfield  and 
Taloga,  and  there  are  10  organized  school  districts.  The  general  sur- 
face is  rolling  prairie,  the  soil  being  a  dark  yellow  color.  Bottom  lands 
average  a  mile  in  width  and  comprise  10  per  cent,  of  the  area.  Native 
limber  is  scarce,  but  a  number  of  artificial  plantings  have  been  made. 
Both  forks  of  the  Cimarron  river  flow  northeast  through  the  county. 
Limestone,  sandstone  and  gypsum  exist  in  several  places,  and  salt 
marshes  are  found  in  abundance. 

The  farm  products  are  worth  about  $250,000  per  annum.  In  1910 
the  leading  crop  was  broom-corn,  which  brought  $97,744;  milo  maize 
brought  $61,400;  sorghum  for  forage  and  grain,  $23,940;  Kafir  corn, 
$23,585;  corn,  $9,972.  Live  stock  sold  for  slaughter,  dairy  products, 
poultry  and  eggs  netted  $25,000.  The  total  value  of  all  products  was 
$254,061.     The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $1,763,893. 

Moscow,  a  country  hamlet  in  Stevens  county,  is  located  15  miles 
northeast  of  Hugoton,  the  county  seat,  10  miles  east  of  Woodsdale,  the 
postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed,  and  20  nailes  northwest 
of  Liberal,  Seward  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Mound  Builders. — America  is  called  the  New  World  because  of  its 
discovery  by  Europeans,  but  ethnologists  and  antiquarians  claim  that 
it  is  also  an  old  world  and  had  an  ancient  civilization,  proved  by  the 
prehistoric  works  and  remains,  left  by  a  people  called  mound  builders, 
who  once  inhabited  the  western  continent.  Some  ethnologists  believe 
that  this  race  in  North  America  inhabited  that  portion  of  the  United 


326  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

States  wliicli  lies  bclwccu  the  Appalachians  and  the  Rocky  mountains, 
and  it  is  true  that  the  greatest  evidence  of  ancient  life  has  been  found 
there,  but  Dr.  ISrinton  in  his  "The  American  Race^'  divides  the  country 
where  these  ancient  people  lived  into  five  sections:  the  Isthmian,  the 
Mexican  and  Central  American,  the  Pueblo  (which  includes  New  Mex- 
ico, Arizona  and  portions  of  Nevada,  Utah  and  Colorado),  the  Califor- 
nia, and  the  distinctly  mound  building  section  "embracing  that  part  of 
the  United  States  and  the  adjoining  portion  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
east  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  The  northern  boundary  is.  as  yet,  wholly 
conjectural,  but  it  is  quite  probable  that  it  extends  farther  toward  the 
northwest  than  toward  the  northeast." 

The  archeological  remains  of  the  fifth  section,  which  covers  most  of 
the  United  States,  show  well  defined  lines.  The  chief  one  reaches  from 
New  York  through  Ohio  along  the  Ohio  river  and  onward  in  the  same 
general  direction  to  the  northeast  portion  of  Texas;  the  second  follows 
the  Mississippi  river ;  a  third  extends  from  the  Wabash  river  to  the 
head  waters  of  the  Savannah  river ;  and  the  fourth  crosses  southern 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  While  the  lines  follow  the  rivers,  and  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  river  abound  in  prehistoric  remains  from  Lake 
Pepin  to  the  mouth  of  the  Red  river,  indicating  that  this  was  a  favorite 
dwelling  place  of  the  ancient  inhabitants,  the  mounds  themselves  refute 
the  idea  that  waterways  were  lines  of  migration,  except  for  short  dis- 
tances, migration  taking  place  across  rather  than  up  and  down  streams. 
The  longest  stretch  of  works  apparently  by  one  people  are  found  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Missisippi  river  from  Dubuque,  Iowa,  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Des  Moines  river. 

After  much  study  of  the  dif?erent  mounds,  ethnologists  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  mound  builders  belonged  to  several  different 
races,  tribes  or  nations.  It  is  demonstrated  by  their  earthworks  that 
these  people  differed  in  customs,  habits,  arts  and  beliefs  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  be  clearly  shown  in  different  mounds  and  classes  of  mounds. 
It  is  now  believed  that  the  mound  builders  were  a  comparatively  seden- 
tary people,  occupying  the  same  areas  for  considerable  lengths  of  time. 
The  great  number  of  monuments  afford  proof  that  the  builders  occupied 
their  respective  districts  for  a  long  time. 

The  place  where  the  works  of  the  mound  builders  are  most  numerous 
are  the  valleys  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  in  Tennessee. 
In  Ohio  alone  have  been  found  10,000  burial  mounds  and  about  1,500 
inclosures  or  village  sites,  some  of  considerable  size.  In  one  series  of 
works  there  are  20  miles  of  enbankments.  Walls  20  or  30  feet  high, 
enclosing  from  30  to  100  acres,  and  pyramids  100  feet  high,  covering  as 
many  as  16  acres  have  been  discovered. 

In  different  districts  the  earthworks  vary  in  character.  Emblematic 
mounds  are  found  in  great  numbers  in  Wisconsin,  and  a  few  have  been 
found  in  eastern  Iowa  and  southern  Minnesota  along  the  Mississippi 
river.  These  mounds  resemble  the  wild  animals  and  birds  formerly 
abounding  in  the  territory,  and  are  generally  located  on  hill  tops,  over- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  327 

looking  the  streams  or  lakes.  Some  of  the  most  remarkable  of  these 
are  the  bird  mound  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  the  famous  elephant  mound 
in  Grant  county,  Wis.  There  are  also  other  extensive  earthworks  and 
burial  mounds  in  Wisconsin,  from  which  flints  and  pottery  have  been 
taken. 

The  second  district  is  characterized  by  burial  mounds  or  ordinary 
tumuli,  and  are  often  called  prairie  mounds.  They  are  found  in  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Missouri  and  partsi  of  Kansas.  This 
section  seems  to  have  been  occupied  by  mound  builders  who  were  migra- 
tory, as  they  built  no  walled  defenses.  The  most  common  relics  are 
spear  and  arrow  heads,  knives  and  axes. 

The  third  district  belongs  to  the  military  class  of  mound  builders  and 
embraces  the  region  of  the  hill  country  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and 
West  Virginia,  extending  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  into  Michigan. 
The  works  in  this  section  were  for  defense  and  show  that  the  inhabi- 
tants were  a  warlike  people. 

The  fourth  district,  situated  along  the  Ohio  valley,  is  characterized 
by  what  are  called  "sacred  enclosures,"  or  village  enclosures.  The 
works  most  characteristic  are  the  circle,  square  and  octagon.  In  some 
places  the  ancient  works  are  very  elaborate  sj'stems  covering  a  great 
.amount  of  land,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  interesting  being  near 
Newark,  Ohio.  The  fifth  district  is  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  is 
marked  by  no  distinctive  class  of  works.  The  sixth  district  lies  south  of 
the  Ohio  river,  between  it  and  the  Cumberland  and  the  Tennessee 
rivers.  The  seventh  district  adjoins  the  sixth  and  the  works  are  similar, 
but  on  lower  ground,  where  great  numbers  of  the  mound  builders  lived. 
The  peculiarity  of  this  region  consists  of  the  great  number  of  pyramids, 
conical  mounds  and  lodge  circles  within  the  enclosures.  Great  quanti- 
ties of  pottery  have  also  been  found  in  this  district. 

Many  evidences  that  an  ancient  race  once  inhabited  a  part  of  the 
state  have  been  found  in  Kansas.  Three  miles  north  of  Neodosha,  on 
the  Verdigris  river,  a  village  site  and  fort  have  been  discovered.  The 
lodge  sites  occupy  a  considerable  area  and  the  village  seems  to  have 
been  important,  for  no  other  village  of  such  size  has  been  found  in  the 
same  section  of  the  country.  It  is  believed  that  the  inhabitants  were 
known  for  great  distances,  as  flint  implements  of  many  varieties  and 
colors  have  been  found  there,  differing  from  others  found  in  the  same 
region.  Stone  mauls,  flint  arrow  points,  shells,  hammers,  rubbing 
stones,  scrapers,  pitted  stones,  and  other  objects  have  also  been  discov- 
ered. The  fort,  situated  on  the  high  ground,  is  almost  that  of  a  horse 
shoe  in  form,  with  the  opening  toward  the  east. 

In  Riley  county,  on  Wild  Cat  creek,  a  stream  emptying  into  the  Kan- 
sas above  Manhattan,  village  sites  have  been  discovered.  There  are 
elevations  where  the  earth  lodges  stood,  flint  fragments,  broken  pottery, 
scrapers,  arrow  and  spear  heads,  but  the  ruins  indicate  that  the  seat  was 
only  temporary  and  not  occupied  for  any  great  length  of  time. 

On  the  Republican  river  burial  mounds  are  found  on  the  bluffs  near 


328  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Broughton,  and  a  number  have  been  located  on  the  bluffs  south  of  that 
town.  Several  have  been  discovered  on  Madison  creek,  2  miles  above 
Milford,  and  on  the  Kansas  river  near  Ogden  over  100  burial  mounds 
have  been  located.  Those  opened  were  found  to  contain  ornaments, 
charred  bones  and  occasionally  spear  heads.  The  largest  mounds  nearly 
always  contain  spear  points,  scrapers,  stone  and  shell  beads.  Some  of 
the  largest  and  most  interesting  mounds  in  Kansas  have  been  discovered 
near  Edwardsville,  Wyandotte  county.  They  are  situated  about  a  half- 
mile  from  the  Kansas  river,  but  indications  show  that  they  were  formerly 
on  the  bank  of  the  ancient  river.  There  are  five  of  them,  each  about  5 
feet  high  and  25  feet  in  diameter,  and  are  situated  about  50  feet  from 
each  other.  Before  the  land  was  cleared  the  mounds  were  covered  by 
oak  trees  3  or  4  feet  in  diameter,  indicating  great  age.  Axes,  celts,  arrow 
heads  and  other  implements  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
mounds. 

About  a  mile  north  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  the  remains  of  an  aboriginal 
workshop  or  village  have  been  discovered.  The  location  is  on  a  small 
stream,  called  Jersey  creek.  The  village  site  covers  about  two  acres; 
the  soil  is  sandy  and  to  a  depth  of  two  feet  is  a  mixture  of  flakes  of 
flint,  ashes,  bones  and  unfinished  stone  implements  of  various  descrip- 
tions. The  fragments  of  pottery  found  are  very  numerous  and  are  of  • 
three  colors — black,  brown  and  red.  The  vessels  are  usually  globular 
in  shape  and  are  composed  of  clay,  sand  and  pounded  shells. 

Two  mounds  have  been  explored  on  the  Walnut  river  in  Cowley 
county.  They  are  30  feet  in  diameter,  18  inches  high  at  the  present 
time,  and  are  located  some  30  rods  apart.  Originally  they  were  3  or  4 
feet  high.  Upon  digging  into  them,  bones,  potsherds,  charcoal,  jasper 
chips,  arrow  points  and  grinding  stones  were  found  at  a  depth  of  6  feet 
or  2  feet  below  the  original  level  of  the  earth. 

On  the  summit  of  the  bluff  along  Wolf  creek  in  Coffey  county,  many 
stone  heaps  have  been  found  that  contain  shells  of  mollusca,  such  as  now 
live  in  the  Neosho  river,  which  at  the  present  time  is  a  mile  away.  At 
the  foot  of  the  bluft'  many  arrow  heads  have  been  unearthed.  A  possible 
crematory  was  also  discovered  and  a  few  knives  and  arrow  heads  have 
been  found.  The  ashes,  bones,  pottery  and  other  relics  were  all  dis- 
covered a  few  feet  below  the  surface  and  over  the  site  oak  trees  3  or  4 
feel  in  diameter  were  growing.  Another  village  site  was  discovered  near 
Lindsborg,  where  various  kinds  of  flints  were  found.  In  Morris  county 
a  hearth  was  discovered  at  a  depth  of  15  feet,  resting  on  a  ledge  of  rock 
lower  than  the  present  bed  of  the  river,  and  from  above  the  hearth  an 
oak  tree  3  feet  in  diameter  had  grown.  A  large  shell  heap  has  been  dis- 
covered near  Marion  Center,  Marion  county,  while  in  Leavenworth 
county  six  mounds  "in  a  line  about  30  feet  apart,"  were  found  on  Pilot 
Knob  Ridge  near  Fort  Leavenworth.  All  of  these  remains  give  proof 
that  the  mound  builders  in  Kansas  belonged  to  that  class  of  ancient 
people  called  prairie  mound  builders,  who  were  migratory  in  their  habits 
and  left  no  walled  defenses. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  3^9 

Mound  City,  the  county  seat  of  Linn  county,  is  located  south  and 
east  of  the  center  of  the  county  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  The  site 
was  located  in  1855  by  D.  W.  Cannon  and  Ebenezer  Barnes  and  named 
Mound  City  from  its  proximity  to  Sugar  Mound.  A  town  company  of 
20  members  was  organized  in  1857,  with  Charles  Barnes,  president ;  Dr. 
J.  H.  Trego,  secretary;  T.  E.  Smith,  trustee.  The  town  site,  consisting 
of  240  acres,  was  surveyed  that  year  by  J.  N.  Roscoe,  and  the  first 
building,  a  log  cabin,  was  erected  by  William  Wilson,  for  a  dwelling. 
The  second  building  was  a  frame  structure  used  by  Mr.  Barnes  as  a 
store  and  postoffice,  as  he  was  the  first  postmaster  of  the  town.  The 
first  physician  to  locate  in  Mound  City  was  Dr.  Lee  in  1856;  the  first 
lawyer,  Addison  Danford,  came  a  year  later.  A.  A.  Johns  taught  the 
first  school  during  the  winter  of  1858-59  in  the  town  hall,  which  had  been 
erected  the  previous  summer.  In  1859  an  election  was  held  in  the 
county  to  determine  the  permanent  location  of  the  county  seat.  Paris 
and  Mound  City  were  the  principal  contestants.  Mound  City  received 
a  majority  of  the  votes  and  was  declared  the  seat  of  justice,  but  some 
of  the  people  were  dissatisfied  and  a  second  election  was  held  in  1865,  at 
which  time  Linnville  received  the  majorty  of  the  votes.  A  year  later 
a  third  election  took  place  and  Mound  City  again  became  the  county 
seat.  In  1871  the  question  was  again  opened,  and  in  February  of  that 
year,  after  an  indecisive  vote  in  January,  an  election  was  held,  at  which 
La  Cygne  was  chosen  the  county  seat.  In  1873  Farmers  City  was  made 
the  seat  of  justice  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  cast  at  an  election  in  an 
effort  to  settle  the  question,  but  county  offices  were  never  opened  there 
and  La  Cygne  retained  the  seat  until  1874,  when  it  was  changed  to 
Pleasanton.  The  next  year  Mound  City  again  received  the  majority  of 
the  votes  and  has  since  remained  the  judicial  seat  of  the  county 

The  first  religious  services  were  held  in  1857  by  a  United  Brethren 
minister,  and  within  a  short  time  several  churches  had  perfected  organi- 
zations. In  1871,  the  town  was  organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class. 
Mound  City  and  its  vicinity  became  the  headquarters  of  Jennison  and 
Montgomery  (q.  v.)  during  the  border  war.  The  citizens  rode  with 
these  leaders  on  their  forays  against  the  Missourians.  Jennison  was  the 
first  to  become  established  in  the  town  and  his  name  became  a  terror 
to  the  people  of  Bates  and  Vernon  counties.  Mo.  Mound  City  was  used 
as  a  base  from  which  to  strike  quickly  and  get  back  across  the  border 
into  some  rendezvous  before  the  citizens  of  Missouri  could  gather  a 
force  and  strike  back.  In  Dec,  i860,  a  company  of  infantry  under  Capt. 
Lyon  came  to  Mound  City  with  orders  to  capture  Capt.  Montgomery, 
who  lived  about  5  miles  up  the  creek,  but  when  the  company  arrived 
Montgomery,  who  had  been  notified,  was  gone. 

The  Linn  County  Herald,  the  first  newspaper  in  the  town,  made  its 
appearance  April  i,  1859.  It  was  owned  and  edited  by  Jonathan  Lyman. 
The  second  paper,  the  Border  Sentinel,  was  started  in  1864  by  Snoddy 
Bros,  and  was  published  until  1874,  when  they  moved  it  to  Fort  Scott. 
The  Masons  established  a.  lodge  at  Mound  City  in  i860,  and  six  years 


3.P 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


later  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  established  Magnolia  lodge 
there.  At  the  present  time  Mound  City  has  a  number  of  fine  stores, 
blacksmith  and  wagon  shops,  a  good  hotel,  public  schools,  churches,  a 
creamery,  flour  mill,  and  stone  quarries.  It  is  located  in  a  rich  agricul- 
tural district  and  the  shipping  point  for  grain,  live  stock,  flour,  and  pro- 
duce.    In  1910  the  population  was  698. 

Moundridge,  an  incorporated  town  in  McPherson  county,  is  a  station 
on  the  Mcl'hcrson  &  Eldorado  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  15 
miles  southeast  of  McPherson,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  steam  roller 
flour  mill  with  a  capacity  of  300  barrels  per  day,  3  large  grain  elevators, 
2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Journal),  an  opera  house,  and  a  score 
or  more  well  stocked  retail  stores.  The  town  is  supplied  with  tele- 
graphic communications,  has  an  express  office,  telephone  connections, 
and  an  international  money  order  postofifice  with  four  rural  routes.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  626.  The  famous  Santa 
Fe  trail  passed  a  little  to  the  northwest  of  Moundridge. 

Mound  Valley,  an  incorporated  city  of  Labette  county,  is  located  at 
the  junction  of  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  and  the  Missouri  Kansas 
&  Texas  railroads,  on  Pumpkin  creek  in  Mound  Valley  township,  14 
miles  west  of  Oswego,  the  county  seat.  There  are  2  banks,  2  weekly 
newspapers  (the  Herald  and  the  Journal),  an  opera  house,  a  flour  mill, 
a  grain  elevator,  2  vitrified  brick  plants  and  a  glass  plant.  Coal,  natural 
gas,  oil  and  building  stone  are  all  found  in  the  vicinity.  There  are 
express  and  telegraph  facilities  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  956. 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  1869  by  a  town  company  of  which  William 
M.  Rodgers  was  president.  A  store  building  was  erected  immediately 
by  A.  Honrath  and  H.  Roar.  John  P.  Kremer  started  a  grocery  store, 
L.  F.  Nicholas  a  drug  store.  Dr.  E.  Tanner  and  M.  Anderson  a  general 
store  and  R.  Blakely  opened  a  grocery  store.  1870  J.  Campbell  built  the 
Mound  Valley  hotel  and  L.  F.  Nicholas,  the  Nicholas  hotel.  Owing  to 
the  contest  between  the  railroad  company  and  the  town  company  over 
the  title  to  the  land,  very  little  progress  was  made  until  the  matter  was 
settled  in  1S76.  In  that  year  a  stage  line  was  put  in  operation  from 
Oswego.  Until  that  date  the  mail  had  been  brought  from  Oswego  on 
horseback.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1870.  The  first  bank  was 
established  in  1883.  Several  fires  have  occurred,  one  in  1872,  when  the 
town  company  building  with  a  stock  of  goods  was  burned;  one  in  1889, 
when  a  whole  block  of  business  buildings  was  consumed,  and  a  third 
in  1892,  when  the  grist  mill  was  destroyed.  The  town  was  incorpor- 
ated in  1871,  and  the  following  persons  were  appointed  as  trustees: 
Alexander  Honrath,  William  M.  Rodgers,  John  B.  Campbell,  E.  Tanner 
and  Alexander  McBride.  In  1884  it  became  a  city  of  the  third  class,  the 
first  election  being  held  in  January  of  that  year.  E.  Tanner  was  the 
first  mayor  and  W.  N.  McCoid,  the  first  clerk. 

Mount  Hope,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Sedgwick 
county,  is  located  in  Greeley  township  on  the  Arkansas  river  and  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  25  miles  northwest  of  Wichita,  the  county  seat. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  33I 

It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Clarion),  all  lines  of  mercantile 
stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
two  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was 
519,  a  gain  of  over  60  per  cent,  since  1900.     It  was  founded  about  1880. 

Mount  Oread,  the  height  upon  which  the  University  of  Kansas  is 
located  at  Lawrence,  was  so  named  by  the  first  immigrants  who  pitched 
their  tents  there  in  Aug.  1854,  after  the  Mount  Oread  school  at  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  of  which  Eli  Thayer  was  the  founder  and  proprietor.  The 
view  from  Mount  Oread  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  state,  the  landscape 
including  the  valleys  of  the  Kansas  and  Wakarusa  rivers  for  several 
miles.  The  Agora  Magazine  for  April,  1893,  says :  "There  is  no  place 
in  Kansas  where  one's  breast  swells  with  pride  more  than  on  Mount 
Oread  at  Lawrence.  From  it  one  can  get  a  view  of  the  best  that  nature 
has  given  the  state,  and  on  it  is  the  best  that  man  has  given  it."  (See 
University  of  Kansas.) 

Mudge,  Benjamin  F.,  geologist  and  educator,  was  born  at  Orrington, 
Me.,  Aug.  II,  1817,  a  son  of  James  and  Ruth  Mudge,  who  removed  to 
Lynn,  Mass.,  in  1818.  There  Benjamin  attended  the  public  schools  and 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  began  learning  the  shoemaker's  trade,  at 
which  he  was  employed  for  the  next  six  years.  In  the  fall  of  1837  he 
began  teaching,  saved  his  money  to  secure  a  better  education,  and  finally 
graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown,  Conn.  He  then 
returned  to  Lynn,  studied  law,  and  practiced  in  that  city  for  some  time. 
He  also  served  as  Mayor  of  Lynn.  In  1850  he  went  to  Kentucky  as  chem- 
ist for  a  coal  and  oil  company,  and  some  two  years  later  settled  at  Ouin- 
daro,  Kan.  In  1863  he  was  appointed  state  geologist,  and  in  1865  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  "geology  and  associated  sciences"  in  the  State 
Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan.  From  that  time  until  his  death  he 
was  engaged  in  scientific  research.  After  serving  as  professor  for  eight 
years  a  disagreement  arose  between  him  and  the  college  management 
and  he  accepted  a  position  from  Yale  Universsity  to  gather  specimens 
in  the  west  for  that  institution.  In  one  year  he  shipped  over  three  tons 
of  fossils,  etc.,  to  New  Haven.  He  spent  much  of  his  time  in  camp,  and 
between  expeditions  spent  his  time  in  lecturing  and  writing  for  scientific 
periodicals.  In  1878  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  Of  the  American  Associa- 
tion for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science.  LTp  to  the  time  of  his  death  he  probably 
did  more  than  any  other  one  man  to  make  known  the  geological  forma- 
tion of  Kansas.  Prof.  Mudge  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Beckford  on  Sept. 
16,  1846,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Manhattan  of  apoplexy  on  Nov.  21.  1879. 

Mulberry,  an  incorporated  town  in  Crawford  county,  is  located  in  Lin- 
coln and  Washington  townships  at  the  junction  of  the  Kansas  City 
Southern  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  railroads,  12  miles  east  of 
Girard,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News), 
a  flour  mill,  all  lines  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an 
international  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  popula- 
tion according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  997.  Mulberry  was  founded  in 
the  late  '70s  as  a  mining  town  and  was  called  Mulberry  Grove. 


^^2  CYCl-OrEDIA    OF 

MuUinville,  an  incoiporaled  town  in  Kiowa  county,  is  located  on  the 
Chicago  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  lo  miles  west  of  Greensburg,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  three  grain  elevators,  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Tribune),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  witli  one  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  289. 

Mulvane,  a  thriving  little  incorporated  city  in  Sumner  county,  though 
located  partly  in  Rockford  township  of  Sedgwick  county,  is  on  the 
Arkansas  river  and  the  xAtchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  19  miles 
northeast  of  Wellington,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  flour  mill,  a 
feed  mill,  an  ice  and  cold  storage  plant,  electric  light  plant,  creamery, 
natural  gas,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News),  and  a  large  number  of  well 
stocked  retail  establishments.  It  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  has  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural 
routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  1,084.  The 
town  was  laid  out  in  1879,  and  the  first  building  was  erected  by  Dr. 
Whitehorn.  The  first  store  was  opened  by  J.  S.  Brown,  the  first  dwell- 
ing was  built  by  Lee  Wilson,  J.  N.  Trickey  opened  the  first  dry  goods 
store  and  the  Mulvane  House  was  erected  by  A.  C.  Crawford.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  Oct.,  1879,  with  J.  B.  Brown  as  first  postmaster. 

Mumford,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Barber  county,  is  located  about  10  miles 
northeast  of  Medicine  Lodge,the  county  seat.  It  receives  mail  by  rural 
delivery  from  Nashville,  Kingman  count)',  which  is  6  miles  north,  and 
is  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Muncie,  a  post  hamlet  of  Wyandotte  county,  is  situated  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  west  of 
Kansas  City.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express 
facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  40. 

Munden,  an  incorporated  town  of  Republic  county,  is  located  on  the 
north  line  of  Fairview  township,  8  miles  northwest  of  Belleville  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  It  was  established  in  Sept.,  1887, 
and  was  named  after  the  owner  of  the  town  site,  John  Munden.  The 
first  general  store  was  built  by  John  Washichek  and  the  first  postmaster 
was  A.  M.  Canfield.  Munden  now  has  a  dozen  business  establishments 
among  which  are  a  bank,  a  newspaper  (the  Munden  Progress),  several 
stores,  telegraph,  telephone  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  275. 

Munjor,  a  country  postoffice  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  the  town- 
ship of  the  same  name  6  miles  south  of  Hays,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping  point.    The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Murdock,  a  country  hamlet  in  Butler  county,  is  located  12  miles  west 
of  Ellsworth,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  north  of  Benton,  the  nearest 
shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed. 

Murdock,  one  of  the  little  villages  of  Kingman  county,  is  located  in 
Dale  township  12  miles  east  of  Kingman,  the  county  seat.  It  is  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  has  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  popula- 
tion is  175. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  333 

Murdock,  Victor,  journalist  and  member  of  Congress,  is  a  native  Kan- 
san,  having  been  born  at  Burlingame,  Osage  county,  March  i8,  1871. 
The  next  year  his  parents — Marshall  M.  and  Victoria  (Mayberry)  Mur- 
dock— removed  to  Wichita,  tlien  a  frontier  town,  where  Victor  attended 
the  public  schools  and  the  Lewis  Academy.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he 
corhmenced  learning  the  printer's  trade,  working  at  the  case  during  his 
vacations,  and  when  fifteen  years  old  he  became  a  reporter.  He  rapidly 
developed  the  "journalistic  instinct,"  and  five  years  later  went  to  Chi- 
cago, where  for  some  time  he  held  a  position  on  the  staff'  of  one  of  the 
metropolitan  dailies.  In  1890  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  M. 
P.  Allen,  and  in  1894  he  became  managing  editor  of  the  Wichita  Eagle. 
In  1902  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republican  district  convention  for 
Congress,  was  elected  the  following  November,  and  has  been  reelected 
at  each  succeeding  biennial  election  to  1910.  At  his  last  election  he  car- 
ried every  county  in  the  district,  receiving  a  clear  majority  of  4,298  over 
three  competitors. 

Muscotah,  an  incorporated  town  in  Atchison  county,  is  located  at  the 
junction  of  Little  Delaware  creek  and  the  Delaware  river  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  in  the  western  part  of  the  county.  The  name  Musco- 
tah means  beautiful  prairie.  The  old  town  of  Muscotah,  located  about 
two  miles  northeast  of  the  present  town,  was  laid  out  by  Dr.  W.  P. 
Badger  and  Maj.  C.  B.  Keith  in  the  spring  of  1856.  The  survey  was  com- 
pleted in  the  fall,  and  Mr.  Keith  opened  the  first  store  about  a  year  later. 
In  1867  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  purchased  the  site  of  the  new  town 
•from  an  Indian.  The  town  was  surveyed  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and 
Mr.  Armstrong  soon  afterward  opened  a  general  store,  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  other  business  houses.  A  number  of  dwellings  were  built,  a 
school  was  established  and  in  the  early  '70s  it  was  one  of  the  prosperous 
towns  of  the  county.  It  is  a  banking  point  for  the  surrounding  country, 
has  several  general  stores,  a  hotel,  hardware  and  implement  houses, 
blacksmith  shop,  several  churches,  a  money  order  postoffice,  express  and 
telegraph  offices.     In  1910  its  population  was  491. 

Mushroom  Rock. — This  peculiar  landmark  is  situated  near  the  village 
of  Carneiro,  Ellsworth  county.  It  is  a  huge  stone  poised  on  a  solitary 
pillar  and  strongly  resembles  the  plant  for  which  it  was  named.  Kansas 
at  one  time  was  in  the  bed  of  an  inland  sea,  and  the  action  of  the  reced- 
ing waters  produced  the  grotesque  shapes  in  stone  found  in  different 
localities  of  the  state.  When  the  Kansas  Pacific  railway  was  being 
built  through  the  state,  excursion  trains  were  frequently  run  as  far  west 
as  the  track  was  laid,  and  on  one  of  these  occasions,  while  building 
through  Ellsworth  county,  George  Francis  Train,  the  noted  lecturer, 
delivered  a  speech  from  the  summit  of  Mushroom  Rock  to  an  interested 
group  of  listeners. 

Myers  Valley,  a  discontinued  postoffice  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is 
located  in  Pottawatomie  township,  6  miles  south  of  Westmoreland,  the 
county  seat,  and  about  a  mile  north  of  Flush,  from  which  place  it 
receives  mail  daily.    The  population  in  1910  was  22. 


334  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Myrtle,  a  country  hamlet  in  Phillips  county  is  located  14  miles  north 
of  Phillipsbiirg,  the  coimty  seat,  5  miles  east  of  Woodruff  on  the  Chi- 
cago. Uurlington  &  (Juincy  R.  R..  the  nearest  shiijping  point,  and  7  miles 
south  of  Alma,  Neb.,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  its  mail. 

N 

Nadeau,  a  hamlet  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  near  the  southern  line 
of  the  county,  16  miles  south  of  Holton,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money 
order  postoffice  and  some  local  trade.  The  population  in  1910  was  25. 
Hoyt  is  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Narka,  a  village  of  Republic  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  14  miles  northeast  of  Belleville  in  Albion  town- 
ship. It  was  established  in  1887  by  M.  A.  Low  and  C.  J.  Gilson,  presi- 
dent and  secretary  of  the  town  company,  and  was  incorporated  as  a  city 
of  the  third  class  in  1894.  According  to  the  census  of  1910  it  had  278 
inhabitants.  It  has  2  churches,  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Narka 
News),  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  mail  routes,  telegraph, 
JO}  luiod  Siiiddu[s  puE  .ouipB-U  b  si  puE  'sauijiDEj  ssaadxa  puB  auoqdaja; 
a  rich  agricultural  district. 

Naron,  a  hamlet  in  Pratt  county,  is  located  12  miles  northwest  of 
Pratt,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  from  luka,  the  nearest  shipping 
point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural 
route.    The  population  in  1910  was  45. 

Nashville,  a  little  town  in  Kingman  count}',  is  located  in  Liberty 
township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  22  miles  southwest 
of  Kingman,  the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes,  churches,  schools  and 
mercantile  establishments.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of 
191 0  was  200. 

Nation,  Carrie,  temperance  reformer,  atithor  and  lecturer,  was  born 
in  Kentucky  in  the  year  1846.  Her  maiden  name  was  Carrie  Moore. 
Her  first  marriage  was  with  a  Dr.  Gloyd,  who  died  from  delirium  tre- 
mens, and  her  unhappy  experience  as  his  wife  led  her  to  become  an 
enthusiastic  advocate  of  prohibition.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  her 
first  husband  she  became  the  wife  of  David  Nation,  a  lawyer  and  editor, 
who  was  in  sympathy  with  her  views  on  the  liquor  traffic.  After  a 
residence  of  several  years  in  Texas,  they  came  to  Kansas  and  located  at 
Wichita.  Mrs.  Nation  came  into  public  notice  in  the  winter  of  igoo-oi 
by  her  radical  efforts  and  unusual  methods  of  breaking  up  saloons.  The 
prohibitory  amendment  to  the  Kansas  constitution  had  been  in  effect 
for  nearly  20  years,  yet  intoxicating  liquors  were  sold  in  a  number  of 
places  in  defiance  of  law.  On  Dec.  27,  1900,  she  went  into  the  Carey 
hotel  at  Wichita  and  demolished  the  mirrors,  glassware,  etc.,  in  the 
room  where  liquors  were  sold.  She  was  arrested  and  remained  in  jail 
for  several  days,  when  she  was  released  on  bond,  and  almost  imme- 
diately afterward  broke  up  the  furniture  and  emptied  the  liquors  in  two 


KANSAS    HISTORY  .  335 

more  saloons.  Late  in  Jan.,  1901,  Mrs.  Nation  visited  Topeka,  where 
she  had  a  spirited  interview  with  Gov.  Stanley,  whom  she  openly 
denounced  for  his  failure  to  enforce  the  prohibitory  laws.  Associating 
with  her  a  few  women,  she  issued  a  warning  to  the  saloon  keepers  of 
that  city,  but  they  paid  no  attention  to  it,  and  on  Feb.  5,  accompanied 
by  a  few  of  her  followers,  she  wrecked  two  places  where  liquors  were 
sold.  She  was  arrested  and  held  for  a  short  time,  but  was  released  and 
she  then  returned  home.  A  mass  meeting  was  held  at  the  Topeka  audi- 
torium on  Sunday,  Feb.  10,  to  demand  the  enforcement  of  the  laws.  On 
the  i8th,  Mrs.  Nation  and  about  100  women  raided  all  the  saloons  they 
could  find  in  Topeka.  They  were  arrested,  tried  and  convicted  for 
willful  destruction  of  property,  but  by  this  time  "Carrie  Nation's 
hatchet"  was  almost  as  widely  known  as  the  historic  hatchet  with  which 
George  Washington  cut  down  his  father's  cherry  tree.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  decree  of  the  Topeka  court,  Mrs.  Nation  made  a  tour  of  Kansas 
towns,  leaving  in  her  wake  broken  furniture  and  wasted  intoxicants. 
She  then  began  the  publication  at  Topeka  of  a  temperance  paper  called 
the  "Smasher's  Mail."  She  also  wrote  some  books  which  reached  a  sale 
of  50,000  or  more,  and  later  went  upon  the  lecture  platform.  She  finally 
got  into  litigation  with  a  lecture  bureau,  which  caused  a  nervous  break 
down,  and  in  Jan.,  191 1,  she  was  taken  to  a  sanitarium  at  Leavenworth, 
Kan.,  where  she  died  of  paresis  on  June  9,  191 1.  The  day  following  her 
death  the  Topeka  State  Journal  said  editorially:  "She  was  something 
of  a  zealot  to  be  sure,  a  crank,  if  you  will,  on  use  and  sale  of  liquor  and 
tobacco.  But  it  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  she  opened  the  eyes  of  Kan- 
sans  in  1901  to  the  truth  that  their  prohibition  law  was  being  almost 
wholly  ignored.  Her  joint-smashing  crusade  was  the  beginning  of  law 
enforcement  in  this  state  which  has  meant  so  much  to  Kansas.  Her 
services  to  the  state,  therefore,  have  been  of  no  small  proportions.  Her 
services  to  tottering  humanity  were  also  large.  She  made  much  money 
on  her  lecture  tours  in  this  and  other  lands,  but  the  greater  part  of  it 
she  devoted  to  helping  unfortunates  on  their  way.  Carrie  Nation  is 
entitled  to  a  chapter  in  the  history  of  Kansas  when  the  time  comes  for 
it  to  be  written  and  this  chapter  will  show  that  her  life  was  worth 
while,  and  of  value  to  her  state." 

One  of  Mrs.  Nation's  efforts  in  behalf  of  suffering  humanity  was  the 
founding  of  a  home  for  drunkards'  wives  at  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  and  it  is 
said  that  while  in  New  York  City  on  one  of  her  lecture  tours  she  created 
a  sensation  by  publich'  demanding  that  the  occupants  of  the  Vanderbilt 
box  at  the  Madison  Square  Garden  horse  show  contribute  money  for 
the  support  of  the  institution.  The  home  was  taken  in  charge  by  the 
associated  charities  of  Kansas  City  after  Mrs.  Nation  was  taken  to  the 
sanitarium  where  she  ended  her  life. 

National  Guard. — (See  Militia.) 

National  Military  Home,  a  town  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  located  on 
the  Missouri  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  4  miles  south  of  Leaven- 
worth.    It  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  express  and  telegraph  offices, 


336  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  4,281.  It  derives  its  name  from  the 
soldier's  home  established  there  l)y  the  Federal  government  in  1885. 
(See  Soldier's  Home.) 

Natoma,  one  of  the  thriving  incorporated  towns  of  Osborne  county, 
IS  located  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  county,  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R. 
25  miles  southwest  of  Osborne,  the  county  seat.  It  has  numerous  retail 
mercantile  establishments,  churches  and  schools,  a  bank,  and  a  news- 
paper (the  Independent).  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third 
class  in  1905,  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international 
money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1910  was  407. 

Natural  Bridge. — The  western  part  of  Barber  and  the  eastern  portion 
of  Comanche  counties  furnish  specimens  of  natural  bridges,  which  are 
located  in  the  gypsum  deposits  of  that  locality.  These  bridges  repre- 
.sent  remnants  of  old  caves  or  underground  water  channels,  whose  roofs 
have  partly  fallen  in.  One  of  the  best  specimens  of  these  bridges  is 
found  on  Bear  creek,  south  of  Sun  City,  Barber  county,  and  is  thus 
described  b}'  Prof.  F.  W.  Cragin :  "This  bridge  spans  the  canon  of  the 
creek,  here  about  55  feet  from  wall  to  wall.  The  height  of  the  bridge 
above  the  bed  of  the  creek  is  at  the  highest  point  47  feet,  at  lowest  31, 
and  at  middle  38.  The  width  of  the  bridge  at  the  middle  is  35  feet.  The 
upper  surface  of  the  bridge  declines  toward  the  down-stream  side,  but 
not  so  much  that  a  wagon  drawn  by  a  steady  team  could  not  be  driven 
across  it.  The  thickness  of  the  arch  is  therefore  greater  on  the  up-stream 
side,  where  it  measures  26  feet,  than  on  the  down-stream.  The  relief  of- 
the  vicinity  seems  to  indicate  that  at  a  geologically  recent  time  Bear 
creek  here  flowed  to  the  east  of  its  present  course,  and  that  its  waters, 
becoming  partially  diverted  by  an  incipient  cave,  enlarged  the  latter,  and 
finally  were  entirely  stolen  by  it,  the  cave  at  length  collapsing,  save  at 
the  portion  now  constituting  the  natural  bridge." 

Natural  Gas. — Legendary  and  historical  records  show  that  natural 
gas  has  been  known  in  Kansas  almost  from  the  earliest  white  settle- 
ment. In  1865  tar  springs  were  reported  to  exist  near  Paola,  and  in  the 
same  year  borings  were  made  for  oil  in  that  locality,  resulting  in  the 
discovery  of  some  gas.  In  1871  a  well  driven  by  Nelson  F.  Acres  near 
Ida  showed  an  intermittent  flow  of  mineral  water,  which  was  thrown 
into  the  air  by  escaping  gas.  The  gas  became  lighted  and  much  damage 
was  done  before  it  could  be  subdued.  Gas  as  a  fuel  was  not  fully  appre- 
ciated at  that  time  and  the  discovery  was  regarded  with  some  curiosity 
but  with  no  significance  as  to  its  value. 

In  1882  gas  was  found  in  wells  drilled  near  Paola  in  quantities  suffi- 
cient to  be  used  commercially,  and  for  a  time  Paola  was  regarded  as  the 
center  of  a  large  oil  and  gas  belt.  A  glass  plant  was  located  at  consider- 
able expense  to  the  citizens  of  the  town,  but  an  insufficient  amount  of 
gas  for  fuel  caused  the  enterprise  to  be  abandoned.  Drilling  for  gas  was 
carried  on  with  a  fair  degree  of  success  at  Kansas  City,  Mound  City  and 
Fort  Scott,  but  these  wells  did  not  have  a  large  enough  production  to 


KANSAS    HISTORY  337 

make  it  of  great  practical  value.  In  1884  gas  was  discovered  at  Find- 
lay,  Ohio,  and  by  1886  great  gas  excitement  had  spread  through  Pennsyl- 
vania, West  Virginia  and  Indiana.  In  Kansas  the  people  remembered 
the  old  traditions  and  discoveries  and  made  an  earnest  search  for  gas. 
Drillings  at  Lyons,  Kanopolis,  Hutchinson  and  Kingman  failed  to  find 
gas,  but  revealed  the  deposits  of  rock  salt,  starting  the  salt  industry  of 
that  region.  In  lola  the  Acres  mineral  well  was  recalled,  and  a  local 
company,  known  as  the  lola  Gas  and  Coal  company,  was  organized  with 
a  capital  of  $50,000  for  the  purpose  of  prospecting  for  gas.  At  the  end 
of  a  year  the  money  was  all  spent  and  gas  had  been  found  in  small 
quantities  only.  The  city  was  still  hopeful  that  gas  would  be  found  and 
voted  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $3,000  for  further  prospecting.  Two  or 
three  more  wells  were  drilled,  each  showing  a  small  quantity  of  gas.  In 
1889  a  new  company  was  organized  which  agreed  to  drill  six  wells, 
unless  enough  gas  to  supply  the  town  should  sooner  be  found.  The  six 
wells  were  drilled  from  400  to  500  feet  deep  and  produced  only  a  little 
gas.  The  new  company  felt  confident  there  was  gas  in  the  vicinity  and 
in  1893  drilled  deeper  than  it  had  previously.  On  Christmas  day  it 
"brought  in"  what  is  termed  a  "big  gasser."  At  the  depth  of  850  feet 
the  long-sought  for  gas  was  found.  The  well  had  a  flow  of  3,000,000 
cubic  feet  in  24  hours.    It  was  one  of  the  first  large  gas  wells  in  Kansas. 

Early  in  1894  the  Palmer  Oil  and  Gas  company  came  in  from  Ohio 
and  opened  a  large  number  of  wells,  their  daily  flow  ranging  from  3,000,- 
000  to  10,000,000  cubic  feet.  In  the  lola  district  gas  was  found  at  a 
depth  of  from  810  to  996  feet.  The  success  of  the  Palmer  company 
attracted  other  investors  and  within  four  years  the  lola  fields  had  been 
practically  outlined. 

In  the  meantime,  gas  companies  were  organized  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  state.  In  1888  bonds  were  voted  by  the  town  of  Cherryvale  to  pros- 
pect for  coal  near  the  town,  and  in  1889  gas  was  struck  at  a  depth  of  650 
feet.  Between  1889  and  1895  a  number  of  wells  were  drilled  which  pro- 
duced from  1,500,000  to  3,000,000  cubic  feet  daily.  In  1892  gas  was 
found  at  Independence,  Neodesha,  Paola  and  CofTeyville.  The  first 
prospecting  at  Independence  was  done  in  1890  by  McBride  &  Bloom, 
and  gas  was  found  in  small  quantities  in  four  wells.  In  1892  wells  were 
drilled  with  a  daily  flow  of  3,000,000  cubic  feet.  The  Independence  Oil 
and  Gas  company  was  formed  to  supply  the  town  and  its  various  indus- 
tries with  gas.     This  company  leased  80,000  acres  near  Independence, 

The  territory  producing  gas  begins  40  miles  south  of  Kansas  City,  at 
Paola,  and  extends  no  miles  to  the  Oklahoma  line,  with  a  width  of  over 
80  miles  at  the  south.  The  rapid  development  of  the  gas  region  in  south- 
eastern Kansas  met  with  such  quick  industrial  results  that  in  1895  Kan- 
sas reached  fifth  place  among  fourteen  producing  states  in  amount  of 
gas  utilized.  Gas  has  been  found  at  Paola,  Osawatomie,  Greeley,  lola, 
LaHarpe,  Gas  City,  Humboldt,  Cherryvale,  Erie,  Chanute,  Cofifeyville, 
Independence.  Neodesha,  Sycamore,  Chetopa,  Caney,  Peru,  Niotaze, 
Neosho  Falls,    Dexter,    Benedict,    Buflfalo,    Havana,    Vilas,    Guilford, 

(11-22) 


3^8  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Mound  \allcy,  .Molinc,  Elk  Falls  and  Toronto.  The  value  in  1903  was 
estimated  as  $800,000. 

The  importance  of  gas  and  oil  in  economic  and  commercial  growth  of 
the  counties  where  it  was  discovered  led  people  in  remote  districts  to 
organize  companies  for  the  purpose  of  drilling  for  gas.  Some  counties 
received  permission  from  the  legislature  of  1900  to  vote  bonds  for  gas 
speculation,  among  these  were  Pawnee  and  Hodgeman.  In  1906  a  few 
good  gas  wells  were  drilled  near  Arkansas  City.  But  no  important 
amount  of  gas  was  found  outside  the  "Mid-continental  field"  which 
term  applies  to  gas  and  oil  fields  previously  outlined  in  Kansas  and  Okla- 
homa. From  1895  to  1905  the  gas  production  greatly  increased,  gas  and 
oil  companies  being  organized  in  nearly  every  town  of  the  gas  district. 

Early  in  the  year  1905  the  Kan.sas  Natural  Gas  company  began  buy- 
ing property,  and  has  continued  that  policy  to  the  present.  It  now  owns 
all  leases  formerly  possessed  by  the  big  gas  companies  of  the  state.  It 
acquired  nearly  all  the  producing  territory  of  Montgomery  and  Wilson 
counties,  the  two  richest  gas  fields  in  the  Mid-continental  area.  From 
Independence  south  to  the  state  line  wells  with  a  daily  capacity  of 
15,000,000  cubic  feet  are  comparatively  common,  and  some  produce 
30,000,000.  The  Kansas  Natural  Gas  company  laid  a  pipe  line  to  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  Atchison,  Topeka,  Leavenworth  and  Law- 
rence, and  supplies  these  cities  with  natural  gas.  Another  pipe  line 
belonging  to  the  same  company  carries  gas  to  Parsons,  Oswego,  Colum- 
bus and  Pittsburg,  and  still  another  goes  westward  to  Wichita  and 
intermediate  towns.  Kansas  in  1907  had  more  than  125  towns  and  cities 
using  natural  gas.  The  Kansas  Natural  Gas  company  is  the  largest 
retail  dealer,  but  by  .no  means  the  only  one.  In  Independence,  where 
the  main  office  of  the  Kansas  company  is  located,  the  Kasegian  Oil  and 
Gas  compan}'  does  a  profitable  business  and  several  towns  have  similar 
local  companies. 

Gas  is  sold  from  3  to  25  cents  per  1,000  cubic  feet.  The  lowest  rate 
was  given  to  corporations  in  the  development  of  the  field  to  induce  them 
to  establish  glass  plants,  cement  plants,  and  factories  of  difTerent  kinds. 
Many  of  the  manufacturing  plants  later  were  charged  10  cents  per  1,000 
cubic  feet.  Many  customers  pay  25  cents  per  1,000  cubic  feet.  In  some 
localities,  usually  the  older  ones,  a  flat  rate  is  charged — 10  to  15  cents  a 
light,  .$1  to  $2  a  stove  for  one  month.  Every  effort  is  being  made  to  put 
all  consumers  on  the  meter  system.  The  value  of  gas  is  difficult  to 
determine  because  of  its  varying  retail  prices,  but  for  1907  a  rough 
estimate  from  .$7,000,000  to  $15,000,000  is  given.  (See  Also  Geology.) 
Natural  History  Society.— (See  Academy  of  Sciences.) 
Navarre,  a  village  in  Dickinson  county,  is  located  in  Logan  township 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  12  miles  southeast  of  Abilene, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  an  elevator,  a  creamery,  a  general  store,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population 
in  1910  was  75. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


339 


Neal,  one  of  the  larger  villages  of  Greenwood  county,  is  a  station  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Quincy  township,  12  miles  east  of  h-ureka, 
the  county  seat.  All  the  main  lines  of  business  enterprise  are  repre- 
sented There  are  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  one  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Neely,  a  hamlet  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Leavenworth  ccninty  is 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  5  miles  northwest  of  Tonganoxie.  1  he 
population  in  1910  was  ID.  ,.„, 

Negro  Exodus.— Appleton's  Annual  Cyclopedia  for  1879  says  i  ne 
attenfion  of  the  country  during  the  ,,ast  year  has  been  attracted  to  the 
movements  among  the  colored  population,  chiefly  in  the  states  bordeiing 
on  the  Mississippi.  There  was  no  appearance  of  organization  or  sys  ern 
among  these  persons.  Their  irregularity  and  absence  of  preparation 
seemed  to  indicate  spontaneousness  and  earnestness.  Bands  moved 
trom  the  plantations  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  thence  to  St.  Louis  and 
other  cities,  with  no  defined  purpose,  except  to  reach  some  one  of  the 
new  states  west  of  the  Mississippi,  where  they  expected  to  enjoy  a  new 
Canaan      Their  movements  received  the  name  of  the    txodus. 

Various  theories  have  been  advanced  to    account    for    this    unusual 
course  on  the  part  of  the  negroes.    Some  contended  that  the  exodus  ^^^s 
due  chieflv  to  the  loss  of  political  power  by  the  blacks  at  the  end  of  the 
reconstruction  period.     Others  insisted  the  negroes  were  instigated  by 
unscrupulous  politicians  in  some  of  the  Northern  states  with  the  hope 
oFsecrfring  their  support  in  close  elections.     Another_ theory  was  that 
land  spectators  in  t^ie  new  states  west  of  the  Missipp.  -rculated  a llur 
ing  reports  among  the  negroes  in  the  lower  Mississippi  vale)    and  that 
the  promise  of  "Fortv  acres  and  a  mule"  was  too  tempting  for  the  negro 
to  withstand.     But  the  chief  cause  of  the  discontent  among  the  negroes, 
and  the  one  which  led  them  to  emigrate,  was  probably  sta  ed  b>    Gov. 
Stone  of  Mississippi  in  his  message  to  the  legislature  of  that  state  in 
1880  when  he  said:    "A  partial  failure  of  the  cotton  crop  in  portions  of 
the  stJe    and  the  unrenumerative  prices  received  for  it,  created  a  feei- 
ng of  d Content  among  plantation  laborers    which,  together  with  o  l^er 
extraneous  influences,  caused  some  to  abandon  their  crops  in  the  spiing 

'°Ore^nflTen«"Jas\7:ork,  however,  which  has  not  been  considered  by 
an?of  the  theorists,  and  that  was  the  influence  wielded  by  negroes  who 
had  found  homes  in  the  North  and  West  in  their  letters  to  friends  and 
relat  ves  in  the  South.  One  of  these  negroes  was  Benjamin  Singleton, 
commonl  called  "Pap"  Singleton,  who  located  in  Morns  county  Kan., 
shorUv  a  tei  the  war  and  who  began  the  agitation  for  immigration -as 
eady  as  869.  Singleton  was  president  of  a  committee  to  invite  negroes 
to  om  to  ''Sunny  Kansas."  He  was  from  Tennessee,  visited  hat  state 
n  href¥orts  to  induce  the  negroes  there  to  emigrate  and  in  other  was 
was  so  active  that  he  has  been  designated  as  the  -'Father  o  the 
Exodus ''  It  is  said  that  his  favorite  argument  ran  about  as  follow 
''Hyar  vou  all  is  potterin'  around  in  politics,  tryin'  to  git  into  offices  that 


340  CYCLOI'KOIA    OF 

you  aim  tit  for,  and  you  can't  see  that  these  white  tramps  from  the 
North  is  simply  iisin'  you  for  to  line  their  pockets,  and  when  they  git 
through  with  you  they'll  drop  you,  and  the  rebels  will  come  into  power, 
and  then  whar'll  you  be?" 

It  is  not  strange  that  Kansas — the  state  where  the  great  conflict  began 
that  ended  in  the  liberation  of  the  slaves— should  be  the  goal  of  many  of 
the  "exodusters."  The  Kansas  Monthly  for  April,  1879,  refers  to  the 
movement  as  a  "stampede  of  the  colored  people  of  the  Southern  states 
northward,  and  especially  to  the  State  of  Kansas,"  and  gives  an  account 
of  a  meeting  held  at  Lawrence,  which  adopted  a  series  of  resolutions, 
one  of  which  was  as  follows :  "In  view  of  the  fact  that  large  numbers  of 
these  immigrants  are  arriving  in  Kansas  in  a  destitute  condition,  and 
need  our  aid  and  direction  to  enable  them  to  become  self-sustaining,  we 
believe  that  a  state  organization  for  this  purpose  should  be  efifecte.d  at 
the  earliest  possible  moment,  and  this  philanthropic  work  in  the  hands 
of  an  efficient  and  responsible  state  executive  committee."  (See  Freed- 
men's  Relief  Association.) 

At  various  points  in  the  South  conventions  of  colored  men  were  held  to 
discuss  the  exodus.  One  of  these  met  at  New  Orleans  on  April  17, 
1879,  and  of  the  200  delegates  about  one-third  were  colored  preachers. 
It  was  a  turbulent  meeting,  but  finally  adopted  a  resolution  "that  it  is 
the  sense  of  this  convention  that  the  colored  people  of  the  South  should 
migrate,"  and  closed  with  an  appeal  to  the  people  for  material  aid. 
Another  convention,  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  5,  1879,  asserted  the 
right  of  the  colored  people  to  emigrate  where  they  pleased,  but  urged 
the  negroes  who  were  thinking  of  migrating  "to  proceed  in  their  move- 
ments as  reasonable  human  beings,  providing  in  advance  by  economy 
the  means  for  transportation  and  settlement,  sustaining  their  reputation 
for  honesty  and  fair-dealing  by  preserving  intact,  until  completion,  con- 
tracts for  labor-leasing  which  have  already  been  made."  The  convention 
also  deplored  the  circulation  of  false  reports  to  the  effects  that  lands, 
mules  and  money  were  awaiting  the  emigrants  in  Kansas  and  elsewhere 
"without  labor  and  without  price."  Two  days  after  the  Vicksburg  con- 
vention a  large  number  of  colored  men  assembled  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
with  a  number  of  negroes  from  the  Northern  states  present.  The  resolu- 
tions of  this  convention  were  extremely  radical,  demanding  social  and 
political  equality  for  the  colored  people ;  opposing  separate  schools  for 
the  races ;  recommending  the  several  state  legislatures  to  enact  laws  pro- 
viding for  compulsory  education;  and  asking  Congress  to  make  an 
appropriation  of  $500,000  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  negroes  of  the 
South  "to  those  states  and  territories  where  they  can  enjoy  all  rights 
which  are  guaranteed  by  the  laws  and  constitution  of  the  United  States." 

By  the  close  of  the  year  1879,  several  thousand  colored  people  had 
found  their  way  into  Kansas.  On  April  i,  18S0,  Henry  King,  then  post- 
master at  Topeka,  wrote  to  Scribner's  Magazine:  "There  are,  at  this 
writing,  from  15,000  to  20,000  colored  people  in  Kansas  who  have  set- 
tled there  during  the  last  twelve  months — 30  per  cent,  of  them  from  Mis- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  341 

sissippi ;  20  per  cent,  from  Texas ;  15  per  cent,  from  Tennessee ;  10  per 
cent,  from  Louisiana ;  5  per  cent,  each  from  Alabama  and  Georgia,  and 
the  remainder  from  the  other  Southern  states.  Of  this  number  about 
one-third  are  supplied  with  teams  and  farming  tools,  and  may  be 
expected  to  become  self-sustaining  in  another  year.  .  .  The  area  of 
land  bought  or  entered  by  the  freiedmen  during  their  first  year  in  Kansas 
is  about  20,000  acres,  of  which  they  have  plowed  and  fitted  for  grain- 
growing  3,000  acres.  They  have  built  some  300  cabins  and  dugouts, 
counting  those  which  yet  lack  roof  and  floors ;  and  in  the  way  of  personal 
property,  their  accummulations,  outside  of  what  has  been  given  to  them, 
will  aggregate  perhaps  $30,000.  It  is  within  bounds  to  say  that  their 
total  gains  for  the  year,  the  surplus  proceeds  of  their  efforts,  amount  to 
$40,000,  or  about  $2.25  per  capita." 

This  is  what  had  been  accomplished  by  one-third  of  the  immigrants ; 
of  the  other  two-thirds  about  half  of  them  were  congregated  in  the 
towns  and  the  other  half  had  found  employment  as  farm  hands  in  vari^ 
(lus  parts  of  the  state,  but  only  about  one  out  of  every  twenty  had 
become  the  owners  of  small  homesteads. 

In  1880  the  senate  of  the  United  States  appointed  a  committee  of  five 
to  investigate  the  causes  of  the  exodus  and  report.  That  committee  was 
composed  of  Daniel  W.  Voorhees  of  Indiana,  Zebulon  B.  \'ance  of  North 
Carolina  and  George  H.  Pendleton  of  Ohio,  Democrats;  and  William 
Windom  of  Minnesota  and  Henry  W.  Blair  of  New  Hampshire,  Repub- 
licans. Testimony  enough  was  taken  to  make  a  volume  of  nearly  1,700 
printed  pages.  The  majority  report  held  to  the  idea  that  the  exodus  had 
been  brought  about  for  the  purpose  of  colonizing  the  negroes  in  some  of 
the  Northern  states  for  political  purposes,  though  the  evidence  would 
hardly  bear  out  that  theory.  An  effort  was  made  to  show  that  Gov.  St. 
John  had  been  instrumental  in  inducing  so  many  of  the  negroes  to  locate 
in  Kansas,  but  one  of  the  colored  witnesses,  formerly  of  Texas,  produced 
a  letter  from  the  governor,  in  which  he  said :  "If  your  people  are  desir- 
ous of  coming  to  Kansas,  I  advise  you  to  come  in  your  private  convey- 
ances and  bring  your  household  goods  and  plows.  .  .  But  I  want  to 
impress  this  one  fact  on  your  people  who  are  coming  to  Kansas,  that  you 
must  not  expect  anything,  as  we  hold  out  no  inducements  to  whites  or 
blacks." 

The  exodus  continued  into  1880,  and  the  failure  of  crops  in  South 
Carolina  in  1881  caused  a  number  of  negroes  to  leave  the  state  in  the 
fall  of  that  year,  a  few  of  them  coming  to  Kansas.  Another  migration 
occurred  in  1886,  but  it  was  insignificant  when  compared  to  the  great 
hegira  of  1879. 

The  Kansas  Historical  Society  has  the  scrap-books  of  Horatio  G.  Rust 
and  Benjamin  Singleton,  which  contain  much  data  relating  to  the  exodus. 

Nekoma,  a  village  in  Rush  county,  is  located  in  I'nion  township  on 
Walnut  creek  and  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  9  miles 
southwest  of  La  Crosse,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  creamery,  a  flour 
mill,  an  elevator,  2  general  stores,  an  express  office,  and  a  money  order 
post'office  with  two  rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  75. 


34-  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Nelson,  a  mining  town  in  Crawford  county,  is  located  in  Washington 
township  on  the  Kansas  City  Southern  R.  K.  12  miles  east  of  Girard, 
the  count}'  seat,  and  about  5  miles  northeast  of  Pittsburg,  whence  its 
mail  is  received  by  rural  route.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices. 
The  ixipulatidn  in   1910  was  419. 

Nemaha  County,  the  third  west  front  the  Missouri  river  in  the  north- 
ern tier,  was  one  of  the  original  33  counties  created  by  the  first  terri- 
torial legislature  in  1855,  and  one  of  the  19  counties  to  be  organized 
in  that  year.  It  is  boinided  on  the  north  bj'  the  State  of  Nebraska;  on 
the  east  by  Brown  county;  on  tiie  south  by  Jackson  and  Pottawatomie 
Counties,  and  on  the  west  by  Marshall  county. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  historians  that  Nemaha  was  included  in  the 
legion  visited  by  Coronado  and  that  he  reached  its  northern  boundary 
in  .\ug.,  1851,  but  it  is  ])robable  that  the  first  expedition  to  cross  the 
county  was  in  1842  when  Fremont  made  his  journey  across  the  con- 
tinent. His  route  entered  the  county  on  the  east  line,  south  of  the 
present  town  of  Sabetha,  extended  northwest  to  Baker's  ford,  turned 
south,  passing  near  the  ])lace  where  Seneca  now  stands,  thence  north- 
west again  and  crossed  the  county  line  near  the  present  village  of  Clear 
Creek.  Tiiis  road  was  used  by  the  Mormons  in  the  early  '40s  and  by 
the  Califcjrnia  gold-seekers  in  1849,  later  becoming  the  military  road 
used  by  the  government  troops  moving  westward. 

Xemaha  count}-  took  its  name  from  the  river,  which  in  Indian 
language  means  "no  papoose,"  indicatijig  the  malarious  character  of 
the  climate  at  that  time.  The  earliest  settlement  was  made  in  1854, 
when  W.  W.  Moore  located  near  Baker's  ford,  9  miles  north  of  where 
Seneca  now  stands.  In  the  same  year,  Walter  D.  Beeles,  Greenberry 
Key,  Thomas,  John  C.  and  Jacob  B.  Newton  settled  in  the  same  vicinity. 
John  O'Laughlin  took  a  claim  on  Turkey  creek  and  B.  F.  Hicks  in 
Capioma  township.  The  settlers  in  1855  were  James  McCallister,  Wil- 
liam Barnes,  Samuel  Magill  and  Robert  Rea,  in  Capioma  township; 
David  Locknane.  in  Granada  township;  James  Thompson,  John  S. 
Doyle,  Cyrus  Dolman,  Elias  B.  Newton,  H.  H.  Lanham  and  wife,  S.  M. 
Lanham  and  Joseph  Lanham,  in  Richmond  township ;  William  M. 
Berry  and  L.  J.  McGown,  in  Valley  township ;  Horace  M.  Newton,  in 
Richmond  township ;  William  Harris,  on  the  creek  that  bears  his  name ; 
Hiram  Burger,  George  Frederick  and  George  Goppelt,  on  Turkey  creek. 
Along  with  these  last,  named  came  a  negro  by  the  name  of  Moses  Fat- 
ley,  who  took  a  claim  which  he  sold  the  next  year  to  Edward  McCaf- 
fery  for  $200.  He  bought  his  own  freedom,  the  freedom  of  his  wife,  his 
sister  and  two  of  her  children.  C.  Minger  and  wife  settled  in  Wash- 
ington township,  and  Reuben  Wolfley  in  Wetmore  township. 

These  early  claims  were  taken  without  warrant,  as  there  were  no 
facilities  for  entry  and  no  place  at  which  payment  could  be  made  to 
the  government.  The  earliest  payments  were  made  in  1857.  Pre- 
emptions were  made  up  to  i860  at  the  land  office  at  Kickapoo,  where 
entries  were  made  for  the  district  of  which  Nemaha  countv  was  a  part. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  343 

The  settlement  and  development  of  the  county  having  begun  during  the 
time  when  the  pro-slavery  element  had  the  upper-hand  in  Kansas,  most 
of  the  early  towns  started  at  that  time  do  not  now  exist,  having  given 
away  to  free-state  towns  before  i860.  Among  those  to  disappear  were 
Central  City,  laid  out  in  1855  by  William  Dodge,  for  Thomas  Newton 
and  sons  and  H.  H.  Lanham,  which  had  the  first  postoffice  in  the  county; 
Pacific  City;  Lincoln,  the  dream  of  J.  E.  Hawkes ;  Ash  Point;  Urbana, 
the  first  town  in  the  county  ;  Wheatland  and  Richmond.  The  last  was 
started  in  1855  by  Cyrus  Dolman,  a  pro-slavery  man  and  a  member  of 
the  territorial  legislature.  Richmond  was  made  the  county  seat  by 
legislative  enactment  at  the  time  of  the  organization  of  Nemaha  county. 
The  town  company  was  given  a  right  to  enter  by  preemption  any  quan- 
tity of  land  up  to  1,000  acres,  lay  ofif  the  same  into  lots  and  sell  it.  Rich- 
mond was  3  miles  north  of  the  present  town  of  Seneca. 

The  first  officers  appointed  for  the  county  were  as  follows :  Cyrus 
Dolman,  probate  judge;  James  E.  Thompson,  sheriff;  Edwin  Van 
Endert,  treasurer ;  Jesse  Adamson,  David  P.  Magill  and  Peter  Ham- 
ilton, county  commissioners.  The  legislature  of  1857  passed  an  act 
fixing  April  4,  1858,  as  the  date  upon  which  the  people  should  choose  a 
location  for  a  county  seat.  By  this  time  Seneca  had  been  established 
and  won  after  three  elections  had  been  held  on  the  question.  In  the 
first  election  there  were  six  contesting  places — Ash  Point,  Centralia, 
Wheatland,  .Seneca,  Richmond  and  Central  City.  The  next  election 
was  held  in  May  and  some  of  the  places  dropped  out.  In  June  another 
contest  was  held  in  which  only  three  towns  entered — Seneca,  Wheat- 
land and  Richmond.  In  August  at  the  election  on  the  Lecompton  con- 
stitution the  county  seat  question  again  came  up,  this  time  between 
Seneca  and  Richmond,  the  former  being  triumphant  mainly  through  the 
influence  of  George  Graham,  president  of  the  board  of  county  super- 
visors. The  county  had  become  free-state  by  this  time  and  turned  down 
Richmond  because  it  was  a  pro-slavery  town. 

The  first  election  for  county  officers  was  held  in  1859,  all  the  officers 
having  thus  far  been  appointed.  The  result  of  the  election  was  as 
follows:  R.  U.  Torry,  county  clerk;  Charles  F.  Warren,  treasurer; 
Samuel  Lappin,  register  of  deeds;  John  S.  Rodgers,  sheriff;  J.  W.  Fuller, 
county  superintendent;  Haven  Starr,  probate  judge.  Very  little  of  the 
violence  which  was  occurring  at  that  time  in  Kansas  over  the  question 
of  slavery  molested  Nemaha  county,  although  there  were  in  the  county 
both  pro-slavery  and  free-state  men  who  had  come  to  Kansas  to  help 
their  side  win.  The  only  slave  holder  in  the  county  was  L.  R.  Wheeler 
of  Rock  Creek  township,  who  held  two  slaves  until  1859. 

The  year  i860  was  a  particularly  hard  one  for  the  settlers.  The 
county  had  grown  from  a  population  of  99  in  1855  to  over  2,000  without 
experiencing  any  serious  backsets.  But  the  drouth,  storms,  etc.,  have 
caused  this"  period  in  the  history  of  Nemaha  county  to  be  referred  to 
as  "the  famine  of  i860."  The  main  articles  of  diet  were  corn  bread 
and  sorghum  molasses,  and  the  settlers  who  could  even  get  enough  of 


344  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

lliat  were  lucky.  F.  P.  Baker  of  Centralia  was  on  the  territorial  relief 
committee  and  remained  at  Atchison  during  the  winter  of  1860-61 
attending  to  the  office  of  the  committee.  Through  him  many  of  the 
people  of  this  county  were  relieved  from  suffering. 

It  is  stated  by  some  historians  that  John  Brown  spent  his  last  night 
in  Kansas  at  Albany,  Nemaha  county.  The  underground  railway  came 
through  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and  one  of  the  stations  was  at 
Lexington,  3  miles  south  of  the  present  town  of  Sabetha.  In  1859 
Brown,  in  escorting  14  negroes  to  freedom  over  the  famous  "Lane 
Road,"  was  held  up  on  Straight  creek  in  Jackson  county  for  three  days 
by  those  who  hoped  to  obtain  the  rewards  offered  for  him.  He  was 
relieved  by  Col.  John  Ritchie  of  Topeka  who  escorted  him  to  Albany, 
Nemaha  county,  where  he  spent  the  night,  proceeding  to  Nebraska  the 
next  day. 

When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  A.  W.  Williams  of  Sabetha  was  com- 
missioned as  captain  by  the  government  and  by  Aug.,  1861,  had  suc- 
ceeded in  raising  150  men  from  Nemaha,  Marshall  and  Brown  counties. 
As  the  volunteers  enlisted  they  went  into  temporary  barracks  at 
Sabetha,  where  they  remained  for  a  month  at  the  expense  of  Williams. 
In  September  they  proceeded  to  Leavenworth,  where  100  of  them  were 
made  members  of  Company  D  of  the  Eighth  Kansas  and  50  were 
mustered  into  other  companies.  Nemaha  county  contributed  about  one- 
third  of  these  men.  A  little  later  George  Graham,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  legislature  from  Nemaha  county  in  1859,  enlisted  a  squad  of  30 
men  who  went  to  Leavenworth  and  connected  themselves  with  various 
regiments.  Altogether  there  were  218  Nemaha  county  men  enlisted, 
which  included  every  able-bodied  man  in  the  settlements,  Sabetha  having 
but  one  man  left. 

Previous  to  the  state  election  of  1866  there  were  stirring  times  over 
negro  suffrage  and  woman  suffrage  and  some  of  the  leaders  in  both 
causes  held  meetings  in  Nemaha  county,  notably  Lucy  Stone  and  her 
husband,  Henry  B.  Blackwell,  Rev.  Olympia  Brown  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Cady  Stanton.  The  vote  of  the  county  on  the  negro  suffrage  amend- 
ment was  251  for  to  421  against  it,  and  the  woman  suffrage  amendment 
was  defeated  by  a  vote  of  427  to  227. 

Some  of  the  early  marriages  in  the  county  were  Charles  Leachman 
and  Mrs.  Caroline  Davenport  in  1854;  Samuel  Crozier  and  L.  A.  New- 
ton, July,  1855;  Joseph  Brown  and  Elizabeth  Haigh  in  1857.  The  first 
births  were  H.  M.  Randel,  Oct.,  1856,  and  Elizabeth  Lochnane,  1857. 
The  first  death  was  that  of  Jacob  B.  Newton,  son  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Newton,  in  Sept.,  1854.  The  first  church  was  built  by  the  Christian 
denomination  in  Granada  township  in  1856.  The  first  schools  were  built 
in  Granada  township  in  1856  and  in  America  City,  Red  Vermillion  town- 
ship, in  1857.  The  first  postoffices  were  Central  City,  i8s6:  America 
City,  1858. 

There  was  one  lynching  and  the  one  legal  execution  in  the  county,  the 
former  occurring  at    Baker's  ford  in    1865.     The   victim   was  Miles  N 


KANSAS   HISTORY  345 

Caiter,  a  horse  thief,  who  shot  and  killed  John  H.  Blevins.  Carter  was 
taken  from  the  jail  at  Seneca  at  ii  o'clock  at  night  by  20  men  who 
overpowered  the  guard.  The  next  morning  his  body  was  found  hanging 
to  a  tree  at  Baker's  ford.  The  legal  execution  was  held  near  the  jail  on  ' 
Sept.  18,  1868,  Melvin  Baughn  being  the  victim.  He  had  shot  and  killed 
Jesse  S.  Dennis  in  1866  and  had  managed  to  escape  punishment  for 
two  years  though  arrested  several  times. 

The  first  railroad  to  enter  the  county  was  the  Atchison  &  Pike's  Peak, 
now  the  Missouri  Pacific,  in  1866.  The  stations  along  the  route  were 
Wetmore,  Sother,  Corning  and  Centralia.  The  St.  Joseph  &  Denver 
City  R.  R.  came  through  the  county  in  1870,  entering  at  Sabetha  and 
touching  at  Onedia,  Seneca  and  Baileyville.  This  road  is  now  the  St. 
Joseph  &  Grand  Island.  Two  other  lines  have  been  built  since  giving 
Nemaha  county  excellent  shipping  facilities.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  enters  near  the  central  part  of  the  north  line  and  extends 
across  the  northeast  corner  through  Bern,  Berwick  and  Sabetha.  A 
second  line  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  enters  from  the  west,  11  miles  south 
of  the  Nebraska  line,  and  extends  southeast  through  Baileyville,  .Seneca, 
Kelly,  GoiT  and  Bancroft. 

The  growth  of  the  county  in  population  may  be  noted  from  the  fol- 
lowing figures:  It  was  99  in  1855;  2,436  in  i860;  2,638  in  1865;  7,296 
in  1870;  13,486  in  1880;  and  19,072  in  1910. 

The  increase  in  wealth  has  far  out-distanced  the  increase  in  popu- 
lation. The  value  of  property  per  capita  in  1881  was  a  little  less  than 
$24,  while  in  1910  it  was  over  $2,000.  The  principal  wealth  is  in  farms 
and  the  income  is  from  products,  which  amounted  in  1910  to  $5,307,178. 
The  leading  field  crop  is  corn,  which  in  1910  amounted  to  $2,338,953.84. 
The  second  crop  is  oats,  third  Irish  potatoes  and  fourth  wheat.  The 
assessed  value  of  all  property  in  1910  was  $40,652,775. 

Neodesha,  the  second  largest  town  in  Wilson  county,  is  located  near 
the  confluence  of  the  Verdigris  and  Fall  rivers  in  the  center  of  a  rich 
agricultural  district,  11  miles  southeast  of  Fredonia,  the  county  seat. 
It  is  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  rail- 
roads, and  is  headquarters  for  the  Kansas  division  of  the  former.  The 
railroad  company  maintains  a  roundhouse  and  machine  shops  here. 
There  are  brick  and  tile  factories,  flour  mills,  extensive  Portland  cement 
plant,  ice  plant  and  other  manufactories.  The  city  owns  the  gas  plant 
and  natural  gas  is  supplied  for  manufacturing  purposes  at  a  low  cost. 
Neodesha  is  also  in  the  midst  of  the  oil  fields,  and  has  a  large  oil 
refinery  and  tank  field.  There  are  two  newspapers,  one  a  daily,  and 
a  national  bank.  The  town  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  has  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural 
routes.     The  population  in   1910  was  2,872. 

Neodesha  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  trading  post  established  in  1867  by 
A.  McCartney  and  A.  K.  Phelon,  among  the  Osage  Indians.  The  post 
stood  near  the  Little  Bear  Mound.  Numerous  Indian  villages  were 
located  in  the  neighborhood  and  the  natives  had  given  the  place  the 


34''  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

name  of  Xeodeslia  ^meeting  of  waters).  Jn  18O8  R.  S.  Futhey  and 
]ohu  1).  Keyes  came  to  the  trading  post,  and  deciding  it  would  be  an 
ideal  location  for  a  town,  bought  the  site  for  $500.  McCartney  and 
I'helon  joined  the  two  promoters  and  a  town  company  was  formed. 
They  set  up  a  shingle  and  sawmill  in  Xovcmber  of  the  same  year  and 
later  began  grinding  corn,  ihe  frame  of  the  first  building  was  raised 
late  in  1869.  The  town  company  gave  lots  to  all  who  would  build,  and 
before  long  there  were  200  buildings  and  1,000  inhabitants.  On  March 
5,  1870,  the  first  child,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  W.  Derry,  was 
born.  She  was  named  Neosho.  Jn  the  winter  of  1870-71  a  stage  line, 
with  four-horse  Concord  coaches,  began  running  from  Neodesha  to 
Thayer,  the  terminus  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  rail- 
road. In  March.  1871,  the  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third 
class,  the  tirsl  officers  being  as  follows:  Mayor,  .Vlexander  K.  I'helon; 
police  judge,  \-..  \).  lluniley;  councilmen,  T.  L'.lakesley,  John  S.  Gil- 
more,  W.  A.  Hampton,  S.  L.  McQuiston  and  C.  W.  Derry.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  1870,  with  .Mexander  K.  Phelon  as  postmaster. 
The  next  winter  the  first  school  was  taught  by  J.  A.  AIcHenry.  In 
1871  a  flour  mill  was  built  and  a  bank  started.  The  bank  was  robbed 
after  about  three  months  and  discontinued  business.  That  fall  the 
town  site  was  entered  at  the  land  office.  The  Neodesha  bank  was 
organized  in  1872,  and  a  city  hall  was  built  that  year  at  a  cost  of  $12,000. 
A  school  building  worth  $15,000  and  a  bridge  worth  $14,000  were  built 
by  bonds.  When  the  railroad  came  through  in  1879  the  company 
located  its  division  headquarters  here,  which  was  a  stroke  of  good  for- 
tune for  the  little  city.  The  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  was  built  in  1886. 
The  oil  and  gas  fields  were  developed  in  the  '90s.  The  Lanyon  smelter 
was  started  in  1902.  Two  disastrous  fires  occurred  in  1897,  destroying 
a  total  of  $46,000  worth  of  property. 

Neola,  a  country  postofifice  and  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R. 
in  York  township,  Staftord  county,  is  about  20  miles  southeast  of  St. 
John,  the  county  seat.    The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Neosho  County,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state,  is  located  in 
the  second  tier  of  counties  from  Missouri,  and  the  second  from  Okla- 
homa on  the  south.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Allen  county;  on 
the  east  by  Bourbon  and  Crawford  ;  on  the  south  by  Labette,  and  on 
the  west  by  Wilson.  It  was  founded  from  the  northern  part  of  Dorn 
county  (q.  v.),  which  was  changed  to  Neosho,  by  the  first  state  ter- 
ritorial legislature  in  1861.  The  actual  organization  of  the  county  was 
in  1864.  In  1866  the  boundaries  were  fixed  to  include  the  territory  of 
what  is  now  Neosho  and  Labette  counties.  In  1867  it  was  diminished 
by  the  territory  included  in  Labette  county.  It  took  its  present  bound- 
aries in  1870. 

The  lands  of  Neosho  county  were  occupied  by  the  Osage  Indians 
until  the  treaty  of  1865,  and  w^ere  known  as  the  "Osage  Ceded  Lands." 
There  were  a  number  of  early  missions  among  the  Osages  in  this 
locality.     The   first   missionary   was    Rev.    Charles   De    La   Croix,    who 


KANSAS    HISTORY  347 

came  to  Neosho  county  in  May,  1822,  and  established  the  Osage 
JMission.  Upon  the  death  of  La  Croix,  two  years  later,  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Charles  Van  Ouickenborn,  who  in  1828  performed  the 
first  Christian  marriage  ceremony  in  the  state.  Trading  posts  were 
established  among  the  Osages  in  1837  by  Edward  Chouteau  and  Gerald 
Papin.  A  half-breed  settlement  was  established  between  Canvilk-  and 
Flat  Rock  creeks.  A.  B.  Canville,  for  whom  the  creek  was  named, 
started  a  trading  post  among  the  Indians  in  1844,  married  the  next 
year  and  settled  on  Canville  creek  in  1847. 

The  first  settlements  in  the  various  townships  were  as  follows: 
Grant  township — Dr.  W .  W.  Hill  in  1851,  killed  by  a  mob  in  his  own 
dooryard  in  1866;  Levi  Hadden  in  1858,  and  in  1859,  Simeon  W.  and 
James  A.  Hadden,  and  Solomon  Markham  and  his  four  sons.  Big 
Creek  township — J.  L.  Fletcher,  S.  Barbee,  H.  Schooley,  S.  and  L.  Had- 
den in  1859;  in  Tioga  township  in  the  same  year — Darius  Rodgers, 
Thomas  Jackson,  Benjamin  Smith  and  S.  E.  Beach.  The  first  settler 
in  Canville  township  was  T.  R.  Peters  in  1859,  followed  by  M.  Kitter- 
man,  William  Dox,  David  Lowery  and  J.  C.  Comstock  in  1865.  \Valnut 
Grove  township  was  settled  in  1865  by  E.  J.  Pierce  and  W.  L  Brewer. 
Centerville  in  the  same  year  by  Reuben  Lake,  Joseph  Cummings,  Henry 
and  John  Wilkie  and  John  Blair.  Chetopa  was  settled  in  1864  by 
George  T.  Shepard  and  A.  A.  Ashback,  who  were  followed  the  next 
year  by  M.  J.  Salter  and  John  Post.  Ladore  was  settled  in  1865  by 
L  N.  Roach  and  famil}-,  \\'.  C.  Dickerson  and  S.  Rosa;  Lincoln  in  the 
same  year  by  M.  L.  and  Frank  McCashu,  Dr.  Dement,  M.  A.  Patter- 
son and  L  L.  Evans;  Erie  was  settled  by  L  M.  Allen,  John  Johnson, 
D.  T.  Mitchell,  P.  Walters,  R.  Leppo,  E.  F.  Williams,  P.  McCarthy  and 
John  C.  Weibley  in  1865.  The  first  settlers  in  Mission  township  were 
"S.  J.  Gilmore,  J.  M.  Roycroft,  D.  Bronson,  B.  P.  Ayres,  J.  P.  Williams, 
Solon  Marston,  S.  H.  Ulmer  and  M.  Barnes,  all  of  whom  had  taken 
claims  before  1866.  The  first  postoffice  was  established  in  1851  at  the 
Osage  Mission  and  the  first  church  and  first  school  buildings  erected 
at  that  place  in   1847. 

On  the  organization  of  the  county  in  Nov.,  1864,  the  governor  ap- 
pointed three  commissioners :  R.  W.  Hadden,  S.  E.  Beach  and  S.  W. 
Hadden;  declared  the  county  seat  at  Osage  City  (Rodger's  Mill),  lo- 
cated 3  miles  northeast  of  the  present  city  of  Chanute.  The  first  elec- 
tion for  county  officers  was  held  in  Dec,  1864.  and  resulted  as  follows: 
Commissioners,  R.  W.  Jackson,  S.  W.  Hadden,  T.  Jackson;  clerk,  J.  L. 
Fletcher ;  treasurer,  William  Jackson ;  surveyor,  S.  Jackson ;  county 
attorney,  Darius  Rodgers ;  probate  judge,  H.  Woodard ;  sherilif.  B. 
Vaughn  ;  coroner,  W.  H.  Davis ;  assessor,  Wiley  Evans ;  superintendent 
of  public  instruction.  S.  E.  Beach.  The  county  was  first  divided  into 
four  townships,  Neosho,  Big  Creek,  Canville  and  Mission.  Changes 
took  place  at  intervals  until  in  1871,  when  the  present  division  into 
12  townships  was  made.  The  names  as  they  now  stand  are  Big  Creek, 
Canville.  Centerville,  Chetopa,  Erie,  Grant,  Ladore,  Lincoln,  Mission, 
Shiloh,  Tioga  and   Walnut   Grove. 


348  CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 

Ai  an  cleclioii  held  in  June,  1867,  the  county  seat  was  located  at  the 
geographical  center  of  the  county.  The  next  year  another  election 
was  held,  in  which  factional  feeling  ran  very  high.  The  fight  was  be- 
tween Osage  Mission  and  Erie.  Life-long  enemies  were  made  and 
business  sacrificed  in  the  struggle.  Erie  was  declared  suc- 
cessful by  the  commissioners.  Court  proceedings  were  brought  to  com- 
pel a  recount  of  the  vote,  which  was  done  in  1870,  when  it  was  found 
that  Osage  Mission  had  the  majority.  Considerable  excitement  was 
caused  by  the  county  records  being  stolen  from  Erie  and  conveyed  to 
the  Mission.  They  were  never  found,  and  the  county  lost  several  thou- 
sand dollars  by  the  incident.  No  legal  proceedings  were  brought  to 
regain  them,  as  Erie  regained  the  county  seat  and  the  people  there  were 
willing  to  let  it  pass.  In  1872  another  election  was  held  in  which  no 
choice  was  made,  and  another  election  was  held  a  few  days  later  to 
settle  the  matter.  On  the  face  of  the  returns,  Erie  received  the  most 
votes.  Charges  of  fraud  led  to  litigation  which  was  settled  in  1874  by 
the  supreme  court  in  favor  of  Erie. 

A  great  deal  of  trouble  was  occasioned  by  a  complication  in  land 
titles.  After  the  treaty  with  the  Osages,  made  at  Canville  trading  post 
in  1865,  it  was  supposed  by  the  settlers  that  the  lands  were  opened  to 
settlement  and  144  persons  took  claims  with  this  understanding.  How- 
ever, when  President  Andrew  Johnson  declared  a  sale  of  the  Osage  lands 
in  May,  1868,  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad  company  came 
forward  claiming  every  other  section  for  ten  miles  on  each  side  of  its 
road,  according  to  a  grant  approved  by  the  president  of  the  United 
States  in  1866,  and  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  made  a 
similar  claim  according  to  a  grant  of  Congress  in  1863.  Joseph  S. 
Wilson,  commissioner  of  the  general  land  office,  repeatedly  refused  the 
claims  of  the  railroads,  but  O.  H.  Browning,  secretary  of  the  interior, 
reversed  his  decision  and  the  lands  were  withdrawn  from  sale.  Fearful 
lest  they  should  be  deprived  of  their  homes  and  be  obliged  to  buy  of 
the  railroad  companies  at  high  prices,  the  citizens  formed  an  organi- 
zation in  1868  known  as  the  "Osage  Settlers'  Rights  Society,"  through 
which  they  worked  to  get  legislation  in  their  behalf.  They 
succeeded  in  1869  in  getting  an  act  through  Congress  allow- 
ing bona  fide  settlers  to  buy  any  of  the  lands,  but  the  act  also  pro- 
tected "vested  rights."  A  question  arose  as  to  what  "vested  lights" 
were.  The  matter  was  taken  into  the  courts  where  the  settlers  finally 
won. 

Neosho  county  is  noted  for  its  oil  and  gas  wells.  They  were  first 
discovered  in  1885  at  Osage  Mission  in  drilling  for  coal.  Not  thinking 
that  the  gas  was  of  value,  the  first  wells  were  not  turned  to  account,  and 
it  was  not  until  1897-98,  when  the  Standard  Oil  company  put  in  a  pipe 
line  that  started  an  interest  in  the  industry.     (See  Natural  Gas.) 

On  account  of  the  occasional  overflow  of  the  Neosho  river  and  its 
branches,  it  was  found  necessary  to  construct  levees  along  the  banks  of 
the  streams.     These  levees  were  begun   in   1890  by  private  enterprise. 


KANSAS   HISTORY  349 

When  it  was  found  that,  although  rude  in  construction,  they  protected 
the  wheat  fields  from  submersion,  legislation  was  secured  (in  1893)  to 
authorize  the  public  officials  to  build  levees  from  public  funds.  The 
cost  of  this  protection  has  been  about  $5  per  acre,  and  the  increased 
value  of  protected  lands  from  $10  to  $20  per  acre.  The  benefit  from  a 
sanitary  point  is  also  a  great  consideration. 

During  the  Civil  war  Neosho  county  did  her  full  part  in  furnishing 
soldiers  for  the  front.  She  also  had  considerable  trouble  of  her  own 
with  border  raids  and  depredations  of  various  sorts.  The  Osage  In- 
dians, who  were  being  taught  farming,  met  with  so  many  discourage- 
ments in  the  way  of  the  destruction  of  their  crops  and  newly  built 
houses  by  raiders  who  also  drove  off  their  live  stock,  that  they  ceded 
their  lands  to  the  government. 

Thirty-five  Neosho  county  boys  enlisted  in  the  Spanish-American 
war,  five  of  whom  were  officers,  viz :  Clay  Allen,  adjutant  and  first 
lieutenant;  Joseph  E.  Knight,  first  lieutenant;  Logan  H.  Wells,  second 
lieutenant;  Albertus  Priest,  sergeant;  Edward  E.  Berry,  corporal.  All 
the  men  except  Allen  were  members  of  Company  A,  Twenty-second 
regiment.  More  than  20  Neosho  county  boys  saw  service  in  the  Phil- 
ippines. 

Among  the  extinct  towns,  Jacksonville,  on  the  corner  where  Neosho, 
Labette,  Crawford  and  Cherokee  counties  join,  had  the  distinction  of 
having  the  first  newspaper  and  printing  office  in  the  county.  The  paper 
was  called  the  Neosho  County  Eagle  and  was  printed  in  1868.  Later 
the  office  was  moved  to  Erie. 

The  first  schools  in  the  county,' outside  of  the  missionary  schools  for 
Indians,  were  established  in  the  latter  '60s  and  the  early  '70s.  They 
were  taught  in  log  buildings,  sometimes  stores  and  dwelling  houses. 
In  1910  there  were  over  100  organized  districts,  and  the  school  property 
was  valued  in  the  neighborhood  of  $200,000.  In  the  same  year  there 
were  24  rural  mail  routes  emanating  from  the  different  towns  in  the 
county,  and  several  entering  from  other  counties,  so  that  the  country 
people  are   well   supplied   with   daily   mail. 

The  first  railroad  lines  built  through  the  county  were  the  Leaven- 
worth, Lawrence  &  Galveston,  now  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe, 
and  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas,  both  in  1870.  The  line  built  at  that 
time  by  the  latter  road  enters  the  county  on  the  east,  crossing  the  line 
about  2  miles  north  of  the  center,  and  runs  in  a  southwesterly  direc- 
tion, crossing  the  southern  line  about  3  miles  east  of  the  center.  The 
stations  on  this  line  are  St.  Paul  and  South  Mound.  The  road  built 
first  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  crosses  the  county  line  and 
the  Neosho  river  just  north  of  Chanute,  passes  through  that  city,  pro- 
ceeds in  a  southeasterly  direction  through  Erie,  and  out  on  the  east 
line  of  the  county.  The  line  was  built  in  1883.  A  second  line  of  the 
Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  also  built  in  1870,  enters  on  the  north 
line,  runs  in  a  southeasterly  direction  and  crosses  the  southern  line 
near  the  center.    The  third  line  of  this  system  was  built  by  the  Kansas 


.^5"  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

City  &  Pacific  company  in  i8S().  It  crosses  the  southern  Hne  about  2 
miles  cast  of  the  center,  runs  northeasterly,  leaving  the  county  near  the 
northeast  corner.  The  total  mileage  of  the  two  systems  in  the  county 
is  123. 

The  general  surface  of  Xeosho  county  is  a  gently  undulating  prairie, 
about  20  per  cent,  buttom  land,  \vhich  along  the  Neosho  river  averages 
over  2  miles  in  width,  and  along  the  smaller  streams  about  a  quarter 
to  half  a  mile.  There  is  an  abundance  of  native  timber  and  many 
groves  of  artificial  forest.  The  Xeosho,  the  principal  stream,  enters  in 
the  northeast  and  flows  southwest  through  the  county.  Its  principal 
tributaries  are  Rock,  Canville  and  Big  creeks.  Limestone  and  sand- 
stone of  a  superior  quality  are  found  in  abundance.  A  stone  resembling 
black  marble  has  been  found  near  Erie.     Brick  clay  is  plentiful. 

The  area  of  the  county  is  576  square  miles  or  368,640  acres,  of  which 
252,000  acres  have  been  brought  under  cultivation.  The  farm  produce 
''or  iqio  amounted  to  about  $2,500,000,  of  which  corn,  the  most  valua- 
hie  cro]).  contributed  $500,000;  oats,  $150,000,  and  wheat,  $100,000. 
Other  leading  field  crops  are  Irish  potatoes,  fla.x,  Kafir  corn  and  prairie 
grass,  .\uinials  sold  for  slaughter  in  1910  brought  $500,000.  The  as- 
sessed valuation  of  property  was  nearly  $30,000,000,  and  the  population 
was  2^.'/S4.  a  gain  of  4,500  over  that  of  1900. 

Neosho  Falls,  one  of  the  important  towns  of  Woodson  countv.  is  lo- 
cated in  the  northeast  corner,  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
<X:  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroads  and  on  the 
Neosho  river.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class;  has  all  lines 
of  mercantile  interests,  banking  facilities,  flour  mills,  sawmills,  sorghum 
mills,  and  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Post).  There  are  eleven  oil  wells 
in  the  vicinity.  The  town  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express  offices 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population 
according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  571.  Neosho  Falls  is  in  the  midst 
of  a  prospering  farming  district  and  is  the  shipping  point  for  the  prod- 
uce raised  within  a  radius  of  several  miles,  being  13  miles  from  Yates 
Center,   the   county   seat. 

It  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  county  and  was  for  many  years  the  judi- 
cial seat.  The  vicinity  was  settled  in  1857,  when  a  postoffice  was  es- 
tablished with  Col.  N.  ,S.  Goss  as  postmaster.  Rugglew  &  Stevens 
opened  a  store  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  and  in  1858  they  built 
the  "Falls  House."  The  first  school,  taught  in  1858,  was  a  private  in- 
stitution kept  by  E.  H.  Curtis,  who  was  afterwards  colonel  of  a  colored 
regiment  in  the  Civil  war.  The  first  newspaper  was  the  "Frontier 
Democrat,"  issued  in  1869  by  I.  B.  Bo.vle.  The  first  churches  were  built 
in  1870.  The  incorporation  as  a  town  took  place  in  Sept.,  1870,  and  a 
year  later  it  became  a  city  of  the  third  class.  The  trustees  of  the  town 
were  D.  W.  Finney,  V.  L.  Spawr  and  I.  W.  Dow,  and  the  first  officers 
of  the  city  were  O.  P.  Haughawout,  mayor,  and   E.  W.   Grove,  clerk. 

The  largest  enterprise  for  the  times  was  the  Neosho  Valley  fair, 
which  was  held  here  beginning  in   1875.     Four  counties  participated— 


KANSAS    HISTORY  35  I 

Allen,  Anderson,  Greenwood  and  Woodson — and  it  had  a  decided  in- 
lluence  in  the  development  of  this  section  of  the  country.  The  fair 
gained  a  reputation  far  and  wide  and  in  1879  the  officers  had  as  their 
guests  President  and  Mrs.  Hayes,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  and  a  num- 
ber of  state  officers.  A  buck  horn  chair  was  presented  to  the  president, 
and  "the  time  when  Hayes  was  here"  is  still  referred  to  as  an  incident 
in  the  history  of  -the  town. 

Neosho  Rapids,  an  incorporated  town  in  Lyon  county,  is  located  in 
Jackson  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  on 
the  Neosho  river,  just  below  its  junction  with  the  Cottonwood.  It  is 
12  miles  east  of  Emporia,  the  county  seat.  The  main  lines  of  business 
and  mercantile  interests  are  represented.  It  has  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popu- 
lation according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  256. 

In  1855  a  town  by  the  name  of  Italia  was  laid  out  on  the  site  of 
Neosho  Rapids,  which  name  was  afterwards  changed  to  Florence.  No 
improvements  were  made.  In  1857  Neosho  Rapids  was  founded  by  the 
same  promoters — F.  R.  Page,  H.  S.  Sleeper  and  G.  J.  Tallman.  The 
first  building  was  a  two-story  frame  structure,  erected  by  F.  R.  Page 
and  Mrs.  Allen,  and  used  for  a  hotel.  The  first  religious  services  were 
held  in  this  building  by  a  minister  named  Rice.  A  sawmill  was  built 
in  i860  by  P.  Harvey.  In  1872  a  dam  costing  $3,000  was  put  across  the 
Neosho   by   the   mill   company. 

Neosho  River. — This  stream  was  first  known  to  the  white  man  as  the 
Grand  river  and  to  the  Indians  as  the  "Six  Bulls"  river.  The  origin 
and  history  of  the  name  is  unknown.  Pike  mentions  the  streann  as  the 
"Grand"  in  the  description  of  his  trip  to  the  Pawnee  village  in  1806. 
Long,  who  visited  this  section  in  1S19-20,  speaks  of  it  as  the  Neosho 
or  Grand  river,  which  might  indicate  that  the  name  Neosho  attached 
to  the  stream  between  these  two  dates.  Maps  of  1825  and  later  spell 
the  name  Neozho.  The  survey  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail  made  in  1825-27, 
gives  the  name  as  Neozho,  while  later  maps  adhere  to  the  spelling 
Neosho.  This  stream  is  formed  by  two  branches,  one  of  which  rises  a 
few  miles  west  of  Parkerville,  Morris  county,  while  the  other  has  its 
source  in  the  southwest  part  of  Wabaunsee  county,  at  a  point  a  little 
southeast  of  the  village  of  Alta  Vista.  These  branches  unite  in  Morris 
county  at  a  point  a  little  northwest  of  Council  Grove  and  flow  in  a 
southeast  direction  through  the  counties  of  Morris,  Lvon,  CoiTey, 
Woodson,  Allen,  Neosho,  Labette  and  Cherokee,  entering  Oklahoma 
at  a  point  about  due  south  of  the  village  of  Melrose.  From  here  the 
stream  flows  in  a  southerly  direction  and  empties  into  the  Arkansas 
river  opposite  the  town  of  Lowe,  Muskogee  county.  An  early  writer, 
in  speaking  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Arkansas,  says :  "There  is  not  one 
that  is  at  all  navigable,  except  the  Neosho  from  the  north,  which  has 
been  ascended  by  small  boats  for  at  least  100  miles."  The  Neosho  is 
about  450  miles  in  length,  300  of  which  are  in  Kansas,  and  the  stream 
traverses   a   very   fertile   section.     On    the   lower   river    in   and    around 


352  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Labette  county  exist  many  evidences  of  an  early  or  ancient  civilization, 
fragments  of  pottery  and  Hint  implements  being  frequently  found. 

Ness  City,  the  county  seat  of  Ness  county,  is  centrally  located  and  is 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  It  is  an  incorporated  city 
of  the  third  class;  has  2  national  banks,  2  newspapers  (the  News  and 
the  Echo),  an  electric  light  plant,  flour  mill,  ice  plant,  creamery,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoCfice 
with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910 
was  712.  Ness  City  was  founded  in  1878  by  Richard  Dighton.  In  1880 
an  important  addition  was  made  by  Robert  Stephens.  When  the  rail- 
road was  built  in  1886  the  town,  which  had  not  had  much  of  a  growth 
in  the  six  years  of  its  existence,  began  to  have  a  wholesome  boom, 
which  reached  its  height  in  1890  when  it  had  a  population  of  869.  In 
the  next  ten  years  there  was  a  falling  off  in  the  population,  due  to  the 
money  panic  and  poor  crops.  A  succession  of  good  years  and  contin- 
ued prosperity  caused  a  gradual  rise  in  the  next  decade. 

Ness  County,  in  the  central  part  of  the  western  half  of  the  state,  is 
the  fifth  county  from  Colorado,  the  fourth  south  from  Nebraska,  and 
the  fourth  from  the  Oklahoma  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Trego  and  Gove  counties ;  on  the  east  by  Rush  and  Pawnee ;  on  the 
south  by  Hodgeman,  and  on  the  west  by  Lane.  It  was  created  in  1867 
and  named  for  Noah  V.  Ness  of  the  Seventh  Kansas  cavalry.  The 
boundaries  were  defined  as  follows :  "Commencing  where  the  east  line 
of  range  21  west  intersects  the  3d  standard  parallel,'  thence  south  to  the 
4th  standard  parallel,  thence  west  to  the  east  line  of  range  26  west, 
thence  north  to  the  3d  standard  parallel,  thence  east  to  the  place  of  be- 
ginning." The  legislature  of  1873  changed  the  western  boundary  so  that 
it  extended  to  the  east  line  of  range  27  west,  thus  adding  180  square 
miles  and  making  the  area  1,080  square  miles. 

Prior  to  the  spring  of  1873  no  one  but  two  or  three  cattle  men  lived 
in  the  county.  At  that  time  Dr.  S.  G.  Rodgers  came  from  Chicago 
with  half  a  dozen  families.  He  made  up  a  fraudulent  census  showing 
a  population  of  600  and  sent  a  petition  to  the  governor  which  he  had 
signed  with  a  lot  of  names  taken  from  a  Kansas  City  directory.  The 
petition  was  granted  and  on  Oct.  23,  1873,  the  governor  proclaimed  the 
county  organized,  named  Smallwood  City  as  the  temporary  county 
seat,  and  appointed  Charles  McGuire,  county  clerk;  Dr.  S.  G.  Rodgers, 
O.  H.  Perry  and  Thomas  Myers,  county  commissioners.  As  chairman 
of  the  board  of  commissioners  Rodgers  proceeded  to  issue  bonds,  this 
being  his  object  in  organizing  the  county,  and  had  himself  elected  to  the 
legislature.  He  took  his  seat  on  Jan.  13,  1874,  and  remained  there  for 
30  days,  when  John  E.  Farnsworth,  one  of  the  cattle  men,  not  being 
m  favor  of  county  organization,  exposed  the  frauds  of  Rodgers  to  the 
legislature.  He  took  a  census  which  showed  but  79  inhabitants  and 
gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  legal  voters  of  the  county  did  not  ex- 
ceed 14.  An  investigating  committee  appointed  by  the  legislature 
found  these  claims  to  be  true  and  upon  presentation  of  a  petition  to 


KANSAS    HISTORY  353 

Gov.  Osborne,  signed  by  20  citizens,  the  county  was  promptly  disor- 
ganized. Rodgers  was  unseated  in  the  legislature  and  he  took  the 
money  which  had  accrued  from  the  sale  of  bonds  and  left  the  country. 
The  families  which  he  had  induced  on  false  representations  to  come  to 
Ness  county  nearly  starved  before  they  could  get  away. 

The  county  was  without  officers  of  any  kind  until  June,  1878,  when 
Gov.  Anthony  appointed  Alfred  Page  notary  public.  Settlers  had  been 
coming  in  gradually  and  in  1879,  J-  W.  Miller,  deputy  county  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction,  organized  22  school  districts.  In  Nov 
of  that  year  the  citizens  of  Ness  City  petitioned  Gov.  John  P.  St. 
John  for  count}'  organization,  with  that  place  for  temporary  county 
seat.  A  meeting  was  held  at  Sidney  about  the  same  time,  and  another 
in  Jan.,  1880.  That  town  sent  in  a  petition  asking  that  it  be  named 
the  temporary  count)-  seat  and  making  recommendations  as  to  who 
should  be  appointed  as  county  officers.  On  April  14,  1880,  the  governor 
issued  a  proclamation  reorganizing  the  county,  designating  Sidney  as 
the  county  seat  and  appointing  the  following  officers :  County  clerk, 
James  H.  Elting;  county  commissioners,  John  E.  Farnsworth,  L.  Wes- 
ton and  L.  E.  Knovi'les. 

The  commissioners  selected  June  i  as  the  time  for  the  election,  when 
Ness  City  was  made  the  permanent  county  seat,  and  the  following  offi- 
cers were  chosen:  County  clerk,  James  H.  Elting;  treasurer.  B.  F. 
Garrett;  register  of  deeds,  J.  A.  Taylor;  sheriff,  Gilmore  Kinney;  coro- 
ner. Dr.  B.  F.  Crosthwaite;  surveyor,  L.  E.  Knowles;  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  F.  A.  Goodrich;  attorney,  Cyrus  Corning;  clerk 
of  the  district  court,  N.  W.  Shaw;  probate  judge,  J.  K.  Barnd;  com- 
missioners, John  S.  Lightner,  William  Harding  and  Samuel  C. 
Kagrice. 

The  first  newspaper  was  the  Ness  County  Pioneer,  established  at 
Clarinda  in  1879  by  Henry  S.  Bell.  A  number  of  fraternal  orders  and 
a  Farmers'  Alliance  were  organized  about  1880.  The  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  was  begun  in  1886  and  reached  Ness  City  early  in 
Jan.,  1887. 

The  number  of  acres  under  cultivation  in  1880  was  about  20,000.  The 
number  in  1910  was  380,330.  The  value  of  farm  products  in  the  latter 
year  was  $1,514,924,  of  which  winter  wheat,  the  largest  crop,  amounted 
to  $361,000;  corn,  $250,000;  sorghum,  $110,000;  oats,  $95,661;  tame 
grasses,  $176,197;  .Kafir  corn,  $78,177;  live  stock  sold  for  slaughter, 
$138,779;  eggs,  $61,869;  and  dairy  products  nearly  $100,000. 

The  county  is  divided  into  10  townships:  Bazine,  Center,  Eden,  For- 
rester, Franklin,  High  Point,  Johnson,  Nevada,  Ohio  and  Waring.  The 
postoffices  are  Arnold,  Bazine,  Beeler,  Brownwell,  Francis,  Laird,  Man- 
teno,  Ness  City,  Nonchalanta,  Ransom,  Riverside  and  Utica.  The 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  crosses  east  and  west  in  the  center 
through  Ness  City,  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  crosses  the  northern  part 
east  and  west. 

The  general  surface  is  nearly  level,  the  rise  from  the  streams  being 

(II-23) 


354  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

SO  gradual  tliat  the  bottom  lands  are  not  clearly  defined.  The  timber 
belts  along  W  alniit  creek  and  its  south  fork  are  from  30  to  40  rods  in 
width  and  contain  ash,  cottonwood,  elm,  hackberry  and  box-elder. 
Walnut  creek,  the  principal  stream,  flows  east  through  the  center  of  the 
county,  its  north  and  south  forks  uniting  near  the  center.  The  Paw- 
nee fork  of  the  Pawnee  river  enters  on  the  south  central  border,  flows 
northeast  a  short  distance,  thence  east  and  southeast  into  Hodgeman 
county.  Magnesian  limestone  of  the  best  quality  and  sandstone  are 
abundant.     Gypsum  exists  in  small  quantities. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was  $10,835,619.  The 
population  in  the  same  year  was  5,883,  which  was  an  increase  of  1,348 
over  the  population  of  1900. 

Netawaka,  a  village  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  1\.  in  Netawaka  township,  10  miles  north  of  Holton,  the 
county  seat.  All  lines  of  business  are  represented.  There  are  banking 
facilities,  express  and  telegraph  oiifices,  and  a  money  order  postof¥ice 
with  two  rural  mail  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  339.  The 
name  means  "Fair  view"  and  is  the  only  one  in  the  county  of  Indian 
significance.  The  first  settler  on  the  town  site  was  B.  F.  Baughn,  who 
began  the  building  of  the  Netawaka  House.  The  town  was  laid  out  in 
1866  and  Edward  W.  Kenyon,  the  pioneer  merchant,  opened  the  first 
store  in  1868.  He  was  the  first  station  agent  and  agent  for  the  Kicka- 
poo  lands  in  charge  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  He  was  also  the  first 
postmaster.     A  grist  mill  was  built  by  A.  J.  Evans  in  1881. 

Neuchatel,  a  hamlet  of  Nemaha  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of 
the  same  name  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  county,  18  miles 
from  Seneca,  the  county  seat,  and  4  miles  from  Onaga,  Pottawatomie 
county,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail.  The  Neuchatel  settlement 
was  made  by  French  and  Swiss  immigrants  and  in  1870  Jules  Leroux 
started  the  publication  of  a  paper  devoted  to  communism,  printed  in 
the  French  language  and  called  The  Star  of  Kansas.  In  1876  he  took 
the  publication  to  Iowa. 

Neutral,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  on  the  St.  Louis  & 
San  Francisco  R.  R.  7  miles  south  of  Columbus,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  flour  mill,  a  general  store  and  an  express  office.  Its  mail  is  dis- 
tributed from  Columbus.     The  population  in  1910  was  76. 

Neutral  Lands. — The  tract  known  as  the  Cherokee  Neutral  Lands — 
originally  the  Osage  Neutral  Lands — is  situated  in  the  southeast  corner 
of  Kansas,  comprising  all  the  present  county  of  Cherokee,  nearly  all 
of  Crawford,  and  a  strip  about  6  miles  wide  across  the  southern  part 
of  Bourbon  county.  In  extent,  this  tract  is  50  miles  long  from  north 
■to  south  and  25  miles  in  width,  the  eastern  boundary  being  the  line 
which  separates  Kansas  from  Missouri.  It  was  first  described  in  the 
treaty  with  the  Osages  in  1825,  when  it  was  intended  to  serve  as  a 
barrier  between  the  Osage  tribe  and  the  whites,  neither  the  Indians  nor 
the  white  men  to  settle  thereon,  from  which  fact  it  took  the  name  of 
neutral  land. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  355 

Article  2  of  the  treaty  made  with  the  Cherokees  at  New  Echota,  Ga- 
in 1835,  expressed  apprehension  that  not  enough  land  had  been  set  apart 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  whole  Cherokee  nation,  and  provided  for 
the  conveyance  to  the  Cherokees  of  "the  tract  of  land  situated  between 
the  west  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri  and  the  Osage  reservation,  begin- 
ning at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  same  and  runs  north  along  the  east 
line  of  the  Osage  lands  50  miles,  to  the  northeast  corner  thereof;  and 
thence  to  the  west  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri;  thence  with  said  line 
south  50  miles ;  thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning — estimated  to 
contain  800,000  acres  of  land." 

From  the  time  this  treaty  was  concluded  the  tract  was  called  the 
Cherokee  Neutral  Land.  Notwithstanding  it  was  Cherokee  land,  white 
settlers  went  upon  it  about  the  time  Kansas  was  organized  as  a  ter- 
ritory, and  in  Aug.,  1861,  the  tract  was  invaded  by  a  Confederate  band 
commanded  by  John  Mathews  and  some  sixty  families  were  driven 
out.  The  following  month  the  Sixth  Kansas  dispersed  the  gang  and 
Mathews  was  killed.  On  July  19,  1866,  a  treaty  was  concluded  between 
the  Cherokees  and  the  United  States,  article  17  of  which  provided  that 
"The  Cherokee  nation  hereby  cedes,  in  trust,  to  the  United  States  the 
tract  of  land  in  the  State  of  Kansas  which  was  sold  to  the  Cherokees 
by  the  United  States  under  the  provisions  of  the  second  article  of  the 
treaty  of  1835,  and  also  that  strip  of  land  ceded  to  the  nation  by  the 
fourth  article  of  said  treaty,  which  is  included  in  the  State  of  Kansas; 
and  the  Cherokees  consent  that  said  lands  may  be  included  in  the  lim- 
its and  jurisdiction  of  the  said  state.  The  lands  herein  ceded  shall  be 
surveyed  as  the  public  lands  of  the  United  States  are  surveyed,  under 
the  direction  of  the  commissioner  of  the  general  land  office,  and  shall 

be  appraised   by   two   disinterested   persons And   the 

secretary  of  the  interior  shall,  from  time  to  time,  as  such  surveys  and 
appraisements  are  approved  by  him,  after  due  advertisements  for  sealed 
bids,  sell  such  lands  to  the  highest  bidders  for  cash,  in  parcels  not  ex- 
ceeding 160  acres,  and  at  not  less  than  the  appraised  value. 
Provided,  that  nothing  in  this  article  shall  prevent  the  secretary  of  the 
interior  from  selling  the  whole  of  said  Neutral  Lands  in  a  body  to  any 
responsible  party,  for  cash,  for  a  suin  not  less  than  $800,000." 

The  last  provision  was  amended  to  read  "that  nothing  in  this  article 
shall  prevent  the  secretary  of  the  interior  from  selling  the  whole  of 
said  lands  not  occupied  by  actual  settlers  at  the  date  of  the  ratification 
of  the  treaty,  not  exceeding  160  acres  to  each  person  entitled  to  pre- 
emption under  the  preemption  laws  of  the  United  States,  in  a  body, 
to  any  responsible  party,  for  cash,  for  a  sum  not  less  than  one  dollar 
per  acre." 

On  Aug.  30,  1866,  James  Harlan,  then  secretary  of  the  interior,  sold 
the  lands  to  the  American  Emigrant  company.  Two  days  later  Mr. 
Harlan  was  succeeded  by  Orville  H.  Browning,  who  set  aside  the  con- 
tract with  the  American  Emigrant  company  on  an  opinion  of  the 
United  States  attorney-general  that  it  was  void  because  made  on  time 


3S6 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


and  not  for  cash  as  the  treaty  stipulated.  The  settlers  on  the  tract  then 
demanded  of  Senator  Pomeroy  and  Congressman  Clarke  that  they  use 
their  induencc  to  prevent  another  sale  of  the  land.  Both  made  prom- 
ises, but  in  spite  of  that  fact,  on  Oct.  9,  1867,  Browning  sold  the  land 
to  his  brother-in-law,  James  F.  Joy,  representing  the  Missouri  River, 
Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  railroad.  In  March,  1868,  the  settlers  made  a  demand 
for  the  right  to  purchase  their  holdings  at  the  lawful  price  of  public 
lands,  and  everywhere  the  validity  of  Joy's  title  to  the  lands  was  ques- 
tioned The  American  Emigrant  company  had  not  relinquished  its 
claim  and  the  settlers  were  alarmed  at  the  prospects  of  long  and  tedious 
litigation  before  their  titles  could  be  assured.  Trouble  on  this  score 
was  averted,  however,  by  a  supplemental  treaty  on  April  27,  1868,  "to 
enable  the  secretary  of  the  interior  to  collect  the  proceeds  of  the  sales 
of  said  lands  and  invest  the  same  for  the  benefit  of  said  Indians,  and 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  litigation  and  of  harmonizing  the  con- 
flicting interests  of  the  said  American  Emigrant  company  and  of  the 
said  James   F.  Joy." 

Technically,  the  treaty  set  aside  the  Joy  sale,  but  authorized  the  as- 
signment of  the  American  Emigrant  company's  interests  to  Joy.  Eu- 
gene F.  Ware  says:  "This  was  necessary  so  as  to  scoop  in  the  land 
occupied  in  the  meantime  by  about  3,000  people  under  the  public  land 
law.  The  law  gave  a  homestead  on  five  years'  occupation,  but  service 
in  the  army  was  counted  in,  and  the  soldier  who  had  served  three 
years  got  title  in  two  years,  but  with  the  right  to  buy  the  land  at  $1.25 
per  acre.  The  'treaty'  ratified  by  the  senate  cut  ofif  these  rights  from  all 
settlers  coming  in  after  July  19,  1866." 

The  supplemental  treaty  was  ratified  by  the  United  States  senate 
on  June  6,  1868,  when  the  interests  of  the  American  Emigrant  company 
were  assigned  to  James  F.  Joy,  and  four  days  later  the  treaty  was  pro- 
claimed by  the  president.  On  Dec.  18,  1868,  notice  was  given  to  all 
persons  "who  had  settled  and  continued  to  live  on  the  lands  between 
Aug.  II,  1866,  and  June  10,  1868,  that  they  might  make  entry  of  the 
lands  before  a  certain  time,  and  thus  prevent  the  sale  of  the  lands  to 
other  purchasers."  The  survey  of  the  railroad  was  commenced  early 
in  1869,  and  then  the  trouble  began  in  earnest.  The  settlers  organized 
the  "Land  League,"  later  known  as  the  "Neutral  Land  Home-protect- 
ing Corps,"  to  resist  tlie  encroachments  of  a  corporation  under  what 
they  believed  to  be  an  illegal  sale  of  the  public  lands.  At  first,  the 
principal  object  of  the  organization  was  to  keep  a  delegate  in  Wash- 
ington to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  settlers,  but  as  the  railroad 
company  became  more  aggressive  in  prosecuting  what  it  conceived 
to  be  its  legal  rights,  many  acts  of  violence  were  committed  in  the  name 
of  the  "League."  A  land  office  established  at  Baxter  Springs  by  Joy 
was  raided  in  Feb.,  1869,  and  in  April,  when  J.  W.  Davis  attempted  to 
open  a  land  office  for  the  railroad  company  at  Columbus,  he  was  given 
notice  to  leave  the  town — a  mandate  he  lost  no  time  obeying.  By  the 
last  of  May  the  situation  had  become  so  threatening  that  Gov.  Harvey 


KANSAS    HISTORY  357 

issued  a  proclamation  enjoining  the  people  to  commit  no  unlawful 
acts,  and  asked  Gen.  Schofield  to  send  a  detachment  of  United  States 
troops  into  the  Neutral  Lands  to  preserve  order.  Troops  accordingly 
were  sent  into  Crawford  and  Cherokee  counties  on  June  lo,  1869. 

Early  in  the  legislative  session  of  1870  the  house  ap])ointed  a  com- 
mittee of  five  to  visit  the  troubled  district  and  ascertain  if  the  presence 
of  soldiers  was  actually  necessary.  A  majority  of  the  committee  re- 
ported in  favor  of  the  governor  and  recommended  that  the  troops 
be  kept  there  until  the  question  was  settled.  Notwithstanding  their 
presence,  the  anti-Joy  people  burned  the  office  of  the  Girard  Press  on 
July  15,  1871.  This  paper  was  edited  by  Dr.  Warner,  who  had  been 
employed  by  Joy  to  publish  it  in  the  support  of  his  claim.  This  was 
the  last  act  of  violence. 

In  the  meantime  two  suits  had  been  filed  in  the  Federal  courts — one 
against  a  settler  named  Holden  and  the  other  against  Dr.  Warner,  with 
the  understanding  that  the  title  to  the  lands  should  be  settled  by  the 
decision  in  the  two  cases.  In  May,  1870,  the  circuit  court  decided  in 
favor  of  Joy.  An  appeal  to  the  United  States  supreme  court  was  then 
taken,  and  in  Nov.,  1872,  that  court,  in  a  luianimous  opinion,  upheld  the 
decision  of  the  lower  court.  The  settlers  then  bought  their  lands 
through  Joy,  and  in  Feb.,  1873,  the  troops  were  withdrawn. 

Neville,  a  country  postofifice  in  Sherman  county,  is  located  in  Grant 
township  20  miles  northwest  of  Goodland,  the  county  seat,  and  15 
miles  north  of  Ruleton,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail  and 
the   nearest   shipping  point. 

New  Albany,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Wilson  county,  is  lo- 
cated in  Fall  River  township  near  the  west  line  of  the  county,  on  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  and  6  miles  west  of  Fredonia,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  banking  facilities,  a  newspaper  (the  X-Ray),  a 
monthly  publication  for  teachers,  flour  mills,  express  and  telegraph 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postofifice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  213,  The  vicinity  was  settled  in  1864  and  the  first 
store  started  the  next  year  by  Hall  &  Mooney.  Mr.  Mooney  entered 
the  claim  on  which  the  town  is  located.  The  postoffice  was  established 
in  1866  wath  William  Hall  as  postmaster.  The  mail  had  to  be  brought 
from  old  Belmont  in  Woodson  county  at  private  expense.  Jackson  & 
Hickson  set  up  the  first  sawmill  on  Fall  River  in  1866,  and  the  next 
year  added  a  grist  mill.  School  district  No.  9  was  organized  at  this 
point  in  1866  "and  the  first  school  was  taught  by  James  Hanegan  in 
1867.  Another  mill,  with  two  burr  stones,  one  for  corn  and  one  for 
wheat,  was  built  by  Wauder,  Chase  &  Co.  A  town  company  was 
formed  in  1871  with  William  Stivers,  president;  William  Hall,  treas- 
urer, and  P.  W.  Mackey,  secretary.  Dr.  Mackey  was  the  first  physician 
in  the  place.  Several  new  business  enterprises  were  started  and 
churches  and  lodges  organized  in  the  '70s.  The  railroad  was  built  in 
1879.  The  New  Albany  bridge  was  constructed  in  1892  at  a  cost  of 
$5,000,  and  the  one  at  Johnson's  ford,  a  little  below,  was  built  in  1902. 


358  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

New  Almelo,  a  hamlet  in  Norton  county,  is  located  on  the  Solomon 
river  2J  miles  southwest  of  Norton,  the  county  seat,  12  miles  south  of 
Clayton,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  its  mail,  and  6  miles 
west  of  Lenora,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

New  Cambria,  a  little  town  of  Saline  county,  is  located  in  Cambria 
township,  7  miles  northeast  of  Salina.  It  has  three  railroads — the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and 
the  Union  Pacific.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was 
212.  It  is  the  principal  trading  and  shipping  point  for  a  rich  agricul- 
uiral  district  in  that  section  of  the  county. 

New  Chillicothe,  a  hamlet  in  Dickinson  county,  is  located  in  the  north- 
eastern corner  15  miles  from  Abilene,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  north 
of  Chapman,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

New  Haven  Colony. —  (See  Beecher  Rifle  Church.) 

New  Lancaster,  a  hamlet  of  Miami  county,  is  situated  near  Middle 
creek  about  12  miles  southeast  of  Paola,  the  county  seat.  It  has  rural 
delivery  from  Fontana  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  126.  The  town 
was  laid  out  in  i860  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  first  school  in  the  county 
was  taught  near  the  present  town  in  1858. 

Newman,  a  station  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  in  Jefiferson  county,  is 
located  in  Kentucky  township  13  miles  southwest  of  Oskaloosa,  the 
county  seat,  and  11  miles  east  of  Topeka.  It  has  express  and  telegraph 
■  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910  was  60. 
This  town  was  laid  out  in  1867  by  H.  L.  Newman,  who  with  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Haston,  opened  a  store  that  year.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished with  A.  A.  Haston  postmaster. 

New  Orleans  Exposition. —  (See  Expositions.) 

New  Salem,  a  village  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Richland  township,  8  miles  northeast  of 
Winfield,  the  count)'  seat.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a 
money  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  80. 

New  Sam  Gaty. — On  April  18,  1861,  a  steamboat  called  the  "New 
.Sam  Gaty"  arrived  at  Leavenworth  from  St.  Louis  flying  a  Confederate 
flag.  That  was  four  days  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  and  the 
excitement  was  intense  throughout  the  North.  As  soon  as  the  news  of 
the  arrival  of  the  steamer  spread  people  rushed  to  the  levee  and  in  a 
short  time  an  immense  crowd  had  assembled,  demanding  that  the  cap- 
tain of  the  Gaty  he  summarily  dealt  with  for  thus  displaying  the  flag 
of  treason.  Seeing  that  the  people  were  in  no  mood  for  trifling,  and 
concluding  that  "discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valor,"  the  captain 
hauled  down  the  ensign  and  raised  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Wilder  says 
''This  was  the  decisive  day  for  Leavenworth." 

Newspapers. — In  the  winter  of  1833-34  Jotham  Meeker  set  up  a  print- 
ing press  at  the  Shawnee  Baptist  mission,  in  what  is  now  Johnson 
county,  Kan.     It   was   an  old-fashioned   press   of   the   most   primitive 


KANSAS    HISTORY  359 

type,  operated  by  hand,  and  was  used  by  Mr.  Meeker  for  printing  books 
and  tracts  in  the  Indian  language.  On  March  i,  1835,  he  published  the 
first  number  of  the  Shaw-wau-nowe  Kesauthwau  (Shawnee  Sun),  which 
was  the  first  newspaper — if  it  can  properly  be  called  such — ever  printed 
within  the  limits  of  the  present  State  of  Kansas.  It  is  not  known  how 
many  numbers  of  this  paper  were  published  by  Mr.  Meeker,  as  it  was 
issued  at  irregular  intervals,  under  great  difficulties,  and  probably  never 
had  a  regular  paid  subscription  list. 

The  first  newspaper  in  the  English  language  was  the  Leavenworth 
Herald,  which  made  its  appearance  on  Sept.  15,  1854.  The  type  for  the 
initial  number  was  set  under  an  old  elm  tree  on  the  levee  near  the  cor- 
ner of  Cherokee  street.  William  H.  Adams  and  Lucien  J.  Eastin  were 
the  proprietors  and  publishers,  the  latter  being  the  editor.  The  Herald 
v.'as  a  strong  pro-slavery  advocate.  Holloway  says :  "Its  tone  was  at 
first  upright  and  manly,  but  it  soon  gave  way  to  party  pressure,  and 
became  very  ultra  and  bitterly  partisan."  Early  in  the  year  1859,  Wil- 
liam H.  Gill,  a  military  storekeeper  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  paper  and  assumed  the  editorial  management.  Asso- 
ciated with  him  in  this  work  was  Ward  Burlingame.  A  daily  edition 
was  started  on  May  17,  1859,  and  under  the  new  control  the  political 
policy  of  the  paper  was  much  more  conservative.  In  i860  it  urged  the 
nomination  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  by  the  Democratic  party  for  the 
presidency.  Some  time  in  the  spring  or  summer  of  that  year  the  Herald 
was  acquired  by  W.  P.  Fain,  formerly  United  States  marshal,  and  in 
the  fall  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  R.  C.  Satterlee,  B.  R.  Wilson  and 
C.  W.  Helm.  In  June,  1861,  Mr.  Satterlee  was  shot  and  killed  by  Col. 
Anthony,  and  on  June  27  the  Herald  expired. 

About  the  time  the  Leavenworth  Herald  appeared,  John  and  Joseph 
L.  Speer  prepared  the  copy  for  a  free-state  paper,  to  be  called  the 
Kansas  Pioneer.  Being  without  type  or  press,  they  took  their  manu- 
script to  a  paper  in  Kansas  City  called  the  Enterprise,  which  was  edited 
by  Judge  Story,  a  rank  pro-slavery  man,  who  refused  to  print  the  paper. 
They  then  tried  to  get  Adams  &  Eastin  of  the  Leavenworth  Herald  to 
print  an  issue,  but  were  again  refused.  John  Speer  then  went  to  his  old 
home  at  Medina,  Ohio,  where  the  first  number  was  printed,  though  it 
bore  the  date  of  "Lawrence,  Kan.  Ter.,  Oct.  15,  1854."  Upon  his  re- 
turn from  Ohio,  Speer  found  out  that  a  pro-slavery  paper  published  at 
Kickapoo  had  adopted  the  name  "Pioneer,"  so  he  changed  the  name 
of  his  paper  to  the  Kansas  Tribune,  the  first  number  of  which  was  pub- 
lished at  Lawrence  dated  Jan.  5,  1855.  S.  N.  Wood  became  a  partner, 
and  in  Nov.,  1855,  the  Tribune  was  removed  to  Topeka.  In  Feb.,  1857, 
Speer  sold  out  to  Ross  Bros.,  who  returned  in  Sept.,  1858,  and  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Shepherd  &  Cummings.  Under  various  owners  and  editors, 
ihe  Tribune  continued  until  1868,  when  it  suspended  publication. 

In  connection  with  the  Tribune  there  is  an  interesting  and  thrilling 
bit  of  Kansas  history,  and  that  was  the  publication  of  what  is  known 
as  "John  Speer's  Defy."     The  first  territorial  legislature  passed  a  law 


360  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

providing  that  any  person  writing,  printing  or  publishing  any  denial 
of  the  right  to  hold  slaves  in  the  Territory  of  Kansas  should  be  sub- 
ject to  imprisonment  for  not  less  than  two  years,  and  fixed  the  15th 
of  Sept.,  1855,  as  the  date  when  the  law  should  go  into  effect.  On  that 
day  Mr.  Speer  devoted  a  full  page  of  the  Tribune  to  his  "Defy,"  which 
was  printed  in  display  type  under  the  headline:  "The  Day  of  Our 
Enslavement !  I"  This  was  followed  by  the  section  of  the  law  inflicting 
the  penalty  of  imprisonment,  after  which  Mr.  Speer  continued:  "Now 
we  do  assert  and  we  declare,  despite  all  the  bolts  and  bars  of  the  in- 
iquitous legislature  of  Kansas,  that  persons  have  not  the  right  to  hold 
slaves  in  this  territory.  .\nd  we  will  emblazon  it  upon  our  banner  in 
letters  so  large  and  language  so  plain  that  the  infatuated  invaders  who 
elected  the  Kansas  legislature,  as  well  as  that  corrupt  and  ignorant 
legislature  itself,  may  understand  it — so  that,  if  they  cannot  read,  they 
ma\'  s])ell  it  out.  and  meditate  and  deliberate  upon  it;  and  we  hold  that 
the  man  who  fails  to  utter  this  self-evident  truth,  on  account  of  the  in- 
solent enactment  alluded  to,  is  a  poltroon  and  a  slave,  worse  than  the 
black  slaves  of  our  persecutors  and  oppressors.  The  constitution  of 
the  L'nited  States,  the  great  Magna  Charta  of  American  liberties,  guar- 
antees to  every  citizen  the  liberty  of  speech  and  the  freedom  of  the 
press !  And  this  is  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  America  that  a  body 
claiming  legislative  powers  has  dared  to  attempt  to  wrest  them  from  the 
people.  .'\nd  it  is  not  only  the  right,  but  the  bounden  duty  of  every 
freeman  to  spurn  with  contempt  and  trample  under  foot  an  enactment 
which  thus  basely  violates  the  right  of  freemen.  For  our  part  we  do 
and  shall  continue  to  utter  this  truth  so  long  as  we  have  the  power  of 
utterance,  and  nothing  but  the  brute  force  of  an  overpowering  tyranny 
can  prevent  us." 

On  Oct.  21,  1854,  appeared  the  first  number  of  the  Herald  of  Free- 
dom. It  was  issued  by  G.  W.  Brown  and  was  dated  at  Wakarusa, 
Kan.,  though  it  was  printed  in  Pennsylvania.  The  second  number  was 
published  at  Lawrence  on  Jan.  6,  1855.  Cutler  says:  "The  Herald  of 
Freedom  was  the  first  paper  printed  as  a  Kansas  paper,  and  the  first 
paper  printed  at  Lawrence,  although  the  date  of  its  second  issue,  the 
first  printed  on  Kansas  soil,  was  later  than  that  of  the  Tribune,  as  the 
latter  was  antedated." 

Cutler's  statement  that  the  second  issue  of  the  Herald  of  Freedom 
was  the  first  paper  "printed  on  Kansas  soil"  is  obviously  an  error,  as 
the  fact  is  well  established  that  the  Leavenworth  Herald  was  printed 
on  Kansas  soil  the  previous  September.  There  seems  to  be  some  con- 
troversy as  to  which  was  really  the  first  paper  printed  in  Lawrence, 
josiah  Miller  and  R.  G.  Elliott  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Kansas 
Free  State  some  time  in  Jan.,  1855,  and  a  writer  in  the  Kansas  His- 
torical Collections  (vol.  10,  p.  191)  sa3'S  it  was  the  first  paper  pub- 
lished in  Lawrence. 

The  offices  of  both  the  Herald  of  Freedom  and  the  Free  State  were 
destroyed  by  the  raid  of  May  21,  1856.     The  latter  was  revived  by  Mr 


KANSAS    HISTORY  36I 

Elliott  and  published  for  a  short  time  at  Delaware.  The  Herald  of 
Freedom  was  reestablished  in  Nov.,  1856,  and  was  published  without  in- 
termission until  in  1869,  when  it  suspended. 

In  the  meantime  the  Kickapoo  Pioneer,  a  rabid  pro-slavery  paper,  be- 
gan its  existence  in  Nov.,  1854,  with  A.  B.  Hazzard  as  editor  and  pro- 
prietor. This  was  the  paper  that  appropriated  the  name  John  Speer  had 
selected  for  the  Kansas  Tribune.  The  Pioneer  continued  for  some  three 
years,  when  it  perished  for  want  of  support,  the  fate  that  often  befalls 
a  newspaper  in  a  new  country. 

On  Feb.  3,  1855,  Dr.  John  H.  Stringfellow  and  Robert  S.  Kelly  is- 
sued at  Atchison  the  first  number  of  the  Squatter  Sovereign,  a  paper 
with  strong  pro-slavery  sentiments.  It  had  formerly  been  published  at 
Liberty,  Mo.,  under  the  name  of  the  Democratic  Platform.  In  the 
spring  of  1857  it  was  purchased  by  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  Robert  McBratney 
and  F.  G.  Adams,  who  changed  its  policy  and  published  it  as  a  free- 
state  paper  until  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  when  Mr.  Pomeroy  became 
the  sole  owner.  Soon  afterward  he  sold  the  paper  to  O.  F.  Short,  who 
in  turn  sold  it  in  Feb.,  1858,  to  John  A.  Martin.  Mr.  Martin  changed  the 
name  to  the  Atchison  Champion  and  on  March  22,  1865,  began  the  pub- 
lication of  a  daily  edition.  On  Aug.  11,  1868,  the  paper  was  consolidated 
with  the  Free  Press,  which  had  been  established  by  F.  G.  Adams  in 
May,  1864,  and  the  name  Champion  and  Press  was  adopted,  with  John 
A.  Martin  and  Frank  A.  Root  as  publishers.  Mr.  Root  retired  in  the 
spring  of  1869.  Subsequently  the  word  Press  was  dropped  and  the 
publication  continued  under  the  old  name  of  Champion. 

The  Kansas  Freeman  first  appeared  on  July  4,  1855.  It  was  pub- 
lished at  Topeka  by  E.  C.  K.  Garvey,  who  issued  a  daily  evening  edi- 
tion during  the  sittings  of  the  Topeka  constitutional  convention.  The 
Freeman  expired  in  the  spring  of  1856.  Another  paper  that  began  its 
existence  in  1855  was  the  Southern  Kansan,  a  Democratic  sheet,  the 
first  number  of  which  was  issued  at  Fort  Scott  some  time  in  August. 
It  lived  but  a  short  time,  and  the  proprietor's  name  seems  to  have  been 
forgotten.  The  Territorial  Register  was  also  started  at  Leavenworth  in 
1855.  It  was  published  by  Sevier  &  Delahay,  the  latter  being  the  editor, 
ind  the  first  number  was  issued  in  March.  Although  a  free-state  paper 
with  conservative  tendencies,  it  succeeded  in  arousing  the  animosity 
of  the  pro-slavery  element,  and  on  the  night  of  Dec.  22,  1855,  the  office 
was  practically  demolished  by  an  organization  called  the  "Kickapoo 
Rangers,"  the  t3'pe,  etc.,  being  thrown  into  the  Missouri  river. 

Several  new  papers  were  launched  in  the  year  1856,  the  most  im- 
portant ones  being  the  Lecompton  Union,  the  Leavenworth  Journal 
and  the  Doniphan  Constitutionalist.  The  Lecompton  Union  was  found- 
ed in  the  spring  by  Jones  &  Faris,  but  the  latter  was  soon  succeeded 
by  a  man  named  Bennett.  It  suspended  in  1861,  when  the  outfit  was 
removed  to  Marvsville.  The  Leavenworth  Journal  was  established 
about  the  same  time  as  the  Union  by  Col.  S.  S.  Goode.  It  ran  along 
under  different  proprietors  until  the  early  part  of  1859,  when  the  build- 


2b2  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

ing  in  which  the  office  of  publication  was  located  fell  in  and  inflicted 
such  serious  damage  that  after  a  few  numbers  were  printed  at  the  office 
of  the  Times  the  paper  suspended.  The  Doniphan  Constitutionalist 
was  founded  by  Thomas  J.  Key,  a  Southerner,  who  conducted  it  until 
July,  1858,  when  it  was  forced  by  circumstances  to  suspend.  The  out- 
fit was  removed  to  Iowa  Point  and  used  in  publishing  a  paper  called 
the  Enquirer  for  a  short  time.  Mr.  Key  then  returned  to  the  South 
and  the  Enquirer  passed  out  of  existence.  All  these  papers  were  some- 
what aggressive  in  their  advocacy  of  slavery,  and  the  growing  sentim.ent 
in  favor  of  making  Kansas  a  free  state  was  no  doubt  largely  responsi- 
ble for  their  discontinuance. 

That  the  free-state  sentiment  was  increasing  at  this  time  is  evidenced 
by  the  newspapers  founded  during  the  year  1857.  Out  of  a  dozen  new* 
publications  established  in  that  year,  eight  were  open  and  avowed  sup- 
porters of  the  free-state  cause,  two  others  showed  leanings  that  way, 
one  professed  neutrality,  and  only  one  was  an  advocate  of  the  pro-slavery 
ideas.  The  Leavenworth  Times  first  appeared  on  March  7,  1857.  It  was 
one  of  the  free-state  papers,  published  by  a  stock  company  with  Robert 
Crozier,  afterward  chief  justice  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court,  as  editor. 
The  first  daily  Times  was  issued  on  Feb.  15,  1858.  During  the  next  ten 
years  it  was  edited  by  various  persons,  and  in  Sept.,  1868,  it  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  Conservative,  which  was  first  published  in  Jan.,  1861,  and 
for  a  time  was  published  under  the  name  of  the  Times  and  Conservative. 
Then  the  latter  part  of  the  name  was  dropped  and  the  paper  has  since 
been  issued  as  the  Times. 

In  April,  1857,  Babb  &  Walden  began  the  publication  of  a  free-state 
paper  at  Quindaro  called  the  Chindowan.  After  running  it  about  a  year 
the  publishers  were  forced  to  suspend,  but  the  paper  was  later  revised 
and  published  for  a  time  by  the  Quindaro  board  of  trade,  of  which 
Alfred  Gray  was  president. 

The  Wyandotte  Democrat  began  its  existence  in  May,  1857,  with  J. 
A.  Berry's  name  at  the  head  of  the  editorial  columns.  It  was  the  only 
paper  started  in  Kansas  in  this  year  that  espoused  the  cause  of  slavery. 
After  running  a  while  at  Wwandotte  the  outfit  was  removed  to  Pleas- 
anton  in  Linn  county. 

M.  W.  Delahay,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Register  at  Leavenworth 
in  1855,  established  the  Wyandotte  Reporter  in  the  spring  of  1857,  but 
before  the  close  of  the  year  sold  the  plant  to  S.  D.  McDonald. 

On  May  28,  1857,  the  Lawrence  Republican  first  appeared,  with  Nor- 
man Allen  as  proprietor  and  T.  D.  Thacher  as  editor.  In  the  summer  of 
the  following  year  three  of  the  Thachers  bought  out  Mr.  Allen,  and  in 
Dec,  i860,  the  paper  was  sold  to  John  Speer,  who  on  Sept.  4,  1862,  sold 
it  back  to  T.  D.  Thacher.  The  office  of  the  Republican  was  destroyed  by 
Quantrill  and  his  gang  of  guerrillas  on  Aug.  21,  1863,  but  the  paper  was 
promptly  reestablished  by  Mr.  Thacher,  who  continued  to  publish  it 
until  March  4,  1869,  when  it  was  consolidated  with  the  State  Journal  and 
the  Ottawa  Home  Journal.    After  this  arrangement  the  daily  edition  was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  363 

called  the  Republican  Daily  Journal  and  the  weekly  the  Western  Home 
Journal.  Under  various  owners  and  managers  the  paper  continued  until 
in  1876,  when  the  Lawrence  Journal  company  was  organized  and  took 
over  the  plant. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May,  1857,  Sol.  Miller  began  the  publication  of  a 
free-state  paper  called  the  Chief  at  White  Cloud,  Doniphan  county.  On 
July  4,  1872,  the  office  of  publication  was  removed  to  Tro}',  where  it  was 
conducted  by  Mr.  Miller  until  his  death,  the  paper  at  that  being  the  old- 
est in  Kansas  under  one  continuous  management.  The  Chief  is  still 
running  (191 1). 

Two  other  papers  were  started  in  Doniphan  county  in  1857,  viz :  the 
Era  at  Geary  City,  and  the  Elwood  Advertiser.  The  former  was  estab- 
lished in  June;  was  free-state  in  its  political  sentiments,  and  was  edited 
by  Dr.  E.  H.  Grant,  Joseph  Thompson  and  Earl  Marble.  The  Era 
passed  out  of  existence  in  the  fall  of  1858.  The  Advertiser  was  started 
in  July  by  Fairman  &  Newman.  It  was  neutral  in  political  matters, 
owing  to  the  difference  of  opinion  on  the  part  of  the  publishers,  Fairman 
being  a  free-state  man  and  Newman  a  pro-slavery  advocate.  A  few 
months  later  the  firm  was  succeeded  by  a  company  and  Edward  Russell 
was  installed  as  editor.  It  evidently  had  a  struggle  for  existence,  as  it 
changed  hands  several  times  during  the  next  year,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1858-59  it  was  succeeded  by  a  paper  called  the  Free  Press,  published  by 
Robert  and  Frank  Tracy.  The  political  policy  was  changed  to  an 
espousal  of  Republican  doctrines,  the  editors  being  D.  W^  Wilder  and 
A.  L.  Lee.  The  Free  Press  suspended  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1861.  and 
the  materials  were  purchased  in  the  spring  of  1864  by  John  T.  Snoddy 
for  the  publication  of  the  Border  Sentinel  at  Mound  City,  Linn  county. 

On  June  25,  1857,  appeared  the  first  number  of  the  Freeman's  Cham- 
pion, which  was  published  at  Prairie  City  by  S.  S.  Prouty,  the  initial  edi- 
tion being  printed  in  a  tent  erected  by  some  women  for  the  purpose. 
The  type  used  by  Mr.  Prouty  in  this  enterprise  was  that  formerly 
employed  in  publishing  the  Herald  of  Freedom  and  the  press  was  the 
one  brought  to  Kansas  in  1833  by  Mr.  Meeker.  After  eleven  issues  the 
paper  suspended  for  about  three  months,  when  it  was  revived  by  Mr. 
Prouty  and  O.  P.  Willett  and  published  until  Sept.,  1858,  when  it  again 
suspended  never  to  be  resuscitated. 

In  July,  1857,  Dr.  Carl  F.  Kob  began  the  publication  of  the  Kansas 
Zeitung  at  Atchison.  This  was  the  first  German  paper  in  Kansas.  It 
was  issued  weekly  by  Dr.  Kob  until  about  the  beginning  of  1859,  when 
he  sold  it  to  a  man  named  Soussman  (or  Sussman),  who  removed  it  to 
Leavenworth.  In  March,  1868,  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Journal 
and  continued  under  the  name  of  the  Kansas  Staats  Zeitung.  The 
Journal  had  been  started  by  Soussman  &  Kempf  in  March,  1865.  Sub- 
sequently the  Staats  Zeitung  was  merged  into  the  Freie  Presse,  which 
had  been  established  by  John  M.  Haberlein  on  April  i,  1869. 

Late  in  the  year  1857  the  Wyandotte  Citizen  was  started  by  Ephraim 
Abbott.     It  was  succeeded  by  the  Western  Argus,  which  in  turn  was 


364  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

absorbed  by  the  Wyandotte  Gazette,  which  was  established  by  S.  D. 
McDonald  in  Aug.,  1858.  Another  paper  founded  in  the  latter  part  of 
1857  was  the  Young  America,  which  was  established  by  George  W. 
McLane  at  Leavenworth.  It  was  an  independent  journal,  but  inclined 
to  support  the  free-state  cause.  Later  the  name  was  changed  to  the 
Daily  Ledger  and  Ward  Burlingame  was  employed  as  an  editorial 
writer.     The  Ledger  suspended  in  July,  1859. 

Among  the  papers  founded  in  the  year  1858,  probably  the  most  impor- 
tant were  the  Wyandotte  Gazette  mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph, 
the  Crusader  of  Freedom,  the  National  Democrat  and  the  Junction  City 
Sentinel.  The  National  Democrat  began  its  career  at  Lecompton  on 
Feb.  23,  under  the  editorial  management  of  S.  \\'.  Driggs,  who  was  also 
the  proprietor.  The  leading  editorials  were  written  by  the  territorial 
officials.  Govs.  Walker,  Medary,  Stanton  and  Walsh  all  contributing  to 
its  columns.  In  Oct.,  i860,  it  was  removed  to  Atchison,  and  on  June  20, 
1861,  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Atchison  Bulletin.  Early  the  fol- 
lowing year  it  went  out  of  business  and  the  materials  were  subsequently 
used  to  publish  the  Leavenworth  Inquirer.  The  Crusader  of  Freedom 
was  started  early  in  the  year  at  Doniphan  by  James  Redpath.  It  was  a 
pronounced  Abolitionist  sheet  and  was  the  personal  organ  of  Gen.  James 
H.  Lane,  eloquently  pressing  his  claims  for  the  presidency.  In  a  short 
time,  however,  a  quarrel  arose  between  Lane  and  Redpath  and  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Crusader  was  discontinued  after  one  number  had  been 
devoted  almost  exclusively  to  a  bitter  denunciation  of  Lane  for  his 
ingratitude,  etc. 

The  leading  papers  founded  in  1859  were  the  Western  Kansas  Express, 
the  Kansas  Press,  the  Kansas  State  Record  and  the  Kansas  Tribune. 
The  Western  Kansas  Express,  the  first  paper  published  in  Riley  county, 
was  founded  by  C.  F.  DeVivaldi,  the  first  number  being  issued  on  May 
4,  1859.  The  press  and  type  were  taken  up  the  Kansas  river  on  a  steam- 
boat. In  i860  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Manhattan  Express.  On 
May  30,  1859,  S.  N.  Wood  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Kansas  Press 
at  Cottonwood  Falls,  but  later  in  the  year  removed  to  Council  Grove. 
Later  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Council  Grove  Press.  On  Oct.  i, 
1859,  E.  G.  and  W.  W.  Ross  began  the  publication  of  the  Kansas  State 
Record.  After  various  changes  in  ownership  it  was  finally  absorbed  by 
the  Topeka  Commonwealth.  The  Kansas  Tribune  was  established  at 
Quindaro  in  the  fall  of  the  year  by  Francis  &  Davis,  the  materials  of  the 
old  Chindowan  being  used  in  publishing  the  paper.  In  1861  the  office 
was  removed  to  Olathe. 

Other  papers  established  during  the  territorial  days  were  the  Southern 
Kansas  Herald  at  Osawatomie  in  the  winter  of  1856-57;  the  Palmetto 
Kansan  at  Marysville  in  Dec,  1857;  the  Kansas  Leader  at  Centropolis, 
Franklin  county,  in  the  fall  of  1865 ;  the  Linn  County  Herald  at  Mound 
City  in  April,  1859;  the  Grasshopper  in  Jeflferson  county  in  the  spring  of 
1858;  the  Cricket  at  Holton  in  the  fall  of  1858;  the  Troy  Democrat  and 
the  Palermo  Leader  in  1858;  the  Ottumwa  Journal  in  the  fall  of  1857; 
the  Olathe  Herald  and  the  Neosho  Valley  Register  in  Sept.,  1859. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  365 

During  the  years  from  1854  to  i860  more  history  was  made  in  Kansas 
than  was  ever  made  in  any  state  in  the  same  length  of  time.  Conse- 
quently the  territory  offered  a  promising  field  to  the  adventurous  and 
enterprising  journalist.  Among  the  early  local  editors  were  such  men  as 
John  Speer,  T.  D.  Thacher,  George  W.  Brown,  R.  G.  Elliott,  Sol.  Miller, 
D.  W.  Wilder,  D.  R,  Anthony,  John  J.  Ingalls,  Ward  Burlingame  and 
Albert  H.  Horton — men  of  ability,  courage  and  resourcefulness — to 
whom  much  of  the  credit  is  due  for  making  Kansas  a  free  state.  Jour- 
nalism was  not  confined  to  local  talent  during  these  early  days.  A  num- 
ber of  metropolitan  newspapers  kept  correspondents  in  Kansas  con- 
stantly on  the  lookout  for  news  "from  the  seat  of  war."  Among  these 
correspondents  were  William  A.  Phillips,  Richard  J.  Hinton,  James  M. 
Winchell,  James  Redpath,  Albert  Richardson.  A.  D.  Brewerton,  Richard 
Realf  and  James  F.  Tappan,  whose  names  are  inseparably  connected 
with  the  newspaper  history  of  "Bleeding  Kansas." 

With  the  admission  of  Kansas  to  statehood,  journalism  took  on  a  dif- 
ferent tone.  The  question  of  slavery  that  had  so  long  agitated  the  ter- 
ritor}'  was  settled  by  the  Wyandotte  constitution  and  new  issues  arose 
for  discussion  in  the  public  press.  In  a  short  time  the  war  of  secession 
overshadowed  all  other  subjects.  Practically  every  paper  published  in 
Kansas  took  a  firm  stand  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union  and  a  vig- 
orous prosecution  of  the  war. 

The  development  of  the  press  in  a  state  is  an  index  to  the  growth  of 
the  state's  industries  and  institutions.  During  the  decade  following 
the  admission  of  Kansas  a  large  number  of  newspapers  sprang  up  in 
different  parts  of  the  state,  most  of  them  in  the  last  half  of  the  decade, 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  The  following  list  of  newspapers  estab- 
lished during  this  period  may  not  be  absolutely  correct,  but  it  is  approx- 
imately SO,  and  gives  some  idea  of  the  progress  of  Kansas  in  the  first  ten 
years  of  her  statehood. 

1861 — Leavenworth  Conservative,  Olathe  Mirror,  Smoky  Hill  and 
Republican  Union  (now  Junction  City  Union),  Kansas  Frontier  at 
Junction  City,  Brown  County  Union,  Paola  Chief. 

1862 — Bourbon  County  Monitor,  Doniphan  County  Patriot,  Leaven- 
worth Evening  Bulletin.  In  1871  the  last  named  was  consolidated  with 
the  Leavenworth  Times. 

1863 — Manhattan  Independent,  Nemaha  Courier,  Osage  County 
Chronicle.  The  Kansas  Farmer,  the  fir.st  agricultural  paper  in  the  state, 
was  also  established  in  1863  by  L.  D.  Bailey,  president  of  the  state 
agricultural  society.  It  is  still  running,  the  publication  office  being  at 
Topeka. 

1864 — LTnion  Sentinel  at  Hiawatha,  Marysville  Enterprise,  Humboidt 
Herald,  Troy  Investigator,  Kansas  Patriot  at  Burlington,  Baldwin  City 
Observer,  Kansas  News  Journal  at  Minneola,  Home  Circle  at  Baldwin, 
Young  America  at  Baldwin,  and  the  Hampden  Expositor. 

1865— Garnett  Plaindealer,  Kansas  New  Era  at  Lecompton,  Topeka 
Leader  (afterward  consolidated  with  the  Commonwealth),  Kansas 
Journal  at  Leavenworth. 


366  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

1866 — North  Lawrence  Courier  (name  changed  to  Kaw  Valley 
Courier),  Die  Fackel  (The  Torch),  at  Wyandotte,  Leavenworth  Com- 
mercial, Humboldt  Union,  Fort  Scott  Press,  Miami  Republican,  Chase 
County  Banner,  Paola  Advertiser. 

1867 — Atchison  Patriot,  Baxter  Springs  Herald,  Jackson  County 
News,  Pottawatomie  Gazette  at  Louisville,  Railway  Advance  at  Hays 
City,  Kansas  Family  Visitor  at  Baldwin,  Kansas  Central  at  Olathe, 
Salina  Herald,  Allen  County  Courant,  Leavenworth  Medical  Herald. 

1 868 — Anderson  County  Expositor,  Cherokee  Sentinel  at  Baxter 
Springs,  Ellsworth  Advocate,  Eureka  Herald,  Jacksonville  Eagle, 
Oswego  Register,  Leavenworth  Evening  Call,  Lawrence  Freie  Presse, 
Junction  City  Avalanche,  Jackson  County  Democrat,  Neosho  Valley 
Eagle  at  Jacksonville,  Osage  Rlission  Journal  at  the  Osage  mission  in 
Neosho  county. 

1869 — Independence  Pioneer,  Council  Grove  Advertiser,  Seneca  Mer- 
cury, Fort  Scott  Evening  Post,  Girard  Press,  People's  Vindicator  at 
Girard,  Ottawa  Herald,  Wamego  Courier,  Wabaunsee  County  Herald, 
Frontier  Democrat  in  Woodson  county,  and  the  Workingmen's  Journal 
at  Columbus. 

1870 — This  was  the  banner  year  of  the  decade  in  the  number  of  new 
publications  founded,  to-wit :  Abilene  Chronicle,  Altoona  Union, 
Augusta  Crescent,  Belleville  Telescope,  Council  Grove  Democrat,  Cow- 
ley County  Censor,  Elk  Falls  Examiner,  Fontana  Gazette,  Fort  Scott 
Democrat,  Fort  Scott  Telegram,  Guilford  Citizen,  Hiawatha  Dispatch, 
Howard  County  Ledger,  Kansas  Democrat  at  Independence,  Kansas 
Reporter  at  Louisville,  La  Cygne  Journal,  Lawrence  Standard,  Neo- 
desha  Enterprise,  New  Chicago  Transcript,  Olathe  News  Letter,  Osage 
County  Observer,  Parker  Record,  Perryville  Times,  Republican  Valley 
Empire  at  Clyde,  Seneca  Independent  Press,  Solomon  Valley  Pioneer  at 
Lindsay,  Southern  Kansas  Statesman  at  Humboldt,  Spring  Hill  Enter- 
prise, Topeka  Independent,  Vidette  at  Wichita,  Walnut  Valley  Times 
at  Eldorado,  Waterville  Telegraph,  Western  News  at  Detroit,  Westralia 
Vidette,  Wilson  County  Courier. 

Some  of  the  above  newspapers  have  passed  out  of  existence,  and 
others  have  been  absorbed  by  or  consolidated  with  other  publications. 
An  instance  of  this  character  is  seen  in  the  case  of  the  Topeka  Common- 
wealth which  was  started  in  May,  1869  by  S.  S.  Prouty  and  J.  B.  Davis. 
It  absorbed  the  Topeka  Leader  and  Daily  State  Record,  and  was  in  turn 
merged  with  the  Topeka  Capital  which  was  founded  in  April,  1879,  by 
Hudson  &  Ewing.  Another  example  is  that  of  the  old  Topeka  Blade, 
an  evening  independent  paper  which  began  its  -existence  on  Aug.  i, 
1873,  with  J.  C.  Swayze  as  editor  and  proprietor.  Mr.  Swayze  was 
killed  in  a  street  flight  by  J.  W.  Wilson,  a  son  of  V.  P.  Wilson,  pub- 
lisher of  the  North  Topeka  Times,  and  Mrs.  Swayze  sold  the  Blade  to 
George  W.  Reed.  The  last  issue  of  the  Blade  was  on  Sept.  30,  1879,  and 
the  next  day  it  appeared  as  the  Daily  Kansas  State  Journal,  Reed  & 
Sewell  publishers.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  present  Topeka  State 
Journal. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  367 

If  one  were  asked  to  name  the  25  leading  newspapers  of  Kansas  in 
191 1  he  would  probably  select  the  following:  Atchison  Globe,  Atchison 
Champion,  Beloit  Gazette,  Coffeyville  Journal,  Emporia  Gazette,  Fort 
Scott  Monitor,  Girard  Press,  lola  Register,  Junction  City  Union,  Law- 
rence Journal,  Leavenworth  Times,  Manhattan  Nationalist,  Marshall 
County  News,  Olathe  Mirror,  Ottawa  Republic.  Topeka  Capital.  Topeka 
State  Journal,  Troy  Chief,  Waterville  Telegraph,  Wichita  Beacon,  Wich- 
ita Eagle,  Wilson  County  Citizen,  Winfield  Courier,  Wyandotte  Gazette. 
(See  sketches  of  the  various  counties  for  local  newspapers.) 

In  addition  to  the  general  newspapers  of  the  state,  there  are  a  number 
of  publications  devoted  to  literature,  the  professions  and  occupations, 
education,  trade  and  commerce,  manufactures,  fraternal  societies,  reli- 
gious and  charitable  work,  etc. 

Newton,  the  judicial  seat  and  largest  town  in  Harvey  county,  and  one 
of  the  thriving  cities  of  central  Kansas,  is  located  30  miles  north  of 
Wichita  and  33  miles  east  of  Hutchinson.  It  is  the  division  point  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  and  the  pay  roll  of  the  employees  at 
this  point  amounts  to  about  $85,000  per  month.  It  is  also  a  station  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific.  The  abundance  of  natural  gas  has  made  Newton 
a  manufacturing  town.  It  has  a  grain  drill  factory,  an  alfalfa  mill,  a 
wagon  works,  a  threshing  machine  factory,  cornice  works,  and  a  num- 
ber of  small  plants  devoted  to  various  productions.  In  addition  to  the 
public  schools,  which  are  second  to  none  in  the  state,  Newton  has  two 
colleges,  Bethel  College  (Mennonite)  and  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
(Congregational).  The  business  interests  include  4  banks,  a  daily  news- 
paper (the  Evening  Journal),  three  weeklies  (the  Journal,  the  Kansas 
Republican,  and  the  Post),  and  the  Volksblatt  (German),  a  building  and 
loan  association,  a  creamery,  3  flour  mills  with  a  capacity  of  1,200  bar- 
rels daily,  3  large  elevators,  and  a  number  of  well  appointed  stores. 
Arnong  the  metropolitan  conveniences  are  two  parks,  a  hospital,  city 
mail  boxes,  telephone  local  and  long  distance  service,  a  Carnegie 
library,  24  daily  passenger  trains,  waterworks,  an  efficient  sewer  system, 
electric  light  plant,  an  ice  plant  with  a  daily  capacity  of  60  tons,  all  the 
leading  fraternal  organizations,  17  churches  and  a  government  building. 
The  city  is  well  supplied  with  express  offices  and  telegraphic  communi- 
cations, and  has  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  seven  rural 
routes.    The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  7,862. 

The  first  building  to  occupy  the  town  site  of  Newton  was  brought 
from  Darlington  township  in  March,  1870.  Ten  years  later  a  thriving 
little  city  of  the  second  class,  with  handsome  brick  blocks,  fine  resi- 
dences, churches,  schools  and  newspapers  had  grown  up.  This  pros- 
perity was  largely  brought  about  by  the  completion  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  1871,  making  Newton  the  shipping  point 
for  the  immense  herds  of  Texas  cattle,  which  hitherto  had  been  driven 
to  Abilene.  The  cattle  trade  while  it  brought  a  great  deal  of  wealth  to 
the  town  had  its  disadvantages.  A  rough  element  held  sway  during  this 
time,  and  social  amusements  were  devised  for  the  "cowboy  trade"  that 


368  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

were  a  disgrace  to  any  community.  Every  person  went  armed,  liquor 
was  plentiful,  many  quarrels  were  engaged  in,  and  some  shooting  was 
done,  although  the  number  of  people  killed  in  these  border  towns  have 
been  always  exaggerated.  In  the  two  years  of  "cowboy  reign"  there  were 
but  12  men  killed  in  Newton.  In  1873,  the  railroad  having  been  extended 
to  Dodge  City  and  Wichita,  the  cattle  trade  moved  to  these  points,  leav- 
ing Newton  free  from  this  undersirable  element.  For  a  time  business 
was  dull  as  a  result  of  the  loss  and  this  state  of  affairs  was  augmented  by 
a  disastrous  fire  which  swept  out  the  best  part  of  the  business  section. 
However,  in  1875  the  town  recovered  from  both  and  began  a  new  and 
steady  development. 

Prior  to  1872,  Newton  was  without  government  in  any  form.  In  Feb- 
uary  of  that  year  it  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  and  at 
the  election  held  on  April  i,  the  following  officers  were  chosen:  Mayor, 
Tames  Gregory;  police  judge,  M.  J.  Hennessey;  councilmen,  E.  Cham- 
berlain, D.  Hamill,  Isaac  Thayer,  B.  C.  Arnott,  John  Winram.  The 
city  council  appointed  R.  B.  Lynch,  clerk;  G.  Chamberlain,  treasurer; 
D.  Skelley,  attorney ;  W.  Brooks,  marshal ;  Charles  Bowman,  assistant 
marshal.  In  1880  the  governor  proclaimed  Newton  a  city  of  the  second 
class,  and  it  was  divided  into  three  wards. 

The  postoffice  was  established  in  1871  with  W.  A.  Russell  postmaster. 
It  was  made  a  money  order  office  in  1874.  Newton  owns  and  operates 
its  own  water  system,  which  furnishes  an  abundance  of  water  of  supe- 
rior quality. 

New  Ulysses,  the  county  seat  of  Grant  county,  is  located  just  west 
of  the  center,  20  miles  south  of  Hartland  in  Kearny  county,  the  nearest 
shipping  point.  It  has  a  bank,  a  newspaper  (the  Grant  County  Republi- 
can), a  hotel,  a  number  of  well  stocked  mercantile  establishments,  and 
a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  175.  Ulysses  was  founded  in  the  '80s  before  the  organization  of  the 
county  in  1887,  and  was  located  in  the  geographical  center.  The  foun- 
ders had  a  furrow  plowed  to  Meade,  50  miles  away,  and  had  mile  posts 
set  up  announcing  the  number  of  miles  to  Ulysses,  and  added  "water 
40  feet."  This  brought  everybody  who  read  it  to  the  town,  as  water  was 
scarce.  They  soon  had  a  town  of  1,500  inhabitants,  with  15  stores,  6 
saloons.  3  banks,  3  large  hotels,  3  livery  barns,  several  restaurants,  2 
newspapers  and  an  abundance  of  real  estate  offices.  This  population 
later  dwindled  to  40.  In  1909  the  town  site  was  moved  to  its  present 
location.  (See  Grant  County).  This  town  appears  on  the  railroad  maps 
as  "Ulysses,"  but  the  U.  S.  postoffice  guide  gives  the  name  "New 
Ulysses." 

Niagara,  a  country  postoffice  in  Stevens  county,  is  located  in  Voor- 
hees  township,  12  miles  from  Hugoton,  the  county  seat,  and  about  20 
miles  from  Hooker,  Okla.,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  The  population 
in  1910  was  15. 

Nickel,  a  small  hamlet  of  Kiowa  county,  is  located  about  5  miles  from 
the  southwest  corner  on  a  tributarj^  of  Bluff  creek,  13  miles  from  Greens- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  369 

burg,  the  county  seat^,  and  lo  miles  south  of  Mullinville,  the  nearest 
railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from  which  mail  is  delivered  by  rural 
route. 

Nickerson,  the  second  largest  town  in  Reno  county,  is  located  on  the 
Arkansas  river,  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  Missouri 
Pacific  railroads,  12  miles  northwest  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat. 
This  is  the  location  of  Nickerson  College  and  of  the  Reno  county  high 
school,  which  was  established  by  act  of  the  legislature  in  1899.  There 
are  2  banks,  an  opera  house,  mills  and  elevators,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Argosy),  and  all  the  general  lines  of  retail  establishments.  The 
town  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  has  an  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice  with  two  .rural  routes.  The  city  is 
divided  into  three  wards  and  according  to  the  census  of  1910  had  1,195 
inhabitants. 

Nickerson  was  founded  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
company.  The  depot  was  built  in  1872  and  the  station  was  named  in 
honor  of  Thomas  Nickerson,  who  was  at  that  time  president  of  the 
company.  A  section  house  was  built  the  same  year.  In  1875  a  school 
house  was  erected.  It  was  not  until  Aug.,  1875,  that  anyone  came  to 
live  on  the  town  site.  At  that  time  Dr.  L.  A.  Reeves  built  a  two-story 
structure  and  opened  a  store.  These  buildings  comprised  "old  Nick- 
erson." In  1878  a  new  town  site  was  laid  off  on  land  owned  and  up  to 
this  time  farmed  by  Mr.  Sears.  Building  began  at  once  and  within  60 
days  after  the  town  was  surveyed  it  had  two  hotels,  a  dozen  stores,  2 
livery  stables,  2  lumber  yards,  and  a  printing  office.  The  first  building 
was  a  drug  store  put  up  by  M.  McCormick.  The  hotels  were  built  by 
James  DeVitt  and  A.  L.  Harlow.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1873 
with  Mrs.  M.  Sears  as  postmistress,  and  was  kept  in  a  little  sod  house. 
Later  Dr.  Reeves  was  postmaster  and  kept  the  office  in  his  store,  which 
he  moved  to  the  new  town  in  1878.  The  money  order  system  was  estab- 
lished in  1880.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  1874  by  Mary  Kinney. 
The  Nickerson  Argosy  was  established  in  1878  by  Sargent  &  Brown.  A 
wooden  bridge  was  completed  across  the  Arkansas  at  this  place  in  1879. 
Lodges,  churches  and  other  organizations  were  established  at  different 
times  during  the  '70s,  until  by  1880  all  the  leading  ones  were  represented. 
The  town  was  organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  June,  1879.  The 
first  set  of  city  officials  were:  Mayor,  Dr.  L.  A.  Reeves;  council,  M. 
McCormick,  C.  S.  Morse,  J.  O.  Smith,  H.  R.  Nickerson;  police  judge,  O. 
O.  Olmstead;  treasurer,  C.  E.  Heath;  clerk,  A.  H.  Jackson;  marshal,  J. 
D.  Reed. 

Nicodemus,  a  hamlet  in  Nicodemus  township,  Graham  county,  is 
located  near  the  mouth  of  Spring  creek,  12  miles  northeast  of  Hill  City, 
the  countv  seat,  and  6  miles  in  the  same  direction  from  Bogue.  the  near- 
est shipping  point.  It  is  on  the  daily  stage  line  between  Stockton  and 
Bogue;  has" a  money  order  postoffice,  and  in  1910  reported  a  population 
of  73.    This  was  the  location  of  one  of  the  negro  colonies  established  at 

( 11-24) 


370 


CYCLOPEDIA   OF 


the  time  of  the  exodus,  and  Nicodemus  was  the  name  of  an  ex-slave  who 
purchased  his  liberty  before  the  war. 

Niles,  one  of  the  thriving  litttle  towns  of  Ottawa  county,  is  located  on 
the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Lincoln  township  near  the  county  line,  i8 
miles  southeast  of  Minneapolis,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural 
route.  All  the  main  lines  of  business  activity  are  represented.  The 
population  in  iqio  was  200. 

Ninnescah  River,  an  important  stream  of  southern  Kansas,  is  com- 
posed of  two  branches.  The  north  fork  rises  in  the  southern  part  of 
Stafford  county  and  flows  northeastwardly  to  Plevna,  Reno  county, 
where  the  course  changes  to  southeast.  The  south  fork  has  its  source  in 
the  western  part  of  Pratt  county.  Its  course  is  almost  due  east  through 
Pratt  and  Kingman  counties  until  it  unites  with  the  north  fork  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  Sedgwick  county.  The  main  stream  then  flows 
southeast  and  empties  its  waters  into  the  Arkansas  river  near  the  town 
of  Oxford,  Sumner  county. 

Niotaze,  one  of  the  smaller  incorporated  towns  of  Chautauqua  county, 
is  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroads  on  the  North  Caney  river,  in  Little  Caney  township,  11 
miles  from  Sedan,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  shipping  point  for  grain,  live 
stock  and  produce  from  a  large  and  prosperous  farming  district.  It  has 
excellent  schools,  all  the  leading  denominations  of  churches,  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  317. 

Noble,  a  hamlet  in  Rice  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R. 
R.  7  miles  north  of  Lyons,  the  count}'  seat,  from  which  postoffice  its  mail 
is  distributed  by  rural  routes. 

Noll,  a  small  settlement  in  Atchison  county,  is  situated  on  the  Mis- 
souri river,  about  5  miles  below  Atchison.  Mail  is  received  through  the 
office  at  Oak  Mills. 

No  Man's  Land. — This  name  was  given  to  a  tract  of  land  three  degrees 
in  length  from  east  to  west,  lying  between  the  looth  and  103d  degree  of 
longitude,  and  one-half  a  degree  in  width  from  north  to  south,  extend- 
ing from  36°  30'  to  37°  north  latitude.  It  was  a  part  of  the  lands  ceded 
to  the  United  States  by  Texas  in  1850,  and  was  never  attached  to  any 
state  or  territory  until  1890,  when  it  Isecame  a  part  of  Oklahoma.  Hav- 
ing no  government  it  became  a  sort  of  rendezvous  for  outlaws  and  des- 
perate characters.  In  1885  and  1886,  during  the  heavy  immigration  into 
southwestern  Kansas  and  southeastern  Colorado,  many  settlers  located 
in  No  Man's  Land,  and  in  the  spring  of  1887  it  was  estimated  that  there 
was  a  population  of  at  least  6,000  people  within  its  borders.  Many  of 
these  settlers  had  made  improvements,  but  as  there  were  no  land  offices 
the  matter  of  titles  became  of  so  much  moment  that  the  matter  was 
brought  before  the  Kansas  legislature  at  its  session  in  1887,  when  a 
house  concurrent  resolution  relating  to  the  opening  of  No  Man's  Land 
was  introduced  and  passed,  as  follows: 


KANSAS    HISTORY  37I 

"Whereas,  The  public  strip  in  the  Indian  territory  known  as  No  Man's 
Land  has  been  settled  by  a  thrifty  and  enterprising  people,  with  the  view 
of  acquiring  the  rights  of  settlers  under  the  homestead  law;  and 

"Whereas,  They  are  withotit  the  protection  of  courts  of  justice,  and 
unable  to  perfect  title  or  acquire  rights  therein  to  lands  upon  which 
they  have  settled  and  made  lasting  improvements:  therefore,  be  it 
resolved  by  the  house  of  representatives  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  the 
senate  concurring  therein : 

"That  our  members  of  Congress  and  United  States  senators  be  and 
they  are  hereby  requested  to  use  their  influence  in  behalf  of  such  set- 
tlers; and  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  by  the  secretary  of  state 
forwarded  to  each  of  our  national  representatives." 

As  no  one  had  title  to  his  property,  claim  jumping  became  such  a  reg- 
ular business  that  the  settlers  organized  vigilance  committees  to  deal 
with  the  desperadoes,  and  claim  boards  whose  business  it  was  to  pass  on 
all  land  disputes.    Order  was  soon  restored  by  these  agencies. 

Nonchalanta,  a  postofifice  and  trading  point  in  Ness  county,  is  located 
15  miles  southwest  of  Ness  City,  the  county  seat,  and  lo  miles  south  of 
Laird,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  the  nearest  shipping 
point.    The  population  in  1910  was  69. 

Nonsectarian  Churches  of  the  Bible  Faith. — This  denomination  or 
confederation  of  churches  arose  as  the  result  of  the  preaching  of  Lyman 
H.  Johnson,  who  from  childhood  had  been  impressed  by  the  evils  of 
sectarianism.  He  believed  that  the  form  of  organization  of  the  different 
denominations  tended  to  gain  for  them  temporal  power  and  earthly 
success  rather  than  to  do  any  great  amount  of  Christian  work.  He  sup- 
ported his  belief  by  the  history  of  a  number  of  religious  communities 
such  as  the  Albigenses,  Quakers  and  others,  who  had  protested  against 
the  rigidity  of  church  organization.  While  a  minister  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  he  preached  against  the  evils  of  denominationalism,  and 
after  1865  he  preached  as  an  independent  minister.  Gradually  his  views 
found  acceptance  and  after  some  time  an  association  of  mutual  fellow- 
ship was  formed  with  headquarters  at  Boston,  Mass.  In  the  basis  of  this 
association  lies  what  the  members  believe  the  correct  interpretation  of 
the  term  church.  They  hold  that  churches  of  Christ  exist  outside  of  all 
sectarian  systems.  To  members  of  this  faith  the  word  ecclesia,  has  the 
meaning  called  out  "or  converted  out  of  the  world  by  a  change  of  heart 
into  the  assembly  of  Christians  on  earth."  Hence,  they  hold  that  the 
church  exists  where  one  person  is  thus  called  out  from  the  world.  They 
can  find  no  account  in  the  Bible  for  any  Christian  joining  the  church 
when  he  is  already  a  member  of  Christ  by  faith  and  they  believe  that  the 
descriptions  of  a  church  in  the  Bible  means  one  or  more  Christians  liv- 
ing together. 

In  doctrine  the  churches  agree  with  the  orthodox  evangelical  churches. 
They  believe  that  the  Bible  was  divinely  inspired,  accept  it  as  the  only 
rule  of  faith  and  practice,  but  reject  all  creeds  and  forms  of  discipline, 
No  general  ecclesiastical  organization  exists  and  no  head  over  the  mem- 


.^7^ 


CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 


bers  is  recognized  but  Chrisl.  The  elders  of  the  cliurch  are  regarded 
merel.v  as  teachers  and  have  no  ecclesiastical  authority.  The  only 
authority  they  regard  is  that  of  "truth,"  which  is  the  authority  of  God 
to  all  who  are  convinced  of  the  truth.  The  ministers  of  the  church 
receives  no  salary  and  all  necessary  expenses  connected  with  the 
church  are  met  by  voluntary  contributions.  This  church  has  had  a 
gradual  growth,  being  especially  strong  in  the  southwestern  states.  In 
1906  there  were  204  organizations,  located  in  28  states.  There  are  15 
organizations  in  Kansas  with  a  total  membership  of  331. 

Nora,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Pratt  county,  is  located  20  miles 
northwest  of  Pratt,  the  county  seat,  10  miles  south  of  Macksville  in 
StalTord  county,  its  nearest  shipping  point,  and  12  miles  north  of  Havi- 
land,  Kiowa  county,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural 
route. 

Norcatur,  an  incorporated  town  in  Decatur  county,  is  located  near  the 
east  line  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.,  18  miles  east  of 
Oberlin,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newsjjaper  (the  Dis- 
patch), a  number  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an 
international  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  pop- 
ulation according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  482. 

Norfolk,  a  hamlet  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  Freedom  township  16 
miles  southeast  of  Hays,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  south  of  Walker, 
the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  receives  its  mail  from  Gorham  in  Russell 
county,  ID  miles  to  the  north. 

Normal  Institutes. — In  1876  the  legislature  of  the  state  passed  a  law 
relating  to  county  normal  institutes,  which  law  was  supplemented  in 
1877.  This  law  made  it  the  duty  of  the  county  superintendents  of  public 
instruction  to  hold  annually  in  their  respective  counties  a  normal  insti- 
tute of  not  less  than  four  weeks.  To  defray  the  expenses  of  such  insti- 
tutes the  county  superintendents  were  directed  to  charge  each  person 
making  application  for  a  teacher's  certificate  a  fee  of  $1  and  $1  for  every 
person  enrolling  as  a  member  of  the  institute.  Also  it  was  made  the 
duty  of  the  state  to  pay  $50  for  the  support  of  each  county  normal  insti- 
tute in  which  there  should  be  an  enrollment  of  not  less  than  50  members, 
and  the  board  of  county  commissioners  was  empowered  to  aid  by  any 
sum  not  to  exceed  $100  annually. 

The  county  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  who  has  the  primary 
responsibility  of  holding  the  institute  "for  the  instruction  of  teachers 
and  those  desiring  to  teach,"  employs,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  the  conductors  and 
instructors  of  the  institute.  He  makes  selections  from  those  persons 
holding  certificates  authorizing  them  to  conduct  or  instruct  in  county 
normal  institutes.  These  certificates  are  granted  by  the  state  board  of 
education  to  persons  passing  high  qualifications  for  normal  institute 
work,  only  successful  teachers  of  large  experience  being  considered 
efficient  enough  to  hold  a  certificate.  By  virtue  of  its  authority,  the  state 
board  of  education  requires  the  holder  of  a  certificate  to  base  his  instruc- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  2,"^^ 

lion  upon  a  course  of  study  prepared  by  the  lioard  for  the  use  of  insti- 
tutes. The  course  of  study  is  printed  and  revised  from  year  to  year  as 
the  board  deems  wise.  It  is  also  graded  and  each  day's  work  is  outlined 
in  each  of  the  several  branches  for  the  entire  month.  This  method  of 
systematizing  the  work  of  the  county  institutes  is  of  highest  value,  as 
the  majority  of  teachers  obtain  their  insi)iration  and  training  in  the 
institute. 

These  institutes  are  steadily  improving  in  attendance  and  ni  the 
quality  of  work  done  by  both  instructor  and  student.  They  are  held  dur- 
ing the  summer  months.  The  subjects  taught  arc  reading,  grammar, 
mental  and  written  arithmetic,  physiology,  geography,  penmanship,  cal- 
isthenics, school  management,  methods  of  teaching,  civil  government, 
bookkeeping,  natural  philosophy,  botany  and  didactics.  Ilazelrigg  gives 
the  number  of  institutes  in  1878  as  68.  McDonald  says  that  in  1S92 
there  were  106  institutes,  105  of  which  enrolled  not  less  than  50  mem- 
bers and  were  entitled  to  state  aid.  The  expenditures  for  the  institutes 
was  $33,876.71  and  the  total  enrollment  11,918.  Tn  1908  E.  T.  Fairchild, 
state  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  showed  an  attendance  of 
11,243,  with  the  salaries  of  the  conductors  as  $7,410,  and  of  the  instruc- 
tors $26,706. 

Normal  School. —  (See  State  Normal  School.) 

North  Branch,  a  village  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  in  Highland  town- 
ship 21  miles  northwest  of  Mankato,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route  and  is  a  trading  center  for  the  neighborhood.  The 
population  of  1910  was  125. 

North  Cedar,  a  hamlet  of  Jefferson  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  in  Delaware  township,  16  miles  northwest  of  Oskaloosa, 
the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  from  Valley  Falls.  It  has  express  and  tele- 
graph offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 

Northcott,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Anderson  county, 
is  located  in  Indian  Creek  township  20  miles  southwest  of  Garnett,  the 
county  seat,  and  7  from  Colony,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 
There  is  one  general  store.    The  population  in  1910  was  37. 

Northfield,  a  hamlet  in  Sherman  county,  is  located  about  20  miles 
north  of  Brewster,  Thomas  count3\  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives 
mail  b_v  rural  delivery. 

North  Lawrence. — The  first  settlement  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Kan- 
sas river,  connected  with  the  main  city  of  Lawrence,  was  begun  about 
i860.  Previous  to  that  time  the  Delaware  Indians  had  erected  some 
cabins  there,  but  the  first  whites  were  John  Moorehead,  G.  J.  Tallman, 
Thomas  McGee  and  T.  S.  Murphy.  John  Baldwin  built  a  house  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  river  and  operated  the  first  ferry  for  a  number  of  years, 
until  the  bridge  was  built.  John  Moorehead  opened  the  first  store.  The 
postoffice  was  established  in  1865  under  the  name  of  Jeflferson,  with  G. 
J.  Tallman  as  the  first  postmaster.  The  following  year  320  acres  were 
platted  as  a  town  site  by  S.  N.  Simpson  and  settlement  rapidly  followed. 
At  the  first  election  G.  J.  Tallman  was  elected  president  of  the  board  of 


374 


CYCLOPEDIA    OK 


trustees;  H.  M.  Berry,  T.  McCage,  A.  C.  Miller  and  James  P^anklin  were 
elected  trustees,  and  H.  H.  Howard,  attorney.  In  1867  it  was  incorpo- 
rated as  a  city  of  the  second  class  under  a  charter  secured  from  the  leg- 
islature. At  the  first  election  under  the  new  form  of  government  G.  J. 
Tallman  was  elected  mayor;  A.  R.  Smith,  treasurer;  A.  Hoysradt,  clerk; 
T.  Beasler,  marshal;  and  H.  H.  Howard,  police  judge.  The  city  was 
divided  into  three  wards  and  three  councilmen  elected  from  each  ward. 
In  1869  the  residents  recognized  the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  annex- 
ation to  the  city  lying  south  of  the  river  and  an  attempt  was  made  to 
consolidate  the  two  settlements,  but  it  failed.  The  next  year  (1870)  the 
legislature  passed  an  act  by  which  North  Lawrence  surrendered  its 
charter  and  united  with  Lawrence. 

North  Wichita,  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  on  the  Athison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  5  miles  north  of  Wichita,  whence  it  receives  its  mail. 
(See  Wichita.) 

Norton,  the  county  seat  of  Norton  county,  is  an  incorporated  city  of 
the  third  class,  located  north  of  the  center  of  the  county,  on  the  Prairie 
Dog  creek  and  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads.  It  has  four  newspapers  (the  Telegram, 
a  daily  and  weekly,  the  Courier,  the  Champion  and  the  Norton  County 
News,  .weeklies),  an  opera  house,  waterworks,  an  electric  light  plant,  an 
ice  plant,  flour  mill,  grain  elevators,  fire  department,  brick  and  tile  works, 
2  banks,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postofifice  with  five  rural  routes.  This  is  the  seat  of  the  county  high 
school.    The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  1,787. 

Norton  was  founded  in  1872.  The  first  hotel  was  built  of  logs  in  1873. 
This  building  was  bought  by  George  Griffin  in  1884  and  in  1904  he  pre- 
sented it  to  the  Norton  women's  clubs,  who  moved  it  to  their  park  (Elm- 
wood)  and  it  is  now  used  as  a  place  to  hold  social  and  literary  meetings. 

Norton  County,  one  of  the  northern  tier,  is  the  fourth  from  Colorado. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  State  of  Nebraska ;  on  the  east  by 
Phillips  county  ;  on  the  south  by  Graham,  and  on  the  west  by  Decatur. 
It  was  created  in  1867  and  named  for  Orloff  Norton,  captain  of  Com- 
pany L,  Fifteenth  Kansas  cavalry.  The  boundaries  were  defined  as 
follows:  "Commencing  where  the  east  line  of  range  21  west  inter- 
sects the  40th  degree  of  north  latitude ;  thence  south  to  the  1st  standard 
parallel;  thence  west  to  the  east  line  of  range  26  west;  thence  north 
to  the  40th  degree  of  north  latitude ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 

It  is  30  miles  square.  The  county  was  prematurely  organized  in 
1872.  The  prime  mover  in  the  event  brought  about  the  organization  for 
the  purpose  of  exploitation.  He  disappeared  from  the  county  in  June  and 
went  to  Topeka.  where  he  prepared  a  forged  petition  and  presented 
it  to  Gov.  Harvey.  It  contained  but  8  names  of  residents  of  the  county. 
The  governor  refused  to  act  upon  it.  Immediately  he  prepared  an 
affidavit  stating  that  there  were  not  less  than  600  inhabitants  in  Norton 
county.     This  was  sent  to  the  governor  and  a  second  petition  stating 


KANSAS    HISTORY  375 

ihat  there  were  at  least  600  inliabitants  in  the  county  followed.  It 
asked  for  organization,  made  recommendation  for  officers  and  asked 
that  Billingsville  be  declared  the  temporary  county  seat.  Although 
this  petition  did  not  contain  the  name  of  a  single  resident  of  Norton 
county  the  governor  acted  upon  it  and  appointed  Richard  M.  John- 
son to  take  the  census.  As  Johnson  was  a  fictitious  character,  Billings 
had  things  his  own  way  in  regard  to  the  census,  and  a  bogus  census 
was  gotten  up  in  short  order.  It  was  presented  to  the  governor  on 
Aug.  22  and  the  same  day  the  proclamation  of  organization  was  issued 
declaring  Billingsville  the  temporary  county  seat  and  appointing  the 
following  officers:  Clerk,  David  C.  Coleman;  commissioners,  J.  \V. 
Vance,  S.  D.  Reed  and  James  Hall. 

The  commissioners  met  and  appointed  Sept.  24  as  the  day  for  the 
first  election.  Fort3--one  votes  were  cast.  Norton  received  38  for  county 
seat  and  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Treasurer,  Henry  Oliver; 
sheriff;  James  Hall;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  S.  Marsh;  surveyor, 
D.  W.  Mills;  probate  judge,  Edward  Newell;  register  of  deeds,  Samuel 
Newell ;  coroner,  William  Gibbon ;  commissioners,  \V.  J.  Vance,  Abram 
Louk  and  Peter  Hansen.  N.  H.  Billings  was  elected  county  attorney, 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  and  representative.  He  succeeded 
in  having  school  bonds  voted,  which  carried  by  only  one  vote,  that 
of  his  wife's  sister,  a  minor.  When  he  took  his  seat  in  the  legislature 
he  had  the  rights  of  majority  conferred  upon  her,  hoping  by  that 
means  to  make  the  election  legal.  During  that  session  a  measure  was 
introduced  in  the  house  of  representatives  as  a  joke  to  change  the  name 
of  Norton  county  to  Billings  to  tickle  the  vanity  of  that  member  whom 
his  fellow  law  makers  had  dubbed  in  jest  "the  fiery  untamed 
Demosthenes  of  Norton."  C.  C.  Vance  represented  the  county  at  the 
next  session  and  the  name  was  changed  back  to  Norton.  Another 
county  seat  election  was  held  in  1874  and  Norton  was  again  victorious. 

The  first  settlers  came  in  187 1,  and  the  first  homestead  was  taken 
by  George  Cole  in  September  of  that  year.  In  November  James  Hall, 
D.  C.  Coleman,  Charles  Brazee  and  Fred  Hyde  settled  in  the  county. 
In  the  spring  of  1872  a  party  composed  of  S.  Marsh,  Charles  Hill- 
singer,  Mott  Wood,  Henry  Oliver  and  Thomas  Brown  came  from  New 
York  to  the  Prairie  Dog  valley.  The  immigration  was  heavy  that  year. 
The  Indians  had  not  abandoned  this  part  of  the  country  yet  and  several 
"Indian  scares"  occurred.  At  one  time  a  band  of  Sioux  just  return- 
ing from  a  battle  with  the  Pawnees,  and  with  the  bloody  scalps  of  the 
latter  dangling  from  their  belts,  visited  the  settlers  and  indulged  in 
a  war  dance,  but  did  no  serious  damage. 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  J.  H.  Simmons  in  1873  with  16  pupils 
in  attendance.  The  first  physician  was  Mrs.  P.  A.  O.  Briggs.  She 
would  often  go  50  miles  in  the  worst  weather  to  see  patients  when 
she  knew  they  were  unable  to  pay  her  a  cent.  The  menu  at  the  first 
wedding  was  coffee,  ham  and  corn  bread.  The  first  postoffices  were 
at  West  Union  and   Port   Landis  in    1874.     Alfred  Coleman   and  John 


370  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Landis  were  the  first  postmasters.  The  first  general  merchandise  store 
was  established  at  Norton  in  1873  by  Newell  Bros.  The  first  term 
of  court  was  held  by  Judge  A.  J.  Banta  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  It 
occupied  20  minutes. 

According  to  the  bogus  census  of  1872  there  were  636  people  in  the 
county,  though  the  real  number  probably  did  not  exceed  one-third 
of  those  figures.  Ten  years  later  the  population  was  a  trifle  under 
6,000.  The  number  of  acres  under  cultivation  was  205,921,  having 
increased  from  3,156  in  1874.  The  value  of  agricultural  implements 
in  use  was  $23,000,  the  number  of  fruit  trees  about  25,000. 

The  population  in  1890  was  10,617,  that  of  1900  was  11,325,  that  of 
1910,  11,614.  These  figures  do  not  indicate  a  depression  such  as 
occurred  in  many  Kansas  counties,  especially  in  the  early  '90s.  The 
assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  v/as  $18,242,467.  The  total 
value  of  farm  products  that  year  was  $2,527,204.  Wheat,  the  prin- 
cipal crop,  was  worth  $647,519;  corn,  $307,633;  tame  grasses,  $271,430; 
prairie  grass,  $136,432;  oats,  $135,522;  sorghum,  $88,000;  I'Cafir  corn, 
$68,000.  Animals  sold  for  slaughter  brought  $531,501  ;  poultry  and 
eggs,  $103,978;  dairy  products,  $147,593.  There  were  more  than  $2,500,- 
000  worth  of  live  stock  in  the  county  and  85,000  bearing  fruit  trees. 

The  county  is  divided  into  23  townships — Aldine,  Almelo,  Almena, 
Belle  Plaine,  Center,  Clayton,  Crystal,  Emmett,  Garfield,  Grant,  Har- 
rison, Highland,  Lenora,  Leota,  Lincoln,  Modell,  Noble,  Orange,  Rock 
Branch,  Rockwell,  Sand  Creek,  Solomon  and  West  Union.  The  post- 
offices  in  1910  were  Almena,  Calvert,  Clayton,  Dellville,  Densmore, 
Devizes,  Edmond,  Lenora,  Norton  and  Oronoque. 

The  surface  is  prairie,  bottom  lands  comprising  15  per  cent.  The 
principal  streams  are:  Sappa  creek  in  the  northwest,  Prairie  Dog 
through  the  center,  and  the  north  fork  of  the  Solomon  in  the  south. 
They  are  lined  by  thin  belts  of  native  timber.  Limestone,  sandstone 
and  potter's  clay  are  found.  A  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R. 
enters  in  the  south  from  Phillips  county,  runs  west  and  terminates 
at  Lenora.  A  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy  enters  in 
the  northeast,  runs  southwest  to  Norton  and  west  into  Decatur  county. 
The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  enters  in  the  northeast  and  crosses 
southwest  through  Norton  into  Decatur  count^^ 

Nortonville,  an  incorporated  town  in  Jefiferson  county,  is  located  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Norton  township,  16  miles 
north  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat.  All  lines  of  business  are  repre- 
sented, including  2  banks  and  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News).  There 
are  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
three  rural  routes.  Nortonville  was  platted  in  1873  by  the  Arkansas 
Valley  town  company.  The  first  settler  was  John  Taggert,  who  opened 
a  store  in  that  year,  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  also  ticket  agent 
for  the  railroad  company.  A  $1,500  school  house  was  built  and  Miss 
Lucy  Gale  was  the  first  teacher.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  Clarence 
Cummings,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wesley  Cummings,  born   on   Oct.  8, 


KANSAS    HISTORY.  377 

1873.  The  first  death  was  the  wife  of  Dr.  R.  1).  Webb.  The  first  inar- 
n'ag-e  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1875  between  Jnhn  \V.  Davis  and  .Miss 
Rebecca  Taylor. 

Norway,  located  on  the  I^epublican  river  and  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  in  Norway  township  of  Republic  county,  is  16  miles  southwest 
of  Belleville,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  from  Scandis.  It  has  a 
money  order  postofitice,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  local  retail 
trade.     The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Norwich,  one  of  the  incorporated  cities  of  Kingman  county,  is  located 
in  Bennett  township  op  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the 
Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  21  miles  southeast  of  Kingman,  the  county 
seat.  There  are  over  20  retail  establishments,  a  flour  mill,  a  news- 
paper (the  Herald),  a  bank  and  3  churches.  The  principal  shipments 
are  live  stock,  produce  and  grain.  There  are  telegraph  and  express 
ofSces  and  a  mone}'  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  392. 

Norwood,  a  village  in  the  northern  part  of  Franklin  count}-,  is 
situated  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  7  miles  north  of 
Ottawa,  the  county  seat.  It  has  several  stores,  a  money  order  post- 
office,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  a  few  stores  and  is  the  shipping 
and  supply  point  of  the  rich  agricultural  district  by  which  it  is  sur- 
rounded.    In    1910  the  population  was  37. 

Notts,  a  country  postoffice  in  Morton  county,  is  located  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  Cimarron  river  near  the  west  line  of  the  state,  12  miles 
southwest  of  Richfield,  the  county  seat. 

Numa,  a  hamlet  in  Butler  county,  is  located  18  miles  south  of 
Eldorado,  the  count}'  seat,  5  miles  east  of  Gordon,  the  nearest  shipping 
point,  and  6  miles  northeast  of  Douglass,  the  postoffice  from  which  it 
■eceives  mail. 

Nuriez,  Alvarez,  Spanish  sailor  and  explorer,  surnamed  Cabega  de 
Vaca.  was  born  about  1490.  He  was  second  in  command  of  the  ill- 
fated  expedition  under  Narvaez  to  Florida  in  1527.  At  that  time 
Florida  included  all  the  unexplored  region  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 
When  Narvaez  was  lost  at  sea  Nuriez,  with  a  few  of  the  survivors, 
continued  westward  along  the  gulf  coast  until  they  were  cast  ashore 
on  an  island,  presumably  near  the  present  boundary  between  Louisiana 
and  Texas.  They  succeeded  in  reaching  the  mainland,  and  for  six  years 
were  prisoners  among  the  Indians.  In  the  spring  of  1536  Nuiiez  and 
three  of  his  companions  arrived  in  the  Spanish  settlements  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Mexico.  Soon  after  that  he  returned  to  Spain,  and  in  1540 
was  made  governor  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata.  He  explored  the  valley  of 
the  La  Plata  and  conquered  several  Indian  tribes,  but  upon  charges 
preferred  by  his  lieutenant,  de  Irala.  he  was  summoned  to  Spain, 
tried,  found  guilty  and  banished  to  Africa.  Eight  years  later  he  was 
recalled  by  the  king  and  appointed  judge  of  the  court  at  Seville,  where 
he  died  in  1564.  Some  twenty  years  before  his  death  there  was  pub- 
lished at  Valladolid  an  account  of  "the  Shipwrecks  of  Alvarez  Nunez," 


378  CYCI-OPliDlA    OF 

written  b\  his  secretary,  with  notes  and  comments  by  himself.  In 
this  work  mention  is  made  of  a  river  which  "poured  such  a  large  stream 
into  the  Gulf  that  we  took  fresh  water  from  the  sea,"  and  upon  this 
statement  some  writers  have  tried  to  establish  the  claim  that  Nuiiez 
discoV'Cred  the  Mississippi  before  De  Soto. 

In  1851  Buckingham  Smith,  while  secretary  of  the  American  legation 
at  Madrid,  found  and  translated  the  narrative  of  Nufiez's  wanderings 
in  the  interior  of  America,  written  at  Culiacan  in  May,  1536.  Accord- 
ing to  his  own  account  he  was  something  of  a  trader  while  among  the 
Indians,  as  he  tells  how  they  employed  him  to  go  from  one  place  to 
another  for  things  of  which  they  had  need,  the  Indians  being  unable 
to  do  so  themselves  because  of  the  hostility  among  the  tribes.  He 
says  his  chief  wares  were  ''pieces  of  sea  snails  and  their  cones,  conches 
that  are  used  for  cutting,  and  a  fruit  like  a  bean  of  the  highest  value 
among  them,  which  they  use  as  a  medicine  and  employ  in  their  dances 
and  festivities.  There  are  sea  beads  also,  and  other  articles.  Such 
were  what  I  carried  into  the  interior ;  and  in  barter  for  them,  I  brought 
back  skins,  ochre  whh  which  they  rub  and  color  their  faces ;  and  flint 
for  arrow  points,  cement  and  hard  canes  of  which  to  make  arrows, 
and  tassels  that  are  made  of  the  hair  of  the  deer  and  dyed  red." 

The  occupation  apparently  suited  him,  as  it  left  him  at  liberty  to 
go  where  he  pleased,  and  was  finally  the  means  of  permitting  him  to 
make  his  escape  from  captivity.  He  was  probably  the  first  white  man 
to  traverse  the  western  plains,  and  is  believed  by  some  to  have  fol- 
lowed the  Arkansas  river  from  the  neighborhood  of  Great  Bend  to 
near  Dodge  City,  whence  he  proceeded  southwest  toward  New  Mexico. 
It  was  the  report  of  Nufiez  and  his  companions  that  led  to  the  Coro- 
nado  expedition  (q.  v.)  a  little  later  in  search  of  the  seven  cities  of 
Cibola. 

o 

Oakhill,  a  little  town  in  Clay  county,  is  located  in  Oakland  township 
on  Chapman  creek,  and  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R., 
15  miles  southwest  of  Clay  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a 
number  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money 
order  postotfice  with  two  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  300. 

Oakland,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Shawnee  county, 
is  a  suburb  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat,  with  which  it  is  connected  by 
a  street  railway.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice.  A  number  of  nur- 
series and  large  woolen  mills  are  located  here.  There  is  one  newspaper 
(the  Oakland  Blade).  Many  of  the  people  residing  here  are  employed 
in  Topeka.     The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  1,465. 

Oakley,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Logan  county,  is 
located  in  Oakley  township,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R., 
and  is  the  terminus  of  the  Colby  &  Oakley  branch  of  the  same  road. 
It  is  22  miles  northeast  of  Russell  Springs,  the  county  seat,  and  is  sur- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  3/9 

rounded  by  a  rich  agricultural  district  for  which  it  is  the  receiving  and 
distributing  point.  It  is  a  well  appointed  little  city  with  cement  side- 
walks, electric  lights,  ice  plant,  a  commercial  club,  an  opera  house,  a 
county  high  school,  flour  mill,  steam  laundry,  bottling  works,  creamery, 
cold  storage  plant,  2  banks,  a  machine  shop,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Graphic),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the 
census  of  1910  was  681. 

Oak  Mills,  one  of  the  earliest  settlements  of  Atchison  county,  is 
located  on  the  Missouri  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  10  miles 
.southeast  of  Atchison.  The  first  settlers  came  in  June,  1854,  from 
latan,  Mo.  The  following  year  a  postoffice  was  established  and  during 
the  years  of  river  traffic  it  was  a  town  of  some  consequence.  At  the 
present  time  it  has  several  stores,  a  money  order  postoffice  and  tele- 
graph station.     In  1910  the  population  was  86. 

Oak  Ranch,  a  hamlet  in  Rawlins  county,  is  located  in  the  Ueaver 
creek  valley  20  miles  southwest  of  Atwood,  the  county  seat,  and  10 
miles  south  of  McDonald,  the  nearest  railroad  station.  It  receives 
mail  from  Colby. 

Oakvale,  one  of  the  inland  hamlets  of  Smith  county,  is  located  9 
miles  southeast  of  Smith  Center,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  south- 
west of  Lebanon,  from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  23. 

Oak  Valley,  a  little  town  in  Elk  county,  is  on  the  Elk  river  and  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Oak  Valley  township,  about 
16  miles  southeast  of  Howard,  the  county  seat.  All  the  main  lines 
of  trade  are  represented  The  town  is  supplied  with  express  and  tele- 
graph otifices  and  a  money  order  postoflice.  The  population  according 
to  the  census  of  1910  was  149.  This  town  was  founded  in  1879  by  John 
Johnson,  who  built  the  first  structure  and  used  it  as  a  residence.  The 
first  store  was  opened  by  M.  Donovan.  The  next  building  was  a  drug 
store.  The  depot  was  built  the  first  year.  A  postoffice  had  existed  at 
that  point  since  1876,  under  the  same  name.  It  was  kept  in  the  resi- 
dence of  John  Johnson  until  1880,  when  it  was  moved  "up  town."  A 
llotir  mill  with  a  capacity  of  25  barrels  per  day  was  built  in  1876.  The 
first  religious  services  were  held  in  1882  by  Rev.  Mr.  Collison  in  the 
school  house,  which  was  built  in  that  year.  The  first  birth  was  that 
of  Wilson  Shoemaker,  son  of  H.  Shoemaker,  and  the  first  death  that 
of  an  infant  child  of  C.  H.  Jones. 

Oakwood,  a  hamlet  of  Linn  county,  is  situated  in  the  western  portion 
on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  about  10  miles  northwest  of 
Mound  City,  the  county  seat.  It  has  mail  from  Centerville.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  40. 

Oanica,  a  hamlet  in  Kearny  county,  is  located  in  Ilibbard  township, 
about  16  miles  north  of  Lakin,  the  county  seat,  which  is  its  usual  bank- 
ing and  shipping  point.  It  has  a  postoiifice  and  in  1910  reported  a 
population  of  20. 


380  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Oatville,  a  hamlet  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  in  Waco  township, 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  6  miles  southwest  of  Wichita,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  exjjress  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  44. 

Oberlin,  the  county  seat  of  Decatur  county,  is  an  incorporated  city 
of  the  third  class,  located  a  little  northwest  of  the  center,  on  Sappa 
creek  and  at  the  terminus  of  a  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Ouincy  R.  R.  It  has  electric  lights,  waterworks,  fire  department,  sewer 
system,  an  opera  house,  flour  mill,  foundry,  creamery,  grain  elevators, 
county  high  school,  public  library,  2  banks,  3  newspapers  (the  Times, 
the  Herald  and  the  News),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice  with  six  rural  routes.  The  population 
in  1910  was  1,157.  The  town  was  platted  in  1878,  and  in  September 
of  that  year  consisted  of  two  stores,  a  hotel  and  a  blacksmith  shop.  In 
1882  the  population  was  300.  In  1885  Oberlin  was  incorporated  as  a 
city  of  the  third  class.  The  population  in  1890  was  976.  In  1882  the 
Independent  volunteer  cavalry  company  (see  Militia)  of  Oberlin  was 
organized.  Oberlin  is  in  the  midst  of  a  prosperous  farming  district 
for  which  it  is  the  receiving  and  shipping  point. 

Obern,  a  country  postoffice  in  Seward  county,  is  located  18  miles 
north  of  Liberal,  the  county  seat,  and  about  14  miles  northwest  of 
Arkalon,  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Ocheltree,  a  village  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Johnson  county, 
is  located  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  7  miles  south  of 
Olathe,  the  county  seat.  The  town  was  laid  out  by  a  company  in  1867 
and  was  recorded  under  the  name  of  Spring  Hill  station.  William  Auld 
was  the  first  settler.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1870,  with  J.  M. 
Miller  as  the  first  postmaster.  The  first  school  house  was  moved  into 
the  town  from  the  country  and  used  until  1880,  when  a'  new  structure 
was  erected.  At  the  present  time  the  town  contains  an  agricultural 
implement  and  hardware  store,  several  general  stores,  has  a  money  order 
postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  is  a  large  shipping  point 
and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  75. 

Octagon  Settlement  Company. — The  octagon  plan  of  settlement 
originated  with  Henry  S.  Clubb  of  New  York,  who  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Vegetarian  Settlement  company  (q.  v.),  and  it  seems 
that  he  had  a  faculty  for  promoting  schemes  of  this  character  that  were 
destined  to  end  in  failure.  The  Octagon  Settlement  company  was 
organized  early  in  the  year  1856,  the  constitution  declaring  the  follow- 
ing objects : 

"i — To  form  a  union  of  persons  of  strict  temperance  principles,  who, 
in  the  admission  of  members,  shall  have  a  guaranty  that  they  will  be 
associated  with  good  society,  and  that  their  children  will  be  educated 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  and  trained  under  good 
example. 

"2 — To  commence  a  settlement  in  Kansas  Territory,  for  the  pursuit 
of  agriculture  and  such  mechanic  arts  as  may  be  advantageously  intro- 
duced. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  381 

"3 — To  promote  the  enactment  of  good  and  rigliteous  laws  in  that 
territory,  to  uphold  freedom,  and  to  oppose  slavery  and  oppression  in 
every  form." 

The  books  were  opened  for  stock  subscriptions  early  in  Feb.,  1856. 
and  by  the  end  of  the  month  enough  subscriptions  had  been  received  to 
justify  the  company  in  beginning  a  settlement.  The  octagon  plan  con- 
templated the  occupation  of  16  square  miles  of  land — four  tracts  each 
containing  4  square  miles.  In  the  center  584  acres  were  to  be  set  apart 
for  an  agricultural  college  and  model  farm,  and  in  the  center  of  each 
of  the  four  tracts  a  school  house  was  to  be  established.  Grouped  around 
these  educational  institutions  were  the  farms  of  the  shareholders,  each 
facing  the  center  or  one  of  the  roads  leading  to  the  center.  The  advan- 
tages claimed  for  this  plan  were:  i — Every  settler  could  enjoy  the  ad- 
vantages of  living  in  a  village  and  at  the  same  time  be  in  the  best  pos- 
sible position  on  his  farm;  2 — The  proximity  of  neighbors  vvi.iuld  afil'i>rd 
mutual  aid  and  protection ;  3 — By  this  arrangement  every  family  would 
be  within  easy  reach  of  a  school  house,  thus  aiifording  better  educa- 
tional advantages  for  the  children;  4 — Ease  of  association  for  social 
purposes,  etc. 

I^ack  of  capital  prevented  the  settlement  from  being  established  on 
this  plan,  but  with  a  view  to  carrying  it  out  later,  a  tract  two  miles 
.square  was  selected  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  present  Allen 
county,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Neosho  river  and  immediately  opposite 
the  Vegetarian  Settlement  company's  colony.  In  fact  the  two  com- 
panies were  so  closely  united  that  they  were  practically  one.  They 
were  conceived  by  the  same  mind,  were  started  in  the  same  manner,  and 
they  perished  about  the  same  time  from  bad  management  and  inanition. 

Odd  Fellows. — The  secret,  benevolent  society  known  as  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  originated  in  England  in  the  latter  part 
cf  the  1 8th  century,  though  the  location  of  the  first  lodge  and  the  exact 
date  of  its  organization  is  unknown.  For  several  years  there  was  no 
central  organization,  the  various  lodges  acting  independently  of  each 
other.  In  1812  delegates  from  the  lodges  in  the  vicinity  of  Manchester 
met  in  that  city  and  formed  the-  "Manchester  Unity  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows."  Some  six  years  prior  to  that  time  Solomon 
Chambers  and  his  two  sons,  members  of  Westminster  Lodge,  England, 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  soon  after  their  arrival  in  this  country 
organized  lodges  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  but  both  had  been  dis- 
solved by  1810.  The  organization  of  the  Manchester  Unity  gave 
strength  to  the  order  in  the  mother  country,  and  when  Thomas  Wildey 
and  another  Odd  Fellow  came  from  England  and  located  at  Baltimore. 
Md.,  in  1818,  they  found  conditions  more  favorable  for  the  introduction 
■of  Odd  Fellowship  than  had  Mr.  Chambei-s  and  his  sons  in  New  York. 
In  18 19  a  lodge  was  organized  in  Baltimore,  which  on  Feb.  i,  1820. 
received  a  charter  from  the  Manchester  Unity,  under  the  name  of 
"Washington  Lodge  and  Grand  Lodge  of  Maryland  and  the  United 
.States  of  America."    This  lodge  is  recognized  in  the  history  of  the  order 


382  CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 

as  the  lirst  in  the  United  States.  Its  ciiarter  was  afterward  surrendered 
and  it  became  merely  a  local  or  subordinate  lodge.  After  a  few  years 
the  American  lodges  severed  their  allegiance  to  the  Manchester  Unity, 
and  in  1S79  the  grand  lodge  in  the  United  States  adopted  the  name  of 
"Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows." 
It  is  from  this  supreme  body  that  all  the  state  grand  lodges  receive  their 
authority. 

The  order  is  composed  of  the  sovereign  grand  lodge,  the  grand  lodges 
of  the  several  states  and  territories,  encampments  and  cantons,  the  last 
named  being  made  up  of  the  "Patriarchs  Militant,"  a  uniformed,  semi- 
military  organization,  something  like  the  Knights  Templars  of  Masonry, 
or  the  uniform  rank  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  The  first  encampment 
was  established  at  Baltimore— which  city  might  be  aptly  termed  the 
mother  of  American  Odd  Fellowship— in  1831,  and  the  patriarchs  mili- 
tant degree  was  founded  in  1884.  In  addition  to  these  bodies,  there  is 
also  a  ladies'  degree  called  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  which  was  estab- 
lished in  185 1.  To  this  degree  the  wives,  mothers  and  daughters  of 
Odd  Fellows  are  eligible,  and  it  is  an  auxiliary  to  the  order  in  chari- 
table work,  etc. 

The  first  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  in  Kansas  was  organized  at  Tecumseh 
on  March  2,  1857,  under  a  charter  received  from  the  sovereign  grand 
lodge  of  the  United  States  at  P>altimore,  Md.  It  was  known  as  Shawnee 
Lodge,  No.  I,  and  was  followed  during  the  next  twelve  months  by 
Leavenworth  Lodge,  No.  2,  at  Leavenworth;  Summunduwot  Lodge, 
No.  3,  at  Wyandotte;  Lawrence  Lodge,  No.  4,  at  Lawrence;  and 
Friendship  Lodge,  No.  5,  at  Atchison.  On  June  2,  1858,  representatives 
of  these  five  lodges  met  in  the  hall  of  Shawnee  Lodge  at  Tecumseh  and 
organized  the  Kansas  grand  lodge,  with  John  Collins  as  the  first  grand 
master  and  George  W.  Brown  as  the  first  grand  secretary.  For  the 
first  few  years,  owing  to  the  transition  from  territory  to  state  and  the 
Civil  war,  the  growth  of  the  order  was  comparatively  slow.  After  the 
war  new  members  began  to  come  in,  and  from  that  time  to  191 1  the 
progress  of  Kansas  Odd  Felloship  has  been  steadily  onward  and 
upward,  the  grand  lodge  reports  for  June  30,  191 1,  showing  564  sub- 
ordinate lodges  in  the  state,  with  a  membership  of  49,264.  When  the 
first  lodge  was  instituted  it  had  but  five  members.  During  the  five 
)'ears  from  1906  to  1910  the  order  has  increased  about  one-third  of 
its  membership ;  has  paid  out  in  relief  to  members  over  $500,000,  and 
the  assets  of  the  subordinate  lodges  have  increased  over  $530,000.  On 
April  26,  1906,  the  Rebecca  I.  O.  O.  'F.  home  at  Manhattan  was  dedi- 
cated, with  accommodations  for  30  adults  and  60  children. 

The  first  Rebekah  lodge  was  established  at  Topeka,  and  was  soon 
followed  by  lodges  at  Fort  Scott  and  Holton.  In  191 1  a  Rebekah  degree 
was  connected  with  practically  every  subordinate  lodge  in  the  state. 
Following  is  a  list  of  the  grand  masters  from  the  organization  of 
the  grand  lodge  to  1911,  with  the  time  served  by  each:  John  Collins, 
1858;  C.  A.  Logan,  1859  (was  elected  grand  sire  of  the  sovereign  grand 


KANSAS    HISTORY  383 

lodge  at  Baltimore  in  1872);  W.  A.  Shannon,  i860;  J.  B.  Davis,  1861 ; 
A.  N.  Blacklidge,  1862;  John  A'lartin,  1863;  Fred  Speck,  1864;  F.  P. 
Baker,  1865;  Levi  Empie,  1866;  H.  O.  Sholes,  1867;  H.  D.  McCarthy, 
1868;  H.  J.  Canniff,  1869;  Isaac  Sharp,  1870;  Sol  Miller,  1871 ;  George 
W.  Martin,  1872;  R.  A.  Randlett,  1873;  F.  H.  Betton,  1874;  John  M. 
Price,  1875;  John  Charlton,  1876;  J.  J.  Buck,  1877;  J.  G.  Northcraft, 
1878;  W.  H.  Pilkinton,  1879;  C.  H.  Krebs,  1880;  A.  VV.  Dow,  1881 ; 
E.  S.  Bertram,  1882;  D.  B.  Long,  1883;  George  W.  Jones,  1884;  T-  S. 
Codding,  1885;  J.  T.  McMillin,  1886;  \V.  A.  Cormany,  1887;  A.  P. 
Riddle,  1888;  A.  L.  Voorhis,  1889;  William  Mathewson,  1890;  M.  B. 
Ward,  1891;  H.  W.  Pond,  1892;  J.  A.  Campbell,  1893;  Levi  Ferguson, 
1894;  W.  T.  Taylor,  1895;  W.  M.  Glenn,  1896;  W.  L.  Brown,  1897; 
J.  A.  Colaw,  1898;  John  A.  Bright,  1899;  J.  W.  Haughey,  1900;  George 
W.  Brown,  1901 ;  J.  M.  Johnson,  1902;  G.  T.  Davies,  1903;  G.  W.  Alla- 
man,  1904;  J.  L  Saunders,  1905;  A.  W.  Hershberger,  1906;  B.  M. 
Powell,  1907;  W.  H.  Kemper,  1908;  C.  M.  Cole,  1909;  T.  P.  Roney, 
J910;  Charles  G.  Lilly,  191 1. 

George  W.  Brown  served  as  grand  secretary  from  the  organization 
of  the  grand  lodge  until  i860,  when  he  was  succeeded  1)_\  Samuel  I". 
B«rdett,  who  served  until  1889.  George  W.  Jones  held  the  office  in 
the  year  1890;  John  A.  Bright  then  served  until  1893;  C.  W.  Main  then 
held  the  office  for  two  years  and  was  succeeded  by  D.  W.  Kent,  who 
closed  his  term  of  office  with  the  year  1900;  W.  H.  Kemper  then  served 
until  1905,  and  since  that  time  the  position  has  been  filled  by  Will  J. 
Russell. 

Odee,  a  country  hamlet  in  Meade  county,  is  located  on  Crooked 
creek  in  the  township  of  the  same  name,  about  10  miles  southwest  of 
Meade,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  railroad  station,  from  which  point 
mail  is  delivered  by  rural  carrier. 

Odense,  a  discontinued  postoffice  of  Neosho  county,  is  located  9 
miles  south  of  Erie,  the  county  seat,  whence  it  receives  mail  daily  by 
riu"al   delivery.     It  has  about  two  dozen  inhabitants. 

Odin,  a  hamlet  in  Barton  county,  is  located  15  miles  northeast  of 
Great  Bend,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  northwest  of  Claflin,  the  near- 
est shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is  distributed 
by  rural  route.    The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  30. 

OfFerle,  a  village  in  Edwards  county,  is  located  in  Trenton  township 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  9  miles  west  of  Kinsley, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  number  of  general  stores,  a  mill,  a  grain  ele- 
vator, a  creamery,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the  census 
of  1910  was  200. 

Ogallah,  a  village  in  Trego  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of  the 
same  name  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  9  miles  east  of  Wakeeney,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  125.  It 
is  the  principal  trading  and  shipping  point  for  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county. 


384  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Ogden,  an  incorporated  town  of  Riley  county,  is  located  on  the 
Kansas  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  11  miles  southwest  of  Man- 
hattan, the  county  seat.  The  railroad  name  is  Ogdenburg.  It  has 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  190.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest 
towns  in  the  county.  The  first  house  erected  within  the  cOunty  limits 
was  in  the  vicinity  of  Ogden.  The  Ogden  Town  company  was  chartered 
in  1857  by  act  of  the  legislature,  and  a  government  land  office  was 
established  at  this  point  in  the  same  year,  but  soon  afterward  was 
removed  to  Junction  City.  When  the  United  States  government  ordered 
Pawnee  (q.  v.)  vacated,  Gov.  Reeder  moved  his  somewhat  imposing 
residence  to  Ogden.  This  was  the  first  judicial  seat  of  Riley  county 
and  was  in  other  ways  an  important  point.  It  had  all  lines  of  business, 
warehouses,  wholesale  establishments,  etc.  In  1870  it  was  made  a 
cit\^  of  the  second  class. 

Ohio,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Smith  county,  is  located  17  miles  north- 
west of  Smith  Center,  the  county  seat,  and  15  miles  north  of  Kensing- 
ton, from  which  postoffice  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route.  Bloom- 
ington,  Neb.,  is  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Oil. — In  Kansas  oil  was  first  discovered  on  Wea  creek,  Miami  county, 
in  1855.  This  substance,  first  known  as  "rock  tar,"  occurred  in  many 
places,  coming  to  the  surface  through  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  and 
porous  soils.  A  company  was  formed  in  the  latter  '50s  for  the  purpose 
of  exploring  the  field,  obtained  leases  on  30,000  acres  of  land  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  and  did  some  boring.  Civil  war  breaking  out  soon 
after,  work  was  discontinued  and  for  various  reasons  never  resumed. 
During  the  '60s  and  for  many  years  afterwards  this  oil  was  gathered 
and  sold  for  lubricating  purposes,  bringing  from  $3  to  $5  a  barrel.  From 
1870  to  1890  considerable  prospecting  for  both  oil  and  gas  was  done 
in  this  section  of  the  state,  Paola  being  the  center  of  activity.  Prior 
to  1890,  however,  no  discoveries  had  been  made  tending  to  show  the 
magnitude  of  the  Kansas  oil  field,  but  from  that  time  on  there  was  a 
period  of  great  development  in  the  "Mid-Continent"  oil  field,  which 
includes  Kansas  and  Oklahoma,  the  production  increasing  from  500 
barrels  in  1889  to  1,200  barrels  in  1890,  and  to  44,467  barrels  in  1895. 
Much  of  this  oil  was  shipped  out  of  the  state  and  some  stored,  but  the 
production  increased  so  rapidly  that  both  producers  and  consumers 
were  powerless  to  cope  with  existing  conditions.  The  Standard  Oil 
company  about  this  time  erected  a  refinery  at  Neodesha  and  was  at 
work  on  a  pipe  line  extending  from  the  Kansas  field  to  Whiting,  Ind. 
Several  independent  refineries  were  built  and  operated,  but  the  bulk 
of  the  oil  was  taken  over  by  the  Standard.  The  Forest  Oil  company 
and  the  Prairie  Oil  and  Gas  company,  subsidiaries  of  the  Standard  and 
both  powerful  corporations,  entered  the  Kansas  field,  stimulating  pros- 
specting  which  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  many  new  producing  wells. 
The  output  since  1895  has  been  almost  phenomenal,  increasing  from 
81,186  barrels  in    1900  to   12,013,495  barrels  in   1905   and   to   50,741.678 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


385 


I 


barrels  in  1908,  valued  at  $21,311,504.76.  In  1903  oil  brougin  $1.10  a 
barrel,  the  highest  price  paid  in  this  field,  but  dropped  to  40  cents,  the 
lowest  quotation,  in  1907. 

In  1905  the  Chautau- 
qua Count)-  Oil  Pro- 
ducers' association  was 
formed  with  H.  E.  West 
as  president.  This  or- 
ganization called  a  meet- 
ing at  Topeka  on  Jan.  19, 
1905,  to  discuss  the  pros- 
pects of  the  oil  industry 
in  the  state.  A  special 
train  engaged  to  take  the 
members  of  the  associa- 
tion to  Topeka  was 
crowded.  The  officers 
elected  at  that  meeting 
were  H.  E.  West,  presi- 
dent; J.  O.  Fife,  vice- 
president;  J.  M.  Parker, 
secretary  and  treasurer. 
Headquarters  were  main- 
tained in  Topeka  during 
the  session  ot  the  legis- 
lature and  the  association 
was  instrumental  in  se- 
curing the  passage  of  acts 
providing  for  the  release 

from  record  of  oil,  gas  and  other  mineral  leases ;  to  provide  for  the 
construction  and  operation  of  an  oil  refinery  by  the  state  as  a  branch 
of  the  state  penitentiary  and  making  an  appropriation  therefor,  but 
this  law  was  later  declared  unconstitutional  by  the  supreme  court  and 
the  refinery  was  never  built.  (See  Hoch's  Administration.)  This  legis- 
lature also  passed  a  law  relating  to  the  transportation  of  oil  by  means 
of  pipe  lines  and  placing  them  under  the  general  supervision  and  con- 
trol of  the  State  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners. 

The  legislature  of  1881  had  enacted  a  law  providing  for  a  state 
inspector  of  oils  and  an  assistant,  stipulating  that  all  expenses  of  the 
office  be  paid  out  of  the  fees  collected  for  the  inspection  of  oils.  In 
1891  the  legislature  passed  another  law,  which  provided  for  the  casing 
of  all  oil  and  gas  wells  and  the  mode  of  plugging  them  when  they  were 
abandoned. 

Okaw,  a  country  hamlet  near  the  south  line  of  Kingman  county,  is 
located  20  miles  southwest  of  Kingman,  the  county  seat.     It  receives 
mail  from  Duquoin,  Harper  county. 
(II-25) 


A  KANSAS   OIL  WELL. 


386  CYCLOrEDIA    OF 

Oketo,  an  incorporated  town  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  Oketo 
township  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  and  the  Big  Blue  river,  lo  miles 
nortli  of  Marysville,  the  county  seat.  Tt  has  banking  facilities,  express 
and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  postofRce  with  one  rural  route.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  253.  Oketo  was  a  trading  point  in  the  early  '60s, 
and  for  a  time  the  main  line  of  the  overland  stage  route  ran  that  way.  It 
was  incorporated  in  1870. 

Olathe,  the  cotmty  seat  of  Johnson  county,  is  located  very  near  the 
geographical  center,  at  the  junction  of  three  railroads — the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  Kansas  City,  Clinton  and  Springfield  and  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco — 26  miles  southwest  of  Kansas  City.  In 
the  spring  of  1857  Dr.  Barton  with  a  party  came  to  lay  out  the  town. 
With  him  was  a  Shawnee  Indian,  and  when  the  location  of  the  future 
town  was  pointed  out  to  him  he  exclaimed  "O-la-the !"  the  Indian  word 
for  beautiful,  which  was  adopted  for  the  name  of  the  future  city.  Upon 
the  completion  of  the  survey  of  the  town,  building  was  at  once  com- 
menced. Dr.  Barton  and  Charles  A.  Osgood  built  the  first  house  early 
in  the  spring  of  1857.  It  was  a  rude  structure  of  rough  lumber,  located 
near  the  site  where  the  Olathe  House  was  afterwards  erected,  and 
served  a  manifold  purpose  as  grocery,  drug  store,  dry  goods  and  farm 
implement  house,  and  also  as  the  first  hotel.  Among  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers were  Henderson  Boggs,  Jonathan  Millikin,  Charles  Mayo,  J.  B. 
Whittier,  Charles  A.  Osgood,  S.  F.  Hill,  C.  M.  Ott,  J.  H.  Blake  and 
John  P.  Campbell.  Jonathan  Millikin  built  a  fine  house  close  to  the 
town  and  the  next  year  married  Emily  L.  Whittier,  the  pioneer  woman 
settler  of  Olathe.  J.  B.  WHiittier  opened  the  first  regular  hotel,  known 
as  the  Union  House. 

Olathe  was  incorporated  in  1857  under  a  charter  from  the  "Bogus 
Legislature."  On  Sept.  14,  1859,  its  first  board  of  trustees  was 
appointed,   consisting  of  Jonathan   Millikin,  J.   T.   Barton,    S.    F.    Hill, 

A.  J.  Clemmens  and  L.  S.  Cornwall.  Some  doubts  existed  as  to  the 
legality  of  the  incorporation  and  it  was  re-incorporated  in  1868  as  a 
city  of  the  third  class,  with  the  following  trustees :  R.  E.   Stevenson, 

B.  F.  Pancost,  Charles  Sennet,  G.  F.  Hendrickson  and  William  Vickers. 
By  1870  the  population  had  increased  to  over  2,000  and  Olathe  was 
incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  second  class.  The  election  for  city  ofificials 
was  held  in  April  of  that  year,  when  William  Pellet  was  elected  mayor. 
The  stone  school  house  was  erected  on  Lulu  street  in  1868,  at  a  cost 
of  $10,000.  but  some  15  years  later  the  school  population  had  outgrown 
this  building  and  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $15,000  were  voted  for  the 
erection  of  another  building,  so  that  today  Olathe  has  one  of  the  best 
public  school  systems  in  the  state.  Olathe  College  was  established  in 
1873,  which  was  a  prosperous  institution  for  several  years.  The  state 
legislature  located  the  Kansas  Institute  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  at 
Olathe  in  1866.  The  leading  churches  are  the  Catholic  church,  estab- 
lished in  1864;  the  Old  School  Presbyterian,  organized  in  1865;  Congre- 
gational, 1865;  Methodist,  1869;  Reformed  Presbyterian,  1866;  and  the 
Baptist  church,  1870. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  ,^87 

I  he  Olathe  Herald,  the  first  newspaper  in  Johnson  county,  made  its 
appearance  on  Aug.  29,  1859.  On  Sept.  6,  1862,  its  office  was  destroyed 
by  Quantrill.  In  1861  the  Olathe  Mirror  was  started  by  John  Francis; 
the  next  year  \V.  H.  McGowan  began  to  print  the  Western  I'rogress, 
and  on  July  24,  1879,  the  Olathe  Gazette  made  its  first  appearance. 

Olathe  was  one  of  the  early  manufacturing  towns  of  the  border 
counties.  The  Olathe  flour  mills  were  built  in  1869  by  C.  M.  Ott.  The 
Pearl  mills  were  erected  in  1880.  Today  Olathe  is  one  of  the  most 
progressive  towns  in  the  eastern  part  c}f  Kansas.  It  is  an  important 
shipping  point,  has  many  retail  stores  and  mercantile  concerns,  public 
library,  electric-lighting,  telephone,  telegraph  and  express  facilities, 
waterworks  system,  the  milling  industry  has  increased  and  other  fac- 
tories have  been  established.     In  1910  the  population  was  3,221. 

Olcott,  a  hamlet  in  Reno  county,  is  the  terminal  station  on  the  Olcott 
li  luka  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific,  and  also  on  a  main  line  of 
the  same  railroad.  It  is  30  miles  southwest  of  Hutchinson,  the  county 
seat,  and  5  miles  southeast  of  Turon,  from  which  place  its  mail  is  dis- 
tributed by  rural  delivery.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  oflices.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  53. 

Old  Crow,  a  Crow  Indian,  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  Dull  Knife 
band  of  Cheyennes,  which  left  the  reservation  in  Indian  Territory  and 
made  the  memorable  raid  across  Kansas  in  Sept.  and  Oct.,  1878,  killing 
32  citizens  and  destroying  much  property.  They  were  pursued,  several 
were  captured  and  confined  at  Fort  Robinson,  Neb.,  for  some  time,  when 
their  squaws  succeeded  in  smuggling  in  to  them  a  number  of  guns, 
which  were  used  on  the  morning  of  Jan.  21,  1879,  in  making  a  dash  for 
liberty.  Capt.  Wessells,  at  the  head  of  a  squad  of  troops,  immediately 
gave  chase  and  the  next  day  fought  a  desperate  battle  in  which  the 
Indians  were  almost  entirely  exterminated — but  7  men  and  16  women 
and  children  surviving.  Old  Crow  and  6  of  his  brother  warriors  were 
taken  to  Fort  Leavenworth  and  later  to  Dodge  City,  their  trial  being- 
set  for  Jvme  24,  1879,  in  the  district  court  of  Ford  county,  the  charge 
against  them  being  murder.  A  change  of  venue  was  asked  for  by  the 
defense  which  was  granted,  the  case  being  sent  to  the  district  court 
of  Douglas  county  for  trial  at  the  succeeding  October  term,  at  which 
time  all  the  Indians  were  liberated.  Army  officers  acquainted  with 
Old  Crow  said  that  he"  had  been  employed  by  the  government  as  a  scout 
and  had  proven  faithful,  valuable  and  trusty  and  bore  a  good  repu- 
tation. They  said  he  belonged  to  the  Crow  tribe  instead  of  the  Chey- 
ennes and  could  have  had  no  hand  in  the  depredations  of  the  latter  in 
Kansas  the  previous  year.  He  claimed  to  be  a  Sioux  and  is  said  to 
have  been  an  Indian  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence. 

Oliver,  Robert  W.,  clergyman  and  educator,  was  born  in  Scotland, 
Oct.  9,  1815.  He  was  a  cavalry  officer  in  the  English  army  in  Canada. 
Later  he  became  a  minister  in  the  Presbyterian  church  occupying  the 
pulpit  in  Scotland,  whence  he  came  to  Butler,  Pa.,  where  he  served  as 
pastor   of   a    Presbyterian   church.     He   experienced   a   change    in    his 


388  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

religious  views,  and  under  llie  direction  of  the  Rev.  Alonzo  Porter, 
bisliop  of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  admitted  to  the  holy  orders  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  chinxh  on  Nov.  ii,  1855.  From  1857  to  1863  he 
served  as  missionary  in  western  Pennsylvania,  at  Johnstown,  Altoona 
and  Huntington.  From  1861  to  1863  he  was  chaplain  in  the  Federal 
army.  In  1863  Mr.  Oliver  returned  to  St.  Luke's  church  at  Altoona, 
but  remained  only  a  short  time  as  he  was  called  to  Lawrence,  Kan., 
where  a  school  was  being  organized  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Reynolds, 
rector  of  the  Trinity  Episcopal  church.  This  school  was  chartered  by 
the  territorial  legislature  in  1861  under  the  auspices  of  the  Episcopal 
church  as  the  "Lawrence  University  of  Kansas."  Adverse  criticism 
of  the  management  of  Mr.  Reynolds  caused  the  American  church  mis- 
sionary society  to  withdraw  its  support.  Mr.  Reynolds  resigned  and 
went  into  the  United  States  army  as  chaplain  and  Mr.  Oliver  became 
his  successor.  When  the  state  legislature  chartered  the  University  of 
Kansas  in  1864,  the  beginning  of  a  school  made  by  the  Episcopalians 
was  turned  over  to  the  state.  Mr.  Oliver  was  made  chancellor  and 
president  by  the  board  of  regents  in  March,  1865.  On  Sept.  6,  1865, 
Mr.  Oliver  asked  the  city  council  of  Lawrence  for  a  formal  transfer  to 
the  new  corporation  of  the  ground  on  Mt.  Oread,  where  the  north 
college  building  now  stands.  The  transfer  was  made  on  condition  that 
the  school  should  be  in  operation  by  Jan.  i,  1867.  Mr.  Oliver  raised 
the  money  and  executed  his  part  of  the  contract  with  the  city.  He 
resigned  the  chancellorship  of  the  university,  which  had  been  entirely 
of  a  business  nature,  and  became  president  of  the  board  of  regents  and 
its  financial  agent.  Near  the  close  of  1867  he  also  resigned  the  rector- 
ship of  Trinity  church,  removing  to  Nebraska  City,  Neb.,  where  he 
became  rector  of  St.  Mary's  church.  In  1883  he  went  from  Nebraska 
City  to  Kearney,  Neb.,  where  he  was  rector  of  St.  Luke's  church.  He 
also  filled  the  chair  of  divinity  for  the  diocese  of  Nebraska,  1883-95, 
w^ien  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  died  in  1899.  He  was  buried 
in  Kearney,  Neb. 

Olivet,  one  of  the  small  towns  of  Osage  county,  is  a  station  on  the 
-Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  12  miles  south  of  Lyndon,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  banking  facilities  and  is  a  shipping  point  for  a 
prosperous  farming  commimity.  There  are  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popu- 
lation according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  200. 

The  town  was  located  in  1869  by  Rev.  A.  J.  Bartels,  a  minister  of  the 
Swedenborgian  church,  who  with  J.  R.  Elder  and  C.  P.  Loricke  were 
representing  a  stock  company  with  a  capital  of  $10,000  raised  for  the 
purpose  of  founding  a  town  in  Kansas.  The  first  year  saw  consider- 
able growth.  William  Haslam  opened  a  store  for  general  merchandise 
and  drugs,  H.  J.  Davis  opened  a  hotel,  Bartels  &  Munger  started  a  saw- 
mill and  wagon  and  blacksmith  shops  were  opened.  The  town  was 
incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  and  a  postoffice  was  established 
in  1870. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  389 

Olmitz,  one  of  the  larger  villages  of  Barlon  (.oinily,  is  located  on  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  i6  miles  northwest  of  Great  Bend,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  bank,  more  than  a  score  of  retail  establishments,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoflfice  with  two  rural 
routes.     The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  200. 

Olpe,  an  incorporated  town  in  Lyon  county,  is  located  on  Eagle  creek 
in  Center  township,  10  miles  south  of  Emporia,  the  county  seat,  and  is 
a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka'  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  It  has  a  bank,  a 
i-emi-weekl}'  newspaper  (the  Optimist),  good  schools  and  churches  and 
all  the  leading  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise.  It  is  a  shipping  center 
for  a  large  farming  district.  It  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  has  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  215.  Olpe  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1905. 

Olsburg,  a  village  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  on  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  about  14  miles  west  of  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat. 
it  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Gazette),  express  and  tele- 
graph offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  All 
the  main  lines  of  business  are  represented.  The  population  in  1910  was 
300.     The  town  and  the  surrounding  country  were  built  up  by  Swedes. 

Olympia,  a  hamlet  in  Pratt  county,  is  located  in  Logan  township,  on 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  6  miles  east  of  Pratt,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910 
was  25.     The  railroad  name  is  Natrona. 

Omaha  Exposition. — (See  Expositions.) 

Omnibus  Bill. — The  compromise  measures  of  1850  are  of  interest  to 
the  student  of  Kansas  history,  for  the  reason  that  they  represent  the 
last  action  of  Congress  on  the  question  of  slavery  prior  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  Kansas  as  a  territory,  and  paved  the  way  for  the  passage  of 
the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  (q.  v.)  four  years  later.  Oregon  was  organized 
as  a  territory  by  the  act  of  Aug.  19,  1848.  Section  14  of  the  organic 
act  reaffirmed  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  giving  to  the  people  of  Oregon  all 
the  "rights,  privileges  and  advantages  secured  to  the  people  of  the 
territory  northwest  of  the  river  Ohio,"  and  providing  that  they  should 
be  subject  "to  all  the  conditions,  restrictions  and  prohibitions  in  said 
articles  of  compact  imposed  upon  the  people  of  said  territory." 

As  the  Ordinance  of  1787  prohibited  slavery  in  the  territory  north- 
west of  the  Ohio,  the  advocates  of  slavery  were  chagrined  at  the 
aggressiveness  of  their  opponents  in  the  organization  of  Oregon,  and 
determined  to  make  at  least  a  portion  of  the  territory  acquired  as  a 
result  of  the  war  with  Mexico  open  to  the  introduction  of  that  institu- 
tion. After  weeks  of  debate  in  the  early  part  of  1850,  Henry  Clay,  on 
May  8,  reported  in  the  United  States  senate  a  bill  embodying  the  fol- 
lowing features:  i — The  formation  of  new  states  from  Texas,  and 
their  admission  into  the  Union  to  be  postponed  until  such  time  as  they 
should  present  themselves  for  admission;  2— The  admission  of  Cali- 
fornia   with  the  boundaries   as  proposed  by  her   constitution;   3— The 


393 


CVCLOrEUIA    OF 


establishment  of  territorial  governments  for  Utah  and  New  Mexico, 
without  the  Wilmot  Proviso,  embracing  all  territory  acquired  from 
Mexico  not  contained  within  the  boundaries  of  California;  4 — The 
combination  uf  the  2nd  and  3d  provisions  in  one  bill;  5--The  establish- 
ment of  the  buundaries  of  Texas,  excluding  from  her  jurisdiction  all 
of  New  Mexico  and  rendering  to  Texas  an  equivalent  therefor;  6 — The 
enactment  of  a  more  effective  fugitive  slave  law ;  7 — The  prohibition 
of  the  slave  trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  but  without  abolishing 
irlavery  therein. 

Some  one  compared  the  bill  to  a  public  nmnibus,  because  it  was  "a 
vehicle  for  all  sorts  of  passengers."  The  press  and  the  public  were  not 
slow  to  adopt  the  notion  thus  advanced,  and  in  a  short  time  the  measure 
became  generally  known  as  the  "Omnibus  Bill."  While  the  bill  was 
under  discussion  in  the  senate.  President  Taylor  died  (July  9)  and  his 
death  weakened  the  anti-slavery  cause,  a  number  of  the  Whigs  going 
over  to  the  support  of  the  compromise.  A  vote  was  reached  on  July  31, 
though  Wilson,  in  his  "Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Slave  Power,"  says:  "The 
measure  adopted  did  not  bear  much  resemblance  to  that  at  first  intro- 
duced. Indeed,  only  so  much  as  referred  to  the  Mormon  territory  of 
Utah  remained.  When,  therefore,  the  pretentious  measure  on  which 
Clay  and  his  grand  committee  of  thirteen  had  bestowed  so  much  anxious 
thought  and  care  had  passed  the  senate,  and  was  sent  to  the  house,  it 
had  been  so  shorn  and  reduced  that  it  was  received  with  peals  of 
laughter  from  both  friend  and  foe.  And  yet,  though  failing  to  pass  the 
senate  as  a  whole,  the  debate  and  votes  rendered  it  apparent  that  the 
separate  measures  of  which  it  was  composed  could  be  carried,  and  that 
slavery,  in  the  name  of  compromise,  was  again  to  be  victorious." 

Consequently  the  original  Omnibus  Bill  was  divided  into  five  separate 
measures.  The  bill  fixing  the  boundaries  between  Texas  and  New 
Mexico,  and  granting  Texas  an  indemnity  of  $10,000,000,  passed  the 
senate  on  Aug.  10,  and  the  house  on  Sept.  6;  the  bill  admitting  Cali- 
lornia  as  a  free  state  passed  the  senate  on  Aug.  13,  and  the  house  on 
Sept.  17;  the  bill  providing  for  the  organization  of  the  territories  of 
Utah  and  New  Mexico  passed  the  senate  on  Aug.  14,  and  the  house  on 
Sept.  6;  the  fugitive  slave  law  was  passed  by  the  senate  on  Aug.  23, 
and  by  the  house  on  Sept.  12;  and  the  act  relating  to  the  -prohibition 
of  the  slave  trade,  but  legalizing  slavery,  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
passed  the  senate  on  Sept.  14,  and  the  house  on  the  17th  of  the  same 
month. 

The  provisions  of  the  fugitive  slave  law  quickly  became  odious  to 
the  people  of  the  Northern  states  and  formed  the  basis  of  the  issues 
in  the  presidential  campaign  of  1852.  The  Democratic  party  indorsed 
the  compromise  acts  of  1850  and  nominated  for  president  Franklin 
Pierce  of  New  Hampshire ;  the  Whig  party  divided,  one  wing  nomi- 
nating Daniel  Webster  and  the  other  Gen.  Winfield  Scott;  the  Free-Soil 
party,  which  first  made  its  appearance  in  1848  under  the  slogan  "All 
territory  ought  to  be  free,"  nominated  John  P.  Hale.     The  Whigs  who 


ICANSAS    HISTORY  391 

supported  the  compromise  measures  were  known  as  "Silver  Greys"  or 
"Snuff  Takers,"  and  those  opposed  were  called  "Woolly  Heads."  Pierce 
was  elected  and  the  slave  party  was  in  power  when  the  question  of 
organizing  the  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  came  before  Con- 
gress in   1854.     (See  also  Slavery.) 

Onaga,  one  of  the  incorporated  cities  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is 
located  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county  at  the  junction  of  two 
lines  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  and  on  the  Vermillion  river,  20  miles 
from  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  Herald),  and  is  a  shipping  point  for  grain,  live  stock,  fruits 
and  produce.  The  population  in  1910  was  800.  There  are  express  and 
telegraph  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  five 
rural  routes.  The  town  was  first  platted  in  1877  by  Paul  F.  Havens, 
the  president  of  the  railroad.  An  addition  was  made  to  it  in  1878. 
There  v.'ere  only  two  families  on  the  town  site  at  that  time — Amos  E. 
Langdon  and  J.  B.  Hubbell. 

Onate,  Don  Juan  de,  the  founder  and  first  governor  of  New  Mexico, 
was  the  son  of  a  conquistador,  rich  and  popular,  and  prior  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  New  Mexico  was  a  citizen  of  Zacatecas.  Thwaites,  in  his 
"Early  Western  Travels,"  says  that  either  his  wife  or  his  mother  was 
a  granddaughter  of  Hernando  de  Cortez.  In  1601,  guided  by  a  survivor 
of  the  ill-fated  expedition  of  Bonilla  (q.  v.)  of  six  years  before,  Ofiate 
left  .Santa  Fe  with  a  force  of  80  men  to  go  in  search  of  Quivira.  Two 
priests,  the  padres  Vergara  and  Velasco,  accompanied  the  expedition. 
After  marching  across  the  plains  in  a  northeasterly  direction  for  200 
leagues,  to  an  estimated  latitude  of  39°  or  40°,  he  fell  in  with  a  tribe 
of  Indians  called  the  Escanjaques,  with  whom  he  formed  an  alliance 
and  continued  his  march  toward  the  province  of  Quivira.  The  alliance 
evidently  did  not  last  long,  as  Bancroft  says:  "The  Spaniards  had  a 
battle  with  the  Escanjaques  and  killed  1,000  of  them  on  the  Matanza 
plain,  the  scene  of  Humana's  defeat.  The  battle  was  caused  by  Padre 
Velasco's  efforts  to  prevent  the  Escanjaques  from  destroying  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Ouiviras,  who  had  ikd  from  their  towns  at  the  approach 
of  the  Spaniards  and  their  allies." 

The  Spanish  loss  in  the  engagement  was  slight,  but  the  trouble  with 
the  Indian  allies  gave  an  unfortunate  turn  to  the  expedition.  Owing 
to  a  lack  of  definite  information,  it  is  impossible  to  determine  just  how 
far  Oiiate  went  into  the  Indian  country.  The  imperfect  reports  say 
that  large  villages  were  seen,  and  that  advance  parties  claimed  to  have 
seen  utensils  of  gold  and  silver,  which  metals  were  reported  to  be 
plentiful  in  the  country  of  the  Aijados  not  far  away.  If  Ofiate  reached 
a  point  as  far  north  as  39°  he  was  no  doubt  somewhere  in  the  Smoky 
Hill  valley  in  central  Kansas.  Bancroft  thinks  that  "It  is  not  quite 
clear  that  Quivira  was  actually  visited,  but  ambassadors  from  that 
people — also  called  Tindanes — were  met,  who  wanted  to  join  the 
Spaniards  in  a  raid  on  the  gold  country.  Onate,  however,  deemed  it 
unwise  to  go  on  with  so  small  a  force,  or  perhaps  was  turned  back  by 
the  clamors  of  his  men." 


392  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Onate  rclurned  lo  New  Mexico  in  the  fall,  probably  in  October,  and 
he  was  still  governor  of  that  province  as  late  as  1608.  His  death  is 
supposed  to  have  occurred  about  1620.  His  expedition  was  only  one 
of  many  futile  attempts  of  the  Spaniards  of  the  southwest  to  discover 
rich  mines  and  establish  friendly  relations  with  the  natives. 

One  Hundred  and  Ten. — This  name  was  given  a  stream  on  the  line 
of  the  Santa  Fe  trail  (q.  v.),  the  name  being  indicative  of  the  number 
of  miles  from  Independence,  Mo.,  but  in  reality  it  was  only  100  miles 
distant.  The  stream  is  in  Osage  county,  Kan.,  not  far  from  Burlingame. 
After  the  opening  of  the  territory  a  small  settlement  sprang  up  at  this 
place,  which  in  1855  was  an  aspirant  for  territorial  honors,  receiving 
some  votes  for  the  capital. 

Oneida,  a  village  of  Nemaha  county,  is  located  in  Oilman  township 
on  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  R.  R.  9  miles  east  of  Seneca,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  banking  facilities,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population 
in  1910  was  350.  In  1872  a  postoffice  known  as  Oneida  was  established 
at  the  farm  house  of  Henry  Kerns  on  the  site  of  the  present  town.  The 
next  year  Col.  Cyrus  Shinn  bought  400  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity, 
part  of  which  he  platted  for  a  town.  In  1876  he  built  a  store  and  two 
years  later  he  gave  an  "acre  of  land  to  George  W.  Buswell,  who  built 
the  Oneida  cheese  factory.  With  the  town  thus  under  way  Col.  Shinn 
made  extensive  trips  through  Illinois  and  Missouri  distributing  hand 
hills  and  lecturing  on  the  possibilities  of  his  town.  He  advertised  500 
lown  lots  free.  In  that  year  one  new  building  was  added  and  the  next 
\ear  a  hotel.  The  town  was  planned  after  Chicago  and  the  streets 
named  after  those  in  that  city.  A  ten-acre  tract  of  timbered  land  was 
opened  and  called  Hyde  Park. 

Ontario,  a  hamlet  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  near  the  northern  line 
cjf  the  county  about  10  miles  northwest  of  Holton,  the  county  seat,  and 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and 
a  money  order  postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Opolis,  a  village  of  Crawford  county,  is  located  in  Baker  township 
on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  18  miles  southeast  of  Girard, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  flour  mill,  a  number  of  stores,  churches  and 
schools,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  telephone  connections  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1910  was  250. 

Orange,  a  hamlet  in  Sheridan  county,  is  located  on  the  south  fork 
of  the  Solomon  river,  12  miles  southwest  of  Hoxie,  the  county  seat, 
6  miles  from  Seguin,  its  shipping  point,  and  8  miles  from  Menlo,  in 
Thomas  county,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Orchard,  a  hamlet  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Linn  county,  is  situated 
on  Sugar  creek  about  10  miles  east  of  La  Cygne,  from  which  it  has 
rural  free  delivery.    The  population  in  1910  was  30. 

Order  No.  11.— (See  General  Order  No.  11.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


395 


Oregon  Trail. — The  Oregon  Trail,  which  started  from  Independence, 
Mo.,  entered  Kansas  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river  and  ran  in  a 
general  westerly  direction  to  the  Pacific  coast,  the  approximate  dis- 
tance being  about  2,124.  The  early  history  of  the  trail  dates  back  to 
the  time  of  the  Astorian  expeditions  of  1811-1813.  In  1823  or  1824 
Gen.  W.  H.  Ashley  traversed  the  trail,  discovering  a  more  suitable  way 
through  the  Rocky  mountains  by  way  of  .South  Pass.  Jedidiah  S.  Smith 
in  1826;  Capt.  Benjamin  L.  E.  Bonneville  and  party  in  1832,  and 
Nathaniel  J.  Wyatt  the  same  year,  were  among  the  first  to  leave  written 
accounts  of  having  traveled  over  this  historic  thoroughfare.  The  trail 
was  undoubtedly  a  well-established  Indian  highwa}-  long  before  its  use 
by  the  trappers,  hunters  and  early  explorers.  As  early  as  1840  it  came 
into  general  use,  and  during  the  next  seven  years  approximately  12,000 
persons  destined  for  Oregon  passed  over  it.  From  1840  until  the  advent 
of  the  railroad,  it  was  practically  the  only  way  to  reach  those  remote 


ONLY  REMAINING  HOUSE  ON  OREGO.X   TRAIL. 
(In    Washington    Covmty.    Kansas.) 

localities  unless  going  by  water.  During  the  Mormon  hegira  and  the 
subsequent  emigration  to  California,  thousands  of  emigrants  left  the 
Missouri  river  for  the  far  west,  though  no  correct  figures  are  obtainable 
of  the  extent  of  the  passenger  and  freight  traffic  passing  over  the  trail. 
That  part  of  the  trail  between  Independence  and  Grand  Island  on  the 
Platte  river  was  in  use  at  an  early  day,  but  no  record  of  when  or  by 
whom  it  was  opened  can  be  found. 


3y4 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


Fort  Leaveiiworlh,  St.  Joseph,  iMo.,  and  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  figured 
some  as  outfitting  points  for  emigrants  during  the  latter  days  of  the 
trail,  and  the  road  from  the  first  two  points  intersected  the  Indepen- 
dence road  in  what  is  now  Marshall  county,  Kan.,  but  the  bulk  of 
freight  and  travel  went  by  way  of  Independence,  from  which  point  the 
trail  entered  Kansas  in  Sec.  22,  T.  12,  R.  25  E.,  and  traversed  the 
counties  of  Johnson,  Douglas,  Shawnee,  Pottawatomie,  Marshall  and 
Washington,  leaving  the  state  in  Sec.  6,  T.  1,  R.  5,  "near  the  97th 
meridian.  In  its  early  days  the  following  were  the  noted  points  along 
the  line,  in  what  is  now  Kansas,  and  their  distances  from  Independence : 
Elm  Grove,  Round  Grove,  or  Caravan  Grove,  variously  called,  23  miles; 
Junction  of  Oregon  and  Santa  Fe  trails, '41 ;  Wakarusa  creek,  53;  Kansas 
river,  81;  Turkey  creek,  95;  Little  Vermillion,  119;  Big  Vermillion, 
160;  Big  Blue,  174;  Nebraska  line,  about  200  miles. 

The  route  in  detail  through  Kansas,  as  taken  from  the  original  sur- 
veys now  on  file  in  the  office  of  state  auditor  at  Topeka,  was  about  as 
follows:  Entering  Kansas  in  Johnson  county  it  passed  along  the  Santa 
Fe  trail  through  what  is  Olathe,  and  on  to  the  Junction  of  the  Oregon 
and  Santa  Fe  trails  located  a  little  south  of  west  of  the  present  town 
of   Gardner;   thence   continuing   in   a   northerly    direction    towards   the 
Kansas  river,  it  entered  Douglas  county  in   Sec.  27,  T.   13,  R.  21   E. ; 
thence  to  the  west  a  little  south  of  the  present  town  of  Eudora;  thence 
in  a  northwesterly  direction  through  the  old  town  of  Franklin  to  the 
site   of   the   present   city   of    Lawrence;    thence   via    Marshall    and    Big 
Springs,  entering  Shawnee  county  in  Sec.   15,  T.   12,  R.   17  E. ;  thence 
up  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas  river,  passing  the  village  of  Tecumseh, 
to  the  Kansas  river  at  Papan's  ferry,  now  in  the  heart  of  Topeka,  where 
it  crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  continuing  west  about  midway 
between  Soldier  creek  and  the  river,  near  the  modern  villages  of  Menc- 
ken, Silver  Lake  and  Kingville  and  on  to  Rossville,  crossing  old  Turkey 
(now  Cross)   creek  and  entering  Pottawatomie  county  in   Section    14, 
T.  10,  R.  12  E. ;  thence  up  the  Kaw  valley  past  St.  Mary's,  turning  to 
the  northwest  at  a  point  about  two  miles  east  of  Louisville  and  con- 
tinuing in  a  line   slightly  to  the   east  of  the  town   of  Westmoreland; 
thence  in  a  northwest  direction  and  entering  Marshall  county  in  Sec. 
32,  T.  5,  R.  9  E. ;  thence  northwest  towards  the  Black  Vermillion,  the 
road  forking  about  2  miles  south  of  that  stream,  which  was  crossed  by 
both  branches  of  the  trail  at  a  point  about  midway  between  the  modern 
villages   of   Bigelow  and   Barrett ;   thence   the  old   trail,   known  as   the 
South    California   road,   crossed   the    Big   Blue   near   the   mouth   of   the 
Little   Blue,   while   the   northern   branch   ran   northwest   to   the    Frank 
Marshall  crossing  at  Marysville,  near  which  place  the  roads  from  Fort 
Leavenworth  and   St.  Joseph   intersected   the    Independence   road,   and 
the  two  forks  of  the  latter  entered  Washington  countj^  in  Sees.  13  and 
24,  T.  2,  R.  5  E.,  the  two  trails  joining  in  Sec.  13  and  thence  running 
north  to  the  Nebraska  line. 

Ezra  Meeker,  an  Oregon  pioneer,  in  1909  and   1910,  made  two  trips 


KANSAS    lllSTOKV  395 

from  that  state  over  the  trail  with  an  ox  team,  and  b_\  i)ul)Ho  taliss  and 
lectures  has  sitcceeded  in  having  many  historic  points  along-  the  liigii- 
way  marked.  He  now  has  a  bill  before  Congress  in  an  effort  to  secure 
national  aid  in  the  permanent  marking  of  the  trail. 

Organic  Act. — (See  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.) 

Orion,  a  hamlet  in  Gove  county,  is  located  u  miles  west  of  Gove, 
the  county  seat,  and  13  miles  southwest  of  Grinnell,  the  nearest  shipping 
point.  It  has  a  mone}-  order  postoffice  and  mail  daily.  The  population 
in  1910  was  30. 

Ore  County,  one  of  the  extinct  counties  of  Kansas,  was  created  Feb. 
7.  1859.  by  the  territorial  legislature,  and  was  bounded  as  follows : 
"Commencing  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Montana  county,  thence  run- 
ning due  east  to  the  104th  meridiaia  of  longitude,  thence  due  south 
to  a  point  20  miles  south  of  the  39th  parallel  of  latitude,  thence  due 
west  to  a  point  20  miles  east  of  the  105th  meridian  of  longitude,  thence 
due  north  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The  act  also  provided  that  D. 
Newcomb,  William  J.  King  and  George  McGee  should  constitute  a 
board  of  commissioners  to  locate  the  seat  of  justice  near  the  center 
of  the  county.     Oro  county  is  now  a  part  of  the  State  of  Colorado. 

Oronoque,  a  village  in  Norton  count}^,  is  located  in  Leota  township 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy  R.  R.  8  miles  west  of  Norton, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  according  to 
the  census  of  1910,  is  200.  It  is  the  principal  trading  and  shipping 
point  for  a  large  agricultural  district  in  the  western  part  of  the  county. 

Osage  City,  the  largest  town  in  Osage  county,  is  located  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  rail- 
roads, 8  miles  west  of  Lyndon,  the  judicial  seat.  It  has  two  weekly- 
newspapers,  banking  facilities,  an  opera  house,  electric  light  plant, 
creamery,  hotels,  aftd  all  lines  of  mercantile  enterprises  are  represented. 
There  are  a  number  of  churches  and  good  schools.  The  town  is  sup- 
plied -with  express  and  telegraph  facilities,  and  being  the  railroad  cen- 
ter of  the  county  has  superior  shipping  advantages.  It  is  the  most 
important  coal  mining  town  in  this  section  of  the  state,  and  produces 
flagstone  and  ochre  in  commercial  quantities.  The  population  of  Osage 
City,  according  to  the  census  report  of  1910,  was  2,432. 

The  town  was  platted  in  Dec,  1869,  after  the  route  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  had  been  fixed.  T.  J.  Peter,  superintendent 
of  that  road,  and  John  N.  Witherell,  who  owned  a  part  of  the  site, 
were  the  principal  promoters.  The  first  buildings  were  erected  at  once 
and  the  year  1870  saw  a  large  growth  in  the  new  town.  The  first 
store  was  opened  by  Bothel  &  Ryus  in  January,  and  a  hotel  was  built 
by  John  F.  Dodds  about  the  same  time.  In  March  the  second  store 
vvas  opened  by  Drew  &  Playford  and  John  A.  Martin  started  a  hard- 
ware store.  A  large  two-story  brick  school  house  was  built,  but  it 
was  afterward  blown  down.  The  postoffice,  which  had  been  estab- 
lished at  Onion  creek  in  1868,  was  moved  to  Osage  City  and  the  name 


396  CYCLOrEDlA    OF 

changed  in  March.  John  F.  Dodds  was  the  first  postmaster.  The  first 
coal  mines  were  put  into  operation  in  the  summer  by  the  Osage  Carbon 
and  Coal  Mining  company.  The  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of 
the  third  class  on  April  i,  1872,  and  the  first  officers  were:  Mayor, 
John  A.  Martin;  clerk  and  marshal,  A.  C.  Sine;  attorney,  S.  M.  Barry; 
police  judge,  J.  C.  Williams;  treasurer,  T.  J.  Mathews;  assessor,  Samuel 
Reed;  street  commissioner,  Samuel  Slusser;  councilmen,  Samuel 
Slusser,  \V.  H.  Hobbs,  Thomas  Jenkins,  T.  J.  Mathews  and  O.  J. 
Svveadman.  A  severe  windstorm  swept  the  town  in  June,  1874,  blow- 
ing down  two  churches,  the  school  house  and  a  number  of  barns  and 
damaging  several  business  houses  and  residences.  In  1882  a  general 
conflagration  occurred  which  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  business 
property  to  the  extent  of  $35,000. 

Osage  County,  created  by  the  first  territorial  legislature  in  1855 
under  the  name  of  Weller  county  (q.  v.),  is  the  third  county  west  of 
the  Missouri  line  and  centrally  located  between  the  Nebraska  and 
Oklahoma  state  lines.  It  was  not  organized  until  1859,  when  the  name 
was  changed  to  Osage.  The  next  year  a  strip  9  miles  wide  from  the 
southern  part  of  Shawnee  count)-  was  added  to  it,  which  gave  it  its 
present  area  of  720  square  miles.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Shaw- 
nee count3%  on  the  east  by  Douglas  and  Franklin,  on  the  south  by 
Coffey  and  on  the  west  by  Logan  and  Wabaunsee. 

The  northern  part  of  Osage  county  was  formerly  a  part  of  the 
Shawnee  reserve  and  the  rest  belonged  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians. 
The  main  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail  crosses  the  county  from  east  to  west 
passing  through  the  present  city  of  Burlingame.  The  Leavenworth 
branch  of  this  same  road  crossed  the  northern  part.  The  only  white 
men  living  in  the  county  prior  to  1854  were  Gen.  Whistler,  an  ex-army 
officer  and  Indian  trader,  and  John  Goodell,  both  of  whom  had  mar- 
ried Indian  wives  and  were  living  where  the  Santa  Fe  trail  crossed 
no  Mile  creek,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Case,  who  kept  a  trading 
post  at  the  Indian  agency  at  Quenemo.  On  May  30,  1854,  John  Frele 
settled  with  his  family  near  Burlingame,  where  he  bought  out  a  Shaw- 
nee Indian.  His  son,  born  shortly  afterward,  was  the  first  white  child 
born  in  the  count}-  outside  of  the  agency.  In  August  I.  B.  Titus,  James 
and  John  Aiken,  Alphonso  Prentis  and  others  settled  on  Switzler  creek; 
John  Skidmore,  William  Aiken,  John  Ward,  Hollam  Rice,  Samuel 
Devany  and  Harry  Harvey  settled  on  Dragoon  creek.  About  the  same 
time  the  two  McGee  brothers.  Fry  P.  and  Mabillon,  bought  out  the 
two  earl)-  settlers  at  1 10  Mile  creek  and  established  an  inn.  Moran 
McGee  and  C.  N.  Linkenauger  took  claims  near  the  mouth  of  Switz- 
ler creek.  In  the  fall  agents  of  the  American  Settlement  company 
(q.  V.)  selected  a  site  for  settlement  not  far  from  the  present  town  of 
Burlingame.  Among  the  colonists  who  came  under  the  auspices  of 
this  company  were  George  Bratton,  Absalom  W.  Hoover,  Joseph 
McDonald,  James  Bothel,  William  Cable,  William  Howard,  Samuel 
Allison,  J.  R.  Steward,  Marcus  J.  Rose  and  Thomas  Black.     Only  four- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  397 

teen  remained  through  the  winter,  the  others,  having  no  shelter  or 
tools  with  which  to  build,  returned  east  after  staking  their  claims.  In 
1855  the  population  was  increased  by  a  large  immigration,  the  greater 
number  settling  near  Council  City  and  the  others  locating  along  the 
creeks  in  various  parts  of  the  county. 

The  election  troubles,  common  all  over  Kansas  in  1855,  were 
■experienced  in  Osage  county  when  the  Missourians  took  the  polls  and 
elected  their  candidate,  Mabillon  McGee,  to  the  legislature.  Gov. 
Reeder  ordered  another  election  held,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Rice 
received  every  vote  in  his  district.  A  certificate  of  election  was  issued 
to  Rice  by  the  governor,  but  the  legislature  refused  him  a  seat  and 
admitted  McGee  in  his  stead. 

The  first  store  in  th?  county  was  opened  at  Council  City  in  1855  by 
Samuel  Allison.  The  first  postoffice  was  establi.shed  about  the  same 
time  with  Lolon  Smith  as  postmaster  and  was  kept  at  Allison's  store. 
The  first  fourth  of  July  celebration  was  held  the  same  year.  The  first 
marriage  of  record  took  place  in  i860  between  John  Riffenback  and 
Hannah  Thompson.  The  first  school  was  supported  by  subscription 
and  was  taught  in  a  tent  in  the  spring  of  1855  by  Miss  Louisa  Todd. 
The  year  1856  was  a  severe  one  for  the  settlers.  Nearly  every  one 
was  sick  with  malarial  fever.  Sufficient  and  suitable  food  was  impossi- 
ble to  obtain  and  this,  together  with  a  lack  of  medical  aid  and  proper 
-care,  resulted  in  many  deaths,  among  which  was  that  of  Loton  Smith. 

Most  of  the  claims  were  taken  before  the  government  surveys  were 
made  and  each  settler  staked  out  as  nearly  as  possible  240  acres.  This 
gave  rise  to  considerable  trouble  as  only  i6o-  acres  were  allowed  b)' 
the  government.  When  the  surveys  were  completed  farms  were  cut 
into  all  sorts  of  shapes  and  the  ownership  of  the  various  pieces  was 
a  matter  hard  to  determine.  To  add  to  the  trouble  many  of  the  resi- 
dents were  unable  to  buy  the  lands  they  occupied  when  they  were 
put  up  for  sale  by  the  government  in  1859.  They  were  obliged  to 
borrow  money,  on  which  they  were  unable  to  pay  interest,  and  finally 
lost  their  holdings.  The  drouth  of  i860  reduced  the  settlers  to  starva- 
tion, and  when  they  finally  did  raise  crops  there  was  no  market  for 
them.  In  1859  and  again  in  1861  the  county  was  swept  by  severe 
storms  which  destroyed  considerable  property,  injured  a  number  of 
people  and  caused  a  great  deal  of  suflfering.  In  common  with  the  whole 
of  the  state  Osage  county  suffered  from  the  devastations  of  the  grass- 
hoppers in  1866  and  in  1874. 

The  county  seat  contest,  common  to  nearly  all  new  counties,  took 
on  a  serious  aspect  in  Osage.  Prior  to  the  organization  of  the  county 
the  voting  was  done  at  Burlingame,  no  objections  being  raised.  The 
■first  meeting  of  the  county  commissioners  on  April  27,  1859,  was  held 
at  Superior.  This  board  was  appointed  by  the  governor  and  was  com- 
posed of  V.  R.  Morrill,  M.  Rambo  and  A.  T.  Dutton.  S.  M.  Perrin  was 
clerk.  An  election  on  June  7  resulted  as  follows:  J.  L.  Rooks,  judge; 
D.  B.  Burdick,  sherifif ;  J.   Perrill,  surveyor.     At  the  first  regular  elec- 


398  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

tion  in  Xovcmbcr  the  lollnwing  officers  were  chosen:  J.  R.  Carrier, 
superinteiulenl  of  schools;  M.  Rambo,  judi^e;  C.  C.  Crumb,  sheriff; 
A.  X.  Iiull)U-rd,  register  of  deeds;  W.  O.  Fisher,  attorney;  John  Rambo, 
clerk;  A.  T.  Diitton,  treasurer;  J.  P.  Perrill,  surveyor,  and  A.  l.eonard, 
coroner.  The  legislature  of  iSCo  appointed  a  commission  composed  of 
O.  H.  Sheldon,  Philip  C.  Schuyler  and  James  M.  Winchell  to  select 
a  location  for  the  county  seat.  They  selected  a  spot  about  midway 
between  Superior  and  Burlingame,  which  the}'  called  Prescott.  .\t 
the  county  seat  election,  held  in  April,  Prescott  was  rejected  and 
Superior  continued  as  the  county  seat.  The  first  term  of  the  district 
court  was  held  there  in  Oct.,  1861,  with  K.  M.  Ruggles  presiding  judge. 
-A  county  seat  election  was  held  in  1861,  and  another  in  1862,  and 
both  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Burlingame,  where  the  county  records 
remained  for  many  years.  When  the  Indians  moved  away  and  the 
whole  of  the  county  was  opened  to  settlement  Burlingame  was  not 
central  enough,  and  another  county  seat  election  was  called  in  Oct., 
1870,  which  resulted  in  a  victory  for  Lyndon.  The  Burlingame  peo- 
ple immediatel}-  got  out  an  injunction  to  prevent  the  removal  of  the 
count}-  records,  which  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  litigation  and 
a  strife  which  ended  in  1875  i^^  both  sides  resorting  to  the  use  of  arms. 
The  people  of  Lyndon,  who  had  for  five  years  been  trying  to  get  the 
county  records,  finally  decided  to  resort  to  force  and  a  small  body 
of  armed  men  with  a  team  were  sent  to  Burlingame  to  remove  the 
records.  On  learning  of  their  approach  the  men  of  Burlingame  bar- 
ricaded the  court-house  and  prepared  to  defend  it  against  the  Lyndon- 
ites.  Scouts  were  stationed  along  the  road  to  guard  it.  The  Lyndon 
men  sent  out  scouts  one  or  two  at  a  time  to  reconnoiter,  all  of  whom 
were  captured  and  landed  in  jail.  A  force  of  about  400  from  the 
southern  part  of  the  county  was  then  raised  at  Lyndon  and  marched 
to  Burlingame,  determined  to  secure  the  records  or  burn  the  town. 
Scouts  sent  on  ahead  brought  back  the  intelligence  that  the  court- 
house was  filled  with  armed  meh  ready  to  defend  the  records.  For 
a  time  it  appeared  as  though  there  would  be  a  battle,  as  both  sides 
were  worked  up  to  a  fury.  However,  wiser  counsel  on  both  sides  pre- 
vailed, and  Burlingame  gave  up  the  records,  believing  that  to  be  the 
only  way  to  save  the  town  from  destruction.  A  short  time  after  this 
the  supreme  court,  in  which  the  case  was  at  that  time  pending,  sus- 
tained the  lower  court  in  favor  of  Lyndon  and  the  county  seat  has 
remained  at  that  place  ever  since. 

The  first  military  company  was  organized  in  1855  for  the  purpose 
of  marching  to  the  defense  of  Lawrence.  It  was  called  the  "Old  Free 
State  Guards,"  and  was  officered  as  follows:  Henry  Todd,  captain; 
William  Toothman,  first  lieutenant;  G.  L  Drew,  second  lieutenant; 
and  L.  D.  Joy,  orderly  sergeant.  The  next  year  border  troubles  began 
in  Osage  county,  which  did  not  end  until  after  the  Civil  war.  Another 
military  company  was  organized  by  the  free-soilers  in  June,  1856.  A 
portion  of  Buford's  company,  which  had  been  sent  from  the  southern 


KANSAS    HISTORY  399 

states  to  drive  the  anti-slavery  men  out  of  Kansas,  camped  on  i  lo 
Mile  creek,  where  they  remained  all  summer,  making  raids,  robbing 
and  committing  various  outrages.  Travel  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  was 
seriously  impeded  and  it  was  impossible  to  get  provisions  into  the  free- 
state  settlements  unless  the  wagons  were  protected  by  an  armed  force. 
On  July  4  nearly  every  man  in  the  settlement  went  to  Topeka  to  pre- 
vent the  border  ruffians  from  making  an  attack  on  the  free-state  legis- 
lature, which  was  to  convene  that  day,  but  on  its  being  dispersed  by 
Col.-  Sumner,  they  returned  home. 

Most  of  the  new  immigration  was  free-state  and  by  the  time  the 
Civil  war  broke  out  Osage  county  was  overwhelmingly  opposed  to 
slavery.  During  that  conflict  Osage  county  furnished  more  than  its 
share  of  soldiers  for  the  Union  army.  The  first  enlistment  was  in  May, 
1861,  when  25  men  entered  the  Second  Kansas  infantry.  A  large  num- 
ber of  Osage  county  men  served  in  the  Eleventh  I'vansas,  and  many 
joined  the  regiments  of  other  states.  During  the  Price  raid  every 
able-bodied  man  in  Osage  went  to  the  defense  of  the  border.  The}' 
composed  the  Santa  Fe  road  battalion  and  were  commanded  by  Col. 
M.  M.  Murdock.  The  loss  of  life  among  Osage  county  men  during 
that  campaign   was  heavy. 

In  1865  two  bonding  propositions  for  railroads  were  carried  in  Osage 
county — one  for  the  Lawrence  &  Emporia,  and  the  other  for  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe.  The  former  was  never  built,  but  the  latter 
was  completed  through  the  county  in  1869,  when  $150,000  in  bonds 
were  issued.  The  next  year  the  Lawrence  &  Carbondale  road  was 
built.  Various  different  roads  were  projected  in  the  succeeding  years 
but  no  more  were  built  until  1879,  when  the  Manhattan,  Alma  &  Bur- 
lingame  road  was  completed.  At  the  present  time  there  are  140  miles 
■>i  railroad  in  the  county. 

Many  of  the  early  towns  projected  in  the  '50s  have  disappeared  from 
the  map,  among  them  being:  Council  Grove,  once  the  principal  town 
of  the  county;  Arvilla,  on  Switzler  "creek;  Fremont,  Prairie  City,  on 
the  Santa  Fe  trail;  Young  America,  on  no  Mile  creek;  Eureka,  just 
east  of  Switzler  creek;  Havana,  4  miles  west  of  Burlingame :  Ver- 
sailles, Washington,  Indian  City  and  Georgetown.  The  following  are 
the  towns  and  villages  in  the  county  at  the  present  time:  Lyndon, 
Barclay,  Burlingame,  Dragoon,  Ellen,  Maxson,  Melvern,  Michigan  Val- 
ley, Olivet,  Carbondale,  Osage  City,  Overbrook,  Pcterton,  Ouenemo, 
Ridgeway,  Rosemont,  Scranton,  Union,  Vassar.  The  county  is  divided 
into"  16  townships,  viz.:  Agency,  Arvonia,  Barclay,  Burlingame, 
Dragoon,  Elk,  Fairfax,  Grant,  Junction,  Lincoln,  Melvern,  Olivet, 
Ridgeway,  Scranton,  Superior  and  Valley  Brook. 

The  surface  of  Osage  county  is  undulating  prairie.  Bottom  lands 
average  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width  along  the  streams.  The 
native  timber  belts  along  the  rivers  and  creeks  average  less  than  one- 
half  mile  in  width,  and  contain  black  walnut,  cottonwood,  elm,  hickory, 
hackberry,  pecan,  oak,  ash,  wild  cherry  and  sycamore.     Coal  of  excel- 


40O 


CYCLOPEDIA   OF 


loiu  vaiicty  underlies  a  large  portion  of  the  county  and  has  for  years 
been  mined  at  Osage  City,  Scranton,  Carbondale,  Burlingame  and  other 
points.  Magncsian  limestone  is  found  in  the  east,  blue  and  gray  lime- 
stone in  the  west,  and  a  superior  quality  of  sandstone  in  the  north. 
Some  of  the  Hagging  stone  quarried  at  Osage  City  has  been  used  in 
paving  Topeka  and  Emporia.  A  gray  marble  capable  of  taking  a  high 
polish  has  been  found  in  the  southern  townships.  Yellow  ocher,  used 
in  mineral  paint,  is  found  at  Osage  City.  Potter's  clay  is  plentiful 
near  Burlingame.  There  are  salt  springs  in  the  south  along  Salt  creek 
and  a  mineral  spring  near  Carbondale  is  said  to  possess  medicinal 
qualities. 

The  leading  crops  are:  Corn,  which  is  worth  over  $i,ooo,030 
annually ;  oats,  which  brings  $150,000  to  $200,000  each  year ;  Kafir  corn, 
worth  $100,000;  tame  grass,  worth  $200,000;  prairie  grass,  which 
brought  $230,000  in  1910:  and  wheat,  worth  $50,000.  The  total  annual 
output  of  the  farms  was  worth  $3,500,000  in  1910,  of  which  live  stock 
contributed  over  $1,000,000. 

The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  is  19,905.  The  total 
assessed  valuation  of  property   in  the  same  year  was  $31,677,000. 

Osage  Mission. — (See  Missions.) 

Osage  Trail. — This  was  a  much  traveled  thoroughfare  used  by  the 
Osage  Indians  when  they  occupied  lands  near  the  southern  boundary 
of  Kansas,  and  according  to  the  late  J.  R.  Mead  of  Wichita,  ran  from 
their  settlements  near  the  confluence  of  Fall  river  and  the  Verdigris, 
in  what  is  now  Wilson  county,  in  a  northwesterly  direction  through 
the  counties  of  Wilson,  Elk  and  Butler,  to  a  point  about  6  miles  above 
the  junction  of  the  Little  Arkansas  and  Arkansas  rivers  in  Sedgwick 
county,  where  their  hunting  grounds  were  located.  The  trail  had  evi- 
dently long  been  used  -by  the  Indians,  as  deep  gullies  had  been  washed 
in  the  trails  on  the  slopes  of  the  hills  when  first  noticed  by  the 
settlers. 

Osawatomie,  one  of  the  principal  cities  of  Miami  county,  is  located 
on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  river,  about  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of 
Pottawatomie  creek  and  is  one  of  the  most  historic  towns  in  Kansas. 
Agents  of  the  Emigrant  Aid  society  selected  the  town  site,  which  was 
surveyed  in  Feb.,  1855,  by  A.  D.  Searl.  According  to  early  historians 
the  name  was  formed  by  combining  the  Osa  of  Osage  with  watomie  of 
Pottawatomie,  the  stream  of  the  latter  name  uniting  with  the  Marais 
des  Cygnes  to  form  the  Osage  river.  The  original  town  company  con- 
sisted of  Orville  C.  Brown,  president;  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  an  agent  of  the 
emigrant  company,  and  a  Mr.  Ward  of  New  York.  The  first  settlers 
were  from  the  eastern  states.  Samuel  Geer  is  supposed  to  have  erected 
the  first  building,  which  was  used  for  a  residence  and  boarding  house. 
The  Emigrant  .\id  society  sent  out  a  sawmill,  which  was  erected  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  about  half  a  mile  below  the 
town,  and  there  much  of  the  lumber  was  sawed  for  the  first  build- 
ings.    In  the  summer  of  1855  ^  blacksmith  shop  was  opened  by  a  man 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4OI 

named  Holdridge  and  a  drug  store  by  Dr.  Darr.  The  first  store  was 
also  opened  about  this  time  by  Mr.  Geer,  who  was  appointed  post- 
master on  Dec.  21,  1855.  C.  H.  Crane  was  the  first  lawyer  to  open 
an  office  in  the  pioneer  settlement. 

On  June  7,  1856,  the  first  battle  of  Osawatomic  occurred.  The  vil- 
lage was  plundered  and  some  horses  carried  ofif,  but  no  blood  was  shed. 
At  this  time  there  were  about  30  buildings  at  Osawatomie  and  an 
actual  population  of  about  500.  The  second  battle  of  Osawatomie 
(q.  V.)  occurred  on  Aug.  30,  when  part  of  the  town  was  plundered  and 
burned,  but  notwithstanding  this  disaster  the  settlement  grew  and 
fast  became  the  center  of  the  free-state  party  in  the  eastern  counties. 
By  1857  the  early  chroniclers  say  that  it  was  a  town  "of  considerable 
importance,  having  a  population  of  about  800,  of  whom  200  were 
voters." 

In  1863  the  first  state  hospital  for  the  insane  was  located  about  a 
mile  northeast  of  Osawatomie.  It  has  become  one  of  the  largest  insti- 
tutions in  the  state.  The  first  newspaper  in  the  town  was  the  Southern 
Kansas  Herald,  established  early  in  1857.  It  changed  hands  several 
times,  was  removed  to  Paola  in  1866,  and  soon  discontinued.  The 
Osawatomie  Times  was  established  in  1881,  but  was  published  only 
one  year.  The  papers  of  the  present  time  are  the  Graphic  and  Globe, 
both  weeklies.  The  first  school  house  grew  too  small  and  in  igjG  a 
fine  new  building  was  erected  with  the  most  modern  equipment. 

Railroads  were  not  built  to  Osawatomie  until  the  early  '70s,  but 
at  the  present  time  it  is  a  division  point  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  road, 
and  the  repair  shops  of  that  line  are  located  there.  Osawatomie  is 
a  supply  town  for  a  rich  agricultural  country  and  is  also  its  shipping 
point.  It  is  the  first  city  in  the  county,  having  in  1910  a  population 
of  4,046. 

Osawatomie,  Battle  of. — During  the  early  summer  of  1856,  armed 
bands  of  both  free-state  and  pro-slavery  men  were  traversing  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  territory  and  several  encounters  took  place  between  the 
two  factions.  Soon  after  the  sack  of  Lawrence  (q.  v.)  the  pro-slavery 
men  decided  that  every  free-state  settler  must  be  driven  out  of  the  ter- 
ritor}',  and  Osawatomie  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  places  for  the  exhibi- 
tion of  this  policy.  The  residents  feared  that  the  whole  settlement, 
the  Browns  more  particularly,  would  be  destroyed.  Early  in  June 
a  party  of  150  Missourians,  under  command  of  John  W.  Whitfield, 
learning  that  most  of  the  men  of  the  free-state  forces  were  occupied 
elsewhere,  attacked  the  town.  No  resistance  was  made,  and  beyond 
plundering  some  houses  and  running  ofif  horses  no  great  damage  was 
done.  From  that  time  on,  however,  the  residents  were  in  hourly  fear, 
as  the  territory  from  Mound  City  to  Fort  Scott  and  as  far  west  as 
Lawrence  was  occupied  by  border  ruffians  and  neither  person  nor 
property  was  safe.  About  the  middle  of  Aug.,  1856,  the  Missouri- 
Kansas  militia  began  plundering  and  killing  in  the  vicinity  of  Osawato- 
mie. On  the  25th  about  150  Missourians  camped  not  far  from  the  town 
(11-26) 


402  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

expecting  to  take  it  by  surprise.  W  hilc  they  were  quick,  the  free-state 
men  were  quicker,  the  camp  being  captured  after  a  total  rout  of  the 
ruffians.  It  was  not  anticipated  that  another  attack  would  soon  be 
made,  but  on  the  night  of  Aug.  29  a  band  of  about  400  Missourians, 
commanded  by  Gen.  Reid,  started  from  Bull  creek  for  Osawatomie, 
intending  to  reach  the  town  about  midnight  and  make  an  attack  about 
daylight. 

On  the  morning  of  Aug.  30  Frederick  Brown  left  Osawatomie  before 
sunrise  to  return  to  Lawrence,  and  while  on  his  way  to  S.  L.  Adair"s. 
met  Reid  and  a  small  advance  guard,  which  was  being  guided  by  a 
minister  named  Martin  White.  The  attacking  forces  had  crossed  the 
Marais  des  Cygnes  at  liundy's  ford,  about  4  miles  northwest  of 
Osawatomie,  and  was  approaching  the  town  when  Brown  was  recog- 
nized by  White,  who  raised  his  rifle  and  shot  Brown  upon  the  spot. 
The  shot  aroused  some  of  the  settlers  living  in  the  vicinity,  mes- 
sengers were  at  once  despatched  to  notify  the  people  in  the  village  and 
Capt.  Brown,  who  was  half  a  mile  east  of  town.  Dr.  L'pdegraff  and 
Capts.  Brown  and  Cline  collected  their  men  as  quickly  as  possible  and 
decided  on  plans  for  defense.  At  first  it  was  designed  to  use  the  block- 
house, but  on  learning  that  Reid  had  a  cannon  with  him  this  plan  was 
abandoned.  Brown,  with  41  men  took  a  position  in  the  timber  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes,  facing  south.  Brown,  with 
1/  men,  was  on  the  right;  Dr.  UpdegraiT,  with  10  men,  formed  the 
center,  and  Capt.  Cline,  with  14  men,  the  left  wing  of  the  defending 
company.  An  independent  company  was  still  farther  to  the  left  in 
the  Emigrant  Aid  compan}''s  mill.  By  the  time  these  forces  were 
arranged  the  Missourians  were  passing  about  600  yards  in  front.  One 
man,  who  had  been  sent  to  reconnoiter,  finding  the  enemy  so  close, 
had  fired  at  them.  He  immediately  retreated  to  the  main  body,  fol- 
lowed closely  by  the  Missourians,  who  formed  on  the  ridge  west  of 
where  the  John  Brown  monument  now  stands.  After  forming  in  line 
they  fired  three  guns  as  a  signal  for  the  free-state  men  to  surrender. 
Orders  had  been  issued  to  the  defenders  not  to  fire  until  Capt.  Brown 
gave  the  signal,  but  when  they  heard  these  three  shots  they  could  not 
be  restrained,  believing  that  the  enemy  had  opened  the  engagement. 
All  of  Brown's  command  fired,  although  the  men  knew  it  was  con- 
trary to  orders.  The  Missourians  first  attacked  the  right  wing  and 
were  partially  repulsed,  when  they  brought  the  cannon  into  action 
about  400  yards  in  front  of  Brown's  command,  moving  it  further  east 
at  each  shot,  to  scour  all  the  timber.  It  was  loaded  with  grape  shot, 
but  the  bullets  passed  over  the  heads  of  the  men  and  little  damage 
was  done.  The  free-state  forces  kept  moving  eastward,  firing  at  the 
enemy,  who  finally  abandoned  the  cannon,  dismounted  and  charged 
into  the  timber,  whence  the  main  body  of  the  defenders  was  located. 
After  having  held  the  ground  for  over  an  hour  against  ten  times  their 
number,  the  free-state  men  were  now  placed  in  a  position  where  they 
must  surrender  or  retreat,  and  most  of  them  escaped  across  the  Alarais 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4O3 

des  Cygnes,  losing  a  few  killed  nr  taken  prisoners.  The  Missourians 
then  entered  the  town  and  commenced  lo  pillage  and  burn  it.  They 
first  fired  the  blockhouse,  in  which  several  men  were  stationed,  and 
only  four  houses  escaped  being  destroyed.  When  the  ruffians  left  they 
had  two  wagons  filled  with  their  wounded  and  ten  loaded  with  the 
plunder  taken  from  the  homes  of  the  citizens. 

Reid  and  his  force  started  east,  with  the  intention  of  crossing  the 
Marais  des  Cygnes  near  the  mill,  but  the  men  stationed  there  opened 
fire,  and  not  knowing  the  number  of  the  defenders,  the  Missourians 
faced  about  and  left  the  town  by  the  way  they  came.  The  free-state 
men  who  escaped  assembled  at  a  log  house  north  of  the  river,  among 
them  being  I'.rown  and  Updegralif.  The  following  day  they  moved 
to  the  south  side  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  and  commenced  fortify- 
ing another  camp,  but  it  was  never  completed. 

The  free-state  men  lost  about  six  men  killed  or  captured,  and  several 
more  were  seriously  wounded.  It  is  supposed  that  the  Missourians 
sufi'ered  about  the  same  number  in  dead  and  wounded,  although  it  was 
never  detinitely  known. 

Osawatomie  State  Hospital. — The  first  territorial  legislature  in  1855 
passed  an  act  providing  for  the  appointment  of  guardians  for  persons 
of  unsound  mind,  and  in  1859  the  provisions  of  the  law  were  extended 
to  include  habitual  drunkards.  Guardians  of  such  persons  were 
required  to  assume  the  management  of  any  estate  owned  by  the  ward, 
and  to  report  to  the  proper  judicial  authorities  at  stated  times.  The 
first  step  toward  the  erection  of  an  asylum  for  the  insane  of  Kansas 
was  the  passage  of  the  act  of  March  2,  1863,  naming  William  Chestnut 
of  Miami  county,  I.  Hiner  of  Anderson  county,  and  James  Hanway  of 
Franklin  county  as  commissioners  "to  determine  the  location  oi  the 
State  Insane  Asylum  of  the  State  of  Kansas."  The  commissioners 
were  somewhat  restricted  in  the  selection  of  a  site,  the  act  confining 
thern  to  "some  jjoint  within  the  township  of  Osawatomie  township,  in 
the  county  of  Miami."  It  was  further  provided  that  a  tract  of  land, 
not  less  than  160  acres,  should  constitute  the  site  of  the  proposed  insti- 
tution, and  that  title  to  this  land  should  be  secured  by  donation.  No 
appropriation  was  made  for  the  erection  of  buildings  until  after  the 
location  was  selected  and  approved. 

On  Oct.  17,  1863,  the  commissioners  reported  as  follows:  "We,  the 
undersigned  appointed  commissioners  to  locate  the  state  insane  asylum, 
met  at  Osawatomie,  Kan.,  on  the  7th  day  of  October,  A.  D.,  1863,  and 
selected  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  2,  township  18,  range  22.  for 
the  reason  that  this  was  the  only  eligible  site  where  a  proi^er  title 
could  be  obtained  with  the  means  at  command  of  the  township,  and 
other  material  advantages  for  the  establishment  of  such  an  institutimi." 

The  tract  of  land  selected  by  the  commissioners  is  situated  about  a 
mile  north  of  the  city  of  Osawatotnie,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Marais 
des  Cygnes  river.  It  was  donated  by  the  people  of  Osawatoinie  town- 
ship and  some  years  later  an  additional   160  acres  were  purchased  b_\ 


404 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


the  state,  giving  the  hospital  a  full  hall  section  o{  land.  The  work  of 
the  commissioners  was  approved,  and  on  Feb.  14,  1865,  an  act  was 
passed  providing  for  the  appointment  of  three  trustees  by  the  gov- 
ernor, only  one  of  whom  could  be  a  resident  of  .Miami  county.  The 
first  building  was-  erected  in  1866.  It  was  a  small  two-story  frame 
structure  and  cost  about  $500.  Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
the  institution  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  patients,  with  Dr.  C.  O. 
Cause  as  superintendent  and  Mrs.  Cause  as  matron.  At  last  Ivansas 
had  an  insane  asvlum.     Two  years  later  the  two  wards — one  for  men 


OSAWATOMIE  STATE  HOSPITAL. 


and  the  other  for  women — each  accommodating  12  patients,  were  tilled, 
and  the  state  was  compelled  to  erect  additional  buildings  for  the 
accommodation  of  more  patients.  From  that  time  the  growth  of  the 
institution  has  been  steady,  until  in  1910  the  property  held  by  it  was 
valued  at  $1,000,000.  The  farm  has  been  increased  to  720  acres;  a  main 
building  includes  the  administration  offices,  the  chapel,  which  seats 
600  people,  dormitories  for  a  large  number  of  the  employees,  and  quar- 
ters for  about  450  patients :  the  Knapp  and  Adair  buildings,  similar 
in  design  and  equipment,  each  accommodate  300  chronic  cases,  the 
former  being  set  apart  for  men  and  the  latter  for  women ;  and  there 
are  shops,  boiler  house,  electric  light  and  power  plant,  ice  house, 
bakery,  laundry,  barns,  green  houses,  a  reservoir  for  a  water  supply, 
etc.  In  1901  a  new  infirmary  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $50,000,  and  since 
then  the  institution  has  been  supplied  with  a  tuberculosis  pavilion. 
The  original  building  of  1866  has  been  removed  to  the  rear  of  the  east 
wing  of  the  main  building,  where  it  is  used  as  a  residence  for  the  head 
farmer  and  is  known  as  "The  Lodge."  There  is  also  an  amusement 
hall. 


