The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-23
TOWN VICTIM OF
 RIVERS CAPRICE Farms and Fortunes Pay Tribute to Missouri
  STORY OF DONIPHAN
STORY OF DONIPHAN
The Town Was at One Time Very Much Astir With the Busting Activity of Prosperous
 River Community
From the Kansas City Star.


 Farms and fortunes have paid tribute to the greed and caprice of the Missour river, and have been dissolved in it! f1ckle tide. But perhaps in all its err ratio will-o' -the-wisp journey from source to sea, there is no more convincing evi dence of it's inconsistency than Is fur nished by the now desolate and almos deserted townsite of Doniphan, which ii located on the Kansas side of the rivel six miles north of Atchison, Kas.
 Doniphan once was astir with the bus ting activity of prosperous river town It is situated on the highway iron Gulf to God Knows Where" It served as the shipping port of entry and depart rre for a district since developed into ; marvelously rich agricultural region. Anc with the best "rock-bound landing any where above St Louis,' Doniphar seemed destined to become a metropoli! ill fact as well as in fancy.
 But the fate of many a fond dream be fell the dreamersS of Doniphan. Com betting centers sprang up in adjacen territory, each with it's municipal vehicle hitched to an ascendant star and witl d pirates respect for the rights of othe aspirants.
 Yet Donphan might have survived al competition and approximated it's goal but in an evil hour it's ambitious cit zens, not satisfied with the highway ma ture had provided, were induced to bic for railroad. This must have, been 2 mortal offense against the superintend ing spirit of the river, for it rose in it. wrath and in a single night took its de parture, carrying with it thousands O yards of railroad track and leaving Doni phan without river or railroad
 The morning found Doniphan no longer a river town, but an inland village beside a huge pool
 The current Is gone Where once ma jestic steamers rounded to it's landing there are now only few dminutiyt fishing boats. Occosior sLry the ragtim, sputter of a gasoline launch startles the deserted landing, accentuating the rivers desolation.
 On summer night in 1852 Josephus Ut, the government agent for the Kicka poo Indians, was floating down the rivel in a canoe. He was accompanied by Chief Kennekuk. The canoe sprung q leak and Utt made a landing to repair the craft. He was so favorably i'm pressed with the natural surrounding of his temporary port that he built g hut near the river on what afterwards was the townsite of Doniphan. Later he imnarted the knowledge of his discovery to a party of town promoters and or November II, 1854, the organizers of the Doniphan Town company met at St. Jo seph, Mo. Officers were elected, and early in the following spring town site was surveyed by J. l.. Forman who became known as The Founder oi Doniphan.''
 There was a mushroom growth. Int advantages of the place as ] townstt were apparent and it soon was recog nized up and down the river as the bes steamboat landing on the Missouri. Peo le and prosperity seemed to come t Doniphan on the same boats The gov ernment land office was located there and the success of the town was her aided from St. Louis to Omaha. The fol lowing from Redpath's Handbook 0 Kansas, published in 1858. presents thu optimistic view of the early prophet Redpath was one of the early pionee editors of KanSaS)
 "Doniphan, it is admitted by every ore, has the best rockbound landing ant the best townsite on the Missouri rive anywhere above St. Louis. It has run hing through 1t fine stream of wate d gs soon be expended can be made to f1oy through five of the principal streets. wealthy company has been chartered fo | the construction of a railroad from St | Joseph, through Doniphan, for Topeka l connecting the Kansas and Missouri riy CTS The stock is subscribed-10 per cen | raid in.
 That part of it from St. Joseph t Eoniphan will be completed as soon a connection is made with Hannibal. Lot can he purchased on more liberal term than at any other town on the Missour We say to the emgrant. Go to Don plan It is destined to be the great en roiium of the upper Missouri. The popr lation is more than 2000.'
 And so the river town progressed an | rrospered. Along the wharf two war,
 houses were erected which accommc oated 15 boats a day. One of the war,
 houses was 200 feet long.
 "I have seen as high as twenty boa
 come up the river in a single day." a
 old settler at Doniphan said the oth,
 day, "and I remember that on mar
 days three and four boats would be u
 loading at the same time on the wharf The large transient population creat, a demand for hotel and in 1857 the S Charles hotel was erected It was lar, building of Colonial style and had | rooms, large lobby a spacious dinif room and an ample barroom, which WI filled from morning to night with a venturous land and lot seekers. The pre-
 ence of the land office added greatly 1 this class of fortune hunters, and gan 1 bling was carried on in big way. Mar
 section of Indian land changed han : over the card table of the old St. Charl