LANSING KANSAS - A TIMELINE STUDY OF EVENTS CONCERNING THE LANSING AREA

LANSING KANSAS - A TIMELINE STUDY OF EVENTS CONCERNING THE LANSING AREA.

PAST-1860'S THE AREA WAS INDIAN TERRITORY

originally inhabited by the Kansa, Osage & Delaware Indians.

1803 30 Apr 1803--Louisiana Purchase
The United States concluded a "deal" when it signed an agreement to purchase the entire Louisiana Territory from France. This transaction ended the trading era for Kansas and brought forth the exploration of a new American settlement.

1804 Jun/Jul 1804--Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, while exploring the Louisiana Purchase by order of President Thomas Jefferson, made camp at several points in the Leavenworth area on the Kansas side of the Missouri River.

1827 8 May 1827--Fort Leavenworth, first known as Cantonment Leavenworth, was established by Col. Henry Leavenworth on the Missouri River's right bank of Salt Creek as an army post to protect the western frontier and travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. 1829 Sublette's pack-train, en route West by way of Independence, Missouri for the first time traveled out the Santa Fe Trail some distance before turning northwest toward the Kansas river. This became the established Oregon-California trail route.

1827 The development of Lansing was influenced primarily by establishment in 1827 of Fort Leavenworth and subsequent settlement of the City of Leavenworth to the north. The army post was originally constructed to protect travelers on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, and continued to play a key role in the United States westward expansion with the opening of the Kansas and Nebraska Territories.

1829 The Delaware Trust Lands. - by treaty of September 24, 1829, the Delaware tribe of Indians relinquished their lands in Missouri and were assigned a large tract in Kansas, covering all of Leavenworth County, and much more.* December 14, 1843, the Delaware’s sold the Wyandot a tract comprising nearly the area of Wyandotte County. In the spring of 1854 treaties were made by the United States Indian Commissioner whereby, excepting small reserves, nearly the entire Indian title to the Indian lands of Eastern Kansas were put in the way of ultimate extinguishment, and thereby opened to the possession of white men at a more or less remote period, and under conditions and terms varying in accordance with the provisions of the treaties. Some tribes sold outright, reserving a part for occupation; others ceded to the Government, in trust, to be sold at some future time specified, for their benefit. The Delaware’s made a treaty May 6, 1854, whereby they ceded to the United States all their lands except a strip along the north bank of the Kansas River, commencing on the western line of the Wyandot lands, and extending up the north bank of the Kansas River forty miles, and being ten miles wide the entire length. This tract, under the name of the Delaware Reserve, remained in the possession of the tribe till May 30, 1860, at which time it was ceded to the Government and sold to the Leavenworth, Pawnee and Western Railway Company, except an assignment, in severalty, of eighty acres to each member of the tribe. This reserve included the southern part of Leavenworth County, ten miles north from the bank of the Kansas River.

1830 May 1830--The Indian Removal Bill of 1830 uprooted the Kickapoo, Shawnee, Delaware, Pottawatomie, Wyandot, Ottawa, Chippewa, Iowa, Miami and Sac and Fox tribes. An "Act to provide for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing within any of the states or territories, and for their removal west of the river Mississippi" was passed by Congress and signed by President Andrew Jackson.

1831 William Lansing Taylor was born in New York.(Founder of Lansing)

He was born Oct. 30, 1831 and died March 20, 1886.

1854 DELAWARE CITY AND TOWNSHIP.

Delaware City, one of Leavenworth's early rival, is now a city of the past. In the summer of 1854, L. F. Hollingsworth, George Quinby, William H. Spratt, James Bruce, J. M. Churchill, C. C. Redmon, and others, from Platte County, Mo., commenced its settlement. An association was formed (S. B. Prentiss, president), the town site, consisting of 320 acres, platted, and Delaware City was soon a prosperous, growing town. Among the earliest settlers in the township were R. C. Foster, David Churchill, Eli Macamer, John W. Loar, H. T. Green, G. W. Gardner, Chief Justice S. D. Lecompte, B. H. Twomby and others. The Delaware City of today consists of only a few houses and some fifty or sixty people. It has a Catholic church and a district school.

1854 Delaware Post Office, ten miles above the mouth of the Kansas River,

where were three trading posts, a blacksmith's shop, etc., with a white population not exceeding a dozen. http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/terrhist/terrhist-p1.html#POPULATION

1854 30 May 1854--The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed and signed by President Franklin Pierce, and Kansas Territory was organized and opened up for settlement. Its boundary included eastern Colorado, west to the Continental Divide. The only white persons then residing within this boundary were those about the military posts, Indian traders, missionaries and a few males, who married into the different tribes. A purpose of the Kansas-Nebraska Act was to open the country to transcontinental railways.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was responsible for causing the label "Bleeding Kansas." The incorporation of popular sovereignty made the territory's residents (not the Federal government) responsible for the question of slavery in their own backyard. The proximity of Kansas to slave-owning Missouri and the lack of any natural border between the two regions prompted an influx of Pro-slavery individuals into the new territory when it opened up for settlement.

1854--Andrew H. Reeder was appointed the first territorial governor of Kansas by President Franklin Pierce

1854 Prior to the westward expansion of our country, Indians roamed the Lansing area for hundreds of years. Adventurers, gold seekers, and a few settlers entered into this area that was called "The Great American Desert". With the signing of the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854, the area became open for settlement. Delaware City, Leavenworth City, and Kickapoo City emerged rapidly during the early settlement phase of this area. Each town fought to become the county seat and this continued for a period of time until finally the county seat was designated Leavenworth City.

1854-1885 Delaware Landing

St. Francis de Sales Church at Lansing, according to history, is one of the oldest churches in Kansas where there has been continuous service to the faithful. In its early years, Jesuit priests took care of the church. They were from St. Louis and also served some four or five other missions in the area. These Jesuits were based at the Immaculate Conception Church in Leavenworth.

Father T.J Hurley attempted to secure a site for the church in Lansing. Father Kinsella finally bought the ground for the Lansing site Bishop Meige decided in favor of the pro-movers and in 1884 the church building was moved to two and one half miles west to Lansing.(105 E. Kay St.)

1855

1855 An early line, the Leavenworth, Pawnee and Western Railroad was chartered in 1855 and in May 1857 they began the grading of the line. On July 6^th 1863 the name was changed to the Union Pacific Eastern Division and to the Kansas Pacific on May 31^st 1868. This name change was typical of many railroad companies in early day Kansas. The first rail had been laid in Wyandotte (Kansas City) on April 14, 1864 and by the fall of 1865 the line had been completed through Lawrence and was fast approaching Topeka.

1855 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/leavenworth/leavenworth-co-p32.html#DELAWARE_CITY

THOMAS J. ABSHIRE, deceased, was born in Franklin County, Va., December 16, 1814, and was reared in the business of farming. In 1845, he located with his family in Elkhart County, Ind. He followed farming there until 1858, when he located here and was prominently identified with farming and stock raising until his death, which occurred November 23, 1880. He is buried in Delaware Cemetery, leaving a family of thee daughters - Mary J., now Mrs. J. B. Bell, of Missouri; Clementine, now Mrs. Dr. L. L. Terwilliger, of Delaware Township, and Florence E., now Mrs. S. J. Ferree, farmer and stock-raiser of Delaware Township. Mrs. Eliza M. Abshire nee France, was born and reared in Roanoke County, Va., married the deceased in 1845, and shared with him his pioneer life here. Mr. Abshire always took an active part in the growth and development of the social and industrial life of his locality. He was an active worker in the establishment and support of the Baptist Church, and at his death was prominently identified with it as an honorable official. On October 28, 1881, Mrs. Mary France, mother of Mrs. Abshire, passed away from this life and was buried in the family cemetery, Delaware Township.

JAMES BAUSSERMAN, retired farmer, P. O. Lansing, was born in Virginia, October 16, 1809, and was identified with the profession of teaching there. In 1838, he located in Delaware County, Ohio, and followed his profession there for a few years, completing a period of nineteen years in its service. He afterward engaged in farming successfully. In 1863, he located here, and has been actively identified with the farming and stock industry of this locality since. In 1833, he married Miss Mary A. Ogelvie, of his native State. They have a family of thee sons and two daughters - J. Henry, minister in Christian church; Joseph P., Druggist, Leavenworth; Francis M., livery and feed stable business; Amanda A., now Mrs. Joseph M. Orndorff, farmer of Jefferson County; Martha O., now Mrs. Jno. C. Evans, farmer and stock-raiser of Jefferson County. For the last thirteen years Mrs. Bausserman has very successfully treated and cured cancers, during which time she has removed over 600 cancers, many of which were of the most malignant form. Her treatment is painless and thorough.

A. G. COGSWELL, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 34, P. O. Fairmount, was born in Wayne Count, N. Y., in 1828, and was identified there with his present industry, till 1860, when he located here and has been very successfully connected with that industry since. His stock in trade was a merely nominal amount, when he began here; but he has by thrift and industry accumulated four nice farms, comprising 580 acres of choice land under a thorough state of cultivation, with abundance of fruit and vegetable gardens, amounting to about $20,000. In 1856, he married Miss Orpha A. Gould, of his native State and county. Mr. Cogswell has been an active worker in the social life of his locality since coming here.

W. C. M. DALTON, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 28 and 32, P. O. Lansing; was born in Tennessee in 1835, and was reared and educated in Missouri, and was identified with the agricultural and horticultural industry there. In 1862 he located here, and has been actively identified with his present industry since. In 1859 he married Miss Josephine Morris, who was born in Kentucky in 1841, and was reared and educated in Missouri. They have a family of six sons and four daughters - John H., Charles R., Jeremiah F., William C., Hattie, Amanda, Sanford W., Jemima, Ida and Christopher N. Mr. Dalton has always worked actively in the growth and development of the social life of his locality since coming here. Has been a member of the Baptist Church for over thirty-two years.

JAS. H. HAMILTON, stock dealer and proprietor meat market, Lansing; was born and reared in St. Clairville, Belmont County, O., and was prominently connected with the stock dealing there for ten years previous to his locating here in 1879. Since coming her here he has worked actively in the business, confining his trade to the markets of Leavenworth and Kansas City, and dealing principally in fat cattle, of which he turns out about $10,000 worth per annum.

