The town of Bloomington, Kansas, started out as Tilden in 1870 and received its name change three years later. At its peak, around 1930, Bloomington had seventy-five residents and boasted a bank, grocery store, telephone company, restaurant,…
This document provides a comprehensive history of the lost community of Bodarc (Bois D’ Arc) from the time that the Osage Indians settled the land to present day. Bodarc was unofficially founded in 1875 and included a mill, general store,…
With the general store as the heart of town, Bodaville served as both a home and a stopping point for travelers. Sources for this study include interviews, newspapers, maps, photographs, and firsthand accounts of the town of Bodaville.
This project analyzes the role of local Kansas ordinances in enforcing larger, national laws; it also makes connections between ordinances and community values, showing that different geographic regions in the state had different levels of ordinance…
Author uses historic documents, genealogical inquiry, and filed work to document the community of Bourassa's Mill. This was not a traditional town but was an important stopping place for travelers on the Oregon Trail. It also supplies the…
Bradford, located in Section 23 of Wilmington Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas, was a small community that tells a unique story of racial coexistence and rural population decline. Black and white residents both called the area home and coexisted…
Once a vibrant town, filled with hard working people who made their way west looking to start a new life, Brookville has now become a quiet, low density community. As shown in this research, we will begin to understand why and how this happened.…
This paper explores the agricultural history of Clay County, Kansas, and the African American workers who persevered during the time. Sources used were newspaper articles, the class reader, websites, and a book about Broughton, Kansas.
At the latest estimate, Kansas may have nearly 9,000 vanished, named communities. These places had many faces: small crossroads villages; depot mail drops on rail lines, lingering communities that coalesced around a church, rapidly-fading religious…
It was a Tuesday, April 5, 1870, when a group of approximately two hundred people from Ohio emigrated to Buckeye Township, attracted by the promise of a homestead and prosperity. Residents faced many economic challenges over the years, and now only…
The lost communities of Camp Pliley, Pottersburg and Ash Grove, Kansas were settled by Civil War Veterans, Scandinavian immigrants as well as homesteading pioneers. While Pottersburg and Ash Grove locations achieved railroad service, the automobile…
This project provides a partial history of the town of Cedar Point, Kansas.
This paper will tell the story of Chalk, Kansas, from the initial settlement in the 1850s to the last business closing in 1956. It will focus on the story of blacksmiths in Chalk and specifically John Crisp, the blacksmith in business there for…
Chelsea was located in chelsea Township of Butler County from 1857-1978. This study includes early maps of the county, information provided by the Butler County Historical Society, and some photographs of the town before it was gone. This analysis…
The lost town of Chetolah, located in Ellis County, Kansas, was settled by three diverse groups of people at different time intervals: the Pawnee Indians, optimistic railroad investors, and hopeful gold miners. The town struggled to survive after…
During the 1860s, Indian tribes raided frontier settlements across the plains, most notably the Cheyenne in North Central Kansas. Numerous counties in Kansas felt the scarring effect of the raids; however, the counties of Jewell, Mitchell,…
German families formed the community of Clearfield in Douglas County, Kansas, in the 1850s, united by language and religion. This study overviews a collection of photographs, maps, and documents detailing the history of the Clearfield Community in…
This study examines the town of Clonmel, in Illinois Township, Sedgwick County, Kansas. It lasted from 1871 to 1938. When the railway left accompanied by the rise of the automobile, Clonmel lost residents, but the bond of St. John’s Catholic Church…
Originally called Divide, the town of Colony began as a tavern and later a depot on the Leavenworth, Lawrence, and Galveston railroad. In the early twentieth century, it was known as the "Hay Capital of the World."
Analyzing contagious disease records kept by physicians in two contiguous Kansas counties, this study reaches interesting conclusions about the role of the railroads in early twentieth century Kansas. Rail lines are suspected disease vectors. The…
In this study I will talk about the rise and fall of the once great Kansas town Coolidge in extreme western Kansas, Hamilton County. Throughout this research paper I will use an interview, early town maps, railway maps, and also photographs that I…
I am writing this paper to show people some of the history of Wichita County, Kansas. I am also writing about how “wild” the West really was when people were migrating out to the newly formed state of Kansas. This paper includes newspaper accounts…
If we are fortunate in life, we may make a discovery that alters the face of human existence and society. The Historic Redmon Postcard Collection is not one of those discoveries. But nonetheless, it does provide a unique insight into early 20th…
Delia, even though it may be labeled a “lost town,” is fighting the label, battling to bring their town back to life. The history of Delia runs deep. Building upon on the determination instilled by their forefather, who prevailed in the debate over…
This study of Delia, Kansas in Jackson County uses photographs, personal interviews, and field research.
