Shawnee County History
"A New Centennial History of Kansas," Charles Tuttle, 1876
Shawnee County was organized in 1855; the name gives its
own explanation. The area is 558 square miles, and the population in 1875 was 15,417, of which number 8,027 were males.
Farming employs 40 per cent, of the settlers, mines and manufactures engage 21 per cent., trade and transportation 13 per cent,
Topeka, the capital of the state, is the county seat. Forests cover
eight per cent, of the county, and 31 per cent, is bottom land.
The principal streams are the Kansas river and its tributaries,
Banbien, Cross, Soldier, Indian, Little Soldier, Half Moccasin,
Half Day, Vesser, Mission, Shungununga, Deer, Stinson, Tecumseh, Haskell, Blacksmith and other creeks; the Wakarusa and its
tributaries, Six Mile, Lime, Towhead and Berry Creeks. Springs
are not numerous in this county, but some of them are very fine,
and good well water can be found, generally at depths varying
from 18 to 40 feet. Coal has been found, but there is no estimate
of the area occupied by this valuable deposit. The veins found
vary from 14 to 20 inches at a depth of from 15 to 20 feet. Many
of the ravines have coal cropping out on their sides and the quality is quite good. Considerable quantities are mined for local use
in domestic and manufacturing operations. Limestone of good
quality is found in all parts of the county. Fire clay overlies the
coal measure, but the quality of that deposit has not been fully
tested.
This portion of Kansas is well cared for by railroad companies. The Kansas Pacific has stations at Topeka, Silver Lake
and Rossville; the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe has stations
at Topeka and Wakarusa, and the Kansas Midland runs east
from Topeka along the south bank of the Kansas to Lawrence
and Kansas City, having a station at Tecumseh. There are numerous water powers of great value, but the reliability and speed
associated with steam have prevented their utilization to any considerable extent. The manufactures in the county include the
Shawnee steam flouring mill in Topeka, the North Topeka steam
mills, the Topeka rolling mills, the Farmers flouring mills, the
foundry and planing mill, the machine shops of the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe company, and of the Kansas Midland, four
cigar factories, two breweries, two cheese factories, two wagon and
carriage factories, one cracker factory and the gas works. Rossville township has a steam flouring mill, a saw mill, an agricultural implement and furniture factory, a water power flouring mill
on Cross creek, north of Rossville, and other works. Auburn
township has a cheese factory, and Tecumsch a steam saw mill.
The lion's share of the business of the county as well as that of
the business of the state is transacted in Topeka, and the beauty
of the city keeps step with its prosperity. The banks of the city
include the Topeka National, the State Bank of Topeka, the Citizens' Bank, the Topeka Bank and Savings Institution, the Banking house of Guildford Dudley, and that of John D. Knox k Co.,
all centering in Topeka, but their operations extending all over
and beyond the state. The press of Topeka is metropolitan, including the Commonwealth, daily and weekly; the Blade, daily
evening; the Times, daily evening and weekly; the Kansas
Farmer and the Democrat, both weekly. Naturally, the papers
published in the capital are read with avidity all over the state,
and are sought for the sake of local intelligence by directors of
the press all over the United States. There are 79 districts and
81 school houses, valued, inclusive of appurtenances, at $199,000.
There are other educational establishments in the capital, including Washburn College, under the control of tlie Congregational
church; the college of the Sisters of Bethany, an Episcopal establishment; with a theological institute, similarly directed, and a
parochial school under the management of the Sisters of Charity.
Churches are magnificently cared for in this city and county, as
we find no less than 20 churches, some of them superb, and all
commodious, estimated by their cost at $li7,150. Four public
libraries contain 17,150 volumes, and 218 private collections aggregate 38,788 volumes in seven townships only. Shawnee county was self supporting in the time of the locust plague and the
worst ravages were ellected before the locusts arrived at this
point.
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Shawnee Co. KHHP
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