VERNON Post Office Contributed and transcribed by cousin Don Henkle. ------------------------------------------------------------------- KSGENWEB INTERNET GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY COPYRIGHT NOTICE: In keeping with the KSGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. -------------------------------------------------------------- VERNON Post Office In 1885 a railroad was built through Woodson Co. coming from Le Roy to Yates Center, called the Verdigris Valley, Independence d Western Railroad This railroad cut across the northeast corner of Sec. 9-24-16, belonging to J.N. Shannon. In 1886 J.N. Shannon sold an interest in a fraction of the northwest corner of this quarter section to Henry Foster. The idea was to find a town along the east side of the railroad where it ran through this tract. A town was surveyed and platted 08 December 1886 by D.M. Ray, County Surveyor, and was given the name of Vernon in honor of Vernon Foster, son of Henry Foster. Not long after that, however, an article appeared in a Yates Center paper stating that, "The town of Vernon will hereafter be known as Talmadge. This is on account of having another place in the state called Vernon." That was in Finney County. However it changed back to Vernon in a short time as there is no record of any post office bearing the name of Talmadge. The Yates Center News of 28 February 1887, carried this item; "Talmadge, Kansas ..... We wish to call attention to the little town of the above caption. It is pleasantly situated on the Verdigris Valley, Independence and Western Railroad in a good farming community. About 60 acres are already laid out in city lots, with one of the finest buildings in the county situated near a neat depot and telegraph office. The services of a good blacksmith has been secured. The Everett post office was moved to town last Thursday!" The town of Talmadge derived its name from Dwight Talmadge ... a widely known minister at that time. The name of Vernon, however, was soon adapted again as a post office of Talmadge is not recorded in the post offices of Kansas. The fine building mentioned above was the two-story building built on the south side of Main Street by J.N. Shannon. The lower floor was used as a store having general supplies as would be needed at that time, The upstairs was used as a residence of the Shannons. At the time of the founding of Vernon, the closest post office was Everett, at one and a half mile south of Vernon. Hamilton was the Everett postmaster from 26 October 1885 'till it was transferred to the new town on 31 January 1887, and became the post office of Vernon with Hamilton as the first postmaster. The oil boom struck the little town about 1903 as oil was discovered near by. The second oil boom came in 1917-1919 when much drilling activity was centered in that area. There is an interesting story told that at the height of the oil boom, a well close to the railroad right-of-way, just to the north of Vernon, had certain amount of gas in it and when this gas would be released it would cause quite an oil spout. At that time there were two passenger trains going thru Vernon. Some ambitious oil promoters would get would-be investors to come in on the train from the north. As the train neared the town the gas would be released, oil would gush up over the machinery as the train passed. This is all this is all the investors wanted to see, and all the promoters wanted them to see, as the gas would not last long. The investors would take the next train north. It is said over $80,000 worth of stock was sold on this one lease. From the time of its beginning Vernon was known as a prairie hay center and this trade was one of the main source of income in that area. Every summer just before the haying season would start, families by the wagon load would pitch their tents in and around the town, making it almost a tent-village. While in its hay day, the little town had around 100 population, but it would increase by about 50 or 75 during the summertime. In 1924, Vernon became known as the "World's Hay Market." One of the best known hay men around Vernon for several years was V.S. Cantrell, who baled, bought & sold hundreds of tons of baled hay from this town. The Cantrell's still ship quite a large tonnage of baled hay in and around Vernon, Yates Center and Rose.