ALONZO HUCKINS, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 36, P. O. Lansing, was born in New Hampshire in 1838, and came to Kansas in 1855. For the first ten years he engaged in Government employ in freighting upon the Plains, excepting during the war, when he was deputed Master of Transportation, and did service through Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. After the war he engaged in stock dealing, and afterward in grain dealing, till 1871, when he again took up freighting in the Indian Territory. In 1872 he began stock dealing and has carried it on actively since. In 1867 he married Miss Frances H. Dunlap, daughter of Horace Dunlap, of Leavenworth County. They have a family of three sons and one daughter - Percival L., Bertrand, Alonzo F. And Belle. Mr. Huckins has worked actively in the social life of his locality since coming here. He is an active member of the A., F. & A. M. society, of seventeen years' standing.

JOHN W. HUGHES, horticulturalist, Section 3, P. O. Leavenworth, was born in Baltimore County, Maryland, in 1828, and was reared in Ohio. In 1856 he settled in Adams County, Ill., and carried on farming actively there till 1860, when he came West and located here, and has been prominently connected with gardening and horticulture since. In 1852 he married Miss Jane Edwards, a native of Butler County, Ohio. They have one son - William B., merchant of Leavenworth. Mr. Hughes has always worked actively in the development and growth of the social and public life of his locality since settling here. He has served twelve years upon the School Board of the District, and is present Trustee of his Township, which incumbency he has held for seven years. The farm residence contains fifty acres, of which thirteen acres contain apple trees, two acres of grapes, two acres of raspberries and three acres of strawberries, the balance being principally used for gardening purposes; is located about two miles from Leavenworth, on the DeSoto road, and is complete with handsome and ample dwellings, stables, etc.

SQUIRE J. M. HULL, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 31, P. O. Lansing, was born and reared in Fulton, Oswego County, N. Y., and was educated to the carpentering profession, which he followed there till 1859. He then located in Kingsville, Mo., and carried on his profession till 1861, when he located here and engaged at his present industry, which he has actively carried on since. In 1860 he married Miss Araminta Alexander, a native of Johnson County, Mo. They have a family of three sons and one daughter - John W., James M., Celestain A. And Myrtle M. Squire Hull has been the incumbent of his present position for eighteen years. During the war he did active service in the militia of the State. He has been an active worker in the maintenance of the Methodist Church here, of which he is an official member.

P. JAMIESON, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 6, P. O. Lansing, was born and reared in Kingston, Canada, and was identified there with the mercantile business. In 1857, and at the age of nineteen, he located here and followed milling and farming for the first few years. In 1868 he established a mercantile business and carried it on till 1878, when he engaged at his present industry, which he has successfully carried on since. In 1862 he married Miss Susan L. Stone, a native of Kingston, Canada. They have a family of three sons and two daughters - Charles, Frank, Fred., Nettle and Ida. Mr. Jamieson is an active worker in the social life of his locality. Has been an active member of the I. O. O. F. Since 1878.

JOSEPH KELLEY, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 31, P. O. Lansing, was born in Pulaski County, Ky., in 1818. In 1838 he settled in Macon County, Mo., and followed farming actively there till 1854, when he came here and located, and has been actively and successfully connected with his present industry here since. In 1870 he married Mrs. Elizabeth Chapman, nee MacMillan, a native of Illinois. They have one daughter, Mary and one son, George Chapman.

HIRAM G. PARKER, general merchant, Lansing, was born in Morgan County, Ill., on the 19th of December, 1845, and was identified there as a farmer until 1870, when he removed to Wilson County, Kas., and engaged in farming for a few years. He then did service as guard at the Penitentiary for four years, after which he started his present business, which he ably represents. In 1865 he married Miss Farah York, a native of Cass County, Ill. They have one son and two daughters - Otho E., Mary J., and Matilda I. At the breaking out of the war, Mr. Parker enlisted in Company B, Tenth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, for three years. After he had served one year and a half in that regiment, he reenlisted in Company B, First Regiment, Mississippi Marine Brigade, doing active service until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. He has been a member of the A., F. & A. M. Society since 1866.

L. A. RAMSEY, farmer and stock dealer, Section 31, P. O. Lansing, was born and reared in Franklin County, Mo., and was identified there with the mercantile business. In 1867 he located here and has carried on his present business actively since. In 1866 he married Miss Belle MacMillan, a native of Illinois, but was reared in Missouri. They have a family of one son and three daughters - Emmet E., Addie L., Jessie M., and Nettle B. Mr. Ramsey did active service in the Fifth Missouri, Company A, Volunteer Infantry, during the war. In Charter member of Leavenworth Lodge, No. 1285, K. Of H., and has worked actively in the support of the Christian Church here, of which he and his wife are active members.

GEORGE W. STARNES, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 4, P. O. Leavenworth, was born in Tennessee in 1827, and was reared in Fountain County, Ind. At the age of four he settled in Platte County, Mo., and followed farming there for several years. March 14, 1855, he located here and has been actively connected with his present business since. In 1848 he married Miss Abigail Livinggood, who was born in North Carolina, in 1832, and who departed this life in 1856, and is buried in the family cemetery on the homestead, leaving a family of five sons and two daughters - T. R., John M., Margaret L., Flora A., Irvin M., William P., and George A. In 1875 he married Mrs. Sarah Espey, nee Bennington, a native of Ripley County, Ind. They have one son, David A. Espey. Mr. Starnes has been an active worker as member of the School Board for several years, and Township Trustee and many other positions. Has been an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South since 1850.

MARTIN WALSH, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 30, P. O. Lansing, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1839, and was reared in Yorkshire, England. In 1859 he came to American, and spent the first few years in connection with the railway industry in Kentucky. Was the first baggage man on the Nashville & Northwestern R. R. During the war he was active in connection with the Western Flottilla on the Mississippi, and latterly as an official to the Equipment Department, and after the war he retained a position on the Monitor watch, which he held until 1870 in Mound City, Ill. He then engaged in the mercantile business there, which he very successfully carried on until 1873. when he retired from it and engaged in farming in Wisconsin; but after a few years he abandoned it and located in Kansas City, Kas., and he successfully retired from in 1881, on account of ill health, and engaged upon his present industry here. In 1861 he married Miss Bridget Dougherty, of County Mayo, Ireland. They have a family of two sons and three daughters-Richard J., George M., Mary, Annie and Alice. In public life Mr. Walsh has always taken an active part. He served three years as Alderman of Mound City, Ill.; Two terms as Supervisor in Wisconsin, and three terms in the City Council of Kansas City, Kas., and has filled many minor positions of honor and trust.

HENRY F. VOIGT, farmer, Section 25, P. O. Lansing, came to Kansas in 1858, first located at Wyandotte. He commenced in this country at the age of sixteen, without a dollar and in debt for his fare from Germany. He paid the debt and continued to work for wages under William Holmes, proprietor of the hotel in Shawneetown, Johnson County, a minister of the Southern Methodist Church. After four years he worked for John G. Pratt, Indian agent, connected with the Baptist Mission among the Delaware Indians. By enterprise and honest industry he has come to be proprietor of a handsome farm worth $6,000, and has considerable personal property besides. He has been Clerk of his school district for eleven years. He was born in Imbshausen, Province Hanover, Germany, July 23, 1842, and is the son of Andreas and Johannah Voigt. He left Germany in the spring of 1858 and came direct to Kansas. He was married in Leavenworth City, April 26, 1873, to Lizetta Christine Ruppert, who is a native of Alexandria, Va. They have have (sic) five children - Millitta Lazetta, Louisa Maria, Carl Friedrich, Theresa Christine and Edmond Ernst

1855 When the time came in 1855 for selection of the county seat, a tremendous political battle ensued. Kickapoo City and Delaware City (a village near the present site of Lansing) were lusty rivals of Leavenworth City. Jubilant over victory after several disputed elections, local contenders seized "Old Kickapoo," prized trophy of the Mexican War, and brought the cannon here for a big celebration. Land was donated for a court house, but the building was not ready for occupancy until 1874.

1857 A third constitutional convention convened at Leavenworth, and the constitution drafted there was adopted by the people in 1858, but this too failed final acceptance.

1857 It was 1857 when a small congregation of sisters in Nashville, Tennessee, suddenly found themselves burdened with a debt not of their making. They sold nearly everything they had to pay their creditors, and a plucky handful of sisters headed for the Indian territory of Kansas.

1858 November 11, 1858, the first Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth arrive
at the Leavenworth Landing after a icy trip up the Missouri River.

Settlements appeared to be moving southward from Ft. Leavenworth:

The city of Leaenworth, Sisters of Charity, Kansas State Penetentiary, Town of Progress (Later known as Lansing)

1859 1859--During his visit to Kansas, President Abraham Lincoln spoke at the famous Planters Hotel in Leavenworth Kansas.

In 1859 The Kansas legislature passed an act authorizing a state penitentiary. The Kansas State Penitentiary (KSP), to be located in Leavenworth County. Why it was located just to the south of Leavenworth is unknown, however, population centers were all on the East Side of the state and the site is within sight of the State of Missouri, then a Confederate state. We can assume distance and efficiency factors, in addition to the proximity of troops at Fort Leavenworth in the event of trouble, had some impact on the decision.

Xxxx The newspaper press of Leavenworth is devoted to the advancement of the city interests and advocates manufacturing and commercial progress with untiring spirit and intelligence. The following is a list of the newspapers and other serials published in the city:
The Daily Commercial, morning, (Democratic) daily, tri-weekly and weekly, George F. Prescott, proprietor.
The Daily Times, morning (Republican) daily and weekly, D. R. Anthony, proprietor.
The Daily Call, evening (Independent) daily only, Joseph Clarke &Co., proprietors.
German.--The Freie Press, (Republican) daily and weekly, J. M. Haberlein, proprietor.
The Telegraph, morning (Republican) daily and weekly, F. Braunhold &Co., proprietors.
The Kansas Farmer, (agricultural), semi-monthly, G. T. Anthony, proprietor.
The Medical Herald and Journal of Pharmacy, monthly, Drs. J. W. Brock and T. Sinks, proprietors.

