Dont Run Over the Children!!

Since today is Halloween, I would like to share a little history of one of our local landmarks and a Halloween prank that traveled around the world. In the late 1940’s the Walker Cut Stone Company erected a large 5 x 9 foot stone slab across K-18 highway from the Spring Valley Country School house. It would demonstrate the quality of the stone and direct buyers to their quarry, a quarter mile south of the school.   It would eventually have a metal sign on top, but for several years, just the stone stood next to the road.

                Local pranksters were busy in the days leading up to Halloween of 1950. The Monday Daily Union reported that “a quantity of popcorn was poured into the gasoline tank of a parked car” near the Webster apartments.  On West Thirteenth “police reported the removal of tires” from a half dozen cars. The tires the football team used for training were also missing. Other more minor incidents included the soaping of windows and placing of barricades in streets.

                As Halloween loomed it was decided that four police cars with radio would be on patrol due to the increase of incidents. In addition, special police were walking the streets and city employees were stationed in the city parks to ward off mischief-makers. The extra security seems to have scared off the hooligans because the only real incident to make the next day’s paper was a 3 ½ foot bull snake that had been released in the front lobby of the Municipal Building.

                The paper did not report the incidents out in the surrounding countryside. Those outside of town remember several pranks being pulled. Mary Kay Munson remembers coming home that night with her family from a Spring Valley school Halloween party program to find several harrow sections (each weighing a couple hundred pounds) piled in front of the garage. Several others reported farm equipment moved and outhouses toppled that night. Perhaps the most well-known prank was that someone had decided that the Walker Stone slab across from the Spring Valley Schoolhouse needed a message.

                Josephine Munson writes in the Project Heritage book “A Halloween prank in 1950 caused Spring Valley School to be known as the school with the sign ‘Don’t run over the children, wait for the teacher.’ Pictures of the large stone which displayed these words have been published in magazines and newspapers all over the world.”

                Many military personnel took photos of the stone as a memento of their time stationed at Fort Riley. These photos helped in circulating the landmark and message around the world.

                Mary Kay Munson remembers her parents laughing with Maynard Coe, President of the National Safety Council. He said that it was one of the most effective safety signs he had seen because everyone slowed down to read and think about the message.

                Not only has this become a familiar prank but its perpetrators have also been a well-kept secret as no one has come forward and admitted to painting the sign. The hand-printed message has been repainted over the years and still stands as a Halloween prank remembered fondly by many.  

                If you have memories or photos of the stone you would like to share please stop by the museum Tuesday-Sunday from 1-4pm. 

Early businesses in Junction City

Early businesses in Junction City

By Gaylynn Childs

Newcomers to this area often find it hard to believe that Junction City was – for over a century – the main center for trade and commerce in this region of the state.  However, a look through Editor Charles Manley’s comprehensive publication should convince even the most skeptical of the truth of this statement.  In this edition, consisting of 12 newspaper-sized pages divided into two sections, Manley expounds that fine agricultural qualities of the area along with detailing the history of the various settlements in Geary County beginning with the first military expedition to Camp Center in 1852.  He then enumerates the many retail and industrial operations which were located here at that time and brags on the cultural and social offerings of the community as well.

            Under bold headlines which proclaim: “GEARY COUNTY TODAY AND TOMORROW,” the editor explains, “In preparation of this Industrial Edition of the REPUBLIC it has been our aim to adhere strictly to facts.  Reckless statements concerning any locality always react and do more injury than good…”  Then he states that not a penny had been paid to advertise in this issue and that expenses were to be covered by the sale of extra copies. 

            It was interesting to note how this enthusiastic promoter could turn even the most negative aspects of our state into something to brag about.  Take note. 

            “Caesar preferred to be the first man in a village to the second in Rome.  He ‘made good’ in Rome and took his pay in daggers.  It costs to lead but it is the best way to advertise.  Kansas leads.  She originated the Civil War, a very expensive job, but it took and was copied all over the country.  Our drought was made national, likewise our grasshoppers.  They are Kansas things.  Other states have them but they take them after us and give us the credit of the invention.  John Brown and Jerry Simpson never amounted to much until they came to Kansas.  We were the making of them….

            “Cyclones are also credited to Kansas but other states are now treating the cyclone very respectfully.  Very little fun is now poked at Kansas on account of its cyclones.  It is a species of wind that makes itself respected wherever it blows.  It went pretty hard with us to have to originate war, drought, hoppers, and cyclones, but somebody had to do it and Kansas never waits.  Calamities are not so almighty amusing but it takes courage to originate them and the first patient has them the easiest.  We are now waiting for something else to originate.”

            After a fairly comprehensive review of the history of the county including an eclectic compilation of “firsts” in Geary County, Manley describes the countryside and assures an excellent supply of water.  “The supply of drinking water comes from wells and springs and is of the most pleasant taste.”  The character of the rural residents is not over looked either.  “There are at least a dozen church organizations in the county outside Junction City and all denominations are represented.  The educational resources are good and well up to modern ideas and as a consequence we find a well educated people, a sharp and active citizenship.”

