Places - Butler County KSGenWeb genealogy, family history

1887 Butler County, Andover, Keighley, Pontiac

1887 Douglass, Latham, Leon, Wingate

Townships

Augusta
Benton
Bloomington
Bruno
Chelsea
Clay
Clifford
Douglass

El Dorado
Fairmount
Fairview
Glencoe
Hickory
Lincoln
Little Walnut

Logan
Milton
Murdock
Pleasant
Plum Grove
Prospect
Richland

Rock Creek
Rosalia
Spring
Sycamore
Towanda
Union
Walnut

Populated Places

Amador, a village of Clifford township, Butler county, is located on a branch of the Whitewater river, about 16 miles northwest of Eldorado, the county seat. Mail is received by the people of Amador from Burns, Marion county, by rural free delivery. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 67.

Andover, a village of Butler county (formerly known as Minnehaha), is a station on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R., in Bruno township, about 17 miles southwest of Eldorado, the county seat, and not far from the Sedgwick county line. It had a population of 130 in 1910, its money order postoffice has one rural free delivery route which supplies mail to the surrounding country, and it is a trading and shipping point for the people in that portion of the county. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 77.

Augusta, an incorporated city of Butler county, is located at the confluence of the Walnut and Whitewater rivers, 13 miles south of Eldorado, the county seat. The first attempt to establish a town here was in 1857, when a party of explorers from Lawrence laid out a town and named it Augusta. The following year a party from Topeka jumped the claim of the former founders and laid out the town of "Fontanella," and another account states that the town of "Orizonia" was also laid out at the junction of the rivers in 1858. The lands then belonged to the Indians, who raided the town and drove off the settlers in the spring of 1859. For several years the site then lay vacant, but near the close of the Civil war Hagan & Morrill opened a trading post there. After the treaty with the Osages in 1868 Shamleffer & James bought the old claim for $40 and established a trading house, and it is said that the town was named Augusta for Mrs. James. A school house was built in 1870 and the same year a postoffice was established with C. N. James as postmaster. In 1871 Augusta was incorporated as a town, with W. A. Shannon as chairman of the first board of trustees. On May 8, 1880, the first train on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R. reached Augusta, and the next year the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe completed its line to the town, which from that time experienced a steady and substantial growth. The Missouri Pacific has since entered the city, so that the Augusta of the present day has railroad lines radiating in five different directions. This makes it an available shipping and distributing point, and being situated in a fine agricultural region, large quantities of grain, live stock, etc., are annually exported. Extensive stone quarries in the vicinity also furnish a great deal of material for shipment. The city has two banks, one daily and two weekly newspapers, some fine mercantile houses, a good public school system, telegraph, telephone and express facilities, an international money order postoffice with four rural free delivery routes emanating from it, and in 1910 had a population of 1,235. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, pages 119-120.

Beaumont, a village of Butler county, is situated in Glencoe township, about 20 miles southeast of Eldorado, the county seat. It is a station on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R., has a money order postoffice, telegraph and express offices, telephone connection, and is a shipping and supply point for a rich agricultural district in the eastern part of Butler and the southwest corner of Greenwood counties. The population in 1910 was 200. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 163.

Benton, a town of Benton township, Butler county, is a station on the Missouri Pacific R. R. 14 miles southwest of Eldorado, the county seat, and not far from the Sedgwick county line. It was settled in 1884, incorporated in 1908, and in 1910 had a population of 240. Benton has a bank, a money order postoffice with two rural delivery routes, express and telegraph offices, telephone connections, a number of well appointed mercantile establishments, Methodist, Christian and Presbyterian churches, good public schools, and is a shipping point of considerable importance. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 175.

Bois d'Arc, Bodarc, a little hamlet of Butler county, is located on Walnut creek, about 6 miles southeast of Augusta, which is the most convenient railroad station. Mail is supplied to the inhabitants from Douglas by rural free delivery.
Page 200 from volume I

Brainerd, a village of Butler county, is a station on the line of the Missouri Pacific R. R. that runs from Eldorado to McPherson, 17 miles northwest of Eldorado. It has an express office, telephone connections, and is a shipping and supply point for the neighborhood. Brainerd was formerly a postoffice, but the people there now receive mail by rural free delivery from White Water. The population was 73 in 1910. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 229.