1860 THE COAL MINE.

Before we proceed to speak of the manufacturing industry of Leavenworth, it would be well to devote a little space to the history of the Leavenworth coal mine, which may be regarded as the most essential element to industrial progress and development.
It is not certainly known who first suggested the probable existence of coal in this locality. Mr. Sam Denman, who recently died in Lawrence, father of Mr. H. B. Denman, claimed the credit of the suggestion, while Mr. F. Haun, of this city, declares that the credit is due to him, and that the first exploration for coal was begun under the impulse created by his developments. It is probable that the credit is due to Mr. Haun. But the point is not a material one, as it requires but a superficial knowledge of geology to discover that Leavenworth lies within the region of the coal measures.
The first attempt at procuring coal was made by Samuel Denman, Thomas Ewing, Jr., and Wm. H. Russell, who obtained, Nov. 13th, 1860, from the Secretary of War, what they supposed to be authority to mine for coal under the Reserve; but the lease afterward proved worthless. A boring was commenced under the supervision of Mr. Samuel Denman, and after delays of various kinds, a depth of 450 feet was reached by the drill, and Mr. Denman pronounced further effort useless. The project was hence abandoned. Mr. Haun hereupon obtained a transfer of the mining rights, and having unshaken confidence in the existence of coal, determined to make a second attempt. To this end a company was organized Dec. 21st, 1863, upon the basis of the Denman lease. Mr. Haun having a misgiving that some mistake had been made in the boring, and believing that a vein of coal existed within 300 feet of the surface, contracted with A. C. Ellithorpe to sink an oval shaft, eight feet in diameter. Mr. Ellithorpe sunk about ninety feet and abandoned the contract.
A new organization was made June 3d, 1865, by the following persons: F. Haun, John Kerr, J. C. Hemingray, Lucien Scott, Wilison &Estes, Ed. Russell, C. A. Logan, Tiffin Sinks and John McCarthy. This company resolved to carry a shaft down and contracted with Jno. McCarthy to do the work. After numerous disappointments the bore reached a depth of 294 feet, where the company had hoped to find a workable lead of coal. But the hope was not realized. They then resolved to bore from the bottom of the shaft, and in the prosecution of this work lost no less than three holes. The boring finally demonstrated, as the company believed, the existence of two and a half feet of coal at a depth of 540 feet, and the company resolved to raise means to carry the shaft down to it. But here a new trouble arose. It was discovered that the lease under which they were operating was invalid, and that they were subject to the danger of being put off the ground by a military force at any time the government might order it.
This discovery well nigh broke down the movement. Under the urgent appeals of some of the company, Dr. Logan and his brother, Thomas A. Logan, Esq., a prominent lawyer of Cincinnati, were sent to Washington as a forlorn hope, to procure the passage of an act of Congress, if possible guarantying the company's rights. Their mission proved successful, and Dr. Logan returned to Leavenworth with an act passed July 28th, 1868, granting to the company not only the exclusive and perpetual right to mine for all coal beneath the Fort Leavenworth reservation, but the privilege of purchasing in fee simple the twenty acres of ground upon which their shaft is located. Discovering also that the city ordinance giving them the right to mine the streets and alleys of the city was invalid, Dr. Logan and Mr. Ed. Russell went to Topeka in 1869, and had an act passed by which this right is also secured to them.
Being thus secure in their franchise, the Company then received to make a fourth attempt at reaching coal, and a contract was concluded Nov. 20th, 1868, with S. H. Daddow, of Pennsylvania, to sink the shaft to a dept of 540 feet. This work was begun and progressed with until July, 1869, when the specified depth was attained, and an eight inch vein of coal was reached. These repeated failures shook all confidence in the coal enterprise and an entire abandonment of the search was threatened.
But there were a few resolute spirits, who would not let the work fail, and by their persistent labors a fifth attempt was made to find coal. This time boring from the bottom of the shaft was attempted with a diamond drill. Mr. Daddow again being entrusted with the work. The contract required him to bore 300 feet, but at a depth of 170 feet from the bottom of the shaft, or 710 feet from the surface of the ground, the present vein was reached. Shortly afterward the drill was lost.
The sixth attempt to reach coal proved the hardest task of all. No one had confidence in the enterprise; the people had been fooled too often. Everybody said there was no coal down that immense depth, and he always knew such to be the fact. But the same indomitable will that had ever urged forward this adventurous company, was still active and could not be repressed. The great trouble now, was to raise money enough to sink the shaft down to the coal, the existence of which had already been demonstrated. Capitalists would not take hold; nobody believed in the representations made. Appeal after appeal was put forth, effort after effort exhausted. Private lenders, banks, building associations, and lastly the City Council were importuned to loan money--but all with one accord failed to see it. At last when hope had almost died but, ex-Governor Thomas Carney was induced to endorse the company's note for $12,000, and the note was discounted by Messrs. Hines & Eaves, the bankers.
The expense of sinking the shaft this remaining distance was carefully estimated, and the sun furnished was found to be barely sufficient. But it was determined to make the attempt, and the work was re-commenced January, 1870. By the 22d of March the long sought treasure was reached, and a few fragments of the immense coal seam were brought to the surface to satisfy the minds of our citizens that the money and labor which had been expended in the search had not been altogether thrown away. Our readers will remember the large blocks of smooth, glossy mineral exhibited on the corner of Delaware and Second streets in the spring of '70, and the profound impression they produced. Nothing so successful as success. Everybody now said that coal was there, and he had always known it. There was no trouble after this development to raise money. The work was put into good shape, avenues driven, and all the necessary machinery supplied. By October of 1870, our citizens began to obtain their regular supply of coal from the Leavenworth mine, and the quality of the coal as the opening is extended from the shaft, is found constantly to improve. During the present winter, in consequence of the coal famine which has prevailed through the State, the mining force has been largely increased, (to 120 miners, we believe,) and the hoisting machinery has been kept running steadily day and night. Four thousand bushels per diem is the product of the mine, which large supply is consumed in the city, is used by the engines of the Kansas Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads, and is shipped to Lawrence, Atchison, and other neighboring cities. The immense value of the coal mine to Leavenworth is shown in the fact that while other cities have suffered the hardships of a coal famine this winter, and the supply of coal has been found quite inadequate to the demand, Leavenworth has had an abundant supply of the best fuel at ordinary rates, and this terrible privation has been spared them. The liberality and fairness of the Coal Mining Company are entitled to great credit for this moderation.
We may mention that this Company have resolved to make still another attempt to reach coal during the ensuing summer, there being good grounds for believing that at a further depth of seventy feet there exists a coal seam of four to five feet in thickness. The seam now being worked ranges from twenty to twenty-eight inches.

1860-70 From 1860 to 1870, the population of Leavenworth County increased from 12,606 to 32,444. In 1875 the population had decreased to 27,698. Since then the increase had been gradual but healthy. According to the last returns (made in the summer of 1882) the figures by townships and cities are: Alexandria, 1,017; Delaware, 1,597; Easton, 1,145; Fairmount, 928; High Prairie, 1,129; Kickapoo, 1,528; Leavenworth City, 18,766; Reno, 874; Sherman, 1,173; Stranger, 1,151; Tonganoxie, 1,208; Tonganoxie City, 321; Lansing 231. Total for 1882, 31,068

1861 Kansas was admitted to the United States on 29 January, 1861. It has an area of 82,144 square miles

Mar.4, 1861 ABRAHAM LINCOLN INAUGURAL: In February of 1861 the Lincolns left by train for Washington, D.C. The President-elect was now wearing a beard at the suggestion of an 11 year old girl. Lincoln was sworn in on March 4.

1861 CIVIL WAR STARTS

Nov 18,1861 A tract of 40 acres on Seven Mile Creek was purchased for $600 from Almira Budlong.

In 1861, the state of Kansas selected the area for building a state penitentiary. A tract of land was used five miles south of Leavenworth, near the community of Delaware, at the intersection of Old Military Road and Seven Mile Creek. Old Military Road connected Fort Leavenworth to Westport in Kansas City, Missouri.

Many businesses soon developed to support the railroad, prison facilities, and coal mining industry. One of the businesses was a mercantile store that provided apothecary and postal services. Dr. Lansing established a post office in one corner of his store. The town that had been growing up around the prison was called, "Town of Progress", but the name was too long to put on a postmark, so someone suggested naming the town for "Dr. Lansing". The store was established by James William Lansing from New York. Lansing whose original name was William Lansing Taylor had been captured and paroled by the South during the Civil War. He changed his name so that he could join the Kansas Volunteer Calvary as a hospital steward. At the end of the war, Lansing settled near the prison. and was employed as the prison's hospital steward and later established the mercantile store. Because of his association with the hospital he became know as "Doc Lansing" to area residents.

1862 John P. Mitchell served as the first warden of the facility.

The following list starts with John Mitchell and subsequent Wardens.

LANSING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY (Kansas State Penitentiary at Lansing)

WARDENS

1862 - 1863	John P. Mitchell	1929 - 1930	M.F. Amrine
1864 - 1866	UNKNOWN	1931 - 1932	Kirk Prather
1867	George H. Keller	1933 - 1936	Lacey M. Simpson
1868 - 1869	J.L. Philbrick	1937 - 1938	Kirk Prather
1870 - 1882	Henry Hopkins	1939 - 1942	M.F. Amrine
1883 - 1884	W.C. Jones	1943 - 1952	Robert H. Hudspeth
1885 - 1888	John H. Smith	1953 - 1955	Charles A. Edmondson
1889 - 1892	George H. Case	1956	Arthur Hoffman
1893 - 1894	S.W. Chase	1957 - 1962	Tracey A. Hand
1895 - 1896	J.B. Lynch	1963 - 1970	Sherman H. Crouse
1897 - 1898	H.S. Landis	1970 - 1973	R.J. Gaffney
1899 - 1900	J.B. Tomlinson	1974 - 1975	R.A. Atkins (Acting)
1901	Unknown	1975 - 1976	R.E. Maynard
1902 - 1904	E.B. Jewett	1976 - 1979	K.G. Oliver
1905 - 1908	W.H. Haskell	1979 - 1981	R.A. Atkins
1909 - 1912	J.K. Codding	1981 - 1982	K.G. Oliver
1913 - 1914	J.D. Botkin	1982 - 1983	Gary Rayl
1915 - 1920	J.K. Codding	1983 - 1987	Herb Maschner
1921 - 1923	M.F. Amrine	1987 - 1989	Steven J. Davies
1924 - 1925	A.V. Anderson	1989 - 1991	Raymond N. Roberts, Jr
1926 - 1928	W.H. Mackey	1991 - current	David R. McKune

1862 July 11, 1862, Pvt. John Bell of Iola was first prisoner hanged at Lansing Prison. His offense was a military prosecution.

