# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In 1906 a unique commuter railroad opened between Kansas City and Johnson County. The Strang Line, as it was commonly known, connected Johnson county residents to jobs and stores in Kansas City and offered city residents the opportunity for leisure in the country.

Named for its developer and the founder of Overland Park, the Strang Line carried many of Johnson County's first suburbanites to Kansas City on a route that paralleled the Santa Fe trail until 1940

The Strang Line interurban system ran adjacent to what is today the City of Westwood. Crossing near the intersection of today's 47th Street and Mission Road, the interurban railroad route ran just north of where Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que and the North Wood Shopping Center in Kansas City, Kansas is located, connecting the far suburban reaches of Johnson County and Olathe to Kansas City proper.

By 1911, the Strang Line was primarily serving suburbanites who lived in subdivisions such as Overland Heights, Overland Hills, or Milburn Place. They rode the Strang Line to work or shop in Kansas City; and Kansas City residents traveled to Olathe to shop for groceries or to attend social events in Overland Park. As was expected, Strang's speculative development of Overland Park greatly increased the value of farm land located along this interurban line.

The Strang Line continued to prosper until 1916, as automobiles and trucks became the preferred methods of transportation and shipping. Between 1916 and 1940, the Strang Line struggled to compete with an expanding trucking industry and the automobile. By 1925, a paved highway connected Olathe with Kansas City and steadily reduced passenger service on the Strang Line.

Despite their efforts to continue passenger service, the Strang Line could not compete with new highways and the prestige and convenience of commuting to the city in one's own automobile. By November 1937, commuters could drive along two new concrete roadways - US 50 and K-10 - from Olathe to southeast Kansas City in half the time it took on the Strang Line.

When the Strang Line made its final run on July 9, 1940, it was the sole survivor of numerous interurbans that once operated out of Kansas City.

As noted from this clipped excerpt of a circa 1920 Gallup Map & Supply Co. map of Greater Kansas City and Suburbs, the red 48 line shows the route of the Strang Line railway. Credit to The David Rumsey Map Collection - full size map here.

Visit the JoCoHistory website to learn more about William Strang and his interurban railroad in Johnson County - click here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In 1906 a unique commuter railroad opened between Kansas City and Johnson County. The Strang Line, as it was commonly known, connected Johnson county residents to jobs and stores in Kansas City and offered city residents the opportunity for leisure in the country.

# data[].attributes.body
Hyer Boot Company

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Microfilm MS 1683-1686
Manuscript Collection 247

Company History Sketch

The well-known "cowboy boot" of frontier America fame has one of its origins in the shoe shop of Charles Henry Hyer of Olathe, Kansas in 1875.

C. H. Hyer learned the shoe and bootmaker's trade from his father, William Henry Hyer, an immigrant from Hanover, in what is now Germany. Hyer was born in Lyons, New York, in 1854. Before Charles was a year old the family moved to Kankakee, Illinois. After learning the cobbler's trade from his father, C. H. Hyer eventually moved farther west, but as a railroad employee rather than a shoemaker.

Charles eventually found his way to Olathe, Kansas -- the junction of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails -- a factor that would later have a strong influence on Hyer's business. Hyer got a job in 1872 at the Kansas Asylum for the deaf and dumb. In order to augment his thirty dollar per month salary, he set up a shop in his own home, hoping to eventually work independently from his job at the "d and d."

According to most recent sources, the pivotal moment in Hyer's career came in the spring of 1875 when a cowboy came into his shop requesting a specially designed pair of boots (early accounts claim that Hyer moved to Olathe and started his bootmaking business at a later date). The cowboy wanted a pair which would be comfortable and practical for either walking or riding; a pair with an unusually high cut and other specifications particular to a cowboy's needs. The result was a boot whose design became the quintessential cowboy boot, now omnipresent in the American west. Prior to Hyer's development boots were flat-heeled affairs, round toed and either very stiff or very soft and form-fitting or soft and loose fitting. Some were easy enough to walk in, or ride in for short periods, but men who spent most of their time in the saddle were always having trouble with them.

The round toes were an impediment to getting feet into the stirrups quickly, while the flat heels sometimes sent the foot right through the stirrups so that the rider, caught at the wrong moment, could be dragged by a runaway.*

Hyer needed no advertising for this new boot style other than word-of-mouth publicity; they fit the anonymous cowboy's needs so well that soon, a stampede of cowboys came with orders for custom-made "cowboy boots." Though Hyer's has introduced dozens of different fashions of cowboy boots, the style is basically the same overall.

Charles invited his brother Edward to form a partnership in 1881, which lasted until 1889 when Edward relocated to Chillicothe, Missouri. Charles took over at that time.

During the depression of the 1920s and 30s, the family-owned business sustained itself by making boots for the military. Cowboys were as broke as everyone else and the Hyer's would not have been able to stay in business had it not been for this additional source of income.

As an indicator of the quality and reputation of the Hyer Boot Company, Hyer's kept in its custom files the patterns for such customers as Roy Rogers, Harry Carey, Will Rogers (whose boots were finished prior to his death, but not before they could be shipped to him), Tom Mix, William S. Hart, Dwight Eisenhower, Clark Gable, Theodore Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill Cody, Calvin Coolidge, and Richard Nixon to name only a few.

One of Charles Hyer's innovations was a catalogue which included instructions for customers to measure their own feet, ankles and legs, so that they could have custom-made boots without needing to travel to Olathe for a fitting. Most of their business was custom-made and by 1965, Hyer's had over 360,000 customer patterns on file. Once a customer had filled out an order form, complete with measurements and foot outline, Hyer's craftsmen could make an indefinite number of boots from then on.

The company has gone through a number of name changes over the years. Originally, it was the Olathe Boot Company, later changed to Hyer Brothers in the 1880s. Once incorporated in 1949, the C.H. Hyer & Sons Boot Company became officially known as the Hyer Boot Company.

In 1968, C. A. Hyer and A. E. Hyer, wanting to retire, sold the company to the Kansas City management group M.O.B. They in turn sold out to Ben Miller, Inc., of El Paso, Texas in 1977. Ben Miller closed down the Olathe plant in 1978 in order to cut operating costs and consolidate operations in El Paso.

* Fran Barclay of the Stillwater NewsPress, [Stillwater, OK] Sunday, January 9, 1983.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a wide variety of papers of the C.H. Hyer & Sons Boot Company of Olathe, Kansas, 1876-1988, including catalogues, scrapbooks, order forms, newspaper clippings photographs, as well as other material. This collection has little in the way of such records as minutes of meeting and financial statements. This could be because the Hyer Boot Company was a family owned business. The only financial records exist in the form of account books ranging from 1896 to 1923. The only minutes of meetings are for a stockholders' meeting in 1966.

There is a copious amount of historical data in the form of newspaper articles, catalogues and promotional material. With this at hand, charting the company's history is not a difficult task. It seems that the Hyer Boot Company was anxious to assert its origins and development with every opportunity and in each catalogue.

Documentation not found in the manuscript collection itself, can be located in its corresponding microfilm copy, which includes loaned material not found in the donated collection.

Series

Additional Information for Researchers

Notes Pertaining to the Microfilm

Notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The user is cautioned that the publication of the contents of this microfilm may be construed as constituting a violation of literary property rights. These rights are derived from the principal of common law, affirmed in the 1976 copyright act, that the writer of an unpublished letter or other manuscript has the sole right to publish the contents thereof for the duration of the copyright. Unless he or she affirmatively parts with that right, the right descends to his or her legal heirs regardless of the ownership of the physical manuscript itself. It is the responsibility of an author or his or her publisher to secure permission of the owner of literary rights in unpublished writing.

Nanette (Hyer) Bohl donated material from the Hyer Boot Company to the Kansas State Historical Society in 1993. Charles Hyer loaned papers to the KSHS Manuscripts Division in 1994 so that the collection could be microfilmed. Having the two collections on hand at the same time, they were arranged separately, then brought together for microfilming as one collection. Donated and loaned materials have been distinguished on the microfilm with the use of microfilm targets and slipsheets. Following microfilming, the loaned material was separated and returned to the lender.

Prepared for microfilming by McInnes 1994.

Volume

.8 linear feet, or 2 5" document cases.

Preferred Citation

Citations referring to this collection should include the Hyer Boot Company -- Records, 1876-1988, Kansas State Historical Society, Manuscript Section.

The Manuscripts Section of the Kansas State Historical Society does not have literary copyright to this collection.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The well-known "cowboy boot" of frontier America fame has one of its origins in the shoe shop of Charles Henry Hyer of Olathe, Kansas in 1875. C. H. Hyer learned the shoe and bootmaker's trade from his father, William Henry Hyer, an immigrant from Hanover, in what is now Germany.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Kyra Zuck of Prairie Village, Kansas donated these Hyer boots. She spotted them on the Internet and purchased them because they had several well-known Kansas emblems, including wheat, sunflowers, and jayhawks.

The Hyer Boot Company was founded circa 1880 by brothers Charles and Edward Hyer. As boys they learned boot making from their father, William, a German immigrant who began practicing shoemaking after he came to the United States in the mid-1800s. Charles moved to Olathe in 1872 where he found work at the Olathe School for the Deaf teaching shoe and harness making. He opened a small cobbling shop on the side and hired his brother Edward to help him run it.

Inventing the Cowboy Boot

Tradition credits Charles Hyer as one of the first to invent the cowboy boot. Company promotional materials state that a Colorado cowboy stopped by the Hyer shop on his way home from the Kansas City stockyards in 1875, requesting a new pair of boots that were different from his Civil War-style boots. He wanted a boot with a pointed toe that would slide more easily into a stirrup, a high, slanted heel that would hold a stirrup, and a high top with scalloped front and back so he could get in and out of his boots more easily. Charles accepted the challenge. The unknown cowboy was so pleased with Hyer's work that he returned to Colorado and told others about his new boots.

The brothers employed mostly immigrant craftsmen from Germany, Sweden and Poland during the early years. They made cowboy boots for cattlemen, rodeo performers and movie stars such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Tom Mix, Will Rogers, and Gene Autry. To reach potential customers further west and across the ocean, the company created mail-order catalogues with measuring charts. During World War I, the Hyers made boots for the officers at Fort Leavenworth and at Camp Funston. In 1961, governors from the 49 other states were outfitted with Hyer boots courtesy of Governor John Anderson. They were presented as part of the traditional exchange of gifts between governors during the annual Governor's Conference.

A Changing Workforce

Better opportunities for immigrants and a changing workforce meant that the Hyer company had to adapt. As early as 1911, the Hyers lamented that fewer young people were entering shoemaking apprenticeships, which meant that they had to hire unskilled laborers and adjust the work accordingly. They were able to maintain the quality of their boots by having each worker complete one aspect of the boot making process, as opposed to assembling a boot from start to finish. This strategy allowed the Hyer Boot Company to remain competitive for several years.

In 1977 the Hyer name was sold to the Ben Miller Boot Company of El Paso, Texas. Despite the official end of approximately 100 years of boot making, the tradition continued at the Olathe Boot Company which hired several former Hyer employees and purchased some of the Hyer equipment. The Olathe Boot Company was founded in 1975 and is still in operation.

Today, many examples of Hyer products can be found in the Kansas Museum of History collection. The pictured black 19th century boots are on display in the museum's main gallery. In addition to Hyer boots and shoes, the collections also include patterns, lasts, and boot making equipment, as well as photographs of the owners and the employees.

Entry: Hyer Cowboy Boots

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: November 1999

Date Modified: December 2014

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kyra Zuck of Prairie Village, Kansas donated these Hyer boots. She spotted them on the Internet and purchased them because they had several well-known Kansas emblems, including wheat, sunflowers, and jayhawks. The Hyer Boot Company was founded circa 1880 by brothers Charles and Edward Hyer.

# data[].attributes.body
Pap Singleton: To Kansas! | PBS LearningMedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ken Burns in the Classroom | PBS LearningMedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films for more than forty years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students, and introduce new ideas, perspectives, and primary sources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Exodusters

What's going to be a hundred years from now ain't much account to us.... The whites has the lands and the sense, an' the blacks has nothin' but their freedom, an' it's jest like a dream to them.
Benjamin "Pap" Singleton

When the last Federal troops left the South in 1877 and Reconstruction gave way to renewed racial oppression, a former slave named Benjamin "Pap" Singleton began urging blacks to form their own independent communities in the West. Those who followed his advice called themselves "Exodusters," because they believed the West would prove their promised land.

"Kansas seemed like an ideal place for people who were disillusioned with the black codes that had been passed in the South, the meanness of the Ku Klux Klan, the meanness of the sharecroppers who really weren't sharing the way they had agreed, and these are the people who paid five dollars, five bucks to Pap Singleton to come up the river to a new life in Kansas."
Bertha Calloway

"The West has always been seen as a place of opportunity. And this was certainly as true for people of African descent as for anybody else. Singleton and other leaders weren't necessarily doing it for purely altruistic reasons. Like a lot of great westerners they were speculators in land and hoped to make their fortunes. But they did have a vision of a place where people of color could breathe free..."
Bill Gwaltney

Soon these early Exodusters' hopeful letters home were being read aloud in black churches across the South, and in the spring of 1879, word spread that the Federal government had set all of Kansas aside for former slaves. The rumor was false, but it sparked a genuine Exodus that brought more than 15,000 African Americans into Kansas within the next year.

