USA > Kansas > Kansas; a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence, Voilume I > Part 38
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Chelsea, a hamlet of Butler county, is on a branch of the Walnut river about 8 miles northeast of Eldorado, the county seat, from which place mail is received by rural delivery.
Cheney, an incorporated city of the third class in Sedgwick county, is located in Morton township, 26 miles west of Wichita, and is a station on the Wichita & Pratt division of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. It has 2 banks, a grain elevator, a weekly newspaper (the Sentinel), hotels, mercantile houses, good public schools, etc. The popu- lation in 1910 was 734. From its international money order postoffice three rural routes emanate, supplying daily mail to a large number of inhabitants of the Ninnescah valley. It has express, telegraph and telephone facilities, and is probably the most important shipping point on that division of the Sante Fe, with the exception of Kingman.
Chepstow, a little hamlet of Washington county, with a population of 25 in 1910, is situated in the Coon creek valley, about 16 miles south- east of Washington, the county seat. Mail is received by rural delivery from the Greenleaf postoffice. Barnes, on the Missouri Pacific, is the nearest railroad station.
Cherokee, one of the principal incorporated cities of Crawford county, is located near the southern boundary, at the junction of the St. Louis & San Francisco and the Missouri Pacific railroads, 12 miles south of Girard, the county seat. When the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf R. R. was under construction, supply camps and boarding "shanties" were established at suitable places along the line for the accommodation of the workmen. A building of this nature was erected by William Sharp on the site of Cherokee early in the year 1870, which was the be- ginning of the present city. The land had been entered by John G. Knox and John J. Hoke, but it was donated to the railroad company,
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which in April, 1870, laid out the town and began selling lots. A school house was erected the following year, and in May, 1874, W. K. Goode removed his newspaper outfit from Girard and began the publica- tion of the Cherokee Pharos, which was the first newspaper.
The Cherokee of the present day is one of the busy cities of south- eastern Kansas. It has two national banks, flour mills, grain elevators, an ice plant, a broom factory, a telephone exchange, good hotels, churches of the principal denominations, a graded school system, telegraph and express offices, a number of first class mercantile establishments, and a weekly newspaper (the Sentinel). The postoffice at Cherokee issues international money orders, and from it emanate two rural delivery routes which supply a large district with daily mail. Sheridan town- ship, in which the city is situated, is one of the finest agricultural regions in that section of the state, and Cherokee is the shipping point for large quantities of grain and live stock. Coal of fine quality is extensively mined near the city. According to the U. S. census for 1910, the popu- lation was 1,452.
Cherokee County, located in the extreme southeastern part of the state, was created by the first territorial legislature and named McGee, but as Mabillon W. McGee, for whom it was named, was a pro-slavery man, the free-state legislature of 1860 changed the name to Cherokee in honor of the Cherokee Indians. At the present time the county is bounded on the north by Crawford county ; on the east by the State of Missouri ; on the south by the State of Oklahoma, and on the west by Labette county. It has an area of 589 square miles.
The general surface of the country is undulating prairie, considerably cut up by shallow draws. A water-shed extends through the county from north to south dividing it into two nearly equal parts. The eastern half is drained by Spring river and its tributaries, the most important of which are Cow, Shawnee and Brush creeks, and the western portion is drained by the Neosho river and it's tributaries, the largest of which are Lightning, Cherry, Fly and Four Mile creeks.
The county is divided into the following townships: Cherokee, Craw- ford, Garden, Lola, Lowell, Lyon, Mineral, Neosho, Pleasant View, Ross, Salamanca, Shawnee, Sheridan and Spring Valley. The valleys of the streams vary from a half-mile to a mile in width and in the aggre- gate comprise about a quarter of the area. The soil is of a dark vege- table mould underlaid by a reddish brown clay subsoil and is very fertile. Corn, winter wheat and oats are the principal crops, but the county ranks high in horticulture, having about 300,000 fruit trees of bearing age, more than 250,000 of which are apple. Limestone is plentiful and is found in nearly all of the ravines. Sandstone is found west of Spring river near the tops of the high ridges, and both kinds of stone are exten- sively quarried for local use. An abundance of potter's clay is found in many parts of the county, which is used in the manufacture of brick and retorts of zinc smelters. Coal of an excellent quality underlies a large portion of the county, is extensively mined both for local demand, and
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immense quantities are exported to different parts of the state. Cher- okee is the second largest coal producing county in Kansas. The south- eastern part of the county lies practically in the heart of one of the rich- est and most productive lead and zinc regions in the United States and the output of this district amounts to several million dollars a year.
