USA > Kansas > Smith County > History of Smith County, Kansas to 1960 > Part 2
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4 Athol
S
Cedar
S
Oil Seeps
Oil Seeps Analysed
Gas Seops
Figure 2. Oil and gas seope im Smith County, Karena. **
** Map from State Geological Survey of Kansas, Mineral Resources Circular 12, 1939.
CHAPTER II
TEPEES, TREATIES, AND TRAILS
Smith County, historically speaking, goes back to the sixteenth century when the Spanish Conquerors of Mexico extended their explorations into what ie now Kansas and claimed it by right of discovery and conquest as part of the Spanish Empire. Coronado's march in 1541 placed the first white men in Kansas, but Smith County lays no claim to his presence.
In 1682 La Salle claimed all the land drained by the Mississippi River and ite tributariee for France and named it Louisiana in honor of his king. There were French explorers in Kansas during the eighteenth century euch as Dutiene, Bourgmont, Mallet Brothere, but again as far as ie known none of them followed the north branch of the Solomon River through Smith County.
At the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, France was forced to cede all of Louisiana lying west of the Mississippi to Spain. Then in 1800 Napoleon traded with Spain and received Louisiana back again. This area was part of the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 and thus became part of the United States. In 1805 the Louisiana Territory was divided, but this area remained in the north part carrying the same name until Louisiana be- came a state in 1812 and the name was changed to Miesouri Territory. In 1821 when Missouri was carved out and became a state, Kansas became part of unorganized territory, but in 1830 it was merged into the Indian Territory.
From time immemorial Smith County had been the home and hunting grounde of nomadic tribee and the pasture land of millions of buffalo. In early his- toric times the Pawnee Indians controlled all the area between the Arkansas
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and Platte rivers although no evidence of permanent settlements have been found in the county." 1 Since they knew little of boundaries except rivers, undoubtedly Comanches from farther west and Wichitas from the south probably followed buffalo herds through this area, too. Other tribes seemed to ac- knowledge Pawnee superiority until about 1832 when the tribe was ravaged by smallpox and lost an estimated one half of their population. In 1833 by treaty they relinquished to the United States their claims south of the Platte and west of the Missouri and agreed to stay north of the Platte. Thie was the country of the Sioux who were old enemies of the Pawnees. The Sioux constantly slaughtered them until they became practically obliterated. 2
Inconclusive stories of a large encampment of Pawneee having fought the warlike Sioux southwest of what is now Lebanon with the Pawnese nearly wiped out have been reported. Thie may be the same story reported in the Smith County Pioneer. 3 Due to the lack of definite landmarks and conflicting names of creeks, early evente are often placed many miles apart by different nar- rators. Here is the Headley etory.
It is interesting to note from the early filee of the Smith County Pioneer that about twenty years earlier in 1852 a deeperate Indian battle wae fought at the spot at the forke of the Beaver, southweet of Smith Center, se recorded by a French trapper, Mon- cravia, who was an eye witness to the conflict. The battle was between the Pawnee, Delaware and Omaha Indians on the one hand and the Cheyenne, Comanches, Arapahoee and Apaches on the other. The French trapper reported that the Pawnee party numbered come seven thousand warriors and that the Cheyenne confederation num- bered about nine thousand. Thie battle resulted in the slaying of over two thousand Pawnees and over three thousand of their
1 Waldo Wedel, An Introduction to Kansas Archeology, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 174, pp. 6-7.
2 Annie H. Abel, "Indian Reservations in Kansae and the Extinguishment of Their Titlee," Kansas Historical Collections, V. 8, p. 107.
3 Smith County Pioneer, January 27, 1876. Republished April 16, 1903.
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opponente were killed outright, some eeven hundrod taken prisoners and a number of them afterward burned at the stake. According to the trapper this battle wae brought on by the Pawnees who at that time were the most powerful and warlike tribe weet of the Miseiseippi and resisted the incursions of the Cheyenne, Comanche, etc. The fight lasted three days and is regarded as one of the most bloody conflicte between opposing bands of Indians ever fought in the Middle West. The Cheyennes were led by 0-co-no-me-woe of whom Sitting Bull of the Sioux is said to be a lineal descendent. In this desperate conflict the Pannees were successfully led by the celebrated chief Tar-po-no-ha who at that time was renowned as the most daring chief of the federa- tion. This story is said to be further substantiated by the testimony of an old Indian trapper and hunter who for many yeare lived on the extreme headwaters of Frenchmen's Fork of the Republican river, and wae told the story by Pawnee friends.
