Butler County Genealogy Trails Kansas Susan B. Allen Bio

Butler County’s Eighty Years ~ 1855-1935

by Jessie Perry Stratford

A History of Butler County Biographical Sketches and Portraits with Foreword by Rolla A. Clymer

Page141

ively wended their way toward the West, was brought over the river from St. Joseph on a ferry boat and placed on the new railroad track. It was the first “iron horse” that ever touched Kansas soil.

The tale of Kansas railroads from their beginning through the vicissitudes of growth to the proportions attained in a half century, with extensions and acquisitions from year to year until the trunk line with its various branch connections “went through,” is one of sheer fascination.

Railroads began penetrating into this section of Kansas as early as 1870, but no railroad actually entered Butler County until July 31, 1877. Andreas, who wrote in 1883, only six years after the first railroad came to El Dorado and therefore recorded with the accuracy of fresh memory, devotes considerable space to the efforts that were made to secure adequate transportation facilities. The following is taken from his book and may be regarded as correct:

The railway history of any county on the board surface of Kansas, he says, is a record of trials and tribulations, of hard struggles to secure the co-operation of settlers in necessary expenditures, of retreat from the field of the companies of which so much had been done, of final success and the arrival of the iron bands, which unite the world. The first railway to solicit the aid of this county was the Kansas-Nebraska, which proposed to build across the county in consideration of the subscription of $150,000 to the stock of the railway company and the issuing of vote of 1,187 to 811, but the panic of 1873 coming on, the building of the road was abandoned. On May 18, 1872, the question of voting bonds to the amount of $150,000 to the Fort Scott, Humboldt and Western Railway was decided in the negative by a vote of 1,037 to 1,240. The next proposal was voted upon July 13, 1872, and lost by a vote of 189 to 1,206. This was for taking stock in the road voluminously spread on the records as the Eureka, Douglass and Santa Fe, Walnut Valley, Kansas-Nebraska Railway. At the time, the Fort Scott, Humboldt and Western Kansas Railway was treated to a dose of cold water – 366 votes being cast in its favor and 1,068 against its proposition. In April, 1876, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company proposed to build a road from Cedar Point on the main line down the Walnut Valley to El Dorado and ultimately to and beyond the south line of the county. The proposal of the company was for a cash bonus of $3,000 per mile, no exchange of bonds and stock being asked. While this proposition was being agitated, the citizens of Florence were working hard to have their town made the initial point. It soon became evident that a road would be built to El Dorado from the main line under some conditions, and in February, 1877, bonds aggregating $99,500 were voted to the El Dorado & Walnut Valley Railroad. The track was completed to El Dorado at 6:27 p.m., July 31, 1877. On September 4, an excursion train was run from Topeka and the citizens of El Dorado given a free trip to Florence and return. A grand celebration was held in the grove. Governor Anthony and many others made speeches, after which the joy of the crowd overflowed in a general jubilee that will be long remembered. About this time, the Kansas City, Burlington & Southwestern Railway and Telegraph Line made overtures for aid to the amount of not over $4,000 per mile in running an east and west road. This proposition was favorably considered by a vote of 322 to 128 in the townships interested, but the road was never built. On February 21, 1880, the townships of Douglass and Walnut voted aid to the St. Louis, Wichita & Western Railway, but again the road was never built. We now come to the second successful railway project, which has affected Butler’s interests. As early as 1879, the St. Louis, Fort Scott & Wichita Railway began the work which finally led to the completion of an east and west road, although bonds were not voted until more than a year later. The road passes through two townships east of El Dorado City, Rosalia and Prospect. From these, it receives $10,000 and $18,000 in bonds respectively. El Dorado Township gives $25,000; Towanda, $13,000; and Benton, $11,000; payment of the bonds in the last two named townships depends upon the completion of the road to the west line of the county by September 1, 1883. The bonds of the first three are already secured by the completion of the road to El Dorado.

