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 50
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CYCLOPEDIA OF
Oscar, a hamlet in Clay county, is located 12 miles north of Clay Center, the county seat, and the postoffice whence it receives mail by rural route. The population in 1910 was 15.
Oskaloosa, the county seat of Jefferson county, is located southeast of the center of the county on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Missouri Pacific railroads, 28 miles northeast of Topeka. It has a $20,000 court-house, a high school, churches of nearly every denomina- tion, and all lines of business are represented. There are banks, news- papers, a saw and grist mill, electric light plant, ice and canning factory, bridle bit factory, grain and produce are handled in large quantities, and there are express and telegraph offices and international money order postoffice with four rural routes.
Oskaloosa is one of the oldest towns of the county, having been set- tled by Dr. James Noble in Feb., 1855. A number of others came that year, among whom were Jesse Newell and Joseph Fitsimons. In 1856 Newell built a sawmill and Fitsimons opened a store. The same year these two platted the town and laid it out after the plan of Oskaloosa, Iowa, for which it was named. In 1857 a postoffice was established with Fitsimons as postmaster, a school house was built and a town com- pany formed. In Oct., 1858, the county seat was located at Oskaloosa by a majority of 4 votes.
A rather singular invention was made by Samuel Peppard, an Oska- loosa man, in 1860. It was a sailing wagon, weighing about 350 pounds and equipped with a sail 9 by II feet raised over the front axle. The steering apparatus was attached to the front and it moved along with the wind, sometimes at the rate of 15 miles an hour. A party consisting of Peppard, Steve Randall, J. T. Forbes and Gid. Coldon started to Pike's Peak in the vehicle, but were struck by a whirlwind when within 100 miles of Denver, the wagon being demolished and the occupants injured.
Oskaloosa was incorporated as a town on Aug. 27, 1869, by Judge J. F. Bliss in response to a petition from the citizens, and the following trustees were elected: John B. Johnson, John N. Insley, George W. Hogeboom, John D. Roberts and Terry Critfield. It is now a city of the third class and in 1910 reported a population of 851.
Ost, also known as St. Joseph, is an inland country postoffice of Reno county 23 miles southeast of Hutchinson, the county seat. It is a trad- ing center for Sumner township. Andale on the Missouri Pacific in Sedgwick county, 8 miles to the northeast, is the nearest shipping point.
Oswego, the county seat of Labette county, is located on the Neosho river, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas and the St. Louis & San Fran- cisco railroads, 12 miles north of the Oklahoma state line and about 30 miles west of the Missouri line. It is a city of the second class; is lighted by electricity ; has natural gas for domestic and manufacturing purposes, a good waterworks system, a fire department, an opera house, 2 banks, 3 flour mills, 2 grain elevators, a creamery, an ice plant, machine shops, 2 colleges, 3 weekly newspapers, and other lines of busi-
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ness enterprise. There is fire clay, shale, coal and building stone to be found in the vicinity. There are telegraph and express offices and an international money order postoffice with 5 rural routes. The popula- tion in 1910 was 2,317. It is the second largest city in the county.
Oswego was the outgrowth of a trading post established in the early '4os by John Matthews. Up to 1865 there were no other white persons in the community and the place was called "White Hair's Village" be- cause an Indian chief of that name made his home there. In 1865 a number of settlers located at this point and the name was changed to "Little Town." Two years later the Oswego town company was organ- ized and so named for Oswego, N. Y., whence many of the settlers had come. The members of the corporation were: President, Dr. John F. Newlon; secretary, D. W. Clover; J. Q. Cowell, C. C. Clover, T. J. Flournoy, Thomas J. Buntain and D. M. Clover. They gave away lots to every person who would erect a building, with the result that the town grew very rapidly. The first frame house was put up by Dr. Wil- liam S. Newlon in September of that year. The first frame store build- ing was erected by Thomas J. Buntain, though the first store was opened in a log building in 1865 by Rexford & Elsbee. The postoffice was established in 1867 with Nelson Carr postmaster. At that time Carr & Bridgeman, Waskey & Sons, J. Q. Cowell and R. W. Wright were all conducting stores, and besides there were two provision stores, Oswego being on the military road. M. George had opened a black- smith shop and D. W. Clover a hotel, which was not only an inn for the public, but the county headquarters, a political rendezvous and a news center. This was the second hotel, the first having been built in 1866 by William A. Hogaboom. The first bank was opened in 1868 by W. M. Johnson, who was forced two years later to make an assignment of all that he had to satisfy his creditors. The second bank was started in July, 1870, by B. F. Hibart and H. L. Taylor, which was a success. The State Bank of Oswego started to do business a few weeks later, but dis- continued after a short time, as there was not business enough for two banks. In Sept., 1870, a steam sawmill was erected by Macon, Krell & Cowell.
