History of Atchison County Kansas
by Sheffield Ingalls
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HISTORY
OF
ATCHISON COUNTY
KANSAS
BY
SHEFFIELD INGALLS
_________
ILLISTRATED
_________
STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
1916
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 dark—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 Terri-
tory—Kansas-Nebraska Act—Immigration to Kansas—Territorial
Government—Free State and Pro-Slavery Conflict—First Elec-
tion—Secret Political Organizations—Border War Activities and
Outrages—Contests Over Adoption of Constitution—Kansas Ad-
mitted 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 Drouth of 1860—City Officials....
.................................................
Pages 64-83
CHAPTER VII.
TOWNS, PAST AND PRESENT.
Sumner, Its Rise and Fall—Ocena—Lancaster—Fort William—Ar-
rington—Muscotah—Effingham—Huron — Old Martinsburg—
Bunker Hill—Locust Grove—Helena—Cayuga—Kennekuk—
Kapioma—Mashenah—St. Nicholas—Concord—Parnell—Shan-
non—Elmwood—Cummingsville — Eden Postoffice — Potter—
Mt. Pleasant—Lewis' Point—Parley's Ferry ...........Pages 84-128
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CIVIL WAR.
The Issue Betwe'en Early Settlers—Influx of Free State and Pro-
Slavery Partisans—Early Volunteering—Military Organiza-
tions—Threatened Invasion from Missouri—Political Societies
—Jayhawkers—Cleveland's Gang—Lynchings—Atchison Coun-
ty 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 XL
RAILROADS.
Early Railroad Agitation—The First Railroad—Celebrating the Ad-
vent of the Railroad—Other Roads Constructed—The Santa Fe
—The Atchison & Nebraska City—The Kansas City, Leaven-
worth & 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 Dicker-
son—Luther C. Challiss—Geor-ge W. Glick—W. K. Grimes—
Joshua Wheeler—William Hetherington—William C. Smith—
John M. Price—Samuel C. King—Clem Rohr—R. H. Weight-
man—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—Squat-
ter 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—Pri-
vate, 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, Episco-
pal—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—Atchi-
son City Schools—Private Schools—Mt. St. Scholastica's Acad-
emy—Parochial Schools—Midland College and Western Theo-
logical 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 — Modem
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—Atchi-
son 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 Socie-
ties—Catholic Societies ............................ Pages 328-333
CHAPTER XXIIL
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
CHAPTER XXV.
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.