When I landed on the soil [of Kansas] I looked on the ground and I says this is free ground. Then I looked on the heavens and I says them is free and beautiful heavens. Then I looked within my heart and I says to myself, I wonder why I was never free before?
John Solomon Lewis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What's going to be a hundred years from now ain't much account to us.... The whites has the lands and the sense, an' the blacks has nothin' but their freedom, an' it's jest like a dream to them.

# data[].attributes.headline
JoCo, KS Historic Resources Survey Report

# data[].attributes.subject
JoCo, KS Historic Resources Survey Report

# data[].attributes.body
Portions of text copied to read

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Where is Nicodemus? The Story of Nicodemus, National Park Service Black History Month 2002

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The City of Olathe is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the businesses and services provided in the Downtown area. Downtown offers something residents can't find anywhere else in Olathe: historic architecture, a human-scaled street grid, and unique locally-owned businesses. Olathe's Downtown Storefront Improvement Grant is a program designed to complement these strengths by encouraging and assisting commercial property owners to enhance the design and appearance of their storefront façades.

The Heritage Trust Fund (HTF) is a state program which provides matching fund grants up to $90,000 to properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the Register of Historic Kansas Places. HTF reimburses expenses for projects that preserve, restore and reuse historic properties, including professional fees and construction costs.

The City of Olathe is committed to the preservation, sustainability and enhancement of our neighborhoods. Olathe's Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative takes a comprehensive approach to being a proactive advocate and recognizing the importance of investing in our city's future.

The Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) encourages reinvestment in the City's Original Town by providing tax rebate opportunities for both commercial and residential property improvements

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The City of Olathe is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the businesses and services provided in the Downtown area. Downtown offers something residents can't find anywhere else in Olathe: historic architecture, a human-scaled street grid, and unique locally-owned businesses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About The Rails

The BNSF Railway has two mainline rail tracks and one connection track in Olathe.

The BNSF West Tracks moves approximately 88 trains per day through Olathe. These tracks carry freight from Los Angeles and Longbeach CA to Chicago IL, host to the largest rail yards in the United States

The BNSF East Tracks move approximately 52 long, slow trains per day through Olathe. These tracks carry freight from the coal fields in Montana and Wyoming to power plants in the Southern United States.

The Southgate "Spur" connects the two mainline east/west tracks operating seven to eight trains per day

The Intermodal in Southern Johnson County, near Edgerton KS, lines up geographically with Fort Worth and Alliance TX to the south and with Chicago and Joliet IL to the north. The City of Olathe does not anticipate an increase in rail traffic from the Intermodal facility. However, more truck traffic is anticipated in the southern Johnson County area.

Rough Rail Crossings

Submit an inquiry at BNSF Railway. Your report will be directed to the BNSF Engineering Department to arrange for an inspection at the crossing.

Train Horns

Train horns blow when anyone is observed within 25 feet of all at-grade crossings in Olathe city limits. BNSF provides additional information about train horns.

Train Schedules and Speeds

Rail transportation is legally interstate commerce, an area where the City of Olathe has no jurisdiction including little to no leverage regarding the operation of schedules and speeds for rail traffic. The railroads are accountable to a semi-autonomous government agency, the Federal Railroad Administration.

Idling Engines

Rail engines are left to idle to prevent freezing during cold winter months and to keep the brakes pressurized, etc.

Elevating the West Tracks

The cost to construct an elevated rail on the BNSF West Tracks is very high due to the number of private properties that would have to be acquired by the City. Until funding can be identified, a grade separation project for the BNSF West Tracks is not scheduled.

Extending the Quiet Zone

Additional quiet zone projects have not been scheduled. The City will be required to fund the costs of improving the remaining three east mainline and four connection track crossings to qualify for a quiet zone permit from the Federal Railroad Administration.

With future issues to address, it is reasonable to anticipate funding for additional railroad projects will be balanced with additional community needs through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

Additional Resources

History

The Olathe City Council has committed millions of dollars to eliminate at-grade railroad crossings in a long-term initiative for Olathe.

When the 127th Street Viaduct Project was completed in 2007, an additional route was provided for traffic to cross over I-35 and the busy BNSF East Tracks. The cost of the project was $27,000,000.

When the Railroad Grade Separation Project was completed in 2008, four at-grade crossings were eliminated by elevating the rails in a two-mile stretch over Ridgeview Road, Santa Fe Street, Park Street and Loula Street. The funding and design for this project was planned over a period of ten years at a cost of $42,000,000.

When the College Boulevard - Woodland Road to Ridgeview Road Project was completed in 2008, another at-grade crossing was eliminated.

The Downtown Quiet Zone Project constructed safety modifications that allow trains to pass through eleven at-grade crossings without a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirement to blow train horns. The cost of the project was near $6,000,000.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The BNSF Railway has two mainline rail tracks and one connection track in Olathe. The BNSF West Tracks moves approximately 88 trains per day through Olathe. These tracks carry freight from Los Angeles and Longbeach CA to Chicago IL, host to the largest rail yards in the United States The BNSF East Tracks move approximately 52 long, slow trains per day through Olathe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The City of Olathe enjoys a rich History that has contributed to our street names.

Black Bob Road

Black Bob Road was named after the chief of a band of Shawnee Indians.

Black Bob assisted in negotiating land for the group's reservation with the United States Government in 1854.

A History of Johnson County Kansas, a book written by Ed Blair in 1915, states the 200,000-acre Black Bob reservation was in the southeastern part of the county at the sources of Blue and Tomahawk creeks and covered four townships, including Olathe. Blair wrote that the Black Bob group did not divide the land into individual tracts, as was the American's custom. His band, being of limited intelligence, they preferred to retain their tribal organizations and customs and to hold their lands in common, he wrote.

Outside of Olathe, Black Bob Road is known as Lackman Road.

Published by The Olathe News - Sarah St. John, columnist.

Clairborne

Clairborne is named after Claire Osborne, the wife of R.R. Osborne, a well-known philanthropist.
R.R. Osborne, a former banker, gave millions to institutions such as MidAmerica Nazarene University, TLC for Children and Families and the Olathe Medical Center.

Published by The Olathe News Sarah St. John, columnist.

Little Street

Little Street was named for Chauncey Little.

Chauncey had his office on the second floor of the building at the southwest corner of Park and Cherry. The bathroom was at the end of the hallway, and the window looked out onto the alley. One day Chauncey Little stepped into the Olathe Mirror office and asked if he could borrow a broom and a dustpan. Seems Chauncey had accidentally broken the window of the bathroom and the glass had fallen onto the alley below. Chauncey swept up the glass shards while a bemused on-looker, shaking his head, said that if Chauncey had admitted his responsibility, no one would ever have known who was responsible for the destruction.

Published by The Olathe News Max Evans, columnist.

Lone Elm Road

Lone Elm Road, also known as Parker and Kansas Highway 7, was named for one very specific tree.
Weary travelers on the Oregon and California Trails and traders on the Santa Fe Trail stopped to camp in a grove of elm trees where a spring provided quality grazing for livestock. So many people stopped at the campground that they cut down all the trees for firewood; all but one elm tree.

What was once known as Round Grove Campground was renamed Lone Elm Campground in 1844.

The sole tree amid the otherwise empty prairie was recognizable to many pioneers who stopped in Olathe on their way west.

The County, state legislature and Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated the marker at the campground in 1906.

The marker now sits in front of the Johnson County Courthouse.

Published by The Olathe News, Sarah St. John, columnist.

Mur-Len Road

Mur-Len Road is named after Owen DeMurrell Crump and his wife, Helen Louise Crump.

The street name is the first part of Murrell and the last part of Helen.

This street name should always be hyphenated.

Parker Street

Parker Street is named in honor of a local lawyer elected to the state senate in 1892.
Before he represented the relatively new Olathe area at the state capital, J.W. Parker traveled to the national capital in Washington, D.C. to participate in litigation over a land dispute involving the Black Bob Indian reservation.

In his 1915 book, A History of Johnson County Kansas, Ed Blair does not indicate whether Parker represented the plaintiff or the defendant.

Parker Street is the portion of K-7 that runs through Olathe.

Published by The Olathe News Sarah St. John, columnist.

Santa Fe Street

Santa Fe Street bears the name of a trail that ran from central Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico beginning in the 1820s.

The trail passed through Olathe and served as a major trade route.

Emigrants also took the trail to Olathe to catch one of the other trails that branched off here, the California and Oregon trails.

The Santa Fe Trail roughly followed modern day I-35 from Kansas City to Olathe.

Published by The Olathe News Sarah St. John, columnist.

Sheridan Street

Sheridan Street is the namesake of one of Olathe's original settlers.
Immigrants from Ireland, Patrick Sheridan and his wife Margaret built a log cabin in Olathe in 1869.
They eventually owned 127 acres in the city and had seven children.

Patrick Sheridan died in a railroad accident in 1909.

Ed Blair described the Sheridan couple in his 1915 book, A History of Johnson County Kansas.

Sheridan Street is also known as 143rd Street in parts of the city.

Published by The Olathe News Sarah St. John, columnist.

Strang Line Road

Strang Line Road was once the route of the world's first self-propelled, gas-electric vehicle.
Developed by W.B. Strang, a New York native who later settled near Olathe, the trolley-like vehicle ran on about 25 miles of track from Kansas City to Olathe with stops in Southridge, Overland Park, and Lenexa beginning in June 1907.

The system was called an interurban railroad.

The Olathe Centennial program of 1957, Arrows and Atoms: A Historical Album of Olathe, Kansas, described the line in its heyday.

During its early years, the Strang Line did a thriving business.

Traffic in farm products was good, hundreds of farm youths commuted to jobs and business schools in Kansas City, housewives made Saturday shopping trips to the city, and property owners rode the line to the county seat to pay their taxes.

The line's last run was in 1940.

Strang Line Road now intersects one of Olathe's most bustling commercial centers at 119th Street.

Published by The Olathe News Sarah St. John, columnist.

Additional Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The City of Olathe enjoys a rich History that has contributed to our street names. Black Bob Road was named after the chief of a band of Shawnee Indians. Black Bob assisted in negotiating land for the group's reservation with the United States Government in 1854.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the Beginning
Source: Olathe Historical Society
In prehistoric times the Kansas, Pawnee and Osage Native American tribes roamed the land drained by the Kansas, Missouri and Osage Rivers. Later, hunters and trappers ventured into the area, and after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the explorations of Lewis and Clark encouraged frontiersmen to move into the Trans-Mississippi West.

Overland trade with Mexico along the Santa Fe Trail brought enterprising merchants, the military and the first settlements to the western borders of the United States. Government treaties forced many woodland Native American tribes to move into what is now eastern Kansas. The Rev. Thomas Johnson immigrated with the Shawnee tribe to the new reserve in 1829, and established a mission.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created the Kansas Territory, opening the land to pre-emption by home seekers of European descent from the more heavily populated states. Counties were formed late in 1855.

In the early months of 1857, the survey of the Shawnee lands was followed closely by land speculators, among whom was Dr. John T. Barton, a physician assigned to the Shawnee tribal headquarters. Preemption law provided for town sites that gave town companies the opportunity to gain power, money, political influence, and concessions such as post offices.

Barton and his associates chose the geographic center of the county, crossed by Mill Creek and the Santa Fe Trail, to claim for their town. Olathe, a Shawnee word understood to mean "beautiful," was incorporated in 1857, and because of unstable political institutions, again in 1858. The Mahaffie family was among the first to settle near Olathe. The first Board of Trustees, headed by John T. Barton, was elected in 1859. Olathe legally became the county seat in October of that year.

Pat Cosgrove took the Johnson County Census in 1860. Of the 4,364 enumerated, 52 percent of the population were less than 19 years old; 11 percent were foreign born, mostly from Germany or Ireland; .01 percent was age 60 or older. Olathe's population was 341.

The few homes and businesses were built of rough lumber and native stone. Public amenities did not exist, and streets were left to the imagination. One building, 12 feet by 14 feet, served as grocery, drug store, dry goods store, salon, and hotel. By fall, severe drought caused many settlers to pack up and return to the East.

About 1859 or 1860, Barton left Olathe for good. He served in the Confederate Army and later settled in Kansas City, Mo.

The Shawnee Mission was established as a school for Shawnee children from 1839 to 1862. Plan your visit to the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historical Site in Fairway Kansas to learn more about this Native American nation that influenced the founding of our City and other municipalities throughout the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area.

Kansas came into the Union under the Wyandotte Constitution in January 1861. The Civil War began in April. Two-thirds of all adult males in Kansas served in the Union Army. The infamous Quantrill raided Olathe on Sept. 6, 1862. General Price was forced from Westport to defeat at Mine Creek in 1864.

More than half the buildings standing in Olathe in 1861 were moved or destroyed long before the end of the war. During this time, city government was very chaotic, but after Appomattox, Olathe was reincorporated as a city of the third class.

Native American Shawnee Chief Black Bob led the Hathawekla band that later became known as the "Blue Water Indians" because they lived on the Big Blue River, East of Olathe County. Black Bob's Band retained this land until his death until 1864.

The 1865 Johnson County census was 6,093. The Institute for the Deaf and Dumb was organized in Olathe in 1866. Olathe's first public school was built of stone in 1868. The railroad reached the eastern edge of the city in 1867, and the southern edge of the county by 1869.

1870 - 1890
Source: Olathe Historical Society
Peace and prosperity enabled the city to develop a more distinct social and cultural character. "Art has added much to nature," said one observer, who went on to comment on the growth of trees, hedges and shrubbery, the building of houses and fences, and the embellishment of grounds.

