Cain City | Ellsworth
| Holyrood | Lorraine
| Wilson | Essick
Piece on Ellsworth County
Homesteading in Ellsworth County
Ellsworth
The new town site was laid out on the
western edge of Fort Harker in 1867. It was on the north bank
of the Smoky Hill River. The plat was filed on May 8, 1867, in
Saline County, to which Ellsworth County was attached for judicial
purposes. The railroad was going to build to Ellsworth, so many
people moved to the area in the spring of 1867. Several
businesses were built, as were some houses, and the population
has been estimated to be around 1,000.
The Smoky Hill overflowed its banks
on June 13 & 14, causing a flood with four feet of standing
water on the town's main street. The houses and businesses were
destroyed, but that did not deter the townspeople. They moved
the town site two miles to the northwest. Lots were laid out early
in July just as the rails were being laid. The railroad sent its
first cars thorough the town site on July 5, and the post office
was established on July 17.
Ellsworth also dealt with a cholera
epidemic that same year. One of its first victims was the wife
of Dr. George Sternberg.
Along the rail lines as they were being
built, tent cities popped up, shut down and moved on down the
line. Many of the occupants were not of the respectable kind;
some were gamblers, others were there to cause trouble. One such
city was set up in Ellsworth, and eventually in Hays City, Coyote,
SHeridan and Kit Carson.
Ellsworth became incorporated in 1868
and citizens in the surrounding area were dealing with Indian
attacks which eventually ended in 1869, and the citizens of Ellsworth
were also dealing with frontier violence. The availability of
the railroad was the impetus in Ellsworth becoming a cow town
in 1871. The cattle trade moved to Ellsworth at this time, and
with it came saloons and brothels and gambling joints along with
the characters who populated these "businesses". By
1874, there was a new market for the cattle - Wichita - which
saved a week's time in getting the cattle to the railroad. Both
the Kansas Pacific Railroad and the citizens of Ellsworth did
not want to lose the cattle trade, but by 1875, Ellsworth was
no longer an important cattle market. The citizens then turned
to agriculture and began advertising the county as a prime area
for setting up homesteads. Soon settlers were moving to Ellsworth
County and founded other towns in the county.
Sources
"A History of Ellsworth
County, Kansas". Compiled by Francis L. Wilson. Ellsworth,
KS: Ellsworth County Historical Society, 1982.
Choitz, John F. "A History
of Ellsworth County: 1854-1885." Masters Thesis, Fort Hays
Kansas State College. 1967
