The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-01-20
CIrY OF TOPEKA, K. T.,


January 10. 1856.
Ed. HERALD OF FREEDox In re-
spending to your polite invitation, pur-
pose furnishing You brief article touch
ing the early settlement, present condi-
ton. and future prospects of the city of
Topeka: sia @ -: h.eH
On the 29th day of November, 1854,
four gentlemen of most sterling worth
and true energy took possession of the
lands upon which the city of Topeka has
since been located. On the following
Monday their number was augmented by
the arrival of six others and on the next
day. Tuesday, Dee. oh, by mutual con-
sent, an organization waseffected, articles
of compact adopted, officers chosen, al
constitution provided for, and all the
tedious detail and minutia requisite for
the government of towns and communi-
ties regularly devised, and the execution
thereof entered upon. Thus was the city
of Topeka founded.
No little credit is due to the original
proprietorS for the very liberal policy
which characterized their early move
ments. and which has been pursued by
the city association ever since. Forget
full of themselves, to as great an extent
as possible they sought only for the adop-
ton of fthose measures which would prove
most promotiye of the public good and
the general prosperity of the Topeka set
tlement. In the furtherance of this pur-
pose they ordered, in the fundamental
article of compact, that, after donating a
fourth part of their interests to the public
at large, and making other grants of
equal liberalisy to companies and persons
OF influence and means, the remainder
should be divided into one hundred
shares, reserving to themselves but one
share EACH. and Offering the remaining
ninety shares to such persons as would
come and assist in building up the new
settlement. as..5sa
The wisdom of this policy has been
already seen and felt. The number of
our members and actual settlers has in
creased from ten to about eighty, with
many applications resting before our
Board of Trustees for admission among
us /; while it has also greatly awakened
public attention TO the very superior
lands in this vicinity, as seen by the many
new cabins of the hardy squatter spring
ing up from day to day around US. This
result is but the legitimate offspring of
information concerning our city location
and the lands adjoining; for, as far as
my knowlei ige exsends, the lands in this
vicinity are decidedly superior to any
other in the Terri ory. No marshy
grounds-no dead levels-no rapid bluffs
are here to be found but, on the con-
tiary, that gently undulating and rolling
prairie with which the eye never tires,
and which, beside being the surest guar
antee of the health of the country, inspire
within the breast of every man the most
sublime and pleasurable emotions. /
have been some distance from the CITY
location in almost every direction; and
| believe | am safe in saying that the
tract of ground, twenty miles square. and
of which Topeka, must be the center,
every part as farmaGte.
Our city location must certainly be
admired by every lover of true natural
beausy-being a gentle and gradual rise
from the south bank of the Kansas river
to distance of one and halt or two
miles back, where it attains an altitude
of at least one hundred feet above high
water. From the more prominentgrounds
Of the city, upon which the public park
will be located, the prospect around is
beautiful beyond conception. In the
north may be seen the rich and inralua7
bic timber bottoms of the kansas-be-
yondwhich the ever fertile and attractive
lands of the Delawares stand out in bold
relief, with all their varied and pictur-
fesque scenery. To the westmay be seen
the Pottawatomie reserve-for which a
treaty is now under process of negotiation
at Washington-and out of which, aad
Immediately upon its borders, looms up
Webster Peak" bearing all the ma
jesty aud grace of him whose name it SO
proudly wears. To the south and east
lie the vacated lands upon which the
hardy and intrepid squatter, pioneer is
rapidly making his claim and erecting
his habitation. ~
Our landing is good-perhaps the best
natural landing on the riyer; and may,
with a trifiing expense, be male safer and
more extensive than any have yet seen.
/ Good water can be obtained in great
abundance, chiefly from the living foun-
tain, and always by limited digging
4 OF our timber it may be true that We viii
not have very great surplus to gise
d,Oay;; yet am satisfied that, with econ
omieal usage, together with such SUBJ
Istitutes as the ingenuity of man viii sup
ply, there viii be enough for all useful
and practical purposes especially when
considered in connection with the fact
/ that several veins of excellent coal have
already been discovered in this vicinity.
But aside from all these considerations,
we have other and more weighty, attrac-
/ tons Situated on the south bank of the
Kansas river, with good landing, ex.
cellent water, timber IN abundance, an
! inexhaustihle supply Of coal, healthy 10,
cation, and midway from the mouth o.
| the Kansas to Fort Riley, and from the
| Kansas Nebraska line to the settlements
az Council Grove and ON the Usage and
j Sugar Greek or, in other words. situated
IN the exact center OF the settlements o
i the Territory, with all the above advans
i tages, We may well conceive that Hi
/ EIceIlency, Governor REEDER, will favor
ably regard our location when he determ
ines to make choice for the scat Of Gor
ernment ; and especially 50 when It i
understood that here a mans politiea
and religious opinions, be they aehat the.