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Homesteading in Harper County

Attica

In June 1884, the Arkansas Valley Town Company purchased the land on which the town site of Attica now stands. The land had been part of the "Osage Trust Land" which allowed settlers to pre-empt it , and the money went to the Indians.

The town site was platted on July 9, 1884, but there is record of a survey being done in July 1885, so the date of platting the town has been questioned.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built their tracks to Attica in 1884 or 1885, and the town began growing. By February 1885, there were 1500 residents. It also became the terminus of the railroad, and many new businesses were built, as well.

However, when the Cherokee Strip was opened, the town decline rapidly after most of its buildings were moved. People who stayed in Attica managed through some rough times and soon the town began to grow and prosper once again.

The ethnicity of its settlers is unknown.

Sources

Sanders, Gwendoline and Paul. "The Harper County Story". North Newton, Kansas: The Mennonite Press, 1968.