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 81
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That appropriation was the beginning of a series of improvements that amount practically to the rebuilding of the post. Among these improvements is a large cavalry riding hall, said to be one of the finest, if not actually the finest, in the country. In 1896 an appropria- tion of $75,000 was made to continue the construction of buildings under way ; an appropriation of $30,000 was made in 1900 for additional stables ; by the act of April 23, 1904, the sum of $40,000 was appropriated for a modern military hospital, and in 1905 an appropriation of $6,000 was made for a road through the reservation. On Feb. 14, 1889, Gov. Humphrey approved an act of the Kansas legislature ceding to the United States jurisdiction over the reservation, reserving to the state the right to serve civil or criminal process and to tax the property of corporations or citizens not otherwise exempt.
In the early days, owing to the fact that the well water in the vicinity of the fort was strongly tinctured with alkali, most of the water supply
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was obtained from large cisterns constructed for the purpose, but with other improvements at the fort a modern system of waterworks has been installed, insuring to the garrison a bountiful supply of pure water.
The camps of instruction and military maneuvers at Fort Riley in recent years have given the fort a wide and favorable reputation in military circles, and the probabilities are that this reputation will be greatly extended in the future, through better improvements and equip- ments, as Congress has shown no inclination to be parsimonious in its appropriations for the support and development of the post.
Maj. E. A. Ogden, the founder of the fort, was one of the victims of the cholera epidemic of 1855. (See Cholera.) The monument erected on the reservation to his memory, it is believed, marks the geographical center of the United States. On July 25, 1893, was unveiled another monument on the Fort Riley reservation, dedicated "to the soldiers who were killed in the battle with the Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee and Drexel Mission, S. D., Dec. 29 and 30, 1890."
Fort Saunders, a pro-slavery stronghold in the Border War (q. v.), was located on Washington creek, about 12 miles southwest of the city of Lawrence, and was nothing more than a well built log cabin belonging to a pro-slavery settler named Saunders. In the summer of 1856 it was the rendezvous and headquarters of a body of pro-slavery men, commanded by a. Col. Treadwell, engaged in plundering and harassing the free-state settlers. Saunders had a corn crusher, and on Aug. II, 1856, Maj. S. D. Hoyt, a free-state man, made an excuse to visit the fort to get a sack of corn crushed, but at the same time to see if some arrangement could not be reached with Col. Treadwell to stop the depredations of his gang. Hoyt was regarded as a spy, and on his return he was brutally murdered. Appeals to the United States troops to break up the rendezvous were made in vain, the command- ing officers saying they could not act without orders, and these the ter- ritorial authorities refused to issue. After the murder of Hoyt the citi- zens took matters in hand. On Aug. 15 a body of free-state men, under command of Lane and Grover, advanced upon the fort, but their movement was discovered and Treadwell and his men fled. Fort Saun- ders was then burned to the ground.
Fort Scott .- In 1837, by order of Col. Zachary Taylor, Col. S. W. Kearney and Capt. Nathan Boone were appointed to lay out the mili- tary road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Coffey, in the Indian Ter- ritory, and to select a location for a fort about midway between those two points. After examining several places, Kearney and Boone finally recommended a site on the right bank of the Marmaton river, 4 miles west of the Missouri state line. On May 30, 1842, Capt. Ben- jamin D. Moore, with 120 men of Companies A and C, First dragoons, established his camp on the spot and named it "Camp Scott." The fol- lowing year a sawmill and brick yard were opened there for the manu- facture of materials for permanent quarters, and the name was changed
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to Fort Scott. A plaza or parade ground of about two acres was laid off in the center. On the northwest side of this plaza were the officers' quarters, consisting of four large double houses, each two stories high, with attic, while on the other sides were the quarters for the men, stables, hospital, guard-house, etc., and a well about 100 feet deep was
GOV. DE
OLD GUARD HOUSE, FORT SCOTT.
sunk on the plaza. An octagonal brick building was also erected for a magazine. The garrisor was withdrawn in April, 1853, the post being left in charge of a sergeant, who was instructed to permit any reputable people to occupy the buildings. Fort Scott never had any reservation allotted to it, and in May, 1855, the buildings were adver- tised for sale "without land." The result of the sale was that the build- ings, which cost over $200,000, sold for less than $5,000. The city of Fort Scott (q. v.) occupies the site of the old military post, and the old guard-house was for several years the city "calaboose."
