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 26
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Marais des Cygnes, Massacre of .- As early as 1856 trouble arose between the free-state and pro-slavery settlers in Linn county, when a large body of southerners marched through the county destroying the little property there was and capturing the free-state settlers who were not fortunate enough to get out of the way. One of the men who escaped, although vigorously pursued, was James Montogomery, who became the acknowledged leader of the free-state men in the county.
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Various outrages continued until 1857, when Gen. Lane assembled a company to intimidate the pro-slavery men of Linn county and the adjoining counties of Missouri. He established headquarters at Mound City and for a time quelled the forays, but after his force was dis- banded trouble broke out afresh and it was then that James Mont- gomery (q. v.) took the field in defense of the frightened free-state settlers, and ordered the pronounced leaders of the pro-slavery party out of the county. Many of them obeyed the summons and moved with their families to Missouri.
Around Trading Post, on the Marais des Cygnes river in Linn county, a bitter pro-slavery settlement had grown up, the leader of which was Charles Hamelton. The post thus became the rendezvous of the abolition haters not only for the immediate vicinity but for the territory across the line. Montgomery determined to break up this gang. He began by emptying the contents of several barrels of whiskey on hand at the "doggery," and leaving a notice for the ruffians to quit Kansas Territory. Hamelton and some of his neighbors left the ter- ritory. Subsequently they called a meeting at Papinsville to incite the men to an invasion of Kansas. Hamelton addressed the meeting and with a unanimous vote it was decided to invade the territory at once. A band was organized to exterminate the free-state settlers in Linn county.
When the party arrived at the line between Missouri and Kansas a halt was ordered to make final arrangements. One of the men named Barlow, who had spoken against the invasion at the meeting, again did so, and this time with better effect. They were on the border of the hated but also dreaded Kansas, and Barlow assured them that the crack of the Sharpe's rifles might be expected from Montgomery's men at any minute. A panic seemed imminent, but at the summons of Hamelton about 30 of the most resolute rode after their leader and reached the post on the morning of May 19, 1858, where they captured one man and then proceeded on the road toward Westport, capturing three more on the way. The next capture was Austin Hall and his brother Amos. In all 11 men were taken prisoners, nearly all of whom were known to Hamelton or some member of his party. They were not known to have taken any active part in the disputes, and having been neighbors of Hamelton they had no suspicion that he meant to harm them, especially as they were guilty of no offense but that of being free-state men. The II victims were driven at a rapid pace into a deep gorge, where they were lined up facing east. Hamelton then ordered his men to form in front of them and fire. One of the men turned out of the line and refused to do so, but Hamelton brought the remainder into line and fired the first shot himself. Six of the victims were not killed and the men fired at them again. One man, Austin Hall, was not touched, but feigned death and thus escaped. The dead were carried to the Trading Post and the wounded cared for. The State of Kansas later appropriated $1,000 for a memorial monument,
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which has been erected at the Trading Post, beneath which rest the ashes of Colpetzer, Campbell, Ross and Robinson. The body of Stil- well was taken to Mound City for burial.
Margaret, a hamlet in Lincoln county, is located 20 miles southwest of Lincoln, the county seat, and 5 miles northeast of Wilson, Ells- worth county, the nearest shipping point, and the postoffice from which it receives mail by rural delivery.
Marienthal, a hamlet in Wichita county, is located on the Missouri Pacific R. R. 9 miles east of Leoti, the county seat. It has a money order postoffice and daily mail. The population in 1910 was 25.
Marietta, a hamlet of Marshall county, is located in Oketo township on the Union Pacific R. R., 8 miles north of Marysville and about 2 miles from Oketo. It has telegraph and express offices, and a post- office. The population in 1910 was 100.
Marion, the judicial seat of Marion county, is located a little to the east of the central part of the county, at the junction of the Atchison,; Topeka & Santa Fe and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroads, and at the confluence of the two branches of the Cottonwood river and the Luta. It is the central trading point of a rich agricultural and stock raising district. It has city waterworks, paved streets, a fire department, electric lights, 3 banks, 2 newspapers (the Marion Record and the Review), a creamery, flour mills, a good hotel, and all lines of mercantile establishments. It has a fine court-house. Marion is the home of ex-Gov. Hoch and other noted men. It is supplied with express and telegraph offices and has an international money order post- office with seven rural routes. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 1,841.
