Paxico is located in the valley of Mill Creek, amid surroundings of great natural beauty. Its large area of tributary farm lands are well watered and fertile and constitute a substantial backing for the little town. It is on the main line of the Rock Island and has excellent railroad accommodations. Considerable stock is raised in the vicinity, but the principal farm product is grain, especially wheat. The growth of woods along Mill Creek and the abundance of fish make Paxico a favorite camping place.

HISTORY OF PAXICO.

The history of Paxico naturally opens with a short sketch of Newbury, the town on the hill about a mile from Paxico which has retired from business.

Newbury was settled by an Ohio colony, and the first buildings were put up in 1870. In the fall of 1869 four Germans, John Mock and his father, Joe Glatzbach, and Martin Muckentahler, jointly bought the first land sold on the reserve. At this time there were no white people within five miles of the place, in the spring Newbury was laid out. A man by the name of Bartlett, afterwards mayor of San Francisco, and the Santa Fe Railroad were the originators.

The Santa Fe had bought the whole reservation at $1 per acre and sold it at from $5 per acre up, and so was interested in starting towns wherever possible.

The county-seat struggle was not over yet when Newbury came on the scene, and not being immune she had an attack of county-seat aspirations from which most of the small towns were suffering. While she was convalescing from this many people got discouraged and moved away. Those who stuck to it, made money. There was not the keen struggle for existence in this community that there was in the earlier settlements. Markets were handy, and the people were tolerably comfortable from the first.

About a dozen houses were built in Newbury and also a few business places. Goldstandt & Cohen kept the first store. Stringham opened a store in 1872 and later Mahan kept a place called the "Variety Store." Mahan was bought out by Tomson, who still figures prominently in the business life of Paxico. Stephenson built a lumber-yard and James Matheny, from whose son, Atwood, the town of Atwood was named, kept the drugstore. Some of the Newbury people were old settlers in the county. Mr. E. Little (better known as Dick Little) came to Mission Creek in 1857 and settled near what is now the Henderson Ranch. C. Tomson settled on Mission Creek in 1866. Both these parties were afterward influential citizens of Newbury.

About the middle of the eighties, when there was talk of the Rock Island going through, Newbury was working hard to have it come around her way. But meanwhile in 1879, William and Robert Strourg [* see note below] had built a mill on the place formerly owned by the old Indian medicine man, Pashqua, who left for the Indian Territory in 1870. A store was started near the mill by John Copp. A postoffice was established and called Paxico, after the Indian.

When the Rock Island was looking up its location there was a fight between Newbury and Paxico to get the railroad. The scrap went merrily on for some time and finally a compromise was made on the present site of Paxico. Then there was a struggle over which place it should be named for. Paxico won out.

The town was laid out in 1886 and was promoted by a town company which was a Topeka concern. It was called Nuttman's addition. Copp moved his store up from the bridge, and most of the business places were moved over from Newbury. Anderson of St. Marys, who was a member of the town company, built the hotel; also the building now owned by C. J. Glatzbach. There was a chance at one time to have had the Rock Island junction at Paxico, but it got away from them.

About the main thing that distinguishes Paxico from the rest of the towns in the county, is that she never tried to get the county seat. Secondariily[sic] are her Fourth of July celebrations, and the weeds in the streets.

Paxico Milling Company,

Paxico, Kans.

J. C. Phipps' Restaurant,