California / Bell Town / Lane
Center / Gould City
Founded as a post office on May 9,
1879, California was also called Bell Town after Edwin J. Bell,
the founder. It was his claim that became the site for the new
town. Residents also called it Lane Center when it was a good
option for the county seat. By March 1880, California had a couple
of general stores, a livery barn, and the California House.
The town site was surveyed in April
1880, and Captain P. W. Hey gave it a new name, Gould City. The
post office remained with the name of California. Because of the
lack of business in town due to the low profits, if any, of the
surrounding farmers, the two general stores had closed by March
1882. Mr. Bell sold his claim which included the platted land.
This pretty much decided the fate of the town which lasted all
of three years.
The ethnicity of its settlers is unknown.
Sources
"A Historical Record of
Lane County, Founded June 3, 1886." Dighton, KS: Lane County
Historical Society, 1961.
Stanley, Ellen May. "Early
Lane County History: 12,000 B.C.-A.D. 1884". Newton, KS:
Mennonite Press, 1993.
Stanley, Ellen May. "Early
Lane County Development". Newton, KS: Mennonite Press, 1999.
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