Our Past Is Present November 5, 2018

November 5, 2018

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            On February 9, 1859, Junction City was officially born. Today’s story comes from a description of Junction City as recorded in the journal of area pioneer Thomas J. Ingham.  Mr. Ingham had filed a claim on land in the Mount Pleasant community in what is now Clay County.  Mr. Ingham wrote:

            “From Ogden we went up the river five miles to Fort Riley.  We passed a large unfinished stone house, which had been built upon the government reserve for the capitol when Governor Reeder located it in Pawnee, but now it is put to no use.  Long before we arrived at the fort we saw the buildings looking more like a town than anything we had seen in this region.  As we came near, we found the fort on a ridge near the banks of the Republican River, about a mile above its junction with the Smoky Hill.”

            He went on to state that “I went on the road previously described, then ferried across the Republican River and went three miles up slightly rising flats to Junction City.  A bridge was once built by the government across the river near the ferry, but high water washed it away.

            Junction City is a very new place.  The first buildings went up only last summer. But it puts on the airs of “city” at an early age.  Several “Lager Beer” signs stand out and there is a ten pin alley and a billiard room.  There is a printing office run by a Boarder Ruffian, another lager beer saloon and a tavern along with the land office.  But, I am told the place is unable to support a school although there are over 30 scholars.”

            Advertisements in a newspaper publication listed an abundance of lawyers, land agents, wagon and carriage makers, boots and shoe merchants, carpenters and joiners, general merchandise and outfitters and lumber for sale at the steam saw mill owned by D.A. Butterfield.

            Well...the main street gallery of our Museum reflects these businesses in early Junction City.  Stop by and see these displays and maybe you will even hear the wagons pulled by horses and voices of people doing their shopping in downtown Junction City as it appeared in those early days.

            And… that’s today’s story on “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.