Previous to 1825 the land now embraced within the boundaries of Cherokee county belonged to the Osage Indians. By a treaty made that year they ceded their lands in Arkansas, Missouri and those lying be- tween Texas and the Kansas river, except a strip 50 miles wide, and running as far west as the Osages had formerly claimed, and between this strip and the state of Missouri a tract where neither Indians nor white settlers were allowed to remain. In 1835 a treaty was concluded between the government by which the Cherokees were granted this neutral land and the strip subsequently became known as the "Neutral Lands" (q. v.), which were opened to settlement under the provisions of the treaty of 1868.
As early as 1820 a Presbyterian mission was established on the Marais des Cygnes river and another a few miles south on the Neosho, the mis- sionaries being the first whites in the locality. . The first settlers came to Cherokee county from Georgia in 1835. They were quarter-breeds and members of the Cherokee tribe. David M. Harlan, Richard Fields, George Fields, John Rogers and Dennis Wolf, who had trouble with the tribal officers in the Indian Territory and withdrew from the tribe, came to the strip to settle. John Rogers located where Lowell now stands; the Field brothers and Wolf, farther north, in what is now Garden town- ship. A Baxter, for whom the town of Baxter Springs was named, had a claim there about 1858. Another man, named Commons, located about 3 miles northeast of Baxter. A fight occurred between the two men over Commons' claim and Baxter and his son-in-law were killed. Their families moved away and were not heard of again. In 1858 a few whites moved in, but the next year, by solicitation of the Indians, President Buchanan ordered them off and they were forced to leave by United States troops under Capt. Sturgis, and their houses burned.
In the summer of 1868, the first school house was erected at Wirtonia. It was built by subscription by the settlers but later became the property of district number 32. The first white child was born in Cherokee county as early as 1840, in what is now Garden township, and was a member of the Harlan family who lived there for a time. The first marriage license in the county was issued to Clark Johnson and Vienna Young, who were married on Nov. 6, 1867, but the first marriage occurred on Dec. 5, 1866, when John N. Burton married Mary Wilson. O11 Oct. 20, 1869, the first session of the Cherokee county teachers' institute was held, and on Nov. 20, 1869, the Cherokee county agricultural and horti- cultural society was organized at Brush Creek school house, Spring Valley township, which shows the attention paid to agricultural pur- suits at this early day. C. W. Willey was elected president; H. C. Vetch, vice-president; J. Wallace, secretary ; and B. L. Devore, treas-
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urer, and the first fair was held the next year. This association has become one of the well recognized institutions of the county.
Religious services were held in the county at an early day, as the set- tlers gathered at some convenient cabin for the purpose in different townships. The Methodists had several circuit riders in the county as early as 1867, and the first church was organized by C. C. McDowell at his house in Shawnee township the same year. Other denominations followed and churches were erected at Baxter and Columbus, where the Baptist church was organized in 1870. The following year the Presby- terians perfected an organization, since which time nearly every denomi- nation has established a church.
Immigration into the county was rapid during the decade from 1865 to 1875 and it was estimated that by the latter year the county had a population of nearly 13,000, most of the settlers having come from Illi- nois and Indiana, with a few from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Before the war there were but two settlements-one at the crossing of the military road over Shawnee creek, and the other on the "mound" on the west side of Spring river. Both were trading posts but were demolished during the war. Baxter Springs (q. v.) claims the honor of being the oldest permanent settlement in the county. John Appleby located at Columbus in 1868, and was probably the first actual settler in the town. He was followed by Judge Fry, who built a house and opened a hotel.
