White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1870-05-19

In each month. -.
r. M. WILLIAMS, W. NJ.
DC. TAyIoa, Secy
White ClOud City Co0Pnny-A
sketch of It's History.
By notice published elsewhere in this pa
Der, it will be seen that the White Cloud City
Company proposes to sell all its remaining
property, on the 18th Of June. That business
being settled up. the Company will dissolve
and be known no more forever.
The history Of the White Cloud City Com
pany Is inscparably intepwoven with that Of
che city itself. 1t existed before the town did
and has continued until the present time. The
fret squatter on the town site was Thomas l..
Lease, who bui t log cabin. early in 1855. on
q spot now Included in Mr.. Dorlsnd's fruit
garden, adjoining his residence. 1t was sub
sequently removed to the river bank, where
Moves &. Moeres Elevator now stands, and
will be remembered by the old citizens Of 81
a. the /" Globe Hotel" serving as boarding
shsnty ,juieery. and so forth.
Some enterprising and speculatiug gentle.
men soon saw the favorable location Of the
place In reference TO the back country. and its
natural advantages as a town site, and entered
into negotiations by which they secured the
claim Of Lease, Who took another claim on an
adjoining tract, up the river. Those persons
formed themselves into q Town Company.
claiming a mile square for q town site, and
each man taking an individual claim outside.
The Company consisted Of John II. UT, Jas.
Foster, DR.. II. W. Peter, Robert G. Emerson,
and Thomas W. Collins, all of Oregon, Mo-,
and they organized May 5th. 1855. The point
was known as White Cloud, from a celebrated
chief of the Iowa Indians, who owned the
land, and this name was agreed upon for the
new town.
The original to- n site, embracing several
fractions. and containing $50 acres, was laid
out In 1855. The Company donated lot to
Enoch Spaulfng. conditioned that he would
build hotel upon it, which he did. The long,
one story frame, which is still standing in the
rear of the City Hotel, was the public house
that sprang from this bargain. A aos oh the
Levee was donated to Cornelius Dorland. on
condition that he weuld build q store house
upon it. The three story brick on the Levee
was the result, several years afterward. Two
lots were also donated to Judge Michael Byrd.
on which to build a store. The house which
he built was the old Planning Mill. that burned
down in the Fall of 1868. Byrd established
himself here as sort of Pro Slavery nest
egg, and his house was headquarters for
most villainous gang of rufians, thieves and
nurderers. Byrd himself, if be could have
been purged Of his rabid political sentiments,
was rather good hearted and clever man.
The town site was yet portion Of the Iowa
Trust Lands. and it ~as supposed they were at
once to be put into market. But there was a
delay, ard in consequence Of the doubt and
uncertainty, nothing done in the town, be-
yond the building of several cabins, for more
than year. In the Summer of 1856, Charles
G. Scrafford and R. Mccartney started from
Beilevue, Ohio, with a saw mill, intending to
land Il at Leavenworth. and take It TO some
good location in Central or Southern Kansas.
But the troubles we're at the highest, and these
men hailine from an Abolition" State. they
we're not permitted to land at Leavsnworth.
They came on up the river, and finally landed
at Iowa Point, but we're objects Of suspicion
there. Hearing of White Cloud. they came
here. and we're offered location for their
mill, which they set up in July. 1t was the
famou. old Muley MILL" just below whers
Palmer Orion mill now stands.
In the Fall of 1856. il vas settled that the
lands would be sold the following Spring. and
the White Cloud Company again began to OPP
crate. The town stock was divided into l6
Original Shares, and additiontl members add
ed to the Company, among whom we're c.
Dorlsnd. E. spaalding. Torrey { Lappin, aad
Others, some Of them at st. Joseph.
This Company having offered US liberal in
ducements, we came here. early in 1857, and
established the Chief in . town Of about i've
houses, and in country occupied for miles by
squatsers only. large majority Of whom did
MT intend to stay longer than to buy in their
claims. About the same time, Jennings l.
Briggs built house and opened store, at the
stand now occupied BY Harpster & Ortcn's
Saloon.
The land sales. which were to have been
held in the beginning Of May. drew spectators
and capitalists from every part Of the country;
and the sales: having been postponed until
June, still heavier ru-h came in. Many Of
these capitalists at once took a fancy 10 the
ste Of White Cloud, and a new Company was
formed, which bought up all the town stock,
together with the outside claims Of the indi-
vidusl members, and laid out the whole In
lots. comprising about / 900 acres. The stock
"a. divided into 30 Original Shares. and these
s.b.divided into about 900 Subs We
recall the foIls. ing names. As holders Of Orig
inal Shares:
o.ias Bailey and David Bailey. Of Illinois;
C. Dorland and E. Spaulding. Of White Cloud;
John H. OFT, James Foster. and h. w. Peter.
Of Oregon. No.: R. ]. Calling. Of IndisnApo-
lis, WIN. ]. eating. Of Des Aoines, Iowa; 5.
F. Nackolls and Houston Nuckous. OF Nebras-
IA; J. H. Burns. of Wheeling. Va; Franklin
L. Parker; of Ann Arbor. Mich; James 5.
Easlsy, Daniel B. Easley, F. L. Hail, George
Csrrington. VIM. 7 Owen. and Essley Osey'
of Virginia; c. NJ. Williams, Of Iowa FONT;
Nv. A. McGarvey, of Kentucky; Horace b.
Smith, of Indiana; - Clark, Agent OF d.
7. C. Aver; Gen. A. w. Doniphan, Of Liberty