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 56
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Petrolia, a village of Allen county, is located on the Neosho river and the Missouri, Kansas & Texas R. R. in the southwestern part of the county, about 13 miles from Iola. It has a money order postoffice, an express office, and is a trading point for the neighborhood. The population in 1910 was 200.
Petroleum .- (See Oil.)
Pettit, John, who succeeded Samuel D. Lecompte as chief justice of the Territory of Kansas in 1859, was born at Sacketts Harbor, N. Y., June 24, 1807. He received a liberal education, studied law, and soon after his admission to the bar removed to Lafayette, Ind., where he began practice. He served two terms in the lower house of the Indiana legislature; was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1850; was presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1852, and 11pon the death of James Whitcomb was appointed United States sena- tor to fill the vacancy, taking his seat on Jan. 18, 1853. While in the senate he supported the Kansas-Nebraska bill, and in a speech said that Jefferson's declaration that all men are born free "is nothing more to me than a self-evident lie." His conduct as senator was such that Thomas H. Benton wrote to the Lafayette American: "Your senator is a great liar and a dirty dog, falsifying public history for a criminal purpose." His appointment as chief justice of Kansas Territory was confirmed in March, 1857, and he served in that office until the state was admitted into the Union. He died at his home in Indiana on June 17, 1877.
Pfeifer, a village in Ellis county, is located in Freedom township, 12 miles southeast of Hays, the county seat, and 8 miles south of Vic- toria, the nearest shipping point. There is a school, general stores, and a money order postoffice. The population in 1910 was 150.
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Phelps, a country hamlet in Sheridan county, is located about 16 miles southeast of Hoxie, the county seat, and 14 miles north of Quinter, the nearest shipping point and the postoffice from which it receives mail by rural delivery.
Philippines, War in .- (See Spanish-American War.)
Phillips County, one of the northern tier, is the 5th county east from the Colorado line. It is bounded on the north by the State of Nebraska ; on the east by Smith county; on the south by Rooks, and on the west by Norton. This county was created in 1867 and named in honor of William Phillips, a free-state martyr who was murdered at Leaven- worth in 1856. The boundaries were defined as follows: "Commencing where the east line of range 16 west intersects the 40th degree of north latitude; thence south to the Ist standard parallel; thence west to the east line of range 21 west, thence north to the 40th degree of north latitude; thence east to the place of beginning."
There were no settlers in the county at the time. In August of that year a battle occurred on Prairie Dog creek between United States troops and Kansas volunteers on one side and the Indians on the other. County organization was completed in 1872. At the election that fall Phillipsburg was chosen as the county seat and the following officers elected: Treasurer, Thomas Cox, Jr .; county clerk, Henry McDowell; register of deeds, J. W. Kidd; surveyor, H. W. Bean; pro- bate judge, J. S. Shurtz; superintendent of public instruction, P. I. Hitchcock; county attorney, W. H. Gray; commissioners, Thomas Cox, Sr., A. W. Tracy and James Large. The first representative was Noah Weaver.
The first settlement was made in 1869 by C. J. Van Allen, who built a log house and preëmpted a claim near the site of Kirwin. A fort had been erected by order of the government under the supervision of Col. Kirwin at the close of the war, to prevent the encroachments of hostile Indians and protect travelers on the California trail. This fort stood just south of the Kirwin town site and was abandoned soon after the settlers came. In 1870 the Van Allen Bros., S. Brigham, N. S. Drew, William Dunbar, I. V. Lee, H. P. Candy, Adolphus and Albert Hall, J. Stovall, Richard Chutes, Richard Corcoran, Thomas Cox, Sr., and sons, John Butler, W. M. Cadwell and James Forbes united in building a fort at Kirwin for their mutual protection. Although hostile bands of Indians passed frequently, no actual outrages were committed, the preparation to resist effectively any hostile move being so evident.
A large number of settlers came in 1871 and in 1872. The next year iinmigration was very heavy and continued so until checked by the grasshopper scourge of 1874. Phillips county was one of those to receive state supplies during the following winter. However, the season of 1875 brought a 'large grain yield and encouraged settlement. The good years continued until. in 1880, when the population was 12,617 and 90,857 acres of land had been brought under cultivation. There were 4 newspapers and 104 school districts. The next year there was a
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depression on account of drought, but the loss in population was regained before 1890, as the inhabitants in that year numbered 13,661. During 1880 the Central Branch of the Missouri Pacific R. R. was extended through the southern part of the county.