If these etorios are true and the setting can be placed in the area of Lebanon, it may account for some of the archaeological findings on Oak Creek.5
The Osage, Kansas and Sioux moved in behind the Pawnee for hunting but the real occupante of this area seemed to be the Arapahoes and Cheyennes. These hunting expeditions often led to disputed rights and battles like the one described above. Brigadier General Henry Atkinson of the U. S. Army and Major Benjamin O'Fallon, Indian agent, negotiated treaties with the various Plains tribee of Indians from June 22, 1825 to October 6, 1825. This included treaties with the Cheyenne, Ogallala Sioux and Comanche tribes in the north central Kansae area in which theee tribes pledged not to moleet American citi- zens passing through their territory.º
4 A. L. Headley, "Smith County, Kansas," unpublished manuecript, 1959. 5 Waldo Wedel, op. cit., p. 535. Smith County finde were reported in 1938-1939 by Smith and Eiseley, but not developed. Blaine Pletcher, the author's hueband, has helped to dig out some places revealed by high water erosion on Oak Creek, but they have never been developed.
6 Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 30; U. S. Congress, Senate, Indian Affaire, Laws, and Treaties, Vol. 35, Senate Doc. 452, 57th Cong., Ist sees., (1901-1902), pp. 161-164.
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In 1834 it was the purpose of the United States to set aside the land west of the Miesouri River as a perpetual Indian Territory. The government made treaties with the Indian tribes whereby they were assigned land in what came to be Kansas. The area of Smith County was not affected as far as rec- ords show; however, a map in the Archives of the Kansas State Historical Soci- ety shows the Delaware Outlet extending west through the southern part of the present county .?
The Indians claimed to have designated a "dead line" in 1860 beyond which, to the west, no white man should settle. This line was used as an excuse for raids and atrocities against the settlers west of it, and as it supposedly ex- tended north and south about the location of Cloud and Republic Counties, this made Smith and Jewell Counties in the Indian territory. 8
Sub-committees of Congress were sent to the southwest to conclude a treaty of peace with the Kiowa, Comanche, and Kiona-Apache tribes at Medicine Lodge, October 21, 1867. The treaty provided for the withdrawal of these tribes from the region between the Platte and Arkansas rivers, and agreement not to moleet railroad construction through the area. This area of course in- cluded Smith County.9 About 1868, the state and federal government actively set to work to open up the country to settlement, by giving security to the settlers. This was done by maintaining troope for short periods at camps on the Republican and the Solomon, and at forte along the railroads, and by ksep- ing up a patrol on the border. This action was reported efficient by the year
7 Issued from Indian Office, Washington, D. C., Aug. 5, 1845.
8 z. T. Walrond, "Annals of Osborne County, Kansas," Osborne County Farmer, July 22, 1880.
9 Indian Affairs, Laws, and Treaties, op. cit., pp. 754-764.
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10 1870.
However, there were many accounte that mention hardships to be faced from the Indian danger. Reports of Indian atrocities east of Smith County in more settled sreas would infer that the more spareely settled frontier was in danger, regardless of army reports.
On White Rock Creek, northeast of Lebanon and over the line in Jewell County, attempts were made at settlement from 1866 to 1870, but the groups were continuously driven out by Indian attacks. Harry Ross in his book on White Rock Creek, calls the year 1869 "the last bloody year" and has one chapter listing loss of life and property from Indian atrocities in that area. This was the year the first permanent settler also arrived in Smith County and settled on White Rock Creek.
Settlere built Ft. Jewell (now Jewell City) after an Indian scare May, 1870. Nearby settlers stayed there about six weeks. On June 28, after the Indian scare was past, s company of mounted artillery of the regular sry came and occupied the fort, remaining until fall to protect the homesteaders of that section. 11
Another Indian incident found in numerous accounts of this area is the basis for the naming of Higgins' Bluff on Oak Creek two miles north and one mile west of the southeast corner of the county. In the early 70's, Jim Higgins, Sam Owens, and Matt Freeman went on a buffalo hunt from Concordia. They had made their kill and were drying meat on top of the bluff so as to
10 Annie H. Abel, "Indian Reservations in Kansas," p. 14. From original M. A. thesis, Kansae University, 1900. Only forta found on record were Ft. Riley, established 1852; Ft. Harker, 1864; and Ft. Hays, 1865, with Hays the closest to Smith County.