Marion was the first town in the county to be platted. A store was opened in 1861 and a postoffice was established in 1862, but the town was not laid out until 1866. The town is beautifully located among streams, woods and springs. Limestone is abundant and most of the buildings are constructed of this material. A few are made of cement. The first newspaper was the Western News, published by A. W. Robinson for a company of prominent townsmen. Marion became a city of the third class in 1875. Good substantial buildings were erected in the late '7os and early 'Sos and they are still in use, although, many new ones have been added. One of the best high schools in the state is maintained here, the curriculum of which includes a domestic science course. A good graded school was maintained as early as 1878. The town has a public library for which the legislature authorized a tax levy in 1885. It is under the auspices of the Marion Library association.
Marion County, which at one time covered more than a third of the area of Kansas, including all the territory in the state south and west of the present northern and eastern lines of the county, is located mid- way between the northern and southern boundaries of the state, and is in the first tier of counties west of the 6th principal meridian. It is bounded on the north by Dickinson and Morris counties; on the
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east by Morris and Chase; on the south by Butler and Harvey, and on the west by Harvey and McPherson. The original location of the county was fixed by legislative act in 1860. It comprised less than the present area. The original boundaries were altered by an increase of territory on the west and a decrease on the seat. In 1865 the legis- lature by special act fixed the boundaries to include all of southwestern Kansas. In June of that year, on petition of the citizens of the county, the governor restored the previous boundaries and ordered a separate organization of the county. There were 162 inhabitants at that time, and but 200 acres of land under cultivation. Under the name of Marion township the county had been attached to Chase county for judicial purposes since 1862.
William H. Billings, Levi Billings and Thomas J. Wise, Sr., were appointed the first commissioners. The first meeting was held at the home of William H. Billings at Marion, which at the election in Dec., 1866, was made the county seat. The first election was held on Aug. 7, 1865, when 23 votes were polled and the following officers elected : William H. Billings, probate judge and county commissioner ; Thomas J. Wise, treasurer and county commissioner; Levi Billings, commis- sioner ; R. C. Coble, county clerk and register of deeds ; John C. Snow, sheriff ; W. P. Shreve, county surveyor; Reuben Riggs, county attor- ney. Mr. Wise being ineligible to office A. A. Moore was appointed in his place. A second county seat election was held in 1881, which resulted in favor of Marion. The first court-house was in the same building with the school house. The county appropriated $999 for this , building. In 1881 another appropriation of $5,000 was made and a new court-house built. A third building has lately been erected, which is one of the best court-houses in the state.
The first settlers in the county located on Doyle creek, near the pres- ent town of Florence. They were Moses Shane, who came in 1858, and whose death the next year was the first in the county ; Patrick Doyle, in 1859, for whom Doyle creek and township were named, and a family by the name of Welsh, in which occurred the first birth in the county in Aug., 1859. In the spring of 1859 a trading post was established at Lost Springs on the Santa Fe trail and in the autumn of the same year Moore Bros. established a ranch near the present town of Durham. The first postoffice was established at this place with A. A. Moore as postmaster. Later in the same year a postoffice was established at Lost Springs with J. H. Costello as postmaster. Previous to this the nearest postoffice was Emporia. Thomas J. Wise settled on Clear creek and John Brenot on Brenot creek in 1859. The next year Wil- liam H. Billings, George Griffith and William Shreve located where the city of Marion now stands. The population of the county in that year was 74.
The famous Santa Fe trail ran through Marion county, entering in the northeast corner, running through Lost Springs and southwest into McPherson county. The settlers were for many years in danger from
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the Indians. In 1864 a man was scalped on the trail at "Cottonwood Holes," near the headwaters of the Cottonwood river, by a party of Cheyennes and Kiowas. At Marion there was a log house surrounded by a high stone corral, which was used as a fort. A ruling existed among the settlers to the effect that no gun was to be fired unless there was danger from the Indians. Many times those who were too far away to get to the "fort" hid in the cornfields and at times whole families remained in such concealment all night. In 1868 numerous depredations were committed in the northern part of the county by the Cheyennes, who stole horses and cattle, and were followed by white thieves committing the same offenses in Indian guise. The people in the outlying settlements flocked to Marion for refuge. David Lucas rode to Council Grove and secured relief, which in all probability averted an attack.
