USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72
The political history of Kansas dates back to 1850, when the subject of slavery took 011 the intense form of agitation which led to its overthrow. It was in this year that the Mis- souri Compromise was really abrogated. From that time on it became constantly more appar- ent that the question could never be settled satisfactorily through legislation; and the ad- mission of Kansas into the Union, as a pro- slavery State, or as an anti-slavery State, was looked to as the test of the power and manage- ment of the two sectional factions. The New England States had experimented with slav- ery, and, not finding it profitable, they had be- come profoundly convinced that the institution was morally wrong; the South had tried it, and, finding it profitable, found no difficulty at all in showing that it was of divine origin, and therefore, scripturally right. Senator J. J. Ingalls, the most scholarly man that ever rep- resented Kansas in the United States Senate, and himself a native of Massachusetts, said that the people of the New England States
never became conscientious on the subject of slavery until it ceased to be profitable in that section of the country. The North was envious of the South's prosperity ; but their envy was equaled if not surpassed by the intense preju- dice fostered and nourished in the hearts of the Southern people. Persons who recall those days can never forget the rise and progress of the "irrespressible conflict;" and those con- versant with public affairs at that time, and who kept up with the current events, easily recall the efforts of the great American statesmen to arrive at an amicable settlement of the sectional dispute which had agitated the people since the year 1820, and which was now fast becoming the chief alarm of the nation. Kansas was the focus upon which the mind of the people, North and South, was so intensely centered; but four years afterward, May 30, 1854, when Franklin Pierce, president of the United States, signed the act, entitled, "An Act to Organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas," debate of the great question ceased to be fruitful of any effect toward a reconcila- tion. Then began a series of "troublous times," which did not end until the issues of the War of the Rebellion were settled at Ap- pomattox, April 9, 1865.
The first Territorial Governor of Kansas was Andrew H. Reeder, of Easton, Pennsyl- vania, appointed by President Pierce, June 29, 1854. He arrived at Leavensworth, Kansas, on the steamer "Polar Star," October 7, 1854, and immediately took up the duties of the office, having been sworn in as Governor by Justice Daniel, of the Supreme Court of the United States, at Washington, D. C., July 7th of that year. He was an ardent Democrat, and he was in sympathy with the pro-slavery efforts then being strongly made ; but before he
18
HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
finished his course on Kansas soil he as stren- uously and as ably supported the plans and operations for making it a free State. Not at all times being in full accord with the Legis- lature, which was pronounced in its pro- slavery sentiments, and being often misrepre- sented to President Pierce by wily politicians, his lot was such as brought him nothing but worry and constant antagonism. As Governor he was removed by the President, July 28. 1855. He was officially notified on the 31st of July and on August 15th he notified the Legis- lature of the fact. He was succeeded by WVil- son Shannon, who was commissioned Governor of the Territory of Kansas, August 10, 1855, and he arrived at Shawnee Mission, then the capital, September 3d. He had been four years the Governor of Ohio; was Minister to Mexico under Tyler's administration, and was a mem- ber of Congress from Ohio in 1852-54. He resigned the governorship of the Territory, August 21, 1856, and on that day he received official notice that he had been removed, and that John W. Geary had been appointed his successor. Geary resigned March 4, 1857; and on March Ioth President Buchanan ap- pointed Robert J. Walker, of Pennsylvania. He was a son of Judge Walker, of the United States Supreme Court. He had been a United States Senator from Mississippi and was Secretary of the Treasury during Polk's ad- ministration. Governor Walker arrived at Leavenworth May 25, 1857, and left the fol- lowing day for Lecompton, then the capital. His was a short, stormy term; for on Decem- ber 7th, of the same year, he handed in his resignation, being led to do so on account of the disturbed condition of public affairs in the Territory, in the midst of which there was no prospect of peace or final settlement. John W.