Fort Scott, the county seat of Bourbon county, is located in the east- ern portion, on the Marmaton river, about 4 miles west of the state line, on the site of the old military post established in 1842. The first build- ing was a rude log hut. A postoffice was established soon after the military post, and was maintained as long as the place was occupied by troops. The first settler was John A. Bugg, who located there as a sutler. In 1843 H. T. Wilson purchased a partnership in the business, and six years later purchased the entire stock, at the same time being made postmaster. When the government offered the buildings of the fort for sale, Mr. Wilson bought one of the largest and turned it into a residence. Another building, afterward known as the "Free State hotel," was bought by A. Hornbeck for $500. Others were bought by
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Edward Greenwood and J. Mitchell. The first hotel was opened in the west block of the government buildings by Thomas Arnett.
When Kansas territory was thrown open to settlement in 1854, a number of settlers came into Bourbon county from Missouri, and Fort Scott received its share. Some of the first men to locate in the town were Dr. Hill, R. Harkness, D. F. Greenwood and Thomas Dodge. Nothing was done toward organizing a town company until Jan., 1857, when George A. Crawford, Norman Eddy, D. H. Wier, D. W. Holbrook,
OLD GOVERNMENT BUILDING, FORT SCOTT
James E. Jones and Charles Dimon came to Fort Scott to purchase claims and lay out the town. On Jan. 8, 1857, the Fort Scott Town com- pany was organized with George A. Crawford, president; G. W. Jones, secretary ; and H. T. Wilson, treasurer. The company purchased the claims of H. T. Wilson, S. A. Williams, G. W. Jones, N. E. Herson and A. Hornbeck. It was incorporated in Feb., 1860, and obtained title to the land the following September. The company donated the lots to the settlers who had purchased the government buildings, lots for churches, one to the government for a national cemetery, and set aside a square for the county, upon which to erect a court-house and jail.
In July, 1857, the government land office was opened at Fort Scott. The receiver was ex-Gov. E. Ransom, of Michigan, who was accom- panied by George J. Clark, and George W. Clark arrived about the same time, having been appointed register. In August a number of settlers arrived and the town began to grow. A store was opened in the old quartermaster's building by Dr. B. Little & Son ; John G. Stewart started a blacksmith shop; George A. Crawford, W. R. Judson and C. Dimon
(I-43)
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bought the Free State hotel, which had become a popular stopping place for travelers. A Mr. Mckay in 1858 opened the Western hotel, which at once became the headquarters of the pro-slavery men. In the early winter a sawmill was erected at the foot of Locust street, where lumber was sawed for the building erected by the town company and a number of the frame dwellings. Soon after the settlement of Fort Scott began it was recognized as the leading pro-slavery town of southeastern Kansas, and held the same relation to southeastern part of the territory that Atchison did to the northeastern. (See Bourbon County.)
Early in March a dispute developed in the town company, George A. Crawford and George W. Clark being the principal disputants. Late in April matters reached a climax, when Crawford and two of his friends were notified to leave the town within 24 hours. Some of the soldiers stationed at the fort were drawn into the controversy, and it looked serious for a time, but within a few days Hamelton, Brocket, and some of the other border ruffians left and were not heard of again until after the Marais des Cygnes Massacre (q. v.), in which they took the leading roles.
On April 24, 1861, a Union demonstration was made at Fort Scott, and local differences were lost sight of in face of the great issue. At the outbreak of hostilities, many of the loyal citizens enlisted for the defense of the Union, and Fort Scott has a long roll of honor of those who lost their lives in defense of the country. Several forts were built in the town, viz : Fort Henning, at the corner of First street and Scott avenue; Fort Blair, at the corner of Second street and National avenue, and Fort Insley, north of the plaza. At one time there were 2,000 troops stationed in the town, and while it was menaced no Confederate force ever reached it.
