Chase County History
"A New Centennial History of Kansas"
Charles Tuttle, 1876
Chase County was organized in 1859, and named in honor
of the chief justice. The change in administration within the territory is broadly marked between Atchison and Chase. The territory includes 750 square miles, and has a population of 3,116
in 1875, the males preponderating by 412. Three-fourths of the
population are engaged in agricultural pursuits, over one-tenth in
mining and manufactures. The county seat is located at Cottonwood Falls, 67 miles southwest from Tokepa, as the crow flies.
The land is divided into bottom and prairie, 12 and 88; about 5
per cent, is timbered. The valleys of the streams are shut in by
bluffs, but otherwise the country is undulating. The timber is
good for manufacturing purposes. The principal streams are Cottonwood river, and its tributaries on the north, Buckeye, Peyton,
Fox, Diamond, Middle, Silver and French creek; and on the
south Jacobs, Bloody, South Fork, and others much smaller.
The vicinity is pretty well supplied with springs, and well water
of good quality may be found at about a depth of 25 feet. Coal
has been found, but not in quantity. Building stone of excellent
quality may be procured in abundance. Magnesian limestone of
very choice kinds, I'aised and quarried in this county, ornaments
most of the great cities in the state, and is in great demand. Cottonwood Falls is a depot for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Railroad, and, as the name implies, the county seat is located on
the banks of the Cottonwood. There is at this point an excellent
series of water powers, but little used at present, although there
are manufactories, chief among which are two flouring mills run
by water power, and stone sawing works. The Chase County
Bank is at Cottonwood Falls, and there are two newspapers, the
Leader and the Courant. both weekly. There are nine public
libraries in this young county, containing an aggregate of 1,252
volumes, and 43 private collections, with a total of 3,816 volumes.
There are 36 organized school districts in the county, and 32
school houses, valued inclusive at $31,563. There is one denomination school, Catholic, at Cottonwood Falls. There are three
church buildings in the county, valued at $6,800, but there are
many more organizations with small memberships. Chase County
court house displays the magnificent taste of its projectors. The
manufactures of the county have progressed but little up to the
present time, but there are valuable works rising into local and
general importance, among which are: a flouring mill at Bazaar
township; a water power and hand loom; a water power flouring
mill at Toledo; a flouring mill at Falls township; a flouring mill
at Diamond Creek; a grist mill at Cedar Point; a saw mill at
Elmdale; a saw mill and a saw and grist mill at Silver Creek, and
a saw and grist mill at Safford. The amount of capital invested
in these several works is not large, but the industrial enterprises
mentioned pay tolerably well, and will develop with time and
population to much greater dimensions. In this county it is a
noticeable fact that the dogs are not so destructive among sheep
as the wolves. The locust raid did not very severely affect this
county, as only 50 persons required assistance with clothes and
rations, and the people helped one another.
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This website created August 4, 2011 by Sheryl McClure.
� 2011 Kansas History and Heritage Project
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