The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-09-19
THE n1sToR1cAL BOOM.

A Few Corrections for Lyon County.
The Sunday issues of the Kansas City
Journal and Times, this week and last,
were largely devoted To Kansas history.
In fact they "boomed' for the early days
of Kansas, GprOpos of the old settlers
quarter-century celebration which has
just been held at Lawrence. The best
of the papers was the one written for the
Journal by Hon. Sidney Clarke, entitled,
LANE of Kansas" 1t Is not only very
well written, but gives just and appre-
ciative sketch of Lanes life in Kansas.
1t is full of interest The Journal also
has the interesting article of George w
Martin on LecOmpton, printed some
years ago in the Junction City Union,
written on the advent of the railroad in
to Lecompton. The Times devotes a
large space to histories of the various
counties, which we suppose to be taken
from the last agricultural report. The
paragraph in relation to Lyon couty we
know was taken from that work. 1t is
full of errors which we intended to have
appearance, but neglected to do so. We
suppose in matters of history it is i'm
portant to have the facts correct, and We
hope the statements of the agricultural
report are generally more SO than in the
case Of Lyon county. The first errone-
Gus statement is that the first settlement
in Lyon county was made in 1855 by
Curtis Hiatt and J. Fowler and their
families. The first settlement was made
by G. II. Wilmington, in June, 1854, in
the northern part of the county, about
twenty miles from Emporia. Oliver
Phillips and Christopher Ward were the
next settlers in the county, not far from
Withington's. j. S. Pigman, Charles
johnson, Jas. II. Pheanis, ID. Vangundy,
John Rosenquist, Joseph Moon, Lorenzo
Dow, X. II. Abraham, and others. also
settled in the county before Mr.. uia;;
and Mr.. Fowler. In fact Mr.. H. did not
arrive till 1856 The first school house
in the county was built in the Kirken-
dali neighborhood, and not as stated in
the Times. The stone school house on
Constitution street, EmporIa, was built
in 1868. and not in 1865. The first store
in the county was that started by G. H.
Wilmington, at his place on 142 creek.
There was also store at Florence,
NOW NeOsho Rapids) before Mr..
Pigman started his store at Columbia.
The first post Office was at Withington's
and not lat or near where Emporia is
now located" There was no post Office
at Emporia till the fall of 1857. There
was an Office at Columbia, and John
Fowler was p. NJ. 1t was moved to
EmpOria. The county seat was first es-
tablished at Agnes City, the residence of
A. 1. Baker, who was then the probate
judge. Notice was given by Hon. Rush
Gilmore, u. S. district judge, that court
would be held at Agnes City in 1858,
but before the time came vote of the
people removed the county seat to
Americas, and the first court in the
county was held at the latter place, but
no court house was ever built there.
The county was organized in 1855 in
stead of 1858. We have repeatedly cor
rected this statement. The legislature,
whose duty it was, under the law, to
elect county officers, elected full corps
for Beckinridge NOW Lyon county on
the 25th of August, 1855. These officers
performed such duties as they could I'M
der the difficulties that then existed.
Under the same law second corps of
officers was elected for the county on the
18th of February, 1857.