11 Harry Ross, op. cit., p. 18-26.
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watch for Indians. Higgins went after brush for the fire, saw the Indians, and lay down in the tall grass to hide. Owens shot the leader, ran to the east edge of the bluff and jumped off. He ran to Oak Creek, hid under some driftwood, and thus escaped. Freeman ran another direction and escaped, but Higgins was shot while trying to escepe. His scalped body and the remains of the burned wagon was found e few days later. Thus the name, Higgins' Bluff.12
May 9, 1870, the Indians ettacked four white settlers hunting on Twelve Mile Creek, but they were able to escape to Cawker City which is just outside of Smith County in northwest Mitchell County. May 9, 1870, twenty-five In- dians attacked settlers below Cawker City. Three of the settlers were killed and two escaped. Dr. Lyon was killed in the same community in 1869. May 29, 1870, the Indians stole a number of horses in this area. In July they ap- peared again but did no harm. Mrs. Nelson and other early settlers report more or less friendly encounters with Indians in the early seventies.
Kansas lay across the trails to the West. Her central geographic poai- tion, slightly inclined land end wide river valleys opening mostly to the West were ideal for the trader and the settler. Kansas became a highway to all the farflung West from time immemorial. But it would appear that Smith County and the northern tier of counties adjoining lay between all the early traile, expeditions, railroads, and settlement which usually followed the major rivers of the Arkansas, Blue, Republican, Smoky Hill, and Platte.
Early explorere apparently followed one or enother of these rivers. Bourgmont's route apparently followed the Saline River for a distance. Pike cut southwest through Jewell County in 1806 to hit the Arkansas River, Major
12 One such report was written by A. E. Gledhill, Smith County Pioneer, March 1, 1900.
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Iong had groups on the Platte, Arkansas, and Kansas rivere in 1819-1820 but none came close to Smith County. It ie thought that Fremont may have croseed Smith County on one of his five trips through Kansas. In 1843 he cut from the Kaw River northwest to the Platte River in Nebraska (cee accompanying map, Fig. 3). 13
The early trails also missed following the Solomon River which would have taken them through Smith County. The Santa Fe Trail wae far to the south of the Arkansas River and a Mormon Trail cut the northeast corner of Kansas. One of the most used trails to California and Oregon went from Kaneae into Nebraska in Washington County. The Pony Express followed the same route, as did the Overland Stage route. The Butterfield Overland Dis- patch went up the Smoky Hill River and across Kansas to Denver.14
With the discovery of gold in the Pike's Peak region and "the prospect of a huge migration to the West, the 'jumping off' places on the border be- gan to vie with one another for a share of the business ... Ft. Leavenworth had long been the chief military depot for supplies bound for the West" and had grown rapidly during the 1850's with a freighting business increasing by leaps and bounds. By 1858, Russell, Majors, and Waddell had become known as the largest freight contractors for the government in the West. In 1859- 1860 plans were made to establish one of the most noted transportation com- panies ever to serve the Rocky Mountains. The Leavenworth and Pike's Peak
13 According to the map included with John C. Fremont'e report (J. C. Fremont, op. cit. ) drawn under the orders of Col. J. J. Abert, Chief of the Topographical Bureau, and using the longitude linee for location, the author concluded that John C. Fremont traversed Smith County on this trip. In his written report (pp. 108-109), descriptions placed him in the area June 18 and 19.
14 Kansas Historical Collections, 1905-1906, V. 9, map on p. 576.
Fig. 3. Map of possible Fremont Route and Pike's Peak Express through Smith County. Kansas Historical Collections,
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20
Express Company was the one famous freight line or trail that Smith County can definitely claim. Although it did not last long, it received much pub- licity. The New York Daily Tribune carried announcements of the new firm and classified advertisemente for it.">
The promoters, W. H. Russell and John S. Jones (of the famous freight- ing firm of Russell, Majors, and Waddell) bought 1,000 fine Kentucky mules and a sufficient number of Concord coaches to supply a daily coach each way between the Missouri River and Denver. They sent out a surveying party in March which planned the route from Leavenworth to Junction City, then along the divide northwest, across the southwest corner of Jewell County, then nearly straight west through Smith County. They planned twenty-seven eta- tions on the route, twenty-five miles apart, with eix men at each station four drivers and two to remain permanently at the station. Tente were fur- nished at each station for the summer, and they planned to build adobe or log houses by winter. Station 12 was located in Smith County (see Fig. 4).
