ANTHONY, the capital and largest city of Harper county, is situated a little southeast of the geographical center of the county in the Bluff Creek Valley, which is a fine agricultural district. When Harper county was legally organized in 1878 George T. Anthony, then governor of Kansas, was given power to locate the county seat, and the town was named in honor of the governor. The early settlers of Anthony were intelligent, industrious people, and for a time the growth of the place went forward with unabated vigor. Bonds were voted for railroad companies and for municipal improvements and Anthony joined in the rivalry with other towns during the boom days. The rush to Oklahoma on April 22, 1889, it is said, took away about one-half the population, and another occurred some years later. Notwithstanding this the growth of the city was only temporarily impeded, and in 1910 reported a population of 2,669 an increase of 490 during the preceding decade, in spite of the emigration of 1903.

Underneath the city is a vein of fine salt, 400 feet in thickness, which has been developed, and a salt plant now turns out some 50,000 barrels annually. In addition to this great industry, the city has an ice plant, a glove factory, a well equipped waterworks system owned by the municipality, natural gas for fuel and light, an electric lighting plant, a fire department, large grain elevators, flour mills, two newspapers, a Carnegie library, and a good public school system. Ample banking facilities are provided and the city, being located at the junction of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient, the Kansas Southwestern and the Missouri Pacific railroads, its transportation facilities are unsurpassed. Hence it is a prominent shipping and distributing point, its exports being grain, live stock, salt and the products of its manufacturing establishments. The Anthony Commercial club was organized on January 1, 1909, and under its auspices a building and loan association has been organized to aid the people in becoming home owners. The Anthony postoffice is authorized to issue international money orders and four rural delivery routes supply the farmers in the vicinity with mail daily. All the leading express companies have offices, and the telegraph and telephone service is better than that often found in cities of similar size. That the people of Anthony are progressive in their ideas is evidenced by the fact that the commission form of government was adopted in February, 1909. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 pages 78-79)

ATTICA, one of the principal incorporated towns of Harper county, is in Ruella township and is the eastern terminus of a division of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. that runs west to Medicine Lodge. Being situated in the midst of a fine agricultural district, about 12 miles northwest of Anthony, Attica is an important commercial center and shipping point. It has a bank, a grain elevator, a weekly newspaper (The Independent), an international money order postoffice from which emanate two rural delivery routes, telegraph, telephone and express accomodations, good schools,a nd churches of several of the leading denominations. Attica is one of the few towns that more than doubled its population in the decade between 1900 and 1910. In the former year the population was 311 and in the latter it was 737, a growth that speaks wells for the location of the town and the enterprising spirit of its inhabitants. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 pages 117-118)

BLUFF CITY, an incorporated city of the third class in Harper county, is located on Bluff creek and is a station on the Kansas Southwestern R. R. 14 miles southeast of Anthony, the county seat. Bluff City has a bank, a weekly newspaper (The News), a money order postoffice with one rural route, express and telegraph offices, a telephone exchange, good public schools, churches of some of the principal denominations, some well stocked general stores, and is the principal shipping point between Anthony and Caldwell. The population was 307 in 1910. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 page 199)

CORWIN, a village of Blaine township, Harper County, is a station on the Missouri Pacific R. R. 17 miles southwest of Anthony, the county seat. It has a money order postoffice, telegraph and express offices, telephone connections, a hotel, a good local trade and in 1910 reported a population of 125. It is the principal shipping point for the southwestern part of the county. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 page 457)

CRISFIELD, a village of Greene township, Harper County, with a population of 50 in 1910, is a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. about 17 miles west of Anthony, the county seat. It has a money order postoffice, telegraph and express offices, telephone connections, some general stores, and is a shipping and supply point for that section of the county. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 page 484)

CRYSTAL SPRINGS, a little village of Lake Township, Harper County, is a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. about half-way between Harper and Attica, and 12 miles northwest of Anthony, the county seat. It has a postoffice, an express office, telephone connections and in 1910 reported a population of 38. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 page 486)

DANVILLE, one of the little towns in Harper county, is located in Odell township about 12 miles northeast of Anthony, the county seat. It is a station on the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe R. R., has telegraph and express offices and a money order postoffice with one rural route. There are a number of general stores and other retail establishments, a mill and a bank. The population was 200 in 1910. The town was laid out in 1880 by Mrs. J. E. Cole and a postoffice was established, which was called Coleville. Later a town company was formed with T. O. Moffet as president. The site was bought from Mrs. Cole and the name was changed to Danville. The first building was erected by F. O. Mott, the treasurer of the town company. In 1882 a newspaper (The Danville Argus) was established by R. E. Hicks, and in that year the Presbyterians built the first church. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 pages 493-494)