The town became a second class city in 1870, having 2,045 inhabitants. The 1870s saw growth in the physical plant at the school for the deaf. Churches, which organized after the Civil War, began to erect centers of worship. A subscription library began in 1874. The first history of the city was written that year.

In 1875, 72 percent of the county worked in agriculture, 11 percent in professional and personal service, 8 percent in trade and transportation, and 9 percent in manufacturing and mining. Olathe's population in 1875 was 2,146.

Growth was not achieved without a struggle. Crops failed because of drought, tornadoes, and grasshopper plagues in the middle '70s. Economic depression, lack of business regulation - especially of the railroads - and social concerns about temperance and women's suffrage came to a head at this time.

John P. St. John, who made his home in Olathe, began his political career here, was elected governor in 1878 and 1880, and ran for president on the Prohibition ticket in 1884. The Johnson Cooperative Association, an outgrowth of the area grange movement, opened a store in Olathe in 1876, and soon branched into Stanley, Edgerton, De Soto and Gardner.

The 1880s saw the rise of the Hyer Boot Factory, the milling industry, Hodges Brothers and Lanter Lumber companies, Patron's Mutual Insurance Association, and the building of Fairview Race Course, Olathe's second horse racing track.

1883 marked the founding of the Ladies Reading Circle, Olathe's first federated women's club, the first high school graduation, and the second written history of this area. Olathe's population in 1880 was 2,285 and in 1890, 3,294.

1890 - 1910
Source: Olathe Historical Society
The decades surrounding the turn of the century saw rapid technological change in Olathe. The decorative Washburn courthouse, complete with steam heat and electric lights, was dedicated in 1892. The event set a corresponding trend in stately home building. Public utilities such as natural gas, telephones, sewers and water treatment came into common use. The automobile could be seen sharing space on Cherry Street with farm wagons and teams of horses.

1893 saw 48 scholars enrolled in the high school course at the old rock school. A separate high school building was completed in 1898, and a football team organized by 1902. The Johnson County Old Settlers Association formed to celebrate the history of the area in 1898.

Serious flooding of the Missouri and Kansas rivers occurred in 1903 and again in 1904. A souvenir photographic publication showing the progressive nature of Olathe was made by F.S. Mickey and G.A. Roberds, and distributed in 1907. That year the first cars of the Strang Line, an interurban electric railroad, reached Olathe from Kansas City.

Native sons, J.C. Nichols and Herbert S. Hadley were in the news during this time span. Nichols graduated magna cum laude from the University of Kansas in 1902, and Hadley was elected Governor of Missouri in 1908. The population of Olathe in 1900 was 3,451. The marking of the Santa Fe Trail by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1907 was celebrated on the Courthouse lawn. The once lively roadway to Mexico had become a historic monument.

1910 - 1930
Source: Olathe Historical Society
In 1910, Olathe had a commission form of government, a population of 3,272 (with its suburbs 4,000), and a water-works plant with a basin of 20 acres. A city hall was built in 1911 at the southwest corner of Kansas Avenue and Santa Fe. In 1912, George Hodges, partner in the Hodges Brothers Lumber Company, was elected Kansas governor on a Democratic ticket. Women's suffrage passed in Kansas that year and the Carnegie Public Library opened. A domestic science and manual training building was completed for the school system in 1913. The Kansas School for the Deaf enrolled 250 pupils that year.

In 1914 the Johnson County Merchants and Farmers Association was formed to aid its members "in saving on advertising, collections, credit, merchants delivery, and free employment department. Over 300 farm hands had been placed by January 1915. Through the cooperation of this association many public improvements have been agitated."

An influenza epidemic and other diseases created a need for public health safeguards.

From about 1910 until the start of World War I, the Olathe Chautauqua pitched a big tent on the natural slope of Parker's pasture during the hottest two weeks of the summer. D.R. Ott's Boy's Band was organized in 1913. Ed Blair of Spring Hill published the third printed history of Olathe in 1915. Earl Milton Collier, killed at Belleau Wood in 1918, was the first Olathe casualty of World War I.

The need for army boots increased the reputation of the Hyer Boot Factory, and Olathe, in the United States. Olathe population in 1920 was 3,268.

Former Olathe resident Albert I. Beach became mayor of Kansas City, Mo., in 1923, the year Gemmel Memorial Gymnasium opened to student athletes. Kansas City Road, formerly the Santa Fe Trail, was paved in 1925. James "Indian Jim" Brown paved his way into local folklore during a contest among the bricklayers on the new road. The Roaring '20s was a particularly happy time for Olathe youth.

James Garfield "Indian Jim" Brown of the New York Oneida tribe was a champion bricklayer who traveled to Olathe in September 1925 for the Kansas City Road bricklaying competition. Indian Jim bested Frank Hoffman of El Dorado by laying 218 tons of brick - 46,664 bricks in seven hours and forty-eight minutes in a drizzling rain to win the contest. He received a $200 prize along with his regular wages of $2 per hour.

In 1926, students at John P. St. John School in Olathe selected the Eagle as their school mascot as tribute to Chief Eagle and contributions of his Native American tribe that migrated through Western Olathe prior to 1854.

1930 - 1950
Source: Olathe Historical Society
The 1930 census certified 3,656 Olathe residents and 27,179 in the county. The balance of the population in Johnson County, stable since the 1880s, began to shift toward the northeast.

Olathe was described as "a prosperous market town of pleasing residences and stately elms. So popular is the courthouse with couples eloping from Missouri and eastern Kansas that the town has become a local Gretna Green. Judge Bert Rogers, father of Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, orchestra leader and motion picture actor, presides in its 'Cupids Parlor' which is decorated with more sentiment than restraint."

Lake Olathe (now Cedar Lake), covering 57 acres, was constructed in the 1930s. A swimming pool was built under the Works Progress Administration in 1934. It was located in the City Park at Poplar and Woodland. A Colonial-style post office was constructed at a cost of $90,000, and dedicated at Old Settlers in 1939. Albert T. Reid, an artist of national reputation, created the mural "Romance of the Mail" for the new building under WPA grant. Bus service for rural high school students began in 1938.

Olathe's population in 1940 was 3,979 and Johnson County's 33,327. The Strang Line went bankrupt in 1940 and a short time later World War II began.

The first Olathe residents to die in the war were Harlan H. Harper and Don W. Roberds. The Olathe Naval Air Station was commissioned Oct. 1, 1942. In May, 1943, a tornado destroyed more than 100 airplanes. Housing was at a premium because of the migration of military families. The Navy Hill area was constructed to alleviate the shortage. The presence of the military jolted a 50-year social and economic status quo for Olathe. After the war, rapid development in the northeast part of the county set the stage for the urbanization of Johnson County and Olathe.

1950 - 1960
Source: Olathe Historical Society
In 1950, the naval air station became a training facility for reservists. In that year, Olathe's population was 5,593 and the county's spiraled to 62,783.

The Korean Conflict broke out and the first Olathe casualty was James C. Donham, who died Sept. 24, 1950.

The '50s brought many other changes to Olathe. A new courthouse was dedicated in 1952 and the old Washburn building was razed. The Olathe Community Hospital opened in 1953 at the southeast corner of Santa Fe and Cooper and delivered 411 babies in 1956. A central office for Southwestern Bell was constructed in 1957 and Delco-Remy, a division of General Motors, opened its plant in 1956.

Spiraling population as a result of the "baby boom" necessitated the construction of Westview Elementary in 1954 and Ridgeview Elementary in 1956.

Olathe celebrated its centennial in 1957 with a true festival of history. The fourth printed history of the city was produced for the event. Two long-time weekly newspapers, "The Olathe Mirror" and "The Johnson County Democrat," were purchased by Harris Newspapers in 1959 and became "The Olathe News." The newspaper survives today.
Rock 'n' roll music came into its own in the '50s. The poet Annie Dillard asked "will the music ever be loud enough?"

1960 - 1970
Source: Olathe Historical Society
Olathe climbed to 10,978 citizens in 1960 with 143,792 in the county. Overland Park, incorporated that year, became the sixth largest city in Kansas. The Shawnee Mission Post office was established. King Radio, with 60 employees, moved to Olathe. The city began to examine ways to convert the Naval Air Station to the industrial park. Construction began on the Federal Aviation Administration center east of I-35. A beginning woman teacher in the Olathe schools earned $3,800. The salary for a man was $4,100.

I-35 was completed in Olathe in 1961. That year, Kansas celebrated its centennial. John Kennedy was inaugurated as president, and Olathe resident John Anderson became governor of Kansas.

Grace Bilger painted the murals in the lobby of the new courthouse, KSD also celebrated its centennial, and Patrons Mutual Insurance began a new office building east of I-35.

Twenty-four inches of snow fell in January 1962. The old Lincoln School, a segregated school for black children that had fallen into disuse, was sold to a private individual. Oral polio vaccine was being tested in some school districts. Kennedy ordered 1,800 Marines into Thailand. Metcalf South Shopping Center began construction.

Squabbling among city commissioners caused so much excitement in Olathe that one resident quipped, "We could hardly wait to get up in the morning to read about it in the paper!" Medicare and women's issues were debated topics. The new Johnson County Home for the Aged was dedicated in July. The largest enrollment ever, 287 started at KSD in September. The first annual All-School Reunion brought 587 out-of-town alumni to Olathe during Old Settlers.

City commission problems were settled by the election of 1963. The restaurants of choice in Olathe were the B & B Cafe at K-150 and I-35, and Custor's Last Stand, a fried chicken establishment sporting a conspicuous chicken head from the roof. It was at the edge of town on the corner of Ridgeview and Santa Fe.

Drought conditions pointed up the inadequacy of the city water system. President Kennedy was assassinated in November.

1964 saw Hyer Boot Factory move to a new building at I-35 and Rawhide. King Radio began a new plant east of I-35, and Safeway began construction of a new store at Woodland and Santa Fe. Fund-raising began for a new hospital. A serious fire destroyed several retail stores on Park Street, which were rebuilt and opened the next year. Olathe's population in 1965 was 12,661. Ernie Miller was named the first "Mr. Olathe" by the Chamber of Commerce. The Snepp family ended 90 years of ownership of Snepp Drugstore when they sold to Roy Taylor. The old St. Paul's Catholic Church was razed in September. The Marley Company and RO Products came to Olathe, and the Sunflower Ordnance Plant was reactivated.

Ambulance service began in Olathe in 1966. The new water system was operating, and the city commission purchased 18 acres of land on north Ridgeview Road to be used as a recreation area. Portions of the movie "In Cold Blood" were filmed here.

1967 saw the advent of urban renewal, MidAmerica Nazarene College (now MidAmerica Nazarene University), cable television, daylight savings time, Johnson County Community College and a new Olathe Community Hospital.

Santa Fe Trail Junior High opened with 600 students in 1968. Hyer Boot Factory was sold to a Kansas City firm. Olathe tripled its size through annexation. MidAmerica Nazarene College enrolled 300 students, and Twin City Tool and Die moved into a new plant. Mel Winters was hired as superintendent of schools, and Olathe residents first used voting machines.

Among others, the old Hyer Boot building, the Ernie Miller building, the Avenue Hotel and Hotel Olathe were razed. "Cruzin' the 'Fe" was the thing to do for Olathe youth. Martin Luther King was assassinated, and the newspaper was printing letters from Olathe residents serving in Vietnam, now America's longest war.

1970 - 1980
Source: Olathe Historical Society
Olathe's population was 17,917 in 1970. Johnson County recorded 220,073. McDonald's came to Olathe and the hamburger became the meal of choice. A new Patron's Bank was built at Santa Fe and Cherry. Olathe became a city of the first class. The Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 50th anniversary.

1971 saw Kansas 18-year olds receive voting rights. Santa Fe was widened to four lanes. Urban renewal continued to ravage older neighborhoods.

In 1972, Edgar Moore graduated with the first class of MANC students and went on to win a seat in the Kansas Legislature. Widening of Santa Fe east of I-35 began in March. A seven-story addition to the Johnson County Courthouse was awarded to J.E. Dunn Co. Ernie Miller Park was sold to the county. The First National Bank moved into a new facility at Kansas City Road and Santa Fe. The new Masonic Lodge was built at K-7 and Park. The Havencroft subdivision was nearing completion in 1973. Plans for the construction of a new city hall and the destruction of the old building were completed. Southwest Grease and Oil broke ground for a new plant. Plastic garbage bags were in use by the city sanitation department subscribers. Water shortage was again critical.

In 1974, the Olathe School District operated 10 elementary schools, two junior high schools and one high school. "The Daily News" moved to its current site on South Kansas Avenue. The Olathe Community Theater Association was established and produced "Bye Bye Birdie." Chur Switzerland became Olathe's sister city. MANC received full accreditation and Town Square Shopping Center began construction. The street numbering system of Kansas City, Mo., was used on Olathe's east side. Johnson County Industrial Airport was dedicated.

Olathe became the tenth largest city and the Olathe School District became the sixth largest in Kansas in 1978. The Southgate cutoff from Kansas to Harrison was approved. Plans for Crossroads Shopping Center were approved as were plans for the new library, post office, and six buildings for MANC.

New housing starts boomed, but new industry did not materialize. A downtown redevelopment committee was formed. More than 31,000 vehicles a day crossed I-35 on Santa Fe and there were 2,130 parking meters in place. Overcrowding in some Olathe elementary schools was again a problem.

