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, Volume II > Part 11
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Lane, an incorporated town of Franklin county, is located in the southeast corner on the Missouri Pacific R. R. 15 miles from Ottawa, the county seat. A postoffice was established on March 21, 1855, known as Shermanville, although locally the place was known as Dutch Henry's crossing, one of the Sherman brothers who lived there being known as Dutch Henry, and his name was given to the ford of the Pottawatomie at the place. (See Pottawatomie Massacre.) On Jan. 28, 1863, the name was changed to Lane, in honor of James H. Lane. Subsequently an attempt was made to change the name to Avondale, but it failed. Lane has a bank, a number of mercantile concerns, a money order postoffice with two rural routes, telegraph and express offices, telephone connections, and is a shipping point for a rich agri- cultural district. The population in 1910 was 272.
Lane County, in the western part of the state, is the fourth east from Colorado, and the fourth north from Oklahoma. It is bounded on the north by Gove county; on the east by Ness; on the south by Finney, and on the west by Scott. It was created by the legislature in 1873 and named for Senator James H. Lane. The boundaries fixed at that time were as follows: "Commencing where the 3d standard parallel intersects the east line of range 27 west; thence south along
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range line to its intersection with the north line of township 20 south ; thence west along township line to where it intersects the east line of range 31 west; thence north along range line to its intersection with the 3d standard parallel; thence east to the place of beginning."
The first change in the boundaries was made in 1879, when the county was enlarged by township 15 in ranges 26 to 30. In 1881 it was diminished on the north by one tier of townships and increased on the south by a strip taken from Buffalo county. In 1883 townships 21 of ranges 27 to 30 were detached, the first two being given to Hodge- man and the last two attached to Finney.
In Feb., 1886, in response to a petition from the residents of Lane county for organization Gov. Martin appointed G. T. Sutton census taker. His report, made on June 3, showed that there were 2,726 inhabitants, of whom 924 were householders, and $739,843 worth of taxable property, exclusive of railroad property, of which $462,955 was real estate. Dighton was the choice of the majority of the voters for temporary county seat. The governor's proclamation, made the same day that this report was returned, declared Dighton the temporary county seat and appointed the following officers: County clerk, T. J. Smith; county commissioners, Joshua Wheatcraft, J. J. Shaffer and G. H. Steeley.
The first settlements were made in 1878 and were in or about Alamota, where the first postoffice was established in that year, a pioneer character known as "Wild Horse" Johnson being the first post- master. Dighton must have been founded in 1879, as a newspaper, the Dighton Progress, was established in Feb., 1880, by Robert Mitchell. The first school was taught at Dighton in 1879. The first birth was that of Grace Lane Dow in 1879. The Dighton Republican in 1887 gave a list of 129 people who came into the county in 1879. The first United States census was taken in 1880 and showed a population of 619. At that time Lane was attached to Ness county for political pur- poses. A number of towns were founded about this time, among which were Waterloo, by R. W. Hey; Gould City, or California, at the geographical center of the county, at which place the first newspaper was established one month prior to the Dighton Progress, and Watson. In 1881 Lane was organized as a municipal township and held its first election. The first marriage occurred in March, 1881, between William D. Larkin and Margaret A. Sprague, the ceremony being performed by Rev. N. R. Van Derran. In 1882 there were but three sections of land deeded, 1,198 head of cattle, and 2,304 sheep. The real estate and personal property was worth $45,000. Five years later there were 180 sections of land deeded, the live stock numbered 6,326, of which one- half was cattle. The railroad had been built and Dighton had attained a population, according to the newspapers, of 2,000. The hard times of 1892-93, which caused a great deal of suffering in western Kansas, was especially disastrous to Lane county people. In the winter of 1893 many of the farmers, finding themselves unable to buy coal for
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fuel, sent a request to Gov. Lewelling that they be supplied from the state mines at Leavenworth. This could not be done under the law, but they were helped by private contributions. Ten years later the whole section had practically recovered from these hardships, land prices in Lane county had gone up, and permanent prosperity had been established.
The general surface of Lane county is rolling prairie. Bottom lands average one-half mile in width and comprise about 8 per cent. of the area. A few small streams, flowing north and east, have their sources within the county. There is a little native timber, and some artificial plantings. White limestone is found in the bluffs, and gypsum is plentiful.
