LOCATION, TOPOGRAPHY, ETC.
Stafford County is a portion of that wide stretch of territory of the State
of Kansas embraced in the great bend of the Arkansas River. At a point
twelve miles south, and thirty miles west of the southwest corner of the
county, the river takes a northeasterly direction, which it follows for a
distance of about seventy miles, until it reaches a point seven miles north
of the center of the north line of Stafford County, when it turns to the
southeast, which course it pursues until it reaches a point about twelve
miles south and sixty miles east of the southeast corner of the county,
from which point its course is almost due south. Stafford County is
centrally located in the territory embraced within this bend of the river.
It is in the third tier of counties from the south line of the State, and
in the first tier west of a central line drawn through the State from north
to south. The county seat is 180 miles east of the west line of the State,
and 220 miles west of the east line. The county is bounded on the north
by Barton County, on the south by Pratt, on the east by Reno and Rice, and
on the west by Edwards and Pawnee Counties. It contains 506,880 acres, or
792 square miles, and, for municipal purposes, is divided into twelve civil
townships, and for local government into three Commissioner districts.
The surface of the county is one vast level plain, except that at intervals
there are long lines of numerous sand hills, some of which reach a
considerable altitude. One line of these hills extends diagonally across
the entire county, from the northeast to the southwest, and another line
stretches across the northern portion of the county. To a person
unacquainted with the country, these hills, at a distance, look like great
belts of timber, and so deceptive are they in appearance that absolute
observation is required to dispel the illusion. The county is almost
without either streams or creeks, the only one of any importance within its
borders being Rattlesnake Creek, which runs diagonally across the county
from the southwest to the northeast. An abundance of good well water,
however, can be had in almost any part of the county at various depths,
from ten to thirty feet. Farmers living away from the vicinity of the
stream, experience no difficulty in finding ample water for stock from
wells, the pumping being done by wind-mills, with which nearly every
farmer having stock is supplied. The county is utterly destitute of
timber, and substitutes for fuel are found in corn cobs, corn stalks, and
other material, which answer the purpose very satisfactorily. Coal can be
had by going to the railway stations, but the long distances it has to be
transported by rail and wagon makes it rather expensive.
The nature of the soil is light and extremely sandy, and in many portions
of the county it is so sandy as to be utterly unfit for cultivation. The
untillable portion, however, is confined to the sand hill elevations, and
although the small valleys between the sand hills are also of a very sandy
character, they are yet capable of cultivation, and are quite productive.
Beneath the surface are various kinds of sub-soil; in some places it is a
kind of bluish colored loam, and in others it is loam of a yellowish hue.
In some places gypsum forms the sub-soil, and in a few considerable alkali
is found.
The soil seems to be suitable for the raising of all kinds of cereals, and
wheat, oats and rye yield abundantly. Sorghum is a never-failing crop, and
one that can be relied upon with certainty in all seasons. The entire
county is sub-irrigated and in sinking wells a sheet of water is invariably
struck at various depths, corresponding with the elevations of the surface.
In the flat or level places it is usually met with at a depth of from ten
to twelve feet. This subterranean water is not in veins, but one vast
sheet from three to four feet in depth, and is confined to no particular
locality, but underlies the entire county. Like most of the western
counties in Kansas, Stafford is excellently adapted to stock-raising, and
to this industry farmers are turning their attention, many having herds of
cattle numbering from 200 to 800 head. A good deal of attention is also
given to sheep raising, there being over 30,000 head in the county, in
flocks ranging from 300 to 2,500. In most part the grass is that kind
known as buffalo but in some places blue-stem exists. The abundance of
these grasses, and the facility with which a never-failing supply of good,
pure fresh water can be had, give the county superior advantages for
stock-raising.
MAP OF STAFFORD COUNTY.
CHART OF POPULATION (FEDERAL CENSUS).
Organized in 1879* 1880.
