USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 19
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Galena has many fine business buildings, which are an exponent of the thrift and public spiritedness of some of the people. Among these it is proper to mention those who have taken the lead in matters of the kind and have always worked for the interest of the city, as well as for themselves. J. Shoman. C. C. Moore, William F. Sapp, B. S. Moore, J. C. Murdock, Edward E. Sapp, J. C. Moore and Williams & Robeson are justly entitled to credit for the untiring energy with which they have worked for the upbuilding of the city; but this list does not include all that have helped to push things along.
EMPIRE CITY.
Empire City is situate in the southeastern part of Cherokee County, six miles north of the Indian Territory and Kansas line, and one and a half miles west of the Missouri and Kansas line. It is in the midst of a very hilly, stony district, on the north side of Short Creek. The selection of such a site for the building of a town or city could never be accounted for only for the reason that beneath the surface of the rough and almost impenetrable hills there lay the rich- est deposits of lead and zinc. There is so little soil on the surface of the ground that the peo- ple, except in a few places, do not attempt the growing of any kind of vegetation. In its native condition, before any "instrument of torture" was applied to disturb its restful re- pose, it was shabbily mantled with an adven-
turous grass. except where frequent stony points persisted in remaining bare: and here and there were the hardy black-jack and post- oak, whose perseverance in the struggle even for an unpretentious life was worthy of better things. The tenure of such a region could scarcely be sought by one of human kind other than one in search for an ideal spot where he might live apart from the rest of the race. Here were the cool spring, the rippling brook. the high, rugged hills and the narrow, shut-in valleys, all making the fittest environment for a hermit's home. But it was not thus to re- main. The restless, wandering forerunners of civilization were on their way; and near by there was already a dim, tortuous path that told of an occasional traveler who passed through the quiet stillness of the place, in search for better things beyond. An awakening was soon to come.
The land on which the original plat of Em- pire City was laid out was a part of the farm of a man by the name of Nichols, who owned 120 acres. The whole tract was bought by the West Joplin Zinc Company, for the sum of $7,000. This price, which was fabulous in those days, was indicative of the high value placed upon it on account of the riches which lay beneath the surface of the ungainly land- scape, for a discovery had been made and ex- citement was running high. There was a fever- ish desire to come into the ownership of land in that particular place.
Since beginning the writing of this volume, I have received a letter from Charles E. Top- ping, of Empire City, setting out an interesting account of the discovery of lead and zinc in the bed of Short Creek, just south of the site on which the town was afterwards built. The letter bears so much upon the early, interesting events which took place there, following the discovery, that I give it in full :
TH
er
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Residence of George F. Braun
Residence of Mrs. W. E. Stice
Residence of J. C. Moore
Residence of Val. Richards
Residence of Riley F. Robertson
SOME GALENA RESIDENCES
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EMPIRE CITY, Kansas, June 26, 1904. Mr. N. T. Allison:
Seeing your request, in the Modern Light, for citizens to aid you in making a history of Cherokee County, and having been a settler here in the first years of the discovery of lead, I thought perhaps I might aid you some.
1 came here in June, 1877. The discovery of lead was made in April, of that year. As I was after- wards a partner with John McAllen, one of the men who discovered the lead, I had it from his own lips just how the discovery was made.