There is some disagreement as to where this station might be located in Smith County. According to the map, the station was northeast of the farthest north point of the Solomon River, "probably a little south of the forks of Beaver Creek, about seven miles southwest of present Smith Center.#16 This would place it on the bend of the Solomon between Gaylord and Cedar. The Smith County Pioneer had an article written in 1881 by James Scarbrough
15 George A. Root and Russell K. Hickman, "Pike's Peak Express Compan- ies"; Kansas Historical Quarterly, V. 13, No. 3, August 1944, p. 167. George A. Root was on the Kansas State Historical Library staff for over fifty years and was considered an authority on trails, ferries, roade and bridges in Kansas as he made this a lifetime project.
16 Ibid., p. 227. The original map signed by Geo. A. Root is in the Kansse Historical Library Archives.
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telling of his visit to the East Cedar Creek farm of Ed Stevens, then County Clerk of Smith County, where the old Jones and Russell Overland Stage and Express Line Stage and Express Line Station was located. He said thet near the old trail crossing on Cedar Creek was a miniature "Pawnse Rock" standing alone on the bank of the creok. The rock wae ebout ten feet high and twelve fset in circumference and not another one of its kind ie found in the surrounding country, so Scarbrough said. It is inscribed with a large number of names and dates back to 1840. Some names that were deciph- erable were R. S. Rook, 1859; Simon Mullen, 1859; Omahas, 1852; J. T. Vanduzen, 1870. In one place the date 1840 wae readable but the names were almost entirely gone. 17 Unlese the survey maps could be found, this station can not be more definitely located.
The first stage that traveled through Smith County left Planter's House in Leavenworth, April 18, 1859, and arrived in Denver May 7. The return trip from Denver began May 10, 1859, and reached Leavenworth May 20, 1859, to the accompaniment of a great celebration that lasted two days. May 19, 1859, two coaches arrived in Denver and on them was a noted passenger, llenry Villard, correspondent of the Cincinnati Daily Commercial, who wrote an account of hie trip for his paper. The most famous passengers ever carried by this stage line through Smith County were Horace Greeley and hie journalist com- panion, Albert D. Richardson, correspondent for the Boston Journal. They wrote interesting accounts of this trip which each later published in books. 18 To settlers "it is doubtful if at that time the arrival in Kansas of any other
17 Smith County Pioneer, August 29, 1881.
18 Horacs Greeley, Overland Journey, 1860; Albert D. Richardson, Beyond the Mississippi, 1875.
Jak Express, 1859
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man would have created such a sensation. Greeley's paper, the New York Tribune, was widely read in Kansas. He had been a constant and devoted friend of 'Free Kansas,' and his pen and voice had been effective in secur- ing her freedom. "19
The express that arrived on June 19 brought to Leavenworth conclusive proof of gold in the Western Mountains. It carried $2,500 in gold dust. It also brought the "Greeley Report" which substantiated the claims of rich dis- coveries and convinced the people. The coach would have made the trip in seven days from Denver but it was delayed a day by an accident which took place neer Station 12 (Smith County area). The coach was moving at a fast pace while thousands of buffalo were swarming on the plains and in the trail. A herd passed directly in front of the mules which were frightened and ran. The driver dropped the reins and jumped for the mules, but he was dragged. In a few moments mules, coach, and all rolled over a bank. Luckily, neither animals, driver nor coach were injured, but a day was lost in getting lined out again. 20 Another incident that happened in the same area is recounted by Albert D. Richardson in his diary.
At Station 12 where we dined, the carcasses of seven buffaloes were half submerged in the creek. Yesterday a herd of 3,000 crossed the stream, leaping down the steep banks. A few broke their necks by the fall; others were trampled to death by those pressing from behind.21
19Martha B. Caldwell, "When Horace Greeley Visited Kansas in 1859," Kansaa Historical Quarterly, V. IX, pp. 115-150.
20George Root and Russell Hickman, op. cit., pp. 219-221.