When the county was organized it was divided into 7 townships. There are now 25, viz: Arcade, Beaver, Belmont, Bow Creek, Crystal, Dayton, Deer Creek, Freedom, Glenwood, Granite, Greenwood, Kirwin, Logan, Long Island, Mound, Phillipsburg, Plainview, Plum, Prairie View, Rushville, Solomon, Sumner, Towanda, Valley and Walnut. The postoffices are, Agra, Glade, Gretna, Kirwin, Logan, Long Island, Phillipsburg, Prairie View, Speed, Stuttgart and Woodruff. The Chi- cago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. crosses the central part of the county, west and northwest through Phillipsburg; the Missouri Pacific crosses in the southern part, following the course of the north fork of the Solo- mon river; and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy crosses the north- west corner, following the course of Prairie Dog creek.
The general surface is gently rolling prairie, with limestone bluffs on the south sides of the principal streams. The bottom lands are nar- row and comprise about 15 per cent. of the area. The timber belts along the streams contain all the principal varieties of wood native to the soil of the state. The north fork of the Solomon river enters on the western boundary 6 miles from the south line of the county and flows east into Smith county. Its numerous tributaries from the north cover the central part of the county. Prairie Dog creek flows across the northwestern corner. Magnesian limestone, potter's clay and clay for brick exist in commercial quantities. Bricks are manufactured in the county and have been used in the best buildings, including the court- house. A bed of fine sand, suitable for glass making, exists in the east, and gypsum has been found in the south and northwest.
The total value of farm products in the year 1910 was $4,169,735. 'The leading crop was wheat, which brought $935,928. Corn was worth $930,222; tame grasses, $373,790; oats, $178,226; prairie grasses, $133,770. Potatoes, millet, sorghum and Kafir corn are other important field crops. Live stock sold for slaughter brought $1,046,846, and poultry and dairy products, $354,216. The value of live stock on hand was $3,277,604.
The assessed valuation of property in 1910 was $22,419,895. The population in the same year was 14,150. The average wealth per capita according to these figures was about $1,500.
Phillips, William Addison, journalist, historian and member of Congress, was born at Paisley, Scotland, Jan. 14, 1824, the son of John Phillips, a man of superior mind and literary tastes. He received his early education in the common schools of his native city and graduated at the academy, where he made considerable progress in Latin and mathematics. Gifted with a good memory and great powers of acquisi- tion, he was a "self-made man," as all successful men must be, what- ever their scholastic training. In 1839, at the age of fifteen, he came
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to America with his parents, who settled on a farm in Randolph county, Il1. Here he grew to manhood sharing the hardships and privations incident to frontier life. About the time he reached his majority he became associated with B. J. F. Hannah as editor of the Chester Herald. From 1852 to 1855 he was engaged in newspaper work, at the same time studying law, and was admitted to the bar. While practicing law and editing his paper he also acted as correspondent for the New York Tribune. In 1855 he came to Kansas and was officially appointed by Horace Greeley a member of the editorial staff of the Tribune. Mr. Phillips traveled over a large part of the territory to find out for him- self the existing political situation, and his impassioned letters to the Tribune did much to create a sentiment in the north and east in favor of the anti-slavery movement in Kansas. A thorough anti-slavery man, his sympathies were entirely with the free-state side. In the spring of 1856 he wrote and published his "Conquest of Kansas," a campaign document to be used during the presidential canvass. From the day of its publication Mr. Phillips became a man of mark and his name became identified with the great struggle against slavery. The same year he was instrumental in the establishment of the Salina road, which became so well known to travelers of that day when there were no railroads west of the Missouri river. In 1856, when Congress sent a committee to investigate the troubles in Kansas, Mr. Phillips was able to furnish the names of important witnesses and materially assisted in the investigation. On account of his efforts in this direction, and because he was the correspondent of the greatest free-state newspaper in the country, he became very unpopular with the "law and order league," a name used by the border ruffians, and he was compelled to seek safety several times between Leavenworth and the fort to escape from them, spending a number of nights in the brush. Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in the army and was com- missioned major of the First Indian regiment. Within a short time he was promoted to the colonelcy of the famous Cherokee regiment and for a time commanded the Indian brigade. Under Gen. Schofield he commanded a division in the field, including Indians, cavalry, a bat- tery and regiments from different states, and for nearly three years he may be said to have had command of a separate army, varying from 3,500 to 8,000 men. He took part in most of the battles of the south- west; was wounded three times and had four horses killed under him in battle. When the war closed he returned to Kansas and for years he acted as attorney of the Cherokee Indians, and ably assisted at con- serving their interests before the interior department at Washington. In 1872 he was elected to Congress as a Republican and was reëlected for the three succeeding terms. While in Congress he was a prominent member of the committee on public lands. This led him to a deep study of land systems and land tenure in all ages. As a result of this study he published a book, "Labor, Land and Law," which is regarded as an authority upon the subject. He died on Thanksgiving day, Nov. 30, 1893, at the home of W. P. Ross at Fort Gibson.
