Antonino |
Catharine | Czech Colony
| Ellis | Emmeram
| Hartsook/Herzog | Hays
| Munjor | Pfeifer
| Schoenchen | Turkville
| Victoria | Vincent
| Walker | Yocemento
Volga Germans
Fort Hays
Other Colonies
Homesteading in Ellis County
Munjor
Settlers from part
of the largest group to emigrate from Russia were founders of
the town of Munjor after arriving in Herzog from New York in August
1876. They went to a site along Big Creek just north of the present
location of Munjor, which they moved to a couple of months later.
Several more groups joined them over the next couple of years,
with the last group coming in September 1878.
Munjor's first church was a frame structure built in 1877, and
it was added onto several years later. The frame church was replaced
in 1889 by the present stone building, which was dedicated on
Trinity Sunday of 1890. It has been enlarged over the years, but
it has also been damaged by fire and the elements of nature. The
steeple that was originally on the church was damaged, and has
not been replaced.
A parochial school building was also built in the late 1800s,
and is still being used today by the public school system in Hays.

St. Francis Church with steeple

St. Francis Church


Sanctuary of St. Francis Church

Nave and Sanctuary of St. Francis Church
Sources
Color pictures taken by Patty
Nicholas, archivist
Dreiling, Norbert R. "Official
Centennial History of the Volga-German Settlements in Ellis and
Rush Counties of Kansas, 1878-1976." Hays, KS: Volga German
Centennial Association, 1976.
Dreiling, B. M. "Golden
jubilee of the German-Russian settlements of Ellis and Rush Counties,
Kansas, August 31, September 1 and 2, 1926." Hays, KS:
Hays Daily News, 1926. |