Browse Items (159 total)
Sort by:
Orion, Gove County
This study of the slowly-vanishing town of Orion explores the western Kansas environment and the founding of a community in 1886. Wheat farmers claimed large farms in this area. Named for a schoolteacher, Orion had a vital life through World War II,…
El Quartelejo Pueblo Ruins, Scott County, Kansas
In this paper, the author discusses the El Quartelejo Pueblo ruins located in present-day Scott County, Kansas. The Taos and the Picuris Indians who came from what is today northwestern New Mexico fled their homelands due to their Spanish overlords…
Springdale, Leavenworth County
The author describes the life of an early Irish Catholic settlement in eastern Kansas. Originally a Quaker community, Irish immigration "exploded" there just after the Civil War, eventually stamping the town with a particular religious culture. After…
Ladore, Neosho County
In southern Neosho County, the "wild west" community of Ladore flourished between 1869 and 1901, when its post office closed. Early events including gambling and lynchings stamped the town with a legendary character. The author writes an engaging…
Dispatch, Smith and Jewell Counties
Located on the border of both Smith and Jewell Counties, tiny Dispatch was founded by the Dutch Reformed Church. When the church split along doctrinal lines, two cemeteries evolved for two different church populations. The main church was founded in…
White Rock Township and White Rock City, Republic County
The White Rock Valley in Republic County saw Indian violence from both the Cheyenne and the Pawnee. This essay traces the founding of the town of White Rock City and its decline during the railroad years. The vital early years of the town are…
Berea, Franklin County
"A Flash in the Pan with a Lasting Legacy" by Laine Raitinger A history of the early settlement of Berea Kansas in Franklin County, Kansas.
Leonardville and Riley, Riley County
Two towns located five miles apart make for instant rivals. Located in Riley County, the towns of Leonardville and Riley competed to establish a post office and attract the attention of a railroad. Leonardville won the first battle and boomed while…
Old Wabaunsee, Wabaunsee County
James C. Rivers traces the life of an early African American female homesteader, Dicy Nichols. Buying a modest farm in 1867, Dicy Nichols lived there and raised a family until selling her land in 1883 to the Hart-Enlow Ranch. She stayed on the land…
Early Paxico, Wabaunsee County
Allana Saenger finds connections between the modern day Paxico Blues Festival and the African American population of early Wabaunsee County. She describes the tradition of church singing in black congregations with vivid a capella hymns and homemade…
Featured Item
Tipton, Mitchell County
William A. Pitt and fellow settlers from Trier, Germany, first settled near Carr Creek, but flooding encouraged them to relocate to the top of a…