The first school taught in Fort Scott was a private one in 1857, and the next year another was opened in the old government hospital building. Up to 1860 the school population of the town was only about 300. In that year the town was incorporated and the first mayor elected under the charter was Col. Judson. H. T. Wilson was chosen president of the council. No permanent school building was provided until 1863, when a building was erected which served the three-fold purpose of school house, church and city hall. In 1870 the central school building containing 12 rooms was erected at a cost of $60,000. Since then steady progress has been made in Fort Scott along educational lines, and today it has as fine a public school system as any city in the state. The First Presbyterian church, established in 1859, was the first religious organ- ization in the town. St. Andrew's Episcopal church was partially organ- ized the same year. The Catholic church was established in 1860 and was followed by other denominations.
The first newspaper in Fort Scott was the Southern Kansan, which first appeared in 1855. J. E. Jones started the Fort Scott Democrat in the winter of 1857-58. The Western Volunteer was started in 1862. and within a few months it was enlarged and the name changed to the
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Fort Scott Bulletin. These pioneer newspapers have been followed by a number of publications, some of which have been but short lived.
The first railroad to reach Fort Scott was the Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf, which was completed to the city in Dec., 1869, thus put- ting the town in communication with the east. Today the town has fine transportation facilities afforded by the Missouri Pacific, the St. Louis & San Francisco, and the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroads, which radiate like the spokes of a wheel from the city.
Early in its history, Fort Scott became recognized as a manufacturing center. A brewery was started in 1863 ; a planing mill in 1876; a foundry and machine shop began operations in the fall of 1869; the woolen mills were opened in 1873; the Excelsior mills, for the manufacture of flour, in 1871. With the opening of the coal beds in southeastern Kansas, Fort Scott became established as one of the leading manufacturing centers in the state. In 1909 there were 36 manufacturing establish- ments in the city ; the capital invested was $626,000, and the net value of the products was $340,000. The city is lighted and heated by natural gas, has waterworks and electric lighting systems, an electric street rail- way, and in 1910 had a population of 10,463.
Fort Sill, located at the junction of Medicine Bluff and Cache creeks, about 4 miles north of the city of Lawton, in the northern part of Comanche county, Okla., was established by the Nineteenth Kansas cav- alry late in the year 1868 or early in 1869, and was at first known as "Camp Wichita." It was occupied by the regiment until March 2, 1869, when the Nineteenth was ordered in pursuit of Little Robe's band of Cheyennes. On July 2, 1869, the name was changed to Fort Sill, a reservation was established, and the post became a permanent institution.
Fort Titus .- During the border troubles, Col. H. T. Titus built a strong log house, about 2 miles south of Lecompton, and fortified it as a rendezvous and place of defense for pro-slavery men. After the cap- ture and destruction of Fort Saunders (q. v.) on Aug. 15, 1856, the free-state men decided to turn their attention to Fort Titus. That night some 400 free-state partisans assembled, ready for an attack on the fort at sunrise the next morning. The assailants were divided into two parties, one under command of Capt. Samuel Walker and the other under Joe Grover. At daylight the place was surrounded, the one piece of artillery being placed in front of the house and loaded with slugs made from the type formerly belonging to the Herald of Freedom office, which had been destroyed by the pro-slavery men a short time before. As the cannon was discharged the first time the gunner remarked : "This is the second edition of the Herald of Freedom." After a short but lively engagement, the inmates of the fort surrendered. Various accounts of the casualties sustained by the contending parties at the "siege and capture of Fort Titus" have been published. Capt. Walker, who was one of the free-state commanders, and was therefore in a position to know, says they captured 400 muskets, a large number of knives and pistols, 13 horses, several wagons, a stock of provisions and 34 prisoners,
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and that the pro-slavery forces had I killed and 6 wounded, among whom was Col. Titus. William Crutchfield, a participant in the affair, gives the names of the free-state men who were wounded during the action as follows: Capt. H. J. Shombre, A. W. White, James N. Velsor, J. M. Shepherd, Charles Jordan, George Henry and George Leonard. Of these Capt. Shombre was mortally wounded, the others soon recovered. Capt. Shombre had come from Wayne county, Ind., only three weeks before with 18 young men, his company having joined Lane's party at Iowa City. Fort Titus was burned to the ground immediately after the surrender and the prisoners were taken to Lawrence, where they were "exchanged" on the 18th under a treaty made between Gov. Shan- non and the free-state leaders. (See Shannon's Administration.)
