The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-18
BY HARRY ROOT.

The Brinkerhoff Town association of
Mitchell county was chartered for ST.
600 in August, 1886. The incorpora-
tors were: c. L. Brown, B. w. Tan
quarry, F. M. Culp, l.. D. Pagett and
M. L. Marshall. All are living except
TanQuary. Beloit and Mitchell county
never had better class of people.
Your correspondent knew all of them,
and is proud of the fact they were
all his friends. The town was named
after W. o. Brinkerhoff, of Kansas
City, who filled the position of eastern
division superintendent of the Union
Pacific road for many years, and died
several years ago. The incorporators
never paraded before the public why
this town started, and there are hun
dreds of people living in and near Be
lott who never heard of it, If it was
laid out to make the fight for the
county court house, it didn't get far in
the race for commercial supremacy.
Like many other '1ost towns in Kan
sas," it went back to the farm. An
other aspi- ing town in Mitchell county
was named New Chicago. 1t was
chartered in August, 1871. It held Its
name about two months, when in
October 1871, it was changed to
Springfield. No capital stock is men
toned in the charter, and a board of
trustees are named as follows: John
McElroy, president, and Lewis Wich-
man, secretary. Then follows the
names of G. NJ. Blowers, John Nc
Cauley and James McElroy. The char
| ter says the town was laid out in sec
tons L and and II and II, township
| 6, range z. So far as your correspond
emit knows, these men are all dead.
| This was before he made his rounds
| for the Atchison Champion, althp in
later years he was acquainted with
some of the trustees. New Chicago
and Springfield were big names, and
why one was exchanged for the other
has never been known Then in the
organization of new towns in pioneer
times, the amount of capital stock was
not in the charter. Not SO with the
Pittsburg Town company. which was
chartered in November. 1872, with
i ca pital stock of $500. The incorpora-
| tors were: Charles Bripkmann, j. F.
Creech, Oscar Hall, Morrison Mackley'
w. G. Porter, G. S. Watson and Alex.
Burr. This town is also in Mitchell
county, and for many years hauled all
| their freight from Cawker City. four
teen miles. The Pittsburg settlement
was one of the most thrifty in the
county, but too near one corner to ever
lcatch the court house fever 1t now
has a railroad, and several years ago
1.-THE name was changed to Upton. Since
the advent of the Salina & Northern
road the town has grown to double the
size it was in pioneer Gays, and TINS
| was when your correspondent ialoNS
| his first visit there. Willow Springs
was the name first chosen for the
town where Beloit now stands. 1t was
| OF short duration.
In March and April, 1880, Decatur
! county appeared to have surplus OF
| aspiring towns. The name OF jackson
| was one of them and it climbed W
| the ladder, so rapidly that a paper
was printed there, known in pioneer
times as the Guardian. Other towns
named Blaine and Elmwood were
known to only the prairie schooner
population. who were then rapidly
demonstrating the vacant lands in De
catur county. The temporary organi-