Tonganoxie, an incorporated town of Leavenworth county, is situated 21 miles southwest of Leavenworth on the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads. It was named in honor of an Indian chief, whose cabin was the stopping place on the road to Lawrence in early days. The village was laid out in 1866 by Mrs. Magdalena Barry, though Wilson Fox had built a cabin there in 1862. James English also came to live in the same neighborhood and he sold the land to Mrs. Barry. A store was opened in 1866 and a postoffice was established about the same time. Late in the '70s Tonganoxie was incorporated as a city of the third class. It has had a steady growth and the excellent railroad facilities with which it is provided have made it a supply and shipping point for a rich district. There are several churches, an excellent public school system, a weekly newspaper (the Mirror), 2 banks, general stores, shoe stores, groceries, millinery shops, drug stores, implement and hardware houses, lumber yard, etc. Tonganoxie has an international money order postoffice with five rural routes, express and telegraph facilities, and it is known as a town of beautiful homes. Its population in 1910 was 1,018.