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Phillipsburg, the county seat of Phillips county, is an incorporated city on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R., and is centrally located in the county. It has waterworks, a fire department, a flour mill, a grain elevator, an opera house, 2 banks, 2 weekly newspapers (the News-Dispatch and the Post), daily stage to Marvin, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice with five rural routes. The population in 1910 was 1,302.
The town was laid out in 1872, just prior to the organization of the county, and became the county seat. In 1873 the postoffice was estab- lished, and the next year it was made a money order postoffice. The first school was taught and the first term of court held in 1873. In 1880 the town was organized as a city of the third class, and the following were the first officers: Mayor, H. L. Sprague; city marshal, William Featherly ; clerk, E. Korns ; councilmen, C. H. Leffingwell, G. A. Spauld- ing, F. A. Dutton, D. B. Bailey and Frank Strain. The town was visited by a severe electrical storm in 1882 which destroyed $12,000 worth of property.
Piedmont, a little town of Greenwood county, is a station on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R., and is located on Otter creek, 18 miles southwest of Eureka, the county seat. The principal shipping business at this point is done in grain, live stock and agricultural products. There is a bank, express and telegraph offices and a money order post- office with three rural routes. All the main lines of mercantile business are represented. The population according to the 1910 census report was 250.
Pierce, Franklin, 14th president of the United States-the president who signed the Kansas-Nebraska bill which made Kansas an organized territory of the United States-was born at Hillsboro, N. H., Nov. 23, 1804. His father, Benjamin Pierce, was at the battle of Lexington and continued in the Continental army until 1784, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of captain and brevet major, and two of Franklin's brothers were in the War of 1812. President Pierce received his education in the local schools, and in 1824 graduated at Bowdoin College, where he had for classmates Henry W. Longfellow, Sargent S. Prentiss, John P. Hale and Nathaniel Hawthorne. He then studied law and in 1827 was admitted to the bar. The same year he began practice at Hillsboro, and in 1829 was elected to the legislature. In 1833 he entered the lower house of Congress, where he served for four years, at the end of which time he was elected to the United States senate. This position he resigned in 1842 to resume the practice of law at Concord. When the Mexican war broke out he entered the army, and in 1847 was commissioned brigadier-general. He was a member of the New Hampshire constitutional convention of 1850, and two years later was elected president, receiving 242 electoral votes to 42 for Gen. Winfield Scott. While he was president Perry's treaty with Japan was ratified; William Walker led his filibustering expedition to Nicaragua; several routes for a Pacific railroad were explored; the
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territory known as the Gadsden Purchase was acquired by the United States, and the territories of Kansas and Nebraska were organized. Mr. Pierce did all he could to make Kansas a slave state, by recognizing the laws passed by the "Bogus legislature" and using the United States troops to enforce those laws. By doing so he rendered himself unpopu- lar with the free-state advocates, but Appleton's Cyclopedia of Ameri- can Biography says: "Some years after Pierce's death, the legislature of New Hampshire, in behalf of the state, placed his portrait beside the speaker's desk in the hall of the house of representatives at Concord. Time has softened the harsh judgment that his political foes passed upon him in the heat of party strife and civil war. . . . His integrity was above suspicion. No political or personal influence could induce him to shield those whom he believed to have defrauded the government." President Pierce died at Concord, N. H., Oct. 8, 1869.
Pierce Junction, a station at the junction of the Missouri Pacific and Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroads in the southeast corner of Brown county, is located 15 miles from Hiawatha, the county seat. It has telegraph and express offices and a postoffice. The population in 1910 was 26.
