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Homesteading in Ellsworth County

A Short History of Ellsworth County by Inez L. Wyman Essick

Chapter 2

Another place of historical interest in Ellsworth County is the town of Ellsworth, which was plated in 1867.

In 1864, Mr. Arthur Larkin opened a general store on the prairie about a mile and a half east of the present town of Ellsworth. Shortly after, Mr. Perry Hodgdon and Mrs. Hodgdon built a house near Mr. and Mrs. Larkin.

In the spring of 1867, the buildings of the little settlement were washed away by a flood and the inhabitants moved about two miles west to higher ground where they started the present town of Ellsworth, which was plated soon after. In July, the first train on the Kansas Pacific reached the town and the post office was started. The only business house was Mr. Larkin’s general store which continued through the years to be the largest mercantile institution of the town until it was sold in 1907 to the Paul, White and Sparr firm.

The first newspaper was started in April of 1868 by P. H. Hubbell and existed for six months. In 1871, the Ellsworth Reporter was founded by Mr. John Montgomery, later of Junction City. Other editors have been Mr. G. A. Atwood in ’76, Major Henry Inman in ’78, Mr. Charles Lyon in ’79 and later it was owned and edited by Messrs. W. A. Gebhardt and George Huycke the latter of whom edited it in 1911.

About 1871 a Masonic Lodge was started in Ellsworth, which has continued to increase in membership until in 1911 it is said to be the largest and best organization in the town and county.

In 1872, a lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows was established in Ellsworth. Among the charter members were J. W. Powers, Samuel Pepper, George Parkhurst and D. B. Long. Their lodge room was above the drug store of Dr. E. G. Murrick and 1875. In January of 1911, they dedicated their new hall on Douglas Avenue, between First and Second Street, which building was erected under a ninety-nine year lease, and made a property room, a reception room, a dining room and a kitchen. On the north side of the lodge room is a spacious gallery with a seating capacity for one hundred and fifty people. Among those who took part in the dedication exercises were Messrs R. B. Krebs, D. H. Fraker, H. Work, Robert McIver, G. A. Hurst, D. L. Krebs, Harry Grubb, F. E. Holt, Chester Chafmon, W. C. Eldred, F. B. Gorduer and John I. Sanders.

The year of 1872 was marked by the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which first held services in this year under the leadership of the Reverend John ____, who was succeeded in ’73 by Rev. H. C. Graham. Later pastors were A. Burr 1874; O. N. Manson, 1881; W. A. Saville, 1883 during whose pastorate a pretty church building was erected; G. W. Grabe, 1883; J. A. Bull 1887; A. D. Bickhart, 1892; J. R. Bull, 1894; Rev. Beatty, 1895; G. H. Woodward, 1897; and others have been E. E. _____, 1905; J. W. Bates, 1909 during whose pastorate a commodious parsonage was erected and the church remodeled into a very fine edifice; J. D. Borton, 1910; and C. R. Wade, 1911.

The year of 1873 was distinguished by the organization in January of the First Presbyterian church under the ministry of the Reverend Levi Sternberg, D. D. who was assisted by the Reverend Timothy Hill, D. D. synodical missionary. The church edifice was erected in the autumn and winter of 1878 and ’79 and was dedicated in March of the latter year, Dr. Hill again coming to the aid of Dr. Sternberg and preaching the dedication service; since that time, the church has been served by Rev. Caruthers, Rev. Leyda and Rev. Crawford. In 1885 during Rev. Leyda’s pastorate, some improvements were made in the building and a good bell was procured. After Rev. J. W. Crawford’s pastorate, which was concluded in 1892, Dr. Sternberg in his eightieth year supplied the pulpit until it was filled in 1895 by Rev. W. R. Seaver as regular pastor. Rev. Seaver was succeeded in 1897 by Rev. J. R. Tercy who combined a good education with the most polished talent for public speaking, which with his many other good qualities, made it a privilege for the people of Ellsworth town and of Ellsworth County to hear him preach and to be acquainted with him. In 1905, he was succeeded by Rev. A. J. Allen who, in turn, was succeeded in 1910 by Rev. J. C. Wingerd, D. D. and in 1911 by Rev. Kircher, D. D.