By the act of creation in 1855 Cherokee county was attached to Bour- bon county for all military and civil purposes. On Aug. 3, 1866, the governor appointed A. V. Peters, Reese Caldwalder and J. W. Wallace, special commissioners and Julius C. Petit special clerk for the purpose of organizing the county, and designated Pleasant View as the tem- porary county seat. It was located about 10 miles northeast of the present city of Columbus. An election was held on Nov. 6, 1866. when the following officers were elected: Representative, D. C. Finn; county commissioners, J. W. Wallace, U. G. Ragsdell and B. F. Norton ; county clerk, William Little; probate judge, D. C. Finn; clerk of the district court, F. M. Logan; sheriff, H. B. Brown; register of deeds, F. M. Logan; surveyor, C. W. Jewell; county attorney, J. A. Smith; treas- urer, D. Callahan; county superintendent, Sidney S. Smith ; coroner, J. Miller. At the general election on Nov. 5, 1867, the location of the county seat was submitted to a vote of the people. Columbus-then known as Cherokee Center-and Baxter Springs were the contestants. Baxter Springs received 136 votes and Cherokee Center 3. The com- missioners held their last meeting at Pleasant View April 10, 1868, and the first at Baxter Springs on April 14. The new location of the seat of justice did not suit the people, and the commissioners were petitioned to call another election, which was ordered for May 12, 1868, when the vote resulted as follows: Baxter Springs, 600; geographical center of the county, 639; Cherokee Center, I ; the center, 95. As no place received a majority another election was held on May 26, when Baxter Springs
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received 965; geographical center, 920. By this vote Baxter remained the county seat, but the people were still dissatisfied and on Feb. 17, 1869, another election was called to settle the matter. It was believed that if a fair election could be held the geographical center of the county would be chosen, for that location was supported by every precinct in the county. Eventually Columbus was chosen, but it was suspected that both the supporters of Baxter Springs and Columbus had practiced fraud with regard to the ballots. The county records were at once transferred to Columbus and established in a room of a house on the south side of the public square, where they remained until a temporary court-house was erected in the spring of 1871 on the northeast corner of the public square at a cost of $1,500. The new court-house was finished in 1889 at a cost of $70,000, and is one of the finest buildings of its kind in the state.
The first newspaper established in the county was the Baxter Springs Herald. It was owned and edited by B. R. and N. J. Evans, but they had only a meager support in their enterprise. The Cherokee Sentinel, the second paper in the county, appeared at Baxter Springs in Oct., 1868, edited by M. W. Coulter and D. E. Holbrook. The Columbus Inde- pendent was started on Sept. 1, 1870, by A. T. and W. J. Lea.
Cherokee county is the richest county in Kansas in mineral resources. The existence of lead and zinc ores was known to the Indians long before white settlement began. In 1872, zinc was discovered in what is now Garden township, and evidences of it were noted near Baxter Springs, but until 1876 it was not known that the ore existed in sufficient quan- tities to be of commercial value. In the spring of 1877 John Shoe and John McAllen, two miners from Joplin, Mo., made some examinations on Short creek and obtained permission from a man named Nicholls to sink a shaft on his land. At a depth of 15 feet they discovered a rich deposit of mineral. The land was bought by the West Joplin Zinc com- pany for $1,000 and the land near was laid out as Empire City. A Ger- man named Moll owned 160 acres of land where the town of Galena now stands. Lead was discovered there in the spring of 1877. Other rich deposits were located during the spring and summer, and people flocked to the locality so rapidly that on June 19, 1877, Galena was incorporated. The first coal shaft in the county was sunk at Scammon in 1877. It was owned and operated by the Scammon brothers and was the first coal shaft opened in Kansas south of the Leavenworth district. Since then various companies have entered the field and opened mines, so that today Cherokee county ranks second in production and value of coal.
Late in 1869 the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad was com- pleted to Fort Scott, and from there it was pushed southward toward Columbus, being completed to that point on April 8, 1870. A branch of the same road was finished to Baxter Springs that year, and later it was extended to Galena. In 1872, the St. Louis & San Francisco railroad was extended through Cherokee county, and a narrow gauge road was built from Weir City in the northern part of the county to Messer, but (I-21)
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it was later abandoned. In the fall of 1876, the St. Louis & San Fran- cisco was completed to Columbus. In 1886-87 the Nevada & Minden railroad (later absorbed by the Missouri Pacific) was built through the county from the center of the northern boundary to the southwest corner, and in 1894, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas extended a branch from the main line at Parsons to Mineral City. In 1901 this branch was completed through Columbus and Galena to Joplin, Mo., so that today excellent transportation facilities are afforded by a perfect network of railroads composed of the main and branch lines of these systems.