            Our present county commissioners might take some comfort from Manley’s assessment of the county roads in 1915.  “The county has as good natural roads as one can find anywhere and they are as good ten months of the year as the pikes of the eastern states.  This has been made possible from the fact that rural transportation is largely done by automobile and this necessitates the making of good roads and keeping them in repair.  Geary County has one automobile for every 36 of its inhabitants and when it is known that many are owned by farmers it is at once apparent why the roads are kept in good condition and when it is known that each car has a license tax of $5 per year against it, the fund for road maintenance is not a small one in itself.”

            Junction City was described as an “aggressively progressive city of about 7,000 population.  The inhabitants are a busy, hospitable people, wide-awake, ambitious and enterprising to a degree that surprises visitors from other sections.  There is no apathy or laziness among them, but exceeding vim, zeal and courageous energy characterize their every action.  They extend the open hand of welcome to the newcomer, are frank and generous, open-hearted, unselfish and sincere in their efforts, full of commercial vim, level-headed and far seeing; what wonder the stores and the town generally present a scene of life and bustle that many towns twice its size do not show.”

            Prior to in-depth descriptions of the various businesses and professional operations in Junction City – many augmented with photographs – Manley lists all the types of retail ventures then represented in the community.  This was eye-opening even to those of us who are somewhat familiar with the history of our local business district.

            “Commercially Junction City has: three hotels; two bakeries; one ice plant; three creameries; five opticians; one airdrome; no saloons; (remember this was the era of prohibition) two book stores; three shoe stores; six drug stores; one music store; eight restaurants; six tailor shops; three green houses; one boot and shoe factory; one glove factory; six meat markets; four variety stores; two rock quarries; two rock crushers; four jewelry stores; three lumber yards; one general store; twenty-seven grocery stores; three livery stables; two electric stores; one electric plant factory; three photographers; one bottling works; one storage house; three cigar factories; five clothing stores; two cleaning shops; three candy factories; two grain elevators; three millinery stores; one job printing office; two state banks; three steam laundries; two national banks; three hardware stores; one pure milk depot; three newspapers; two flouring mills; five auto garages; one sheet metal factory; four general contractors; one veterinary hospital; two electric contractors; one sand shipping plant; two wholesale produce houses; one cement block factory; one sewing machine shop; one ice cream cone factory; two harness manufactures; three moving picture theaters; one telephone exchange; one awning and tent factory; one credit rating association; one marble and granite works; one building and loan association; three wholesale ice cream factories; five blacksmith and machine shops; one electric power plant; six furniture stores; three undertaking establishments; two plumbing and heating contractors; one wholesale grocery distributing house; seven attorneys; twelve physicians; seven dentists; one gas company; one hospital; six feed stores; four department stores; three coal dealers; one abstract firm; one architect; nine barber shops; four billiard and pool halls; one cab and baggage line; one chiropractor; five dressmakers; one express company; one insurance agency; twelve real estate and loan firms; four second hand stores and a commercial club (Chamber of Commerce) of 350 members.”

            Editor Manley concluded with the observation that “Junction City is a good trading point.”  The he offered some advice to new entrepreneurs, which might well apply today.  “Visionary individuals cannot get along in Junction City.  The streets are not paved with gold and you can’t pick big yellow nuggets out of the gutter or make a fortune in a minute, but any legitimate business enterprise, coupled with honest and energetic endeavor on the part of the promoter will succeed.”

Due to the high number of cars in Geary County during the turn of the century, businesses like Arnold’s Battery Station, on the corner of 4^th and Washington, was a necessity to keep cars in the best condition possible.  

The Coronado Monument

Have you ever wondered why there seems to be a random monument dedicated to Spanish Explorer Francisco de Coronado in the middle of Kansas? How about the fact that there is a park in Junction City with the same name as the monument? For those who have ever wondered why we have these items named after a Spanish explorer, this column will explain the long story of the Coronado influence in Geary County.

This past February marked the 475^th anniversary of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado’s expedition to North America, and more specifically, Coronado’s trip into deep present-day Kansas. Coronado’s expedition crossed five states; Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. It was estimated that the expedition included 36 men, including Coronado, and one woman. What drew Coronado to Kansas was the legend of the Native American Province of Quivera where inhabitants were rumored to possess gold and copper. Chieftains were believed to eat out of silver bowls and use utensils at every meal. These Native Americans were believed to have been the wealthiest in all of the New World. This is a legend that was almost too good to be true. This did not stop Coronado, as he took a chance and took his expedition into the new world, and tried looking for such a place.   

It turned out; it was too good to be true. Coronado reached, what is now present day central Kansas and was told by Quiviran Chief Taxarrax that the seven cities of gold did not physically exist. Instead it is a place that existed in mind and spirit. This was not good enough for Coronado, so he and his expedition returned to Mexico. The exact place of Coronado’s heartbreak is unknown. But for a few decades, Logan Grove here in Geary County was believed to have been Coronado’s final stop. In 1901, J.V. Brower, a researcher and amateur archeologist for the Minnesota Historical Society, and avid Coronado researcher was looking for the exact route the Spanish researcher took to get to Kansas. Brower had a very specific interest in the Coronado expedition and had spent some time across the United States looking for the exact trail Coronado and his expedition had traveled. While in Junction City, Brower asked the town’s people for information about the surrounding area or any information on the local Native American history. The citizens of Junction City directed Brower to Captain Robert Henderson and his land in Logan Grove.

