History of Augusta Butler County Kansas Genealogy Trails

AUGUSTA

Augusta is located at the junction of the Whitewater and the Walnut, on a level plateau. Its history, or rather that of the land upon which it stands, runs back to an early date in the Territorial days of Kansas. In 1857 a party of explorers from Lawrence camped at this point and made it for some time a rendezvous of their trapping and hunting parties. So much were they pleased with its natural advantages that they laid out a town and called it Augusta. In 1858 a party from Topeka jumped the old town and proceeded to lay out Fontanella, surveying streets and laying out business blocks, many of which were disposed of in Eastern markets. This same year, according to another account the town of Orizonia was laid out at the junction of the rivers. In the spring of 1859 the town was raided by the Indians and passed out of existence. These lands, it must be remembered, were then Indian property and no whites had any rights in the premises. At a later day the Creeks, Cherokees, Seminoles and Delawares, all loyal tribes driven from their reservations by the rebels, were quartered here. Near the close of the war a trading post was established by Hagan & Morrill, who were succeeded by Conner & Dunlap and Daniel Stine, one of the early settlers of the present town. Early in 1868 the treaty with the Osages was made and this part of the county opened for settlement. The same year Shamleffer & James opened a trading post on the site of the present town, having purchased the claim on which the town stands for $40. The old log store was completed in July and C. N. James moved into it. This was the initial step in the building of the present fair city, which was named Augusta in honor of Mrs. James.

Early Settlement. The James & Shamleffer store stood alone until the spring of 1869, when C. C. Grant opened a harness shop. A blacksmith shop and the residence of C. N. James soon followed and the same summer Hon. Thomas H. Baker located a claim adjoining the townsite and put up a general store. This year saw a considerable growth in the new town; a land office was opened by J. M. Herman and an attorney's shingle tacked up by E. E. Eaton and I. N. Phillips. The first hotel, the Augusta House, was also built this year as was a wagon shop and several minor buildings. Thus far although the town was named and had practical existence, it was unsurveyed and the James claim had not even been entered at the proper land office. Both these duties were attended to in the winter of 1869-70. The latter year a new United States land district was established and the land office opened in June at this point. The town was already spreading as only a well located Western town can and the acquisition of the land office was all that was needed to raise the 'boom' to a furor. By the close of 1870 nearly every quarter section within ten miles of the town was taken and Herman & McKitrick had laid out a very substantial addition. The following year saw a second addition to the town. This was, however, more than counterbalanced the following year by the removal of the land office to Wichita. In 1872 the city, it is claimed, received a majority of the votes cast for the county seat, but the election was declared illegal and the vote never canvassed. With the struggle for the county seat the early history of the city may be said to terminate, and we pass to the more minute description of its corporate existence.

The Augusta postoffice was established in 1870, and C. N. James appointed Postmaster. In 1874, Mrs. M. S. Harrington succeeded to the office, which she held until November 2, 1881, when C. H. Kurtz, the present official, received his appointment. The postoffice was first kept in the original log building of James & Shamleffer, next in Brown's block, in a small building of its own in the south part of town, and finally in the front room of the Southern Kansas Gazette. It was made a Presidential office on October 1, 1882.

The first schoolhouse in Augusta was erected in 1870. This was an exceptionally large and good building for the times, and sufficed for all the wants of the city until 1880, when the present fine building was erected. This is of stone, two stories high and has six rooms. It is in charge of O. E. Olin, principal, and Miss Mary Betts, assistant. Six grades are taught, and six teachers employed. The public schools of the city have always been noted for their excellence, and those of 1882-83 will suffer nothing by comparison with those of earlier years.

The first train on the St. Louis & San Francisco road reached this city on May 8, 1880. This was the signal for a rapid increase of the city's population and a fair launch upon the tide of prosperity now enjoyed. In the spring of 1881, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road began to build southward from El Dorado, and on August 2nd reached this place.