Prior to this year of 1873, the Catholics had held occasional services in the stone school house. Although the only Catholic families in Ellsworth, in 1873, were the Larkin and Hersig families, the church building was erected during this year, the second church building in town, the other being the Episcopal Church building which was burned in 1874. The pastors who have been in charge of the Ellsworth parish from 1873 to 1911 were as follows: Father Fogarty, Father Nuttman, Father Filling, Father Lager, Father O’Couer, Father Kelly, Father Brockard, Father Carius, Father Maujay (sp?), Father Von Holt, Father McNamara, Father Sauture, Father Callorau and Father Lucky. In October of 1909, the corner stone of the new Saint Bernard’s church was laid and one year later, the completed building was dedicated. It is of red pressed brick trimmed with white stone. The spire is seventy five feet high and surmounted (?) by a gilded cross. One of the windows is a memorial of a departed member, Mr. Arthur W. Larkin.

The year of 1874 notable for its drouth, grasshoppers and prairie fires, was not a prosperous one for Ellsworth while 1875 is marked by a fire which almost completely destroyed the business street of Ellsworth. It was rebuilt by Messrs. H. Memamakr, George Seitz, D. B. Long, A. Larkin, J. L. Bell, J. W. Powers, E. G. Munck, Perry Hodgdon and others; and the new street became what is now Douglas Avenue.

In this year the prosperity and development of Ellsworth was started by Mr. Ira E. Lloyd who as county attorney succeeded in enforcing the herd law.

In the winter of 1876 another newspaper, the Ellsworth Advertiser was commenced by B. R. Wilson and E. F. Campbell and the publication continued for two months.

The year of 1878 was one of prosperity for Ellsworth in that two of the men who have permanently connected with the commercial interests of the town came in this year. They were T. M. Work and Jacob Pressnly.

In March of 1879, the government census gave Ellsworth a population of 1,040 and indeed, it was a growing town. It contained three churches, a graded school, a brick court house, several blocks of business buildings, a bank, Masonic and Odd Fellows hall, a city hall, a two-story brick hotel, known as the Grand Central, two four-story flouring mills, owned respectively by Mr. A. Larkin and by Mr. H. Rammelsberg, three steam grain elevators, and two weekly newspapers, the Ellsworth Reporter and the Ellsworth Times. Good railroad land could be bought within a reasonable distance of town and the patronage of the farmers was considerably increased by the iron bridge built across the Smoky Hill about this time. There was magnesian lime store and sand store for building purposes near the town while wood for fuel could be found along the numerous ______ _____ in the northwest corner of the county, a vein of coal was mined and sold from the mine at three dollars a ton.

Among the new residents this year was Mr. L. H. Seaver who came as principal of schools, who has lived in Ellsworth during the years since, and always _______ the esteem of his fellow citizens, has held many public offices and has a very high financial rank among the citizens of the county.

In 1880, a flouring mill was erected by Messrs John Getty and A. Larkin. It was only 50 feet and cost $20,000. This business firm continued until after Mr. Getty’s death in 188? When the company was reorganized with increased capital and became known as “The Larkins Milling Company”. After this destruction of the Ellsworth City Roller Mills, the Larkin Milling Company was without rivals in the flouring business of Ellsworth. New machinery and improvements were added until in 1893, the capacity had been increased to 225 barrels per day and orders were constantly receive from distant ____ for their brands of flour which were: Excelsior, Twilight Patent, Good Luck Straight Baker and Every Day. About ten years later the mill was sold to Mr. H. Work and became part of the equipment of the Ellsworth Mill and Elevator Company.
During 1880, an organization of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was begun in Ellsworth and continued to be active until about 1898.

The year of 1881 was marked by two improvements, the _______ of the _________ law and the addition of one year to the Ellsworth High School course making a three year high school. The two year high school course reached Ellsworth in the seventies. In 1879, Mr. L. H. Seaver was principal and in 1880, Mr. Goodwin was principal and Miss Theo A. Wyman of Kalamazoo, Michigan was assistant principal.