KANSAS   HISTORY  405 

On  March  8,  1880,  fire  broke  out  in  the  attic  of  the  executive  build- 
ing and  before  the  flames  could  be  extinguished  the  entire  interior  of 
the  building  was  in  ruins.  It  was  soon  repaired,  however,  and  the  loss 
served  as  a  stimulus  to  the  state  to  provide  better  fire  protection.  The 
superintendents  of  the  hospital  have  been  C.  O.  Gau.sc,  C.  I^".  Lee,  A. 
H.  Knapp,  A.  P.  Tenney,  L.  F.  Wentworth,  T.  C.  IJiddle,  Thomas 
Kirk,  Jr.,  and  L.  L.  Uhls.  Of  these  Dr.  Knapp  served  about  half  the 
half  time  covered  by  the  history  of  the  institution. 

Osage  River,  one  of  the  historic  water-courses  of  eastern  Kansas,  has 
its  source  in  the  southern  part  of  Wabaunsee  county.  It  flows  east- 
ward through  Osage  and  Franklin  counties  into  Miami,  where  it 
changes  its  course  toward  the  southeast  and  crosses  the  state  line  near 
the  center  of  Linn  county.  From  there  it  continues  eastward  through 
the  counties  of  Bates,  St.  Clair,  Benton,  Camden  and  Miller,  in  the 
State  of  Missouri,  and  finally  empties  into  the  Missouri  river  a  few 
miles  below  Jefferson  City.  In  high  water  it  is  navigable  for  small 
boats  for  a  distance  of  about  200  miles.  Its  upper  course  is  sometimes 
called  the  Marais  des  Cygnes,  along  whose  banks  were  enacted  some 
of  the  most  tragic  events  of  the  "Border  War." 

Osbom,  Thomas  A.,  governor  of  Kansas  from  1873  to  1877,  was  born 
at  Meadville,  Pa.,  Oct.  26,  1836.  During  his  boyhood  he  attended  the 
common  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  entered  a  printing 
ofifice  and  learned  the  trade  of  compositor.  While  serving  his  appren- 
ticeship he  saved  his  money,  entered  Allegheny  College,  and  paid  his 
wa}^  through  that  institution  with  money  earned  at  the  printer's  case 
during  vacations.  In  1856  he  began  the  study  of  law  with  Judge  Der- 
rickson  of  Meadville  and  the  following  year  he  removed  to  Michigan, 
where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  Nov..  1857,  he  came  to  Law- 
rence, Kan.,  where  he  found  employment  with  the  Herald  of  Freedom 
as  typesetter,  assistant  foreman  and  temporary  editor.  He  remained 
with  the  paper  until  in  March,  1858,  when  he  began  the  practice  of 
law  at  Elwood,  Doniphan  county.  Although  but  a  few  months  past 
his  majority,  he  was  an  ardent  free-state  man,  and  soon  after  locating 
at  Elwood  he  became  an  active  factor  in  shaping  the  political  destinies 
of  Doniphan  county.  On  Dec.  6,  1859,  he  was  elected  state  senator 
from  the  county  to  the  first  state  legislature,  which  met  in  March, 
1861.  At  the  second  session  of  this  legislature,  in  1861,  Mr.  Osborn 
was  elected  president  of  the  senate  over  John  J.  Ingalls,  and  while 
holding  this  position  he  presided  over  the  impeachment  trials  of  the 
governor,  secretary  of  state  and  auditor.  In  Nov.,  1862,  he  was  elected 
lieutenant-governor  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  in  April,  1864,  he 
was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  I'nited  States  marshal  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Kansas.  He  then  removed  to  the  city  of  Leavenworth.  When 
the  difference  of  opinion  arose  between  President  Johnson  and  Con- 
gress in  1867  Mr.  Osborn  advocated  the  Congressional  policy  of  recon- 
struction and  was  removed  from  the  marshalship,  but  his  removal 
added  to  his  popularity.     In  1868  he  was  a  member  of  the  Republican 


406  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

State  central  comniillef;  was  elected  Governor  in  1872.  and  was 
reelected  in  1874  for  the  term  ending  in  Jan.,  1877.  In  1875  he  received 
a  nuinhcr  of  \otes  for  L'nited  Slates  senator,  but  Preston  B.  Plumb, 
with  \vh(ini  he  liad  worked  on  the  Herald  of  Freedom,  was  elected. 
On  Mav  31,  1877.  he  was  commissioned  by  President  Hayes  envoy 
extraordinary  and  minister  plenipotentiary  to  Chili,  and  in  June  he 
started  for  Santiago.  In  1881  he  was  promoted  to  the  Brazilian  mis- 
sion, but  before  leaving  Chili  he  received  the  public  thanks  of  the  gov- 
ernment for  his  work  in  settling  the  question  of  boundary  between  that 
country  and  tlic  Argentine  Republic.  L'pon  his  return  home  from 
St)uth  America  Mr.  Osborn  became  interested  in  various  business 
enterprises — banking,  railroad  construction,  real  estate  operations,  etc. 
As  early  as  May,  1866,  he  had  been  one  of  the  North  Kansas  Railroad 
company,  and  was  a  director  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  from 
the  time  the  company  was  organized  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  Meadville,  Pa.,  Feb.  4,  1898.  Pie  had  been  to  New  York  to  attend 
a  meeting  of  the  railroad  directors,  and  had  stopped  at  Meadville  for 
a  short  visit  with  some  of  his  old  boyhood  friends,  when  he  was 
attacked  by  a  hemorrhage  and  died  in  a  few  hours.  His  remains  were 
brought  ti)  Topeka  and  laid  to  rest  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  who  had 
died  some  years  before.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Mark  W.  Delahay, 
one  of  the  early  judges  of  the  United  States  district  court.  One  son, 
Fdward  D.  ( )sborn.  survives  the  parents  and  still  resides  in  Topeka. 

Osborn's  Administration. — On  Jan.  14,  1873,  the  thirteenth  state  leg- 
islature met  in  regular  session,  at  the  opening  of  which  Gov.  Osborn 
was  inaugurated.  Elias  S.  Stover  was  at  the  same  time  sworn  in  as 
lieutenant  governor,  and  by  virtue  of  his  office  became  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  senate.  Josiah  Kellogg  was  elected  speaker  of  the  house, 
and  on  the  16th  Gov.  Osborn's  first  message  was  presented  to  the  gen- 
eral assembly.  It  was  an  interesting  document,  in  that  it  made  a  com- 
parison of  the  conditions  in  1862,  the  first  full  year  of  statehood,  with 
those  of  1872.  The  principal  features  of  this  comparison  are  shown  in 
the  following  table : 

1862  1872 

Xumber   of    school    districts 534  3.418 

.Xumber    of    teachers 319  3'795 

.\umber  of  children  of  school  age.  .  13.976  165,982 

\'alue  of   school    property $10,432  $2,845,262 

Salaries  of  teachers $14,099  $596,61 1 

.\mount  raised  by  district  tax $10,381  $822,644 

Value   of  all   taxable    property $19,285,749         $127,690,937 

Number  of  votes   cast 15,418  101.488 

Miles    of    railroad none  2,039 

In  1862  the  state  was  without  a  penitentiary,  a  state  university,  an 
agricultural  college,  a  state  normal  school,  a  state  capital,  asylums 
for  the  care  of  the  insane,  blind  and  deaf  and  dumb,  all  of  which  had 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4O7 

been  established  on  a  tirm  Icjuiulatiun  durint^  the  first  ten  years  of 
statehood. 

"Our  vote  at  the  late  election,"  says  the  governor,  "was  larger  than 
the  vote  of  either  of  the  states  of  Maine,  New  Jiainpshire,  Vermont, 
Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  Arkansas,  Delaware.  Florida,  Nebraska, 
Nevada,  Oregon,  South  Carolina,  West  Virginia,  California  or  Min- 
nesota— larger  than  the  vote  of  any  New  England  state  except  Massa- 
chusetts, and  larger  than  the  combined  vote  of  Nebraska,  Nevada, 
Rhode  Island  and  Oregon." 

In  1872,  according  to  the  governor's  message,  Kansas  had  more  miles 
of  railroad  than  either  of  twenty-six  states,  including  each  of  the  six 
New  England  states  and  all  of  the  Southern  states.  The  state  debt  was 
reported  as  being  $1,544,142.75,  of  which  $1,336,675  was  in  bonds; 
$201,109  in  outstanding  state  warrants,  and  $7,142.75  in  old  territorial 
warrants.  In  the  matter  of  finances  the  governor  insisted  upon  strict 
economy.  "A  frugal  administration  of  the  affairs  of  government."  said 
he.  "is  urgentl}-  demanded.  The  great  scarcit}'  of  money  makes  the 
demand  imperative.  I  urge  upon  you  a  careful  examination  of  the  laws, 
with  a  view  of  doing  away  with  every  unnecessary  expense,  and  you 
should  rigidly  scrutinize  all  measures  requiring  the  expenditure  of 
money." 

This  was  written  months  before  the  failure  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.  of 
New  York,  which  failure  precipitated  one  of  the  greatest  financial  panics 
in  the  history  of  the  countr}' ;  and  in  the  industrial  depression  that  fol- 
lowed, it  was  no  doubt  a  fortunate  thing  for  Kansas  that  she  had  as 
a  chief  executive  a  man  with  well  defined  ideas  of  econoni}- — one  able 
to  distinguish  between  genuine  frugality  and  parsimony. 

On  the  subject  of  convict  labor  Gov.  Osborn  said:  "Complaint  has 
been  made  that  the  laboi;  at  the  penitentiary  has  been  brought  into 
competition  with  the  labor  of  the  mechanics  of  the  state.  ...  As 
a  remedy  for  this  evil  other  states  have  provided  that  convict  labor 
should  be  employed  in  the  production  of  common  articles  rec|uiring 
little  skill.  This  course  has  also  proved  profitable,  and  the  institu- 
tions are  fast  becoming  self-supporting." 

He  recommended  the  establishment  of  a  reform  school,  so  that  boys 
convicted  of  their  first  offense  would  not  have  to  be  confined  with 
hardened  criminals,  and  pointed  out  several  defects  in  the  state  consti- 
tution, to-wit : 

1st — The  limit  of  the  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  state  to  $1,000,000, 
which  had  been  reached,  while  several  public  buildings  either  com- 
menced or  contemplated  could  not  be  completed  for  lack  of  power  to 
issue  additional  bonds. 

2nd — That  section  1.  article  5.  was  at  that  time  in  direct  conflict 
with  the  constitution  of  the  Cnited  States,  in  denying  the  negroes  the 
right  of  suffrage. 

3d — The  amendment  to  section  2.  article  5,  disfranchising  certain 
persons,  had  been  adopted  by  a  small  majority ;  the  arguments  in  its 


408  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

favor  had  ceased  to  have  any  force,  and  he  recommended  the  removal 
of  the  restrictions. 

^th — As  originally  adopted  section  2,  article  2,  provided  that  there 
should  never  be  more  than  100  representatives  and  33  senators  in  the 
state  legislature,  while  section  i,  article  10,  provided  that  in  all  future 
apportionments  of  the  state  for  legislative  purposes,  each  county  should 
have  at  least  one  representative.  Since  the  last  apportionment  in  1871, 
twelve  new  counties  had  been  organized  and  the  number  of  100  had 
been  reached  and  passed.  It  would  be  impossible  to  comply  with  the 
conflicting  iirnvi.sions  of  the  constitutiun  m  this  particuiar,  g'i\e  each 
county  a  representative  and  still  restrict  the  number  to  100. 

5th — "In  sixteen  of  the  state';,"  says  the  message,  "the  legislatures 
meet  in  regular  session  only  once  in  two  years.  These  states  seem  to 
have  had  too  much  legislation.  Constant  changes  of  laws  lead  to  con- 
fusion and  promote  litigation.  The  expenses  attending  an  annual  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  are  heavy,  and  might  be  diminished  one-half 
by  biennial  sessions." 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  constitution  only  three  amendments  may 
be  submitted  to  the  people  in  any  one  year,  while  in  his  message  the 
governor  suggested  five  changes.  "Other  defects,"  said  he,  "have  been 
frequently  alluded  to  by  my  predecessors.  As  a  remedy  for  these  evils 
it  seems  to  me  that  the  time  has  come  for  holding  a  constitutional 
convention."     (See  Constitutional  Amendments.} 

One  of  the  duties  that  devolved  upon  the  assembly  of  1873  was  the 
election  of  a  United  States  senator.  In  his  message  the  governor 
referred  to  "reports  that  have  been  so  generally  circulated  of  the  whole- 
sale purchase  of  legislatures  in  our  former  elections,"  and  expressed 
the  hope  "that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  senators  in  Congress 
will  be  chosen  by  a  direct  vote  of  the  people." 

On  Jan.  29  the  two  branches  of  the  legislature  met  in  joint  session 
to  ballot  for  a  United  States  senator  to  succeed  Senator  Pomeroy, 
whose  term  would  expire  on  the  4th  of  the  following  March.  Before 
the  vote  was  taken  State  Senator  Alexander  M.  York  of  Montgomery 
county,  announced  that  on  Monday  evening,  the  27th,  he  had  visited 
Senator  Pomeroy 's  room  in  the  Tefft  House  and  entered  into  an  arange- 
ment  by  which  he  was  to  receive  $8,000  for  casting  his  vote  for  Mr. 
Pomeroy ;  that  $2,000  was  then  and  there  paid  to  him ;  that  he  had 
received  $5,000  more  on  the  28th,  and  was  to  receive  the  remaining 
$1,000  after  he  had  cast  his  vote  according  to  the  agreement.  The 
$7,000  he  turned  over  to  the  chief  clerk  and  asked  that  the  money  be 
used  "to  defray  the  expenses  of  prosecuting  the  investigation  of  Samuel 
C.  Pomeroy  for  bribery  and  corruption." 

This  announcement  was  like  the  proverbial  clap  of  thunder  from  the 
clear  sky  and  stampeded  the  joint  session  for  John  J.  Ingalls,  who 
received  115  votes  to  2  for  ex-Gov.  Harvey;  6  for  David  P.  Lowe;  2 
for  Sidney  Clarke;  2  for  Alexander  M.  York;  i  for  ex-Gov.  Robinson, 
and  I  for  Samuel  A.  Kingman.     On  Feb.  4  the  house,  by  a  vote  of  64 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4O9 

to  8,  requested  Mr.  Pomeroy  to  resign  his  seat.  The  following  day 
the  senate,  by  a  vote  of  21  to  9,  made  a  similar  request,  and  the  house, 
by  a  vote  of  51  to  39,  asked  for  the  resignation  of  United  States  Senator 
Alexander  Caldwell,  whose  election  had  been  investigated  by  the  legis- 
lature of  the  previous  year.     (See  Harvey's  Administration. j 

The  question  of  Mr.  Pomeroy 's  bribery  was  taken  up  by  the  United 
States  senate  and  referred  to  a  committee,  a  majority  of  which  reported 
on  March  3,  1873.  The  report  concluded  as  follows :  "The  committee, 
bearing  in  mind,  while  examining  the  evidence,  that  the  whole  trans- 
action, whatever  view  be  taken  of  it,  is  the  result  of  a  concerted  plot 
to  defeat  Mr.  Pomeroy,  and  remembering  that  the  burden  of  proof 
is  on  the  party  making  the  accusation,  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  Mr.  York  has  not  sustained  his  charge  by  sufficient  proof,  con- 
tradicted as  it  is  by  the  evidence  of  Mr.  Page  and  Mr.  Pomeroy.  (A 
full  report  of  this  committee  may  be  found  in  the  Senate  Documents 
of  the  Forty-second  Congress,  second  session.  Report  No.  523.) 

On  March  6,  1873,  Senator  Oliver  P.  Morton  of  Indiana  introduced 
a  resolution  in  the  United  States  senate  that  Alexander  Caldwell  was 
not  legally  elected  a  United  States  senator  from  Kansas,  and  made  a 
strong  speech  in  support  of  his  resolution.  On  the  24th  of  the  same 
month   Senator   Caldwell    resigned. 

The  legislature  of  1873  adjourned  on  March  7.  During  the  session 
a  number  of  acts  defining  county  boundaries  were  passed ;  a  Price  Raid 
commission  was  created;  the  governor  was  authorized  to  appoint  a 
commission  of  three  citizens  to  visit  the  various  state  institutions  and 
report  on  their  condition  and  general  management ;  a  state  board  of 
education  was  established ;  a  law  was  enacted  exempting  mortgages 
from  taxation,  and  a  constitutional  amendment  increasing  the  num- 
ber of  members  of  the  legislature  was  ordered  to  be  submitted  to  the 
people  at  the  next  general  election.  This  amendment,  which  increased 
the  membership  of  the  house  to  123  and  the  senate  to  40,  was  adopted 
by  the  people  at  the  election  on  Nov.  4,  1873,  by  a  majority  of  3,051. 

Shortly  after  the  adjournment  of  the  general  assembly  Gov.  Osborn 
appointed  Joseph  C.  Wilson,  Charles  Pufifer  and  C.  S.  Brodbent  com- 
missioners to  visit  and  inspect  the  public  institutions  of  the  state.  In 
December  they  made  detailed  reports  concerning  the  state  university, 
the  state  normal  school,  the  agricultural  college,  the  deaf  and  dumb, 
blind  and  insane  asylums,  and  the  penitentiary.  The  reports  showed 
a  list  of  the  lands  belonging  to  each  of  the  educational  institutions,  the 
amount  of  money  appropriated  by  the  state  to  each,  and  the  general 
conditions  attending  the  management,  with  recommendations  as  to 
needed  legislation. 

The  legislative  session  of  1874  opened  on  Jan.  13  with  Lieut.-Gov 
Elias  S.  Stower  presiding  in  the  senate  and  B.  H.  McEckron  speaker 
of  the  house.  Gov.  Osborn  began  his  annual  message  by  saying:  "The 
growth  of  the  state  for  the  past  year  has  been  rapid  and  continuous, 
the  bulk  of  immigration  having  apparently  been  directed  to  the  western 


4IO  CYCLOl'EDIA    OF 

iind  snutheni  jjortions.  Ford,  I'.arbnur,  Jlarper,  Ness  and  Comanche 
counlies  liave  been  orj,'-anized  under  tlic  .general  law.  A  significant  and 
cheering  indication  of  the  future  of  the  state  is  found  in  the  gradual 
extension  of  settlement  and  the  corresponding  extension  of  the  frontier 
I'mit." 

He  then  discussed  the  fmancial  depression  that  prevailed  throughout 
the  country,  especially  the  influence  upon  the  financial  condition  of  the 
state ;  recommended  such  a  change  in  the  tax  laws  as  would  reduce  the 
interest  on  tax-sale  certificates  from  fifty  to  twenty-five  per  cent,  and 
making  semi-annual  payments  of  taxes  optional  with  the  taxpayer; 
.announced  that  the  debenture  law  contained  some  very  objectionable 
features  and  recommended  its  repeal ;  recommended  also  the  repeal  of 
the  law  exempting  mortgages  from  taxation,  because  it  came  in  con- 
flict with  the  provisions  of  the  constitution  ;  and  repeated  his  recom- 
mendations for  a  constitutional  convention. 

"Recent  defalcations  of  county  treasurers."  said  he,  "have  directed 
attention  to  the  necessity  of  limiting  the  now  absolute  control  which 
the  custodians  of  public  funds  have  over  those  funds.  ...  It  is  for 
you  to  consider  what,  if  any,  additional  checks  should  be  imposed  upon 
our  treasurers.  It  occurs  to  me  that,  for  instance,  a  system  of  dtipli- 
cate  accounts  might  be  devised  which  would  render  defalcation  impos- 
sible without  the  concurrence  of  the  clerk." 

He  likewise  suggested  monthly  examinations  of  accounts  by  author- 
ized persons,  and  announced  that  on  Nov.  26,  1873,  he  had  appointed 
Robert  Crozier  United  States  senator  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
resignation  of  Alexander  Caldwell,  until  such  time  as  the  vacancy 
should  be  supplied  by  the  general  assembly.  On  Jan.  27,  1874,  the  first 
liallot  for  a  senator  to  succeed  Mr.  Caldwell  was  taken  by  the  legis- 
lature, but  as  no  one  received  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast,  the  bal- 
loting was  continued  daily  until  Feb.  2,  when  ex-Gov.  James  M.  Harvey 
v.as  elected. 

In  his  report  for  the  year  ending  Nov.  30.  1873,  State  Auditor  Wilder 
charged  State  Treasurer  Josiah  E.  Hayes  with  certain  "official  irregu- 
larities." and  on  Jan.  19,  1874,  the  hottse  adopted  a  resolution,  intro- 
duced by  A.  H.  Horton,  authorizing  the  committee  on  state  afifairs  to 
investigate  the  "official  action  of  said  treasurer,  as  also  the  condition 
of  the  treasury  of  state."  The  report  of  this  committee  may  be  found 
on  page  527  of  the  House  Jom^nal  of  1874,  and  concludes  as  follows : 
"Resolved,  That  Josiah  E.  Hayes,  treasurer  of  the  State  of  Kansas, 
be  and  is  hereby  impeached  for  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors  in 
office."  The  testimony  taken  by  the  committee  would  indicate  that 
the  conditions  then  existing  were  due  to  weakness  in  the  laws  of  the 
state  relating  to  the  public  funds,  in  not  prescribing  more  specifically 
how  they  should  be  cared  for,  and  to  the  fact  that  the  treasurer  was 
negligent,  if  not  incompetent,  rather  than  to  any  wilful  criminal  intent 
on  his  part.  Notwithstanding  this,  impeachment  managers  were 
appointed,  but  on  May  i  Albert  H.  Horton  wrote  to  Lieut. -Gov.  Stover 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4II 

that  Air.  Hayes  had  resigned,  and  that  "the  board  of  managers  have 
decided  that  it  is  an  unnecessar_y  expense  to  call  witnesses  before  the 
senate,  and  ask  you  to  recall  the  subpirnas  issued  and  notify  the  wit- 
nesses that  they  need  not  appear.  On  the  convening  of  the  senate  we 
shall  announce  to  the  court  the  resignation,  and  shall  state  that  we  do 
not  deem  it  advisable  to  proceed  with  an  expensive  trial." 

This  ended  the  impeachment  proceedings  against  Mr.  Hayes,  and  on 
the  same  day  Judge  Horton's  letter  to  Mr.  Stover  was  written  John 
I^rancis  of  lola  was  appointed  state  treasurer  for  the  unexpired  term. 

On  Feb.  4  Gov.  Osborn  sent  to  the  legislature  a  special  message 
relating  to  the  atrocious  tnurders  committed  by  the  Bender  family 
(q.  v.),  and  an  appropriation  of  $1,975  was  made  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  pursuit  and  of  bringing  the  criminals  to  justice.  Another  special 
message  on  March  4  related  to  the  county  seat  difficulties  in  Howard 
county. 

John  A.  Martin,  United  States  Centennial  commissioner  for  Kansas, 
and  George  A.  Crawford,  alternate,  united  in  a  recommendation  that 
a  state  board  of  managers  be  created  by  the  legislature,  to  cooperate 
v\  ith  them  in  securing  a  proper  exhibit,  etc.  The  result  was  the  pas- 
sage of  the  act  of  March  9,  authorizing  the  governor  to  appoint  five 
state  centennial  managers,  who  with  the  United  States  commissioner 
and  alternate  commissioner  of  Kansas  "shall  have  to  care  for  the  inter- 
ests of  the  state  and  of  its  citizens  in  matters  relating  to  the  inter- 
national exhibition  at   Philadelphia,"  etc.     (See  Expositions.) 

The  legislature  adjourned  on  Alarch  10.  Among  the  acts  passed 
during  the  session  were  the  following:  Appropriating  a  sum  of  money 
to  test  the  title  to  the  Osage  ceded  lands ;  defining  the  boundaries  of  a 
number  of  counties ;  authorizing  the  governor,  secretarj^  of  state  and 
auditor  "to  designate  some  bank  in  the  city  of  New  York  as  a  state 
agency  for  the  payment  of  bonds  and  coupons  issued  by  the  State  of 
Kansas,  or  any  county,  township,  city  or  school  district  in  said  state, 
which  are  by  their  terms  made  payable  in  the  said  city  of  New  York." 
A  law  prohibiting  lotteries  was  passed ;  the  act  exempting  mortgages 
from  taxation  was  repealed ;  semi-annual  payment  of  taxes  was  provided 
for,  and  the  state  was  divided  into  three  Congressional  districts  (q.  v.). 

The  political  campaign  of  1874  was  opened  by  what  was  known  as 
the  "Independent  Reform"  movement — an  organization  composed  of 
all  the  elements  opposed  to  the  Republican  party — in  a  state  convention 
at  Topeka  on  Aug.  5.  The  platform  adopted  arraigned  the  administra- 
tion for  prodigality  and  wasteful  extravagance ;"  for  the  "innumerable 
frauds  perpetrated  under  its  authority;"  for  its  "incapacity  to  meet  the 
vital  question  of  the  day,"  and  especially  denounced  the  legislature  for 
"having  failed  to  provide  for  the  speedy  removal  of  defaulting  treas- 
urers from  office,  and  their  punishment  for  malfeasance  in  office." 

J.  C.  Cusey  was  nominated  for  governor;  Eldred  Harrington,  for 
lieutenant-governor ;  Nelson  Abbott,  for  secretary  of  state ;  George  P. 
Smith,  for  auditor;  Charles  F.  Koester,  for  treasurer;  J.  R.   Hallowell, 


412  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

for  attorney-general;  II.  B.  Norton,  for  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion; William  P.  Doiithitt,  for  associate  justice.  Mr.  Koester  and  Mr. 
Norton  both  declined  their  nominations,  and  the  vacancies  on  the 
ticket  were  supplied  by  the  selection  of  James  E.  Watson  for  treasurer 
and  W.  B.  Christopher  for  superintendent. 

The  Republican  state  convention  was  held  at  Topeka  on  Aug.  26, 
when  Gov.  Osborn  and  Auditor  Wilder  were  renominated ;  M.  J.  Salter 
was  named  for  lieutenant-governor;  Thomas  A.  Cavanaugh,  for  secre- 
tary of  state;  Samuel  Lappin,  for  treasurer;  A.  M.  F.  Randolph,  for 
attorney-general ;  John  Fraser,  for  superintendent  of  public  instruction ; 
D.  M.  Valentine,  for  associate  justice. 

Much  of  the  platform  was  devoted  to  a  laudation  of  the  Republican 
party  for  what  it  had  accomplished  in  the  past.  It  denounced  the 
"present  peace  policy"  of  dealing  with  the  Indians  and  favored  the 
transfer  of  the  Indian  bureau  to  the  war  department;  demanded  that 
public  lands  belonging  to  the  United  States  be  held  for  the  use  and 
benefit  of  actual  settlers,  and  condemned  any  further  grants  of  the 
public  domain  to  railroads  or  other  corporations. 

A  state  temperance  convention  met  at  Topeka  on  Aug.  20,  but 
adjourned  to  meet  at  Leavenworth  on  Sept.  10,  when,  for  the  first  time, 
a  state  Temperance  ticket  was  placed  in  the  field  in  Kansas.  This  ticket 
was  made  up  as  follows:  W.  K.  Marshall,  for  governor;  L.  Brown, 
lieutenant-governor;  W.  H.  Robinson,  secretary  of  state;  David  C. 
Beach,  auditor;  William  Fairchild,  treasurer;  Mrs.  M.  J.  Sharon,  sup- 
erintendent of  public  instruction,  and  the  Republican  candidates  for 
attorney-general  and  associate  justice.  The  platform  demanded  an 
economical  administration  of  all  departments  of  the  government;  legal 
prohibition  of  the  manufacture,  importation  and  sale  of  all  intoxicating 
liquors  to  be  used  as  beverages ;  and  the  immediate  and  complete  pro- 
tection of  the  exposed  frontier  from  Indian  outrages. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  3  Gov.  Osborn  received  48,594  votes ;  Cusey, 
the  Reform  candidate,  35,301 ;  and  Marshall,  the  Temperance  candidate, 
2,227.  This  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  Kansas  that  the  candi- 
dates for  Congress  were  elected  by  districts.  In  the  first  district  Wil- 
liam A.  Phillips,  Republican,  defeated  Marcus  J.  Parrott,  the  Reform 
candidate;  in  the  second  John  R.  Goodin,  the  Reform  candidate,  was 
elected  over  Stephen  A.  Cobb,  Republican;  and  in  the  third  district 
William  R.  Brown,  Republican,  defeated  J.  K.  Hudson,  Reformer. 

On  Aug.  25,  1874,  the  day  before  the  assembling  of  the  Republican 
state  convention,  a  number  of  the  delegates  from  the  western  counties 
held  a  meeting  and  decided  to  ask  the  state  convention  to  declare  in 
favor  of  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  for  the  purpose  of  extending 
aid  to  the  people  of  the  western  part  of  the  state,  whose  crops  had  been 
destroyed  by  grasshoppers.  In  response  to  this  request,  Gov.  Osborn 
called  the  general  assembly  to  meet  in  extraordinary  session  on  Sept. 
15.  At  that  special  session  Thomas  P.  Fenlon  was  speaker  of  the 
house.     In  his  message  the  governor  said:    "The  sole  object  and  pur- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4I3 

pose  for  which  you  are  called  together  at  this  time  is  to  devise  ways 
and  means  to  relieve  citizens  in  certain  sections  of  the  state  from  want 
and  suffering,  who  have  been  made  suddenly  destitute  by  grasshoppers 
or  locusts,  which  have  overrun  the  western  portion  of  the  state.  Unable 
10  meet  the  necessities  of  these  thousands  of  our  citizens  in  this  sudden 
and  unprecedented  calamity — necessities  which  in  some  cases  are 
already  becoming  of  a  distressing  character — I  have  evoked  the  only 
legally  constituted  authority  in  the  state  government  to  provide  the 
necessary  relief."    '{See  Grasshoppers.) 

The  special  session  adjourned  on  the  22nd,  after  authorizing  counties 
to  issue  bonds  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers,  directing  an  issue  of  $73,000 
in  state  bonds  for  the  same  purpose  (only  $7,500  of  these  bonds  were 
issued)  ;  and  the  enactment  of  a  law  requiring  county  treasurers  to 
make  quarterly  statements. 

When  the  fifteenth  annual  session  of  the  legislature  convened  on 
Jan.  12,  1875,  Lieut. -Gov.  Salter  again  presided  over  the  senate,  and 
Edward  H.  Funston  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  house.  Gov.  Osborn's 
message  was  delivered  to  the  assembly  on  the  13th.  In  it  he  gave  a 
detailed  report  of  the  grasshopper  plague  of  the  previous  year; 
announced  the  total  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  state  as  being  $1,341,775, 
of  which  $703,825  was  held  by  the  sinking  fund,  leaving  a  balance  of 
actual  bonded  debt  of  only  $637,950  held  by  parties  other  than  the  state, 
suggested  a  retrenchment  in  the  cost  of  the  public  printing,  and  a 
thorough  codification  of  the  laws.  "In  both  of  my  former  annual  mes- 
sages," said  he,  "I  urged  the  importance  of  submitting  to  the  people 
an  amendment  to  the  constitution  providing  for  biennial  sessions  of 
the  legislature.  At  the  risk  of  being  deemed  unduly  tenacious.  I  desire 
to  be  understood  as  now  repeating  the  suggestions  heretofore  urged 
on  that  subject.  The  legislature  cost  the  people  of  the  state  last  year 
at  least  $100,000,  and  it  is  probable  the  expense  attending  the  present 
•session  will  not  fall  much  short  of  that  figure.  The  prevalent  disposi- 
tion is  to  legislate  too  much,  with  too  little  reflection  upon  the  prob- 
able consequences  of  frequent  changes,  and  without  apparent  marked 
necessity  for  them.  What  is  needed  in  our  system  is  stability.  ...  A 
potent  remedy  is  biennial  sessions,  and  I  earnestly  recommend  a  pro- 
posed constitutional  amendment  to  that  end." 

At  this  session,  which  adjourned  on  March  8,  jurisdiction  over  the 
Fort  Leavenworth  military  reservation  was  ceded  to  the  United  States ; 
an  insane  asylum  was  ordered  to  be  established  at  Topeka ;  an  issue  of 
$36,000  in  bonds  was  authorized  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  Indian 
invasion  of  1874;  a  board  of  sinking  fund  commissioners  was  created; 
the  sale  of  the  lands  belonging  to  the  state  university  was  authorized, 
and  counties  and  townships  were  given  power  to  issue  bonds  for  relief 
purposes  in  certain  cases,  bitt  this  law  was  declared  unconstitutional 
and  void  by  the  supreme  court  the  following  April. 

Gov.  Osborn's  persistence  with  regard  to  biennial  sessions  was 
.  rewarded  by  a  proposed  amendment  to  section  25,  article  2,  providing 


414  CVtLOrEUIA    OF 

that,  "bei^inning  with  llie  session  of  1877,  all  regular  sessions  shall  be 
held  once  in  iwo  years,  commencing  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  January 
of  each  alternate  year  thereafter."  This  made  necessary  two  other 
amendments — one  to  section  3.  article  11,  so  that  appropriations  to  the 
stale  institutions  might  be  made  for  twi^i  }ears  instead  of  one,  and 
ant)ther  amendment  relating  to  ihe  elections  of  senators  and  repre- 
.-eiilatives.     (See  Constitutional  Amendments.) 

In  the  spring-  of  1874  the  Indians  commenced  committing  depreda- 
tions on  the  western  frontier.  Ford,  Barber  and  Comanche  counties 
being  the  worst  sufferers.  In  his  message  of  1875  Gov.  Osborn  said: 
"The  United  States  troops  on  the  borders  of  the  state  were,  in  July  and 
August,  nearly  all  withdrawn  for  the  purpose  of  accompanying  Gen. 
Miles  on  his  expedition  against  the  Cheyennes,  and  the  state  was  left 
comparatively  without  protection.  The  Osages,  whose  reservation  lies 
immediately  south  of  the  state,  were  reported  to  be  hostile,  and  evi- 
dence, almost  conclusive,  had  been  obtained  of  their  participation  in 
the  murders  in  Ford,  Barber  and  Comanche  counties.  The  appeals  to 
me  for  protection  were  incessant  and  urgent.  ...  I  reluctantly  deter- 
mined to  call  into  active  service  the  state  militia.  .  .  .  The  small 
force  in  the  field  was  kept  moving  actively  along  the  southern  line, 
and  1  am  glad  to  be  able  to  state  that  since  it  was  called  into  the  ser- 
vice, not  a  citizen  has  been  killed  by  Indians  on  the  line  of  its  opera- 
iions.  .  .  .  Confidence  in  the  ability  and  disposition  to  defend  the 
border  was  restored,  and  thousands  of  citizens  who  had  fled  in  con- 
sternation at  the  rumored  approach  of  the  savages  returned  to  their 
iiomes." 

The  trouble  with  the  Osages  continued  until  late  in  the  summer  of 
1875,  3-nd  a  spirited  correspondence  between  Gov.  Osborn  and  the 
United  States  interior  department  resulted.  The  commissioner  of 
Indian  affairs  charged  the  Kansas  militia  with  wantonly  murdering 
some  Osages.  and  demanded  that  the  state  reimburse  the -Indians  for 
property  taken  from  them  by  the  troops.  To  this  demand  the  governor 
replied  in  a  letter  to  the  secretary  of  the  interior,  under  date  of  Sept. 
1 1,  1875,  as  follows  : 

"The  demand  made  by  the  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs,  and  sanc- 
tioned by  you,  that  the  state  should  compensate  the  Osages  for  the 
ponies  and  property  captured  in  this  Barber  county  conflict,  prompts 
me  to  urge  that  Kansas  would  be  very  glad  to  reach  a  complete  adjust- 
ment of  all  pending  Indian  claims ;  and  while  I  can  never  admit  that 
she  ought  to  pay  a  single  dollar  on  this  particular  account,  still,  in  order 
to  facilitate  a  settlement,  I  assume  the  authority  to  say  that  the  allow- 
ance in  full  of  this  demand  would  not  be  grudged  by  the  state,  in  case 
it  might  be  regarded,  as  a  partial  offset  to  the  very  considerable  amount 
due  from  the  general  government,  or  the  Indian  tribes  which  are  under 
its  control,  on  account  of  losses  suffered  from  the  depredations  of  such 
tribes. 

"During  its  brief  history,  this  state  has  expended  from  its  treasury 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4I5 

more  than  $300,000  in  the  defense  of  the  people  against  Indian  hostili- 
ties, nearly  $40,000  of  which  was  expended  in  the  campaign  of  last 
year.  Every  dollar  of  this  amoimt  should  be  repaid  by  the  United 
States,  and  I  appeal  to  you  as  the  head  of  the  department  having  charge 
of  Indian  aft'airs,  to  recommend  that  Congress  make  provision  for  this 
act  of  justice. 

"Besides,  the  citizens  of  this  state  have  claims  to  a  verj'  considerable 
amount  against  numerous  Indian  tribes  for  losses  and  damages  sus- 
tained by  reason  of  their  depredations.  .  .  .  The  commission  which 
sat  in  1872  allowed  claims  of  this  character  to  the  amount  of  $119,807,66, 
of  which  I  find  chargealjle  to  the  Osages  the  sum  of  $18,290.96.  These 
are  legitimate  claims  for  property  of  citizens  captured  or  destroyed  by 
thieving  Indians.  They  should  be  satisfied  from  the  annuity  fund  set 
apart  for  these  Indians.'' 

This  letter  ended  the  correspondence,  as  the  interior  department  no 
doubt  discovered  that  it  had  caught  a  Tartar  in  the  person  of  Gov. 
Osborn,  who  had  readily  demonstrated  that  he  was  able  to  take  care 
of  himself  and  of  the  interests  of  his  state.  The  correspondence  is  given 
in  full  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  "The  Osage  Troubles  in  Barber  County." 
published  by  the  State  of  Kansas  in  1875. 

On  Jan.  11,  1876,  the  sixteenth  annual  session  of  the  general  assem- 
bly commenced,  witli  Lieut. -Gov.  Salter  as  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
senate  and  Dudley  C.  Haskell  speaker  of  the  house.  Gov.  Osborn's 
message,  presented  on  the  opening  day  of  the  session,  was  introduced 
by  a  review  of  the  grasshopper  plague  and  the  financial  depression,  but 
with  hopeful  optimism  he  saw  the  dawn  of  better  times.  "Xotwith- 
standing  the  financial  depression,  common  to  the  whole  country,"  said 
he,  "and  the  limited  enterprise  and  progress  incident  to  such  a  condi- 
tion, there  is  a  spirit  of  contentment  and  hopefulness  abounding  in  the 
state  such  as  has  scarcely  been  manifested  during  its  previous  history." 

He  then  discussed  the  state's  financial  condition,  local  taxation,  the 
permanent  school  fund,  the  condition  of  the  public  institutions,  the 
unsold  public  lands,  the  state  board  of  agriculture,  the  Centennial  expo- 
sition, giving  to  the  legislature  a  vast  amount  of  useful  information 
on  all  these  subjects,  and  recommended  that  a  larger  salar}-  be  paid  the 
state  treasurer — a  salary  commensurate  v^'ith  his  responsibilities. 

About  the  middle  of  Dec,  1875,  it  was  discovered  that  some  of  the 
school  bonds  of  Jewell,  Mitchell  and  Republic  counties  were  forgeries, 
and  that  nearly  $20,000  had  been  paid  for  them  out  of  the  state  treasury 
by  Samuel  Lappin,  the  state  treasurer.  Mr.  Lappin  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  Charles  J.  Scrafford,  were  charged  with  the  forgery,  and  on  Dec. 
20  Lappin  resigned,  John  Francis  being  appointed  to  the  vacancy.  Both 
civil  and  criminal  suits  were  commenced  against  Lappin  and  his  bonds- 
men. On  Dec.  30  he  was  given  a  preliminary  hearing  before  Justice 
Brier,  charged  with  forgery,  counterfeiting  and  embezzlement,  and 
being  unable  to  give  bond  for  $10,000,  was  committed  to  jail.  He 
managed  to  elude  the  ofificers,  however,  and  made  his  way  to  Chicago, 


4l6  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

where  he  was  arrested  by  Sherili'  Drought  of  Wyandotte  county  on 
Jan.  13,  1876.  and  on  the  same  day  George  \V.  Glick  offered  a  resolu- 
tion in  the  house  that  "Gov.  Osborn  is  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  the 
people,  without  distinction  of  party,  for  the  vigilance  and  independ- 
ence which  he  has  manifested  in  fixing  the  responsibility  for  the  recent 
frauds  upon  the  school  fund  of  the  state ;  and  the  tenor  and  spirit  of 
his  demand  for  the  resignation  of  the  late  state  treasurer,  Lappin, 
together  with  his  instructions  for  a  vigorous  prosecution,  with  a  view 
to  the  reimbursement  of  the  school  fund  and  the  punishment  of  the 
party  or  parties  guilty  of  this  crime,  are  worthy  of  a  fearless  and 
enlightened  chief  magistrate." 

On  Jan.  18  the  governor  sent  a  special  message  to  the  assembly 
submitting  a  report  from  the  state  board  of  Centennial  managers.  The 
result  was  the  passage  of  an  act  increasing  the  number  of  managers 
and  appropriating  $25,000,  "or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary," 
for  the  erection  of  a  state  building  and  the  arrangement  of  an  exhibit 
of  Kansas  products  at  Philadelphia. 

The  session  adjourned  on  March  4,  after  having  passed  acts  appor- 
tioning the  state  into  districts  for  40  senators  and  123  representatives; 
ceding  to  the  L'nited  States  jurisdiction  over  the  Fort  Hays  military 
reservation ;  authorizing  building  and  loan  associations  to  reorganize 
as  savings  banks ;  fixing  quarantine  grounds  for  cattle  brought  into 
the  state  from  Texas ;  amending  the  laws  relating  to  the  assessment 
and  collection  of  taxes;  and  providing  for  the  regulation  and  support 
of  schools.  During  the  session  memorials  to  Congress  were  adopted 
relating  to  public  lands,  railroads,  claims,  highways,  and  the  boundary 
between  the  States  of  Kansas  and  Missouri. 

Four  political  conventions  were  held  in  the  month  of  May,  1876. 
On  the  3d  the  state  Temperance  convention  met  at  Lawrence,  selected 
delegates  to  the  national  Temperance  convention  to  be  held  at  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  and  adopted  a  resolution  declaring  "that  the  time  has  again 
arrived  to  present  to  the  people  a  state  ticket  composed  of  persons  who 
are  honest,  temperate  and  capable."  The  nominations  were  not  made, 
however.  The  next  day  the  Greenback  party  held  a  state  convention 
at  Topeka  and  selected  delegates  to  the  national  convention  to  be  held 
at  Indianapolis,  Ind.  On  the  i8th  the  Democrats  of  the  state  met  in 
convention  at  Topeka  and  selected  delegates  to  the  national  convention 
at  St.  Louis,  and  on  the  24th  a  Republican  state  convention  selected 
delegates  to  the  national  convention  of  that  party  to  be  held  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. 

Later  in  the  season  three  state  tickets  were  placed  in  the  field.  The 
first  of  these  was  the  Independent  Reform  ticket,  nominated  by  a  con- 
vention held  at  Topeka  on  July  27,  and  consisted  of  M.  E.  Hudson 
for  governor ;  J.  A.  Beal,  for  lieutenant-governor ;  W.  M.  Allison,  for 
secretary  of  state;  H.  F.  Sheldon,  for  auditor;  Amos  McLouth,  for  treas- 
urer ;  D.  B.  Hadley,  for  attorney-general ;  Thomas  Bartlett,  for  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction ;  Wilson  Shannon,  for  associate  justice ; 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4I7 

J.  M.   Limbocker,  A.  G.   Banet,  S.  A.  Riggs,  S.  J.  Crawford  and  Juhn 
Ritchie,  presidential  electors. 

The  second  ticket  was  the  regular  Republican,  which  was  nominated 
by  a  state  convention  at  Topeka  on  Aug.  i6,  and  was  made  up  as  fol- 
lows: For  governor,  George  T.  Anthony;  lieutenant-governor,  M.  J. 
Salter  (renominated) ;  secretary  of  state,  Thomas  A.  Cavanaugh  (re- 
nominated);  auditor,  P.  I.  Bonebrake;  treasurer,  John  Francis;  attor- 
ney-general, Willard  Davis;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Allen 
B.  Lemmon;  associate  justice,  David  J.  Brewer;  presidential  electors, 
Walter  L.  Simons,  J.  B.  Johnson,  Thomas  Hughes,  R.  W.  P.  Muse  and 
W.  A.  Johnson. 

Just  a  week  after  the  Republican  state  convention  the  Democratic 
delegates  met  at  Topeka  and  selected  the  following  candidates  for  the 
several  state  offices :  For  governor,  John  Martin ;  lieutenant-governor, 
J.  A.  Real;  secretary  of  state,  S.  M.  Palmer;  auditor,  H.  F.  Sheldon; 
treasurer,  Amos  McLouth ;  attorney-general,  W.  H.  McConnell ;  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction,  Thomas  Bartlett ;  associate  justice, 
James  Humphrey ;  presidential  electors,  Edmund  G.  Ross,  Gottleib 
Schaubel,  H.  C.  Park,  George  A.  Reynolds  and  George  H.  English.  It 
will  be  observed  that  on  this  ticket  the  candidates  for  lieutenant-gover- 
nor, auditor,  treasurer  and  superintendent  of  public  instruction  are  the 
same  as  those  on  the  Independent  Reform  ticket.  As  earlv  as  Feb.  25 
the  state  central  committees  of  the  two  organizations  met,  when  the 
Independent  Reform  committee  rejected  overtures  from  the  Democratic 
committee  to  cooperate  in  the  state  campaign.  This  did  not  prevent 
the  latter  from  indorsing  the  candidates  above  named  when  it  came  to 
the  question  of  making  nominations. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  7,  the  Republican  presidential  electors  carried 
the  state  by  about  40,000  plurality.  For  governor,  Anthony  received 
69,173  votes;  Martin,  46,204;  and  Hudson,  6,020.  Three  Republican 
Congressmen  were  elected — William  A.  Phillips  in  the  first  district, 
Dudley  C.  Haskell  in  the  second,  and  Thomas  Ryan  in  the  third — and 
two  amendments  to  the  state  constitution  were  adopted  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote.     (See  Constitutional  Amendments.) 

After  a  successful  administration  of  four  years,  during  which  time 
the  state  had  made  great  progress  in  settlement,  industrial  and  educa- 
tional development,  and  the  improvement  of  her  penal  and  benevolent 
institutions.  Gov.  Osborn  retired  at  the  opening  of  the  legislative  session 
in  Jan.,  1877,  and  was  succeeded  by  Gov.  Anthony. 

Osborne,  the  county  seat  and  largest  town  of  Osborne  county,  is 
located  north  of  the  center  of  the  county,  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R. 
and  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Solomon  river.  It  has  a  public  water- 
works, fire  department,  opera  house,  public  library,  3  hotels,  3  banks, 
6  churches,  high  school,  graded  schools  and  2  weekly  newspapers  (the 
Osborne  County  Farmer  and  the  Osborne  County  News).  A  stage 
runs  daily  to  Covert.  There  are  three  wards  in  the  city,  which  is  sup- 
plied with  express  and  telegraph  oi^ces.  and  has  an  international  money 
(II-27) 


4i8 


CYCLOPEDIA    Ol^ 


order  postoflfice   wilh    four   rural   routes.     The   population   in    1910  was 
1,566. 

Osborne  was  founded  in  May,  1871,  by  a  party  of  35  people  from 
Pennsylvania,  with  W.  L.  Bear  as  president  of  the  colony.  The  post- 
office  was  established  on  July  i  with  H.  D.  Markley  as  postmaster.  The 
first  newspaper  was  the  Osborne  Times,  established  in  1873  by  J.  J- 
Johnson  and  F.  E.  Jerome.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  Miss  Yates. 
The  first  birth  was  that  of  Walter  Jerome  in  1873.  The  first  church 
organizations  were  formed  in  1871,  and  houses  of  worship  were  built 
in  the  early  '70s.  The  town  was  proclaimed  a  city  of  the  third  class  by 
Judge  A.  J.  Banta  in  May,  1873.  The  citizens  failed  to  organize  a  legal 
city"  government,  and  in  1878  Judge  Holt  again  decreed  Osborne  to  be 
a  city  of  the  third  class  and  ordered  an  election,  which  resulted  as  fol- 
lows: Mayor,  J.  W.  Elliott;  police  judge,  A.  Anderson;  clerk,  F.  E. 
Leebrick ;  treasurer,  A.  N.  Fritchey ;  councilmen,  R.  G.  Hays,  E.  Smith, 
J.  M.  Morgan,  A.  Smith  and  Z.  T.  Walrond.  In  1878  a  bridge  was 
built  across  the  Solomon  at  this  point.  A  bank,  which  was  a  branch 
of  a  Beloit  banking  house,  was  established  soon  afterward. 

Osborne  County,  in  the  central  part  of  the  state  east  and  west,  is 
located  in  the  second  tier  from  the  Nebraska  line.  It  is  bpunded  on  the 
north  by  Smith  and  Jewell  counties;  on  the  east  by  Mitchell  and  Lin- 
coln; on  the  south  by  Russell  and  Ellis,  and  on  the  west  by  Rooks 
county.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Vincent  Osborne,  a  soldier  of  the 
Second  Kansas  cavalry,  who  was  distinguished  for  his  courage  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  who  in  1867  settled  at  Ellsworth,  Ellsworth  county. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  was  the  Bullock  ranch,  established  on 
the  south  fork  of  the  Solomon  in  March,  1870,  by  Charles  and  William 
Bullock.  Pennington  Ray  and  James  McCormick  settled  south  of  the 
site  of  Downs  a  little  later.  Their  stock  was  driven  ofi  by  the  Indians 
that  summer.  Word  was  sent  to  the  stockade  at  Waconda  and  the 
soldiers  came  out  and  drove  the  Indians  away.  During  the  famous 
raids  of  1868  there  were  no  settlers  in  the  county.  A  party  including 
Lieut.  Higgins,  John  Owens  and  a  third  man  were  attacked  while  in 
camp  on  Oak  creek  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county,  and  two  of 
them  were  killed.  Owens  escaped  and  reached  the  stockade  at  Glasco. 
Thirty-three  people  came  during  1870,  among  them  being  James  Weston 
and  family,  J.  J.  Wiltrout,  Crosby  brothers,  Z.  T.  Walrond,  W.  T. 
Kelley  and  E.  McCormick.  The  next  year  settlers  came  in  large  num- 
bers. The  first  store  was  near  the  center  of  the  county  and  was  kept 
by  Calvin  Reasoner.  In  Nov.,  1870,  Gen.  H.  C.  Bull  founded  a  town, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Bull's  City  (now  Alton),  and  erected  a 
store  building.  The  first  white  child.  Bertha  Manning,  was  born  on 
May  4,  1871.  Osborne  City  was  founded  in  May,  1871,  by  a  colony 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  the  county  was  organized  the  same  year.  On 
May  27  a  mass  meeting  of  citizens  at  Reasoner's  store  took  the  prelimi- 
nary steps,  C.  M.  Cunningham,  W.  W.  Bullock  and  A.  B.  Fleming  being 
appointed  as  a  census  committee.     On  Sept.  12  Gov.  J.  M.  Harvey  de- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4I9 

clared  the  county  organized  and  appointed  the  following  temporary 
officers :  Clerk,  Frank  Thompson ;  commissioners,  Samuel  Chatfield, 
C.  M.  Cunningham  and  Frank  Stafford.  An  election  was  held  on  Nov. 
7,  when  Osborne  was  chosen  as  the  county  seat  and  the  following  offi- 
cers were  elected :  Sheriff,  C.  M.  Cunningham ;  treasurer,  John  Joy ; 
county  clerk,  C.  W.  Crampton ;  attorney,  H.  H.  Napier;  clerk  of  the 
court,  C.  J.  Watson;  register  of  deeds,  A.  B.  Flemming;  surveyor,  F.  R. 
Gruger;  probate  judge,  H.  C.  Bull;  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, J.  T.  Saxton ;  coroner,  S.  B.  Farwell;  commissioners,  P.  \V.  Ken- 
yon,  F.  Stafford  and  J.  J.  Hayes ;  representative,  W.  L.  Gear. 

In  1880  the  population  of  the  county  was  returned  as  12,518,  that  of 
1890  as  12,083,  1900  as  11,844,  and  1910  as  12,827.  The  assessed  valua- 
tion of  property  in  1882  was  $1,137,906.  The  valuation  in  1910  was 
$24,743,947,  which  makes  the  wealth  per  capita  nearly  $2,000. 

The  first  railroad  to  enter  the  county  was  the  main  line  of  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific,  which  reached  Downs  in  1879.  This  road  runs  through 
the  county  and  terminates  at  Stockton,  in  Rooks  county.  A  branch 
diverges  at  Downs  and  crosses  northwest  into  Smith  county.  The 
Union  Pacific  runs  through  the  southwest  corner,  passing  through 
Natoma. 

The  county  is  divided  into  twenty-three  townships,  viz :  Bethany, 
Bloom,  Corinth,  Covert,  Delhi,  Grant,  Hancock,  Hawke}^,  Independ- 
ence, Jackson,  Kill  Creek,  Lawrence,  Liberty,  Mt.  Ayr,  Natoma,  Penn, 
Ross,  Round  Mound,  Sumner,  Tilden,  Valley,  Victor  and  Winfield.  The 
postoffices  are,  Osborne,  Alton,  Bloomington,  Covert,  Downs,  Natoma, 
Portis  and  Twin  Creek. 

The  area  of  the  county  is  900  square  miles,  with  an  undulating  sur- 
face, broken  by  high  ridges  which  divide  the  numerous  water  courses. 
Medicine  Peak,  in  the  eastern  part  and  Round  Mound  in  the  south- 
west, are  the  most  important  heights.  Bottom  lands  average  a  mile  in 
width  and  comprise  20  per  cent,  of  the  total  area.  Native  timber  is  not 
abundant,  but  many  acres  of  artificial  forest  have  been  planted.  The 
two  branches  of  the  Solomon  river  and  their  tributaries  form  the  water 
system.  The  north  fork  enters  from  Smith  county  and  flows  southeast 
across  the  northeast  corner.  The  south  fork  enters  in  the  west  from 
Rooks  county  and  flows  east  through  the  second  tier  of  townships  from 
the  north.  It  has  numerous  tributaries.  Limestone,  sandstone,  potter's 
clay  and  gypsum  are  found  in  considerable  quantities. 

The  annual  product  of  the  farms  averages  nearly  $4,000,000.  In 
1910  the  total  value  was  $3,875,000,  of  which  winter  wheat  brought 
$1,213,000;  corn,  $819,000;  tame  grass,  $272,000;  animals  sold  for 
slaughter,  $893,000.  Other  important  products  are,  butter,  eggs,  poul- 
try, milk,  fruit,  prairie  grass,  sorghum,  Kafir  corn,  oats  and  Irish  pota- 
toes. There  are  more  than  150,000  bearing  fruit  trees.  The  live  stock 
on  hand  in  1910  was  worth  $3,130,593.  A  great  deal  of  this  is  thorough- 
bred. The  aggregate  number  of  head  of  horses,  mules,  asses,  cattle, 
swine  and  sheep  was  77,681. 


420'  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Oscar,  a  hamlet  in  Cla)-  county,  is  located  12  miles  north  of  Clay 
Center,  the  county  seat,  and  the  postoffice  whence  it  receives  mail  by 
rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat  of  Jefferson  county,  is  located  southeast 
of  the  center  of  the  county  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and 
the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  28  miles  northeast  of  Topeka.  It  has  a 
$20,000  court-house,  a  high  school,  churches  of  nearly  every  denomina- 
tion, and  all  lines  of  business  are  represented.  There  are  banks,  news- 
papers, a  saw  and  grist  mill,  electric  light  plant,  ice  and  canning  factory, 
bridle  bit  factory,  grain  and  produce  are  handled  in  large  quantities, 
and  there  are  express  and  telegraph  ofifices  and  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes. 

Oskaloosa  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  of  the  county,  having  been  set- 
tled by  Dr.  James  Noble  in  Feb.,  1855.  A  number  of  others  came  that 
year,  among  whom  were  Jesse  Newell  and  Joseph  Fitsimons.  In  1856 
Newell  built  a  sawmill  and  Fitsimons  opened  a  store.  The  same  year 
these  two  platted  the  town  and  laid  it  out  after  the  plan  of  Oskaloosa, 
Iowa,  for  which  it  was  named.  In  1857  a  postoffice  was  established 
with  Fitsimons  as  postmaster,  a  school  house  was  built  and  a  town  com- 
pany formed.  In  Oct.,  1858,  the  county  seat  was  located  at  Oskaloosa 
by  a  majority  of  4  votes. 

A  rather  singular  invention  was  made  by  Samuel  Peppard,  an  Oska- 
loosa man,  in  i860.  It  was  a  sailing  wagon,  weighing  about  350  pounds 
and  equipped  with  a  sail  9  by  11  feet  raised  over  the  front  axle.  The 
steering  apparatus  was  attached  to  the  front  and  it  moved  along  with 
the  wind,  sometimes  at  the  rate  of  15  miles  an  hour.  A  party  consisting 
of  Peppard,  Steve  Randall,  J.  T.  Forbes  and  Gid.  Coldon  started  to 
Pike's  Peak  in  the  vehicle,  but  were  struck  by  a  whirlwind  when  within 
100  miles  of  Denver,  the  wagon  being  demolished  and  the  occupants 
injured. 

Oskaloosa  was  incorporated  as  a  town  on  Aug.  27,  1869,  by  Judge  J. 
F.  Bliss  in  response  to  a  petition  from  the  citizens,  and  the  following 
trustees  were  elected:  John  B.  Johnson,  John  N.  Insley,  George  W. 
Hogeboom,  John  D.  Roberts  and  Terry  Critfield.  It  is  now  a  city  of 
the  third  class  and  in  1910  reported  a  population  of  851. 

Ost,  also  known  as  St.  Joseph,  is  an  inland  country  postoffice  of  Reno 
county  23  miles  southeast  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  trad- 
ing center  for  Sumner  township.  Andale  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  m 
Sedgwick  county,  8  miles  to  the  northeast,  is  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Oswego,  the  county  seat  of  Labette  county,  is  located  on  the  Neosho 
river,  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Fran- 
cisco railroads,  12  miles  north  of  the  Oklahoma  state  line  and  about  30 
miles  west  of  the  Missouri  line.  It  is  a  city  of  the  second  class;  is 
lighted  by  electricity;  has  natural  gas  for  domestic  and  manufacturing 
purpose*,  a  good  waterworks  system,  a  fire  department,  an  opera  house, 
2  banks,  3  flour  mills,  2  grain  elevators,  a  creamery,  an  ice  plant, 
machine  shops,  2  colleges,  3  weekly  newspapers,  and  other  lines  of  busi- 


I 


KANSAS    HISTORY  421 

ness  enterprise.  There  is  tire  clay,  shale,  coal  and  building  stone  to  be 
found  in  the  vicinity.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an 
international  money  order  postoffice  with  5  rural  routes.  The  popula- 
tion in  191Q  was  2,317.    It  is  the  second  largest  city  in  the  county. 

Oswego  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  trading  post  established  in  the  early 
'40s  by  John  Matthews.  Up  to  1865  there  were  no  other  white  persons 
in  the  community  and  the  place  was  called  "White  Hair's  Village"  be- 
cause an  Indian  chief  of  that  name  made  his  home  there.  In  1865  a 
number  of  settlers  located  at  this  point  and  the  name  was  changed  to 
"Little  Town."  Two  years  later  the  Oswego  town  company  was  organ- 
ized and  so  named  for  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  whence  many  of  the  settlers  had 
come.  The  members  of  the  corporation  were :  President,  Dr.  John  F. 
Newlon;  secretary,  D.  W.  Clover;  J.  Q.  Cowell,  C.  C.  Clover,  T.  J. 
Flournoy,  Thomas  J.  Buntain  and  D.  M.  Clover.  They  gave  away  lots 
to  every  person  who  would  erect  a  building,  with  the  result  that  the 
town  grew  very  rapidly.  The  first  frame  house  was  put  up  by  Dr.  Wil- 
liam S.  Newlon  in  September  of  that  year.  The  first  frame  store  build- 
ing was  erected  by  Thomas  J.  Buntain,  though  the  first  store  was 
opened  in  a  log  building  in  1865  by  Rexford  &  Elsbee.  The  postoffice 
was  established  in  1867  with  Nelson  Carr  postmaster.  At  that  time 
Carr  &  Bridgeman,  Waskey  &  Sons,  J.  Q.  Cowell  and  R.  W.  Wright 
were  all  conducting  stores,  and  besides  there  were  two  provision  stores, 
Oswego  being  on  the  military  road.  M.  George  had  opened  a  black- 
smith shop  and  D.  W.  Clover  a  hotel,  which  was  not  only  an  inn  for  the 
public,  but  the  county  headquarters,  a  political  rendezvous  and  a  news 
center.  This  was  the  second  hotel,  the  first  having  been  built  in  1866 
by  William  A.  Hogaboom.  The  first  bank  was  opened  in  1868  by  W.  M. 
Johnson,  who  was  forced  two  years  later  to  make  an  assignment  of  all 
that  he  had  to  satisfy  his  creditors.  The  second  bank  was  started  in 
July,  1870,  by  B.  F.  Hibart  and  H.  L.  Taylor,  which  was  a  success.  The 
State  Rank  of  Oswego  started  to  do  business  a  few  weeks  later,  liut  dis- 
continued after  a  short  time,  as  there  was  not  business  enough  for  two 
banks.  In  Sept.,  1870,  a  steam  sawmill  was  erected  by  Macon,  Krell  & 
•Cowell. 

The  organization  of  Oswego  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  took  place  in 
Feb.,  1870,  it  being  found  to  have  over  1,000  inhabitants.  An  election 
was  held  in  April,  which  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following  officers : 
Mayor,  J.  F.  Newlon,  councilmen,  D.  \V.  Clover.  R.  \\'.  Wright.  Wil- 
liam Wells,  J.  F.  Pierson  and  E.  R.  Trask.  The  next  year  an  ordinance 
was  passed  declaring  Oswego  a  city  of  the  second  class,  but  the  supreme 
court  later  declared  this  action  unconstitutional.  The  town  was  made 
a  city  of  the  second  class  by  proclamation  of  the  governor  in  1880. 

The  first  newspaper  was  the  "Oswego  Register,"  established  in  1868 
by  E.  R.  Trask.  The  first  church  was  the  Congregational,  which  was 
organized  in  May,  1868,  and  the  Presbyterian  church  was  founded  in 
July  of  the  same  year.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  1867.  The  public 
library  association  was  organized  in    1877;  the  telephone  system   was 


422  CVCI.OIT.DIA    OF 

put  in  operation  in  1882:  the  waterworks  in  1887;  and  the  first  electric 
lights  were  turned  on  July  12,  1888,  but  were  turned  off  a  few  months 
later.  In  1868  Mr.  Shanks  operated  the  first  pottery  and  made  several 
kilns  of  stoneware.     A  cotton-gin  was  set  up  in  1868. 

Oswego  College,  an  institution  for  the  higher  education  of  women, 
was  organized  by  the  Presbytery  of  Neosho  and  the  Presbyterian  synod 
of  Kansas  in  1883.  The  citizens  of  Oswego  donated  a  sum  of  money 
for  the  purchase  of  the  Brockway  place,  which  consisted  of  10  acres  of 
land  and  a  beautiful  home,  for  use  as  a  school.  During  the  early  years 
the  faculty  was  composed  entirely  of  women,  but  later  men  were  chosen 
for  president  and  director  of  music.  The  school  grew  so  that  the  trus- 
tees erected  a  fine  three-story  new  college  building,  containing  chapel, 
recitation  rooms,  library,  dormitories,  dining  room  and  kitchen. 

The  college  has  three  departments,  the  preparatory  or  high  school ; 
the  seminary,  which  has  a  four-year  preparatory  course,  with  a  fifth 
year  devoted  to  special  subjects;  and  the  college  department,  where  the 
courses  are  planned  with  special  reference  to  subjects  which  represent 
the  leading  vocations  of  women,  such  as  home  economics,  education, 
business  science,  art  and  crafts,  music,  etc.  In  igio  Thomas  F.  Marshall 
was  president  of  the  college  assisted  by  a  faculty  of  14  members. 

Otego,  a  village  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  8  miles  west  of  Mankato, 
the  county  seat,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route,  express  and  telegraph 
offices,  and  a  good  local  trade.     The  population  in  1910  was  175. 

Otis,  a  town  in  Rush  county,  is  located  15  miles  east  of  La  Crosse, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route,  and  a  good  retail  trade.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  is  given  as  400. 

Otis,  John  Grant,  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  near 
Danby,  Rutland  county,  Vt.,  Feb.  10,  1838.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  and  then  took  an  academic  course  at  Burr 
Seminary.  Subsequently  he  attended  Williams  College,  at  Williams- 
town,  Mass.,  one  year  and  the  Harvard  Law  School  one  year.  In  the 
spring  of  1859  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  his  native  county.  The 
same  year  he  came  to  Kansas  and  located  at  Topeka,  where  he  took  an 
active  part  in  recruiting  the  first  regiment  of  Kansas  colored  infantry 
in  1862.  At  the  time  of  the  Price  raid  in  1864  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Second  Kansas  infantry  and  took  part  in  all  the  movements  of  his  regi- 
ment. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  near 
Topeka.  He  was  always  interested  in  questions  pertaining  to  farming; 
became  a  member  of  the  Grange,  the  Farmers'  Alliance  and  Industrial 
Union ;  served  as  state  agent  for  the  Grange  from  1873  to  1875,  and 
state  lecturer  from  1889  to  1891.  In  1900  he  became  the  candidate  of  the 
People's  party  and  was  elected  to  Congress  on  that  ticket,  serving  one 
term. 

Otoe  County,  one  of  the  extinct  counties  of  Kansas,  was  created  by 
act  of  the  legislature,  approved  Feb.  16,  i860,  and  named  for  the  Otoe 


KANSAS    HISTORY  423 

Indians  of  Nebraska.  The  boundaries  as  defined  by  the  act  were  as 
follows  :  "Commencing  at  the  northwest  corner  of  I'.utler  county  ;  thence 
west  to  the  6th  principal  meridian;  thence  south  to  a  point  4  miles 
south  of  the  5th  standard  parallel,  on  the  north  line  of  the  Osage  reser- 
vation; thence  east  to  a  point  due  south  of  the  southwest  corner  of 
Butler  county;  thence  north  to  the  place  of  beginning."  In  1864  the 
boundaries  of  Butler  county  were  enlarged  to  include  Otoe,  which  dis- 
appeared. Most  of  the  territory  once  composing  Otoe  county  is  in- 
cluded in  the  present  county  of  Butler  and  the  eastern  part  of  Harvey 
and  Sedgwick  counties. 

Ottawa,  county  seat  of  Franklin  county,  is  situated  on  the  Marais 
des  Cygnes  river,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroads,  a  little  northeast  of  the  geographical  center  of  the 
county.  One "  of  the  first  permanent  white  settlements  of  the  state 
was  made  5  miles  northeast  of  the  present  town,  by  Jotham  Meeker  and 
his  wife,  who  located  among  the  Ottawa  Indians  in  July,  1837.  A  mis- 
sion farm  was  opened,  mission  buildings  erected,  and  this  became  the 
center  of  Indian  civilization  for  the  locality.  In  the  spring  of  1864  title 
was  obtained  to  the  present  town  site  by  treaty  and  purchase.  After 
securing  the  land,  a  town  company  was  formed  with  C.  C.  Hutchinson, 
Indian  agent,  and  I.  S.  Kalloch  as  the  prime  movers  of  the  enterprise. 
Among  the  members  were  James  Wind,  the  Ottawa  chief;  Asa  S. 
Lathrop,  the  surveyor  and  attorney  of  the  company ;  John  T.  Jones,  a 
minister;  and  a  few  non-resident  members,  mostly  politicians  and  capi- 
talists who  had  gone  into  it  as  a  business  venture.  The  first  arrivals 
on  the  site  lived  in  tents.  The  first  house  was  started  on  March  31, 
1864,  by  J.  C.  Richmond,  on  the  corner  of  Walnut  and  First  streets,  and 
it  stood  as  a  landmark  until  late  in  the  '80s.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished within  a  few  months,  with  C.  T.  Evans  as  the  first  postmaster.  A 
sawmill  was  erected  by  J.  H.  Whetstone  and  was  in  operation  within 
a  short  time.  Here  lumber  was  cut  for  the  first  dwellings  and  business 
houses.  The  first  hotel  was  the  Ottawa  House,  a  fine  structure  for 
those  days,  which  as  years  passed  was  in  turn  postoffice,  stable  and 
station.  The  old  capitol  building  was  torn  down  at  Minneola,  removed 
10  Ottawa,  and  located  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Main  streets, 
where  the  first  dry  goods  store  was  opened  by  G.  S.  Holt.  A  part  of 
the  first  floor  was  used  for  office  purposes  and  the  second  floor  was 
finished  as  a  large  hall,  known  as  Lathrop's,  where  public  meetings, 
entertainments,  Baptist  church  services  and  courts  were  all  held.  The 
building  was  later  converted  into  a  hotel  known  as  the  Wilkerson  House. 
On  Aug.  I,  1864,  Ottawa  became  the  seat  of  justice  of  the  county  by 
popular  vote. 

The  first  newspaper  in  the  town  was  the  Western  Home  Journal, 
which  made  its  appearance  in  June,  1865,  owned  and  edited  by  I.  S. 
Kalloch.  It  was  widely  circulated  and  by  judicious  advertising  was  in- 
strumental in  attracting  settlers  to  the  town.  In  1866  Ottawa  was  in- 
corporated and  the  control  of  municipal  affairs  passed  from  the  town 


424 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


company  to  a  board  of  trustees.  The  school  house  on  Walnut  street 
was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1866  and  the  following  winter  a  company 
was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  bridge  across  the  Marais 
des  Cygnes  at  the  foot  of  Main  street.  It  was  conducted  as  a  toll 
bridge  until  the  city  purchased  it  in  1875  and  opened  it  to  the  public. 

In  Oct.,  1867,  Ottawa  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  second  class 
and  the  first  city  election  was  held  on  Nov.  30,  of  that  year,  when  Asa 
S.  Lathrop  was  elected  the  first  mayor  of  the  city.  In  Jan.,  1868,  the 
first  train  ran  into  the  town  over  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Gal- 
veston railroad,  and  a  period  of  development  and  activity  ensued.  The 
Kansas  City  &  Santa  Fe  reached  Ottawa  in  1870,  and  other  roads  fol- 
lowed. A  number  of  fine  business  blocks  were  erected;  machine  shops 
and  a  fire  department  were  established ;  and  a  larger  and  better  equipped 
public  school  building  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $30,000. 

Three  parks  are  located  within  the  city  limits.  Forest  Park,  which 
lies  north  of  the  river,  contains  forty  acres ;  College  Park  is  situated  in 
the  southern  part,  and  in  it  are  located  the  central  school  and  the  public 
library;  and  the  court-house  park  occupies  the  block  between  Third 
and  Fourth  streets,  the  building  facing  Main  street. 

With  the  development  of  the  natural  gas  fields,  gas  was  piped  to  Ot- 
tawa and  has  led  to  the  increase  in  the  number  of  factories.  Today  Ot- 
tawa is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  cities  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  state 
with  electric  lighting,  waterworks  and  telephone  systems,  several  grain 
elevators.  Hour  mills,  furniture  factories,  a  large  creamery,  brick  and 
tile  factories,  several  machine  shops  and  a  soap  factory,  and  in  1910 
it  had  a  population  of  7,650. 

Ottawa  County,  named  for  the  Ottawa  tribe  of  Indians,  is  located  on 
the  west  side  of  the  6th  principal  meridian  and  is  the  third  county  from 
the  Nebraska  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Cloud  county;  on  the 
east  by  Clay ;  on  the  south  by  Saline,  and  on  the  west  by  Lincoln  and 
Mitchell.  The  extent  of  the  county  was  described  by  the  legislature  of 
i860  as  including  townships  9,  10,  ii  and  12  south  and  ranges  i,  2,  3,  4 
and  5  west.  The  legislature  at  that  time  named  as  commissioners  R.  C. 
Whitney,  Henry  Martin  and  a  Mr.  Branch.  The  county  was  formally 
organized  in  1866  in  response  to  a  petition  from  the  citizens. 

The  first  settlers  in  this  district  to  make  improvements  were  William 
Still,  George  Darling  and  a  Frenchman  named  LaPere,  who  built  cabins 
near  the  mouth  of  Coal  creek  (then  Meyer's)  and  cultivated  a  garden 
in  the  year  1885.  They  were  a  part  of  the  Reader  colony  which  settled 
at  Solomon  City  and  at  the  junction  of  the  Solomon  and  Smoky  Hill 
rivers.  In  June,  1855,  the  Solomon  valley  was  prospected  as  a  locality 
fqr  the  settlement  of  a  large  colony  from  Ohio,  but  was  not  selected  for 
the  reason  that  it  was  considered  unsafe,  being  beyond  the  frontier. 
LaPere,  one  of  the  first  three  settlers,  was  probably  killed  by  the  In- 
dians. William  Frost  located  near  the  mouth  of  Coal  creek  in  1858. 
A  number  of  other  men  staked  out  claims  but  did  not  settle  until  the 
next  year.   The  first  to  establish  homes  for  families  were  S.  M.  Wright 


KANSAS   HISTORY  425 

and  E.  VV.  Branch,  near  llie  present  sile  of  Minneapolis,  in  1859.  Others 
who  came  in  that  year  were  Jacob  Hamburger,  H.  R.  Little,  and  Josiah 
Hocker.  The  drouth  of  i860  checked  immigration  and  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war  the  next  year  gave  rise  to  numerous  Indian  raids  which  oc- 
curred at  intervals  from  the  fall  of  1861  until  about  1868.  The  settlers 
were  driven  out,  but  returned,  and  in  1864  banded  themselves  together 
for  protection.  A  garrison  was  built  on  the  Solomon  river  which  was 
called  Fort  Solomon.  Several  log  cabins  were  built  within  the  enclosure 
and  the  settlers  lived  there  during  the  summers  of  1864  and  1865.  The 
famous  little  gun  known  as  "Jim  Lane's  Pocket  Piece"  was  donated  to 
the  garrison  by  Maj.-Gen.  S.  R.  Curtis. 

After  the  war,  the  county  was  rapidly  settled  by  discharged  soldiers. 
In  1866  Seymour  Ayres  prepared  the  papers  for  the  organization  of  the 
county,  and  Gov.  Crawford  appointed  the  following  officers:  J.  H.  Inger- 
soll,  county  clerk;  Amasa  May,  Henry  Dresher  and  A.  J.  Willis,  commis- 
.sioners.  Ayersburg  was  named  as  the  county  seat.  At  the  first  election, 
held  in  Nov.,  1866,  the  following  officers  were  elected :  G.  R.  Ingersoll, 
A.  H.  Boss  and  Silas  Seaman,  commissioners ;  H.  S.  Wooden,  county 
clerk;  George  Culver,  treasurer;  D.  Pierce,  sherifif,  and  J.  H.  Ingersoll, 
county  attorney.  Minneapolis  and  Lindsey  were  in  the  race  for  county 
seat,  the  former  being  the  winner.  Two  other  county  seat  elections  were 
held — one  in  1870  and  one  in  1872 — both  giving  Minneapolis  a  majority. 
For  many  years  the  county  was  without  a  building  and  rented  quarters 
in  Minneapolis. 

Until  the  year  1868  the  various  Indian  raids  had  resulted  in  the  death 
of  but  one  Ottawa  county  man,  Peter  Miller.  In  that  year,  however, 
two  disastrous  raids  occurred.  The  first  was  in  August,  when  much 
property  was  destroyed,  but  fortunately  no  one  killed,  though  a  num- 
ber saved  themselves  only  by  great  coolness  and  good  judgment.  In 
October  a  raid  was  made  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  4  men,  Peter 
Kerns,  an  old  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Smith,  Alexander  Smith  and 
John  Andrews.  Mr.  Virtue  and  Mr.  Morgan  were  wounded,  and  the 
v/ife  of  the  latter  carried  away  into  captivity,  from  which  she  was  res- 
cued the  following  spring.  The  last  raid  occurred  in  June,  1869,  when 
an  attack  was  made  on  Summerville,  where  the  Indians  were  repulsed 
by  Ben  Markley  and  a  son  of  Capt.  Pierce,  on  whose  house  the  attack 
was  made.  At  the  same  time  the  Smithville  postoffice  was  burned  and 
two  young  men — Mr.  Dyer  and  John  Weir- — were  killed. 

Among  the  disasters,  the  first  was  the  drouth  of  i860,  in  which  the 
settlers  received  relief  to  the  extent  of  10,810  pounds  of  provisions.  The 
grasshopper  raid  in  1874,  which  devastated  the  whole  state,  killed  all 
the  vegetation  in  the  county,  and  the  people  were  again  obliged  to  ask 
aid.  A  cyclone  on  Salt  creek  in  May,  1879,  resulted  in  the  loss  of 
6  lives,  the  killed  being  Katie  Krone,  Mrs.  Vosh,  Anna  Vosh,  Mr.  Mc- 
Calmot,  Jacob  Garber,  of  Center  county.  Pa.,  and  a  party  whose  name 
is  not  known.  A  number  of  persons  were  seriously  injured  and  the 
property  loss  was  over  $15,000.    On  the  night  of  June  10,  1879,  another 


426  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

cyclone,  following  the  course  of  the  Solomon  river,  wrought  havoc 
through  the  center  of  the  county.  No  lives  were  lost,  but  the  property 
damage  amounted  to  $26,000.  On  June  9,  1881,  a  third  cyclone  occurred 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  moving  east  from  the  Saline  river. 
.Six  homes  were  destroyed  and  3  people — Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  F.  Frothing- 
ham  and  George  Combs — were  killed.  Many  others  were  injured  but 
recovered. 

The  first  school  in  the  county  was  taught  at  Concord  in  1864  by  Miss 
Charlotte  Ingersoll.  The  first  marriage  occurred  at  old  Fort  Solomon 
in  1865  between  D.  \\  .  Bruce  and  Matilda  Jones.  The  first  death  was 
that  of  Mrs.  E.  W.  Branch.  The  first  birth  was  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
S.  M.  Wright  in  1859.  The  first  sermon  was  preached  at  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Boss  at  Fort  Solomon,  in  1865.  The  first  justices  of  the  peace 
were  Seymour  Ayres  and  John  Knight.  Two  postofifices  were  estab- 
lished in  1864 — one  at  Bennington  with  S.  Z.  Boss  as  postmaster,  and 
the  other  at  Ayresburg  with  J.  C.  Boblett  as  postmaster.  The  latter, 
with  Israel  Markley,  built  the  first  mill  in  the  county  at  Elkhorn,  and  the 
first  store  in  the  county  was  opened  by  Col.  John  Kerwin  at  Fort  Solo- 
mon in  1866. 

The  first  railroad  was  the  Solomon  Valley  branch  of  the  Kansas  Pa- 
cific. It  was  built  to  Minneapolis  in  1877  and  extended  to  the  limits  of 
the  county  two  years  later.  Bonds  to  the  extent  of  $100,000  were  issued 
to  aid  in  the  building.  This  road,  which  is  now  the  Union  Pacific,  enters 
the  southeast  corner  and  follows  the  Solomon  valley  northwest  into 
Cloud  county.  Another  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  runs  through  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  county,  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
crosses  the  central  portion  east  and  west. 

Ottawa  county  is  divided  into  20  townships,  viz :  Bennington,  Blaine, 
Buckeye,  Center,  Chapman,  Concord,  Culver,  Durham,  Fountain,  Gar- 
field, Grant,  Plenry,  Lincoln,  Logan,  Morton,  Ottawa,  Richland,  Sheri- 
dan, Sherman  and  Stanton. 

The  surface  in  general  is  undulating  prairie  with  rough  lands  along 
the  divides  and  slopes  leading  down  to  the  bottom  lands,  which  con- 
stitute about  one-fourth  of  the  total  area  of  the  county.  Limestone, 
red  sandstone,  ocher,  gypsum  and  potter's  clay  are  plentiful.  One  of 
the  geological  curiosities  of  the  state,  known  as  the  "City  of  Rocks," 
is  located  a  short  distance  southwest  of  Minneapolis  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Solomon  Valley.  At  one  time  it  consisted  of  several  hun- 
dred round  and  oval  shaped  rocks,  varying  in  size  from  2  to  15  feet  in 
diameter.  The  material  is  a  white  flinty  sandstone  in  thin  layers  or 
scales.  A  number  of  theories  have  been  advanced  to  explain  the  forma- 
tion. 

The  principal  stream  is  the  Solomon  river  entering  the  county  in  the 
northwest  part  and  flowing  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  Into  it  empty 
Pipe  and  Coal  creeks  from  the  east  and  Salt  creek  from  the  west.  The 
Saline  river  crosses  the  southwest  corner.  The  area  is  720  square  miles 
or  640,800  acres,  of  which   350,397  acres   are    under   cultivation.     The 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


427 


value  of  the  farm  jM-oducts  in  1910  was  $4,423,784.  of  wliich  wheat 
amounted  to  $862,082;  corn,  $1,192,308.  and  oats  to  $235,71)5.53.  The 
value  of  animals  sold  for  slaughter  was  $1,443,246.  The  total  assessed 
valuation  of  property  was  $27,124,816.  The  population  of  the  county 
was  11,811,  making  the  average  wealth  per  capita  over  $2,300. 

Ottawa  Mission. — (See  Missions.) 

Ottawa  University. — When  the  Kansas  Daptist  state  convention  held 
its  first  meeting  at  Atchison,  in  June,  i860,  an  educational  committee 
which  had  been  appointed  from  the  Kansas  River  and  Kasl  Kansas 
associations  reported  that  it  had  obtained  a  charter  under  the  name  of 
Roger  Williams  University,  "whose  corporate  body  consists  of  leading 
Baptists  in  Kansas,  with  power  to  locate  in  one  year  from  date  of 
charter."  At  this  meeting  was  present  Rev.  John  T.  Jones,  a  delegate 
from  the  First  Baptist  church  (Indian)  of  Ottawa.  Mr.  Jones  was  a 
member-  of  the  Ojibway  tribe  in  Michigan,  who  had  been  educated  at 
Colgate  College,  Hamilton,  N.  '^'.,  and  was  working  among  the  Indians. 


ghMK^^^r 


OTTAWA    UNIVKKSITY. 

He  suggested  that  the  white  Baptists  join  with  the  Ottawa  Indians  in 
establishing  a  school  on  their  reservation  in  Franklin  county.  The  In- 
dians had  fand  that  might  be  given  as  endowment  and  the  whites  had 
money  and  teachers.  A  committee,  consisting  of  the  college  trustees 
conferred  with  the  Indians  at  Ottawa  in  Dec,  i860.  The  Indians  agreed 
to  give  20,000  acres  of  their  land  to  endow  the  school,  and  the  trustees 
promised  to  board,  clothe  and  educate  all  the  children  of  the  nation  be- 
tween the  ages  of  4  and  14  years.     The  secretary  of  the  interior  giving 


428  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

his  approval  to  the  plan,  the  Indians  were  permitted,  by  an  act  of  Con- 
gress, to  donate  20,640  acres  of  land  for  the  founding  of  the  institution 
of  learning,  which  should  be  under  a  board  Of  trustees  consisting  of 
Indians  and  whites,  the  majority  of  whom  were  Indians.  The  first  meet- 
ing of  the  board  was  held  in  Aug.,  1862.  It  authorized  the  sale  of  5,000 
acres  of  land  to  aid  the  erection  of  a  college  building. 

In  1865,  at  the  request  of  the  Indians  who  wished  to  perpetuate  their 
name,  the- "Roger  Williams  University"  was  reincorporated  under  the 
name  of  "Ottawa  University,"  which  began  its  work  in  Sept.,  1869,  with 
about  30  children  in  the  Indian  department,  with  Mrs.  R.  S.  Mayhew  as 
matron  in  charge,  and  about  40  pupils  in  the  white  department,  with 
Prof.  Philetus  Fales  as  principal.  The  school  continued  almost  two 
years  when  financial  difficulties  caused  it  to  suspend  operations.  The 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  sent  an  agent  to  investigate 
the  conditions  of  the  university.  This  agent,  Rev.  Robert  Atkinson, 
settled  the  indebtedness  and  proceeded  to  get  funds  from  the  East  to 
erect  a  college  building,  the  school  up  to  that  time  having  been  held 
in  a  dwelling  house.  In  the  meantime  most  of  the  Ottawa  Indians 
were  moving  to  the  Indian  Territory  (now  Oklahoma),  and  became  dis- 
satisfied with  their  contract  with  the  Baptists  about  the  university.  In 
1873,  in  an  adjustment  of  interests,  the  Indians  agreed  to  withdraw 
and  leave  the  school  entirely  to  the  whites.  A  tract  of  640  acres  was 
granted  to  the  university  by  the  United  States  government  and  the  re- 
mainder was  given  back  to  the  Indians.  The  land  was  intrusted  to  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  jointly  with  the  university 
trustees.  The  society  surrendered  its  interests  to  the  Kansas  Baptist 
state  convention,  on  condition  that  the  land  should  never  be  mort- 
gaged. The  school  started  again  in  1873  with  a  board  of  24  trustees. 
Rev.  E.  C.  Anderson  was  elected  president  of  the  college.  In  1875  the 
college  building  was  destroyed  by  fire.  While  it  was  being  rebuilt 
school  was  conducted  in  the  city  hall  at  Ottawa.  In  1877  Prof.  P.  J. 
Williams  became  president  and  served  successfully  four  years,  the 
number  of  students  increasing  from  34  to  93.  His  successor  in  1881 
was  Prof.  T.  M.  Stewart,  who  remained  at  Ottawa  two  years.  In  1883 
Prof.  M.  L.  Ward,  who  had  been  with  the  school  as  teacher  in  its  ear- 
liest days,  returned  as  president.  Mr.  Ward  was  president  four  years 
and  acting  president  for  one  year.  Prof.  George  Sutherland  followed 
Mr.  Ward  and  served  as  president  pro  tempore  for  two  years.  Rev. 
Franklin  Johnson  was  president  from  1889  to  1891.  In  1892  Dr.  F  W. 
Colegrove  was  elected  to  succeed  him.  Dr.  J.  D.  S.  Riggs  followed  Mr. 
Colegrove  and  his  successor  was  Mr.  R.  A.  Schwegler  as  president  pro 
tempore.  Dr.  Silas  Eber  Price  has  occupied  the  executive  chair  since. 
The  Ottawa  University  has  grown  until  it  occupies  four  buildings,  has 
an  endowment  of  $150,000,  and  a  corps  of  30  instructors.  The  original 
640  acres  has  been  sold  with  the  exception  of  33  acres,  which  comprises 
the  campus,  and  a  few  town  lots. 

The  meager  curriculum  of  early  days  has  expanded  and  developed 


KANSAS    HISTORY  429 

until  there  are  four  departments  embracing  numerous  courses.  The 
departments  are  the  college  of  liberal  arts,  with  142  students  in  at- 
tendance; the  academy,  119;  the  school  of  fine  arts,  275,  and  the  busi- 
ness college,  81. 

Otto,  a  country  postoffice  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  in  Grant  town- 
ship 20  miles  southeast  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  south- 
west of  Hoover,  the  nearest  railroad  station.  The  population  in  1910 
was  36. 

Ottumwa,  one  of  the  minor  villages  of  CoiTey  county,  is  on  the  Neo- 
sho river  about  9  miles  northwest  of  Burlington,  the  county  seat,  from 
which  place  it  receives  mail.  Strawn,  3  miles  south,  is  the  nearest  rail- 
road station.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  places  in  the  county,  having 
been  established  in  1857.  The  first  number  of  the  Ottumwa  Journal, 
v.'hich  was  the  first  paper  published  in  the  cotmty,  was  issued  by  Jona- 
than Lyman  prior  to  i860.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  i860,  by  act 
of  the  legislature,  which  act  provided  for  a  city  council  with  power  to 
regulate  all  matters.  The  councilmen  appointed  by  the  act  of  incor- 
poration were  Ebner  H.  Hoult,  William  R.  Smith,  James  Harris,  J.  W. 
Kerr  and  Enoch  Maudlin.  Much  of  the  early  success  of  the  town  was 
due  to  the  school  established  at  that  place  by  the  Christian  church. 
(See  Ottumwa  College.) 

Ottumwa  College. — This  institution  was  projected  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Ottumwa,  Cofl'ey  county,  about  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war.  An  elevation  known  as  "College  Hill"  was  selected  as  a  site 
and  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  building  was  laid  with  imposing  ceremo- 
•iies  in  1862.  At  that  time  there  was  more  of  a  rivalry  among  the  va- 
rious Protestant  denominations  than  at  present,  and  shortly  after  the 
corner-stone  was  laid  the  Christian  church  of  Ottumwa,  under  the  min- 
istrations of  such  men  as  Jenks,  Cox  and  McCombs,  experienced  a  re- 
vival that  won  many  of  the  Methodists  from  their  original  faith  to  the 
Christian  church.  The  result  was  that  the  proposed  college  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  latter  denomination. 

In  1864  Rev.  J.  M.  Rankin  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  school  and 
the  pupils  of  school  district  No.  2  were  sent  to  the  college,  the  tuition 
being  paid  out  of  the  public  funds.  This  helped  the  college,  but  at  the 
end  of  1865  the  college  trustees  informed  the  school  board  that  the  ar- 
rangement must  cease.  The  board  then  erected  a  school  building  and 
employed  Mr.  Rankin  as  teacher.  The  college  employed  others  and 
dragged  along  a  precarious  existence  until  the  following  year  when  it 
was  closed.  Rankin  and  Cox  then  moved  to  Burlington  and  Dr.  David 
Gwin  came  to  Ottumwa  as  the  leading  elder  of  the  church.  A  rivalry 
quickly  grew  up  between  him  and  Dr.  Jenks,  the  second  elder,  and  both 
being  physicians,  it  was  perhaps  natural  that  there  should  be  some  pro- 
fessionaljealousy  between  them.  Gwin  and  Jenks  each  tried  to  get  hold 
of  the  school,  and  late  in  1872  the  former  succeeded.  He  immediately 
turned  it  over  to  the  church,  a  board  of  trustees  was  appointed,  and  ar- 
rano-ements  were  made  to  open  the  institution  on  the  second  Monday 


430  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

in  Sept.,  1873,  with  Juhn  McCiocker  as  principal  and  his  wife  as  as- 
sistant. In  August  the  building  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire — sup- 
posed to  have  been  of  incendiary  origin — and  Ottumwa  College  passed 
into  histor}'. 

Oursler,  a  hamlet  of  JMarion  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  between  Marion  and  Florence,  4  miles  southeast 
of  Marion,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  from  Florence,  from  which  place 
it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Overbrook,  one  of  the  thriving  towns  of  Osage  county,  is  located  in 
Klk  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  15  miles  northeast  of  Lyn- 
don, the  county  seat.  It  has  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Citizen),  a  bank, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  an  international  money  order  postofifice 
with  four  rural  routes,  good  schools  and  churches.  It  is  one  of  the 
newer  towns,  having  been  founded  in  1888.  The  population  in  1910 
was  575. 

Overland  Pony  Express. —  (See  Pony  Express.) 

Oxford,  une  uf  the  thriving  towns  of  Sumner  county,  is  located  on 
the  Arkansas  river,  the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  railroads  13  miles  east  of  Wellington.  It  has  a  bank,  a  flour 
mill,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Register),  a  large  number  of  retail  es- 
tablishments, good  schools  and  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  624. 

One  of  the  first  trading  posts  in  the  county  was  on  the  site  of  Oxford. 
The  town  was  founded  by  a  company  of  Osage  City  people  in  1871. 
It  entered  the  county  seat  fight,  but  was  unsuccessful.  The  first  print- 
ing press  in  the  county  was  set  up  by  the  Oxford  town  company.  Be- 
fore that  a  postoffice  had  been  established  under  the  name  of  Napa- 
walla,  with  L.  Binkley  as  postmaster.  Another  office  was  established 
with  T.  E.  Clark  as  postmaster  and  the  first  one  was  discontinued.  The 
first  school  district  in  the  county  as  organized  here  in  Jan.,  1872,  and 
Miss  Minnie  Whaley  was  the  first  teacher.  Oxford  was  incorporated 
as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  Oct.,  1879.  The  following  were  the  first 
officers:  Mayor,  B.  F.  Smith;  police  judge,  Joseph  Sleigh;  city  clerk, 
George  T.  Walton.  The  Sumner  County  Press,  the.  first  newspaper  in 
the  county,  was  started  at  this  place  in  1871. 

Ozawkie  (also  spelled  Osawkie),  a  village  of  Jefferson  county,  is  lo- 
cated in  Ozawkie  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R. 
8  miles  west  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat.  It  is  on  the  Delaware  river 
and  is  the  oldest  town  of  the  county,  having  important  historical  con- 
nection with  the  territorial  period  of  the  state.  It  was  the  county  seat 
until  Oct.,  1858.  The  first  settlement  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1854, 
when  the  Dyer  brothers  opened  a  store  and  started  a  trading  post  on  the 
old  military  road.  During  that  same  year  William  O.  and  H.  B.  Tebbs. 
R.  McCauslin  and  Norris  S.  Knight  came  with  their  families.  The  next 
year  the  town  was  laid  out  and  the  sale  of  lots  began,  although  it  was 
more  than  two  years  before  the  lands  were  to  be  sold  by  the  government 


KAXSAS    lUSTUKV  43 1 

and  clear  titles  could  not  be  given.  A  sawmill  and  a  number  of  business 
buildings  of  pretentious  size  were  erected.  A  hotel  was  put  up  at  a 
cost  of  several  thousand  dollars,  in  anticipation  of  the  sale  of  lands, 
which  it  was  hoped  would  make  Ozawkie  one  of  the  leading-  cities  of 
the  territory.  When  the  sale  of  lands  was  on  thousands  of  people  came 
to  Ozawkie  temporarily,  and  the  big  hotel  and  all  the  houses  were  filled, 
with  many  camping  about  on  the  prairies.  Town  lots  sold  for  fabu- 
lously high  prices  and  everything  was  booming.  This  gradually  wore 
ofif  and  when  the  county  seat  was  taken  to  Oskaloosa,  Ozawkie's  race 
was  run,  so  far  as  being  a  city  was  concerned.  At  present  it  is  just  a 
prosperous  little  village,  shipping  farm  produce  and  cattle  to  the  mar- 
kets. It  has  banking  facilities  and  all  the  leading  business  activities 
are  represented.  It  also  has  a  money  order  postofifice  with  three  rural 
routes,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  in  1910  reported  a  population 
of  300. 


Padilla,  Francisco  Juan  De,  a  Franciscan  friar  and  the  first  missionary 
to  the  Indians  of  Kansas,  was  a  native  of  Andalusia,  Spain.  In  early  life 
he  was  a  soldier,  but  exchanged  the  sword  for  the  cassock  and  became  an 
active  member  of  the  priesthood.  He  possessed  talents  of  a  high  order, 
held  several  important  positions  in  Old  Mexico,  and  was  at  one  time 
guardian  of  a  convent  at  Jalisco.  He  was  one  of  the  four  Franciscans 
who  accompanied  Coronado  (q.  v.)  on  his  expedition  to  Ouivira,  and 
subsequently  became  a  missionary  to  the  Indians  of  that  province. 
There  seems  to  be  some  uncertainty  as  to  whether  he  remained  among 
the  Ouivirans  or  went  back  to  the  tribe  after  returning  to  New  Mexico 
with  Coronado.  Even  Castaneda,  the  chronicler  of  the  Coronado  expedi- 
tion, gives  conflicting  statements  regarding  the  movements  of  Father 
Padilla.  In  one  place  he  sa3's :  "A  friar  named  Juan  de  Padilla  remained 
in  this  province,  together  with  a  Spanish-Portuguese  and  a  negro  and  a 
half-blood  and  some  Indians  from  the  province  of  Capothan  (Capetlan), 
in  New  Spain.  They  killed  the  friar  because  he  wanted  to  go  to  the 
province  of  the  Guas,  who  were  their  enemies." 

In  another  part  of  his  narrative  he  says :  "The  general  sent  a  com- 
pany to  escort  them  (the  priests)  as  far  as  Cicuye,  where  Friar  Luis 
stopped,  while  Friar  Juan  went  on  back  to  Ouivira  with  the  guides  who 
had  conducted  the  general,"  etc. 

Gen.  W.  W.  H.  Davis  found  at  Santa  Fe  an  old  manuscript  which 
gave  the  following  account  of  Father  Padilla :  "When  Coronado  returned 
to  Mexico,  he  left  behind  him,  among  the  Indians  of  Cibola,  the  father 
fray  Francisco  Juan  de  Padilla,  the  father  fray  Juan  de  la  Cruz,  and  a 
Portuguese  named  Andres  del  Campo.  Soon  after  the  Spaniards 
departed,  Padilla  and  the  Portuguese  set  off  in  search  of  the  country  of 
the  Grand  Ouivira,  where  the  former  understood  there  were  innumerable 
souls  to  be  saved.  After  traveling  several  days,  they  reached  a  large 
settlement  in  the  Ouivira  countrv.    The  Indians  came  out  to  receive  them 


432  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

in  battle  array,  when  the  friar,  knowing  their  intentions,  told  the  Por- 
tuguese and  his  attendants  to  take  to  flight,  while  he  would  await  their 
coming,  in  order  that  they  might  vent  their  fury  on  him  as  they  ran. 
The  former  took  to  flight,  and  placing  themselves  on  a  height  within 
view,  saw  what  happened  to  the  friar.  Padilla  awaited  their  coming 
upon  his  knees,  and  when  they  arrived  where  he  was  they  immediately 
put  him  to  death.  The  same  happened  to  Juan  de  la  Cruz,  who  was  left 
behind  at  Cibola,  which  people  killed  him.  The  Portuguese  and  his 
attendants  made  their  escape,  and  ultimately  arrived  safely  in  Mexico, 
where  he  told  what  had  occurred." 

Prentis,  in  his  History  of  Kansas,  says  Padilla  was  killed  by  the 
Quivirans  "because  he  had  left  them  and  was  on  his  way  to  spread 
religion  to  other  tribes.  Padilla  ordered  the  few  who  were  with  him  to 
escape,  and  kneeling,  met  the  savage  attack.  Friendly  Indians  piled 
stones  about  his  grave,  making  a  crude  monument,  which  stands,  crown- 
ing the  summit  of  a  hill  near  Council  Grove." 

The  monument  mentioned  by  Prentis  is  about  lo  feet  high,  6  feet 
square  at  the  base,  and  is  constructed  of  loose,  undressed  stones.  Father 
Padilla  met  his  death  in  liie  fall  of  1542,  so  that  for  more  than  three  and 
a  half  centuries  this  rude  structure,  erected  by  the  hands  of  uncivilized 
admirers,  has  stood  as  a  silent  witness  to  the  fate  of  the  first  Christian 
martyr  in  Kansas. 

Another  monument  to  Father  Padilla  was  erected  in  the  city  park  at 
Herington,  Dickinson  county,  at  a  cost  of  about  $500,  and  was  dedicated 
on  Oct.  26,  1904. 

Padonia,  one  of  the  little  towns  of  Brown  county,  is  located  on  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  6  miles  north  of  Hiawatha,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  flour  mill,  a  number  of  well  stocked  retail  establishments,  churches 
and  schools,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  104.  The  town  was  named  after  Jesse  Padon, 
who  prior  to  1862  lived  in  a  log  hut  on  the  bank  of  the  Walnut.  The 
postofiSce  was  established  in  1857  with  Orville  Root  as  the  first  post- 
master.   The  Padonia  Town  company  built  a  school  house  in  1858. 

Page,  a  village  in  Logan  county,  is  located  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R. 
12  miles  north  of  Russell  Springs,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order 
postoffice,  some  general  stores,  etc.  The  population  in  1910  was  75. 
The  railroad  name  is  Page  City. 

Palacky,  a  hamlet  in  Ellsworth  county,  is  located  12  miles  southwest 
of  Ellsworth,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  north  of  Holyrood,  the  nearest 
railroad  station  and  shipping  point  and  the  postofiSce  from  which  it 
receives  mail  by  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  40. 

Paleontology,  the  science  of  the  ancient  life  that  inhabited  the  earth, 
is  the  foundation  upon  which  the  geological  history  of  the  earth  in  a 
great  part  rests.  By  the  aid  of  fossils,  the  remains  of  ancient  life,  the 
succession  of  rocks,  their  distribution  and  relations  are  determined. 
Kansas  is  famous  as  a  region  for  fossils,  and  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  state  varied  and  remarkable  fossil  records  have  been  found.    Accord- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  433 

ing  to  Zittel,  the  study  of  palcontolog'y  is  carried  on  by  means  of  fossils 
which  are  "all  remains  or  traces  of  plants  and  animals  which  have  lived 
before  the  beginning  of  the  present  geological  period,  and  have  been 
preserved  in  rocks." 

The  study  of  paleontology  is  closely  allied  with  that  of  biology  and 
geology.  The  rocks  of  the  earth's  crust  are  classified  according  to  their 
periods  of  origin  into  four  great  groups,  each  of  which  represents  an  era 
of  great  duration,  measured  in  millions  of  years.  These  eras  are  again 
divided  into  periods  represented  by  systems  of  rock  formation,  thirteen 
of  which  are  generally  recognized,  and  the  periods  are  likewise  subdi- 
vided. Beginning  at  the  top  these  eras  and  periods  are  as  follows :  Ceno- 
zoic  era  of  mammals,  divided  into  Quarternary  and  Tertiary  periods ; 
Mesozoic  era  of  reptiles,  divided  into  Cretaceous,  Jurassic  and  Triassic 
periods;  Palaeozoic  era  of  invertebrates,  divided  into  Permian.  Carbonif- 
erotis,  Devonian,  Silurian,  Ordovician  and  Cambrian  periods;  Eozoic, 
and  Azoic  eras.  With  the  exception  of  the  last  two  eras  at  the  bottom 
of  the  scale,  from  which  no  satisfactory  fossil  remains  have  been 
obtained,  each  of  these  divisions  has  been  found  to  contain  fossil  organ- 
isms, peculiar  to  that  system  and  era,  entirely  different  from  any  other. 
These  organisms  in  any  system  or  geological  formation  constitute  its 
fossil  fauna,  which  furnishes  a  somewhat  imperfect  synopsis  of  the 
ancient  life  that  inhabited  the  vicinity  of  the  ocean,  lake  or  land  basin 
in  which  the  system  or  formation  originated.  It  has  been  discovered 
that  formations  of  different  ages  contain  greatly  diverse  fauna,  but  in 
a  single  formation  the  fauna  in  all  portions  of  its  area  of  distribution 
are  the  same  in  general  character  and  thus  serve  to  identify  widely  sep- 
arated districts. 

The  earliest  work  with  regard  to  fossils  in  Kansas  was  done  in  the 
western  part  of  the  state.  The  first  person  to  make  any  systematic 
collection  was  the  late  Prof.  B.  F.  Mudge,  professor  of  geology  at  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  who  headed  an  expedition  up  the 
Republican  and  Solomon  rivers  in  1870.  In  Kansas  the  upper  Creta- 
ceous has  been  divided  into  the  Fort  Pierre,  subdivided  into  Arickaree 
shales  and  Lisbon  shales;  Niobrara,  subdivided  into  Peteranodon  beds 
and  Fort  Hayes  beds;  Benton,  subdivided  into  the  upper  and  lower 
group;  Dakota;  Comanche;  red  beds  and  Permian,  The  richest  fossil 
fields  are  found  in  the  chalk  beds  of  Rush  county,  the  Niobrara  chalk 
of  Trego  county  and  of  Plumb  creek,  and  the  Fort  Hayes  beds  of  the 
Smoky  Hill  river  in  Gove  county. 

Birds  are  the  rarest  of  vertebrate  fossils,  for  although  abundant  they 
did  not  fall  into  such  positions  that  they  would  easily  fossilize.  In  the 
lower  Cretaceous  no  birds  are  as  yet  known,  and  from  the  upper  Cre- 
taceous the  only  remains  in  America  are  from  New  Jersey  and  the  Nio- 
brara formations  of  Kansas  and  Wyoming.  Of  these,  20  of  the  best 
specimens  came  from  Kansas,  the  first  of  which  was  discovered  in  1870. 
One  of  the  most  important  specimens  was  discovered  by  Prof.  Mudge 

(II-28) 


434  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

near  Sugar  Bowl  mound  in  northwest  Kansas  in  1872,  and  large  collec- 
tions were  made  in  this  state  in  succeeding  years. 

The  group  of  dinosaurs  contains  the  largest  land  animals  that  ever 
existed,  in  some  cases  reaching  such  enormous  proportions  as  to  be 
almost  incredible.  The  smallest  were  about  the  size  of  a  cat,  while  the 
largest  reached  a  length  of  60  feet  or  more.  These  reptiles  were  not 
crawling  animals,  but  walked  erect,  after  the  manner  of  a  kangaroo. 
The  dinosaurs  ranged  in  time  from  the  Triassic  to  the  close  of  the  Cre- 
taceous. The  single  known  dinosaur  specimen  from  Kansas  was  discov- 
ered in  1872  in  the  Niobrara  chalk  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river. 

The  earliest  fossil  crocodiles  are  found  in  rocks  of  the  Triassic  age. 
But  two  specimens  have  been  discovered  in  Kansas,  one  from  the 
lower  Cretaceous  of  Clark  county  and  the  other  from  the  upper  Cre- 
taceous. More  than  a  century  ago  the  singular  group  of  reptiles  known 
as  mosasaurs  was  discovered  and  Kansas  has  been  the  great  collecting 
ground  for  them.  The  first  specimen  was  discovered  near  Fort  Wallace 
in  1868,  since  which  time  several  hundred  have  been  collected  for  the 
museum  of  the  University  of  Kansas  alone.  Their  geological  range  is 
confined  exclusively  to  the  upper  Cretaceous.  From  the  upper  Creta- 
ceous of  Kansas  alone,  four  genera  and  six  species  of  turtles,  all  marine, 
are  known,  one  from  the  Benton  and  the  others  from  the  Xiobrara.  The 
largest  and  also  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  these  fossil  turtles  reaches 
a  length  of  12  or  more  feet,  while  the  others  are  smaller,  probably  not 
more  than  S  or  6  feet  in  length.  Remains  of  turtles  are  frequent  among 
the  vertebrate  fossils  of  all  formations  from  the  Triassic  to  the  present 
time,  and  their  distribution  has  been  general,  but  as  the  specimens  have 
been  fragmentar}-,  complete  fossil  specimens  are  rare.  Turtles  are  usu- 
ally divided  into  three  suborders  but  all  of  the  known  fossil  turtles  from 
the  Kansas  Cretaceous  belong  to  the  cryptodira,  or  second  suborder. 

The  remains  of  microscopic  organisms  found  in  the  upper  Cretaceous 
of  Kansas  are  some  of  the  most  interesting  and  important  fossils.  Sam- 
ples from  six  of  the  thirteen  beds  in  the  state  have  shown  evidences  of 
organic  origin.  Particular  interest  centers  in  the  specimens  obtained 
from  the  Niobrara  group,  the  Kansas  chalk  having  been  investigated  and 
discussed  more  than  any  other  deposit.  It  was  chalk  from  Kansas  that 
first  established  the  fact  that  such  a  formation  existed  in  the  United 
States.  The  fact  that  organic  fossil  remains  existed  in  it  was  first 
proved  in  1882.  In  size  these  minute  organisms  vary  from  i-iooth  of 
an  inch  to  3  inches  in  their  largest  diameter  and  in  their  distribution 
are  almost  omnipresent,  being  found  in  nearly  every  body  of  water. 
salt  or  fresh,  and  at  all  depths.  They  were  so  numerous  that  extensive 
strata  of  rock  are  composed  almost  entirely  of  their  remains.  Their  geo- 
logical range  is  believed  to  be  from  the  Silurian  to  the  present  time. 
They  are  called  foraminifera,  are  nucleated,  protoplasmic  bodies  invested 
with  a  shell,  and  are  remarkable  for  variety  and  beauty  of  form. 

The  animal  kingdom  has  been  divided  into  eight  subkingdoms ;  pro- 
tozoa,   coelenterata,    echinodermata,    vermes,    molluscoidea,    mollusca. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4.^5 

arthropoda  and  vertebrata.  Seven  of  these  comprise  the  invertebrate 
animals  and  the  eighth,  or  last,  the  vertebrate.  All  of  the  subdivisions 
except  the  fifth  are  represented  by  fossil  remains  in  the  upper  Cre- 
taceous of  Kansas.  Four  of  the  subkinqdoms  are  represented  in  the 
Fort  Benton,  viz.,  the  second,  third,  fourth,  and  sixth.  The  first  three 
are  represented  by  a  single  form,  but  the  sixth  or  mollusca  is  repre- 
sented by  i8  genera  and  40  species.  The  Niobrara  fossils  are  numerous 
and  varied,  species  belonging  to  the  six  of  the  invertebrate  subking- 
doms  having  been  found,  represented  by  about  12  genera  and  more 
than  30  species.  In  the  lower  horizon,  that  of  the  Fort  Hayes  lime- 
stone, fossils  are  not  abundant.  The  Fort  Pierre  area  of  Kansas  has  not 
produced  a  great  diversity  of  invertebrate  forms.  Fossils  were  col- 
lected at  an  early  date  from  a  Fort  Pierre  outcrop  on  Butte  creek  and 
on  the  north  fork  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Wallace 
county,  but  no  extensive  Fort  Pierre  formation  occur  in  Kansas  except 
in  Cheyenne  county,  where  it  has  furnished  15  species. 

The  Carboniferous  invertebrates  are  again  classified  under  the  sub- 
kingdoms.  The  foraminifera  are  an  order  of  the  class  known  as  rhizo- 
pods,  which  means  root-footed.  They  are  verj^  minute  animals,  resem- 
bling a  glass  of  jelly  full  of  bubbles.  These  animals  are  called  for- 
manifera  on  account  of  the  little  holes  in  the  shell.  They  lived  in  both 
fresh  and  salt  water,  but  were  much  more  numerous  in  the  ocean,  where, 
although  so  minute,  their  shells  made  up  masses  of  deposits  which 
became  hardened  into  limestone  extending  over  vast  areas.  The  only 
foraminifera  found  in  the  rocks  of  eastern  Kansas  are  what  is  often 
called  "petrified  wheat."  Rocks  of  this  formation  are  numerous  and  the 
layers  of  limestone  made  up  of  these  shells  varj'  from  2  to  10  feet  in 
thickness  and  extend  across  the  state  from  north  to  south.  A  second 
Carboniferous  invertebrate  is  the  spongae,  a  loose  collection  of  single 
cells,  grouped  into  a  mass,  which  forms  a  compound  organism.  The  cells 
of  a  sponge  are  held  together  by  horny  needles,  and  the  sponge  of  com- 
merce is  not  the  entire  animal  but  only  this  skeleton,  which  is  a  network 
of  these  needles.  In  nearly  almost  all  of  the  fossil  sponges  these  fibers 
of  the  skeleton  are  found  to  be  of  lime  or  flint.  Two  kinds  of  fossil 
sponge  has  been  found  in  Kansas,  in  the  northwest  part  of  Atchison 
county,  western  Doniphan  county,  and  in  eastern  Brown  county.  They 
sometimes  make  up  a  limestone  stratum  6  inches  thick. 

Corals,  or  anthozoa,  are  exclusively  marine  animals.  The  reef-build- 
ing coral  is  only  found  in  comparatively  shallow  water,  while  other 
forms  are  found  much  deeper.  The  fossil  corals,  of  Kansas  are  of  the 
reef-building  class  and  indicate  that  rocks  in  which  they  were  formed 
were  laid  down  in  shallow  water.  At  Fort  Scott  a  stratum  of  limestone 
has  been  found  alrnost  entirely  made  up  of  coral. 

Crinoidea  were  animals  known  as  sea  lillies  or  stone  lillies.  They  are 
found  at  varying  depths  in  the  sea.  During  their  geological  time  they 
were  abundant  and  reached  their  highest  development  in  the  Carbon- 
iferous period.    They  were  well  adapted  for  preservation  as  fossils  and 


4_^A  CVCI.OrEDlA    UK 

manv  specimens  have  been  found.  Usually  the  skeleton  fell  apart  when 
the  animal  decayed  so  that  an  entire  specimen  is  very  rare,  but  masses 
of  stone  have  been  found  made  up  entirely  of  the  pieces  of  these  ani- 
mals, as  tiiey  lived  in  colonics  during  geological  time  the  same  as  today. 
In  the  Carboniferous  and  Triassic  periods  they  were  more  abundant  than 
at  present.  Specimens  have  been  found  in  the  upper  coal  measures  of 
Topeka,  the  horizon  of  the  Osage,  and  the  ui)])er  coal  measures  of 
Kansas  City,  Kan.,  and  Argentine. 

Sea-urchins,  sea-eggs  and  sea-dollars,  or  echinoidea,  are  animals  that 
var}-  in  form  from  spheres  to  discs  and  live  in  moderately  shallow  water, 
generally  near  oyster  beds.  Some  bur}'  themselves  in  the  sand,  others 
make  holes  in  rocks,  but  all  live  in  the  sea.  The  only  parts  of  the  animal 
that  fossilizes  are  the  spines  or  plates,  and  at  least  four  kinds  Irave  been 
found  in  Kansas  rocks — in  the  upper  coal  measures  of  the  Topeka  lime- 
stone and  the  upper  coal  maesures  of  the  Deer  creek  limestone  near 
Topeka. 

Brachipods  are  small  animals  that  in  a  way  resemble  clams  in  external 
appearance,  with  a  two-valved  shell,  but  internally  their  structure  is 
very  different,  resembling  worms.  They  are  marine  animals  and  usually 
live  in  shallow  water.  Their  distribution  has  been  given  as  follows  :  "shore 
zone,  or  the  beach  between  high  and  low  tide  marks ;  the  shallow  water 
zone,  or  water  to  a  depth  of  90  feet ;  moderately  deep  zone,  or  water 
from  90  to  300  feet  deep;  the  deep  zone,  or  water  from  300  to  1,668  feet 
deep;  and  the  very  deep  zone,  or  water  from  1,668  to  17,670  feet  or  three 
and  a  half  miles  deep."  In  each  zone  there  are  species  which  are  not 
found  in  the  others,  though  some  are  common  to  two  or  more  zones. 
r)ne  hundred  and  fifty-eight  forms  of  brachipods  are  known,  and  these 
form  but  a  remnant  of  what  was  once  one  of  the  most  abtmdant  and 
varied  classes  of  animals  of  their  size,  for  the  fossil  species  already  dis- 
covered number  6,000,  nearly  2,000  of  which  are  represented  in  American 
rocks.  They  are  some  of  the  earliest  fossils  of  which  there  is  a  record 
and  reached  their  height  in  the  earliest  part  of  geological  time.  About 
125  species  are  known  to  belong  to  the  Cambrian,  or  earliest  period  of 
which  there  is  any  definite  knowledge  of  life.  During  the  Devonian 
period  they  reached  their  highest  numbers,  with  about  1,400  species.  At 
the  close  of  the  Paleozoic  era  they  fell  to  less  than  100  species.  In  Kan- 
sas thejr  have  been  found  in  the  upper  and  lower  coal  measures  of 
Kansas  City,  Topeka,  Burlingame,  Rosedale,  Lansing,  Leavenworth 
county,  the  Wabaunsee  formation.  Blue  Mound,  near  Manhattan,  Eu- 
dora.  Grand  Summit,  Cambridge  in  Cowley  county,  Fort  Scott,  Law- 
rence, Carbondale,  Olathe,  Lecompton,  Beaumont,  Geary  county,  Osage 
county,  Anderson  county.  Alma,  Marysville  and  generally  throughout 
the  coal  measures  of  the  state. 

Mussels,  clams  and  oysters,  properly  called  pelecypods,  are  animals 
that  live  both  in  fresh  and  salt  water.  They  are  covered  by  a  shell  made 
up  of  two  halves;  the  hard  part  of  the  animal  or  this  shell,  is  all  that  is 
preserved  in  the  rocks.    Fossil  remains  of  these  animals  have  been  found 


KANSAS    HISTORY  437 

in  the  upper  coal  measures  at  Topeka,  Lawrence,  Turner,  Kudora,  Wa- 
baunsee county,  Leavenworth  county,  Wyandotte  county.  Lecomiiton. 
Cowley  county,  Anderson  county,  and  at  Cherryvale,  F.lniont,  lola  and 
Grant  Summit. 

.  Cretaceous  fishes  have  three  divisions — selaciiians,  pycnodonts  and 
teleosts — which  arc  also  subdivided.  L'ndcr  selachians  are  included  the 
myliobatidae,  or  upper  Cretaceous  selachians ;  scyllidac  from  the  lower 
Cretaceous;  lamnidae  from  the  lower  Cretaceous  and  Niobrara;  and  the 
corax,  confined  entirely  to  the  Cretaceous.  The  pycnodontae  are  subdi- 
vided into  pycnodonts,  found  in  the  Jurassic,  Cretaceous  and  Eocene 
deposits  and  lepidosteidae  not  found  in  Kansas.  The  living  members  of 
the  myliobatidae  are  the  sea  devils,  many  of  wliich  attain  an  enormous 
size.  One  species  of  this  fish  has  been  found  in  the  Kansas  Cretaceous, 
occurring  only  in  the  Niobrara  beds.  The  scyllidae  are  a  family  of  small 
sharks,  occurring  in  the  lower  Cretaceous,  but  the  only  fossil  remains 
consist  of  teeth,  about  80  of  which  were  collected  near  Castle  Rock  in 
Trego  county.  A  single  tooth  of  large  size  was  taken  from  the  Cre- 
taceous of  the  Smoky  Hill  river  and  another  series,  no  in  number,  were 
found  in  the  Niobrara  chalk  of  that  river.  Other  specimens  have  been 
found  at  Walnut  creek,  probably  of  the  Benton  horizon,  in  Ellsworth 
county  from  the  Benton  Cretaceous  of  Salt  creek,  some  in  Russell 
county,  and  some' from  the  lower  Cretaceous  in  various  places. 

The  lamnidae  include  the  largest  sharks,  which  are  represented  by 
a  number  of  living  species  at  the  present  time.  Their  teeth  are  com- 
monly found  in  the  Cretaceous  deposits  of  Kansass,  but  as  the  teeth  of 
one  fish  vary  greatly  in  size  and  shape  it  is  difficult  to  determine  the 
forms.  One  nearly  complete  dentition  has  been  found  of  the  most  com- 
mon species  of  the  family  in  Kansas.  The  teeth  of  this  fish  come  from 
the  Kansas  Niobrara  or  the  Benton  Cretaceous.  Specimens  have  also 
been  collected  from  the  lower  Cretaceous  (Iviowa  shales)  in  Clark 
county. 

The  genus  corax  is  confined  to  the  Cretaceous  and  is  not  well  known, 
but  isolated  teeth  have  been  found  in  the  Niobrara  Cretaceous  of  the 
Smoky  Hill  valley  and  one  isolated  tooth  was  found  in  the  Niobrara  of 
Kansas.  Specimens  have  also  been  collected  from  the  lower  Benton 
of  Ellsworth  county  and  near  Marquette. 

The  remains  of  the  peculiar  group  of  glanoid  fishes,  known  as  pycno- 
dontae, have  been  found  in  the  Jurassic,  Cretaceous  and  Eocene  deposits. 
They  are  small  fishes  oval  in  shape.  Some  specimens  have  been  found 
in  the  Kiowa  shales  near  Belvidere,  and  there  is  one  specimen  of  the 
lepidosteidae,  from  the  Kiowa  shales,  but  it  was  not  found  in  Kansas. 

The  teleostei  is  an  order  that  embraces  the  most  generalized  type  of 
bony  fishes,  and  are  among  the  most  abundant  fossils  obtained  from  the 
chafk  of  western  Kansas,  usually  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation. 
In  size  they  range  from  nearly  20  feet  to  small  fish  of  less  than  a  foot  in 
length.  They  are  found  most  abundantly  in  the  Niobrara  group  because 
the  conditions  that  prevailed  at  that  time  were  more  favorable  for  fos- 


438  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

silization,  although  they  were  no  more  abundant  then  than  during  the 
Fort  Pierre  and  Fox  Hill  time  which  followed.  Several  families  are 
included  under  this  head.  The  ichthyodectidae  family  embrace  some  of 
the  largest  physostomous  fishes  of  the  Cretaceous  period  of  North 
America,  and  from  the  size  of  the  jaws  it  is  supposed  that  they  rivaled 
the  mosasaurs.  at  least  the  smaller  ones,  in  strength  and  ferocity.  Re- 
mains of  this  fish  have  been  found  in  the  Cretaceous  deposits  of  Kansas. 
The  second  family  is  the  sauredontidae,  which  resembles  the  ichthyo- 
dectidae of  the  known  American  species.  Specimens  have  been  found 
in  the  Niobrara  Cretaceous  of  western  Kansas.  Remains  of  the  strato- 
dontidae,  or  third  family,  have  been  taken  from  the  Niobrara  Cretaceous 
of  Graham  county,  the  Fort  Pierre  and  the  Lisbon  shales  of  Logan 
county.  The  osteoglossidae,  the  fourth  family,  is  described  from  remains 
taken  from  the  Niobrara  Cretaceous  of  western  Kansas.  The  fifth  fam- 
11}%  called  salmonidae,  bear  a  superficial  resemblance  to  some  of  the 
mosasaurs  and  have  been  found  in  the  Niobrara  Cretaceous  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  state.  Some  of  the  finest  specimens  were  found  iso- 
lated in  the  P>utte  creek  region  of  Logan  county.  Remains  of  the 
genus  pachycormidae,  the  sixth  family,  came  from  the  Benton,  Niobrara, 
and  Fort  Pierre  groups.  The  clupeidae,  or  seventh  family,  are  closely 
related  to  the  two  families  above  and  resemble  them,  being  found  in 
relatively  the  same  localities.  The  enchodontidae,  or  eighth  family, 
includes  fishes  with  laterally  compressed  bodies.  Fossil  remains  are 
found  in  the  Niobrara  Cretaceous  in  Kansas.  The  horizon  of  the  derce- 
tidae  is  the  Niobrara  Cretaceous  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  where  speci- 
mens have  been  collected.  Of  the  tenth  family,  called  mugilidae,  only 
three  specimens  have  been  secured  in  Kansas,  of  which  two  came  from 
the  P)enton  Cretaceous. 

Kansas  has  some  of  the  richest  fossil  fields  in  the  United  States ; 
specimens  of  many  species  have  been  preserved  in  the  museums  of  the 
state  university  and  the  state  agricultural  college,  which  are  of  great 
value  to  the  students  of  geology  and  paleontology.  Not  only  have  the 
state  museums  been  supplied  from  these  fields,  but  the  museums  all 
over  the  country  have  Kansas  specimens.  (See  Kansas  Geological  Sur- 
vey, vols,  viii  and  ix. 

Palco,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Rooks  county,  is 
located  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  20  miles  southwest  of  Stockton,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Enterprise),  3  ele- 
vators, a  number  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was  279. 

Palermo,  one  of  the  early  river  front  towns  of  Doniphan  county,  is 
located  in  Marion  township  8  miles  southeast  of  Troy,  the  county  seat, 
and  about  3  miles  from  Wathena,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail  by 
rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  279.  Being  on  the  Missouri 
river  and  at  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek,  Palermo  was  an  important  point 
before  the  railroads  were  built. 


KANSAS    IIISTOKV  439 

Palmer,  a  town  in  Washington  county,  is  located  in  Sherman  town- 
ship on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  14  miles  southwest  of  Washington, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  an  opera  house,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Index),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  two  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  is  given  as  400. 

Pana,  a  country  postoffice  in  Stanton  county,  is  located  in  Roanoke 
township  12  miles  southeast  of  Johnson,  the  county  seat,  and  about  35 
miles  south  of  Syracuse,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Panics. — Since  1837  periods  of  financial  stringenc}'  and  industrial 
depression  have  occurred  about  once  every  ten  _\cars,  and  many  people 
have  come  to  look  upon  these  disturbances  as  an  iuexitablc  concomitant 
of  our  economic  system.  The  panic  of  1837  was  before  Kansas  came  into 
existence  as  an  independent  political  organization.  Some  attribute  this 
panic  to  President  Jackson's  opposition  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
but  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  banks  of  England  and  Ireland  were  also 
affected,  and  in  an  investigation  that  followed  in  England  it  developed 
that  speculation  was  the  principal  cause,  the  "three  W's" — the  house  of 
W^ilson,  Wildes  and  Wiggins — having  been  especially  active  in  exploit- 
ing prices  of  cotton,  etc.,  and  at  the  same  time  carrying  on  irregular 
deals  in  financial  circles. 

If  a  panic  was  due  in  1847  't  was  probably  "side-tracked"  by  tlie  War 
with  Mexico,  but  in  1857  there  was  a  financial  crisis  of  widespread  pro- 
portions. At  that  time  Kansas  was  in  the  throes  of  the  border  war,  her 
industries  not  having  yet  become  sufficiently  developed  to  feel  the  stress 
of  the  depression.  The  Civil  war,  from  1861  to  1865,  delayed  the  decen- 
nial panic  until  1873.  Immediately  following  the  war  the  country 
plunged  into  an  era  of  wild  speculation.  Corporations  were  promoted, 
towns  were  projected  all  over  the  West,  prices  of  real  estate  soared 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  average  individual,  and  fictitious  values  attached 
to  almost  every  commodity.  The  panic  was  precipitated  by  the  failure 
of  the  great  banking  house  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  on  Se])t. 
18,  1873.  The  Credit  Mobilier  was  organized  in  1863,  right  in  the  midst 
of  the  war.  It  was  a  company  for  facilitating  the  construction  of  public 
works,  but  in  1867  the  charter  was  transferred  to  a  company  tljat  had 
been  organized  for  the  purpose  of  building  the  Pacific  railroad.  The 
capital  was  increased  and  the  work  of  construction  was  sublet  to  the 
old  Credit  Mobilier  company,  to  which  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.  made  large  loans 
on  its  bonds.  An  investigation  later  showed  that  much  of  the  stock  of 
the  Credit  Mobilier  company  was  held  by  members.  The  exposure  and 
the  failure  of  Cooke  started  a  panic  that  extended  to  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Great  excitement  prevailed  in  all  the  principal  cities,  but  the 
failures  were  greatest  in  the  East.  Just  as  affairs  were  beginning  to 
look  brighter  the  failure  of  Henry  Clews  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  a  firm 
that  had  extensive  business  relations  with  the  South  and  West,  started 
fresh  trouble,  the  cities  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  Augusta,  Ga.,  being  the 
worst  affected. 

Concerning  the  panic   in   Kansas,   Hazelrigg's  history  says:    "Banks 


440  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

suspended  in  several  cities,  and  hundreds  of  persons  were  involved  in 
the  severest  distress.  The  depression  resulting  from  the  panic  was  felt 
by  all  classes,  and,  for  a  time  threatened  to  affect  materially  the  pros- 
perity of  the  state."  The  panic  was  perhaps  more  keenly  felt  in  Leaven- 
worth than  in  any  other  Kansas  city.  Shortly  after  the  failure  of  Henry 
Clews  &  Co.  the  St.  Louis  banks  resorted  to  clearing  house  certificates 
instead  of  paying  out  currency.  The  Union,  and  the  Manufacturers' 
national  banks  of  Chicago  failed  on  Sept.  26,  when  several  of  the  Leav- 
enworth banking  institutions  entered  into  an  agreement  to  "suspend 
payment  by  currency  or  exchange  until  further  notice."  Some  of  the 
banks  reopened  on  the  30th  and  some  never  resumed  business.  Senator 
Pomeroy  of  Kansas  lost  heavily  by  the  faihue  of  the  First  national  bank 
of  Washington. 

The  country  had  scarcely  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  crisis  of 
1873  when  another  period  of  depression  came.  Appleton's  Annual 
Cyclopedia  says :  "The  panic  was  due  to  a  variety  of  causes,  none  of 
which  was  entirely  controllable.  It  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  nat- 
ural result  of  the  inflation  which  began  with  1878  and  ended  by  the 
middle  of  1881."  A  year  before  the  actual  commencement  of  the  panic, 
business  men  all  over  the  country  intuitively  became  more  conservative. 
Merchants  and  manufacturers  bought  goods  and  materials  in  small  quan- 
tities for  immediate  demand ;  bankers  were  careful  to  scrutinize  collat- 
eral oflFered  for  loans,  and  "retrenchment"  appeared  to  be  the  universal 
watchword.  The  Marine  national  bank  of  New  York  closed  its  doors  on 
May  5,  1884,  and  this  suspension  was  quickly  followed  by  the  failure 
of  the  firm  of  Grant  &  Ward,  the  death  of  Gen.  Grant  being  no  doubt 
hastened  by  this  catastrophe.  Other  New  York  banks  followed,  and  in 
ten  days  the  panic  was  on  in  earnest.  The  failures  of  the  year  amounted 
to  about  $240,000,000,  but  a  majority  of  them  were  purely  financial,  and 
many  were  the  direct  consequence  of  stock  speculation.  A  few  mer- 
chants and  manufacturers  failed,  but  the  panic  was  by  no  means  a  com- 
mercial or  industrial  crisis.  Fortunately  the  West  and  South  were  not 
seriously  affected  and  in  a  few  months  business  was  practically  in  its 
normal  condition  in  those  sections.  The  failure  of  Donell,  Lawson  & 
Simpson  of  New  York,  formerly  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  inflicted  some  tem- 
porary distress  in  Kansas,  where  the  firm  had  large  liabilities. 

Soon  after  the  presidential  election  of  1892  a  feeling  of  general  distrust 
seemed  to  pervade  the  business  circles  of  the  country,  and  those  pes- 
simistically inclined  began  to  foretell  another  panic.  Financiers  insisted 
that  the  unsettled  conditions  were  due  to  the  Sherman  silver  law,  which 
many  of  the  newspapers  urged  Congress  to  repeal.  But  Congress 
adjourned  without  doing  so  and  matters  grew  worse.  The  $100,000,000 
gold  reserve  maintained  by  an  unwritten  law  of  the  treasury  department 
for  the  redemption  of  I'nited  States  notes  was  depleted  bv  withdrawals 
of  gold  for  export  until  it  was  but  little  over  $80,000,000.  President 
Cleveland  called  the  53d  Congress  to  meet  in  special  session  on  Aug. 
7,   1893,  and  urged  the  repeal  of  the  Sherman  law  to  protect  the  gold 


KANSAS    HISTORY  44  I 

reserve.  This  was  done,  but  not  until  after  the  reserve  had  been  dimin- 
ished as  above  stated.  The  panic  reached  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  about  llie 
middle  of  July,  before  the  special  session  of  Congress  was  convened.  On 
July  14  one  of  the  largest  and  oldest  national  banks  in  the  city  was 
forced  to  close  its  doors.  Telegrams  were  rushed  to  banks  in  other 
cities  for  assistance.  The  bank  opened  for  business  the  following  day, 
but  the  feeling  of  uncertainty  awakened  by  its  temporary  suspension  led 
to  runs  upon  several  banks  about  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw  that  resulted  in 
their  failure.  One  of  the  consequences  of  the  depression  was  tlie  Com- 
monweal Army  (q.  v.)  of  1894. 

Owing  to  the  almost  phenomenal  power  of  recuperation  of  the  Ameri- 
can people — the  spirit  that  is  not  easily  discouraged — the  country  quickly 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  panic,  and  the  people  enjoyed  an  unin- 
terrupted era  of  prosperity  until  some  Xew  'S'ork  speculators  brought 
about  the  little  flurry  in  financial  and  industrial  circles  in  Oct.,  1907. 

Pansy,  a  hamlet  in  the  extreme  northwestern  part  of  Franklin  county, 
is  located  in  the  valley  of  Appanoose  creek  about  3  miles  northeast  of 
Michigan,  the  nearest  railroad  station,  and  7  miles  northwest  of  Pomona, 
from  which  it  has  rural  free  delivery. 

Paola,  the  county  seat  of  Miami  county,  is  situated  near  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  the  county  on  elevated  ground  between  Bull  and 
Wea  creeks.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1855  and  incor- 
porated by  the  legislative  session  of  that  year.  It  was  named  in  honor 
of  Baptiste  Peoria,  one  of  the  first  settlers,  the  Indian  pronunciation  of 
his  name  being  Paola.  The  town  company  was  composed  of  Baptiste 
Peoria,  Isaac  Jacobs,  A.  M.  Cofi'ey  and  David  Lykins,  and  others,  and 
was  authorized  to  acquire  any  amount  of  land  "not  exceeding  600  acres." 
The  first  board  of  trustees  consisted  of  B.  P.  Campbell,  Peter  Potts, 
William  A.  Heiskell,  Isaac  Jacobs,  William  H.  Lebow  and  Baptiste 
Peoria.  The  company  acquired  title  to  about  400  acres  of  land  and 
divided  It  into  72  shares.  In  June,  1857,  Baptiste  Peoria  was  elected 
president  of  the  town  company,  and  A.  J.  Shannon  agent  and  secretary. 
After  1858,  until  the  expiration  by  limitation  of  the  charter,  which  had 
been  granted  for  ten  years,  no  other  meeting  of  the  town  company 
was  held.  W.  R.  WagstafT  was  appointed  trustee  and  had  control  until 
all  the  property  was  sold.  S.  P.  Boone  built  the  first  house,  a  Mr.  White 
the  second,  and  Cyrus  Shaw  opened  a  store  in  Dec,  1855,  in  the  third 
building,  which  was  erected  by  the  town  company.  Subsequently  the 
company  built  a  hotel  on  the  site  of  their  Irrst  building.  The  first 
school  in  the  town  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1856,  with  May  \\'illiams 
as  teacher. 

At  the  close  of  1855  Paola  contained  about  30  inhabitanis,  but  the 
border  troubles  retarded  the  growth  of  the  town.  By  1859  peace  was 
again  established  and  the  prospects  of  Paola  looked  brighter,  when  the 
whole  territory  suffered  from  the  drought  of  t86o  (See  Droughts),  and 
the  next  year  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  which  kept  things  practically  at  a 
standstill  four  years.    During  this  time  neither  person  nor  property  was 


442  t  VCI.OPEUIA    OF 

considered  safe  in  the  border  cuunlies,  because  of  the  threatened  inva- 
sions of  the  Confederates  and  the  raids  of  the  bushwhackers  from  Mis- 
souri. Few  people  were  added  to  the  population  and  it  was  not  until 
the  close  of  hosilities  and  the  prospect  of  a  railroad  that  the  town  began 
to  improve. 

In  i860,  under  special  charter  from  the  legislature,  Paola  was  organ- 
ized as  a  city  of  the  third  class.  This  form  of  government  was  con- 
tinued until  1862,  when  it  was  organized  as  a  city  of  the  second  class. 
In  1872  a  fine  school  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $65,000,  but  with 
the  growth  of  population  it  grew  too  small,  and  a  fine  new  one  was 
erected  with  as  excellent  equipment  as  any  high  school  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state. 

Paola  has  always  been  the  county  seat,  made  such  by  the  act  creat- 
ing the  county,  and  only  one  vote  was  ever  taken  upon  changing  the 
location.  That  was  in  1858,  when  Osawatomie  was  the  principal  com- 
petitor. In  the  election  Indianapolis  cast  its  vote  for  Paola,  and  there 
the  seat  of  justice  has  remained. 

No  railroads  were  built  into  Paola  until  the  early  70s,  although 
roads  were  proposed  in  1869.  At  the  present  time  it  has  excellent  ship- 
ping and  transportation  facilities,  provided  by  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas,  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco,  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads, 
and  it  is  an  important  shipping  center  for  the  rich  agricultural  district 
by  which  it  is  surrounded.  Religion  came  hand  in  hand  with  education, 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  having  been  placed  upon  the  Stanton 
circuit  in  1858  and  remained  there  until  1864,  when  a  local  church  organ- 
ization was  perfected.  The  Baptist  church  was  established  in  i860; 
the  Catholic  church  nia\"  be  regarded  as  the  continuation  of  the 
Catholic  mission  established  among  the  New  York  Indians  in  1845,  but 
no  church  was  erected  until  i860.  These  were  followed  by  other  de- 
nominations. The  first  newspaper  in  Paola  was  the  Miami  Republican, 
which  first  appeared  on  Aug.  18,  1866.  The  Western  Spirit  made  its 
initial  appearance  on  June  14,  1871,  and  is  the  leading  paper  of  the  town 
and  ctnmty  at  the  present  time.     The  population  in  1910  was  3,207. 

Paradise,  a  town  in  Russell  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of  the 
same  name  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  16  miles  northwest  of  Russell, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  number  of  general  stores,  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  200. 

Parallel,  a  hamlet  in  Washington  county,  is  located  20  miles  south- 
west of  Washington,  the  county  seat,  and  9  miles  south  of  Barnes, 
the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives 
mail.     The  population  in  1910  was  16. 

Pardee,  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  of  Atchison  county,  is  located 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  about  3  miles  south  of  Farmington, 
the  nearest  railroad  point,  and  10  miles  southwest  of  Atchison.  The 
first  settler  was  Caleb  May,  who  located  there  in  Oct.,  1854,  and  was 
president  of   the   town   company   which   had    the   site   surveyed    in   the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  443 

spring  of  1857.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Rev.  Pardee  I'.iitler  (q.  v.), 
who  preached  the  first  sermon  there  in  the  winter  of  1857.  The  post- 
office,  which  had  been  established  at  Ocena  in  1855,  was  moved  to  Par- 
dee in  1858,  at  about  the  time  that  the  first  store  was  opened.  In  1874 
a  mill  was  erected  and  at  that  time  there  were  2  stores,  2  churches  and 
a  population  of  about  100,  but  as  no  railroad  was  ever  built  to  the  town 
it  never  grew  up  to  the  expectations  of  its  founders. 

Pardons,  Board  of. — The  first  action  taken  in  the  State  ot  Kansas 
with  regard  to  pardoning  convicts  in  the  penal  institutions  of  the  state, 
was  in  1868,  when  the  governor  was  given  power  to  pardon  an_v  person 
convicted  in  any  court  in  the  state,  against  an\-  law  thereof,  upon  the 
terms  and  conditions  prescribed  in  the  pardon.  The  act  provided  that 
no  pardon  could  be  granted  until  notice  of  it  had  been  given  for  two 
weeks  in  a  newspaper  published  in  the  county  where  the  person  was 
convicted.  The  pardon  was  required  to  be  in  writing,  and  at  each  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  the  governor  was  required  to  send  a  list  to  both 
the  house  and  senate  of  all  persons  pardoned  by  him  since  the  preceding 
session.  The  governor  also  had  the  power  to  pardon  a  convict  for  good 
conduct,  not  more  than  ten  days  before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  with- 
out the  notice  provided  in  case  of  other  pardons. 

L'p  to  1885  the  pardoning  power  was  vested  in  the  governor  alone, 
but  on  Feb.  27  of  that  year  the  legislature  passed  an  act  "creating  a 
board  of  pardons,"  to  be  appointed  by  the  governor  and  to  consist  of 
three  persons,  at  least  one  of  whom  was  a  lawyer,  to  hold  office  at  the 
pleasure  of  the  governor.  The  board  was  required  to  meet  at  least  four 
times  a  year  at  the  capitol  building  in  Topeka,  to  consider  the  advisa- 
bility of  pardoning  any  convict  in  the  state  penal  institutions,  or  com- 
muting the  sentence  in  cases  referred  to  them  by  the  governor  or  the 
physicians  of  the  institutions.  All  applications  for  pardon  were  to  be 
referred  to  the  board,  which  inquired  into  the  facts  and  made  a  report 
to  the  governor  of  its  decision  with  regard  to  pardoning  or  commuting 
the  sentence  of  a  prisoner. 

Any  vacancies  on  the  board  were  to  be  filled  by  the  governor,  who 
was  authorized  to  convene  the  board  in  special  session  whenever  he 
believed  the  interests  of  justice  required  it.  At  any  time,  the  board  of 
pardons  could  recommend  the  pardon  of  a  convict  without  a  petition, 
but  in  such  case  the  governor  was  required  to  give  notice  of  it  for  two 
weeks  in  a  newspaper  published  in  the  county  were  the  conviction  took 
place,  before  the  pardon  was  granted. 

Each  member  of  the  board  received  $5.00  for  each  day  actually  en- 
gaged and  also  for  all  traveling  and  other  expenses  incurred  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duties.  The  clerical  duties  of  the  board  were  performed 
by  the  private  secretary  of  the  governor.  After  the  creation  of  the 
board  great  care  was  taken  in  the  pardoning  of  convicts,  but  in  1897 
the  legislature  failed  to  make  an  appropriation  for  the  board,  the  mem- 
bers of  which  declined  to  serve  without  renumeration.  and  it  ceased  to 
exist  "for  want  of  funds." 


444  CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 

In  many  cases  before  the  board  of  pardons  was  created  the  exercise 
of  the  pardoning  power  was  looked  upon  as  an  act  of  personal  favor 
by  the  governor.  The  value  of  the  investigation  and  advice  of  such  a 
tribunal  as  the  board  of  pardons  has  changed  this  view  and  it  is  suiiti- 
cient  to  say  that  time  and  experience  fully  demonstrate  the  wisdom  of 
the  creation  of  such  a  tribunal. 

Paris  Exposition. —  (See  Expositions.) 

Park,  a  village  in  Gove  county,  is  located  in  Payne  township  on  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  13  miles  northeast  of  Gove,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  an  express  office,  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route,  2 
elevators  and  half  a  dozen  stores.  The  population  in  1910  was  60.  The 
town  was  established  in  the  latter  '70s  under  the  name  of  Buffalo  Park, 
which  is  its  present  railroad  name.  It  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  county 
and  in  1880  was  quite  a  Nourishing  little  city  with  a  newspaper. 

Parker,  an  incorporated  town  of  Linn  county,  is  situated  in  the  north- 
west portion  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  It  has  a  bank, 
several  general  stores,  an  implement  house,  a  lumber  yard,  and  is  the 
shipping  and  supply  point  for  a  rich  agricultural  country.  There  are 
express  and  telegraph  facilities,  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes,  schools  and  churches,  and  in  1910  it  had  a  population 
of  398. 

Parkerville,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Morris  county, 
is  located  in  Parker  township  on  the  Neosho  river  and  the  Missouri, 
Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  12  miles  northwest  of  Council  Grove,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910, 
was  157.  Parkerville  was  incorporated  in  1871  and  began  a  spirited  con- 
test to  become  the  county  seat.  The  first  trustees  were,  C.  G.  Parker, 
J.  A.  Rodgers,  G.  W.  Clark,  H.  Daniels  and  W.  M.  Thomas,  the  incor- 
porators of  the  town.  The  next  spring  an  election  was  held  for  town 
officers  and  J.  A.  Wallace  was  chosen  the  first  mayor. 

Parnell,  a  village  of  Atchison  county,  is  situated  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  7  miles  south- 
west of  Atchison.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  is  a  shipping 
point  uf  some  importance.     In  1910  it  had  a  population  of  12. 

Parrott,  Marcus  J.,  member  of  Congress,  was  born  at  Hamburg,  S.  C, 
Oct.  27,  1828,  but  his  parents  removed  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  when  he  was  a 
small  boy.  His  father  was  of  Quaker,  anti-slavery  ancestry,  who  moved 
into  Ohio  to  escape  the  influences  of  that  institution.  Marcus  received 
his  education  at  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  where  he  graduated  in 
1849.  After  completing  his  collegiate  course  he  studied  law  and  began 
practice  in  Ohio.  He  entered  actively  into  politics  there  and  was 
elected  representative  to  the  state  legislature  in  1853.  In  1855  he  came 
to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  soon  became  a  promi- 
nent figure  in  the  political  life  of  the  territory.  In  1856  he  succeeded 
John  W.  Whitfield  as  delegate  in  Congress,  being  the  first  Free  State 
delegate   from   this  territory,  and  was  reelected   in   1858.     Mr.   Parrott 


KANSAS    HISTORY  445 

failed  to  distinguish  himself,  as  his  friends  conlidcntly  expected,  and 
at  the  first  election  of  senators  he  was  a  candidate,  but  was  defeated  by 
Samuel  C.  Pomeroy.  In  1862  and  again  in  1864  he  was  a  candidate  fur 
Congress  on  the  "Union  ticket"  and  was  both  times  defeated.  In  1872 
he  joined  the  "Liberals"  but  was  again  defeated.  After  this  defeat  he 
became  a  Democrat.  About  1878  Mr.  Parrott  was  found  to  i)e  suffering 
from  softening  of  the  brain.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  sisicr  at  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  in  Nov..  1879. 

Parsons,  the  largest  city  of  Labette  county  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant ones  in  southeastern  Kansas,  is  located  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  county,  at  the  junction  of  two  lines  of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  railroads.  It  is  a  progressive 
city,  having  several  miles  of  paved  streets,  a  fine  water  system,  good 
fire  and  police  departments,  modern  hotel  accommodations,  electricity, 
natural  gas  for  lighting,  heating  and  commercial  purposes,  4  banks,  2 
daily  and  weekly  newspapers,  2  weeklies,  feed  and  flour  mills,  ice  and 
cold  storage  plants,  foundry,  corset  factory,  creamery,  planing  mills, 
cider  mills,  and  establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  cigars,  mat- 
tresses, cornices,  skirts,  brooms,  etc.  The  offices  and  repair  shops  of 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad  company  are  located  here,  as 
is  the  state  hospital  for  epileptics.  Coal,  building  stone,  natural  gas  and 
oil  are  found  in  the  vicinity.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  offices 
and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  8  rural  routes.  The 
population  in  1910  was  12,463. 

The  city  was  located  in  1870  and  named  in  honor  of  Levi  Parsons, 
president  of  the  Neosho  division  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  The 
following  men  were  members  of  the  town  company :  R.  S.  Stevens, 
president;  O.  B.  Gunn,  H.  D.  Minck,  A.  D.  Jaynes,  J.  R.  Barrett  and 
N.  S.  Goss.  The  news  that  a  town  was  to  be  established  brought  people 
to  this  point  by  hundreds.  They  came  in  wagons,  slept  in  tents,  and 
by  the  time  the  company's  books  were  opened  for  the  sale  of  lots  the 
prospects  were  so  good  that  the  first  lot  was  sold  for  $500.  The  town  of 
Ladore,  Neosho  county,  which  had  at  that  time  about  1,000  inhabitants, 
was  moved  bodily  to  Parsons.  The  towns  of  Montana,  also  in  Neosho 
county,  and  Labette  contributed  a  portion  of  the  population.  The  lots 
were  placed  on  the  market  in  March,  1871,  and  the  next  month  Parsons 
was  incorporated  as  a  cit)'  of  the  third  class.  Willard  Davis  was  the 
first  mayor,  and  the  first  council  consisted  of  J.  I.  Plato,  Abraham 
Carey,  W.  W.  Dana,  J.  W.  Rhodus  and  Charles  Watson.  Two  years 
later  it  became  a  city  of  the  second  class.  The  growth  of  the  city  was 
such  that  inside  of  ten  years  it  had  a  population  of  6,500  and  over  100 
business  establishments. 

The  Parsons  Sun,  a  newspaper  which  is  still  running  under  that 
name;  was  established  in  1871.  The  first  school  was  taught  and  the 
first  church  was  established  in  that  year.  Henry  F.  Baker  was  the  first 
hotel  keeper,  and  Jacob  McLoughlin  put  up  the  first  building  suitable 
for  a  hotel.    Sipple  Bros.  &  E.  K.  Currant  opened  the  first  grocery  store. 


44(>  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Dr.  T.  L.  Warren  was  the  tirsl  physician.  The  hrst  marriage  was  be- 
tween Thomas  Deckery  and  Mary  J.  Kinnison,  and  the  first  birth  was 
that  of  Parsons  Dana,  in  1871.  The  hbrary  association  was  organized 
in  1871.  "The  Banking  House  of  Angell  Mathewson"  was  started  the 
same  year  and  continued  until  succeeded  in  1872  by  the  First  National 
bank.  The  telephone  system,  the  waterworks,  and  the  gas  mains  were 
all  added  to  the  improvements  of  the  town  in  1882;  the  sewer  system 
was  put  in  during  the  year  1885,  and  electric  lights  were  added  two 
years  later.  Macadamizing  the  streets  began  in  1878.  The  railroad 
shops  were  located  here  in  1873.  The  business  streets  were  paved  in 
1878,  and  a  park  laid  oft'  and  improvements  begun  in  1881.  In  1880  a 
military  company,  known  as  the  Parsons  Light  Guard,  was  organized. 
Numerous  literary  and  educational  societies  were  organized  in  the  ■70s 
and  '80s. 

Partridge,  a  thriving  little  town  of  Reno  county,  is  located  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads  in 
Center  township,  11  miles  southwest  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat. 
It  is  an  important  shipping  point  for  grain,  live  stock  and  produce,  has 
a  bank,  an  elevator,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postofifice  with  two  rural  routes.  It  was  laid  out  early  in  1886  and 
was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1906.  The  population- 
according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  246. 

Pate,  Henry  C,  who  was  leader  of  a  gang  of  border  ruffians  during 
the  territorial  struggles,  was  a  newspaper  correspondent  and  was  par- 
ticularl}-  bitter  in  his  denunciations  of  the  free-state  advocates.  He 
commanded  a  detachment  of  the  territorial  militia  which  was  organized 
under  Gov.  Shannon's  call,  most  of  this  militia  being  composed  of  citi- 
zens of  Southern  states.  Pate  was  more  of  a  braggart  than  a  warrior, 
and  at  the  battle  of  Black  Jack,  June  2,  1856,  surrendered  without  much 
resistance.  He  was  released  by  Col.  E.  V.  Sumner  on  the  8th.  in  the 
following  September  he  again  became  warlike  and  wrote  to  Gov.  Geary 
that  he  would  organize  and  command  the  settlers  of  Lykins  (Miami) 
county,  "for  the  protection  of  the  polls,"  if  the  governor  would  give 
him  a  commission.  To  this  proposal  Gov.  Geary  responded  as  follows : 
"While  thanking  you  most  kindly  for  your  suggestions  and  for  your 
friendly  oiTer,  I  have  made  every  necessary  arrangement  to  protect  the 
bona  fide  citizens  of  this  territory  in  the  exercise  of  their  right  of  suf- 
frage." 

This  was  not  to  Pate's  liking.  It  was  not  the  "bona  fide"  settlers 
he  wanted  to  protect,  but  the  voters  who  would  come  over  from  Mis- 
souri to  carry  the  election,  as  they  had  done  on  previous  occasions. 
Finding  that  the  governor  would  not  aid  his  scheme,  he  dropped  out  of 
Kansas  affairs.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  he  enlisted  in  the  Con- 
federate army  and  was  killed  in  the  spring  of  1864  in  a  fight  between 
Sheridan's  cavalry  and  the  Confederate  cavalry  under  Stuart. 

Pathfinder,  The. —  (See  Fremont,  John  C.) 


K(\NSAS    HISTORY  447 

Patrol  Guard. — After  the  Chc3enne  raid  of  1878,  the  people  in  the 
western  counties  of  Kansas,  fearing  another  invasion,  insisted  that  the 
state  authorities  should  adopt  some  measures  for  their  protection.  As 
a  result  of  the  agitation  the  legislature  of  1879  appropriated  $20,000  as 
a  military  contingent  fund,  "to  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  governor, 
and  to  be  used  at  his  discretion,  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  set- 
tlers un  the  frontier  against  Indian  depredations,"  and  the  goN'ernor  was 
required  to  submit  a  full  report  to  the  next  session  of  the  legislature. 

Soon  after  the  passage  of  the  act.  Gov.  St.  John  instructed  Adjt.-Gen. 
P.  S.  Noble  to  organize  a  military  company  to  patrol  the  frontier.  A 
company  was  accordingly  organized  early  in  April,  with  the  following 
officers:  Captain,  J.  H.  Hibbetts;  first  sergeant,  John  J.  Webber;  sec- 
ond sergeant,  F.  L.  Mclntyre;  third  sergeant,  J.  W.  JVIcVVilliams; 
fourth  sergeant,  John  McGrath ;  quartermaster  sergeant,  N.  P.  Dawson; 
saddle  sergeant,  E.  M.  Dixon;  surgeon,  Dr.  C.  T.  i-iigg;  corporals,  Al- 
bert Russell,  F.  D.  Place,  Lee  Copes  and  D.  B.  Rowland.  A  complete 
roster  of  the  guard,  as  reported  by  the  adjutant-general,  shows  the 
following  privates:  L.  D.  Collier,  Charles  Coffin,  J.  W.  Chambers,  E. 
H.  Copes,  Joseph  Curry,  VV.  O.  Cochran,  William  Ditto,  J.  B.  Elmore, 
J.  F.  Grismore,  C.  F.  Gatliff,  J.  C.  Gowdy,  N.  W.  Hall,  Frank  Herbert, 
H.  J.  Hiatt,  J.  S.  Lane,  C.  A.  Martin,  F.  Meacham,  Mike  Meagher,  C.  J. 
Mullis,  W.  L.  Parker,  M.  G.  Potter,  N.  D.  Settle,  W.  T.  Slatten,  Charles 
Smith,  M.  Thompson,  Charles  Warren,  Walter  Walker,  W.  P.  White, 
G.  R.  Wheeler  and  C.  A.  Zapp. 

On  April  28,  1879,  the  entire  company  of  40  officers  and  men  went 
into  camp  on  the  line  between  Kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory,  about 
35  miles  southwest  of  Medicine  Lodge,  and  from  that  time  until  No- 
vember they  were  engaged  in  patrolling  the  border  from  Barber  county 
west  to  the  state  line  of  Colorado.  The  men  composing  the  guard  were 
selected  for  their  reliability  and  power  of  physical  endurance.  Most  of 
them  had  seen  service  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war.  They 
were  equipped  with  good  horses  and  saddles  and  were  armed  with  Pea- 
body-Martini  carbines  and  Colt's  revolvers,  both  of  45  caliber.  C.  M. 
Scott,  a  man  who  knew  the  Indians  well,  was  employed  as  an  extra 
scout — a  sort  of  secret  agent — to  stay  in  front  and  by  keeping  watch  on 
the  movements  of  the  Indians  be  in  a  position  to  give  warning  to  the 
patrol.  By  autumn  the  Indian  scare  was  over  and  on  Nov.  15,  1879, 
the  guard  was  mustered  out.  In  his  message  to  the  legislature  of  1881 
Gov.  St.  John  reviewed  the  work  of  the  company.  (See  St.  John's 
Administration.) 

Patrons  of  Husbandry. — At  the  close  of  the  great  Civil  war  in  1865 
the  agricultural  interests  of  the  country  were  in  anything  but  a  pros- 
perous condition.  In  the  West  the  farmers  were  struggling  to  find  a 
market  for  their  surplus  products,  but  found  a  serious  obstacle  in  the 
high  freight  rates  charged  by  the  railroad  companies.  In  the  North- 
western states  many  of  the  farms  were  mortgaged,  the  price  of  agricul- 
tural implements  and  the  freight  rates  were  high,  and  at  the  end  of  each 


448  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

year  the  average  farmer  was  little  if  any  better  off  than  he  had  been  at 
the  beginning,  in  the  South  the  country  had  been  devastated  by  four 
years  of  conflict,  the  farmers  were  poor  and  discouraged,  the  freed 
negroes  showed  little  inclination  to  work,  and  efflcienl  labor  was  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  obtain.  Letters  from  all  parts  of  the  country  came 
pouring  into  the  agricultural  department  at  Washington,  begging  for 
relief.  William  Saunders,  of  that  department,  suggested  organization 
of  the  farmers,  and  O.  H.  Kelley,  an  attache  of  the  department,  was  sent 
on  a  tour  of  investigation  through  the  Southern  states.  Upon  his  return 
to  Washington  he  gave  his  indorsement  to  Mr.  Saunders'  idea  and  sug- 
gested a  secret  society  as  having  more  attractions  than  an  open  organ- 
ization. 

Mr.  Kelley,  J.  R.  Thompson  and  W.  M.  Ireland,  all  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  Masonic  fraternity ;  Rev.  A.  B.  Grosh,  a  high  official  in  the 
Odd  Fellows;  Rev.  John  Trimble  and  Mr.  Saunders  set  themselves  to 
work  to  evolve  a  ritual  for  a  secret  order,  and  on  Aug.  5,  1867,  com- 
pleted the  ceremony  of  initiation  for  the  first  degree.  As  yet  no  name 
for  the  organization  had  been  selected.  Mr.  Saunders  made  a  trip  to 
the  West,  taking  a  copy  of  the  first  degree  ritual  with  him,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  interesting  a  number  of  prominent  agriculturists  in  the  work. 
The  ritual  for  the  other  degrees  was  completed  in  due  time,  and  on 
Dec.  4,  1867,  a  number  of  persons  met  in  Mr.  Saunders'  office  in  Wash- 
ington and  organized  the  National  Grange  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 
with  the  following  officers:  William  Saunders,  master;  J.  R.  Thomp- 
son, lecturer;  Anson  Bartlett,  overseer;  William  Muir,  steward;  O.  H. 
Kelley,  secretary ;  William  M.  Ireland,  treasurer ;  Edward  P.  Paris, 
gatekeeper ;  Rev.  A.  B.  Grosh,  chaplain. 

The  "Declaration  of  Principles"  set  forth  that  "Profoundly  impressed 
with  the  truth  that  the  National  Grange  of  the  United  States  should 
definitely  proclaim  to  the  world  its  general  objects,  we  hereby  unani- 
mously make  this  Declaration  of  Purposes  of  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry: United  by  the  strong  and  faithful  tie  of  agriculture,  we  mu- 
tually resolve  to  labor  for  the  good  of  our  order,  our  country  and  man- 
kind." Then  follows  a  long  list  of  specific  objects,  the  principal  of 
which  were :  "To  develop  a  better  and  higher  manhood  and  woman- 
hood among  ourselves;  to  enhance  the  comforts  and  attractions  of  our 
homes,  and  strengthen  our  attachment  to  our  pursuits ;  to  foster  mutual 
understanding  and  cooperation ;  to  reduce  our  expenses,  both  individual 
and  cooperate ;  to  avoid  litigation  as  much  as  possible,  by  arbitration 
in  the  Grange;  to  endeavor  to  suppress  personal,  local,  sectional  and 
national  prejudices,  all  unhealthy  rivalry  and  selfish  ambitions." 

The  preamble  to  the  constitution  declared  that  "The  ultimate  object 
of  this  organization  is  for  mutual  instruction  and  protection,  to  lighten 
labor  by  diffusing  a  knowledge  of  its  aims  and  purposes,  expand  the 
mind  by  tracing  the  beautiful  laws  the  Great  Creator  has  established 
in  the  universe,  and  to  enlarge  our  views  of  Creative  wisdom  and  power. 
To  those  who  read  aright,  history  proves  that  in  all  ages  society  is  frag- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  449 

mentary,  and  successful  results  of  general  welfare  can  be  secured  only 
by  general  effort.  Unity  of  action  cannot  be  acquired  without  discip- 
line, and  discipline  cannot  be  enforced  without  significant  organization; 
hence  we  have  a  ceremony  of  initiation  which  binds  us  in  mutual  fra- 
ternity as  with  a  band  of  iron ;  but  although  its  inlluence  is  so  powerful, 
its  application  is  as  gentle  as  that  of  the  silken  thread  that  binds  a 
wreath  of  flowers." 

The  plan  of  organization  provided  for  four  degrees  in  the  local  or 
subordinate  societies,  which  were  to  be  called  "granges" ;  a  fifth  degree 
was  to  constitute  the  state  grange,  and  the  sixth  and  seventh  degrees 
the  national  grange.  The  motto  adopted  by  the  national  grange  at 
the  time  of  its  organization  was:  "In  essentials,  L'nity  ;  in  non-essen- 
tials, Liberty;  in  all  things.  Charity." 

On  Jan.  i,  1868,  Master  Saunders  sent  out  a  circular  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  intelligent  farmers  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  but  for  a 
time  the  order  made  slow  progress.  Mr.  Kelley,  who  owned  a  farm 
in  Minnesota  and  was  a  resident  of  that  state,  resignctl  his  position  in 
the  postoffice  department,  to  which  he  had  been  transferred,  and  started 
out  to  organize  granges,  with  the  understanding  that  he  was  to  receive 
a  salary  of  $2,000  a  year,  provided  he  collected  enough  in  organization 
fees  to  pay  it.  During  the  month  of  April,  1868,  he  organized  four 
granges,  and  then  went  to  Minnesota,  where  he  organized  six  more, 
remaining  in  that  state  until  Jan.  i,  1871,  pushing  the  work  with  all 
the  vigor  possible. 

In  the  meantime  Master  Saunders  and  his  associates  had  been  devot- 
ing their  attention  to  the  Southern  states,  where  a  number  ot  the  lead- 
ing citizens  had  become  interested  in  the  order.  When  Mr.  Kelley 
returned  to  Washington  in  Jan.,  1871,  about  90  subordinate  and  three 
state  granges  were  in  existence.  During  the  year  1871  some  125  sub- 
ordinate granges  were  established,  and  from  that  time  the  growth  of  the 
order  was  more  rapid.  By  1876  there  were  about  30,000  subordinate 
granges  with  nearly  2,500,000  members.  By  organization  the  farmers 
of  the  country  had  been  able  to  secure  a  better  rating  on  their  grain — 
which  dealers  had  been  in  the  habit  of  classifying  as  No.  2  or  Ko.  3, 
no  matter  how  good  it  might  be — and  also  to  secure  a  reduction  of 
from  25  to  50  per  cent,  in  the  price  of  agricultural  implements,  sewing 
machines,  etc. 

The  first  grange  in  Kansas  was  organized  at  Hiawatha,  Brown  coun- 
ty, in  April,  1872.  A  little  later  Osage  Grange  was  organized  in  Craw- 
ford county,  and  by  the  close  of  the  year  there  were  nine  granges  in  the 
state,  but  during  the  winter  the  cause  languished  and  many  of  the 
members  became  discouraged.  A  new  impetus  was  given  to  the  move- 
ment by  a  call  for  a  meeting  at  Lawrence  on  July  30,  1873,  ^or  the 
purpose  of  organizing  a  state  grange.  Between  the  time  the  call  was 
issued  and  the  date  of  the  meeting,  several  new  local  granges  formed 
at  least  a  tentative  organization,  so  that  on  July  30  sixty  counties  were 
represented  at  Lawrence  and  the  secretary  of  the  meeting  reported  975 
(II-29) 


450  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

granges  in  the  state,  either  fully  or  partially  organized,  with  a  total 
membership  of  over  27,000.  A  state  grange  was  organized  with  T.  G. 
Boling  as  master;  M.  E.  Hudson,  overseer;  John  Boyd,  lectuier;  E.  D. 
Smith,  steward;  J.  B.  Richey,  assistant  steward;  W.  S.  Hanna,  chap- 
lain; H.  H.  Angell,  treasurer;  G.  W.  Spurgeon,  secretary;  C.  W.  Law- 
rence, gatekeeper;  Mrs.  Mattie  Morris,  Ceres;  Mrs.  M.  H.  Charles, 
Flora;  Mrs.  Amanda  C.  Rippey,  Pomona;  Mrs.  Jennie  D.  Richie,  lady 
assistant  steward;  F.  H.  Dumbauld,  W.  P.  Popenoe  and  J.  B.  Schaeffer, 
executive  committee. 

The  following  year  (1874)  "The  Patrons'  Hand  Book"  was  issued  by 
J.  K.  Hudson,  editor  of  the  Kansas  Farmer,  giving  the  constitution  and 
by-laws  of  the  national  and  state  granges,  together  with  many  facts 
concerning  the  aims  and  purposes  of  the  order.  This  hand  book  says : 
"In  the  business  phase  of  the  grange  a  new  education  is  given  the 
farmers.  The  subjects  of  cooperation,  purchase  of  supplies  and  mate- 
rials, sale  of  produce  and  stock  are  receiving  attention  they  should  have 
gotten  generations  ago.  Millions  of  dollars  will  be  saved  to  the  Patrons 
of  Husbandry  through  their  cooperative  efforts  and  purchasing  and  sell- 
ing through  their  business  agencies.  This  influence  will  break  up  the 
present  oppressive,  grasping  combinations,  and  result  in  a  general 
good.  The  1,200  granges  in  Kansas  today  represent  a  membership  of 
over  30,000  citizens  in  earnest  to  help  themselves.  It  is  their  sacred 
duty  to  protect  their  order  from  the  encroachments  of  designing  poli- 
ticians and  prevent  the  order  now  doing  such  noble  service  from  being 
prostituted  for  base  personal  and  political  purposes.  .  .  .  We 
say  to  the  great  army  of  Patrons,  take  courage  at  the  great  results 
already  achieved  and  so  labor  that  in  the  next  generation  our  sons  and 
daughters  may  not  be  known  as  the  "hewers  of  wood  and  the  drawers 
of  water.' " 

It  was  one  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  order  that  it  should 
take  no  part  in  politics.  Article  5  of  the  Declaration  of  Principles  of  the 
national  grange  declaring  that  "We  emphatically  and  sincerely  assert 
the  oft-repeated  truth  taught  in  our  organic  law,  that  the  grange, 
national,  state  or  subordinate,  is  not  a  political  or  party  organization. 
No  grange,  if  true  to  its  obligations,  can  discuss  political  or  religious 
questions,  nor  call  political  conventions,  nor  nominate  candidates,  nor 
ever  discuss  their  merits  in  its  meetings." 

Although  there  are  still  numerous  granges  of  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry scattered  over  the  country,  the  order  is  far  less  active  than  it 
was  in  the  latter  '70s,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  organic  provision 
prohibiting  political  action  or  discussion  is  in  some  degree  responsible 
for  the  lack  of  interest  in  recent  years.  The  organization  of  the 
Farmers'  Alliance  (q.  v.),  which  became  an  aggressive  factor  in  the 
politics  of  the  nation,  doubtless  had  much  to  do  with  the  decline  of  the 
"Grange  Movement"  by  drawing  into  its  ranks  the  large  number  of 
farmers  who  believed  that  the  salvation  and  perpetuation  of  the  agricul- 
tural interests  must  depend  upon  laws  to  encourage  the  industry,  and 


KANSAS    HISTORY  451 

that  political  action  was  necessary,  in  order  to  elect  men  who  would 
enact  the  required  legislation. 

Patterson,  a  hamlet  in  Harxey  cuunly,  is  a  station  on  the  St.  Louis 
&  San  Francisco  R.  R.  in  Lake  township,  20  miles  southwest  of  Newton, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  an  express  office  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 
The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  30. 

Pauline,  a  hamlet  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  Topeka  township 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  7  miles  from  Topeka,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order 
postoffice.     The  population  in   1910  was  40. 

Pavilion,  a  hamlet  in  Wabaunsee  county,  is  located  7  miles  north  of 
Alma,  the  county  seat,  4  miles  from  Wabaunsee,  the  nearest  shipping 
point,  and  6  miles  south  of  Wamego  in  Pottawatomie  county,  tiie  post- 
'jffice  from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Pawnee. — The  old  town  of  Pawnee,  where  the  first  territorial  legisla- 
ture was  convened  in  1855,  was  located  in  a  beautiful  valley,  just  east 
of  the  Fort  Riley  military  reservation.  It  was  laid  out  in  the  fall  of 
1854,  Col.  Montgomery,  the  commander  of  the  post  at  Fort  Riley,  being 
the  chief  promoter  of  the  enterprise.  There  is  abundant  evidence  that 
the  town  was  established  with  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  the  na- 
tional authorities  at  Washington,  but  when  Gov.  Reeder  took  shares 
in  the  town  company  and  issued  his  proclamation  for  the  legislature  to 
meet  there,  the  pro-slaveryites  became  dissatisfied,  because  such  ac- 
tion removed  the  seat  of  government  so  far  from  the  border  that  they 
could  not  conveniently  control  the  affairs  of  the  territory.  Holloway 
says  that  Jefferson  Davis,  who  was  then  secretary  of  war,  "on  receiv- 
ing complaints  from  Missouri,  caused  another  military  commission  to 
jnake  a  survey,  which  again  reported  One  Mile  creek  as  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  reserve.  A  map  of  this  survey  was  prepared  and  sent 
to  the  department,  with  red  lines  showing  where  the  boundaries  would 
be  to  exclude  Pawnee.  The  secretary  of  war,  seeing  the  town  still  ex- 
cluded, took  a  pen  and  drew  a  red  line  around  it,  and  wrote  on  it, 
'Accepted  with  the  red  lines,'  took  it  to  the  president  and  secured  his 
signature  to  it.  He  then  issued  orders  for  the  removal  of  the  inhab- 
itants from  that  part  of  the  reserve." 

When  it  became  known  that  the  legislature  would  be  convened  at 
Pawnee,  immigration  turned  in  that  direction.  Several  hotels  were 
started  for  the  accommodation  of  the  members  of  the  legislature  and 
visitors,  a  large  warehouse  and  a  number  of  stores  and  dwellings  were 
erected,  so  that  by  the  time  Davis'  order  was  issued.  Pawnee  was  a 
town  of  some  importance.  The  order  was  not  enforced  until  late  in 
the  fall  of  1855,  when  Maj.  Cook  and  about  1,000  dragoons  arrived  at 
Fort  Riley  from  Texas,  charged  with  the  duty  of  removing  the  set- 
tlers. Some  of  the  people  left  peaceably,  but  others  refused  to  vacate 
and  their  houses  were  torn  down  by  the  troops. 

Thus  it  was  that  the  town  of  Pawnee,  which  the  founders  hoped  to 
see  the  capital  of  Kansas,  was  "wiped  off  the  map"  for  political  reasons, 


452  (_  vci.oi'iiDiA  oi' 

while  otlier  towns  laid  out  under  similar  circumstances  were  permitted 
lu  grow  and  (lourisli.  To  quote  again  from  Holloway:  "At  Leaven- 
worth the  town  was  laid  olT  and  settled  contrary  to  the  most  sacred 
treaties,  but  all  such  irregular  proceedings  were  'winked  at,'  because  the 
leading  property  holders  were  pro-slavery  men."  (See  also  the  arti- 
cles on  Capital  and  Reeder's  administration.) 

Pawnee  County,  in  the  western  ])art  of  the  state,  is  the  fourth  county 
north  of  the  Oklahoma  line  and  the  fifth  east  from  Colorado.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Rush  and  Barton  counties ;  on  the  east  by 
Barton  and  Stattord ;  on  the  south  b_\-  Stafl'ord  and  Edwards,  and  on  the 
west  by  Hodgeman  and  Ness.  The  county  was  created  in  1867  and 
named  for  the  Pawnee  Indians.  As  originally  defined  the  boundaries 
were  as  follows:  "Commencing  where  the  east  line  of  range  16  west 
intersects  the  4th  standard  parallel ;  thence  south  to  the  5th  standard 
parallel;  thence  west  to  the  east  line  of  range  21  west;  thence  north 
to  the  4th  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  present  boundaries  were  fixed  in  1873.  Gov.  James  M.  Harvey 
issued  the  proclamation  organizing  the  county  on  Nov.  4,  1872.  It 
provided  for  a  temporary  county  seat  at  Larned  and  appointed  the  fol- 
lowing officers :  County  clerk,  D.  A.  Bright ;  commissioners,  A.  H. 
Boyd,  George  B.  Cox  and  W.  A.  Russell.  At  the  general  election,  which 
occurred  the  next  day,  officers  were  chosen  as  follows :  County  clerk 
and  clerk  of  the  district  court,  George  Nolan ;  register  of  deeds,  county 
attorney  and  probate  judge,  D.  A.  Bright;  sheriiif,  F.  C.  Hawkins;  treas- 
urer, W.  A.  Russell ;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Henry  Booth ; 
commissioners,  A.  H.  Boj'd,  George  Ij.  Cox  and  W.  S.  Patton.  Henry 
liooth  was  the  first  representative. 

Fort  Larned  was  established  by  the  government  in  the  fall  of  1859 
and  the  buddings  completed  in  i860,  but  no  settlement  was  made  until 
1864.  In  that  year  Samuel  Parker  established  a  ranch  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  above  the  mouth  of  Pawnee  Fork.  The  next  year  he  built  another 
ranch  house  farther  up  the  stream,  which  he  sf)ld  to  Tortat  &  Fletch- 
field.  In  1867  this  ranch  was  in  the  hands  of  a  Mr.  Wagginer.  whose 
wife  was  the  first  white  woman  in  the  county.  The  Indians  ran  ofif  the 
stock  and  burned  the  buildings,  and  the  ranch  then  came  into  the  hands 
of  A.  H.  Boyd,  who  was  also  harassed  by  the  savages.  In  1868  they  ran 
oft'  all  his  live  stock.  He  took  a  man  by  the  name  of  McGinnis  with 
him  to  Fort  Larned  where  they  bought  a  team.  On  the  way  home  the 
Indians  killed  McGinnis,  took  the  horse  which  he  rode,  and  Boyd  barely 
escaped  with  his  life.  The  last  raid  was  in  1871,  when  10  mules  and  6 
horses  were  run  ofl^  from  the  Boyd  ranch.  Among  other  early  settlers 
were  John  Haney,  William  White,  Henry  Booth,  F.  C.  Hawkins,  F.  S. 
Burleson,  T.  McCarthy  and  George  Nolan. 

The  first  term  of  the  district  court  was  held  in  Oct.,  1873,  with  Judge 
W.  R.  Brown  on  the  bench.  The  same  day  that  the  grasshoppers  vis- 
ited Pawnee  county  in  1874,  there  was  an  Indian  scare  and  the  people 
from  the  outlying  settlements  traveled  to  Larned  by  night.     A  proposi- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  453 

lion  to  bond  the  county  for  $2,000  for  the  relief  df  tlie  destitute  was 
voted  down  at  the  November  election.  Several  car  loads  of  provisions 
and  coal  were  received  from  the  outside.  In  iiS7()  the  first  steam  roller 
mill  in  the  county  was  built  at  Larned. 

In  1873  the  county  was  divided  into  three  townships.  There  are 
now  14,  viz:  Ash  Valley,  Brown's  Grove,  Conkling,  Garfield,  Grant, 
Keysville,  Larned,  Logan,  Pawnee,  Pleasant  Ridge,  Pleasant  Valley, 
River,  Valley  Center  and  Walnut.  'J'he  postoffices  are  I5urdett,  Frizell, 
Garfield,  Larned,  Point  View,  Ray,  Rozel  and  Sanford.  The  main  line 
of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  enters  in  the  northeast  and 
crosses  southwest  through  Larned.  where  a  branch  diverges  and  runs 
west  into  Hodgeman  county.  A  branch  of  .the  Missouri  Pacific  enters 
in  the  east  and  terminates  at  Larned. 

The  general  surface  is  an  undulating  prairie,  nearly  le\el  south  of  the 
Arkansas.  The  liottom  lands  comprise  25  ])er  cent,  of  the  total  area,  and 
along  the  Arkansas  are  4  miles  in  width.  The  belts  of  native  timber  arc 
very  thin,  but  there  are  some  artificial  plantings.  Alagnesian  and  com- 
mon limestone  are  in  the  north,  and  sandstone  of  a  good  quality  is 
quarried  near  Larned.  Potter's  clay  and  oclier  exist  in  small  quantities. 
The  Arkansas  river  enters  in  the  south  and  flows  northeast  into  Bour- 
bon county.  The  Pawnee  river  enters  in  the  west  and  flows  east  to 
Larned  where  it  empties  into  the  Arkansas.  There  are  a  number  of 
creeks. 

Pawnee  is  one  of  the  principal  wheat  counties  in  the  state,  that  croji 
in  1910  being  worth  to  the  farmers  $3,505,632.  Corn  the  same  year 
brought  $328,075;  oats,  $86,503;  Kafir  corn,  $107,190;  animals  sold  for 
slaughter,  $237,023 ;  eggs  and  poultry,  over  $200,000 ;  dairy  products 
nearly  $200,000.  The  total  value  of  farm  products  in  1910  was  $4,169,- 
735.  Th^  value  of  live  stock  on  hand  was  $3,277,604.  The  land  was 
not  farmed  until  1874,  but  was  used  exclusively  for  pasturing  live  stock. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1873  was  $377,954;  in  1876,  $927.- 
359;  in  1882,  $1,092,869,  and  in  1910,  $22,419,895. 

The  population  in  1873  was  estimated  at  150.  In  1882  it  was  4.323: 
ill  1890  it  was  5,204;  in  1900,  before  the  county  had  scarcely  recovered 
from  the  hard  times,  the  population  was  5,084.  and  in  1910  it  was 
8,859.  The  average  wealth  per  capita  according  to  these  figures  is  over 
,$2,500. 

Pawnee  Republic. — After  the  Pa.wnee  Indians  ceded  their  lands  in 
Nebraska  and  Kansas  and  removed  to  new  hunting  grounds,  the  site  of 
the  Pawnee  village  on  the  Republican  river,  where  Lieut.  Pike  lowered 
the  Spanish  colors  and  raised  the  American  flag,  was  for  many  years  a 
matter  of  conjecture.  Dr.  Elliott  Cones,  in  his  history  if  the  Pike 'ex- 
])edition,  says  in  a  foot-note  on  page  416:  "I  must  emphasize  here 
the  fact  that  I  have  failed  in  every- attempt  to  locate  the  precise  sit'e  of 
■thePawnee  village.  Orte' would  suppose  it  well  known;!  find,  that  it 
is  not?  and  I  have  yet  to  discover  the  ethnographer  or  geographer  wJin 
can  point  it  out:     Correspondence  addressed  to- persons  now  living' in 


454  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  vicinity  was  as  fruitless  as  m}^  exploration  of  the  sources  of  offi- 
cial knowledge  in  Washington,  where  several  friends  interested  them- 
selves in  my  behalf  to  no  purpose.  I  knew  of  no  closer  indication  than 
that  afforded  by  Gregg's  map  of  1844.  This  letters  'Old  Pawnee  Vil- 
lage' on  the  south  bank  of  the  Republican,  half  way  between  longitude 
98°  and  99°  west,  and  thus,  as  I  judge,  about  the  present  town  of  Red 
Cloud,  Webster  county,  Neb." 

The  actual  site  of  the  village  was  discovered  by  a  woman — Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Johnson — in  1875,  while  going  with  a  part}'  to  the  Repub- 
lican river  on  a  fishing  excursion.  In  the  autumn  of  the  previous  year 
Mrs.  Johnson  had  visited  her  father  in  the  East,  and  while  there  had  a 
conversation  with  him  concerning  the  40th  parallel  and  the  Indian 
village  where  Pike  planted  the  United  States  flag.  Mrs.  Johnson  gives 
the  following  account  of  her  discovery:  "As  we  were  driving  across 
the  country  we  came  to  a  piece  of  ground  that  was  like  last  year's  cir- 
cus grounds — up  and  down,  up  and  down,  as  if  we  were  really  going 
over  the  edges  of  the  rings.  I  had  Pike  on  my  mind,  and  I  made  them 
stop  and  let  me  out,  and  went  over  the  ground  and  found  the  little 
embankments  which  had  been  around  the  wigwams,  and  all  arranged 
in  streets  as  orderly  as  any  city  thoroughfare." 

Through  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Johnson  the  Pawnee  Republic  Historical 
society  was  organized  and  a  more  critical  examination  of  the  ground 
was  made.  Various  relics,  such  as  fragments  of  pottery,  flint  and  stone 
implements,  bits  of  copper  and  iron,  pipes,  bones  of  animals,  etc.,  were 
found,  as  well  as  other  evidences  that  the  place  had  once  been  the  site 
of  a  populous  Indian  village.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  on  Jan.  21,  1896,  J.  C 
Price,  of  Republic,  exhibited  some  of  these  relics,  and  the  board  adopted 
the  following  resolution,  which  was  offered  by  Secretary  Adams :  "Re- 
solved, That  a  committee  of  this  board  be  appointed  to  cooperate  with 
the  Pawnee  Republic  Historical  Society  in  definitely  determining  that 
location,  and  in  recommending  such  action  as  may  be  deemed  advisa- 
ble toward  suitably  marking  the  place  by  monument  or  otherwise." 

Franklin  G.  Adams,  E.  B.  Cowgill  and  Noble  L.  Prentis  were  ap- 
pointed on  the  committee,  and  a  thorough  examination  of  Pike's  re- 
ports, maps,  etc.,  was  undertaken.  In  his  report  for  Oct.  i,  1806,  Pike 
stated  that  the  village  was  in  latitude  "about  39°  30'  north."  His  census 
of  the  village  showed  508  warriors,  550  women,  and  560  children,  besides 
44  lodges  of  roving  bands,  all  belonging  to  the  Pawnee  republic.  His 
encampment  was  on  an  eminence  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from 
the  village — a  condition  nowhere  along  the  Republican  river  so  well 
complied  with  as  in  the  site  discovered  by  Mrs.  Johnson,  which  the 
investigators  finally  concluded  was  the  correct  one.  Under  date  of  March 
I,  1896,  Dr.  Coues  wrote  to  G.  T.  Davies,  secretary  of  the  Pawnee 
Republic  Historical  Society,  as  follows:  "You  will  see  by  the  large  map, 
which  I  sent,  and  which,  I  believe,  is  now  in  Mrs.  Johnson's  hands,  that 
I  trailed  Pike  directly  to  White  Rock,  and  all  your  present  research  con- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  455 

firms  the  impressions  I  formed  at  the  time,  though  I  did  not  venture  to 
commit  myself  to  final  conclusions." 

Dr.  Coues  also  stated  in  the  letter  that  his  doubts  were  due  to  the 
location  as  given  on  Gregg's  map,  which  he  was  satisfied  was  in  error, 
and  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Johnson  expressed  his  unqualified  opinion  that 
she  had  found  the  real  site  of  the  Pawnee  village.  Supported  by  all 
this  evidence  and  opinion,  Mrs.  Johnson  and  her  husband  purchased 
the  village  site,  described  in  the  deed  as  "Beginning  at  a  point  6  chains 
west  of  the  southeast  corner  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  3,  town- 
ship 2,  south,  of  range  5,  west;  thence  west  16  chains;  thence  north  7 
chains;  thence  east  16  chains,  and  thence  south  7  chains  to  the  place 
of  beginning,  and  containing  11.2  acres  more  or  less." 

This  tract,  which  is  situated  in  White  Rock  township  of  Republic 
county,  almost  due  south  of  Republic  City,  was  presented  to  the  state 
by  the  purchasers  in  1901,  and  the  legislature  which  accepted  the  gift 
made  an  appropriation  of  $3,000  for  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  mark 
the  site.  (See  also  the  articles  on  Pike's  Expedition,  Stanley's  Adminis- 
tration and  Hoch's  Administration.) 

Pawnee  River,  also  called  the  Pawnee  fork  of  the  Arkansas  river, 
rises  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Gray  county.  For  the  first  15  or  20 
miles  its  course  is  almost  due  north.  Near  the  little  village  of  Emi- 
nence, Finney  county,  it  turns  abruptly  eastward ;  crosses  the  line  be- 
tween Finney  and  Hodgeman  counties  about  8  miles  south  of  the  north- 
ern boundary  of  those  counties ;  flows  thence  northeast  into  Ness 
county ;  thence  southeast  across  the  corner  of  Hodgeman  county,  ana 
thence  by  a  somewhat  sinuous  course  eastward  through  Pawnee  county, 
empties  its  waters  into  the  Arkansas  river  at  Earned.  Its  principal 
tributary  is  Buckner  creek.  A  number  of  interesting  events  occurred 
in  the  valley  of  this  stream  in  early  days.  In  1854,  soon  after  Kansas 
was  organized  as  a  territory,  about  1,500  Cheyenne,  Arapahoe  and  Osage 
Indians  gathered  on  the  Pawnee  to  make  war  on  the  whites.  They 
started  eastward  toward  the  settlements,  but  about  100  miles  west  of 
Fort  Riley  were  met  by  a  hunting  party  of  about  100  Sacs  and  Foxes 
and  were  driven  back  with  heavy  loss. 

Pawnee  Rock. — This  historic  landmark  is  located  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  Barton  county  and  is  distant  about  100  yards  from  the  old 
Santa  Fe  trail.  The  rock  is  at  the  southern  extremity  of  a  bluflf  that  ex- 
tends several  miles  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from  the  Arkansas  river. 
It  overlooks  the  country  in  the  valleys  of  the  Arkansas,  Ash  and  Wal- 
nut for  many  miles.  It  is  less  than  a  mile  distant  from  the  town  of 
Pawnee  Rock.  Originally  the  rock  was  much  larger  than  at  present, 
a  great  deal  of  stone  having  been  taken  from  it  and  made  use  of  by  set- 
tlers. During  the  period  of  the  Santa  Fe  trade  this  rock  was  a  fa- 
vorite stopping  place  for  travelers,  the  rock  affording  an  ideal  protec- 
tion against  hostile  Indians.  According  to  Henry  Inman,  the  name  was 
given  the  rock  on  account  of  a  fight  with  Pawnee  Indians  in  which  Kit 
Carson  took  part.     Cutler's  History  of  Kansas  says  the  name  attached 


456 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


liom  the  fact  that  the  various  tribes  of  Pawnees  met  in  general  council 
on  the  top  of  it. 

The  \\'oman's  Kansas  Day  club  became  interested  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  this  landmark,  and  through  their  efforts  Benjamin  P.  Unruh, 
on  May  25,  1908,  executed  a  deed,  his  intention  being  to  convey  to  the 
state  5  acres  of  land  on  which  Pawnee  Rock  was  located.     By  a  mutual 


PAWNEE  ROCK. 

mistake  the  description  of  land  in  the  deed  fixed  the  location  at  380 
feet  too  far  north,  and  on  June  29,  1909,  Mr.  Unruh  and  his  wife  exe- 
cuted a  new  deed  to  the  state  .for  the  piirpose  of  correcting  the  error 
in  the  former  one.  The  description  of  the  tract  is  now  as  follows : 
"Commencing  at  a  point  2,290  6-10  feet  north  of  the  northeast  corner 
of  block  3  in  the  city  of  Pawnee  Rock,  on  the  west  side  of  the  exten- 
sion of  Center  street  in  said  city  and  running  thence  west.  465  feet, 
thence  north  380  feet,  thence  east  465  feet,  and  -thence  south  380  feet  to 
the  place  of  beginning,  said  land  adjoining  on  the  north  the  certain 
'5-acre  tract  conveyed  by  the  said  Benjamin  P..  Unnili  to  the  State  of 
Kansas  by  deed  dated  ^June  29,  1909.  and  recorded  at  page- 371  of  volume 
47  of  the  deeds  and. records  in  the  office  of  register  of  deeds  of  Barton 
county,  Kansas-"  ■ '■       ■  I'l  ■'■'.■■•  "•-'  -■■'    '■      ', 

'.  -To  correct  the  above  brr«r:Repfesfe-nt'at!vf- William  P-.  Feder  of  Bar- 
.t®n  county  in  the  legislature  of  .191 1'introduc^d  House' Joint  Re'sofution 
No.  li  which;  authorized  the  state  ■to':execute  a- d-eed  in  favof -of 'Mr. 
linruh  conveymg  to  him  tire  i 5  .'acres  erron.eously  d.eeded.'  "  •  ' 

." ., ''.The,  regfslaitu/e  of   1909  ipassed  an-  acf-mikm^'j^n   &ppro]Jria{ion   for 
..   jth/e  expenses  af-'keepirrg  .itp'  and  maiinfaining-the-  histO-r-ic -spot  ^fiRaivvnee 
Kock.     Tire   act  provided  fdnbhe'  Appbintm'ent   of  S  'M)ard^bf''fri4-sfe^s 
1;mder  whose  mankgemefit  a-ncli  direB.tio-rt  the':'ap^TOpria'fiGf^  -of -'$5b0"  Wafe 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


457 


to  be  expended  durin«  the  ensuing  two  years..  A  provisiun  in  reference 
.0  a  roadway  to  the  park  was  made.  The  legislature  cf  lyii  also  made 
provision  for  the  care  of  the  site.  , 

Pawnee  Rock,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Barton  coiinty.  is  lo- 
cated near  the  historic  Pawnee  Rock,  on  the  Santa  Pe  trail.  It  is  a  sta- 
tion on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  H  miles  southwest  of 
Great  Bend,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Herald),  about  two  dozen  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  othces, 
,nd  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes,  ihe  popu  atiun 
according  to  the  census  of  1910  .was  458-  The  town  was  founded  in 
1874  bv  the  Arkansas  Vallev  Town  company. 

Pawnee  Station,  a  monev  order  post  village  of  Bourbon  county,  is 
located  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R-  R.  about  12  miles  southwest 
of  Fort  Scott,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  supply  point  ior  the  nearb> 
farming  district.     In  .910  it  had  a  population  of  87-      '  'i^'  "'I'-'^-'^d  name 

"pawnee   Trail.-Accordmg   to   the   late   James   R.    Mead   of   Wichita, 
the  Pawnee  Indians  of  Nebraska  had  a  regular  route  of  travel  from  then 
home  on  the  Platte  river,  into  Kansas,  entering  the  atate  near  the  no^^^ 
east    corner   of    Jewell    county;   thence    running   south    across    Mitche 
u.d  Lincoln  counties;  thence  across  .the  northwest  corner  of  L  Iswo, 
county  to  the  big  bend  of  the  Arkansas,  and  from  there  whereve,    Indian 

camps  could  be  found.  ■     ,       ,    1     ,,    Mill   ,-,-PPk 

,     Paxico,  a  little  town  m   Wabaunsee  county.  '^  located  ...    ^''ll^'eek 

,n  Xewburv  township  and  on  the  Chicago,  Ro.ck  Lsland  .V     ^'^''^^  ^^  R; 

8  miles  ea^t  of  Alma,  the  county  seat.     It  has  a  hotel,  a  bank,  a  flour 

mi      telegraph  and.express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two 

-     al  routes     The  population  in  T910  was  400.     The  town  was  s  arted 

the  S    o^g  Mill,  one  mile  east,  in  1879.     A  postotf^ce  was  established 

,d  named  Paxico  in  honor  of  the  Jnd^n  medicine  man      ^J^qua.^    o 

bad  owned  the  land.     When  the  railroad  came  through  m  18S6    he  s      e 

'nTd  postoffice  at   Paxico  were  moved  to  the  present   site,  and   a   lutk 

town  bv  the  name  of  Newbury  was  also  nvoyed  to  '\''^'.^^''- 

Peabody,  the  second  largesf.town  in  Marion. county    is  loca  ed  ,n  La 

l,n  and  Peabody  townships  on  Doyle  creek,  and  at  the  junction  of  the 

Atchison    Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the. Chicago,  Rock.  Island  &:  Pac  h. 

-a     oads'  17  miles  south  of  Marion,  the  county  s^at.     It  is  one  of  the 

nost  proo-r^ssive  little  cities  in  Kansas.     It  has  electric  Ughts.  water- 

;«  ks'S^^epartment,  opera  house,  a  public  library  ^I^^fi.^^ 

■  tone  structure  built  for  the  purpose,  a,. creamery,  a  vv.ind-milliactor> 
•fbanks  "  nd  one  weeklv  newspaper  (the  Peabody  ..Gazette),  Some  o 
fh^lSest  sh,pments  of'hogs  aixd.  cattle.in  Abe  state  are  mjjae>D4n;t  thi 

■     ioint      The  town  is   stipplted  .with  .express,  and-  telegr.,^h   o.fflc^.  .and 
/has  an  ilterna^Lal  «. order  ppstofice -with  five  rural  ,rout,e^.., The 
^'  fl.on'„litionaccoi:diiTg.to  the  eGnfiUS.#  19-10-^*5^,419.        ■        •■;  ■'-•-■■  . 
■    ^'-rhef^^^  t^Mtllent  in  the.vicinity  ,of  .^.eabody  was  tpad^  in-.tS^O,  '" 

■  •.at?.ip.t"n  of:td.e..ra:lr,^  which, cat^e-tla^otrgh  tKe..cxt..>mr..  .The 


458  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

town  was  platted  in  June,  1871,  and  named  in  honor  of  F.  H.  Peabody, 
of  Boston,  formerly  president  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  company,  who  built  a  fine  library  building  and  donated  it  to 
the  city.  F.  H.  Hopkins  was  made  postmaster  in  Feb.,  1871,  and  until 
July  carried  the  mail  to  and  from  Florence.  By  that  time  regular  trains 
were  running.  The  first  number  of  the  Peabody  Gazette  was  issued 
by  J.  P.  Church  in  1873.  The  Shaft,  a  weekh'  publication,  had  been  es- 
tablished by  W.  H.  Morgan  in  1871.  Mr.  Morgan  later  combined  the 
two  under  the  name  Gazette,  which  is  still  published.  The  organization 
of  the  town  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  took  place  in  1879.  The  Marion 
County  Agricultural  Association  located  its  fair  grounds  at  Peabody 
about  1880. 

Peacecreek,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Reno  count_v,  is  located  at  the  head- 
waters of  Peace  creek,  28  miles  west  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat, 
and  6  miles  north  of  Sylvia,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R., 
the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point,  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  delivery. 

Pearl,  a  hamlet  in  Dickinson  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  12  miles  southeast  of  Abilene,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  a  grain  elevator,  telegraph  and  express  otiices,  and  a  money  order 
postofifice.     The  population  in  1910  was  35. 

Peck,  a  little  town  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads 
in  Ohio  township,  15  miles  south  of  Wichita,  the  county  seat.  It  has 
a  bank,  a  grain  elevator,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

PefTer,  William  A.,  United  States  senator,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Cumberland  county.  Pa.,  Sept.  10,  1831,  of  Dutch  parents.  From  his 
tenth  to  fifteenth  year  he  attended  the  public  schools  seven  months 
each  winter,  and  then  began  to  teach  a  small  district  school.  He  fol- 
lowed that  profession  until  he  caught  the  gold  fever  in  1850,  when  he 
went  to  California,  and  there  made  considerable  money,  returning  to 
Pennsylvania  in  1852.  There  he  married  Sarah  Jane  Barber  and  soon 
after  removed  to  Indiana.  He  engaged  in  farming  near  Crawfordsville 
until  he  met  with  reverses,  when  he  determined  to  go  farther  west,  and 
soon  after  opened  a  farm  in  Morgan  county.  Mo.  In  Feb.,  1862,  he  went 
to  Illinois  to  get  away  from  guerrilla  warfare,  and  the  following  August 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Eighty-third  Illinois  infantry.  He  was 
promoted  to  second  lieutenant  in  March,  1863.  During  the  three  years 
of  his  service  he  was  engaged  principally  in  the  performance  of  de- 
tached duty  as  quartermaster,  adjutant  and  judge-advocate  of  a  military 
commission,  as  depot  quartermaster  in  the  engineering  department  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.  He  was  mustered  out  on  June  26,  1865.  Having 
studied  law  as  opportunity  afforded,  he  settled  at  Clarksville,  Tenn.,  at 
the  close  of  the  war  and  began  the  practice  of  that  profession.  In  1870 
he  came  to  Kansas  and  took  up  a  claim  in  Wilson  county.  Two  years 
later  he  removed  to  Fredonia  and  established  the  Fredonia  Journal,  a 


KANSAS    HISTORY  459 

weekly  newspaper,  at  the  same  time  continuing  his  law  practice.  He 
next  went  to  Coffeyville  and  established  the  e'olifcyvillc  Journal.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  as  a  Republican  and  served  one 
term.  He  was  delegate  to  the  Republican  national  convention  in  1880, 
and  that  year  he  removed  to  Topeka,  where  he  assumed  control  of  the 
Kansas  Farmer,  which  he  purchased  later.  In  1890  he  joined  the  Farm- 
ers' Alliance  movement  and  the  following  year  the  People's  party 
elected  him  to  the  United  States  senate,  where  he  served  one  term.  Mr. 
Pelifer  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  a  Master  Mason  and 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Labor. 

Peketon  County,  now  extinct,  was  created  by  ilic  act  of  Feb.  21,  i860, 
which  provided  that  "all  territory  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian, 
and  south  of  township  16,  in  Kansas  Territory,  be  erected  into  a  county, 
to  be  known  by  the  name  of  Peketon  county."  The  northeast  corner 
of  Peketon  county  was  identical  with  the  northeast  corner  of  the  pres- 
ent county  of  McPherson,  from  which  point  straight  lines  ran  west  and 
south  to  the  territorial  boundaries,  hence  the  county  embraced  consid- 
erably over  one-fourth  of  the  present  State  of  Kansas.  The  temporarj' 
seal  of  justice  of  the  county  was  located  at  Beach  Valley.  Ashel  Beach. 
A.  C.  Beach  and  Samuel  Shaff  were  appointed  commissioners  to  divide 
the  county  into  election  precincts  and  make  arrangements  for  the  first 
election,  which  was  to  be  held  at  the  time  of  the  regular  spring  election 
in  March,  1S60. 

The  only  mention  of  Peketon  county  in  any  of  the  documents  in  the 
archives  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Societ}',  is  a  letter  from  John  F.  Dodds 
to  Samuel  Wood,  dated  "Kiowa,  Peketon  county,  Kansas,  May  10. 
1864."  In  1867  Marion  county  was  enlarged  to  include  Peketon,  which 
then  disappeared. 

Pekin,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Reno  county,  is  located  15  miles  west  of 
Hutchinson,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  north  of  Abbyville,  on  the 
"cut  off"  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  which  is  the  near- 
est railroad  station  and  shipping  point  and  is  the  postoffice  from  which 
its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  delivery.  The  population  according  to 
the  census  of  1910  was  40. 

Pelathe,  "The  Eagle,"  a  Shawnee  Indian,  was  a  friend  of  the  white 
man.  Of  the  many  instances  of  heroism  recorded  in  Kansas  history, 
no  deed  was  more  heroic  than  that  of  Pelathe  in  the  summer  of  1863. 
He  arrived  at  Kansas  City  about  midnight  on  Aug.  20,  and  learned  that 
.Quantrill,  the  guerrilla  leader,  had  crossed  the  border  into  Kansas  and 
was  on  his  way  to  Lawrence.  While  a  number  of  men  felt  the  neces- 
sity of  warning  the  people  of  Lawrence,  they  realized  that  the  time  was 
too  short  to  convey  the  warning.  Pelathe  begged  the  privilege  of  mak- 
ing the  efifort,  and  about  i  o'clock  a.  m.  of  the  21st  mounted  on  a  Ken- 
tucky thoroughbred  mare  belonging  to  Theodore  Bartles,  set  out  for 
Lawrence.  So  well  acquainted  was  he  with  the  country  that  he  ignored 
the  trails  and  struck  a  bee  line  for  the  menaced  city.  Gradually  in- 
creasing his  speed,  mile  after  mile   flew  by,  until   he   noticed   that   his 


460  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Steed  was  failing  and  that  a  short  halt  was  absolutely  necessary.  At  a 
small  stream  he  stopped,  washed  the  foam  from  the  mare's  mouth, 
allowed  her  to  drink  a  small  quantity  of  water,  rubbed  her  dry  with  the 
Jiandkerchief  he  wore  around  his  neck,  then  mounted  again  and  rode 
forward  at  terrific  speed.  Again  his  mount  showed  signs  of  failing, 
when,  with  the  resourcefulness  of  his  race,  he  cut  gashes  in  her  shoul- 
ders and  rubbed  gunpowder  in  the  wounds.  Smarting  under  the  treat- 
ment, the  mare  rushed  forward  at  mad  speed  for  a  few  miles  and  then 
dropped  dead,  i'elathe  continued  on  foot  with  that  swiftness  peculiar 
to  his  tribe  until  he  reached  an  encampment  of  the  Delawares,  where  he 
appropriated  an  Indian  pony  and  rode  on  to  Lawrence,  only  to  find  that 
he  was  too  late,  the  sound  of  the  firing  coming  to  his  ears  before  he 
reached  the  cit\-,  while  the  ascending  smoke  told  plainly  the  story  of 
destruction. 

Pelathe  joined  in  the  pursuit  ol  Ouantrill  with  some  15  or  20  Delaware 
Indians,  and  soon  aftterward  went  to  Fort  Smith,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Federal  government  as  a  scout.  On  one  of  his  expeditions 
he  was  attacked  by  some  of  .Stand  Watie's  band  in  the  hills  west  of 
Fayetteville,  but  he  sold  his  life  dearly,  killing  three  Cherokees  and 
wounding  others  before  being  killed  himself. 

Penalosa,  one  of  the  little  villages  of  Kingman  county,  is  located  in 
Eureka  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  16  miles  northwest  of 
Kingman,  the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  good 
local  trade,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes  The 
population  in   1910  was  200. 

Penalosa,  Don  Diego  Dionisio  de,  was  governor  of  New  Mexico  from 
1661  to  1664.  According  to  his  own  account,  he  left  Santa  Fe  on 
March  6,  1662,  on  an  expedition  to  Quivira.  With  him  were  80  Span- 
iards, Friar  Michael  de  Guevara,  guardian  of  the  convent  at  Santa  Fe, 
and  Friar  Nicholas  de  Freytas,  guardian  of  the  convent  of  San  Ildefonso, 
the  latter  being  the  historian  of  the  expedition.  Evidently  Penalosa 
intended  to  travel  in  state,  and  with  as  much  comfort  as  circumstances 
would  permit,  as  Freytas  says  he  took  with  him  "36  carts  of  various 
sizes,  well  provided  with  provisions  and  munitions,  and  a  large  coach, 
a  litter,  and  two  portable  chairs  for  his  person,  and  six  3-potinders,  800 
horses  and  300  mules." 

Much  of  Freytas'  descriptions  is  so  vague  and  indefinite  that  it  is  a 
difficult  matter  to  trace  the  route  followed  by  Penalosa,  that  is  if  any 
such  expedition  ever  was  made.  He  starts  out  by  saying  they  moved 
eastward  from  Santa  Fe  for  a  distance  of  200  leagues,  "all  through 
pleasing,  peaceful  and  most  fertile  fields  so  level  that  in  all  of  them 
no  moun-tain,  or  range,  or  any  hill  was  seen."  The  Spanish  league  is  a 
little  more  than  2'-2  miles.  No  one  acquainted  with  the  geography  of  the 
southwest  can  imagine  a  jotirney  of  50O  miles  eastward  from  Santa  Fe 
without  encountering  a  hill  of  some  sort.  At  the  end  of  the  200  leagues, 
the  expedition  came  to  a  "high  and  insuperable  ridge  which  is  near  the 
sea,"  arid  eight  leagues  beyond  .this  lay  the  great  city  of  Quivira:    .\fter 


KANSAS    I11.S1UKV  4!)! 

marching-  through  March,  April,  May,  and  the  kalends  of  June  they 
came  to  a  large  river  called  the  "Mischipi,"  and  here  they  found  a  nation 
of  Indians  which  Freytas  calls  the  Escanxaques,  with  whom  a  treaty  of 
peace  was  made. 

With  an  Escanxaque  escort  the  expedition  then  proceeded  up  the 
border  of  a  river  until  they  saw  a  range  of  hills  "covered  with  smokes, 
by  which  they  gave  notice  of  the  arrival  of  the  Christian  army,  and 
soon  after  we  dcisovered  the  great  settlement  or  city  of  Quivira,  situ- 
ated on  the  wide-spread  prairies  of  another  beautiful  river  which  came 
from  the  range  to  enter  and  united  with  that  we  had  hitherto  followed.'" 

Seventy  caciques  or  chiefs  came  out  to  welcome  Penalosa,  who  issued 
an  order  forbidding  the  Escanxaques  to  enter  the  city,  because  they 
wanted  to  destroy  it.  When  he  turned  back  on  June  ii,  the  Escanxa- 
ques "came  out  to  meet  him  with  arms  in  their  hands,"  and  as  they  had 
been  reinforced  to  7,000  men,  they  seemed  determined  to  enter  the  city 
of  the  Quivirans.  They  refused  to  listen  to  Penalosa  and  a  fight  ensued, 
in  which  3,000  Indians  were  killed  in  three  hours  and  the  rest  fled.  For 
his  foresight  in  undertaking  the  expedition,  and  his  valor  in  vanquishing 
the  refractory  Indians,  Freytas  says  Penalosa  received  new  orders  from 
the  king  "the  title  of  Duke  thereof,  Marquis  of  Farara,  and  that  of 
Count  of  Santa  Fe  de  Penalosa,  which  he  has  so  well  merited." 

Following  as  carefully  as  possible  the  uncertain  statements  of  the 
friar,  the  Quivira  visited  by  Penalosa  is  believed  to  have  been  east  of 
the  Missouri  river  and  near  the  boundary  line  between  Missouri  and 
Iowa.  Some  have  endeavored  to  locate  the  terminus  of  his  march  on 
the  Platte  river,  near  Columbus,  Neb.,  but  the  same  portions  of  the 
narrative  used  for  this  purpose  would  apply  with  equal  force  to  the 
Republican  and  Smoky  Hill  rivers  in  Kansas. 

Hubert  II.  Bancroft  (vol.  xvii.  p.  168)  says  Penalosa  was  "a  native 
of  Peru,  and  adventurer  and  embustero,  bent  on  achieving  fame  and 
fortune  with  the  aid  of  his  unlimited  assurance  and  his  attractive  i)erson 
and  manners,  by  which  alone  presumably  he  obtained  his  appointment 
from  the  viceroy.  Of  his  rule  and  his  acts,  as  in  the  case  of  other  rulers 
of  the  period,  almost  nothing  is  known.  It  appears,  however,  that  he 
visited  Zuni  and  the  Mo(|ui  towns,  hearfl  of  the  great  kingdom  uf  Te- 
quay  through  a  Jemez  Indian  who  had  been  a  captive  there,  and  also 
of  Quivira  and  Tejas,  and  the  Cerro  Azul,  rich  in  gold  and  silver  ores ; 
and  that  he  planned  an  expedition  to  some  of  these  wonderful  regions. 

"In  France,  Penalosa  presented  to  the  government  wliat  purported  to 
be  a  narrative  of  an  expedition  to  Quivira  made  by  himself  in  1662, 
written  by  Padre  Freitas,  one  of  the  friars  of  his  company,  and  sent  to 
the  Spanish  king.  He  never  made  any  such  entrada  or  rendered  any 
such  report.  The  narrative  was  that  of  Onate's  expedition  of  1601, 
slightly  changed  to  suit  his  purposes  in  Paris.  I  made  known  this  fraud 
in  an  earlier  volume  (vol.  xv,  p.  388)  of  this  series,  but  have  since 
received  the  work  of  Fernandez  Duro,  published  two  years  before  my 
volume,  in  which  that  investigator,  by  similar  arguments,  reached  the 
same  conclusions." 


462  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Pence,  a  country  postoffice  in  Scott  county,  is  located  15  miles  from 
Scott,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point.  The  population  in 
1 910  was  27. 

Pendennis,  a  hamlet  in  Lane  county,  is  located  in  White  Rock  town- 
ship on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  13  miles  northeast  of  Dighton,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  an  express  office,  some  local  trade,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Pendleton,  a  hamlet  of  Miami  county,  is  situated  on  the  St.  Louis  & 
San  Francisco  R.  R.  5  miles  southeast  of  Paola,  the  county  seat,  from 
which  it  has  rural  delivery. 

Penitentiary,  State. — The  first  move  toward  establishing  a  state  prison 
for  Kansas  was  the  appointment  of  a  penitentiary  commission  on  Feb. 
II,  1S58.  The  following  year  John  Ixitchey,  S.  B.  Prentiss  and  Fielding 
Johnson  were  appointed  commissioners  to  erect  and  maintain  a  peni- 
tentiary for  Kansas.  They  were  given  power  to  select  a  tract  of  land, 
on  which  good  building  stone  could  be  found,  and  to  erect  temporary 
buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  prisoners  and  officers  until  the  per- 
manent building  was  completed — a  prison  building  that  would  be  ade- 
quate for  Kansas  for  twenty  years — and  the  sum  of  $20,000  was  appro- 
priated for  the  purpose.  No  action  was  immediately  taken  and  the 
state  prisoners  were  kept  in  various  places  at  Leavenworth  for  several 
years. 

One  section  of  article  7,  of  the  state  constitution  says,  "A  penitentiary 
shall  be  established,  the  directors  of  which  shall  be  appointed  or  elected, 
as  prescribed  by  law.  On  May  28,  18O1,  M.  S.  Adams,  C.  S.  Lanibdin 
and  Charles  Starns  were  appointed  commissioners  to  determine  the  loca- 
tion of  the  state  penitentiary,  being  authorized  to  select  "some  eligible 
point  within  the  county  of  Leavenworth,  not  less  than  40  or  more  than 
160  acres  of  land,  affording,  if  practicable,  building  stone,  water  and 
other  facilities."  In  1863  the  sum  of  $25,000  was  appropriated  for  the 
erection  of  the  building.  This  act  also  provided  for  three  directors, 
who  were  to  hold  office  as  follows:  One  for  one  year,  one  for  two 
years,  and  one  for  three  years ;  thereafter  their  successors  were  to  be 
appointed  for  a  term  of  three  years.  The  board  was  given  power  to 
make  rules  and  regulations  for  the  institution  or  wherever  the  convicts 
were  confined ;  to  rnake  contracts  for  the  labor  of  the  convicts,  the 
products  of  which  were  to  be  used  exclusively  to  pay  for  the  keeping 
and  clothing  of  the  prisoners;  to  appoint  a  warden  and  all  necessary 
subordinate  officers ;  and  were  required  to  visit  the  penitentiary  at  least 
once  in  three  months  to  examine  its  management  and  condition. 

The  contract  for  the  penitentiary  was  not  let  until  1863.  The  site 
was  changed  in  1864  to  the  high  ground  about  5  miles  south  of  Leaven- 
worth, and  near  the  prison  the  town  of  Lansing  has  since  grown  up. 
The  first  ground  was  broken  in  1864  and  the  foundation  walls  of  tlie 
north  wing  were  built,  but  it  was  not  until  1866,  when  penitentiary 
bonds  to  the  amount  of  $60,000  were  sold  in  New  York  at  91  cents  on 
the  dollar,  that  work  was  resumed.    The  central  or  administration  build- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  463 

ing  occupies  a  position  between  the  cell  houses  and  contains  the  offices, 
living  rooms  for  the  warden  and  dormitories.  The  cell  houses  are  each 
50  by  250  feet  and  contain  344  cells.  All  these  buildings  are  of  sand- 
stone, but  some  of  the  other  buildings  are  of  brick.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  approximate  cost  of  the  buildings  and  improvements  has  been 
nearly  $2,000,000.  Convict  labor  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
buildings,  shops  and  wall,  or  the  expense  would  have  been  much  greater. 
The  prison  was  first  occupied  on  July  11,  1868.  The  original  prison 
yard,  containing  shops  and  other  buildings,  covered  about  10  acres  and 
was  surrounded  by  a  wall  20  feet  high.  To  this  has  been  added  on  the 
north  a  walled  yard  containing  the  female  ward,  the  coal  mine  sheds 
and  the  brickyard.  To  the  east,  and  extending  to  the  Missouri  river,  is 
the  farm  of  600  acres.  Beyond  these  limits  the  state  has  acquired  the 
right  to  mine  coal  under  a  large  area. 

George  Keller  was  appointed  the  first  warden  in  1863.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  Warden  Philbrick  in  1864,  and  he  by  Harry  Hopkins  in  1865, 
who  held  the  position  for  over  seventeen  years.  In  1879  ^  bill  was 
passed  by  the  legislature  authorizing  the  sinking  of  a  coal  shaft  at  the 
penitentiary.  Warden  Hopkins  began  it  and  W.  C.  Jones,  his  successor, 
completed  it  and  soon  had  the  mine  on  a  paying  basis.  Several  hun- 
dred prisoners  were  employed  in  the  mine  by  contractors,  and  for  the 
first  time  the  prison  became  self-supporting. 

Before  the  U.  S.  penitentiary  and  prison  at  Fort  Leavenworth  were 
built  the  military  and  Federal  prisoners  were  kept  at  the  Kansas  peni- 
tentiary. The  prisoners  sentenced  b}'  the  Oklahoma  courts  were  also 
boarded  at  the  Kansas  penitentiary  for  a  number  of  years,  the  last  being 
removed  on  Jan.  31,  1909,  to  Oklahoma.  When  these  convicts  were 
being  cared  for  there  were  1,300  prisoners,  although  the  cell  houses 
contain  only  1,084  cells.  Since  their  removal  the  prison  has  imi  l)ecn 
filled  at  any  time. 

In  1907  a  law  was  passed  that  no  more  contracts  could  be  made  to 
furnish  the  labor  of  convicts  to  private  employers  and  by  the  end  of 
1909  all  such  contracts  had  expired.  The  aim  of  the  Kansas  penitentiary 
is  not  merely  to  punish  prisoners  for  the  crimes  they  have  committed, 
but  to  reform  them  and  make  them  useful  men  and  women — to  have 
the  penitentiary  a  workshop  where  the  convicts  will  learn  some  trade 
and  be  converted  into  honest,  capable  workmen. 

In  1901  the  parole  system  vvas  established  at  the  penitentiary,  which 
provided  for  the  conditional  release  and  parole  of  prisoners.  When  the 
prison  officials  have  become  convinced  that  a  convict  has  been  confined 
a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  accomplish  reformation,  and  they  have 
sufficient  guarantee  that  permanent  and  suitable  work  has  been  pro- 
vided in  some  county  of  the  state  for  the  prisoner,  they  may  recom- 
mend that  the  governor  parole  him.  Such  a  person  is  still  considered, 
however,  to  be  in  the  legal  custody  of  the  warden  of  the  penitentiary 
and  may  be  taken  back  to  prison  at  any  time,  if  deemed  best  for  the 
prisoner  or  society.     Prisoners  so  released  must  report  to  the  warden 


464  CYCLOl'EDIA    OF 

on  the  lirsl  da}-  ol  each  nionlh,  by  mail,  giving  cunchtion,  eniploynienl, 
name  of  employer,  and  such  further  facts  as  the  warden  may  require. 
A  parole  officer  also  visits  the  paroled  convicts  and  assists  them  in 
every  way.  This  system  has  been  found  most  satisfactory  in  a  large 
majority  of  cases.  On  the  iirst  day  of  a  prisoner's  arrival  at  the  pcni- 
tentiar}-  he  is  given  a  thorough  physical  examination  by  the  prison 
physician  and  the  officers  in  charge,  and  the  work  he  is  to  do  is  decided 
largely  by  his  physical  condition'  and  his  previous  training. 

On  Sept.  15,  1909,  there  were  Si  I  prisoners  at  the  penitentiar}' — 506 
white  males,  262  black  males,  14  white  females,  21  black  females,  3 
Indian  males,  i  Indian  woman  and  4  Mexicans.  Most  of  them  were 
serving  under  indeterminate  sentences  from  one  to  five  years,  but  27 
were  under  iife  sentences.  Ninety  per  cent,  had  inferior  educations,  76 
could  not  sign  their  names,  and  many  of  those  who  could  had  learned 
to  write  while  in  prison.  Men  can  be  found  in  the  penitentiary  at  Lans- 
ing who  do  nearly  every  kind  of  work,  but  it  is  systematized.  Forty- 
three  men  prepare  the  food,  act  as  waiters  and  wash  the  dishes  for  the 
institution,  or  one  to  every  18  inmates ;  one  man  does  the  laundry  work 
for  60 ;  one  does  the  cell  work  for  40 ;  one  changes  the  library  books  once 
a  week  for  all  who  desire  a  change,  carrying  them  from  the  cells  to  the 
library  and  back  again ;  the  farm,  a  fine  fertile  piece  of  land,  is  worked 
by  the  convicts  at  a  profit  and  furnishes  provisions  for  the  prison ;  17 
tailors  and  3  shoemakers  make  all  the  clothing  and  shoes  worn  by  the 
prisoners  and  the  uniforms  of  the  officers.  The  woman's  ward  is  segre- 
gated, where  they  are  provided  with  all  the  facilities  for  housekeeping 
and  do  all  the  work  for  themselves.  They  make  their  own  clothes  and 
do  other  sewing  in  spare  time. 

The  prison  has  four  departments,  formerly  occupied  by  the  contract 
labor  system,  from  which  it  derives  revenue.  In  the  coal  mine  are  em- 
ployed 258  men,  and  the  production  of  coal  increased  from  $37,979  in 
1882  to  $242,822  in  i'9o8,  but  may  fall  below  that  since  the  Oklahoma 
prisoners  have  been  withdrawn.  The  mine  is  operated  m  the  most 
hygienic  manner,  lighted  by  electricity,  etc.  Some  of  the  convicts  are 
engaged  in  digging  shale  for  the  penitentiary  brickyard,  where  a  fine 
grade  of  brick  is  made.  It  is  one  of  the  well  paying  departments,  much 
of  the  brick  being  used  in  other  state  institutions.  The  twine  plant  is 
well  equipped  and  a  high  grade  of  twine  is  produced.  ,  The  fourth  de- 
partment is  known  as  the  "tinker  shop,"  where  a  variety  of  articles  are 
made  for  sale,  such  as  watch  chains,  inlaid  tables,  toilet  articles,  riding- 
whips,  canes,  etc. 

As  early  as  1882  a  school  was  established  at  the  penitentiary.  Lessons 
were  assigned  and  recitations  were  heard  on  Saturday.  As  the  authori- 
ties realized  the  advantage  of  educating  the  convicts,  school  was  also 
held  three  evenings  of  the  week,  but  the  night  school  was  given  up  in 
1908  and  1909  because  of  insufficient  appropriation.  The  appropriations 
for  the  terms  of  1909-10  and  1910-ii.were  $2,000  each,  and  300  pupils 
were   enrolled,   school   being  taught   three   evenings  of  the   week,      'flie 


KANSAS    HISTORY  465 

illiterate  receive  the  first  attention,  in  order  that  they  may  be  taught  to 
read  end  write,  then  the  more  advanced.  Some  prisoners  have  become 
good  bookkeepers,  some  have  learned  stenography  and  typewriting, 
others  have  even  learned  the  Spanish  language.  The  officers  encour- 
age the  prisoners  to  read  and  each  man  is  allowed  to  draw  one  book  a 
week  from  the  prison  library.  In  addition  the  men  buy  newspapers 
and  magazines,  632  daily  papers  and  196  periodicals  having  been  taken 
at  the  penitentiary  in  1910.  Each  prisoner  is  allowed  3^  cents  for  each 
day  he  works,  and  from  this  fund  the  periodicals  are  purchased. 

New  methods  have  been  introduced  at  the  Kansas  penitentiary,  most 
of  them  proving  highly  satisfactory  and  the  eyes  of  the  wardens  of  the 
penal  institutions  of  the  United  States  and  foreign  countries  are  turned 
to  this  state  for  new  ideas  in  caring  for  those  who  have  broken  the  laws, 
to  see  how  such  men  and  women  are  changed  to  self-respecting  and 
useful  citizens. 

Penokee,  a  post-village  in  Graham  county,  is  located  on  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  west  of  Hill  City,  the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  a  general  store  and  blacksmith  shop,  and  the  popu- 
lation according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  100.  This  town  has  lately 
enjoyed  a  considerable  growth.  During  the  summer  of  191 1  the  rail- 
road established  a  station  agent  at  this  point — the  first  for  18  years.  In 
1905  L.  P.  Millirons  put  in  a  hardware  and  implement  store,  and  erected 
an  elevator.  A  $15,000  lumber  yard  has  recently  been  opened.  The 
State  Journal  of  July  22,  191 1,  says:  "The  original  name  of  the  town 
was  Reford,  and  why  the  name  of  Penokee  should  have  been  substi- 
tuted instead  the  people  cannot  recall.  It  was  a  trading  point  in  the 
days  of  Reford,  but  no  boom  hit  it  and  the  buildings  were  moved  away." 

iPensineau,  Paschal,  interpreter  and  trader  among  the  Kickapoo  In- 
dians, was  born  at  Cahokia,  111.,  April  17,  1796.  His  father  was  a 
Canadian  from  Fort  La  Prairie,  near  Montreal,  and  was  of  pure  French 
blood.  His  mother  was  born  in  Cahokia,  her  parents  being  French  on 
the  paternal  side  and  half-breed  Pottawatomie  on  the  other.  Paschal 
attended  a  French  school  about  six  months  when  a  child  and  lived  at 
Cahokia  until  he  was  about  thirteen  years  old,  when  he  went  to  live 
with  the  Kickapoos,  his  father  at  that  time  being  manager  of  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  company.  When  nineteen  years  old  he  crossed  the  Mississippi 
river  with  the  Kickapoos  and  settled  on  White  river,  where  he  remained 
for  about  five  years.  For  five  years  he  lived  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
and  took  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  after  which  he  again  joined 
the  Kickapoos  who  were  then  living  on  the  Missouri  river  above  Fort 
Leavenworth.  He  took  a  stock  of  goods  with  him  and  represented  the 
American  Fur  company  as  its  first  agent  on  the  Missouri  river.  He 
married  a  Kickapoo  woman  and  in  1844  opened  a  farm  on  Stranger 
creek,  near  the  village  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Atchison  county,  living  there 
for  about  ten  or  eleven  years,  during  which  time  he  also  kept  a  trading 
house.  From  there  he  removed  to  the  Grasshopper  (Delaware)  river, 
near  the  present  village  of  Muscotah.  He  received  his  first  appoint- 
(n-30) 


466  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

ment  as  interpreter  from  Gen.  William  Clark,  superintendent  of  Indian 
affairs.  After  the  Kickapoos  settled  on  the  Missouri  river  he  was  ^gain 
appointed  interpreter.  He  took  part  in  the  Mexican  and  Civil  wars, 
receiving  a  wound  at  the  battle  of  Cross  Hollow,  in  the  latter.  He  was 
never  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  he  and  several 
hundred  Kickapoos  doing  volunteer  duty  for  the  Union  army.  About 
1874  or  1875  he  removed  to  the  Indian  territory,  locating  about  7  miles 
from  Shawneetown,  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Canadian  river,  where  he 
died  about  March,  1884. 

Pentecostal  Church. — Toward  the  close  of  the  19th  century  there  was 
a  religious  re\ival  very  similar  to  that  of  the  previous  century.  The 
basis  of  this  movement  was  the  belief  that  Christ  had  the  power  to  make 
Christians  holj'  in  the  present  life,  thus  emphasizing  the  doctrine  of 
entire  sanctification.  It  started  in  three  different  parts  of  the  country 
at  nearly  the  same  lime — in  New  England,  in  New  York  City  and  in 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.  A  mission  was  formed  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1894 
and  the  following  year  organized  as  an  independent  church,  called  the 
Utica  Avenue  Pentecostal  Tabernacle.  Two  other  Pentecostal  organi- 
zations followed  and  in  1895  delegates  from  the  three  churches  formed 
the  American  Association  of  the  Pentecostal  Churches  in  America, 
adopted  a  constitution,  a  summary  of  doctrines  and  by-laws. 

In  New  England  several  independent  churches  had  been  organized, 
which  united  under  the  name  of  the  Central  Evangelical  Holiness  Asso- 
ciation. In  1896  a  joint  committee  met  in  Brooklyn  and  formed  the 
Pentecostal  Churches  of  America.  In  1895  a  number  of  persons  at  Los 
Angeles  formed  the  Church  of  the  Nazarene.  Important  features  of 
their  doctrine  were  their  conviction  that  sanctification  especially  in- 
volved the  example  of  Christ's  preaching  to  the  poor;  the  belief  that 
adornment  of  home  or  person  was  contrary  to  the  Christian  spirit ;  that 
time  devoted  to  worldly  affairs  was  better  spent  in  saving  souls  for  the 
Lord. 

As  these  two  bodies  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  continent  learned 
more  of  each  other,  they  felt  it  would  be  to  their  mutual  advantage  to 
unite.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  each  body  in  1906  a  basis  of  union  was 
prepared  and  delegates  were  authorized  to  call  the  first  convention  of 
the  Pentecostal  church  of  the  Nazarene,  the  name  chosen  for  the  new 
denomination.  The  convention  met  in  Chicago  in  1907  and  a  union  was 
effected,  since  which  time  the  growth  has  been  rapid.  In  1906  there 
were  100  organizations,  located  in  26  states,  two  of  them  being  in  Kan- 
sas, with  a  membership  of  119. 

Pentheka. — (See  Oak  Ranch.) 

Peoria,  one  of  the  old  towns  of  Franklin  county,  is  located  in  the  east- 
ern part,  6  miles  east  of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat,  and  about  a  mile  from 
Imes,  the  nearest  railroad  station.  It  was  named  for  the  Peoria  In- 
dians, who  once  owned  the  site.  About  1857  Albert  Johnson  opened  a 
store  there,  other  settlers  followed,  and  thus  the  town  grew  up  and  soon 
became  a  thriving  place.     It  1859  it  entered  the  contest  for  county  seat 


KANSAS    HISTORY  467 

and  at  the  first  election  was  successful.  Subsequently  the  county  seat 
was  taken  to  Ottawa,  and  as  no  railroad  ever  reached  i'coria  its  growtii 
ceased.  Albert  Johnson  was  the  first  postmaster.  In  1910  Peoria  had 
a  money  order  postoffice,  a  few  general  stores,  and  reported  a  popula- 
tion of  125. 

Perkins,  Bishop  W.,  lawyer,  soldier  and  Congressman,  was  born  at 
Rochester,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  Oct.  18,  1841.  He  received  a  common 
school  education,  which  was  supplemented  by  a  short  attendance  at 
Knox  College,  Galesburg,  111.  When  the  Civil  war  began  he  enlisted 
as  a  sergeant  in  the  Eighty-third  Illinois  infantry,  but  was  transferred 
to  the  Sixteenth  U.  S.  colored  infantry,  where  he  served  as  adjutant  and 
captain  for  nearly  three  years.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  studied  law 
at  Ottawa,  111.,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession.  Soon  afterward,  how- 
ever; he  decided  to  try  his  fortunes  in  Kansas,  located  in  Labette  county, 
where  he  entered  into  local  politics,  and  in  1869  was  elected  county 
attorney.  The  next  year  he  was  elected  probate  judge  and  was 
reelected  in  1872.  In  Feb.,  1873,  he  resigned  the  office  of  probate  judge 
to  accept  an  appointment  as  judge  of  the  nth  judicial  district,  and  at 
the  election  in  November  he  was  elected  for  the  unexpired  term.  He 
was  reelected  judge  of  that  district  in  1874  and  again  in  1878,  holding 
the  office  for  nearly  ten  years.  In  1882  he  was  nominated  by  the  Repub- 
licans of  his  district  for  Congress,  was  elected  in  November  of"  that 
year,  and  was  three  times  reelected,  serving  four  successive  terms  in 
the  lower  house  of  the  national  legislature.  Upon  the  death  of  Preston 
B.  Plumb  in  1891,  Mr.  Perkins  was  appointed  for  the  unexpired  term 
and  died  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  June  20,  1894. 

Perry,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in.  Jefferson  county, 
is  located  in  Kentucky  township  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  15  miles 
south  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  Mirror),  a  number  of  business  establishments,  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
etc.  The  population  in  1910  was  475.  Perry  was  surveyed  and  platted 
in  1865  by  the  railroad  company  and  the  first  store  was  opened  in  that 
year  by  G.  B.  Carson  &  Bro.  .V  postoffice  was  soon  after  established 
with  Joseph  Terrel  postmaster.  Terrel  was  a  minister  and  preached 
the  first  sermon  in  his  residence  soon  after  his  location.  The  first  birth 
was  that  of  Eddie  Rickard  in  the  spring  of  1866.  The  first  death,  that 
of  a  child  of  M.  F.  Garrett,  occurred  the  same  year.  The  first  marriage 
was  between  John  Dunlap  and  Mary  Lee  in  the  fall  of  1867.  In  that 
year  G.  D.  King  and  his  wife  opened  a  subscription  school.  Perry  was 
incorporated  on  March  3,  1871,  with  N.  J.  Stark  as  the  first  mayor.  A 
$7,000  school  house  was  completed  in  that  year. 

Perth,  a  village  in  Sumner  county,  is  located  in  Downs  township  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  *nd  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  railroads,  12  miles  southwest  of  Wellington,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  a  bank,  two  milling  companies,  a  number  of  retail  establishments, 


468  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
lural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was   150. 

Peru,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Chautauqua  county,  is  a 
station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific 
railroads,  and  is  located  on  the  Middle  Caney  river  in  Belleville  town- 
ship, 7  miles  southeast  of  Sedan,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a 
weekly  newspaper  (the  Derrick),  and  all  lines  of  business  activity. 
There  are  natural  gas  wells  in  the  vicinity.  The  town  is  supplied  with 
express  and  telegraph  offices  and  has  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the  census 
01   1910  was  575. 

Peru  was  foiuided  in  1870  on  land  entered  by  the  town  company,  of 
which  E.  R.  Cutler,  L.  Blanchard,  D.  B.  Teeny,  C.  A.  Zinglefield, 
Patrick  Looby  and  John  Lee  were  members.  F.  F.  Spurlock  built  the 
iirst  structure,  which  was  of  logs,  and  opened  a  general  store.  Among 
the  early  business  men  were:  David  Clark,  general  merchandise;  PL 
Brown,  saloon  and  hotel;  a  Mr.  Crow,  hotel;  J.  S.  Cunningham  and 
C.  H.  Ingelfield,  hardware;  H.  C.  Draper,  grocery;  L.  R.  Close,  gro- 
cery ;  N.  N.  Smith  and  J.  Sheldon,  general  stores ;  James  Alford  and 
L.  Staufifer,  saloons.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1870  with  David 
Clark  as  postmaster.  As  there  was  no  government  mail  route  the  citi- 
zens had  to  pay  for  having  the  mail  brought  from  Independence. 

The  early  days  of  Peru  were  rather  turbulent.  Of  the  first  nine 
people  buried  in  the  cemetery  seven  died  "with  their  boots  on."  The 
first  religious  services  were  held  in  1871  by  Father  Records,  in  the 
upper  story  of  a  saloon.  The  first  school  was  one  maintained  by  sub- 
scription and  was  taught  by  Rev.  Mr.  Ward,  a  Baptist  preacher,  in 
1870.  In  1871  Peru  became  the  county  seat  of  Howard  county  (q.  v.) 
and  business  was  brisk  for  a  time,  but  it  later  experienced  a  backset 
when  the  county  seat  was  moved.  A  flour  mill  was  set  up  in  1874,  and 
in  1875  a  newspaper  was  established  by  S.  P.  Moore  &  Son. 

Peters,  Mason  Summers,  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born 
in  Clay  county,  Mo.,  Sept.  3,  1844.  After  finishing  the  common  schools 
iie  entered  William  Jewell  College  at  Liberty,  Mo.,  and  subsequently 
studied  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1875  and  served  for  four 
years  as  clerk  of  the  court  of  Clinton  county.  Mo.  In  1886  he  removed 
to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Wyandotte  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
live  stock  commission  business.  Mr.  Peters  took  an  active  interest  in 
local  politics  and  in  1896  was  nominated  for  Congress  by  the  Populists 
of  the  Wyandotte  district.  His  nomination  was  endorsed  by  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  he  was  elected  as  a  fusion  candidate.  After  serving 
one  term  he  resumed  his  business. 

Peters,  Samuel  Ritter,  jurist  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  in 
Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  Aug.  16,  1842,  a  son  of  Louis  S.  and  Margaret 
( Ritter)  Peters.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  common 
schools,  and  he  then  took  a  three-year  course  at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University.     He  left  college  in  1861  to  enter  the  army,  enlisting  in  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4^9 

Seventy-third  Ohio  infaiitry,  and  served  willi  that  regiment  until 
mustered  out  on  June  8,  1865,  having  held  successively  the  offices  of 
sergeant,  second  lieutenant,  first  lieutenant  and  captain.  In  the  fall 
of  1865  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
where  he  graduated  in  1867  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year. 
Coming  west  he  located  at  Newton,  Kan.,  and  began  to  take  an  active 
part  in  the  public  and  political  life  of  that  frontier  town.     In  the  fall  of 

1874  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  and  in  March  of  the  following 
year  was  appointed  judge  of  the   Ninth  judicial   district.     The   fall   of 

1875  he  was  elected  to  the  judgeship  without  opposition  and  reelected 
in  1879.  Mr.  Peters  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1882,  as  Congressman- 
at-large  from  Kansas,  as  a  Republican  and  reelected  in  1884,  1886  and 
1888.  At  the  expiration  of  his  service  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  1896  he  received  his  degree  from  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1863. 

Peterton,  a  village  in  Osage  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  4  miles  north  of  Osage  City,  whence  it 
receives  mail  by  ruarl  route,  and  10  miles  northwest  of  Lyndon,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  the  population 
according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  225. 

Petrolia,  a  village  of  Allen  county,  is  located  on  the  Neosho  river 
and  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
the  county,  about  13  miles  from  lola.  It  has  a  money  order  postoftice, 
an  express  office,  and  is  a  trading  point  for  the  neighborhood.  The 
population  in  1910  was  200. 

Petroleum. —  (See  Oil.) 

Pettit,  John,  who  succeeded  Samuel  D.  Lecompte  as  chief  justice  of 
the  Territory  of  Kansas  in  1859,  was  born  at  Sacketts  Harbor,  N.  Y., 
June  24,  1807.  He  received  a  liberal  education,  studied  law,  and  soon 
after  his  admission  to  the  bar  removed  to  Lafayette,  Ind.,  where  he 
began  practice.  He  served  two  terms  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Indiana 
legislature ;  was  a  member  of  the  state  constitutional  convention  of 
1850;  was  presidential  elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  1852,  and 
upon  the  death  of  James  Whitcomb  was  appointed  United  States  sena- 
tor to  fill  the  vacancy,  taking  his  seat  on  Jan.  18,  1853.  While  in  the 
senate  he  supported  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  and  in  a  speech  said  that 
Jefferson's  declaration  that  all  men  are  born  free  "is  nothing  more  to 
me  than  a  self-evident  lie."  His  conduct  as  senator  was  such  that 
Thomas  H.  Benton  wrote  to  the  Lafayette  American:  "Your  senator 
is  a  great  liar  and  a  dirty  dog,  falsifying  public  history  for  a  criminal 
purpose."  His  appointment  as  chief  justice  of  Kansas  Territory  was 
confirmed  in  March,  1857,  and  he  served  in  that  office  until  the  state 
was  admitted  into  the  Union.     He  died  at  his  home  in  Indiana  on  June 

17.  1877. 

Pfeifer,  a  village  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  m  Freedom  towniihip, 
12  miles  southeast  of  Hays,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  south  of  Vic- 
toria, the  nearest  shipping  point.  There  is  a  school,  general  stores,  and 
a  money  order  postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  150. 


470  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Phelps,  a  country  hamlet  in  Sheridan  county,  is  located  about  i6 
miles  southeast  of  Hoxie,  the  county  seat,  and  14  miles  north  of  Ouinter, 
the  nearest  shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives 
mail  by  rural  delivery. 

Philippines,  War  in. — (See  Spanish-American  War.) 

Phillips  County,  one  of  the  northern  tier,  is  the  5th  county  east  from 
the  Colorado  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  State  of  Nebraska ; 
on  the  east  by  Smith  county;  on  the  south  by  Rooks,  and  on  the  west 
by  Norton.  This  county  was  created  in  1867  and  named  in  honor  of 
William  Thillips,  a  free-state  martyr  who  was  murdered  at  Leaven- 
worth in  1856.  The  boundaries  were  defined  as  follows:  "Commencing 
where  the  east  line  of  range  16  west  intersects  the  40th  degree  of  north 
latitude;  thence  south  to  the  ist  standard  parallel;  thence  west  to  the 
east  line  of  range  21  west,  thence  north  to  the  40th  degree  of  north 
latitude;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

There  were  no  settlers  in  the  county  at  the  time.  In  August  of  that 
year  a  battle  occurred  on  Prairie  Dog  creek  between  United  States 
troops  and  Kansas  volunteers  on  one  side  and  the  Indians  on  the 
other.  County  organization  was  completed  in  1872.  At  the  election 
that  fall  Phillipsburg  was  chosen  as  the  county  seat  and  the  following 
officers  elected :  Treasurer,  Thomas  Cox,  Jr. ;  county  clerk,  Henry 
McDowell ;  register  of  deeds,  J.  W.  Kidd ;  surveyor,  H.  W.  Bean ;  pro- 
bate judge,  J.  S.  Shurtz;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  P.  I. 
Hitchcock;  county  attorney,  W.  H.  Gray;  commissioners,  Thomas 
Cox,  Sr.,  A.  W.  Tracy  and  James  Large.  The  first  representative  was 
Noah  Weaver. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  in  1869  by  C.  J.  Van  Allen,  who  built 
a  log  house  and  preempted  a  claim  near  the  site  of  Kirwin.  A  fort  had 
been  erected  by  order  of  the  government  under  the  supervision  of  Col. 
Kirwin  at  the  close  of  the  war,  to  prevent  the  encroachments  of  hostile 
Indians  and  protect  travelers  on  the  California  trail.  This  fort  stood 
just  south  of  the  Kirwin  town  site  and  was  abandoned  soon  after  the 
settlers  came.  In  1870  the  Van  Allen  Bros.,  S.  Brigham,  N.  S.  Drew, 
William  Dunbar,  I.  V.  Lee,  H.  P.  Candy,  Adolphus  and  Albert  Hall, 
J.  Stovall,  Richard  Chutes,  Richard  Corcoran,  Thomas  Cox,  Sr.,  and 
sons,  John  Butler,  W.  M.  Cadwell  and  James  Forbes  united  in  building 
a  fort  at  Kirwin  for  their  mutual  protection.  Although  hostile  bands 
of  Indians  passed  frequently,  no  actual  outrages  were  committed,  the 
preparation  to  resist  eflfectively  any  hostile  move  being  so  evident. 

A  large  number  of  settlers  came  in  1871  and  in  1872.  The  next  year 
immigration  was  very  heavy  and  continued  so  until  checked  by  the 
grasshopper  scourge  of  1874.  Phillips  county  was  one  of  those  to 
receive  state  supplies  during  the  following  winter.  However,  the  season 
of  1875  brought  a  large  grain  yield  and  encouraged  settlement.  The 
good  years  continued  until  in  1880,  when  the  population  was  12,617  and 
90,857  acres  of  land  had  been  brought  under  cultivation.  There  were 
4  newspapers   and    104   school    districts.     The   next  year   there   was    a 


KANSAS    HISTORY  47 1 

depression  on  accounl  of  droughl,  but  the  loss  in  population  was 
regained  before  1890,  as  the  inhabitants  in  that  year  numbered  13,661. 
During  1880  the  Central  Branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  was 
extended  through  the  southern  part  of  the  county. 

When  the  county  was  organized  it  was  divided  into  7  townships. 
There  are  now  25,  viz:  Arcade,  Beaver,  Belmont,  Bow  Creek,  Crystal, 
Dayton,  Deer  Creek,  Freedom,  Glenwood,  Granite,  Greenwood,  Kirwin, 
Logan,  Long  Island,  Mound,  Phillipsburg,  Plainview,  Plum,  Prairie 
View,  Rushville,  Solomon,  Sumner,  Towanda,  Valley  and  Walnut.  The 
postoffices  are,  Agra,  Glade,  Gretna,  Kirwin,  Logan,  Long  Island, 
Phillipsburg,  Prairie  View,  Speed,  Stuttgart  and  Woodruff.  The  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  crosses  the  central  part  of  the  county, 
west  and  northwest  through  Phillipsburg;  the  Missouri  Pacific  crosses 
in  the  southern  part,  following  the  course  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Solo- 
mon river;  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  crosses  the"  north- 
west corner,  following  the  course  of  Prairie  Dog  creek. 

The  general  surface  is  gently  rolling  prairie,  with  limestone  bluffs 
on  the  south  sides  of  the  principal  streams.  The  bottom  lands  are  nar- 
row and  comprise  about  15  per  cent,  of  the  area.  The  timber  belts 
along  the  streams  contain  all  the  principal  varieties  of  wood  native  to 
the  soil  of  the  state.  The  north  fork  of  the  Solomon  river  enters  on  the 
western  boundary  6  miles  from  the  south  line  of  the  county  and  flows 
east  into  Smith  county.  Its  numerous  tributaries  from  the  north  cover 
the  central  part  of  the  county.  Prairie  Dog  creek  flows  across  the 
northwestern  corner.  Magnesian  limestone,  potter's  clay  and  clay  for 
brick  exist  in  commercial  quantities.  Bricks  are  manufactured  in  the 
county  and  have  been  used  in  the  best  buildings,  including  the  court- 
house. A  bed  of  fine  sand,  suitable  for  glass  making,  exists  in  the  east, 
and  gypsum  has  been  found  in  the  south  and  northwest. 

The  total  value  of  farm  products  in  the  year  1910  was  $4,169,735. 
The  leading  crop  was  wheat,  which  brought  $935,928.  Corn  was  worth 
$930,222;  tame  grasses,  $373,790;  oats,  $178,226;  prairie  grasses, 
$133,770.  Potatoes,  millet,  sorghum  and  Kafir  corn  are  other  important 
field  crops.  Live  stock  sold  for  slaughter  brought  $1,046,846,  and 
poultry  and  dairy  products,  $354,216.  The  value  of  live  stock  on  hand 
was  $3,277,604. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was  $22,419,895.  The 
population  in  the  same  year  was  14,150.  The  average  wealth  per  capita 
according  to  these  figures  was  about  $1,500. 

Phillips,  William  Addison,  journalist,  historian  and  member  of 
Congress,  was  born  at  Paisley,  Scotland,  Jan.  14,  1824,  the  son  of  John 
Phillips,  a  man  of  superior  mind  and  literary  tastes.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  city  and  graduated 
at  the  academy,  where  he  made  considerable  progress  in  Latin  and 
mathematics.  Gifted  with  a  good  memory  and  great  powers  of  acquisi- 
tion, he  was  a  "self-made  man,"  as  all  successful  men  must  be,  what- 
ever their  scholastic  training.     In   1839,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  came 


472  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

to  America  with  his  parents,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in  Randolph  county, 
111.     Here  he  grew  to  manhood  sharing   the  hardships   and  privations 
incident  to  frontier  life.     About  the   time  he   reached  his   majority   he 
became  associated  with  B.  J.  F.  Hannah  as  editor  of  the  Chester  Herald. 
From  1852  to  1855  he  was  engaged  in  newspaper  work,  at  the  same 
time  studying  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.     While  practicing  law 
and  editing  his  paper  he  also  acted  as  correspondent  for  the  New  York 
Tribune.     In  1855  he  came  to  Kansas  and  was  officially  appointed  by 
Horace   Greeley  a  member  of  the  editorial   staff  of  the  Tribune.     Mr. 
Phillips  traveled  over  a  large  part  of  the  territory  to  find  out  for  him- 
self the  existing  political  situation,  and  his  impassioned  letters  to  the 
Tribune  did  much  to  create  a  sentiment  in  the  north  and  east  in  favor 
of  the  anti-slavery  movement  in  Kansas.    A  thorough  anti-slavery  man, 
his  sympathies  were  entirely   with   the  free-state   side.      In  the   spring 
of  1856  he  wrote  and  published  his  "Conquest  of  Kansas,"  a  campaign 
document  to  be  used  during  the  presidential  canvass.      From  the  day 
of  its  publication   Mr.   Phillips  became  a  man  of  mark  and   his   name 
became  identified  with  the  great  struggle  against  slavery.     The   same 
year  he  was  instrumental  in  the  establishment  of  the  Salina  road,  which 
became  so  well   knov.-n   to  travelers  of  that   day   when   there   were   no 
railroads  west  of  the  Missouri  river.     In   1856,  when   Congress  sent  a 
committee  to  investigate  the  troubles  in  Kansas,  Mr.  Phillips  was  able 
to  furnish  the  names  of  important  witnesses  and  materially  assisted  in 
the    investigation.      On    account   of    his    efforts    in    this    direction,    and 
because  he  was  the  correspondent  of  the  greatest  free-state  newspaper 
in    the   country,  he  became   very   unpopular   with   the   "law   and   order 
league,"  a  name  used  by  the  border  ruffians,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
seek  safety  several  times  between  Leavenworth  and  the  fort  to  escape 
from  them,  spending  a  number  of  nights  in  the  brush.     Shortly  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  army   and  was  com- 
missioned  major  of  the   First   Indian   regiment.     Within  a  short   time 
he  was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy  of  the  famous  Cherokee  regiment  and 
for  a  time  commanded  the   Indian  brigade.     Under   Gen.   Schofield  he 
commanded   a   division  in  the   field,  including   Indians,   cavalry,  a  bat- 
tery  and   regiments   from   different   states,   and  for   nearly   three   years 
he  may  be  said  to.  have  had  command  of  a  separate  army,  varying  from 
3,500  to  8,000  men.     He  took  part  in  most  of  the  battles  of  the  south- 
west ;  was  wounded  three  times  and  had  four  horses  killed  under  him 
in  battle.     When  the  war  closed  he  returned  to  Kansas  and  for  years 
he  acted  as  attorney  of  the  Cherokee  Indians,  and  ably  assisted  at  con- 
serving their  interests  before  the  interior  department  at   Washington. 
In  1872  he  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Republican  and  was  reelected 
for  the  three  succeeding  terms.    While  in  Congress  he  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  committee  on   public  lands.     This   led   him  to   a   deep 
study  of  land  systems  and  land  tenure  in  all  ages.     As  a  result  of  this 
study  he  published  a  book,  "Labor,  Land  and  Law,"  which  is  regarded 
as  an  authority  upon  the  subject.     He  died  on  Thanksgiving  day,  Nov. 
30,  1893,  at  the  home  of  W.  P.  Ross  at  Fort  Gibson. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  473 

Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat  of  Phillips  county,  is  an  incorporated 
city  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  and  is  centrally  located 
in  the  county.  It  has  waterworks,  a  fire  department,  a  flour  mill,  a 
grain  elevator,  an  opera  house,  2  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the 
News-Dispatch  and  the  Post),  daily  stage  to  Marvin,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  five 
rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  1,302. 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  1872,  just  prior  to  the  organization  of  the 
county,  and  became  the  county  seat.  In  1873  the  postofiice  was  estab- 
lished, and  the  next  year  it  was  made  a  money  order  postofiice.  The 
first  school  was  taught  and  the  first  term  of  court  held  in  1873.  In  1880 
the  town  was  organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  and  the  following 
were  the  first  officers:  Mayor,  H.  L.  Sprague ;  city  marshal,  William 
Featherly;  clerk,  E.  Korns;  councilmen,  C.  H.  Leffingwell,  G.  A.  Spauld- 
ing,  F.  A.  Button,  D.  B.  Bailey  and  Frank  Strain.  The  town  was 
visited  by  a  severe  electrical  storm  in  1882  which  destroyed  $12,000 
worth  of  property. 

Piedmont,  a  little  town  of  Greenwood  county,  is  a  station  on  the  St. 
Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  and  is  located  on  Otter  creek,  18  miles 
southwest  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat.  The  principal  shipping  business 
at  this  point  is  done  in  grain,  live  stock  and  agricultural  products. 
There  is  a  bank,  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  post- 
offi.ce  with  three  rural  routes.  All  the  main  lines  of  mercantile  business 
are  represented.  The  population  according  to  the  1910  census  report 
was  250. 

Pierce,  Franklin,  14th  president  of  the  United  States — the  president 
who  sigiled  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  which  made  Kansas  an  organized 
territory  of  the  United  States — was  born  at  Hillsboro,  N.  H.,  Nov.  23, 
1804.  His  father,  Benjamin  Pierce,  was  at  the  battle  of  Lexington  and 
continued  in  the  Continental  army  until  1784,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged  with  the  rank  of  captain  and  brevet  major,  and  two  of 
Franklin's  brothers  were  in  the  War  of  1812.  President  Pierce  received 
his  education  in  the  local  schools,  and  in  1824  graduated  at  Bowdoin 
College,  where  he  had  for  classmates  Henry  W.  Longfellow,  Sargent 
S.  Prentiss,  John  P.  Hale  and  Nathaniel  Hawthorne.  He  then  studied 
law  and  in  1827  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  same  year  he  began 
practice  at  Hillsboro,  and  in  1829  was  elected  to  the  legislature.  In 
1833  he  entered  the  lower  house  of  Congress,  where  he  served  for  four 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  elected  to  the  I'nitcd  States 
senate.  This  position  he  resigned  in  1842  to  resume  the  practice  of 
law  at  Concord.  When  the  Mexican  war  broke  out  he  entered  the 
army,  and  in  1847  was  commissioned  brigadier-general.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  constitutional  convention  of  1850,  and 
two  years  later  was  elected  president,  receiving  242  electoral  votes  to 
42  for  Gen.  Winfield  Scott.  While  he  was  president  Perry's  treaty  with 
Japan  was  ratified;  William  Walker  led  his  filibustering  expedition  to 
Nicaragua;   several    routes    for   a    Pacific    railroad    were    explored;    the 


474  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

teniiory  known  as  the  Gadsden  Purchase  was  acquired  by  the  United 
Stales,  and  the  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  were  organized. 
Mr.  Pierce  did  all  he  could  to  make  Kansas  a  slave  state,  by  recognizing 
the  laws  passed  by  the  "Bogus  legislature"  and  using  the  United  States 
troops  to  enforce  those  laws.  By  doing  so  he  rendered  himself  unpopu- 
lar with  the  free-state  advocates,  but  Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  Ameri- 
can Biography  says:  "Some  years  after  Pierce's  death,  the  legislature 
of  New  Hampshire,  in  behalf  of  the  state,  placed  his  portrait  beside  the 
speaker's  desk  in  the  hall  of  the  house  of  representatives  at  Concord. 
Time  has  softened  the  harsh  judgment  that  his  political  foes  passed 
upon  him  in  the  heat  of  party  strife  and  civil  war.  .  .  .  His  integrity 
was  above  suspicion.  .  .  .  No  political  or  personal  influence  could 
induce  him  to  shield  those  whom  he  believed  to  have  defrauded  the 
government."     President  Pierce  died  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  Oct.  8,  1869. 

Pierce  Junction,  a  station  at  the  junction  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  and 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads  in  the  southeast  corner  of 
Brown  county,  is  located  15  miles  from  Hiawatha,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  telegraph  and  express  oiSces  and  a  postoffice.  The  population 
in  1910  was  26. 

Pierceville,  a  little  town  in  Finney  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  the  Arkansas  river,  13  miles  south- 
east of  Garden  City,  the  county  seat.  It  has  general  stores,  hotels, 
schools  and  churches,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postofifice.     The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Pike,  Zebulon  Montgomery,  soldier  and  explorer,  was  born  at  Lam- 
berton,  N.  J.,  April  27,  1879.  His  father,  who  had  been  an  officer  in 
the  Revolutionary  army,  was  still  in  the  service,  and  after  the"  son  had 
finished  his  education,  which  consisted  in  a  study  of  Latin,  French  and 
German  in  addition  to  the  common  school  branches,  he  joined  the 
company  of  which  his  father  was  captain.  He  served  for  some  time 
on  the  western  frontier  of  the  United  States ;  was  made  an  ensign,  and 
later  became  a  lieutenant  in  the  First  U.  S.  infantry.  In  1801  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Clarissa  Brown  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In  1805  he  was  ordered 
on  an  expedition  to  trace  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi,  and  em- 
barked at  St.  Louis  in  August  with  23  men.  On  his  return  he  was 
highly  complimented  on  his  work  and  shortly  afterward  was  sent  by 
Gen.  Wilkinson  on  his  famous  expedition  to  explore  the  territory  of 
the  Louisiana  Purchase.  Among  the  events  was  the  raising  of  the 
L'nited  States  flag  for  the  first  time  in  Kansas,  which  occurred  at  the 
old  Pawnee  village  in  Republic  county  in  1806,  the  discovery  of  Pike's 
Peak  and  his  capture  at  the  Rio  Del  Norte  by  the  Spaniards.  (See 
Pike's  Expedition.)  He  arrived  at  Natchitoches,  La.,  July  i,  1807,  and 
the  government  gave  evidences  that  his  services  were  highly  appre- 
ciated. He  was  made  captain,  then  major,  and  in  1810  colonel.  He 
served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  in  1813  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general  and  sent  on  an  expedition  against  York  (Toronto),  Canada. 
He  left  Sackett's  Harbor  on  April  25  with   1,500  men,  arriving  before 


KANSAS    HISTORY  475 

the  combined  British  and  Indian  forces  at  York  two  days  later.  When 
the  position  was  about  to  be  surrendered  to  him,  a  magazine  inside  the 
British  works  exploded,  wounding  Gen.  Pike  so  seriously  that  he  died 
shortly  afterward,  but  not  without  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  the  sur- 
render had  taken  place. 

Pike's  Expedition. — Under  the  orders  of  the  war  department,  Lieut. 
Zebulon  M.  Pike,  with  a  force  consisting  of  2  lieutenants,  a  surgeon, 
a  sergeant,  2  corporals,  16  privates  and  an  interpreter,  set  out  in  two 
boats  from  Belle  Fountaine,  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  July  15,  1806,  for  the 
purpose  of  "exploring  the  internal  parts  of  Louisiana."  Accompanying 
him  were  chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  Osages  and  Pawnees,  through 
which  nations  it  was  intended  the  expedition  should  pass.  He  also  took 
a  number  of  women  and  children  who  were  returning  to  their  nations 
from  captivity  among  the  Pottawatomies,  having  been  freed  by  the 
United  States  government.  La  Charette  was  reached  on  the  21st, 
where  Pike  found  in  waiting  Lieut.  James  B.  Wilkinson  (son  of  Gen. 
James  Wilkinson),  Dr.  John  H.  Robinson,  and  another  interpreter,  all 
of  whom  had  gone  on  before.  On  Sept.  6  the  company  arrived  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  present  town  of  Harding,  Kan.,  and  passed  over  the 
divide  separating  the  Osage  from  the  Neosho  valley.  On  the  loth  he 
reached  the  divide  between  the  Neosho  and  the  Verdigris  and  on  the 
nth  camped  on  the  latter  stream,  not  far  from  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Bazaar,  Chase  county,  Kan. 

The  beautiful  prairies,  covered  with  wild  flowers  and  abounding  with 
game,  kindled  the  warmest  praises  of  Pike.  On  Sept.  12  he  wrote  that, 
from  the  top  of  a  hill  he  saw  at  one  view  on  the  beflowered  plain  below, 
buffalo,  elk,  deer,  antelope  and  panther.  This  was  the  hunting  ground 
of  the  Kansas  or  Kaw  Indians,  and  the  animals  began  to  appear  almost 
without  numbers.  On  the  14th  all  day  long  the  expedition  journeyed 
through  an  unending  herd  of  buflfalo,  which  merely  opened  ranks  to  let 
the  intruders  pass  and  then  closed  again  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
On  the  15th  a  large  unoccupied  encampment  of  the  Kansas  Indians 
was  passed,  and  Pike  observed  in  the  distance  the  buffaloes  running, 
which  indicated  the  presence  either  of  Indians  or  white  men.  On  this 
dav  he  camped  near  what  is  now  Tampa,  Marion  county.  Two  days 
later  he  reached  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  and  after  this  game  began  to 
grow  scarcer.  He  continued  his  journey  to  the  mouth  of  the  Saline 
•  river,  which  was  reached  on  Sept.  18,  and  from  that  point  turned  almost 
directly  north,  and  on  the  25th  reached  the  Pawnee  village,  near  where 
the  town  of  Scandia  now  stands,  in  Republic  county.  Pike  was  now 
on  the  Republican  branch  of  the  Kansas  river,  having  crossed  the  Great 
Saline,  the  Little  Saline  and  Solomon's  fork. 

Some  time  before  Pike  left  St.  Louis,  news  of  his  projected  expedition 
was  carried  to  the  governor  of  New  Spain  (Mexico),  and  a  party  of 
over  300  Spanish  troops,  under  Lieut.  Malgares,  was  sent  out  to  inter- 
cept him.  Between  the  mouth  of  the  Saline  and  the  Republican  rivers, 
Pike  crossed  the  trail  of  this  party,  but  was  fortunate  in  not  coming 


476  CVCLOI'EDIA    OF 

in  contact  with  the  Spaniards  at  that  time.  Malgares  had  been  to  the 
Pawnee  village  before  Pike  arrived  there,  and  had  endeavored  to  poison 
the  minds  of  the  Indians  against  the  Americans.  He  had  partially  suc- 
ceeded, loo,  for  when  Pike  held  a  grand  council  with  the  tribe  on  Sept. 
29,  he  noticed  that  the  Pawnee  chiefs  showed  a  tendency  to  look  with 
disdain  upon  his  little  force  of  20  white  soldiers,  which  certainly  made 
a  much  less  imposing  appearance  than  the  large  Spanish  force  of  Mal- 
gares. Of  this  council  Pike  gives  the  following  explicit  account  in  his 
journal  of  the  expedition : 

"The  notes  I  took  at  the  grand  council  held  with  the  Pawnee  nation 
were  seized  by  the  Spanish  government,  together  with  all  my  speeches 
to  the  different  nations.  But  it  may  be  interesting  to  observe  here,  in 
case  they  should  never  be  returned,  that  the  Spaniards  had  left  several 
of  their  tlags  in  this  village,  one  of  which  was  unfurled  at  the  chief's 
door  the  day  of  the  grand  coimcil ;  and  among  various  demands  and 
charges  I  gave  them  was,  that  the  said  flag  should  be  delivered  to  me, 
and  one  of  the  United  States'  flags  be  received  and  hoisted  in  its  place 
This  probably  was  carrj'ing  the  pride  of  nations  a  little  too  far,  as  there 
had  so  lately  been  a  large  force  of  Spanish  cavalry  at  the  village,  which 
had  made  a  great  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  young  men,  as  to  their 
power,  consequence,  etc.,  which  my  appearance  with  20  infantry  was 
by  no  means  calculated  to  remove.  After  the  chiefs  had  replied  to 
various  parts  of  my  discourse,  but  were  silent  as  to  the  flag,  I  again 
reiterated  the  demand  for  the  flag,  adding  that  it  was  impossible  for 
the  nation  to  have  two  fathers ;  that  they  must  either  be  children  of 
the  Spaniards,  or  acknowledge  their  American  father.'  After  a  silence 
of  some  time  an  old  man  rose,  went  to  the  door,  took  down  the  Spanish 
flag,  brought  it  and  laid  it  at  my  feet,  and  then  received  the  American 
tiag,  and  elevated  it  on  the  staff  which  had  lately  borne  the  standard 
of  his  Catholic  Majesty.  This  gave  great  satisfaction  to  the  Osage  and 
K^aws,  both  of  whom  decidedly  avow  themselves  to  be  under  American 
protection.  Perceiving  that  every  face  in  the  council  was  clouded  with 
sorrow,  as  if  some  great  national  calamity  was  about  to  befall  them,  I 
look  up  the  contested  colors  and  told  them  'that  as  they  had  now  shown 
themselves  dutiful  children  in  acknowledging  their  great  American 
father,  I  did  not  wish  to  embarrass  them  with  the  Spaniards,  for  it  was 
the  wish  of  the  Americans  that  their  red  brethren  should  remain  peace- 
ably round  their  own  fires,  and  not  embroil  themselves  in  any  dispute 
between  the  white  people;  and  that  for  fear  the  Spaniards  might  return 
there  in  force  again,  I  returned  them  their  flag,  but  with  the  injunction 
that  it  should  never  be  hoisted  again  during  our  stay  '  At  this,  there 
was  a  general  shout  of  applause,  and  the  charge  was  particularly 
attended  to." 

Thus  was  the  United  States  flag  raised  for  the  first  time  in  what  is 
now  the  State  of  Kansas  on  Sept.  29,  1806,  and  the  looth  anniversary 
of  that  event  was  celebrated  in  1906.     (See  Hoch's  Administration.) 

Having  obtained  horses  from  the  Indians,  Pike  left  the  Pawnee  vil- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  477 

lage  on  Oct.  7,  taking  a  course  a  little  west  of  south.  On  the  8lh  he 
came  again  upon  the  Spanish  trail,  and  at  one  of  the  camps  counted 
59  fires,  which,  at  6  men  to  a  fire,  signified  a  force  of  354  troopers.  Solo- 
mon's fork  was  again  crossed  on  the  9th,  much  farther  to  the  west,  and 
here  another  Spanish  camp  was  found.  The  party  reached  the  Smoky 
Hill  fork  on  the  13th,  not  far  from  the  boundary  line  of  the  counties  of 
Russell  and  Ellsworth,  and  the  following  day  arrived  at  the  divide 
between  the  Arkansas  and  the  Kansas  rivers.  Here  Pike  and  a  small 
party  became  lost  on  the  prairie  and  did  not  turn  up  for  several  days, 
the  expedition  meantime  continuing  to  the  Arkansas  river,  where  the 
lost  party  under  Pike  overtook  it.  The  river  was  crossed  on  the  19th. 
Here  the  expedition  was  divided,  part  returning  down  the  Arkansas 
and  the  other  portion  going  on  up  to  the  mountains  for  the  purpose  of 
discovering  the  headwaters  of  Red  river,  and  descending  that  unknown 
stream — unknown  to  the  Americans.  Canoes  were  made  of  buffalo  and 
deer  hides  stretched  over  wooden  frames,  filled  with  provisions,  arms 
and  ammunition,  and  in  these  boats  Lieut.  Wilkinson,  with  6  of  the 
soldiers  and  2  Osage  Indians,  embarked  for  Fort  Adams  on  the  Missis- 
sippi below  Natchez.  On  Jan.  8,  1807,  they  reached  Arkansas  Post, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  river,  after  severe  hardships  and  passing 
through  many  dangers  from  hostile  Indians.  Pike  advanced  rapidly  up 
the  Arkansas  river,  and  on  Oct.  31  saw  much  crystalline  salt  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground.  At  that  time  he  was  not  far  from  the  present 
town  of  Kinsley,  Edwards  county,  Kan.,  and  by  Nov.  9  he  was  near 
the  place  where  Hartland,  Kearny  county,  now  stands.  Here,  at  one 
of  the  Spanish  encampments,  he  counted  96  fires,  indicating  that  the 
force  had  been  augmented  to  from  600  to  700  troopers.  A  few  days 
later  he  crossed  into  what  is  now  the  State  of  Colorado,  and  on  the  15th 
reached  Purgatory  river,  a  branch  of  the  Arkansas.  His  purpose  was 
to  treat  with  the  letan  (Comanche)  Indians  near  the  headwaters  of 
the  Arkansas  river,  then  to  strike  across  the  country  to  the  head  of 
Red  river,  and  descend  to  Natchitoches  according  to  the  original  plan. 

Thus  far  Pike  had  ascertained  the  sources  of  the  Little  Osage  and 
the  Neosho  rivers;  had  passed  round  the  head  of  the  Kansas  river,  and 
had  discovered  the  headwaters  of  the  South  Platte.  He  was  now  intent 
on  finding  the  upper  sources  of  the  Red.  What  Pike  called  the  third 
fork  was  reached  on  Nov.  23.  He  writes:  "As  the  river  appeared  to 
be  dividing  itself  into  many  small  branches  and  of  course  must  be  near 
its  extreme  source,  I  concluded  to  put  the  party  in  a  defensible  situ- 
ation;  and  then  ascend  the  north  fork  to  the  high  point  of  the  blue 
mountain,  which  we  conceived  would  be  one  day's  march,  in  order  to 
be  enabled  from  its  pinnacle  to  lay  down  the  various  branches  and 
positions  of  the  country." 

The  "third  fork"  was  the  St.  Charles  river,  and  Pike's  encampment 
was  made  at  what  he  called  the  "grand  forks,"  or  at  the  junction  of 
the  Fountain  river  with  the  Arkansas.  The  high  point  he  referred  to 
was  Pike's  peak.     His  men  cut  the  necessary  logs  the  next  day,  and 


478  CYCLOPEDIA  or 

erected  a  strong  breastwork,  5  feel  high  on  three  sides,  with  llie  other 
opening  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Arkansas.  Leaving  all  the  others  at 
this  fort.  Pike,  Robinson,  Miller  and  Brown  started  for  the  mountains. 
B}-  the  ^6th  they  had  ascended  so  high  that  the}'  looked  down  on  the 
clouds  rolling  across  the  plain  to  the  east.  The  next  day  they  reached 
the  summit,  after  a  very  difficult  time,  having  been  obliged  often  to 
wade  in  snow  waist  deep.  Returning,  they  reached  the  fort  on  the  29th, 
after  which  the  surrounding  country  was  explored  for  several  miles  in 
every  direction  in  a  vain  search  for  the  source  of  the  Red  river. 

While  Pike  was  in  camp  on  the  Rio  del  Norte,  in  what  is  now  New 
Mexico,  he  and  his  party  were  captured  by  a  detachment  of  Spanish 
cavalry  and  conducted  to  Santa  Fe.  This  was  in  Feb.,  1807.  He  was 
well  treated,  and  after  being  taken  to  Chihuahua,  where  his  papers 
were  confiscated,  was  conducted  east  through  what  is  now  Texas  and 
finally  liberated  near  Natchitoches,  La. 

Thus  the  project  of  exploring  the  Red  river  was  defeated  and  one 
of  the  objects  of  the  expedition  was  not  accomplished.  The  Spanish 
governor  suspected  that  Pike  was  leagued  with  Aaron  Burr  to  detach 
a  portion  of  Spanish  territory.  But  as  not  a  scrap  was  found  to  con- 
nect him  with  the  "Burr  conspiracy,"  the  Spanish  treated  Pike  and  his 
men  as  respectable  Americans,  advanced  him  $1,000  on  the  credit  of  the 
United  States,  and  escorted  him  to  Natchitoches,  which  town  was  con- 
ceded to  be  within  the  American  domain.  The  upper  course  of  the  Red 
river  was  claimed  by  Spain,  and  to  have  permitted  Pike  to  explore  it 
would  have  been  tantamount  to  a  recognition  that  American  territory 
extended  to  that  river.  Three  years  later  Pike's  journal  was  published 
and  the  wonderful  possibilities  of  Kansas  were  thus  made  known  to  the 
English-speaking  nations. 

Pike's  Peak  Trail. — One  of  the  numerous  thoroughfares  leading  to 
the  gold  fields  of  western  Kansas,  before  Colorado  was  cut  off,  was  by 
way  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  up  the  Arkansas  river  past  Bent's  Fort,  and 
on  to  Cherr}'  creek.  This  route  was  known  as  the  "Pike's  Peak  Trail." 
On  account  of  its  location  it  was  a  month  earlier  than  by  way  of  the 
Platte  river,  and  like  all  roads  leading  to  the  gold  fields,  was  much 
traveled  during  the. period  of  excitement.  From  "The  Prairie  Traveler," 
published  by  Capt.  Randolph  B.  Marcy  in  1859,  the  list  of  camping 
places  and  distances  from  Westport,  Mo.,  to  Denver  City,  a  distance 
of  685  miles,  was  as  follows:  "Westport  to  Indian  creek,  4}^  miles; 
Cedar  creek,  8^;  Buell  creek,  814;  Willow  Springs,  gyi ;  'i  10-Mile' 
creek,  2034  ;  Prairie  Chicken  creek,  223^  ;  Big  Rock  creek,  20;  Diamond 
Spring,  16;  Lost  Spring,  16;  Cottonwood  creek,  15%;  Turkey  creek, 
22;  Little  Arkansas.  23;  'Big  Cow'  creek.  20;  Big  Bend  of  the  Arkansas, 
20;  Walnut  creek,  7;  Head  of  Coon  creek,  21;  Arkansas  river,  18; 
Arkansas  river  at  Fort  Atkinson,  19;  Arkansas  river,  1834  ;  Arkansas 
river,  19 J4;  Arkansas  river,  22;  Arkansas  river,  22;  Arkansas  river, 
24;  Arkansas  river,  striking  the  Big  Timbers,  20;  Arkansas  river,  13; 
Arkansas  river,  pass   Bent's   Fort,  24;  Arkansas  river,  opposite  mouth 


KANSAS    HISTORY  479 

of  Apishpa  creek — Cherokee  trail  comes  in  from  Arkansas  near  Bent's 
Fort,  11;  Arkansas  river,  opposite  of  Huerfano  creek,  9;  Arkansas  river 
— Cherokee  trail  bears  to  right  and  leaves  the  river,  12;  Fontaine  qui 
Buille,  15^;  Fontaine  qui  Buille,  I7>4;  Forks  of  the  Fontaine  qui 
Buille,  the  road  to  Cherry  Creek  here  leaves  the  Fontaine  qui  Buille 
and  bears  to  the  right.  (There  is  a  large  Indian  trail  which  crosses  the 
main  creek  and  takes  a  northwest  course  towards  Pike's  Peak.  Two 
miles  up  this  trail  is  a  spring  of  mineral  water  that  gave  the  stream  its 
name  'The  Fountain  that  Boils')  ;  Black  Squirrel  creek,  17^  ;  near  head 
of  Cherry  creek,  14;  on  Cherry  creek,  7;  Cherry  creek,  11;  mouth  of 
Cherry  creek,  at  the  South  Platte,  at  city  of  Denver." 

Thousands  of  gold  seekers  reached  the  mountains  by  this  route,  and 
the  riish  only  ceased  with  the  collapse  of  the  boom. 

Pioneer,  a  hamlet  in  the  central  part  of  Johnson  county,  is  located 
on  one  of  the  creeks  tributary  to  the  Kansas  river,  about  7  miles  north- 
west of  Olathe,  the  county  seat,  from  which  it  has  rural  free  delivery. 

Piper,  a  post  village  in  the  western  part  of  Wyandotte  county,  is  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  19  miles  west  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  several 
general  stores,  a  school,  a  money  order  postofifice,  telegraph  and  express 
facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  75. 

Piqua,  a  little  town  in  Woodson  county,  is  at  the  junction  of  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  and  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroads,  near  the  east 
line  of  the  count}',  13  miles  east  of  Yates  Center,  the  judicial  seat,  and 
7  miles  west  of  lola,  the  nearest  large  town.  It  has  telegraph  and 
express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  150.  The  town  sprang 
up  in  1882  after  the  building  of  the  railroad,  and  was  a  successor  to 
Bramlette,  which  was  a  trading  center  about  a  mile  below,  but  was 
abandoned  by  the  railroad  at  that  time.  The  postoffice  was  established 
in  1882  with  M.  Street  as  the  first  postmaster. 

Pittsburg,  one  of  the  important  cities  of  southeastern  Kansas,  is 
located  in  Crawford  county,  11  miles  southeast  of  Girard,  the  judicial 
seat.  It  is  3  miles  from  the  Missouri  line  and  134  miles  from  Kansas 
City,  at  the  junction  of  four  railway  systems — the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe,  the  Missouri  Pacific,  the  Kansas  City  Southern  and  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco.  The  main  shops  of  the  Kansas  City  South- 
ern are  located  here  and  give  employment  to  1,600  men.  It  is  in  the 
mineral  and  oil  district  and  the  zinc  smelters  give  employment  to  1,200. 
Coal  is  extensively  mined  and  shipped.  Other  important  industries  are 
the  foundries  and  machine  shops,  cornice  works,  flour  and  planing  mills, 
tent  and  awning  factory,  boiler  works,  paving  and  building  brick  plant, 
sewer  pipe  works,  factories  for  the  manufacture  of  gloves,  mittens, 
garments  and  cigars,  stone  quarries  and  packing  houses.  There  are 
4  banks,  4  newspapers  (the  Headlight,  the  Kansan,  the  Labor  Herald 
and  the  Volkesfreund),  and  a  monthly  fraternal  paper  (the  Cyclone). 
The  city  has  electric  lights,  fire  and  police  departments,  sewer  system, 
waterworks,  paved  streets,  electric  street  railway,  a  $60,000  opera  house 


480  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

and  fine  school  and  church  buildings.  This  is  the  seat  of  the  manual 
training  branch  of  the  state  normal  school,  a  Catholic  academy,  and  a 
German  Lutheran  school.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  offices  and 
an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  eight  rural  routes.  This 
is  one  of  the  points  designated  by  the  government  for  a  postal  savings 
bank.     The  population  in  1910  was  14,755. 

Pittsburg  was  laid  out  in  1876  by  Col.  E.  H.  Brown  for  Moffett  & 
Sargent.  The  postoffice  was  established  that  year  with  George  Richey 
as  postmaster.  The  first  dwelling  was  built  by  J.  T.  Roach  in  July, 
and  the  first  business  house  was  erected  about  the  same  time  by  G  W. 
Seabury  &  Co.,  who  started  a  general  store.  By  fall  there  were  100 
inhabitants.  In  1879  the  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third 
class  and  the  first  officers  were :  Mayor,  M.  M.  Snow ;  councilmen, 
J.  R.  Lindburg,  W.  McBride,  F.  Kalwitz,  P.  A.  Shield  and  D.  S.  Miller. 
The  Girard  &  Joplin  R.  R.,  which  had  been  built  prior  to  the  founding 
of  the  town  connected  it  with  these  two  points.  In  1880  the  railroad 
was  sold  to  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  company.  A  new  addition 
of  40  acres  was  platted  about  that  time  and  in  1882  another  addition  of 
like  extent.  The  first  newspaper  was  the  Pittsburg  Exponent,  estab- 
lished in  June,  1882,  by  L.  C.  Hitchcock.  By  1884  the  population  was 
4,000,  six  years  lat^r  it  was  6,697,  in  1900  it  had  grown  to  10,112.  In 
1891  there  were  29  corporations  doing  business  in  Pittsburg  with  a 
combined  capitalization  of  nearly  $10,000,000.  In  1904  there  were  55 
coal  companies  employing  11,835  "^^n  in  addition  to  many  small  opera- 
tors, and  44  new  coal  mines  were  opened.  During  the  year  ending  in 
Sept.,  1904,  about  700  new  dwelling  houses  were  built  and  $3,000,000 
spent  in  public  improvements. 

Plains  (formerly  West  Plains),  a  little  town  in  Meade  county,  is 
located  in  West  Plains  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
R.  R.  16  miles  west  of  Meade,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly 
newspaper  (the  Journal),  a  mill  and  elevator,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  350. 

Plains,  Great. — (See  Desert.) 

Plainville,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Rooks  county,  is 
located  in  the  township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  16 
miles  south  of  Stockton,  the  county  seat.  It  has  electric  lights,  a  public 
library,  an  opera  house,  2  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Gazette  and 
the  Times),  a  mill,  2  grain  elevators,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an 
international  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  1,090.  In  May,  1911,  it  is  said  there  were  40  of  the 
residents  who  owned  automobiles,  which  was  one  to  every  27  inhabi- 
tants. The  first  settlers  came  to  Plainville  in  1877.  The  postoffice  was 
established  in  1878  with  W.  S.  Griffin  as  the  first  postmaster.  The  first 
school  was  taught  and  the  first  sermon  preached  in  the  same  year.  The 
town  owns  a  $25,000  water  plant,  a  school  house  which  cost  the  same 
amount,  a  new  public  library  building  is  about  to  be  erected  and  prac- 
tically every  house  in  town  has  a  telephone. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  48I 

Platte  Purchase. — The  original  western  buundary  of  Missouri  was  a 
line  drawn  north  and  south  through  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river. 
Soon  after  Missouri  was  admitted  into  the  L'nion,  however,  the  jjroject 
of  attaching  to  that  state,  what  afterward  became  known  as  the  "Platte 
Purchase,"  was  persistently  urged  by  the  citizens.  The  agitation  began 
in  1835  (Col.  William  F.  Switzler,  in  his  "History  of  Missouri,"  p.  230, 
says  Gen.  Andrew  S.  Hughes  started  it  in  a  speech  which  he  delivered 
at  a  militia  muster  near  Liberty,  in  Clay  county,  in  that  year).  The 
territory  included  in  the  purchase  lies  between,  the  Missouri  river  and 
the  original  state  line.  The  idea  of  annexation  met  with  immediate 
favor  throughout  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  a  memorial  asking  for  it 
was  sent  to  Congress  in  1836.  One  difficulty  in  the  way  was  that  to 
comply  with  this  request  would  make  still  larger  a  state  which  was 
already  one  of  the  largest  in  the  I'nion,  and  a  second  difficult)'  was 
to  remove  Indians  from  a  possession  which  had  just  been  assigned  to 
them  in  perpetuity. 

Nevertheless,  success  came  quickly.  Senator  Benton  introduced  a 
bill  reciting  that  when  the  Indian  title  to  that  territory  should  be 
extinguished  the  jurisdiction  over  said  tract  should  be  "ceded  to  the 
State  of  Missouri."  Benton's  vigor,  Senator  Linn"s  adroitness  and  per- 
sonal popularity,  and  the  enthusiastic  aid  of  Missouri's  representatives 
in  the  other  branch  of  Congress,  did  the  work.  Xo  serious  opposition 
was  offered  in  either  branch  and  President  Jackson  signed  the  bill  on 
June  7,  1836.  Missouri's  legislature  assented  to  the  act  on  Dec.  16,  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  had  agreed  to  the  terms  for  the  relinquishment  of  their 
lands  on  Sept.  17,  and  on  March  28,  1837,  President  \'an  Burcn  pro- 
claimed the  territory  a  part  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  Benton  exultantly 
declared  that  the  area  of  Missouri  had  thus  been  expanded  "by  an 
addition  equal  in  extent  to  such  states  as  Delaware  and  Rhode  Island, 
and  by  its  fertility  equal  to  one  of  the  third  class  of  states." 

The  new  territory,  which  is  one  of  the  richest  parts  of  Missouri,  com- 
prises the  counties  of  Andrew,  Atchison,  Buchanan,  Holt,  Nodaway  and 
Platte.  The  "Platte  purchase"  also  contributed  St.  Joseph,  the  third 
city  in  Missouri  in  population  and  wealth.  Had  it  not  been  for  this 
act  of  Congress,  and  had  the  western  boundary  of  Missouri  remained 
as  stipulated  in  the  organic  act,  the  city  of  St.  Joseph  would  today  be 
in  the  State  of  Kansas,  which  would  be  a  perfect  parallelogram.  But 
in  1836  the  white  man  had  not  claimed  dominion  over  the  plains  of 
Kansas  and  there  was  no  one  from  this  region  to  object  to  the  annexa- 
tion movement. 

Pleasant  Green,  a  hamlet  in  Phillips  county,  is  located  16  miles  north- 
east of  Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat,  and  11  miles  north  of  Agra,  the 
nearest  shipping  point.     It  receives  mail  from  Naponee,  Neb. 

Pleasant  Grove,  a  hamlet  of  Douglas  county,  is  located   in   the  cen- 
tral portion,  8  miles  northwest  of  Baldwin,  from  which  it  has  rural  free 
delivery,  and  6  miles  west  of  Sibley,  the  nearest  railroad  town.     It  had 
a  population  of  45  in  1910. 
(n-31) 


482  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Pleasant  Hill,  a  hamlet  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Franklin  county, 
is  situated  in  the  valley  of  Appanoose  creek,  4  miles  east  of  Michigan, 
the  nearest  railroad  station,  and  6  miles  north  of  Pomona,  from  which 
it  has  rural  free  delivery. 

Pleasanton,  the  second  largest  town  in  Linn  county,  is  situated  in 
the  eastern  portion  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroads,  6  miles  east  of  Mound  City,  the  county  seat.  The 
town  was  started  in  the  summer  of  1869,  when  the  building  of  the  Kan- 
sas City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  R.  R.  was  assured.  No  town  company 
was  ever  organized  and  the  town  site,  which  was  owned  by  several  per- 
sons, seems  to  have  been  selected  by  common  consent  as  the  best 
location  for  a  settlement.  The  first  town  lot  was  sold  in  Aug.,  1869, 
and  within  a  short  time  a  hotel  was  built  on  Main  street  by  John 
Butler;  William  E.  Talbott  started  a  general  store;  a  hardware  store 
followed ;  Dr.  Bender  opened  a  drug  store,  and  other  lines  of  business 
were  introduced  before  the  railroad  was  completed  to  the  town,  which 
grew  very  rapidly  for  several  3'ears  and  by  1878  had  a  population  of  800. 

On  Oct.  29,  1869,  Pleasanton  was  incorporated  and  in  1870  it  was 
organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  D.  W.  Poak  being  elected  the 
first  mayor.  The  Presbyterians  perfected  an  organization  in  Oct.,  1869; 
the  Methodist  church  was  established  in  April,  1870,  and  other  denomina- 
tion have  built  churches  at  Pleasanton.  The  first  public  school  district 
was  organized  on  Feb.  19,  1870,  and  the  school  opened  with  three 
teachers  in  April  of  that  year.  A  school  building  was  completed  in 
1871  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  Today  Pleasanton  has  an  excellent  graded 
school  system  and  a  high  school.  A  bank  was  opened  in  1870,  and 
in  1881  the  library  association  was  organized.  One  of  the  first  indus- 
tries of  the  town  was  a  steam  flour  mill,  erected  in  the  summer  of  1869. 
The  next  year  a  second  mill  was  erected,  and  for  some  years  Pleasan- 
ton was  a  milling  center.  The  first  newspaper  in  the  town  was  the 
Linn  County  Press,  which  appeared  in  1869.  It  was  followed  by  the 
Pleasanton  Observer.  With  the  opening  of  the  coal  beds  and  the 
development  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
state,  Pleasanton  became  a  shipping  point  for  such  products,  as  well 
as  grain  and  cattle.  The  discovery  of  oil  and  natural  gas  in  the 
vicinity  has  also  helped  the  town  and  today  it  is  one  of  the  thriving 
cities  of  eastern  Kansas  with  a  population  of  1,373. 

Pleasantview,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  11  miles  north- 
east of  Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  from  Weir,  whence  it 
receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Plevna,  a  little  town  in  Plevna  township,  Reno  county,  is  a  station 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  22  miles  southwest  of 
Hutchinson,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  good  graded  school,  several 
general  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census 
of  19 10,  was  200. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  483 

Plum  Buttes. — A  little  southwest  of  the  present  station  of  Silica,  on 
the  old  trail  between  Atlanta  (now  Lyons)  and  Ellinwood,  were  three 
sand  hills  known  as  Plum  Buttes.  They  were  about  120  feet  higher 
than  the  surrounding  prairie,  but  only  about  25  feet  higher  than  the 
sand  hills  still  a  prominent  feature  of  that  locality,  and  were  once  cov- 
ered with  the  common  sand  hill  plums.  Prof.  Bernard  1'..  Smyth,  a 
former  resident  of  that  section  and  the  authority  for  this  statement, 
says  that  between  the  years  1865  and  1884  a  gradual  "blow  out" 
occurred,  which  resulted  in  leveling  the  buttes  and  even  creating  a  wide 
channel  or  valley  in  the  hills  upon  which  they  stood.  The  site  of 
these  sand  hills  covered  the  greater  portion  of  townships  19  and  20 
in  Rice  county,  and  is  now  occupied  by  productive  farms. 