Page 142

RAILROADS IN 1935

Butler County now has approximately 242 miles of railroad, controlled by four great trunk lines. The St. Louis & San Francisco, built in 1879, while not passing through El Dorado operates 64.8 miles, crossing the county east to west and serving Beaumont, Keighley, Leon, Haverhill, Augusta and Andover and a branch running out of Beaumont also serves Latham and Atlanta. Florence, El Dorado & Walnut Valley, now a part of the Santa Fe, runs north and south through Burns, DeGraff, El Dorado, Augusta, Gordon and Douglass, with a branch out of Augusta passing through Rose Hill to Mulvane, with a total mileage of 73.56 miles. A branch also was built in 1924, by the Santa Fe along the old Orient right-of-way from EL Dorado through Cassoday into Cottonwood Falls where it connects with the main line, a distance of approximately 30 miles. The old St. Louis, Fort Scott & Wichita, which built into El Dorado in 1879, operates 64.79 miles east and west serving Rosalia, Pontiac, El Dorado, Towanda and Benton. This road a few years after its construction was absorbed by the Gould system and is known as the Missouri Pacific, while in 1930, the Van Swearingens gained control and own the road as a part of their great system. In 1885, the Missouri Pacific constructed a branch from El Dorado, by way of Potwin, Brainerd and Whitewater to Newton. The Rock Island crosses the county in the northwest corner, passing through Whitewater and Elbing. In 1887. the Missouri Pacific removed the Reece shops to El Dorado, bringing hundreds of skilled workmen and division officials here as headquarters. These shops were removed to Wichita in 1900. It is of interest that only one of the railroad employees who came here in 1887 is now a resident. He is E. O. Summers, retired engineer.

FIRST FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION

The first Fourth of July celebration at El Dorado is described by Mrs. D. M. Bronson:

Our first Fourth of July celebration was in 1868, and eclipsed anything I had ever seen for pure, unadulterated patriotism. The grove near Dr. J. P. Gordon’s was selected for the purpose. The preparations were elaborate, seats were improvised, a speaker’s stand erected, an old army flag was resurrected out of some dark corner and suspended in graceful folds from the limb of a tree just over the head of the speaker. A public dinner was served. The men reconnoitered to secure the financial requisite. The women prepared the “grub.” The sun shone brightly, the birds sang sweetly, and all nature seemed in unison with our hearts. The marshal of the day was Elisha Main. The exercises were introduced by singing The Star Spangled Banner, which was executed with spirit; what was lacking in time was supplied in sound. Father Stansberry offered a prayer; the Declaration of Independence was read by W. T. Gallagher; orations were delivered by D. m. Bronson and W. T. Gallagher, so vivid in portrayal that we could almost see the noble bird in his aerial gyrations, and hear the footfall of the Pilgrim Father on the barren Plymouth Rock.

After the exercises closed the table was prepared, looking inviting enough to please the most fastidious epicure. However, there were about ten bachelors to one woman in the county. All hungry, lean and lank, they made one grand forward march for the table. In about five minutes that table was bare. One lady approaching me with sorrowful countenance, said: “Have you seen anything of my fruit cake – the first one I have seen or made since I left old England’s shores?” I told her I supposed it had gone to hunt up my dried apple pies. The day’s exercises closed with our first “dress” ball over Henry Martin’s store.

EL DORADO IN 1870

Harry H. Gardner, an early day merchant and banker, writing for the Pioneer Edition of the Times in 1895, said, in part:

The year 1870 was the important year of pioneer life for this city. I say important because the foundation of its future was then prepared by those who cast their lot with the fortunes of the place and the hoped-for city of the future. I arrived January 7, 1870, by private conveyance from Eureka, which had a hack line from Emporia; a tri-weekly line started at the beginning of the year. This route

Page 143

was recommended to me by old man Robinson, who kept the Robinson House in Emporia. It was by his advice I sought the Walnut Valley as a promising place for a young man to grow up with the country. It was 5 o’clock in the evening when I crossed the ford south of the R. O. James mill and drove through the main street of the village to El Dorado House. The landlord was Sam Langdon, who met me at the door and to my request for a room for myself and companion, John Gilmore, replied we could have a bed but no room to ourselves, for the house was not partitioned.

We secured a bed in a corner upstairs, deposited our luggage underneath and began sizing up the town. We were chilled from the long drive and needed – at least we thought we did – a nip of ginger essence or something of that nature to start our circulation and warm the cockles of the heart. We were referred to a building at the end of the block east of the hotel, which was pointed out as Dr. Allen White’s “foundry” with a drug store front, whither we repaired and were greeted by Dr. Kellogg, the clerk. The doctor could not be prevailed upon to give us anything straight, claiming the law would not permit, so we left him, grumbling and feeling down on the town. The Axiom of try, try again then brought its promised reward when we struck Henry Martin’s store, a square front, wooden, two-story building, standing on the corner where George Tolle now obligingly deals in his choice selection of hand-me-downs. (Haberlein’s clothing store) The bluff English Henry took in my Dundreary side whiskers, spotted me at once for a Brittisher, and listened to my tale of woe. Joe Potter – all old-timers will remember Joe – took us into the back room, disappeared down cellar and brought up a tin pint measure of Pike’s Old Magnolia, then quoted at $1.75 per gallon, with gold at $1.20. The chill was adverted, the malaria killed and we thought better of the town and the people.