The following is a list of all known persons hanged at the prison.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS

DATE	NAME	PLACE	LAW
*1862 - July 11	Pvt. John Bell	Iola	Military
1863 - February	Carl Horne	Leavenworth	State
*1863 - May 6	John Shirley	Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1863 - May 27	Claudous C. Frizell	Fort Scott	Military
1863 - October 30	Williams Griffith	Mound City	State
1865 - December 29	John Hundley	Lawrence	State
1866 - January 19	Ernest Wa-tee-cha	Lawrence	State
1866 - August 10	Ben Lewis	Paola	State
1867 - February 20	Martin W. Bates	Burlingame	State
1867 - November 15	Scott Holderman	Lawrence	State
1868 - September 18	Melvin E. Baughn	Seneca	State
1870 - August 9	Williams Dickson	Leavenworth	State
1887 - November 15	Lee Mosier	Wichita	Federal
1888 - November 21	Jake Tobler	Wichita	Federal
1888 - November 21	Joe Tobler	Wichita	Federal
1930 - September 5	Carl Panzran	U.S.P., Leavenworth	Federal
1938 - August 12	Robert J. Suhay	U.S.P., Leavenworth	Federal
1938 - August 12	Glen J. Applegate	U.S.P., Leavenworth	Federal
1944 - March 10	Ernest Hoefgen	Lansing (Marion County)	State
1944 - April 15	Fred L. Brady	Lansing (Cowley County)	State
1944 - April 15	Clark B. Knox	Lansing (Wyandotte County)	State
1947 - July 29	Cecil Tate	Lansing (Kingman County)	State
1947 - July 29	George F. Gumtow	Lansing (Kingman County)	State
1950 - May 6	George Miller	Lansing (Miami County)	State
1951 - April 6	Preston McBride	Lansing (Reno County)	State
1952 - January 5	James Lanmore	Lansing (Doniphan County)	State
1954 - May 21	Nathaniel Germany	Lansing (Wyandotte County)	State
1954 - July 16	Merle Williams Martin	Lansing (Johnson County)	State
*1954 - July 31	Bernard J. Obrien	Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1955 - March 1	Chastine Beverly	Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1955 - March 1	James L. Riggins	Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1955 - March 1	Louis M. Suttles	Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1957 - February 14	Winfred D. Moore	USDB Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1957 - February 14	Thomas J. Edwards	USDB Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1957 - April 3	Ernest L. Ranson	USDB Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1958 - July 23	Abraham Thomas	USDB Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1959-September 23	John E. Day	USDB Fort Leavenworth	Military
*1961 - April 13	John A. Bennett	USDB Fort Leavenworth	Military
1962- November 30	Lowell Lee Andrews	Lansing (Wyandotte County)	State
1965 - April 14	Richard Eugene Hickock	Lansing (Finney County)	State
1965 - April 14	Perry Edward Smith	Lansing (Finney County)	State
1965 - June 22	James Douglas Latham	Lansing (Russell County)	State
1965 - June 22	George Ronald York	Lansing (Russell County)	State

*Kansas State Penitentiary gallows used for the execution of military prisoners from the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

NOTE: The above list, less the executions in 1965, was prepared several years ago in the office of the Director of Penal Institutions, Topeka, Kansas. Omitted from this list, we suppose erroneously, were 16 executions by hanging carried out at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Of these, 15 were carried out at the USDB and of this number, 14 were German Prisoners of War, all of whom had been convicted of murder committed while confined in PW camps in the United States. Those executions of Prisoners of War in July and August, 1945 could not be carried out until after the German government had been notified of the sentences through the neutral Swiss government. The names of the U.S. soldiers, one executed by Fort Leavenworth authorities in 1942-43, the other at the USDB, Fort Leavenworth, in 1946-47 and the exact dates of execution are not available in this office (KSP).

NOTE: The prisoners Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smith who were executed on April 14, 1965 were the killers of the Clutter Family in western Kansas. A book was written about the crime by Truman Capote, titled "In Cold Blood"

1862 1862--The Homestead Act greatly aided in the opening of the country after the Civil War. "It gave 160 acres of federal land to any citizen or any person declaring an intent to become a citizen." All they had to do was pay a filing fee of ten dollars and then live upon and improve the given acreage for five years. The land for the Homestead Act came from the railroads. The railroads were granted with enormous acreage of federal land in Kansas plus significant land endowments from the state. The railroad also purchased huge acreage for a song from the Indians. The Homestead Act was a vigorous effort to dispose of these holdings to settlers.

1863 The legislature adopted guidelines for the operation of a state prison. Three directors were appointed to oversee the institution: William Dunlap, John Wilson and S.S. Lundum.

The directors toured the eastern states to learn about penal facilities. They visited Joliet, Illinois, where a prison was nearing completion. They found the Joliet prison to their liking and decided that it would be the model for the Kansas penitentiary.

It had been recommended that the construction be accomplished with prisoner labor.

1863 The Lincoln Administration ushered in the period of the most extravagant donation of the public lands, a phase of history which ended during Grants first term. To the prevailing method of giving tracts to the state for the benefit of railroad building within their borders, Congress added direct grants to the corporations. Kansas was the only southwestern state to participate in the war time distribution of lands. Having failed in the attempt to endow itself lavishly in the rejected Lecompton constitution. Kansas waited until 1863, when a measure purportedly written by Cyrus K. Holliday was enacted without debate. It provided for a grant to Kansas to aid in the construction of two railroads, one from Leavenworth to the Indian Territory line, the other from Atchison via Topeka to the western boundary of the state. The next year Kansas received lands to encourage the building of a railroad from Emporia to Fort Riley.

1864 In the summer of 1864 work began on the north wing of the institution, near the site of what was known as the Oklahoma Jail.

1864 Civil War affected the entire nation: The Civil War was blamed for construction delays.

1865 Carney Gave Kansas Financial Credit; Brought Prison Her

by Harry H. Seckler

It is to the shame of the pioneer residents of Leavenworth that they did not sufficiently appreciate one of its prominent citizens to name a street for him nor give him any other recognition for what he did for the city and county is using his influence in locating the state prison at Lansing.

And the state of Kansas also owes him a debt of gratitude for giving it a solid financial standing with the money powers of the east when the state sorely needed such; and he did it by risking his then immense fortune to guarantee the payment of Kansas bonds.

The citizen referred to was Tom Carney, second governor of Kansas, who in 1865-66 filled the state's highest elective office; later was mayor of Leavenworth, and one of the city's wealthiest and most progressive citizens. Born in Delaware, O.(Ohio), the eldest of four sons, yet he was of a teen age at the time of his father's death. He remained with the mother until he was 19 years old, hauling products from their little farm by ox team to Newark, 36 miles distant.

1865 END OF CIVIL WAR

1866 1866--The first Kansas orphanage, St. Vincent's Home in Leavenworth Kansas, was opened by the Sisters of Charity.

1867 George H. Keller, of Leaven wroth, became the

first warden of the Kansas state prison at Lansing, March 12, 1867.

1867 The main building was completed at the Kansas State Penetentiary..

1867 KANSAS AND MISSOURI BRIDGE.

Perhaps the most important public work now in progress in Leavenworth, is the Kansas and Missouri bridge, which is designed to afford direct communication with the east. The company who undertook the construction of this bridge was incorporated Nov. 12, 1867, and the necessary Congressional franchises obtained in September, 1868. Gen. Wright was appointed chief engineer, who immediately set to work making surveys for the location of the bridge, and preparing an estimate of the cost. These were presented to the board of directors Oct, 31st, and approved. The work of construction was awarded to L. B. Boomer &Co., of Chicago, but no commencement was made on the bridge until July, 1870. The work was prosecuted amid interruptions and delays, and by the July following the substructure and approaches were completed. The substructure consists of pneumatic piles, keyed to solid rock, with a solid masonry pier on the western river bank, and a trestle work approach on the eastern shore. The superstructure is to be built in three spans, and the first span is already laid. The iron for the two remaining spans is already prepared, and it is expected that the bridge will be ready for the passage of trains by the first of March next.

1868 Convict labor was used to construct the prison facility which was occupied in 1868. The walls were constructed of stone seven feet thick and twenty feet high, and are still in place today. Convict labor was also utilized to establish a coal mining operation which supplied coal to all correctional facilities in the state. The necessity to transport coal spurred the development of the railroad system and the area soon became a crossroad for the transportation industry. A bustling community near the prison developed and was referred locally as the "Town of Progress". Population from the communities of Leavenworth, Kickapoo, and Delaware City, as well as from Missouri were attracted to the area for employment and economic opportunities.

1872 A dining hall was finished in 1872.

1868 Previously, convicted felons were housed in various jails. With the completion of the north wing, the Kansas prison began accepting inmates. The first prisoners were transferred to the prison in July, 1868.

By 1875 There were 379 prisoners confined, 30 of who were serving federal sentences. Watching over these prisoners was a guard force of 26 men. The prison was also used to house inmates from Oklahoma until 1909.

1875 In 1875, life behind the 80 foot high stone walls at Lansing was termed a dreary monotony. Discipline at the institution was rigid, and rules regarding officials, correction officers and prisoners were strictly adhered to.

1877 A large school is pictured in a photo. It was constructed in 1877. It had Two upper floors and one at ground level (Half basement). This school was a combination grade and high school, however few students progressed to the high school level. There is some discrepancy as to the cause of the demise of the building, but two controversial stories involve destruction by fire and another demolition by tornado.

Correction officers were obliged to be on duty every day, except for one Sunday in every five, which they were given off. Prisoners were governed by what was known as the "silent system", meaning that they were not allowed to converse with each other under any circumstances. The "silent system" had been widely adopted in prisons throughout the United States at that time.