Plumb,  Preston  B.,  lawyer  and  L'nited  Slates  senator,  was  born  in 
Delaware  county,  Ohio,  Oct.  12,  1837.  He  received  a  common  school 
education  and  attended  an  Episcopal  institution  in  L'nion  county  for 
a  time.  While  there  he  learned  the  art  of  printing  and  worked  on 
papers  in  Springfield  and  Xenia.  He  aided  in  establishing  the  Xenia 
News,  in  which  he  was  financiall\-  interested.  There  he  imljibed  his 
first  political  opinions,  which  were  born  of  the  Kansas  contest.  Not 
satisfied  by  merely  hearing  of  the  abuses  heaped  upon  the  struggling 
people  of  the  territory,  he  came  to  Kansas  to  see  for  himself,  and 
returned  to  Ohio  in  two  months  a  changed  man.  He  had  become  a 
devoted  and  radical  anti-slavery  convert.  He  removed  from  Ohio  to 
the  territory,  and  in  1857  started  a  paper  at  Emporia  called  the  Kan- 
sas News.  He  immediately  allied  himself  with  the  free-state  party 
and  soon  became  a  recognized  leader  in  its  councils.  He  was  elected 
to  the  Leavenworth  constitutional  convention  in  1859  from  Brecken- 
ridge  (now  Lyon)  county.  Having  meantime  read  law.  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1861.  The  same  year  he  acted  as  reporter  for  the 
state  supreme  court,  but  soon  resigned.  The  following  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  house  of  representatives  and  became  chairman 
of  the  judiciary  committee.  In  1862  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Union  army  as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Eleventh  Kansas  infantry  and 
served  successively  as  captain,  major  and  lieutenant-colonel  of  that 
regiment.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  running  fight  during  Quan- 
trill's  retreat  from  Lawrence  and  all  other  engagements  of  the  regi- 
ment, which  saw  much  hard  service  and  was  held  for  duty  on  the 
plains  as  protection  against  the  Indians,  being  one  of  the  last  to  be 
mustered  out  of  the  service.  Mr.  Plumb  returned  home  after  the  war 
and  engaged  in  the  law  practice  which  he  had  dropped  when  he  had 
enlisted.  He  soon  became  prominent  in  his  profession  and  in  politics; 
was  elected  to  the  state  house  of  representatives  in  1867;  and  was 
reelected  in  1868,  when  he  served  as  speaker  of  that  body.  He  was 
forced  to  give  up  the  law  because  of  failing  health  and  became  presi- 
dent of  the  Emporia  national  bank  in  1873.  P"our  years  later  he  was 
elected  United  States  senator  to  succeced  James  M.  Harvey,  and  took 
his   seat   March  4,    1877.     One   of  his   first   official   acts   was  to   secure 


484  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

ail  order  allowing  actual  settlers  to  enter  the  Osage  ceded  lands,  cov- 
ered by  railroad  contracts.  Mr.  Plumb  was  twice  reelected  to  the 
senate,  and  at  his  death  had  held  nearly  two  years  of  his  third  term, 
having  served  nearly  fourteen  years  continuously  in  the  senate.  His 
last  election  was  practically  without  opposition.  Mr.  Plumb  died  on 
Dec.  20,  1891,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Plymouth,  a  little  town  in  Lyon  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  8  miles  west  of  Emporia,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  mone}'  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910, 
was  100.  This  is  one  of  the  early  settled  places  in  the  county,  having 
been  founded  in  1857.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1858  with 
D.  McMillan  as  postmaster.  The  next  year  C.  Humphrey,  the  first 
settler,  opened  a  store.  The  first  school  was  a  private  one  taught  in 
1862  by  Mary  Hammis.  In  1864  the  first  religious  services  were  held. 
A  sawmill  was  built  in  that  year  and  a  little  later  a  grist  mill,  which 
made  Plymouth  an  important  trading  point.  At  present  it  is  a  ship- 
ping and  receiving  point  fSr  a  large  farming  area. 

Plymouth,  Brethren. — Early  in  the  19th  century  there  appeared  in 
England  and  Ireland  a  spirit  of  restiveness  with  regard  to  church  con- 
nections. This  was  occasioned  by  the  close  connection  between  church 
and  state,  and  in  both  England  and  Ireland  a  number  of  religious  gath- 
erings sprang  up,  in  which  the  people  who  were  desirous  of  a  "spiritual 
communion  based  on  New  Testament  religious  principles"  met  for  "the 
breaking  of  bread"  and  prayer.  One  of  the  most  important  of  these 
gatherings  was  at  Dublin,  Ireland,  in  the  spring  of  1827,  but  it  was 
not  until  1829  that  the  first  permanent  meeting  was  formed,  under 
the  leadership  of  John  N.  Darby,  a  minister  of  the  Episcopal  church 
of  Ireland.  The  system  adopted  was  practically  Evangelical  Calvinism. 
Meetings  of  importance  were  held  at  Plymouth  and  Bristol,  England,  and 
the  fact  that  the  meeting  at  Plymouth  became  very  prominent  because  of 
its  members  gave  rise  to  the  name  of  Plymouth  Brethren,  which  became 
the  popular  designation  of  the  sect,  although  it  has  never  been  adopted 
by  the  different  communities,  who  call  themselves  Believers,  Chris- 
tians or  Brethren. 

The  movement  came  to  America  as  the  result  of  the  emigration  of 
a  number  of  the  members  who  located  in  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada about  the  middle  of  the  19th  century.  Mr.  Darby  made  several 
trips  to  this  country  and  a  number  of  congregations  were  formed. 
Since  that  time  meetings  have  multiplied  and  the  church  has  been  estab- 
lished in  several  states. 

This  church  was  not  established  in  Kansas,  however,  until  a  late 
date,  for  in  1900  there  was  but  one  organization,  located  in  Wood- 
son county,  with  16  members.  During  the  next  fifteen  years  rapid 
progress  was  made,  as  17  organizations  were  reported  in  1905  with  a 
total  membership  of  308. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  485 

Poe,  a  country  pusloffice  in  Logan  count}-,  is  located  in  Augustine 
township  22  miles  southeast  of  Russell  Springs,  the  county  seat,  and 
about  18  miles  northwest  of  Leoti  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  R.  R.,  the  nearest  shipping  point.    The  population  in  1910  was  12. 

Poetry. —  (See  Literature.) 

Point  Rocks,  a  country  postofifice  in  Morton  county,  is  located  on 
the  Cimarron  river  16  miles  southwest  of  Richfield,  the  county  seat, 
and  about  65  miles  south  of  Syracuse  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  The  population  in  1910 
was  24. 

Point  View,  a  coualr}-  pustoffice  in  Pawnee  count)',  is  located  in 
Logan  township  11  miles  southeast  of  Larned,  the  county  seat,  and 
5   miles  from  Ray,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Pollard,  a  hamlet  in  Rice  county,  is  a  station  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San 
Francisco  R.  R.  in  Victoria  township,  7  miles  north  of  Lyons,  the 
county  seat.  It  is  a  grain  shipping  point  and  has  an  elevator.  It  has 
an  express  office  and  a  postofiEce.  The  population,  according  to  the 
census  of  1910,  was  21. 

Pomeroy,  a  hamlet  of  Wyandotte  county,  is  situated  on  the  Missouri 
river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  14  miles  southeast  of  Leavenworth. 
It  has  rural  free  delivery  from  Bethel. 

Pomeroy,  Samuel  Clark,  pioneer  and  L'nited  States  senator,  was  borr» 
at  Southampton,  Mass.,  Jan.  3,  1816;  was  educated  at  Amherst  Col- 
lege, and  in  1840  became  an  enthusiastic  opponent  of  slavery.  lie  was 
present  when  President  Pierce  signed  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  and 
remarked  to  the  president :  "Your  victory  is  but  an  adjournment  of 
the  question  from  the  halls  of  legislation  at  Washington  to  the  prairies 
of  the  freedom-loving  West,  and  there,  sir,  we  shall  beat  you."  To 
assist  in  carrying  out  his  prophecy  he  left  Boston  in  Aug.,  1854.  with 
200  people  bound  for  Kansas,  and  upon  arriving  in  the  territory  located 
at  Atchison.  He  canvassed  the  Eastern  states  in  the  interest  of  the 
free-state  cause;  was  one  of  a  party  arrested  by  Col.  Cooke  on  the 
Nebraska  river  in  Oct.,  1856,  but  was  released  by  Gov.  Geary  upon 
his  arrival  at  Topeka;  was  a  member  of  the  Osawatomie  convention 
in  May,  1859,  that  organized  the  Republican  party  in  Kansas,  and 
served  on  the  first  state  executive  committee  of  that  party.  In  con- 
nection with  his  management  of  the  aid  committee  for  the  relief  of 
the  people  of  Kansas  in  the  great  drought  of  i860  he  was  charged 
with  irregular  conduct,  but  was  exonerated  in  March,  1861,  by  a  com- 
mittee composed  of  W.  W.  Guthrie,  F.  P.  Baker  and  C.  B.  Lines.  On 
April  4,  1861,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  first  United  States  senators 
from  Kansas,  and  was  reelected  in  1867.  During  the  troubles  over 
the  Cherokee  Neutral  Lands  many  of  the  people  of  the  state  lost  con- 
fidence in  Mr.  Pomeroy,  and  in  1873  he  was  defeated  for  reelection, 
to  the  senate  by  John  J.  Ingalls.  It  was  in  connection  with  this  cen- 
atorial  election  that  State  Senator  A.  U.  York  of  Montgomery  county 
made  his  sensational  charges  of  bribery  against  Senator  Pomeroy.    The 


486  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

charges  were  investigated  by  a  committee  of  the  United  States  senate 
and  also  by  a  joint  committee  of  the  Kansas  legislature.  On  March 
3,  1873,  ^  majority  of  the  former  committee  reported  that  "the  whole 
transaction,  whatever  view  be  taken  of  it,  is  the  result  of  a  concerted 
plot  to  defeat  Mr.  Pomeroy."'  Three  days  later  the  committee  of  the 
state  legislature  reported  Mr.  Pomeroy  "guilty  of  the  crime  of  bribery, 
and  attempting  to  corrupt,  by  olTers  of  money,  members  of  the  legis- 
lature." He  was  arraigned  for  trial  before  Judge  Morton  at  Topeka 
on  June  8,  1874,  but  a  change  of  venue  was  taken  to  Osage  county. 
After  several  delays  and  continuances  the  case  was  dismissed  on  March 
12,  1875.  O"  Oct.  II,  1873,  while  the  political  opposition  to  Mr. 
Pomeroy  was  at  its  height  he  was  shot  by  Martin  F.  Conway  in  Wash- 
ington, the  bullet  entering  the  right  breast,  intlicting  a  painful  but  not 
serious  wound.  Conway  claimed  that  Pomeroy  had  ruined  himself  and 
his  family.  After  the  bribery  case  against  him  was  dismissed  j\lr. 
Pomeroy  returned  to  the  East  and  died  at  Whitinsville,  Mass.,  Aug. 
27,  1891. 

Pomona,  the  fourth  largest  town  in  Franklin  county  in  1910,  is 
located  in  the  valley  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  river  and  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  10  miles  west 
of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat.  The  original  town  site  consisted  of  320 
acres  of  land.  A.  Jones  erected  the  first  building,  for  a  residence,  and 
within  a  short  time  Rev.  L.  Rickseeker  built  a  store  which  was  used 
for  drugs,  general  merchandise  and  the  postoffice.  A.  H.  Scranton  built 
the  second  business  block,  which  afterwards  was  converted  into  a  hotel 
known  as  the  Pomona  House.  At  an  early  date  Pomona  became  a 
considerable  manufacturing  center.  A  furniture  factory  was  started 
in  1870  by  Krouse  &  Sons;  a  steam  flour  mill  was  erected  the  same 
year  by  H.  O.  Kelsey.  Within  a  3-ear  a  school  house  was  built  that 
would  accommodate  200  pupils.  The  first  religious  services  were  held 
in  1870,  and  in  April,  1871,  the  Methodist  church  was  organized.  The 
Presbyterian  church  perfected  an  organization  in  1873.  Pomona  was 
started  on  a  temperance  plan  by  the  founders  and  from  the  first  pros- 
pered in  a  marked  degree.  Today  it  is  the  banking,  shipping  and 
supply  town  for  a  rich  agricultural  district,  with  a  number  of  retail 
stores,  lumber  yard,  hardware  and  implement  houses,  money  order 
postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  good  schools,  hotels,  and 
some  manufacturing  establishments.  It  is  an  incorporated  city,  and  in 
1910  had  a  population  of  523. 

Pontiac,  a  hamlet  in  Butler  county,  is  located  in  Prospect  township 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  east  of  Eldorado,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  some  local  retail  trade,  and 
a  money  order  postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  65. 

Pony  Express. — William  H.  Russell,  of  the  firm  of  Russell,  Majors 
&  Waddell,  freighters,  of  Leavenworth,  \yas  the  individual  who  insti- 
tuted the  "pony  express"  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  Pacific  coast. 
St.  Joseph.  Mo.,  was  the  starting  point,  and  on  April  3,   i86o,  a   little 


KANSAS    HISTORY  487 

after  sunset  Johnnie  Frey,  mounted  on  a  black  pony,  made  his  depar- 
ture on  the  first  trip.  Anticipating  the  occasion  St.  Joseph  was 
decorated  in  holiday  attire,  with  bands  discoursing"  enlivening  music, 
while  a  large  crowd  had  gathered  on  the  levee  to  speed  the  departing 
messenger.  At  Sacramento  the  occasion  was  observed  in  a  more  osten- 
tatious manner.  A  substantial  fund  had  been  contributed  by  the  citi- 
zens for  celebrating  the  inauguration  of  the  enterprise ;  the  city  had 
been  gaily  decorated  with  flags  and  bunting;  business  was  suspended; 
cannons  boomed;  brass  bands  played,  while  state  officials  and  local 
orators  made  the  occasion  one  long  to  be  remembered. 

A  pure  white  pony  ridden  by  Harry  Roff  left  this  city  the  same  day 
the  black  pony  left  the  other  end  of  the  line,  and  covered  the  first  20 
miles — two  stages — in  59  minutes.  He  changed  horses  in  10  seconds, 
changing  again  at  Folsom  and  reaching  Placerville,  55-  miles  from  Sac- 
ramento, in  2  hours  and  49  minutes.  The  first  "pony"  rider  to  reach 
Salt  Lake  was  the  east  bound  one,  who  arrived  on  the  7th,  and  reach- 
ing St.  Joseph  in  II  days  and  12  hours  from  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
rider  from  the  eastern  starting  point  reached  the  Utah  capital  on  the 
9th,  entered  Sacramento  in  9  days  and  23  hours  from  the  time  he 
started. 

The  quickest  trip  ever  made  over  the  route  was  in  March,  1861, 
when  President  Lincoln's  first  inaugural  address  was  carried  from 
St.  Joseph  to  Sacramento,  1,980  miles,  in  7  days  and  17  hours.  On  one 
occasion  despatches  were  carried  from  St.  Joseph  to  Denver,  675  miles, 
in  69  hours.  The  regular  schedule  for  delivering  mail  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  however,  was  8  days  for  despatches  and  10  days  for  letters.  This 
schedule  was  about  two  weeks  ahead  of  the  best  time  by  the  Southern 
Overland  Mail  company. 

The  route  from  St.  Joseph,  after  crossing  the  Missouri  river,  lay  a 
little  south  of  west  until  it  reached  the  old  military  road  from  Fort 
Leavenworth  to  Fort  ICearney.  near  the  village  of  Kennekuk,  in  Atchi- 
son county,  44  miles  out.  Thence  it  diverged  northwesterly  across 
the  Kickapoo  Indian  reservation  via  Granada,  Log  Chain,  Seneca.  Ash 
Point,  Guittard's,  Marysville  and  Hollenberg,  which  was  the  last  station 
in  Kansas ;  thence  up  the  Little  Blue  Valley  to  Rock  Creek,  Big  Sandy, 
Liberty  Farm,  thence  over  the  plains  to  the  Platte  river  and  up  that 
stream  to  Fort  Kearney ;  thence  west  via  Julesburg,  Col.,  Fort  Lara- 
mie, Wyo.,  through  the  Rocky  mountains  via  South  Pass  to  Fort 
Bridger,  Salt  Lake  City,  Carson  City  and  Sacramento,  where  the  pony 
was  changed  for  steamer  for  San  Francisco. 

Pony  charges  were  first  fixed  at  $5.00  for  each  half  ounce,  but  the 
postoffice  department  later  ordered  this  price  reduced  to  $1.50,  which 
price  prevailed  until  the  Pacific  telegraph  put  the  "pony  express"  out 
of  business.  Thousands  of  letters  were  plastered  over  with  "pony 
stamps"  and  during  the  British  troubles  with  China  one  document  for 
the  English  government  had  $135  in  stamps  on  it.  In  addition  to  the 
"pony"  charges  the  United  States  required  a  ten-cent  stamp  on  all 
correspondence  going  by  this  route. 


488  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  line  was  operated  semi-weekly.  It  was  stocked  with  several 
hundred  fleet-footed  ponies,  which  were  distributed  at  intervals  of  from 
lo  to  15  miles,  at  stations  technically  called  "stages."  Some  80  riders 
were  employed,  those  selected  usually  having  been  chosen  for  light- 
ness as  well  as  being  able  to  cope  with  the  dangers  attending  the  work. 
Their  pay  ranged  from  $50  to  S150  a  month,  those  portions  of  the  route 
through  the  sections  infested  with  treacherous  Indians  being  most 
highly  paid.  The  average  weight  of  riders  was  about  135  pounds,  and 
in  addition  to  the  rider  the  pony  had  to  carry  an  average  of  15  pounds 
of  mail  matter  besides  the  weight  of  the  bridle,  saddle  and  mail  bags, 
an  extra  13  pounds.  All  mail  matter  was  wrapped  in  oiled  silk  as  a 
precaution  against  dampness. 

To  all  but  promoters  the  enterprise  proved  a  blessing".  Russell  lost 
about  $100,000,  and  his  partners  also  lost  fortunes.  Their  expenses 
were  heavy,  nearl}-  500  good  saddle  horses  were  required,  190  stations 
were  kept  up,  and  in  addition  about  200  men  were  employed  as  station 
keepers.  All  grain  for  the  horses  had  to  be  freighted  from  the  east  at 
a  cost  of  from  10  to  25  cents  a  pound.  The  "pony  express"  lasted  less 
than  two  years,  the  daily  overland  stage  coach  following  in  July,  i86r, 
two  months  before  it  ceased  operations,  and  four  months  later  the 
Pacific  telegraph  was  working. 

Ponziglione,  Paul  M.,  one  of  the  early  Catholic  missionaries  in  Kan- 
sas, was  born  on  Feb.  11,  1818,  in  the  cit}-  of  Cherasco,  Piedmont,  Italy. 
He  was  of  noble  descent,  his  father  having  been  Count  Felice  Ponzig- 
lione di  Borge  d'Ales,  and  his  mother  Countess  Terrero  Castelnuoro. 
After  his  preliminary  education  he  attended  the  Royal  College  of  Novara 
and  subsequently  the  College  of  Nobles  at  Turin,  both  Jesuit  institu- 
tions, taking  his  degree  at  Turin.  He  then  studied  law  for  over  a  year, 
but  seemed  to  turn  naturally  to  the  priesthood,  and  in  1839,  entered 
the  novitiate  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  at  Chieri,  near  Turin,  where  he 
received  the  usual  training.  In  1848  he  was  connected  with  the  Jesuit 
college  at  Genoa,  during  a  period  of  disturbance  in  Italy,  and  at  one 
time  eighteen  of  the  priests  in  the  college  were  arrested  by  one  of  the 
political  factions.  They  were  sent  to  Spenzia  but  managed  to  escape 
to  Modena,  where  most  of  them  took  to  the  mountains.  Father  Paul 
determined  to  go  to  Rome  and  thence  to  the  United  States.  He  reached 
Rome,  where  he  was  ordained  priest  on  March  25,  1848,  and  soon 
after  that  came  to  the  I'nited  States.  From  New  York  he  went  to 
St.  Xavier's  College  at  Cincinnati  for  a  short  time,  but  before  leaving 
Italy  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  spend  his  life  as  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians.  Following  out  his  resolve  he  ofifered  himself  to  Rev. 
Anthony  Elet.  the  superior  of  the  western  Jesuits  of  the  United  States, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Missouri  mission.  For  two  years  he  worked 
in  Missouri  and  Kentucky,  and  then  returned  to  St.  Louis.  In  March. 
1851.  he  left  St.  Louis  for  the  region  west  of  the  Missouri  river.  While 
his  home  was  to  be  at  the  Osage  mission  and  that  tribe  his  special 
charge,   his  labors   extended   from   Fremont   Peak,   Wyo.,  to   Fort  Sill, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  4^9 

I.  T.  For  twenty  years  Father  Paul's  work  was  with  the  Osages,  and 
this  was  ofte  of  the  brightest  periods  in  the  history  of  the  tribe.  He 
was  an  honored  guest  among  the  Indians,  baptized  and  taught  their 
children,  and  ministered  alike  to  bodily  and  spiritual  needs.  The 
particular  scope  of  his  work  in  Kansas  was  from  Cherokee  county 
north  to  Miami,  then  west  to  Fort  Larned,  Pawnee  county,  along  the 
southern  border  of  the  state.  He  also  penetrated  the  wild  regions 
of  the  Indian  Territory  and  established  mission  stations  at  the  Indian 
agencies  and  military  posts.  Within  forty  years  he  established  over 
100  missions — 87  in  Kansas  and  21  in  the  Indian  Territory.  In  1870 
the  Osages  withdrew  from  Kansas,  but  Father  Paul  still  watched  over 
them,  making  the  trip  by  wagon  from  the  old  mission  to  their  new 
home  in  the  Indian  Territory.  The  beautiful  church  at  the  Osage  mis- 
sion, known  as  St.  Francis,  next  to  the  cathedral  at  Leavenworth,  is 
the  finest  in  the  state.  It  was  built  through  the  efforts  of  Father  Paul 
and  dedicated  on  May  11,  1884.  In  1889  he  was  asked  to  go  as  a  peace- 
maker to  the  Crow  Indians  in  Montana  and  did  not  return  to  Kan- 
sas. The  next  year  he  became  historian  of  St.  Ignatius'  College  in 
Chicago,  111.,  and  assistant  pastor  of  the  Jesuit  church.  His  sympathies 
were  so  broad  that  he  also  became  chaplain  of  St.  Joseph's  home  for 
deaf  mutes.    He  died  in  Chicago  on  March  28,  1900. 

Population. — (See  Census.) 

Porterville,  a  hamlet  of  Bourbon  county,  is  located  on  a  branch  of 
the  Big  Walnut  in  the  extreme  southwestern  part  of  the  county.  It 
has  free  rural  delivery  from  Walnut.     In  1910  the  population  was  20. 

Portis,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Osborne  county,  is  located 
in  Bethany  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  north  of 
Osborne,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Independent),  3  churches,  good  schools,  and  a  number  of  well  stocked 
retail  establishments.  The  town  became  a  city  of  the  third  class  in 
1905.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  304.  A 
trading  post  was  located  at  this  point  in  1871,  and  the  town  was 
platted  m  1873.  The  Portis  Patriot,  one  of  the  first  newspapers  in  this 
section  of  the  state  was  started  in  1872.  The  town  was  named  in  honor 
of  the  vice-president  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R. 

Portland,  a  hamlet  of  Sumner  county,  is  located  in  Guelph  township 
on  the  Kansas  Southwestern  R.  R.  15  miles  southeast  of  Wellington, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  mill,  about  a  dozen  retail  stores,  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  69. 

Portland  Exposition. — (See  Exposition.) 

Post,  a  countr}-  postoffice  in  Gray  county,  is  located  18  miles  south- 
west of  Cimarron,  the  count}'  seat,  and  15  miles  from  Ingalls,  the  near- 
est shipping  point. 

Pottawatomie,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Coffey  county,  is  located  on  the 
east   line   of  the  county,  about  midway  north  and  south.     It   is  about 


490  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

15  miles  northeast  of  Burlington,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  north- 
west of  Westphalia,  Anderson  county,  from  which  place  it  receives 
mail  by  rural  mute. 

Pottawatomie  County,  formerly  a  part  of  Riley,  was  organized  by 
the  territorial  legislature  of  1857  with  northern  and  southern  bound- 
aries the  same  as  at  present ;  the  western  boundar}-  5  miles  east  of 
the  site  of  Manhattan,  and  the  eastern  boundary  extending  5  miles 
beyond  that  of  the  present.  The  county  is  the  second  from  Nebraska 
and  the  third  west  from  Missouri.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mar- 
shall and  Nemaha  counties;  on  the  east  by  Jackson  and  Shawnee;  on 
the  south  by  Wabaunsee  and  Riley,  and  on  the  west  by  Riley.  The 
Kaw  river  forms  the  southern  boundary,  and  the  Big  Blue  the  western. 

The  first  white  people  to  settle  within  the  borders  of  the  county 
were  Catholic  missionaries  who  went  to  St.  Marys  a  few  weeks  pre- 
ceding the  immigration  of  the  Pottawatomie  Indians  to  their  reserva- 
tion, of  which  St.  Marys  was  a  central  point.  This  was  in  1848.  The 
mission  and  a  log  house  near  it  were  built  the  same  year.  The  In- 
dians contributed  to  the  erection  of  the  mission  school,  which  was  15 
years  in  advance  of  the  common  schools.  A  band  of  Michigan  Potta- 
watomies  joined  their  tribesmen  on  the  reservation  in  1850.  In  1853 
the  population  consisted  of  the  Catholic  missionaries,  a  few  traders, 
5  government  employees,  and  the  following  settlers :  Dr.  L.  R. 
Palmer  and  his  family,  Alexander  Peltier,  Basil  Germore.  William  Mar- 
tell,  Francis  Bergeron,  Antoine  Tescier,  J.  B.  Frapp,  Robert  ^\'ilson 
and  famil)-,  Joseph  Truchey,  Alva  Higbee,  O.  H.  P.  Polk,  Baptiste 
Ogee,  Mrs.  Zoe  Durcharm,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Bertrand,  Mrs.  A.  P.  Bertrand 
and  Mrs.  Clara  Bertrand. 

Dr.  Palmer,  who  came  in  Sept.,  1850,  was  later  a  member  of  the 
first  free-state  territorial  council  and  of  the  convention  which  framed 
the  Wyandotte  constitution.  His  son,  Francis  X.  Palmer,  born  March 
17,  185 1,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  county.  James  Graham, 
who  came  with  the  priests,  was  probably  the  first  white  settler. 
Robert  Wilson  was  the  first  man  to  stake  off  a  claim  and  he  built  the 
first  house  outside  of  the  reservation  on  the  site  of  the  present  town 
of  Louisville  in  1853.  The  first  Indian  agent  was  Luke  Lee,  stationed 
at  St.  Marys.    The  last  was  Dr.  Palmer  in  1870. 

In  Feb.,  1857,  after  the  founding  of  the  new  county,  St.  George  was 
made  the  county  seat,  and  Gov.  Geary  appointed  the  following  officers : 
Robert  Wilson,  probate  judge;  J.  L.  Wilson,  sheriff;  George  W.  Gilles- 
pie and  Charles  Jenkins,  commissioners.  The  commissioners  met  at 
St.  George  and  divided  the  county  into  four  townships,  Pottawatomie, 
St.  George,  Blue  and  Shannon.  They  also  appointed  L.  R.  Palmer, 
county  clerk;  Josiah  D.  Adams,  treasurer;  J.  A.  J.  Chapman,  surveyor; 
W.  L.  Seymore,  coroner;  and  James  S.  Gillespie,  assessor.  During 
the  next  two  years  Vienna  and  Louisville  townships  were  organized. 
In  1861  an  election  for  the  location  of  county  seat  was  held.  Louis- 
ville won  by  a  majority  of  12  votes  and  the  next  year  the  legislature 


KANSAS    HIST(1RV  49I 

declared  it  the  county  seat.  It  continued  as  such  until  1882,  when 
another  election  gave  the  honor  to  Westmoreland.  By  that  time  15 
new  townships  had  been  organized,  making  21   in  all. 

The  public  lands  were  surveyed  in  1857-58,  and  the  settlers  began 
to  get  clear  titles  to  their  farms,  which  they  had  been  occupying  and 
improving  for  several  jears.  During  the  war  Pottawatomie  con- 
tributed her  quota  of  soldiers  for  the  defense  of  the  nation,  as  well 
as  taking  care  of  her  own  troubles. 

The  population  in  1860  was  1,529;  in  1870,  7,848;  and  in  1910  it  was 
17,552.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $32, 573774,  which 
would  make  an  average  of  $1,944  for  each  person.  The  total  value  of 
farm  products  was  $5,279,294,  of  which  field  crops  amounted  to 
$2,804,778,  and  animals  slaughtered  to  $2,196,761.  The  wheat  crop  sold 
for  $3S.o88,  and  the  corn  for  $1,693,629.  Other  important  farm  crops 
are  sweet  and  Irish  potatoes,  oats,  Kafir  corn,  sorghum  and  alfalfa. 
The  fruit  trees  of  bearing  age  numbered  150,000,  of  which  90,000  were 
apple  trees. 

The  general  surface  is  rolling,  with  bluffs  along  the  Kansas  and  Big 
Blue  rivers,  in  which  limestone  is  extensively  quarried  for  building  pur- 
poses. Bottom  lands  average  2  miles  in  width  and  comprise  one-fourth 
of  the  whole  area.  A  good  qualit)^  of  gypsum  is  found  along  the 
water  courses,  especially  at  the  mouth  of  Spring  creek.  Potter's  clay 
is  found  in  the  southern  and  central  parts  of  the  county.  There  are 
thin  veins  of  coal  in  the  east  and  south  which  have  received  little 
attention.  There  is  said  to  be  a  mineral  spring  of  medicinal  properties 
at  Onaga.  Besides  the  Big  Blue  and  the. Kansas  rivers,  which  form 
the  western  and  southern  boundaries,  there  is  the  Vermillion  flowing 
south  through  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county  and  emptying  into 
the  Kansas.  Its  tributaries  from  the  west  are  French  and  Mill  creeks, 
and  the  tributaries  of  the  Big  Blue  are  Spring  creek  with  eastern 
branches.  Four  Mile  as  a  western  branch.  Shannon,  Carnahan,  McEn- 
tire,  Cedar  and  Elbow  creeks. 

Pottawatomie  county  is  well  supplied  with  railroads  to  handle  her 
products.  The  main  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  crosses  the  extreme  south 
following  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas  river,  the  Topeka  &  Marys- 
ville  branch  of  the  same  road  is  extended  to  Onaga  and  is  in  process 
of  construction  northwest  from  that  point.  The  Leavenworth,  Kan- 
sas &  Western  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  enters  in  the  northeast  and 
crosses  west  to  Blaine,  thence  southwest  into  Riley  count}-.  The  Kan- 
sas, Southern  &  Gulf  operates  a  line  from  Blaine  to  \\'estmoreland. 
There  are  98.23  miles  of  track  in  the  county.  There  are  120  organized 
school  districts  in  the  county  and  several  high  schools.  St.  Mary's 
College  at  St.  Marys  is  one  of  the  leading  Catholic  educational  insti- 
tutions in  the  West.  There  is  also  a  Catholic  parochial  school  at  that 
place,  an  Evangelical  school  at  Belvue,  and  St.  Luke's  (a  German 
Lutheran  school)   at  Onaga. 

The  county  is  divided  into  23  townships:     Belvue,  Blue,  Blue  Valley, 


492 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


Center,  Clear  Creek,  Enimett,  Gram,  Green,  Lincoln,  Lone  Tree,  Louis- 
ville, Mill  Creek,  Potlawatoniie,  Rock  Creek,  .Shannon,  Sherman, 
Spring  Creek.  St.  Clere,  St.  George,  St.  Marys,  Union,  Vienna  and 
Wamego.  The  towns  and  villages  are:  Arispie,  Belvue,  Blaine, 
Broderick,  Emniett,  Flush,  Fostoria,  Garrison,  Havensville,  Holy 
Cross,  Laclede,  Louisville,  Moodyville,  Myers  Valley,  Olsburg,  Onaga, 
St.  Clere,  St.  George,  St.  Marys,  Springside,  Wamego,  Westmoreland 
and  Wheaton. 

Pottawatomie  Massacre. — This  tragedy  occurred  on  the  night  of  May 
_'4,  1856,  near  the  place  called  Dutch  Henry's  crossing  on  Pottawatomie 
creek  in  Franklin  county.  Five  men  were  killed,  and  it  would  have 
been  regarded  as  ordinary  murder  had  it  been  ordinary  times,  but  it 
was  in  a  new  country,  at  a  time  when  civil  war  practically  existed  in 
the  border  counties  of  Kansas.  Early  in  1855  the  five  sons  of  John 
Brown  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  on  the  north  side  of  the  Potta- 
watomie, about  2  miles  southwest  of  the  present  town  of  Lane.  Between 
the  Pottawatomie  and  Mosquito  creeks  was  a  pro-slavery  settlement, 
just  north,  between  the  Mosquito  and  Marais  des  Cygnes,  was  a  free- 
'  state  settlement,  while  south  of  the  Pottawatomie  was  a  mixed  com- 
plexion of  politics.  The  Browns  lived  right  in  the  heart  of  the  pro- 
slavery  element. 

Among  the  pro-slavery  men  were  Allen  Wilkinson,  who  kept  the 
postoffice ;  James  P.  Doyle,  who  took  up  a  claim  north  of  the  Potta- 
watomie in  the  fall  of  1854;  Henry  and  William  Sherman,  who  set- 
tled on  an  abandoned  Indian  farm  at  the  ford  of  the  creek,  which 
became  known  as  Dutch  Henry's  crossing.  Some  of  the  free-state 
men  regarded  Wilkinson,  Doyle  and  the  Shermans  as  harmless  pro- 
slavery  men,  but  as  the  first  had  been  elected  by  fraud  and  violence 
to  a  legislature  where  he  voted  for  a  black  code ;  the  second  had  his 
softs,  William  and  Drury,  keep  free-state  men  from  the  polls  by  force, 
and  the  Shermans  entertained  lawless  invaders,  this  view  was  not  held 
by  all. 

On  May  21,  1856,  the  Pottawatomie  Rifles  were  called  together,  when 
it  was  heard  that  an  attack  was  to  be  made  on  Lawrence,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  going  to  the  defense  of  the  town.  On  the  way  they  learned 
that  Lawrence  had  been  destroyed  and  were  in  camp  when,  according 
to  the  narrative  of  James  Towsley,  one  of  the  eye-witnesses,  news  was 
brought  that  an  attack  was  expected  on  the  Pottawatomie.  Owen 
Brown,  and  later  John  Brown,  asked  Towsley  to  take  a  party  down 
there  to  watch  what  was  going  on.  The  party  consisted  of  John 
Brown,  his  four  sons- — Frederick,  Oliver,  Owen  and  Watson — his  son- 
in-law,  Henry  Thompson,  Theodore  Weiner  and  James  Towsley.  They 
left  Shore's  about  2  o'clock  of  May  23.  They  went  into  camp  about  a 
mile  west  of  Dutch  Henry's  crossing  and  after  supper  John  Brown 
revealed  his  plan,  which  was  to  "sweep  the  Pottawatomie  of  all  pro- 
slavery  men  living  on  it." 

Crossing  the  Pottawatomie  and  Mosquito  creeks  the  party  went  north 


KANSAS    HISTORY  493 

until  Doyle's  house  was  reached.  Here  Frederick  Brown,  Theodore 
Weiner  and  James  Towsley  stood  guard  in  the  road,  while  the  rest 
went  to  the  house.  They  brought  out  Doyle  and  his  sons — William 
and  Drury —  and  went  back  south  across  the  Mosquito  creek.  Doyle 
attempted  to  escape  and  John  Brown  shot  him.  When  the  boys 
attempted  to  get  away  Brown's  sons  killed  them  with  swords.  The 
party  then  proceeded  to  Wilkinson's  house  and  ordered  him  out.  He 
had  gone  but  a  short  distance  with  them  when  one  of  the  Brown  boys 
killed  him  with  a  sword.  They  then  crossed  the  creek  at  Dutch 
Henry's  and  went  to  Sherman's,  where  a  Mrs.  Harris  was  preparing 
breakfast  for  Buford's  men.  She  mistook  the  Brown  party  for  them, 
but  when  she  learned  of  the  mistake  she  alarmed  Henry  Sherman  and 
her  husband.  In  the  meantime  William  Sherman  had  been  taken  to 
the  river,  where  he  was  killed  with  short  swords  and  his  body  thrown 
into  the  stream. 

When  Brown  started  out  that  night  he  had  intended  to  capture  these 
men  and  hold  a  trial,  but  after  Doyle's  effort  to  escape  the  plan  was 
changed.  This  massacre  greatly  terrified  the  pro-slavery  settlers  of 
Pottawatomie  creek,  who  supposed  that  the  whole  rifle  company  had 
returned  to  commit  the  deed. 

Pottawatomie  Mission. — (See  Missions.) 

Pottawatomie  River,  a  stream  of  eastern  Kansas,  is  composed  of  two 
branches.  The  north  fork  rises  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Anderson 
count}-,  about  2  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Westphalia,  and  flows 
in  a  northerly  and  northeasterly  course  through  the  townships  of  West- 
phalia, Reeder,  Jackson.  Monroe,  Putnam  and  Walker.  The  south  fork 
rises  in  Richland  township  of  the  same  county,  about  2  miles  west  of 
Selma,  and  flows  northwest  into  Washington  township,  where  it  turns 
toward  the  northeast  and  forms  a  junction  with  the  north  fork  not 
far  from  the  town  of  Greeley.  From  that  point  the  course  of  the  main 
stream  is  northeast  until  it  empties  into  the  Osage  river,  just  below  the 
town  of  Osawatomie,  Miami  county. 

Potter,  one  of  the  larger  tovi'ns  of  Atchison  county,  is  situated  in 
the  southeastern  portion  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R. 
15  miles  south  of  Atchison,  the  county  seat.  It  is  one  of  the  towns 
which  has  grown  up  since  the  building  of  the  railroad  and  is  the  largest 
banking  town  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county.  There  are  several 
general  stores,  implement  and  hardware  houses,  school,  church,  money 
order  postofiRce,  and  telegraph  and  express  facilities.  In  1910  the  pop- 
ulation of  the  town  was  250. 

Pottersburg,  a  country  hamlet  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  about 
15  miles  northwest  of  Lincoln,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  north  of 
Vesper,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Potwin,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Butler  county,  is 
located  in  Plumb  township  on  White  Water  creek  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  13  miles  northwest  of  Eldorado,  the  county  seat.     It  has 


494 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


a  bank,  a  Hour  mill,  schools  and  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in 
1910  was  249. 

Powell,  a  hamlet  in  Phillips  county,  is  located  10  miles  south  of 
Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  south  of  Glade,  the  post- 
office  from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Powhattan,  an  incorporated  town  in  Brown  county,  is  located  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  southwest  of  Hiawatha, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Bee),  3 
churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  two  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910, 
was  216. 

Prairie  Center,  a  village  in  the  western  part  of  Johnson  county, 
received  the  name  because  it  was  located  on  a  prairie  about  equidis- 
tant from  four  towns  in  the  center  of  a  prairie.  The  first  settlement 
was  made  in  1871  and  in  February  of  the  following  year  the  postoffice 
was  established  with  David  Vestal  as  the  first  postmaster.  He  had 
opened  the  first  store  the  previous  year.  The  first  school  house  was 
built  in  1874  and  the  Friends  built  a  church.  Both  the  Methodists  and 
Free  Methodists  also  built  churches  within  a  short  time.  The  post- 
office  was  discontinued  when  the  rural  delivery  system  was  established, 
and  Prairie  Center  now  has  free  delivery  from  Eudora,  7  miles  north- 
west.    In  1910  the  population  was  70. 

Prairie  Dogs,  a  species  of  marmot-like  rodents  of  the  plains,  genus 
Cynamys,  especially  Cynamys  ludoviciamus.  They  are  about  one  foot 
long  and  live  in  communities  known  as  prairie  dog  towns  in  the  higher 
or  drier  parts  of  the  plains.  The  burrows  are  often  10  or  more  feet 
deep  and  have  hillocks  at  the  entrance.  They  live  on  vegetation  and 
while  part  of  the  community  are  foraging  others  are  placed  as  sen- 
tinels on  the  hills  to  give  warning  in  case  of  approaching  danger. 
Gopher,  a  corruption  of  the  French  "Gaufre,"  meaning  honey-comb,  is 
the  name  applied  to  a  smaller  species  of  the  same  animal,  because  they 
honey-comb  the  earth  with  their  burrows.  In  the  early  days  these 
animals  were  kept  in  check  by  wolves,  snakes  and  birds  of  prey,  but 
with  the  advance  of  civilization  their  natural  enemies  were  destroyed 
and  they  increased  so  rapidly  in  numbers  that  they  became  a  formida- 
ble pest.  Not  only  did  they  destroy  growing  crops  by  burrowing 
through  the  ground,  but  their  burrows  made  pitfalls  for  all  kinds  of  live 
stock.  Prairie  dogs  and  gophers  became  such  a  menace  to  property 
that  the  matter  of  their  extermination  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
United  States  department  of  agriculture  and  of  the  Kansas  legisla- 
ture. Several  bills  were  passed  offering  bounties  for  the  heads  of 
gophers  and  prairie  dogs  (see  Bounties).  One  act  provided  that  ten 
resident  land  owners  of  a  township  could  petition  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  to  have  an  official  appointed  to  exterminate  the  pests 
on  land  where  the  owner  refuses  to  do  so,  and  to  have  the  cost  of 
extermination   charged  against   the   land  in   taxes.     The   legislature   of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  495 

1901  authorized  township  auditing  boards  to  purchase  material  and  to 
employ  one  or  more  suitable  persons  to  destroy  prairie  dogs  and 
gophers,  not  more  than  $ioo  to  be  used  in  any  one  township  in  a 
year.  The  board  of  regents  of  the  Kansas  Agricultural  College  was 
authorized  to  select  a  competent  person  to  direct  and  conduct  experi- 
ments for  determining  the  most  effective  methods  of  extermination, 
and  $S,ooo  was  appropriated  for  this  purpose.  On  account  of  the 
extreme  caution  of  the  animals  in  question  it  was  very  hard  to  catch 
or  shoot  them  and  one  of  the  effective  methods  so  far  discovered  for 
destroying  them  has  been  suffocation  with  bisulphide  of  carbon  placed 
upon  absorbent  balls  and  rolled  into  the  burrows.  By  the  act  of  March 
12,  1909,  the  township  trustees  were  authorized  to  make  diligent  efforts 
to  exterminate  these  pests;  to  report  to  the  county  commissioners  before 
the  annual  meeting  in  August  of  each  year  as  to  the  probable  expense, 
and  the  commissioners  were  authorized  to  levy  a  tax  on  real  estate 
in  each  township  not  to  exceed  70  cents  on  each  $100  valuation.  As 
a  result  of  these  measures  the  prairie  dog  and  the  gopher  dre  rapidly 
disappearing. 

Prairie  View,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Phillips  county, 
is  located  in  Prairie  View  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  R.  R.  12  miles  northwest  of  Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  bank,  a  number  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population 
in  1910  was  191. 

Pratt,  the  county  seat  of  Pratt  county,  is  centrally  located  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
railroads  and  on  the  Ninnescah  river.  It  has  waterworks,  fire  depart- 
ment, electric  light  and  ice  plant,  paved  streets,  3  banks,  a  flour  mill, 
3  grain  elevators,  a  steam  laundry,  an  opera  house,  2  newspapers  (the 
Republican  and  the  Union),  telegraph  and  e.xpress  offices,  and  an  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  It  has  been 
designated  as  a  point  for  a  postal  savings  bank.  The  population  ih 
1910  was  3,302.  Pratt  was  founded  in  1884  and  the  ne.xt  year  began 
the  long  contest  for  county  seat,  in  which  it  finally  won.  In  1886,  when 
the  county  seat  fight  was  at  its  height,  the  town  had  already  gained 
a  population  of  1,000.  In  1890  the  population  was  1,418,  and  in,  1900 
it  was  1,213,  which  shows  an  increase  of  over  2,000  people  in  the  last 
ten  years,  or  nearly  200  per  cent. 

Prattsburg,  a  country  hamlet  in  Clear  Creek  township,  Stafford 
county,  is  located  on  Rattlesnake  creek  20  miles  southwest  of  St. 
John,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  south  of  Macksville,  the  nearest 
shipping  point.     It  receives  mail  from  Haviland,  Kiowa  county. 

Pratt  County,  in  the  south  central  part  of  the  state,  is  the  second 
county  from  the  southern  line  of  the  state  and  the  seventh  from  the 
west  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Staft"ord  county :  on  the 
east  by  Reno  and  Kingman ;  on  the  south  by  Barber,  and  on  the  west 
by  Kiowa  and  Edwards.     It  was  created  in  1867  and  named  for  Caleb 


496  CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 

Pratt,  of  the  First  Kansas  infantry.  The  boundaries  fixed  at  that  time 
were  as  follows:  "Commencing  where  the  east  line  of  range  11  west 
intersects  the  5th  standard  parallel;  thence  south  to  the  6th  standard 
parallel;  thence  west  to  the  east  line  of  range  16  west;  thence  north 
to  the  5th  standard  parallel;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  east  and  west  boundaries  have  not  been  changed,  but  the  north 
and  south  lines  have  both  been  moved  one  tier  of  townships  to  the 
north.  Pratt  was  one  of  the  counties  which  experienced  a  fake  organ- 
ization before  it  had  a  single  inhabitant.  In  1873  a  party  of  men  from 
Hutchinson  accomplished  a  complete  organization  of  the  county,  bonds 
were  issued  and  a  nonentity  elected  to  the  legislature.  The  organiza- 
tion was  never  recognized,  and  as  the  first  settler  did  not  come  until 
the  fall  of  that  year  it  was  1879  before  there  were  sufficient  inhabitants 
to  organize.  The  first  actual  settler  was  A.  J.  Johnson,  who  located 
in  the  vicinity  of  Springvale.  He  was  followed  by  J.  W.  Black  and 
A.  Kelly,  who  came  to  the  same  neighborhood,  and  I.  M.  Powell  came 
in   1875.     These  men  all  brought  their  families,  except  Kelly. 

One  of  the  noted  characters  of  the  early  times  was  "Skunk"  John- 
son, who  in  1874  selected  a  spot  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Ninnescah 
river,  where  he  made  a  dugout,  which  became  known  as  "Skunk" 
Johnson's  cave  and  was  for  a  long  time  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the 
county.  At  one  time  Johnson  was  besieged  by  the  Indians  in  this 
cave  for  15  days,  during  which  time  he  killed  several  of  their  number. 
It  was  said  that  during  the  seige  he  subsisted  on  skunks.  After  John- 
son left  it  was  a  favorite  camping  place  for  freighters. 

There  were  a  few  settlers  in  1876,  but  in  1877  over  100  families  came, 
many  of  them  from  Iowa.  The  county  was  attached  to  Reno  that  year 
as  a  municipal  township.  The  bogus  organization  was  set  aside  in 
the  fall  of  1878,  and  in  the  spring  of  1879  the  citizens  petitioned  the 
governor  for  organization.  A  census  taker  was  appointed  and  upon 
receiving  the  returns  Gov.  St.  John  issued  a  proclamation  organizing 
Pratt  county,  with  luka  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  the  follow- 
ing temporary  officers ;  County  clerk,  L.  C.  Thompson  ;  commissioners, 
John  Sillin,  Thomas  Goodwin  and  L.  H.  Naron.  The  election  was 
held  on  Sept.  2nd,  when  the  following  officers  were  elected :  County 
clerk,  L.  C.  Thompson ;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  Samuel  Brumsey ; 
probate  judge,  James  Neely ;  treasurer,  R.  T.  Peak;  sherifif,  Samuel 
McAvoy ;  county  attorney,  M.  G.  Barney ;  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  A.  H.  Hubbs ;  register  of  deeds,  Phillip  Haines ;  surveyor, 
J.  W.  Ellis;  coroner,  P.  Small;  commissioners,  John  Sillin,  L.  H.  Naron 
and  Thomas  Goodwin.  For  county  seat  there  were  three  candidates, 
Saratoga,  luka  and  Anderson.  In  the  count  the  commissioners  threw 
out  three  townships  on  account  of  irregularities.  This  gave  the  elec- 
tion to  luka,  but  caused  so  much  dissatisfaction  that  a  recount  was 
taken,  including  the  votes  previously  thrown  out.  No  candidate  then 
had  the  majority  and  a  new  electio'n  was  ordered,  .\nderson  with- 
drew.    The  election  was  held  Aug.  19,  1880.     An  attempt  on  the  part 


KANSAS    HISTORY  497 

of  Saratoga  to  buy  votes  became  public  before  the  election,  luka  received 
an  overwhelming  majority  and  was  declared  the  permanent  county 
seat. 

The  next  year  some  of  the  county  officials  were  found  guilty  of 
swindling  the  county  by  issuing  scrip  illegall}-.  In  the  two  years  after 
the  county  was  organized  they  had  taken  nearly  $75,000  or  about  $40 
for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  county.  They  were  prosecuted 
and  new  officers  elected.  In  the  fall  of  1885  there  was  another  county 
seat  election.  The  candidates  were  luka,  Saratoga  and  Pratt.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  bitterly  contested  county  seat  elections  ever  held  in 
the  state.  Saratoga  had  546  votes  and  Pratt  324.  As  the  total  num- 
ber of  voters  at  Saratoga  was  but  200  fraud  was  charged,  the  com- 
missioners sustained  the  charges  and  declared  Pratt  the  county  seat. 
The  matter  was  taken  into  the  courts,  and  pending  the  decision  the 
feeling  ran  high.  The  Saratoga  and  Pratt  partisans  were  all  armed 
and  trouble  was  hourly  expected.  The  Pratt  men  went  to  luka  and 
■  forcibly  removed  the  county  records.  On  the  way  back  they  were 
attacked  by  the  Saratoga  men,  who  succeeded  in  capturing  the  treas- 
urer's safe,  which  they  took  to  their  town.  The  next  day  Saratoga 
made  an  attack  on  Pratt  in  a  fruitless  effort  to  get  the  other  county 
property.  By  this  time  the  more  peaceable  citizens  asked  the  gov- 
ernor to  send  militia  to  restore  order.  Gov.  Martin  sent  Adjt.-Gen. 
Campbell  and  Col.  W.  E.  Hutchinson  to  the  county.  They  stationed 
guards  at  both  towns  and  allowed  no  one  to  carry  arms.  Finally  the 
supreme  court  handed  down  its  decision  and  ordered  the  records  taken 
back  to  luka.  Matters  quieted  down,  but  the  county  seat  contest  was 
not  yet  forgotten,  and  in  Feb.,  1888,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
commissioners  asking  for  a  special  election  to  relocate  the  county  seat. 
The  election  was  held  on  Feb.  29  of  that  year,  and  Pratt  was  the  win- 
ning candidate.    The  question  was  settled  at  last. 

The  first  newspaper  was  the  Pratt  County  Press,  established  in  1878 
by  M.  C.  Davis  and  J.  B.  King.  The  first  school  in  the  county  was 
taught  in  luka  in   1878  by  Miss  Laura  Long. 

The  county  is  divided  into  18  townships :  Banner,  Carmi,  Center, 
Elm,  Gove,  Grant,  Haynesville,  luka,  Lincoln,  Logan,  McClellan, 
McPherson,  Naron,  Paxon,  Richland,  Saratoga,  Springvale  and  Valley. 
The  postoffices  are  Caro,  Coats,  Croft,  Cullison,  luka,  Lawndale,  Olym- 
pia,  Pratt,  Preston  and  Sawyer.  A  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  which  runs  west  from  Wichita,  enters  on  the  east- 
ern border  and  terminates  at  Pratt.  Another  line  of  the  same  road 
enters  in  the  southeast  and  crosses  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
running  west  into  Kiowa  county,  with  a  branch  south  from  Spring- 
dale  into  Barber  county.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  enters  in 
the  northeast  and  crosses  southwest  to  Pratt,  thence  into  Kiowa  county, 
and  a  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  enters  in  the  northeast  and  ter- 
minates at  luka. 

The    surface    is    gently    rolling   prairie,    practically    all    tillable    land. 

( 11-32) 


498  CYtLOPEDIA    OF 

Bottom  lands  average  one-fourth  to  one  mile  in  width  and  comprise 
about  8  per  cent,  of  the  area.  Thin  belts  of  timber  line  the  streams. 
The  Ninnescah  river  ha.s  its  source  in  the  central  part  of  the  county  and 
flows  east.  The  Chikaskia  has  its  source  in  the  south  and  flows  south- 
east into  Barber  county.  Gypsum  and  sandstone  are  found  in  the  south 
and  southwest. 

In  1882  there  were  about  16,000  acres  of  land  under  cultivation.  In 
1910  the  acreage  was  371,041,  and  the  value  of  farm  products  was 
$5,279,294.  Corn,  the  largest  field  crop,  brought  $1,693,629:  tame 
grasses,  $357,943;  wild  grasses,  $256,925;  oats,  $174,773.  The  animals 
sold  for  slaughter  brought  $2,196,761  ;  poultry  and  eggs,  $162,266. 

The  population  in  1880  was  1,890;  in  1890  it  was  8,118.  During  the 
hard  times  of  the  '90s  the  population  fell  off  and  in  1900  it  was  7,085. 
In  the  last  decade  the  increase  was  about  57  per  cent.,  the  population 
for  1910  being  11,156.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  that 
year  was  $25,705,667.  The  average  wealth  per  capita  is  $2,313,  which 
is  several  hundred  dollars  above  the  average  in  the  state. 

Prentis,  Noble  Lovely,  journalist  and  author,  was  born  on  April  8, 
1839,  in  a  log  cabin  3  miles  from  Mount  Sterling,  Brown  county.  111. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  Vermont,  descended  from  English  settlers 
who  came  to  America  in  1630  and  1641,  respectively.  His  grandfather 
Prentis  served  in  the  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war  and  two  of 
his  uncles  gave  their  lives,  one  at  Bunker  Hill  and  one  at  Saratoga. 
Several  of  his  mother's  family  enrolled  in  the  Revolutionary  army 
from  Connecticut.  His  parents  died  at  Warsaw,  111.,  of  cholera  during 
the  epidemic  of  1849,  leaving  him  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  ten  years. 
He  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  in  Vermont  and  remained  there  until 
he  was  eighteen,  when  he  removed  to  Connecticut  and  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade.  He  then  came  west  and  worked 
for  a  time  in  a  newspaper  office  at  Carthage,  111.  At  the  opening  of 
the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Sixteenth  Illinois  infantry 
and  served  four  years  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  pub- 
lished a  paper  at  Alexandria,  Mo.,  until  Capt.  Henry  King  of  the  St. 
Louis  Globe-Democrat  induced  him  to  come  to  Topeka  in  1869  and 
assist  him  on  the  Record.  He  next  worked  on  the  Commonwealth  and 
then  on  the  Lawrence  Journal.  From  1873  to  1875  Mr.  Prentis  edited 
the  Junction  City  L^nion,  then  returned  to  the  Topeka  Commonwealth, 
and  about  1877  began  to  work  on  the  Atchison  Champion.  He  remained 
with  that  paper  during  Col.  Martin's  term  as  governor  and  in  1888 
took  charge  of  the  Newton  Republican.  In  1890  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Kansas  City  Star,  which  he  held  until 
his  death.  In  1877  he  went  to  Europe.  His  observations  during  the 
trip  were  published  in  book  form,  entitled  "A  Kansan  Abroad,"  which 
ran  through  two  editions.  He  also  wrote  "Southern  Letters,"  "South- 
western Letters,"  "Kansas  Miscellanies,"  and  in  the  last  year  of  his 
life  wrote  a  History  of  Kansas,  which  is  his  best  known  work.  Mr. 
Prentis  married  Maria  C.  Strong  on  May  13,  1866.     She  died  in  Atchi- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  499 

son,  Kan.,  in  1880,  and  in  18S3  li*-'  married  Mrs.  Carrie  E.  Anderson  of 
Topeka,  who  survives  him.  Mr.  Prentis  died  at  La  llarpe,  111.,  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  within  a  few  miles  of  his  birthplace,  on  July 
6,   1900. 

Presbyterian  Church. — Presbyterianisni  is  a  church  government  by 
church  presbyters  or  a  body  of  elders.  John  Calvin  is  usually  regarded 
as  the  founder  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  as  he  organized  the  Reformed 
church,  which  is  similar  to  the  Presbyterian,  but  church  government 
by  a  body  of  elders  had  been  started  b\'  the  W'aldenses  at  a  much 
earlier  date.  All  Presbyterian  churches  are  generally  Calvinistic  in 
doctrine.  The  first  efforts  toward  organization  of  the  church  were 
made  at  Edinburg,  Scotland,  Dec.  3,  1557,  when  some  of  the  powerful 
Scottish  barons  and  lesser  nobility  signed  "The  First  Covenant."  The 
Presbyterian  church  became  the  established  church  of  Scotland,  and 
from  it  other  Presbyterian  bodies  withdrew  from  time  to  time,  but 
all  were  practically  the  same  in  principles.  In  England  the  organiza- 
tion took  the  name  of  Presbyterian  church  of  England.  The  Irish 
church  was  organized  in  1642,  and  it  was  established  in  Wales  in   1735. 

In  the  New  World  the  Presbyterian  church  was  established  in  the 
colonies  by  refugees  from  Scotland,  Ireland,  France.  Germany  and 
Holland,  who  tied  to  America  to  avoid  persecutions.  The  Presbyterian 
colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay  was  started  in  1625.  Four  years  later 
more  colonists  arrived  and  a  church  was  established  under  Samuel 
Skelton.  Francis  Doughty,  an  English  Presbyterian  minister,  went 
from  New  EnglanS  to  Long  Island  in  1642  and  a  year  later  to  New 
York,  where  he  was  the  first  Presbyterian  to  preach,  but  no  church  was 
organized  until  1717.  An  Irish  minister  by  the  name  of  Francis 
Mackemie,  organized  some  of  the  early  Presbyterian  churches  in  Vir- 
ginia and  Maryland.  Presbyterian  churches  were  founded  in  New  Jer- 
sey and  at  Philadelphia,  and  in  1716,  the  synod  of  Philadelphia  was 
formed,  consisting  of  4  presbyteries,  having  17  ministers  and  17 
churches.  In  1729,  the  synod  adopted  the  Westminster  Confession  of 
Faith,  but  ten  years  later  dissension  began  and  in  1741  two  synods  were 
formed — the  Old  Side,  or  synod  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  New  Side,  or 
synod  of  New  York. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  the  Presbyterian  church  was  one 
of  the  three  leading  religious  organizations  in  the  colonies,  and  the 
church  was  growing  so  rapidly  that  there  were  not  enough  ministers 
to  supply  all  congregations.  During  the  Revolution  the  Presbyterians 
were  consistent  in  their  support  of  religious  and  civil  liberty,  and  John 
Witherspoon,  a  prominent  Presbyterian  minister,  was  a  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  In  May,  1788,  the  general  assembly  was 
formed,  consisting  of  four  synods — New  York  and  New  Jersey,  Phila- 
delphia, Virginia  and  the  Carolinas — and  included  17  presbyteries  and 
419  congregations. 

In  1837  the  church  was  divided  into  the  Old  and  New  School  Pres- 
byterians.    This  was  followed  by  dissensions  that  arose  over  the  qnes- 


500 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


tion  of  slavery  in  the  early  '50s.  In  1S53,  6  synods,  21  presbyteries,  and 
some  15,000  southern  members  seceded  from  the  assembly  and  formed 
the  United  Synod  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Five  years  later  the 
southern  portion  of  the  New  School  church  seceded  and  the  united 
synod  of  the  Presbyterian  church  South  was  formed  with  100  ministers 
and  some  200  churches. 

The  Presbyterian  church  was  the  pioneer  organization  to  begin  work 
in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas.  As  early  as  1820,  while  the  country 
west  of  the  Missouri  river  was  still  unorganized  Indian  territory,  two 
missions  were  established  among  the  Osage  Indians.  (See  Missions.) 
When  Kansas  was  organized  as  a  territory  and  the  country  was  thrown 
open  to  white  settlers,  the  Presbyterian  church  already  had  a  habitation 
in  the  land.  On  Jan.  i,  1856,  one  of  the  first  churches  in  the  state  was 
established  at  Leavenworth  by  C.  D.  Martin.  To  this  A.  W.  Pitzer 
was  called  as  the  first  minister  and  a  building  was  erected  there  in  1857. 
The  Presbyterians  of  Doniphan  county  formed  a  society  at  Doniphan 
in  1856.  A  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  at  Wyandotte  (now 
Kansas  City)  in  1857  and  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when 
it  disbanded,  but  was  reorganized  in  1881.  In  the  summer  of  1857  the 
genera!  synod  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church  sent  B.  L.  Bald- 
ridge  to  Kansas.  He  arrived  at  Leavenworth  in  July,  began  at  once 
to  hold  services,  and  the  next  month  organized  a  congregation.  On 
Oct.  21,  1858,  a  church  was  formed  at  Atchison  by  a  committee  of  the 
Highland  presbytery,  but  no  regular  services  were  held  there  until  i860. 
Missionaries  went  into  Johnson  county  in  1858,  the  best  known  being 
J.  C.  Beach,  A.  T.  I'iankin  and  ^^'illiam  Smith.  In  1865  the  Reformed 
or  Covenanter  church  was  formed  at  Olathe,  the  first  of  this  kind  in 
the  state.  The  first  pastor  was  W.  W.  McMillan.  The  Old  School 
Presbyterian  church  was  organized  in  the  summer  of  1858  at  Lawrence 
with  25  members  by  W^illiam  Wilson,  and  in  1864  the  New  School  Pres- 
byterian church  was  organized  there.  This  was  followed  three  years 
later  by  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  with  J.  C.  Herron  as  pastor. 
A.  T.  Rankin,  of  the  Highland  presbytery,  organized  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Topeka  on  Feb.  15,  1859,  with  17  members  and  a  year  later 
the  church  was  incorporated.  Air.  Rankin  established  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Fort  Scott  in  1859  and  the  town  company  donated  two  lots 
for  church  property,  where  a  building  was  erected  in  1865.  At  Junction 
City  a  church  was  organized  in  i860  but  no  building  was  erected  until 
1868.  During  the  early  '60s  churches  were  organized  in  Jefferson, 
Johnson,  Franklin,  Jackson,  Miami,  and  Allen  counties,  and  at  Emporia, 
Lyon  county.  It  is  claimed  by  some  that  the  first  church  was  organized 
about  1840,  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Ottawa,  before  the  terri- 
tory was  organized,  but  no  records  can  be  found  to  substantiate  the 
statement.  It  was  probably  a  mission.  It  is  known  that  a  church  was 
organized  by  William  Hamilton  and  S.  M.  Irvin  of  the  Highland  pres- 
bytery in  1843.  In  1875  there  were  in  Kansas  39  church  organizations, 
with  14  church  edifices  and  a  membership  of  1,313.    In  1890,  there  were 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


501 


495  organizations,  having  356  churches  and  a  membership  of  29778 
and  in  1906  the  Presbyterian,  church  ranked  fifth  in  number  of  members 
of  all  denominations  in  Kansas,  having  40,765  members. 

Prescott,  an  incorporated  town  of  Linn  county,  is  situated  on  the 
St  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  8  miles  south  of  Pleasanton  It  was 
named  in  honor  of  C.  H.  Prescott,  auditor  and  treasurer  of  the  Missouri 
River  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  R.  R.  at  the  time  it  was  built  through  the 
town,' which  was  laid  out  in  1870.  In  April  of  that  year  the  first  store 
was  opened.  It  was  followed  by  a  drug  store  and  a  blacksmith  shop 
and  in  June  the  postoffice  was  established.  The  first  school  was  taugh 
in  1873,  a  large  school  house  was  erected  in  1873,  and  at  the  present 
time  Prescott  has  an  excellent  public  school  system.  There  are  a 
number  of  general  stores,  a  hotel,  a  money  order  postoffice,  express 
and  telegraph  facilities,  and  in  1910  Prescott  had  a  population  of  255. 
Press  Association.— (See  Editorial  Association.) 

Pressonville,  a  hamlet  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Miami  county,  is 
about  15  miles  northwest  of  Paola,  the  county  seat.  It  is  supplied  with 
mail  service  by  a  rural  route  from  Wellsville,  and  in  1910  had  a  popu- 
lation  of  20. 

Preston,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Pratt  county,  is 
located  in  HaynesviUe  township  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  12  miles  northeast 
of  Pratt,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Pilot)  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
three  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  278. 

Pretty  Prairie,  a  little  town  in  Reno  county,  is  located  m  the  south- 
ern parf  of  the  county  on  the  Kingman  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R   R.,  about  20  miles  south  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat. 
It  is  the  trading  point  for  Albion  township,  and  an  important  shipping 
po  ^t  for  live  si'ck,  grain  and  produce.     It  has  a  bank,  miUs  and  ele 
vators,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  w  th 
three  rural  routes.     The  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third 
class  in  1907     The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  327- 
Prayer,  Carl  Adolph,  musician  and  composer,  was  born  at  Pforzheim 
Germany    July  28,  1863,  a  son  of  Jean  and  Mane  (Heinz)  Preyer.     He 
was   edi^ated   at   Pforzheim,   studied   at  the   conservatory  of  music  at 
Stutt/art    under   Dr.    Navratil   at   Vienna,   and    Professors   Urban    and 
Ba  th  at  B  rHn.    He  married  Miss  Grace  Havens  of  Leavenworth,  Kan 
MaVf  1887      In   Sept.,   1909,  he  was  married  to   Francis   Havens  at 
Kansa's'  City    Kan.     He  has  been  professor  of  piano  at  the  University 
of  Kansas  since  1893;  is  the  composer  of  melodies,  numerous  studies  for 
t  chniq  "     hy  hm^ind  expression,  and  of  a  nurnber  of  songs,  among 
whkh  a  re-     'T  Love  My  Love,"  "Childhood,-  '■My  Love  s  Like  a  Red, 
RerRose  "  '■Elusion,"  "Snow  Song"  and  "Spanish  Song." 

Pri!e    :  little  station  on  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand   Island  R.  R.   m 
Nemahl  co   nty.  is   14  miles  northeast  of  Seneca,  the  county  seat,  and 


502 


CYCLOi'F.DIA    OF 


u 


4  miles  west  oi  Sabetha,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail.  The  popu- 
lation in   1910  was  30. 

Price  Raid. —  (Sec  War  of  1861-65.) 

Primary  Election  Laws.— In  his  message  to  the  legislature  of  1893, 
Gov.  Lewelling  suggested  that  some  effort  be  made  "to  protect 
primary  elections  in  the  work  of  selecting  candidates."  The  legislature 
f  1891  had  passed  an  act  providing  that  "when  any  voluntary  political 
association  or  party  in  any  district,  county,  township,  or  municipal  cor- 
poration, causing  notice  for  the"  holding  of  any  primary  election  to  be 
published,"  such  election  must  be  held  under  certain  regulations  author- 
ized in  that  enactment,  .\mendments  and  additions  were  made  to  this 
law  by  succeeding  legislatures  until  the  special  session  of  1908,  when 
there  was  passed  "an  act  relating  to  primary  elections,  providing  for  the 
organization  and  government  of  political  parties,"  etc.,  and  repealing  all 
other  acts  and  parts  of  acts  in  conflict  therewith. 

This  act  has  been  amended  in  some  particulars.  .\11  candidates  must 
be  nominated  by  a  primary  held  in  accordance  with  law,  but  the  act  does 
not  apply  to  special  elections  to  fill  vacancies,  to  school  meetings,  nor 
to  cit}-  elections  where  the  population  is  less  than  5.000.  The  primary 
is  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  August,  in  the  even  numbered  years,  for 
the  nomination  of  all  candidates  to  be  voted  for  at  the  next  ensuing  No- 
vember election,  and  annually  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  March  in  all 
cities  having  10,000  or  more  population,  for  all  candidates  to  be  voted  for 
at  the  next  ensuing  city  election.  At  least  120  days  before  the  time  of 
holding  the  primary,  the  secretary  of  state  prepares  and  transmits  to 
each  county  clerk  a  notice  designating  the  offices  for  which  candidates 
are  to  be  nominated  at  such  primary,  and  upon  receipt  of  such  notice 
each  county  clerk  forthwith  publishes  once  each  week  for  three  consecu- 
tive weeks,  in  the  official  county  paper,  so  much  thereof  as  may  be 
applicable  to  his  county.  The  sheriff  of  each  county,  immediately  after 
the  publication  of  the  notice,  causes  copies  of  it  to  be  posted  in  three 
places  in  each  precinct  in  his  county,  stating  the  time  when  and  the 
place  where  the  primary  will  be  held  in  each  precinct,  together  with  the 
offices  for  which  candidates  are  to  be  nominated.  Each  city  clerk,  at 
least  45  days  before  the  time  of  holding  the  municipal  primary,  publishes 
in  the  official  city  paper,  once  each  week  for  three  consecutive  weeks,  a 
notice  designating  the  cit\-  offices  for  which  candidates  are  to  be  nomi- 
nated at  such  primary,  and  he  must  also  post  such  notices  in  three  public 
places  in  each  election  precinct  in  the  city,  not  more  than  20  and  not 
less  than  10  days  before  the  primary. 

The  name  of  no  candidate  can  be  printed  upon  an  official  ballot  used 
at  any  primary  unless  at  least  40  days  prior  to  such  primary  a  nomination 
paper  shall  have  been  filed  in  his  behalf.  Each  signer  of  a  nomination 
paper  shall  sign  but  one  such  paper  for  the  same  office,  must  declare 
that  he  intends  to  support  the  candidate  therein  named,  and  must  add 
to  his  signature  his  place  of  residence  or  postoffice  address.  The  affi- 
davit of  a  qualified  elector  must  be  appended  to  each  nomination  paper, 


KANSAS    IIISTOUV  S^S 

Stating  that  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  behef  all  the  signers 
thereon  are  electors  of  that  precinct;  that  he  knows  that  the)-  signed 
the  same  with  full  knowledge  of  the  contents  thereof;  that  their  respec- 
tive residences  are  correctly  stated :  that  each  signer  signed  the  same  on 
the  date  stated  opposite  his  name,  and  that  the  affiant  intends  to  sup- 
port the  candidate  therein  named.  Such  nomination  papers  must  be 
signed:  i — If  for  a  state  office  or  for  the  office  of  L'nited  States  senator, 
by  at  least  i  per  cent,  of  the  voters  of  the  party  of  such  candidate  in  each 
of  at  least  lo  counties  in  the  state,  and  in  the  aggregate  not  less  than 
I  nor  more  than  lo  per  cent,  of  the  total  vote  of  his  party  in  the  state, 
or  by  at  least  i  per  cent,  of  the  total  vote  of  his  party  in  each  of  20  coun- 
ties. 2 — If  for  a  district  office,  by  at  least  2  per  cent,  of  the  voters  of  the 
party  designated  in  at  least  one-tenth  of  the  election  precincts  in  each 
of  one-half  or  more  of  the  counties  of  the  district,  and  in  the  aggregate 
not  less  than  2  nor  more  than  10  per  cent,  of  the  total  vote  of  the  party 
designated  in  such  district.  3 — If  for  a  sub-district  or  county  office,  by 
at  least  3  per  cent,  of  the  party  vote  in  one-fourth  ur  more  of  the  elec- 
tion precincts  of  such  sub-district  or  county,  and  in  the  aggregate  not 
less  than  3  nor  more  than  10  per  cent,  of  the  total  vote  of  the  party  desig- 
nated in  such  sub-district  or  county.  The  basis  of  percentage  in  each 
case  is  the  vote  of  the  party  for  secretary  of  state  at  the  last  preceding 
state  election.  But  any  political  organization  which  at  the  last  preced- 
ing general  election  was  represented  on  the  official  ballot  may,  upon 
complying  with  the  required  provisions,  have  a  separate  primary  elec- 
tion ticket  as  a  political  party  if  any  of  its  candidates  received  i  per 
cent,  of  the  total  vote  cast  at  the  last  preceding  general  election  in  the 
state  or  sub-division  thereof  in  which  the  candidate  seeks  nomination. 

Whenever  a  petition  signed  by  qualified  electors  in  10  or  more  coun- 
ties, equal  in  number  to  at  least  2  per  cent,  of  the  votes  cast  for  secretary 
of  state  at  the  last  preceding  election,  and  not  more  than  10  per  cent, 
of  such  total  vote  cast  at  said  election,  where  certified  to  as  genuine  by 
the  affidavit  of  ten  well  known,  reputable,  qualified  electors  of  the  state, 
asking  that  the  signors  thereof  be  recognized  as  a  new  political  party,  to 
be  represented  by  a  separate  party  ticket  at  the  next  ensuing  primary, 
naming  candidates  for  at  least  a  majority  of  the  state  offices  to  be  filled 
at  the  next  ensuing  election,  and  specifying  the  name,  symbol  or  emblem 
of  such  new  party,  the  secretary  of  state  shall  certify  the  name,  symbol 
or  emblem,  and  the  list  of  candidates  so  specified  to  the  various  county 
clerks  of  the  state,  and  a  separate  party  ticket  shall  be  prepared  in  the 
same  manner  as  is  provided  for  existing  parties. 

The  nomination  papers  for  each  county  or  sub-district  office  must  be 
signed  by  not  less  than  3  nor  more  than  10  per  cent,  of  the  total  vote  of 
ea'ch  county  where  a  county  ticket  is  placed  in  the  field.  Those  signing 
the  papers  must  be  distributed  throughout  at  least  one-fourth  of  the 
election  precincts  of  such  sub-district  or  county,  and  not  more  than 
one-fourth  of  such  signers  may  be  residents  of  any  one  ward  or  town- 
ship.    It  is  further  provided  that  the  petition  to  the  secretary  of  state 


504  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

must  be  tiled  not  less  than  120  nor  more  than  130  days  preceding  the 
primary.  Reg^ulations  are  also  provided  for  the  nomination  papers  of 
candidates  for  municipal  offices. 

All  nomination  papers  must  be  filed  as  follows :  i — For  state  offices, 
United  States  senator,  representatives  in  Congress,  state  senators,  state 
representatives,  and  all  district  officers,  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of 
state,  but  when  the  district  is  composed  of  one  county  or  less,  the}-  shall 
be  filed  with  the  county  clerk  of  such  county.  2 — For  county  and  sub- 
district  officers,  county  and  precinct  committeemen,  in  the  office  of  the 
county  clerk.  3 — For  city  officers  and  city  precinct  committeemen,  in 
the  office  of  the  city  clerk. 

A  separate  official  primary  ticket  for  each  political  party,  having  the 
names  of  all  candidates  for  whom  nomination  papers  have  been  filed, 
is  printed  and  distributed  for  use  at  each  voting  precinct.  When  there 
is  more  than  one  candidate  for  any  office,  provision  is  made  for  divid- 
ing the  ballots  in  the  preparation  thereof,  so  that  each  candidate's  name 
will  appear  at  the  head  of  the  list  in  different  portions  of  the  state, 
divided  so  as  to  distribute  equally,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  advantage 
of  that  position  on  the  ballot.  The  statutes  governing  general  elections, 
so  far  as  they  are  not  inconsistent,  apply  to  primary  elections.  The  per- 
son receiving  the  greatest  number  of  votes  at  a  primary  as  a  candidate 
of  a  party  for  any  office  becomes  the  candidate  of  that  party  for  such 
office,  and  his  name  is  placed  upon  the  official  ballot  at  the  ensuing  elec- 
tion for  which  such  primary  is  held. 

A  law  of  far-reaching  effect  was  passed  by  the  legislature  of  191 1. 
It  prohibits  the  publication  of  unsigned  political  articles  in  newspapers, 
and  no  one  is  permitted  to  insert  articles  which  tend  to  injury  any  can- 
didate for  public  office.  It  had  been  charged  that  under  the  state-wide 
primary  election  law  only  rich  men,  or  those  able  to  pay  for  newspaper 
space,  could  make  a  campaign  for  a  state  office.  The  following  is  one 
of  the  stringent  sections  of  the  bill :  "No  person  shall  publish  or  cause 
to  be  published  in  a  newspaper  or  periodical  any  paid  matter  which  is 
designed  or  tends  to  aid,  injure  or  defeat  any  candidate  for  the  nomina- 
tion for  public  office  or  candidate  for  election  to  public  office,  unless  the 
name  of  the  chairman  or  secretary,  or  names  of  the  two  officers  of  the 
political  or  other  organizations  inserting  the  same,  or  the  name  of  some 
voter  who  is  responsible  therefor,  with  his  residence  and  street  and  the 
number  thereof,  if  any,  appear  in  the  nature  of  a  signature.  Such  mat- 
ter when  inserted  shall  be  preceded  or  followed  by  the  word  'advertise- 
ment' in  a  separate  line,  in  type  not  smaller  than  that  of  the  bodv  of 
the  newspaper." 

There  is  a  further  provision  which  declares  it  to  be  unlawful  for  any 
person  to  pay  the  owner,  editor,  publisher  or  agent  of  a  newspaper  to 
induce  him  editorially  to  advocate  or  oppose  any  candidate  for  office  or 
political  principle.  A  heavy  fine  is  imposed  upon  the  newspaper  owner 
or  editor  who  accepts  money  from  such  advocacy  of  men  or  measures. 
Corporations,  too,  are  barred  from  the  columns  of  the  public  press  by 


KANSAS    HISTORY  505 

the  following  provision:  "No  corporation  carrying  on  the  business  of  a 
bank,  trust,  surety,  indemnity,  safe  deposit,  insurance,  railroad,  street 
railway,  telegraph,  telephone,  gas,  electric  light,  heat,  power  or  water 
company,  or  any  company  having  the  right  to  take  or  condemn  land  or 
to  exercise  franchises  in  public  ways  granted  by  the  state  or  any  county 
or  city,  and  no  trustees  owning  or  holding  the  majority  of  stock  of  such 
corporation  shall  pay  or  contribute,  in  order  to  aid,  promote  or  prevent 
the  nomination  or  election  of  any  person  to  public  office,  or  in  order  to 
aid,  promote  or  antagonize  the  interests  of  any  political  party,  or  to 
influence  or  affect  the  vote  on  any  question  submitted  to  the  voters." 

A  heavy  penalty  is  fixed  upon  corporations  which  violate  this  section. 
The  maximum  fine  is  $10,000,  while  the  individual  connected  with  the 
corporation  may  be  fined  $1,000  and  sent  to  jail.  The  legislature  of  191 1 
also  adopted  the  "Oregon  plan"  of  electing  United  States  senators.  The 
bill  provides  that  the  candidates,  after  nomination  in  the  primary,  shall 
be  voted  for  at  the  general  election,  the  result  to  be  advisory  to  the 
legislature. 

Princeton,  one  of  the  larger  towns  of  Franklin  county,  is  located  in 
the  southern  portion  on  Middle  creek  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  R.  R.  9  miles  south  of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat.  It  is  near  the  site 
of  the  old  town  of  Ohio,  which  was  laid  out  in  1857.  The  present  town 
grew  up  after  the  building  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston 
R.  R.  in  1869,  and  soon  became  the  supply  and  shipping  town  for  the  dis- 
trict. It  has  general  stores,  hardware  and  implement  houses,  lumber 
yard,  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop,  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and 
express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  240. 

Prohibition. — The  temperance  question  has  been  an  engrossing  topic 
in  Kansas  from  earliest  times.  The  territorial  legislature  of  1855  enacted 
a  law  entitled  "An  act  to  restrain  dramshops  and  taverns,  and  to  regu- 
late the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors."  It  provided  that  a  special  election 
should  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  of  Oct.,  1855,  and  every  two  years 
thereafter,  in  each  municipal  township  in  each  county,  and  in  each  incor- 
porated city  or  town  in  the  territory,  to  take  vote  of  the  citizens  upon 
the  question  whether  dramshops  and  tavern  licenses  should  be  issued 
for  the  tvvo  years  following  the  election.  The  vote  on  the  same  was  to 
be  by  ballot,  which  should  be  "In  favor  of  dramshop"  or  "Against  dram- 
shop." Before  a  license  should  be  given  to  tavern  keepers,  grocers,  or 
other  liquor  sellers,  a  majority  vote  must  be  cast  by  each  municipality 
in  favor  of  the  measure  and  a  majority  of  householders  must  petition  for 
the  same.  In  a  city  authorized  by  its  charter  to  grant  licenses,  "the 
county  tribunal  must  first  have  granted  it.  The  tax  for  such  license 
should  be  not  less  than  $10,  nor  more  than  $500  for  every  I2~  months,  the 
same  to  be  applied  to  county  purposes."  Penalties  for  selling  any  spir- 
ituous, vinous,  fermented  or  other  intoxicating  liquors  contrary  to  law, 
were  a  fine  of  $100  for  the  first  offense  and  for  every  second  or  subse- 
quent offense  not  less  than  $100,  and  imprisonment  in  county  jail  not 
less  than  5  and  not  more  than  30  days.     Selling  to  a  slave  without  the 


5o6  CYCi.oriciJiA  or 

sanction  of  his  master,  owner  or  overseer,  ur  selling  liquor  on  Sunday, 
subjected  one  to  the  above  named  penalties,  and  a  conviction  worked  a 
forfeiture  of  license.  The  person  obtaining  the  license  was  required  to 
give  bond  of  $2,000,  not  to  keep  a  disorderl)-  house,  not  to  sell  to  a  slave, 
nor  directly  or  indirectly  to  sell  on  Sundays,  "for  which  violations  of  the 
law  a  suit  could  be  instituted  against  the  principal  or  sureties  on  the 
bond." 

I'urther  action  on  the  liquor  question  was  taken  by  the  legislature  of 
1859.  Chapter  91  of  the  session  laws  of  that  year  was  an  act  "to  restrain 
dramshops  and  taverns  and  regulate  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors."  It 
provided  that  no  license  should  be  granted  by  a  tribunal  transacting 
county  business,  or  by  a  city  council  of  an  incorporated  city,  unless  the 
petition  requesting  the  dramshop,  tavern,  or  grocery  license  should  be 
signed  by  a  majority  of  the  householders  in  the  township,  county  or 
ward  where  the  license  was  sought.  All  incorporated  cities  containing 
1,000  or  more  inhabitants  were  entirely  exempted  from  the  operations  of 
this  act,  such  cities  possessing  full  powers  to  regulate  licenses  for  all 
purposes  and  dispose  of  the  proceeds  thereof.  This  law  fixed  the  tax 
upon  the  dramshop  keeper  at  not  less  than  $50  nor  more  than  $500  for 
a  period  of  twelve  months.  The  fine  for  selling  liquor  without  license 
was  not  to  exceed  $100  for  the  first  offense.  For  the  second  and  subse- 
quent offenses,  the  fine  should  not  be  greater  than  $100,  but  the  offender 
might  be  indicted  for  a  misdemeanor  and  fined  not  less  than  $500,  and 
imprisoned  in  the  county  jail  not  less  than  si.x  months.  It  was  made  a 
misdemeanor  to  sell  liquor  on  Sunday,  the  Fourth  of  July,  to  any  one 
known  to  be  in  the  habit  of  getting  intoxicated,  or  to  any  married  man 
against  the  known  wishes  of  his  wife.  All  places  where  liquor  would 
be  sold  in  violation  of  this  act  were  declared  nuisances.  Exemplary  dam- 
ages could  be  recovered  by  every  wife,  child,  parent,  guardian,  employer 
or  other  person  who  should  be  injured  in  person,  property  or  means  of 
support  by  any  intoxicated  person  or  in  consequence  of  intoxication,  and 
a  married  woman  could  sue  as  a  single  person. 

In  the  constitutional  convention  of  1859  there  was  some  discussion 
about  incorporating  in  the  constitution  a  prohibitory  measure  with  re- 
gard to  liquor,  and  John  Ritchie,  of  Topeka,  suggested  the  following 
resolution :  "Resolved,  that  the  constitution  of  the  state  of  Kansas  shall 
confer  power  on  the  legislature  to  prohibit  the  introduction,  manufacture 
or  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  within  the  state."  On  July  23,  12  days  later, 
H.  D.  Preston,  from  Burlingame,  oft'ered  this  section  :  "The  legislature 
shall  ha\e  power  to  regulate  or  prohibit  the  sale  of  alcoholic  liquors, 
except  for  mechanical  and  medicinal  purposes."  No  prohibitory  meas- 
ure was  included  in  the  constitution. 

The  sentiment  for  temperance  was  very  strong  in  the  year  1867.  Lec- 
turers from  the  East  gave  addresses  on  the  subject,  enlarging  and  stimu- 
lating ihe  temperance  feeling  throughout  the  state.  In  1869  all  the  ter- 
ritorial and  state  laws  of  Kansas  were  revised.  The  liquor  law  of  1859, 
which  had  been  amended  in  1867,  underwent  a  change,  and  the  so-called 


KANSAS    HISTOUV  507 

dramshop  act  which  went  into  effect  un  Oct.  31,  1869,  had  the  foUovving 
for  its  first  section:  "Before  a  dramshop,  tavern  or  grocery  license  shall 
be  granted  to  any  person  applying  for  the  same,  such  person,  if  apply- 
ing for  a  township  license,  shall  present  to  the  tribunal  transacting 
county  business,  a  petition  or  recommendation  signed  by  a  majority  of 
the  residents  of  the  township,  of  21  years  of  age  or  over,  both  male  and 
female,  in  which  such  dramshop,  tavern  or  grocery  is  to  be  kept ;  or  if  the 
same  is  to  be  kept  in  any  incorporated  city  or  town,  then  to  the  city 
council  thereof  a  petition  signed  by  the  majority  of  the  citizens  of  the 
ward  of  31  years  of  age,  both  male  and  female,  in  which  said  dramshop, 
tavern  or  grocery  is  to  be  kept,  recommending  such  person  as  a  fit  per- 
son to  keep  the  same,  and  requesting  that  a  license  be  granted  to  him  for 
such  purpose;  provided  that  the  corporate  authorities  of  cities  of  the  first 
p3uoi;u3iu  uot;u3d  ^^^\  ssuadsip  aouHuipjo  Aq  aeui  ssEp  piiooas  puB 
in  this  section." 

The  act  further  provided  as  a  penalty  for  selling  liquor  on  Sunday  or 
on  the  fourth  of  July,  a  fine  of  not  less  than  $25  nor  more  than  $100  and 
imprisonment  from  10  to  30  days.  It  was  made  unlawful  for  a  person  to 
become  intoxicated  and  unlawful  to  sell  to  habitual  drunkards,  or  to 
minors. 

From  1861  to  1879  was  a  period  fraught  with  an  ever  increasing  ten- 
dency toward  prohibition.  A  few  temperance  workers  labored  most 
industriously  to  change  public  opinion  in  regard  to  open  traffic  in  liquor. 
This  creation  of  a  new  public  opinion  was  in  a  great  measure  due  to  the 
crusade  made  against  liquor  b)'  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance 
Union.  I^rohibition  meetings  were  held  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  the 
state  years  before  the  amendment  to  the  constitution  was  adopted.  Mrs. 
Drusella  Wilson,  the  first  president  of  the  Women's  Christian  Temper- 
ance Union,  traveled  3,000  miles  in  a  private  conveyance,  making 
speeches,  holding  mass  meetings  and  "soliciting  signatures  to  a  petition 
to  be  presented  to  the  legislature."  She  set  the  women  working  all  over 
the  state,  organizing  unions  so  as  to  labor  more  systematically  and  thor- 
oughly. She  organized  o\er  100  unions  that  year  and  she  carried  in  tlie 
first  petition  to  the  legislature,  the  largest  one  ever  presented  to  that 
body  up  to  that  time.  The  women  not  only  worked  faithfully,  but  when 
election  day  came  they  also  turned  out  all  over  the  state  and  worked  all 
day,  urging  up  indifferent  and  negligent  voters,  and  supplying  refresh- 
ments to  both  bodies  and  minds  of  the  stronger  sex ;  they  held  prayer 
meetings  in  the  churches  all  day,  and  sang  the  church  songs  every  hour 
to  remind  the  voters  that  the  women  were  praying  for  the  protection  of 
the  homes  and  the  boys. 

In  his  message  to  the  legislature  on  Jan.  14,  1879,  Gov.  John  P.  St. 
John  included  a  section  on  temperance.  He  said  in  part:  "The  subject 
of  temperance,  in  its  relation  to  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  bever- 
age has  occupied  the  attention  of  the  people  of  Kansas  to  such  an  extent 
I  feel  it  my  duty  to  call  your  attention  to  some  of  its  evils,  and  suggest, 
if  possible,  a  remedy  therefor.     Much  has  been  said  of  late  years  about 


508  CYCLOPliDlA    OF 

hard  times  and  extravagant  and  useless  expenditures  of  money,  and  in 
this  connection  1  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  here  in 
Kansas,  where  our  people  are  at  least  as  sober  and  temperate  as  are 
found  in  any  of  the  states  in  the  West,  the  money  spent  annually  for 
intoxicating  liquors  would  defray  the  entire  expenses  of  the  state 
government,  including  the  care  and  maintenance  of  all  the  charitable 
institutions,  agricultural  college,  normal  school,  state  university  and 
penitentiary.  .  .  .  Could  we  but  dry  up  this  one  great  evil  that 
consumes  annually  so  much  wealth,  and  destroys  the  physical,  moral 
and  mental  usefulness  of  its  victims,  we  would  hardly  need  prisons,  poor- 
houses,  or  police."     (See  St.  John's  Administration.) 

Gov.  St.  John  was  an  ardent  and  powerful  champion  of  the  temper- 
ance cause  and  through  his  influence,  and  that  of  other  active  and  sym- 
pathetic temperance,  workers,  the  legislature  of  1879  passed  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  people  of  Kansas  a  joint  resolution  providing  an  amend- 
ment to  the  constitution,  by  supplementing  article  15  with  a  loth  sec- 
tion, as  follows:  "The  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  shall 
be  forever  prohibited  in  this  state,  except  for  medical,  scientific  and 
mechanical  purposes."  The  amendment  came  before  the  people  at  the 
polls  on  Nov.  2,  1880,  and  out  of  a  total  vote  of  176,606  it  was  carried  by 
a  majority  of  7,998.  At  the  next  Republican  state  convention  Mr.  St. 
John  was  renominated  for  governor  upon  "a  platform  pledging  the  party 
to  the  policy  of  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic,"  and  made  a  fight  on 
that  issue  before  the  people.  He  was  reelected  by  a  majority  larger  than 
that  given  him  in  1878. 

In  his  message  to  the  legislature  of  1881  he  stated  that  "This  amend- 
ment being  now  a  part  of  the  constitution  of  our  state,  it  devolves  upon 
you  to  enact  such  laws  as  are  necessary  for  its  rigid  enforcement.  There 
are  but  a  few  citizens  today  who  will  not  admit  that  dramshops  are  a 
curse  to  any  people.  More  crime,  poverty,  misery  and  degradation  flow 
from  them  than  from  all  other  sources  combined.  The  real  difference  of 
opinion  existing  in  relation  to  them  is  not  so  much  as  to  whether  they 
are  an  evil  or  a  blessing,  but  rather  as  to  what  course  should  be  pur- 
sued toward  them.  Some  have  contended  that  they  should  be  licensed; 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  if  they  are  an  evil,  no  government  should  give 
them  the  sanction  of  the  law.  They  should  be  prohibited  as  we  prohibit 
all  other  acknowledged  evils.  It  has  been  urged  as  an  argument  in 
favor  of  licensing  dramshops,  that,  under  that  system,  a  large  revenue  is 
derived.  Granting  this  to  be  true,  I  insist  we  have  no  right  to  consider 
the  question  of  revenue  at  a  cost  of  the  sacrifice  of  principles.  All  the 
revenue  ever  received  from  such  a  source  will  not  compensate  for  a 
single  tear  of  a  heart-broken  mother  at  the  sight  of  her  drunken  son 
as  he  reels  from  the  door  of  a  licensed  dramshop.  .  .  .  The  people 
of  Kansas  have  spoken  upon  the  whole  question  in  a  language  that  can- 
not be  misunderstood.  By  their  verdict,  the  license  system  as  it  relates 
to  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage,  has  been  blotted  from 
the  statute  books  of  the  state.     We  now  look  to  the  future,  not  forget- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  $09 

ting  that  it  was  here  on  our  soil  where  the  first  blow  was  given  that 
finally  resulted  in  the  emancipation  of  a  race  from  slavery.  We  have 
now  determined  upon  a  second  emancipation,  which  shall  free  not  only 
the  body  but  the  soul  of  man.  Now,  as  in  the  past,  the  civilized  world 
watches  Kansas,  and  anxiously  awaits  the  result.  No  step  should  be 
taken  backward.  Let  it  not  be  said  that  any  evil  exists  in  our  midst,  the 
power  of  which  is  greater  than  the  people." 

The  legislature,  representing  the  temperance  element  of  the  state,  on 
Feb.  19,  1881,  passed  a  long  act  of  24  sections,  prohibiting  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  except  for  medical,  scientific  and 
mechanical  purposes,  and  regulating  the  manufacture  and  sale  thereof 
for  such  excepted  purposes.  Section  i  of  this  act  was  as  follows :  "Any 
person  or  persons  who  shall  manufacture,  sell  or  barter  any  spirituous, 
malt,  vinous,  fermented  or  other  intoxicating  liquors  shall  be  guilty  of 
misdemeanor,  and  punished  as  hereinafter  provided:  "Provided,  how- 
ever, that  such  liquors  may  be  sold  for  medical,  scientific  and  mechanical 
purposes,  as  provided  in  this  act."  Section  2  provided  that  "It  shall  be 
unlawful  for  any  person  or  persons  to  sell  or  barter  for  medical,  scientific 
or  mechanical  purposes  any  malt,  vinous,  spirituous,  fermented  or  other 
intoxicating  liquor,  without  first  having  procured  a  druggist's  permit 
therefor  from  the  probate  judge  of  the  county  wherein  such  druggist 
may  at  the  time  be  doing  business." 

In  order  to  obtain  a  druggist's  permit  under  this  act,  the  applicant 
therefor  was  required  to  present  to  the  probate  judge  of  the  county  a 
petition,  signed  by  at  least  12  citizens  of  the  township  or  county  wherein 
such  business  was  to  be  located,  certifying  that  the  applicant  was  of 
good  moral  character  and  lawfully  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  druggist. 
He  was  also  required  to  file  with  such  petition,  a  good  and  sufficient 
bond  to  the  State  of  Kansas  in  the  sum  of  $2,500,  conditioned  that  such 
applicant  would  neither  use,  sell,  barter  nor  give  away  any  of  the 
liquors  mentioned  in  section  i  of  the  act  in  violation  of  any  of  its  provi- 
sions, and  on  such  violation,  said  bond  shall  thereby  become  fcyfeited. 

Section  3  permitted  any  physician  regularly  employed  in  this  profes- 
sion to  give  any  patient  needing  alcoholic  stimulant  a  prescription  for 
the  same,  accompanied  by  a  sworn  statement  that  it  was  to  be  used  for 
actual  sickness.  Sections  5  and  6  prohibited  the  manufacture  of  liquor 
except  for  medical,  mechanical  or  scientific  purposes,  and  defined  the 
conditions  of  manufacturing  for  those  purposes.  Sections  7,  8  and  9  had 
to  do  with  the  penalties  required  in  violation  of  the  law.  A  person  con- 
victed of  selling  without  permit  might  be  fined  not  less  than  $100  and 
not  more  than  $500,  or  be  imprisoned  not  less  than  30  nor  more  than  90 
days.  For  a  second  ofifense,  the  fine  should  be  not  less  than  $200  nor 
more  than  $500,  and  the  imprisonment  to  be  not  less  than  60  days  nor 
more  than  6  months,  and  for  a  third  and  every  subsequent  ofifense,  the 
fine  was  to  be  not  less  than  $500  nor  more  than  $1,000,  and  imprison- 
ment not  less  than  6  months  nor  more  than  one  year,  or  both  such  fine 
and  imprisonment  at  the  discretion  of  the  court. 


510  CYCLOPEDIA    01" 

I'"or  llic  persons  unlaw  lully  manufacturing  intoxicants  the  law  pro- 
vided punishment.  It  detined  the  use  of  the  term  Hquois  and  outlined 
the  duties  of  the  county  officers  in  enforcing  the  laws.  It  provided  pro- 
tection of  "every  wife,  child,  parent,  guardian,  employer  or  other  person 
who  shall  be  injured  in  person  or  property,  or  means  of  support,  by  any 
intoxicated  person  or  in  consequence  of  intoxication  ;  such  wife,  child  or 
parent  having  right  to  bring  suit  for  damages  sustained.  Section  i6  of 
this  law  provided  punishment  and  penalty  against  "any  person  who 
shall  directly  or  indirectly,  keep  or  maintain,  by  himself  or  by  associat- 
ing or  combining  with  others,  or  who  shall,  in  any  manner,  aid,  assist 
or  abet  in  keeping  and  maintaining  any  club  room,  or  other  place  in 
which  intoxicating  liquor  is  received  or  kept  for  the  purpose  of  use,  gift, 
barter  or  sale  as  a  beverage  or  for  distribution  or  division  among  the 
members  of  any  club  or  association  by  any  means  whatever." 

It  also  made  it  unlawful  to  give  away  liquor,  and  for  a  person  to 
become  intoxicated,  the  line  was  $5  or  imprisonment  in  county  jail  from 
one  to  ten  days.  The  passage  of  this  strict  prohibition  law  started  the 
propagation  of  the  temperance  idea,  although  its  effect  upon  the  liquor 
traffic  was  not  immediately  recognized.  In  different  parts  of  the  state 
vigorous  prosecutions  were  instituted  with  ultimate  good  results.  The 
prohibition  policy  had  many  enemies  who  believed  the  constitutional 
amendment  a  mistake.  Among  these  was  Gov.  George  W.  Glick,  who 
succeeded  Gov.  St.  John  in  1883.  In  his  message  to  the  legislature  he 
dealt  with  the  subject  of  prohibition  and  the  operation  of  the  law.  (See 
Glick's  Administration.)  Mr.  Glick  seemed  to  think  that  whatever 
benefits  might  be  derived  from  the  prohibitory  law  could  be  obtained  as 
easily  under  a  local  option  law.  Many  reasons  were  given  for  the  modi- 
fication of  the  law  passed  by  the  preceding  legislature,  but  his  message 
fell  upon  the  ears  of  thoughtful  men  and  the  law  was  not  changed.  The 
state  legislatures  of  later  years,  1885,  1887,  1901,  1909,  amended  and  sup- 
plemented the  original  enactment.  After  the  first  few  years  the  people 
of  the  state  became  accustomed  to  the  absence  of  dramshops  and  the  ma- 
jority liked  the  freedom  from  open  drinking  enough  to  pursue  the  policy 
of  the  legislature  of  1879. 

In  the  early  '90s  t±ie  Agora  Magazine  conducted  a  symposium  on  the 
condition  of  prohibition  in  Kansas,  which  had  at  that  time  been  in  effect 
over  10  years.  The  consensus  of  opinion  was  that  the  public  sentiment 
was  constantly  increasing  in  its  contempt  for  liquor  traffic.  Many  men 
who  voted  against  prohibition  in  1880,  after  viewing  the  results  of  the 
law  only  partially  enforced,  were  heartily  convinced  in  1890  that  Kan- 
sas was  far  better  off  without  open  saloons.  The  churches,  the  State 
Temperance  Union,  and  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union  have 
done  and  continue  doing  a  great  deal  toward  helping  the  movement  for- 
ward, The  work  of  the  last  named  has  been  almost  entirely  educational 
in  its  relation  to  the  prohibition  law,  and  is  a  potent  force  in  that  line  of 
work.  But  the  most  effective  work  has  been  done  since  1900  by  the  offi- 
cers of  the  state.     A  movement  toward  enforcement  of  state  laws  be- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5ir 

came  a  policy  of  many  politicians  seeking  office,  and  not  only  in  Kansas, 
but  elsewhere,  a  tendency  toward  cleanliness  in  political  and  municipal 
affairs  has  been  much  in  evidence  during  the  past  decade.  The  power 
of  public  opinion  has  done  much  for  prohibition,  and  it  may  be  said  that 
Kansas  has  at  last  reached  the  place  where  every  intelligent  person  ad- 
mits that  the  liquor  traffic  in  the  main  is  outlawed  and  that  public  senti- 
ment, except  in  a  few  localities,  is  against  the  sale  of  alcohol  as  a 
beverage. 

The  real  enforcement  of  the  prohibition  law  began  in  about  1907. 
Prior  to  that  time  the  officials  were  somewhat  lax  in  their  duties  and 
many  drug  stores  were  practically  dramshops.  The  county  attorneys 
and  attorne3'-general  planned  to  make  Kansas  thoroughly  "dry"  and 
systematically  closed  up  the  places  selling  liquor.  In  1909  the  laws 
were  revised  and  strengthened,  a  most  important  change  being  made 
in  the  withdrawal  of  the  druggist's  permits  to  sell  liquor  for  medical, 
scientific  and  mechanical  purposes,  which  was  accomplished  by  repeal- 
ing sections  2452  and  2454  of  the  statutes  of  1901  ;  also  by  curtailing  the 
physicians'  liberty  of  prescribing  liquor  by  repealing  section  2453. 

The  statutes  of  1909  give  the  prohibition  laws  as  amended  and  im- 
proved, which  make  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  liquor  a 
misdemeanor,  and  fix  the  penalty  of  its  unlawful  sale  a  fine  of  not  less 
than  $200  or  more  than  $500,  and  imprisonment  for  not  less  than  30 
days  nor  more  than  90.  The  Jaw  inflicts  the  same  penalty  for  any  per- 
son aiding  or  assisting  in  the  manufacture  of  liquor  and  defines  intoxi- 
cating liquors.  It  outlines  the  duties  of  the  officials,  the  county  attor- 
neys and  attorney-general,  in  making  investigations  and  proceedings, 
and  decrees  that  no  person  is  excused  from  testifying  for  fear  of  incrim- 
ination. It  makes  it  the  duty  of  police  officers  to  notify  the  county  attor- 
ney of  violations  of  this  law ;  and  gives  compensation  for  taking  charge 
of  persons  intoxicated.  The  law  provides  that  any  one  injured  by  an 
intoxicated  person  have  action  for  damages ;  a  penalty  for  keeping  and 
maintaining  club  rooms ;  and  further  provides  for  shifts  and  devices  to 
evade  law,  and  for  fines  and  costs  by  liens  of  real  estate,  for  fees  of  offi- 
cers and  witnesses,  for  punishment  for  drunkenness,  for  prosecution  of 
such  cases.  It  makes  it  unlawful  to  have  liquor  at  the  polls,  or  to  sell  or 
give  liquor  to  inmates  of  soldiers'  homes.  All  places  in  which  intoxi- 
cants are  manufactured  or  sold  are  declared  to  be  nuisances,  and  de- 
crees penalties  for  maintaining  the  same.  It  allows  a  search  to  be  made 
of  any  place  against  which  a  complaint  is  made  and  liquors  to  be  seized 
and  confiscated  if  found;  grants  injunction  to  abate  nuisances;  declares 
void  leases  of  buildings  used  as  common  nuisance,  and  makes  an  owner 
of  a  building  liable  for  the  lease  if  it  is  maintained  as  a  nuisance.  It  per- 
mits cities  to  pass  ordinances  prohibiting  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors 
and  regulates  evidence  in  prosecutions  for  the  unlawful  sale  of  intoxicat- 
ing liquor. 

Another  law  passed  by  the  legislature  of  1909  was  "an  act  to  prevent 
the  drinking  of  intoxicating  liquors  on  passenger  trains  in  the  state,  to 


512  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

authorize  conductors  to  make  arrests  therefor,  and  to  provide  penalties 
for  the  violation  of  this  act." 

The  enforcement  of  these  laws  makes  Kansas  a  clean,  comfortable 
state  in  which  to  live  and  rear  children.  It  makes  it  more  prosperous 
and  reduces  the  criminal  class  and  poverty.  The  statistics  of  several  of 
the  larger  towns  show  a  most  encouraging  small  per  cent,  of  poverty 
resulting  from  liquor.  It  cannot  be  said  that  there  is  absolutely  no 
liquor  traffic.  There  is  some  "boot-legging"  or  underhand  selling,  but 
the  efforts  necessary  to  procure  intoxicants  as  a  beverage  reduces  the 
number  using  them  and  creates  an  atmosphere  of  abstinence  that  helps 
an  unnumbered  majority  to  forego  the  use  of  it. 

Protection,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Comanche  coun- 
ty, is  located  in  the  township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  lo  miles  southwest  of  Coldwater,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Post),  a  mill,  a  grain  elevator,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  390. 

Protective  Union. — When  the  constitutional  amendment  prohibiting 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  within  the  state  was 
submitted  to  the  people  of  Kansas,  there  were  a  number  of  citizens  op- 
posed to  its  adoption.  Oi)  Jan.  21,  1880,  a  number  of  these  opponents 
met  at  Topeka  and  formed  the  "People's  Grand  Protective  Union,"  with 
the  following  officers:  President,  T.  W.  Cochran;  vice-presidents,  M. 
Hoffman,  M.  Marcus,  R.  W.  Ludington,  J.  Walruff,  A.  Weigand  and 
John  Trump ;  recording  secretar}',  L.  W.  Head ;  corresponding  secretary, 
C.  R.  Jones ;  treasurer,  C.  Kreipe.  The  constitution  adopted  made  the 
Grand  Union  the  supreme  authority  in  the  state,  with  power  to  organ- 
ize local  unions  and  make  laws  for  their  government,  and  to  levy  assess- 
ments against  such  unions  for  the  benefit  of  the  organization.  The  reso- 
lutions, which  were  unanimously  adopted,  set  forth :  "That  the  prohibi- 
tion amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  if  adopted, 
would  be  a  law,  in  its  practical  application,  far  beyond  the  public  senti- 
ment of  the  people,  and  would  be  inoperative ;  that  its  adoption  would 
take  the  whole  subject  of  temperance  out  of  the  power  of  the  legislature, 
leaving  the  people  without  a  remedy ;  laws  so  stringent  that  they  can- 
not be  enforced,  and  destructive  of  all  good,  because  it  teaches  men  not 
to  respect  the  restraining  power  of  law.  The  laws  now  upon  the  statutes 
of  the  state  are  as  stringent  as  can  be  enforced,  and  may  be  amended  or 
repealed,  as  public  interest  and  public  sentiment  shall  demand.  The 
amendment,  if  adopted,  would  do  what  no  constitution  in  any  state  of 
this  L'nion  does ;  it  would  legalize  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  liquor, 
unrestrained  by  law,  and  the  liquor  once  purchased,  and  in  the  hands  of 
the  purchaser,  its  use  cannot  be  controlled — thereby  offering  a  premium 
to  falsehood,  perjury  and  intemperance." 

In  April  an  active  canvass  was  commenced  among  the  brewers  and 
distillers  in  other  states  for  funds  to  defeat  the  amendment,  but  the 
work  was  barren  of  results,  the  amendment  was  ratified  by  the  people 
at  the  polls,  and  the  Protective  Union  passed  out  of  existence. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  513 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church. — The  Episcopal  church  first  arose  in 
England  as  the  result  of  the  reformation  movement  and  became  the 
established  church  of  state.  The  Episcopal  church  in  America  is  the 
direct  descendant  of  the  Church  of  England.  Jt  has  aimed  to  be  the 
same  in  doctrine,  discipline  and  worship  as  the  mother  church,  and  has 
departed  no  further  than  became  necessary  by  the  force  of  circumstances. 
The  American  church  derived  its  orders,  accepted  the  liturgy,  creeds 
and  articles  of  religion  from  the  established  church  of  Great  Britain,  and 
though  of  foreign  origin  is  distinctly  an  American  church,  having  de- 
veloped a  life  essentially  its  own  in  this  country. 

It  was  a  part  of  the  English  plan  of  colonization  to  plant  the  estab- 
lished church  of  England  in  America  and  the  first  charter  for  a  colony 
in  America  provided  that  the  laws  should  not  "be  against  the  true 
Christian  faith  and  religion  now  professed  in  the  Church  of  England." 
The  colony  established  under  this  charter  was  at  Jamestown,  and  Vir- 
ginia became  the  early  center  of  the  Episcopal  church.  By  1720  there 
were  40  parishes  in  the  colony,  and  when  there  was  no  resident  rector 
in  a  parish  the  services  were  read  by  a  lay  reader.  Maryland  was 
founded  as  a  palatinate  and  the  Church  of  England  established,  but  it 
was  not  established  in  New  England,  outside  of  Connecticut,  until  about 
the  beginning  of  the  i8th  century. 

The  separation  from  England  and  the  establishment  of  an  Episcopal 
church  for  the  United  States  started  at  a  meeting  of  some  clergymen  at 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  in  1784,  when  resolutions  were  adopted  that  the 
American  church  should  be  independent  "of  all  foreign  authority,  eccle- 
siastical and  civil,''  owing  to  the  changed  conditions  in  the  country.  In 
1785  the  first  authorized  general  convention  met.  at  Philadelphia,  when 
thirteen  states  were  represented  and  "The  General  Ecclesiastical  Con- 
stitution of  the  Protestant  Church   in  America"  was  completed. 

The  church  had  a  national  growth  as  the  tide  of  emigration  swept 
westward  across  the  continent,  and  at  the  general  convention  of  1835 
the  first  missionary  bishop,  Jackson  Kemper,  was  elected.  He  became 
the  apostle  of  all  the  great  territory  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains  and 
labored  heroically  in  establishing  the  church  in  the  regions  between  the 
mountains  and  the  Mississippi  river. 

Early  in  the  territorial  period,  missionary  work  was  started  in  Kan- 
sas, services  being  held  by  rectors  from  Weston,  Mo.,  the  best  known 
being  John  McNary  and  two  men  by  the  name  of  Holmes  and  Irish. 
The  first  regular  missionary  to  Kansas  was  Hiram  Stone,  who  began 
services  in  Leavenworth  in  Nov.,  1856,  and  on  Dec.  10  he  organized  St. 
Paul's  church.  This  was  the  first  parish  in  Kansas,  and  the  following 
year  the  first  Episcopal  church  in  the  state  was  erected  at  Leavenworth 
and  consecrated  by  Bishop  Kemper.  In  July,  1857,  Charles  M.  Callo- 
way conducted  the  first  services  for  St.  Paul's  church  at  Manhattan. 
The  parish  was  organized  in  May,  1858,  and  N.  O.  Preston  became  the 
first  rector.  Bishop  Kemper  visited  the  parish  in  1859  and  during  that 
year  the  church  building  was  begun,  but  was  not  completed  until  1867. 

(11-33) 


SH 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


It  was  consecrated  on  May  13,  1870.  At  W  yandoUe  (now  Kansas  City) 
the  Episcopal  church  was  started  in  the  spring  of  1857  by  Rodney  S. 
Nash,  of  Lexington,  Mo.,  who  organized  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  parish, 
one  of  the  pioneer  parishes  of  the  territory.  Mr.  Nash  went  east  after 
the  parish  was  organized  and  spent  the  summer  gathering  funds  to 
erect  a  church.  Charles  Calloway  also  established  the  pioneer  Epis- 
copal church  of  Douglas  county  at  Lawrence  in  1857.  In  1858  Trinity 
parish  was  organized  and  a  charter  secured  from  the  territorial  legis- 
lature on  Feb.  8,  1859.  A  small  building  was  erected  and  consecrated  in 
July.  What  is  now  known  as  Trinity  church,  Atchison,  was  organized 
in  Oct.,  1857,  as  St.  Mary  Magdalen's  church,  with  only  5  members, 
under  the  leadership  of  L.  R.  Staudenmayer.  Trinity  church  was  incor- 
porated on  Feb.  27,  i860,  and  the  vestry  consisted  of  the  organizers  of  St. 
Mary  Magdalen,  with  one  added  member,  but  no  church  was  built  for 
ten  years.  In  1857  Charles  Calloway  began  the  Episcopal  church  at  To- 
peka  as  a  mission.  In  i860  the  parish  was  organized  with  12  communi- 
cants under  the  name  of  Grace  Episcopal  parish.  St.  Andrew's  Epis- 
copal church  of  Fort  Scott  was  partly  organized  in  1859  by  three  men, 
and  a  year  later  an  organization  was  perfected  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Charles  Reynolds,  of  Lawrence.  The  first  services  were  held 
in  a  government  building.  After  the  war  J.  M.  Kedrick  took  charge  of 
the  parish  as  the  first  regular  rector.  The  church  at  Junction  City, 
Geary  county,  was  organized  in  Dec,  1859,  as  the  parish  of  St.  John,  but 
later  became  known  as  the  Church  of  the  Covenant.  In  i860  a  church 
building  was  erected,  the  first  in  the  city,  although  it  was  not  conse- 
crated until  May  10,  1870.  During  the  year  1870,  St.  Mark's  church 
was  established  at  Emporia,  Lyon  county,  but  the  name  was  subse- 
quently changed  to  St.  Andrew's.  St.  John's  parish,  of  Girard,  Craw- 
ford county,  was  organized  on  March  19,  1870,  and  the  first  sermon  was 
preached  on  April  14  by  A.  Beattie.  In  April,  1870,  the  Episcopal  church 
was  established  at  Salina  and  the  following  year  a  house  of  worship  was 
erected.  On  July  26,  1859,  Bishop  Kemper  issued  a  call  for  the  purpose 
of  organizing  the  territory  of  Kansas  into  a  diocese,  and  the  first  con- 
vention was  held  at  St.  Paul's  church,  Wyandotte,  on  Aug.  11  and  12. 
Shortly  after  the  diocese  was  organized,  Bishop  Lee,  of  Iowa,  took  pro- 
visional charge  and  acted  in  that  capacity  for  four  years.  In  Dec,  1864, 
Thomas  Hubbard  Vail  was  consecrated  bishop  of  Kansas  and  visited  his 
new  diocese  in  Jan.,  1865. 

According  to  the  census  of  1875  there  were  36  Episcopal  organizations 
in  Kansas,  with  22  church  edifices  and  a  total  membership  of  1,389.  In 
1886  the  number  of  buildings  had  increased  to  34  and  the  membership 
to  3.594.  From  this  time  there  has  been  a  gradual  increase  in  both 
organizations  and  membership,  and  in  1906  the  Episcopal  church  ranked 
ninth  of  all  religions  organizations  with  a  membership  of  6.459.  ^\'ith 
the  great  growth  of  organizations  the  state  has  been  divided  into  two 
dioceses — Kansas  and  Salina.  The  cathedral  city  of  the  former  is  To- 
peka  and  of  the  latter  Salina. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  SI5 

Provo,  an  inland  hamlet  in  the  eastern  part  of  (Jrcenwood  euunty, 
receives  its  mail  by  rural  route  from  Neal,  which  is  the  nearest  railroad 
station. 

Public  Lands. — Ijy  the  act  of  Congress  adniittiny  Kansas  into  the 
Union,  certain  grants  of  the  public  domain  were  made  to  the  new  state 
for  specific  purposes.  S.  E.  Hoffman,  H.  15.  Denman  and  E.  P.  P.an- 
croft  were  appointed  commissioners  to  select  the  state  lands,  and  in 
Aug.,  1861,  they  made  showing  that  the  aggregate  of  the  16th  and  36th 
sections  in  each  Congressional  township  of  the  state  would  amount  to 
800,292  acres,  which  lands  were  set  apart  by  the  act  of  admission  for 
school  purposes.  Other  lands  included  in  the  report  of  the  commission 
were  46,080  acres  for  the  support  of  the  state  university ;  6.400  acres  to 
aid  in  the  erection  of  public  buildings;  46,080  acres  with  the  12  salt 
springs  donated  to  the  state  by  Congress  ;  internal  improvement  lands, 
granted  by  the  act  of  Sept.  4,  1841,  aggregating  500,000  acres,  and  lands 
selected  under  the  act  of  P^b.  26,  1859,  authorizing  settlers  upon  the 
school  sections  before  surveys  were  made,  to  make  up  deficiencies  where 
the  section  or  township  might  be  fractional,  60,988  acres.  This  report 
embraced  in  the  aggregate  1,459,840  acres  of  land,  to  which  the  state  was 
entitled  under  the  provisions  of  the  various  acts  of  Congress  relating  to 
the  subject.  By  the  act  of  1877  Congress  granted  the  state  300,000  acres 
as  an  indemnity  for  school  lands  lost  by  Indian  reservations. 

The  public  lands  might  be  divided  into  four  classes:  i — Lands 
owned  by  the  general  government;  2 — Lands  granted  to  the  higher 
institutions  of  learning;  3 — Common  school  lands:  4 — Grants  made  to 
railroad  companies.  There  were  three  ways  of  acquiring  title  to  lands 
owned  by  the  general  government,  viz ;  under  the  homestead  act,  by 
preemption,  and  by  taking  what  was  known  as  a  timber  claim.  L'nder 
the  homestead  act  the  settler  was  required  to  live  upon  his  claim  and 
cultivate  it  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  could  receive  a 
patent  or  title.  By  preemption,  the  settler  who  lived  upon  and  impro\-ed 
his  claim  for  one  year  was  given  the  privilege  of  purchasing  the  land  at 
$1.25  an  acre.  The  settler  who  took  a  timber  claim  was  required  to 
plant  10  acres  of  timber,  which  should  be  done  within  four  _\ears,  and 
only  one  timber  claim  was  allowed  in  each  section.  In  none  of  the  three 
methods  was  the  land  taxable  until  the  settler  had  complied  with  all  the 
requirements  of  the  law  and  secured  his  patent. 

The  grants  of  land  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  the  construction  of  rail- 
roads were  made  by  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  March  3,  1863,  the 
lands  to  be  subject  to  the  disposal  of  the  legislature  of  Kansas.  On 
Feb.  9,  1864,  the  governor  approved  an  act  accepting  the  grants.  One 
section  of  the  Congressional  act  provided  that  "actual  and  bona  fide 
settlers  under  the  provisions  of  the  preemption  and  homestead  laws  of 
the  United  States,  may,  after  due  proof  of  settlement,  improvement  and 
cultivation,  as  now  provided  by  law,  purchase  the  same  at  the  minimum 
price." 

A  number  of  settlers  had  already  located  upon  some  of  the  lands  cm- 


51*1  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

braced  within  the  railroad  land  grants,  and  dissatisfaction  arose  among 
them  when  the  railroad  companies  fixed  the  minimum  price  at  double 
that  asked  by  the  government  for  public  lands.  This  dissatisfaction  was 
greatest  with  regard  to  the  Cherokee  Neutral  Lands  (See  Neutral 
Lands)  and  the  Osage  ceded  lands.  The  Osage  ceded  lands  have  been 
described  as  "covering  Neosho  and  Labette  counties,  with  a  narrow 
strip  surrounding  them  in  Cherokee,  Crawford,  Bourbon,  Wilson  and 
Montgomery  counties."  By  the  treaty  of  1825  the  Osages  ceded  all  their 
lands  to  the  United  States,  except  a  strip  50  miles  wide,  the  southern 
boundary  of  which  coincided  w;ith  the  present  southern  boundary  of 
Kansas.  This,  as  well  as  subsequent  treaties,  was  broken,  and  in  Jan., 
1867,  the  Indians  ceded  their  lands  to  the  United  States,  in  trust,  to  be 
sold  for  cash  to  actual  settlers.  At  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  there  was 
a  rush  of  settlers  to  the  West,  not  much  attention  being  paid  to  the 
land  grants  made  to  railroad  companies  bj'  the  act  of  March  3,  18O3. 
The  settlers  refused  to  pay  the  railroad  companies  what  they  regarded 
as  fancy  prices,  organized  the  Settlers'  Protective  Association  (q.  v.), 
and  employed  good  lawyers  to  protect  their  interests.  Suits  were  filed, 
and  in  Oct.,  1875,  the  United  States  supreme  court  decided  in  favor  of 
the  settlers. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  constitution  of  the  state  (Section 
3,  Article  VI)  provided  that  the  500,000  acres  granted  to  the  state  by 
the  act  of  1841  should  become  a  part  of  "a  perpetual  school  fund,"  the 
legislature  of  1866  gave  the  land  to  four  railroad  companies,  the  lands 
to  be  sold  by  an  agent  appointed  by  the  governor.  Prior  to  the  passage 
of  this  act,  W.  W.  H.  Lawrence,  secretary  of  state,  in  his  report  for  the 
year  ending  on  Dec.  31,  1864,  gave  a  list  of  495,551  acres  of  land  which 
had  been  selected  for  the  state  under  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  1841. 
On  Feb.  13,  1872,  Atty.-Gen.  A.  W.  Williams  received  notice  that  the 
general  land  office  at  Washington  had  patented  to  the  state  about  5,000 
acres  to  supply  the  deficiency.  Mr.  Williams  was  requested  to  take  part 
in  the  division  of  this  5,000  among  the  railroad  companies.  This  he 
refused  to  do,  and  at  the  same  time  announced  his  intention  of  applying 
for  an  injunction  to  restrain  the  sale  of  any  imsold  portion  of  the  500,- 
000  acres.  He  accordingly  brought  suit  against  R.  D.  Mobley,  the  state 
agent  for  the  sale  of  the  lands  and  obtained  a  temporary  restraining 
order.  The  railroad  companies  declined  to  contest  the  case  and  the 
injunction  was  made  perpetual.  Thus  a  portion  of  the  lands  were  re- 
gained for  actual  settlers  under  the  preemption  and  homestead  laws,  but 
it  was  a  mere  bagatelle  when  compared  with  the  entire  half  million  acres 
which  rightfully  belonged  to  the  public  school  fund. 

Peter  McVicar,  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  instituted 
proceedings,  before  the  action  brought  by  Mr.  Williams,  to  recover  sec- 
tions 16  and  36  for  the  school  fund.  In  his  report  for  1870  he  says  the 
supreme  court  "declined  to  give  any  decision  on  the  main  point  involved, 
on  the  ground  of  alleged  informalities  in  the  presentation  of  the  case." 
-JOUB  aiii^uijjsB  uoiinjosaj  b  pajdopu  ajniEisiSsi  aqj  't^^gi  'os  'ut^f  "O 


KANSAS    HISTORY  517 

ney-general  for  his  opinion  as  to  the  constitutionality  of  the  law  of  Feb. 
26,  1866,  granting  the  500,000  acres  to  the  railroads.  To  the  qiuslion 
Mr.  Williams  replied  as  follows:  "I  think  the  law  of  1866  is  unconsti- 
tutional, but  have  not  time  to  enter  into  an}-  elaborate  argument  to  show 
why  I  think  so.  Nor  is  it  necessary  that  I  should,  for  I  have  already 
taken  legal  action  in  the  matter."  He  then  gives  an  account  of  the 
injunction  proceedings  against  Mobley,  and  in  answer  to  question  as  to 
whether  the  lands  could  be  recovered,  says :  "If  the  law  under  which 
these  lands  were  sold  is  unconstitutional,  there  has  never  been  any  valid 
sale,  and  the  title  is  still  in  the  state.  Whether  the  state  will  ever  assert 
its  title  against  the  innocent  purchasers  who  bought  under  what  they 
thought  a  valid  law,  and  who  hold  the  patent  of  the  state  therefor,  is 
not  for  nie  to  say ;  but  certainly  no  such  claim  will  ever  be  asserted  or 
prosecuted  b}^  me.  Neither  can  the  state,  in  my  judgment,  recover  from 
the  railroads  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  heretofore  made,  because  such  an 
action  would  have  to  be  based  upon  the  supposition  that  the  law  under 
which  the  sales  were  made  was  valid,  and  to  recognize  its  validity 
would  of  course  admit  that  the  roads  were  legally  entitled  to  such  pro- 
ceeds." 

Truly,  a  complicated  state  of  affairs,  but  Mr.  Williams'  opinion  was 
accepted  as  good  law  and  the  matter  was  allowed  to  pass  quietly  into 
history,  the  title  of  those  who  bought  lands  to  the  railroad  companies 
being  recognized  as  valid,  even  though  the  law  under  which  the  sales 
were  made  was  unconstitutional.  The  state  auditor's  report  for  1882 
showed  the  sale  of  the  state  lands  during  the  preceding  15  3'ears  to 
have  been  450,763.88,  for  which  was  received  $1,805,389.05,  or  a  little 
over  $4  an  acre. 

Public  Libraries. —  (See  Libraries.) 

Public  School  System. — Section  34  of  the  act  organizing  the  territory 
of  Kansas  contains  the  following  educational  provision :  "And  be  it 
further  exacted,  that  when  the  lands  in  said  territory  shall  be  survej'ed 
under  the  direction  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,  preparatory 
to  bringing  the  same  into  market,  sections  numbered  16  and  36  in  each 
township  in  said  territory  shall  be,  and  the  same  are  hereby  reserved 
for  the  purpose  of  being  applied  to  the  schools  in  said  territory  and  in 
the  states  and  territories  hereafter  to  be  erected  out  of  the  same." 

The  first  territorial  legislature  met  in  July,  1855,  and  passed  the  first 
body  of  laws  for  the  government  of  Kansas.  In  chapter  144  of  these 
statutes  is  found  an  act,  section  i  of  which  reads :  "That  there  shall 
be  established  a  common  school  or  schools,  in  each  of  the  counties  of 
this  territory,  which  shall  be  open  and  free  for  every  class  of  white 
citizens  between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one  years,  provided  that 
persons  over  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  may  be  admitted  into  such 
schools  on  such  terms  as  the  trustees  of  such  district  may  direct." 

Owing  to  the  political  situation  little  was  done  in  the  administration 
of  the  laws  enacted  by  this  legislature  or  those  of  1857.  The  first  free- 
state  legislature,   which   convened  in    1858,   passed  additional   laws   for 


5-8 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


the  organization,  supervision,  and  niainlenance  of  common  schools.  It 
created  an  office  of  territorial  superinteTident  of  common  schools,  and 
declared  "that  all  school  districts  established  under  the  authority  of  this 
act  shall  he  free  and  without  chars;c  for  tuition  to  all  children  between 
the  age  of  five  and  twenty-one  years,  and  no  sectarian  instruction  shall 
be  allowed  therein." 

On  the  day  this  act  was  approved,  James  Noteware  was  appointed 
territorial  school  superintL-ndent.  lie  served  unti.l  Dec.  2,  1858,  and  was 
succeeded  by  .Samuel  W.  Greer,  who  was  in  office  until  Jan.  7,  1861. 
From  that  time  unlil  .\pril  10,  1861,  John  C.  Douglas  was  superintendent. 
Supt.  Greer  made  a  report  to  the  legislature  on  Jan.  4,  i860,  which  cov- 
ered sixteen  counties  and  222  school  districts.     Douglas  county  led  the 


AN  EARLY    SOD   SO) 


list  with  36  organized  school  districts.  There  were  7,029  persons  of 
school  age;  $7,045.23  had  been  raised  to  build  school  houses;  the  amount 
JO  ;unouiu  ^^^  puK  loS'fgg'Qi'  sb.w  suondii-Tsqus  oiK.\i.id  Aq  .vauoui  jo 
public  money  for  schools  was  $6,283.50. 

Article  2,  section  23,  of  the  state  constitution,  provides  that  "The 
legislature  in  providing  for  the  formation  and  regulation  of  schools,  shall 
make  no  distinction  between  the  rights  of  males  and  females,''  and 
article  6  is  devoted  to  the  subject  of  education.     (See  Constitution.) 

The  educational  provisions  of  the  act  of  admission  were  as  follows : 
First,  That  sections  numbered  16  and  36,  in  every  township  of  public 
lands  in  said  state,  and  where  either  of  said  sections  or  any  part  thereof 
has  been  sold  or  otherwise  been  disposed  of,  other  lands,  equivalent 
thereto  and  as  contiguous  as  may  be,  shall  be  granted  to  said  state  for 
the  use  of  schools.  Second,  That  72  sections  of  land  shall  be  set  apart 
and  reserved  for  the  use  and  support  of  a  state  university,  to  be  selected 
by  the  governor  of  said  state,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  commis- 
sioner of  the  land-office,  and  to  be  appropriated  and  applied  in  such  a 
manner  as  the  legislature  of  said  state  may  prescribe  for  the  purpose 
aforesaid,  but  for  no  other  purpose. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5ig 

The  first  state  legislature  of  1861  followed  the  example  of  the  terri- 
torial assembly  and  enacted  laws  for  the  regulation  and  support  of  com- 
mon schools.  The  act  provided  for  and  outlined  the  duties  of  a  state 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  and  for  a  county  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  and  outlined  his  duties.  Sections  3,  4,  5  and  6  of 
Chapter  76  of  the  laws  of  1861  have  to  do  with  school  districts,  the 
officers,  the  school  houses  and  its  boundaries,  tax  districts,  teachers  and 
taxes.  Section  7  provides  for  the  foundation  of  graded  schools  by  the 
union  of  two  or  more  districts.  Section  8  concerns  the  distribution  of 
the  income  of  the  school  fund,  which  declares  that,  "For  the  purpose 
of  affording  the  advantages  of  a  free  education  to  the  children  of  the 
state,  the  state  annual  school  fund  shall  consist  of  the  annual  income 
derived  from  the  interest  and  rents  of  the  perpetual  school  funds,  as 
provided  in  the  constitution  of  the  state,  and  such  sum  as  will  be  pro- 
duced by  the  annual  levy  and  assessment  of  one  mill  upon  the  dollar 
valuation  of  the  taxable  property  of  the  state  and  is  hereby  levied  and 
assessed  annually,  the  said  one  mill  upon  the  dollar  for  the  support  of 
common  schools  in  the  state. 

William  R.  Griffith  was  elected  first  state  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  taking  his  office  in  Feb.,  1861.  His  report  for  1861  shows 
that  500,000  acres  of  land  granted  under  the  act  of  Congress  of  1841, 
had  been  selected  b}-  commissioners  appointed  by  the  governor;  also 
46,080  acres  granted  for  support  of  the  state  university.  Twelve  county 
superintendents  had  reported  to  him,  but  not  all  of  these  counties  had 
been  organized  into  districts.  Mr.  Griffith's  successor  was  Simeon  M. 
Thorp.  His  report' for  1862  contains  reports  from  20  county  superin- 
tendents, showing  that  304  school  districts  had  been  organized.  The 
school  taxes  for  that  year  were  $19,289,  and  the  number  of  school  chil- 
dren 14,976.  Isaac  T.  Goodnow  was  elected  superintendent  in  1863  and 
served  until  1867.  Mr.  Goodnow's  report  for  1866  showed  54,000  school 
children,  871  school  districts  and  1,086  school  teachers.  He  urged  uni- 
formity in  school  books,  a  revision  of  school  laws,  the  compelling  of 
school  districts  to  use  the  text  books  officially  recommended,  the  em- 
plovment  of  a  deputy  state  superintendent,  the  making  of  the  office  of 
county  superintendent  a  salaried  office,  a  change  in  the  law  for  issuing 
bonds  for  building  school  houses,  and  a  report  of  the  law  limiting  taxes 
in  school  districts.  Peter  McVicar  was  superintendent  from  1867  to 
187 1.  His  report  embraces  recommendations  in  respect  to  graded 
schools,  conduct  of  primary  schools,  age  of  admission  and  courses  of 
study.  During  the  decade  1870  to  1880  the  public  schools  developed  and 
were  improved  by  new  laws,  better  organization  and  better  conditions. 
Since  then  the  state  superintendents  were  Hugh  De  F.  McCart\-,  1871- 
75:  John  Fraser,  1875-76;  Allen  B.  Lemmon,  1877-81;  Henry  C.  Speer, 
1881-85;  Joseph  H.  Lawhead,  1885-89;  George  W.  Winans,  1889-93; 
Henry  N.  Gaines,  1893-95 ;  Edmund  Stanley,  1895-97 !  William  Stryker, 
1897-99;  Frank  Nelson,  1 899-1 903 ;  I.  L.  Dayhoft',  1903-07;  Edward  T. 
Fairchild,  1907 . 


520  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Elementary  Schools. — In  i860  laws  were  passed  for  one  kind  of  ele- 
mentary school ;  today  they  are  made  for  six,  which  are  the  public 
schools  of  the  cities  of  the  first,  second  and  third  class,  district  schools, 
kindergarten  and  union  schools.  Every  city  of  more  than  15,000  inhabi- 
tants is  regarded  as  a  city  of  first  class  and  by  virtue  of  its  incorporation 
as  such  is  regarded  as  a  school  district.  Every  city  having  a  population 
of  from  2,000  to  15,000  becomes  a  separate  school  district  by  virtue  of 
its  incorporation  as  a  city  of  the  second  class.  The  schools  of  first  and 
second  class  cities  are  conducted  under  the  separate  laws,  but  the  boards 
of  education  of  both,  under  certain  conditions  may  attach  adjacent 
property  for  school  purposes.  Cities  of  the  third  class  are  those  which 
have  a  population  of  not  less  than  250  nor  more  than  2,000.  These  cities 
cannot  be  detached  from  the  districts  in  which  they  are  located  and  are 
governed  by  the  laws  for  the  district,  graded  or  union  schools.  The 
ordinary  school  district  is  organized  by  the  county  superintendent  of 
public  instruction,  whose  duty  it  is  to  divide  the  county  "into  a  conve- 
nient number  of  school  districts,"  and  to  change  such  districts  as  the 
demands  of  the  people  require.  No  district  shall  be  formed  with  less 
than  15  pupils.  But  by  the  law  of  1907  the  school  board  of  any  district 
in  the  state  was  given  power  to  establish  and  maintain  free  kindergartens 
in  connection  with  the  public  schools  for  the  instruction  of  children  be- 
tween four  and  six  years  of  age  residing  in  said  district.  The  union 
school  is  the  consolidation  of  two,  three  or  more  weak  small  schools 
into  a  large  central  school. 

Consolidation  in  its  complete  form  implies  the  transportation  of  the 
pupils  at  the  expense  of  the  district  in  comfortably  covered  wagons, 
properly  lighted  and  heated,  large  enough  to  hold  from  16  to  24  pupils, 
driven  by  a  driver  under  bond  and  contract  as  to  regularity,  habits, 
protection  and  control  over  the  children.  The  first  school  of  this  type 
was  established  in  this  state  in  1898.  A  special  law  was  passed  in 
1897,  and  the  schools  of  Green  Garden  township,  Ellsworth  county, 
consolidated  in  1898.  Since  then  the  idea  has  popularized  itself  until 
34  counties  have  consolidated  schools,  numbering  in  all  62  schools, 
with  an  enrollment  of  5,362  pupils  and  166  teachers.  Thirty-two  of 
these  schools  are  maintaining  high  school  departments. 

The  public  schools  are  sustained  as  follows:  First,  by  district  taxes. 
In  cities  of  the  first  class  this  levy  is  for  the  support  of  the  schools  of 
the  city,  including  building  and  repairs  of  school  buildings.  In  cities 
of  40,000  population  or  under  the  rate  of  levy  shall  not  exceed  6  mills ; 
for  the  support  of  schools  in  all  cities  having  a  population  of  over 
40,000  the  rate  of  levy  shall  not  exceed  5  mills ;  for  building  purposes 
and  repairs  of  school  buildings  in  all  cities  having  a  population  of 
over  40.000  the  rate  of  levy  shall  not  exceed  i  mill;  in  cities  of  the 
second  class  the  maximum  tax  is  6  mills.  In  school  districts  the  tax 
is  limited  to  3J/2  mills  upon  the  dollar  of  all  taxable  property  of  any 
school  district  and  no  school  is  permitted  to  levy  any  greater  tax 
than  is  reasonably  necessary  to  maintain  the  school.     Second,  by  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


521 


county  school  fund.  This  fund  arises  from  fines,  forfeitures,  proceeds 
from  the  sale  of  estrays,  moneys  paid  by  persons  as  equivalent  for 
exemption  from  military  duty,  money  directed  by  an  order  of  the  court 
to  be  distributed  to  heirs  and  remaining  unclaimed  for  the  space  of 
one  year,  when  it  is  apportioned  to  the  various  school  districts  in  the 
ratio  of  their  school  population.  Third,  by  the  state  annual  school 
fund.  This  fund  consists  of  the  annual  income  derived  from  the 
interest  and  rents  of  the  permanent  school  fund  as  provided  in  the  con- 
stitution of  the  state. 

The  early  superintendents  of  public  instruction  advised  a  compulsory 
law  and  in  1903  the  legislature  passed  an  act  requiring  that  all  children 


«« 

^^^■■FT^J^H 

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EM 

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1     G61**otM>A*l:i»  *na«  «cHooi 

L  BLDG 

COXSOLIDATED  SCHOOL  AT  ROSK  JHLL. 

between  the  ages  of  eight  and  fifteen  attend  school  for  a  certain  por- 
tion of  each  year.  The  law  p'rovides  for  a  truant  officer  whose  duty 
is  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  this  act.  The  truant  officer  is  under 
the  supervision  of  the  county  superintendent.  All  the  elementarj' 
schools  of  Kansas  use  the  same  text-books.  The  legislature  of  1907 
created  a  school  text-book  commission  consisting  of  "eight  members 
be  appointed  by  the  governor  and  with  the  consent  of  the  senate." 
This  commission  is  empowered  and  authorized  to  select  and  adopt  a 
uniform  series  of  school  text-books  for  the  use  in  the  public  schools. 

For  many  years  an  effort  has  been  made  to  install  libraries  in  the 
various  schools  of  the  state,  with  the  result  that  about  half  of  the  rural 
schools  have  libraries,  with  a  total  number  of  274,793  volumes.  School 
districts  are  permitted  to  vote  a  tax  not  to  exceed  2  mills  for  district 
libraries. 


3-- 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


High  Schools.— The  high  schools  of  the  state  may  be  divided  into 
three  classes:  the  city  high  school,  which  constitutes  the  ninth,  tenth, 
eleventh  and  twelfth  grades  of  the  district  school  and  is  governed  by 
its  laws :  the  county  high  school,  and  the  Barnes  high  school.  The 
county  high  school  was  first  established  in  1886  by  a  law  which  read  : 
"Each  county  having  a  population  of  6,000  inhabitants  or  over,  as 
shown  ill  the  last  slate  or  federal  census,  may  establish  a  county  high 
school  on  the  conditions  and  in  the  manner  hereinafter  prescribed  for 
the  purpose  of  affording  better  educational  facilities  for  pupils  more 
advanced  than  those  attending  district  schools  and  for  persons  who 
desire  to  fit  themselves  for  the  \ocation  of  teaching."  The  first  county 
high  school  was  founded  in  1889,  five  were  established  in  the  decade 
from  1890  to  1900,  and  si.xleen  m(M"e  in  the  period  1900-1905.  All  county 
high  schools  are  required  by  law  to  lia\e  "three  courses  of  instruclitm. 


.\  ,MML>r:K.\   inijii  sciumh,  i;r  1  i.i  mx' 


each  requiring  four  years'  study  for  completion,"  namely  a  general 
course,  a  normal  course  and  a  collegiate  course.  The  22  countv  high 
schools  in  Kansas  have  109  teachers:  buildings  valued  at  $400,294; 
libraries  with  books  numbering  20,117.  The  Barnes  law  is  an  act  pro- 
viding that  in  all  counties  other  than  those  maintaining  county  high 
schools,  the  people  of  the  county  may  avail  themselves  of  the  provisions 
"that  all  high  schools  providing  such  a  course  of  study  as  will  fit  its 
graduates  for  entrance  to  the  state  university,  and  in  addition  thereto 
provides  a  general  course  of  study,  shall  be  supported  by  a  tax  upon 
the  county  at  large."  Pupils  may  attend  such  high  schools  without 
tuition. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5'.^ 

The  introduction  of  industrial  training  into  the  schools  was  first  per- 
mitted in  1903  when  the  legislature  enacted  a  law  permitting  a  tax 
levy  for  the  equipment  and  maintenance  of  industrial-training  schools 
or  industrial-training  departments  of  the  public  schools.  An  a])pro- 
priation  of  $20,000  was  made  for  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  the 
law.  Regular  courses  in  industrial  training  are  maintained  in  certain 
county  high  schools,  a  few  city  high  schools  and  some  of  the  graded 
schools. 

For  patriotic  instruction  the  legislature  of  1907  declares:  "It  shall  be 
the  duty  of  school  authorities  of  every  public  school  in  the  several  cities, 
towns,  villages  and  school  districts  of  this  state  to  purchase  a  suitable 
United  States  flag,  flagstaff  and  the  necessary  appliances  therefor,  and 
to  display  such  flag  upon,  near  or  in  the  public  school  building  during 
school  hours  and  at  such  other  times  as  such  school  authorities  may 
direct."  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  state  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  of  this  state  to  prepare  for  the  use  of  the  public  schools 
of  the  state  a  program  providing  for  a  salute  to  the  flag  at  the  open- 
ing of  each  day  of  school  and  such  other  patriotic  exercises  as  may 
be  deemed  by  him  to  be  expedient,  under  such  regulations  and  instruc- 
tions as  may  best  meet  the  varied  requirements  of  the  difl:erent  grades 
in  such  schools.  It  shall  also  be  his  duty  to  make  specific  provision 
for  the  observance  by  such  public  schools  of  Lincoln's  birthday,  Wash- 
ington's birthday.  Memorial  day  (May  30),  and  Plag  day  (June  14) 
and  such  other  legal  holidays  of  like  character  as  may  be  hereafter 
designated  by  law.  The  state  superintendent  of  pul^lic  instruction  is 
also  authorized  and  directed  to  procure  and  provide  the  necessary  and 
appropriate  instructions  for  developing  and  encouraging  such  patriotic 
exercises  in  the  public  schools,  and  the  state  printer  is  authorized  and 
directed  to  do  such  printing  and  binding  as  may  be  necessary  for  the 
efficient  and  faithful  carrying  out  of  the  purposes  of  this  act. 

Special  Public  Schools. — The  special  schools  include  the  Soldiers' 
Orphans'  Home;  School  for  Feeble-minded  Youth;  School  for  Deaf  and 
Dumb ;  Industrial  School  for  Girls ;  Industrial  School  for  Boys ;  and 
School  for  the  Blind.     (See  each  under  its  appropriate  title.) 

Purcell,  one  of  the  villages  of  Doniphan  county,  is  located  in  Union 
township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  t't  Pacific  R.  R.,  15  miles  south- 
west of  Troy,  the  county  seat.  It  has  banking  facilities,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910 
was  150.  It  was  founded  about  1886.  The  following  were  some  of  the 
early  settlers :  Patrick  Shaughnessy,  John  Whelan,  Patrick  P.rady. 
John  Purcell,  David  \\'helan,  Pater  Heichenberger  and  Kasper  Troll. 

Pure  Food  Laws. —  (See  Health,  State  Board  of.) 

Putnam,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in 
Harvey  county,  is  located  6  miles  south  of  Newton,  the  county  seat, 
and  about  3  miles  north  of  Sedgwick,  from  wliich  place  it  receives  mail. 
The  population  in  1910  was  35. 

Pythian  Sisters. — (See  Knights  of  Pythias.) 


524 


CYCLOPEDIA   OF 


a 


Quakers. —  (See  I'rieiids. ) 

Quantrill,  William  Clarke,  the  notorious  guerrilla  leader,  was  born  at 
Canal  Dover,  Uhio,  July  31,  1837,  and  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  eight 
children.  His  parents  were  from  Hagcrstown,  Md.  Thomas  H.  Quan- 
trill, his  father,  was  a  tinner  by  trade,  and  at  one  time  was  principal  of 
the  Canal  Dover  Union  school,  iiis  mother's  maiden  name  was  Caroline 
Clarke.  Young  (Juantrill  is  said  to  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 
good  training  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  taught  a  term  of  school 
in  Ohio.  He  got  into  trouble  and  came  to  Kansas  in  1857,  working 
for  Col.  Torrey  in  Lykins  (Miami)  county.  He  next  taught  a  term  of 
school  in  Stanton,  Miami  county,  then  made  a  trip  to  Utah  and 
returned  with  the  suspicion  of  murder  clinging  to  him.  During  his 
residence  in  Kansas,  part  of  the  time  under  the  assumed  name  of 
Charley  Hart,  he  acquired  the  reputation  of  a  moral  degenerate  and 
was  regarded  by  those  who  knew  him  as  a  petty  thief.  He  narrowly 
escaped  lynching  at  the  hands  of  citizens  of  Independence  and  Jackson 
county.  Mo.,  for  the  despicable  part  he  played  during  the  Morgan- 
Walker  episode,  in  which  he  led  an  expedition  into  Missouri  for  the 
ostensible  purpose  of  liberating  slaves,  killing  one  of  his  companions 
and  betraying  the  others,  all  of  whom  were  slain.  He  joined  the  south- 
ern sympathizers  and  during  the  Civil  war  was  at  the  head  of  a  band 
of  guerrillas,  all  of  whom  were  experts  in  the  use  of  firearms  and 
foiight  mercilessly  under  the  black  flag.  On  Aug.  23,  1863,  at  the  head 
of  his  followers,  he  led  an  attack  on  Lawrence,  burning  the  town  and 
engaging  in  a  butchery  withotit  a  parallel  in  modern  warfare.  (See 
Quantrill's  raid.)  On  Oct.  6  the  same  year  he  made  an  attack  on  the 
Federal  forces  at  Baxter  Springs  and  killed  about  100  defenseless  sol- 
diers. During  the  latter  part  of  the  war  he  and  his  followers  were 
driven  east  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  he  was  captured  near  Tay- 
lorsville,  Ky.,  May  10,  1865,  after  a  fight  in  which  he  was  .  badly 
wounded.  His  death  occurred  at  the  military  hospital  in  Louisville, 
Ky.,  June  6,  1865. 

Quantrill's  Raid. — At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  in  1861  Wil- 
liam C.  Quantrill  (q.  v.)  was  living  among  the  Cherokee  Indians.  He 
joined  a  company  which  entered  the  Confederate  service,  serving  for 
a  time  with  Gen.  McCullough  and  later  under  Gen.  Price.  The  dis- 
cipline of  an  organized  army  was  not  to  Quantrill's  taste,  however. 
He  wanted  more  freedom  of  movement,  especially  in  the  privilege  of 
pillaging  the  homes  of  those  whom  he  vanquished.  Gathering  about 
him  a  number  of  kindred  spirits  he  organized  a  gang  of  guerrillas  and 
began  operations  in  western  Missouri.  As  his  success  became  more 
marked  he  grew  bolder  and  made  several  raids  into  Kansas,  plunder- 
ing the  towns  of  Olathe,  Shawnee,  Spring  Hill,  Aubrey  and  a  few 
others.  Early  in  March,  1862,  his  gang  had  been  declared  outlaws 
by  the  Federal  authorities,  but  Quantrill  cared  nothing  for  the  declara- 
tion.    None  of  his  raids  in   1862  extended  into  Kansas  over   15  miles, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  $2$ 

and  the  people  of  Lawrence,  being  about  40  miles  from  the  border,  felt 
little  apprehension  that  the  city  would  ever  be  attacked.  True,  some 
precautions  were  taken  to  guard  against  a  surprise,  but  they  were  gen- 
erally of  a  desultory  character  and  were  not  continued.  When  Gen. 
Collamore  became  mayor  he  secured  a  small  body  of  troops  to  patrol 
the  city,  but  the  military  authorities  concluded  such  action  was 
unnecessary  and  the  soldiers  were  ordered  elsewhere. 

On  the  night  of  Aug.  19,  1863,  Quantrill  assembled  294  men  at  Colum- 
bus, Mo.,  where  they  were  organized  into  four  corhpanies  and  quietly 
the  plans  were  made  for  an  attack  upon  Lawrence.  Two  of  Quantrill's 
companies  were  commanded  by  Bill  Todd  and  Bill  Anderson,  "two 
of  the  most  desperate  and  bloodthirsty  of  the  border  chieftains."  Others 
who  accompanied  him  were  Dick  Yeager  and  the  James  boys,  who 
afterward  became  notorious.  About  5  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
20th  they  crossed  the  state  line  into  Kansas,  within  plain  view  of  a 
camp  of  a  small  detachment  of  Union  soldiers,  but  as  the  guerrillas 
outnumbered  the  troops  five  to  one  Capt.  Pike,  in  command  of  the  camp, 
offered  no  resistance,  contenting  himself  with  sending  word  of  the 
movement  to  Kansas  City.  About  11  o'clock  that  night  they  passed 
Gardiner,  where  they  burned  a  house  or  two  and  killed  a  man.  At 
3  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  went  through  Hesper.  The  moon  had 
gone  down,  and  being  ignorant  of  the  way,  they  took  a  boy  from  a 
house  and  compelled  him  to  lead  them  to  Lawrence.  The  raiders 
entered  Franklin  4  miles  east  of  Lawrence  at  the  first  break  of  day, 
but  were  very  quiet,  so  as  not  to  arouse  attention.  Two  miles  east 
of  Lawrence  they  passed  the  farm  of  Rev.  S.  S.  Snyder  and  shot  him 
in  his  barnyard.  A  mile  further  on  they  met  young  Hoffman  Colla- 
more, the  son  of  Mayor  Collamore,  who  replied  indifferently  to  their 
queries  about  his  destination  and  they  fired  upon  him.  Both  he  and  his 
pony  fell,  as  if  dead,  but  the  boy  recovered. 

Mr.  Cordley  narrates  that  when  they  drew  near  the  town  they  seemed 
to  hesitate  and  waver.  "Coming  from  the  east,"  says  he,  "the  town 
appeared  in  its  full  proportions,  as  the  first  light  of  the  morning  sun 
shone  on  it.  It  is  said  some  of  them  were  disposed  to  turn  back.  But 
Quantrill  said  he  was  going  in,  and  they  might  follow  who  would.  Two 
horsemen  were  sent  in  advance  of  the  troop  to  see  that  all  was  quiet. 
They  rode  through  the  main  street  without  attracting  attention. 
They  returned  to  the  main  body  and  reported  the  way  clear. 
They  now  moved  on  quite  rapidly  but  quietly  and  cautiously.  When 
they  came  to  the  high  ground  facing  Massachusetts  street,  not  far  from 
where  the  park  now  is,  the  command  was  given  in  clear  tones,  'On  to 
the  town !'  Instantly  the  whole  body  bounded  forward  with  the  yell 
of  demons.  They  came  first  upon  a  camp  of  unarmed  recruits  for  the 
Fourteenth  Kansas  regiment.  They  had  just  taken  in  their  guards  and 
were  rising  from  their  beds.  On  these  the  raiders  fired  as  they  passed, 
killing  17  of  the  22.  This  diversion  did  not  stop  the  speed  of  the  gen- 
eral advance.  A  few  turned-  aside  to  run  down  and  shoot  the  fleeing 
soldiers,  but  the  main  body  swept  on  down  Rhode  Island  street.    When 


526  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

llic  licad  of  the  column  came  about  to  Henry  street  the  command  was 
heard  all  over  that  section.  On  to  the  hotel!  On  to  the  hotel!'  At 
this  they  wheeled  oblic|uely  to  the  left  and  in  a  few  moments  were 
dashing  down  Massachusetts  street  toward  the  Eldridge  house.  In  all 
the  bloody  scenes  which  fcjUowed  nothing  surpassed  for  wildness  and 
terror  that  which  now  presented  itself.  The  horsemanship  of  the  guer- 
rillas was  perfect.  They  rode  with  that  ease  and  abandon  of  men 
who  had  spent  their  lives  in  the  saddle  amid  rough  and  desperate 
scenes.  They  were  dressed  in  the  traditional  butternut  and  belted  about 
with  revolvers." 

These  horsemen  sat  with  bodies  erect  and  arms  free,  "some  with  a 
revolver  in  each  hand,  shooting  at  each  house  or  person  they  passed, 
and  3elling  at  ever_\-  bound.  On  each  side  of  the  stream  of  fire  were 
men  falling  dead  and  wounded,  and  women  and  children  half-dressed, 
running  and  screaming,  some  trying  to  escape  from  danger,  and  others 
rushing  to  the  side  of  their  murdered  friends." 

When  they  reached  the  Eldridge  hotel  the  raiders  expected  resist- 
ance and  paused  a  moment  in  contemplation.  Capt.  A.  R.  Banks,  pro- 
vost marshal  of  the  state,  opened  a  window,  displayed  a  white  shirt, 
called  for  Quantrill  and  surrendered  the  house  to  him,  stipulating  the 
safety  of  the  guests.  The  raiders  ransacked  the  hotel,  but  Quantrill 
bade  the  guests  to  go  to  the  City  hotel,  where  they  would  be  safe. 
The  prisoners  lost  no  time  in  obej'ing  Quantrill,  who,  strange  to  relate, 
kept  his"  word  with  them.  As  soon  as  the  Eldridge  house  had  sur- 
rendered, the  raiders  scattered  all  over  the  town  in  bands  of  6  or  8, 
taking  house  by  house  and  street  by  street.  Says  Cordley :  "The 
events  of  the  next  three  hours  has  no  parallel  outside  the  annals  of 
savage  warfare.  History  furnishes  no  other  instance  of  so  large  a 
number  of  such  desperate  men,  so  heavily  armed,  were  let  perfectly 
loose  upon  an  unsuspecting  and  helpless  community."  Instead  of 
growing  weary  of  their  work  as  the  morning  advanced  they  secured 
liquor  that  made  them  more  lawless,  reckless,  brutal  and  barbarous 
than  when  they  came.  They  said  they  had  orders  "to  kill  every  man 
and  burn  every  house,"  and  while  they  did  not  fulfill  their  commands 
they  set  about  their  task  as  if  that  were  their  intention.  They  were 
a  rough,  coarse,  brutal,  desperate  lot  of  men,  each  of  whom  carried 
from  two  to  six  revolvers,  while  many  also  carried  carbines.  The 
attack  had  been  perfectly  planned.  Every  man  seemed  to  know  his 
place  and  what  he  was  to  do.  So  quietly  were  detachments  made, 
every  section  of  the  town  was  occupied  before  the  citizens  compre- 
hended what  was  happening.  With  a  very  few  exceptions  the  raiders 
had  their  own  way.  For  some  four  hours  the  town  was  at  their  mercy 
— and  no  mercy  was  shown.  Along  the  business  street  they  did  the 
most  thorough  work,  robbing  buildings  and  shooting  the  occupants. 
Then  the  torch  was  applied  and  throughout  the  town  a  reign  of  terror 
prevailed.  Every  house  had  its  story  of  incredible  brutality  or  a 
remarkable  escape.  Many  were  saved  by  their  own  quick  wit  and  the 
bravery  of  the  women. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  527 

Ouantrill  did  not  return  the  way  he  came,  for  he  hail  information 
that  Maj.  Plumb  was  approaching  from  the  east  with  a  body  of  troops. 
After  four  hours'  horrible  work  all  ceased  their  work  of  plundering  and 
assembled  for  departure.  To  avoid  Maj.  Plumb  they  went  south, 
crossing  the  Wakarusa  at  Blanton's  bridge.  The}'  kept  up  their  work 
of  destruction  as  they  went  away,  burning  nearly  all  of  the  farm  houses 
they  passed.  Gen.  James  H.  Lane  with  a  few  followers  ])ursued  them, 
as  did  the  regular  troops,  but  the  raiders  finally'escaped  to  their  hiding 
places  along  the  border.  Lawrence  spent  the  following  week  burying 
its  dead,  of  which  there  were  142,  as  nearly  as  an  estimate  could  be 
made.  For  some  time  the  intense  gloom  and  grief  forbade  any  thought 
of  the  future,  but  the  day  came  when  they  rallied  their  spirits  and  rebuilt 
their  town  and  homes. 

In  1875  the  legislature  of  Kansas  appointed  a  commission  "to  examine 
and  certify  the  amount  of  losses  of  citizens  of  the  State  of  Kansas 
by  the  invasion  of  guerrillas  and  marauders  during  the  years  1861  to 
1865.  The  towns  molested  had  been  Lawrence,  Olathe,  Humboldt, 
Altoona,  Paola  and  Fort  Scott.  In  1887  the  legislature  enacted  a  law 
providing  for  its  assumption  and  payment  of  these  claims  for  losses. 
(See  Claims.) 

Quenemo. — According  to  a  tradition  of  the  Sauk  Indians,  some  of 
the  northern  tribes,  at  some  period  far  back  in  the  past,  raided  their 
country  and  carried  seven  Sauk  women  into  captivity.  After  carry- 
ing the  prisoners  far  to  the  northward  they  liberated  them  to  find 
their  way  back  as  best  they  could  through  the  trackless  forests  and 
inhospitable  snows.  One  by  one  they  perished,  the  survivors  subsist- 
ing upon  the  flesh  of  their  dead  sisters,  until  but  one  woman  was 
left.  That  one  gave  birth  to  a  male  child,  and  in  her  anguish  exclaimed, 
"Ouen-e-mo !"  the  nearest  English  equivalent  of  which  is,  "Oh,  my 
God!"  Other  translations  are  "Something  hoped  for."  and  "I  am 
lonel}'." 

The  expression  was  adopted  by  the  tribe  as  a  name  for  one  of  the 
leading  chiefs.  The  first  to  bear  this  naiiie  was  born  at  Milan,  Ohio. 
Altogether  there  have  been  six  chiefs  of  this  name,  two  of  whom  lived 
in  Osage  county,  Kan.,  but  there  has  never  been  but  one  Quenemo  at 
a  time.     A  town  in  Osage  county  bears  this  name.     (See  Quenemo.) 

Quenemo,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Osage  county,  is 
located  near  the  eastern  line  at  the  junction  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroads.  The  latter  diverges 
at  this  point,  one  branch  going  to  Osage  City  and  the  other  to  Em- 
poria. Quenemo  is  also  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  river,  in  Agency 
township,  II  miles  east  of  Lyndon,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  weekly 
newspaper  (the  News),  2  banks,  all  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise,  good 
schools  and  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international 
money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  Quenemo  is  an  impor- 
tant shipping  point  for  live  stock,  grain  and  farm  produce.  The  popula- 
tion, according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  556. 


528  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

For  more  than  ten  years  before  the  founding  of  the  town  the  Sac 
and  Fox  Indian  agency  was  at  this  place,  and  the  name  Quenemo  was 
the  name  of  a  celebrated  Indian  chief  of  those  times.  George  Logan, 
the  first  white  man  at  the  agency,  came  in  1858.  He  was  followed  by 
\A'illiam  AVhistler.  The  first  building  was  erected  by  the  government 
in  i860.  It  was  located  on  what  is  now  Third  street  and  was  used 
as  a  trading  post,  in  which  Perry  Fuller  did  a  profitable  business. 
The  next  two  buildings,  which  were  residences,  were  built  the  same 
year  and  are  still  standing.  In  1862  some  4,000  Indians,  belonging  to 
the  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  Creeks,  Cherokees  and  Kickapoos,  who 
were  driven  out  of  the  Indian  territory  on  accotmt  of  their  loyalty  to 
the  government,  joined  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  at  the  agency.  This  made 
trade  brisk  for  the  few  merchants  there.  E.  Olcott  was  at  that  time 
bookkeeper;  Gov.  Anderson,  gunsmith;  H.  Huggins,  government 
blacksmith ;  E.  B.  Fenn,  physician ;  N.  S.  Brian,  superintendent  of  the 
boarding  house ;  Mrs.  Craig  was  school  teacher,  and  Rev.  R.  P.  Duvall 
the  missionary.  In  1869  the  lands  were  opened  for  settlement  and  a 
large  number  of  claims  were  taken.  New  stores  were  opened  by  John 
\\  histler,  John  C.  and  Alexander  Rankin.  Rev.  Jesse  Watkins  organ- 
ized a  Methodist  church.  The  next  year  the  agency  lands  were  laid 
oiif  into  lots  and  a  town  started.  Among  the  promoters  were  Dr. 
Alfred  Wiley,  Warner  Craig,  John  C.  Rankin  and  William  Whistler. 
They  tried  to  secure  a  railroad,  but  the  project  fell  through  and  the 
town  was  without  shipping  facilities  until  1884,  when  train  service  was 
begun  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  between  Kansas  City  and 
Emporia.  A  depression  followed  the  failure  to  secure  a  railroad,  many 
people  moved  away  and  business  houses  failed.  In  1878  a  fire  swept 
away  nearly  all  that  remained.  Growth  began  again  with  the  estab- 
lishment of  railroad  connections  and  today  Quenemo  is  a  prosperous 
little  town.  The  first  newspaper,  the  "Quenemo  Observer,"  was  started 
in  1883  by  George  Rodgers.  The  first  school  was  opened  in  1871  in 
a  fine  brick  school  house  and  was  taught  by  Miss  Saylor. 

Quickville,  a  hamlet  in  Thomas  county,  is  located  in  Barrett  town- 
ship, 15  miles  northwest  of  Colby,  the  county  seat  and  usual  shipping 
point,  and  about  the  same  distance  from  Brewster,  the  place  from 
which  it  receives  mail. 

Quincy,  a  little  town  of  Greenwood  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  and  is  located  on  the  Verdigris  river  in 
Quincy  township,  20  miles  northeast  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  banking  facilities,  all  the  main  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise,  express 
and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
All  the  leading  religious  denominations  are  represented  and  have  houses 
of  worship,  and  the  public  schools  are  unexcelled.  The  population  in 
1910,  according  to  the  census  report,  was  250. 

Quindaro,  one  of  the  old,  historic  towns  of  Wyandotte  county,  is 
situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Missouri  river  6  miles  above  Kan- 
sas  City.     In    1856,   when   Atchison,   Leavenworth  and   Delaware   City 


KANSAS    HISTORY  529 

were  practically  closed  to  free-state  settlers,  several  fugitives  from 
these  towns  were  assisted  down  the  river  to  safety  from  this  point  by 
Mr.  Guthrie,  who  owned  much  of  the  land  in  the  vicinity.  The  place 
was  then  selected  by  a  number  of  free-state  men  as  a  location  for  a 
town.  Mrs.  Guthrie  was  a  Wyandot  Indian,  and  through  her  inllu- 
ence  land  was  purchased  from  members  of  that  tribe.  In  Dec,  1856, 
the  town  was  surveyed  by  O.  A.  Bassett,  and  named  in  honor  of  Mrs. 
Guthrie,  whose  first  name  was  Quindaro.  The  town  company  was 
organized  by  electing  Joel  Walker,  president  ;  .\belard  Guthrie,  vice- 
president ;  Charles  Robinson,  treasurer:  and  S.  M.  Simpson,  secretary. 
The  first  ground  on  the  town  site  was  broken  on  Jan.  i,  1857.  but  little 
building  was  done  until  spring  opened.  Three  or  four  buildings  were 
completed  by  April  i,  among  them  the  Quindaro  House,  the  second 
largest  hotel  in  the  territory,  which  was  opened  in  t'eb.,  1857.  In  May 
a  large  force  of  men  began  to  grade  the  ground  near  the  levee  and 
Kansas  avenue,  also  the  main  street  running  south  from  the  river.  The 
first  newspaper,  the  Chin-do-wan,  appeared  on  May  13,  and  at  once 
began  to  advertise  the  new  town.  Professional  men  came  in  and  real 
estate  agents  did  a  good  business.  F.  Johnson  and  George  Veale 
opened  a  general  merchandise  store,  and  were  followed  by  other  firms 
in  the  same  line.  Simpson,  Macaulay  &  Smith,  forwarding  and  com- 
mission merchants,  opened  a  store.  Charles  B.  Ellis,  a  civil  engineer 
and  surveyor,  opened  an  office,  and  Quindaro  soon  gave  promise  of 
becoming  one  of  the  largest  towns  on  the  river.  A  large  steam  ferry 
was  put  in  operation  that  summer,  one  of  the  largest  sawmills  in  the 
territory  was  erected  and  in  operation  by  fall,  and  the  Methodist  church 
was  built. 

Shares  of  the  town  company  had  risen  to  an  exorbitant  price,  money 
was  plentiful,  every  one  was  hopeful,  and  the  town  seemed  well  started 
on  the  highway  to  assured  prosperity.  All  the  citizens  were  cordial 
and  friendly  and  the  name  of  the  town  and  that  of  the  newspaper 
which,  when  translated,  mean  "in  union  there  is  strength,"  seemed 
about  to  be  realized.  A  stage  line  was  put  in  operation  between  Quin- 
daro and  Lawrence,  building  continued  and  by  1858  the  town  boasted 
100  business  houses  and  dwellings.  A  second  newspaper,  the  Kansas 
Tribune,  was  issued  in  the  fall  of  1858  for  the  benefit  of  the  town  com- 
pany. But  Kansas  City,  Atchison  and  Leavenworth  were  rapidly 
becoming  centers  of  population  and  trade,  and  as  they  were  the  natural 
gateways  of  the  territory,  Quindaro  began  to  decline.  Business  houses 
moved  to  the  more  prosperous  settlements,  the  population  gradually 
dwindled  and  in  1861,  at  the  opening  of  the  war,  when  the  troops 
under  Col.  Davis  handled  the  town  so  roughly,  most  of  the  remaining 
citizens  left,  so  that  by  1870  only  a  few  buildings  and  the  station  were 
used.  Subsequently  the  town  began  to  pick  up,  the  Freeman's  I'ni- 
versity  (now  Western  L^niversity),  an  industrial  school  for  negroes, 
was  established  there,  general  stores,  mercantile  establishments  and 
a  drug  stores  were  opened,  schools  and  churches  were  again  started, 
(11-34) 


530 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


and  Quindaro  awoke  to  a  ghost  of  its  former  life.  It  is  a  station  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  a  sub-station  of  the  Kansas  City  postoffice, 
has  telegraph,  express  and  telephone  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  popula- 
tion of  500. 

Quinter,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Gove  county,  is 
located  in  Baker  township  on  the  I'nion  Pacific  R.  R.  17  miles  north- 
east of  Gove,  the  county  seat.  It  is  the  largest  town  in  the  county, 
has  a  bank,  a  hotel,  a  number  of  mercantile  establishments,  good  pub- 
lic school,  churches,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Gove  County  Advocate), 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  450.  The  town  was  platted 
m  1885  under  the  name  of  Familton,  by  the  Familton  Town  company, 
which  built  a  hotel.  The  first  house  was  built  by  R.  W.  Cook,  the 
first  store  was  opened  by  John  K.  Wickizer,  and  the  first  hotel  was 
kept  by  J.  H.  Baker.  The  first  newspaper  (the  Settler's  Guide),  was 
established  in  1886. 

Quinton  Heights,  a  suburb  of  Topeka  reached  by  street  railway. 
(See  Topeka.) 

Quivira. — As  early  as  1530  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Mexico  heard 
reports  of  the  "Seven  Cities  of  Cibola,"  which  were  reputed  to  be 
exceedingly  opulent,  but  it  was  not  until  ten  years  later  that  any  sys- 
tematic attempt  was  made  to  find  them  and  exploit  their  wealth.  The 
Coronado  expedition  (q.  v.)  was  sent  out  from  New  Spain  for  that 
purpose  in  1540,  and  while  in  winter  quarters  near  the  present  city  of 
Aubuquerque,  N.  M.,  Coronado  learned  from  an  Indian  slave  of  a 
province  teeming  with  wealth  somewhere  in  the  interior.  This  province 
subsequently  became  known  as  Quivira.  There  is  some  question  as 
to  whether  the  name  "Quivira"  is  of  Indian  origin.  Shea  suggests  that 
the  original  name  might  have  been  "Ouebira,"  from  the  Arabic  word 
"quebir" — meaning  great — and  that  it  was  probably  first  used  by  the 
survivors  of  the  Narvaez  expedition  who  found  their  way  to  Mexico 
in  the  spring  of  1536. 

The  province  of  Quivira  has  been  claimed  by  nearly  every  state  in 
the  Missouri  valley,  and  it  is  only  within  the  last  twenty-five  years 
that  it  has  been  given  anything  like  a  definite  location  by  archaeologists. 
Acting  upon  the  information  received  from  the  Indian,  Coronado  set 
out  in  April,  1541,  for  the  province,  which  he  finally  reached  after 
wandering  over  the  plains  for  more  than  two  months.  As  the  season 
began  to  wane  he  returned  to  his  quarters  of  the  preceding  winter, 
where  on  Oct.  20  he  wrote  to  the  king  of  Spain  a  letter,  in  which  he 
said : 

"The  province  of  Quivira  is  950  leagues  from  Mexico.  Where  I 
reached  it  is  in  the  40th  degree.  The  country  itself  is  the  best  I  have 
ever  seen  for  producing  all  the  products  of  Spain,  for  besides  the  land 
itself  being  very  fat  and  black  and  being  well  watered  by  the  rivulets 
and  springs  and  rivers,  I  found  prunes  like  those  of  Spain,  and  nuts, 
and  very  good  sweet  grapes  and  mulberries.     ...     I  had  been  told 


KANSAS    HISTORY  531 

that  the  houses  were  made  of  stone  and  were  several  storied;  they  are 
only  of  straw,  and  the  inhabitants  are  as  savage  as  any  that  1  have 
seen.  They  have  no  clothes,  nor  cotton  to  make  them  of;  thej-  simply 
tan  the  hides  of  the  cows  which  they  hunt,  and  which  pasture  around 
their  village  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  large  river.  They  eat  their 
meat  raw  like  the  Querechos  and  Tejas,  and  are  enemies  to  one  another 
and  war  among  one  another.  All  these  men  look  alike.  The  inhab- 
itants of  Quivira  are  the  best  of  hunters  and  they  plant  maize." 

Jaramillo's  account  confirms  the  description  given  by  Coronado  and 
says  the  only  metal  found  in  Quivira  consisted  of  some  iron  pyrites 
and  a  few  pieces  of  copper.  As  the  main  object  of  the  visit  was  to 
find  gold  and  silver,  the  disappointment  of  the  Spaniards  can  be  readily 
imagined. 

The  "prunes"  mentioned  by  Coronado  were  no  doubt  the  wild  plums 
that  abound  along  the  streams  in  central  and  western  Kansas ;  the 
"fat,"  black  and  well  watered  land  answers  the  description  of  the  soil 
about  the  junction  of  the  Smoky  Hill  and  Republican  rivers;  and  the 
statement  that  Ouivira  was  in  the  40th  degree  bears  out  the  belief  that 
the  ancient  province  was  somewhere  in  central  or  northeastern  Kan- 
sas, as  the  northern  boundary  of  the  state  is  the  40th  parallel  of  north 
latitude.  Castaneda,  the  historian  of  the  expedition,  bears  out  the 
description  of  the  houses  given  by  Coronado.  He  says :  "The  houses 
are  round,  without  a  wall,  and  they  have  one  story  like  a  loft,  under 
the  roof,  where  they  sleep  and  keep  their  belongings.  The  roofs  are 
of  straw." 

From  the  fact  that  the  people  lived  in  straw  houses,  or  at  least  in 
huts  with  roofs  of  straw,  Hodge  identifies  the  inhabitants  of  Quivira 
as  the  Wichita  Indians,  which  tribe,  of  all  the  plains  Indians,  were 
accustomed  to  thatch  their  huts  with  straw. 

Bandelier,  in  his  "Gilded  Man,"  after  a  careful  analysis  of  the  various 
accounts  of  Quivira,  sums  up  the  results  of  his  research  as  follows: 
"I  have  shown  that  Quivira  was  in  central  Kansas,  in  the  region  of 
Great  Bend  and  Newton,  and  a  little  north  of  there.  It  is  also  clear 
that  the  name  appertained  to  a  roving  Indian  tribe,  and  not  to  a 
geographical  district.  Hence,  when  I  say  that  Coronado's  Ouivira  was 
there,  the  identification  is  good  for  the  year  1541,  and  not  for  a  later 
time.  The  tribe  wandered  with  the  bison,  and  with  the  tribe  the  name 
also  went  hither  and  thither." 

If  Bandelier  is  correct  in  his  deductions,  as  he  probably  is,  the  fact 
that  the  name  wandered  with  the  tribe  may  account  for  the  various 
locations  of  the  province  of  Quivira,  though,  as  he  shows,  the  Quivira 
visited  by  Coronado  in  1541  was  unquestionably  somewhere  within  the 
present  limits  of  the  State  of  Kansas.  Bandelier  also  says :  "With 
the  return  to  Mexico  of  the  little  army  that  Coronado  commanded,  the 
name  of  Cibola  lost  its  fascination.  But  Quivira  continued  to  exercise 
an  unperceived  influence  on  the  imagination  of  men.  Notwithstanding, 
or  perhaps  because  Coronado   had   told   the   unadorned  truth   concern- 


532  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

ing  the  situation  and  conditions  of  the  place,  the  world  presumed  that 
he  was  mistaken,  and  insisted  on  continuing  the  search  for  it." 

Although  many  of  the  Si)aniards  in  Mexico  held  to  the  view  that 
vast  weallli  was  to  be  found  in  Quivira,  no  attempt  was  made  to  visit 
the  province  for  more  than  half  a  century  after  the  expedition  oi 
Coronado.  Then  came  the  expedition  of  Bonilla  in  1595  and  Ofiate 
in  1601  (q.  v.),  but  both  these  were  undertaken  without  adequate 
preparations  and  conducted  in  such  a  lax  and  desultory  manner  that 
nothing  was  accomplished. 

After  the  insurrection  of  1680  and  the  reconquest  of  New  Mexico  by 
Diego  de  Vargas  in  1692-94  the  name  Quivira,  as  applied  to  an  interior 
province  or  the  tribe  inhabiting  it,  seems  to  have  been  lost.  But  the 
recollection  of  the  golden  stories  was  not  allowed  to  perish,  and  the 
myth  was  transferred  to  some  ruins  in  what  is  now  Socorro  county, 
X.  M.,  about  150  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  which  ruins  liecame  popu- 
larly known  as  "La  Gran  Quivira."  To  quote  again  from  Bandelier: 
"The  treasure  city  had  lain  in  ruins  since  the  insurrection  of  1680; 
but  its  treasures  were  supposed  to  be  buried  in  the  neighborhood,  for 
it  was  said  there  had  once  been  a  wealthy  mission  there,  and  the  priests 
had  buried  and  hidden  the  vessels  of  the  church.  Thus  the  Indian 
kingdom  of  Quivira  of  'the  Turk'  was  metamorphosed  in  the  course  of 
two  centuries  into  an  opulent  Indian  mission,  and  its  vessels  of  gold 
and  silver  into  a  church  service.  But  where  Quivira  should  be  looked 
for  was  forgotten." 

As  previously  stated  it  is  onh-  within  comparative  recent  }-ears  that 
efforts  have  been  made  to  ascertain  the  location  of  the  lost  Quivira. 
The  translation  of  Castaneda's  narrative  of  the  Coronado  expedition 
by  Winship ;  the  work  of  the  Hemenway  archaeological  expedition  ;  the 
investigations  and  researches  of  Simpson,  Hodge  and  others,  who  have 
studied  and  carefull}'  compared  the  directions  and  distances  given  in  the 
relations  concerning  the  movements  of  Coronado,  all  point  to  the  region 
between  the  Arkansas  and  Kansas  rivers  as  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Indian  province. 

Jacob  V.  Brower,  an  archaeologist  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  made  three 
trips  to  Kansas  for  the  purpose  of  determining  if  possible  the  location 
of  the  original  Quivira.  The  first  of  these  trips  was  made  in  Nov., 
1896,  the  second  in  March,  1897,  and  the  third  in  March,  1898.  Mr. 
Brower  explored  the  valleys  of  the  Kansas  and  Smoky  Hill  rivers  from 
the  mouth  of  Mill  creek  in  Wabaunsee  county  to  Lyon  creek  in  Dickin- 
son county,  and  also  the  valleys  of  the  Arkansas  in  the  vicinity  of 
Great  Bend.  Through  the  testimony  of  stone  implements — a  method 
that  has  been  criticised  as  untrustworthy — he  determined  the  location 
of  65  ancient  villages.  Of  these  11  were  in  Pottawatomie  county,  10 
in  Wabaunsee,  11  in  Riley,  20  in  Geary,  4  in  Dickinson,  6  in  McPherson, 
and  I  each  in  Marion,  Rice  and  Barton.  On  Oct.  29,  1901,  the  Quivira 
Historical  society  was  organized  at  Alma,  the  county  seat  of  Wabaunsee 
county,   with   the   following  officers:     President,   Jacob   V.   Brower  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  533 

St.  Paul,  Minn.;  vice-president,  Elmer  E.  Blacknian  of  Lincoln,  Xeb. ; 
secretary,  Edward  A.  Kilian  of  Alma;  chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee, John  T.  Keagy  of  Alma.  One  of  the  principal  objects  of  the 
society  was  to  erect  monuments  marking  certain  historical  sites,  and 
on  Aug.  12,  1902,  the  first  of  these  monuments  was  unveiled  at  Logan 
Grove,  near  Junction  City.  The  monument  was  in  the  form  of  an 
obelisk,  some  17  feet  in  height,  and  bore  the  inscription:  "Quivira 
and  Harahey,  discovered  by  Coronado  1541,  Jaramillo,  Padilla,  Tatar- 
rax.  Rediscovered  by  J.  V.  Brower  1896.  Erected  for  Quivira  His- 
torical Society  by  Robert  Henderson  1902.  John  T.  Keagy,  Chairman, 
Edward  A.  Kilian,  Secretary.  Kansas,  V.  S.  A."  The  unveiling  was 
attended  by  appropriate  ceremonies,  the  Sixth  field  battery,  K.  N.  G., 
firing  a  salute,  and  the  Ninth  artillery  band  furnishing  the  music. 
Monuments  have  also  been  erected  in  Dickinson,  Riley  and  Wabaunsee 
counties. 

R 

Rage,  one  of  the  thriving  little  villages  of  Kingman  county,  is  located 
in  Valley  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  17 
miles  southwest  of  Ivingman,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  local  retail  trade, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  mone}'  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.    The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  125. 

Railroad  Commission. — Several  years  before  a  railroad  commission 
was  established  in  Kansas,  attempts  had  been  made  at  state  control 
of  railroads  and  considerable  progress  had  been  made  along  that  line. 
Gov.  Anthony  was  the  first  executive  to  recognize  the  importance  of 
state  legislation  and  control  of  the  roads,  and  in  his  message  to  the 
legislature  in  1877  recommended  the  passage  of  a  law  to  protect  the 
rights  of  the  people  in  the  matter  of  railroad  rates,  etc.  Several  bills 
were  introduced,  but  nothing  came  of  them  and  the  matter  rested 
until  1878  when  railroad  legislation  was  made  an  issue  of  the  cam- 
paign. Gov.  St.  John  reopened  the  question  in  his  message  and  the 
railroad  war  was  on.  The  champion  of  legislation  looking  toward  state 
control  was  Samuel  A.  Riggs,  who  introduced  a  bill  entitled  "An  act 
to  establish  a  board  of  railroad  commissioners,  to  prescribe  their  powers 
and  duties,  and  to  prevent  and  punish  extortion  and  unjust  discrimina- 
tion bv  railroads  in  the  transportation  of  passengers,  freights  and  freight 
cars."  It  was  nearly  identical  with  the  Illinois  law,  and  its  o]5eration 
might  have  resulted  in  advantages  to  both  the  railroads  and  the  people, 
but  the  bill  failed  to  pass.  In  1881  the  Riggs  bill  was  introduced  in 
the  senate,  read  the  first  time  and  reported  back  with  the  recommenda- 
tion that  it  be  rejected.  Another  bill  on  railroad  legislation  was  intro- 
duced in  the  house  and  passed  by  that  body,  but  was  killed  in  the 
senate.  Gov.  Glick.  who  had  introduced  the  bill  in  the  house,  when 
elected  governor  of  the  state  devoted  a  large  amount  of  his  message 
to  the  matter  of  state  control  of  railroads,  with  the  result  that  eleven 
bills    were    introduced    into    the    house,    but    the    committee    reported 


5,54  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

advcrsely  upon  all  of  llicin  and  reconiniciuled  a  subslilulc  of  its  own, 
which,  after  modification  in  the  senate,  was  passed  and  sis^ned  on 
March  8,  1883. 

This  law  provided  for  a  commission  of  three  men,  not  more  than  two 
of  whom  should  be  of  the  same  political  party,  to  be  appointed  by 
the  executive  council  before  April  i,  1883,  and  to  have  general  super- 
visory powers  over  the  railway,  express  and  sleeping-car  companies 
doing  business  in  the  state.  The  commission  was  authorized  to  examine 
the  physical  condition  of  the  roads  at  least  once  each  year,  in  order 
to  suggest  changes  with  regard  to  stations,  yards,  improvement  in 
service  and  other  matters  necessary  to  have  the  roads  fulfill  all  their 
obligations  to  the  public,  as  common  carriers  of  the  state.  It  was  also 
given  power  to  revise  and  establish  rates,  adjust  disputes  and  perform 
the  functions  of  arbitrators  between  the  roads  and  their  patrons.  The 
railroads  hailed  the  passing  of  the  law  as  a  victory  for  them  and  many 
conceded  it  as  such,  but  time  and  the  working  of  the  commission  have 
since  changed  that  idea.  The  first  commission  was  appointed  in  April, 
1883,  and  consisted  of  the  following  members:  James  Humphrey, 
L.  L.  Turner  and  Henry  Hopkins,  who  died  on  Dec.  18  of  that  year. 
According  to  the  provision  of  the  law^  "no  person  owning  any  bonds, 
stock  or  property  in  any  railway  company,  or  who  is  in  the  employ- 
ment or  who  is  in  any  way  or  manner  interested  in  any  railroad,"  can 
be  eligible  to  the  office  of  commissioner  or  any  other  officer  of  the 
board. 

When  the  board  came  into  existence  there  were  29  lines  operating 
in  the  state.  Within  six  months  after  assuming  the  duties  of  office  the 
commissioners  had  inaugurated  such  a  vigorous  policy  that  public 
sentiment  regarding  the  efficiency  of  the  law  had  radically  changed, 
the  railroads  discovered  that  they  were  confronted  by  unexpected  con- 
ditions and  made  an  attempt  to  break  down  the  law,  but  signally 
failed.  This  was  the  first  and  last  attempt  of  the  kind  made  by  the  rail- 
roads, and  the  rulings  and  decisions  of  the  board  in  thousands  of  cases 
that  have  been  brought  before  it  have  been  accepted  by  the  rail- 
ways of  the  state  the  same  as  though  they  were  decisions  of  the  court. 
These  decisions  deal  with  every  form  and  kind  of  complaint,  and  an 
idea  of  the  vast  amount  of  business  carried  on  by  the  commission  may 
be  estimated  from  the  fact  that  in  1908  alone  over  730  cases  were  tried 
and  decisions  rendered.  Some  cases  are  trivial,  others  of  vast  impor- 
tance to  the  interests  of  the  entire  state,  but  the  most  important  have 
been  those  with  regard  to  the  reduction  of  freight  and  passenger  rates. 
It  is  doubtless  true  that,  with  an  increase  in  the  volume  of  business, 
rates  would  naturally  have  fallen,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  would 
have  been  reduced  50  per  cent,  during  the  first  eight  years  had  there 
been  no  commission.  Gov.  Martin  said  in  1886:  "The  savint;  to  the 
people  of  the  state  by  the  reductions  in  freight  rates,  secured  chiefly 
by  the  board  of  railroad  commissioners,  aggregates  for  the  fiscal  year 
ending  June  3,  1885,  over  $200,000." 


KANSAS    HISTORY  535 

In  1889  and  1901  acts  were  passed  relating  to  railroads  and  in  1905 
the  general  railroad  law  was  amended  so  that  the  members  of  the 
board  of  railroad  commissioners  were  elected  at  each  general  biennial 
election  "in  the  same  manner  as  the  other  state  officers,"  but  in  case 
of  a  vacancy  the  governor  was  given  the  power  to  appoint  a  man  to 
fill  the  unexpired  term.  The  commissioners  were  not  allowed  to  hold 
any  other  office  in  the  state  or  under  the  general  government  and  could 
not  engage  in  business  which  would  interfere  with  their  duties  as 
commissioners. 

Through  the  eft'orts  of  the  commission  the  freight  rates  on  the  nat- 
ural resources  of  the  state  have  been  reduced,  and  thus  the  mining  and 
manufacturing  interests  have  been  stimulated.  This  applies  especially 
to  the  salt  and  coal  producing  cities  of  Kansas,  and  in  a  marked  degree 
to  the  cities  of  large  milling  industries.  Another  advantage  of  the  com- 
mission which  has  greatly  benefited  the  public,  is  the  quick  settlement 
of  complaints  made  against  the  companies.  Months  and  even  years 
of  delay  occurred  before  the  creation  of  the  commission.  In  cases 
where  claims  of  damages  could  not  be  properly  brought  before  the 
commission  they  were  adjusted  through  its  members,  as  individuals, 
and  were  generally  satisfactory  to  both  parties  concerned.  As  a  result 
of  the  action  taken  from  the  start  the  commission  has  enjoyed  the  con- 
fidence of  both  the  people  and  the  railway  companies.  The  greatest 
usefulness  of  the  commission  lies  in  its  power  to  supervise  the  rates, 
which  are  flexible,  and  adjusted  to  the  constantly  changing  conditions. 
Statutory  regulation  of  rates  would  never  prove  satisfactory,  for  in 
many  cases  by  the  time  the  law  became  effective  the  conditions  under 
which  it  was  enacted  would  have  changed  or  ceased  to  exist,  and  thus 
injury  would  result  to  road  or  patrons.  Not  only  did  the  board  regu- 
late rates  within  the  boundaries  of  the  state,  but  it  could  also  control 
an  undue  multiplication  of  roads  and  the  extension  of  those  already  in 
existence.  From  the  first  Kansas  avoided  ultra  measures  and  the  con- 
servative policy  introduced  by  the  commissioners  has  been  adhered  to 
and  has  led  to  increased  confidence  of  the  people,  and  a  more  friendly 
feeling  between  the  railroads  and  their  patrons.  In  191 1  the  railroad 
commission  was  converted  into  the  "Board  of  Public  Utilities"  by  an 
act  of  the  legislature.     (See  Stubbs'  Administration.) 

Railroads. — At  the  time  Kansas  was  organized  as  a  territory  in  1854 
the  means  of  transportation  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  were  extremely 
limited.  Immigrants  came  by  water  from  St.  Louis  to  what  is  now 
Kansas  City,  from  which  point  the  trip  westward  toward  the  interior 
of  the  state  had  to  be  made  with  wagons,  over  a  country  where  even 
wagon  roads  had  not  yet  been  established.  Under  these  conditions  the 
question  of  better  transportation  facilities  was  one  which  early  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  Kansas  pioneers. 

In  1834,  twenty  years  before  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
bill,  Dr.  Samuel  K.  Barlow  of  Massachusetts  advocated  the  building 
of  a  railroad  through  the  western  country  which  he  had  just  visited 


536  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Three  years  later  Dr.  llarlwcll  Carver,  in  a  cumnuinication  to  the  New 
York  Courier  and  Inquirer,  suggested  a  railroad  from  the  Mississippi 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  if  possible,  and  at  any  rate  to  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion on  the  Columbia  river.  But  the  public  was  not  yet  ready  to 
accept  the  scheme  as  feasible  and  laughed  at  the  idea  of  a  railroad 
across  the  continent.  In  fact,  many  people  looked  upon  steam  rail- 
roads as  impracticable  and  an  innovation  unworthy  of  adoption  by  any 
civilized  community.  In  1828,  only  nine  years  before  Carver  wrote 
the  article  mentioned,  the  school  board  of  Lancaster,  Ohio,  replied  as 
follows  to  some  young  men  who  asked  for  the  use  of  the  school  house 
in  which  they  desired  to  debate  the  railroad  problem : 

"You  are  welcome  to  the  use  of  the  school  house  to  debate  all  proper 
questions  in,  but  such  things  as  railroads  and  telegraphs  are  impossi- 
bilities and  rank  infidelity.  There  is  nothing  in  the  Word  of  God  about 
them.  If  God  had  designed  that  His  intelligent  creatures  should  travel 
at  the  frightful  speed  of  15  miles  an  hour,  by  steam.  He  would  clearly 
have  foretold  it  through  His  holy  prophets.  It  is  a  device  of  Satan  to 
lead  immortal  souls  down  to  hell." 

Notwithstanding"  the  attitude  of  opposition.  Dr.  Carver  went  to  Wash- 
ington to  try  to  interest  Congress  in  the  subject  of  a  trans-continental 
railwa}'.  There  he  met  Asa  Whitney,  a  New  York  merchant  who  had 
a  large  trade  with  China,  and  who  was  desirous  of  finding  a  shorter 
route  to  the  Orient.  Blit  Congress  was  not  yet  ready  to  act  on  a 
proposition  of  such  magnitude.  Again  in  1845  Whitney  presented  a 
memorial  to  Congress  asking  for  a  donation  of  a  tract  of  land  60  miles 
wide  from  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 
through  the  corner  of  which  he  and  his  associates  would  build  a  rail- 
road and  remunerate  themselves  through  the  sale  of  the  lands  on  either 
side.  Whitney  was  regarded  as  a  speculator,  but  he  continued  his 
efforts  to  awaken  the  people  to  the  importance  of  his  project,  and  even 
influenced  the  legislatures  of  twenty  states  to  indorse  his  plans.  From 
1853  to  1861  exploring  surveys  were  made  under  the  direction  of  Gen. 
G.  M.  Dodge,  who  says  in  his  report: 

"The  first  private  survey  and  exploration  of  the  Pacific  railroad  was 
caused  by  the  failure  of  the  Mississippi  «S:  Missouri  (now  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific)  to  complete  its  project.  The  men  who  put  their 
money  into  that  enterprise  conceived  the  idea  of  working  up  a  scheme 
west  of  Iowa  that  would  be  an  inducement  to  capital  to  invest  in  carry- 
ing their  project  across  Iowa  to  the  Missouri  river.  They  also  wished 
to  determine  at  what  point  on  the  Missouri  the  Pacific  railroad  would 
start,  so  as  to  terminate  their  road  at  that  point.  The  explorers  adopted 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  as  that  point." 

On  July  I,  1862,  President  Lincoln  signed  the  bill  authorizing  the 
construction  of  a  Pacific  railroad.  One  feature  of  the  bill  was  that  it 
empowered  the  president  to  designate  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  road, 
and  after  consultation  with  Gen.  Dodge  Mr.  Lincoln  named  Council 
Bluffs.     While  this  bill  did  not  directly  aiifect  Kansas,  it  marked  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  537 

beginning  of  a  great  railroad  system  that  now  oi)erales  over  1,000  miles 
within  the  state.  The  Union  Pacific  company  was  organized  at  Chicago 
on  Sept.  2,  1862,  and  by  the  act  of  March  3,  1863,  the  government 
granted  to  the  company  alternate  sections  of  land  for  10  miles  on  each 
side  of  the  road — about  3,000,000  acres  in  all — and  authorized  an  issue 
of  bonds  payable  in  30  years  to  the  amount  of  $16,000  per  mile  to  aid 
in  the  construction  of  the  road. 

As  late  as  1857  there  was  but  one  line  of  railroad  west  ol  the 
Mississippi  river,  extending  from  St.  Louis  to  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  a 
distance  of  125  miles.  In  the  meantime,  however,  the  territorial  author- 
ities of  Kansas  had  not  been  idle  in  their  efforts  to  secure  the  build- 
ing of  railroad  lines  in  the  territory.  The  first  legislature  (1855) 
granted  charters  to  five  railroad  companies,  to-wit :  The  Kansas  Cen- 
tral, the  Southern  Kansas,  the  Leavenworth,  Pawnee  &  Western,  the 
Leavenworth  &  Lecompton,  and  the  Kansas  Valley.  Among  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Kansas  Central  were  John  Calhoun,  S.  D.  Lecompte, 
A.  S.  White  and  John  Duff.  The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was 
fixed  at  $1,000,000,  and  it  was  authorized  to  build  a  road  "from  any 
point  on  the  Missouri  to  any  point  on  the  western  boundary."  The 
capital  stock  of  the  Southern  Kansas  was  fixed  at  $3,000,000,  and  the 
company  was  given  a  franchise  to  build  a  road  "from  the  Missouri 
state  line  due  west  of  Springfield  to  the  west  line  of  Kansas  Territory." 
A.  J.  Dorn,  William  J.  Godfroy,  James  M.  Linn,  Joseph  C.  Anderson 
and  others  were  named  as  the  incorporators,  and  the  act  stipulated 
that  work  was  to  begin  on  the  road  within  nine  years.  Some  of  the 
leading  projectors  of  the  Leavenworth,  Pawnee  &  Western  were 
W.  H.  Russell,  J.  M.  Alexander,  S.  D.  Lecompte,  E.  H.  Dennis  and 
C.  H.  Grover.  The  authorized  capital  stock  of  the  company  was 
$5,000,000,  and  the  road  was  to  run  "from  the  west  bank  of  the  Mis- 
souri river  in  Leavenworth  to  the  town  of  Pawnee,  or  to  some  point 
feasible  and  next  to  the  government  reservation  for  Fort  Riley,  with 
the  privilege  of  extending  the  same  to  the  western  boundary  of  the 
territory."  H.  D.  McMeekin,  John  A.  Halderman,  R.  R.  Russell,  Daniel 
Woodson,  S.  D.  Lecompte  and  C.  H.  Grover  were  among  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Leavenworth  &  Lecompton  road,  which  was  to  run 
between  the  points  named.  The  capital  stock  was  $3,000,000  and  the 
company  was  authorized  to  take  stock  in  the  Lecompton  Bridge  com- 
pany in  order  to  assure  an  entrance  to  the  territorial  capital.  Work 
was  to  begin  on  the  road  within  five  years.  The  first  board  of  direc- 
tors of  the  Kansas  Valley  company  were  Thomas  Johnson,  H.  J. 
Strickler,  A.  J.  Isaacs,  Rush  Elmore,  John  P.  Wood,  Johnston  Lykins, 
Andrew  McDonald,  Thomas  N.  Stinson  and  Cyprian  Chouteau.  The 
capital  stock  was  fixed  at  $5,000,000  and  the  charter  provided  for  the 
construction  of  a  line  of  railroad  "from  the  western  boundary  line  of 
the  State  of  Missouri,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas  or  Kaw  river, 
commencing  at  the  western  terminus  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas  river,  running  up  the  valley  of  said  river  on  the 


538  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

soiilh  bank  thereof,  by  way  of  Lawrence,  Bcnicia,  Douglass,  Lecomp- 
ton,  Teciimseh,  and  terminating  at  or  near  the  town  of  Pawnee." 

Sixteen  charters  were  granted  to  raih-oad  companies  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  1857 — the  second  legislative  session  to  be  held  in  the  territory. 
Gov.  John  W.  Geary,  Samuel  J.  Jones,  John  Calhoun,  J.  A.  Halderman, 
P.  T.  Abell.  and  a  number  of  others  incorporated  the  Grand  Central 
Gulf  company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,000  and  authority  to 
build  a  road  from  the  northern  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  ter- 
ritory, to  connect  and  cooperate  with  roads  in  Nebraska  on  the  north 
and  Texas  on  the  south,  thus  forming  a  line  from  the  interior  to  the 
coast. 

The  act  incorporating  the  Marysville  or  Palmetto  &  Roseport  rail- 
road named  13  directors,  fixed  the  capital  stock  at  $5,000,000,  and 
granted  the  company  a  franchise  to  build  a  road  from  Marysville  to 
Roseport  in  Kansas  "so  as  to  connect  with  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph 
railroad." 

P.  T.  Abell  and  J.  H.  Stringfellow  were  the  chief  promoter^  of  the 
Atchison  &  Fort  Riley  company,  which  was  granted  a  charf.r  to  build 
a  road  between  the  points  named,  work  to  begin  within  five  years. 
The  capital  stock  of  this  company  was  $1,000,000. 

The  Missouri  River  &  Rocky  Mountain  company,  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $1,000,000,  was  authorized  to  build  a  road  from  any  point  on  the 
Missouri  river  between  Leavenworth  and  Delaware  City  to  any  point 
on  the  western  boundary  of  the  territory.  John  Calhoun  and  D.  A.  N. 
Grover  were  at  the  head  of  this  company. 

The  Delaware  &  Lecompton  was  incorporated  by  amending  the  act 
of  the  previous  session  relating  to  the  Kansas  Central,  the  powers, 
rights  and  privileges  of  the  latter  being  transferred  to  the  Delaware 
&  Lecompton  company,  with  the  original  incorporators  and  capital 
stock. 

The  Mine  Hill  Railroad  and  Mining  company  was  incorporated  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $5,000,000  and  a  franchise  to  begin  mining  or  the 
construction  of  a  railway  within  five  years,  but  the  terminals  of  the 
railroad  were  not  definitely  fixed  by  the  act  of  incorporation. 

A  charter  for  the  Atchison  &  Palmetto  authorized  the  issue  of 
$r, 000,000  in  capital  stock  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  railroad  from 
Atchison  to  Palmetto  "on  the  Big  Blue  river." 

An  amendment  was  made  to  the  charter  of  the  Leavenworth,  Paw- 
nee &  Western  company,  giving  it  the  power  to  build  a  branch  "be- 
ginning at  some  favorable  point  on  the  Leavenworth,  Pawnee  &  West- 
ern and  follow  the  most  practicable  route  southwardly,  to  terminate  on 
the  southern  boundary  of  Kansas  at  some  point  where  easy  connection 
may  be  had  with  a  line  of  railroad  extending  through  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory and  the  State  of  Texas  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico." 

Thomas  Johnson,  Johnston  Lykins,  John  C.  McCoy,  David  Lykins  and 
A.  M.  Coflfey  secured  a  charter  for  a  company  to  be  known  as  the 
Eastern    Kansas    &    Gulf    Railroad    company,    with    a    capital    stock   of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  539 

$5,000,000  and  the  right  to  build  a  iDad  from  the  western  boundary  of 
the  State  of  Missouri,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas  river,  so  as  to 
connect  at  its  western  terminus  with  the  Pacific  railroad. 

The  Palermo  &  "Lecompton,  the  Atchison  &  Lecompton,  and  the 
Prairie  City  &  Missouri  State  Line  companies  were  chartered  to  build 
lines  between  the  points  named  in  the  respective  acts  of  incorporation, 
and  the  last  named  company  was  also  authorized  to  build  "two  branches 
to  any  point  in  the  territory." 

The  Central  Railroad  company  of  Kansas  received  a  charter  at  the 
session  of  1857,  to  build  a  road  from  Roseport,  opposite  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
southward  via  the  Neosho  valley  to  Galveston  bay.  The  authorized 
capital  stock  of  this  company  was  $5,000,000,  and  among  the  incor- 
porators were  Aristides  Rodrique,  Daniel  Woodson,  W.  P.  Richardson 
and  John  W.  Forman. 

Wilson  Shannon,  John  Calhoun,  R.  R.  Rees,  L.  J.  Eastin  and  their 
associates  secured  a  charter  for  the  Missouri  River  &  Nemaha  Valley 
railroad,  to  run  from  the  Missouri  river  in  Doniphan  county  toward 
Fort  Kearny,  etc.    The  capital  stock  of  this  company  was  $5,000,000. 

The  St.  Joseph  &  St.  George  company,  composed  mostly  of  citizens 
of  Hannibal,  Mo.,  was  given  a  franchise  to  construct  a  road  from  St. 
Joseph  to  St.  George  on  the  Kansas  river  in  Pottawatomie  county,  and 
the  St.  Joseph  &  Topeka,  with  a  capital  of  $1,500,000,  was  authorized 
to  construct  a  road  "with  one  or  more  tracks,"  from  a  point  on  the  Mis- 
souri river  opposite  St.  Joseph  to  Topeka. 

A  writer  in  the  Kansas  Historical  Collections  (vol.  ix,  p.  468)  says : 
"The  volumes  of  territorial  laws  are  full  of  charters  granted  to  build 
railroads.  Every  town  and  village  and  scores  of  paper  towns  had  rail- 
roads projected  to  run  from  them  as  initial  points,  while  the  other  end 
of  the  line  was  located,  in  the  imagination  of  the  projector,  at  a  point 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  or  the  Pacific  ocean." 

A  glance  at  the  charters  above  mentioned  shows  that  the  principal 
promoters  of  proposed  railroads  during  the  first  three  years  of  the  ter- 
ritorial existence  of  Kansas  were  prominent  pro-slavery  men — Calhoun, 
Woodson,  Lecompte,  etc. — but  after  the  free-state  party  carried  the  elec- 
tion for  members  of  the  legislature  in  the  fall  of  1857  a  new  set  of  rail- 
road projectors  came  to  the  front.  The  legislature  of  1858 — the  first 
one  controlled  by  free-state  men — granted  charters  to  a  number  of  rail- 
road companies,  and  in  every  instance  the  incorporators  were  members 
of  that  party. 

In  the  act  incorporating  the  Delaware  &  Lawrence  company,  S.  B. 
Prentiss,  C.  K.  Holliday,  James  Blood,  O.  E.  Learnard,  John  Hutchin- 
son, E.  B.  Whitman,  J.  S.  Emery,  S.  C.  Harrington,  J.  W.  Pennoyer, 
George  Q.  Twombly,  J.  A.  Finley  and  William  Hutchinson  were  named 
as  the  first  board  of  directors.  The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was 
placed  at  $1,500,000,  work  was  to  be  commenced  within  six  years  and 
the  road  was  to  be  completed  within  ten  years  from  the  date  of  the 
charter. 


540  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Among  ilic  iiicurpuralors  of  the  Kansas  Central,  which  was  also  char- 
tered by  the  legislature  of  1858,  were  Charles  Robinson,  J.  P.  Root,  W. 
V.  Roberts  and  Henry  J.  Adams,  all  free-state  leaders.  This  comoanv. 
the  capital  stock  of  which  was  ^3,000,000,  was  authorized  to  build  a  rail- 
road from  the  Missouri  river  "at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  to  a 
point  at  or  near  Fort  Riley." 

The  act  incorporating  the  Elwuod,  i'alermo  &  Fort  Riley  railroad 
named  40  incorporators,  among  whom  were  C.  K.  HoUiday,  Thomas 
Ewing,  Jr.,  J.  H.  Lane,  11.  Miles  Moore,  J.  P.  Root  and  A.  L.  Lee.  The 
capital  stock  of  this  company  was  $3,000,000.  Work  was  to  be  com- 
menced on  a  road  between  the  terminals  named  within  five  years  and 
the  road  was  to  be  completed  within  twenty  years. 

The  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Fort  Gibson  (also  called  the  Kansas 
City,  Lawrence  &  Southern  Kansas)  railroad  received  its  charter  on 
Feb.  12,  1858,  authorizing  the  construction  of  a  road  from  Leavenworth 
to  the  southern  boundary,  and  from  Lawrence  to  Emporia.  Several 
vears  were  spent  in  efforts  to  secure  land  grants  and  subsidies  to  aid  in 
building  the  road.  By  the  act  of  Congress,  approved  March  3,  1863,  the 
state  was  given  alternate  sections  for  a  distance  of  10  miles  on  either 
side  of  a  road  from  Leavenworth  toward  Galveston  bay,  and  the  legisla- 
ture of  Kansas  on  Feb.  9,  1864,  turned  over  this  grant  to  the  Leaven- 
worth, Lawrence  &  Fort  Gibson  company.  In  1867  Douglas  county 
voted  bonds  for  $300,000  and  Franklin  county  for  $200,000  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  road.  Work  was  commenced  at  Lawrence  soon  after 
these  bonds  were  authorized,  and  on  Jan.  i,  1868,  the  road  was  com- 
pleted to  Ottawa.  In  1871  it  was  finished  to  Cofi'eyville.  The  line  is 
now  a  part  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  system.  The  original 
stock  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Fort  Gibson  company  was 
$2,000,000,  and  among  the  incorporators  were  H.  J.  Adams,  R.  B. 
Mitchell,  G.  W.  Deitzler  and  John  Speer. 

Another  company  chartered  b}'  the  legislature  of  1858,  and  one  with 
a  high-sotinding  name,  was  the  Leavenworth  City,  Delaware  City  & 
City  of  Lawrence  Railroad  company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $1,500,000. 
The  act  named  25  incorporators,  including  Gains  Jenkins,  M.  J.  Parrott, 
George  W.  Smith,  George  W.  Deitzler  and  H.   Miles  Moore. 

The  charter  of  the  Missouri  River  &  Rocky  Mountain  road  was 
amended  at  this  session.  In  the  list  of  names  of  the  27  incorporators 
of  the  Leavenworth,  Hamlin  &  Nebraska  railroad  appear  the  names  of 
H.  M.  Moore,  J.  H.  Lane,  Gains  Jenkins,  W.  Y.  Roberts,  J.  P.  Root  and 
E.  N.  Morrill.    The  capital  stock  of  this  company  was  $2,000,000. 

Charles  Robinson,  James  PI.  Lane,  M.  J.  Parrott,  J.  P.  Root  and  their 
associates  asked  for  and  received  a  charter  for  a  company  to  be  known 
as  the  Missouri  River  Railroad  company,  which  was  authorized  to  build 
a  road  from  the  Missouri  river  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  to  the  line 
between  Kansas  and  Nebraska  near  Roy's  ferry,  via  Leavenworth  and 
Palermo.    The  capital  stock  authorized  by  the  charter  was  $500,000. 

The  act  of   1857  chartering  the   St.  Joseph  &  Topeka  company  was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  541 

amended  so  that  the  company  might  increase  its  capital  stock  to  $5,000,- 
000  and  extend  its  line  from  Topeka  "to  such  point  on  the  southern  or 
western  boundary  of  said  territory,  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Fe,  New 
Mex.,  as  may  be  most  suitable  and  convenient  for  the  construction  of 
said  railroad."  Authority  was  also  granted  by  the  supplemental  act  to 
construct  a  branch  of  said  road  to  any  point  on  the  southern  boundary 
of  Kansas  in  the  direction  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Charles  Robinson,  M.  J.  Parrott  and  Robert  Crozier  were  the  incor- 
porators of  the  St.  Joseph,  Sumner  &  Lawrence  Railroad  company,  with 
a  capital  of  $2,000,000,  and  Parrott,  Crozier  and  George  S.  Hillyer  re- 
ceived a  charter  to  build  the  Sumner,  Manhattan  &  Fort  Riley  railroad, 
with  the  same  rights  and  pri\-ileges  as  the  St.  Joseph,  Sumner  I'v  Law- 
rence compan}-. 

C.  K.  Holliday,  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  R.  B.  Mitchell,  George  W.  Deilzler 
and  W.  A.  Phillips  obtained  a  charter  to  build  the  Topeka  &  Emporia 
railroad.  The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was  fixed  at  $3,000,000, 
and  the  right  of  way  was  designated  as  a  strip  of  land  200  feet  in  width. 

The  Wyandotte,  Alinneola  &•  Council  Grove  railroad  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $5,000,000,  to  build  a  road  from  Quindaro  via 
Wyandotte,  Olathe  and  Minneola  to  Council  Grove,  with  the  privilege 
of  extending  the  line  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  territory.  The 
incorporators  included  Alfred  Gray,  George  S.  Park,  J.  P.  Root  and 
James  M.  Winchell. 

Only  four  railroad  companies  were  chartered  b}-  the  legislature  of 
1859 — the  Atchison  &  Pike's  Peak,  the  Lawrence  &  Fort  Union,  the 
Wyandotte  &  Osawatomie,  and  the  Atchison  &  Topeka.  The  last  named 
deserves  more  than  passing  mention,  because  it  was  the  forerunner  of 
the  present  great  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railway  system.  Its 
incorporators  were  C.  K.  Holliday,  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  P.  T.  Abell,  L.  C. 
Challis,  M.  C.  Dickey,  Asaph  Allen.  Samuel  Dickson,  N.  L.  Gordon, 
George  S.  Hillyer,  L.  D.  Bird,  Jeremiah  Murphy,  George  H.  Fairchild 
and  R.  L.  Crane.  The  original  capital  stock  was  $1,500,000,  with  the 
privilege  of  increasing  the  same  from  time  to  time,  provided  the  increase 
should  never  exceed  the  amount  already  expended  in  the  construction 
of  a  railroad  from  Atchison  to  Topeka,  "and  to  the  southern  or  western 
boundary  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Fe." 

Ten  railroad  companies  were  incorporated  by  the  territorial  legis- 
lature of  i860.  Some  of  the  preceding  legislatures  had  created  a  larger 
number  of  these  corporations,  but  none  had  been  quite  as  liberal  in  the 
matter  of  capital  stock.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  companies  chartered 
by  this  session,  with  the  capital  stock  of  each:  Fort  Scott,  Xeosho  & 
Santa  Fe,  $10,000,000;  Iowa  Point  &  Denver  City,  $2,000,000;  Leaven- 
worth City  &  San  Francisco,  $100,000,000;  Marysville  &  Denver,  $5,000,- 
000;  Missouri  River  (from  Wyandotte  to  White  Cloud  via  Iowa  Point), 
$2,000,000;  Olathe  &  Southern  Kansas,  $3,000,000;  Southern  Kansas 
Pacific,  $5,000,000;  State  Line,  Osawatomie  &  Fort  Union,  $5,000,000; 
Troy  &  Iowa  Point,  $1,000,000;  Topeka  &  Southern  Kansas,  amount  of 


542  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Stock  not  tixed  by  ilic  acl  (/I  incorporation.  This  legislature  also  passed 
acts  amending  the  charters  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Fort  Gib- 
son, and  the  Wyandotte  &  Osawatomie  roads. 

Some  of  the  incorporators  of  railroad  companies  during  the  territorial 
era  were  earnest  in  their  efforts  and  sincere  in  their  desires  to  secure 
railroads  for  Kansas.  Others,  and  probably  the  majority,  were  actuated 
by  motives  of  speculation.  Recognizing  the  future  possibilities  of  rail- 
road building  in  the  development  of  the  West,  they  hurried  to  acquire 
charter  rights  through  legislative  enactments  in  the  hope  that,  in  the 
event  they  were  unable  to  finance  and  construct  the  roads  themselves, 
they  could  sell  their  franchises  for  handsome  profits  to  companies 
financially  able  to  carry  out  the  original  purposes  of  the  charters.  Nor 
was  this  condition  peculiar  to  Kansas.  During  the  quarter  of  a  century 
prior  to  the  Civil  war,  as  civilization  and  settlement  extended  westward, 
practically  every  state  west  of  New  York  was  at  some  time  afflicted 
with  the  craze  for  chartering  railroad  companies. 

Cutler's  History  of  Kansas  (p.  241)  says:  "On  March  20,  i860,  the 
first  iron  rail  on  Kansas  soil  was  laid  at  Elwood,  Doniphan  count}-,  op- 
posite St.  Joseph.  This  rail  was  laid  on  the  Elwood  &  Marysville  rail- 
road," etc.  This  was  nearly  five  years  after  the  first  charters  had  been 
granted  by  the  legislature,  and  the  people  were  becoming  anxious  to 
see  some  tangible  results  of  railroad  legislation.  Under  these  condi- 
tions Edmund  G.  Ross,  editor  of  the  Topeka  Record,  suggested  in  his 
paper  the  advisability  of  calling  a  railroad  convention.  The  suggestion 
was  seconded  by  John  A.  Martin  of  the  Atchison  Champion,  with  the 
result  that  a  call  for  such  a  convention  was  prepared  and  circulated  by 
C3'rus  K.  Holliday.  In  this  movement,  perhaps  for  the  first  time,  the 
free-state  and  pro-slavery  men  acted  in  harmony.  The  call  was  signed 
by  C.  K.  Holliday,  E.  G.'and  W.  W.  Ross,  Wilson  Shannon,  P.  T.  Abell, 
B.  F.  Stringfellow,  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  F.  G.  Adams,  R.  M.  Ruggles,  C.  B. 
Lines,  Joseph  A.  Bartels,  D.  R.  Anthony,  C.  F.  de  Vivaldi,  J.  W.  Robin- 
son, Charles  Robinson,  M.  F.  Conway,  J.  H.  Lane,  J.  M.  Giffin,  T.  S. 
Huffaker.  P.  B.  Plumb,  John  A.  Martin,  and  a  number  of  others. 

The  convention  met  at  Topeka  on  Oct.  17,  with  about  125  delegates 
present,  representing  20  counties  of  the  territory.  W.  Y.  Roberts  was 
elected  to  preside.  Among  the  vice-presidents  were  Charles  Robinson, 
Samuel  Medary,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  P.  T.  Abell  and  W.  F.  M.  Arny, 
and  the  secretaries  were  John  A.  Martin,  J.  F.  Cummings  and  C.  F.  de 
Vivaldi.  The  principal  work  of  the  convention  was  the  adoption  of  a 
resolution  to  the  effect  that  a  memorial  be  presented  to  Congress  asking 
an  appropriation  of  public  lands  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  railroads 
in  I'Cansas  as  follows :  i- — A  railroad  from  the  western  boundary  of  the 
State  of  Missouri,  where  the  Osage  Valley  &  Southern  Kansas  railroad 
terminates,  westwardlj'  via  Emporia,  Fremont  and  Council  Grove,  to 
the  Fort  Riley  military  reservation.  2 — A  railroad  from  the  city  of 
W'yandotte  (connecting  with  the  Pacific  railroad)  up  the  Kansas  valley 
via  Lawrence,  Lecompton,  Tecumseh,  Topeka,  Manhattan  and  the  Fort 
Riley   military   reservation  to   the    western  boundary   of   the   territory. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  543 

3 — A  railroad  from  Lawrence  to  the  southern  boundary  of  Kansas,  in 
the  direction  of  Fort  Gibson  and  Galveston  bay.  4 — A  railroad  from 
Atchison,  via  Topeka,  through  the  territory  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Fe. 
5 — A  railroad  from  Atchison  to  the  western  boundary  of  Kansas. 

The  memorial  authorized  by  the  resolution  was  prepared  by  B.  F. 
Stringfellow  and  forwarded  to  Congress.  It  no  doubt  wielded  some 
influence  on  the  national  legislation  which  followed  during  the  next 
few  years.  In  February  succeeding  the  railroad  convention,  the  Kansas 
state  government  was  established,  and  the  first  state  legislature  passed 
an  act  givmg  to  all  railroad  companies  whose  charters  had  not  been  de- 
clared forfeited  the  legal  right  "to  hold  by  grant  or  otherwise  any  per- 
sonal or  real  estate,"  and  the  companies  were  also  given  two  years  in 
which  to  begin  work  upon  the  roads  as  defined  in  their  respective  char- 
ters. This  legislation  was  intended  to  act  as  a  stimulus  to  railroad  con- 
struction, but  soon  after  the  law  was  passed  the  Civil  war  began  and 
the  preservation  of  the  Union  became  the  all-absorbing  question.  Even 
while  the  war  was  in  progress,  however.  Congress  passed  the  acts  of 
July  I,  1862,  March  3,  1863,  and  July  i  and  2,  1864,  granting  large  tracts 
of  lands  in  the  West  to  railroad  companies,  and  authorizing  bond  issues 
,to  aid  in  building  the  roads. 

In  Feb.,  1859,  the  city  of  St.  Joseph  celebrated  the  completion  of  the 
Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  railroad,  which  was  the  first  line  to  reach  the 
Kansas  border.  Just  a  year  later  ground  was  broken  at  Wyandotte  for 
the  Kansas  Central.  Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  first  track 
laid  in  Kansas,  which  was  on  the  Elwood  &  Marysville  road  on  March 
20,  i860.  Within  a  month  several  miles  of  track  were  laid  and  on  April 
23  the  old  locomotive  "Albany"  arrived.  This  engine  had  been  used  in 
the  construction  of  railroads  all  the  way  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard  to 
the  Missouri  river  as  the  "Star  of  Empire"  pursued  its  westward  course. 
On  the  24th  a  number  of  invited  guests  assembled  to  celebrate  the  open- 
ing of  the  first  section  of  the  great  Pacific  railway.  Charles  S.  Gleed,  in 
one  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  says:  "The  cars  which  fol- 
lowed the  'Albany'  that  da}'  were  all  flat  cars,  well  calculated  to  carry 
the  festive  party,  composed  about  equally  of  men  and  barrels.  The  cars 
were  decorated  with  green  boughs  to  cover  their  native  ugliness,  and 
seats  were  constructed  of  planks  set  crosswise  of  the  cars.  The  engine 
was  gaudy  with  the  colors  of  the  rainbow  and  some  that  the  rainbow 
never  yet  developed.  The  engineer  was  conscious  of  the  importance  of 
his  task,  and  did  his  best  to  prove  his  engine  as  fast  as  the  load  she  was 
pulling.  The  track  was  rough,  of  course,  and  crooked,  but  it  held  to- 
gether, and  the  trip  was  duly  accomplished." 

M.  left'  Thompson,  afterward  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  army,  was 
president  of  the  company  that  thus  opened  the  first  railroad  in  the  State 
of  Kansas.  During  the  war  railroad  building  was  practically  at  a  stand 
still  all  over  the  country,  but  immediately  after  the  restoration  of  peace 
it  was  taken  up  with  renewed  vigor.  In  July,  1866,  Congress  passed 
several  acts  granting  large  tracts  of  land,  in  alternate  sections  on  either 


544  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

side  of  the  line  for  a  distance  of  lo  miles,  to  railroad  companies.  In  his 
message  to  the  legislature  of  1867  Gov.  Crawford  announced  that  there 
were  then  300  miles  of  railroad  in  operation  in  the  state,  and  that  work 
on  the  eastern  division  of  the  Tnion  Pacific  was  being  prosecuted  with 
energ}'  and  success.  "The  road,"  said  he,  "was  completed  from  Wyan- 
dotte to  Lawrence  in  1864,  a  distance  of  40  miles;  from  Lawrence  to 
Topeka  in  1865,  a  distance  of  27  miles ;  and  during  the  year  1866,  from 
Topeka  westward  nearly  100  miles,  and  grading  mostly  completed  for 
50  or  60  miles  further;  also  the  branch  road  from  Leavenworth  to  Law- 
rence, a  distance  of  33  miles,  making  for  the  year  1866  about  133  miles 
of  road,  or  one-half  mile  for  each  working  day." 

He  also  stated  that  work  was  being  pushed  on  the  Central  Branch 
from  Atchison  westward;  that  15  miles  of  the  St.  Joseph  &  Denver  had 
been  completed ;  that  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  directors 
had  transferred  the  franchise  of  that  company  to  a  new  corporation  that 
promised  to  complete  the  road  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  state 
within  two  years,  and  that  the  Union  Pacific  company  expected  to  com- 
plete 200  miles  of  the  eastern  division  during  the  ensuing  year.  This 
expectation  was  evidently  realized,  as  in  his  message  to  the  legislature 
of  1869  the  governor  announced  that  the  road  was  completed  to  within 
35  miles  of  the  western  boundar}-  of  the  state.  In  the  same  year  the 
Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  was  completed  to  Ottawa,  the 
Missouri  River  railroad  was  put  in  operation  between  Wyandotte  and 
Leavenworth,  and  90  miles  of  the  Central  Branch  were  finished. 

By  the  treat}  of  April  19,  1862,  the  Leavenworth,  Pawnee  &  Western 
Railroad  company  was  given  the  refusal  of  buying  a  certain  portion 
of  the  Pottawatomie  lands.  When  the  Eastern  Division  of  the  Union 
Pacific  was  organized  in  1863,  the  new  company  purchased  the  rights 
of  the  Leavenworth,  Pawnee  &  Western,  with  power  to  build  a  road 
through  Kansas  to  a  point  50  miles  west  of  Denver.  On  May  31,  1868, 
the  name  of  the  Eastern  Division  was  changed  to  the  Kansas  Pacific, 
and  on  Jan.  24,  1880,  the  Union  Pacific,  Kansas  Pacific  and  Denver  Pacific 
were  consolidated  into  the  present  Union  Pacific.  According  to  the 
report  of  the  Kansas  railroad  commission  for  1910,  the  L'nion  Pacific 
company  was  reorganized  on  July  i,  1897,  under  an  act  of  the  Utah 
legislature  of  the  preceding  January,  and  operates  1,165  miles  of  road 
in  Kansas. 

The  Atchi-son,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad  had  its  beginning  in  the 
charter  granted  to  the  Atchison  &  Topeka  Railroad  company  by  the 
territorial  legislature  in  1859.  The  Atchison  &  Topeka  company  was 
organized  on  Feb.  11  of  that  year,  and  on  Nov.  24,  1863,  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe.  In  1864  Congress  made  a 
large  grant  of  land  for  the  benefit  of  the  road,  and  counties  through 
which  it  was  to  run  voted  bonds  to  aid  in  its  construction.  Work  was 
commenced  at  Topeka  in  the  fall  of  1868  and  the  following  year  was 
finished  to  Burlingame,  a  distance  of  27  miles.  When  the  track  was 
completed  to  Wakarusa,  13  miles  from  Topeka,  an  excursion  was  run 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


545 


to  that  place  from  Topeka  to  celebrate  the  event.  Cyrus  K.  Holliday, 
the  projector  of  the  enterprise  and  first  president  of  the  company,  in  a 
speech  on  that  excursion,  predicted  that  one  day  the  western  terminus 
of  the  road  would  be  at  some  point  on  the  Pacific  coast.  It  is  said  that 
when  the  prophecy  was  uttered,  one  incredulous  individual,  unable  to 
control  his  mirth  at  the  thought  of  that  little  crooked  road  becoming  a 


SANTA  FE  LOCOMOTIVES,    1869  AND   1911. 

great  trans-continental  thoroughfare,  threw  himself  on  the  grass  and 
exclaimed,  "Oh,  the  old  fool !"  "S'et  the  prediction  has  been  verified.  In 
1869  was  erected  the  first  general  office  building  of  the  company  in  To- 
peka. This  building  also  served  as  passenger  station  and  freight  depot. 
In  Jan.,  1872,  the  division  between  Atchison  and  Topeka  was  graded, 
but  the  track  was  not  laid  until  later,  and  in  1873  the  main  line  of  the 
road  was  completed  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  state.  The  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  system  now  comprises  nearly  10,000  miles  of 
road,  of  which,  according  to  the  railroad  commissioner's  report  already 
alluded  to,  2,659  miles  are  in  Kansas,  and  the  company  has  expended 
over  $3,000,000  in  shops  and  office  buildings  in  the  city  of  Topeka. 

The  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroad,  first  known  as  the  southern 
branch  of  the  I'nion  Pacific,  was  organized  at  Emporia  in  1867.  Work 
was  commenced  on  the  road  at  Junction  City  in  the  summer  of  1869, 
and  in  November  the  line  was  completed  to  Council  Grove,  a  distance  of 
2)'J  miles;  in  December  it  was  finished  to  Emporia,  24  miles  farther;  in 
Feb.,  1870,  it  was  completed  to  Burlington,  30  miles  farther  down  the 
Neosho  valley ;  in  April  another  30  miles  took  the  road  to  Humboldt,, 
and  on  June  6  the  line  entered  the  Indian  Territory,  thus  securing  the 
sole  right  of  way,  with  land  grant,  through  that  territory.  A  writer  in 
one  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Collections  says :  "The  race  for  the  Indian 
Territory,  between  the  competing  lines,  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
and  the  Missouri  River,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  roads,  will  ever  be  a  memor- 
able event  in  the  history  of  railway  construction." 

The  Missouri  River,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  started  from  Kansas  City  and 
ran  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  state,  a  distance  of  161  miles.  It 
received  a  grant  of  125,000  acres  of  land  from  the  state;  some  1,500 
acres  from  individuals  and  town  companies,  and  subsidies  amounting 
to  $750,000  in  county  and  city  bonds.     This  road  and  the  Leavenworth, 

(11-35) 


546  cvcLoi'EDiA  or 

Lawrence  &  Galveston  were  known  as  the  "Joy  roads,"  for  the  reason 
that  James  F.  Joy  purchased  the  Cherokee  Neutral  Lands,  of  which 
about  3,000,000  acres  were  sold  at  an  average  price  of  $6.50  an  acre  for 
the  benefit  of  the  road. 

In  1870  there  were  in  Kansas  1,283  miles  of  railroad,  the  greater  por- 
tion of  which  had  been  constructed  during  the  three  years  immediately 
preceding.  Ten  years  later  the  mileage  reached  3,104,  the  year  1879 
being  the  greatest  railroad  year  in  the  history  of  the  state.  The  Kansas 
Monthly  for  November  of  that  year  gives  the  following  lines,  either 
finished  or  almost  finished,  that  were  built  during  the  year:  Kansas 
Pacific  branches  from  Salina  to  Lindsborg,  Junction  City  to  Concordia, 
and  from  Minneapolis  to  Beloit ;  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  branches 
from  Emporia  to  Eureka,  Florence  to  McPherson,  and  Wichita  to  Ar- 
kansas City ;  the  Union  Pacific  extended  the  main  line  to  Kirwin,  Phillips 
county;  and  built  branches  to  Osborne  City  and  Jewell  Center,  and  a 
line  from  Concordia  to  Scandia ;  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf 
€.xtended  its  line  from  Baxter  Springs  to  Joplin,  Mo.,  via  Empire  City; 
the  Kansas  City,  Lawrence  &  Southern  constructed  its  line  from  Inde- 
pendence to  Winfield;  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  extended  its  line 
from  Wichita  via  Cherryvale  and  Fredonia ;  the  road  from  Holden,  Mo., 
to  Paola  was  extended  beyond  Garnett ;  and  a  line  was  built  from  Osa- 
watomie  to  Ottawa;  the  Lawrence  &  Southwestern  was  engaged  in  run- 
ning a  line  from  Lawrence  to  Carbondale ;  a  narrow  gauge  road  was 
built  from  Parsons  to  Weir  City,  and  surveys  were  under  way  for  other 
roads.  Altogether,  498  miles  of  track  were  laid  in  Kansas  during  the 
year,  giving  the  state  the  first  place  in  railroad  construction,  Minne- 
sota standing  second  with  349  miles.  Another  piece  of  railroad,  not 
included  in  the  magazine  article  quoted,  was  the  completion  of  the  Cen- 
tral Branch  to  Cawker  City. 

Of  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  system,  which  next  to  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  operates  the  greatest  number  of  miles  in  Kansas, 
the  railroad  commisisoners'  report  for  1910  says :  "The  Missouri  Pacific 
Railway  company  was  organized  by  articles  of  agreement  and  consolida- 
tion dated  May  29,  1909,  filed  in  the  office  of  the  secretaries  of  the  states 
of  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  Aug.  9,  1909.  It  was  organized  under 
the  general  railroad  laws  of  the  states  of  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Ne- 
braska." The  report  then  goes  on  to  give  a  list  of  the  constituent  com- 
panies forming  the  consolidation,  some  twenty-five  in  number.  This 
company  operates  in  Kansas  2,379  miles  of  road. 

The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  system,  which  operates  1,166 
miles  in  Kansas,  had  its  origin  in  the  old  Mississippi  &  Missouri  rail- 
road, which  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Iowa  on  Jan.  i,  1853. 
The  present  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  company  was  organized 
on  June  2,  1880,  under  the  laws  of  Illinois  and  Iowa.  Its  lines  extend 
over  the  states  of  Illinois,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  South  Dakota,  Missouri, 
Kansas,  Colorado  and  Oklahoma. 

The  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  in  its  statistical  report  for  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  547 

fiscal  year  ending  on  June  30,  1909,  gives  the  railroad  mileage  for  Kan- 
sas as  8,947.09  miles.  Since  that  report  was  issued  a  few  miles  have 
been  constructed  and  placed  in  operation.  The  state  railroad  commis- 
sion in  its  biennial  report  for  1909-10  reported  11,272  miles,  which 
included  both  main  lines  and  side  tracks.  Of  the  mileage  reported  by 
the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  the  four  great  systems — the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  Union  Pacific,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  and  the  Missouri  Pacific — operate  7,370  miles,  leaving  less  than 
2,000  miles  of  main  line  to  be  operated  by  the  smaller  railway  com- 
panies. The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  system  has  260  miles  within 
the  state ;  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas,  441  miles ;  the  St.  Louis  &  San 
Francisco,  370  miles;  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Memphis,  259 
miles;  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island,  145  miles;  and  the  remaining 
mileage  is  under  the  control  of  a  few  independent  and  terminal  com- 
panies. 

Concerning  government  aid  extended  to  Kansas  railroads.  Poor's 
Manual  of  Railroads  for  1873  gives  the  following  acreage  of  the  land 
grants  made  to  seven  of  the  leading  companies :  Kansas  Pacific,  6,000,- 
000;  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  3,000,000;  Missouri  River,  Fort 
Scott  &  Gulf,  2,350,000;  St.  Joseph  &  Denver,  1,700,000;  Missouri,  Kan- 
sans  &  Texas,  1,520,000;  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston,  800,- 
000;  Union  Pacific  (Southern  Branch),  500,000;  Union  Pacific  (Central 
Branch),  245,166,  ma-king  a  total  of  16,115,166  acres.  The  Kansas  legis- 
lature in  1866  gave  to  certain  railroad  companies  500,000  acres  of  land 
granted  to  the  state  under  the  act  of  Sept.  4,  1841.  These  companies 
were  the  Northern  Kansas  (Elwood  to  Marysville),  Kansas  &  Neosho 
Valley,  Southern  ]jranch  of  the  Union  Pacific,  and  the  Leavenworth, 
Lawrence  &  Fort  Gibson. 

In  addition  to  these  grants,  large  tracts  of  land  were  purchased  by 
railroad  companies  at  low  prices.  In  Oct.,  1867,  the  Cherokee  Neutral 
Lands  were  sold  to  James  F.  Joy  for  $1.00  an  acre.  When  the  Atchison 
&  Pike's  Peak  railroad  reached  Waterville  in  Jan.,  1868,  the  company 
received  a  grant  of  187,608  acres  of  land  and  bonds  amounting  to  $16,000 
a  mile,  and  the  same  company  purchased  24,000  acres  of  the  Kickapoo 
lands  at  $1.25  an  acre.  In  May,  1868,  the  Osage  Indians  sold  8,000,000 
acres  of  their  lands  to  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  com- 
pany at  20  cents  an  acre,  and  in  August  of  the  same  year  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  bought  338,766  acres  of  the  Pottawatomie  lands. 
Wilder's  Annals  of  Kansas  (p.  937)  says  the  railroad  land  grants  in 
Kansas  equaled  8,223,380  acres.  This  does  not  agree  with  Poor's  figures, 
and  it  may  be  possible  that  the  latter  included  in  his  estimate  some  of 
the  low-priced  purchases  above  mentioned. 

The  Kansas  Pacific  received  in  bonds  from  the  national  government 
the  sum  of  $6,303,000,  and  the  Central  Branch  received  $1,600,000.  Im- 
mediately after  the  war,  when  railroad  building  was  making  rapid  strides 
in  the  West,  the  Federal  government  guaranteed  bonds  for  railroad  com- 
panies amounting  to  $27,806,000,  a  large  part  of  which  was  for  the  benefit 


548  CYCLOPEDIA    01-- 

of  Kansas  lines.  In  addition  to  this  national  assistance,  counties,  cities, 
townships  and  towns  voted  bonds  in  large  amounts  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  roads. 

Many  of  the  railroad  companies  did  not  perfect  the  title  to  their  lands 
as  required  by  the  terms  of  the  grant,  and  in  1882  a  convention  at  Sa- 
lina,  Kan.,  demanded  of  Congress  speedy  legislation  to  compel  the  Kan- 
sas Pacific  to  complete  its  title.  On  March  6,  1883,  the  state  legislature 
passed  an  act  authorizing  the  state  agent  (ex-Gov.  Samuel  J.  Crawford) 
to  investigate  and  secure  a  proper  adjustment  of  certain  railroad  land 
grants.  Two  days  later  Col.  Crawford  filed  a  brief  and  petition  for 
the  restoration  to  the  state  of  lands  wrongfully  withheld.  In  April, 
John  A.  Anderson,  then  a  representative  in  Congress  from  Kansas,  made 
a  report  from  the  committee  on  public  lands,  in  which  he  estimated  the 
number  of  acres  of  Kansas  lands  granted  to  railroad  companies  at 
9,407,066,  of  which  only  5,412,411  acres  had  been  patented  on  June  30, 
1883.  Mr.  Anderson  introduced  a  bill  to  compel  the  railroad  companies 
to  perfect  their  title  to  the  lands,  and  many  of  them  hastened  to  do  so, 
but  in  his  report  to  the  governor  in  1890  Col.  Crawford  announced  that 
he  had  recovered  a  large  portion  of  the  original  land  grants,  the  largest 
being  from  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe — 833,900  acres  from  near 
Kinsley  to  the  west  line  of  the  state. 

(Works  consulted :  Poor's  Manual  of  Railroads,  Federal  Statutes, 
Territorial  and  State  Laws  of  Kansas,  Reports  of  Railroad  Commission 
and  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  Kansas  Historical  Collec- 
tions, Wilder's  Annals  of  Kansas,  Prentis"  and  Hazelrigg's  Histories  of 
Kansas,  Newspaper  Files,  Magazines,  etc.) 

Ramona,  a  village  of  Marion  county,  is  located  in  Colfax  township 
on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  19  miles  northwest  of 
Marion,  the  county  seat.  It  is  the  shipping  and  receiving  point  for  a 
prosperous  agricultural  and  stock  raising  district,  has  a  bank,  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  a  large  local  trade,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910, 
was  175. 

Randall,  an  incorporated  town  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.,  15  miles  southeast  of  Mankato,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  banking  facilities,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News),  express  and 
telegraph  offices,  and  a  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  325. 

Randolph,  an  incorporated  town  in  Riley  county,  is  located  in  Jack- 
son township  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  and  on  the  Big  Blue  river,  22 
miles  northwest  of  Manhattan.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Enterprise),  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  an  international 
money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was  575. 

When  the  town  was  first  laid  out,  in  1856,  it  was  called  Waterville. 
J.  R.  Whitson  was  the  promoter.  The  first  inhabitant,  G.  L.  Ruthstreno, 
established  a  store.    The  postoffice  was  first  kept  at  the  house  of  Gardi- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  549 

ner  Randolph,  but  was  moved  to  the  town  site,  the  town  taking  the 
name  of  the  postoffice. 

Randolph,  Asa  M.  F.,  jurist,  was  born  in  Alleghany  count.v,  N.  Y., 
Jan.  19,  1829.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  Alfred  Acad- 
emy and  Allegheny  College  in  Pennsylvania,  graduating  at  that  insti- 
tution in  185 1  and  receiving  the  master's  degree  in  1856.  He  was  an 
instructor  in  the  high  school  at  Covington,  Ky.,  during  which  time  he 
also  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Kentucky  in  1859.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Union  army  in  the  Forty-first  Kentucky  regiment;  came 
to  Kansas  in  1868,  locating  at  Burlington ;  was  county  attorney  of  Coffey 
county,  and  in  1874  was  elected  attorney-general  of  Kansas;  was  elected 
to  the  legislature  in  1878;  became  supreme  court  reporter  in  1879,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  for  18  years.  In  1893  his  "Trial  of  Sir  John 
Falstaff"  was  published.    He  died  at  Topeka  in  Sept.,  1899. 

Ransom,  an  incorporated  city  of  Ness  county,  is  located  in  Nevada 
township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  12  miles  north  of  Ness  City,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  number  of  retail  stores,  a  hotel,  telegraph 
and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  204.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the 
third  class  by  the  act  of  March  3,  1905. 

Ransomville,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Franklin  count)-,  is  located 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  14  miles  from  Ottawa,  the 
county  seat.  It  was  named  after  J.  H.  Ransom,  who  prospected  for  coal 
in  this  locality  and  sunk  the  first  shaft  in  1880.  He  subsequently  pur- 
chased 320  acres  of  land  and  opened  the  first  store,  around  which  the 
town  grew  up.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1882  with  Mr.  Ransom 
as  the  first  postmaster.  Ransomville  has  a  money  order  postoffice,  tele- 
graph and  express  facilities,  public  school,  etc.,  and  in  1910  had  a  popu- 
lation of  125. 

Rantoul,  one  of  the  larger  towns  of  Franklin  count}-,  is  situated  un 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  11  miles  southeast  of  Ottawa,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  several  general  stores,  a  public  school,  churches,  hardware 
and  implement  houses,  lumber  yard,  a  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph 
and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  275.  It  is  the  sup- 
ply and  shipping  point  for  a  rich  agricultural  district. 

Ravanna,  a  country  postoffice  in  Finney  county,  is  located  on  the 
Pawnee  river,  28  miles  northeast  of  Garden  City,  the  county  seat,  and  22 
miles  north  of  Cimarron,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  daily  stage 
to  Garden  City. 

Rawlins  County,  one  of  the  northern  tier,  is  the  2d  county  east  from 
the  Colorado  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  State  of  Nebraska; 
on  the  east  by  Decatur  county;  on  the  south  by  Thomas,  and  on  the 
west  by  Cheyenne.  This  was  one  of  the  counties  created  by  the  legis- 
lature of  1873,  and  it  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  John  A.  Rawlins,  the- 
United  States  secretary  of  war.  The  boundaries  were  defined  as  fol- 
lows: "Commencing  where  the  east  line  of  range  31  west  crosses  the 
40th  degree  of  north  latitude;  thence  south  with  range  line  to  the  ist 


550  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Standard  parallel ;  thence  west  with  said  parallel  to  the  east  line  of  range 
37  west;  thence  north  with  said  range  line  to  the  40th  degree  of  north 
latitude ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

Two  massacres  occurred  within  the  limits  of  the  county  before  it  was 
organized.  The  first  was  the  massacre  of  the  Indians  by  the  soldiers, 
■which  occurred  in  April,  1875,  about  the  time  the  first  white  settlers 
came  to  the  county.  Early  in  the  year  a  band  of  Northern  Cheyenne 
Indians,  including  75  men,  women  and  children,  were  on  their  way  from 
the  Indian- Territory  to  their  home  in  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota,  and 
were  in  orderly  march  about  40  miles  west  of  the  settlements,  when  on 
April  18,  Lieut.  Austin  Henley,  of  the  United  States  cavalry,  received 
orders  to  intercept  the  band  and  turn  it  back.  The  cavalry  followed  the 
Indians  for  several  days,  during  which  time  the  Cheyennes  tried  to  escape 
by  dividing  up  in  small  groups.  The  Indians  were  overtaken  while  in 
camp  on  the  Sappa  creek  in  Rawlins  county,  and  the  entire  camp, 
including  women  and  children,  were  murdered.  In  burning  their  tepees 
after  the  slaughter  an  Indian  baby  was  accidently  thrown  into  the  fire 
and  perished.  One  young  Indian  who  had  no  family  escaped.  The 
five  Germans  who  made  the  first  settlement  in  the  county,  August  C. 
Blume,  August  Deitleft",  Albert  E.  Lange,  Charles  Nast  and  a  man 
named  Stermer,  saw  the  Indians  before  the  massacre.  In  1878  the 
Cheyennes  exacted  vengeance  for  the  death  of  their  tribesmen  by  visit- 
ing the  valley  of  the  Sappa  and  murdering  about  40  innocent  settlers 
in  Rawlins  and  Decatur  counties.     Stermer  was  killed  in  his  cornfield. 

County  organization  took  place  in  May,  1881.  Gov.  St.  John,  in  his 
proclamation,  made  Atwood  the  temporary  county  seat  and  appointed 
the  following  officers :  Clerk,  William  R.  Shirley ;  commissioners, 
Lorenz  Demmer,  August  C.  Blume  and  Herman  Kase.  The  first  elec- 
tion was  held  in  July.  Atwood  was  made  the  permanent  county  seat 
and  the  following  officers  chosen:  County  clerk,  William  Reilly ;  com- 
missioners, Albert  Hemming,  August  C.  Blume  and  Herman  Kase ; 
treasurer,  Greenup  Leaper ;  register  of  deeds,  John  F.  Haj-es ;  sheriff, 
Edward  H.  James ;  coroner,  Leonard  Wiltse ;  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  W.  W.  Dennis;  probate  judge,  R.  W.  Fowler;  attorney, 
Patrick  Fleming;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  A.  Birdsall.  The  number  of 
votes  cast  was  314.  At  the  November  election  O.  L.  Palmer  was  elected 
representative. 

The  first  newspaper  in  the  county  was  the  Atwood  Pioneer,  estab- 
lished in  Oct.,  1879,  by  Edwin  and  A.  L.  Thorne.  In  1882  there  were 
five  school  houses  in  the  county,  with  a  school  population  of  510.  In 
1910  there  were  89  organized  school  districts  and  2,069  inhabitants  of 
school  age.  In  1887  the  legislature  authorized  the  county  commissioners 
to  levy  a  tax  to  build  a  court-house,  such  tax  not  to  exceed  the  sum  of 
$20,000. 

The  county  is  divided  into  20  townships,  viz :  Achilles,  Arbor,  At- 
wood, Beaver,  Burntwood,  Celia,  Clinton,  Driftwood,  Elk,  Grant,  Hern- 
don,  Jeflferson,  Laing,  Logan,  Ludell,  Mikesell,  Mirage,  Richland,  Rotate 


KANSAS    HISTORY  551 

and  Union.  The  postoffices  are,  Achilles,  Atwood,  Beardsley,  Beaver- 
view,  Blakeman,  Chardon,  Herndon,  Linda,  Ludell,  McDonald,  Minor 
and  Tully.  A  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.  from 
Nebraska  enters  near  the  northeast  corner  and  crosses  southwest  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  40  miles,  into  Cheyenne  county,  terminating  at  St. 
Francis. 

The  general  surface  is  an  undulating  prairie,  with  a  few  bluffs.  Bot- 
tom lands  average  a  mile  in  width.  The  streams  are  lined  with  thin 
belts  of  native  timber.  Two  branches  of  Beaver  cieek  enter  the  county 
in  the  southwest,  flow  northeast  to  the  center  where  they  join,  forming 
one  stream  which  continues  northeast  into  Decatur  county.  The  north 
and  .south  forks  of  Sappa  creek  fiow  across  the  southeastern  part ;  Tim- 
ber and  Burntwood  creeks  are  in  the  northwest,  and  Driftwood  in  the 
northeast.  Limestone,  coal  and  sandstone  are  found  in  limited  quanti- 
ties.   Springs  are  frequent  in  the  valleys. 

Irrigation  is  used  to  a  limited  extent  in  farming.  The  total  value  of 
farm  products  in  1910  was  $1,531,974.  Wheat  was  worth  $662,088;  corn, 
$140,756;  barley,  $158,953;  hay,  $133,895;  sorghum,  $59,892;  animals 
sold  for  slaughter,  $153,454;  poultry  and  eggs,  $54,312. 

The  population  of  the  county  in  1880  was  1,623,  in  1890  it  was  6,756. 
During  the  next  decade  it  lost  in  population  as  did  all  the  western  coun- 
ties and  in  1900  it  was  5,214.  The  population  in  1910  was  6,380.  The 
assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1882  was  $49,378,  in  1910  it  was  $8,827,- 
603,  and  the  value  of  live  stock  was  $1,435,505. 

Ray,  a  post-village  in  Pawnee  county,  is  located  in  River  township. 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles  east  of  Larned,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  general  stores,  2  grain  elevators,  telegraph  and  express  offices. 
The  population  in  1910  was  60. 

Raymond,  one  of  the  old  towns  of  Rice  county,  is  located  on  the  Ar- 
kansas river  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  12  miles 
southwest  of  Lyons,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  shipping  point  for  grain, 
live  stock  and  other  farm  produce,  and  also  a  trading  point  for  a  large 
agricultural  area.  It  has  a  bank,  all  lines  of  retail  establishments,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postofifice  with  one  rural 
route.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  250.  The 
town  was  named  for  Emmaus  Raymond,  an  official  of  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka &  Santa  Fe  R.  R. 

Rayville,  a  country  hamlet  in  Norton  county,  is  located  16  miles  north- 
west of  Norton,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  north  of  Almena,  whence 
it  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery,  and  which  is  the  nearest  shipping  point. 
The  population  in  1910  was  10. 

Reading,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Lyon  county,  is 
located  in  Reading  township  16  miles  northeast  of  Emporia,  the  county 
seat,  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  river  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  R.  R.  The  main  lines  of  business  enterprise  are  represented.  It  has 
a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Herald),  a  bank,  good  churches  and  schools, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  post- 


552  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

ofiSce  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census 
of  1910,  was  289.  Reading  is  a  trading  point  for  a  large  and  prosperous 
farming  community.  The  tract  of  land  which  forms  the  town  site  was 
originally  owned  by  McMann  &  Co.,  of  Reading,  Pa.  At  the  time  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  was  built  a  town  company  was 
formed  con'sisting  of  James  Fagan,  T.  J.  Peter  and  M.  S.  Sargent.  A 
depot  was  built  and  the  postoffice  was  established  in  1870.  A  number 
of  business  enterprises  were  projected,  among  which  was  a  store  opened 
by  Bothcl  &  Rjuns,  and  a  tin  shop  by  a  Mr.  Coleman.  The  first  car- 
penter was  D.   L.  Pettinger,  who  built  all  the  first  buildings. 

Realf,  Richard,  poet  and  patriot,  was  born  in  Framfield,  Sussex  coun- 
ty, England,  June  14,  1834.  His  father  was  a  rural  policeman,  enrolled 
in  the  West  Sussex  constabulary,  a  man  of  more  than  average  intelli- 
gence, and  his  mother  was  a  woman  of  superior  ability.  She  was  his 
first  teacher,  after  which  he  was  sent  to  school,  and  before  he  was  nine 
years  old  he  wrote  a  few  lines  of  poetry.  He  then  began  working  for  a 
physician  at  Brighton,  during  the  hours  he  was  not  in  school.  Mr.  Realf 
thus  describes  himself  at  Brighton :  "At  the  age  of  fifteen  or  there- 
abouts I  began  to  write  verses — 'lisping  in  numbers,  for  the  numbers 
came.' "  He  was  encouraged  in  writing  poetry,  became  dissatisfied 
with  his  surroundings,  and  in  1853  ?pplied  to  Lady  Brown  to  assist  him 
to  find  more  congenial  employment.  He  went  to  Leicestershire  as 
steward's  assistant,  but  had  trouble  and  determined  to  make  a  place  for 
himself  in  the  New  World.  He  landed  in  New  York  in  April,  1855,  3"<^1 
became  assistant  at  the  Five  Points  house  of  industry.  In  Oct.,  1856, 
he  came  to  Kansas  with  a  northern  emigrant  train,  among  whose  mem- 
bers were  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  Thaddeus  Hyatt,  and  other  notable  free-state 
men.  Mr.  Realf  soon  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  heroic  spirits  and 
intellectual  young  men  on  the  free-state  side.  He  took  an  active  part 
in  the  border  war;  was  associated  with  John  Brown  at  Osawatomie,  and 
was  a  stanch  champion  of  James  H.  Lane.  He  remained  in  the  territory 
until  he  joined  Brown  in  Iowa.  While  in  Kansas  he  wrote  some  twenty- 
five  lyrics.  He  returned  to  England  on  a  visit,  and  while  in  Europe 
went  to  Paris.  He  returned  to  the  United  States  on  a  cotton  ship  bound 
for  New  Orleans.  After  landing  he  worked  for  some  time  on  the  New 
Orleans  Bee  and  later  entered  the  Jesuit  college  near  Mobile.  He  was 
charged  with  treason  in  connection  with  the  Brown  raid  at  Harper's 
Ferry,  but  was  discharged  by  the  United  States  senate  investigating 
committee.  In  i860  he  was  in  Ohio,  then  disappeared  from  view  until 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighty-eighth  Illinois  infantry,  and  was  in 
all  the  engagements  of  the  Fourth  army  corps.  After  being  mustered 
out  of  the  service  he  went  to  South  Carolina,  where  he  took  an  active 
part  during  the  reconstruction  period  as  a  writer  for  the  Republican 
state  papers.  He  became  a  prominent  Republican  speaker,  at  no  small 
danger  to  himself.  Subsequently  he  was  a  member  of  the  stafT  of  the 
Pittsburg  Commercial.  At  this  time  he  wrote  one  of  his  strongest  lyrics, 
entitled,  "Rally."     He  remained  with  the  Commercial  until   1876  when 


KANSAS    HISTORY  553 

the  paper  was  consolidated  with  another  and  in  1877  Air.  Realf  started 
as  a  lecturer.  He  became  popular  and  well  known  in  Ohio  and  Penns}!- 
vania,  but  again  failed  financially  and  with  the  assistance  of  friends 
went  to  the  Pacific  coast,  reaching  San  Francisco  in  July,  1878.  lie 
died  b}'  his  own  hand  at  Oakland,  Cal.,  Oct.  28,  1878.  One  of  his  most 
beautiful  poems  is  the  last  he  wrote.  It  was  found  after  his  death,  bore 
no  title  and  may  be  called  his  "Swan  Song." 

Reamsville,  one  of  the  villages  of  Smith  county,  is  located  in  Martin 
township,  19  miles  north  of  Smith  Center,  the  county  seat,  which  is  also 
the  nearest  railroad  station.  It  has  two  churches,  several  business  estab- 
lishments, and  "a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The 
population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  100. 

Red  Bluff,  a  countrj-  hamlet  in  Meade  county,  is  located  about  12 
miles  south  of  Meade,  the  county  seat,  the  nearest  shipping  point  and 
the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Redbud,  a  country  postoffice  in  Maple  township,  Cowley  county,  is 
15  miles  northwest  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  north  of 
Udall,  the  nearest  shipping  point.     The  population  in  lyio  was  10. 

Redfield,  a  money  order  post-village  of  Bourbon  county,  is  situated 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  9  miles  west  of  Fort  Scott,  the  county 
seat.  It  is  the  supply  and  shipping  pcjint  for  a  considerable  district,  has 
several  general  stores,  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  in  1910  had  a 
population  of  225. 

Red  Legs. — During  the  early  part  of  the  Civil  war  western  Missouri 
was  infested  with  bands  of  guerrillas,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  occur- 
rence for  some  of  these  lawless  gangs  to  cross  the  border  and  commit 
depredations  in  Kansas.  To  guard  against  these  incursions,  and  other- 
wise to  aid  the  Union  cause,  a  company  of  border  scouts  was  formed 
sometime  in  the  year  1862.  As  it  was  an  independent  organization, 
never  regularly  mustered  into  the  United  States  service,  no  official  rec- 
ord of  it  has  been  preserved.  The  men  composing  the  company  became 
known  as  "Red  Legs,"  from  the  fact  that  they  wore  leggings  of  red  or 
tan-colored  leather.  Wilder,  in  his  Annals  of  Kansas  (p.  956),  says  it 
was  a  secret  Union  military  society,  that  it  was  organized  in  June,  1862, 
and  numbered  163  men,  with  George  H.  Hoyt  as  commander.  John  M. 
Dean,  who  was  a  member  of  the  company,  says  it  was  organized  in  Oct., 
1862.  Connelley,  in  his  Ouantrill  and  the  Border  Wars,  says  it  was 
organized  by  Gens.  Ewing  and  Blunt  for  desperate  service  along  the 
border,  and  George  W.  Martin,  secretary  of  the  Kansas  Historical  So- 
ciety, in  Volume  XI  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Collections  (p.  279),  says 
the  Red  Legs  were  organized  in  Dec,  1862,  or  Jan.,  1863,  and  that  there 
were  never  less  than  50  nor  more  than  100  of  them. 

The  qualifications  for  membership  in  the  company  were  unquestioned 
loyalty  to  the  Union  cause,  undaunted  courage  and  the  skillful  use  of 
the  rifle  or  revolver.  Their  headquarters  were  at  the  "Six-mile  House," 
so  called  because  it  was  six  miles  from  Wyandotte  on  the  Leavenworth 
road.    'This  house  was  erected  in  the  winter  of  1860-61  by  Joseph  A. 


554 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


Bartels,  whose  son,  Theodore,  one  of  the  best  pistol  shots  on  the  border, 
was  a  member  of  the  Red  Legs.  The  company  was  commanded  by 
Capt.  George  H.  Hoyt,  the  lawyer  who  defended  John  Brown  at  Charles- 
ton, Va.  Other  members  were  Jack  Harvey,  a  brother  of  Fred  Harvey, 
of  Santa  Fe  eating  house  fame ;  William  Hickok,  who  later  became 
known  as  "Wild  Bill" ;  Joseph  B.  Swain,  nicknamed  "Jeff  Davis,"  after- 
ward captain  of  Company  K.  Fifteenth  Kansas;  "Red"  Clark,  of  Em- 
poria, whom  Gen.  Ewing  said  was  the  best  spy  he  ever  had;  John  M. 
Dean,  who  has  already  been  mentioned  as  one  of  the  organizers ;  and 
W.  S.  Tough,  for  many  years  proprietor  of  the  horse  market  at  the 
Kansas  City  stock  yards.  Still  others,  of  less  note,  were  Harry  Lee, 
Newt  Morrison,  Jack  Hays,  James  Flood,  Jerry  Malcolm,  and  Charles 
Blunt,  often  called  "One-eyed  Blunt." 

William  W.  Denison,  assistant  adjutant-general  of  Kansas  some  years 
after  the  war,  was  a  private  soldier  in  the  Eleventh  Kansas,  and  was  one 
of  the  detail  to  enforce  Gen.  Ewing's  General  Order  No.  ii  (q.  v.).  On 
that  occasion  he  wore  the  red  leggings  of  the  organization,  which  came 
to  he  recognized  as  "a  badge  of  desperate  service  in  the  Union  army." 
Ewing  and  Blunt,  generals,  usually  liad  several  of  the  Red  Legs  on  their 
pay  rolls,  where  they  received  often  as  much  as  $7  per  day  on  account 
of  the  hazardous  service  they  were  required  to  render. 

In  course  of  time  the  term  "Red  Leg"  became  general  along  the  bor- 
der. Connelley  says:  "Every  thief  who  wanted  to  steal  from  the  Mis- 
souri people  counterfeited  the  uniform  of  the  Red  Legs  and  went  forth 
to  pillage.  This  gave  the  organization  a  bad  name,  and  much  of  the 
plundering  done  along  the  border  was  attributed  to  them,  when,  in  fact, 
they  did  little  in  that  line  themselves.  There  were  some  bad  characters 
among  them — very  bad.  But  they  were  generally  honest  and  patriotic 
men.  They  finally  hunted  down  the  men  who  falsely  represented  them- 
selves to  be  Red  Legs,  and  they  killed  every  man  found  wearing  the 
uniform  without  authority." 

Albert  R.  Greene,  a  member  of  the  Ninth  Kansas  cavalry,  was  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  many  of  the  Red  Legs  and  was  also  well 
acquainted  with  the  nature  of  their  service.  Concerning  them  and  their 
work  he  says:  "There  was  not  one  of  them  but  performed  valuable 
service  for  the  Lnion  cause,  and,  so  far  as  I  know  and  believe,  always 
within  the  rules  of  civilized  warfare.  That  the  organization  was  dis- 
banded before  the  close  of  the  war  was  owing  more  to  the  fact  that  the 
necessity  for  its  existence  had  ceased  than  because  a  few  of  its  members 
had  thrown  ofT  the  restraints  of  discipline.  .  .  .  It  is  enough  to 
say  for  the  propriety  and  wisdom  of  such  an  organization  as  the  Red 
Legs,  that  it  did  more  to  protect  the  homes  of  Kansas  than  any  regiment 
in  the  service,  and  was  the  organization  of  all  others  most  dreaded  by 
Quantrill." 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  Red  Legs — men  who  knew  not  the 
meaning  of  the  word  cowardice,  and  who  left  their  fields  and  firesides 
to  defend  their  homes  against  the  irregular  and  predatory  warfare  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  555 

the  guerrilla  and  the  bushwhacker.  Like  the  "Minute  Men"  of  Concord 
and  Lexington,  they  never  hesitated  to  meet  the  invader,  and  when  the 
trying  conditions  that  called  the  organization  into  existence  had  passed 
most  of  the  members  returned  to  peaceful  occupations  and  became  again 
law-abiding  citizens.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that,  not  being  regularly  en- 
listed soldiers,  the  complete  and  authentic  history  of  the  Red  Legs  and 
their  deeds  of  heroism  and  daring  cannot  be  obtained  at  this  late  day. 

Redwing,  a  hamlet  in  Barton  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.,  about  15  miles  northeast  of  Great  Bend,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  a  tiour  mill,  a  number  of  general  stores,  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  according 
to  the  census  of  1910,  was  60. 

Reece,  a  village  of  Greenwood  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  in  Spring  Creek  township,  10  miles  west  of  Eureka,  the 
county  seat.  There  are  churches  and  schools,  mercantile  establishments, 
express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.     The  population,  according  to  the  1910  census,  was  100. 

Reader,  Andrew  Horatio,  the  first  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Kan- 
sas, was  born  at  Easton,  Pa.,  July  12,  1807.  He  received  an  academic 
education  at  Lawrenceville,  N.  J.,  after  which  he  studied  law  and  began 
practice  in  his  native  town.  He  quickly  won  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  in 
a  district  noted  for  its  eminent  members  of  the  bar,  and  at  an  earlv  as:e 
became  an  active  participant  in  political  aft'airs.  His  first  presidential 
vote  was  cast  for  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson  in  1824,  and  from  that  time  until 
his  death  he  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  though  not  always  in 
harmony  with  its  leaders.  Mr.  Reeder  was  never  an  office  seeker,  and 
when  appointed  governor  of  Kansas  by  President  Pierce,  in  June,  1854, 
was  not  an  applicant  for  the  position.  His  appointment  was  confirmed 
by  the  United  States  senate  on  June  30,  1854;  he  took  the  oath  pi  office 
before  Justice  Daniel  of  the  United  States  supreme  court  on  July  7; 
arrived  at  Leavenworth  on  Oct.  7,  and  there  established  temporarily  the 
executive  office.  A  week  later,  in  company  with  two  of  the  territorial 
judges — Johnston  and  Elmore — he  started  on  a  tour  through  the  terri- 
tory, which  occupied  his  time  until  Nov.  7.  LTpon  the  slavery  question. 
Gov.  Reeder  was  in  sympathy  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  United  States 
senator  from  Illinois.  No  doubt  he  would  have  been  willing  to  see 
slavery  legalh'  introduced  into  Kansas,  even  though  his  private  opinion 
might  have  made  him  favorable  to  the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  free 
state.  Holloway,  in  his  History  of  Kansas  (p.  144),  says:  "Gov.  Reader 
came  into  the  territory,  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and  it  appears  to  have  been 
assumed  that  he  would  allow  himself  to  be  manipulated  by  the  slave- 
owners and  their  tools.  It  is  not  certain  that  President  Pierce  enter- 
tained such  an  idea,  but  it  is  known  that  when  complaints  were  made 
by  the  slaveowners  and  their  friends  against  Gov.  Reeder,  the  chief 
executive  made  very  little  delay  in  decapitating  the  offender." 

The  order  removing  Gov.  Reeder  from  office  was  issued  in  the  latter 
part  of  July,  1855,  but  he  did  not  receive  official  notice  of  his  removal 


556  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

until  the  15111  of  August.  lie  remained  in  the  territory,  however,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  the  new  commonwealth. 
In  Oct.,  1855,  he  was  the  free-state  candidate  for  delegate  to  Congress, 
and  received  2,849  votes,  to  2,721  cast  for  John  W.  Whitfield,  the  pro- 
slavery  candidate.  When  Congress  assembled  in  December,  Mr.  Reeder 
went  to  Washington  and  began  a  contest  for  the  seat.  The  matter  was 
referred  to  a  special  committee,  consisting  of  William  A.  Howard,  of 
Michigan;  John  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  and  Mordecai  Oliver,  of  Missouri, 
which  finally  decided  that  neither  Whitfield  nor  Reeder  was  entitled  to 
recognition  as  delegate,  and  on  Aug.  i,  1856,  the  seat  was  declared 
vacant.  While  this  committee  was  hearing  witnesses  at  Tecumseh, 
Kan.,  ill  the  spring  of  1856,  a  pro-slavery  grand  jury  summoned  Mr. 
Reeder  to  appear  as  a  witness,  the  subpoena  being  served  in  the  presence 
of  the  Congressional  committee.  He  ignored  the  summons,  and  the 
grand  jury  then  found  indictments  for  treason  against  Mr.  Reeder,  Dr. 
Charles  Robinson,  and  others  who  had  aided  in  the  organization  of  the 
free-state  government.  Again  he  disregarded  the  action  of  the  grand 
jury  and  defied  the  officers  when  they  came  to  place  him  under  arrest. 
According  to  a  diary  kept  b}'  Mr.  Reeder,  he  remained  concealed  with 
a  friend  near  Lawrence  until  the  evening  of  May  11,  1856,  when  he 
started  for  Kansas  City,  where  he  arrived  about  two  o'clock  the  next 
morning.  He  then  remained  in  hiding  at  Kansas  City  until  the  23d, 
when  he  embarked  in  small  skiff  with  D.  E.  Adams  and  was  rowed  down 
the  river  to  be  taken  on  board  the  steamer  Converse.  Disguised  as  a 
woodchopper,  with  a  bundle  of  clothing  and  an  ax,  he  caught  the 
steamer  at  Randolph  landing  on  the  24th,  and  three  days  later  reached 
the  State  of  Illinois.  As  he  continued  his  journey  eastward  he  was  given 
an  ovation  in  each  of  the  principal  towns  through  which  he  passed,  the 
people  assembling  in  large  numbers  to  welcome  him  and  assure  him  pro- 
tection in  case  an  attempt  was  made  to  arrest  him.  At  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general  by  President  Lin- 
coln, but  owing  to  his  advanced  age  he  did  not  enter  the  army.  Three 
of  his  sons,  however,  took  up  arms  in  defense  of  the  Union.  In  1831  Mr. 
Reeder  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Amelia  Hutter,  of  Easton,  Pa., 
and  to  this  marriage  were  born  eight  children,  five  of  whom,  with  the 
mother,  survived  Gov.  Reeder,  who  died  at  Easton  on  July  5,  ■1864. 
Connelley  says:  "In  a  high  place  in  Kansas  history  must  we  place  An- 
drew H.  Reeder,  the  first  territorial  governor.  He  lives  in  the  hearts 
of  the  grateful  people  who  enjoy  the  liberty  he  helped  to  establish." 

Reeder's  Administration — On  May  30,  1854,  President  Pierce  signed 
the  bill  for  the  organization  of  Kansas  Territory,  and  before  the  adjourn- 
ment of  the  Congress  then  in  session  he  announced  the  appointment  of 
the  following  territorial  officers:  Governor,  Andrew  H.  Reeder,  of 
Pennsylvania;  secretary,  Daniel  Woodson,  of  Virginia;  chief  justice, 
Madison  Brown,  of  Maryland;  associate  justices,  Saunders  W.  Johnston, 
of  Ohio,  and  Rush  Elmore,  of  Alabama ;  marshal,  Israel  B.  Donalson, 
of  Illinois;  district  attorney,  Andrew  J.  Isaacs,  of  Louisiana;  surveyor- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  557 

general,  John  Calhoun,  of  Illinois.  Madison  lirown  declined  the  appoint- 
ment as  chief  justice  and  the  president  appointed  Samuel  D.  Lecompte, 
of  the  same  state.  Thomas  J.  L>.  Cramer  was  appointed  treasurer,  and 
John  Donaldson,  auditor  of  accounts. 

As  stated  in  the  preceding  article,  Gov.  Reeder  arrived  on  Oct.  7,  1854, 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  he  was  greeted  by  the  officers  of  the  fort 
with  the  national  salute,  and  at  3  p.  m.  a  large  number  of  citizens  as- 
sembled to  welcome  him  to  the  territory.  Dr.  Charles  Leib,  in  an  appro- 
priate address,  extended  to  the  new  executive  the  hospitality  and  sup- 
port of  the  people  of  Kansas.  In  his  reply  Gov.  Reeder  dealt  chiefly 
with  generalities,  and  gave  no  intimation  of  the  policy  he  intended  to 
pursue  with  regard  to  the  question  of  slavery,  which  was  just  then 
uppermost  in  the  public  mind.  This  was  a  disappointment  to  the  slave- 
holders and  their  friends,  who  confidently  expected  Gov.  Reeder  to  be- 
come an  active  supporter  of  the  slave  power,  not  dreaming  that  any 
appointee  of  the  national  administration  could  be  otherwise.  This  dis- 
appointment was  heightened  when  a  few  days  later  the  governor  de- 
clined to  be  a  guest  at  a  public  dinner  given  by  certain  slave  owners 
at  a  hotel  in  Weston,  Mo.  The  pro-slavery  men  construed  the  gover- 
nor's action  in  this  instance  as  hostile,  and  branded  him  at  once  as  an 
"Abolitionist." 

The  situation  became  more  strained  when  the  pro-slavery  men  urged 
an  election  for  members  of  a  territorial  legislature  and  the  governor 
reminded  them  that  the  organic  act  required  a  census  of  the  territory 
to  be  taken  before  members  of  a  legislature  could  be  chosen,  and  an- 
nounced his  determination  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  law.  Free- 
state  immigrants  were  constantly  coming  into  Kansas,  which  was  the 
cause  of  the  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  pro-slavery  men,  who  wanted  to 
get  control  of  the  legislative  department  of  the  territorial  government 
before  they  should  be  outnumbered  by  this  tide  of  immigration  from  the 
free  states. 

Secretary  Woodson  arrived  at  Leavenworth  on  Oct.  18,  and  the  same 
day  Gov.  Reeder,  Marshal  Donalson,  and  Judges  Johnston  and  Elmore 
started  on  a  tour  through  the  territory  "to  examine  the  same."  Upon 
their  return  to  Leavenworth  on  Nov.  7,  the  territory  was  divided  into 
sixteen  election  districts,  and  on  the  loth  Gov.  Reeder  issued  his  procla- 
mation ordering  an  election  for  delegate  to  Congress  on  the  29th  of  the 
same  month.  As  designated  in  the  proclamation,  the  voting  places  in 
the  several  districts  were  as  follows:  ist — Dr.  Robinson's  office,  Law- 
rence ;  2d — Paris  Ellison's  house,  Douglas  City ;  3d — Thomas  Stinson's 
house,  Tecumseh;  4th — Dr.  Chapman's  house;  5th — Hy  Sherman's 
house  on  Pottawatomie  creek;  6th — H.  T.  Wilson's  house,  Fort  Scott; 
7th — Fry  McGee's  house  on  no  mile  creek  and  the  Santa  Fe  trail; 
8th — Ingraham  Baker's  house;  9th — Reynolds'  house  at  the  crossing  of 
Seven-mile  creek;  loth — S.  D.  Dyer's  house  at  the  crossing  of  Big  Blue 
river;  nth — the  trading  house  of  Marshall  &  Woodward,  Marysville; 
I2th — R.   C.   Miller's  residence;    13th — G.   M.   Dyer's  house,   Ozawkee; 


558  CVCI-Ol'EDIA    OF 

14th — Harding's  house  (not  given  in  the  proclamation,  but  fixed  laterj  ; 
15th — Paschal  Pensineau's  house  on  the  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Oregon 
road ;  16th — Keller  &  Kyle's  place  in  the  city  of  Leavenworth.  Sub- 
sequently the  17th  district  was  created  with  the  voting  place  at  the 
Shawnee  agency. 

In  his  proclamation  the  governor  gave  the  oath  of  the  judges  of  elec- 
tion, in  which  was  the  following:  "We  will  poll  no  ticket  from  any 
person  who  is  not  an  actual  bona  fide  resident  and  inhabitant  of  said 
territor}'  on  the  day  of  the  election,  and  whom  we  shall  not  honestly  be- 
lieve to  be  a  qualified  voter  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  act  of 
Congress  organizing  said  territory,  that  we  will  reject  the  votes  of  all 
and  every  non-resident  who  we  believe  has  come  into  the  territory  for 
the  mere  purpose  of  voting." 

This  did  not  please  the  pro-slavery  men,  whose  policy  had  been  out- 
lined by  Gen.  David  R.  Atchison,  in  a  speech  early  in  November  in 
Platte  county.  Mo.,  in  which  he  said :  "The  people  of  Kansas,  in  their 
first  elections,  will  decide  the  question  whether  or  not  the  slaveholder 
is  to  be  excluded,  and  it  depends  upon  a  majority  of  the  votes  cast  at  the 
polls.  Now,  if  a  set  of  fanatics  and  demagogues  a  thousand  miles  off 
can  afi'ord  to  advance  money  and  exert  every  nerve  to  abolitionize  the 
territory  and  exclude  the  slaveholder,  when  they  have  not  the  least 
personal  interest,  what  is  your  duty?  When  you  reside  in  one  day's 
journey  of  the  territory,  and  when  your  peace,  your  quiet,  and  your 
property  depend  on  your  action,  you  can,  without  an  exertion,  send  five 
hundred  of  .your  young  men  who  will  vote  in  favor  of  your  institutions. 
Should  each  county  in  the  State  of  Missouri  only  do  its  duty,  the  ques- 
tion will  be  decided  quietly  and  peaceably  at  the  ballot-box." 

Here  was  a  plain  statement  of  the  methods  to  be  pursued  by  the 
slave  power.  The  purity  of  the  ballot  and  observance  of  the  laws  were 
not  to  be  permitted  to  stand  in  the  way  of  making  Kansas  a  slave  state. 
On  Nov.  15,  some  300  Missourians  crossed  over  to  Leavenworth,  where 
they  held  a  convention,  denounced  Gov.  Reeder  for  not  ordering  an  elec- 
tion for  members  of  the  legislature,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  call 
upon  him  and  urge  him  to  do  so.  The  governor  refused  to  reply  to  the 
committee  until  they  showed  him  the  proceedings  of  the  convention. 
"The  meeting,"  said  he,  "was  not  of  the  'citizens  of  Kansas,'  as  your 
proceedings  will  show,  if  you  will  produce  them.  It  was  a  meeting  com- 
posed mainly  of  citizens  of  Missouri,  and  a  few  citizens  of  Kansas. 
.  .  .  The  gentlemen  principally  composing  your  meeting  came  from 
across  the  river,  thronging  the  road  from  the  ferry  to  town,  on  horse- 
back, and  in  wagons,  in  numbers  variously  estimated  at  from  200  to 
300;  and  after  the  meeting  was  over  they  returned  to  their  homes  in  the 
State  of  Missouri." 

Finding  that  the  governor  could  not  be  coerced  into  ordering  an  elec- 
tion for  members  of  the  legislature,  the  pro-slavery  men  accepted  the 
situation  and  made  preparations  to  carry  the  election  for  delegate. 
There  were  three  candidates  for  that  office.     John  A.   Wakefield,  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  559 

free-State  candidate,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  not  highly  educated,  but 
possessed  of  a  good  supply  of  common  sense ;  John  W.  Whitfield,  the 
pro-slavery  candidate,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
election  was  a  resident  of  Jackson  county,  Mo. ;  Robert  P.  Flenniken, 
who  ran  as  an  independent  candidate,  had  come  out  from  Pennsylvania 
with  governor  Reeder  for  that  purpose,  and  left  the  territory  imme- 
diately after  the  election.  At  the  election  on  Nov.  29,  Whitfield  re- 
ceived 2,258  votes;  Wakefield,  248;  Flenniken,  305;  scattering,  22.  A 
Congressional  committee  afterward  reported  that  1,729  of  the  votes  cast 
for  Whitfield  were  illegal,  but  as  the  free-state  vote  had  been  divided 
between  Wakefield  and  Flenniken,  he  still  had  a  plurality  of  the  legal 
votes  and  was  allowed  to  take  his  seat  as  a  delegate.  Thus  the  first 
victory  at  the  polls  was  won  by  the  slave  power. 

In  January  and  February,  1855,  Gov.  Reeder  caused  a  census  to  be 
taken.  The  total  population  of  the  territory  was  found  to  be  8,501,  of 
whom  2,905  were  voters.  On  March  8  he  issued  a  proclamation  calling 
an  election  on  Friday,  March  30,  for  members  of  the  first  territorial 
legislature.  The  election  districts  remained  the  same  as  in  the  election 
for  delegate  to  Congress,  but  were  divided  into  ten  districts  for  mem- 
bers of  the  council  and  fourteen  districts  for  members  of  the  house.  In 
the  campaign  for  members  of  the  legislature,  the  same  tactics  were  prac- 
ticed by  the  pro-slavery  men  in  the  election  of  delegate.  Atchison's 
speech  again  became  the  slogan,  and  Connelley,  in  his  Territorial  Gover- 
nors, says :  "Men  were  enlisted  and  paid  to  march  into  the  territory  on 
the  day  of  the  election.  Violence  was  openly  threatened,  and  vile, 
inflammatory  and  incendiary  language  only  was  employed  in  discuss- 
ing the  course  to  be  taken  against  the  'Abolitionists'  of  the  territory. 
.  The  invasion  was  on  a  grand  scale.  Fully  5,000  residents  of 
Missouri  came  into  Kansas  to  vote.  They  flourished  pistols,  guns  and 
bowie-knives.  They  marched  to  the  polling  places  and  routed  the  legal 
judges  and  installed  in  their  places  members  of  their  own  body.  .  .  . 
After  the  votes  were  polled,  some  leader  of  the  mob  would  call  out, 
'All  aboard  for  Missouri!'  With  noise,  curses,  yells  and  drunken 
screeches  of  exultation  they  fell  into  a  motley  and  disordered  throng 
and  marched  away  with  the  poll-books  and  election  records." 

Although  the  census  showed  but  2,905  voters,  there  were  cast  at  this 
election  5,427  pro-slavery,  791  free-state,  and  89  scattering  votes,  a  total 
of  6,307,  of  which  only  1,410  were  legal,  as  many  of  the  free-state  men 
refrained  from  going  to  the  polls.  And  it  was  in  this  manner  that  the 
first  legislature  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas  was  chosen.  What  wonder 
is  it  that  the  assembly  thus  elected  is  known  in  Kansas  history  as 
the  "Bogus  Legislature?" 

In  many  instances  the  frauds  were  so  glaring  that  the  governor  was 
inclined  to  issue  no  certificates  of  election  to  any  of,  the  successful  pro- 
slavery  candidates.  Holloway  says :  "The  members  of  the  legislature 
thus  elected  immediately  demanded  of  Mr.  Reeder  certificates  of  elec- 
tion, as  required  by  the  organic  act,  threatening  him  with  assassination 


560  CYCLOPEDIA    UF 

in  case  of  refusal.  With  pistols  cocked  and  pointed  at  his  breast,  he 
examined  the  election  returns,  and  painfully  witnessed  the  evidences  of 
fraud." 

According  to  the  Herald  of  Freedom,  "A  committee  from  Missouri 
waited  upon  the  governor  and  told  him  he  had  choice  of  one  of  three 
things :  "To  sign  the  certificates  of  election  in  fifteen  minutes,  to  resign, 
or  hang.'  To  this  the  governor  immediately  replied:  'Gentlemen,  my 
mind  is  made  up  without  further  advisement;  I  shall  hang.'  " 

This  was  not  the  answer  expected  by  the  committee,  the  members  of 
which  retired  crestfallen,  and  Gov.  Reeder  proceeded  in  his  own  way  to 
"uphold  the  majesty  of  the  law."  In  his  testimony  before  the  Congres- 
sional investigating  committee,  the  governor  stated  that  "'In  conse- 
quence of  it  being  reported  to  me  that  a  number  of  the  members,  in  their 
caucuses,  in  their  speeches,  had  declared  they  would  take  life  if  1  per- 
sisted in  taking  cognizance  of  the  complaints  made  against  the  legality 
of  the  elections,  I  made  arrangements  to  assemble  a  small  number  of 
friends  for  defense,  and,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  April  I  pro- 
ceeded to  announce  my  decision  upon  the  returns.  Upon  one  side  of 
the  room  were  arranged  the  members-elect,  nearly,  if  not  quite,  all 
armed;  and  on  the  other  side,  about  fourteen  of  my  friends,  who,  with 
myself,  were  also  well  armed." 

In  the  districts  where  no  dispute  developed  the  governor  signed 
the  certificate  of  election,  but  in  all  districts  where  there  was  suf- 
ficient proof  of  fraud,  he  set  aside  the  election.  The  districts  in  which 
the  election  was  thus  annulled  by  the  governor's  action  were  the  ist, 
2nd,  3d,  7th,  8th  and  i6th,  and  included  four  members  of  the  council 
and  nine  members  of  the  house.  On  April  16  he  issued  his  proclama- 
tion ordering  a  special  election  on  May  22  to  fill  the  vacancies  in  these 
districts,  and  in  the  same  proclamation  called  the  legislature  to  meet 
at  Pawnee  on  "the  first  Monday  in  July." 

It  is  worth  while  to  note  the  spirit  in  which  the  opposing  parties 
accepted  the  result  of  the  election  of  March  30.  The  Leavenworth 
Herald,  a  pro-slavery  paper,  with  the  characteristic  bluster  of  that  party, 
on  April  6,  the  very  day  the  governor  announced  his  decision  on  the 
election  returns,  said  under  display  headlines :  "Come  on.  Southern 
men;  bring  your  slaves  and  fill  up  the  territory.  Kansas  is  saved! 
Abolitionism  is  rebuked,  her  fortress  stormed,  her  flag  is  draggling  in 
the  dust.  The  tri-colored  platform  has  fallen  with  a  crash,  the  rotten 
timbers  of  its  structure  were  not  sufficient  to  sustain  the  small  frag- 
ments of  the  party.    Kansas  has  proved  herself  to  be  S.  G.  Q." 

The  next  day  the  Herald  of  Freedom,  the  free-state  paper  published 
at  Lawrence,  said:  "We  asserted  some  time  ago  that  Kansas  would 
be  a  free  state,  let  the  Missourians  bluster  as  much  as  they  would,  and 
we  renew  that  assertion  with  more  confidence  than  ever.  At  the 
taking  of  the  census  in  February  last,  every  election  district  in  the  ter- 
ritory was  found  to  have  a  respectable  majority  of  voters  from  the 
free   states.     Had   it   been   otherwise,   does   anybody   suppose   our  pro- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  56I 

slavery  neighbors  on  the  other  side  of  the  line  would  have  deemed  it 
necessary  to  have  incurred  so  great  an  expense  to  import  voters  by  the 
thousand  to  gain  a  political  ascendency?  Another  election  will  be 
held  in  due  time,  and  those  who  purpose  settling  here  permanently, 
and  desire  to  contribute  their  share  toward  making  Kansas  a  free  state, 
should  hurry  forward  as  soon  as  possible." 

These  two  quotations,  from  representative  newspapers  of  the  period, 
are  indicative  of  the  policy  of  each  of  the  contending  factions.  On 
the  one  hand  the  pro-slavery  party  seemed  to  depend  chiefly  upon 
bravado,  using  "noise  for  argument,"  while  on  the  other  the  free-state 
men  believed  in  that  quiet,  persistent  work  which  would  ultimately 
result  in  giving  the  territory  a  permanent  population  of  immigrants 
from  the  northern  and  eastern  states,  thereby  assuring  the  admission 
of  Kansas  as  a  free  state.  They  argued  that  in  time  the  slaveholders 
would  grow  tired  of  importing  voters  to  carry  the  elections,  and  sub- 
sequent events  have  proved  that  their  theory  was  correct. 

At  the  election  of  May  22  the  pro-slaver}-  men  stayed  away  from 
the  polls,  except  in  the  Leavenworth  district  (the  i6th),  where  a  suf- 
ficient number  came  over  from  Missouri  to  insure  the  election  of  their 
candidates.  In  all  the  other  districts  the  vacancies  were  filled  by  the 
election  of  the  free-state  candidates. 

On  April  17,  1855,  the  day  following  the  proclamation  ordering  the 
special  election  and  calling  the  legislature  to  meet  in  July,  Gov.  Reeder 
started  for  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania,  leaving  Secretary  Wood- 
son as  acting  governor.  The  "reasons  for  this  course,  as  stated  by 
Gov.  Reeder  himself,  were  "For  the  purpose  of  bringing  out  my  family, 
and  attending  to  private  business,  as  well  as  for  the  purpose  of  consult- 
ing with  the  president  in  regard  to  the  state  of  things  in  the  territory." 
He  returned  to  Kansas,  however,  in  time  to  be  present  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  legislative  session,  reassuming  his  executive  duties  on 
June  23. 

The  legislature  assembled  at  the  appointed  time  and  place,  not- 
withstanding the  remonstrances  of  the  members  against  meeting  at 
Pawnee.  A  temporary  organization  was  effected  in  the  council  by  the 
election  of  Richard  R.  Rees  president  pro  tern,  and  John  A.  Haider- 
man  chief  clerk.  In  the  permanent  organization  Rev.  Thomas  John- 
son was  chosen  president,  Mr.  Rees  continuing  as  president  pro  tem, 
and  Mr.  Halderman  as  chief  clerk.  In  the  house  Joseph  C.  Anderson 
was  chosen  temporary  speaker,  John  H.  Stringfellow  later  being  elected 
permanently  to  that  oflSce,  and  J.  M.  Lyle  was  chief  clerk  under  both 
the  temporary   and  permanent  organizations. 

The  house  consisted  of  26  and  the  council  of  13  members.  Gov. 
Reeder  had  issued  certificates  of  election  to  the  following  members 
chosen  at  the  special  election  of  May  22:  In  the  ist  representative  dis- 
trict— Philip  P.  Fowler,  John  Hutchinson  and  Erastus  D.  Ladd ;  2nd 
district — Augustus  Wattles  and  William  Jessee;  3d  district — Cyrus  K. 
Hollidav;  14th  district — William  G.  Mathias,  Archy  Payne  and  H.  D 
(n-36) 


562  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

McMeekin;  2nd  council  district— John  A.  Wakefield;  3d  district— Jesse 
D.  Wood ;  8th  district— C.  H.  Washington.  The  first  act  of  each  branch 
was  to  unseat  the  free-state  men  and  recognize  in  their  places  those 
elected  on  March  30. 

After  this  was  done  the  membership  of  the  council  was  as  follows : 
1st  district— Thomas  Johnson  and  Edward  Chapman;  2nd — Andrew 
McDonald;  3d— Hiram  J.  Strickler ;  4th— A.  N.  Coffey  and  David 
Lykins;  5th— William  Barbee ;  6th— John  Donaldson;  7th— John  W. 
Forman;  8th— William  P.  Richardson;  9th— D.  A.  N.  Grover;  loth— 
Lucien  J.  Eastin  and  Richard  R.  Rees.  In  the  sixth  district  John 
Donaldson  was  given  the  seat  of  Martin  F.  Conway,  who  resigned  a 
few  days  before  the  legislature  was  convened. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  house  by  districts:  ist — 
Alexander  S.  Johnson;  2nd— John  M.  Banks,  A.  B.  Wade  and  James 
Whitlock;  3d— G.  W.  Ward  and  O.  H.  Browne;  4th— D.  L.  Croys- 
dale ;  5th — M.  W.  McGee ;  6th — Joseph  C.  Anderson  and  Samuel  A. 
Williams;  7th — W.  A.  Heiskell,  Allen  Wilkinson,  Henry  Younger  and 
Samuel  Scott;  8th— S.  D.  Houston;  9th — Franklin  J.  Marshall;  loth— 
William  H.  Tebbs ;  nth— R.  L.  Kirk  and  John  H.  Stringfellow ;  12th 
—Joel  P.  Blair  and  Thomas  W.  Waterson ;  13th— H.  B.  C.  Harris  and 
Josiah  Weddle;  14th — William  G.  Mathias,  Archy  Payne  and  H.  D. 
McMeekin. 