In 1881, Mr. C. J. Pickett became principal and Mrs. Theo A. Essick continued to be assistant principal. The members of the board were J. W. Powers, J. H. Clark and S. Atwood. The studies taken in the last year were geometry, zoology, natural philosophy, English literature, astronomy and chemistry. Among the residents of Ellsworth in 1911 who were students in Ellsworth High School in 1881 are Mr. Charles Larkin, Mr. H. Work, Mr. W. R. Hill, Miss Blanche Spicer, Mrs. Louis Hain, Dr. Claude Day, Miss E____ Hergig.

The first commencement was in 1882 when Miss Georgia Long, later Mrs. J. R. McLaurin of Ellsworth and Miss Ada Deau, later Mrs. Yoxall of Russell, formed the entire class. Among the superintendents of Ellsworth schools have been Messrs. C. J. Pickett, E. T. Fairchild, R. F. Malaby, H. S. Myers and O. J. Silverwood. About 1900 a new school building was erected and in 1904, the fourth year was added to the course making the school accredited to the University of Kansas.

By 1883, Ellsworth had grown remarkably. In February of that year, seven attorneys were residing in the town and were present at the session of the district court over which Judge Prescott presided. The list included the firm of Messrs Lloyd and Evans, and Messrs L. H. Seaver, Theo Sternberg, R. W. Carter, R. R. Lyons, S. Atwood and E. F. Clark.

Prior to this year Ellsworth had been without shade trees except a few in some of the yards about town. In the spring of 1883, Mayor J. H. Clark and his council composed of Messrs H. Nummaker, Sr., A. Flaudeis, H. Rammelsberg, J. L. Bell and J. A. Wiggin determined to get trees started on the streets of the town. They were roundly criticized by many who said that it was a waste of city money to try to grow trees. Mayor Clark, however, believed that they could be grown with proper attention and care, and he succeeded in convincing the council that the idea was worth trying. The matter was talked over both in and out of the council room for some weeks and then final votes were taken.

From the city record of proceedings of that year, the following is under the date of March 15, 1883.
“The first business taken up was the consideration of the planting of trees in the city. The matter was fully discussed, and C. L. Myers being present made the following proposition – ‘To furnish trees from 500 to 2,000 of the following varieties: cottonwood, box elder, catalpa, elm, poplar, one and one half inch stem, 6 to 8 feet height at the following prices and date of payment:
When set out, each----------------------------------30 cents
July 1, 1883 “-------------------------------------12½ cents
July 1, 1884 “-------------------------------------12½ cents
July 1, 1885 “-------------------------------------12½ cents
July 1, 1886 “-------------------------------------12½ cents
Total-------------------------------------80 cents
Deduction to be made at each payment for all dead trees, that is, dead from borers, drouth or from any neglect on my part. The city to box said trees and protect them from stock.
C. L. Myers

On motion of Alden Flanders, seconded by J. A. Wiggin, Mayor J. H. Clark was authorized to contract with C. L. Myers to furnish from 500 to 2,000 trees at the above prices and trees.

At the meeting of March 19, 1885, C. L. Myers was directed to order at once 500 trees, each of the following varieties: white elm, box elder, catalpa and cottonwood. The journal of the city council meeting on March 24, 1883 gives a copy of the contract made with C. L. Myers by the city. He was to furnish 2000 trees of such varieties as the committee might select. Mr. Myers gave a bond of $600 for the faithful carrying out of this agreement. The bond was signed by Z. Jackson, A. W. Talksdorff, W. A. Gebhardt, A. R. Hepperly, Andrew Schmidt and John Powers.

The minutes of this meeting show that Mr. Myers was to be paid in city script bearing interest at the rate of seven per cent. So, Ellsworth became a city of trees in the midst of the prairie.

At a meeting of the same city council in November, steps were taken toward protection of the city from fire. Messrs Nunamaker, Wiggin and Bell were appointed as a committee to ascertain the cost of a fire engine and the building of cisterns and to report at the next meeting.

At a meeting of the citizens of Ellsworth in October, after the elections of a chairman and secretary, a committee of citizens was appointed to confer with committees at McPherson and at other places relative to the extension of the Wichita, Fort Scott and St. Louis railroad to Ellsworth and the northwest. Another committee was appointed to confer with committees at Lincoln Center relative to the extension of the B and M railroad from Clayton through the counties of Republic, Cloud, Ottawa, Lincoln and Ellsworth to Great Bend.