The county is divided into nine townships: Alamota, Blaine, Cheyenne, Cleveland, Dighton, Spring Creek. Sutton, White Rock and Wilson. The postoffices are Alamota, Amy, Dighton, Division, Farns- worth, Healy, Lobdell, Pendennis and Shields. A branch of the Atchi- son, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad crosses near the center, almost directly west through Dighton. The Missouri Pacific railroad enters in the northeast and crosses southwest into Scott county. There are 45 organ- ized school districts and one county high school.
The total value of farm products in 1910 was $691,847, of which $593.327 accrued from the field crops. The most valuable crop is wheat, which in 1910 amounted to more than $200,000. Sorghum for forage and grain brought $110,000. Corn, oats, barley and hay are other im- portant crops. There were 13,520 head of live stock. The assessed valuation of property was $6,546,431. The population was 2,603, an increase of nearly 900 over that of 1900.
Lane, James H., soldier and politician, was a prominent figure in Kansas during the territorial period and the early years of statehood. His father, Amos Lane, was born at Aurora, N. Y., March I, 1778, and was a cousin of Joseph Lane of Oregon. After his admission to the bar he began practice at Lawrenceburg, Ind., before that state was admitted into the Union. He served as speaker of the Indiana house of representatives, and was twice elected to Congress as a Democrat. James H. Lane was born at Lawrenceburg, Ind., June 22, 1814. His mother was a woman of fine intellect and took a deep interest in the education of her son, who was of restless disposition, preferring a life of activity to books. He began his business career as a merchant and pork packer, but in 1846 practically gave up his business to organize a military company for service in the war with Mexico. He was elected captain of the company, and later was commissioned colonel of the Third Indiana regiment. At the close of the war he began to take an active interest in politics, and in 1848 was elected lieutenant-governor. Before the close of the term he was elected in 1852 to represent the Fourth Indiana district in Congress, and the same year was a presi- dential elector at large on the Democratic ticket. While in Congress he voted for the Kansas-Nebraska bill and the repeal of the Missouri
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Compromise. In April, 1855, he came to Kansas and located on a claim near Lawrence. Holloway says: "He came to the territory a strong Democrat, and an administration man, and remained conservative in his speeches, until he saw that it was more popular to be radical, then changed to be the most radical man in the West."
The inference might be drawn from Holloway's statement that Lane changed his views to increase his personal popularity. Yet he was not the only one who came to Kansas as a Democrat and after arriving in the territory changed his opinions. There were scores of such men, and in a large majority of such cases the change was due to honest convictions that the administration was wrong. In June, 1855, Lane assisted in organizing the "National Democracy," one of the cardinal principles of which was that the citizens of other states should "let Kansas alone." Had the Democratic party taken this view Lane might have continued to act with it, but at that time the policy seemed to be to make Kansas a slave state "by fair means or foul," and Lane went over to the free-state side. He was a member of the first free-state convention at Lawrence on Aug. 14-15, 1855, and was chosen presi- dent of the free-state territorial committee. After the Topeka con- stitutional convention was held and the constitution was ratified by the free-state men, Lane was elected United States senator under the new government, but of course, was not admitted to a seat in the senate. In the years that followed he was recognized as the leader of the radical, "fighting," free-state advocates-those who believed in meet- ing the border ruffians on their own ground and fighting them with their own weapons, actuated by the ancient tenet, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." When Kansas was admitted in 1861 Lane was again elected to the United States senate, and this time was suc- cessful in obtaining his seat. At the commencement of the Civil war he was instrumental in raising the company known as the "Frontier Guard" (q. v.), which was the first military organization to reach Washington. He also organized a brigade and commanded it for some time before receiving a commission as brigadier-general. While in com- mand of this brigade he recruited the Third and Fourth Kansas regi- ments. When he was commissioned brigadier-general Gov. Robinson appointed Frederick P. Stanton to the senate, but Lane declined the commisison in order to retain his seat. (See Robinson's Admin- istration.)
In 1862 Gen. Lane received a commission as a recruiting officer and aided materially in organizing the Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth Kansas regiments. In 1865 he was reelected to the United States senate for a full term of six years. While serving this term he indorsed President Johnson's opposition to the Freedman's Bureau and the Civil Rights bill, which rendered him unpopular in certain circles, and it was hinted that he was involved in serious Indian frauds. These accusa- tions preyed upon his mind until it is thought he became deranged. On Sunday, July 1, 1866, he rode out in a carriage with his brother-in-law, Capt. McCall, from the government reservation at Fort Leavenworth.