The  unseating  of  the  free-state  members,  which  was  done  on  the 
second  day  of  the  session,  left  S.  D.  Houston  as  the  only  representa- 
tive of  the  free-state  party,  and  he  sopn  resigned  on  account  of  the 
flagrant  acts  of  the  majorit}'.  About  the  only  satisfaction  the  free- 
state  men  derived  from  the  whole  proceeding  was  the  protest  which 
Wakefield  and  Wood  succeeded  in  having  spread  upon  the  journal  of 
the  council,  and  a  similar  protest  made  by  Fowler,  Hutchinson,  Ladd, 
Wattles  and  Jessee  in  the  house. 

A  building  had  been  erected  at  Pawnee  expressly  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  legislature  (See  Capitol),  but  the  members  were  not 
satisfied  with  the  location.  They  remained  in  session  there,  however, 
until  Gov.  Reeder  had  submitted  his  message,  which  was  done  as  soon 
as  the  two  houses  were  permanently  organized  and  the  contests  over 
seats  were  settled.  In  his  message,  which  bears  the  date  of  July  3, 
the  first  official  communication  ever  submitted  to  a  legislative  body  in 
Kansas,  the  governor  reviewed  the  history  of  Kansas  while  subject 
to  the  laws  of  France  and  Spain  as  a  part  of  the  province  of  Louisiana, 
and  her  career  as  part  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana  and  the  Territory  of 
Missouri.     On  the  subject  of  slavery  he  said : 

"There  are  many  specific  subjects  of  legislation,  some  of  which  are 
expressly  referred  to  you  by  the  bill  organizing  the  territory,  and 
others  spring  from  the  necessity  of  our  community.  Prominent  among 
them  is  the  question  whether  we  shall  build  our  government  upon 
the  basis  of  free  or  of  slave  labor.  .  .  .  The  provisions  of  our  ter- 
ritorial organic  act  secure  us  this  right,  and  is  founded  in  the  true  doc- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5^3 

trines  of  republicanism.  .  .  .  The  permanent  character  and  high 
authority  of  a  state  constitution,  and  the  fact  of  its  submission  to  a 
direct  vote  of  the  people  of  the  territory  indicate  that  as  a  signal 
occasion  for  the  decision  of  that  peculiar  question.  In  the  meantime, 
however,  a  teritorial  legislature  may,  undoubtedly,  act  upon  the  ques- 
tion to  a  limited  and  partial  extent,  and  may  temporarily  prohibit, 
tolerate  or  regulate  slavery  in  the  territory,  and  in  an  absolute  or  modi- 
fied form,  with  all  the  force  and  effect  of  any  other  legislative  act, 
binding  until  repealed  by  the  same  power  that  enacted  it." 

He  then  called  the  attention  of  the  legislature  to  the  fact  that  some 
of  the  questions  which  would  come  up  for  settlement  were  the  creation 
of  counties,  the  establishment  of  county  and  probate  courts,  the  loca- 
tion of  a  permanent  seat  of  government,  the  organization  of  the  militia, 
some  measure  to  prohibit  the  sale  of  intoxicants  among  the  Indians, 
and  legislation  for  the  promotion  of  education. 

On  July  4  the  legislature  passed  a  bill  fixing  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment temporaril}-  at  the  Shawnee  IMission  manual  labor  school  and 
requiring  the  governor  and  secretary  to  maintain  their  offices  there 
"until  the  seat  of  government  is  located  b}'  law."  This  measure  was 
vetoed  on  the  6th  by  the  governor,  who  said : 

"When  the  actual  seat  of  government  is  fixed  by  competent  authority 
it  would  certainly  become  the  duty  of  the  executive  to  locate  his  office 
there,  and  this  brings  us  to  the  inquiry,  whether  the  bill  which  I  now 
return  is  within  the  original  powers  of  the  legislature  as  conferred  by 
Congress. 

"It  professes  to  locate  the  seat  of  government  temporarily,  as  con- 
tradistinguished from  a  permanent  location.  This  distinction  is  well 
founded  and  well  understood,  and  is  recognized  as  well  in  the  organic 
law  as  in  the  act  of  Congress  of  March  3,  1855,  and  a  temporary  seat 
of  government  is  recognized  as  one  upon  which  none  of  the  public 
money  appropriated  by  Congress  shall  be  expended  in  the  erection  of 
public  buildings. 

"By  the  organic  law  the  governor  was  vested  with  the  power  to  fix 
the  place  for  the  meeting  of  the  first  legislative  assembly.  By  the 
same  law  Congress  themselves  fixed  the  temporary  seat  of  government, 
and  by  the  act  of  March  3,  1855,  they  conferred  upon  the  legislature 
the  right  to  fix  a  permanent  seat  of  government.  The  power  of  the 
legislature  is  thus  clearly  defined.  Congress  has  chosen  to  confine  one 
branch  of  this  subject  to  the  governor,  to  retain  another  for  them- 
selves, and  to  commit  the  third  to  the  legislature.  .  .  .  The  only 
effect  of  the  bill  which  I  now  return  to  you  would  be  to  repeal  the 
31st  section  of  the  Kansas  bill,  which  involves  th.e  exercise  of  a  power 
far  beyond  the  functions  of  the  legislature." 

No  sooner  was  the  bill  received  from  the  hands  of  the  governor  than 
it  was  passed  over  his  veto  by  the  required  two-thirds  vote,  and  the 
legislature  then  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  Shawnee  Mission  on  the 
i6th.     The  next  step  was  to  make  a  request,  through  District  Attornev 


564  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Isaacs,  for  a  decision  by  the  United  States  court  as  to  the  legaUty  of 
the  proceedings  in  thus  estabHshing  a  temporary  seat  of  government 
in  the  face  of  the  governor's  objections.  An  opinion,  signed  by  Chief 
Justice  Lecompte  and  Judge  Elmore,  and  concurred  in  by  Mr.  Isaacs, 
"was  promptly  handed  down,  holding  that  the  legislature  had  not 
exceeded  its  authority,  and  that  "The  want  of  concurrence  of  the  gov- 
ernor presents  no  objection  to  the  efficiency  of  the  acts  of  the  legisla- 
tive assembly,  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  each  of  its  constituent 
bodies   concurring  therein." 

Fortified  with  this  decision  of  the  court  the  legislature  met  pur- 
suant to  adjournment  at  the  Shawnee  Mission  manual  labor  school  on 
the  i6th  without  a  head,  having  already  by  its  acts  deposed,  or  at 
least  estranged,  the  governor  so  that  anything  like  cooperation  with 
the  executive  was  not  probable.  To  test  the  situation  the  first  bill 
passed — one  incorporating  a  ferry  company  at  the  town  of  Kickapoo 
— was  submitted  to  Gov.  Reeder  on  the  21st,  and  was  quickly  returned 
with  a  veto  message,  in  which  he  said : 

"I  see  nothing  in  the  bill  itself  to  prevent  my  sanction  of  it,  and 
my  reasons  for  disapproval  have  been  doubtless  anticipated  by  you 
as  necessarily  resulting  from  the  opinions  expressed  in  my  message 
of  the  6th  instant.  ...  It  seems  to  be  plain,  that  the  legislature 
now  in  session,  so  far  as  the  place  is  concerned,  is  in  contravention 
of  the  act  of  Congress,  and  where  they  have  no  right  to  sit,  and  can 
make  no  valid  legislation.  Entertaining  these  views,  I  can  give  no 
sanction  to  any  bill  that  is  passed;  and  if  my  views  are  not  satisfac- 
tory, it  follows  that  we  must  act  independently  of  each  other. 

"If  I  am  right  in  these  opinions,  and  our  territory  shall  derive  no 
fruits  from  the  meeting  of  the  present  legislative  assembly,  I  shall, 
at  least,  have  the  satisfaction  of  recollecting  that  I  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  assembly  to  the  point  before  they  moved,  and  that  the 
responsibility,  therefore,  rests  not  on  the  executive." 

This  brought  matters  to  a  crisis.  The  legislature  could  not  unseat 
the  governor,  as  it  had  the  free-state  members,  so  all  that  was  left  for 
it  to  do  was  to  appeal  to  the  power  that  appointed  him,  asking  for 
his  removal.  Accordingly,  a  memorial  to  President  Pierce  was  adopted 
on  the  27th,  six  days  after  the  veto  of  the  ferry  bill  by  the  governor. 
This  memorial  criticised  the  governor  for  his  delay  in  ordering  an 
election  for  members  of  the  legislature,  "the  people  knowing  of  no 
laws  in  force,  and  the  governor,  having  no  settled  opinion  upon  the 
subject,  appointing  justices  of  the  peace  in  various  sections  of  the 
territory,  some  of  whom  enforced  the  Pennslyvania,  some  the  Ohio 
and  some  the  Missouri  code,  acting,  as  a  matter  of  course,  under  his 
instructions." 

The  memorial  then  goes  on  to  recite  that  the  governor  turned  coolly 
from  the  persons  who  had  welcomed  him  cordially  and  frankly  to 
the  territory,  and  formed  intimate  associations  with  "those  onlv  from 
one  particular  section  of  the  Union,"  which  association  caused  him  to 


KANSAS    HISTORY  565 

l)ersist  in  not  applying  the  only  course  calculated  to  produce  order  from 
chaos. 

"The  governor  then  commences  his  course  of  speculation,"  says  the 
memorial,  "beginning  by  arraying  himself  directly  in  opposition  to  the 
opinions  of  the  general  government,  as  expressed  by  the  attorney- 
general  in  relation  to  Delaware  lands,  by  purchasing  property  on  those 
lands,  and  stating  that  the  opinions  of  the  law  officer  of  the  general 
government  were  incorrect,  and  of  no  force  if  correct,  thus  setting  an 
example  of  insubordination  to  those  less  informed,  and  which  may 
end  in  a  conflict  between  the  people  of  this  territory  and  the  general 
government,  unless  the  rights  of  the  squatters  on  those  lands  are  recog- 
nized in  conducting  the  sales  of  them." 

This  touched  the  most  vulnerable  point  in  Gov.  Reeder's  official 
career — the  one  weak  joint  in  his  armor.  Without  impugning  his 
motives,  or  attempting  to  cast  any  aspersion  on  his  character,  the  his- 
torian can  not  ignore  the  fact  that  the  governor  took  advantage  of  his 
position  to  purchase  at  less  than  usual  rates  lots  in  various  towns, 
among  them  Leavenworth,  Lawrence,  Tecumseh,  Topeka  and  Paw- 
nee. His  calling  the  legislature  to  meet  at  Pawnee  was  looked  upon  by 
some  as  an  effort  to  enhance  the  value  of  his  real  estate  in  that  embryo 
city,  where  he  held  a  number  of  lots.  It  is  said  that  when  the  gov- 
ernor visited  Washington  in  the  spring  of  1855,  to  consult  with  Presi- 
dent Pierce  regarding  territorial  aft'airs,  the  question  of  Gov.  Reeder's 
removal  was  discussed,  and  that  in  parting  the  president  said:  "Well, 
I  shall  not  remove  you  on  account  of  your  political  action ;  if  I  remove 
you  at  all,  it  will  be  on  account  of  3'our  speculation  in  the  lands  of  the 
territory." 

Cutler  says :  "Although  there  is  no  proof  that  he  did  anything  which 
would  have  been  deemed  out  of  the  ordinary  business  course  of  an 
honest  private  citizen,  yet,  as  a  governor,  subject  to  removal,  he  should 
have  been  more  careful  if  he  cared  to  retain  his  official  position.  The 
fact  that  his  largest  landed  interests  were  at  Pawnee,  and  that  there 
they  were  erecting  buildings  for  a  legislature  to  be  convened  by  him, 
contrary  to  the  protests  of  the  members-elect,  gave  his  enemies  the  long 
sought  for  pretext  for  pressing  his  removal  without  reference  to  the 
true  reason,  found  in  his  determined  opposition  to  the  lawless  out- 
rages that  they  had  perpetrated,  and  to  which  thej-  had  tried  in  vain 
to  obtain  his  official  sanction.  The  scheme  was  to  remove  Andrew 
H.  Reeder,  the  official  land  speculator,  and  thus  be  rid  of  an  honest  gov- 
ernor, whom  neither  threats  could  intimidate  nor  bribes  induce  to 
countenance  the  outrages  on  law  and  decency  which  they  had  com- 
mitted." 

After  the  adoption  of  the  memorial  the  legislature  decided  to  for- 
ward it  to  Washington  by  special  messenger,  and  Speaker  String- 
fellow  was  selected  for  that  purpose.  He  declined  the  honor,  how- 
ever, and  the  choice  fell  on  Andrew  McDonald,  who  left  immediately 
for  the  national  capital  to  present  the  document  to  the  president.     Be- 


566  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

fore  McDonald  reached  Washington  the  president  had  issued  the  order 
for  Gov.  Reeder's  removal.  In  fact  the  order  was  issued  on  July  28, 
the  day  following  the  adoption  of  the  memorial,  though  the  fact  was 
not  learned  until  later.  The  reasons  for  the  removal,  as  stated,  were 
"that  his  explanation  of  his  connection  with  the  purchase  of  the  Kan- 
sas half-breed  lands,  and  other  grave  matters  of  the  same  class,  were 
not  such  as  to  remove  the  impressions  which  the  president  had  pre- 
viously entertained  of  the  character  of  those  transactions." 

On  Aug.  i6,  1855,  Gov.  Reader  sent  his  last  communication  to  the 
territorial  legislature,  which  was  still  in  session.  It  was  the  follow- 
ing notice  of  his  removal  from  office :  "Although  in  my  message  to 
your  bodies,  under  date  of  the  21st  ult.,  I  stated  that  I  was  unable  to 
convince  myself  of  the  legality  of  your  session  at  this  place,  for  reasons 
then  given,  and  although  that  opinion  still  remains  unchanged,  yet, 
inasmuch  as  my  reasons  were  not  satisfactory  to  you,  and  the  bills 
passed  b}'  your  houses  have  been,  up  to  this  time,  sent  to  me  for 
approval,  it  is  proper  that  I  should  inform  you  that  after  your  adjourn- 
ment of  yesterday,  I  received  official  notification  that  my  functions  as 
governor  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas  were  terminated.  No  successor 
having  arrived,  Secretary  Woodson  will  of  course  perform  the  duties 
of  the  office  of  acting  governor.'' 

Thus  ended  the  administation  of  the  first  governor  of  Kansas  after 
its  organization  as  a  territory  of  the  United  States.  And,  while  his 
conduct  may  not  have  been  absolutely  faultless,  after  a  lapse  of  more 
than  half  a  century,  when  partisan  feeling  is  no  longer  rife  and  sec- 
tional passion  has  disappeared,  he  who  reads  history  with  an  unbiased 
mind  must  conclude  that  Gov.  Reeder's  removal  was  due  more  to  his 
refusal  to  bow  to  the  will  of  the  slave  power  than  to  his  speculation 
in  lands. 

(Works  consulted:  Holloway's,  Cutler's  and  Prentis'  Histories  of 
Kansas ;  Reeder's  Diary ;  Executive  Minutes ;  Connelley's  Territorial 
Governors  ;  Wilder's  Annals  of  Kansas  ;  Kansas  Historical  Collections  ; 
Legislative  Journals ;  Newspaper  Files,  and  Manuscript  correspondence.) 

Reeder,  William  A.,  banker  and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  in 
Cumberland  county.  Pa.,  Aug.  28,  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  went  to  Ipava,  111.,  where 
he  soon  afterward  began  teaching,  which  occupation  he  followed  for 
seven  years  in  Illinois.  He  then  came  to  Kansas  and  located  at  Beloit, 
where  he  was  principal  of  the  schools  until  1880.  He  then  engaged  in 
business  at  Logan,  Kan.,  and  subsequently  became  a  banker.  In  1890, 
in  partnership  with  A.  H.  Ellis  and  J.  J.  Wiltrout,  he  purchased  an 
extensive  tract  of  land  on  the  Solomon  river  and  established  one  of 
the  largest  irrigated  farms  in  Kansas.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
political  and  public  affairs ;  was  elected  in  1898  to  represent  the  Sixth 
district  in  Congress  and  by  reelection  served  until  March  4,  191 1. 

Reedsville,  a  hamlet  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  Center  town- 
ship 6  miles  southeast  of  Marysville,  the  county  seat.     It  receives  daily 


KANSAS    HISTORY  567 

mail  from  Home,  about  3  miles  away,  and  in  1910  had  a  population 
of  26. 

Rees,  Rollin  R.,  Congressman,  was  born  at  Camden,  Preble  county, 
Ohio,  in  1865,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Ottawa  county,  Kan.,  in 
1867.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  graduated  at  the  Kansas  Agri- 
cultural College  and  studied  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1887. 
He  was  count)'  attorney  of  Ottawa  county  ;  was  elected  judge  of  the 
30th  judicial  district  in  1903;  reelected  to  the  same  office  in  1907,  and 
was  elected  to  Congress  in   1910.     Address,  Minneapolis,  Kan. 

Reformatory,  State  Industrial. — In  former  years  the  idea  of  a  prison 
was  to  punish,  but  as  the  question  was  studied  by  sociologists  and 
criminologists  a  movement  was  inaugurated  to  make  some  prisons 
reformatory  in  character,  the  object  being  to  convert  the  men  commit- 
ted to  the  institutions  to  a  better  way  of  living.  The  first  reformatory 
in  the  United  States  was  established  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  in  1876. 

The  general  plan  in  the  modern  reformatory  is  to  train  the  prisoner 
in  some  occupation,  so  that  when  he  goes  out  he  will  be  able  to  earn 
an  honest  living  and  desire  to  become  a  useful  citizen.  Kansas  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  states  in  this  work.  On  March  12,  1885,  the  legis- 
lature passed  an  act  authorizing  the  governor  to  appoint  three  com- 
missioners "to  be  known  as  the  industrial  reformatory  commissioners," 
who  "shall  proceed  to  locate  a  prison  or  industrial  reformatory  at 
some  place  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian,  in  the  State  of  Kan- 
sas." The  board  was  authorized  "to  procure  by  purchase  or  dona- 
tion" a  site  for  the  reformatory,  have  charge  of  "the  grounds,  and 
designs  and  construction  of  buildings,"  etc.  The  act  further  provided 
that  when  the  reformatory  was  completed  the  governor  should  appoint 
three  persons  to  act  as  a  board  of  managers ;  to  have  general  charge 
and  superintendence  of  the  reformatory ;  and  to  appoint  a  warden, 
physician,  chaplain,  inspector  of  discharged  prisoners  and  clerk.  All 
the  other  officers  were  to  be  appointed  by  the  warden. 

The  act  provided  that  the  board  of  managers  should  "receive  and 
take  into  the  reformatory  all  male  criminals  between  the  ages  of  16 
and  25,  not  known  to  have  been  previously  sentenced  to  a  state  prison." 
An  apropriation  of  $60,000  was  made  for  carrying  out  the  provisions 
of  the  act.  Gov.  Martin  appointed  John  Severance,  John  E.  Bone- 
brake  and  Edward  R.  Smith  commissioners  for  the  selection  of  the 
site  and  erection  of  the  buildings.  Mr.  Severance  was  elected  chairman 
of  the  board,  Mr.  Bonebrake  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Smith  secretarj'.  The 
board  visited  the  New  York  reformatory  at  Elmira,  to  gather  informa- 
tion concerning  such  institutions,  and  on  its  return  held  a  meeting 
on  May  25,  when  it  was  determined  to  inspect  the  various  locations 
suggested  by  cities  west  of  and  near  the  6th  principal  meridian.  The 
competitors  were  Salina,  Concordia,  Beloit,  Minneapolis,  Ellsworth, 
McPherson,  Great  Bend,  Nickerson,  Hutchinson,  Halstead,  Newton, 
Wellington  and  Wichita.  Newton  and  Wichita  being  east  of  the 
meridian  were  rendered  ineligible  by  the  provisions  of  the  law. 


568  CVCLOI'EDIA    OF 

Hutchinson  was  finally  selected,  the  people  of  that  city  agreeing  to 
donate  a  section  of  land,  and  preparations  for  the  erection  of  build- 
ings were  commenced.  In  1887  the  board  presented  estimates  to  the 
legislature  for  $250,000,  and  asked  for  an  appropriation  for  that  amount. 
The  appropriation  was  reduced  to  $100,000,  as  it  was  intended  to  trans- 
fer 200  prisoners  from  the  state  penitentiary  and  utilize  their  labor  in 
the  erection  of  reformatory  buildings.  The  board  subsequently  decided 
that  the  employment  of  convict  labor  was  not  practicable,  and  again 
there  was  delay.  On  March  23,  1889,  the  legislature  appropriated 
another  $100,000  to  "complete  the  cell-blocks  now  partially  completed, 
and  such  other  portions  of  said  reformatory  in  connection  with  said 
cell-blocks,  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  occupancy  thereof." 

By  the  act  of  March  i,  1895,  much  of  the  former  legislation  relating 
to  the  reformatory  was  repealetl  and  the  governor  was  authorized  to 
appoint  a  new  board.  Gov.  Morrill  appointed  John  Armstrong,  Tully 
Scott  and  J.  M.  Humphrey,  and  this  board  held  its  first  meeting  March 
II,  1895,  at  Hutchinson.  John  Armstrong  was  elected  president  and 
J.  M.  Humphrey  secretary.  On  the  12th  H.  F.  Hatch  of  Arkansas 
City  was  appointed  superintendent.  He  resigned  on  July  9.  The 
members  of  the  board  also  tendered  their  resignations,  and  on  the  25th 
the  governor  appointed  S.  R.  Peters,  T.  J.  O'Neil  and  M.  B.  Nicholson 
as  a  new  board,  which  met  on  July  27,  1895,  and  organized  by  electing 
Mr.  Peters  president,  Mr.  O'Neil  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Nicholson  secre- 
tary. The  board  appointed  J.  C.  O.  Morse  superintendent  and  N.  L. 
Hallowell  assistant  superintendent.  Work  was  started  at  once  to  pre- 
pare the  cell-blocks  for  occupancy,  requisition  was  made  upon  the  board 
of  managers  of  the  state  penitentiary  for  convicts  who  could  carry 
on  the  necessary  work,  and  30  prisoners  were  transferred  from  the 
penitentiary  to  the  reformatory  on  Aug.  29.  Two  days  later  Dr.  A.  M. 
Hutchinson  was  appointed  physician,  and  Rev.  Alfred  Brown  chaplain. 

As  an  encouragement  to  and  reward  for  good  conduct  the  con- 
victs were  divided  on  Jan.  i,  1S96,  into  three  grades.  Good  behavior 
for  60  days  entitled  any  one  to  admission  to  the  first  grade  and  allowed 
him  certain  privileges.  In  1898  a  system  of  credit  marks  was  adopted, 
giving  inmates  of  the  reformatory  a  reward  for  good  conduct  and 
inflicting  a  penalty  for  bad  behavior  by  causing  him  to  be  reduced  to 
a  lower  grade  in  case  he  should  fail  to  earn  the  required  number  of 
credits. 

The  school  work  is  arranged  in  grades  upon  the  general  plan  of  the 
public  schools  of  the  state.  Each  inmate  is  examined  upon  entrance 
and  assigned  to  classes  accordingly.  During  the  winter  season  lec- 
tures are  delivered  to  the  inmates  by  eminent  men  of  the  state  and  this 
plan  has  been  found  to  be  a  potent  agency  in  awakening  new  desires 
and  ambitions  among  them.  The  parole  system  is  used  by  the  reforma- 
tory but  no  convict  is  eligible  to  parole  until  he  has  reached  the  eighth 
grade  in  school  work,  except  when  physically  disqualified  to  learn.  By 
the  act  of  1901  it  was  provided  that  not  more  than  two  of  the  managers 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5^9 

should  belong  to  the  same  political  party,  thus  placing  the  control  of 
the  institution  in  the  hands  of  a  bi-partisan  board,  and  no  citizen  of 
Reno  county  should  be  eligible  for  appointment. 

The  inmates  of  the  institution  make  all  their  clothes,  except  hats, 
shoes  and  suspenders.  Among  the  occupations  followed  by  them  are 
stone  cutting,  cabinet-making,  blacksmithing  and  farming,  and  the 
income  of  the  laundry  is  about  $1,200  per  month.  A  brass  band  has 
been  organized,  a  printing  outfit  has  been  installed,  and  a  monthly 
publication  called  the  Herald  is  issued  by  the  convicts.  Saturday  after- 
noons are  holidays,  when  the  inmates  are  relieved  from  their  labors 
and  permitted  to  indulge  in  athletic  sports,  such  as  base  ball,  foot 
races,  etc.  A  library  is  maintained  in  connection  with  the  institution, 
which  compares  favorably  with  similar  institutions  in  other  states. 

Reform  School. — (See  Industrial  Schools.) 

Reformed  Church. — This  religious  organization  arose  as  the  result 
of  the  Protestant  reformation.  Of  the  bodies  that  trace  their  origin 
to  this  movement,  the  Swiss,  Dutch  and  some  German  came  to  be 
known  as  Reformed ;  the  Scotch  and  English  as  Presbyterians ;  the 
French  as  Huguenots  and  some  of  the  minor  sections  of  Bohemia  and 
Hungary  preserved  their  national  names.  This  faith  was  brought  to 
the  American  colonies  by  the  early  settlers  and  as  a  result  four 
Reformed  churches  became  established;  two  trace  their  origin  to  Hol- 
land; one  to  the  German  Palatinate,  and  one  to  Hungary.  The  first 
church  established  by  the  Dutch  was  at  New  Amsterdam  in  1628, 
where  the  greatest  number  of  Hollanders  lived.  Later,  a  German 
colony,  driven  from  the  Palatinate  by  persecutions,  settled  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  York,  and  in  time  spread  westward.  The  New  York 
church  was  first  known  as  the  Reformed  Dutch  church  but  later  adopted 
the  name  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  America.  As  the  immigration  of 
Dutch  increased  congregations  were  formed  on  Long  Island  and  on 
the  Hudson,  where  some  of  the  churches  are  still  in  existence.  The 
church  established  by  the  Germans  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  York 
was  first  called  the  German  Reformed  church,  then  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States.  The  third 
body  is  known  as  the  Christian  Reformed  church  and  the  fourth  is 
called  the  Hungarian  (Magyar)  Reformed  church.  When  first  estab- 
lished each  of  these  churches  clung  to  its  ancestral  language,  but  as 
conditions  changed  English  became  used  and  is  generally  accepted 
at  the  present   day. 

The  Reformed  church  was  established  in  Kansas  in  the  '80s  by  set- 
tlers who  came  from  the  eastern  states  and  who  had  there  belonged 
to  these  denominations.  In  1890  there  were  29  church  organizations 
with  a  total  membership  of  1,139.  During  the  next  fifteen  years  the 
number  of  organizations  decreased,  while  the  membership  increased. 
Only  16  organizations  were  reported  in  1906,  but  the  membership  was 

1.415- 


570 


CYCLOI'EDIA    OK 


Reinert,  a  country  postoffice  in  Ford  county,  is  located  15  miles 
southwest  of  Dodge  City,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  from  Min- 
neola.  Clark  county,  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Remsburg,  George  J.,  archaeologist  and  journalist,  was  born  in  Atchi- 
son connt\-,  Kan.,  Sept.  22,  1871.  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  was  a  reporter  on  the  Atchison  papers,  city  editor  of  the  Daily 
Champion,  assistant  editor  of  the  Missouri  Valley  Farmer,  manager 
of  the  .Atchison  department  of  the  Leavenworth  Times.  While  thus 
emplo}-ed  his  spare  time  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  archaeology  and 
natural  history.  Me  became  a  correspondent  for  the  Smithsonian 
Institute  and  for  several  historical  societies;  was  admitted  to  member- 
ship in  the  Western  Historical  Society  and  the  American  Society  of 
Curio  Collectors;  has  made  extensive  and  minute  explorations  of  the 
bluffs  of  Missouri  river,  and  has  one  of  the  finest  private  archseologic 
collections  in  the  \\'est. 

Remsburg,  John  E.,  author  and  lecturer,  was  born  in  Fremont,  Ohio, 
Jan.  7.   1848.  a  son  of  George  J.  and  Sarah  A.  (Willey)   I^emsburg.    'He 
enlisted  in  the   Union  army  at  the  age  of  sixteen ;  married  Miss  Nora 
M.  Filer  of  Atchison,  Kan.,  Oct.  9,  1870;  was  a  teacher  for   15  years, 
then  a  writer  and  lecturer  in  support  of  free  thought,  his  lectures  being 
translated    into    German,    French,    Bohemian,    Dutch.    Swedish,    Nor- 
wegian,   llengali    and    Singalese.      He    was    superintendent    of    public 
instruction  in  Atchison  county,  Kan.,  for  four  years ;  is  a  life  member 
of  the  American   Secular   Union,  of  which  he  was  president  for  three 
years ;   a   member   of   the    Kansas    State   Horticultural    Society ;   author 
of    a    "Life    of    Thomas    Paine,"    1880;    "The    Image    F>reaker,"    1882 
"False  Claims,"  [883;  "Bible  Morals,"  1884;  "Sabbath  Breakers,'   1885 
"The    Fathers   of    Our    Republic,"    1886;    "Was    Lincoln    a    Christian,' 
1893;  "Was   Washington   a   Christian,"    1899;  "The   Bible,"    1903:   "Six 
Historic  Americans,"   1906 ;  "The  Christ,"  1909. 

Reno,  a  village  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Leavenworth  county,  is 
located  on  the  L^nion  Pacific  R.  R.  8  miles  northeast  of  Lawrence. 
It  has  a  general  store  and  money  order  postoffice,  and  is  the  shipping 
point  for  a  considerable  district.     Its  population  in  1910  was  112. 

Reno  County,  in  the  central  part  of  the  state,  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Rice  and  McPherson  counties ;  on  the  east  by  Harvey  and  Sedgwick ; 
on  the  south  by  Sedgwick  and  Kingman,  and  on  the  west  by  Pratt  and 
Stafford.  Its  boundary  lines  were  fixed  by  the  legislature  of  1868,  and 
it  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Reno,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg.  It  was  not  settled  until  three  years  later.  The  first  settlers 
were  not  at  that  time  within  the  confines  of  Reno  county,  as  the  lines 
have  been  changed,  but  all  those  which  shall  be  mentioned  were  settlers 
in  Reno  county  as  it  now  exists.  The  last  change  was  made  in  1872 
when  range  4  on  the  east  and  a  tier  of  townships  from  Rice  county  on 
the  north  were  added,  while  a  large  tract  on  the  south  was  detached  and 
given  to  the  new  county  of  Kingman, 
aiun  "!  mi'^p  V.  psiEOOi  oqAV  •sT;uioqj_    j,^  si.\\3';[  sb.u  japias  jsjy  aq^x. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5"! 

River  township  in  Nov.,  1870.  Tlic  iic.xi  mimth  he  went  to  Lawrence 
to  purchase  provisions  and  on  his  return  was  accompanied  by  John 
Hunt,  who  located  in  the  valle}-  of  the  Little  Arkansas.  About  the  same 
time  J.  H.  D.  Rosan  came  to  the  county,  and  early  the  next  year  he 
located  a  ranch.  He  and  his  brother,  Charles  W.  Rosan,  and  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Charles  Street,  drove  in  a  large  herd  of  Texas  cattle. 
They  procured  a  surveyor  from  Salina  and  had  their  lands  surveyed — 
the  first  in  either  Rice  or  Reno  counties.  George  W.  Watson  located 
in  the  valley  of  Cow  creek  in  March,  1871.  Others  who  located  in  this 
year  were:  A.  S.  Demock,  Luther  A.  Dodge,  John  Swenson  and  a  party 
of  Swedes  in  Clay  township;  Charles  Collins,  D.  B.  Miller,  A.  Smith, 
L.  S.  Shields  and  his  two  sons,  Samuel  and  George,  Peter  Shafer,  George 
Mills,  E.  Shafer,  B.  F.  Evarts,  George  Laferty,  Dr.  A.  S.  Crane,  William 
Lockhart  and  John  Curley.  Another  party  was  composed  of  John  Sha- 
han,  William  and  Robert  Bell,  William  Caldwell,  a  Mr.  Haverlin,  John 
Butcher,  P.  ^Velch,  William  Kacy,  F.  Fole}',  Isaac  Ijams  and  wife, 
James  Freese,  William  Shoop  and  wife,  ^^'esley  Ijams,  Hannah  and 
Mary  Freese.  All  these  settlements  were  made  in  the  northern  and 
eastern  parts  of  the  county  along  the  rivers. 

In  June,  1872,  a  bridge  was  constructed  across  the  Arkansas  river 
at  Hutchinson,  which  opened  the  lands  beyond  to  settlement.  During 
the  remaining  months  of  1872  and  the  year  1873,  that  part  of  the  county 
was  settled  very  rapidly.  The  sand  hills  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
county  were  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  which  was  rare 
in  that  part  of  Kansas.  The  trees  were  cottonwood,  some  of  them  were 
6  feet  in  diameter  with  their  lowest  limbs  50  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
belt  was  4  miles  wide  and  was  a  great  boon  to  the  early  settlers,  who 
used  it  up  so  rapidly  that  the  supply  was  nearly  exhausted  by  1873. 
This  was  one  county  in  which  there  was  no  real  damage  suffered  from 
the  Indians,  except  on  a  few  occasions  when  they  drove  away  live  stock. 
Reno  was  not,  however,  exempt  from  Indian  scares,  the  worst  one  hap- 
pening in  April,  1871,  on  the  occasion  of  a  threatened  attack  by  the 
Cheyennes. 

The  first  crops  were  planted  in  the  spring  of  1871.  The  buffalo,  which 
were  still  plentiful,  took  most  of  the  sod  corn.  It  was  in  this  year  that 
W.  H.  Caldwell  built  the  first  traveler's  inn — near  the  mouth  of  Cow 
creek.  The  first  postoffice  in  the  county  was  established  there  and  the 
place  was  called  Queen  Valley.  It  was  expected  at  the  time  that  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  would  strike  the  Arkansas  river 
at  that  point.  The  first  business  establishment  in  the  county  was  at 
Queen  Valley.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  a  son  in  a  family  named 
Johnson  at  Hutchinson.  The  first  death  was  that  of  a  character  known 
as  "Mountain  Jack,"  who  was  shot  by  accident  while  preparing  for  a 
buffalo  hunt.  The  first  threshing  machine  was  brought  into  the  county 
in  1873  by  John  N.  Shahan.  The  first  political  convention  was  held  in 
1872.  The  ticket  nominated  was  afterward  elected.  The  Hutchinson 
news  was  established  in  1871  and  is  still  published. 


572  cvci.oriimA  of 

Cuunty  organization  was  effected  in  1872,  t'he  census  showing  the 
requisite  600  inhabitants.  A  provisional  organization  was  formed  the 
first  day  of  the  year.  A.  C.  Kies  was  chosen  temporary  county  clerk 
and  the  following  were  appointed  special  commissioners:  C.  Bemis, 
W.  H.  Bell  and  Thomas  Allen.  A  special  election  was  held  on  Jan.  6 
and  C.  C.  Hutchinson  (founder  of  the  town  of  that  name)  was  elected 
to  the  legislature.  The  election  was  irregular,  but  he  was  given  his 
seat.  On  Feb.  3  a  county  seat  election  was  held  and  the  vote  was 
almost  unanimous  for  Hutchinson.  An  election  of  otificers  was  held  on 
March  12  and  the  following  were  chosen:  Commissioners,  C.  C.  Bemis, 
W.  H.  Bell  and  W.  J.  VanSickle;  county  clerk,  A.  C.  Kies;  sheriff, 
Charles  Collins ;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  Harry  Hodson ;  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction,  W.  E.  Hutchinson;  register  of  deeds, 
S.  H.  Hammond;  probate  judge,  W.  W.  Updegraff;  county  surveyor, 
Luther  Dodge ;  county  attorney,  L.  Houk ;  coroner,  C.  S.  Martin.  About 
150  votes  were  cast. 

No  subdivision  of  the  county  into  municipal  townships  had  been  made 
at  this  time,  and  in  April  an  election  was  held  at  which  were  elected 
township  officers  who  should  have  jurisdiction  over  the  whole  county 
under  the  name  of  Reno  township.  These  officers  were :  Peter  Shafer,. 
trustee;  D.  B.  Miller,  treasurer;  S.  N.  Parker,  clerk;  J.  Rhoades  and 
D.  D.  Olmstead,  justices  of  the  peace;  John  McMurray  and  J.  Brown, 
constables.  The  first  bond  election  was  held  in  April,  when  three 
propositions  were  submitted  and  carried,  the  first  for  $15,000  to  build 
a  court-house,  the  second  for  $35,000  to  bridge  the  Arkansas  river,  Cow 
creek  and  Little  river,  and  $10,000  for  current  expenses  pending  the 
collection  of  taxes.  The  first  term  of  the  district  court  was  held  in 
Aug.,  1872,  in  a  temporary  court-house,  W.  R.  Brown  presiding.  In  the 
fall  the  first  regular  election  was  held  and  a  non-partisan  ticket  was 
elected.  The  first  school  district  was  organized  early  in  this  year.  It 
included  Hutchinson  and  vicinity. 

The  first  division  of  the  county  into  townships  took  place  on  April 
12,  1873,  when  the  following  were  organized:  Nickerson,  Valley,  Little 
River,  Haven,  Castleton  and  Clay.  In  September  Lincoln  and  Center 
were  organized,  and  the  next  March  Salt  Creek,  Melford,  Westminster, 
Troy  and  Langdon  were  organized.  The  following  were  organized  out 
of  the  ones  already  mentioned:  Grove,  1876;  Grant,  Reno,  Loda,  Sum- 
ner and  Hayes,  1877;  Albion  and  Bell,  1878;  Enterprise,  Roscoe  and 
Plevna,  1879;  and  Arlington  in  1881.  At  present  there  are  30  town- 
ships, the  following  having  been  organized  since  1881 :  Huntsville, 
Medora,  Miami,  Ninnescah  and  Sylvia.  The  postoffices  in  the  county 
in  1910  were  Abbyville,  Arlington,  Bernal.-  Buhler,  Castleton,  Darlow, 
Haven,  Hutchinson,  Langdon,  Medora,  Nickerson,  Ost,  Partridge, 
Plevna,  Pretty  Prairie,  Sylvia,  Turon  and  Yoder. 

The  first  railroad  built  through  the  county  was  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe,  which  extended  its  main  line  west  from  Newton  in  1872, 
striking  the  Arkansas  river  at  Hutchinson  and  following  the  course  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  573 

the  river  northwest,  leaving  Reno  county  about  mid-way  on  the  nortli 
line.  All  lines  of  railroad  operating  in  the  count)'  center  at  Hutchinson, 
except  a  brancli  of  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  northwest  from 
Wichita,  which  crosses  the  northeast  corner,  and  a  line  of  the  Missouri 
Pacific  which  crosses  the  southwest  corner  into  Stafford  county.  Be- 
sides the  main  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  mentioned 
above,  there  are  two  other  lines  of  the  same  system,  a  "cut  ofif,"  which 
diverges  west  at  Hutchinson  and  meets  the  main  line  at  Kinsley,  and 
another  south  from  Hutchinson  through  Kingman  and  Harper  counties. 
The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  enters  in  the  northeast  and  crosses 
southwest  through  Hutchinson  into  Pratt  county.  A  line  of  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  railroad  enters  in  the  southeast  and  crosses  northwest  along 
the  Arkansas  river  into  Rice  county.  There  are  nearly  200  miles  of 
railroad  in  the  county. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  undulating  prairie,  in  some  places  nearly 
level.  There  is  abundant  drainage,  the  water  system  including  the 
Arkansas  river,  the  Little  Arkansas,  the  north  fork  of  the  Ninnescah, 
Cow  creek  and  their  tributaries.  The  valley  of  the  Arkansas  river  has 
an  average  width  of  5  miles,  in  some  places  spreading  out  to  10  miles. 
On  the  smaller  streams  the  bottoms  average  about  one-half  mile  in 
width,  the  bottom  lands  being  15  per  cent,  of  the  total  area.  Growths 
of  natural  timber,  mostly  cottonwood  and  box-elder,  flourish  along  the 
streams,  and  artificial  plantings  dot  the  county  in  every  direction. 
Limestone  is  found  in  the  northeast  and  southwest ;  red  sandstone  in 
the  northeast  and  on  the  forks  of  the  Ninnescah  river;  mineral  paint  is 
also  found  along  this  stream.  The  salt  which  ^places  Kansas  third  in 
the  production  of  this  commoditj',  is  mostly  taken  from  the  great  beds 
underlying  Reno  county.  The  industry  has  been  developed  on  a  large 
scale  and  the  source  is  seemingly  inexhaustible.  One  of  the  largest  salt 
plants  in  the  world  is  in  operation  here. 

Reno  county  is  at  the  outlet  of  the  great  wheat  and  corn  growing 
district,  handling  most  of  the  grain  grown  in  the  surrounding  counties 
and  of  those  southwest  as  far  as  the  state  line.  Aside  from  this  the 
wheat  and  corn  grown  within  the  county  places  Reno  in  the  front  rank 
among  the  counties  of  the  state  in  this  respect.  The  value  of  the  farm 
products  runs  from  $6,500,000  to  $8,500,000  annually.  Tn  1910  the 
wheat  and  corn  crops  were  each  worth  over  $1,600,000;  hay,  $240,000; 
oats,  pearly  $600,000;  the  live  stock  sold  for  slaughter  brought 
$1,316,000;  dairy  products,  over  $500,000,  and  poultry  and  eggs  nearly 
$200,000.  The  year  before  the  crops  were  somewhat  better,  the  corn 
alone  in  1909  bringing  nearly  $3,500,000.  When  this  wealth  is  added 
to  the  immense  income  from  salt,  and  the  commerce  which  passes  this 
way  is  taken  into  account,  this  locality  appears  to  be  an  unusually 
favored  spot. 

The  population  of  the  county  in  1910  was  37,853,  and  the  assessed 
valuation  of  property  $77,877,210,  which  shows  the  per  capita  wealth 
to  be  about  $2,100. 


5j^  CVCI-OPKDIA    OF 

Republic,  ;in  incorporated  town  nf  Ucinihlic  connty,  is  located  in  Big 
Bend  township  on  the  Republican  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R., 
10  miles  northwest  of  P.elleville,  the  county  seat.  It  was  founded  in 
March,  1878,  by  a  town  company  composed  of  A.  B.  Young-,  H.  S.  Stone, 
Milton  Grim,  J.  B.  Pollard,  Fred  and  William  Ellioft,  and  T.  F.  Mar- 
lett.  The  first  building  erected  in  the  town  was  a  blacksmith  shop, 
which  was  put  up  in  Oct.,  1878,  by  E.  B.  Duncan.  About  the  same  time 
the  Gomeria  postoffice  was  removed  to  Republic,  and  in  May,  1879,  a 
man  named  Capers  erected  a  business  building,  the  town  company 
donating  him  two  lots  for  a  site.  In  June,  1879,  the  town  was  surveyed 
and  thefirst  lots  ofTered  for  sale.  The  following  spring  the  railroad  was 
completed  and  Republic  began  to  assume  a  position  of  some  importance. 
In  1910  it  had  2  banks,  a  money  order  postofifice  with  three  rural  routes, 
a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News),  express  and  telegraph  offices,  several 
good  mercantile  establishments,  good  schools  and  churches  and  a  popu- 
lation of  430. 

Republic  County,  located  in  the  northern  tier  of  counties  with  the 
6th  principal  meridian  forming  the  eastern  boundary,  has  20  civil  town- 
ships, viz:  Albion,  Beaver,  Belleville,  Big  Bend,  Courtland,  Elk  Creek, 
Fairview,  Farmington,  Freedom,  Grant,  JeiTerson,  Liberty,  Lincoln, 
Norway,  Richland,  Rose  Creek,  Scandia,  Union,  Washington  and  ^^■hite 
Rock.  The  towns  are  Agenda,  Belleville,  Courtland,  Cuba  Haworth, 
Ivackley,  Munden,  Narka,  Norway,  Republic,  Rydal,  Scandia,  Sherdahl, 
Talmo,  Warwick,  Wayne  and  White  Rock. 

There  are  five  railroads  with  an  aggregate  of  140  miles — the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy,  the  Missouri  Pacific,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Union  Pacific. 

The  surface  is  rolling  prairie  with  10  per  cent,  bottom  and  90  per 
cent,  upland.  The  Republican  river  enters  the  county  in  the  north- 
western corner  and  traverses  its  entire  width  in  a  southerly  direction ; 
Mill  and  Rose  creeks  flow  east  into  the  Little  Blue;  White  Rock  creek 
flows  northeast,  and  Beaver  creek  southeast  into  the  Republican ;  West 
and  Elk  creeks  flow  south.  The  county  is  watered  by  numerous  natural 
springs.  The  mineral  products  are  coal,  limestone  and  salt,  and  the 
principal  farm  products  are  corn,  wheat  and  oats. 

The  early  history  of  Republic  county  is  interesting  through  the  fact 
that  it  contained  the  site  of  the  famous  Pawnee  Republic  (q.  v.),  and 
that  Capt.  Pike  raised  the  first  American  flag  within  its  borders.  (See 
Pike's  Expedition.)  In  1857  the  government  opened  a  military  road 
through  this  county,  anticipating  the  building  of  which  the  wagon  trains 
bound  for  California  began  to  take  this  route  before  the  bridges  were 
built.  One  train  with  8  wagons,  25  people  and  400  head  of  stock  came 
to  grief  in  that  year  near  Republic  City.  Their  trail  was  dogged  by 
the  Indians  from  the  settlements,  and  when  90  miles  from  the  western 
outpost  they  were  attacked  early  in  the  morning,  the  train  destroyed, 
4  men  killed  and  the  remnant,  including  several  wounded  persons  and 
some  women  and  children,  made  their  way  to  the  settlements,  reaching 
hcl]5  half  dead  and  crazed  from  suffering. 


KANSAS    UlSTORV  575 

Some  time  before  the  first  settlement  in  the  county  a  compan)-  of 
twenty  Mormons  bound  for  Salt  Lake  City  was  attacked  near  the  site 
of  the  present  town  of  Scandia  and  all  but  one  were  murdered.  The 
dead  were  buried  on  a  high  bluflf  by  the  soldiers  and  triangular  flag- 
stones put  up  to  mark  the  spot. 

The  legislature  of  i860  defined  the  boundaries  of  the  county  and  gave 
it  its  name,  taken  from  the  Republican  river,  which  was  named  from 
Pawnee  Republic.  The  first  settlement  was  made  on  Feb.  28,  1861. 
by  Daniel  and  Conrad  Myers,  in  Lincoln  township.  It  is  said  that 
Daniel  Myers  often  left  his  claim  during  times  of  Indian  alarms  but 
that  Conrad  stayed  on  his  claim,  making  the  first  settlement  permanent. 
The  first  dwelling  house  was  that  of  Daniel  Myers,  built  in  Sept.,  1861. 

The  next  settlement  was  made  by  James  E.  Van  Natta  and  David 
and  John  Cor}-  early  in  1862.  No  more  permanent  settlements  were 
made  until  1866,  when  James  G.  Tuthill  settled  near  the  present  town 
of  Seapo.  In  the  same  year  J.  C.  Riley  and  family  settled  near  Belle- 
ville; D.  N.  Davis  near  Republic  City,  and  Thomas  Lovewell  crossed 
the  Republican  and  settled  on  White  Rock  creek.  The  s  ettlers 
who  had  come  into  the  county  during  the  intervening  years  had  been 
driven  out  by  Indians.  The  first  organized  resistance  was  made  in  1864, 
when  the  settlers  of  Clay,  Cloud  and  Republic  counties  formed  a  com- 
pany under  the  captaincy  of  Isaac  M.  Schooly,  who  was  commissioned 
by  the  government.  The  first  militia,  composed  entirely  of  Republic 
county  men,  was  the  "Independent  Company  of  Salt  Creek  Militia," 
organized  in  1868  with  W.  P.  Peake  as  first  lieutenant.  He  was  subse- 
quently made  captain  and  W.  H.  H.  Riley  was  commissioned  first  lieu- 
tenant. There  were  50  men  in  the  company.  Arms  and  ammunition 
were  furnished  by  the  state,  but  the  men  furnished  their  own  horses, 
saddles  and  bridles.  In  the  summer  of  1868  another  company  of  65  men 
was  recruited  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  under  Capt.  R.  T.  Stan- 
field,  with  Peter  Johnson  as  first  lieutenant.  A  log  fort  was  built  by 
this  company  in  Belleville  township,  in  which  were  stationed  the  fol- 
lowing men  from  July  to  Oct.  18:  Noah  Thompson,  corporal  in  com- 
mand, George  Mathews,  William  Little,  Oliver  Gross,  Samuel  DarHng 
and  Ephraim  H.  Wilcox.  The  company  made  several  expeditions  into 
the  Indian  country.  In  August  Gordon  Winbigler,  who  was  harvesting 
with  several  other  men,  was  killed  by  the  Indians  not  far  from  the  fort. 

The  next  vear  there  was  a  great  influx  of  settlers,  principally  Scanda- 
navians,  a  colony  of  300  settling  on  White  Rock  creek.  The  Arapahoes 
and  Cheyennes  came  that  year  as  usual  into  the  Republican  valley  The 
settlers  fortified  their  dugouts  and  kept  guards  on  the  bluffs  until  they 
supposed  the  Indians  gone.  As  soon  as  the  guards  were  removed  the 
Indians  came  over  the  bluff,  drove  away  7  horses  and  killed  a  young 
son  of  F.  E.  Granstadt  who  was  watching  them.  That  year  Capt.  Stan- 
field.  A.  Davis,  W.  P.  Phillips  and  Clarke  Tenike  were  besieged  in  the 
blockhouse  by  over  100  Indians.  A  message  was  sent  out  tied  to  a 
cow's  tail.     The  cow  reached   Scandia  the   next   day,  but   the   Scand;.- 


576  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

navians  were  afraid  to  go  to  the  rescue.  In  May  a  party  of  7  hunters 
with  y.  McChesney  as  guide  was  attacked  on  White  Rock  creek  and 
all  but  McChesney  were  killed.  This  was  the  last  of  the  fatalities  from 
Indian  attacks.     In  the  next  two  years  immigration  was  heavy. 

Republic  county  was  organized  in  1868  by  proclamation  of  Gov.  Har- 
vey, who  fixed  the  county  seat  at  Pleasant  Hill.  The  election  of  1869 
located  it  temporarily  at  Belleville,  and  the  next  year  it  was  perma- 
nently located  at  that  place.  The  first  election  was  held  in  March,  1868, 
the  whole  county  being  one  precinct,  and  only  13  votes  were  cast.  J.  C. 
Rilev  was  chosen  trustee;  J-  E.  Van  Natta,  justice;  and  J.  H.  Print  con- 
stable. 

The  first  postoftice  was  at  Marsh  Creek,  Grant  township,  with  James 
G.  Tuthill  as  postmaster.  '  The  first  lawsuit  was  tried  before  Justice 
Van  Natta  in  1869,  when  Henry  Mead  sued  Conrad  Myers  for  breach 
of  contract,  each  acting  as  his  own  lawyer,  as  there  was  no  attorney 
nearer  than  Manhattan.  The  law  library  of  the  county  at  that  time  con- 
sisted of  the  "Territorial  Laws"  of  1859,  the  session  laws  of  1865,  the 
Testament  and  Psalms  and  the  Blue  Laws  of  Connecticut. 

The  first  marriage  was  between  Thomas  C.  Riley  and  Nancy  Camp- 
bell on  June  7,  1867.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  Lincoln  Myers  on  Sept. 
15,  1861.  The  first  death  was  that  of  John  Myers  in  April,  1861.  The 
first  school  was  opened  in  1867,  with  13  pupils  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Tate 
as  teacher.  The  building  was  a  log  house  18  by  20  feet,  built  by  Peter 
Moe. 

In  1873  bonds  were  voted  for  the  extension  of  the  Central  Branch 
railroad  into  the  county.  They  were  never  issued  as  the  railroad  com- 
pany failed  to  keep  its  part  of  the  agreement.  Another  attempt  was 
made  in  1878  to  get  a  road,  this  time  with  the  Kansas  Pacific.  The 
proposal  to  issue  bonds  for  $4,000  per  mile  was  lost  at  the  election.  On 
Dec.  24  of  that  year  the  Missouri  Pacific  ran  its  first  train  to  Scandia 
over  a  line  extended  from  Concordia.  In  1880  a  branch  of  the  Burling- 
ton was  extended  through  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county.  Four  years 
later  the  Union  Pacific  was  extended  from  Junction  City  to  Belleville, 
and  a  branch  of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  River  was  extended  through 
the  county  18  miles.  In  1887  the  Rock  Island  built  54  miles  of  track, 
and  the  next  year  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  built  13  miles. 

The  first  agricultural  societ}'  in  Republic  county,  which  was  also  the 
first  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian,  was  organized  on  Feb.  20,  1871. 
with  the  following  officers:  Albert  Odell,  president;  R.  P.  West,  vice 
president;  I.  O.  Savage,  secretary;  John  M.  Ryan,  treasurer.  The 
county  horticultural  society  was  organized  in  1879,  the  first  officers  of 
which  were,  O.  A.  A.  Gardner,  president;  J.  A.  Mosher,  vice  president: 
W.  P.  Peake,  secretary;  Ezra  Powell,  treasurer;  N.  T.  Van  Natta,  Adam 
Dixon  and  Dr.  Henry  Patrick,  trustees. 

About  thirty  newspapers  have  been  established  in  the  county  from 
time  to  time,  nine  of  which  still  exist.  The  oldest  is  the  Belleville  Tele- 
scope, established  in  Sept.,  1870,  by  James  C.  Humphrey.    The  Scandia 


KANSAS    HISTORY  577 

Journal  was  established  on  Feb.  7,  1872,  in  Belleville,  under  the  name 
of  the  Belleville  Republic,  by  A.  B.  Wilder.  The  Republic  City  News 
was  started  in  1881,  by  William  Ketchum ;  the  Courtland  Register  in 
1889,  by  F.  M.  Coffey;  and  the  Narka  News  in  1893,  by  James  A.  Harris 
The  other  papers  in  the  county  are,  the  Republic  County  Democrat  at 
Belleville,  God's  Missionary  Record  (quarterly)  at  Belleville,  the  Cuban 
Daylight,  Cuba,  and  the  Comet  at  Courtland. 

Republican  River. — This  stream  takes  its  name  from  the  Republican 
Pawnees,  who  lived  on  its  bank  until  about  the  year  1815.  Lewis  and 
Clark,  the  explorers,  mention  the  stream  in  1804,  and  it  is  more  than 
likely  that  the  name  attached  at  an  earlier  period.  The  stream  is  formed 
by  two  branches,  the  northern  of  which  rises  in  Yuma  county.  Col.,  and 
flows  east,  entering  Nebraska  in  Dundy  county.  The  southern  branch 
has  its  source  in  the  central  part  of  Lincoln  county.  Col.,  and  flows  in 
a  northeasterly  direction  through  the  counties  of  Kit  Carson  and  Yuma, 
enters  Kansas  in  Cheyenne  county,  flowing  northeasterly  and  leaving 
the  state  at  a  point  south  of  the  village  of  Benkelman,  Neb.  Near  this 
point  it  mingles  its  waters  with  the  north  branch  and  forms  the  Repub- 
lican river;  thence  flows  in  an  easterly  direction  through  the  counties  of 
Dundy,  Hitchcock,  Redwillow,  Furnas,  Harlan,  Franklin  and  Webster, 
across  the  southwest  corner  of  Nuckolls,  and  enters  Kansas  a  little  west 
of  the  station  of  Stateline,  Jewell  county.  Thence  it  flows  in  a  south- 
easterly direction  through  the  counties  of  Jewell,  Cloud,  Clay  and 
Geary,  until  it  unites  with  the  Smoky  Hill  about  2  miles  below  Junc- 
tion City  to  form  the  Kansas  river.  Among  the  most  important  tribu- 
taries of  the  Republican  are  the  Arickaree  river  and  Whiteman's  creek 
of  Colorado,  the  Redwillow  creek  of  Nebraska,  and  the  Beaver,  Sappa 
and  Prairie  Dog  creeks  of  Kansas.  The  legislature  of  1864  declared  the 
stream  unnavigable,  although  as  an  experiment  the  Financier  No.  2  in 
1855  ascended  for  40  miles  without  being  grounded.  The  stream  at 
Clay  Center  has  been  dammed  and  the  power  utilized.  The  length  of 
the  Republican  river  is  estimated  at  550  miles,  about  100  of  which  are 
in  Kansas. 

Reserve,  a  little  town  in  Hamilton  township.  Brown  county,  is  located 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  10  miles  north  of  Hiawatha,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  bank,  2  churches,  a  number  of  well  stocked  retail  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  oiifices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  270. 

Rest,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Wilson 
county,  is  located  on  the  line  between  Colfax  and  Pleasant  Valley  town- 
ships, 14  miles  northeast  of  Fredonia,  the  county  seat.  It  has  tele- 
phone connections  with  all  the  other  towns  in  the  vicinity,  general 
stores,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910  was  35. 
Rest  was  a  trading  post  before  the  railroad  was  built,  and  had  several 
stores,  a  number  of  residences  and  a  G.  A.  R.  hall. 

Rexford,  a  little  town  in  Thomas  county,  is  located  in  Smith  town- 
ship, on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  19  miles  northeast 

(11-37) 


5-8  CYCLOPEDIA  or 


of  Colb}-,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News),  a 
bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  250. 

Reynolds,  Charles,  D.  D.,  writer,  was  born  on  Dec.  19,  1817,  in  New- 
cull,  Gloucestershire,  England,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Freyer) 
Reynolds.  He  immigrated  to  New  York  at  the  age  of  fourteen ;  taught 
school  in  Putman  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1835  and  1836;  returned  to  New 
York  citv  in  1837  and  entered  Trinity  school;  in  1843  received  A.  B. 
degree  from  Columbia;  in  1846  graduated  at  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Theological  Seminary  of  New  York  city ;  received  A.  M.  from  Columbia, 
and  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Braine.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
in  1847;  became  pastor  of  Christ's  church  of  North  Brooklyn;  took 
charge  of  Trinity  church  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1855 ;  came  to  Lawrence, 
Kan.,  in  1858  as  pastor  of  Trinity  church;  became  chaplain  of  the  Sec- 
ond Kansas  in  1862;  was  ordered  to  Fort  Scott  as  post  chaplain  in  1863, 
where  he  had  charge  of  providing  for  thousands  of  refugee  contrabands 
from  the  south,  and  upon  being  mustered  out  in  Dec,  1864,  became 
chaplain  at  Fort  Riley.  Dr.  Reynolds  was  for  a  time  regent  of  the 
Kansas  Agricultural  College,  was  a  regular  contributor  to  the  Kansas 
Magazine  and  for  various  Kansas  publications  under  different  noms 
de  plume,  and  was  the  author  of  "Literature  of  the  Farm."  He  married 
Miss  Florence  Clarke  of  Wakefield,  Ksn.,  in  1884  and  died  at  Junction 
City,  Dec.  30,  1885. 

Reynolds,  Milton  W,,  writer  and  man  of  affairs,  was  born  in  Elmira, 
N.  Y'.,  May  23,  1823,  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Rebecca  Reynolds  and 
de.-^cended  from  English  colonial  stock.  In  1827  his  parents  moved  I' 
Coldwater,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  common  school  and  worked  on 
a  farm  until  16  years  of  age.  He  then  taught  school,  attended  Albion 
seminary,  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1853  and  graduated  in 
the  classical  course  with  the  highest  honors  of  the  class  in  1856.  He  was 
editor  of  the  Coldwater  Sentinel  in  1856-57,  when  he  moved  to  Nebraska 
City,  Xeb.,  and  was  editor  of  the  Nebraska  City  News  until  1861.  In 
1858  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Galloway  of  Livingston,  Mich.,  and  the 
same  year  was  elected  to  the  Nebraska  legislature  on  the  Democratic 
ticket ;  was  reelected  in  i86i  on  the  Union  war  ticket,  and  after  a  pro- 
tracted struggle  was  defeated  for  speaker  of  the  house  by  a  fusion  of 
the  Democrats  and  straight  Republicans ;  was  editor  of  the  Detroit  Free 
Press  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1862;  came  to  Kansas  in  1865  and  located 
at  Lawrence ;  was  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  Kansas  Editorial 
Association  and  president  of  its  sixth  annual  convention  in  1871,  and 
during  the  latter  year  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Kansas  Maga- 
zine company.  He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Parsons  Sun 
and  receiver  of  the  Humboldt  land  office.  In  1876  he  was  elected  to 
the  legislature  and  was  also  made  a  regent  of  the  state  university,  in 
which  institution  he  was  very  much  interested.  The  next  year  he 
resumed  the  publication  of  the  Parsons  Sun  and  in  1883  his  retirement 
from  the  Leavenworth  Press  ended  his  activity  as  a  publisher,  although 


KANSAS    HISTORY  579 

he  still  corresponded  for  a  number  of  papers,  particularly  the  Kansas 
City  Journal  and  the  Kansas  City  Times,  under  the  name  of  "Kicking 
Bird,"  a  nom  de  plume  he  appropriated  from  the  Indian  chief  of  that 
name.  iVIr.  Reynolds  was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Missouri,  Kansas 
&  Texas  railroad,  and  it  was  through  his  efforts  that  most  of  the  Osage 
ceded  lands  were  settled.  He  died  at  Edmund,  Okla.,  Aug.  9,  1890, 
leaving  two  daughters,  Aedwina  and  Susan. 

Rhine,  a  country  hamlet  in  Sherman  county,  is  located  in  Grant  town- 
ship, II  miles  northwest  of  Goodland,  the  county  seat,  whence  it  re- 
ceives mail.    The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Rice,  a  village  in  Cloud  county,  is  located  in  Lawrence  township  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  6  miles  east  of  Concordia,  the  county  seat. 
It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route,  some  local  trade, 
and  the  population  in  1910  was  89. 

Rice  County,  in  the  central  part  of  the  state,  is  in  the  second  tier  of 
counties  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian,  and  in  the  fourth  tier  north 
of  the  Oklahoma  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Ellsworth  county; 
on  the  east  by  McPherson ;  on  the  south  by  Reno,  and  on  the  west  by 
Stafford  and  Barton.  It  is  crossed  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  center  by 
the  1st  guide  meridian  west.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Brig.-Gen. 
Samuel  A.  Rice,  of  the  United  States  volunteers,  who  was  killed  at 
Jenkins'  Ferry,  Ark.,  April  30,  1864. 

Although  Rice  county  was  created  and  its  boundary  lines  fixed  by 
the  legislature  of  1867,  it  was  not  until  1870  that  it  was  settled  The 
first  homesteader  was  John  A.  Carlson,  who  came  in  February  of  that 
year.  He  was  followed  by  Andrew  J.  Johnson,  C.  S.  Lindell,  August 
Johnson,  John  Enrick  Johnson,  John  P.  Johnson,  Q.  W.  Peterson,  John 
Quincy  Adams'  of  Mass.,  and  Leonard  Russell.  In  Aug.,  1870,  R.  M. 
Hutchinson,  A.  J.  Howard  and  J.  E.  Perdue,  of  the  firm  of  Hutchinson 
&  Co.,  stopped  upon  the  Little  Arkansas  with  4,000  head  of  cattle. 
Howard  and  Perdue  returned  the  next  January  and  located  claims. 
A  great  many  settlers  came  in  1871.  A  colony  from  Ohio  located  at 
Union  City,  3  miles  from  the  present  city  of  Lyons.  Buffalo  was  still 
plentiful  in  the  vicinity,  and  was  a  great  help  to  the  homesteaders  as  a 
source  of  food  and  cash  income.  The  first  frame  houses  were  built  in 
this  year,  the  lumber  being  hauled  from  Salina,  a  distance  of  60  miles. 

The  county  horticultural  society  was  organized  with  Rev.  J.  B. 
Schlicter,  president.  The  first  murder  among  the  settlers  was  com- 
mitted on  Aug.  27,  1871,  when  Edward  Swanson  shot  and  killed  P.  B. 
Shannon.  The  first  natural  death  occurred  the  next  day,  and  was  that 
of  John  Chitty.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  twins,  George  and  Angle 
McKinnis,  in  September  of  that  year.  The  Santa  Fe  trail  ran  through 
Rice  county  and  there  are  a  number  of  records  of  disasters  to  travelers 
prior  to  the  coming  of  the  settlers. 

The  county  was  organized  on  Aug.  18,  1871,  the  temporary  county 
seat  being  fixed  at  Atlanta  (Lyons).  The  officers  appointed  were: 
Commissioners,  Daniel  M.  Bell,  Theodore  A.  Davis  and  Evan  C.  Jones; 


clerk,  J-ldward  11.  Uunhani.  The  first  election  was  held  in  September, 
when  the  following  officers  were  chosen :  County  commissioners,  Moses 
Hurch,  William  Lowery  and  S.  II.  Thompson;  county  clerk.  T.  W. 
Nicholas ;  treasurer,  T.  C.  Magoffin ;  coroner,  J.  W.  Holmes ;  register  of 
deeds,  G.  VV.  Poole;  surveyor,  T.  S.  Jackson;  probate  judge,  Levi  Jay; 
county  attorney,  H.  Decker;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  William  H. 
Van  ( )smun.  Atlanta  received  64  votes  for  county  seat  and  Union  City 
48  votes.  In  the  general  election  of  Nov.,  1871,  Henry  Fones  was  elected 
coroner;  W.  P.  Brown,  county  attorney;  Evan  C.  Jones,  county  sur- 
veyor and  superintendent  of  public  instruction;  and  J.  M.  Leidigh  com- 
missioner in  place  of  S.  H.  Thompson.  In  March,  1872,  the  south  tier 
of  Congressional  townships  was  detached  and  added  to  Reno  county, 
in  order  that  Peace  (now  Sterling)  would  thus  be  too  far  from  the 
center  ever  to  become  the  county  seat.  In  1876  an  election  for  relocation 
of  the  county  seat  was  held.  Peace  received  336  votes  against  457  for 
Lyons,  which  up  to  this  time  had  been  called  Atlanta.  Rice  countv 
was  at  first  in  the  8th  judicial  district  and  attached  to  Ellsworth  for 
judicial  purposes.     It  was  later  changed  to  the  9th  district. 

The  first  newspaper  was  the  Rice  County  Herald,  started  at  Atlanta 
in  1872  by  a  Mr.  Frazier.  The  first  marriage  was  performed  on  Jan. 
I  of  that  year,  the  contracting  parties  being  James  A.  Moore  and  Ada 
Cartwright.  The  first  train  passed  through  the  southwest  corner  oi 
the  county  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  July,  1872 
The  Salina,  .Atlanta  &  Raymond  railway  company  was  organized  hi 
1872,  but  later  became  defunct  without  building  any  track.  The  first 
business  establishment  was  Salady's  grocery  store  at  Atlanta  in  1871. 
The  first  postoffice  was  at  the  same  place,  Earl  Joslin,  postmaster. 

Soon  after  its  organization  the  county  was  divided  into  three  com- 
missioner's districts,  and  these  districts  were  later  divided  into  town- 
ships as  follows:  ist  district,  Farmer,  Eureka,  Lincoln,  Pioneer,  Ray- 
mond, Center  and  Valley ;  2nd  district.  Sterling,  Atlanta  and  Victoria ; 
3d  district,  Union  and  Washington.  Five  more  have  been  organized 
since — Gait,  Harrison,  Mitchell,  Rockville  and  Wilson.  The  towns  in 
the  county  having  postoffices  are  Lyons,  Alden,  Bushton,  Chase,  Craw- 
ford, Frederick,  Gait,  Geneseo,  Little  River,  Mitchell,  Pollard,  Ray- 
mond, Saxman,  Silicia,  Sterling  and  Wherry. 

In  1871  there  were  130  persons  of  school  age  in  the  county.  The  next 
year  there  were  293,  and  there  were  9  organized  districts.  The  total 
expenditures  for  school  purposes  in  that  year  was  $118.  The  county 
normal  institute  was  established  in  1877.  In  1882  the  number  of 
persons  of  school  age  had  increased  to  3,488.  In  1907  the  number  of 
persons  of  school  age  was  4,456,  and  the  organized  districts  num- 
bered 94. 

Three  railroads  pass  through  the  county.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  enters  in  the  east  and  crosses  west  through  Lyons  into  Bar- 
ton county.  A  branch  road  diverges  at  Little  River,  in  the  eastern  part 
and  runs  northwest  into  Ellsworth  county.     Another  line  of  the  same 


KANSAS    HISTORY  58I 

load  from  Hutchinson,  Reno  couni_\,  lu  J'Lllinwood  in  i'.arton,  crosses  the 
southwest  corner  through  Sterling.  A  line  of  the  St.  Louis  &  San 
l-rancisco  enters  in  the  southeast  and  crosses  northwest  through  Lyons 
into  Ellsworth  county.  A  line  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  enters 
<;n  the  southern  boundary  and  crosses  north  tiirough  Sterling  and  Lyons 
into  Ellsworlh  county.  Another  line  of  this  road  crosses  the  extreme 
northern  portion  east  and  west.  There  are  151  miles  of  track  in  tiie 
county. 

The  surface  in  the  western  portion  is  nearly  level,  in  the  central  and 
eastern  parts  somewhat  rolling.  Extending  many  miles  along  the  Lit- 
tle Arkansas  are  sand  hills  which  have  been  thrown  up  by  the  winds 
throughout  a  long  period  of  time.  Limestone  is  found  in  the  northeast 
and  the  southeast ;  sandstone  in  the  northeast  and  near  Raymond  in 
the  southwest;  red  ochre  is  in  the  northeast;  there  are  beds  of  gypsum 
in  Washington  township  in  the  southeast;  immense  beds  of  salt  under- 
lie the  county,  and  the  finished  product  is  manufactured  at  Lyons  and 
Sterling.  "Bottom"  lands  average  from  one  to  two  miles  in  width  and 
comprise  about  15  per  cent,  of  the  area.  Timber  belts  along  the  streams 
average  from  50  feet  to  one-third  of  a  mile  wide  and  contain  cotton- 
wood,  elm,  hackberry  and  oak. 

The  principal  stream  is  the  Arkansas  river  which  llows  across  the 
southwest  corner.  Cow  creek,  which  drains  the  western  and  central 
parts,  is  an  important  tributary.  The  Little  Arkansas  has  its  source 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  this  count}'  and  flows  south  and  southeast 
into  McPherson  county. 

Rice  is  one  of  the  best  agricultural  counties  in  the  state,  the  annual 
farm  production  running  between  four  and  five  millions  of  dollars  in 
value.  In  1910  the  corn  raised  in  this  county  was  worth  $1,500,000; 
wheat,  $500,000;  live  stock  sold  for  slaughter,  $1,250,000;  poultry  and 
eggs,  $124,000,  and  dairy  products,  $114,000.  The  crops  for  the  year 
before  were  better  in  many  respects,  the  corn  alone  bringing  nearly 
$3,000,000,  and  the  wheat  and  oats  together  netting  considerable  over 
a  million. 

The  population  in  1910  was  15,106,  and  the  assessed  valuation  of 
property  in  that  year  was  $34,000,000,  which  makes  the  wealth  per 
capita  about  $2,240,  or  about  $700  above  the  average  per  capita  wealth 
of  the  state. 

Richardson  County,  one  of  the  counties  created  by  the  first  territorial 
legislature  in  1855,  was  given  the  following  boundaries:  "Beginning 
at  the  southwest  corner  of  Shawnee  county ;  thence  west  24  miles ; 
thence  north  to  the  main  channel  of  the  Kaw  or  Kansas  river;  thence 
down  said  channel  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Shawnee  county ;  thence 
south  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The  territory  included  within  these 
boundaries  was  made  a  part  of  Wabaunsee  county  (q.  v.)  in  1859. 

Richey,  William  E.,  writer  and  curio  collector,  was  born  in  Lee  town- 
ship, Athens  county,  Ohio,  June  i,  1841.  .  His  education  began  in  the 
common  schools  and  was  finished  at  Muskingum  College.  New  Concord, 


582  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Ohio.  In  Aug.,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Fifteenth  Ohio  infan- 
try, and  was  mustered  out  in  Dec,  1865,  after  having  taken  part  in 
numerous  engagements.  During  his  service  in  the  army  he  was  war 
correspondent  for  several  dilifercnt  newspapers,  and  after  his  discharge 
a  medal  of  honor  was  voted  him  by  Congress  for  heroic  work  between 
the  lines  at  Chickamauga.  In  1873  he  came  to  Kansas,  locating  first 
at  Manhattan  and  afterward  on  a  farm  near  Harveyville,  Wabaunsee 
county,  later  serving  two  terms  as  county  superintendent  of  public 
instruction.  Much  of  his  time  has  been  spent  in  original  investigations 
of  a  historical  nature,  and  in  his  collection  of  curios  are  some  very  valu- 
able relics,  including  a  two-edged  sword  bearing  the  initials  of  one  of 
Coronado's  captains,  which  he  found  in  central  Kansas.  This  sword  is 
now  in  the  collections  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Society. 

Richfield,  the  county  seat  of  Morton  county,  is  located  north  of  the 
center,  near  the  north  fork  of  the  Cimarron  river,  about  50  miles  south 
of  Syracuse,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.  company  is  projecting  a  line  through  Morton  county. 
There  are  a  number  of  stores,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Monitor),  and 
a  bank.  This  bank  was  established  in  Sept.,  191 1,  the  first  to  be  opened 
in  the  county.  Richfield  has  a  money  order  postofifice,  and  the  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  53.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  and 
was  established  in  Nov.,  1885,  by  the  Aurora  Town  company.  The 
first  building  was  erected  by  Jacob  Ridleman,  who  opened  a  general 
store,  and  by  Jan.  i,  1886,  there  were  40  inhabitants.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year  Sunset,  an  earlier  town,  was  moved  to  Richfield.  In  less  than 
a  year  there  were  600  inhabitants.  In  1887  the  first  city  election  was 
held  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following  ofificers :  Mayor,  V.  N. 
Sayer;  police  judge,  Calvin  Coon;  councilmen,  Charles  Theis,  F.  F. 
Stevens,  W.  E.  Pierce,  D.  D.  Sayer  and  I.  N.  Bunting.  It  is  said  that 
at  one  time  during  the  boom  Richfield  had  2,000  inhabitants.  The  popu- 
lation had  begun  to  decrease  before  1890,  there  being  but  164  people  in 
the  town  at  that  time.  In  1900  the  population  was  61.  A  number  of 
residents  of  the  town  own  automobiles,  and  there  is  an  automobile  livery 
daily  to  Syracuse. 

Richland,  a  little  town  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  Monmouth 
township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  16  miles  southeast  of  Topeka, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  hotel,  a,  number  of  retail  stores,  tele- 
phone exchange,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  four  rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  275. 

Richmond,  the  fifth  largest  town  in  Franklin  county  in  1910,  is 
located  in  the  southern  portion  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
railroad,  sixteen  miles  south  of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat,  in  a  rich  agri- 
cultural district  for  which  it  is  the  shipping  and  supply  point.  It  has 
an  excellent  public  school  system,  churches,  general  stores,  hardware 
and  implement  houses,  lumber  yards,  good  hotel,  blacksmith  and  wagon 
shops,  and  is  the  banking  town  for  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  It 
has  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes,  telegraph  and 
express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  475. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5«3 


Richter,  a  hamlet  in  tlie  central  part  of  Franklin  county  is  located 
on  the  Atch.son,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  M.ssouri  Pacfic  railroads, 
6  miles  west  of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat,  from  which  it  has  rural  tree 
delivery.    In  IQIO  the  population  was  25.  „„„f„ 

Ridge,  an  inland  hamlet  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Woodson  county 
is  located  about  12  miles  southeast  of  Yates  Center  ^he  county  sea     and 
abotit  8  miles  northwest  of  Chanute,  Neosho  county,  whence  it    eceives 
mail  by  rural  route.    The  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point  is 
Buffalo,  Wilson  county.  „„ 

Ridgley,  Edwin  Reed,  member  of  Congress,  was  born  on  May  9>.i«»4, 
near  I^ancaster,  Wabash  county,  111.     His  education  was  acquired  m    he 
local  district  schools  during  the  winter  months  vmtil  he  --f^JJ^^f" 
years  of  age.     Earlv  in  1862.  he  enlisted  m  the  One  Hundred  and  Fi 
Lenth  Illinois  infantry  and  took  an  active  part  with  h>s  regiment  in  al 
actions  and  engagements  until  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  the  close 
o    the  war     Inlseg,  in  company  with  his  brother,  he  came  to  Karisas  and 
located  near  Girard,  where  they  engaged  in  a  |--^    --•^^^"^^J^^^'^S' 
ness    under  the  f^rm  name  of  Ridgley  Bros.     From   1889  to   1893,  Mj- 
Ridtley  lived  in  Ogden,  Utah,  but  returned  to  Kansas  in  the    ast  named 
fear  and    00k  an  active  part  in  politics.  He  had  left  the  Republican  party 
in  1876,  because  of  its  financial  policy.     In  1896  he  was  nominated  fo 
Congre  s  by  the   Populists   and   his   nomination   was   endorsed   by   the 
Democratic  party      He  was  elected  as  a  Fusion  candidate  and  reelected 
PnT898      UpoVretiring  from  Congress  he  again  resumed  his  business^ 
Ridgeton,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  near 
thf  southern  line  of     Osage  county,  is  about   16  miles     southwest     o 
Lyndon!  the  countv  seat.  a\d  4  miles  from  Olivet,  from  which  place  it 

''t^:^,'7^:^rZ:^^  postomce  in  the  northern  r^^J^^Osa^e 
countv  receives  its  mail  from  Carbondale.  It  is  one  of  the  histor  c 
rhd'av  towns,  but  upon  being  missed  by  the  railroads  has  dwindled  to 


ear 

a  mere  hamlet 


'mlevZ'ol  th.  incorporated  town,  of  Riley  county    is  located  in 
Mad    I;  ""nlip  on  the  &.ieago,  Rock  Islarrd  ^J-  ^.^,  t'ti™' 
nortlrwe,,  o.  Manlrat.an.  ^^:^y :'^J^",^^  X^:^... 

::^,  a":d'?c?i^pi:o.c!:r:nd\  i....^  ±tt.t^:iz 

™";ed"r«;iJ;oinrrr.';c'wTesSroeI^=  '.L  town  w. 

legislature  in  1855,  is  the  ^^^0"^^°^     -    ^    ,      j^f^,^  ,,.e,t  from  the  Mis- 


584  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

with  those  of  Marshall  county  extended  south,  and  the  southern  boun- 
dary was  the  Kansas  river.  Between  the  years  1857  and  1873  several 
changes  were  made  in  the  county  lines.  The  eastern  line  was  moved 
west  to  the  Big  Blue  river;  the  western  8  miles  west  to  the  present 
location;  Geary  county  was  enlarged  from  Riley  county  territory,  and 
additions  were' made  to  the  latter  from  Wabaunsee  and  Geary,  forming 
one  of  the  most  irregularly  shaped  counties  in  the  state. 

The  first  white  man  to  settle  in  the  county  was  Samuel  Dyer  of  Ten- 
nessee, who  operated  a  government  ferry  at  Juniata  on  the  Big  Blue  river, 
a  few  miles  above  the  present  city  of  Manhattan,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1R33.  The  next  year  Rev.  Charles  E.  Blood  of  New  Hampshire  came  to 
Juniata  and  began  his  missionary  labors.  In  the  same  year  Thomas 
Reynolds  settled  in  what  is  now  Ogden  township.  His  house  was  used 
as  a  polling  place  for  the  first  election,  which  was  held  in  that  year, 
when  40  votes  were  polled  for  delegate  to  Congress,  the  majority  of  them 
for  the  free-state  candidate.  Among  those  who  came  that  year  were: 
John,  James,  Patrick  and  Thomas  Dixon,  in  Ogden  township ;  John  M. 
McCormick,  C.  P.  and  John  McDonald  and  William  Wiley,  in  Zeandale 
township.  The  settlers  of  1855  included  N.  B.  White,  Dr.  E.  L.  Patee, 
William  Stone  and  E.  L.  Foster,  in  Ashland  township ;  C.  M.  Dyche,  S. 
B.  White,  Jacob  Thierer,  John  M.  Morris,  Daniel  Mitchell  and  D.  L. 
Chandler,  in  Ogden  town.ship ;  Daniel  S.  Bates,  a  Mr.  Morse,  John  C. 
Mossman,  J.  M.  Burleigh  and  J.  H.  Pillsbury,  in  Zeandale  township; 
Henry  Coudray  and  family,  S.  D.  Houston  and  a  man  named  Eubanks, 
in  Grant  township ;  Gardner  Randolph  and  sons  in  Jackson  township ; 
J.  P.,  Jonas,  and  T.  R.  Hair,  Maj.  Abram  Barry,  Marshall  Barry  and 
George  Taylor,  in  Madison  township ;  and  the  delegation  which  com- 
prised the  Manhattan  town  association,  in  Manhattan  township. 

A  number  of  historic  roads  came  through  Riley  county.  Col.  John  C. 
Fremont  on  his  second  expedition  in  1843  followed  the  water  courses  to 
the  present  site  of  Ft.  Riley.  The  Leavenworth  and  Pike's  Peak  express 
crossed  the  county  by  way  of  the  fort,  which  was  also  a  station  on  the 
Butterfield  Overland  Despatch  route,  and  the  south  branch  of  the  Cali- 
fornia trail  ran  through  by  Manhattan. 

The  county  derived  its  name  from  Fort  Riley  (q.  v.).  and  the  first 
capital  of  the  territory  was  at  Pawnee,  just  east  of  the  military  reserva- 
tion 2  miles  from  the  fort,  where  the  old  building  used  as  the  first 
capitol  still  stands.  Dr.  William  A.  Hammond,  Capt.  Nathaniel  Lyon, 
Robert  Klotz,  Robert  Wilson,  and  several  others  had  settled  there  before 
the  legislature  met  on  July  2,  1855.     (See  Reeder's  Administration.) 

On  the  organization  of  the  county  the  legislature  elected  the  following 
ofificers :  John  T.  Price,  sheriff;  Clay  Thomson,  probate  judge;  Thomas 
Reynolds  and  William  Cuddy  commissioners.  When  the  court  con- 
vened John  S.  Reynolds  was  made  clerk.  The  county  seat  was  at  Ogden, 
where  a  provisional  court-house  was  rented.  Preparatory  to  the  election 
to  choose  a  permanent  county  seat  four  precincts  were  established  in 
Sej)t.,  1857 — Randolph,  IManhattan,  Ogden  and  Montague.    The  contest- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5    5 

in-  towns  were  Osden  and  Manhattan,  the  former  receiving  a  majority 
0^3  Tot  s      Later^raud  was  proven  and  Manhattan  became  the  count> 
seat      The  next  legislature  passed  an  act  mak.ng  Manhattan  the  pe  - 
manent  coupty  seat  and  authorizing  and  ^q-""?^,!^  ^^J  ^.  ^^Z. 
to  move  the  county  records  to  that  place  before  the  fiist  Mondaj  m  ^eb 
ruarv  following  the  passage  of  the  act.     At  first  there  were  but  four 
trnships    Manhatta'n.   Ogden.   Pierce   and   Dyer.     .Nt,merov.s   chang 
occurred  until  the  county  assumed  its  present  form  m  1873,  ^f "  ^^^f 
wer'nfne  townships-Jackson,  May  Day   Bala   Mad.son,  ^-"t-  ^^f-^ 
Manhattan,    Ashland    and    Zeandale.      At    P^^^V    T  .nd  Wi  d  Cat 
townships,  Center,  Fancy  Creek,  Sherman,  Swede  Creek  and  Wild  Cat 

'^^Ze'S  the'tst  postoffices  in  the  coimty  --Ashland,  established 
in  i8S3,  M.  D.  Fisher  postmaster ;  one  ,n  Zeandale  township,  about  1857, 
D   M   Adams  postmaster;  Stanton,  in  May  Day  township,  1869;  Ogden 
and  Rilev  Center      Among  the  early  marriages,  were  those  between  C. 
P  McDon^d  and  Mary  Ml:Curdy  of  Zeandale  township ;  Thomas  Dixon 
and  Marv  Hofiman  in  Ogden  township;  James  Johnson  and  Mary  A^ 
Hair    n   Madison  township;  Lewis  Baldwin  and  Matdda  Randolph   ° 
Jackson   township;   William    Frake    and    Catherme    Cond^ay    o^    G  ant 
township    all  in  i8s6.     The  first  births  were  those  of  Ernest  McCuray 
rZeandale  township  and  Alia  Mobley  in  Ogden  township  the  same 
year    andihe  fi7st  death  was  that  of  John  Dixon  of  Ogden  township  in 
-    ArS      iBsq       The    same    summer    a    number    of    deaths    from     cholera 
^c"&red  It  Fort  Riley.     (See  Cholera).    The  first  schoos  m  the  county 
were   at    Manhattan   and    in    Ashland    township    m    1857,    Miss    Marcia 
W  ^d Jai^^^aching  the  latter.     The  next  year  a  schoo    was  opened  in 
Zeandale  township,  Grant  and  Ogden  townships  fol  owing  m  ^SSg. 

The  area  of  the  county  is  617  square  miles,  or  394-88o  acres  i  le 
surface  is  genera  y  undulating,  except  for  the  limestone  blufl^s  along  the 
Bli  and^Kansa/rivers,  which  form  the  eastern  -d  -utheas  en 
u  ^o,-i^c  There  are  several  sma  er  streams,  of  which  l^ancy  cieeK 
Xing  m  wS  to^^ast  across  the  north,  and  Wild  Cat  creek  flowing 
southelist  across  the  central  portion  are  the  most  -P-^-^^J^h^^^^^^^'^^^ 
lands  along  the  streams  constitute  about  20  per  cent,  of  the  total  aiea^ 
Ma-neian  limestone,  cement  rock  and  potter's  day  are  found  in  paying 
orian^h  es  The  principal  farm  products  are  corn,  oats,  hay,  wheat, 
Irsh  potatoes  rye"  alfaUa,  live  stock  and  fruits.  The  total  value  of  farm 
piotfcts  in "910  ;as  $3761,102,  of  which  corn  amounted  to  $1,107,348 

^lllrcounty  L^w^il'^wlied  with  railroads.  The  Union  Pacific,  which 
was  th  first^ine  built,  follows  the  Kansas  river  to  Manhattan,  where 
kcrosses  the  Big  Blue  and  runs  southwest  into  Geary  county.  The 
Blue  Vale  branch  of  the  same  road  diverges  at  Manhattan  and  follows 
tJrBi^  Sue  running  first  northwest,  then  northeast  into  Marshall 
counS'  Tie  hhTago.'Rock  Island  &  Pacific  enters  south  of  the  Kansas 
and  goes  west  to  Manhattan,  thence  northwest  into  Clay  county. 


county 
rivei 


586  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  Leavenworth,  Kansas  &  Western  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific 
crosses  east  and  west  near  the  center.  The  population  of  the  county  in 
1910  was  15.7S3.  a  _Q;ain  of  i,953  during  the  preceding  decade. 

River  Brethren. — About  the  middle  of  the  18th  century,  a  few  Men- 
nonite  families  in  Switzerland  decided  to  emigrate,  in  order  to  escape 
persecution.  They  first  went  to  England  and  in  1851  came  to  America. 
Twenty  years  later  differences  arose  which  resulted  in  the  establish- 
ment of  separate  brotherhoods.  The  brotherhood  "down  by  the  river" — • 
the  southern  part  of  Lancaster  county.  Pa. — became  particularly  strong 
and  the  name  River  Brethren  was  adopted.  John  Engle,  who  had  come 
from  Switzerland  with  them,  was  the  first  minister.  In  faith  and  practice 
the  River  Brethren  resemble  the  Alennonites,  and  in  some  respects  the 
Dunkards.  The  faith  was  brought  to  Kansas  by  emigrants  from  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  early  '80s  and  in  1890  there  were  nine  congregations — one 
each  in  Brown,  Clay,  Harvey,  Rooks  and  McPherson  counties  and  four 
in  Dickinson  count}-.  The  total  membership  at  that  time  was  588.  Dur- 
ing the  next  fifteen  years  little  increase  was  made,  and  after  the  open- 
ing of  Oklahoma  the  church  lost  by  emigration  to  that  state.  In  1906 
the  total  membership  in  Kansas  was  450. 

Riverdale,  a  hamlet  of  Sunmer  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  8  miles  north  of 
Wellington,  the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  local 
retail  trade,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  according  to 
the  census  of  1910  was  50. 

Riverside,  a  countrj'  hamlet  in  Ness  county,  is  located  in  Highpoint 
township  on  the  Pawnee  river,  about  15  miles  southeast  of  Ness  city,  the 
county  seat,  and  13  miles  from  Hanston,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It 
has  a  money  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  40. 

Roads. — From  time  to  time  the  legislature  has  made  provisions  for 
highwa3-s  in  Kansas  and  at  the  present  time  the  state  has  quite  an 
elaborate  system  of  highways,  most  of  which  run  along  section  lines. 
Prior  to  the  organization  of  the  territory  there  were  a  few  well  traveled 
roads,  notably  the  Santa  Fe,  Oregon,  California,  Salt  Lake  and  Mormon 
trails  fq.  v.).  By  order  of  Col.  Zachary  Taylor,  in  1837,  a  commission 
consisting  of  Col.  S.  W.  Kearney  and  Capt.  Nathan  Boone  was 
appointed  for  the  purpose  of  locating  a  military  road  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth to  Fort  Coffey  in  western  Arkansas.  This  road  as  laid  out  was 
286  miles  long  and  among  the  more  important  streams  crossed  were 
Spring  river,  Pomme  de  Terre,  Wildcat,  Marmaton,  Little  Osage,  Cot- 
tonwood creek,  Marais  des  Cygnes,  Blue  and  Kansas  rivers.  Fort  Scott 
was  located  on  this  highway  at  a  point  about  midway  between  Forts 
Leavenworth  and  Coffey. 

On  May  10,  1849,  Capt.  Howard  Stansburj-  started  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth and  laid  out  the  military  road  to  Fort  Kearney,  which  for  some 
distance  followed  the  California  road  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  by  way  of  the 
Blue  river.  Shortly  after  the  establishment  of  Fort  Riley  a  line  of 
communication  was  established  between  Fort  Leavenworth  and  that 
post,  which  later  was  extended  to  Fort  Larned.     (See  Stage  Routes.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY  587 

The  legislature  of  1855  passed  an  act  prescribing  certain  regulations 
concerning  territorial  roads,  and  in  a  number  of  separate  acts  provided 
for  no  less  than  56  territorial  roads,  prominent  among  which  were  the 
following:  Fort  Scott  to  the  Missouri  line  at  or  near  fhillips'  crossing 
of  the  Upper  Drywood  creek;  from  a  point  opposite  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  to 
Fort  Riley,  via  Pawnee ;  from  Fort  Scott  to  the  Catholic  Osage  mission ; 
from  Osawkee  to  Grasshopper  Falls ;  from  Leavenworth  to  M.  P. 
Rively's  store  on  Salt  creek,  via  the  United  States  farm;  from  the  Mis- 
souri state  line  through  Cofachiqui  city,  thence  across  the  Neosho 
river  and  by  best  route  to  Fort  Atkinson  ;  from  the  Shawnee  mission 
church  to  Tecumseh ;  from  St.  Joseph  to  Marysville ;  the  Santa  Fe  road 
between  the  east  line  of  Kansas  and  Council  Grove;  the  Santa  Fe  road 
between  Fort  Atkinson  and  Bent's  old  fort;  a  road  from  Delaware  on  the 
Missouri  river  to  Calhoun  on  the  Kansas  river,  where  it  divided,  the  left 
fork  crossing  and  terminating  at  Topeka  and  the  right  fork  intersecting 
the  military  road  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Riley. 

In  1857  the  legislature  repealed  a  portion  of  the  road  law  of  1855  and 
provided  that  roads  migh  be  viewed,  surveyed,  established  and  returns 
made  at  any  time  within  two  years  from  the  passage  of  the  several  acts 
by  which  they  might  be  authorized,  etc.  Thirty-eight  territorial  roads 
were  provided  for  by  this  sesion,  among  which  were  a  road  from  Fort 
Riley  to  the  Nebraska  line ;  a  road  from  Lecompton  to  the  county  seat  of 
Allen  county ;  the  military  road  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Lara- 
mie and  the  military  road  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Riley. 

In  1859  the  "Parallel  Road,"  also  known  as  the  "Great  Central  Route" 
along  the  1st  standard  parallel  to  western  Kansas  and  the  gold  regions 
of  the  Rocky  mountains,  was  laid  out.  This  highway  to  the  Cherry 
creek  diggings  was  469  miles  long,  641  miles  to  Denver,  and  boasted  an 
abundance  of  wood  and  water  all  the  way.  It  was  laid  out  by  E.  D. 
Boyd,  a  civil  engineer,  in  anticipation  of  a  heavy  travel  from  the  Mis- 
souri river  to  the  new  "diggings." 

The  legislature  of  1859  enacted  a  law  providing  for  the  locating  and 
working  of  highways  and  for  the  collection  of  a  road  tax,  etc.  Seven 
acts  relating  to  roads  were  passed  by  this  session,  one  of  which  declared 
all  military  roads  within  the  limits  of  Kansas  territorial  roads.  Seven- 
teen new  roads  were  provided  for  by  the  other  acts. 

In  i860  the  legislature  passed  acts  of  incorporation  of  the  "Denver, 
Auraria  and  Colorado  Wagon  Road  company,"  the  "Denver  City  and 
Beaver  Creek  Wagon  Road  and  Bridge  company,"  and  the  "Pike's  Peak 
and  South  Park  Wagon  Road  company,"  a  general  law  defining  the 
mode  of  laying  out  and  establishing  roads,  and  an  act  providing  that  all 
section  lines  in  Brown  county  be  declared  the  center  of  all  public  high- 
vvays,  etc.  This  act  was  the  first  legislation  providing  for  roads  on 
section  lines  in  Kansas. 

The  territorial  legislature  of  1861  passed  an  act  declaring  the  military 
road  from  Fort  Riley  to  Fort  Larned  a  territorial  road,  and  the  session 
of  the  first  state  legislature  the  same  year  passed  five  acts  relating  to 
highways  and  created  45  state  roads. 


588  CYCi.oi'EDiA  or 

In  1863  the  legislature  passed  two  joint  resolutions,  one  of  which  me- 
morialized Congress  to  make  a  military  road  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to 
Fort  Scott,  alleging  that  there  were  no  suitable  bridges,  culverts  or 
other  necessary  improvements  by  which  to  transport  such  military  sup- 
plies, and  believing  that  the  safety  and  well  being  of  this  branch  of  the 
military  required  this  line  of  communication.  The  other  resolution 
memorialized  Congress  to  make  provisions  for  bridging  and  improving 
the  road  from  Fort  Leavenworth  via  Fort  Riley  to  Fort  Larned.  The 
road  at  that  time  was  said  to  be  without  bridges,  culverts  or  other  nec- 
essary improvements  and  at  some  seasons  of  the  year  entirely  impassable 
for  heavy  transportation,  causing  delay,  expense  and  danger  to  the  mili- 
tary service  of  the  United  States. 

The  legislature  in  1864  passed  three  acts,  one  of  which  created  sixty- 
four  state  roads,  and  in  1871  eight  laws  were  passed  relating  to  roads 
and  highways,  providing  that  all  section  lines  of  Jefiferson,  Cloud,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Davis,  Montgomery,  Chase,  Morris,  Mitchell,  Wilson,  Neosho, 
Anderson,  Shawnee.  Dickinson,  and  Morris  counties  be  public  highways, 
excepting  three  townships  in  Jefi'erson  county. 

At  almost  every  session  of  the  legislature  from  territorial  days  to  the 
present  time  there  has  been  some  legislation  affecting  roads  and  high- 
ways, and  only  in  rare  instances  are  any  of  the  original  territorial  or 
state  roads  left,  except  such  as  followed  section  lines. 

With  the  advent  of  the  automobile  and  motor  cycle  a  wide  spread 
movement  was  started  looking  to  the  improvement  of  the  road  system  of 
the  country.  This  movement  is  meeting  with  much  encouragement  in 
Kansas,  where  plans  have  been  perfected  to  have  the  "ocean  to  ocean 
highway"  follow  the  line  of  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  across  the  state  as 
closely  as  possible.  On  Dec.  i,  191 1.  more  than  2,000  delegates  from 
various  towns  in  central  Kansas  met  at  Osage  City  to  attend  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Santa  Fe  trail  and  Pan  American  Highway  association,  to 
decide  upon  the  route  connecting  the  trail  between  Osage  City  and  Kan- 
sas City.  A  special  train  bearing  representatives  from  Topeka,  Law- 
rence, Burlingame  and  intervening  points,  all  of  whom  favored  the 
route  from  Kansas  City,  by  way  of  Lawrence,  Topeka  and  Burlingame, 
were  in  attendance,  while  over  1,000  from  Olathe,  Ottawa  and  interme- 
diate points  represented  those  in  favor  of  the  route  by  their  towns.  A 
committee  composed  of  one  member  from  each  of  the  interested  towns 
was  selected  to  frame  resolutions  voicing  the  sentiment  of  the  conven- 
tion, their  report  to  the  convention  being  in  favor  of  both  routes.  ("See 
Trails.) 

Roanoke,  a  country  postoffice  in  .Stanton  county,  is  located  in  the 
township  of  the  same  name  12  miles  south  of  Johnson,  the  county  seat, 
and  about  40  miles  south  of  Syracuse,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  The 
population  in  1910  was  27. 

Roberts,  a  country  hamlet  in  Russell  county,  is  located  15  miles  south 
of  Russell,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  from  Bunker  Hill,  the  postoffice 
from  which  it  receives  mail.    The  population  in  1910  was  25. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  5^9 

Robinson,  an  incorporated  town  in  Brown  county,  is  located  on  the 
St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  R.  R.,  lo  miles  southeast  of  Hiawatha,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  4  churches,  about  75  business  establish- 
ments, express  and  telegraph  offices,  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three 
rural  routes,  and  there  is  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Index).  The  popula- 
tion, according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  492.  Robinson  was  founded  at 
the  time  the  railroad  was  built  in  1871.  Before  that  date  a  town  of  the 
same  name  had  grown  up  on  the  California  trail  which  ran  half  a  mile  to 
the  south.  This  was  moved  to  the  new  site,  which  was  platted  in  1872. 
The  postoffice  was  established  in  187 1,  with  S.  Morehead  as  post- 
master. The  whole  business  part  of  the  town  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1882,  the  total  loss  being  $31,000. 

Robinson,  Charles,  physician,  and  first  governor  of  the  State  of  Kan- 
sas after  its  admission  into  the  Union,  was  born  at  Hardwick,  Mass., 
July  21,  1818.  His  elementary  education  was  obtained  in  the  local 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  entered  Amherst  College, 
where  he  spent  two  }'ears,  when  an  affection  of  the  eyes  compelled 
him  to  leave  school.  He  walked  40  miles  to  Keene,  N.  H.,  to  co'n- 
sult  a  physician,  and  while  under  treatment  decided  to  study  medi- 
cine. He  began  his  studies  at  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  in  1843  graduated 
with  honors  at  the  medical  school  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.  Shortly  after 
receiving  his  degree  he  commenced  practice  at  Belchertown,  Mass., 
but  in  1845  removed  to  Springfield,  where  he  became  a  partner  of 
Dr.  Holland  (Timothy  Titcomb),  who  had  been  a  classmate  at  Pitts- 
field.  Here  Dr.  Robinson  won  a  widespread  reputation  as  a  specialist 
in  the  treatment  of  chronic  diseases.  In  1847  he  removed  to  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.,  and  practiced  there  for  two  years.  When  gold  was  dis- 
covered in  California  in  1849  he  set  out  for  the  Pacific  coast  as  a  sur- 
geon to  one  of  the  pioneer  parties  of  gold-seekers.  While  on  the  over- 
land trip  the  party  encamped  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Law- 
rence, and  Dr.  Robinson  climbed  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Oread,  where 
the  University  of  Kansas  is  now  located.  Upon  arriving  in  California 
he  spent  some  time  in  prospecting  and  mining,  after  which  he  opened 
an  eating  house  in  Sacramento.  While  he  was  thus  employed  a  con- 
troversy arose  between  the  squatters,  who  held  lands  under  the  United 
States  preemption  laws,  and  some  land  speculators  who  claimed  title 
by '  purchase  of  Capt.  Sutter,  who  held  some  99,000  acres  under  a 
Mexican-Spanish  grant.  A  love  of  fair  play  seems  to  have  been  an 
inherent  trait  of  Dr.  Robinson's  nature,  and  with  characteristic  prompti- 
tude he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  squatters,  with  whom  he  soon  became 
one  of  their  most  trusted  advisers  and  leaders.  Several  conflicts 
between  the  two  factions  ensued,  in  one  of  which  the  mayor  of  Sacra- 
mento was  killed  and  Dr.  Robinson  was  seriously  wounded.  Before 
he  recovered  he  was  indicted  for  conspiracy,  assault  with  intent  to 
kill,  and  murder,  and  for  ten  weeks  was  confined  on  board  a  prison 
ship,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  tried  and  acquitted.  While  a 
prisoner  awaiting  trial,  he  was  elected  to  the  California  legislature,  and 


590  CYCI.OPEUIA    Ol-" 

as  a  member  of  tlial  body  he  supported  Gen.  John  C.  Fremont,  who 
was  elected  United  States  senator.  For  a  time  Dr.  Robinson  pub- 
lished a  Free-soil  paper  at  Sacramento,  but  about  the  first  of  July, 
1851,  he  started  via  the  isthmus  for  Massachusetts.  The  vessel  on 
which  he  embarked  was  wrecked  off  the  Mexican  coast,  and  he  shipped 
as  surgeon  on  a  vessel  from  Panama  to  Cuba,  carrying  a  number  of 
sick  men  who  had  been  employed  in  the  construction  of  the  Panama 
railroad.  On  Sept.  9,  1851,  he  arrived  at  Fitchburg,  much  improved 
in  health,  and  immediate!}'  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  On 
Oct.  30,  1 85 1,  he  married  Sara  T.  D.  Lawrence,  daughter  of  Myron  A. 
Lawrence.  Miss  Lawrence  had  been  under  his  professional  care  before 
he  went  to  California,  and  their  wedding  had  been  postponed  on  account 
of  his  western  trip.  In  addition  to  his  practice  of  medicine  Dr.  Robin- 
son assumed  the  editorship  of  the  Fitchburg  News.  About  this  time 
the  attention  of  the  country  was  attracted  to  Kansas,  and  he  wrote 
and  published  several  letters  concerning  the  region  through  which 
he  had  passed  on  his  journey  to  the  coast.  These  letters  aroused  wide- 
spread interest  in  the  subject,  and,  as  they  were  written  by  one  who 
had  seen  the  countrj-,  were  rightfully  regarded  as  authentic.  Imme- 
diately following  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  societies  were 
organized  in  the  East  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  those  who  might 
desire  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  the  "Far  West."  x\t  a  meeting  in  Chap- 
man's Hall,  -Boston,  Eli  Thayer  delivered  an  address,  and  at  the  close 
inquired  if  anyone  present  was  willing  to  go  to  Kansas.  Dr.  Robin- 
son promptly  walked  up  and  signed  the  roll,  and  on  June  28,  1854, 
left  Fitchburg  for  Kansas.  On  Sept.  6,  following,  he  and  his  young  wife 
reached  the  foot  of  Mount  Oread,  which  he  climbed  five  years  before, 
and  here  they  established  their  home.  He  soon  became  an  active  fac- 
tor in  locating  emigrants  sent  out  by  the  Aid  society,  and  was  recog- 
nized as  a  leader  by  the  free-state  men.  Flis  home  was  destroyed  in 
the  sack  of  1856;  he  sufl^ered  calumny  and  imprisonment;  and  was 
otherwise  persecuted  on  account  of  his  opinions.  Douglass  Brewer- 
ton,  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald,  wrote  of  Dr.  Robinson  in 
1856  as  follows : 

"He  may  be  regarded  as  the  real  head — the  thinking  one  we  mean 
• — and  the  mainspring  of  the  free-state  party ;  or,  to  speak  more  cor- 
rectly, of  all  that  party  who  are  worth  anything.  We  believe  him  to 
be  a  keen,  shrewd,  far-seeing  man,  who  would  permit  nothing  to  stand 
in  the  way  of  the  end  he  desired  to  gain.  He  is,  moreover,  cool  and 
determined,  and  appears  to  be  endowed  with  immense  firmness ;  we 
should  call  him  a  conservative  man  now ;  but  conservative  rather  from 
policy  than  principle.  He  seems  to  have  strong  common  sense,  but 
no  briliancy  of  talent.  In  fact,  to  sum  Gov.  Robinson  up  in  a  single 
sentence,  we  consider  him  the  most  dangerous  enemy  which  the  pro- 
slavery  party  has  to  encounter  in  Kansas." 

Dr.  Robinson  was  elected  the  first  governor  under  the  Topeka  con- 
stitution, and  he  was  the  first  commander  of  the  free-state  militia.    The 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


591 


Wyandotte  constitution  was  ratified  by  vote  of  the  people  on  Oct. 
4,  1859,  and  on  the  6th  of  December  following  he  was  elected  gov- 
ernor, though  he  did  not  assume  the  duties  of  the  office  until  after  the 
admission  of  the  state  in  1861.  He  had  his  enemies  and  critics — men 
of  positive  natures  always  do — but  after  a  lapse  of  fifty  years  the 
impartial  student  of  Kansas  history  will  recognize  the  fact  that  his 
virtues  far  outweighed  his  faults.  His  patriotism  was  unrivaled  and 
he  did  the  best  he  knew — or  at  least  the  best  that  circumstances  would 
permit — for  the  people  of  the  state  for  which  he  was  elected  the  first 
chief  executive.  Upon  retiring  from  the  office  of  governor  Dr.  Robin- 
son also  retired  from  public  life,  though  he  never  failed  to  take  an 
interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  state,  and 


ROBINSON   liALL,    STATE    UXI VERSIT  V. 

especially  was  he  a  friend  to  education.  "Robinson  Hall."  one  of  the 
buildings  of  the  State  University,  was  donated  by  his  estate  and  named 
in  his  honor.  At  3:15  a.  m.  Aug.  17,  1894,  Gov.  Robinson  laid  down 
the  burden  of  life  and  joined  the  silent  majority.  He  had  often  faced 
death  in  the  course  of  his  career,  and  when  the  end  finally  came  he 
met  his  fate  like  a  hero.  His  loss  was  keenly  felt  by  the  people  of  the 
state,  and  four  ex-governors  came  to  pay  tribute  of  respect  to  the  man 
whose  course  in  earlier  years  has  left  a  lasting  impression  upon  Kan- 
sas and  her  institutions.  The  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr. 
C.  G.  Howland,  who  closed  his  address  as  follows :  '"Much  of  Gov. 
Robinson's  life  was  tempestuous,  but  the  close  was  as  gentle  as  the 
fading  light  of  day.  With  a  tender  yet  speechless  touch  of  a  dear  hand, 
and  without  the  slightest  concern,  he  went  to  meet  'what  the  future 
hath  of  marvel  or  surprise.'  " 


59^  (.VCI.OI'KUIA    DF 

Robinson's  Administration. — In  anlicipalioii  of  a  speedy  admission 
into  the  Union,  the  Wyandotte  constitution  provided  that,  in  case  it 
was  ratilied  by  the  people,  an  election  for  state  officers  should  be  held 
on  the  first  Tuesday  in  Dec,  1S59.  An  election  was  accordingly  held 
at  the  specified  time  and  the  following  state  officers  were  chosen : 
Dr.  Charles  Robinson,  governor;  Joseph  P.  Root,  lieutenant-governor; 
John  W.  Robinson,  secretary  of  state;  George  S.  Hillyer,  auditor; 
William  Tholen,  treasurer;  Benjamin  F.  Simpson,  attorney-general; 
William  R.  Griffith,  superintendent  of  public  instruction ;  Thomas 
Ewing,  Jr.,  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court;  Samuel  A.  Kingman, 
associate  justice  for  four  years;  Lawrence  D.  Bailey,  associate  justice 
for  two  years ;  Martin  F.  Conway,  representative  in  Congress. 

The  expectations  of  the  framers  of  the  constitution  were  not  real- 
ized, for  a  number  of  vexatious  delays  occurred,  and  it  was  not  until 
Jan.  29,  1861,  that  President  Buchanan  signed  the  bill  admitting  Kan- 
sas into  the  Union  as  a  state.  Gov.  Robinson  took  the  oath  of  office 
on  Feb.  9,  1861 — the  same  day  that  Jefferson  Davis  and  Alexander  H. 
Stephens  were  elected  provisional  president  and  vice-president  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy  by  the  convention  at  Montgomery,  Ala.  The 
other  state  officers  elected  in  1859,  with  the  exception  of  William 
Tholen,  treasurer  of  state,  were  also  sworn  into  office  and  the  new 
state  government  was  duly  inaugurated.  Mr.  Tholen  had  entered  the 
volunteer  service,  the  governor  refused  to  accept  his  bond,  and 
appointed  H.  R.  Dutton  to  the  vacancy  on  March  26. 

One  of  the  first  official  acts  of  the  new  governor  was  to  appoint 
Martin  F.  Conway,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Henry  J.  Adams  and  James 
C.  Stone  to  represent  Kansas  in  the  "Peace  Conference,"  then  in  ses- 
sion at  Washington,  and  on  the  day  of  his  inauguration  he  issued  a 
proclamation  calling  the  legislature  to  meet  in  special  session  in  Topeka 
on  March  26.  The  legislature  met  at  the  appointed  time  and  organized 
with  Lieut. -Gov.  Root  as  the  presiding  officer  of  the  senate  and  W.  W. 
Updegraff  as  speaker  of  the  house.  The  members  of  the  senate  in  this 
first  state  legislature  were :  E.  P.  Bancroft,  J.  F.  Broadhead,  J.  C. 
Burnett,  Jesse  Connell,  H.  B.  Denman,  H.  R.  Dutton,  P.  P.  Elder,  H.  W. 
Farnsworth,  O.  B.  Gunn,  S.  E.  Hoffman,  S.  D.  Houston,  J.  M.  Hub- 
bard. Samuel  Lappin,  John  Lockhart,  Edward  Lynde,  J.  A.  Martin, 
J.  H.  McDowell,  Josiah  Miller,  Robert  Morrow,  T.  A.  Osborn,  J.  A. 
Phillips.  H.  N.  Seaver,  H.  S.  Sleeper,  W.  Spriggs  and  Samuel  N. 
Wood. 

The  representatives  were:  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  J.  B.  Abbott,  P.  M. 
Alexander,  A.  Allen,  D.  C.  Auld,  D.  E.  Ballard,  Oliver  Barber,  J.  C. 
Bartlett,  J.  J.  Bentz,  W.  D.  Blackford,  F.  N.  Blake,  N.  B.  Blanton, 
W.  E.  Bowker,  E.  J.  Brown,  Henry  Buckmaster,  Thomas  Butcher, 
J.  M.  Calvert,  S.  R.  Caniff,  A.  J.  Chipman,  R.  W.  Cloud,  G.  A.  Colton, 
J.  E.  Corliss,  J.  D.  Crafton,  S.  J.  Crawford,  H.  W.  Curtis,  G.  A.  Cutler, 
W.  R.  Davis,  Abraham  Ellis,  J.  E.  Eaton,  Archibald  Elliott,  F.  W. 
Emery,   W.   P.   Gambell,   W.    H.   Grimes,   Alfred   Gray,  A.   K.    Hawks, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  593 

J.  E.  Hayes,  H.  H.  Heberling,  T.  P.  Herrick,  Ernest  Hoheneck,  Numeris 
Humber,  J.  H.  Jones,  W.  C.  Kimber,  C.  B.  Keith,  Horatio  Knowles, 
Jerome  Kunkle,  W.  W.  H.  Lawrence,  James  F.  Legate,  E.  P.  Lewis, 
E.  J.  Lines,  Asahel  Lowe,  James  McGrew,  S.  B.  Mahurin,  J.  A.  Mar- 
cell,  J.  E.  Moore,  P.  G.  D.  Morton,  A.  W.  Mussey,  J.  T.  Neal,  Thomas 
Pierce,  T-  S.  RackHff,  Abraham  Ray,  G.  H.  Rees,  W.  B.  Sanders,  J.  W. 
Scott,  6.  H.  Sheldon,  J.  H.  Smith,  L.  T.  Smith,  W.  H.  Smyth,  C. 
Starns,  Andrew  Stark,  J.  W.  Stewart,  E.  D.  Thompson,  Benoni  Wheat, 
R.  P.  C.  Wilson  and  Levi  Woodward. 

The  house  met  in  the  Ritchie  block,  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Sixth  street  and  Kansas  avenue,  until  a  leaky  roof  drove  the  members 
to  the  Congregational  church.  The  senate  met  in  the  Gale  block,  a 
short  distance  south  of  Sixth  street  on  Kansas  avenue.  On  March 
30  Gov.  Robinson  submitted  his  first  message  to  the  general  assembly. 
He  congratulated  the  people  on  the  fact  that,  "after  a  pupilage  of  more 
than  six  years,  they  are  permitted  to  inaugurate  a  government  of  their 
o.wn.'^  He  then  reviewed  the  history  of  Kansas  under  the  P""rench 
and  Spanish  dominations;  as  subject  to  the  executive  power  of  the  gov- 
ernor of  Indiana  Territory;  as  a  part  of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana; 
as  unorganized  territory  following  the  admission  of  Missouri  in  1821 ; 
the  organization  of  the  territorial  government  in  May,  1854;  the  border 
troubles  and  the  several  constitutional  conventions  of  the  territorial 
period.  He  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  old  territorial  laws, 
not  at  variance  with  the  state  constitution,  were  continued  in  force, 
but  as  in  some  instances  the  phraseology  was  not  in  strict  harmony 
with  the  constitution,  he  recommended  the  appointment  of  a  codifying 
committee  to  make  such  revisions  as  might  be  necessary,  in  order  that 
the  laws  might  conform  to  the  constitution.  The  concluding  para- 
graph of  the  message  is  as  follows: 

"While  it  is  the  duty  of  each  loyal  state  to  see  that  equal  and  exact 
justice  is  done  to  the  citizens  of  every  other  state,  it  is  equally  its 
duty  to  sustain  the  chief  executive  of  the  nation  in  defending  the 
government  from  foes,  whether  from  within  or  without,  and  Kansas, 
though  last  and  least  of  the  states  of  the  Union,  will  ever  be  ready  to 
answer  the  call  of  her  country." 

The  legislature  remained  in  session  until  June  4.  On  April  4  James 
H.  Lane  and  Samuel  C.  Pomeroy  were  elected  to  represent  the  state 
in  the  senate  of  the  United  States.  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon  on 
April  12,  and  when  the  news  reached  Topeka  the  members  of  the  legis- 
lature organized  themselves  into  a  military  company  and  spent  their 
spare  time  in  drilling  or  studying  military  tactics.  On  the  22nd  was 
passed  an  act  of  56  sections  providing  for  the  organization  of  the  militia 
of  the  state,  and  under  its  provisions  Gov.  Robinson  organized  180 
companies,  which  were  formed  into  eleven  regiments,  four  brigades  and 
two  divisions.  By  the  act  of  May  i  the  governor  was  authorized  to 
tender  to  President  Lincoln  "one  or  more  regiments  of  the  volunteer 
militia  of  the  state  to  be  mustered  into  the  regular  service  of  the  LInited 
(n-38) 


594  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

States."  The  immediate  result  of  this  act  was  the  organization  of  the 
First  Kansas,  which  was  mustered  in  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  the  day 
the  legislature  adjourned,  and  it  was  quickly  followed  by  others.  (See 
War  of  1861-65.) 

On  June  3  the  governor  approved  an  act  directing  the  electors  of  the 
state  to  vote  at  the  election  on  the  first  Monday  in  November  on  the 
question  of  a  permanent  location  of  the  seat  of  government.  At  the 
election  Topeka  received  a  decided  majority  of  the  votes  and  was 
declared  the  permanent  capital. 

One  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  session,  and  one  fraught  with 
the  most  far-reaching  consequences,  was  the  act  of  May  3  authorizing 
the  issue  of  7  per  cent,  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $150,000  to  defray  the 
current  expenses  of  the  state.     In  the  act  Austin  M.  Clark  and  James 

C.  Stone  were  designated  as  agents  of  the  state  to  negotiate  the  sale 
of  the  bonds.  By  the  act  of  May  7,  what  were  known  as  "war  bonds" 
to  the  amount  of  $20,000  were  authorized,  the  money  derived  from  their 
sale  to  be  used  in  repelling  invasion  and  for  the  protection  of  the  stat-e. 
On  May  14  Clark  and  Stone  reported  that  they  had  been  unable  to 
find  a  market  for  the  state  bonds,  and  the  governor,  secretar}-  of  state 
and  the  auditor  were  then  empowered  to  negotiate  their  sale.  The 
manner  in  which  the  bonds  were  finally  disposed  of  became  a  subject 
of  investigation  at  the  next  session  of  the  legislature. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  soon  after  his  inauguration  Gov.  Robin- 
son appointed  four  representatives  to  the  Washington  "Peace  Confer- 
ence." In  that  conference  Ewing  and  Stone  voted  for  peace  and  com- 
promise, but  the  peace  sentiment  was  not  very  strong  in  Kansas,  as 
is  evidenced  by  the  resolutions  adopted  by  a  Republican  state  con- 
vention at  Topeka  May  22,  1861.     These  resolutions  were  offered  by 

D.  R.  Anthony,  and  were  as  follows: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Republican  party  of  the  State  of  Kansas  in  con- 
vention assembled.  That  the  existing  condition  of  national  affairs 
demands  the  emphatic  and  unmistakable  expression  of  the  people  of 
the  state,  and  that  Kansas  allies  herself  with  the  uprising  Union  hosts 
of  the   North  to  uphold  the  policy  of  the  administration. 

"That  the  grave  responsibilities  of  this  hour  could  not  have  been 
safely  postponed,  and  that  they  have  not  arrived  too  soon,  and  that  in 
the  present  war  between  government  and  anarchy  the  mildest  compro- 
mise is  treason  against  humanity. 

"That  we  spurn  as  precious  sophistries  all  suggestions  of  the  peace- 
ful dismemberment  of  the  Union,  and  pledge  our  fortunes  and  our 
honor  to  its  maintenance  intact  and  inviolate." 

At  this  convention  Martin  F.  Conway  was  nominated  for  Congress 
and  a  state  central  committee  was  appointed.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
year  the  question  as  to  when  the  terms  of  the  state  officers  would 
expire  began  to  be  widely  discussed.  Some  contended  that  as  these 
officials  were  elected  late  in  1859  for  two  years  their  terms  would  ter- 
minate with  the  year  1861.  In  October  the  Republican  state  central 
committee  above  mentioned  received  the  following  petition: 


KANSAS    HISTORY  595 

"We,  the  undersigned  citizens,  suffering  in  common  with  others 
from  the  impotency  or  malice  of  the  present  state  executive,  and  ear- 
nestly desiring  a  state  government  that  will,  in  a  patriotic  and  ener- 
getic manner,  defend  our  people  from  invasion — knowing  that  by  plain 
and  emphatic  provisions  of  the  state  constitution  the  term  of  our  state 
officers  expires  on  the  first  day  of  January,  and  that  the  legislative 
enactment  continuing  the  state  officers  beyond  that  time  is  null  and 
void,  and  that  there  is  not  sufficient  time,  before  election,  to  hold  a 
nominating  convention,  do  respectfully  pray  your  honorable  body  to 
nominate  a  full  state  ticket  of  efficient  Union  men,  without  reference 
to  their  political  antecedents — men  who  will  conduct  the  state  gov- 
ernment with  reference  to  the  good  of  the  whole  country,  and  not  upon 
personal  grounds." 

In  response  to  this  petition  the  committee  nominated  a  ticket  headed 
by  George  A.  Crawford  for  governor.  The  election  in  November  was 
for  attorney-general,  treasurer  and  members  of  the  legislature.  Craw- 
ford received  7,437  votes  for  governor,  but  the  board  of  canvassers 
refuseii  to  canvass  the  vote.  The  matter  was  carried  to  the  supreme 
court,  and  on  Jan.  21,  1862,  Chief  Justice  Ewing  handed  down  an 
opinion  overruling  Crawford's  motion  and  declaring  the  election  of 
governor  in   1861  illegal,     (ist  Kan.  p.   17.) 

Another  important  decision  of  the  supreme  court  about  that  time 
related  to  the  acts  of  the  last  territorial  legislature,  which  was  in  ses- 
sion at  the  time  the  act  of  admission  was  signed  by  President  Buchanan, 
and  did  not  adjourn  until  Feb.  2,  1861.  In  the  interim  several  acts  were 
passed.  To  determine  the  legality  of  these  acts  the  question  was 
brought  before  the  supreme  court,  and  Justice  Kingman  rendered  a 
decision  that  the  acts  were  legal  and  had  the  same  force  as  though 
they  had  been  passed  by  a  state  legislature.  (State  of  Kansas  ex  rel 
Hunt  vs.  Meadows,  ist  Kan.  p.  90.) 

The  second  state  legislature  convened  on  Jan.  14,  iSbz.  Lieut. - 
Gov.  Root  again  presided  over  the  senate  and  M.  S.  Adams  was  elected 
speaker  of  the  house.  In  his  message  at  the  opening  of  the  session 
Gov.  Robinson  congratulated  the  people  of  the  state  on  the  bountiful 
productions  of  the  past  season,  "affording  a  striking  contrast  to  the 
almost  universal  dearth  of  the  year  preceding." 

"At  the  commencement  of  the  last  session  of  the  legislature,"  says 
the  message,  "seven  states  of  the  Union  had  rebelled  against  the  gov- 
ernment. That  number  has  been  increased  to  twelve,  including  our 
neighboring  states — Missouri  and  Arkansas.  This  has  had  the  effect 
to  disturb  seriously  the  quiet  and  good  order  of  our  community.  While 
but  few  disloyal  persons  were  to  be  found  in  Kansas,  tens,  hundreds 
and  thousands,  who  were  hostile  to  the  government,  have  hovered 
along  our  borders,  menacing  the  peace   of  the  state. 

"Although  invasions  have  been  inconsiderable  in  number  and  magni- 
tude, they  have  had  the  effect  to  cause  a  general  feeling  of  disquiet 
throughout  nearly  all  the  border  counties.    The  feeling  of  insecurity  has 


596  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

been  greatly  increased  from  a  knowledge  that  the  state  was  utterly 
powerless  for  defense.  No  appropriation  was  made  by  the  last  legisla- 
ture for  arming,  equipping  or  subsisting  the  state  militia,  and  conse- 
quently it  could  not  be  used  for  our  protection.  An  act  was  passed  at 
the  last  session  to  authorize  the  state  to  borrow  $20,000  to  repel  inva- 
sion, suppress  insurrection,  and  defend  the  state  in  time  of  war,  but  this 
was  appropriated  simply  to  the  expenses  incurred  in  raising  two  regi- 
ments of  infantry,  three  companies  of  cavalry,  and  two  companies  of 
artillery,  for  the  service  of  the  United  States.  Thus  the  sum,  insignifi- 
cant at  it  was,  after  the  First,  Second  and  Third  regiments  were  mus- 
tered, could  no  longer  be  made  available  for  any  purpose.  The  inces- 
sant calls  for  assistance,  from  all  parts  of  the  state,  upon  the  executive, 
to  which — owing  to  the  helpless  condition  in  which  the  legislature  left 
him — he  was  unable  to  respond,  has,  in  consequence,  given  rise  to  uni- 
versal complaint.  An  attempt  was  made,  under  the  general  authority  of 
the  constitution,  to  call  into  the  field  a  portion  of  the  militia  to  protect 
the  people  from  invasion ;  but  no  person  could  be  found  willing  to  furnish 
them  with  provisions — therefore,  they  were  dismissed." 

This  portion  of  the  message  was  an  answer  to  the  governor's  critics — 
the  men  who  had  sent  the  petition  to  the  Republican  state  committee 
the  preceding  October — and  explained  why  he  had  not  done  more  toward 
protecting  the  state  from  invasion.  He  reminded  the  legislature  that  the 
danger  was  still  as  great  as  ever,  and  that  if  the  United  States  troops 
were  withdrawn  the  state  would  be  compelled  to  rely  upon  its  own 
resources  for  protection.  As  much  of  the  burden  of  providing  means  of 
defense  would  fall  upon  the  border  counties,  the  governor  recommended 
that  the  expense  be  borne  by  the  state. 

He  announced  that  the  public  lands  donated  by  the  ordinance  of  admis- 
sion and  other  acts  of  Congress  had  been  selected  during  the  summer  of 
1861  by  a  commission  consisting  of  S.  E.  HofTman,  H.  B.  Denman  and  E. 
P.  Bancroft.    These  lands  aggregated  1,459,840  acres. 

With  regard  to  the  situation  in  the  United  States  senate,  the  message 
says:  "On  the  20th  day  of  Jnne  last,  the  president  appointed  the  Hon. 
James  H.  Lane  a  brigadier-general.  On  receiving  a  dispatch  from  the 
secretary  of  war,  that  the  appointment  had  been  made  and  accepted, 
.Hon.  Frederick  P.  Stanton  was  appointed  to  succeed  Gen.  Lane  as  sen- 
ator. Gen.  Lane,  however,  still  claimed  his  seat  as  senator,  and  a  contest 
resulted.  Upon  investigation,  the  senate  committee  reported:  ist,  That 
James  H.  Lane  is  not  entitled  to  a  seat  in  this  body.  2nd,  That  Fred- 
erick P.  Stanton  is  entitled  to  a  seat  in  this  body.  As  Gen.  Lane  has 
received  a  second  appointment  as  brigadier-general,  and  a  confirmation 
by  the  senate,  there  is,  undoubtedly,  a  vacancy  in  the  LTnited  States  sen- 
ate for  the  legislature  to  fill  at  its  present  session." 

The  action  of  Gov.  Robinson  in  appointing  Mr.  Stanton  to  the  senate 
was  based  upon  clause  2,  section  11,  article  i,  of  the  Federal  constitution, 
which  provided  that  "No  person  holding  any  office  undei-  the  United 
States,  shall  be  a  member  of  either  house  (of  Gongress)  during  his  con- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  597 

tinuance  in  office."  The  governor,  believing  that  a  commission  as  brig- 
adier-general constituted  holding  an  office  under  the  government,  and 
also  believing  that  Gen.  Lane  would  resign  his  seat  in  the  senate,  made 
the  appointment  in  order  that  Kansas  might  be  fully  represented  in  the 
upper  branch  of  the  national  legislature.  However,  on  Feb.  26,  1862, 
Gen.  Lane  wrote  to  the  legislature  that  he  had  resigned  his  commission 
as  brigadier-general  and  would  continue  as  senator.  This  rendered  it 
unnecessary  for  the  legislature  to  elect  his  successor  as  recommended  by 
the  governor  in  his  message,  but  the  incident  marked  the  beginning  of  a 
controversy  between  the  friends  of  Gen.  Lane  and  the  supporters  of  Gov. 
Robinson — a  controversy  which  lasted  for  years. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  bond  issues  authorized  by  the 
first  state  legislature,  and  that  these  bonds  became  a  subject  of  investi- 
gation in  the  second  session  of  the  general  assembly.  The  matter  came 
up  in  the  house  on  Jan.  20,  1862,  when  a  resolution  was  adopted  request- 
ing the  governor  "to  communicate  to  this  house  any  information  in  his 
possession,  relating  to  the  sale  of  the  $20,000  war  bonds,  authorized  to  be 
issued  by  the  act  of  May  7,  1861,  and  also  relating  to  the  sale  of  the 
$150,000  bonds  issued  under  the  law  passed  May  3,  1861,  setting  forth 
1st,  By  whom  sold;  2nd,  When  sold;  3d,  To  whom  sold;  4th,  At  what 
price  sold." 

On  the  30th  the  governor  sent  a  special  message  to  the  house,  submit- 
ting a  statement  from  Auditor  Hillyer  to  the  effect  that  $62,200  of  the 
bonds  authorized  by  the  act  of  May  3  were  issued  to  various  persons  in 
taking  up  and  redeeming  state  scrip,  leaving  a  balance  unsold  of  $87,800; 
that  after  the  failure  of  Clark  and  Stone  to  negotiate  the  bonds,  the  gov- 
ernor, secretary  of  state  and  auditor  were  constituted  a  board  with 
authority  to  dispose  of  the  same;  that  some  of  the  persons  who  had 
received  bonds  in  return  for  state  scrip,  being  compelled  to  raise  money, 
were  ofifering  and  selling  their  bonds  as  low  as  forty  cents  on  the  dollar, 
and  that  this  interfered  with  the  sale.  The  auditor  then  goes  on  to  say: 
"The  secretary  and  myself  went  east  last  fall  and  sought  in  vain  to  find 
purchasers  in  any  financial  community.  We  then  proposed  to  Robert  S. 
Stevens,  Esq.,  to  undertake  their  sale  as  agent.  This  he  at  last  consented 
to  do,  provided  he  should  receive  all  he  could  obtain  over  60  cents  on  the 
dollar.  To  this  we  agreed,  and  entered  into  a  contract  accordingly. 
After  great  effort  and  much  delay,  Mr.  Stevens  succeeded  in  making  a 
sale  of  $87,200  of  bonds — $50,000  of  the  denomination  of  $500  each,  and 
$37,200  of  the  denomination  of  $100  each.  Fie  paid  into  the  state  treas- 
ury $30,000  in  cash,  the  balance,  something  over  $20,000,  is  on  deposit  in 
New  York,  and  will  be  paid  into  the  treasury  as  called  for." 

After  the  passage  of  the  act  of  May  3,  1861,  authorizing  the  issue  of 
$150,000  of  bonds,  a  supplementary  act  was  passed  containing  the  pro- 
vision that  none  of  the  bonds  should  be  sold  for  less  than  70  cents  on  the 
dollar.  The  action  of  Mr.  Stevens  in  turning  into  the  state  treasury  only 
60  cents  on  the  dollar  was  considered  a  violation  of  the  supplementary 
act,  and  when  the  governor's  message  of  Jan.  30,  1862,  was  submitted  to 


598  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  legislalme,  the  house  ordered  the  appointment  of  a  special  committee 
of  five  to  investigate  fully  the  entire  transaction  and  report  to  the  house. 
The  special  committee  was  composed  of  Martin  Anderson,  Horace  L. 
Jones,  B.  W.  Hartley,  Thomas  Carney  and  Sidney  Clarke.  On  Feb.  13, 
1862,  this  I  ummittee  reported  practically  the  same  condition  of  affairs  as 
given  b\  ihe  auditor  in  his  communication  to  the  governor,  with  the  fur- 
ther information  that  Stevens  had  sold  the  bonds  to  the  secretary  of  the 
United  Slates  interior  department  for  85  cents  on  the  dollar,  but  had 
turned  t>\<;r  only  60  cents  to  the  state.  The  report  concluded  .with  the 
resolution  "That  Charles  Robinson,  governor,  John  W.  Robinson,  sec- 
retary of  state,  and  George  S.  Hillyer,  auditor  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  be 
and  they  are  hereby  impeached  of  high  misdemeanor  in  office." 

Pursuant  to  the  report  and  resolution  of  the  committee,  Preston  B. 
Plumb,  Azel  Spaulding,  F.  W.  Potter,  W.  R.  WagstafT  and  Davies  Wil- 
son were  appointed  managers  of  impeachment,  and  on  Feb.,  26  they 
reported  eight  articles  of  impeachment  against  the  secretary  and  auditor 
and  five  against  the  governor. 

The  legislature  adjourned  on  March  6,  and  on  June  2  the  senate  sat  as 
a  court  of  impeachment.  Frederick  P.  Stanton,  Wilson  Shannon  and 
N.  P.  Case  appeared  as  counsel  for  the  state  officers,  and  the  prosecu- 
tion was  conducted  by  Atty.-Gen.  Simpson,  Azel  Spaulding,  Davies  Wil- 
son and  W.  R.  Wagstafif.  In  each  case  the  first  article  of  impeachment 
related  to  the  unwarranted  assumption  of  power  and  violation  of  law  on 
the  part  of  the  accused  in  accepting  60  cents  on  the  dollar  for  bonds 
which  the  law  expressly  stated  should  not  be  sold  for  less  than  70  cents. 
The  secretary  of  state  and  the  auditor  were  each  found  guilty  on  the  first 
article  and  acquitted  on  the  other  seven.  In  the  case  of  Gov.  Robinson 
the  vote  on  the  first  article  stood  18  for  acquittal  to  2  for  guilty,  and  on 
each  of  the  other  four  it  was  unanimously  "not  guilty."  On  June  12  the 
court  voted — 18  to  3 — to  remove  John  W.  Robinson  from  the  office  of 
secretary  of  state,  and  on  the  i6th  the  same  penalty  was  inflicted  on 
Auditor  Hillyer  by  a  vote  of  18  to  2.  The  two  men,  however,  continued 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  offices  to  which  they  had  been  elected  until 
July  28,  1862,  when  Sanders  R.  Shepard  succeeded  to  the  office  of  secre- 
tary of  state  and  David  L.  Lakin  to  the  office  of  auditor.  The  two  dis- 
missed officials  appealed  to  the  supreme  court,  which  tribunal,  on  Dec. 
31,  1862,  declared  valid  the  action  of  the  state  senate  as  a  court  of  im- 
peachment. 

John  W.  Robinson  died  on  Dec.  11,  1863,  at  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  while 
serving  as  surgeon  of  the  Second  Kansas  regiment.  Wilder  says:  "He 
was  generally  believed  to  be  innocent  of  any  intentional  wrong  doing  in 
the  sale  of  the  state  bonds — an  illegal  act  for  which  he  was  impeached, 
as  secretary  of  state,  and  removed  from  office.  No  other  Kansas  politi- 
cian has  died  of  a  broken  heart." 

On  Sept.  17,  1862,  a  Republican  state  convention  was  held  in  Topeka 
and  the  following  ticket  nominated:  Governor,  Thomas  Carney;  lieu- 
tenant-governor,   Thomas   A.    Osborn;    secretary   of   state,    George  A. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  599 

Crawford;  auditor,  Asa  Hairgrove ;  treasurer,  William  Spriggs ;  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction,  Isaac  T.  Goodnow ;  attorney-general, 
Warren  W.  Guthrie;  associate  justices,  Lawrence  D.  Bailey  and  John 
H.  Watson;  representative  in  Congress,  A.  Carter  Wilder.  Although 
Mr.  Crawford  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  convention  for  secretary 
of  state,  and  was  nominated  by  acclamation,  he  declined  to  accept 
Subsequently  W.  W.  H.  Lawrence  was  placed  on  the  ticket  in  his  place. 
Oh  the  29th  of  the  same  month  a  Union  state  convention  met  at  Law- 
rence and  nominated  a  ticket  headed  by  W.  R.  Wagstafif  for  governor. 
At  the  election  on  Nov.  4,  1862,  the  entire  Republican  ticket  was  vic- 
torious, Carney  receiving  10,090  votes  to  5,463  for  Wagstafif,  and  the 
other  candidates  receiving  similar  majorities. 

The  two  years  of  Gov.  Robinson's  administration  had  been  trying 
ones  for  him.  Elected  the  first  governor  of  a  young  state,  without 
developed  resources  and  without  established  credit;  coming  into  office 
on  the  eve  of  a  great  civil  war  which  threatened  to  dismember  the 
Union;  assailed  by  critics,  and  hampered  in  various  ways,  it  is  prob- 
able that  all  he  endured  will  never  be  known.  On  Jan.  12,  1863,  he 
willingly  turned  over  the  office,  with  its  honors  and  trials,  to  his  suc- 
cessor, Thomas  Carney. 

Robinson,  Sara  Tappan  Doolittle,  author,  was  born  at  Belchertown, 
Mass.,  July  12,  1827,  the  daughter  of  Myron  and  Clarissa  (Dwight) 
Lawrence.  She  received  an  excellent  education  in  the  classical  school 
of  Belchertown  and  at  Salem  Academy;  was  married  on  Oct.  30,  1851, 
to  Dr.  Charles  Robinson,  who  afterward  became  the  first  governor  of 
the  State  of  Kansas,  to  which  state  she  came  with  her  httsband  in  1854. 
Like  her  distinguished  husband,  she  ardently  supported  the  cause  of 
freedom,  and  bore  a  prominent  and  helpful  part  in  the  struggle  to  make 
Kansas  a  free  state.  In  her  book,  "Kansas,  Its  Interior  and  Exterior 
Life,"  published  in  1856,  she  describes  the  scenes,  actors  and  events  of 
the  conflict  between  the  friends  and  foes  of  slavery  in  Kansas.  The 
book  has  peculiar  charm.  It  was  written  at  a  time  when  the  scenes  and 
incidents  described  were  fresh  in  her  mind,  and  her  graphic  pen  pictures 
give  the  reader  such  a  presentation  of  the  actual  condition  of  aiifairs 
as  is  not  to  be  found  anywhere  else  in  print.  The  book  was  not  written 
with  a  desire  to  establish  a  theory  or  to  defend  a  partisan  measure,  but 
aims  to  tell  just  what  happened  in  the  territory.  It  had  a  wide  circu- 
lation and  great  influence.  Today  it  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best 
works  on  the  early  history  of  Kansas,  and  is  a  classic.  It  is  both  his- 
tory and  literature.  Mrs.  Robinson  was  a  pleasing  writer,  and  con- 
tributed extensively  to  periodical  literature.  After  a  long  and  well- 
spent  life,  the  closing  days  of  which  were  passed  at  her  beautiful  rural 
estate,  "Oakridge,"  a  few  miles  from  Lawrence,  Kan.,  she  died  on  Nov. 

15.  19"- 

Rock,  a  village  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  in  Rock  Creek  township 

on  the  Walnut  river  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R..  15 

miles  north  of  Winfield,  the  coimty  seat.    It  has  retail  stores,  churches. 


■60O  CYCLOl'EDIA    OF 

public  schools,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Rock  City. — The  "City  of  Rocks"  is  situated  in  Ottawa  county,  about 
3  miles  southwest  of  Minneapolis,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Solomon 
valley.  Originally  the  city  consisted  of  several  hundred  round  or  oval 
shaped  rocks.  Of  this  number  perhaps  one-half  are  perfectly  pre- 
served, while  the  remainder  are  slowly  disintegrating,  yet  all  show  the 
original  spherical  shape.  These  rocks  are  a  light  sandstone,  in  thin 
layers  or  shales,  and  vary  in  size  from  2  to  15  feet  in  diameter,  and  from 
2  to  12  feet  in  height.  They  belong  to  the  Cretaceous  period  and  got 
their  shape  from  the  action  of  the  water  at  a  time  when  an  inland  sea 
covered  that  portion  of  Kansas.  A  similar  formation  is  to  be  found  in 
Lincoln  county,  which  adjoins  Ottawa  on  the  west,  but  the  specimens 
are  not  so  numerous  nor  in  as  good  a  state  of  preservation. 

Rock  Creek,  a  small  stream  in  the  eastern  part  of  Morris  county,  was 
well  known  to  travelers  in  the  time  of  the  Santa  Fe  trade,  the  "Rock 
Creek  Crossing,"  becoming  a  historic  point.  The  Indian  name  of  the 
stream  was  Ne-ko-its-ah-ba,  meaning  "Dead  men's  creek,"  which  was 
conferred  upon  it  on  account  of  the  large  number  of  human  bones  found 
there  by  some  of  the  modern  tribes,  indicating  that  a  severe  battle  had 
been  fought  on  its  banks,  probably  about  the  beginning  of  the  19th 
century.  On  the  night  of  July  3,  1862,  A.  I.  Baker  and  George  Segur 
were  killed  at  the  Rock  Creek  crossifig  by  Anderson's  gang  of  guer- 
rillas. 

Rock  Creek,  a  hamlet  of  Jefferson  county,  is  located  in  Rock  Creek 
township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  17  miles  west  of 
Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat.  It  has  some  general  stores,  a  money  order 
postoffice,  and  express  and  telegraph  offices.  The  population  in  1910 
was  150. 

Rockford,  a  hamlet  of  Bourbon  county,  is  located  about  sixteen  miles 
southwest  of  Fort  Scott,  the  county  seat.  It  has  rural  free  delivery  from 
Uniontown,  which  is  the  nearest  railroad  station.  In  1910  the  popu- 
lation was  2"]. 

Rockport,  a  country  hamlet  in  Rooks  county,  is  located  on  Bow  creek, 
about  6  miles  north  of  Stockton,  the  county  seat  and  the  place  from 
which  it  receives  mail. 

Rocks  of  Kansas. — (See  Geology.) 

Rock  Saline. — This  locality  was  at  one  time  supposed  to  mark  the 
western  limits  of  the  lands  claimed  b_v  the  Osage  Indians,  and  in  the 
treaty  concluded  with  the  Great  and  Little  Osages,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
on  June  2,  1825,  these  Indians  ceded  to.  the  United  States  certain  lands, 
the  western  boundary  of  which  was  to  be  a  line  drawn  from  the 
head  sources  of  the  Kansas  southwardly  through  the  "Rock  Saline," 
etc.  According  to  the  map  and  field  notes  of  John  C.  McCoy,  the  deposit 
of  rock  salt,  known  as  "Rock  Saline"  was  on  the  headwaters  of  Salt 
creek,  near  the  north  fork  of  the  Canadian  river  in  Oklahoma. 


KANSAS    ]llSTORY 


6oi 


Rockville,  a  hamlet  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Miami  coimty,  was 
settled  by  a  pro-slavery  man  named  Rockwell  and  named  in  his  honor, 
but  when  the  free-state  settlers  became  numerous  the  name  was  changed 
to  Rockville.  A  school  hoilse  was  built  on  the  town  site  in  1858 'and  a 
store  opened  in  1859,  making  this  settlement  .one  of  the  oldest  in  the 
county.  In  1859  a  postofifice  was  established,  but  a  few  years  ago  it 
was  discontinued,  mail  being  delivered  by  rural  carrier  from  Fontana. 

Rockwell  City,  a  hamlet  in  Norton  county,  is  located  12  miles  north- 
west of  Norton,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  from  Oronoque,  the  near- 
est shipping  point  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Rogers,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Chautauqua  county, 
is  located  6  miles  west  of  Sedan,  the  county  seat,  whence  it  receives 
mail  by  rural  route. 

Rolla,  a  country  postoffice  in  Morton  county,  is  located  16  miles  south- 
east of  Richfield,  the  county  seat,  and  35  miles  from  Hooker,  Okla., 
the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Rollin,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Neosho 
county,  is  located  in  Erie  township,  8  miles  northwest  of  Erie,  the 
county  seat,  and  5  miles  west  of  Shaw,  from  which  place  it  receives 
mail.     The  population  in  1910  was  24. 

Roman  Catholic  Church. — The  Catholic  church  is  one  of  the  strongest 
religious  organizations  in  the  United  States.  Its  history  in  the  New 
World  began  in  the  year  1494,  when  twelve  priests,  commissioned  by 
the  pope,  accompanied  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage  to  .\merica. 
The  priests  serving  the  Spanish  colonies  and  the  missionaries  were 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  see  of  Saville  until  1512,  when  the  Ameri- 
can see  of  San  Domingo  was  erected  and  assumed  control  of  religion 
in  the  new  world.  In  1522  another  see  was  erected  in  Santiago  de 
Cuba  and  that  of  Mexico  followed  in  1530.  From  these  dioceses  mis- 
sionaries were  sent  to  evangelize  the  Indians  of  the  southwestern  por- 
tions of  the  United  States.  The  southeastern  portion  of  what  is  now 
the  United  States  was  ecclesiastically  dependent  upon  Santiago  de  Cuba 
and  later  Havana.  Spanish  missionaries,  chiefly  Franciscans,  Domini- 
cans and  Jesuits  established  numerous  missions  in  what  are  now  the 
states  of  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  California.  In  1565  a  royal 
Spanish  grant  was  issued  to  colonize  Florida  with  the  condition  that 
twelve  religious  and  four  Jesuits  be  maintained.  This  colony  founded 
St.  Augustine,  the  oldest  Catholic  city  in  this  country. 

The  first  mission  work  in  New  Mexico  was  started  by  seven  Fran- 
ciscans in  1598  at  San  Juan,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  thirty- 
three  years  after  the  founding  of  St.  Augustine,  and  from  this  base 
priests  were  sent  into  the  surrounding  territory  and  the  New  Mexican 
missions  established.  The  period  from  1650  to  1680  was  the  golden 
age  of  the  New  Mexican  missions,  where  there  were  sixty  members 
of  the  Franciscan  order  at  one  time.  Later  the  Indians  rebelled,  burned 
and  destroyed  the  missions,  but  in  time  the  churches  were  restored, 
though  they  never  gained  as  strong  a  foothold  again. 


602  CYCLOPEDIA    01" 

In  1687  missions  were  established  in  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Arizona  by  a  Jesuit  priest  from  Sonora,  and  after  1732  St.  Francis  and 
St.  Miguel  became  the  centers  of  missionary  work,  the  Jesuits  having 
charge  until  expelled  by  the  Spaniards  in  1767.  With  the  close  of 
Spanish  dominion  in  Arizona  the  history  of  the  missions  ceases,  as  they 
became  a  part  of  the  church  of  the  United  States.  The  beginning  of 
Spanish  missions  in  Texas  dates  from  1689,  when  three  friars  and  a 
Franciscan  established  the  mission  of  San  Francisco  de  Los  Texas. 

In  1769  an  expedition  left  Mexico  for  California  and  among  its  mem- 
bers were  three  Franciscans.  A  slnall  chapel  was  erected  at  San 
Diego,  the  first  step  toward  planting  the  Catholic  church  on  the  west- 
ern coast.  On  June  3,  1769  the  mission  of  Monterey  was  established 
by  this  same  expedition.  The  Dominican  order  applied  for  permis- 
sion to  work  in  California  and  in  1773  the  country  was  divided,  the  mis- 
sions of  lower  California  being  entrusted  to  the  order  of  St.  Dominic, 
and  those  .of  upper  California  to  the  Franciscans.  San  Carlos  mission 
became  the  residence  of  the  superior  and  was  the  center  of  the  mission 
work.  The  first  report  of  the  California  missions  was  made  in  1773 
and  shows  that  there  were  five  missions — San  Diego,  San  Gabriel,  San 
Luis  Obispo,  San  Antonio  and  San  Carlos.  In  1775  the  missions  of 
San  Juan  Capistrino  and  San  Francisco  were  founded  and  in  1777  Santa 
Clara  mission.  Forty-three  years  after  the  founding  of  the  first  mis- 
sion there  were  eighteen  missions  in  California.  As  a  result  of  the 
Mexican  revolution  the  missions  were  confiscated  and  the  friars  were 
replaced  by  secular  clergy. 

While  the  Spaniards  were  establishing  missions  in  the  south  and 
west  the  French  began  the  same  work  on  the  northeast  coast  where 
the  first  religious  establishment  was  made  on  Douchet  island,  Maine, 
in  1604.  The  missions  of  New  York  were  the  result  of  work  among 
the  Huron  Indians,  the  first  mission  being  established  at  Oswego  in 
1654.  In  the  west  the  missions  were  located  on  the  shores  of  the 
great  lakes  and  the  main  waterways,  and  after  the  French  discovered 
the  Mississippi  river  they  established  missions  down  that  stream  to  . 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

As  early  as  1634  Jesuits  were  established  in  the  Maryland  colony, 
and  after  1681  Catholics  were  tolerated  in  Pennsylvania.  It  was  in 
these  states  that  the  first  churches  were  established.  After  the  Revolu- 
tion many  Catholic  emigrants  came  from  Ireland,  and  in  1790  the 
see  of  Baltimore  was  established.  At  that  time  there  were  about  30,000 
Catholics  in  the  United  States.  By  1820  they  had  increased  to  250,000, 
and  during  the  next  twenty  years  the  numbers  were  greatly  increased 
by  immigration.  Through  the  great  migratory  movement  west,  after 
the  Revolution,  the  church  was  planted  in  the  valleys  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi,  and  from  there  it  crossed  the  continent,  reaching  the  Pacific 
coast  in  the  middle  of  the  19th  century. 

The  church  in  the  United  States  is  a  part  of  the  whole  Catholic 
church,  subject  to  the  same  control  and  legislation  as  all  other  national 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


6-'J 


churches.  It  is  divided  into  provinces  and  dioceses.  Each  province  is 
presided  over  by  an  archbishop,  each  diocese  by  a  bishop,  and  the 
diocese  is  divided  into  parishes  and  missions  with  pastors  appointed 
by  the  bishop. 

Catholic  mission  work  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas  was  started 
in  1827  when  Father  Van  Quickenborn,  a  Jesuit  of  Missouri,  visited 
the  Osage  Indians  in  what  is  now  southern  Kansas.  He  made  subse- 
quent visits  in  1829  and  1830.  In  1847  Bishop  Kendrick  appointed 
Father  John  Schoenmakers  superior  of  the  Osage  mission,  in  what  is 
now  Neosho  county.  During  the  Civil  war  fhe  mission  was  deserted, 
but  at  its  close  work  was  resumed  and  as  many  as  eighteen  Catholic 
missions  were  established.  St.  Francis  school,  monastery  and  church 
were  established,  becoming  permanent  institutions.     (See   Missions.) 

In  183 1  John  B.  Miege  was  appointed  to  the  vicarate  of  all  "the  ter- 
ritory from  Kansas  river  at  its  mouth  to  the  British  possessions  and 
from  the  Missouri  river  west  to  the  Rocky  mountains."  He  had  head- 
quarters at  St.  Marys,  and  in  185 1  built  the  church  of  St.  Mary  of  the 


FIRST    CATHOLIC    CHURCH    IN    KANSAS. 


Immaculate  Conception,  "the  first  cathedral  of  Bishop  Miege,  and  the 
first  church  of  any  size  in  Kansas."  In  1855  he  removed  and  established 
his  see  at  Leavenworth.  From  St.  Marys  priests  ministered  to  the  early 
settlers  of  Kansas  after  the  territory  was  thrown  open  to  settlement, 
and  in  many  cases  after  churches  were  erected  the  Jesuit  fathers  cele- 
brated mass  when  there  was  no  resident  priest. 

In  1855  there  was  but  one  Catholic  bishop  and  a  population  of  700 
Catholics  in  all  Kansas  territory.  One  of  the  earliest  churches  was 
organized  at  Leavenworth  where  the  cathedral  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception was  established  in   1851.     It  was  built   under  the-  direction  of 


6o4  cvcLoi'i:i)iA  ok 

Father  Ileinian,  who  was  the  tirst  pastor.  In  1854  it  was  consecrated 
by  Bishop  Miege.  In  1857  ^t.  John's  Catholic  church  was  organized 
at  Lawrence  by  Father  Magee,  with  15  members.  Services  were  held 
in  residences  and  public  halls  until  i860,  when  a  church  edifice  was 
erected.  St.  John's  church  was  established  at  Doniphan  in  1857,  Father 
Wirth  being  the  first  pastor.  In  1862  St.  Benedict's  church  was  organ- 
ized at  Severance  by  Father  Thomas  Barth,  a  Benedictine  from  Atchi- 
son. In  185S  Father  Heiman  of  Leavenworth  organized  St.  Mary's 
mission  at  Wyandotte,  with  about  30  members.  For  some  time  they 
met  at  the  house  of  John  Warren,  but  within  a  year  a  church  was  built. 
The  mission  was  abandoned  during  the  Civil  war  but  at  its  close  the 
parish  began  to  flourish  and  in  1866  a  new  church  was  built.  The 
Catholic  church  at  Valley  P^alls,  Jefferson  county,  was  established  in 
1858,  but  no  building  was  erected  for  some  time.  In  Nemaha  county 
St.  Mary's  Catholic  church  was  established  in  1859  at  Wild  Cat,  a  set- 
tlement in  Richmond  township.  The  Catholic  church  at  Fort  Scott  was 
organized  in  i860  through  the  efforts  of  Fathers  Schoenmakers,  Pon- 
ziglione  and  \'an  Gach.  and  the  first  priest  was  Rev.  J.  F.  Cunningham. 
The  Church  of  the  Assumption  was  organized  at  Topeka  in  1862  by 
Father  James  H.  Defouri,  and  the  first  church  edifice,  the  oldest  in  the 
city,  was  completed  in  the  same  year.  Father  D.  E.  Mauritier,  a  mis- 
sionary, established  a  church  at  Salina  in  1866,  the  first  pastor  being 
Father  Fogarty,  the  resident  priest  at  Solomon  City  At  Ottawa, 
Franklin  county,  the  Church  of  St.  Joseph  was  organized  by  Father 
Guindon  in  1869,  and  from  that  time  the  growth  of  the  church  was 
rapid.  According  to  the  census  taken  in  1875,  there  were  233  Catholic 
organizations  in  the  state,  with  15  church  edifices  and  a  membership 
of  63,510,  which  included  children  of  Catholic  parents.  By  1886  there 
were  75,000  Catholics  in  the  state,  with  259  church  buildings.  In  1906 
the  Catholic  church  ranked  second  in  membership  of  all  churches  in 
the  state,  with  93,195  communicants. 

Rome,  a  hamlet  of  Sumner  county,  is  located  in  Jackson  township 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  8  miles  south  of  Welling- 
ton, the  county  seat.  It  has  a  postofifice,  an  express  office,  three  milling 
companies,  a  bank,  and  a  number  of  retail  establishments.  The  popu- 
lation according  to  the  census  of  igio  was  82. 

Rooks  County,  in  the  northwestern  section  of  the  state,  is  in  the  second 
tier  south  of  the  Nebraska  line,  and  the  fifth  county  east  from  Colorado. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Phillips  county ;  on  the  east  by  Osborne ; 
on  the  south  by  Ellis,  and  on  the  west  by  Graham.  The  legislature 
defined  the  boundaries  in  1867  as  follows:  "Commencing  where  the 
east  line  of  range  16  west  intersects  the  ist  standard  parallel ;  thence 
south  to  the  2nd  standard  parallel ;  thence  west  to  the  east  line  of  range 
21  west;  thence  north  to  the  ist  standard  parallel:  thence  east  to  the 
place  of  beginning." 

It  was  named  in  honor  of  John  C.  Rooks  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas 
cavalry.     Settlers  did  not  begin  coming  into  the  county  till   1871.     By 


6o5 

KANSAS    KISTORY  "^ 


the  fall  of  the  next  year  there  was  sufficient  population  for  county  organ- 
StSn  which  took  place  on  Nov.  .6,  .87a.  Gov  Harvey  ,nh>sp^oda^ 
matron  named  Stockton  as  the  temporary  -"f  ^  f  ^^,  "^^^^^P^sSon- 
as  commissioners,  Lyman  Randall  and  Lewis  ^'''\''-.jyj'X7dDec 
ers  chose  George  W.  Beebe  as  clerk.  Ihe  ^-t  e^  p'iibate  iudt  M 
31,   1872,  when  the  following  officers  were  elected .   P.obate  jt^   e    M 

D;ake;  sheriff,  John  Rttssell;  ^-^^^  '^l^'"'^-  ^  ,  ^  .  f.^' ^  ^tr  ct^S^^^^^^^ 
Joseph  Brossard;  surveyor,  Albert  Cooper ;  clerk  of  the  district  cour  , 

?hoLs  Boylan;  superintendent  «/ /"J^-  '-^^^S'  lo  one  ;  D  w' 
pttnrnev    D    K    Dibble ;  register  of  deeds,  L.  L.  ^mitii ,  coronei ,    _ 

Gtm;  commissioners,  Lyman  Randall,  D.  O.  Adams  -^  ^-^  ^^„ 
Stults-  representative,  Joseph  McXulty.  For  county  seat  Stockton 
feceled  95  votes  and  Lowell  52.   The  whole  number  of  votes  cast  in  the 

^'ir.g^:trly   events  was  the  filing  of  two  .^tg  m«;  n^ 
Roberts  by  a  desperado  by  the  name  of  Johnson.    In  1873  a  cattle  deaie 
Zm  Kentucky  was  murdered  and  robbed,  his  body  being  hidden  m  the 
san^  r.  mi^es  east  of  Stockton,  where  it  was  found  by  some  children.    In 
Tune    Is?     two  men  with  35  head  of  Texas  ponies  came  to  the  south 
ork^fthe'Soomon  river  not^ar  from  Stockton,  where  they  camped  and 
lave  notice  that  their  stock  was  for  sale.     One  of  the  strangers  went  to 
foTn  to  make  some  purchases  and  ^he  People  gathered  to  mspec    the 
nonies     While   they    were    doing   so    sheriff    Ramsey    of    Ellis    county, 
companled  by    slLiff    Joseph    McNulty    of    Rooks    cc.u.ty     ro  e^  up 
heavilv  armed  and  announced  that  the  ponies  had  been  stolen.    Ramsey 
ordi  ed  thTthief  to  throw  up  his  hands.     Instead  of  doing  so,  the  man 

dropped  dead.     The  other  stranger  was  hunted  aip  and  wounded  in  th« 
iaw  bv  a  shot  but  he  managed  to  escape.  o  r    k      i    \V    Wwell 

The  first  newspaper  was  estabhshed  in  Jan.,  1876,  b>  J.  \\  •  Newell. 
It  was  a  G^eenb'ack  labor  paper  and  was  called  the  Stock  on  News^ 
Thrcounty  agricultural  society  was  formed  m  1879.  Unt  1  1881  the 
Iunt>  offices  occupied  rented  quarters.  A  $5,000  court-house  was 
bud  ha°  year,  the  city  of  Stockton  contributing  $3,000  of  this  amount 
A  ronl  jail  of  cottonwood  logs,  strengthened  by  tons  of  iron,  was 
built  Tetr'  the    court-house.     A   number   of    flour    mills   were    bu.lt    in 

'^The°'county  is  divided  into  22  townships,  viz.:  Akona.  Ash  Rock, 
BeTmont  Bow  Creek,  Corning,  Farmington,  Greenfield,  Hobart.  Iowa 
Lanark  Logan,  Lowell.  Medicine,  Northampton,  Paradise  Pla.nv;il  e, 
Richland  Rush  Stockton,  Sugar  Loaf.  Twin  Mound  and  Walton.  The 
posJoffices  are:  Alcona,  Codell,  Damar,  Palco.  Plainville.  Stockton, 
Webster,  Woodson  and  Zurich.  A  line  of  the  Lnion  Pacific  R.  R. 
enters  in  the  southeast  and  crosses  northwest  into  Graham  county.  A 
brlnch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  enters  in  the  northeast  and  terminates 
at  Stockton. 


6o6  cYci.(ji'i:uiA  OF 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling,  with  high  bluffs  along 
the  south  fork  of  the  Solomon  river  and  Paradise  creek.  One-fifth  of 
the  surface  is  almost  level,  and  about  three-fifths  are  undulating  prairie. 
The  bottom  lands  along  the  Solomon  are  about  one  and  one-half  miles 
in  width,  and  those  of  other  streams  from  one-half  to  one  mile  in 
width.  The  streams  are  lined  with  thin  belts  of  native  timber,  and 
some  artificial  plantings  have  been  made.  The  south  fork  of  the  Solo- 
mon river  enters  on  the  west  and  flows  eastward  through  the  county. 
Slate  and  Sand  creeks  are  tributaries  from  the  northwest  and  Spring- 
Lost,  Box-Elder,  Elm  and  Medicine  from  the  south.  Other  creeks  are 
Paradise,  Wolf,  West  and  East  Eagle  and  Bow. .  Magnesian  limestone 
of  a  superior  quality  underlies  the  entire  county,  with  quarries  at  lago 
and  on  Elm  and  Medicine  creeks.  Sandstone,  gypsum  and  potter's 
clay  are  also  found. 

In  1878  the  number  of  acres  under  cultivation  was  5,211.  In  1882 
the  value  of  farm  products  was  $634,077.  In  1910  the  total  value  of 
farm  products  was  $3,403,171.  Wheat  was  worth  $1,463,950;  corn, 
$399,543;  oats,  $142,038;  Kafir  corn,  $110,075;  tame  grass,  $220,671; 
wild  grasses,  $113,694. 

The  population  in  1875  was  567;  in  1880  it  was  8,112.  In  the  ne.xt 
decade  there  was  a  decrease  of  94,  the  population  in  1890  being  8,018. 
In  the  next  ten  years  there  was  a  decrease  of  about  60.  In  1910  the 
population  was  11,282,  showing  an  increase  of  3,322,  or  nearly  50  per 
cent.     The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was  $16,351,545. 

Root,  Frank  A.,  author  and  publisher,  was  born  at  Binghampton,  N.  Y., 
July  3,  1837,  son  of  Albert  B.  and  Marinda  (Boyden)  Root.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  country  schools  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  in  his 
boyhood  worked  on  a  farm.  He  was  later  hod-carrier  and  stage  driver  in 
Pennsylvania.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  worked 
first  in  the  office  of  the  Herald  of  Freedom  at  Lawrence,  and  in  the  latter 
'50s  was  local  editor  on  the  Quindaro  Chindowan.  When  the  Civil  war 
broke  out  he  was  assistant  postmaster  at  Atchison,  and  was  prevented 
from  enlisting  by  his  resignation  not  being  accepted.  Early  in  1863 
he  went  on  the  overland  stage  line  at  Atchison  as  messenger;  later 
was  local  agent  in  charge  of  the  California  mail  at  Latham  station. 
Col. ;  was  then  traveling  mail  agent  on  the  stage  line,  and  made  trips 
across  the  plains  between  the  Missouri  river  and  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains. On  Oct.  21,  1864,  he  married  Miss  Emma  Clark  of  Atchison, 
Kan. ;  was  part  owner  of  the  Daily  and  Weekly  Free-Press  of  that  city 
from  1865  to  1869;  part  owner  of  the  Waterville  Telegraph  in  1870-71, 
and  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Seneca  Courier  1871-72.  In  the  latter 
year  he  became  proprietor  of  the  Holton  Express;  was  postmaster  at 
that  place;  was  publisher  of  the  Topeka  Argus  in  1876;  of  the  North 
Topeka  Times  1876  to  1880;  was  postmaster  at  North  Topeka  in  the 
latter  '70s ;  was  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Review  and  the  Review  Press 
at  Gunnison,  Col.,  from  1880  till  1886,  and  from  that  time  until  1893 
was  publisher  of  the  Topeka  Mail.  He  is  the  author  of  "The  Overland 
Stage  to  California"   (1901). 


KANSAS    HISTORY  607 

Roper,  a  station  in  Wilson  county,  is  located  where  two  branches  of 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  diverge,  both  going  southward,  about  12  miles 
northeast  of  Fredonia,  the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  town  was  started  in  1886,  at 
the  time  the  railroad  was  built.  A  telephone  system  uniting  Roper  with 
all  the  towns  in  the  vicinity  went  into  operation  in  1901.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  40. 

Rosalia,  a  little  town  in  Butler  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of 
the  same  name  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  13  miles  east  of  Eldorado, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  number  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoiifice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  100. 

Rose,  one  of  the  smaller  villages  of  Woodson  county,  is  a  station  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  about  6  miles  south  of  Yates  Center,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  2  rural  routes.  The  population  for  1910  was  reported 
to  be  50.  It  is  a  shipping  and  supply  center  for  a  large  agricultural 
district. 

Rosedale,  one  of  the  largest  cities  of  Wyandotte  county,  is  situated 
in  the  southeastern  portion  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Kansas  river  and 
the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  and  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  rail- 
roads, 4  miles  southwest  of  Kansas  City.  The  town  was  platted  in 
1872  by  James  G.  Brown,  but  building  was  not  commenced  to  any 
extent  until  1875,  when  the  rolling  mills  were  located  there.  By  1877 
it  had  grown  sufficiently  to  be  organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class. 
On  Aug.  3  of  that  year  an  election  was  ordered  for  the  28th  of  the 
month,  when  D.  S.  Mathias  was  elected  the  first  mayor.  The  town 
grew  rapidly  and  as  early  as  1882  arrangements  were  made  for  an  excel- 
lent waterworks  system.  The  population  that  year  was  1,800,  a  fine 
large  school  building,  many  beautiful  homes  and  stores  of  all  kinds  had 
been  erected,  and  it  was  one  of  the  prosperous  towns  of  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state.  The  Catholic  church  perfected  an  organization  in 
Rosedale  in  1876.  The  Methodists  organized  about  the  same  time,  and 
in  1881  erected  a  beautiful  church  edifice.  Since  that  time  other  reli- 
gious denominations  have  perfected  organization  and  built  churches. 
At  the  beginning  of  its  history  Rosedale  became  a  manufacturing  town, 
as  the  Kansas  Rolling  mills  were  established  there  in  1875,  employing 
some  500  men.  All  kinds  of  railroad  supplies  are  manufactured,  includ- 
ing rails,  miners'  tools,  etc.  The  excellent  shipping  facilities,  with  the 
cheap  coal  to  be  obtained,  has  led  to  the  establishment  of  other  iron 
works.  Rosedale  has  an  excellent  public  school  system,  and  is  the  seat 
of  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  for  which  a  fine 
new  hospital  was  erected  in  191 1  at  a  cost  of  over  $50,000.  There  are 
good  stores  of  all  descriptions,  several  miles  of  paved  streets,  excellent 
water  and  lighting  systems,  and  an  independent  branch  of  the  Kansas 
City  postoffice.  All  public  utilities  are  provided  and  in  1910  the  city  had 
a  population  of  5,960. 


6o8  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

Rose  Hill,  a  village  in  Llutler  county,  is  located  in  Richland  town- 
ship on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  25  miles  southwest  of 
Eldorado,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  several  good  stores,  telegraph 
and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Roseland,  a  village  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  in  Rose  township 
on  the  Joplin  &  Pittsburg  electric  line,  8  miles  north  of  Columbus,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  a  good  local  trade. 
The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Rosemont,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Osage  county, 
is  located  19  miles  southeast  of  Lyndon,  the  county  seat.  It  has  tele- 
graph and  express  offices  and  a  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910 
was  22. 

Rosette,  a  hamlet  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  15  miles  west  of  Lin- 
coln, the  county  seat,  and  4  miles  north  of  Sylvan  Grove,  the  nearest 
railroad  station  and  the  place  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  53. 

Ross,  Edmund  G.,  journalist  and  United  States  senator,  was  born  at 
Ashland,  Ohio,  Dec.  7,  1826.  He  attended  the  common  schools  until 
he  was  eleven  years  old,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  printer's  trade 
in  the  office  of  the  Huron  Commercial-Advertiser.  He  completed  his 
apprenticeship  at  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  then  spent  several  years  travel- 
ing as  a  journeyman  printer.  On  his  return  to  Sandusky  in  Oct.,  1878, 
he  married  Fannie  M.  Lathrop  and  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  newspaper  work.  The  sacking  of  Lawrence,  Kan., 
in  May,  1856,  aroused  a  storm  of  indignation  throughout  the  northern 
states.  A  meeting  was  held  at  Milwaukee  and  a  fund  of  $3,000  was 
raised  to  arm  and  equip  a  party  of  free-state  men  for  Kansas  This 
party  came  overland  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Ross  and  upon  arrival 
at  Topeka  at  once  took  the  field  with  the  anti-slavery  forces.  After  the 
invaders  had  been  driven  out,  Mr.  Ross  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  brother  in  the  publication  of  the  Kansas  Tribune  at  Topeka.  He 
took  an  active  interest  in  politics,  was  a  member  of  the  Wyandotte  con- 
stitutional convention  in  1859.  and  at  the  close  of  the  convention  began 
the  publication  of  the  Kansas  .State  Record  at  Topeka,  which  paper  was 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  Republican  party  and  was  influential  in 
turning  the  tide  of  public  opinion  toward  the  adoption  of  the  new  con- 
stitution. In  i860  his  paper  aided  in  calling  a  territorial  convention 
to  plan  a  scheme  for  securing  a  practical  railroad  system  for  the  an- 
ticipated State  of  Kansas.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  agitation  that 
has  given  Kansas  her  efficient  railroad  service  of  the  present  day.  He 
assisted  in  raising  the  Eleventh  Kansas  infantry  in  1862,  and  at  the  or- 
ganization of  the  regiment  was  elected  captain  of  a  company.  Subse- 
quently Gov.  Carney  appointed  him  major  of  the  regiment,  when  it 
was  changed  from  infantry  to  cavalry.  He  was  present  with  his  com- 
mand in  all  the  battles  in  which  it  was  engaged;  In  1865,  Gov.  Craw- 
ford appointed  him  aide-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.    At 


KANSAS    HISTORY  609 

ihe  close  of  the  war  he  became  editor  of  the  Kansas  Tribune  at  Law- 
cnce.  On  July  25,  1866,  Gov.  Crawford  appointed  him  United  States 
senator  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Gen.  James  H.  Lane, 
and  at  the  following  session  of  the  legislature  he  was  elected  for  the 
n.nexpired  term.  He  was  one  of  the  young  Republican  members  of  the 
senate,  and  up  to  the  time  of  the  impeachment  proceedings  against 
President  Johnson  was  always  in  accord  with  his  party.  In  that  cele- 
brated case  he  incurred  the  lasting  displeasure  of  some  of  the  president's 
enemies  by  casting  the  deciding  vote  against  impeachment.  His  ac- 
tion was  denounced  by  a  partisan  press,  his  friends  turned  against  him. 
he  was  ostracized  and  insulted,  and  it  was  not  until  years  afterward, 
when  sectional  feeling  had  died  away  to  some  extent,  that  Mr.  Ross 
was  accorded  justice  The  Chicago  Times  of  Aug.  25,  1889,  says : 
"Though  the  Republican  senators,  who  disappointed  the  Republican 
managers  of  their  two-thirds  vote  and  thus  saved  Johnson  and  the  coun- 
try, lost  their  place  in  consequence,  as  soon  as  their  time  expired  and 
never  since,  except  in  the  case  of  Ross,  have  had  public  employment,  not 
one  of  them,  it  is  safe  to  say,  regrets  his  course.  It  was  judicious,  cour- 
ageous and  disinterested.  These  men  saved  the  country  from  the  com- 
mission of  a  colossal  blunder." 

F.  H.  Hodder,  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  wrote  to  the  Nation  on 
May  13,  1907:  "No  man  was  ever  more  foully  abused,  yet  he  bore  per- 
sonal abuse  and  retirement  to  private  life,  alike  with  patience  and  with- 
out bitterness.  If  the  people  of  Kansas  wish  to  atone  for  the  injury 
they  did  Mr.  Ross  during  his  lifetime  they  can  scarcely  do  better  than 
place  his  statue  in  the  capitol  at  Washington,  in  the  hall  reserved  for 
notable  men  of  the  states.  Such  a  statue  would  commemorate  an  heroic 
act,  a  valiant  soldier  and  an  honest  man." 

William  Carruth,  also  of  the   University  of  Kansas,  says:     "It  goes 
hard  with  us  to  admit  that  he  was  wiser  than  the  majority  of  us. 
Major  Ross  returned  to  his  state,  faced  obloquy  and  slander,  and  earned 
the  living  of  a  poor  but  honest  man,  with  the  same  silent  endurance 
with  which  he  met  the  stress  of  the  great  impeachment  trial." 

Foster  D.  Coburn,  secretary  of  the  Kansas  state  board  of  agriculture, 
said  on  May  13,  1910:  "For  the  vote  cast  by  Senator  Ross  against  the 
conviction  of  President  Andrew  Johnson,  I  was,  at  the  time  bitter  and 
indignant  beyond  expression.  Now,  forty-odd  years  after,  I  am  firmly 
of  the  opinion  that  Senator  Ross  acted  with  a  lofty  patriotism,  re- 
gardless of  what  he  knew  must  be  the  ruinous  consequences  to  him- 
self." 

Mr.  Ross  was  one  of  the  Liberal  Republican  leaders  in  Kansas  in 
1872  who  opposed  the  nomination  of  Grant  and  favored  Horace  Greeley 
for  the  presidency.  On  his  retirement  from  the  senate  he  began  to 
publish  a  paper  at  CofTeyville,  but  a  cyclone  destroyed  his  office  and 
he  became  associated  with  the  Spirit  of  Kansas  and  the  Standard  of 
Lawrence.     In   1882  he  went  to  New  Mexico  and  for  a  time  edited  a 

(11-39) 


6lO  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

paper  at  Albuquerque.  He  was  appointed  governor  of  the  territory 
by  President  Cleveland  in  1885,  which  position  he  held  for  four  years. 
Mr.  Ross  continued  to  live  in  Albuquerque  until  his  death  on  May 
9,  1907. 

Rossville,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Shawnee  county, 
is  located  in  the  township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R., 
16  miles  northwest  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly 
newspaper  (the  Shawnee  County  News),  a  number  of  retail  stores,  an 
opera  liouse,  schools  and  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was  672.  Rossville  was  founded  in  1871,  when  the  depot  was  moved 
across  the  creek  to  the  site  selected  for  the  town,  and  the  first  store 
was  started  in  1873  by  J.  C.  Mcllvane.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city 
of  the  third  class  in  1881,  and  the  first  city  officers  were:  Mayor,  H. 
H.  Miller;  clerk,  C.  W.  Talmage;  treasurer,  D.  G.  Smith;  city  attorney, 
W.  C.  Sherman;  councilmen,  S.  V.  Maxwell,  Samuel  Kerr,  M.  F.  Tar- 
man,  John  Stoyell  and  D.  P.  Elder. 

Roundmound,  a  hamlet  of  Osborne  county,  is  located  on  the  eminence 
of  that  name,  21  miles  southwest  of  Osborne,  the  county  seat,  and  5 
miles  northeast  of  Natoma  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  the  nearest 
railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural 
route. 

Roxbury,  a  country  postoffice  in  the  extreme  northeastern  corner  of 
McPherson  covmty,  is  located  on  Gypsum  creek,  20  miles  northeast  of 
McPherson,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  from  Gypsum,  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  in  Saline  county,  which  is  the  nearest  railroad  sta- 
tion and  shipping  point.  The  nearest  important  town  is  Lindsborg, 
12  miles  west.  According  to  the  government  census  of  1910  the  popu- 
lation of  Roxbury  was  100.  The  town  was  located  as  a  trading  point 
and  postoffice  about  1871.  It  was  formerly  known  as  Colfax  City,  but 
the  name  was   changed  to   Roxbury  by  act  of   the   legislature,   March 

4,  1875- 

Rozel,  a  little  town  in  Grant  township.  Pawnee  county,  is  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  17  miles  west  of  Larned,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  mill,  a  grain  elevator,  a  number  of  re- 
tail stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  two  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Rubens,  a  hamlet  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  on  White  Rock  creek 
in  Richland  township,  6  miles  northeast  of  Mankato,  the  county  seat, 
from  which  place  it  receives  mail.  The  population  was  32  in  1910. 
This  is  one  of  the  oldest  settled  communities  in  the  county  and  was 
the  scene  of  several  Indian  outrages,  notable  among  which  was  an  at- 
tack on  the  home  of  John  Marling  in  1866,  when  his  home  was  destroyed 
and  his  wife  and  baby  horribly  abused. 

Ruble,  a  small  village  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  situated  about  10 
miles  west  of  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail 
by  rural  delivery,  and  5  miles  south  of  Easton,  the  nearest  railroad 
station. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  6l  I 

Ruleton,  a  hamlet  in  Sherman  county,  is  located  in  Lincoln  township 
on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  lo  miles  west  of  Good- 
land,  the  count)'  seat.  It  has  one  general  store,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  25. 

Runnymede,  one  of  the  hamlets  of  Harper  county,  is  a  station  on  the 
Kansas  City,  Mexico  &  Orient  R.  R.,  18  miles  north  of  Anthony,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  the  population  in 
1910  was  19. 

Rush  Center,  one  of  the  leading  towns  of  Rush  county,  formerly  the 
seat  of  justice,  is  located  in  Center  township  on  Walnut  creek  and  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  4  miles  south  of  La  Crosse,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Breeze),  a  mill 
and  grain  elevator,  a  number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes. 
The  population  in  1910  was  250.  The  town  was  one  of  the  earliest  in 
the  county,  founded  about  1873  and  made  the  temporary  county  seat  in 
1874,  remaining  so  until  1877.  For  the  next  ten  years  it  retained  the 
county  records  more  than  half  the  time.  In  1886  the  town  claimed  1,000 
population.     It  then  had  2  banks  and  a  newspaper. 

Rush  County,  west  of  the  central  part  of  the  state,  is  the  fifth  county 
north  from  Oklahoma,  the  fourth  south  from  Nebraska,  and  the  sixth 
east  from  the  west  line  of  the  state.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Ellis 
county;  on  the  east  by  Barton;  on  the  south  by  Pawnee,  and  on  the 
west  by  Ness.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Capt.  Alexander  Rush,  who 
was  killed  at  Jenkins'  Ferry,  Ark.  The  boundaries  were  described  in 
the  creative  act  as  follows:  "Commencing  where  the  east  line  of  range 
16  west  crosses  the  3d  standard  parallel ;  thence  south  to  the  4th  standard 
parallel ;  then  west  to  the  east  line  of  range  21  west ;  thence  north  to  the 
3d  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning."  By  an 
act  of  the  legislature  in  1873,  the  southern  tier  of  townships  was  taken 
off  and  the  present  boundaries  established. 

The  first  settlers  came  in  1870.  They  were  William  Basham,  Adolph 
Ashoft  and  P.  C.  Dixon.  The  first  family  was  that  of  I.  S.  Templeton, 
who  came  in  Sept.,  1871.  His  son  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
the  county.  Other  early  settlers  were  A.  A.  Stilson,  F.  E.  Garner,  A. 
Harvey,  James  Corrall  and  Joseph  Shaw  Brown.  The  first  church 
services  were  held  in  1873  by  Rev.  A.  Hartman,  a  Methodist  minister. 
The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Adolph  Ashoft  and  Dora  Gein  in  Dec, 
1872.  The  first  postoffice  was  Economy  in  Pioneer  township,  estab- 
lished in  1871  with  N.  S.  Gilbert  postmaster.  The  first  newspaper  was 
the  Walnut  Valley  Standard,  started  at  Rush  Center  by  W.  P.  Tomlin- 
son  in  1874.  It  was  taken  to  La  Crosse  in  the  spring  of  1877.  The 
Rush  County  Progress  was  founded  in  Rush  Center,  but  was  taken  to 
La  Crosse  when  the  county  seat  was  moved  to  that  place.  The  first 
store  was  a  grocery,  established  in  Center  township  in  1874  by  John 
Hubbard. 


6l2  CYCI.Ol'IiDlA    OF 

County  (iiganization  was  effected  in  1874.  William  S.  Wood  was  ap- 
pointed census  taker  in  September.  He  made  his  report  in  December 
and  Gov.  Thomas  A.  Osborn  issued  a  proclamation  organizing  the 
county,  naming  Rush  Center  as  the  temporar^^  county  seat,  and  ap])oint- 
ing  the  following  officers :  County  clerk,  Frank  E.  Garner ;  commis- 
sioners, P.  C.  Dixon,  John  Shaftsbury  and  Frederick  R.  Smith.  At  the 
first  election  the  following  officers  were  chosen :  Coinmissioners,  Fred- 
erick R.  Smith,  T.  S.  De  La  Plaine  and  Levi  Cline  ;  county  clerk  Allen 
McCann ;  treasurer,  John  Felch  ;  register  of  deeds,  George  W.  Cooley ; 
surveyor,  Eugene  X.  Gunn ;  sheriff,  P.  H.  Mosier;  coroner,  T.  S.  Clark; 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  John  Hargrave ;  probate  judge, 
J.  E.  Mill;  county  attorney,  W.  E.  Dawson,  clerk  of  the  district  court, 
Frank  E.  Garner. 

It  is  not  re]jorted  how  this  election  resulted  with  regard  to  the  county 
seat,  but  it  e^•idently  left  the  matter  undecided,  as  the  records  remained 
at  Rush  Center  (then  called  A\'ahiut  City),  and  in  1877  another  election 
was  held,  when  La  Crosse  was  made  the  county  seat  and  the  official 
county  paper  was  moved  from  Rush  Center  to  that  place  along  with  the 
county  records.  Another  election  was  held  in  1878.  Rush  Center  had  a 
few  more  votes  and  the  records  were  taken  back  to  that  place,  but 
La  Crosse  took  the  matter  to  the  district  court  on  charges  of  fraud.  The 
opposition  made  no  answer  and  judgment  was  rendered  in  favor  of 
La  Crosse  on  default.  The  records  were  then  taken  to  that  place,  the 
removal  occurring  about  the  first  of  the  year  1883.  Rush  Center  took 
the  case  to  the  supreme  court,  where  the  decision  was  rendered  in  favor 
of  that  town  in  1886.  This  gave  rise  to  a  new  coimty  seat  election. 
Under  the  law  a  petition  of  two-thirds  of  the  legal  voters  was  necessary 
to  secure  a  special  election  in  this  case.  The  petition  was  secured  and 
the  election  was  held  on  Aug.  23,  1887,  resulting  in  favor  of  La  Crosse. 
Rush  Center  then  took  the  matter  to  the  court,  alleging  that  the  peti- 
tion was  not  secured  according  to  law.  In  March,  1888.  the  court  found 
that  the  petition  was  legal  and  issued  a  writ  of  mandamus  to  have  the 
county  records  moved  to  La  Crosse.  Accordingly  a  large  body  of  citi- 
zens from  that  place  went  over  in  wagons  and,  aided  by  about  50 
farmers,  took  forcible  possession  of  the  county  property  and  conveyed 
it  to  La  Crosse  where  it  has  since  remained. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  the  county  was  steadily  building  up.  In 
1877  out  of  460,800  acres  of  land  there  remained  but  150.000  taken.  The 
population  of  the  county  was  2,000,  a  great  many  of  the  inhabitants  hav- 
ing come  in  that  year.  The  count}-  indebtedness  was  $4,727.  There 
were  16  organized  school  districts,  and  the  assessed  valuation  of  prop- 
erty was  $176,033.  There  were  1,000  head  of  li^•e  stock.  Five  years 
later  the  live  stock  had  increased  to  13,000  head,  the  taxable  property 
to  $329,301,  the  number  of  organized  school  districts  to  46,  and  there 
were  teachers'  normals  being  held  during  vacations. 

In  1875  the  county  was  divided  into  4  townships;  in  1878  there  were 
8;  in  1880  there  were  13,  and  in  1910  there  were  15,  as  follows:     Alex- 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


613 


ander,  IJanner,  Belle  Plaine,  Big  Timber,  Brookdale,  Center,  Fairview, 
Gartield,  Hampton,  Illinois,  La  Crosse,  Lone  Star,  Pioneer,  Pleasant 
Dale  and  Union.  The  postoffices  are  Alexander,  Bison,  Hampton,  Har- 
grave.  La  Crosse,  Liebenthal,  McCracken,  Nekoma,  Otis,  Rushcenter, 
Shaffer  and  Timken. 

The  county  is  crossed  by  two  railroads,  both  of  which  enter  on  the 
east  line  from  Barton  county.  The  Missouri  Pacific  runs  west  and  north- 
west through  La  Crosse,  the  county  seat,  which  is  in  the  central  part. 
The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  from  Great  Bend  crosses  about  8 
miles  from  the  southern  line,  through  Rush  Center. 

The  general  surface  is  tillable  prairie.  Bottom  lands  average  one 
mile  in  width  and  comprise  about  20  per  cent,  of  the  area.  The  streams 
are  fringed  by  thin  belts  of  timber,  the  chief  varieties  being  ash,  elm, 
Cottonwood,  walnut,  hackberr}-  and  box-elder.  Walnut  creek,  the  prin- 
cipal stream,  flows  from  west  to  east,  somewhat  south  of  the  center. 
Sand  and  Otter  creeks  are  the  most  important  tributaries.  Big  Timber 
creek  in  the  northwest  flows  northeast  and  empties  into  the  Smoky  Hill 
river.  Magnesian  limestone  is  common.  Shell-rock  limestone,  potter's 
clay  and  gypsum  are  found  in  some  localities. 

The  vahie  of  farm  products  in  1910  was  $3,619,191.  'i'he  leadnT^-  fie'i! 
crops  are,  wheat,  which  in  1910  was  worth  $2,438,765 ;  corn  brought 
$409,344;  oats,  $115,610;  Kafir  corn,  $95,250;  hay,  $142,769;  animals 
sold  for  slaughter,  $113,440;  poultry  and  eggs,  $86,145;  and  dairy  prod- 
ucts. $94,908.  The  value  of  live  stock  on  hand  was  $1,786,875.  The  as- 
sessed valuation  of  property  was  $16,351,545. _  The  population  in  1875 
was  451;  in  1878  it  was  2,794;  in  1890  it  was  5,204;  in  1900  it  had  in- 
creased to  6,134.  and  in  1910  it  was  7,826.  The  average  wealth  per 
capita   was  $2,075. 

Russell,  the  county  seat  of  Russell  county,  is  centrally  located  on  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  nearly  200.  miles  west  of  Topeka.  It  has  2  banks, 
3  weekly  newspapers  (the  Record,  the  Recorder  and  the  Reformer),  an 
opera  house,  a  public  library,  grain  elevators,  good  hotels,  daily  stages 
to  Fay  and  Fairport  and  tri-weekly  stages  to  Milberger  and  Hawley. 
The  town  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  has  an  in- 
ternational money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes.  It  is  an 
incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  with  a  population  in  1910  of  1,692. 
The  town  was  founded  in  May,  1871,  a  large  number  of  houses  and 
a  school  house  being  erected  in  that  year,  and  by  December  the  popula- 
tion was  200.  The  next  year  a  hotel  was  opened,  a  lumber  yard  started, 
and  a  number  of  business  houses  established.  Russell  was  made  the 
county  seat  in  1874.  The  depot  was  burned  that  year  and  was  replaced 
by  a  fine  stone  building.  From  1875  to  i^^o  extensive  improvements 
■were  made.  The  population  in  1880  was  861,  in  1890  it  was  961,  and  in 
1900  it  was  1,143.  showing  continuous  growth. 

Russell  County,  in  the  northwest  section  of  the  state,  is  in  the  third 
tier  from  the  Nebraska  line,  and  is  the  sixth  county  east  from  Col- 
orado.    It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Osborne  county;  on  the  east  bv 


6l4  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Lincoln  and  Ellsworth;  on  the  south  by  Barton,  and  on  the  west  by 
Ellis.  The  railroad  was  built  throught  the  central  part  of  the  county 
in  1867,  about  the  time  the  boundaries  were  first  defined,  and  before 
there  was  a  single  settler.  In  1868  the  legislature  again  defined  the 
boundaries  and  named  the  county  in  honor  of  Avra  P.  Russell  of  the 
Second  Kansas  cavalry.  In  July,  1869,  A.  E.  Mathews  settled  near  the 
eastern  edge  of  the  county  for  the  purpose  of  mining  coal.  Early  in  that 
year  a  party  of  seven  section  hands  working  3  miles  west  of  Fossil  were 
attacked  by  25  Indians.  The  Indians  were  armed  with  native  weapons 
and  the  white  men  had  but  two  guns.  They  tried  to  escape  on  a  hand- 
car, but  two  of  their  number  were  killed  and  all  but  one  wounded.  The 
five  were  saved  by  a  man  named  Cook,  who  came  to  their  aid  with 
a  gun. 

In  1870  a  number  of  men  came  into  the  county  on  a  hunting  expedi- 
tion, selected  claims  and  returned  to  their  homes.  In  April,  1871,  a 
large  colony  from  Green  Lake,  Wis.,  settled  upon  the  site  of  Russell. 
Shortly  afterward  a  colony  from  Ohio  settled  east  of  Russell  and  started 
the  town  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  1872  a  colony  from  Pennsylvania  settled 
near  Dorrance.  Up  to  this  time  the  county  had  been  attached  to  Ells- 
worth for  judicial  purposes.  In  1872  Gov.  Harvey  issued  the  proclama- 
tion organizing  the  county,  naming  Russell  as  the  temporary  county 
seat,  and  appointing  the  following  temporary  ofificers :  County  clerk, 
J.  L.  V.  Him'es ;  commissioners,  J.  B.  Corbett,  John  Dodge  and  E.  W. 
Durkey;  justice  of  the  peace,  Stillman  Mann.  The  first  election  was 
held  on  Sept.  9,  1872,  and  the  officers  chosen  were :  Commissioners, 
John  Fritts,  John  Dodge  and  Benjamin  Pratt ;  county  clerk,  E.  W. 
Durkey;  sheriff,  John  Hemminger;  treasurer,  L.  Langdon ;  probate 
judge,  H.  J.  Cornell;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  H.  C.  Hib- 
bard;  register  of  deeds,  R.  G.  Kennedy;  surveyor,  James  Selling;  coro- 
ner, J.  W.  VanScyoc.  The  candidates  for  county  seat  were  Russell  and 
Bunker  Hill.  The  latter  had  the  majority  of  the  votes,  according  to 
the  count  of  the  commissioners,  and  was  declared  the  permanent  county 
seat. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  two-year  fight  between  the  towns.  The 
people  of  Russell  never  admitted  the  change  of  the  seat  of  justice  to 
Bunker  Hill,  and  although  the  records  were  taken  there,  the  people  of 
Russell  and  about  half  of  the  county  officials,  including  one  commis- 
sioner, considered  Russell  the  county  seat.  When  the  time  came  to 
canvass  the  vote  at  the  November  election  this  one  commissioner  and 
the  clerk  met  at  Russell,  and  the  other  two  commissioners  met  at  Bunker 
Hill..  The  county  was  so  evenly  divided  on  the  matter  that  half  of  the 
returns  were  sent  to  Bunker  Hill  to  be  counted  and  half  to  Russell. 
Neither  recognized  the  action  of  the  other.  The  matter  then  was  taken 
to  the  courts  and  after  considerable  delay  the  supreme  court  decided 
in  favor  of  Russell.  Another  county  seat  election  was  held  on  April 
23,  1874,  and  by  scheming  and  plotting  Russell  succeeded  in  getting 
the  more  votes. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  615 

Meanwhile  the  settlers  were  steadily  coming,  and  in  1877  a  large 
colony  of  Russians  located  about  12  miles  southwest  of  Russell.  The 
next  year  they  were  followed  by  another  colony  of  the  same  nationality. 
The  first  school  was  taught  at  Russell  in  1871  by  Mrs.  A.  H.  Annas. 
The  first  newspaper  was  the  Western  Kansas  Plainsman,  established  in 
1872  by  A.  B.  Cornell.  The  first  flour  mill  was  built  at  Russell  in  1875. 
The  county  has  always  been  remarkably  free  from  debt. 

There  are  12  townships,  viz :  Big  Creek,  Center,  Fairfield,  Fairview, 
Grant,  Lincoln,  Luray,  Paradise,  Plymouth,  Russell,  Waldo  and  Win- 
terset.  The  postoffices  are  Bunkerhill,  Dorrance,  Fairport,  Gorham. 
Lucas,  Luray,  Milberger,  Paradise,  Russell  and  Waldo.  The  main 
line  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  passes  through  the  center  of  the  county 
from  east  to  west.  A  branch  of  the  same  road  enters  in  the  east  and 
crosses  northwest  into  Osborne  county.  There  were  66  organized 
school  districts  in  1910. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling  and  there  are  high  blufl?s 
along  the  Saline  and  Smoky  Hill  rivers.  Bottom  lands  average  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  in  width  and  comprise  20  per  cent,  of  the  area.  The 
soil  is  mostly  clay  loam  with  some  Benton  and  sandy  loams  Thin 
belts  of  timber  line  the  streams.  The  Saline  river  enters  on  the  western 
border  near  the  northwest  corner,  crosses  east  and  a  little  south  into 
Lincoln  county.  The  Smoky  Hill  river  flows  east  across  the  southern 
portion.  There  are  a  number  of  creeks  tributary  to  these  two  rivers. 
Soft  and  hard  limestone,  potter's  clay  and  salt  are  found. 

The  early  occupation  of  settlers  was  stock  raising  rather  than  farming. 
Up  to  1880  sheep  were  the  principal  kind  of  stock,  and  at  that  time  there 
were  about  30,000  head  in  the  county.  Cattle  were  found  to  be  more 
hardy  and  profitable,  and  in  the  course  of  10  years  they  were  raised 
more  exclusively  than  sheep.  In  1910  there  were  less  than  1,000  sheep 
and  about  33,000  cattle.  The  first  farming  was  done  in  1872,  when  600 
acres  were  cultivated.  Ten  years  later  the  number  of  acres  under  cul- 
tivation was  214,260.  In  1910  there  were  433,063  acres  out  of  a  total  of 
576,000  under  cultivation.  There  were  then  about  50,000  bearing  fruit 
trees.  The  total  value  of  farm  products  in  that  year  was  $3,355,929 
The  amount  received  from  animals  sold  for  slaughter  was  $395,143;  for 
corn,  $607,851;  wheat,  $1,716,048;  oats,  $45,680;  tame  grasses,  $85,689; 
wild  grasses,  $79,905;  poultry  and  eggs,  $99,424;  butter.  $39,686;  milk, 

$55,515- 

The  population  in  1870  was  156  (all  coal  miners)  ;  in  1875  it  was  1,212; 

in  1880  it  had  grown  to  7,321.  There  was  a  slight  decrease  during  the 
'80s,  followed  by  an  increase  so  that  the  figures  of  1890  were  7,333.  In 
the  next  decade  there  was  an  increase  of  1,156,  and  in  1910  the  popula- 
tion was  10,800.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was  $24,- 
920,442,  the  average  wealth  per  capita  being  $2,308,  which  is  several 
hundred  dollars  above  the  average  for  the  state. 

Russell  Springs,  the  county  seat  of  Logan  county,  is  an  incorporated 
city  of  the  third  class,   centrally  located  on   the   Smoky   Hill   river,    10 


6i6  I  M  I  iiri DiA  i)i-' 

miles  south  of  Winona  on  the  i:nion  I'acilk  R.  R.,  the  nearest  rail- 
road station.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Leader),  schools 
and  churches,  a  fine  court-house,  a  number  of  retail  establishments,  and 
a  money  order  postoffice.  The  Garden  City,  Gulf  &  Northern  R.  R., 
which  has  been  built  as  far  north  as  Scott  City,  is  in  process  of  con- 
struction from  that  place  to  Russell  Springs.  When  it  is  completed  the 
town  may  realize  some  of  the  high  hopes  entertained  by  the  founders 
in  1887.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  April  of  that  year.  The  town  com- 
pany spent  a  great  deal  of  money  in  improvements  among  which  was 
a  waterworks  system,  an  artificial  lake  stocked  with  fish  and  fowl,  a 
$25,000  court-house  and  a  $10,000  school  house.  In  the  election  of 
Dec.  22,  1887,  for  county  seat,  Russell  Springs  won  by  276  votes.  Land 
was  valuable  at  that  time,  the  Eastern  capitalists  having  loans  to  the 
amount  of  $1,000,000  on  Logan  county  real  estate.  The  next  year  the 
boom  subsided,  lots  which  had  sold  for  from  $250  up  were  not  consid- 
ered by  the  owners  to  be  worth  the  taxes,  and  later  sold  for  10  apiece. 
The  town  lost  nearly  all  of  its  population,  the  settlers  for  miles  around 
left  arid  the  only  thing  which  kept  a  single  person  in  the  town  was  the 
fact  that  it  was  the  county  seat.  In  1910  the  population  was  82.  Then 
came  the  news  that  the  railroad  was  to  be  built.  No  one  had  any  faith 
in  the  report  until  the  railroad  company  bought  3,000  lots  and  paid  $7,000 
for  them.  The  town  then  began  to  experience  a  second  boom,  which  will 
in  all  probability  prove  to  be  permanent. 

Ruth,  a  hamlet  in  Decatur  county,  is  located  8  miles  south  of  Oberlin, 
the  county  seat,  the  nearest  shipping  point,  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  it  receives  mail. 

Ruweda,  a  country  postoffice  in  Greenwood  count}-,  is  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  county,  18  miles  from  Eureka,  the  judicial  seat,  and 
15  miles  from  Hamilton,  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Ryan,  a  hamlet  in  Rush  county,  is  located  in  Banner  township,  15 
miles  southeast  of  La  Crosse,  the  count}-  seat,  and  7  miles  south  of  Tim'- 
ken,  the  nearest  shipping  point  and  the  place  from  which  it  receives 
mail. 

Ryan,  Thomas,  lawyer,  statesman  and  diplomat,  was  born  at  Oxford. 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  25,  1837,  but  while  he  was  an  infant  his  parents  removed  to 
Bradford  coimty.  Pa.,  where  he  was  reared  upon  a  farm  and  attended 
the  coimtry  school.  He  was  ambitious,  studied  by  himself,  acquired 
a  fair  education  and  a  good  knowledge  of  law,  passed  the  bar  examina- 
tion and  was  admitted  to  practice.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Pennsylvania  infantry,  was 
chosen  captain  of  his  company,  and  served  until  1864.  He  was  seriously 
w^ounded  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  In  1865,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  son,  he  came  to  Kansas  and  located  in  Topeka,  where  he  formed 
a  law  partnership  with  Judge  J.  P.  Greer.  In  1866  Mr.  Ryan  was 
elected  county  attorney  and  was  reelected  for  three  successive  terms. 
This  was  followed  by  his  appointment  to  the  position  of  United  States 
attorney  in   1873,  which  position  he  occupied  until   1877,  when  he  en- 


KANSAS    r.  ISTCXV 


617 


ici-e.l  Congress,  having  been  elected  on  the  Repubhcan  ticket  from  the 
Third  district  the  year  before.  He  was  reelected  five  times,  serving  until 
1889.  His  service  in  Congress  was  of  great  benefit  to  Kansas  and  the 
West.  He  introduced  the  first  bill  throwing  Oklahoma  open  to  settle- 
ment. In  1889  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  house  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment of  minister  to  Mexico,  tendered  him  by  President  Harrison,  and 
while  minister  he  strengthened  the  cordial  relations  between  the  coun- 
tries President  McKinlev  appointed  him  assistant  secretary  of  the 
interior  in  1897,  a  position  for  which  he  was  well  qualified  by  training 
and   experience.     Mr.   Ryan   married    Sarah    E.   Coolbaugh,   of   Towan- 

da    Pa 

Rydal,  a  small  village  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R. 
in  Belleville  township^  Republic  county,  is  5  miles  west  of  Belleville, 
the  county  seat.  There  are  telegraph,  telephone,  postoffice  and  express 
facilities,  a  grain  and  coal  establishment  and  a  nursery.  The  population 
in   1910  was  31. 

s 

Sabetha,  the  second  largest  t.iwn  in  Xemaha  county,  is  located  near 
the  east  line  of  the  countv,  18  miles  northeast  of  Seneca,  the  county 
seat  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the 
St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  railroads.  It  has  banking  facilities,  plan- 
ing "mill,  iron  foundry,  cement  block  works,  creamery,  hosiery  factory, 
cider  mill,  grain  elevators,  Avaterworks,  electric  lights,  two  weekly  news- 
papers, express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  six  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  1,768. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  in  1857  by  Capt.  A.  W.  Williams,  who 
started  a  store  and  received  a  commission  as  postmaster.  The  few  set- 
tlers had  previous  to  this  time  been  obliged  to  go  to  the  Missouri  river, 
50  miles  awav,  for  their  mail.  During  the  same  year  the  following  per- 
sons located  'in  the  neighborhood :  George,  John  L.  and  William  Gra- 
ham, Edwin  Miller,  William  Slossen,  Isaac  Sweetland,  Lawrence  R. 
WHieeler  and  Noble  H.  Rising,  the  last  named  starting  a  store  soon  after 
his  arrival.  The  old  store  built  by  Williams  was  a  historic  place.  Sa- 
betha was  at  that  time  on  the  "California  road"  and  this  store  having 
a  good  well  in  front  became  a  favorite  stopping  place.  During  the 
Pike's  Peak  emigration  the  sales  amounted  to  an  average  of  $200  pei 
day  Williams  was  justice  of  the  peace  and  runaway  couples  from 
Nebraska  used  to  get  married  at  his  store.  It  was  closed  as  a  place  of 
business  and  became  a  church,  in  which  the  first  sermon  in  this  part  of 
the  country  was  preached,  in  1861,  when  Williams  entered  the  army 
A  town  company  was  organized  in  1859,  but  failed  to  incorporate  the 
village.  It  was  incorporated  by  another  company  in  1874,  as  a  city  of 
the  third  class,  and  became  a  city  of  the  second  class  in  1906. 

Sacramento  Cannon. — At  the  battle  of  Sacramento,  near  Chihuahua, 
Mex.,  Eeb.  28,  1847,  one  of  the  actions  incident  to  Col.  Alexander  W. 
Doniphan's   conquest   of  northern  Mexico,  ten  pieces  of  artillery  were 


6l8  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

captured  by  the  American  troops.  Subsequently  Col.  Doniphan  joined 
the  army  under  Gen.  Wool,  who  presented  him  with  the  guns  captured 
at  Sacramento.  After  the  war  the  guns  were  taken  to  Missouri  via  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers,  and  presented  to 
the  state.  Some  of  the  pieces  were  kept  in  the  arsenal  at  Liberty,  the 
home  of  Col.  Doniphan,  until  the  war  between  Kansas  and  Missouri 
over  the  slavery  question  began.  Then  some  zealous  Missourians  pil- 
laged the  arsenal  to  secure  arms  and  munitions  of  war  for  the  subjuga- 
tion of  Kansas,  and  among  other  things  brought  otT  one  or  more  pieces 
of  artillery.  The  one  known  as  "Old  Sacramento"  was  captured  by  the 
free-state  men  from  the  Missourians  and  at  the  close  of  the  border  war 
it  was  buried  on  the  farm  of  Maj.  Thomas  Bickerton  near  Lawrence, 
where  it  remained  until  Jan.  29,  1861,  when  it  was  dug  up  to  be  used  in 
celebrating  the  admission  of  Kansas  into  the  Union.  After  that  the  old 
cannon  was  always  brought  out  on  state  occasions,  was  given  a  promi- 
nent place  in  all  parades,  and  never  failed  to  participate  in  its  modest 
way  in  all  big  events. 

"Old  Sacramento"  finally  ended  its  usefulness  in  the  following  man- 
ner: Some  citizens  were  drowned  in  the  Kansas  river  and  the  cannon 
was  taken  down  to  the  banks  of  that  stream  to  test  the  theory  that  the 
concussion  caused  by  the  discharge  of  artillery  would  cause  the  body 
of  a  drowned  person  to  rise  to  the  surface.  The  gun  was  loaded  heavier 
each  time  until  the  recoil  wrecked  the  carriage.  Then  a  charge  of  three 
pounds  of  powder  was  placed  in  the  cannon  and  gunny  sacks,  wet  grass, 
wet  clay,  etc.,  were  hammered  in  on  top  of  the  powder  with  a  sledge- 
hammer. When  the  match  was  applied  the  gun  exploded,  the  largest 
piece  being  blown  through  the  wire  mill,  while  smaller  pieces  were 
thrown  clear  across  the  river.  The  main  part  of  the  cannon  is  now  in 
the  museum  at  the  University  of  Kansas. 

Saffordville,  one  of  the  thriving  villages  of  Chase  county,  is  a  station 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Toledo  township,  10  miles 
east  of  Cottonwood  Falls,  the  county  seat.  It  is  also  on  the  Cotton- 
wood river.  It  is  a  shipping  and  receiving  point  for  a  large  and  pros- 
perous agricultural  district.  All  the  regular  lines  of  mercantile  activity 
are  represented.  It  has  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1910,  was  200. 

St.  Benedict's  College,  located  at  Atchison,  was  founded  in  1858  by 
the  Benedictine  Fathers.  It  is  a  Catholic  school  for  boys,  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  state  and  is  empowered  to  confer  academic 
honors.  In  1876  the  college,  which  had  existed  only  as  a  priory,  was 
erected  into  an  abbey  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  Innocent  Wolf  was  installed  as 
abbot.  A  few  years  later  the  school  outgrew  the  abbey  and  new  build- 
ings were  erected.  Additions  have  since  been  made  as  the  increasing 
attendance  demanded.  The  college  possesses  two  distinct  libraries — 
one  of  which  is  for  the  use  of  the  students  and  contains  3,750  volumes, 
and  the  other  is  for  the  special  use  of  the  professors,  containing  about 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


619 


I 


17,000  volumes  and  5,000  pamphlets.    It  also  possesses  a  natural  histoiy 
museum.     The  plan  of  instruction  embraces  two  courses,  the  classical 
and  commercial.    The  students  are  divided  into  four  departments,  eccle- 
siastics, scholastics,  commercials  and  minims.     The  mmim  department 
is  for  boys  from  twelve  to  fourteen  years  of  age.     The  commercials 
receive    a   thorough   business   course,    upon   satisfactory    completion   of 
which  the  pupil  is  given  a  .certificate  recommending  him  as  a  competent 
accountant.     Only  such  boys  are  admitted  to  the  ecclesiastical  depart- 
ment as  intend  to  study  for  the  priesthood.    They  have  special  instruc- 
tions and  exercises  adapted  to  the  vocation  of  which  they  aspire,     ihe 
scholastics  are  those  young  men  in  the  Scholasticate,  established  as  a 
separate   institution   in    1907   "for   those   students    who   feel   themselves 
called  to  serve  God  as  religious  in  the  Order  of  St.  Benedict.    They  pur- 
sue the  regular  classical  course  of  studies.    The  discipline  and  the  spe- 
cial instructions  m  the  scholasticate  are  calculated  to  lead  the  aspirants 
to  a  proper  understanding  and  appreciation  of  the  religious  life." 

The  college  is  situated  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Atchison,  on  a  30- 
acre  plat  of  ground,  which  extends  to  the  river,  and  it  has  a  faculty 
numbering  25  and  an  enrollment  of  300  students.  In  connection  with 
the  school  of  the  Benedictine  fathers,  may  be  mentioned  the  academy 
conducted  by  the  Benedictine  sisters.  It  is  called  Mount  St.  Scholas- 
tica's  Academy  and  is  delightfully  situated  upon  a  tract  of  28  acres  in 
the  suburbs  of  Atchison.  The  course  of  instruction  embraces  "every 
useful  and  ornamental  branch  of  education  suitable  for  young  ladies 

St.  Clare,  a  village  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  on  Cross  creek 
in  St.  Clere  township,  almost  on  the  east  line  of  the  county  and  25  miles 
from  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice, 
and  a  large  local  retail  trade.     The  population  in  1910  was  102. 

St.  Francis,  the  judicial  seat  of  Cheyenne  county,  is  an  incorporated 
city  of  the  third  class,  located  on  the  Republican  river  and  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  R.  R.  It  has  2  state  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Herald),  schools  and  churches,  all  lines  of  retail  establishments, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
officl;  with  two  rural  routes.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  large  area  of  land 
adapted  to  farming  and  stock  raising,  for  which  it  is  the  receiving  and 
shipping  point.  St.  Francis  was  founded  in  1887  by  the  people  of  a 
town  known  as  Wano,  about  2  miles  to  the  southwest.  There  was 
some  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  good  title  to  the  town  site  of  Wano,  and 
it  was  resolved  to  move.  Dec.  5,  1887,  was  the  day  set  to  begin  occupy- 
ino-  the  new  site.  Collins  Bros,  and  James  W.  Midgley  were  the  first 
to'start  improvements.  On  the  6th  three  buildings  had  been  moved  and 
the  migration  kept  up  until  the  end  of  the  month.  The  bank  was  moved 
and  its  name  changed.  The  postoffice  was  moved  and  became  known 
as  St.  Francis.  The  city  of  Wano  had  been  incorporated  and  had  a  full 
corps  of  officials.  The  last  ordinance  passed  was  to  prohibit  the  leav- 
ing of  any  cellar  or  opening  on  the  old  town  site  in  such  a  condition 
that  animals  or  travelers  by  night  might  fall  into  it.     On  the  new  site 


620  CYCI.Ol'EUIA    OF 

there  was  no  city  government  apart  from  the  township.  In  1888  some 
$50,000  was  spent  in  improvements  in  tlie  way  of  buildings.  By  an  elec- 
tion held  on  Feb.  26.  1889,  St.  Francis  was  made  county  seat.  The  town 
was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  April,  1903,  and  the  fol- 
lowing were  the  first  officers:  Mayor,  L.  E.  Harrison;  city  clerk,  L.  D. 
Hotchkiss;  councilmen,  A.  E.  Smull,  G.  A.  Benkelman,  C.  E.  Burnham, 
H.  I!.  Bear.  |.  J.  Armstrong  and  1.  S.  Hall.  In  \<j)^  the  legislature 
passed  an  act  making  the  incorporation  legal  and  also  making  the  ordi- 
nances Xos.  I  to  16  valid. 

St.  George,  a  little  town  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  in  St. 
George  township  on  the  main  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  and  on  the 
Kansas  river,  16  miles  south  of  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat.  It  has 
express  and  telegraph  ofifices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  149.  The  first  town  of  St. 
George  was  platted  in  1857  and  the  ambition  of  the  ])romoters  was  to 
have  their  town  connected  with  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  by  a  line  of  railroad 
which  should  be  a  great  southwest  thoroughfare.  In  1879  the  town 
was  moved  about  a  mile  in  order  to  be  on  the  railroad.  One  of  the 
early  settlers  was  Jacob  Emmons,  who  was  afterward  probate  judge, 
county  commissioner,  clerk  and  surveyor.  For  many  years  he  consti- 
tuted all  the  law  there  was  in  that  section  of  the  country  and  in  the 
absence  of  any  knowledge  of  legal  lore  based  his  decisions  on  common 
sense  and  honesty.  He  advanced  $200  for  books  for  the  first  public 
records.     St.  George  was  the  first  county  seat. 

St.  John,  the  judicial  seat  of  Stafford  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  the  central  part  of  the  county.  It  has 
a  county  high  school,  2  national  banks,  2  flour  mills,  a  grain  elevator, 
2  newspapers  (the  County  Capital  and  the  News),  a  large  number  of 
retail  establishments,  a  telephone  exchange,  a  hotel,  telegraph  and  ex- 
press offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  six  rural 
routes.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class,  with  a  population 
in  1910  of  1,785,  which  is  more  than  twice  the  population  in  1900. 

The  town  which  originally  occupied  this  site  was  called  Zion  Valley, 
and  was  founded  by  the  Mormons.  Just  before  the  county  was  organ- 
ized, a  town  compan}-  purchased  the  land  and  platted  it  for  a  town  which 
they  called  St.  John,  in  honor  of  the  man  who  was  then  governor,  in 
hope  that  it  would  influence  him  to  name  it  as  the  temporary  county 
seat.  The  first  building  was  erected  by  Henry  Rohr  in  1879.  The  first 
store  was  opened  by  John  Fish.  In  1880  the  Zion  Valley  postoffice  was 
changed  to  St.  John  and  C.  B.  Weeks  was  the  first  postmaster.  The 
first  child  born  in  the  new  town  was  St.  John  Cox,  son  of  Frank  Cox, 
in  Sept.,  1880.  A  savings  bank  was  established  in  1879,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper,  the  Advance,  was  started  in  1880  by  T.  C.  Austin. 

St.  John  County,  so  named  for  John  P.  St.  John,  then  governor  of  the 
state,  v\as  created  in  1881  and  the  boimdaries  were  described  as  follows: 
"Commencing  at  a  point  where  the  east  boundary  line  of  range  32  west 
crosses   the   2d   standard   parallel   south  ;   thence   west   on   said   standard 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


621 


l-arallel  to  a  point  where  the  east  1)oundary  line  of  range  38  west  crosses 
ihe  said  2d  standard  parallel  south;  thence  south  on  said  range  line  to 
a  point  where  said  range  line  crosses  the  3d  standard  parallel  south; 
thence  east  on  said  standard  parallel  to  a  point  where  said  standard 
parallel  crosses  the  east  boundary  of  range  32  west ;  thence  north  on  said 
range  line  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The  name  was  changed  to  Logan 
(q.  V.)  by  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  Feb.  24,  1887. 

St.  John,  John  Pierce,  8th  governor  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  was  born 
at  Brookville,  Franklin  county,  Ind.,  Feb.  25.  1833,  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Sophia  (Snell)   St.  John,  the  father  a  native  of  Orange  county,  N.  Y., 
and  the   mother  of   English   extraction.     He   was   educated  in  the   log 
school  house  of  that  period,  and  in  1852,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
crossed  the  plains  to  California.    There  he  was  engaged  in  various  pur- 
suits from  mining  to  merchandising,  and  participated  in  the  wars  with 
the   Indians  in  northern  California  and  southern   Oregon  in  the  years 
1853-54,  being  twice  wounded.     He  then  visited  the  Sandwich  islands, 
Mexico,    Central   and   South  America.     While  working   as   a    miner   in 
California  he  decided  to  study  law,  and  after  his  travels  as  above  men- 
tioned entered  the  office  of  Starkweather  &  McLain,  of  Charleston.  111., 
in   i860,  where  he  completed  his  studies,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  the 
following  year.     At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  C,  Sixty-eighth  Illinois  infantry,  and  served  with 
that  regiment  in  Virginia  until  it  was  mustered  out  in  Nov.,  1862.     He 
was  then  commissioned  captain  and  placed  in  command  of  troops  ren- 
dezvoused in  camp  at  Mattoon,  111.,  until  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
third  Illinois  infantry  was  organized,  when  he  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  the  regiment  and  continued  to  serve  with  that  rank 
until  the  close  of  the  war.     Returning  to  Charleston,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Judge  McLain,  the  surviving  partner  of  the  old  firm  with 
which  he  had  studied,  but  a  few  months  later  removed  to  Independence, 
Mo.,  where  he  opened  a  law  office  and  made  his  debut  into  the  political 
arena.     In  May,   1869,  he  located  at  Olathe,  Kan.,  where  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  M.  V.  B.  Parker  for  the  practice  of  law.  under  the  firm 
name  of  St.  John  &  Parker.    This  association  lasted  until  1875,  when  it 
was  dissolved  by  mutual   consent.     In    1872   Mr.   St.  John  was  elected 
•luaai  puoD3s  b  joj  uoi;i;uituou  e  p3ui[D3p  inq  'a^Buas  ajBis  sbsub;\[  aqi  o; 
On    May    3,    1876^   the  state   temperance   convention   tendered  him   the 
nomination  for  governor,  but  the  Lawrence  Journal  says  that  "On  ac- 
count of  his  unsatisfactory  acceptance  of  the  honor  nothing  was  meant 
to  be  said  about  it  until  some  action  could  be  taken  by  the  state  central 
■  U3AUOD  ajEis  ut;.Tiic|nd3>j  aqi  3.iojaq  3)BpipuE3  b  si3a\  354      /aajjitutuoD 
tion  for  governor  the  same  year,  but  was  defeated  by  George  T.  An- 
thony.   In  1878  he  was  nominated  for  governor  by  the  Republican  party 
and  was  elected;  was  reelected  in  1880,  and  was  nominated  for  a  third 
term  in  1882,  when  he  was  defeated  at  the  polls  by  George  W.  Glick. 
Gov.  St.  John  was  an  ardent  temperance  advocate  and  was  the  Prohibi- 
tion candidate  for  president   in    1884,     The  amendment  to  the   Kansas 


622  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

coiistilulion,  prohibiting  the  manufacture,  importation  and  sale  of  intox- 
icating liquors  within  the  state,  is  probably  due  as  much  to  his  iniluence 
as  to  that  of  any  other  one  person.  It  is  said  that  in  sixteen  years  he 
traveled  350,000  miles,  made  4,000  speeches,  mostly  on  the  subject  of  the 
liquor  traffic,  and  never  missed  an  appointment.  Upon  retiring  from  the 
office  of  governor  he  became  interested  in  mining  operations  in  Mis- 
souri.    In  1900  he  supported  Mr.  Bryan  for  president. 

St.  John's  Administration. — The  administration  of  Gov.  St.  John  com- 
menced with  the  opening  of  the  second  biennial  session  of  the  general 
assembly,  which  convened  on  Jan.  14,  1879.  Lieut.-Gov.  Lyman  U. 
Humphrey,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  became  the  president  of  the  senate, 
and  Sidney  Clarke  was  elected  speaker  of  the  house.  Gov.  St.  John's 
inaugural  message  did  not  depart  from  established  precedent  in  review- 
ing the  state  finances  and  institutions.  The  most  noteworthy  utter- 
ances were  those  relating  to  temperance  and  railroads. 

"There  are,"  says  the  message,  "about  2,300  miles  of  railroad  in  oper- 
ation in  Kansas,  the  assessed  value  of  which,  as  shown  by  the  report 
of  the  auditor  of  state,  is  $15,525,033.25.  While  it  is  true  that  these 
railroads  have  contributed  largely  to  the  wealth,  prosperity  and  prog- 
ress of  our  state,  it  is  also  equally  true  that  not  only  our  people,  but  the 
state  and  general  government,  have  contributed  liberally  toward  their 
construction  and  support. 

"The  railway  corporations  of  Kansas  derive  their  powers  from,  and 
the  capital  invested  therein  is  entitled  to  and  receives  protection  at  the 
hands  of  the  state.  Their  income  arising  from  earnings,  is  derived 
mainly  from  the  patronage  of  the  people  of  Kansas,  and  the  people  in 
return  have  the  right  to  demand  that  such  limitations,  restrictions  and 
regulations  touching  fares  and  freights  be  imposed,  as  will  fully  protect 
their  interests,  and  at  the  same  time  do  no  injustice  to  these  cor- 
porations. 

"Our  present  law,  in  my  judgment,  is  whoU}'  inadequate;  Section  56, 
of  Chapter  23  of  the  general  statutes  of  Kansas,  prohibits  railway  cor- 
porations from  charging  over  six  cents  per  mile  for  transporting  pas- 
sengers. Such  a  limitation  afifords  no  protection  to  the  traveling  public. 
Nor  is  it  practically  any  restriction  on  the  corporation,  for  but  few,  if 
any,  railroads  now  in  this  country  charge  six  cents  per  mile,  even  where 
there  is  no  limitation.  Sections  57,  58  and  59  of  the  same  chapter,  relat- 
ing to  the  classification  of,  and  charges  for  carrying  freight,  are  less 
restrictive,  if  possible,  than  said  Section  56.  Besides,  by  these  sections, 
the  classification  of  freights  being  left  entirely  at  the  discretion  of  the 
railroad  company,  the  restrictions  and  limitations  therein  attempted  to 
be  imposed  are  ineffective. 

"I  therefore  suggest  that  this  law  be  so  amended  as  clearly  to  define 
the  limitations,  restrictions  and  regulations  relating  to  charges  for  fares 
and  freights,  and  that  such  limitations,  restrictions  and  regulations  be 
made  to  do,  as  nearly  as  possible,  equal  justice  to  the  railroads  and 
to  the  people,  and  thus  have  the  rights  of  both  parties  touching  this 
question  definitely  settled." 


KANSAS    HISTORY  623 

Although  this  quotation  from  the  message  is  somewhat  lengthy,  it 
has  been  given  because  at  that  time  the  transportation  question  was, 
and  had  been  for  some  years  previous,  one  of  great  importance  to  the 
people  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  the  suggestions  and  recom- 
mendations of  Gov.  St.  John  were  in  harmony  with  the  suggestions  of 
governors  of,  and  the  legislation  enacted  by  other  western  states.  At 
the  present  time — thirty  years  after  that  message  was  submitted  to  a 
Kansas  legislature — when  the  prevailing  passenger  rate  in  most  of  the 
western  and  central  states  is  two  cents  a  mile,  it  sounds  like  an  echo 
from  the  Middle  Ages  to  read  that  Kansas  once  had  a  law  restricting 
the  fare  to  six  cents.  No  legislation  restricting  the  fares  and  freights  of 
railroad  companies  was  passed  by  the  session  of  1879,  but  the  agitation 
started  about  that  time  was  kept  up  and  culminated  a  few  years  later 
in  the  creation  of  a  railroad  commission. 

Gov.  St.  John's  views  on  the  temperance  question  were  well  known 
before  his  election,  and  his  utterances  on  that  subject  in  his  first  mes- 
sage to  the  general  assembly  are  not  at  all  surprising.  "I  fully  realize," 
said  he,  "that  it  is  easier  to  talk  about  the  evils  flowing  from  the  use  of 
intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage  than  it  is  to  provide  a  remedy  for 
them.  If  it  could  be  fully  accomplished,  I  am  clearly  of  the  opinion  that 
no  greater  blessing  could  be  conferred  by  you  upon  the  people  of  this 
state  than  to  absolutely  and  forever  prohibit  the  manufacture,  importa- 
tion and  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage.  But  many  people 
insist  that  a  prohibitory  law  could  not,  or  at  least  would  not,  be  en- 
forced, and  that  any  law  that  cannot  be  enforced  is  worse  than  no  law 
at  all." 

The  legislature  seems  to  have  been  in  full  sympathy  with  the  gover- 
nor on  this  question,  and  on  March  8,  four  days  before  the  close  of  the 
session,  he  approved  senate  joint  resolution  No.  3,  submitting  to  the  peo- 
ple an  amendment  to  the  state  constitution,  adding  Section  10  to  Article 
XV,  to-wit :  "The  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  shall 
be  forever  prohibited  in  this  state,  except  for  medical,  scientific  and  me- 
chanical purposes." 

Two  other  propositions  were  also  submitted  to  the  people — one  an 
amendment  to  the  constitution  relating  to  taxation  (See  Constitutional 
Amendments),  and  the  other  the  question  of  holding  a  constitutional 
convention.  The  assembly  adjourned  on  March  12.  During  the  session 
acts  were  passed  making  appropriations  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  rail- 
road strike  and  for  testing  the  title  to  the  Cherokee  Neutral  Lands ; 
defining  the  boundaries  of  a  number  of  counties;  authorizing  a  commis- 
sion to  audit  the  Indian  claims  of  1878;  providing  a  contingent  fund  for 
aiding  settlers  on  the  frontier  who  lost  property  by  the  Indian  raids ; 
establishing  a  state  reform  school ;  extending  for  seventy-nine  years  the 
railroad  charters  granted  by  territorial  legislatures ;  creating  an  execu- 
tive council ;  providing  for  the  completion  of  the  west  wing  of  the  state- 
house,  and  for  a  coal  shaft  at  the  penitentiary ;  and  regulating  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine. 


624  IVCI.OI'EDIA    OF 

As  the  term  of  L'nitcd  States  Senator  John  J.  Ingalls  was  about  to 
expire,  it  became  the  duty  of  the  legislature  of  1879  to  elect  his  suc- 
cessor. The  first  ballot  was  taken  on  Jan.  28,  and  resulted  in  no  elec- 
tion. The  balloting  continued  daily  until  the  31st,  when  Mr.  Ingalls 
was  reelected,  receiving  86  of  the  169  votes  cast.  Albert  H.  Horton 
received  80  votes;  John  R.  Goodin,  2;  and  D.  P.  Mitchell,  i.  Imme- 
diately after  the  election  charges  of  bribery  were  made,  and  on  Feb.  6 
the  house  adopted  a  resolution  authorizing  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee of  five  members  to  investigate  the  charges  and  report.  Accord- 
ingly -A.  M.  F.  Randolph.  John  Hall,  A.  W.  Callen,  J.  H.  Keller  and  R. 
D.  Hartshorne  were  appointed  on  the  committee,  and  on  March  7  three 
reports  were  returned  to  the  house.  The  majority  report,  which  was 
the  one  adopted,  declared  "That  no  acts  of  bribery  and  corruption  con- 
nected with  the  late  senatorial  election,  nor  any  charges  of  corruption 
in  office,  are  proven  against  John  J.  Ingalls." 

The  report  further  stated  that,  "Concerning  each  and  all  the  other 
late  senatorial  candidates,  there  is  nothing  in  the  testimony  taken  which 
touches  the  honor  of  integrity  of  any  one  of  them." 

This  report  was  adopted  by  the  house  by  a  vote  of  60  to  44  on  March 
ID,  and  Mr.  Callen,  of  the  committee,  introduced  the  following  resolu- 
tion: 

"Whereas,  The  testimony  taken  b}'  the  investigating  committee,  dis- 
closes the  fact  that  certain  members  of  this  house  did,  during  the  late 
senatorial  contest,  take  special  pains  to  place  themselves  in  position  to 
be  offered  money  to  influence  their  votes  and  in  some  instances  actually 
did  receive  money,  though  not  from  either  of  the  senatorial  candidates; 
therefore  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  the  conduct  of  all  such  members  is  deserving  of,  and 
this  house  does  administer  upon  them  its  severest  censure,  committing 
them  to  their  constituents  for  that  ultimate  condemnation  which  they 
so  justly  deserve." 

The  resolution  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  51  to  48.  (See  House  Jour- 
nal of  1879,  p.  1,291.)  Subsequently  a  committee  of  the  United  States 
senate  investigated  the  charges  against  Mr.  Ingalls  and  made  a  report 
completely  exonerating  him.  A  full  review  of  the  case  may  be  found 
in  the  Topeka  Commonwealth  of  Feb.  18,  1880.  This  was  the  end  of 
bribery  charges  in  connection  with  Kansas  senatorial  elections,  which 
prior  to  this  time  had  been  an  unpleasant  feature  of  so  many  contests. 

During  the  border  troubles,  when  it  was  a  mooted  question  whether 
Kansas  was  to  be  a  free  or  a  slave  state,  a  large  number  of  adventurous 
characters  were  attracted  to  the  territory  by  the  exciting  scenes  that 
were  there  being  enacted.  When  the  state  was  admitted  into  the 
Union,  many  of  these  men  began  to  take  an  active  interest  in  political 
affairs,  not  so  much  for  the  public  good  as  for  their  own  personal  ag- 
grandizement or  political  preferment.  The  methods  of  such  men  are 
not  always  scrupulous,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  corruption  and 
bribery  became  a  part  of  the  early  political  history  of  the  state.     But 


KANSAS    HISTORY  625 

after  twenty  years  of  statehood  a  better  class  of  people  gained  control, 
and  the  political  adventurer  practically  disappeared,  greatly  to  the 
credit  and  advantage  of  Kansas  and  her  institutions. 

The  year  1879  is  somewhat  noted  for  the  beginning  of  the  tide  of  negro 
immigration  to  Kansas.  (See  Negro  Exodus.)  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
the  state  was  honored  by  a  visit  from  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  president 
of  the  United  States,  and  Gen.  William  T.  Sherman,  who  arrived  at 
Fort  Scott  on  Sept.  24.  The  distinguished  guests  then  visited  Parsons, 
Neosho  Falls,  Hutchinson,  Larned,  Kinsley,  Dodge  City  and  Emporia, 
and  arrived  late  on  the  26th  at  Topeka,  where  they  were  that  evening 
given  a  public  reception.  On  the  27th  they  visited  Lawrence  and 
Leavenworth,  and  made  their  last  stop  in  the  state  at  Atchison  on  the 
29th.  In  a  speech  at  Parsons  President  Hayes  said:  "Kansas  is  the 
best  advertised  state  in  the  Union ;  and  you  come  up  to  the  advertise- 
ment. When  you  go  anywhere  the  people  naturally  show  you  the  best 
thing  they  have.  In  some  cities  it  is  fashionable  to  take  you  to  the 
cemetery.  I  was  in  a  city  a  few  weeks  ago  where  they  took  me  to  see 
the  pin  factory.  I  wondered  what  would  be  the  best  thing  you  would 
show  me  here.  You  took  me  to  see  your  school  house.  There  is  no 
better  advertisement  for  a  city  or  state." 

In  the  course  of  his  remarks  on  the  same  occasion,  Gen.  Sherman 
said:  "I  don't  know  what  mystery  has  brought  about  the  rapid  develop- 
ment of  Kansas,  except  the  mystery  of  education  and  industry." 

It  frequently  happens  that  speeches  by  prominent  persons,  in  visiting 
a  city,  are  more  complimentary  than  truthful,  but  in  this  case  neither 
the  president  nor  the  head  of  the  army  paid  the  State  of  Kansas  a  com- 
pliment that  she  could  not  and  does  not  sustain.  The  "Kansas  spirit" 
is  noted  throughout  the  country  for  its  disposition  to  promote  education 
and  industrial  development,  and  it  is  to  this  spirit  that  the  state  owes 
its  almost  marvelous  advancement.  The  decade  from  1870  to  1880  was 
one  of  great  progress.  In  i860,  the  last  year  of  the  territorial  regime, 
Kansas  had  41  counties,  only  32  of  which  were  organized;  in' 1870  there 
were  54  organized  counties;  and  in  1880  there  were  105  counties,  80  of 
which  were  fully  organized.  Drought,  locusts  and  hostile  Indians  had 
failed  to  check  more  than  temporarily  the  growth  of  the  state.  The 
census  of  1880  showed  a  population  of  996,096,  a  gain  of  631,697,  or  more 
than  170  per  cent,  over  the  population  of  1870.  The  corn  crop  of  1880 
amounted  to  101,421,718  bushels,  and  the  wheat  crop  was  over  27,000,- 
000  bushels.  At  the  close  of  the  year  there  had  been  79,961  homestead 
entries,  embracing  10,762,353  acres,  and  there  were  over  3,000  miles  of 
railroad  in  operation.  And  all  this  in  a  region  designated  by  Maj. 
Stephen  H.  Long  only  sixty  years  before  as  "The  Great  American 
Desert." 

The  political  campaign  of  1880  was  opened  by  the  Republican  party, 
which  held  a  state  convention  on  March  31  and  selected  the  following 
delegates  to  the  national  convention:  John  A.  Martin,  Perry  Hutchin- 
(II-40) 


626  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

son,  George  H.  Case,  S.  Motz,  S.  S.  Benedict,  B.  F.  Simpson,  B.  W. 
Perkins,  Preston  B.  Plumb,  H.  P.  Wolcott  and  William  Thompson. 
John  Shilling,  William  A.  Pefter,  James  D.  Snoddy,  R.  W.  P.  Muse  and 
Henderson  Ritchie  were  nominated  for  presidential  electors,  and  one  of 
the  resolutions  adopted  declared  "That  James  G.  Blaine  has  the  con- 
fidence of  the  Republicans  of  Kansas;  that  we  recognize  in  him  a  states- 
man worthy  to  lead  the  national  Republican  party  to  victory ;  that  he 
is  the  choice  of  the  Republicans  of  Kansas  for  president  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  we  pledge  him  our  united  support." 

On  May  26  the  Democrats  met  in  state  convention  and  selected  as 
delegates  to  the  national  convention  of  that  party  Charles  W.  Blair, 
R.  B.  Morris,  Edward  Carroll,  J.  B.  Chapman,  John  R.  Goodin,  Thomas 
M.  Carroll,  M.  V.  B.  Bennett,  John  Martin,  Thomas  George,  and  John 
C.  Rogers. 

The  Republican  national  convention  met  at  Chicago  on  June  8  and 
nominated  James  A.  Garfield  for  president  and  Chester  A.  Arthur  for 
vice-president.  The  Democratic  national  convention,  which  met  at  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  on  June  24,  nominated  Gen.  Winfield  Hancock  and  Wil- 
liam H.  English. 

The  first  nominations  for  state  offices  in  1880  were  made  by  the  Green- 
back-Labor convention  at  Topeka  on  July  28,  when  H.  P.  Vrooman  was 
nominated  for  governor ;  H.  L.  Phillips,  for  lieutenant-governor ;  A.  B. 
Cornell,  for  secretary  of  state;  D.  J.  Cole,  for  auditor;  S.  A.  Marshall, 
for  treasurer;  D.  B.  Hadley,  for  attorney-general;  Charles  Smith,  for 
superintendent  of  public  instruction;  L.  D.  Bailey,  for  associate  justice; 
Samuel  N.  Wood,  J.  J.  McFeeley,  Barney  O'Driscoll,  Henry  Bronson  and 
James  G.  Bayne,  for  presidential  electors.  In  the  platform,  the  declara- 
tion of  principles  adopted  by  the  national  convention  at  Chicago  and 
the  nomination  of  Gen.  James  B.  Weaver  and  B.  J.  Chambers  for  presi- 
dent and  vice-president  were  indorsed ;  a  state  constitutional  conven- 
tion and  the  employment  of  convict  labor  in  competition  with  free  labor 
were  opposed;  a  demand  was  made  for  the  passage  of  a  law  fixing  a 
lower  rate  of  interest ;  and  the  last  session  of  the  state  legislature  was 
condemned  for  its  extravagance.  One  resolution  was  as  follows :  "That 
the  act  of  the  last  legislature,  in  abolishing  the. one-mill  state  school  tax, 
which  has  been  levied  from  our  state's  existence,  merits  our  unqualified 
condemnation,  from  the  fact  that  it  was  a  blow  struck  at  the  people's 
colleges — the  common  schools  of  our  state — in  the  interest  of  cor- 
porations." 

On  Aug.  26  the  Democratic  state  convention  met  at  Topeka  and  nomi- 
nated the  following  ticket :  For  governor,  Edmund  G.  Ross  ;  lieutenant- 
governor,  Thomas  George ;  secretary  of  state,  John  M.  Giffin ;  auditor, 
J.  G.  Neumueller;  treasurer,  Theodore  Weichselbaum ;  attorney-gen- 
eral, A.  L.  Hereford;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Miss  Sarah 
A.  Brown;  associate  justice,  W.  R.  Wagstaft";  presidential  electors, 
Thomas  P.  Fenlon,  A.  A.  Harris,  Thomas  Moonlight,  J.  B.  Scroggs  and 
G.  C.  Rogers.    The  platform  indorsed  the  action  of  the  national  conven- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  627 

tion  in  nominating  Hancock  and  English ;  authorized  the  state  central 
committee  to  fill  vacancies  on  the  ticket,  should  any  occur;  and  pledged 
the  party  to  oppose  the  constitutional  amendment  repealing  the  pro- 
vision exempting  property  to  the  amount  of  $200  from  taxation. 

The  nomination  of  Miss  Brown  for  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion was  the  first  time  that  a  woman  had  ever  been  named  by  any  po- 
litical organization  for  a  state  office  in  Kansas.  In  accepting  the  nomi- 
nation she  said:  "In  making  this  nomination,  the  Democratic  party  of 
Kansas  has  yielded  to  the  tendency  of  the  times  which  demands  equal 
rights  and  equal  opportunities  for  all  the  people,  and  has  thus  shown 
itself  to  be  a  party  of  progress.  It  has  placed  itself  squarely  and  un- 
equivocally before  the  people  upon  this  great  and  vital  question  of  giv- 
ing to  woman  the  right  to  work  in  any  field  for  which  she  may  be  fitted, 
thus  placing  our  young  and  glorious  state  in  the  foremost  rank  on  this, 
as  well  as  on  the  question  of  reform." 

The  Republican  state  convention  assembled  at  Topeka  on  Sept.  i. 
Gov.  St.  John  was  renominated  on  the  first  ballot;  Secretary  Smith, 
Auditor  Bonebrake  and  Treasurer  Francis  were  also  renominated,  and 
the  ticket  was  completed  by  the  selection  of  D.  W.  Finney  for  lieutenant- 
governor;  W.  A.  Johnston  for  attorney-general;  H.  C.  Speer  for  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction,  and  D.  M.  Valentine  for  associate  jus- 
tice. In  the  resolutions  adopted  a  strong  indorsement  was  given  to  the 
candidacy  of  Garfield  and  Arthur  for  president  and  vice-president,  re- 
spectively; the  State  of  Kansas  was  congratulated  on  the  progress  made 
under  Republican  rule  and  upon  the  fact  "that  the  resumption  of  spe- 
cie payments  has  brought  in  its  train  general  prosperity  and  universal 
confidence,  and  that  our  currency  (coin  and  paper)  has  a  fixed  value 
and  is  convertible,  secure  and  equivalent." 

On  the  evening  of  Sept.  2  an  independent  convention  was  held  at 
the  Tefft  House  in  the  city  of  Topeka.  This  was  known  as  "Jack 
Downing's  convention."  Dr.  F.  M.  Stringfield  was  nominated  for  gover- 
nor, and  at  the  election  in  November  received  219  votes.  Gov.  St.  John 
received  121,549;  Ross,  63,557;  and  Vrooman,  19,477.  The  Republican 
presidential  electors  carried  the  state  by  over  60,000  plurality,  and  the 
three  Republican  candidates  for  Congress  were  all  elected,  viz:  John 
A.  Anderson  in  the  first  district;  Dudley  C.  Haskell  in  the  second,  and 
Thomas  Ryan  in  the  third.  Notwithstanding  the  intense  interest  mani- 
fested during  the  campaign  in  the  prohibitory  amendment,  the  number 
of  votes  cast  on  this  question  was  nearly  22,000  less  than  the  number 
cast  for  governor,  and  more  than  24,000  less  than  the  number  cast  for 
presidential  electors.  It  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  92,302  to  84,304.  The 
amendment  to  repeal  the  provision  exempting  from  taxation  property 
to  the  amount  of  $200  was  overwhelmingly  defeated,  38,442  votes  laeing 
cast  in  the  affirmative  and  140,020  in  the  negative,  and  the  proposition 
to  hold  a  constitutional  convention  was  defeated  by  even  a  larger  ma- 
jority, 22,870  votes  being  cast  in  favor  of  it  and  146,279  against  it. 

Gov.  St.  John  was  inaugurated  for  his  second  term  on  Jan.  11,  1881, 


628  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

when  the  third  biennial  session  of  tlie  legislature  was  convened,  with 
Lieut. -Gov.  Finney  presiding  in  the  senate  and  J.  B.  Johnson  speaker 
of  the  house.  In  his  message  the  governor  again  reviewed  the  progress 
of  the  state  during  the  preceding  ten  years,  and  added :  "These  are 
some  of  the  legitimate  fruits  of  a  policy  that  protects  the  life,  property 
and  lawful  ballot  of  all  citizens,  and  makes  ample  provision  for  the  edu- 
cation of  every  child  of  our  state." 

According  to  the  reports  of  the  state  officers,  the  total  receipts  for 
the  fiscal  year  ending  on  June  30,  1880,  were  $2,018,065.05,  and  the  dis- 
bursements for  the  same  period  amounted  to  $1,573,367.29,  leaving  a  bal- 
ance in  the  treasury  of  $444,697.76.  The  bonded  debt  of  $1,181,975  was 
all    held    by    the    state    sinking   fund    or    the    state    institutions    except 

$370,575- 

The  census  returns  for  1880  showed  134  feeble-minded  or  idotic  per- 
sons in  the  state,  66  of  whom  were  under  21  years  of  age.  Referring 
to  these  persons,  the  governor  said :  "Up  to  the  present  time,  the  state 
has  made  no  provisions  for  their  education  or  development. 
The  school  for  feeble-minded  children  is  no  longer  an  experiment.  The 
most  sanguine  anticipations  of  the  success  of  what  were  established  as 
experimental  schools  for  this  class  of  children  have  been  more  than  real- 
ized, and  thousands  have  been  brought  from  a  state  of  almost  utter  hope- 
lessness to  a  condition  that  enables  them  to  care  for  and  sustain  them- 
selves. .  .  .  While  the  parents  of  this  class  of  children  are  com- 
pelled to  pay  their  proportion  of  the  common  school  tax,  no  portion  of 
this  tax  can  be  used  for  the  special  instruction  of  these  children.  They 
can  only  be  educated  by  sending  them  to  institutions  provided  for  that 
purpose  by  other  states,  at  such  expense  as  but  few  are  able  and  none 
ought  to  be  compelled  to  pay.  I  therefore  recommend  that  provision  be 
made  for  the  establishment  of  a  school  for  the  education  of  feeble-minded 
children." 

By  the  act  of  March  12,  1879,  the  sum  of  $20,000  was  appropriated 
for  the  protection  of  settlers  on  the  frontier  against  the  depredations  of 
the  Indian  tribes.  "In  April,  1879,"  says  the  governor,  "by  virtue  of  this 
act,  I  organized  and  thoroughly  equipped  a  patrol  guard  of  about  40 
men,  and  kept  them  on  the  southwestern  border  patrolling  a  line  from 
Barbour  county  west  about  100  miles,  thus  rendering  it  impossible  for 
any  considerable  number  of  hostile  Indians  to  invade  the  state  without 
notice  thereof  being  promptly  conveyed  not  only  to  the  settlers  exposed 
to  such  dangers,  but  to  both  the  state  and  national  authorities,  so  that 
a  sufficient  additional  force  might  be  quickly  added  to  the  patrol  guard 
to  resist  successfully  any  such  invasion  and  furnish  ample  protection 
to  the  lives  and  property  of  the  citizens." 

In  addition  to  this  patrol  guard,  the  governor  also  caused  independent 
companies  of  both  infantry  and  cavalry  to  be  organized  along  the  fron- 
tier;  furnished  these  companies  with  arms  and  ammunition;  completed 
the  organization  of  two  regiments  of  infantry  to  be  ready  for  emergen- 
cies ;  and  kept  special  scouts  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Indian  camps  and 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


629 


reservations  except  during  the  severe  winter  weather.  The  men  belong- 
ing to  the  two  regiments  of  infantry  furnished  their  own  uniforms,  paid 
rent  for  their  armories,  and  incurred  considerable  expense  in  other  ways 
to  maintain  their  organization.  "If  these  officers  and  men,"  said  the 
governor,  "without  cost  to  the  state,  devote  the  necessary  time  required 
to  make  their  military  organizations  eiificient,  I  submit,  the  state  should 
at  least  defray  the  expenses  thus  incurred  in  providing  means  for  its 
own  defense.  The  way  to  secure  obedience  to  and  respect  for  our  laws 
is  always  to  be  possessed  of  the  power  to  enforce  them." 

On  the  subject  of  the  prohibitory  amendment,  he  said:  "This  amend- 
ment now  being  a  part  of  the  constitution  of  our  state,  it  devolves  upon 
you  to  enact  such  laws  as  are  necessary  for  its  rigid  enforcement." 
(See  Prohibition.)  The  message  recommended  "a  comprehensive  and 
thorough  geological  survey;"  that  provisions  be  made  for  the  selection 
and  inscription  of  a  suitable  memorial  stone  for  the  Washington  monu- 
ment; that  the  state  board  of  agriculture  should  "be  liberally  sustained 
by  the  state,"  and  that  an  appropriation  be  made  to  the  horticultural 
society  "sufficient  to  assure  its  continued  usefulness." 

The  assembly  adjourned  on  March  5.  Gov.  St.  John's  recommenda- 
tion with  regard  to  a  school  for  feeble-minded  youth  resulted  in  the  pas- 
sage of  an  act  establishing  an  institution  of  that  character  in  the  old 
university  building  at  Lawrence.  Other  important  acts  of  the  session 
were  as  follows:  Providing  for  carrying  into  effect  the  prohibitory 
amendment;  creating  the  county  of  St.  John;  granting  permission  to 
the  Topeka  Library  Association  to  erect  a  building  on  the  state-house 
grounds,  the  governor,  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  and  the 
speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives  to  be  ex-officio  directors  of  the 
association;  accepting  the  ornithological  collection  of  Col.  N.  S.  Goss; 
removing  the  political  disabilities  of  a  number  of  persons ;  providing  for 
the  completion  of  the  west  wing  of  the  capitol  building,  and  for  the  regis- 
tration of  voters  in  county  seat  elections.  The  appropriations  for  the 
fiscal  year  ending  on  June  30,  1881,  amounted  to  $1,032,451.95. 

By  the  United  States  census  of  1880  Kansas  was  entitled  to  seven 
representatives  in  Congress,  but  the  fact  was  not  known  in  time  for  the 
legislature  of  1881  to  divide  the  state  into  seven  districts.  To  meet  this 
condition  all  the  political  parties,  in  the  campaign  of  1882,  nominated 
a  candidate  for  representative  in  each  of  the  three  old  districts  and  four 
for  the  state  at  large.  The  first  state  convention  in  that  campaign  was 
held  by  the  Republican  party  at  Topeka  on  June  28.  Samuel  R.  Peters, 
Edward  N.  Morrill,  B.  W.  Perkins  and  Lewis  Hanback  were  nominated 
for  Congressmen  at  large;  John  P.  St.  John  was  a  third  time  nominated 
for  governor;  the  lieutenant-governor,  secretary  of  state,  attorney-gen- 
eral and  superintendent  of  public  instruction  were  all  renominated,  as 
was  David  J.  Brewer,  who  had  been  first  elected  in  1876,  for  associate 
justice.  E.  P.  McCabe,  a  colored  man,  was  nominated  for  auditor  of 
state,  and  Samuel  T.  Howe  for  treasurer.  The  platform  adopted  declared 
unqualifiedly  for  prohibition;  demanded  the  enactment  of  laws  to  pre- 


630  CYCLOPEXIIA   OF 

vent  unjust  discrimination  by  railroad  companies  and  protect  the  inter- 
ests of  the  people ;  requested  the  next  legislature  to  submit  to  the  people 
an  amendment  to  the  constitution  giving  women  the  right  to  suffrage; 
indorsed  President  Arthur's  veto  of  the  river  and  harbor  bill,  and  the 
united  action  of  the  Kansas  delegation  in  Congress  in  sustaining  the 
veto. 

On  Aug.  30  the  Greenback-Labor  convention  met  and  nominated  the 
following  ticket :  For  governor,  Charles  Robinson ;  lieutenant-governor, 
J.  G.  Bayne;  secretary  of  state,  A.  P.  Elder;  auditor,  W.  A.  Garretson; 
treasurer,  J.  H.  Ludlow  ;  attorney  general,  J.  D.  McBrian  ;  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  J.  S.  Whitman ;  associate  justice,  L.  C.  Uhl ;  Con- 
gressmen at  large,  H.  L.  Phillips,  John  Davis,  Allen  Williams  (colored), 
and  Samuel  N.  Wood. 

A  week  later  the  Democratic  state  convention  assembled  at  Em- 
poria. John  Martin  was  nominated  by  acclamation  for  governor,  but 
he  declined  and  George  W.  Click  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  ticket. 
Frank  Bacon  was  named  for  lieutenant-governor;  Samuel  L.  Gilbert,  for 
secretary  of  state ;  W.  L.  Brown,  for  auditor ;  Charles  A.  Gifford,  for 
treasurer ;  Sidney  Hayden,  for  attorney-general ;  D.  E.  Lantz,  for  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction;  J.  W.  Green,  for  associate  justice;  Cyrus 
A.  Leland.  John  O.  Flannigan,  M.  V.  B.  Bennett  and  Samuel  N.  Wood 
for  Congressmen  at  large,  the  last  named  being  placed  on  the  ticket  by 
the  state  central  committee  after  the  adjournment  of  the  convention. 
The  platform  adopted  was  usually  long.  Its  principal  features  were  de- 
mands for  amendments  to  the  Federal  constitution  providing  for  the 
election  of  president,  vice-president  and  United  States  senators  by  direct 
vote  of  the  people ;  making  the  term  of  president  and  vice-president  six 
years,  with  no  eligibility  for  reelection ;  the  election  of  representatives 
in  Congress  for  four  years  instead  of  two ;  biennial  sessions  of  Congress, 
and  the  election  of  postmaster  by  the  people.  Women  suffrage,  national 
banks,  and  monopolies  of  every  kind  were  opposed,  and  the  resubmis- 
sion of  the  prohibitory  amendment  was  advocated. 

In  the  campaign  considerable  opposition  to  Gov.  St.  John  developed, 
not  so  much  on  account  of  his  personality  or  his  official  acts  as  because 
of  the  third  term  sentiment.  A  minority  of  the  delegates  to  the  state 
convention  which  nominated  him  entered  a  protest  against  such  action 
as  "a  violation  of  the  precedents  and  customs  of  the  party."  It  is  also 
possible  that  he  lost  some  votes  because  of  his  vigorous  support  of 
prohibition,  but  it  is  equally  possible  that  this  loss  was  offset  by  a  cor- 
responding gain  from  the  other  parties  of  those  who  believed  in  prohibi- 
tion. At  any  rate  he  was  defeated  at  the  election  in  November,  when 
he  received  but  75,158  votes,  to  83,237  for  Click,  Robinson,  the  Green- 
back candidate,  receiving  20,933.  All  the  other  candidates  on  the  Re- 
publican state  ticket  were  elected  by  substantial  pluralities,  as  were  the 
seven  Republican  candidates  for  Congress.  Gov.  St.  John  was  succeeded 
by  Gov.  Glick  on  Jan.  8,  1883. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


631 


St.  John's  College,  located  at  Winfield,  is  under  the  control  of  the  Mis- 
souri synod  of  the  English  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  Its  establish- 
ment was  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  liberality  of  John  P.  Baden,  a 
wealthy  citizen  of  Winfield  and  a  prominent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  Early  in  the  '90s  he  gave  $50,000  toward  founding  the  institu- 
tion, a  site  was  selected  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  plans  were  made 
for  a  stone  building  60  by  100  feet,  two  stories  high,  with  basement  and 
attic,  and  the  corner-stone  was  laid  in  June,  1893.  The  following  Sep- 
tember the  school  was  opened  with  a  faculty  of  five  members.  The  col- 
lege building  was  not  quite  completed  and  temporary  quarters  for  class 
rooms  were  secured  elsewhere  until  March  1,  1894,  when  the  building 
was  finished  and  formally  dedicated.  The  college  course  embraces  three 
departments — classical,  literary  and  scientific — and  the  financial  manage- 
ment has  been  such  that  no  debt  has  ever  been  incurred.  Mr.  Baden 
died  on  March  3,  1900,  but  the  school  he  founded  is  an  enduring  monu- 
ment to  his  generosity. 

St.  John's  Military  Academy,  the  only  military  school  in  Kansas, 
located  at  Salina,  on  a  fifty-acre  tract  of  land,  was  founded  on  March 
14,  1887.  It  is  under  the  auspices  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
The  routine  at  St.  John's  is  practically  the  system  provided  for  cadets 
at  West  Point,  modified  to  suit  younger  boys.  St.  John's  is  conducted 
by  a  rector,  a  head-master,  a  staff  of  six  masters  and  a  commandant.  In 
191 1  the  rector  was  Rt.  Rev.  S.  M.  Griswold,  bishop  of  the  Episcopal 
diocese  of  Salina;  the  head-master  was  Rev.  William  Colton,  a  clergy- 
man and  experienced  teacher.  The  original  building  of  the  school  dates 
back  to  the  '80s,  but  is  still  a  good  specimen  of  school  architecture.  In 
1904  there  was  added  a  three-story  annex  called  the  "barracks,"  which 
provided  quarters  for  80  cadets,  2  in  a  room.  The  "lower  school"  dormi- 
tory, for  boys  under  fourteen  years  of  age,  is  located  in  the  main  build- 
ing. A  gymnasium,  44  by  72  feet,  has  the  usual  equipment.  Four 
courses  of  study  are  provided,  classical,  scientific,  English  and  commer- 
cial. The  boys  are  fitted  for  business  or  college,  according  to  the  courses 
they  take,  and  the  military  drills  are  work,  not  play.  The  uniform  stands 
for  duty  and  responsibility,  and  while  on  duty  the  pupil  is  regarded  as 
a  man,  representing  law  and  order.  The  discipline  thus  gained  by  the 
student  gives  him  better  control  of  himself  in  affairs  after  he  leaves 
school. 

St.  Joseph,  a  village  in  Cloud  county,  is  located  15  miles  southeast  of 
Concordia,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  south  of  Clyde,  the  postoffice 
from  which  it  receives  mail.    The  population  in  1910  was  126. 

St.  Louis  Exposition. —  (See  Expositions.) 

St.  Mark,  a  hamlet  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  13  miles  northwest 
of  Wichita,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  north  of  Goddard  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  and  nearest  shipping  point  and  the  postoffice 
from  which  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  60. 


632  CYCUJPEDIA   OF 

St.  Marys,  formerly  known  as  St.  Mary's  mission,  one  of  the  leading 
incorporated  cities  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  in  the  extreme 
southeastern  part  of  the  county  on  the  Kansas  river  and  the  L'nion 
Pacific  R.  R.,  25  miles  from  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat,  and  24 
miles  from  Topeka.  St.  Mary's  College,  one  of  the  leading  Catholic 
institutions  of  higher  learning,  is  located  here  and  is  the  most  important 
institution  in  the  town.  There  are  2  weekly  newspapers  and  a  college 
monthly,  3  banks,  grain  elevators,  brick,  tile  and  cement  works,  and  a 
number  of  well  stocked  stores.  St.  Marys  is  an  important  shipping 
point  for  grain,  live  stock,  fruits  and  produce.  It  has  express  and  tele- 
graph offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  1,397. 

St.  Marys  was  the  first  point  in  the  county  to  be  settled.  The  Cath- 
olic missionaries  came  in  1848  and  built  a  mission  for  the  education  and 
spiritual  instruction  of  the  Pottawatomie  Indians.  The  town  was  not 
laid  out  until  1866.  B.  H.  Bertrand  was  the  original  promoter.  In  1869 
Mr.  Bertrand,  Dr.  Luther  R.  Palmer  and  Dr.  H.  C.  Linn  made  an  addi- 
tion to  the  town  and  the  next  year  another  addition  was  added  by  Dr. 
Palmer,  Adelaide  Bertrand  and  John  D.  Lasley.  A  third  addition  was 
also  made  in  June  of  that  year.  St.  Marys  has  been  very  unfortunate  in 
the  matter  of  fires,  having  experienced  four  destructive  ones,  the  first 
on  Dec.  6,  1872,  the  second  in  Feb.,  1879,  in  which  the  main  building  of 
the  college  was  burned,  the  third  in  Oct.,  1884,  and  the  last  on  Dec.  13, 
1884,  in  which  Alva  Higby  lost  his  life  and  $45,000  worth  of  property 
was  destroyed. 

St.  Mary's  College,  located  at  St.  Marys,  claims  to  be  the  oldest  insti- 
tution of  learning  in  Kansas.  In  1846  the  government  gave  the  Potta- 
watomie Indians  a  reservation  along  the  banks  of  the  Kansas  river,  in 
the  present  counties  of  Shawnee,  Wabaunsee  and  Pottawatomie.  The 
Jesuits  followed  and  in  1848  opened  a  school  where  the  present  college 
stands.  From  1848  to  1869  the  school  was  one  for  Indians  and  first 
settlers,  but  on  Dec.  24,  1869,  it  was  chartered  as  a  college,  empowered 
to  confer  degrees  and  academic  honors  in  all  the  learned  professions. 
In  1870  a  new  building  was  commenced.  It  was  finished  in  1872,  and 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  Feb.,  1879.  -^  few  days  later  classes  were  re- 
sumed in  the  academy  building  of  the  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  which 
building  was  later  purchased.  The  college  started  out  with  new  life 
and  vigor.  The  fourth  year  the  enrollment  was  250,  and  the  increasing 
number  of  students  made  new  quarters  necessary.  In  1880  the  present 
north  wing  of  the  main  building  was  constructed ;  in  1884  another  wing 
was  added,  and  in  1898  still  another.  In  1882  the  class  room  building 
was  erected;  in  1891  Jumor  Hall  was  built;  in  1907  Loyola  Hall,  a  com- 
modious dormitory,  was  thrown  open  for  occupancy;  and  in  Dec,  1907, 
the  corner-stone  of  a  chapel  named  "The  Immaculata"  was  laid. 

The  system  of  education  is  substantially  the  one  in  use  in  all  the  col- 
leges of  the  Society  of  Jesus  throughout  the  world.  The  purpose  of  the 
mental  training  given  by  St.  Mary's  is  not  proximately  to  fit  the  student 


KANSAS    HISTORY  633 

for  some  special  employment  or  profession,  but  to  give  him  a  general, 
well  rounded  development.  The  course  of  study  is  divided  into  three 
departments — the  college,  the  academy  and  the  English-commercial  de- 
partment. The  courses  are  not  elective  but  prescribed.  St.  Mary's 
has  a  corps  of  instructors  numbering  about  30  and  is  a  Catholic  school 
for  boys.     It  has  an  enrollment  of  450  students. 

St.  Mary's  Mission. — (See  Missions.) 

St.  Paul  (formerly  Osage  Mission),  the  third  largest  town  in  Neosho 
county,  is  located  in  Mission  township  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
R.  R.,  about  6  miles  southeast  of  Erie,  the  county  seat.  It  is  an  incor- 
porated city;  has  2  weekly  papers  (the  Journal  and  the  A.  H.  T.  A. 
News,  the  latter  the  organ  of  the  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association),  2 
banks,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  mone}-  order 
postofRce  with  three  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  927^ 

In  1866,  before  the  town  was  founded,  two  buildings  were  erected, 
one  by  L.  P.  Foster  &  Co.,  in  which  a  store  was  kept  by  the  "Morgan 
boys,"  and  a  frame  structure,  built  by  S.  A.  Williams,  of  Fort  Scott, 
in  which  his  son  kept  store.  In  Dec,  1867,  a  town  company  was  formed, 
composed  of  George  A.  Crawford,  S.  A.  Williams,  C.  W.  Blair,  Benja- 
min McDonald  and  John  Nandier,  and  a  town  called  Osage  Mission  was 
platted.  Another  town  called  "Catholic  Mission"  was  located  adjoining 
it  on  the  west.  Both  towns  put  up  buildings  and  started  business  enter- 
prises, but  Osage  Mission  soon  absorbed  the  other. 

The  first  lawyer  to  locate  in  town  was  C.  F.  Huchings  in  1867,  and  the 
first  doctor  was  A.  F.  Neeley.  The  early  growth  of  the  town  was  rapid. 
Within  eight  months  from  the  time  it  was  platted  it  had  over  20  stores 
and  900  inhabitants.  It  was  the  center  of  three  lines  of  stages,  one  to 
Fort  Scott,  one  to  Humboldt,  and  one  to  Chetopa.  For  several  years 
this  point  was  a  strong  rival  of  Erie  for  the  county  seat.  The  first  bank, 
known  as  the  Neosho  County  Savings  Bank,  was  established  in  1871, 
by  Pierce  &  Mitchell.  The  first  newspaper.  The  Neosho  County  Re- 
publican, was  started  in  1880  by  F.  W.  Ward.  The  first  school  for  white 
children  was  taught  in  1867  by  Anson  Gridley. 

The  town  was  organized  in  1869  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  with  John 
O'Grady  as  mayor,  B.  P.  Ayres,  John  Ryan,  John  Moffit,  J.  P.  Morgan 
and  R.  D.  Coggswell,  councilmen.  Prior  to  that  time  the  town  had  been 
governed  by  a  board  of  trustees,  consisting  of  John  Ryan,  president ; 
John  Mofifit,  clerk;  B.  P.  Ayres,  T.  C.  Cory  and  R.  D.  Coggswell. 

St.  Peter,  a  village  of  Graham  county,  is  located  in  Bryant  township, 
18  miles  southwest  of  Hill  City,  the  county  seat,  and  11  miles  south  of 
Morland,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  number  of  general  stores, 
a  hotel,  churches,  professional  men  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The 
population  in  1910  was  50. 

St.  Theresa,  a  country  postoffice  in  Wichita  county,  is  located  12 
miles  northwest  of  Leoti,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point. 
The  population  in  1910  was  20. 


634  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Salem,  a  hamlet  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  in  Richland  township 
about  10  miles  northeast  of  Mankato,  the  county  seat,  and  about  the 
same  distance  east  of  Burr  Oak.  It  gets  mail  by  rural  delivery  from 
Isbon.  Salem  was  laid  off  in  1872  and  was  at  one  time  one  of  the  im- 
portant little  towns  of  the  county.    The  population  in  1910  was  51. 

Salemsburg,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Saline  county,  is  located  in  Smoky 
View  township,  about  12  miles  south  of  Salina,  the  county  seat,  and 
about  4  miles  from  Smolan,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail  by  rural 
route.     The  population  in  1910  was  35. 

Salina,  the  metropolis  of  central  Kansas  and  judicial  seat  of  Saline 
county,  is  located  115  miles  west  of  Topeka,  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river 
about  8  miles  west  of  where  it  is  joined  by  the  Saline.  It  is  one  of  the 
leading  cities  of  Kansas,  especially  in  a  manufacturing  and  jobbing  way. 
Its  tributary  territory  includes  not  only  several  counties  in  the  central 
part  of  the  state,  but  also  three  or  four  tiers  of  counties  as  far  west  as 
the  state  line.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  railroad  facilities  with  which 
Salina  is  provided.  Four  lines — the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific, 
the  Missouri  Pacific,  the  Union  Pacific  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe — center  here,  affording  transportation  facilities  in  all  direc- 
tions. In  appearance  Salina  is  a  spacious,  well  built  and  well  kept 
town.  The  streets  are  wide,  paved  and  clean.  The  buildings  are  of 
good  size  and  substantial,  some  of  them  costly.  Shade  trees  line  some 
of  the  business  streets  as  well  as  those  in  the  residence  districts.  Among 
the  manufacturing  establishments  are  a  $50,000  alfalfa  mill,  flour  mills, 
vitrified  brick  plant,  planing  mill,  glove  factory,  foundry,  machine  shops, 
sunbonnet  factory,  creamery,  carriage  and  wagon  works,  cigar  fac- 
tories, body  brace  factory,  oil  refinery,  agricultural  implement  works, 
cold  storage  plant,  razor  strop  factory,  broom  and  mattress  factories,  etc. 
The  wholesale  and  jobbing  interests  represent  an  investment  of  $3,- 
000,000,  and  an  annual  distribution  of  $8,000,000  worth  of  goods.  There 
are  2  state  and  2  national  banks,  one  of  which  is  a  United  States  depos- 
itory. In  the  way  of  educational  institutions  there  are  a  hospital  and 
training  school  for  nurses,  four  colleges,  the  Salina  Wesleyan,  the  Salina 
Wesleyan  business  college,  Shelton's  school  of  telegraphy,  and  the  St. 
John's  Military  school,  6  newspapers — two  daily,  two  semi-weekly  and 
two  weekly — a  $15,000  Carnegie  library,  a  yearly  Chautauqua  assembly, 
an  opera  house  which  will  accommodate  3,000  people,  and  excellent 
graded  and  high  schools.  Some  of  the  best  buildings  include  a  $75,000 
Federal  building,  a  $60,000  convention  hall,  and  a  $50,000  cathedral. 
Salina  is  a  good  lodge  town,  and  has  14  churches.  Oak  Park  adds 
greatly  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  place.  There  are  ample  express  and 
telegraph  accommodations,  and  the  international  money  order  postoffice 
has  six  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  9,688. 

Salina  was  founded  by  Col.  W.  A.  Phillips,  in  1858.  Being  practically 
the  only  settlement  in  Saline  county  until  after  the  war,  the  early  history 
of  Salina  is  included  in  the  county  history.  (See  Saline  County.)  The 
original  town  company,  chartered  by  the  territorial  legislature  in  1859, 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


63s 


was  composed  of  W.  A.  Phillips,  A.  M.  Campbell,  James  Mmr,  Robert 
Crawford  and  A.   C.  Spillman.     The  survey  was  not  completed  until 
1862,  when  there  were  only  about  a  dozen  families  in  the  town.    Very 
little  progress  was  made  prior  to  the  coming  of  the  first  railroad,  the 
main  line  of  the  Union  Pacific,  which  was  built  as  far  as  Salina   in 
1867.     The  early  business  men  were  George  Pickard,  A.  M.  Campbell 
and  H.  L.  Jones.    Their  chief  trade  was  among  the  Indians,  whom  they 
furnished  with  provisions,  ammunition   and  a  poor  grade  of  whiskey. 
The  immigrants  for  Pike's  Peak,  New  Mexico  and  other  Western  points 
furnished  considerable  business  in  the  early   '60s.     With  the   coming 
of  the  railroad  four  new  additions  were  made  to  the  original  plat  of  the 
city.     They  were   the   Phillips,  Jones,   Calkins   and   the   "Depot"  addi- 
tions.    The  shanties  and  log  cabins  were  replaced  by  neat  frame  and 
stone  buildings,  a  school  house  and  churches  were  built.     C.  R.  Under- 
wood set  up  a  combination  grist  and  sawmill  in  1867.    The  court-house 
was  built  in  1871,  Salina  having  been  made  the  county  seat  in  i860.     A 
disastrous  fire  occurred  on  Christmas  day,  1871,  in  which  $20,000  worth 
of  property  in  the  business  part  of  the  town  was  destroyed.    The  build- 
ings thereafter  were  built  of  stone  and  brick.    The  next  year  Salina  be- 
came the  trading  place  for  the  cattle  men.    This  class  of  business  helped 
it  in  a  financial  way  but  had  its  undesirable  features.    A  number  of  new 
additions  were  made  in  the  '70s  and  several  manufacturing  plants  and 
other  buildings  were  put  up.     In  1874,  aside  from  the  grasshopper  dis- 
aster, which  was  common  to  all  Kansas,  Salina  was  swept  by  a  de- 
structive fire,  in  which  property  to  the  extent  of  $25,000  was  destroyed. 
Fire  limits  were  then  described  by  an  ordinance  and  frame  buildings 
forbidden  to  be  erected  within  those  limits.     Improvements  continued 
and  by  1880  the  town  took  on  a  metropolitan  appearance.     Large  stone 
and  brick  business  buildings  with  plate  glass  fronts,  fine  public  build- 
ings   and   parks,    good    school    and    magnificent    church    edifices    were 

erected. 

Salina  became  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1870,  with  C.  H.  Martin  as 
the  first  mayor.  In  1878  it  was  declared  a  city  of  the  second  class. 
The  first  newspaper  was  the  Salina  Herald,  established  in  1866  by  J.  F. 
Hanna  The  Salina  Journal  was  begun  in  1871  by  W.  H.  Johnson  and 
M.  D.  Sampson.  In  1895  another  fire  occurred  destroying  considerable 
property.  In  1903,  the  great  flood,  which  damaged  every  river  town  in 
Kansas,  did  much  damage  to  Salina. 

Saline  County,  one  of  the  central  counties  of  the  state,  is  the  fourth 
county  south  from  Nebraska,  and  the  eighth  from  the  Missouri  river, 
the  6th  principal  meridian  forming  its  eastern  boundary  line.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Ottawa  county;  on  the  east  by  Dickinson;  on 
the  south  by  McPherson,  and  on  the  west  by  Ellsworth  and  Lincoln. 
The  name  Saline  was  given  to  the  river,  and  later  to  the  county  on  ac- 
count of  the  salt  marshes  in  this  section. 

The  earliest  settlements  were  not  permanent.  The  first  one  of  which 
there  is  any  authentic  account  was  made  by  Preston  B.  Plumb,  after- 


636  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

wards  United  States  senator.  He  came  into  the  county  in  1856  with  a 
Mr.  Hunter  and  Maj.  Pierce  and  the  three  projected  a  town  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Saline  river  which  they  called  Mariposa.  The  place  was 
soon  afterward  abandoned,  a  cabin  and  a  well  being  the  extent  of  the 
improvements.  In  the  same  year  the  territorial  legislature  chartered 
what  was  known  as  the  "Buchanan  Town  company,"  of  which  Richard 
Mobley,  a  pro-slavery  man  and  later  a  member  of  the  Lecompton  consti- 
tutional convention,  was  president.  This  company  was  to  have  several 
thousand  acres  of  land.  A  site  was  selected  near  the  mouth  of  the  Solo- 
mon river  in  Saline  county,  and  a  town  was  laid  ofif  in  1857.  Eight  log 
cabins  were  built,  but  only  two  were  ever  occupied.  On  the  death  of 
his  child,  Mr.  Mobley  abandoned  the  town  project  and  Saline  county 
was  without  a  settler.  However,  a  permanent  settlement  was  made  the 
next  year  by  Col.  W.  A.  Phillips,  who  in  1857,  with  a  companion  by  the 
name  of  Smith,  had  made  a  tour  into  the  valleys  of  the  Saline  and  Solo- 
mon rivers  on  foot.  In  Feb.,  1858,  he  returned  with  A.  M.  Campbell  and 
James  Muir.  Passing  the  sites  of  the  two  former  settlements,  they 
made  their  way  up  the  Smoky  Hill  river  to  where  the  stream  turns  due 
south,  and  there  founded  the  town  of  Salina.  The  next  month  two 
brothers  named  Schipple,  who  had  erected  a  cabin  on  the  Saline  that 
winter,  came  and  settled  on  their  claim.  The  first  merchant  in  the 
county  was  George  Pickard,  who  built  a  store  and  brought  a  small  stock 
of  goods  to  Salina.  The  latter  was  an  arduous  task.  On  arriving  at 
the  Solomon  river  with  his  goods  he  found  the  government  bridge  had 
been  washed  out  by  the  floods,  as  were  the  bridges  over  the  Saline  and 
Smoky  Hill.  He  constructed  a  raft  of  skins  and  timbers,  with  which  he 
succeeded  in  getting  his  goods  over,  but  not  without  considerable  dam- 
age. A  number  of  new  settlers  arrived  during  the  year,  most  of  them 
settling  in  or  near  Salina.  Among  them  was  a  Dr.  Graw,  a  German  from 
Illinois,  who  in  the  absence  of  any  other  method  of  surveying,  measured 
oflf  with  a  string  a  piece  of  land,  which  he  supposed  to  be  a  mile  square, 
on  the  Saline,  and  proposed  to  build  a  town  by  the  name  of  Grawville. 
but  abandoned  the  idea. 

At  this  time  all  the  territory  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian  was 
called  the  "Arapaho  district."  Saline  .county  was  included  in  this  un- 
organized territory  until  Feb.,  1859,  when  the  legislature  passed  an  act 
organizing  and  defining  the  boundary  lines  of  five  counties,  of  which 
Saline  was  one.  The  same  act  designated  as  a  board  of  commissioners 
A.  C.  Spillman,  Israel  Markley  and  Charles  Holtzman.  These  men  met 
in  April,  i860,  elected  Charles  Holtzman,  chairman;  A.  C.  Spillman, 
clerk;  and  the  officers  were  sworn  in  by  Hugh  M.  Morrison,  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace.  Salina  was  named  by  the  act  as  the  temporary 
county  seat.  In  May,  the  commissioners  met  again  and  divided  the 
county  into  two  townships — Elm  Creek  and  Spring  Creek — and  ordered 
an  election  to  be  held  in  July,  i860.  At  this  election  the  following  offi- 
cers were  chosen :  D.  L.  Phillips,  Israel  Markley  and  Charles  Holtzman, 
commissioners ;  Jacob  Cass,  treasurer,  and  L.  F.  Parsons,  sheriff. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  637 

In  the  year  1859  many  improvements  were  made  in  Salina,  Israel 
Markley  being  the  prime  mover  in  building  enterprises.  That  spring 
a  perfect  stream  of  emigrants  for  Pike's  Peak  passed  through  the 
county.  The  stage  line  for  New  Mexico  also  came  this  way,  and  Salina 
being  the  farthest  town  west  became  quite  a  supply  station  for  trav- 
elers. A  hotel  was  built  by  Col.  Phillips,  with  lumber  which  he  hauled 
from  Kansas  City.  The  settlers  being  very  much  in  need  of  a  grist 
mill  and  a  sawmill,  Col.  Phillips  set  up  a  combination  grist  and  sawmill 
at  a  great  financial  loss  to  himself. 

When  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  nearly  all  the  able-bodied  men  in  Sa- 
lina enlisted  on  the  Union  side.  Among  those  who  entered  the  army 
W.  A.  Phillips  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel ;  L.  F.  Parsons  went  in  as  sec- 
ond lieutenant  and  came  out  as  captain ;  and  D.  L.  Phillips  was  mus- 
tered in  as  a  private  and  mustered  out  as  first  lieutenant.  During  the 
war  two  raids  were  made  into  Saline  county.  The  first  was  by  the 
Indians  in  the  early  part  of  1862.  The  settlers  heard  of  their  coming 
in  time  to  gather  at  Salina,  where  a  stockade  had  been  built.  The  red 
men  had  determined  upon  killing  every  settler  in  the  Smoky  Hill  val- 
ley. A  number  of  ranches  west  of  Salina  were  attacked  and  the  ranch- 
men killed,  but  when  the  Indians  reached  Salina  and  found  the  settlers 
ready  for  them  they  changed  their  course  without  molesting  the  stock- 
ade. The  second  raid  was  by  a  band  of  white  desperadoes  in  the  fall 
of  that  year.  They  rode  into  Salina,  taking  the  citizens  by  surprise, 
and  not  meeting  with  any  resistance,  limited  their  outrages  to  pillage. 
They  destroyed  everything  in  the  way  of  fire-arms  that  they  could  not 
take  with  them ;  appropriated  everything  of  value  they  found  in  resi- 
dences and  business  places ;  and  took  20  horses  and  6  mules,  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Kansas  Stage  company.  One  horse  was  accidentally  over- 
looked and  this  one  was  used  by  R.  H.  Bishop  to  carry  the  news  of  the 
raid  to  Fort  Riley.  A  detachment  of  soldiers  was  sent  out  but  the  bush- 
whackers had  escaped  "to  parts  unknown." 

The  first  election  at  which  a  full  county  ticket  was  chosen  was  held 
under  the  state  law  in  Nov.,  1861,  and  resulted  as  follows:  Commis- 
sioners, Henry  Whitley,  G.  Schippel  and  R.  H.  Bishop;  probate  judge, 
A.  A.  Morrison;  sheriff,  John  McReynolds;  treasurer,  Ransom  Calkin; 
county  clerk,  H.  H.  Morrison;  register  of  deeds,  PI.  H.  Flagg;  as- 
sessor, Robert  McReynolds;  surveyor,  James  R.  Mead;  coroner,  Robert 
Crawford;  justices  of  the  peace,  Daniel  Alverson  and  Peter  Giersch. 

During  the  war  Saline  county,  in  common  with  other  parts  of  the 
state,  made  no  progress.  As  soon  as  the  soldiers  returned,  however,  new 
life  came  into  the  western  settlements.  Up  to  that  time  the  settlement 
of  Saline  county  Vv'as  limited  to  the  vicinity  of  Salina.  In  1865  Ernst 
Hohneck  located  about  9  miles  west  of  Salina  and  established  a  ranch 
store  where  Bavaria  now  stands.  In  April,  1869,  a  large  colony  from 
the  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio  settled  at  this  point.  They  were  under 
the  leadership  of  John  Thorp,  and  the  township  was  named  after  their 
state.     By  1868  there  were  settlers  in  every  part  of  the  coimty,  and  that 


638  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

year  saw  a  large  increase  in  the  population.  In  August  word  reached 
Salina  of  the  Indian  raids  in  the  Republican,  upper  Saline  and  Solomon 
valleys,  where  they  were  murdering  and  outraging  settlers  on  every 
hand.  Gov.  Crawford  was  telegraphed  and  arrived  on  the  next  train. 
A  company  of  60  men  was  raised  as  fast  as  they  could  be  armed.  Gov. 
Crawford  took  command  and  proceeded  to  the  seat  of  trouble.  He 
went  north  into  Ottawa  county,  visited  Minneapolis  and  Delphos,  where 
he  sent  out  a  scouting  party  of  2  men — M.  J.  Mills  and  M.  D.  Simpson — 
the  main  body  retiring  to  Asherville.  The  scouts  went  as  far  as  Fort 
Sibley  in  Republic  county,  and  then,  seeing  no  Indians,  joined  the  main 
body  at  Asherville.  After  burying  several  men  who  had  been  scalped, 
and  several  children  whose  bodies  had  been  fastened  to  the  ground  by 
arrows,  the  company  returned  to  Salina  and  disbanded. 

Two  large  colonies — one  of  Swedes  numbering  75,  who  bought  20,000 
acres  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  and  another  of  Illinois  people 
numbering  60,  who  located  in  Smoky  View  and  Smolan  townships — 
were  added  to  the  strength  of  the  frontier,  and  enabled  Saline  county 
to  make  rapid  strides  in  improvements.  The  next  year  the  Ohio  colony 
came,  and  in  1870  a  colony  of  75  under  the  leadership  of  Eric  Forse, 
located  in  Falun  township.  Three  new  postofifices  were  established  in 
that  year:  Brookville,  in  Spring  Creek  township,  J.  W.  Hogan,  post- 
master ;  Falun,  Eric  Forse,  postmaster ;  and  Salemburg,  in  Smoky  View 
township,  J.  P.  Clarkson,  postmaster.  Hohneck,  in  Ohio  township,  had 
been  established  in  1867,  with  Ernst  Hohneck  as  postmaster,  and  Sa- 
lina in  1861,  with  A.  M.  Campbell,  postmaster.  Before  the  postoffice 
was  established  at  Salina,  there  was  no  office  west  of  Fort  Riley.  The 
Saline  county  people  had  their  mail  forwarded  from  Lawrence,  and  it 
never  reached  them  oftener  than  once  in  two  weeks. 

The  first  Saline  county  people  to  be  married  were  A.  M.  Campbell 
and  Christina  A.  Phillips,  in  1858.  There  being  no  minister  or  justice 
of  the  peace  in  the  vicinity,  they  were  obliged  to  travel  60  miles  to 
Riley  county  to  be  married.  The  first  white  child  born  in  the  county 
was  their  daughter,  Christina  Campbell,  born  in  Oct.,  1859. 

Saline  county  is  divided  into  19  civil  townships,  the  dates  of  organiza- 
tion being  as  follows:  Elm  Creek,  i860;  Spring  Creek,  i860,  disorgan- 
ized in  1862  and  reorganized  in  1869;  Cambria,  1878;  Dayton,  1877; 
Eureka,  i860;  Falun,  1873;  Glendale,  1880;  Greeley,  1879;  Gypsum, 
1871 ;  Liberty,  1872;  Ohio,  1871 ;  Pleasant  Valley,  1875;  Smoky  Hill, 
1871 ;  Smoky  View,  1874;  Smolan,  1874;  Solomon,  1867;  Summit,  1880; 
Walnut,  1869;  Washington,  1874.  Some  of  the  early  towns  which  have 
disappeared  from  the  map  were  Crow-n  Point,  Dry  Creek,  Gypsum  Creek, 
Pliny,  Poheta  and  Torry.  The  towns  and  postoffices  in  1910  were  Sa- 
lina, Assaria,  Bavaria,  Bridgeport,  Brookville,  Falun,  Gypsum,  Kipp, 
Mentor,  New   Cambria,  Salemsburg,  Smolan,  Strickler  and  Wonderly. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  level  bottom  lands,  rolling  prairie  and 
highlands,  having  about  an  equal  area  of  each.  The  Saline  and  Smoky 
Hill  rivers  meet  near  the  eastern  line  and  the  bottom  lands  along  their 


KANSAS    HISTORY  639 

banks  form  a  basin  through  the  central  part  of  the  county,  the  sides 
of  which  are  much  higher  on  the  north  than  on  the  south.  There  is 
a  range  of  high  hills  near  the  southern  boundary  called  "Smoky  Hill 
Buttes" ;  an  elevation  on  the  north  called  "North  Pole  Mound," ;  one 
8  miles  east  of  Salina  known  as  "Iron  Mound,"  and  in  the  west  rises 
"Soldier  Cap."  Limestone,  sandstone,  gypsum  and  salt  are  found  in 
considerable  quantities.  The  Solomon  river  flows  across  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  county;  the  Saline  enters  on  the  northern  boundary 
and  flows  southeast;  the  Smoky  Hill  enters  from  the  south,  flows  north 
to  Salina  and  from  there  east  about  8  miles,  where  it  is  joined  by  the 
Saline.  The  smaller  streams  are  the  Gypsum,  Hobbs,  Dry,  Spring, 
Mulberry  and  Buckeye  creeks. 

The  area  is  720  square  miles,  or  460,000  acres,  about  two-thirds  of 
which  are  under  cultivation.  The  total  value  of  farm  products  for  1910 
was  more  than  $4,000,000.  The  corn  crop  was  worth  $1,250,000;  wheat 
over  $500,000;  animals  marketed  amounted  to  over  $1,000,000;  the  as- 
sessed valuation  of  property  was  about  $42,000,000.  The  population  in 
1910  was  20,338,  which  makes  the  wealth  per  capita  about  $2,000. 

Saline  county  is  well  supplied  with  railroads.  The  first  one  built  was 
the  Union  Pacific,  which  reached  Salina  in  1867.  The  main  line  enters 
in  the  northeast  and  crosses  the  county  into  Ellsworth,  passing  through 
Salina,  where  two  branches  diverge,  one  going  south,  and  the  other 
northwest.  A  branch  of  the  same  road  passes  through  the  northeastern 
corner.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  enter  from  Solomon  and  terminate  at  Salina.  The  Mis- 
souri Pacific  enters  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  and  diverges 
at  Gypsum,  one  branch  running  to  Salina  and  the  other  southwest  into 
McPherson  county.  Another  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  enters  in 
the  southwest  and  crosses  northeast  to  Salina. 

Saline  River,  the  principal  tributary  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  has  its 
source  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Thomas  county.  For  the  first  60 
miles  its  general  course  is  almost  due  east  across  the  southern  part  of 
Thomas  and  Sheridan  counties.  It  then  turns  slightly  to  the  south, 
continuing  a  general  eastward  course,  however,  across  the  northern 
part  of  Graham  and  Ellis  counties ;  thence  across  Russell  county  a  lit- 
tle north  of  the  center ;  eastward  through  Lincoln  county ;  across  the 
southwest  corner  of  Ottawa,  where  it  turns  sharply  to  the  southeast 
and  empties  into  the  Smoky  Plill  a  fevv  miles  below  the  city  of  Salina, 
in  Saline  county.  Schoolcraft  mentions  a  legendary  tin  mine  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Saline  "about  40  miles  west  of  the  Pottawatomie  coun- 
try." The  total  length  of  the  stream  is  about  250  miles.  It  is  not 
navigable  and  has  no  large  tributaries. 

Salt. — The  salt  industry  was  100  years  old  in  America  when  the  salt 
beds  of  Kansas  were  discovered.  About  the  middle  of  the  17th  century 
when  New  York  state  was  mostly  Indian  reservations,  the  Jesuit  mis- 
sionaries heard  of  certain  springs  which  were  regarded  with  supersti- 
tion and  said  to  contain  demons.    Investigation  of  these  springs  resulted 


640  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

in  the  manufacture  of  salt  from  them  by  the  Indians  and  traders.  In 
1788  a  systematic  manufacture  of  salt  was  pursued  near  Syracuse,  and 
the  next  year  200  barrels  were  produced  from  this  region.  Later  a  salt 
premium  was  ofifered  by  the  state  for  any  salt  produced  on  the  New 
York  reservation.  In  1878  rock  salt  was  discovered  beneath  the  surface, 
and  the  manufacture  of  salt  from  brines  became  a  great  industry  in 
central  New  York.  Salt  is  now  produced  in  Michigan,  Pennsylvania, 
Ohio,  West  Virginia,  Louisiana,  Nevada,  Utah,  California  and  Kansas. 

