This study explores what the town of Menoken, Menoken Township, Shawnee County, Kansas was like, and what happened to it. Menoken was eventually overtaken by bigger sister towns Topeka and Silver Lake. Methods include interviews, maps of the county…
This study examines the town of Minersville in Sibley Township, Cloud County, Kansas. It lasted from 1870 to 1945. I used maps, newspaper articles and fieldwork.
This paper chronicles the story of Henry Moehlman and the development of Moehlman Bottoms in Riley County, Kansas. Includes effects of natural disasters, early Kansas rural education, historical photos, and present day maps and pictures of Moehlman…
This study illustrates the instant town of Mont Ida, Washington Township, in Anderson County and its establishment of the Missouri Pacific railroad, peaceful people, and local support that thrived until the decline of trains and neighboring…
Moonlight, located in Hayes Township, Dickinson County, Kansas, was founded by members of the Brethren in Christ Church migrating from Pennsylvania. It thrived temporarily, for about forty years, but dried up as business moved to larger towns and…
This paper details the life of Morgan Snyder, from Clay Center, Kansas, with a focus on his baseball career. Most of the sources and material are courtesy of his nephew, Mr. Roger Mall, whose assistance made this project possible.
Morland was first known as Fremont, it was named after General John C. Fremont who was the noted explorer. The people of Morland fought hard for their survival and in the end it paid off. Just the thought that a railroad could be coming gave people…
Theodore Brown traces the origins of the little-studied Hodgeman County Exoduster settlement. Using archival material from Jetmore Museum and his own family history, he documents the stone masonry skills brought to western Kansas by former slaves in…
Mulberry was once a Clay County township with thriving stores, hotels, and other businesses, a place where settlers could come with new ideas and prosper. At the same time Mulberry settlers were chasing the new "American Dream" they…
Murdock, Kansas, started out as New Murdock in 1884 and underwent a name change in 1910. Today Murdock is a quiet community of about 375 residents.
Navarre was organized around the school, the church, and starting in 1887, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad. Fire destroyed much of the town in 1939, and it never recovered.
Jennifer Milnes chose to write about this town to show that a town can persist as long as the people stay connected. The history is still among us, we just have to dig a little deeper sometimes. By talking and networking in surrounding communities,…
Calling New Chillicothe a “Lost Town” may be stretching the imagination a little bit. New Chillicothe was a postal station located in Sherman Township in northern Dickinson County. This station moved a total of four times in a matter of 28 years.
The land was bought from the Pottawatomie Indians by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad and sold to German immigrants for a profit. The township of Newbury was established in 1868, and the town bearing the same name followed soon after. The…
The tiny town of Niles, originally Arcala then Nilesville, located in the Lincoln Township of Ottawa County, Kansas was first settled by families traveling in fifteen covered wagons from Illinois. They arrived in 1866 and although not as strong as…
This report contains historical journal references, history obtained through genealogical archives, investigative local folklore, maps spanning several decades, and photos and references from the author's personal knowledge and affiliation with…
Oakhill, Kansas, located in Oakland Township in southwest Clay County, may appear to be just another Kansas town. However, the history of this little place paints a unique picture that is unlike other vanishing communities in Kansas. Many Kansas…
James C. Rivers traces the life of an early African American female homesteader, Dicy Nichols. Buying a modest farm in 1867, Dicy Nichols lived there and raised a family until selling her land in 1883 to the Hart-Enlow Ranch. She stayed on the land…
This study explains the founding, growth, and decline of Oneida, due in part to railroad decline and the relocation of US Highway 36. It includes various interviews, early plat maps of the town, and photographs of early and present-day Oneida.
Orchid Ramsey was a small-town African American girl born in 1910. She went on to marry Leon Jordan, a prominent Kansas City Civil Rights activist, and take over his position in Missouri’s General Assembly for sixteen years after his assassination.…
This study of the slowly-vanishing town of Orion explores the western Kansas environment and the founding of a community in 1886. Wheat farmers claimed large farms in this area. Named for a schoolteacher, Orion had a vital life through World War II…
This is the story of Oronoque, a small Kansas town in Norton County that once thrived and had importance. Western Kansas is often overlooked, but its history should not be forgotten. This study includes newspaper articles, photographs, and an…
This is a brief history over the German Catholic community of Ost in Sumner Township, Reno County, Kansas. Ost was a settlement built on the faith and persistence of the settlers that founded the town. This study uses plat maps, photographs of past…
Otter Lake and Springside were two post villages in northwestern Pottawatomie County, Kansas locked in competition for hinterland resources and community perseverance along the Central Line of the Union Pacific Railroad. These twin towns struggled…
The lost town of Ottumwa, Coffey County, Kansas was settled by migrants of the Northern Midland Migration movement who shared similar progressive values and beliefs. The town experienced a brief period of prosperity, in which the town was home to a…