The first school in the county was taught in the winter of 1865-66 by Dr. J. N. Rodgers of Marion. The district took in the whole of southwest Kansas, which at one time was included in the county. The first term lasted four months and the assessor had to go clear to the west line of the state to collect taxes to support the school. Some of the pupils came from Larned, Fort Dodge and other remote settlements. The school house was of logs with a dirt roof, and the teacher's desk was a dry goods box.
The first store in the county was started by A. A. Moore and W. H. Billings at Marion in 1861. The first grist mill was erected in 1872 on the Cottonwood by Moore & Fuller. The first wheat that was raised in the county was grown by Silas C. Locklin in 1863. It was threshed by the old treading process used in Bible times and was cleaned by pouring it in the wind. It had to be hauled to a mill near Emporia to be ground, and the hauling was difficult, as there were no roads. The first sermon was preached in the school house above men- tioned. The minister came 45 miles to hold the service, and he was clad in overalls and a woolen shirt.
The first railroad proposition was made by the Kansas & Nebraska company, and the agreement was that bonds to the amount of $200,000 should be issued to the company on the completion of the grade to Marion. The grade was completed and the bonds issued, but no rail- road was built. The railroads now in the county are the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. The main line of the former enters on the east line of the county and crosses southwest through Florence and Peabody. A branch diverges north- west, which runs through Marion and Hillsboro, and another branch goes south through Burns into Butler county. Another line of the same road crosses the extreme northeast corner, passing through Lost Springs. Two lines of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific enter in the northeast from Herington. One runs south to Marion, thence southwest to Peabody and on into Butler county, the other cuts off the northwest
(II-15)
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corner passing through Ramona, Tampa and Durham and on into McPherson county.
Aside from the public schools there are three private institutions, the English-American preparatory school at Hillsboro, a German Lutheran school at Lincolnville, and the school of the Immaculate Conception at Burns. Physical culture is taught in a number of the schools in the county.
Marion county was originally divided into three townships, Marion, Cedar and Santa Fe. In 1870 the townships were Clear Creek and Doyle. In 1875 the additional ones were Branch, Grant, Peabody, Risley, Summit and Wilson; in 1880 four more had been organized, Catlin, Fairplay, Gale and Liberty ; in 1882 Branch was divided into East Branch and West Branch, Durham was organized and ten more have since been organized, making 24 in 1910. The new ones are: Blaine, Clark, Colfax, Durham Park, Lehigh, Logan, Lost Springs, Menno, Milton and Moore.
Marion county is one of the beauty spots of Kansas. The main branch of the Cottonwood river rises in the northwestern part and flows southeast to Marion, where it is met by the south branch and continues in a southeasterly direction. It is a beautiful stream skirted with woods which form delightful natural scenery for many miles. There are a number of tributaries, among which are the Doyle, Cedar and Luta. Springs are abundant throughout the county, some of them containing minerals in medicinal quantities. The most notable of these are the Chingawassa springs, located 6 miles north of Marion in the midst of a beautiful natural park. The general surface is somewhat broken and hilly in the east and a gently rolling prairie in the west. The bottom lands along the streams average from one-fourth mile to a mile in width, and comprise 15 per cent. of the total area of the county. The timber belts comprise about 3 per cent. of the total area and con- tain cottonwood, hackberry, elm, oak, walnut, box-elder, sycamore, honey-locust, coffee-bean and mulberry. Gypsum and magnesian lime- stone are abundant, the latter being found along the banks of the streams.
This is an agricultural and stock raising county and ranks among the foremost in the state in the amount of money realized from the sale of stock sold for slaughter. The total value of farm products averages over $5,000,000 annually. Corn, the heaviest crop, netted $1,500,000 in 1910; oats, $600,000, and animals sold for slaughter nearly $2,000,000. Kafir corn, oats, hay, poultry, butter and eggs are impor- tant products, and there are 200,000 bearing fruit trees.