Denver, who had been acting Governor from the time of the resignation of Governor Walker, received his appointment as Governor March 15, 1858. He resigned October 10th, of the same year, and on November 19th Sam- uel Medary was appointed. He continued in office until December 17, 1860, when he re- signed, and was succeeded by George M. Beebe, who was sworn in as acting Governor, and who continued in office until the inaugu- ration of the State government, February 9, 1861. The frequent and often dramatically sudden changes in the governorship of the Territory may be taken as indicating the turbu- lent condition of public affairs, a condition which, as if descending by heredity, is yet shown in the easily disturbed political relations of the people. It is probable that no other State in the Union has such a heritage.
Kansas was admitted into the Union Janu- ary 29, 1861, and it may be said of the people who had become permanent residents upon its soil, that they were in a proper frame of mind to join hands with the other free-soil States in the great war which was just then about to break upon the country. Forensic debate and all other efforts amicably to adjust and settle the bitter, sectional prejudices of the people had fallen short of the desired aim. A ma- jority of the people of the United States had become set against slavery; the institution was destined to pass away; but the methods and measures for setting it aside involved questions which could not be settled other than by the arbitrament of arms.
Following the close of the war, there was a tremendous immigration into Kansas from the Middle States, attracted hither through the well advertised opportunities which it offered for securing rural homes, as well as for build-
19
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
ing cities, constructing railroads and for the varied pursuits which follow such achieve- ments. No other section of the entire country was ever even half so well advertised as Kansas has been, much of such advertising being true, much of it false. Senator Ingalls once said that Kansas is a land of the sharpest contradic- tions and antagonisms ever known in human experience ; the hottest, the coldest; the wet- test, the driest; the most fruitful, the most barren; the most to be desired and the least to be sought. Here the best and purest aspira- tions have been fostered and sustained: here homes have been built and fortunes made, and here, too, lie the buried hopes of many whose expectations were turned into disappointment, whose toil and labor were in vain and whose morning cheer and gladness were overshad- owed and suppressed through the gloom which came on before the middle of the day.
Politically, Kansas is the enigma of the age ; and in this respect it may be likened unto those volcanic districts of the earth which are subject to frequent and disastrous upheavals, and where none but such as are inured to the dread which constant danger inspires will dare to live. Hither many political adventurers came in the early days, probably expecting to gather large returns from the new field. Some of them, after a short and stormy sojourn, re- turned whence they came, and the bones of many others, whose daring and hardihood were equaled only by the cunning and craftiness which they employed, lie bleaching in the soil of the land which they essayed to rule. In a partisan way the State has always been, nor- mally, Republican ; but at times the party has been cut from its moorings and cast adrift upon a rough, tempestuous sea, a condition due
largely to the grasping greed of political lead- ers and to the official corruption of those placed in charge of public affairs. But the people are growing in conservatism, and when the old- guard politicians pass away, and some of the younger ones shall be required to know more of statecraft and economics, there will be a settling into safer channels and the care of public interests will be in better hands.
Of those now living in the State of Kansas, it may be truthfully said that they are "a pecu- liar people." They will endure more hardships, suffer more wrongs, surmount greater difficul- ties and undergo more privations than any other people in this broad land. Chinch-bugs, grasshoppers, hot winds, drouths and floods have been enough to depopulate the State, if inhabited by a less hardy people. To these, sufficient of themselves to deter next to the most determined, the burden of taxes, borne for the purpose of paying off public bonds, and private mortgages of all kinds, once supposed to concern every man, came as supplementary hardships and vexations; but the people have lived through all of these, and they are today comparatively prosperous. The pests come less frequently, drouths are not so severe, bonds are being paid and the voice of the sheriff is rarely heard in the land; the passing of these being due almost entirely to the indomitable courage and perseverance of the hardy sons of toil who have borne the burden and heat of the day and are now enjoying the fruits of their labor. These things have not been done through stu- pidity nor through the direction of blind judg- ment ; they have been achieved through intel- ligence and good understanding ; for in practi- cal knowledge and in ability to get the best re- sults in what they undertake, the people hold
20
HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
the highest place. Proportionately to the num- ber of inhabitants, it is said, without contradic- tion, that Kansas takes and reads more news- papers than any other State; that it has more pupils in the common schools and more stu- dents in its higher institutions, and that fewer of its people are idle and non-helpful in the
ordinary pursuits of life. There is a common level upon which the people move, and there is a free fellowship which has come down from the earlier days, bringing with it the easy man- ners which are characteristic of communities unaffected by castes and sharp social distinc- tions.
