Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-10-06


| rCorrespondence Of the Alexandria Gazette.
ATcHIsoN, KANSAS, Sept p, lS73-1n my
last letter promised to give you the early his
tory of, and the causes for the rise and progress
made by some of the most Furnishing of our
Western towns The first on my list will be
AtcbsoD, which will be of some interest to
YOUR readers, having been located by Virgiuians
from our own section, who ar, known by many
of your readers. In the year 1854 number
of ssgacious gentlemen, toreseeing the esry
orgs nization of Kansas as a territory, visited
this place and selected it as good point for
a town site, being on the banks of the Missouri
river, which flows from this point southeast to
St. Joseph, then mixing a sudden turn to the
southwe t through the territory for many miles
it turns as suddenly to the southeast again, TO-
sumipg its former course. As sCon as the
Kansas Nebraska Bill nas:?L Congress, the
| settlers returned and erected claim cabin 10
what is now the heart of A1chison, and formed
Town Company on the 9th July, 1854, com
prising sixteen men, composed OF Dr. j. H..
StriugfeIlow, Gen. B. f. StringfelIow, L. Abel,
Ira Norris, Stephen Johnson and others. They
elected Col. Abel as President and DR.. Striug
fellow as Secretary The claims of the first
pre-cmptors we're satisfied, and town site of
three sections or 48O acres surveyed, pre-empt-
ed and laid out iuto town lots. Two months
later the first sale of town lots occurred, when
400 were disposed of to actual settlers aud the
town called Atchinson, after d. L. AtchlSon, then
al. s. Senator from Missouri, and cx. othco Vice
President of the United States. Early in 1855,
the first newspaper was started by Or. ) d.
Stringfellow as editor and Robert 5. Kelley,
practical printers. were the pre- prietors, 1t was
called the Suuatter Sovereign, and was issued
weekly. Among the first advertisements will
be found the names of Mutt & Smith, mercn-
ants, who left Alexandria tor Kansas. MIR.
Mutt was, at one time clerk for Robert Crup
per, in the hardware business, and Mr.. Smith
| is the principal of Bethel Military Institute,
now one of the first Institutions Of learning IN
our State located ia Fauquier county, Va land
so we'll and favorably known by its many pa
irons in our own town. These two last named
gentlemen, with Mr. B. Brockett, also citizen
Of Alexandria, and Martin S. StriDgfellow, of
Culpeper county, Va, located on 100 acres of
land, next to the city limits and built their
cabin, which they called Fort Defiance, on IA
high hill overlooking the town OF Atchlson. This
hill still retains the name given to 1t by thetirst
residents, and is now within The city limits, La
this cabin they kept bachelors hall, and par
| tcipated in the struggles made by the pro-
slavery men With the free soilers in the early
history of Kansas, and were mem ers Of Capt.
Pates com pany when captured by old John
| Brown, afterwards Of Harper Fer notoliety.
DR.. j. H. Stringfellow was colonel Of the regl-
ment. Many interesting accounts Of I dlth,
culties which occurred between 'he two contend
| ing parties can be found in tn files RI the oil!
Suuatter Sovereign, which been p eserved a.
are now owned by the editor of the Daily Cham
pion the successor of the Squstter Sovereign.
On the lst of January, 1856, after thee weeks
suspension, the paper makes its appearance
again, announcing that its entire force, editors,
| iournymen and apprentices had enlisted IN the
militia. 1t gives list of the officers and mem
bers OF the companies of the lst regiment OF
Kansas State militia, and an account OF an at
tack by the pro-savcry forces on Lawrence, and
the capture of Gen. S. g. Pomeroy, and the
destruction of the Free State Hotel, printing
Office, and other bui' d'ngs, and the planting OF
the flag of the Atchlnsou company on the rifle
pits of the enemy at Lawrence. In the year
| lS57 Senator Pomeroy and Judge f. 9. Adams
ed large interest in the town, aud became per-
mauent citizens, aud brought with them a
heavy free State population, and soon after
they purchased the Squatter Sovereign and 1t
| became a Free State or Abolition organ.
Atchinson had fearful struggle for life during
the first ten years of its existence Many OF It's
first settlers FROM our State returned to Virgil
MIA, and at the close Of the war, in 1868, it
numbered less than two thousand Inhabitants
| From that date begins its real existence, and
the growth has been steady, and increasing
each year since the Missouri new railroad en-
terprise has been started, until now 20 city
west Of Indianapolis can show greater num-
Der OF railroads, starting from and terminating
here, as can Atchlnson, and Is now Well and
| truly known as the great railroad centre west
of the Mississippi 1t has now eight railroads,
as follows: The Atchinson, Popeka and Santa
Fee, AS miles; the Alchinson and Nebrask a,
1461; Central Branch Union Pacific, 100: Mis-
souri, Pacific 1874; Hannibal and ST. Joseph,
226; Chicago, Rock Island ADD Pacific, 53S;
Burlington and Missouri River Road 522;;
Kansas City,St Joseph and Council Bluff, 203,
making tota' of 2,5443 miles, having forty
| four passenger and twenty freight trains arrlv'
ing and departing daily, sixty four IN all.
These roads have been mainly built by the
heavy land grants Of government land by Con.
gress, and in some instances have also received
from Congress $4,000 per mile to assist 10
building the roads, To the building of these
roads we can attribute the great success OF
Kansas. The large amount Of money spent has
given employment t, thousands Of hands, and
the companies owning the lands have been
compelled to make extraordinary exertons in
the sale of the lands to get the means to con-
struct the roads, Agents have been appointed,
not only over the whole OF the U. 5. tor the
sale of these lands, but also in Europe. Maps
have been made. and printed matter by the
millions giving description Of the companies
lands and offering to transfer all settlers free,
and to give purchasers long credits, have
been scattered broad cast. They are con-
tioually giving excursions at very low
rate. to induce parties 20 come and view
the lands and to see the inducements Of
Tered. The low price and tempting offers in
the way of transportation induce thousands to
settle along these lines, who never would have
been able to have paid the regular fare out,
and when once located, even if disappointed IN
their expectations, they find it difficult to re-
| turn m their former homes az the ADVANTAGE