The organization of Oswego as a city of the third class took place in Feb., 1870, it being found to have over 1,000 inhabitants. An election was held in April, which resulted in the choice of the following officers : Mayor, J. F. Newlon, councilmen, D. W. Clover, R. W. Wright, Wil- liam Wells, J. F. Pierson and E. R. Trask. The next year an ordinance was passed declaring Oswego a city of the second class, but the supreme court later declared this action unconstitutional. The town was made a city of the second class by proclamation of the governor in 1880.
The first newspaper was the "Oswego Register," established in 1868 by E. R. Trask. The first church was the Congregational, which was organized in May, 1868, and the Presbyterian church was founded in July of the same year. The first school was taught in 1867. The public library association was organized in 1877; the telephone system was
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put in operation in 1882; the waterworks in 1887; and the first electric lights were turned on July 12, 1888, but were turned off a few months later. In 1868 Mr. Shanks operated the first pottery and made several kilns of stoneware. A cotton-gin was set up in 1868.
Oswego College, an institution for the higher education of women, was organized by the Presbytery of Neosho and the Presbyterian synod of Kansas in 1883. The citizens of Oswego donated a sum of money for the purchase of the Brockway place, which consisted of 10 acres of land and a beautiful home, for use as a school. During the early years the faculty was composed entirely of women, but later men were chosen for president and director of music. The school grew so that the trus- tees erected a fine three-story new college building, containing chapel, recitation rooms, library, dormitories, dining room and kitchen.
The college has three departments, the preparatory or high school ; the seminary, which has a four-year preparatory course, with a fifth year devoted to special subjects; and the college department, where the courses are planned with special reference to subjects which represent the leading vocations of women, such as home economics, education, business science, art and crafts, music, etc. In 1910 Thomas F. Marshall was president of the college assisted by a faculty of 14 members.
Otego, a village of Jewell county, is located 8 miles west of Mankato, the county seat, on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. It has a money order postoffice with one rural route, express and telegraph offices, and a good local trade. The population in 1910 was 175.
Otis, a town in Rush county, is located 15 miles east of La Crosse, the county seat. It has a bank, telegraph and express offices, a money order postoffice with one rural route, and a good retail trade. The popu- lation in 1910 is given as 400.
Otis, John Grant, lawyer and member of Congress, was born near Danby, Rutland county, Vt., Feb. 10, 1838. He received his early edu- cation in the common schools and then took an academic course at Burr Seminary. Subsequently he attended Williams College, at Williams- town, Mass., one year and the Harvard Law School one year. In the spring of 1859 he was admitted to the bar of his native county. The same year he came to Kansas and located at Topeka, where he took an active part in recruiting the first regiment of Kansas colored infantry in 1862. At the time of the Price raid in 1864 he was a member of the Second Kansas infantry and took part in all the movements of his regi- ment. At the close of the war he engaged in the dairy business near Topeka. He was always interested in questions pertaining to farming; became a member of the Grange, the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union; served as state agent for the Grange from 1873 to 1875. and state lecturer from 1889 to 1891. In 1900 he became the candidate of the People's party and was elected to Congress on that ticket, serving one term.
Otoe County, one of the extinct counties of Kansas, was created by act of the legislature, approved Feb. 16, 1860, and named for the Otoe
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Indians 'of Nebraska. The boundaries as defined by the act were as follows: "Commencing at the northwest corner of Butler county ; thence west to the 6th principal meridian; thence south to a point 4 miles south of the 5th standard parallel, on the north line of the Osage reser- vation; thence east to a point due south of the southwest corner of Butler county ; thence north to the place of beginning." In 1864 the boundaries of Butler county were enlarged to include Otoe, which dis- appeared. Most of the territory once composing Otoe county is in- cluded in the present county of Butler and the eastern part of Harvey and Sedgwick counties.