Captain Robert Henderson obtained property at Logan Grove in 1857 when he received a land warrant signed by President Abraham Lincoln following the Civil War. Captain Henderson was awarded these lands by President Abraham Lincoln due to Henderson’s adventures in Texas. Fresh out of the Army, Captain Henderson was awarded the 106 acre plot just south of town. While building the first log cabin in Geary, the Henderson’s turned the newly acquired land into a family farm. With the daily tilling and toiling of the new soil along with the constant rain fall the Henderson home was turned into a treasure trove of Native American artifact. Items such as arrowheads, hatchets and skinning knifes would turn up on a daily basis.

The rain would later turn up old burned bones and pottery that made the Hendersons and Brower believe that Logan Grove was an old village at the site for the Quivira Indians. Brower believed Coronado ended his expedition at the site. Perhaps the most convincing evidence is the discovery of an old chief grave found on top of a hill on the Henderson farm. Although the chieftain was believed to have lived before the arrival of Coronado, this does signify that there was a stable and sedentary community around Logan Grove for years.  

Due to these developments, Brower believed that Logan Grove must have been the location where Coronado met with the Quivara American Indians, and where he turned back for Mexico. Because of this, Brower and the Henderson family decided to have a monument built to commemorate the discovery of the location of where Coronado and Chief Taxarrax met. The shaft of polished granite was mounted on two bases of native stone. This monument was officially unveiled in September of 1902 to a big crowd. On one side of the monument is the inscription “ERECTED FOR THE QUIVERA HISTORICAL SOCIETY BY ROBERT HENDERSON IN 1902.” The Quivara Historical society was created by Brower to explore and investigate the expeditions of the great explorers of the west and Northwest along the waters of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

Unfortunately for Brower and Captain Henderson, it was later found out that the closer, more approximate location to this meeting ground was at the now aptly named, Coronado Heights near Lindborg, Kansas. This location is about 77 miles south of Logan Grove. There is no doubt that the Logan Grove cabin location was in fact an American Indian village, but perhaps not a location where Coronado had met with the Quivara Indian chief.

After these new developments surfaced, the ground at Logan Grove where sold off for recreational purposes in the late 1960s, the monument was moved to avoid damages. The Coronado Monument was moved to what is now Coronado Park in 1974 when the American Legion Post #45 presented this monument to Junction City. The Fort Riley Engineers moved it to Coronado Park in December of that year.

This picture portrays the original location of the Coronado monument next to the Henderson cabin at Logan Grove. You can now visit the monument at Coronado Park. 

Our Cabinet of Curiosities

Museums have been around for centuries, but they were not always the type of institutions we might think of them as today. The original museums were privately owned collections by Europe’s most rich and powerful citizens and featured scientific and naturalistic oddities. These early collections went by many names but most frequently “wunderkammer” or curiosity cabinets.

There was a widespread craze for cabinets of curiosity in the 1600s. These small exhibitions were displayed in the houses of wealthy collectors and would include strange, beautiful and outlandish objects. Exotic shells and jewels, stuffed animals, preserved bodies, clockwork and scientific instruments would often be accompanied by the stuff of fairytales - mermaids, dragons, or the clothes or footsteps of giants. Collections included examples of rare and misunderstood deformities. Among the curiosities of the Russian emperor Peter the Great was a two-headed sheep, a four-legged rooster, the teeth of a singer and the bones of a giant footman.

            Anatomist Frederick Ruysch created elaborate, and horrifying, curiosity cabinets in the 17th century. Ruysch discovered the recipe for a colored die that, when injected into human organs, revealed the journeys taken by the blood vessels through the body.  He later included these injected body parts in his museum of curiosities: body part specimens in glass jars, baby skeletons, and preserved organs sat alongside exotic birds, butterflies and plants. He thought of these exhibits as educational, but also felt that they should be decorated 'prettily and naturally.’

Small skeletons were positioned in 'geological' landscapes, crying into handkerchiefs, wearing strings of pearls, or playing the violin. The 'botanical' landscapes were also made up of body parts: kidney stones or tissue from the lungs would become bushes, grass or rocks.

The popularity of these curiosity cabinets eventually gave way to what we might consider more normal museums in the 18^th century. The first American historical societies came about as a direct result of the American Revolution. Following the war, American patriots believed the founding fathers had made contributions to world civilization that should never be forgotten. So, the historical materials of American democracy were gathered and preserved in historical societies. The earliest historical society in America is still active. The Massachusetts Historical Society has been an active part of American history since 1791.

The Geary County Historical Society was first chartered in 1920, and, in 1924, J.B. Henderson donated the pioneer photographs that currently hang in the museum’s front hallway. The Historical Society was disbanded soon after, but in 1972, local citizens revised the organization that exists today.

            Museums are still filled with curiosities, but of a different kind. We are fascinated with how people lived; what they wore; what they ate and what they thought. For example, dinner manners have evolved over the last hundred years. We might go to a museum to see different artifacts used at a formal dinner in the 1800s.