Major issues in Olathe City Commission election of 1979 were traffic problems on Santa Fe, the need for industry and planning, controversial street projects, parks development, and sanitation department problems. The Ridgeview and Harold Street projects were approved and Olathe annexed 440 acres from Ridgeview to K-10 north of town. MANC enrolled 1,253 students, and a second parish was created by the Catholic Archdiocese for the east side of Olathe. The new $1.6 million Public Library was dedicated in November.

1980 - 1990
Source: Olathe Historical Society
Prairie Center and Tomahawk Elementary Schools were being planned and Olathe South High School was under construction in 1980. Milgram's opened a grocery store in Town Square Shopping Center. The Juvenile Detention Center was dedicated. Crossroads Shopping Center opened in the spring. Frontier Park and Oregon Trail Park came into being. A controversial commercial sign law was drafted. Heritage Park, southeast of Olathe, was planned. Jack Nicklaus announced plans for a 3,100-acre golf course and residential development northwest of Olathe.

In 1981 the Olathe population was 37,258 and 270,269 in Johnson County. Good Samaritan Towers, a senior high-rise apartment building, opened in January. North Supply began a $36 million building at the Industrial Airport. Olathe High School graduated its last class of students. Classes would begin in two schools in the fall. A strike by air traffic controllers affected the Olathe FAA Center.

In 1982, business slowdowns caused layoffs in Olathe industries. A bandstand sponsored by the Olathe Arts Council was built on the Courthouse lawn. Plans for a new county jail to be constructed on the former site of the Olathe City Hall began. The Holiday Inn broke ground at US-169 and I-35. Wal-Mart selected a site to build a store at Santa Fe and Mur-Len.

The Trail Theater closed in 1984 to make way for the renovation of the Park Cherry Building. The first phase of Northgate access road system was approved in 1985.

Other landmarks of the '80s are:

Construction of the Olathe Medical Center at 151st and I-35

A change of government to a ward system of representation

Completion of the Northgate roadway linking downtown to K-10

Commercial, industrial and residential development along 151st from US-169 to the Executive Airport

Development of Cedar Creek

Razing of the commercial buildings on the square, which included the 1859 Case Building.

1990 - 2000
Source: Olathe Historical Society
In the 1990's Olathe saw the completion of the overpass at I-35 and 151st Street and the opening of the 119th Street Overpass.

Broadcasting City Council meetings on OGTN was initiated.

Garmin International, industry leader in navigation and communications electronics, relocated to Olathe in 1996.

The Great Mall of the Great Plains, located on 151st Street, just west of I-35, opened in 1997.

In the 1990's seven new elementary schools, one new junior high school, and one new high school opened. Olathe East was built in 1992 on West 127th Street. The first principal was Karl Krawitz.

A delegation from Maebashi, Japan came to Olathe in May, 1998, bringing cherry trees donated by Japanese businessman Akio Fikushima. A dedication ceremony was held at Calamity Line Park, where some two hundred of the trees have been planted.

2000 - 2010
Source: Olathe Historical Society
Olathe reached a population of 100,000 in 2001.

In January, 2004, Money Magazine listed Olathe as the third "hottest" town in the central United States, and in July, 2006, Money ranked the City of Olathe 13th on its Best Small Cities list, reaffirming the outstanding quality of life Olatheans enjoy.

With input from residents, Olathe's first Strategic Plan was adopted in 2001, establishing Olathe's 20-year vision in the strategic areas of transportation, public safety, active lifestyles, public services, downtown, economic sustainability, and diversity. The Strategic Plan was updated again in 2004 to ensure that it adequately reflected the priorities and direction supported by the Olathe community.

Olathe leads the metropolitan area and the nation by being the first to implement an Automated Traffic Management System (ATMS). Operational in 2005, the system works to alleviate congestion and improve traffic flow.

In 2005, construction started on two of the most important transportation projects in the City's history - the 127th Street Overpass at I-35, and the Railroad Grade Separation Project west of I-35, which will eliminate four at-grade crossings at Loula, Park, Santa Fe, and Ridgeview.

In 2005, TLC for Children and Families launched its "Bringing Our Children Home" Capital Campaign. The project includes construction of a new residential treatment center; expansion and renovation of existing residential treatment centers; a new dining hall and commons; and expansion of the Mabee Family Center on the TLC campus.

The City worked cooperatively with U. S. Senators Roberts and Brownback and Congressman Moore to secure funding for a third critical transportation project - the Lone Elm interchange at I-35. As of July, 2006, 95 percent of the funding for this interchange was identified.

Nearly 2 million square feet of retail and over 1 million square feet of office space were constructed in Olathe, and the community saw a 20 percent increase in job growth in five years from 2002 to 2007. New developments included the GARMIN expansion; the Farmers Insurance Group Regional Call Center; the KVC Behavioral HealthCare Corporate Headquarters and Ball Conference Center on the Olathe Medical Center campus; the Corporate Ridge Office Park at Ridgeview and K-10; and the Olathe Pointe shopping center at 119th and Black Bob Road. In early 2006, Pacific Sunwear announced plans for a 420,000 square foot distribution center at 167th and Lone Elm Road.

In 2006 a redevelopment plan for K-7 Highway and Santa Fe St. was approved. The plan provided for the redevelopment of approximately 40.5 acres at the northwest corner of K-7 Highway and Santa Fe St.

A foundation-laying ceremony was held in May, 2006, for the new Olathe Bass Pro Shops store, which anchors 140-acres, $268 million Olathe Gateway center at I-35 and 119th Street.

The Olathe Fire Department is one of the best in the region, and the City has worked to ensure that quality fire protection services are available for all areas of Olathe. A contract was awarded in January, 2006, for the design and construction of Olathe's 7th fire station, located near Mur-Len Road and 161st Street.

The City heightened an emphasis on emergency preparedness, an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) becoming operational at City Hall in 2005. The EOC provides dedicated space for emergency preparedness and coordination of important City functions during natural disasters or other emergencies.

Olathe's parks, recreation facilities, nationally-recognized recreation programs, trails, swimming pools, and historic sites also contribute to the community's quality of life and economic vitality. In 2004, citizens voted to expand and improve the City's parks and recreation opportunities by a projected $27 million through continuation of the 1/8-cent parks and recreation sales tax.

Olathe's parks acreage and trails have nearly doubled, from 2001 thru 2006, with residents enjoying 21.6 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails. The City dedicated three new community parks - Veterans Memorial Park in 2001, Stagecoach Park in 2004, and Lone Elm Park in 2005, preserving the historical Lone Elm Campground. A new Four Chaplains Memorial was dedicated at Veterans Memorial Park on Memorial Day, 2006.

Funding was approved in 2005 for the new Heritage Center, a museum and visitors center to be constructed east of the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm. The City has continued its commitment to the care and preservation of the Mahaffie site, which brings Olathe's rich and colorful history alive for the thousands who visit the site each year.

In 2006, the City acquired the historical Ensor Park and Museum, the former home of amateur radio pioneer Marshall H. Ensor.

Five years from 2002 thru 2006 marked the dedication of several new and expanded City facilities to serve the public. These include the new Olathe City Hall, R. R. Osborne Plaza, and Municipal Services Center in 2003; the Fire Administration and Life Safety Services building in 2004; the new Olathe Municipal Court building in 2005; and the $20 million expansion of Water Plant No. 2 in 2006, which increased capacity at the plant from 17 million gallons to 36 million gallons per day.

In 2005, the new SmartCart refuse collection service was implemented, providing improved customer service, efficiency, and safety.

Looking ahead to its Sesquicentennial year, the City appointed a 150th Anniversary Steering Committee in 2004 to plan events commemorating Olathe's 150th birthday in 2007. To coincide with Olathe's 150th anniversary celebration, a new City logo was unveiled in 2004. The new logo celebrates Olathe's historic past and small town sense of community, while recognizing the changes that occur with rapid growth.

2010 - Present
Source: Olathe City Staff
The Olathe Community Center opened in July of 2014. Located on the southwest corner of Stagecoach Park at Kansas City Road and Ridgeview Road the Community Center is adjacent to Stagecoach Park.

Landscape and history of the trees presented a strong appeal for this location

The Olathe Community Center was designed to protect as many trees as possible.

Construction cost for the Community Center and Stagecoach Park Development was $28.5 Million.

The project was funded through Park Sales Tax GO Bonds and cash.

Operations are designed to be financially independent, supported by user fees.

The Community Center building facility hosts 71,168 square feet including the following features:

Three middle school basketball courts

Child watch area

Party rooms

Fitness areas

Catering kitchen

Elevated walking/jogging track

Additional Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Source: Olathe Historical Society In prehistoric times the Kansas, Pawnee and Osage Native American tribes roamed the land drained by the Kansas, Missouri and Osage Rivers. Later, hunters and trappers ventured into the area, and after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the explorations of Lewis and Clark encouraged frontiersmen to move into the Trans-Mississippi West.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Homestead Act was one way settlers acquired land in Kansas and other parts of the west. It was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. Under the provisions of the Homestead Act, settlers could claim 160 acres of public land. They paid a small filing fee and then had two options for getting title to the land. If they lived on the 160 acres for five continuous years, built a residence and grew crops, they could then file for their deed for the property. The second option was to purchase the land from the government for $1.25 per acres after living on the land for six months, building a home, and starting to grow crops. The head of the household of any citizen or a person intending to become a citizen (immigrants) were eligible to claim land under the Homestead Act. In 1864, the law was amended to allow a soldier with two years of service to acquire the land after a one year residency.

The Homestead Act led to the distribution of 80 million acres of public land by 1900. Many Kansas settlers, however, acquired their farms by purchasing property. some of which was part of railroad land grants.

Homesteaders and other settlers in Kansas were challenged by drought, scarce natural resources, and economic cycles that threatened their survival. Winter was a particularly difficult time for Kansas farm families.

In 1874 the Felton family settled on a homestead in McPherson County. Family members had lumber hauled 40 miles from Salina to build their dwelling, and mother Elizabeth considered their 10 by 14 feet home to be a palace amid so many sod homes with dirt floors.

"We lived in the little homestead house for five years," wrote daughter Bessie Felton Wilson, "burning corn stalks for fuel both winter and summer." The family quickly outgrew the first home and her father constructed a larger dwelling. "Not having sufficient means to finish it all at this time we slept in the upper rooms for several years without plaster," she wrote. "It was not unusual on awaking cold winter mornings to find the covers around our heads frozen and the bed white with snow which had been driven through tiny cracks in the roof by a strong wind during the night."

With the cold weather came sickness. In January 1886, 13-year-old Bessie contracted diphtheria. With no doctors nearby nor money to pay one, her mother treated the illness. Two years later, the same disease took the lives of four children of a nearby family - all within nine days. (Bessie's reminiscences are part of the Lilla Day Monroe Collection of Pioneer Women's stories housed the the KSHS Manuscripts collection.)

A woman contributor to the Harper Sentinel, identified only as "P.E.T." wrote in 1889, "It is hard work to come west to make a home. Few have the vim and back-bone to stay long enough to prove up their land under the homestead law. I don't want to brag, but we are going to try to be among the few. I'll tell you how we manage: There are four of us. My husband and two little boys (most too small to be of much use, but a great comfort) and myself comprise our family. This year everything was a failure in this county. Everybody left that could, but we have a few cattle and enough corn stalks to keep them alive till grass comes. I said 'we must stick to the land, old boy, just as long as we can raise the roughness to winter on.'"

Homesteaders had more to protect than just themselves and their home. P.E.T. wrote that she feared outlaws in a place where there was no law. She and her husband were proud of their team of mules and worried for their safety. "In this country a man's team is his living, and anyone stealing it takes the bread and butter out of his little children's mouths, making them as well as their parents suffer."

P.E.T. demonstrated the pioneer spirit, as she closed her letter to the Sentinel, "Times are hard, but I am generous and when you come 'out west' just stay awhile at our dug-out. You shall have pancakes and meat grease for breakfast - maybe a little coffee. Light bread for dinner, and mush and milk for supper the year round, with occasionally a young jack-rabbit fried with some milk gravy."

Those farmers who survived the challenges went on to build the state's agricultural heritage. Their farmhouses, barns, and silos stand as symbols of hardworking people who made Kansas the breadbasket of the nation.

Entry: Homestead Act

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: January 2010

Date Modified: May 2013

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Homestead Act was one way settlers acquired land in Kansas and other parts of the west. It was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. Under the provisions of the Homestead Act, settlers could claim 160 acres of public land.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Beginning about 1870, the Black Bob Indians of the Shawnee Tribe who lived on a reservation in Johnson Co., Kansas known as the "Black Bob Reserve" began petitioning the government to keep their lands intact. It seems that "speculators" were trying to purchase part of the land held jointly as a tribe from some tribal members.

Some members of the tribe wanted the land that had been awarded to the tribe as a reservation split into individuals allotments so they could sell theirs, and other members of the tribe did not want that to happen. There were a series of three petitions filed and recorded in the US serial set. The petition from tribal members says, among other things, that "the Indians are deriving no benefit from the sale of their lands, but squander the money they receive in drunken frolics and are led to commit murder and other heinous crimes, and reduce themselves to vagabondage and ruin." Pretty harsh words, but sadly, probably true, based on other records relative to Native people and alcohol. This petition also tells us that the "band is, since the war, composed largely of women and children." They also say that it is not their choice to divide their land, but "is an alternative urged on them by speculators who care nothing for our people, only so far as they can use us for selfish purposes."