There was a dim, old road which used to run down what is now Cooper hollow, and it went on west past where the Frisco depot now stands, in Galena; and from that point it went in a north- westerly direction to the Ryan ford on Spring River, where the Ryan bridge now stands. The part of this road running west from where the Frisco depot now stands, to a junction with what was afterwards called Columbus street in Empire City, later became known, in the exciting times of the two cities, as "Redhot street:" and it was red- hot, sure enough. Columbus street, in Empire City, was the northern continuation of it. It was in April, 1877, that John Shoe and John McAllen were traveling westward on that road, on their way out of Joplin, whence they had been driven as vagrants. They were on their way to the home of John Shoe's mother, who lived on Spring River, near the Ryan ford. Where this road crossed Short Creek, just below where the "Katy" railroad bridge now stands, there was a deep hole washed out in the creek. caused by the creek's butting up against a square bluff, and then turning to the west. Shoe and Me- Allen arrived at this point in their journey. tired and dusty, from their eight-mile walk from Joplin; and they stopped and went in bathing. They were exxpert divers, as well as swimmers. They bantered each other as to which could bring up the heaviest stone from the bottom of the stream. Finally, one of them brought up a "rock" which seemed unusu- ally heavy; and when they examined it they found it to be a chunk of lead. This set them to thinking, and they concluded that Short Creek once ran in a straight line across the promontory above this point of rocks, and that this lead had been brought by the water from somewhere to the eastward. They went to the house of one of the Nichols brothers, who then owned the land and lived in a log cabin near where the "Katy" depot now stands, and told them they thought they could find lead on his land, and that if he would furnish them a pick and shovel to dig with they would sink a shaft and give him half they could get out of it. To this, Mr. Nichols
agreed, and he also agreed to board them while sinking it. They went to work and sank a shaft about the middle of the promontory, and this shaft was afterwards known as the "Discovery Shaft." It was but a short time before they had lead ore in abundance.
The news of the discovery soon reached Joplin, and many men came over to look at it. Money was offered the discoverers, and they sold out. How much they got 1 do not know; but McAllen had only about $75 of his part left when I last saw him. A company was formed, called "The West Joplin Min- ing Company." The company bought out both the Nichols brothers, the owners of the land, and laid it out in mining lots; and they laid off the town of Empire, on the north of it. Galena was laid off, south of the Nichols land.
For nearly a year after this lead discovery, all the lead that was found was found on the company's land; and this company got "foxy," and thoughit they had "the whole cheese." A part of Redhot street was in Empire and a part in Galena. On the east end of the street, or the part which lay in Galena, a number of men located and did a good business in buying "serap" or "neutral" lead. They paid more than the company did; and some of the men working for the company would forget to turn in their output until after dark. Then their mineral boxes would be broken open and robbed. It was to stop this, that the idea occurred to the company to build a stockade fence between the two towns. This was built of timber about the size of fence posts, set in a deep ditch, and it was made high enough and strong enough to turn anything, from a man to a mule; and it was long enough almost to shut out Galena from the outside world, on the north and west sides. Nearly everybody in both towns, except the West Joplin Mining Company, was opposed to the building of this stockade. Early one morning in the fall of 1877 there was a great moise in the direction of Redhot street: and when the people looked that way they saw a big fire. The stockade had been chopped down, saturated with coal oil and was being burned; and there was plenty of another liquid, which was being carried in buckets and delivered to the men who were engaged in the work. The mining company had guards to protect the stockade; but they were conspicuous by their absence, about that time. Only one man was hurt; he was one of the workmen who persisted in setting in more posts. He got a shot in the leg. The mob was fired with whisky; and there probably would have been more burning that night. had not cooler heads advised them to desist. The stockade was rebuilt, or an attempt was made to rebuild it.
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An injunction was sued out in the court, and the stockade was declared unlawful. Although the mass of the citizens of Empire was opposed to the stock- ade, and many of the miners in that town assisted in tearing it down, many people in Galena, to this day, have a prejudice against Empire on account of the trouble which arose over it.
CHAS. E. TOPPING.
Empire City was incorporated, as a city of the third class, in the summer of 1877, and S. L. Cheney was elected its first mayor. He served three years, when he was succeeded in office by G. W. Davis. Afterwards N. W. Barren was elected mayor, and he was suc- ceeded by C. L. McClung. Dr. Fletcher Mc- Ginnis, Hugh Mckay and J. P. Walters have been mayors of the city; but I have no infor- mation as to the order of their service.
J. H. Hadley was commissioned the first postmaster of Empire City. The office has been held by J. Shannon, C. L. McClung, then Hugh Mckay held it for a long time. Since his term Mrs. Maude Cole and L. M. Dillman have held it in the order of their names, and it is now held by J. P. Walters.
There are two churches in Empire City,- the Baptist Church, of which Elder S. Johnson is the pastor ; and the Catholic Church, of which Father Austin Hull is the priest and pastor.
The city has one school building, a superin- tendent and five teachers. Mr. Shank has been elected superintendent for the school year 1904-5.