In  Kansas  there  are  large  areas  which  contain  salt  on  the  surface, 
or  within  drilling  distance  of  the  surface,  but  the  most  valuable  and 
important  district  is  in  the  central  part  of  the  state,  extending  from 
the  northern  to  the  southern  boundary.  The  salt  is  found  first  as  brines 
in  salt  marshes,  where  it  is  left  on  the  surface  by  evaporation  in  the 
dry  season,  producing  the  so-called  salt  plains.  Second  the  rock  salt, 
which  is  found  at  varying  distances  beneath  the  surface.  Third  the 
greater  part  of  the  Permian  and  coal  measure  shales,  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state  contain  so  much  salt  and  other  minerals  that  water 
obtained  from  deep  wells  is  quite  strongly  saturated. 

The  University  geological  survey  of  Kansas  says  the  salt  marshes 
are  found  in  a  zone  trending  a  little  east  of  north  and  west  of  south  from 
Republic  county  to  Barber  county,  and  to  the  Cimarron  river  in  Okla- 
homa. One  of  the  earliest  marshes  known,  and  one  of  the  first  described, 
is  the  Tuthill  marsh  in  the  southern  part  of  Republic  county.  This 
marsh,  which  covers  about  1,000  acres,  is  thus  described:  "When  the 
sun  is  bright  and  shines  upon  the  encrusted  soil,  in  the  distance  the  ap- 
pearance is  like  that  of  a  chain  of  lakes,  and  indeed  a  much  closer  inspec- 
tion is  necessary  to  destroy  the  illusion.  A  stream  of  fresh  water  flows 
in  from  the  east,  but  disappears,  nor  does  it  dissolve  very  much  saline 
matter  in  its  course.  The  saline  incrustation  is  usually  thick  after  a 
period  of  drought  but  ordinarily  it  is  thin  and  in  some  places  plumose, 
as  if  brought  to  the  surface  by  the  moisture  of  the  soil.  Mr.  Tuthill  was 
the  pioneer  salt  manufacturer.  His  process  was  to  collect  salt  scales 
from  over  the  marsh  and  dissolve  them  in  water,  after  the  earthy  im- 
purities settled,  to  siphon  off  the  clear  brine,  evaporate  it  to  dryness  to 
recover  the  salt.  When  the  weather  was  imfavorable  to  the  formation 
of  salt  scales  he  pumped  brine  from  small  wells.  The  brine  was  evap- 
orated in  large  kettles  in  accordance  with  the  process  of  the  times.  Mr. 
Tuthill  marketed  his  salt  at  Manhattan  in  the  early  '60s  and  is  said  to 
have  received  10  cents  a  pound  for  it.  Mr.  Tuthill's  marsh  and  other 
similar  marshes  of  the  state  were  of  great  value  to  hunters  in  early 
times.  They  would  come  here  to  'jerk'  their  bufifalo  meat.  In  case 
they  were  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  wait  to  evaporate  the  brine  and  get 
the  crystalized  salt  they  would  dip  the  meat  and  hides  into  the  strongest 
pool  of  brine  and  then  dry  them  in  the  sunshine  or  by  the  fire.  When 
a  considerable  quantity  of  meat  was  to  be  'jerked'  they  would  cut  it 
into  long  strips,  boil  the  brine  in  kettles  hung  over  a  fire  of  buffalo 
chips,  dip  the  meat  into  the  strong  hot  brine  and  lay  it  out  to  dry  in 


KANSAS    HISTORY  64I 

the  sunshine  or  on  a  lattice  work  made  of  green  poles  supported  on  four 
posts,  with  a  fire  under  it.  In  this  way  200  or  300  pounds  could  be  cured 
in  5  or  6  hours." 

Previous  to  the  admission  of  Kansas  into  the  Union  the  salt  marshes 
were  thought  to  be  of  great  value  and  by  act  of  Congress  12  salt  springs 
with  6  sections  of  land  adjoining  a  contiguous  as  may  be  to  each  were 
granted  to  the  state.  (Admission  act,  Sec.  3.)  These  reserves  became 
part  of  the  endowment  of  the  state  normal  school.  In  1863  the  legisla- 
ture passed  an  act  to  encourage  the  manufacture  of  salt,  by  paying  a 
premium  of  10  cents  per  bushel  "for  the  first  10,000  bushels  of  mer- 
chantable salt,"  actually  manufactured  and  to  be  sold ;  Provided,  "that 
such  premium  shall  not  be  paid  upon  less  than  500  bushels  at  a  time." 
There  was  during  this  early  period  great  faith  in  the  prospect  of  pro- 
ducing salt  from  springs,  marshes  and  wells.  A  salt  spring  near  Solo- 
mon City,  Dickinson  county,  attracted  the  attention  of  prospectors  and 
in  1867  C.  W.  Davis,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  drilled  a  well  there  which 
produced  excellent  brine.  Other  wells  were  drilled  with  good  results, 
and  the  National  Salt  company  was  organized.  It  obtained  salt  by 
solar  evaporation. 

In  a  report  on  salt  Mr.  Hay  says  that  in  the  years  preceding  i888 
the  National  Solar  Salt  company  was  the  sole  reason  that  Kansas  was 
placed  on  the  list  of  salt  producing  states.  The  most  important  salt 
marshes  as  enumerated  by  Mr.  Hay  in  1893  were :  i — Geuda  springs  on 
the  line  of  Cowley  and  Sumner  counties ;  2 — Some  miles  northwest 
from  No.  i  in  Sumner  county;  3 — The  great  marsh  in  the  northeast  part 
of  Stafford  county ;  4 — The  little  marsh  south  by  east  from  No.  3,  Staf- 
ford county;  5 — On  Rattlesnake  creek,  Lincoln  county;  7  and  8 — Great 
and  Little  marshes  on  Salt  creek  in  Mitchell  county;  9 — On  Plum 
creek,  4  miles  northeast  of  Beloit;  10 — On  Big  Marsh  creek,  in  Cloud, 
Republic  and  Jewell  counties;  11 — In  Little  Marsh  creek,  in  northwest 
Cloud  county;  12 — Tuthill's  marsh,  in  southeast  Republic  county. 

In  1884  natural  gas  was  discovered  in  Ohio,  and  by  1886  the  great 
gas  excitement  pervaded  Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia  and  Indiana. 
Memories  of  gas  wells  near  Paola  and  lola  influenced  many  Kansans 
to  drill  for  gas.  Drillings  in  the  central  part  of  the  state,  at  Lyons, 
Kanopolis,  Hutchinson  and  Kingman,  failed  to  find  gas  but  revealed 
deposits  of  rock  salt,  starting  the  salt  industry  in  that  region.  Analysis 
of  salt  from  these  localities  showed  it  to  be  of  very  pure  quality.  The 
elements  consisted  of  sodium  chloride,  99.70  per  cent,  to  99.78  per  cent.; 
insoluble  residue,  .02  per  cent. ;  magnesium  chloride,  .03  to  .05  per  cent. ; 
cent.;  calcium  sulphate,  .08  to  .17  per  cent.;  sodium  sulphate,  .00  to  .10 
per  cent.;  calcium  chloride,  .00  to  .16  per  cent,,  the  salt  being  more  than 
993^  per  cent.  pure.  Plants  were  erected  for  its  manufacture  and  pro- 
duction. The  depth  of  the  shafts  for  the  mining  of  salt  varied  from 
700  to  1,065  feet,  and  usually  were  7  by  16  feet  in  size,  allowing  space 
for  transportation  and  ventilation.  These  mines  ship  large  quantities 
of  salt  for  salting  stock,  hides,  packing,  for  use  in  ice  cream  freezers, 
(II-41) 


642  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

domestic  use  and  other  purposes.  While  the  himp  or  crushed  rock 
salt  is  not  freed  from  impurities,  except  in  a  very  hasty  sort  of  way  like 
the  removal  of  impure  lumps,  it  is  superior  to  the  evaporated  salt  for 
many  purposes.  The  greater  portion  of  the  salt  made  in  Kansas  is  by 
the  evaporation  of  brines.  There  are  several  processes  of  evaporation, 
known  as  the  pan  process,  the  grainer  process,  the  vacuum  process  and 
the  solar  process.  "The  common  method  employed  to  procure  the 
brine  is  to  bore  a  well  say  5  inches  in  diameter.  Then  this  is  tubed, 
and  inside  this  tube  a  smaller  one — say  3  inches  in  diameter — is  placed. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  force  the  water  down  in  one  tube,  when  it  will 
become  saturated  and  be  forced  up  the  other  tube.  The  stream  of  water 
introduced  is  such  that  the  overflowing  stream  shall  be  saturated  or  at 
least  shall  stand  above  90  by  the  saltometer." 

The  brine  is  stored  in  convenient  tanks  until  it  can  be  evaporated.  In 
the  pan  process  of  evaporation,  direct  heat  is  used.  The  pan  consists  of 
a  wrought  iron  vessel  about  125  by  25  feet,  and  about  12  inches  deep. 
A  coal  fire  (usually  slack  is  used  for  fuel)  is  built  beneath  one  end  of 
this  pan,  and  the  products  of  combustion  pass  under  the  whole  length 
of  the  pan.  The  brine  is  allowed  to  trickle  into  the  pan  in  a  slow  but 
constant  stream.  The  first  division  of  the  pan  (and  in  some  cases  sev- 
eral divisions)  is  so  arranged  that  the  brine  can  be  retained  there  till 
it  has  been  evaporated  sufficiently  for  it  to  deposit  some  of  its  impuri- 
ties, especiall}'^  the  calcium  sulphate.  When  this  has  been  accomplished, 
the  brine,  which  is  now  saturated  with  salt,  is  allowed  to  flow  into  the 
last  division  of  the  pan,  where  the  heat  is  not  so  intense.  Here  the  salt 
crystallizes  and  falls  to  the  bottom  of  the  pan,  where  it  is  removed 
every  two  hours  with  long  handled  rakes,  drained  for  some  time  and 
then  dried  and  put  in  sacks  for  shipment. 

The  grainer  process  is  an  American  system,  and  was  devised  for  the 
purpose  of  producing  salt  cheaplj-  from  comparatively  weak  brines. 
"The  'brine  is  first  run  from  the  storage  reservoir  into  a  large  wooden 
tank,  which  is  heated  by  waste  steam.  This  is,  in  fact,  a  purifying  tank, 
and  the  calcium  sulphate  is  allowed  to  deposit  here.  Afterward,  the 
brine  is  run  into  a  long,  rectangular  wooden  pan,  which  is  heated  by 
steam  pipes,  running  backward  and  forward  across  the  bottom  of  the 
pan.  In  this  process  the  raking  is  only  performed  occasionally.  As 
after  a  while,  gypsum  incrusts  the  pipes,  the  brine  is  drawn  off,  and 
the  incrustation  may  be  readily  removed."  The  salt  after  being  raked 
or  removed  from  the  pan,  is  drained  and  dried  as  in  other  processes. 

The  solar  process  was  used  in  the  plant  at  Solomon  City,  the  heat  of 
the  sun  being  used  for  evaporation.  In  this  process  the  brine  was  ob- 
tained from  a  well  about  100  feet  deep.  The  brine  pumped  from  the 
well  is  run  into  a  series  of  tanks.  "In  the  first  series,  the  concentration 
is  allowed  to  proceed  till  the  impurities,  especially  calcium  sulphate, 
deposit,  and  then,  after  the  salt  begins  to  crystallize,  the  brine  is  allowed 
to  run  into  other  tanks,  when  the  process  is  completed.  As  the  crystal- 
ization  proceeds  very  slowly,  the  crystals  are  large,  often  quite  perfect. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  643 

and  of  characteristic  hopper  shape.  Wooden  covers  are  arranged  to 
sHde  over  tlie  vats  to  protect  the  sah  from  frequent  showers,  and  from 
dust.  If  the  covers  are  used  at  night,  considerable  of  the  heat  absorbed 
by  the  brine  during  the  day  is  retained.  The  purity  of  the  product  de- 
pends on  the  care  used  in  allowing  the  brine  to  settle  and  in  carrying 
the  first  concentration  far  enough  to  precipitate  a  large  portion  of  cal- 
cium sulphate." 

The  works  at  Solomon  City  sometimes  added  crushed  rock  salt.  This 
mixture  did  not  yield  a  product  as  good  as  that  made  from  native  brine. 
The  solar  evaporation  is  used  very  largely  in  some  states,  especially 
California,  where  the  largest  part  of  the  output  is  obtained  in  that 
manner. 

In  the  vacuum  process  the  apparatus  consists  of  a  kettle  which  is  con- 
nected with  a  vacuum  pump  so  that  the  brine  may  be  boiled  at  a  lower 
temperature.  The  salt  that  is  formed  is  automatically  carried  away  and 
fresh  brine  is  at  the  same  time  supplied  to  the  pan  as  rapidly  as  evap- 
orated. This  method  of  salt  manufacturing  is  used  in  the  most  modern 
and  complete  plants.  As  the  machinery  for  this  process  is  costly  only 
the  largest  producers  use  it.  The  largest  plant  in  the  state,  and  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  United  States — The  Hutchinson,  Kansas  Salt  com- 
pany— has  installed  multiple  vacuum  pan  machinery. 

The  large  salt  beds  are  found  near  Ellsworth,  Lyons,  Great  Bend, 
Kanopolis,  Sterling,  Kingman,  Anthony  and  Wellington.  The  deposit 
in  all  of  these  places  was  found  to  be  from  50  to  over  400  feet  thick. 
The  statistics  of  Kansas,  which  in  1909  ranked  fourth  among  the  salt 
producing  states,  are  as  follows:  In  1899,  2,172,000  barrels  were  pro- 
duced; in  1903,  1,455,582  barrels,  the  average  price  of  which  was  50 
cents,  the  total  value  $800,730.74;  in  1909  the  production  reached  2,360,- 
000  barrels  of  280  pounds  each. 

Salt  Lake  Trail. — The  history  of  this  trail  through  Kansas  is  sub- 
stantially the  history  of  the  Oregon,  Mormon  and  California  trails  (q.  v.). 
Emigrants  for  the  Salt  Lake  Valley  and  California  went  by  way  of  the 
Oregon  trail  to  a  point  near  Soda  Spring,  Idaho,  where  the  road  branched 
oft"  and  the  name  of  Salt  Lake  trail  properly  applies  only  to  that  portion 
from  southern  Idaho  to  the  Salt  Lake  valley. 

Saltville,  one  of  the  inland  hamlets  of  Mitchell  county,  is  located  on 
Salt  creek  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county,  about  12  miles  south 
of  Beloit,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  northwest  of  Barnard,  from  which 
place  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.     The  population  in   1910  was  25. 

Salvationists. — The  bodies  of  this  religious  sect  are  two  in  number: 
The  Salvation  Army  and  the  American  Salvation  Army.  The  history 
of  the  organization  dates  back  to  1865,  when  William  Booth,  a  minister 
of  the  New  Connection  Methodists  began  to  hold  open  air  meetings  in 
London,  England,  in  order  to  reach  the  great  masses  of  people  in  that 
^reat  city  who  did  not  attend  any  of  the  established  churches.  The 
attendance  increased,  meetings  were  held  in  a  tent,  then  a  theater,  the 
movement  became  known  as  the  East  End  mission,  then  the  Christian 


644  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

mission.  For  nearly  thirteen  years  little  attention  was  paid  to  this  or- 
ganization. Then  a  great  revival  took  place.  The  crowds  increased, 
evangelists  were  sent  out  to  other  fields,  and  in  one  of  the  seaport  towns 
an  evangelist  was  spoken  of  as  "captain"  in  order  to  attract  sailors  to 
his  meetings.  When  it  was  learned  that  Mr.  Booth  was  coming  he 
was  announced  as  "general"  and  the  secretary  wrote  in  preparing  the 
program,  "The  Christian  Mission  of  a  Volunteer  Army."  When  Mr. 
Booth  looked  it  over  he  erased  the  word  volunteer  and  substituted  sal- 
vation, and  the  title  Salvation  Army  was  accepted  as  the  most  appro- 
priate for  the  work  which  was  being  undertaken. 

At  first  the  movement  was  looked  upon  by  both  Mr.  Booth  and  his 
wife  as  supplementary  to  the  work  of  the  churches,  but  it  enlarged  and 
finally  developed  into  a  distinctive  movement  with  a  people  of  its  own. 
From  the  first  eliforts  were  made  to  care  for  the  physical  needs  of  the 
destitute,  soup  kitchens  were  established  for  relief,  various  experiments 
were  made  for  the  redemption  of  the  "submerged  tenth,"  which  gradually 
worked  out  under  the  three  divisions  of  city  colonies,  land  colonies 
and  over-sea  colonies. 

One  of  the  first  officers  to  come  to  America  to  superintend  the  work 
was  Thomas  E.  Moore.  Disagreements  arose  between  him  and  Mr. 
Booth,  who  contended  that  part  of  the  revenues  raised  in  America 
should  go  to  England,  as  the  work  of  the  army  was  world  wide  and  no 
member  should  call  any  country  his  own.  Moore  believed  that  m.oney 
raised  in  this  country  should  be  expended  here,  and  this  led,  in  1882, 
to  the  formation  of  an  independent  army  in  the  United  States.  It  was 
incorporated  in  1884  and  an  amended  charter  was  granted  in  1885  under 
the  name  of  Salvation  Army  of  America.  Subsequent  changes  led  to  the 
organization  of  the  American  Salvation  Army.  The  old  army  is  military 
in  organization  but  sufficiently  democratic  to  include  persons  of  every 
social  grade  within  its  ranks.  It  has  no  formal  creed,  pays  little  atten- 
tion to  doctrinal  differences,  and  in  general  character  is  Arminian  rather 
than  Calvinistic.  The  government  of  the  army  is  somewhat  autocratic. 
The  general  is  assisted  by  officers  of  every  grade  and  rank,  commissioned 
after  passing  the  examinations  of  the  training  schools  and  giving  evi- 
dence of  ability  for  the  work.  Soldiers  are  usually  persons  following 
their  work  by  day  and  giving  their  services  of  evenings,  and  are  seldom 
paid.  Officers  receive  their  support,  but  no  more,  and  each  corps  is 
expected  to  be  self-supporting. 

The  Salvationists  became  established  in  Kansas  in  the  '80s  by  set- 
tlers from  the  East.  In  1890  there  were  12  organizations  in  the  state, 
one  in  each  of  the  following  counties :  Bourbon,  Butler,  Cowley,  Doug- 
las, Franklin,  Harvey,  Miami,  Montgomery,  Neosho,  Sedgwick,  Shaw- 
nee and  Sumner,  with  a  total  membership  of  307.  During  the  next  fif- 
teen years  the  organizations  increased  to  16  and  the  membership  to  555. 
In  this  state  the  Salvation  army  has  not  the  large  membership  that  it- 
has  where  there  are  great  cities,  but  it  has  done  a  good  work  in  the 
towns  where  the  organizations  are  located. 


645 

KANSAS    HISTORY 


Sanborn.  Franklin  B..  journalist  and  author  w- J,-  at  Ha.r.pton. 
N.  H.,  Dec.  15.  1831,  a  son  of  Aaron  and  Lydia  ( ^e^v^^^^  ^^^^^  ^f  ^^e 
graduated  at  Harvard  in  1855  and  the  next  >J^^  became  s^^";^  y  ^^^^ 
llassachusetts  State  Kansas  Comm.  ee  w  very  a  -  ^^^^^^^^^_ 
state  cause:  was  chairman  of  the  boaid  of  ^^a^e J^j^^^ 
setts  from  1874  to  1876,  and  -^P-^-^^.^tlt  "  CoTeg  f  and  atTe 
He  was  a  lecturer  at  Cornell  .^'"'^^^'^^^'^^f 'ff  ^^e  founders  of  the 
Concord,  Mass.,  School  of  Ph>losophy  -^^  °;^\  '^  ^^5 ^'°  Association, 
American    Social    Science    ^ssooat  on     National  Jr  so  ^^^^_ 

National   conference   of  char.t.es    ^arke   School    o^     he  - 

chusetts  infant  asylum,  and  tl-/;0-;'-d  ^  ^o°l  °  ^  Jh  ^^^^^^^ 
secretary  or  president  of  most  of  these,  between  tie  yea  7^ 
he  was  editor  of  the  Boston   Commonweal  h^Spn   he  d        p  ^^ 

Journal  of  Social   Sc-ce,  and   .ssued  abovy^^  ^, 

societies  between    1865  and    1888     is   the   aujno  s 

Emerson.  Thoreau.   Alcott,  Dr.   S.   G-   How       "d  Dr.   E^^^^^ 

'^Sdago.   a  hamlet  in  Stafford  ^^^ ^^^tl::^:::^.:^ 

^i^^^'^SvN^rtie^t^^ 

;  L^Momto^l^d^^  Repubtin).  a  number  oi  r.^^^^^ 
professional  men  of  all  lines,  and  a  money  order  postofhce  with  one 
route     The  population  in  1910  was  150.  ,■  u   t     a    Tr^v 

The  town  was  founded  in  1886  by  a  company  of  which  J.  AG  ay 
son  of  Chicago,  was  president.  The  county  seat  struggle  "^^  ted  ma 
victory  fosL  a  Fe  over  Ivanhoe,  and  the  latter  was  moved  to  San  a 
Fe°ate  Vn  the  fall  of  1887.  The  depression  which  followed  the  early 
Ln^  las  hastened  and  made  much  more  severe  by  a  contest  between 
theTwr  baik  of  the'own.  The  citizens  took  sides  in  the  figjt,  which 
the  two  oauKb  financial  war  was  waged.  Finally 

:::  liZt  t:^tZsZ:f:n,  the  other  voluntarily  dosed  its  doors 
Xn  $20000  of  the  county  funds  were  on  deposit.  For  twenty  years 
"mes  we;e  hard  but  the  recent  good  crops  and  the  new  railroad  have 
revived  the  town  and  made  it  more  prosperous.  ,u       ,  -^ 

Santa  Fe  Trail.-Some  writers  have  attempted  to  set  up  the  claim 
that  this  famous  route  had  a  prehistoric  existence  and  that  it  was  ol- 
owed  by  the  Coronado  expedition  in  1540.  In  July,  I739,  the  Mallet 
brothers  reached  Santa  Fe  from  the  East,  but  there  is  no  authentic 
account  to  show  that  they  traveled  along  the  line  of  the  trail  The 
earnest  trading  expedition  to  the  Spanish  settlements  in  the  Southwes 
was  organized  under  French  auspices  in  Louisiana  about  the  middle  of 


646  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  i8th  century.  This  expedition  passed  up  the  Arkansas  river  and 
established  a  trading  post  near  the  present  city  of  Pueblo,  Col.,  but 
after  Louisiana  was  ceded  to  Spain  by  the  treaty  of  Fontainebleau  the 
French  traders  were  driven  out  by  the  Spaniards.  It  is  probable  that 
the  first  white  man  to  traverse  the  country  as  a  trader  between  the 
United  States  and  Santa  Fe,  following  approximately  the  route  which 
later  became  so  widely  known  as  the  "Santa  Fe  Trail,"  was  Baptiste  La 
Lande  (q.  v.),  who  went  from  Kaskaskia,  111.,  as  the  agent  of  William 
Morrison,  in  the  summer  of  1804. 

The  publication  of  Lieut.  Pike's  report  of  his  expedition  "to  the  sources 
of  the  Arkansas,"  etc.,  aroused  a  general  interest  in  the  trade  with  Santa 
Fe — a  trade  which  promised  large  profits.  However,  the  Mexican  revo- 
lution, which  began  in  1810  and  ended  in  making  the  country  a  republic 
in  1821,  prevented  the  trade  from  assuming  any  considerable  proportions 
until  after  the  restoration  of  peace.  As  the  caravans  were  compelled  to 
pass  through  the  Indian  country,  and  as  some  of  the  tribes  along  the 
route  were  inclined  to  show  a  hostility  to  this  constant  stream  of  travel 
through  their  territory,  a  movement  was  started  to  have  the  United 
States  government  establish  a  highway  from  some  point  in  Missouri  to 
New  Mexico.  A  bill  to  that  effect  was  introduced  in  Congress  and  was 
championed  by  Thomas  H.  Benton,  of  Missouri,  and  other  western  mem- 
bers. In  a  speech  on  the  measure,  Mr.  Benton  said :  "The  road  which 
is  contemplated  will  trespass  upon  the  soil  or  infringe  upon  the  juris- 
diction of  no  state  whatever.  It  runs  a  course  and  distance  to  avoid  all 
that;  for  it  begins  on  the  outside  line  of  the  outside  state,  and  runs 
directly  off  toward  the  setting  sun.  The  Congress  and  the  Indians  are 
alone  to  be  consulted  and  the  statute  books  are  full  of  precedents." 

On  March  3,  1825,  only  one  day  before  he  retired  from  the  office, 
President  Monroe  approved  a  bill  authorizing  the  president  "to  cause 
a  road  to  be  marked  out  from  the  western  frontier  of  Missouri  to  the 
confines  of  New  Mexico,"  and  to  appoint  three  commissioners  to  carry 
out  the  provisions  of  the  act.  The  commissioners  appointed  were 
Thomas  Mather,  George  C.  Sibley  and  Benjamin  H.  Reeves.  They 
left  St.  Louis  in  June  with  7  wagons  and  about  30  men.  Their  report 
states  that  on  Aug.  10  they  "met  the  chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  Great 
and  Little  Osage  Nations  at  a  place  called  the  Council  Grove,  on  the 
river  Neozho,  160  miles  from  Fort  Osage,  and  have,  after  due  delibera- 
tion and  consultation,  agreed  to  the  following  treaty,  which  is  to  be 
considered  binding  on  the  said  Great  and  Little  Osages,  from  and  after 
this  day." 

The  treaty  thus  referred  to  provided  that,  in  consideration  of  the  sum 
of  $500,  to  be  paid  to  the  chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  Osages  in  money  or 
goods  at  their  option,  they  gave  the  United  States  the  privilege  of  sur- 
veying and  marking  the  road  through  their  territory.  They  further 
agreed  to  commit  no  hostile  acts  against  persons  traveling  along  the 
road,  and  to  permit  them  to  go  a  reasonable  distance  on  either  side 
thereof  to  find  suitable  camping  places  and  subsistence  for  their  animals. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  647 

On  Aug.  16,  1825,  a  similar  treaty  was  made  with  the  Kansas  Indians, 
and  between  that  time  and  the  fall  of  1827  Joseph  C.  Brown  surveyed  the 
road  from  Fort  Osage  to  Taos,  not  far  from  Santa  Fe.  Prentis,  in  his 
History  of  Kansas,  says: 

"It  was  a  great  road,  775  miles  long,  550  miles  of  which  were  in  Kan- 
sas, a  hard,  smooth  thoroughfare,  from  60  to  100  feet  wide.  It  had  not 
a  bridge  in  its  whole  extent,  and  was  the  best  natural  road  of  its  length 
ever  known  in  the  world.  In  token  that  it  had  come  to  stay,  the  broad- 
faced,  yellow  sunflower,  since  chosen  by  Kansas  people  as  an  emblem 
of  their  state,  sprang  up  on  either  side  where  the  wheels  had  broken 
the  soil  along  the  wild  highway." 

In  the  early  history  of  the  Santa  Fe  trade,  the  outfitting  point  was 
at  Old  Franklin,  Mo.,  but  a  large  part  of  that  town  was  undermined  by 
the  river  and  the  outfitting  business  was  transferred  to  Independence, 
Mo.,  which  place  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  eastern  terminus  of  the 
Santa  Fe  trail.  After  the  landing  at  Independence  was  obstructed  by 
the  formation  of  a  sand  bar  in  1826,  the  town  of  Westport  (now  Kan- 
sas City)  came  in  to  prominence  as  an  outfitting  point.  Prior  to  1824 
goods  were  transported  on  the  backs  of  horses  or  mules.  In  1824  a 
party  of  80  men  left  Independence  with  25  wagons  loaded  with  goods 
and  also  a  large  number  of  pack  animals.  This  was  the  largest  party 
that  up  to  that  time  had  engaged  in  the  trade,  and  it  doubtless  wielded 
considerable  influence  on  Congress  in  securing  the  passage  of  the  act 
already  mentioned. 

The  trail  entered  Kansas  in  what  is  now  Oxford  township,  Johnson 
county,  whence  it  followed  a  course  a  little  south  of  west  through  Doug- 
las, Osage  and  Lyon  counties  to  Council  Grove.  A  road  from  Westport 
joined  the  main  trail  about  where  the  town  of  Olathe  now  stands,  and 
another  from  Fort  Leavenworth  united  with  the  trail  at  Wilmington,  in 
the  southeast  corner  of  Wabaunsee  county.  Over  these  various  roads 
came  small  trading  parties  which  met  at  Council  Grove  and  formed  a 
caravan  for  crossing  the  great  plains.  From  Council  Grove,  still  pur- 
suing a  southwesterly  direction,  the  trail  ran  through  the  present  coun- 
ties of  Morris,  Marion,  McPherson,  Rice  and  Barton,  striking  the 
Arkansas  river  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Great  Bend.  From 
this  point  the  trail  followed  the  north  bank  of  the  Arkansas  to  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Cimarron  in  Gray  county,  where  it  divided,  one  branch 
crossing  that  stream  and  running  southwest  through  Gray,  Haskell, 
Grant,  Stevens  and  Morton  counties,  crossing  the  western  boundary  of- 
Kansas  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  state. 

Gregg,  in  his  Commerce  of  the  Prairies,  gives  the  following  list  of 
camping  places  in  Kansas,  with  the  number  of  miles  distant  from  Inde- 
pendence: Round  Grove,  35;  the  Narrows,  65;  One  Hundred  and  Ten 
Mile  Creek,  100;  Bridge  Creek,  108;  Big  John  Spring,  148;  Council 
Grove,  150;  Diamond  Spring,  165;  Lost  Spring,  180;  Cottonwood  Creek, 
192;  Turkey  Creek,  217;  Little  Arkansas,  234;  Cow  Creek,  254;  Arkansas 
River,  270;  Walnut  Creek,  278;  Ash  Creek,  297;  Pawnee  Fork,  303;  Coon 


648  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Creek,  336;  Caches,  372;  Ford  of  Arkansas,  392;  Sand  Creek  (on  the 
branch  which  crossed  the  Arkansas),  442;  Cimarron  River  (lower 
spring),  450;  Middle  Spring  (up  the  Cimarron),  486;  Willow  Bar,  512. 
Gregg  also  states  that  in  1822  the  trade  with  Santa  Fe  amounted  to  about 
$15,000,  with  70  men  engaged  in  it,  pack  horses  or  mules  being  the  only 
means  of  transportation.  In  1826  wagons  had  completel}^  supplanted 
pack  animals,  and  the  trade  of  that  year  reached  $90,000.  A  steady 
increase  followed  until  1843,  when  the  trade  aggregated  $450,000. 

In  the  early  '40s  organized  bands  of  guerrillas  began  to  prey  on  the 
trading  parties  along  the  trail.  One  of  these  bands  was  formed  in  the 
fall  of  1842,  under  the  leadership  of  one  John  McDaniel,  who  claimed 
to  hold  a  captain's  commission  in  the  Texan  army.  Early  in  1843 
McDaniel  started  for  the  trail  with  the  intention  of  joining  his  force  with 
that  of  another  Texan  bandit  named  Warfield,  who  had  plundered  and 
burned  the  town  of  Mora  in  New  Mexico.  Before  the  union  was  effected 
Warfield's  gang  was  dispersed  by  a  party  of  New  Mexicans.  It  was 
McDaniel's  force  that  robbed  and  murdered  the  trader  Don  Antonio 
Jose  Chavez  (q.  v.)  in  the  early  spring  of  1843.  When  the  Warfield 
band  was  broken  up  some  of  the  stragglers  joined  Maj.  Jacob  Snively, 
another  Texan.  These  recruits  gave  Snively  a  force  of  some  200  men, 
with  which  he  met  and  defeated  a  detachment  of  Armijo's  command,  the 
scene  of  the  engagement  being  south  of  the  Arkansas  in  Kansas.  The 
unsettled  conditions  along  the  trail  made  a  military  escort  necessary,  and 
in  May,  1843,  ^  train  left  Independence  under  the  protection  of  200 
United  States  dragoons  commanded  by  Capt.  P.  St.  George  Cooke. 
Upon  arriving  at  the  Caches,  Capt.  Cooke  was  visited  by  Snively,  who 
with  about  100  men  was  encamped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The 
boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Texas  had  not  yet  been  settled, 
but  Cooke  took  the  position  that  Snively  was  operating  within  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States,  disarmed  his  men  and  ordered  them  to  disband. 
This  affronted  the  Texan  government,  which  demanded  reparation,  and 
a  lively  correspondence  ensued.  Abel  P.  Upshur,  secretary  of  state, 
wrote  to  the  Texan  authorities  as  follows : 

"Capt.  Cooke  justifies  his  conduct  on  the  ground  that  he  found  this 
,  force  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  engaged  in  the  attempt 
to  interrupt  lawful  trade  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico;  and 
hat  he  had  a  right  to  disarm,  so  as  to  take  from  them  the  power  of  mo- 
lesting our  own  citizens,  and  those  of  Mexico  engaged  in  that  trade ;  that 
he  used  no  harshness,  nor  more  force  than  was  necessary  to  accomplish 
the  object." 

Capt.  Cooke  was  acquitted  by  a  court  of  inquiry  and  the  United  States 
offered  to  pay  for  the  arms  taken,  which  offer  was  accepted  by  Texas, 
and  thus  the  question  was  finally  settled.  But  this  incident,  with  others 
of  a  turbulent  nature,  led  the  Mexican  government  to  close  all  the  fron- 
tier ports  of  entry  in  Aug.,  1843,  which  was  done  by  proclamation  of 
Santa  Ana,  president  of  the  Mexican  republic.  The  ports  were  reopened 
by  the  decree  of  March  31,  1844,  but  the  Mexican  war  soon  afterward 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


649 


,  put  a  stop  to  the  Santa  Fe  trade  until  1850,  when  it  was  again  resumed 
and  was  continued  until  the  railroads  put  the  overland  freighter  out  of 
business  in  1872. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  in  Kansas  began  to  agitate  the  subject  of  marking 
the  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail  through  the  state.  By  the  act  of  March  i, 
1905,  the  Kansas  legislature  appropriated  $1,000  "for  the  purpose  of  pro- 


MARKER   ON   THE   SANTA   FE   TRAIL. 


curing  suitable  monuments  to  mark  the  Santa  Fe  trail  in  the  State  of 
Kansas,  through  the  following  counties,"  etc.  The  act  also  provided 
that  the  marking  should  be  done  under  the  supervision  of  the  regent  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  in  the  State  of  Kansas  and 
the  secretary  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  Through  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Daughters,  Jan.  29,  1906,  the  anniversary  of  the  admission 
of  Kansas  into  the  Union,  was  designated  as  "Trail  Day"  in  the  public 


650  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

schools,  to  be  observed  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  the  children 
were  invited  to  contribute  one  cent  each  on  that  day  to  the  fund  marking 
the  trail.  Prizes  were  offered  for  the  best  essays  on  the  trail,  and  the 
school  contributing  the  largest  collection  was  to  be  presented  with  a  fine 
silk  flag.  The  penny  collection  netted  $584.40,  which  gave  the  Daughters 
$1,584.40  to  expend  for  monuments.  The  material  selected  was  a  red 
granite  from  Oklahoma.  C.  W.  Guild  of  Topeka  agreed  to  prepare  and 
inscribe  the  markers  for  $16  each,  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
railroad,  which  follows  approximately  the  line  of  the  old  trail,  offered  to 
transport  them  to  the  stations  nearest  their  final  destination  free  of  cost. 
In  most  instances  the  expense  of  placing  the  markers  in  position  was 
borne  by  the  local  authorities  or  a  committee  of  citizens. 

The  marking  was  done  in  the  years  1906  and  1907,  and  the  secretary 
of  the  State  Historical  Society,  in  his  report  for  the  biennial  period 
ending  on  June  30,  1908,  after  giving  a  detailed  statement  of  the  expen- 
ditures, says:  "These  statements  show  that  the  funds  raised  by  the 
Daughters  paid  for  89  markers.  There  are  at  different  points  on  the 
trail  six  special  markers  paid  for  by  individual  chapters  of  Daughters 
or  other  local  interests,  making  a  total  of  95  markers  from  the  east  to 
the  west  line  of  the  state.  But  the  following  location  of  each  marker 
in  detail  shows  a  total  of  90  markers  furnished  by  the  Daughters,  and 
receipted  for,  or  a  total  of  96  markers  along  the  whole  line.  This  dis- 
crepancy has  caused  hours  and  hours  of  arithmetic  and  searching,  and 
much  exhaustion  of  temper,  without  avail.  If  I  had  lost  one  marker 
it  could  easily  be  settled  by  getting  another,  or  going  down  in  my 
pocket,  but  the  state  is  one  marker  ahead.  Such  a  condition  of  public 
business  may  excite  a  little  curiosity,  but  not  enough  to  warrant  annoy- 
ance from  it." 

Each  marker  bears  the  inscription:  "Santa  Fe  Trail,  1822-1872, 
Marked  by  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  and  the  State 
of  Kansas,  1906."  In  a  few  instances  a  marker  bears  some  special 
inscription  in  addition  to  the  above.  One  case  of  this  kind  is  at  Council 
Grove,  where  the  monument  bears  the  regular  inscription  on  the  east 
side,  and  on  the  west  side  the  following:  "On  this  spot  Aug.  10,  1825, 
the  treaty  was  made  with  the  Osage  Indians  for  the  right  of  way  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Trail." 

The  placing  of  these  monuments  has  marked  through  the  State  of 
Kansas  one  of  the  historic  highways  of  the  nation — -a  highway  whose 
complete  history  would  fill  a  volume. 

"It  wound  through  strange  scarred  hills 

Down  cafions  lone 

Where  wild  things  screamed, 

With  winds  for  company; 

Its  milestones  were  the  bones  of  pioneers." 

Sarcoxie,  a  hamlet  of  Jefferson  county,  is  located  in  Sarcoxie  town- 
ship, 9  miles  southeast  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat,   and    11   miles 


KANSAS    HISTORY  65I 

north  of  Lawrence,  from  which  place  mail  is  supplied  by  rural  delivery. 
The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Satanta,  "White  Bear,"  a  noted  Kiowa  chief,  was  born  about  the  year 
1830.  For  about  fifteen  years  prior  to  his  death  he  was  recognized  as 
second  chief  in  his  tribe,  being  outranked  b)'  Satank  and  later  by  Lone 
Wolf,  neither  of  whom  equaled  him  in  force  and  ability.  For  years  his  . 
fighting  qualities  made  his  name  one  to  be  feared  on  the  western  fron- 
tier, and  in  council  his  eloquence  gained  for  him  the  title  of  "orator  of 
the  plains."  In  spite  of  his  hostility  to  the  white  man's  civilization, 
he  was  a  favorite  with  army  officers  and  commissioners,  who  admired 
him  for  his  directness  and  keen  humor.  In  1867,  Henry  M.  Stanley, 
the  famous  explorer,  then  a  young  newspaper  correspondent,  accom- 
panied Gen.  Hancock  on  his  expedition  to  the  Indian  country,  and  under 
date  of  May  3,  1867,  describes  a  pow-wow  between  Satanta  and  Gen. 
Hancock.  Satanta  attended  the  Medicine  Lodge  conference  and  signed 
the  treaty  of  1867,  which  provided  that  the  Kiowas  should  go  on  a 
reservation.  The  tribe  delayed  coming  in  until  compelled  by  Gen. 
Custer,  who  seized  Satanta  and  Lone  Wolf  as  hostages  for  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  agreement.  For  boasting  of  his  part  in  a  murderous  raid 
in  Texas  in  1871,  Satanta,  Satank  and  Big  Tree  were  arrested  and  held 
for  trial.  Satank  was  killed  while  resisting  arrest,  while  his  companions 
were  tried  and  sentenced  to  life  imprisonment  in  the  Texas  penitentiary. 
Two  years  later  they  were  released,  conditional  upon  the  good  behavior 
of  the  Kiowas,  but  in  the  fall  of  1874,  that  tribe  again  going  upon  the 
warpath,  Satanta  was  rearrested  and  taken  back  to  the  penitentiary. 
Growing  despondent  in  confinement,  he  committed  suicide  by  throwing 
himself  from  the  upper  story  window  of  the  hospital  on  March  11,  1878. 
Satanta  is  described  as  a  typical  plains  warrior,  of  fine  physique,  erect 
bearing  and  piercing  glance.  One  who  saw  him  in  prison  says  he  was 
"a  tall,  finely  formed  man,  princely  in  carriage,  on  whom  even  the 
prison  garb  seemed  elegant."  His  memory  is  cherished  by  the  Kiowa 
as  that  of  one  of  their  greatest  men. 

Saunders,  a  hamlet  in  Rush  county,  is  located  10  miles  northwest  of 
La  Crosse,  the  county  seat  and  usual  shipping  point,  and  8  miles  west 
of  Liebenthal,  the  postofifice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Savage,  Isaac  O.,  writer,  was  born  in  Cayuga,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  30,  1833. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place  and  finished  the 
academic  course  at  Moravia  in  1849,  moving  in  that  year  to  Fairfield, 
Lenawee  county,  Mich.,  where  he  was  in  school  work  until  1862.  He 
was  elected  school  inspector  in  1854,  and  reelected  to  the  same  office  in 
1856;  held  various  city  offices;  and  in  1855  married  Miss  Chloe  Baker 
of  Fairfield,  Mich.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighteenth  Michigan 
infantry  and  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant  and  regimental  quar- 
termaster. He  removed  to  Republic  county,  Kan.,  in  1870;  was  county 
treasurer  for  four  years;  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  commission  to 
the  Centennial  exposition  at  Philadelphia;  was  a  member  of  the  state 
board  of  agriculture ;  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  in  1876,  and  after 


6S2  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

that  held  numerous  city,  township  and  county  offices.  He  is  the  author 
of  a  History  of  Republic  county. 

Savannah,  a  station  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  in  Mill  Creek  township,  about  23 
miles  northeast  of  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat,  and  about  3  miles 
from  Onaga,  from  which  place  it  receives  daily  mail. 

Savonburg,  one  of  the  incorporated  cities  of  Allen  county,  is  located 
in  Elsmore  township,  near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  county,  and 
about  18  miles  from  lola,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  station  on  the  Mis- 
souri, Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Record),  a  large  retail  trade,  good  schools,  and  nearly  all  the  leading 
fraternal  organizations  are  represented  by  lodges.  The  town  was 
founded  in  1879,  when  the  postoffice  was  established  with  John  Keen 
as  postmaster.  The  present  postoffice  does  a  money  order  business  and 
has  two  rural  routes  starting  from  it.  The  population  in  1910  was  257. 
In  1889  the  Savonburg  Improvement  company  was  chartered  and  did 
so  well  in  building  up  the  town  that  it  was  incorporated  in  1902. 

Sawyer,  a  little  town  in  Pratt  county,  is  located  in  Paxon  and  Elm 
townships  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  about  12  miles 
south  of  Pratt,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  telephone  exchange, 
a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News),  foundry  and  machine  shop,  a  number 
of  retail  stores,  schools,  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  275. 

Saxman,  one  of  the  thriving  villages  of  Rice  county,  is  a  station  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  9  miles  southeast  of  Lyons,  the 
county  seat.  It  is  a  trading  and  shipping  point,  has  a  mill,  an  elevator, 
a  bank,  and  a  number  of  well  stocked  retail  stores.  It  is  supplied  with 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  has  a  money  order  postoffice.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  150. 

Sayre,  Lucius  Elmer,  dean  of  the  school  of  pharmacy  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Kansas,  was  born  at  Bridgeton,  N.  J.,  in  1847.  After  a  prepara- 
tory course  he  entered  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  where 
he  received  the  degrees  of  Ph.  G.  and  Ph.  M.,  and  in  1896  he  received 
the  honorary  B.  S.  degree  from  the  University  of  Michigan.  In  1874 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Piatt;  became  an  instructor 
in  his  Alma  Mater  in  1880  and  remained  there  for  five  years ;  was  also 
engaged  in  business  as  a  manufacturing  chemist  from  1882  to  1885,  when 
he  came  to  his  present  position  in  the  University  of  Kansas.  In  1890 
he  was  a  member  of  the  commission  to  revise  the  United  States  phar- 
macopoeia ;  since  1907  has  been  director  of  drug  analysis  for  the  Kansas 
state  board  of  health,  and  is  a  member  of  the  botanical  staff  of  the  state 
board  of  agriculture.  Prof.  Sayre  is  the  author  of  a  Chart  of  Materia 
Medica,  Pharmacal  Botany  and  the  Essentials  of  Pharmacy,  and  is  a 
contributor  to  several  of  the  leading  pharmacal  journals. 

Scammon,  an  incorporated  city  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  on  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  8  miles  north  of  Columbus,  the  county 


KANSAS    HISTORY  53 


seat      It  has   a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper   (the   Scammon   Mmer)    a 

heater   churches  and  schools,  a  large  number  of  -^ad  estabhshmen    , 

telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  o^der  post 

the  vicinity  and  is  extensively  mined.     This  is  one  ot  rne  la  g 
shiooino-  points  in  southwestern  Kansas. 

Scandia!  an  incorporated  town  of  Republic  county,  is  located  on  Ae 
Rpnublican  river  lo  miles  west  of  Belleville,  the  county  seat.  It  was 
fettkd  bTs  ndinavians  in  1869,  the  following  being  the  ^-t  to  arnv^: 
M  JohnLn.  Charles  Lesom,  P.  Walin  Mr.  Lundin  John  Stro^,  F^ 
Granstadt,  A.  Bergen,  A.  Erickson,  J.  R.  Sa"^^^;  Jf "  "st^dd  The 
Peter  Johnson.  The  first  store  was  bui  t  m  ^869  by  J-  R-  SandeL  Ihe 
building  was  8  feet  square  and  the  goods  invoiced  $125.  This  was  also 
the  first  store  in  Republic  county.  The  first  American  flag  to  be  raised 
In  Kansas  was  raised  by  Capt.  Pike  near  the  site  of  Scandia  in   1806. 

^Z^'J^:n^Lnt  trading  point  in  the  early  days,  bein^in 
thP  Hne  ofThe  shortest  route  to  the  homestead  country  from  Missouri 
T  ?nH  Nebraska  It  had  the  only  ferry  on  the  upper  Republican  and 
s^ge  lines  da  y  from  Hanover,  tri-weekly  from  WaterviUe.  Junction 
Citv  and  Tewell  and  weekly  from  White  Rock  and  Solomon.  Some  o 
Lity  ana  jeweii,  aiiu  w         j  Upncon   hotel"  W  Ison  Bros.,  general 

the  early  business  men  were  L  C.  Hanson,  notei,  v  ^^oceries  and 

=;tnre-   Amos   Covle,  drugs  and  groceries;   A.  T.   Miller,  groceries   ai 
orovisionT     The  first  raHroad  was  the  Missouri  Pacific  running  north 
rsouth!  which  reached  Scandia  in  xS^S^    The  Ch-.O;  Rock    ^^^^^^ 
and  Pacific  runs  through  Scandia  east  and  west^    ^  K^nks    a  vveek  y 
^ave  Scandia  579  inhabitants.     It  has  five  churches,  2  banks,  a  weekly 
Swspape"   (thf Journal),  telegraph,  telephone  and  express  offices    and 
a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes     The  Kansas  Gazeteer 
?or?909  lists  80  business  and  professional  men  in  Scandia.     It  is  a  ship 
nintr  Doint  for  grain,  live  stock  and  other  farm  products, 
-gremakers!  J-    (ongm^^^^^^^^^^^^^         ^^^^^^l:^ 

20   1807     He  was  ordained  a  priest  in  1833  and  immediately  left  Hoi- 
ked   landing  in  New  York  on  Dec.  25,  of  that  year.     From  there  he 
weni    o  Georgetown,  Md.,  where  he  enrolled  as  a  novice  in  the  Society 
Tf  Jesus  on  jL.  16,  1834,  and  in  July  of  that  year  went  with  o  hers  o 
the  same  society  to  St.  Louis,  remaining  m  and  about  that  place  till 
appointed  superior  of  the  Osage  mission  in  Kansas  by  the  Rt.  Rev^ 
p'T.  Kendrick,  bishop  of  St.  Louis.    The  journey  to  the  -iss.on  wa 
made  by  caravan  in  company  with  other  priests  and  he  arrived  at  his 
TstaHon  on  April  28,  1I47.    He  was  given  charge  of  the  two  bu.d.ng 
which  were  then  in  process  of  construction.     In  one  of  these  Father 


654  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Schoemakers  opened  a  boarding  school  for  Indian  boys  within  a  few 
days  after  his  arrival,  and  having  secured  some  Loretto  sisters  from 
Kentucky,  a  boarding  school  for  girls  was  opened  on  Oct.  lo  of  the 
same  year.  Father  Schoemakers  remained  at  the  mission  during  his 
life  and  not  only  took  care  of  the  poor  Indians  but  also  encouraged  them 
to  work,  make  homes  for  themselves  and  become  self-supporting,  which 
many  of  them  did.     He  died  on  July  28,  1883. 

Schoenchen,  a  country  postofifice  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  Look- 
out township  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  10  miles  south  of  Hays,  the 
county  seat  and  most  convenient  railroad  station. 

Schools. —  (See  Public  School  System  and  the  sketches  of  the  higher 
educational  institutions.) 

Schroyer,  a  hamlet  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  Elm  Creek  town- 
ship 6  miles  south  of  Marysville,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Union  Pacific 
R.  R.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  offices,  a  postoffice,  some  general 
stores,  and  in  1910  reported  a  population  of  82. 

Schulte,  a  hamlet  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  in  Waco  township 
on  the  Kansas  City,  Mexico  &  Orient  R.  R.,  12  miles  southwest  of 
Wichita,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  general  store,  livery  barn, 'telegraph 
and  express  offices,  etc.  It  receives  mail  from  Oatville.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  70. 

Scio,  a  hamlet  in  Graham  county,  is  located  on  Bow  creek  12  miles 
northwest  of  Hill  City,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  southeast  of  Lenora, 
Norton  county,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.  Lenora 
is  also  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Scipio,  important  as  the  gas  pumping  station  for  Topeka  and  other 
towns  outside  the  gas  territory,  is  a  hamlet  in  Anderson  county  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  6  miles  north  of  Garnett,  the  county 
seat,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.  The  population  according 
to  the  census  of  1910  was  58. 

Scott,  the  county  seat  of  Scott  county,  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the 
third  class,  located  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  Missouri 
Pacific  and  the  Garden  City,  Gulf  &  Northern  railroads,  in  the  central 
part  of  the  county.  It  has  2  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Chronicle 
and  the  News-Lever),  2  flour  mills,  2  elevators,  and  is  the  location  of 
the  county  high  school.  A  large  farming  district  is  tributary  to  Scott, 
it  being  the  only  incorporated  town  in  the  comity.  During  the  decade 
from  1900  to  1910  its  population  increased  from  212  to  918.  It  has  tele- 
graph and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice. 
The  town  was  founded  in  Sept.,  1885,  by  a  town  company,  which 
donated  a  block  of  land  to  the  county  for  a  court-house  site,  a  block 
to  the  city  for  school  purposes,  a  lot  to  each  of  four  church  organiza- 
tions, and  set  apart  grounds  for  a  public  park.  Within  a  year  there  was 
a  population  of  600,  with  3  newspapers  (the  News,  the  Sentinel  and 
the  Herald),  and  a  number  of  retail  establishments. 

Scott,  Charles  F.,  journalist  and  member  of  Congress,  is  a  native  of 
the  Sunflower  state,  having  been  born  on  a  farm  in  Allen  county,  Kan.,. 


KANSAS   HISTORY  655 

Sept.  7,  i86o.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  district  schools, 
after  which  he  entered  the  University  of  Kansas,  where  he  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  in  1881,  receiving  his  Master's  degree  some 
years  later.  Upon  leaving  college,  he  spent  about  18  months  in  New 
Mexico,  Arizona  and  Colorado,  returning  to  his  native  county  in  the 
fall  of  1882.  He  then  bought  a  small  interest  in  the  lola  Register; 
became  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  paper  five  years  later,  and  in  1897 
began  the  publication  of  a  daily  edition.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  a 
regent  of  the  state  university  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  twelve 
years.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  as  a  Republican,  and 
in  1896  was  one  of  the  presidential  electors  on  that  ticket.  Mr.  Scott 
married  May  B.  Ewing  in  1893.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1900; 
was  four  times  reelected,  serving  ten  years  in  all,  and  was  defeated  for 
the  nomination  in  1910  by  the  late  Alexander  C.  Mitchell  of  Lawrence. 

Scott  County,  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  is  the  third  county 
east  from  Colorado,  the'  fourth  south  of  Nebraska,  and  the  fourth  from 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  state.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Logan  and  Gove  counties ;  on  the  east  by  Lane ;  on  the  south  by  Fin- 
ney, and  on  the  west  by  Wichita.  It  was  created  in  1873  and  named  for 
Winfield  Scott,  a  hero  in  both  the  War  of  1812  and  the  Mexican  war, 
and  commander-in-chief  of  army  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war 
in  1861.  The  boundaries  were  described  as  follows:  "Commencing  at 
the  intersection  of  the  east  line  of  range  31  west  with  the  3d  standard 
parallel ;  thence  south  along  range  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  4th 
standard  parallel ;  thence  west  along  the  4th  standard  parallel  to  where 
it  is  intersected  by  the  east  line  of  range  35  west;  thence  north  along 
range  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  3d  standard  parallel ;  thence  east 
to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  organization  of  the  county  was  effected  in  1886.  In  May  Charles 
S.  Reed  was  appointed  to  take  the  census.  The  returns  were  made  on 
June  29  and  showed  a  population  of  2,675,  of  whom  701  were  house- 
holders. The  valuation  of  property  was  $364,063,  of  which  amount 
$109,030  was  real  estate.  Gov.  Martin  issued  the  proclamation  the  same 
day  whereby  he  organized  the  county,  named  Scott  City  as  the  county 
seat,  and  appointed  the  following  officers :  County  clerk,  Charles  S. 
Reed;  commissioners,  Marion  Cunningham,  A.  H.  Kilpatrick  and 
Eugene  McDaniels.  The  first  election  was  held  on  Aug.  10  and  resulted 
as  follows:  County  clerk,  Charles  S.  Reed;  probate  judge,  Thomas 
Poulson;  treasurer,  W.  R.  Hadley;  sheriff,  B.  F.  Daniels;  register  of 
deeds,  J.  B.  Johnson;  attorney,  C.  C.  Hadley;  district  clerk,  S.  T. 
Burgess;  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  Miss  Lulu  Boling;  sur- 
veyor, W.  E.  Daugherty;  coroner,  J.  F.  Bond;  commissioners,  H.  M. 
Cranor,  C.  Garrett  and  Eugene  McDaniels.  Scott  City  had  no  opposi- 
tion for  county  seat. 

The  first  settlers  came  into  the  county  in  1874.  The  first  white  women 
were  Mrs.  M.  E.  DeGreer  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Ida  Eastman,  both 
widows.     In  1893  Scott  was  among  the  counties  which  suffered  from 


656  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  fuel  famine.  The  county  commissioners  visited  Topeka  to  secure 
state  aid,  but  were  not  successful.  In  1884  the  ruins  of  a  pre-historic 
pueblo  were  discovered  in  Scott  county  about  12  miles  north  of  Scott 
City.    (See  Archaeology.) 

The  county  was  divided  into  Michigan,  Beaver,  Scott,  Valley,  Key- 
stone, Isbel  and  Lake  townships  in  1886,  and  no  new  townships  have 
been  organized.  The  postoffices  are  Grigsby,  Manning,  Modoc,  Pence, 
Scott  and  Taft.  The  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  enters  in  the  northeast 
and  crosses  southwest  to  Scott,  thence  directly  west  into  Wichita 
county.  A  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  from  Great 
Bend  enters  in  the  east  and  crosses  west  to  Scott  where  it  terminates. 

The  general  surface  is  an  undulating  prairie  with  a  few  sand  hills. 
The  principal  stream  is  Ladder  creek.  It  enters  from  the  west,  flows 
east  about  9  miles,  then  north  into  Logan  county,  where  it  empties  into 
the  Smoky  Hill  river.  White  Woman  creek  enters  in  the  southwest 
and  flows  east  and  northeast  to  the  center,  where  it  sinks  beneath  the 
surface  in  the  midst  of  a  large  basin  which  is  filled  only  in  wet  seasons. 
Magnesian  limestone  is  in  the  north  and  southwest.  Sandstone,  gypsum 
and  cement  rock  also  exist  in  limited  quantities. 

Less  than  half  of  the  land  in  the  county  is  cultivated.  The  value  of 
farm  products  in  1910  was  $607,766.  Wheat  brought  $106,043;  corn, 
$64,534;  oats,  $44,949;  barley,  $34,577;  broom-corn,  $26,729;  sorghum, 
$158,928;  milo  maize,  $32,400;  hay,  $27,379;  animals  sold  for  slaughter, 
$24,836;  poultry  and  eggs,  $16,327.  The  value  of  live  stock  on  hand 
was  $768,013. 

The  population  in  1890  was  1,262.  During  the  next  three  or  four 
years  the  population  decreased  somewhat  on  account  of  the  hard  times. 
In  1893  there  were  300  families,  only  75  of  them  having  the  means  to 
live  through  the  winter.  In  1900  the  population  was  1,098;  in  1910  it 
was  3,047.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was  $5,913,442. 
The  average  wealth  per  capita  being  $1,940. 

Scottsville,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Mitchell  county,  is 
located  in  Lulu  township  in  the  extreme  northeastern  corner  of  the 
county  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  from  Beloit,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Advance),  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes. 
The  town  was  platted  in  Oct.,  1878,  at  the  time  the  railroad  was  first 
extended  to  that  point.    The  population  in  1910  was  248. 

Scranton,  one  of  the  important  towns  of  Osage  county,  is  located  in 
Scranton  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  14  miles 
northwest  of  Lyndon,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Gazette),  banking  facilities,  all  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise,  good 
schools  and  churches.  The  chief  occupations  of  the  people  are  coal 
mining  and  agriculture.  Coal,  live  stock,  grain  and  produce  are  shipped. 
There  are  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  four  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of 
1910  was  770. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  657 

Scranton  was  started  as  a  mining  camp  in  1871,  when  Alexander' 
Thomas  and  O.  H.  Sheldon  sank  a  shaft.  The  next  year  the  Burlingame 
and  Scranton  Coal  company  was  formed  and  until  1875  the  interests 
of  this  company  were  the  principal  business  of  the  town.  The  coal 
interests  then  began  to  be  developed  and  several  other  shafts  were 
sunk  by  companies  and  private  individuals.  Things  went  slowly  until 
1879  when  there  was  a  rush  of  capital  to  develop  the  coal  industry,  and 
in  consequence  the  town  grew  very  rapidly.  By  June,  1880,  the  popu- 
lation was  930  and  the  next  year  had  reached  1,700.  Scranton  was 
incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  on  Aug.  4,  1880.  The  first 
officers  were:  Mayor,  J.  M.  Giddings ;  clerk  and  police  judge,  John  R. 
Poe;  treasurer,  H.  A.  Sheldon;  marshal,  W.  S.  Challis ;  councilmen, 
Joseph  Tomlinson,  William  Scott,  James  Ingram,  Joseph  Drake  and 
Thomas  Kelley. 

The  first  birth  and  the  first  death  was  that  of  Madison  Evans,  son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Evans,  who  was  born  in  Aug.,  1872,  and  died 
in  Dec,  1873.  The  first  marriage  was  between  Davis  Williams  and 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Stull  in  1873.  The  first  sermon  was  preached  in  the  board- 
ing house  in  1872  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Stogdill.  The  school  house  was  built 
in  the  same  year  and  the  first  teacher  was  H.  D.  Porter. 

Scrip,  Union  Military. —  (See  Claims.) 

Seal  of  State. — From  the  earliest  period  of  history  the  seal  has  been 
used  "by  individuals,  corporate  bodies  and  states,  for  making  impres- 
sions on  instruments  of  writing,  as  an  evidence  of  their  authenticity." 
Every  civilized  country  has  its  great  seal,  and  in  some  monarchies, 
England  for  example,  the  king  has  his  privy  seal.  Prior  to  the  Revo- 
lution, each  of  the  American  colonies  had  its  seal,  which  in  most 
instances,  with  some  modifications,  became  the  seal  of  state  after  the 
formation  of  the  Federal  Union.  And  almost  the  first  act  of  every 
state,  upon  its  admission  into  the  Union,  has  been  to  adopt  by  suitable 
legislation  a  design  for  a  great  seal  of  state.  Even  before  admission, 
and  while  under  a  temporary  government  as  an  organized  territory,  a 
seal  has  been  found  necessary  as  a  testimony  of  official  sanction  or 
authority. 

Wilder  (Annals  of  Kansas,  p.  55)  quotes  from  the  Easton  (Pa.) 
Argus,  earl)'  in  Jan.,  1855,  the  following  description  of  the  territorial 
seal  of  Kansas : 

"We  have  just  seen  the  seal  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas,  engraved  by 
Robert  Lovett,  of  Philadelphia,  according  to  the  design  of  Gov.  Reeder. 
It  consists  of  a  shield  with  two  supporters,  surmounted  by  a  scroll 
motto,  and  is  emblematic  of  the  life  of  the  pioneer  and  the  agricultural- 
ist. The  lower  compartment  of  the  shield  contains  the  buiTalo  and  the 
hunter;  the  upper  contains  the  implements  of  agriculture.  The  left- 
hand  supporter  is  a  pioneer  with  his  smock  frock,  leggins,  rifle  and 
tomahawk;  whilst  on  the  right  is  the  goddess  Ceres  with  her  sheaf; 
at  their  feet,  and  between  them,  lie  a  fallen  tree  and  an  axe.  The  motto 
is  a  beautiful  allusion  to  the  principle  on  which  the  territory  was  organ- 
(11-42) 


658  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

ized,  and  consists  of  "Populi  voce  nala,'  thus  translated — Born  of  the 
popular  will." 

Hay  says  this  seal  was  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  that  in  addition 
to  the  above  description  it  had  around  the  margin  the  legend :  "Seal 
of  the  Territory  of  Kansas,  erected  May.  30,  1854." 

Article  i,  section  8,  of  the  Wyandotte  constitution  provided  that 
"There  shall  be  a  seal  of  state,  which  shall  be  kept  by  the  governor,  and 
used  by  him  officially;  and  which  shall  be  the  great  seal  of  Kansas." 
In  his  message  to  the  first  state  legislature,  which  met  on  March  26, 
1861,  Gov.  Robinson  called  attention  to  this  constitutional  provision, 
and  on  April  9  the  following  resolution  was  introduced  in  the  senate 
and  referred  to  the  committee  on  ways  and  means:  "Resolved,  That  a 
committee  of  three  be  appointed  on  behalf  of  the  senate  to  act  with  a 
like  committee  on  the  part  of  the  house  to  draw  and  recommend  a  design 
for  the  great  seal  of  the  State  of  Kansas."  The  resolution  was  subse- 
quently adopted,  the  house  took  similar  action,  and  the  joint  committee 
began  its  work.  Numerous  devices  and  mottoes  were  considered  and 
more  than  a  month  passed  before  a  design  was  finally  selected.  On 
May  17  the  senate  amended  the  house  joint  resolution  relating  to  the 
seal,  the  house  refused  to  concur  in  the  amendment,  and  a  conference 
committee  was  appointed,  which  on  the  20th  reported  the  design  that 
was  ultimately  adopted.  On  the  22nd  both  houses  adopted  the  report 
of  the  conference  committee  and  the  following  resolution : 

"Be  it  resolved  by  the  governor  and  legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas, 
That  the  secretary  of  state  be  and  he  is  required  to  procure,  as  soon  as 
possible,  the  great  seal  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  the  design  and  device 
following,  to-wit: 

"The  east  is  represented  by  a  rising  sun  on  the  right  hand  corner 
of  the  seal ;  to  the  left  of  it,  commerce  is  represented  by  a  river  and  a 
steamboat;  in  the  foreground,  agriculture  is  represented  as  the  basis  of 
the  future  prosperity  of  the  state,  by  a  settler's  cabin  and  a  man  plowing 
with  a  pair  of  horses;  beyond  this,  is  a  train  of  ox  wagons  going  west; 
in  the  background  is  seen  a  herd  of  buffalo,  retreating,  pursued  by  two 
Indians  on  horseback ;  around  the  top  is  the  motto :  'Ad  astra  per 
aspera' — and  beneath  a  cluster  of  34  stars ;  the  circle  is  surrounded  by 
the  words  'Great  Seal  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  January  29,  1861.'  " 

Although  the  constitution  placed  the  great  seal  in  the  custody  of  the 
governor,  to  be  "used  by  him  officially,"  section  11  of  the  act  of  June 
3,  1861,  relating  to  state  officers,  provided  that  the  secretary  of  state 
should,  "at  all  times,  have  access  to  the  great  seal  of  the  state,  and  may 
use  the  same  in  verification  of  his  official  acts,  in  all  cases  when  such 
use  may  not  be  in  conflict  with  the  constitution  of  the  state  or  pro- 
hibited by  law." 

There  has  been  some  controversy  as  to  who  suggested  the  design 
for  the  seal,  particularly  the  motto  "Ad  astra  per  aspera."  Richard 
Cordley  made  the  claim  that  the  motto  was  selected  by  Josiah  Miller, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  joint  committee  to  select  a  design,  and  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


659 


inscription  on  Mr.  Miller's  monument  so  states.  Others  claim  the  honor 
for  the  late  John  J.  Ingalls,  who  was  secretary  of  the  sta1?e  senate  at 
the  time  the  great  seal  was  adopted.  Under  date  of  Oct.  10,  1888,  Mr. 
Ingalls,  then  United  States  senator,  wrote  from  Washington  to  F.  D. 
Coburn  a  letter  regarding  the  seal,  in  which  he  said:  "A  joint  committee 
was  appointed  to  present  a  design  for  the  great  seal  of  state,  and  I  sug- 
gested a  sketch  embracing  a  single  star  rising  from  clouds  at  the  base 
of  a  field,  with  the  constellation  ( representing  the  number  of  states 
then  in  the  Union)  above,  accompanied  by  the  motto,  'Ad  astra  per 
aspera.'  .  .  .  The  clouds  at  the  base  were  intended  to  represent  the 
perils  and  troubles  of  our  territorial  history ;  the  star  emerging  there- 
from, the  new  state;  the  constellation,  like  that  on  the  flag,  the  Union 
to  which,  after  a  stormy  struggle,  it  had  been  admitted.  The  motto 
'Ad  astra  per  aspera'  means,  literally,  'To  the  stars  through  difficulties.' 
Had  my  original  design  been  adopted  without  mo.dification,  its  signifi- 
cance would  have  been  apparent." 

Concerning  the  motto,  Mr.  Ingalls  said  on  another  occasion :  "The 
first  time  I  ever  saw  it  was  on  an  old  brass  seal  in  the  office  of  the 
gentleman  with  whom  I  read  law  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  in  1857.  ^he 
same  thought  is  expressed  in  many  different  ways,  but  'Ad  astra  per 
aspera'  seemed  the  most  melodious,  and  so  I  selected  it  for  my  sketch. 
With  a  motto,  as  with  a  proverb,  the  question  is  not  whether  it  is 
original,  but  whether  it  is  appropriate." 

In  an  address  before  the  Kansas  Historical  Society  on  Jan.  17,  1883, 
Robert  Hay  said  :  "John  H.  McDowell,  of  the  state  library  committee, 
suggested  a  design  with  a  landscape,  something  like  that  afterwards 
adopted,  and  the  emphatic  motto  'We  will.'  The  design  as  submitted 
to  the  committee  by  Mr.  Ingalls  consisted  of  a  blue  shield  at  the  base 
of  a  cloud,  out  of  which  was  emerging  one  silver  star  to  join  the  con- 


GREAT    SEAL  OF  KANSAS. 


66o 


CYCLOrEDIA    OF 


stellation  in  the  firmament,  comprising  the  thirty-four  then  in  the 
L'nion,  with  the  motto  'Ad  astra  per  aspera.'  The  cloud  symboHzed 
the  struggles  through  which  we  had  passed ;  the  star,  the  state ;  the  con- 
stellation, the  Union.  The  motto  was  both  descriptive  and  suggestive, 
and  the  entire  design  simple,  unique  and  satisfactory.  It  was  so  satis- 
factory to  the  committee  that  they  adopted  it  entire.  But  after  that 
some  of  the  'wild  heralds  of  the  frontier'  altered  it  by  mixing  a  steam- 
boat and  plowing  with  buffalo  hunting,  etc.,  till  really  nothing-  but  the 
motto  is  Mr.  Ingalls,'  and  the  landscape  is  probably  substantially  the 
one  submitted  by  Air.  McDowell.  All  the  seal  is  historic,  Init  suggestive 
of  a  fact  that  will  be  true  forever,  that  the  conquest  of  difficulties  is 
the  way  to  moral  as  well  as  to  political  success.  John  J.  Ingalls  is  now 
United  States  senator  from  Kansas,  and  his  life  has  not  been  unmarked 
by  usefulness,  but  in  years  to  come  he  will  probably  be  most  proud  of 
the  fact  that  he  gave  our  prosperous  state  its  noble  motto,  which  has 
been  the  text  of  many  a  sermon  and  the  starting-point  of  many  a 
career." 

From  the  foregoing,  it  would  appear  that  the  preponderance  of  evi- 
dence supports  the  claim  of  Mr.  Ingalls.  But,  whoever  designated  the 
seal  and  suggested  the  motto,  both  design  and  motto  are  appropriate 
and  tell  in  symbolism  the  story  of  Kansas'  struggles  and  the  perse- 
verance of  her  pioneers. 

Late  in  the  year  1869  there  was  some  agitation  in  favor  of  changing 
the  design  of  the  great  seal  of  state.  No  good  reason  could  be  assigned, 
however,  for  the  change,  and  the  movement  came  to  naught.  The 
Atchison  Champion  and  Press  for  Jan.  22,  1870,  in  discussing  editorially 
the  proposition  to  alter  the  design,  paid  the  following  tribute  to  the 
great  seal  as  it  stands :  "It  is,  in  print,  the  most  beautiful  design  for  a 
sea!  ever  adopted.  It  is  suggestive,  tasty,  appropriate.  It  is  associated 
with  the  most  thrilling  events  in  the  history  of  our  young  state.  It  is 
on  the  commission  of  every  officer  who  went  out  from  Kansas  to  do 
battle  for  the  imperiled  country.  It  is  on  the  certificate  of  eletcion  of 
every  civil  officer  who  served  the  state  during  the  struggling  years  of 
its  infancy.  To  change  it  would  not  only  involve  unnecessary  expense, 
but  create  confusion." 

Seaunan,  a  hamlet  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Linn  county,  is  situated 
on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  5  miles  north  of  Parker,  from 
which  it  has  rural  delivery,  and  20  miles  from  Mound  City,  the  county 
seat. 

Sedan,  the  judicial  seat  and  largest  town  of  Chautauqua  county,  is 
located  southeast  of  the  center  of  the  county  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  and  on  the  Middle  Caney  river  in  Sedan  township.  It  has  a 
weekly  newspaper  (the  Times-Star),  2  banks,  an  ice  and  cold  storage 
plant,  a  foundry,  machine  shops,  cigar  factory,  natural  gas  for  lighting, 
heating  and  commercial  purposes,  all  lines  of  mercantile  endeavor, 
express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census 
report  of  1910  is  1,211. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


661 


A  postoffice  called  Sedan  was  established  at  this  point  in  1871,  but 
was  later  discontinued  for  lack  of  patronage.  In  1873  Capt.  Ferris 
established  a  small  store,  which  proved  unprofitable  and  was  discon- 
tinued. He  was  followed  by  M.  C.  Webb  and  C.  Tiffin,  who  started  a 
general  merchandise  business.  At  the  time  the  county  seat  was  brought 
to  Sedan  in  1875  there  was  only  a  store,  a  postoffice,  a  blacksmith  shop, 
a  district  school,  and  one  or  two  residences.  There  had  been  a  news- 
paper called  the  Wide  Awake,  published  by  Joseph  Mount,  but  it  was 
suspended  at  this  time.  Immediately  upon  the  location  of  the  county 
seat  at  this  point,  people  began  pouring  in.  Business  enterprises  were 
moved  in  from  other  towns,  and  tradesmen  and  professional  people  came 
in  numbers,  so  that  in  a  short  time  the  population  was  several  hundred. 
Kelly  &  Turner  moved  the  Chautauqua  Journal  from  Elk  Falls  to 
Sedan  and  Mr.  Kelly  was  largely  instrumental  in  keeping  the  county 
seat  there  through  promoting  the  building  of  a  court-house  at  the 
expense  of  those  who  wished  to  donate  to  the  purpose.  The  town  was 
platted  by  a  town  company  of  which  L.  L.  Turner  was  president. 

Sedan  became  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1876,  and  at  the  election 
held  April  3  of  that  year,  the  following  officers  were  chosen :  Mayor, 
A.  H.  King;  clerk,  F.  P.  Addleman ;  treasurer,  J.  I.  Grouse;  attorney, 
W.  H.  Tibbits;  police  judge,  G.  W.  MuUinix;  marshal,  W.  D.  Jolley; 
councilmen,  R.  S.  Turner,  J.  P.  Rhoades,  J.  W.  Sitton,  G.  S.  Tiffin  and 
J.  I.  Grouse. 

Sedgwick,  the  third  largest  town  in  Harvey  county,  is  located  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  the  Little  Arkansas  river,  10 
miles  south  of  Newton,  the  county  seat.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of 
626  inhabitants  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  has  2  banks,  an  opera 
house,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Panagraph),  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural 
routes.  It  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  county,  having  been  laid  ofif  in 
June,  1870,  by  the  Sedgwick  Town  company,  of"  which  T.  S.  Floyd  was 
president.  The  first  store,  which  was  the  first  in  the  county,  was  built 
in  July  of  that  year  by  William  PI.  Owen.  The  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  the  same  year  with  T.  S.  Floyd  as  postmaster.  The  money 
order  department  was  added  in  1877.  The  first  school  house  in  the 
county  was  erected  here  in  1870  and  the  first  term  was  taught  by  C.  S. 
Bullock  and  wife.  The  first  newspaper  was  the  Sedgwick  Gazette,  the 
initial  number  of  which  was  issued  in  Jan.,  1871.  The  Gitizens'  Savings 
bank  was  organized  and  began  business  in  1872.  The  town  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  March  of  that  year.  The  first 
election  was  held  on  April  i,  and  the  first  city  officials  were  as  follows: 
Mayor,  T.  S.  Floyd;  police  judge,  F.  T.  Morris;  clerk,  H.  Goodell ; 
treasurer,  P.  M.  Morgan ;  marshal,  W.  H.  Hurd ;  councilmen,  N.  A. 
Mathias,  W.  B.  Ghamberlain,  O.  M.  Sherman,  O.  Y.  Hart  and  Gharles 
Shaefer.  The  city  government  was  suspended  in  1877  on  account  of 
a  clerical  error  in  the  charter.  It  was  revived  again  in  1881  and  a 
reorganization  took  place  followed  by  an  election  of  officers  in  April, 


662  t'V(.i.oi'i:i)iA  oi" 

1882,  when  S.  B.  Cretcher  was  elected  mayor;  X.  A.  Mathias,  police 
judge;  James  Cox,  R.  \V.  Hall,  E.  N.  Green,  J.  M.  Massey  and  P.  M. 
Morgan,  couneilnien.  The  following  were  appointed:  A.  G.  Stone, 
clerk;  T.  J.  Miller,  treasurer;  C.  E.  Green,  marshal. 

Sedgwick  County,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  is  135  miles  west 
of  the  Missouri  line,  250  miles  east  of  Colorado  and  is  the  second  county 
north  of  Oklahoma.  The  territory  of  which  it  is  comprised  was 
included  in  Butler  county  until  1867,  when  Sedgwick  was  formed  by 
act  of  the  legislature.  The  description  was  as  follows :  "Commencing 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  Butler  county,  thence  south  to  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  same ;  thence  west  to  the  west  line  of  range  4  west ;  thence 
north  to  the  south  line  of  township  22 ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of 
beginning."  In  1872  four  townships  on  the  north  of  the  west  tier  were 
given  to  Reno  county,  and  two  full  tiers  from  the  north  were  given  to 
Harvey.  The  county  was  named  in  honor  of  John  Sedgwick,  a  general 
of  the  Civil  war,  who  was  killed  at  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Va.,  in 
May,  1864. 

The  first  settlers  were  William  Greiffenstein,  who  located  on  Cow- 
skin  creek  and  established  a  trading  post  in  1865 ;  Charles  Whittaker 
took  a  claim  in  the  Little  Arkansas  valley  in  the  spring  of  1866;  Durfee 
&  Leedrick  built  a  ranch  on  the  Little  Arkansas  in  1867;  about  the  same 
time  Lewellen  &  Davis  opened  a  post  for  trading  with  the  Indians,  and 
Eli  Waterman  and  John  Lawton  located  in  the  county.  In  1868  came 
J.  R.  Mead,  H.  W.  Vigus,  William  Whitman,  M.  A.  Sales,  D.  S. 
Munger,  Milo  B.  Kellogg,  John  Allison,  Charles  Hunter,  F.  H.  and 
Harvey  Dunlap,  Robert  and  William  Houston,  David  Edmounds,  John 
D.  Goyler,  James  French,  David  Wousick,  and  about  a  score  of  others. 
That  year  Sedgwick  was  organized  into  a  township  and  attached  to 
Butler  county  for  judicial  purposes.  D.  S.  Munger  was  appointed  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace  and  the  first  election  was  held  in  November, 
at  which  35  votes  were  cast.  The  officers  chosen  were  as  follows : 
Trustee,  M.  A.  Sales ;  clerk,  H.  W.  Vigus ;  treasurer,  S.  B.  Boyd ;  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction,  Mrs.  Sales    (mother  of  M.  A.   Sales). 

An  attempt  to  effect  county  organization  was  made  in  the  fall  of 
1869,  when  an  election  was  held  which  was  declared  void  by  the  gov- 
ernor on  account  of  irregularities.  A  new  census  was  taken  and  in 
the  winter  of  1870  the  governor  issued  a  proclamation  organizing  the 
county,  designating  Wichita  as  the  county  seat,  and  appointing  S.  C. 
Johnson,  W^illiam  Lockard  and  Henry  Stein  commissioners.  The  com- 
missioners appointed  John  Ward  clerk,  divided  the  county  into  three 
election  districts  and  called  an  election  in  April  for  the  choice  of  officers 
and  the  selection  of  a  permanent  county  seat.  The  contest  was  between 
Wichita  and  Park  City.  The  total  vote  was  260,  many  of  which  were 
said  to  have  been  fraudulent,  but  of  which  Wichita  received  the  ma- 
jority. The  officers  elected  were:  County  clerk,  J.  M.  Steele;  county 
attorney,  T.  J.  Fulton  ;  register  of  deeds,  L.  F.  Buttles ;  clerk  of  the 
district   court,    D.    A.    Bright;    probate   judge,    Reuben    Riggs ;    sheriff, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  663 

W.  N.  Walker;  treasurer,  S.  C.  Johnson;  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  John  P.  Hilton ;  surveyor,  William  Finn ;  coroner,  E.  B. 
Allen,  and  commissioners,  N.  A.  English,  T.  S.  Floyd  and  Alexander 
Williams.  J.  M.  Steele  and  H.  E.  Vantrees  were  made  justices  of  the 
peace.  The  first  term  of  district  court  was  held  in  June,  1870,  and  was 
presided  over  by  Hon.  W.  R.  Brown. 

There  were  a  number  of  Indian  scares  in  Sedgwick  county,  and 
although  no  fighting  took  place  here,  a  detachment  of  the  Fifth  United 
States  infantry,  under  command  of  Col.  Barr,  was  stationed  on  the 
site  of  Wichita  in  1867.  A  number  of  the  men,  at  the  expiration  of  their 
term  of  enlistment,  became  settlers  in  the  vicinity.  During  the  last 
Indian  scare,  which  occurred  in  1874,  more  than  1,000  people  from 
Sedgwick,  Kingman,  Sumner  and  Harvey  counties  came  to  Wichita  in 
a  single  day.  In  a  few  days  they  all  returned  to  their  homes.  Shortly 
after  that  it  was  reported  that  the  Comanches  and  Apaches  were  about 
to  raid  southern  Kansas.  Gov.  Thomas  A.  Osborn  ordered  S.  M.  Tucker 
of  Wichita  to  raise  a  company  of  50  men  for  Indian  service,  and  sent 
Adjt.-Gen.  Morris  to  that  point  with  commissions  for  the  officers  of 
the  company,  arms  and  equipment,  etc.  Mr.  Tucker  was  made  captain; 
Cash  Henderson,  first  lieutenant ;  and  Mike  Meagher  second  lieutenant. 
They  started  on  the  campaign  on  the  morning  of  July  11,  and  were  gone 
10  days  but  saw  no  Indians. 

In  common  with  other  border  territory  Sedgwick  county  was  the 
scene  of  a  number  of  murders  and  outrages  on  the  part  of  "gangs"  and 
ruffians,  most  of  whom  at  some  time  or  other  "died  with  their  boots  on." 
Six  of  such  deaths  occurred  in  1873,  while  Wichita  was  a  cattle  ship- 
ping point. 

The  first  court-house  was  built  in  1872  and  was  located  at  the  corner 
of  First  and  Main  streets.  The  city  court  and  jail  occupied  the  base- 
ment. In  1874  a  county  jail  was  erected.  The  present  court-house  is 
one  of  the  best  in  Kansas.  The  site  for  it  was  donated  by  the  founders 
of  Wichita  and  the  building,  which  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $220,000, 
was  paid  for  by  20-year  bonds. 

Prior  to  1872  all  the  travel  was  by  wagons  and  stage  coaches,  the 
main  road  being  known  as  the  Kingman  trail.  A  stage  station  was 
maintained  at  Wichita,  at  which  point  there  was  a  ferry  across  the 
Arkansas.  The  first  railroad  was  the  Wichita  &  Southwestern,  built 
in  1872  by  a  company  of  local  capitalists.  The  president  of  the  com- 
pany was  J.  R.  Mead ;  treasurer,  William  Greiffenstein ;  secretary,  H.  C. 
Sluss;  directors,  Solomon  H.  Kohn,  J.  M.  Steele,  S.  C.  Johnson,  G.  H. 
Smith,  George  Schlieter,  C.  F.  Gilbert,  T.  J.  Peter,  R.  W.'P.  Muse  and 
F.  J.  Fulton.  In  Aug.,  1871,  the  county  voted  $200,000  to  aid  in  the 
construction  of  the  road.  During  the  last  year  before  the  road  reached 
Wichita  it  was  estimated  that  800,000  cattle  were  driven  through  Sedg- 
wick county.  In  1880  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  railroad  was  com- 
pleted to  Wichita.  In  1885  the  Missouri  Pacific  was  built  from  the 
east,   and  a   little   later  the   Wichita,  Anthonv    &   Salt    Plains   and   the 


664  CYCLOPEDIA    01' 

Wichita  &  Colorado  lines  were  projected  by  local  capitalists,  and  both 
became  a  part  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  system.  About  that  time  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  road  was  built  from  Sedgwick  to  Wichita, 
thence  west  to  Kingman,  the  people  of  Wichita  furnishing  the  right  of 
way  from  that  point  to  the  west  line  of  the  county.  In  1886  a  line 
known  as  the  Kansas  Midland  was  built  from  Wichita  to  Ellsworth  by 
Wichita  capitalists,  Senator  Bentley,  W.  E.  Stanley,  J.  O.  Davidson. 
C.  R.  Miller,  Robert  E.  Lawrence  and  others  being  the  promoters.  It 
became  a  part  of  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  system.  The  next  year 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  was  built  across  the  county  from 
the  northeast.  This  being  the  main  line  of  that  road  from  Chicago  to 
the  gulf,  the  Sedgwick  county  people  felt  themselves  very  fortunate  in 
securing  it  although  they  never  realized  any  profits  from  the  stock 
which  they  bought  in  the  concern.  The  last  road  to  be  constructed  in 
Sedgwick  county  was  the  Kansas  City,  Mexico  &  Orient,  about  1906  or 
1907.  It  connects  this  territory  with  the  rapidly  developing  southwest 
and  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  lines  that  has  ever  come  to  the  county. 
Beside  these  roads  which  pass  through  Wichita,  a  branch  of  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  «S:  Santa  Fe  runs  from  east  to  west  through  the  southern 
part  and  another  line  of  the  same  road  cuts  across  the  southeastern 
corner. 

In  regard  to  the  financial  affairs  of  the  county  it  is  recorded  that  the 
first  levy  of  taxes  was  2]/%  cents  on  the  dollar.  In  1872  the  county  was 
bonded  for  .$200,000  for  the  first  railroad,  and  being  ambitious  and  eager 
for  public  improvements,  especially  new  railroads,  liberal  bonds  were 
voted  at  frequent  intervals.  These  bonds  were  always  promptly  paid 
in  full,  $155,980  being  paid  off  in  the  year  1880  at  a  time  when  new  enter- 
prises were  being  pushed  very  rapidly.  In  191 1  Sedgwick  county  was 
one  of  the  three  largest  tax  paying  counties  of  the  state.  In  1880  the 
assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $3,117,460,  which  was  a  remarkable 
growth  from  practically  nothing  in  1870.  The  assessed  valuation  in 
1910  was  $108,139,773.  The  county  affairs  are  in  excellent  condition 
financially.  The  public  buildings  are  paid  for  and  bridges  and  roads 
are  in  good  shape. 

The  Sedgwick  County  Agricultural  Society  was  organized  in  1873, 
and  the  first  exhibition  was  held  in  October  of  that  year.  The  next  year 
on  account  of  the  drought  and  grasshoppers  there  was  nothing  to  exhibit 
and  the  county  had  to  accept  outside  aid.  In  1875  the  crops  were 
bountiful,  but  in  1876  the  grasshoppers  again  caused  considerable  dam- 
age. In  1882  the  value  of  garden  produce  and  animals  sold  for  slaughter 
was  $610,000,  and  the  number  of  bushels  of  grain  raised  was  5,332,320, 
of  which  3,665,610  bushels  was  corn.  In  1884,  out  of  an  abundant  corn 
crop,  Sedgwick  county  sent  33  car  loads  of  the  grain  to  the  flood  suf- 
ferers in  Ohio  in  recognition  of  the  help  it  had  received  ten  years  before. 
Although  as  a  reaction  to  the  boom  of  the  '80s  times  were  a  little  dull 
in  the  towns  for  the  next  few  years,  the  land  kept  on  producing  crops 
which  formed  the  basis  of  general  prosperity.     Sedgwick  is  at  present 


KANSAS   HISTORY  66_5 

surpassed  by  only  four  counties  in  the  value  of  her  farm  products,  which 
in  1910  were  worth  $5,616,683.  Of  this  amount  corn,  the  largest  field 
crop,  was  worth  $1,325,088;  wheat,  $490,785;  oats,  $676,074;  hay, 
$645,812;  animals  sold  for  slaughter,  $1,539,012.  The  Sedgwick  County 
Fair  Association  had  a  tract  of  40  acres  which,  when  the  association 
became  bankrupt,  was  bought  by  John  V.  Carey  for  $5,000,  the  amount 
of  the  judgment  against  it,  and  formed  the  Carey  Park  addition  to 
Wichita.  A  state  fair,  held  at  Wichita,  took  the  place  of  the  county 
institution.    (See  State  Fairs.) 

The  legislature  of  1893  authorized  the  establishment  and  mainte- 
nance of  an  industrial  school  at  the  expense  of  the  county,  the  amount 
to  be  spent  for  buildings  and  grounds  not  to  exceed  $10,000.  A  branch 
of  the  state  entomological  department  was  established  in  Sedgwick  in 
June,  191 1,  and  is  of  great  assistance  to  the  farmers  in  ridding  their 
farms  of  pests  and  increasing  the  volume  of  produce. 

Sedgwick  county  is  divided  into  27  townships  as  follows :  Afton, 
Attica,  Delano,  Eagle,  Erie,  Garden  Plain,  Grand  River,  Grant,  Greeley, 
Gypsum,  Illinois,  Kechi,  Lincoln,  Minneha,  Morton,  Ninnescah,  Ohio, 
Park,  Payne,  Rockford,  Salem,  Sherman,  Union,  Valley  Center,  Viola, 
Waco  and  Wichita. 

The  general  surface  is  rolling  prairie,  level  in  places.  The  timber 
belt  along  the  streams  are  unusually  wide,  averaging  more  than  a  mile, 
and  contain  all  the  varieties  of  wood  common  to  Kansas  soil.  The  bot- 
tom lands  are  also  wide  and  comprise  50  per  cent,  of  the  area.  Well 
water  is  accessible  at  a  depth  of  from  10  to  50  feet.  The  Arkansas  river 
enters  in  the  northwest  and  crosses  the  entire  county  southwest.  The 
Little  Arkansas  enters  in  the  north,  flows  south,  joining  the  larger 
stream  at  Wichita.  The  north  and  south  forks  of  the  Ninnescah  river 
enter  and  unite  in  the  southwest,  the  main  stream  flowing  south- 
east into  Sumner  county.  Cowskin  creek  has  its  source  in  the  central 
part  and  flows  southeast.  Limestone,  clay  and  gypsum  are  abundant. 
The  population  of  the  county  in  1882  was  19,166;  in  1890,  43,626;  in 
1900,  44,037,  and  in   1910,  73,095. 

Seeley,  a  hamlet  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  8  miles  northwest  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money 
order  postofifice  and  in  1910  the  population  was  25.  The  railroad  name 
is  Dale. 

Sego,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Reno  county,  is  located  18  miles  southwest 
of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  from  Arlington  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point,  and  the 
postoffice  from  which  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  route.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  16. 

Seguin,  a  hamlet  in  Sheridan  county,  is  located  in  Logan  township 
on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  west  of  Hoxie,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  money  order  postofifice.     The  population  in  1910  was  11. 

Selden,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Sheridan  county, 
is  located  in  Sheridan  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 


666  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

R.  R.,  i6  miles  northwest  of.Hoxie,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a 
weekl}'  newspaper  (the  Independent),  about  30  stores,  a  grain  elevator, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  five  rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  297. 

Self  Defensive  Association. — The  great  number  of  free-state  settlers 
that  came  into  Kansas  territory  in  1854  began  to  alarm  the  friends  of 
slavery,  who  saw  that  it  would  be  practically  impossible  legally  to 
compete  with  the  heavy  tide  of  emigration  from  the  east.  The  people 
of  northwest  Missouri  had  been  led  to  believe  that  the  prospects  of 
slavery  in  Kansas  were  good,  but  this  idea  was  overthrown  by  the 
coming  of  such  great  numbers  of  what  the  Missourians  called  "northern 
cattle."  The  advocates  of  slavery  were  disappointed  but  not  dis- 
couraged, and  attempted  to  terrify  the  new  settlers  by  threats  and  per- 
secutions. The  pro-slavery  publications  represented  the  emigrant  aid 
societies  as  gathering  the  paupers  of  the  great  cities  in  the  east  and 
hiring  them  to  come  to  Kansas  to  disturb  the  institutions  of  Missouri. 
As  a  result  of  the  sentiment  thus  aroused,  meetings  were  held  in  some 
of  the  towns  in  western  Missouri.  This  agitation  led  to  the  formation 
on  June  15,  1854,  of  the  Platte  County  Self-Defensive  Association.  The 
constitution  of  this  organization  contained  a  preamble  and  nine  arti- 
cles, the  substance  of  which  was  that  all  free  negroes  must  be  expelled 
from  the  country ;  no  traffic  was  to  be  allowed  between  whites  and 
slaves;  no  slaves  were  to  be  allowed  to  hire  their  own  time;  the  asso- 
ciation was  to  try  to  punish  all  abolitionists ;  and  the  members  pledged 
themselves  to  bring  any  guilty  to  immediate  punishment.  Nearly  1,000 
persons  signed  this  constitution.  In  reality  the  association  was  an 
immense  lynch  court,  consisting  of  six  judges  and  1,000  detectives,  as 
each  member  acted  in  that  capacity.  There  was  absolutely  no  appeal 
from  the  decision  of  a  judge  and  any  two  members. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  association  the  following  resolutions  were 
passed:  "That  we,  the  members  of  the  Platte  County  Self  Defensive 
Association,  do  solemnly  pledge  ourselves  to  go  at  the  call  of  our 
brethren,  who  are  across  the  river  in  Kansas,  and  drive  out  from  their 
midst  the  abolition  traitors."  Thomas  A.  Minard,  formerly  a  sheriff  in 
Iowa,  a  man  of  good  character  and  wealth,  had  come  to  Kansas  and 
was  building  a  home.  He  was  known  to  have  declared  his  intention  to 
vote  for  Kansas  to  become  a  free-state.  Members  of  the  association 
arrested  him,  he  was  tried  before  the  lynch  court,  condemned  as  an 
abolitionist,  ordered  to  leave  the  country  within  24  hours  or  receive  50 
lashes  on  his  bare  back,  and  was  driven  from  his  home  with  a  sick 
family,  into  the  unsettled  wilderness.  An  old  white  haired  man  was 
seized  upon  the  testimony  of  a  negro,  condemned  as  an  abolitionist  and 
given  48  hours  in  which  to  leave  the  country  or  receive  50  lashes  on  his 
bare  back.  The  association  did  not  stop  with  trying  abolitionists,  but 
tried  to  force  the  inhabitants  to  trade  only  with  those  who  favored 
slavery  and  to  force  the  merchants  to  purchase  in  slave  holding  com- 
munities.    It  is  believed  that  members  of  this  association  were  among 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


667 


the  pro-slavery  men  who  attempted  to  intimidate  and  drive  the  free- 
state  settlers  from  Lawrence,  which  proved  unsuccessful.  The  work 
of  the  association  became  so  intolerant  that  these  actions  proved  its 
undoing,  for  the  citizens  of  Weston  called  a  public  meeting  at  which 
resolutions  were  adopted  in  which  they  declared  that  the  residents  were 
competent  to  decide  who  should  be  expelled  from  the  community  and 
that  mob  law  could  be  tolerated  no  longer.  In  the  resolutions  the 
citizens  disclaimed  the  action  of  the  association.  Thus  ended  the  power 
and  history  of  the  Self-Defensive  Association. 

Selkirk,  a  hamlet  in  Wichita  county,  is  located  in  Leoti  township,  9 
miles  west  of  Leoti,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  postofiiice  and  a  tele- 
graph office.     The  population  in  1910  was  42. 

Selma,  a  hamlet  in  .\nderson  county,  is  located  at  the  junction  of 
the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroads  13 
miles  southeast  of  Garnett,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel,  general 
store  and  blacksmith  shop,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  60. 
The  railroad  name  is  Trilby. 

Seneca,  the  county  seat  of  Nemaha  county,  is  located  northwest  of 
the  center  of  the  county  on  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  and  the 
Missouri  Pacific  railroads.  It  is  also  on  the  Nemaha  river,  70  miles 
northwest  of  Topeka.  It  has  a  brick  plant,  an  iron  foundry,  a  cement 
block  plant,  a  creamery,  4  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Tribune 
and  the  Courier-Democrat),  high  school,  city  library,  waterworks  and 
electric  light  plant,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  an  international 
money  order  postoffice  with  five  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was   1808. 

The  town  site  was  located  by  J.  B.  Ingersoll,  who  in  1857  staked  oS 
a  claim  which  he  called  Rock  Castle.  A  town  company  was  soon  after- 
ward organized,  the  members  being  Samuel  Lappin,  Charles  G.  Scraf- 
ford,  Royal  L^  Torry  and  Finley  Lappin,  and  the  town  immediately 
platted  was  named  Seneca.  The  first  house,  a  double  log  structure, 
was  built  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  by  Finley  Lappin,  who  started  a 
hotel  in  one  end  of  it  and  rented  the  other  end  to  Downing  &  Stewart 
for  a  grocery  store.  The  hotel  end  was  also  used  for  an  office  by  Samuel 
Lappin,  register  of  deeds.  A  blacksmith  shop,  consisting  of  four  poles 
covered  with  brush  and  a  few  boards  over  the  forge,  was  put  up  by 
Levi  Hensel,  a  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune. 

The  next  year  the  Smith  family,  including  John  E.  Smith  and  wife, 
two  sons,  W.  H.  and  F.  E.  Smith,  his  brother  Stephen  and  sister  Addie 
Smith,  made  a  valuable  addition  to  the  Seneca  settlement.  With  them 
came  Charles,  George  W.  and  Ezra  Williams.  John  E.  Smith  built  a 
hotel  and  erected  a  sawmill  a  mile  from  town.  The  machinery  of  the 
mill  was  hauled  by  an  ox  team  from  Atchison.  Miss  Addie  Smith 
taught  the  first  school  in  Smith's  hotel  in  1858.  The  next  building  was 
of  concrete  erected  by  Downing  &  Stewart.  The  fourth  building  of 
any  consequence  was  a  business  block  erected  by  the  town  company. 


668  CYci.ui'KiiiA  or 

The  first  child  born  in  Seneca  was  Esther  Hensel,  daughter  of  Levi 
Hensel,  in  1859.     A  town  lot  was  conveyed  to  her  by  the  town  company. 

The  proximity  of  Seneca  and  Richmond,  only  three  miles  apart, 
created  considerable  rivalry.  Up  to  the  year  1859  Richmond  received 
the  overland  traffic,  which  was  very  heavy  at  times.  In  order  to  divert 
this  business  to  their  town  some  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Seneca 
sowed  oats  on  the  road  leading  to  Richmond  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, which  gave  it  the  appearance  of  not  being  used.  Seneca  became 
a  station  on  the  Pony  express  from  St.  Joseph  to  San  Francisco  and 
also  on  the  overland  stage  route  and  remained  so  until  the  railroads 
were  built. 

Seneca  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  1870  ana  the 
following  trustees  were  appointed :  James  P.  Taylor,  Charles  G.  Scraf- 
ford,  J.  B.  Meyers,  Abijah  Wells  and  John  F.  McGowan.  The  first 
election  was  held  in  1871  and  resulted  as  follows:  W.  G.  Sargent, 
mayor;  George  Graham,  J.  H.  Peckham,  John  H.  Larew,  Jacob  Meis- 
ner  and  Mathias  Stein,  councilmen.  Abijah  Wells  was  subsequently 
appointed  probate  judge. 

Sequoyah,  a  half-breed  Cherokee  Indian,  was  a  native  of  Georgia.  His 
father  was  a  German  named  Gist  and  his  mother  was  a  Cherokee 
woman.  Sequoyah's  English  name  was  George  Gist,  the  surname 
becoming  corrupted  into  "Guess."  About  1825,  while  conversing  with 
some  of  his  tribe  about  the  "talking  papers"  of  the  white  men,  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  inventing  an  alphabet  by  which  the  Cherokee  lan- 
guage might  be  written.  He  first  attempted  to  devise  a  character  for 
each  word,  but  found  that  would  involve  the  use  of  too  many  marks. 
His  next  step  was  to  invent  a  character  for  each  syllable.  By  this 
method  he  found  126  symbols,  all  that  were  necessary,  and  even  this 
number  he  finally  reduced  to  86.  When  he  had  his  alphabet  completed 
he  taught  a  few  of  his  friends  to  write.  Later  he  went  to  Arkansas. 
and  while  there  wrote  a  letter  in  Cherokee  to  his  brother  in  Georgia. 
About  1828  a  paper  called  the  Cherokee  Phoenix  was  started,  and  it 
is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  paper  ever  printed  in  Indian  char- 
acters. Sequoyah  subsequently  removed  with  his  people  to  the  Indian 
Territory  and  died  there. 

Sequoyah  County,  now  a  part  of  Finney  county,  was  created  in  1873 
and  named  for  Sequoyah  (q.  v.),  the  Cherokee  Indian,  who  invented 
the  written  language  of  his  tribe.  The  act  creating  the  county  defined 
the  boundaries  as  follows:  "Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the 
east  line  of  range  31  west  with  the  4th  standard  parallel;  thence  south 
along  range  line  to  the  intersection  with  the  north  line  of  township 
27  south ;  thence  west  along  township  line  to  where  it  intersects  the 
east  line  of  range  35  west ;  thence  north  along  range  line  to  where  it 
intersects  the  4th  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning." The  territory  included  within  these  boundaries  now  constitutes 
the  western  two-thirds  of  Finney  county,  which  was  formed  in  1883. 
(See  Finney  county.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


669 


Settlers'  Protective  Association. — In  1865  a  treaty  was  ratified  at  the 
Canville  trading  post  between  the  United  States  and  the  Great  and 
Little  Osage  Indian  tribes.  One  section  of  the  treaty  provided  that 
men  who  were  the  heads  of  famihes,  and  who  had  settled  upon  the  lands 
prior  to  the  treaty,  were  allowed  to  purchase  a  quarter  section  of  land. 
Other  people,  believing  all  the  lands  included  in  the  treaty  were  open 
to  settlement,  located  upon  them.  Under  the  terms  of  the  treaty  the 
lands  were  to  be  disposed  of  on  the  most  advantageous  terms  for  cash, 
and  to  this  end  President  Johnson  issued  a  proclamation  on  Jan.  20, 
1868,  authorizing  the  sale  of  the  ceded  lands,  May  i  to  16,  1868,  at 
Humboldt,  Kan. 

About  this  time  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  railroad 
presented  a  claim  to  each  alternate  section  of  land  for  10  miles  on  each 
side  of  the  right-of-way  of  the  proposed  route  through  the  Osage  lands 
to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  state,  claiming  the  land  under  the  act 
of  Congress  of  March  5,  1863,  more  than  two  years  before  the  treaty. 
The  L'nion  Pacific  railroad  also  claimed  land  in  a  like  manner,  under 
an  act  of  Congress  of  July  26,  1866.  Numerous  settlements  had  been 
made  on  these  lands,  and  the  question  came  up  as  to  the  validity  of 
the  claims  of  the  railroads.  The  commissioner  of  the  general  land 
office,  Joseph  H.  Wilson,  rejected  the  claims  of  the  railroad  companies, 
but  O.  H.  Browning,  secretary  of  the  interior,  upheld  them.  The  sale 
of  the  lands  was  indefinitely  postponed  by  the  president,  and  the  set- 
tlers were  at  a  loss  as  to  what  to  do.  They  could  not  obtain  title  to 
their  lands,  and  meetings  were  held  for  consultation.  Petitions  were 
sent  to  Congress,  asking  that  something  be  done,  and  a  decision  was 
rendered  that  actual  settlers  who  had  located  on  the  lands  "prior  to 
the  withdrawal  of  the  lands  from  market,  could  enter,  but  that  as  to 
subsequent  settlements,  the  aforesaid  ruling  of  the  secretary  (of  the 
interior)  was  recognized  as  paramount,  and  the  odd  numbered  sections 
were  held  as  belonging  to  the  railroad  companies  where  settlement 
was  not  made  on  them  prior  to  April  18,  1868." 

Many  men  who  had  settled  on  odd  numbered  sections  offered  proof 
of  settlement  prior  to  that  time  and  desired  to  purchase  the  land  but 
were  refused.  Added  to  this  the  interior  department  decided  that  there 
were  not  enough  sections  designated  by  odd  numbers  to  give  the  rail- 
roads the  amount  of  land  they  were  entitled  to  by  the  act,  and  with- 
drew even  numbered  sections  within  a  certain  limit  as  railroad  lands. 
Settlers  on  such  sections  were  notified  that  their  claims  were  held  for 
cancellation. 

After  a  great  amount  of  agitation ;  after  delegates  had  been  sent  to 
Washington  to  obtain  justice  for  the  settlers  and  nothing  had  been 
accomplished,  it  was  decided  that  a  secret,  oath-bound  society,  by 
which  the  scattered  forces  could  be  combined  for  a  successful  issue,  was 
the  best  plan.  The  first  meeting  was  a  small  one,  held  at  the  home  of 
Father  Dick  in  the  village  of  Dennis,  a  short  distance  from  Parsons. 
Those   present  were   William   Dick.    LeRoy    Dick,    Dr.   Thomas   Smith 


670  CYCLOI'EUIA    OF 

and  David  Lindsay.  They  organized  the  "Settlers'  Protective  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Osage  Ceded  Lands."  On  Oct.  21,  1870,  the  association 
was  fully  organized,  and  subsequently  a  charter  was  obtained  from 
the  state.  David  C.  Hutchinson  was  the  first  president.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  -M.  J.  Slater  of  Thayer,  who  remained  in  office  until  the 
object  ui  the  society  was  accomplished.  The  directors  were  William 
S.  Irwin,  Rochester;  David  C.  Hutchinson,  Ladore ;  George  VV.  McMil- 
lan, Humboldt;  M.  H.  Sheldon,  Urbana ;  J.  Monroe,  Mound  Valley; 
A.  J.  Campbell,  Big  Hill;  J.  L.  Williams,  Labette  City;  J.  M.  Gaston, 
Erie;  Stephen  Medd,  Erie;  George  T.  Walton,  Ladore;  and  Van  Hen- 
derlider,  Ladore. 

The  association  began  work  at  once.  Its  operations  were  secret,  and 
its  object  was  to  test  the  claims  of  the  railroad  companies  to  the  lands. 
There  was  a  grand  council  which  held  meetings  for  the  transaction  of 
business.  A  systematic  plan  of  action  was  decided  upon  by  this  coun- 
cil. Ex-Gov.  Wilson  Shannon,  G.  W.  Julian,  W.  H.  Lawrence,  all 
well  known  lawyers,  were  consulted  upon  the  validity  of  the  claims 
of  the  railroads,  and  their  decision  was  in  favor  of  the  settlers.  It  was 
the  influence  of  the  association  that  defeated  the  ratification  of  the 
"Sturgis  Treaty,"  made  May  27,  1868,  by  which  the  Great  and  Little 
Osages  were  to  convey  the  Osage  diminished  reserve  of  8,000,000  acres 
of  land  to  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  railroad  for  19 
cents  an  acre.  The  attorneys  employed  by  the  association  were 
McComus  &  Mclveegan  of  Fort  Scott,  Wilson  Shannon  of  Lawrence, 
Judge  William  Lawrence  of  Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  and  Judge  Jeremiah 
Black  of  Pennsylvania.  They  tried  repeatedly  to  obtain  a  hearing 
before  the  courts,  but  failed,  and  finally  concluded  that  Congress  would 
have  to  pass  a  special  enabling  act  authorizing  the  attorneys  of  the 
association  to  use  the  name  of  the  United  States  in  testing  the  claims 
of  the  settlers.  Gov.  Shannon  drew  up  a  bill  for  the  purpose,  and 
attached  a  memorial  passed  by  the  legislature  of  Kansas,  asking  Con- 
gress to  pass  the  bill.  The  railroads  then  requested  Atty.-Gen.  Wil- 
liams to  order  the  United  States  district  attorney,  George  R.  Peck  of 
Kansas,  to  enter  suit  in  the  name  of  the  United  States  to  adjust  the 
controversy  and  thus  prevent  the  use  of  the  name  of  the  United  States 
by  the  attorneys  of  the  association.  But  Judge  Lawrence,  who  was 
in  Washington,  had  President  Grant  suspend  Mr.  Williams'  order  until 
Congress  could  hear  from  the  legislature  of  Kansas.  After  this  negotia- 
tions were  carried  on  between  the  attorneys  of  the  settlers  and  the 
railroads.  The  former  presented  the  question  before  the  United  States 
court  in  Kansas,  and  also  before  the  United  States  supreme  court, 
which  decided  that  the  railroads  had  no  claim  to  the  Osage  ceded  lands, 
for  the  reason  that  the  lands  were  reserved  to  the  Osage  Indians  at 
the  time  they  were  granted  to  the  railroads.  This  decision  was  ren- 
dered April  10,  1876,  and  the  work  of  the  Protective  association  was 
completed.  It  had  agreed  to  pay  the  fees  of  its  attorneys,  an  amount 
that  Would  equal  twenty-five  cents  per  acre  on   the  lands  saved  from 


KANSAS    HISTORY  "7^ 


the  railroads,  but  as  a  number  of  the  settlers  had  not  jomed  the  as.o^ 
ciation,  or  contributed  anything  toward  it,  Congress  vvas  asked  to  add 
a  sufficient  amount  to  the  price  of  the  land  to  pay  the  lawyers,  m  o  der 
that  all  beneficiaries  might  share  in  the  expense,  but  Congress  refused 
to  do  so,  and  the  members  of  the  association  were  forced  to  meet  the 

^'severance,   one   of   the    incorporated   towns   of   Doniphan    county,    is 
located  in  Wolf  River  township  on  the  Wolf  river  and  on  the  St.  Joseph 
&  Grand  Island  R.  R.,  12  miles  west  of  Troy,  the  county  seat.     It  has 
banking    facilities,    a    weekly    newspaper    (the    News),    telegraph    and 
express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.    The 
population  in  1910  was  500.    The  town  was  founded  m  1869  and  named 
after  John  Severance,  who  with  C.  C.  Clonch  and  Dr.  Robert  Gunn  laid 
out  the  town.     A  postoffice  was  established  with  A.  Gunn,  who  owned 
the   first  store,   as  postmaster.     The   promoters  of  the   town   gave  the 
railroad    company   $500   to   build    a   depot.     They   put    up   a   platform 
thereby  violating  an  agreement  they  had   with  Joel  Ryan  of  Ryans 
Station  not  to  build  a  station  within  3  miles  of  his  town.     This  led  to 
litigation  which  ended  in   1874,  and  the  depot  was  bu.lt  at  Severance 
that   year.     Some  of   the   first   settlers   in   the   community    were    C.   C. 
Clonch.   Swintz   and   Waggoner.     In   1855   Clonch  was  attacked   in  his 
cabin  by  Swintz  and  Waggoner,  both  of  whom  he  killed.    There  is  an 
account  of  a  battle  being  fought  on  the  site  of  Severance  in  1844  between 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes  and  the  Pawnees.  ^      ^-      u     •  •      . 

Some  of  the  first  business  men  were  D.  J.  Grandstatt,  physician, 
W  H  H  Curtis,  lumberman;  L.  C.  Nelson,  hardware  and  harness; 
T  A.  Campbell  &  Co.,  druggists;  Adam  Brenner,  grain  dealer  ;M_  n 
Holmes,  tinner;  Winchester  Bell,  shoes;  J.  J.  Glass,  saloon.  The  first 
teacher  was  Miss  Laura  Hern,  who  taught  school  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  town.  Severance  was  incorporated  in  1877  and  the  following 
were  the  first  officers:  W.  H.  H.  Curtis,  mayor;  L.  C.  Nelson,  city 
clerk;  T.  A.  Campbell,  police  judge;  Amos  Sanford,  Dr.  G.  S.  Hopkins, 
W.  D.  Rippy,  Walter  Clonch  and  John  T.  Kirwin,  councilmen.^  I  his 
council  bought  and  improved  a  city  park.  ' 

Severy  formerly  Gould,  the  third  town  in  point  of  size  and  impor- 
tance in  Greenwood  county,  is  located  on  Salt  creek  at  the  crossing 
of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco 
railroads,  16  miles  south  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat.  It  has^a  banks, 
a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Severyite),  churches  and  schools.  This  is  an 
important  shipping  point  for  live  stock,  grain,  hay  and  produce.  All 
lines  of  mercantile  endeavor  are  represented.  There  are  express  and 
tele<^raph  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  three 
rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910.  according  to  the  census  report, 

was  608.  o    c-     i     17 

Severy  was  founded  at  the  time  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  l^e 
R  R  was  built  in  1879.  It  was  the  successor  to  the  town  of  that  name 
which  had  been  started  some  years  before,  and  lay  a  short  distance  to 


672  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  south.  The  town  was  laid  out  by  the  Arkansas  Valley  Town  com- 
pany in  January,  and  by  April  it  had  sufficient  population  to  become 
incorporated.  The  first  mayor  was  E.  Ellingson.  The  first  building 
on  the  town  site  was  the  combination  store  and  residence  of  R.  Dodds. 
The  next  was  the  blacksmith  shop  of  A.  R.  Tomlinson.  The  first  gen- 
eral store  was  built  and  opened  by  E.  Ellingson.  Other  early  busi- 
ness men  were  Stewart,  liveryman ;  N.  S.  McDonald,  physician ;  and 
H.  C.  Reece,  attorney.  The  first  hotel  was  opened  in  1880  by  Weir  & 
Whittenhall.  The  Severy  postoffice  was  first  established  about  2  miles 
west  of  the  present  town  at  the  home  of  R.  T.  Bullock.  Later  it  was 
moved  to  the  old  location  of  Severy  and  in  1879  ^o  the  new  town.  The 
first  postmaster  after  its  final  location  was  R.  Dodds. 

The  first  religious  organization  was  a  Union  Sunday  school  organized 
about  1879.  The  first  church  building  was  the  Congregational,  built 
in  1880  and  1881.  The  first  school  was  established  in  1882.  The  first 
newspaper,  the  Severy  Pioneer,  issued  its  initial  number  in  March, 
1880. 

Seward,  a  little  town  in  Staflford  county,  is  located  in  the  township 
of  the  same  name,  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  13  miles  north  of  Staf- 
ford, the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel,  a  creamery,  a  bank,  retail  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one 
rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  300. 

Seward  County,  in  the  southern  tier,  is  the  third  county  east  from 
Colorado.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Haskell  county;  on  the  east 
by  Meade ;  on  the  south  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  and  on  the  west 
by  Stevens  county.  It  was  created  in  1873  and  named  in  honor  of 
William  H.  Seward  of  New  York,  who  was  secretary  of  state  during 
Lincoln's  administration.  The  boundaries  were  defined  as  follows: 
"Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the  east  line  of  range  31  west  with 
the  6th  standard  parallel ;  thence  south  on  said  range  line  to  the  south- 
ern boundary  line  of  the  State  of  Kansas;  thence  west  on  said  southern 
boundary  line  of  the  State  of  Kansas  to  the  east  line  of  range  35  west ; 
thence  north  on  said  range  line  to  the  6th  standard  parallel ;  thence  east 
to  the  place  of  beginning." 

Ten  years  later  the  area  was  increased  nearly  threefold  by  the  addi- 
tion of  territory  from  the  adjoining  counties,  which  for  a  time  lost  their 
identity.  In  1886  the  original  limits  w-ere  restored  and  the  county  was 
organized.  C.  L.  Calvert  was  appointed  census  taker  in  March,  and 
according  to  his  returns,  which  were  made  June  5,  there  were  2,551 
bona  fide  residents  in  the  county,  of  whom  843  were  householders.  The 
taxable  property  amounted  to  $421,985,  of  which  $182,719  was  real 
estate.  Gov.  John  A.  Martin  issued  his  proclamation  on  June  17,  desig- 
nating Springfield  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  appointing  the 
following  officers :  County  clerk,  J.  M.  Wilson ;  commissioners,  Walter 
H.  Harwood,  E.  M.  Campbell  and  Edwin  A.  Watson.  Fargo  Springs 
was  the  rival  of  Springfield  for  county  seat  honors  and  the  governor, 
hoping  to  divide   favors,   appointed   Fargo   Springs  adherents   as   com- 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


673 


missioners.  They  divided  the  territory  of  the  county  into  election  dis- 
tricts in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  their  town  the  advantage  over  Spring- 
field. The  voting  place  for  Seward  township  was  at  Fargo  Springs. 
The  night  before  the  election,  which  was  held  on  Aug.  5,  1886,  it  is 
said  the  Fargo  men,  40  strong,  took  possession  of  the  polling  place, 
organized  the  election  board  early  the  next  morning  and  began  the 
voting  an  hour  before  the  time  fixed.  It  was  charged  that  the  Fargo 
people  "voted  early  and  often."  The  farmers,  not  approving  the  way 
the  election  was  conducted,  hauled  a  wagon  up  beside  the  building  in 
which  the  polls  were  located  and  established  a  voting  booth  of  their 
own.  The  commissioners  refused  to  canvass  the  vote  deposited  in  the 
ballot  box  in  the  wagon  bed.  There  were  225  votes  cast  in  this  man- 
ner, of  which  a  majority  were  for  Springfield.  The  matter  was  taken 
to  the  courts,  the  commissioners  were  compelled  to  canvass  the  vote, 
and  Springfield  was  declared  the  permanent  county  seat  in  March, 
1887.  Fargo  Springs,  which  was  located  less  than  4  miles  south  of 
Springfield,  moved  to  the  latter  place. 

The  officers  chosen  at  the  August  election  were  as  follows :  County 
clerk,  Oliver  Leisure;  treasurer,  Adam  T.  Ragland ;  probate  judge,  L.  A. 
Etzold ;  register  of  deeds,  George  Ferner ;  sheriiif,  George  Neeley ;  coro- 
ner, Dr.  W.  H.  Dorsett;  surveyor,  A.  L.  Stickel ;  attorney,  C.  J.  Trax- 
ler ;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  W.  E.  McClure ;  commissioners,  E.  M. 
Campbell,  W.  W.  Kimball  and  Charles  Mayo. 

The  settlement  within  the  present  boundaries  of  Seward  county  did 
not  begin  until  1884.  Among  the  first  settlers,  who  afterward  became 
prominent  in  the  business  and  political  life  of  the  county,  were  W.  J. 
Tipton,  who  came  in  1884.  and  the  following  who  came  in  1885:  Oliver 
Leisure,  L.  J.  Fulton,  L.  P.  Roberts,  Harry  C.  Nelson,  A.  T.  Ragland, 
E.  M.  Campbell,  A.  H.  Saunders,  L.  A.  Etzold,  J.  M.  Adams  and  J.  L. 
Lundsford.  The  immigration  was  heavy  during  the  years  1885  and 
1886.  The  Springfield  Town  company  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1885, 
but  the  town  was  not  laid  out  until  about  three  weeks  before  the  county 
was  organized.  The  first  newspaper  was  the  Springfield  Transcript, 
established  in  1886  by  L.  P.  Kemper.  County  buildings  were  not  built 
for  several  years,  but  in  a  short  time  there  was  nevertheless  a  large 
bonded  indebtedness.  The  county  scrip  was  handled  very  extravagantly 
by  the  officials.  In  1888  legal  action  was  brought  by  the  attorney- 
general  of  the  state  against  Oliver  Leisure,  county  clerk,  and  two  of 
the  commissioners,  charging  them  with  defrauding  the  county  out  of 
several  thousand  dollars. 

In  that  year  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  was  built 
and  the  town  of  Liberal  was  founded.  In  August,  four  months  after 
it  was  laid  out,  the  population  had  reached  800  and  it  was  incorporated 
as  a  city  of  the  third  class.  The  people  of  the  south  part  of  the  county 
began  a  campaign  to  have  it  made  the  count}'  seat.  In  1890  the  county 
records  were  burned  at  Springfield,  and  the  facts  then  came  to  pub- 
lic notice  that  the  county  had  a  bonded  indebtedness  of  $100,000  with 
(11-43) 


674  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

practically  nothing  to  show  for  it.  In  1892  the  last  county  seat  elec- 
tion was  held.  The  candidates  were  Liberal  and  Springfield.  The 
former  won  by  125  votes.  So  confident  were  the  Liberal  adherents  of 
a  victory  that  a  large  number  of  farm  wagons  were  drawn  up  before 
the  county  offices,  and  as  soon  as  the  vote  was  announced  the  removal 
of  the  county  propert}-  began.  In  less  than  three  hours  it  was  all  on  the 
road  to  Liberal. 

The  county  is  divided  into  three  townships,  Fargo,  Liberal  and 
Seward.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  enters  on  the 
eastern  boundary  line,  north  of  the  center,  and  crosses  southwest  into 
Oklahoma,  a  distance  of  30  miles.  The  general  surface  is  undulating 
with  but  few  hills,  and  there  is  practically  no  timber.  The  Cimarron 
river  enters  near  the  northwest  corner  and  flows  southeast  into  Meade 
county.     Limestone  of  good  quality  is  found  in  the  southwest  portion. 

The  total  value  of  farm  products  in  1910  was  $885,529.  Wheat,  the 
most  valuable  crop,  brought  $258,152;  milo  maize,  $138,270;  broom- 
corn,  $110,022;  corn,  nearly  $70,000;  Kafir  corn,  $81,825;  hay,  $55,634; 
animals  sold  for  slaughter,  $80,701.  The  live  stock  aggregated  10,537 
head,  worth  $561,618,  and  the  assessed  valuation  of  property  was 
$6,117,868. 

The  population  in  1890  was  1,503,  in  1900  it  was  822  and  in  1910  it 
was  4,091.  This  large  increase  during  the  last  decade  was  due  to  the 
improved  methods  of  farming  and  to  the  fact  that  the  farmers  have 
learned  how  to  handle  the  soil  in  the  climate  of  southwest  Kansas  to 
the  best  advantage. 

Sexton,  a  hamlet  in  Wallace  county,  is  located  in  Wallace  township 
16  miles  northeast  of  Sharon  Springs,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles 
from  Wallace,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  postoffice  and  a  gen- 
eral store. 

Shady  Bend,  a  hamlet  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  on  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  9  miles  east  of  Lincoln,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  grain 
elevators,  a  general  store,  a  mill,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The 
population  in  1910  was  40.  The  town  came  into  the  limelight  in  Aug., 
191 1,  on  account  of  an  unfortunate  incident.  A  young  lady  by  the  name 
of  Mary  Chamberlain  was  taken  from  a  buggy  at  night  by  masked  men 
and  tarred.  A  number  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  the  community 
were  involved  in  the  affair. 

Shaffer,  a  village  in  Rush  county,  is  located  in  Garfield  township 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  15  miles  southeast  of  La 
Crosse,  the  county  seat.  It  has  3  mills,  2  grain  elevators,  a  hotel,  a 
creamery,  general  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money 
order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  45. 

Shannon,  a  post-village  of  Atchison  county,  is  located  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  about  9  miles  west  of  Atchison.  It  has  a  money 
order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a 
population  of  50. 


KANSAS    IIISTOUV  675 

Shannon  Guards. — James  Redpath,  in  his  "Roving  Editor,"  sa}  s  the 
Shannon  Guards  "were  a  gang  of  Missouri  highwaymen  and  horse- 
thieves,   who   organized   under  the   lead   of ■   the 

Kansas    correspondent    of    a    pro-slavery    paper,    when    the    territorial 
troubles  first  broke  out  in  the  spring  of  1856." 

The  dashes  in  the  above  quotation  evidently  refer  to  Henry  I'lay 
Pate  (q.  v.),  and  the  Shannon  Guards  constituted  the  force  which  fought 
the  battle  of  Black  Jack  in  June,  1856,  when  Pate  was  captured,  along 
with  a  number  of  his  men. 

Shannon,  Wilson,  second  territorial  governor  of  Kansas,  was  born  in 
what  is  now  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  Feb.  24,  1802.  His  father  was 
frozen  to  death  in  the  winter  of  1803  while  on  a-  hunting  expedition, 
the  eldest  son,  John,  being  at  that  time  about  nineteen  years  of  age. 
It  was  due  chiefly  to  the  assistance  of  his  brothers,  John  and  Thomas, 
that  Wilson  received  his  education.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to 
be  of  assistance  he  was  put  to  work  on  the  farm,  but  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  his  brothers  sent  him  to  the  Ohio  LIniversity  at  Athens, 
where  he  studied  for  two  years,  and  then  entered  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity at  Lexington,  Ky.  While  a  student  in  this  institution  he  read 
law  with  his  brothers,  George  and  James,  and  in  1826  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  St.  Clairsville,  Ohio.  He  soon  won  distinction  at  the 
bar  and  became  an  active  factor  in  politics.  By  1832  he  had  become 
so  well  known  that  the  Democratic  party  nominated  him  for  Congress, 
the  Whig  candidate  being  Gen.  James  M.  Bell.  Although  the  Whigs 
were  in  a  majority  in  the  district  Mr.  Shannon  made  such  a  vigorous 
campaign  that  Bell  was  elected  by  a  bare  37  votes.  The  following 
year  Mr.  Shannon  was  elected  county  attorney  of  Belmont  county, 
and  in  1835  was  reelected.  In  1838  he  was  elected  governor  of  Ohio, 
but  in  1840  he  was  defeated  for  reelection  by  Thomas  Corwin.  Two 
years  later  he  again  ran  against  Corwin,  and  this  time  was  elected. 
L'pon  the  expiration  of  his  second  term  as  governor  he  was  appointed- 
minister  to  Mexico  by  President  Tyler,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until 
diplomatic  relations  were  suspended  in  May,  1845.  He  then  prac- 
ticed law  in  Cincinnati  until  1849,  when  he  went  to  California.  Two 
years  later  he  returned  to  Ohio,  with  about  the  same  amount  of  money 
as  he  had  when  he  started  for  the  Pacific  coast,  and  resumed  his  law 
practice.  In  1852  he  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  lower 
house  of  Congress,  and  while  a  member  of  that  body  voted  for  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  On  Aug.  10,  1855,  ^^  was  commissioned  gov- 
ernor of  Kansas  Territor)-  by  President  Pierce.  The  fact  that  he  had 
voted  for  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  caused  his  appointment  to  be  hailed 
with  delight  by  the  pro-slavery  men  in  Kansas  and  the  western  part 
of  Missouri,  who  hoped  to  gain  greater  advantages  than  they  had  been 
able  to  do  during  the  administration  of  Gov.  Reeder.  His  administra- 
tion actually  lasted  but  about  eleven  months,  but  during  that  time 
occurred  some  of  the  most  turbulent  scenes  of  the  "Border  War."  After 
his  resignation,  in  Aug.,   1856,  he  located  at   Lawrence  and  in  a  short 


676  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

time  became  one  of  the  best  known  attorneys  in  tlie  territory,  and  later 
in  the  state.  Gov.  Shannon  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  who 
Hved  but  a  few  years  after  their  marriage,  was  a  Miss  Ellis,-  whose 
father  was  at  one  time  county  clerk  of  Belmont  county,  Ohio.  His 
second  wife  was  Sarah  Osbun  of  Cadiz,  Ohio.  Gov.  Shannon  died  at 
Lawrence  on  Aug.  30,  1877. 

Shannon's  Administration. — Although  Gov.  Shannon's  commission 
bore  date  uf  -Aug.  10,  1855,  he  was  apparently  in  no  hurry  to  assume 
the  duties  of  the  office.  He  knew  something  of  the  conditions  in 
Kansas,  and  seemed  .unwilling  to  claim  the  doubtful  honor  of  signing 
the  bills  passed  by  the  legislature  then  in  session.  Journeying  by  easy 
stages  he  reached  \\'estport,  Mo.,  on  Sept.  3,  and  from  that  point  he 
was  escorted  by  a  large  number  of  Missourians  to  the  Shawnee  Mis- 
sion, where  he  was  welcomed  by  a  speech  from  O.  PI.  Browne,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  which  had  adjourned  only  a  few  days  before.  In 
his  response  Gov.  Shannon  declared  that  it  was  the  duty  of  all  good 
citizens  to  obey  the  laws  passed  by  the  late  legislature,  and  that  it 
was  his  duty  and  intention  to  enforce  such  laws.  Practically  all  those 
present  were  in  favor  of  making  Kansas  a  slave  state,  and  this  announce- 
ment of  the  governor  was  received  with  applause.  Gov.  Shannon  was 
either  ignorant  of  the  strength  of  the  free-state  population,  or  was 
inclined  to  ignore  it,  but  the  Big  Springs  convention  (q.  v.),  which 
assembled  two  days  later,  ought  to  have  opened  his  eyes  to  the  fact 
that  there  was  a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  opposed  to  slavery. 
Notwithstanding  this  the  governor  aligned  himself  irrevocably  with 
the  pro-slavery  party  and  was  chairman  of,  and  one  of  the  speakers 
at,  the  convention  of  Nov.  14,  which  organized  the  so-called  "Law  and 
Order  party." 

The  executive  minutes  show  that  from  the  time  of  taking  office  until 
Dec.  I,  1855,  a  large  part  of  Gov.  Shannon's  time  was  devoted  to 
issuing  commissions  to  county  officers,  justices  of  the  peace,  con- 
stables, etc.  During  the  month  of  December  but  few  of  these  commis- 
sions were  issued,  but  from  January  to  June,  1856,  a  large  number  of 
officials  were  commissioned,  most  of  whom  were  enthusiastic  sup- 
porters of  the  slave  power.  The  minutes  for  Oct.  30,  1855,  contain  this 
entry:  "The  returns  of  the  judges  of  the  election  held  on  the  first 
Monday  in  October,  in  pursuance  of  law,  for  a  delegate  to  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Congress,  being  duly  examined,  and  John  W.  Whitfield  having 
received  a  majority  of  the  legal  votes  polled,  is  declared  by  the  governor 
to  be  duly  elected,  and  a  certificate  of  election  by  the  governor,  under 
the  seal  of  the  territory,  is  accordingly  issued  to  the  said  John  W. 
Whitfield." 

At  the  free-state  election  on  Oct.  9,  1855,  for  delegates  to  the  Topeka 
constitutional  convention,  ex-Gov.  A.  H.  Reader  received  128  more  votes 
for  delegate  to  Congress  than  had  been  cast  for  Whitfield  on  the  ist,  but 
this   electfon   was  not  recognized  by   the  governor. 

Some  of  the  most  stirring  events  that  occurred  while  Mr.  Shannon 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


677 


was  governor  are  treated  under  the  title  of  ••\\'akarusa  War,"  a  con- 
flict betweeii  the  supporters  of  slavery  and  the  free-state  men,  which 
was  concluded  on  Dec.  6,  1855,  ^Y  ^  treaty  signed  by  the  governor  and 
some  of  the  free-state  leaders.     (See  Wakarusa  War.) 

On  Dec.  15,  1855,  the  Topeka  constitution  was  ratified  by  popular 
vote,  and  on  Jan.  15,  1856,  an  election  for  state  officers  was  held  under 
that  constitution,  with  the  following  result:  Governor,  Charles  Robin- 
son; lieutenant-governor,  William  Y.  Roberts;  secretary  of  state,  Philip' 
C.  Schuyler;  auditor,  Dr.  George  A.  Cutler;  treasurer,  John  W.  Wake- 
field; attorney-general,  H.  Miles  Moore;  justices  of  the  supreme  court, 
S.  N.  Latta,  Morris  Hunt  and  Martin  F.  Conway ;  reporter  of  the 
supreme  court,  E.  M.  Thurston;  clerk  of  the  supreme  court,  Spencer  B. 
Floyd;  state  printer,  John  Speer ;  representative  in  Congress  (contin- 
gent upon  the  admission  of  the  state),  Mark  W.  Delahay.  The  day 
following  this  election  the  executive  committee  of  the  territory 
appointed  James  H.  Lane,  M.  C.  Dickey,  Morris  Hunt,  Turner  Samp- 
son, J.  K.  Goodin,  J.  S.  Emery  and  Cyrus  K.  Holliday  as  agents  "to 
visit  the  several  states  of  the  Union,  to  ask  appropriations  of  munitions 
of  war  and  means  for  the  defense  of  the  citizens  of  Kansas." 

At  the  time  the  free-state  election  was  held  in  January  Gov.  Shan- 
non was  absent  from  the  territory.  The  treaty  of  Dec.  8  had  caused 
him  to  lose  caste  with  the  pro-slavery  party,  and  as  he  had  not  yet 
been  confirmed  by  the  United  States  senate,  he  left  Kansas  on  Jan. 
5,  1856,  for  Washington  "to  set  himself  right."  He  succeeded  so  well 
in  his  mission  that  he  was  confirmed,  and  on  March  5  he  returned  to 
Ivansas  "invested  with  all  the  power  of  the  United  States  army  to 
enforce  the  bogus  laws." 

The  Law  and  Order  party  insisted  that  the  election  of  state  officers 
by  the  free-state  men  and  the  sending  of  agents  to  (ither  states  to 
solicit  aid  were  violations  of  the  treaty  made  with  the  gn\cr!ior.  They 
were  apparently  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  certain  Southern  states  had 
made  appropriations  in  the  interest  of  the  pro-slavery  cause,  Alabama 
having  appropriated  $25,000  "to  equip  and  transport  emigrants  to  Kan- 
sas." Acting  Gov.  Woodson  was  inclined  to  support  the  claims  of  his 
party,  and  the  trouble  threatened  to  break  out  anew.  At  this  juncture 
the  free-state  leaders  sent  the  following  letter  to  President  Pierce: 

"Sir:  We  have  authentic  information  that  an  overwhelming  force 
of  the  citizens  of  Missouri  are  organized  on  the  border,  amply  sup- 
plied with  artillery,  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  invading  the  territory, 
demolishing  our  towns  and  butchering  our  unofifending  free-state  citi- 
zens. We  respectfully  demand,  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Kansas,  that 
the  commandant  of  the  L'nited  States  troops  in  this  vicinity  be 
instructed  to  interfere  to  prevent  such  an  inhuman  outrage." 

This  letter  was  dated  at  Lawrence  Jan.  21,  1856,  and  was  signed  by 
J.  H.  Lane,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee,  Kansas  Territory : 
Charles  Robinson,  chairman  of  the  committee  of  safety ;  J.  K.  Goodin, 
secretary   of  the   executive  committee,   Kansas   Territory;   and   George 


678  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

W.  Deilzler,  secretary  of  the  committee  of  safet}'.  On  the  23d,  two 
days  later,  another  letter  to  the  president  from  the  same  parties  asked 
him  to  issue  a  proclamation  forbidding  the  invasion.  The  proclamation 
was  not  issued,  however,  until  Feb.  11,,  and  then  it  was  more  against 
the  free-state  movement  than  it  was  in  its  favor.  In  the  long  preamble 
there  are  six  distinct  references  to  the  "insurrection"  of  the  inhabitants 
and  only  three  to  "invasion"  by  outside  forces.  Cutler's  History  of 
Kansas  says :  "After  due  deliberation,  and  consultation  with  Atchison 
and  Winiield,  and  full  examination  of  the  letters  from  Stringfellow, 
Lecompte,'and  others  of  his  ilk,  he  (Pierce)  put  forth,  in  answer  to  the 
calls  of  the  helpless  people  of  Kansa:s,  a  heartless  proclamation,  which 
covertly  approved  the  outrages  already  perpetrated,  by  not  condemn- 
ing them,  thus  encouraging  a  repetition  of  the  outrages." 

There  was  no  open  disturbance  until  several  weeks  after  the  return 
of  Gov.  Shannon  from  Washington.  On  April  18  the  Congressional 
investigating  committee  reached  Lawrence,  and  began  the  work  of 
taking  testimony  bearing  on  the  recent  outrages.  About  the  same  time 
SheriiT  Jones  of  Douglas  county  called  on  the  governor  with  the  com- 
plaint that  he  had  met  with  resistance  in  his  attempt  to  arrest  some  of 
the  persons  who  had  aided  in  the  rescue  of  Branson,  and  asked  for 
troops  to  assist  him.  Lieut.  Mcintosh,  with  ten  men,  was  detailed  to 
act  under  the  sheriff's  orders,  but  the  military  was  not  needed,  as  the 
men  submitted  quietly  to  arrest.  Jones  was  shot  on  the  evening  of 
April  23,  and  this  gave  the  Law  and  Order  party  an  excuse  for  starting 
fresh  trouble,  the  object  being  to  prevent  the  investigating  committee 
from  prosecuting  its  work.  Whitfield,  the  territorial  delegate  to  Con- 
gress, pretended  to  be  very  much  alarmed  and  urged  the  committee  to 
return  to  Washington,  after  which  he  fled  to  Franklin,  then  to  Lecomp- 
ton,  but  finding  the  committee  was  determined  to  continue  its  work, 
he  returned  to  Lawrence. 

Early  in  May  the  United  States  district  court  met  at  Lecompton, 
with  Chief  Justice  Lecompte  presiding.  A  grand  jury  was  impaneled 
and  charged  by  Lecompte  to  find  indictments  for  treason  against  cer- 
tain free-state  men.  Indictments  were  accordingly  returned  against 
Charles  Robinson,  James  H.  Lane,  ex-Gov.  A.  H.  Reeder,  George  W. 
Brown,  Samuel  N.  Wood,  George  W.  Smith,  Gaius  Jenkins  and  George 
W.  Deitzler.  On  May  11  Marshal  Donalson  issued  a  proclamation  set- 
ting forth  that  he  had  been  resisted  in  the  execution  of  the  warrants 
"by  a  large  body  of  armed  men,"  and  calling  on  "all  law-abiding  citi- 
zens of  the  territory  to  be  and  appear  at  Lecompton  as  soon  as  prac- 
ticable, and  in  numbers  sufficient  for  the  execution  of  the  law." 

This  proclamation  appears  to  have  been  part  of  a  well  concerted  plot 
to  crush  the  free-state  movement.  Col.  Sumner  and  his  troops  had  been 
dismissed  by  the  governor,  and  had  returned  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 
Two  days  before  the  marshal's  proclamation  was  issued  bodies  of 
armed  men  appeared  in  the  vicinity  of  Lawrence  and  commenced  com- 
mitting outrages  upon  the  free-state  citizens.     On  the  loth  the  citizens 


KANSAS   HISTORY  "79 

Of  Lawrence  held  a  meeting  and  appointed  a  committee  to  ca"  on  Gov^ 
Shannon,  apprise  him  of  the  facts,  and  aslc  for  P-'otecfn  by  the  Un  ted 
States  troops.     The  governor  replied  to  this  committee  on  the  I2th  as 

^°''Y^ur  note  of  the  nth  inst.  is  received,  and  in  reply  I  have  to  state 
that  there  is  no  force  around  or  approaching  Lawrence^  TZJlll 
largely  constituted  posse  of  the  U.  S.  marshal  and  sheriff  of  Douglas 
county,  each  of  whom  I  am  informed  have  a  number  of  writs  in  their 
hands  for  execution  against  persons  in  Lawrence.  I  shall  in  no  wa> 
interfere  with  either  of  these  officers  in  the  discharge  of  their  official 

"^"'iT'the   citizens    of    Lawrence   submit   themselves    to    the    territorial 
laws,  and  aid  and  assist  the  marshal  and   sheriff   in  the  e>^ec"tion  of 
processes  in  their  hands,  as  all  good  citizens  are  bound  to  do  vvhen 
called  upon,  they,  or  all  such,  will  entitle  themselves  to  the  protection 
of  the  law.     But  so  long  as  they  keep  a  miHtary  or  armed  organiza- 
tion to  resist  the  territorial   laws  and  the  officers   charged  with  their 
execution,  I  shall  not  interpose_to  save  them  from  the  legitimate  con- 
sequences of  their  illegal  acts."  ,-,...  th^ 
In   other  words,  if  the   free-state  men  would  tamely   submit  to  the 
execution  of  laws  passed  by  a  legislature,  the  members  of  which  were 
elected  by  illegal  votes  forced  into  the  ballot  box  under  the  influence 
of  an  armed  mob,  all  would  be  well.    This  they  declined  to  do,  and  on 
May  21  the  town  of  Lawrence  was  sacked  by  a  force  of  border  ruffians, 
comparatively  few  of  whom  were  actual  residents  of  the  territory.     On 
Tune  4  the  governor  issued  a  proclamation  calling  on  the  people  to  cease 
their  warfare,  and  commanding  "all  persons  within  this  territory    not 
authorized  by   the   laws   thereof,  to   disperse  and   return   peaceably  to 
their   respective   abodes."     Subsequently  he  called   on   Col.   Sumner  to 
use  the  United  States  troops  under  his  command  to  quell  the  disturb- 
ance    This  raised  a  howl  of  protest  from  the  pro-slaveryites,  with  whom 
the  governor  again  fell  into  disrepute.    The  vacillating  course  of  Gov 
Shannon,  in  trying  to  please  both  factions,  resulted,  as  is  usual  in  such 
cases    in   his   pleasing   neither.      But   little   attention   was   paid   to    his 
proclamation,  and  the  conflict  went  on.     In  the  battles  of  Black  Jack, 
Franklin,  Osawatomie,  Fort  Saunders  and  Fort  Titus   (q.  v.)   the  free- 
state  men  more  than  held  their  own,  and  the  prospect  of  makmg  Kan- 
sas a  slave  state  grew  darker  as  the  summer  passed. 

In  the  meantime  the  legislature  elected  under  the  Topeka  constitu- 
tion met  on  March  4.  1856,  but  after  a  short  session  adjourned  to  July 
4  On  Tune  23  Gov.  Shannon  wrote  to  Col.  Sumner :  I  am  compelled 
to  visit  St  Louis  on  official  business  which  can  no  longer  be  post- 
poned Should  this  pretended  legislative  body  meet  as  pro- 
posed' you  will  disperse  them,  peaceably  if  you  can,  forcibly  if  neces- 
sary. '  Should  they  reassemble  at  some  other  place,  or  at  the  same  place, 
vou  will  take  care  that  they  are  again  dispersed." 

The  day  after  this  letter  was  written  the  governor  departed  tor  bt. 


68o  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Louis.  On  the  27th  he  wrote  from  that  city  to  President  Pierce  inform- 
ing him  of  the  political  and  military  situation  in  Kansas.  Said  he: 
"Col.  Sumner  advises  me  that  his  regiment  is  subject  to  the  order  of 
Gen.  Harney,  and  liable  to  be  called  away  at  any  time.  It  would 
greatly  endanger  the  peace  of  the  territory  to  have  the  troops  now 
withdrawn  from  their  various  stations  before  others  were  substituted  in 
their  places.  .  .  .  The  mere  presence  of  these  forces,  with  the 
knowledge  that  they  are  authorized  to  act  proinptly  in  dispersing  and 
suppressing  all  illegal  military  bodies,  has  the  efifect  of  preventing  any 
attempt  to  renew  the  contest  between  the  two  parties." 

The  governor's  greatest  anxiety,  however,  seemed  to  be  concerning 
an  invasion  from  the  northern  states.  "Judging  from  what  I  see  in 
the  public  prints,"  he  goes  on  in  his  letter  to  the  president,  "there  is 
some  danger  of  armed  bodies  of  men  entering  the  territory  from  the 
north,  with  views  hostile  to  the  peace  of  the  country.  That  a  power- 
ful eiifort  is  being  made  in  certain  quarters  to  send  bodies  of  armed 
men  into  Kansas,  from  the  north,  is  beyond  doubt.  Ample  instruc- 
tions have  been  given  to  Col.  Sumner  to  meet  all  such  bodies  of  men 
as  soon  as  they  cross  the  line.,  and,  if  necessary,  to  disarm  them.  It 
is  to  be  hoped,  however,  that  they  will  follow  the  example  set  by  the 
armed  bodies  that  entered  the  territory  from  Missouri,  and  retire  peace- 
fully to  their  homes  or  settle  in  the  territory  as  law-abiding  citizens." 

It  certainly  required  some  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  conceive  of 
any  of  the  border  ruffians,  who  crossed  the  Missouri  for  the  purpose  of 
forcing  slavery  into  the  Territory  of  Kansas,  becoming  "law-abiding 
citizens,"  but  the  governor  evidently  referred  to  the  laws  enacted  by 
the  bogus  legislature — laws  that  were  very  dear  to  the  pro-slavery 
heart. 

On  July  7  Gov.  Shannon  returned  from  St.  Louis,  and  from  that  time 
until  the  close  of  his  administration  the  following  month,  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  was  taken  up  in  trying  to  maintain  peace  in  the  ter- 
ritory, but  without  much  success.     (See  Border  War.) 

There  seems  to  be  some  difference  of  opinion  as  to  whether  Gov. 
Shannon  resigned  or  was  removed  from  office.  Shortly  after  the  legis- 
lature of  Alabama  voted  the  $25,000  appropriation  to  aid  in  establisli- 
ing  slavery  in  Kansas  a  Col.  Jefferson  Buford  of  that  state  raised  a 
force  and  hurried  to  the  territory.  After  the  governor's  proclamation 
of  June  4,  1856,  ordering  such  companies  as  Buford's  to  disperse  and 
return  to  their  homes,  Buford  wrote  a  letter  to  the  governor  saying 
that  his  men  were  bona  fide  settlers,  or  were  seeking  to  locate  claims, 
and  protesting  against  their  being  sent  away  from  the  territory  accord- 
ing to  the  proclamation.  To  this  letter  Gov.  Shannon  replied  on  June 
10  as  follows :  "I  have  resigned  my  office,  and  leave  for  St.  Louis, 
probably  on  tomorrow.  As  soon  as  I  pass  the  line  Col.  Woodson  will 
be  the  acting  governor,  and  if  you  have  any  difficulty  with  the  troops 
you  will  address  him  on  the  subject." 

Concerning  this  letter  Cutler  says:    "The  fact  of  Shannon's  resigna- 


68 1 

KANSAS    lllSTOKY 


tion  was  not   known   at  the   tune.     It   --/""^^X      \  Hv     u^o 
secret  until  his  successor  was  appointed.     Accoul  ngb    to  f^^    ''^^l 
to  that  effect  Gov.  Shannon  pubHshed  a  card  -^^le  m  St^  Lou^^^^^^^^ 
ing   the   report.      His   offered    resignation   was   perhaps   withdrawn    oy 

^'Xhis  seems  to  have  been  largely  a  matter  of  speculation  with  Cutler 
mIv  it  nTha'.^  been  equally  'as  probable  that  the  go         o.  w-t 
letter  to   Buford  merely   to   escape  the   responsibility  °f  jc    "-   "^ 
premises,    the    design    being    to    tran.sfer    that    responsibility     to    Col. 

^Sn'^'C'  18  I8S6  Gov.  Shannon  wrote  to  President  Pierce:  "Having 
rec^e^v-'d  ^unoVc^Vinformation  of  my  removal  ^™-  °^fj-,  ^^V^;; : 
ing  myself  here  without  the  moral  power  which  my  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  ";';;° ;, 
fefs  and  being  destitute  of  any  adequate  military  force  to  preserve  tne 
nea;e  of  the  country,  I  feel  it  due  to  myself,  as  well  as  to  the  govern- 
ment to  notify  vou  hat  I  am  unwilling  to  perform  the  duties  of  goy- 
Snor  of  this -territory  any  longer.  You  will  therefore  consider  m> 
official  connection  as  at  an  end.'  -r^ir 

■  tZ  executive  minutes  of  the  same  date  contain  ^h-  entry  .Gov^ 
Shannon  this  day  resigned  the  office  of  governor  o  ^h  territory  o 
Kansas,  and  forwarded  his  resignation  by  mail  to  the  president  „  the 
United  States,  having  previously  visited  the  town  oiJ^^J^r ence  ^^  the 
'  imminent  hazard  of  his  life,  and  ettected  the  release  of  Col.  H.  i.  iitus 
aTothers  who  had  been  forcibly  taken  there  by  the  armed  organiza- 
tinn  of  outlaws  whose  headquarters  are  at  that  place. 

These  prs^ners  were  released  by  a  treaty  and  exchange  negotiated 
by  Gov.  Sl^rnon  with  the  free-state  leaders,  and  it  appears  to  have 
K  1.U   1pc;t    official    act      So   far   the   authorities   rather   support   the 

reXn  toftheofy  But  the  fact  that  Gov.  Geary,  Shannon's  succes- 
sor,^ was  Appointed  on  July  31  would  indicate  that  his  remova  was 
at  least  contemplated  bv  the  authorities  at  Washington.  Holloway 
t  S'  savs:  'Gov.  Shannon,  after  repeated  solicitations  and  hav- 
W  it  was  thought,  for  sometime  contemplated  it,  at  length  resigned. 
Sn  ;ie  same  da^y  ^f  his  resignation,  the  21st  of  August,  the  papers 
rnntainin''-  his  removal  were  received. 

In  th  matter  of  date  Holloway  is  clearly  wrong,  as  the  executive 
minutes  the  official  record  of  the  governor's  administration  give  the 
Tate  as  the  i8th.  As  soon  as  he  had  despatched  his  resignation  to  the 
president  Gov.  Shannon  ceased  to  exercise  the  functions  of  the  office, 
and  Secretary  Woodson  again  became  the  acting  governor. 

fworks  consulted:  Cuder's,  Holloway's  and  Hazelrigg's  Histories 
nf  Kansas-  National  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography;  American 
Hisforrcalkevfew;  Executive  Minutes;  Kansas  Historical  Co  lections ; 
Sport  of  the  Congressional  Investigating  Committee;  Wilder's  Annals 
of  Kansas   and  Connelley's  Territorial  Governors.) 

Son  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Barber  county,  is 
located  in  the  township  of  the  same  name,  and  is  a  station  on  the  Atchi- 


682  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

son,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  9  miles  east  of  Medicine  Lodge.  It  has  a 
bank,  a  church,  a  number  of  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express  ofifices 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population 
according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  350. 

Sharon  Springs,  the  county  seat  of  Wallace  county,  is  an  incorporated 
city  of  the  third  class,  located  in  Sharon  Springs  township  on  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  362  miles  west  of  Topeka.  It  has  a  bank,  a  hotel, 
all  lines  of  retail  establishments,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Western 
Times),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  It 
is  the  trading  point  for  a  large  area  well  adapted  to  agriculture  and  the 
raising  of  live  stock.  It  was  founded  by  the  Western  Town  Site  com- 
pany in  1886,  and  is  on  the  site  of  the  old  Eagle  Tail  station.  The 
springs  located  here  provided  a  never-failing  supply  of  pure  water,  some- 
thing not  always  available  in  western  Kansas  in  those  days.  In  platting 
the  town,  grounds  for  a  court-house  were  set  aside.  By  Jan.,  1887,  con- 
siderable of  a  town  had  sprung  up.  There  was  a  bank,  numerous  retail 
establishments,  and  a  newspaper  called  the  Sharon  Springs  Leader  was 
started  on  Jan.  i  by  Joseph  F.  White.  At  that  time  this  town  was  the 
trading  center  for  1,000  square  miles  of  territory.  It  became  temporary 
county  seat  in  1887  and  was  made  county  seat  for  five  years  by  a  special 
act  of  the  legislature  of  that  year.  It  became  a  city  of  the  third  class 
in  July,  1890,  and  the  first  officers  elected  were:  Mayor,  J.  M.  Ericson ; 
police  judge,  C.  B.  Jones;  treasurer,  Oscar  Felix;  city  attorney,  William 
S.  Black ;  marshal,  H.  T.  Black ;  clerk,  J.  K.  Laycock ;  councilmen,  Par- 
menis  Smith,  J.  H.  Eaberg,  Lester  Perry,  H.  H.  Brown  and  August 
Anderson.  The  population  in  1890  was  178,  in  1900  it  was  180  and  in 
1910  it  had  increased  to  440. 

Sharpe,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Cofifey 
county,  is  located  9  miles  north  of  Burlington,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a 
money  order  postoffice  and  an  express  office.  The  population  in  1910 
was  40. 

Shaw,  one  of  the  villages  of  Neosho  county,  is  located  in  Erie  town- 
ship on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  4  miles  west  of  Erie, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  good  local  trade, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in 
1910  was  125. 

Shawnee,  one  of  the  largest  and  oldest  towns  in  Johnson  county,  is 
located  in  the  northeastern  part  on  an  electric  line  running  to  Kansas 
City.  It  was  named  after  the  Shawnee  Indians,  and  is  the  site  of  the 
Shawnee  Indian  mission  (See  Missions)  established  in  1831  by  Rev. 
Thomas  Johnson.  The  mission  school  building  was  used  by  the  bogus 
legislature  in  1855  for  holding  its  first  session.  The  town  was  started 
in  1857,  when  several  families  located  near  the  old  mission.  The  first 
school  was  taught  in  the  spring  of  1858  in  the  old  Indian  mission  church, 
which  was  used  until  1866,  when  a  more  modern  building  was  erected 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  public  square.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  South  had  erected  a  church  during  the  mission  days  but  the  first 
sermon  preached  for  the  benefit  of  the  white  settlers  was  in  Sept.,  1857. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  683 

The  postoffice  was  established  in  July,  1858,  with  M.  P.  Randall  as  the 
first  postmaster,  and  the  same  year  a  saw  and  grist  mill  was  built.  A 
store  had  been  opened  on  Aug.  10,  1857,  which  was  followed  by  others 
and  great  hopes  were  entertained  for  the  settlement.  During  the  Civil 
war  the  village  was  twice  pillaged  by  guerrillas,  first  in  1862  and  again 
in  1864,  but  the  town  recovered  and  might  have  lived  up  to  expectations 
had  a  railroad  reached  it.  Shawnee  has  a  few  general  stores,  grocery, 
harness  shop,  hotel,  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop  and  is  the  supply  town 
for  a  rich  farming  district.  An  electric  line  furnishes  transportation 
facilities  to  Kansas  City,  and  Shawnee  has  the  benefit  of  a  money  order 
postoiifice.^    In  1910  there  were  427  inhabitants. 

Shawnee  County,  one  of  the  original  33  counties  created  by  the  first 
territorial  legislature  in  1855,  is  located  in  the  northeast  section  of  the 
state,  the  third  county  south  from  Nebraska  and  the  third  west  from 
Missouri.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Jackson  and  Jeflferson  coun- 
ties ;  on  the  east  by  Jeft'erson  and  Douglass ;  on  the  south  by  Osage,  and 
on  the  west  by  Wabaunsee  and  Pottawatomie.  It  was  named  for  the 
Shawnee  tribe  of  Indians.  According  to  the  boundaries  fir^t  described 
Shawnee  county  lay  wholly  south  of  the  Kansas  river,  its  southern  line 
extending  as  far  south  as  that  of  Douglas  county.  By  the  act  of  1868 
the  northern  boundary  was  extended  be3'ond  the  Kansas  river  to  a  line 
6  miles  north  of  the  2nd  standard  parallel,  the  triangular  corner  in  the 
northwest  between  the  Kansas  river  and  the  2nd  standard  parallel  being 
ascribed  to  both  Shawnee  and  Wabaunsee  counties.  In  1869  this  strip 
was  given  to  Shawnee  and  it  thus  assumed  its  final  form. 

The  county  was  crossed  by  branches  of  the  Oregon  and  California 
trails.  Prior  to  1847  the  white  people  living  here  were  missionaries  or 
traders.  The  first  trader  was  Frederick  Chouteau,  who  established  a 
post  on  the  west  bank  of  Mission  creek  2  miles  south  of  the  Kansas  river 
in  1830.  In  the  same  year  Rev.  William  Johnson  came  to  the  Kaw 
Indian  village  which  had  been  established  about  the  Chouteau  post  and 
resided  for  two  years.  In  1835  the  government  farm  was  established  in 
the  valley  of  Mission  creek  and  in  that  year  the  first  plowing  was  done 
in  the  county.  During  the  summer,  mission  buildings  were  erected  on 
the  northern  part  of  the  farm.  This  mission,  together  with  Chouteau's 
post,  the  government  blacksmith,  the  government  farmer  and  a  few  other 
employees  constituted  the  first  settlement.  In  1840  the  three  Papan 
brothers,  whose  wives  being  half  Indians  were  entitled  to  special  reser- 
vations covering  the  site  of  North  Topeka,  came  to  that  locality.  Two 
years  later  they  established  a  ferry  above  the  island  on  which  the  Topeka 
reservoir  was  later  built.  For  many  years  it  accomodated  the  travel 
from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  New  Mexico  and  that  of  the  Oregon  and 
California  trails.  In  the  flood  of  1844  all  their  houses,  boats  and  im- 
provements of  every  kind  were  washed  away.  This  flood  was  one  of  the 
worst  in  the  history  of  the  county.  All  the  houses  and  improvements  for 
many  miles  on  both  sides  of  the  river  were  destroyed  and  the  water  on 
the  site  of  North  Topeka  was  20  feet  deep.  The  missionaries  sent  east 
for  help  for  the  white  people  and  destitute  Indians.     (See  Floods.) 


684  CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 

Among  the  people  who  came  in  1847  were  Jonas  Lykins,  Father  J.  B. 
Hoecken,  who  established  a  Catholic  mission  in  Auburn  township  ;  a 
colony  of  settlers  from  Indiana,  New  York  and  Iowa,  which  located  in 
Silver  Lake  township ;  and  a  colony  which  settled  in  Rossville  township. 
The  next  year  a  number  of  settlers  located  in  Soldier  township ;  Rev. 
Isaac  McCoy  and  his  daughter  Elizabeth,  Rev.  Robert  Simerwell  and 
daughter  Sarah  came  to  the  Baptist  mission,  which  was  established  that 
year  in  Mission  township.  They  opened  and  taught  an  Indian  school. 
The  government  established  a  trading  post  in  1848  at  the  site  of  Ross- 
ville, where  Thomas  N.  Stinson,  who  later  figured  prominently  in  the 
history  of  Tecumseh,  built  the  first  house  in  March.  Two  months  later 
a  dozen  traders  located  there,  and  the  place  was  called  Uniontown.  The 
next  year  cholera  broke  out  among  the  Indians  in  the  neighborhood 
with  terrible  violence  and  the  town  was  deserted  except  for  Stinson, 
Whitehead  and  McDonald,  who  remained  with  Dr.  Gallimore  and  his 
wife  to  help  check  the  disease,  of  which  the  doctor  and  his  wife  later 
died. 

Of  the  towns  which  were  founded  in  this  period  and  later  became  de- 
funct none  had  as  great  prospects  as  Tecumseh,  founded  in  1852  by 
Thomas  N.  Stinson.  Rochester  was  founded  in  1854  by  J.  Butler  Chap- 
man ;  Indianola,  by  H.  D.  McMeekin ;  Mairsville,  by  Thomas  W.  Mairs ; 
and  Washington,  by  Capt.  E.  Allen,  in  1855;  Kenamo,  by  Joseph  Allen, 
in  1856;  Williamsport,  by  citizens  of  Williamsport,  Pa., 'and  Carthage, 
by  W.  B.  Stith,  in  1857.  Topeka,  founded  in  1855  by  Col.  Cyrus  K.  Hol- 
liday  and  others,  is  the  only  one  of  the  early  towns  to  survive.  In  1854 
settlers  came  into  the  county  by  hundreds  and  a  new  era  in  its  history 
began. 

The  first  territorial  legislature,  which  in  1855  defined  the  boundaries 
of  the  county,  also  organized  it,  making  Tecumseh  the  county  seat  and 
by  a  ballot  elected  the  following  officers:  probate  judge,  William  O. 
Yeager ;  board  of  commissioners,  William  O.  Yeager,  Edward  Hoagland 
and  William  Yocum ;  sherifif,  George  W.  Berry.  In  September  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  appointed  to  complete  the  organization :  county 
clerk,  John  Martin ;  treasurer,  Thomas  N.  Stinson.  County  buildings 
were  erected  at  Tecumseh  to  be  paid  for  by  county  and  territorial  tax. 
The  county  was  divided  into  Tecumseh  and  Yocum  townships.  In  1857 
it  was  again  divided  into  the  townships  of  Tecumseh,  Topeka,  Brawn- 
ville,  Burlingame  and  Wakarusa.  In  the  next  decade  frequent  changes 
were  made,  and- finally  in  1868  the  present  division  into  Auburn,  Dover, 
Menoken,  Mission,  Monmouth,  Rossville,  Silver  Lake,  Soldier,  Tecum- 
seh, Topeka  and  Williamsport,  was  made.  In  Oct.,  1855,  Gov.  Shannon 
appointed  John  Martin  register  of  deeds  and  John  Horner  assessor. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  Col.  Holliday,  who  had  been  elected  to  the  leg- 
islature at  an  election  ordered  by  Gov.  Reeder  and  held  on  May  22,  1855, 
was  not  seated,  and  that  the  candidate  elected  by  the  Missourians  and 
pro-slavery  men  on  March  30  was  seated  in  his  place,  the  free-state 
citizens  of  Shawnee  county  did  not  recognize  the  acts  of  the  legislature 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


68s 


which  convened  at  Pawnee  that  summer,  hence  they  did  not  consider 
the  county  organized.  On  these  grounds  they  refused  to  pay  taxes  and 
made  it  so  unpleasant  for  the  tax  collector  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep 
the  same  man  in  the  office  for  more  than  a  few  weeks.  The  office  of 
sheriff  was  not  a  popular  one.  The  whole  territory  was  then  in  a  tur- 
moil over  the  slavery  question,  and  late  in  the  fall  of  1855  Shawnee 
county  contributed  one  of  the  free-state  companies  which  went  to  the 
defense  of  Lawrence,  which  was  then  being  besieged  by  border  ruffians 
and  Missourians.  This  company  was  organized  on  Nov.  27,  with  Daniel 
H.  Home  as  captain.  The  next  year  a  company  of  Shawnee  county  men 
was  organized  under  Capt.  William  F.  Creitz  for  protection  against  the 
raiders  from  Missouri,  and  aided  in  securing  a  food  supply  which  had 
been  cut  off  from  the  free-state  towns.  It  also  marched  to  Bull  creek  to 
repel  Capt.  John  Reid,  a  Missourian  who  was  leading  a  raid  on  Osawat- 
omie.  Upon  the  way  back  to  Lawrence  Capt.  Creitz  received  word  that 
Col.  Cooke  had  been  ordered  by  Acting-Gov.  Woodson  to  take  possession 
of  Topeka,  and  the  company  hastened  home  in  time  to  prevent  this  from 
being  done.  In  Sept.,  1856,  about  50  Shawnee  county  men  went  to  the 
assistance  of  Gen.  Lane  at  Ozawkie  and  were  with  him  at  Hickory 
Point,  later  disbanding  by  order  of  Gov.  Geary. 

The  first  county  election  was  held  in  Oct.,  1857,  when  the  free-state 
ticket  was  elected  as  follows:  Member  of  council,  Cyrus  K.  Holliday; 
representative,  James  A.  DeLong;  probate  judge,  Phillip  Schuyler; 
sheriff,  Jehiel  Tyler;  treasurer,  A.  Policy;  register  of  deeds,  F.  W.  Giles; 
surveyor,  Joel  Huntoon ;  commissioners,  Harvey  W.  Curtis  and  Hiram 
Shields.  After  the  election  it  was  foujid  that  .under  the  territorial  laws 
the  offi.ces  of  sheriff',  surveyor  and  register  of  deeds  were  appointive 
instead  of  elective.  At  its  first  meeting  in  Jan.,  1858,  the  county  board 
made  Mr.  Giles  clerk  of  the  board  of  commissioners,  clerk  of  the  probate 
judge  and  register  of  deeds.  Mr.  Tyler  was  commissioned  sheriff  by  the 
governor.  Mr.  Huntoon  was  made  surveyor  by  the  commissioners.  Ed- 
ward Hoagland  was  appointed  to  the  office  of  probate  judge  in  place 
of  Mr.  Schuyler,  who  declined  to  serve. 

The  new  free-state  officials  found  county  matters  in  a  state  of  chaos. 
No  schools  had  been  established  nor  no  bridges  built ;  financial  matters 
were  in  a  desperate  condition,  owing  to  the  building  of  the  court-house 
at  Tecumseh  and  the  failure  to  collect  revenues;  there  was  no  jail,  and 
no  provision  had  been  made  to  pay  for  the  board  of  persons  arrested  by 
the  sheriff.  A  bridge  costing  $900  was  built  over  Deer  creek  by  county 
bonds  issued  by  the  commissioners,  and  the  sheriff"  was  authorized  to 
issue  certificates  for  the  advance  payment  of  taxes  in  order  to  meet  the 
exegencies  of  his  office.  In  February  the  county  government  was 
changed  by  the  legislature  so  that  each  township  had  a  board  of  com- 
missioners, the  chairman  of  each  township  board  being  a  member  of  the 
county  board.  The  first  county  board  under  this  arrangement  was, 
Jeremiah  Murphy,  Eli  Hopkins,  P.  T.  LIupp,  A.  H.  Hale,  and  George 
Bratton.    Considering  the  fact  that  the  greater  part  of  the  count}-  indcbt- 


686  cycLoi'EDiA  oi' 

edness  was  incurred  in  building  a  court-house  at  Tecumseh,  wilhoul  a 
vote  of  the  people,  and  that  the  organization  of  the  county  prior  to  the 
election  of  1857  was  spurious,  the  new  county  board  repudiated  the 
obligations  incurred  by  the  county  prior  to  the  first  Monday  in  Oct., 

1857- 

By  act  of  the  legislature  ordering  the  counties  to  vote  on  the  location 
of  their  county  seats  in  Oct.,  1858,  such  an  election  was  held  in  Shawnee 
county  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Topeka.  After  considerable  delay 
Judge  Hoagland  announced  the  vote  but  declared  the  election  "invalid 
and  void."  Inasmuch  as  the  only  thing  which  could  invalidate  the 
election  was  the  delay  in  publishing  the  vote,  the  legislature,  by  special 
act  of  Jan.  25,  1859,  removed  the  county  seat  from  Tecumseh  to  Topeka, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  latter  town  was  the  choice  of  the  people.  No 
court-house  was  built  until  after  the  Civil  war,  and  on  their  removal  to 
Topeka  the  count}'  offices  were  scattered  all  over  town. 

The  first  bridge  over  the  Kansas  river  was  built  at  private  expense  by 
a  company  organized  in  Topeka.  It  cost  $10,000,  was  completed  on  May 
I,  1858,  and  ten  weeks  later  was  swept  away  by  high  water.  The  first 
newspapers  in  the  county  were  established  in  1855.  The  Kansas  Tribune 
was  started  at  Lawrence  in  January  and  moved  to  Topeka  the  next  De- 
cember. The  Kansas  Freeman  was  started  at  Topeka  on  July  4.  Both 
these  papers  were  started  as  weeklies  and  later  became  dailies. 

During  the  Civil  war  Shawnee  county  raised  several  companies  for  the 
defense  of  the  Union  and  of  the  State  of  Kansas.  The  Second  Kansas 
state  militia,  which  was  mustered  into  service  in  1864  to  repel  the  Price 
raid,  was  almost  wholly  a  Shawnee  county  regiment.  The  officers  were : 
George  W.  Veale,  Topeka,  colonel;  Henry  M.  Green,  Monmouth,  lieu- 
tenant-colonel ;  Andrew  Stark,  Topeka,  major ;  Edward  P.  Kellam,  To- 
peka, adjutant;  Samuel  J.  Reeder,  Indianola,  quartermaster;  S.  E.  Mar- 
tin, Topeka,  surgeon.  The  officers  of  companies  A  and  B  were  Topeka 
men ;  Company  C  was  raised  and  officered  in  Tecumseh ;  D  was  froin 
Indianola,  E  from  Topeka,  G  from  Auburn  and  H  from  Williamsport. 
The  battery  was  officered  by  Topeka  men.  Of  the  regiments  from  Kan- 
sas mustered  into  the  United  States  service,  Compan}'  A  of  the  second 
infantry  and  Companies  E  and  H  of  the  Eleventh  cavalry  were  largely 
composed  of  Shawnee  county  men.  This  county  contributed  to  a  num- 
ber of  other  regiments,  notably  the  Seventeenth. 

After  the  war,  which  had  arrested  the  growth  of  the  county,  the  com- 
missioners proceeded  with  the  work  of  establishing  schools,  building 
bridges  and  roads,  etc.,  which  had  been  begun  in  1859,  ^'^^  'i^  1867  the 
citizens  voted  to  build  a  court-house  and  a  jail,  which  was  done  at  a 
cost  of  nearly  $69,000.  The  court  rooms  occupied  the  second  floor,  the 
county  offices  the  main  floor,  and  the  jail  was  in  the  basement.  In  1886 
a  jail  and  sheriff's  residence  were  erected  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  The  pres- 
ent court-house  was  completed  in  1895,  the  cost  of  the  site  and  building 
being  $180,000.  In  1865  a  pontoon  bridge  over  the  Kansas  river  was 
built,  which  lasted  till  1870.     The  next  year  Mortimer  Cook  built  a  toll 


KANSAS    HISTORY  687 

bridge,  which  was  purchased  jointly  by  the  city  and  county  at  a  cost  of 
$100,000.  In  1895  the  county  voted  $150,000  for  a  new  bridge  and  the 
Melan  bridge  was  built.  At  the  time  it  was  commenced  it  was  one  of 
the  largest  Melan  arch  bridges  which  had  been  built.  It  withstood  a 
severe  test  in  the  flood  of  1903,  which  swept  away  nearly  every  other 
bridge  on  the  river.  In  1905  the  channel  of  the  river  was  widened  and  a 
new  span  added  to  prevent  damage  by  future  floods,  and  in  igii  still 
another  span  was  built. 

In  1874  the  Shawnee  County  Agricultural  Society  was  organized  and 
it  held  fairs  each  fall  for  more  than  a  dozen  years  at  Topeka,  bnt  finally 
the  count}-^  fairs  were  so  overshadowed  by  the  state  fairs  held  on  the 
same  grounds  that  they  were  discontinued.  A  state  fair  association  was 
organized  in  1880.  Various  citizens  of  Shawnee  county  subscribed  a 
total  amount  of  $3,600  to  the  capital  stock.  A  state  fair  was  held  the 
next  year  on  the  county  fair  grounds.  The  county  has  always  contrib- 
uted either  by  public  or  private  subscription  to  the  state  fairs.  In  1910 
Shawnee  county  voted  $50,000  to  the  new  state  fair  association.  (See 
State  Fairs.) 

The  first  schools  were  organised  in  1859.  In  1882  there  were  81  organ- 
ized districts,  91  school  houses,  133  school  rooms,  with  as  many  teach- 
ers,and  an  average  attendance  of  4,305  out  of  a  school  population  of 
11,496.  In  1910  there  were  99  organized  districts,  338  teachers,  16,994 
persons  of  school  age  with  an  average  attendance  of  8,827  pupils.  The 
value  of  school  property  in  1882  was  $265,000;  in  1910  it  was  $1,132,800 
including  the  property  of  the  public  schools  in  cities. 

The  first  railroad  was  the  Union  Pacific,  which  was  completed  through 
the  county  in  1866.  Work  was  begun  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  in  the  fall  of  1868.  The  Union  Pacific  enters  on  the  east  line  and 
crosses  west  following  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas  river.  A  line  of 
this  road  has  recently  been  built  from  Topeka  northwest  to  Onaga  in 
Pottawatomie  county.  The  main  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  from  Kansas  City  enters  on  the  east  line,  crosses  west  to  Topeka, 
thence  south  into  Osage  county.  A  branch  of  this  road  from  Atchison 
enters  in  the  northeast  and  crosses  southwest  to  Topeka,  where  it  con- 
nects with  the  main  line.  A  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  from  Fort 
Scott  enters  in  the  southast  and  crosses  to  Topeka,  where  it  terminates. 
The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  runs  its  trains  over  the  Union  Pa- 
cific tracks  from  Kansas  City  to  Topeka,  thence  over  its  own  tracks  fol- 
lowing the  south  bank  of  the  Kansas  river  into  Wabaunsee  county.  A 
line  of  this  road  extends  north  from  Topeka  into  Jackson  county. 

Owing  to  more  settled  financial  conditions  Shawnee  countv  suffered 
less  from  the  various  depressions  than  some  of  the  newer  counties.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  following  the  drought  of  i860  this  county  received  361,165 
pounds  of  provisions.  In  the  hard  times  of  1874  Shawnee  county  not 
only  took  care  of  its  own  but  subscribed  funds  to  help  the  people  in  other 
parts  of  the  state.  In  1885  there  were  said  to  be  3,000  destitute  people 
in  the  county,  800  of  whom  were  being  supported  at  public  expense.     A 


688  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

bad  season  for  crops  was  the  cause  of  this  condition.  The  assessed  valu- 
ation of  property  in  i860  was  $1,178,994:  in  1870  it  was  $4,696,253;  and 
in  1910  it  was  $79,863,791.  In  1882  there  were  about  100,000  acres  of  land 
under  cultivation,  most  of  it  planted  to  corn.  In  1910  corn  was  still  the 
leading  crop,  the  crop  of  that  year  being  worth  $1,453,736,  hay,  the  crop 
next  in  value,  was  worth  $524,716.  Irish  potatoes  were  worth  $107,858. 
'llie  total  value  of  farm  products  for  the  year  was  $5,429,222.  of  which 
xarinus  dairy  products  contributed  over  $2,000,000. 

In  1890  Shawnee  county  was  prominent  in  the  "Original  Package" 
difficulty  by  reason  of  the  Federal  court  ordering  the  county  attorney  to 
discontinue  actions  brought  against  the  violators  of  the  Kansas  pro- 
hibitory law.  and  the  governor  ordering  the  state  attorney  to  appear  in 
the  place  of  the  county  attorney. 

During  the  Spanish-American  war  of  1898-99  two  full  companies  and 
parts  of  other  companies  were  recruited  in  Shawnee  county.  Company 
A  of  the  famous  Twentieth  Kansas  was  almost  wholly  recruited  in 
Topeka,  and  the  Kansas  troops  were  mobilized  at  Camp  Leedy.  Topeka. 

One  of  the  principal  disasters  of  late  years  was  the  flood  of  1903  which 
destroyed  a  great  deal  of  property  along  all  the  streams  in  the  county, 
especially  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Shunganunga.  Less  destructive 
floods  occurred  in  1904  and  1908.  In  191 1  the  county  built  dikes  of  con- 
crete at  Topeka  to  prevent  a  future  overflow  at  that  point. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling  prairie  with  a  few  hills  and  blufts 
along  the  streams,  prominent  among  which  is  Burnett's  mound,  one  of 
the  beauty  spots  of  the  county,  located  southwest  of  Topeka.  The  bot- 
tom lands  along  the  Kansas  and  Wakarusa  rivers  are  from  i  to  3  miles 
wide  and  these  together  with  the  creek  valleys  comprise  about  one- 
third  of  the  area  of  the  county. 

The  Kansas  river,  which  is  the  largest  in  the  state,  flows  across  the 
county  from  west  to  east,  just  north  of  the  center.  Among  its  trib- 
utaries are  Soldier  creek  from  the  north  and  Mission  from  the  south. 
The  Wakarusa  enters  on  the  south  line  in  the  west  part  and  flows  east 
across  the  county  into  Douglas.  Blue  and  gray  limestone  is  found  in 
the  bluft's  and  along  the  banks  of  the  streams.  Clay  for  brick  is  plenti- 
ful. Coal  has  been  mined  to  a  limited  extent.  Sand  of  a  superior  qual- 
ity is  dredged  from  the  Kansas  river  and  shipped  in  large  quantities. 
Timber  belts  along  th'e  streams  average  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width 
and  contain  oak,  cottonwood,  ash,  walnut,  hickory,  hackberry,  basswood, 
elm,  mulberry,  box-elder,  redbud  and  ironwood.  There  are  two  medici- 
nal springs  at  Topeka. 

The  population  at  various,  stages  in  the  history  of  the  county  has  been 
as  follows:  In  i860,  3,513;  in  1865,3,458;  in  1870,  13,121 ;  in  1875,  15,417; 
in  1880,  28,029;  in  1890,  49,172;  in  1900,  53,727;  in  1910,  61,874,  showing 
a  steady  growth  at  all  periods. 

Shawnee  Mission. —  (See  Missions.) 

Sheldon,  Charles  M.,  clergyman  and  author,  was  born  at  Wellsville, 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  26,  1857,  a  son  of  Stewart  and  Sarah  (Ward)   Sheldon.    He 


KANSAS    HISTORY  689 

received  his  A.  B.  degree  from  Brown  University  in  1883;  graduated  at 
the  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in  1886;  was  ordained  as  a  Con- 
gregational minister  and  became  pastor  at  Waterbury,  Vt.  In  1889  he 
came  to  Kansas  and  became  pastor  of  the  Central  Congregational  church 
at  Topeka ;  in  1891  married  Mary  Abby  Merriam ;  in  1898  received  D.  D. 
from  Temple  College  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  in  1900  received  the  same 
degree  from  Washburn  College  at  Topeka.  In  1900  the  Topeka  Daily 
Capital  was  turned  over  to  his  management  for  one  week  and  he  edited 
it  as  he  thought  Jesus  Christ  would.  His  books  are  the  most  widely 
read  of  any  Kansas  author,  some  of  them  having  been  translated  into 
several  foreign  languages.  Among  his  numerous  works  are :  Richard 
Bruce  (1891),  Robert  Hardy's  Seven  Days  (1892),  The  Crucifixion  of 
Philip  Strong  (1893),  John  King's  Question  Class  (1894),  His  Brother's 
Keeper  (1895),  I"  His  Steps,  or  What  Would  Jesus  Do  (1896),  Malcolm 
Kirk  (1897),  Lend  a  Hand  (1897),  The  Redemption  of  Freetown  (1898), 
The  Miracle  at  Markham  (1898),  One  of  the  Two  (1898),  For  Christ  and 
the  Church  (1899),  Born  to  Serve  (1900),  Who  Killed  Joe's  Baby  (1901), 
The  Wheels  of  the  Machine  (1901),  The  Reformer  (1902),  The  Narrow 
Gate  (1902),  The  Heart  of  the  World  (1905),  Paul  Douglas  (1905),  The 
Good  Fight  (1905),  A  Sheldon  Year  Book  (1909),  The  High  Calling 
(1911).  In  1896  he  edited  a  book  entitled,  "One  Hundred  and  One 
Poems  of  the  Day." 

Sherdahl,  a  village  in  Union  township,  Republic  county,  is  located  11 
miles  northwest  of  Bellville,  the  county  seat,  and  about  5  miles  north  of 
Scandia.  The  population  in  1910  was  24.  Mail  is  received  by  rural  de- 
livery from  Scandia. 

Sheridan  County,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state,  is  located  in 
the  second  tier  from  the  north  line  of  the  state  and  is  the  third  county 
east  of  Colorado.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Decatur;  on  the  east  by 
Graham ;  on  the  south  by  Gove,  and  on  the  west  by  Thomas.  It  was 
created  in  1873  and  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Philip  H.  Sheridan.  The 
boundaries  were  described  as  follows :  "Commencing  where  the  east 
line  of  range  26  intersects  the  1st  standard  parallel;  thence  south  with 
said  range  line  to  the  2d  standard  parallel ;  thence  west  with  said 
standard  parallel  to  the  east  line  of  range  31  west;  thence  north  with 
said  range  line  to  the  ist  standard  parallel;  thence  east  to  the  place  of 
beginning."  The  boundaries  were  redefined  in  1879,  when  the  southern 
line  was  pushed  6  miles  to  the  north,  cutting  off  a  tier  of  counties,  but 
the  original  boundaries  were  restored  in  1881. 

In  1857  when  the  Cheyennes  were  on  the  war  path,  and  the  United 
States  troops  were  sent  into  western  Kansas  to  check  them,  the  two 
forces  met  on  the  Solomon  river  in  Sheridan  county  and  a  battle  was 
fought  which  broke  up  that  band  of  Cheyennes. 

The  first  settlements  were  made  about  the  middle  of  the  '70s,  but  it 

was  not  until  1879  that  immigration  became  heavy.     In  that  year,  and 

early  in   1880,  so  many  settlers  located  in  the  county  that  there  was 

sufificient  population  for  organziation.     The  governor  appointed  George 

(11-44) 


690  CYCLOPEDIA    ()!• 

W.  Crane  and  D.  E.  Barnes  census  takers.  A  public  meeting  was  held 
at  Kenneth,  an  early  town  which  was  located  about  a  mile  north  of  the 
site  of  Hoxie,  and  the  men  who  were  to  be  recommended  to  the  governor 
for  temporary  officers  were  elected.  They  were :  County  clerk,  William 
Stephens ;  commissioners,  W.  M.  Rodgers,  K.  A.  Ellithorpe  and  W.  S. 
Hausufus.  Gov.  St.  John  issued  the  proclamation  on  June  2,  ap- 
pointing the  officers  recommended  and  naming  Kenneth  as  the  tem- 
porary county  seat.  The  election  of  Nov.,  1880,  resulted  as  follows : 
County  clerk.  W.  M.  Rodgers ;  treasurer,  G.  \V.  Crane ;  register  of  deeds, 
A.  C.  McClurg;  sheriff,  J.  H.  Carey;  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, E.  P.  Weida;  probate  judge,  S.  P.  Davidson;  surveyor,  W.  C.  Black- 
stone;  coroner,  \V.  H.  Pierce;  district  clerk,  A.  W.  Stone;  commission- 
ers, W.  C.  Hausufus,  M.  M.  Scott  and  M.  G.  Haskell.  Kenneth  was  made 
the  county  seat  and  remained  so  until  1886.  In  that  year  Hoxie  was 
founded  and  named  for  a  Mr.  Hoxie,  who  was  interested  in  building  a 
railroad  to  the  new  town,  but  who  died  before  he  could  accomplish  the 
project.  W.  P.  Price  was  the  leading  member  of  the  Hoxie  Town  com- 
pany. A  special  county  seat  election  was  held  in  July,  1886.  There  were 
516  votes  cast  of  which  Hoxie  received  422  and  became  the  permanent 
county  seat. 

The  Union  Pacific  railroad  was  built  in  1888.  It  runs  from  east  to 
west  through  the  central  part.  A  line  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  crosses  the  northwest  corner.  The  county  is  divided  into  13 
townships,  viz :  Adell,  Bloomfield,  Bow  Creek,  Kenneth,  Logan,  Par- 
nell,  Prairie  Dog,  Saline,  Sheridan,  Solomon,  Spring  Brook,  Union  and 
Valley.  The  postoffices  are :  Angelus,  Guy,  Hoxie,  Lucerne,  Seguin, 
Selden  and  Studley. 

The  general  surface  is  a  level  table-land  except  along  the  streams 
where  it  is  somewhat  broken.  Bottom  lands,  which  comprise  25  per 
cent,  of  the  total  area,  average  one  mile  in  width.  The  north  fork  of  the 
Solomon  river  enters  in  the  west,  somewhat  north  of  the  center  and  flows 
northeast  into  Norton  county.  The  south  fork  of  the  same  river  enters 
from  the  west,  about  10  miles  north  of  the  southwest  corner,  and  flows 
east  into  Graham  county.  The  Saline  river  flows  east  across  the  south- 
ern tier  of  townships.  These  streams  are  fringed  with  thin  belts  of  tim- 
ber containing  cottonwood,  ash,  hackberry,  elm,  box-eldei  and  wild 
cherry.     Magnesian  limestone  is  found  in  the  east  and  south. 

The  live  stock  in  1882  numbered  5,654  head,  nearly  half  of  which  was 
sheep.  There  were  18,444  pounds  of  butter  sold,  $12,388  worth  of  ani- 
mals for  slaughter  and  $9,783  worth  of  poultry  and  eggs.  The  number  of 
acres  under  cultivation  was  about  2,300.  In  1910  the  number  of  acres  under 
cultivation  was  385,950.  The  value  of  the  farm  products  was  $1,521,856. 
Wheat,  the  leading  crop,  brought  $478,219;  corn,  $145,556;  oats,  $62,756; 
barley  $56,001;  sorghum,  $51,791;  hay,  $268,359;  animals  sold  for 
slaughter,  $252,532;  poultry  and  eggs,  $52,687;  dairy  products,  $55,872. 
The  value  of  live  stock  on  hand  was  $1,481,437,  and  the  number  of  head, 
31,981,  mostly  cattle  and  swine. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


691 


The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1882  was  $42,185.  In  1910  it  was 
$qQ62  4Si.  The  number  of  school  districts  in  1882  was  9  and  there  was 
a^hool  population  of  360.  In  1907  there  were  70  organized  school  dis- 
tricts, with  1,838  persons  of  schools  age.  The  population  in  1890  wa 
3,733 ;  in  1900  it  was  3.819,  and  in  iQio  it  was  5,651.  The  average  wealth 
per  capita  in  1910  was  nearly  $1,800.  ,   ■     o,      -j       <-       „ 

Sherman,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  m  Sheridan  town- 
ship on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  18  miles  northwest  of  Co- 
lunibus,  the  countv  seat.  It  has  two  general  stores,  an  alfalfa  feed  mill, 
and  a  monev  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  47. 

Sherman  County,  one  of  the  western  tier,  the  second  south  from  Ne- 
braska, is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Cheyenne  county,  on  the  east  by 
Thomas;  on  the  south  by  Wallace  and  Logan,  and  o^/he^^^^.^.^^.^^^ 
State  of  Colorado.  It  was  created  in  1873  and  named  for  Gen.  William 
T  Sherman  The  boundaries  were  defined  as  follows :  Commencing 
where  the  east  line  of  range  37  west  intersects  the  ist  standard  parallel; 
thence  south  with  said  line  to  the  2nd  standard  paralle  ;  thence  west 
with  said  parallel  to  the  west  line  of  the  State  of  Kansas ;  thence  north  on 
said  line  to  the  ist  standard  parallel;  thence  east  on  said  parallel  to  the 

place  of  beginning."  ^    ,  , 

There  were  no  settlers  in  the  county  at  that  time.  Ihe  first  town  was 
laid  out  at  the  geographical  center  of  the  county  about  1880  and  was 
called  Inez.  It  had  disappeared,  in  name  at  least,  before  the  county 
organization,  which  took  place  m  1886.  The  first  newspaper  m  the 
county  was  the  Voltaire  Advertiser,  founded  in  Dec,  1885,  by  Ernes  J 
Scott  In  the  spring  of  1886  there  was  such  an  influx  of  new  settlers  that 
the  population  was  sufficient  for  county  organization.  The  citizens  ot 
Voltaire  tried  to  bring  about  the  organization  before  the  newer  settlers 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  county  were  eligible  to  vote,  hoping  m  this 
way  to  have  their  town  made  the  county  seat.  In  June  they  secured  the 
appointment  of  O.  T.  McCormick  as  census  taker  and  he  was  instructed 
to  make  all  possible  haste  in  the  enumeration  so  that  the  election  to 
complete  the  organization  could  be  held  not  later  than  the  middle  of 
September  He  did  not  make  his  returns  until  Aug.  30,  and  the  people  oi 
Voltaire,  learning  that  he  had  been  given  several  lots  in  the  town  of 
Eustis,  ascribed  the  delay  to  that  fact. 

The  returns  showed  a  population  of  2,820,  of  whom  975  were  house- 
holders There  was  taxable  property  to  the  amount  of  $362,960,  of  which 
$1^9  ro  was  real  estate.  In  order  to  delay  the  organization  the  Eustis 
men' had  claimed  that  there  were  less  than  400  voters  in  the  county. 
However  their  petition  to  the  governor  asking  that  Eustis  be  made 
county  seat  had  2,500  names  attached  to-  it.  The  opponents  of  Eustis 
claimed  that  hundreds  of  these  names  were  of  people  living  in  adjoining 
counties,  but  this  was  not  proven  and  Eustis  was  made  the  temporary 
county  seat.  The  following  officers  were  appointed :  county  clerk,  J.  H. 
Tate-  commissioners,  L.  T.  Gandy,  O.  D.  Dickey  and  R.  R.  Edwards. 
The   other  candidates   for  county   seat  were,   Itasca,   Shermanville   and 


692  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Voltaire.  The  first  named  town  moved  to  Shermanville,  which  began  to 
be  called  Sherman  Center.  An  effort  was  made  to  get  Voltaire  to  move, 
and  the  Voltaire  newspaper  was  very  much  in  favor  of  joining  forces 
against  Eustis  and  making  Sherman  Center  the  coimty  seat.  About 
half  of  the  people  of  Voltaire  moved  but  those  who  remained  entered 
the  town  in  the  lists  at  November  election,  when  Eustis  won  by  61  votes, 
and  the  following  officers  were  elected:  county  clerk,  G.  W.  Benson; 
sheriff,  R.  G.  Albright;  treasurer,  J.  E.  Rule ;  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  F.  S.  Palmer;  register  of  deeds,  E.  W.  Penny;  county  attor- 
ney, W.  K.  Brown;  probate  judge,  L.  E.  Tobias;  clerk  of  the  district 
court,  P.  C.  Brown ;  surveyor,  L.  M.  Harw'ood ;  coroner,  A.  E.  Tice ;  com- 
missioners, C.  E.  Bennett,  John  Bray  and  E.  L.  Lyons. 

In  the  spring  of  1887  Goodland  was  founded  just  south  of  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  the  county  and  not  far  from  Sherman  Center.  The 
latter  town  was  induced  to  move  to  the  new  site.  The  county  seat  mat- 
ter was  again  voted  upon  in  Nov.,  1887.  The  vote  was  not  properly  can- 
vassed and  a  mandamus  was  issued  by  the  supreme  court  the  next  spring 
to  compel  a  canvass  of  all  the  returns  of  the  election.  It  was  found  that 
Goodland  had  a  majority  and  that  town  became  the  permanent  county 
seat.    Eustis  moved  to  Goodland  and  the  county  seat  contest  was  ended. 

At  their  first  meeting  in  1886  the  commissioners  divided  the  county 
into  6  townships,  Grant,  Voltaire,  Shermanville,  McPherson,  Itasca  and 
Washington.  Since  that  time,  Iowa,  Lincoln,  Llanos,  Logan,  Smoky, 
State  Line  and  Union  have  been  organized,  making  13  in  all.  The  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  crosses  the  center  of  the  county 
from  east  to  west,  a  distance  of  36  miles. 

The  general  surface  is  undulating  prairie,  with  a  few  bluffs  and  some 
rough  lands  along  Beaver  creek  and  in  the  western  part  of  the  county. 
Lamborn  (railroad  name  Kanorado)  is  the  highest  point  in  the  state. 
Its  altitude  is  3,906  feet.  Timber  is  scarce,  existing  only  in  thin  belts 
along  the  north  fork  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river  and  on  the  middle  fork  of 
the  Sappa.  The  north  fork  of  the  Smoky  Hill  enters  near  the  southwest 
corner  and  flows  across  the  southern  portion  into  Wallace  county.  The 
north  and  middle  forks  of  the  Sappa  have  their  source  in  the  central  part 
of  the  county  and  flow  northeast  across  the  eastern  boundary.  Beaver 
and  Little  Beaver  creeks  rise  in  the  northern  part  and  flow  north  into 
Cheyenne  county.     Limestone  is  found  in  the  southwest. 

In  1885  there  were  2,605  liea-d  of  live  stock  in  the  county  valued  at 
$12,138.  The  next  year  there  were  4,409  head  with  a  total  value  of  $100,- 
087.  The  field  crops  that  year  amounted  to  $82,628,  the  wool  clip  to 
$1,548,  the  produce  to  $2,000  and  the  milk  sold  to  $100.  In  1910  the 
value  of  live  stock  was  $1,035,082,  and  the  number  of  head  was  19,756. 
The  value  of  animals  sold  for  slaughter  in  the  same  year  was  over 
$66,000;  the  value  of  corn,  the  largest  field  crop,  was  $158,214;  barley, 
$126,694;  wheat,  $137,569;  hay,  $94,863;  sorghum,  $45,465;  oats,  $22,540; 
poultry  and  eggs,  $18,203;  dairy  products,  $53,230.  The  total  value  of 
farm  products  in  1910  was  $776,149. 


KANSAS   HISTORY  93 


The  population  m  1890  was  5,261,  nearly  twice  what  it  was  in   1886^ 
nurin/the  next  ten  years  there  was  a  decrease  incident  to  pool   crops 
°nd  Sfaly  imm  gTation  to  the  southwestern  states  and  the  population 
L"  1900  wL  but  3,34:.    The  last  few  years  h- -en  an  increase 
19x0  the  number  of  inhabitants  ^fj^'fl'^^.^''^^^^^^^  per 

tion  of  property  m  that  year  was  $9,343-3»7-      -^  "^  .vcidt,^  r 

capita  being  $2,054,  sevei-al  hundred  dollars  above  the  average  for  the 

''sherwin  Junction,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county  is  located  in  Lota 
townshTp  01  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  rail- 
r^i  6  miles  from  Columbus,  the  county  seat.  It  has  general  stores  a 
iotel,' feed  mill,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office.    The  population  in  1910  was  no.  „,.ti.p^=t  of 

Sherwood,  a  hamlet  of  Smith  county,  is  located  17  miles  northeast  of 
Smith  Center,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  north  ^^  L^^anon^  wh  ch  s 
the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from  which  its  mail  is 

"SdiVliamleT rLane  county,  is  located  in  Wilson  township  on  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  north  of  Dighton.  the  county  seat.  It 
L  general  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office.    The  population  in  1910  was  48. 

Shirley  County,  was  created  by  the  act  of  Feb.  27,  i860,  which  pro 
vided  that-.  "The  territory  composed  of  townships  5.  67  ^"^  S  .outh, 
h  ran^e  i,  2,  3,  4  and  5,  west  of  the  6th  principal  meridian,  shall  con- 
situte'th;  county  of  Shidey."  It  was  named  after  a  woman  m  jest.  By 
act  of  creation  commissioners  were  appointed  to  locate  a  temporary 
county  seat,  and  by  the  act  of  Feb.  26,  1867,  the  name  was  changed  to 

^'shook°"aTamlet  of  Harper  county,  is  located  in  Eagle  township  on  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R  R.,  8  miles  southwest  of  Anthony,  the  county  seat, 
n  has  a  monfy  order  postoffice  and  a  general  store.     The  population  in 

^ThoT:;.?  suburb  of  Topeka,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  an  electric 
line  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has 
schools,  churches,  general  stores  and  nurseries.  The  population  was 
Aoo  in   iQio      Mail  is  supplied  from  Topeka.  .         . 

^  Short  Grass  Country.-The  short  grass  country  of  Kansas  figures 
sliohtly  in  the  romances,  Molly  Warren's  story  in  the  Kansas  Magazine 
o  Sept.,  1909,  dealing  with  that  section.  The  term  "short  grass  is  as 
o  d  as  tl  e  set  tement  of  the  plains  country,  and  was  used  in  order  to  dis- 
^no^i  sh  the  point  where  prairie  grass  left  oflE  and  buffalo  (short)  gras 
became  plentiful.  The  term  has  within  recent  years  -me  into  genera 
use  and  applies  to  the  western  half  of  the  state  in  which  buffalo  grass 
Z\)  is  he  predominating  natural  forage.  Not  many  years  ago  the 
"short  grass"  section  of  Kansas  extended  as  far  east  as  Salina  but  with 
the  introduction  of  tame  grasses  it  has  been  pushed  a  little  farther  west, 
unti    by  common  consent  it  now  begins  at  a  point  about  the  98th  degree 


694 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


of  longitude  in  the  central  part  of  the  stale,  the  northern  and  southern 
borders  extending  slightly  further  west,  the  soil  there  being  a  little  more 
fertile. 

The  short  grass  section  therefore  embraces  portions  of  Harper,  King- 
man, Reno,  Rice,  Ellsworth,  Lincoln,  Mitchell.  Jewell  counties,  and  all 
of  Smith,  Osborn,  Russell.  Barton,  .Stafford,  Pratt,  Barber,  Comanche, 


PIONEER  RESIDENCE,   SHORT   GRASS   COUNTRY. 

Edwards,  Pawnee,  Rush,  Ellis,  Rooks,  Phillips,  Norton,  Graham,  Trego, 
Ness,  Hodgeman,  Ford.  Clarke.  Meade,  Lane,  Gove,  Sheridan,  Decatur, 
Rawlins,  Thomas,  Logan,  Wichita,  Kearny,  Grant.  Stevens,  Morton, 
Stanton,  Hamilton.  Greeley,  Wallace,  Sherman  and  Cheyenne. 

Sibley,  a  hamlet  of  Douglas  county  is  located  on  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  7  miles  sotith  of  Lawrence.  It  has  a  postofifice  and 
express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  25.  The  railroad  name 
is  Sibleyville. 

Sidney,  a  country  postofifice  in  Colony  township,  Greeley  county,  is 
located  15  miles  northwest  of  Tribune,  the  county  seat  and  usual  ship- 
ping point.     It  has  tri-weekly  mail. 

Silica,  a  rural  postoffice  in  Rice  county,  is  located  in  Pioneer  township 
on  the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  near  the  west  line  of  the 
county,  14  miles  from  Lyons,  the  county  seat.  The  population  according 
to  the  census  of  1910  was  20. 

Silk  Culture. — The  culture  of  silk  was  first  introduced  into  Kansas  by 
Ernest  V.  Boissiere,  a  Frenchman,  who  came  to  the  L^nited  States  in 
185 1.  In  1869  he  bought  a  tract  of  nearly  4,000  acres  of  land  near  Wil- 
liamsburg, Franklin  county,  where  he  began  to  raise  silk-worms.  He 
had  noticed  that  the  climate  of  Kansas  was  very  similar  to  that  of  the  silk 
producing  section  of  France,  where  the  business  was  prosperous,  and  he 
iDelieved  that  silk  culture  could  be  made  a  profitable  industry  in  Kansas. 


KANSAS    HISTOKY  695 

He  planted  70  acres  to  Russian  mulberry  trees  and  induced  several 
French  families  who  understood  the  business  to  come  to  Kansas.  In  a 
short  time  more  than  40  French  people,  some  of  them  being  expert  in 
raising  silk-worms  and  manufacturing  silk,  were  located  in  Franklin 
county,  the  colony  becoming  known  as  Silkville.  His  first  silk-worms 
were  produced  from  California  eggs,  and  in  1870  he  began  weaving  silk 
ribbon,  his  looms  having  a  capacity  of  224  yards  a  day.  The  following 
year  he  began  weaving  silk  cloth.  In  1873  he  imported  eggs  from  Japan 
and  in  1874  the  cocoons  showed  a  marked  improvement.  Those  of  1875 
were  still  better  than  the  first  generation  bred  from  Japanese  eggs,  and 
by  this  time  he  had  demonstrated  that  the  silk  produced  in  Kansas  was  of 
an  excellent  quality,  surpassing  much  that  was  imported.  He  sold  his 
product  at  high  prices,  but  said  :  "There  seems  to  be  a  good  business  in  it 
for  the  commission  man,  but  not  for  me."  He  exhibited  his  products  at 
the  Centennial  exposition  at  Philadelphia  in  1876  and  was  awarded  a 
diploma,  but  the  profits  not  coming  up  to  his  expectations,  the  enterprise 
was    finally    abandoned. 

In  the  early  '80s,  the  Russian  Mennonites  who  settled  in  Marion,  Har- 
vey, Sedgwick  and  Reno  counties,  planted  mulberries  and  achieved  a  cer- 
tain success  in  raising  silk-worms,  many  of  them  having  been  engaged 
in  this  occupation  in  southern  Russia. 

Gov.  Martin,  in  his  message  to  the  legislature  in  18S7,  said  that  the 
subject  was  "worthy  of  careful  investigation,"  and  suggested  that  the 
legislature  appoint  a  committee  "to  ascertain  such  facts  as  are  attain- 
able and  recommend  such  action  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  or  advis- 
able." As  a  result  of  the  governor's  suggestion,  an  act  was  passed  on 
March  17,  1887,  by  which  the  sum  of  $13,000  was  appropriated,  "for  the 
purpose  of  establishing,  maintaining  and  conducting  a  silk  station  of 
Kansas."  A  board  of  three  commissioners,  consisting  of  J.  S.  Codding 
of  Pottawatomie  county,  J.  H.  Morse  of  Marion  county  and  Dr.  Charles 
Williamson  of  Washington  county,  was  appointed.  The  commissioners 
were  to  hold  office  for  two  years,  and  they  were  authorized  to  locate  a 
silk  station  and  provide  for  its  equipment. 

The  towns  which  ofifered  the  best  locations  and  desired  the  station, 
were  Peabody,  Hutchinson.  Larned  and  McPherson.  The  commission- 
ers decided  on  Larned,  and  appointed  as  superintendent.  Prof.  I.  Horner 
of  Emporia,  a  well  known  silk  culturist,  but  he  did  not  approve  of  the 
location  and  Peabody  was  selected.  A  contract  was  let  for  a  $3,000 
building,  the  necessary  machinery  and  planting  of  trees.  The  act  of  1889 
provided  for  a  resident  commissioner  at  Peabody,  who  was  "to  purchase 
such  equipment  as  might  be  necessary  for  the  successful  working  of  a 
silk  station."  A  superintendent  was  to  have  charge  of  the  station,  pro- 
cure and  distribute  silk-worm  eggs,  and  in  every  way  encourage  the 
development  of  the  industry.  The  sum  of  $10,000  was  appropriated  for 
the  support  of  the  institution,  and  subsequent  appropriations  were  some- 
thing like  $7,500  each.  The  station  occupied  10  acres  of  land,  on  which 
were  raised  mulberry  trees  and  other  varieties  of  plants  used  as  food  for 


696  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

silk-worms.  The  two-story  building  was  equipped  with  boiler,  engine 
and  ten  reels.   From  4  to  10  men  were  employed  throughout  the  year. 

The  primary  work  of  the  station  was  to  raise  silk-worm  eggs  for  free 
distribution  to  such  residents  of  Kansas  as  might  desire  to  grow  cocoons. 
From  50  to  150  ounces  of  eggs  were  produced  each  year.  After  the  people 
who  had  obtained  the  eggs  and  raised  the  cocoons,  which  the  station 
bought  at  the  rate  of  $1  per  pound,  reeled  and  sold  the  commercial  silk. 
This  reeling,  which  is  a  very  slow  process,  constituted  the  bulk  of  the 
work  done  at  the  station.  The  eggs  were  furnished  in  April  and  the 
work  of  hatching  and  raising  the  worms  was  done  during  the  last  of 
April  and  first  of  May.  Many  people  in  the  state  secured  eggs  from  the 
station  and  sold  the  cocoons,  but  the  station  never  paid,  as  the  reelers 
had  to  be  paid  much  higher  wages  in  Kansas,  than  in  foreign  silk  produc- 
ing countries.  Consequently,  in  1897  the  legislature  passed  an  act  repeal- 
ing all  laws  for  the  encouragement  of  silk  culture,  and  appointed  the 
chairman  of  the  board  of  county  supervisors  of  Marion  county,  the  sec- 
retary of  state  and  state  treasurer,  a  board  to  lease  or  sell  the  Peabody 
silk  station.  Before  disposing  of  the  station,  the  board  was  to  "nego- 
tiate with  the  United  States  department  of  agriculture,  with  a  view  to 
establishing  a  national  experiment  station,  for  the  purpose  of  continuing, 
perpetuating  and  disseminating  the  knowledge  of  sericulture,"  and  if  the 
department  did  take  up  the  plan,  the  station  was  to  be  donated  to  the 
government.  Nothing  was  done  by  the  national  government  and  the  silk 
industry  in  Kansas  came  to  an  end. 

Silverdale,  a  hamlet  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of 
the  same  name  on  Grouse  creek  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  15  miles 
southeast  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel,  a  general  store, 
a  stone  quarry,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office.    The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Silver  Lake,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Silver  Lake 
township,  Shawnee  county,- is  located  on  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.,  11  miles  west  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  number 
of  retail  establishments,  two  telephone  exchanges,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  260.  The  town  was  founded  in  1868  by  a  Mr.  Huntoon 
of  Topeka.  C.  S.  Palmer  and  M.  B.  Beaubien  opened  the  first  store  in 
July.  Palmer  opened  the  first  hotel  in  the  spring  of- 1869.  About  this 
time  the  first  postoffice  was  established,  with  J.  B.  Oliver  as  the  first 
postmaster.  Flour  mills  were  built  and  churches  and  schools  established 
early  in  the  '70s.  The  site  of  Silver  Lake  was  settled  in  1847.  I"  1852-53 
three  ferries  were  located  there  and  it  was  known  as  the  "Great  Cross- 
ing." 

Simerwell,  Robert,  missionary  to  the  Indians,  was  born  in  Ireland, 
May  I,  1786.  He  attended  school  occasionally  until  fifteen  years  of  age, 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1803.  His  parents 
died  soon  afterward  and  he  became  a  blacksmith's  apprentice.  In  1824 
he  went  to  the  Baptist  Indian  mission  at  Carey  Station  on  the  St.  Joseph 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


697 


river  in  Michigan,  and  the  next  year  married  a  Miss  Goodridge ;  be- 
came government  blacksmith  to  the  Pottawatomies  and  studied  their 
language.  In  1833  he  came  with  a  part  of  the  tribe  to  the  Baptist  mission 
in  Kansas,  led  them  to  their  new  home  on  the  reserve  near  Topeka  in 
1848,  and  labored  among  this  tribe  as  a  teacher  and  spiritual  leader  until 
ill  health  forced  him  to  retire  in  1854.  He  died  at  his  home  on  Six-mile 
creek  in  1868.  He  was  the  author  of  a  primer  in  the  Pottawatomie  lan- 
guage, published  in  1833 ;  translated  a  book  containing  a  catechism  and 
hymns  into  Pottawatomie  in  1835 ;  and  his  books  and  manuscripts  now 
in  the  Kansas  Historical  Society  include  fragments  of  translations  ot 
hymns,  grammar,  vocabularies,  discourses,  etc. 

Simpson,  an  incorporated  town  of  Mitchell  county,  is  located  on  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.  and  the  Solomon  river  in  Logan  township,  12  miles 
southeast  of  Beloit,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  flour  mill,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural 
routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  211.  The  town  was  founded  m  1879 
under  the  name  of  Brittsville,  but  the  name  was  changed  in  1882. 

Simpson,  Jerry,  member  of  Congress,  often  referred  to  as  the     sock- 
less  statesman"  from  Kansas,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  New 
Brunswick,  March  31,  1842.     His  father  was  a  masterful  man  in  mmd 
and  body,  so  that  young   Terry  found  at  home   many   of  the  best  old 
English  authors.     His  mother  was  of  Welsh  and  English  ancestry.    She 
was   a   self-poised   woman   of   commanding  presence   and   strong   char- 
acter     About   1848  the  family  removed  to  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
when  Jerry  was  only  fourteen  years  of  age  he  began  life  as  a  sailor  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  starting  in  as  cabin  boy.     He  followed  the  lakes  tor 
twenty-three  years,  won  promotion  by  his  assiduous  attention  to  his 
duties,  and  had  command  of  several  large  vessels.     In  the  early  part 
of  the  Civil  war  he  served  for  a  time  in  the  Twelfth  Illinois  infantry 
but  was  forced  to  leave  the  service  on  account  of  illness  and  returned 
to  his  life  of  a  sailor.     With  a  view  to  the  comfort  of  his  family  he 
finally  gave  up  his  life  on  the  lakes  and  located  temporarily  m  Indiana, 
at  a  time  when  the  Grange  movement  was  at  its  height.     He  took  a 
deep   interest   in  the   work   of  the   Grange,   which   led  to   his  study   of 
transportation  and  the  money  question.     In   1878  he  came  to  Kansas, 
locatino-  first  in  Jackson  county,  where  he  had  a  farm  and  sawmill. 
After  tlie   death  of  his   little  daughter  the   family   removed  to   Barber 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  6  miles  from 
Medicine   Lodge.     Mr.  Simpson  was  originally  a   Republican,  having 
cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1864.     In  1886 
and  a<^ain  in  1888  he  ran  for  the  Kansas  legislature  on  the  Independent 
ticket''  representing  the  Greenback  and  Union  Labor  principles.     Both 
times'he  was  defeated  by  T.  A.  McNeal,  the  Republican  candidate.  The 
men  were  personal  friends,  however,  and  in   1890,  when  McNeal  was 
elected  mayor  of  Medicine  Lodge,  he  appointed  Simpson  city  marshal. 
The   modest  duties   of  this   position  Mr.   Simpson   performed  as  faith- 
fully as  if  the  office  had  been  one  of  national  importance.    About  this 


698  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

time  the  Farmer's  Alliance  began  to  take  a  hand  in  politics.  An 
Alliance  convention  was  held  at  Kinsley,  to  which  Mr.  Simpson  was 
sent  as  a  delegate.  Here  he  attracted  general  attention  by  his  readiness 
in  debate  and  he  was  nominated  by  the  People's  party  for  Congress 
and  elected  by  aid  of  the  Democrats,  who  indorsed  his  candidacy.  When 
nominated  he  was  without  money  to  meet  the  incidental  expenses  of 
a  campaign,  but  his  ardent  admirers  in  all  sections  of  the  "Big  Sev- 
enth" district  contributed  the  necessary  funds.  This  campaign  was 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  history  of  Kansas.  In  1892  he  was 
reeledted,  but  his  majority  was  cut  from  8,000  to  less  than  2,000.  In 
1894  he  was  nominated  a  third  time,  but  was  defeated.  Two  years 
later,  when  the  free  silver  excitement  swept  over  the  country  he  was 
again  elected  to  Congress,  this  time  as  a  Democrat.  Steadily  declining 
health  caused  Mr.  Simpson  to  seek  a  home  at  Roswell,  N.  M.,  in  1901, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  acted  as  agent  for 
the  Santa  Fe  railroad  lands.  His  last  public  speech  was  made  at 
Pond  Creek,  Okla.,  where  so  many  of  his  friends  and  associates  had 
located.  He  spoke  for  three  hours  with  the  old  life  and  enthusiasm. 
For  years  Mr.  Simpson  was  afflicted  with  aneurism  of  the  heart,  and 
late  in  Sept.,  1905,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  he  went  to  St.  Francis' 
hospital  at  Wichita,  Kan.,  for  treatment.  Two  of  his  most  loyal  friends, 
Victor  Murdock  and  David  Leahy,  were  among  the  few  people  allowed 
to  see  -him.  He  passed  away  on  the  morning  of  Oct.  23,  1905.  Mr. 
Simpson  married  Miss  Jane  Cape  on  Oct.  12,  1870,  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
and  two  children  were  born  to  them. 

Singleton,  Benjamin. —  (See  Negro  Exodus.) 

Sitka,  a  post-village  of  Clark  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  6  miles  east  of  Ashland,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  an  express  office  and  telephone  connections,  and  is  a  trading  and 
shipping  point  for  the  neighborhood  in  which  it  is  situated. 

Skiddy,  a  hamlet  in  Morris  county,  is  located  in  Rolling  Prairie  town- 
ship on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  24  miles  northwest  of 
Council  Grove,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel,  general  stores,  express 
and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in 
1910  was  90. 

Skidmore,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  on  the  Joplin  & 
Pittsburg  electric  line  5  miles  north  of  Columbus,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  general  store  and  a  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  75. 

Slate,  a  hamlet  in  Rooks  county,  is  located  on  Slate  creek  16  miles 
northwest  of  Stockton,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  south  of  Logan, 
in  Phillips  county,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail.  The  population 
in  1910  was  36. 

Slavery. — Human  slavery  is  as  old  as  human  history,  of  which  its 
story  forms  one  of  the  most  somber  chapters.  It  no  doubt  originated 
in  the  custom  of  enslaving  prisoners  captured  in  war.  Among  the 
ancient  oriental  nations,  even  Jehovah's  chosen  people,  the  Jews,  had 
their  bond-servants,  which  is  but  another  name  for  slaves.     With  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


699 


introduction  of  Christianity  the  condition  of  the  slaves  was  improved, 
and  about  the  time  of  Jtistinian  jurists  began  to  regard  slavery  as  con- 
trary to  the  laws  of  nature — justifiable  only  as  a  punishment  for  debt 
or  crime,  a  sort  of  modification  of  the  old  theory  that  the  victor  pos- 
sessed the  right  to  slay  the  vanquished.  But  so  long  as  the  toil  of  the 
bondsman  allowed  his  owner  to  live  in  comparative  ease,  or  there  was  a 
profit  to  the  trader  in  human  beings,  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  present 
the  moral  aspects  of  the  slavery  question,  and  the  traffic  went  on. 

Modern  negro  slavery  was  one  result  of  the  discovery  of  America. 
In  the  early  settlements  upon  the  Western  Hemisphere  some  attempts 
were  made  to  enslave  the  Indians,  but  they  proved  to  be  intractable  or 
too  weak  physically  for  the  arduous  labor  of  the  plantations,  and  the 
would-be  slave-owner  was  compelled  to  turn  his  attention  in  some  other 
direction.  Prior  to  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus,  the  Portu- 
guese had  explored  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  where  they  found  that 
the  African  tribes,  like  other  savage  people,  were  accustomed  to 
enslaving  or  selling  the  captives  taken  in  war.  The  failure  to  make 
slaves  of  the  American  aborigines  led  the  early  planters  and  mine 
owners  of  this  continent  to  adopt  the  alternative  of  buying  slaves  of  the 
African  chieftains. 

As  early  as  1517  Charles  V,  then  king  of  Spain,  gave  royal  permis- 
sion to  the  Spanish  settlements  in  America  to  import  negroes  from  the 
Portuguese  establishments  on  the  coasts  of  Guinea,  and  in  1565  Pedro 
Menendez,  the  founder  of  St.  Augustine,  was  authorized  by  Philip  II 
to  import  500  negro  slaves.  The  first  negro  slaves  in  the  English  colony 
at  Jamestown,  Va.,  were  brought  there  by  a  Dutch  trader  in  1620,  and 
a  few  years  later  black  slaves  were  introduced  in  the  English  colony 
at  Charleston,  S.  C.  When  Antoine  Crozat  in  1712  was  granted  a 
monopoly  of  the  Louisiana  trade  by  the  French  government,  he  was 
also  given  authority,  if  he  found  it  necessary  to  employ  slave  labor, 
"to  send  a  ship  every  year  to  trade  for  negroes  directly  upon  the  coast 
of  Guinea,  taking  permission  of  the  Guinea  Company  to  do  so."  The 
slaves  thus  imported  were  to  be  sold  to  the  inhabitants  of  Louisiana, 
and  all  other  companies  were  forbidden  to  bring  slaves  into  the  colony. 
Five  years  later  Crozat  was  succeeded  by  the  Western  Company,  which 
agreed  to  bring  into  Louisiana,  during  the  25  years  of  its  franchise,  not 
less  than  3,000  negro  slaves.  After  this  company  gave  up  its  charter 
in  1732,  the  French  government  resumed  control  of  Louisiana  and  con- 
tinued to  supply  negroes  to  the  colonists.  Late  in  the  17th  century 
England  obtained  from  Spain  the  right  to  enter  the  slave  trade,  but 
instead  of  exercising  the  right  as  a  government,  the  privilege  was 
turned  over  to  a  company  of  which  Sir  John  Hawkins  was  the  head, 
and  by  1700  this  company  had  taken  some  300,000  negroes  from  the 
African  coast  to  the  English  colonies.  In  1780,  about  a  century  after 
the  right  was  obtained  from  Spain,  the  English  slave-ships  had  carried 
to  the  island  of  Jamaica  alone  over  half  a  million  negroes.  Thus  it  will 
be  seen  that  each  of  the  three  great  European  nations  that  claimed  terri- 


700  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

tory  and  formed  sclllemenls  in  America  countenanced  the  institution 
of  slavery. 

As  a  result  of  the  activity  of  these  nations  in  fostering  and  promoting 
the  slave  trade,  slavery  existed  in  all  the  American  colonies  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Vermont  was  the  first  to  abolish 
it.  That  colony,  in  1777,  adopted  a  constitution,  the  first  article  of 
which  prohibited  slavery.  Toward  the  close  of  the  Revolution  an 
agitation  was  started  in  both  Europe  and  America  for  the  suppression 
of  the  slave  traffic.  One  result  of  this  agitation  was  that  the  North 
Atlantic  colonies  took  steps  to  abolish  and  prohibit  slavery  within  their 
boundaries.  Massachusetts  led  off  in  1780;  the  same  year  Pennsylvania 
passed  a  law  that  all  slaves  born  after  March  i,  1780,  should  be  free 
at  the  age  of  28  years;  New  Hampshire  followed  in  1783,  and  the  next 
year  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut  each  adopted  a  system  of  gradual 
emancipation.  Another  effect  of  the  agitation  was  that  the  convention 
which  framed  the  Federal  constitution  in  1789  incorporated  in  that 
instrument  the  provision  that  "The  migration  or  importation  of  such 
persons  as  any  of  the  states  now  existing  shall  think  proper  to  admit, 
shall  not  be  prohibited  by  Congress  prior  to  the  year  1808,  but  a  tax 
or  duty  may  be  imposed  on  such  importation,  not  exceeding  ten  dollars 
for  each  person."    (Art.  I,  Sec.  9.) 

Almost  immediately  after  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  the 
remaining  northern  colonies  began  to  make  provisions  for  the  abolition 
of  slavery.  New  York  began  a  system  of  gradual  manumission  in  1799 
and  ended  slavery  entirely  in  1827.  New  Jersey  adopted  the  same  plan 
in  1804,  but  there  were  about  200  slaves  in  that  state  as  late  as  1850. 
The  question  now  became  a  sectional  one.  Washington,  Jefferson, 
Franklin,  Hamilton  and  other  prominent  men  in  the  early  days  of  the 
republic  were  opposed  to  slavery  on  moral  grounds,  but  the  South 
found  slave  labor  profitable,  and  it  became  more  profitable  after  the 
invention  of  the  cotton-gin  by  Eli  Whitney  in  1793.  By  the  treaty  with 
England  in  1783  the  western  limit  of  the  United  States  was  extended 
to  the  Mississippi  river.  The  original  draft  of  the  ordinance  of  1784 
provided  for  the  division  of  all  the  territory  thus  acquired,  north  of  31° 
north  latitude,  into  states,  in  which  slavery  was  to  be  prohibited  after 
the  year  1800.  The  ordinance  of  1787,  which  provided  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river,  prohibited  slavery 
in  that  region,  but  when  the  provisions  of  the  ordinance  were  later 
extended  to  the  southwest,  the  clause  prohibiting  slavery  was  omitted. 

In  the  province  of  Louisiana  slavery  existed  under  the  laws  of  both 
France  and  Spain,  and  when  France  ceded  the  region  to  the  United 
States,  in  1803,  Article  III  of  the  treaty  of  cession  provided  that  "The 
inhabitants  of  the  ceded  territory  shall  be  incorporated  into  the 
Union  of  the  United  States,  and  admitted  as  soon  as  possible,  accord- 
ing to  the  principles  of  the  Federal  constitution,  to  the  enjoyment  of  all 
the  rights,  advantages  and  immunities  of  citizens  of  the  United  States ; 
and  in  the  meantime  they  shall  be  maintained  and  protected  in  the  free 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


701 


enjoyment  of  their  liberty,  property  and  the  religion  which  they  pro- 

fcss  " 

As  slaves  were  recognized  as  "property,"  the  United  States,  by  enter- 
ing into  this  treaty,  agreed  to  maintain  and  protect  slavery  as  it  then 
existed  in  the  province,  and  Hildreth  says  that  when  the  district  ot 
Louisiana  was  erected  into  a  territory  in  1805  a  section  of  the  act  gave 
a  tacit  confirmation  to  the  system  of  slavery,^  already  established  in 
the  settlements  on  the  Arkansas  and  Missouri." 

On  Feb  20,  i860,  Gov.  Medary  hdd  occasion  to  veto  a  bill  passed  by 
the  Kansas  territorial  legislature  prohibiting  slavery  in  the  territory. 
(See  Medary's  Administration.)  Concerning  the  Louisiana  purchase 
the  governor  said  in  his  veto  message:  "Mr.  Jefferson  purchased  the 
Louisiana  country  not  because  it  was  slave  territory,  but  because  it  was 
necessary  to  the  settlement  of  the  North  and  Southwest.  .  .  .  ihis 
purchase  of  territory  from  France  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  of  which  Kansas 
is  a  part,  produced  the  first  great  anti-slavery  crisis.  It  was  the  first 
bold  showing  of  that  sectionalism,  which  has  become  a  part  of  some 
men's  political  existence.  But  the  successive  triumphs  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  under  the  leadership  of  Jefferson  and  Madison,  disheart- 
ened the  New  England  leaders  and  those  who  followed  them,  and  the 
question  of  slavery  was  mainly  sunk  in  those  of  a  more  national  char- 
acter and  of  higher  political  importance;  until,  like  a  dark  storm  cloud, 
it  burst  with  sudden  fury  again  upon  the  country,  on  the  petition  for 
admission  into  the  Union,  by  our  neighbor  Missouri." 

All   the   present   State  of  Kansas,   except   a   little   of   the   southwest 
corner,   was   included   in  the   Louisiana  purchase.     That  portion   lying 
•     west  of  the  meridian  of  99°  west  longitude  and  south  of  the  Arkansas 
river  was  a  part  of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  in  which  slavery  was  also  a 
le-alized   institution.     Hence   it   may   be  truly   said   that,   prior  to   the 
acquisition  of  this  territory  by  the  United  States,  slavery  was  a  legalized 
institution  in  the  whole  of  Kansas.    Had  the  French  or  Spanish  founded 
settlements  within  the  present  limits  of  Kansas,  there  could  have  been 
no  le-al  objection  to  the  introduction  of  slaves  into  such  settlements. 
But  at  the  time   Missouri   applied   for   admission   into   the  Union,   as 
referred  to  by  Gov.   Medary  in   his   veto  message,  the  situation  was 
chano-ed     The  act  of  Congress  known  as  the  Missouri  Compromise  pro- 
vided for  the  prohibition  of  slavery  in  all  that  part  of  the   Louisiana 
purchase  lying  north  of  the  line  of  36°  30'  north  latitude.    (See  Kansas- 
Nebraska   Bill.)      The   Missouri    Compromise   made   Kansas   free   terri- 
tory   and  it  remained  so  without  question  or  quibble  for  thirty  years. 

After  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  and  the  passage  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise the  next  event  to  precipitate  a  violent  discussion  of  the  slavery 
question  was  the  annexation  of  Texas.  On  March  i,  1845,  President 
Tyler  approved  a  joint  resolution  for  the  annexation,  and  the  Congres- 
sional Globe  for  that  date  says:  "As  soon  as  the  announcement  was 
made  a  loud  burst  of  plaudits  pealed  through  the  house,  which  were 
with  difficulty  suppressed."     At  that  time  the  Republic  of  Texas  and 


702  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  Alexican  government  were  ifi  a  dispute  over  the  boundaries,  and 
the  act  of  annexation  brought  on  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico.  It  was  generally  understood  that  the  whole  scheme  was 
in  the  interest  of  the  slave  power,  which  needed  more  territory.  The 
act  provided  that  south  of  the  line  36°  30'  not  more  than  four  states 
were  to  be  erected,  these  states  to  be  admitted  with  or  without  slavery 
as  the  people  might  determine.  North  of  that  line  slavery  was  to  be 
prohibited.  It  was  by  this  provision  that  the  little  portion  of  Kansas 
in  the  southwest  corner  was  made  free  territory. 

On  Aug.  8,  1846,  President  Polk  sent  a  special  message  to  Congress 
asking  that  a  considerable  sum  of  money  be  appropriated  for  the  purpose 
of  negotiating  a  peace  with  Mexico.  A  bill  was  reported  appropriating 
$30,000  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  negotiation  and  $3,000,000  "to  be 
used  at  the  discretion  of  the  president  in  making  the  proposed  treaty." 
The  bill  failed  to  pass  at  that  session,  and  when  Congress  assembled 
in  Dec,  1846,  a  bill  raising  the  appropriation  to  $3,000,000  was  intro- 
duced. When  it  became  apparent  that  any  treaty  with  Mexico  would 
result  in  the  acquisition  of  territory  by  the  United  States,  the  slavery 
question  again  became  an  all-absorbing  issue. 

About  this  time  the  Southern  statesmen,  led  by  John  C.  Calhoun  of 
South  Carolina,  advanced  the  theory  that  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States  carried  slavery  into  all  Federal  territory  unless  excluded  by 
special  enactment  of  some  positive  law  to  the  contrary.  To  offset  this 
dogma,  when  the  $3,000,000  appropriation  bill  came  up  as  a  special 
order  on  Feb.  i,  1847,  David  Wilmot  of  Pennsylvania  offered  in  the 
house  the  following  proviso :  "That  there  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor 
involimtary  servitude  in  any  territory  on  the  continent  of  America  which 
shall  hereafter  be  acquired  by  or  annexed  to  the  United  States  by  virtue 
of  this  appropriation,  or  in  any  other  manner  whatever,  except  for 
crimes,  v\'hereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted :  provided 
always,  That  any  person  escaping  into  such  territory  from  whom  labor 
or  service  is  lawfully  claimed  in  any  one  of  the  United  States,  such 
fugitive  may  be  lawfully  claimed  and  conveyed  out  of  said  territory  to 
the  power  claiming  his  or  her  labor  or  service." 

The  Wilmot  Proviso  was  defeated,  and  on  Feb.  2,  1848,  a  treaty  with 
Mexico  was  concluded,  whereby  California,  New  Mexico  and  the  dis- 
puted territory  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Neuces  passed  into 
ihe  possession  of  the  United  States.  In  the  long  debate  which  ensued 
over  the  organization  of  the  territories  of  Oregon,  California  and  New 
Mexico  the  anti-slavery  sentiment  in  the  house  asserted  itself  by  the 
l)assage  of  a  resolution — 108  ayes  to  80  noes — to  exclude  slavery  from 
these  territories.  A  few  days  later  another  resolution,  asking  the  com- 
mittee on  affairs  of  the  District  of  Columbia  to  report  a  bill  prohibiting 
slavery  in  the  district,  was  passed  by  a  vote  of  126  to  87,  but  it  was 
defeated  in  the  senate. 

Thus  matters  stood  in  Congress  when  California  applied  to  the  ses- 
sion of  1849-50  for  admission  into  the  I'nion.     On  Jan.  29,  1850,  Henry 


KANSAS    HISTORY  7°^ 

Clay  introduced  a  series  of  resolutions,  wliich  he  designed  as  the  basis 
of  a  compromise,  and  which  he  thought  would  settle  the  question  of 
slavery  for  all  time.  Landon  says :  "At  the  outset,  many  of  those  who 
had  threatened  'disunion,'  opposed  Clay's  compromise,  because  it  did 
not  go  far  enough,  while  the  'Wilmot  Proviso'  men  were  equally  reso- 
lute in  opposing  it,  because  it  went  too  far." 

Notwithstanding  this  radical  difference  of  opinion,  on  April  17  a 
select  committee,  of  which  Mr.  Clay  was  chairman,  reported  a  bill  of 
39  sections,  intended  to  cover  all  phases  of  the  subject.  This  bill 
became  known  as  the  "Omnibus  Bill,"  on  account  of  the  variety  of 
topics  it  included.  Concerning  the  compromise  of  1850  Alexander  H. 
Stephens,  in  his  "Constitutional  View  of  the  War  Between  the  States," 
says :  "The  principle  settled  was  clearly  this,  that  after  the  principal 
division  had  been  abandoned  and  repudiated  by  the  north  in  the 
organization  of  all  territorial  governments,  the  principle  of  Congres- 
sional restriction  should  be  totally  abandoned  also,  and  that  all  new 
states,  whether  north  or  south  of  36°  30',  should  be  admitted  into  the 
Union  'either  with  or  without  slavery,  as  their  constitutions  might  pre- 
scribe at  the  time  of  their  admission.'  " 

The  compromise  of  1850  was  unquestionably  a  victory  for  the  slave 
power,  and  when  the  question  of  organizing  a  territorial  government 
for  Kansas  came  up  in  1854  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  chairman  of  the 
senate  committee  on  territories,  reported  back  the  bill  with  amendments 
to  make  it  conform  to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  Utah  and  Xew  Mexico 
bills  of  1850.     (See  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.) 

While  most  of  the  events  above  mentioned  had  no  direct  bearing  upon 
Kansas,  each  one  of  them  did  have  something  to  do  in  paving  the 
way  for  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  which  placed  the 
issue  squarely  before  the  country.  Elated  by  their  previous  triumphs 
the  slaveholding  interests  did  not  realize,  until  it  was  too  late,  that  the 
enactment  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  was  a  mistake.  That  bill  cost 
Kansas  some  200  human  lives  and  several  million  dollars'  worth  of  prop- 
erty. But  it  brought  to  the  state  a  strong,  self-reliant  citizenship  that 
was  capable  of  grappling  with  and  in  the  end  dethroning  slavery. 

Negro  slaves  were  brought  into  what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas 
several  years  before  the  territory  was  organized,  but  it  is  not  definitely 
settled  who  first  introduced  them.  Some  writers  think  the  20  slaves 
brought  to  Kansas  by  Mrs.  Henry  Rogers  were  the  first,  though  the 
date  when  Mrs.  Rogers  located  in  Kansas  is  uncertain.  Rev.  Thomas 
Johnson  introduced  slavery  at  the  Shawnee  Mission,  and  as  early  as 
the  fall  of  1843  ten  negro  children  were  reported  there — the  oft'spring 
of  Mr.  Johnson's  slaves.  Immediatel}'  after  the  passage  of  the  organic 
act,  the  fight  to  make  Kansas  slave  territory  began  in  earnest,  the 
slaveholders  of  Missouri  becoming  particularly  active  in  their  efforts 
to  accomplish  that  end.  On  Jan.  10,  1855,  on'y  ^  ^ew  months  after  the 
territorial  government  was  inaugurated,  four  prominent  pro-slavery 
members  of  Congress,  headed  by  Preston  S.  Brooks  of  South  Carolina. 


704  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

published  in  the  Washington  Sentinel  a  long  letter  from  B.  F.  String- 
fellow,  in  which  were  the  following  statements :  "Kansas  is  not  suited 
for  little  farms;  it  cannot  be  settled  by  those  who  have  not  the  com- 
mand of  labor.  ...  In  no  instance  has  prairie  been  first  settled  by 
poor  men.  .  .  .  Slavery  exists  in  Kansas  and  is  legal.  ...  It 
will  be  found  that  Missouri  is  nearer  to  Kansas  than  Boston." 

The  last  sentence  referred  to  the  efforts  of  the  New  England  Emi- 
grant company  to  send  to  Kansas  people  who  were  opposed  to  slavery. 
Mr.  Stringfellow  no  doubt  thought  that  emigrants  from  the  northern 
and  eastern  states  would  be  deterred  by  distance,  but  in  this  he  was 
mistaken,  as  subsequent  events  demonstrated.  About  the  only  advan- 
tage the  slave  power  gained  by  the  proximity  of  Missouri  was  in  the 
election  of  the  first  territorial  legislature,  in  March,  1855,  when  enough 
voters  came  over  from  that  state  to  elect  an  assembly  favorable  to 
the  introduction  of  slavery.  That  legislature  passed  stringent  laws  to 
punish  offenses  against  slave  property  (See  Black  Laws),  but  some- 
thing more  than  laws  was  needed  to  make  Kansas  a  slave  state,  and 
that  was  the  actual  presence  of  slaves.  Judging  from  the  newspapers 
of  that  period  the  slaveholders  were  willing  to  do  everything  except 
take  their  negroes  into  Kansas.  Under  the  headline — "The  Suicide  of 
Slavery" — the  St.  Louis  Intellinger,  a  strong  pro-slavery  organ,  made 
a  vigorous  attack  on  the  methods  of  the  slaveholders  on  Aug.  30,  1855. 
In  the  course  of  that  editorial  the  writer  said : 

"Alabama  and  Georgia  may  hold  public  meetings  and  resolve  to  sus- 
tain the  slaveholders  of  Missouri  in  making  Kansas  a  slave  state.  But 
their  resolutions  comprise  all  their  aid — which  is  not  'material'  enough 
for  the  crisis.  When  slaveholders  of  Alabama  and  Georgia  emigrate 
they  go  to  Louisiana,  Arkansas  and  Texas.  They  do  not  come  with 
their  slaves  to  Missouri  or  Kansas.  Call  they  that  backing  their 
friends?" 

It  may  have  been  possible  that  such  criticisms  as  this  from  the  press 
had  something  to  do  with  stimulating  the  importation  of  negroes  into 
the  territory,  as  the  St.  Louis  News  of  March  21,  1856,  said:  "The 
Highflyer,  in  this  morning  from  Louisville,  brought  between  50  and 
60  slaves  belonging  to  families  on  their  way  to  Kansas.  Since  the 
opening  of  the  river  fully  500  slaves  have  arrived  from  the  Ohio  river 
on  their  way  to  Kansas.  The  J.  H.  Lucas  took  up  nearly  100,  the  Star 
of  the  West  100,  the  A.  B.  Chambers  50  or  75,  and  almost  every  boat 
that  has  started  up  the  Missouri  river  since  the  opening  of  the  river  has 
taken  up  a  larger  or  smaller  number.  The  slaves  are  in  almost  every 
case  taken  in  the  cabin,  while  poor  white  families  going  to  the  same 
place  take  passage  on  deck." 

But  with  all  the  stimulus  that  could  be  given  to  the  cause,  slavery 
was  doomed  to  defeat  in  Kansas.  In  1857  the  tide  of  immigration 
brought  from  the  northern  and  eastern  states  a  large  number  of  indus- 
trious, substantial  men,  who  were  attracted  by  the  sales  of  public 
lands  and  the  prospect  of  winning  homes  for  themselves  upon  the  west- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  7^5 

ern  frontier.  These  men  demanded  a  government  that  would  enact 
just  laws  for  the  protection  of  person  and  property — a  positive  govern- 
ment rather  than  a  visionary  or  negative  one — and  immediately  began 
taking  steps  to  establish  such  a  government.  Late  in  that  year  Gov. 
Walker  (See  Stanton's  and  Walker's  Administrations)  wrote  to  Mr. 
Marcy,  secretary  of  state  in  Buchanan's  cabinet,  deploring  the  admis- 
sion of  an  aboHtion  state,  and  expressing  the  fear  that  it  would  be 
taken  as  an  act  of  unpardonable  offense  by  the  Southern  leaders,  who 
might  thereby  be  driven  to  a  dissolution  of  the  Union. 

Of  the  four  constitutions  made  in  Kansas  three  prohibited  slavery 
in  positive  terms,  the  language  on  the  subject  being  almost  identical 
in  the  Topeka,  Leavenworth  and  Wyandotte  constitutions.  In  the 
Lecompton  constitution  section  i6  of  the  schedule,  relating  to  amend- 
ments, provided  that  "no  alteration  shall  be  made  to  affect  the  rights 
of  property  in  the  ownership  of  slaves."  Thus  the  men  who  framed 
that  instrument  sought  not  only  to  establish  slavery  in  Kansas,  but 
also  to  fasten  the  institution  upon  the  people  in  such  a  way  that  it 
would  be  perpetuated.  And  it  was  under  this  constitution  that  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  sought  to  have  Kansas  admitted  into  the  Union.  Even 
after  it  was  generally  conceded  that  Kansas  must  be  a  free  state  he 
apparently  clung  to  the  idea  that  slavery  could  be  established  there, 
and  on  Feb.  2,  1858,  he  sent  a  message  to  Congress  urging  the  admis- 
sion of  the  state  under  the  Lecompton  constitution.  In  that  message 
he  said:  "It  has  been  solemnly  adjudged  by  the  highest  judicial 
tribunal,  that  slavery  exists  in  Kansas  by  virtue  of  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States.  Kansas  is  therefore,  at  this  moment,  as  much  a 
slave  state  as  South  Carolina  or  Georgia."     (See  Dred  Scott  Decision.) 

In  this  case  the  wish  was  no  doubt  father  to  the  thought.  The  presi- 
dent wanted  Kansas  to  come  into  the  Union  as  a  slave  state,  and  he 
may  have  been  sincere  in  his  opinion  that  the  decision  of  the  United 
States  made  Kansas  slave  territory  de  jure,  as  it  was  de  facto.  But 
the  people  sometimes  reverse  the  opinion  of  the  "highest  judicial  tri- 
bunal." It  was  so  in  this  instance.  When  the  first  census  was  taken 
in  Feb.,  1855,  there  were  192  slaves  in  the  territory.  The  Federal  cen- 
sus of  i860  showed  but  two.  As  soon  as  the  Wyandotte  constitution 
had  been  ratified  by  the  people,  and  it  became  apparent  that  the  state 
was  to  be  admitted  under  it,  the  slaveholders  made  haste  to  remove 
their  "chattels"  to  a  more  congenial  climate. 

Much  of  the  credit  of  making  Kansas  a  free  state  is  due  to  the  various 
emigrant  aid  societies.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  in  a  speech  at  Bismarck 
Grove,  on  the  occasion  of  the  quarter-centennial  celebration,  Sept.  16, 
1879,  said :  "The  Emigrant  Aid  company,  which  I  represent  here, 
placed  $125,000  in  this  territory.  No  subscriber  to  that  fund  ever 
received  back  one  cent  from  the  investment.  But  we  had  our  dividends 
long  ago.  They  came  in  Kansas  free ;  a  nation  free ;  in  the  homes  of 
4,000,000  freedmen  here,  and  the  virtual  abolition  of  slavery  over  the 
world." 
(11-45) 


7o6  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

(Works  consulted:  Landon's  Constitutional  History  and  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States;  Stephens'  Constitutional  View  of  the  War 
Between  the  States ;  Congressional  Globe ;  Cutler's,  Holloway's  and 
Tuttle's  Histories  of  Kansas ;  Von  Hoist's  Constitutional  and  Political 
History  of  the  United  States;  Kansas  Historical  Collections;  Rhodes' 
History  of  the  United  States  from  the  Compromise  of   1850.) 

Slough  Creek,  Battle  of. — This  affair  occurred  on  Sept.  11,  1856,  about 
3  miles  north  of  Oskaloosa.  Capt.  Harvey,  at  the  head  of  three  small 
companies  of  free-state  men,  had  been  sent  from  Lawrence  as  an 
advance  force  to  the  relief  of  Leavenworth  free-state  men,  who  had  been 
driven  from  the  town  to  Fort  Leavenworth  as  a  place  of  refuge.  Har- 
vey reached  the  neighborhood  of  Easton  and  Alexandria  in  Leaven- 
worth county  on  the  morning  of  Sept.  10,  when  he  was  advised  by 
E.  B.  Whitman  to  make  no  further  advance  on  Leavenworth,  as  Gov. 
Geary  had  just  reached  the  territory.  Acting  on  this  advice  Harvey 
encamped  at  Butler's,  6  or  8  miles  east  of  Oskaloosa.  That  night  Jesse 
Newell,  the  founder  of  Oskaloosa,  came  into  camp  with  the  informa- 
tion that  a  company  of  Carolinians  was  encamped  a  short  distance  away 
and  offered  to  act  as  a  guide.  Harvey  ordered  camp  to  be  struck  and 
an  advance  made,  and  about  3  o'clock  the  ne.xt  morning  the  Carolinians 
were  surrounded.  Some  lively  shooting  ensued  when  the  southerners 
discovered  their  predicament,  but  no  one  on  either  side  was  killed  and 
but  one  Carolinian  was  injured.  About  30  Carolinians  composed  the 
camp,  and  all  but  a  half  dozen  were  captured,  together  with  their  equip- 
ment, among  which  was  a  flag"  presented  them  by  the  ladies  of  Charles- 
ton. S.  C,  before  they  started  for  Kansas  and  which  now  reposes  in 
the  museum  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Smelting. —  (See  Lead  and  Zinc  Mining.) 

Smith  Center,  the  judicial  seat  of  Smith  county,  is  located  in  the 
central  part  of  the  county  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R. 
It  has  city  waterworks,  electric  lights,  fire  department,  2  banks,  an 
opera  house,  flour  mill,  2  grain  elevators,  high  school  and  graded 
schools,  six  churches,  a  daily  stage  to  Covert,  3  weekl}'  newspapers  (the 
Smith  County  Messenger,  the  Smith  County  Pioneer  and  the  Smith 
County  Journal),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international 
money  order  postoffice  with  six  rural  routes.  The  population  accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1910  was  1,292.  The  library  at  Smith  Center  has 
been  built  up  by  the  Harmony  Library  club,  composed  of  24  women, 
who  have  bought  the  building  and  all  the  books  and  provided  a  librarian. 

The  town  was  founded  in  1872  by  the  Smith  Center  Town  company 
which  was  organized  in  1871.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  Mr.  E.  M. 
Burr  in  1872.  The  first  sermon  was  preached  in  1871  by  Rev.  R.  B. 
Foster  of  Osborne.  W.  M.  George,  the  first  postmaster,  received  his 
appointment  in  the  summer  of  1872.  A.  J.  Allen  opened  the  first  store 
about  the  same  time.  In  November  of  that  3'ear  Smith  Center  was 
made  the  county  seat.  The  town  company  disbursed  considerable 
money  in  the  election,  and  afterward  erected  a  court-house  which  was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  /O? 

used  by  the  county  for  many  years.  The  locating  of  the  county  seat 
here  insured  the  future  of  the  town  and  business  interests  of  all  kinds 
were  soon  established. 

Smith  County,  one  of  the  northern  tier,  is  centrally  lucated,  east  and 
west.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  State  of  Nebraska;  on  the  east 
by  Jewell  county ;  on  the  south  by  Osborne  and  Rooks,  and  on  the  west 
by  Phillips.  It  was  named  for  Maj.  J.  Nelson  Smith  of  the  Second  Col- 
orado calvalry,  who  was  killed  at  the  Battle  of  the  P.lue. 

The  first  settlers  came  in  1870.  They  were  John  Rhoades,  J.  K.  Belk, 
Ambrose  Oldaker,  B.  F.  Myers,  J.  H.  Johnson  and  J.  C.  Morrison. 
The  next  year  Thomas  Lane  and  Anthon}-  Robertson  came  with 
their  families.  They  were  followed  by  H.  H.  Granholz,  H.  Menshoff, 
L.  Binman,  I.  RideV,  J.  Eldridge,  Thomas  Decker,  James  H.  Decker, 
T.  J.-  Burrow,  H.  F.  Albright.  Charles  Stewart,  T.  J.  Tompkins,  W.  M. 
George  and  Fred  Wagner.  The  first  woman  settler  was  Mrs.  Mary 
Peebles,  who  located  in  Lincoln  township  in  the  fall  of  1870.  The  first 
marriage  was  between  Miss  R.  L.  Dunlap  and  T.  J.  Burrow,  in  Smith 
Center  township,  Oct.  16,  1872.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  a  son  of 
Christopher  Noggles,  Aug.  25,  187 1. 

A  grocery  store  was  established  in  Houston  township  in  the  spring  of 
1871  by  C.  "p.  Newell,  and  a  general  merchandise  store  was  started  about 
the  same  time  in  Germantown  by  Fred  Wagner,  who  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  that  place.  The  first  postoffice  was  at  Cedarville,  estab- 
lished in  July,  1871,  with  John  Johnson  as  postmaster.  The  first  school 
was  taught  at  Gaylord  by  Mrs.  W.  M.  Skinner  in  1871.  E.  M.  Burr,  the 
first  attorney,  located  in  Smith  Center  in  1872.  The  first  churches  were 
built  in  the 'middle  of  the  '70s.  The  first  newspaper  (the  Smith  County 
Pioneer)  was  started  at  Ga^lurd  in  Nov.,  1872,  by  Dr.  W.  D.  Jenkins. 
Sawmills  and  grist  mills  were  built  along  the  Solomon  at  Gaylord  and 
other  points  before  the  year  1880. 

The  countv  was  organized  in  1872,  with  a  population  of  3,876,  all 
gained  in  two  years.  Cedarville  (Cedar)  was  named  as  the  temporary 
county  seat  and  the  following  officers  were  appointed:  county  clerk, 
James  H.  Johnson;  commissioners,  George  Marshall  and  Fred  W.  Wag- 
ner. At  a  meeting  held  in  April  of  the  same  year  the  commissioners 
divided  the  county  into  six  townships.  Pawnee,  Higley,  German,  Cedar, 
Houston  and  Holland.  At  the  first  election  held  on  June  25,  1872,  the 
ballots  of  four  townships  were  thrown  out  for  illegalities,  and  only  154 
votes  were  counted.  The  county  seat  question  was  not  settled,  but  the 
following  officers  were  chosen :  county  clerk,  W.  R.  Allen ;  commis- 
sioners, W.  S.  Angell,  W.  D.  Covington  and  L.  R.  Hibbard.  The  fol- 
lowing were  appointed:  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Edmund 
Hall ;  register  of  deeds,  B.  Higley.  At  the  November  election  Smith 
Center  was  chosen  as  the  county  seat  and  a  new  set  of  officers  were 
elected.  T.  T-  Morrison  was  the  first  state  representative.  There  has 
never  been  a  licensed  saloon  in  Smith  county. 

Ten   vears  after  the    first  settler  came  into   the   county  there   was   a 


708  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

population  of  13,904.  Artificial  forests  had  been  planted ;  over  300,000 
acres  of  land  had  been  brought  under  cultivation ;  there  were  nearly 
40,000  head  of  live  stock,  and  about  90,000  fruit  trees. 

The  county  is  divided  into  23  townships,  viz :  Banner,  Beaver,  Blaine, 
Cedar,  Center,  Cora,  Crystal  Plains,  Dor,  Garfield,  German,  Harlan, 
Harvey,  Houston,  Lane,  Lincoln,  Logan,  Martin,  Oak,  Pawnee,  Pleas- 
ant, Swan,  Valley,  Washington,  Webster  and  White  Rock.  The  post- 
oiSces  are  Smith  Center,  Athol,  Bellaire,  Cedar,  Claudell,  Gaylord, 
Harlan,  Kensington,  Lebanon  and  Reamsville. 

Smith  county  has  two  railroads.  The  Central  Branch  of  the  Missouri 
Pacific  enters  in  the  southeastern  part  and  crosses  northwest  to  Gay- 
lord  ;  thence  west  into  Phillips  county.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  enters  in  the  east,  a  little  north  of  the  center,  and  crosses  west 
and  southwest  to  Smith  Center,  thence  west  into  Phillips  county. 

The  general  surface  is  prairie  with  bluffs  along  the  streams.  The 
timber  is  in  narrow  strips  and  most  of  the  varieties  of  wood  common 
to  Kansas  are  found  here.  Bottom  lands  average  one  mile  in  width 
and  comprise  15  per  cent,  of  the  total  area.  The  water  system  is  formed 
by  the  north  fork  of  the  Solomon  and  its  tributaries.  The  river  enters 
from  the  west  about  6  miles  north  of  the  southwest  corner,  flows  east 
about  10  miles,  thence  southeast  till  it  crosses  the  southern  border.  Its 
principal  tributaries  are  Dry,  Spring,  Beaver,  Cedar  and  Oak  creeks. 
Magnesian  limestona,  gray  granite  and  small  beds  of  gypsum  are  found 
in  different  parts  of  the  county. 

Smith  county  is  in  an  excellent  agricultural  section,  and  is  one  of 
the  leaders  in  the  acreage  of  alfalfa,  and  one  of  the  two  leading  in  swine. 
The  farm  produce  in  1910  sold  for  $5,829,000,  of  which  wheat  brought 
$1,100,000;  corn,  $2,238,000;  tame  grass,  $403,000;  animals  sold  for 
slaughter,  $1,420,000.  Poultry,  eggs,  butter  and  milk  are  important 
products.  The  population  of  the  county  according  to  the  census  of  1910 
was  15,365.    The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $28,324,385. 

Smoky  Hill,  a  hamlet  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of 
the  same  name,  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  15  miles  southwest  of  Hays, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  postofifice,  a  good  local  trade,  and  the  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  75. 

Smoky  Hill  River. — The  Indians  supposed  this  stream  to  be  the  Kan- 
sas river,  and  by  some  of  the  early  historians  it  was  so  considered. 
Probably  the  first  mention  of  it  was  by  the  explorer  Pike,  who  encoun- 
tered it  on  Sept.  4,  1806,  while  on  his  way  to  the  Pawnee  village,  and 
called  it  the  main  south  branch  of  the  Kansas  river.  The  name  prob- 
ably attaches  from  the  hills  near  Lindsborg  known  as  the  Smoky  Hills. 
A  map  in  Schoolcraft's  Archives  of  Aboriginal  Knowledge  names  the 
stream  Smoky  Hill  fork  or  Topeka  river.  The  Smoky  Hill  river  has 
two  main  branches,  both  of  which  rise  in  Colorado.  The  north  fork 
enters  Kansas  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Sherman  county,  flows  about 
25  miles  to  the  east,  thence  makes  a  turn  to  the  southeast,  cutting  across 


KANSAS   HISTORY 


709 


Ihe  extreme  northeast  corner  of  Wallace  into  Logan  county.  The  south 
fork  is  formed  by  two  branches  which  rise  in  Kit  Carson  and  Cheyenne 
counties,  Col.,  about  40  and  35  miles  respectively- from  the  Kansas  Ime 
This  branch  flows  in  a  general  easterly  direction,  enters  Kansas  about 
the  center  of  the  west  line  of  Wallace  county  and  flows  almost  due  east 
through  that  county  to  unite  with  the  north  branch  at  a  pomt  about 
6  miles  west  of  Russell  Springs.  The  course  of  the  main  stream  from 
this  point  is  almost  due  east  through  the  counties  of  Logan,  Gove, 
Trego  Ellis,  Russell  and  into  Ellsworth,  where  it  bears  to  the  southeast, 
making  a  turn  and  entering  the  northern  township  of  McPherson  county. 
The  river  here  makes  a  sharp  curve  to  the  north  and  enters  baline 
county,  flowing  as  far  north  as  the  town  of  Salina  and  deviating  slightly 
to  the  north  of  east,  passes  through  Dickinson  and  Geary  counties, 
uniting  with  the  Republican  to  form  the  Kansas  river. 

Pike  mentioned  that  the  river  was  navigable  in  times  of  flood,  but 
there  is  no  record  of  its  having  been  navigated  other  than  by  the  steam- 
boat Excel  for  one  trip  in  1854,  and  by  the  Gus  Linn  in  1859  the  latter 
taking  a  whole  dav  for  a  round  trip  between  Fort  Riley  and  Junction 
City.  The  estimated  length  of  the  river  is  about  400  miles  and  the  ter- 
ritory drained  is  approximately  20,000  square  miles.  In  1904  the  U.  b. 
weather  bureau  established  river  gauge  stations  on  the  stream  at  Abilene 

and  Lindsborg.  ,  .,  u 

Smoky  Hill  Trail.— The  Pike's  Peak  gold  excitement  and  the  subse- 
quent stampede  for  the  new  discoveries,  caused  the  opening  of  a  trail 
up  the  Smoky  Hill  valley  to  the  mountains,  known  as  the  central  or 
Smoky  Hill  route  to  the  gold  fields  of  western  Kansas.     Leavenworth 
was  one  of  the  foremost  outfitting  points  for  overland  travelers  and  was 
the  starting  point  of  several  roads  that  ran  towards  the  new  "diggings, 
one  of  which  ran  direct  to  Lawrence,  thence  west  to  Brownsville  thence 
following  the  divide  up  the  river  to  Salina.    Another  ran  through  Alex- 
andria   thence  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  passing  near  Oskaloosa  to 
Indianola,  thence  west  over  the  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Fort  Riley  mil- 
itary road  to  Junction  City,  thence  west  to  Salina  where  the  other  road 
joined  it     A  third,  after  leaving  Leavenworth,  bore  north  a  few  miles, 
curved  to  the  southwest,  passed  through  the  village  of  Ozawkie  and  in- 
tersected the  military  road  at  Indianola.     From  Salina  the  trail  ran  west 
up  the  Smoky  Hill  river  to  its  head,  thence  west  to  Sand  creek,  follow- 
ing that  stream  almost  to  its  headwaters,  thence  in  a  westerly  direction 
a  little  to  the  north,  crossing  Beaver,  Bijou,  Kiowa  and  several  smaller 
creeks  to  the  scene  of  the  new  gold  discoveries.    During  the  years  1858 
and  1859  there  was  a  continuous  throng  of  gold  seekers  passing  over 
this  road  to  the  mines.    Topeka  was  one  of  the  best  interior  points  for 
outfitting  and  in  one  week  in  1859  over  60  wagons  left  that  town  for 
Leavenworth  to  obtain  supplies  for  equipping  pilgrims.    The  mad  rush 
to  the  mountains  kept  up  for  some  time  after  the  boom  collapsed.    The 
Central  or  Smoky  Hill  trail  was  surveyed  in  1858  and  the  route  was 
followed  very  closelv  by  the  Butterfield  Overland  Despatch. 


JIO  (  VCI.OI'EIJIA    Ol" 

Smolan,  a  lliri\iiig  village  of  Saline  county,  is  located  in  Smolan 
township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  lo  miles  southwest  of  Salina, 
the  county  seat.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money 
order  ])ostoffice  with  two  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  175. 

Smyth,  Bernard  B.,  the  curator  of  the  Kansas  State  Museum  and  Goss 
ornithological  ctiUection,  was  born  in  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  March 
8,  1843.  When  ten  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating 
first  at  Howell.  Mich.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in 
the  Twenty-third  Illinois  infantry,  which  became  a  part  of  "Mullin's 
Irish  Brigade."  He  was  captured  by  Price's  army  at  Lexington,  Mo., 
in  Sept.,  1861,  but  was  paroled,  sent  to  St.  Louis  and  discharged  in 
October,  but  the  discharge  was  declared  void  and  he  returned  to  duty. 
Instead  of  returning  to  his  old  regiment,  he  enlisted  in  the  Ninth  Michi- 
gan infantr}-.  In  Nov.,  1862,  he  was  transferred  to  the  First  United 
States  cavalry  and  served  with  that  regiment  until  discharged  in  Nov., 
1865.  He  was  in  many  of  the  fiercest  battles  in  Virginia,  including  the 
Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  and  Cold  Harbor;  was  wounded  at  Winches- 
ter, Sept.  19,  1864,  but  recovered  in  time  to  be  present  at  Lee's  sttrrender 
at  Appomattox.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Howell,  Mich., 
where  he  finished  an  apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade  and  taught 
school.  In  1870  he  graduated  at  the  Michigan  state  normal  school 
at  Ypsilanti,  then  taught  until  1874,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  set- 
tled in  Barton  county.  Here  he  followed  teaching  and  farming  tmtil 
1880,  when  he  removed  to  Topeka.  In  1888  he  was  appointed  librarian 
of  the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science,  and  later  curator  of  the  Goss 
ornithological  collection.  Four  years  later  he  was  appointed  curator  of 
the  Kansas  State  Museuin.     These  positions  he  still  holds. 

Snokomo,  a  hamlet  in  Wabaunsee  coimty,  is  located  10  miles  east 
of  Alma,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  north  of  Eskridge.  the  town  from 
which  it  receives  mail.  Vera,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific, 
6  miles  to  the  north,  is  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Snow,  Francis  Huntington,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  B.  (Boutelle) 
Snow,  was  born  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  June  29,  1840.  One  of  his  paternal 
ancestors,  Richard  Warren,  was  a  member  of  the  Mayflower  company. 
Mr.  Snow  attended  the  Fitchburg  high  school  in  preparation  for  Wil- 
liams College,  where  he  graduated  in  1862,  standing  first  in  his  class. 
After  teaching  one  year  as  principal  of  the  Fitchburg  high  school  he  en- 
tered the  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  completing  its  course  of  study 
in  1866.  This  same  year  he  received  his  master's  degree  from  Williams. 
After  leaving  Andover  Seminary  he  preached  for  a  while,  although  not 
regularly  installed  as  pastor.  "He  served  two  seasons  with  the  Christian 
commission  at  the  front  of  the  Union  army,  being  present  at  Lee's 
surrender."  In  1866  he  was  elected  to  the  first  faculty  of  the  University 
of  Kansas  as  professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  sciences.  During 
the  first  year  he  spent  in  Lawrence  he  preached  almost  every  Sunday 
in  nearby  pulpits.  He  was  married  on  June  8,  1868,  to  Jane  Appleton 
Aiken.     In   1870  Mr.  Snow  became  professor  of  natural  history  in  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  711 

University  of  Kansas,  and  during  the  next  decade  he  organized  the 
collecting  expeditions  which  have  resulted  in  the  natural  history  mu- 
seum at  the  universit3^  In  the  entomological  collection  there  are  more 
than  200  species  of  insects  discovered  by  him.  He  started  the  first 
scientific  publication  of  the  university,  "The  Observer  of  Nature."  For 
some  years  he  was  editor  of  the  scientific  journal  "Psyche."  He  made 
frequent  contributions  to  the  university  bulletins  and  reports  and  to  the 
Kansas  Academy  of  Sciences,  of  which  he  was  a  founder  and  president. 
Throughout  his  connection  with  the  university  he  made  and  published 
systematic  meteorological  reports.  In  1881  Mr.  Snow  received  the  de- 
gree of  Ph.  D.  from  Williams  College,  and  in  1890  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 
from  Princeton.  In  1886  the  legislature  appropriated  $50,000  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  building  which  was  named  Snow  Hall  of  Natural  His- 
tory in  his  honor.  In  1890  the  university  received  a  bequest  from  Dr. 
Snow's  luicle,  William  B.  Spooner,  with  which  Spooner  library  and  the 
chancellor's  residence  were  erected.  Dr.  Snow  was  a  member  of  the 
College  fraternity  Delta  Upsilon,  and  of  the  honorary  societies  Sigma 
Xi  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  Aside  from  his  work  as  instructor  and  execu- 
tive of  the  university  he  became  prominent  through  the  discovery  of  a 
fungus  fatal  to  chinch  bugs  and  its  propagation  and  distribution.  He 
died  at  Delafield,  Wis.,  Sept.  21,  1908,  and  is  survived  by  his  wife  and 
four  of  his  five  children. 

Social  Science  Federation. — (See  Women's  Clubs.) 

Society  for  the  Friendless,  an  organization  for  the  care  of  discharged 
prisoners  and  for  the  moral  and  religious  education  of  prisoners  within 
penitentiaries,  was  first  organized  in  Kansas  in  1901  by  Rev.  E.  A. 
Fredenhagen  and  Mrs.  Fredenhagen,  with  headquarters  at  Topeka. 
Through  the  untiring  efl^orts  of  its  founders  the  society  soon  spread  to 
adjoining  states,  including  Oklahoma,  Nebraska,  Missouri,  Idaho  and 
Washington,  and  subsequently  became  national  in  its  scope.  In  1908 
the  central  ofiice  was  moved  from  Topeka  to  Kansas  City.  In  Jan.,  1910, 
the  first  national  convention  was  held  at  Kansas  City.  While  the  so- 
ciety is  interested  in  many  phases  of  philanthropic  service  and  in  reform 
legislation,  its  chief  work  is  the  care  of  prisoners  who  leave  the  peni- 
tentiaries and  are  placed  in  positions  of  self-support,  the  relief  of  fami- 
lies of  those  serving  sentences,  and  in  the  formation  of  leagues  within 
prisons  for  the  promotion  of  Christian  life  among  the  prisoners.  The 
territory  is  divided  into  districts,  each  with  a  district  superintendent. 
A  temporary  home  for  men  was  established  at  Topeka,  but  was  moved 
to  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  in  which  men  are  cared  for  until  the  employment 
department  finds  positions  for  them.  Many  of  the  prominent  states- 
men and  philanthropists  of  the  country  are  connected  with  the  society 
as  directors  and  supporters  of  the  movement. 

Soldier,  a  village  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  on  the  Union  Pacific 
R.  R.  in  Soldier  township,  12  miles  northwest  of  Holton,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  all  the  main  lines  of  business  represented,  banking  facili- 
ties, a  newspaper  (the  Clipper),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  in- 


712  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

ternational  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  In  1910  the 
population  was  500.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  1877  by  Paul  Havens, 
president  of  the  Kansas  Central  Town  company.  The  original  survey 
contained  16  acres.  Three  additions  by  Logan  &  Friend  laid  out  in 
1895,  1897  and  1900  respectively  comprise  the  north  part  of  town.  The 
residence  section  has  recently  been  enlarged  by  Johnson's  addition.  The 
first  settler  on  the  town  site  was  F.  M.  Wilson  in  July,  1877.  The  post- 
office  was  moved  from  the  ranch  of  William  Cline,  the  name  changed 
from  Smithland  to  Soldier,  and  Mr.  Wilson  was  the  first  postmaster. 
L.  H.  Thompson  was  the  first  station  agent.  On  July  10,  1883,  a  cy- 
clone struck  soldier  about  10  p.  m.,  instantly  laying  waste  the  whole 
town  east  of  Main  street.  Some  sixteen  or  eighteen  buildings  were 
destroyed  and  four  lives  lost.  The  people  began  to  rebuild  immediately. 
The  town  was  incorporated  in  1896  and  an  election  held  on  May  4  of 
that  year.  The  first  officials  were :  J.  T.  Holston,  mayor ;  J.  W.  Flem- 
ing, police  judge;  F.  M.  Denny,  C.  E.  Friend,  George  Smith,  Dr.  S.  S. 
Reed  and  A.  L.  Fryberger,  councilmen,  and  F.  M.  Wilson,  clerk. 

Soldiers'  Home,  National. — By  act  of  Congress  approved  March  3, 
1865,  the  National  Military  and  Naval  Asylum  for  the  relief  of  the  to- 
tally disabled  officers  and  men  of  the  volunteer  forces  of  the  United 
States  was  incorporated.  This  institution  was  established  at  Dayton, 
Ohio,  and  only  those  who  had  suffered  from  wounds  or  injuries  re- 
ceived in  the  line  of  duty  while  in  the  United  States  service  were  eligible 
for  admission.  Branches  of  the  national  home  have  since  been  built  at 
the  following  places:  Eastern  branch,  Togus,  Me.;  southern  branch, 
Elizabeth  City  county,  Va. ;  northwestern  branch,  Milwaukee,  Wis. ; 
Marion  branch,  Marion,  Ind.;  western  branch,  Leavenworth,  Kan.;  Dan- 
ville branch,  Danville,  111. ;  Pacific  branch,  Santa  Monica,  Cal. ;  Mountain 
branch,  Johnson  City,  Tenn. ;  and  Battle  Mountain  sanitarium,  Hot 
Springs,  S.  Dak. 

The  first  move  in  Kansas  to  secure  a  branch  of  the  home  originated 
with  the  Fort  Scott  G.  A.  R.  post.  The  next  move  was  in  Leavenworth 
by  S.  F.  Neeley,  ex-Gov.  George  T.  Anthony,  Gen.  Charles  W.  Blair  and 
Hon.  Alexander  Caldwell.  A  citizens'  meeting  was  called  and  a  com- 
mittee appointed  consisting  of  J.  B.  Johnson,  Maj.  W.  B.  Shockley, 
Thomas  Ryan,  Charles  W.  Blair,  George  T.  Anthony  and  S.  F.  Neeley. 
These  gentlemen,  together  with  the  committees  from  the  other  states 
interested  in  securing  the  branch  of  the  home,  met  and  conferred  with 
the  Congressional  representation  at  the  various  places  viewed  and  ex- 
amined. Five  states  were  actively  interested  in  securing  the  prize  and 
at  times  the  contest  was  spirited.  The  Iowa  legislature,  then  in  session, 
passed  an  act  appropriating  $50,000  to  secure  the  home,  while  the  Kan- 
sas delegation  oflfered  $50,000  and  a  section  of  land.  After  careful  de- 
liberation the  present  site  overlooking  the  Missouri  river  and  the 
surrounding  country  was  chosen.  The  Leavenworth  branch  was  es- 
tablished under  act  of  Congress  approved  March  7,  1877.  The  build- 
ings, some   16  or  more,  are,  for  the  most  part,   substantially   built   of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  713 

brick  and  stone  and  cost  something  over  $500,000.  They  will  accom- 
modate about  3,000  inmates  when  filled  to  their  utmost  capacity,  and 
there  is  generally  close  to  that  number  in  the  home. 

Some  complaint  reached  Congress  regarding  the  manner  in  which 
the  home  was  being  conducted,  and  a  committee  composed  of  Con- 
gressmen William  W.  Grout,  Charles  W.  Stone,  Vespasian  Warner 
and  F.  C.  Layton,  met  in  Leavenworth  on  Nov.  19,  1896,  to  investigate 
and  report  the  plan,  practical  workings  and  management  of 
the  home.  Nearly  200  witnesses  were  examined  and  the  testimony, 
together  with  the  recommendations  of  the  committee,  was  printed  and 
laid  before  Congress,  making  a  volume  of  1,118  pages.  The  committee 
recommended  the  removal  of  Gov.  Smith,  then  in  charge  of  the  home, 
as  the  easiest  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  The  first  disabled  soldier  was 
admitted  to  the  home  on  Sept.  i,  1885,  while  in  1901  there  was  pro- 
vision made  for  2,740  veterans.  In  the  latter  '90s  and  1900,  a  portion 
of  the  main-traveled  road  leading  to  the  home  was  infested  with  a  num- 
ber of  low  "groggeries,"  in  which  many  of  the  old  soldiers  spent  money- 
received  on  pension  days.  After  several  murders  had  been  committed 
and  numerous  assaults  made  upon  veterans,  the  place  was  suppressed. 

Soldiers'  Home,  State.-^One  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  differ- 
ent state  governments  has  been  the  establishment  of  homes  for  the  sol- 
diers who  loyally  defended  the  L'nion  during  the  war,  and  who  in  their 
old  age,  or  because  of  injuries  received  in  defense  of  their  country,  might 
need  care  and  support.  Early  in  the  '80s  the  representatives  and  sena- 
tors from  Kansas  were  urged  to  work  for  the  passage  of  an  act  donating 
to  the  state  the  Fort  Hays  or  Fort  Dodge  military  reservation  as  a  site 
for  a  suitable  home  for  "the  indigent  ex-Union  soldiers,  sailors  and 
marines  of  Kansas." 

On  Aug.  27,  1888,  Congress  passed  an  act  giving  to  the  State  of  Kan- 
sas the  Fort  Dodge  reservation,  and  the  legislature  of  the  following 
year  passed  an  act  creating  and  providing  for  the  management  of  the 
State  Soldiers'  Home,  the  act  to  take  effect  as  soon  as  the  general 
government  turned  over  the  reservation  to  the  state  authorities.  Within 
a  short  time  this  was  done  and  the  home  was  opened  on  Jan.  1,  1890. 

The  act  establishing  the  home  provided  for  a  board  of  three  managers, 
who  were  to  be  appointed  by  the  governor  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  state  senate.  The  members  of  the  first  board  were  to  hold  office 
for  one,  two  and  three  years  respectively,  and  thereafter  one  member 
was  to  be  appointed  each  year.  The  first  appropriation  was  for  $5,000, 
with  which  sum  a  number  of  the  old  fort  buildings  were  repaired.  Then 
a  few  old  soldiers  and  their  families  were  admitted,  and  the  home  be- 
came a  well  recognized  state  institution  where  indigent  soldiers  and 
their  families  could  find  refuge  in  their  declining  years.  All  honorably 
discharged  soldiers,  sailors  and  marines  disabled  by  disease,  wounds  or 
old  age,  or  otherwise  rendered  incapable  of  earning  their  support,  or 
who  would  otherwise  be  dependent  upon  public  or  private  charity,-  are 
eligible  for  admission  to  the  home.     The  board  of  managers  set  apart 


714  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

land  fur  farniiiij;  purposes,  tu  be  cultivaled  by  llie  inmates,  and  in  some 
cases  a  man  with  a  family  might  have  two  and  a  half  acres  for  his  use 
and  a  cottage  bnilt  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  $250.  Another  appropriation 
was  made  in  1890,  which  enabled  the  board  of  directors  to  erect  new 
buildings.  The  county  commissioners  of  Ford  county  gave  the  home 
$5,000  to  purchase  land  adjoining  the  home  and  to  provide  irrigation. 
The  grounds   were   carefully   laid   out  and  beautified. 

The  home  resembles  a  village  with  a  population  of  several  hundred. 
A  large  school  building  occupies  one  corner  of  the  grounds,  and  a  good 
dispensary  and  hospital  with  a  resident  physician  provides  for  the  sick. 
The  commissary  department  occupies  a  large  stone  building,  which  is 
divided  into  a  store  room,  postoiifice  and  quartermaster's  room.  All  the 
supplies  necessary  for  a  village  community  are  kept  and  it  is  an  interest- 
ing sight  to  see  the  members  of  the  home  come  to  get  their  supplies 
€very  Saturday  morning. 

The  main  buildings  are  located  around  tlie  central  square.  The  com- 
mandant's home,  a  handsome  stone  residence,  fronts  the  river.  The 
homes  of  the  old  soldiers  are  neat  cottages,  of  three  or  four  rooms  each, 
and  prove  an  entireh'  new  departure  in  the  idea  of  a  benevolent  insti- 
tution. In  1893  3.n  act  was  passed  providing  that  all  officers  at  the  home, 
with  the  exception  of  the  quartermaster,  must  be  honorably  discharged 
ex- Union  soldiers,  sailors  or  marines.  It  also  provided  that  thereafter 
no  soldier's  wife  should  be  admitted  unless  she  was  40  years  of  age,  and 
had  been  married  previous  to  1892,  unless  the  soldier  was  a  confirmed 
invalid  and  needed  constant  care. 

From  year  to  year  as  the  number  of  soldiers  at  the  home  has  increased, 
more  buildings  have  been  added  and  the  appropriations  increased.  In 
1939  the  appropriations  for  support  of  the  home  aggregated  over 
.$100,000. 

In  1897  the  13th  department  convention  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps 
accepted  from  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  the  gift  of  the  conven- 
tion grounds  and  buildings  located  near  Ellsworth,  Kan.,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  home  and  hospital.  The  corps,  by  the  sale  of  the 
Bickerdyke  book,  had  accumulated  a  fund  and  determined  to  call  the 
institution  the  Mother  Bickerdyke  Home,  in  honor  of  Mary  A.  Bicker- 
dyke.  The  state  legislature  appropriated  $4,837  for  the  home.  A  board 
of  five  managers  was  chosen,  to  serve  five,  four,  three,  two  and  one  year 
respectively  and  thereafter  one  member  was  to  be  elected  each  year. 

The  first  board  of  managers  met  at  Ellsworth  on  May  5,  1897.  The 
buildings,  containing  15  rooms,  were  remodeled  to  make  them  suitable 
for  use  as  a  modern  hospital,  and  in  addition  there  were  15  three-room 
cottages.  For  the  partial  support  of  the  home  each  member  of  the  relief 
corps  was  asked  to  contribute  20  cents  a  year,  which  would  net  $1,200 
for  the  home.  In  1901  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps  turned  over  the  property  and  buildings  of  the  home  to  the 
state  as  an  annex  to  the  State  Soldiers'  Home,  and  in  1907  an  act  was 
passed  providing  that  any  widow,  mother  or  minor  child  of  anv  honor- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  715 

ably  discharged  soldier,  sailor  or  marine  ul  the  I'liited  States  army  or 
navy,  should  be  admitted  to  the  home,  provided  such  person  had  no  ade- 
quate means  of  support  and  was  incapable  of  earning  her  own  living. 
Soldiers'  Monuments. —  (See  Monuments.) 
Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home. — (See  State  Orphans'  Home.) 
Solomon,  an  incorporated  cit_v  of  the  third  class  in  Dickinson  county, 
is  located  at  the  confluence  of  the  Solomon  and  Smoky  liili  rivers  near 
the  west  line  of  the  county,  at  the  junction  of  the  Union  Pacific,  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
railroads,  9  miles  west  of  Abilene,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a 
flour  mill,  grain  elevators,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Tribune),  good 
hotels,  public  schools  and  churches,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and 
an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  It  is 
surrounded  by  an  excellent  farming  and  grazing  country,  grain,  produce 
and  live  stock  being  shipped  from  this  point  in  large  (|uantities.  The 
population  in  1910  was  949. 

The  town  was  founded  under  the  name  of  Solomon  City  in  1865,  by 
a  town  company  on  land  belonging  to  H.  Whitney,  a  member  of  the 
■company.  The  site  contained  234  acres,  part  of  it  lying  in  Saline  county. 
However,  only  that  lying  in  Dickinson  was  included  in  the  town  plat. 
Its  early  growth  was  slow.  The  first  store  was  not  opened  until  1867, 
and  the  first  hotel  was  built  in  186S.  The  Union  Pacific  reached  Solo- 
mon in  the  latter  year  and  decided  the  location  of  the  town.  In  1871 
there  had  been  sufficient  growth  to  warrant  an  addition.  The  town 
was  incorporated  that  year  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  and  G.  B.  Hall 
was  the  first  mayor.  The  first  grist  mill  was  biiilt  in  1872  and  the  first 
bank  established  in  1876.  The  manufacture  of  salt  was  engaged  in 
quite  extensively  in  the  '80s. 

Solomon  Rapids,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Mitchell 
county,  is  located  on  the  Solomon  river,  in  Turkey  Creek  township,  5 
miles  west  of  Beloit,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice, 
and  the  population  in  1910  was  50.  This  point  was  settled  early  in  the 
history  of  the  county  and  was  at  one  time  a  tovi'n  of  considerable  im- 
portance. 

Solomon  River,  once  also  known  as  the  NepahoUa  river,  is  formed  by 
its  two  branches — the  north  and  south — both  of  which  rise  in  Thomas 
county,  Kan.,  within  10  miles  of  each  other,  and  for  the  first  10  miles 
flow  almost  parallel  to  each  other  at  a  distance  of  not  over  4  or  5  miles. 
The  north  branch  flows  in  a  northeasterly  direction  through  the  county 
of  Thomas,  the  northwest  corner  of  Sheridan,  the  extreme  southeast 
corner  of  Decatur,  the  southern  portion  of  Norton  and  Phillips,  the 
southwest  corner  of  Smith  and  the  northeast  corner  of  Osborne  and 
into  Mitchell.  The  south  fork  flows  almost  due  east  through  the  coun- 
ties of  Thomas,  Sheridan,  Graham,  Rooks  and  Osborne  and  unites  with 
the  other  branch  about  2  miles  east  of  the  west  line  of  Mitchell  county. 
The  main  stream  then  makes  a  bend  to  the  southeast  across  Mitchell, 
the  southwest  part  of  Cloud,  across  Ottawa  and  the  extreme  northeast 


7l6  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

corner  of  Saline,  where  it  unites  with  the  Smoky  Hill  river  near  the 
town  of  Solomon.  Including  its  branches  the  Solomon  is  about  300 
miles  long,  has  a  number  of  small  affluents  and  waters  one  of  the  pret- 
tiest sections  of  the  state,  approximately  6,000  square  miles  in  extent. 
The  legislature  of  1864  declared  the  river  unnavigable,  although  there 
is  no  history  of  its  ever  having  been  considered  so.  The  U.  S.  weather 
bureau  established  a  gauge  station  at  Beloit  in  the  year  1904,  at  which 
measurements  of  the  stream  have  since  been  made.  Mrs.  Margaret  Hill 
McCarter,  in  191 1,  issued  a  little  volume  entitled,  "The  Peace  of  the 
Solomon  Valley,"  which  describes  early  day  conditions  along  that 
stream. 

Somerset,  a  village  of  Miami  county,  is  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas  R.  R.,  8  miles  northeast  of  Paola,  the  county  seat.  It  was  laid 
out  in  1871  by  an  incorporated  town  company  of  people  from  New  Jer- 
sey. The  first  store  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  the  year  and  a  grist  and 
sawmill  was  started  by  the  company  about  the  same  time.  A  postoffice 
was  established  and  the  town  flourished  for  some  years,  but  was  over- 
shadowed by  Paola  and  Louisburg.  It  has  several  general  stores,  a 
blacksmith  shop,  church  and  school  houses,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  rich 
agricultural  community,  but  had  a  population  of  only  60  in   1910. 

Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  perhaps  the  best  known  of  Amer- 
ican patriotic  societies,  has  for  its  object  the  preservation  of  the  memory 
and  spirit  of  the  men  who  achieved  independence  by  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  the  encouragement  in  historical  research  relating  to  that 
historic  conflict,  the  preservation  of  documents,  records  and  relics,  and 
to  foster  a  spirit  of  patriotism.  Any  person  descended  from  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  sailor,  marine  officer,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, or  member  of  a  Colonial  Congress  or  legislature,  is  eligible 
to  membership. 

The  official  organ  of-  the  society  for  1902  states  that  the  pioneer  society 
of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  was  organized  on  Occ.  22,  1875, 
in  California,  where  it  was  known  as  the  "Society  of  the  Sons  of  Revo- 
lutionary Sires."  Under  its  present  name  it  was  perfected  on  July 
4,  1876. 

The  national  society  was  organized  in  New  York,  April  30,  1889,  the 
looth  anniversary  of  the  inauguration  of  George  Washington  as  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  in  the  room  in  Fraunce's  Tavern  where  he 
delivered  his  farewell  address  to  the  officers  of  the  Revolutionary  army. 

The  Kansas  branch  of  this  society  was  organized  at  Topeka  on  March 
31,  1892,  with  Avery  Washburn,  president;  Dr.  J.  L.  Furber,  vice- 
president  ;  Franklin  G.  Adams,  secretary ;  George  D.  Hale,  treasurer, 
and  T.  E.  Bowman,  registrar. 

A  similar  order — the  Sons  of  the  Revolution — was  organized  in  New 
York  in  1875  by  John  A.  Stevens  and  others.  The  practical  work  of  this 
society  consists  in  collecting  and  preserving  manuscripts,  records  and 
documents  relating  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  first  Kansas  chapter 
of  this  society  was  organized  in  1897.     Its  members  are  men  who  trace 


KANSAS    HISTORY  1^1 

their  ancestry  back  to  those  who  served  their  country  during  the  war 
of  the  Revolution. 

Sorghum. — The  many  varieties  of  sorghum  may  be  classed  under 
three  general  heads — saccharine  sorghums,  non-saccharine  sorghums 
and  broom-corns.  The  first  group  covers  all  those  varieties  which  con- 
tain sufficient  sugar  to  make  their  culture  profitable  to  the  sugar  manu- 
facturer. The  second  group  covers  all  varieties  that  contain  very  little 
or  no  sugar.  Sorghum  is  a  cereal,  cane-like  grass,  more  slender  than 
Indian  corn,  without  ears  and  of  glaucous  color.  The  stalks  have  a  hard, 
smooth  shell  with  a  juicy  pulpy  interior.  There  are  many  varieties  of 
it  grown  throughout  the  warmer  parts  of  the  world,  especially  in  Asia 
and  Africa.  It  is  used  as  a  forage  or  grain  product,  or  for  making  mo- 
lasses or  sirup.  The  chief  grain  yielding  sorghums  are  Kafir  corn, 
durra,  milo  maize,  Egyptian  rice  corn  and  Jerusalem  corn. 

As  cultivated  in  the  early  '50s,  sorghum  became  a  staple  crop  in 
Kansas  on  account  of  its  drought  resisting  properties.  The  roots  pene- 
trate deep  into  the  ground  where  the  soil  is  of  uniform  moisture,  the 
stalks  grow  close  together  on  the  land,  the  hard,  close  exterior  of  the 
canes  and  blades  prevent  rapid  evaporation  of  the  sap,  which  is  so 
abundantly  contained  in  the  pulpy  center.  This  combination  of  char- 
acteristics enables  sorghum  to  withstand  more  drought  than  almost  any 
of  the  other  crops  grown,  and  a  total  failure  of  the  sorghum  crop  in  Kan- 
sas is  a  rare  occurrence  even  in  very  dry  seasons.  As  compared  with 
corn,  wheat,  etc.,  sorghum  takes  very  little  strength  from  and  contains 
very  little  of  the  ingredients  of  the  soil,  yet  the  properties  of  the  soil 
efifect  the  quality  of  the  sofghum.  Mr.  Cowgill,  sorghum  commissioner 
for  the  board  of  agriculture  in  1884,  says :  "As  a  rule  rather  light  sandy 
soil,  pervaded  with  the  compounds  of  phosphorous  such  as  are  derived 
from  the  decay  of  bones,  for  example,  give  the  quickest  growth,  the 
sweetest,  purest  juice,  for  making  sugar." 

In  Kansas  sorghum  is  used  for  stock  feeding  and  for  making  sugar 
and  sirup.  In  the  first  years  of  cultivation  only  the  saccharine  variety 
was  raised,  so  the  term  sorghum  by  years  of  usage  is  used  to  designate 
only  the  sugar-bearing  variety,  the  non-saccharine  varieties  being  called 
by  specific  names.  While  both  kinds  are  used  for  stock  foods,  the  non- 
saccharine  species  have  achieved  the  more  prominent  distinction  in  that 
field.  They  may  be  divided  into  two  groups — Kafir  corn  and  the  durras. 
Kafir  corn  was  first  recognized  in  a  statistical  way  by  the  board  of  agri- 
culture in  1893,  the  area  cultivated  in  that  year  being  46,911  acres.  The 
whole  sorghum  area  in  1872  was  4,249  acres.  Kafir  corn  is  sometimes 
known  as  African  millet,  the  name  being  taken  from  a  native  tribe  of 
South  Africa.  This  corn  has  habits  of  growth  and  development  similar 
to  those  of  the  common  sweet  sorghum.  It  is  characterized  by  its  long, 
erect,  slender  heads,  compact  and  full  of  obovate  seeds  either  red  or 
white  in  color.  It  will  grow  very  nearly  within  the  same  climatic  con- 
ditions as  Indian  corn,  but  requires  a  slightly  warmer  climate  for  its 
best  development.     Kafir  corn  in  Kansas  is  excelled  in  importance  only 


7l8  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

by  corn,  wheat  and  alfalfa.    As  a  stock  food  it  is  used  whole,  in  meal  or 
in  combination  with  milk,  alfalfa  or  soybeans. 

The  durras,  viz :  Milo  maize,  Jerusalem  corn  and  rice  corn,  are  char- 
acterized by  their  thick,  compact,  ovate  heads,  which  frequently  turn 
down,  and  their  large  flattened  seeds.  They  were  introduced  into  Kan- 
sas about  the  same  time  as  Kafir  corn.  In  growing,  harvesting  and  feed- 
ing they  require  practically  the  same  methods.  Saccharine  sorghum 
makes  good  forage  and  is  widely  used  throughout  the  state.  In  1890 
there  were  216,714  acres  planted  to  sorghum,  and  from  56,393  acres 
were  manufactured  3,431,100  gallons  of  sirup  with  a  valuation  of  $1,461,- 
125.  The  same  year  160,321  acres  were  used  for  forage,  having  a  valu- 
ation of  $894,729.  The  statistics  of  sorghum  for  1910  are  as  follows: 
Sorghum  for  sirup  or  sugar,  12,879  acres,  1,136,784  gallons,  value, 
$511,072.32;  sorghum  for  forage  or  grain,  512,621  acres,  value,  $4,167,- 
947;  Kafir  corn,  619,808  acres,  1,799-534  tons,  value,  $8,011,283;  milo 
maize,  100,700  acres,  202,073  tons,  value,  $1,033,239;  Jerusalem  corn, 
6,918  acres,  17,843  tons,  value,  $83,975;  Btoom-corn,  111,308  acres, 
39,561,123  pounds,  value,  $1,604,603. 

South  Cedar,  a  hamlet  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  in  Cedar  township, 
about  10  miles  southeast  of  Holton,  the  county  seat.  It  receives  mail  by 
rural  route  from  Denison. 

South  Haven,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Sumner  county,  is 
located  in  South  Haven  township,  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Kansas  Southwestern  railroads,  14  miles 
south  of  Wellington,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  milling  company,  a  bank, 
numerous  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an 
international  money. order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  town 
was  founded  in  1872,  and  the  postoffice  established  that  year.  The  first 
postmaster  and  also  the  first  store-keeper  was  F.  F.  Meister.  The  rail- 
road reached  South  Haven  in  1879  and  the  town  company  was  formed 
that  year. 

South  Hutchinson  is  that  portion  of  the  city  of  Hutchinson  lying  south 
of  the  Arkansas  river.  The  population  in  1910  was  387.  (See  Hutch- 
inson.) 