In 1878 Lansing’s founding father, William Lansing Taylor, was born on October 30, 1831, in New York. During his youth, he studied both law and medicine. He was involved in business in Missouri when the Civil War started. He joined the Seventh Missouri Infantry. Soon after, he was captured and taken prisoner. Taylor was later paroled after agreeing he would not take up arms against the South again.

He broke this contract in 1862 by enlisting as a hospital steward in the 7th Regiment of the Kansas Volunteer Cavalry under the name of James William Lansing. After the Civil War, he continued using his new name. He earned a position at the new state penitentiary in Kansas as a hospital steward.

After resigning this position, he opened a general mercantile store in the area called "Town of Progress," which held the post office and an apothecary business. As a result of the long period he spent as a hospital steward and running the drug store, he became known as "Doc Lansing"- even though he was not a doctor nor was his last name really Lansing.

James William Lansing and his friend John C. Schmidt became co-owners of ninety acres of land that was platted into town lots in 1878. The two partners donated the streets for public use and named the area "Town of Lansing." Both the area named "Town of Lansing" on the west side of the road and the "Town of Progress" on the east side became known as Lansing. Doc Lansing died in Lansing on March 20, 1886, and was buried at Mount Muncie Cemetery in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Lansing became an incorporated city in 1959. Lansing’s population is currently approximately 9,250. In 1990, Lansing had a population of 7,120. For the past forty years, Lansing’s population has increased around 2,000 residents every ten years. In 1960, Lansing was made up of 1,261 individuals. Lansing is called "The City with a Future" as a result of its rapid and constant growth.

Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) has played an active role in Lansing’s history and continues to help serve the community. LCF, formerly named the Kansas State Penitentiary, is the State’s largest and oldest facility for detention and rehabilitation of male adult felons. The Kansas Constitution authorized LCF in 1859. At the present time, LCF covers 2,538 acres. There are currently around 2,500 inmates housed in LCF. As Lansing’s largest employer, LCF has 1,009 employees.

James William Lansing (AKA William Lansing Taylor) was part owner of 90 acres of land, which was platted into town lots. He and co-owner, John C. Schmidt named the area 'Lansing.' Eventually, both 'Lansing' on the west side of the road, and 'Town of Progress" on the East Side of the road all became known as 'Lansing.'

Lansing was a Civil War veteran from New York.

In 1878, Lansing acquired ninety acres of land east of the community known as Progress, and platted it into town lots. This area was officially referred to as the town of Lansing. Eventually, the entire community known as Progress was commonly referred to as Lansing. Official incorporation of the city occurred in the late 1950's. At that time, the original names of the streets were changed to the names we see here today. Since the early beginning of Lansing, the business as well as the residential areas have grown considerably. It is today, as those early pioneers knew it would be, "The City With A Future".

1878 In 1878, James William Lansing was part owner of 90 acres of land,

which was platted into town lots. He and co-owner, John C. Schmidt

named the area 'Lansing.' Eventually, both 'Lansing' on the west

side of the road, and 'Town of Progress" on the east side of the road

all became known as 'Lansing.' The city of Lansing was not

incorporated until 1959. Since that time, the business as well as the

residential areas have grown considerably. It is today, as those early

pioneers knew it would be, 'a city with a future.'

1881 Coal was first encountered in the State Prison coal mine at Lansing Jan. 18, 1881.

1881 A history of Lansing published by the Lansing Historical Society stated "the need to keep inmates occupied caused the state to sink a coal shaft in 1881. The coal supplied not only the prison, but also all other state institutions. The need to transport that coal brought in the railroads and the area around the prison became a railway crossroads. Houses and businesses were erected to provide homes and support for both industries. The area was called the Town of Progress. Some of the churches and businesses moved into the quickly growing Progress from Delaware City."

The prison mine employed several hundred convicts and the mine produced as much as 10,000 bushels of coal a day. A summary of activity during the month of January, 1882, stated more that 59,000 bushels of coal were taken from the prison mine, for an average output of about 2,560 bushels daily. The coal was sold for eight cents a bushel. Operation of the coalmine and twine manufacturing were discontinued in 1947 due too high operating costs and low demand for the products.

In addition to coal mining and twine manufacturing, at various times state prisoners have been employed manufacturing bricks, soap, paint, furniture and license plates for Kansas's motor vehicles.

"In this unique workshop are combined broom factory, tobacco factory, walking stick factory and harness factory," officials said. "In the woodworking departments especially, the finest pieces of work are turned out by men who know not the use of modern machinery. A sharp knife, a chisel and a piece of sandpaper are the implements with which they work."

Examples of wood-carving included furniture with more than 2,000 pieces of inlaid wood, and a dainty pin cushion in the shape of a lady's slipper. The cushion was placed in the top of the wooden shoe, which was delicately carved to include even the detail of the shoe's stitches. A fine walking stick was also made in the tinker shop. It had a steel rod around which was wrapped paper or leather.

The prison broom factory was also located in the tinker shop. Prisoners manufactured a conventional sweeping broom and a fancy whiskbroom made in different colors. Sisal used in the whiskbrooms was shipped from Mexico and used in great quantities in the prison twine plant. Straw for the ordinary brooms was grown on the prison farm.

In the early part of the century, state prisoners were not permitted to smoke tobacco in any form, but officials allowed inmates to use chewing tobacco, which was obtained from Virginia and made into "plugs" in the tinker shop.

1882 In January of 1882, 59,000 bushels of coal were mined. This is an average of 2560 bushels of coal per day in that month. Coal was sold to the public for eight cents per bushel.

1884 St. Francis de Sales Church at Lansing, according to history, is one of the oldest churches in Kansas where there has been continuous service to the faithful. In its early years, Jesuit priests took care of the church. They were from St. Louis and also served some four or five other missions in the area. These Jesuits were based at the Immaculate Conception Church in Leavenworth.

A small building located on a pretentious hill over looking the Missouri River in Delaware City and dedicated to St. Francis de Sales was truly the beginning of the parish of St. Francis de Sales. This building was on the site of the Dan Meagher Farm. Beginning in 1854 the Jesuit Fathers offered Mass about once a month at the mission church in Delaware City. At this time there were only 50 or 60 souls in the small town but with the building of the Kansas State Penitentiary in 1864 more Catholics moved into the area and some lived South of Lansing. At the time Delaware City was a rival for city supremacy, but failed. As the population increased and because it was a long drive to a church in Delaware City, a movement was started to move the church to Lansing. This movement met with strong opposition by the people that had sacrificed so much to build their little church. Bishop Miege decided in favor of pro movers. As a result, some families were lost to the church. About 1884 the church was moved to a site about two miles west of the old Delaware City (105 E. Kay). Here the church continued under various pastors until Fr. T. J. Downey who was succeeded at the Fort Parish and also the Mission in the Delaware Township by Fr. John Hurley had made numerous attempts to secure a site for a church in the city of Lansing with no avail. Fr. Kinsella, who succeeded Father John Hurley at the Delaware Mission, bought the ground in Lansing on which the Catholic Church stood until 1979.

1884 The church named St. Francis de Sales was moved into Lansing, Ks.

Reliable sources state that there was a picture of the relocation of the building from Delaware Landing to Lansing. It the photo the use of horses was shown pulling the structure.

Father T.J Hurley attempted to secure a site for the church in Lansing. Father

Kinsella finally bought the ground for the Lansing site Bishop Meige decided in favor of the pro-movers and in 1884 the church building was moved to two and one

half miles west to Lansing. (105 E. Kay St.)

1885-1979 105 E. Kay Street Location

It was a simple rectangular building with plain glass windows and straight

seat and back pews. The first couple married in the newly

relocated church was Ellen Naylon and William Morgan on November 11,1885.

The first baby baptized at this new location was Blanche McCarthy,

dau. of Patrick and Mary McCarthy.

From 1908 to 1910, Frs. Weiter, Downey, &McManus worked diligently

to raise money for a new building. In 1910 under Fr. Geintz it was decided

to improve the existing building. Stained glass windows and contoured

pews were installed A coal furnace heated the church and a small coal

stove was in the sanctuary.

During Fr. Harry Imhof’s residency (1945-1960) renovation took place;

new hardwood floors & a new alter, crafted by Adolf Zinzer, parish member.

On Jan. 9, 1961, Archbishop Hunkler gave St. Francis de Sales Parish status.

A background painting of the “Sermon On The Mount” was painted by

Eugene Young, parish member.

The church remained at the 105 E. Kay location until February of 1979, At that time the building was sold to a Baptist group, & they continue to keep the painting. St. Francis de Sales Church was moved to the Corner of Ida & DeSoto Rd., a

round structure that had gained popularity in church design at that time.

This Multi-purpose building has served as liturgical & secular

activity center for the St. Francis De Sales community.

Classrooms, offices, bath, & kitchen facilities circumscribe

the perimeter of the design while the central core is reserved for

Mass and other religious activities.As of January 2001, plans are to

build a new facility. The present building will be retained as activity

center while the new structure will provide liturgical facilities for our community. This community numbers nearly 500 families.

1885 The Lansing Baptist Church was built. It later burns in 1945.

1885 November 11, 1885: The first couple to be married in St. Francis de Sales Church after it was moved from the Delaware site was

Ellen Naylon and William Morgan .

1885 Starting in 1885, inmates worked on the prison farm. In addition to raising crops the prison also had a dairy herd, poultry and hog farm. By 1961 the prison farm covered over 2,000 acres, 1570 of which were in cultivation. Penitentiary farm operations were discontinued in 1975, but later resumed on a reduced basis and presently consists primarily of cattle and hog raising.

1886 October 3, 1886: The first baby baptized in the church at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church (after it was moved from Delaware Landing) was Blanche McCarthy, daughter of Patrick and Mary McCarthy

1887 In 1887, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad freight depot was built. Later, in the late 1990's the Lansing Historical Society restored it into a museum.

1888 In 1871, John C. Sherley came to Osborne Kansas. He had been born in Lancaster County, Pa in 1845. He had served in the 20 Th Infantry of Pennsylvania during the Civil War, & later married Susannah K, Mearig. John came west to Osborne, Kansas with the Pennsylvania Colony on April 10, 1871. He sent for his wife, Susan and a daughter, Mary Ann, and a son Jacob. The couple had three more sons, William, Harry, and Albert while in Osborne. The family moved to Lansing in late 1888. Albert, the youngest, started first grade here.

