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By CICERO L. BRISTOL
In the fall of 1856 we went to Salt
creek, via Weeping Water, reaching that stream several miles
below where Lincoln now is, and followed up to Mr.
Etherton's (some two and a half miles below the present
Roca) and on to Mr. John D. Prey's large two-story log
house. It was on this trip that we located our claims and
the town site of Olatha. |
In the spring, Marmaduke M. Shelley of Mississippi, who was hired by the government, surveyed the land in Clay county. The county seat of Clay county was Clayton, situated in the extreme southwest corner of the county. I was there canvassing for the office of county commissioner, and I found three or four houses. A county organization was claimed, and there was a county judge and sheriff whose names I do not remember. At the second election (I think in 1858) James S. Goodwin was elected county commissioner by a majority of nine votes over myself. At the same election Rev. Joel Mason, W. W. Dunham's brother-in- law, was elected county judge by a small majority, only three as I remember it. He did not move to Clayton, but went down there occasionally. He was a native of Tennessee, but a strong republican; a man of almost gigantic stature and a tremendous worker. The first season he broke up eighty acres of sod, planted it to corn and harvested the crop without any assistance whatever. All this time he preached regularly and conducted a Sunday school and held prayer meetings each week. His farm was on the west side of Salt creek, below W. W. Dunham's place. He lived, however, on the east side with the Hiltons while I remained in the neighborhood. John Greenleaf Hilton, senior, was the father of Judge Hilton of Cincinnati, Ohio, a democratic politician known at that time all over the country. Mr. Hilton was a widower and lived at the home of his son Charles. Mrs. Mason and Mrs. W. W. Dunham were his daughters. The two Hiltons and Mr. Dunham were democrats. All were deeply religious, with the possible exception of Charles and his wife. A 1According to the township plats on file in the office of the commissioner of public lands and buildings, Richard Taylor and Thomas O'Neal were the contractors, and M. M. Marmaduke was their compass man. The surveying was begun July 13. 1857.--ED. |
regular debating society was organized and held regular meetings at the Hilton residence. Mr. Hilton, senior, although aged and somewhat decrepit, was mentally bright and a fine speaker. He and Mason were the leading debaters, but others, including myself, regularly took part. Marmaduke M. Shelley with my assistance surveyed into town lots forty acres of Olatha town site. The organizers of Olatha town site company were Jonathan L. Davison, Joseph V. Weeks, James S. Goodwin, John G. Haskins, and Cicero L. Bristol. The town site was located about three-quarters of a mile west of the ford across Salt creek. The ford was a few yards north of the spot where the present bridge at Roca is located. The Olatha quarries were only a few rods below this ford. Jonathan L. Davison and Joseph Van Renssellear Weeks each had a house on the town site. The Weeks family consisted of Mr. Weeks, Mrs. Weeks, three daughters and a son. Mr. and Mrs. Weeks were people of high character and unusual intelligence. The eldest daughter, Mary J., afterward became my wife. Among the few people in the neighborhood I remember the following, besides those already mentioned: A Mr. Woodruff and his son Charles from Ohio; a man named Jones and his son (a sailor) from Connecticut, and the Hiltons. All but the latter lived with the Etherton family. Mr. Woodruff and his son spent a year and a half drilling for coal which cropped out within two hundred yards of Etherton's house. The Ethertons were from Kentucky. They were the first settlers on Salt creek, next to the Preys. The family consisted of husband and wife, a son and daughter. They had a comfortable house and a very good blacksmith shop, and Mr. Etherton did blacksmithing for the settlers all along the creek. Neither husband nor wife could read or write, but they were deeply religious, and Mrs. Etherton found a tutor and learned to read the Testament. She said that was all the education she wanted. |
Living near Olatha was another family by the name of Beach, including two little sons. They were unusually intelligent people. Mrs. Beach was a musician and a poet whose productions were published in eastern papers. They were strong spiritualists. A Scotch settlement consisting of several families was situated about nine or ten miles east of Olatha. |
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