The assessed valuation of property in 1910 was over $40,000,000, as against $40,000 in 1870. In 1870 the population was 768, and in 1910 it was 22,415, which shows that the property values have not only increased a thousand fold in 40 years but the wealth per capita from $52 to $1,800. According to the figures presented by the Marion news- papers and real estate men there is more money per capita on deposit in the Marion county banks than in any similar district in the world.
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Marmaton, one of the historic old towns of Bourbon county, is situated on the Marmaton river and the Missouri Pacific R. R. 6 miles west of Fort Scott. The original town site was located in 1858 and within a short time several buildings were erected. In 1860 a mill was built and in 1862 the town probably reached the height of its prosperity. On Oct. 22, 1864, it was sacked and burned by part of Price's army during his raid through Kansas. When the railroad was built in 1882 it passed about three-quarters of a mile from the town, which was abandoned and a number of the buildings were moved to the railroad. For many years the name was spellel Marmiton, but upon the petition of citizens the name was changed back to the old form in 1882. The new town on the railroad has prospered. It has a money order postoffice, several good stores, express and telegraph facilities and is the supply and shipping point for a considerable district. In 1910 the population was 108.
Marquette, one of the important little incorporated cities of McPher- son county, is located on the Smoky Hill river and the Missouri Pacific R. R., 16 miles northwest of McPherson, the county seat. It has 2 banks, a flour mill, 2 weekly newspapers (the Tribune and the Journal), good public schools and substantial church edifices. The town is sup- plied with express and telegraph offices, and has an international money order postoffice with two rural routes. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 715. Marquette was laid out in 1874 by a town company, of which S. J. Darrah was president. The first build- ing was erected by J. A. Foster, who was the first postmaster. A water mill was built by H. S. Bacon at a cost of $10,000. This locality has been unfortunate in a number of instances in its history, when it has suffered from wind storms and cyclones. There is not, however, a more prosperous section of agricultural country in the state.
Marshall County, one of the original 33 counties created by the first territorial legislature, is located in the northern tier of counties. The act defining the boundaries is as follows: "Beginning at the north- west corner of Nemaha county, thence west on the boundary line 30 miles, thence south 30 miles, thence east 30 miles, thence north 30 miles to the place of beginning." By the act of Feb. 16, 1860, the county seat was permanently located at Marysville.
The history of Marshall county goes back to the expedition of Stephen H. Long, who passed through this territory in 1819 and 1820 on his way from Pittsburgh to the Rocky mountains. Gen. Fremont led a similar expedition through what is now Marshall county in the early '40s, and in 1847 John Smith, the Mormon apostle, with his band of followers from Illinois opened a permanent trail crossing the Big Blue river 6 miles below the present city of Marysville, at a place afterward called "Mormon," for the reason that it became a camping place for these people, who during the next two years crossed the plains by the thousands. In 1849 this trail was used by California gold hunters and the place was called "California crossing." Later it was known as
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Independence crossing. The first permanent settlement was made at this place by A. G. Woodward in 1848.
The most prominent man in the settlement and early development of the county was Francis J. Marshall, after whom it was named. He came from Missouri in 1849 and established a ferry at California cross- ing, but for several seasons he returned to his old home every winter. In the spring of 1851 he moved his ferry 6 miles up the river and estab- lished a trading post where Marysville now stands. In 1854 James McCloskey, who had been out to the Rocky mountains and had there married an Indian woman, came with half a dozen other traders and their families. McCloskey settled near Marshall's ferry and the others settled on the Vermillion on invitation of a Pottawatomie half-breed by the name of Louis Tremble.
Early in the spring of 1855 settlements were made in the southeastern part of the county along the Vermillion. Some of the first to come were John D. Wells and his family from Kentucky, A. G. Barrett, the Brockmeyer brothers, Joseph Langdon, Thomas Warren, H. Ashdown and the Farley brothers. A number of new families located in and around Marysville. In 1857 Smith Martin took up a claim in Center township and built a cabin. William Reedy and M. T. Bennett set- tled on Coon creek; George Guittard and his sons located in the north- western part of the county, about 3 miles north of the present town of Beattie; Blue Rapids City township was settled by James Walter, M. L. Duncan and others; Blue Rapids township was settled by four brothers -Ambrose, East, Martin and James Shipp-who located near the pres- ent town of Irving. In 1858 Samuel Smith settled near the east line of Noble township and the next year Isaac Walker had taken a claim on the west fork of the Vermillion.