Ottawa, county seat of Franklin county, is situated on the Marais des Cygnes river, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Missouri Pacific railroads, a little northeast of the geographical center of the county. One of the first permanent white settlements of the state was made 5 miles northeast of the present town, by Jotham Meeker and his wife, who located among the Ottawa Indians in July, 1837. A mis- sion farm was opened, mission buildings erected, and this became the center of Indian civilization for the locality. In the spring of 1864 title was obtained to the present town site by treaty and purchase. After securing the land, a town company was formed with C. C. Hutchinson, Indian agent, and I. S. Kalloch as the prime movers of the enterprise. Among the members were James Wind, the Ottawa chief; Asa S. Lathrop, the surveyor and attorney of the company; John T. Jones, a minister ; and a few non-resident members, mostly politicians and capi- talists who had gone into it as a business venture. The first arrivals on the site lived in tents. The first house was started on March 31, 1864, by J. C. Richmond, on the corner of Walnut and First streets, and it stood as a landmark until late in the '8os. A postoffice was estab- lished within a few months, with C. T. Evans as the first postmaster. A sawmill was erected by J. H. Whetstone and was in operation within a short time. Here lumber was cut for the first dwellings and business houses. The first hotel was the Ottawa House, a fine structure for those days, which as years passed was in turn postoffice, stable and station. The old capitol building was torn down at Minneola, removed to Ottawa, and located on the corner of Second and Main streets, where the first dry goods store was opened by G. S. Holt. A part of the first floor was used for office purposes and the second floor was finished as a large hall, known as Lathrop's, where public meetings, entertainments, Baptist church services and courts were all held. The building was later converted into a hotel known as the Wilkerson House. On Aug. I, 1864, Ottawa became the seat of justice of the county by popular vote.
The first newspaper in the town was the Western Home Journal, which made its appearance in June, 1865, owned and edited by I. S. Kalloch. It was widely circulated and by judicious advertising was in- strumental in attracting settlers to the town. In 1866 Ottawa was in- corporated and the control of municipal affairs passed from the town
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company to a board of trustees. The school house on Walnut street was completed in the fall of 1866 and the following winter a company was organized for the purpose of constructing a bridge across the Marais des Cygnes at the foot of Main street. It was conducted as a toll bridge until the city purchased it in 1875 and opened it to the public.
In Oct., 1867, Ottawa was incorporated as a city of the second class and the first city election was held on Nov. 30, of that year, when Asa S. Lathrop was elected the first mayor of the city. In Jan., 1868, the first train ran into the town over the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Gal- veston railroad, and a period of development and activity ensued. The Kansas City & Santa Fe reached Ottawa in 1870, and other roads fol- lowed. A number of fine business blocks were erected; machine shops and a fire department were established; and a larger and better equipped public school building was completed at a cost of $30,000.
Three parks are located within the city limits. Forest Park, which lies north of the river, contains forty acres; College Park is situated in the southern part, and in it are located the central school and the public library; and the court-house park occupies the block between Third and Fourth streets, the building facing Main street.
With the development of the natural gas fields, gas was piped to Ot- tawa and has led to the increase in the number of factories. Today Ot- tawa is one of the most prosperous cities of the eastern part of the state with electric lighting, waterworks and telephone systems, several grain elevators, flour mills, furniture factories, a large creamery, brick and tile factories, several machine shops and a soap factory, and in 1910 it had a population of 7,650.
Ottawa County, named for the Ottawa tribe of Indians, is located on the west side of the 6th principal meridian and is the third county from the Nebraska line. It is bounded on the north by Cloud county ; on the east by Clay ; on the south by Saline, and on the west by Lincoln and Mitchell. The extent of the county was described by the legislature of 1860 as including townships 9, 10, II and 12 south and ranges 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 west. The legislature at that time named as commissioners R. C. Whitney, Henry Martin and a Mr. Branch. The county was formally organized in 1866 in response to a petition from the citizens.
The first settlers.in this district to make improvements were William Still, George Darling and a Frenchman named LaPere, who built cabins near the mouth of Coal creek (then Meyer's) and cultivated a garden in the year 1885. They were a part of the Reader colony which settled at Solomon City and at the junction of the Solomon and Smoky Hill rivers. In June, 1855, the Solomon valley was prospected as a locality for the settlement of a large colony from Ohio, but was not selected for the reason that it was considered unsafe, being beyond the frontier. LaPere, one of the first three settlers, was probably killed by the In- dians. William Frost located near the mouth of Coal creek in 1858. A number of other men staked out claims but did not settle until the next year. The first to establish homes for families were S. M. Wright
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and E. W. Branch, near the present site of Minneapolis, in 1859. Others who came in that year were Jacob Humburger, H. R. Little, and Josiah Hocker. The drouth of 1860 checked immigration and the breaking out of the war the next year gave rise to numerous Indian raids which oc- curred at intervals from the fall of 1861 until about 1868. The settlers were driven out, but returned, and in 1864 banded themselves together for protection. A garrison was built on the Solomon river which was called Fort Solomon. Several log cabins were built within the enclosure and the settlers lived there during the summers of 1864 and 1865. The famous little gun known as "Jim Lane's Pocket Piece" was donated to the garrison by Maj .- Gen. S. R. Curtis.