Cassoday, a town of Butler county, is situated in the northeast corner, about 20 miles from Eldorado, the county seat, and 12 miles from De Graff, the nearest railroad station. Although so far from the railroad, Cassoday is a town of considerable commercial importance. It has a bank, some well stocked mercantile establishments, good schools, and is the trading center for a rich agricultural district. The population in 1910 was 300. Its money order postoffice has one rural route emanating from it, and it has telephone connections with the surrounding towns. A daily stage line connects Cassoday with Eldorado. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 299.

Chelsea, a hamlet of Butler county, is on a branch of the Walnut river about 8 miles northeast of Eldorado, the county seat, from which place mail is received by rural delivery.
Page 317 from volume I

DeGraff, a small hamlet of Lincoln township, Butler county, is a station on the Florence & Arkansas City division of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. 11 miles north of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a money order postoffice, express and telegraph service, a Presbyterian church, telephone connections, a hotel, a good retail trade, and does some shipping.
Page 504 from volume I

Douglass, an incorporated town of Butler county, is located on the Walnut river and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. 24 miles southwest of Eldorado, the county seat. It was settled in 1869 and in 1910 reported a population of 657. Douglass has 2 banks, a weekly newspaper (the Tribune), modern public school buildings, churches of several denominations, an international money order postoffice with three rural routs, express and telegraph offices, telephone connections, general stores, jewelry, drug and hardware houses, an opera house, a good hotel, and its location makes it an important shipping point for a rich section of the Walnut river valley. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 541.

Durachen, an inland village of Chelsea township, Butler county, is situated about 15 miles northeast of Eldorado, the county seat, from which place mail is received by rural delivery. De Graff, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, is the nearest railroad station. The population in 1910 was 58. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 554.

Eldorado, the county seat and largest city of Butler county, is beautifully situated on the Walnut river, a short distance northwest of the center of the county. The first known settler in the locality was William Hildebrand, who built a cabin there in the late '50s. His house became a rendezvous for men believed to be horse thieves, and in 1859 the place was raided by the settlers. Hildebrand was given a severe flogging and ordered to leave the neighborhood within 24 hours. He did not wait for a second notice.
Two houses were built where the city now stands in 1867, but the history of Eldorado begins with the year 1868. On March 23 of that year B. F. Gordy entered the land, and a little later sold Byron O. Carr, Samuel Langdon and Henry Martin each one-fifth of his claim, retaining two-fifths for himself. These four men formed a town company and the first lots were sold at $10 each. Several houses were erected before the close of the year. Elias Main established a sawmill on the Walnut river, and Henry Martin built the first frame house in the town. As soon as it was completed he put in a stock of goods—the first store in Eldorado. Town companies were common in those days, but Eldorado being situated at the crossing of the Fayetteville emigrant trail (sometimes called the California road), it soon outstripped its competitors. In 1869 Bronson & Sallee published the "Emigrant's Guide," calling attention to the advantages of Butler county, and to Eldorado in particular. In 1870 there was an influx of settlers and the town was enlarged by several "additions." On March 4, 1870, the first number of the Walnut Valley Times was issued, a flour mill was established, and the town began to assume an appearance of permanency. The growth continued and on Sept. 12, 1871, Eldorado was incorporated as a city of the third class, J. C. Lambdin, who had been chairman of the board of trustees, acting as mayor until the election of Henry Falls. It was not many years before Eldorado became a city of the second class.
The Eldorado of the present day has 4 banks, an electric lighting plant, waterworks, a fire department, fine public school buildings, 2 daily and 3 weekly newpsapers, good hotels, well kept streets, a number of first class mercantile houses, a telephone exchange, some manufacturing interests, an international money order postoffice with four rural routes, telegraph and express service, a number of fine church edifices, and in 1910 reported a population of 3,129. The transportation and shipping facilities are excellent. A line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe system runs north and south through the city; a line of the Missouri Pacific runs east and west, and a branch of the same system runs from Eldorado to McPherson. With these lines radiating in five different directions, the city is in touch with markets and easily accessible. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, pages 569-570.