The county officers elected in November of ’83 were J. H. Clark, county treasurer, Sam Hamilton, Sheriff, N. H. McCoy, county clerk; G. E. Alden, register of deeds; F. N. Rossiter, county surveyor; W. F. Sehavec, commissioner of third district; E. R. Lang, coroner; and A. R. Hepperly, clerk of court. A county poor house was built this year.

New business enterprises in 1883 were a brick yard, a broom factory started by S. D. Rossing; a grocery store owned by Hodgdon and Lang; and a large green house built and owned by Mr. William Macaulay. Among the professional men who came during this year was Dr. G. Cook from Ottumwa, Iowa who practiced medicine in Ellsworth until his death in 1911.

As the prosperity of Ellsworth was dependent upon the prosperity of the surrounding farms, it is interesting to note that almost twenty nine thousand acres of railroad land were sold in Ellsworth County from January 1, to September 18, 1883. Wheat sold for seventy eight cents a bushel in February of that year, while in August corn could be contracted for at twenty cents a bushel. Other crops were sorghum, broom corn, sugar cane and rye of which latter crop 600,000 bushels were raised.

In 1884, the city officers of Ellsworth were C. D. Day, mayor; H. Rammelsberg, W. F. Tompkins, W. E. Sheriff, A. W. Talkendorff, W. Q. Smith, councilmen; and T. J. Noble, police judge.

Among the additions to the commercial personnel were Mr. J. W. Work who purchased a half interest in the Ellsworth News; Jonathan Banks of Liverpool, England, who purchased the Grand Central Hotel from Mr. A. Larkin; the grocery firm of Sternberg and Rockwell succeeded the I. W. Phelps store; Harris and Pickett bought the grocery store owned by J. Pressney; a marble and granite works owned by J. J. Wilhaus; and G. E. Gragg a veterinary surgeon.

The wheat industry had developed so that there were one hundred thousand acres of growing wheat in the county.

The Baptist church was organized this year with fourteen members, and worshipped in the courthouse. In 1886, the pastor Reverend Conley led them to the erection of the present church building, but on account of ill health was compelled to leave when the work was fairly begun. He was succeeded by Reverend M. P. Hunt who completed the building – a substantial frame structure capable of seating three hundred and fifty people, light with electric lights, and whose baptistery is connected with the city water works. In 1891, Reverend C. H. Murray took charge during whose pastorate there were one hundred and five additional members. He was succeeded by Reverend E. L. Prather and by many other good men who have done and caused much Christian work.

During the year of ’84, a very fine residence was built by Mr. John Getty in the northwest part of town.

In 1885, the Ellsworth News which had been owned and edited by Mr. Z. Jackson was purchased by Mr. Geo. A. Collett and Mr. Frank S. Foster, the later gentleman being the first native of Ellsworth County to get a degree at Kansas State University. These gentlemen changed the name to the Ellsworth Democrat and issued the first number on October 1, 1885. In 1894, Mr. Collett was appointed post master and Mr. Foster gave the paper the name of The Ellsworth Messenger and under his talented and able management, it has become the best newspaper of Ellsworth County.

The year of 1886 was marked by the loss of three pioneers of Ellsworth, the Reverend J. A. Bright, later of Hays, Kansas and Mr. and Mrs. John A. Wiggin who returned to their old home in Boston and whose sincere kindness and hospitality had won them many friends.

In this year a special election was held to vote aid to the Kansas Midland Railroad Company and in ’87 that company’s trains stopped at Ellsworth and later the station-house now known as the ‘Frisco depot was built.

A new business building was erected by Perry Hodgdon on the corner of Douglas Avenue and Second street; also a broom factory; and Ellsworth people gave contract for the erection of a planing mill with twelve wood working machines.

The Ellsworth Hose Company No. 1 was organized and gave their first ball on December 31, 1886. They continued to entertain their friends in this way for many years. The society of Daughters of Veterans started its meetings this year and continued them until about ’92.

During 1886, the Central National Bank was organized. The man who made it a great institution was Mr. B.S. Westfall who was its president until his death in 1908 when he was succeeded by Mr. George T. Tremble.