The city has a fire department and company, and it owns a fine water works system, having a well 1,000 feet deep. The water from this well is said to be the finest water in the State of Kansas. It is very clear, and an analysis shows it to be almost absolutely pure. The water system is owned by the city, and an ex- cellent service is rendered the people.
In former times, when the mining interests had set Empire City well along, and had made it the most important town of the county, high
hopes were held that it would always maintain first rank. The population increased wonder- fully. Some say that it once had as many as 5,000 people, and that among its citizens were some of the wealthiest men of the county. Re- verses have come, as they will to towns and cities, as well as to men. There is a kind of destiny which shapes the affairs of communi- ties and of states; something which operates irrespective of the people, however strong their united efforts may be to turn this course to suit themselves. Empire City is not what it for- merly was. Much of its strength is gone; and its streets, once the scenes of a highly profitable. business activity, are now much deserted and almost oppressively quiet. But it is believed, by those who are well qualified to judge of such matters, that the town will regain much, and maybe all, of its former glory. The lead and zinc, from which it derived its strength, have not been mined out of one-tenth of the available ground in the immedi- ate neighborhood. Only a beginning has been made. The time is not far hence when deep mining will be undertaken there and found as profitable as it has been shown to be at other places. Hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of ores have been taken from the earth there; but a vastly greater quantity lies there yet undisturbed, only awaiting renewed activity. after surface mining in other parts has run its course.
Some of the older or first settlers deserve to be mentioned here. Among them Hugh Mc- Kay ought to have a prominent place. He was born in Scotland in 1830, and came to the United States when he was 17 years old. He settled in Empire City in 1877. He was post- master, police judge and justice of the peace. He still lives in the town ; but at the writing of this chapter he is in Old Mexico, on business relating to mining interests which he owns there. S. L. Cheney was one of the first set-
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tlers in Empire City, after the discovery of lead and zinc, and he was prominent in the af- fairs of the place. He was the first mayor of the town, and was for many years a leading citizen. He now lives on a large stock farm which he owns, in Lyon township; but he is still largely interested in mining operations in the eastern part of the county. William Cave was another prominent citizen of the town, set- tling there about the year 1880. N. B. Cah- telle, a native of Canada, came to Empire City in 1879, and he has been prominent in the af- fairs of the place ever since. Others are: Wil-
liam A. Collins, Dr. George W. Davis, Harri- son McMillen, William Smith. E. Goede, Car- lisle Faulkner, J. L. Heasely, Samuel Finkel- stein, Carl L. Hinkel, R. W. Vaughan, James Murphy, C. L. McClung. J. H. Hadley and N. W. Barren.
Some of the prominent men of Empire City who have more recently been identified with its interests, and have built good, comfortable homes there, are: Thomas Kennedy, James Murphy, Angus McKay, Neill Murphy, Hugh Mckay, Jesse Boone, J. H. Ellis, Edward Lane. John T. White and Ralph Standley.
CHAPTER XV.
THE HISTORY OF MINERAL CITY, WEIR CITY, SCAMMON AND LIST OF THE TOWNS OF THE COUNTY
MINERAL CITY.
The land on which Mineral City now stands was formerly owned by Leslie Patterson. He filed a claim on the southeast quarter of sec- tion 6. township 32 range 23, in 1866, being among the very first settlers of Cherokee County. His brother, Johnson Patterson, laid claim to the quarter section just south of the one above described. The brothers came to Kansas at the same time, from Mercer County, Illinois. There were times when they were much discouraged. Droughts, hot winds, floods, grasshoppers and chinch-bugs, with only an occasional good crop. were enough to drive out people of less courage. Even after living on his land nearly 30 years, and after having been led to believe that there was a good stratum of fine coal un- derlying it. Johnson Patterson sold his land for a mere trifle, when compared with the natural riches which his title covered. He sold his quarter section to The Southwestern Develop- ment Company, for $4,000. The royalty on the coal underlying it, at seven cents a ton, would amount to $300 an acre, or $48,000 for the quarter section.