Fort Wakarusa .- During the territorial days, while the free-state and pro-slavery citizens were almost at constant warfare, a number of places where the opposing forces were wont to gather were dignified by the name of "fort." Fort Wakarusa was a free-state fortification at the crossing of the Wakarusa river, near the old town of Sebastian, about 5 miles from Lawrence, in a southeasterly direction. It is marked upon an old map of Douglas county, published in 1857, but aside from its location but little can be learned of its character, etc. Most likely its construction was similar to that of other "forts" of that day-a log cabin surrounded by a line of earthworks, or perhaps a line of palisades.
Fort Wallace .- This post was established in Sept., 1865, and was first known as Camp Pond Creek, so called from its location at the junction of Pond creek and the south fork of the Smoky Hill river, about 2 miles southeast of the present town of Wallace, a station on the Union Pacific railroad. On April 16, 1866, the name was changed to Fort Wallace, in honor of Gen. W. H. L. Wallace, who was mortally wounded at the battle of Shiloh, Tenn., and died on April 10, 1862. A reservation of 14 square miles was laid out and buildings erected afford- ing accommodations for 500 men. During the building of the railroad Fort Wallace was an important post. The railroad was completed to the fort in July, 1868, and during the following year several skirmishes with the Indians occurred in the vicinity. In 1872, Gen. John Pope, commanding the Department of Missouri, recommended the abandon- ment of Fort Wallace, but it continued to be used as a military post for ten years after that date, being finally abandoned on May 31, 1882. By the act of Congress, approved on Oct. 19, 1888, the reservation was ordered to be sold, except the right of way of the Union Pacific railroad and the post cemetery, which was given to the city of Wallace. The Wallace Waterworks company was to be given the preference in the purchase of certain lands, viz .: the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter section 25, township 13 south, range 39 west. All the rest of the reservation was to be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the homestead laws.
Fort Wayne, an old military post in the Indian country, was estab- lished on Oct. 29, 1838. It was located in what is now the Cherokee Nation, about 10 miles southwest of the southwest corner of Missouri.
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It was abandoned as a fort in May, 1842. Near the site of this old fort, Gen. Blunt's forces had an engagement with the Confederates under Cooper on Oct. 22, 1862. In this action Capt. Samuel J. Crawford's company, Second Kansas cavalry, made a brilliant charge and captured a battery of four guns.
Fort Zarah .- This fort was located on the left bank of Walnut creek, about 2 miles from its mouth, and about 4 miles east of the present city of Great Bend, the county seat of Barton county. It was established on Sept. 6, 1864, by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, and was named for his son, Maj. H. Zarah Curtis, who was killed at the Baxter Springs massacre while serving on the staff of Gen. Blunt. The fort was built of sand- stone, taken from the bluffs about 3 miles distant. It was 116 feet long. with an average width of 50 feet, and with the exception of 24 feet of the east end was two stories high. Its original cost was $110,000. On Sept. 30, 1868, by order of President Andrew Johnson, the Fort Zarah military reservation was established, and it was surveyed the same year. It contained about 3,700 acres and extended from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad north to the hills. The fort was dismantled in Dec., 1869, and an act of Congress, approved Feb. 24, 1871, provided for the survey and sale of the reservation. On Aug. II, of that year, the surveyor-general was instructed to extend the lines of the public surveys over the same. The lands were then appraised at from $3 to $10 an acre, and in July, 1874, were offered at public sale at Salina, but less than 50 acres were sold at that time, and the remainder became subject to private entry at the appraised value. Smyth, in his "Heart of the New Kansas," says: "After the abandonment of the fort it became a den of thieves and general rendezvous for bats and marauders. These occupied it day and night by turns-the former hiding by day, the latter by night." The stone used in the construction of the fort was gradually appropriated by the settlers in the vicinity, and the "bats and marauders" were finally rendered homeless.
Fossils .- (See Geology, Archaeology and Paleontology.)
