Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== A New Centennial History of the State of Kansas by Prof. Charles R. Tuttle Interstate Book Company - 1876 585-587 ATCHISON COUNTY was named in honor of the proslavery leader David R. Atchison, whose zeal deluged the territory in sorrow for several years. He was for a short time vice president of the United States, and evidently hoped that his zeal for slavery would give him the higher nomination. There are 409 square miles of territory in the county, with a population in 1875 of 20,187, having increased nearly 5,000 since 1870. The males exceed the females by 785 in this county. Manufactures and mining occupy about 19 per cent of the population, agriculture 31 per cent, and trade and transportation about 34 per cent. The capital seat is Atchison, long the head quarters of the proslavery party and the locale of the squatter sovereign, but now much more wisely engaged and prosperous in proportion. The face of the county shows about 15 per cent of bottom lands, the rest being upland. Prairie and forest divide the area in the proportions of 90 and 10. The bot- tom lands range from two miles to one-fourth of a mile in breadth. The timber growing in this county is valuable for manufactures. The principal streams are, the Independence creek, which runs east to the Missouri; the Big Grasshopper, which runs south to the Kan- sas; and the Little Grasshopper, its tributary; Deer creek, tribu- tary to Independence; Walnut creek, flowing into the Missouri; Camp, Little Stranger and Big Stranger creeks, which empty into the Kan- sas. The county has good well water at from twenty to thirty feet in depth, and springs are numerous. Coal has been found, but so far only in small quantities; the other mineral treasures found are sandstone and limestone, well nigh inexhaustible, yellow oxide of iron, in and around the capital, fire clay of good quality, and ex- cellent pottery clay. The city of Atchison has a very charming appearance on the western bank of the Missouri river at the extreme western point of the great bend. This city is the western terminus of the Missouri Pacific, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, and the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroads; it is the northern terminus of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line; the eastern terminus of the central branch of the Union Pacific; and southern terminus of the Atchison and Nebraska; and the western terminus of the Burling- ton and Missouri line. The Kansas City, St. Joseph and Missouri River line also runs through Atchison; hence the city is a great railroad centre, and one of the chief commercial towns in Kansas. There are published in the city, three daily, three weekly, and three monthly papers, the principal of which are the Daily Champion, Patriot and Courier, the last named being German. The Champion of Sunday, June 13, 1875, was published on the first paper manufactured in the state, at Blue Rapids. There are two national banks and two private banks in the city. There are four public school buildings, the principal of which cost $50,000, besides St. Benedict's college and three private academies. There is a very handsome Catholic cathedral, and seven other admirable church buildings. There is also an iron and brass foundry of considerable dimensions, and there are four large furniture factories run by steam, three steam flour- ing mills with a capital of $110,000, a steam saw mill with a capi- tal of $70,000, cigar factories, breweries, wagon and carriage factories, agricultural implement factories, a steam stone dressing factory, and other important works. The city has a population of 10,927. The papers published in Atchison supply the whole county. There are other centers of less importance, but considerable, and among them are distributed a water power flouring and grist mill in Grasshopper township, with a capital of $2,000; a saw and grist mill in Walnut township; two water power flouring and grist mills in Kapiowa township; two wind power flouring mills in Centre township; and cheese factory at Effingham. The water powers on the Grasshopper are very valuable, but they are only utilized partially, and will eventually give employment to many thousands of both sexes before many years have passed. When the locust plague fell upon Kansas in 1874, Atchison county was self supporting, and received no external help as might have been expected, from the fact that the county was the first to become connected with the railroad system of the continent, and was the only county in Kansas so placed before the war. There are 67 organized school districts in the county, and 71 school buildings, the property being valued at $120,000; besides which there are other facilities for education, including St. Bene- dict College, in charge of the Benedictine Friars; an academy for ladies under the patronage of the sisters of the Benedictines; and a large parochial school connected with the same church. The churches in Atchison county number altogether thirteen edifices, which belong to the Presbyterians, Baptists, Congregational, Methodiest, Epis- copal, Catholic and Lutheran organizations. The central branch of the Union Pacific Railroad Company owns all the unsold lands in the county. There is no information afforded by the returns as to li- braries, public or private, but the latter must be numerous and ex- tensive. There are 2,673 acres of land in the county occupied as nurseries, orchards and vineyards, and apiaculture has commanded much attention, as there are 505 stands of bees returned, from which 3,874 pounds of honey were collected in 1874. The bridge over the Missouri River at Atchison is a very handsome and substantial struc- ture of iron on stone abutments, and supported by stone piers. It is used for railroad purposes, and is sufficiently high to permit the navigation of the river to proceed unimpeded. ===========================================================================