The population of the county in 1910 was 38,162. Although the county is 'rich in mineral resources, agriculture is an important industry. The value of farm products for 1910 was $2,397,988. The five principal crops, in the order of value, were: corn, $720,709: wheat, $498,381 ; hay, $289,125 ; oats, 262,828; Irish potatoes, $59,500. The value of animals slaughtered or sold for slaughter during the year was $251,914, and the value of the dairy products was $152,050.
Cherokee Strip .- The tract of land known as the "Cherokee Strip," or more properly speaking the Cherokee Outlet, lies just south of the southern boundary of Kansas. It is 57 miles wide from north to south, and extends from the Arkansas river on the east to the Texas panhandle on the west. While it was in possession of the Indians its beauty and fertility were so widely advertised that many thought it a veritable paradise. Consequently several efforts were made to have the strip opened for settlement, but without avail. About 1885 a railroad com- pany began the construction of a line from Arkansas City, Kan., toward Fort Worth, Tex., the survey passing through the Cherokee Strip. The Indians appealed to the courts for an injunction, but in the case of the Cherokee Nation vs. the Southern Kansas Railway it was decided that the United States had the power to exercise the right of eminent do- main over Indian lands, and the railroad went through. This did not please the Indians, and in 1892 the strip was sold to the United States. It was opened to white settlers on Sept. 16, 1893.
In the southern part of Kansas is another tract of land once known as the Cherokee Strip, or at least it was frequently called by that name. It was ordered to be sold to white settlers by the act of Congress, ap- proved May II, 1872. (See Neutral Lands.)
Cherryvale, one of the four important towns of Montgomery county, is located near the east line, 12 miles northeast of Independence, the county seat. It is a railroad center, being the point where the main line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. diverges, one line running south and the other southwest, and where the St. Louis & San Francisco diverges both lines running eastward. Cherryvale is a manufacturing town. It has a large zinc smelter which handles most of the zinc that comes from the world famous Joplin-Galena district, 6 brick and tile plants, iron works, glass plant, implement factory, oil refinery, foundry, machine shops, shovel factory, grain elevators, flour mills, planing mills, creamery, ice and cold storage plant, etc. The city also has 2 daily
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and weekly newspapers (the Republican and the Journal), a well equipped fire department, an electric light and power plant, churches, lodges and schools, and good banking facilities. Cherryvale is con- nected with Independence and with Coffeyville by an electric interurban railway. It is supplied with telegraph and express offices and has an international money order postoffice with 6 rural routes. The popula- tion in 1910 was 4,304.
The town was laid out in 1871 by the Kansas City, Lawrence & South- ern Kansas Railway company. The first building was the Grand Hotel erected by a Mr. Darr. The first store was opened by C. A. Clotfelter and J. P. Baldwin. A number of business enterprises had been established by 1873, when the town was swept by fire. The buildings were later replaced by brick structures, but the growth of the town was slow until 1879, when a large increase in the railroad mileage in this section of the country opened up the avenue of trade. The first church organization was effected in 1871 and the first school was taught in 1873 by Miss Mary Greenfield.
Cherryvale was incorporated as a city of the third class in 1880. The first election was held in April of that year and the following officers chosen ; mayor, C. C. Kincaid ; police judge, A. Wood; councilmen, A. Buch, J. M. Richardson, Frank Bellchamber, J. A. Handley and A. V. McCormick. At the first meeting of the council, the following officers were appointed : treasurer, A. Palp; clerk, M. F. Wood; marshal, J. C. Cunningham; street commissioner, B. F. Hinds.
In 1889 bonds to the amount of $5,000 were voted for use in prospect- ing for coal. Gas was found instead of coal and later oil was discovered. There are at present 31 gas wells in the vicinity from which the total output is 160,000,000 cubic feet of gas per day, the largest well produc- ing 11,000,000 cubic feet. It is said to be the largest gas well in the state. Cherryvale has a live commercial club, which is doing a great deal to promote the general prosperity of the town.