Elbing, a village of Fairmount township, Butler county, is a station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. near the northwest corner of the county, about 22 miles from Eldorado, the county seat. It has a bank, a money order postoffice with one rural route, express and telegraph offices, telephone connections, and is the principal trading point for that section of the county. The population in 1910 was 175. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 568.

Gordon, a little village of Butler county, is a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. 19 miles south of Eldorado, the county seat. It is in Walnut township, on the Walnut river, has a money order postoffice, an express office, and a good local retail trade, though the population in 1910 was only 28. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 765.

Haverhill, a village of Butler county, is a station on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R. 10 miles south of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a money order postoffice, a coöperative telephone company, an express office, and is a trading and shipping point for the neighborhood. The population was 50 in 1910. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 931.

Keighley, a village in Butler county, is located on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R., 16 miles southeast of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a money order postoffice and some local trade. The population in 1910 was 75. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 66.

Latham, an incorporated city of the third class in Butler county, is located in Union township, on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R., 27 miles southeast of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a bank, a weekly newspaper (the Mirror), telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 364. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 107.

Leon, an incorporated city of the third class in Butler county, is located on Little Walnut river, a water-power stream, and on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R., 10 miles south of Eldorado, the county seat. It has churches, schools, a bank, a weekly newspaper (the Indicator), telegraph and express offices and a money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population in 1910 was 494. Leon was founded in 1879 and was first named Noble. The postoffice was established in 1880 with G. A. Kenoyer, postmaster. Incorporation took place in 1882 with the following officers: Mayor, Levi Kiser; city clerk, D. W. Poe; police judge, J. S. Calvert; councilmen, W. J. Cunningham, J. Kunkle, C. Lipscomb, G. A. Kenoyer and Ben H. Wood. In the fall of that year a disastrous fire occurred destroying property to the extent of $10,000. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 138.

Lorena, a discontinued postoffice in Butler county, is located on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R. 16 miles southwest of Eldorado, the county seat, and 7 miles west of Augusta, the postoffice from which its mail is distributed. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 187.

Murdock, a country hamlet in Butler county, is located 12 miles west of Ellsworth, the county seat, and 6 miles north of Benton, the nearest shipping point and the postoffice from which its mail is distributed. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 332.

Pontiac, a hamlet in Butler county, is located in Prospect township on the Missouri Pacific R. R. 8 miles east of Eldorado, the county seat. It has telegraph and express offices, some local retail trade, and a money order postoffice. The population in 1910 was 6. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 486.

Potwin, an incorporated city of the third class in Butler county, is located in Plumb township on White Water creek and the Missouri Pacific R. R. 13 miles northwest of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a bank, a flour mill, schools and churches, telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with one rural route. The population in 1910 was 249. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, pages 493-494.

Rosalia, a little town in Butler county, is located in the township of the same name on the Missouri Pacific R. R., 13 miles east of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a number of retail stores, telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with one rural route. The population in 1910 was 100. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 607. from volume II

Rose Hill, a village in Butler county, is located in Richiand township on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R., 25 miles southwest of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a bank, several good stores, telegraph and express offices and a money order postoffice with one rural route. The population in 1910 was 150. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 608.

Towanda, an incorporated city of the third class in Butler county, is located in the township of the same name on the Missouri Pacific R. R., 8 miles west of Eldorado, the county seat. It has a weekly newspaper (the News), a number of retail establishments, express and telegraph offices, and a money order postoffice with two rural routes. The population in 1910 was 275. There is a stone quarry and a number of live stock farms in the vicinity. It is the receiving and shipping point for a large agricultural area. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 817.

White Water, an incorporated city of the third class in Butler county, is located in Milton township on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and the Missouri Pacific railroads. It has 2 banks, 2 flour mills, grain elevators, an alfalfa mill, a weekly newspaper (the Independent), a large number of retail establishments, telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population in 1910 was 518. The town is located in the midst of a prosperous farming district and handles large quantities of grain, produce and live stock annually. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 908.