CHAPTER II.
GEOGRAPHICAL, TOPOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
GEOGRAPIIICAL.
Cherokee County is a part of what was formerly known as McGee County. This county, named in honor of A. M. McGee, of Kansas City, Missouri, a man of strong pro- slavery sentiments, who figured actively in the events which made up the early history of the State, was bounded as follows: Beginning at the southeast corner of Bourbon County : thence south, to the southern boundary of this Territory; thence west, twenty-four miles ; thence north, to a point due west of the place of beginning; thence east, twenty-four miles, to the place of beginning."
When the anti-slavery sentiment became strong and forceful in Kansas, and the man- agement of the Territory passed under the con- trol of those who favored making it a free State, the name McGee was dropped by the Legislature, and a part of its territory given the name "Cherokee," in honor of the Cherokee Indians. This was done on the 18th day of February, 1860, a little less than a year before Kansas Territory was admitted into the Union. The boundary of the county being so vaguely described as not to be readily understood, the Legislature, February 13. 1867, gave it the following location : "Commencing at the
southeast corner of Crawford County ; thence south on the east line of the State of Kansas, to the southeast corner of the State; thence west along the southern boundary of the State, to the southeast corner of Neosho County, as de- fined by the act of February 26, 1866; thence north to the southwest corner of the county of Crawford; thence east to the place of begin- ning." This remained the boundary of the county until October 31, 1868, when an act, approved March 3, 1868, went into effect. This act gave Cherokee County the following boun- dary: "Commencing at the southeast corner of the county of Crawford; thence west with the south line of said county of Crawford to the southwest corner of section 14, township 31 south, range 21 east of the Sixth Principal Meridian ; thence south on said section line to the Neosho River ; thence with the channel of said river to the south boundary line of the State of Kansas; thence east on said line to the southeast corner of the State; thence north on the east line of the State of Kansas to the place of beginning." From the maps recently published, it seems that at some time since the fixing of the last described boundary a change has been made, by which the west line of the county was moved one-half mile east; and so it stands, to this day; and it will thus
22
HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
be seen that Cherokee County lies in the ex- treme southeast corner of the State, having the State of Missouri on the east, and the In- dian Territory on the south.
TOPOGRAPHICAL.
For the most part, the surface of the county is gently undulating ; but in the southeast it is hilly, and in some places very rough and stony. An elevated table-land lies north and south through the center of the county, from which the water runs generally southeasterly and southwesterly, the latter flowing into the Neo- sho River on the west, the former into Spring River on the east. There are no very high points, save that in the southern part of the county, about five miles west of Baxter Springs, there is a mound which may be seen many miles in all directions, and a kind of promontory a few miles north of Neutral, both of which may be regarded as bubbles of the Ozark Mountains. The altitude of Columbus, considered the highest point in the county, was established by Charles Nevins, the surveyor for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, at the time the line was extended from Parsons, Kan- sas, to Joplin, Missouri, in 1900. The point was indicated on the third step of the First National Bank, and as determined by the meas- urements it is 1025.68 feet.
Besides Spring River, on the east, and the Neosho River, on the west, there are numerous smaller streams, all of which afford easy drain- age, except that in the southwest corner of the county there is a low basin which is dotted here and there with lakes and natural ponds, in which water stands from year to year. Cherry Creek, Lightning Creek and Fly Creek are the principal streams flowing into the Neosho
River on the west, while Cow Creek, Shawnee Creek and Brush Creek flow into Spring River on the east. In the central and eastern parts of the county there are some fine springs of soft water. Before leaving this part of the subject it is proper to speak of the adaptability of the soils of the county to field and garden tillage and to the growing of small fruits of all kinds, including every variety of berries. The soils are of various depths, varying also in colors, from the lighter soils of the higher ridges to the dark, sandy loams of the lower lands and the river bottoms. In the eastern part of the county the soil partakes of the nature of the red-clay soils of Southwestern Missouri, and these are better adapted to the growing of apples, pears and peaches than the lighter soils of the prairie districts of the county. Like almost every other county, in whatever State it may be situate, Cherokee County has some sections much richer in soils than others ; but it is singularly true that there is not a district in the county, however thin and apparently non-productive the soil, but what it is quickly and easily affected even at the slightest efforts to increase the soil's strength and fertility.