In 1870, the tribe petitioned the government and signed their names to the petition using a plus mark, each one with the name written either side of the mark and witnessed by the Justice of the Peace.

The signatures look like this "James + Jacobs," but I'm only transcribing the names themselves.

James Jacobs

James Bob

Bill Bob

Henry Dorofy

Thomas Johnson

El-e-mos Ko-Jaw

Isac Bob

James Boone

Sarah Blanchard

Sally Johnson

Thomas Boone

Mary Boone

Sarah Boone

Louisa Boone

Charley Boone

Henry Boone

James Dixon

John Blackhoof

Joseph Charley

John Bobb

Isaac Dougherty

Che-Tum Mar-Ge-She

Qua-Whe Tah

Mary Anne Scarrett

Anne Scarrett

Frances Scarrett

Pele-La Qua

Lucy Scarrett

John Berry

Nancy Berry

Dick Berry

Samuel Berry

Green Grass

Ne-Gah Tah-Be-Shiek

John Dixon

To-Beas See

Choctaw

Thomas Bob

Jane Bob

John Day

Mary Posum

Pe-To Wa-Cum-See

George Williams

Jackson Dawerty

Nancy Ticumsee

Martha Dawerty

Susan White

Shetalia

Lisebeth Bob

Logan Susan

Elick Boon

Catharine Scarrett

William Henry

Law-Que-See

Co-Me-Tak

Nancy Blackhoof

Joseph Blanchard

In an 1873 petition, Charles Tucker signs as first chief, Levi Flint as second chief, witnesses (noted as councilmen) were Dudley Tucker, Joseph Flint, Jonathan Blackfeather and David Blackfeather.

It appears that the Indians did in fact sell. Depositions include one from Thomas Milhous saying he bought land from Indian George Williams in 1869.

Charles Bluejacket, an Indian of the tribe and the tribes official interpreter says that the Indian agent from the Shawnee agency visited the tribe in 1869 to obtain the names of the Indians to be sure they all received their money for the land and the Indians told him they did not want to take the land in severalty. Apparently, from his testimony, there were some underhanded dealings having to do with the Indian agent who was pocketing some of the funds due to the Indians.

L.R. Carter, an Indian, said the land he lived on has been sold without his consent to the brother-in-law of the Indian agent even though Carter wanted to purchase it himself.

From further depositions, one from a Hazael Wycoff, of the Black Bob Reservation (but does not say he is an Indian), he, at the request of the Indians, visited the agency requesting food and rations, which the Indian agent withheld because the Indians would not "take their lands in severalty.' Wycoff deposes that the Indians "are in a great state of destitution; so much so that the settlers on the said Black Bob reserve have donated and are donating large quantities of corn, pork, potatoes, flour and molasses for their support."

According to an 1870 deposition, at a previous meeting with the Indians, the "majority of the Black Bob band of Indians, not including those who have absented themselves from the tribe, requested the agent to report to the department in Washington that they wished to go South among their brethren; that they wished to make selections down there and that they desired the government to buy their lands and remove them to their new homes."

The Black Bob Shawnee were expelled from their land, which was sold to speculators, and moved to Northeastern Oklahoma.

(Hat tip to Min for sending the link to this information.)

Source:
Black Bobs band of Shawnee Indians against any attempt to force their people to break up their tribal organization, and against division of their lands
SERIAL-SET-ID: 1408 S.misdoc.49: Feb 11, 1870, 17 pgs. (accessed through Heritage Quest 2-28-2012)

Full Citation:

Black Bobs band of Shawnee Indians against any attempt to force their people to break up their tribal organization, and against division of their lands

About Roberta Estes

Scientist, author, genetic genealogist. Documenting Native Heritage through contemporaneous records and DNA.

This entry was posted in Black Bob Indians. Bookmark the permalink.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Black Bob Indians of Johnson County, Kansas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Beginning about 1870, the Black Bob Indians of the Shawnee Tribe who lived on a reservation in Johnson Co., Kansas known as the "Black Bob Reserve" began petitioning the government to keep their lands intact. It seems that "speculators" were trying to purchase part of the land held jointly as a tribe from some tribal...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
LIFE Tags organizes over 4 million images from the LIFE magazine archives into an interactive encyclopedia using machine learning. Published weekly between 1936 and 1972 and monthly from 1978 to 2000, LIFE magazine was the most popular photojournalism magazine in the United States. Our experiment brings this iconic magazine to life.

With machine learning, we classified millions of images automatically into a catalogue format based on thousands of labels. For this project, we used Google's Image Content-based Annotation (ICA) algorithm to generate labels based on image pixels. It is based on a deep neural network used in Google photo search that has been trained on millions of images and labels to recognize categories for labels and pictures.

You can easily navigate the LIFE magazine photo archive by browsing through the image categories and labels. A new random layout is generated at each visit, with a various choice of key images and titles. We clustered labels into categories using the nearest neighbor algorithm, which finds related labels based on image feature vectors. The ICA algorithm provides digital information for each image, which we translated into keywords, compared and grouped together.

Each image has multiple labels linked to the elements that are recognized. Click to view the full-size image and the dotted lines will show you where the relevant elements are located.

All labels have been automatically linked with their WIKIPEDIA definition to provide additional context.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google Arts & Culture Lab Experiments - Life Tags

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LIFE Tags organizes over 4 million images from the LIFE magazine archives into an interactive encyclopedia using machine learning. Published weekly between 1936 and 1972 and monthly from 1978 to 2000, LIFE magazine was the most popular photojournalism magazine in the United States. Our experiment brings this iconic magazine to life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We're committed to providing educators accessible, high-quality teaching tools. That's why all our lessons and assessments are free. Please consider donating to SHEG to support our creation of new materials. All gifts are made through Stanford University and are tax-deductible.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This collection contains cultural heritage materials gathered during the World Digital Library (WDL) project, including thousands of items contributed by partner organizations worldwide as well as content from Library of Congress collections. The original World Digital Library site (preserved in LC's Web Archives here) and all descriptive metadata were translated from English and made available in six additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. All item records include narrative descriptions submitted by the contributing partners and enhanced by WDL researchers to contextualize the item and its cultural and historical importance. Books, manuscripts, maps, and other primary materials in the WDL collection are presented in their original languages; more than 100 languages are represented, including many lesser known and endangered languages. Additionally, all World Digital Library metadata in each of the seven languages is available as a downloadable dataset.

Launched in 2009, the World Digital Library was a project of the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO, and contributions from libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations around the world. The WDL sought to preserve and share some of the world's most important cultural objects, increasing access to cultural treasures and significant historical documents to enable discovery, scholarship, and use.

WDL partner institutions selected content in accordance with guidelines set by the WDL Content Selection Committee. They chose content for its cultural and historical importance, with due regard to recognition of the achievements of all countries and cultures over a wide range of time periods. The materials collected by the WDL include cultural treasures and significant historical documents including books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, journals, prints, photographs, sound recordings, and films.

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington proposed the establishment of the WDL in a speech to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO in June 2005. The basic idea was to create an Internet-based, easily-accessible collection of the world's cultural riches that would tell the stories and highlight the achievements of all countries and cultures, thereby promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding. UNESCO welcomed the idea as a contribution toward fulfilling its strategic objectives, which include promoting knowledge societies, building capacity in developing countries, and promoting cultural diversity on the web. UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura designated UNESCO's Directorate for Communication and Information, then led by Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan, to work with the Library of Congress to develop the project.

In December 2006, UNESCO and the Library of Congress convened an Experts Meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to discuss the project. Experts from all parts of the world identified a number of challenges that the project would need to overcome to be successful. They noted that little cultural content was being digitized in many countries, and that developing countries in particular lacked the capacity to digitize and display their cultural treasures. Existing websites often had poorly developed search and display functions. Multilingual access was not well developed.

The Experts Meeting led to the establishment of working groups to develop guidelines for the project, and to a decision by the Library of Congress, UNESCO, and five partner institutions - the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Library of Brazil, the National Library and Archives of Egypt, the National Library of Russia, and the Russian State Library - to contribute content to a WDL prototype to be presented at the UNESCO General Conference in 2007. Input into the design of the prototype was solicited through a consultative process that involved UNESCO, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and individuals and institutions in more than forty countries. The successful unveiling of the prototype was followed by a decision by these institutions to develop a public, freely-accessible version of the WDL.

A team at the Library of Congress then developed the public, online version of the WDL, which was launched at UNESCO in April 2009. Twenty-six institutions contributed content to the launch version of the site. Launch partners included national libraries and cultural organizations in Brazil, China, Egypt, Mexico, Russia, France, Sweden, Uganda, the United States and other locations worldwide.

Following the launch, the WDL continued to add content to the site and to enlist new partners from all parts of the world. In April 2010, institutions and organizations contributing to the WDL adopted the WDL Charter, which established a permanent governance structure.

In 2020, the WDL Charter concluded. In 2021, after more than 10 years of operation, the Library transitioned WDL's world-wide collection of cross-cultural treasures into a sustainable home for perpetual access on the Library of Congress's main website. The original World Digital Library site is preserved by the Library of Congress Web Archive, which captures the look and feel of the site. Now available on the Library's main website, the collection is a rich and valuable resource showing the diversity of the world's cultures through the contributions of hundreds of organizations.

The Library of Congress has received multiple complaints of an individual claiming to be the director of the World Digital Library and soliciting freelance work for a $200 employment ID. Please be warned that the WDL's charter has ended and neither the Library of Congress nor the former World Digital Library has any connection with this scam.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
About this Collection | World Digital Library | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This collection contains cultural heritage materials gathered during the World Digital Library (WDL) project, including thousands of items contributed by partner organizations worldwide as well as content from Library of Congress collections. The original World Digital Library site (preserved in LC’s Web Archives here) and all descriptive metadata were translated from English and made available in six additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
South of the Kaw River

by Harold J. Henderson

August 1947 (Vol. 15, No. 3), pages 225-239
Transcription by Harriette Jensen; HTML composition by Tod Roberts;
digitized with permission of the Kansas Historical Society.

THE first railroad locomotive to operate in Kansas south of the Kaw river made its initial crossing of that river at Lawrence, November 1, 1867. [1]. Nosing of this "iron horse" across the Kaw was a part of the first all-out construction race in the state to cash in on county bonds before a fixed deadline. [2] In order to qualify for the bonds it was necessary for the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston railroad to lay track from Lawrence to Ottawa by January 1, 1868. [3] The race developed into a "photo finish," in which a prominent Kansas newspaper editor made a "last-minute" dash to Illinois to rush delivery of passenger cars for the railroad's opening. [4] The track was completed a day before the deadline. [5]

The locomotive making this pioneer southward Kaw river crossing was the "Ottawa." [6] It belonged to the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston, which, by destroying its bridge behind it [7] became probably the only Kansas railroad that ever operated the greater part of two years minus a terminus with a direct rail or ferry connection.

The Union Pacific railway, Eastern division, had been constructed westward from Wyandotte and placed in operation to Lawrence [8] before the Missouri Pacific, its original connecting line, had a continuous track in operation from St. Louis to Kansas City [9] but the Union Pacific from the first had connecting carriers in the form of Missouri river boats. [10]

County bonds had been issued for three other Kansas railroad projects prior to the launching of the construction race by the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston [11] but the ballot proposals presented to and adopted by the voters either did not specify a time limit in which the railroads should be completed or the bonds by agreement were issued in advance of construction on a "pay-as-you-go" basis as the lines were built. [12]

Leavenworth county had issued bonds to the Missouri River railroad [13] (the Missouri Pacific's present Kansas City-Leavenworth line) prior to its construction [14] and to the Union Pacific railway; Eastern division, for the building of a branch from Leavenworth to Lawrence with an agreement that the bonds be delivered pro rata as the work progressed. [15] Johnson county also voted bonds to aid in the construction of the Kansas and Neosho Valley railroad [16] (the Frisco's present line from Kansas City to Olathe) [17] but issued a portion of the bonds more than a year before the line was placed in operation. [18] Moreover, the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston was running trains eleven months before the Kansas and Neosho Valley was maintaining service to Olathe. [19]

Prior problems of financing and bridging formed much of the background for this railroad construction race drama which opened its final act on November 1, 1867. The act began with the pioneer locomotive operation south of the Kaw when the "Ottawa" made its crossing at Lawrence after a temporary "low" bridge had been constructed. The span was erected solely for the purpose of getting the motive power, a small quantity of rolling stock and needed iron across the river [20] for laying a 27-mile track to Ottawa. [21]

Less than four months after Sen. James H. Lane assumed the presidency of the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston railroad in1865, [22] Douglas county had voted on September 12, 1865, $250,000 in bonds for a subscription to the stock of the line to be made upon its completion in that county. [23] Franklin county had followed suit a little more than a year later by voting $125,000 in bonds for the projected line commonly known as "The Galveston Railroad," to be issued upon its construction in that county. [24]

Within the week that Douglas county voted the railroad bonds, Senator Lane had presented to the directors of the Galveston road a resolution providing:

That the executive committee be instructed to ascertain the cost of a double track railroad bridge across the Kansas river, including in connection therewith It double passenger track; and said committee is further authorized to receive special city, county and individual subscriptions of stock, payable as said work progresses, for the construction of the same. And when said committee shall obtain a sufficient amount of said stock, they are hereby empowered to contract for building said bridge, to be completed at as early a day as practicable. . . . [25]

After Senator Lane started on a speaking tour of the South in the interests of the Galveston road with appearances planned at Memphis, Vicksburg and New Orleans, the railroad advertised for bids "for putting in the foundations and building the abutments and piers for the railroad bridge of this company across the river at Lawrence," with January 1, 1866, the final day for filing pro-posals. The Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, said that "We are informed upon reliable authority. . . that it is the confident expectation of the company to have their bridge across the river at this point completed by spring." [26]

But ample credit and cash for railroad building was not forth-coming alone from promised county stock subscriptions to be paid for by a future bond issue. Outside capital was needed. The Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston railroad had received a land grant but title could not be obtained to any of the lands until a portion of the line was in operation. [27] The bond proposition of Douglas county was termed impracticable for railroad financing by James F. Joy, [28] president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and Michi-gan Central railroads, and a director of the New York Central, [29] because the proceeds could not be used until certain work was al-ready completed. He said upon a visit to Lawrence that the amount of Douglas county bonds voted could finance the grading and tieing of the road to the Franklin county line, and then rail and iron could otherwise be obtained.

