The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-15
How Site of North Topeka Was
Surveyed.
A. L. Langham the Surveyor in
1927.
INTERESTING FACTS.
River Then known as Topeka
or KanzaS River.
Soldier Greek Was Called the
Neatashta.

A copy of the original survey of North
Topeka is in the possession of County
the interesting records in the Of
flee. The survey was made in February.
1927, IS years ago, by A. L. Langham
and his four assistants, all Frenchmen,
probably from st. Louis.
The first point recorded by a surveyor
In Kansas was made by Langham on
the north bank of the Kansas river
west of Topeka and forty rods west of
where the brick plant bridge is located
From there the surveyor worked east
along the river surveying the sections
allotted by act of congress in 1925 to the
half breeds, part Kaw Indians and part
Wrench
At that time the Kaw river was
known as the Topeka or Kansas river"
the Indians at that time probably desig-
mating it by either of the names The
Indians were called the Kansas tribe
of Indians. The lands were surveyed by
Langham and the fourth survey by
made was for Julie Gonvel" and that
tract is now the part OF North Topeka
east of Taylor street and west of Gar
den Place and from the river to point
one mile north At that time Soldier
creek was called the "Neatashta creek
and was 125 feet wide.
A copy CT the minutes of the original
survey is as follows:
mo. 4-Surveyed for Julie the child
of, Louis Gonvel, half breed (who
claims under the sixth article of the
treaty signed on the Sd of June, 1925,
between the United States and the Kan
sas tribe of Indians) one mile square or
six hundred and forty acres of land.
Beginning on the north side of the
Kansas river at the lower corner Of the
survey of Josette Gonvel a rock on the
bank of the river from which a black
oak "a inches diameter marked 1. B. c.
bears 66 degrees. W distant "A links
and another black oak II inches diane
ter, marked I. bears 81 degrees 80
minutes distant 10 links; thence north
at 97.12 to a rock, W corner from
which white oak "a inches in diameter
marked 1. 3. c. bears S Al degrees e 81
links and another white oak 3S inches
diameter marked I. bears 81 degrees
" distant 135 lonks. Thence east at sos
links a white oak 80 inches diameter,
at 1898 the Neatashta creek. 191 links
running s e, at 1892 an elm II inches
diameter, at $3.50 the Neatashta, course
a little north of east at 6714 the Neat
ashta course e 5000, a rock n cor
ner from which an elm 80 inches diam
eter marked P B, bears s 10 degrees e
distant 1874 links and another elm 80
inches diameter marked c l. L S bears
IA distant 153 links. Thence south
at 11-47 q white oak Is inches diameter;
al 1855 the Neatashta 200 links course
n e; at $3.50 the bank of the Kansas
river and a rock Tower corner from
which a white oak 13 inches diameter
marked L bears 81 degrees W "a and
an elm 10 inches diameter marked c
bears n AZ degrees distant 45 links.
Thence up the river with the meanderS
thereof of s SO degrees w 1000 So min
utes 900, 8 rs degrees W 2200 n 70 de-
greess W 1896 to the beginning Feb 7,
(signed) A. L. LANGHAM,
Surveyor.
Antoine Monitor. Gabriel Constant. c.
Mks.
It is quite probable that had the black
and white oaks "a inches in diameter re-
in r,la
they would have been twice and maybe
thrice two feet in diameter but the mind
of man In Shawnee county runneth not
70 the time when such trees still existed.
The county surveyors have been unable
to find them. The bark has been peeled
from good many trees in hopes of
finding these old landmarks, but in vain.
They may have been sacrificed for
campfres. The Neatashta still remains,
muddier and narrower than then. and
It has since been the scene of ''Tinafore''
on real boat. the arena for the
aquatic feats of Paul Boynton and the
scene of many tipped boats, muff1ed
screams. and q few drownings. When
II was called NeataShta instead of Just
plain Soldier creek. the mattress never
imagined that its surface and its
depths would be used for such purposes
If LanEham and his four sturdy half
French tYontiersmen who assisted him
could wake from their long sleep and
visit Survey No. 4, they might tell US
TO believe In the forecasts of s'I,oolxin:-
Backward" or other fancies seemingly
more unavoidable. The river still me-
anders as It did then. and last spring
II meandered uD under the pickle fac
tory, inundated Little Russia and
backed into the storehouse of a Touring
mill. 1t would be interesting had Lang
nam left behind a diary telling of what
befell him and his four followers as they
blazed the first trail of civilization from
what is now Topeka to Lawrence.
1t was good many years after the
llanUlaD0 10 fry
OF the Kansas river was surveyed. A
survey of the date of 1858, in Surveyor
Rogers Office, tells of the town of In
dlanola and TO the southeast the lit
tie village of Topeka Now Indianola
Is ramshackle barn and nothing else
About that time the Pottawatomie IN
dian reserve was surveyed and it ex-
tended from the present reserve in Jack
son county through northern Shawnee to
a point FIVE miles south of Topeka and
one mile south of Burnett'S mound
Gradually the Indians sold their lands
by consent Of the government, and now
there is not an acre of land in Shawnee
owned by the tribe. Burnett. the last
war chief of the POttawatomies, owned
the land about the mound which still
bears his name. and that was the last
Indian land to be secured by the whites
One fact explained by Surveyor Rog-
ers VIII be surprise to many people.
and that is that a compass needle does
not point exactly north, and that be-
sides il varies in the direction that it
does point When the government lines
were run So years ago the compass va
ried II degrees east of north. Now its
variation is S.45 degrees. making a diff
ference OF =. $ degrees, which In a mile
would make a difference in running a
line with a transit of 200 feet In other
words if the line of a farm a mile long
was started from a point and the direc-
ton of the needle followed by the sur
veyor at the end of the mile he would
be 200 feet OF the line made IS years
ago. To remedy this the surveys are all
III. 81 IL
or stones, planted by Langham. Those
stones are AUTHORITY