            The Geary County Historical Society has been preserving local history since the 1970s. Our collection includes everything from the early Bartell House registration ledgers to the cane used by Governor Harvey at the turn of the century. But, the museum also holds a couple of oddities: Odd Fellows fraternal order robes, a wooden plane propeller from WWII, and a turn of the century graphophone among others. The museum has taken these oddities out of storage. We are preparing the stories of these rarely seen objects in our new exhibit “Our Cabinet of Curiosities.” This exhibit opens Saturday October 17^th  at 1pm with special presentation “Jackalopes, Hodags and Other Larger than Life Myths from the American Road” given by Kansas Humanities Council Speaker’s Bureau speaker Erika Nelson at 1:30pm.  

The Dixon Brothers Land War

            Among the area’s earliest settlers was a family of enterprising Irishmen named Dixon who were all born in County Mayo on the Emerald Isle.  Their father was an “above average farmer” and prominent in his borough.  The family, which consisted of parents and nine children, immigrated to America in 1847 and initially settled in Virginia.  There, sons James, Thomas, Patrick and John took up the stone-cutter’s trade and worked as bridge builders for the railroads.  This eventually led them Kansas Territory in August of 1854 in the employ of Col. Ashley, who had contracts to build bridges for the Army at Forts Leavenworth and Riley.

            Here the brothers located claims on land along Three-mile Creek just outside the boundary of Fort Riley.  Then the death of their father called the brothers back to Illinois. After settling affairs there, they returned to Kansas with their sisters, wives, and children.  Here they camped on their claim site and commenced to build a suitable dwelling for their clan. 

In the meantime the Pawnee Town Company had been organized and a site was selected in the same area for the new capital city of Kansas.  A few days after their return the Dixons were visited by a detail of soldiers from Fort Riley who ordered the party to move on, saying the land was already claimed.  The brothers however, being made of substantial material, maintained their ground and continued to put up their house.  A short time later, Capt. Lowe, Master of Forage at the fort, appeared at the site with government lumber and crew of carpenters and put up a house on the same claim. 

Col. Montgomery, the commanding officer at the post, then notified the Dixons that they were intruding upon the claim of Mr. Lowe, and must move off or they would be put off of United States troops.  James Dixon refused, but finally agreed to pay Mr. Lowe $300 to leave, which the latter did.

One day soon after the Dixon house was completed, the brothers were visited by Judge Ed Johnson.  Under the guise of friendship, he urged the family to leave their claim peaceably as the land was wanted for the military reserve.  In reality, it was wanted by private individuals.  When the Judge could not move the Dixons, he became threatening.

The next move was to send Capt. Nathaniel Lyon, one of the few abolitionist officers at the fort, to purchase the claim for $1,000, but still the Dixons refused to leave.  A few days later, while the Dixon men were away grading a steamboat landing at Pawnee, a company of troops commanded by Capt. Lyon came to the homestead and forcibly ejected the women and children and then, using oxen and grappling hooks, tore down the house.  Upon their return that night, the Dixon brothers moved back to the same spot and, acting upon the advice of counsel, put up another house.

A short time later, another officer with a company of troops came to the site, tore down the second house, and a second time ejected the women and children in the absence of the men.  James Dixon then dug a hole in the ground and he and his brothers moved into it to guard their claim.

James McClure, an early area settler and lawyer, later shed some light on what may have motivated Col. Montgomery’s actions where the Dixons’ claim was concerned .  He wrote in the Kansas Historical Collections that, “Governor Reeder had visited Fort Riley and indicated to the town company (of which both he and Montgomery were shareholders) his intention to make Pawnee the capital.  As one of the conditions for doing this Reeder insisted upon the company securing for him 160 acres of land adjoining the town site to the east side, which was where the preemption claim had been made by the Dixon brothers. Repeated efforts were made to purchase the land, but the Dixons persistently refused to sell or surrender their right to the claim. When it was found impossible to induce the Dixons to surrender the 160 acres desired by Governor Reeder it was determined to force them off by embracing their tract in the military reservation.”

In the meantime, Capt. Lyon, appalled by what appeared to be gross misconduct and graft on the part of Montgomery, prepared and preferred charges against the Major.  As a result, he was court-martialed and dismissed from the Army in December of 1855.

Major Ogden replaced Col. Montgomery and the Dixons found a friend in this commander.  Ogden told them their claim was legitimate and he encouraged James Dixon to maintain it.  With this support, Thomas and James Dixon walked to Platte City, Missouri, where they laid their case before General Atchison, then acting Vice President of the United States.  The General reported the problem to Washington, and at the request of President Franklin Pierce, Generals Churchill and Clark were sent to investigate the question of the fort’s boundaries. 

After this inquiry was completed, they recommended boundaries that excluded both the city of Pawnee and the Dixon land at Three-mile Creek.  However, Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of war, over-rode this recommendation and extended the lines to the post to incorporate both Pawnee and the Dixon claim.  The residents at both sites were ordered out and mounted troops tore done the buildings with grappling hooks.