South  Mound,  a  hamlet  of  Neosho  county,  is  located  in  Lincoln  town- 
ship on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R..  1 1  miles  south  of  Erie,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  ofiices  and  a  money  order  post- 
office,  which  was  established  in  the  '70s  with  Y.  T.  Lacy  as  the  first 
postmaster.    The  population  of  the  town  in  19 10  was  62. 

Southwestern  College,  located  at  Winfield,  was  founded  in  1885.  At 
the  third  session  of  the  Southwest  Kansas  conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  held  at  Eldorado,  Kan.,  in  March,  1885,  the  commit- 
tee on  education  made  the  following  report :  "We  believe  the  time  has 
fully  come  when  an  institution  of  learning  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  should  be  established  within  the  bounds  of 
the  southwest  conference."  As  a  result  of  this  report,  6  members  of  the 
conference  and  3  la}men  were  nominated  as  a  board  of  trustees,  and  a 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


7'9 


committee  of  7  was  appointed  to  select  a  suitable  location.  The  trustees 
appointed  were  Thomas  Andos,  C.  A.  King,  B.  C,  Swartz,  B.  Kelly,  M.  L. 
Gates,  J.  D.  Botkin,  A.  L.  Redden,  D.  J.  Chatfield  and  V.  C.  Cartwright, 
and  the  locating  committee  was  composed  of  N.  S.  Buckner,  N.  Ascher, 
W.  H.  Cline,  T.  C.  Miller,  A.  P.  George,  D.  D.  Atkin  and  H.  Waitt.  The 
city  of  Winfield  offered  to  give  20  acres  of  land  in  the  college  hill  addi- 
tion ;  20  acres  in  Highland  park;  donations  of  stone,  lumber  and  other 
materials  for  the  buildings ;  $20,000  in  cash,  and  $20,000  to  be  paid  in  ten 


SOUTHWESTERN   COLLEGE,  WINFIELD. 


annual  installments  of  $2,000  each.  This  offer  was  accepted  and  the 
board  of  trustees  began  a  four-story  building  to  contain  assembly  room, 
library,  class  rooms  and  laboratory.  On  May  11,  1886,  John  E.  Harp 
was  elected  president  and  served  until  1889.  He  was  followed  by  Prof. 
J.  A.  \\'ood  as  acting  president.  The  college  building  was  not  ready  for 
occupancy  in  Sept.,  i88'>,  and  a  rented  building  was  used  until  the  follow- 
ing spring. 

In  1889  the  number  of  trustees  was  increased  to  15,  and  in  1901,  the 
charter  of  the  college  was  changed  so  that  the  board  of  trustees  was 
made  to  consist  of  21  members  with  the  privilege  of  increasing  it  to  25, 
of  whom  6  were  to  be  elected  from  the  Oklahoma  conference.  The  trus- 
tees also  invited  the  alumni  association  to  nominate  3  persons  from  its 
number  each  year,  one  for  each  class  of  trustees.  In  1902,  in  conformity 
with  the  new  charter,  the  board  of  trustees  was  increased  to  21. 

The  first  name  of  the  college  was  the  Southwestern  Kansas  Confer- 
ence College,  which  was  changed  on  Nov.  5,  1908,  to  Southwestern  Col- 
lege.    The  college  now  has  an  endowment  fund  of  $100,000,  of  which 


720  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

$26,000  was  provided  by  the  citizens  of  Winfield.  An  athletic  park  was 
purchased  in  1905  and  opened  in  the  fall  of  that  year;  a  temporary  gym- 
nasium was  built  in  1908;  Richardson  Hall,  a  fine  building  costing  $70,- 
000,  was  completed  in  1910;  the  institution  is  well  supplied  with  all  equip- 
ment for  laboratory  work ;  has  a  fine  museum,  with  collections  illustrat- 
ing natural  history,  industrial  arts,  archaeology,  ethnology.  There  are 
also  fine  zoological  specimens  and  a  well  equipped  library. 

The  college  provides  a  four-year  college  course,  a  four-year  academic 
course ;  an  academic  normal  course,  a  school  of  oratory,  a  school  of  art, 
school  of  business,  and  a  conservatory  of  music.  One  of  the  strongest 
departments  is  that  of  biblical  theology,  especially  designed  for  young 
men  fitting  themselves  for  the  ministry.  In  1910  Frank  E.  Mossman 
was  president  and  George  E.  Platts,  dean.  They  were  ably  assisted  by 
a  faculty  of  22  members,  and  the  enrollment  was  over  700. 

Spangler,  William  Cornelius,  was  born  on  Aug.  7,  1859,  on  a  farm  near 
the  village  of  Peotone,  Will  county.  111.  In  1870  his  father  moved  to 
Crawford  county,  Kan.  He  received  his  early  education  at  Osage  Mis- 
sion, Kan.,  and  taught  in  the  rural  schools  in  that  district  before  enter- 
ing the  University  of  Kansas  in  1879.  He  received  the  degree  of  Bach- 
elor of  Science  from  that  institution  in  1883,  and  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws  in  1885.  Soon  after  entering  the  university  he  became  secretary 
to  the  chancellor,  clerk  and  bookkeeper  of  the  university,  which  position 
he  held  during  his  entire  university  course.  In  1885  he  entered  the 
practice  of  law,  being  associated  with  James  W.  Green.  On  Sept.  2,  1885, 
he  married  Miss  Caroline  Bauman  of  Neodesha,  Kan.,  a  graduate  of  the 
university.  In  the  spring  of  1886  he  spent  some  time  in  Europe  on  legal 
business,  and  the  summer  of  1895  in  New  Mexico  in  similar  work.  He 
practiced  law  in  Lawrence  for  sixteen  years,  part  of  that  time  acting  as 
professor  in  the  law  school  of  the  university,  lecturing  on  the  law  of  real 
property.  In  1887  Mr.  Spangler  was  appointed  city  attorney  of  Law- 
rence, which  position  he  held  throughout  many  changes  of  administra- 
tion. In  1889  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  a  regent  of  the  uni- 
versity and  in  1889-90  was  acting  chancellor  after  the  resignation  of 
Chancellor  Lippincott.  In  1900  he  was  again  made  regent  and  soon 
became  acting  chancellor  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Snow.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  college  fraternity  Phi  Kappa  Psi  and  the  honorary  society, 
Phi  Beta  Kappa.  He  died  on  Oct.  22,  1902,  at  his  home  in  Lawrence. 
He  is  survived  by  a  wife,  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Spanish-American  War. — For  four  centuries  after  the  discovery  of 
America,  the  island  of  Cuba  was  a  dependency  of  Spain.  The  first 
attempt  to  free  Cuba  by  means  of  a  revolution  was  the  Narcisso  Lopez 
expedition  which  left  New  Orleans  in  April,  1850.  One  detachment  of 
Lopez's  little  army  was  commanded  by  Maj.  Theodore  O'Hara,  who 
wrote  the  well  known  poem  entitled  "The  Bivouac  of  the  Dead."  Tl;e 
expedition  resulted  in  failure,  but  in  1854  the  Cuban  junta  in  New  York 
began  preparations  for  a  revolution  on  a  more  elaborate  scale.  News 
of  the  movement  reached  the  Spanish  government  at  Madrid,  the  military 


KANSAS    HISTORY  7^' 

forces  on  the  island  were  increased,  and  the  junta  abandoned  its  plans 
until  a  more  favorable  opportunity  offered. 

An  uprising  in  1868  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a  republican  form 
of  government,  at  the  head  of  which  w.ere  Betancourt,  marquis  of  Santa 
Lucia,  and  Eduardo  and  Ignacio  Agramonte.  This  was  followed  by  a 
ten  years'  war,  during  which  time  over  100,000  Spanish  troops  were  sent 
to  Cuba  to  suppress  the  rebellion.  At  the  close  of  the  conflict,  Spain 
fastened  a  debt  of  some  $200,000,000  on  the  people  of  Cuba— about  $125 
for  every  person  on  the  island — and  this  started  preparations  for  another 
revolution.  In  these  preparations  Gen.  Maximo  Gomez,  who  had  been 
commander  in  chief  of  the  insurgent  forces  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
ten  years'  war,  was  a  conspicuous  figure. 

On  Feb.  24,  1895,  insurrection  broke  out  in  the  provinces  of  Santiago, 
Santa  Clara  and  Matanzas.  The  other  three  provinces— Havana,  Puerto 
Principe  and  Pinar  del  Rio— did  not  join  in  the  uprising  against  Spanish 
tyranny  and  oppression.  Within  60  days  over  50,000  Spanish  troops, 
under  command  of  Gen.  Campos,  were  in  Cuba.  In  Feb.,  1896,  Campos 
was  superseded  by  Gen.  Weyler,  whose  cruelties  aroused  the  indigna- 
tion of  the  civilized  world,  and  in  Oct.,  1897,  he  was  succeeded  by  Gen. 
Blanco.  By  that  time  the  war  had  cost  Spain  over  $200,000,000,  and  still 
the  insurrection  was  not  suppressed. 

In  the  meantime,  legislative  bodies  and  political  conventions  in  the 
United  States  passed  resolutions  urging  the  recognition  of  Cuba's  bel- 
ligerent rights,  if  not  of  her  independence,  and  the  press  of  the  country 
■was  almost  unanimous  in  denouncing  the  methods  Spain  was  pursuing 
to  conquer  the  islanders.  But  it  was  not  until  Feb.  15,  1898,  that  an 
incident  occurred  that  led  the  United  States  to  declare  war  against  Spain. 
About  10  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  that  day  the  United  States  battleship 
Maine  was  blown  up  while  lying  at  anchor  in  Havana  harbor,  and  266 
gallant  marines  met  an  untimely  death. 

On  March  29  a  resolution  was  introduced  in  the  United  States  senate 
recommending  the  recognition  of  Cuba's  independence,  and  on  April  n 
President  McKinley  sent  a  special  message  to  Congress  asking  for 
authority  to  intervene  in  behalf  of  the  Cubans.  In  summing  up  the  situ- 
ation near  the  close  of  his  message,  he  said:  "In  view  of  these  facts 
and  these  considerations,  I  ask  Congress  to  authorize  and  empower  the 
president  to  take  measures  to  secure  a  termination  of  hostilities  between 
the  government  of  Spain  and  the  people  of  Cuba,  and  to  secure  in  the 
island  the  establishment  of  a  stable  government  capable  of  maintaining 
order  and  observing  its  international  obligations,  insuring  peace  and 
tranquility  and  the  security  of  its  citizens  as  well  as  our  own,  and  to  use 
the  military  and  naval  forces  of  the  United  States  as  may  be  necessary 
for  these  purposes." 

Nine  days  later  the  president  approved  the  resolutions  "for  the  recog- 
nition of  the  independence  of  Cuba,  demanding  that  the  government  of 
Spain  relinquish  its  authority  and  government   in  the  island  of  Cuba, 
and  to  withdraw  its  land  and  naval  forces  from  Cuba  and  Cuban  waters, 
(II-46) 


722  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

and  directing  the  president  of  the  United  States  to  use  the  land  and  naval 
forces  of  the  United  States  to  carry  these  resolutions  into  eflfect." 

President  McKinley  immediately  communicated  with  the  Spanish 
minister  at  Washington,  ac(iuainting  him  with  the  spirit  of  the  resolu- 
tions, but  the  minister  asked  for  liis  passports  and  withdrew.  About  the 
same  time  the  Spanish  government  sent  passports  to  Minister  Woodford, 
thus  closing  diplomatic  relations  between  the  two  countries.  On  the 
22nd  the  president  proclaimed  a  blockade  of  certain  Cuban  ports,  and 
the  next  day  called  for  125,000  volunteers  to  enforce  the  resolutions  of 
the  20th,  though  as  yet  there  had  been  no  formal  declaration  of  war.  On 
the  25th  the  president  sent  to  Congress  another  special  message,  in  which 
he  recounted  the  events  of  the  last  few  days,  and  concluded  by  saying: 
"In  view  of  the  measures  so  taken,  and  with  a  view  to  the  adoption  of 
such  other  measures  as  may  be  necessary  to  enable  me  to  carry  out  the 
expressed  will  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  in  the  premises.  I 
now  recommend  to  your  honorable  body  the  adoption  of  a  joint  resolu- 
tion declaring  that  a  state  of  war  exists  between  the  United  States  of 
America  and  the  Kingdom  of  Spain." 

Congress  was  prompt  to  respond,  and  the  same  day  an  act  was  passed 
declaring  that  a  state  of  war  had  existed  since  the  21st,  though  as  a 
matter  of  fact  the  war  department  had  been  mobilizing  troops  for  nearly 
two  weeks  prior  to  that  date.  When  the  news  that  war  had  been 
declared  reached  Kansas,  enthusiastic  demonstrations  were  made  in  a 
number  of  the  leading  cities  and  towns.  At  Leavenworth  salutes  were 
fired  at  the  fort  and  the  National  Soldiers'  Home,  and  2,000  veterans  in 
the  home  marched  up  and  down  the  main  parade  in  the  rain,  singing 
war  songs  and  cheering.  A  company  of  the  National  Guard  at  Fort 
Scott  quickly  assembled  at  the  armory,  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's 
notice,  and  a  number  of  Spanish  flags  were  either  burned  or  rammed  into 
the  cannon  used  in  firing  a  salute,  and  blown  to  shreds.  The  daily  papers 
of  Ottawa  published  a  call  for  a  meeting  at  the  skating  rink  for  the  pur- 
pose of  organizing  a  company,  and  at  the  meeting  about  50  men  signed 
the  roll.  Similar  demonstrations  were  made  at  Olathe,  Pittsburg,  Inde- 
pendence, Salina  and  other  towns,  and  at  Erie  there  were  patriotic 
speeches  and  a  salute  from  "Old  Abe,"  the  cannon  belonging  to  the 
Republican  club.    The  Sunflower  State  was  ready. 

In  accordance  with  the  action  of  the  war  department.  Gov.  Leedy 
issued  his  call  on  April  26  for  three  regiments  of  infantry.  As  Kansas 
had  furnished  nineteen  regiments  in  the  Civil  and  Indian  wars,  it  was 
decided  to  number  the  first  regiment  raised  for  the  war  with  Spain  the 
Twentieth,  the  others  to  follow  in  order.  The  first  company  to  report 
for  duty  was  one  recruited  at  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  by  Frederick  Funston, 
who  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Twentieth  regiment,  which  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  at  Topeka,  from  May  9  to  13, 
with  the  following  officers :  Frederick  Funston,  colonel ;  Edward  C. 
Little,  lieutenant-colonel ;  Frank  H.  Whitman  and  Wilder  S.  Metcalf, 
majors;  William  A.  Deford,  adjutant;  Walter  P.  Hull,  quartermaster; 


KANSAS    HISTORY  7^3 

Charles  A.  Hoffman,  surtjcon;  Henry  D.  Smith,  assistant  surgeon;  John 
G.  Schlieman,  chaplain.  At  the  time  of  muster  in  the  strength  of  the 
regiment  was  46  officers  and  964  enlisted  men. 

Of  the  companies  composing  the  regiment,  Company  A  was  recruited 
at  Topeka ;  B  at  Kansas  City,  Kan. ;  C  at  Leavenworth ;  D  in  Crawford 
county ;  E  in  Anderson  and  Woodson  counties ;  F  in  Bourbon  and  adjoin- 
ing counties;  G  at  Independence;  H  at  Lawrence;  I  at  lola,  Topeka, 
Paola  and  Osawatoniie :  K  at  Ottawa  and  Pleasanton ;  L  at  .\bilene  and 
Junction  City;  M  at  Salina  and  Minneapolis. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  regimental  organization  was  completed, 
the  Twentieth  was  ordered  to  San  Francisco,  where  it  arrived  on  May 
20,  1898.  Here  it  remained  until  Oct.  27,  when  the  first  detachment 
embarked  for  the  Philippine  islands.  The  remainder  of  the  regiment  fol- 
lowed on  Nov.  8,  and  by  the  first  week  in  December  the  entire  command 
was  in  the  Philippines  ready  for  duty.  While  at  San  Francisco  the  time 
was  spent  in  drilling  and  maneuvering,  so  that  few  volunteer  regiments 
were  better  disciplined  or  better  drilled  than  the  Twentieth  Kansas. 

The  regiment's  first  appearance  on  the  firing  line  was  on  Feb.  4,  1899, 
when  the  outposts  were  attacked  about  10  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the 
firing  continuing  all  night  and  until  noon  of  the  5th,  when  an  advance 
was  ordered  and  the  enemy  was  driven  back  to  his  trenches  about  2 
miles  from  Manila.  There  was  some  skirmishing  on  the  7th,  and  on  the 
loth  the  regiment  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Caloocan.  In  addition  to 
these  engagements,  the  following  list  of  actions  in  which  the  Twentieth 
participated  is  taken  from  the  report  of  the  adjutant-general:  Marilao, 
March  27;  Malolos,  March  30;  Bagbag  river,  April  25;  Calumpit,  .A.pril 
26-27;  Santo  Tomas  river.  May  4;  occupation  of  San  Fernando,  May  6; 
and  the  defense  of  San  Fernando,  May  25.  The  regiment  was  also  in 
skirmishes  at  Tulijan,  March  25;  Malinta,  March  26;  Poli,  March  2"]; 
Bigoa  and  Guiginto,  March  29;  Grand  river,  April  27;  Bacolor.  May  13; 
and  Santa  Rita,  May  15. 

Col.  Funston  was  promoted  brigadier-general  on  May  4,  1899,  and  on 
the  9th  Maj.  Wilder  S.  Metcalf  was  made  colonel.  On  the  25th  of  the 
same  month  Companies  D  and  H,  and  one  platoon  of  Company  I,  accom- 
panied Gen.  Funston  on  a  skirmishing  and  reconnoitering  party  to  Santa 
Rosa.  On  June  25  the  three  battalions  of  the  regiment  were  united  at 
Manila,  but  on  July  12  the  third  battalion  (Companies  C,  D,  H  and  I) 
was  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  Lawton  at  Paranaque,  to  relieve  a  detach- 
ment of  the  Fourteenth  U.  S.  Infantry.  This  battalion  rejoined  the  regi- 
ment at  Manila  on  Aug.  9,  and  on  Sept.  3  the  "Fighting  Twentieth" 
sailed  for  Hongkong,  China,  where  it  arrived  on  the  6th.  The  homeward 
voyage  was  begun  on  the  14th,  and  on  Oct.  10  the  regiment  again  went 
into  camp  at  the  Presidio,  San  Francisco,  where  it  was  mustered  out  on 
Oct.  28,  with  46  officers  and  720  enlisted  men.  On  Nov.  3  "the  boys" 
reached  Topeka,  where  they  were  given  a  cordial  reception  and  banquet, 
after  which  they  returned  to  their  homes. 

All  together,  92  officers  and  1,364  enlisted  men  were  accounted  for  on 


724  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  muster  rolls  of  the  Twentieth  infantry.  Of  these  3  officers  and  19 
men  were  killed  in  action;  11  men  died  of  wounds;  10  officers  and  120 
men  were  wounded,  but  recovered ;  35  died  of  disease,  and  4  deserted. 

Shortly  after  the  regiment  was  mustered  out,  the  Grand  Army  posts 
over  the  state  started  a  movement  to  raise  a  fund  for  the  purpose  of  giv- 
ing a  medal  to  every  member  of  it.  The  fund  was  raised  and  some  1,200 
medals  were  deposited  with  the  department  commander  of  the  Grand 
Army  for  distribution.  The  Topeka  Capital  of  April  20,  1904,  published 
a  list  of  those  who  had  not  yet  received  their  medals,  and  whose  location 
was  unknown.    This  list  contained  about  125  narnes. 

The  Twenty-first  regiment  was  mustered  at  Topeka  on  May  12  and 
14,  1898,  with  the  following  officers:  Thomas  G.  Fitch,  colonel;  Charles 
McCrum,  lieutenant-colonel ;  Harry  A.  Smith  and  Willis  L.  Brown,  ma- 
jors; John  B.  Nicholson,  adjutant;  John  C.  Little,  quartermaster;  Frank 
C.  Armstrong,  surgeon;  Thomas  C.  Biddle  and  Fred  W.  Turner,  assist- 
ant surgeons ;  William  E.  Woodward,  chaplain. 

Company  A  was  recruited  at  Great  Bend;  B,  at  Garden  City;  C,  at 
Wichita;  D,  at  Smith  Center;  E,  at  Hutchinson;  F,  at  Winfield ;  G,  at 
Osage  City;  H,  at  Eldorado;  I,  at  Hays  City;  K,  at  Kingman;  L,  at 
AVellington;  M,  at  Marion  and  McPherson,  the  strength  at  time  of  mus- 
ter in  being  46  officers  and  958  enlisted  men. 

The  regiment  left  Topeka  on  May  17  "for  Lysle,  Ga.,  where  it  remained 
in  Camp  George  H.  Thomas,  drilling  and  doing  camp  duty,  until  Aug. 
25.  During  that  time  the  regiment  suffered  an  epidemic  of  typhoid 
fever  which  carried  ofif  20  of  its  members.  On  Aug.  25  the  Twenty-first 
"was  ordered  to  Camp  Hamilton,  Ky.,  and  just  a  month  later  left  that 
place  for  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  it  arrived  on  Sept.  27.  The  men  were 
given  a  furlough  for  30  days  to  visit  their  homes.  This  furlough  was 
■extended  to  Nov.  10,  and  on  Dec.  10  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  with 
46  officers  and  1,184  enlisted  men.  Concerning  the  Twenty-first,  the 
adjutant-general's  report  says:  "This  regiment  was  made  up  of  sturdy 
material,  well  officered,  and  it  is  a  source  of  regret  to  officers  and  men 
that  they  were  not  given  an  opportunity  to  demonstrate  their  efficiency 
in  the  field." 

The  Twenty-second  infantry  was  mustered  in  at  Topeka,  May  11  to 
17,  1898,  with  46  officers  and  963  enlisted  men.    Of  this  regiment,  Henry 

C.  Lindsey  was  colonel ;  James  Graham,  lieutenant-colonel ;  Alexander 
M.  Harvey  and  Chase  Doster,  majors;  Clay  Allen,  adjutant;  Henry  A. 
Lamb  (and  later  Charles  Lindsey),  quartermaster;  Josephus  P.  Stewart, 
surgeon ;  Louis  C.  Duncan,  Wladimir  F.  de  Niedman  and  Frank  H. 
Martin,  assistant  surgeons ;  Valeda  H.  Biddison,  chaplain. 

Company  A  was  recruited  at  Parsons;  B,  at  Concordia;  C,  at  Beloit; 

D,  at  Holton;  E,  at  Emporia;  F,  at  Columbus;  G,  at  Norton;  H,  at  Em- 
poria; I,  at  Clay  Center;  K,  at  Seneca;  L,  at  Atchison;  M,  at  Blue 
Rapids,  though  a  large  number  of  the  members  of  this  last  named  com- 
pany were  from  Manhattan.  Company  H,  while  credited  to  Emporia, 
was  called  the  "College  Company,"  being  made  up  of  students  of  the 
State  University,  Agricultural  College  and  State  Normal  School. 


KANSAS    IIISTORV  7^5 

The  regiment  remained  at  Camp  Leedy,  Topeka,  until  May  25,  when 
it  was  ordered  to  Camp  Alger,  Va.  Soon  after  reaching  there,  the  war 
department  ordered  each  of  the  twelve  companies  to  be  recruited  to  a 
maximum  of  106  enlisted  men.  Officers  were  detailed  to  return  to 
Kansas  to  scure  the  necessary  additional  recruits,  and  in  a  short  time 
the  regiment's  muster  rolls  showed  1,272  names.  Early  in  August  the 
regiment  moved  to  Thoroughfare,  Va.,  and  on  Aug.  29  to  Camp  Meade, 
near  Middletown,  Pa.,  where  it  remained  until  Sept.  9  when  orders  were 
received  to  proceed  at  once  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  Here  a  furlough  of 
30  days  was  granted  to  the  men,  and  on  Nov.  3,  1898,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out,  with  46  officers  and  1,230  enlisted  men.  The  Twenty- 
second  was  composed  mainly  of  farmers'  sons  and  students  from  the 
state's  higher  educational  institutions.  Consequently  the  personnel  of 
the  regiment  was  of  a  high  order,  and  had  opportunity  offered  it  would 
no  doubt  have  added  to  the  state's  laurels  by  its  conduct  on  the  field. 

On  May  3,  1898,  while  the  three  regiments  were  in  process  of  forma- 
tion, the  Topeka  Women's  Relief  Corps,  No.  94,  held  a  meeting  and 
decided  to  present  each  regiment  with  a  stand  of  colors,  consisting  of 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  the  blue  state  flag  of  ICansas.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  solicit  contributions  to  purchase  the  flags,  and  in  three 
days  reported  $200.  Within  a  week  the  entire  amount  was  ready,  and 
on  May  10  the  ceremony  of  presentation  took  place  at  Topeka,  though 
all  the  flags  were  not  ready  at  the  time.  Those  that  were  delayed  were 
forwarded  to  the  regiments  after  they  left  the  state. 

The  Twenty-third  infantry,  an  organization  of  two  battalions,  was 
composed  entirely  of  colored  men  from  the  towns  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  state.  Company  A  was  recruited  at  Topeka,  and  reported  for  duty 
on  July  2,  1898;  Company  B,  from  Lawrence,  reported  on  July  5;  Com- 
panies C  and  D  reported  on  the  9th,  the  former  from  Kansas  City,  Kan., 
and  the  latter  from  Fort  Scott ;  Company  E,  from  Wichita,  reported  on 
the  14th  ;  Company  E,  from  Parsons,  Coffeyville  and  Fort  Scott,  on  the 
i6th ;  Company  G,  from  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  on  the  same  date ;  and  Com- 
pany H,  from  Atchison,  reported  on  the  19th,  when  the  regiment  was 
mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service  with  29  officers  and  850  enlisted  men. 

The  officers  of  the  regiment  were  as  follows :  James  Beck,  lieutenant- 
colonel  ;  John  M.  Brown  and  George  W.  Ford,  majors ;  Samuel  T.  Jones, 
adjutant;  Frederick  M.  Stone,  quartermaster;  Charles  S.  Sunday  and 
Frederick  D.  G.  Harvey,  assistant  surgeons. 

On  Aug.  22  the  regiment  broke  camp  at  Topeka  and  proceeded  by 
rail  to  New  York,  where  it  sailed  on  the  25th  for  Santiago,  Cuba,  arriv- 
ing there  on  the  31st.  The  next  day  it  moved  to  San  Luis,  where  it 
remained  until  Feb.  28,  1899.  It  then  returned  to  Santiago,  and  on 
March  i  embarked  for  Newport  News,  Va.  From  Newport  News  it 
returned  to  Kansas  and  on  April  10  was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth. The  peace  protocol  between  the  United  States  and  Spain  was 
signed  on  Aug.  12,  1898,  ten  days  before  the  Twenty-third  left  Topeka. 
By  the  armistice  thus  declared  hostilities  had  ceased  before  it  reached 


726  CVCI.OPEDIA    Ol' 

Cuba,  but  it  won  the  reputation  of  a  well  drilled  and  well  disciplined  reg- 
iment, and,  like  so  many  volunteer  regiments,  it  only  lacked  the  oppor- 
tunity to  demonstrate  its  valor  and  efficiency  as  a  military  organization. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  volunteer  organizations,  there  were  31 
Kansans  held  commissions  in  the  regular  army  in  the  Philippines ;  Joseph 
K.  Hudson  was  commissioned  brigadier-general  on  May  27,  1898,  and 
served  vmtil  Oct.  3,  1899;  Dr.  Wladimir  F.  de  Niedman  became  a  brigade 
surgeon ;  Capt.  Ralph  Ingalls  was  made  assistant  commissary  of  sub- 
.  sistence,  and  near  the  close  of  the  war  the  rank  of  brevet  brigadier-gen- 
eral was  awarded  to  Col.  Wilder  S.  Metcalf.  Taken  all  in  all,  no  citizen 
of  Kansas  need  to  feel  ashamed  of  the  record  of  his  state  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war. 

On  March  7,  1899,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  appropriating  $20,000, 
or  so  much  thereof  as  might  be  necessary,  "for  the  purpose  of  paying 
the  claims  of  persons  for  services  rendered  and  expenses  incurred  by 
them  in  the  active  service,  and  in  raising,  recruiting,  transporting,  sub- 
sisting, equipping  and  medical  examination  of  Kansas  volunteers  ih  the 
Spanish-American  war,"  etc.     (See  Stanley's  Administration.) 

Hon.  John  C.  Nicholson,  who  succeeded  ex-Gov.  Crawford  as  state 
agent,  in  the  Kansas  Magazine  for  July,  1909,  says :  "The  State  of  Kan- 
sas expended  in  equipping  the  Twentieth,  Twenty-first,  Twenty-second 
and  Twenty-third  Kansas  regiments  for  the  Spanish-American  war,  the 
sum  of  $37,787.84,  of  which  amount  the  United  States  has  reimbursed  the 
state  in  the  sum  of  $37,200.19." 

The  final  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  in  Dec,  1899.  During  and 
immediately  after  the  war,  several  societies  of  soldiers  and  marines  were 
organized  to  perpetuate  the  friendships  and  associations  formed  while 
the  war  was  in  progress.  On  April  18,  1904,  the  national  encampment 
of  the  United  Spanish  War  Veterans  was  organized  by  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  National  Army  and  Navy  Spanish  War  Veterans,  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Spanish-American  War  Veterans,  and  the  Society 
of  the  Service  Men,  of  the  Spanish  War,  with  Edward  J.  Gihon,  of  Wake- 
field, Mass.,  commander-in-chief.  The  society  is  conducted  on  a  plan 
similar  to  that  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  by  being  divided 
into  state  departments,  all  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  regular  and  volun- 
teer army,  navy  and  marine  corps  who  served  honorably  in  the  war  with 
Spain  or  the  insurrection  in  the  Philippines  being  eligible  to  member- 
ship. The  annual  encampment  of  the  Kansas  department  in  1910  was 
held  at  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  in  June,  when  Maj.  A.  M.  Harvey  of  Topeka 
was  elected  department  commander,  and  Fred  Barrett  of  Blue  Rapids, 
vice-commander. 

Sparks,  a  village  of  Doniphan  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Ouincy  R.  R.,  about  10  miles  northwest  of  Troy,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  banking  facilities,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  It  is  one  of  the  new  towns 
of  the  county.    The  population  in  1910  was  175. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  7^^ 

Spearville,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Ford  county,  is 
located  in  the  township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  i6  miles  northeast  of  Dodge  City,  the  county  seat.  It 
is  in  the  center  of  a  large  farming  and  stock  raising  area,  for  which  it 
is  the  shipping  and  receiving  point.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  News),  flour  mills,  grain  elevators,  hotels,  churches  and 
schools,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  576.  The 
town  was  founded  in  1878  by  a  colony  from  Cincinnati,  of  which  George 
Hall  and  M.  Wear  were  the  leaders.  Sheep  raising  was  largely  engaged 
in  by  the  early  residents  of  the  vicinity.  The  railroad  company  made  this 
an  experiment  station  for  tree  planting  in  the  '70s.  The  first  newspaper 
was  the  Spearville  Enterprise,  established  in  May,  1878,  by  J.  J.  Burns. 

Speed,  a  little  town  in  Phillips  county,  is  located  on  the  north  blufifs 
of  the  Solomon  river  and  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles  south- 
west of  Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  Clarion),  a  grain  elevator,  a  hotel,  a  number  of  retail  estab- 
lishments, express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  225.  The  railroad 
name  is  Big  Bend.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  fine  agricultural  country,  and 
live  stock,  grain,  produce,  poultry  and  dairy  products  are  shipped. 

Speer,  John,  one  of  the  pioneer  editors  of  Kansas,  was  born  at  Kit- 
tanning,  Pa.,  Dec.  27,  1817.  He  was  descended  from  Irish  covenanters, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  the  country,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  be- 
gan learning  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the  Register  at  Indiana, 
Pa.  In  1839  he  went  to  New  Castle,  Pa.,  where  he  started  the  Mercer 
and  Beaver  Democrat,  a  Whig  paper  that  supported  Harrison  for  presi- 
dent. In  1840  he  went  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  connected  with  different 
papers,  editing  the  Whig  at  Medina  for  eleven  years.  In  Sept.,  1854, 
accompanied  by  his  brother  Joseph,  Mr.  Speer  located  in  Lawrence, 
Kan.  In  October  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  printed  the  first  number  of 
the  Kansas  Pioneer,  dating  it  from  Lawrence.  Within  a  year  it  became 
the  Tribune  and  was  removed  to  Topeka.  Mr.  Speer  was  often  in  dan- 
ger because  of  his  fearless  attacks  upon  the  institution  of  slavery,  but 
he  remained  undaunted  and  did  much  to  make  Kansas  a  free-state. 
In  1855  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  Tribune,  and  established  the  Re- 
publican at  Lawrence.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  free-state  terri- 
torial legislature  and  introduced  the  first  bill  to  establish  a  civil  code  in 
Kansas.  At  the  time  of  the  Quantrill  raid  in  1863,  his  office  was  sacked 
and  his  two  sons  were  killed.  In  1864  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Grand 
Sovereign  Union  League  of  America,  which  nominated  Lincoln  for  a 
second  term  as  president.  He  was  elected  state  printer  in  1861,  acted 
this  position  he  printed  the  early  legislative  journals  and  general  stat- 
until  1864,  held  the  same  position  in  1866  and  again  in  1868.  While  in 
utes  of  1868.  On  June  28,  1866,  he  was  confirmed  as  United  States 
revenue  collector  and  at  various  times  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas 
house  of  representatives  or  state  senate.  Mr.  Speer  was  one  of  the  in- 
corporators and  treasurer  of  the  Kansas  Southern  Railroad  company. 


728  CYCLOl'EDIA    OF 

As  an  author  his  best  known  book  is  probably  his  "Life  of  Gen.  James 
H.  Lane,"  which  was  published  in  1896.  After  leaving  Kansas  Mr. 
Speer  lived  in  Denver,  Col.,  where  he  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter, 
Dec.  15,  1906. 

Spencer,  Joab,  one  of  the  pioneer  Methodist  ministers  of  Kansas, 
was  born  in  Delaware  county,  Ind.,  March  10,  1831,  a  descendant  of 
Jthamar  Spencer,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  fought  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  In  1842  his  father  removed  to  Anderson  county,  Mo., 
which  had  just  been  opened  to  white  settlers.  Educational  advantages 
were  limited  on  the  frontier  and  Joab  did  not  attend  school  but  a  few 
years.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen and  in  the  spring  of  1855  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Missouri 
conference.  After  spending  three  years  in  Missouri  he  was  appointed 
to  the  Shawnee  Indian  mission  in  Kansas,  where  he  served  for  two 
years.  In  the  fall  of  i860  he  was  appointed  to  the  Paola,  Kan.,  cir- 
cuit, and  in  1861  became  presiding  elder  of  the  Council  Grove  district. 
He  remained  near  Council  Grove  for  twelve  years.  In  1864  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  legislature  from  Morris  county.  In  1874  he  was 
transferred  to  Missouri  and  served  at  several  charges.  Mr.  Spencer 
always  took  an  active  part  in  Sunday  school  work  and  wrote  a  "Normal 
Guide,"  for  Sunday  school  teachers.  In  1906  he  was  living  at  Slater, 
Mo.,  the  last  surviving  missionary  to  the  Indians  in  Kansas. 

Spiritucdists. — Spiritualism  is  a  term  used  to  describe  the  belief  of 
those  who  hold  that  communications  are  sometimes  established  between 
the  living  and  the  spirits  of  the  dead.  The  history  of  modern  spiritual- 
ism began  about  1848,  with  the  "knockings"  of  the  Fox  sisters  at  Hynds- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  but  the  present  organization  is  based  upon  the  writings  of 
Andrew  J.  Davis,  called  the  "Poughkeepsie  Seer,"  whose  work — The 
Principles  of  Nature,  Her  Divine  Revelation ;  A  Voice  to  Mankind — was 
published  in  1845,  and  aroused  the  attention  of  many  scholarly  men  in 
The  country,  among  whom  were  ministers  and  college  professors,  which 
led  to  the  formation  of  a  cult  called  Spiritualism.  Mr.  Davis  and  his 
followers  found  it  necessary  to  go  outside  the  accepted  order  of  re- 
ligious thought  and  establish  an  entirely  new  movement,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  interest  in  Spiritualism  became  widespread.  The  meetings  in 
the  large  cities  were  attended  by  thousands  of  people,  local  organiza- 
tions sprang  up  all  over  the  country,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to  or- 
ganize a  national  association  until  1863.  The  first  association  was  not 
a  closely  organized  body  and  existed  only  nine  years.  In  1893  the 
National  Spiritualists'  Association  of  the  United  States  was  organized, 
since  which  date  there  have  been  yearly  conventions. 

Doctrine  is  usually  ignored  or  overlooked  by  the  Spiritualists,  as  they 
hold  to  no  formulated  creeds  and  confessions  and  seldom  consider  eccle- 
siastical topics  which  have  to  do  with  the  past.  They  believe  the  spirit 
world  to  be  a  counterpart  of  the  visible  world,  only  more  beautiful  and 
perfect ;  that  people  who  enter  it  must  be  free  from  the  evil  done  while  in 
the  earthly  form;  that  in  the  progressive  after  death  all  souls  will  be 


KANSAS    HISTORY  7^9 

restored  to  perfect  happiness ;  and  that  those  who  die  in  childhood  grow 
to  maturity  in  spirit  life.  No  religious  test  is  required  to  become  a 
member  of  a  Spiritualist  church  but  that  of  good  character  and  public 
assent  to  the  principles  of  Spiritualism. 

The  first  organization  of  the  Spiritualists  in  Kansas,  of  which  there 
is  a  record,  was  established  at  Topeka  in  1867.  The  number  of  organ- 
ized societies  grew  slowly  during  the  '70s  and  '80s.  In  1890  there  were 
9  organizations,  i  each  in  Butler,  Cherokee,  Crawford,  Douglas,  Lin- 
coln and  Ottawa  counties  and  3  in  Shawnee  county,  with  a  total  mem- 
bership of  627.  During  the  next  fifteen  years  greater  progress  was  made, 
due  to  the  denser  population  which  facilitated  the  organization  of  local 
congregations,  and  in  1906  there  were  14  organizations  reported  in  the 
state  with  a  membership  of  1,496. 

Spivey,  one  of  the  incorporated  cities  of  Kingman  county,  is  located 
on  the  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  the  Chikaskia  river,  12  miles  south  of  King- 
man, the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  church,  about  a  dozen  business 
houses,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  252. 

Spring  Creek,  a  country  trading  point  in  Chautauqua  county,  is  lo- 
cated 7  miles  northwest  of  Sedan,  the  county  seat,  whence  it  receives 
daily  mail  by  rural  route,  and  about  3  miles  north  of  Rodgers,  the  near- 
est railroad  station.    The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Springdale,  a  hamlet  in  the  western  part  of  Leavenworth  county,  is 
about  5  miles  south  of  Easton,  from  which  it  has  rural  free  delivery, 
and  3  miles  north  of  Ackerland,  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Springfield,  a  rural  postoffice  of  Seward  county,  is  situated  about  5 
miles  northwest  of  the  center  of  the  county  and  3  miles  from  the  Cim- 
arron river.  It  is  16  miles  from  Liberal,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles 
from  Arkalon,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Spring  Hill,  the  second  largest  town  of  Johnson  county,  is  located 
just  north  of  the  southern  boundary  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco 
R.  R.,  9  miles  south  of  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  The  town  was  sur- 
veyed on  May  18,  1857,  and  was  named  after  Spring  Hill,  Ala.,  by  James 
B.  Hovey,  the  first  settler.  In  Jan.,  1858,  a  town  company  was  formed 
with  J.  B.  Hovey,  president,  and  A.  B.  Simmons,  secretary.  The  first 
building  was  the  .Spring  Hill  Hotel,  built  by  Mr.  Hovey  in  the  summer 
of  1857.  The  postoffice  was  established  that  fall  with  Mr.  Hovey  as  the 
first  postmaster.  The  first  store  was  opened  in  the  winter  of  1857-58, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1858  the  Methodist  church  was  organized.  In  1869 
the  railroad  reached  the  southern  boundary  of  the  county  but  as  the 
town  would  not  contribute  the  sum  demanded  by  the  company,  the  road 
was  built  a  half  mile  east  of  the  town  and  the  nearest  stopping  place 
was  Ocheltree,  2  miles  north.  For  some  time  the  trains  would  not  stop 
at  Spring  Hill  and  the  residents  went  to  Ocheltree  for  their  mail.  The 
matter  was  finally  adjusted  and  a  station  built.  The  first  independent 
school  house  was  built  in  1858,  and  school  was  taught  by  Mrs.  Duvall. 
On  Dec.  7,  1870,  the  Spring  Hill  Enterprise  was  established  as  a  Re- 


730  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

publican  paper,  but  in  1872  it  changed  hands  and  became  known  as 
the  Western  Progress.  Spring  Hill  now  has  several  general  stores,  a 
dry  goods  store,  furniture,  hardware,  drug  and  implement  houses,  2 
hotels,  agricultural  implement  dealers,  lumber  yard,  a  money  order 
postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  is  a  shipping  point  for 
the  rich  farming  community  by  which  it  is  surrounded.  The  population 
in  1910  was  700. 

Springs,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Brown  county,  is  located  about 
12  miles  northwe.st  of  Hiawatha,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel  and  a 
geneial  store,  and  receives  its  mail  by  rural  delivery  from  Sabetha, 
which  is  the  nearest  shipping  point.    The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Springside,  one  of  the  hamlets  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located 
in  Shannon  township,  about  12  miles  northwest  of  Westmoreland,  the 
county  seat.     It  receives  mail  from  Irving,  Marshall  county. 

Springvale,  a  small  hamlet  in  Pratt  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  San*^a  Fe  R.  R.,  15  miles  southwest  of  Pratt,  the  county 
seat,  and  3  miles  east  of  Croft,  whence  it  receives  mail.  It  has  a  gen- 
eral store,  flour  mill,  express  office,  and  the  population  in  igio  was  21. 

Spurs,  Battle  of  the. — On  Dec.  20,  1858,  ten  negroes  were  taken  from 
the  Hicklin,  Cruise  and  LaRue  farms  in  Missouri,  as  spoils  of  a  raid 
by  some  free-state  men  from  Kansas,  headed  by  John  Brown.  The 
negroes  were  brought  into  Kansas  by  Brown,  who  with  George 
B.  Gill  as  the  only  escort,  started  on  one  of  the  routes  of  the  under- 
ground railroad  for  Canada.  The  party  passed  through  Lawrence, 
where  clothing  was  secured  for  the  negroes,  then  on  through  Topeka 
to  Holton.  When  that  point  was  reached  they  no  longer  feared  to  travel 
by  daylight,  and  Brown  pushed  on  to  the  log  cabin  of  Albert  Fuller  on 
Straight  creek,  one  of  the  stations  of  the  underground  railroad,  where 
it  had  been  decided  to  spend  the  night.  Here  he  was  detained  several 
days  on  account  of  high  water.  One  evening  Dwight  Stevens,  one  of 
the  men  who  had  joined  Brown  near  Topeka,  after  the  negroes  were 
safely  in  the  cabin,  went  down  the  stream  to  water  his  horse,  when  he 
was  accosted  by  two  deputy  U.  S.  marshals  on  horseback.  They  asked 
him  if  he  had  seen  any  slaves  in  the  vicinity,  to  which  Stevens  replied 
that  there  were  some  in  the  Fuller  cabin  at  the  time,  and  volunteered 
to  accompany  them  to  the  house.  This  apparent  frankness  on  the  part 
of  Stevens  threw  the  men  ofif  their  guard  and  only  one  accompanied 
him.  Stevens  spent  some  time  in  attending  to  his  horse,  in  order  to 
give  the  men  in  the  cabin  time  to  see  who  was  with  him  and  to  prepare 
for  them,  then  moved  to  the  cabin,  threw  open  the  door  and  said,  "There 
they  are,  go  take  them."  The  marshal  moved  forward,  but  found  him- 
self covered  by  revolvers,  and  was  taken  prisoner.  This  man  was  a 
members  of  a  posse  under  command  of  John  P.  Wood,  a  deputy  U.  S. 
marshal  from  Lecompton,  who  was  on  the  lookout  for  Brown  in  hope 
of  securing  the  reward  of  $3,000  offered  for  his  apprehension  by  the 
governor  of  Missouri. 

The  terror  with  which   Brown  had  inspired   his   enemies   was   never 


KANSAS    HISTORY  731 

better  illustrated  than  at  this  time.  The  Wood  posse  numbered  some 
30  men,  all  well  armed  and  acting  under  authority  of  the  law,  while  op- 
posed to  them  were  Brown,  his  three  associates  and  the  unarmed  ne- 
groes, but  the  posse  was  afraid  to  attack.  Wood  drew  up  his  forces  in 
shelter  of  the  timber  on  the  creek  and  sent  for  reinforcements.  In  the 
meantime  one  of  the  men  crept  out  of  the  cabin  under  cover  of  the  dark- 
ness, went  to  the  home  of  a  farmer  well  known  for  his  anti-slavery  sen- 
timents near  by,  and  asked  him  to  go  to  Topeka  and  inform  Col.  John 
Ritchie  that  Brown  was  surrounded  at  the  Fuller  cabin  on  Straight  creek. 
The  messenger  reached  Topeka  on  Sunday  morning,  found  Ritchie  in 
church  and  informed  him  of  the  condition  of  afifairs.  The  minister  dis- 
missed his  congregation  and  preparations  were  at  once  made  to  go  to  the 
rescue.  Much  secrecy  was  maintained,  however,  because  the  free-state 
men  did  not  want  the  Federal  authorities  to  know  that  a  party  was  being 
organized,  or  that  John  Brown  was  in  the  coimtry.  About  a  dozen  men 
left  Topeka,  some  on  foot.  They  traveled  all  night  and  the  next  after- 
noon, Jan.  31,  1859,  reached  Holton,  where  they  were  joined  by  a  few 
others  and  then  pushed  on  toward  Straight  creek. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  cabin,  Brown's  three  companions  were 
hitching  the  horses  to  the  wagon,  while  across  the  creek,  half  a  mile 
away,  lay  Wood's  posse  intrenched  in  rude  rifle  pits  they  had  thrown 
up  to  command  the  ford  and  the  road  leading  to  it.  Upon  learning  that 
Brown  proposed  to  cross  the  ford  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  they  at- 
tempted to  dissuade  him,  saying  that  the  stream  was  high,  the  crossing 
dangerous,  and  that  there  was  a  much  better  ford  5  miles  up  the  creek. 
Brown  said  that  he  intended  to  travel  straight  through,  that  those  who 
were  afraid  might  turn  back  but  he  intended  to  use  the  Fuller  crossing, 
saying,  "The  Lord  has  marked  out  a  path  for  me  and  I  intend  to  follow 
it.     We  are  ready  to  move." 

Some  of  the  men  were  uneasy,  knowing  that  45  intrenched  men  were 
M,'aiting  across  the  creek,  but  with  Brown  in  the  lead,  the  21  men  moved 
into  the  road  and  started  straight  for  the  crossing.  Brown  appeared 
utterly  unaware  of  Wood  and  his  posse,  and  led  the  way  to  the  ford. 
Not  a  shot  was  fired  and  as  the  first  of  the  free-state  party  reached  the 
creek  there  was  noticed  some  commotion  in  the  rifle  pits.  Part  of 
W^ood's  men  ran  back  toward  the  horses,  and  within  a  short  time  nearly 
the  entire  posse  was  retreating  in  wild  panic.  The  Topeka  party  charged 
across  the  creek  to  give  chase  but  found  only  4  men  left  in  the  rifle  pits. 
They  threw  their  arms  on  the  ground  and  informed  Ritchie  that  they 
had  remained  merely  to  show  that  there  were  some  of  the  Wood  party 
who  were  not  afraid.  These  men  were  made  prisoners  and  Brown  pro- 
ceeed  on  his  way  toward  Iowa,  being  accompanied  by  the  Topeka  party 
as  far  as  Seneca. 

Ricliard  Hinton  gave  this  afl^air  the  name  "Battle  of  the  Spurs,"  as 
he  believed  spurs  were  the  most  effective  weapons  used,  not  a  shot 
being  fired  by  either  side,  and  what  promised  to  be  a  serious  afifair  ter- 
minated as  a  farce.     This  bloodless  battle  was  important,  however,  for 


732  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

had  Brown  been  captured  there  probably  would  never  have  been  the 
affair  at  Harper's  Ferry  to  fan  the  slumbering-  blaze  into  open  flame, 
and  the  name  of  the  great  emancipator  would  have  remained  practic- 
all)'  unknown  outside  of  Kansas. 

Squatter  Sovereignty. — The  doctrine  of  "Squatter  Sovereignty"  was 
based  on  the  theory  that  the  people  of  any  state  or  territory  should 
have  the  right  to  regulate  their  domestic  institutions  as  they  might  see 
fit,  particularly  the  institution  of  slavery.  The  idea  was  first  promul- 
gated by  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  on  Dec.  24,  1847,  i"  ^  letter  to  a  Mr.  Nichol- 
son, of  Nashville,  Tenn.  The  Wilmot  Proviso,  which  was  intended  to 
prohibit  slavery  in  the  territory  acquired  as  a  result  of  the  Mexican  war, 
had  been  before  the  country  for  some  time,  and  in  referring  to  this  meas- 
ure in  his  letter  Cass  said :  "I  am  strongly  impressed  with  the  opinion 
that  a  great  change  has  been  going  on  in  the  public  mind  upon  this  sub- 
ject— in  my  own  as  well  as  others — and  that  doubts  are  resolving  them- 
selves into  convictions,  that  the  principle  it  involves  should  be  kept 
out  of  the  national  legislature  and  left  to  the  people  of  the  Confederacy 
in  their  respective  local  governments.  Briefly,  then,  I  am  opposed  to 
the  exercise  of  any  jurisdiction  by  Congress  over  this  matter;  and  am  in 
favor  of  leaving  the  people  of  any  territory  which  may  be  hereafter  ac- 
quired the  right  to  regulate  it  (slavery)  themselves,  under  the  general 
principles  of  the  constitution." 

Three  years  later,  when  the  compromise  measures  known  as  the 
"Omnibus  Bill"  were  passed  by  Congress,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  one  of 
the  United  States  senators  from  Illinois,  voted  for  the  bill  and  was  de- 
clared a  traitor  by  the  Chicago  city  council  on  the  evening  of  Oct.  22, 
1850.  The  next  night  Douglas  spoke  in  the  same  hall,  and  in  explaining 
his  position,  said :  "These  measures  are  predicated  upon  the  great 
fundamental  principle  that  every  people  ought  to  possess  the  right  of 
framing  and  regulating  their  own  internal  concerns  and  domestic  insti- 
tutions in  their  own  way.  .  .  .  These  things  are  all  confided  by 
the  constitution  to  each  state  to  decide  for  itself,  and  I  know  of  no  rea- 
son why  the  same  principle  should  not  be  extended  to  the  territories." 

This  utterance  found  its  way  into  the  public  press,  and  Douglas  has 
been  given  the  credit  of  being  the  originator  of  the  dogma  of  "Squatter 
Sovereignty."  He  embodied  the  idea  in  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  (q.  v.) 
four  years  later,  when  "Squatter  Sovereignty"  became  the  slogan  of 
the  pro-slavery  element.  On  June  10,  1854,  a  Squatters'  Claim  Associa- 
tion was  organized  by  a  number  of  Missourians  in  the  Salt  creek  valley, 
3  miles  from  Leavenworth.  Among  the  principles  and  declarations 
enunciated  were  the  following:  "We  recognize  the  institution  of  slav- 
ery as  already  existing  in  this  territory,  and  recommend  slaveholders  to 
introduce  their  property  as  early  as  possible ;  we  will  afford  no  protec- 
tion to  abolitionists  as  settlers  of  Kansas  Territory ;  that  a  vigilance 
committee  of  thirteen  be  appointed  to  settle  all  disputes." 

Just  two  weeks  later  a  similar  association  was  formed  in  Doniphan 
county,  others  followed  in  dift'erent  parts  of  the  territory,  and  in  Feb., 
1855,  a  paper  called  the  "Squatter  Sovereign"  was  started  at  Atchison. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  '33 


In  his  speech  submitting  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bUl  to  Cpng  es     Doug 
las  declared  the  great  principle  to  be  "non-intervention,     but  in  the  ap 
plication  of  the  idea  the  free-state  advocates  were  given  no  oPPO^^^"/.ty 
to  present  their  side  of  the  case.     In  the  settlement  of  ^  --  ^^^f  ^^ 
k   frequently  happens  that  men  will  go  ,n  advance  °   ^^e  su  veys  of 
public  lands  and  stake  out  claims.     Such  men  are  called     SquaU"s^ 
No  sooner  had  Kansas  been  organized  as  a  terntory,  than  "-ny  o    the 
Missourians  living  near  the  border  rushed  across  the  1  me  ^"d  s  lee  ed 
claims.     In  fact,  some  selections  had  been  made  before  the  organizat  on 
of  the  terntory.     It  was  these   men  who   formed  ^hen-lves  in  o  the 
squatters'  associations,  and  who  endeavored  to  prevent,  by  fo^e  if     ec 
essary,  free-state  men  from  coming  into  Kansas.     Such  was  the  applica 
tion  l\  Mr.  Douglas-  "non-intervention"  idea   which  was  denoun^^ed  by 
Horace  Greeley  on  Jan.  5,  1857,  ^  an  editorial,  when  he  said .       We  hold 
Kansas  a  part  of  the  rightful  domain  of  free  labor    and  we  deny  the 
rioht  of  anv  5,000  men  to  vote  away  the  patrimony  of  5,000,000. 

By  the  time  this  editorial  was  written  the  situation  in  Kansas  was 
well  known  to  the  civilized  world,  but  m  his  inaugural  address  on  March 
;,  1857,  President  Buchanan  "still  clung  to  the  glittering  P'^ti  ude  o 
'Sauatter  Sovereignty.'"  Said  he:  "Congress  is  neither  to  legislate 
slaTeiv  Into  any  territory  or  state,  nor  to  exclude  it  therefrom  b^t  to 
leave  the  people  thereof  perfectly  free  to  form  and  regulate  their  domes 
tic  institutions  in  their  own  way,  subject  only  to   the  constitution  of 

''wSttwfs' generally  accepted  as  true  that  Congress  was  not  to 
introduce  or  exclude  slavery  in  any  of  the  territories  of/he  United 
States  by  legislation,  there  was  nothing  in  the  theory  of  Squatter 
Soverei<^ntv"  to  prevent  the  executive  from  appointing  territorial  offi- 
cia"  who  would  favor  the  cause  of  slavery.  This  was_  done  by  Mr^ 
Buchanan,  and  when  a  territorial  officer  showed  a  disposition  to  give  the 
opponents  of  that  institution  fair  play,  he  was  either  summarily  removed 
or  his  pStion  was  made  so  unpleasant  that  he  would  be  orced  to  resign 
to  retain  his  self-respect.  The  situation  was  well  summed  up  b>  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  in  a  speech  at  Springfield,  111.,  in  June.  1857.  when  he  said^ 
"Look  Douglas,  and  see  yonder  people  flying-see  the  full  columns  of 
brave  men  stopped-see  the  press  and  type  flying  into  Ae  river-and 
tell  me  what  does  this!    It  is  your  Squatter  Sovereignty. 

A  noted  instance  of  the  failure  of  this  beautiful  theory  of  non-inter- 
vention," when  an  attempt  was  made  to  apply  it  in  opposition  to  slavery 
las  in  Feb,  i860.  At  the  preceding  election  the  free-state  men  had 
Trri  d  'he  territory  and  selected  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the 
W  lature.  It  is  fair  to  assume  that  these  legislators,  as  the  authorized 
aw-making  power  of  the  territory,  knew  what  the  peop  e  wanted  n 
Z  way  of  legislation,  and  if  the  people  were  to  be  "perfectly  free  to 
reguTate  their^domestic  institutions  in  their  own  way.'  as  the  dogma 
of  "Squatter  Sovereignty"  taught,  then  the  legislature  certainly  had 
the  right  to  pass  a  law  abolishing  the  institution  of  slavery  in  Kansas. 


734  CVCI.Ol'EDIA    01" 

Yet  such  a  law  was  vetoed  by  Gov.  Medary,  and  when  it  was  passed 
over  his  veto  it  was  declared  unconstitutional  by  Judge  Pettit,  an  ap- 
pointee of  the  pro-slavery  national  administration.  If  the  constitution 
gave  Congress  no  right  to  legislate  slavery  into  a  territory,  or  to  ex- 
clude it  therefrom,  by  what  line  of  constitutional  argument  could  Judge 
Pettit  reach  his  opinion?  Should  the  executive  or  judiciary  department 
of  the  government  have  rights  denied  to  the  legislative — the  department 
which  derives  its  power  direct  from  the  people?  Such  were  the  practical 
workings  of  the  doctrine  of  "Squatter  Sovereignty."  But  a  day  came 
when  the  people  of  Kansas  arose  in  their  might  and  made  a  constitution 
prohibiting  slavery  in  the  state.  Then  came  the  Civil  war,  and  the 
theory  of  "non-intervention"  passed  from  the  stage  of  action. 

Stafford,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Stafford  county, 
is  the  largest  town  in  the  county.  It  is  located  at  the  junction  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  9 
miles  southeast  of  St.  John,  the  county  seat.  It  has  new  and  substantial 
buildings,  the  wide  streets  are  clean  and  shady.  It  is  lighted  by  elec- 
tricity, has  waterworks,  public  library,  2  banks,  a  flour  mill,  grain  ele- 
vators, a  steam  plow  works,  disc  harrow  works,  sled  works,  2  weekly 
newspapers  (the  Courier  and  the  Republican),  hotels,  department  stores, 
professional  men,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international 
money  order  postofifice  with  two  rural  routes.  Stafford  was  founded  in 
1878.  It  had  grown  to  be  quite  a  village  in  1882,  when  it  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  a  cyclone.  The  sod  buildings  were  replaced  within 
a  year  by  frame,  stone  and  brick  structures,  and  the  town  has  continued 
to  prosper.  It  was  a  candidate  for  the  county  seat,  which  was  perma- 
nently located  at  St.  John  in  1882.  Stafford  was  incorporated  in  1885 
with  a  population  of  about  700.    The  population  in  1910  was  1,927. 

Stafford  County,  in  the  southwestern  section  of  the  state,  is  the  third 
county  north  of  the  Oklahoma  line,  and  its  western  border  is  about  175 
miles  east  of  Colorado.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Barton  county ; 
on  the  east  by  Rice  and  Reno ;  on  the  south  by  Pratt,  and  on  the  west 
by  Edwards  and  Pawnee.  The  legislature  of  1870  defined  the  bound- 
aries of  Stafford  county  and  named  it  in  honor  of  Capt.  Lewis  Stafford, 
of  the  First  Kansas  infantry.  In  1875,  in  an  effort  to  obliterate  it,  the 
legislature  gave  a  portion  to  each  of  three  surrounding  counties.  Paw- 
nee, Barton  and  Pratt.  However,  a  strip  6  miles  wide  and  12  miles 
long  remained  and  was  still  called  Stafford.  In  1879  the  supreme  court 
decided  that  the  act  of  the  legislature  dividing  the  county  was  uncon- 
stitutional and  the  original  boundaries  were  restored. 

In  the  meantime  the  settlers  had  been  coming  in  and  improving  the 
land.  The  first  ones  came  in  1874,  among  whom  were,  John  Birbeck, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  R.  Hoole,  whose  son,  born  the  next  year,  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  the  county,  Martin  Fitzpatrick,  James  O'Connor, 
Elisha,  Edward  and  F.  Williamson,  Abraham  Lash,  H.  Campbell,  J.  C. 
Stone,  R'.  M.  Blair,  Jesse  Vickers,  E.  B.  Crawford,  Edwin  Hadlock  and 
W.   Z.    Nutting.     Some    dozen   families   located   the   same   year   in   the 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


735 


eastern  portion  of  the  county,  forming  what  was  known  as  the  }>Iis- 
souri  settlement,  and  a  few  families  located  near  the  site  of  St.  John. 
In  the  spring  of  1875  a  colony  of  Mormons,  comprismg  40  families, 
located  where  St.  John  now  stands  and  founded  Zion  Valley.  A  post- 
office  was  established  there  and  the  prophet  of  the  community,  Wil- 
liam Bickerton,  was  postmaster.  In  1876  a  few  people  moved  into  the 
northeastern  portion  of  the  county,  locating  in  the  vicinity  of  "Salt 
Marsh."  A  company  was  organized  to  manufacture  salt,  but  the  enter- 
prise did  not  pay  and  was'  abandoned.  The  first  school  house  was 
erected  that  year  and  Miss  Ella  Miller  was  the  first  teacher.  During 
the  next  two  years  a  great  many  new  settlers  located  in  the  county  and 
by  1879  the  population  was  sufficient  for  organization. 

In  response  to  a  memorial  Gov.  St.  John  appointed  a  census  taker. 
A  public  meeting  was  held  in  Zion  Valley  church  on  May  31  to  choose 
men  to  be  recommended   to  the   governor   for   temporary   officers   and 
to  decide  upon  a  place  for  temporary  county  seat.    The  governor  acted 
upon  the  choice  made  at  this  meeting  and  in  his  proclamation  issued  in 
July  designated  St.  John  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  appointed 
the  following  officers:     County   clerk,   Frank   G.   Fox;   commisisoners, 
M.  B.  Walker,  Frederick  Baumgardner  and  J.  C.  Townsley.    The  first 
election  was  held  in  August  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following 
officers:     County  clerk,  S.  M.  Nolder;  treasurer,  J.   B.  Smith;  probate 
judge,  George  W.  Hovey ;  register  of  deeds,  Berlin  Zenor ;  sheriff,  J.  W. 
Miles  •  clerk  of  the  district  court,  George  W.  Bausman ;  attorney,  F.  M. 
Morgan ;  coroner,  W.  S.  Tyrrell ;  surveyor,  H.  L.  Fitch ;  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  N.  L.  D.  Smith  ;  commissioners,  G.  M.  Detwiler, 
Frederick  Baumgardner  and  J.  C.  Townsley ;  representative,  C.  M.  John- 
son    The  candidates  for  county  seat  were,  St.  John,  Stafford,  Newburg, 
Livingston  and  Center.    Out  of  a  total  vote  of  822  St.  John  received  411, 
lacking  one  of  having  a  majority.     It  was  continued  as  the  temporary 
county  seat,  and  a  special  election  was  held  on  April  5,  1882,  to  decide 
the  matter.     A  cyclone  struck  Stafford  at  4  p.  m.  that  day,  destroying 
the  ballot  box,  so  that  there  was  no  returns  from  that  township,  and 
another  election  was  ordered  to  be  held  on  April  14.     The  candidates 
were  St.  John,  Stafford  and  Bedford.     No  place  received  a  majority. 
Another  vote  was  taken  on  April  18,  with  Bedford  eliminated.     St.  John 
received  a  majority  and  became  the  permanent  county  seat. 

The  storm  which  destroyed  the  ballot  box  at  Stafford  wrecked  every 
building  and  scattered  household  goods  and  merchants'  stocks  to  the 
four  winds.  It  was  followed  the  same  season  by  a  storm  in  Richland, 
which  killed  and  wounded  a  large  number  of  people,  besides  leaving 
many  families  homeless.  Considerable  property  and  growing  crops 
were  destroyed  in  Hayes  and  Cooper  townships,  but  no  lives  were  lost. 
The  first  newspaper  in  the  county  was  the  Stafford  Citizen,  established 
by  T.  L.  Kerr  in  1877.  At  their  first  meeting  the  commissioners  divided 
the  county  into  7  townships,  Hayes,  Seward,  Lincoln,  St.  John,  Clear 
Creek,    York    and    Stafford.      Cooper   township    was    organized    a    few 


736  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

months  later.  Since  that  time  11  more  have  been  organized,  Albano, 
Byron,  Cleveland,  Douglas,  Fairview,  Farmington,  Ohio,  Putnam,  Rich- 
land, Rose  Valley  and  I'nion.  The  postoffices  are,  Dilhvyn,  Hudson, 
Macksville,  Neola,  St.  John,  Seward,  Stafford  and  Zenith.  A  cut-off 
branch  of  the  .•\tchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad  from  the  main  line 
at  Hutchinson  enters  on  the  eastern  border  and  crosses  west  through 
Stafford  and  St.  John  into  Edwards  county.  A  branch  of  the  Missouri 
Pacific  northwest  from  Winfield  enters  in  the  southeast  and  crosses  west 
and  northwest  into  Pawnee  county. 

The  general  surface  is  rolling  prairie,  well  adapted  to  cultivation. 
Bottom  lands  average  one  mile  in  width  and  comprise  15  per  cent,  of 
the  area.  The  native  timber  is  limited  to  a  few  cottonwoods  along 
Rattlesnake  creek,  which  is  the  principal  stream.  It  enters  in  the  south- 
west, flows  northeast  across  the  center  of  the  county  and  leaves  at  the 
northeast  corner.  There  is  plenty  of  building  stone,  clay  for  bricks  and 
gypsum,  and  a  salt  marsh  is  in  the  northeast. 

In  1882  the  number  of  acres  of  land  under  cultivation  was  142,992. 
The  area  under  cultivation  in  1910  was  370,734.  The  value  of  the  prod- 
ucts in  that  year  was  $3,303,412.  Wheat,  the  leading  crop,  brought 
$1,879,970;  corn,  $626,769;  Kafir  corn,  $91,500;  hay,  $157,636;  animals 
sold  for  slaughter,  $265,071;  poultry  and  eggs,  $76,440;  dairy  products, 
$81,160.  A  great  many  more  sheep  were  raised  in  the  early  days  than 
at  present.  In  1910  the  live  stock  numbered  42,566  head  with  a  valu- 
ation of  $2,382,742.  There  were  35,000  head  of  live  stock  in  1882,  30,000 
of  which  were  sheep.  The  number  of  bearing  fruit  trees  in  1882  was 
7,191  ;  the  number  in  1910  was  120,000.  The  acreage  of  artificial  forest 
in  1882  was  1,244,  the  value  of  farm  implements  in  use  was  $23,496.  The 
assessed  valuation  in  1910  was  $26,622,334.  The  population  in  1880  was 
4,746;  in  1890,  8,520;  in  1900,  9,820;  and  in  1910,  12,510,  showing  a  steady 
increase  by  decades,  although  there  were  years  during  the  '80s  and  '90s 
when  the  population  decreased.  The  average  wealth  per  capita  is  sev- 
eral hundred  dollars  above  the  average  for  the  state. 

Stage  Routes. — With  the  advent  of  the  railroad  the  stage  coach  passed 
out  of  existence,  and  lack  of  authentic  data  at  this  late  date  makes  it 
difficult  to  give  even  an  approximate  history  of  Kansas  stage  lines.  The 
earliest  stage  route  in  what  is  now  Kansas  was  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  over 
which,  in  1849,  ran  a  monthly  line  of  stages  from  St.  Louis  to  Santa 
Fe.  As  the  line  became  popular  the  eastern  terminus  was  moved  west- 
ward to  Independence,  Mo.  Hall  &  Porter  were  the  proprietors  of  the 
line  and  to  meet  the  increasing  demands  of  the  business  later  estab- 
lished a  weekly  line  of  stages,  which  made  the  trip  in  about  15  days. 
The  distance  from  Independence  to  Santa  Fe  was  reckoned  at  about  740 
miles,  and  a  charge  of  $250  was  collected  for  the  trip,  the  passengers 
being  allowed  but  40  pounds  of  baggage.  This  enterprise  had  about 
$50,000  invested  and  carried  the  government  mail,  for  which  an  annual 
compensation  of  $50,000  was  received. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  737 

The  first  overland  mail  stage  west  of  the  Missouri  to  Salt  Lake  was 
inaugurated  on  July  i,  1850,  as  a  monthly  service  and  lasted  four  years. 

John  Butterfield's  Southern  overland  mail  was  operated  from  St. 
Louis  to  San  Francisco,  via  El  Paso,  Yuma  and  Los  Angeles,  and  thus 
avoided  the  snows  of  the  Rockies  encountered  by  the  routes  farther 
north.  This  line  was  2,759  miles  long  and  Butterfield  had  a  schedule 
of  25  days  for  the  trip,  which  later  was  reduced  to  23  days.  The  first 
coaches  started  from  each  end  on  Sept.  15,  1858.  The  line  was  dis- 
continued on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  and  the  equipment  moved 
north  to  the  central  route,  starting  from  St.  Joseph  and  going  west  by 
way  of  the  California  trail.  After  the  close  of  the  war  the  field  covered 
in  southern  and  southwestern  Kansas  by  the  Butterfield  lines  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Southern  Kansas  Stage  company. 

Kansas  City,  on  account  of  its  location  on  the  Missouri  river,  was 
quite  a  stage  center,  and  during  the  latter  'sos  a  line  was  operated  be- 
tween that  city  and  Leavenworth  by  Moore  &  Walker.  Another  line 
ran  from  Kansas  City  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  agency,  the  towns  of  West- 
port,  Olathe,  Gardner,  Bull  Creek,  Black  Jack,  Palmyra,  Prairie  City, 
Boling  City,  Centropolis  and  Minneola  being  intermediate  points.  This 
route  was  75  miles  long  and  the  fare  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  agency  was  $5. 

Col.  Eldridge,  of  Lawrence,  started  a  line  between  Lawrence  and 
Leavenworth  in  1857,  and  another  between  Lawrence  and  Kansas  City, 
running  this  in  opposition  to  one  operated  by  a  Mr.  Richardson.  H.  G. 
Sutherland  and  H.  G.  Weibling  operated  a  line  between  Lawrence  and 
Leavenworth.  Samuel  Reynolds,  of  Lawrence,  started  a  line  in  1857 
between  Lawrence  and  Osawatomie,  via  Prairie  City,  Ottawa,  Jones' 
and  Stanton,  and  a  tri-weekly  line  of  hacks,  operated  by  Kimball,  Moore 
&  Co.,  ran  between  Leavenworth  and  Westport,  Mo. 

A  daily  line  of  stages  between  Leavenworth  and  Lecompton  was 
operated  by  a  man  named  Cass.  This  line  was  about  35  miles  long. 
Fred  Emery  ran  a  weekly  line  of  hacks  between  Leavenworth  and  Junc- 
tion City,  passing  through  Salt  Creek,  Easton,  Hardtville,  Ozawkie, 
Indianola,  Silver  Lake,  Louisville,  Manhattan,  Ogden  and  Fort  Riley. 
A.  G.  Lewis,  of  Leavenworth,  operated  a  line  between  that  city  and 
Atchison,  commencing  about  July  i,  1863,  and  another  line  was  operated 
between  Leavenworth  and  Atchison,  going  by  way  of  Kickapoo.  In 
1864  J.  C.  Crall,  of  Atchison,  started  a  line  of  hacks  to  Leavenworth. 

A  line  of  stages  was  operated  between  Topeka  and  Manhattan  begin- 
ning in  March,  1857.  Coaches  left  Topeka  every  Thursday  morning, 
and  returning  left  Manhattan  the  following  Monday  morning.  A  line 
was  also  started  from  Topeka  to  Lawrence  in  the  same  month,  the  ser- 
vice being  tri-weekly.  Following  the  Pike's  Peak  gold  excitement  a 
daily  line  of  stages  was  run  from  Topeka  to  the  gold  mines,  commencing 
as  early  as  April,  1859. 

In  1859  the  territorial  legislature  granted  articles  of  incorporation  to 
the  Kansas  and  Missouri  River  Stage  company.  In  March,  i860,  the 
Western  Stage  company  had  a  daily  line  of  stages  running  between 
(11-47) 


738  CVCI.OrEDlA    OF 

Atchison  and  Topeka  via  Leconipton.  The  fare  was  $4  from  Topeka 
to  St.  Joseph,  via  stage  Hne  to  Atchison  and  by  rail  the  balance  of  the 
way.  In  April,  i860,  four  lines  of  stages  reached  Topeka,  three  from 
the  Missouri  river  and  one  from  Junction  City.  One  of  these  lines  from 
the  Missouri  river  was  operated  by  the  Kansas  Stage  company,  which 
had  offices  at  Kansas  City,  with  L.  G.  Terry  as  superintendent  and 
James  H.  Roberts  as  agent.  This  route  from  Kansas  City  to  Junction 
City  was  150  miles  long,  for  which  a  $10  fare  was  charged..  The  line 
passed  through  Westport,  Shawnee,  Chillicothe,  Monticello,  Lexington, 
Eudora,  Franklin,  Lawrence,  Lecompton,  Big  Springs,  Tecumseh.  In- 
dianola,  St.  Marys,  Manhattan,  Ogden  and  Fort  Riley. 

About  1862  the  Kansas  Stage  company  started  a  line  from  Junction 
City  to  Fort  Larned,  making  a  through  route  from  Fort  Leavenworth 
to  Fort  Larned  of  about  300  miles.  This  line  ran  up  the  Kaw  valley, 
through  Topeka,  Manhattan,  Fort  Riley,  Junction  City,  Abilene,  Salina 
and  crossed  the  Smoky  Hill  near  the  present  city  of  Ellsworth. 

From  about  1864  to  1868  the  Barlow  &  Sanderson  Overland  Mail 
compan}'  operated  a  line  from  Fort  Larned  to  Fort  La'ou,  Col.  Robert 
M.  Wright,  of  Dodge  City,  built  about  all  the  stations  along  this  route, 
generally  dugouts  about  14  by  20  feet  in  size,  cut  in  the  side  of  a  hill, 
and  located  about  30  miles  apart.  The  line  ran  along  the  north  side  of 
the  Arkansas  river  and  the  stations,  commencing  with  Fort  Larned, 
were  at  Coon  creek;  on  the  Little  Coon  on  a  line  drawn  direct  between 
F"ort  Larned  and  Fort  Dodge ;  a  temporary  station  between  Coon  creek 
and  Blanco  Arroyo ;  Fort  Dodge ;  Cimarron  station  (about  4  miles  west 
of  the  present  town)  ;  Bluf¥  station,  near  the  site  of  Pierceville;  Aubrey, 
at  the  fort  of  that  name  on  the  boundary  between  Hamilton  and  Ivearny 
counties ;  Pleasant  or  Pretty  Encampment,  about  4  miles  east  of  the 
Kansas  line  in  Hamilton  county  and  located  in  a  nearly  inclosed  bend 
of  the  river;  Sand  Creek,  at  the  mouth  of  that  stream,  and  Fort  Lyon 
between  Graveyard  and  Limestone  creeks. 

In  1866  the  Southern  Kansas  Stage  company  was  running  a  line 
of  coaches  from  Lawrence  and  Topeka,  in  connection  with  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad,  to  all  the  principal  villages  in  southern  and  south- 
western Kansas.  A  daily  line  left  Lawrence  for  Baldwin  City,  Ohio 
City,  lola.  Twin  Mound,  Waterloo,  Paola,  Prairie  City,  Garnett,  Hum- 
boldt, Ridgeway,  Emporia,  Mound  City,  Ottawa,  Carlyle,  Burlingame, 
Burlington,  Council  Grove  and  Fort  Scott.  Henry  Tisdale  was  super- 
intendent and  Jacob  Pike  was  agent  at  Lawrence.  G.  L.  Terry  was 
superintendent  at  Leavenworth. 

The  Fort  Scott  Stage  compan}'  operated  a  line  between  Fort  Scott  and 
Kansas  City,  the  route  from  the  latter  city  south  passing  through  West- 
port,  Little  Santa  Fe,  Squiresville,  Spring  Hill,  Paola,  Osawatomie, 
Twin  Springs,  Brooklj-n,  Paris,  Moneka,  Mound  City,  Dayton,  Maple- 
ton,  Osage,  Fort  Scott  and  Warrenton.  The  distance  from  Fort  Scott 
to  Kansas  City  was  122  miles  and  the  fare  was  $11. 

Fort  Scott  was  once  quite  an  important  stage  center.     As  late  as  1869 


KANSAS    HISTORY  739 

ten  stage  lines  ran  out  of  there  as  follows:  One  to  the  Missouri  river 
operated  daily,  along  the  line  of  the  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  railroad ;  another 
daily  line  to  Pleasant  Hill,  Mo.,  by  Barlow,  Sanderson  &  Co.;  A.  P. 
Bland  ran  a  line  to  the  Missouri  river ;  Parker  &  Tisdale,  a  daily  line 
to  Humboldt  on  or  near  the  5th  standard  parallel,  and  a  tri-weekly  line 
to  Ottawa  and  Chetopa ;  the  Kansas  Stage  company  a  daily  line  to 
Fort  Gibson,  Ind.  Ter. ;  \A'illiam  Smalley,  a  daily  line  to  Osage  Mission ; 
Parker  &  Smith,  a  tri-weekly  line  to  Carthage,  Mo.,  and  a  man  named 
Arnold,  a  tri-weekly  line  to  Lamar,  Mo. 

The  Jones  Express  ran  from  Leavenworth  up  the  north  side  of  the 
Kansas  river  to  Fort  Riley  and  Junction  City,  the  enterprise  being 
started  about  1859,  and  a  daily  coach  left  Junction  City  for  Denver. 
This  route  was  located  on  the  divide  between  the  Republican  river  and 
Chapman's  creek,  the  intention  being  to  make  it  as  nearly  an  air  line 
to  Denver  as  possible. 

Stanley,  a  village  in  the  eastern  part  of  Johnson  county,  is  located  on 
the  Kansas  City,  Clinton  &  Springfield  R.  R.,  8  miles  southeast  of 
Olathe,  the  county  seat.  It  is  one  of  the  new  towns  which  has  grown 
up  since  the  building  of  the  railroad,  and  is  the  shipping  and  supply 
town  for  a  rich  farming  district  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county. 
There  are  several  general  stores,  an  implement  and  hardware  house, 
hotel,  lumber  yard,  money  order  postofifice,  telegraph  and  express  facili- 
ties, public  school  and  churches.  It  is  one  of  the  progressive  towns  of 
the  border  counties  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  200. 

Stanley,  William  E.,  v^'ho  succeeded  John  W.  Leedy  as  governor  of 
Kansas  in  Jan.,  1899,  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  Dec.  28,  1844. 
When  in  the  second  year  of  his  age,  his  parents  removed  to  Hardin 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  Plis  father  was  a  physician 
and  an  influential  citizen,  and  from  him  the  son  inherited  many  of  those 
traits  of  character  that  later  aided  him  to  make  his  mark  among  men. 
After  attending  the  common  schools,  Gov.  Stanle)'  took  part  of  the 
course  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  leaving 
school  there  to  enter  the  law  office  of  Bain  &  King  at  Kenton.  Subse- 
quently he  read  law  with  the  well  known  firm  of  Conover  &  Craighead, 
of  Dayton,  and  in  1868  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Two  years  later  he  re- 
moved to  Jefferson  county,  Kan.,  and  soon  after  locating  there  he  was 
elected  county  attorney.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Wichita,  and  for  three 
terms  he  served  as  county  attorney  of  Sedgwick  county.  He  was  then 
elected  to  represent  that  county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legisla- 
ture, where  his  record  was  such  that  Gov.  Morrill  tendered  him  an 
appointment  as  judge  of  the  court  of  appeals,  but  it  was  declined.  At 
the  Republican  state  convention  at  Hutchinson,  in  1898,  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  governor,  and  at  the  election  in  November  defeated  John  W. 
Leedy,  who  was  the  Populist  candidate  for  reelection.  In  1900  he  was 
again  nominated  by  his  party,  and  this  time  defeated  John  W.  Breiden- 
thal  by  an  increased  majority  over  that  which  he  had  received  two  years 
before.     Upon  retiring  from  the  governor's  office  he  resumed  his  law 


740  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

practice  at  Wichita,  and  continued  to  follow  that  profession  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  on  Oct.  13,  1910.  In  1876  Mr.  Stanley  married 
Miss  Emma  L.  Hillis,  of  Wichita. 

Stanley's  Administration. — Gov.  Stanley  was  inaugurated  on  Jan.  9, 
1899,  'Tid  the  next  day  witnessed  the  commencement  of  the  eleventh 
biennial  session  of  the  state  legislature.  Lieut. -Gov.  H.  E.  Richter,  by 
virtue  of  his  office,  became  president  of  the  senate,  and  S.  J.  Osborn  was 
elected  speaker  of  the  house.  The  administration  of  Gov.  Stanley  may 
be  said  to  mark  the  beginning  of  a  reaction  in  both  industrial  and  po- 
litical affairs.  The  country  was  just  recovering  from  the  effects  of  the 
panic  of  1893,  and  especially  were  the  people  of  Kansas  beginning  to 
enjoy  the  blessings  and  benefits  of  the  new-born  era  of  prosperity. 

"No  state,"  said  Gov.  Stanley  in  his  message,  "ever  realized  in  its 
experience  the  sentiment  contained  in  its  motto  more  fully  than  our 
own.  We  are  reaching  the  highlands  of  prosperity,  but  we  have  come 
up  out  of  lowlands  of  adversity.  The  period  of  speculation  from  1883 
largely  swallowed  up  or  forced  to  leave  the  state  by  the  reaction  and 
to  1888  caused  the  inflow  of  large  sums  of  foreign  capital,  which  were 
depression  which  followed ;  and  as  a  consequence  we  were,  for  the  first 
time  in  our  history,  compelled  to  rely  upon  our  own  resources.  During 
the  speculative  period  Eastern  capital  sought  investment  in  the  state — 
largely  in  the  way  of  loans  on  real  estate — and  when  the  reaction  came 
nearly  all  our  farms  and  much  of  our  city  property  were  mortgaged  for 
more  than  the  actual  value,  and  most  of  the  money  obtained  was 
invested  and  lost  in  speculation.  It  seems  strange  that  so  intelligent  a 
people  as  our  own  would  incur  such  a  large  indebtedness  as  they  did 
for  a  few  years  prior  to  1890,  and  largely  for  speculative  purposes. 

"The  condition  which  confronted  the  people  of  Kansas  in  1890  was 
discouraging,  and  would  have  deterred  a  people  less  courageous,  indus- 
trious and  frugal  than  our  own ;  but  with  the  readiness  and  willingness 
which  have  always  characterized  them,  they  proceeded  to  the  work  of 
discharging  their  indebtedness  and  building  up  waste  places  without  the 
aid  of  outside  capital.  .  .  .  Public  indebtedness  has  been,  and  is 
being  largely  reduced,  and  it  can  be  safely  said  that  the  end  of  the  long 
night  of  our  own  folly  is  at  hand,  and,  when  the  morning  comes,  we  will 
greet  it  all  the  more  cordially,  because  even  in  the  dark  night  of  our 
misfortune  we  did  not  yield  to  the  clamor  to  compromise  our  individual 
honesty  or  the  honor  of  the  state." 

Concerning  the  revival  of  business  about  this  time,  Prentis  sa3's : 
"A  singular  feature  of  the  recovery  in  the  'boom  towns,'  which,  in  their 
speculative  days,  had  scattered  their  houses  over  a  large  area,  was  their 
practical  consolidation.  Houses  which  had  stood  in  empty  desolation  in 
the  midst  of  boundless  'additions'  were  removed  nearer  to  the  actual 
center  of  population,  renovated  and  repaired,  and  became  again  places 
of  business  and  the  homes  of  men." 

In  his  message  the  governor,-  quoting  from  the  report  of  the  secretary 
of  the  state  board  of  agriculture,  announced  that  the  value  of  the  crops 


KANSAS    HISTORY  741 

of  Kansas  for  the  year  1898  amounted  to  $151,923,823;  value  of  live 
stock,  $113,227,923,  a  total  of  $265,151,756,  or  nearly  $200  for  each  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  state.  With  regard  to  the  values  of  mineral 
products  for  the  year  1898,  coal  led  with  a  value  of  $4,000,000,  others 
ranking  in  the  following  order:  Lead  and  zinc,  over  $2,000,000;  salt, 
$420,000;  clay  products,  $275,000;  gypsum,  $250,000;  oil  and  gas,  $250,- 
000;  building  stone,  $175,000.  The  governor  also  gave  an  exhaustive 
review  of  the  state  institutions  and  banking  interests,  all  of  which  he 
reported  .to  be  in  a  healthy  and  prosperous  condition. 

After  the  collapse  of  the  "boom"  in  1887,  and  during  the  period  of 
depression  which  followed,  the  people  became  discouraged  and  discon- 
tented, and  sought  relief  in  political  action.  Numerous  labor  organiza- 
tions sprang  into  existence;  the  Farmers'  Alliance  (q.  v.)  spread  over 
the  country ;  corporations,  particularly  the  railroad  companies,  were 
charged  with  being  contributory  to  the  cause  of  the  industrial  depres- 
sion, and  all  this  discontent  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  People's 
or  Populist  party,  which  gave  Kansas  two  governors  in  the  decade  end- 
ing in  1900,  one  of  them.  Gov.  John  W.  Leedy,  having  been  Gov.  Stan- 
ley's immediate  predecessor  in  office.  A  special  session  ot  the  legisla- 
ture, called  by  Gov.  Leedy,  adjourned  on  the  day  that  Gov.  Stanley 
was  inaugurated.  It  enacted  the  law  creating  the  "Court  of  Visitation," 
instead  of  the  old  board  of  railroad  commissioners,  and  vesting  it  with 
inquisitorial  and  almost  imperial  powers. 

Gov.  Stanley  advised  a  more  conservative  policy.  "For  years,"  said 
he,  "there  have  been  unfriendly  relations  existing  between  the  railroads 
and  the  people  of  this  state,  during  which  the  railroad  question  has  been 
the  source  of  animated  discussion,  sometimes  resulting  in  bitter  antag- 
onism." 

Then,  after  showing  how  the  railroads  had  aided  in  building  up  the 
state  by  advertising  its  resources,  thus  encouraging  immigration ;  that 
they  had  borne  their  full  share  of  the  burden  of  taxation,  paying  more 
than  all  the  personal  property  of  the  state  and  one-third  as  much  as  all 
the  taxable  lands  of  the  state;  that  they  employed  about  30,000  people 
and  paid  out  about  $15,000,000  annua-lly  in  wages,  he  continued: 

"It  seems  strange  that  agencies  which  have  done  so  much  for  the 
state,  are  now  bearing  such  a  large  part  of  its  burdens  and  furnishing 
employment  to  so  many  of  its  laborers  should  be  met  by  the  people  in 
a  spirit  of  unfriendliness,  if  not  of  hostility ;  yet  it  is  apparent  that  such 
a  spirit  exists.  The  causes  for  this  condition  are  numerous.  On  the  one 
hand,  the  political  demagogue  has  been  constant,  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  in  inciting  the  people  against  the  railroads,  that  he  might  gain 
personal  or  political  advantage.  On  the  other,  the  railroad  manage- 
ment has  afforded  ample  ground  for  the  discontent  which  exists.  1 1 
can  hardly  be  hoped  that  there  will  be  a  reestablishment  of  the  old-time 
relations  of  cordiality  and  good  will  while  those  reasons  remain.  The 
railway  companies  have  large  sums  invested  in  Kansas,  and  should  be 
allowed  to  realize  a  reasonable  profit  on  the  amount  invested.    The  peo- 


74-  CYCI.OI'KDIA    OF 

pie  of  the  state  are  too  fair-minded  to  limit  the  rate  of  transportation 
over  the  railroad  lines  so  as  to  cripple  the  companies,  prevent  them  from 
realizing  a  reasonable  income  on  their  capital,  or  from  paj-ing  to  the 
great  army  of  laboring  men  whom  they  employ  good  wages.  They  be- 
lieve, however,  that  the  railroad  companies  have  discriminated  against 
Kansas  communities,  and  out  of  this  belief  has  grown  much  of  the  feel- 
ing of  dissatisfaction  which  now  prevails." 

Gov.  Stanley  was  not  blind  to  the  fact  that  the  "feeling  of  dissatisfac- 
tion" was  of  several  years  standing,  as  shown  by  the  following  quota- 
tion from  Gov.  Martin's  message  of  1889:  "Appeals  to  the  justice  and 
fairness  of  many  railroad  managers  have  been  tried  again  and  again  for 
man\'  years,  and  have  failed  to  accomplish  any  important  results.  It  is 
time  to  try  what  stringent  laws,  backed  by  determined  public  sentiment, 
will  do." 

Gov.  Leedy  came  in  for  some  severe  criticism  for  calling  the  special 
session  so  near  the  close  of  his  term  of  ofSce.  "The  convocation  of 
the  legislature,"  said  Gov.  Stanley  in  his  message,  "such  a  short  time 
before  the  regular  session,  and  such  a  short  time  after  the  people  had 
rendered  their  verdict,  in  violation  of  the  spirit  if  not  the  letter  of  the 
constitution,  to  perform  legislative  acts,  every  one  of  which  would  be 
of  doubtful  validity,  was  establishing  a  dangerous  precedent,  and  was  a 
menace  to  the  cause  of  popular  government." 

Notwithstanding  these  views.  Gov.  Stanley  showed  a  disposition  to 
uphold  and  enforce  the  laws  passed  by  that  session,  ^^'ith  regard  to 
the  act  creating  the  court  of  visitation,  he  said :  "The  new  law  just 
passed  at  the  special  session  is  entitled  to  a  fair  trial.  If  called  into  use 
for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  rights  or  redressing  wrongs,  it  is  hoped  that 
its  provisions  may  be  ample ;  but  I  would  expect  better  results  if  an  hon- 
est attempt  had  been  made  to  adjust  matters  along  friendly  lines,  legal 
methods  being  resorted  to  only  when  friendly  methods  fail.  I  am  satis- 
fied that  the  people  are  fair,  and  will  meet  the  railroad  companies  half- 
way. If  the  managers  of  the  railroad  companies  are  willing  to  have  an 
equitable  adjustment  of  the  difficulties  which  exist,  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  representatives  of  the  people  will  be  equally  willing  to  meet  them 
on  a  basis  of  fairness,  and  I  think  we  could  accomplish  in  two  years  of 
effort  in  this  direction  more  than  we  have  accomplished  in  a  decade  of 
strife  and  contention." 

On  the  subject  of  state  finances  he  showed  that  on  Dec.  28,  1896,  there 
was  a  balance  in  the  general  fund  of  $190,000,  which  had  dwindled  to 
about  $26,000  on  Dec.  28,  1898.  A  large  number  of  the  officers  and  em- 
ployees of  the  state  under  the  previous  administration  complained  to 
Gov.  Stanley  that  the  legislature  had  failed  to  make  the  necessary  ap- 
propriations for  the  payment  of  their  salaries.  Neither  had  the  preceding 
legislature  made  sufficient  appropriations  for  the  settlement  of  the 
Ouantrill  raid  claims,  and  the  expenses  of  the  special  session  amounted 
to  about  $150,000.  "This  condition,"  said  he,  "renders  it  altnost  certain 
that  before  funds  can  be  derived  from  a  new  tax  lew  the  monev  received 


KANSAS    HISTORY  743 

under  the  old  one  will  be  paid  out  and  the  obligations  of  the  state  will 
again  be  dishonored.  The  credit  of  the  state  is  of  too  much  importance 
to  be  impaired,  and  the  neglect  to  meet  the  legitimate  demands  made 
upon  it,  even  for  a  day,  affects  its  credit." 

To  meet  this  condition  of  affairs  the  legislature  passed  a  bill  author- 
izing the  auditor  of  state  to  draw  warrants  in  various  amounts,  aggre- 
gating $38,109.58,  for  the  payment  of  salaries  that  were  in  arrears,  and 
another  deficiency  bill  provided  for  a  shortage  of  $55,000  in  the  state 
printing  department.  An  appropriation  of  $21,073.90  was  made  to  repay 
certain  persons,  firms  and  corporations,  who,  at  the  request  of  Gov. 
Leedy,  had  advanced  that  amount  to  provide  for  an  exhibit  of  Kansas 
products  at  the  Trans-Mississippi  exposition  at  Omaha,  Neb.,  in  1898. 
(See  Expositions.) 

The  governor  also  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  growth  of  the 
state's  institutions  demanded  a  larger  expenditure  of  money.  Previous 
legislatures  had  been  reluctant  to  raise  the  tax  levy,  but  he  suggested 
there  were  but  two  ways  by  which  the  larger  revenues  necessary  could 
be  obtained,  and  those  were  either  to  make  a  higher  levy  or  assess  all 
property  at  a  higher  rate.  As  a  measure  of  economy,  he  advised  the  abo- 
lition of  a  number  of  useless  offices,  especially  those  of  labor  commis- 
sioner, forestry  commissioner,  state  accountant  and  the  board  of  par- 
dons, and  the  discontinuance  of  the  forestrj-  stations  in  the  western  part 
of  the  state.  None  of  his  recommendations  in  these  matters  was  accepted 
by  the  legislature. 

Acts  were  passed  during  the  session  appropriating  $190,000  for  a  twine 
plant  at  the  penitentiary ;  creating  a  traveling  libraries  commission  and 
appropriating  $2,000  therefor;  removirig  by  a  general  law  the  political 
disabilities  imposed  by  the  constitutional  amendment  of  Nov.  5,  1867; 
levying  a  tax  of  one-fourth  of  a  mill  on  the  dollar  for  the  years  1899  and 
1900  for  the  completion  of  the  state-house  at  Topeka ;  and  appropriating 
$20,000,  or  so  much  thereof  as  might  be  necessary,  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  raising,  equipping,  subsisting  and  transporting  troops  for  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  and  a  constitutional  amendment  providing  for  four  addi- 
tional supreme  court  justices  was  submitted  to  the  people  at  the  gen- 
eral election  in  1900. 

P>}'  the  provisions  of  the  act  creating  the  court  of  visitation  the  gov- 
ernor was  authorized  to  appoint  three  judges  constituting  the  court  on 
the  first  Monday  in  April,  1899.  When  that  time  arrived  Gov.  Stanley 
appointed  William  A.  Johnson  of  Garnett,  John  C.  Postlethwaite  of 
Jewell  City,  and  A.  J.  Myatt  of  Wichita.  Soon  afterward  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  company  brought  an  action  in  the  United  States  cir- 
cuit court  to  test  the  validity  of  the  court,  which  resulted  in  its  being 
declared  unconstitutional. 

While  the  political  campaign  of  1900  was  not  as  bitter  as  some  of 
those  that  preceded  it,  there  was  no  lack  of  interest.  Conventions  for 
the  purpose  of  selecting  delegates  to  the  presidential  conventions  were 
held  by  the  Populists  at  Clay  Center  on  April  24;  by  the  Republicans  at 


744  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Topeka  on  May  i6;  and  by  the  Democrats  at  Wichita  on  May  23.  The 
Republican  convention  also  nominated  for  reelection  all  the  state  officers 
elected  in  1898  and  completed  the  ticket  by  the  choice  of  William  A. 
Johnston  for  associate  justice,  Charles  F.  Scott  for  Congressman  at 
large,  and  W.  V.  Church  for  insurance  commissioner.  This  was  the 
first  time  that  the  insurance  commissioner  was  elected  by  vote  of  the 
people.  The  platform  adopted  by  the  Republican  convention  indorsed 
President  McKinley's  administration ;  congratulated  the  country  on  the 
adoption  and  maintenance  of  the  gold  standard ;  declared  against  trusts, 
and  denounced  the  disfranchisement  of  negro  voters  in  some  of  the 
Southern  states. 

On  July  4  delegates  from  the  Populists,  Democrats,  and  free  silver 
Republicans,  met  at  Fort  Scott  to  nominate  a  fusion  ticket.  John  W. 
Breidenthal  was  nominated  for  governor;  A.  M.  Harvey,  lieutenant- 
governor;  Abram  Franks,  secretary  of  state;  E.  J.  Westgate,  auditor; 
Conway  Marshall,  treasurer;  Hugh  P.  Farrelly,  attorney-general;  Levi 
G.  Humbarger,  superintendent  of  public  instruction ;  David  Martin,  asso- 
ciate justice;  J.  D.  Botkin,  Congressman  at  large;  Webb  McNall,  com- 
missioner of  insurance.  Of  these  candidates  Franks,  Marshall  and  Far- 
relly were  Democrats;  Martin  and  McNall  were  free  silver  Republicans, 
and  the  others  were  Populists.  The  platform  indorsed  the  candidacy  of 
Bryan  and  Stevenson  for  president  and  vice-president,  and  the  resolu- 
tions adopted  by  the  Kansas  City  convention. 

The  Prohibition  state  ticket  was  as  follows:  Governor,  Frank  Hol- 
singer;  lieutenant-governor,  W.  L.  Coryell;  secretary  of  state,  B.  H. 
Moore;  auditor,  W.  M.  Howie;  treasurer,  H.  C.  Zink;  attorney-general 
M.  V.  B.  Bennett;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  G.  I.  Winans; 
Congressman  at  large,  B.  C.  Hoyt ;  associate  justice,  no  nomination; 
superintendent  of  insurance,  A.  H.  Griesa. 

Although  the  Social  Labor  candidate  for  governor  in  1898  received 
but  635  votes  in  the  entire  state,  the  party  was  apparently  not  discour- 
aged, as  it  again  presented  a  full  state  ticket  in  1900,  to  wit :  For  gov- 
ernor, G.  C.  Clemens;  lieutenant-governor,  C.  I^.  Mitchell;  secretary  of 
state,  J.  W.  Forest;  auditor,  W.  L.  Nixon;  treasurer,'  Charles  A.  Gor- 
don; attorney-general,  Charles  W.  Gorsuch ;  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  Frankie  S.  Mayberry;  associate  justice,  A.  A.  Carnahan ; 
Congressman  at  large,  F.  E.  Miller;  superintendent  of  insurance,  T.  J. 
Maxwell. 

During  the  campaign  Theodore  Roosevelt,  the  Republican  candidate 
for  vice-president,  visited  Kansas  and  made  several  speeches  in  the  prin- 
cipal cities,  being  cordially  received  wherever  he  went. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  6  the  highest  vote  received  by  any  of  the 
candidates  for  presidential  elector  was  185,955,  which  number  was 
received  by  A.  W.  Smith  on  the  Republican  ticket.  The  next  highest 
was  162,601  for  Joseph  B.  Fugate  on  the  Fusion  ticket.  C.  H.  Strong 
on  the  Prohibition  ticket  received  3,605;  and  B.  C.  Sanders  on  the  Social 
Labor   ticket    received    1,605.      For   governor,   Stanley   received    181.893 


KANSAS    HISTORY  745 

votes;  Breidenthal,  164,793;  Holsinger,  2,651;  and  Clemens,  1,258.  The 
constitutional  amendment  providing  for  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
supreme  court  justices  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  123,721  to  35,474.  Pur- 
suant to  the  provisions  of  the  law  submitting  the  amendment,  Gov. 
Stanley  appointed  as  the  four  additional  justices  A.  H.  Ellis  of  Beloit, 
J.  C.  Pollock  of  Winfield,  A.  L.  Greene  of  Newton,  and  E.  W.  Cunning- 
ham of  Emporia.  The  new  justices  entered  upon  their  duties  on  Jan. 
13,  1901. 

Gov.  Stanley's  second  administration  began  with  his  inauguration  on 
the  second  Monday  in  Jan.,  1901,  and  the  general  assembly  began  its 
twelfth  biennial  session  on  the  second  Tuesday.  Lieut.-Gov.  Richter 
again  presided  over  the  senate,  and  George  J.  Barker  was  elected  speaker 
of  the  house.  In  his  message  the  governor  congratulated  the  people  of 
the  state  on  the  prosperity  they  had  enjoyed  during  the  two  years  of  his 
first  administration,  but  without  claiming  any  special  credit  either  for 
himself  or  his  party  as  the  cause  of  that  prosperity.  He  presented  sta- 
tistics to  show  that  the  number  of  school  children  had  increased  from 
495,949  to  508,854;  the  value  of  farm  products  and  live  stock  from  $265,- 
151,756  to  $331,254,159;  the  bank  deposits  from  $44,847,255  to  $61,368,- 
637 ;  the  public  debt  has  been  decreased  over  $3,000,000,  and  estimated 
that  the  people  had  paid  off  mortgages  to  the  amount  of  $8,000,000.  Over 
10,000  students  were  enrolled  in  the  universities  and  colleges  of  the 
state,  and  in  the  two  years  340  new  public  school  buildings  had  been 
erected.  On  the  other  hand  there  had  been  little  or  no  increase  in  crime, 
as  the  number  of  inmates  in  the  penitentiary  was  very  few  more  than 
in   1899. 

On  the  subject  of  railroad  legislation,  the  governor  said :  "The  laws 
creating  the  'court  of  visitation'  having  been  declared  unconstitutional, 
and  the  act  relating  to  the  board  of  railroad  commissioners  having  been 
repealed,  it  remains  for  the  present  legislature  to  enact  a  law  creating 
a  board  with  all  the  powers  possible  within  the  limits  of- the  constitu- 
tion, enabling  it  to  adjust  rates  of  transportation  within  the  state  and 
to  settle  and  adjust  all  differences  arising  between  the  railroads  and  ship- 
pers, and  such  other  questions  as  may  from  time  to  time  arise  in  the 
operation  of  the  railroads  as  common  carriers  and  their  relation  as  such 
to  the  people." 

In  response  to  this  portion  of  the  message,  the  legislature  passed  a 
comprehensive  law  of  41  sections,  creating  a  new  board  of  railroad  com- 
missioners and  defining  its  duties.  This  law  was  approved  by  Gov. 
Stanley  on  Feb.  26,  1901.     (See  Railroad  Commission.) 

When  it  was  learned  that  the  Twentieth  Kansas  was  on  the  way  home 
from  the  Philippines,  a  movement  was  started  to  have  the  members  of 
that  regiment  transported  from  San  Francisco  to  their  homes  without 
expense  to  themselves.  Gov.  Stanley  therefore  made  arrangements  with 
the  railroad  companies  to  bring  the  men  from  .San  Francisco  to  Kansas, 
and  in  his  message  of  1901  made  the  following  report  of  the  transaction: 
"The  expense  of  returning  the  soldiers  from  San  Francisco  to  their  sev 


746  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

eral  homes  in  the  state  will  be  presented  by  itemized  bills,  and  will 
amount,  in  round  numbers,  to  $47,000.  An  appropriation  ought  to  be 
made  to  reimburse  the  railroad  companies  for  this  expenditure." 

In  accordance  with  this  recommendation,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
S&nta  Fe  railroad  received  an  appropriation  of  $41,335.62;  other  rail- 
road companies,  $813.59,  and  for  the  transportation  of  115  individual 
members  who  were  unable  to  accompany  the  regiment,  $4,312.50,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  $46,561.61.     (See  Spanish-American  War.) 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  an  agitation  was  begun 
in  various  parts  of  the  country  in  favor  of  good  roads.  This  matter  was 
brought  before  the  legislature  by  the  governor  in  the  following  sugges- 
tion:  "Little  has  been  done  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  public  high- 
ways of  the  state.  In  many  localities  the  condition  of  our  natural  roads 
is  good ;  in  others,  bad.  Therefore,  the  need  for  good  roads  may  be 
very  much  more  pressing  in  one  locality  than  another.  If  the  county 
and  township  boards  were  given  additional  power  in  the  collection  and 
expenditure  of  public  money  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the  highways 
in  their  respective  counties  and  townships,  it  would  enable  such  boards 
to  improve  the  condition  of  the  roads  where  such  improvements  were 
most  needed,  and  largely  reduce  the  cost  of  transporting  our  farm  prod- 
ucts to  market.  I  ask  your  consideration  of  this  question,  and  trust  the 
initial  steps  may  be  taken  to  secure  these  much  needed  improvements." 

The  legislature  was  in  full  sympathy  with  the  executive  on  this  ques- 
tion, and  on  Feb.  14  the  governor  approved  an  act  providing  that  in 
counties  having  a  population  of  8,000  or  more  the  county  commissioners 
should  submit  to  the  people  the  question  of  levying  a  tax  of  not  more 
than  two  mills  on  the  dollar,  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  five  years,  to 
create  a  fund  for  the  improvement  of  roads,  the  commissioners  to  have 
exclusive  control  of  the  construction  and  improvement  of  the  roads,  sub- 
ject to  the  provisions  of  the  act.     (See  Roads.) 

The  governor  also  recommended  an  amendment  to  the  election  laws, 
so  that  no  candidate's  name  should  appear  on  the  ballot  in  more  than 
one  place.  "If  a  candidate's  name  appears  once  upon  the  ballot,"  said 
he,  "it  gives  every  elector  an  opportunity  of  voting  for  him  for  the  office 
which  he  seeks,  and  it  should  appear  only  once.  Fusion  is  a  fraud  and 
should  not  be  tolerated.    Fusion  of  principles  is  impossible." 

On  Jan.  23  Joseph  R.  Burton  was  elected  United  States  senator  to 
succeed  Lucien  Baker,  his  term  beginning  on  March  4,  1901.  By  the  act 
of  Feb.  9,  the  Fort  Hays  military  reservation  was  accepted  as  a  dona- 
tion from  Congress ;  an  act  was  passed  providing  for  the  organization, 
government  and  compensation  of  the  state  militia;  a  "Louisiana  Pur- 
chase Centennial  Commission"  was  created  and  $75,000  appropriated  for 
its  use  during  the  fiscal  years  1901-02  in  collecting  materials  for  a  Kan- 
sas exhibit  at  St.  Louis;  a  liquor  law,  known  as  the  "Hurrell  law."  was 
enacted,  giving  the  authorities  the  right  to  search  premises  for  intoxi- 
cating liquors  and  to  confiscate  such  liquors,  but  in  a  test  case,  brought 
before  Judge  Z.  T.   Hazen  of  the  Third  district  court  in   Topeka,  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  747 

court  held  the  law  unconstitutional;  and  provisions  were  made  for  the 
purchase  of  a  governor's  residence  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  $30,000.  Lib- 
eral appropriations  were  made  for  the  support  of  the  state's  educational 
institutions,  especially  in  the  appropriation  of  $75,000  for  a  museum 
building  for  the  state  university,  and  $60,000  for  a  library  for  the  state 
normal  school. 

This  legislature  also  accepted  from  Elizabeth  A.  and  George  Johnson 
the  title  to  11  acres  of  ground  in  Republic  county,  where  Lieut.  Pike 
first  raised  the  United  States  flag  in  Kansas,  and  appropriated  $3,000 
"to  fence  and  suitably  mark  the  premises  by  a  monument  to  commem- 
orate the  event."  The  corner-stone  of  the  monument  was  laid  on  July 
4,  1901,  when  addresses  were  delivered  by  J.  C.  Price,  president  of  the 
Pawnee  Republic  Historical  Society;  Henry  T.  Mason,  of  Garden  City; 
and  Margaret  Hill  McCarter,  of  Topeka.  On  Sept.  30  the  monument  was 
dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  It  is  a  graceful  shaft  of  Barry 
granite,  27  feet  high,  and  bears  the  inscription :  "Erected  by  the  State  of 
Kansas,  1901,  to  mark  the  site  of  the  Pawnee  Republic,  where  Lieut. 
Zebulon  M.  Pike  caused  the  Spanish  flag  to  be  lowered  and  the  flag  of 
the  United  States  to  be  raised,  September  29.  1806."  Six  acres  of  the 
eleven  were  inclosed  by  an  iron  fence,  inside  of  which  the  rings  of  the 
tepees  can  still  be  traced. 

A  few  instances  of  disorder  disturbed  the  peace  of  Kansas  during  the 
year  1901.  On  Jan.  15  a  negro  named  Fred  Alexander  was  arrested  at 
Leavenworth  for  assaulting  a  woman  on  the  street,  and  was  taken  to 
the  penitentiary  for  safe-keeping.  On  the  15th  he  was  brought  back  to 
Leavenworth,  when  a  mob  took  him  from  the  custody  of  the  sheriff  and 
burned  him  at  a  stake.  The  site  of  this  tragedy  was  in  a  ravine  near  the 
city,  where  the  dead  body  of  a  Miss  Forbes  had  been  found  the  preced- 
ing autumn,  the  negro  being  charged  with  her  murder.  The  military 
companies  at  Topeka  and  Lawrence  were  held  in  readiness  to  assist  the 
sheriflf  in  preserving  order,  but  no  call  came. 

On  March  18  there  was  a  mutiny  among  the  convicts  employed  in  the 
coal  mines  at  the  penitentiary.  About  noon  the  284  convicts  down  in  the 
mines  overpowered  the  15  guards  and  fastened  the  cage  at  the  bottom 
of  the  shaft,  720  feet  below  the  surface.  A  negro  convict  climbed  up  the 
shaft  and  gave  the  warden  information  of  what  had  taken  place.  The 
warden  dropped  a  note  down  the  shaft  asking  the  mutineers  to  send  up 
some  of  their  leaders  for  conference.  The  cage  was  released  and  four 
of  the  ringleaders  ascended,  while  the  other  cage  went  down  bearing  an 
armed  force  which  fired  on  the  convicts  and  killed  two  of  them.  The 
ringleaders  were  punished  and  the  negro  was  pardoned. 

There  was  also  a  revolt  in  the  United  States  prison  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth in  November.  In  some  way  a  number  of  the  convicts  obtained 
weapons,  killed  three  of  the  guards  and  made  a  break  for  liberty.  Twen- 
ty-seven succeeded  in  getting  away,  but  of  these  18  were  either  killed  or 
captured  during  the  next  few  days. 

The  adoption  of  the  constitutional  amendment  increasing  the  number 
of  justices  of  the  supreme  court,  made  it  necessary  to  elect  five  associate 


748  CYCLOPEDIA    Ol- 

justices  in  1902 — three  for  six  years,  one  for  four,  and  one  for  two  years. 
The  change  in  the  election  laws,  along  the  lines  suggested  by  the  gov- 
ernor in  his  message,  rendered  it  impossible  to  nominate  a  fusion  ticket 
in  the  same  manner  as  in  former  campaigns,  hence  in  1902  the  Democrats 
and  Populists  made  a  joint  ticket  by  an  indirect  method.  On  May  22 
the  Democratic  state  convention  met  at  Wichita  and  selected  the  fol- 
lowing candidates:  Governor,  W.  H.  Craddock ;  secretary  of  state, 
Claude  Duval;  auditor,  J.  M.  Lewis;  attorney-general,  F.  M.  Pearl; 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  William  Sense;  associate  justice, 
for  the  six-year  term,  J.  D.  McCleverty;  for  the  two-year  term,  John  C. 
Cannon.  The  vacancies  left  on  the  ticket  were  filled  by  a  Populist  state 
convention  at  Topeka  on  June  24,  when  Fred  J.  Close  was  nominated  for 
lieutenant-governor;  D.  H.  Hefflebower  for  treasurer;  Frank  Doster  for 
associate  justice  (four-year  term)  ;  E.  S.  Waterbury  and  B.  F.  Milton  for 
the  six-year  term ;  Daniel  Hart  for  superintendent  of  insurance,  and  J. 
D.  Botkin  for  Congressman  at  large.  Subsequently  William  Sense  was 
withdrawn  from  the  ticket  and  William  Stryker  (Populist)  substituted. 

On  May  28  the  Republican  state  convention  met  at  Wichita  and  nom- 
inated the  following  ticket:  Governor,  Willis  J.  Bailey;  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, D.  J.  Hanna ;  secretary  of  state,  J.  R.  Burrow;  auditor,  Seth  G. 
Wells;  treasurer,  T.  T.  Kelly;  attorney-general,  C.  C.  Coleman;  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction,  I.  L.  Dayhoff ;  associate  justices  for  the 
six-year  term,  A.  L.  Greene,  J.  C.  Pollock  and  H.  F.  Mason ;  for  the  four- 
year  term,  A.  H.  Ellis;  for  the  two-year  term,  E.  W.  Cunningham; 
superintendent  of  insurance,  C.  H.  Luling;  Congressman  at  large, 
Charles  F.  Scott.  A.  H.  Ellis  died  on  Sept.  25  and  the  vacancy  on  the 
ticket  was  filled  by  the  nomination  of  R.  A.  Burch. 

The  platform  adopted  by  the  Republican  convention  expressed  sorrow 
for  the  death  of  President  McKinley;  approved  the  administration  of 
Roosevelt  and  pledged  him  the  support  of  the  Kansas  Republicans  in 
1904,  and  commended  the  administration  of  Gov.  Stanley. 

No  nominations  for  justice  of  the  supreme  court  were  made  by  the 
Prohibition  party.  The  ticket  presented  to  the  voters  by  that  party  was 
as  follows :  Governor,  F.  W.  Emerson ;  lieutenant-governor,  W.  Bufifing- 
ton ;  secretary  of  state,  George  Holsinger ;  auditor,  S.  P.  Gould ;  treas- 
urer, E.  A.  Kennedy;  attorney-general,  F.  M.  McHale ;  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  S.  H.  Wallace;  superintendent  of  insurance,  W.  L. 
Coryell ;  Congressman  at  large,  W.  H.  Ransom. 

Encouraged  by  their  showing  in  1900,  the  Social  Labor  party  placed 
a  full  ticket  in  the  field  with  A.  S.  McAllister  as  the  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor ;  John  M.  Parr,  for  lieutenant-governor ;  J.  T.  Barnes,  for  secre- 
tary of  state;  W.  J.  McMillan,  for  auditor;  J.  E.  Taylor,  for  treasurer; 
G.  C.  Clemens,  for  attorney-general;  L.  R.  Kraybill,  for  superintendent 
of  public  instruction;  F.  L.  McDermott,  C.  R.  Mitchell  and  F.  J.  Arnold, 
for  associate  justices  for  the  six-year  term;  H.  H.  Benson,  for  the  four- 
year  term ;  Charles  W.  Gorsuch,  for  the  two-year  term ;  C.  G.  Warring- 
ton, for  superintendent  of  insurance,  and  Louis  Matignon,  for  Congress- 
man at  large. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  749 

An  element  in  the  People's  party,  calling  themselves  the  "Middle  of 
the  Road  Populists,"  refused  to  join  in  the  fusion  with  the  Democrats 
and  nominated  a  ticket  of  their  own,  to  wit :  Governor,  J.  H.  Lathrop ; 
lieutenant-governor,  T.  B.  Wolfe;  secretary  of  state,  E.  F.  Green; 
auditor,  R.  C.  Bradshaw ;  treasurer,  P.  B.  Maxson ;  attorney-general, 
Maxwell  Thorp;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  W.  G.  Riste;  asso- 
ciate justices  for  the  six-year  term,  J.  C.  Tillotson  (only  one  nominated) ; 
for  the  four-year  term,  no  nomination;  for  the  two-year  term,  J.  Y.  Rob- 
bins  ;  superintendent  of  insurance,  A.  E.  Munch ;  Congressman  at  large, 
S.  B.  Bloomf^eld. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  4  the  entire  Republican  ticket  was  elected,  the 
vote  for  governor  being  as  follows:  Bailey,  159,242;  Craddock,  117,148; 
Emerson,  6,065;  McAllister,  4,078;  Lathrop,  635.  Two  constitutional 
amendments  were  voted  on  at  this  election.  One  providing  for  an 
increase  in  the  pay  of  members  of  the  legislature  from  $3  a  day  for  a 
term  of  50  days  to  $500  for  the  session  was  defeated  by  a  vote  of  140,768 
to  92,090,  and  the  other,  providing  for  the  election  of  all  county  officers  at 
the  same  time  state  officers  and  Congressmen  were  elected,  was  carried 
by  a  vote  of  144,776  to  78,190.  With  the  inauguration  of  Gov.  Bailey  at 
the  opening  of  the  legislative  session  in  Jan.,  1903,  Gov.  Stanley  retired 
from  the  office  after  four  years  of  an  administration  which  had  included 
nothing  of  a  startling  or  unusual  nature,  but  in  which  the  chief  executive 
had  honestly  endeavored  to  promote  the  general  welfare  of  the  people. 

Stanton,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Miami  county,  is  located  on  the 
Marais  des  Cygnes  river,  about  7  miles  northwest  of  Osawatomie,  near 
the  western  boundary  of  the  county.  It  was  founded  in  the  summer  of 
1855  and  a  postoffice  was  established  in  1856,  a  Mr.  Ward  being 
appointed  postmaster.  He  opened  a  store  the  same  year  and  in  1857  a 
steam  sawmill  was  erected.  During  the  border  war  it  was  an  important 
village,  but  as  no  railroad  ever  reached  it  the  town  has  never  grown.  It 
has  rural  delivery  from  Osawatomie.    In  1910  Stanton  had  a  population 

of  160. 

Stanton  County,  in  the  western  tier,  is  the  second  county  north  from 
the  Oklahoma  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Hamilton  county;  on 
the  east  by  Grant ;  on  the  south  by  Morton,  and  on  the  west  by  the  State 
of  Colorado.  It  was  first  created  in  1873  and  was  named  in  honor  of 
Edwin  M.  Stanton,  former  secretary  of  war.  The  boundaries  were 
defined  as  follows:  "Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the  east  line  of 
range  39  west  with  the  north  line  of  town  27  south ;  thence  south  along 
rano-e  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  6th  standard  parallel ;  thence  west 
along  the  6th  standard  parallel  to  the  west  boundary  line  of  the  State  of 
Kansas ;  thence  north  along  said  west  boundary  line  of  the  State  of 
Kansas  to  where  it  is  intersected  by  the  north  line  of  township  27  south; 
thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

Later  the  county  was  obliterated  and  the  territory  became  a  part  of 
Hamilton,  remaining  so  until  Feb.,  1887,  when  the  original  lines  were 
restored.     Meantime  the  lands  had  been  settled  and  towns  established. 


750  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

In  May,  1887,  \V.  A.  Cotterman  was  appointed  census  taker.  As  he  went 
over  the  county  making  the  enumeration  he  took  a  vote  on  which  town 
should  be  recommended  to  the  governor  as  the  temporary  county  seat. 
A  large  majority  was  in  favor  of  Johnson  City  and  Gov.  John  A.  Martin 
in  his  proclamation  of  June  17  designated  that  place  as  the  temporary 
county  seat.  The  officers  appointed  were:  county  clerk,  William  H. 
Quick;  commissioners,  Charles  A.  Soper,  Frank  Woodrufif  and  A.  H. 
Fisher.  According  to  the  census  there  were  2,864  inhabitants,  of  whom 
800  were  householders.  The  number  of  acres  under  cultivation  was 
8,320.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $263,740,  of  which  $145,- 
805  was  real  estate. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  commissioners  at  Johnson  City  the  county 
was  divided  into  7  townships,  Borders,  Falkenstein,  Liverpool,  Mitchell- 
ville,  Roanoke,  Robinson  and  Stanton.  John  J.  Martin  was  appointed 
sherifif  and  L.  J.  Webb  employed  as  county  attorney.  The  election  to 
select  a  permanent  county  seat  was  held  on  Sept.  27.  The  number  of 
votes  cast  was  1,083,  o^  which  Johnson  City  received  703  and  became 
the  permanent  county  seat.  The  officers  chosen  were :  county  clerk, 
William  H.  Quick;  sheriff,  D.  G.  Childs ;  register  of  deeds,  J.  Y.  Cal- 
lahan ;  treasurer,  P.  R.  Miner ;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  J.  F.  Blanken- 
ship;  probate  judge,  J.  S.  Falkenstein;  county  attorney,  E.  B.  Spurgeon; 
surveyor,  H.  H.  Flannagan ;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  J.  H. 
McMichael ;  coroner,  N.  Rector ;  commissioners,  C.  A.  Soper,  F.  A. 
Woodruff  and  L.  M.  Julian.  C.  H.  Harrington  was  elected  representa- 
tive to  the  legislature. 

The  year  1887  was  the  big  boom  period  in  the  history  of  Stanton 
county.  Many  new  settlers  were  coming  in,  outside  capitalists  were 
interested,  and  things  were  moving  fast.  In  one  week  parties  in  Wichita 
invested  $50,000  in  Johnson  City  real  estate.  In  the  spring  lands  adjoin- 
ing the  town  sold  for  $117  per  acre  and  a  little  later  for  $174.  Three 
years  later  the  population  of  the  county  was  not  half  as  large  as  the  cen- 
sus showed  at  the  time  of  organization.  By  1900  it  had  dwindled  to  327 
and  Johnson  City  had  practically  no  population.  During  the  next 
decade,  however,  the  increase  was  more  than  threefold,  the  population 
for  1910  being  1,034.  At  that  time  the  county  had  but  3  townships — 
Mitchell,  Roanoke  and  Stanton. 

The  surface  is  generally  level  prairie.  Bottom  lands  average  one-half 
mile  in  width  along  the  streams.  Bear  creek  enters  in  the  west  from 
Colorado  and  flows  northeast  into  Grant  county.  The  north  fork  of  the 
Cimarron  flows  across  the  southeast  corner.  A  branch  of  this  stream 
flows  directly  across  the  southern  portion  of  the  county  from  the  west. 
Gypsum  and  magnesian  limestone  are  found  in  considerable  quantities. 

The  leading  crop  is  broom-corn,  which  in  1910  brought  the  farmers 
$88,606.  Milo  maize  was  worth  $53,030;  sorghum,  $34,615;  Kafir-corn, 
$17,760;  animals  sold  for  slaughter  $11,000.  The  total  value  of  farm 
products  for  the  year  was  $236,789;  the  value  of  live  stock  on  hand  was 
$469,670,  and  the  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $1,704,066. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  75 '^ 

Stanton,  Frederick  Perry,  secretary  and  acting  governor  of  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Kansas,  was  born  at  Alexandria,  D.  C.  (now  Va.),  Dec.  22, 
1814.  a  son  of  Richard  and  Harriet  (Perry)  Stanton.  The  father  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  and  after  the  war  worked  at  the  trade  of  brick- 
layer, which  the  son  learned  with  him.  Under  the  instruction  of  Ben- 
jamin Hallowell,  a  Quaker  teacher,  Frederick  was  prepared  for  the 
Columbian  University  of  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was  graduated 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  He  then  taught  for  a  time  in  Virginia, 
after  which  he  became  an  instructor  in  a  college  in  North  Carolina. 
^^'hile  occupying  this  position  he  began  to  prepare  himself  for  the  Bap- 
tist ministry,  but  changed  to  the  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in 
1834  opened  an  office  in  Memphis,  Tenn.  He  soon  became  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party  of  Tennessee,  and  in  1844  was  elected  to  ' 
Congress.  His  Whig  opponent.  Dr.  Christian,  chagrined  at  his  defeat, 
made  an  attack  on  Mr.  Stanton  and  severely  wounded  him  by  a  pistol 
shot  in  the  neck.  After  ten  years  in  Congress,  Mr.  Stanton  declined  a 
reelection  for  a  sixth  term,  and  on  April  i,  1857,  was  appointed  secretary 
of  Kansas  Territory.  He  held  that  ofifice  until  succeeded  by  James  W. 
Denver  on  Dec.  21,  of  the  same  year,  and  twice  during  his  incumbency 
he  was  called  upon  to  act  as  governor.  Upon  retiring  from  the  office  he 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Lecompton  and  built  what  was  at 
that  time  the  largest  and  most  costly  residence  in  Kansas.  When  it  was 
thought  admission  under  the  Lecompton  constitution  was  probable,  he 
became  a  candidate  for  United  States  senator  and  was  defeated  by  only 
one  vote.  After  the  admission  of  the  state  in  1861,  when  James  H.  Lane, 
one  of  the  United  States  senators  from  Kansas,  was  oiifered  a  commis- 
sion as  brigadier-general  by  President  Lincoln,  Mr.  Stanton  was 
appointed  senator  by  Gov.  Robinson,  but  Lane  declined  the  commission 
in  the  army  and  retained  his  seat  in  the  senate,  hence  there  was  no 
vacancy  for  Mr.  Stanton  to  fill.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  Mr. 
Stanton  joined  the  Republican  party,  and  it  is  said  was  seriously  consid- 
ered as  a  possible  member  of  President  Lincoln's  cabinet.  In  1861  he 
opened  a  law  office  in  Washington,  D.  C,  for  practice  in  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States.  He  was  president  of  the  International  Peace 
League,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Richmond  convention  in  1882.  In 
1884  he  visited  Kansas,  and  on  Sept.  2  delivered  an  address  at  the  old 
settlers'  meeting  at  Bismarck  Grove,  near  Lawrence.  The  following 
year  he  went  to  Florida  for  his  health,  and  continued  to  reside  in  that 
state  until  his  death  on  June  4,  1894.  A  fine  marble  bust  of  Gov.  Stanton 
is  among  the  collections  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Society. 

Stanton's  Administration. — Mr.  Stanton  arrived  at  Lecompton  on 
April  15,  1857,  and  the  next  day  succeeded  Daniel  Woodson  as  secre- 
tary and  acting  governor  of  the  territory.  His  administration  is  divided 
into  two  periods — the  first  from  April  16  to  May  27,  1857,  prior  to  the 
arrival  of  Gov.  Walker,  and  the  second  from  Nov.  16  to  Dec.  21,  1857. 
In  his  inaugural  address,  delivered  at  Lecompton  on  April  17,  1857,  he 
expressed  the  hope  that  the  constitutional  convention  about  to  assemble 


752  CVCLOl'EDIA    OF 

would  submit  the  slavery  question  to  a  "fair  vote  of  all  the  actual  bona 
fide  residents  of  the  territory,  with  every  possible  security  against  fraud 
and  violence."  He  also  expressed  himself  in  favor  of  a  general  amnesty 
"with  reference  to  all  those  acts  on  both  sides,  which  grew  out  of  the 
political  contest,  and  which  were  not  corruptly  and  feloniously  committed 
for  personal  gain,"  and  to  gratify  personal  spite.  To  this  end  he  wrote 
to  Lewis  Cass,  secretary  of  state,  suggesting  that  President  Buchanan 
issue  a  proclamation  declaring  such  amnesty. 

On  the  24th  he  visited  Lawrence,  where  he  made  a  speech  outlining 
the  policy  of  Gov.  Walker  and  himself.  In  this  address  he  declared  his 
intention  to  enforce  the  laws  enacted  by  the  territorial  (bogus)  legis- 
lature, and  to  emphasize  his  position  in  this  respect  he  said:  "If  any  man 
here  is  prepared  to  say  that  he  will  resist  those  laws,  with  that  man  I 
declare  war ! — war  to  the  knife  and  the  knife  to  the  hilt."  This  radical 
utterance  was  received  with  a  sneer  by  the  free-state  men  present,  who 
did  not  hesitate  to  express  their  open  defiance. 

The  legislature  had,  on  Feb.  19,  1857,  passed  an  act  providing  for  the 
election  of  delegates  to  a  constitutional  convention  to  be  held  at  Le- 
compton.  This  act  authorized  the  taking  of  a  census  during  the  first 
ten  days  of  April,  the  returns  to  be  corrected  by  the  probate  judge  in 
each  county  by  May  i,  when  they  were  to  be  turned  over  to  the  governor, 
who  was  to  apportion  the  sixty  delegates  among  the  various  election  pre- 
cincts, the  election  of  delegates  being  set  for  the  third  Monday  in  June. 

Lender  the  law  the  register  of  voters  was  to  remain  in  the  hands  of 
the  pro-slavery  men,  but  the  day  after  Mr.  Stanton's  Lawrence  address, 
some  of  the  free-state  leaders  wrote  to  him  that  they  would  participate 
in  the  election  of  delegates  if  the  list  of  registered  voters  in  each  precinct 
could  be  corrected  by  one  free-state  and  one  pro-slavery  man  and  the 
judges  of  election  were  equally  divided  between  the  two  parties.  To 
this  proposition  Mr.  Stanton  dissented,  saying  that  he  must  follow  the 
territorial  law,  which  he  regarded  as  the  supreme  authority.  In  taking 
the  census  in  April  only  fifteen  of  the  thirty-four  counties  were  repre- 
sented in  the  returns.  Cutler  says:  "The  remaining  nineteen,  thereafter 
known  as  the  'disfranchised  counties,'  were  largely  settled  by  free-state 
men.  and  too  remote  from  the  border  for  convenient  control  of  the  bal- 
lot boxes.  In  every  county  bordering  on  Missouri,  and  in  every  pro- 
slavery  county,  the  returns  were  made." 

The  free-state  advocates  therefore  knew  they  had  no  chance  of  carry- 
ing the  election,  even  if  it  were  fairly  conducted,  and  their  position  in 
this  respect  was  strengthened  when  the  governor,  on  May  20,  issued 
his  proclamation  distributing  the  sixty  delegates  among  only  twenty-one 
counties.  Consequentl}-  the  pro-slaverites  were  allowed  to  elect  the  del- 
egates to  the  Lecompton  convention  without  opposition.  Some  time  aft- 
erward Mr.  Stanton,  in  a  speech  in  New  York,  admitted  that,  had  he 
known  the  conditions,  he  would  have  hesitated  before  making  such  an 
apportionment. 

Gov.  Walker  arrived  at  Lecompton  and  assumed  the  duties  of  gov- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  753 

ernoi-  just  a  week  after  this  proclamation  was  issued,  and  Mr.  Stanton 
devoted  his  time  to  the  secretaryship  until  Nov.  i6,  when  the  second 
period  of  his  administration  as  acting  governor  began.  At  that  time 
there  was  considerable  excitement  in  the  territory  over  the  question  of 
the  adoption  of  the  Lecompton  constitution,  and  the  opposition  began 
to  take  definite  form  when  John  Calhoun,  president  of  the  convention, 
issued  his  proclamation  calling  an  election  for  Dec.  21,  at  which  the  peo- 
ple were  to  vote  for  the  constitution,  not  as  a  whole,  but  merely  whether 
It  should  be  adopted  "with"  or  "without"  slavery.     (See  Constitution.) 

No  sooner  had  this  proclamation  made  its  appearance  than  meetings 
were  held  all  over  the  territory  to  select  delegates  to  a  free-state  con- 
vention at  Lawrence  on  Dec.  2.  The  meeting  at  Topeka  on  Nov.  23,  C. 
K.  HolHday  presiding,  declared  in  favor  of  setting  the  free-state  govern- 
ment in  operation  without  delay.  At  the  election  in  October  (See"  Walk- 
er's Administration),  the  free-state  men  had  elected  a  majority  of  the 
members  of  the  legislature,  and  on  Nov.  27  a  mass  convention  at  Leav- 
enworth adopted  a  resolution  calling  on  the  members  elect  of  the  legis- 
lature "to  meet  at  Lecompton  on  the  3d  day  of  December  next,  to  sug- 
gest such  measures  as  the  crisis  demands."  The  convention  also  adopted 
a  petition  to  the  governor,  signed  by  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the 
incoming  legislature,  asking  him  to  call  a  special  session  of  the  legisla- 
tive assembly.  This  petition  was  presented  to  Mr.  Stanton  on  the  28th 
by  George  W.  Deitzler,  John  Speer,  Lyman  Allen  and  others,  and  on 
Dec.  I  Stanton  issued  a  proclamation  calling  the  legislature  to  meet  in 
extra  session  on  the  7th,  "to  consider  matters  of  great  moment  pertain- 
ing to  the  public  welfare."  Cutler  thinks  that  this  proclamation  "averted 
the  direst  calamity  that  had  thus  far  threatened  the  territory,  viz.,  open 
and  organized  rebellion  against  the  Federal  government  which,  if  once 
begun,  would  have  deluged  the  territory  in  blood,  and  perhaps  involved 
the  whole  country  in  a  general  conflict,  such  as  came  upon  it  four  years 
later.  It  was  the  most  important  proclamation  ever  issued  by  a  terri- 
torial governor." 

On  the  day  after  this  proclamation  was  issued  the  great  free-state 
convention  met  at  Lawrence.  Among  the  resolutions  adopted  was  one 
declaring  that  the  legislature  elected  on  Oct.  5,  1857,  was  the  only  legiti- 
mate law-making  body  ever  elected  in  the  territory,  and  that  its  func- 
tions should  not  be  superseded  by  any  constitution  or  state  government, 
without  a  full,  fair  and  impartial  vote  of  the  people. 

Pursuant  to  the  proclamation,  the  legislature  met  on  the  7th  and  organ- 
ized by  electing  C.  W.  Babcock  president  of  the  council  and  George  W. 
Deitzler  speaker  of  the  house.  The  same  day  the  pro-slavery  men,  un- 
der the  name  of  "Democracy,"  held  a  convention  at  Lecompton  to  nomi- 
nate candidates  for  the  state  offices  authorized  by  the  Lecompton  con- 
stitution. F.  J.  Marshall  was  nominated  for  governor;  William  G. 
Mathias,  for  lieutenant-governor ;  W.  T.  Spicely,  for  secretary  of  state  ; 
Blake  Little,  for  auditor;  T.  J.  B.  Cramer,  for  treasurer,  and  Joseph  P. 
Carr  for  representative  in  Congress.  The  convention  also  adopted  a  res- 
(II-48) 


754  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

olution  declaring  "That  prior  to  the  advent  of  Walker  and  Stanton  in 
our  midst,  the  Democracy  of  the  territory  were  united  and  harmonizing; 
since  their  arrival  all  their  efforts  have  been  directed  to  serving  disunion 
in  our  ranks  with  a  view  to  further  their  own  ambitious  schemes." 

On  the  8th  Mr.  Stanton  submitted  his  message  to  the  legij^lature.  The 
greater  part  of  this  message  was  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  constitu- 
tional convention  and  the  question  of  submitting  that  constitution  to  a 
vote  of  the  people.  "The  law  passed  at  the  last  session  of  the  legislative 
assembly,"  said  he,  "providing  for  the  organization  of  a  convention  to 
frame  a  constitution  for  the  government  of  Kansas,  as  one  of  the  states 
of  the  Union,  was  adopted  at  a  period,  when,  unfortunately,  the  people 
of  the  territory  were  divided  by  a  bitter  hostility,  resulting  from  the 
previous  commotion  and  civil  war.  In  consequence  of  this  embittered 
state  of  feeling,  and  the  distrust  thereby  engendered,  one  of  the  parties, 
constituting  a  large  majority  of  the  people,  refrained  almost  entirely 
from  all  participation  in  the  proceedings  instituted  under  the  law  afore- 
said. 

"^^^hat  can  be  done,  in  the  existing  emergency,  is  a  question  not  with- 
out difficulty.  Some  have  proposed  a  repeal  of  the  act  under  which  the 
convention  assembled  and  performed  its  functions.  But,  inasmuch  as 
the  law  in  question  has  been  partially  executed,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
an  act  of  repeal  would  have  the  efifect  intended.  It  is'certain  that,  if  the 
constitution  were  to  be  really  submitted  to  the  people,  and  the  people 
should  ratify  it  by  their  vote,  a  legislative  repeal  between  the  dates  of 
submission  and  the  election,  would  not  affect  the  validity  of  the  sov- 
ereign act  of  ratification. 

"The  true  purpose  which,  in  my  judgment,  ought  to  control  your  leg- 
islation on  the  present  occasion.  .  .  .  is  to  provide  for  the  regular 
and  legitimate  exercise  of  the  sovereignty  of  the  people  in  those  points 
in  which  the  convention  has  attempted  to  trammel  or  restrain  it — in 
other  words,  to  provide  for  a  direct  vote  upon  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
stitution, which  is  to  be  partially  submitted  on  the  2ist  inst.,  under  the 
authority  of  the  convention.  .  .  .  There  can  be  no  question  as  to 
your  authority  to  provide,  by  a  suitable  law,  for  a  fair  expression  of 
the  will  of  the  people  upon  the  vital  question  of  approving  the  constitu- 
tion." 

This  was  the  course  adopted  by  the  legislature,  and  on  Dec.  17  the  gov- 
ernor approved  an  act  providing  for  an  election  on  the  first  Monday  in 
Jan.,  1858,  at  which  the  people  were  to  vote  on  the  question  of  ratifying 
or  rejecting  the  constitution  as  a  whole,  the  governor  to  appoint  three 
commissioners  in  each  county  to  establish  the  voting  precincts.  It  was 
also  provided  that  the  vote  should  be  by  ballot,  and  any  officer  of  elec- 
tion who  should  be  a  party  to  any  fraud  should  be  deemed  guilty  of 
felony. 

In  the  main  the  relations  between  the  governor  and  the  legislature 
were  harmonious,  though  on  Dec.  13  Mr.  Stanton  felt  it  to  be  his  duty 
to  veto  a  bill  to  organize  the  militia  of  the  territory.    His  chief  reason  for 


KANSAS    HISTORY  755 

the  veto  is  thus  stated  in  the  message  returning  the  bill :  "By  the  organic 
act,  the  governor  of  the  territory  is  made  commander  in  chief  of  the 
militia.  The  proposed  law  would  virtually  depose  him  from  his  position, 
and  would  place  him  in  the  power  of  a  board  composed  of  the  general 
officers  of  the  militia,  a  majority  of  which  can  call  out  the  militia  in  any 
emergency." 

Although  the  governor  was  to  be  a  member  of  the  board,  he  readily 
saw  that  it  would  not  be  a  difficult  matter  for  the  officers  of  the  militia 
to  overrule  him,  yet,  under  the  organic  act,  he  would  be  responsible  to 
the  general  government.  The  bill  was  passed  at  the  instigation  of  Gen. 
J.  H.  Lane,  who  wanted  to  get  control  of  the  militia,  and  on  the  i6th  it 
was  passed  over  the  veto.  The  legislature  then  adopted  a  memorial  to 
Congress,  praying  for  admission  under  the  Topeka  constitution,  and  on 
the  17th  adjourned  sine  die. 

Gov.  Stanton's  liberal  attitude  toward  the  free-state  men,  with  regard 
to  calling  the  special  session  of  the  legislature,  and  his  position  on  the 
question  of  submitting  the  constitution  to  popular  vote,  as  shown  in 
his  message,  may  have  been  due  to  events  which  occurred  in  the  earl}' 
part  of  November.  On  the  9th  of  that  month  Mr.  Stanton  wrote  to 
Gen.  Lewis  Cass,  Buchanan's  secretary  of  state,  tendering  his  resigna- 
tion, to  take  eilect  on  Dec.  21.  Two  days  later  he  wrote  to  the  presi- 
dent as  follows :  "Since  the  date  of  my  letter  to  the  secretary  of  state, 
offering  my  resignation,  I  have  seen  various  letters  and  dispatches  from 
Washington  to  the  effect  that  you  and  your  cabinet  had  resolved  to 
reprimand  the  governor  and  myself  for  our  action  upon  the  Oxford 
returns.  I  cannot  believe  there  is  any  truth  in  these  reports;  but  if 
there  should  be,  I  beg  leave  to  withdraw  my  resignation,  in  order  that  I 
may  stand  upon  the  merit  of  the  act  in  question." 

It  was  an  open  secret  that  the  course  of  Gov.  Walker  and  Mr.  Stan- 
ton was  unsatisfactory  to  President  Buchanan,  but  in  writing  the  above 
letter  the  acting  governor  took  the  manly  course,  in  refusing  to  resign 
"under  fire,"  and  showed  his  willingness  to  take  the  consequences  of 
his  official  action.  On  the  very  day  he  wrote  to.  the  president  with- 
drawing his  resignation,  Gen.  Cass  notified  Gen.  James  W.  Denver  that 
he  had  been  appointed  secretary  of  the  territory,  and  that  Stanton  had 
been  removed.    On  the  i6th  Mr.  Stanton  received  notice  of  his  removal. 

Star,  on  inland  village  of  Greenwood  county,  is  located  about  10  miles 
southwest  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat,  and  about  8  or  9  miles  northwest 
of  Piedmont,  whence  it  receives  mail.  Blodgett,  4  miles  south,  is  the 
nearest  railroad  station. 

Stark,  one  of  the  villages  of  Neosho  county,  is  located  in  Grant  town- 
ship on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  11  miles  northeast  of  Erie, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  several  stores,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  191. 

State  Fairs. — Kansas  has  never  had  an  official  state  fair.  If  any  aid- 
has  been  extended  by  the  state  for  such  purposes  the  enterprises  re- 


756  CVCLOI'EUIA    Ol' 

cci\injj'  it  ha\i'  hci'ii  ])ri\aU'  ones.  Ilic  earliest  of  the  state  fairs  were 
held  iindei'  the  direction  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society  in  various 
towns  Li\er  the  state,  Leavenworth  having  the  distinction  of  holding 
the  first  one  from  ()ct.  6  to  y,  iiSCw  This  exhibition,  held  while  the 
Civil  war  was  at  its  height,  was  a  successful  one  considering  tlie  fact 
that  many  exhibitors  who  usually  take  an  interest  in  such  undertakings 
were  in  the  arni}-.  The  agricultural  and  live  stock  display,  together 
with  the  iirodiicts  of  Kansas  manufacture  displayed  at  that  time,  was  a 
very  creditable  one.  The  initial  fair  was  well  attended  and  was  a  suc- 
cess financially. 

No  attempt  was  made  to  hold  fairs  in  1864  and  1865,  the  unsettled 
condition  during  the  last  days  of  the  Cix'il  war  being  responsible.  In 
iSGCf  and  1867,  the  second  and  third  fairs  under  the  auspices  of  the 
agricultural  society  were  held  at  Lawrence.  These  also  were  well 
attended  and  were  considered  a  success.  In  1868  the  state  fair  was  held 
at  Leavenworth,  followed  by  others  at  Lawrence  in  1869,  Fort  Scott 
in  1870,  Topeka  from  1871  to  1873,  and  Leavenworth  in  1874.  From 
1875  to  1880  no  state  fairs  were  held.  In  1881  the  Kansas  State  Fair 
Association  was  organized  and  the  first  annual  fair  under  its  direction 
was  given  at  Topeka  from  Sept.  12  to  17.  T.  C.  Henry,  of  Abilene,  was 
president;  William  Grififenstein,  of  Wichita,  vice-president;  George  Y. 
fohnson,  of  Topeka,  secretary ;  Joab  Mulvane,  of  Topeka,  treasurer, 
and  T.  J.  Anderson,  of  Topeka,  general  superintendent.  This  fair  was 
one  of  the  largest  ever  held  in  the  state.  A  monster  soldiers'  reunion 
was  held  in  connection  with  it,  41  bands  from  over  the  state  being  a 
part  of  the  attraction.  This  association  held  annual  fairs  during  1882, 
1883  and  1884.    The  following  year  no  fair  was  held. 

In  1886  some  Topeka  men  took  hold  of  the  project  and  under  the  title 
of  "Kansas  Fair  Association"  fa^ave  an  exhibition  that  fall.  In  1887  the 
Kansas  State  Fair  Association  was  again  revived,  holding  fairs  an- 
nually from  1887  to  1893.  Kansas  was  again  without  a  state  fair  until 
1903  when  the  Kansas  State  Exposition  company  was  organized,  and 
it  gave  exhibitions  in  1903,  1904  and  1905.  In  1910  the  Kansas  State 
Fair  Association  was  again  reorganized,  holding  successful  fairs  during 
1910  and  191 1.  An  effort  was  made  to  hold  a  state  fair  at  Hutchinson 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Central  Fair  Association  in  1908,  and  the 
venture  met  with  so  much  encouragement  that  the  fairs  were  repeated 
m  1909,  1910  and  1911. 

In  1^09  To]:)eka  and  Shawnee  county  voted  $50,000  for  the  erection 
of  permanent  buildings  on  the  fairgrounds  in  the  capital  city.  The 
adequacy  and  permanency  of  these  buildings  for  exhibition  purposes 
have  attracted  attention  among  fair  exhibitors  all  over  the  central  west, 
and  has  proved  to  be  money  well  expended.  "Few  of  the  older  and 
larger  state  fairs  in  the  entire  country  have  any  more  or  better  perma- 
nent buildings  for  the  display  of  all  kinds  of  exhibits  than  the  Topeka 
fair,"  and  this  fact  should  have  some  weight  with  the  legislature,  which 
should  provide  for  an  annual  fair  in  its  capital  city,  as  is  done  in  nearly 


KANSAS    HISTORY  757 

all  the  older  states.  During  the  session  of  the  legislature  of  1911  an 
effort  was  made  to  secure  an  appropriation  for  a  state  fair  but  so  many 
localities  aspired  to  the  honor  of  holding  it  that  the  measure  was  voted 
down. 

State  Flower. — By  an  act  of  the  Kansas  legislature,  approved  by 
Gov.  Bailey  on  March  12,  1903,  the  sunflower  was  made  the  official 
state  fiower.  The  full  text  of  the  act,  as  introduced  by  Senator  George 
P.  Morehouse,  is  as  follows : 

"Whereas,  Kansas  has  a  nati\'e  wild  flower  common  throughout  her 
borders,  hardy  and  conspicuous,  of  definite,  unvarying  and  striking 
shape,  easily  sketched,  molded  and  carved,  having  armorial  capacities, 
ideally  adapted  for  artistic  reproduction,  with  its  strong,  distinct  disk 
and  its  golden  circle  of  clear  glowing  rays — a  flower  that  a  child  can 
draw  on  a  slate,  a  woman  can  work  in  silk,  or  a  man  can  car\e  on  stone 
or  fashion  in  clay ;  and 

"Whereas,  This  flower  has  to  all  Kansans  a  historic  symbolism  which 
speaks  of  frontier  days,  winding  trails,  pathless  prairies,  and  is  full  of 
the  life  and  glory  of  the  past,  the  pride  of  the  present,  and  richly  em- 
blematic of  the  majesty  of  a  golden  future,  and  is  a  flower  which  has 
given  Kansas  a  world-wide  name,  'the  Sunflower  State' ;  therefore, 
"Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas : 

"Section  i.  That  the  helianthus  or  wild  native  sunflower  is  hereby 
made,  designated  and  declared  to  be  the  state  flower  and  floral  em- 
blem of  the  State  of  Kansas. 

"Section  2,  This  act  shall  take  effect  and  Ije  in  full  force  from  and 
after  its  publication  in  the  statute  book." 

The  act  was  published  on  June  i,  1903,  and  on  July  8  Gov.  Bailey, 
in  his  capacity  of  commander-in-chief  of  the  state  militia,  gave  the  sun- 
flower its  first  official  recognition  in  his  general  orders"  No.  9,  which  di- 
rected that  "The  collar  device  of  the  full-dress,  dress  and  service  coats 
of  the  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  Kansas  National  Guard  shall  be 
the  sunflower,  according  to  pattern  in  the  office  of  the  adjutant-gen- 
eral. Aside  from  this  departure,  the  uniform  prescribed  for  the  Kansas 
National  Guard  will  conform  to  that  of  the  United  States  Army,  as 
published  in  General  Orders,  No.  132,  Headquarters  of  the  Army,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  series  1902." 

Although  Senator  Morehouse  was  the  author  of  the  law  making  the 
sunflower  the  floral  emblem  of  the  state,  Kansas  had  been  called  the 
"Sunflower  State"  for  many  years  before  the  passage  of  the  act.  In 
early  days  the  sunflower  sprang  up  on  both  sides  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail 
for  a  distance  of  800  miles.  Pioneer  settlers  used  the  stalks  for  fuel 
and  the  seeds  as  food  for  their  poultry.  It  was  also  found  in  great  pro- 
fusion in  other  western  states,  and  Nebraska  was  considering  its  adop- 
tion as  the  official  flower  of  that  state  when  the  Kansas  law  was  passed. 

It  is  thought  that  Noble  L.  Prentis  was  the  first  to  propose  the  sun- 
flower as  the  state  flower  of  Kansas.  As  early  as  Sept.  2,  1880,  he  wrote 
in   the  Atchison   Champion:     "The.  capitol   square  is  surrounded   b\-   a 


-58  CyCLOPEDIA    OF 

dense  growth,  rods  in  width,  of  rampant  sunflowers.  They  grow  as 
big,  rank  and  yellow  as  if  they  were  forty  miles  from  a  house.  The  sun- 
Hower  ought  to  be  made  the  emblem  of  our  state.  Nothing  checks  it 
or  kills  it.  It  is  always  'happy  as  a  big  sunflower.'  Grasshoppers  have 
never  held  the  edge  on  it;  and  in  drouthy  times  when  everything  else 
wilts  and  throws  up  its  hands,  the  sunflower  continues  business  at  the 
old  stand.  It  probnlily  has  some  private  arrangement  with  nature  for 
securing  'aid'." 

State  Library. —  ( ."^ce  Libraries.) 

State  Normal  School.— The  State  Normal  School  was  established  in 
March,  1863,  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  which  provided :  "That  there 
be  and  is  hereby  established  and  permanently  located  at  the  town  of 
Emporia,  in  Lyon  cotinty,  a  State  Normal.  School,  the  exclusive  pur- 
pose of  which  shall  be  the  instruction  of  persons,  both  male  and  female, 
in  the  art  of  teaching,  and  in  all  of  the  various  branches  that  pertain 
to  a  good  common  .school  education,  and  in  the  mechanic  arts,  and  in 
the  arts  of  husbandry  and  agricultural  chemistry,  and  in  the  fundamental 
laws  of  the  United  States,  and  in. what  regards  the  rights  and  duties  of 
citizens:  Provided,  that  a  tract  of  land,  not  less  than  20  acres,  adjacent 
to  said  town  of  Emporia,  be  donated  and  secured  to  the  state,  in  fee 
simple,  as  a  site  for  said  normal  school  within  twelve  months  from  the 
taking  effect  of  this  act." 

Section  2  of  the  same  act  empowered  the  governor  to  appoint  three 
commissioners  to  attend  to  the  details  of  procuring  the  site,  and  section 
3  provided  "That  all  lands  granted  to  the  State  of  Kansas  and  selected 
by  said  state  adjoining  or  as  contiguous  as  may  be  to  each  and  all  of 
the  salt  springs  belonging  to  said  state  and  granted  by  the  4th  subdi- 
vision of  the  3d  section  of  an  act  of  Congress  entitled  "An  act  for  the 
admission  of  Kansas  into  the  Union,"  approved  Jan.  29,  1861,  "save  and 
except  the  salt  springs,  and  the  section  of  land  upon  which  each  of  said 
salt  springs  are  located,  and  one  additional  section,  are  hereby  set  apart 
and  reserved  as  a  perpetual  endowment  for  the  support  and  maintenance 
of  the  Normal  School  established  and  located  by  this  act." 

The  salt  lands  amounted  to  some  30,380  acres  but  unsold  produced 
no  income.  In  Feb.,  1864,  the  legislature  appropriated  $1,000  to  be  used 
exclusively  for  the  salaries  of  teachers,  and  made  provision  for  a  board 
of  nine  directors,  "six  of  whom  shall  be  appointed  by  the  governor,  and 
the  governor,  secretary  of  the  state,  state  treasurer  and  state  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction  shall,  by  virtue  of  their  office,  be  mem- 
bers of  said  board."  In  1873  the  regents  of  the  state  institutions  of 
learning  were  reduced  to  seven,  six  being  appointed  by  the  governor 
and  the  seventh  ex  officio,  to  be  the  chancellor  or  president. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  on  Dec.  8.  1864,  the.  ex- 
ecutive committee  was  authorized  to  employ  a  principal,  "at  a  salary  not 
to  exceed  $1,000."  Prof.  L.  B.  Kellogg,  a  graduate  of  the  Illinois  State 
University,  was  elected  to  the  position.  The  same  legislature  that  en- 
acted the  law  establishing  the  normal  passed  an  act  authorizing  Dis- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  759 

trict  No.  I,  Lyon  county,  to  vote  bonds  for  the  erection  of  a  school 
house.  The  upper  floor  of  this  school  house  was  offered  for  the  use  of 
the  normal  school  and  was  gladly  accepted  by  the  board. 

The  school  opened  in  Feb.,  1865,  with  18  students  enrolled.  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Kellogg's  report,  settees  for  the  students  were  borrowed 
from  a  neighboring  church,  and  a  seat  for  the  teacher  from  the  county 
treasurer's  office.  The  room  contained  two  stoves  but  no  furniture,  "no 
text-books,  maps  or  other  appliances."  The  number  of  students  in- 
creased during  the  year  until  there  were  42. 

At  the  opening  of  the  second  .year,  Prof.  H.  B.  Norton  became  as- 
sistant principal.  Through  the  liberality  of  Jphn  Fawcett  a  one-story 
frame  building  which  he  built  at  his  own  expense  was  placed  at  the 
service  of  the  school.  In  June,  1865,  the  board  of  directors  ruled  that 
applicants  for  admission  must  be  16  years  old  if  girls  and  17  years  old 
if  boys,  but  it  gave  the  principal  power  to  admit  those  younger  if  a 
"sufficient  maturity  of  mind  is  indicated,  and  where  the  pupil  proposes 
to  complete  the  course  before  teaching."  In  Feb.,  1867,  the  legislature 
appropriated  $10,000  to  erect  a  building  for  the  school.  It  was  ready 
for  occupancy  the  same  year. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  Mr.  Kellogg  visited  state  normal  schools  in  the 
East.  In  his  report  of  this  visit  to  the  board  of  directors  he  defined  the 
position  and  purpose  of  a  normal  school  as  being  different  from  the 
other  institutions  of  learning  in  the  state,  in  that  its  sole  design  is  to 
prepare  students  for  the  special  vocation  of  teaching  and  for  no  other 
business.  For  this  reason  the  normal  school  bears  a  near  and  permanent 
relationship  to  the  common  schools,  its  courses  should  be  planned  after 
the  improvement  of  said  schools,  and  the  place  of  the  normal  school 
should  be  at  the  head  of  the  common  school  system.  Upon  this  idea 
as  a, foundation  the  later  presidents  have  built. 

In  Jan.,  1868,  C.  V.  Eskridge  proposed  a  resolution  to  the  board 
which  was  adopted :  "That  the  board  of  directors  do  not  hesitate  to 
declare  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  faculty  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the 
students  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  ;  yet,  as  the 
institution  is  not  in  any  respect  denominational,  the  faculty  or  any  mem- 
ber of  it  will  not  be  justified  in  inculcating  denominational  peculiari- 
ties in  speaking  to  students  for  or  against  any  church  organization." 

In  1870  the  board  of  directors  elected  Mr.  Kellogg  an  honorary  direc- 
tor of  the  school.  The  new  board  of  1871,  although  the  institution  was 
in  prosperous  condition,  made  changes  that  resulted  in  the  resignation 
of  Mr.  Kellogg.  Dr.  George  W.  Hoss,  of  Indiana,  became  his  successor, 
assuming  his  duties  in  Sept.,  1871.  In  1872  an  appropriation  of  $50,000 
was  made  by  the  legislature  for  the  erection  of  a  main  building.  To  this 
the  city  of  Emporia  added  $10,000,  and  in  June,  1873,  the  building  was 
dedicated. 

In  April,  1873,  every  member  of  the  faculty,  including  the  principal, 
resigned,  their  resignations  to  take  effect  in  June.  In  May  Dr.  Hoss 
was  elected  president,  and  in  June  some  of  his  friends  were  reelected 


760 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


to  their  old  positions.  Prof.  Hoss  was  succeeded  at  Christmas  time  by 
Dr.  C.  R.  Pomero)-,  of  Iowa.  During  the  first  two  years  of  Dr.  Pomeroy's 
administration  the  school  developed  rapidly,  but  the  legislature  of  1876, 
after  making  a  small  appropriation,  decreed  that  the  school  should  no 
longer  be  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  state.  The  enrollment  was 
then  345.  The  faculty  finished  the  term,  when  all  teachers  except  the 
president  were  dismissed,  and  he  was  instructed  to  manage  the  school 
without  expense  to  the  board,  charging  such  fees  as  he  saw  fit  for  main- 
tenance. In  1879  the  attendance  dropped  to  90  students.  Appeals  were 
made  iu  the  legislature  without  success,  the  only  appropriation  being 
barely  enough  to  liquidate  old  claims  and  to  make  repairs. 

In  a  law  suit  with  the  city  in  1878  the  school  lost  two  boaiding  halls 
that  were  a  source  of  revenue.  In  April  of  that  year  a  tornado  damaged 
the  new  building.  In  October  both  buildings  were  burned  and  every- 
thing was  lost.  The  citizens  of  Emporia  fitted  up  the  two  boarding 
halls  as  class  rooms  and  the  school  continued.  The  next  legislature  ap- 
propriated $25,000  to  reconstruct  the  buildings  on  condition  that  the 
citizens  of  Emporia  and  Lyon  county  give  $20,800  toward  them.  The 
condition  was  met.  President  Pomeroy  resigned  in  1879  and  his  suc- 
cessor was  Prof.  R.  B.  W'elch,  of  Illinois. 

In  May,  1880,  the  new  building  was  occupied.  During  Air.  Welch's 
administration  the  school,  through  land  endowment  and  fees,  was  able 


i 

i 

-^ 

''"''T~W"^^^M 

ii.-Aili^i^Bw^^^ 

Jpi  ifa 

I^^^^^^^^Bk^^H^  ' 

ST.\TE   NORMAL    SCHOOL.    EMPORIA. 


to  pay  expenses  and  an  awakened  interest  increased  the  enrollment  to 
402.  In  1882,  Mr.  Welch  entered  the  law  profession  and  Prof.  A.  R. 
Taylor,  of  Illinois,  became  president.  A  plan  recommended  bv  Mr.  Tay- 
lor and  a])prn\fd  by  the  regents  was  the  "oiter  of  mileage  to  Kansas 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


761 


Students  at  the  rate  of  three  cents  a  mile  in  excess  of  100  miles."  During 
the  next  decade  the  school  made  remarkable  growth,  the  building  was 
enlarged,  the  courses  were  rearranged  and  increased,  and  a  library  of 
10.000  volumes  was  collected.  Early  in  this  administration  arrange- 
ments were  made  by  which  high  schools  were  placed  on  the  accredited 
list,  diplomas  from  them  entitling  the  owner  to  enter  the  normal  with- 
out examination. 

In  1886  the  legislature  appropriated  12  additicjnal  sections  of  salt 
land,  the  sale  of  which  increased  the  endowment  by  $270,000.  In  1887 
a  request  for  a  new  building  was  granted  by  the  legislature  and  $26,200 
appropriated  for  the  same.  In  1889  a  room  was  fitted  up  for  work  in 
manual  training,  but  little  was  accomplished  in  it  for  years  from  lack 
of  funds  to  employ  a  competent  instructor.  It  is  now  a  strong  depart- 
ment, the  courses  of  which  cover  80  weeks. 

In  1895  the  main  building,  which  is  known  as  "Albert  Taylor  Hall," 
was  completed.  For  ten  weeks  during  the  summer  of  1899  classes  in 
mathematics  and  Latin  were  conducted,  the  number  of  students  in 
attendance  being  53.  The  summer  school  developed  into  a  permanent 
session  held  every  year  in  June  and  July.  In  1901  Jasper  N.  Wilkinson 
succeeded  Mr.  Taylor  as  president.  In  1902  the  library  l:>uilding  was 
completed  at  a  cost  of  $60,000,  and  in  1905  the  training  school  building 
was  completed.  It  is  arranged  for  practice  teaching,  and  contains 
accommodations  for  the  kindergarten  and  the  eight  grades  of  common 
schools.  In  1906  Joseph  H.  Hill  was  installed  as  president.  The  State 
Normal  School  has  grown  until  in  1910  it  had  2,224  students,  a  teaching 
force  of  71  people,  and  occupied  seven  buildings. 

By  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  March  28,  1900,  the  Fort  lla\s  mili- 
tary reservation  was  donated  to  the  State  of  Kansas  for  educational  pur- 
poses, and  the  legislature  set  apart  about  4,000  acres  for  a  western  branch 
of  the  state  normal.  This  school  began  with  ar  summer  session  on  June 
23,  1902,  and  the  first  regular  term  opened  on  Sept.  1  following,  with 
an  enrollment  of  23  students.  The  school  was  conducted  in  the  old  fort 
buildings  until  1904,  when  the  central  portion  of  what  is  now  the  main 
building  was  ready  for  occupancy.  Since  then  the  state  has  appropriated 
about  $100,000  for  buildings  and  equipment,  and  the  total  enrollment 
from  the  time  the  institution  was  opened  to  1910  was  996  students. 

A  manual  training  normal  school  has  been  established  at  Pittsburg. 
The  legislature  of  191 1  appropriated  $50,000  for  an  industrial  arts  build- 
ing for  the  institution,  and  in  December  of  that  year  the  state  architect, 
Charles  H.  Chandler,  had  completed  plans  for  the  building,  the  central 
portion  of  which  was  to  be  84  by  132  feet,  two  stories  high,  with  east 
and  west  wings,  each  50  by  112  feet,  one  story  in  height.  In  this  build- 
ing will  be  taught  the  mechanical  arts,  modeling,  woodwork,  iron  work, 
forging,  foundry,  concrete  work,  clay  modeling  and  firing  and  it  will  also 
contain  an  engineering  department.  The  value  of  the  property  held  by 
the  normal  schools  at  Emporia,  Hays  and  Pittsburg  aggregates  about 
$1,100,000.     • 


762  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

State  Orphans'  Home. — In  the  first  few  years  following  the  Civil  war, 
several  of  the  northern  states  founded  asylums  for  the  care  of  children 
left  fatherless  by  the  soldiers  who  died  on  the  field  of  battle  or  sacrificed 
iheir  health  in  defense  of  their  country.  In  1885  the  legislature  of  Kan- 
sas passed  an  act  authorizing  the  trustees  of  the  state  charitable  insti- 


h 


A     m     II 


STATE    ORPHANS'    HOME. 

tutions  to  buy  or  accept  as  a  donation  a  tract  of  land  not  to  exceed  640 
acres,  and  to  erect  suitable  buildings  for  a  home  for  the  orphan  chil- 
dren of  ex-Union  soldiers  and  sailors.  Before  selecting  a  location  for 
the  institution,  the  trustees  were  required  to  publish  a  notice  in  five  of 
the  leading  newspapers  of  the  state,  announcing  their  intention  to 
choose  a  site  for  the  home,  and  receive  proposals  therefor. 

The  purpose  of  the  home  is  to  receive  and  care  for  all  indigent  chil- 
dren of  soldiers  who  served  in  the  army  or  navy  of  the  I'nited  States 
during  the  Civil  war,  "who  were  disabled  from  wounds  or  disease,  or 
who  died  in  indigent  circumstances,  and  other  indigent  children  of  the 
state."  /\.n  appropriation  of  $10,000  was  made  for  1886,  and  a  like 
amount  for  1887,  provided  $5,000  and  160  acres  of  land  were  given  for 
the  home.  The  home  was  located  on  a  quarter  section  of  land  2  miles 
north  of'  the  city  of  Atchison  and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  the 
^lissouri  ri^'er. 

Children  of  five  years  and  under  were  provided  for  first,  then  children 
between  the  ages  of  five  and  ten ;  and  lastly  those  over  ten  and  under 
fifteen,  but  none  were  to  be  cared  for  after  they  were  fifteen,  unless  incap- 
able of  caring  for  themselves.  The  school  consists  of  a  kindergarten 
department,  primary,  intermediate  and  high  school  grades,  similar  to 
those  in  the  Ivansas  public  schools.  The  girls  are  taught  cooking,  sew- 
ing and  all  branches  of  housework;  while  the  boys  are  given  a  course 
in  manual  training  and  taught  branches  of  farm  work.  The  aim  of  the 
home  is  to  care  for  the  neglected  child  population  of  the  state,  and  by 
proper  care  and  supervision  make  the  neglected  orphans  good  and  use- 
ful citizens. 

The  institution  has  always  received  liberal  support  at  the  hands  of  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  76,5 

State  and  in  1S91  an  appropriatiun  of  several  thousand  dollars  was  made 
for  building  a  new  wing  and  making  general  improvements.  In  1907 
the  legislature  passed  an  act  providing  for  the  erection  of  a  special  cot- 
tage for  crippled  children,  on  the  grounds  of  the  home,  and  appropriating 
$25,000,  "or  as  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,''  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  out  the  provisions  of  the  act.  The  building  was  to  be  but  one 
story  in  height  and  its  equipment  of  such  a  character  that  the  crippled 
children  could  be  treated,  attend  school  and  live  without  climbing  any 
stairs. 

State  Reform  School. — (See  Industrial   Schools.) 

State  Seal. —  (See  Seal  of  State.) 

State  University. —  (See  University  of  Kansas.) 

Steamboats. —  (See  Early  River  Commerce.) 

Steele,  James  William,  writer,  was  born  at  Grandview,  Edgar  county, 
111.,  Nov.  9,  1840.  His  parents  removed  to  Topeka,  I\an.,  some  time 
during  his  childhood.  In  i860  he  went  to  Waveland,  Irid.,  to  complete 
his  education,  and  the  next  spring  joined  the  army  with  the  rest  of  his 
class  and  served  during  the  entire  war,  receiving  two  dangerous  wounds 
and  returning  to  Topeka  with  a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  1865.  He 
took  up  the  study  of  law,  became  a  partner  of  Thomas  Ryan,  and  in 
1866  married  Augusta  Butterfield,  of  Topeka ;  spent  some  time  in  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona  as  captain  of  cavalry  in  the  United  States  army ; 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Kansas  Magazine  in  1871,  of  which  he 
became  editor  in  1873 ;  was  United  States  consul  at  Mantanzas,  Cuba, 
from  1874  to  1877,  and  was  editor  of  The  Earth  (Santa  Fe  magazine) 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Chicago,  on  Oct.  11,  1905. 
He  was  the  author  of  Sons  of  the  Border,  1874;  Cuban  Sketches,  1877; 
Frontier  Army  Sketches,  1882;  To  Mexico  by  Palace  Car,  1884;  and 
numerous  magazine  articles,  many  of  which  were  signed  "Deane 
Monahan." 

Sterling,  the  largest  town  in  Rice  county,  is  located  in  the  southern 
portion  of  the  county  on  the  Arkansas  river  and  the  Alissouri  Pacific 
and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroads,  10  miles  south  of  Lyons, 
the  county  seat.  It  is  beautifully  laid  out  with  broad  streets  and  has 
an  abundance  of  delightful  shade  trees.  It  is  the  seat  of  Cooper  Col- 
lege, and  has  a  number  of  profitable  factories  which  work  on  the  various 
raw  materials  yielded  by  the  surrounding  country.  Among  these  are 
two  broom  factories,  a  salt  works,  machine  shops,  washing  machine  fac- 
tory, flour  mill,  marble  works,  feed  mill  and  a  seed  cleaner  factory.  The 
city  has  an  efficient  sewer  system,  waterworks,  fire  department,  electric 
light  plant,  library,  an  opera  house,  3  banks,  and  numerous  churches  and 
lodges.  There  are  two  weekly  newspapers  (the  Bulletin  and  the  Jour- 
nal), telegraph  and  express  offices,  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  six  rural  routes.  The  population,  according  to  the  census 
of  1910,  was  2,133. 

The  old  town  of  Peace,  Sterling's'  predecessor,  was  established  in 
1871,  and  was  incorporated  in  1876  by  an  official  order  of  Judge  Samuel 


764  CVCl.urEUlA    UF 

J'eters,  of  Marion,  as  the  "city  of  Sterling."  He  ordered  an  election  for 
city  officers  to  be  held  on  May  10,  when  the  officers  chosen  were  as  fol- 
lows: Mayor,  J.  S.  Chapin ;  councilmen,  W.  H.  Lape,  E.  B.  Cowgill, 
A.  G.  I.andis,  W.  H.  Page  and  Patten  Nimrod;  police  judge,  VV.  M. 
Lamb.  The  name  of  the  town  was  changed  in  honor  of  Sterling  Rosan, 
line  of  the  early  settlers. 

Steuben,  a  hamlet  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  on  White  Rock  creek  in 
Holmwood  townsliip,  8  miles  from  Mankato,  the  county  seat,  from 
which  place  it  receives  daily  mail.  According  to  the  census  of  1910  there 
were  15  people  in  Steuben. 

Stevens  County,  one  of  the  southern  tier,  the  second  county  east  of 
Colorado,  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Grant  county;  on  the  east  by 
Seward ;  on  the  south  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  and  on  the  west  by 
Morton  county.  It  was  first  created  in  1873  and  named  in  honor  of 
Thaddeus  Stevens  of  Pennsylvania.  The  boundaries  were  defined  as 
follows:  "Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the  east  line  of  range  35 
west  with  the  6th  standard  parallel ;  south  along  range  line  to  its  inter- 
section with  the  south  boundary  of  the  State  of  Kansas;  thence  west 
along  said  south  boundary  line  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  to  where  it  is 
intersected  by  the  east  line  of  range  39  west ;  thence  north  along  range 
line  to  its  intersection  with  the  6th  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to 
the  place  of  beginning." 

Ten  years  after  it  was  created  the  county  was  obliterated  and  became 
a  part  of  Seward.  In  1886  the  legislature  reestablished  the  original 
boundaries  and  later  in  the  year  it  was  organized.  In  May  J.  W.  Cal- 
vert was  appointed  census  taker,  and  made  his  returns  to  the  governor 
on  Aug.  3.  According  to  his  figures  the  population  was  2,662  and  there 
were  868  householders.  The  taxable  property  amounted  to  $313,035-  of 
which  $140,380  was  real  estate.  A  large  petition  in  favor  of  Hugoton 
for  countv  seat  was  presented  to  Gov.  Martin  along  with  the  returns. 
The  governor  made  his  proclamation  the  same  day,  designating  Hugo- 
ton  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  appointing  the  following  officers: 
County  clerk,  J.  W.  Calvert;  commissioners^  H.  O.  Wheeler,  J.  B. 
Chamberlain  and  John  Robertson. 

The  other  candidate  for  the  county  seat  was  Woodsdale,  located  4 
or  5  miles  northeast  of  Hugoton.  The  people  of  that  town  employed 
the  noted  lawer.  Col.  Samuel  N.  Wood,  to  represent  them,  and  to  pre- 
vent the  complete  organization  of  the  county  on  the  ground  of  a  fraudu- 
lent census.  Mr..  Wood  came  to  the  county  and  proceeded  to  gather 
evidence  in  the  case  to  present  to  the  governor.  He  traveled  over  the 
county  to  ascertain  the  number  of  actual  residents  and  to  secure  affi- 
davits to  the  efifect  that  there  was  not  sufficient  population  to  organize. 
It  was  about  Aug.  15  when  Mr.  Wood  came  to  the  county.  The  tem- 
porary commissioners  had  already  divided  the  county  into  voting  pre- 
cincts in  such  a  manner  that  the  whole  north  side  was  without  a  polling 
place.  A  public  meeting  was  held  at  Woodsdale  and  a  large  crowd 
examined  a  copy  of  the  memorial  for  Hugoton,  to  which  400  names  were 


KANSAS    lllSTOKV 


765 


attached,  and  also  the  census  roll  containing  2,662  names.  It  is  said 
that  the  latter  contained  the  names  of  over  200  pair  of  twins.  It  was 
voted  to  bring  proceedings  to  disorganize  the  county.  The  people  of 
ITugoton  called  a  meeting  two  days  later  and  resolved  to  stop  Mr.  Wood 
from  bringing  the  matter  to  the  attention  of  the  governor.  The  next 
day  Col.  Wood  started  to  Topeka  with  the  evidence,  in  company  with 
Capt.  J.  C.  Price,  who  was  going  to  Meade  Center.  They  were  met  on 
the  road  by  a  mol)  and  taken  into  custody  on  representation  that  they 
were  arrested,  but  no  warrant  was  presented.  They  were  taken  south- 
west into  "No  Man's  Land,"  the  intention  Ijeing  to  kee])  them  there 
until  after  the  election  on  Sept.  9.  Their  disappearance  created  great 
excitement  at  Woodsdale.  A  posse  of  25  men  under  Capt.  S.  O.  Aubrey 
started  out  in  search  of  the  missing  men  and  the  citizens  of  Woodsdale 
threatened  to  burn  Hugoton  if  Wood  was  not  brought  back.  Word  was 
sent  to  Topeka,  and  the  governor  sent  out  a  number  of  officers  who 
spent  some  time  investigating,  but  did  not  accomplish  anything.  The 
affair  caused  considerable  concern  over  the  state,  as  it  was  feared  the 
captives  would  be  killed.  They  were  rescued  by  Capt.  Aubrey  and  his 
men  about  the  last  of  August. 

At  the  election  held  a  few  days  later  the  following  officers  were 
chosen:  County  clerk,  C.  W.  Calvert;  register  of  deeds,  H.  F.  Nichols; 
clerk  of  the  district  court,  W.  E.  Allen;  treasurer,  O.  W.  Kirby;  sherifif, 
A.  P.  Ridenour;  surveyor,  George  B.  Teames ;  attorney,  John  B.  Pan- 
coast;  coroner,  W.  J.  D.  Halderman  ;  probate  judge,  W.  H.  Guinn  ;  com- 
missioners, J.  E.  Hunt,  J.  I).  Chamberlain  and  W.  A.  Clark.  Hugoton 
received  a  large  majority  of  the  votes  for  county  seat.  There  were,  how- 
ever, but  289  votes  cast,  which  gave  color  to  the  contention  of  the 
Woodsdale  people  that  there  were  less  than  300  votes  in  the  county. 
By  that  time  proceedings  had  been  instituted  in  the  supreme  court  ask- 
ing that  the  fraudulent  organization  be  set  aside.  While  this  suit  was 
pending  the  legislature  of  1887  passed  two  acts  which  interfered  with 
it  and  made  the  organization  legal.  The  county  was  in  a  continual  state 
of  turmoil.  The  state  militia  had  to  be  sent  out  to  protect  the  county 
officers  while  they  canvassed  the  returns  of  the  election  of  1888. 

In  that  year  a  party  of  men  from  Hugoton  followed  Sherifif  Cross  and 
his  posse  into  "No  Man's  Land"  where  they  murdered  the  entire  party 
except  a  boy  of  19  years,  who  escaped  to  tell  the  story.  Believing  that 
there  was  no  court  which  had  jurisdiction  over  that  territory  they  openly 
boasted  of  their  deed.  Col.  Wood  spent  considerable  time  investigating 
the  matter  and  finally  ascertaining  that  the  courts  of  Texas  had  juris- 
diction over  "No  Man's  Land,"  he  brought  the  murderers  to  trial  at 
Paris  in  that  state.  C.  E.  Cook,  O.  J.  Cook,  J.  B.  Chamberlain,  C.  Freese 
and  J.  J.  Jackson  were  found  guilty.  A  new  trial  was  granted  them  on 
a  technicality  and  their  release  was  secured.  Determined  that  Col. 
Wood  should  not  live  to  try  them  again,  they  laid  a  plot  to  kill  him. 
He  was  shot  and  killed  by  James  Brennan  at  the  court-house  at  Hugo- 
ton  on  June  23,  1891.  The  men  who  had  been  found  guilty  of  the  murder 
of  Cross  and  his  party  were  never  tried  again. 


766  ,  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

While  all  this  had  been  going  on  the  county  was  going  through  the 
hard  times  incident  to  pioneer  conditions.  In  1890  the  population  was 
1,418,  very  little  more  than  half  the  reputed  population  of  1886.  During 
the  next  ten  years  the  suffering  brought  on  by  poor  crops  was 
augmented  by  the  financial  panic  which  was  general  over  the  country. 
Many  of  the  people  left  for  the  southwest,  which  was  just  opening  up, 
and  in  1900  the  population  of  the  county  was  but  620.  A  series  of  good 
years  resulted  in  building  up  the  county  again,  and  the  population  in 
1910  was  2,453. 

The  county  is  divided  into  3  townships.  Center,  Harmony  and  Voor- 
hees.  The  general  surface  is  an  undulating  prairie  with  sand  hills. 
There  is  no  timber.  The  bottom  lands  are  from  one-half  to  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  in  width  and  comprise  about  2  per  cent,  of  the  area.  The  only 
river  of  importance  is  the  south  fork  of  the  Cimarron,  which  flows 
northeast  across  the  northwest  corner.  Sandstone  is  found  near  the 
river,  and  gypsum  and  clay  in  other  parts  of  the  county. 
,  The  value  of  farm  products  marketed  in  1910  was  $737,947.  The  lead- 
ing crop  was  broom-corn  which  brought  $200,000;  milo  maize  was 
worth  $153,384;  Kafir-corn,  $106,475;  wheat,  $66,856;  live  stock  sold  for 
slaughter,  $65,560.  The  value  of  live  stock  on  hand  was  $616,170.  The 
assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $2,877,104. 

Stickney,  a  country  postoffice  in  Wheatland  township.  Barton  county, 
is  located  about  22  miles  north  of  Great  Bend,  the  county  seat,  and  11 
from  Hoisington,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  There  is  a  general  store, 
and  the  population  in  1910  was  23. 

Stilwell,  one  of  the  new  towns  that  has  grown  up  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  Johnson  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  10  miles 
from  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  The  railroad  was  the  making  of  the  town, 
which  has  a  good  public  school,  several  churches  and  general  stores. 
a  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop,  implement  and  hardware  house,  lumber 
yard,  express  and  telegraph  facilities,  and  a  money  order  postofiflce  with 
one  rural  route.  Tn  1910  its  population  was  200.  Being  the  only  large 
town  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  it  is  the  shipping  and  supply 
point  for  a  rich  agricultural  district  and  does  considerable  business. 
The  town  was  formerly  known  as  Mount  Auburn,  the  name  having  been 
changed  by  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  March  2,  1889. 

Stippvilie,  a  mining  town  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  in  Mineral 
township,  one-half  mile  from  its  station,  which  is  called  Turck,  on  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  and  4  miles  from  Columbus,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  few  general  stores  and  a  money  order  postofifice.  The 
population  in  1910  was  200.  The  Toplin  &  Pittsburg  electric  line  runs 
through  the  town. 

Stitt,  a  country  hamlet  in  Dickinson  county,  is  located  8  miles  south 
of  Wakefield,  Clay  county,  the  postofifice  from  which  it  receives  mail 
and  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Stockdale,  a  village  of  Riley  county,  is  located  in  Grant  township  on 
the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  northwest  of  Manhattan,  the  county 


KANSAS    HISTORY  J^? 

seat.  It  has  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Stockholm,  a  country  postoffice  in  Wallace  county,  is  located  in  the 
township  of  the  same  name,  16  miles  southwest  of  Sharon  Springs,  the 
county  seat,  and  10  miles  south  of  Weskan,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 
The  population  in  1910  was  65. 

Stockrange,  a  hamlet  in  Trego  county,  is  located  in  F"ranklin  town- 
ship, about  15  miles  south  of  Wakeeney,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles 
north  of  Ransom,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  receives  mail  from 
Valley,  an  inland  postoffice  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river.  The  population 
in  1910  was  20. 

Stockton,  the  county  seat  of  Rooks  cotuity,  is  an  incorporated  city  of 
the  third  class,  centrally  located,  and  is  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Solo- 
mon river  at  the  terminus  of  a  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  It 
is  the  shipping  point  for  about  half  the  county,  which  is  a  prosperous 
agricultural  area.  There  are  2  banks,  a  public  library,  waterworks,  fire 
department,  an  opera  house,  hotels,  flour  mill,  a  feed  mill,  2  grain  ele- 
vators, 2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Record  and  the  Western  News),  daily 
stages  to  Alcona,  Nicodemus  and  Bogue,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  five  rural  routes.  The 
population  in  1910  was  1,317.  The  town  was  founded  in  1872  by  cattle 
men,  who  named  it  "Stocktown."  The  first  house  was  erected  and  the 
first  store  opened  by  George  Beebe.  The  first  town  officers  were  elected 
in  1S73  and  were  as  follows :  Trustee,  Charles  Stuart ;  clerk,  D.  K.  Dib- 
ble;  treasurer,  John  Park;  justices,  G.  W.  Patterson  and  P.  G.  Green; 
constables,  G.  W.  Norcutt  and  W.  Dickson.  .The  first  school  was  taught 
in  1872  by  W.  H.  Barnes.  The  first  mail  was  brought  by  horseback 
from  Cawker  City.  The  first  white  child  born  in  the  new  town  belonged 
10  the  family  of  George  W.  Norcutt  and  was  born  in  1874.  In  1879  the 
town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  and  the  following  were 
the  first  officers  under  the  new  form  of  government :  Mayor,  C.  E.  May- 
nard ;  councilmen,  C.  E.  McDaniel,  Jewell  Elliott,  M.  M.  Stewart,  James 
Moore  and  John  Saver;  marshal,  D.  Washbtirn ;  police  judge,  W.  A. 
Ecker;  clerk,  T.  C.  McBreen.    The  high  school  was  established  in  1891. 

Stoddard,  Amos,  soldier,  writer  and  diplomat,  was  born  at  Woodbury, 
Conn.,  Oct.  26,  1762.  He  was  a  son  of  James  Stoddard  and  a  descendant 
of  Anthony  Stoddard,  who  came  from  England  about  1630  and  settled 
at  Boston.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  served  in  the  Continental 
army,  after  which  he  became  clerk  of  the  Massachusetts  supreme  court. 
In  1798  President  Adams  commissioned  him  captain  of  artillery,  and  he 
was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  western  frontier.  As  representative  of  the 
United  States  government,  he  received  the  transfer  of  Upper  Louisiana 
from  the  Spanish  authorities  at  St.  Louis  on  March  9,  1804.  Kansas  was 
at  that  time  a  part  of  the  transferred  territory  and  came  under  the 
dominion  of  the  United  States  government.  Stoddard  remained  as  civil 
commandant  at  St.  Louis  until  Oct.  i,  when  he  was  ordered  south.  In 
1807  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major,  and  at  the  siege  of  Fort 


768  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

Meigs  in  the  spring  of  1813  he  was  wounded  on  May  5,  and  died  a  few 
days  later.  lie  was  a  member  of  the  U.  S.  Philological  Society  and  the 
New  York  Historical  Society,  and  the  author  of  a  work  entitled 
"Sketches,  Historical  and  Descriptive,  of   Louisiana." 

Stone. —  (See  Geology.) 

Stone  City,  a  mining  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county,  12  miles  from  Columbus,  the  county  seat, 
and  5  miles  from  Mineral,  the  nearest  shipping  point  and  telegraph 
office.     It  has  a  money  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Storms. — Kansas  is  subject  to  three  kinds  of  atmospheric  distttrbances 
known  as  storms — the  ordinary  thunder  storm,  sometimes  accompanied 
by  high  wind,  the  tornado  and  the  cyclone.  The  tornado  or  "Kansas 
twister,"  is  one  of  the  most  dreaded  and  destructive  of  storms.  It 
usually  originates  in  regions  of  the  earth's  surface  where  it  is  dry  and 
arid  for  a  considerable  e.xtent,  where  no  large  bodies  of  water  e.xist  and 
there  is  little  evaporation.  Tornadoes  in  Kansas  usually  move  in  a 
general,  well-defined  course  from  southwest  to  northeast,  or  from  the 
arid  plains  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and  the  semi-arid  region  of 
southwest  Kansas,  Oklahoma  and  Texas  toward  the  Great  Lake  region. 
These  storms  generally  occur  from  two  to  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  nearly  always  when  there  has  been  an  absence  of  rain  for  some  time 
m  the  region.  The  cloud  forming  the  tornado  gains  a  rotary  motion  in 
its  descent  to  the  earth,  where  it  assumes  the  form  of  a  funnel  or  hour 
glass.  The  outer  circle  of  a  tornado  is  like  a  circular  wall,  from  20  to 
50  feet  thick,  with  a  very  violent,  whirling  motion,  tearing  loose  objects 
which  are  drawn  into  the  inner  circle  and  carried  upwards,  sometimes 
to  great  heights.  A  tornado  has  a  limit  of  action,  as  some  objects  torn 
from  their  location  may  be  carried  for  miles,  while  others  only  a  few 
feet  away,  but  beyond  the  outer  wall  of  the  storm,  remain  untouched. 

A  number  of  tornadoes  occurred  from  1880  to  1882,  when  there  was 
but  little  rain,  but  none  are  recorded  in  the  years  1883-84,  when  there 
was  plenty  of  rain  during  the  spring  months.  The  tornadoes  of  1881 
owed  their  origin  to  the  union  of  two  currents  of  air,  one  a  cold,  dry 
wind  descending  from  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  the  other  a  warmer 
current,  heavily  charged  with  moisture  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  When 
these  met  in  Kansas,  within  an  atmosphere  of  high  temperatiu'e  and  of 
almost  complete  saturation,  the  cold  current  attacked  the  warm  one 
and  the  in-rushing  air  developed  the  funnel  shaped  cloud. 

A  cyclone  differs  in  character  from  a  tornado  chiefly  in  the  direction 
of  the  rotary  motion.  In  the  tornado  the  funnel  shaped  cloud  stands 
perpendicular,  and  the  debris  is  thrown  in  all  directions.  In  the  cyclone 
the  funnel  is  turned  on  its  side,  so  to  speak,  and  the  current  of  air  moves 
'with  great  velocity,  with  a  rotary  motion  similar  to  that  of  a  rifle  ball, 
throwing  the  debris  to  right  and  left  of  the  path  of  the  storm.  The 
tornado  also  differs  from  the  cyclone,  in  that  it  jumps — that  it,  it  remains 
in  contact  with  the  earth  for  some  distance,  then  becomes  detached, 
and  again  descends — while  the  cyclone  passes  directly  along  the  earth's 
surface. 


KANSAS    IlISTUKV 


769 


Tornadoes  are  rarely  over  300  feet  wide,  but  cyclones  often  have  a 
path  a  mile  or  more  in  width.  The  general  course  of  the  cyclone,  like 
that  of  the  tornado,  is  from  southwest  to  northeast,  but  not  always. 
Sometimes  they  move  eastward,  sometimes  to  the  north  or  south. 

In  1871  a  terrific  storm  passed  over  the  southern  part  of  the  state, 
when  Eldorado,  Butler  county,  was  nearly  destroyed.  Eight  years  later 
a  tornado  passed  over  the  northern  part  of  the  state  and  did  a  great  deal 
of  damage,  especially  in  Marshall  county,  and  over  50  persons  lost  their 
lives.  The  Topeka  Commonwealth  of  June  4,  1879,  gave  the  following 
account :  "The  tornado  v^'hich  dealt  death  and  destruction  near  Delphos 
gathered  in  northwest  Kansas.  It  divided  at  the  headwaters  of  the 
Solomon,  a  fearful  gale  rushing  down  each  valley  until  they  reached 
Cawker  City  and  united.  A  gentleman  who  was  an  eye  witness  at 
Cawker  says  he  could  see  the  clouds  coming  toward  Cawker,  and  saw 
them  come  together.  The  shock  produced  by  the  collision  was  terriffic 
and  resembled  the  report  produced  by  the  explosion  of  a  powder-mill. 
At  first  the  clouds  refused  to  unite,  but  went  tumbling  and  rolling  down 
the  valley,  now  together,  then  apart,  for  several  miles,  when  they  finally 
melted  into  one  funnel-shaped  whirlwind." 

In  1881  one  of  the  most  destructive  cyclones  in  the  history  of  the 
state  passed  through  Osage  county.  It  started  in  the  Marais  des  Cygnes 
valley  and  traveled  in  a  northeasterly  direction  leaving  desolation  in 
its  wake.  In  June  of  the  same  year  the  valley  of  the  Walnut  river  in 
Cowley  county  was  visited  by  a  cyclone,  the  most  destructive  ever  known 
in  that  section  of  Kansas,  and  on  the  night  of  June  16-17,  1882,  a  tornado 
struck  Topeka,  where  houses  were  torn  from  their  foundations  and 
great  trees  were  twisted  off.  From  Topeka  the  storm  passed  nearly 
directly  east  and  did  considerable  damage  at  Kansas  City. 

With  the  extension  of  civilization  westward ;  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil,  which  enables  it  to  retain  more  moisture;  the  planting  of  trees,  and 
the  irrigation  of  districts  once  barren,  destructive  storms  are  growing 
less  frequent  and  it  is  probable  that  in  a  few  years  they  Avill  be  a  thing 
of  the  past.    (See  Climate.) 

Stotler,  a  hamlet  in  Lyon  county,  owes  its  existence  to  a  mineral 
spring  in  the  vicinity,  the  water  of  which  has  been  analyzed  by  the  state 
chemists  and  found  to  contain  medicinal  properties.  It  receives  mail 
from  Osage  City  in  Osage  county. 

Stowell,  a  country  postoffice  in  Hamilton  county,  is  located  in  Rich- 
land township,  16  miles  north  of  Syracuse,  the  county  seat  and  most 
convenient  shipping  point.     The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Straight  Creek,  a  hamlet  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  in  -Straight 
Creek  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  6  miles 
northeast  of  Holton,  the  county  seat,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail. 
Prior  to  1869  the  lands  of  the  township  belonged  to  the  Kickapoo  Indian 
reservation.  J.  H.  Thompson  claimed  land  in  1854  and  settled  in  1855. 
John  Hibbard  came  in  1856.  Other  early  settlers  were  S.  J.  Rose,  Wil- 
(11-49) 


770  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Ham  Chambers,  W.  L.  Estes,  T.  Burns,  James  Hastings  and  others. 
G.  W.  Weister  built  the  first  mill. 

Strawberry,  a  country  hamlet  in  Washington  county,  is  located  12 
miles  southwest  of  Washington,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  west  of 
Linn  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  the  nearest  shipping  point  and  the 
postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.     The  population  in  1910  was  52. 

Strawn,  one  of  the  larger  villages  of  Coffey  county,  is  located  in  Cali- 
fornia township  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.  and  the  Neosho 
river,  12  miles  northwest  of  Burlington.  It  has  good  schools  and 
churches,  various  mercantile  interests,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  town  was  laid 
out  in  1871,  and  the  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Strickler,  a  little  hamlet  of  Saline  county,  is  located  in  Solomon  town- 
ship about  half  a  mile  from  the  east  line  of  the  county  and  about  12 
miles  from  Salina,  the  county  seat.  It  receives  mail  from  Solomon, 
Dickinson  county.    The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Strikes. —  (See   Labor  Troubles.) 

Stringfellow,  Benjamin  F.,  lawyer,  and  one  of  the  pro-slavery  leaders 
in  Kansas,  was  born  in  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Sept.  3,  1816.  His  parents 
were  both  Virginians,  descended  from  some  of  the  early  settlers.  He 
was  reared  upon  his  father's  plantation  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools  until  he  was  twelve  years  old,  when  his  father  sent  him  to 
school  at  Fredericksburg.  Subsequently  he  attended  the  University  of 
Virginia  at  Charlottesville,  and  in  the  fall  of  1835  began  to  read  law. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  located  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  but  removed 
from  there  to  St.  Louis  and  finally  to  Huntsville,  Mo.  He  soon  after 
met  Sterling  Price,  who  persuaded  him  to  go  to  Keytesville,  where  he 
became  recognized  as  a  lawyer  of  ability.  Within  a  short  time  he  was 
appointed  circuit  attorney,  which  office  he  held  for  four  years.  In  1844 
he  entered  actively  into  political  life,  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature 
and  subsequently  was  appointed  attorney-general  of  the  state,  serving 
four  years.  When  Kansas  Territory  was  organized  in  1854  and  the  con- 
test over  slavery  commenced,  there  was  perfected  at  Weston,  Platte 
county.  Mo.,  an  organization  known  as  the  "Self  Defensive  Association," 
of  which  Mr.  Stringfellow  was  secretar3^  He  foresaw  the  coming  con- 
flict and  believed  the  only  way  to  avoid  it  was  by  admitting  Kansas  as 
a  slave  state,  thus  keeping  sufficient  power  in  the  United  States  senate 
to  defeat  the  abolition  movement.  During  the  winter  of  1854-55  he 
was  selected  to  go  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  to  meet  the  members  of 
Congress  from  the  southern  states  and  explain  to  them  the  need  of 
prompt  and  energetic  action.  They  promised  to  send  slaves  to  Kansas, 
but  failed  to  do  so.  In  1858  Mr.  Stringfellow  went  to  Memphis,  Tenn., 
but  in  the  fall  of  1859  became  a  resident  of  Atchison,  Kan.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  cordially  cooperated  with  the  Republican  party  and 
engaged  in  commercial  enterprises,  being  active  in  the  organization  and 
construction  of  the  first  railroads  in  Kansas.    He  died  on  April  26,  1891. 

Stringfellow,   John    H.,    an   early   physician    of   Kansas,   one   of   the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  77^ 

founders  of  Atchison,  and  speaker  of  the  house  in  the  first  territorial 
legislature,  was  born  in  Culpeper  county,  \'a.,  Nov.  14,  1819.  He  was' 
educated  at  Caroline  Academy,  Va.,  Columbia  University,  \Vashington, 
D.  C,  and  graduated  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1845.  Soon  after  that  he  located  at  Carrollton,  Mo., 
where  he  married  Ophelia  J.  Simmons,  niece  of  Gov.  Edwards.  During 
the  cholera  epidemic  of  1849,  when  every  boat  coming  up  the  river 
unloaded  cholera  patients  at  Hill's  Landing,  he  converted  a  large  ware- 
house into  a  hospital  and  de\-oted  three  months  to  caring  for  them.  In 
1852  he  removed  to  Platte  City.  Upon  the  organization  of  Kansa,^  Ter- 
ritory he  crossed  the  river,  selected  a  claim,  and  in  connection  with 
some  friends  formed  a  town  company  which  laid  out  the  town  of  Atchi- 
son. In  1854  he  brought  his  family  and  lived  in  Atchison  until  1858. 
He  was  the  founder  and  editor  of  the  Squatter  Sovereign,  the  first  news- 
paper in  Atchison,  and  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Third  regiment 
of  the  territorial  militia  by  Gov.  Shannon.  He  was  called  to  Virginia 
by  the  death  of  his  father  in  1858  and  was  detained  there  until  after  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war.  He  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  cap- 
tain of  a  Virginia  company,  but  was  at  once  detailed  as  surgeon  and 
acted  in  that  capacity  only.  In  1871  he  returned  I0  Atcliison  and 
remained  there  until  "1876,  when  he  went  to  St.  Joseph.  Mo.,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death  on  July  24,  1905. 

Strong  City,  one  of  the  important  towns  of  Chase  county,  is  located 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Cottonwood  river  at  the  junction  of  the  main 
line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  with  branches  running 
to  Abilene  and  Bazaar.  It  is  about  2  miles  from  Cottonwood  Falls,  the 
county  seat,  with  which  it  is  connected  b}'  street  cars.  It  has  2  hotels, 
a  theater,  2  banks,  a  newspaper  (the  Herald)  which  is  printed  daily  and 
weekly,  and  all  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise.  The  largest  and  best 
equipped  stone  quarry  in  the  state,  from  which  a  fine  grade  of  lime- 
stone is  quarried,  is  located  in  the  vicinity.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
important  stock  markets  in  the  state  and  some  of  the  most  extensive 
dealers  in  live  stock  in  the  state  are  permanently  located  here.  Natural 
gas  is  used  for  heating,  lighting  and  commercial  purposes.  The  quarries 
furnish  employment  to  hundreds  of  men.  Strong  Cit}-  is  supplied  with 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  has  an  international  money  order  post- 
office.    The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  762. 

.Strong  City  was  founded  in  1872  by  the  Cottonwood  Town  company 
and  for  a  number  of  years  went  by  that  name.  The  Atchison.  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  went  through  the  county  that  year  and  the  new  town 
was  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  right-of-way.  Inside  of  ten  years 
from  the  date  of  its  founding.  Strong  City  was  a  thrifty  little  place  and 
had  some  of  the  best  business  buildings  in  central  Kansas.  Banks  had 
been  organized  and  all  lines  of  mercantile  houses  established.  The  first 
newspaper  was  established  by  R.  M.  Watson  in  18S0.  It  was  an  organ 
of  the  National  labor  party  and  was  called  the  Independent.  The 
Strong  City  bank  was  organized  in  1882  with  a  capital  of  $100,000. 


■JJ2  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Strong,  Frank,  educator,  son  of  John  Butler  and  Mary  (Foote)  Strong, 
was  born  at  Venice.  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  5,  1859.  He  attended 
the  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  high  school  in  preparation  for  Yale,  where  he  v/as 
graduated  in  1884.  While  at  Yale  he  won  several  prizes  for  composition 
and  made  contributions  to  the  college  periodicals.  In  1885  he  finished  the 
two  years'  course  in  the  Yale  law  school,  securing  the  John  A.  Porter, 
prize,  then  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Sereno  E.  Payne  of  Auburn,  N.  Y., 
and  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1886  practiced  for  a  time  in  Kansas 
City,  Mo.  In  1888  he  gave  up  his  profession  to  become  principal  of  the 
high  school  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  On  June  24,  1890,  he  married  Mary 
Evelyn,  daughter  of  William  Z.  Ransom  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  From  1892 
to  1895  he  was  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Lincoln,  Neb.  In 
1895  he  returned  to  Yale  and  entered  the  graduate  school,  from  which 
he  received  a  Ph.  D.  degree  in  history  in  1897.  He  was  appointed  a  lec- 
turer in  history  at  Yale,  which  position  he  held  until  1899,  when  he  was 
elected  president  of  the  state  university  of  Oregon.  After  serving  three 
3-ears  he  was  called  to  the  University  of  Kansas  as  chancellor  and  still 
(1911)  occupies  the  executive  chair.  Dr.  Strong  is  the  author  of  a  "Life 
of  Benjamin  Franklin,"  published  in  1898,  and  of  "Government  of  the 
American  People,"  published  in  1901.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon 
College  fraternit}-,  of  the  honorary  society  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  and  the 
American  Historical  Association. 

Stuart,  one  of  the  hamlets  of  Smith  county,  is  located  13  miles  south- 
east of  Smith  Center,  the  count}-  seat,  and  7  miles  south  of  Lebanon,  on 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  which  is  the  nearest  railroad 
station  and  the  postofifice  from  which  mail  is  distributed.  The  popu- 
lation according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  42.    ^ 

Stubbs,  Walter  Roscoe,  i8th  governor  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  was 
born  at  Richmond,  Wayne  county,  Ind.,  Nov.  7,  1858.  His  ancestors 
were  Quakers,  who  were  opposed  to  shams  and  hypocrisy — a  trait  which 
he  inherited  in  a  marked  degree.  While  he  was  still  in  his  childhood 
his  parents  went  to  Iowa.  In  1868  they  removed  to  Kansas,  where  the 
future  governor  attended  the  common  schools  and  was  for  a  time  a 
student  in  the  University  of  Kansas  at  Lawrence.  He  began  his  busi- 
ness career  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  by  working  two  terms  on 
a  railroad  grading  contract.  Subsequently  he  became  a  contractor  on 
his  own  account,  and  also  became  interested  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
When  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  compan}-  decided  to  build  a 
line  of  railroad  from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas  City,  there  was  a  spirited  com- 
petition among  contractors  for  the  work  of  grading  the  road-bed.  Mr. 
Stubbs  drove  over  the  proposed  route,  examining  carefully  the  nature  of 
the  work  to  be  done,  submitted  a  bid  and  secured  the  contract,  which 
amounted  to  about  $3,000,000,  and  upon  which  his  profits  were  some- 
thing like  $250,000.  This  gave  him  a  good  start  and  his  business  as  a 
contractor  increased  until  it  reached  a  volume  of  from  $3,000,000  to 
$5,000,000  a  year.  Mr.  Stubbs  did  not  enter  the  arena  of  politics  until 
he  was   past  forty  years   of  age.      In    1902   he   was   nominated   by   the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  77Z 

Republicans  to  represent  a  district  of  Douglas  county  in  the  lower  house 
of  the  state  legislature  and  was  elected.  His  record  was  evidently  satis- 
factory to  his  constituents,  for  in  1904  he  was  reelected  and  at  the 
opening  of  the  ensuing  session  was  made  speaker  of  the  house,  and  he 
also  advocated  a  reform  in  the  methods  of  doing  the  state  printing.  In 
1906  he  was  for  a  third  time  elected  to  the  legislature,  and  in  1908  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  governor,  benig  the  first  candidate  nominated  for 
that  office  at  a  state-wide  primary  under  the  new  law.  At  the  close  of 
his  first  term  he  was  renominated  after  a  spirited  contest,  and  in  Nov., 
1910,  was  reelected  for  the  term  ending  in  Jan.,  1913.  Gov.  Stubbs  is 
regarded  as  belonging  to  what  is  called  the  "progressive  wing"  of  the 
Republican  party.  In  his  messages  to  the  general  assembly  he  has  been 
consistent — even  ii  somewhat  radical  at  times— in  his  advocacy  of  such 
measures  as  the  initiative  and  referendum  and  the  recall  of  unworthy 
or  incompetent  public  officials.  He  is  a  32°  Mason ;  is  a  public-spirited 
citizen ;  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all  questions  pertaining  to  civic  progress, 
and  his  judgment  of  human  nature,  gained  as  a  large  employer  of  men, 
enables  him  in  a  majority  of  instances  to  form  a  correct  estimate  of 
those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

Stubbs'  Administration. — Gov.  Stubbs'  administration  began  with  the 
opening  of  the  legislative  session  on  Jan.  12,  1909.  In  that  legislature 
the  senate  was  presided  over  by  Lieut.-Gov.  W.  J.  Fitzgerald,  and 
Joseph  N.  Dolley  was  speaker  of  the  house.  As  soon  as  the  two  branches 
of  the  general  assembly  were  organized.  Gov.  Stubbs  submitted  his  mes- 
sage, outlining  the  policy  he  desired  to  pursue.  First  of  all  he  counseled 
diligence  and  fidelity  in  the  discharge  of  official  duties.  "It  is  my  hope," 
said  he,  "that  the  present  session  of  the  legislature  will  break  all  records 
in  the  enactment  of  good  and  useful  laws,  as  compared  with  former  ses- 
sions in  Kansas  and  other  states.  The  application  of  sound  business 
methods  to  legislative  pay  rolls  and  the  general  expense  of  the  legis- 
lature would  be  in  striking  contrast  with  the  ordinary  legislative  session. 
The  consideration  of  measures,  regardless  of  politics,  would  result  bene- 
ficially to  the  state.  It  would  also  be  a  most  novel  proceeding  to  witness 
the  members  of  the  Kansas  legislature  settling  down  to  work  six  days 
in  the  week  from  the  commencement  to  the  end  of  the  session." 

The  one  topic  on  which  the  governor  seemed  to  be  more  interested 
than  any  other  was  the  creation  of  a  public  utilities  commission.  On 
this  subject  he  said:  "Under  the  leadership  of  Gov.  Hughes  in  New 
York,  and  Gov.  La  FoUette  in  Wisconsin,  public  utilities  laws  have  been 
enacted  which  have  resulted  in  great  practical  benefits  to  the  citizens 
of  the  above-named  states.  I  most  earnestly  recommend  the  enactment 
of  a  public  utilities  law  in  Kansas,  using  whatever  may  be  used  to  advan- 
tage of  the  present  railroad  law  as  a  basis  and  adding  the  best  features 
of  the  New  York  and  Wisconsin  public  utilities  laws,  which  have  had 
a  severe  practical  test.  This  law  should  empower  a  commission  to  super- 
vise not  only  the  railroads,  but  all  public  utilities,  including  water,  gas, 
electric  light,  heat,  power,   express,   car,  pipe-line,  telegraph   and   tele- 


774 


CYCLOl'FJJIA    OF 


phone  companies,  and  all  other  public  service  utilities;  also  have  juris- 
diction over  the  issue  of  stocks,  bonds  and  securities  of  railway  and  all 
other  public  utilities  corporations,"  etc. 

He  recommended  a  commission  of  five  members,  to  be  appointed  by 
the  governor  and  subject  to  removal  by  him  for  cause,  the  three  mem- 
bers of  the  railroad  commission  to  serve  on  the  new  board  of  public 
utilities  for  the  ensuing  two  years,  leaving  but  two  members  to  be 
appointed  in  case  such  a  bill  was  passed  by  the  legislature,  which  was 
not  done  at  that  session. 

On  the  subject  of  good  roads,  he  called  attention  to  the  investigations 
made  by  the  United  States  agricultural  department  showing  that  the 
cost  of  marketing  farm  products  is  much  greater  in  this  country  than  in 
some  of  the  European  states,  on  account  of  the  condition  of  the  public 
highways.  "It  is  not  so  important,"  says  the  message,  "how  much 
permanent  road  improvements  cost.  If  the  added  value  of  the  improve- 
ment is  largely  in  excess  of  the  cost,  then  the  expenditure  is  justified 
and  desirable.  It  is  really  a  permanent  investment,  bringing  in  good 
dividends.  We  are  spending  more  than  $1,000,000  a  year  on  the  public 
highways  of  Kansas,  without  making  permanent  improvements  worthy 
of  mention.  If  this  amount  of  money  was  used  in  a  scientific,  business- 
like way,  and  the  work  done  regularly  and  systematically  by  men  who 
are  skilled  in  road  building,  it  would  require  only  a  few  years  to  give 
Kansas  a  perfect  system  of  public  highways." 

As  aids  to  carrying  his  ideas  on  this  subject  into  effect,  he  recom- 
mended the  appointment  of  a  state  engineer  of  public  highways;  a  road 
supervisor  in  each  county;  provisions  for  draining  and  grading  all  the 
main  traveled  roads  of  the  state ;  authorizing  organized  road  districts 
to  issue  bonds  for  permanent  road  building;  the  payment  of  all  poll- 
taxes  in  cash,  and  that  75  per  cent,  of  all  money  collected  from  each 
road  district  be  used  to  improve  the  roads  therein. 

Other  recommendations  made  by  Gov.  Stubbs  in  his  message  were 
the  abolition  of  the  county  assessor's  office;  the  election  of  state  ta.x 
commissioners  by  popular  vote;  the  limiting  of  the  tax-rate  by  law; 
to  give  women  the  right  to  vote  on  the  question  of  adopting  the  com- 
mission form  of  government  in  cities  of  the  first  and  second  classes;  a 
compulsory  referendum  in  the  matter  of  all  franchises ;  the  initiative  and 
referendum  in  the  passage  of  municipal  ordinances,  and  the  recall  of 
commissioners;  the  discontinuance  of  the  free  distribution  of  trees  at 
the  state  forestry  stations;  an  increase  in  the  number  of  inspectors  in 
the  employ  of  the  state  board  of  health,  and  that  a  report  of  all  cam- 
paign contributions  and  expenses  be  made  public.  With  regard  to  pas- 
senger rates  on  railroads,  the  present  rate  was  denounced  as  a  humbug 
by  the  governor,  who  recommended  that  "a  fiat  two-cent  rate  should 
be  substituted  therefor."  In  closing  his  message  the  governor  said : 
"A  majority  of  your  number  were  elected  upon  specific  pledges  to  enact 
certain  legislation.  Sttch  pledges  should  be  redeemed  as  faithfully  as 
are  personal  obligations  by  honorable  men  in  their  own  private  affairs." 


KANSAS    HISTORV  775 

Several  important  laws  were  passed  during  this  session  of  the  legis- 
lature, among  them  the  law  providing  for  the  guaranty  of  deposits  in 
the  state  banks,  and  one  authorizing  the  bank  commissioner  to  employ 
additional  deputies.  (See  Banking.)  Another  law  which  has  been  of 
great  benefit  to  the  people  of  the  state,  was  that  establishing  a  standard 
of  weights  and  measures  for  staple  products.  By  this  law  the  chancellor 
of  the  University  of  Kansas  was  made  ex-officio  state  sealer,  to  have 
charge  of  the  authorized  public  standards  of  weights  and  measures,  with 
power  to  appoint  a  deputy  to  assist  him  in  the  work.  The  county  clerk 
of  each  county  was  made  the  official  sealer  for  his  county.  In  the 
enforcement  of  the  law,  each  inspector  of  foods  employed  by  the  board 
of  health  was  given  a  set  of  standard  weights  and  measures,  with  instruc- 
tions to  test  the  scales,  etc.  Commenting  on  the  operation  of  this  law 
in  the  summer  of  igii,  the  Kansas  City  Star  said:  "In  the  two  years  that 
the  law  has  been  in  operation  the  inspectors  have  confiscated  more  than 
a  carload  of  scales,  measures,  weights  and  bottles  that  made  it  impos- 
sible to  give  the  customer  a  square  deal.  Some  of  the  merchants  were 
found  to  have  scales  that  'went  against'  them,  that  is,  the  customer  got 
the  advantage.    These  were  confiscated  also." 

Several  laws  relating  to  insurance  were  enacted,  the  principal  features 
of  which  were  those  prohibiting  the  offering  of  special  inducements  in 
the  sale  of  life  insurance  policies ;  making  it  unlawful  for  any  agent  of 
any  insurance  company  to  misrepresent  any  of  the  conditions  and  set- 
tlements of  any  insurance  polic)',  and  prohibiting  the  sale  of  notes  given 
in  payment  of  insurance  premiums.  A  "child  labor"  bill  was  passed. 
It  prohibited  the  employment  of  children  under  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
in  factories,  workshops,  theaters,  packing-houses  and  mines,  and  regu- 
lated the  hours  of  labor  and  conditions  of  employment  of  persons  under 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  in  other  occupations.  The  primary  election  law 
was  amended  to  provide  for  the  printing  of  ballots  at  the  expense  of 
the  state;  the  pure  food  and  tax  laws  were  also  amended;  drinking 
intoxicating  liquors  on  passenger  trains  within  the  state  was  prohibited; 
liberal  appropriations  were  made  for  the  support  of  the  state's  institu- 
tions ;  provisions  were  made  for  the  widening  and  deepening  of  chan- 
nels of  certain  streams  and  the  construction  of  levees  as  a  precaution 
against  floods ;  escape  shafts  were  ordered  to  be  placed  in  mines,  and  a 
limit  was  placed  upon  the  indebtedness  that  might  be  created  by  boards 
of  education  in  counties,  cities  and  school  districts. 

The  second  state-wide  primary  election,  and  the  first  under  the 
amended  law,  was  held  on  Aug.  2,  1910,  when  four  state  tickets  were 
nominated.  On  the  Republican  ticket  Gov.  Stubbs  was  renominated ; 
Richard  J.  Hopkins  was  chosen  for  lieutenant-governor;  Charles  H. 
Sessions,  for  secretary  of  state ;  W.  E.  Davis,  for  auditor ;  Mark  Tulle\', 
for  treasurer ;  John  S.  Dawson,  for  attorney-general ;  Edward  T.  Fair- 
child,  for  superintendent  of  public  instruction ;  I.  S.  Lewis,  for  super- 
intendent of  insurance ;  W.  C.  Austin,  for  state  printer ;  George  Plumb, 
Frank  J.  Ryan  and  John  T.  White,  for  railroad  commissioners ;  Silas 
W.  Porter  and  J.  S.  West,  for  associate  justices. 


7/6  CVCLOl'liDlA    OF 

On  the  Democratic  ticket,  George  H.  Hodges  was  nominated  for  gov- 
ernor; Lot  Ravenscroft,  lieutenant-governor;  Ray  L.  Taylor,  secretary 
of  state;  J.  G.  Miller,  auditor;  B.  M.  Dreiling,  treasurer;  Thomas  F. 
Morrison,  attorney-general ;  David  M.  Bowen,  superintendent  of  public 
instruction ;  Northrop  Moore,  superintendent  of  insurance ;  Edward  F. 
Hudson,  state  printer;  Joseph  B.  Fugate,  Taylor  Riddle  and  Thomas 
E.  Walsh,  railroad  commissioners;  Charles  F.  W.  Dassler  and  Humbert 
Riddle,  associate  justices. 

The  Socialist  ticket  was  made  up  as  follows :  For  governor,  S.  M. 
Stallard ;  lieutenant-governor,  C.  R.  D.  S.  Oakes ;  secretary  of  state, 
V.  V.  Oakford;  auditor,  Thomas  H.  McGill ;  treasurer,  M.  J.  Wells; 
attorney-general,  D.  E.  Crossley ;  superintendent  of  public  instruction, 
Terence  Vincent;  superintendent  of  insurance,  James  H.  Lee;  state 
printer,  O.  L.  Rice;  railroad  commissioners,  B.  W.  Burnside,  J.  B.  Huff- 
man and  A.  S.  McAllister;  associate  justices,  J.  L.  Jackson  and  J.  W. 
Puckett. 

•  No  nominations  for  justices  of  the  supreme  court  were  made  by  the 
Prohibitionists.  The  candidates  selected  by  the  voters  of  that  party 
for  the  other  state  offices  were:  For  governor,  William  Cady;  lieutenant- 
governor,  Ray  Heritage ;  secretary  of  state,  M.  C.  Platz ;  auditor,  T.  W. 
Bertenshaw;  treasurer,  O.  A.  Herbert;  attorney-general,  A.  G.  Darke; 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  S.  W.  Bond ;  superintendent  of 
insurance,  D.  L.  Timbers;  state  printer,  C.  B.  Jones;  railroad  commis- 
sioners. M.  R.  Becktell,  B.  F.  Hester  and  J.  K.  Mayberry. 

At  the  election  on  Nov.  8,  Stubbs  received  162,181  votes;  Hodges, 
146,014;  Stallard,  15,384,  and  Cady,  2,372.  The  entire  Republican  state 
ticket  was  elected  by  similar  pluralities,  and  the  Republican  candidates 
for  Congress  were  victorious  in  all  of  the  eight  districts.  (See  Con- 
gressional Representation.) 

Gov.  Stubbs'  second  term  began  with  the  opening  of  the  legislature 
which  assembled  on  Jan.  10,  191 1.  The  senate  organized  with  Lieut.- 
Gov.  Hopkins  as  the  presiding  officer,  and  in  the  house  G.  H.  Buckman 
was  elected  speaker.  In  his  message  the  governor  announced  that  "The 
taxable  property  placed  on  the  tax  rolls  of  the  state  in  1910  amounted 
to  $2,752,098,125,  which  is  an  increase  of  more  than  $300,000,000  in  two 
years.  The  value  of  farm  products  and  live  stock  has  increased,  and 
bank  deposits,  railroad  earnings,  manufactured  products,  the  volume  of 
business  and  financial  transactions  in  the  state  have  also  made  satis- 
factory gains." 

While  the  legislature  of  1909  was  in  session,  the  governor  had  a  bill 
prepared  and  introduced  requiring  railroad  companies  to  file  with  the 
board  of  railroad  commissioners  an  itemized  statement,  setting  forth 
the  cost  of  rolling  stock,  equipment,  etc.,  the  purpose  of  the  law  being 
to  furnish  the  state  with  information  that  would  place  it  on  an  equal 
basis  with  the  railroads  in  matters  of  litigation,  adjustment  of  rates  and 
settlement  of  claims.  Concerning  this  measure,  which  failed  to  pass, 
the  governor  in  his  message  of  191 1  said:  "The  railroad  lobbyists  bit- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  717 

teiiy  opposed  this  bill  before  llie  house  committee  which  had  charge 
at  the  last  session,  and  succeeded  in  defeating  it.  At  the  request  of 
President  Ripley  to  examine  the  Santa  Fe  books,  I  made  an  attempt  to 
secure  this  same  information  in  regard  to  the  Santa  Fe  road,  but  was 
immediately  stopped  by  both  President  Ripley  and  General  Manager 
Kouns.  The  right  to  examine,  at  any  time,  the  books,  records,  expense 
bills,  profiles  and  other  papers  owned  by  each  railroad  should  be  spe- 
cifically granted  in  this  law.  All  the  above  information  to  be  furnished 
under  oath  by  the  proper  officer  of  each  railroad  in  Kansas." 

A  law  was  passed  at  the  session  of  1909  lev3'ing  a  tax  upon  legacies 
and  successions,  varying  from  2  to  15  per  cent.,  according  to  the  amount 
of  property  included  in  the  inheritance.  Referring  to  this  law  in  his 
message  of  191 1  Gov.  Stubbs  said:  "Our  new  inheritance  tax  law  was 
enacted  at  the  very  last  night  of  the  legislature  two  years  ago.  The 
bill  was  passed  without  having  the  consideration  and  attention  that  such 
an  important  measure  deserves.  It  came  to  the  governor's  office  for 
approval  with  some  bad  features  that  should  have  been  changed  by  the 
legislature,  but  I  regarded  the  law  as  too  important  a  piece  of  legislation 
to  veto."  He  also  announced  that  the  state  had  received  $10,000  as  the 
inheritance  tax  from  foreign  estates  owning  railroad  stocks  that  had  to 
be  transferred  in  Kansas,  and  about  $15,000  from  another  estate  accu- 
mulated in  the  state.  He  concluded  this  part  of  his  message  by  saying: 
"It  would  be  almost  a  crime  to  repeal  the  law,  as  some  persons  demand," 
and  recommended  that  no  tax  be  levied  upon  the  first  $25,000  passing 
to  a  husband  or  wife  and  $10,000  passing  to  direct  heirs. 

As  in  1909,  the  governor  urged  the  passage  of  a  law  creating  a  board 
of  public  utilities,  and  that  the  "city  council,  or  city  commission  in  cities 
that  have  commission  form  of  government,  be  constituted  a  public  utili- 
ties board  to  have  control  of  local  public  utilities,  such  as  gas,  electric 
h'ght,  water  supply,  telephones,"  etc.,  giving  interested  parties  the  right 
of  appeal  to  the  state  commission.  In  response  to  his  recommendations 
on  this  subject,  the  legislature  passed  a  bill  of  44  sections  cbnverting 
the  railroad  commission  into  a  public  utilities  commission,  giving  it 
enlarged  powers  over  common  carriers,  telephone  and  telegraph  com- 
panies, pipe-line,  street  railway,  sleeping  car  companies,  etc.,  providing 
that  the  members  of  the  railroad  commission  should  serve  on  the  new- 
board  until  the  end  of  the  terms  for  which  they  were  elected,  and  repeal- 
ing all  laws  in  conflict  therewith. 

Another  recommendation  of  the  governor  was  that  a  law  should  be 
enacted  submitting  to  the  voters  of  the  state  at  the  next  general  elec- 
tion a  proposition  for  an  amendment  to  the  constitution  "which  will 
permit  the  state  to  derive  its  entire  revenue  from  state-wide  public 
service  corporations  and  thereby  relieve  all  counties,  municipalities  and 
local  subdivisions  of  the  state  from  paying  any  state  tax." 

On  the  subject  of  labor  legislation,  the  message  says:  "I  recommend 
that  this  legislature  do  full  justice  to  the  cause  of  labor  in  Kansas  and 
recognize,  through  just  and  equitable  laws,  the  principles  advocated  by 
Lincoln,  that  the  rights  of  men  are  superior  to  the  rights  of  property." 


■j-j%  -  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  specific  acts  of  legislation  suggested  along  this  line  were  the  work- 
ing-man's  compensation  law;  an  employers'  liability  law;  to  compel  mine 
owners  to  make  suitable  provisions  for  the  care  of  persons  injured  while 
in  their  employ  and  engaged  in  the  line  of  duty;  for  a  uniform  signal 
system  in  mines ;  safety  catches  on  all  hoisting  apparatus  in  mines ;  and 
the  establishment  of  a  branch  school  of  the  Kansas  University  depart- 
ment of  mines  in  the  Pittsburg  district. 

He  also  asked  the  legislature  to  submit  to  the  people  at  the  next  elec- 
tion propositions  to  amend  the  state  constitution  to  permit  the  "recall 
of  derelict,  incompetent  and  unfaithful  ofificers,  similar  to  that  now 
granted  to  cities  of  the  tirst  class  which  have  adopted  the  commission 
form  of  government,"  and  providing  for  the  initiative  and  referendum 
"similar  to  amendments  that  have  been  adopted  in  Maine,  Oregon,  South 
Dakota  and  other  states."  He  also  suggested  the  advisability  of  chang- 
ing the  date  of  the  primary  election  to  a  time  early  enough  to  permit 
the  people  to  vote  for  delegates  to  the  national  conventions  for  the  nomi- 
nation of  candidates  for  president  and  vice-president,  and  the  adoption 
of  the  "Oregon  plan,"  giving  the  citizens  of  the  state  the  right  to  vote 
at  the  general  election  for  a  United  States  senator,  such  candidate  to  be 
■elected  by  the  legislature  at  the  next  succeeding  session. 

The  6ist  Congress  submitted  to  the  legislatures  of  the  various  states 
an  amendment  to  the  Federal  constitution  relating  to  an  income  tax. 
Gov.  Stubbs  recommended  the  Kansas  legislature  to  pass  an  act  or  a 
'  resolution  ratifying  the  amendment,  which  was  done  on  March  ii,  191 1. 
Other  acts  passed  during  the  session  were  those  authorizing  the  direc- 
tors of  the  penitentiary  to  erect,  equip  and  maintain,  in  connection  with 
the  state  prison  a  "State  Asylum  for  the  Dangerous  Insane;"  establish- 
ing the  state  conservation  commission — to  consist  of  not  more  than  three 
members  from  each  Congressional  district,  with  the  governor  a  member 
€x-officio — for  the  purpose  of  "exploiting  the  resources  of  the  State  of 
Kansas,  collecting  and  disseminating  useful  information  concerning  the 
same;"  declaring  Oct.  12  (Columbus  day)  a  legal  holiday;  and  sub- 
mitting to  the  voters  at  the  general  election  of  1912  an  amendment  to 
the  state  constitution  providing  that  "The  rights  of  citizens  of  the  State 
of  Kansas  to  vote  and  hold  office  shall  not  be  denied  or  abridged  on 
account  of  sex." 

Two  important  labor  laws  recommended  by  the  governor  were  placed 
■on  the  statute  books  by  this  legislature.  One  provided  compensation  to 
workmen  injured  in  certain  hazardous  industries,  such  as  railways,  mines 
or  quarries,  factories,  electric  plants,  building  or  engineering  work,  laun- 
dries, natural  gas  plants,  and  "all  employments  wherein  a  process  requir- 
ing the  use  of  any  dangerous  explosive  or  inflammable  materials  is  car- 
ried on."  The  other — known  as  the  railway  employees  liability  law — 
provided  that,  under  certain  conditions  the  company  should  be  liable  for 
damages,  for  injuries  received  by  employees  while  engaged  in  the  per- 
formance of  duty. 

This  legislature  again  placed  Kansas  on  record  as  one  of  the  most 


KANSAS    HISTORY  779 

progressive  of  states  in  the  way  of  humane  legislation,  by  passing  an 
act  appropriating  $50,000  for  the  establishment  of  a  tuberculosis  sani- 
tarium. By  the  provisions  of  the  act  the  governor  was  authorized  to 
appoint  four  physicians  as  an  advisory  commission,  to  serve  without 
compensation  other  than  actual  expenses  incurred  in  the  line  of  duty, 
Ihe  secretary  of  the  state  board  of  health  to  constitute  the  fifth  member 
of  the  commission.  The  state  architect  was  directed  to  prepare  plans 
for  the  sanitarium,  under  the  supervision  of  the  commission,  and  the 
board  of  control  was  authorized  to  procure  a  site  by  donation,  when  the 
commission  approved  the  location.  Gov.  Stubbs  appointed  on  the  com- 
mission Drs.  R.  G.  Troupe  of  Garden  City,  J.  M.  Purdum  of  Wetmore, 
J.  A.  Milligan  of  Garnett,  and  W.  H.  Bauer  of  Sylvia.  Several  locations 
for  the  sanitarium  were  brought  before  the  commission  for  consideration, 
but  at  the  close  of  the  year  191 1  no  selection  had  been  made. 

Probably  the  most  important  law  enacted  during  the  session — at  least 
the  one  which  created  the  most  comment — was  that  providing  for  the 
regulation  and  supervision  of  investment  companies.  This  law,  gen- 
erally referred  to  as  the  "Blue  Sky  law,"  had  its  genesis  in  a  plan 
adopted  by  Bank  Commissioner  Dolley  in  the  spring  of  1910.  Knowing 
that  people  all  over  the  country  were  constantly  being  fleeced  by  dis- 
honest stock  companies,  Mr.  Dolley  sent  out  a  notice  for  insertion  in  the 
newspapers  of  the  state,  requesting  its  publication,  at  the  same  time 
stating  that  the  department  had  no  funds  for  advertising  purposes.  That 
notice  read  as  follows  : 

"to    the    I'EOI'LE   OF    KANSAS. 

"The  state  banking  department  has  established  a  bureau  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  information  as  to  the  financial  standing  of  companies 
whose  stock  is  offered  for  sale  to  the  people  of  Kansas.  If  you  are 
offered  any  stock  and  want  information  as  to  the  financial  standing  of 
the  company  offering  the  same,  before  investing,  please  write  to  this 
department  and  I  will  furnish  it. 

"Joseph  N.  Dolley, 

Bank  Commissioner." 

A  majoritv  of  the  newspapers  printed  the  item,  many  of  them  adding 
editorial  comment  in  the  way  of  approval,  and  before  the  law  was  passed 
hundreds  of  letters  of  inquiry  found  their  way  to  the  banking  depart- 
ment. The  replies  of  the  commissioner  prevented  many  of  the  letter 
writers  from  investing  in  worthless  stocks,  but  he  had  no  authority  to 
compel  the  companies  to  file  statements  with  him  showing  their  financial 
condition,  though  many  companies  voluntarily  furnished  such  statements 
upon  request.  In  his  report  for  1910  Mr.  Dolley  called  attention  to  the 
necessity  for  a  law  to  stop  "wild  cat"  speculation,  and  the  act  of  191 1 
was  the  result.  Under  this  law  any  company,  before  offering  to  sell  any 
stocks,  bonds  or  other  securities  within  the  state,  was  required  to  fur- 
nish and  file  with  the  bank  commissioner  a  statement  showing:    i — A 


780  CYCLOPEDIA    01^ 

detailed  description  oi  the  plan  upon  which  the  company  was  con- 
ducted ;  2 — Copies  of  all  contracts,  bonds,  etc.,  made  with  or  offered  to 
the  people  of  the  state;  3 — A  statement  showing  the  name  and  location 
of  the  company;  4 — An  itemized  report  of  its  financial  condition,  and 
if  a  co-partnership  or  corporation  its  articles  of  co-partnership  or  asso- 
ciation ;  5 — If  incorporated  in  another  state,  a  copy  of  the  law  under 
which  it  was  authorized  to  transact  business,  with  a  copy  of  its  charter, 
constitution,  by-laws,  etc.,  the  whole  to  be  verified  by  the  oath  of  some 
authorized  officer  of  the  company.  State  and  national  banks,  trust  com- 
panies, real  estate  loan  companies,  building  and  loan  associations  and 
corporations  not  organized  for  profit  were  exempted  from  the  pro- 
visions of  the  law. 

When  the  62nd  Congress  met  in  Dec,  191 1,  a  similar  act  was  pro- 
posed for  the  District  of  Columbia,  of  which  movement  the  Washington 
Times  said :  "Times  have  so  far  changed  that  it  is  no  longer  a  reproach 
that  a  thing  should  have  come  out  of  Kansas,  and  it  is  certainly  a  matter 
of  congratulation  that  the  "blue  sky'  law  of  that  state  is  to  be  considered 
for  the  district  in  a  bill  which  Commissioner  Rudolph  is  preparing  to 
have  submitted  to  Congress." 

In  addition  to  liberal  appropriations  for  the  support  of  the  state's 
established  institutions,  an  appropriation  of  $100,000  was  made  for  the 
establishment  of  a  new  insane  asylum  at  some  point  west  of  the  98th 
meridian  of  longitude,  and  the  state  board  of  control  was  authorized  to  ■ 
select  a  location,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  governor, 
within  six  months  from  the  taking  effect  of  the  act.  It  was  also  pro- 
vided that  the  site  should  contain  not  less  than  320  nor  more  than  1,000 
acres,  and  should  be  located  within  5  miles  of  the  corporate  limits  of 
some  city.  A  site  was  selected  near  Larned,  but  it  was  objected  to  by 
the  governor  and  the  erection  of  the  asylum  was  thus  delaj-ed. 

In  his  message  of  191 1  the  governor  said:  "The  prohibitory  law  is 
better  enforced  than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  the  state.  There  is 
not,  to  my  knowledge,  an  open  saloon  or  joint  in  Kansas.  The  sale  of 
liquor  for  all  purposes  has  been  outlawed  and  placed  on  the  same  basis 
as  other  crime."  He  recommended  a  penitentiary  sentence  for  every 
one  convicted  a  second  time  for  violation  of  the  law. 

Notwithstanding  the  congratulatory  statement  of  the  governor,  some 
trouble  was  experienced  in  connection  with  the  enforcement  of  the  pro- 
hibitory law  in  southeastern  Kansas  in  the  summer  of  191 1,  and  out  of 
it  grew  a  lawsuit  of  a  peculiar  nature.  J.  E.  House,  an  editorial  writer 
on  the  Topeka  Capital,  sent  out  a  circular  to  a  number  of  newspapers 
in  the  state,  which  circular  contained  the  following  statement :  "The 
writer  spent  a  portion  of  an  evening  in  a  small  Kansas  town  not  long 
ago.  The  town  is  in  territory  supposed  to  be  strictly  dry.  Still  they 
were  selling  beer  openlj'  over  a  bar.  With  these  conditions  prevailing 
everywhere,  why  shall  all  the  odium  of  the  situation  be  hung  on  Cherokee 
and  Crawford  counties?" 

Shortly   after  the  publication  of  this  circular,  the  governor  directed 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


781 


Atty.-Gen.  Dawson  to  summon  ^Ir.  House  to  appear  before  some  prop- 
erly constituted  authority  and  give  positive  and  definite  information  a.' 
to  wdien,  where  and  by  whom  said  beer  was  sold.  This  Mr.  Dawson 
declined  to  do,  and  on  July  25  Gov.  Stubbs,  through  his  attorney,  S.  D. 
Bishop  of  Lawrence,  filed  in  -the  supreme  court  a  mandamus  suit  against 
the  attorney-general.  The  application  for  a  writ  of  mandamus  was  based 
chiefly  upon  the  constitutional  provision  that  "the  supreme  executive 
power  of  the  state  shall  be  vested  in  a  governor  who  shall  see  that  the 
laws  are  faithfully  executed,"  and  upon  the  statutory  provision  that  the 
attorney-general  shall  appear  for  the  state  in  all  civil  or  criminal  actions 
in  the  supreme  court  to  which  the  state  is  a  party,  and  "shall  also  when 
required  by  the  governor  or  either  branch  of  the  legislature  appear  for 
the  state  and  prosecute  or  defend  in  any  other  court  or  before  any 
officer  in  any  case  or  matter,  civiJ  or  criminal,"  etc. 

On  Dec.  8  the  supreme  court  handed  down  an  opinion  sustaining  the 
governor's  position.  The  decision  was  written  by  Justice  Benson,  who, 
after  carefully  reviewing  arguments  pro  and  con,  said :  "It  is  manifest 
from  these  various  provisions  that  the  term,  'supreme  executive  power,' 
is  something  more  than  a  verbal  adornment  of  the  office,  but  implies 
such  power  as  will  secure  an  efficient  execution  of  the  laws,  which  is 
the  peculiar  province  of  that  department,  to  be  accomplished,  however, 
in  the  manner  and  by  the  method,  and  within  the  limitations  prescribed 
by  the  constitution." 

A  majority  of  the  court  concurred  in  the  decision  of  Justice  Benson, 
Justices  Porter  and  West  dissenting.  The  former,  in  his  opinion, 
expressed  regret  that  the  supreme  court  should  have  been  called  upon 
to  consider  what  he  terms  "a  tempest  in  a  teapot."  Says  he :  "If  the 
only  purpose  of  the  governor  was  to  bring  about  a  prosecution  all  that 
was  necessary  was  for  him  to  direct  the  attorney-general  to  investigate 
and  prosecute,  leaving  it  to  that  officer  to  use  his  own  judgment  and 
discretion  as  to  the  means  to  be  employed  in  such  prosecution.  If  the 
attorney-general  failed  to  perform  his  duty  or  acted  corruptly  he  can 
be  removed  by  impeachment,  but  we  have  no  right  to  compel  him  to 
perform  an}-  act  which  is  discretionary." 

Justice  West  held  a  similar  view,  and  in  his  dissenting  opinion  said : 
"Anyone  who  has  had  experience  in  conducting  prosecutions  arising 
from  the  prohibitory  law,  knows  that  caution  and  tact,  as  well  as  good 
judgment  and  legal  learning  are  necessary,  and  it  is  often  essential  that 
the  prosecutor,  instead  of  putting  a  hostile  witness  in  position  to  warn 
the  culprit,  let  not  his  left  hand  know  what  his  right  hand  doeth.  To 
require  by  mandamus  the  performance  of  an  act  so  inanifesii/  within  the 
realm  of  official  discretion  sets,  in  my  judgment,  a  dangerous  precedent 
and  departs  from  the  theory  upon  which  the  executive  department  of 
the  government  has  heretofore  been  conducted." 

Soon  after  the  decision  of  the  court  was  rendered  the  attorney-general 
filed  an  application  for  a  rehearing,  which  was  still  pending  at  the  close 
of  the  vear. 


782  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  summer  of  191 1  was  hot  and  dry.  In  the  western  part  of  the 
state  crops  were  injured  to  a  considerable  extent  by  drought,  and  in 
the  latter  part  of  July  and  the  early  part  of  August  efifGrts  were  made 
to  have  the  governor  call  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  to  afford 
relief.  On  Aug.  3  the  members  of  the  legislature  representing  the  north- 
western counties  met  at  Colby  and  adopted  resolutions  urging  the  gov- 
ernor to  call  an  extra  session.  Says  the  resolutions:  "Each  county  is 
able  to  take  care  of  its  own  condition.  All  we  need  is  a  law  whereby 
the  respective  counties  may  be  authorized  to  use  their  own  funds  by 
loaning  them  to  its  citizens,  or  in  some  other  proper  way  assist  them 
to  procure  a  reasonable  amount  of  seed.  If  you  call  a  special  session 
we  pledge  ourselves  to  devote  our  entire  efforts  exclusively  to  the  con- 
sideration of  emergency  legislation  and  to  the  use  of  the  strictest 
economy  of  both  time  and    money." 

The  counties  represented  in  the  conference  were  Cheyenne,  Decatur, 
Sherman,  Sheridan,  Graham,  Logan,  Gove,  Trego  and  Ellis.  Not  all 
the  people  of  the  western  portion  of  the  state  thought  a  special  session 
necessary.  The  Oakley  Graphic  said  editorially :  "Many  new  settlers 
came  into  western  Kansas  during  the  past  year  and  homesteaded  on 
isolated  tracts  of  land  depending  upon  this  year's  crop  to  put  them  oul 
of  debt.  This  is  the  class  of  people  that  are  asking  for  assistance,  bul 
the  rank  and  file  of  farmers  who  are,  according  to  the  dispatches  in  the 
dailies,  asking  for  aid,  are  able  to  buy  and  sell  90  per  cent,  of  the  fel- 
lows who  read  the  calamity  articles." 

After  investigation.  Gov.  Stubbs  evidently  took  the  view  of  the  Oak- 
ley Graphic,  and  no  special  session  was  called.  Later  in  the  j-ear  there 
was  some  agitation  for  a  special  session  to  amend  the  primary  election 
law  so  as  to  permit  the  selection  of  delegates  to  the  national  conventions 
by  popular  vote,  and  although  Gov.  Stubbs  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
theory  that  governments  derive  "their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of 
the  governed,"  he  declined  to  call  the  extra  session. 

William  H.  Taft,  president  of  the  United  States,  visited  Kansas  in 
Sept.,  191 1,  and  on  the  27th  officiated  at  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone 
of  the  Memorial  Building  (q.  v.)  at  Topeka.  That  was  the  occasion 
of  a  state  soldiers'  reunion  and  several  thousand  veterans  of  the  Civil 
war  were  in  attendance,  as  well  as  a  large  number  of  the  citizens  of 
the  state.  The  term  of  Gov.  Stubbs  will  end  with  the  inauguration  of 
his  successor  in  Jan.,  1913. 

Stidley,  a  hamlet  in  Sheridan  county,  is  located  in  X'alley  township 
on  the  Solomon  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  16  miles  east  of  Hoxie, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  general  stores,  an  express  office,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  ■/$. 

StuU,  a  hamlet  of  Douglass  county,  is  located  in  the  northwestern  por- 
tion, 6  miles  south  of  Lecompton,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the 
postoffice  from  which  it  has  rural  free  delivery.  The  population  in 
1910  was  31. 


783 

KANSAS    HISTORY  ' 


Stuttgart,  a  country  hamlet  in  ^"'-11'?^^°""^^'  '^'^^^^^  "  fes  of 
township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  f-'J^'^J^^X 
Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat.  It  has  general  stores,  ^  "^  f'^^^  ^^^^^^ 
elevator,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  oidet  postottice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  125.  .  W-ildo 

Success,   a   countiy   hamlet    in   Russell   county,   >/  Jo'^-  ^^     n    \\Mo 
township  on  the  Saline  river,  10  miles  northeast  °/.R"-;"'    ^^%;°      .e 
seat,  and  8  miles  north  of  Bunkerhill,  the  nearest  shipping  point  and 
postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  ,g 

Sugar.-The  sugar  industry  in  Kansas  commenced  in  the  earl)    «os 
with^he   manufacuire   of   sugar   from   sorghum   --■    ,  f  .^a.^^^^^  !  !. 
industry  the  state  board  of  agriculture  '"^884  ".adetl^^e  follow  in       e 
port:     "Of  116.511  acres  of  sorghum  in  the  state  this  >eai    but     9-5  5 
acres  or  a  little  over  25  per  cent.,  were  planted  for  the  purpose  of  manu 
:t:nngthl  product  Ifto  sugar  and  sirup.     The  .-ter  proportion  of 
the  areator  86,996  acres  were  sown  and  planted  for    °-f "   ^  ^'^  P^"- 
tion  that  was  manufactured  into  sugar  cannot  yet  be  accniately  de  e 
;"ed,  but   will   probably  not   exceed   one-fifth   -{^l^^^J^^XT^'o^- 
above  as  planted  for  the  purpose  of  manufacture,     i  here  are  th  ee  p  om 
inent  su-ar  plants  in  operation  in  Kansas,  being  located  at  Hutchinson 
S^e    in^and'ottawa.     These  works  have  all  manufactured  -g^ar    bo  h 
last  ve"r  and  this      .     .     a  sample  of  sugar  made  this  yeai  at  Hutchin 
o  s  of  good  quality  and  shows  a  decided  in^P™^"^'^"^";'^^ 

Products  of  a  ye^r  ago'    That  a  good  quality  of  -'f -^  ^^ J^^  d  te" 
northern  cane    there  is  now  no  question;  the  only  point  to   be  cietei 
mined  is  as  to  the  ability  to  produce  it  so  that  it  can  compete  in  price 

with  foreign  sugar."  attention  of  the  legis- 

In  his  message  of  1885  bov.  iviaitin  caiieu  c 
.ature  to  the  sugar  industry  by  reporting  the  outp.rt  °f  ^^  ^'^^^^^^  ^^^^ 
factories  for  1884,  as  602,000  pounds  of  sug^ar  ^"^  I55,500  ga  h^ns  o 
sirup  manufactured  from  19,300  tons  of  sorghum  cane  T  e  J^^^  >  °t 
this  suoar  was  said  to  be  identical  in  composition  with  the  Louisiana 
t.  The  act  of  March  5.  1887,  allowed  a  bounty  of  two  cents  a  pound 
^on  e.  1  and  everv  pound  of  sugar  manufactured  under  certain  con- 
dtions  from"  l^eets,' sorghum  or  other  sugar  yielding  canes  and  plants 
iowni  Kansas  "  (See  Bounties.)  The  following  year  701.941  pounds 
S  J;ipe"io"  ugar  and  300,000  gallons  of  molasses  were  produced  with 
satisfactory  financial  results.  .  r. 

I  1889  the  legislature  passed  an  act  encouraging  the  erection  of 
suoar  mdls  and  the  manufacture  of  sugar  and  sirup  out  of  sorghum 
cane  aphorizing  townships  and  cities  of  the  second  and  third  classes  o 
subscribe  for  stock  in  sugar  factories  and  to  vote  bonds  therefoi.     In 

So  Georoe  F.  Kellogg,  s^ate  sugar  inspector,  reported  eight  companies 
Sarin- to  manufacture  sugar  that  year,  located  at  Fort  Scott,  Topeka, 
Medkle'  Lodge,  Ness  City,  Attica,  'Liberal,  Arkalon.  and  Conway 
Springs  The  legislature  of  1891  amended  the  act  of  1887  and  provided 
for  a  bounty  of  three-fourths  of  a  cent  per  pound  on  sugar.    In  1893  Mr. 


784  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Kellogg  reported  three  inamifaclures  as  claiming  bounty — the  Medicine 
Lodge  Sugar  company,  Limited,  $3,648;  the  Parkinson  Sugar  company 
of  Fort  Scott,  $3,606.75 ;  and  the  Medicine  Lodge  Sugar  works  and  Re- 
fining company,  $231.  The  amount  of  sugar  manufactured  was  998,110 
])ounds  of  first  grade  and  about  1,000,000  pounds  of  second  grade. 

During  the  next  few  years  the  sorghum  cane  sugar  industry  languished 
and  finally  died,  and  in  its  place  came  the  beet  sugar  industry.  Kansas 
first  made  sugar  from  beets  in  1889.  In  that  year  and  1890  beet  sugar 
was  made  quite  successfully  at  Medicine  Lodge  in  the  factory  of  the 
Medicine  Lodge  Sugar  works  and  Refining  company.  Henry  Hintze, 
sugar  boiler  and  superintendent,  came  to  Kansas  with  a  thoroughly 
practical  experience  in  beet  sugar  work,  especially  in  German  methods. 
He  obtained  seed  from  Germany  and  planted  4.7  acres  near  the  factory. 
The  yield  was  60.23  tons  of  cleaned  beets,  which  produced  10,158  pounds 
of  sugar  and  380  gallons  of  sirup.  The  report  to  the  state  board  of 
agriculture  stated  that  a  larger  return  would  have  been  obtained  if  the 
factory  had  been  equipped  with  suitable  machinery  for  slicing  the  beets 
and  treating  the  juice.  In  1890  an  attempt  was  made  to  secure  a  crop  of 
100  acres  of  beets  at  Medicine  Lodge,  but  instructions  were  not  obeyed. 
However,  the  harvest  was  290  tons,  from  which  48,260  potmds  of  sugar 
was  obtained.  The  beets  tested  15.25  per  cent,  sugar  contents.  The 
company  showed  a  willingness  to  put  in  proper  machinery  for  making 
beet  sugar,  but  it  changed  management  and  nothing  was  done.  The 
sorghum  sugar  factory  at  Ness  City  planted  beets  in  1890,  but  the  factory 
burned.  The  Topeka  sorghum  sugar  factory  reported  a  net  profit  of 
$11.60  per  acre  on  a  small  crop  of  beets  raised  the  same  year.  In  1890 
the  Kansas  Agricultural  College  began  experiments  in  beet  sugar  grow- 
ing. Some  seeds  were  imported,  others  procured  from  the  United  States 
department  of  Agriculture.  The  beets  showed  an  unsatisfactory 
analysis,  but  the  work  was  continued.  Beets  raised  in  other  localities 
were  analyzed  and  some  showed  a  good  percentage  of  sugar. 

In  1901  provision  was  made  by  law  for  payment  by  the  state  of  $1  per 
ton  upon  beets  grown  in  Kansas  and  used  for  sugar  manufacture.  The 
law  differed  from  the  law  of  1887  in  that  it  paid  the  bounty  to  the 
grower  instead  of  the  manufacturer.  Seventy  growers  in  Kearny,  Ham- 
ilton and  Finney  counties,  harvested  a  total  of  1,747.36  tons  of  beets 
which  were  bought  by  contract  by  a  sugar  factory  at  Rocky  Ford,  Col. 
The  sugar  content  of  these  beets  ranged  from  13.3  to  22  per  cent.  In  1902 
seventy-five  growers  in  Finney  and  Kearny  counties  shipped  4,250  tons 
of  beets  harvested  from  439  acres  to  the  American  Beet  Sugar  company 
at  Rocky  Ford.  The  bulk  of  this  crop!  was  raised  near  Lakin  and  Deer- 
field.  The  year  1903  was  an  important  one  and  the  beet  crop  was  small, 
but  the  next  year  5,000  tons  were  provided  for  in  the  bounty  appropria- 
tion. Of  this  crop  1,488  tons  were  grown  in  the  northwestern  counties 
of  Rawlins,  Cheyenne  and  Decatur,  the  beets  being  shipped  to  Grand 
Island  and  Ames,  Neb.  The  1905  harvest  in  the  Arkansas  valley  was 
8,032  tons.    The  132  growers  received  a  bounty  of  58  cents  a  ton. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


78s 


About  this  time  a  group  of  Colorado  capitalists  made  investigation  of 
the  district  adjacent  to  Garden  City,  Deerfield  and  Lakin.  As  a  result 
the  United  States  Sugar  and  Land  company  was  incorporated,  27,000 
acres  were  purchased  in  Finney  and  Kearny  counties,  early  in  1906 
work  was  commenced  on  a  factory  at  Garden  City,  to  be  finished  in 
time  to  care  for  the  crop  of  that  year  and  to  have  a  daily  capacity  for 
slicing  800  tons  of  beets.  This  factory  is  of  modern,  steel,  concrete  and 
brick  construction,  representing  an  investment  of' $800,000.  The  statis- 
tics for  the  year  1910  show  8,171  acres  planted  to  sugar  beets,  which 
yielded  70,890  tons,  with  a  value  of  $354,450. 
Sugar  Creek  Mission. — (See  Missions.) 

Sugarloaf,  a  country  hamlet  in  Rooks  county,  is  located  10  miles  north- 
west of  Stockton,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point,  and  il 
miles  south  of  Speed,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The 
population  in  1910  was  15. 

Sugarvale,  a  hamlet  in  Anderson  county,  is  located  9  miles  northeast 
of  Garnett,  the  county  seat,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route,  and 
6  miles  southeast  of  Hecla,  on  the  Missouri  Pacific,  the  nearest  shipping 
point. 

Summerfield,  an  incorporated  town  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in 
Richland  township,  26  miles  northeast  of  Maryville,  the  county  seat.  It 
is  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  has  banking  facilities,  a  weekly  news- 
paper (the  Sun),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  schools  and  churches,  and 
an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  mail  routes. 
The  population  in  1810  was  554. 

Sumner  County,  one  of  the  southern  tier,  is  crossed  east  of  the  center 
by  the  6th  principal  meridian,  and  hence  is  but  a  short  distance  east  of  a 
line  dividing  the  state  into  halves.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Sedg- 
wick county;  on  the  east  by  Cowley;  on  the  south  by  the  State  of  Okla- 
homa, and  on  the  west  by  Harper  and  Kingman  counties.  It  was  named 
in  1871  in  honor  of  the  Hon.  Charles  Sumner  of  Massachusetts.  At  that 
time  many  of  his  friends  objected  to  applying  the  name  of  so  great  a  man 
to  what  they  deemed  a  worthless  strip  of  territory. 

Settlement  began  early  in  1869  when  John  Degolia  and  A.  Cadou 
started  a  ranch  on  Slate  creek.  This  neighborhood  was  one  of  the  first 
in  the  county  to  be  settled.  Those  who  came  during  the  years  of  1869 
and  1870  were,  in  the  order  of  their  coming,  J.  M.  Buffington,  Lafayette 
Binkley.  John  Horton,  Charles  Wichern,  Edwin  Wiggins,  Charles  Rus- 
sell, Frank  Holcroft,  J.  D.  Holmes,  J.  J.  Ferguson,  J.  O.  West,  A.  D.  Cle- 
well  with  his  wife  and  six  children,  G.  C.  Walton,  his  wife  Sarah  and 
nine  children,  T.  L.  Cambridge  with  his  wife  and  seven  children,  J.  B. 
Leforce,  Sr.,  wife  and  six  children,  their  son  J.  B.  Leforce  and  wife,  Wil- 
liam Leforce,  wife  and  one  child,  W.  C.  Foraker,  Nelson  Holmes,  Thom- 
as A.  Woodward,  Thomas  Fuller,  James  Sullivan,  John  F.  Denogan, 
Capt.  A.  B.  Barnes,  Charles  Russell,  Harry  Holcroft,  Edward  Wiggins, 
T.  V.  McMahon,  John  McMahon,  Robert  Symington,  Albert 
Brown,  Tohn  and  Simon  Bodkin,  John  P.  McCullock,  John  Bur- 
(n-50) 


786  CYCLOPEDIA    0F 

nell  and  wife,  Mrs.  Lillie  Wallace  (86  3'ears  old),  A.  B.  and  A.  E.  May- 
hew,  Thomas,  J.  L.  and  W.  B.  McCammon,  Samuel  and  Luther  Spencer, 
William  Meek  and  family,  John  E.  Reid,  George  Pottman,  George  A. 
Jewitt,  John  Carpenter,  H.  H.  and  H.  D.  Coulter,  with  their  families, 
Charles  A.  Phillips,  John  J.  Abel,  A.  Moovil,  and  Perry  Binkley. 

This  brings  the  settlements  up  to  the  last  day  of  1870.  By  that  time  a 
number  of  trading  posts  had  been  established ;  one  on  the  site  of  Oxford, 
where  a  number  of  families  had  been  located ;  one  on  Slate  creek,  and 
one  at  Ninnescah.  In  1871  there  was  a  large  influx  of  settlers  and  a  num- 
ber of  towns  were  founded,  among  them  Belle  Plaine,  where  David  Rich- 
ards put  the  first  ferry  in  the  county  into  operation.  The  Napawalla 
Town  company  was  formed  and  a  town  of  that  name  laid  out  on  the 
site  of  Oxford.  The  Oxford  Town  company  was  formed  shortly  after- 
ward, ordered  a  printing  outfit,  and  attempted  to  make  Oxford  the 
county  seat.  Wellington  also  was  founded  early  in  1871  for  the  same 
purpose  and  Sumner  City  had  its  beginning  about  this  time.  The  Fourth 
of  July  was  celebrated  with  a  great  deal  of  zest  in  all  the  new  towns. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  county  was  Oxford  Bufit,  born  July 
20,  1871,  at  the  place  indicated  by  his  first  name.  The  first  recorded 
death  in  the  county  occurred  on  July  3,  when  George  Peary  was  shot 
and  killed  by  O.  Bannon.  In  August  a  company  was  formed  to  build  a 
bridge  across  the  Arkansas.  The  first  meeting  of  old  soldiers  was  held 
at  Wellington  on  Sept.  i,  and  the  first  marriage  was  in  November  be- 
tween George  W.  Clark  and  Mary  C.  Wright,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed by  Rev.  J.  C.  Ferguson. 

It  seems  from  all  accounts  and  records  that  Sumner  county  was  unusu- 
ally turbulent  in  the  early  days.  A  book  by  G.  D.  Freeman  of  Caldwell 
gives  twenty  or  more  cases  of  violence,  ranging  from  single  murders  and 
lynchings  to  fights  with  whole  gangs  of  desperadoes  in  which  numbers 
of  men  were  killed.  Before  the  county  organization  the  citizens  had 
various  committees  for  dispensing  justice.  One  of  these  was  the  "Vig- 
ilants,"  which  dealt  out  justice  and  sometimes  injustice  in  a  summary 
manner.  In  1871  the  citizens  thinking  a  corps  of  county  officers  would 
better  social  conditions  petitioned  Gov.  Harvey  for  organization.  In 
order  to  frustrate  the  plans  of  Sumner  City  to  become  the  county  seat 
the  petition  asked  that  Meridian  be  named  the  temporary  county  seat, 
and  that  William  J.  Uhler,  John  J.  Albert  and  John  S.  McMahon,  three 
Wichita  men  favorable  to  Wellington,  be  nominated  commissioners. 
This  was  done  and  the  commissioners  camped  on  the  bare  prairie,  where 
Meridian  was  supposed  to  be,  and  awaited  developments.  Their  first 
record  was  dated  in  June,  1871,  and  they  ordered  that,  inasmuch  as  the 
county  had  failed  to  provide  buildings  at  Meridian,  the  county  business 
be  transacted  at  Wellington  until  the  permanent  seat  should  be  chosen 
by  ballot.  One  of  the  commissioners  went  to  another  county  and  the 
remaining  two  appointed  David  Richardson  in  his  place.  Clark  R.  God- 
frey was  appointed  county  clerk.  In  August  the  county  was  divided 
into  three  election  precincts  and  an  election  for  county  seat  and  officers 


KANSAS    HISTORY  787 

ordered  for  Sept.  26.  The  contesting  towns  werq  Wellington,  Sumner 
City,  Meridian  and  Belle  Plaine.  The  total  number  of  votes  cast  was 
805.  The  officers  chosen  were :  Clerk,  C.  S.  Brodbent ;  clerk  of  the  dis- 
trict court,  W.  A.  Thompson;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  A. 
M.  Colson;  county  attorney,  George  N.  Godfrey;  probate  judge,  George 
M.  Miller;  sheriff,  J.  J.  Ferguson;  register  of  deeds,  J.  l^omine ;  county 
treasurer,  R.  Freeman ;  two  of  the  three  commissioners  were  A.  D.  Ro- 
sencrans  and  R.  W.  Stevenson.  The  county  business  was  still  trans- 
acted at  Meridian,  where  a  temporary  county  building  had  been  erected. 
There  was  no  choice  for  county  seat  and  pending  the  second  election, 
which  was  to  be  held  in  November,  the  citizens  of  Wellington  took  a 
wagon  and  went  to  Meridian  to  take  possession  of  the  county  records. 
As  they  came  to  the  place  they  saw  a  party  from  Oxford  bent  on  the 
same  mission  just  coming  over  the  hill.  Wellington  secured  the  books 
without  trouble  but  a  hand  to  hand  fight  occurred  over  the  persons  of 
the  .commissioners.  In  the  end  the  Wellington  party  secured  two  of 
them,  minus  some  of  their  clothes.  The  November  election  failed  to 
settle  the  matter  and  another  was  held  in  Jan.,  1872,  the  vote  of  which 
was  never  canvassed  on  account  of  the  sudden  resignation  of  one  of  the 
commissioners.  Another  election  was  held  in  March  in  which  Welling- 
ton received  the  highest  number  of  votes  and  Oxford  the  second  high- 
est. A  vote-  taken  the  next  month  resulted  in  favor  of  Wellington.  A 
petition  was  presented  in  Jan.,  1873,  for  relocation.  It  was  denied  and 
no  further  effort  was  made  to  change  the  seat  of  justice. 

Settlement  was  so  rapid  that  by  1874  there  were  fully  8,000  people  in 
the  county.  That  year  proved  to  be  a  disastrous  one  in  many  ways. 
Added  to  the  grasshopper  plague,  which  was  general  throughout  Kan- 
sas, were  the  drought  and  the  Indian  raids.  While  the  Indians  did  not 
come  into  Sumner  county,  attacks  were  threatened  at  various  times  and 
the  settlers  were  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement  for  several 
months.  They  left  their  homes  and  gathered  into  the  towns,  hundreds 
being  encamped  at  Wellington.  Finally  a  great  many  became  dis- 
couraged and  left  for  the  east,  some  of  them  in  the  most  pitiable  state  of 
poverty  and  despair.  This  state  of  aflfairs  did  not  last  long.  In  1880 
there  were  20,886  people  living  in  the  county,  and  200,000  acres  of  land 
were  under  cultivation,  half  of  which  was  sowed  to  wheat.  Flour  mills 
had  been  erected  and  the  first  railroads  were  built  that  year,  so  that  the 
product  could  be  marketed. 

The  first  railroad  to  enter  the  county  was  the  Cowley,  Sumner  &  Fort 
Smith,  an  extention  of  the  Wichita  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.  Bonds  to  the  amount  of  $180,000  were  voted  and  the 
road  was  completed  to  Caldwell  in  May,  1880.  In  1879  Oxford,  Wel- 
lington and  Dixon  townships  voted  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $54,000  for 
the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston,  which  is  now  a  part  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  system.  It  was  completed  to  Wellington 
in  March,  1880.  Another  road  which  later  became  a  part  of  the  Santa 
Fe  was  built  during  the  same  year  between  Wellington  and  Hunnewell. 


788  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

At  the  present  lime  there  are  252  miles  of  main  track  in  the  county, 
which  entitles  it  to  rank  among  the  first  in  the  state  as  regards  rail- 
road facilities.  A  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  enters  in  the 
northeast,  crosses  southwest  to  Wellington,  thence  south  into  Oklahoma, 
with  a  branch  southwest  from  Wellington  to  Caldwell  in  the  southwest. 
Another  line  of  the  same  system  from  Winfield,  Cowley  county,  enters 
in  the  east  and  crosses  directly  west  through  Wellington  into  Harper 
count}-.  A  branch  of  this  road  northwest  from  Winfield  crosses  the 
extreme  northeast  corner  and  west  a  few  miles  along  the  northern  bor- 
der. A  line  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  enters  in  the  east  and  crosses  north- 
west and  west  into  Kingman  county,  and  a  branch  of  the  same  road 
from  Wichita  enters  in  the  north  and  crosses  southwest  into  Harper 
county.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific  enters  in  the  north, 
crosses  south  to  Wellington  and  southwest  to  Caldwell.  The  Kansas 
City,  Mexico  &  Orient  R.  R.  crosses  the  extreme  northwest  corner.  The 
Kansas  Southwestern,  a  railroad  from  Anthony,  Harper  county,  to  Ar- 
kansas City,  crosses  the  southern  part  east  and  west. 

Sumner  county  is  divided  into  30  townships,  Avon,  Belle  Plaine,  Bluff, 
Caldwell,  Chikaskia,  Conway,  Creek,  Dixon,  Downs,  Eden,  Falls,  Gore, 
Greene,  Guelph,  Harmon,  Illinois,  Jackson,  London,  Morris,  Osborne, 
Oxford,  Palestine,  Ryan,  Seventy-six,  South  Haven,  Springdale,  Sumner, 
Valverde,  Walton  and  Wellington.  The  postofifices  are.  Wellington, 
Anson,  Argonia,  Ashton,  Belle  Plaine,  Caldwell,  Cicero,  Conway  Springs, 
Corbin,  Dalton,  Drury,  Geuda  Springs,  Hunnewell,  Mayfield,  Milan, 
Millerton,  Milton,  Mulvane,  Oxford,  Peck,  Perth,  Portland,  Riverdale, 
Rome  and  South  Haven. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  prairie,  which  in  many  places  is 
nearly  level.  Bottom  lands  comprise  20  per  cent,  of  the  total  area.  The 
timber  belts  along  the  streams  vary  from  five  rods  to  one-half  mile  in 
width  and  the  principal  varieties  of  wood  are  cottonwood,  box  elder,  ash, 
willow,  elm,  hackberry,  burr-oak,  mulberry,  cofifee-bean  and  locust. 
Limestone,  sandstone,  gypsum  and  potter's  clay  are  found  in  small 
quantities.  Salt  exists  in  large  deposits  and  the  county  is  noted  for  the 
number  and  quality  of  its  mineral  springs.  Well  water  is  found  at  a 
depth  of  from  ten  to  forty  feet.  The  principal  stream  is  the  Arkansas 
river,  which  flows  south  along  the  eastern  boundary.  The  Ninnescah 
enters  in  the  north  and  flows  southeast  to  the  eastern  border  where  it 
joins  the  Arkansas.  The  Chikaskia  enters  in  the  west  and  flows  south- 
east. Slate  creek  in  the  east  and  Blufif  creek  in  the  west  are  important 
streams. 

The  area  is  1,188  square  miles  or  760,320  acres,  of  which  about  600,000 
have  been  brought  under  cultivation.  From  its  early  beginnings  Sum- 
ner was  always  a  leader  as  an  agricultural  county.  It  rivals  Barton  for 
first  place  in  the  state.  In  igo6  it  ranked  highest  in  corn  and  led  all 
others  in  the  production  of  winter  wheat  and  oats.  The  wheat  yield  of 
1901  was  6.812,102  bushels,  more  than  was  produced  in  the  same  year  by 
the  whole  state  of  Texas,   North   Carolina,  or  in  anv  one  of  22  other 


KANSAS    HISTORY  7^9 

States  and  territories,  and  exceeded  by  over  a  million  bushels  the  aggre- 
gate of  the  wheat  raised  in  New  England,  Mississippi,  New  Jersey,  New- 
Mexico  and  Wyoming  all  put  together. 

The  farm  produce  per  annum  brings  from  $4,000,000  to  $7,000,000.  In 
the  year  of  1909  it  brought  $6,870,000.  The  product  for  1910  which  was 
below  the  average  was  nearlj^  $5,000,000.  Wheat  in  that  year  brought 
$441,000;  corn,  $951,000;  hay,  $385,000;  oats,  $1,178,000  ;  live  stock,  nearly 
$1,000,000.  Other  important  products  are  rye,  Irish  potatoes,  sorghum, 
Kafir-corn,  poultry  and  dairy  products.  There  are  250,000  bearing  fruit 
trees. 

The  population  in  iQio,  according  to  the  government  census,  was 
30,654,  a  gain  of  about  20  per  cent,  over  the  population  of  1900.  The 
assessed  valuation  of  property  was  approximately  $53,758,000.  This 
makes  the  wealth  per  capita  a  little  more  than  $1,700.  Many  of  the 
farmers  have  been  known  to  pay  for  their  farms  entirely  with  one  crop  of 
corn  or  wheat.  There  is  room  in  Sumner  county  for  4,725  farms  of  160 
acres  each. 

Sun  City,  one  of  the  villages  of  Barber  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  20  miles  northwest  of  Medicine  Lodge, 
the  county  seat.  It  is  on  the  Medicine  Lodge  river  and  in  Sun  township. 
There  are  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  postofifice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  150. 

Sunflower. — (See  State  Flower.) 

Sunflower,  one  of  the  inland  hamlets  of  Mitchell  county,  is  located 
about  II  miles  south  of  Beloit,  the  county  seat,  from  which  place  it 
receives  mail.    The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Sunnydale,  a  hamlet  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  12  miles  north  of 
Wichita,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  east  of  Valley  Center  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  post- 
office  from  which  it  receives  mail.    The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Sunnyside,  a  country  hamlet  in  Wichita  county,  is  located  18  miles 
north  of  Leoti,  the  comity  seat.  It  has  a  telephone  exchange,  general 
stores  and  a  money  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  30. 

Supreme  Court. — The  constitution,  as  adopted  in  1859,  created  a  su- 
preme court  of  three  judges — a  chief  justice  and  two  associates.  The 
power  to  elect  these  judges  and  all  others  was  given  to  the  people.  The 
term  of  the  supreme  judges,  after  the.  first,  was  to  be  six  }'ears,  but  to 
begin  with  and  to  secure  individual  alternation,  the  terms  were  respect- 
ively, six  years  for  the  chief  justice,  four  years  for  one  of  the  associate 
justices  and  two  years  for  the  other.  The  terms  of  the  supreme  court 
were  to  be  held  at  the  seat  of  government  once  each  year,  "and  such  other 
terms  at  such  places  as  may  be  provided  by  law."  Those  chosen  at  the 
first  election  were  Thomas  Swing,  Jr.,  chief  justice;  Samuel  A.  Kingman 
and  Lawrence  D.  Bailey,  associate  justices.  The  justices  were  installed 
in  office  at  the  organization  of  the  state  government  in  1861.  Thomas 
Ewing,  ]r.,  held  the  office  of  chief  justice  until  his  resignation,  in  Oct., 
1862.     In  the  following  December  Nelson  Cobb  was  appointed  to  fill  the 


790  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

vacancy  and  served  out  the  term,  which  expired  in  Jan.,  1864,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Robert  Crozier.  Judge  Crozier  was  succeeded,  in 
Jan.,  1867,  by  Samuel  A.  Kingman,  who  served  until  Dec.  31,  1876,  being 
then  succeeded  by  Albert  H.  Horton.  Judge  Horton  resigned,  in  April, 
1895,  and  was  succeeded  by  David  Martin,  who  was  appointed  April  30. 
Frank  Doster  succeeded  Judge  Martin,  Jan.  11,  1897,  and  William  A. 
Johnston  succeeded  Judge  Doster,  Jan  12,  1903.  By  the  terms  of  the 
constitutional  amendment,  adopted  at  the  general  election  of  1900,  it  was 
provided  that,  after  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  office  of  the  then  chief 
justice,  the  justice  senior  in  continuous  term  of  service  should  be  chief 
justice.  Samuel  A.  Kingman  was  succeeded  as  associate  justice,  in  1865, 
by  Jacob  Safford,  and  Lawrence  D.  Bailey  was  succeeded,  in  Jan.,  1869, 
by  b.  M.  Valentine.  D.  J.  Brewer  succeeded  Judge  Saflford,  in  Jan.,  1871, 
and  served  until  April  9,  1884,  when  he  resigned,  being  succeeded  by 
Theodore  A.  Hurd,  appointed  by  the  governor,  April  12,  1884.  William 
A.  Johnston  was  elected,  Nov.  4,  1884,  to  succeed  Judge  Hurd,  and  quali- 
fied Dec.  I,  1884.  Judge  Valentine  was  succeeded  by  Stephen  H.  Allen, 
who  was  elected  Nov.  8,  1892.  Judge  Allen  was  succeeded  by  William 
R.  Smith,  Jan.  10,  1899. 

The  legislature  of  1899  submitted  an  amendment  to  the  constitution 
and  the  same  was  adopted  by  the  voters  at  the  general  election  held  in 
Nov.,  1900.  By  this  amendment  the  supreme  court  was  made  to  consist 
of  seven  justices.  "They  may  sit  separately  in  two  divisions,  with  full 
power  in  each  division  to  determine  the  cases  assigned  to  be  heard  by 
such  division."  It  was  further  provided  that  the  term  of  officers  of  the 
justices  should  be  six  years,  "except  as  hereinafter  provided."  The  jus- 
tices in  office  at  the  time  this  amendment  took  effect  were  to  hold  their 
offices  for  the  terms  for  which  they  were  severally  elected,  and  until 
their  successors  were  elected  and  qualified.  As  soon  as  practicable  after 
the  second  Monday  in  Jan.,  1901,  the  governor  was  to  appoint  four  jus- 
tices, to  hold  their  offices  until  the  second  Monday  in  Jan.,  1903.  At  the 
general  election  in  1902  there  should  be  elected  five  justices,  one  of 
whom  was  to  hold  office  for  two  years,  one  for  four  years,  and  three  for 
six  years.  At  the  general  election  in  1904,  and  every  six  years  thereafter, 
two  justices  were  to  be  elected.  At  the  general  election  in  1906,  and 
every  six  years  thereafter,  two  justices  were  to  be  elected;  and  at  the 
general  election  in  1908,  and  every  six  years  thereafter,  three  justices 
were  to  be  elected.     (See  Stanley's  Administration.) 

At  the  close  of  the  year  191 1  the  supreme  court  was  made  up  as  fol- 
lows: William  A.  Johnston,  chief  justice;  Rousseau  A.  Burch,  Silas 
Porter,  Clark  A.  Smith,  Henry  F.  Mason,  Alfred  W.  Benson  and  Judson 
S.  AVest,  associate  justices. 

Sutton,  a  country  hamlet  in  Lane  county,  is  located  12  miles  south- 
west of  Dighton,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point,  and  about 
8  miles  northeast  of  Lobdell,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Swedenborgians. — The  church  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  popularly  called 
"Swendenborgians,"  derives  its  name  from  the  Apocalypse  or  Revelation 


KANSAS    HISTORY  791 

of  St.  John.  The  doctrines  of  the  church  were  first  set  forth  by  Emanuel 
Swedenborg,  who  was  born  at  Stockholm,  Sweden,  Jan.  29,  1688,  and 
died  in  London,  England,  March  29,  1772.  Between  1748  and  1756  he 
wrote  several  works,  the  most  important  of  which  was  the  "Arcana 
Coelestia,"  which  was  published  at  London  in  eight  volumes.  It  was 
followed  by  "Heaven  and  Hell,"  and  "The  New  Jerusalem  and  its  Heav- 
enly Doctrine,"  the  last  named  becoming  the  foundation  of  the  church 
which  bears  his  name.  The  books  were  originally  printed  in  Latin,  but 
translations  were  subsequently  published.  They  did  not  attract  much 
attention  at  first,  but  in  1783  a  printer  named  Robert  Hindmarsh  gath- 
ered together  a  few  persons  in  London  to  read  and  consider  the  doctrines. 
Four  years  later  the  first  church  was  organized  with  16  members. 

In  America  there  are  two  general  organizations  of  those  who  believe 
in  the  dogma  as  laid  down  by  Swedenborg,  and  who  recognize  his  writ- 
ings in  the  light  of  divine  revelation.  They  are  "The  General  Conven- 
tion of  the  New  Jerusalem,"  dating  from  1817,  and  the  "General  Church 
of  the  New  Jerusalem,"  which  had  its  beginning  in  1876  and  held  its  first 
general  assembly  in  1897.  These  two  bodies  are  distributed  over  32 
states,  in  which  there  are  about  150  congregations.  The  church  was 
established  in  Kansas  sometime  in  the  '80s  by  Swedenborgian  emigrants 
from  the  East.  In  1890  there  were  three  organizations  in  the  state — i 
in  Barton  county,  i  in  Reno,  and  i  in  Shawnee,  with  a  total  member- 
ship of  63.  Although  no  new  congregations  were  formed  during  the  next 
15  years,  the  number  of  members  in  the  three  established  chmxhes  in- 
creased to  144  in  igo6. 

Swedish  Evangelical  Bodies. — A  great  proportion  of  the  Swedes  who 
have  come  to  the  United  States  belonged  in  their  native  country  to  the 
state  church  of  Sweden  and  upon  settling  in  this  country  identified  them- 
selves with  the  Swedish  Augustana  synod  in  connection  with  the  Lu- 
theran general  council.  About  the  middle  of  the  19th  century  a  great 
religious  awakening  swept  over  Sweden.  The  established  church  seemed 
unable  to  satisfy  the  spiritual  needs  of  many  communities  and  services 
were  held  by  laymen.  This  caused  such  gatherings  to  be  persecuted  by 
the  state  church.  Many  of  the  people  belonging  to  the  new  movement 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  two  synods  were  formed — the  Ansgarius 
and  the  Mission.  Subsequently  these  were  dissolved  and  in  their  place 
the  Swedish  Evangelical  Mission  Covenant  of  America  was  formed  in 
1855.  A  number  of  organizations  did  not  unite  with  the  Covenant,  but 
formed  an  organization  known  as  the  Swedish  Evangelical  Free  Mission. 
hence  the  church  is  represented  by  two  bodies.  The  local  congregations 
are  self-governing.  An  annual  conference  is  held  to  which  the  local  con- 
gregations send  delegates,  where  regulations  are  made,  but  such  regula- 
tions are  advisory  only,  and  the  congregations  may  accept  or  reject 
them  as  they  see  fit.  There  is  also  a  society  of  ministers  and  mission- 
aries which  has  for  its  mission  the  supervision  of  doctrine  and  conduct 
and  the  reception  or  rejection  of  candidates. 

The  Swedish  Evangelical  churches  were  established  in  Kansas  by  the 


792  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Swedes  who  first  settled  in  the  state  in  the  '80s,  and  have  had  a  steady- 
growth.  Up  to  and  including  the  report  of  1890,  the  Swedish  Luther- 
ans were  included  in  the  general  council  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  so  that  no  accurate  estimate  can  be  made  of  their  strength  in 
Kansas.  In  1906  there  were  12  organizations  of  the  Mission  Covenant  in 
the  state,  with  a  total  membership  of  1,073,  and  3  organizations  of  the 
Free  Mission,  with  a  membership  of  41. 

Swedish  Settlements. — The  settlement  of  Swedes  in  Kansas  dates 
from  1855,  when  John  A.  Johnson  arrived  from  Galesburg,  111.,  to  make 
his  home  in  the  new  territory.  His  brother,  N.  P.  Johnson,  arrived 
the  following  year.  In  1857  C.  J.  Dahlberg  and  Peter  Carlson  and 
families  arrived.  Andrew  Palm,  of  Lund,  Sweden,  took  up  his'  abode 
in  Lawrence  in  1858,  bringing  machinery  with  him  from  Sweden  and 
building  the  windmill  so  long  a  familiar  landmark  in  that  section. 
Peter  From,  of  Ockelbo,  Sweden,  settled  in  Marshall  county  in  1858, 
and  was  instrumental  in  inducing  others  to  locate  there.  John  P. 
Swenson  settled  in  the  Smoky  Llill  valley  in  1864,  being  the  first  Swede 
in  that  section.  A  hollow  log  first  served  him  for  a  home,  then  a 
dugout,  and  later  a  log  cabin.  In  April,  1866,  a  small  colony  of  Swedes 
settled  along  the  Smoky  Hill  river  where  Lindsborg  now  stands.  They 
were  joined  in  1867  by  others,  but  the  formation  of  the  first  Swedish 
agricultural  society  in  Chicago  in  1868  brought  the  greatest  influx  of 
settlers  into  western  Kansas. 

Many  of  these  early  settlers  were  without  means  and  during  the  first 
season  labored  in  and  around  the  military  posts,  on  the  railroads,  or 
at  anything  to  obtain  a  living  while  their  crops  were  growing.  The 
cheap  lands  of  the  railroads  and  the  low  rate  of  railroad  fare  from 
Chicago  and  other  eastern  points  were  also  potent  factors  in  inducing 
immigration.  The  Galesburg  Colonization  Society  was  organized  in 
1868,  the  prime  mover  of  the  enterprise  being  Rev.  A.  W.  Dahlsten, 
pastor  of  the  Galesburg  (111.)  Lutheran  church.  At  a  meeting  in  his 
place  of  worship,  attended  by  over  300  persons,  it  was  decided  to  send 
a  committee  to  Kansas  to  investigate  conditions  for  settlement.  This 
committee  visited  the  valley  of  the  Smoky  Hill  and  was  delighted  with 
the  location.  A  quantity  of  land  was  purchased  in  Saline  and  McPher- 
soh  counties,  and  the  report  of  the  committee  resulted  in  the  bringing 
of  hundreds  of  Swedes  to  the  state. 

On  Feb.  28,  1870,  the  first  Swedish  agricultural  company  of  McPher- 
son  county  adopted  a  charter  in  pursuance  of  an  act  passed  by  the 
legislature  of  1868.  Briefly  the  charter  provided  that  the  company 
should  be  named  as  above ;  that  its  purposes  were  the  promotion  of 
immigration;  encouragement  "of  Agriculture;  the  purchase,  location  and 
laying  out  of  town  sites,  and  the  sale  and  conveyance  of  the  same ; 
that  the  business  should  be  transacted  at  Lindsborg,  Kan.,  and  Chicago, 
111. ;  that  the  corporation  should  exist  for  20  years ;  that  the  number 
of  directors  should  be  11,  and  for  the  next  ensuing  year  should  be  the 
following   named  persons:     John    Ferm    and   John    Plenry   Johnson    of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  793 

McPherson  county,  Kan.;  Andrew  M.  Olson  of  Saline  county,  Kan.; 
Peter  Colseth,  Andrew  P.  Monten,  John  O.  Lind,  Swen  Samuelson, 
John  G.  Bergsten,  Nils  Johnson,  Carl  A.  Johnson  and  August  P.  Brandt 
of  Chicago.  The  corporation  had  no  capital  stock.  Init  cnvned  certain 
parcels  of  land  in  Saline  and  McPherson  counties,  which  had  been 
contracted  for  from  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  company,  on  which 
payments  of  principal  and  interest  had  been  made,  together  with  cer- 
tain improvements  on  the  property. 

I^indsborg  (q.  v.)  is  the  central  city  of  the  Swedish  settlements  in 
the  state  and  is  a  city  of  over  2,000  population,  nearly  all  of  whom  are 
of  Swedish  descent.  Salina,  Fremont,  Salemsburg,  Assaria,  Falun,  Mar- 
quette and  Smolan  are  situated  within  the  territory  controlled  by  the 
old  Galesburg  company,  Salina  being  the  distributing  point  on  account 
of  its  superior  railroad  facilities.  Smaller  colonies  of  these  people  are 
to  be  found  at  Enterprise,  McPherson,  New  Gottland,  New  Andover, 
Marion  Hill,  Bui-dick,  Hutchinson,  Garfield,  Page,  Sharon  Springs  and 
Stockholm,  the  Swedish  Colonization  company,  organzied  at  Linds- 
borg,  June  11,  1887,  being  responsible  for  the  last  three.  Healy,  Gove 
county,  has  a  colony  which  settled  in  that  section  about  1885.  Another 
colony  of  about  the  same  number  is  located  in  Trego  county.  Larger 
settlements  of  these  people  are  to  be  found  along  the  Solomon,  Blue 
and  Republican  rivers,  as  well  as  in  the  cities  of  Topeka,  Kansas  City, 
lola,  Chanute,  Ottawa,  St.  Marys,  Osage  City,  Savonburg  and  Vilas. 

In  politics  the  influence  of  these  people  has  been  considerable,  one 
serving  the  state  as  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  many  having 
been  elected  to  the  legislature  and  to  various  county  offices,  and  others 
being  prominently  identified  in  newspaper  work  and  in  educational  and 
business  circles.  It  is  estimated  that  there  were  at  least  50,000  people 
of  Swedish  descent  in  the  state  in  1910.  About  20,000  of  this  num- 
ber are  located  in  central  Kansas  and  abgut  10,000  in  the  western  part 
of  the  state. 

Swinburn,  a  country  hamlet  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  15  miles 
northwest  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  north  of  Silver  Lake, 
the  town  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Swissvale,  a  settlement  of  Swiss  people  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
Osage  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  17  miles  from 
Lyndon,  the  county  seat,  and  about  5  miles  north  of  Overbrook,  from 
which  place  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Sycamore,  one  of  the  villages  of  Montgomery  county,  is  a  station  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Sycamore  township  7  miles  north  of  Inde- 
pendence, the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route,  a  good  local  trade,  and  does  some 
shipping.    The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  175. 

Sycamore  Springs,  a  rural  hamlet  in  Butler  county,  is  located  20  miles 
northeast  of  Eldorado,  the  county  seat,  and  3  miles  west  of  Cassody, 
the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 


794 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


Sylvan  Grove,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Lincuhi 
county,  is  located  on  the  Saline  river  and  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  12 
miles  west  of  Lincoln,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  2  grain  ele- 
vators, a  weekly  newspaper  (the  News),  a  hotel,  a  number  of  retail 
establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes,  and  the  professions  are  well 
represented.  The  population  in  1910  was  464.  The  town  was  platted 
in  1877  upon  land  belonging  to  William  Bender  and  H.  S.  Merriam. 
The  first  store  was  erected  by  E.  B.  Cross  and  VV.  F.  Morgan.  Pre- 
vious to  that  time  a  mill  had  been  built  in  1875  by  Merriam  &  Ma.s- 
terson.  A  postoffice  called  Sylvan  Grove  had  been  established  2  miles 
south  of  town  at  the  home  of  C  M.  Heaton,  the  postmaster.  The  next 
year  after  the  town  was  founded  a  stone  store  was  built  by  II.  S. 
Merriam,  which  still  remains  as  an  old  landmark.  The  first  settlers 
in  the  vicinity  were  Louis  Farley  and  his  son,  Hutchinson,  who  were 
in  the  Beecher's  Island  battle,  in  which  Louis  Farley  lost  his  life. 

Sylvia,  the  third  largest  town  in  Reno  county,  is  a  station  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  and  is  located  on  the  north  branch 
of  the  Ninnescah  river  in  Sylvia  township,  30  miles  southwest  of  Hutch- 
inson, the  county  seat.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  locality  famous  for 
wheat  and  corn  crops  and  is  a  town  frequently  heard  from  in  connec- 
tion with  those  products,  being  an  important  buying  and  shipping  point 
for  live  stock  and  grain.  The  town  has  a  bank,  a  mill,  an  elevator,  a 
weekly  newspaper  (the  Sun),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an 
mternational  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  popu- 
lation, according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  634.  Sylvia  was  founded 
in  1886  and  organized  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  the  next  year.  T.  J. 
Talbott  was  its  first  mayor. 

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  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in  1910  was  1,126. 
A  new  steel  bridge  was  built  over  the  Arkansas  river  m  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  ^^e  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  sufTered  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 


KANSAS    HISTORY  '^-^ 


Of  that  section  of  the  state,  .t  increased  to  460  ^l^^^^^^^X^^A 
of  1907  and  1909  the  town  is  said  to  have  doubled  in  P°P"1;  °"  ^"^ 
ther?  is  a  steady  growth  in  progress  at  present.  A  --^er  of  mrnen 
pumping  plants  have  been  installed  m  the  vicinity  m  ;.^«"Vthe  fa  m 
much  of  'he  prosperity  now  enjoyed  is  due  to  Trigation  o  he  farm 
lands.  A  fine  $75,000  hotel  belonging  to  the  Harvey  system  is  one 
the  features  of  Syracuse. 

T 

Tablemound,   a   village   in   Montgomery   county    is   a   station  of   the 
Independence   postoffice.     According  to   the   census   of    1910   it  5° 

inhabitants.  .  -^     ^    1     „  Tni.lp  Rock  creek, 

Table  Rock.-This  natural  formation,  situated  on    ^  ^1^1^>°^'^  ''^'f^^: 
Lincoln    county,    originally    consisted    of    two    coh^mns    o     stone    sur 
mounted  by   a   cap.     Originally  the  ^^-^^^^g^^^^^.^  ^r^Mlhlt 
overlooked  the  Surrounding  countiy.    The  late  b^^"    ,'"7.      ^,,   ^ti^le 


rtmf-^^;:irXin^-I^^^^^^ 

^l^::iy^r^lr:^^^^^^^^^'  by  4^9  votes  m  a  county 
wl^ch  Roosev  It  carried  by  a  majority  of  5,300.  In  1906  he  was  elected 
bounty  attorney;  was  reelected  in  1908  and  again  in  1910,  and  wl  1  e 
fi?W  this  office  won  95  per  cent,  of  the  cases  prosecuted.  Upon  the 
SeaSofContessran  Mitchell,  Mr.  Taggart  was  elected  by  a  majority 
nri  47°  at  aScial  election  held  in  the  fall  of  191 1  to  hi  the  vacancy, 
being^UrefiL  Democrat  to  represent  the  2nd  district  of  Kansas  in  Con- 

'■'TJlmare  ^''httle  town  in  Dickinson  county,  is  located  in  Willow 
Da^e  township  on  Mud  creek  and  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  R  R  7  n  lies  northwest  of  Abilene,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank 
Tnumbei  of  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
a  numoei   u  ,.,,..1  ,-oute      The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

'T.^:  T'ltTn  onihe   union   Pacific  railroad,  is  9  .miles  south  of 
BeTlevTlk,   Republic  county.     It  has  about  a  dozen  business  establish- 


796  CYCLOPEDIA    Ol- 

ments,  a  postoffice,  telegraph,  telephone  and  express  offices,  etc.  Belle- 
ville, the  county  seat,  is  the  nearest  banking  point.  The  number  of 
inhabitants  in  1910  was  150. 

Tampa,  a  thriving  little  town  in  Marion  county,  is  located  in  Blaine 
township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  20  miles  north- 
west of  Marion,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes,  and  all  lines  of 
mercantile  enterprises  are  represented.  The  town  was  incorporated  in 
1908.  The  population  in  1910,  according  to  the  government  report, 
was  256. 