The county was organized in 1855 and the county seat established at Marysville. The first election was held on March 30 of that year. It was an interesting event. The Kansas-Nebraska act, which provided for the organization of the territory, conferred the right to vote upon every "inhabitant" of the territory, otherwise qualified, who should be an actual settler. Nothing was said about any required period of residence. A most liberal construction was put upon this provision by the Missourians who came into the territory by the thousands and voted. The party which came, to Marysville numbered several hun- dred men who came in wagons with camping equipment, stayed long enough to vote, and then left. The polling place was in the "loft" of F. J. Marshall's store. The voter would go up a stairway far enough for the clerks and judges to see his head, call out a name, deposit his ballot, go back down, absorb some bad whiskey, think up another name and repeat the process. It is said that Jonathan Lang of Vermillion (nicknamed "Shanghai"), after voting all day long between drinks, sprang upon a whiskey barrel and offered to bet $100 that he had out- voted anybody in the crowd. The challenge was accepted and the money put up. The investigating committee found that "Shanghai" had lost the bet, the winning party having deposited nearly 100 votes.
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It is said that this man had in his possession a St. Louis city directory and had voted half way through the "A" list. As a result Marysville, which consisted of only three or four log cabins (although it was the only town in northern Kansas of any importance at that time), rolled up 1,000 votes. Francis J. Marshall was elected a member of the ter- ritorial legislature.
The first probate judge of Marshall county was James Doniphan, who held the first term of court on Oct. 10, 1855. Alexander Clark, the first sheriff, received his commission in October of that year and was killed the next June while attempting to arrest two horse thieves. M. L. Duncan was appointed to serve out Clark's term. James Mc- Closkey was the first county clerk. W. N. Glenn, John D. Wells and M. L. Duncan were the first commissioners.
In 1856 a colony of 85 South Carolina men organized at Atchison what they called the Palmetto Town company. The site of the old ferry at Independence crossing was bought from Francis J. Marshall for $500 and a town laid out, which was called Palmetto. Among those who came and settled were J. S. Magill, J. P. Miller, O. D. Prentis, Albert Morrall, W. B. Jenkins, J. R. Allston, John Vanderhorst, A. S. Vaught and Robert Y. Shibley. About the same time Marshall laid out a town around his trading post and ferry which he called Marys- ville, after his wife. The two communities were at variance for the next two years, and in some cases their quarrels were settled with pistols. At last Marshall induced the South Carolinians to move their town up the river to Marysville.
The first newspaper established in the county was the Palmetto Kan- san, owned by the Palmetto Town company and edited by J. E. Clardy, in 1857.
The first marriage was in Aug., 1856, between Timothy Clark and Judy North on the Vermillion. They were married by Squire Ault at the home of James Smith. The first birth was that of Emma Shipp in 1857, and the first death was that of Ellis Myers, who froze to death in a terrible storm in the winter of 1856-57. The first postoffices were Marysville, 1854, Francis Marshall, postmaster; Barrett, 1857, E. Pugh, postmaster ; Irving, 1860, M. D. Abbott, postmaster; Waterville, 1860; Lanesburg, 1863, E. Lewis, postmaster; Nottingham, 1867, D. C. Ault, postmaster.
The population in 1860 was 2,280, well distributed over the county. Churches had been built and school districts had begun to be organ- ized. The first school was taught by Miss Jennie Robb in 1859 in Marysville. Other early teachers were Miss Kate Webber, R. S. Newell and P. O. Robbins. In the spring of 1861 the war broke out and the growth of the county was retarded for four years. The war depart- ment made Marysville the recruiting station for Washington and Mar- shall counties. Three full companies were recruited here. Company K, Ninth Kansas cavalry, which consisted of 80 men under Capt. Thomas M. Bowen, J. D. Wells as first lieutenant; Company G,
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