The next day we made the acquaintance of C. M. Foulks, John H. Betts, N. F. Frazier, Judge J. C. Lambdin, Dr. J. P. Gordon, Capt. A. D. Knowlton, Ben King, Doc. White and Judge Sallee. Doctor Gordon had a 25-foot stick in his hand that he used to measure town lots, and he immediately tackled us on the question of town lot buying, assuring us that the Chicago we had left would be a “one horse town” when compared with the great metropolis that was to be built upon this site.

I have only pleasant memories of the good pioneer friends I made in 1870 and who are not here today. There was then no caste, no clique, no sect or church separation. We were as one common community dependent upon each other for company and human sympathy.

Dr. Allen White was the strong central figure in El Dorado in the days of ’70. He was enthusiastically interested in the growth and progress of the town and hardly a night passed that he did not have some private or public meeting of the people to discuss something of importance. He would go his rounds and notify us all to come out. He was a Democrat, but local issues then were paramount. He was the author of the remark that there was “no general or state statute against damned fools.” In fact, his quaint and terse sayings were the bonmots of the time and today constitute the special provincialism of old El doradoites. When he traveled he always carried a bottle of water in his pocket so when he discarded his chew of fine cut he could rinse out his mouth without leaving his seat. Five feet one way and 220 pounds all over, he hated to get up and sit down often, but when on hi feet and in motion he moved briskly for one of his size. He had enterprise and built a showy drug store where the Hitchcock’s store stood later, built a fine house on Central Avnue and laid out the handsomest block and planted trees upon it where Judge Leland’s and E.C. Ellet’s (now Holton Hitchock’s) houses are built.

Henry Martin was county treasurer in 1870 and had the county safe in his store. There was not much money on hand and the script passed current in trade among the merchants, but as Henry was treasurer he had a monopoly on his kind of traffic. He lived on his farm where the John Teter farm is now, and owned much good property in town. The era of ’70 brought business competition to El Dorado and Martin could not stand the new and less profits in selling, so in time his substance melted away and he lost most of his possessions. He was an honest, kind-hearted man.

T. B. Murdock and J. S. Danford were the first proprietors of the Walnut Valley Trimes. Danford attended to the outside business and sold and traded the town property that was given the firm as a donation to induce the establishment of the paper

Page 144

In El Dorado. Murdock was the editor and worked at the case. Both being strong men mentally, they exercised great influence in the community and were at the head of about all matters of general interest. Danford sold his interest in the paper and was appointed clerk of the district court, justice of the peace and I think probate judge. I know he held three offices at the same time. He finally established the first bank in the town, then changed to a First National Bank – this when charters were hard to get and the privilege was not free as now. I never met a brighter, smarter man than Danford and he grew rich fast on three and five per center per month, the rates for money. He lacked discretion and made too public the nature of his business and his daily “rake offs” which he should have kept to himself. He left here with a good stake and moved to Osage City and afterwards branched out in a syndicate of banks extending from Caldwell to Carbondale. All went to pieces one day and he was held up at Caldwell by the cow men, a rope put up around his neck to scare him to make good the losses to the Caldwell people; but he persuaded the lynching committee to spare his life and he would straighten out matters. His plausible reasoning and the efforts of his wife in his behalf got him out of his tight place.

Judge J. C. Lambdin was the youngest old gentleman I ever knew. He was a friend that could be depended upon, as true behind your back as he was warm and genial to your face. His tall, commanding form would have made him a man to be observed anywhere. He fought the county seat and political battles of El dorado with admirable fervor.

C. M. Foulks, who managed the J. C. Fraker general store, was a tall young man, with piercing black eyes, raven hair, and high color in his cheeks. Charley was the handsomest man of his day. With a young blonde wife in striking contrast to his brunette style, the pair was much admired.

Ed. C. Ellet was the first of the young men to bring a wife here. He built the house that I. C. Thomas owns. (This house stood between the homes of R. H. Hazlett and Dr. F. E. Dillenbeck). It looked a long distance out to his home, for there was a large tract of unoccupied land between the four corners and his lot. He was joked about building so near Towanda and asked if he would have his mail come to him at El Dorado or Towanda. We had our first large surprise party at his house, taking cove oysters, crackers and canned fruits with us. Mrs. Ellet furnished the milk and made home-made cake, and the jolly time of that party was the topic of talk for many weeks; before and after this party were quotable dates concerning all events for many months thereafter. Mrs. Ellet had what the French call chick, and was so pleasing and gracious of manner that everyone was her friend. She was extremely young and extra good looking, and when bachelor youths would visit Ed’s snug and attractive home we would be full of envy at his comfortable lot. That pictures hastened on the benedict act with many a lonesome youth.

William Price was one of our first school principals. He was useful in all good works, superintendent of the union Sunday Schools, and the Sunday he took off to get married, George Tolle, who was secretary, read the Scripture lesson. The one that speaks of the man who married a wife and could not be on hand.