1890's In the early 1890's, Thomas Rippon Young brought his family to Lansing. Thomas and his wife Margaret Jane came to America after living in the Durham County, England area. Both had worked the coal mine in Durham. The couple had had eight births while in England, however four were infant mortalities. Therefore when they came over, they brought four children, James, Katherine, Mary, and Rachel. Later, here in the states, they had Francis, Elizabeth, Susannah, and William. It is apparent that the coal mining at the KSP is what drew them to Lansing. Thomas was a hoisting engineer while at the Yale and Litchfield, Kansas mines, and served in that capacity at the Lansing Prison Mines until he retired.

1895 F.M. Gable owned and operated a dry goods and grocery store on the west side of Main Street in Lansing. The building was destroyed by a suspicious in origin fire about 3 a.m. December 11, 1895. The fire was believed to have been caused by thieves looting the store and then setting it on fire.

In 1895 Lansing was not on Leavenworth's doorstep, but several miles "down the pike", as U.S. 73 was called then, and Lansing had a reputation distinctly its own which was staunchly maintained.

John Higgons described Lansing in this way, "Lansing is situated south of Leavenworth 5 miles and within 2 miles of the Soldiers Home surrounded by beautiful scenery.

We have as good railroad advantages as any town in the state. The Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Kansas City and North Western and Missouri Pacific railroads all connect at this point. We have 3 general stores, a mill, 2 drug stores, 2 hotels, 1 restaurant, a barber shop, 2 blacksmiths and repair shops, one shoe shop, a broom factory and a livery stable. Our population is over 700 and we have here all the natural advantages to make it one of the best towns in the state".

1896 For a period of time in the spring of 1896, the state penitentiary closed its gates announcing it had temporarily stopped admitting prisoners. The situation arose from a widespread alarm over the spread of small pox in Kansas. Under the order issued by Secretary Thomas Kirkpatrick of the State Board of Health, upon the request of Warden J.B. Lynch, the penitentiary was quarantined against the admission of prisoners from counties in which small pox had been reported, including Shawnee and Wyandotte Counties. Warden Lynch said the quarantine, which had the approval of the governor's office, would be lifted as soon as all danger from small pox infection had passed.

1897 KCK, Leavenworth connected by train

(Editor's note: This is the 26th in a series of "then and now" articles on places and things of interest in Kansas City, Kan., compiled by area historian Margaret Landis in observance of the 100th birthday of KCK in 1986. Much of the information has appeared in past editions of The Kansan.)

(Transcriptions are presented without changes except to improve readability.)

An interurban electric railway -- passing "through rather hilly country presenting very picturesque and varied scenery near the Missouri River" -- operated from 1900 to 1938 from Kansas City, Kan., to Leavenworth, Kan.

Chartered cars were available for groups on trips for special celebrations, musical or athletic events or political rallies at Kansas City or Leavenworth.

At the national Soldiers Home in Wadsworth and at Shrine Park, there were band concerts and picnics. Other points of interest along the line were Fort Leavenworth, the Command and General College, the Federal Penitentiary, Kansas State Penitentiary at Lansing and St. Mary's Academy.

There were the daily commuters (job holders) who rode the trolley back and forth to work and the women shoppers from the farms and small towns going to the larger cities.

Pioneer Electric Interurban

The pioneer electric interurban railway in Kansas was chartered July 28, 1897 as the Kansas City and Leavenworth Traction Company to operate in Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties.

Four companies were consolidated to form the Kansas City to Leavenworth Interurban System: Kansas City, Leavenworth and Western, the Leavenworth Electric Railroad, the Kensington Railroad Company and the Leavenworth Traction Company.

The power house, located at Wolcott, was described as being "the finest in this part of the country." The car barn for the interurbans and the repair shops were also at Wolcott.

The interurban line from Kansas City to Leavenworth was officially opened Jan. 16, 1900. The passenger cars were 41 feet long, weighed 21 tons and were painted a fern green. The length of the line was 26.5 miles and made the trip in 60 minutes. By November 1904, the cars ran into Kansas City, Mo. The fare from KCK to K.C., Mo., was five cents.

Kansas City, Western Railway

Nov. 1, 1905, after reorganization, the interurban line became the Kansas City, Western Railway Company. Freight hauling service was added to the line. A passenger trolley was converted to a freight trolley by having a motor at each end of the car. Box cars, flat cars and other freight equipment were purchased. shipment of milk to creameries in KCK and K.C., Mo., was the principal cargo. The freight service was also used to handle other farm products and coal from Leavenworth.

Route of the Trolley

In KCK, the route of the trolley was from Welborn to 32nd and New Jersey, east on New Jersey to 18th Street, southeast to 13tha and Oakland, east on Oakland to 12th Street, south to 12th and Washington, curving southeast to 10th and Nebraska, east on Nebraska to 8th Street, south on 8th Street to State Avenue, east on State Avenue to 4th Street, then south to the depot at 4th and Minnesota Avenue.

Station Stops

There were about 40 station shops. From downtown K.C., Mo., 9th and Main to 4th and Minnesota Avenue; Chelsea Station at 25th and New Jersey, 33rd and Parallel, Quindaro, Queens Gardens, Barker, Lake Stop, Welborn, Nearman, Brenner Heights, Maloney, Vance, Washington High School, Bethel, Buchan, Marshal Creek, Loma Vista, Vinewood, Shepard, Johnson, Wolcott, Parker View, Island Creek, Maltby, Highland, Mayswood, Pope, Etterson, Hiatts, Lansing, Carr Mine, Stillings, Soldiers Home, St. Mary's Academy, Limit Street, Leavenworth Merrit, Corrall and Fort Leavenworth.

Fares

Tickets were sold at Owl Drug Store, K.C., Mo.; Depot at 4th and Minnesota, KCK; Hoozier's Grocery at 33rd and Parallel, KCK; at Welborn, Wolcott, Lansing, Soldiers Home and downtown Leavenworth. Other fares were collected by the conductor on the trolley. Passenger fares were about two cents per mile. By 1923, round trip tickets from K.C., Mo. to Leavenworth were $1.32.

Kansas City, Leavenworth and Western Railway

A second reorganization came Feb. 17, 1920 after a foreclosure suit and sale at public auction at the Wyandotte County Court House. The line was reorganized in 1920 as the Kansas City, Leavenworth and Western Railway. By the 1930s, many of the passengers who were daily commuters bought automobiles and this seriously affected the revenue of the trolley line. Competition from buses and trucks was also a problem.

Wyandotte County Lake

The struggle for survival was reported in The Kansan, March 1938. The Works Progress Administration had acquired a large tract of land in northwest Wyandotte County for the site of the Wyandotte County Lake and picnic ground.

After surveying the lake, it was discovered the interurban electric line bisected the tract from the southeast to the northeast and that the Loma Vista Shelter House Station of the company would be in the exact center of the projected body of water. Wyandotte County condemned the trolley right-of-way in that area, giving three alternatives: build a bridge over part of the lake bed; acquire a new right-of-way and detour around the lake or abandon the interurban line.

Interurban Line Abandoned

Faced with the alternatives and with a financial dilemma, the company declared bankruptcy and abandoned the entire 26.5 miles of company-owned right-of-way. After 38 years of service, the last interurban trip was March 31, 1938.

Bus Line

Following the bankruptcy proceedings, a new company was formed to be known as the Kansas City & Leavenworth Transportation Company in 1938 to operate a bus line. A fleet of 24-passenger buses was purchased and the new route from Leavenworth traveled on U.S. Highway 73 and State Highway No. 5, closely following the old trolley route. It went into service April 1, 1938.

With the increase in the number of persons owning automobiles and trucks, the demise of the bus company was inevitable. The Kansas City and Leavenworth Transportation Company took bankruptcy in 1951.

Since the mid-1950s there has been no public transportation to Leavenworth from Kansas City.

1901 Dr. Charles E. Brown, of Leavenworth appointed today as physician at Kansas State Prison, Lansing.

Warden M.F. Amrine, of the Kansas penitentiary announced the appointment today of Dr. Charles E. Brown, of Leavenworth as prison physician and Dr. H. O Mailer, of Kansas City, Kansas as prison dentist. Both are to take up their duties of their position at once.

Dr. Brown was a resident of Doniphan County before he came to Leavenworth to practice medicine in 1901. He served as county health officer for 17 years and has an extensive acquaintance in the county. He has been an active worker for the Republican Party in many campaigns.

Dr. Mailer was appointed prison dentist, during the administration of Governor Landon. He is well known in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties.

1901 Mutiny! The dread word rang down the gray corridors of the Kansas State Penitentiary on the nippy afternoon of March 17th 1901. It echoed on through the streets of the little town of Lansing outside the walls. It bellowed from the front pages of newspapers throughout the state. Mutiny!

Full three hundred and fifty-six convicts were involved in it. Three hundred and fifty-six coalmining convicts--the sturdiest and toughest cases at t he prison, most of them assigned to their hard, sunless labor in the mines because of their fierceness and incorrigibility. On the morning of March 17th they had been led to the shaft house just outside the gate, and lowered, group by group, in the cage that rose and fell in the seven hundred-foot shaft. There were two of those cages, operating on the same cable, like twin baskets in a well. They were the only means of getting into the mine. At noon the midday meal was sent down, but the gong signal to lift the empty food boilers did not follow. Mystified, Tom Young, the shaft house engineer, threw in the throttle of his hoisting engines. They tugged and strained the cable grew taut, but that was all. The car at the bottom of the shaft would not come up.

1901 March 17, 1901. Inmates Mutiny at The KSP Coal Mine.

A story in a detective magazine dated in the 1930's shows a picture of those men who went down into the mine with guns and crushed the Mutiny These are the names of those men involved with smashing the 1901 KSP- Mutiny at the Mine..

Back Row: Left to Right

William Duckett, George G Hannon, Pearl Tipton, Lewis Bowers, John W. Newell

Front Row: L to R

Henry Stauf, George W. Boner, Dave Welch

1904 The use of fingerprints began in Leavenworth State Penitentiary in Kansas, and the St. Louis Police Department. They were assisted by a Sergeant from Scotland Yard who had been on duty at the St. Louis Exposition guarding the British Display.