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When McCall got out of the carriage to open a gate Lane also sprang from the vehicle, called out, "Good-bye, Mac," placed the muzzle of a pistol in his mouth and sent a bullet through his brain. He lingered until the 11th, when he died. He was buried at Lawrence, and Cutler's History of Kansas says: "His faults, which were many, may well find sepulchre with his moldering dust; but his virtues are enshrined in the hearts of the thousands all over Kansas, who still revere his memory as their great leader, counselor and friend."
Gen. Lane was united in marriage in 1843, at Lawrenceburg, Ind., with a Miss Baldridge, daughter of a colonel in the United States army and a granddaughter of Gen. Arthur St. Clair. Mrs. Lane died at Columbus, Ohio, July 21, 1883, and was buried at Lawrence by the side of her husband. Their son, James H., became a lieutenant in the United States army.
Lane's Brigade .- After the battle of Wilson's creek, Mo., Aug. 10, 1861, the Union army retreated, the Kansas border was exposed, and Price's men were already threatening what they would do to the "Abolitionists," when James H. Lane began the work of organizing troops for defense. The sons of Kansas promptly answered the call and in a short time the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh regi- ments were ready for service. Lane took command of the troops at Fort Scott, fought the skirmishes of Dry Wood and Papinsville, and ended his campaign by the burning of Osceola, Mo. James Mont- gomery was colonel of the Third regiment and Charles R. Jennison of the Seventh. These two men, as well as Lane, were anxious to wreak vengeance upon the Missourians for their raids into Kansas during the border war, but Gen. Halleck estimated that "indignation at the raids of Lane, Jennison and Montgomery had given Price fully 20,000 men and came near losing Missouri to the Union." In 1863 Lane planned an expedition of 8,000 to 10,000 Kansas troops, some 4,000 Indians, seven regiments of cavalry, four of infantry and three bat- teries of artillery from Minnesota, "to move down into Texas." This was to be known as the "Southwest Expedition." The war department thought it feasible and issued orders for troops and supplies to be for- warded to Fort Leavenworth, the officers to report to Brig .- Gen. James H. Lane, but Gen. David Hunter showed the utter impracticability of the scheme and Lane returned to the senate. (See War of 1861-65.)
Lane's Road .- In 1856, on account of the dangers and difficulties encountered by northern emigrants in reaching Kansas by way of the Missouri river, the Iowa state central committee for free Kansas attempted to remedy the matter by opening an overland route through Iowa. Iowa City, at that time the capital, was the most western point in the state reached by rail, and in the early summer of 1856 arrange- ments were made by Gen. James H. Lane, Gov. Andrew H. Reeder, Gen. Samuel C. Pomeroy and W. Y. Roberts of Kansas to turn the tide of Kansas emigration to this road. According to a circular issued by the Iowa committee, dated July 4, 1856, the proposed course through
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that state was as follows: Leaving Iowa City and proceeding via Oskaloosa, Knoxville, Indianola, Osceola, Sidney to Quincy, in Fre- mont county on the Missouri river, distant 80 miles from Topeka, "the capital of Kansas." An agent went through Iowa by this route and the citizens in each of the aforesaid towns appointed committees to assist in every way any emigrants. The circular also suggested that ment was signed by W. Penn Clark, chairman; C. W. Hobart, secre- all companies formed for Kansas be sent over this road. The docu- tary; H. D. Downey, treasurer; W. Penn Clark, C. W. Hobart, H. D. Downey, L. Allen, Jesse Bowman, M. L. Morris, G. D. Woodin, J. N. Jerome and J. Truesdale, committee. Dr. J. P. Root, A. A. Jamieson and S. V. Jamieson were appointed a committee to locate the road, which commission was duly carried out.