In 1887, prosperity reigned. The Masonic Temple of Manhattan Stone was added to the business part of town, while surrounding farms sold for $100 to $125 per acre, according to newspaper reports. Some prominent citizens left Ellsworth, Dr. J. R. Doig, who moved to San Diego, California and attorney R. W. Carter.

The chief events of the year were: the building of the Midland Railroad, the track of which was laid into the city on December 27; a Horse Fair held by the Horse Fair Association of Ellsworth; and the opening of the Kalnia and Cizek meat shop, which added greatly to making Ellsworth a good place to live in.

New organizations are noted in Ellsworth during 1888: the Ellsworth Cornet Band; the “Kid” Band; an organization of the assembly of Knights of Labor which started in May of this year and lasted till about 1895; the Young Men’s Christian Organization which held meetings for a short time; the O. D. Lodge among the young people; the Ellsworth baseball club; the Ellsworth Republican Glee Club; and the Ellsworth Military Band which lasted until 1890.

The Lutheran denomination built its neat little frame church this year.

The societies started during the year of 1889 were: The Modern Priscilla’s, the J____ Lodge, the Shakespearian Club, a foot ball team, a dancing club, the Ellsworth Hose Company, No.2 which gave masquerade balls; a gymnasium club and a card club named “Nou Crackee” organized at the house of Mrs. Hoesman, all showing that the young people had good times.

Mr. J. D. Lafferty was mayor of Ellsworth. An office building was erected by Mr. Ira E. Lloyd and a two story hose house by the city. Among the new business enterprises were a brickyard with kiln for burning bricks owned by Messrs Jordiuer and McLennan; the Ellsworth City Roller Mills under the management of Messrs Rammelsberg and Westerman. In connection with the Roller Mills, dynamos were bought for an electric light plant, which changed hands and was reorganized about 1891, and about 1900 was bought by Mr. Paul Reamme, one of the many retired farmers who have made Ellsworth the pleasant city it is. In 1909, it came into the hands of Mrs. E. L. Reamme, one of the progressive business women whom Ellsworth is honored in having as citizens. This year the City Drug Store opened with G. R. Hoffman and H. Rammelsberg as proprietors. About this time, the State Savings Association was started and was reorganized about 1901 to become The Citizens State Bank of Ellsworth, which became a prominent financial factor under the leadership of Mr. J. B. Hardy.

During this time, Ellsworth suffered the loss of good citizens in Mr. Joseph A Wiggin who moved to Mexico, and in Mr. John Getty who died at his home in Ellsworth on May 31, 1889. For eleven years, Mr. Getty had been prominently connected with the business interests and the material growth and prosperity of the city, as a good business man, honest, capable and trusted most where best known because of his strict integrity. The funeral which took place from the residence on the afternoon of July 4 was one of the largest known in the history of Ellsworth.

It was during this year that, as a courthouse was to be built, the citizens began seriously to consider a new site. The city council after receiving several propositions decided upon a site and the city voted war bonds for its erection.

Which event leads us to the next year of 1890, the chief event of which was the election to decide whether the county seat should remain in Ellsworth or the courthouse be rebuilt at Kanopolis. Many improvements occurred during this year. More residences were connected with the city water works and a large water tower was erected. A meeting of citizens was held in the Masonic Hall to discuss the building of a _______ railway from Nebraska to the Gulf, but as _______ another prospective railway, it was not built. The city officers were R. B. Krebs, mayor; C. F. Pohlman, A. R. Hepperly, A. Schmidt, H. F. Sternberg and A. Patterson, councilmen; T. E. Gorme, police judge; and W. H. McMilleu, city attorney.

In common with Kanopolis, Ellsworth caught the salt mining fever and in 1890, the city purchased machinery for mining salt. It was not so successful as Kanopolis and discontinued for a time to resume as the Ellsworth Salt Works, which began manufacturing dairy salt about 1901.

An unusual hailstorm passed over parts of Ellsworth and Columbia townships in May of this year. In Columbia township, the storm spent most of its fury in the neighborhood of the Veatch, Paull and Bard places destroying all crops and its path lay into Ellsworth township where the crops on the Vance, Hodgdon, Beyler and Larkin places were destroyed.