1906 The Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth was completed.

1909 Inmates from Oklahoma were no longer housed at Lansing.

1911 In 1911, the penitentiary announced the opening of a "tinker shop" inside the walls, where visitors were admitted to see and purchase various craft items made by inmates. Most of the items produced by inmates were sold by the state with the proceeds going into the prison fund. A broom factory was included in the "tinker shop" activities.

Brooms were made from straw grown on the prison farm. The twine plant used sisal imported from Mexico in the production of twine.

1916 The Lansing Community Club originated in 1916 as a canning club. It continues today as a social club and meets monthly at the Lansing Community Center on the 2nd Tuesday of each month with a covered dish dinner at noon. After lunch bingo is played. All members bring an item to be donated to the Emergency Center one month and to AAFV the next month. You are cordially invited to join our club. Most of our members are senior citizens but age is not a factor for membership.

1917 The Kansas Correctional Institute - Lansing (KCIL) for Women was established in 1917 and operated as a satellite unit of KSP.

1921 The state prison owned a vessel named "The Kansas" which was maintained at the prison farm which was called "the island". A. Anderson was the warden of the state prison at that time.

1921 In 1921, Albert Sherley started his job as Chief Engineer at the Kansas State Penitentiary. He was there until 1934 when the political change in administration in the state forced him to leave that job, and seek employment elsewhere. He found work at the Home Coal Company and was there until the political winds changed again and he got his old job back as Chief Engineer at KSP in 1937

1923 A 235 foot smokestack was erected at the KSP in connection with the Power Plant. Its function was to expel smoke and unburned gases. It was a prominent feature of the skyline at the KSP.

1926 A new "bridge house" was constructed at the bridge that crossed over to the prison island farm.

1930 The 1930 census lists “Hope Cottage Rescue Home” in Lansing Kansas, it was a refuge for unwed mothers to-be. (It was located north of the corner of Ida and Main Street (Hwy 7-73)

1934 January 20, 1934, Oren Kitching, 27 and Ernest Potter, 36 overpowered a guard and escaped from KSP. They went to the W.O. Malott family home northeast of Parkville Missouri. They held ten members of the family captive.

Five Kansas highway patrolmen took up the trail from the Malott home and traced the fugitives. The five highway patrolmen were: William Vernon, Larned; E.H. McDonald, Holton; Maj. Wint Smith, head of the highway patrol; Edward Wallace, Topeka (Who shot one of the men with a machine gun); and Jack Forge, El Dorado.

1935 June 18: Mine at Lansing. Eleven guards are held underground with 380 convicts. . Rioting rebels try to seize cage of weapons and ammunition. Another Mutiny at the KSP coal mines. Warden Simpson at 1:45 o'clock Tuesday afternoon sent assistant deputy warden A. J. Graham and eight guards into the prison mine via the airshaft lift to build a barricade around the airshaft arsenal now held by O. N. Johnson and three other guards. Maj. E. J. Silverthorne, state police inspector, who came here from Topeka with seven state highway patrolmen telephoned his headquarters at 2 O'clock asking for six additional men, directing them to bring submachine guns.

Rioting broke out among 380 mutinous convicts in the coalmine at Kansas State penitentiary at 12:15 Tuesday afternoon. Later, reports recieved at the office of the warden were that the striking convicts were continuing there sorties at intervals in an attempt to capture the gun cage guarded by four prison employees.

Prison officials were also convinced that Robert H. Murray, mine superintendent, wet 720 feet underground to deal with the mutineers, had been captured and was being held captive with 11 guards seized at the start of the disorders at 6:15 o'clock Tuesday morning.

1938 At the KSP, on January 21, 1938, six convicts try to climb to the top of a building, which they had successfully done. All that remained was to drop 40 feet to the ground to secure freedom. Rifle fire from a tower ended the escape plan. One convict, Cecil Thornbrogh fell mortally wounded.

1938 By this time the Kansas City-Leavenworth interurban trolley had ceased operations. One of the drivers, Tony Oberforcher, purportedly lived at fourth and Elm streets in Leavenworth and that his wife would run out and hand him his lunch as the trolley passed that intersection each day.

1939 December 7, 1939 a prison escape was foiled by prison guards. Robert M. (Red) Thomas was injured slightly by the escapees. Albert E. Sherley was captured. A wire with an icepick was put around his neck. Sherley struggled with the prisoners and convinced them to give up the escape plan.

1940 ILLNESS IS FATAL TO DR. C. E. BROWN, AGE 62

Lansing Prison Surgeon Dies After Operation At Cushing Hospital.

World War Officer. He Served Overseas as a Medical Corps Captain-- Funeral Tomorrow.

____________________________________________________________

Dr. Charles E. brown, 62, 927 South Broadway, a prominent Leavenworth physician and prison surgeon at Kansas state prison, Lansing, died last night at 7:35o’clock at Cushing Memorial hospital, after an illness of several days.

He had been in critical condition since undergoing a major operation Thursday night.

Dr. Brown was born in Highland Kansas, December 15, 1877. He attended Kansas University and the University of Minnesota Medical School where he graduated in 1904.

While a student at the University of Kansas, he was a star football player and was a letterman there for two years.

Dr. Brown came to Leavenworth in 1906 and began his practice with the late Dr. S. B. Langworthy. He married Miss Minnie Helmers in

Leavenworth, June 17, 1908 and his death yesterday was on his thirty-second wedding anniversary.

AT WORLD WAR FRONT

Dr. Brown was a World War veteran. He volunteered for the army the day after the declaration of war and served overseas for 18 months. He served as a Captain in the Medical Corps with the aviation section at the front. At the time of his death, he held the rank of a major in the Organized Reserves.

He was a member of the staff at Cushing Hospital and worked energetically in the campaign for the construction of the new Cushing Memorial Hospital. He was a member of the Leavenworth County Medical Association.

Dr. Brown was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the Masonic Lodge, Abdallah Shrine, the High-12 club, and the Bryan H. Mehl post of the American Legion.

His hobbies were hunting, fishing, and the study of plant life.

He is survived by his widow Mrs. Minnie Brown of the home address, four daughters Dr. Caroline Brown Saunders of Kansas City, Pauline Brown, Louise Brown and Joy Brown all of the home address: and one brother, George Brown of Valley Falls, Kansas.

THE SERVICES WEDNESDAY

Funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock at the Sexton Funeral Chapel. The Rev. A. Frank Johnson, Jr. pastor of the First Presbyterian Church will officiate. Interment will be at Mount Muncie Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be J. G. Boling, J.J. Parker, Audrey Purcell, James B. Kelsey, John M. Feller, and Ed Schaaf. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. C.K. Vaughn, Dr. H.C. Stacey, J.V., Kelly, Dr. R.H. Moore, Dr. Paul R. Webster, Dr. R.S. McKee, Dr. W.L. Pratt, A.J. Searcy,

Dr. A.F. Yohe, Dr. David Watkins, Dr. C.D. Watkins, Sergeant Otto Boman, Charles H. Burnett, Anthony A. Bielicki,

Dr. F. B. Henderson, all of Leavenworth;

Dr. John Outland, and Dr. D. Montgomery, both of Kansas City, Missouri, and Claude C. Bradney of Columbus, Kansas.

1940 The division walls of the old water reservoir had deteriorated to the point that they gave way and collapsed.

1941 May 27, 1941 "thirty foot underground, five convicts crawl to freedom in the dark"

1943 Donald L. Graham, son of Mrs. Bertha Graham gets commission in the Army. He enlisted on January 26, 1942.

1943 A new water reservoir was under construction.

1944 March 10: Ernest Hoefgen, "TO DEATH WITHOUT EMOTION".

1944 March 22, 1944: 2nd Lt. Charles Yunghans dies in the crash of an Army plane in Karachi, India.

1945 January 21, 1945: Marine PFC. Benny L. Lohman was able to notify his parents Mr. And Mrs Lee Lohman, that he was well. Ben was stationed in Shanghai in Dec of 1941 and later to Manila. He was captured by the Japanese when Corregidor fell. He was a POW for over three years.

1945 February 1945: Sgt. Wayne D. Powell receives the Purple Heart. He is the son of Mr. And Mrs. R.O. Powell. It was awarded for injuries sustained in the battle of Luzon. He was also at Guadalcanal and New Britain.

1945 March 22, 1945: The Lansing Baptist Church was destroyed:

The structure had been built in 1885. A grass fire got out of control and burned the Baptist Church of Lansing. This brought the realization of the extreme need for a fire department in the town of Lansing.

1946 The KSP prison farm produced 19,500 bushels of corn. This brought the sum of $ 164,423 dollars to the prison. The warden was Robert Hudspeth and the farm superintendent was Mr. Bieri.

1947 June 28, 1947: Leavenworth Times headlines reads

Discover escape tunnel in State Penitentiary. Prisoners had dug a 60-foot long tunnel from the Power House and were within a few feet of the wall. They were discovered when the sewage pipe they used to dispose of the dirt and rock clogged and led to their apprehension.

1947 June 23: Floods on the Missouri river affect the water supplies at the KSP as the waters overtake the wells on the Prison Island.

1947 June 28: KSP: DISCOVER ESCAPE TUNNEL IN STATE PENITENTIARY.: Plans for a mass break on July 4th thwarted by clogged sewer line; Two men caught in pit within few feet of the wall.

Last night, Hudspeth, Deputy warden Charles Edmondson, and Chief Engineer Albert Sherley, went to the power house and discovered the Tunnel.

1947 August 24, 1947: The mining of coal and the production of twine were both discontinued at this time due to low demand for products. Governor Frank Carlson ordered the 68 year old mine to cease operations and Warden Hudspeth complied. New activities for the prisoners were License Plate Making, reopeinig the brick making plant and the development of a quarry. The prison population was under 1,000 at this time.

1948 Mr. Earl W. Johnsmeyer came to Lansing High School. He had been coaching at Winchester Kansas previously. This event was noteworthy in that Lansing basketball teams were unbeaten in his first two years until competition in the State tournament. The 1950 team played in the Championship game that year.

1949 Coach Earl W. Johnsmeyer took the Lansing Lions basketball team to the Kansas State Class B basketball tournament. It was the second time, Mr. Johnsmeyer had taken a team to the State Tourney. The first team was the 1939 Glendale Kansas team. The 48-49 Lions had a record of 25-0. This season record included 1,780 points scored by Lansing (70.4 average), to opponents 727 points (29.1 average).

