Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-07-24
FIRST AT FORT LEAVENW0RTH
TWO LEGISLATURES MET SEVEN
MILES FROM KANSAS CITY.
Other CapitoIs Were at Lawrence.
Pawnee and Lecompton-Present
Capitol Building Has Been
Under Construction for
33 Years.

lie schools of the state by the state text
book commission, to be published in few
weeks, Noble Prentis devotes the last
chapter to Kansas Capit4s." In his pc
culiar way he tells of the various towns
that have at some time in the history of
the state been the seat Of government. 1t
is an Interesting story to the people of
Kansas.
A history of the various edifices which
have been used from time to time for Kan
sas capitols, territorial and state, says Mr..
Prentis, would serve as a thread on which
to string political history of Kansas, and,
moreover, a sketch of the material prog
ress of the country. The first capitol of
kansas-the first executive Office, at least
was at Fort Leavenworth. Here, in
obedience to his instructions from WASH
ington, came Andrew II. Reeder, first gov
ernor of Kansas Territory. He was as
signed quarters in brick building on the
west side of the parade. The executive
office was in stone building belonging to
the quartermaster's department. 1t was
furnished with republican simplicity. Here
the governor, who had taken the oath of
office in Washington, administered the obli-
cation to his associates as they arrived.
Here he issued commissions and proclama-
tfons and on one occasion held court as a
justice of the peace.
After fifty days experience at Fort Leav-
enworth, Governor Reeder, on November
"a, 1854, removed the seat of government to
the Shawnee manual labor school. common-
ly called the Shawnee mission, located one
mile from the Missouri line, two and one
half miles from Westport, Mo-, and seven
miles from Kansas City. The mission had
been established in 1880 and had continued
as II was begun under the superfntendency
of Rev. MIR. Thomas johnson. 1t FELL at the
division of the Methodist Episcopal church.
to the Methodist church South. Somewhat
reluctantly Mr.. johnson and his wife re-
ceived as guests the governor and other
territorial officers and saw the mission ap-
propriated in part as the capitol of Kan
sas. The territorial officers boarded with
the mission family, as, later on, did many
of the members and officers of the legisla-
ture.
On April IA. 1856, Governor Reeder con-
vened a territorial legislature at Pawnee,
"laid-out town" near Fort Riley. There
was little at Pawnee except a stone house,
ruins of which are still visible. Yet that
stone house was the first capitol building of
Kansas The legislature refused to re-
main at Pawnee and relocated at Shaw
nee mission. Pawnee came to immediate
grief. The site was declared to be within
the military reservation of Fort Riley and
the settlers were removed by the soldiers.
Inc legislature, ensconced at the Shaw
nee mission. proceeded to perform the act
which acquired for it the title with the
Free State people of the bogus legisla-
officially but short time, only four days,
at the end of which he informed the body
that he had been removed. The school,
came the halls of the Territorial council
and the house of representatives To Shaw
nee mission came the second territorial
the executive office was maintained there
until the spring of 1856. The buildings OF
the Shawnee mission Yet remain much in
outward shape as in their days of edu-
hIIt in all oil ha
scene has changed. There is naught OF
stir or movement now. A beautiful spring
wells up near the highway and runs lit
tie. stream across the yard of one of the
buildings, where passing travellers stop and
drink, but the place is lost to all its an
cient uses and the stiffness all about is as
profound, as that which rests on a little
wall-inclosed cemetery which crowns the
slope near by. The scene of a part of the
Kansas struggle may be reached by an
easy walk from Rosedale.
joint session of the legislature in Au-
gust, 1856, located permanent capitol at
Lecompton. The successful contestant did
Not only did Leavenworth and Lawrence
enter the arena, but st. Bernard, Tecum-
sch, White Head. Kickapoo and One Hun
islature, which assembled at Lecompton, @ m m
January u, met in a frame house which
had been built for its occupancy by Will
lam Mace. The national administration,
however, was determined on Lecompton
as a capitol, and congress made liberal
appropriation for capitol building, which
rose only to the height of the foundation,
but was sufficient to consume the appropri-
alton. The foundation was afterward oc-
cupied by the building of Lane university.
The frame house on Elm street was the
meeting place of the Lecompton constitu-
tional convention. which gave the struc-
ture a name Of Constitutional hall. The
Second legislature held its entire session at
which entertained different political con-
victions, adjourned to Lawrence. which
was thereafter virtually the capital, the
ton and adjourning at once to Lawrence
Lawrence furnished two "capitols' in
which the legislature met. One is de-
brick buiiding. just. south of the Eldridge
house" of which the two houses occupied
the second and third floors; the other was,
"the old concrete building on Massachu-
setts street. north of winthrop. In Law
renee met, in 1860. the last of the territorial
legislatures.
peka, a temporary and soon-to-be-voted
sRitchie block" the Gale block" and the
served as the meeting places of the two
branches of the legislature. of the supreme
court and the officers OF the state. Con
avenue which had witnessed five meetings
of the legislature under the Topeka con-
stitution. By contract with the citizens Of
to a more commodious edifice in which
met the legislature OF 1864 and its success
ors until 1870.
Kansas has been growing. The ground
was given by the Topeka Town Association
in 1862 In 1866 the legislature provided
for the erection of the east wing of the
capitol building. On October II, of that
year the cornerstone was laid. The wing
was so far completed that 1t was occupied
by the state officers in December, 1863. The
sion of 1870. The legislature of 1879 pro-
vided for the erection of the west wing.
The house of representatives occupied the
unfinished new hall for the session, of 1881
occupied during that year. The legislature
of 1888 provided for commencing work on
the foundation OF the central portion Of the
pleted as to admit of temporary finish
ing of rooms in the basement of the south
wing and their occupancy in 1892. The Leg
islatures of 1891 and 1893 made but very
ing and the work became practically sus-
pended until 1t was resumed under the ap-
preparations of the legislature of 1895. The
capitol still remains an illustration of the
history of the state "stil achieving. stili
puruslng." Succeeding the line of tempor--
ary structures-frame, stone brick and
tive. judicial and legislative departments
of the government OF Kansas for sixteen
years, the growth of the present capitol
has reflected the growth Of the material
ed away: inviting. porticos have reached
forward: columns have arisen. and last the
high dome has mounted upward. The in
terror has exhibited modern improvement
and invention from gas to electricity. The
structure is not completed any more than
Kansas is completed. But. as Kansas lives
leaves M ne a the esta
In the shaped and fashioned stone and steel
and bronze. from turrett to foundation
stone