Like all of the counties in Kansas,
Scott County's first inhabitants were nomadic plains Indians.
The Indians that were known to be the first permanent dwellers
are the Picurie Indians who came from New Mexico's Taos area.
They settle near Beaver Creek in a pueblo which was established
about 1604 and became known as El Quartelejo, the only Indian
pueblo in Kansas. Eventually the Picurie Indians returned to their
native New Mexico, and El Quartelejo is believed to have been
used by Frenchmen as a trading post prior to 1724.
Scott County was the site of the last
Indian Battle in Kansas which took place in September 1878 between
the northern Cheyenne and the cavalry. Chief Dull Knife was leading
a band of Cheyennes to Yellowstone from Oklahoma when military
troops became aware of their presence. The troops met up with
the Indians in the canyons along the southern edge of what is
now Scott County State Park. Little Wolf led the battle for the
Indians while Col. Lewis led the troops; Lewis was killed in the
battle. The Cheyennes continued on to Yellowstone after slipping
away during the night.
The Kansas Legislature created Scott
County in 1873, and it was named in honor of General Winfield
Scott. General Scott was commander-in-chief at the beginning of
the Civil War and was also a veteran of the War of 1812 and the
Mexican War. Scott County did not have any population for 11 years
after the county was created.
The settlement of the county began
in 1884 when people came from the east to seek homesteads that
were being advertised by the government. A patent for the land
could be obtained by the homesteader after living on and improving
the land for 5 years. Mrs. M.E. DeGeer and her daughter, Mrs.
Eastman, became the first permanent settlers in October 1884.
By 1885, there were 91 people living in Scott County and many
of them came to the area from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
The organization of the county took
place on July 5, 1886, and was divided into the following townships:
Beaver, Isbel, Keystone, Lake, Michigan, Scott and Valley. The
following towns were platted in the county: Arcola, Grigston,
Manning, Modoc, Painter City, Pence City, Shallow Water, Scott
City and Zenobia. Scott City became the county seat due to its
location at the exact center of the county. Modoc, Manning, Grigston
and Shallow Water, along with Scott City, remain as settlements
in the county today.
Shallow Water was founded by Quakers
who wanted to start a school for their children.
Sources
History of Early Scott County
by the Scott County Historical Society, Inc., 1977
Scott County, Kansas Centennial Book - Celebrating 100 Years:
1886-1986 by the Scott County Centennial Commission, Inc., 1986.