Pierceville, a little town in Finney county, is located on the Atchi- son, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. and the Arkansas river, 13 miles south- east of Garden City, the county seat. It has general stores, hotels, schools and churches, express and telegraph offices, and a money order postoffice. The population in 1910 was 150.
Pike, Zebulon Montgomery, soldier and explorer, was born at Lam- berton, N. J., April 27, 1879. His father, who had been an officer in the Revolutionary army, was still in the service, and after the son had finished his education, which consisted in a study of Latin, French and German in addition to the common school branches, he joined the company of which his father was captain. He served for some time on the western frontier of the United States; was made an ensign, and later became a lieutenant in the First U. S. infantry. In 1801 he mar- ried Miss Clarissa Brown of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1805 he was ordered on an expedition to trace the headwaters of the Mississippi, and em- barked at St. Louis in August with 23 men. On his return he was highly complimented on his work and shortly afterward was sent by Gen. Wilkinson on his famous expedition to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Among the events was the raising of the United States flag for the first time in Kansas, which occurred at the old Pawnee village in Republic county in 1806, the discovery of Pike's Peak and his capture at the Rio Del Norte by the Spaniards. (See Pike's Expedition.) He arrived at Natchitoches, La., July 1, 1807, and the government gave evidences that his services were highly appre- ciated. He was made captain, then major, and in 1810 colonel. He served in the war of 1812 and in 1813 was raised to the rank of brigadier- general and sent on an expedition against York (Toronto), Canada. He left Sackett's Harbor on April 25 with 1.500 men, arriving before
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the combined British and Indian forces at York two days later. When the position was about to be surrendered to him, a magazine inside the British works exploded, wounding Gen. Pike so seriously that he died shortly afterward, but not without the satisfaction of knowing the sur- render had taken place.
Pike's Expedition .- Under the orders of the war department, Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike, with a force consisting of 2 lieutenants, a surgeon, a sergeant, 2 corporals, 16 privates and an interpreter, set out in two boats from Belle Fountaine, near St. Louis, Mo., July 15, 1806, for the purpose of "exploring the internal parts of Louisiana." Accompanying him were chiefs and head men of the Osages and Pawnees, through which nations it was intended the expedition should pass. He also took a number of women and children who were returning to their nations from captivity among the Pottawatomies, having been freed by the United States government. La Charette was reached on the 21st, where Pike found in waiting Lient. James B. Wilkinson (son of Gen. James Wilkinson), Dr. John H. Robinson, and another interpreter, all of whom had gone on before. On Sept. 6 the company arrived in the vicinity of the present town of Harding, Kan., and passed over the divide separating the Osage from the Neosho valley. On the 10th he reached the divide between the Neosho and the Verdigris and on the IIth camped on the latter stream, not far from what is now the town of Bazaar, Chase county, Kan.
The beautiful prairies, covered with wild flowers and abounding with game, kindled the warmest praises of Pike. On Sept. 12 he wrote that, from the top of a hill he saw at one view on the beflowered plain below, buffalo, elk, deer, antelope and panther. This was the hunting ground of the Kansas or Kaw Indians, and the animals began to appear almost without numbers. On the 14th all day long the expedition journeyed through an unending herd of buffalo, which merely opened ranks to let the intruders pass and then closed again as if nothing had happened. On the 15th a large unoccupied encampment of the Kansas Indians. was passed, and Pike observed in the distance the buffaloes running, which indicated the presence either of Indians or white men. On this day he camped near what is now Tampa, Marion county. Two days later he reached the Smoky Hill river, and after this game began to grow scarcer. He continued his journey to the mouth of the Saline river, which was reached on Sept. 18, and from that point turned almost directly north, and on the 25th reached the Pawnee village, near where the town of Scandia now stands, in Republic county. Pike was now on the Republican branch of the Kansas river, having crossed the Great Saline, the Little Saline and Solomon's fork.