Tappan,  Samuel  F.,  one  of  the  men  who  took  an  active  part  in  the 
early  history  of  Douglas  county  and  the  state,  was  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts. He  was  one  of  a  party  of  30  settlers  who  came  to  Kansas  in 
1854,  located  in  Lawrence  in  August  of  that  year,  and  soon  became 
the  correspondent  for  the  New  York  Tribune  and  the  Boston  Atlas, 
telling  of  the  first  difficulties  with  the  border  ruffians.  In  1855,  accom- 
panied by  Martin  F.  Conway,  he  made  a  canvass  of  southern  and  west- 
ern Kansas  in  favor  of  the  free-state  movement.  He  was  clerk  of  the 
Topeka  constitutional  convention ;  took  part  in  the  rescue  of  Branson ; 
was  assistant  clerk  of  the  house  of  representatives  in  1856;  went  east 
in  July  of  that  year  and  brought  back  a  quantity  of  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion by  way  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  and  the  following  year  performed 
the  duties  of  speaker  of  the  Topeka  house  of  representatives.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  Leavenworth  constitutional  convention  in  1858,  clerk 
of  the  Wyandotte  convention  in  1859,  ^"d  in  i860  left  Kansas  for  Den- 
ver, CoL,  where  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  public  life  of  the  city  and 
state.     Subsequently  he  removed  his  residence  to  New  York  city. 

Tauromee,  a  chief  of  the  Wyandotte  nation,  was  a  noted  hunter  in 
his  early  life.  In  1868  he  was  chosen  to  the  council  board  of  his  nation, 
and  a  number  of  years  afterward  became  head  chief.  His  administra- 
tion was  a  wise  and  just  one,  always  in  the  best  interests  of  his  peo- 
ple. He  opposed  the  proposition  of  the  government  to  divide  the  lands 
among  the  members  of  the  tribe  and  let  them  come  into  full  citizenship 
on  the  ground  that  many  of  them  would  squander  their  inheritance 
and  soon  be  without  homes.  The  proposition  was  put  to  a  vote  of  the 
tribe  and  carried  by  a  large  majority  with  the  result  foreseen  by  the 
chief.  Tauromee  then  set  to  work  to  get  them  new  homes  and  after 
surmounting  great  obstacles  succeeded  in  obtaining  20,000  acres  of 
land  from  the  Senecas,  to  which  tract  he  was  moving  his  tribe  at  the 
time  of  his  death  in  Jan.,  1870.  Gov.  AValker  pronounced  the  eulogy  at 
the  funeral. 

Taw,  a  country  postoffice  in  Llaskell  county,  is  located  in  Lockport 
township,  12  miles  southeast  of  Santa  Fe,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping  point.  The  population  in  1910  was  26,  all  the  men  being 
farmers  or  live  stock  breeders. 

Taxation. — (See  Finances,  State.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY  797 

Tax  Commission. — In  Kansas  the  problems  connected  with  assess- 
ment and  taxation  are  similar  to  those  in  other  states  which  have  a 
general  property  tax.  The  constitution  of  the  state  requires  the  legis- 
lature to  "provide  for  a  uniform  and  equal  rate  of  assessment  and 
taxation,  but  all  property  used  exclusively  for  state,  county,  municipal, 
literary,  educational,  scientific,  religious,  benevolent  and  charitable  pur- 
poses, and  personal  property  to  the  amount  of  at  least  $200,  for  each 
family,  shall  be  exempt  from  taxation." 

In  1876  the  legislature  revised  the  law  of  taxation,  and  the  code 
enacted  at  that  time  remained  unchanged,  except  as  amended  in  minor 
matters,  until  1907.  The  law  of  1876  was  framed  to  conform  to  the 
requirements  of  the  constitution,  and  contained  the  usual  provisions  to 
insure  the  assessment  of  all  taxable  property,  of  whatever  kind  or 
character,  at  its  actual  value.  It  is  well  known  that  the  assessment  of 
property  at  its  real  value  was  rarely  observed,  and  the  loose  methods 
of  assessment  became  so  flagrant  that  for  several  years  prior  to  1907 
a  reform  of  the  system  was  advocated.  The  legislature  of  1907 
responded  to  this  demand  and  enacted  a  law  supplementary  to  the  one 
then  existing.  It  also  provided  for  the  creation  of  a  tax  commission 
to  "succeed  and  take  the  place  of  the  board  of  railroad  assessors,  and 
the  state  board  of  equalization."  The  commission  is  composed  of  three 
members  appointed  by  the  governor,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the 
senate,  for  a  term  of  four  years.  While  serving  in  this  capacity  they 
cannot  hold  other  office  under  the  Federal  or  state  government.  The 
commissioners  are  expected  to  devote  their  whole  time  to  the  duties 
of  the  office  and  receive  a  salary  of  $2,500  each.  They  appoint  a  secre- 
tary, who  receives  a  salary  of  not  more  than  $2,000,  a  clerk,  who  receives 
a  salary  of  $1,200,  and  such  other  expert  assistants  are  employed  as 
are  necessary  to  perform  the  work  of  the  commission. 

lender  the  new  law  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  each  county 
is  authorized  to  appoint  a  county  assessor  to  have  supervision  of  the 
county  assessment,  with  authority  to  appoint  deputy  assessors  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners.  The  law  requires 
him  to  appoint  the  duly  elected  township  trustees  as  deputy  assessors, 
but  such  appointment  may  be  disapproved  by  the  county  commissioners, 
thus  providing  a  means  of  rejecting  incompetent  persons. 

The  tax  commission  is  given  great  power  over  assessment  and  in 
other  matters  relating  to  the  assessment  and  taxation  of  property. 
It  is  required  to  provide  a  uniform  method  of  keeping  the  tax  rolls 
and  records  in  each  county  in  the  state ;  to  formulate  and  send  to  the 
proper  officers  in  each  county  all  necessary  forms  to  be  used  in  listing 
return  of  property  and  collection  of  taxes ;  to  visit  from  time  to  time 
each  county  in  the  state  for  the  purpose  of  requiring  the  assessment 
and  return  of  property  at  a  uniform  value,  the  use  of  forms  and  system 
of  keeping  accounts  provided  for  by  the  commission,  etc.  At  least 
once  in  two  years  the  county  assessors  must  meet  with  the  commis- 
sion at  the  state  capitol  to  consider  in  general  matters  connected  with 


798  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

assessment  and  taxation.  The  system  of  taxation  tliroughout  the  state 
is  entrusted  to  the  commission,  which  is  given  power  to  make  all 
investigations  necessary  to  enable  it  to  recommend  improvements  of 
the  system  to  the  legislature.  Power  of  supervision  is  also  given  over 
township  and  city  assessors,  boards  of  county  commissioners,  county- 
boards  of  equalization,  and  other  boards  of  levy  and  assessment,  to  the 
end  that  all  assessments  of  property,  real  or  personal,  shall  be  made 
relatively  uniform  and  at  the  true  cash  value. 

The  members  of  the  tax  commission  ex-ofificio  constitute  the  state 
board  of  railroad  assessors,  the  state  board  of  appraisers  and  the  state 
board  of  equalization,  and  are  charged  with  the  assessment  of  all  prop- 
erty, railroad,  telegraph,  telephone,  pipe-line,  express,  sleeping  car,  pri- 
vate lines  and  street  railroad  companies,  and  in  general  the  property 
of  all  public' corporations,  which  render  inter-county  or  inter-state  serv- 
ice. The  state  board  of  equalization  is  a  court  of  last  appeal  for  per- 
sons aggrieved  by  the  action  of  the  county  board  of  equalization. 

On  March  7,  1907,  the  governor  appointed  and  the  state  confirmed 
the  appointments  of  the  three  members  of  the  tax  commission,  but  as 
the  law  was  not  to  take  effect  until  the  succeeding  July  i  the  com- 
mission was  not  organized  and  did  not  commence  work  until  that 
date.  Immediately  upon  taking  office  the  commission,  acting  as  the 
state  board  of  equalization,  began  the  work  of  adjusting  the  assess- 
ment of  all  property  for  1907.  A  series  of  forms  for  assessment  rolls 
of  both  real  and  personal  property  were  prepared  and  sent  to  the 
county  clerks  of  each  county ;  circular  letters  were  mailed  to  the  county 
clerks  and  to  the  boards  of  county  commissioners,  explaining  the 
required  change  in  the  methods  of  assessment,  with  instructions  as  to 
the  procedure  to  follow. 

Pursuant  to  the  law  the  county  assessors  met  with  the  tax  commis- 
sion at  Topeka  on  Jan.  28,  1908,  and  this  meeting  was  important  because 
from  it  came,  in  a  great  measure,  the  inspiration  which  controlled  the 
assesors  in  their  work  of  supervision  and  assessment.  The  assessment 
of  property  and  franchises  belonging  to  railroad,  telegraph,  telephone, 
and  express  companies,  and  other  public  service  corporations,  was 
determined  only  after  a  very  careful  consideration  of  all  elements  that 
combine  to  make  up  actual  money  value. 

In  July,  1908,  acting  as  the  state  board  of  equalization,  the  commis- 
sion began  the  work  of  the  equalizing  assessments.  There  were  127 
appeals  filed,  many  of  them  involving  large  sums,  which  brought  many 
perplexing  questions  before  the  board,  and  it  was  the  end  of  July  before 
the  equalization  was  finished.  The  commission  fixed  the  state  tax  levy 
at  .9  of  a  mill,  which  provided  for  the  state  revenue  the  sum  of  $2,203,- 
561.18.  In  1904  the  Federal  census  bureau  estimated  the  true  value  of 
property  in  Kansas  at  the  sum  of  $2,253,224,243,  but  the  assessment 
that  year  of  all  property  in  the  state  aggregated  only  $372,673,858. 
When  the  assessed  values  of  1907,  which  amounted  to  $425,281,214,  are 
compared  with  those  of  1908,  which  amounted  to  $2,451,560,397,  it  will 


KANSAS    HISTORY  799 

be  seen  that  the  assessment  of  1907  equals  only  17-34  per  cent,  of  that 
in  1908,  due  to  the  changed  plan  of  assessment  put  into  operation  under 
the  commission,  for  inequalities  were  everywhere  present  under  the 
old  system.  As  an  example  of  this  inequality  the  property  for  one 
manufacturing  corporation  had  been  valued  by  a  local  assessor  for  sev- 
eral successive  years  at  $30,000,  but  under  the  spur  of  the  tax  commis- 
sion the  property  of  this  corporation  was  assessed  in  1908  at  $1,100,000. 
On  another  corporation  the  assessment  was  raised  from  $100,000  to 
$1,107,000,  and  another  result  of  the  assessment  of  1908  was  to  place 
on  the  tax  roll  personal  property  to  the  value  of  $213,591,148  which  had 
never  before  been  listed  for  taxation. 

Teachers'  Association,  State. — The  history  of  this  association  dates 
back  to  Sept.  29,  1863,  when  34  teachers  at  the  call  from  the  Leaven- 
worth teachers  met  at  Leavenworth.  The  meeting  lasted  for  three 
days,  and  although  organization  was  the  main  purpose  in  assembling 
a  program  of  exercises  was  conducted.  A  constitution  was  adopted  and 
officers  elected.  Isaac  T.  Goodnow,  at  that  time  state  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  was  made  president;  Orlando  Sawyer,  superin- 
tendent of  Atchison  county,  recording  secretary';  R.  W.  Putnam,  corre- 
sponding secretary ;  and  J.  E.  Piatt,  treasurer.  The  next  meeting  was 
held  in  the  Methodist  church  in  Topeka  from  July  19  to  July  21,  1864. 
The  custom  of  recommending  a  candidate  for  state  superintendent 
began  at  this  meeting,  when  Mr.  Goodnow  was  recommended  for 
reelection.  Resolutions  were  adopted  advising  teachers'  institutes  to 
be  conducted  semi-annually  where  they  could  be  sustained.  Supt.  H.  D. 
McCarty  was  elected  president,  and  was  also  chosen  as  editor  of  the 
Kansas  Educational  Journal,  which  was  entering  its  second  year.  On 
July  26-28,  1865,  the  association  met  in  Price's  hall  at  Atchison  with 
59  teachers  in  attendance,  and  Orlando  Sawyer  was  elected  president 
for  the  ensuing  year.  In  1866  the  meeting  was  held  on  July  3-5  in  Law- 
rence. Peter  McVicar  was  elected  president  and  David  J.  Brewer  was 
made  chairman  of  the  executive  committee.  District  libraries  and 
calisthenics  were  discussed  for  the  first  time.  Mr.  McVicar  was  recom- 
mended as  state  superintendent  and  H.  D.  McCarty  and  Isaac  Good- 
now were  elected  delegates  to  the  National  Educational  Association. 

The  next  and  fifth  meeting  was  at  Topeka  July  2-4,  1867,  when  a 
resolution  was  passed  asking  that  women  be  allowed  to  vote  at  all 
school  meetings.  The  enrollment  was  129.  Prof.  B.  F.  Mudge  of  the 
state  agricultural  college  was  made  president.  In  1868,  June  30  to 
July  2,  the  association  met  at  Emporia.  Judge  David  J.  Brewer  was 
elected  president.  The  next  assembly  of  teachers  was  on  June  29-30, 
1869,  at  Manhattan.  I.  J.  Bannister  was  elected  president.  The  Jour- 
nal was  transferred   for   two  years   to  its  editors,    Kellogg   &   Norton. 

The  meeting  of  1870  was  held  on  July  27-29  at  Wyandotte.  Resolu- 
tions were  passed  asking  the  legislature  to  give  $3,000  for  the  support 
of  normal  institutes,  and  that  each  board  of  county  commissioners  be 
required  to  grant  for  the  same  purpose  an  amount  not  to  exceed  $150. 


goo  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

J.  E.  Piatt  of  Manhattan  was  elected  president.  The  next  meeting  was 
held  at  Lawrence  on  Dec.  27-29,  1871.  Gen.  John  Fraser  was  elected 
president.  The  following  meeting  was  at  Humboldt  with  53  in  attend- 
ance. In  the  absence  of  Mr.  Fraser  D.  J.  Evans  presided.  J.  W.  Horner 
of  Chetopa  was  elected  president.  On  Aug.  27-29,  1873,  the  association 
met  at  Ottawa.     W.  C.  Rote  of  Lawrence  was  elected  president. 

The  meeting  of  1874  was  held  at  Lawrence  on  Aug.  18-20,  when  it 
was  resolved  that  the  plan  of  work  of  the  association  be  changed,  and 
that  there  be  three  sections,  common  school,  high  school  and  colleges, 
each  of  which  should  be  regularly  organized  by  the  election  of  officers. 
E.  F.  Robinson  of  Concordia  was  elected  president.  In  1875  the  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Topeka  on  Aug.  24-27.  Chancellor  James  Marvin 
presided  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Robinson.  H.  C.  Speer  of  Junction  City 
was  elected  president.  The  meeting  in  1876,  June  20-21,  was  at  Valley 
Falls.  Mr.  Speer  was  unable  to  preside  and  Maj.  E.  C.  Newton  was 
made  chairman.  It  was  the  last  meeting  in  its  history  at  which  a  state 
superintendent  was  recommended.  Resolutions  for  incorporation  were 
adopted.  An  effort  was  made  to  revive  the  dead  Educational  Journal. 
The  meeting  adjourned  to  meet  in  Topeka  Dec.  26-29,  when  the  com- 
mittee on  incorporation  made  its  final  report  and  the  first  board  of 
directors  was  elected.  L.  B.  Kellogg  was  made  president.  The  next 
meeting  was  at  Emporia  on  June  26-28,  1877.  Allen  B.  Lemmon  was 
elected  president. 

The  meeting  of  1878  was  at  Atchison.  A  temperance  resolution  was 
passed  and  an  arbor  day  recommended.  James  Marvin  was  elected 
president  by  the  board  of  directors.  In  1879  the  association  met  at 
Lawrence  on  June  16-18.  An  address  was  made  by  Gen.  John  Eaton, 
then  commissioner  of  the  bureau  of  education.  L.  A.  Thomas  was 
elected  president.  The  assembly  of  1880  was  held  in  the  hall  of  the 
house  of  representatives  on  June  22-24.  By  resolution  a  geological  sur- 
vey of  the  state  was  requested,  and  the  support  of  the  association  was 
promised  to  the  prohibition  amendment  to  the  constitution.  William 
A.  Wheeler  was  elected  president.  The  first  meeting  of  1881  was  on 
June  21-23  at  Manhattan.  Resolutions  were  adopted  calling  for  a 
strict  enforcement  of  the  prohibitory  law  recently  enacted,  and  Dr. 
William  Bishop  of  Salina  was  elected  president.  The  second  meeting 
of  that  year  was  at  Topeka  on  Dec.  27-29.  A  committee  was  appointed 
to  amend  the  constitution,  but  no  constitution  could  be  found.  George 
T.  Fairchild  was  elected  president.  In  1882  the  association  met  in 
Topeka.  The  constitution  revised  was  approved,  and  Frank  A.  Fitz- 
patrick  of  Leavenworth  was  chosen  president.  The  association  held  its 
next  meeting  on  Dec.  26-28,  1883.  Resolutions  were  passed  asking  for 
the  grading  of  institutes.  Pres.  A.  R.  Taylor  of  the  state  normal  was 
elected  president.  The  meeting  of  1884  was  at  Topeka  on  Dec.  29-31. 
Prof.  J.  H.  Canfield  read  a  bill  providing  for  county  high  schools,  which 
was  approved  by  the  association.     Mr.  Canfield  was  elected  president. 

In  1885  the  association  met  at  Topeka  on  Dec.  28-30.     It  was  decided 


KANSAS    HISTORY  8oi 

to  hold  department  meetings  in  the  forenoon  and  general  meetings  in 
the  afternoon  and  evening.  A  committee  of  seven  to  investigate  the 
evils  of  the  independent  school  district  system  was  appointed.  Prof. 
P.  J.  Williams  was  elected  president.  The  meeting  in  1886  was  at 
Topeka  on  Dec.  28-30.  The  committee  on  changes  in  the  school  sys- 
tem recommended  the  substitution  of  the  township  for  the  district  sys- 
tem, county  taxation,  a  board  of  education,  and  other  reforms.  The 
report  was  adopted.  T.  W.  Conway  was  elected  president.  In  1887 
the  meeting  was  at  Topeka  on  Dec.  27-29.  Memorial  services  for  H.  D. 
McCarty  were  held.  H.  D.  Larimer  was  elected  president.  The  meet- 
ing of  1888  was  also  at  Topeka.  The  constitution  was  again  revised 
and  amended.  The  resolutions  passed  asked  for  an  equitable  system 
of  school  taxation,  county  uniformity  of  text-books,  total  abstinence 
from  tobacco  by  teachers  and  pupils,  the  raising  of  the  minimum  school 
age  from  5  to  6  years,  and  a  geological  survey  of  the  state.  The  attend- 
ance was  650.     Prof.  J.  W.   Wilkinson  was  elected  president. 

An  unwritten  law  of  the  association  has  fixed  the  place  of  meeting 
at  Topeka  and  no  change  has  been  made  since  1881.  In  1889  the  meet- 
ing was  on  Dec.  25-27.  Resolutions  asked  for  the  hoisting  of  the  flag 
on  school  houses  and  for  a  state  school  tax.  The  enrollment  was 
1,243.  -D.  E.  Sanders  was  elected  president.  In  1890  the  meeting  was 
on  Dec.  29-31.  Resolutions  against  state  uniformity  of  text-books,  in 
favor  of  district  ownership  of  books,  county  taxation,  qualifications  for 
the  office  of  county  superintendent,  district  libraries  and  a  more  strin- 
gent compulsory  law  were  adopted.  The  attendance  was  825.  D.  S. 
Pence  was  elected  president.  The  meeting  in  1891  was  on  Dec.  29-31. 
There  were  1,165  i'''  attendance.  A  primary  and  kindergarten  depart- 
ment was  established.  J.  E.  Klock  was  elected  president.  In  1892  the 
association  met  on  Dec.  27-29.  Resolutions  asked  for  restoration  of 
state  school  tax,  uniform  courses  of  study  for  district  schools,  and  free 
text-books.     George  W.  Winans  was  elected  president. 

From  1892  until  1909  the  meeting"  of  the  association  continued  to  be 
held  in  Topeka  the  last  week  in  December.  In  1909  the  schools  through- 
out the  state  were  dismissed  the  latter  part  of  the  first  week  in  Novem- 
ber that  the  teachers  might  convene  at  Topeka.  The  importance  of  the 
association  as  a  factor  in  the  teachers'  work  is  appreciated  by  the  various 
boards  of  education  and  the  teachers  are  required  to  attend.  The  asso- 
ciation is  divided  into  nine  districts,  which  have  local  meetings  once 
a  year,  usually  during  Thanksgiving  or  Easter  vacation.  The  district 
associations  are:  The  northeastern,  the  northwestern,  the  north  cen- 
tral, the  Golden  Belt,  the  western,  the  central,  the  southwestern,  the 
southern  and  the  southeastern.  These  meetings  are  for  discussion  and 
mutual  helpfulness,  and  usually  an  interesting  program  is  given.  The 
state  association,  which  convenes  annually  for  three  days,  has  a  mem- 
bership of  about  4,500,  including  leaders  in  every  line  of  educational 
work.  The  general  program  of  the  state  association  brings  before  the 
teachers  many  of  the  best  educators  and  lecturers  of  the  country. 
(n-51) 


802  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  association  maintains  departments  as  follows :  the  college  and 
high  school,  the  common  and  graded  schools,  primary  and  kindergarten, 
county  supervision,  music.  These  departments  devote  their  attention 
to  some  jihase  of  educational  work  within  their  respective  provinces. 
In  addition  there  are  round  tables  for  the  informal  discussion  of  topics 
of  interest  related  to  educational  matters  as  is  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing list  of  round  tables:  city  superintendents,  historj-  and  sociology, 
county  high  schools,  science  teachers,  drawing,  teachers  of  English 
and  teachers  of  foreign  languages.  The  annual  meetings  of  the  state 
college  presidents'  association  and  the  state  association  of  mathematics 
teachers  occur  at  the  same  time.  The  presidents  of  the  association  from 
1893  to  1910  were:  W.  M.  Davidson,  1894;  John  Dietrich,  1895;  George 
W.  Kendrick,  1896;  J.  E.  Pears,  1897;  John  McDonald,  1898;  F.  R. 
Dyer,  1899;  E.  T.  Fairchild,  1900;  E.  M.  Sinclair,  1901 ;  J.  H.  Hill, 
1902;  Arvin  S.  Olin,  1903;  A.  H.  Bushby,  1904;  T.  W.  Butcher,  1905; 
D.  M.  Bower,  1906;  W.  S.  Picken,  1907;  J.  E.  Boyer,  1908. 

In  every  county  of  the  state  a  county  association  is  maintained,  which 
is  under  the  management  of  the  county  superintendent  and  officers 
elected  by  the  membership  of  the  association.  The  meetings  are  usually 
held  on  one  Saturday  of  each  month.  A  program  is  given  and  questions 
of  general  and  local  educational  interest  are  discussed. 

Tecumseh,  a  hamlet  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  the  township 
of  the  same  name  on  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.  5  miles  east  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  stores, 
express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two 
rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  35.  This  is  one  of  the  old 
villages  of  Kansas  and  is  figured  in  the  early  history  of  both  the  state 
and  Shawnee  county.  The  territorial  legislature  of  1855  passed  an  act 
making  it  the  county  seat,  but  it  was  never  so  recognized  bv  the  people 
of  the  county. 

Tehama,  a  country  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  5  miles 
southeast  of  Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  not  far  from  Quaker,  the 
nearest  railroad  station.     It  receives  mail  from  Columbus. 

Temperance. — (See  Prohibition.) 

Templin,  a  country  hamlet  in  Wabaunsee  county,  is  located  13  miles 
southwest  of  Alma,  the  county  seat,  5  miles  northeast  of  Alta  Vista, 
the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail,  and  2  miles  from  Celia,  the 
nearest  railroad  station. 

Terracotta,  a  hamlet  in  Ellsworth  county,  is  located  in  Carneiro 
township  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  17  miles  east  of  Ellsworth,  the 
county  seat.  There  are  valuable  deposits  of  clay, talc  and  glass  sand 
in  the  vicinit}'.     The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Terryton,  a  country  postoffice  in  Finney  county,  is  located  in  Pleasant 
township  16  miles  north  of  Garden  City,  the  county  seat,  to  which  it 
has  a  stage  line.  The  Garden  City,  Gulf  &  Northern  R.  R.  passes  about 
2  miles  to  the  west  and  Tennis,  4  miles  northwest,  is  the  nearest  station. 
The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  28. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  803 

Tescott,  the  third  largest  incorporated  town  of  Ottawa  county,  is 
located  in  Morton  township  on  the  Salina  river  and  the  Union  Pacific 
R.  R.,  18  miles  southwest  of  Minneapolis,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a 
bank,  a  flour  mill,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  nione}-  order 
postofifice  with  two  rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  421. 

Tevis,  a  country  station  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  II  miles  southeast  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat,  and 
2  miles  from  Berryton,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The 
population   in   1910  was  79. 

Thacher,  Solon  O.,  statesman,  jurist  and  man  of  afl:"airs,  was  born  in 
Steuben  county,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  31,  1830.  His  father  was  a  county  judge. 
He  graduated  from  Union  College  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  from  the 
Albany  Law  School.  In  Sept.,  1856,  he  married  Sarah  M.  Gilmore  of  York, 
N.  Y.  He  came  to  Kansas  in  1858,  located  at  Lawrence  and  was  one 
of  the  proprietors  of  the  Lawrence  Journal.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Wyandotte  constitutional  convention;  was  appointed  judge  of  the 
Fourth  judicial  district  in  1861 ;  was  a  candidate  for  governor  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  Lane  faction  of  the  Republican  party  in  1864;  and  from 
that  Irime  until  1880  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  He  amassed 
a  fortune;  was  several  times  regent  of  the  state  university;  held  the 
chair  of  equity  jurisprudence  in  its  law  school,  and  in  1880  was  elected 
to  the  state  senate.  Two  years  later  he  was  a  candidate  for  governor 
against  John  P.  St.  John.  At  the  close  of  his  first  term  in  the  senate 
he  was  appointed  a  member  of  a  commission  to  visit  the  South  Ameri- 
can-republics in  the  interests  of  reciprocity.  He  made  a  perilous  vo3'age 
of  over  34,000  miles,  and  being  shipwrecked  off  the  coast  was  taken  to 
England,  whence  he  returned  to  America.  He  met  nearly  every  ruler 
in  the  southern  continent,  learned  a  great  deal  about  the  conditions 
existing  there,  and  his  report  to  Congress  was  so  exhaustive  that  he 
was  called  before  a  special  committee  to  explain  his  views  on  reciproc- 
ity. On  his  return  to  Kansas  he  was  again  elected  to  the  state  senate, 
of  which  he  was  a  member  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  State  Historical  Society  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  Aug., 
1895.  He  was  a  descendant  of  the  exalted  Peter  Thacher  of  Queen 
Elizabeth's  time,  of  Rev.  Thomas  Thacher,  who  landed  at  Boston  in 
1635,  the  first  member  of  the  family  to  come  to  America,  and  of  Rev. 
Peter  Thacher  of  Revolutionary  times. 

Thacher,  Timothy  Dwight,  scholar,  s.tatesman,  editor  and  orator,  was 
born  in  Hornsville,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  31,  1831,  a  son  of  Mowery  Thacher,  and 
descended  from  New  England  stock,  being  seven  generations  removed 
from  his  ancestor.  Rev.  Thomas  Thacher,  who  landed  at  Boston  in 
1635,  and  was  pastor  of  the  Old  South  Church:  He  graduated  from 
Union  College  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  in  1856  and  campaigned  that  year 
on  the  platform  for  the  new  Republican  party.  In  April,  1857,  h^  came 
to  Lawrence  and  began  the  publication  of  the  Lawrence  Republican, 
a  free-state  paper  which  figured  prominently  in  state  politics.  He  was 
married  in  that  year  to  Miss  Catherine   Faulkner  Angell,  who  died  in 


804  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

1858.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Leavenworth  constitutional  convention 
held  in  the  winter  of  1857  and  1858.  In  1861  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Heilman  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.  In  1863  he  purchased  the 
Journal  of  Commerce  in  Kansas  City,  to  which  place  he  moved, 
remaining  there  until  1865,  when  he  disposed  of  the  paper  and  went  to 
Philadelphia.  He  was  on  the  staff  of  the  Evening-  Telegram  for  the 
next  three  years.  In  1868  he  returned  to  Lawrence  and  revived  the 
Lawrence  Republican,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  Ouantrill's  raid. 
The  next  year  he  combined  it  with  the  Kansas  State  Journal  of  Ottawa 
and  the  Ottawa  Home  Journal  under  the  name  of  the  Republican  Daily 
Journal.  In  1874  he  was  elected  to  the  house  of  representatives,  and 
seven  years  later  a  joint  session  of  the  legislature  elected  him  state 
printer.  In  this  office  he  served  three  terms,  remaining  in  Topeka  after 
his  retirement  from  public  life.     He  died  Jan.  17,  1894. 

Thayer,  an  incorporated  town  of  Neosho  county,  is  located  in  Che- 
topa  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  14  miles 
southwest  of  Erie,  the  county  seat.  It  has  natural  gas  wells  which 
yield  gas  in  sufficient  quantities  for  commercial  purposes,  2  banks,  a 
weekh'  newspaper  (the  News),  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an 
international  money  order  postofiQce  with  four  rural  routes.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  542.  The  town  was  founded  in  1870  by  J.  M.  Walker, 
president  of  the  railroad  company.  During  the  autumn  of  that  year 
and  the  next  winter  hundreds  came  to  the  locality  to  get  work  on  the 
railroad,  which  was  then  under  construction.  That  winter  the  popula- 
tion reached  1,000,  mostly  men.  The  merchants  who  established  stores 
at  that  time  were  H.  L.  Mills,  George  Weaver,  W.  W.  Work,  Holmes 
&  Hindnian,  Fonts  &  Ingersoll,  and  a  little  later  J.  M.  Halstead  and  the 
firm  of  Flarris  &  Sax.  H.  M.  Baldwin  built  a  hotel  and  Thomas  Thomp- 
son a  hotel  with  a  saloon.  The  first  postoffice  was  at  Prairie  du  Chien, 
but  it  was  moved  to  Thayer  when  the  town  was  founded  and  A.  I. 
Sherwood  was  the  first  postmaster.  The  first  newspaper  was  the 
Tha_\'er  Criterion,  started  in  1871  by  Perry  &  Olney. 

Thayer,  Eli,  educator,  inventor,  Congressman  and  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Massachusetts  Emigrant  Aid  society,  was  born  at  Mendon, 
Mass.,  June  11,  1819,  and  was  descended  from  Thomas  Thayer,  who 
settled  at  Braintree,  Mass.,  in  1640.  He  was  educated  at  Bellingham 
and  Amherst  Academies,  and  at  Brown  University,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  1845.  He  then  began  teaching  in  Worcester  Academy,  became 
its  principal,  and  in  1848  founded  the  Oread  Institute,  a  woman's  col- 
lege at  \\orcester.  In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  Massachusetts  legis- 
lature, where  he  was  the  leader  in  organizing  the  Bank  of  Mutual  Re- 
demption, and  the  l^nion  Emigrant  societ}-.  In  1856  he  was  elected 
to  Congress  and  was  reelected,  serving  as  a  member  of  the  committee 
on  militia  and  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  public  lands.  He  was 
active  in  promoting  emigration  from  New  England  to  Kansas  in  order 
to  have  it  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  free  state,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1854  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  Massachusetts  Emigrant  Aid 


8o5 


KANSAS    HISTORY 

was 


company,  with  a  capital  of  Ss,ooo,ooo.  Subsequently  this  company  \\a 
merged 'with  the  Emigrant  Aid  company  of  New  York  and  Connecti 
cut  under  the  name  of  the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  comp-niy. 
Charles  Sumner  said  that  he  would  "rather  have  the  credit  due  lili 
Thayer  for  his  work  in  Kansas  than  be  the  hero  of  the  battle  "1  New 
Orleans."  During  the  earlv  part  of  the  war  Mr.  Thayer  was  United 
States  treasury  agent,  and  later  was  connected  with  the  Hannibal  & 
St.  Joseph  Railroad  company.  After  the  war  he  devoted  most  ot  his 
time  to  inventions,  which  covered  a  wide  field.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
character  and  convictions,  a  scholar  of  marked  ability  and  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Thayer  was  the  author  of  a  volume 
of  Congressional  speeches  and  the  -Kansas  Crusade  ;  was  a  member 
of  the  Worcester  Society  of  Antiquity,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Kansas  Historical  society.  He  died  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  April  15, 
1899.  A  beautiful  marble  bust  of  Mr.  Thayer  has  been  placed  in  the 
rooms  of  the  Kansas  Historical  society  at  Topeka,  Kan. 

Thelma,  a  country  postofftce  in  Tribune  township.  Greeley  county,  is 
located  about  14  miles  northeast  of  Tribune,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping  point.     Ii  has  mail  tri-weekly. 

Theosophical  Societies.— The  first  organization  of  this  kind  was 
founded  in  New  York  in  1875  by  Helena  Petrovana  Blavatsky,  Col. 
Henry  S.  Olcott  and  William  J.  Judge,  under  the  name  of  the  Theosoph- 
ical Society  and  Universal  Brotherhood.  For  some  years  the  specia 
attention  of  the  members  was  directed  to  education  m  theosophical 
philosophy  and  to  the  development  of  the  organization  in  America  and 
Europe  In  1879  Madame  Blavatsky  and  Col.  Olcott  went  to  India  and 
established  the  headquarters  at  Adyar,  Madras,  while  Mr.  Judge  re 
mained  in  charge  in  America.  Madame  Blavatsky  died  in  1891  f  "d  Mr 
Tudo-e  assumed  entire  charge  of  the  society  in  America  while  Col.  Olcott 
continued  the  work  in  India.  About  this  same  time  Mrs.  Besant  became  _ 
one  of  the  prominent  workers  in  Europe.  Friction  arose  between  Mrs. 
Be=!ant  and  Mr.  Judge  in  1894  as  a  result  of  which  two  parties  developed. 
Earlv  the  next  "year  the  American  section  voted  to  support  Mr.  Judge 
and  or<^anized  the  Theosophical  Society  in  America.  Similar  action  soon 
followed  in  several  European  countries  and  these  organizations  affiliated 
with  the  American  Society.  The  dissenting  riiembers  retained  the  name 
Theosophical    Society,    with    three    sections,    American,    European    and 

"upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Judge  in  1896.  Katherine  Tingley  became  the 
leader  in  America  and  of  the  affiliated  societies  of  Europe.  In  1898  she 
ort^anized  the  Universal  Brotherhood  and  within  a  short  time  the  Theo- 
sophical Society  in  America.  Subsequently  these  two  organizations  be- 
came merged  under  the  title  of  Universal  Brotherhood  and  Theosoph- 
ical Society  but  again  some  of  the  dissenting  members  retained  the  old 
name  and  organization,  so  that  today  there  are  three  societies  in  Amer- 
ica—the Theosophical  Society,  American  Section,  the  Theosophical  So- 
ciety in   America,  and  the  Universal  Brotherhood  and  Theos5phical  So- 


8o6  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

ciety.  All  the  societies  unite  in  having  for  their  principal  object  the  uni- 
versal brotherhood  of  humanity,  a,nd  require  sympathy  with  this  object 
the  condition  of  membership.   . 

Theosophical  bodies  have  no  churches  or  edifices,  but  hold  their  ser- 
vices in  halls  or  private  houses,  and  there  is  no  regular  ministry  con- 
nected with  any  of  the  bodies.  The  three  organizations,  taken  together, 
have  84  organizations  in  the  United  States  with  a  total  membership  of 
2,336.  The  Theosophical  Society,  American  Section,  has  one  organiza- 
iton  in  Kansas,  established  in  the  '90s,  with  a  membership  of  14. 

Thomas,  a  hamlet  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  the  extreme  south- 
west part  of  the  county,  18  miles  from  Marysville,  the  county  seat.  It 
receives  its  mail  by  rural  route  from  Waterville.  The  population  in  1910 
was  40. 

Thomas  County,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  state,  is  located  in 
the  second  tier  south  of  Nebraska  and  the  second  east  from  Colorado^ 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Rawlins  county;  on  the  east  by  Sheridan; 
on  the  south  by  Gove  and  Logan,  and  on  the  west  by  Sherman.  It  was 
created  in  1873  and  named  in  honor  of  George  H.  Thomas,  a  major-gen- 
eral of  the  Civil  war.  The  boundaries  were  defined  as  follows:  "Com- 
mencing at  the  point  where  the  east  line  of  range  31  west  crosses  the 
1st  standard  parallel ;  thence  south  with  said  line  to  the  2nd  standard 
parallel;  thence  west  with  said  standard  parallel  to  the  east  line  of  range 
37  west;  thence  north  with  said  range  line  to  the  ist  standard  parallel; 
thence  east  with  said  standard  parallel  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

In  1881  before  the  county  was  organized  a  man  by  the  name  of  T.  D. 
Hamilton,  who  was  hunting  with  a  small  party  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  county,  discovered  a  cave  full  of  human  skeletons.  The  men  were  fol- 
lowing a  wounded  wolf  which  took  refuge  in  the  cave.  On  exploring  it 
they  found  the  cave  to  be  a  sepulcher  of  a  prehistoric  race.  The  interior 
consisted  of  two  chambers  with  perpendicular  walls  hewn  out  of  the 
rock.  Weapons  and  other  relics  were  found  with  the  bones  of  the  dead. 
The  bodies  were  in  various  positions,  some  standing,  some  sitting  and 
some  lying.  A  passage  way  had  been  chiseled  out  and  far  in  the  interior 
was  a  stream  of  water.  At  one  point  in  the  cave  a  single  sound  would 
produce  a  score  of  echoes. 

Among  the  first  settlers  were,  J.  R.  Colby,  J.  W.  Irwin,  who  became 
the  first  postmaster  at  Colby,  H.  W.  Miller,  James  Auld,  Dr.  D.  M.  Dunn 
and  E.  P.  Worchester.  In  Jan.,  1885,  there  were  but  161  inhabitants  in 
the  county.  On  March  12  the  Thomas  County  Cat  (sometimes  called  the 
Thomas  Cat)  was  established  by  Worchester  and  Dunn  and  printed  at 
the  sod  house  of  H.  W.  Miller  at  Colby.  It  was  the  first  paper  published 
in  the  county,  though  the  next  week  another  paper  was  started  by  Brown 
&  Son  and  printed  at  the  residence  of  J.  R.  Colby,  the  man  in  whose 
honor  the  town  was  named.  Settlers  came  in  by  the  hundreds  during  that 
year  and  by  the  end  of  the  summer  the  residents  petitioned  for  a  separate 
county  organization.  W.  G.  Porter  was  appointed  census  taker.  The 
returns  were  made  early  in  October  and  showed  a  population  of  1,900  of 


ICANSAS    HISTORY  807 

whom  j-j-j  were  householders.  Gov.  Martin  issued  the  proclamation 
organizing  the  county  on  Oct.  8.  Colby  was  named  as  the  temporary 
county  seat  and  the  following  officers  were  appointed:  county  clerk, 
Samuel  Stewardson ;  commissioners,  B.  F.  Heaston,  W.  H.  Kingery  and 
E.  A.  Crouse.  The  election  to  complete  the  organization  was  held  on 
Nov.  17.  Colby  was  chosen  county  seat  with  only  13  opposing  votes,  and 
the  following  officers  were  elected :  County  clerk,  James  N.  Fike ;  treas- 
urer, N.  D.  Bean;  sheriff,  W.  H.  Kingery;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  Ed- 
ward J.  Paine;  register  of  deeds,  J.  W.  Irwin;  attorney,  William  G.  Por- 
ter; probate  judge,  M.  L.  Lacey;  superintendent  of  public  instruction, 
W.  W.  Walker;  surveyor,  T.  P.  Chambers;  coroner,  M.  McGreevy;  com- 
missioners, Frank  Pingree,  M.  W.  Witham  and  R.  T.  Hemming.  W. 
H.  Copeland  was  the  first  representative. 

In  Sept.,  1887,  the  first  railroad  reached  Colby,  and  by  Jan.,  1888,  the 
three  lines  which  now  run  to  the  town  had  been  built.  A  branch  of  the 
Union  Pacific  from  Salina  enters  in  the  east  and  crosses  west  to  Colby 
where  it  terminates.  Another  branch  of  the  same  road,  diverging  from 
the  main  line  at  Oakley  in  Logan  county,  enters  in  the  south  and  crosses 
northwest  to  Colby.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  enters  in  the 
northeast  and  crosses  southwest  to  Colby,  thence  west  into  Sherman 
county.    There  are  76  miles  of  railroad. 

The  county  is  divided  into  10  townships,  viz :  Barrett,  Hale,  Kingery, 
Lacey,  Menlo,  Morgan,  Randall,  Revohl,  Smith,  Summers  and  Wendell. 
The  postoffices  are  Brewster,  Colby,  Gem,  Halford,  Kingery,  Levant, 
Menlo,  Mingo  and  Rexford.  The  population  in  Dec,  1885,  was  reported 
as  2,500.  In  1890  it  was  5,538.  In  the  next  10  years  there  was  a  decrease 
to  4,112,  but  during  the  next  decade  there  was  a  substantial  increase,  the 
population  in  1910  being  5,455.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  in 
that  year  was  $12,957,739.  The  average  wealth  per  capita  is  $2,374,  which 
is  more  than  $700  in  excess  of  the  average  wealth  per  capita  for  the 
state. 

The  general  surface  is  undulating  prairie  with  bluffs  and  rough  lands 
along  the  streams.  The  native  timber  is  limited  to  clumps  of  cottonwood 
trees.  Bottom  lands  are  not  extensive.  Sandstone  is  found  in  several 
localities.  The  Saline  river  has  its  source  in  the  southwest  and  flows 
east  across  the  southern  tier  of  townships.  The  south  fork  of  the  Sol- 
omon flows  east  across  the  county,  somewhat  south  of  the  center,  and 
the  north  fork  of  the  same  river  has  its  source  in  the  west  and  flows 
northeast  into  Sheridan  county.  The  north  and  south  forks  of  Sappa 
creek  and  Prairie  Dog  creek  enter  in  the  west  and  flow  northeast,  the  two 
former  into  Rawlins  and  the  latter  into  Sheridan  county. 

The  number  of  acres  under  cultivation  in  1888  was  90,000.  In  that 
year  81,895  pounds  of  butter  and  1,225  pounds  of  cheese  were  marketed. 
In  1910  dairy  products  were  worth  $53,000;  animals  sold  for  slaughter, 
$63,289;  poultry  and  eggs,  $32,000;  wheat,  the  principal  crop,  $475,627; 
barley,  nearly  $150,000;  corn,  $84,233;  sorghum,  $81,000;  hay,  $45,063. 
The  total  value  of  farm  products  was  $1,089,541.    The  number  of  head  of 


8o8  ■  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

live  stock  was  19,677,  worth  $1,282,822.     The  number  of  acres  of  land 
under  cultivation  was  335,017,  less  than  half  the  total  area. 

Thompsonville,  a  hamlet  of  JelTerson  county,  is  located  on  the  Dela- 
ware river  about  1 1  miles  southwest  of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat,  and  3 
miles  northwest  of  Perry,  from  which  place  daily  mail  is  supplied. 
Thompsonville  was  established  in  1865  by  C.  L.  Thompson,  who  erected 
a  mill  on  the  site  of  the  old  Mormon  settlement  of  1851.  A  postoffice  was 
established  in  1878  with  C.  T.  Tolles  as  postmaster. 

Thornburg,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Smith  county,  is  located  10  miles  north 
of  Smith  Center,  the  county  seat  and  most  convenient  railroad  station, 
and  the  postoiifice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  There  is  one  general 
store.    The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Thrall,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Greenwood  county,  is  about  20  miles  north 
of  Eureka,  the  county  seat,  and  7  west  of  Hamilton,  the  nearest  railroad 
station  and  shipping  point,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Throop,  a  country  hamlet  in  Washington  county,  is  located  in  Cole- 
man township,  10  miles  southwest  of  Washington,  the  county  seat,  and 
7  miles  south  of  Morrowville,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  post- 
office  from  which  it  receives  mail.     The  population  in  1910  was  28. 

Thurber,  a  little  inland  hamlet  in  the  northern  part  of  Reno  coimty,  is 
located  24  miles  northwest  of  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat.  Sterling,  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  in 
Lyons  county,  8  miles  to  the  northeast,  is  the  nearest  railroad  station  and 
shipping  point,  and  it  is  from  this  postoffice  that  the  Thurber  mail  is 
distributed  by  rural  delivery. 

Thurman,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Chase  countv,  is  located  in  Matfield 
Green  township,  20  miles  south  of  Cottonwood  Falls,  the  county  seat, 
and  12  miles  south  of  Bazaar,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping 
point.  Its  mail  is  distributed  from  IMatfield  Green  and  it  is  connected 
with  that  village  by  daily  stage.  The  population  according  to  the  census 
of  1910  was  30. 

Timber. — (See  Forestry.) 

Timken,  a  hamlet  in  Rush  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of  the 
same  name,  on  Walnut  creek  and  the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R. 
R.,  10  miles  southeast  of  LaCrosse,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  mill,  a  grain 
elevator,  several  retail  establishments,  express  office,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Tint,  a  country  postoffice  in  Butler  coimty,  is  located  in  Syracuse  town- 
ship, 25  miles  northeast  of  Eldorado,  the  county  seat,  and  16  miles  south 
of  Bazaar,  Chase  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  The  population  in 
1910  was  20. 

Tipton,  a  thriving  little  town  of  Mitchell  county,  is  located  in  Pitts- 
burg township,  21  miles  southwest  of  Beloit,  the  county  seat,  and  14  miles 
south  of  Cawker  City,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  All  the  general  lines 
of  business  are  represented,  including  banking.  It  has  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910  was  200.  The 
town  was  founded  in  1872  by  Fred  Sackofif,  W.  A.  Pitt  and  J.  F.  Stein- 


KANSAS    IIISTORV  809 

berg,  and  was  at  first  called  Pittsburg.  Many  of  the  early  buildings, 
some  of  which  are  still  standing,  were  of  stone.  In  the  early  '80s  the 
name  was  changed  from  Pittsburg  to  Tipton,  on  account  of  the  Pittsburg 
in  Crawford  county. 

Tisdale,  a  hamlet  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  in  thu  idwnship  of  the 
same  name  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles  east  of  Winfield,  the 
county  seat.  There  is  a  general  store,  an  express  office,  and  a  money 
order  postofifice.    The  population  in  1910  was  42. 

Titus,  Henry  T.,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Lopez  expedition  against  the  island  of  Cuba  with  the  rank  of  adjutant. 
He  arrived  in  Kansas  about  April  i,  1856,  in  company  with  Col.  Buford 
and  about  1,000  men  recruited  in  the  South,  and  his  earliest  endeavors  in 
this  section  were  put  forth  in  the  interests  of  the  pro-slavery  cause.  He 
was  present  at  the  sacking  of  Lawrence  on  May  21,  1856,  and  about 
Aug.  I  of  that  year  he  forcibly  took  possession  of  a  claim  about  two 
miles  east  of  Lecompton,  belonging  to  a  free-state  man  named  Smith, 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  territory.  Smith's  cabin  was  torn  down 
during  his  absence  by  Titus,  who  erected  thereon  a  blockhouse  for  him- 
self. Smith  returned  later  and  rebuilt  his  cabin  when  Titus  at  the  head 
of  a  pro-slavery  force  burned  the  building.  From  the  time  of  his  arrival 
in  the  territory  he  seems  to  have  taken  an  aggressive  part  against  the 
free-state  people  and  many  of  early  acts  smacked  strongly  of  plain  horse 
stealing.  After  the  brutal  murder  of  David  S.  Hoyt  by  pro-slavery  men 
near  Fort  Saunders — their  stronghold  on  Washington  creek,  about  12 
miles  east  of  Lawrence — the  free-state  men  retaliated  by  surrounding 
and  making  an  assault  upon  "Fort  Titus"  on  Aug.  16.  Their  fire  was 
returned  by  the  besieged  garrison  and  one  free-state  man  killed.  Finding 
that  rifles  made  no  apparent  impression  on  the  log  fort  the  free-state 
men  brought  out  a  cannon  they  had  recently  captured  at  Franklin  and 
trained  it  on  the  blockhouse.  Six  shots  were  fired  when  Col.  Titus  sig- 
nalled that  he  wished  to  surrender.  He  was  wounded  and  one  or  two  of 
his  companions  were  killed.  The  prisoners  were  all  taken  to  Lawrence 
and  some  time  later  were  released.  His  sword,  surrendered  at  the  time  of 
the  battle,  is  now  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society  at  Topeka.  On  Oct.  11,  1856,  Gov.  John  W.  Geary  appointed 
him  special  aide-de-camp,  his  commission  dating  from  Sept.  15.  Some 
time  after  the  battle  of  Fort  Titus  he  issued  a  call  for  his  regiment  of 
militia,  signing  himself  "Colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment  of  the  First 
Brigade  of  the  Southern  Division  of  the  Kansas  Militia."  His  military 
career  in  Kansas  begun  and  ended  in  1856.  Early  in  1857  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  Gen.  William  Walker  in  his  Nicaraguan  expedition,  and  in 
February  of  that  year  arrived  at  San  Juan  del  Norte  at  the  head  of  about 
180  men,  many  of  whom  had  been  associated  with  him  in  Kansas.  His 
military  capabilities  as  displayed  in  this  expedition  proved  his  incapac- 
ity as  a  commander.  He  has  been  ascribed  by  those  who  knew  him  as  a 
swaggering  braggart.  It  was  commonly  rumored  that  he  lost  his  life  in 
the  Nicaraguan  expedition,  but  this  is  a  mistake,  his  death  occurring  in 
the  state  of  Florida  on  Aug.  8,  1881. 


8lO  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

Tobacco. — While  Kansas  has  never  been  considered  a  tobacco-grow- 
ing state  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  crop  can  be  sucessfully 
grown  here.  The  plant  has  probably  had  a  limited  cultivation  ever 
since  the  settlement  of  the  territory,  but  no  record  of  production  prior 
to  1870  is  to  be  found.  In  1870  there  were  29,047  pounds  raised;  201,- 
640  in  1872  and  393.352  in  1873.  The  first  figures  of  acreage  are  those 
of  1877,  at  which  time  717  acres  were  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of 
tobacco.  The  following  year  the  acreage  was  only  553,  with  a  gradual 
decline  in  area  until  in  1910,  when  it  was  but  201  acres.  This  crop, 
however,  was  valued  at  $25,260,  or  a  little  over  $125  an  acre.  Col. 
Sharp,  a  merchant  of  ColTeyville  and  a  former  resident  of  Kentucky, 
has  been  encouraging  the  culture  of  tobacco  in  Montgomery  county. 
In  1909  he  sent  to  Kentucky  and  obtained  a  quantity  of  White  Burley 
seed,  this  being  the  variety  that  made  the  Blue  Grass  state  famous,  and 
gave  it  to  about  100  farmers  living  about  Cofi'eyville,  offering  a  prize 
of  $10  for  the  best  sample  grown  that  year.  A  number  of  them  promised 
to  plant  and  experiment  with  a  crop.  On  seven  farms  visited  by  the 
colonel  in  1910  he  found  tobacco  doing  well  on  si.x  of  them.  He 
expressed  his  belief  that  the  article  can  be  grown  in  this  state  as  suc- 
cessfully as  in  Kentucky.  The  White  Burley  crop  in  parts  of  Ken- 
tucky averages  $275  to  the  acre. 

Togo,  a  hamlet  in  Happy  township,  Graham  county,  is  located  12 
miles  south  of  Hill  City,  the  county  seat,  and  11  miles  north  of 
Wakeeney,  Trego  county,  which  is  the  usual  shipping  point.  Togo 
has  a  general  store,  a  postofifice,  and  the  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Toledo,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Chase  county,  is  located  near  the 
east  line  of  the  county  11  miles  northeast  of  Cottonwood  Falls,  the 
county  seat,  and  2  miles  from  Saffordville  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point,  and  the 
postoffice  from  which  the  Toledo  mail  is  distributed. 

Toluca,  a  country  postoffice  in  Haskell  county,  is  located  in  Dudley 
township  9  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  grocery 
store  and  tri-weekly  mail. 

Tonganoxie,  an  incorporated  town  of  Leavenworth  county,  is  situ- 
ated 21  miles  southwest  of  Leavenworth  on  the  Union  Pacific  and 
Missouri  Pacific  railroads.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  an  Indian  chief, 
whose  cabin  was  the  stopping  place  on  the  road  to  Lawrence  in  early 
days.  The  village  was  laid  out  in  1866  by  Mrs.  Magdalena  Barry, 
though  Wilson  Fox  had  built  a  cabin  there  in  1862.  James  English  also 
came  to  live  in  the  same  neighborhood  and  he  sold  the  land  to  Mrs. 
Barry.  A  store  was  opened  in  1866  and  a  postoffice  was  established 
about  the  same  time.  Late  in  the  '70s  Tonganoxie  was  incorporated 
as  a  city  of  the  third  class.  It  has  had  a  steady  growth  and  the  excel- 
lent railroad  facilities  with  which  it  is  provided  have  made  it  a  supply 
and  shipping  point  for  a  rich  district.  There  are  several  churches,  an 
excellent  public  school  system,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Mirror),  2 
banks,    general    stores,    shoe    stores,    groceries,    millinery    shops,    drug 


KANSAS    HISTORY  °^^ 

Stores,  implement  and  hardware  houses,  lumber  yard,  etc.  Tonganoxie 
has  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  five  rural  routes, 
express  and  telegraph  facilities,  and  it  is  known  as  a  town  of  beautiful 
homes.     Its  population  in  1910  was  1,018. 

Tonovoy,  a  post-hamlet  in  Greenwood  county,  is  located  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  and  is  located  in  Bachelor  township,  8  miles  east  of 
Eureka,  the  county  seat.  It  has  an  express  office  and  is  a  trading  point 
for  the  neighborhood.    The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Topeka,  the  capital  city  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  is  a  station  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Shawnee  county,  of  which  it  is  the  judicial  seat.  It  lies  on 
both  sides  of  the  Kansas  river,  which  is  spanned  at  this  point  by  three 
railroad  bridges  and  an  arch  street-car,  wagon  and  foot  bridge.  The 
Shunganunga  creek  flows  through  the  southeastern  portion  and  is 
spanned  by  a  bridge  on  Sixth  street.  Two  lines  each  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  Union  Pacific,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads  connect  here,  furnishing  65 
.  passenger  trains  daily.  Topeka  is  an  ideal  residence  city,  having  clean, 
wide  and  well  shaded  streets,  9  public  parks,  on  which  about  $25,000 
annually  is  expended,  65  miles  of  paved  streets,  350  miles  of  cement  and 
brick  walks,  city  waterworks  with  65  miles  of  mains,  no  miles  of  sewer 
pipes,  natural  gas  for  lighting  and  heating  purposes,  electric  lights,  47 
miles  of  electric  street  railway  and  7  miles  of  suburban,  6  hospitals, 
72  churches,  26  public  school  buildings  with  219  teachers,  one  of  the 
best  high  schools  in  the  state  with  a  manual  training  department,  Wash- 
burn College,  one  of  the  leading  educational  institutions  in  the  Middle 
West,  Bethany  College,  6  business  colleges,  a  large  number  of  depart- 
ment stores  and  other  retail  establishments,  and  no  saloons. 

Among  the  public  buildings  located  here  are  the  state  capitol,  which 
cost  over  $3,000,000;  the  government  postoffice,  in  the  upper  part  of 
which  is  located  the  pension  bureau ;  the  county  buildings,  the  city  hall, 
in  which  is  located  an  auditorium  with  .a  seating  capacity  of  4,500,  and 
one  of  the  three  largest  pipe  organs  in  the  country;  the  city  library 
on  the  state  house  grounds,  and  the  memorial  building,  now  in  process 
of  construction,  which  will  cost  $250,000.  There  are  three  state  insti- 
tutions, the  industrial  school  for  boys,  an  insane  asylum  and  the  print- 
ing plant ;  three  daily  newspapers  (the  Capital,  the  Journal  and  the 
Leo-al  News)  ;  five  weeklies  (the  Capital,  the  Mail  and  Breeze,  the  Kan- 
sas Farmer,  the  Washburn  Review  and  the  Topeka  Plaindealer)  ;  two 
semi-monthlies  (the  High  School  World  and  the  Western  Odd  Fel- 
low), and  a  large  number  of  monthly  publications,  among  which  are 
the  Western  School  Journal,  the  Merchants'  Trade  Journal,  the  Mis- 
souri Valley  Farmer,  the  Household,  the  Nebraska  Farm  Journal,  and 
the  Commercial  Club  Bulletin. 

There  are  376  manufacturing  plants,  a  few  of  the  larger  ones  being 
6  flour  mills  with  a  combined  capacity  of  3,600  barrels  daily,  2  woolen 
mills,  a  vinegar  and  preserving  works,  2  creameries,  the  larger  making 
8,ooo',ooo  pounds  of  butter  annually,  factories  for  the  production  of  dairy 


8l2  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

machinery,  automobiles,  brooms,  mattresses,  boxes  and  barrels,  tents, 
food  pro'duets,  patent  medicines,  foundries,  machine  shops,  vitrified 
brick  works,  and  meat  packing  establishments.  There  are  29  whole- 
sale and  jobbing  houses.  One  of  the  largest  railroad  machine  shops  in 
the  country  is  that  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  company 
located  here,  employing  3,500  men.  The  general  offices  of  the  same 
company  employ  about  1,500  persons,  and  the  general  offices  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  employ  about  150.  The  L'nited  States 
district  court  is  located  here,  and  also  one  of  the  government  land 
offices.  The  residents  of  Topeka  own  more  than  700  automobiles,  and 
the  9  banks  have  a  combined  capital  and  surplus  of  $1,300,000.  There 
are  about  10,000  homes,  90  per  cent,  of  which  have  telephones.  The 
Elks'  lodge  has  a  fine  home  on  Seventh  and  Jackson  streets,  the  Masons 
are  about  to  build  one  of  the  best  buildings  owned  by  the  order  in  the 
country,  the  Topeka  club  maintains  a  beautiful  home  for  the  use  of  its 
members,  there  are  3  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings,  one  of  which  cost  nearly 
$100,000  and  a  Y.  W.  C.  A.  building  which  cost  $85,000..  According  to 
the  government  census  the  population  of  Topeka  in  1910  was  43,684. 

Topeka  was  founded  in  1854  by  Col.  Cyrus  K.  Holliday,  F.  W.  Giles, 
Daniel  H.  Home,  George  Davis,  Enoch  Chase,  J.  B.  Chase,  M.  C. 
Dickey,  C.  Robinson  and  L.  G.  Cleveland.  The  site  was  selected  by 
Holliday  and  Robinson  as  representatives  of  the  New  England  Emi- 
grant society  in  October.  In  November  a  party  including  the  other 
gentlemen  arrived  on  the  scene.  The  town  company  was  organized 
on  Dec.  5  with  Mr.  Holliday  as  president.  The  site  was  laid  out  with 
a  view  to  building  a  city  which  should  be  the  capital  of  Kansas,  although 
there  were  two  or  three  other  towns  already  bidding  for  that  honor. 
According  to  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Webb  of  the  New  England  Emi- 
grant Aid  society  the  town  was  named  Topeka  from  the  Indian  word 
Topeka-okie,  meaning  "a  good  place  to  dig  potatoes." 

At  the  close  of  the  year  there  were  about  25  people  living  on  the 
new  town  site.  The  next  spring  a  great  many  eastern  people  located 
here  and  the  work  of  building  the  town  went  on  rapidly.  A  sawmill 
was  set  up,  a  number  of  stores  and  a  hotel  were  opened,  a  blacksmith 
shop,  a  tinware  factory,  a  brick-yard  and  a  number  of  other  institu- 
tions established.  The  postoffice,  Fry  W.  Giles  postmaster,  was  kept 
in  a  log  cabin  which  was  also  used  as  a  blacksmith  shop.  Among  the 
buildings  erected  that  year  was  Constitution  Hall  and  the  Topeka 
House.  A  military  company  called  the  "Topeka  Guards"  was  organ- 
ized by  Daniel  H.  Home  early  in  the  spring,  and  in  November  Capt. 
Home  led  the  gjiards,  100  in  number,  to  the  defense  of  Lawrence,  leav- 
ing but  one  able-bodied  man  in  Topeka.  It  was  feared  that  an  attack 
might  be  made  during  their  absence,  but  the  women  thought  them- 
selves capable  of  making  a  defense  in  case  such  a  thing  should  occur. 

From  the  first  Topeka  was  a  temperance  town.  On  the  evening  of 
July  4,  1855,  after  a  temperance  demonstration  the  mass  meeting 
resolved  itself  into  a  committee  of  the  whole  and  destroyed  all  the  liquor 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


813 


in  the  vicinity.  On  that  date  the  first  number  of  the  Kansas  Free- 
man appeared.  The  second  newspaper  was  the  Kansas  Tribune,  which 
was  brought  from  Lawrence  in  November.  The  first  child  born  in 
the  new  town  was  named  Topeka  Zimmerman  and  received  from  his 
godfather,  Dr.  F.  L.  Crane,  a  lot  75  by  150  feet.  The  first  literary  society 
was  organized  late  in  the  fall  of  1855  and  called  the  Kansas  Philo- 
mathic  Institute.  A  state  constitutional  convention  to  take  preliminary 
steps  for  the  admission  of  Kansas  into  the  Union  was  held  in  Con- 
stitution Hall,  beginning  on  Sept.  19.  The  winter  of  1855-56  was  very 
severe  and,  the  homes  being  nothing  but  shells,  there  was  much 
suffering. 

Topeka  having  been  designated  the  temporary  capital  by  the  consti- 
tutional convention  the  first  free-state  legislature  was  opened  on  March 
4,  1856,  in  Constitution  Hall.  A  new  hotel  had  been  built  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  legislators.  This  body  was  dispersed,  by  Col. 
Sumner  on  Juh'  4,  following.  During  the  troubles  which  followed,  a 
fort  was  erected  on  Ouincy  street  in  the  fifth  block  south  of  the  river. 
The  basement  .of  Constitution  Hall  was  fitted  up  as  a  storehouse  for 
the  reprisals  taken  from  the  enemy  during  the  war  with  the  border 
ruffians. 

Topeka  was  incorporated  as  a  city  by  act  of  the  territorial  legisla- 
ture on  Feb.  14,  1857.  At  that  time  its  limits  were  confined  within  the 
original  plat  of  320  acres.  It  was  the  third  largest  town  in  the  state, 
with  a  population  of  600.  By  the  election  of  Oct.,  1858,  which  was  con- 
firmed by  an  act  of  the  legislature  the  next  January,  it  was  made  the 
county  seat  of  Shawnee  county,  and  by  the  Wyandotte  constitution 
drawn  up  in  1859  it  was  named  as  the  temporar\'  capital  of  the  state. 
By  a  vote  of  the  people  in  1861  Topeka  was  chosen  as  the  permanent 
capital.  The  sessions  of  the  legislature  were  held  in  private  buildings 
until  1863,  when  a  temporary  capitol  was  erected  on  the  west  side  of 
Kansas  avenue  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets.  In  1865  the  Topeka 
association,  through  its  president,  C.  K.  Holliday,  donated  20  acres 
of  ground  for  the  site  of  the  future  capitol  building,  which  was  begun  in 
1866.     (See  Capitol.) 

The  year  i860  was  unusually  hot  and  dry,  the  thermometer  at  Topeka 
registering  105  degrees  in  March.  Among  the  improvements  of  that 
season  was  the  establishment  of  regular  stage  lines  to  Atchison  by  way 
of  Lecompton ;  to  Kansas  City  by  way  of  Lawrence,  and  to  Junction  City 
by  way  of  Manhattan.  A  new  bridge  was  built  over  the  Kansas  river  and 
one  over  the  Shunganunga,  75  houses  were  erected  at  a  cost  of  $100,000, 
and  $1,000  voted  for  school  purposes.  The  first  railroad  meeting  was 
held  in  Aug.,  1859.  A  route  was  surveyed  to  Topeka,  but  this  along 
with  other  improvements  planned  was  arrested  by  the  Civil  war. 

The  depression  incident  to  the  war  was  quickly  overcome  and  in  the 
six  months  following  July,  1863,  the  population  doubled.  In  Jan.,  1866, 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad  reached  this  point  and  the  Santa  Fe  was 
begun  in  1868.     New  bridges,  schoolhouses,  sidewalks,  churches,  busi- 


8l4  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

ness  blocks  and  dwellings  were  rapidly  built.  By  1867  the  city  had  out- 
grown its  original  limits  and  the  outlying  claims  had  been  divided  into 
lots.  The  little  town  of  Eugenia  on  the  north  side  of  the  Kansas  river 
was  attached  to  Topeka  that  year  and  became  North  Topeka.  Four 
other  additions  were  made  in  1867.  Since  that  time  the  city  has  been 
steadil}'  spreading  out  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  especially  toward  the 
southwest. 

The  year  1872  was  an  eventful  one.  Topeka  entertained  a  royal  guest 
in  the  person  of  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis  of  Russia,  who  was  in  Kansas 
on  a  buffalo  hunt.  The  "King  Wrought  Iron  Bridge  Manufactory  and 
Iron  Works"  was  organized  that  year,  the  city  voting  bonds  for  $100,000 
toward  the  building  of  its  shops  which  covered  3  acres.  The  company 
failed  the  next  year  and  the  shops  were  taken  over  by  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  company  and  formed  the  beginning  of  the 
Santa  Fe  shops.  A  number  of  flour  mills  and  other  manufactories  were 
established  in  the  next  ten  years.  The  Topeka  Librar}"  association, 
organized  in  1870,  was  authorized  by  the  legislature  of  1881  to  erect  a 
free  public  library  on  the  state  house  grounds.  In  1886  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroad  was  built  to  this  point  and  the  next  year  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific.  About  that  time  there  was  a  great  boom  in 
Topeka  real  estate,  there  being  in  the  year  1886  more  than  20  additions 
platted  and  thrown  on  the  market,  and  lots  were  sold  2  miles  from  the 
outskirts  of  town.  The  real  estate  transfers  averaged  $30,000  per  day 
and  the  bank  clearings  $1,000,000  a  month.  In  1888  there  were  3,000 
new  buildings  put  up  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,000.  The  same  year  4  miles  of 
street  pavement,  5  of  sidewalk  and  12  of  sewer  were  laid,  a  $35,000  via- 
duct was  built  and  an  electric  light  plant  was  installed.  The  total 
expenditure  for  public  improvements  for  the  3'^ear  was  $598,000,  the  real 
estate  transfers  aggregated  $7,879,569  and  the  bank  clearings  reached 
$17,000,000.  Sixty-nine  additions  were  made,,  one  of  them  being  Potwin 
Place.  The  depression  resultant  from  this  activity  is  shown  by  a  loss 
of  5,000  in  population  in  the  year  1890.  The  city  was  beginning  to  revive 
a  little  when  the  hard  times  of  1893  and  the  rush  to  the  southwest  gave 
it  another  setback.  The  depression  continued  for  some  years  and  it 
was  not  until  1900  that  the  population  exceeded  that  of  1889. 

Although  the  sale  of  liquor  was  prohibited  by  an  amendment  to  the 
constitution,  carried  in  1880,  the  authorities  for  various  reasons  had  hard 
work  to  enforce  the  law  during  the  first  twenty  years.  A  new  era  of  law 
enforcement  was  introduced  by  Mrs.  Carrie  Nation,  who  smashed  a 
number  of  Topeka  saloons  in  1901,  thus  arousing  public  sentiment  on  the 
subject.  Since  1889,  when  municipal  suffrage  was  given  to  women,  they 
have  been  a  factor  in  city  politics  and  are  considered  a  power  for  good 
government. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  disaster  in  the  history  of  the  town  was  the  flood 
of  1903  when  nearh^  the  whole  of  North  Topeka  was  destroyed.  Twenty- 
nine  lives  were  lost  including  that  of  Edward  Grafstrom,  the  hero  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


S15 


the  occasion.  The  property  loss  exceeded  $2,250,000.  Two  other  less 
disastrous  floods  have  occurred  since — one  in  1904  and  the  other  in  1908. 
In  191 1  cement  dikes  were  birilt  at  Topeka  to  prevent  future  overflows. 

In  the  fall  of  1909  the  city  adopted  the  commission  form  of  govern- 
ment and  in  the  spring  of  1910  the  first  commissioners  were  elected.  In 
Sept.,  191 1,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  statehood  of  Kansas  was  fit- 
tingly celebrated  and  a  great  reunion  of  the  Civil  war  veterans  was  held. 
President  Taft  honored  the  occasion  with  his  presence  and  laid  the 
corner-stone  of  the  memorial  building. 

The  population  of  Topeka  at  .different  periods  was  as  follows:  1855, 
405;  i860,  759;  1870,  5,790;  1880,  15,528;  1890,  31,007;  1900,  33,608; 
1910,  43,684. 

Topeka  State  Hospital. — When  the  Osawatomie  State  Hospital  was 
established  in  1866  the  state  authorities  probably  thought  they  had  made 
ample  accommodations  for  the  insane  for  all  future  time.  But  within 
ten  years  the  institution  became  so  crowded  that  further  accommoda- 
tions were  necessary.  Accordingly,  on  March  5,  1875,  Gov.  Osborn 
approved  an  act  of  the  legislature  appropriating  $25,000  "for  the  purpose 
of  building  an  asylum  for  the  insane 'at  some  convenient  and  healthy 


TOPEKA    STATE    HOSPITAL. 


spot  within  2  miles  of  the  capitol  building  in  the  city  of  Topeka."  The 
act  further  provided  that  the  site  selected  should  contain  not  less  than 
80  acres,  title  to  which  should  be  acquired  without  cost  to  the  state,  and 
that  three  of  the  trustees  of  the  asylum  at  Osawatomie  should  constitute 
a  board  of  commissioners  to  select  a  site  and  superintend  the  erection 
of  buildings.     On  June   2,    1875,   George   Wyman,   Levi   Woodard   and 


8l6  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

William  H.  Grimes  were  chosen  to  serve  as  commissioners.  They 
decided  upon  a  tract  of  8o  acres  of  land  belonging  to  ex-Gov.  James  M. 
Harvey,  located  upon  the  road  that  is  a  continuation  of  West  Sixth  street 
in  the  city  of  Topeka.  To  purchase  this  tract  the  city  of  Topeka  and  the 
county  of  Shawnee  each  donated  $6,000,  and  the  land  was  conveyed  to 
the  state  by  Mr.  Harvey. 

The  law  authorizing  the  hospital  provided  that  the  buildings  should 
be  constructed  upon  the  "segregate  or  cottage  system — that  is,  one  main 
central  hospital  building  and  other  buildings  grouped  around  the  same, 
each  building,  except  the  main  central  hospital,  to  be  two  stories  high,  of 
sufficient  capacity  to  accommodate  40  patients  each,  and  in  sufificient 
numbers  to  accommodate  300  persons  in  the  aggregate ;  and  the  said 
buildings,  except  the  main  central  hospital  building,  shall  not  cost  to 
exceed  $25,000  each." 

The  commissioners  employed  J.  G.  Haskell  of  Lawrence  to  prepare 
plans  in  conformity  with  the  law,  and  on  July  28  bids  were  opened  and 
the  first  building  contracts  let.  On  June  i,  1879,  the  first  of  the  build- 
ings was  ready  for  occupan}^  the  first  patient  was  admitted  on  that  date, 
and  the  institution  was  formally 'opened  under  the  superintendency  of 
Dr.  B.  D.  Eastman.  In  1881  the  legislature  appropriated  $13,000  for  the 
purchase  of  about  100  acres  additional  on  the  west  and  south  of  the 
original  site.  Since  that  time  appropriations  have  been  made  from  time 
to  time  until  in  1910  the  property  and  equipment  of  the  hospital  were 
valued  at  $1,000,000.  In  1907  an  appropriation  of  $12,000  was  made  for  a 
pavilion  to  accommodate  20  women  afllicted  with  tuberculosis.  During 
the  same  biennial  report  two  cottages  for  women  were  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $70,000,  and  $50,000  were  expended  in  making  additions  to  the  build- 
ings occupied  by  men.  Notwithstanding  these  liberal  appropriations, 
the  legislature  found  it  necessary  in  1909  to  appropriate  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  to  pay  the  several  counties  of  the  state  for  the  care  and 
maintenance  of  destitute  insane  persons  who  could  not  be  admitted  to 
the  asylums  for  want  of  room. 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  law,  the  general  plan  of  the 
hospital  embraces  a  central  building  for  the  use  of  the  administrative 
department,  in  the  rear  of  which  are  the  domestic  and  mechanical  depart- 
ments, laundry,  bakery,  boiler-house,  etc.,  the  quarters  for  the  patients 
extending  east  and  west  from  the  administration  building  and  connected 
with  it  by  one-story  corridors.  The  buildings  on  the  east  are  used  for 
men  and  those  on  west  for  women.    (See  illustration.) 

Dr.  Eastman  remained  in  charge  of  the  hospital  until  1883,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  A.  P.  Tenney,  who  served  but  a  short  time  when  he 
was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Dr.  Eastman.  In  1895  J.  H.  Casey  was  super- 
intendent for  a  short  time,  when  Dr.  Eastman  again  took  charge  of  the 
hospital  and  remained  as  superintendent  until  his  death  in  1897.  C.  H. 
Wetmore  was  superintendent  during  the  biennial  period  of  1898-99,  at 
the  end  of  which  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  T.  C.  Biddle,  who  still  held 
the  position  in  1911. 

Tornadoes. — (See  Storms.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY  817 

Toronto,  the  second  largest  town  in  Woodson  county,  is  located  on 
the  Verdigris  river  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads  in  Toronto  township,  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  count}',  14  miles  from  Yates  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  is 
an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class,  has  all  lines  of  mercantile  inter- 
ests, good  schools  and  churches,  banking  facilities,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Republican),  and  a  fraternal  monthly.  The  town  is  supplied  with 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  four  rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  627. 

Toronto  was  laid  out  by  a  town  company  in  1869.  A  school  building 
had  been  put  up  several  years  before  and  with  the  founding  of  the  town 
it  was  moved  to  the  public  square  and  enlarged.  The  first  new  build- 
ing was  the  store  of  S.  R.  Kellogg.  The  postoffice  was  established  in 
1870,  with  Mr.  Kellogg  as  postmaster.  The  early  growth  of  the  town 
was  slow,  but  the  coming  of  the  railroad  in  I882  gave  it  new  life  and 
in  that  year  over  80  new  buildings  were  erected. 

Torrance,  a  hamlet  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  18  miles  northeast  of  Winfield,  the  county 
seat,  and  3  miles  west  of  Cambridge,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives 
mail.     The  population  in  1910  was  30. 

Toulon,  a  country  hamlet  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  on  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.,  6  miles  east  of  Hays,  the  county  seat  and  the  postoffice 
from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Towanda,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Butler  county,  is 
located  in  the  township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R., 
8  miles  west  of  Eldorado,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  News),  a  number  of  retail  establishments,  express  and  telegraph 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  275.  There  is  a  stone  quarry  and  a  number  of  live 
stock  farms  in  the  vicinity.  It  is  the  receiving  and  shipping  point  for 
a  large  agricultural  area. 

Tower  Spring,  a  country  hamlet  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  on  East 
Elkhorn  creek,  10  miles  south  of  Lincoln,  the  county  seat  and  nearest 
shipping  point,  and  the  postofiice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Townsend,  a  postoffice  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  in  Silverdale  town- 
ship on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  15  miles  south  of  Winfield,  the  count}' 
seat.  It  has  a  general  store  and  express  office.  The  population  in  1910 
was  35. 

Trading  Post,  the  first  permanent  white  settlement  in  Linn  county 
and  one  of  the  first  in  Kansas,  is  situated  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes 
river,  about  6  miles  north  of  Pleasanton.  A  trading  post  was  established 
here  about  1825  by  Cyprian  Chouteau,  who  carried  on  an  extensive  trade 
with  the  Indians.  Soon  after  Kansas  Territory  was  organized  a  number 
of  pro-slavery  men  from  Missouri  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  trading 
post,  which  became  their  headquarters  and  the  rendezvous  of  a  number 
of  the  border  ruffians.  Montgomery  raided  the  post  and  destroyed  the 
whiskev  kept  on  hand  there  in  an  attempt  to  drive  such  characters  out 
(li-52) 


8l8  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

uf  the  country,  but  it  continued  to  be  used  by  Hamelton  and  his  men 
until  the  cessation  of  the  border  warfare  in  the  eastern  counties.  No 
town  site  was  platted  until  1865,  when  the  Montgomery  Town  company 
was  organized  and  laid  out  a  town  just  east  of  the  site  of  the  trading 
post.     It  was  not  a  success,  however,  and  was  abandoned. 

Trading  Post  was  laid  out  in  1866  by  Dr.  Massey  and  George  Crawford. 
Previous  to  that  time  there  was  but  one  store,  although  a  mill  had  been 
erected  in  1857,  and  in  1858  Dr.  Massey  and  a  man  named  White  opened 
a  second  store,  near  the  bridge.  Religious  services  were  held  out  of 
doors  at  the  post  in  1S56.  A  school  house  was  built  in  1865  and  for  a  time 
Trading  Post  was  a  flourishing  community  with  several  general  stores, 
etc.  At  the  present  time  it  has  rural  free  delivery  from  Boiconrt,  and  in 
1910  had  a  population  of  146. 

Trading  Posts. —  (See  Fur  Traders.) 

Traer,  a  little  town  in  Decatur  county;  is  located  in  Finley  township  on 
Beaver  creek  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.,  10  miles 
northwest  of  Oberlin,  the  county  seat.  It  is  the  receiving  and  shipping 
point  for  a  large  agricultural  district,  has  a  number  of  grain  dealers,  a 
grain  elevator,  several  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Trails. — The  principal  trails  through  or  across  the  State  of  Kansas 
were  the  Santa  Fe,  Salt  Lake,  Mormon,  Kaw,  Oregon,  California,  Fay- 
etteville  and  Abilene  Cattle  trails,  each  of  which  is  written  under  its  own 
title.     (See  also  Roads.) 

Trans-Mississippi  Exposition. —  (See  Expositions.) 

Traveling  Libraries. —  (See   Libraries.) 

Travier,  a  country  postoffice  in  Stevens  county,  is  located  in  Center 
township,  9  miles  east  of  Hugoton,  the  county  seat.  The  population  in 
1910  was  30. 

Treaty  of  Paris. —  (See  Louisiana  Purchase.) 

Trego  County,  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  is  the  third  county 
south  from  the  Nebraska  line  and  the  fourth  east  from  Colorado.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  b}-  Graham  county,  on  the  east  b\-  Ellis, 
on  the  south  by  Ness,  and  on  the  west  by  Gove.  It  was  named  in 
honor  of  Capt.  Edgar  P.  Trego  of  the  Eighth  Kansas  infantry.  The 
first  settler  was  B.  O.  Richards,  who  located  at  Coyote,  near  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Collyer,  about  1875  or  1876.  During  the  year  1877  the  fol-* 
lowing  settlers  located  in  the  county :  J.  R.  Snyder,  j.  C.  Henry.  Har- 
low Orton,  Earl  Spaulding,  J.  K.  Snyder,  D.  O.  Adams,  George  Brown, 
George  McCaslin  and  George  Pinkham.  The  same  year  came  the 
advance  agents  of  a  colony  from  Chicago,  viz.:  Mr.  Warren,  \V.  S. 
Harrison,  George  Barrell,  F.  O.  Ellsworth,  Thomas  Peak  and  C.  \\'.  F. 
Street.  The  next  year  there  was  a  rush  of  immigrants,  most  of  whom 
were  from  Chicago  and  vicinity.  The  influx  continued  through  the  first 
half  of  1879,  the  population  reaching  3,500  by  midsummer. 

With  a  view  to  organizing  the  county  a  census  enumeration  was  made 
and  upon  receiving  the  returns  Gov.  John  P.  St.  John  issued  a  proclama- 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


819 


lion,  dated  June  21,  organizing  the  county.  The  town  of  Wakeeney 
was  named  as  county  seat  and  the  following  officers  were  appointed : 
Clerk,  George  Pinkham  ;  commissioners,  T.  W.  Miller,  H.  C.  Bryant  and 
W.  H.  Fuson.  The  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  commissioners  was 
held  on  June  26,  when  they  divided  the  county  into  the  townships  of 
Ogallah,  Collyer  and  Wakeeney.  An  election  was  ordered  for  July  26, 
when  Wakeeney  was  made  the  permanent  county  seat  and  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  chosen  :  County  clerk,  George  I'inkham  ;  treasurer, 
John  Weckel ;  probate  judge,  W.  H.  Fuson;  register  of  deeds,  A.  11. 
Deppe ;  sheriff,  J.  F.  Allen  ;  coroner,  J.  W.  Scott ;  attorney,  J.  C.  Phil- 
lips ;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  A.  11.  Poler ;  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  J.  K.  Wilson;  surve}or,  T.  K.  Peck;  commissioners,  Enos 
Glick,  D.  Barclay  and  J.  C.  Brown.  The  first  representative  was  J.  F. 
Keeney,  elected  in  Nov.,  1880. 

The  poor  crops  of  1879  brought  about  a  reaction.  Settlers  who  had 
come  with  the  expectation  of  raising  a  field  crop  were  obliged  to  leave, 
and  they  went  in  large  numbers.  Those  who  remained  raised  stock 
and  were  successful.  The  acreage  of  field  crops  in  1880  was  16,047 
and  in  1881  it  was  but  10,287.  '^  further  decrease  occurred  in  1882. 
liog  raising  was  not  found  profitable  at  that  time  and  attention  was 
given  principally  to  cattle  and  sheep,  especially  the  latter. 

Among  the  incidents  of  the  pioneer  days  was  the  Indian  scare  of 
1878,  when  the  Cheyennes  were  committing  outrages  in  western  Kan- 
sas. Arms  and  ammunition  were  sent  to  the  settlers  and  a  company 
known  as  the  Trego  Home  Guards  was  organized  with  John  M. 
Keeney  as  captain ;  W.  H.  Fusori.  first  lieutenant ;  and  C.  W.  Mulford, 
second  lieutenant.  A  grand  Fourth  of  July  celebration  was  held  in  1879. 
The  governor  and  400  people  from  Topeka  were  present.  There  were 
a  big  dinner,  two  bands  and  a  number  of  the  best  .speakers  of  the  state. 

Before  the  counties  of  Gove,  St.  John  (Logan)  and  Wallace  were 
attached  to  Trego  for  judicial  purposes  in  1881  some  trouble  was  caused 
Ijy  thieves  and  marauders  committing  crimes  in  the  territory  over  which 
no  court  had  jurisdiction.  Three  luurderers  and  a  number  of  horse 
thieves  were  turned  over  to  the  sherift'  of  Trego  county,  but  they  had 
to  be  set  free  as  there  was  no  authority  to  try  them.  .\  quarrel  at 
Gopher  in  March,  1882,  resulted  in  a  man  being  killed  and  caused  con- 
siderable excitement.  Of  the  two  men  guilty  of  killing  him  and  wound- 
ing several  others,  one  was  killed  in  resisting  arrest  and  the  other 
wounded.  Subsequently  he  was  taken  from  the  sheriff  by  a  mob  and  his 
fate  is  unknown. 

In  1884  Col.  C.  K.  Holliday  of  Topeka  sent  two  prospectors  into 
Trego  county  to  look  for  mineral  deposits.  They  found  traces  of 
zinc  and  other  minerals  but  not  in  paying  quantities.  A  great  boom 
was  occasioned  in  1902-03  by  the  discovery  of  an  element  in  the  shale 
of  Trego  county  which  was  thought  to  be  gold.  Expert  Fahrig  of 
Philadelphia  claimed  to  have  a  process  by  which  he  could  remove  the 
gold  from  the  shale  and  a  company  was  formed,  capitalists  being  eager 


820  CYCLOPEDIA    Ol- 

to  buy  stock.  There  proved  to  be  no  gold  in  the  shale  and  by  1904 
the  whole  affair  had  passed  into  history.     (See  Gold.) 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling,  with  some  bluffs  and 
broken  lands  along  the  Saline  river  in  the  north.  In  the  east  is  Round- 
mound,  an  elevation  of  considerable  height,  and  in  the  south  are  bluff's 
along  the  Smoky  Hill.  Bottom  lands  are  from  one-half  to  one  mile  in 
width  and  comprise  12  per  cent,  of  the  area.  A  few  small  groves  con- 
taining Cottonwood,  white-ash,  box-elder,  elm  and  hackberry  comprise 
all  the  native  timber.  The  Saline  river  enters  in  the  northwest  corner 
and  flows  east  across  the  northern  tier  of  townships  into  Ellis  county. 
Trego  and  Springer  creeks  are  its  principal  tributaries  from  the  south. 
The  Smoky  Hill  river  flows  east  across  the  southern  portion,  Downer, 
Castle  Hill,  Wild  Horse  and  Elm  creeks  being  tributaries.  Big  creek 
enters  in  the  west  and  flows  southeast  into  Ellis  county.  Magnesian 
limestone  is  abundant  and  a  very  hard  conglomerate  stone  exists  in 
some  localities.  Native  lime  is  abundant  and  chalk  and  coal  have  been 
found  to  some  extent. 

The  county  is  divided  into  7  townships,  Collyer,  Franklin.  Glencoe, 
Ogallah,  Riverside,  Wakeeney  and  Wilcox.  The  main  line  of  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  enters  in  the  east  near  the  center  and  crosses  northwest  to 
Wakeeney,  thence  west  into  Gove  county,  a  distance  of  33  miles. 

The  number  of  acres  of  land  under  cultivation  in  1910  was  338,502. 
The  principal  crop  is  wheat  which  in  igio  brought  to  the  farmers  the  sum 
of  $403,634.  Hay  in  the  same  year  was  worth  $212,698;  corn,  $193,376; 
milo  maize,  $60,000;  sorghum,  $50,000;  animals  sold  for  slaughter, 
$191,092;  poultry  and  eggs,  $54,502;  dairy  products,  $54,146.  The  num- 
ber of  animals  was  27,246,  valued  at  $1,277,671.  The  assessed  valuation 
of  property  was  $10,537,344.  The  population  in  1880  was  2,535  !  '"  1890 
it  was  about  the  same,  in  1900  it  had  increased  to  2,722  and  in  1910  to 
5,398,  almost  doubling  in  the  last  decade. 

Trent,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Neosho 
county,  is  about  2  miles  east  of  Erie,  the  county  seat,  from  which  place 
it  receives  mail  daily. 

Tribune,  the  county  seat  of  Greeley  county,  is  centrally  located  and  is 
on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  It  has  a  bank,  a  newspaper  (the  Greeley 
County  Republican),  a  hotel,  a  number  of  mercantile  establishments, 
express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  popula- 
tion according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  158.  The  town  was  founded  in 
1886  and  the  depot  was  built  in  1887.  It  was  made  the  county  seat  in 
July,  1887,  but  had  considerable  trouble  over  the  matter  as  it  was  twice 
taken  to  the  courts.    It  is  now  an  incorporated- city  of  the  third  class. 

Trivoli,  a  country  hamlet  in  Ellsworth  county,  is  located  15  miles 
southeast  of  Ellsworth,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  in  the  same  direc- 
tion from  Kanapolis,  the  postofffce  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Trousdale,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Harvey  county, 
is  located  6  miles  northwest  of  Newton,  the  county  seat,  from  which  post- 
ofifice  its  mail  is  distributed.    The  population  in  1910  was  35. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


821 


Troy,  the  county  seat  of  Doniphan  scanty,  is  located  a  little  east  of 
the  center  of  the  county  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific,  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island,  and  the  Burlington  &  Missouri 
River  railroads,  and  is  14  miles  west  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  It  has  a  national 
and  2  state  banks,  an  opera  house,  a  flour  mill,  a  newspaper  (the  Chief), 
and  is  a  shipping  point  for  live  stock,  grain,  produce  and  fruits.  There 
are  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
ofifice  with  six  rural  routes.     The  population  in  1910  was  940. 

Troy  was  located  in  1855  by  the  county  commissioners,  who  ordered 
James  F.  Fornian  to  lay  off  80  acres  in  town  lots.  This  was  done  and  a 
public  square  300  feet  each  way  was  laid  out  in  the  center  of  town.  The 
first  house  was  built  by  Nelson  Rodgers  in  1856.  The  first  store  was 
opened  in  1857  by  Heed  &  Hampson,  the  first  hotel  was  opened  in  that 
year  by  John  Wilson,  and  the  postoffice  was  established  with  Albert 
Heed,  the  first  lawyer,  as  postmaster.  The  city  was  incorporated  in 
i860  by  a  special  act  of  the  legislature,  which  provided  that  the  following 
men  should  be  judges  of  election:  S.  D.  Benight,  Leonard  Smith  and 
John  B.  Brady.  The  election  was  held  in  March  of  that  year  and  the 
following  officers  were  chosen:  Isaac  Powers,  mayor;  William  H.  Trus- 
dell,  clerk.  The  first  court-house  was  burned  in  1867.  The  next  year,  after 
a  little  county  seat  war,  another  court-house  was  built.  Two  other  fires 
have  occurred  in  Troy,  one  in  April,  1875,  and  the  other  Dec.  22,  1883, 
the  latter  destroying  $20,000  worth  of  property.  In  1867  a  contract  was 
made  for  completing  the  St.  Joseph  &  Denver  R.  R.  to  Troy,  but  it  was 
not  built  till  three  years  later.  The  first  bank  was  established  in  1870 
by  Henry  and  Louis  Boder.  Telephones  were  installed  in  1885.  In  1899 
there  was  a  fire  which  destroyed  one-third  of  the  business  part  of  town. 
The  St.  Joseph  fire  department  came  in  time  to  save  the  other  buildings 
and  the  residences. 

Trusts. — One  of  the  most  eminent  corporation  lawyers,  James  B.  Dill, 
has  defined  the  trust  as  "a  dominant  combination  of  money,  property, 
business  or  commercial  power,  or  energy."  S.  C.  T.  Todd,  solicitor  of 
the  Standard  Oil  company  and  an  acknowledged  authority  on  the  modern 
trust,  says :  "The  term  'trust'  in  its  more  confined  sense  embraces  only 
a  peculiar  form  of  business  association  effected  by  stockholders  of  dif- 
ferent corporations  transferring  their  stock  to  trustees.  The  Standard 
Oil  Trust  was  formed  in  this  way  and  originated  the  name  'trust,'  as 
applied  to  associations.  .  .  .  The  term  'trust,'  although  derived  as 
stated,  has  (now)  obtained  a  wider  signification,  and  embraces  every  act, 
agreement,  or  combination  of  persons  or  capital  believed  to  be  done, 
made  or  formed  with  the  intent,  power  or  tendency  to  monopolize  busi- 
ness, to  restrain  or  interfere  with  competitive  trade,  or  to  fix,  influence 
or  increase  the  prices  of  commodities." 

This  latter  definition,  though  written  several  years  ago,  is  perhaps  the 
best  known  definition  of  the  trust.  In  Kansas  the  subject  of  trusts  was 
first  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  legislature  by  Gov.  Lyman  U. 
Humphrey  in  his  message  of  i88g.     In  this  document  he  made  special 


822  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

reference  to  the  combine  of  the  packint^-liouse  men,  wlio  sought  to  con- 
trol the  market,  whereby  all  the  small  butchers  would  be  driven  out  of 
business.  The  legislature  at  that  session  took  hold  of  the  matter  and 
passed  "an  act  to  declare  unlawful  trusts  and  combinations  in  restraint 
of  trade  and  products,  and  to  provide  penalities,  therefor."  This  first 
law  had  some  loopholes  that  the  trusts  were  not  long  in  finding  out  and 
taking  advantage  of,  and  in  1897  another  and  a  more  careful  law  was. 
prepared  and  passed.  A  number  of  suits  for  the  violation  of  this  law 
were  brought  by  the  state,  but  on  account  of  technicalities  of  the  law, 
injunctions,  etc.,  no  great  results  were  accomplished.  In  1909  a  bill  was 
introduced  and  passed  by  the  Kansas  legislature  to  strengthen  the  anti- 
trust laws,  but  no  suits  have  been  decided  under  it  by  the  courts. 

Tully,  a  hamlet  in  Rawlins  county,  is  located  in  Clinton  township,  18 
miles  southeast  of  Atwood,  the  county  seat,  and  about  10  miles  from 
Gem,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
one  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Turkville,  a  country  postoffice  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  West  Sa- 
line township  on  the  Saline  river,  20  miles  north  of  Hays,  the  county  seat, 
and  8  miles  south  of  Codell,  Rooks  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 
The  population  in  1910  was  40. 

Turner,  a  village  of,  Wyandotte  county,  is  located  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  7  miles 
southwest  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  several  general  stores,  a  school,  money 
order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities  and  in  1910  had  a  pop- 
ulation of  200. 

Turner,  Erastus  J.,  lawyer,  member  of  Congress  and  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  western  Kansas,  was  born  at  Lockport,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  Dec, 
26,  1846.  During  his  youth  he  moved  west  and  located  in  Illinois.  His 
college  course  consisted  of  a  year,  1859  to  i860,  at  Henry,  111.  When 
the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  responded  to  the  call  for  volunteers,  enlisting 
in  the  Thirteenth  Iowa  infantry  in  1864,  and  remained  in  the  service 
until  peace  was  established.  Desiring  to  complete  his  professional  edu- 
cation he  entered  Adrian  College,  Adrian,  Mich.,  in  1866,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  degree  in  1868.  Two  years  later  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  practiced  in  Michigan  until  1879,  when  he  came  west  and  located 
at  Hoxie,  Kan.  Air.  Turner  took  great  interest  in  politics,  which  led 
to  his  nomination  and  election  to  the  state  legislature  in  1881,  and  again 
in  1883.  On  .\pril  i,  1883,  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Kansas 
board  of  railroad  commissioners,  but  resigned  on  Aug.  i,  1886,  to  accept 
the  nomination  for  Congress,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  i885  and 
reelected  in   1888. 

Turon,  one  of  the  prosperous  little  towns  of  Reno  county,  is  located 
at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  ^Missouri 
Pacific  railroads  in  Miami  township,  about  ^t,  miles  southwest  of  Hutch- 
inson, the  C(nmty  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Press), 
a  creamery,  an  elevator,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  interna- 
tional mone}-  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.     Turon  was  founded 


KANSAS    IIISTOKV 


823 


in  1886.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  chiss  in  1905.  The 
population  in  1910  according  to  the  I'.  S.  census  report  was  572. 

Tweed,  a  country  postoffice  in  Gove  county,  is  located  nn  the  Smoky 
Hill  river,  about  20  miles  southwest  of  Gove,  the  county  seal,  and  15 
miles  north  of  Healy  in  Lane  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It 
has  one  general  store  and  receives  mail  daily. 

Twin  Creek,  a  country  postoffice  in  Osborne  county,  is  located  in  Win- 
field  township,  II  miles  south  of  Osborne,  the  county  seat,  which  is  also 
the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point.  There  is  one  general 
store  and  one  rural  mail  route.     The  population  in   i<;io  was  95. 

Twin  Mound,  a  hamlet  of  Douglas  county,  is  located  in  the  western 
portion,  4  miles  southeast  of  Richland,  the  nearest  railroad  station,  from 
which  it  has  rural  free  delivery.     In  1910  the  population  was  33. 

Tyner,  one  of  the  inland  hamlets  of  Smith  county,  is  located  15  miles 
northwest  of  Smith  Center,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  north  of  Athol, 
the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from  which  mail  is 
received. 

Tyro,  a  town  of  Montgomery  county,  is  located  in  Caney  township  on 
the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  26  miles  south  of  Independence,  the  county 
seat.  It  is  a  thriving  little  city  having  more  than  doubled  in  population 
in  the  last  ten  years.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class 
in  1906.  It  is  located  in  the  gas  fields;  a  shipping  point  for  grain,  live 
stock  and  farm  produce ;  has  a  bank  and  a  large  local  trade ;  is  supplied 
with  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  has  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910 
was  603. 

u 

Udall,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  thirj^  class  in  Cowley  county,  is 
located  in  Ninnescah  township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
R.  R.,  13  miles  northwest  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat,  and  about  25 
miles  from  Wichita.  It  has  a  mill,  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
News),  a  number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  in 
1910  was  330.  A  school  was  established  here  in  1873  ^•''<^  '^'"■^  postoffice 
in  1879.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  1882  and  several  stores  were  built. 
One  of  the  startling  events  of  the  early  history  of  the  town  was  the 
killing  of  SherilT  Shenneman  of  Cowley  county,  who  was  shot  by  Charles 
Cobb'"in  Jan.,  1883. 

Underground  Railroad. — One  measure  of  the  "Compromise  of  1850" 
— the  fugitive  slave  law — was  thought  by  many  to  violate  the  principles 
of  justice,  as  it  provided  no  safeguard  for  the  claimed  fugitive  against 
perjury  and  fraud.  "Every  case  that  occurred  under  it — every  sur- 
render of  a  claimed  fugitive — did  more  than  the  abolitionists  had  ever 
done  to  convert  Northern  people,  to  some  part  at  least,  to  abolitionist 
beliefs.  Senator  Seward,  in  a  senate  debate  on  the  compromise  meas- 
ures, had  made  a  casual  allusion  to  'a  higher  law  than  the  constitution,' 


824  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

and  the  phrase  was  caught  up.  To  obstruct,  resist,  frustrate,  the  execu- 
tion of  the  statute  came  to  be  looked  upon  by  many  people  as  a  duty 
dictated  by  the  'higher  law'  of  moral  right.  Legislatures  were  moved 
to  enact  obstructive  'personal  liberty  laws,'  and  quiet  citizens  were 
moved  to  riotous  acts.  Active  undertakings  to  encourage  and  assist  the 
escape  of  slaves  from  the  Southern  states  were  set  afoot,  and  a  remark- 
able organization  of  helping  hands  was  formed,  in  what  took  the  name 
of  the  'underground  railroad,'  to  secrete  them  and  pass  them  on  to  the 
safe  shelter  of  Canadian  law.  The  slaveholders  lost  thousands  of  their 
servants  for  every  one  that  the  law  restored  to  their  hands." 

The  underground  system  extended  from  Iventucky  and  Virginia  across 
Ohio,  and  from  Maryland  through  Pennsylvania,  New  York  and  New 
England  to  Canada.  The  field  extended  westward,  and  the  territory 
embraced  by  the  Middle  states  and  all  the  Western  states  east  of  the 
Mississippi  was  dotted  over  with  "stations,"  and  "covered  with  a  net- 
work of  imaginary  routes,  not  found  in  the  railway  guides  or  on  the 
railway  maps."  Lines  were  formed  through  Iowa  and  Illinois,  and  pas- 
sengers were  carried  from  station  to  station  till  they  reached  the  Canada 
line.  Kansas  was  associated  with  the  two  states  just  named  as  a  channel 
for  the  escape  of  runaways  from  the  southwestern  slave  section.  The 
Ohio-Kentucky  routes  probably  aided  more  fugitives  than  any  other 
routes.  The  valley  of  the  Mississippi  was  the  most  westerly  channel 
until  Kansas  opened  a  bolder  way  of  escape  from  the  southwest.  The 
route  through  Ivansas  entered  the  state  from  Missouri  near  Bain's  fort, 
and  important  stations  on  the  line  were  at  Trading  Post,  Osawatomie, 
Lawrence,  Topeka,  Holton,  Horton  and  Albany,  near  which  last  named 
place  an  entrance  was  made  into  Nebraska. 

From  the  first  settlement  of  Kansas  Lawrence  was  known  as  an  abo- 
lition town,  and  as  a  chief  station  on  the  underground  railroad  gained 
considerable  notoriety.  The  reputation  of  the  place  reached  the  ears  of 
the  slaves  in  Missouri,  and  whenever  one  of  them  was  able  to  make  his 
escape  he  came  direct  to  Lawrence,  whence  he  was  sent  on  his  way 
rejoicing  to  Canada.  In  the  four  years — from  1855  to  1859 — 't  is  esti- 
mated by  F.  B.  Sanborn,  an  active  agent  on  the  line  at  that  place,  that 
nearly  300  fugitives  passed  through  and  received  assistance  from  the 
abolitionists  at  Lawrence. 

One  of  the  leading  incidents  connected  with  the  history  of  the  under- 
ground railroad  through  Kansas  was  the  famous  raid  of  John  Brown 
into  Missouri  in  1858.  After  his  return  from  the  Eastern  states  to  Kan- 
sas in  1858,  he  and  his  men  encamped  for  a  few  days  at  Bain's  fort. 
While  there  Brown  was  appealed  to  by  a  slave,  Jim  Daniels,  the  chattel 
of  one  James  Lawrence  of  Missouri.  His  prayer  was  for  help  to  get 
away,  because  he  was  soon  to  be  sold,  together  with  his  wife,  two  chil- 
dren and  a  negro  man.  On  the  following  night  (Dec.  20)  Brown's  raid 
into  Missouri  was  made,  and  the  following  is  his  account  of  it :  "Two 
small  companies  were  made  up  to  go  to  Missouri  and  forcibly  liberate 
five    slaves,    together    with    other    slaves.      One   of    these    companies    I 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


825 


assumed  to  direct.  We  proceeded  to  the  ])lace,  surnnnulcd  tlie  build- 
ings, liberated  the  slaves,  and  also  took  certain  properly  sui)p(>scd  to 
belong  to  the  estate.  .  .  .  We  then  went  to  another  plantation, 
where  we  found  five  more  slaves ;  took  some  property  and  two  white 
men.  ^^'e  all  moved  slowly  away  into  the  territory  for  some  distance 
and  then  sent  the  white  men  back,  telling  them  to  follow  us  as  soon  as 
they  chose  to  do  so.  The  other  company  freed  one  female  slave,  killed 
one  white  man  (the  master)  who  fought  against  liberation.     .     .     ." 

The  company  responsible  for  the  shooting  of  the  slave-owner,  David 
Cruse,  was  in  charge  of  Kagi  and  Charles  Stephens,  also  known  as 
Whipple.  Jean  Harper,  the  slave-woman  that  was  taken  from  this 
house,  said  that  her  master  would  certainly  have  fired  upon  the  intru- 
ders had  not  Whipple  used  his  revolver  first,  with  deadly  effect.  When 
the  two  squads  came  together  the  march  back  to  Bain's  fort  was  begun. 
On  the  way  thither  Brown  asked  the  slaves  if  they  wanted  to  be  free, 
and  then  promised  to  take  them  to  a  free  country.  With  his  company 
he  tarried  only  one  day  at  Bain's  fort;  then  proceeded  northward  by  way 
of  Osawatomie  to  the  house  of  Maj.  J.  B.  Abbott,  near  Lawrence,  then 
by  way  of  Topeka,  Helton,  Horton  and  Albany  into  Nebraska.  At  Ho!- 
ton  a  party  of  pursuers,  two  or  three  times  as  large  as  Brown's  company, 
was  dispersed  in  instant  and  ridiculous  fiight,  and  four  prisoners  and 
five  horses  were  taken.  The  trip,  after  leaving  Holton,  was  made  amidst 
great  perils,  but  under  an  escort  of  seventeen  "Topeka  boys"  Brown 
pressed  rapidly  on  to  Nebraska  City,  where  the  passage,  of  the  Mis- 
souri was  made  on  the  ice,  and  the  liberators  with  their  charges  arrived 
at  Tabor,  Iowa,  in  the  first  week  of  February.  At  Springdale,  Iowa, 
the  negroes  were  stowed  away  in  a  freight  car  bound  for  Chicago,  and 
on  March  10  they  were  in  Detroit,  practically  at  their  journey's  end. 
On  the  I2th  they  were  ferried  across  the  Detroit  river  to  Windsor, 
Canada,  under  Brown's  direction'.  The  trip  from  Southern  Kansas  to 
the  Canadian  destination  had  consumed  three  weeks. 

The  manner  in  which  this  result  had  been  accomplished  was  highly 
dramatic,  and  created  great  excitement  throughout  the  country,  espe- 
cially in  Missouri.  Brown's  biographer,  James  Redpath,  writing  in 
i860,  speaks  thus  of  the  consternation  in  the  invaded  state :  'AMien  the 
news  of  the  invasion  of  Missouri  spread,  a  wild  panic  went  with  it,  which 
in  a  few  days  resulted  in  clearing  Bates  and  Vernon  counties  of  their 
slaves.  Large  numbers  were  sold  South  ;  many  ran  into  the  territory 
and  escaped;  others  were  removed  farther  inland.  When  John  Brown 
made  his  invasion  there  were  500  slaves  in  that  district  where  there  are 
not  50  negroes  now." 

The  story  of  the  adventure  was  not  unlikely  to  penetrate  the  remote 
legions  of  the  South,  find  lodgment  in  the  retentive  memories  of  many 
slaves  and  increase  the  traffic  on  the  Kansas  branch  of  the  "Under- 
ground Railroad."  The  success  of  the  expedition  was  well  calculated  to 
increase  John  Brown's  determination  to  carry  into  operation  the  plans 
which  met  with  a  dismal  failure  a  short  time  afterward  at  Harper's 
['"erry. 


826  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  underground  railroad  movement  was  one  that  grew  from  small 
beginnings  into  a  great  system,  and  it  should  be  reckoned  with  as  a  dis- 
tinct factor  in  tracing  the  growth  of  anti-slavery  opinion.  It  was  largely 
serviceable  in  developing,  if  not  in  originating,  the  convictions  of  such 
powerful  agents  in  the  cause  as  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  and  John  Brown, 
and  it  furnished  the  ground  for  the  charge  brought  again  and  again  by 
the  South  against  the  North  of  injury  wrought  by  the  failure  to  execute 
the  law,  a  charge  that  must  be  placed  among  the  chief  grievances  of 
the  slave  states  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  The  period  some- 
times designated  the  "era  of  slave-hunting,"  contributed  to  increase  the 
traffic  along  the  numerous  and  tortuous  lines  of  the  underground  rail- 
road, which,  according  to  the  testimony  of  participants,  did  its  most 
thriving  business  in  all  parts  of  the  North  during  the  decade  from  1850 
to  18C0.  \A  hen  John  Brown  led  his  company  of  slaves  from  Missouri 
to  Canada  despite  the  attempts  to  prevent  him,  and  when  soon  there- 
after he  attempted  to  execute  his  plan  for  the  general  liberation  of 
slaves,  he  showed  the  extreme  to  which  the  aid  to  fugitives  might  lead. 
The  influence  of  his  training  in  underground  railroad  work  is  plain  in 
the  methods  and  plans  he  followed.  While  Kansas  was  but  sparsely 
populated,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  throes  of  a  border  warfare,  her  citi- 
zens who  opposed  slavery  conducted  an  important  branch  of  the  rail- 
road. 

Uniontown,  one  of  the  early  settlements  of  Bourbon  county,  is  situ- 
ated in  the  valley  of  the  Marraaton  river  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R., 
13  miles  west  of  Fort  Scott.  A  postofifice  was  established  near  there  in 
1856.  A  few  years  later  it  was  moved  to  a  point  about  2  miles  east  of 
Uniontown  and  in  1862  to  its  present  location.  A  school  was  taught  at 
Uniontown  in  i860  but  no  building  was  erected  until  1864.  The  follow- 
ing year  a  town  company  was  formed  and  the  first  buildings  of  the  vil- 
lage erected.  These  were  followed  by  other  business  buildings  and  the 
Methodist  church.  In  1871  a  mill  was  built  and  after  the  coming  of  the 
railroad  the  town  began  to  flourish.  At  the  present  time  it  is  a  banking 
point  for  a  considerable  district,  has  several  general  stores,  a  hardware 
and  implement  house,  wagon  shop,  lumber  yard,  livery  stable  and  in 
1910  had  a  population  of  300. 

Unitarian  Church. — Unitarianism  today  is  believed  to  have  resulted 
from  the  general  movement  of  thought  that  gave  rise  to  the  Protestant 
reformation,  being  a  later  development  of  the  changing  religious  ideas 
of  that  period.  One  of  the  first  definite  affirmations  of  the  doctrines 
now  known  as  Unitarian  was  made  in  1546  at  Vicenza,  Italy,  when  a 
society  or  club,  of  some  40  members,  among  them  the  leading  scholars 
of  northern  Italy,  was  formed  to  discuss  the  anti-trinatarian  views.  It 
was  soon  dispersed  by  the  civil  authorities,  but  a  few  of  the  members 
escaped  to  Switzerland  and  Poland,  where  they  at  once  began  to  teach 
the  new  doctrine. 

The  name  Unitarian  was  first  applied  in  1568,  as  the  title  of  a  religious 
body,  arising  from  the  fact  that  certain  bodies  formed  a  union  and 
pledged  themselves  not  to  persecute  each  other  on  religious  grounds. 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


827 


From   Poland   an<l   Switzerland   the   movement  spread   to  Iransylvania 
and  also  found  a  readv  reception  in  England.     During  the  17th  centuiy 
persecution  of  the  Unitarians  began  on  the  continent  and  m   luiglanu 
but  Unitarianism  was  maintained  throughout  the  years  of  struggle  ana 
lived  to  become  one  of  the  churches  of  today.     It  was  first  established 
on  American   soil  in  the   Plymouth  colony  in  1620,  at  Salem  in    1029, 
and  in  Boston  in  1630.    In  Bradford's  History  the  covenant  of  the  Salem 
church   is   given,  which   reads,  "We   covenant  with   the   Lord  and  one 
another."    It  is  now  believed  that  Unitarianism  in  America  was  a  devel- 
opment from  the  Congregational  order  and  not  a  secession  as  m  Eng- 
land.    Unitarianism  was  brought  to  Kansas  by  the  first  free-state  set- 
tlers in  the  earlv  territorial  period.     The  first  church  of  this  denomma- 
tion  was  established  at  Lawrence  in  1855.  but  one  year  after  the  town 
was  settled.     E.  Nute,  a  missionary  sent  out  by  the  American  I  nitanan 
association,  was  influential  in  perfecting  the  orgamzation  of  this  P'oneer 
congregation.    At  first,  meetings  were  held  in  the  open  air  until  a  build- 
ing could  be  procured.     Mr.  Nute  was  assisted  by  E.  B.  Whitman  of 
Massachusetts,  and  through  the  missionary  association  $5,400  was  raised 
in  the  Eastern  states  for  church  and  school  buildings,  which  were  com- 
pleted in   1857.     In  Aug.,   1871,  a  Unitarian  society  was  established  at 
Topeka      Articles  of  association  were  adopted  in  November  and  the  first 
minister  there  was  George  Patton.     A  hall  was  used  as  a  meeting  place 
for  some  time  but   a   church  was  built   later   on  Topeka  avenue.     An 
attempt  was  made  to  establish  a  church  at  Ottawa,  but  it  failed  and  the 
third  church  in  the  state  was  established  at  Wichita  in  1887.    The  growth 
of  the  church  has  been  somewhat  slow  in  Kansas,  as  there  were  but  4 
church  organizations  in  the  state  in  1906  with  a  total  membership  of  345- 
United  "Brethren  Church.— The   church   of   the    United    Brethren    m 
Christ   resulted   from  a  religious  revival  which   took  place   among  the 
Germans  of  Pennsvlvania  in  the  latter  part  of  the  i8th  and  opening  years 
of  the  19th  centuries.     Philip  Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm.  pastors  of 
the  German  Reformed  and  Mennonite  churches,  respectively,  were  the 
leaders  of  this  movement.     Many  converts  were  made,  the  first  were 
called  brothers,  and  it  is  believed  this  gave  rise  to  the  name  of  the  church 
when  it  assumed  an  organized  form. 

\t  first  no  steps  were  taken  for  separate  organization,  but  as  the 
movement  spread  meetings  were  arranged  and  in  1789  a  general  council 
of  the  leading  ministers,  15  in  number,  was  called  at  Baltimore.  A  sim- 
ilar conference  was  held  near  York,  Pa.,  in  1791.  In  1800  the  first  reg- 
ular annual  conference  was  held  at  Frederick,  Md.,  when  the  name 
United  Brethren  in  Christ  was  adopted  and  Otterbein  and  Boehm  were 
elected  the  first  superintendents  or  bishops.  Fifteen  years  later  the 
first  o-eneral  conference  met  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Pa.,  when  a  confession 
of  fafth  and  a  discipline  were  adopted.  The  United  Brethren  have  a 
quarterly  and  annual  conference,  with  a  quadrennial  general  conference, 
which  is  the  only  legislative  body,  composed  of  an  equal  number  of 
clero-y  and  laymen.  The  supervision  of  the  church  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  bishops,  who  are  elected  every  four  years. 


828  CYCI-Ol'EDIA    OF 

The  first  steps  taken  b\-  the  chuixh  to  establish  congregations  in  Kan- 
sas began  late  in  the  territorial  period,  when  a  church  was  organized 
at  Lecompton  with  5  members  by  W.  A.  Cardwell,  a  missionary  and  the 
first  preacher  of  this  denomination  in  the  town.  A  church  was  estab- 
lished in  Osage  county  early  in  the  '60s  but  did  not  prosper  and  was 
disbanded.  Subsequently  it  was  reorganized  and  became  a  strong 
church.  In  Jul}-,  1869,  a  church  was  organized  at  Topeka  with  8  mem- 
bers, and  within  a  short  time  a  church  building  was  erected.  Great 
progress  was  made  by  the  United  Brethren  in  Kansas  during  the  next 
twent}'  years,  as  the  census  of  1890  gave  the  number  of  congregations 
as  155;  the  church  buildings  as  47  and  the  membership  as  5,745.  In 
1906  the  United  Brethren  ranked  seventh  in  the  state  with  a  member- 
ship of   15,998. 

United  States  Courts. — (See  Judiciary,  Territorial.)  The  act  of  Con- 
gress which  admitted  Kansas  into  the  Union  provided,  "That  all  the 
laws  of  the  United  States,  which  are  not  locally  inapplicable,  shall  have 
the  same  force  and  effect  within  that  state  as  in  other  states  of  the 
Union;  and  the  said  state  is  hereby  constituted  a  judicial  district  of  the 
United  States,  within  which  a  district  court,  with  like  powers  and  juris- 
diction as  the  district  court  of  the  United  States  for  the  District  of  Min- 
nesota, shall  be  established;  the  judge,  attorney  and  marshal  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  said  District  of  Kansas,  shall  reside  within  the 
same,  and  shall  be  entitled  to  the  same  compensation  as  the  judge,  attor- 
ney and   marshal  of  the  District  of  Minnesota." 

The  district  judge  was  required  to  hold  two  regular  terms  annually 
at  the  seat  of  government,  and  given  the  jurisdiction  and  powers  defined 
under  the  usual  legislation  for  the  Western  states.  The  first  judge  of 
the  Federal  court  was  Archibald  Williams  of  Illinois,  but  since  then 
there  has  never  been  an  exception  to  the  appointment  of  citizens  of  the 
the  state.  Williams  was  commissioned  on  March  8,  1861,  and  served 
until  his  death,  in  Sept.,  1863.  Mark  W.  Delahay,  a  citizen  of  Leaven- 
worth county,  formerly  from  Alabama,  was  commissioned  on  Oct.  7, 
1863.  Cassius  G.  Foster  accepted  a  commission  dated  March  10,  1874, 
to  succeed  Delahay,  who  resigned.  Foster  was  succeeded  by  William 
C.  Hook,  commissioned  Jan.  31,  1899,  by  President  McKinley,  and  upon 
his  elevation  to  the  circuit  bench  on  Dec.  i,  1903,  he  was  succeeded  by 
John  C.  Pollock. 

The  list  of  district  attorneys,  with  dates  of  commission,  is  as  follows : 
John  T.  Burris,  May  6,  1861 ;  Robert  Crozier,  1861 ;  James  S.  Emery, 
1864;  Samuel  A.  Riggs,  April  8,  1867;  Albert  H.  Horton,  May  25,  1869; 
C.  J.  Scofield,  June,  1873;  George  R.  Peck,  January,  1874;  J.  R.  Hal- 
lowell,  March  23,  1879;  W.  C.  Perry,  July  31,  1885';  J.  W.  Ady,  1889; 
W.  C.  Perry,  Sept.  8,  1893;  I.  E.  Lambert,  1897;  J.  S.  Dean,  1901  ;  Harry 
J.  Bone,  Dec.  18,  1905. 

The  United  States  marshals  have  been  Thomas  A.  Osborn,  Charles 
C.  Whiting,  D.  W.  Houston,  William  S.  Tough,  Charles  H.  Miller,  Ben- 
jamin F.  Simpson,  W.  C.  Jones,  R.  L.  Walker,  S.  F.  Neely,  W.  E. 
Sterne,  L.  S.  Crum,  and  W.  H.  Mackey,  Jr. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  829 

United  States  Penitentiary. — In  1891  Congress  provided  for  the  estab 
lishment  of  three  penitentiaries,  one  of  which  was  to  be  located  west 
of  the  Rocky  mountains  and  two  east.  The  act  made  no  appropriation 
for  the  purchase  of  sites,  and  in  consequence  no  prison  was  estabHshed 
under  that  act  until  1895,  when  the  53d  Congress  converted  the  old  mil- 
itary prison  at  Fort  Leavenworth  into  a  civil  penitentiary.  On  July 
I  of  that  year  the  old  prison,  which  had  been  built  for  military  purposes 
more  than  forty  years  before,  ceased  to  be  an  institution  under  military 
supervision  and  passed  under  control  of  the  department  of  justice.  The 
suggestion  for  buildings  was  brought  forward  about  this  time,  with  the 
result  that  Congress  passed  a  bill,  which  was  approved  on  June  10,  1898, 
setting  aside  700  acres  of  land  on  the  south  end  of  the  Fort  Leaven- 
worth reservation  for  the  site.  An  appropriation  of  $150,000  was  made 
for  a  new  building,  sufficiently  large  to  accommodate  1,200  convicts. 
An  outside  wall  2,600  feet  long  and  30  feet  high  has  also  been  provided 
for.  Prior  to  1910  the  sum  of  $643,000  had  been  appropriated  for  prison 
construction,  about  one-half  of  which  had  been  expended.  The  labor  of 
prisoners  has  been  utilized  in  the  construction  work,  which  gave  them 
an  opportunity  to  learn  useful  occupations  that  would  prove  remunera- 
tive upon  their  discharge  from  prison.  A  school  is  also  maintained  for 
the  improvement  of  the  convicts  in  the  prison,  which  in  1910  had  an 
attendance  of  over  200,  all  illiterates  being  required  to  attend.  R.  W. 
McClaughry,  connected  with  the  penal  and  reformatory  institutions  of 
Illinois  for  years,  has  been  warden  since  1895.  Other  penitentiaries  pro- 
vided by  Congress  were  located  at  McNeiTs  Island,  Wash.,  and  Atlanta, 
Ga.  The  U.  S.  military  prison  at  Fort  Leavenworth  was  again  reestab- 
lished early  in  1896. 

Universalist  Church. — Universalism,  according  to  its  present  theo- 
logical meaning,  is  the  name  applied  to  those  who  believe  in  universal 
salvation,  or  the  belief  that  it  is  the  purpose  of  God,  through  the  grace 
revealed  in  Jesus  Christ,  to  save  all  of  the  human  race  from  sin.  Univer- 
salists  claim  this  interpretation  of  the  Bible  dates  back  to  the  Sibylline 
Oracles,  the  teachings  of  Clement  of  Alexandria,  Origen,  Marcellus  and 
others,  and  that  four  of  the  earl}'  theological  schools  taught  this  idea. 
From  the  7th  century  to  the  Reformation  there  was  no  great  progress  in 
the  growth  of  Universalism,  though  it  was  manifest  in  the  teachings  of 
some,  such  as  Almarac,  John  of  Goch  and  Albertus  Magnus.  With  the 
Reformation,  Universalism  received  fresh  impetus,  and  from  it  dates  the 
modern  history  of  the  church.  Some  of  the  Protestant  bodies  advocated 
universal  salvation,  but  it  was  not  luitil  1750  that  any  organization  bore 
the  name,  believers  in  universal  salvation  prior  to  that  time  being  affil- 
iated with  various  sects  and  religious  organizations. 

As  early  as  1636,  the  doctrine  of  LTniversalism  was  preached  in  Massa- 
chusetts colony  and  Rhode  Island  by  Samuel  Gorton.  Some  of  the  early 
Moravians  who  came  to  America  in  1735  and  settled  in  Peimsylvania 
were  believers  in  universal  salvation,  and  it  was  also  advocated  in  Episco- 
pal pulpits.     Early  in  the  i8th  century  Universalism  gained  a  foothold 


830  CVCLOl'EUIA    OF 

among  Congrcgationalists,  but  organized  Universalism  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  L'niversalist  church  in  America  was  the  work  of  John 
Murray,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1770.  The  movement  spread  during 
the  years  of  his  teaching  and  associations  were  formed  in  Philadelphia 
and  Massachusetts,  where  on  Sept.  14,  1785,  the  "Independent  Christian 
Society,  commonly  called  Universalists,"  was  formed  at  Gloucester  by 
people  who  had  left  the  F'irst  Parish  church.  The  "Charter  of  Compact," 
drawn  up  by  the  Gloucester  Universalists  was  generally  accepted  and  in 
1803,  the  annual  session  of  the  general  convention,  three  articles  of  be- 
lief were  agreed  upon. 

Universalist  churches  were  established  in  Kansas  in  the  late  "60s  and 
early  '70s.  The  state  census  of  1875  gives  16  church  organizations  with 
a  membership  of  381.  In  1890  there  were  six  church  buildings  and  all 
the  organizations  had  a  membership  of  411,  while  in  1906  Kansas  had  12 
organizations,  with  a  total  membership  of  937. 

University  Extension  began  in  England  about  the  year  1880  and  in 
the  United  Stales  six  or  seven  years  thereafter.  Its  purpose  is  to  carry 
instruction  to  the  people  who  on  account  of  circumstances  are  denied 
ihe  privileges  of  attending  a  university.  While  it  assumes  to  give  the 
same  instruction  to  non-resident  as  to  resident  students,  it  can  never  be 
made  the  same  in  character  or  quality.  For  a  nimiber  of  years  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  University  of  Kansas  and  of  other  educational  institutions 
of  the  state  had  been  accustomed  to  give  lectures  to  the  public  on  sci- 
entific subjects,  but  it  was  not  until  1891  that  the  work  was  organized 
at  the  University  of  Kansas.  It  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  committee 
of  which  Prof.  F.  W.  Blackmar  was  chairman.  An  aggressive  campaign 
was  inaugurated  to  organize  extension  societies  in  the  towns  of  Kansas 
and  to  give  systematic  courses  of  lectures  and  instruction.  These 
lectures  were  on  education,  literature,  science,  political  economy,  history 
and  art. 

In  the  year  1890-91  over  one  hundred  such  lectures  were  given  by  the 
chancellor  and  instructors  of  the  university  to  forv\'ard  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, in  1891-92  this  number  was  augmented.  It  was  only  necessary 
to  systematize  the  work  and  supplement  it  with  collateral  readings  to 
complete  the  extension  idea.  Prof.  Lucian  1.  Blake  of  the  University 
of  Kansas  was  engaged  to  deliver  a  course  of  ten  lectures  on  electricity 
and  magnetism  at  Topeka.  Soon  after  this,  a  local  association  was  or- 
ganized in  Kansas  City  and  Prof.  F.  W.  Blackmar  was  chosen  to  give 
a  course  of  lectures  on  economic  problems.  In  other  towns  courses  were 
given  by  Prof.  C.  D.  Dunlap  in  English  literature  oi  the  19th  century; 
by  Prof.  H.  S.  Carruth  in  German  literature;  by  Prof.  E.  H.  S.  Bailey 
in  "The  Chemistry  of  Every-day  Life ;"  by  Prof.  E.  Miller  in  astronomy, 
and  by  Prof.  Williston  in  geology. 

The  work  was  not  fully  organized  until  1909  when  the  university  ex- 
tension division  was  organized  as  a  separate  division  of  the  university, 
with  Prof.  Richard  R.  Price  as  director.  The  extension  division  is  now 
in  four  dejtartmenN — the  lecture-study  department,  the  correspondence- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  83 1 

study  department,  the  department  of  general  information  and  welfare, 
the  department  of  debating  and  public  discussion.  The  extension  lecture 
S3'stem  is  directed  by  the  lecture  study  department.  All  non-residents' 
work  of  the  university  is  conducted  through  the  university  extension 
division,  under  one  of  its  four  departments.  There  are  two  classes  of 
people  to  whom  the  lecture  courses  appeal.  The  first  is  composed  of 
people  who  have  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  pursite  a  systematic 
course  of  stitdy,  but  who  wish  to  attend  the  lectures  to  receive  inspira- 
tion for  profitable  reading  and  some  knowledge  of  the  latest  advances 
in  certain  branches  of  study;  the  second  class  of  people  to  obtain  profit 
from  the  extension  work  is  composed  of  persons  of  studious  inclination 
who  not  only  listen  to  the  lectures  but  also  do  collateral  reading  and 
take  the  final  examination  for  university  credit.  This  second  class  in- 
cludes students  preparing  for  college  and  professional  schools,  college 
students  who  are  unable  to  pursue  confinuous  resident  study,  grammar 
and  high  scliool  teachers  who  cannot  avail  themselves  of  resident  in- 
struction, professional  and  business  men  who  wish  to  supplement  their 
training,  men  too  old  to  go  to  school,  but  find  a  need  for  more  knowledge 
in  their  own  professions,  and  club  women  who  wish  to  pursue  a  sys- 
tematic line  of  study. 

In  191 1  some  85  or  90  university  courses  were  olfered  through  cor- 
respondence. It  is  possible  through  this  means  to  obtain  credit  for  as 
much  as  ten  semester  hours  of  college  work  each  3'ear.  In  191 1  there 
were  184  students  enrolled  in  the  correspondence  study  department.  The 
many  people  who  desire  and  need  intellectual  stimulus,  but  cannot  go 
to  the  universit}-.  are  glad  the  university  can  come  to  them. 

University  of  Kansas. — The  University  of  Kansas  formally  opened  its 
doors  to  students  in  Sept.,  1866,  but  the  history  of  the  institution  com- 
menced in  1855,  when  the  first  legislature  made  provision  for  a  Kansas 
University,  the  buildings  of  which  were  to  be  erected  when  Congress 
or  some  kind  friend  would  give  money  for  their  construction. 

In  1856  Amos  A.  Lawrence  of  Boston,  in  whose  honor  the  town  of 
Lawrence  was  named,  made  plans  for  a  college  on  the  north  end  of 
Mount  Oread,  the  hill  west  of  the  town,  and  gave  notes  and  stocks 
amounting  to  $12,696.14  for  the  foundation  of  his  proposed  "Free  State 
College."  This  money  was  to  be  held  in  trust,  Charles  Robinson  and 
S.  C.  Pomeroy  having  been  appointed  trustees,  and  the  income  there- 
from was  "to  be  used  for  the  advancement  of  religious  and  intellectual 
education  of  the  young  in  Kansas  Territory."  An  imperfect  deed  to 
the  property,  which  is  that  part  of  the  campus  where  North  College  now 
stands,  caused  a  cessation  in  the  plans  of  Mr.  Lawrence. 

In  1858  the  Presbyterian  church  of  the  United  States  of  America,  be- 
lieving that  the  funds  of  Mr.  Lawrence  could  be  secured  to  help  it,  took 
steps  to  establish  a  school  on  Motmt  Oread.  The  Kansas  directors  were 
Richard  Cordley,  Charles  Robinson,  John  M.  Coe,  Charles  E.  Miner,  G. 
W.  Hutchison,  James  A.  Faley  and  C.  L.  Edwards.  In  1859  the  legis- 
lature "ranted  a  charter  to  this  institution  under  the  name  of  "The  Law- 


m 

« 

> 

M 

z 

p 


KANSAS    HISTORY  S33 

rence  University,"  a  board  of  22  trustees  was  appointed,  and  in  Jan., 
1859,  the  city  of  Lawrence  gave  to  these  trustees  a  quit  chiim  deed  to 
the  present  North  College  campus,  "on  condition  that  said  university  is 
permanently  located  at  Lawrence,  Kan.,  Ter. ;  that  a  brick  building  not 
less  than  36  feet  in  width  and  60  feet  in  length  and  two  stories  high,  be 
erected  and  completed  within  one  year  from  date,  and  that  a  school  be 
commenced  within  six  months  from  this  date,  .and  that,  failing  to  com- 
all  right  to  said  lot  of  ground,  and  it  shall  again  become  the  property  of 
ply  with  the  above  conditions,  said  Lawrence  University  shall  forfeit 
the  city  of  Lawrence." 

In  an  effort  to  m.eet  the  conditions  of  the  deed  a  preparatorj-  school 
was  opened  in  the  basement  of  the  Unitarian  church.  This  was  discon- 
tintied  in  three  months  because  there  were  no  pupils.  However,  the 
Presbyterians  continued  with  their  building  until  winter.  The  following 
year,  i860,  was  one  of  hard  times,  so  their  project  was  abandoned  until 
more  money  could  be  raised.     They  spent  $1,623.50. 

The  Congregationalists  had  appeared  on  the  scene  meantime,  with  the 
idea  of  building  a  "montimental  college,  commemorating  the  triumph  of 
liberty  over  slavery  in  Kansas."  Mr.  Lawrence  through  his  trustees 
agreed  to  give  the  college  his  fund  if  it  was  to  be  under  Congregational 
jurisdiction.  The  breaking  out  of  the  war  put  an  end  to  the  plans  of  the 
Congregationalists  temporarily,  and  when  they  later  established  their 
school  it  was  in  Topeka. 

In  1861  the  Episcopal  church  became  interested  in  education  in  Law- 
rence. Lender  its  auspices  a  new  board  of  trustees  took  out  incorpora- 
tion papers  for  "The  Lawrence  University  of  Kansas."  The  Presby- 
terians gave  up  their  claims  to  the  Episcopalians,  who  later  surrendered 
theirs  to  the  state. 

Tracing  the  history  of  the  University  of  Kansas  as  shown  by  the  ter- 
ritorial and  state  laws,  it  is  seen  that  the  first  constitution,  adopted  in 
1855,  contained  the  following  provisions :  "The  general  assembly  may 
take  measures  for  the  establishment  of  a  university  with  such  branches 
as  the  public  convenience  may  hereafter  demand,  for  the  promotion  of 
literattire,  the  arts,  sciences,  medical  and  agricultural  instruction."  The 
free-state  legislature,  which  met  at  Topeka  in  1857,  enacted  a  law  "For 
establishing  a  state  imiversity  at  Lawrence."  In  the  Lecompton  consti- 
tution, framed  in  1857,  is  found  "That  72  sections  or  two  entire  town- 
ships shall  be  designated  by  the  president  of  the  United  States,  which 
shall  be  reserved  for  the  use  of  a  seminar}-  of  learning,  and  appropriated 
by  the  legislature  of  said  state  solely  to  the  use  of  said  seminary." 

The  Leavenworth  constitution  of  1858  provided  that,  "as  the  means 
of  the  state  will  admit,  educational  institutions  of  a  higher  grade  shall 
be  established  b}-  the  law,  so  as  to  form  a  complete  system  of  public  in- 
struction, embracing  the  primary,  normal,  preparatory  collegiate  and 
university  departments." 

The  Wyandotte  constitution  of  1859  reads,  "Provision  shall  be  made 
by  law  for  the  establishment,  at  some  eligible  and  central  point,  of  a 

(11-53) 


834  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

State  university  for  the  promotion  of  literature  and  tiie  arts  and  sci- 
ences, including  a  normal  and  agricultural  department.  All  funds  aris- 
ing from  the  sale  or  rents  of  lands  granted  by  the  United  States  to  the 
state  for  the  support  of  a  state  university  and  all  other  grants,  dona- 
tions and  bequests,  either  by  the  state,  or  by  individuals,  for  such 
purposes,  shall  remain  a  perpetual  fund  to  be  called  the  'university 
fund,'  the  interest  of  which  shall  be  appropriated  to  the  support  of  a 
state  university." 

When  Kansas  was  admitted  to  the  Union  in  1861  the  Wyandotte 
constitution  was  adopted  as  the  Kansas  constitution,  and  Congress 
set  apart  and  reserved  for  the  use  and  support  of  a  state  university  72 
sections  of  land  to  be  selected  by  the  governor. 

It  was  supposed  by  many  that  Lawrence  would  be  chosen  as  the 
place  for  the  university,  especially  after  the  capital  was  located  at  To- 
peka,  but  the  advantages  of  having  a  college  near  by,  appealed  to 
other  towns  and  wiien  the  time  arrived  for  selecting  a  site,  there  were 
several  contestants,  chief  among  which  were  Lawrence,  Emporia  and 
Manhattan.  Manhattan  received  the  agricultural  school  and  with- 
drew from  the  race.  Between  the  remaining  competitors  there  was  a 
hard  fight,  Lawrence  winning  by  one  vote  cast  by  the  chairman  of  the 
legislature.  To  secure  the  university,  the  city  of  Lawrence  had  prom- 
ised to  donate  40  acres  of  ground  adjacent  to  the  city,  to  be  used  as  a 
campus,  and  an  endowment  of  $15,000.  It  was  made  a  provision  of 
the  bill  that  in  case  Lawrence  did  not  fulfill  these  promises  within  six 
months  the  university  would  go  to  Emporia.  By  an  exchange  of  real 
estate  with  Charles  Robinson,  Lawrence  secured  the  40  acres  for  a 
campus,  and  through  the  generosity  of  Amos  Lawrence,  who  donated 
the  sum  intended  for  the  "Free-State  College,"  it  collected  the  $15,000 
just  in  time  to  keep  the  university  from  reverting  to  Emporia. 

On  Nov.  2,  1863,  the  university  was  permanently  located,  and  in 
1864  the  legislature  passed  a  law  organizing  it.  The  charter  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  was  used  as  a  model  for  the  University  of 
Kansas.  The  government  of  the  institution  was  vested  in  a  board  of 
regents,  to  consist  of  a  president  and  12  members  to  be  appointed  by 
the  governor,  with  the  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  and 
the  secretary  of  state  as  ex-ofificio  members.  Six  departments  were 
named  as  composing  the  university,  viz :  "The  department  of  science, 
literature  and  the  arts ;  the  department  of  law ;  theor}^  and  practice  of 
elementary  instruction  ;  the  department  of  agriculture ;  and  the  normal 
department." 

In  1873,  by  an  act  of  legislature,  the  number  of  regents  was  reduced 
from  12  to  6,  and  these  were  empowered  to  elect  a  chancellor,  who 
should  be  a  member  of  the  board  with  the  power  of  a  regent.  This 
organization  has  never  been  changed.  In  Sept.,  1865,  work  was  com- 
menced on  North  College,  which  was  finished  in  Sept.,  1866,  the  re- 
gents having  met  in  July  of  that  year  and  elected  the  first  faculty  of 
three  members,  to-wit:     Elial  J.   Rice,  professor  of  belles   lettres   and 


KANSAS    HISTORY  835 

mental  and  moral  science ;  David  H.  Robinson,  professor  of  languages, 
and  Francis  H.  Snow,  professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  science. 
The  first  session  of  school  opened  at  North  College  on  Sept.  12,  1866, 
with  26  young  women  and  29  young  men  registered  in  the  preparatory 
school  during  the  first  term.  The  second  year  showed  a  marked  growth 
in  numbers,  105  young  people  being  registered  when  the  regents  made 
report  on  Dec.   5,   1867. 

Although  the  University  of  Kansas  is  regarded  as  one  of  *he  first 
state  universities  to  admit  women  upon  the  same  equality  with  the 
young  men,  that  was  not  the  intention  of  those  who  drew  up  its  char- 
ier, which  names  tv/o  branches,  "a  male  and  a  female  branch,"  the  lat- 
ter to  be  taught  exclusively  by  women,  the  buildings  for  that  branch  to 
be  entirely  separate  from  the  buildings  of  the  male  branch,  "and  to 
establish  and  maintain  said  female  branch  the  regents  shall  annually 
appropriate  a  sufficient  amount  to  the  funds  of  the  university."  This 
provision  has  never  been  put  in  execution. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  university  the  course  of  study  leading  to  an 
A.  B.  degree  occupied  seven  years — three  years,  in  the  preparatory 
school  and  four  in  the  college.  It  was  hoped  to  abandon  the  prepara- 
tory department  in  a  very  short  time  but  twenty-iive  years  passed  be- 
fore it  was  accomplished. 

The  first  class,  of  four  members,  graduated  in  1873.  The  school  dur- 
ing the  first  seven  years  had  imdergone  many  changes.  Rev.  R.  W. 
Oliver,  rector  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  Lawrence,  who  at 
the  first  meeting  of  the  regents  on  March  21,  1865,  had  been  elected 
chancellor  and  ex-officio  president  of  the  board  of  regents,  resigned  his 
position  in  the  fall  of  1867.  On  Dec.  4,  1867,  Gen.  John  Fraser,  presi- 
dent of  the  Agricultural  College  of  Pennsylvania,  was  elected  chancel- 
Jor  of  the  university.  He  entered  upon  his  official  duties  on  June  17, 
1868.  His  term  of  service  is  marked  by  the  erection  of  Fraser  Hall, 
the  first  building  on  the  present  universit}'  campus.  This  hall  was 
ready  for  occupancy  in  Dec,  1872,  altliough  it  was  not  completed  until 
later.  The  money  for  its  construction  was  raised  by  bonds  to  the 
amount  of  $100,000  voted  by  the  citizens  of  Lawrence  and  by  appro- 
priations made  by  the  legislature.  Chancellor  Fraser  resigned  on  April 
I5>  ^^73-  ^^t  that  time  173  students  were  enrolled  and  11  instructors 
employed. 

In  Nov.,  1874,  James  Marvin,  of  Meadville,  Pa.,  was  elected  chan- 
cellor and  assumed  his  duties  that  winter.  During  his  administra- 
tion the  university  developed  as  rapidly  as  conditions  in  the  state  would 
permit.  In  1876  a  normal  department  was  established  and  it  was  main- 
tained several  years  with  success.  In  1877  and  1878  some  700  trees, 
now  known  as  Marvin's  grove,  were  set  out  on  the  campus.  In  Nov., 
1878,  the  law  school  was  opened,  with  James  Wood  Green  in  charge, 
and  13  students  enrolled.  Under  Mr.  Green's  supervision  the  law  school 
has  grown.     It  numbers  215  students  and  occupies  a  building  erected 


836  cyci.(ji'i;dia  or 

for  its  exclusi\'e  use.  Green  liall.  as  il  is  called,  was  Iniill  in  11^05  and 
named  in  lidnor  of  James  \\  .  Clreen. 

James  Marvin  resigned  in  1883  and  was  succeeded  by  Joshua  Allen 
Lippincott  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  whose  administration  lasted  until  1889.  Dur- 
ing his  time  the  legislature  made  larger  appropriations,  which  strength- 
ened the  university  by  increasing  its  buildings  and  its  courses  of  study. 
Regent  \V.  C.  Spangler  was  acting  chancellor  and  F.  II.  Snow  was  pres- 
ident of.the  factult)-  during  tlie  years  1889-90.  and  in  the  spring  of  1890 
Mr.  Snow  was  elected  to  the  office  of  chancellor.  At  the  close  of  the 
school  year  1890  there  were  508  sttidents  enrolled  in  all  departments,  36 
professors  employed,  and  five  buildings  fully  occupied. 

About  this  time  the  university  received  two  very  substantial  and  accept- 
able gifts.  Col.  John  J.  ]\IcCook  of  New  York  city  presented  a  sum  of 
money  for  the  encouragement  of  athletics  among  the  students.  With 
this  money  a  tract  of  12  acres  (six  acres  having  been  given  by  Mr.  Rob- 
inson) was  secured,  graded  and  fenced  for  an  athletic  ground  and  given 
the  name  of  McCook  field.  Mr.  Snow  in  his  report  of  1891-92  spoke 
highly  of  athletic  recreations  and  recommended  a  well  equipped  gym- 
nasium and  a  competent  professor  of  physical  culture.  The  legislature 
did  not  feel  the  necessity  of  a  gymnasium  building  until  1906,  when  the 
Robinson  Auditorium-Gymnasium  was  erected. 

In  1894  Spooner  Library  and  the  chancellor's  residence  were  erected 
through  the  generosity  of  William  E.  Spooner  of  Boston,  Mass.,  who 
bequeathed  the  university  $91,618.03  through  his  nephew,  Chancellor 
Snow. 

The  year  1891  witnessed  the  entire  disappearance  of  the  preparatory 
department  and  the  reorganization  of  the  college,  with  a  school  of  arts, 
which  had  been  the  collegiate  department,  and  schools  of  engineering, 
lav\',  fine  arts,  and  pharmacy.  The  steady  growth  of  the  university 
under  the  leadership  of  Chancellor  Snow  increased  the  demand  for 
equipment.  Blake  Hall,  devoted  to  the  use  of  physics  and  electrical 
engineering  students,  was  completed  in  1895 ;  shops  were  erected  for 
engineering  students  through  a  gift  of  $21,000  tendered  by  George  A. 
Fowler  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  "The  Fowler  shops"  were  ready  for 
use  in  1899.  The  same  year  the  school  of  medicine  was  established  and 
the  legislature  was  asked  for  two  new  buildings,  a  chemistry  building 
and  a  natural  history  museum. 

In  the  spring  of  1898,  when  a  call  was  made  for  volunteers  to  take 
part  in  the  Spanish-American  war,  a  hearty  response  was  made  by  the 
students  of  the  university.  The  faculty  discouraged  the  lower  classmen 
from  going  but  the  upper  classmen  were  permitted  to  enlist  without 
restraint,  and  the  board  of  regents  granted  to  all  volunteers  from  the 
junior  and  senior  classes,  "full  credit  for  the  work  of  the  academic 
year  interrupted  by  their  military  service." 

Mr.  Snow  had  served  the  tiniversity  for  24  years  as  a  member  of  the 
faculty  and  10  years  as  chancellor  when  ill  health  caused  a  cessation  of 
duty.    Mr.  Spangler  returned  to  the  university  as  acting  chancellor  and 


KANSAS    HISTORY  837 

remained  as  its  active  leader  for  two  years.  Mr.  Snow  was  unable  to 
return  to  his  administration  work  as  had  been  hoped.  In  igoi  he  sent 
his  resignation  to  the  board  of  regents,  and  in  April,  1902,  Dr.  Frank 
Strong  was  elected  as  Dr.  Snow's  successor.  He  assumed  his  duties  on 
Auc;.  I.  At  that  time  there  were  50  acres  in  the  campus,  11  university 
buildings,  9  of  which  were  used  for  purposes  of  instruction,  and  an 
enrollment  of  1,294  students  in  the  seven  schools.  The  nine  years  of 
Mr.  Strong's  administration  have  been  years  of  expansion.  The  healthy 
financial  condition  of  the  state  made  generous  appropriations  possible, 
and  the  interest  of  the  Kansas  people  in  the  head  of  the  public  educa- 
tional system  demanded  a  larger  and  more  thorough  course  of  study. 
The  best  high  schools  and  academies  have  adjusted  and  improved  their 
curriculums  to  meet  the  entrance  requirements  of  the  university.  The 
university  owns  20  buildings,  9  of  which  have  been  completed  within  the 
period  from  1902-1911.  These  are  the  natural  history  museum.  Green 
hall,  Eleanor  Bell  memorial  hospital,  Robinson  auditorium-gymnasium, 
clinical  laboratory,  hospital,  civil  and  mechanical  engineering  building, 
mining  engineering  building,  power  plant  and  laboratories,  and  one 
wing  of  the  auditorium  is  nearing  completion.  The  campus  at  Law- 
rence comprises  163.5  acres  which  was  laid  out  by  a  landscape  gardener 
in  order  that  the  best  possible  aesthetic  and  utilitarian  results  could  be 
obtained  from  the  land  that  was  naturally  suited  for  a  college  site.  Pot- 
ter lake  near  the  west  side  was  constructed  in  1910-11  for  fire  protection 
and  ornamentation. 

As  the  enrollment  has  increased  the  course  of  study  has  been  made 
broader  and  deeper  in  every  way,  new  departments  have  organized  and 
new  avenues  of  knowledge  developed.  Among  the  new  departments  are 
those  of  education,  university  extension,  home  economics,  and  indus- 
trial research.  The  school  of  education  was  established  in  1909;  pre- 
viously it  had  been  a  coordinate  department  under  the  college  of  liberal 
arts  and  sciences.  The  purpose  of  the  school  uf  education  is  to  furnish 
prospective  teachers,  principals,  superintendents,  and  all  other  persons 
interested  in  the  professional  aspect  of  education,  adequate  opportuni- 
ties for  specialization  in  the  various  phases  of  educational  work.  The 
policy  of  the  university  is  to  assemble  and  correlate  most  effectively  the 
forces  which  contribute  to  the  preparation  of  educational  leaders.  The 
university  extension  division  was  established  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  are  not  situated  so  as  to  receive  education  through  the  formal  sys- 
tem. The  department  of  home  economics  was  opened  in  Sept.,  1910,  and 
ofifers  courses  in  foods,  home  administration,  etc.  The  department  of 
industrial  research  concerns  itself  with  finding  the  best  and  most  eco- 
nomic way  of  producing  articles  of  commerce.  One  fellowship  em- 
braces the  investigation  of  the  properties  and  uses  of  oil,  another  has  to 
do  with  the  enameling  of  iron  and  steel,  another  with  the  baking  of 
1)read.  These  fellowships  are  maintained  financially  by  manufacturers 
of  special  articles  who  desire  the  best  methods. 

The  university  publications  number  10.     They  are  The  University  of 


838  CYCI.OI'KDIA    01-- 

Kansas  Science  J'.ulletin;  University  of  Kansas  Studies  Humanistic 
series ;  the  Bulletin  of  the  Engineering  Experiments  Station ;  the  Uni- 
versity-Geological Survey  reports;  the  University  Entomological  Bul- 
letin; The  Universit)-  News  Bulletin;  The  Graduate  Magazine;  The 
Kansan,  published  tri-weekly  by  the  students ;  The  Jayhawker,  and  the 
Kansas  Lawyer,  also  published  by  students.  The  library,  which  in  1866 
was  merely  a  hope,  in  191 1  had  75,000  volumes  and  40,000  pamphlets. 
The  corps  of  instructors  numbers  146.  In  1902  the  first  session  of  sum- 
mer school  was  held.  The  first  year  the  session  was  of  six  weeks'  dura- 
tion but  in  1909  it  was  lengthened  to  nine  weeks. 

The  act  of  the  legislature  establishing  the  university  contemplated 
the  founding  of  a  medical  school,  but  made  no  provision  for  carrying  out 
the  plan.  In  1880  a  preparator}'  medical  course  under  the  administra- 
tion of  the  college  of  liberal  arts  and  sciences  was  started,  but  it  was  not 
until  1899  that  a  school  of  medicine  was  definitely  organized,  when  the 
first  two  years  of  a  medical  course  was  ofifered  students.  Through  the 
courtesy  of  Simeon  B.  Bell,  who,  in  memory  of  his  wife,  Eleanor  Taylor 
Bell,  gave  the  university  money  and  land  at  Rosedale  under  the  condi- 
tions that  the  hospital  of  the  university  medical  school  should  be  built 
there,  an  opportunity  was  offered  to  complete  the  organization  of  the 
school. 

The  scientific  department  covering  the  first  two  years  of  the  course 
was  established  at  Lawrence  under  Dean  M.  T.  Sudler  and  the  clinical 
department  at  Rosedale  under  the  direction  of  Dean  G.  H.  Hocksey. 
The  clinical  department  was  reorganized  in  the  fall  of  1905  by  the 
merger  of  the  Kansas  City  Medical  College,  founded  in  1897,  Medico- 
Chirurgical  College  founded  in  1896,  and  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  founded  in  1894.  The  hospital  building  was  erected  and  the 
department  was  opened  in  1906.  The  training  school  for  nurses  in  con- 
nection with  the  hospital  was  established  in  July  of  the  same  year. 

In  1910  a  controversy  arose  as  to  the  reestablishment  and  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  medical  school.  It  ended,  however,  by  keeping  the  location 
at  Rosedale  and  a  reorganization  of  the  school  with  Dr.  W.  J.  Crumbine, 
secretary  of  the  state  board  of  health,  as  dean  of  the  school  and  Mervin 
T.  Sudler,  assistant  dean  and  professor  of  surgery.  A  new  hospital  was 
built  in  the  summer  of  191 1.  The  enrollment  in  all  departments  in  191 1 
numbered  about  2,400  students. 

Chancellors  of  the  University:  R.  W.  Oliver,  1865-67;  John  Eraser, 
1867-74;  James  Marvin,  1874-83;  J.  A.  Lippincott,  1883-89;  C.  W. 
Spangler,  (Act.  Chan.),  1889-90;  F.  H.  Snow,  1890-1901 ;  C.  W.  Spangler, 
(Act.  Chan.),  1901-02;  Frank  Strong,  1902 — . 

Upland,  a  hamlet  in  Dickinson  county,  is  located  in  Fragrant  Hill 
township,  20  miles  northeast  of  Abilene,  the  county  seat,  9  miles  north 
of  Chapman,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail,  and  5  miles  from 
Alida,  the  nearest  shipping  point.    The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Upola,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Elk 
county,  is  located  in  Oak  Valley  township,  15  miles  east  of  Howard,  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  839 

county  seat,  and  about  4  miles  from  Longlon,  whence  it  receives  mail 
daily  b}-  rural  route.  The  population,  according  to  the  census  report 
of  1910,  was  24. 

Urbana,  a  village  of  Neosho  county,  is  located  in  Chetopa  township 
on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  10  miles  west  of  Erie,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  85.  The  town  was  founded  by  Dr.  Peters, 
and  replatted  in  1870  by  some  parties  who  believed  it  had  a  great  future. 
This  little  town  is  credited  with  more  volunteers  in  the  Spanish-American 
war  than  any  other  town  of  its  size  in  the  county. 

Utica,  a  town  in  Ness  county,  is  located  in  Ohio  township  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.,  about  20  miles  northwest  of  Ness  City,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Enterprise),  a  number 
of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  400. 

Utopia,  a  hamlet  of  Greenwood  count}-,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  8  rfiiles  northeast  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat. 
There  is  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population 
in  1910  was  30. 


Valeda,  a  village  of  Labette  county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  in  Howard  township,  29  miles  southwest  of  Oswego.  There  is 
a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route  and  an  express  office.  The 
population  in  1910  was  100.  The  site  was  owned  by  the  Excelsior  Town 
and  Mining  company.  The  plat  was  filed  in  1886.  The  first  building 
was  a  merchandise  store  erected  by  Stone  &  Willie.  Dr.  Kenworth 
opened  the  first  drug  store.    The  town  of  Deerton  was  moved  to  Valeda. 

Valencia,  a  hamlet  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  Dover  township, 
on  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  12 
miles  west  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  general  store,  telegraph 
and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route. 
The  population  in  1910  was  50. 

Valhalla,  a  country  postoffice  in  Gove  county,  is  located  on  the  Smoky 
Hill  river,  16  miles  southeast  of  Gove,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles 
north  of  Pendennis,  Lane  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Valley,  a  country  postoffice  in  Trego  county,  is  located  in  Franklin 
township  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  20  miles  south  of  Wakeeney,  the 
county  seat,  and  about  12  from  Ransom,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Valley,  a  hamlet  in  Hodgeman  county,  is  located  on  the  Pawnee  river, 
12  miles  north  of  Jetmore,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point, 
and  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The  population  in  1910 
was  15. 

Valley  Center,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Sedgwick 
county,  is  located  in  Valley  Center  township  on  the  Little  Arkansas 
river,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Fran- 
cisco railroads,   11   miles  north  of  Wichita,  the  coimtv  seat.     It  has  a 


840  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

broom  manufacturing  establishment,  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Index),  schools  and  churches,  a  number  of  general  stores,  telegraph  and 
express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  three 
rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  381.  This  is  the  shipping  and 
receiving  point  for  a  large  agricultural  and  stock  raising  district  and 
is  headquarters  for  a  number  of  men  extensively  engaged  in  stock 
breeding. 

Valley  Falls,  formerly  Grasshopper  Falls,  the  largest  town  in  Jeiifer- 
son  county  and  one  of  the  important  towns  of  northeastern  Kansas, 
is  located  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county,  16  miles  from  Oska- 
loosa,  the  county  seat,  and  about  25  miles  from  Topeka.  It  is  in  Dela- 
ware township  -on  the  Delaware  river,  which  furnishes  power  for  its 
flour  mills.  It  is  an  important  shipping  point  and  railroad  center,  having 
three  of  the  large  roads  converging  there — the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe,  the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the  Union  Pacific.  Besides  the 
regular  lines  of  business.  Valley  Falls  has  a  creamery,  flour  mills,  spa- 
cious elevators  for  storing  grain,  waterworks,  electric  light  plant,  an 
opera  house  and  two  weekly  newspapers.  The  principal  shipments  are 
grain,  live  stock  and  produce.  The  population  in  1910  was  1,150.  St. 
Joseph's  school  (Roman  Catholic)  is  located  here. 

Grasshopper  Falls  was  settled  in  1854  by  Henry  Zen,  who  had  visited 
the  locality  two  years  before,  accompanying  Maj.  Ogden  to  Fort  Riley. 
Zen  was  often  visited  by  the  Kickapoo  Indians  after  erecting  his  cabin, 
but  was  never  molested.  In  the  fall  he  was  ordered  to  leave  the  coun- 
try by  the  agent  for  the  Indians.  The  next  settlement  was  a  permanent 
one,  by  James  Frazier,  Robert  Riddle,  H.  B.  Jolley  and  A.  J.  Whitney, 
who  drove  their  stakes  on  Christmas  day,  1854.  Their  first  act  was  to 
stake  out  the  boundaries  of  a  town  and  plat  the  lots.  They  then  began 
the  erection  of  a  cabin  but  before  it  was  finished  the  provisions  ran  low 
and  one  of  the  number  went  to  Weston,  Mo.,  for  a  new  supply.  He  was 
gone  eleven  days  and  there  was  much  sufifering  in  the  camp  before  he  re- 
turned. About  this  time  Zen  returned  and  with  him  was  Henry  Webbei;. 
Stephen.  H.  Dunn  came  in  March,  1855,  with  his  wife  and  started  a 
blacksmith  shop.  A  grist  mill  was  built  by  a  company  composed  of 
James  Frazier,  Robert  Riddle,  A.  J.  Whitney  and  Isaac  Cody.  The 
latter  was  the  father  of  "Bufifalo  Bill,"  and  was  elected  representative 
to  the  legislature  from  JefJerson  county.  In  the  spring  of  1855  the  town 
was  surveyed  and  named  Grasshopper  Falls.  The  legislature  changed 
the  name  to  "Sautrelle  Falls,"  but  the  citzens  never  recognized  the  name 
and  it  was  later  changed  to  Valley  Falls.  The  streets  were  named  after 
the  pioneer  women. 

Considerable  trouble  was  occasioned  by  the  location  on  the  town 
site  of  a  pro-slavery  man  by  the  name  of  A.  T.  Pattie.  He  refused  to 
recognize  the  rights  of  those  who  founded  the  town  and  built  a  shanty 
in  the  middle  of  the  street,  finally  becoming  so  offensive  that  he  was 
driven  out  of  town.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the  free-state  men  re- 
sulted in  Grasshopper  Falls  being  raided  and  looted  in  Sept.,  1836.    The 


KANSAS    HISTORY  84I 

Store  of  William  and  R.  H.  Crosby,  which  had  been  built  in  the  spring 
of  that  year,  was  burned.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  long  list  of 
depredations  committed  by  each  side  in  turn,  which  continued  through- 
out the  border  war.  The  Crosby  store  was  rebuilt  and  Pattie's  buildings 
were  used  as  a  temporary  home  for  immigrants. 

At  the  land  sales  the  rights  of  the  town  company  were  not  recognized 
and  the  land  which  they  had  staked  out,  comprising  320  acres,  was  laid 
off  in  quarter  sections  and  sold  at  the  appraised  value.  Different  men 
had  to  buy  these  lands  and  as  some  of  them  never  turned  their  holdings 
over  to  the  county  the  stockholders  suffered  a  loss.  This  condition  of 
affairs  gave  rise  to  considerable  trouble  in  the  way  of  land  contests.  In 
the  year  1-857,  after  the  land  sale,  a  number  of  buildings  went  up,  includ- 
ing a  Lutheran  church,  a  steam  sawmill  and  a  large  hotel.  The  first 
school  was  established  in  that  year  and  Miss  Libbie  Pennock,  of  Leaven- 
worth county,  was  the  teacher. 

Grasshopper  Falls  was  incorporated  as  a  town  in  i86q,  and  in  1871  it 
was  incorporated  as  a  city.  S.  C.  Gephart  was  the  first  mayor  and  John 
Belaud  the  first  clerk.  In  1875  the  name  was  changed  to  Vallev  Falls 
by  act  of  the  legislature. 

Vance,  a  village  of  Wyandotte  county,  is  situated  about  6  miles  west 
of  Kansas  City,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  and  on 
the  electric  line  that  .runs  from  Kansas  City  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  It  is 
a  local  trading  point  of  some  importance  and  receives  mail  by  rural  de- 
livery from  Bethel.  The  population  in  igio  was  120.  There  is  also  a 
hamlet  called  Vance  in  Linn  county  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
R.  R.,  5  miles  north  of  Selma,  the  postofifice  through  which  mail  is  re- 
ceived. 

Varck,  a  hamlet  in  Cherokee  county,  is  located  in  Garden  township  on 
Spring  river  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.,  14  miles  south- 
east of  Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  3  miles  from  Baxter  Springs.  It 
receives  mail  from  Galena. 

Varner,  a  hamlet  of  Kingman  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  8  miles  north  of  Kingman,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  an  express  office,  some  local  trade  and  a  postoffice.  The  population, 
according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  50. 

Vassar,  a  small  town  in  the  central  part  of  Osage  county,  is  located 
in  Junction  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  7  miles  northeast  of 
Lyndon,  the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  75. 

Vaughn,  a  hamlet  in  Rawlins  count}',  is  located  at  the  headwaters  of 
the  Driftwood,  15  miles  northwest  of  Atwood,  the  county  seat,  and  8 
miles  north  of  Beardsley,  the  nearest  railroad  station.  It  receives  mail 
from  Benkelman,  Neb.,  15  miles  to  the  northwest.  The  population  in 
1910  was  24. 

Vega,  a  hamlet  in  \Vanace  county,  is  located  near  Ladder  creek,  9 
miles  south  of  Sharon  Springs,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  northwest 


S42  CVCI.Ol'KUIA    OF 

of  L. adder,  Uie  iiosloffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The  population 
in   iQio  was  10. 

Vegetarian  Settlement  Company. — In  the  summer  of  1855  a  few  men 
got  together  in  llie  city  of  Xcw  York  and  pr(.>jected  a  company  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  colony  in  the  Territory  of  Kansas.  In  Septem- 
"ber  of  that  year  Dr.  John  McLaurin,  one  of  the  promoters,  visited  Kan- 
sas to  select  a  site  for  the  proposed  settlement.  After  traveling  for 
several  weeks  along  ^-arious  streams,  he  decided  in  favor  of  a  location  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Neosho  river,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Allen 
count}-  and  about  6  miles  south  of  the  present  town  of  Humboldt.  Hav- 
ing made  his  selection,  he  returned  to  New  York,  and  on  Jan.  5,  1856,  the 
organization  of  the  company  was  completed  by  the  adoption  of  a  consti- 
tution, of  which  the  following  is  the  preamble : 

"Whereas,  the  practice  of  vegetarian  diet  is  best  adapted  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  highest  and  noblest  principles  of  human  nature,  and 
the  use  of  the  flesh  of  animals  for  food  tends  to  the  physical,  moral  and 
intellectual  injury  of  mankind,  and  it  is  desirable  that  those  persons 
who  believe  in  the  vegetarian  principle  should  have  every  opportunity  to 
live  in  accordance  therewith,  and  should  imite  in  the  formation  of  a 
company  for  the  permanent  establishment,  in  some  portion  of  this  coun- 
try, of  a  home  where  the  slaughter  of  animals  for  food  shall  be  pro- 
hibited, and  where  the  principle  of  the  vegetarian  diet  can  be  fairly  and 
fully  tested,  so  as  to  demonstrate  more  fully  its  advantages ;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  we,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  agree  to  form  our- 
selves into  a  Vegetarian  Settlement  Companx".  and  to  abide  by  the  fol- 
lowing constitution." 

The  constitution  declared  the  object  of  the  company  to  be  the  estab- 
lishment of  permanent  homes  in  which  there  would  be  concerted  action 
for  a  system  of  direct  healing  and  the  practice  of  the  vegetarian  principle, 
as  applied  to  human  diet.  The  company  was  to  be  operated  on  the 
mutual  joint  stock  plan,  the  capital  stock  to  be  divided  into  as  many 
shares  as  there  were  acres  in  the  colony.  Members  were  required  to 
be  persons  of  good  moral  character,  not  slaveholders,  and  applications 
for  membership  were  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  board  of  directors. 
Each  member  was  required  to  pay  an  entrance  fee  of  one  dollar  and  an 
installment  of  ten  cents  a  share  on  not  less  than  twenty  shares  of  five 
dollars  each. 

Charles  H.  DeWolf  was  elected  president  of  the  companj' ;  Henry  S. 
Clubb,  secretary ;  and  Dr.  John  McLaurin,  treasurer.  One  of  the  first 
acts  of  the  officials  of  the  company  was  to  levy  an  assessment  of  10 
per  cent.  (50  cents  a  share),  to  provide  a  fund  with  which  to  erect  a 
saw  and  grist  mill,  purchase  a  stock  of  provisions,  seed  grain,  tents,  uten- 
sils, etc.,  the  assessment  to  fall  due  on  Jan.  i,  1856.  As  this  date  pre- 
ceded by  a  few  days  the  completion  of  the  organization,  each  member 
was  immediately  called  upon  to  pay  $10  into  this  equipment  fund.  Head- 
quarters were  established  at  No.  308  Broadway,  N.  Y.,  where  all  fees 
and  assessments  were  payable,  and  from  which  place  the  operations  of 
the  company  were  directed. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  843 

The  first  colonists,  accompanied  by  the  secretary  of  the  company, 
arrived  early  in  the  spring  of  1856^  Others  came  in  later,  and  by  July 
I  there  were  probably  100  settlers  on  the  ground.  These  trusting  peo- 
ple were  doomed  to  disappointment.  The  management  had  failed  to 
erect  the  mills,  provide  supplies,  etc.,  as  promised,  though  the  members 
of  the  company  had  generally  been  prompt  in  paying  their  assessments 
for  that  purpose.  Charges  of  speculation  and  dishonesty  were  made,  and 
to  add  to  the  discomfort  of  the  settlers  their  fields  were  raided  by  the 
Indians  and  their  crops  destroyed.  As  winter  approached  the  sufferings 
of  the  colonists  increased.  Those  who  had  the  means  to  get  away  re- 
turned to  their  old  homes  in  the  East ;  others  sought  relief  in  other  set- 
tlements, and  by  the  spring  of  1857  all  that  was  left  of  the  Vegetarian 
Colony,  which  started  out  with  such  brilliant  promises,  was  the  name 
"Vegetarian,"  applied  to  a  small  tributary  of  the  Neosho  near  the  set- 
tlement. 

Venango,  a  hamlet  in  Ellsworth  count}-,  is  located  20  miles  southeast 
of  Ellsworth,  the  county  seat,  and  about  7  miles  from  Marquette  in  Mc- 
Pherson  county,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  it  receives  mail. 

Vera,  a  hamlet  in  Wabaunsee  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  14  miles  east  of  Alma,  the  county  seat,  and  4 
miles  east  of  Paxico,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Verbeck,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Barton  county,  is  located  21  miles  north- 
east of  Great  Bend,  the  county  seat,  and  12  miles  in  the  same  direction 
from  Hoisington,  the  nearest  shipping  point  and  the  postofiice  from 
which  its  mail  is  distributed  b}'  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  29. 

Verdi,  a  station  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  in  Ottawa  county,  is 
located  in  Buckeye  township,  15  miles  southeast  of  Minneapolis,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  an  express  office  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  65. 

Verdigris,  a  rural  hamlet  in  Lyon  count}',  is  located  in  the  extreme 
southwestern  part  of  the  county  on  the  Verdigris  river,  8  miles  from 
OIpe,  the  nearest  shipping  point  and  railroad  station,  from  which  it  is 
stipplied  with  mail  by  rural  route,  and  16  miles  from  Emporia,  the 
county  seat. 

Verdigris  River,  a  stream  of  southeastern  Kansas,  has  a  histor}-  dating 
back  considerably  over  a  century.  It  is  mentioned  by  Pike  at  the  time 
of  his  visit  to  that  section  in  1806  and  also  by  Nuttall  in  1818.  The  river 
flows  through  a  rich  country  that  in  early  days  produced  much  in  the 
way  of  furs.  A  number  of  trading  houses  were  located  along  its  course 
from  time  to  time,  the  most  important  of  which  was  probably  that 
operated  by  a  man  named  Glenn  in  1819,  located  at  a  point  about  a 
mile  above  its  confluence  with  the  Arkansas  river.  Clermont's  band  of 
Osage  Indians  was  located  on  the  stream  about  this  time  and  is  men- 
tioned by  S.  H.  Long  in  his  travels.  By  the  treaty  of  1834  with  the 
Cherokee  Indians  the  Verdigris  river  was  named  as  a  part  of  the  bound- 


844  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

ary  of  their  lands.  The  stream  lias  its  source  in  several  small  streams, 
one  of  which  rises  in  eastern  Chase  county,  one  in  northern  Greenwood 
county  and  two  in  southern  Lyon  county.  It  flows  in  a  southeasterly 
direction  across  Greenwood  county,  the  extreme  southwestern  corner  of 
Woodson  county,  W'ilson  and  Montgomery  counties,  entering  Oklah<inia 
almost  due  south  of  Coflfeyville.  From  there  the  stream  flows  through 
the  counties  of  Nowata,  Rogers  and  Wagoner,  Okla.,  uniting  with  the 
Arkansas  river  near  the  town  of  VVybark,  about  3  miles  from  Fort  Gib- 
son. Among  the  more  important  tributaries  of  the  Verdigris  are  Willow, 
Homer,  Sandy,  Drum,  Big  Hill,  Pumpkin  and  Onion  creeks,  and  Paw 
and  Fall  rivers  in  Kansas,  and  Big  Caney  and  Little  Verdigris  rivers, 
Bird  creek  and  about  two  dozen  smaller  streams  in  Oklahoma.  The  esti- 
mated length  of  the  stream  is  about  270  miles,  a  little  over  one-half  of 
which  is  in  I<Cansas. 

Vermillion,  a  village  of  Noble  township,  Marshall  county,  is  located 
28  miles  southeast  of  Marysville,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  and  the  Black  Vermillion  river.  It  is  the  trading  point  for  a  large 
section  of  farming  country,  has  banking  facilities,  grain  elevators,  a 
newspaper,  schools,  churches,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  an  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  mail  routes.  In  1910  the 
population  was  366. 

Among  those  who  located  on  the  site  of  Vermillion  as  early  as  i860 
were  Theodore  Collier,  J.  E.  Watson,  G.  R.  Kelley,  W.  PI.  Dickinson,  R. 
Shields  and  A.  Dilley.  The  town  was  located  in  1869,  the  original  site 
containing  240  acres,  owned  as  follows  :  The  railroad  company,  40  acres ; 
Theodore  Collier,  40  acres ;  and  G.  R.  Kelley,  160  acres.  Collier  and 
Kelley  each  gave  half  their  interests  to  the  railroad  company,  which 
laid  off  the  town  and  built  a  depot  and  side  track.  The  first  building- 
was  erected  in  1870  by  W.  H.  Dickinson.  The  postoffice  was  established 
the  same  )-ear  with  Theodore  Collier  as  postmaster. 

Vernon,  one  of  the  villages  of  Woodson  county,  is  in  Everett  town- 
ship and  is  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  10  miles  northeast 
of  "Vates  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  has  the  main  lines  of  mercantile 
interests,  is  supplied  with  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  has  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population,  according  to  the 
census  of  1910,  was  100.  It  is  the  shipping  and  supply  center  for  the 
farmers  of  the  vicinity.  The  name  was  originally  Talmage,  but  was 
changed  to  Vernon  by  act  of  the  legislature,  March  9,  1891. 

Vesper,  a  little  town  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  on  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.,  6  miles  west  of  Lincoln,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  2 
grain  elevators,  several  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was  100.  Vesper  postoffice  was  established  in  1873  and  for  several  years 
was  moved  around  the  neighborhood  from  house  to  house.  When  the 
railroad  was  built,  in  1886,  it  was  moved  to  the  station  and  a  town  grew 
ii[)  around  it. 

Veteran  Brotherhood. —  (See  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY  845 

Victor,  a  post-hamlet  of  Mitchell  county,  is  located  in  Blue  Hill  town- 
ship, 18  miles  southwest  of  Beloit,  the  county  seat,  and  i6  miles  north 
of  Vesper,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  receives  mail  daily.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  40. 

Victoria,  a  little  town  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  Victoria  township 
on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  east  of  Hays,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  2  banks,  2  mills,  a  grain  elevator,  a  number  of  retail  establishments, 
telegraph  office,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  is  about 
200.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  Russian  settlement,  one  of  the  largest  Cath- 
olic monasteries  in  the  state  is  located  here,  and  a  fine  Catholic  church 
has  just  been  built  at  a  cost  of  $80,000.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  large 
agricultural  district  for  which  it  is  the  receiving  and  shipping  point. 

Videttes. — About  the  beginning  of  the  year  1888,  representatives  of 
the  various  labor  organizations  in  Kansas  got  together  and  formed  a 
secret,  oath-bound  society  which  was  named  the  "Videttes."  The  order 
spread  rapidly  over  the  state  until  it  included  nearly  all  those  opposed 
to  the  policies  of  the  old  political  parties.  On  May  15,  1888,  a  con- 
vention assembled  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  organized  the  Union  Labor  party 
and  nominated  Alson  J.  Streeter  for  president.  The  Videttes  were  pow- 
erful enough  at  that  time  to  control  the  action  of  the  convention,  and 
at  Cincinnati  the  leading  delegates  from  each  state  were  initiated  into 
the  order,  the  object  of  this  move  being  to  control  the  policy  of  the 
Union  Labor  party  in  such  a  way  ag  to  prevent  fusion  or  coalition  with 
either  the  Republican  or  Democratic  party. 

The  ritual  of  the  Videttes  was  printed  in  a  code.  After  the  Cincin- 
nati convention  the  demand  for  copies  of  this  ritual  became  so  great  that 
by  the  middle  of  the  summer  the  suppl}'  was  exhausted.  It  therefore 
became  necessary  to  order  a  new  edition,  which  was  printed  at  the  office 
of  the  Nonconformist  at  Winfield,  Kan.  Here  a  printer  got  hold  of  a 
copy  of  the  ritual  and  the  key  to  the  code,  which  he  turned  over  to  a 
leader  in  the  Republican  party.  The  ritual  was  rendered  into  plain  Eng- 
lish by  the  aid  of  the  key,  and  on  a  given  date  was  issued  in  the  form  of 
a  supplement  by  nearly  every  Republican  newspaper  in  the  state. 
Names  of  prominent  leaders  and  promoters  of  the  Videttes  were  pub- 
lished in  connection  with  the  ritual,  and  the  order  was  generally  de- 
nounced as  "anarchistic  and  contrary  to  the  spirit  and  principles  of 
American  institutions." 

It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  any  votes  were  changed  in  the  gen- 
eral election  of  that  year,  but  the  effect  was  to  destroy  in  a  measure  the 
usefulness  of  the  order.  Accordingly,  on  Dec.  19,  1888,  representatives 
of  the  Videttes  met  at  Wichita,  pursuant  to  the  call  of  the  commander, 
and  disbanded  as  an  organization,  though  the  members  immediately 
formed  the  State  Reform  Association,  which  ,was  calculated  to  work 
along  similar  lines,  but  without  a  secret  ritual.  The  State  Reform  Asso- 
ciation subsequently  played  a  rather  conspicuous  part  in  the  work  of 
the  Farmers'  Alliance.     (See  Farmers'  Alliance.) 


846  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Vigilance  Committees. — During  the  early  dajs  in  Kansas,  before  civil 
government  had  become  thoroiighlv  established,  numerous  secret  organ- 
izations known  as  viligance  committees  were  organized  along  the  east- 
ern and  southern  boundaries  of  Kansas  and  the  western  boundary  of 
Missouri.  The  main  purpose  of  these  committees  was  the  protection 
of  their  horses  and  other  live  stock,  and  in  emergencies  for  the  trial 
of  horse  thieves  and  other  offenders.  Upon  the  apprehension  of  any 
criminal,  he  was  given  a  prompt  trial  by  these  self-constituted  authori- 
ties, and  if  his  guilt  was  sufficient  his  punishment  was  both  speedy 
and  final. 

Vilas,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  ^^'ilson 
county,  is  located  in  Colfax  township  near  the  east  line  of  the  county, 
16  miles  northeast  of  Fredonia,  the  county  seat.  The  town  was  started 
after  the  building  of  the  railroad  in  18S6.  It  is  on  the  border  of  a  splen- 
did gas  field,  the  strongest  well  in  the  county  being  located  3  miles 
northeast.  It  has  an  express  office  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The 
population  in  1910  was  58. 

Villazur's  Expedition. — As  early  as  1700  the  French  hunters  and  trap' 
pers  were  active  on  the  great  plains,  in  the  endeavor  to  establish  friendly 
relations  with  the  Indians  and  gain  control  of  the  fur  trade  in  the  region 
extending  from  the  Missouri  and  Platte  rivers  to  the  eastern  border  of 
New  Mexico.  It  may  have  been  due  to  French  influence  that,  in  1705, 
five  tribes — the  Apaches,  Comanches,  Faraones,  Utes  and  Navajos — 
formed  a  confederac}',  the  object  of  which  was  twofold:  ist,  to  keep 
the  Spaniards  of  New  Mexico  from  venturing  upon  the  plains,  and  2d, 
to  maintain  hostilities  against  them  until  they  were  compelled  to  sue 
for  peace.  Marauding  parties  made  frequent  incursions  into  Spanish 
territory,  but  after  a  little  while  discontent  and  jealousy  began  to  develop 
among  the  tribes  forming  the  confederacy,  and  the  alliance  came  to 
an  end. 

About  1718  the  Kitkehaki  clan  of  the  Pawnee  tribe  was  sent  to  estab- 
lish a  permanent  village  at  some  suitable  point  near  the  confluence  of 
the  north  and  south  forks  of  the  Platte.  The  principal  reasons  for  this 
move  on  the  part  of  the  Pawnees  was  doubtless  to  form  a  base  for  hunt- 
ing the  buffaloes  which  were  to  be  found  there  in  large  numbers  during 
the  warm  season,  and  at  the  same  time  have  a  portion  of  the  tribe  in 
the  position  of  an  advance  guard  to  prevent  the  Spaniards  from  explor- 
ing or  occupying  the  country  between  the  Pawnee  villages  and  the 
mountains  on  the  west,  particular!}'  that  section  drained  by  the  Platte 
arid  its  tributaries.  By  1719  the  conditions  on  the  plains  were  such 
that  Don  Antonio  Valverde  Cossio,  governor  of  the  province  of  New 
Mexico,  determined  to  assume  the  offensive  and  lead  an  expedition  into 
the  Indian  countr3\ 

With  105  Spanish  soldiers  and  30  Apaches  to  act  as  guides  and  scouts, 
he  set  out  from  Santa  Fe.  Prof.  John  B.  Dunbar  thinks  he  moved 
northward  to  Jicarilla,  near  the  southern  border  of  the  present  State  of 
Colorado  and  no  miles  from  Santa  Fe,  where  a  few  days'  halt  was  made; 


KANSAS    HISTORY  847 

thence  northeast  to  El  Quarlelejo,  240  miles  from  Jicarilla,  which  was 
the  limit  of  his  operations,  and  as  both  these  posts  were  occupied  by 
friendly  Apaches,  Valverde  never  entered  hostile  territory.  However, 
upon  his  return  to  Santa  Fe,  he  boasted  of  having  ventured  some  dis- 
tance northward  from  El  Quartelejo,  and  in  his  report  to  the  viceroy  he 
mentioned  the  presence  of  a  village  on  the  Platte,  occupied  by  Pawnees 
and  French  hunters  and  trappers. 

The  viceroy,  the  Marquis  de  Valero,  evidently  did  not  place  much 
confidence  in  the  report,  for  he  issued  instructions  to  Valverde  to  organ- 
ize immediately  a  force,  with  which  he  was  to  march  to  the  Pawnee 
village  "and  once  there  to  take  such  measures  as  would  be  deemed  most 
suitable  to  promote  the  best  interest  of  each  party  concerned."  Val- 
verde managed  to  evade  the  order,  so  far  as  personal  command  was 
concerned,  and  Lieut. -Col.  Don  Pedro  de  Villazur  was  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  expedition. 

Although  Valverde  had  about  1*50  men  with  him  the  preceding  year, 
Villazur  was  as'signed  but  50,  and  with  this  small  force  he  left  Santa 
Fe  on  June  14,  1720.  The  first  halt  was  at  Jicarilla,  where  Villazur 
hoped  to  secure  a  considerable  force  of  Apaches  to  serve  as  bowmen 
and  outrunners.  After  a  few  days'  rest  at  Jicarilla,  the  expedition  pushed 
on  to  El  Quartelejo,  in  what  is  now  Scott  county,  Kan.  From  that 
point  the  march  to  the  Platte  was  almost  due  north,  and  on  the  morn- 
ing of  Aug.  15  the  expedition  reached  the  summit  of  an  eminence  about 
a  mile  south  of  the  Platte,  from  which  the  Pawnee  village  could  be 
plainly  seen  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Later  in  the  day  Villa- 
zur moved  with  his  little  force  down  the  Platte,  to  a  point  about  2  miles 
east  of  the  junction  of  the  north  and  south  forks,  where  the  tall,  dense 
grass  was  cut  awa}'  from  an  area  of  more  than  an  acre,  thus  forming  an 
open  space,  in  which  a  camp  was  established.  The  north  side  of  the 
open  space  was  immediately  upon  the  bank  of  the  river,  the  other  three 
.^ides  being  bordered  by  the  tall,  uncut  grass. 

No  worse  possible  arrangement  could  have  been  devised.  Under  cover 
of  the  heavy  growth  of  grass,  the  Pawnees  and  their  French  allies  during 
the  night  completely  hemmed  in  the  camp  on  the  three  sides,  while  the 
river  on  the  north  cut  off  retreat  in  that  direction.  With  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  dawn  on  the  i6th  the  attack  was  commenced.  More  than 
half  of  the  Spaniards  fell  at  the  first  volley  and  the  Apache  allies  de- 
serted, leaving  less  than  a  score  of  Spanish  soldiers  to  resist  the  assaults 
of  some  250  Pawnees  and  French  musketeers.  Yet,  so  bravely  did  they 
defend  their  position  that  the  enemy  was  three  times  driven  back.  At 
last,  seeing  that  further  resistance  was  useless  and  would  lead  to  in- 
evitable destruction,  a  few  survivors  cut  their  way  through  the  lines 
and  sought  safety  in  flight.  They  were  not  pursued,  as  the  Pawnees 
turned  their  attention  to  looting  the  camp,  and  about  three  weeks  later 
a  bare  half  dozen  men — all  that  were  left  of  Villazur's  little  army — 
reached  Santa  Fe. 

The  place  where  the  battle  occurred  is  in  the  eastern  part  of  what  is 


X48  CYCLOPEDIA    01" 

HOW  Lincoln  count)',  Neb.,  a  short  distance  below  the  junction  of  the 
iwo  forks  of  the  Platte.  Dunbar  says  that  "Almost  100  years  later  oc- 
casional relics  of  varying  character  were  still  found  in  or  near  Villazur's 
old  camp  ground." 

In  his  march  northward,  Villazur  passed  through  the  present  Kansas 
counties  of  Hamilton,  Kearny,  Wichita,  Scott,  Logan,  Thomas  and 
Rawlins.  Some  writers  have  asserted  that  the  place  where  the  expedi- 
tion met  its  fate  is  on  the  Missouri  river.  The  foregoing  account  is 
taken  chiefly  from  a  paper  on  the  subject  by  Prof.  Dunbar,  who  had  ac- 
cess to  the  archives  in  Santa  Fe  and  in  Mexico,  and  the  statements  there- 
in regarding  the  location  are  corroborated  by  Bandelier  in  his  report 
of  the  Hemenwa}'  southwestern  archaeological  expedition.  Bandelier 
also  says : 

'"The  geographical  results  of  Villazur's  expedition  are  about  as  valua- 
ble as  those  of  the  journey  of  Leiva  Bonilla  and  Humana  in  1585;  that 
is,  they  amount  to  hardly  anything  beyond  the  few  data  enabling  us  to 
establish  the  locality  of  the  disaster.  In  other  respects  the  results  are 
very  important  in  a  negative  way.  The  loss  of  so  many  men  crippled 
the  Spanish  power  at  Santa  Fe,  and  precluded  all  possibility  of  subse- 
quent expeditions.  It  gave  the  tribes  of  the  plains  a  more  moderate  idea 
of  Spanish  military  power,  and  contributed  to  produce  that  state  of  de- 
pression, resulting  from  continuous  Indian  warfare,  which  made  the  peo- 
ple of  New  Mexico  so  unhappy  for  a  century  or  more,  shaping  their 
national  character  into  one  of  resignation  to  any  evil,  provided  life  could 
be  secured." 

Vincent,  William  D.,  Congressman  and  merchant,  was  born  on  a 
farm  near  Dresden,  Tenn.,  Oct.  11,  1852.'  Ten  years  later  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Riley  count}-,  Kan.,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  Agricultural  College.  He  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  Clay  Center;  was  elected  to  the  city  council  in  1880;  was 
one  of  the  nominees  of  the  Greenback  party  for  presidential  elector  in 
1884;  was  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  railroad  commissioners  in  1893- 
94;  and  in  1896  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Populist.  After  serving- 
one  term  in  Congress  he  resumed  his  business  pursuits  at  Clay  Center. 

Vine,  a  village  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  in  Ottawa 
county,  is  18  miles  east  of  Minneapolis,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money 
order  postoffice  and  telegraph  and  express  office.  The  population  in 
1910  was  50.    The  railroad  name  is  Vine  Creek. 

Vining,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class,  is  located  on  the  line 
between  Clay  and  Washington  counties,  17  miles  northwest  of  Clay 
Center.  Being  situated  on  the  Republican  river  and  at  the  junction  of 
the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the  Union  Pacific  railroads,  it  is  a  trading  cen- 
ter and  important  shipping  point  for  a  large  agricultural  district.  It  is 
supplied  with  a  number  of  well  stocked  stores,  a  grain  elevator,  tele- 
graph and  express  offices,  good  public  schools,  etc.  The  population  in 
1910  was  191. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  849 

Vinland,  one  of  the  early  settlements  of  Douglas  county,  is  located  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  7  miles  south  of  Lawrence.  The 
first  settlers  located  there  in  1854,  among  them  Jacob  Branson  (q.  v.), 
Charles  Dow,  Franklin  Coleman  and  several  others.  In  1857  a  sawmill 
was  erected  in  the  vicinity  and  the  first  school  was  opened  in  the  fall  of 
1858  in  a  building  built  b}'  subscription.  The  town  was  of  some  im- 
portance during  the  years  1857-58,  but  did  not  grow  much.  In  the  early. 
'70s  a  cheese  factory  was  established  and  in  1878  the  Presbyterian  church 
was  erected.  Today  it  is  the  supply  and  shipping  town  for  a  fine  agri- 
cultural district,  with  a  money  order  postoffice,  express  and  telegraph 
facilities  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  75. 

Vinton,  a  country  postoffice  in  Cowley  county,  is  located  on  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  R.  R.  about  12  miles  southeast  of  Winfield,  the  county 
seat.     It  has  one  general  store.    The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

Viola,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Sedgwick  count}',  is 
located  in  the  township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  and  the  Kansas  City,  Mexico  iSj  Orient  railroads,  24  miles  south- 
west of  Wichita,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  telephone  exchange 
owned  b}^  a  local  company,  general  stores,  telegraph  ancl  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in 
1910  was  156.  It  is  located  in  a  good  agricultural  district  for  which  it  is 
the  receiving  and  shipping  point. 

Virgil,  a  village  of  Greenwood  count}-,  is  located  on  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  and  the  Verdigris  river  in  Lane  township,  about 
20  miles  northeast  of  Eureka,  the  county  seat,  and  about  7  miles  from 
Quincy.  The  town  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express  offices  and 
a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  Several  of  the  leading 
religious  denominations  have  church  buildings,  the  schools  are  good, 
and  the  main  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise  are  well  represented.  The 
population  according  to  the  census  report  of  1910  was  173. 

Vliets,  a  village  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  Noble  township,  25 
miles  southeast  of  Marysville  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  and  the  Ver^ 
milion  river.  The  main  lines  of  business  and  professional  pursuits  are 
represented.  It  has  banking  facilities,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and 
a  postoffice  with  one  rural  mail  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  350. 

Volland,  a  country  postoffice  in  Wabaunsee  county,  is  located  in  Wash- 
ington township  on  the  Chicag'o,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles 
from  Alma,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  general  store  and  telegraph  and 
express  offices.     The  population  in  1910  was  26. 


w 


Wabaunsee  (Indian  spelling,  Wabonsa,  derived  from  Wah-bon-seh, 
meaning  "Dawn  of  Day''),  was  a  Pottawatomie  chief  who  lived  with  his 
tribe  in  Iowa,  within  the  confines  of  what  is  now  Mills  county,  on  Wa- 
bonsie  creek.  He  was  partially  civilized  and  occupied  a  log  house  on  the 
creek  bank.     In  1848  he  came  with  his  tribe  to  Kansas  and  located  on 

ai-54) 


850  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

that  part  of  the  Pottawatomie  rescivation  which  lay  in  Wabaunsee 
county.  lie  was  an  old  man  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  died  on  the 
reservation  a  few  years  later.  His  name  was  gained  by  a  daring  feat  of  his 
youth,  w^hen  he  went  alone  on  an  expedition  against  the  Osages  to  avenge- 
the  death  of  a  friend.  He  crept  into  the  camp  and  succeeded  in  toma- 
hawking a  dozen  warriors  before  the  alarm  was  given,  making  his  es- 
cape just  at  break  of  day.  "Wah-bon-seh !"  he  exclaimed,  which  literally 
means,  "day  a  little,"  and  took  that  for  his  name.  The  village  and  county 
of  Wabaunsee  were  named  for  him. 

Wabaunsee,  a  little  town  in  Wabaunsee  county,  is  located  in  the  town- 
ship of  the  same  name  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  12 
miles  north  of  Alma,  the  county  seat.  It  has  churches,  schools,  gen- 
eral stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 
This  is  one  of  the  historic  villages  of  the  state.  The  first  settlement 
was  made  here  in  1854  by  a  colony  of  34  people  of  mixed  nationalities. 
It  was  followed  in  1856  by  a  colony  of  65  members  of  the  Beecher  Bible 
and  Rifle  company  (q.  v.),  and  the  stone  building  erected  in  1862  as  a 
home  for  this  organization  is  one  of  the  old  landmarks  which  attracts 
old  settlers'  meetings  once  a  year.  Rev.  Harvey  Jones  came  to  this 
point  as  a  missionar}-  in  1855.  For  many  years  this  was  the  only  settle- 
ment west  of  Topeka.  It  was  the  county  seat  until  after  the  war  when 
it  lost  to  Alma  after  a  three  years'  struggle.  Wabaunsee  was  referred 
to  b\-  the  pro-slavery  men  in  the  early  days  as  the  "Abolition  nest." 

Wabaunsee  County,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  is  located  a  little 
north  of  a  central  line  running  east  and  west  and  about  75  miles  west 
of  the  Missouri  river.  It  has  an  area  of  804  square  miles ;  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Riley  county  and  the  Kansas  river  which  separates  it  from 
Pottawatomie  and  Jackson  counties ;  on  the  east  by  Shawnee  and  Osage 
counties ;  on  the  south  by  Lyon  and  JMorris,  and  on  the  west  by  Morris, 
Geary  and  Riley  counties.  The  northern  boundary  is  extremely  irregu- 
lar, following  the  winding  course  of  the  Kansas  river,  the  northeast  cor- 
ner being  6  miles  south  of  the  northwest  corner.  Wabaunsee  was  one 
of  the  33  counties  created  by  the  first  territorial  legislature  in  1855,  and 
at  that  time  was  named  Richardson,  but  as  such  never  had  any  officers 
and  was  attached  to  Shawnee  county  for  all  revenue  and  judicial  pur- 
poses. In  1859  the  legislature  changed  the  name  from  Richardson  to 
Wabaunsee  in  memory  of  the  Pottawatomie  chief  "Wabonsa,"  signify- 
ing "The  Dawn  of  Day." 

It  is  hard  to  determine  who  were  the  first  white  men  to  visit  this 
section  of  Kansas.  It  is  claimed  by  some  that  Coronado's  expedition 
passed  through  what  is  now  Wabaunsee  county  in  the  winter  of  1541- 
42,  but  it  is  hardly  probable.  (See  Coronado's  Expedition.)  French, 
in  his  Louisiana  Historical  Collections,  says  that  during  the  first  quar- 
ter of  the  17th  century  French  traders  went  among  the  Pawnees,  who 
hunted  along  the  Kansas  river.  It  is  claimed  by  some  historians  that 
the  French  explorer  Dutisne  passed  west  through  the  valley  of  the  Kan- 
sas in  1720,  and  four  years  later  the  Bourgmont  expedition  followed  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  85  I 

south  bank  of  the  Kansas  beyond  the  junction  of  the  Republican  and 
Smoky  Hill  rivers.  In  1842,  the  Fremont  expedition  passed  up  the  Kan- 
sas valle}'  on  its  way  west.  Fremont  says,  "we  crossed  at  10  a.  ni.  (June 
20)  the  Big  Vermilion." 

The  earliest  permanent  settlements  were  made  about  1853-54.  One 
of  the  first  settlers,  a  few  miles  north  of  the  present  town  of  Wilmington, 
was  Henry  Harvey,  who  came  into  the  county  with  his  family  in  1854. 
The  settlement  there  prospered  and  by  the  close  of  the  war  so  many 
settlers  had  come  that  in  1869  a  postofitice  was  established  and  named 
Harveyville  in  honor  of  the  first  settler.  Newbury,  on  the  west  bank 
of  Mulberry  creek,  was  started  by  Dan  Home  of  Topeka,  Col.  Allen 
Phillips  and  three  men  named  Lakin,  Kellum  and  Bartling.  John  P. 
Gleich  settled  in  what  is  now  Farmer  township  and  soon  after  Peter 
Thoes,  Frank  Schmidt,  R.  Schrader  and  a  man  named  Schranke  entered 
land.  These  early  settlers  located  in  different  parts  of  the  county  and 
the  first  collective  settlement  \%'as  made  in  the  Mill  creek  valley,  in  what 
is  now  Wabaunsee  township,  by  Robert  Banks,  D.  B.  Hiatt,  Peter  and 
Bartholomew  Sarra,  J.  H.  Nesbit,  J.  M.  Bisby,  Joshua  Smith.  Clark  Lap- 
ham  and  a  minister  named  Leonard. 

In  1856  he  population  of  the  county  was  increased  by  the  Beecher 
Bible  and  Rifle  company,  a  body  of  people  from  Connecticut  who  or- 
ganized for  the  purpose  of  coming  to  Kansas  to  aid  in  making  it  a  free 
state.  Sixty-five  of  the  colony,  exclusive  of  women  and  children,  each 
with  a  Bible  in  his  pocket  and  a  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  encamped  on  May 
I,  1856,  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Kansas  river,  where  Wabaunsee  now  stands.  The  colonists  proposed 
to  locate  a  town  site  and  secure  a  farm  for  each  member.  On  the  way 
west,  one  of  the  members  of  the  company  purchased  a  sawmill  in  Kan- 
sas City.  It  was  brought  to  the  settlement  and  as  there  was  a  good  sup- 
ply of  timber  in  the  vicinity,  log  cabins  were  soon  built  and  the  mill 
kept  busy  supplying  lumber  for  the  pioneer  homes.  The  members 
of  the  colony  were  all  Congregationalists,  and  soon  erected  the  first 
church  in  the  county  as  well  as  a  two-story  school  building.  In  jime 
the  church  was  replaced  by  a  fine  stone  structure.  Soon  after  their  set- 
tlement the  men  organized  a  military  company  known  as  the  "Prairie 
ijuards,"  one  of  the  first  organizations  in  the  territory  to  be  armed  with 
Sharp's  rifles.  This  company  took  part  in  the  border  warfare  of  1856. 
A  second  colony  was  formed  by  a  party  of  Germansin  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
who  upon  their  arrival  in  Wabaunsee  county,  selected  a  site  near  the 
two  branches  of  Mill  creek  and  laid  out  the  town  of  Alma.  These  peo- 
ple were  poor  and  within  a  short  time  the  Alma  Town  association  broke 
up,  the  site  being  preempted  by  individuals.  In  1857  many  settlers  came 
directly  from  Germany.  The  following  year  Gottlieb  Zwanziger  built 
the  first  grist  mill  and  John  Hankammer  a  sawmill.  In  1857  Wabaun- 
see colonj'  was  increased  b}'  S.  H.  Fairfield.  S.  R.  Weed,  Enoch,  L.  H. 
and  J.  E.  Piatt,  men  from  Mendon,  111.,  who  volunteered  to  go  to  Kan- 
sas to  aid  in  securing  its  admission  as  a  free  state.  The  white  popula- 
tion of  Wabaunsee  county  at  the  close  of  1857  was  about  400. 


852  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

To  perfect  the  organization  of  Wabaunsee  county  an  election  was 
held  in  March,  1859.  There  were  two  voting  precincts,  one  at  Alma, 
the  other  at  Wabaunsee.  One  hundred  and  eleven  votes  were  cast  and 
the  following  officers  were  elected:  Henry  Harvey,  J.  M.  Hubbard  and 
Gottlieb  Zwanziger,  commissioners:  J.  M.  Hubbard,  probate  judge;  J. 
M.  Harvey,  clerk  of  the  court;  John  Hodgson,  sheriff;  Closes  C.  Welsh, 
register  of  deeds ;  Henry  Harvey,  treasurer ;  Gottlieb  Zwanziger,  sur- 
veyor; R.  G.  Terry,  county  attorney;  S.  F.  Ross,  auditor;  J.  E.  Piatt,  su- 
perintendent of  schools,  and  August  Brasche,  coroner.  Prior  to  this 
time  Wabaunsee  had  consisted  of  one  civil  township,  but  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  board  of  commissioners  they  divided  it  into  Alma,  Wabaunsee, 
Mission  Creek  and  Wilmington  townships.  When  the  Pottawatomie 
reservation  was  thrown  open  in  1870,  the  territory  embraced  within  its 
limits  was  called  Newbury  township.  From  this  time  as  the  popula- 
tion increased  the  first  townships  were  divided  to  form  the  thirteen 
civil  townships  into  which  the  count}'  is  now  divided,  viz:  Alma,  Farmer, 
Garfield,  Kaw,  Maplehill,  Mill  Creek,  Mission  Creek,  Newbury,  Plumb, 
Rock  Creek,  Wabaunsee,  Washington  and  Wilmington. 

When  the  county  was  organized  Wabaunsee  was  made  the  seat  of 
justice,  as  it  was  the  only  town  in  the  county.  Its  location,  however, 
was  not  central  and  it  was  felt  at  the  time  that  as  the  county  settled  up 
efforts  would  be  made  to  change  the  county  seat  to  a  point  nearer  the 
geographical  center.  No  permanent  county  buildings  were  erected  and 
on  Nov.  22,  1866,  the  question  of  a  permanent  location  was  submitted  to 
the  people.  Alma  and  Wabaunsee  being  the  contesting  points.  The  re- 
sult was  a  majority  of  28  votes  for  Alma,  and  in  December  the  county 
records  and  offices  were  transferred  to  that  place,  where  a  small  frame 
building  had  been  erected  for  county  and  court-house  purposes.  Still 
the  permanent  location  of  the  seat  of  justice  hung  in  the  balance,  for 
Alma  was  a  town  in  name  only,  there  being  only  two  buildings  on  the 
site  in  1869.  In  1870  the  question  of  a  change  again  arose  and  excite- 
ment ran  high.  The  contesting  points  were  Alma,  Newbury  and  Esk- 
ridge.  At  the  election  held  on  Feb.  7,  1871,  Alma  received  369,  New- 
l)ury  217  and  Eskridge  256  votes.  As  there  was  no  choice  another  elec- 
tion was  ordered  for  Feb.  21.  Circulars  were  scattered  all  over  the 
county,  each  town  setting  forth  the  advantages  it  offered.  Alma  pledged 
to  give  the  county  "a  safe,  well-built,  handsome  stone  building  worth 
from  $6,000  to  $10,000."  The  result  of  this  election  was  465  votes  for 
Alma  and  429  for  Eskridge.  According  to  the  promise  made,  the  people 
of  Alma  soon  erected  a  stone  court-house  at  a  cost  of  $8,000. 

In  1870  the  legislature  took  the  greater  part  of  Zeandale  township, 
then  the  northwest  township  of  the  count)-,  and  annexed  it  to  the  res- 
ervation. 

The  Underground  Railroad  (q.  v.)  was  succesfully  operated  in  Wa- 
baunsee county  during  the  last  few  years  of  slavery.  There  were  two 
stations  in  the  county — one  on  Mission  creek  in  the  southeast  and  one  at 
Wabaunsee  near  the  northwest  corner — and  runawav  negroes  who  ar- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  853 

rived  at  Mission  creek  were  taken  in  charge  by  a  conductor,  who  took 
them  to  Wabaunsee,  where  they  were  placed  in  cliarge  of  anotlu-r  con- 
ductor to  be  taken  to  the  next  station,  etc. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  the  population  of  Wabaunsee  county 
was  about  1,050.  The  voting  population,  however,  was  only  250,  but 
as  nearly  all  the  settlers  were  from  New  England  they  loyally  responded 
to  the  call  for  volunteers,  and  112  men  enlisted  for  service,  giving  Wa- 
baunsee a  long  roll  of  honor  in  the  military  history  of  the  nation. 

The  Wabaunsee  County  lierald,  the  first  newspaper  in  thj  county, 
made  its  initial  appearance  on  April  i,  i86g.  It  was  owned  and  edited 
l)y  Sellers  &  Bertram.  On  Oct.  i,  1869,  a  hall  interest  in  the  paper  was 
sold  to  S.  H.  Fairfield,  who  in  1871  became  sole  proprietor  and  changed 
the  name  to  the  Alma  Union.  On  May  i,  1872,  Fairfield  resold  to  Sel- 
lers, and  the  name  of  the  paper  was  again  changed  to  the  Wal):iunsee 
County  News.  The  Landmark  was  started  by  E.  H.  Sandford  in  the 
spring  of  1871,  but  the  publication  was  discontinued  in   1874. 

The  first  railroad  to  enter  the  county  was  a  branch  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  running  from  Burlingame  northwest  to  Alma,  which 
was  built  in  1880.  Since  then  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  has 
been  built,  entering"  near  the  northeast  corner  and  crossing  the  county 
in  a  southwest  direction  to  Alta  Vista.  A  branch  of  the  same  system 
leaves  the  main  land  at  McFarland  and  runs  northwest  through  Man- 
hattan.   There  are  over  75  miles  of  main  track  railroad  in  the  county. 

The  east  and  west  portions  of  the  county  are  undulating  prairie,  but 
the  central  and  northern  portions  are  hilly,  breaking  into  blufifs  along  the 
streams.  The  valleys,  ordinarily,  are  about  a  mile  wide  and  cover  about 
one-fifteenth  of  the  area.  The  timber  belts  along"  the  streams  vary  in 
width  from  a  few  rods  to  half  a  mile,  and  consist  of  walnut,  cottonwood, 
white  and  burr-oak,  mulberry,  dog-wood  and  locust.  Corn  is  the  prin- 
cipal cereal,  though  winter  wheat,  potatoes,  millet,  Kafir  corn  and  al- 
falfa are  raised.  The  county  leads  in  the  production  of  sweet  potatoes 
and  raidvS  high  in  live  stock.  In  1907  there  were  70,000  bearing  fruit 
trees.  Thick  ledges  of  limestone  underlie  the  whole  county ;  cement 
rock  of  good  equality  is  found  near  Alma  and  thin  veins  of  coal  have 
l)een  found  in  different  places.  The  northern  and  central  portions  of  the 
county  are  drained  by  the  Kansas  river,  which  forms  the  northern  bound- 
ary, Mill  creek  and  its  branches,  while  the  southern  and  eastern  portions 
are  drained  by  Rock.  Elm,  Dragon  and  Mission  creeks. 

Alma,  on  Mill  creek,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county,  is  the 
seat  of  justice  and  the  principal  town.  The  population  of  the  county  in 
rpio  was  12,721. 

Waco,  a  hamlet  in  Sedgwick  county,  is  located  12  miles  south  of 
Wichita,  the  county  seat,  and  4  from  Haysville,  the  nearest  shipping 
point.  It  has  one  general  store.  Mail  is  delivered  from  Peck.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  41. 

Waconda  Springs,  a  hamlet  of  Mitchell  county,  named  after  the  chief 
god  of  the  Kaw  Indians,  is  located  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county, 


854  CYCLOPEDIA    OI-- 

in  L'awkcr  tow  nsliip,  mi  ihc  .Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  and  at  the  junction 
of  tl'.e  two  forks  of  the  Solomon  river,  20  miles  west  of  Beloit,  the  county 
seat,  and  about  2  miles  west  of  Cawker  City,  from  which  place  it  receives 
mail.  The  population  in  1910  was  32.  Near  the  town  is  the  noted 
sprint;-  of  the  same  name,  from  which  water  is  shipped  to  be  used  for  its 
healih  giving  properties.  This  was  one  of  the  earliest  established  towns 
of  the  county,  and  in  1871  was  quite  an  important  little  \illage.  Most 
of  Ihc  buildings  were  later  moved  to  Cawker  Citv. 

Wade,  a  hamlet  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Miami  county,  is  about 
II  miles  from  Paola,  the  county  seat,  from  which  it  has  rural  delivery. 
\\'ellsville  is  the  nearest  railroad  station. 

Wagner,  a  statjon  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in 
Marion  county,  is  located  10  miles  south  of  Marion,  the  county  seat,  and 
about  5  miles  west  of  Florence,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail. 

Wagonda  Da. — (See  Great  Spirit  Spring.) 

Wagstaff,  a  village  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Miami  county,  is  on  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  8  miles  northeast  of  Paola,  the  county  seat.  It 
has  a  money  order  postoifice,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  in  1910 
had  a  population  of  35. 

Wakarusa,  a  little  town  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  William- 
sport  township  on  the  Wakarusa  river  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  12  miles  south  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a 
grain  elevator,  a  cider  mill,  a  number  of  stores,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  It  is  a 
popular  summer  camping  place  for  Topeka  people,  and  a  large  camp  is 
maintained  throughout  the  season  by  the  Young  Women's  Christian  As- 
sociation. This  is  a  receiving  and  shipping  point  for  a  large  and  pros- 
perous farming  district.  The  population  in  1910  was  150.  The  town 
was  founded  in  1858  by  two  men  named  Mills  and  Smith,  and  was  at  first 
named  Kingston  in  honor  of  Zenas  King,  one  of  the  parties  interested. 
The  postoffice  had  already  been  established  under  the  name  of  Wakarusa 
and  the  name  of  the  town  was  changed  to  correspond. 

Wakarusa  Creek,  a  historic  Kansas  stream,  rises  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Wabaunsee  county  and  has  a  number  of  small  affluents  near  its  head- 
waters. Its  course  is  slightly  to  the  north  of  east  through  Shawnee  and 
Douglas  counties,  until  it  empties  into  the  Kansas  river  about  a  mile 
east  of  the  town  of  Eudora.  Its  estimated  length  is  about  50  miles. 
One  of  the  earhest  mentions  of  the  stream  was  by  S.  H.  Long,  the  ex- 
plorer, in  1819.  The  name,  according  to  Holloway's  History  of  Kan- 
sas, comes  from  an  Indian  legend,  which  says  that  a  "maiden,  during  a 
great  freshet,  sought  to  cross  the  stream  on  horseback.  As  she  pro- 
ceeded across,  the  waters  became  deeper  and  deeper,  until  her  body  was 
half  immersed,  when  she  exclaimed,  'W'akarusa!'  (hip  deep).  Though 
she  crossed  in  safety,  still  the  savages  from  this  occurrence,  named  the 
stream  Wakarusa." 

During  the  troublous  times  of  the  early  territorial  days  the  region 
along  the  Wakarusa  w^as   the   scene  of  much   strife   between   the   pro- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  855 

slavery  and  free-state  forces,  the  celebrated  "Wakarusa  war"  being 
fought  there  on  Nov.  27,  1855.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  mission  was 
located  near  the  mouth  of  the  stream  about  1842,  and  was  in  cliarge 
of  Rev.  Abraham  Still  and  others. 

Wakarusa  War. — During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1855,  excitement  ran 
high  in  Kansas  on  account  of  the  struggle  between  the  free-state  and 
pro-slavery  parties.  Several  events  occurred  which  made  strife  between 
men  of  opposing  political  interests  more  bitter.  Charles  W.  Dow,  a 
free-state  man,  was  shot  by  Franklin  N.  Coleman,  a  pro-slavery  leader 
of  Hickory  Point  (q.  v.)  in  a  dispute  over  a  claim.  This  occurred  on 
Nov.  21,  1855,  ^i^d  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  difficulties  which  led 
to  the  Wakarusa  war.  The  culminating  event  was  the  rescue  by  free- 
state  men  of  Jacob  Branson,  with  whom  Dow  had  lived,  after  his  arrest 
by  Samuel  J.  Jones,  sherift'  of  Douglas  county.  Jones  at  once  started  for 
Franklin  with  his  posse,  and  sent  a  dispatch  to  his  father-in-law,  Col. 
Boone,  at  Westport,  Mo.,  asking  for  aid  to  recapture  Branson.  Word 
was  also  sent  to  Gov.  Shannon  at  the  Shawnee  Mission,  for  3,000  men 
to  put  down  the  rebellion  at  Lawrence.  There  are  people  who  believe 
that  the  whole  affair  was  ])lanned  as  a  trap  to  catch  the  free-state  men 
and  to  serve  as  an  excuse  for  the  destruction  of  Lawrence. 

Without  ascertaining  the  actual  condition  of  afifairs,  the  governor 
issued  a  proclamation  calling  out  the  militia  of  Kansas — which  really 
meant  the  ruffians  of  Missouri — to  put  down  the  rebellion  at  Lawrence. 
The  people  of  Missouri  were  ready  and  were  not  long  in  responding  to 
the  call.  Holloway,  in  his  History  of  Kansas,  says,  "For  two  or  three 
counties  back  from  the  western  line  of  Missouri,  troops  were  sent  fully 
equipped  and  expecting  to  fight."  In  three  days  some  1,500  had  rushed 
across  the  border  and  were  confronting  Lawrence.  Said  Gov.  Shannon : 
"Missouri  sent  not  only  her  young  men,  but  her  gray-haired  citizens 
were  there.  The  man  of  seventy  winters  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  the  youth  of  sixteen.  There  were  volunteers  in  that  camp  and 
with  them  were  not  onh'  their  sons,  but  their  grandsons  to  join  in  the 
fray."  The  main  camp  of  the  besiegers  was  near  Franklin,  about  3 
miles  southeast  of  Lawrence,  and  the  other  wing  was  in  position  near 
Lecompton,  under  command  of  Strickler  and  Richardson. 

In  Lawrence  preparations  for  defense  were  going  on.  As  soon  as  it 
was  learned  that  a  force  was  gathering  on  the  Wakarusa,  all  those  con- 
cerned with  the  rescue  of  Branson  were  requested  to  leave  Lawrence. 
This  was  done  to  show  that  the  town  had  taken  no  part  in  the  rescue.  A 
committee  of  safety  was  appointed  which  organized  the  citizens  into 
guards  of  15  or  20  men  in  a  squad.  Ijy  enrolling  them  and  taking  their 
residence,  so  that  they  could  be  called  out  at  any  moment.  In  this 
way  they  were  enabled  to  pursue  their  business  and  still  be  ready  to 
take  up  arms  at  a  signal.  The  news  of  the  threatened  invasion  and  the 
intention  to  destroy  Lawrence  spread  rapidly  through  the  territory,  with 
the  result  that  the  free-state  men  rushed  to  the  aid  of  the  besieged, 
until  there  were  probably  800  men  armed  and  equipped  for  defense  in 


856  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

the  town.  The  comniiitee  of  safety  appointed  Dr.  Charles  Robinson 
commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces,  with  Col.  J.  H.  Lane  second  in  com- 
mand. Lyman  Allen  commanded  the  Lawrence  Stubbs ;  Samuel  Walker, 
the  company  from  Bloomington ;  Maj.  Abbott,  the  Wakanisa  company; 
a  man  named  Shore,  the  Ottawa  Creek  compan}- ;  McWheeney,  the  com- 
pany from  Palmyra ;  and  the  Pottawatomie  company  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  John  Brown,  who  arrived  with  his  four  sons,  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion just  as  the  treaty  of  peace  was  about  to  be  signed.  Every  house  was 
filled  with  soldiers  and  the  free-state  hotel  was  used  as  a  barracks.  Five 
redoubts  were  built,  which  commanded  every  approach  to  the  city.  The 
largest  was  erected  on  Massachusetts  street  near  the  crossing  of  Pinck- 
ney.  It  was  circular,  made  of  hewn  timber,  against  which  an  earth  em- 
bankment was  thrown  up  about  5  feet  high  and  4  feet  wide  at  the  top, 
while  surrounding  it  was  a  deep  intrenchment.  It  was  designed  as  a 
retreat  for  the  women  and  children  in  case  of  an  attack.  The  second 
line  of  works  was  on  Massachusetts  street,  consisting  of  three  rude  forts 
in  a  line  across  Vermont,  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  streets  coin- 
ciding to  that  of  Henry  street.  The  third  was  a  circular  redoubt  built 
on  an  elevation  a  little  north  of  Henry  street  between  Massachusetts 
and  New  Hampshire  streets.  The  fourth  was  south  of  the  fort  on  Henry 
street  and  was  built  to  repulse  an  attack  from  Mount  Oread,  should  one 
be  made  from  that  direction.  The  fifth  was  on  Kentucky  street,  com- 
manding an  entrance  from  a  ravine  on  the  west.  A  cannon  which  had 
been  sent  to  Kansas  City  was  also  smuggled  into  the  besieged  town. 

The  siege  was  really  commenced  on  Saturday,  Dec.  i,  and  lasted  about 
a  week.  The  forces  on  both  s'ides  were  prepared  for  war.  The  defenders 
spent  much  time  in  drilling  and  strengthening  their  position,  while  the 
invaders  waited  the  command  of  Sheriff  Jones  to  move  upon  Lawrence. 
The  Sharp's  rifles  that  had  been  shipped  to  Lawrence  from  New  Eng- 
land became  of  immense  value  at  this  time,  as  the  fear  of  them  kept  the 
enemy  from  a  sudden  attack.  Blackmar,  in  his  Life  of  Charles  Robin- 
son, says:  "It  was  a  strange  spectacle,  almost  a  comedy  had  it  not  been 
so  near  a  tragedy,  and  in  any  case  was  certainly  a  travesty  on  free 
government,  for  the  United  States  Senator  Atchison  to  be  commanding 
this  singular  horde,  while  Gov.  Shannon  was  hurrying  other  commands 
to  the  scene  of  war.  There  was  no  excuse  for  it  all.  The  rescuers  of 
Branson  had  left  the  town,  and  there  was  not  a  day  in  which  Jones  might 
not  go  through  Lawrence  unmolested  in  doing  his  duty.  He  actually 
did  go  to  the  town  and  return  without  being  disturbed.  Gov,  Shannon 
became  alarmed  first  for  the  safety  of  the  attacking  Missourians,  and 
second  for  the  safety  of  Lawrence.  He  sent  to  Col.  Sumner,  at  Leaven- 
worth, for  United  States  troops,  but  Sumner  would  not  come  without 
orders  from  Washington." 

From  the  surrounding  towns  Lawrence  continued  to  receive  reinforce- 
ments, who  were  usualh'  surprised  to  find  that  the  inhabitants  were 
strictly  on  the  defensive  instead  of  the  aggressive  as  reported  by  the 
pro-slavery  men.     Finally  the  citizens  sent  a  delegation  to  the  governor 


KANSAS    IlISTOl-iV  'S57 

.to  acquaint  him  with  the  true  situation.  Being  incredulous,  he  was  per- 
suaded to  go  to  Lawrence  to  see  for  himself,  and  upon  his  arrival  was 
amazed  at  the  situation.  The  besiegers  and  besieged  were  brought  into 
conference  by  him.  The  governor,  Col.  Boone,  of  Westport,  Mo.,  Col. 
Kearney,  of  Independence.  Mo.,  and  Gen.  StricHer.  of  Kansas,  were 
duly  conducted  to  Lawrence  and  to  the  rooms  of  the  committee  of  safety 
in  the  Free-State  hotel.  Dr.  Robinson  and  Col.  Lane  conducted  the  nego- 
tiations on  the  part  of  the  free-state  men,  as  members  of  the  committee 
of  safety,  and  after  both  sides  of  the  question  had  been  discussed,  the 
governor  suggested  that  a  treaty  be  drawn  up  and  signed  by  the  leaders, 
which  was  done.  Blackmar,  in  his  Life  of  Charles  Robinson,  says:  "It 
was  an  excellent  way  out  of  a  dilemma,  but  here  was  another  scene  in 
the  drama  of  spectacular  government ;  the  town  of  Lawrence  in  rebellion, 
treating  with  the  Kansas  militia,  the  latter  commanded  by  officers  living 
in  Missouri." 

The  good  will  of  the  people  of  Lawrence  and  their  genuine  desire  to 
settle  the  war  was  shown  by  the  treaty.  After  it  was  signed  Robinson 
and  Lane  accompanied  the  governor  to  the  camp  of  the  militia,  where 
Gov.  Shannon  persuaded  them  to  accept  the  treaty  and  withdraw.  This 
was  not  easily  accomplished,  but  the  Missourians  finally  started  for 
home. 

Wakeeney,  the  judicial  seat  of  Trego  county,  is  an  incorporated  city 
of  the  third  class,  located  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  on  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  254  miles  west  of  Topeka.  It  has  a  handsome  .$40,000  court- 
house, 2  banks,  hotels,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Independent  and  the 
World),  tri-weekly  stages  to  Bosna  and  Banner,  telegraph  and  express 
ofifices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes. 
All  professions  and  all  lines  of  retail  trade  are  represented.  The  town 
is  situated  between  the  Saline  and  Smoky  Hill  rivers  and  is  thus  sur- 
rounded by  rich  bottom  lands.  It  is  a  shipping  point  for  live  stock, 
grain  and  dairy  products.  The  population  in  1910  was  883,  an  increase 
of  more  than  200  per  cent,  over  that  of  1900.  The  town  was  founded  in 
1878  by  James  F.  Keeney  and  Albert  E.  Warren,  who  purchased  the 
land  from  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  company.  A  station  by  the  name 
of  Trego,  one  mile  to  the  west,  was  moved  to  the  town  site  when  it 
was  located.  The  first  building  was  erected  by  Peck  &  Ellsworth  and 
used  as  a  real  estate  office.  A  stbre  was  erected  by  C.  P.  Keeney.  Dur- 
ing the  years  1878-79  there  was  a  rush  of  new  comers  to  Wakeeney. 
They  came  so  fast  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  house  them.  New 
houses  grew  up  over  night  and  all  the  contractors  had  scores  of  buildings 
promised  ahead.  The  immense  crop  of  1878  added  to  the  craze  and 
early  in  the  spring  of  1879  the  town  was  jammed  with  people.  Some 
very  fine  business  blocks  were  erected  and  fitted  up  in  metropolitan  style 
with  plate  glass  windows.  One  of  these  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Thorpe  was 
burned  down  in  Feb.,  1880.  and  the  loss  was  $40,000.  The  United  States 
land  office  which  had  been  established  here  in  Oct..  1879,  was  burned  out 
in  the  fire.     The  first  newspaper  was  the  Wakeeney  World,  established 


858  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

in  1879  by  W.  S.  Tilton.  The  poor  crops  of  1880  caused  a  reaction  and 
people  left  as  fast  as  they  had  come,  with  the  result  that  in  1882  all  that 
was  left  of  the  business  concerns  was  five  poorly  patronized  retail  stores. 
The  iii'piilafion  in  1890  was  439,  and  that  of  1900  was  394. 

Wakefield,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Clay  county,  is 
located  in  Republican  township  on  the  river  of  that  name  and  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.,  14  miles  south  of  Clay  Center,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a 
bank,  2  grain  elevators,  a  flour  mill,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Pointer), 
a  number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an 
international  money  order  postofifice  with  five  rural  routes.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  514.  It  is  the  receiving  and  shipping  point  for  a  large 
agricultural  area,  and  a  large  amount  of  grain,  produce  and  live  stock  is 
marketed  yearly  from  Wakefield.  The  town  was  founded  in  1869  by 
the  Kansas  Land  and  Emigration  company  and  named  for  Richard 
Wake,  a  leading  member  of  the  company.  The  first  house  was  built  by 
J.  S.  Dodson.  A.  Maitland  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  the  first  store 
was  opened  by  B.  Budden.  The  railroad  was  completed  past  this  point 
in  1873. 

Wakefield  Colony. — This  colony  was  composed  of  English  settlers, 
and  its  formation  and  settlement  in  Clay  county  was  due  as  much  to 
the  efforts  of  Rev.  Richard  Wake  as  to  any  other  agency.  Wake  was  an 
English  minister  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854,  and  appreciating 
the  opportunities  for  colonization  on  the  cheap  prairie  lands  of  the  West, 
succeeded  in  settling  two  English  colonies  in  the  vicinity  of  Lincoln, 
Neb.  He  became  widely  known  in  Great  Britain  through  his  advocacy 
of  the  prairie  states  as  a  field  for  immigration,  and  in  June,  1869,  he  re- 
ceived word  from  John  Wormald  and  Alexander  Maitland,  of  England, 
sa}Mng:  "Select  100,000  acres  in  Kansas  for  colony."  Consequently, 
on  July  8.  he  arrived  in  Topeka  for  that  purpose.  He  inspected  some 
lands  of  the  Santa  Fe  railroad,  but  made  no  selections  on  account  of 
the  price.  He  then  went  west  to  Junction  City  and  in  company  with 
Capt.  A.  C.  Pierce,  to  whom  he  had  a  letter  of  introduction,  drove  out  to 
view  lands  lying  between  the  Republican  river  and  Chapman  creek.  He 
reported  his  selections  to  London  and  early  in  August  a  party  consist- 
ing of  Wormald,  Maitland,  Batchelor  and  others  sailed  for  the  United 
States,  arriving  at  Junction  City  on  the  21st  of  that  month,  the  first  two 
named  gentlemen  being  authorized  and  empowered  to  purchase  the  land 
if  it  was  approved.  They  ratified  the  selections  and  steps  were  at  once 
taken  to  organize  the  colony. 

The  laftds  selected  consisted  of  32,000  acres — odd  sections  of  railroad 
lands — valued  at  $102,000,  one-fifth  of  which  was  paid  down  at  the  time 
of  purchase.  The  contracts  were  signed  by  the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad 
and  the  National  Land  company.  "On  Aug.  25,  1869,  the  founders  of 
the  colony  were  incorporated  as  the  Kansas  Town  and  Land  company, 
Richard  Wake,  president ;  John  Wormald,  secretary ;  Alexander  Mait- 
land, Col.  Loomis,  C.  Wake,  R.  H.  Drew  and  J.  D.  Bennett."  The  fol- 
lowing day,  Aug.  26,  Wakefield  was  laid  out  by  Wake,  AVormald,  Mait- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  859 

land  and  Loomis,  and  was  named  by  Col.  Loomis,  partly  in  honor  of  the 
president  of  the  company  and  partly  for  Wakefield,  Eng.,  the  former 
home  of  the  secretary. 

The  first  large  party  arrived  in  Junction  City  on  Oct.  6,  and  consisted 
of  jy  persons.  During  the  winter  following  many  others  came  from 
time  to  time,  and  another  party  arrived  the  spring  of  1870.  A  severe 
drought  afi'ected  Kansas  in  1870  and  the  new  comers  sufifered  a  failure  of 
crops.  The  founders  of  the  colony  were  blamed  and,  in  spite  of  anything 
the  Kansas  Land  and  Emigration  compan}-  could  do,  emigration  from 
that  source  was  checked.  Succeeding  years,  however,  proved  more 
fruitful. 

Among  the  organizations  in  the  colon}'  the  most  important  were  the 
Kansas  Land  and  Emigration  company,  the  Wakefield  I3ridge  and  Ferry 
company,  the  Agricultural  and  Literary  Society  and  the  Wakefield  Gen- 
eral Market  company.  A  newspaper  was  also  published  in  the  settle- 
ment, called  the  Wakefield  Herald,  the  first  issue  of  which  appeared 
early  in  1871. 

The  religious  makeup  of  the  colony  was  divided  between  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Richard  Wake;  the 
Union  church,  with  Revs.  William  Todd  and  Edward  Moore,  as  copas- 
tors ;  while  the  Congregationalists,  Episcopalians  and  Baptists  were  also 
represented.  These  colonists  sufifered  many  drawbacks,  the  greatest  of 
which  was  an  ignorance  of  the  dry  climate,  so  different  from  that  of  Eng- 
land. Economic  conditions  were  also  unfavorable.  Money  was  scarce, 
there  was  no  local  demand  for  their  products,  the  Kansas  City  market 
was  easily  overstocked,  and  the  visitation  of  grasshoppers  in  1874  and 
1875  also  added  to  their  misfortunes.  Many  of  the  colonists  were  thor- 
oughly discouraged,  and  some  sold  out  and  returned  to  England,  but  the 
greater  part  remained,  though  some  sought  other  localities. 

"The  colony  rapidly  lost  its  associative  character.  The  monthly  mar- 
ket was  early  discontinued,  and  one  by  one  the  remaining  corporations, 
including  the  Kansas  Land  and  Emigration  company,  passed  out  of  exis- 
tence." Of  the  colonists  who  remained  all  made  a  success,  and  their 
farms  are  now  in  one  of  the  finest  sections  of  the  state. 

Waldeck,  a  station  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  in 
Marion  county,  is  located  18  miles  northwest  of  Marion,  the  county 
seat,  and  about  4  miles  from  Dolespark,  McPherson  county,  from  which 
place  its  mail  is  distributed  by  rural  delivery. 

Waldo,  a  little  town  in  Russell  county,  is  located  in  the  township  of  the 
same  name  on  the  LTnion  Pacific  R.  R.,  18  miles  north  of  Russell,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Advocate),  a  bank,  a 
number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in  1910 
was  250.  It  has  a  large  tributary  agricultural  district  for  which  it  is 
the  receiving  and  shipping  point. 

Waldron,  one  of  the  incorporated  towns  of  Harper  county,  is  a  sta- 
tion on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Kansas  City,  Mexico 


860  CYCLOrEDIA    OK 

&  Orient  railroads,  and  is  located  14  miles  southwest  of  Anthony.  It 
has  a  number  of  retail  stores,  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Argus), 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postotfice.  The  popu- 
lation according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  262. 

Walker,  a  hamlet  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  in  Walker  township  on 
the  Uni(.)n  Pacific  R.  R.,  14  miles  east  of  Hays,  the  county  seal.  It  has 
a  hotel,  a  grain  elevator,  several  retail  stores,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  65. 

Walker,  Robert  James,  the  fourth  territorial  governor  of  Kansas,  was. 
born  at  Northumberland,  Pa.,  July  23,  1801,  a  son  of  Jonathan  H. 
^^'alker,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  later  a  judge  in  the  state  and  Fed- 
eral courts  in  Pennsj-lvania.  Robert  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1821,  and  the  following  year  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  Pittsburgh.  He  soon  won  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  became  active  in 
politics  as  a  Democrat,  and  was  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  Gen.  An- 
drew Jackson  for  the  presidency  in  1824.  In  1825  he  married  a  Miss 
Bache,  a  grandniece  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  about  a  year  after  his 
marriage  removed  to  Natchez,  Miss.  He  was  appointed  to  the  United 
States  senate  from  Mississippi  in  1836,  and  in  1840  was  elected  for  a  full 
term  over  S.  S.  Prentiss.  While  in  the  senate  he  introduced  the  first 
homestead  bill  and  the  bill  recognizing  the  independence  of  Texas.  In 
his  political  career  he  supported  Jackson  and  Van  B«ren,  opposed  Cal- 
houn, and  it  was  through  his  influence  that  the  Mississippi  legislature 
adopted  resolutions  denouncing  nullification  and  secession  as  treason. 
On  the  question  of  slavery  he  advocated  gradual  emancipation  and  set 
an  example  by  liberating  his  own  slaves  in  1838.  He  was  a  prominent 
factor  in  securing  the  nomination  and  election  of  Polk  in  1844,  and  on 
March  5,  1845,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  United  States  senate  to  enter 
Mr.  Polk's  cabinet  as  secretary  of  the  treasury-,  where  he  served  until 
1849.  As  secretary  of  the  treasury  he  played  an  important  part  in 
formulating  the  tariff  of  1846,  which  became  widely  known  as  the 
"Walker  tariff."  On  March  26,  1857,  he  was  appointed  governor  of  the 
Territory  of  Kansas  by  President  Buchanan.  Holloway  says :  "Gov. 
Walker  was  undoubtedly  the  greatest  and  most  distinguished  man  that 
was  ever  appointed  to  any  position  in  Kansas  by  the  general  govern- 
ment." He  resigned  the  office  of  governor  on  Dec.  15,  1857,  his  resigna- 
■^ion  having  been  forced  upon  him  because  he  showed  a  disposition  to 
accord  fair  treatment  to  the  free-state  men  in  Kansas.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Civil  war  he  took  a  firm  stand  in  favor  of  the  Union  and 
was  appointed  financial  agent  of  the  United  States  in  Europe,  where 
he  negotiated  the  sale  of  $250,000,000  of  United  States  bonds  and  pre- 
vented the  sale  of  $75,000,000  of  Confederate  bonds.  Gov.  Walker  died 
at  Washington,  D.  C.,  Nov.  11,  1869. 

Walker's  Administration. — W'hen  Mr.  Walker  was  first  tendered  the 
appointment  as  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas  by  President  Bu- 
chanan, his  first  impulse  was  to  decline.  He  was  fully  acquainted  with 
the  conditions  in  the  territory,  and  had  no  desire  to  immolate  himself 


KANSAS    HISTORY  86l 

upon  the  altar  where  Reeder  and  Geary  had  been  so  ruthlessly  sacri- 
iiced.  The  president  insisted  upon  his  acceptance,  however,  and  after 
several  discussions  as  to  the  policy  to  be  pursued,  he  consented,  with 
the  understanding  that  he  was  to  be  given  a  free  hand,  unhampered 
or  uninfluenced  by  the  acts  of  any  of  his  predecessors.  It  was  under- 
stood between  him  and  the  president  that  he  was  to  enforce  the  laws 
enacted  by  the  territorial  legislature,  using  the  military  forces  of  the 
United  States  if  necessary;  that  he  would  encourage  the  movement  then 
on  foot  to  form  a  constitution  preparatory  to  admission  as  a  state;  and 
that  he  should  guarantee  the  submission  of  such  constitution  to  a  full 
and  fair  vote  of  the  people.  Daniel  Woodson  was  removed  as  secre- 
tary of  the  territory,  and  in  his  place  the  president  appointed  Frederick 
P.  Stanton,  who  fully  understood  the  course  to  be  followed  by  Gov. 
Walker  and  himself. 

On  March  30,  1857,  four  days  after  the  appointment  of  Gov.  Walker 
had  been  officially  announced,  the  president  advised  him  that  "when  a 
constitution  shall  be  submitted  to  the  people  of  the  territory  they  must 
be  protected  in  the  exercise  of  their  right  of  voting  for  or  against  that 
instrument,  and  the  fair  expression  of  the  popular  will  must  not  be  inter- 
rupted by  fraud  or  violence." 

In  his  letter  of  acceptance  Mr.  Walker  said:  "I  contemplate  no  appeal 
to  military  power,  in  the  hope  that  my  countrymen  of  Kansas  from 
every  section  will  submit  to  a  decision  of  this  matter  bj'  a  full  and  fair 
vote  of  the  people  of  that  territory.  If  this  decision  cannot  thus  be 
made,  I  see  nothing  in  the  future  for  Kansas  but  civil  war,  extending 
its  baleful  influence  throughout  the  cotmtry,  and  subjecting  the  Union 
itself  to  imminent  hazard.  I  will  go,  then,  and  endeavor  to  adjust  these 
difficulties,  in  the  full  confidence,  so  strongly  expressed  by  you,  that  I 
will  be  sustained  by  all  your  own  high  authority,  with  the  cordial  coop- 
eration of  your  cabinet." 

Gov.  Walker  arrived  at  Leavenworth  on  May  25.  With  a  firm  reli- 
ance on  the  promises  of  the  president,  in  a  speech  at  Lawrence  on  the 
27th  he  made  the  strongest  promises  to  the  free-state  people  of  a  fair 
election  and  a  vote  on  the  Lecompton  constitution.  The  same  da}^  he 
delivered  his  inaugural  address  at  Lecompton,  in  which,  after  referring 
to  his  instructions  of  March  30,  he  said:  "I  repeat,  then,  as  my  clear 
conviction,  that  unless  the  convention  submit  the  constitution  to  the 
vote  of  all  the  actual  residents  of  Kansas,  and  the  election  be  fairly 
and  justly  conducted,  the  constitution  will  be,  and  ought  to  be,  rejected 
by  Congress." 

At  a  great  mass  meeting  at  Topeka  on  Jime  6  he  urged  the  people 
to  vote  for  or  against  the  constitution,  explaining  as  his  doctrine  that 
■"when  the  constitution  shall  be  submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  citizens  of 
Kansas,  that  it  shall  be  submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  whole  people.^' 
In  the  course  of  this  speech  he  was  frequently  interrupted  by  questions, 
and  when  he  promised  the  people  a  fair  election,  "impartially  and  fairly 
conducted  by  impartial  judges,"  some  one  in  the  audience  asked :  "Have 


862  CYCLOPEDIA    OK 

you  got  the  power?"  Gov.  Walker  promptly  answered:  "If  I  have  not 
the  power  to  bring  it  abotit;  if  the  convention  will  not  do  it,  1  will 
join  you  in  lawful  opposition  to  their  proceedings." 

The  governor  remained  in  Topeka  until  the  assembling  of  the  free- 
state  legislature  on  June  9.  No  quorum  was  present  in  the  house,  but 
on  the  iith  a  quorum  was  obtained  by  declaring  vacant  the  seats  of 
thirteen  members,  thus  reducing  the  number  of  representatives  to  twen- 
ty-five. In  his  message  Gov.  Robinson  referred  to  former  attempts  of 
the  legislature  to  convene,  when  they  had  been  dispersed  by  the  terri- 
torial authorities,  and  said :  "There  is  not  much  of  'popular  sovereignty' 
and  'self-government'  here.  This  usurpation  is  repudiated  by  the  peo- 
ple, but  it  is  recognized  by  Congress  and  the  president." 

The  legislature  adjourned  sine  die  on  the  13th.  ^^'hile  it  was  in  ses- 
sion Gov.  Walker  visited  Big  Springs  on  the  loth  and  there  made  a 
speech  in  which  he  reiterated  his  promise  of  a  fair  election  and  a  full 
vote  on  the  Lecompton  constitution.  The  main  point  that  he  tried  to 
impress  on  the  people  was  that  "they  would  be  as  much  botmd  by  the 
act  of  the  majority  of  those  who  did  vote,  as  if  all  had  participated  in 
the  election.  On  the  12th,  the  day  before  the  Topeka  legislature 
adjourned,  another  convention  was  held  in  that  town,  at  which  it  was 
decided  by  the  free-state  men  not  to  take  part  in  the  constitutional  con- 
vention movement;  the  territorial  laws  were  declared  of  no  force; 
and  Gen.  Lane  was  authorized  to  organize  the  free-state  men  into  mil- 
itary companies.  Gov.  Walker  was  present  at  the  convention,  but  made 
no  remarks  there.  However,  at  the  hotel  he  spoke  for  an  hour,  again 
urging  the  people  to  vote  and  again  promising  the  free-state  people  fair 
play  in  the  election. 

During  the  remainder  of  June,  he  traveled  over  the  territory,  and 
early  in  July  attended  the  land  sales  at  Paola.  Later  he  wrote  to  Gen. 
Cass,  Buchanan's  secretary  of  state,  as  follows:  "I  have  met  many  dis- 
tinguished Democrats  of  the  South  on  visits  to  Kansas,  ...  all  of 
whom  have  expressed  to  me,  as  well  as  on  proper  occasions  to  others, 
their  cordial  approbation  of  my  course." 

On  June  15  occurred  the  election  of  delegates  to  the  Lecompton  con- 
vention. The  free-state  men  refrained  from  going  to  the  polls,  and 
the  result  was  that  only  2,071  votes  were  polled.  Had  the  free-state 
men  voted  they  could  have  controlled  the  election,  as  the  census  in 
the  counties  where  it  was  taken  showed  9,251  voters.'  (See  Constitu- 
tional Conventions.) 

The  pro-slavery  people,  under  the  name  of  the  National  Democratic 
party,  held  a  convention  at  Lecompton  on  July  2  to  nominate  a  candi- 
date for  delegate  to  Congress.  Epaphroditus  Ransom,  an  ex-governor 
of  Michigan,  was  nominated.  A  resolution  was  introduced  pledging 
Ransom  to  support  the  constitution  in  Congress,  whether  it  had  been 
submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  or  not.  Gov.  Walker  made  a  speech 
before  the  convention  and  the  resolution  was  laid  on  the  table  b)^  a  vote 
of  42  to  I.    This  was  followed  by  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  pledging 


KANSAS    HISTORY  863 

support  to  Gov.  Walker  in  maintaining  the  laws  and  promoting  peace 
in  the  territory. 

So  far  the  policy  of  the  new  administration  had  worked  well,  and  it 
began  to  look  as  though  the  "free  hand"  of  Gov.  Walker  would  bring 
peace,  justice  and  prosperity  to  the  people  of  Kansas.  But  Gov.  Walker 
was  soon  to  learn  the  fallibility  of  promises  made  by  those  high  in 
power.  He  was  permitted  by  the  administration  at  Washington  to 
speak  in  general  terms  of  fair  elections,  but  when  he  came  to  carry  out 
his  pledges  he  found  himself  immediately  opposed  by  that  administra- 
tion. Promises  are  one  thing,  performance  is  another;  and  Gov.  Walker 
was  not  allowed  to  perform.  Connelley,  in  his  Territorial  Governors, 
says:  "In  the  light  of  later  developments,  the  president  was  insincere 
in  his  approval  of  Mr.  Walker's  policy,  or  he  was  gained  over  by  the 
rabid  members  of  his  cabinet,  who  were  never  in  favor  of  it.  In  either 
event  the  conduct  of  the  president  was  most  reprehensible." 

Early  in  July  the  people  of  Lawrence  refused  to  organize  their  city 
government  under  the  charter  granted  by  the  bogus  legislature,  and  on 
the  13th  they  held  an  independent  city  election  under  a  charter  adopted 
by  themselves.  The  next  day  Gov.  Walker  asked  Gen.  Harney,  command- 
ing the  United  States  troops  in  Kansas,  to  send  a  regiment  of  dragoons 
to  the  vicinity  of  Lawrence  "to  act  as  a  posse  comitatus  and  aid  in  the 
execution  of  the  laws."  On  the  15th  he  issued  a  proclamation  relating 
lo  the  subject. 

"I  have  learned,"  said  he  in  the  proclamation,  "that  a  considerable 
nimiber  of  the  citizens  of  Lawrence  have  adopted,  as  they  claim,  a  char- 
ter for  their  local  government.  A  copy  of  that  charter  has  been  placed 
in  my  hands ;  upon  comparing  which  with  that  granted  by  the  territorial 
legislature  last  winter,  I  find  they  differ  intentionally  in  many  essential 
particulars.  The  new  charter,  then,  is  set  up,  not' only  without  any 
authority  of  law,  but  in  direct  and  open  defiance  of  an  act  of  the  terri- 
torial legislature  on  the  same  subject." 

The  committee  which  framed  the  charter  said  in  its  report :  "Under 
ordinary  circumstances,  the  more  regular  method  of  proceeding  would 
be  to  obtain  a  charter  from  the  territorial  authorities.  As  the  territorial 
government,  however,  in  no  sense  represents  the  people  of  Kansas,  was 
not  elected  by  thein,  and  can  have  no  right  to  legislate  for  them,  we  can- 
not accept  of  a  charter  at  its  hands." 

A.fter  referring  to  this  portion  of  the  committee's  report,  the  procla- 
mation goes  on:  "Under  these  circumstances,  you  have  proceeded  to 
establish  a  government  for  the  city  of  Lawrence  in  direct  defiance  of  the 
territorial  government,  and  denying  its  existence  or  authority.  .  .  . 
Your  evident  purpose  is  thus  to  involve  the  whole  territory  in  insurrec- 
tion, and  to  renew  the  scenes  of  bloodshed  and  civil  war.  Upon  you, 
then,  mtist  rest  all  the  guilt  and  responsibility  of  this  contemplated 
revolution.  ...  If  you  are  permitted  to  proceed,  and  especially  if 
your  example  should  be  followed,  as  urged  by  you,  in  other  places,  for 
all    practical    purposes,    in    many   important    particulars,    the    territorial 


864  CVCLOl'KUIA    OF 

goveninicm  will  l>e  overllircnvn.  ...  A  government  founded  on 
insurrection  and  usurpation  will  be  substituted  for  that  established  by 
the  authoriiN  of  Congress,  and  civil  war  will  be  renewed  throughout  our 
limits.  .  .  .  You  were  distinctly  informed  in  my  inaugural  address 
of  jMav  last  that  the  validity  of  the  territorial  laws  was  acknowledged 
by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  that  they  must  and  would 
be  carried  into  execution  under  my  oath  of  office  and  the  instructions  of 
the  president  of  the  United  States.  The  same  information  was  repeated 
in  various  addresses  made  by  me  throughout  the  territory.  ...  At 
the  same  time,  every  assurance  was  given  you  that  the  right  of  the  peo- 
ple of  this  territory,  under  the  forms  prescribed  by  the  government  of 
your  country,  to  establish  their  own  state  government  and  frame  their' 
own  social  institutions  would  be  acknowledged  and  protected.  .  .  . 
.As  all  arguments  heretofore  so  often  addressed  by  me  to  you  have  failed 
as  yet  to  produce  any  effect  upon  you,  I  have  deemed  it  necessary,  for 
your  own  safety  and  that  of  this  territory,  and  to  save  you  from  the  per- 
ilous consequences  of  your  own  acts,  under  the  authority  vested  in  me 
by  the  president  of  the  United  States,  to  order  an  adequate  force  of 
troops  of  the  United  States  into  your  immediate  vicinage  to  perform 
the  painful  dutv  of  arresting  your  revolutionary  proceedings.  .  .  . 
If  you  can  be  influenced  by  no  other  motives,  the  evident  fact  that  the 
power  of  the  government  is  adequate  to  prevent  the  accomplishment 
of  your  purpose  should  induce  you  to  desist  from  these  proceedings." 

In  adopting  this  attitude  toward  the  Lawrence  city  charter  and  issu- 
ing this  proclamation,  the  governor  showed  that  he  was  as  ready  to  obey 
one  part  of  his  instructions  as  another,  and  while  he  had  promised  the 
people  fair  and  impartial  elections,  it  was  now  demonstrated  that  it  was 
his  intention  to  enforce  the  territorial  laws.  On  July  20  he  wrote  to 
Gen.  Cass  that  the  revolutionary  party  in  Lawrence  was  in  the  majority, 
and  that  2,000  troops  were  needed  there  to  prevent  the  territorial  gov- 
ernment from  being  "overthrown  or  reduced  to  a  condition  of  absolute 
imbecilit}'." 

In  the  meantime  Henry  Wilson,  United  States  senator  from  Mas- 
sachusetts, visited  Kansas  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  convince  the  free- 
state  men  that  it  was  their  duty  to  participate  in  the  elections.  He 
arrived  at  Lawrence  on  May  27,  1857,  having  come  to  the  territory  on 
the  same  steamboat  that  brought  Gov.  Walker.  It  was  then  too  late 
to  organize  for  the  election  of  delegates  to  the  Lecompton  constitutional 
convention,  but  Mr.  Wilson  called  a  conference  of  the  free-state  lead- 
ers and  urged  upon  them  the  importance  of  electing  a  majority  of  the 
members  of  the  next  territorial  legislature.  He  insisted  that  "if  Kansas 
was  made  a  free  state  they  must  do  it,  and  to  accomplish  that  end  they 
must  take  the  power  from  the  slave-state  men  by  voting  at  the  October 
election  for  a  new  legislature,  even  if  they  voted  under  protest."  Mr. 
Wilson  promised  that,  if  they  would  consent  to  this  plan,  he  would  im- 
mediately return  east  and  raise  money  to  aid  in  organizing  the  free- 
state  forces  for  the  campaign.    The  plan  was  finally  indorsed,  Mr.  Wil- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  865 

son  went  to  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  where  he  soon  raised  over 
$3,000,  and  earl_y  in  July  Thomas  J.  Marsh  arrived  in  Kansas  with  the 
money. 

Many  of  the  free-state  men  still  clung  to  the  idea  of  securing  the 
admission  of  Kansas  under  the  Topeka  constitution.  (See  Constitu- 
tions.) It  was  among  these  that  the  greatest  difficulty  was  experienced 
in  trying  to  induce  them  to  vote  at  the  October  election.  A  free-state 
convention  at  Topeka  on  July  15-16  adopted  resolutions  declaring 
unwavering  adherence  to  the  Topeka  constitution  as  embodying  the 
basis  of  the  state  government  desired  by  the  people ;  asked  Congress  to 
admit  Kansas  as  a  state  under  it ;  and  again  denied  the  validity  of  the 
territorial  legislature  and  its  laws."  A  state  central  committee  was 
elected ;  Marct:s  J.  Parrott  was  nominated  for  representative  in  Con- 
gress, and  candidates  were  named  for  all  of  the  state  offices  provided  for 
by  the  Topeka  constitution.  On  the  question  of  voting  for  members  of 
the  legislature  in  October  the  convention  took  no  further  action  than 
"to  recommend  to  the  people  of  Kansas  that  they  assemble  in  mass 
convention  at  Grasshopper  Falls  on  the  last  Wednesday  in  August,  to 
take  such  action  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  in  regard  to  that  election." 

Two  days  after  that  convention  adjourned  Gov.  Walker  received  the 
apportionment  for  members  of  the  legislature,  signed  by  Thomas  John- 
son, president  of  the  council,  and  William  J.  Mathias,  speaker  of  the 
house.  Cutler  says :  "The  preparations  thus  far  made  could  not  have 
been  better  adjusted  for  fraudulent  voting  if  they  Iiad  been  designed 
especially  for  that  purpose.  Ten  of  the  thirteen  cotmcilmen  and  twenty- 
nine  of  the  thirty-nine  representatives  were  apportioned  to  the  Missouri 
border  counties,  and  Shawnee  and  Douglas  counties  attached  to  pro- 
slavery  counties  that  might  counteract  their  heavy  free-state  vote.  The 
Lawrence  district  was  also  handicapped  by  the  addition  of  a  vast  dis- 
trict lying  west  of  Wise,  Butler  and  Hunter  counties,  sparsely  settled 
by  Indian  traders  and  isolated  families,  of  which  so  little  was  known 
that  the  returns  from  there,  however  much  they  might  be  questioned, 
could  not  be  successfully  contested." 

Under  these  circumstances  it  was  but  natural  that  many  of  the  free- 
state  men  should  entertain  serious  misgivings  as  to  the  advisability  of 
taking  part  in  the  election.  But  at  the  Grasshopper  Falls  convention 
iq.  v.),  which  met  on  Aug.  26,  it  was  decided  that  it  was  the  duty  of 
all  citizens  to  vote,  and  the  campaign  began  in  earnest.  At  the  election 
on  Oct.  s  Marcus  J.  Parrott,  who  was  nominated  by  the  Grasshopper 
Falls  convention  for  delegate  to  Congress,  defeated  Ransom,  the  pro- 
slavery  candidate,  by  a  vote  of  7,888  to  3,799,  and  the  total  vote  for 
members  of  the  legislature  was  about  1,500  greater  for  the  free-state 
candidates  than  for  their  opponents. 

Charges  of  illegal  voting  soon  became  rife.  Oxford  precinct,  John- 
son county,  in  a  district  which  elected  three  members  of  the  council 
and  eight  representatives,  returned  1,628  votes,  and  three  precincts  in 
McGee  cotmty  returned  over   1,200.     These  glaring  irregularities  gave 

(11-55^ 


866  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Gov.  Walker  an  opportunity  to  make  good  his  oft  repeated  promises  of 
a  fair  election.  Fortimately  for  the  real  citizens  of  Kansas  he  was  equal 
to  the  emergency.  On  Oct.  19  he  issued  a  proclamation  "To  the  people 
of  Kansas,"  in  which  he  said : 

•'By  the  32d  section  of  the  organic  act  establishing  this  territorial 
government,  it  is  provided,  in  reference  to  the  election  of  a  delegate  to 
Congress,  that  the  person  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  shall  be 
declared  by  the  governor  to  be  duly  elected,  and  a  certificate  thereof 
shall  be  given  accordingly.  By  the  i6th  section  of  the  act  of  the  terri- 
torial legislature  of  Kansas,  entitled  'An  act  to  regulate  elections,'  it  is 
made  the  duty  of  the  secretary  to  examine  the  returns  in  the  presence 
of  the  governor,  and  to  'give  to  the  persons  having  the  highest  number 
of  votes  in  their  respective  districts  certificates  of  their  election  to  the 
legislative  assembly.' 

"Under  these  two  provisions  of  the  laws  prevailing  in  this  territory, 
the  recent  general  election  has  presented  for  the  joint  consideration  of 
the  governor  and  secretary  a  question  of  the  gravest  importance,  not 
only  to  our  own  people,  but  also  to  those  of  the  whole  Union.  This 
question  arises  upon  the  extraordinary  returns  made  from  the  precinct 
of  Oxford,  in  the  county  of  Johnson.  What  purports  to  be  the  returns 
of  the  election  held  at  that  precinct  on  the  5th  and  6th  instants  have 
been  received  by  the  secretary,  containing  1,628  names  of  pretended 
voters,  or  nearly  one-half  the  number  given  in  the  whole  representative 
district.  ...  In  point  of  fact  it  is  well  known,  that  even  the  whole 
county  of  Johnson,  comprising,  as  it  does,  part  of  an  Indian  reserve, 
which,  upon  examination  of  the  law,  we  find  is  not  yet  subject  to  set- 
tlement or  preemption,  can  give  no  such  vote  as  that  which  is  repre- 
sented to  have  been  polled  at  this  inconsiderable  precinct  of  Oxford." 
The  governor,  in  the  course  of  his  investigation,  visited  Oxford,  which 
he  found  to  be  "a  village  of  six  houses,  including  stores,  and  without  a 
tavern."  From  the  citizens  there  he  ascertained  "that  all  together  not 
more  than  one-tenth  the  number  of  persons  represented  to  have  voted 
were  present  on  the  two  days  of  the  election,  much  the  smaller  number, 
not  more  than  30  or  40,  being  present  on  the  last  day,  when  more  than 
1,500  votes  are  represented  as  having  been  given." 

Excluding  all  unoiUcial  information,  "A  close  examination  of  the 
returns,"  says  the  governor,  "has  brought  us  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
returns  from  Oxford  precinct,  in  Johnson  county,  must  be  wholly 
rejected." 

Another  proclamation  on  the  22d  announced  the  rejection  of  the  spu- 
rious returns  from  the  three  precincts  in  McGee  county,  on  the  grounds 
that  "This  county  is  constituted  from  the  lands  of  the  Cherokee  Indi- 
ans, which  are  not  yet  open  to  preemption  or  settlement,  and  is  conse- 
quently one  of  the  most  sparsely  populated  counties  of  the  territory, 
containing  less  than  100  qualified  voters,  and  giving  last  June  but  14 
votes  for  delegates  to  the  constitutional  convention." 

The  rejection  of  the  returns  in  these  several  precincts  gave  the  legis- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  867 

lature  to  the  free-state  men,  and  the  consternation  among  the  pro-sla- 
veryites,  to  use  a  somewhat  hackneyed  phrase,  can  be  better  imagined 
than  described.  Letters,  petitions,  and  even  messengers,  were  hurried 
to  President  Buchanan,  all  demanding  the  removal  of  Gov.  Walker. 
But  the  president  was  unwilling  to  apply  such  a  radical  remedy,  prob- 
ably through  the  recognition  of  the  fact  that  his  removal  would  not 
undo  the  mischief  he  had  done.  Perhaps  the  remembrance  of  his  own 
promises  to  the  governor  at  the  beginning  of  his  administration 
restrained  him  from  now  ordering  his  removal. 

Samuel  I.  Jones,  the  former  sherifif  of  Douglas  countv,  William  Hall, 
Hiram  Bledsoe,  J.  H.  Danforth,  John  T.  Ector,  L.  S.  Boling,  A.  P. 
Walker,  William  S.  Wells,  J.  C.  Thompson,  Thomas  B.  Sykes  and  W. 
B.  Winson,  all  claiming  to  have  been  elected  members  of  the  legislature, 
applied  to  Judge  Cato,  of  the  second  judicial  district,  for  a  writ  of  man-  ' 
damns  to  compel  the  governor  and  secretary  to  issue  their  certificates  of 
election.  The  writ  was  issued  on  Oct.  23,  but  Walker  and  Stanton 
denied  the  jurisdiction,  giving  eleven  reasons  for  their  denial.  They 
closed  by  saying; 

"If  the  said  judge  should  command  them  to  issue  certificates  of  elec- 
tion, and  should  deem  it  his  duty  to  subject  them  to  imprisonment  for 
disobeying  his  order,  as  they  would  be  compelled  to  do  by  their  convic- 
tion of  its  usurpation  and  utter  nullity,  and  because  the  certificates 
before  the  date  of  said  rule  or  order  had  already  been  issued  to  other 
persons,  such  is  their  desire  to  maintain  the  peace  of  this  territory  that 
they  will  submit  individually  to  such  imprisonment,  and  if  any  tumult 
should  be  apprehended  by  said  judge  in  consequence  of  the  monstrous 
frauds  which  have  been  perpetrated  upon  the  elective  franchise  in  the 
recent  election,  the  governor  will  direct  the  regular  troops  of  the  United 
States,  now  here  and  subject  to  his  order,  to  act  as  a  'posse  comitatus' 
in  aid  of  the  sherifif  or  marshal  who  may  be  directed  by  said  judge  to 
execute  said  mandate  of  imprisonment." 

Judge  Cato,  although  usually  a  willing  tool  of  the  pro-slavery  men, 
was  not  willing  to  adopt  such  extreme  measures  as  ordering  the  gov- 
ernor and  secretary  to  prison,  and  the  proceedings  were  dropped. 
Sheriff  Jones,  one  of  the  applicants  for  the  writ  of  mandamus,  armed 
himself  and  accompanied  by  a  pro-slavery  friend  entered  Secretary  Stan- 
ton's office  and  loudly  demanded  his  certificate  of  election.  No  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  his  blustering.  Connelley  says  "A  committee  of  free- 
state  men  offered  to  hang  Jones  if  it  would  be  any  accommodation,  but 
the  secretary  declined  to  give  them  permission  to  perform  an  act  which 
'would  give  them  such  deep  gratification." 

The  Lecompton  constitutional  convention  finished  its  labors  early  in 
November.  A  few  days  before  it  adjourned  Gov.  Walker  learned  that 
a  majority  of  the  delegates  had  secretly  entered  into  a  compact  not  to 
submit  that  instrument  to  the  people,  except  in  a  modified  way.  As 
soon  as  the  governor  received  this  information  he  made  his  arrange- 
ments to  go  to  Washington  and  endeavor  to  persuade  the  president  to 


868  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

carry  mil  the  original  policy  agreed  upon  the  spring  before.  But  a 
change  had  come  over  the  spirit  of  the  i)resident's  dream.  In  his  mes- 
sage to  Congress  on  Dec.  8,  1857,  he  admitted  the  instructions  he  had 
given  to  Gov.  Walker  on  March  30,  but  took  the  position  that  the  prop- 
osition to  submit  the  constitution  in  the  manner  proposed  by  the  con- 
vention was  all  that  was  necessary.  He  devoted  a  considerable  portion 
of  his  message  to  finding  fault  with  the  free-state  men  of  Kansas  for 
not  voting  for  the  delegates  to  the  convention.  "If  any  portion  of  the 
inhabitants  shall  refuse  to  vote,"  said  he,  "a  fair  opportunity  to  do  so 
having  been  presented,  this  will  be  their  own  voluntary  act  and  they 
alone  will  be  responsible  for  the  consequences." 

Finding  that  it  was  impossible  to  carry  out  his  pledges  to  the  people 
of  Kansas,  unless  he  was  supported  by  the  president,  there  was  nothing 
left  for  the  governor  but  to  resign.  This  he  did  on  Dec.  15,  1857.  In  his 
letter  of  resignation  he  reviewed  the  promises  made  to  him  at  the  time 
of  his  appointment,  stating  that  he  did  not  desire  "to  discuss,  at  this 
time,  the  peculiar  and  unexpected  events  which  have  modified  the  opin- 
ions of  the  president  upon  a  point  so  vital  as  the  submission  of  the  con- 
stitution for  ratification  or  rejection  by  a  vote  of  the  people,  much  less 
do  I  desire  any  controversy  with  the  president  on  this  subject." 

Walkerton,  a  post  village  of  Bourbon  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Mis- 
souri, Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  7  miles  southwest  of  Fort  Scott.  The 
railroad  name  is  Ronald.  It  has  a  few  general  stores,  does  some  ship- 
ping, and  in   igio  reported  a  population  of  40. 

Wallace,  a  little  town  in  Wallace  county,  is  located  in  the  tnwnship 
of  the  same  name,  9  miles  east  of  Sharon  Springs,  the  count}'  seat.  It 
has  a  bank,  a  hotel,  a  number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  ex- 
press offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice.  The  popula- 
tion in  igio  was  175.  The  town  has  more  than  doubled  in  population 
in  the  last  ten  years  due  to  the  general  prosperity  of  the  tributary  farm- 
ing district. 

Wallace  Countj',  one  of  the  most  western  in  the  state,  is  in  the  third 
tier  south  from  Nebraska.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Sherman  coun- 
ty ;  on  the  east  by  Logan  ;  on  the  south  by  Greeley  and  Wichita,  and  on 
the  west  by  the  State  of  Colorado.  It  was  created  in  1868  and  named  in 
honor  of  Gen.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war  who  died 
from  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  Tenn.  The  count}-  first 
included  all  of  the  territory  now  comprised  within  W'allace  and  Logan 
and  the  boundaries  were  defined  by  the  legislature  as  follows:  "Com- 
mencing at  the  northwest  corner  of  Gove  county  ;  thence  west  on  the  2d 
standard  parallel  line  to  the  west  line  of  the  State  of  Kansas  :  thence 
south  on  the  w-est  line  of  the  state  to  the  3d  standard  parallel  line  ;  thence 
east  on  3d  standard  parallel  line  to  the  west  line  of  Gove  county ;  thence 
north  on  said  west  line  of  Gove  county  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

It  was  attached  to  Ellis  county  for  judicial  purposes.  The  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  was  built  through  the  county  in  1868,  which  added  to  the 
number  of  settlers.     In  the  summer  a   census  enumeration   was   made 


KANSAS    HISTORY  80y 

showing  a  population  of  609.  It  was  sworn  to  by  W.  H.  Hush,  W.  L. 
Todd  and  Richard  Blake  on  Aug.  17,  and  on  this  showing  Gov.  Samuel 
J.  Crawford,  on  the  25th  of  the  same  month,  issued  a  proclamation  or- 
ganizing the  county,  designating  Pond  City  as  the  temporary  county 
seat  and  naming  the  following  officers  :  County  clerk,  Welcome  Hughes  ; 
justice  of  the  peace,  John  \\'hiteford;  commissioners,  W.  L.  Todd,  Rich- 
ard McClure  and  Richard  Blake. 

The  county  government  thus  established  was  sustained  until  1875. 
An  election  was  held  for  county  officers  that  year  in  which  but  24  votes 
were  cast.  All  of  them  were  for  Wallace  for  county  seat.  During  the 
next  few  years  no  representative  was  sent  to  the  legislature  and  the  few 
people  remaining  in  the  count}-  expressed  a  desire  to  be  relieved  of  the 
burden  of  separate  government.  Accordingly  the  legislature  in  1879  voted 
to  dissolve  the  government,  if  the  supreme  court  should  decide  that  it 
had  been  fraudulently  organized,  as  was  claimed  by  some  of  the  citizens. 
Meantime,  in  1875,  the  boundaries  of  the  county  had  been  enlarged  by  a 
tract  52  miles  long  and  6  miles  wide  on  the  north  and  another  36  miles 
long  and  6  miles  wide  in  the  east.  In  1881  the  county  took  its  final  form, 
the  boundaries  being  redefined  as  follows :  "Commencing  at  a  point 
where  the  east  boundar}'  line  of  range  38  west  crosses  the  2d  standard 
parallel;  thence  west  along  said  2d  standard  parallel  to  the  west  line  of 
the  state ;  thence  south  along  said  west  line  of  the  state  to  the  3d  stand- 
ard parallel ;  thence  east  on  said  3d  standard  parallel  to  the  point  where 
said  3d  standard  parallel  crosses  the  east  boundary  line  of  range  No. 
38  west;  thence  north  on  said  range  line  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

It  was  attached  to  Trego  for  judicial  purposes,  but  in  1886  the  citizens 
of  Wallace  county,  wishing  to  resume  separate  government,  asked  for 
reorganization.  The  attorney-general  looked  into  the  matter  and  de- . 
cided  that  no  reorganization  was  necessar}-,  giving  it  as  his  opinion  that 
the  county  had  never  been  disorganized  by  the  supreme  court.  Ac- 
cordingly those  who  remained  of  the  county  officers  elected  in  1875  re- 
sumed their  duties  at  Wallace,  the  former  county  seat.  Those  present 
were  commissioner,  T.  F.  Hayes ;  county  clerk,  F.  L.  Amet ;  deputy  coun- 
ty clerk,  Charles  J.  Smith.  They  appointed  James  Yoxall  and  Lewis 
Winans  county  commissioners  to  fill  the  vacancies  and  voted  to  ask  the 
governor  to  appoint  Samuel  A.  Chisum  as  sheriff.  The  county  was  di- 
vided into  voting  precincts  in  preparation  for  the  fall  election.  The  ele- 
ment around  Sharon  Springs  objected  to  this,  but  a  mass  meeting  was 
held  at  Wallace  and  resolutions  adopted  that  the}-  recognized  the  county 
as  organized  and  ordered  that  the  regular  election  be  held  in  November. 
The  following  officers  were  then  elected:  County  clerk,  I.  T.  Teeters; 
treasurer,  George  W.  McEwen ;  sherift',  Samuel  Chisum;  attorney, 
Thomas  D.  Hamilton ;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  George  R.  Allaman  : 
register  of  deeds,  J.  V.  Campbell ;  superintendent  of  public  instruction, 
Parminis  Smith;  coroner,  H.  H.  Yost;  surveyor,  Thomas  L.  Bellinger; 
commissioners,  Myner  T.  Griggs,  Thomas  Madigan  and  James  Yoxall. 

The  Sharon  Springs  faction  took  the  matter  to  the  supreme  court  and 


870  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

in  Jan.,  1887,  it  handed  down  a  decision  that  the  count)'  was  not  organ- 
ized and  that  the  officers  were  not  legally  elected.  This  was  startling 
news  to  a  number  of  couples  who  had  been  married  by  the  probate  judge, 
and  who  now  feared  that  their  marriages  were  not  legal.  The  county 
government  was  set  aside  and  Wallace  again  became  attached  to  Trego 
county  for  judicial  purposes. 

In  the  fall  of  1888  C.  L.  Vanderpool  was  appointed  census  taker.  His 
report  showed  a  population  of  2,357,  of  whom  692  were  householders. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was  $327,618,  of  which  $140,812  was 
real  estate.  In  his  proclamation  issued  Jan.  5,  1889,  Gov.  Martin  named 
Sharon  Springs  as  the  temporary  county  seat  and  appointed  as  county 
clerk,  Samuel  L.  Kay ;  sheriff,  James  Yoxall ;  commissioners,  O.  R. 
Brown,  John  W.  Gessell  and  Myner  T.  Griggs.  The  commissioners  met 
and  divided  the  county  into  voting  precincts.  A  bill  was  passed  by  the 
legislature  granting  to  the  commissioners  the  power  to  retain  Sharon 
Springs  as  the  county  seat  without  an  election  for  five  years.  This  un- 
usual proceeding  caused  great  dissatisfaction  in  some  parts  of  the 
county  especially  in  Wallace,  and  the  feeling  ran  very  high  between  the 
two  factions.  At  the  special  election,  held  on  April  15,  1889,  the  Wallace 
faction  voted  for  their  own  town  which  received  330  votes  out  of  606 
which  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have  made  it  the  county  seat.  The 
Sharon  Springs  supporters  did  not  vote  on  the  county  seat  matter  and 
would  not  recognize  the  question  as  being  before  the  people.  The  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected:  clerk,  Edwin  H.  Soule;  treasurer,  John 
Zencker;  probate  judge,  John  M.  Ewell ;  sheriff,  Fred  P.  Manzer;  attor- 
ney, Joseph  M.  Sanders;  district  clerk,  John  F.  Stevens;  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  James  M.  Robinson ;  surveyor,  Thomas  L.  Del- 
linger  ;  commissioners,  Eden  Lewis,  George  Robinson  and  James  Yake. 

The  clerk,  sheriff  and  district  clerk  being  of  the  Wallace  faction  moved 
their  offices  to  that  town  while  the  other  officers  remained  in  Sharon 
Springs.  The  sheriff  called  a  special  election  for  Sept.  18  to  select  a 
county  seat.  Wallace  received  343  votes  which  would  have  made  that 
town  county  seat  under  ordinary  circumstances.  The  Sharon  Springs 
faction  did  not  vote.  The  supreme  court  decided  that  the  county  seat 
was  at  Sharon  Springs  and  refused  a  rehearing  of  the  case.  A  court- 
house was  built  at  that  place  and  the  county  clerk  was  compelled  to 
remove  there  with  the  records. 

The  population  of  the  county  in  1S84  was  500;  in  1890  it  was  2,468; 
during  the  next  decade  there  was  a  decrease  to  1,178;  but  in  the  next 
ten  years  the  population  more  than  doubled,  the  1910  census  showing 
2,759.  Wallace  county  is  divided  into  7  townships,  viz :  Harrison,.  Mor- 
ton, North.  Sharon  Springs,  Stockholm,  Wallace  and  Weskan.  The 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.  enters  on  the  east  line,  crosses  southwest  to  Sharon 
Springs,  thence  west  into  Colorado.  Magnesian  limestone,  native  lime 
and  gypsum  are  common. 

The  general  surface  is  undulating  with  rough  lands  along  the  streams. 
Timber  is  scarce.     Bottom  lands  average  from  one-fourth  mile  to  one 


KANSAS    HISTORY  87I 

mile  in  width.    The  Smoky  Hill  river,  which  enters  across  the  west  line 

from    Colorado,    and    its   numerous    branches   form    the    water    system. 

The  value  of  farm  products  was  $384,671   in   1910,  corn,  the  leading 

crop,   being   worth   $55,206.     The   assessed   valuation   of   property   was 

$5,240,975- 

Wall  Street,  a  hamlet  of  Linn  county,  is  situated  in  the  central  por- 
tion, about  8  miles  northwest  of  Mound  City,  the  county  seat,  from 
which  it  has  rural  free  delivery. 

Wallula,  a  small  village  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  Wyandotte 
county,  is  located  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  17  miles  northwest  of 
•Kansas  City.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  telegraph  station.  In 
1910  the  population  was  15. 

Walnut,  an  incorporated  city  in  Crawford  county,  is  located  on  Little 
Walnut  creek,  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and 
Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroads,  15  miles  northwest  of  Girard.  the 
county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  an  opera  house,  a  flour  mill,  grain  elevators 
2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Eagle  and  the  Advance),  2  hotels,  a  washing- 
machine  factory,  which  is  also  a  sawmill  and  a  manufactory  for  screen 
doors,  a  feed  mill,  a  large  number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and 
express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  five 
rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was  639.  The  town  was  founded 
in  1871  by  a  town  company.  A  postoffice  had  been  established  the  year 
before,  with  Thomas  Jones  as  the  first  postmaster.  Very  little  progress 
was  made  during  the  first  years  on  account  of  a  dispute  between  the 
people  and  the  railroad  over  the  title  to  the  lands.  Prior  to  1877  the 
town  was  known  as  Glenwood,  but  the  name  was  changed  by  the  act  of 
March  3,  1877,  to  correspond  to  the  name  of  the  postoffice.  Tl'e  first 
neAvspaper,  the  Walnut  Journal,  was  established  in  1S81. 

Walnut  River,  a  stream  of  southeastern  Kansas,  has  its  source  in  iwo 
forks  which  rise  in  the  northern  part  of  Butler  county.  Cole  and  Dure- 
chon  creeks  unite  at  a  point  about  a  mile  southwest  of  the  village  of 
Chelsea  and  form  the  Walnut  river  proper,  which  flows  in  a  southwest 
direction  past  the  city  of  Eldorado.  From  here  the  river  flows  south- 
west past  the  town  of  Augusta,  again  making  a  turn  almost  due  south 
and  emptying  into  the  Arkansas  river  south  of  Arkansas  City  in  Cowle)' 
county.  The  river  has  a  number  of  small  tributaries,  the  most  prominent 
of  which  are  the  Whitewater  on  the  west  and  the  Little  Walnut  and 
Rock  creeks  on  the  east.    The  stream  is  approximately  70  miles  in  length. 

Walsburg,  a  station  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Riley  county,  is 
located  about  18  miles  northwest  of  Manhattan,  the  county  seat.  It  has 
a  money  order  postoffice  and  a  local  retail  trade.  The  population  in 
1910  was  50. 

Walsh,  Hugh  Sleight,  secretary  and  acting  governor  of  the  Territory 
of  Kansas,  was  a  native  of  the  Empire  State,  having  been  born  at  New 
Windsor.  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  about  1810.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  state,  then  went  to  Alabama,  and  came  to  Kansas  in  1857.  He 
served  as  private  secretary  to  Govs.  Stanton  and  Denver,  and  in  the 


872  (.  VLLUl'bUiA    OF 

spring  of  1858  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  territory,  entering  upon  the 
duties  of  that  office  on  May  12.  •  When  Gov.  Denver  resigned  in  the 
following  October,  Mr.  Walsh  served  as  governor  until  the  arrival  of 
Gov.  Medary  in  December.  Connelley  says :  "He  endeavored  to  per- 
form his  duties  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  the  administration  at  Wash- 
ington, and  seems  to  have  cared  little  for  the  good  opinion  of  the  people 
of  Kansas."  He  was  particularly  active  in  aiding  the  border  ruffians  in 
their  efforts  to  suppress  Capt.  James  Montgomery  (q.  v.)  and  his  com- 
pany in  southeastern  Kansas.  In  June,  i860,  he  retired  from  the  secre- 
tary's office  and  engaged  in  farming  near  Grantville,  Jefferson  county, 
Kan.,  where  he  lived  with  his  son  De  Witt  until  his  death  on  April  23, 
1877.  Mr.  Walsh  took  a  keen  interest  in  state  politics,  and  while  posi- 
tive in  his  opinion  and  always  read)^  to  defend  his  views  he  was  never 
abusive  toward  his  political  opponents,  among  whom  he  had  many  warm 
personal  friends. 

Walsh's  Administration. — As  stated  in  the  preceding  article.  Mr. 
Walsh  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  territory  in  the  spring  of  1858,  and 
entered  upon  his  duties  as  such  on  May  12.  On  July  3  Gov.  Denver 
left  Kansas  for  W'ashington,  leaving  Mi".  Walsh  as  acting  governor  until 
the  30th  of  the  same  month.  But  little  of  moment  occurred  during  that 
period,  and  aside  from  issuing  a  number  of  commissions  to  county  and 
township  officers  he  had  but  slight  opportunity  to  display  his  executive 
ability. 

On  Oct.  10,  1858,  when  Gov.  Denver  resigned,  Mr.  Walsh  again 
became  acting  governor  and  served  until  the  arrival  of  Gov.  Medary  on 
Dec.  18.  Probably  the  most  significant  occurrence  in  this  second  period 
of  his  administration  was  the  Democratic  territorial  convention  at 
Leavenworth  on  Nov.  23.  This  convention  adopted  resolutions  declar- 
ing "the  causes  which  have  hitherto  divided  and  estranged  the  people  of 
Kansas  no  longer  exist ;"  urging  upon  Congress  "the  justice  and  propri- 
ety of  selling  a  quarter-section  of  land  to  every  actual  settler  who  shall 
remain  upon  and  cultivate  the  land  for  three  consecutive  years ;''  favor- 
ing legislation  to  encourage  the  establishment  of  free  schools,  and 
demanding  of  the  legislature  "the  immediate  revision  of  the  present 
representative  appointment,  so  that  the  people  may  be  fully  and  fairly 
represented  in  that  body." 

During  the  fall  of  1858  the  free-state  men  under  Montgomery  and 
John  Brown  continued  to  "regulate"  affairs  in  southeastern  Kansas, 
particularly  in  Linn  and  Bourbon  counties.  (See  Denver's  Administra- 
tion.) On  Nov.  19  Walsh  wrote  to  Gen.  Cass,  Buchanan's  secretary  of 
state,  suggesting  a  reward  of  $300  for  Montgomery  and  $500  for  John 
Brown,  and  expressing  the  opinion  that  this  would  "break  up  their 
organization  or  drive  them  from  the  territory."  The  reward  was  not 
offered  at  that  time,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  November  the  governor's 
office  was  almost  deluged  with  correspondence  relating  to  the  unset- 
tled conditions  and  outrages  committed  in  the  stricken  district.  Among 
those  who  wrote  to  the  governor  were  C.  M.  Daniels,  sheriff  of  Linn 


KANSAS    HISTORY  873. 

county;  R.  B.  Mitchell,  a  member  of  the  legislature;  Joseph  Williams, 
associate  justice  in  the  3d  judicial  district;  and  J.  E.  Jones,  editor  of  the 
Fort  Scott  Democrat.  To  show  the  administration  at  Washington  the 
condition  of  affairs  in  Kansas,  Mr.  Walsh,  on  Dec.  9,  sent  copies  of 
several  of  these  letters,  with  some  of  his  replies,  to  Gen.  Cass. 

From  his  letter  it  would  appear  that  he  had  changed  his  opinion  con- 
cerning the  offering  of  a  reward  for  the  apprehension  of  Montgomery, 
as  he  says:  "I  have  had  a  proposition  from  one  of  Marshal  Fain's 
deputies  to  take  Montgomery,  but  without  a  prison  to  keep  him  in,  it 
would  be  useless,  in  case  he  should  be  unable  to  give  bail — and  if  he 
could  give  the  required  bail  he  would  be  at  the  same  kind  of  work  the 
next  day." 

At  that  time  the  arrival  of  Gov.  Medary  was  daily  expected,  and  with 
regard  to  the  deputy  marshal's  proposition  Mr.  Walsh  said:  "I  shall 
wait  for  Gov.  Medary's  arrival,  and  let  him  lay  his  plans  before  the 
governor,  with  the  hope  that  he  may  have  the  means  to  renumerate  him 
for  so  hazardous  an  enterprise,"  etc. 

From  Aug.  i  to  Sept.  15,  1859,  during  a  temporary  absence  of  Gov. 
Medary  from  the  territory,  Mr.  Walsh  was  for  a  third  time  called  upon 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  governor.  The  most  important  events  during 
this  time  were  probably  the  political  conventions  to  nominate  candi- 
dates for  delegates  to  Congress.  On  Aug.  3  the  Republicans  met  at 
Lawrence  and  renominated  Marcus  J.  Parrott  for  another  term,  and  on 
the  T7th  the  Democrats  met  at  Topeka  and  nominated  Saunders  W. 
Johnston,  one  of  the  early  territorial  judges.  On  Sept.  12  James  M. 
W^inchell  and  John  A.  Martin,  who  had  respectively  served  as  president 
and  secretary  of  the  Wyandotte  constitutional  convention,  issued  a 
proclamation  calling  an  election  for  Oct.  4,  when  the  people  would  vote 
for  or  against  that  constitution.  Before  the  day  of  the  election  arrived 
Gov.  Medary  returned  and  assumed  the  functions  of  the  executive  office. 

William  G.  Mathias,  a  member  of  the  legislature,  wrote  to  President 
Buchanan  on  March  3,  i860,  inclosing  a  petition  from  the  Democratic 
members  of  that  body,  complaining  of  Mr.  Walsh's  official  conduct.  In 
his  letter  Mr.  Mathias  said:  "For  some  time  past  there  seems  to  be  an 
"irrepressible  conflict'  going  on  between  Gov.  Medary  and  Sec.  Walsh,  to 
the  detriment  of  our  party  organization,  and  when  the  late  legislature 
met  it  was  apparent,  but  the  Democratic  members. refrained  from  taking 
sides.  At  the  close  of  the  session,  however,  Mr.  W'alsh  acted  in  bad 
faith  (as  we  think)  toward  our  party,  and  we  therefore  resolved  to 
address  you  in  the  accompanying  letter ;  and  we  now  request  a  removal 
of  Mr.  Walsh.  Our  reasons  are  as  follows:  When  the  session  before 
the  last  fiSsg)  adjourned,  Mr.  Walsh  stated  that  he  had  no  money  to 
pay  off  the  members,  but  they  were  told  to  call  on  a  certain  banker  in 
Lawrence,  K.  T.,  (Mr.  Babcock)  and  that  he  (Babcock)  would  pay 
them;  but  when  they  did  so  a  discount  of  five  per  cent,  was  demanded, 
which  was  properly  refused. 

"At  the  close  of  the  late  session,  at  which  those  whom  I  now  repre- 


874  '  VI  I.Dl'KUIA    UK 

sent  and  myself  were  members,  we  were  told  by  Mr.  Walsh  that  he  had 
no  money,  but  if  we  would  call  on  Mr.  Babcock,  the  banker,  he  (Bab- 
cock)  would  take  an  order  drawn  on  him  (Walsh)  and  he  (Walsh) 
would  accept  the  same.  We  called  as  requested,  and  Mr.  Babcock  again 
demanded  five  per  cent,  discount  for  currency,  which  we  promptly 
refused.  .  .  These  facts  alone  have  tended  to  a  considerable  degree 
to  depreciate  the  administration  in  Kansas  Territory,  and  unless  he 
(Walsh)  is  removed  we  fear  further  harm  to  our  already  crippled  party." 

George  M.  Beebe.  a  member  of  the  legislature,  was  recommended  by 
Mr.  Mathias  and  the  petitioners  as  a  suitable  person  to  succeed  Mr. 
Walsh,  and  this  recommendation  was  indorsed  by  Gov.  Medary.  On 
April  21  a  remonstrance  against  the  removal  of  Mr.  Walsh  was  sent  to 
President  Buchanan.  It  was  signed  by  John  Martin;  E.  B.  Smith, 
clerk  of  the  Shawnee  county  district  court ;  C.  C.  Kellum,  postmaster  at 
"Topeka;  James  Gordon,  postmaster  at  Tecumseh ;  and  Cyrus  K.  Ilolli- 
day.  This  remonstrance  was  presented  to  the  president  by  Mr.  Filz- 
patrick  of  Alabama,  and  was  indorsed  by  Albert  G.  Brown,  one  of  the 
senators  from  Mississippi,  who  suggested  to  the  president  that  it  would 
be  well  to  examine  the  inclosed  papers  before  final  action  was  taken  on 
the  question  of  Beebe's  nomination.  Mr.  Beebe  was  appointed,  how- 
ever, on  May  i,  and  on  the  17th  Walsh  wrote  to  Senator  Brown,  inclos- 
ing a  statement  of  his  account  with  the  government  and  charging  Gov. 
Medary  with  being  a  "Douglas  man."  At  that  time  he  was  acting  gov- 
ernor of  the  territory,  having  assumed  the  duties  of  the  ofifice  on  April  15. 

On  June  14,  still  acting  as  governor,  Walsh  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Gen. 
Cass  explaining  the  situation  in  Kansas  and  the  causes  of  the  strained 
relations  between  him  and  the  governor.  "It  is  now  nearly  two  months," 
said  he,  "since  I  became  aware  that  Gov.  Medary,  working  through  other 
parties,  was  endeavoring  to  effect  my  removal  from  office. .  As  no 
charges  have  been  made  officially  known  to  which  I  could  make  answer, 
I  have  been  left  to  conjecture  the  ground  on  which  my  removal  was 
asked." 

The  writer  then  goes  on  to  account  for  his  failure  to  pay  the  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature,  and  says  he  informed  the  comptroller  on  the  day 
of  the  adjournment  that  the  funds  for  that  purpose  had  not  yet  arrived. 
After  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  his  relations  with  Govs.  Stanton, 
Walker  and  Denver  had  always  been  pleasant,  he  added :  "It  was  left 
for  Gov.  Medary  to  ascertain  and  make  the  charge  of  incompatibility  of 
temper  which  renders  it  necessary  for  himself  or  me  to  get  out  of  office." 

Mr.  ^^^alsh  then  charges  the  governor  with  having  issued  bonds  con- 
trary to  law  upon  warrants  issued  by  H.  J.  Strickler,  territorial  auditor, 
and  expresses  the  opinion  that  the  governor  "committed  a  grave  error, 
if  not  wprse,  in  signing,  sealing  and  approving  certain  territorial  bonds 
contrary  to  law,  and  against  the  advice  of  good  legal  authority  and  my 
earnest  protestation." 

But  Mr.  Walsh's  greatest  anxiety  seems  to  have  been  for  the  welfare 
of  the  party.     "If  my  past   action   as   a   Democrat   and  conduct  as   an 


KANSAS    HISTORY  875 

officer,"  said  he,  "cannot  save  me  from  humiliation  for  the  gratification 
of  Gov.  Medar}'  without  an  exposure  of  these  transactions,  I  trust  the 
knowledge  now  imparted  of  the  motive  which  impels  his  action  is  cer- 
tainly deserving  of  some  consideration,  and  its  effects  upon  the  party 
obviated,  by  at  least  not  removing  an  officer  who  has  done  his  whole 
duty  as  far  as  opportunity  applied,  and  endeavored  to  prevent  the 
violation  of  law  and  the  disgrace  of  the  party  and  the  administration  by 
others." 

Two  days  after  this  letter  was  written  Mr.  Walsh  decided  it  was  use- 
less to  make  any  further  eflforts  to  retain  his  position,  and  retired  from 
the  office,  thus  bringing  his  administration  abruptly  to  an  end. 

Walton,  one  of  the  thriving  little  cities  of  the  third  class  in  Harvey 
county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  7  miles 
northeast  of  Newton,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  the  leading  denom- 
inations of  churches,  good  g;raded  schools,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  has  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population 
according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  357.  Walton  was  laid  out  in  1871 
by  William  Mathews,  who  erected  the  first  building  and  used  it  for  a 
dwelling':  The  first  store  was  opened  by  B.  C.  Johnson.  The  third 
building  was  the  railroad  section  house.  A  school  house  was  built  in 
1871  from  a  subscription  fund  raised  for  religious  and  educational  pur- 
poses, and  Mrs.  M.  J.  Sharron  was  the  first  teacher.  The  postoffice  was 
established  the  same  year  with  Mrs.  E.  Peck  as  postmistress.  On  ac- 
count of  some  difficulty  over  the  title  to  the  lands,  the  growth  of  the 
town  was  retarded  until  1876. 

Wamego,  the  largest  town  in  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  in 
Wamego  township  on  the  main  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  and  the 
Kansas  river,  about  15  miles  south  of  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat. 
It  is  an  important  shipping  center,  has  grain  elevators,  2  barrel  factories, 
a  flour  mill,  a  national  and  2  state  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers,  an  inter- 
national money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural  routes,  express  and  tele- 
graph offices,  etc.    The  population  in  1910  was  1.714. 

The  town  was  platted  in  1866  by  Hugh  S.  Walsh,  agent  for  the  Wa- 
mego Town  company.  Additions  were  made  in  1870  by  A.  M.  Read. 
Antoine  Ulrich  and  S.  Finney.  Being  at  the  end  of  the  first  division  of 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  the  shops  and  round  house  were  located  there, 
in  which  quite  a  number  of  men  were  employed,  which  helped  the 
growth  of  the  town.  As  early  as  1872  a  two-story  stone  school  house 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $12,000.  A  bridge  was  built  over  the  Kansas 
river  by  issuing  bonds,  the  greater  part  of  the  expense  being  borne  by 
the  citizens  of  Wamegb.  This  caused  the  products  of  Wabaunsee  county 
to  be  marketed  by  way  of  Wamego. 

Wanamaker,  a  hamlet  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  5  miles  west  of 
Topeka,  the  county  seat,  state  capital  and  the  postoffice  from  which  it 
receives  mail.    The  population  in  1910  was  17. 

War  of  1861-65. — In  proportion  to  population,  Kansas  furnished  more 
troops  to  the  Union  army  during  the  great  Civil  war  than  any  other 


876  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

loyal  state.  This  is  not  surprising  when  the  character  of  the  men  who 
made  the  state  is  considered.  Most  of  the  pioneers  were  nurtured  in  an 
atmosphere  opposed  to  slavery,  ^\'hen  they  established  their  homes  in 
the  Territory  of  Kansas  they  were  compelled  to  undergo  a  long  struggle 
with  the  slave  power,  and  when  the  slave  states  attempted  to  secede 
from  the  Union  the  men  of  Kansas  felt  they  had  an  old  score  to  settle — 
an  old  wrong  to  avenge.  Under  all  calls  for  volunteers  from  April  15, 
1861,  to  Dec.  19,  1864,  the  quota  of  Kansas  was  16,654  men,  while  she 
furnished  20,007.  These  volunteers  were  divided  into  seven  regiments 
of  infantry,  nine  of  cavalry,  and  three  batteries  of  light  artillery.  In 
addition  to  these  organizations  there  were  two  regiments  of  colored 
infantry  and  an  independent  colored  battery  accredited  to  the  state. 