After the war, the county was rapidly settled by discharged soldiers. In 1866 Seymour Ayres prepared the papers for the organization of the county, and Gov. Crawford appointed the following officers: J. H. Inger- soll, county clerk; Amasa May, Henry Dresher and A. J. Willis, commis- sioners. Ayersburg was named as the county seat. At the first election, held in Nov., 1866, the following officers were elected: G. R. Ingersoll, A. H. Boss and Silas Seaman, commissioners; H. S. Wooden, county clerk; George Culver, treasurer; D. Pierce, sheriff, and J. H. Ingersoll, county attorney. Minneapolis and Lindsey were in the race for county seat, the former being the winner. Two other county seat elections were held-one in 1870 and one in 1872-both giving Minneapolis a majority. For many years the county was without a building and rented quarters in Minneapolis.
Until the year 1868 the various Indian raids had resulted in the death of but one Ottawa county man, Peter Miller. In that year, however, two disastrous raids occurred. The first was in August, when much property was destroyed, but fortunately no one killed, though a num- ber saved themselves only by great coolness and good judgment. In October a raid was made which resulted in the death of 4 men, Peter Kerns, an old gentleman by the name of Smith, Alexander Smith and John Andrews. Mr. Virtue and Mr. Morgan were wounded, and the wife of the latter carried away into captivity, from which she was res- cued the following spring. The last raid occurred in June, 1869, when an attack was made on Summerville, where the Indians were repulsed by Ben Markley and a son of Capt. Pierce, on whose house the attack was made. At the same time the Smithville postoffice was burned and two young men-Mr. Dyer and John Weir-were killed.
Among the disasters, the first was the drouth of 1860, in which the settlers received relief to the extent of 10,810 pounds of provisions. The grasshopper raid in 1874, which devastated the whole state, killed all the vegetation in the county, and the people were again obliged to ask aid. A cyclone on Salt creek in May, 1879, resulted in the loss of 6 lives, the killed being Katie Krone, Mrs. Vosh, Anna Vosh, Mr. Mc- Calmot, Jacob Garber, of Center county, Pa., and a party whose name is not known. A number of persons were seriously injured and the property loss was over $15,000. On the night of June 10, 1879, another
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cyclone, following the course of the Solomon river, wrought havoc through the center of the county. No lives were lost, but the property damage amounted to $26,000. On June 9, 1881, a third cyclone occurred in the southern part of the county, moving east from the Saline river. Six homes were destroyed and 3 people-Mr. and Mrs. L. F. Frothing- ham and George Combs-were killed. Many others were injured but recovered.
The first school in the county was taught at Concord in 1864 by Miss Charlotte Ingersoll. The first marriage occurred at old Fort Solomon in 1865 between D. W. Bruce and Matilda Jones. The first death was that of Mrs. E. W. Branch. The first birth was a son of Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Wright in 1859. The first sermon was preached at the house of Mrs. Boss at Fort Solomon, in 1865. The first justices of the peace were Seymour Ayres and John Knight. Two postoffices were estab- lished in 1864-one at Bennington with S. Z. Boss as postmaster, and the other at Ayresburg with J. C. Boblett as postmaster. The latter, with Israel Markley, built the first mill in the county at Elkhorn, and the first store in the county was opened by Col. John Kerwin at Fort Solo- mon in 1866.
The first railroad was the Solomon Valley branch of the Kansas Pa- cific. It was built to Minneapolis in 1877 and extended to the limits of the county two years later. Bonds to the extent of $100,000 were issued to aid in the building. This road, which is now the Union Pacific, enters the southeast corner and follows the Solomon valley northwest into Cloud county. Another line of the Union Pacific runs through the southwest corner of the county, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe crosses the central portion east and west.
Ottawa county is divided into 20 townships, viz: Bennington, Blaine, Buckeye, Center, Chapman, Concord, Culver, Durham, Fountain, Gar- field, Grant, Henry, Lincoln, Logan, Morton, Ottawa, Richland, Sheri- dan, Sherman and Stanton.
The surface in general is undulating prairie with rough lands along the divides and slopes leading down to the bottom lands, which con- stitute about one-fourth of the total area of the county. Limestone, red sandstone, ocher, gypsum and potter's clay are plentiful. One of the geological curiosities of the state, known as the "City of Rocks," is located a short distance southwest of Minneapolis on the opposite side of the Solomon Valley. At one time it consisted of several hun- dred round and oval shaped rocks, varying in size from 2 to 15 feet in diameter. The material is a white flinty sandstone in thin layers or scales. A number of theories have been advanced to explain the forma- tion.