1949 With the basketball team's success, Rex and Jack Stewart, along with Tony Coons and Gene Young began recording the games for rebroadcast on the local radio station, KCLO. These broadcasts continued from 49-51 with the support of local merchants.

1950 Coach Johnsmeyers Lansing Lions win 29 straight games, with only one loss, that being to Downs High School in the 1950 State Championship Game.

1951 After losing four of the starting five of the 1950 Lions basketball team, Coach Johnsmeyer's 1951 lions win 23 games in a row before losing in the Regionals.

1953 KSP: The tag plant operated by W. R. McCormick, Superintendent, starts producing special license plates. The new plates are for Ham Operators. The state approved these plates for the "special assistance amateur operators provided during the floods of 1951.

1954 Six inmates try to escape from KSP. They hold a visitor and a guard, Henry Kenega hostage. They killed Mr. Kenega.

1959 Perry Edward Smith and Richard Hickock murdered the

Herb Clutter Family in western Kansas.

Smith and Hickock broke into the Clutter home near Holcombe on the night of November 14, 1959. They believed the Clutters kept large sums of money in a safe in their home. Unable to find the safe, they awoke Mr. Clutter who gave them all the money he had--less than $50 in cash.

The pair next woke the rest of the Clutter family and again searched the house, family. Both parents and their two teenage children were shot in the head, and Mr. Clutter also was stabbed and his throat slashed.

There was never a question of guilt as the evidence against Smith and Hickock was overwhelming and both confessed to the crime. They were convicted and sentenced to death on March 29, 1960.

They mounted the gallows at the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing on April 14, 1965

1959 The community of Lansing was incorporated as an official city of Kansas in 1959, but early development of the community can be traced to the 1860's when the United States experienced significant westward expansion. Prior to the westward expansion of our country, Indians roamed the Lansing area for hundreds of years. Adventurers, gold seekers, and a few settlers entered into this area that was called "The Great American Desert". With the signing of the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854, the area became open for settlement. Delaware City, Leavenworth City, and Kickapoo City emerged rapidly during the early settlement phase of this area. Each town fought to become the county seat and this continued for a period of time until finally the county seat was designated Leavenworth City.

The development of Lansing was influenced primarily by establishment in 1827 of Fort Leavenworth and subsequent settlement of the City of Leavenworth to the north. The army post was originally constructed to protect travelers on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, and continued to play a key role in the United States westward expansion with the opening of the Kansas and Nebraska Territories. In 1861, the state of Kansas selected the area for building a state penitentiary. A tract of land was used five miles south of Leavenworth, near the community of Delaware, at the intersection of Old Military Road and Seven Mile Creek. Old Military Road connected Fort Leavenworth to Westport in Kansas City, Missouri. Convict labor was used to construct the prison facility which was occupied in 1868. The walls were constructed of stone seven feet thick and twenty feet high, and are still in place today. Convict labor was also utilized to establish a coal mining operation which supplied coal to all correctional facilities in the state. The necessity to transport coal spurred the development of the railroad system and the area soon became a crossroad for the transportation industry. A bustling community near the prison developed and was referred locally as the "Town of Progress". Population from the communities of Leavenworth, Kickapoo, and Delaware City, as well as from Missouri were attracted to the area for employment and economic opportunities.

1961 On Jan. 9, 1961, Archbishop Hunkler

gave St. Francis de Sales Parish status. Prior to that date the church was a mission.

1961 By now the prison at Lansing covered in excess of 2000 acres.

1968 Kansas State Penetentiary: 235 foot smokestack was crumbling and it was determined by Warden Sherman Crouse that it was unsafe and had to come down. It had been built in 1923. It had not been used for over two years.

1968??? Highway construction changed the face of the small town of Lansing.

The business' district was removed from the East side of downtown Lansing to make way for the new fourlane highway. This caused the removal of several businesses, namely; the Campbell Grocery store building which also housed the town telephone exchange; the Drug Store; the restaurant, the barber shop; Dr. Robert H. Moore's office; the service station at Kay Street; Krohnie's service station; and the GreenHaven restaurant. In addition to these businesses, many houses were also removed.

1975 The prison discontinued the use of the prison farm. Later, a small part of the farm activities were reinstituted.

1978 Lansing charters it's Kiwanis Club of Lansing, Kansas

The inaugural President was John Everett Wendel.

Basehor Kiwanis Club sponsored the new Lansing Club.

December 3, 1978 was the inauguration date.

Key number is #09357.

1979 1979-Present: St. Francis De Sales Church was located at

Ida & De Soto Road. It is basically a round structure housing both

Areas for services and civic social meetings, as well as classrooms.

It was designed after the round church at Shawnee Kansas.

1980 In 1980, the facility penetentiary became co-correctional.

1984 In 1983, the name of Kansas State Penetentiary was changed to Kansas Correctional Institution at Lansing.

1985 In 1985, a medium security unit was constructed and began operating adjacent to the original wall of the maximum security compound. This complex is designated as the Lansing Correctional Facility - Central Unit.

1987 The Osawatomie Correctional Facility was established in September, 1987 as an 80 bed minimum security facility on the grounds of the Osawatomie State Hospital. A single building which had been vacated by the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services was converted for the used by the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) to provide for community service work programs for state and local government agencies and as a parole pre-revocation program.

1988 In 1988, the minimum and medium custody female inmates of LCF were transferred to the Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF). The maximum custody females were transferred in April, 1995 to TCF.

The facility is currently designated as Lansing Correctional Facility - East Unit and is a minimum custody facility for male felons

1990 In May 1990, the administration of Kansas State Penitentiary and the Kansas Correctional Institution at Lansing were consolidated to form the Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF), which is the State's largest facility for detention and rehabilitation of male adult felony offenders. The following June, the Osawatomie Correctional Facility was consolidated administratively with the Lansing Correctional Facility.

1990 Lansing, KS (county subdivision)
Population (1990): 7120
Location: 39.24822 N, 94.88746 W
Zip Code(s): 66043

1991 Accreditation was awarded to LCF in 1991 by the American Correctional Association.

1992 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Council: #10834 St. Francis De Sales Lansing, Kansas

Council History

Our council was formed by 30 members of the Lansing Saint Francis De Sales church on March 22, 1992.

First recorded meeting was on May 20, 1992

1993 In May 1993, LCF became the oldest adult correctional facility to receive 100% in an American Correctional Association accreditation audit.

1996 LCF duplicated a perfect score of 100% in an American Correctional Association accreditation audit in May 1996.

1997 May 27, 1997 Taken from the Leavenworth Times

Jack W. Lohman, Leavenworth, died Wednesday, May 28 1997, at the Providence Medical Center, KC, Kansas. He was 89. He was born in Leavenworth County on June 16, 1907, the son of Henry John and Flora Athey Lohman. Mr. Lohman worked at Campbell's Grocery in Lansing from 1923 to 19466. He also owned grocery stores in Leavenworth in the early 1950's. He had worked at the Leavenworth National Bank from 1955 until retirement in 1972.

Presently

Statistics & Facts

The population of Lansing is approximately 7,120.
The approximate number of families is 2,012.

The amount of land area in Lansing is 22.07 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0.306 sq kilometers.
The distance from Lansing to Washington DC is 1014 miles. The distance to the Kansas state capital is 47 miles. (as the crow flies)
Lansing is positioned 39.24 degrees north of the equator and 94.88 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Lansing elevation is 794 feet above sea level.

______________________________________________________________________________________

City Hall address and phone:

City of Lansing

800 1^st Terrace, Lansing, Kansas 66043

913.727.3233 Fax: 913.727.1538

Lansing’s strategic location makes it accessible via land, air, and water. Main Street (US-73/K-7) runs directly through the City of Lansing. This is Kansas’ most North/South traveled highway, in which 31,000 cars drive down this main street daily.

A Northeast Kansas community, Lansing is located in the east central portion of Leavenworth County, northwest of the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Lansing is located minutes away from three main highways. The city is located 11 miles from I-70, and only 12 miles from I-29 and K-92. Lansing is conveniently located only 25 minutes from Kansas City International Airport.

Only minutes from Lansing, Kansas City offers Lansing residents the opportunity to experience big-city culture. Lansing has a progressive small-town atmosphere with metropolitan exposure. Many people who work in Kansas City choose to live in Lansing to take advantage of this small-town ambiance

This information taken from History of Lansing on internet:

The community of Lansing was incorporated as an official city of Kansas in 1959, but early development of the community can be traced to the 1860's when the United States experienced significant westward expansion. Prior to the westward expansion of our country, Indians roamed the Lansing area for hundreds of years. Adventurers, gold seekers, and a few settlers entered into this area that was called "The Great American Desert". With the signing of the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854, the area became open for settlement. Delaware City, Leavenworth City, and Kickapoo City emerged rapidly during the early settlement phase of this area. Each town fought to become the county seat and this continued for a period of time until finally the county seat was designated Leavenworth City.

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Note: In trying to find information on William Lansing
Taylor: Found this entry from New York,(Where WL Taylor was from). Of interest is the fact that this man's middle name also is Lansing.

ID: I53723 Name: George Lansing Taylor Sex: M Title: Rev. Birth: 13 FEB 1835 in Skaneateles, Onondaga Co., New York, US Death: 26 JUL 1903 in Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, US

Marriage 1 Eliza Minerva French b: 24 JAN 1834 in Gambier, Knox Co., Ohio, US

· Married: 3 OCT 1861 in New York, New York, US

Children

1. George Lansing Taylor b: 26 JUL 1864 in Seymore, New Haven, Conneticut, US

2. Theodora May Taylor b: 10 NOV 1864

3. John Mansfield Taylor b: 22 DEC 1866 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York, US

4. Austiana Eliza Taylor b: 15 MAR 1869 in Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, US

5. Georgianna Curry Taylor b: 3 DEC 1870 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York, US

6. Edward Thompson Taylor b: 26 JUL 1872 in Hempstead, Nassau, New York, US

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This entry found by Sue Rush on Ancestry.com:

Lansing James W. H 162 N. Y. Infantry. Private Private Union