Chester, a small hamlet in the extreme southwest corner of Gray county, is in Montezuma township 25 miles from Cimarron, the county seat, and about 16 miles north of Plains, which is the nearest railroad station. Chester was formerly a postoffice, but the people there now receive mail by rural delivery from Colusa.
Chetolah, an extinct town of Geary county-or rather a projected town-was located near the mouth of Lyon creek in 1855 by a town company of which Dr. William A. Hammond was president and Capt. Nathaniel Lyon was secretary. A survey was made by Abram Barry and G. F. Gordon, but there was never a house built upon the site.
Chetopa, the third largest incorporated city in Labette county, is located at the junction of the Missouri Pacific and the Missouri, Kan- , sas & Texas railroads 10 miles south of Chetopa, the county seat. It is lighted by electricity and natural gas, and has waterworks and a fire department. There are three public school buildings, an opera house, fine church buildings, 2 banks, 2 weekly newspapers (the Advance and
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the Clipper), flour mills, a creamery and a brick plant. It has a money order postoffice with six rural routes, telegraph and express offices, and some well stocked stores. The population in 1910 was 1,548.
The site of Chetopa was located by Dr. Lisle for a colony formed at Powhatan, Ohio, in 1857. At that time John McMurtry was living within the present limits of the town. The place was named for Chetopa, the Osage war chief, who was living in the vicinity at the time, and who was a great friend of Dr. Lisle. The little settlement flourished until the war broke out. In 1863 about 40 houses in and about Chetopa were destroyed by the United States troops to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Confederates. After the war was over the settlers returned, and others came with them and the permanent settlement was begun. The Chetopa town company, with George Lisle as president, met at Humboldt in 1868 and the town site was selected. A charter was secured in March of that year and the sale of lots began. The first building on the new site was the Western Hotel, opened by Perry Barnes. M. H. Dersham erected a house and put in a stock of drugs. Several other business enterprises were started that year. A weekly stage line was established between Fort Scott and Chetopa in 1869, which was soon made tri-weekly. The growth of the town was slow until the railroad boom, which began in Feb., 1870, when $50,000 bonds were voted to the Missouri, Kansas & Texas company, which completed its line to Chetopa. This was to be the railroad center for this part of the country. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas officials promised to build their shops and locate their offices here, and people came with a rush to get in on the "ground floor." Large wholesale and retail enterprises were undertaken on borrowed capital. The National Hotel was built at a cost of $12,000, costly public improve- ments, for which the town had to be bonded, were erected, the public school house costing $24,000. Finally a disagreement between the rail- road officials and persons interested in the town caused the railroad support to be entirely withdrawn. All prospects fell with a crash. Peo- ple moved away, property became a drug on the market until the assessed valuation of all property was less than the town's bonded indebtedness.
Chetopa was chartered as a village in 1869 and became a city of the third class in 1870. The trustees of the village were M. G. Pratt, W. Gage, Henry Lisle, Leander Brown and A. S. Corey. The following were the first officers of the city: Mayor, F. M. Graham; councilmen, W. B. Gregory, C. H. Ludlow, W. A. Nix, G. A. Degraff and Dr. L. P. Patty. The postoffice was granted in 1859, but on account of there being no mail routes it was of no value to the town until 1866, when it was arranged to get the mail weekly from Humboldt. Col. W. Doudna, was the first postmaster.
The first bank was opened in 1868 and operated for two years, the next was opened in 1870 by Ketchem & Co., and was succeeded the next year by the National Bank. The first flour mill was built by
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Gilbert Martin in 1869. The library association was established in 1875.
The first and most disastrous fire occurred in 1871, when $25,000 worth of property was destroyed. Another fire in 1873 destroyed prop- erty to the extent of $4,000, and another in 1882 burned several good business houses. A hook and ladder company was organized in 1871, and a fire company in 1874.
The town was invaded in 1873 by the Hiatt boys from the Territory, who were there for plunder and robbery. They were driven out before any damage was done.
Cheyenne, a discontinued postoffice of Osborne county, is situated near the southeast corner, about 20 miles from Osborne, the county seat. Mail is received through the office at Luray by rural free delivery. Luray is the most convenient railroad station.
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