The principal stream is the Solomon river entering the county in the northwest part and flowing in a southeasterly direction. Into it empty Pipe and Coal creeks from the east and Salt creek from the west. The Saline river crosses the southwest corner. The area is 720 square miles or 640,800 acres, of which 350,397 acres are under cultivation. The
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value of the farm products in 1910 was $4,423,784, of which wheat amounted to $862,082 ; corn, $1,192,308, and oats to $235.765.53. The value of animals sold for slaughter was $1,443,246. The total assessed valuation of property was $27,124,816. The population of the county was 11,811, making the average wealth per capita over $2,300.
Ottawa Mission .- (See Missions.)
Ottawa University .- When the Kansas Baptist state convention held its first meeting at Atchison, in June, 1860, an educational committee which had been appointed from the Kansas River and East Kansas associations reported that it had obtained a charter under the name of Roger Williams University, "whose corporate body consists of leading Baptists in Kansas, with power to locate in one year from date of charter." At this meeting was present Rev. John T. Jones, a delegate from the First Baptist church (Indian) of Ottawa. Mr. Jones was a member of the Ojibway tribe in Michigan, who had been educated at Colgate College, Hamilton, N. Y., and was working among the Indians.
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OTTAWA UNIVERSITY.
He suggested that the white Baptists join with the Ottawa Indians in establishing a school on their reservation in Franklin county. The In- dians had land that might be given as endowment and the whites had money and teachers. A committee, consisting of the college trustees conferred with the Indians at Ottawa in Dec., 1860. The Indians agreed to give 20,000 acres of their land to endow the school, and the trustees promised to board, clothe and educate all the children of the nation be- tween the ages of 4 and 14 years. The secretary of the interior giving
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his approval to the plan, the Indians were permitted, by an act of Con- gress, to donate 20,646 acres of land for the founding of the institution of learning, which should be under a board of trustees consisting of Indians and whites, the majority of whom were Indians. The first meet- ing of the board was held in Aug., 1862. It authorized the sale of 5,000 acres of land to aid the erection of a college building.
In 1865, at the request of the Indians who wished to perpetuate their name, the "Roger Williams University" was reincorporated under the name of "Ottawa University," which began its work in Sept., 1869, with about 30 children in the Indian department, with Mrs. R. S. Mayhew as matron in charge, and about 40 pupils in the white department, with Prof. Philetus Fales as principal. The school continued almost two years when financial difficulties caused it to suspend operations. The American Baptist Home Mission Society sent an agent to investigate the conditions of the university. This agent, Rev. Robert Atkinson, settled the indebtedness and proceeded to get funds from the East to erect a college building, the school up to that time having been held in a dwelling house. In the meantime most of the Ottawa Indians were moving to the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), and became dis- satisfied with their contract with the Baptists about the university. In 1873, in an adjustment of interests, the Indians agreed to withdraw and leave the school entirely to the whites. A tract of 640 acres was granted to the university by the United States government and the re- mainder was given back to the Indians. The land was intrusted to the American Baptist Home Mission Society jointly with the university trustees. The society surrendered its interests to the Kansas Baptist state convention, on condition that the land should never be mort- gaged. The school started again in 1873 with a board of 24 trustees. Rev, E. C. Anderson was elected president of the college. In 1875 the college building was destroyed by fire. While it was being rebuilt school was conducted in the city hall at Ottawa. In 1877 Prof. P. J. Williams became president and served successfully four years, the number of students increasing from 34 to 93. His successor in 1881 was Prof. T. M. Stewart, who remained at Ottawa two years. In 1883 Prof. M. L. Ward, who had been with the school as teacher in its ear- liest days, returned as president. Mr. Ward was president four years and acting president for one year. Prof. George Sutherland followed Mr. Ward and served as president pro tempore for two years. Rev. Franklin Johnson was president from 1889 to 1891. In 1892 Dr. F W. Colegrove was elected to succeed him. Dr. J. D. S. Riggs followed Mr. Colegrove and his successor was Mr. R. A. Schwegler as president pro tempore. Dr. Silas Eber Price has occupied the executive chair since. The Ottawa University has grown until it occupies four buildings, has an endowment of $150,000, and a corps of 30 instructors. The original 640 acres has been sold with the exception of 33 acres, which comprises the campus, and a few town lots.
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