Chapter I: Preface

In the preparation and compilation of this history, no effort has been made to interpret the logic or spirit of events that surrounded the birth and progress of Atchison county. The work was undertaken with the idea of compiling a narrative plainly told, of the people and the institutions here. I was interested in putting in permanent form chronologically the events that have transpired in the past sixty years, that have made for the political, social, moral and commercial development of the county, but, had I realized in advance the many hours of labor and patient study it required, the work of completing the task in six months would not have been attempted. I am very deeply conscious of the imperfections of the completed work, but had there been more time for research and study, much might have been included that does not appear.

It would be ingratitude if no acknowledgment were made at the outset, of the obligation I am under to George J. Remsburg for the assistance he has rendered me. Without his unfailing courtesy, kindness and help I should never have been able to do the work at all. His ability as a local historian is truly marvelous. He wrote two chapters of the history and contributed most of the matter touching upon the founding of cities and towns. It is to be regretted that the condition of his health prevented him from undertaking the work which I have so imperfectly done.

Acknowledgment is also due George A. Root of the State Historical Society, who has rendered me invaluable assistance, and to the _Atchison Daily Globe_, from whose files I gathered much important data. Nor can I fail to give proper credit to Andreas’ History of Kansas, from which a wealth of information has been secured. D. Anna Speer, county superintendent, collected for me most of the historical matter relative to the schools of the county and Professor Nathan T. Veatch was more than kind in preparing for me a sketch of the Atchison city schools.

And my dear mother, a loyal resident of Atchison since July, 1859, intimately identified with its history and growth for fifty-seven years, has visualized to me as no other could, the story of the early days. Remarkable as a mother, loved and adored by all her children, she is no less remarkable

as a woman, stalwart, rugged and buoyant. She lived her young life with the pioneers of Atchison, and now in the fullness of her years she looks over the past, so full of pleasures, tribulations and sorrows, with gladness and resignation, and faces the future with a determined spirit and a brave heart.

To the ministers of the various churches of Atchison and to Professor Erasmus Haworth and Charles H. Taylor, the county farm agent, and to many other good people of Atchison, I entertain sentiments of the deepest appreciation, and if any of them ever undertakes the work of writing a history, I shall gladly render them any service in my power.

SHEFFIELD INGALLS.

Atchison, Kan., March 6, 1916.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Abell, P. T. 295
Adams, John P. 488
Adams, Mary A. 584
Adams, William 584
Adams, S. W. 520
Atchison County Court House 57
Atchison County High School, Effingham 274

Ballinger and Wife, S. E. 648
Ballinger, Julia H. 600
Ballinger, Thomas E. 600
Barber, Moses 672
Barber, Mary 672
Beard and Family, Frank 704
Blodgett, Thomas L. 624
Boyington, Home of Frank W. and Julia 584
Burbank, E. G. 520
Burrows, C. H. 544
Bush, William H. 464
Buttron, Henry and Family 472

Carnegie Library, Atchison 289
Challis, William L. 307
Cheseborough, Ellsworth 193
Christian Church, Atchison 249
Cirtwill, Jennie 712
Cochrane, Dr. W. W. 307
Commercial Street, Atchison 66
Conlon, Charles J. 488

Deutsch, Julius 520
Dorssom, George 464
Du Bois and Wife, Lewis P. 768

Eagles’ Home, Atchison 330
Effingham Street Scene 111
Elks’ Club House, Atchison 329

Falk, Charles H. 464
First Church of Christ, Scientist 255
Forest Park, Atchison 80
Fox, Jared C. 408

Glick, George W. 351
Graner’s Annual Sale 785
Graner, Gottlieb 784
Graner, H. C. 785
Graner Homestead 784
Graner, Martha 784
Graner, W. H. 785
Griffin, L. 680
Gundy, Charles T. 560

Ham and Wife, Martin W. 608
Hansen, H. C. 520
Hart, C. C. 792
Harvey, Albert B. 440
Harwi, Alfred J. 416
Hazel, Ernest C. 744
Highfill, Thomas 704
Hines, Michael J. 464
Hooper, Daniel E. 616
Hospital, Atchison 57
Hughes, Bela M. 193

Ingalls, John J. 392
Ingalls School, Atchison 279
Ingalls, Sheffield Frontispiece

Jackson, William A. 488
Jackson Park, Entrance 172
Jewell, L. M. 536
Johnson, George H. T. 456

Kaaz, Julius 688
Keirns, Gail Maxine 568
Keith, U. S. 544
Keithline, Andrew 432
King, S. S. 560
Kingman, S. C. 295
Kuhn, Julius 592