The  first  infantry  was  organized  under  the  call  of  President  Lincoln 
dated  May  8,  1861,  and  was  mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service  at  I^eaven- 
worth  on  June  3,  with  the  following  officers;  Col.  George  W.  Deitzler ; 
lieut.-col.,  Oscar  E.  Learnard  ;  major,  John  A.  Halderman.  Soon  after 
the  muster  it  was  ordered  to  Missouri,  marched  tlirough  Booneville, 
Springfield  and  Clinton,  and  joined  Gen.  Lyon's  forces  at  Grand  river. 
It  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Wilson's  creek,  Aug.  10,  1861,  where  it  lost  in 
killed  and  wounded  over  half  the  number  of  men  actually  engaged,  win- 
ning the  commendation  of  the  Union  commanders.  The  regiment  was 
then  employed  until  the  following  October  in  guarding  the  lines  of  the 
Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads.  In  Feb.,  1862 
it  was  ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  the  men  received  a  ten  day's 
furlough,  and  early  in  May  was  ordered  to  join  the  army  at  Pittsburg 
Landing,  Tenn.  During  the  summer  it  was  engaged  in  opening  and 
guarding  the  Mobile  &  Ohio  railroad,  and  in  October  moved  to  Corinth. 
Miss.,  where  it  was  assigned  to  the  advance  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating 
Confederates.  On  Feb.  i,  1863,  it  was  mounted  by  order  of  Gen.  Grant, 
and  then  employed  in  the  vicinity  of  Vicksburg,  guarding  roads,  etc. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  June  17,  1864, 
except  the  reenlisted  men,  who  had  been  organized  into  a  veteran  bat- 
talion at  Bovina,  Miss.,  May  28,  1864.  This  battalion  was  mustered  out 
at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Aug.  30,  1865.  While  in  the  service  the  First 
Kansas  traveled  over  6,000  miles  and  participated  in  30  engagements. 
The  casualties  of  the  regiment  amounted  to  97  killed,  34  died  of  wounds, 
94  died  of  disease,  and  210  were  discharged  for  disability. 

The  Second  infantry  was  a  three  months'  regiment  organized  under  the 
call  of  April  15,  1861,  for  75,000  men.  It  was  mustered  in  at  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  June  20,  1861,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Leavenworth  on  the 
last  day  of  the  following  October.  Of  this  regiment  Robert  B.  Mitchell 
was  colonel ;  Charles  W.  Blair,  lieutenant-colonel ;  William  F.  Cloud, 
major.  Immediately  after  the  muster  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Mis- 
souri and  joined  Sturgis"  brigade  at  Clinton.  Early  in  July  it  joined  the 
First  Kansas  and  the  two  regiments  were  formed  into  a  brigade  under 
command  of  Col.  Deitzler.  Subsequently  it  joined  Gen.  Lyon's  forces 
and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Wilson's  creek.     It  participated  also  in 


KANSAS    HISTORY  •        877 

engagements  at  Forsythe,  Dug  Springs,  Paris,  Shelbina  and  latan,  all 
in  Missouri.  The  casualties  were  5  killed ;  8  died  of  wounds ;  i  missing, 
2  died  of  disease,  and  7  discharged  for  disability. 

The  Second  cavalry  was  the  outgrowth  of  several  companies  that 
were  organized  in  Wyandotte  and  adjoining  counties  late  in  the  year 
1861.  These  companies  were  consolidated  with  Nugent's  Missouri  home 
guards,  and  on  March  27,  1862,  the  regiment  was  organized  as  the  Sec- 
ond Kansas  calvarj',  with  Robert  B.  Mitchell  as  colonel;  Owen  A.  Bas- 
sett,  lieutenant-colonel ;  Charles  W.  Blair,  major.  The  main  portion  of 
the  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  April  21,  1865,  and 
the  veteran  battalion  at  Fort  Gibson,  Ind.  Ter.,  June  22,  1865.  Its  first 
service  was  in  the  Indian  Territory.  In  August  it  was  ordered  back  to 
Fort  Scott,  Kan.,  where  it  received  orders  to  assist  in  the  pursuit  of  Col. 
CofTey's  command.  At  Coon  creek,  Mo.,  Aug.  23,  the  regiment  encoun- 
tered some  of  Shelby's  men  and  a  sharp  skirmish  ensued.  Later  it  was 
engaged  at  Newtonia,  Marysville,  and  some  minor  actions,  and  at  old 
Fort  Wayne  a  portion  of  the  regiment  made  a  brilliant  charge,  captur- 
ing four  pieces  of  artillery.  After  that  most  of  the  service  was  along 
the  border  until  the  winter  of  1863-64,  when  it  moved  into  Missouri  and 
Arkansas.  It  formed  part  of  Gen.  Steele's  expedition  to  Little  Rock, 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Cane  Hill,  Prairie  Grove  and  Cabin  creek, 
and  won  a  reputation  for  valor,  skill  in  scouting,  etc.  While  in  the 
service  the  Second  cavalry  lost  51  killed,  13  died  of  wounds,  8  were 
reported  missing,  94  died  of  disease,  and  91  were  discharged  on  account 
of  disabilit}'. 

Two  regiments  designated  as  the  Third  and  Fourth  were  projected  in 
the  fall  of  1861,  but  they  were  consolidated  as  the  Tenth  infantry  (q.  v.) 
in  the  spring  of  1862. 

The  organization  of  the  Fifth  cavalry  was  commenced  in  the  summer 
of  1861.  Its  active  service  began  in  July,  when  Companies  A  and  F  left 
Fort  Leavenworth  for  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  a  few  days  later  joined  Col. 
Weer's  expedition  to  Harrisonville,  where  Company  F  lost  one  man 
killed.  Hampton  P.  Johnson,  who  had  been  selected  for  the  colonel  of 
the  Fifth,  was  killed  at  Morristown,  Mo.,  Sept.  16,  1861,  though  the 
adjutant-general's  report  gives  his  name  as  colonel  when  the  regiment 
was  mustered  in  at  Barnesville,  Bourbon  county,  Dec.  31,  1861.  Powell 
Clayton  was  the  lieutenant-colonel  and  James  H.  Summers  was  major, 
Early  in  1862  the  regiment  was  reorganized  and  on  March  7  Lieut. -Col. 
Clayton  was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy.  Some  time  was  spent  in  drill- 
ing while  in  camp  at  Fort  Scott,  and  in  May  Col.  Clayton  led  an  expedi- 
tion to  destroy  forage  and  other  supplies  south  and  west  of  Helena,  Ark. 
The  Fifth  participated  in  the  battle  of  Helena  and  a  number  of  other 
engagements,  and  was  engaged  in  the  military  operations  around  Pine 
Bluflf.  Lieut.  Young  of  Company  L,  and  Lieut.  Greathouse  of  the  First 
Indiana,  were  sent  with  lOo  picked  men  to  destroy  the  bridge  at  Long 
View,  40  miles  below  Camden,  and  they  performed  the  duty  in  such  a 
way  as  to  win  the  praise  of  their  superior  ofificers.     After  the  battle  of 


878  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Camden  the  greater  portion  of  tlie  duty  of  the  regiment  consisted  of 
scouting,  picketing  roads,  guarding  railroad  lines,  etc.  A  portion  of  the 
Fifth  was  mustered  out  at  Leavenworth  on  Dec.  2,  1864,  and  the  veterans 
were  mustered  out  at  Devall's  Bluff,  Ark.,  June  22,  1865.  The  casualties 
of  the  regiment  were  41  killed,  12  died  of  wounds,  221  died  of  disease, 
and  114  were  discharged  for  disability. 

Under  authority  from  Gen.  Nathaniel  Lyon,  the  work  of  organizing 
three  companies  of  cavalry  to  guard  the  Kansas  border  was  commenced. 
It  was  soon  discovered  that  three  companies  would  not  be  sufficient  and 
eight  were  organized  and  formed  into  a  regiment,  which  was  mustered 
into  the  U.  S.  service  as  the  Sixth  Kansas  cavalry  on  Sept.  10,  1861,  at 
Fort  Scott.  Of  this  regiment  William  R.  Judson  was  colonel ;  Lewis  R. 
Jewell,  lieutenant-colonel;  and  William  T.  Campbell,  major.  For  sev- 
eral months  after  its  organization  the  Sixth  was  kept  busy  running 
down  and  disbanding  guerrilla  bands  along  the  border,  taking  part  in  the 
actions  at  Newtonia  and  old  Fort  Wayne.  In  Dec,  1862,  it  was  raised 
to  a  full  cavalry  regiment,  after  which  it  was  employed  in  Arkansas  and 
the  Indian  Territory  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  it  was  in  service. 
Part  of  the  Sixth  was  with  Col.  Doubleday's  expedition  into  the  Indian 
country,  and  the  entire  regiment  was  with  Col.  Weer's  expedition  into 
the  Cherokee  nation.  The  last  service  of  the  regiment  was  in  Arkansas. 
A  portion  of  it  was  mustered  out  on  March  22,  1865,  at  Devall's  Bluff, 
Ark.,  and  the  remainder  of  it  at  the  same  place  on  the  i8th  of  the  follow- 
ing July.  The  regiment  lost  76  killed,  19  died  of  wounds,  5  were  reported 
missing,  123  died  of  disease,  and  118  were  discharged  for  disability.  In 
the  adjutant-general's  report,  the  historical  sketch  of  this  regiment  says: 
"Kansas  lost  a  greater  number  of  men  killed  in  action  and  died  of 
wounds,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  troops  furnished,  than  any  other 
loyal  state — the  per  cent,  being  over  61  per  1,000 — whilst  the  Sixth  lost 
a  greater  number  than  any  other  cavalry  regiment  of  Kansas  troops,  its 
loss  being  nearly  80  per  1,000  of  the  whole  number  enlisted." 

The  Seventh  cavalry  was  mustered  in  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  Oct. 
28,  1861,  with  Charles  R.  Jennison  as  colonel;  Daniel  R.  Anthony,  lieu- 
tenant-colonel ;  and  Thomas  P.  Herrick,  major.  While  all  the  Kansas 
troops  were  sometimes  called  "Jayhawkers,"  the  name  was  especially 
applied  to  this  regiment,  which  was  usually  referred  to  as  "Jennison's 
Jayhawkers."  Jennison  resigned  on  May  i,  1862,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Albert  L.  Lee,  who  was  promoted  to  brigadier-general,  and  when  the 
regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  Sept.  29,  1865, 
Thomas  P.  Herrick  was  in  command,  having  been  promoted  to  the 
colonelcy.  Immediately  after  being  mustered  in  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Missouri.  On  Nov.  11,  1861,  a  detachment  under  Lieut.-Col. 
Anthony  met  and  defeated  a  force  of  guerrillas  under  Upton  Hays  on  the 
Little  Blue  river.  In  this  action  Hays'  force  outnumbered  Anthony's  4 
to  I.  The  winter  was  spent  in  western  Missouri,  and  from  January  to 
March  the  regiment  was  in  camp  at  Humboldt,  Kan.  It  was  then 
ordered  to  join    Gen.   Halleck's  army  at   Corinth,  Miss.,  where  it   was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  879 

employed  for  some  time  in  guarding  working  parties  on  the  Mobile  & 
Ohio  railroad.  It  engaged  the  enemy  at  Jacinto,  Rienzi  and  luka ;  took 
part  in  the  skirmishes  at  Bear  creek  and  Buzzard  Roost;  joined  Gen. 
Grant  at  Grand  Junction ;  was  in  the  fights  at  Tuscumbia,  Town  creek, 
Pontotoc  and  several  minor  actions,  and  was  constantly  employed  in 
scouting  and  skirmishing  from  May  9,  1863,  until  Jan.  8,  1864.  After  the 
men  received  their  veteran  furlough  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  and  soon  afterward  was  sent  back  to  Mississippi.  It  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Tupelo,  July  14-15,  1864,  then  returned  to  Mem- 
phis, and  in  September  was  ordered  to  St.  Louis.  It  was  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  the  Price  raid,  after  which  it  was  stationed  in  Nebraska  until 
ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth  for  the  muster  out.  The  Seventh  lost  53 
men  killed,  9  died  of  wounds,  161  were  discharged  for  disability,  98  died 
of  disease,  and  2  were  reported  missing. 

The  Eighth  Kansas,  an  infantry  regiment,  was  mustered  in  at  Law- 
rence on  Sept.  2,  1861,  with  Henry  W.  Wessels  of  the  U.  S.  army  as 
colonel,  John  A.  Martin  as  lieutenant-colonel,  and  Edward  F.  Schneider 
as  major.  On  Feb.  7,  1862,  Col.  Wessels  was  ordered  to  Washington  to 
assume  command  of  his  regiment — the  Sixth  U.  S.  infantry — and  Lieut.- 
Col.  Martin  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  regiment.  On  Nov. 
I,  1862,  he  received  his  commission  as  colonel.  The  Eighth  was  mustered 
out  on  Nov.  28,  1865,  at  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  under  the  command  of 
Lieut. -Col.  John  Conover.  On  Feb.  28,  1862,  Gen.  Hunter  issued  an 
order  of  the  reorganization  of  several  Kansas  regiments  and  the  Eighth 
received  a  battalion  that  had  been  organized  for  service  in  New  Mexico 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Robert  H.  Graham,  who  commanded  the 
regiment  until  Col.  Martin  received  his  commission.  In  May,  1862,  an 
order  came  to  send  all  available  troops  to  Gen.  Halleck  at  Corinth,  Miss., 
and  the  Eighth  was  one  of  the  regiments  included  in  the  order.  Soon 
ifter  reaching  Mississippi  the  regiment  began  to  liberate  and  harbor 
slaves,  and  Gen.  Quinby  threatened  to  muster  it  out  because  it  was 
■'mutinous,  undisciplined  and  demoralized."  Gen.  Rosencrans  instructed 
his  inspector-general  to  investigate  the  matter,  and  that  officer  reported 
the  Eighth  one  of  the  best  regiments  in  the  army.  After  taking  part  in  the 
action  at  Jacinto  and  the  military  operations  about  Eastport,  it  was 
ordered  to  reinforce  Gen.  Buell  in  Tennessee.  With  Buell's  army  is 
marched  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  fought  the  battles  of  Perryville  and  Lancas- 
ter, and  then  returned  to  Nashville.  It  participated  in  the  engagements 
of  the  Tuilahoma  campaign,  the  battle  of  Chicamauga  and  the  actions 
about  Chattanooga,  especially  the  capture  of  Brown's  ferry,  which 
opened  the  Tennessee  river  to  navigation  and  saved  the  besieged  army 
in  Chattanooga.  The  Eighth  was  with  Sherman  on  the  Atlantic  cam- 
paign, and  in  the  fall  of  1864  returned  to  Nashville  with  Gen.  Thomas. 
When  Hood's  army  was  so  signally  defeated,  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  New  Orleans  and  from  there  to  Texas,  where  it  remained  until  mus- 
tered out  as  above  stated.  The  losses  of  the  Eighth  were  62  killed,  25 
who  died  of  wounds,  135  who  died  of  disease,  3  were  reported  missing 
and  181  were  discharged  on  account  of  disability. 


880  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  Ninth  cavah-y  was  mustered  in  at  Leavenworth  on  March  24,  1862, 
with  Edward  Lynde  as  colonel,  Charles  S.  Clarke  as  lieutenant-colonel, 
and  James  M.  Pomeroy  as  major.  This  regiment  was  formed  by  the 
consolidation  of  several  independent  battalions.  Soon  after  being  mus- 
tered in  Companies  A,  B,  C,  G  and  I  were  detached  and  in  a  little  while 
were  scattered  over  the  plains  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  Rocky 
mountains.  Companies  D,  E,  F  and  H,  under  Maj.  Bancroft,  were  sta- 
tioned at  Locust  Grove  in  the  Cherokee  country.  In  Aug.,  1862,  Col. 
Lynde,  with  a  part  of  the  regiment  participated  in  the  pursuit  of  Col. 
Cofifey.  In  the  fall  (except  the  companies  on  the  plains)  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  Sarcoxie,  Mo.,  and  was  in  the  fight  at  Xewtonia.  Two  com- 
panies took  part  in  the  battles  of  Cane  Hill  and  Prairie  Grove,  after 
which  the  regiment  was  ordered  back  to  the  border.  In  time  the  most 
of  the  companies  came  back  from  the  West,  and  in  March,  1864,  Gen. 
Schofield  ordered  all  Kansas  troops  back  to  their  own  state.  Shortly 
afterward  the  regiment  was  consolidated  and  ordered  to  join  Gen.  Banks 
for  the  Red  River  expedition,  but  the  order  was  changed  and  it  was  sent 
to  Arkansas,  where  it  remained  until  the  end  of  the  war.  It  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Devall's  BluiT,  Ark.,  part  on  Jan.  16  and  the  remainder  on 
July  17,  1865.  The  casualties  of  the  Ninth  amounted  to  43  killed,  13 
wounded,  and  201  who  died  of  disease.  During  the  time  the  regiment 
was  in  service  158  men  were  discharged  on  account  of  disability. 

As  previously  stated,  the  Tenth  infantry  was  formed  by  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  Third  and  Fourth  regiments,  the  formation  of  which  was 
commenced  in  the  fall  of  1861.  James  Montgomery  of  border  war  fame 
was  colonel  of  the  Third  and  William  Weer  of  the  Fourth.  When  the 
two  were  united  to  form  the  Tenth  on  April  3,  1862,  Willam  F.  Cloud 
was  made  colonel ;  James  G.  Blunt,  lieutenant-colonel ;  and  Otis  B. 
Gunn,  major.  In  the  following  August  it  took  part  in  the  pursuit  of 
Coffey  and  Cockrell ;  was  at  Newtonia ;  in  the  military  movenients 
about  Pea  Ridge  and  Bentonville,  Ark. ;  took  part  in  the  battles  of  old 
Fort  Wayne,  Cane  Hill  and  Prairie  Grove,  where  Col.  Weer  commanded 
the  brigade,  after  which  it  moved  to  Van  Buren,  Ark.  In  the  summer  of 
1863  it  was  sent  to  Indiana  to  intercept  the  Confederate  Gen.  Morgan, 
Company  I  remaining  on  provost  duty  at  St.  Louis.  From  Indianapolis 
it  returned  to  Kansas  City,  where  Company  I  rejoined  the  command. 
The  regiment  remained  in  Kansas  until  in  September,  when  it  was 
ordered  to  the  Sni  Hills  in  Missouri  to  aid  in  breaking  up  the  guerrilla 
gangs  that  infested  that  region.  On  Aug.  14,  1864,  the  reenlisted  men 
were  formed  into  a  veteran  battalion  at  St.  Louis  and  the  remainder  of 
the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Leavenworth,  where  it  was  mustered  out  on 
the  24th.  The  veteran  battalion  was  then  ordered  to  Nashville,  Tenn., 
where  it  joined  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  under  Gen.  Thomas.  It 
was  engaged  at  Columbia  and  Franklin,  and  after  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville in  December  participated  in  the  pursuit  of  Hood's  shattered  army. 
The  Tenth  was  on  duty  in  Mississippi  and  Alabama  until  the  end  of  the 
Avar,  taking  part  in  the  siege  of  Mobile  and  the  storming  of  Fort  Blakely. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  88l 

The  battalion  was  mustered  out  at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  Aug.  30,  1865,  the 
men  returned  to  Kansas,  where  they  paid  and  discharged  on  Sept.  20. 
Considering  the  arduous  service  in  which  it  was  engaged,  the  losses  of 
the  Tenth  were  comparatively  light,  having  15  men  killed  and  10  who 
died  of  wounds,  though  122  died  of  disease  and  84  were  discharged  for 
disability. 

The  Eleventh  Kansas  was  a  cavalry  regiment  which  was  organized 
under  the  call  of  July  2,  1862,  when  the  war  department  authorized  James 
H.  Lane  to  recruit  a  regiment.  Lane  transferred  the  authority  to 
Thomas  Ev^^ing,  Jr.,  chief  justice  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court,  and  the 
regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  Sept.  15,  1862,  with 
Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  as  colonel ;  Thomas  Moonlight  as  lieutenant-colonel, 
and  Preston  B.  Plumb  as  major.  It  remained  in  camp  until  after  the 
second  battle  of  Newtonia,  when  it  was  ordered  to  join  the  Army  of  the 
Frontier,  then  commanded  by  Gen.  Blunt,  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy. 
Arms  had  not  yet  been  received,  but  at  Fort  Leavenworth  were  a  num- 
ber of  old-fashioned  Prussian  muskets  of  large  caliber  and  heavier  than 
the  Enfield  rifles,  and  these  were  issued  to  the  men.  Leaving  Leaven- 
worth on  Oct.  4,  the  Eleventh  moved  to  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  where  it  was 
assigned  to  Cloud's  brigade  of  Blunt's  division.  After  a  double-quick 
march  of  6  miles,  it  arrived  at  old  Fort  Wayne  just  at  the  close  of  the 
fight,  but  it  was  subsequently  engaged  at  the  Boston  mountains.  Cane 
Hill,  Prairie  Grove  and  a  number  of  minor  skirmishes  in  Arkansas.  In 
April,  1863,  it  was  ordered  back  to  Kansas  City  and  the  following  year, 
under  command  of  Col.  Moonlight,  it  took  part  in  the  Price  raid.  It  was 
then  ordered  to  Fort  Kearney  and  later  to  Fort  Laramie  to  join  the 
expedition  against  the  Sioux  Indians  in  the  Powder  river  country :  It 
was  then  employed  in  guarding  the  overland  stage  line  until  mustered 
out  on  Aug.  19  and  Sept  26,  1865,  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  The  casualties 
of  the  regiment  were  56  killed,  9  died  of  wounds,  103  died  of  disease,  107 
were  discharged  for  disability,  and  2  were  reported  missing.  In  some  of 
the  reports  this  regiment  is  mentioned  as  an  infantry  organization,  due 
probably  to  the  fact  that  it  was  originally  intended  as  such,  but  was  con- 
verted into  a  cavalry  regiment. 

The  Twelfth  infantry  was  organized  under  authority  issued  to  C.  W. 
Adams  of  Lawrence  in  Aug.,  1862.  Within  six  weeks  the  regiment  was 
complete.  It  was  mustered  in  at  Paola  on  Sept.  30,  1862,  and  was 
officered  as  follows :  Col.  Charles  W.  Adams ;  Lieut.-Col.  Josiah  E. 
Hayes;  Maj.,  Thomas  H.  Kennedy.  The  regiment  was  immediately 
divided  into  detachments  and  stationed  at  various  points  along  the 
state  line,  engaged  in  scouting  after  bushwhackers.  It  was  at  Baxter 
Springs  on  Oct.  8,  1863,  and  after  that  engagement  Company  H  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  the  plains  until  the  following  February,  when  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  where  it  was  assigned  to 
Thayer's  division  to  take  part  in  Gen.  Steele's  movement  on  Little  Rock. 
The  Twelfth  remained  in  Arkansas  until  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock  on 
June  30,  1865.  The  losses  of  this  regiment  were  13  killed,  i  died  of 
(1 1-56) 


882  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

wounds,  113  of  disease,  82  were  discharged  on  account  of  disability,  and 
I  was  reported  mising. 
The  Thirteenth  infantry   was   mustered   in   at   Atchison   on   Sept.  30, 

1862,  with  Thomas  M.  I?owen  as  colonel ;  John  B.  Wheeler,  lieu- 
tenant-colonel ;  and  Caleb  A.  Woodworth,  major.  Early  in  October 
it  joined  the  forces  under  Gen.  Blunt.  It  fought  at  old  Fort  Wayne, 
Cane  Hill,  Prairie  Grove.  Van  Buren,  and  in  a  number  of  skirmishes  in 
Arkansas,  and  in  Jan..  1863.  moved  to  Springfield,  Mo.  In  May  it  was 
ordered  to  Fort  Scott,  Kan.,  where  it  remained  until  August,  when  it 
again  took  the  field  against  Cabell,  Cooper  and  Stand  Waitie  in  the 
Indian  Territory.  On  March  3,  1865,  it  was  ordered  to  Little  Rock,  Ark., 
where  it  remained  on  provost  and  garrison  duty  until  mustered  out  on 
June  26,  1865,  when  the  men  returned  to  Kansas,  where  they  were  paid 
and  discharged.  This  regiment  lost  15  killed,  8  died  of  wounds,  105  of 
disease,  and  156  were  discharged  for  disability. 

The  Fourteenth  cavalrj'  was  mustered  in  at  Fort   Scott  on  Nov.  20, 

1863.  Charles  W.  Blair  was  commissioned  colonel;  John  G.  Brown, 
lieutenant-colonel;  and  Daniel  H.  David,  major.  The  order  which  led 
to  the  formation  of  this  regiment  came  from  the  war  department  to 
Gen.  Blunt  in  the  spring  of  1863,  and  was  for  a  battalion,  which  was 
recruited  to  a  full  regiment.  The  same  day  it  was  mustered  in  orders 
were  received  to  move  at  once  to  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  where  it  was 
assigned  to  Thayer's  division  of  Gen.  Steele's  expedition  to  Little  Rock 
and  Camden,  Ark.  After  that  movement  it  was  assigned  to  duty  at 
Clarksville,  Pine  BlufT,  and  other  Arkansas  points  until  May,  1865,  when 
it  moved  to  Fort  Gibson  and  was  there  mustered  out  on  June  25,  1865. 
The  Fourteenth  lost  49  killed,  2  died  of  wounds,  108  of  diseases,  49  were 
discharged  for  disability,  and  8  were  reported  missing. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  Ouantrill  raid  on  Lawrence  in  -Aug., 
1863,  Gov.  Carney  began  the  work  of  organizing  a  cavalry  force  for 
the  protection  of  the  border.  The  result  was  the  Fifteenth  cavalry, 
which  was  mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service  on  Oct.  17,  1863,  with  Charles 
R.  Jennison  as  colonel;  George  H.  Hoyt,  lieutenant-colonel;  and  Robert 
H.  Hunt,  major.  Jennison  was  afterward  succeeded  by  W.  F.  Cloud; 
Hoyt  by  PL  C.  Haas ;  and  Hunt  by  B.  F.  Simpson.  The  regiment 
operated  along  the  line  between  Kansas  and  Missouri,  imperfectly  armed, 
until  in  Feb.,  1864,  when  it  received  new  arms  and  took  part  in  the 
Price  raid  the  succeeding  autumn.  It  was  in  the  action  at  Westport 
and  the  battles  of  the  Big  and  Little  Blue.  The  losses  of  the  regiment 
were  12  killed,  9  died  of  wounds,  79  of  disease,  and  144  were  discharged 
for  disability. 

On  Oct.  8,  1864,  the  Sixteenth  cavalry  was  mustered  in  at  Fort  Leav- 
enworth, just  in  time  to  aid  in  repelling  the  invasion  of  Gen.  Price. 
Werter  R.  Davis  was  commissioned  colonel ;  Samuel  Walker,  lieuten- 
ant-colonel ;  and  James  A.  Price,  major.  After  the  Price  raid  a  part  of 
the  regiment  was  sent  against  the  Indians  on  the  plains,  the  remainder 
being  used  to  patrol  the  border.     The  Sixteenth   was   mustered  out  at 


KANSAS    HISTORY  883 

Fort  Leavenworth  on  Dec.  6,  1865,  having  lost  10  killed.  4  who  died  of 
wounds,  94  who  died  of  disease,  50  were  discharged  on  account  of  dis- 
ability, and  2  were  among  the  missing. 

The  Seventeenth  infantry  was  organized  for  the  100  days"  service 
and  was  mustered  in  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  July  8,  1864,  under  com- 
mand of  Lieut. -Col.  Samuel  A.  Drake.  The  records  in  the  adjutant- 
general's  office  do  not  show  the  nature  of  the  service  it  performed,  its 
casualties,  nor  the  date  of  its  muster  out. 

The  first  colored  infantry  was  mustered  in  on  May  2,  1863.  at  Fort 
Scott.  The  officers  were  as  follows:  Colonel,  James  M.  \\'illiams ; 
lieutenant-colonel,  John  Bowles;  major,  Rjchard  G.  Ward.  It  served 
most  of  the  time  in  Arkansas,  forming  part  of  Gen.  Steele's  expedition, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  Oct.  i,  1865.  Of  all  the  Kan- 
sas regiments  this  one  suffered  the  heaviest  losses,  having  160  men 
killed,  10  died  of  wounds,  166  of  disease,  and  67  were  discharged  on 
account  of  disability. 

On  Nov.  I,  1863,  the  Second  colored  infantry  was  mustered  in  at  Fort 
Scott  and  was  officered  by  Samuel  J.  Crawford  as  colonel;  Horatio 
Knowles,  lieutenant-colonel;  and  James  H.  Gilpatrick,  major.  Like 
the  First,  most  of  its  services  was  in  Arkansas.  It  was  mustered  out 
at  Camden,  Ark.,  Oct.  9,  1865.  The  casualties  of  this  regiment  amounted 
to  23  killed,  16  died  of  wounds,  i  reported  missing,  29  discharged  for 
disability,  and   187  who  died  of  disease. 

The  First  battery  was  mustered  in  at  Mound  City  on  July  24,  1861, 
with  Thomas  Bickerton  as  captain ;  Norman  Allen,  first  lieutenant ;  and 
Hartson  R.  Brown,  second  lieutenant.  It  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Prairie  Grove ;  operated  around  St.  Louis ;  was  engaged  in  the  pursuit 
of  Gen.  Morgan  on  his  raid  through  Indiana  in  the  summer  of  1863 ; 
and  then  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  and  the  Army  of  Mis- 
sissippi until  the  close  of  the  war.  It  lost  3  men  killed,  2  who  died  of 
wounds,  21  of  disease,  and  20  were  discharged  for  disability.  The  bat- 
tery was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  July   17,  1865. 

The  Second  battery  was  mustered  in  at  Fort  Scott  on  Sept.  10,  1862, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Leavenworth  on  Aug.  11,  1865.  When  it 
entered  the  U.  S.  service  it  was  officered  as  follows :  Edward  A.  Smith, 
captain;  David  C.  Knowles,  first  lieutenant;  Andrew  G.  Clark  and 
Aristarchus  Wilson,  second  lieutenants.  It  participated  in  the  com- 
paigns  in  Arkansas  and  Missouri,  sometimes  as  an  entire  battery  and 
sometimes  divided  into  sections.  In  May,  1863,  it  was  reorganized 
at  Fort  Scott  by  order  of  Gen.  Blunt,  after  which  one  section  was  sta- 
tioned at  Baxter  Springs,  Kan.,  and  another  section  was  left  at  Fort 
Scott.  The  third  section  then  took  part  in  the  military  operations  in 
the  Cherokee  nation,  being  particularly  effective  in  the  engagement 
at  Honey  Springs.  In  April,  1865,  the  Third  battery  was  added  to  the 
Second,  and  the  consolidated  battery  was  mustered  out  as  above  stated. 
The  losses  of  the  Second  were  5  killed,  15  died  of  disease,  and  6  were 
discharged  for  disability. 


884  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  Third  battery  was  originally  recruited  as  a  cavalry  company 
by  Henry  Hopkins  and  John  F.  Aduddell,  and  was  mustered  into  the 
U.  S.  service  as  Company  B,  Second  Kansas  cavalry.  After  the  capture 
of  the  Confederate  guns  at  old  Fort  Wayne  in  Oct.,  1862,  the  company 
was  detached  from  the  regiment  and  mustered  in  as  a  battery  to  man 
the  captured  guns.  Henry  Hopkins  was  captain ;  John  F.  Aduddell, 
first  lieutenant ;  and  Oscar  F.  Dunlap,  second  lieutenant.  It  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  Boston  mountains,  Cane  Hill  and  Prairie 
Grove.  The  original  members  were  mustered  out  on  Jan.  19,  1865, 
and  the  veterans  were  assigned  to  the  Second  Kansas  battery.  The 
Third  lost  5  killed,  i  missing,  17  died  of  disease,  and  7  discharged  for 
disability. 

The  independent  colored  battery  was  mustered  in  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth on  Jan.  i,  1865,  and  was  mustered  out  at  the  same  place  on  the 
22nd  of  the  following  July.  It  saw  no  active  service  in  the  field.  There 
were  also  three  Indian  regiments  accredited  to  Kansas.  (See  Indian 
Brigade.)  During  the  early  years  of  the  war  guerrilla  raids  into 
Kansas  were  frequent  (see  Guerrillas  and  Quantrill's  Raid),  but  the 
event  which  caused  the  greatest  excitement  in  the  state  was  the 


&^ 


PRICE    RAID   OF    1 864. 

In  Sept.,  1864,  Confederate  Gen.  Sterling  Price,  with  an  army  of  from 
5,000  to  10,000  men,  started  from  Arkansas  to  march  through  Missouri 
and  into  Kansas.  In  Missouri  he  formed  a  junction  with  the  com- 
mands of  Gens.  Marmaduke  and  Shelby,  and  there  were  other  addi- 
tions to  his  force  until  it  numbered  15,000  men  or  more.  Gen.  W.  S. 
Rosecrans  was  in  command  of  the  Union  troops  at  St.  Louis,  and  Gen. 
Ewing  was  in  command  of  the  southeast  district  of  Missouri.  The 
latter  engaged  Marmaduke  at  Pilot  Knob  on  Sept.  26.  His  command 
numbered  about  1,000  men,  with  13  pieces  of  artillery,  and  Marma- 
duke's  strength  was  at  least  three  times  as  great.  During  the  night 
Ewing  managed  to  extricate  himself  from  a  perilous  position  and  fell 
back  to  Harrison,  where  he  was  surrounded  the  next  day  and  retreated 
to  Rolla. 

It  began  to  look  as  if  Price  would  sweep  everything  before  him. 
Gen.  Samuel  R.  Curtis,  commanding  the  Department  of  Kansas,  which 
included  the  states  of  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Colorado,  had  less  than 
5,000  men,  and  they  were  scattered  over  the  entire  district  guarding 
frontier  settlements  and  the  overland  mail  routes.  When  news  of  the 
threatened  invasion  reached  Kansas,  Curtis  was  in  Nebraska,  Gen. 
Blunt  was  west  of  Fort  Larned,  and  Gen.  Sykes  was  in  command  of 
the  district  of  southern  Kansas  with  headquarters  at  Lawrence.  Curtis 
hurried  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  recalled  Blunt  from  the  west,  and  began 
preparations  for  the  defense  of  the  Kansas  border.  On  Sept.  24  he  noti- 
fied Gov.  Carney  of  Price's  advance  and  requested  him  to  call  out  the 
militia.     A  telegraph  from  Gen.  Rosecrans  on  Oct.  2  advised  Curtis  that 


KANSAS    HISTORY  885 

Price's  army  was  at  Washington,  Mo.,  70  miles  west  of  St.  Louis,  and 
rapidlj'  moving  westward.  On  the  8th  the  governor  issued  his  procla- 
mation calling  out  the  militia,  and  the  next  day  Curtis  issued  an  order 
calling  all  troops  in  the  department  to  the  border  in  order  to  resist 
Price's  advance.  Gen.  Blunt  arrived  that  day  at  Olathe  and  relieved 
Gen.  Sykes.  By  the  nth,  pursuant  to  orders  issued  by  Gen.  George 
W.  Deitzler,  commanding  the  militia,  some  12,600  of  the  state  troops 
were  assembled  at  Atchison,  Olathe,  Paola,  Mound  City,  Fort  Scott  and 
Wyandotte,  more  than  one-half  of  them  being  mobilized  at  Olathe. 

In  the  meantime  Gen.  Alfred  Pleasonton  had  taken  command  at 
Jefferson  City  on  the  8th  and  had  sent  Gen.  John  B.  Sanborn  with  4,100 
mounted  men  to  follow  Price.  On  the  14th  Blunt  moved  to  Hickman's 
Mills,  Mo.,  with  three  brigades  commanded  by  Cols.  Jennison,  Moon- 
light and  Blair.  Price  was  now  between  two  armies.  In  the  rear  were 
Rosecrans  and  Pleasonton  in  close  pursuit,  while  in  front  were  Curtis' 
army  and  the  Kansas  militia  waiting  to  give  him  a  warm  reception. 
Gen.  Blunt  moved  to  Lexington,  where  he  engaged  Price's  advance 
guard  on  the  19th  and  fell  back  to  Independence,  Moonlight's  brigade 
being  forced  back  to  the  Little  Blue  river.  Here  Blunt's  whole  force 
was  engaged  on  the  20th  against  ten  times  its  number  and  fell  back 
in  good  order  to  the  Big  Blue,  where  another  engagement  was  fought 
on  the  22nd,  resulting  in  a  decisive  Union  victory.  Pleasonton  and 
Sanborn  joined  Blunt  that  night  and  occupied  Independence,  Price's 
army  resting  near  Westport. 

The  citizens  of  Kansas  had  responded  nobly  to  Gov.  Carney's  call, 
and  on  Oct.  23  some  20,000  of  them  were  under  arms.  That  day  was 
fought  the  battle  of  Westport,  which  ended  in  a  complete  defeat  of  the 
Confederates.  On  the  24th  Price  crossed  the  state  line  into  Kansas 
and  that  night  encamped  near  Trading  Post,  Linn  county,  on  the  Marais 
des  Cygnes,  where  his  men  committed  a  number  of  outrages,  murdering 
old  and  unarmed  men,  robbing  women  and  children  of  their  food,  and 
wantonly  destroying  property.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  the 
enemy  was  driven  from  his  camp  at  Trading  Post  and  across  the  ford, 
leaving  behind  the  sick  and  wounded. 

Price,  Fagan  and  Marmaduke,  with  some  15,000  men,  formed  a  line 
of  battle  on  the  north  bank  of  Mine  creek  soon  after  evacuating  Trad- 
ing Post,  and  Curtis  was  reinforced  by  Cols.  Crawford  and  Blair.  In 
the  engagement  that  followed  the  Confederates  were  again  ingloriously 
defeated,  Gens.  Marmaduke,  Cabell,  Graham  and  Slemmon,  with  about 
800  men  and  9  pieces  of  artillery,,  being  captured.    (See  Mine  Creek.) 

This  practically  ended  the  raid.  Price  was  vigorously  pursued  and 
another  victory  was  won  at  the  crossing  of  the  Osage  river  on  the 
25th.  Three  days  later  occurred  the  battle  of  Newtonia,  after  which 
Price  retreated  precipitately  beyond  the  Arkansas  river.  Gov.  Carney 
issued  orders  on  the  27th  for  the  militia  to  return  to  their  homes,  but 
the  volunteer  troops  followed  Price  to  the  Arkansas  river,  where  the 
pursuit   ended.     Claims  aggregating  several  hundred  thousand   dollars 


886  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

were  tiled  for  services  rendered  and  losses  sustained  during  the  Price 
raid,  and  some  of  these  claims  were  still  unsettled  in  1911.  (See 
Claims.) 

Ward,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Wilson  county,  is  located  near  the  east 
line  of  the  county  in  Pleasant  Valley  township,  about  18  miles  north- 
east of  Fredonia,  the  county  seat,  and  3  or  4  miles  south  of  Vilas, 
whence  it  recei\'es  daily  mail. 

Ward,  John,  D.  D.,  bishop  of  Lea\en\vurth,  was  born  in  W'est  View, 
Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio,  May  23,  1857,  '^  ^'J"  of .  Joseph  and  Ellen 
(McGrath)  Ward,  both  natives  of  County  Westmeath,  Ireland,  who 
came  to  America  in  the  '50s.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  and 
parochial  schools  of  West  View,  Mount  Saint  Mary's  Seminary  at  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  the  College  of  Assumption,  Sandwich,  Ontario,  Canada; 
was  prepared  for  the  priesthood  in  Saint  Meinrad  Seminary,  Spencer 
county,  Jnd.;  and  was  ordained  in  July,  1884.  In  November  of  that 
year  he  was  appointed  to  St.  Joseph's  parish  in  Marshall  county,  Kan.; 
in  Aug.,  1888,  became  rector  of  St.  Patrick's  church  at  Parsons ;  was 
made  pastor  of  St.  Thomas'  church  at  Armourdale  in  1895  ;  rector  of 
the  Cathedral  of  Leavenworth  in  1898,  and  irremovable  rector  of  St. 
Mary's  church  at  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  in  1909.  In  1910  he  was  elected 
to  succeed  Bishop  Lillis  as  bishop  of  Leavenworth,  the  election  being 
approved  by  Pope  Pius  X. 

Ware,  Eugene  Fitch  (Ironquill),  lawyer  and  poet,  was  born  at  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  May  29,  1841,  a  son  of  Hiram  B.  and  Amanda  Melvina 
( Holbrook )  \\''are.  His  parents  moved  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  in  his 
childhood  and  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place.  In, 
1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  First  Iowa  infantry;  reenlisted  in  Com- 
pany L,  Fourth  Iowa  cavalry,  was  mustered  out  as  captain  of  Company 
F,  Seventh  Iowa,  in  June,  1866,  having  during  the  latter  part  of  his 
service  been  aide-de-camp  successively  to  Gens.  Robert  B.  Mitchell, 
C.  J.  Stolbrand,  Washington  R.  Ellett  and  Grenville  M.  Dodge.  He 
took  a  section  of  land  in  Cherokee  county,  Kan.,  in  1867,  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Fort  Scott  and  to  the  United  States 
supreme  court ;  entered  the  law  firm  of  McComas  &  McKeighan  at 
Fort  Scott ;  in  1874  married  Miss  Jeanette  P.  Huntington  of  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  for  many  years  editor  of  the  Fort  Scott  Monitor.  His 
political  career  consisted  of  two  terms  in  the  Kansas  legislature,  1879 
to  1883,  and  three  years  as  United  States  pension  commissioner — 1902 
to  1905.  He  was  prominent  in  the  Republican  party;  was  a  delegate 
to  tw-o  of  its  national  conventions  ;  was  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  the  Bar  Association,  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the 
Society  of  the  Mayflower  Descendants.  His  home  for  some  years  was 
at  Topeka,  from  which  place  he  moved  to  Kansas  City,  K^n.,  about 
1909  where  he  practiced  law  in  partnership  with  his  son  until  the  spring 
of  191 1  when  both  retired  to  the  Ware  farm  in  Cherokee  count}-.  Mr. 
\\"are  died  on  July  i,  191 1,  at  Cascade,  Col.  He  was  the  author  of  "The 
Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Saloon,"  1900;  "The  Lyon  Campaign  and  History 


KANSAS    HISTORY  OS/ 

of  the  First  Iowa  Infantry,"  1907;  "The  Indian  Campaign  of  1864," 
1908;  "Rhymes  of  Ironquill"  (13th  edition),  1908;  "Ithuriel,"  1909; 
"From  Court  to  Court"  (4th  edition),  1909;  was  the  translator  of 
Castaneda's  account  of  Coronado's  March,  from  the  French  of  Ternaux 
Compans,  1895 ;  Roman  Water  Law  from  the  Latin  of  Justinian,  1905 ; 
and  was  a  contributor  to  a  number  of  legal  and  literary  publications. 

Warren,  a  country  hamlet  in  Sherman  county,  is  located  17  miles 
north  of  Goodland,  the  county  seat,  shipping  point  and  postoffice  from 
Avhich  it  receives  mail. 

Warrendale,  a  country  postoffice  in  Grant  county,  is  located  15  miles 
northeast  of  New  Ulysses,  the  county  seat,  and  about  22  miles  south- 
east of  Hartland,  Kearny  county,  the  nearest  shipping  point. 

Warwick,  a  village  of  Republic  county,  is  located  in  the  e.xtreme 
northwestern  corner  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  20  miles  northwest 
of  Belleville,  the  county  seat.  The  1910  census  gave  it  no  inhabitants. 
It  has  a  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  is  a  trading  center 
for  the  neighborhood. 

Washburn  College. — In  1857  the  general  association  of  Congrega- 
tional ministers  and  churches  of  Kansas  made  plans  for  founding  a 
Christian  college  in  Kansas.  At  the  organization  of  the  association  in 
Topeka  on  April  26,  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to  investigate 
locations  and  secure  one  "if  it  seemed  expedient."  In  1858  the  com- 
mittee advertised  for  bids  for  a  location,  but  no  decision  was  made 
until  the  meeting  of  the  association  at  Manhattan  in  October.  Several 
proposals  had  been  made  to  the  committee  but  the  one  recommended 
was  that  from  Topeka,  which  promised  "160  acres  of  land  within  a 
mile  and  a  half  of  Topeka  town  site ;  840  acres  in  the  territory  as  an 
endowment ;  and  a  building  equal  to  40  by  50  feet  and  two  stories  high, 
of  stone  or  brick,  to  be  completed  on  or  before  Jan.  i,  i860." 

This  proposition  was  adopted  by  the  association  and  a  board  of  14 
trustees  appointed,  viz:  Rev.  Elihu  Whitenhall,  Rev.  G.  C.  Morse,  Rev. 
Lewis  Bodwell,  T.  D.  Thacher,  Rev.  Richard  Cordley,  Samuel  C. 
Pomeroy,  James  Taylor,  Rev.  C.  E.  Blood,  H.  D.  Rice,  Henry  M.  Simp- 
son, Rev.  D.  R.  Parker,  George  I.  Ilillyer,  Maj.  Harrison  Hannahs  and 
M.  C.  Welch.  At  the  next  meeting  of  the  association  in  May,  1859. 
at  Lawrence,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  determine  whether  the  city 
of  Topeka  had  fulfilled  the  conditions  of  agreement  in  regard  to  the 
location  of  the  college.  The  contract  had  not  been  fulfilled  and  the 
question  of  location  again  arose  with  Topeka,  Lawrence,  Burlinganie 
and  Wabaunsee  as  competitors.  The  proposition  of  Lawrence,  which 
was  accepted,  promised  "Mount  Oread  as  a  site  for  the  college ;  20  acres 
of  land  adjoining  the  town  site;  one-half  the  proceeds  of  300  acres 
adjoining  the  college  grounds;  1,220  acres  located  in  different  parts  of 
the  territory;  151  lots  in  Lawrence,  Burlington,  Delaware  and  other 
towns ;  the  Amos  Lawrence  fund  of  $10,000,  and  a  building  to  be  com- 
menced within  six  months  and  completed  in  eighteen  months,  at  a 
cost  of  $25,000."  The  school  was  given  the  name  of  "Monumental  Col- 
lege" commemorating  the  triumph   of  liberty  over  slavery  in   Kansas. 


ms 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


The  drought  of  i860  and  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  caused  the 
collapse  of  this  enterprise.  In  i860  the  institution  was  moved  back  to 
Topeka  on  a  proposition  practically  the  same  as  that  first  given  by  the 
citizens  of  that  city.  In  1861  at  the  meeting  of  the  association  in 
Leavenworth  the  subject  was  further  discussed.  At  Burlingame  in  May, 
1863,  resolutions  were  passed  appointing  trustees  to  start  the  academy 
at  Topeka  as  soon  as  they  deemed  it  wise,  and  in  Feb.,  1865,  the  insti- 
tution was  incorporated  under  the  name  and  style,  "Trustees  of  Lincoln 
College." 


WASHBURN  COLLEGE.  TOPEKA. 


The  preamble  of  the  charter  and  some  of  the  articles  read  as  follows: 
"Desiring  to  promote  the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  and  the  advancement 
of  virtue  and  religion,  we  do  associate  ourselves  together  for  the  object 
and  purpose  herein  certified,  to-wit :  Article  J — To  establish  at  or  near 
the  city  of  Topeka,  the  capita!  of  Kansas,  and  secure  the  incorporation 
of  an  institution  of  learning  of  a  high  literary  and  religious  character 
to  be  named  Lincoln  College,  which  shall  commemorate  the  triumph 
of  liberty  over  slavery  in  our  nation  and  serve  as  a  memorial  of  those 
fallen  in  defense  of  their  country. 

"Article  IT — To  make  said  college  an  engine  for  the  furtherance  of 
those  ideas  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  which  actuated  our  fathers  in 
the  Revolutionar)'  struggle,  and  which  are  now  achieving  a  signal  vic- 
tory in  the  triumph  of  free  principles. 

Article  III — To  afford  all  classes,  without  distinction  of  color,  the 
advantages  of  a  liberal  education. 

"Article  IV — To  aid  deserving  young  men  to  obtain  an  education, 
such  as  shall  fit  them  for  the  Gospel  ministry,  thereby  helping  to  sujiply 
the  pressing  demand  for  laborers  in  the  states  and  territories  west  ot 
the  Missouri  river." 

In  the  spring  of  1865  a  building  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Ninth 


KANSAS    HISTORY  889 

and  Jackson  streets  and  the  same  year  Col.  Jolm  Ritchie  deeded  to  the 
college  160  acres — the  present  college  campus.  The  school  opened  as 
an  academy  in  Jan.,  1866,  with  Rev.  Samuel  D.  Bowker  as  principal, 
Edward  F.  Hobart  and  George  H.  Collier  as  assistants.  In  1868  Deacon 
Ichabod  Washburn  of  Worchester,  Mass.,  donated  $25,000  toward  an 
endowment.  In  appreciation  of  the  gift  the  trustees  changed  the  name 
to  Washburn  College.  In  June,  1869,  Dr.  H.  G.  Butterfield  was  elected 
to  the  presidency  and  served  until  Nov.,  1870.  Peter  McVicar,  his  suc- 
cessor, was  elected  in  Feb.,  1871,  and  remained  in  the  executive  chair 
until  June,  1895.  In  1871  the  city  of  Topeka  purchased  the  academy 
building  for  $15,000.  In  1872-73  the  school  was  held  in  a  store  building 
near  the  corner  of  Tenth  street  and  Kansas  avenue.  In  1873-74  it 
occupied  a  stone  building  at  the  corner  of  Eighth  street  and  Kansas 
avenue.  In  1874  the  college  moved  to  its  building,  which  had  been 
erected  by  subscription  on  "College  Hill."  In  1879,  through  means 
secured  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  Hartford  Cottage  was  erected.  In  1882, 
through  a  bequest  of  J.  C.  Whitin,  "South  Cottage"  for  young  women 
and  Whitin  Hall  for  young  men  were  erected.  In  1884  Charles  Boswell 
of  West  Hartford  gave  $10,000  toward  the  erection  of  a  library  build- 
ing, the  trustees  secured  an  additional  $5,000  and  the  Boswell  library 
was  erected.  In  1885  Miss  Mary  W.  Holbrook  of  Holbrook,  Mass., 
gave  $5,000  toward  the  erection  of  a  building  for  young  women. 
McVicar  Chapel  was  completed  in  1890.  In  1895  the  Carnegie  library 
was  erected  and  the  Boswell  building  was  taken  for  offices.  In  1902 
a  merger  was  formed  with  the  Kansas  Medical  College  and  plans  were 
made  to  broaden  the  scope  of  college  work.  A  school  of  law  was 
organized  and  the  departments  of  music  and  art  were  enlarged  into  a 
■school  of  fine  arts.  "The  college  is  controlled  by  a  board  of  18  trustees, 
3ne-third  of  whom  are  chosen  each  year  without  regard  to  denomina- 
tional affiliations.  While  Christian  in  character  and  influence,  the  col- 
lege is  thoroughly  non-sectarian  in  all  its  work." 

From  1896  to  1901  George  Herrick  was  president  of  the  college.  His 
successor  was  Norman  Plass,  who  was  elected  in  1902,  and  he  in  turn 
was  succeeded  in  1908  by  Frank  K.  Sanders. 

Washburn  College  has  a  campus  of  160  acres,  13  buildings,  a  corps 
of  instructors  numbering  114,  and  6  departments  in  which  were  enrolled 
783  students  in  1910. 

Washington,  the  county  seat  of  Washington  county,  is  located  north- 
west of  the  center  of  the  county  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Ouincy  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads.  It  is  an  incorporated 
city  of  the  third  class,  has  a  municipal  waterworks,  electric  lights,  an 
opera  house,  a  $15,000  high  school  building,  a  public  library  housed 
in  a  $5,000  building,  3  banks,  2  weekly  newspapers  (the  Republican- 
Register  and  the  Palladium),  first  class  hotels,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  six  rural 
routes.  All  lines  of  retail  establishments  and  the  professions  are  well 
represented.    The  population  in  1910  was  1,547. 


890  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

The  town  was  founded  in  the  spring  of  i860  by  a  town  company  of 
which  George  G.  Pierce  was  president.  A  "company  house"  was  built 
to  which  each  member  of  the  campany  contributed  seven  logs.  In 
November  of  the  same  year  Washington  was  made  the  county  seat. 
The  first  school  was  opened  by  Miss  Agnes  Hallowell  in  1861  in  the 
"company  house."  The  first  stock  of  merchandise  was  put  in  by  a 
Mr.  Bowen.  A  building  erected  of  perpendicular  logs  by  E.  Woolbert 
as  a  hotel  was  used  as  the  first  court-house  and  was  known  as  the 
"Stockade  court-house."  When  the  war  broke  out  the  growth  of  the 
city  was  arrested  and  it  did  not  begin  again  until  the  spring  of  1866, 
when  there  was  a  large  immigration.  The  first  newspaper,  the  Western 
Observer,  made  its  appearance  in  1869,  and  a  $9,000  school  building  was 
erected  that  year.  In  May,  1873,  the  town  was  organized  as  a  city  of 
the  third  class  and  the  following  officers  were  elected :  Mayor,  J.  S. 
Vedder;  clerk,  E.  N.  Emmons;  police  judge,  T.  J.  Humes;  city  attorney, 
J.  W.  Rector;  treasurer,  Charles  Smith;  marshal,  M.  Patrie.  In  1877 
the  Central  Branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  reached  this  point  and 
a  new.  era  of  prosperity  began.  By  1880  there  were  nearlj'  1,000  inhabi- 
tants.    The  population  in  1890  was  1,613,  ^"^d  in  1900  it  was  1,575. 

Washington  County. — The  first  territorial  legislature  in  1855,  created 
a  county  named  \\'ashington,  with  the  following  described  boundaries : 
"Commencing  at  the  southern  boundary  of  the  territory  of  Kansas, 
15  miles  west  of  a  due  south  course  from  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek, 
on  the  Arkansas  river,  and  rimning  from  thence  north  100  miles,  thence 
west  to  the  east  line  of  Arapahoe  county,  thence  south  along  said  line 
to  the  south  line  oi  Kansas,  thence  east  along  the  said  line  to  the  place 
of  beginning." 

The  southeast  corner,  as  described  by  this  act,  was  on  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  state,  about  6  miles  west  of  the  present  line 
separating  Sumner  from  Cowley  county.  The  northeast  corner  was 
about  3  miles  east  of  the  little  village  of  Waldeck  in  the  present  county 
of  Marion.  As  originally  created,  this  old  Washington  county  included 
the  present  counties  of  Reno,  Stafford,  Pawnee,  Edwards,  Hodgeman, 
Kearny,  Hamilton,  Stanton,  Grant,  Haskell,  Gray,  Ford,  Kiowa,  Pratt, 
Kingman,  Harper,  Barber,  Comanche,  Clark,  Mead,  Seward,  Stevens 
and  Morton;  the  southern  part  of  McP,herson,  Rice,  Barton,  Russell 
Ness,  Lane,  Scott,  Wichita  and  Greeley ;  nearly  all  of  Sumner,  Sedg- 
wick and  Harvey  and  a  little  of  the  southwest  part  of  Marion.  Peketon 
county  (q.  v.)  was  created  by  the  legislature  of  i860,  and  embraced 
all  of  W^ashington  county  as  created  by  the  act  of  1855. 

In  1859  the  present  county  of  Washington  was  created  with  the 
following  boundaries:  "Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Marshall 
county,  thence  west  along  the  base  line  or  northern  boundary  of  the 
territory  to  the  intersection  of  the  6th  principal  meridian ;  thence  south 
along  said  principal  meridian  to  the  ist  standard  parallel;  thence  east 
along  said  parallel  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Marshall  county;  thence 
north  with  the  western  boundary  of  Marshall  county  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 


KANSAS    HISTORY  89I 

The  county  was  named  in  honor  of  George  Washington.  It  was  not 
organized  at  the  time  of  its  creation,  but  was  known  as  Washington 
township  of  Marshall  county,  remaining  practically  unorganized  terri- 
tory until  i860.  As  at  present  organized,  the  county  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  the  State  of  Nebraska;  on  the  east  by  Marshall  county;  on 
the  south  by  Riley  and  Clay,  and  west  by  Cloud  and  Republic.  It  is 
30  miles  square  and  has  an  area  of  900  square  miles. 

French,  in  his  Louisiana  Historical  Collections,  says  that  as  early  as 
1724  French  traders  went  among  the  Pawnees,  who  hunted  from  the 
Platte  as  far  soutli  as  the  Arkansas  river.  In  the  spring  of  1842  a  party 
of  emigrants  passed  through  what  is  now  Washington  county  on  their 
way  to  the  Columbia  river.  They  were  in  charge  of  Dr.  White,  an 
agent  of  the  government  in  Oregon  territory.  Fremont  in  his  report 
of  the  expedition  to  the  Rocky  mountains  the  same  year  reports  on 
June  22  that  "a  pack  of  cards,  lying  loose  on  the  grass,  marked  an 
encampment  of  our  Oregon  emigrants ;  and  it  was  at  the  close  of  the  day 
when  we  made  our  bivouac  in  the  midst  of  some  well  timbered  ravines 
near  the  Little  Blue." 

\\'ithin  a  few  years  this  part  of  the  state  became  marked  by  many 
trails.  Missionaries,  traders  and  gold  seekers  all  passed  over  the  well 
worn  highways  but  few  stopped  to  make  their  homes.  A  trail  known 
as  the  "parallel  road"  to  the  gold  mines  in  1849,  passed  nearly  east  and 
west  through  the  central  part  of  Washington  county.  Cutler  in  his 
History  of  Kansas  says,  "In  1845  the  Mormons  passed  through  the 
county  on  the  way  to  their  new  homes  in  Utah.  One  of  their  favorite 
camping  grounds  was  at  'Mormon  Springs,'  on  Ash  creek,  3  miles  south 
of  W^ashington  City."  For  many  years  afterward  the  road  the  Mormons 
followed  could  be  traced  through  the  county-  It  was  especially  plain 
northwest  of  the  Little  Blue  river  near  the  Nebraska  state  line.  Until 
the  spring  of  1854  traders,  missionaries  arui  Indian  agents  were  prac- 
ticalh'  the  only  white  men  in  this  portion  of  Kansas. 

The  first  permanent  white  settler  in  what  is  now  Washington  county 
was  James  McNttlty,  who  came  to  Kansas  from  Iowa  in  July,  1857, 
and  the  following  February  located  on  Mill  creek  about  5  miles  west 
of  the  present  city  of  Washington.  He  built  a  cabin,  the  first  in  the 
county,  and  brought  his  family  to  live  there.  Ralph  Ostrander  accom- 
panied McNulty  and  his  family  and  settled  on  an  adjoining  claim.  In 
the  spring  of  1858  Gerat  H.  Hollenberg,  George  G.  Pierce  and  D.  E. 
Ballard  came  to  the  county,  and  the  following  year  they  located  a  town 
site  a  little  north  of  the  center  of  the  county,  but  this  location  was 
abandoned  in  the  fall  and  the  site  of  Washington  was  chosen.  Jacob 
and  Daniel  Blocker  staked  out  claims  on  Mill  creek,  in  what  is  now 
Mill  Creek  township,  in  the  fall  of  1858.  At  the  time  they  were  the 
only  settlers  west  of  Washington  city.  William  Mercer  located  a  claim 
on  the  stream  that  now  bears  his  name.  Rufus  Darby  and  a  man  named 
Woodard,  with  their  families,  stopped  near  Ballard's  crossing  of  the 
Little  Blue  in  July  of  the  same  year,  but  when  the  survey  was  made, 


892  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

it  was  discovered  that  their  claims  were  on  school  land,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  they  inoved  to  Rlill  creek.  S.  F.  Snider,  who  later  became  the 
first  probate  judge  of  the  county,  built  three  cabins  northeast  of  Wash- 
ington in  what  is  now  Charleston  township;  Jonathan  Snider  and  S. 
Stonebreaker  located  in  the  same  section ;  and  in  the  winter  of  1858-59 
George  Foster  took  up  land  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county. 

The  Civil  war  necessitated  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops  from  the 
frontier  posts.  The  Indians,  learning  that  the  soldiers  were  occupied 
elsewhere,  began  to  quarrel  among  themselves.  In  the  spring  of  1864 
the  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes  appeared  on  the  war  path  along  the 
Little  Blue  in  Marshall  and  Washington  counties,  following  the  Otoes 
to  their  village.  They  first  attacked  John  Ferguson's  house  on  Mill 
creek;  plundered  O.  S.  Canfield's  home;  took  Rufus  Darby  prisoner  as 
he  was  returning  from  Marysville,  and  then  marched  toward  Wash- 
ington, where  another  band  was  plundering  the  Hallowell  cabin.  From 
there  they  followed  down  the  creek  and  took  the  household  goods  at 
G.  M.  Driskell's.  Rich  Bond  and  Andy  Oswald  were  taken  prisoners, 
but  were  soon  released.  The  people  living  in  the  southern  part  of 
Washington  and  the  northern  part  of  Clay  county  fled  south  and 
gathered  at  Orville  Huntress'  cabin  near  the  present  city  of  Clay  Center,, 
where  about  200  of  them  remained  encamped  for  a  month. 

In  August  a  war  party  of  the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes  again 
appeared  on  the  Little  Blue  about  6  miles  above  the  present  town  of 
Hanover,  where  they  murdered  and  scalped  a  family  by  the  name  of 
Eubanks.  In  the  fall  there  were  continued  Indian  troubles  and  a  num- 
ber of  settlers  gathered  at  Hume's  log  cabin  at  Washington  for  safety. 
In  1868  another  raid  was  made  in  Cloud,  Republican  and  Washington 
counties,  but  so  far  as  is  known,  only  one  man  was  killed,  the  Indians 
confining  themselves  to  plundering,  running  off  stock,  etc. 

Washington  was  organized  as  a  coimty  on  the  second  Monday  in 
April,  i860,  and  the  fourth  Monday  an  election  was  held  for  county 
officers.  George  F.  Caldwell,  Joseph  Malin  and  William  Hoffhine  were 
elected  commissioners ;  D.  E.  Ballard,  clerk  and  register  of  deeds ; 
M.  G.  Driskell,  treasurer;  William  Langsdale,  sheriff';  James  O'Neill, 
surveyor;  Thomas  M.  Bowen,  county  attorney;  John  M.  Hoffhine, 
superintendent  of  public  schools;  S.  F.  Snider,  probate  judge;  William 
Mercer,  assessor;  Charles  Bruce,  coroner.  The  county  was  in  the  5th 
council  district  and  the  6th  representative  district.  George  Pierce  was 
the  first  man  to  represent  the  county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  last  terri- 
torial legislature,  and  D.  E.  Ballard  represented  the  county  in  the  first 
state  legislature. 

•  The  Washington  Town  company  promised  to  give  several  lots  to  the 
county  as  an  inducement  to  the  voters  to  favor  it  as  the  seat  of  justice. 
The  election  to  decide  the  permanent  location  of  the  county  seat  was 
ordered  for  Nov.,  i860.  Washington,  Rogersville  (on  Judge  Snider's 
farm  in  what  is  now  Charleston  township),  and  West  Union  (a  paper 
town  about  4  miles  west  of  Washington  on  the  McNulty  claim),  were 


KANSAS    HISTORY  893 

the  contesting  towns.  Judge  Snider  withdrew  Rogersville  on  the  day 
of  the  election  and  threw  its  7  votes  to  Washington,  which  became  the 
county  seat. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  commissioners,  which  was  held  in  a  log 
house  built  by  the  town  company,  the  covmty  was  divided  into  two  civil 
townships — Washington  and  Mill  creek. 

The  I2th  judicial  district  was  created  in  1871.  A.  S.  Wilson  was 
appointed  judge  and  William  Hoffhine,  clerk.  It  is  believed  that  the 
first  white  child  born  in  the  county  was  Michael  Cook,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  1859. 

The  first  number  of  the  Western  Observer,  the  first  newspaper  in 
the  county,  appeared  on  March  11,  1869,  M.  J.  Kelly  being  the  owner 
and  editor  and  his  office  was  located  in  the  old  stockade  court-house. 
(See   Washington.) 

The  first  railroad  to  enter  the  county  was  the  St.  Joseph  &  Western, 
which  was  built  across  the  northeast  corner  in  1872.  After  crossing  the 
eastern  boundary  it  ran  southwest  to  Hanover,  then  followed  the  course 
of  the  Little  Blue  northwest  to  Hollenberg.  The  Junction  City  &  Fort 
Kearney  was  built  in  1877-78.  It  crossed  the  eastern  boundary  about 
3  miles  south  of  the  Little  Blue,  ran  northwest  to  Greenleaf,  then  south- 
west to  Clifton,  with  a  branch  diverging  at  Greenleaf  to  Washington. 
At  the  present  time  excellent  transportation  facilities  are  provided  by 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  which  crosses  the  county  from 
northeast  to  southwest ;  the  St.  Joseph  &  Western,  now  the  St.  Joseph 
&  Grand  Island ;  the  Missouri  Pacific,  formerly  the  Junction  City  & 
Fort  Kearney;  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  which  crosses  both 
the  northwest  and  the  southwest  corners  of  the  county.  This  gives  the 
county   106  miles  of  main  track  railroad. 

As  population  increased  the  original  townships  have  been  divided  to 
form  Barnes,  Brantford,  Charleston,  Clifton,  Coleman,  Farmington, 
Franklin,  Grant,  Greenleaf,  Haddam,  Hanover,  Highland,  Independence, 
Kimeo,  Lincoln,  Linn,  Little  Blue,  Logan,  Lowe,  Mill  Creek,  Sheridan. 
Sherman,  Strawberry,  Union  and  Washington. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling,  except  in  the  western  part  and 
along  some  of  the  streams,  where  it  is  hilly.  The  alluvial  lands  along 
the  water  courses  average  a  half  mile  in  width  and  aggregate  about 
one-eighth  of  the  area.  Timber  belts  along  the  streams  consist  of  elm, 
Cottonwood,  ash,  walnut,  bo.x-elder,  maple,  honey-locust  and  bass-wood. 
The  Little  Blue  river  enters  the  county  from  the  north  about  11  miles 
west  of  the  northeast  corner  and  flows  in  a  southeasterly  direction  into 
Marshall  county.  Its  main  tributary  is  Mill  creek.  Limestone  and 
sandstone  are  plentiful  in  all  portions ;  mineral  paint  exists  near  Hollen- 
berg; there  are  several  veins  of  cement  stone;  salt  springs  exist  in  Mill 
Creek  townships ;  deposits  of  salt  underlie  the  central  and  western 
portions,  and  a  bed  of  gypsum  60  feet  thick,  underlies  the  northeastern 
portion,  at  a  depth  of  200  feet. 

The  chief  agricultural  products  are  corn,   Irish  potatoes,   millet  and 


894  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

oats.  Winter  wheat,  sorghum,  Kallr-corn  and  alfalfa  are  also  raised 
In  1907  there  were  325,000  bearing  fruit  trees  in  the  county.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  20,239,  and  the  assessed  valuation  of  property  was 
$39,917,625.  The  total  value  of  farm  products  for  the  year  was 
?5-6o3,358. 

Washington  Monument. — About  the  middle  of  the  last  century  the 
\\'ashingtiiii  Xational  Monument  Association  was  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  monument  at  the  national  capital  to  commemorate 
the  valiant  deeds  of  George  Washington,  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Continental  army  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  first  president  of  the 
United  States.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  in  1848,  and  the  work  was 
continued  under  the  supervision  of  Robert  Mills,  who  was  employed  for 
that  purpose  by  the  association  until  1877,  when,  for  want  of  funds, 
the  work  was  suspended.  A  little  later  the  unfinished  structure  was 
turned  over  to  the  Federal  government,  which  placed  Lieut.-Col.  T.  L. 
Casev  in  charge,  and  in  1884  the  monument  was  completed.  It  is  one 
of  the  tallest  monuments  in  the  world,  having  a  total  height  of  555  feet, 
5  inches.  The  foundation  covers  an  area  of  about  16,000  square  feet, 
and  the  shaft,  which  is  70  feet  square  at  the  base,  is  built  of  Maryland 
marble.  Inside  this  shaft  is  an  elevator  for  conveying  passengers  to 
the  top  of  the  monument,  whe.nce  one  can  obtain  a  splendid  view  of 
\'Vashington  and  its  environs.  The  total  cost  was  about  $1,500,000,  of 
which  the  original  association  expended  about  $300,000,  the  rest  of  the 
cost  being  defrayed  by  the  general  government. 

In  the  fall  of  1848  the  monument  association  conceived  the  idea  of 
having  each  state  in  the  Union  contribute  a  stone,  bearing  a  suitable 
inscription,  and  to  have  these  stones  placed  in  the  monument  where  the 
inscriptions  could  be  read  by  visitors.  Kansas  was  not  then  even  an 
organized  territory.  The  first  attention  paid  to  the  subject  in  the  state 
was  by  Gov.  Harvey  in  his  message  of  1872.  wherein  he  recommended 
an  appropriation  to  provide  a  stone  and  transport  it  to  Washington. 
Nothing  was  done  at  that  session  and  the  matter  rested  until  1881,  when 
Gov.  St.  John  again  urged  the  legislature  to  make  an  appropriation. 
Accordingly,  the  session  of  that  year  appropriated  $200  "for  the  Kansas 
State  Historical  Society  to  use  in  procuring  a  suitable  stone,"  etc.  The 
matter  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  committee  of  the  society ;  the  stone 
was  contributed  by  John  Stewart  of  SafTordville,  Chase  county ;  the 
inscription  was  designed  by  Henry  Worrall,  according  to  the  idea  fur- 
nished by  the  committee,  and  the  stone  was  prepared  and  inscribed 
by  W.  H.  Fernald  of  Topeka. 

Waterloo,  a  hamlet  of  Kingman  county,  is  located  in  Galesburg  town- 
ship 10  miles  northeast  of  Kingman,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  north 
of  Murdock,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  shipping  point.  It  has  a 
money  order  postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  75. 

Waters,  Henry  Jackson,  president  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Missouri ;  attended  the  com- 
mon  schools ;   was   prepared   for   college   and   taught   the   rudiments   of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  895 

successful  agriculture  by  his  father,  who  was  a  well-known  breeder  of 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  Shropshire  sheep  and  prominently  identified  with 
agricultural  education.  President  Waters  graduated  in  the  agricul- 
tural department  of  the  University  of  Missouri  in  1886,  and  after  two 
3'ears  of  graduate  work  was  made  assistant  in  agriculture  to  the  Mis- 
souri experiment  station,  which  position  he  held  until  elected  professor 
of  agriculture  in  Pennsylvania  State  College  in  Center  county,  Pa.,  in 
1890.  From  1892  to  1895  he  was  agriculturalist  at  the  experiment  sta- 
tion, coming  back  to  his  native  state  in  the  fall  of  that  year  to  become 
dean  of  the  college  of  agriculture  and  director  of  the  Missouri  experi- 
ment station  ;  became  instructor  in  nutrition  at  the  graduate  school  of 
agriculture  in  the  University  of  Ohio,  in  1902 ;  was  director  of  the  agri- 
cultural exhibit  at  the  World's  Fair  at  St.  Louis  in  1904,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  exhibition  went  to  Europe  where  he  studied  for  a  year  and 
a  lialf  at  the  Universities  of  Leipzig  and  Zurich.  Upon  his  return  he 
became  instructor  of  animal  nutrition  at  the  graduate  school  of  agricul- 
ture of  the  University  of  Illinois ;  later  was  dean  of  the  Agricultural 
College  of  Missouri ;  member  of  the  state  board  of  agriculture,  of  which 
body  he  was  president  in  1908  and  1909.  In  the  latter  year  he  was 
elected  president  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  where  he 
has  since  remained.  He  was  married  in  1897  to  Margaret  Ward.  Presi- 
dent Waters  has  been  elected  to  three  honorary  fraternities,  Phi  Beta 
Kappa,  Sigma  Xi  and  Alpha  Zeta. 

Waterville,  a  city  of  jMarshall  county,  is  located  on  the  Little  Blue 
river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  16  miles  southwest  of  Marysville, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices,  weekly  news- 
papers, grain  elevators,  banking  facilities,  a  public  library,  an  opera 
house  and  good  schools  and  churches.  Three  rural  deliver}^  mail  routes 
go  out  from  the  postoffice. 

Waterville  was  settled  in  1857  by  Stearns  Ostrander.  He  was  fol- 
lowed the  same  year  b}'  Ralph  Ostrander,  P.  Bollar,  R.  Brown,  T. 
Palmer  and  H.  Brown.  The  next  year  William  Pearsoll,  William 
Hawkinsmith,  John  Hughes,  W.  Dickinson,  H.  Bramer  and  Mrs.  A. 
Davis  located  in  the  vicinity.  A  mill  was  built  in  1858  by  William 
Pearsoll,  who  operated  it  as  a  combination  grist  and  sawmill.  The 
original  owner  of  the  land  which  became  the  town  site  of  Waterville 
was  David  King.  It  passed  through  the  hands  of  G.  H.  Hollenberg, 
William  Osborn  and  R.  M.  Pomeroy,  the  last  named  conveying  it  to. 
the  Central  Branch  R.  R.  The  railroad  company  established  the  town 
in  1868,  and  several  business  buildings  were  erected.  Waterville  was 
incorporated  as  a  village  in  1870  and  was  made  a  city  of  the  third  class 
the  next  year.     The  population  in   1910  was  704. 

Wathena,  one  of  the  principal  towns  of  Doniphan  county,  is  located 
on  Peter's  creek,  4  miles  from  the  Missouri  river  on  the  St.  Joseph  & 
Grand  Island  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads.  It  is 
10  miles  from  Troy,  the  county  seat,  and  5  miles  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 
It   is   a   well   improved   little  city   with  electric   lights   and    pavements. 


896  CYCLOI'EDIA    OF 

public  library,  excellent  schools  and  an  annual  Chautauqua.  All  lines 
of  business  are  well  represented.  There  are  2  banks,  2  newspapers,  a 
Avashing  machine  factory,  feed  mill,  and  a  creamery.  Fruit-growing  is 
an  important  industry  and  there  is  a  fruit  growers'  association  which 
attends  to  the  marketing  of  the  fruits  grown  by  its  members.  Poultry 
is  another  leading  product.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  offices  and 
an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  five  rural  routes.  The 
population  in   1910  was  761. 

The  earliest  settler  was  Peter  Cadue,  an  interpreter  for  the  Kickapoo 
Indians,  who  came  not  later  than  1840  and  left  in  1847,  going  to  the 
Cadue  reserve.  The  Kickapoo  chief  W'athena  located  on  the  spot  which 
afterward  became  the  town  site,  and  in  1852  his  squaw  built  him  a 
wigwam  where  the  flour  mills  were  afterward  built.  The  land  was 
sold  in  1856  by  S.  Cox  tu  Milton  Urj-an,  P.  Morse  and  \V.  Ritcnbaugh, 
promoters  of  the  town,'  for  $750.  Wathena  was  well  paid  for  his 
improvements.  The  first  building  was  a  log  house  erected  in  1854  by 
Cox  and  M.  E.  Bryan.  The  first  general  store  was  opened  by  Thompson 
Kemper  in  1856  and  was  called  "The  St.  Joe  Store."  The  first  hotel 
was  established  by  Albert  Heath,  who  was  also  the  first  lawyer.  The 
first  druggist  was  G.  Miller ;  the  first  hardware  man,  H.  D.  Hunt ;  the 
first  tinner,  D.  B.  Jones;  the  first  blacksmith,  F.  Leber,  and  the  first 
physicians  were  Drs.  Smith  and  Crossfield.  From  the  time  the  post- 
oiiice  was  established  in  1854  with  M.  E.  Bryan  as  postmaster,  until 
the  incorporation  of  the  town  in  1873  the  place  was  called  Bryan's  post- 
office.  O.  Craig  was  the  first  mayor  and  James  Mitchell,  city  clerk. 
The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1857. 

Wauneta,  a  village  of  Chautauqua  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  in  Jefferson  township,  12  miles  west  of  Sedan,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  Several  of  the  main  lines  of  business  are  repre- 
sented and  this  station  is  a  receiving  and  shipping  point  for  a  large 
and  prosperous  agricultural  territory.  The  population  according  to 
the  ceiisus  of  1910  w-as  100. 

Waveland,  a  country  hamlet  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  14  miles 
southwest  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat,  and  4  miles  west  of  Wakarusa, 
the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The  population  in  1910 
was  31. 

Waverly,  the  sceond  town  in  size  and  importance  in  Coft'ey  county, 
is  located  in  Rock  Creek  township,  at  the  junction  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  about  18  miles 
northeast  of  Burlington,  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  modern  town  in  every 
respect,  ha\'ing  waterworks,  electric  lights,  a  public  library,  banks  and 
a  newspaper.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class.  The  schools 
are  of  the  best  and  the  churches  are  ample  and  substantial.  There  are 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  according  to  the  census 
report  of  1910  was  751.     The  town  was  platted  in  1878  by  Isaac  Pier- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  §97, 

son,  and  the  town  company  was  chartered  in  i88q.  The  first  store  was 
opened  in  1878  by  A.  N.  Sylvester,  the  second  in  1879  by  Thomas  Don- 
nell.  In  June,  1882,  the  lirst  bank  was  opened  by  R.  R.  Fisher  and 
John  L.  Senior.  The  "Waverly  News"  was  started  by  the  latter  in 
the  same  year.  Waverly  is  an  excellent  trading  point  and  is  the  most 
important  shipping  point  between  Burlington  and  Ottawa. 

Wayne,  a  village  in  Grant  township.  Republic  county,  is  a  station 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy  R.  R.  11  miles  southeast  of  Belle- 
ville, the  county  seat.  It  was  laid  out  in  1884,  immediately  after  the 
railroad  was  built  through  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county.  The 
site  was  located  on  the  homestead  of  Isaac  Walton  and  the  first  build- 
ing was  a  general  store  erected  by  William  Hill  in  Aug.,  1884.  It  has 
a  money  order  postofiice  with  one  rural  rOtite,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  churches,  Schools,  a  weekly  newspaper  and  banking  facilities. 
All  the  leading  professions  and  lines  of  business  activity  are  repre- 
sented.   The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910  was  200. 

Wayside,  a  hamlet  of  Montgomery  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchi- 
son,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Caney  township,  11  miles  southwest 
of  Independence,  the  county  seat.  It  has  an  express  office  and  a  money 
order  postotiice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the 
census  of  1910  was  40. 

Wea,  is  a  hamlet  in  the  extreme  northeastern  part  of  Miami  county, 
about  5  miles  east  of  Bucyrus,  from  which  place  it  has  rural  mail 
delivery. 

Weaver,  a  hamlet  of  Douglas  county,  is  situated  in  the  extreme  north- 
eastern portion  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Kansas  river,  about  3  miles 
northeast  of  Eudora,  the  nearest  railroad  station,  from  which  it  has  rural 
free  delivery. 

Webb,  Thomas  Hopkins,  physician,  was  born  at  Providence,  R.  I., 
Sept.  21,  1801,  and  died  on  Aug.  2,  1866.  From  1854  to  i860  he  was 
secretary  of  the  Emigrant  Aid  company.  During  that  time  he  made 
scrap-books  of  clippings  collected  from  newspapers  published  in  all 
parts  of  the  country.  These  clippings  fill  seventeen  large  volumes' — • 
over  3,000  pages  ten  by  twelve  inches  in  size,  of  three  columns  each — 
and  are  said  to  contain  everything  printed  about  Kansas  during  the 
seven  years  of  his  secretaryship.  They  constitute  a  veritable  mine  of 
information  concerning  the  border  troubles  of  the  territorial  period.  In 
July,  1878,  the  scrap-books  were  purchased  by  the  Kansas  Historical 
Society  for  $400,  and  they  form  one  of  the  best  collections  in  the 
archives  of  that  society.  Dr.  Webb  also  published  a  guide  book  for 
emigrants  and  two  pamphlets  about  Kansas,  each  of  which  ran  through 
six  editions. 

Webber,  a  village  of  Jewell  county,  is  located  in  Jackson  township 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  18  miles  northeast  of  Man- 
kato,  the  county  seat.  It  has  banking  facilities,  express  and  telegraph 
offices  and  a  money  order  postofifice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  250. 

ai-57) 


898  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Webster,  a  little  town  in  Rooks  county,  is  located  in  Belmont  town- 
ship on  the  south  fork  of  the  Solomon  river,  10  miles  west  of  Stockton, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel,  a  bank,  a  number  of  retail  establish- 
ments, daily  mail  stage  to  Stockton  and  Bogue,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in   1910  was  200. 

Weir  (also  known  as  Weir  Cit}'),  one  of  the  important  towns  in 
Cherokee  county,  is  located  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  14 
miles  north  of  Columbus,  the  county  seat,  and  11  miles  from  Pittsburg, 
the  metropolis  of  this  section.  It  is  an  incorporated  city,  has  water- 
works, electric  lights,  fire  department,  an  opera  house,  a  bank,  a  news- 
paper (the  Journal),  a  feed  mill,  a  public  library,  schools  and  churches, 
telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order  post- 
office  with  three  rural  routes.  An  excellent  quality  of  coal  is  mined  in 
the  vicinity  and  shipped  from  Weir  in  large  quantities.  The  town  was 
founded  in  1872  as  a  zinc  mining  point.  In  1880  the  population  was 
400.  In  1890  it  had  grown  to  2,138,  in  1900  the  population  was  2,977 
and  in  1910  it  was  2,289. 

Welcome,  a  hamlet  in  Geary  county,  is  located  15  miles  southeast  of 
Junction  City,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  northwest  of  Alta  Vista  in 
Wabaunsee  county,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  it  receives  mail. 

Welda,  a  little  town  in  Anderson  county,  is  located  in  ^\'elda  town- 
ship on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  10  miles  south  of  Gar- 
nett,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  churches,  all  lines  of  business 
enterprises,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  one  rural  route.  The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1910 
was  212.  The  railroad  established  the  station  of  Welda  in  the  year 
1870,  and  the  town  was  platted  in  1873.  It  was  not  until  1879  that  the 
first  store  was  opened.     A  school  house  was  erected  the  same  year. 

Weller  County,  one  of  the  extinct  counties  of  Kansas,  was  created 
by  the  first  territorial  legislature  in  1855.  It  was  not  organized  as  a 
county  until  1859,  when  the  name  was  changed  to  Osage  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  a  nine-mile  strip  from  the  south  end  of  Shawnee  county 
was  added.    (See  Osage  County.) 

Wellington,  one  of  the  important  towns  of  southern  Kansas  and  the 
judicial  seat  of  Sumner  county,  is  located  near  the  central  part  of  the 
county.  It  has  an  elevation  of  1,192  feet.-  It  is  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  of  which  it  is  a  division  point,  and  also  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  It  is  an  important  shipping  point  for 
live  stock,  grain,  ha}-  and  produce.  The  division  headquarters  is  a 
source  of  steady  income  to  the  town,  the  monthly  payroll  of  the  Santa 
Fe  at  this  point  being  $80,000.  There  are  two  national  and  two  state 
banks,  with  a  combined  capital  and  surplus  of  nearly  $300,000.  The 
deposits  aggregate  over  $1,000,000  and  the  stock  is  held  b}-  193  citizens 
of  the  community.  The  auditorium  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $50,000.  The 
Sumner  county  high  school  located  here  is  second  to  none  in  standing, 
and  in    1908  it  had  the  largest  enrollment  of  any  in  the  state.     There 


KANSAS    HISTORY  899 

is  a  $65,000  government  building.  The  salt  mines  are  a  source  of 
wealth  to  the  city.  The  waterworks,  which  originally  cost  $100,000  and 
has  since  been  improved  to  the  extent  of  $50,000,  is  owned  by  the  city, 
as  is  also  the  electric  light  plant  which  cost  $40,000.  Natural  gas  for 
lighting,  heating  and  manufacturing  is  plentiful  and  has  been  an  asset 
in  the  development  of  the  town.  There  is  a  good  sewer  system ;  attrac- 
tive stores  line  several  blocks  of  the  main  streets ;  there  are  2  daily  and 
4  weekly  papers,  3  large  flour  mills,  a  plow  works,  3  feed  mills,  a 
number  of  grain  elevators,  a  cigar  factory,  ice  and  cold  storage  plant, 
salt  manufactory,  cheese  factory  and  paved  streets.  The  city  is  divided 
into  five  wards,  and  the  population  in  1910  was  7,034.  It  is  well  sup- 
plied with  telegraph  and  express  offices  and  has  an  international  money 
order  postofSce  with  seven  rural  routes. 

\VeIlington  was  laid  of¥  in  April,  1871,  and  two  months  later  the 
Wellington  Town  company  was  organized.  The  members  of  this  com- 
pany were  R.  A.  Davis,  A.  A.  Jordan,  P.  A.  Wood,  L.  K.  Myers,  C.  R. 
Godfrey,  J.  S.  McMahan,  J.  P.  McCulloch  and  A.  N.  Randall.  The  town 
was  named  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  Buildings  were  put 
up  during  the  first  days  of  April.  Religious  services  were  held  on  the 
9th  and  on  the  15th  the  first  store  was  opened  by  A.  W.  Shearman.  The 
same  day  the  first  hotel,  the  Civic  House,  was  opened  by  William  Bur- 
ton. This  was  the  only  one  of  the  first  buildings  that  was  not  of  logs. 
The  postoffice  was  established  in  1871  with  C.  R.  Godfrey  as  postmaster, 
and  was  kept  in  Wood's  drug  store.  The  first  school  was  taught  by 
Mrs.  B.  Cooley  in  1872.  The  Wellington  Banner,  the  second  newspaper 
in  the  county,  was  started  by  G.  P.  Garland  in  Oct.,  1872.  The  first  two 
years  of  its  life  the  little  town  had  a  strenuous  time  on  account  of  the 
unsettled  condition  of  the  county  seat  matter.  Finally  in  1872  the  voters 
chose  Wellington  and  its  prosperity  was  assured.  It  was  incorporated 
as  a  city  of  the  third  class  in  Nov.,  1872.  A  city  election  on  the  30th 
of  that  month  resulted  in  the  selection  of  the  following  officers  :  Mayor, 
D.  N.  Caldwell;  police  judge,  J.  A.  Dillar;  clerk.  T.  C.  Gatlifi^;  council- 
men.  A.  W'.  Shearman,  W.  P.  Hackney,  A.  N.  Randall,  John  G.  Tucker 
and  T.  J.  Riley.  In  1880  the  completion  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  R.  R.  to  this  point  gave  Wellington  a  new  impetus.  The  next 
year,  however,  a  disastrous  fire  occurred  destroying  $40,000  worth  of 
buildings  and  goods.  The  first  banking  institution  was  a  private  one 
established  by  J.  E.  Neal  &  Son  in  1879.  It  became  incorporated  in 
1882.  Mills  and  manufacturing  plants  were  put  up  about  this  time. 
The  little  city  developed  very  rapidly  and  in  1888,  street  cars,  gas 
works,  waterworks  and  telephone  system  were  among  the  improve- 
ments. 

Wellmanville,  a  country  hamlet  in  Ness  county,  is  located  in  High 
Point  township  about  20  miles  southeast  of  Ness  City,  the  county  seat, 
and  ID  miles  south  of  Bazine,  the  nearest  shipping  ])ijint  and  the  post- 
office  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Wells,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Ottawa 
countA',  is  located  in  Grant  township,  9  miles  east  of  Minneapolis,  the 


900  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

county  seat.     It  has  a  monc\-  order  postofficc  with  one  rural  route  and 
an  express  office.    The  population  in  1910  was  42. 

Wellsford,  a  little  town  in  Kiowa  county,  is  located  in  the  township 
of  the  same  name  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  15  miles 
east  of  Greensburg,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  mill  and  grain  elevator, 
a  hotel,  several  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and 
a  money  order  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Wellsville,  the  second  largest  town  in  Franklin  county,  is  located  in 
the  northeast  corner  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  The 
town  site  was  purchased  in  1870  by  J.  Emerson,  P.  P.  Elder  and  J.  J. 
B.  Shute,  who  had  it  platted.  In  August  of  that  year  the  first  dwelling 
was  built,  and  in  the  fall  PI.  N.  Brockway  opened  the  first  store.  In 
the  spring  of  1872  a  second  store  was  opened  by  Parker  &  Ray.  The 
first  hotel  was  opened  in  1875,  and  the  next  year  Paul  Laberrier  opened 
a  drug  store.  One  of  the  first  large  commercial  enterprises  was  the 
building  of  an  elevator  in  1877  at  a  cost  of  $5,003.  The  following  year 
a  large  wagon  shop  was  started,  which  carried  on  a  good  business.  In 
1878  Nathaniel  Steen  purchased  the  town  site  and  inaugurated  such  a 
liberal  policy  that  many  settlers  were  attracted  to  the  town.  The  first 
school  was  taught  in  1871  by  Ella  Brown.  In  i8Sr  a  large  school  house 
was  erected  and  today  Wellsville  has  a  fine  public  school  system.  The 
postoffice  was  established  in  1872  with  W.  Brockway  as  the  first  post- 
master. The  Congregational  church  was  established  in  1875,  and  a 
church  building  was  completed  in  1877.  The  Methodists  organized  in 
1 881.  Since  then  other  denominations  have  perfected  organizations  and 
erected  church  buildings.  The  first  newspaper,  the  Wellsville  News, 
made  its  appearance  on  April  20,  1882,  edited  by  Dr.  H.  M.  Bennett. 
It  did  much  to  advertise  the  town  and  worked  in  its  interests  for  years. 
Wellsville  is  the  banking,  shipping  and  supply  town  for  a  rich  agricul- 
tural district.  It  has  hotels,  general  stores,  drug  stores,  hardware  and 
implement  houses,  lumber  yards,  furniture  stores,  wagon  and  black- 
smith shops,  a  newspaper,  a  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and 
express  facilities,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  750. 

Weskan,  a  country  postoffice  in  Wallace  county,  is  located  in  the 
township  of  the  same  name  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  12  miles  west 
of  Sharon  Springs,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel,  general  store,  and 
telegraph  and  express  offices.     The  population  in   1910  was  30. 

Wesleyan  University. —  (See  Kansas  Wesleyan  I'niversity.) 

Western  Christian  University. — (See  Ottumwa  College.) 

Western  Engineer. — (See  Early  River  Commerce.) 
'  Western  Park,  one  of  the  inland  hamlets  of  Elk   county,   is  located 
in    L'nion   Center  township   about    11    miles  northwest   of   Howard,   the 
county  seat,   the   nearest  railroad   station   and   the   usual   shipping   and 
banking  point,  whence  it  receives  mail  by  ruarl  route.     The  populat 


ion. 


according  to  the  1910  report,  was  34. 

Western  University. — This  institution,  also  known  as  Stanley  Indus- 
trial Hall,  is  located  at  Ouindaro,  AV}andotte  count}-,     [nst  Ijefore  the 


KANSAS    HISTORY  QOI 

emancipation  proclamation,  Sept  22,  1862,  Rev.  Edwin  Blatchley,  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  founded  a  school  for  colored  children  called 
Freeman  University,  on  the  present  site  of  Western  University.  It 
was  maintained  for  some  years  with  great  effort  and  the  dying  request 
of  its  founders  was  that  the  grounds  be  made  the  seat  of  a  school  for  the 
education  of  children  of  African  descent.  After  Mr.  Blatchley 's  death 
the  colored  men  of  Ouindaro  organized  and  appointed  a  board  of  trus- 
tees, to  which  the  property  was  transferred,  and  the  school  remained 
under  their  management  for  some  years.  In  i88o  T.  W.  Henderson, 
presiding  elder,  and  Rev.  B.  F.  Bates,  the  pastor  of  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Ouindaro,  had  a  committee  of  three,  consisting 
of  Revs.  B.  F.  Watson,  J-  C.  Embry  and  John  Turner,  appointed  to 
confer  with  the  trustees  of  the  school,  with  a  view  to  having  the  prop- 
turned  over  to  the  church  conference.  Little  progress  was  made  in  the 
work  for  some  years,  during  which  time  efforts  were  made  to  secure 
an  appropriation  from  the  state,  but  nothing  was  accomplished  until 
the  school  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  people  by  Gov.  Stanley 
in  his  message  to  the  legislature  of  1899.  He  said:  "One  of  the  most 
recent  movements  in  the  state  is  the  attempt  to  establish  industrial ' 
schools  at  Ouindaro  for  the  negro.  The  one  great  need  of  the  negro 
today  is  progress  and  development  in  the  things  fostered  and  encouraged 
by  industrial  education." 

He  recommended  aid  for  the  institution,  which  resulted  in  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Bailey  bill.  By  the  provisions  of  this  bill  the  15  acres 
of  land  at  Quindaro  were  deeded  to  the  state,  to  be  under  the  control 
of  a  board  to  be  known  as  "the  board  of  seven  trustees  of  the  indus- 
trial department  of  Western  University."  Four  trustees  were  appointed 
by  the  governor,  two  were  elected  by  the  board  itself,  and  the  presi- 
dent of  the  university  was  to  be  an  ex-o£ficio  member.  This  board  of 
trustees  was  to  determine  the  branches  of  industry,  purchase  the  neces- 
sary appliances,  select  a  superintendent  and  prescribe  his  duties  and 
authorit}'.  Section  11  of  the  act  provided  that  "For  the  purpose  of 
erecting  a  suitable  building  upon  said  land  for  said  industrial  school, 
there  is  hereby  appropriated  the  sum  of  $5,000 ;  and  for  the  purpose  of 
paying  the  running  expenses  of  said  department  for  the  ensuing  two 
years  there  is  hereby  appropriated  an  additional  sum  of  $5,000." 

The  principal  buildings  are  Stanley  and  Trades'  halls  and  a  main 
building  which  was  completed  for  the  school  year  beginning  in  Sept., 
1901.  During  Gov.  Bailey's  administration  $22,250  was  appropriated 
by  the  legislature  and  an  agricultural  department  was  added.  In  1905 
an  appropriation  of  $35,000  was  made,  and  two  years  later  $55,850  was 
appropriated  for  a  boys'  trades  hall,  central  heating  and  electric  light- 
ing plant.  The  session  of  1909  appropriated  $67,000,  of  which  $25,000 
was  for  a  girls'  dormitory. 

The  curriculum  includes  a  college  preparatory  course,  a  regular  col- 
lege course  and  a  normal  training  department,  while  the  Shaffer  the- 
ological seminary  is  open  to  students  preparing  for  the  ministry.     All 


902  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Students  must  be  :il  least  fourteen  years  of  age  for  admission.  In 
the  industrial  department  courses  in  carpentry,  architecture  and  me- 
chanical drawing,  printing,  tailoring,  wheelwright  work,  blacksmithing, 
agriculture  and  commercial  branches  usually  taught  in  a  business  col- 
lege are  provided  for  the  boys,  while  the  girls  may  take  sewing,  mili- 
nerv,  cooking  and  domestic  science,  laundry  work  and  music. 

Westgate,  a  hamlet  in  Geary  county,  is  located  9  miles  east  of  Junc- 
tion City,  the  county  seat,  7  miles  from  Fort  Riley,  the  nearest  rail- 
road station,  and  10  miles  southwest  of  Manhattan,  in  Riley  county,  the 
postofifice  from  which  it  receives  mail.     The  population  in  1910  was  20. 

West  Mineral. —  (See  Mineral.) 

Westmoreland,  the  county  seat  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  located  in 
the  central  part  of  the  county  on  the  Kansas  Southern  &  Gulf  I-i.  R., 
which  connects  with  the  Union  Pacific  at  Blaine,  8  miles  north.  It 
has  I  national  and  2  state  banks,  an  opera  house,  2  newspapers  and  all 
the  general  lines  of  business  activity.  There  are  daily  stage  lines  to 
Louisville  and  Wamego  on  the  south  line  of  the  county.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  500.  The  town  was  platted  in  1871  by  Volney  Baker. 
Subsequent  additions  have  been  made  by  J.  Rachel  Arner  and  A.  C.  Coch- 
run.  It  was  made  the  county  seat  by  a  vote  of  the  people  in  1879,  but 
not  removed  until  1882.  Being  a  comparatively  new  town  Westmore- 
land is  one  of  the  smallest  county  seat  towns  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
state. 

Westola,  a  hamlet  in  Morton  county,  is  located  on  a  branch  of  the 
Cimarron  river  15  miles  northwest  of  Richfield,  the  county  seat.  It 
receives  mail  from  Konantz,  Col. 

Weston,  a  hamlet  in  Geary  countv,  is  located  15  miles  southeast  of 
Junction  City,  the  count}'  seat,  and  7  miles  northwest  of  .Alta  Vista, 
Wabaunsee  county,  the  nearest  railroad  station  and 'the  postoffice  from 
which  it  receives  mail. 

Westphalia,  one  of  the  towns  of  Anderson  county,  is  located  in  West- 
phalia township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  17  miles  southwest  of 
Garnett,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the 
Times),  a  number  of  churches,  good  schools  and  all  the  principal  lines 
of  business  are  represented.  There  are  telegraph  and  express  ofiices  and 
a  money  order  postofifice  with  four  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was  550.  When  the  railroad  was  completed  in  i88o  a  town  was  platted 
at  this  point  and  named  Cornell.  Later  a  railroad  station  and  postofifice 
were  established  under  the  name  \Vestphalia.  The"  name  of  the  town 
was  changed  later  to  Westphalia.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  1881, 
and  the  first  business  places  were  opened  about  that  time.  The  early 
inhabitants  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country  were  mostly  Germans. 

Wetmore,  a  town  of  Nemaha  count}',  is  located  in  Wetmore  town- 
ship in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  25  miles  southeast  of  Seneca,  the  county  seat.  It  has  an  opera 
house,  a  creamery,  a  weekly  newspaper,  good  banking  facilities,  express 
and    telegraph   ofifices,    and   an   international    postofifice    with    two    rural 


KANSAS    HISTORV  9O3 

routes.  W^etmore  was  established  by  the  railroad  company  in  i86t)  and 
was  named  after  Hon.  W.  T.  Wetmore,  vice-president  of  the  compan}'. 
The  first  dwelling  was  that  of  Augustus  Mayer,  built  in  1867.  The  first 
business  building  was  a  general  store  by  Morris  &  Brown.  The  next 
year  a  lumber  yard  was  opened  by  P.  M.  Cassidy.  Within  the  next 
two  years  a  grain  elevator,  a  new  general  store,  a  hotel  and  a  drug  store 
were  among  the  improvements.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  1867 
with  A.  O.  McCreary  as  postmaster.  The  first  marriage  was  between 
N.  Morris  and  Mary  Wolfley  in  1870;  the  first  birth  was  that  of  Mary 
Cassidy  in  1868;  the  first  death  was  Nellie  A.  Rising  in  1869;  the  first 
school  was  taught  by  A.  S.  Ivenoyer  in  the  winter  of  1868-69.  The  third 
house  in  Wetmore  was  a  school  building.  The  town  was  incorporated 
in  1882.  The  election  was  held  on  July  25  of  the  same  year  and  resulted 
as  follows:  J.  W.  Graham,  mayor;  M.  P.  M.  Cassidy,  police  judge; 
William  Morris,  E.  H.  Chapman,  ^^'illiam  lUizan,  Joseph  Haigh  and 
E.  F.  Vilott,  councilmen.    The  population  of  Wetmore  in  1910  was  700. 

Wettick,  a  hamlet  in  Gray  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  6  miles  east  of  Cimarron,  the  count}-  seat,  from  which 
place  it  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery. 

Wheat. — This  cereal  has  been  grown  in  Ivansas  since  the  territory 
was  thrown  open  for  settlement,  and  probably  in  a  limited  way  at  the 
missions  in  pre-territorial  daj's.  Prior  to  i860  no  record  was  kept  of 
the  amount  raised.  That  year  the  crop  amounted  to  168,527  bushels. 
As  late  as  1878  a  discussion  was  going  on  in  the  state  as  to  whether 
wheat  could  be  successfully  raised  here.  This  prediction  was  made  that 
year:  "It  will  be  safe  to  say  that  the  day  will  not  be  far  distant  when 
Kansas  will  stand  at  the  head  as  the  greatest  and  best  wheat  growing 
state  in  the  L'nion."  Time  has  shown  the  prophecy  to  be  correct,  the 
increase  in  production  being  seen  in  the  following  table: 

Year                   Acres                  Ijushels  Value 

1880 2,444,434  25,279,884  $20,980,668 

1890 2,321,113  28,801,214  23,410,548 

1900 4.,V8.533  77-339.191  41.974.145 

1903 5,964,866  94,041 ,902  52,426,355 

1905 5.925,338  77.178,177  53.889.365 

1906 6,436,085  93,292,980  55,178,711 

1910 4.870,450  61,017,339  52,785,965 

Prior  to  1872  the  soft  varieties  of  wheat  were  raised  in  Kansas.  In 
that  year  Bernard  Warkentin  settled  in  Harvey  county  and  introduced 
the  Russian  or  Turkey  (hard)  wheat,  and  since  its  introduction  it  has 
supplanted  nearly  all  the  soft  varieties.  A  flour  is  produced  from  this 
wheat  that  has  become  famous  the  world  over.  The  Kansas  hard  wheat 
is  also  much  sought  by  elevator  men  to  mix  with  inferior  grades  in  order 
to  raise  the  standard.  About  the  year  1900  macaroni  wheat  was  intro- 
duced in  the  United  States,  and  it  has  been  demonstrated  from  experi- 


904 


CYCLOPEDIA    OF 


nients  tliat  it  can  be  successful!}'  grown  in  Kansas.  W  liile  wheat  can 
be  grown  with  fair  success  in  nearl}'  every  section  of  the  state,  the  great 
wheat  belt  of  Kansas  may  be  roughly  described  as  comprising  the  central 
section  of  the  state  between  97°  and  99°  30',  excepting  Washington, 
Republic,  Jewell  and  Phillips  counties  on  the  north,  and  Edwards,  Kiowa, 
Comanche  and  Barber  counties  in  the  southwest.  The  wheat  belt,  how- 
ever, is  pushing  from  the  Arkansas  river  towards  the  northwest  part 
of  the  state. 


THRESHING    SCENE    IN   WESTERN    KANSAS. 


From  time  to  time  there  have  been  some  large  fields  in  wheat  in 
Kansas.  The  first  to  attract  attention  was  T.  C.  Henry's  lo.o^j  acre 
field.  This  has  since  been  exceeded  by  J.  N.  Fike  of  Colby,  who  on  one 
occasion  had  in  over  20,000  acres.  Among  the  enemies  of  wheat,  aside 
from  drought  and  flood,  are  the  Hessian  fly  and  the  chinch  bug.  Cur- 
ing the  '90s  the  ravages  of  the  latter  pest  were  so  pronounced  as  to 
cause  apprehension  among  growers.  From  experiments  made  by  Fran- 
cis FI.  Snow,  for  years  connected  with  the  L'niversity  of  Kansas,  it 
was  demonstrated  that  it  was  possible  to  inoculate  the  chinch  bug  with 
a  contagious  disease  that  produced  death  inside  of  ten  days.  Numerous 
experiments  were  made,  which  in  the  main  were  entirely  satisfactory. 

Wheaton,  one  of  the  most  prosperous  of  the  villages  of  Pottawatomie 
county,  is  located  in  Lone  Tree  township  on  the  I'nion  Pacific  R.  R. 
12  miles  northeast  of  Westmoreland,  the  county  seat.  It  has  banking 
facilities,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice. 
All  the  general  lines  of  business  activity  are  represented.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  225.     It  is  one  of  th^  new  towns. 

Wheel, —  (See  Agricultural  \^''heel.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY  905 

Wherry,  a  hamlet  of  Rice  county,  is  located  in  Washington  township 
on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  13  miles  southeast  of  Lyons, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  express  and  telegraph  offices,  a  money  order 
postoffice,  and  some  retail  trade. 

White  Church,  one  of  the  earliest  settlements  in  Wyandotte  county, 
is  located  in  the  central  portion  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  14  miles 
west  of  Kansas  City.  A  Methodist  mission  was  established  on  the 
present  town  site  among  the  Delaware  Indians  in  1832  b}-  Thomas  John- 
son. After  Kansas  was  thrown  open  to  white  settlement  a  village  sprang 
up  at  "the  white  church,"  which  has  continued  to  be  a  prosperous  com- 
munity. It  is  the  supply  and  shipping  point  for  a  rich  agricultural  dis- 
trict by  which  it  is  surrounded,  has  general  stores,  express  and  tele- 
graph facilities  and  rural  free  delivery  from  Bethel.  The  population  in 
1910  was  152. 

White  City,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Morris  county, 
is  located  in  Rolling  Prairie  township  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroads  17  miles  northwest 
of  Council  Grove,  the  county  seat.  It  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper 
(the  Register),  a  number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express 
offices,  and  an  international  money  order  postoffice  with  four  rural 
routes.  Grain  produce  and  live  stock  are  extensively  shipped.  The 
population  in  1910  was  506.  The  town  was  founded  in  1871  by  a  colony 
numbering  about  40  families  organized  in  Chicago.  The  first  house  was 
built  by  Thomas  Eldridge  and  the  first  store  by  James  Thornley  and 
W.  N.  Dunbar.  A  good  school  house  was  erected  in  1873  ^""l  Adam 
Dixon  was  the  first  teacher. 

White  Cloud,  one  of  the  important  towns  of  Doniphan  county,  is 
located  on  the  Missouri  river- and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
R.  R.  20  miles  northwest  of  Troy,  the  county  seat.  It  is  an  incor- 
porated city  and  has  2  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper,  opera  house  and 
other  business  and  educational  institutions.  Stages  run  daily  to  Forest 
City,  Mo.  There  are  express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order 
postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  735. 

The  White  Cloud  town  company  was  organized  in  1857  with  $45,000 
capital  and  the  following  members:  John  H.  Utt,  James  Foster,  Dr. 
H.  W.  Peter,  Cornelius  Dorland,  Enoch  Spaulding,  Richard  Gatling, 
who  invented  the  Gatling  gun,  and  his  brother.  Previous  to  this 
Spaulding  and  Utt  had  secured  the  site,  laid  out  part  of  the  town,  and 
named  it  White  Cloud,  after  the  chief  of  the  lowas  who  was  killed 
in  the  Nemaha  region  in  1854.  On  July  4,  1857,  there  was  a  great  cele- 
bration and  barbecue  in  honor  of  the  new  town.  Four  steamboats  and 
2,000  people  were  there.  The  St.  Joseph  band  furnished  music,  and 
there  were  a  number  of  speeches  by  celebrated  men  of  the  time.  Specu- 
lators were  busy  selling  lots,  and  the  net  sales  of  the  day  amounted  to 
$23,794.  A  number  of  buildings  had  been  erected  before  the  sale,  a  log 
house  by  Thomas  Lease,  a  frame  structure  by  a  Mr.  Byrd  and  a  build- 
ing on   Main   street  by   Briggs  &  Jennings.     The  first  drug  store  was 


906  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

opened  b}'  ^hreve  &  Macey,  the  lurnier  Ijeinti  t'lc  first  physician.  V.  D. 
Alarkham  was  the  first  attorney.  The  first  mayor  was  C.  Dorian  and 
the  first  city  clerk  a  Mr.  Brown.  The  postoifice  was  established  in 
1857  and  C  F.  Jennings  appointed  postmaster. 

White  Cloud,  a  chief  of  the  Iowa  Indians,  was  at  one  time  head  ul 
his  tribe  and  lived  near  the  Missouri  river  at  the  place  known  as  Iowa 
Point.  His  Indian  name  was  Mo-hos-ka.  His  dwelling,  a  double 
hewed  log  house,  stood  on  land  now  owned  by  Frank  Potter,  and  near 
his  residence.  The  Pawnee  Indians  were  the  mortal  foes  of  the  lowas, 
and  on  one  of  their  trips  White  Cloud  was  shot  with  an  arrow  by  a 
Pawnee  boy  and  killed.  He  was  taken  home  for  Ijurial  and  his  grave 
is  near  a  large  tree  overlooking  the  ^Missouri  river,  below  Iowa  Point. 
After  his  death  Nan-cha-nin-ga,  or  No  Heart,  succeeded  as  head  chief 
of  tlie  tribe. 

White  Hair,  an  Osage  chief,  was  the  head  man  of  the  Great  Osages 
and  an  inlluential  chief  about  the  beginning  of  the  igth  century,  lie 
was  also  known  as  Teshuhimga,  Cahagatonga,  Pahuska  or  Pawhuska, 
and  as  Cheveux  Planes  by  the  French.  The  Osages  in  1806  lived  on  the 
Little  Osage  ri\er  in  the  present  \'ernon  county,  AIo.,  in  a  village  known 
as  White  Hair's  village,  where  they  were  visited  by  Lieut.  Pike  at  that 
time.  In  1825  and  1837  ^'^^  tribe  lived  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Xeosho 
ri\-er  in  the  present  State  of  Kansas,  their  village  here,  also  known  as 
^\  hite  Hair's  village,  being  situated  about  5  miles  west  of  the  present 
i<i\vn  of  Oswego,  Richland  township,  Labette  county.  I 'ike  makes  the 
assertion  that  White  Hair  was  a  chief  of  Pierre  Chouteau's  creating, 
and  that  he  had  neither  the  power  nor  disposition  to  restrain  the  young 
men  from  the  perpetration  of  wrong  acts,  fearing  he  wnuld  render  him- 
self unpopular.  Pike  was  treated  in  a  hospitable  manner  l)y  White 
Hair  and  presented  that  worthy  and  his  son  with  "grand  medals." 
\\'hen  Pike  left  ^Vhite  Hair  sent  his  son,  whom  Pike  describes  as  a 
discontented  young  man,  filled  with  self-pride,  as  an  embassy,  but  he 
soon  tired  and  left. 

"White  Hair  seems  to  be  identical  with  Papuisea  (Pahusca?),  who 
was  the  first  signer  of  the  treaty  with  the  C)sages  at  Fort  Clark  Nov. 
10,  1808.  He  signed  also  the  treaties  of  Sept  22,  1815  ;  Sept.  25,  1818; 
Aug.  31,  1822;  June  2,  1825;  and  Aug.  10,  1825.  He  died  probably  soon 
after  the  day  last  mentioned  at  his  village  in  Vernon  county.  Mo.,  and 
was  buried  in  a  stone  tomb  on  the  summit  of  Blue  Mound.  The  grave 
was   after  desecrated  by  treasure   seekers  and   prior  to   1850  the   chief 

parts  of  the  skeleton  had  been  taken \bout  1871  some  of  the 

Osages  went  from  Kansas  and  rebuilt  the  cairn  formerly  covering  White 
Hair's  remains,  but  the  whites  would  permit  neither  the  stones  nor  the 
few  bones  of  the  old  chief  to  remain."  In  1865  the  question  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  old  White  Hair  village  was  the  subject  of  some  correspond- 
ence between  the  governor  and  G.  J.  Endicott. 

Whitelaw,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Greeley  county, 
is  located  4  miles  east  of  Tribune,  the  county  seat.  It  receives  its  mail 
from  Tribune  bv  rural  delivery. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  907 

White  Plume  (\\'oin-pa-wa-ra,  "He  who  scares  all  nien"'j,  a  chief  of 
the  Kansas  Indians,  was  born  about  1763  and  died  past  70  years  of  age. 
He  is  described  by  Catlin  as  "a  very  urbane  and  hospitable  man  of 
good,  portly  size,  speaking  some  English,  and  making  himself  good 
company  for  all  persons  who  travel  through  his  country  and  have  the 
good  luck  to  shake  his  liberal  and  hospitable  hand.''  The  government 
built  a  substantial  stone  house  for  White  Plume  about  1827  or  1828, 
but  for  some  reason  he  refused  to  abide  in  it,  preferring  his  old-style 
wigwam,  which  he  erected  in  the  door  yard  of  his  ofilicial  palace.  This 
house  stood  about  50  yards  north  of  the  present  Union  Pacific  depot  in 
the  village  of  Williamstown,  Jefferson  county.  Father  P.  J.  De  Smet, 
the  Jesuit  missionary,  in  speaking  of  White  Plume,  says:  "Among  the 
chiefs  of  this  tribe  are  fmind  men  really  distinguished  in  many  resjjects. 
The  most  celebrated  was  White  Plume."  John  T.  Irving,  in  his  Indian 
Sketches,  thus  describes  this  dignitary :  "He  was  tall  and  muscular, 
though  his  form  through  neglect  of  exercise  was  fast  verging  towards 
corpulency.  He  wore  a  hat  after  the  fashion  of  the  whites,  a  calico 
hunting  shirt  and  rough  leggings.  Over  the  whole  was  wrapped  a 
heavy  blanket.  His  face  was  unpainted  and  although  his  age  was  nearly 
seventy,  his  hair  was  raven  black  and  his  eye  was  as  keen  as  a  hawk's. 
He  was  the  White  Plume,  chief  of  th-e_  Konza  nation."  United  States 
Senator  Charles  Curtis  is  a  descendant  of  this  famous  chief. 

White  Rock,  a  village  of  Republic  county,  is  located  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Republican  river  in  \\'hite  Rock  township  about  14  miles  north- 
west of  Belleville,  the  county  seat.  It  was  the  first  settlement  west  of 
the  Republican  river  and  was  settled  in  1866  by  Thomas  Lovewell. 
The  tov\'n  was  laid  out  in  1871.  Indian  outrages  were  common  and 
before  1870  some  25  people  were  either  killed  or  carried  away  from 
this  settlement.  At  one  time  White  Rock  was  an  important  point.  It 
was  in  the  path  of  the  leading  emigrant  route  from  Nebraska  to  the 
homestead  territory.  In  1873  there  were  3  general  stores,  a  sawmill, 
a  corn  mill  and  a  hotel.  At  present  tliere  are  no  business  houses,  only 
about  30  people,  and  the  mail  comes  by  rural  route  from  Courtland. 

White  Rock  Massacre. — Early  in  April,  1867,  a  small  band  of  Chey- 
ennes  found  their  \va_y  into  the  settlements  on  White  Rock  creek,  and 
under  the  guise  of  being  friendly  Otoes,  were  admitted  into  the  home 
of  a  settler  named  Ward  and  given  food.  One  of  the  savages  noticed 
a  rifle  belonging  to  the  host  and,  taking  it  down,  shot  him  as  he  unsus- 
pectingly smoked  his  pipe.  The  two  Ward  boys  made  a  dash  for  their 
lives,  the  Indians  firing  at  and  wounding  one  of  them  fatally.  Mrs. 
Ward  barricaded  herself  in  the  house  and  waited  the  next  move  of  the 
savages,  who  procured  an  ax,  chopped  down  the  door  and  looted  the 
house.  The  confiscated  plunder  was  loaded  on  two  mules,  the  prop- 
erty of  Mr.  W'ard,  and,  with  Mrs.  Ward  as  prisoner,  the  Indians  hur- 
riedly left  to  join  their  tribe  on  the  Solomon.  Cloud  and  Clay  county 
settlers  started  in  pursuit,  but  as  the  Indians  had  several  days'  start 
they  were  never  overtaken.    The  fate  of  Mrs.  Ward  was  never  learned. 


9o8 


CYCI.OrEDlA    OF 


White  Water,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  ISutler  countv, 
is  located  in  Milton  township  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  I'acific 
and  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroads.  It  has  2  banks,  2  flour  mills,  grain 
elevators,  an  alfalfa  mill,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Independent),  a  large 
number  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a 
money  order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910 
was  518.  The  town  is  located  in  the  midst  of  a  prosperous  farming 
district  and  handles  large  quantities  of  grain,  produce  and  live  stock 
annually. 

Whitewater  River. — This  stream  rises  in  the  southern  part  of  Marion 
count}-  about  ()  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Burns,  flows  south  and 
unites  with  the  Walnut  river  at  a  point  about  a  mile  south  of  the  town 
of  Augusta,  Butler  county.  The  stream  has  only  one  tributary  of  con- 
sequence— the  West  Whitewater — which  has  its  source  near  the  town 
of  Walton  in  Harvey  county,  and  unites  with  tlie  Whitewater  a  little 
north   of   the   village   of  Towanda,   Butler  county.     The   lenf^th    of   the 


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stream  is  about  35  miles.  During  the  '60s  the  late  James  R.  Mead  of 
Wichita  had  a  ranch  and  trading  house  on  the  W^hitewater,  the  town 
of  Towanda  now  occupying  the  site.  In  1868  the  Nineteenth  Kansas 
cavalry,  while  on  the  march  to  the  Indian  Territory,  stopped  at  Mead's 
ranch  for  supplies  on  the  evening  of  Nov.  11. 

White,  William  Allen,  journalist,  author  and  one  of  the  best  known 
men  in  Kansas,  was  born  at  Emporia,  Kan.,  Feb.  10,  1868,  the  son  of 
•Dr.  Allen  and  Mary  (Hatton)  White.  He  is  directly  descended  from 
Peregrine    White,    who    came    over    in    the    Mayflower.      His    maternal 


KANSAS    HISTORY  9O9 

ancestors  were  natives  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  his  maternal  grand- 
mother, Fear  Perry,  was  a  relative  of  Commodore  Perry.  In  1869  Dr. 
White  removed  to  Eldorado,  Kan.,  where  William  passed  his  boyhood. 
This  locality  is  the  "Willow  Creek"  of  his  early  stories,  and  also  the 
"Boyville"  where  White  was  "Piggy  Pennington."  He  graduated  from 
the  high  school  in  1884  and  the  next  year  started  to  work  as  "devil" 
on  the  Butler  county  Democrat.  In  1886  he  began  his  real  newspaper 
career  as  reporter  and  city  circulator  for  the  Eldorado  Republican. 
Next  he  learned  to  set  type,  run  a  job  press  and  write  items  for  a  coun- 
try newspaper.  In  the  fall  he  went  to  Lawrence  to  attend  the  state 
university  but  returned  to  work  on  the  paper  at  the  close  of  the  school 
year.  During  1887  and  1888  he  attended  the  university  and  in  the 
summer  of  1888  worked  on  the  Lawrence  Journal  as  a  reporter.  In 
1890  he  left  college  without  completing  his  course  and  again  went  to 
work  on  the  Eldorado  Republican.  From  Eldorado  he  went  to  Kan- 
sas City  as  correspondent  and  editorial  writer  on  the  Journal  and  sub- 
sequentl)'  on  its  rival,  the  Star.  In  1895  he  borrowed  money  and  bought 
the  Emporia  Gazette  in  order  to  have  a  paper  that  he  could  run  to 
suit  himself.  The  paper  was  on  the  down  grade  when  he  purchased  it, 
but  within  three  years  he  had  paid  for  it  and  expended  $1,000  on  im- 
provements. Mr.  White  runs  the  Gazette  as  a  Republican  journal  in 
an  independent  fashion,  but  it  is  worth  noting  that  no  rival  has  ever 
been  able  to  secure  a  foothold  in  Emporia  since  White  "came  into  his 
own,"  though  there  have  been  numerous  attempts  to  do  so.  During  the 
campaign  of  i896.he  wrote  an  article  called  "What's  the  Matter  with 
Kansas,"  the  press  took  it  up  all  over  the  country  and  chairman  Hanna 
made  the  statement  that  this  editorial  "was  more  widely  circulated  by 
the  Republican  National  Committee  than  any  other  document  sent  out 
by  it."  Mr.  White  is  regarded  as  an  asset  by  both  the  Republicans  and 
Democrats;  he  is  a  mixture  of  simplicity  and  shrewdness,  but  no  one 
can  prophesy  what  he  will  do  or  say  next,  while  behind  his  eccentrici- 
ties there  is  a  real,  honest,  warm-hearted  man.  He  possesses  to  a 
marked  degree  the  "human  touch,"  which  is  so  noticeable  in  his  works. 
One  of  his  first  books  was  a  collection  of  stories  entitled  "The  Real 
Issue,"  which  was  a  decided  success.  His  articles  on  public  men,  pub- 
lished in  McClure's  Magazine,  created  a  stir  in  political  circles.  In 
1899  a  study  of  bo}'  life  appeared  by  him  under  the  title  "Court  of  Boy- 
ville." Since  then  he  has  published  "In  Our  Town"  and  "A  Certain 
Rich  Man"  which  have  made  him  famous.  Mr.  White  is  a  member 
of  the  National  Institute  of  Arts  and  Letters.  In  1893  he  married  Sallie 
Lindsay  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  and  they  have  one  child,  William  Lind- 
say. It  has  been  said  of  Mr.  White  that  he  can  criticise  with  no  sug- 
gestion of  hositility,  and  praise  with  no  hint  of  favoritism,  and  this  is 
one  of  his  greatest  holds  upon  the  people. 

Whitfield,  John  W.,  the  first  delegate  to  Congress  from  the  Territory 
of  Kansas,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  but  came  to  Tecumseh,  Kan.,  early 
in  the  '50s  and  began  to  take  an  active  part  in  local  politics.     He  was 


9IO  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

elected  delegate  to  Congress  as  a  Democrat  on  Nov.  29,  1854.  Connel- 
ley  describes  him  as  "a  tall  and  stuttering  Tennesseean  who  lived  in 
Jackson  county,  Mo."  At  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  he  was  a 
candidate  for  reelection  and  was  opposed  by  ex-Gov.  Andrew  H.  Reeder. 
At  the  election  on  Oct.  i,  1855,  ^^  hitfield  received  2,271  votes,  Reeder 
received  2,849,  ^nd  contested  the  seat,  which  was  declared  vacant  on 
Aug.  I,  1856.  j\Ir.  W'hitfield  took  an  active  part  in  the  stirring  border 
warfare  carried  on  between  the  pro-slavery  and  free-state  men.  He 
had  been  a  pro-slavery  man  in  politics  from  the  time  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  was  elected  by  that  party. 

Whiting,  one  of  the  villages  of  Jackson  county,  is  located  in  Whiting 
township  on  the  Central  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  f^.  10  miles 
northeast  of  Holton,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  newspaper,  banking 
tacilities,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postoffice 
with  two  rural  routes.  All  the  main  lines  of  business,  are  represented. 
The  population  in  1910  was  550.  Whiting  was  first  platted  in  1866, 
but  was  resurveyed  in  1872  and  in  1882  another  plat  was  recorded.  The 
lands  of  Whiting  township  belonged  to  the  Kickapoo  Indians  until 
1867.  when  they  became  the  property  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  com- 
pany. The  first  settlements  were  made  in  1867  by  Henry  Haub,  G.  T. 
\\'atkins,  A.  D.  Stone,  C.  A.  Earns,  W.  C.  Revnolds,  Andrew  Brown, 
H.  M.  Duff,  Michael  O'Neal,  G.  C.  Weibles  and  D.  R.  Williams.  A.  D. 
Stone  was  the  first  man  to  locate  on  the  town  site.  He  was  joined  in 
1870  by  Mr.  Shedd  and  together  they  opened  the  first  store.  Shedd 
&  Marshall  established  a  business  in  1871,  and  in  1881  built  the  first 
substantial  stone  building,  which  was  a  beautiful  edifice  for  those  days 
and  contained  a  hall  for  public  meetings,  which  held  500  people.  The 
first  commercial  club  was  established  in  1878.  Whiting  township  was 
named  in  honor  of  Mrs.  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  that  being  her  maiden  name. 

Whitman,  a  hamlet  of  Sumner  county,  is  a  station  on  the  ^Missouri 
Pacific  R.  R.  13  miles  northeast  of  \^'ellington,  the  county  seat,  and 
5  miles  southeast  of  Belle  Plaine,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail 
by  rural  delivery.    The  population  in  1910  was  25. 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  poet,  was  born  near  Haverhill,  Mass.,  Dec. 
17,  1807.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  when  only  nine- 
teen years  of  age  wrote  the  "Exile's  Departure,"  which  was  published 
by  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  encouraged  by  him  W'hittier  went  to 
Boston  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  and  engaged  in  journalism.  Sub- 
sequently he  became  editor  of  the  Haverhill  Gazette,  then  of  the  New 
England  Weekly  Review,  published  at  Plartford,  Conn.  Although 
W'hittier  was  never  a  resident  of  Kansas,  he  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  efforts  to  make  it  a  free  state  and  sympathized  with  those  who 
were  struggling  to  accomplish  that  end.  He  wrote  "The  Kansas  Emi- 
grant's Song,"  beginning, 

"We  cross  the  prairies  as  of  old 
The  Pilgrims  crossed  the  sea. 
To  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East, 
The  homestead  of  the  free." 


KANSAS    HISTORY  9I  I 

To  the  air  of  Auld  Land  Syne  this  song  could  frequently  be  heard, 
as  it  was  sung  with  spirit  by  parties  of  emigrants  from  the  free  states 
on  their  way  to  Kansas.  Whittier  is  regarded  by  many  as  the  most 
American  of  all  American  poets.  He  died  at  Hampton  Falls,  N.  H., 
Sept.  7,  1892. 

Wichita,  the  second  largest  city  in  Kansas,  is  the  judicial  seat  of 
Sedgwick  county,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state.  It  is  located  230 
miles  from  Kansas  City  on  the  Arkansas  river,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
important  railway  centers  in  Kansas,  having  direct  connections  with 
almost  every  cit}'  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Five  roads — the  Missouri 
Pacific,  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific, 


MAIN   BUJLDIMJ,    i'All;.MoL-\T   C'jLLiOGK, 


St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco,  and  the  Kansas  City,  ]\Iexico  &  Orient — 
radiate  ifrom  this  point,  and  three  new  roads  are  in  prospect.  An  inter- 
urban  line,  connecting  Wichita  with  Wellington,  Hutchinson  and  other 
points,  is  in  the  course  of  construction.  The  Kansas  City,  Mexico  & 
Orient,  which  has  lately  placed  \^'ichita  in  position  to  handle  vast  ship- 
ments from  the  southwest,  is  building  workshops  at  this  point  which, 
when  in  operation,  will  add  a  new  colony  to  the  already  cosmopolitan 
population.      New    ele\'ated    tracks   and   a   unidU    dejxjt    are   under   ci^n- 


gi2  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

slruction.  There  is  an  average  of  no  freight  and  passenger  trains  per 
day.  The  value  of  the  city's  manufactured  products  for  the  year  1909  was 
$9,000,000.  Among  the  important  manufacturing  concerns  are  5  flour 
mills  with  a  daily  capacity  of  4,100  barrels,  a  broom  factory  with  a 
daily  capacity  of  2,000  dozen,  2  packing  plants  with  an  annual  produc- 
tion of  60,000,000  pounds,  4  alfalfa  mills,  3  overall  factories,  6  planing 
mills  using  more  than  12,000  cars  of  lumber  annually,  and  6  foundries. 
There  are  in  all  230  different  manufacturing  concerns  in  the  city,  and 
138  wholesale  houses,  shipping  over  50,000  cars  of  the  finished  product 
to  its  tributary  territory.  The  wholesale  and  jobbing  interests  are  repre- 
sented by  500  traveling  men  who  live  in  the  city,  and  the  volume  of  busi- 
ness in  1909  was  $30,000,000. 

The  area  of  Wichita  is  about  20  square  miles,  with  30  miles  of  paving, 
35  miles  of  street  railway,  65  miles  of  water  mains,  75  miles  of  sewer, 
II  public  parks,  100  miles  of  natural  gas  mains,  6,500  telephones  in 
use,  16  publishing  houses,  2  daily  newspapers  (the  Beacon  and  the 
Eagle),  20  public  school  buildings,  3  Catholic  academies,  2  business  col- 
leges, an  art  school,  2  music  conservatories,  2  colleges  ranking  with  the 
best  in  the  state — -Fairmount  College  and  Friends'  University — 11  banks, 
good  hotels,  etc.  The  amount  spent  for  building  in  1910  was  $6,000,000. 
There  are  a  number  of  large  ofifice  buildings  and  department  stores,  6 
sanitariums,  10  theaters,  one  of  the  finest  Masonic  buildings  in  the  coun- 
try, costing  $250,000,  a  Masonic  home  and  grounds  worth  a  similar 
amount,  a  $150,000  Federal  building,  and  a  city  hall  which  cost  about 
the  same,  a  chamber  of  commerce,  a  commercial  club,  a  fair  association 
which  holds  one  of  the  largest  fairs  in  the  state,  a  Commercial  League, 
2  country  clubs,  owning  fine  buildings,  all  of  which  are  busy  promoting 
the  development  and  best  interests  of  the  town.  The  women's  clubs,  of 
which  there  are  four,  have  memberships  of  several  hundred  each  and 
large,  well  furnished  club  rooms. 

The  histor)^  of  the  city  begins  with  the  establishment  of  a  trading 
post  at  that  point  in  1863  by  J.  R.  Mead.  The  Wichita  Indians  were 
then  occupying  the  land  and  the  town  was  named  for  that  tribe.  The 
word  means  "Scattered  Lodges,"  and  for  a  long  time  the  httle  town 
lived  up  to  its  appellation.  As  early  as  i860  William  Mathewson,  the 
original  Buflfalo  Bill,  freighted  through  Wichita,  and  in  1869  settled 
on  a  claim  near  the  town  site.  On  July  9,  1868,  a  military  postoffice 
was  established  with  Col.  Barr,  who  was  in  command  of  the  militia 
stationed  there,  as  postmaster.  Shortly  afterward  a  civil  postoffice  was 
established  with  Milo  B.  Kellogg,  manager  of  Durfee's  ranch,  as  post- 
master. About  the  same  time  the  Wichita  town  company  was  organ- 
ized by  Gov.  S.  J.  Crawford,  W.  W.  H.  Lawrence,  J.  R.  Mead,  E.  P. 
Bancroft,  A.  F.  Horner  and  L  S.  Munger.  A  survey  of  the  site  was 
made  by  Mr.  Finn.  William  Greiffenstein  bought  Moore's  place,  now 
comprising  a  part  of  the  city,  and  for  a  long  time  there  was  a  rivalry 
between  the  two  sites.  In  1870  Mr.  Munger  opened  a  hotel  and  the 
Wichita  Vidette  was  started  by  F.  A.  Sowers.     Before  the  railroad  was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  9I3 

completed  there  was  bitter  rivalry  between  Wichita  and  I'ark  City, 
which  stood  14  miles  to  the  northwest  on  the  Arkansas.  An  attempt 
was  made  to  divert  the  cattle  trade  to  the  Park  City  route,  and  for  a 
long  time  it  seemed  that  this  might  be  successful.  However,  Wichita 
succeeded  in  securing  the  county  seat  and  in  May,  1872,  the  railroad 
reached  this  point  and  settled  the  rivalry.  By  that  time  quite  a  city  had 
grown  up,  handling  the  vast  cattle  trade  of  the  southwest  and  having 
all  the  undesirable  conditions  connected  with  a  rapidly  growing  frontier 
town. 

In  1871  Wichita  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class.  At 
the  election  156  votes  were  polled  and  the  following  officers  were  elected: 
Mayor,  E.  B.  Allen;  attorney,  D.  C.  Hackett ;  police  judge,  H.  E.  Van- 
trees;  clerk,  O.  W.  Brownwell;  treasurer,  N.  A.  English;  marshal, 
M.  Meagher;  councilmen,  W.  B.  Hutchinson,  S.  C.  Johnson,  C.  Schalt- 
ner,  George  Schlichter,  A.  H.  Fabrique  and  George  Vantillburg.  The 
next  year,  having  sufficient  population,  the  form  of  government  was 
changed  to  that  of  a  city  of  the  second  class.  In  March,  1872,  the  United 
States  land  office  was  moved  here  from  Augusta,  Butler  county.  The 
first  school  was  held  in  an  army  dugout  in  the  winter  of  1869-70.  A 
$5,000  school  house  was  built  in  1871.  The  Wichita  Eagle  and  the 
Wichita  Beacon  were  both  founded  in  1872,  and  have  since  been  among 
the  leading  newspapers  of  the  state.  The  first  financial  institution  was 
the  Arkansas  Valley  bank,  started  in  1870  by  W.  C.  Woodman. 
Although  the  cattle  driving  business  closed  in  1875  the  growth  of 
Wichita  kept  on  as  rapidly  as  before.  In  1880  a  board  of  trade  was 
organized  with  $20,000  capital,  the  waterworks  were  installed  in  1882 
and  the  street  railway  the  next  3'ear.  Improvements  of  all  kinds  went 
on  very  rapidly,  new  additions  were  laid  out,  lots  were  sold  and  houses 
built  miles  from  the  business  section  of  the  city.  In  1888,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  auction  sale  of  thp  lots  in  a  new  addition,  the  Wichita 
Eagle  wrote  an  editorial  calling  a  halt  on  speculation  and  telling  the 
people  that  the  time  had  come  to  quit  buying  and  selling  at  inflated 
values.  With  that  the  boom  was  over,  the  lots  were  turned  back  to 
cow  pastures  and  cornfields  and  the  city  paid  for  the  boom  with  fifteen 
years  of  comparative  depression. 

The  Coronado  club,  which  later  became  the  Wichita  commercial  club, 
was  organized  in  1897.  T'^^  chamber  of  commerce  was  organized  in 
1901.  The  growth  of  the  city  in  the  last  ten  years  has  been  wholesome 
as  well  as  remarkable.  The  population  in  1900  was  24,671,  and  in 
1910  it  was  52,450,  an  increase  of  more  than  100  per  cent.  The  post- 
office  receipts  of  1900  were  $73,934,  against  $232,326  in  1910,  and  the 
bank  deposits  show  a  tenfold  increase.  The  building  permits  for  1910 
were  three  times  those  of  1908.  Among  the  buildings  erected  in  1910 
was  the  Beason  building,  which  at  the  time  was  the  tallest  "skyscraper" 
in  Kansas.  It  is  ten  stories  high,  cost  $380,000,  and  accommodates  1,000 
people.     The  public  and  private  improvements  for  1910  cost  $7,000,000. 

(n-58) 


914  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Seven  of  the  eleven  banks  have  been  organized  since  igo2.     The  vakie 
of  city  property  and  improvements  is  more  than  $3,000,000. 

Wichita  County,  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  is  the  second  county 
east  from  the  Colorado  line  and  the  fourth  south  from  Nebraska.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Wallace  and  Logan  counties ;  on  the  east 
by  Scott;  on  the  south  by  Kearny,  and  on  the  west  by  Greeley.  It  was 
created  in  1873  ^'""^  named  for  the  Wichita  tribe  of  Indians.  The  bound- 
aries were  defined  as  follows:  "Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the 
east  line  of  range  35  west  with  the  3d  standard  parallel ;  thence  south 
along  said  range  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  4th  standard  parallel; 
thence  west  along  said  4th  standard  parallel  to  where  it  is  intersected 
by  the  east  line  of  range  39  west;  thence  north  along  range  line  to  its 
intersection  with  the  3d  standard  parallel ;  thence  east  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 

Prior  to  1885  there  were  only  seven  dwellings  in  the  county  and  these 
belonged  to  cattlemen.  One  of  the  largest  cattle  owners  was  George 
Edwards,  who  was  the  first  white  settler  in  the  county.  He  was  shot 
by  Ed.  Rhoades  in  April,  1887.  The  settlement  was  so  rapid  during 
1885  and  1886  that  in  July  of  the  latter  year  the  governor  appointed 
W.  D.  Brainard  to  take  the  census.  At  that  time  Leoti  was  the  chief 
trading  point,  with  a  larger  population  -than  any  other  town,  and  was 
likely  to  be  the  county  seat.  A  company  of  professional  speculators, 
some  of  them  the  same  persons  that  had  operated  in  other  counties, 
bringing  on  bitter  county  seat  wars,  located  at  Coronado,  a  few  miles 
to  the  east,  built  some  fine  business  blocks  and  began  trying  to  make 
their  town  the  county  seat.  In  order  to  do  this  they  had  to  have  time 
in  which  to  work,  and  in  some  unknown  way  they  managed  to  delay 
Mr.  Brainard  in  making  the  returns.  On  two  different  occasions  he 
left  Wichita  county  to  report  to  the  governor,  but  each  time  he  dis- 
appeared. The  census  and  petitions  did  not  reach  Gov.  Martin  till  in 
December,  and  when  they  did  come  to  hand  they  were  in  such  a  con- 
dition that  the  governor  was  unable  to  ascertain  which  town  was  the 
choice  of  the  people.  He  appointed  a  commissioner  to  go  out  and  hold 
an  election  to  find  out.  The  books  were  opened  in  a  sod  shanty  near 
Leoti.  Each  side  insisted  on  a  thorough  canvass,  and  the  voting  took 
three  weeks.  Feeling  ran  high  and  from  the  first-  every  man  was 
armed.  At  times  as  many  as  200  armed  men  surrounded  the  polls  and 
it  was  with  great  difificulty  and  only  by  dint  of  considerable  tact  that 
an  open  outbreak  and  general  slaughter  were  avoided.  The  commis- 
sioner proved  equal  to  the  occasion,  but  was  heartily  glad  when  the 
ordeal  was  over  and  he  was  safe  on  the  train. 

The  governor  issued  his  proclamation  on  Dec.  24,  and  Leoti,  hav- 
ing received  a  large  majority  of  the  votes,  was  made  the  temporary 
county  seat.  Lilburn  Moore  was  appointed  county  clerk;  R.  E.  Jen- 
ness,  S.  W.  McCall  and  W.  D.  Brainard,  county  commissioners.  The 
census  showed  a  population  of  2,607,  ^^  accjuired  in  two  years,  1,095 
of  whom  were  householders.     The  assessed  valuation  of  property  was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  915 

$510,572,  of  which  $193,776  was  real  estate.  An  election  was  ordered 
for  Feb.  8,  1887,  but  on  Feb.  4  the  governor  approved  a  bill  passed  by 
the  legislature  postponing  all  impending  elections  till  March  10,  in  order 
that  all  voters  might  be  registered.  On  the  advice  of  the  attorney- 
general  the  commissioners  proceeded  with  the  election,  but  not  more 
than  half  the  voters  came  out  and  another  election  was  called  for 
March  10,  pursuant  to  the  act  above  mentioned. 

In  the  meantime  a  tragedy  occurred  which  showed  the  extent  to 
which  the  rivalry  between  the  towns  of  Leoti  and  Coronado  had  been 
carried.  On  an  urgent  invitation  from  supposed  friends  to  Coronado 
a  number  of  Leoti  boys  drove  over  to  that  town  to  drink  beer.  They 
met  their  friends  in  a  drug  store,  regaled  themselves,  visited  awhile  and 
had  gotten  into  their  carriage  to  go  home  when  someone  called  to  them. 
Two  of  the  Leoti  young  men  got  out  of  the  vehicle  and  some  words 
were  passed  with  a  couple  of  Coronado  young  men  who  were  on  the 
sidewalk.  Finally  a  shot  was  fired,  then  a  whole  volley  from  persons 
hidden  in  the  second  story  of  one  of  the  buildings.  William  Rains  and 
Charles  Coulter  of  Leoti  dropped  dead.  George  T.  Watkins  was  fatally 
shot,  and  Frank  Jenness,  A.  R.  Robinson,  A.  N.  Boorey  and  Emmett 
Denning  were  seriously  wounded.  The  wounded  men  got  into  their 
conveyance  and  went  back  to  Leoti.  Friends  came  after  the  bodies  of 
the  dead  men  and  found  them  still  lying  in  the  street.  Those  under 
suspicion  resisted  arrest  and  the  governor  was  appealed  to  for  help,  as 
well  as  for  the  militia  to  keep  down  trouble  during  the  coming  election. 
It  was  not  found  necessary  to  send  the  militia,  but  the  governor 
appointed  a  commission  to  investigate  the  shooting.  Eighteen  men  were 
arrested.  It  was  found  that  more  than  100  shots  had  taken  effect  upon 
the  wagon,  the  horses  and  in  the  bodies  of  the  Leoti  men.  At  the  elec- 
tion, held  March  10,  Leoti  won  by  a  large  majority. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  settler  on  every  quarter  section.  Three  years 
later  the  boom  subsided  and  hard  times  began  in  earnest.  In  1894 
the  farmers  were  in  hard  straits.  Most  of  them  had  enough  wheat  for 
1>read  but  none  for  seed.  The  population  in  1890  was  1,827,  a  falling 
off  of  nearly  800  in  three  years.  By  19O0  there  had  been  a  still  further 
decrease  of  more  than  600.  The  revival  began  in  1902,  and  in  1910  the 
population  was  2,006. 

The  county  is  divided  into  3  townships,  Edwards,  Leoti  and  White 
Woman.  The  postoffices  are  Carwood,  Leoti,  Lydia,  Marienthal,  St. 
Theresa,  Selkirk  and  Sunnyside.  The  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  crosses  the 
center  of  the  county  from  east  to  west  through  Leoti,  a  distance  of  30 
miles. 

The  general  surface  is  undulating  prairie  with  bluffs  along  Ladder 
creek.  Bottom  lands  average  a  half  mile  in  width  and  comprise  3  per 
cent,  of  the  total  area.  Except  for  a  few  cottonwood  trees  that  fringe 
the  streams  there  is  no  timber.  Ladder  creek  enters  in  the  northwest 
and  flows  southeast  and  east  into  Scott  county.  Two  branches  of  White 
Woman  creek  cross  the  southern  portion.  ■  Small  quantities  of  chalk, 
gypsum  and  building  stone  are  found. 


9l6  CYCLOPEDIA    OF     . 

Barley  was  the  leading  field  crop  in  1910  and  brought  $70,000.  Wheat 
was  worth  $42,801;  sorghum,  $40,000;  and  corn,  $36,000.  The  total 
value  of  farm  products  that  year  was  $327,193.  There  were  13,280  head 
of  live  stock,  worth  $521,685;  the  assessed  valuation  of  property  was 
$3,615,467,  two-thirds  of  which  was  in  farm  lands. 

Wichita  University,  located  at  Wichita,  was  established  in  1886  by 
the  Reformed  church,  under  the  general  care  of  the  Synod  of  the  Interior 
of  that  denomination.  The  school,  however,  was  not  in  any  sense  sec- 
tarian. The  college  grounds  were  selected  east  of  the  city  on  rising 
ground  known  as  College  Hill.  A  three-story  building  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $25,000  and  the  site  was  valued  at  $30,000.  This,  with  the 
permanent  endowment,  gave  the  school  property  valued  at  $70,000. 

In  the  collegiate  department  five  courses  were  offered :  classical,  Eng- 
lish, scientific,  Latin  scientific  and  Greek  scientific.  A  three-year  pre- 
paratory department  fitted  students  for  entrance  to  the  college  and  a 
model  department  was  conducted  in  connection  with  the  normal  train- 
ing course.  In  addition  there  were  special  music  and  business  courses. 
The  university  was  maintained  by  the  tuition  of  students  and  an  endow- 
ment fund.  In  1892  it  had  a  faculty  of  fifteen,  but  went  out  of  exist- 
ence the  next  year. 

Widerange,  a  rural  hamlet  of  Ottawa  count}',  is  located  in  the  north- 
east part  of  the  county  about  15  miles  northeast  of  Minneapolis,  the 
county  seat,  and  about  7  miles  from  Wells,  the  nearest  railroad  station. 
It  receives  mail  from  Wells  by  rural  route. 

Wiggam,  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  in  Lyon 
county,  is  located  5  miles  east  of  Emporia,  the  county  seat,  whence  it 
receives  mail  by  rural  route. 

Wilburn,  a  country  postofiice  in  Ford  county,  is  located  in  the  town- 
ship of  the  same  name  25  miles  south  of  Dodge  City,  the  county  seat, 
and  10  miles  from  Fowler,  its  shipping  point.  It  has  a  general  store 
and  daih-  stage  to  Minneola.     The  population  in   1910  was  26. 

Wild  Hog,  a  Cheyenne  chief,  was  a  member  of  the  Dull  Knife  band 
of  northern  Cheyennes,  about  200  of  whom  made  a  raid  from  the  Indian 
Territory  across  western  Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1878,  committing  a  num- 
ber of  murders  and  destroying  much  property.  They  were  pursued. 
Wild  Hog  and  his  companions  were  captured  and  confined  in  Fort 
Robinson,  Neb.,  for  some  time,  but  chafing  under  their  close  confine- 
ment, they  made  a  dash  for  liberty  on  the  morning  of  Jan.  21,  1879. 
using  firearms  which  their  squaws  had  smuggled  in  to  them,  and 
killing  some  of  their  guards.  The  Indians  escaped,  but  not  until  a 
number  had  been  wounded.  The  bloody  trail  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  Capt.  Wessells  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  troops,  and  the  next 
day  a  desperate  battle  took  place  in  which  a  number  of  troops  were 
killed  and  the  band  of  fleeing  Indians  almost  exterminated,  but  7  war- 
riors— Wild  Hog  and  6  others — and  16  women  and  children  being  left 
out  of  the  total  number  who  left  the  territory. 

Wild   Hog  and  his  6  companions  were  taken  to  Fort   Leavenworth 


KANSAS    HISTORY  l)lj 

and  later  to  Dodge  City,  where  they  were  held  for  trial  at  the  June 
term  of  the  district  court  of  Ford  county  upon  the  charge  of  murder. 
At  the  opening  of  the  trial  the  counsel  for  the  defense  asked  for  a 
change  of  venue,  which  was  granted,  and  the  case  went  to  the  district 
court  of  Douglas  county  at  the  October  term  following.  At  that  time 
the  prosecution  asked  for  a  continuance  on  account  of  the  absence  of 
witnesses  from  the  state.  This  was  not  granted  and  the  case  was  dis- 
missed, the  Indians  being  turned  over  to  Indian  Agent  Miles.  At  the 
time  of  the  battle  Wild  Hog  was  painfully  injured  in  the  fleshy  part 
of  the  thigh.  He  was  then  about  fifty  years  old,  and  is  described  as 
having  good  features  and  a  well  shaped  head.  He  was  6  feet  4  inches 
tall  and  magnificently  proportioned.  He  married  a  Sioux  woman  and 
had  several  children,  his  eldest  daughter  being  one  of  the  few  survivors 
found  in  the  trenches  after  battle  in  which  she  was  wounded. 

Wilder,  a  village  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  Johnson  county,  is 
situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  15  miles  southwest  of  Kansas  City.  It  has 
stores,  a  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities  and  in 
1910  had  a  population  of  84. 

Wilder,  Abel  Carter,  member  of  Congress,  was  born  at  Mendon  (now 
Blackstone),  Worcester  county,  Mass.,  March  18,  1828,  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Wilder,  who  was  buried  in  Lancaster,  Mass.,  in  165 1. 
His  educational  advantages  were  few,  but  he  was  a  bright  boy  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  engaged  in  trade  in  his  native  town.  Later  he  went 
to  Woonsocket,  R.  I.,  and  in  1849  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  two  of 
his  brothers  were  living.  In  that  city  he  began  to  take  an  active  part 
in  political  affairs,  acting  with  the  Whig  and  Free-Soilers  until  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party.  Early  in  1857  Mr.  Wilder  came 
to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business.  Two  years  later,  when  the  Republican  party  was 
organized  at  Osawatomie,  he  was  made  secretary  of  the  state  central 
committee,  and  at  each  of  the  two  subsequent  state  conventions  he  was 
made  chairman  of  the  committee.  In  i860  he  was  chairman  of  the 
Kansas  delegation  in  the  Republican  national  convention  at  Chicago 
and  voted  for  William  H.  Seward  for  president.  At  the  Republican 
convention  held  on  May  22,  1861,  Mr.  Wilder  was  again  made  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  state  committee.  On  Aug.  7  he  was  made  a 
brigade  commissary,  one  of  the  first  military  appointments  made  by 
President  Lincoln  in  Kansas,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  ■  Scott.  On 
Sept.  II,  1862,  he  was  nominated  for  Congress  by  the  Republican  con- 
vention at  Topeka  and  was  elected  on  Nov.  4  by  a  majority  of  5,000 
votes.  In  1864  he  published  a  letter  declining  renomination.  At  the 
state  convention  at  Topeka  on  April  21,  1864,  he  was  elected  a  delegate 
to  the  Republican  national  convention  at  Baltimore,  and  acted  in  the 
same  capacity  in  1868  and  1872  from  New  York,  having  returned  to 
Rochester,  and  thus  served  in  four  successive  national  conventions.  In 
the  fall  of   1865,  after  returning  to  Rochester,  he  became  publisher  of 


9l8  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  Evening  Express.  Jn  1872  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Rochester,  but 
his  health  became  impaired  and  he  resigned  in  1873  to  make  a  trip  to 
Europe,  his  second  trip  abroad,  and  remained  nearly  a  year.  His 
health  was  poor  until  his  death  which  occurred  in  San  Francisco,  Cal., 
Dec.  22,   1875. 

Wilder,  Charlotte  Frances,  author,  was  horn  at  Templeton,  Wor- 
cestor  county,  Mass.,  a  daughter  of  Col.  Elijah  and  Hannah  (Lawrence) 
Felt,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Samuel  Felt,  a  minute  man  of  Lexington, 
Mass.  She  was  educated  in  the  common  and  high  schools ;  was  mar- 
ried on  Nov.  21,  1861,  to  George  Carter  Wilder;  began  writing  for  the 
press  in  1871 ;  has  been  a  Bible  teacher  since  the  age  of  sixteen;  has 
taught  thousands  of  young  men,  particularly  college  students ;  was 
president  of  the  Topeka  branch  of  the  Women's  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  from  1895  to  1902;  and  a 
regent  of  Kansas  for  the  Methodist  Missionary  Society.  Among  her 
numerous  writings  are:  "Land  of  the  Rising  Sun"  (1877),  "Sister  Rid- 
nour's  Sacrifice"  (1883),  "Polly  Button's  New  Year" — in  the  Worth 
While  series  (1892),  "Christmas  Cheer  in  All  Lands"  (1905),  "Easter 
Gladness"  (1906),  "Mission  Ships"  (1907).  She  is  a  contributor  of 
stories  to  and  editorial  work  on  Methodist  papers,  magazines  and  other 
publications,  and  is  prominent  in  Methodist  church  work  at  her  home 
in  Manhattan,  Kan. 

Wilder,  Daniel  Webster,  journalist  and  author,  was  born  in  Black- 
stone,  Mass.,  July  15,  1832,  a  son  of  Dr.  Abel  Wilder.  He  entered  the 
public  Latin  school  of  Boston  in  1848,  graduating  in  1852;  received  the 
A.  B.  degree  in  1856,  from  Harvard;  studied  law  in  that  institution  and 
at  Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  came  to  Kansas  in  1857  and  located  at  Elwood  the 
next  year;  edited  the  Free  Press  and  practiced  law;  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Republican  party  in  Kansas  in  1859;  became  editor  and 
one  of  the  publishers  of  the  Free  Democrat  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  in  Aug., 
i860,  and  in  the  December  following  Mr.  Wilder  and  the  whole  office 
force  was  indicted  for  violating  the  laws  of  a  slave  state  and  advocat- 
ing emancipation.  He  then  returned  to  Kansas  and  became  editor  of 
the  Leavenworth  Conservative,  an  anti-slavery  paper,  published  daily, 
tri-weekly  and  weekly.  In  1863  he  was  appointed  surveyor-general  of 
Kansas  and  Nebraska  by  President  Lincoln  ;  in  1864  he  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Irwin  in  Atchison  county ;  in  1865  became  editor  of  the  Even- 
ing Express  at  Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  returned  to  Leavenworth  in  1868  and 
was  editor  of  the  Leavenworth  Times  and  Conservative ;  was  elected 
president  of  the  Missouri  Valley  Associated  Press  in  September  of  that 
year ;  was  reelected  in  1870,  during  which  year  he  became  editor  of 
the  Fort  Scott  Monitor.  Mr.  Wilder  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of 
the  Kansas  Magazine  in  1871,  to  which  he  was  a  frequent  contributor; 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Society  in  1875,  of 
which  he  was  later  the  president  and  for  many  years  one  of  the  direc- 
tors. His  political  career  covers  one  term  as  state  auditor,  one  term  as 
executive  clerk  under  Gov.  Martin,  and  two  terms  as  superintendent  of 


KANSAS    HISTORY  QIQ 

insurance  (1887  to  1891).  On  his  retirement  from  office  he  went  to 
Kansas  City  and  published  the  Insurance  Magazine.  He  then  went  to 
Hiawatha  in  1892  and  established  the  Hiawatha  World.  His  home  was 
at  Hiawatha  until  the  time  of  his  death  on  July  15,  191 1.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  "Annals  of  Kansas"  (1875  and  1886),  "Life  of  Shake- 
speare" (1893),  and  he  was  one  of  the  compilers  of  all  editions  of 
Bartlett's  Familiar  Quotations. 

Willard,  a  village  in  Shawnee  county,  is  located  in  Dover  township 
on  the  Kansas  river  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  16 
miles  v\'est  of  Topeka,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  hotel,  a  general  store, 
express  and  telegraph  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  popu- 
lation in  1910  was  100. 

Williamsburg,  the  third  largest  town  in  Franklin  county,  is  located 
in  the  southwest  part  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  15 
miles  from  Ottawa,  the  county  seat.  The  land  for  the  town  site 
originally  formed  a  part  of  a  30,000  acre  tract  purchased  from  the  Sac 
and  Fox  Indians  by  W.  B.  McKenna  and  in  turn  sold  by  him  to  the 
Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  company.  A  number  of  men  were  attracted  to 
the  locality  by  the  prospect  of  coal  and  purchased  land  there  in  1867, 
one  of  the  first  being  M.  V.  Swift.  A  number  of  permanent  settle- 
ments were  made  in  1868.  Among  the  men  who  came  that  year  were 
A.  C.  Henderson,  Roger  Hickok,  William  H.  Schofield  and  Albert 
Supernau.  James  F.  Dane  and  William  Schofield  owned  the  town  site 
which  they  named  Williamsburg,  from  Mr.  Schofield's  first  name.  In 
June,  1868,  the  town  company  built  the  first  house,  a  wooden  structure. 
The  second  building  was  of  stone,  erected  in  the  spring  of  1869  by  C. 
Holman  for  a  store.  Drug,  grocery  and  general  stores  were  all  opened 
in  1870. 

The  first  school  district  was  organized  in  1868,  a  school  house  was 
built  in  1870,  and  Helen  M.  Beardsley  was  engaged  as  the  first  teacher. 
The  Williamsburg  bank  was  established  in  1881  and  a  private  bank 
the  following  year.  Stauffer's  hotel,  the  first  in  the  town,  was  opened 
in  1881.  Williamsburg  has  a  newspaper,  good  hotels,  several  general 
stores,  hardware  and  implement  houses,  drug  and  grocery  stores,  black- 
smith and  wagon  shops,  lumber  yards,  physicians  and  lawyers,  a  money 
order  postofiice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities,  and  other  commercial 
enterprises.     In   1910  the  population  was  600. 

Williamstown  (formerly  Rural),  a  little  village  of  Jefiferson  county, 
is  located  in  Rural  township  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  11  miles  south 
of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
one  rural  route,  express  and  telegraph  offices,  and  the  population  in 
1910  was  103.  The  first  store  was  opened  in  1865  by  Samuel  Mitchell. 
The  town  was  laid  out  by  Mapes,  Williams  &  Moore,  who  owned  900" 
acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  which  they  purchased  from  the  railroad 
company.  The  same  men  built  a  mill.  A  postoffice  was  established 
with  Charles  Williams  postmaster.  The  proximity  of  Perry,  a  little 
over  3  miles  distant,  which  was  founded  by  the  railroad  company,  inter- 
fered with  \\^illiamstown  becoming  a  town. 


920  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Willis,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Brown  county,  is 
located  in  Mission  township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  lo  miles 
south  of  Hiawatha,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  number  of  general 
stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money  order 
postoffice  with  one  rural  route.     The  population  in  1910  was  188. 

Williston,  Samuel  Wendell,  educator  and  paleontologist,  was  born 
in  Boston,  Mass.,  Jul}'  10,  1852,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Jane  A.  (Turner) 
Williston.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Manhattan,  Kan., 
graduated  at  the  State  Agricultural  College  there  in  1872,  and  later 
received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  that  institution.  In  1880  he  entered 
Yale  University,  where  he  spent  several  years  as  post-graduate  student 
and  member  of  the  faculty.  He  returned  to  Kansas  in  1890  to  become 
professor  of  geology  and  anatomy  and  dean  of  the  medical  department 
of  the  state  university,  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years,  during 
which  time  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  health  and  the 
board  of  medical  examiners.  Since  leaving  Kansas  in  1902,  he  has 
occupied  the  chair  of  paleontology  at  the  University  of  Chicago.  Prof. 
Williston  is  foreign  correspondent  of  the  London  Geological  and 
Zoological  societies;  is  a  fellow  of  the  Geological  Society  of  America; 
and  at  one  time  was  president  of  the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science.  From 
1901  to  1905  he  was  president  of  the  Sigma  Xi  fraternity,  and  in  1903 
was  president  of  the  Society  of  Vertebrate  Paleontology.  He  is  the 
author  of  several  books  and  numerous  papers  on  scientific  subjects. 

Willowdale,  a  township  in  Kingman  county,  is  located  in  Peters 
township,  15  miles  from  Kingman,  the  county  seat,  and  6  north  of 
Zenda,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  which  is  the  nearest 
shipping  point.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice.  The  population  in 
1910  was  50. 

Willow  Springs,  a  hamlet  of  Douglas  county,  is  located  in  the  south- 
ern portion  about  7  miles  northwest  of  Baldwin,  the  nearest  railroad 
station,  with  which  it  has  rural  free  delivery. 

Wills. — (See  Descent  and  Distribution  of  Property.) 

Wilmington,  a  hamlet  in  Wabaunsee  county,  is  located  25  miles  south- 
east of  Alma,  the  county  seat,  and  6  miles  west  of  Burlingame,  Osage 
county,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The  population  in 
1910  was  69.  This  is  an  old  station  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  and  is  one  of 
the  historic  spots  in  Wabaunsee  county. 

Wilmore,  a  village  in  Comanche  county,  is  located  in  Powell  town- 
ship on  Mule  creek  and  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  8 
miles  northeast  of  Coldwater,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  mill  and  grain 
elevator,  general  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Wilmot,  a  village  in  Cowle}-  county,  is  located  in  Richland  township 
on  Dutch  creek  and  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  R.  R.  15  miles 
northeast  of  Winfield,  the  county  seat.  It  has  general  stores,  an  express 
office,  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  75. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  921 

Wilsey,  a  town  in  Morris  county,  is  located  in  Elm  Creek  township 
cjn  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  12  miles  west  of  Council  Grove,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  (the  Warbler),  a  flour  mill, 
a  grain  elevator,  a  hotel,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was 
350.  It  is  the  shipping  and  receiving  point  for  a  large  agricultural  area, 
and  large  quantities  of  grain,  live  stock  and  produce  are  handled  every 
year. 

Wilson,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Ellsworth  county, 
is  located  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  15  miles  northwest  of  Ellsworth, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  an  opera  house,  2  banks,  hotels,  2  weekly  news- 
papers (the  Echo  and  the  Kanaske  Rozheldy),  a  large  number  of  retail 
establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money 
order  postoffice  with  three  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  was 
981.  The  town  was  founded  in  1871  and  was  at  first  known  as  Bos- 
land,  as  it  was  the  idea  of  the  promoters  that  it  would  be  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  cattle  country.  But  the  railroad  company  had  built  a  station 
in  1868  which  they  named  Wilson,  and  the  town  soon  began  to  be  called 
by  the  name  of  the  station.  A  store  was  opened,  a  lumber  yard  started, 
and  a  number  of  houses  were  erected  in  the  fall  of  1871.  In  1872  a  stone 
school  house  was  built.  Very  little  grovith  was  attained  until  1878, 
but  during  that  year  as  many  buildings  were  erected  as  in  all  the  pre- 
vious years  put  together.  The  Wilson  Echo  was  established  in  1879  by 
S.  A.  Coover.  A  flour  mill  was  erected  in  the  same  year.  In  1883  the 
town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class.  In  1893  the  popula- 
tion was  778,  in  1900  it  was  939,  showing  a  slow  but  steady  growth. 

Wilson  County,  the  fifteenth  on  the  list  of  the  original  ^2  counties 
formed  by  the  first  territorial  legislature,  is  located  in  the  third  tier  of 
:ounties  west  from  Missouri,  and  in  the  second  tier  north  from  Okla- 
homa. It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Woodson  county ;  on  the  east 
by  Neosho ;  on  the  south  by  Montgomery,  and  on  the  west  by  Elk  and 
Greenwood.  The  original  boundaries  as  fixed  b}'  the  legislature  included 
all  that  is  now  Montgomery  county,  and  extended  west  24  miles,  mak- 
ing it  24  miles  square.  The  free-state  legislature  altered  these  bound- 
aries, making  them  include  an  area  50  miles  north  and  south  by  24 
wide.  In  the  adjustment,  which  took  place  in  1867,  the  county  assumed 
its  present  form. 

This  county  was  named  in  honor  of  Col.  Hiero  T.  Wilson,  a  man  of 
prominence  in  territorial  days,  who  settled  at  Fort  Scott  in  1843.  The 
territory  was  included  in  the  reservation  of  the  Osage  Indians,  and  was 
not  subject  to  white  occupation  until  1865  by  the  treaty  of  Canville. 
However,  settlement  was  begun  as  early  as  1857  by  the  more  adven- 
turous who  were  anxious  to  secure  homes  in  the  rich  valleys.  Henry 
H.  Opdyke,  G.  J.  and  William  Caven  located  in  that  year  at  a  point 
near  Coyville,  and  David  Johnson  and  David  Pointer  on  Buft'alo  creek. 
The  next  year  a  settlement  was  made  in  Webster  township  on  Sandy 
creek,  John  Circle  settled  on  the  forks  of  east  and  west  BuiTalo  creeks 


922  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

in  the  sprint^,  and  was  followed  by  Peter  Welsh  and  sons,  George  Gould, 
Philip  Hedrick  and  L.  F.  Woodruff.  Lewis  F.  Davis  located  on  the 
Verdigris,  and  was  joined  b}-  his  brother,  Moses,  the  next  year.  The 
colony  near  Coyville  was  increased  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1857 
by  N.  S.  Pigg,  Gaston  Reeves  and  his  son  Max,  John  Ross,  Jacob  Miller, 
W.  W.  \Volverton,  Frank  Sellers  and  P.  B.  Sweet.  The  next  year  John 
Foreman,  James  and  William  Ross,  Thomas  Sylvester,  M.  H.  Sprague 
and  Anderson  Jones  took  claims  in  the  same  vicinity.  By  i860  the 
census  showed  the  population  to  be  27,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  num- 
ber of  white  settlers  at  that  time  exceeded  100.  During  the  war  very 
little  was  done  in  the  way  of  settlement  or  of  making  improvements. 

Wilson  county  was  in  an  exposed  position  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war.  To  the  south  lay  the  Indian  Territory,  with  red  marauders 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  turmoil ;  not  far  beyond  lay  Texas,  full 
of  the  southern  enemy ;  to  the  west  hostile  tribes  were  awaiting  an 
opportunity  to  Avipe  out  the  settlements,  and  a  few  miles  to  the  east 
were  the  border  ruffians  of  Missouri.  And,  worst  of  all,  the  settlers  of 
the  county  were  merely  intruders  on  the  holdings  of  the  Osages  and  were 
merely  tolerated  by  rightful  owners.  During  the  first  year  of  the  war 
the  rebels  twice  sacked  Humboldt  and  the  settlers  about  Coyville, 
thinking  it  would  be  best  to  be  ready,  raised  a  company  of  80  mounted 
men  under  the  command  of  Capt.  John  R.  Row.  That  fall  fortifica- 
tions were  built  3  miles  south  of  town  on  land  owned  by  John  Shaffer, 
and  named  Fort  Row.  One  side  was  protected  by  the  insurmountable 
bank  of  the  river,  and  the  other  3  sides  by  blockhouses,  each  16  by 
24  feet,  constructed  of  heavy  logs.  Embankments  were  thrown  up  on 
all  sides  and  the  company  went  into  winter  quarters.  The  next  spring 
the  company  disbanded  and  most  of  them  joined  the  Ninth  Kansas 
volunteers.  The  wholesale  appropriation  of  property,  especially  live 
stock,  during  the  war  led  to  thousands  of  head  of  stolen  cattle,  which 
had  been  driven  from  Texas,  being  quartered  in  Wilson  county. 

Before  the  war  was  over  the  county  was  organized.  There  seems 
to  have  been  nothing  to  call  forth  such  a  step  in  the  midst  of  the  tur- 
moil except  the  ambition  of  Daniel  C.  Finn,  who  came  there  from  New 
York  in  1864.  There  was  no  taxable  property  and  very  few  inhabitants. 
Yet  an  election  was  called,  in  which  Finn  was  chosen  delegate  to  the 
Republican  state  convention — not  the  Lane  convention,  but  what  was 
known  as  the  Union  state  convention.  His  efforts  resulted  in  a  peti- 
tion of  30  names  being  presented  to  Gov.  Carney  for  the  organization 
of  the  county.  The  petition  was  granted  and  a  full  roster  of  county 
officials  appointed,  but  most  of  them  failed  to  qualify.  The  county 
commissioners  were  George  M.  Cottingham,  W.  M.  Asher  and  William 
Brown.  A  mythical  point  called  Syracuse,  supposedly  in  the  center  of 
the  county,  was  designated  as  the  county  seat.  Finn  and  a  town  com- 
pany, numbering  17  men,  among  whose  names  appeared  that  of  the 
governor,  made  an  attempt  to  found  the  town  of  Syracuse.  A  log  cabin 
was  built  at  the  base  of  West  Mound  and  a  street  laid  off.     In  April, 


KANSAS    HISTORY  923 

1865,  Finn  was  notified  by  the  agent  of  the  Osages,  on  whose  land  the 
site  was  located,  to  discontinue  operations.  The  first  election  was  held 
in  Nov.,  1864,  and,  it  being  a  presidential  year,  a  full  vote  might  have 
been  expected.  Of  the  600  alleged  inhabitants  of  the  county  only  26 
voted. 

The  first  election  for  county  officers  was  a  special  one  held  in  Dec, 
1864.  Syracuse  received  15  votes  for  county  seat.  The  first  meeting 
of  the  county  commissioners  of  which  there  is  any  record  was  held 
early  in  1867.  On  March  2  of  that  year  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
board,  signed  by  113  voters,  asking  that  an  election  be  called  to  select 
a  county  seat.  Accordingly  the  election  was  held  in  April,  in  which 
Kalida,  a  mere  name,  received  the  majority  of  the  votes.  Irregularities 
were  discovered  in  the  canvass  of  the  vote  and  another  election  was 
held  on  April  30,  in  which  Twin  Mounds  was  chosen  county  seat.  A 
third  county  seat  election  was  held  in  May,  1869,  in  which  there  was  no 
majority.  In  consequence  another  was  held  in  June.  The  contest  lay 
between  Fredonia  and  Coyville,  the  former  being  successful.  The  ques- 
tion then  lay  dormant  for  two  years.  The  growth  of  several  new  towns, 
Neodesha  and  Altoona  in  particular,  called  the  matter  forth  again.  A 
ballot  was  taken  on  May  6,  1871,  which  resulted  in  no  choice,  and 
another  on  May  25,  in  which  Fredonia  received  the  majority  of  the 
votes.  Fraud  was  detected,  which  gave  the  county  seat  to  Neodesha. 
Fredonia  would  not  give  up  and  carried  the  matter  into  the  courts, 
where  she  lost.  While  the  case  was  pending  another  election  was  called 
in  Jan.,  1873,  which  resulted  in  no  choice,  Neodesha  this  time  voting  for 
Center.  The  choice  in  the  second  ballot  lay  between  that  town  and 
Fredonia,  which  place  was  finally  triumphant. 

The  first  school  in  the  county  was  taught  by  P.  B.  Sweet  in  Verdi- 
gris township  in  1859.  The  first  marriage  was  between  Abijah  Hamp- 
ton and  Miss  Cooper  in  the  spring  of  1859.  The  first  white  child  born 
in  the  county  was  Ella  Reeves,  daughter  of  Gaston  Reeves,  in  1857. 
The  first  postoffice  was  at  Coyville,  established  in  1866  with  Oscar  Coy 
as  postmaster. 

The  suggestion  that  oil  and  gas  were  to  be  found  in  Wilson  county 
was  first  made  by  George  W.  Chase,  a  semi-mute  who  in  1888  endeav- 
ored to  interest  the  citizens  of  Neodesha  in  prospecting.  In  1892  W. 
M.  Mills,  who  had  developed  the  gas  fields  about  Osawatomie,  secured 
a  franchise  and  drilled  two  good  paying  wells.  He  formed  a  company, 
from  which  he  later  withdrew.  But  the  drilling  went  on  and  now  there 
are  numerous  wells  in  the  county.  They  average  over  800  feet  deep. 
Both  oil  and  gas  are  found  in  abundance. 

The  earliest  efforts  to  supply  the  county  with  railroads  were  made  in 
1871,  when  the  bonds  were  voted  in  Center  and  Cedar  townships  to 
the  amount  of  $50,000  and  $35,000  respectively,  to  aid  the  Fort  Scott, 
New  Chicago  &  Fredonia  R.  R.  to  build  through  these  townships.  The 
road  was  never  built.  Bonds  were  voted  the  next  year  for  the  Hum- 
boldt &  Fredonia  and  the  Missouri  &  Kansas  Southern,  neither  of  which 


924  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

were  built.  The  first  road  to  attempt  a  fulfillment  of  a  contract  was 
the  Memphis  &  Southern,  which  constructed  a  roadbed  from  the  east 
line  of  the  county  as  far  as  Fredonia.  In  1877  bonds  were  voted  for  the 
St.  Louis  «&  Kansas  Central,  but  the  road  was  not  built.  The  first  road 
to  be  built  in  the  county  was  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  in  1879. 
It  enters  the  county  near  the  southeastern  corner  and  runs  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  through  Neodesha,  Fredonia  and  New  Albany.  The 
Missouri  Pacific  line  enters  on  the  north  and  crosses  to  Roper,  where 
it  branches,  one  line  going  into  Montgomery  county  by  way  of  Fre- 
donia and  the  other  by  way  of  Neodesha.  It  was  built  in  1886.  The 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  enters  near  the  northeast  corner  and 
crosses  west  and  southwest  through  Fredonia  into  Elk  county.  This 
line  was  built  in  1885.  A  branch  of  this  road  from  Benedict  Junction 
into  Greenwood  count}'  was  built  in  1886. 

Wilson  county  is  divided  into  15  townships:  Cedar,  Center,  Chetopa, 
Clifton,  Colfax,  Duck  Creek,  Fall  River,  Guilford,  Neodesha,  Newark, 
Pleasant  Valley,  Prairie,  Talleyrand,  Verdigris  and  Webster.  The  towns 
and  villages  are  Fredonia,  Altoona,  Benedict,  Brooks,  Bufifalo,  Buxton, 
Coyville,  Dildine,  Dun,  Guilford,  LaFontaine,  Neodesha,  New  Albany, 
Rest,  Roper,  Vilas  and  Ward. 

The  general  surface  is  undulating  prairie  in  the  eastern  portion, 
broken  with  mounds  and  blufifs  in  the  west,  and  with  timbered  hills  and 
canyons  in  the  northwest.  Bottom  lands,  which  constitute  20  per  cent. 
of  the  total  area,  average  one  mile  in  width.  Springs  are  abundant  and 
well  water  is  found  at  a  depth  of  25  feet.  The  principal  river  is  the 
Verdigris,  which  enters  near  the  northeast  corner  and  flows  southwest 
and  south  into  Montgomery  county.  Fall  river  crosses  the  western  bor- 
der in  the  central  part  and  flows  southeast,  emptying  into  the  Verdigris 
near  the  southeast  corner.  Two  of  the  principal  creeks  are  Buffalo  and 
Sandy.  Occasional  disastrous  overflows  have  occurred  on  the  Verdigris, 
the  latest  of  these  in  1908,  when  a  cloud  burst  caused  a  rise  of  38  feet 
in  the  depth  of  its  waters,  resulting  in  considerable  destruction  of  prop- 
erty. Limestone,  sandstone,  Portland  cement,  graystone,  beds  of  clay 
and  salt  springs  are  plentiful  in  different  parts  of  the  county. 

The  area  of  the  county  is  576  square  miles,  or  368,640  acres,  of  which 
more  than  300,000  acres  have  been  brought  under  cultivation.  The  value 
of  the  farm  products  for  1910  exceeded  $2,000,000,  of  which  sum  corn 
contributed  $500,000.  Other  leading  'crops  are  winter  wheat,  oats,  Irish 
potatoes,  flax,  and  Kafir-corn.  Swine  and  cattle  are  extensively  raised, 
and  there  are  more  than  120,000  bearing  fruit  trees,  three-fourths  of 
which  are  apples.  The  total  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  1910  was 
thirty-one  and  a  half  millions.    The  population  was  19,810. 

Wilsonton,  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Labette  county, 
is  about  midway  between  Mound  Valley  and  Parsons  and  about  15  miles 
northwest  of  Oswego,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  postofifice  and  some  local 
trade.     The  population  in  1910  was  20. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  925 

Winchester,  one  of  the  thriving  little  towns  of  JefTerson  county,  is 
located  on  a  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  about  lo  miles  north- 
east of  Oskaloosa,  the  county  seat.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the 
third  class,  with  banking  facilities,  a  weekly  newspaper,  express  and 
telegraph  offices,  and  a  money  order  postofifice  with  three  rural  routes. 
The  population  in  1910  was  472.  The  history  of  Winchester  dates  back 
to  June,  1854,  when  William  M.  Gardiner  located  a  claim  in  the  vicinity. 
The  next  year  he  brought  his  family  and  built  a  cabin.  He  sold  a  part 
of  his  claim  to  Joseph  Best,  who  built  a  cabin.  Not  long  afterward 
another  was  built  and  the  two  were  used  as  a  hotel.  As  this  was  on  the 
route  of  the  old  military  road  the  hotel  did  a  thriving  business.  The 
town  was  laid  off  in  1857,  quite  a  settlement  having  grown  up  by  that 
time,  ^^''illiam  Rcboe  located  soon  after  this  and  opened  a  store.  That 
summer  he  built  the  "stone  store,"  which  was  the  most  important  build- 
ing for  many  years  to  follow.  In  that  same  year  Joseph  Head  opened  a 
store  and  whiskey  shop.    The  first  physician  was  Dr.^A.  R.  Cantwell. 

Windhorst,  a  hamlet  in  Ford  county,  is  located  about  15  miles  east 
of  Dodge  City,  and  12  miles  south  of  Belfont,  the  nearest  railroad  sta- 
tion and  the  postofifice  from  which  it  receives  mail.  The  population  in 
1910  was   ID. 

Windom,  one  of  the  smaller  incorporated  cities  of  the  third  class  in 
McPherson  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
R.  R.,  13  miles  west  of  McPherson,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank  and 
a  number  of  mercantile  establishments.  The  town  is  supplied  with  tele- 
graphic communications  and  has  a  money  order  postofifice  with  two  rural 
routes.  The  population  according  to  the  government  census  of  1910 
was  176. 

Winfield,  tlie  county  seat  of  Cowley  county  and  one  of  the  important 
cities  of  southern  Kansas,  is  located  on  the  Walnut  river,  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco,  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroads,  about  40  miles  southeast  of  Wichita.  It  is  an  incor- 
porated city  with  electric  street  railway,  sewer  system,  fire  department, 
waterworks,  broad,  well-paved  and  shaded  streets,  electric  lights,  3  parks, 
2  daily  newspapers  (the  Courier  and  the  Free  Press,  the  former  also  a 
weekly),  flour  mills,  grain  elevators,  machine  shops,  carriage  and  wagon 
works,  marble  works,  ice  and  cold  storage  plant,  department  stores,  and 
all  other  lines  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and 
an  international  money  order  postofifice  with  ten  rural  routes.  This  is 
the  seat  of  one  of  the  best  Chautauquas  in  the  country,  which  is  held  in 
Island  Park  each  season.  The  Southwestern  College  and  St.  John's 
Lutheran  College  are  located  here,  as  is  the  state  institution  for  feeble 
minded  youth.  The  armory  of  the  Second  regiment  of  Kansas  National 
Guard  is  also  located  here.  Aside  from  the  excellent  public  schools  there 
are  St.  Martin's  School  (Lutheran)  and  a  Congregational  school.  Among 
the  privately  owned  institutions  are  the  Winfield  College  of  Music  and 
the  Central  Sanitarium.  A  live  business  men's  association  looks  after 
the  general  interests  of  the  town.    The  population  in  1910  was  6,700. 


926  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

Winfield  was  founded  in  1870  and  named  for  Rev.  Winfield  Scott,  a 
Baptist  minister  of  Leavenworth,  who  promised  to  build  a  church  in 
return  for  the  honor.  Before  the  town  company  was  organized  Col. 
Edwin  C.  Manning  had  taken  a  claim  on  the  site.  He  was  made  presi- 
dent of  the  company  and  figured  prominently  in  the  early  growth  of  the 
town.  He  was  the  first  postmaster,  the  postoffice  being  established  in 
1870  and  kept  in  a  k)g  cabin  where  Manning  had  also  put  in  a  stock  of 
goods.  It  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  organization  of  the  county 
by  the  legislature  with  Arkansas  City  as  county  seat  was  thwarted,  and 
that  \A'infield  became  the  county  seat  later  in  the  year.  It  took  until 
July,  1870,  to  get  the  proper  titles  to  the  town  site  so  that  lots  could  be 
deeded.  After  that  the  town  grew  very  i-apidly  for  a  few  months,  and 
hotels,  all  lines  of  business,  including  a  bank,  were  established  before 
the  year  was  out.  The  first  school  was  taught  by-  Miss  Annie  Marks. 
It  was  paid  for  by  subscription.  The  first  newspaper  was  the  Censor, 
established  in  Aug.,  1870,  by  A.  J.  Patrick.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
printed  on  the  old  Franklin  style  of  press  called  the  Meeker,  which  was 
first  brought  to  the  state  by  the  missionaries  and  used  at  the  Shawnee 
Mission  in  Johnson  county.  This  press  was  moved  to  Lawrence,  where 
it  figured  in  ante-bellum  troubles,  later  it  was  used  at  Emporia  and  at 
Cottonwood  Falls  by  Col.  Samuel  Wood,  who  sold  it  to  the  Winfield 
parties.  In  1872  a  $10,000  school  building  was  erected.  In  1873  the  town 
was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  third  class  and  the  following  officers 
were  elected :  Mayor,  W.  H.  H.  Maris ;  clerk,  J.  W.  Curns ;  police  judge, 
A.  A.  Jackson ;  treasurer,  M.  L.  Robinson ;  marshal,  C.  W.  Richmond ; 
attorney,  J.  M.  Alexander.  Winfield  became  a  city  of  the  second  class  in 
1879,  and  was  divided  into  wards.  The  population  was  then  in  excess  of 
2,000.  In  1890  the  population  was  5.184,  and  in  1900  it  was  5.554.  The 
town  is  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  farming  district  and  ships  great  quanti- 
ties of  live  stock,  grain,  produce  and  dairy  products.  There  is  magne- 
sian  limestone  of  good  quality  quarried  in  the  vicinity  and  shipped  from 
this  point.  A  great  many  retired  farmers  live  in  the  town  as  well  as  a 
large  number  of  traveling  salesmen. 

Winkler,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Riley  county,  is  located  in  Fancy  Creek 
township  35  miles  from  Manhattan,  the  county  seat,  and  8  miles  from 
Randolph,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice. 
The  population  in  1910  was  18.  The  place  was  named  for  August  Wink- 
ler of  St.  Louis,  who  settled  in  the  vicinity  in  1857  and  built  the  first 
permanent  grist  mill  of  the  county.  At  that  time  it  was  known  as 
Winkler  Mills. 

Winona,  a  little  town  in  Logan  comity,  is  located  in  Winona  town- 
ship on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  12  miles  northwest  of  Russell  Springs, 
the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  grain  elevator,  3  or  4  general  stores, 
telegraph  and  express  offices  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural 
route.     The  population  in  1910  was  100. 

Wise,  a  little  hamlet  in  the  northern  part  of  Allen  county,  is  some  7  or 
8  miles  northeast  of  lola,  from  which  city  it  receives  mail  by  rural 
deliverv. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  927 

Wittrup,  a  country  postoffice  in  Hodgeman  count_y,  is  located  in  Ben- 
ton township,  near  the  headwaters  of  Buckner  creek,  i6  miles  southwest 
of  Jetmore,  the  county  seat.  There  is  a  tri-weekly  stage  to  Dodge  City. 
The  population  in  1910  was  15. 

Wolcott,  a  post-village  in  the  northern  part  of  Wyandotte  county,  is 
situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Missouri  river  and  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.,  II  miles  northwest  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  several  general  stores, 
a  school,  a  money  order  postoffice,  telegraph  and  express  facilities  and  is 
the  supply  and  shipping  town  for  a  considerable  district.  In  1910  it  had 
a  population  of  200. 

Woman  Suffrage,  as  a  distinct  movement,  began  in  Kansas  in  1859. 
when  I\Irs.  C.  H.  I.  Nichols,  Mother  Armstrong  and  Mary  Tenney  Gray 
sat  in  the  Wyandotte  convention,  unelected  and  uninvited,  with  their 
knitting  in  their  hands,  to  listen  to  the  deliberations  of  that  body  and  try 
to  have  the  word  "male"  left  out  of  the  franchise  clause.  The  word 
"male"  was  put  in  the  Wyandotte  constitution  and  ever  since  that  time 
the  efforts  of  the  best  and  most  intelligent  women  of  Kansas  have  been 
directed  toward  having  it  stricken  out.  A  limited  school  suffrage  was 
extended  the  women  in  1861.  In  1867  the  legislature  submitted  a  con- 
stitutional amendment  for  full  suffrage  for  women.  It  had  to  divide 
honors  with  an  amendment  for  negro  suffrage  and  the  Impartial  Suffrage 
Association  was  formed  at  Topeka  on  April  3,  1867,  with  some  prominent 
persons  as  leaders.  Gov.  S.  J.  Crawford  was  president ;  Lieut. -Gov.  Nehe- 
miah  Green,  vice  president;  Samuel  N.  Wood,  corresponding  secretary;. 
I\Iiss  Minnie  Otis,  recording  secretary;  and  John  Ritchie,  treasurer.  Lucy 
Stone  Blackwell,  Henry  B.  BlackAvell  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  I.  Nichols  made 
speeches.  The  organization  declared  for  both  amendments.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Blackwell,  Susan  B.  Anthony,  Elizabeth  Cady  Stanton,  Olympia 
Brown  and  George  Francis  Train  were  among  the  outside  enthusiasts 
who  labored  in  Kansas  during  a  hotly  contested  campaign.  Had  they 
given  their  attention  wholly  to  the  woman  suffrage  amendment  it  might 
have  won,  but  the  double  load  proved  too  heavy  and  both  amendments 
lost,  woman  suffrage  being  defeated  by  a  vote- of  19,857  to  9,070. 

The  first  strictly  w'oman  suffrage  convention  on  record  was  held  at 
Topeka  on  Feb.  4,  1869,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  revive  the  cause.  But 
the  women  were  disheartened  and  all  organized  effort  died  out  for  nearly 
ten  years.  In  1874  the  pi-ohibition  party  declared  for  suffrage.  The  first 
organization  preparatory  for  the  second  campaign  was  formed  at  Lin- 
coln, Lincoln  county.  It  was  called  the  Equal  Suffrage  Association  and 
began  in  1879  with  3  members,  Mrs.  x\nna  C.  Wait,  Mrs.  Emily  J.  Biggs 
and  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Lutes.  Mrs.  Wait,  who  was  elected  in  191 1  president 
of  the  Sixth  district  Equal  Suffrage  Association,  is  probably  the  oldest 
continuous  worker  in  the  cause,  having  been  actively  engaged  in  suffrage 
work  in  Kansas  since  1867.  In  1884  the  Lincoln  county  organization  sent 
Helen  M.  Gougar  to  Washington,  D.  C,  as  a  delegate  from  Kansas  to 
work  for  the  i6th  amendment  to  the  Federal  constitution  to  allow  women 
the  ballot,  the  negroes  having  had  their  inning. 


928  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

The  newspapers  and  histories  record  that  a  state  woman  suffrage 
association  was  formed  on  June  25,  1884.  The  women  named  it  the 
"Equal  Suffrage  Association;"  Mrs.  Hetta  P.  Mansfield  was  made  pres- 
ident, and  Mrs.  Anna  C.  Wait,  vice-president  at  large.  The  Greenback 
party  endorsed  woman  suffrage  that  year.  In  1885  a  bill  was  intro- 
duced into  the  legislature  to  grant  municipal  suffrage.  The  women  sent 
in  petitions  containing  about  7,000  names,  but  the  bill  was  defeated.  The 
second  annual  convention  of  the  Equal  Suft'rage  Association  was  held  in 
October  of  that  year  and  Mrs.  Anna  C.  Wait  was  elected  president.  The 
State  Grange  endorsed  suffrage  that  year.  Miss  Bertha  Ellsworth  of 
Lincoln  county  was  made  state  organizer  and  preparation  was  made 
for  another  attempt  to  secure  municipal  suffrage  which  was  successful 
in  1887.  At  the  next  annual  con\'ention  I_,aura  M.  Johns  was  elected 
president  of  the  association  and  held  office  until  after  the  cam]iaigns  of 
1893  and  1S94. 

The  suft'rage  amendment  was  submitted  for  the  second  time  Ijy  the 
legislature  of  1893  and  came  up  for  a  vote  at  the  general  election  in  i8c)4, 
when  Populism  was  at  its  zenith  in  the  state.  Susan  B.  Anthony,  Anna 
Shaw.  Rachel  Childs.  Carrie  Chapman  Catt,  Elizabeth  Yates,  Mary  Ellen 
L-ease,  Airs.  Anna  Diggs,  Dr.  Eva  Harding,  Laura  M.  Johns,  and  Mrs. 
Anna  C.  Wait  were  among  the  leaders  of  the  campaign.  On  a  threat 
of  withdrawing  their  aid  from  the  state,  Miss  Anthony  and  Mrs.  Shaw 
forced  the  Kansas  women  against  their  own  judgment  to  take  the  fatal 
step  of  asking  the  endorsement  of  the  political  parties.  The  Populist 
women  secured  the  endorsement  of  their  party' in  its  convention,  but  the 
Republican  party  refused.  The  fate  of  the  amendment  then  depended 
on  the  fortunes  of  the  Populist  party.  The  Republican  women  formed  a 
Republican  club  and  seemed  to  be  more  interested  in  that  party  than  in 
their  own  measure.  A  paper  was  published  by  them,  a  copy  of  which  is 
in  the  historical  collections,  and  it  contains  not  a  single  word  on  the 
suft'rage  question.  Some  of  these  women  were  officers  of  the  Equal  Suf- 
frage Association  and  it  was  charged  that  they  turned  a  part  of  the  suf- 
frage equipment,  and  even-suffrage  funds,  over  to  Republican  propaganda 
work.    The  amendment  was  lost  by  a  vote  of  130,139  to  95,302. 

Following  the  defeat  Mrs.  Kate  -Addison  was  elected  president  and 
took  up  the  task  of  reconstructing  the  association  and  planning  educa- 
tional work  on  suffrage.  For  a  long  time  the  outlook  was  discouraging. 
The  women  did  not  believe  it  expedient  to  ask  for  an  amendment  soon 
again  but  scarcely  a  legislature  met  without  some  sort  of  suffrage  bill 
being  introduced.  In  1900  a  delegation  comprised  of  Mrs.  Anna  Diggs, 
Dr.  Eva  Harding  and  Mrs.  Frank  Doster  were  sent  to  Washington, 
D.  C,  to  assist  in  lobbying  for  a  i6th  amendment  to  the  national  consti- 
tution. In  1902  the  Kansas  suffrage  forces  came  under  the  leadership  of 
a  young  and  enthusiastic  woman  in  the  person  of  Helen  Kimber.  She 
was  a  woman  of  ideas,  but  was  unable  to  arouse  the  women  of  the  state 
to  the  point  of  carrying  them  out,  and  all  that  was  accomplished  during 
her  administration   was   purely   educational   and   preparatory.     In    1905 


KANSAS    HISTORY  9^9 

Sadie  P.  Gresharn  was  elected  president.  The  presidential  suffrage  bill 
was  defeated  in  the  legislature  of  that  year,  also  in  1907  and  at  the  special 
session  of  1908,  when  Mrs.  Lilla  Day  Monroe  was  president  of  the  asso- 
ciation, and  again  in  1909. 

It  was  then  decided  again  to  introduce  a  bill  to  submit  the  suffrage 
amendment  for  the  third  time  and  preparation  was  begun  months  in 
advance.  Catherine  Hoffman  of  Enterprise  called  a  meeting  of  the  execu- 
tive board  in  Dec,  1909,  to  make  plans  for  the  work  in  the  legislature. 
The  suffrage  headquarters  in  the  state  house  were  opened  with  Lilla  Day 
Monroe  chairman  of  the  campaign  committee,  and  the  campaign  was 
launched  through  the  columns  of  the  Club  Member  which  was  the  official 
organ  of  the  Equal  Suffrage  Association.  This  paper  was  published  each 
week  and  during  the  legislative  session  as  much  oftener  as  the  exigencies 
of  the  campaign  required.  Through  the  efforts  of  the  suffrage  women 
over  the  state  and  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union  organiza- 
tion over  one  hundred  petitions  aggregating  not  less  than  25,000  names 
were  sent  to  the  legislature  of  191 1.  The  amendment  passed  the  house 
bv  a  majority  of  94  to  28,  and  received  the  required  two-thirds  vote  in 
the  senate.  The  presidential  suffrage  bill  was  defeated.  The  amendment 
will  be  passed  upon  by  the  voters  in  1912. 

Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union. —  This  organization  originated 
in  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  in  1873,  as  a  result  of  a  lecture  by  Dr.  Dio  Lewis  in 
which  he  suggested  that  the  women  form  praying  bands  and  visit  the 
saloons  holding  prayer  service.  The  idea  was  at  once  put  into  practical 
application  and  in  a  few  months  had  spread  all  over  the  country.  It 
took  special  hold  in  Ivansas,  where  the  women  were  active  in  the  tem- 
perance movement  from  the  first.  In  a  year's  time  the  women  decided 
that  prayer  was  not  sufficient  for  the  occasion  and  met  in  Chautauqua, 
N.  Y.,  where  the  national  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Tnion  was 
organized  in  1874,  with  Miss  Francis  E.  Willard  as  president.  At  once 
local  unions  began  to  be  organized  in  Kansas  and  Miss  Willard  appointed 
Miss  Amanda  Way  to  act  as  leader  in  this  state  until  it  should  be  organ- 
ized. Miss  Way  called  and  presided  over  the  meeting  held  in  1878  at 
Bismarck  Grove  at  Lawrence,  where  the  Kansas  Women's  Christian 
Temperance  Union  was  organized.  Mrs.  M.  B.  Smith  was  elected  presi- 
dent and  served  for  two  years.  Her  successor,  Mrs.  Drusella  Wilson, 
of  Lawrence,  served  for  three  years,  through  the  campaign  for  state  pro- 
hibition, which  was  brought  to  a  successful  termination  in  1880. 

The  W.  C.  T.  C.  was  an  efficient  factor  in  carrying  the  amendment,  as 
it  was  organized  in  every  part  of  the  state.  Mrs.  Wilson,  accompanied 
by  her  husband,  traveled  more  than  3,000  miles  by  carriage  and  held  300 
public  meetings  in  school  houses  and  churches  during  1879-1880.  Mrs. 
Laura  B.  Fields,  who  was  president  from  1882  till  1884,  was  termed  by 
Miss  Willard  "one  of  the  gentlest  of  brave  leaders."  Mrs.  Fannie  Rastall, 
elected  in  1885,  was  noted  for  her  business  ability  and  was  called  from 
the  presidency  of  the  Kansas  W.  C.  T.  V.  to  the  business  management  of 
the  Union  Signal  in  i8qi.  She  was  succeeded  bv  Mrs.  Sophia  Grubb, 
(11-59) 


930  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

who  served  for  two  years.  ]\Irs.  Lureiula  II.  Smith,  who  was  elected  in 
1894,  carried  the  organization  through  the  trying  times  when  the  law 
was  more  or  less  openly  violated,  and  when  Kansas  had  to  fight  the 
national  government  to  maintain  state  ])rnhibition.  Mrs.  Ella  \\".  I'.rown, 
elected  in  1897,  was  the  first  woman  to  receive  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from 
the  Kansas  University.  She  practiced  law  in  Holton.  During  the  ad- 
ministration of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  B.  Hutchinson  (1900  to  1910),  the  organi- 
zation had  a  large  growth,  doubHng  its  membership  and  influence  for 
good.  The  present  incumbent  of  the  presidential  office,  Airs.  Lillian 
Alitchner,  was  elected  at  the  convention  in  1910,  which  votefl  to  make 
equal  suffrage  the  principal  work  of  the  entire  organization  until  it 
should  be  won  in  Ivansas,  and  her  efforts  have  been  largcl\  in  that 
direction,  both  in  the  legislattire  and  among  the  voters. 

The  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union  is  divided  into  six  main 
departments,  which  in  turn  are  subdivided  as  follows :  I — Organization, 
which  inchides  work  among  foreigners  and  miners  and  work  among 
colored  people ;  II — Prevention,  which  deals  with  heredity  and  with 
medical  temperance;  III — Educational,  the  largest  and  most  important 
department,  deals  with  scientific  temperance  instruction  in  schools  and 
colleges,  summer  assemblies,  temperance  work  in  Sunday  schools,  tem- 
perance literature,  presenting  the  cause  to  influential  bodies,  education 
through  the  press,  anti-narcotics,  W.  C.  T.  U.  institutes,  school  savings 
banks,  medal  contests.  Union  Signal,  and  Young  Crusader ;  IV — Evan- 
gelistic, which  covers  prison  work,  cooperation  with  missionary  societies, 
systematic  giving,  rescue  work,  juvenile  court  work,  work  among  rail- 
road employers,  sailors  and  soldiers.  Sabbath  observance,  mercy,  and 
purity  in  art  and  literature;  V — Social,  which  includes  the  flower  mis- 
sions, fairs,  open  air  and  social  meeetings ;  VI — Legal,  a  very  important 
department,  carrying  on  active  propaganda  work  along  the  lines  of  legis- 
lation, equal  suft'rage,  peace,  petition  work  in  favor  of  various  laws,  and 
measures  and  Christian  citizenship. 

The  educational  work  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  has  been  an  important  factor 
in  holding  up  the  highest  ideals  in  politics  and  civic  work,  and  many  of 
the  better  laws  with  regard  to  women  and  children  and  for  the  protection 
of  the  youth  against  vice  is  directly  traceable  to  the  efforts  of  this  body. 
The  organization  founded  the  Beloit  Industrial  School  for  Girls,  and 
although  they  turned  the  institution  over  to  the  state  after  running  it 
successfully  for  a  year,  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  women  have  always  taken  a 
personal  interest  in  it.  The  organization  in  191 1  had  a  membership  of 
10,000  women  in  Kansas  and  their  191 1  convention  declared  for  universal 
suffrage  for  women,  a  law  against  "white  slavery,"  a  law  to  restrict  the 
procreation  of  the  socially  unfit,  viz :  epileptics,  habitual  inebriates,  vene- 
reals,  imbeciles  and  degenerates,  and  the  appointment  of  a  superintendent 
of  the  department  of  purity  in  art  and  literature  to  keep  in  touch  with 
the  picture  shows  and  vaudevilles  to  the  end  that  these  agencies  be  made 
educative  in  a  helpful  way. 


KANSAS    IIIPTURY  931 

Women's  Clubs. — In  Kansas  Women's  clul)s  have  an  aggregate  mem- 
bership of  about  10,000  women,  half  of  whom  are  affiliated  llircjugji  their 
city,  county  or  district  federations,  or  through  their  indixidual  chibs, 
with  the  Kansas  Federation  of  Women's  clubs.  The  mtivement  began 
with  the  organization  of  the  Social  Science  club  of  Kansas  and  Western 
Missouri  at  a  convention  held  in  Leavenworth  in  i88i.  The  object  was 
to  raise  the  standard  of  women's  education  and  attainments,  enlarge  her 
opportunities  and  promote  the  intellectual  growth  of  the  members.  The 
meetings  were  held  semi-annually.  There  were  seven  departments, 
philanthropy  and  reform,  education,  sanitary  science,  natural  science, 
domestic  economy,  history  and  civil  government,  including  literature 
and  art  and  archaeology.  Tliere  were  loo  members  representing  the  fol- 
lowing towns;  Leavenworth,  Lawrence,  Atchison,  Paola,  Topeka,  \\'yan- 
dotte.  Manhattan,  Ottawa,  Olathe,  Emporia,  Osawatomie,  Parsons,  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.,  and  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  individual  members  from  ten 
other  towns. 

Mary  Tenney  Gray  was  the  first  president,  i\Irs.  C.  H.  Cushing  was 
elected  to  the  office  in  1883,  and  the  other  presidents  who  held  office 
while  Kansas  and  western  Missouri  belonged  to  the  same  organization 
were:  Mrs.  E.  H.  Allen,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Miss  Sarah  Brown,  of 
Lawrence,  and  Mrs.  Noble  Prentis,  of  Topeka.  During  the  '80s  indi- 
vidual clubs  were  formed  all  over  Kansas  for  study,  philanthropy,  re- 
form, civic  improvement  and  similar  objects.  In  1890  the  general  feder- 
ation invited  the  Social  Science  club  to  become  affiliated  with  the  general 
club  work  and  this  was  done.  In  1893,  '^^  its  convention  at  Newton,  this 
club  e.xpauded  into  the  Social  Science  Federation  and  opened  its  doors 
to  clubs  as  well  as  to  individual  members.  Nine  clubs  affiliated  at  once, 
viz;  Ouenemo,  Emporia,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  Burlington,  Fort  Scott, 
Ottawa,  Kingman,  Kansas  Cit}-,  Kan.,  and  Olathe.  Yearly  study  courses 
were  offered  by  the  federation,  but  their  use  was  optional.  The  bureau 
of  reciprocity  was  established,  whereby  the  best  papers  in  each  club  were 
sent  in  to  the  bureau,  the  best  one  in  each  department  being  selected  for 
the  next  year's  program  at  the  federation  annual  meeting,  the  remainder 
becoming-  the  property  of  the  bureau  to  be  loaned  to  other  clubs  wishing 
information  on  the  subjects  treated  in  the  papers.  In  1895  Kansas  sepa- 
rated from  western  Missouri  and  Mrs.  L.  B.  Kellogg  was  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  state  organization.  The  other  presidents  of  the  Kansas  Social 
Science  Federation  were  in  their  order,  Mrs.  Laura  E.  Scammon,  Mrs. 
Willis  Lord  Moore,  Mrs.  J.  C.  McClintock,  Mrs.  S.  R.  Peters,  Mrs.  James 
Humphrey,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Johnston  and  Mrs.  J.  M.  Lewis,  of  Kingsley, 
during  whose  administration  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Kansas  Fed- 
eration of  Women's  Clubs. 

The  decade  from  1895  to  1905  was  a  period  of  rapid  growth  in  federa- 
tion matters.  Clubs  were  formed  all  over  the  state,  and  in  the  larger 
towns  and  cities  the  number  of  individual  clubs  being  anywhere  from  6 
to  30,  they  began  to  form  into  city  federatiuns,  and  the  clubs  in  the 
small  towns  into  district  federations.     The  state  federation  had  a  vice- 


932  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

president  for  each  Congressional  district,  who  looked  after  the  club 
interests  in  the  districts  until  they  were  organized.  The  Kansas  City, 
Kan.,  federation  was  one  of  the  first  city  orgaiiizations.  It  is  called  the 
council  of  clubs  and  in  1896  it  secured  an  ordinance  to  turn  all  the  dog 
taxes  and  pound  fees  for  stray  animals  over  to  a  public  library  fund. 
Other  clubs  followed  the  example  and  a  number  of  new  libraries  were 
founded  in  the  state  by  this  and  other  methods.  The  federation  estab- 
lished the  traveling  library,  which  today  is  an  important  institution  in 
the  state,  and  also  the  traveling  art  gallery.  In  1896  there  were  30  clubs 
in  the  state  federation,  in  1897  there  were  62,  the  next  year,  81,  with  a 
membership  of  3,000  women  representing  52  cities,  in  1899  there  were  103 
clubs  representing  60  cities  and  a  membership  of  3,600,  and  in  1920  the 
membership  of  the  federated  clubs  had  reached  4,500. 

The  First  district  federation  was  organized  in  1901,  the  Second  in  1902, 
the  Third  in  1898,  the  Fourth  in  1902,  the  Fifth  in  1900,  the  Sixth  in 
1902,  the  Seventh  in  1896,  the  Eighth  in  1907,  and  the  Osage  count} 
federation  in  1899. 

In  1902  a  conference  committee  of  state  charities  and  corrections  was 
added  to  the  standing  committees  of  the  federation.  The  membership 
that  year  was  6,030.  A  legislative  department  was  established  in  1903. 
The  next  year  saw  the  high  tide  of  the  interest  in  federation  matters.  A 
membership  of  7,500  had  been  attained  and  the  number  of  affiliated  clubs 
was  32G.  The  name  was  changed  to  the  Kansas  State  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs.  The  department  of  education  secured  scholarships  in 
all  the  leading  colleges  of  the  state  and  started  a  loan  fund  to  assist 
young  women  to  gain  a  higher  education.  Mrs.  May  Belleville  ISrown, 
of  Salina,  was  the  first  president  to  be  elected  under  the  new  name ;  Mrs. 
Eustice  Brown,  of  Olathe,  was  elected  in  1907;  Mrs.  C.  C.  Goddard,  of 
Leavenworth,  in  1909,  and  Mrs.  A.  D.  Atkinson,  of  Parsons,  in  1911.  .\n 
industrial  and  child  labor,  and  a  civil  service  reform  department  were 
added  in  1907.  The  federation  maintains  a  tent  at  each  Chautauqua  in 
the  state  and  provides  daily  programs.  There  are  standing  committees 
for  each  of  the  following  departments :  Art,  music,  literature,  education, 
library  extension,  forestry,  waterways,  civil  service  refoi'm,  industrial, 
child  labor,  legislative,  household  economics,  civics  and  health. 

Women's  Relief  Corps. —  (See  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.) 

Womer,  an  inland  hamlet  of  Smith  county,  is  located  15  miles  north- 
east of  Smith  Center,  and  13  miles  north  of  Bellaire,  from  which  post- 
office  it  receives  mail  by  rural  route.    The  population  in  191  o  was  14. 

Wonderly,  a  little  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Saline 
county,  is  located  in  Liberty  township,  18  miles  from  Salina,  the  county 
seat.  It  receives  mail  from  Bridgeport  by  rural  delivery.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  20. 

Wonsevu,  an  inland  hamlet  in  Chase  county,  is  located  on  Cedar 
creek  in  the  township  of  that  name,  20  miles  southwest  of  Cottonwood 
Falls,  the  county  seat,  and  10  miles  southeast  of  Cedar  Point,  the  near- 


KANSAS    HISTORY  933 

est  railroad  station  and  shipping  point,  and  the  postoffice  from  which  the 
Wonsevu  mail  is  distributed.  There  are  two  general  stores.  The  popu- 
lation, according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  57. 

Wood,  Samuel  Newitt,  one  of  the  men  who  pla^^ed  an  important  part 
in  the  stirring  e\'ents  of  early  Kansas  history  and  for  man_v  years  assisted 
in  making  her  laws,  was  born  at  Mount  Gilead,  Ohio,  Dec.  30,  1825,  the 
son  of  Quaker  parents,  from  whom  he  imbibed  his  anti-slavery  senti- 
ments at  an  early  age.  He  received  the  ordinary  common  school  educa- 
tion of  the  locality  where  he  was  born  and  reared,  and  while  still  a 
mere  youth  became  greatly  interested  in  politics  and  the  l:)urning  ques- 
tions of  the  day.  In  1844,  although  too  young  to  vote,  he  was  chairman 
of  the  liberal  party  central  committee  of  his  county.  Four  years  later 
he  supported  Martin  Van  Buren,  the  Free-soil  candidate  for  president. 
One  of  the  lines  of  the  underground  railroad  passed  near  his  home  in 
Ohio,  Mr.  Wood  being  one  of  the  conductors  on  the  route.  In  1859,  on 
his  return  from  a  trip  with  some  negrties,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of 
his  future  wife,  Margaret  W.  Lyon.  He  taught  school  and  at  the  same 
time  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  June  4,  1854.  Long  before 
that  time  he  had  determined  to  cast  his  lot  with  Kansas  to  assist  in  her 
admission  to  the  Lhiion  free  from  the  taint  of  slavery,  and  two  days  after 
being  admitted  to  practice,  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  territory.  Early  in 
July  he  located  on  a  claim  4  miles  west  of  Lawrence.  Mr.  Wood  imme- 
diately entered  into  the  political  and  social  life  of  the  locality  and  became 
an  acknowledged  local  leader  of  the  free-state  party.  He  was  one  of  the 
men  who  rescued  Jacob  Branson  from  Sheriff  Jones,  an  act  which 
brought  on  the  Wakarusa  war  (q.  v.)  ;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  convention  which  organized  the  Republican  party  in  1856;  to  the 
Philadelphia  convention  the  same  year,  and  to  the  Leavenworth  consti- 
tutional convention  in  1858.  The  following  year  he  removed  to  Chase 
county ;  represented  Chase,  Morris  and  Madison  counties  in  the  terri- 
torial legislatures  of  i860  and  1861  ;  was  a  member  of  the  first  state  sen- 
ate in  1861  and  again  in  1867;  was  a  member  of  the  house  in  1864,  1866, 
1876  and  1877,  and  speaker  during  most  of  the  last  session.  In  1864  he 
was  appointed  brigadier-general  of  the  state  militia,  and  in  1867  judge  of 
the  9th  judicial  district.  For  two  years  he  was  in  Texas :  was  one  of  the 
original  stockholders  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad ;  was 
part  owner  of  the  Kansas  Tribune  of  Lawrence  in  the  '50s ;  established 
the  first  newspaper  at  Cottonwood  Falls — the  Kansas  Press ;  and  at 
Council  Grove — the  Council  Grove  Press.  He  was  later  connected  with 
the  Kansas  Greenbacker  of  Emporia,  the  Topeka  State  Journal,  the 
Woodsdale  Democrat  and  the  Woodsdale  Sentinel  of  Stevens  countv. 
He  was  always  a  reformer  or  a  progressive  in  politics,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican,  Greenback,  Labor  and  Populist  parties.  He  was 
killed  on  June  23,  1891,  by  Jim  Brennen,  as  the  result  of  a  county  seat 
fight  in  Stevens  county. 

Woodbine,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Dickinson  county, 
is  located  in  Liberty  township  on  Lyons  creek  and  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  23  miles  southeast  of  Abilene,  the  countv  seat. 


934  cvcLorEuiA  of 

It  hap  a  bank,  2  flour  mills,  2  grain  elevators,  all  lines  of  mercantile  estab- 
lisliments,  a  hotel,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  one  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  300. 

Woodlawn,  a  hamlet  of  Nemaha  county,  is  located  in  Capioma  town- 
ship, 14  miles  southeast  of  Seneca,  the  county  seat,  and  11  miles  from 
Sabetha,  from  which  place  it  receives  mail,  ^^'oodlawn  was  started  in 
1881  by  W.  L.  Challis,  who  erected  a  four-story  mill  fully  equipped  with 
machinerv,  which  became  so  pi:>pular  that  it  became  the  nucleus  around 
which  grew  up  a  little  town.  A  store  was  opened  by  W.  N.  Taylor  and 
a  private  posloffice  established,  which  became  a  government  postoffice 
in  1882.  A  hotel  of  nine  rooms  was  built  and  a  drug  store  opened.  The 
place  had  50  inhabitants  in  1910. 

Woodlief,  a  hamlet  in  the  northeastern  ])art  of  b'ranklin  county,  is 
located  in  the  JMarais  des  Cygnes  valley  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  R.  R.,  about  4  miles  northeast  of  Ottawa,  the  county  seat,  from  which 
it  has  rural  free  delivery.     In  1910  the  population  was  15. 

Woodruff',  a  little  town  in  Phillips  county,  is  located  in  Granite  town- 
ship on  Prairie  Dog  creek  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy  R.  R., 
about  20  miles  north  of  Phillipsburg,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a 
weekly  newspaper  (The  Budget),  a  hotel,  an  alfalfa  mill,  all  lines  of 
retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order 
postoffice.     The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Woodsdale,  a  rural  postoffice  in  Stevens  county,  is  located  about  10 
miles  north  of  liugoton,  the  county  seat.  It  has  mail  daily  and  one 
rural  route.  This  is  the  remains  of  the  town  founded  by  Col.  Samuel 
N.  Wood  and  a  number  of  other  gentlemen  in  1886,  which  they  laid  off 
as  near  the  center  of  the  county  as  possible,  north  of  the  sand  hills.  It 
was  a  candidate  in  one  of  the  most  bitterly  fought  and  bloody  county 
seat  contests  in  the  state.     (See  Stevens  county.) 

Woodson  County,  one  of  the  counties  created  by  the  first  territorial 
legislature  of  1855,  is  located  in  the  third  tier  of  counties  from  the  Mis- 
souri state  line,  and  in  the  third  tier  from  the  Oklahoma  line.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Coffey  county ;  on  the  east  by  Allen ;  on  the 
south  by  Wilson,  and  on  the  west  by  Greenwood.  At  the  time  it  was 
created  and  named  it  contained  very  little  of  its  present  territory,  but 
occupied  almost  the  identical  land  which  is  now  Wilson  county.  In 
1857  tli^  counties  of  the  third  tier  were  crowded  northward  until  Wood- 
son occupied  about  the  same  territory  as  at  present.  In  1861  a  slice 
was  cut  off  the  southern  part  and  given  to  Wilson.  By  act  of  the  legis- 
lature in  1868  the  boundaries  of  Woodson  county  were  defined  as  fol- 
lows: "Beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Anderson  county;  thence 
south  to  the  south  line  of  township  26  south  ;  thence  west  to  the  east  line 
of  Greenwood  county ;  thence  north  to  the  corner  of  township  2t^  south 
of  range  13;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  county  was  named  in  honor  of  Daniel  Woodson,  territorial  secre- 
tary.   In  common  with  the  territory  of  that  section  Woodson  county  was 


KANSAS    HISTORY  935 

not  open  to  settlement  until  i860.  However,  this  did  not  keep  out  im- 
migration entirely,  so  eagerly  were  the  lands  taken  up  by  the  white 
men.  The  lands  of  W'oodson  county  belonged  to  the  New  York  In- 
dians, who  never  lived  on  them,  maintaining  only  a  temporary  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Scott.  The  government  finding  that  the  Indians  de- 
clined to  settle  upon  the  lands  offered  them  for  sale  in  i860  and  they 
were  eagerly  taken  up  by  white  settlers.  As  nearly'  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained the  first  permanent  settlement  of  white  men  within  the  county 
was  made  in  1856.  It  is  impossible  to  know  who  was  first,  the  following 
having  located  in  that  year:  David  Cooper  in  Toronto  township;  Reu- 
ben Daniels  in  Belmont  township,  and  John  Coleman  in  Owl  Creek 
township.  A  trading  post  was  established  in  1856,  by  D.  B.  Foster,  at 
Belmont,  where  he  carried  on  traffic  with  the  Osage  Indians.  Among 
those  who  came  in  1857  were  John  Chapman,  Jack  Caven,  John  Wool- 
man  and  a  few  others  who  located  where  Neosho  Falls  now  stands ; 
William  Stockbrand,  August  Toddman  and  August  Lauber,  in  Center 
township ;  and  Thomas  Sears  in  Liberty  township. 

The  first  school  in  the  county  was  taught  in  Toronto  township  in 
1858.  Neosho  Falls  also  had  a  school  the  same  year.  The  first  churches 
were  the  Methodist  and  the  Baptist  organized  in  1859.  The  first  busi- 
ness outside  of  the  trading  post  was  a  store  which  was  opened  at  Neosho 
Falls  in  1837  by  Peter  Stevens,  who  was  the  first  postmaster  in  the 
coimt}',  and  had  charge  of  the  Neosho  Falls  postoffice  established  in  that 
year.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  Eliza  Jane  Tassel  in  1857.  The  first 
marriage  was  between  Dr.  S.  J.  Williams  and  Miss  Eva  Fender. 

Woodson  county  did  its  duty  by  the  government  during  the  Civil  war. 
In  Nov.,  1861,  a  company  of  soldiers  for  ser\-ice  in  the  Union  army  was 
organized  at  Neosho  Falls  with  B.  F.  Goss  as  captain  and  I.  W.  Dow  as 
first  lieutenant.  This  was  part  of  what  was  called  the  Tola  battalion  and 
was  consolidated  with  others  to  form  the  Ninth  Kansas  cavalry,  which 
took  part  in  a  number  of  engagements  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas. 

The  board  of  supervisors  in  Woodson  county,  consisting  of  I.  W. 
Dow,  G.  J.  Caven  and  William  Phillips,  with  Charles  Cameron  clerk 
of  the  board,  met  at  Neosho  Falls,  in  May,  1858,  and  ordered  that  all 
official  county  business  be  transacted  at  that  place.  N.  G.  Goss  &  Co. 
donated  a  jail  building  to  the  county  for  so  long-  a  time  as  Neosho  Falls 
should  remain  the  count}'  seat.  In  1865,  the  county  officers  being  with- 
out a  suitable  headquarters,  Dow's  Hall  was  rented  at  $36  per  year.  In 
1867  an  election  was  called  to  select  a  permanent  county  seat.  The  con- 
testing towns  were  Neosho  Falls,  Center,  Coloma  and  the  site  of  Yates 
Center,  which  was  entered  in  the  list  merely  under  its  section,  town  and 
range  description.  Neosho  Falls  received  129  votes  and  Yates  Center 
118.  At  the  second  election  held  in  Sept.,  1868,  Neosho  Falls  received 
313  votes  and  Chellis,  199.  The  question  was  not  revived  again  until 
1873,  when  the  vote  stood  as  follows:  Defiance,  506;  Kalida,  530;  Wal- 
drip,  I.     This  made  Kalida,  which  was  2  miles  south  of  Yates  Center, 


936  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

the  county  seat.  Defiance  was  6  miles  east,  and  in  the  election  held  the 
next  3'ear  it  was  victorious.  In  1875  another  election  was  called  in 
which  Neosho  Falls  and  Yates  Center  were  again  the  contestants.  The 
first  ballot  gave  no  majority.  The  second  ballot,  which  was  hotly  con- 
tested, was  taken  in  Sept.,  1876,  and  resulted  in  favor  of  Yates  Cen- 
ter.    The  matter  was  never  brought  up  again. 

In  the  early  days  Woodson  county  like  the  other  pioneer  districts  was 
a  lively  place  in  which  to  live.  Men  were  shot  for  mere  whims,  most 
of  the  murders  being  committed  for  property  or  in  drunken  quarrels. 
One  of  the  most  notorious  of  tiie  ruffians  that  infested  the  community 
was  "Bully  Smith,"  who  had  a  long  string  of  crimes  laid  at  his  door, 
and  finally  "died  with  his  boots  on"  in  California. 

Efiforts  to  build  railroads  in  Woodson  county  began  in  1867,  but  were 
unsuccessful  for  a  number  of  years,  owing  to  the  failure  of  bonds  to 
carry.  Several  different  roads  made  propositions  during  the  latter  '60s 
and  the  '70s  but  all  were  turned  down  by  the  people.  The  first  road  to 
be  built  was  the  St.  Louis,  Fort  Scott  &  Wichita  (now  the  Missouri 
Pacific),  which  crosses  the  central  part  of  the  county  in  a  northeasterly 
direction,  passing  through  Toronto,  Yates  Center,  Durand  and  Piqua. 
Another  line  of  the  same  road  enters  the  county  from  Kansas  City  and 
runs  south  to  Yates  Center,  where  it  connects  with  the  first  line.  The 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  crosses  the  county  from  the  north- 
east corner  to  Yates  Center,  and  a  third  line  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  runs 
north  from  Wilson  count)'.  A  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
also  crosses  the  southwest  corner,  and  a  line  of  the  Missouri,  Kansas 
&  Texas  crosses  the  northeast  corner,  passing  through  Neosho  Falls. 

In  1858  the  county  supervisors  organized  five  townships :  Neosho 
Falls,  Liberty,  Owl  Creek,  Belmont  and  Verdigris.  There  are  at  present 
9  townships  as  follows :  Belmont,  Center,  Everett,  Liberty,  Neosho 
Falls,  North,  Owl  Creek,  Perry  and  Toronto.  The  towns  and  villages 
are  Yates  Center,  Burt,  Coloma,  Cookville,  Finney,  Griffin,  Keck,  Lo- 
mando,  Neosho  Falls,  Piqua,  Ridge,  Rose,  Toronto  and  Vernon. 

The  surface  of  Woodson  county  is  largely  upland,  especially  toward 
the  center,  being  the  bluffs  which  rise  from  the  Neosho  river  which 
crosses  the  northeastern  corner,  and  from  the  Verdigris  which  crosses 
the  southwest  corner.  Owl  and  Turkey  creeks  are  the  principal  tribu- 
taries of  the  Neosho,  and  Sandy  and  Buffalo  creeks  of  the  Verdigris. 
The  bottom  lands  along  these  streams  average  one  and  one-half  miles 
in  width,  and  comprise  about  10  per  cent,  of  the  area  of  the  county.  The 
principal  native  timbers  which  grow  along  the  streams  in  belts  of  from 
one-fourth  to  one  mile  in  width  are  oak,  cottonwood,  hickory,  black  wal- 
nut, elm,  hackberry,  honey-locust,  pecan,  sycamore,  box-elder  and  ma- 
ple. Limestone  and  sandstone  are  found  in  commercial  quantities,  and 
large  shipments  are  made  from  the  quarries  to  other  parts  of  the  country. 
Potter's  clay  and  brick  clay  exist  in  considerable  quantities  and  thin 
veins  of  coal  have  been  found.     The  surrounding  counties  are  oil  and 


KANSAS    HISTORY  937 

gas  producing  districts  and  it  is  believed  that  Woodson  is  underlaid 
witii  these  products. 

The  total  area  of  the  county  is  504  square  miles  or  322,560  acres,  of 
which  nearly  three-fourths  have  been  brought  under  cultivation.  The 
value  of  the  farm  products  are  very  nearly  $2,000,000  annually.  Corn, 
wheat,  oats,  potatoes  and  Kafir  corn  are  the  leading  field  crops.  Animals 
for  slaughter,  butter,  eggs,  poultry  and  dairy  products  contribute  a 
large  sum  to  the  total  output.  The  total  valuation  of  property  in  1910 
was  upwards  of  $15,000,000  and  the  population  was  9,450. 

Woodson,  Daniel,  first  secretary  and  several  times  acting  governor 
of  the  Territory  of  Kansas,  was  born  in  Albemarle  county,  Va.,  May 
24,  1824.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  received  a  limited  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  that  period,  and  while  still  a  bo}'  began  learning 
the  printer's  trade.  He  became  an  expert  compositor,  took  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs,  developed  considerable  ability  as  a  writer  on 
questions  of  public  policy,  and  in  time  was  made  editor  of  the  Lynch- 
burg Republican,  one  of  the  influential  Democratic  newspapers  of  the 
Old  Dominion.  His  editorials  attracted  wide  attention,  and  were  no 
doubt  largely  responsible  for  his  appointment  as  secretary  of  Kan- 
sas Territory  in  1854.  In  October  of  that  year  he  arrived  at  Leaven- 
worth, and  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  passed  in  the  Territor}'  and 
State  of  Kansas.  At  different  times  during  his  term  as  secretary  he  was 
called  upon  to  exercise  the  functions  of  the  chief  executive.  The  first 
of  these  was  in  the  spring  of  1855,  while  Gov.  Reeder  was  absent  from  the 
territory.  After  Gov.  Reeder's  removal  he  acted  as  governor  until  the 
arrival  of  Gov.  Shannon.  Again  in  the  spring  of  1856  he  served  as  gov- 
ernor while  Gov.  Shannon  was  in  St.  Louis,  and  after  the  latter's  resig- 
nation he  acted  as  governor  until  the  arrival  of  Gov.  Geary.  From 
March  12  to  April  16,  1857,  Gov.  Geary  having  retired  from  the  office, 
he  once  more  discharged  the  executive  duties.  On  April  i,  1857,  he 
was  appointed  receiver  of  the  Delaware  land  office,  but  continued  to 
act  as  governor  until  the  i6th,  as  above  stated,  when  he  was  succeeded 
as  secretary  by  Frederick  P.  Stanton.  His  record  as  receiver  of  the 
land  office  is  that  of  an  efficient  and  painstaking  official.  Upon  retiring 
from  this  position  he  engaged  in  farming  for  about  twelve  years  in 
Leavenworth  county.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  removed  to  Parker, 
Montgomery  county,  where  he  established  a  newspaper.  This  venture 
proved  to  be  unsuccessful  from  a  financial  point  of  view,  and  he  entered 
the  emplo}'  of  the  Coffeyville  Journal.  For  twelve  years  he  served  as 
city  clerk  of  CoiTeyville.  Mr.  Woodson  was  a  strong  pro-slavery  man 
in  the  early  days  of  Kansas'  existence,  and  he  sometimes  did  things  that 
aroused  the  wrath  of  the  opposition.  He  was  always  conscientious, 
however,  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  as  he  saw  them,  and 
there  was  never  a  word  against  his  habits  in  private  life.  He  died  on 
Oct.  5,  1894,  a!  the  home  of  his  son  at  Claremore,  Ind.  Ter.,  where  he 
had  gone  in  the  hope  of  regaining  his  health. 


938  CVCLOI'KUIA    Ol'- 

Woodson's  Administration. —  \t  li\e  different  times  during  the  ter- 
ritorial regime,  Secretary  Woodson  was  called  upon  to  serve  as  acting 
governor.  l!is  administration,  aggregating  about  six  months,  is  there- 
fore di\i(led  iutn  li\-e  periods.  The  first  of  these  was  from  April  17  to 
June  2T„  1855,  while  Gov.  Keeder  was  absent  in  the  East;  the  secuiid  was 
from  Aug.  16  to  Sept.  7,  1S55,  after  the  removal  of  (lOv.  Reeder  and  until 
the  arrival  of  Gov.  Shannon;  the  third  was  from  June  24  to  July  7,  1856, 
while  Gov.  Shannon  was  in  St. -Louis;  the  fourth,  from  Aug.  18  to  Sept. 
II,  1856,  marking  the  time  intervening  between  the  retirement  of  tiov. 
Shannon  and  the  arrival  of  Gov.  Geary ;  and  the  fifth  and  last  was  from 
March  12.  1857,  when  Gov.  Geary  gave  up  the  office,  to  April  16.  when 
Frederick  P    Stanton  succeeded  Woodson  as  secretary  of  the  territory. 

Between  April  17  and  June  23,  1855,  the  executive  minutes  show  but 
two  official  acts  on  the  part  of  the  acting  governor.  One  of  these,  on 
Mav  29,  was  the  filing  of  the  returns  of  the  special  election  of  May  22, 
for  Gov.  Reeder's  consideration  upon  his  return,  and  the  other  was  the 
issue  of  an  executive  warrant  upon  a  requisition  from  the  governor  of 
the  State  of  Indiana. 

The  second  period  of  his  administration  was  fraught  with  greater 
consequences.  On  June  8,  1855,  more  than  six  weeks  before  the  removal 
of  Gov.  Reeder,  a  free-state  meeting  assembled  at  Lawrence,  but  ad- 
journed to  the  25th,  when  ringing  resolutions  were  adopted  in  favor  of 
making  Kansas  a  free  state ;  urging  the  people  to  make  freedom  the  only 
issue;  denouncing  as  a  gross  outrage  the  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Missouri  in  the  election  of  March  30,  1855,  and  declaring  in  favor 
of  the  appointment  of  a  free-state  executive  committee.  One  of  the 
resolutions  declared  that  the  people  of  Ivansas  had  the  right  to  invoke 
the  aid  of  the  general  government  against  the  lawless  course  of  the 
slavery  propaganda,  and  another  that  "In  reply  to  the  threats  of  war 
so  frequent!}-  made  in  our  neighboring  state,  our  answer  is  A\'e  are 
ready'." 

On  Jul\-  11  there  was  another  meeting  at  Lawrence,  at  which  the 
expelled  free-state  members  of  the  legislature  were  present,  the  object 
of  this  meeting  being  "To  consider  the  present  exigency  in  our  political 
and  governmental  aft'airs,  and  to  take  the  necessary  preliminary  steps 
for  the  calling  of  a  mass  convention  of  the  free-state  men  of  the  territory 
to  deliberate  in  reference  to  our  present  condition  and  future  action." 

The  convention  called  by  this  meeting  assembled  at  Lawrence  on 
Aug.  14,  two  days  before  Gov.  Reeder  announced  his  removal  from 
office.  Dr.  Charles  Robinson  offered  a  series  of  resolutions,  the  pre- 
amble of  which  reviewed  the  actions  of  the  Missourians  on  March  30, 
and  criticised  the  legislature  for  its  removal  to  the  Shawnee  Mission. 
The  resolutions  proper  declared  the  invasion  of  March  30  as  one  of  the 
greatest  outrages  upon  the  laws  of  the  land  and  the  rights  of  the  people 
ever  attempted  in  this  country ;  indignantly  repelled  the  pretensions 
of  the -legislature  then  in  session  to  make  laws  for  the  people;  consid- 
ered the  attempt  to  establisli  territorial  government  thus  far  an   utter 


KANSAS    HISTORY  939 

failure,  and  declared  that  the  people  should  "at  some  convenient  period 
assemble  at  the  several  places  of  holding  elections  in  the  various  dis- 
tricts of  the  territory  and  elect  delegates  to  a  convention  to  form  a 
state  constitution,  with  a  view  to  an  immediate  state  organization  and 
application,  at  the  next  session  of  Congress,  for  admission  into  the 
American  Union."     (See  Topeka  Constitution.) 

The  resolutions  also  acknowledged  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Gov.  Reeder 
for  the  "firmness,  ability  and  integrity  shown  in  the  discharge  of  his 
dut}-  as  executive  officer  of  the  territory." 

Another  convention  met  on  the  15th,  under  a  call  signed  "Many 
Citizens,"  though  it  was  in  reality  an  adjunct  to  the  convention  of  the 
preceding  day.  Cutler  says :  "Out  of  these  two  conventions,  entirely 
distinct,  yet  most  mysteriously  one,  came  the  inception  of  the  movements 
which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  a  free-state  party  and  the  fram- 
ing of  a  free-state  constitution." 

The  former  of  these  two  conventions  led  to  the  Big  Springs  con- 
vention (q.  V.)  of  Sept.  5,  when  the  free-state  party  was  organized,  and 
the  latter  had  fcir  its  object  the  calling  of  the  Topeka  constitutional 
convention. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Mr.  Woodson  assumed  the  duties 
of  governor  on  Aug.  16,  1855.  The  lack  of  harmony  that  had  existed 
between  Gov.  Reeder  and  the  legislature  then  in  session  soon  vanished 
after  Woodson  became  acting  governor.  A  pro-slavery  man  himself, 
the  confidence  between  him  and  the  assembly  was  mutual.  lie  promptly 
signed  all  bills  submitted  to  him,  and  it  is  said  in  many  instances  with- 
out giving  them  proper  consideration,  only  one,  an  act  illegally  ap- 
propriating money,  having  been  disapproved.  Between  Aug.  16,  when 
Woodson  came  into  office  as  acting  governor,  and  Aug.  30,  when  the 
legislature  adjotu"ned,  a  great  deal  of  legislation  was  enacted.  A  per- 
manent  seat  of  government  was  established  at  Lecompton ;  counties 
were  created  and  governments  therefor  provided  by  the  appointment  of 
pro-slavery  officers ;  the  territorial  militia  was  ordered  to  be  organized ; 
the  qualifications  of  voters  defined ;  provisions  were  made  for  the  peo- 
ple to  vote  at  the  election  in  Oct.,  1856,  on  the  question  of  calling  a 
constitutional  convention,  and  a  general  code  of  laws  for  the  territory 
was  adopted.  The  code  was  taken  from  that  of  Missoin"i,  which  had  in 
turn  been  taken  from  the  code  in  New  York  and  some  of  the  other 
Eastern  states.  It  was  not  strong  enough  on  the  subject  of  slavery 
to  suit  the  legislature,  hence  it  was  supplemented  by  the  so-called  "Black 
Laws"  (q.  v.),  imposing  severe  penalties  for  even  the  slightest  infringe- 
ment of  the  real  or  imaginary  rights  of  the  slaveholder. 

In  the  law  prescribing  the  qualifications  of  voters  was  the  provision 
that  no  person  should  be  permitted  or  entitled  to  vote  who  had  been  con- 
victed of  any  violation  of  the  fugitive  slave  law,  and  any  person  whose 
vote  might  be  challenged  was  required  to  make  oath  that  he  would  sup- 
port the  fugitive  slave  law  and  the  territorial  organic  act.     This  was  a 


940  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

well  laid  scheme  to  disfranchise  the  free-state  citizens  whose  self-re- 
spect would  not  permit  them  to  subscribe  to  such  an  oath,  and  thus, 
by  the  mere  act  of  challenging  all  voters,  the  pro-slaveryites  could  con- 
trol future  elections. 

Although  the  organic  act  provided  that  no  legislator  should  be  eli- 
gible for  any  office  created  by  the  assembly  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
the  legislature  had  barely  adjourned  when  Gov.  Woodson  appointed 
several  of  the  members  as  officers  of  the  territorial  militia.  The  legis- 
lature adjourned  on  Aug.  30,  and  the  next  day  he  appointed  A.  M.  Cof- 
fey major-general  of  the  southern  division ;  William  P.  Richardson, 
major-general  of  the  northern  division;  William  A.  Heiskell,  William 
Barbee,  F.  J.  Marshall  and  Lucian  J.  Eastin,  brigadier-generals;  H.  J. 
Strickler,  adjutant-general ;  S.  A.  Williams  and  Archibald  Payne,  colo- 
nels. Pie  also  appointed  and  commissioned  a  number  of  officers  of  the 
newly  created  counties,  the  greater  part  of  his  time  being  thus  occu- 
pied until  the  arrival  of  Gov.  Shannon. 

When  Gov.  Shannon  left  for  St.  Louis  on  June  24,  1856,  Mr.  Wood- 
son became  for  a  third  time  the  acting  governor,  and  though  this  period 
of  his  administration  lasted  only  two  weeks,  it  gave  him  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  manifest  his  dislike  of  his  political  opponents.  On  the  29th 
he  made  a  requisition  to  Col.  P.  St.  George  Cooke,  commanding  at  Fort 
Riley,  for  troops  to  prevent  the  Topeka  legislature  from  assembling  on 
July  4,  notwithstanding  Gov.  Shannon,  prior  to  his  departure,  had 
charged  Col.  Sumner  with  this  duty.  In  his  communication  to  Col. 
Cooke,  Mr.  Woodson  claimed  to  have  information  "that  large  numbers 
of  armed  men  are  now  on  their  way  to  Topeka,  for  the  purpose  of  sus- 
taining the  bogus  legislature,"  and  asked  Cooke  "to  take  the  field  at 
once  with  all  your  available  forces,  and  scour  the  country  between  Fort 
Riley  and  Topeka,  for  the  purpose  of  repelling  said  armed  invasion  of 
the  country." 

On  July  4,  the  day  fixed  for  the  assembling  of  the  legislature,  the 
acting  governor  issued  a  proclamation  forbidding  all  persons  claiming 
legislative  power  under  the  Topeka  constitution  "from  organizing,  or 
attempting  to  organize  or  act  in  any  legislative  capacity  whatever,  un- 
der the  penalties  attached  to  all  willful  violations  of  the  laws  of  the 
land  and  disturbers  of  the  peace  and  tranquility  of  the  country." 

But  requisitions  for  troops  and  proclamations  did  not  deter  the  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature  from  assembling  at  the  designated  time.  The 
clerk  of  the  house  had  barely  finished  calling  the  roll,  when  Col.  .Sum- 
ner, who  had  come  in  and  taken  a  seat  near  the  speaker's  desk,  arose 
and  said :  "Gentlemen :  I  am  called  upon  this  day  to  perform  the  most 
painful  duty  of  my  whole  life.  Under  authority  of  the  president's  proc- 
lamation, I  am  here  to  disperse  this  legislature,  and  therefore  inform 
3'ou  that  you  cannot  meet.  I  therefore  order  you  to  disperse.  God 
knows  that  I  have  no  party  feeling  in  this  matter,  and  will  hold  none 
so  long  as  I  occupy  my  present  position  in  Kansas.  I  have  just  re- 
turned frrtm  the  borders,  where  I  have  been  sending  home  companies 


KANSAS    HISTORY  941 

of  Missourians,  and  now  I  am  ordered  here  to  disperse  you.  Such  are 
my  orders  and  you  must  disperse.  I  repeat  that  it  is  the  most  painful 
duty  of  my  whole  life." 

After  some  little  discussion,  the  house  dispersed,  and  Col.  .Sumner 
went  to  the  senate,  which  had  not  yet  been  called  to  order,  and  informed 
the  members  that  they  must  disperse,  which  they  promptly  did.  The 
whole  incident  savored  of  the  proverbial  birth  of  the  mouse  from  the 
travail  of  the  mountain. 

Aside  from  the  dispersion  of  the  Topeka  legislature,  Mr.  Woodson 
had  but  little  to  engross  his  attention  or  call  for  the  exercise  of  the 
executive  function  until  July  7,  when  Gov.  Shannon  returned  from  St. 
Louis  and  resumed  the  duties  of  the  office  until  Aug.  18,  when  he  re- 
tired permanently.  On  the  20th  Gen.  Richardson,  commanding  the 
northern  division  of  the  territorial  militia,  sent  a  despatch  to  the  gov- 
ernor, stating  that  Gen.  Lane  had  recruited  a  large  military  force  in 
the  free  states  and  "marched  them  into  the  Territory  of  Kansas  with 
the  avowed  object  of  setting  at  defiance  the  laws  of  the  territory." 

It  seems  that  Gen.  Richardson  had  assembled  the  militia  of  his  di- 
vision, and  now  asked  for  orders.  On  the  21st  Woodson  wrote  to  him 
approving  his  course  in  thus  ordering  out  the  militia  "to  repel  the  pres- 
ent ruthless  invasion  of  the  territory  by  armed  mobs  from  distant 
states."  The  acting  governor  also  suggested  that  Gen.  Marshall,  of  the 
First  brigade,  should  be  ordered  to  intercept  the  invaders  coming  in 
through  Nebraska,  and  "should  have  a  force  of  not  less  than  300  mounted 
men,  or  more,  if  you  deem  it  desirable,  and  one  piece  of  artillery,  if  you 
can  spare  it."  Richardson  was  ordered  to  report  with  the  remainder  of 
his  command  to  the  governor  at  the  earliest  practicable  day,"  and  Gen. 
Coffey  was  ordered  to  rendezvous  his  division  "at  or  near  the  town  of 
Palmyra,  in  the  county  of  Douglas."  Had  the  territorial  authorities 
been  in  position  to  display  the  same  activity  in  March,  1855,  in  re- 
pelling the  invasion  of  Missourians,  the  history  of  Kansas  might  have 
been  differently  written. 

On  Aug.  25,  1856,  Woodson  issued  his  famous  "extermination  procla- 
mation," declaring  the  territory  in  a  state  of  insurrection,  the  principal 
feature  of  which  was  as  follows:  "1  do  hereby  call  all  law-abiding  citi- 
zens of  the  territory  to  rally  to  the  support  of  their  country  and  its 
laws,  and  require  and  command  all  officers,  civil  and  military,  and  all 
other  citizens  of  the  territory,  to  aid  and  assist  by  all  means  in  their 
power  in  putting  down  the  insurrectionists,  and  in  bringing  to  condign 
punishment  all  persons  engaged  with  them;  to  the  end  of  assuring  im- 
munity from  violence  and  full  protection  to  the  persons,  property  and 
all  civil  rights  of  all  peaceable  and  law-abiding  inhabitants  of  the  ter- 
ritory." 

Connelley,  in  his  Territorial  Governors,  says  the  proclamation  "was 
designed  to  crush  the  free-state  cause  in  Kansas  and  to  license  the  bor- 
der ruffians  to  exterminate  free-state  men  and  their  families  and  con- 
fiscate their  property.     The  cry  then  arose  along  the  border,  'Let  the 


942  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

watchword  be  exlerminatinn.  total  and  complete,'  and  Acting  Gov. 
Woodson  approved  and  acted  upon  it.  Only  the  arrival  and  prompt  and 
vigorous  action  of  Gov.  Gear}'  prevented  its  consummation." 

On  Aug.  28  Woodson  made  a  requisition  to  Col.  Cooke  for  a  posse 
of  soldiers  to  aid  the  marshal  in  the  execution  of  certain  writs,  and  four 
days  later,  after  issuing  commissions  to  a  number  of  new  militia  officers, 
he  ordered  Cooke  to  invest  the  town  of  Topeka  and  disarm  all  insurrec- 
tionists or  aggressi^■e  invaders  found  there,  level  all  breastworks  or  other 
fortifications,  and  hold  as  prisoners  all  persons  found  in  arms  against 
the  government.  Cooke  was  also  directed  to  intercejU  invaders  on  the 
road  known  as  "Lane's  trail.'' 

The  next  day  Col.  Cooke  sent  to  the  acting  governor  a  rather  caustic 
repl)-.  After  calling  attention  to  the  instructions  of  the  secretary  of  war 
and  Gen.  Persifer  F.  Smith,  who  had  succeeded  Col.  Sumner,  he  said : 
"In  my  best  judgment,  I  cannot  comply  with  your  call.  If  the  army  be 
useless  in  the  present  unhappy  crisis,  it  is  because  in  our  constitution 
and  laws  civil  war  was  not  foreseen ;  nor  the  contingency  of  a  systematic 
resistance  by  the  people  to  governments  of  their  own  creation,  and 
which  at  short  intervals  they  ma}'  regularly  correct  or  change.  Your 
letter  will  be  forwarded  by  express  to  Maj.-Gen.  Smith  for  his  considera- 
tion and  action.'' 

Finding  his  efforts  to  use  the  Federal  troops  futile,  Gov.  ^^■oodson 
turned  his  attention  to  a  more  thorough  organization  of  the  territorial 
militia.  More  officers  were  commissioned  and  other  steps  taken  to 
stamp  out  the  rising  spirit  of  freedom  in  the  territory,  but  before  the 
plans  of  the  pro-slavery  people  could  be  carried  into  efifect  Gov.  Geary 
came  into  office  and  reversed  the  entire  policy  of  the  acting  governor. 

Between  March  12  and  April  16,  the  last  period  of  Gov.  Woodson's 
administration,  but  little  happened  out  of  the  ordinary  current  of  events. 
His  first  acts  were  to  commission  a  number  of  county  officers — all  ]3ro- 
slavery  men — and  on  March  25  the  acting  governor  received  a  letter 
from  the  clerk  and  probate  judge  of  Anderson  county,  stating  that  owing 
to  the  insurrectionary  spirit,  it  was  impossible  "to  carry  into  efifect  the 
provisions  of  the  law  authorizing  the  taking  of  the  census  and  assess- 
ment," and  several  of  the  newly  appointed  officers  were  afraid  to  accept 
their  commissions  and  qualify.  True  to  his  policy  on  former  occa- 
sions, Woodson  immediately  called  upon  Gen.  Smith  for  a  company  of 
dragoons,  to  be  accompanied  by  a  United  States  commissioner  "author- 
ized to  take  evidence  and  bring  to  the  bar  of  justice  all  such  oflfenders." 
He  also  protested  to  Gen.  Smith  against  the  withdrawal  of  Capt.  New- 
by's  company  of  dragoons  from  Lecompton,  because  "The  presence  of 
the  military  has  a  very  salutary  influence  in  preserving  order  in  the  ex- 
isting unsettled  and  inflammable  state  of  the  public  mind  in  this  part 
of  the  territory." 

At  the  time  this  letter  was  written,  the  administration  of  President 
Buchanan  was  but  three  weeks  old.  Woodson's  apparent  desire  to  use 
the  military  on  all  occasions  led  Col.  Sumner  to  write  to  him  on  March 


KANSAS    HISTORY  04.'5 

27,  as  follows:  "1  would  respectfully  suggest  wiielher  it  would  not 
be  safer  to  pause  a  little  in  military  matters,  until  we  kimw  the  policy 
of  the  new  administration." 

This  suggestion  evidently  had  its  efi'ect,  as  no  more  calls  for  troops 
were  made  by  Mr.  Woodson  during  the  brief  time  he  continued  to  act 
as  the  territory's  chief  executive.  On  April  15  Secretary  Stanton 
reached  Lecompton,  and  the  next  da_\'  W'oodson  turned  over  tn  him  man- 
agement of  executive  affairs. 

Woodston,  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class  in  Rooks  comity, 
is  located  in  Lowell  township  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Solomon  river 
and  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  10  miles  east  of  Stockton,  the  county 
seat.  It  has  a  bank,  a  newspaper,  a  flour  mill,  a  grain  elevator,  a  cornet 
band,  all  lines  of  retail  establishments,  telegraph  and  express  offices, 
and  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in 
1910  was  299.  It  is  the  receiving  and  shipping  point  for  a  large  and 
prosperous  grain  and  stock  raising  territory. 

Woodward,  Brinton  Webb,  merchant  and  author,  was  born  on  Felx  14, 
1834,  a  son  of  Caleb  and  Mary  (Webb)  Woodward.  His  father  was  of 
Pennsylvania  Quaker  ancestry,  descended  from  Robert  Woodward,  who 
settled  in  what  is  now  Delaware  county.  Pa.,  soon  after  the  grant  was 
nia-de  to  \\'illiani  Penn.  His  mother  was  of  English-German  descent. 
Pie  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Chester  county.  Pa.,  part  of  an 
estate' that  had  been  in  the  family  for  over  a  century:  entered  the  acad- 
emy when  eleven  years  of  age,  and  upon  completing  the  course  there 
began  teaching.  In  1854,  while  visiting  in  Illinois,  he  heard  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  speak,  became  interested  in  the  struggle  of  Kansas  for  freedom, 
determined  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  territory,  and  arrived  at  Lawrence 
on  May  20,  1855.  He  purchased  a  stock  of  books  and  drugs  in  St.  Louis 
and  started  one  of  the  oldest  continuous  business  houses  west  of  St. 
Louis,  on  Massachusetts  street.  He  acted  as  secretary  of  the  first  terri- 
uorial  convention  held  by  the  free-state  party.  During  the  Wakarusa 
war  he  was  a  member  of  the  "Kansas  Guards"  and  took  an  active  part 
in  the  defense  of  Lawrence.  In  1857  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  free-state 
convention  which  nominated  Marcus  J.  Parrott  for  delegate  to  Congress. 
When  Ouantrill  raided  Lawrence  in  1863,  Mr.  Woodward's  stock  of 
goods  was  destroyed  and  he  narrowly  escaped  death.  In  1866  he  was 
instrumental  in  organizing  the  St.  Louis,  Lawrence  &  Denver  railroad 
compan}^  and  acted  as  secretary  of  the  company  until  the  completion  of 
the  road  to  Lawrence.  In  1878,  in  connection  with  two  partners,  he 
opened  a  wholesale  drug  house  in  Kansas  City,  of  which  he  was  a  part- 
ner until  1897,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Woodward  always  took  an  active 
interest  in  directing  the  educational  matters  of  Lawrence.  In  1876  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  state  university ; 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Old  and  New  club,  and  in  1890  published 
a  volume  of  poems,  sketches  and  essays  entitled,  "Old  Wine  in  New 
Bottles,"  dedicated  to  the  club.  Mr.  Woodward  also  served  as  president 
of  local  art  societies,  university  extension  associations,  the  Kansas  Acad- 


944  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

c;m\^  of  Language  and  Literature,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  He  was  especially  interested  in  art  and 
had  the  finest  private  art  gallery  in  Kansas.  While  on  a  visit  to  his 
sister,  at  West  Chester,  Pa.,  Mr.  Woodward  was  stricken  with  paralysis 
and  died  there  on  Oct.  9,  1900. 

Wooster,  Lyman  Child,  educator  and  writer,  was  born  on  Aug.  i,  1849, 
at  Hammond,  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was  descended  from  the 
Wooster  family  of  Connecticut,  to  which  Gen.  David  Wooster,  who 
served  in  the  French  and  Indian  and  the  Revolutionary  wars,  belonged, 
and  from  the  Child  family  of  Welsh  and  English  ancestry.  His  boyhood 
was  spent  on  a  farm  in  New  York  state,  later  he  went  to  Wisconsin. 
He  attended  college  at  Milton,  Wis.,  from  1865  to  1867,  the  state  normal 
from  1870  to  1873,  and  Beloit  College  from  1873  to  1875.  From  1873  to 
1879  he  was  assistant  in  the  Wisconsin  geological  survey ;  was  professor 
of  natural  science  at  the  Wisconsin  state  normal  1878-81 ;  attended  Yale 
in  1881-82;  was  assistant  geologist  in  the  L'.  S.  geological  survey  from 
1881  to  1884;  came  to  Kansas  in  1883  and  located  at  Eureka;  was  super- 
intendent of  the  Kansas  educational  exhibit  at  the  World's  Fair  at  Chi- 
cago; held  the  chair  of  natural  sciences  at  the  North  Dakota  state  nor- 
mal from  1893  to  1895;  was  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  at  Eureka, 
Kan. ;  attended  the  Chicago  University  in  1897,  and  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  Milton  College  in  the  same  year,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  been  professor  of  biology  and  geology  in  the  Kansas  state 
normal  school  at  Emporia.  Dr.  Wooster  is  the  author  of  several  small 
books,  among  which  are  ,  A  Report  of  the  Geology  of  Northwestern  Wis- 
consin, The  Geological  Story  of  Kansas,  Story  of  Life,  Plant  Record, 
Educational  History  of  Kansas,  and  numerous  articles  published  in  the 
reports  of  the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science  of  which  he  was  president 
in  1905. 

Wooten,  Richens  Lacy,  scout  and  frontiersman,  was  born  in  Virginia 
about  1817.  When  he  was  seven  years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  in  1836  he  went  to  Independence,  Mo.,  where  he  became  a 
teamster  for  St.  Vram  and  the  Bents  in  the  Santa  Fe  trade.  In  child- 
hood he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  two  fingers  on  his  left  hand,  and  he 
was  called  "Cut  Hand"  by  the  Arapahoe  Indians,  but  to  the  white  men 
of  the  West  he  was  familiarly  known  as  "Uncle  Dick."  He  was  an  ex- 
pert with  the  rifle  and  was  engaged  in  his  first  Indian  fight  on  the  Paw- 
nee river,  near  the  crossing  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  In  1866  he  received 
authority  from  the  legislature  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  to  construct 
a  road  through  the  Raton  pass.  He  built  the  road,  and  also  built  a  dwell- 
ing in  the  pass,  where  he  died  in  his  90th  year.  It  is  said  that  he  some- 
times collected  toll  at  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  from  travelers  over  his  road. 
The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  company  named  one  of  its 
locomotives  "Uncle  Dick"  in  his  honor. 

Worden,  a  hamlet  located  in  the  south  central  part  of  Douglas  county, 
is  about  7  miles  west  of  Baldwin,  the  nearest  railroad  town,  from  which 
it  has  rural  free  deliver}'.    In  1910  the  population  was  26. 

World's  Fairs. —  (See  Expositions.) 


KANSAS    HISTORY  945 

Worrall,  Henry,  Kansas'  first  artist  and  pioneer  decorator,  was  born 
at  Liverpool,  England,  April  14,  1825.  His  father  was  an  editor,  who 
came  to  America  in  1835  and  settled  in  Canada,  but  Henry  soon  went  to 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  sold  newspapers  on  the  streets.  Later  he  went 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  glass  cutter  and 
studied  music.  He  showed  marked  musical  ability  and  while  in  Cin- 
cinnati composed  a  guitar  piece  entitled,  "Sevastopol,"  which  became 
famous.  The  sale  of  the  piece  made  a  fortune  for  the  publishers,  though 
Worrall  received  only  a  small  price  for  it.  He  came  to  Ivansas  in  1868 
on  account  of  his  health ;  located  at  Topeka  and  interested  himself  in 
the  welfare  of  the  city  and  state ;  devoted  himself  for  some  time  to  the 
cultivation  of  grapes,  and  planted  one  of  the  finest  vineyards  in  Shaw- 
nee county,  on  the  grounds  now  occupied  by  the  insane  asylum.  In  1869 
Mr.  Worrall  became  well  known  by  his  picture  "Droughty  Kansas," 
which,  depicts  the  state's  crops  in  an  exaggerated  manner  and  was  one 
of  the  best  advertisements  Kansas  ever  had,  copies  of  it  being  printed 
and  distributed  all  over  the  countr}'.  He  became  noted  as  a  musician, 
artist,  composer  and  wood  carver ;  was  organist  for  years  in  one  of  the 
churches  at  Topeka;  played  on  more  than  twenty  different  instruments, 
and  invented  several  wind  instruments  made  of  wood  and  straw.  Mr. 
Worrall  made  the  large  wood  carving  of  the  seal  of  Kansas  surrounded 
by  products  of  the  state,  which  was  exhibited  at  the  Centennial  exposi- 
tion at  Philadelphia  in  1876  and  which  was  on  view  at  Mount  Vernon 
until  1910,  when  it  was  returned  to  Kansas  and  placed  in  the  museum 
of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  at  Topeka.  During  the  Centen- 
nial exposition  Mr.  Worrall  was  employed  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  company  to  write  articles  which  would  draw  immigra- 
tion to  Kansas.  He  was  always  active  in  representing  Kansas  at  state 
fairs  and  industrial  expositions.  He  made  crayon  portraits  of  members 
of  the  supreme  court  and  an  oil  portrait  of  Gov.  Osborn,  which  hangs  in 
the  museum  of  the  State  Historical  Society.  He  died  at  his  home  in 
Topeka,  June  20,  1902. 

Wreford,  a  hamlet  in  Geary  county,  is  located  in  Lyon  township  on 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  R.  R.,  5  miles  south  of  Junction  City,  the 
county  seat.  It  has  general  stores  and  a  postoffice.  The  population  in 
1910  was  73. 

Wright,  a  hamlet  in  Ford  county,  is  located  in  Grandview  township 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  7  miles  northeast  of  Dodge 
City,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  general  store,  telegraph  and  express 
offices  and  a  postoffice.    The  population  in  1910  was  60. 

Wyandotte. —  (See  Kansas  City.) 

Wyandotte  County,  located  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the  state, 
was  formed  from  the  southeastern  part  of  Leavenworth  county  by  an 
act  of  the  legislature  of  Jan.  29,  1859,  with  the  following  boundaries: 
"Commencing  at  a  point  in  the  middle  of  the  channel  of  the  Missouri 
river,  where  the  north  line  of  the  Delaware  reserve  intersects  the  same, 
(II-60) 


946  CVCI.OPEDIA    OF 

running  thence  west,  on  said  reserve  line,  to  the  line  between  ranges 
22  and  23 ;  thence  south  on  said  range  line,  to  the  south  boundary  of 
Leavenworth  county  ;  thence  easterly,  on  said  boundary,  to  the  middle 
of  the  main  channel  of  the  Missouri  river;  thence  northwesterly,  with 
said  main  channel,  to  the  place  of  beginning;  also  that  portion  of  [ohn- 
son  county,  lying  north  of  the  township  line  between  townships  11  and 
12,  east  of  range  23." 

Wyandotte  is  the  smallest  county  in  the  state,  having  an  area  of  only 
153  square  miles.  It  is  triangular  in  shajie,  being  bounded  on  the  nortli 
by  Leavenworth  county  and  the  Missouri  river ;  on  the  east  by  the  Mis- 
souri river;  on  the  south  by  Johnson  county,  and  on  the  west  by  Leav- 
enworth county.  It  was  named  in  memory  of  the  Wyandotte  Indians. 
At  the  present  time  the  county  is  divided  into  the  following  townships : 
Delaware,  Prairie,  Quindaro,  Shawnee  and  Wyandotte.  The  general 
siu'face  of  the  country  is  undulating,  marked  by  high  bluffs  along*  the 
Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers.  In  the  early  territorial  days,  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  county  was  heavily  timbered  with  cottonwood,  hickory, 
oak,  walnut  and  other  varieties  of  trees  native  to  Kansas.  The  main 
water  course  is  the  Missouri  river,  and  the  next  stream  of  importance 
is  the  Kansas  river,  which  forms  a  part  of  the  southern  boundary,  and 
then  flowing  northeast  empties  into  the  Missouri  river  at  Kansas  City. 
It  separates  the  two  southeastern  townships  from  the  remainder  of  the 
county.  Springs  are  found  in  all  portions  of  the  county  and  well  water 
can  be  obtained  at  an  average  depth  of  35  feet.  Limestone,  sandstone, 
fire  clay  and  cement  rock  are  found  in  considerable  quantities.  Coal 
has  been  reached  at  a  depth  of  300  feet  and  is  mined  for  commercial 
purposes.  The  soil  is  a  rich  sandy  loam,  especially  well  adapted  to 
fruit  raising.  Agriculturally  the  county  ranks  high ;  winter  wheat,  corn 
and  oats  are  important  crops  and  it  is  the  "banner"  county  in  the  pro- 
duction of  Irish  potatoes.  There  are  over  300,000  fruit  trees  of  bearing 
age,  apple  and  peach  being  the  leading  varieties. 

The  portion  of  Wyandotte  county  lying  south  of  the  Kansas  river, 
with  the  exception  of  a  tract  reserved  by  the  government,  which  it  is 
^supposed  was  intended  for  military  purposes,  once  belonged  to  the 
Shawnee  Indians.     (See  Indians  and  Indian  Treaties.) 

It  is  not  known  positively  in  what  year  the  first  white  men  visited 
this  part  of  Kansas,  but  it  was  early  in  the  i8th  century,  when  the  lower 
part  of  the  Missoiu"i  river,  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  was  ex- 
plored by  the  French.  A  few  years  later  there  were  at  least  100  couriers 
des  bois  living  and  trading  with  the  Indians  along  the  Missouri  river. 
In  1703,  Charles  Le  Sueur  was  sent  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi 
on  a  mining  expedition  and  on  his  return  in  1705,  passed  up  the  Missouri 
as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas.  Lewis  and  Clark  passed  along  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  present  county  in  1804,  on  their  exploring  expe- 
dition for  the  government.  They  discovered  a  number  of  old  Kansas 
villages,  among  them  an  ancient  village  site  a  little  east  of  White 
Church. 


KANSAS    HISTORY  947 

So  far  as  is  known,  the  lirst  white  nicii  who  establislied  themselves 
permanently  in  the  count}',  were  the  Chouteau  brothers,  Indian  traders, 
who  built  their  first  trading  post  in  what  is  now  Wyandotte  county  in 
1812.  Cyprian  Chouteau  subsequently  built  several  other  trading  posts 
north  of  the  Kansas  river,  the  most  important  being  the  famous  "four 
houses.''  The  Methodist  mission  among  the  Delawares  was  founded 
in  1831,  and  the  Baptist  mission  the  following  year.  The  first  church 
in  the  county  was  erected  as  a  mission  in  1832,  in  a  beautiful  grove  lo- 
cated on  the  high  divide  where  the  town  of  \\'hite  Church  now  stands 
near  the  center  of  the  present  county,  about  8  miles  west  of  Kansas 
City.  The  missionaries  in  charge  of  the  churches  and  schools  were  the 
second  whites  to  locate  permanently.  The  Wyandots  were  civilized 
when  they  came  to  Kansas  from  Ohio  in  1843.  The  farms  they  opened, 
the  homes  the}-  built,  the  schools  and  churches  they  established  were 
as  good  as  similar  institutions  among  the  whites  of  the  frontier,  and  in 
many  cases  better.  The  city  of  Wyandotte  (now  forming  a  part  of 
Ivans.as  City,  Ivan.)  was  started  b}'  the  Wyandots  soon  after  they  located 
on  the  reservation  in  1843,  by  the  erection  of  a  company  store  and  a 
cabin  for  the  United  States  agency.  In  fact,  within  two  years  this  set- 
tlement was  a  flourishing  frontier  town.  On  July  i,  1844,  the  first  free 
school  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas  was  opened  at  Wyandotte 
by  J.  W.  Armstrong.  The  first  school  building  was  a  frame  structure 
on  what  is  now  Fourth  street,  sometimes  called  the  council  house,  be- 
cause the  Wyandot  nation  met  there.  In  1843  occurred  a  notable  event 
in  the  marriage  of  Hiram  N.  Northrup  and  Margaret  Clark,  daughter 
of  the  Wyandot  chief.  Fruit  trees  were  planted  on  the  reservation  as 
early  as  the  spring  of  1845,  ^"d  the  members  of  the  tribe  continued  to 
make  improvements  along  all  lines. 

The  conflict -between  the  pro-slavery  and  anti-slavery  people  began 
to  rage  in  the  Wyandot  nation  six  years  before  it  became  the  vital  ques- 
tion in  the  territory.  In  1843  their  Methodist  missionary  preached 
against  emancipation,  and  four  years  later  became  active  in  the  organi- 
zation of  a  "Church  South"  among  them,  a  church  which  was  supported 
by  the  most  pronounced  pro-slavery  men.  The  majority  of  the  nation 
refused  to  join  this  church  when  it  was  organized,  and  when  the  minister 
appointed  from  the  northern  conference  was  stoned  from  the  church  he 
held  services  out  of  doors  until  another  church  was  built.  The  hostility 
between  the  two  branches  of  the  church  continued  to  be  that  of  the  op- 
posing political  parties,  until  it  reached  its  height  in  1848,  and  as  a  re- 
sult drunkenness  and  disorder  increased  among  the  members  of  the 
tribe.  This  led  to  the  formation  of  a  temperance  society,  the  first  in 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas,  and  a  log  jail  was  built  at  W^yandotte, 
where  drunken  Indians  were  confined. 

In  1849,  when  the  gold  rush  to  California  began,  W^yandotte  and  the 
trading  posts  of  the  Chouteaus  became  the  outfitting  posts  for  manv  of 
the  parties  starting  west.  Thousands  passed  through  the  county,  but 
few  settled  there,  being  lured  west  by  the  call  of  gold.  Many  Mormons 
also  passed  through  the  county. 


948  CYCLOPEDIA   OF 

It  was  among  the  Wyandots  that  the  first  agitation  occurred  looking 
toward  a  territorial  organization.     (See  Boundaries.) 

The  political  history  of  Wyandotte  county  begins  with  the  first  elec- 
tion, held  in  June,  1857,  for  a  delegate  to  the  Lecompton  constitutional 
convention.  In  October  of  the  same  year  the  region  came  into  general 
notice  because  of  the  stuffing  of  the  ballot  box  and  other  frauds  during 
the  election  held  at  the  Delaware  crossing,  8  miles  west  of  Wyandotte. 
By  the  act  creating  the  county  in  1859,  Wyandotte  was  named  as  the 
temporary  county  seat.  The  county  was  organized  on  Feb.  25,  when 
the  county  commissioners,  George  Russell,  and  George  Veale  (acting 
in  place  of  Alfred  Gray)  first  met.  They  appointed  Myron  J.  Pratt  sec- 
retary, canvassed  the  votes  cast  at  the  election  of  Feb.  22,  and  issued 
certificates  of  election  to  Jacques  W.  Johnson,  probate  judge;  Samuel 
E.  Forsythe,  sheriff;  Marshall  A.  Garrett,  clerk  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors; Vincent  L.  Lane,  register  of  deeds;  Robert  Robetaille,  treasurer; 
William  L.  McMath,  county  attorney;  Jacob  B.  Welborn,  county  super- 
intendent; C3'rus  L.  Gordon,  surveyor,  and  George  B.  Wood,  coroner. 
Rooms  in  business  buildings  were  rented  for  the  county  offices  until  they 
were  established  in  the  building  known  as  Constitution  Hall.  From 
there  they  were  moved  to  a  building  on  Minnesota  avenue,  but  were 
changed  several  times  before  being  established  in  the  brick  court-house 
completed  in  1882  at  a  cost  of  $35,000. 

Although  a  border  county,  where  both  pro-slavery  and  free-state  men 
strove  for  control,  Wyandotte  never  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  politics, 
yet  it  was  in  this  county  that  one  of  the  most  important  political  events 
in  the  history  of  the  territory  occurred,  when  on  July  5,  1859,  a  consti- 
tutional convention  met  in  the  town  of  Wyandotte  and  framed  the  con- 
stitution under  which  Kansas  was  admitted  to  the  Union. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  meetings  were  held  at  various  points 
in  the  county  and  a  number  of  companies  were  rapidly  recruited.  Among 
them  were  the  Kansas  Mounted  Riflemen  from  Quindaro  and  Wyan- 
dotte, and  the  county  was  represented  in  many  of  the  I<Cansas  regiments. 
During  the  years  of  w^arfare  the  residents  of  the  county  suffered  from 
the  raids  of  organized  bands  of  guerrillas  who  ran  off  cattle  and  horses. 
Jayhawking  on  the  part  of  both  sides  raged  through  the  country  and  un- 
offending citizens  suffered.  The  close  of  the  war  did  not  see  a  cessation 
of  these  conditions  in  Wyandotte  count}'.  Murders  and  lynchings  went 
on  for  some  two  years,  before  the  passions  aroused  by  the  terrible  con- 
flict died  away  and  peace  again  reigned  along  the  border. 

One  of  the  first  things  accomplished  in  Wyandotte  county  after  the 
establishment  of  the  territory  was  the  survey  and  grading  of  good 
roads.  The  first  laid  out  was  that  from  Quindaro  to  Lawrence,  a  val- 
uable highvvay  because  it  connected  two  of  the  most  important  free-state 
settlements.  It  was  in  good  condition  as  early  as  1857.  Ferries  across 
the  Missouri  were  established  at  both  Quindaro  and  Wyandotte  in  that 
vear.  The  first  bridge  in  the  county  was  built  in  1858  about  3  miles  above 


KANSAS    HISTORY  949 

Wyandotte,  the  funds  for  it  being  obtained  by  private  subscription.  In 
1859  a  territorial  highway  was  established  by  the  legislature  from  Wyan- 
dotte to  Elwood  in  Doniphan  county,  running  through  Quindaro,  Leav- 
enworth and  Atchison.  As  early  as  1857,  the  people  of  Quindaro  began 
agitation  for  a  railroad  to  connect  that  town  with  St.  Joseph,  but  the 
first  actual  grading  for  a  railroad  was  done  at  Wyandotte  on  the  Kan- 
sas Valley  line  in  1859.  In  1863  the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad  was  put 
in  operation  through  the  count}^  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas 
river.  In  1866  the  Missouri  Pacific  was  built  through  the  eastern  and 
northeastern  part  of  the  county.  Since  then  other  roads  have  been 
built,  all  of  which  diverge,  fan-like,  from  Kansas  City  to  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

The  earliest  churches  in  Wyandotte  county  were  the.  missions  among 
the  Indians,  established  by  the  Methodists  and  Baptists.  The  pioneer 
Episcopal  parish  of  the  territory— St.  Paul's— was  established  at  Wyan- 
dotte in  1857.  The  following  year  the  Congregational  church  and  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  parish  were  established.  By  1870  several  other  de- 
nominations had  perfected  organizations  and  erected  churches.  The 
state  legislature  located  the  state  school  for  the  blind  in  Wyandotte 
county,  the  first  building  being  erected  in  1867,  in  the  northwest  part 
of  the  city  then  known  as  Wyandotte.  The  medical  department  of  the 
Kansas  University  is  located  at  Rosedale.  The  Kansas  City  University, 
the  Kansas  City  Theological  Seminary  and  eight  Roman  Catholic  in- 
stitutions are  also  located  at  Kansas  City,  and  Western  University,  a 
state  industrial  school  for  negroes,  is  located  at  Quindaro. 

Kansas  City  (q.  v.),  originally  called  Wyandotte,  is  the  seat  of  justice 
of  the  county,  and  also  the  largest  and  most  important  city  in  the  state. 
The  population  of  the  county  in  1910  was  100,068. 

Wyandot  Floats. —  (See  Floats.) 

Wycoff,  a  discontinued  postoffice  in  Lyon  county,  is  a  station  on  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  about  7  miles  from  Emporia,  the  county  seat, 
and  6  miles  from  Plartford,  whence  it  is  supplied  by  mail  by  rural  route. 

Wyoming,  a  hamlet  of  Marshall  county,  is  located  in  the  extreme 
southeastern  part  of  the  county,  24  miles  from  Marysville,  the  county 
seat.  The  population  in  1910  was  27.  It  receives  mail  by  rural  route 
from  Frankfort. 


Xenia,  a  post  village  of  Bourbon  county,  is  situated  in  the  northwest- 
ern portion  on  the  little  Osage  river,  about  20  miles  northwest  of  Fort 
Scott,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postoffice  and  in  1910 
had  a  population  of  115. 


Yale,  a  mining  town  in  Crawford  county,  is  located  in  Washington 
township  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  12  miles  east  of  Girard,  the 
county   seat.      It   has   general   stores,   telephone   connections,    telegraph 


950  CVCI.OPi'.DlA    (JJ'- 

and  ex])ress  offices,  l)narcling  Iiouscs.  and  an  inteinalioiial  money  order 
postoflice.     The  population  in  1910  was  862. 

Yates  Center,  the  county  seat  and  leading  city  of  Woodson  county, 
is  located  near  the  geographical  center  of  the  county.  It  is  the 
railroad  center  of  the  county,  having  three  lines  of  the  Missouri  Pa- 
cific and  one  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  systems  converging 
here.  It  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  third  class,  has  2  banks,  2  news- 
papers, all  lines  of  mercantile  enterprise,  good  schools  and  churches, 
an  opera  house  and  an  auditorium,  electric  lights,  waterworks,  fire  de- 
partment, telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  an  international  money 
order  postofifice  with  five  rural  routes.  The  population  in  1910  accord- 
ing to  the  government  census  was  2,024. 

Yates  Center  was  founded  as  a  place  to  locate  the  count}-  seat,  whicli 
was  at  that  time  (1867)  at  Neosho  Falls  in  one  corner  of  the  county. 
Nothing  was  done  for  several  years  toward  building  up  a  town  although 
the  business  interests  of  Kalida  and  Defiance,  two  nearby  towns  and 
rivals  for  the  county  seat,  had  repeatedly  made  propositions  to  Abner 
Yates,  the  non-resident  owner,  to  found  a  town  at  that  point.  It  was 
not  until  the  county  seat  matter  was  settled  and  Yates  Center  was  vic- 
torious in  1876,  that  any  growth  was  attained.  Then  the  people  of 
Defiance  and  of  Kalida  moved  their  towns  bodily  to  the  "center"  and 
the  town  was  established.  It  was  not  made  independent  of  the  town- 
ship until   1004. 

Yeager  Raid. —  (See  Guerrillas.) 

Yocemento,  a  country  postoffice  in  Ellis  county,  is  located  on  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  6  miles  west  of  Hays,  the  county  seat.  It  has  an 
express  office  and  some  local  retail  trade,  and  does  some  shipping.  The 
population  in  1910  was  75. 

Yoder,  a  hamlet  in  Reno  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.,  8  miles  from  Hutchinson,  the  county  seat.  It  has  an  express 
office  and  an  international  mone}-  order  postoffice.  The  population  in 
1910  was  35. 

Yorktown,  a  country  hamlet  in  Lincoln  county,  is  located  16  miles 
northwest  of  Lincoln,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  general  store,  and  re- 
ceives mail  from  Hunter.  Vesper,  12  miles  south,  is  the  nearest  shipping 
point.     The  population  in  1910  was  60. 

Young,  I.  D.,  lawyer  and  Congressman,  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Pleasant\'ille,  Marion  county,  Iowa.  At  the  age  of  six  years  he  went 
with  his  parents  to  Adams  county  in  the  same  state,  where  he  attended 
the  common  and  high  schools  until  the  age  of  fifteen,  wdien  he  began 
teaching.  He  remained  in  that  profession  for  ten  years,  married  in 
Iowa,  and  in  1874  removed  with  his  wife  to  Mitchell  county,  Kan., 
where  lie  entered  a  homestead  and  farmed  for  about  twelve  years,  dur- 
ing whicli  time  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1888  he 
removed  to  Beloit  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in   1876,  and  reelected  two 


KANSAS    HISTORY  951 

years  later.  He  has  been  elected  twice  to  the  state  senate  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  the  last  time  in  1904.  In  1910  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress as  representative  of  the  Sixth  district,  defeating  Frank  S.  Rocke- 
feller,-the  Democratic  candidate,  by  a  vote  of  21,220  to  18,985. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association. — The  originator  of  this  organiza- 
tion was  George  Williams,  who  went  to  London  from  Dulverton,  Eng- 
land, in  1841  and  became  a  clerk  in  a  drygoods  house  employing  about  80 
young  men.  Williams  was  of  a  religious  turn  of  mind  and  conceived  the 
idea  of  forming  a  society  among  clerks.  It  was  organized  on  June  6, 
1844,  and  Christopher  Smith  suggested  the  name  of  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  the  object  of  which  should  be  "to  promote  the  spiritual 
and  mental  improvement  of  young  men  engaged  in  the  drapery  trade.'' 
The  first  missionary  was  employed  in  Jan.,  1845.  The  association  was 
introduced  in  America  in  the  fall  of  185 1  at  ^Montreal,  New  'S'ork  and 
Boston  about  the  same  time. 

The  first  Y.  M.  C.  A.  organization  in  Kansas  was  formed  at  Topeka  on 
Dec.  31,  1879,  in  the  English  Lutheran  church  and  was  the  result  of  the 
eftorts  of  five  young  men,  Charles  F.  Loweth,  E.  M.  Sheldon,  W.  W. 
Bollard,  Theodore  S.  Mason  and  George  T.  Coxhead.  In  1881  the  To- 
peka association  sent  a  delegate  to  the  Missouri  convention  at  Kansas 
City.  In  the  early  part  of  1882  enough  interest  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  was 
created  in  Topeka  to  hire  a  general  secretary  and  the  first  one  was  W. 
N.  Fisher.  In  the  course  of  the  year  associations  were  formed  at  Law- 
rence, Leavenworth,  Emporia,  Manhattan  and  one  or  two  other  places. 
The  first  Kansas  convention  was  held  in  Nov.,  1882,  with  an  attendance 
of  52.  F.  H.  Clark  was  made  the  first  president,  a  state  committee  of  16 
was  appointed,  of  which  R.  B.  Gemmell  was  chairman  ;  James  F.  Grififin, 
treasurer,  and  W.  N.  Fisher,  secretary.  The  sum  of  $516.60  was  sub- 
scribed for  state  work. 

The  greatest  question  before  this  convention  was  whether  or  not  to 
admit  women.  It  was  decided  to  exclude  them  as  delegates.  This  ques- 
tion came  up  more  acutely  at  the  3d  annual  convention  at  Leavenworth 
in  1884.  Some  of  the  associations  had  departed  from  "the  fundamental 
principles  of  the  organization"  by  admitting  women,  and  resolutions 
were  passed  barring  such  associations  from  representation  in  future  con- 
ventions. There  were  then  18  local  associations,  4  of  these  being  student 
organizations. 

At  the  4th  annual  convention  at  Emporia  in  1885,  the  Railroad  Y.  M. 
C.  A.,  which  had  been  started  in  1880,  was  organized  into  a  department 
of  the  state  association  with  a  special  secretary.  The  object  of  the  rail- 
road branch  of  the  organization  was  to  "provide  a  home  for  employees 
who  were  without  home  privileges,"'  and  giving  them  a  wholesome  home 
environment,  baths,  libraries,  etc.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  company  appropriated  $1,200  per  annum  for  this  work  and  gave 
the  use  of  a  two-story  brick  building. 

The   next  two  conventions   were  held  at  Ottawa  and  Wichita,  both 


952  CYCLOPEDIA    OF 

showing;  an  increase  in  the  number  of  associations  and  in  the  membership 
of  all  the  old  ones.  In  1888  there  was  great  activity  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
movement.  A  large  number  of  new  associations  were  formed,  7  new 
assistant  state  secretaries  were  added,  making  14  in  all.  The  convention 
that  3'ear  was  attended  by  603  delegates,  and  $14,408  was  raised  for 
state  work.  The  convention  of  1889  was  held  at  Topeka  and  was 
attended  by  912  delegates.  The  international  committee,  which  had  for- 
merly withdrawn  because  it  believed  the  fundamental  principals  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  were  being  violated  in  Kansas,  there 
being  women's  auxiliaries  connected  with  some  of  the  associations,  was 
again  represented. 

In  the  convention  of  1890,  held  at  Leavenworth,  it  was  mentioned  that 
Kansas  was  the  first  state  to  establish  a  summer  school ;  to  employ  trav- 
eling secretaries  for  Bible,  evangelistic  and  college  work;  and  to  make 
contributions  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  in  other  states.  For  a  few  years 
there  was  a  lull  in  the  activit)'  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  in  the  state,  and  on 
account  of  a  confhction  of  opinions  the  chairman  of  the  state  committee, 
the  secretary  and  all  his  assistants  resigned  in  Dec,  1891.  The  state 
committee  was  then  reorganized  by  electing  J.  B.  Larimer  chairman 
and  W.  R.  Johnson  temporary  state  secretary. 

In  the  year  1894  it  was  found  that  there  were  but  33  organizations  in 
Kansas  as  against  69  in  1889.  Topeka  had  at  that  time  the  best  rented 
quarters  in  the  West.  A  conference  of  college  men  was  held  that  year 
in  Topeka.  In  1896  the  interest  had  not  yet  revived,  and  only  $2,557  was 
raised  for  state  work.  In  1898  the  sum  of  $10,000  was  raised  to  erect  a 
railroad  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  in  Argentine.  The  state  association  fur- 
nished a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  tent  for  the  Twentieth  Kansas  when  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  Manila. 

The  year  1902  saw  a  great  revival  in  the  work.  A  building  canvass  was 
inaugurated  at  Fort  Scott.  For  the  same  purpose  Winfield  raised  $8,000; 
Hoisington,  $12,500;  Parsons,  $10,000,  and  Topeka,  $30,000  for  a  railroad 
building.  For  the  first  time  in  12  years  a  secretary  for  student  work 
was  employed,  and  the  number  of  associations  had  grown  to  42.  The 
railroad  branch  held  an  international  convention  in  Topeka  in  1903, 
which  was  addressed  by  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  at  which  the  corner- 
stone of  the  new  building  was  laid.  In  1904  there  were  50  associations 
with  a  total  membership  of  8,252,  and  the  sum  of  $68,000  was  spent  in 
buildings  that  year.  At  the  convention  of  1905,  held  at  Salina,  it  was  an- 
nounced that  a  railroad  building  had  been  erected  at  Horace,  and  that  an 
army  Y.  M.  C.  A.  organization  had  been  efifected.  A  new  $40,000  build- 
ing was  dedicated  at  Lawrence  in  December  of  that  year.  In  1906  the 
fund  for  the  building  at  Topeka  had  reached  $64,000,  Miss  Helen  Gould 
donated  $40,000  toward  a  building  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  the  prop- 
ert}'  of  the  association  was  increased  by  new  buildings  to  the  extent  of 
$100,000.  The  year  closed  with  64  associations  in  the  state,  having  a 
total  membership  of  12,416,  an  annual  running  expense  of  $90,000  and 
property  worth  $500,000.     At  the  close  of  1910  there  were  76  local  asso- 


KANSAS    HISTORY 


953 


ciations  in  the  state.  22  of  which  owned  buildings,  the  total  value  being 
$850000,  and  a  number  of  new  buildings  were  in  the  process  of  con- 
struction The  activities  of  the  association  is  divided  into  department, 
as  follows:    College,  high  school,  railroad,  city,  county  and  foreign. 

Voune  Women's  Christian  Association,  an  undenominational  organiza- 
tion to  promote  the  religious,  intellectual,  moral  and  social  development 
of   voung   women,   had   its    beginning   shortly   after  the   colleges    were 
opened  to  women,  and  at  first  was  almost  entirely  a  college  institution. 
By  1886  the  movement  had  spread  to  17  different  states  and  there  were 
88  local  organizations,  7  of  which  were  in  Kansas,  one  m  each  of  the 
following  towns:    Topeka,  Highland,  Newton,  Ottawa,  Fort  Scott    and 
two  in  Lawrence.     On  Nov.  5,  1886,  they  all  sent  delegates  to  Ottawa, 
where  a  state  association  was  formed.     The  first  state  ^^'-^^  |°"  J^^J 
held  the  next  month  at  the  same  place.    The  government  of. the  state 
association  was  vested  in  an  executive  committee  made  up  of  one  mem- 
ber from  each  local  organization,  and  the  first  committee  was  composed 
of  Lvda  Locke,  A.  May  Churchill,  Mabel  A.  King,  Anna  S.  Campbell, 
Eunice  \   Lyman  and  Mabel  Crawford.    The  committee  elected  its  own 
chairman,  who  chose  a  secretary  from  her  own  local  association. 

The  second  annual  convention  was  held  at  Lawrence  m  1887.  Hve 
new  locals  had  been  added,  Lecompton.  Baldwin,  Garden  City,  Man- 
hattan and  Marion.  It  was  voted  that  the  executive  committee  should 
be  composed  of  not  more  than  17  members  and  not  less  than  9,  five  of 
whom  should  reside  at  the  state  headquarters.  Topeka  was  chosen  as 
tie  permanent  state  headquarters.  The  convention  of  1888  was  addressed 
by  Rev  Anna  Shaw,  who  was  doing  suffrage  work  m  Kansas  at  the  time. 
The  following  locals  had  been  added  to  the  state  association;  Belleville 
Winfield.  Oswego,  Concordia,  Wesleyan  University  at  Salina,  Wmfield 
College,  Great  Bend,  Agricultural  College,  McPherson,  Garnett  and  Co- 

'"  Kansas  was  the  first  state  where  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  hired  a  regular  secre- 
tary and  kept  her  working  in  the  interests  of  the  organization  all  the  yean 
In  1889  there  were  26  local  associations,  with  a  membership  of  887-  -L" 
1890  the  work  was  divided  into  city,  college,  neighborhood,  junior,  for- 
eign missions  and  home  missions  departments.  There  were  in  that  year, 
I  c  city  and  15  college  locals.  From  that  time  on  the  number  of  city  or- 
ganizations were  on  the  decrease  and  those  of  the  colleges  increased.  In 
1893  all  the  city  locals  except  Topeka  and  Arkansas  City  had  been  dis- 
banded, while  3  college  associations  had  been  added.  In  ^895  Topeka 
was  the  only  city  organization,  but  many  individual  "^e^bcrs  m  d  fferent 
towns  remained  affiliated  with  the  state  organization.  The  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
work  was  carried  to  the  academies  and  high  schools  and  in  1899  there 
were  28  college,  high  school  and  academy  organizations.  In  1903  "le 
number  had  been  increased  to  35,  besides  Topeka,  which  were  affiliated 
with  the  state  organization,  4  of  which  were  m  Oklahoma. 

In   191 1   there  were  38  student  organizations,  with  a  membership  of 
about  3  500,  and  4  city  organizations— at  Topeka,  lola,  Kansas  City  and 


954  CYCI.OI'KDIA    OF 

Wichita — with  a  combined  membership  of  1,500.  Topeka  and  Kansas 
Cit}'  own  association  buildings,  the  one  at  Topeka  having  been  com- 
pleted in  191 1  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.  Topeka  was  the  headquarters  of  the 
state  association  until  in  the  early  part  of  1910,  when  it  was  merged  into 
the  territorial  organization  with  Colorado,  Wyoming  and  Utah,  the  head- 
quarters of  which  arc  at  Denver.  The  provisional  state  committee  held 
over  until  Sept.,  191 1,  when  the  territorial  committee  took  its  place.  The 
work  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  has  been  very  much  extended  from  the  original 
field.  It  is  a  young  woman's  club  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  jjroviding 
not  only  religious,  moral  and  social  training,  but  rooms,  meals,  physical 
training,  emploj'ment  bureau,  assistance  in  a  material  way  to  young 
women  out  of  emplo3'ment,  study  classes  in  all  academic  l^ranches,  read- 
ing and  rest  rooms  and  a  home  for  working  girls. 

Youngsville,  a  country  postoffice  in  Greeley  county,  is  located  14  miles 
north  of   Tribune,  the  county  seat  and  nearest  shipping  point. 

Youngtown,  an  inland  hamlet  and  trading  point  in  Marion  ciiunty,  is 
located  7  miles  northeast  of  Marion,  the  county  seat,  from  which  place 
it  receives  mail  by  rural  delivery.  The  population,  according  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1910,  was  51. 

Yuma,  a  hamlet  in  Cloud  county,  is  located  on  the  2\lissouri  i^acific 
R.  R.,  5  miles  west  of  Concordia,  the  county  seat  and  the  postoffice  from 
which  it  receives  mail. 


Zarah,  a  village  in  the  northern  part  of  Johnson  county,  is  located  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  ]\..  and  an  electric  line,  10  miles 
north  of  Olathe,  the  county  seat.  It  has  a  money  order  postofifice,  tele- 
graph and  express  facilities  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  50. 

Zeandale,  a  village  of  Riley  county,  is  located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.  in  Zeandale  township,  8  miles  east  of  Manhattan, 
the  county  seat.  It  is  supplied  with  telegraph  and  express  offices  and 
has  a  money  order  postoffice  with  one  rural  route.  The  population  in 
1910  was  75.  The  name  is  taken  from  the  Greek  and  means  corndale.  It 
was  named  by  J.  H.  Pillsbury,  wdio  settled  the  township  in  1855. 

Zella,  a  country  hamlet  in  Stevens  county,  is  located  in  Harmony  town 
ship,  14  miles  northeast  of  Hugoton,  the  county  seat,  and  7  miles  east  of 
Woodsdale,  the  postoffice  from  which  it  receives  mail. 

Zenda,  one  of  the  villages  of  Kingman  county,  is  located  in  Rochester 
township  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  17  miles  from  King- 
man, the  county  seat.  It  has  a  bank,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  a 
number  of  mercantile  establishments  and  a  money  order  postoffice  with 
one  rural  route.  The  principal  shipments  are  live  stock  and  grain.  The 
population,  according' to  the  census  of  1910,  was  275. 

Zenith,  a  hamlet  in  Stafford  county,  is  located  on  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.,  8  miles  east  of  .St.  John,  the  county  seat.    It  has 


KANSAS    JUSTORY  955 

2  general  stores,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  and  a  money  order  post- 
office  with  one  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  40. 

Zinc. —  (See  Lead  and  Zinc  Mining.) 

Zurich,  a  little  town  in  Rooks  county,  is  located,  in  Logan  township, 
en  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  20  miles  southwest  of  Stockton,  the  county 
scat.  It  has  a  hotel,  a  grain  elevator,  a  telephone  exchange,  owned  by  a 
local  company,  a  number  of  general  stores,  a  telegraph  office  and  a  money 
order  postoffice  with  two  rural  routes.    The  population  in  1910  was  200. 

Zyba,  a  hamlet  in  Sumner  county,  is  a  station  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  12  miles  north  of  Wellington,  the  county  seat, 
and  6  miles  south  of  Peck,  in  Sedgwick  county,  whence  its  mail  is  dis- 
iributed  by  rural  route.    The  population  in  1910  was  27.