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Clear Creek Township . . . . . 808
Cooper Township . . . . . . . 516
Hayes Township . . . . . . . . 329
Lincoln Township . . . . . . . 371
Saint John Township . . . . . 678
Seward Township . . . . . . . 390
Stafford Township . . . . . . 876
York Township . . . . . . . 778
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Total: 4,746
* All the townships organized from original territory in 1879.
EARLY HISTORY.
The boundary lines of Stafford County were defined by the Legislature of
1870, and for several years the county remained unorganized. The
Legislature of 1875, with the intention of obliterating the county from the
map, partitioned the territory embraced in Stafford County, and added that
portion included in Towns 21, 22 and 23, Range 15 west, to Pawnee County,
and that portion included in Ranges 11, 12, 13 and 14, of said towns, was
annexed to Barton County, while the south half of the county, excepting
that portion embraced in Range 15, Towns 24 and 25, was added to Pratt
County. By this division, it was thought that Stafford County was wiped
out; but after each of the counties mentioned had taken its apportioned
part, two Congressional townships remained, being Towns 24 and 25, Range
15, so that, while Stafford County did not lose its identity, its
dimensions were cut down to a strip of territory six miles east and west by
twelve north and south. This was the condition of the county until 1879,
when, by a decision of the Supreme Court, the act of the Legislature
dividing the county was declared unconstitutional, and the county was
restored to its original boundaries.
In the meantime, a good many settlers had located in the county, W. R. Hoole
taking and settling upon the first claim entered in the county in May,
1874. His claim was the north half of Section 4, Town 21, Range 14 west,
where he prepared himself a dugout in which he lived. In June, 1874, John
Birbeck located on the southwest quarter of Section 10, Town 21, Range 14
west, upon which he built a frame house, and this was the first frame
building erected in the county. About the same time, Martin Fitzpatrick
and James O'Connor entered claims, upon which they located, followed soon
after by Elisha Williamson, Ed. Williamson, F. Williamson, Abe. Lash and H.
Campbell, all of whom settled in the northern portion of the county, while
J. C. Stone, R. M. Blair, Jesse Vickers, E. B. Crawford, Ed. Hadlock and W. Z.
Nutting settled in the eastern portion of the county, and James Neeland and
two or three others in the southwestern portion. These were among the very
earliest settlers of the county, but these were not the only settlers who
came to the county in 1874, as there was a settlement of some ten or twelve
families settled in the eastern portion of the county, that was known as
the Missouri settlement, and a few families were also located some distance
north of what is now St. John. The first prairie broken in the county was
by John Birbeck in 1874. The first child born in the county was born to
Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Hoole, on April 8, 1875, a boy, whom they named Edwin.
In the spring of 1875, a large settlement of Mormons, or Latter-Day Saints,
located in the county, in the vicinity of what is now St. John. There were
about forty families in the settlement, and they named the place Zion
Valley. Here the first post office in the county was established with
William Bickerton as Postmaster. This William Bickerton was the prophet of
the community. Shortly after their settlement, they erected a frame
temple, about 40x70 feet; but, dissentions entering the flock, it became
scattered, and a few years later the temple was sold to Swartz Bros. who
converted it into a hardware and drug store.
In 1876, but few settlers came to the county. No attempt at settlement in
the northeast portion of the county had been made prior to that year, but
during 1876 a few moved into that locality and located in the vicinity of
what is known as the Salt Marsh, F. M. Morgan being one of the first. The
Salt Marsh is a tract of land in the northeastern portion of the county,
extending in a southwesterly direction, about eight miles long and ranging
from one to four miles wide. In 1876, a company was organized for the
purpose of manufacturing salt, but ascertaining by experiment that its
manufacture would be unremunerative, the undertaking was abandoned, and the
marsh became an excellent pasturage for stock, several parties in the
township having from 300 to 800 head of cattle. The first schoolhouse
built in the county was erected in the summer of 1876, on Section 4, Town
21, Range 14 west, and was known as the Hoole Schoolhouse. It was a frame
building, and the first teacher was Miss Ella Miller.