Laird, Britamore 736
Laird, Marcus J. 736
Lane, Jim 189

Mangelsdorf Building 312
Martin, Col. J. A. 297
Masonic Temple, Atchison 327
Million, George 200
Morrow, James G. 384
Mt. St. Scholastica’s Academy, Atchison 286
Muscotah School Building 108
Muscotah Street Scene 107

Newcomb, Don C. 424
Newcomb, D. C., Residence of 426

Old High School Building, Atchison 268
Orr, James W. 360
Orr, J. W., Residence of 362
Orphans’ Home, General View 23
Orphans’ Home, Main Building 19
Overland Freighting 16

Perdue, Edward 576
Plummer and Wife, T. O. 696
Pomeroy, S. O. 189
Potter Street Scene 124
Potter School House 126
Post Office, Atchison 35
Presbyterian Church, Atchison 250
Presbyterian Church, Effingham 112

Remsburg, George 504
Remsburg, John E. 504

Sanders, B. F. 568
Scarborough, William 200
Seaton, John 376
Sharp, Harry L. 512
Sharpless, U. B. 560
Simmons, O. A. 800
Speer, D. Anna 776
Stringfellow, Gen. B. F. 297
St. Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison 263
St. Benedict’s College, Atchison 291
Storch, George 448
Sutter and Wife, Fred 752
Sutter, Fred, Residence of 753
Sutter Homestead 840

Thompson and Wife, George W. 664
Thompson, Matilda 720
Trimble, Roy C. 488

Voelker, C. M. 560

Waggener, Balie P. 368
Walker, Claudius D. 400
Wards of the State 29
Wilson, Charles 544
Wilson, Mary K. 544
Wolf, Rt. Rev. Innocent 264

Y. M. C. A. Building, Atchison 57

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

GEOLOGY.

Fossils—Evidences of Early Animal and Plant Life—
Geological Ages—Rock Formation—Glacier Period—Minerals Pages 17–20

CHAPTER II.

PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD.

Evidences of Paleolithic Man—An Ancient Fortification—
Aboriginal Village and Camp Sites—The Ingalls and Other
Mounds Pages 21–24

CHAPTER III.

INDIAN HISTORY.

Harahey, an Indian Province of Coronado’s Time—The Kansa
Nation—Bourgmont’s Visit in 1724—Council on Cow Island
in 1819—The Kickapoo Indians Pages 25–30

CHAPTER IV.

EARLY EXPLORATIONS.

Coronado in 1541—The Bourgmont Expedition in 1724—Perin
Du Lac—Lewis and Clark—First Fourth of July
Celebration—Major Stephen H. Long—Cantonment Martin—
Isle au Vache—Other Explorers—Paschal Pensoneau—The Old
Military Road—The Mormons Pages 31–36

CHAPTER V.

TERRITORIAL TIMES.

Territory Acquired From France in 1803—Organization of
the Territory—Kansas-Nebraska Act—Immigration to
Kansas—Territorial Government—Free State and Pro-
Slavery Conflict—First Election—Secret Political
Organizations—Border War Activities and Outrages—
Contests Over Adoption of Constitution—Kansas Admitted
to the Union Pages 37–63

CHAPTER VI.

ORGANIZATION OF COUNTY AND CITY OF ATCHISON.

One of the Thirty-three Original Counties—City of
Atchison Located—Town Company—Sale of Lots—
Incorporation of Town—Early Business Enterprises—
Organization of County—Commercial Growth—Freighting—
First Officers—Free State and Pro-Slavery Clashes—
Horace Greeley Visits Atchison—Abraham Lincoln Makes a
Speech Here—Great Drought of 1860—City Officials Pages 64–83

CHAPTER VII.

TOWNS, PAST AND PRESENT.

Sumner, Its Rise and Fall—Ocena—Lancaster—Fort William—
Arrington—Muscotah—Effingham—Huron—Old Martinsburg—
Bunker Hill—Locust Grove—Helena—Cayuga—Kennekuk—
Kapioma—Mashenah—St. Nicholas—Concord—Parnell—Shannon—
Elmwood—Cummingsville—Eden Postoffice—Potter—Mt.
Pleasant—Lewis’ Point—Farley’s Ferry Pages 84–128

CHAPTER VIII.

THE CIVIL WAR.

The Issue Between Early Settlers—Influx of Free State and
Pro-Slavery Partisans—Early Volunteering—Military
Organizations—Threatened Invasion from Missouri—
Political Societies—Jayhawkers—Cleveland’s Gang—
Lynchings—Atchison County Troops in the War—Price’s
Attempted Invasion Pages 129–150

CHAPTER IX.