DUQUOIN, a village of Harper County, is located in Grant Township, 18 miles northwest of Anthony, the county seat. It is a station on the Atchison, Topeka & and Santa Fe R. R., has telegraph and express offices, a money order postoffice with one rural route, general stores, two grain elevators and a flour mill. The population in 1910 was 75. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 pages 553-554)

FREEPORT, one of the smaller incorporated towns of Harper county, is located on the Missouri Pacific R. R. 12 miles northeast of Anthony, the county seat. It has a score of business houses, a bank, an elevator, a money order postoffice with one rural route, and is supplied with express and telegraph offices. The population in 1910 was 250. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 pages 689-690)

HARPER, the second largest town in Harper county, is located on Spring Creek 10 miles north of Anthony, the county seat, and on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and Kansas City, Mexico & Orient railroads. It has waterworks, an opera house, 3 banks, a foundry, machine shops, a flour mill, creamery, 2 weekly newspapers (The Advocate, and The Sentinel), 7 churches and excellent public schools. The principal shipments are of live stock, flour, wool, creamery products, hides and produce. It has an international postoffice with four rural routes, telegraph and express offices. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 1,638. The town was founded by a party from Iowa in April, 1877. The first building ws built by J. B. Glenn, president of the town company, with lumber hauled from Wichita. In July, 1877, a postoffice was established and Mrs. Josie B. Glenn was appointed postmistress. Mail came weekly to Hutchinson from which town it was brought to Harper, at private expense. The money order department was added in 1879. Harper was organized as a city of the third class in September, 1880, and the first election which was held in that month resulted as follows: Mayor, Sam S. Sisson; Police Judge, J. W. Appley; Councilmen, R. B. Elliott, H. Martin, R. J. Jones, S. D. Noble, L. G. Hake, G. W. Appley was appointed clerk. The population of the city at that time was about 700. (Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 pages 808-809)

HARPER COUNTY, located in the central part of the southern tier of counties, is bounded on the north by Kingman county, on the east by Sumner, on the south by the State of Oklahoma and on the west by Barber county. It was first organized in 1873 and named in honor of Marion Harper, of the Second Kansas cavalry. As first described the boundaries of Harper included the southern tier of townships in what is now Kingman county. The bill fixing the final boundaries passed the legislature in 1879. The organization of 1873 proved to be one of the most gigantic frauds ever perpetrated in connection with county organizations. There was not at that time a single resident in the county, and it was heavily bonded immediately. In 1873 three men from Cherokee county named Boyd, Wiggins and Homer, having laid a scheme to organize some of the uninhabited lands of southwestern Kansas for the purpose of exploitation, came into the territory which is now Harper county, where they met a trapper by the name of George Lutz, who took them to his camp. Taking Lutz into their scheme, a petition was drawn up asking that John Davis be appointed special census taker, and that H. H. Weaver, H. P. Fields and Samuel Smith be appointed special county commissioners. These names were copied from a Cincinnati directory. The petition further asked that Bluff City, "centrally located in the county, and being the largest and most important business point in the county," be made the temporary county seat. To this petition was attached 40 names. The governor granted the petition and a census report was sent in which showed 641 names, of persons declared to be "bona fide" residents. The county was then declared organized.

The next winter an investigating committee appointed by the legislature visited Harper county and found that it had not a single resident, that it had been bonded for $25,000 and had a funded indebtedness of $15,000. A. W. Williams, then attorney-general of Kansas, recommended that the organization be invalidated on account of fraud and that the county be attached to some other one for judicial purposes. Naturally these events gave Harper an unsavory reputation for some time, but which it has fortunately outlived.
The earliest settlements were made in 1876, when M. Devore and family, H. E. Jesseph and family, John Lamar and family and William Thomas and family located near the east line of the county. The next year a colony from Iowa located on the site of Harper City. The party included J. B. and M. H. Glenn, R. Barton and A. T. Barton, who brought their families, Joseph Haney, C. H. Snider, M. K. Kittleman, G. M. Goss, C. C. Goss, Thomas Elder, B. L. Fletcher and H. C. Moore. They came to Hntchinson on the railroad and drove from that point. The first wedding was solemnized at Harper on Sept. 22, 1878, between Dr. J. W. Madra and Miss Mary Glenn. The first child was born to Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Jesseph.