After leaving Iowa the road entered Nebraska City, and from there bore almost due south through the counties of Nemaha and Richard- son to the state line, entering Brown county, Kan., near the north- west corner of the county. From there it ran in a general southerly direction to Topeka. When the road was laid out Oscar G. Richards was employed to plant the first stakes on the highway, and he also had the distinction of driving the first team over it. The first company that passed over the road was James H. Lane and six companions on horseback, all disguised, being a week in advance of the others. By Aug. I there were a large number of wagons and several hundred people, some of whom were on horseback, in the neighborhood of Nebraska City, preparing to enter the territory, the advance portion waiting until others came, that they might have a large force to open the road. On Aug. 7 a cavalcade of over 53 wagons, 25 horsemen and over 500 other persons on foot crossed the Kansas line. This was the advance of "Lane's Northern Army," which founded the towns of Lexington and Plymouth, in Brown county, and Holton, in Jackson county, on the line of the road. The pro-slavery element and their sympathizers at first caused the free-state people no little inconvenience in reaching Kan- sas by this route, but by 1857 conditions had so changed that emigrants were allowed to come and go by whatever route suited them best without molestation of any sort. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad follows the line of the Lane road pretty closely to the north of the state.
Lane University, located at Lecompton, Kan., was founded by Rev. Solomon Weaver in Jan., 1865 A regular corps of instructors was organized under state laws and the establishment of the institution was approved by the United Brethren church, which owned and con- trolled the school during its entire history. It was named in honor of James H. Lane, United States senator from Kansas, who was to endow the college but did not live to carry out his promise. Mr. Weaver was the first president of the college, holding that position two years. The first property owned by the institution was the Rowena hotel, which was built during territorial days, when Lecompton was the capi-
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tal of Kansas. The 13 acres of ground and the foundation of the old capitol building at Lecompton were donated to Lane University by the state in 1865, and in 1882 a college building was erected on the south half of the old foundation. During the early days of the college its support was meager but the fourth annual conference of the United Brethren church, in Kansas and Oklahoma, began to improve the insti- tution. In 1891 Rev. Charles M. Brooke, A. M., was elected president and the school enlarged to embrace model preparatory, normal, com- mercial and college departments, a divinity school and special depart- ments of music and elocution. The faculty consisted of eleven persons in 1900, with 178 students enrolled. In 1902 Lane University was united with Campbell University to form Campbell College (q. v.).
Lanesville, a country postoffice in Labette county, is located on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R. in Neosho township, 12 miles north of Oswego, the county seat. It was located after the building of the railroad and has one store. The population in 1910 was 20.
Lang, a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. in Lyon county, is located 9 miles northeast of Emporia, the county seat, whence it receives mail by rural route. It has telegraph and express offices, a general store, and in 1910 reported a population of 25.
Langdon, a village of Reno county in Langdon township, is a station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. 16 miles southwest of Hutchinson, the county seat. It is a thriving little town, the shipping and trading center for a prosperous agricultural area. A fish hatchery, conducted by private enterprise, is located hère. The town has a bank, a number of retail stores, telegraph and express offices and a money order postoffice with two rural routes. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 300.
Langley, a village in Ellsworth county, is located in the township of the same name, 23 miles southeast of Ellsworth, the county seat, and is on the Missouri Pacific R. R. It has telegraph and express offices and a money order postoffice. The population in 1910 was 66.
Lansing, one of the larger towns of Leavenworth county, is situated in the southeastern portion on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the Missouri Pacific and the Union Pacific railroads, 5 miles south of Leavenworth. The state penitentiary (q. v.) was located here in 1863 and the town has grown up around it, several of the houses in Lansing being the homes of officers of the penitentiary. With the opening of the coal mine at the prison the town became an important shipping point for this product. It is a town with churches, a good public school system, stores which handle all lines of merchandise, a number of beautiful homes, banking, express and telegraph facilities, a money order postoffice and in 1910 had a population of 712.
Lansing Skeleton .- On March 23, 1902, Joseph and Michael Con- cannon unearthed a portion of a human skeleton while digging a tunnel on the Concannon farm near Lansing, Leavenworth county. The skele- ton was found deep under a well-defined stratum of earth and rock, and
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was imbedded in what is called river loess. The discovery excited no particular attention until early in August of that year, when Michael Concannon visited Kansas City, taking a portion of the jaw with him and giving particulars of the find to a newspaper reporter. Shortly after the news was published scientists from all over the United States visited Lansing, making reports and advancing theories as to the probable age of the "find," which was thought to be anywhere from 10,000 to 35,000 years, while some of the more skeptical residents of the neighborhood took the view that the remains were those of a penitentiary convict who had been buried in this locality, the use of which as a cemetery had long since been abandoned. The skull of this man now reposes in the national museum at Washington, D. C., while the bulk of the remainder has been added to the museum of the Uni- versity of Kansas, at Lawrence.