From 1890 to 1900, there was gradual change in Ellsworth town. The population averaged about 1800. The _______ stopped and in 1889, the _______ grounds were bought from Mr. A. Larkin by the members of the G.A.R. and W.R.C. for $8,000 and the state legislature appropriated $36,000 for buildings on there grounds which were dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on October 5, 6, 7 and 8, 1897, and christened the Mother Bickerdyke House. The new buildings included sixteen cottages, a hospital, which was still used in 1911 and an auditorium, which was torn down a few years after its erection.

The new organizations during these then years were the Select Friends, the International Order of Good Templars, the Peoples Whist Club, the Ladies Fair Circle, the Ellsworth Social Club, the Ellsworth Athletic Club and the Sunflower Dancing Club.

The Ellsworth Telephone Company brought telephone into general use in Ellsworth about this time. The only church established during these years was the African Methodist Church. In 1882 there had been only four members of the denomination in the county and the value of their church property was $100; but as demand for laborers grew, the population increased, and with it the church membership. The Episcopalians built their beautiful stone church about this time.

The city officers during these years were as follows:
In ’91 R. B. Krebs, mayor; L. H. Seaver, treasurer; J. M. C______, clerk; F. E. G____, police judge; Benj. Shaffer, marshal; C. F. Pohlman, B. F. Sternberg, A. R. Hepperly, A. Schmidt, and A. Patterson, councilmen.
In ’93 J. R. McLaurin, mayor; L. H. Seaver, treasurer; J. M. May, clerk; A. R. Hepperly, A. Patterson, A. Schmidt, Joseph Kalina and A. Kracley, councilmen.
In ’95, same officers except that Joseph Fishburn and D.A. Burus succeeded A. R. Hepperly and A. Kracley as councilmen.
In ’97 A. Patterson, mayor; H. W. Garrett, treasurer; F. S. Foster, clerk; J. H. Baldridge, marshal; B. F. Patterson, water commissioner; A. R. Hepperly, George Seitz, R. W. Long, Chas. Robinson and F. Borusluieu, councilmen

The county officers were as follows:
In ’91: senator of 35th district, R. R. Hays; representative, W. W. Stanley; probate judge, D. S. Snider; county attorney, L. S. Wright; clerk of the district court, William Thornberg; county clerk, Ben Fagan; register of deeds, M. W. Santry; sheriff, J. H. Tullis; undersheriff, J. H. Hutchins; superintendent of public instruction, A. M. Woodmansee; treasurer, J. L. Dick; surveyor, Frank Melville; coroner, H. Z. Hissem; commissioners, J. M. Essick, chairman and I. A. Hophus and E. Moyer.
In ’93 representative, Joseph Sekovec; probate judge, A. S. Chase; county attorney C. J. Evans; register of deeds, J. R. Wilson; clerk of district court, William Thornberg; county clerk, F. S. Foster; sheriff, J. H. Tullis; superintendent of public instruction, R. J. Woodmansee; treasurer, J. L. Dick; surveyor, F. D. Melville; coroner, Dr. W. H. McDonald; commissioners I. A. Hopkins, J. M. Essick and W. A. West.
In ’95: senator, W. B. Helm; representative, Ed Mathews; treasurer Geo. L. Leavitt; clerk of district court, William Thornberg; county clerk, E. E. Marshal; probate judge, A. S. Chase; county attorney, C. J. Evans; sheriff, J. H. Hutchins; superintendent of public instructions, E. J. Fairchild; register of deeds, T. R. Wilson; surveyor, Charles A. Cadwell; coroner, Dr. H. Z. Hissem; commissioners, I. A. Hopkins, K. B. Tracy and H. Janssen.

During the ten years that followed 1900, Ellsworth County developed wonderfully on account of the prosperity of the wheat and cattle industries, and Ellsworth town developed also. Many professional men chose Ellsworth as their home, many young men went away to college and universities, and many young women attended music and normal schools and business colleges. In 1902, the business streets began to be paved with the by-products of the Ellsworth Salt Plant. In 1903, large and well-decorated store buildings were erected by Mr. Henry W. Nunmaker for his jewelry store and by Mr. George Seitz for his drug store, and a block of modern dwelling houses was erected by Mr. George T. Tremble.