NAVIGATION.

Pioneer Transportation—Early Ferries and Rates—Famous
River Boats—Steamboat Lines to Atchison—Steamboat
Registers Pages 151–157

CHAPTER X.

OVERLAND FREIGHTING.

Atchison as an Outfitting Point—Freighting Companies—
Principal Routes—Stage Lines—Overland Mail Routes—Ben
Holladay—“Butterfield’s Overland Dispatch”—Time to
Denver—Tables of Time and Distances on Various Routes—
Statistical Pages 158–173

CHAPTER XI.

RAILROADS.

Early Railroad Agitation—The First Railroad—Celebrating
the Advent of the Railroad—Other Roads Constructed—The
Santa Fe—The Atchison & Nebraska City—The Kansas City,
Leavenworth & Atchison—The Rock Island—The Hannibal &
St. Joseph—The First Telegraph—Modern Transportation Pages 174–185

CHAPTER XII.

REMINISCENCES OF EARLY PIONEERS.

D. R. Atchison—Matt Gerber—J. H. Talbott—William Osborne—
John W. Cain—W. L. Challiss—George Scarborough—Samuel
Hollister—John Taylor—John M. Cromwell—Luther
Dickerson—Luther C. Challiss—George W. Glick—W. K.
Grimes—Joshua Wheeler—William Hetherington—William C.
Smith—John M. Price—Samuel C. King—Clem Rohr—R. H.
Weightman—Case of Major Weightman Pages 186–212

CHAPTER XIII.

AGRICULTURE AND ITS DEVELOPMENT.

An Agricultural Community—Scientific Farming—Farmers, the
Aristocracy of the West—Modern Improvement—Topography—
Soil—Statistics Pages 213–216

CHAPTER XIV.

THE PRESS.

Influence of Newspapers—Part Played by the Early Press—
_Squatter Sovereign_—_Freedom’s Champion_—_Champion_
and _Press_—Pioneer Editors—Later Newspapers and
Newspaper Men Pages 217–233

CHAPTER XV.

BANKS AND BANKING.

Early Day Banking—Pioneer Financiers—The Oldest Bank—
Private, State and National Banks—Atchison County
Bankers and the Development of Banking Institutions Pages 234–244

CHAPTER XVI.

CHURCHES.

Methodist—Christian—Presbyterian—Baptist—Salem Church—
German Evangelical Zion Church—First Church of Christ.
Scientist—St. Patrick’s, Mt. Pleasant—Trinity Church,
Episcopal—St. Mark’s, English Lutheran—St. Benedict’s
Abby—First German Evangelican Lutheran Church Pages 245–265

CHAPTER XVII.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

Establishment of the Public School System—Pioneer Schools
and Early Teachers—Districts—Statistics—Atchison County
High School—County Superintendents of Public
Instruction—Atchison City Schools—Private Schools—Mt.
St. Scholastica’s Academy—Parochial Schools—Midland
College and Western Theological Seminary—St. Benedict’s
College Pages 266–292

CHAPTER XVIII.

BENCH AND BAR.

Early Mecca of Legal Talent—Organization of Judicial
District—Early Judges—Prominent Pioneer Lawyers—Members
of the Atchison County Bar Pages 293–301

CHAPTER XIX.

MEDICAL PROFESSION.

First Physicians—Early Practice—Pioneer Remedies—Modern
Medicine and Surgery—Prominent Physicians and Surgeons—
Atchison County Medical Society Pages 302–310

CHAPTER XX.

INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL.

Much Wealth and Enterprise Abound—Manufacturing—Milling—
Extensive Wholesale Hardware and Grocery
Establishments—Planing Mills—Various Jobbing and Retail
Interests Pages 311–317

CHAPTER XXI.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS.

Atchison Postoffice—Court House—County Hospital—Young
Men’s Christian Association—State Orphans’ Home—
Atchison Public Library—Atchison Hospital—Masonic
Temple Pages 318–327

CHAPTER XXII.

SOCIETIES AND LODGES.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks—Fraternal Order
of Eagles—Atchison County Protective Association—Secret
Societies—Catholic Societies Pages 328–333

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE.

Early-day Conditions—Their Advancement—Prior Dickey—Henry
C. Buchanan—Eugene L. Bell—Charles Ingram—Charles J.
Ferguson—Henry Dickey—Dr. Frank Adrian Pearl, M. D.—Dr.
W. W. Caldwell, M. D. Pages 334–344

CHAPTER XXIV.

OFFICIALS.

County, Township and School Officers Pages 345–350