The Dixons went on to make the most of their bad beginning in this frontier land.  After being booted off their claim, they removed to other homesteads in the vicinity, and for the most part, were prosperous and successful.

This picture is of James Dixon

Abbie Clarke Hogan

With Jammin’ in JC in full swing, we at the Geary County Historical Society would like to highlight the great tradition of musicians from the area by sharing the story of local musician, Abbie Clarke Hogan.

Sanborn and Harriet Clarke came to Junction City from Michigan in 1872. The family moved to Wakefield in 1874 where they welcomed their second child, J. Abbie Clarke on February 1, 1875.

The family returned to Michigan when Abbie was about a year old but returned to Junction City in 1878.

The Clarke family loved music and enjoyed sharing their love with the community. Every Sunday morning their church would send a wagon to pick up the family pump organ so that Harriet could play during the service.

Mrs. Clarke also gave piano lessons in the community. When Abbie was five years old her mother attempted to teach her how to play the piano. Abbie was not interested in the instrument and her mother soon gave up the lessons. 

When Abbie was eight she heard a traveling violinist. She was captivated by the music and immediately asked her parents for a violin. Her mother was shocked because the violin was a “man’s instrument” and not at all proper for a young lady. But Abbie persisted and in a fit of exasperation her mother said that if she wanted a violin she would have to buy it herself. Abbie promptly marched downtown with her savings and bought herself a violin.

The next problem was finding a violin teacher in the wilds of Kansas. In a strange twist of fate K. Dome Geza, a Hungarian violinist trained at the Vienna Conservatory had become stranded in New York at the end of a concert tour. Down on his luck he met a very persuasive army recruiter and ended up being sent to Fort Riley where he served as the chief musician of the 5^th Cavalry Band.

The Clarke’s convinced Geza to teach Abbie. He taught her for three and half years until fortune favored him and he left the Army to become the head the music department at Bethany College.

Mr. Geza thought that Abbie showed a lot of promise and he advised Mrs. Clarke to take Abbie to Germany and have her audition for the violinist Joseph Joachim.

 Just before the audition Abbie injured her hand, despite the injury Abbie performed admirably.  Mr. Joachim was not impressed with her technique but he agreed that she did have talent and he would teach her.

                Abbie lived in Germany with her mother and sister, LuCelia. She attended the Royal Hochschule. She was so talented that she performed a solo with the Royal Hochschule Orchestra at the age of thirteen; making her the youngest member of the orchestra.  

Abbie came back to Junction City after spending two years in Germany.

Abbie was eighteen years old when she won a statewide music contest in Hutchinson, Kansas. The winner would represent Kansas at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. While in Chicago preparing for her fair performance, she auditioned for and won a scholarship at the Chicago Musical College.

Abbie stayed in Chicago to attend college. She graduated in 1894 with honors. After graduation she traveled around the county performing as a soloist with many well-known groups. But she never forgot her home.

In the fall of 1896, at the age of 21, Abbie worked with the local school district to organize a high school orchestra. During this time Abbie was still touring around the country so her sister LuCelia, also an accomplished musician, took responsibility of the high school orchestra.

In August of 1898 Abbie took a break from her musical career to marry, Thomas Hogan, who was in the milling business with his uncle, Mr. Fogarty. They made their home in Junction City and were blessed with two boys, Cornelius born in 1899 and Theodore born in 1903.

When Mr. Fogarty passed away in 1901 Thomas took over managing the mill. The Hogan’s bought the mill in 1907.

Marriage, children, and business responsibilities kept Abbie close to home but she still made time for her music. To keep her schedule manageable she only performed in the Midwest. Her other passion was working with community and high school orchestras. With her help curriculum was developed for music education in Kansas.

Abbie was also very active in the community. She was a member of the Ladies Reading Club and gave concerts to raise funds for the clubs many activities and good works.  She also volunteered at Fort Riley by bringing music to injured soldiers. 

It was by chance that Abbie was passing through Wakefield in September of 1950 and learned that the old hotel was going to be auctioned off.  She stayed and bought the hotel with the intention of tearing it down and selling it for salvage. But she just couldn’t tear down the beautiful old building, so she moved into it. One day some workers at Fort Riley asked if they could stay at her hotel and the next thing she knew she had a new career.

Abbie helped run the hotel among her other interests until her death in May of 1964. The Hogan Hotel, originally built in 1905, was bought by the Corps of Engineers and torn down to make way for Milford Reservoir. 

Goldie Webster PT. 2

            In July, we shared with you the memories of Goldie Webster who moved to Junction City with her family in 1901. Today, we have more of her story. Goldie recalled her days as a school girl in Junction City, including attending high school in the current museum building on 6^th and Adams.

            “We went to school at the Washington school at 15th St. The boys and girls each had their own playground. Boys played marbles, ball and such. Girls played jacks, hop scotch, drop the handkerchief and charades. In the fall, when dry leaves were on the ground, we played in the leaves, outlining rooms of "our house" with the leaves. When the dandelions were in bloom, we were allowed to go onto the lawn at certain times to pick the blossoms. At other times the lawn was a no no.

