Leeser
Founded in 1886 by Russian Jews, Leeser
was named for Rabbi Isaac Leeser who was the editor of a popular
Jewish magazine "Occident". Leeser was very close, if
not in distance, to its counterparts in Touro. Many colonists
of both towns had relatives living in the other town. The colonies
were 10 to 12 miles apart in 2 separate counties. Leeser was the
smaller of the two, and its fortunes were riding on the coattails
of Touro.
After dealing with a blizzard in 1886,
a tornado that caused some damage in 1887, and a drought that
started in 1888, the colonists' attempts at agriculture failed.
Along with Touro's failed backing of Chantilly in the county seat
war, these things combined dampened the enthusiasm of the colonists.
By 1890, Leeser was no longer existent except for a few empty
and crumbling sod buildings.
Jewish Colonies in Kansas set
up by Agricultural Aid Societies
Beersheba (Hodgeman) |
Gilead (Comanche) | Hebron (Barber)
| Lasker (Ford) | Leeser
(Finney) Montefiero (Pratt)
| Touro (Kearny)
Sources
Douglas, Donald M. "Forgotten
Zions: Jewish Agricultural Colonies in Kansas in the 1880's."
Kansas History 16 (Summer 1993): 108-119.
Harris, Lloyd David. "Sod
Jerusalems: Jewish Agricultural Communities in Frontier Kansas".
Masters Thesis, University of Oklahoma, 1984.
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