Newspaper discussion and statements of public men pointed to the probability that not more than 50 percent of the par value of the county bonds could be realized by their sale. This brought the suggestion that the state endorse such county bonds or lend its credit to the counties, the state itself being barred by constitutional provisions from issuing bonds for internal improvements. State bonds were credited with bringing near par. [30]

Financial arrangements had not been completed for the construc-tion of the Lawrence bridge nor for the complete building of the road when Senator Lane was reelected president of the railroad in June, 1866, and one of his "last works" before his death July 11 was to send Maj. B. S. Henning east to interest capitalists in the construction of the Galveston road. [31]

These efforts finally resulted in definitely enlisting the interest of Chicago and New York capitalists in the projected road early in November, 1866. [32] Then followed a series of moves that led to the establishment of a deadline for the completion of the road to Ottawa, if county stock subscriptions were to be made through issuance of bonds, and the ensuing construction race.

With the naming of these capitalists to the board of directors on November 29, the new company officials and board headed by William Sturges of Chicago and including Cyrus H. McCormick of New York, asked Douglas county to increase its proposed stock subscription in the Galveston road to $300,000, declaring that "in most of the projected enterprises in this region, the people offer, by way of contribution, what is equivalent to one-third of the cost of construction." [33]

Douglas county voters on February 6, 1867, authorized an increase in the proposed stock subscription by the county to $300,000 and the issuance of a like amount of bonds to the company, contingent upon the railroad completing and equipping 24 miles of track by January 1, 1868. [34]

. In February announcement was made that iron for the Leaven-worth, Lawrence and Galveston had been purchased in Liverpool, England, and late in the following month the contract had been awarded for the masonry for the first ten miles of line. By April 28 it was reported 30 hands were cutting ties for the railroad. [35]

Heavy rains in late May forced contractors to reduce grading forces in the Wakarusa bottom but it was estimated that a fourth of the grading had been completed to the Franklin county line and considerable stone had been delivered for the 140-foot Wakarusa river bridge. Two miles had been graded on the south side of the Wakarusa river along Coal creek and portions of the grading done along the route towards Baldwin City. "Beyond the Santa Fe Ridge, hands are strung all along the line of the work," the Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, said. [36]

By mid-July, with less than six months to meet the deadline, Col. J. B. Vliet, engineer of the Galveston road, estimated that the road-bed for the first 24 miles of the line could be made ready for the rails in three weeks. And following a directors' meeting in Chicago, Major Henning was sent east to purchase locomotives and rolling stock for the road, but no construction had been undertaken to bridge the Kaw. [37]

Meanwhile, Franklin county was asked to increase its proposed bond issue from $125,000 to $200,000 to aid in completing the rail-road through to Ottawa.38 On August 14 it was reported that grading would be completed in ten days to the Douglas-Franklin county line but there remained a mile and a half gap immediately south of Lawrence. [39]

By September factors in the construction race for the county bonds were taking more definite shape.

Early in the year Douglas county had increased the amount of its proposed bond issue to aid in financing the road and stipulated the January 1 deadline for completion. [40] Original provisions in 1866 for Franklin county's proposed $125,000 bond issue specified no time limit for completing the road but provided for delivery of half of the issue upon completion of the line to Ottawa. [41]

On September 2, 1867, the Franklin county commissioners issued a notice for an election September 23 on the proposal to authorize, an increase in the contemplated issue to $200,000, but with the added provision that the road be completed to Ottawa by January or no bonds would be issued at al1. [42] When the voters approved this proposal later the same month, the Galveston railroad thus faced the task of completing the road to Ottawa by New Year's or not only lose the original $125,000 in bonds promised by Franklin county but an additional $75,000 as well. [43]

Early in September, it was reported that iron for the road had been shipped and two locomotives purchased. By September 11 three carloads of the rail and track material had passed through Quincy, Ill. Three days later seven carloads had reached Leavenworth. [44]

Still no means had been procured for crossing railroad equipment over the Kaw and less than four months remained to bridge the river, finish construction of the roadbed and lay the rail to Ottawa by January 1.

So vital had become the problem that the laying of temporary rails over the Babcock wagon bridge was considered as a means of moving locomotives to the south bank of the Kaw. [45]

Neither Quincy [46] nor Leavenworth had railroad bridges [47] but the rolling stock brought west via these points could be transferred across the Mississippi and Missouri rivers by boats. Leavenworth had a ferry connection with a Missouri railroad at East Leaven-worth. [48] But Lawrence at this period did not have a ferry, the Babcock wagon bridge having been constructed in 1863 and the steam ferry was not placed in service until 1871. [49]

"Three car loads of iron have arrived at the Lawrence depot for the Galveston railroad. It will keep coming," was the announcement of the Kansas Daily Tribune of Lawrence, October 1.

Building of a railroad bridge across the Kansas river was discussed by the directors of the company at a meeting at Lawrence October 9 and a resolution was passed instructing the chief engineer to make plans and estimates for the bridge. The Tribune in reporting the directors' meeting said:

There is no shadow of doubt of the speedy completion of the road to Ottawa. The iron horse can be watered in the Marais des Cygnes on New Year's day, and our Franklin county friends can get up a grand celebration and barbecue, if they want to.

Three engines have been purchased, and one of them has already reached the Missouri opposite Leavenworth, and was to have crossed the Missouri river yesterday. The construction cars are on the way, a few car loads of the iron is at the Lawrence depot, a hundred car loads are near Leavenworth--we don't know on which side of the river. . . . [50]

Plans for a temporary bridge were revealed on October 15 after the engineers of the road had made a survey the previous day. A Lawrence newspaper gave the following description of the plans for the structure, just above the Babcock wagon bridge, and its con-necting track:

The road starts from the U. P. road, west of the bridge, and will thus cross this temporary bridge, and the engine and construction train pass under the Babcock bridge (so called), and thence along the river bank till near Sparr's old brick yard, and around the hill by Speer's place. The bridge is to be a temporary structure, the stringers set on cribs loaded with stone, and is to be used only for the transportation of the iron, cars, etc., used in the construction of the road. The water is only about two feet deep and the bridge will be easily made. The hands will be at work on the grading to-day. [51]

The next day grading on the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galves-ton was started on the north side of the Kansas river for the track to be laid from the Union Pacific to the temporary bridge, and cribs for the temporary structure were being placed in the water. The last crib was constructed on October 23 and the first track-laying on the road started the preceding day. Stringers on the bridge had been placed within ten days after work on the span started and track-lay-ing across the bridge was completed on October 29. The Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, reported:

The track-laying across the railroad bridge was completed yesterday. Con-struction cars are run across by hand with iron, but the locomotive will not be placed on it for a day or two. The ties are also in place for a considerable distance on the south side of the river . [52]

The locomotive "Ottawa" made its first crossing over the tem-porary bridge on November 1 with five cars of iron, shortly after its arrival from Leavenworth the same afternoon. However, preliminary to the actual crossing of the locomotive the strength of the bridge was tested by a truck loaded with iron which was detached from the train at the upper part of the grade on the north side of the river and "coasted" across the bridge. The crossing of the locomotive was made a celebration and after the initial trip onlook-ers accepted an invitation to ride across the river and back. [53]

The Kansas Daily Tribune of November 2 gave this description of the eventful crossing:

The first raid on Southern Kansas by a railroad train was made yesterday. A locomotive was brought down from Leavenworth, and in the afternoon, with five carloads of iron, successfully crossed the Kaw, being the first train that ever made its appearance on Southern Kansas soil. A truck loaded with iron was first detached at the upper part of the grade on the north side of the river, to make the experiment trip to test the bridge, its own weight giving it sufficient impetus to carry it across in beautiful style, checking its speed only when the brakes were applied. The locomotive with its five cars and a large number of persons aboard then backed slowly across, and on reaching the south side awoke the echoes of Southern Kansas with its shrill whistle of triumph. The bridge bore the immense weight without giving in the least. It appears to be very solid and strong, capable of sustaining any weight that may be placed on it. A large crowd gathered on the wagon bridge and river banks to witness the crossing.

After the unloading of the iron was completed, Col. Vliet invited the citizens to a ride across the river and back. Several hundred persons availed them-selves of the privilege, and the cars were speedily filled to their utmost capa-city with gentlemen, ladies and children. The train ran over to the junction and back, the passengers enjoying it hugely, judging from the general hilarity. As soon as the train arrived back at the starting point, Mayor Kimball pro-posed three cheers for the Galveston railroad, which were given with will, fol-lowed by three more for Mr. Sturges, three for Maj. Henning and three for Col. Vliet.

The "Ottawa," described as a "grim old engine," in the succeeding days made daily and sometimes hourly trips across the cribbed bridge over the Kansas river, moving track materials. [54]

By the middle of November less than four miles of rail had been laid from the Lawrence terminus. Timbers and iron for a Howe truss pattern bridge made in Chicago for erection over the Wakarusa river, had arrived at Lawrence, and a second locomotive, the "Osage," had crossed the Missouri river at Leavenworth. "The iron is laid a little past the summit between Lawrence and the Wakarusa, and the engine is on the down grade for the Wakarusa bottom," the Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, reported. [55]

Track laying was completed to the Wakarusa river on November 20 but the bridge was not finished for nearly a week and the construction locomotive did not cross until November 27. Meanwhile, the second locomotive was placed on the job. [56]

With five weeks remaining in which to qualify for the county bonds, the Galveston railroad management faced the task of building four more iron bridges and laying more than twenty miles of rail. John Speer, editor of the Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, although admitting in an editorial he had feared the deadline might not be met, now expressed confidence that the company would qualify for the bonds, in these words:

Everything on the road is now in fine working order. We have really been despondent about this work, not that we had any doubt but the work would be done, but a fear that it might fail to be accomplished within the time required by the counties of Douglas and Franklin, and thus retard the work beyond Ottawa. We now have no fears. Nothing but an interposition of Providence could prevent it. [57]

Meanwhile, the "Osage" had the honor of making the first ex-cursion trip down the line, transporting a number of Lawrence citizens and visitors as guests of Mr. Sturges, president of the road, down toward Coal creek where "two thousand feet of railroad was laid down" in an afternoon and the force "so completely organized that at least" a mile a day can be laid." [58]

By December 8 the completed track was nearing the half-way mark and it was stated that track laying "is now on the up-grade for the Santa Fe ridge, and will reach Baldwin City this week" [by December 14]. [59] Laying of the rails to Baldwin would mark the completion of more than 14 miles of the 27-mile stretch to Ottawa, after more than 40 days had elapsed following placing of the first construction locomotive in service. It was estimated that laying 16 miles of rail in 20 working days was the task in order to reach the Ottawa townsite by January 1. [60]

However, newspapers indicated a stepping up of rail laying. The Western Home Journal, Ottawa, said: "Two sets of hands-one for day, and the other for night work-are laying down over a mile of track a day." "Mr. Cooley, the new superintendent of track-laying," the Tribune said, "is a go-ahead man, as we were convinced by see-ing his hands at work an hour or two yesterday [December 7]. On Friday [December 6] he laid a mile and two hundred feet, and Sat-urday a mile and three hundred and fifty feet." [61]

Work was progressing when the locomotive, "Osage," ran off the track on December 16 while "shoving a heavy train up to the summit of the Santa Fe ridge, near Baldwin." The pilot was badly smashed and other damage sustained. This made it necessary to operate the engine, "Ottawa," night and day to carry material as one engine was "scarcely sufficient, even when constantly employed." Nevertheless, the rail was laid to Prairie City, south of Baldwin, by December 17, and to the county line by December 20, and the grading to Ottawa had been done a few days previously. [62]

The construction score then read: Approximate mileage completed, 18; approximately 9 miles to go in 11 days. [63] Bridges had been completed except one over "what is known as Ottawa Jones's creek." Cooley was quoted as promising to put down a mile and a half of track a day "from there on." The disabled engine was repaired just before Christmas and on that day it was announced track laying was completed to West Ottawa creek, within five miles of Ottawa, and the intention to run the construction train into Ottawa, Saturday, December 28, was made known. [64]

Delivery of two passenger cars and a baggage car to the Galveston road had been expected in the first week in December but as the month was running out they failed to appear. The cars had been manufactured at Trenton, N. J. The approaching deadline for the completion of the road prompted John Speer, editor of the Kansas Daily Tribune and a director of the road, to make a last-minute trip to Quincy, Ill., to hurry the delivery of the coaches and the baggage car. On December 29, he reported they had been brought west as far as Leavenworth and would be run to Lawrence the following day by special train so as to be available for use on the first train into Ottawa on December 31. [65]

On the morning of the last day of the year-hours before the county bond deadline-there remained a third of a mile of rail to be laid to the Ottawa townsite. That morning the construction train with one passenger car and three carloads of iron ran to the end of the track. Included in its passengers were George P. Lee, an officer of the Chicago & Northwestern railway and a director of the Galveston road, and Daniel L. Wells, the principal contractor for building the railway from Lawrence to Ottawa. Mr. Sturges, president of the road, had gone down on an engine at daylight to the end of the rail. [66]

The construction train literally laid its own track into Ottawa to beat the January 1 deadline. A newspaper account said:

The train took down iron for eighteen hundred and sixty feet of road, and from the moment that the cars were stopped till it was unloaded, laid down, well spiked, and the train run over it, was precisely an hour, and this done with a single set of track-layers-being a third of a mile and one hundred feet. . . .