            No one brought a lunch to school except in an emergency when permission had to be given. We had not many problems with discipline. We heard stories about a length of hose (rubber) which was kept in the principal’s office. Woe to anyone who was sent to that office. I never saw that hose. The story may have been a myth. I must mention that the rest rooms were in a different building, some distance from the main building. This was not very convenient in winter. We had dedicated teachers and we loved them. I recall that when I took leave of my third grade teacher, "Miss Crowther", we were both in tears at the end. She tried hard to keep a little country girl who had been in school before, only for a year in a one room country school, from being lonely among strangers. It was quite an adjustment to make and her kindness helped a lot..

            School became interesting at time went on. We had programs on special occasions to which parents were invited. On Friday afternoon we had spelling bees or ciphering matches. If we were asked to be leader of a team we chose those whom we wanted to be on one side. It was an honor to be chosen first or early in the game because the best spellers or bosom friends were always chosen first.

            The teachers at Washington School were Miss Crowther, Miss Ina Hurley, Miss Mary Hay, Miss Emma Hay and Miss Corda Pennell. I was graduated from the 8th grade from the old stone building on west ninth. This was later torn down. The teachers there for that grade were Miss Alexander (mine) and Miss Cora Campbell. In 1907 I entered the freshman class at the sixth street high school building. I was graduated from there in 1911, being a member of the Commercial class, taking second honors. My friend Florence Tietze, (later Mrs. Fred Altwegg) out bested me by a fraction of a point. I was much surprised, having never tried for the honor. In fact I was overjoyed to have lost since I always had a fear of speaking in public. I was very nervous when it came my turn to give a current event (without notes) in our opening assembly before the whole student body. I was convinced that my legs would never have held me up while I addressed an opera house full of people. Florence did a wonderful job! I returned to school for the term of 1911 to 1912, where I took the Normal Training course. Upon graduating in 1912, I received my State Teacher’s Certificate. This term was the first time that this course was offered in the JC High School.

            At one time we lived next door to the Barkman family. Three of the Barkman girls became teachers in the Geary County schools, Edna, Clara and Florence. Esther Zellner who lived on 14th St., also became a teacher. She graduated from Emporia. Florence Tietze who lived on a farm on the Alida road was another who taught. Charles P. Murphy who graduated when I did, became President of the Board of Education and later Mayor of Junction City. Charles gave out certificates to the High School graduates the year my daughter, Shirley Ruth, was graduated. We were proud of our schoolmates.”

            For more local stories, family histories and photographs about early Geary County, stop into the Geary County Historical Society. Open Tuesday-Sunday 1-4pm.

            And come in this Sunday, September 20^th 3pm-6pm for our Annual Ice Cream Social and help support the museum. This will also be the last chance to see Letters Home, the military letters display, before it comes down to make way for a new exhibit. 

The early History of Football in Junction City

This past weekend marked the second week of the 2015 Kansas High School football season. The tradition of High School football, for many, marks the official beginning of the new school year. This is true for many in Junction City. The High School football team has a great tradition of winning. The Blue Jays have won two state titles; the first came in 1969 when they defeated Bishop Carroll, 32-14 in the 4A state title game. The second came in 2008 when the Blue Jays defeated Lawrence Free State 19-14. In total, the Junction City high school team has appeared in five state title games (1969, 1973, 1976, 1986, and 2008). Football, however, has not always been as popular or successful in Junction City.  Football had very humble beginnings which led to it having a hard time gaining traction in town for the first few decades. Those students who did decide to play football in school played for the love of the sport. These kids had to do so on their own dime and really had to go out of their way to lay down a good foundation so future generations could play football.

The first official Junction City High School football team started playing in 1894. Unlike today where there is a single uniform that is provided by the school, the first team had to obtain and take care of their own uniform, which made many on the same team look very different. No two uniforms were the same. Those who wanted to play on the team, and could afford it, bought their equipment from the H.V.B. Pickering Tent and Awning shop that sold wheat binder canvas and wagon covers. From that stiff, coarse canvas the players made pants and shirts. Apart from not matching their teammates, these uniforms and pads were not comfortable in the least.

Perhaps the reason football had such a hard time getting started in Junction is because just like today, the sport was met with controversy. An early Daily Union article dated from December 22, 1894 states, “Football is, if possible, even more brutal and dangerous than prize fighting… so far a broken arm and numerous bruises and contusions, are the extent of the injuries received by our local players.” These sorts of reactions perhaps impeded the growth of football in the area. Even by the 1910s, the idea of modern football was still very young. Kids who participated on the team still had to find their own way to away games. An article from 1918, details the account of a game the Blue Jays lost to Saline 32-2 and this was partly due to the fact that many of the players missed the first half of the game because of the trouble with their cars and could not make it in time for the kick off.

Football in Junction City and around the country came a long way in just 20 years. By 1924 there was a “semi-professional” football team that played their home games in Junction City. The term “semi-pro”, is used very loosely as the team had to still fund their own games and schedule their own games. The Yellowjackets, as the team was known as, were an independent football team that usually housed recently-graduated high school players and some college players. They would play other similar teams from around the area and some units from Fort Riley. Each team was responsible for lining up their own slate of games each season, as they were not part of any “leagues”. The Yellowjackets played at the old union pacific field that was located on Grant St. It seemed as though many of the surrounding areas had a lot of these “independent” teams as it was reported in the newspaper that the Yellowjackets would play against the teams from Minneapolis, and Council Grove.