The principal industry of the county during the first two or three years of
its settlement was gathering the buffalo bones that lay thickly scattered all
over the county. Men would go out with their teams and wagons, some of whom
had racks made for the business, and gather up the bones, which they would haul
to the nearest railroad station, where they would sell them at prices ranging
from $3 to $9 a ton. Very good wages could be made at the business at first,
but the bones were soon all gathered within distances at which it could be
followed profitably, and then bone-gathering was discontinued. During the years
1877-78, a great many newcomers settled in the county, and by 1879 the
population was sufficient to have the county organized.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
The county having been restored to its original boundaries, a memorial was
presented to the Governor, asking for the organization of the county, and
on the 2d day of July, 1879, a proclamation was issued by the Governor,
appointing J. C. Towsley, Fred Baumgardner and M. B. Walker, county
Commissioners, and Frank Cox, County Clerk, and designating the town of St.
John as the temporary county seat.
The Commisisoners appointed by this proclamation met for the first time,
July 14, 1879, and organized by electing J. C. Towsley Chairman. At that
meeting, the county was divided into six municipal townships, named Hayes,
Seward, Lincoln, St. John, Clear Creek, York and Stafford. A special
election was ordered to be held August 18, 1879, to perfect the
organization by the election of county and township officers, and to
permanently locate the county seat. At that special election, the officers
elected were C. M. Johnson, representative; G. M. Detwiler, F. R. Baumgardner
and J. C. Towsley, Commissioners; S. M. Nolder, County Clerk; J. B. Smith,
Treasurer; George W. Hovey, Probate Judge; Berlin Zenor, Register of Deeds;
J. W. Miles, Sheriff; George W. Bausman, Clerk of the Court; F. M. Morgan,
County Attorney; W. S. Tyrrell, Coroner; H. L. Fitch, Surveyor, and N. L. D.
Smith, County Superintendent.
There were five contesting points for the county seat, as follows: St.
John, Stafford, Newburg, Livingston and Center. The total vote cast at the
election was 822, of which St. John received 411, lacking just one of a
majority, and that one was in town, but either through carelessness or
laziness the man did not vote. There being no choice, St. John was
continued as the temporary county seat. Another special election on the
county seat question was ordered to be held April 5, 1882, and on the 12th
of the same month the board met to canvas the vote, but owing to some
omission or irregularity in the return of Stafford, the vote of that
township was thrown out, and another election ordered to be held April 14.
The total vote cast at that election was 697, of which St. John had 290
votes, Stafford had 214, and Bedford had 193. None of the places having
received a majority of the votes cast, Bedford was dropped from the list of
competitors, and another election was ordered to be held April 18, 1882,
the competitive points being St. John and Stafford. At the election held
in compliance with this order, 799 votes were cast, of which St. John
received 431 and Stafford 368, and the former place was declared the
permanent county seat.
The Representatives that have served in the Legislature from Stafford
County have been C. M. Johnson, elected in 1879; J. C. Towsley, elected in
1880, and F. B. Crawford, the present member, elected in 1882. The county
officers for 1883 have been as follows: E. H. Young, J. B. Cook, E. W. Dewey,
County Commissioners; T. A. Hays, County Clerk; J. Neelands, Treasurer; E. M.
Broughton, Probate Judge; C. S. Mace, Sheriff; C. B Weeks, County Attorney;
W. Dixon, Clerk of District Court; J. A. Steelman, County Superintendent; W.
S. Tyrrell, Coroner.
The following appropriation for the benefit of Stafford County was made in
March, 1883, by the Legislature:
For the payment of the expenses incurred in restoring Stafford County to
its original boundaries, the sum of $1,000. Said amount to be paid out as
follows: To E. B. Crawford, $250; to Jesse Vickers, $250; to Samuel R.
Estle, $250; to Joseph W. Tyrrell, $250. Provided, that said sums
appropriated to Messrs. Crawford, Vickers, Estle and Tyrrell shall be
received as full compensation for any and all claims against the State of
Kansas arising out of said restoration of Stafford County.