The beginning of the movement for the de- velopment of the coal land in the district now known as the Mineral City district, and which led. as a result, to the building of a town or
city, began about 10 years ago, when a branch of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway was built from Parsons. Kansas, to a point near the northeast corner of Johnson Patterson's farm. The road was built through and under the man- agement of The Southwestern Development Company. the purpose being to secure shipping facilities for the coal which the company de- signed taking out. The company had bought 2,200 acres of coal land, and operations for the taking out of the coal began as soon as the road was finished. It was evident that something was going to be done, and that on a large scale. Workmen were employed in building houses for the miners on the company's land, trades- people established places of business and there was a tacit understanding that a town would be built.
The plat of the original town-site of Min- eral City was filed April 16, 1895. The site contained 126 lots 25 feet by 140 feet, and 42 lots 50 feet by 140 feet, and it was laid off in the southeast corner of Leslie Patterson's farm. Another plat, additional to the original and containing 66 lots, has been laid off since then. just west of the original plat. The growth of the place was at first slow, and there seemed an uncertainty as to whether there would ever be much of a town. The company which built the railroad, having no purpose other than the min- ing of coal, was not solicitous as to the building
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up of a trading place. The company had then, and yet has, a store of its own. from which the miners may get their supplies, of all kinds. It was not particularly to the interest of the com- pany to have a town of any size spring up : but the tendency could not not be suppressed. At first there was a rivalry for first place, and there was a lively contention over the post office. The company's houses were grouped on a tract of land one mile east of the surveyed and platted town of Mineral City, and the com- pany, after the contention had gone on for some time, secured the establishment of the post office at the east settlement, and the Post Office Department gave it the name of "Mineral." Afterward an office was allowed at the west settlement, and the name "West Mineral" was given it. The company has never platted any of its land into lots for sale. Those who make up the inhabitants of the east settlement live on the company's land. This condition has made it favorable for the building up of the west set- tlement, as the people there may buy lots and build permanent homes and enjoy their owner- ship. Nearly every lot in the original plat is occupied. either by homes or by business houses. Besides this there are many houses in the first addition and a number in a second ad- dition, which has been lately surveyed. The second addition is just north of the original plat. It will be occupied exclusively by resi- dences, some of the best in the town being in course of construction at this time. There is a confidence in the minds of the people, that Mineral will become more than an ordinary trading center for the immediate country about it. The business which the extensive opera- tions now going on have already brought about, with the belief that these operations will be vastly enlarged, as the demand for fuel in- creases, inspires the hope that the place will be- come a city of the second class. It was organ- ized as a city of the third class in 1901, and
since that time much material progress has been made. J. E. Wheatley was the first mayor of the city. He has lived in the place since the first settlement, and he lias been earnest and active, with others, in directing its course along safe and conservative lines. N. L. Raymond is the present mayor.
Mineral City is surrounded by as fine a farming community as can be found anywhere in Cherokee County. From the top of a coal shaft building on Leslie Patterson's land, just outside the city, on the north, the view is grand in every direction. That toward the northwest is particularly magnificent. A slight depression scarcely so low as to be called a valley, stretches away as far as the eye can see, while toward the north and toward the west there are other views which can scarcely be surpassed. In fact. look where one may, the view is beautiful al- most to the extent of being enchanting, and one's interest in the scene is deepened through the reflection that beneath the surface of the gently undulating country, which stretches away to the horizon in every direction. there lies the quiet stores of Nature's own provision, now just beginning to be disturbed after a rest of hundreds of thousands of years. This mag- nificent farming country, becoming the better as the years go on, and more reliable because failures come less frequently, is tributary to the town, and there is springing up a feeling of mutual dependence, as well as a spirit of co- operation. Mineral City is getting a large por- tion of the trade which formerly went else- where. The merchants are supplying the wants of the people, and there is a brisk, con- stant trade in the business streets of the young city. As a city, it is only three years old, and yet there are mercantile houses in every line required for supplying the demands of the peo- ple. There are two immense stocks of lumber. large dry goods and clothing houses, a number of grocery houses, besides hardware and furni-
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ture houses. It has a bank, which is doing a good business, and there is every indication that the various lines of business there will soon be enlarged. There is one large school house, with four rooms, and there are two church houses, and more will be built, as the social and religious conditions may require. At present, the Catholic Church, which has a house of wor- ship in East Mineral, and a resident priest, has, perhaps, the largest number of members. The Methodists and the United Brethren come next, in the order given. The Catholics have a paro- chial school in East Mineral. A large portion of the population of Mineral is made up of for- eign-born people, and they are noted for in- dustry and habits of economy. Many of them have gone into the lines of business usually found in cities of this class .- merchants in gro- ceries, dry goods and so forth, while others are carpenters, masons and workmen in the various pursuits of life. Many of them have built good, comfortable homes, and they are helping along in the general effort to advance the material in- terests of the place.