James Thomas was sheriff in 1870 and made a fine officer. After his time expired he opened what then was called the Palace Saloon. Jim claimed he started the saloon because he was a philanthropist and realized that men in those day would drink and use daily a certain amount of stimulant. He proposed to give them good goods in his line to substitute for the sulphuric acid drinks, a milder poison and a slower one. His new era was for the general betterment and under the benign influence of his better goods, the howls on the street at night were lessened; his whiskey had less fight in it and did not beget a fusillade of revolver shots as a fitting accompaniment. So his mission paved the way in due time for the evolution of the belief that even good whiskey saloons were not a necessity to the welfare of the town, and by process of further thoughtful development came the climax of the absolute prohibition that now prevails in Kansas. Jim started the ball a going, I really do believe.

I hardly know if Frank Gordy is far enough away to make it safe for me to dare to characterize him. When Frank was “off,” no frontiersman ever was more gentlemanly, genial or kindhearted. Nothing small or mean about Frank; generous

Page 145

to a fault, lavish with his money which he carried in rolls; pleasant to meet and intelligent in his talk which had a spice of racy western phrases that to a novice were entertaining and captivating. He was the beau ideal of his kind. When he was “on,” he was the holy terror of the place! He would ride his Cheyenne pony into any store he could enter from the sidewalk, demand to be waited on for his particular vanity, which was cove oysters in the can soured with acid vinegar to a pitch that would pucker up his tongue and mouth and he could only gesture like a deaf and dumb man. Those gestures, however, spoke louder than words and made his attendants waltz to his signs with amazing alacrity and no smart clerk here today could move so fast as did the clerks and proprietors of the store Frank honored with his horseback visits. There was no polite “Come again, sir.” When frank backed out, the door generally was closed and bolted for fear he would ride in again. I well remember my first observation of his peculiar prancing. It was only a few days after I became a citizen that just at dusk Robert H. Cooper drove from Emporia with a spring wagon of prospectors and left them at the hotel. It was just before supper and the hotel office was crowded with the waiting, hungry throng. Frank opened the door and inquired if cooper was within; said he wanted to kill him, because he was not going to allow anyone from Emporia to come down here and run the town. He had his pistol in hand and not finding Cooper, he blazed away at the lamp which had a reflector behind it and was hung well up on the wooden partition. How quickly that office was emptied and the guests dispersed! Some lifted the windows and jumped out. He was left in sole possession. It was 7 o’clock before things were calm and supper could be served. It was his night to howl and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. His tempestuous career closed one night and for how, when and where, I refer the readers to Elisha Cook of Fairview. This past time I have spoken of was the mere ebullition of the eccentricity and idiosynscrasy of Frank when “on.” I have done him justice when he was “off,” and if he should ever see these lines I beg his pardon for my little tale of his reckless days. He owned the 160 acres south of Central Avenue, the original townsite of El Dorado, and received many thousand dollars from the sale of his lots. One street of the town bears his name and he gave what is now Gordy Park to the town.

Perhaps no one in El Dorado had more friends than dr. J. A. MacKenzie. Ed Stevenson was our first permanent artist photographer and when tin-types were the vogue Ed could hardly supply the demand. Ben King had one of the best stores in El Dorado, was considered honest, square merchant and controlled a trade that stayed by him long after the town put on city airs. His next door neighbor was Alex Blair, who first came to us as a stage agent in Augusta in 1870. No business competition ever brought about disagreement between Ben and Alex.

Frank Anderson’s father, James Anderson, was one of the first to buy a valuable Main street lot. Being a man of positive character and sterling qualities, he soon was picked out as good timber for sheriff. He made an honorable, faithful officer. (Frank succeeded him as sheriff.)

Jerry Conner, who had El Dorado located on his land before the Gordy tract was laid out, Judge Lambdin and Sam Hyde were running mates for years and the trio were as true as steel to each others. John S. Friend and his father lived so close to town that they were part of its life. Father Friend was elected to the legislature after a stormy political campaign against Baker of Augusta. He made a good speech, was a man of dignity and fine bearing and bore the brunt of many a political fight for El Dorado.

E. L. Lower owned the 160 acres north of Central Avenue. In January, 1879, North Main Street was laid out. Lower had sold lots in his addition to Judge Lambdin, J. R. Mead and S. P. Barnes but retained enough of his claim to have made him a rich man. He sold out in blocks however, at low prices, but had considerable assets in notes. These he shaved at the appalling rates then prevalent and after Danford had his bank going it absorbed much of Lower’s profits, so that in a few years he had virtually nothing left of his magnificent domain and promising estates. Lower was scrupulously honest and had great faith in mankind.

There was great rivalry between the north end of town and the south end. The south end or the B. F. Gordy original town site, had the best rustlers. Jim Darnes