Since Stafford County was organized, there has not been as much as one
single criminal case tried in the District Court, nor are there any on the
docket for trial. The county has a bonded indebtedness of $13,000 but no
floating indebtedness, and her scrip is at par, with money in the treasury
to pay every warrant upon presentation.
SCHOOLS AND THE PRESS.
The first school house erected in Stafford County was in the summer of
1874, and was built on Section 4, Town 21, Range 14 west. It was known as
the Hoole Schoolhouse, and the first person to teach school in the county
was Miss Ella Miller. There are now in the county thirty-seven school
buildings, some of which are sod constructions and the remainder frame.
The total school population of the county in 1881, between the ages of five
and twenty-one years, was 1,331, of which 704 were males and 627 females.
In 1882, the total school population was 1,309, of which 705 were males and
604 females, showing an increase of 1 male and a decrease of 24 females,
being a decrease in the total school population during the year of 22. The
number of pupils enrolled in 1881 was 707, males 384, females 323, and in
1882 the number enrolled was 832, males 442, females 390. The average
daily attendance in the former year was 426 and in the latter 456. While
there were, in 1882, only thirty-seven school buildings in the county,
there were fifty organized districts, so that thirteen of the districts had
no schoolhouses. The whole number of teachers employed in the county in
1881 was 45, of whom 16 were males and 29 females. In 1882, the number
decreased to 39, of which 19 were males and 20 were females. The average
daily attendance in the former year was 426 and in the latter 456. While
there were, in 1882, only thirty-seven school buildings in the county,
there were fifty organized districts so that thirteen of the districts had
no schoolhouses. The whole number of teachers employed in the county in
1881 was 45, of whom 16 were males and 29 females. In 1882, the number
decreased to 39, of which 19 were males and 20 were females. The average
salary per month, in 1881, paid teachers was, males $23.21, and females
$17.96, and in 1882 for the former it was $25.27, and the latter $22.34.
The school bonded indebtedness of the county in 1882 was $2,451, and the
number of districts that sustained public school for three months or over
during the year was thirty-six, and the number failing to do so was
fourteen. The average assessed valuation of each district was $6,624, and
seventeen mills were levied for school purposes. There were 42 persons
examined for teachers in 1882, and 40 certificates granted, of which 6 were
first grade, 19 second grade, and 15 third grade. There were in the hands
of the District Treasurer, on August 1, 1881, the sum of 673.59; the amount
received from district taxes was $2,991.86; from State and county funds,
$1,054.83; from sale of school bonds $437, and from all other sources,
$655.54, making the total receipts during the year $5,812.42. The
expenditures during the year were, for teachers wages, $3,084.14; rents,
repairs, fuel, etc. $949.10; school apparatus, $19.78; for sites, buildings
and furniture, $449.81; for all other purposes $121.23; total paid out for
all purposes, $4,624.06, leaving a balance in the hands of the District
Treasurer on August 1, 1882, of $1,188.36.
The Stafford Citizen was the first paper established in the
county, and was started at Stafford in November, 1877, by T. L. Kerr. It
lived about eight months and then passed out of existence.
The News was started in April, 1879, at St. John, by C. B. Weeks,
but its existence only covered a period of four months.
The Herald was established in the summer of 1879, at Stafford, by
Joel Reese, who continued to publish it until November, 1881, when it
passed into the hands of R. M. Blair, who has continued to publish it since
that time. It is a five-column quarto, Republican in politics, and has a
circulation of about 400.
The Advance was established at St. John in March, 1880, by T. C.
Austin, in whose possession it remained until September of that year, when
C. B. Weeks took charge and control of the paper, and continued to publish
it until April 1, 1881, when W. R. Hoole succeeded to the ownership, and
published it until August, 1882, when he disposed of it to F. B. Gilmore,
who remained at its head until March 12, 1883, when it passed into the
possession of W. K. P. Dow. At that time Mr. Dow was publishing the
Bee, but on getting possession of the Advance, he merged
the former into the latter. It is a seven-column folio, Republican in
politics, and has a circulation of about 450.
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