The county was organized in 1878. In August Gov. Anthony appointed the following officers: Sheriff, E. McEnany; surveyor, B. F. Lee; treasurer, J. L. Rinehart; clerk, H. E. Jesseph; probate judge, R. B. Dawson; attorney, W. R. Kirkpatrick; register of deeds, H. C. Fisler; county superintendent of public instruction, R. H. Lockwood; county commissioners, T. H. Stevens, F. B. Singer and J. B. Glenn. At the first meeting of the commissioners Anthony was named as the county seat, the former county seat, Bluff City, never having had any existence except on paper. The first county seat election was held at the time of the general election in Nov., 1879. Although the county did not have at that time above 800 legal voters, there were 2,960 votes cast. The county commissioners refused to count the ballots and left them in the boxes. When they finally decided to count them they had all disappeared. The citizens of Anthony and Harper, the two contesting towns engaged in a legal battle over the matter, and although Justice Brewer of the supreme court held that 2,960 votes were too many for 800 voters to cast, the vote was finally counted and found to be in favor of Anthony, and that town became the permanent county seat. All the officers of 1878 held over till 1880.

In July, 1880, bonds to the amount of $28,000 were voted for the Southern Kansas & Western railroad, Harper township voting $16,000 and Chikaskia $12,000. The road was built that year. The next year both townships disposed of their stock at 65 cents on the dollar. At present the county is a network of railroads. A line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe enters in the north central part and crosses south through Harper and Anthony into Oklahoma. Another line of the same road enters the east, somewhat north of the center, passes through Harper and crosses Barber county into Oklahoma, and a branch diverges northwest from Attica. The Kansas City, Mexico & Orient enters in the northeast, crosses southwest to Harper, thence to Anthony, and thence southwest into Oklahoma. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific enters from Oklahoma in the southwest and terminates at Anthony. Anthony is also the western terminus of the Kansas Southwestern, which enters in the southeast. The Missouri Pacific, from the east, crosses southwest to Anthony and terminates at Kiowa in Barber county just over the line. There are 167 miles of main track in the county.

There are twenty townships, viz.: Anthony, Banner, Berlin, Blaine, Chicaskia, Eagle, Empire, Garden, Grant, Green, Harper, Lake, Lawn, Liberty, Odell, Pilot Knob, Ruella, Silver Creek, Spring and Stohrville. The postoffices are: Anthony, Attica, Bluff City, Corwin, Crisfield, Crystal Springs, Danville, Duquoin, Ferguson, Freeport, Harper, Runnymede, Shook and Waldron.

The general surface of the county is rolling, with long gentle slopes. Bottom lands, which comprise about 15 per cent. of the total area, average a mile in width. The timber is very sparse, most of it being cottonwood. There are several artificial plantings. Red sandstone, mineral paint and salt are found in large quantities and are of superior quality. The largest stream is the Chikaskia river, which flows across the northeast corner. Bluff creek and its numerous tributaries practically form the water system of the county. This stream crosses the county in a southeasterly direction.

The total area is 810 square miles or 518,400 acres, of which nearly 400,000 acres have been brought under cultivation. The value of farm products averages from $3,000,000 to $3,500,000 annually. In 1910 the yield was not as large as in 1909, but the wheat sold for nearly $1,000,000, the corn for $356,000, and the oats for $349,000, the total product, including live stock, being worth $2,980,000.

The population in 1910 was 14,748, which was a gain of about 35 per cent. over the population in 1900. The assessed valuation of property in 1910 was $29,272,300, which shows the average wealth per capita to be almost $2,000.(Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, volume 1, edited by Frank W. Blackmar, 1912 pages 809-811)

SHOOK, a hamlet of Harper county is located in Eagle township on the Missouri Pacific R. R., 8 miles southwest of Anthony, the county seat. It has a money order postoffice and a general store. The population in 1910 was 20. (A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans: Volume 2, page 693, 1912)

WALDRON, one of the incorporated towns of Harper county, is a station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient railroads, and is located 14 miles southwest of Anthony. It has a number of retail stores, a bank, a weekly newspaper (The Argus), telegraph and express offices, and a money order post office. The population according to the census of 1910 was 262. (A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans: Volume 2, pages 859-860, 1912)