Forty years ago, when there was scarcely any land in the county that had been touched with the plow, and when there were no roads established by any public act, the meager wood- land was found only along Spring River and its larger tributaries., and probably a mere fringe along the Neosho River and the larger streams which flow into it. The county was almost a solid sward of prairie grass ; and from the higher points, which afforded views of the land as it lay in the repose which Nature had given it through the centuries, many of the most pleasing landscapes could be seen. To
23
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
those who came first, with implements of til- lage for bringing the virgin soil into sub- serviency to the purposes of civilization, it was "a goodly land." fair to look upon and full of promise, and to those who stayed and endured the hardships incident to pioneer life, sowing and reaping as the years went on, it yielded its fruits in season, and with these the quiet satis- faction which comes with faithful husbandry.
GEOLOGICAL.
Going beneath the surface of the land, we come to consider it in the light of geology ; and here, going through the storehouse of Nature, we come to examine the wise, beneficent provis- ions which have been made, and which through countless ages have awaited the coming of man. Speaking of the general formation of the whole State of Kansas, Professor Mudge says: "The uplifting of this State and the adjoining coun- try, from the level of the ocean, must have been slow, uniform and in a perpendicular direc- tion, which has left all the strata in nearly a horizontal position. This may have been as slow as that now going on in Florida, or a rise of five feet in a century. From our knowledge of the geology of the West, this undoubtedly took place after the rise of the Rocky Moun- tains, and probably did not come to a close until the drift period." The rock formations of Cherokee County plainly show that the land, some time in the remote past, lay upon the seashore, and that, at a still more remote period, it was probably submerged. Crusta- ceous formations, abundant in many places. give unmistakable evidence of the fact. In times long gone by there was an oyster bed about two miles southeast of the point where Columbus now stands, as shown in the rocks
in that locality, and besides this, there were numerous crustacea, whose petrified fossils are plainly to be seen. Later on, but probably not until after the lapse of many ages, came the carboniferous period, when the land was lifted gradually from the water and was covered as gradually by vegetation, through which a soil was built up, in preparation for the great for- ests still to follow : and thus age after age went by, the processes of nature going on, step by step, making ready for the coming of man. The conditions of temperature, with the in- creased fertility of the soil and the humidity of the atmosphere, brought on the great vegetable growths, which, afterwards swept down by de- vastating tempests and covered by soil drifts from the higher lands, now form the coal beds which yield so much comfort to the people now permitted to open them up for use.
In a work published by A. T. Andreas, in 1883, speaking of the coal deposits of the State of Kansas, the writer says: "This area covers about 9,000 square miles in the southeastern part of the State, embracing the counties of Cherokee, Labette, Montgomery, Chautauqua, Elk, Wilson, Neosho, Crawford, Bourbon, Al- len, Woodson, Coffey, Anderson, Linn, Osage, and parts of Miami, along the northern line of damarkation. All these counties are in some degree supplied with coal. Whether the whole area is underlaid with coal or not can not be definitely ascertained till a thorough geological survey has been made. The general structure of the rock is that of the productive coal measures elsewhere found, and the experimental borings have been sufficiently numerous, and attended with such favorable results as to warrant the belief that the deposits exist in paying quanti- ties in most parts of the area above described."