Lapeer, one of the old settlements of Douglas county, is located in the southwest corner, in the Wakarusa valley, about 8 miles north- east of Overbrook, the nearest railroad station, from which it has rural free delivery. The first settlers located there in 1855, and the follow- ing year a postoffice was established. During the summer of 1856 a store was opened and several houses were erected, but the town prac- tically died after the traffic on the Santa Fe trail was abandoned.
Lapland, a discontinued postoffice in Greenwood county, is located in Salem township 16 miles northwest of Eureka, the county seat and the nearest banking and shipping point. The mail for this point is sent to Flintridge. The population, according to the report of 1910, is 20.
Lappin, Samuel, at one time prominent in Kansas political affairs, was born in Ohio about 1831. He came to Kansas soon after the ter- ritory was organized, and in 1855 was appointed register of deeds for Nemaha county. He was a member of the first state senate in 1861-62, and subsequently served in the lower house of the state legislature. On Nov. 26, 1862, he was appointed assistant quartermaster in the Union army and served in that capacity until mustered out on Sept. 20, 1865. He was elected state treasurer in 1874 and served until Dec., 1875, when he was asked to resign on account of certain irregularities in his office. On Dec. 21, 1875, a suit was filed against him for "forgery, counter- feiting and embezzlement," and on Jan. 13, 1876, he was arrested in Chicago, Il1. The following July he managed to escape from the jail and went to South America. He returned to the United States in 1880; was recognized in Washington Territory, and on Oct. 23, 1884, was brought back to Kansas for trial. The claims of the state were finally satisfied through the sale of Mr. Lappin's property, and on Dec. 24. 1885, the case was dismissed. Mr. Lappin then again took up his resi- dence at Seneca, Nemaha county, but later removed to La Center, Wash., where he died on Aug. 4, 1892.
Larcom, Lucy, teacher and poet, was born at Beverly, Mass., in 1826. Her father died while she was still young and she became a factory girl at Lowell. She formed the acquaintance of John G. Whittier, the
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poet, who encouraged her in her literary efforts, and she contributed a number of articles to the local papers. About 1846 she went to Illinois with a married sister and attended for a time the seminary at Monticello. Then she taught a term of school, after which she went back to Norton, Mass., where she taught for six years in a seminary. When Dr. Thomas H. Webb offered a prize of $50 for the best poem on Kansas Miss Larcom won over 88 competitors. Her poem was entitled "The Call to Kansas," a copy of which was sent by the author, in her own handwriting, to F. G. Adams, secretary of the Kansas His- torical Society, in Jan., 1891, and is now in the archives of the society. Miss Larcom died in the city of Boston, Mass., April 17, 1893.
Larimer, a hamlet of Montgomery county, is a station on the Mis- souri Pacific R. R. 5 miles north of Independence, the county seat, and 2 miles south of Sycamore, from which place it is supplied with mail. The population in 1910 was 50.
Larkinburg, a hamlet of Jackson county, is located on the Leaven- worth, Kansas and Western branch of the Union Pacific R. R. 9 miles east of Holton, the county seat. It is in the midst of a prosperous farming community and does considerable shipping. There are two stores, telegraph and express offices and a money order postoffice. The population in 1910 was 129. The town took its name from M. E. Larkin, who owned the land south of the town site. It was laid out in 1880, although a postoffice by the name of Larkin had existed since 1873, with Henry Priddy as postmaster.
Larned, the county seat of Pawnee county, is located northeast of the center of the county on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Missouri Pacific railroads, and at the confluence of the Pawnee and the Arkansas rivers. Its altitude is 2,002 feet. It is in the wheat belt of the state and is the trading and shipping point for a large agricul- tural and stock raising section. There are several blocks of substantial business houses, 2 newspapers (the Tiller and Toiler and the Chrono- scope), 3 banks with a combined capital of $125,000 and deposits amounting to over $850,000, a fine city hall, an opera house, a hospital, a city park, waterworks, electricity for lighting and power, a fire depart- ment, a sewer system, all the leading church denominations, a creamery, 2 flour mills, a foundry, several grain elevators, etc. The city is sup- plied with telegraph and express offices and has an international money order postoffice with four rural routes. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 2,911, a gain of 1,328 since 1900.
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