Foster, a small hamlet of Butler county, is about 5 miles northeast of Eldorado, the county seat and most convenient railroad station, from which place the inhabitants receive mail by rural delivery.
Fostoria, a village of Pottawatomie county, is located in Shannon township, on the Leavenworth, Kansas & Western branch of the Union Pacific R. R. 8 miles northwest of Westmoreland, the county seat, and 6 miles from Olsburg. The main lines of business are represented, including banking facilities. There is a money order postoffice and telegraph and express offices. The population in 1910 was 125.
Fourmile, a rural hamlet in the southeast corner of Lyon county, is 7 miles south of Hartford, the nearest station and shipping point. whence it receives its mail by rural delivery, and 18 miles southeast of Emporia, the county seat.
Fourteenth Amendment .- On June 10, 1866, Congress, after a some- what protracted debate, submitted to the legislatures of the several states
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an amendment to the Federal constitution giving to negroes the right of citizenship; prohibiting the states from enacting any laws that would have a tendency to abridge the rights, privileges or immunities of citizens ; providing for a reduction in the number of members of Con- gress in any state that might disfranchise, or deny the right to vote to any male inhabitant thereof over the age of 21 years ; rendering ineligible to the office of senator or representative in Congress or presidential elector all persons who, "having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state to support the constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid and comfort to the enemies thereof ;" and declaring the war debt of the Confederate States illegal and void. Congress was given power to enforce the pro- visions of the amendment by appropriate legislation, and also to remove the political disabilities imposed by it by a vote of two-thirds of each house.
The amendment was ratified by the legislatures of 23 Northern states. It was rejected by Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and 10 Southern states, though these Io states subsequently ratified it under pressure during the reconstruction period. California took no action upon it. The Fourteenth amendment was proclaimed a part of the Federal con- stitution on July 28, 1868.
Gov. Crawford, in submitting the amendment to the legislature of 1867, said in his message: "Whilst the foregoing proposed amendment is not fully what I might desire, nor yet what I believe the times and exigencies demand, yet, in the last canvass, from Maine to California, it was virtually the platform which was submitted to the people ; the ver- dict was unmistakable. . . I therefore hope that Kansas, in the first legislative enactment of this session, will give the unanimous vote of . her legislature in favor of this measure."
Gov. Crawford's hope was not quite realized. The legislature of that year met on Jan. 8. On the Ioth a joint resolution ratifying the amend- ment passed the senate by a unanimous vote, and on the same day it passed the house by a vote of 76 to 7. While not unanimous, the vote in favor of the amendment was strong enough to show unmistakably where Kansas stood upon the proposition.
Fowler, an incorporated city of Meade county, is located in the town- ship of the same name and is a station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. 10 miles northeast of Meade, the county seat. It has 3 banks, an international money order postoffice with two rural routes, telegraph and express offices, grain elevators, lumber yard, a number of well stocked mercantile establishments, a weekly newspaper (the Gazette), Congregational, Friends and Methodist churches, good schools, hotels, etc. It is located in the Crooked creek valley and is the shipping point for a large agricultural district. The population in 1910 was 473.
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Francis, a money order post-hamlet of Ness county, is situated in Highpoint township, about 12 miles southeast of Ness City, the county seat, and in 1910 reported a population of 20. It has a general store and is a trading center for the neighborhood. Ness City and Bazine are the nearest railroad stations.
Frankfort, the third largest town in Marshall county, is located on the Vermillion river and the Missouri Pacific R. R., 18 miles southeast of Marysville, the county seat. It is on the route of the Union Pacific branch which is building from Onaga. All the principal lines of busi- ness are represented. The main commodities shipped are grain and produce. There are good schools and churches, weekly and daily news- papers, express and telegraph offices, and six rural delivery routes go out from the Frankfort postoffice.
The neighborhood of which Frankfort became the trading point was settled in 1855-56 by free-state men from Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pa.
After various attempts to make a town, Frankfort was laid out in 1867 by a town company of Marysville men, who bought section 16, township 4, range 9, and started a town by the name of Frank's ford. In consideration of receiving a station, depot and side track, the com- pany gave one-half the town site to the Central Branch R. R., the line was extended to Frankfort that year and the depot built.
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