The coal district of Cherokee County lies
2.4
HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
almost in the north central part, believed to be about 13 miles wide at the north line of the county, and extending south through Chero- kee, Mineral and Ross townships, into the north sections of Crawford and Salamanca town- ships. while on the west side, tending slightly toward the southwest, it reaches over into Sheridan and Lola townships. The whole area possibly includes about 130 square miles. The strata vary in thickness from one foot to four feet. The upper stratum crops out at the eastern edge of the district and dips toward the northwest, as also do the deeper and thicker strata. The quality of the coal is excellent for all purposes, and to those owning the land and those operating the mines the district is a source of immense wealth. The whole area is a network of railroad tracks, and the operations going on present a scene of the intensest industrial activity. It is believed by some who have given the matter mature thought, that a much larger area of the county will be found underlaid with coal, when deeper prospecting is undertaken; but so far no effort has been made to determine the fact.
In the southeastern part of Cherokee County, extending from the south line of the State northerly for about 15 miles, there is a strip of land about six miles wide beneath the stirface of which are some of the richest zinc deposits to be found in the world. The zinc district, in Cherokee County, lies along the valley of Spring River, on either side of the stream, and, taken in connection with the great Joplin district, of which it is a part, it is known wherever there is a commercial demand for the rich ores here produced. Rich but smaller deposits of lead are also found here. The oper- ations which have been carried forward in the mining of these ores are such as have literally
torn up the earth and rendered its surface, in the immediated locality, forever unfit for till- age; for, in bulk, the ore is not more than one- thousandth part of the earth and rock which must be brought to the surface. Unless ef- faced by soil-drifts or by some other great physical changes, these earth-markings, it is believed, will stand for thousands of years, long after the civilization which now prevails upon the earth shall have passed away.
In addition to the great deposits of coal. lead and zinc which, taken in connection with the fertile soils of the county, place it in the first rank maong the wealth-producing parts of the State, shale for brick-making, potter's clay and building stone are found in quantities which will lead, after a while, to the establish- ment of particular industries requiring these materials. There are quarries of sandstone near Columbus from which the very best of building stone is now taken in limited quanti- ties ; but in time not far hence, when building material of other kinds becomes more expensive than at present, these quarries will be sought to the extent of making it one of the chief in- dustries of the county. Such may also be said of the deposits of shale, the demand for which is a constantly growing one.
Up to the present it has not been generally believed that either gas or petroleum will be found in paying quantities within the boundary of the county, although deep wells bored for water have given off small quantities of each. When the well at Columbus ( 1,300 feet deep) was bored for a water supply for the city, gas strong enough to produce a flame was given off for a time, and even yet, after 18 years, the water sometimes brings up light traces of petroleum. In the southwestern part of the county there are places where petro-
25
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
leum exudes from the surface of the earth, and in wells of moderate depth larger quantities are sometimes found. No deep wells have been put down in that part of the county, and the question as to whether petroleum may be found in paying quantities remains unsettled. How- ever, the fact that the counties lying next west of Cherokee contain gas and petroleum already attracting wide notice and inducing the invest- ment of millions of dollars stimulates the belief that Cherokee County also possesses these stores of natural wealth.
The fitness of the soils of Cherokee County for agricultural purposes compares favorably with a large number of other counties. In this respect it is far ahead of many, while not measuring up to a few. It is not generally as fertile as the Kaw Valley, nor is it as productive as some of the counties in the northeastern part of the State; but in the responsiveness of its soils and the readiness with which it assimi- lates natural fertilizers it is equal to, if it does
not surpass, all other sections. The county contains about 589 square miles, or about 377,- 000 acres ; and, with the exception of a small area in the southeastern part, it is all suited to cultivation. As early as 1878 more than 147,000 acres were in cultivation, but of this amount 32,500 acres were in meadow and pasture. For that year the value of farm prod- ucts was $966,634, not including the value de- rived from fenced pasture lands. Of this amount, $478,000 were derived from the value of the corn crop, and $155,000 from that of wheat, the corn acreage being more than three times the acreage of wheat. Besides corn and wheat, other crops are largely grown, such as rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, sorghum, kafir corn, millet, flax, castor beans, Irish pota- toes, sweet potatoes, timothy, bluegrass, redtop and orchard grass. Recently experiments have been made with English bluegrass, while a few have been engaged in testing the adaptability of Bermuda grass.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.