Leslie Patterson and his family, having opened the way for the building of the city. naturally have an abiding interest in it, and they have never faltered in their effort to ad- vance it in every just and profitable way. They encouraged the settlement of industrious, up- right people ; they have favored the building of homes, the beautifying of grounds and the gathering of the comforts and conveniences of life among the people; but in all they have cione or suggested, they have not been disposed to dictate the course which others should take. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson are well and favorably known by nearly every person living in Mineral City. They have been strictly upright in all their dealings with every class, believing that the way to build up a community and make it a desirable place in which to live is to do justly
in all things and to be oppressive and exacting in none.
Among those who have made permanent settlements in Mineral City, and have built good, comfortable homes, we may mention the following: J. P. Davidson, M. C. Perrine. B, Cross, J. D. Smith, Mr. DeChamp, Henry Dewey. Miss Belle Huntsinger, William John- son, Orville Brenner. Wayne Sargent, J. V. Mc.Anally, Charles Bramlet, J. S. Kenaston, Mrs. Rhea, Mrs. McLeod, N. M. Smith and Leslie Patterson.
As indicating the importance of Mineral City, in a commercial way, the immense amount of shipping done into and from the place may be mentioned. The coal mining industry is the big thing of the place. The beginning of this is what gave rise to the city. It has fostered its growth, and it will continue as the chief business of the community. For about four months of the year, since the coal operations have reached the present volume of production, the shipment of coal is about 2,500 car-loads a month, or nearly 100 car-loads a day. For the remaining eight months of the year the ship- ment is about 1,800 car-loads a month. The merchandise shipped into the place will aggre- gate 360 car-loads a year.
Mineral City. proper, has about 1,200 peo- ple living within its limits, and nearly every family owns the home in which it lives. The community, the building up of which has been brought about by the mining interest, proba- bly includes a population of 3.000.
WEIR CITY
Is situate a little east of the north central part of Cherokee County, two miles south of the Craw- ford County line, and eight miles west of the east line of Cherokee County. The town was
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built upon land which belonged to T. M. Weir. and it took its name from him. Mr. Weir, who was born in Washington County, Pennsylva- nia, March 2, 1814, came to Cherokee County, Kansas, in 1871, and immediately entered a quarter section of land, upon 40 acres of which the original plat of Weir City was laid out. He began at once to open coal mines. A. J. Weir and H. P. Weir, two of his sons, now live in the city, and they have done much toward build- ing it up.
Besides the Weirs, the following may be mentioned as among the very first settlers : P. E. Brady, John Sullivan, John Hoffman and G. D. Sams. Afterward there came William Hamilton, Edward Baker, Nick Smith, E. E. Holt. Peter Smith, Joseph Bennett and Robert Hogg. Among the first to open coal mines were Fred Blattner, the Oswego Coal Company and Bovard & Dixon. Then came Keith & Perry, and later The Kansas & Texas Coal Company.
When the Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad, which later became the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis Railroad, was built through Cherokee County. from north to south, no account was taken of the rich coal deposits as far away from the line as the site where Weir City now stands, although it was only four miles from the track of the road. Bovard & Dixon first opened mines near the present town of Scammon, on the line of the road. Afterward Keith & Perry operated mines there, before opening mines at Weir City. Even as late as 1880, Weir City was a mere mining camp containing only about 350 people. This was nine years after the railroad had been built through the county. The progress of develop- ment in those days was much slower than at the present. At that time long, dreary years dragged by, and even men of means, who were said to possess a lively perception of advantage, and could see well into the future, were slow to
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