This visit of passengers was unheralded to the citizens of Ottawa; but it was known that the iron rails would cross the city line and the cars enter the city that day, and four or five hundred of the citizens of the town and surrounding country were there to witness that interesting event, and when the passenger cars arrived, loud cheers for Ottawa and Lawrence and the Gal-veston Railroad Company greeted the visitors. The crowd principally stayed on the ground till the track was down, and as the rails crossed the city line, the welkin rang with cheers, and soon the passenger car entered the city of Ottawa. Mr. Sturges remained only till he saw the cars within the city limits, and then took an engine and left to make connection with the Union Pacific road, and made the trip to Lawrence in one hour and twelve minutes. His departure was very generally regretted, but important business compelled him to return east. [67]

Daily passenger and freight service to Ottawa was inaugurated on New Year's and by January 4 the Galveston road was carrying the mail, the stages having been taken off north of Ottawa. [68]

Razing of the temporary Kansas river bridge was under way two weeks later. Workers began removing rails from the bridge and by January 16 the sills and timbers were being taken up and loaded on cars for removal down the road. The whole structure was being razed to the level of the ice, leaving only a small part of it in the river, and the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston was left without a direct railroad or boat connection. [69]

No further construction work of consequence toward extending the road south of Ottawa was attempted before the summer of 1869 and it was not until August of that year that material was received for the erection of a bridge over the Marais des Cygnes at Ot-tawa. [70] However, the business on the railroad even without direct connection was shown to be on the increase. In February an ad-dition had been built to the Ottawa depot and the trains were crowded with both passengers and freight. [71]

May saw negotiations opened by other railroad owners to acquire an interest in the Galveston road and James F. Joy, railroad capi-talist and then director of the Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf railroad (Frisco), was exhibiting interest in the road. [72]

The Galveston road had acquired another engine, "The Comet," to pull the passenger train. By June 11 the locomotive was stand-ing across the Kansas river in North Lawrence. But not having had a bridge at Lawrence for nearly a year and a half, the railroad faced the problem of getting it across. A temporary track on blocks or the procurement of a boat from Kansas City to ferry it over were two means considered. Purchase of material for two flatboats apparently was the answer of the engineer, Col. J. B. -Vliet. While in Chicago for a directors' meeting he obtained the material for the construction of two boats that were also to be used in crossing cars and materials over the river for the contemplated extension of the railroad. It was announced that each boat would have a capacity of two loaded cars. Construction of the railroad ferry was under way in July. [73]

On June 30 Joy and five Boston capitalists-Nathaniel Thayer, Sidney Bartlett, H. H. Hunnewell, W. F. Weld and John A. Burn-ham-associated with him as directors of the Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf railroad assumed control of the Galveston road and Joy became its president. In July grading was in progress south of Ottawa to the Pottawatomie river. [74]

Leavenworth was displaying an interest in obtaining a direct connection with the southern Kansas trade and the Leavenworth board of trade requested the county commissioners of Leavenworth to transfer the county's Kansas Pacific railroad stock to aid in the construction of the Lawrence bridge. [75]

In September the railroad ferry on the Kaw was taking cars and iron over the river and "working well." The Kansas Daily Tri-bune, Lawrence, reported "some ten or twelve car-loads [of iron] were brought across the river on the ferry boat yesterday [October 1] , and a portion run down to Ottawa. The cars and all are crossed, and after being unloaded the cars are recrossed and sent back. . . . The loaded cars are crossed with greatest dispatch." [76]

However, the railroad soon showed a preference for a bridge, and construction of a temporary span was under way in October. It was nearly completed in early November, a large force of workmen and a pile driver having been employed for several days. A description of the road's second temporary Kansas river bridge was given by the Kansas Daily Tribune:

The bridge is located a short distance below the wagon bridge, and angles across the river to allow the cars to run alongside the high bank, on the south side. Five substantial log cribs, filled with stone, have been con-structed on the south side, on a rock bottom, with the exception of the last, which rests on sand. For the rest of the way piles were driven into the sand to a depth of twelve feet, and standing high enough to give the bridge an altitude of eight feet above low-water mark. Dirt embankments are thrown up at each end to the water's edge. The work is of a very substantial character, and will doubtless serve the purpose until a permanent bridge can be erected. The cost will not exceed twelve or fifteen hundred dollars.

The old ferry boat, with the tracks built to accommodate it, together with attendant expenses cost the company in all about ten thousand dollars. Hence, there is no question as to the economy of a bridge, to say nothing of the increased facilities for crossing cars and materials. [77]

By December another locomotive, the "Torrent," was received by the Galveston road from Detroit. In January, 1870, the motive power of the road had been increased to eight engines, with the recent arrival of four new locomotives from the Manchester works. Four of the engines were second-hand. Meanwhile, the track of the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston had been laid two miles south of the Franklin-Anderson county line. [78]

Joy soon expressed the hope that a permanent bridge could be constructed at Lawrence and on February 22 announced the bridge would be built at once. The span was not constructed immediately, but late in the summer of that year the road received a direct con nection from another direction. The Kansas City and Santa Fe railroad was completed from Olathe to Ottawa on August 22, 1870, and use of the Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf railroad tracks; from Olathe to Kansas City gave the Galveston road a continuous rail connection to the Missouri river. [79]

By the spring of 1871 the Galveston road was attempting to compete with the Kansas Pacific for freight and passengers to Kansas City over the longer route via Ottawa and Olathe by reducing rates and advertising that "passengers will please observe that by taking this route [via Ottawa and Olathe to Kansas City] they will not be obliged to cross the river at Lawrence." [80] However, the road had not given up the idea of a Lawrence bridge. In the 1871 annual report, the directors said:

In order to make connections with the Kansas Pacific Railroad, at Lawrence, thereby getting direct connections with Leavenworth, over the Leavenworth branch of that road, as well as to transact with convenience the business coming from or going to the main line of that road, it has become necessary that a bridge be constructed at Lawrence, across the Kansas river. [81]

In May, 1871, newspapers announced the Kansas Pacific and the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad Company had made a contract to build a railroad bridge across the Kansas river "cojointly." [82]

By October of that year the boat upon which the pile driver was to be placed was in position on the south side of the river. After interruptions of winter, work was under way on the second span of the structure in January, 1872, and it was completed two months later. [83]

In March, 1873, the dream of through service over the new Kansas river bridge to Leavenworth, the northern terminus of the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston railroad under the terms of its 1864 amended charter, was realized. After extended negotiations it was announced that a contract had been signed between the Kansas Pacific and Galveston road to operate jointly through trains from Lawrence to Leavenworth and the first through train passed through Lawrence over the branch to Leavenworth the same month. [84]

Notes

HAROLD J. HENDERSON is research director of the Kansas Historical Society.

1. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, November 2, 1867.
2. Ibid., November 26, 1867.
3. Douglas county, board of commissioners, "Commissioners' Record," v. "B," pp. 133, 134; "Special Election" notice in Kansas Weekly Tribune, Lawrence; January 17, 1867; Kan-sas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, February 8, 1867; "Special Election' notice in Western Home Journal, Ottawa, September 4, 1867, election returns in September 26, 1867, issue.
4. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, December 29, 1867.
5. Ibid., January 1, 1868.
6. Western Home Journal, Ottawa, November 7, 14, 1867.
7. Ibid., January 15, 18, 1868. Four western tributaries to the north and west of the Kaw had been bridged on the north side of the stream but a railroad span had never been erected across the Kansas river except from west to east after the river's bend northward near the state line to empty into the Missouri river.
The Blue river was spanned near Manhattan in the summer of 1866 and the first passenger train crossed on August 20. -- Manhattan Independent, August 25, 1866; Kansas Daily Tribune, August 29, 1866. The Republican river was bridged near its mouth in the fall of the same year and the first passenger train entered Junction City, November 10. -- Junction City Union, October 27, November 17, 1866. The Union Pacific also bridged the Solomon in March, 1867, and the Saline river on April 16, 1867. -- Ibid., March 30, April 20, 1867.
Driving of piles for the Union Pacific's first Kaw river bridge and trestle near the state line was in progress by October, 1863, and regular service across the Kansas river east to the state line was established in December, 1864. -- Wyandotte Commercial Gazette, October 10, 1863, December 31, 1864, see advertisements of train schedules; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, December 23, 1864.
8. Ibid., November 27, 1864.
9. The Kansas City (Mo.) Daily Journal of Commerce, September 21, 1865; Wyandotte Commercial Gazette, September 23, 30, 1865; R. E. Riegel, "The Missouri Pacific Railroad To 1879," in The Missouri Historical Review, Columbia, v. 18, pp. 11, 18.
10. Wyandotte Commercial Gazette, February 13, 1864. The first load of iron and first locomotive for the Union Pacific, Eastern division, were delivered by the steamboat Majors at the Wyandotte levee in February, 1864. A mention of the Majors is made in Kansas Historical Collections, v. 9, p. 306.
11. State of Kansas, auditor of state, First Biennial Report (Topeka, 1878), table of "Municipal Debt," Johnson and Leavenworth counties, pp. 234-236.
12. "Election Notice" in Leavenworth Daily Bulletin, January 3, 23, 1865, "Election Proclamation," June 27, 1865; Leavenworth Daily Times, June 13, 1865; Leavenworth Daily Conservative, July 1, 1865; Olathe Mirror, September 5, 1867.
13. Leavenworth Daily Bulletin, August 23, 1865.
14. State of Kansas, board of railroad commissioners, First Annual Report (Topeka, 1884), p. 152.
15. Leavenworth Daily Times, June 13, 1865; Leavenworth Daily Bulletin, June 15, 1865; Leavenworth "Daily Conservative, December 13, 1865. The $250,000 in stock of the Union Pacific Railroad Company acquired by Leavenworth county in issuing bonds for the construction of the Leavenworth branch, was voted to the Kansas Central railroad under proposals approved at a special election on August 15, 1871. -- Leavenworth Daily Commercial, July 15, August 18, 1871. Construction of the main line of the Union Pacific up the Kaw valley had been financed with the aid of United States bonds and land grants. This was also true in the building of the first 100 miles of the Central Branch Union Pacific railroad (Missouri Pacific). -- State of Kansas, board of railroad commissioners, First Annual Report, pp. 811; 171.
16. Kansas City (Mo.) Daily Journal of Commerce, November 9, 1865.
17. State of Kansas, board of railroad commissioners, First Annual Report, pp. 143,149, Sixth Annual Report, p. 300: H. V. & H. W. Poor, Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1902 (New York, 1902), pp. 751, 752.
18. Olathe Mirror, September 5, October 24, 1867, Johnson county commissioners' proceedings; State of Kansas, auditor of state, First Biennial Report, p. 234; Weekly Journal of Commerce, Kansas City, Mo., December 19, 1868.
19. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, December 31, 1867; Weekly Journal of Commerce, December 19, 1868. Construction trains were operating from Kansas City to Olathe as early as December 8, 1868, but regular service was not inaugurated until December 11, 1868. -- Ibid., December 12, 19, 1868.
20. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, October 15, November 2, 1867.
21. Ibid., March 18, 1869; Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad Time Table No.2 [1875], p. 2.
22. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, June 7, 1865.
23. Douglas county, board of commissioners, "Commissioners' Record," v. "B," pp. 40, 41; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, August 17, September 20, 1865.
24. Western Home Journal, Ottawa, October 11, November 15, 1864.
25. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, September 17, 1865.
26. Ibid., October 10, November 17, 29, 1865.
27. State of Kansas, Session Laws of 1864, ch. 70.
28. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, August 19, 1866.
29. Henry V. Poor, Manual of the Railroads of the United States for 1869-70 (New York, 1869), pp. 21, 64, 206. Joy was also chairman of the board of the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad. -- Ibid., p. 414.
30. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, August 19, October 80, November 14, 1866.
31. Ibid., June 5, July 12. 25, 1866.<
32. Ibid., November 10, 1866.
33. Ibid., December 1, 22, 1866, January 19, 1867.
34. Kansas Weekly Tribune, Lawrence, January 17, 1867, "Special Election Notice"; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, February 8, 1867.
35. Ibid., February 22, March 26, April 28, 1867.
36. Ibid., May 25, 1867.
37. Ibid., July 17, 21, 1867.
38. Ibid., July 17, 1867; Western Home Journal, Ottawa, August 15,1867.
39. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, August 14, 1867.
40. Kansas Weekly Tribune, Lawrence, January 17, 1867; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, February 8, 1867.
41. Western Home Journal, Ottawa, October 11, 1866.
42. Ibid., September 4, 1867.
43. Ibid., September 4, 26, 1867.
44. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, September 7, 11,14, 1867.
45. Ibid., September 15, 1867.
46. The cornerstone of the Quincy bridge was laid on September 25, 1867, and it was completed the following year. -- Leavenworth Daily Conservative. October 1, 1867; Murray, Williamson & Phelps, pub., The History of Adams County, Illinois (Chicago, 1879), pp. 490, 491.
47. Work on the first Leavenworth railroad bridge approaches was started July 20, 1869, and on the superstructure in July, 1871. Opening of the bridge was celebrated on April 18, 1872, after an official test earlier that month. -- Leavenworth Daily Commercial, April 18, 1872.
48. See schedule of Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad boat under "Railroad Time Table" in Leavenworth Daily Conservative, August 15, 1867. The Missouri Valley railroad WAS running trains to East Leavenworth. -- Ibid., September 1, 1867.
49. George A. Root, "Ferries in Kansas," in Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. 2, p. 285.
50. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, October 10, 1867.
51. Ibid., October 15, 1887.
52. Ibid,. October 17, 20, 23, 24, 30, 1867.
53. Ibid., November 2, 1867; Western Home Journal, Ottawa, November 7, 1867.
54. Lawrence State Journal, reprinted in Western Home Journal, Ottawa, November 14, 1867.
55. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, November 14, 22, 1867.
56. Ibid., November 20, 22, 26, 1867.
57. Ibid., November 26, December 22, 1867.
58. Ibid., November 27, 1867.
59. Ibid., December 8, 1867.
60. Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad Time Table No. 3 [1875], p. 2; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, November 2, December 8, 1867.
61. Western Home Journal, Ottawa, December 12, 1867; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, December 8, 1867.
62. Ibid., December 17, 18, 21, 1867.
63. Ibid., December 21, 1867; March 18, 1869.
64. Ibid., December 22, 24, 25, 1867.
65. Leavenworth Daily Conservative, December 28, 1867; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, November 26, December 29, 1867.
66. Ibid., January 1, 1868.
67. Ibid.
68. Ibid., January 1, 8, 4, 1868.
69. Ibid., January 15, 17, 1868.
70. Ibid., August 8, 1869.
71. Ibid., February 12, 18, 1869.
72. Ibid., May 12-14, 1869; Manual of the Railroads of the United States for 1869-70, p. 407.
73. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, June 11, 26, July 22, 1869.
74. Ibid., July 3, 18, 1869; Manual of the Railroads of the United States for 1869-70, p. 407.
75. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, August 25, 1869.
76. Ibid., September 9, October 2, 1869.
77. Ibid,. October 26, November 2, 1869.
78. Ibid., November 26, 1869, January 1, 22, 1870.
79. Ibid., February 25, 1870; Report of the Directors of the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad Company (Chicago, 1871), pp. 19, 20.
80. Kansas Weekly Tribune. Lawrence, April 27, May 18, 1871.
81. Report of the Directors of the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad Company (1871), p. 21.
82. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, May 7, 1871.
83. Ibid., September 28, 1871; January 9, 31; March 15, 17, 1872.
84. Session Laws, 1864, ch. 70; Kansas Daily Tribune, March 5, 11, 1873.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Building of the First Kansas Railroad