The Yellowjackets team signified a rise in popularity in football around the surrounding areas. The early struggles in establishing football in Northeastern Kansas seem almost unimaginable seeming how popular the sport is today. So next time you attend a football game image how much different it would have been if the same teams did not have matching uniforms or if the kids on the team had to worry about their own transportation to games.

When you are not at the football games on Fridays, make sure to come down to the museum and check out our exhibits. We are open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 pm to 4 pm

This picture is of the 1884 Junction City high School football team. Records show that this team was the first in the history of Junction City High School. 

The history of the High School

            The school year has officially started for Junction City High School. The hallways of the high school have been rumbling and buzzing with the excitement of a new school year. The rumbling of a new school year have always been a part of the high school, but not always at the same building.  The history of the high school is a very interesting one, especially when you correlate it with the growth and change in the population of Junction City. This change has always affected how the high school has evolved and changed. The high school has traveled around town and has been housed in many different building around town, one of which doesn’t stand anymore. The purpose of this column is to review the history and transformation of the Junction City high school and how it has arrived in its current location.

The original Junction City High School began in 1873 when the old McKinley building, which no longer stands, was used as the town’s first high school.  The McKinley building was used as the Senior High School from 1873 to 1904, and was located in the 300^th block of West Ninth Street. When the high school first opened, the staff was compiled of five teachers and one principle, who also served as the superintendent. The student body was not much bigger. A total of seven kids graduated from Junction City High’s inaugural class in 1876. The class would have been much smaller if two of its students, J.B. and J.S. Callen, had decided to graduate early. Because the two brothers had finished the three year program in 2 ½ years they had the opportunity to graduate after the first semester. They decided to stay for the second semester so they could walk with the rest of their classmates. The two brothers were able to take advantage of the three year program the high school offered. After 1894, the district decided to change it to the more traditional, four year program.

            When the student body began to outgrow the McKinley building, the high school made the switch to a new building. In 1904, the high school moved to its next location, the stone building on Sixth and Adams. The high school was at this location for about 25 years. Anyone who visits the old building will notice old reminders of the old high school, such as the words “High School” over the main doorway of the building and the year 1903 is chiseled into the cornerstone. As with the McKinley building on Ninth Street, the ever growing student population out grew the building.

In 1929, there was an addition to the Junior high school which then combined both the junior and senior high schools into one building. Kids from 7^th to 12^th grade went to this newly renovated building, while the old building on Adams Street became the “Departmental Building”, and housed only the sixth grade class.

Just like the previous incarnations of the high school, the renovated building could not hold the growing number of students that were coming into the Junior and Senior high school. Due to this population boom in the 1950s, many of the classrooms were overcrowded and many teachers had to share a classroom. The school day began at 8:30 am and many would teach their last class at 4:10 pm. When the high school was at this building, the maximum capacity was 900. The largest enrollment they had while at this old school was 1,300!

For these reasons, a new school was built in 1958, to better accommodate the growing student population of Junction City was built. This new school housed the more traditional grades of 9^th through 12^th and is where the current high school still stands.  At the current high school, there are still some imagery and items that give homage to the previous high schools. The original bell than hung at the McKinley building is still on display at the current high school.

            The Geary County Historical Society is located in the second high school building at 530 N. Adams. If you want to visit the old high school building make sure to come check out the museum. We are open Tuesday- Sunday from 1 pm through 4pm! 

This picture is of the McKinley building which housed the very first high school between 1873 and 1903. 

Cigar factories in Junction City

The museum is currently working on a big project to digitize the documents in our archives. We are currently going through the documents to see what we have and where we should start. While searching through files in the business section I found a file labeled Tobacco/ Cigars.

I was surprised to learn that at the turn of the century, Junction City had a booming cigar business. Our 1908 Junction City phone directory shows at least 20 listings for merchants of cigars and tobacco. A quick look through the January 1899 issues of the Junction City Tribune yields ads for three cigar factories in Junction City.

The Union Cigar Factory was owned by Jake Schoenhoven. Before settling in Junction City, he worked throughout Europe as a cigar maker. As of 1899, he had been working in Junction City for 17 years and employed four cigar makers at his factory. 

The Thompsons Cigar Factory was located on Seventh Street. In the 1899 newspaper, it is described as a small establishment started 9 or 10 years ago. They employed five cigar makers whose specialties’ include “Thompson’s Cubana” and the “Little Joker” just to name a few.

The Williams & Zellner Cigar Factory was a fairly young business in 1899 but had enough trade to keep three men busy. They produced cigars such as the “Victor Dewey” and the “Junction City Band”.    

Also, among the papers in the Tobacco/ Cigar file is a short history written by John R. Williams of his father, Charles Otto Williams, an early pioneer in the Junction City hand rolled cigar business.

