Shawnee County History
Mission Twp.
"History of Shawnee County and Representative Citizens," James L. King, 1905
Mission Township � Located in the center of the county, and extending north of the Kansas River, with Topeka township on the east, Dover on
the west, and Auburn and Williamsport on the south. It was until 1871 a
part of Dover and Topeka townships, and belonged originally to the Pottawatomie Indian reservation. Jonas Lykins was the first white settler, coming from Osawatomie in 1847. He built the first Baptist mission in the
county, a double log structure which is still standing on what is known as the
Robert I. Lee farm, a few miles west from Topeka. The Catholics established a mission in 1848, north of the Baptists, in charge of Father J. B.
Hoeken. At that time Chief Burnett of the Pottawatomies lived in the same
locality. Of the later residents, Sidney W. Smith came in March, 1852;
Dr. D. L. Croysdale in 1853; Hiram C. Coville in 1854; John Doty and J. C.
Young in 1855; Amos Trott, Guilford G. Gage, W. D. Paul, J. C. French,
W. W. Lewis and Thomas Scudder in 1856; James Brewer and James Swan
in 1857 � Mr. Brewer is still a citizen of the county, having made his home
in Topeka for nearly half a century; John McComb and Rev. J. G. Miller
arrived in 1859.
PIONEER CITIZENS.
Most of these men played important parts in the history and upbuilding
of Shawnee County, and all are well remembered. Dr. Croysdale was a government physician in the Indian service. Hiram C. Coville was killed in the
Price raid of 1864. Guilford G. Gage became a prosperous and substantial
citizen of Topeka. In later years the township had such well-known citizens
as Thomas Buckman, William Sims, Peter Heil, Jr., Thomas White, D. R.
Youngs and A. M. Coville, the last named a son of Hiram C. Coville.
Mission is wholly an agricultural township. There are no towns within
its borders, and the only neighborhood settlement of any pretension to population is Mission Center, a rural post office. The town of Wanamaker, five
miles west of Topeka, was started in 1888. It accumulated only a few
houses and a post office.
Return to
Shawnee Co. KHHP
|
� 2011-2012 Kansas History and Heritage Project
|