Some time before Pike left St. Louis, news of his projected expedition was carried to the governor of New Spain (Mexico), and a party of over 300 Spanish troops, under Lient. Malgares, was sent out to inter- cept him. Between the mouth of the Saline and the Republican rivers, Pike crossed the trail of this party, but was fortunate in not coming
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in contact with the Spaniards at that time. Malgares had been to the Pawnee village before Pike arrived there, and had endeavored to poison the minds of the Indians against the Americans. He had partially suc- ceeded, too, for when Pike held a grand council with the tribe on Sept. 29, he noticed that the Pawnee chiefs showed a tendency to look with disdain upon his little force of 20 white soldiers, which certainly made a much less imposing appearance than the large Spanish force of Mal- gares. Of this council Pike gives the following explicit account in his journal of the expedition :
"The notes I took at the grand council held with the Pawnee nation were seized by the Spanish government, together with all my speeches to the different nations. But it may be interesting to observe here, in case they should never be returned, that the Spaniards had left several of their flags in this village, one of which was unfurled at the chief's door the day of the grand council; and among various demands and charges I gave them was, that the said flag should be delivered to me, and one of the United States' flags be received and hoisted in its place. This probably was carrying the pride of nations a little too far, as there had so lately been a large force of Spanish cavalry at the village, which had made a great impression on the minds of the young men, as to their power, consequence, etc., which my appearance with 20 infantry was by no means calculated to remove. After the chiefs had replied to various parts of my discourse, but were silent as to the flag, I again reiterated the demand for the flag, adding that it was impossible for the nation to have two fathers; that they must either be children of the Spaniards, or acknowledge their American father.' After a silence of some time an old man rose, went to the door, took down the Spanish dag, brought it and laid it at my feet, and then received the American dag, and elevated it on the staff which had lately borne the standard of his Catholic Majesty. This gave great satisfaction to the Osage and Kaws, both of whom decidedly avow themselves to be under American protection. Perceiving that every face in the council was clouded with sorrow, as if some great national calamity was about to befall them, I took up the contested colors and told them 'that as they had now shown themselves dutiful children in acknowledging their great American father, I did not wish to embarrass them with the Spaniards, for it was the wish of the Americans that their red brethren should remain peace- ably round their own fires, and not embroil themselves in any dispute between the white people; and that for fear the Spaniards might return there in force again, I returned them their flag, but with the injunction that it should never be hoisted again during our stay.' At this, there was a general shout of applause, and the charge was particularly attended to."
Thus was the United States flag raised for the first time in what is now the State of Kansas on Sept. 29, 1806, and the 100th anniversary of that event was celebrated in 1906. (See Hoch's Administration.)
Having obtained horses from the Indians, Pike left the Pawnee vil-
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lage on Oct. 7, taking a course a little west of south. On the 8th he came again upon the Spanish trail, and at one of the camps counted 59 fires, which, at 6 men to a fire, signified a force of 354 troopers. Solo- mon's fork was again crossed on the 9th, much farther to the west, and here another Spanish camp was found. The party reached the Smoky Hill fork on the 13th, not far from the boundary line of the counties of Russell and Ellsworth, and the following day arrived at the divide between the Arkansas and the Kansas rivers. Here Pike and a small party became lost on the prairie and did not turn up for several days, the expedition meantime continuing to the Arkansas river, where the lost party under Pike overtook it. The river was crossed on the 19th.
Here the expedition was divided, part returning down the Arkansas and the other portion going on up to the mountains for the purpose of discovering the headwaters of Red river, and descending that unknown stream-unknown to the Americans. Canoes were made of buffalo and deer hides stretched over wooden frames, filled with provisions, arms and ammunition, and in these boats Lieut. Wilkinson, with 6 of the soldiers and 2 Osage Indians, embarked for Fort Adams on the Missis- sippi below Natchez. On Jan. 8, 1807, they reached Arkansas Post, near the mouth of the Arkansas river, after severe hardships and passing through many dangers from hostile Indians. Pike advanced rapidly up the Arkansas river, and on Oct. 3I saw much crystalline salt on the surface of the ground. At that time he was not far from the present town of Kinsley, Edwards county, Kan., and by Nov. 9 he was near the place where Hartland, Kearny county, now stands. Here, at one of the Spanish encampments, he counted 96 fires, indicating that the force had been augmented to from 600 to 700 troopers. A few days later he crossed into what is now the State of Colorado, and on the 15th reached Purgatory river, a branch of the Arkansas. His purpose was to treat with the Ietan (Comanche) Indians near the headwaters of the Arkansas river, then to strike across the country to the head of Red river, and descend to Natchitoches according to the original plan.
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