In 1892, Charles entered the cigar trade as an apprentice under Jake Schoenhoven. By 1898, Charles had started his own cigar business, working out of his home. His son John writes, “Over the next 50 years he worked his trade at several locations in Junction City, selling both wholesale and retail. During the early days he would load up his Model T once each month and go on a selling trip to the surrounding small towns.”

In 1906, Charles sold his factory and moved his family to California due to health reasons. The January 26, 1906 Junction City Sentinel notes that, “This week Geo. A. Fitzgibbons and M. Stokes purchased C.O. Williams cigar factory at 810 Washington St and will continue the business at the old stand.”

A year later the Williams family returned to Junction City.  Charles formed a partnership with John McCormick as the Williams & McCormick Cigar Store. They ran a concession stand in the basement of the Liberty Theater at Camp Funston. This partnership lasted until 1918.

Sometime after 1917, Charles constructed a building “next to his home at 320 W. 10^th street which he used as his cigar factory” until 1929.

John writes of working with Charles, “With the advent of beer in Kansas in 1932, my father and I, opened a bar and cigar store at 821 N. Washington. It was here that the last cigar was made in this city. It was during Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal Days. Appropriately he named his new cigar “The New Deal”. It was sold only at his place of business.”

John also writes of the iconic “Indian Head, outlined with Neon” that hangs at 912 N Washington.  John writes  “This sign has passed through many hands since the following article appeared on May 17, 1934: The Williams Cigar Store this week put up a big Indian head, an attractive sign for their business that will be seen at a long distance, and is so unusual that the sign will be remembered.”

At the time John wrote his recollections the sign hung over the JC Bar owned by Gerda Smith. “A few years ago she had this sign refurbished and now it hangs as it once did…To me it stands as a memorial to all the cigar makers who plied their trade in this city.”

Between the advent of cigar making machines that could produce uniform cigars quickly and the increased popularity of cigarettes during WWI the art of hand rolled cigars slowly became a thing of the past. John writes that, “When C.O. Williams retired in 1943 he was the last to ply his trade in this city.”

I really enjoyed researching this topic but I still have questions.  Where did they get the tobacco? Was it imported, possibly from Missouri? Did we have local suppliers? If you have the answer to these questions or more information about cigar factories in Geary County, stop by the museum, Tuesday-Sunday 1-4pm and let us know. We love hearing from you!   

Charles O. and Louise Williams with daughters Grace and Hazel. Photo dated 1906.

Armistice Day Remembered

Walter Keller with his five sisters and their mother.

In 1918, Walter Keller was sent overseas as a part of the American forces during WWI. While abroad, Walter was a faithful writer to his five sisters, his mother and his sweetheart. He wrote to each of them unfailingly, describing his experiences in France.

            On November 11, 1918, Armistice Day brought an end to the Great War and Walter was in France to join in the celebrations. On November 19^tt, he wrote to his sister Lillian Keller about the experience.

“Dear Lillian,

I am about recovered from the Grand Celebration, so I shall make an attempt to answer two of your letters, one dated Oct. 18, and the other Oct. 23. First I must try to tell you something about the Victory celebration. I had thot that I had seen some celebrations before, but this one eclipsed anything I had ever run across. Champagne flowed like water. Parades of all kinds, some lead by a band, others by nothing more than a French soldier with a horn, or even a fiddle, or rather violin, or even an accordion or mouth organ. French men, women, children, soldiers if all the Allied armies, arms locked across the whole width of the streets. All street cars stopped early in the afternoon, as it was impossible to run them. Old men with long whiskers, young children, hardly old enough to know what it was all about, every one joined in, I kissed, and was kissed by old be-whiskered men, old women, pretty girls, French soldiers, Belgian soldiers, and I do not know what else. I came home or rather back to camp after a while for I gave up all hopes of drinking up all the wine, so do not know how long it lasted, but I suppose it was all night, for I went back down the next evening, and it was still going as strong as ever, and lasted even till the third evening. I wish I could have been in Paris, or some other large place. I do not know how it was there, but if it was anything proportion, I have an idea that I must have been wild, for if a little place like this can put on such as this, I must say that it must have been real in the other places.

We have been having some fine fall weather, with just a touch of winter, for it has been freezing some real ice for some time. Today it is warmer, and cloudy, and looks as if it might rain, I do hope that it will not start to rain again, for I do not like it a bit. I would rather have cold and clear than warm and raining all the time. I had almost begun to think that my photos had not reached you, as I had not heard anything about them, but I see they got there alright. I am rather puffed up with pride at all the comps I received about my appearance. I started to raise a moustache several times, thinking to have my picture taken again, but have never had the heart to do it.

There is little else to write. We hear a lot of rumors as to what we are to do or not to do, but they are all just rumors, and not worth bothering ones head about. I do hope that they will move us to another pace soon, for I am tired of this town and would like a change. This leaves me well as usual. Give my love to all.”

            Thank you to Leona Garrison for sharing this letter, written from her uncle to her mother. This letter was among the many loaned by the community to the Geary County Historical Society for the military exhibit Letters Home, which features letters written from soldiers abroad from the 1880s-1980s. The exhibit will be taken down on September 21st, so stop in soon to see these fascinating letters. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 1-4pm.