21Albert D. Richardson, op. cit., p. 169.
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On May 11, 1859, Jones, Russell and Company purchased the mail contract of John M. Hockaday and Company. It ran from St. Joseph to Salt Lake by way of Forts Kearney and Laramie. July 2, 1859, the first express ran to Denver via the Platte, and north central Kansas, including Smith County, lost its Express.
CHAPTER ILI
SURVEY TO SETTLEMENT
Smith County was created on March 3, 1867, in one of the laws passed by the Kansas State Legislature. Thirty-two other counties in the territory east of range line 26 west of the sixth principal meridian had their boun- daries defined. Neighboring counties of Jewell, Osborne, and Phillips were covered by this legislation. Each county, covered by this act could be or- ganized when it had 600 inhabitants. 1
Since the area of Smith County was in unorganized territory in the eighteen-sixties, Governor Samuel J. Crawford wanted the area organized for law enforcement. He later stated that:
It was the rendezvoue for thieves, robbers, and roving banda of Indians. Ranchmen were there with herds of taxable property, and traders, whose principal business was to supply hostile In- dians and outlaws generally with arms, ammunition, and bad whiskey ... to reach these knights of the plains and bring them within reach of the law, I proposed and had introduced in the House of Representa- tives, a Bill establishing 36 new counties, and attaching them to 2 organized counties along the western border for judicial purposes.
Prior to 1867, the organization of new counties was determined by settlement. With the Bill of 1867, however, a comparatively uninhabited territory was divided into counties, not because of the needs of settlement, but in the interest of law and order. Thus these counties, including Smith County, had a rather unique beginning. Another unusual thing wae that Smith
1 Helen G. Cill, "The Establishment of Counties in Kangas, " Kansas State Historical Transactions, V. 8, p. 456; Laws of Kansas, passed at the Seventh Session of the Legislature, 1867, pp. 51-57; General Statutee of the State of Kansas, 1867, Ch. 24, Sec. 1, p. 228; Sec. 72, p. 246.
2 Samuel J. Crawford, Kansas in the Sixties, p. 248.
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County was one of twenty-two counties that were bounded in thirty mile squares with no attention to geographical conditions when organized later. It was one of eleven to remain ae originally planned (see maps, Figs. 1 and 5).
In 1864 an order was issued by the federal government for a survey and dedication of Smith County. During 1865, a party of surveyors, guarded by federal troops, ran the lines and established the section corners. 3 Killiam Brake, later a Gaylord shoe cobbler, was a member of the cavalry company that accompanied the surveying party.4
There is a great deal of discrepancy in reports of the first settlement in Smith County. This possibly ie due to two reasons. First, settlers came into Smith County from thres directions, following the different waterways. This is learned from the atorias of their trips in which they identified various pointe that were definitely named by 1869. One general route was to follow the Solomon Valley, then up some of the rather large tributary creeka which flowed into the Solomon River. There were four auch systems in Smith County, namely: Oak, Twelve Kile, Cedar, and Beaver Creeks. Another was to follow the Republican up from Concordia (a kind of "jumping off place" as the Federal Land Office was located there July 7, 1870), then turn west up White Rock Creek, which was practically a river at this time, and on into Smith County. The third route used by settlere was to come through Nebraska and
3 39th Congress, 2nd Seesion, 1866-67, Report of Secy. of Interior, 1866, Exec. Doc. No. 1, Vol. 2, pp. 448-453. No. 11D was report from Surveyor Gen- eral's Office, Leavenworth, Kansas, Aug. 25, 1866 reporting that surveys con- tracted for out of appropriations approved July 2, 1864, had furnished to Western Land District, Junction City, Kansas, during year ending June 30, 1866 triplicate plans to fulfill contract. Plane for particular sections and rangas of Smith County were furnished Feb. 10, 1866. Reference No. in Librariee, Serial Doc. 1284.
4 Smith County Pioneer, September 3, 1936.
Norton Phillips Smith
Jewell
Graham Rooks Osborne Mitchell
Lincoln
Trego
Ellis
Russell
Ells - worth
Ness
Rush Barton
Rice
Hage- man
Pawnee
Stafford
Reno
Sedgwick
Ford Kiowa Pratt
里的
Mont- gomety
Harper Sumner
Cowley
Howard
|Clark
Comoxchè
Barbour,
Mc Pherson
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