The great change from a rough cattle town to a civilized little city with a ladies club, reached its culmination in 1905 when Ellsworth town came to be located on the social map of Kansas by being the place of meeting of the Pioneer Club which quietly accepted an invitation to become a part of the Sixth District of the Kansas Federation of Women’s Clubs. The club had been organized some years before by Mrs. Alice Belleville Long who was president of it at the time of the federation. Mrs. Theo A. Essick was the first delegate from the Pioneer Club to the meeting of the State Federation in Lawrence in 1906. Among the members of the club at the time of its federation were Mrs. M. E. Alden, Mrs. T. E. Beatty, Mrs. L. R. Benson, Mrs. L. Dean, Mrs. Theo A. Essick, Mrs. Dora Gunkel, Mrs. L. R. Greenough, Mrs. Dallas Grover, Mrs. Alice Belleville Long, Miss Louise Macaulay, Mrs. Jason Maze, Mrs. H. S. Myers, Miss Elizabeth Tercy, Mrs. Lydia Thomas, Mrs. Jennie Wall, Mrs. Mary L. Watson, Mrs. T. R. Wilson, Mrs. Andrew Platner and Mrs. E. T. Fairchild.

Soon after the organization, the Pioneer club started a free public library for Ellsworth town and county, by donating books from their own libraries, and by buying more with money from their treasury. In 1907, other ladies organized a Library club to raise money for the library of which the Pioneer club still had charge. Under the leadership of Mrs. L. H. Seaver, the new organization gave much money so uniting their efforts with those of the Pioneer club, six hundred books were put upon the shelves of a reading room which was offered in 1908, members of the Pioneer club taking turns acting as librarian. In the winter of 1909, members of the Pioneer club accepted an invitation extended by the Library club to unite with that organization for library work so as to appoint a regular librarian. Soon after this, Mrs. Evans took charge of the library. In 1910, Mrs. Eva Robbins donated $5,000 to the city of Ellsworth for a building to be known as the James H. Robbins Memorial Library on conditions that suitable lots were provided and that the city would promise an amount for maintenance. It was under stood that the library was the use of any resident of Ellsworth town or Ellsworth County. The ladies of the Library Club raised $1200 to buy the lots west of the court house where the Catholic Church had stood and the city held a special bond election on May 24, 1910, and voted to expend annually the sum of $100 on the repairs and improvements of the gift, which they accepted from Mrs. Robbins.

After seeing the library work well under way the Pioneer club turned its thoughts to hospitality and became the hostess of the Sixth District of the Kansas Federation of Women’s Clubs and other prominent women of the state at their eighth annual session on October 26-8, 1909. During 1910, the Pioneer Club met regularly, contributed to the Federation Scholarship Fund and has been represented at every meeting of the District and State Federations, always being honored by having one of its members elected or appointed an officer in the Federation. In 1911 under the leadership of Miss Laura Orth and Mrs. Dallas Grover, it was an active club, which promised well for the future.

During the winter of 1906-08, Ellsworth received another social honor in becoming the house of a chapter of the national society of the P.E.O.
The year of 1909 was made a red letter year by the erection of a large county jail and sheriff’s residence. In the summer of 1910, the first Chautauqua was held in Ellsworth having among other attractions Mr. W. J. Bryan, Governor Taylor of Tennessee and the Shildkret Hungarian Orchestra. The Chautauqua was formed by Messrs O. J. Silverwood and H. H. Harrison and by businessmen of the town who furnished support. Despite the hot weather, drouth and poor crops, it was fairly well attended. During this year, Ellsworth was honored by having Mr. Dallas Grover elected judge of the thirtieth judicial district.

In 1911 natural gas was discovered near Ellsworth and as the first evidence of the development of the industry, Mr. A. Larkin, the oldest resident of the town, drilled a gas well and began using it to light and heat his residence. During this year, efforts were made to locate at Ellsworth the new State Hospital for the Insane. In September of this year was the sixth annual picnic of the Old Settlers Association of Ellsworth County, which was held in Mr. Sheldon’s grove near Ellsworth. The speakers of the day were Senator Charles Curtis of Topeka, Ex-senator Ira E. Lloyd of Ellsworth and Mrs. Emma Pitegel Faris of Clear Creek township.

During 1911 Ellsworth town had the good fortune to have as mayor Mr. M. L. Meek, one of the most upright business men of the state, so the little city is assured a successful year.

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