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
August 1947 (Vol. 15, No. 3), pages 225-239 Transcription by Harriette Jensen; HTML composition by Tod Roberts; digitized with permission of the Kansas Historical Society. THE first railroad locomotive to operate in Kansas south of the Kaw river made its initial crossing of that river at Lawrence, November 1, 1867.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Union Pacific Railway - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nicodemus, Graham County - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The online portal to the records held at the National Archives, and information about those records.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DocsTeach is a product of the National Archives education division. Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives. The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation's record keeper.

# data[].attributes.body
Use with Journeys Story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Wichita [Bird's-eye view of Wichita, Kansas, showing covered wagons on broad street]

# data[].attributes.body
Use with Journey's Story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
1 photographic print mounted on cardboard. | Photograph shows horse-drawn wagons lined up to deliver grain in Offerle, Kansas.

# data[].attributes.body
I Live in Kansas!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Kansas! Primary - P-15 I Live in Kansas! - Kansas Historical Society

# data[].attributes.body
the BILL OF RIGHTS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Celebrate Constitution Day | Scholastic.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The United States Constitution has 27 Amendments. The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was ratified, or approved, in 1791. It outlines the basic rights and freedoms of American citizens.

# data[].attributes.body
the ARTICLES OF THE CONSTITUTION

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Scholastic News Online

Scholastic News Online is a free resource with breaking news and highlights from the print magazine.

Available for grades 1-6, Scholastic News magazine brings high-interest current events and nonfiction to millions of classrooms each week.

Additionally, our subscribers have FREE access to Scholastic News Interactive, an exclusive online learning tool featuring digital editions, videos, interactive features, differentiated articles, and much more.

A young girl holds up a newspaper headline announcing Hawaii as a new state. The articles of the Constitution set up the rules for how to become a state. (Photo: Hawaii State Archives/AP Wide World)

The main body of the Constitution is made up of seven articles. The Articles explain how the government works. They also carefully describe the rules for electing government officials, like Senators and the President.

The Constitution is based on the separation of powers. It divides power between the three separate branches of the government. They are the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.

Article I
The role of the legislative branch is discussed in Article I. The legislative branch includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together they are called Congress. Members of the House of Representatives are often referred to as members of Congress, but Senators are always called Senators.

Article II
Rules for how the President and the Vice President are elected are defined in Article II. It also defines the responsibilities and powers of the President and the executive branch.

Article III
The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court and lower courts. Article III states that Supreme Court Judges can hold office for life, unless they are removed, impeached, or convicted of a crime. It also says that anyone accused of committing a federal crime has the right to a trial by jury.

Article IV
Article IV discusses the relationship between states and the federal government. It also outlines the rules for admitting new states to the Union.

Article V
The Founding Fathers realized that over time, the government might need to make changes, called amendments, to the Constitution. Two thirds of both houses of Congress must agree to propose an amendment. It takes a positive vote by three fourths of the states to make an amendment law.

Article VI
Article VI states that the Constitution is the highest law of the land. Federal and state officers and judges must uphold the Constitution.

Article VII
The names of the men who signed and ratified, or approved the Constitution, are in Article VII. It confirms the establishment of the Constitution.

For more information about Constitution Day, visit the National Constitution Center's Web site.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
What does the Constitution mean to you?

Join the discussion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Celebrate Constitution Day | Scholastic.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Scholastic News Online Scholastic News Online is a free resource with breaking news and highlights from the print magazine. Available for grades 1-6, Scholastic News magazine brings high-interest current events and nonfiction to millions of classrooms each week.

# data[].attributes.body
Not a slave state but... 12:35

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is "Olathe City Beautiful - Civil Rights" by inversion on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

# data[].attributes.body
What happened with tribes? - - 8:59

# data[].attributes.body
Hodges Boys - - lasts 7:59

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Olathe - The City Beautiful. Frank and George Hodges

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is the first in a series of videos on the history of Olathe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Longitude and latitude lines, as well as the equator and prime meridian are explained in this clip from "Dig Into History with California Jones: California R...

# data[].attributes.body
Why did people come?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Willing to Die for Freedom - Part 1 - Kansas Historical Society

# data[].attributes.body
Nicodemus, Kansas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
National Park Getaways

A New National Park Getaway Every Wednesday

In Nicodemus, Kansas, there are no mountains, oceans, or canyons. Nicodemus was not a great battlefield, it holds no renowned architecture, and none of our presidents was born here. Were one to consider it only for its physical attributes, Nicodemus might seem entirely unremarkable.

Yet as the first and only remaining black settlement in the West, Nicodemus is very remarkable.

In the years following the Civil War, as America grappled with the issue of Southern reconstruction, blacks found themselves in American society but not integrated. The joys of emancipation were often marred by the senseless violence of Klu Klux Klans and the oppression of Jim Crow laws.

In April 1877, W. R. Hill, a white man, traveled to Kentucky to promote the creation of an all-black town in the Solomon Valley of Kansas.

In Southern and border states, a person's view about Kansas was often a matter of perspective. Confederate sympathizers considered it a divisive hotbed that sparked the urgency for secession, but to former slaves, Kansas was the home of whites who had fought for their freedom.

It was in Kansas that John Brown demonstrated his preference for action over words by initiating America's first battle between Free State and pro-slavery forces, and Kansas had been the first in the Union to enlist African Americans in military service.

In this context, the idyllic vision elicited by Hill, of rich farmland in Kansas and the potential for a life free from oppression, was indeed an attractive proposition. By July of 1877, more than 300 people had joined the Nicodemus Township Company. The first settlers arrived in September of that year.

During the first few months the settlers lacked traditional building materials, so they lived out of holes in the ground or in houses constructed of sod. Food was scarce. Life was difficult. But, for men like the Rev. Roundtree, who spent 45 years in slavery and was sold eight times, the hardships of life on the prairie did not compare to the scars of the past.

Over time, the town grew and businesses sprung up. Early on there were several whites living in Nicodemus and by the late 1880s the town had a fully integrated school. Dr. J. E. Porter, the school's black principal, noted that, "The school was mixed. It was my first experience in teaching a mixed school. There was no friction; but perfect good feeling at all times." Educational integration would not occur on a national level until after the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 ruling on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.

Today, descendants of the original settlers still live in and around Nicodemus. Because the story continues to unfold, staff at Nicodemus National Historic Site interprets a living history of the town and works closely with private owners of historic properties.

Visitors to Nicodemus can explore the town site, view displays in our visitor center, and watch an interpretive film that features perspectives of Nicodemus residents.

Throughout the year Nicodemus National Historic Site hosts a variety of special programs, musical events, and youth activities. Every July, Nicodemus hosts the annual Emancipation Celebration. The event doubles as a homecoming for descendants and features a parade, food vendors, buffalo soldier reenactments, a dance, baseball games, and many other activities.

Nicodemus National Historic Site, off Highway 24 in northwestern Kansas, is open daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Stop at the visitor center for warm welcome and great ideas to get the most out of your visit.

By William Pope, Park Guide, Nicodemus National Historic Site

Additional sites to explore:
Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site
African American Heritage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A New National Park Getaway Every Wednesday In Nicodemus, Kansas, there are no mountains, oceans, or canyons. Nicodemus was not a great battlefield, it holds no renowned architecture, and none of our presidents was born here. Were one to consider it only for its physical attributes, Nicodemus might seem entirely unremarkable.

# data[].attributes.body
Find out about this urban region...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kansas City [1]: Recreation Sightseeing Kansas City [2] is regarded as one of the most cosmopolitan cities of its size in the United States [3].

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2021 occurs on Thursday, November 25. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Thanksgiving at Plymouth

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers-an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the "New World." After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Did you know? Lobster, seal and swans were on the Pilgrims' menu.
READ MORE: What's the Difference Between Puritans and Pilgrims?
Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower's original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from a member of the Abenaki tribe who greeted them in English.

Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims' first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony's Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American's "first Thanksgiving"-although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time-the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the first Thanksgiving's exact menu, much of what we know about what happened at the first Thanksgiving comes from Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow, who wrote:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower's sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations
READ MORE: Who Was at the First Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving Becomes a National Holiday

Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year's harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well.

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country's war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition.

In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale -author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb"-launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians, earning her the nickname the "Mother of Thanksgiving."

Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to "commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife" and to "heal the wounds of the nation." He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt's plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving Traditions and Rituals

In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621.

Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird-whether roasted, baked or deep-fried-on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy's department store since 1924, New York City's Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.

Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has "pardoned" one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.

Thanksgiving Controversies

For some scholars, the jury is still out on whether the feast at Plymouth really constituted the first Thanksgiving in the United States. Indeed, historians have recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America that predate the Pilgrims' celebration. In 1565, for instance, the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé invited members of the local Timucua tribe to a dinner in St. Augustine, Florida, after holding a mass to thank God for his crew's safe arrival. On December 4, 1619, when 38 British settlers reached a site known as Berkeley Hundred on the banks of Virginia's James River, they read a proclamation designating the date as "a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

Some Native Americans and many others take issue with how the Thanksgiving story is presented to the American public, and especially to schoolchildren. In their view, the traditional narrative paints a deceptively sunny portrait of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, masking the long and bloody history of conflict between Native Americans and European settlers that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands. Since 1970, protesters have gathered on the day designated as Thanksgiving at the top of Cole's Hill, which overlooks Plymouth Rock, to commemorate a "National Day of Mourning." Similar events are held in other parts of the country.

Thanksgiving's Ancient Origins

Although the American concept of Thanksgiving developed in the colonies of New England, its roots can be traced back to the other side of the Atlantic. Both the Separatists who came over on the Mayflower and the Puritans who arrived soon after brought with them a tradition of providential holidays-days of fasting during difficult or pivotal moments and days of feasting and celebration to thank God in times of plenty.

As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, moreover, Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents and millennia. In ancient times, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also bears a resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot. Finally, historians have noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot on America's shores.
Get the history behind the holiday. Access thousands of hours of commercial-free series and specials with HISTORY Vault

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2021 occurs on Thursday, November 25. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Leif Eriksson - The First European in North America