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Homesteading in Ellsworth County
Lorraine
This town site was founded by Professor E. C. Janzen and Henry Strassen of illinois. Mr. Janzen saw his dream of starting a German Baptist colony become reality in 1877. They signed an agreement with the Kansas Pacific Railroad that reserved about 11,500 acres for the colony. They had until March 31, 1877 to sell 10 sections and were able to make that deadline. The railroad donated 80 acres to be set aside for church purposes.
The first stone church was built in 1879, and a larger frame church replaced it in later years.
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