Early History of Elk City

Elk City, located at Duck Creek’s mouth in Southeastern Kansas, emerged during the late 1860s amidst the founding of nearby towns. Initially facing competition from Bloomfield, Elk City thrived due to its natural advantages, including ample water resources. A pivotal moment came in 1871 with the establishment of its municipal government. Though a proposed railroad connection was narrowly defeated in 1876, Elk City later secured rail access, leading to growth in commerce and agriculture. At the turn of the 20th Century, it boasted strong community resources, a growing population, and a promising future.

By J. R. Charlton

Elk City, one of the prettiest little cities in Southeastern Kansas, is situated at the mouth of Duck Creek, where it empties into Elk river, and is about three miles from the west line, and six miles from the north line of Louisburg township, the northwest township of Montgomery county.

The first settlement of Louisburg township was made during the summer and fall of 1868, and during the following winter and spring several towns were started near Elk river at the mouth of Duck Creek.

Tipton, about one and one-half miles east of Elk river, was probably the first town started in the township, and was located on the claim owned by James E. Kelley. No living water having been found on this town site, it was soon abandoned, and the buildings moved west about three-quarters of a mile to a new town site called Louisburg, on the claim of either Ben. Pitman or grandfather James P. Kelly, but after a number of the little box houses had been located on the new town site, the same difficulty was encountered as at Tipton — no living water could be found — and the third town was founded on Duck Creek, about one and one-half miles from its mouth, called Bloomfield, better known as Fish Trap. It was located in the fall of 1869.

In the meantime two brothers, John and Samuel Kopple, who had taken the claims at the mouth of Duck Creek, on Elk River, organized a town company and laid out the town of Elk City, and immediately applied for and obtained a charter for their company, and for more than a year a bitter rivalry existed between the towns of Elk City and Bloomfield. A saw mill had been in operation for several months at Bloomfield or Fish Trap, owned by a man by the name of Seevers. Other enterprising citizens settled in the town, which continued to flourish until the spring of 1871.

In December of 1870, M. D. Wright, who is now one of the oldest and most respected citizens of Elk City, was postmaster for a number of years and has been connected with nearly all of the city’s enterprises, drove into the thriving city of Bloomfield, or Fish Trap, in his proverbial prairie schooner, and, he informs the writer, that he found Jack Brock putting the finishing touches on a two-story store building, built exclusively of native lumber. Mr. Brock was laying the floor, first nailing thin narrow strips on the joists, then laying the boards so that the cracks in the floor came immediately over the center of the strips, so that when the green hackberry boards had shrunk to their normal condition, as Jack expressed it, children and dogs would not fall through the cracks. An assortment of braces and wedges were required to bring the warped and crooked boards into a horizontal position. But the struggles of Fish Trap for supremacy were unavailing. She was not to be a child of destiny and control the commerce of Duck Creek.

The natural advantages possessed by Elk City, the building of a saw mill that could mutilate more logs into bad lumber than its rival at Bloomfield, the advent of two blacksmith shops, several general stores, and saloons, especially the saloons, together with several other enterprises, proved too much for Bloomfield, and they capitulated in the fall of 1871, and their citizens were given lots in Elk City, upon which they moved their houses, including the Jack Brock store building, and the contention between the two towns ended in their uniting and all the people coming where they could get plenty of water, which Elk City had.

In the spring of 1871 Louisburg township was sectionized, and the supposed lines of many claims, it was found, did not conform to the government survey, and thus originated much litigation and many deadly feuds. The rich and extensive farming lands embraced in the broad bottoms of Elk river, Duck creek and Salt creek, were eagerly sought for and jealously guarded against all comers.

On April 1st, 1871, a village municipal government was organized for the government of Elk City, with J. P. Morgan, who now resides at Bartlesville, I. T., as chairman and U. K. Dannettell, as clerk. The names of the other trustees are not found upon the records.

As evidence that there was nothing small about the early Fathers of the City, we find Ordinance No. 5, relating to the duties and obligations of the town treasurer, to read as follows, to-wit: “within ten days of his appointment to office the treasurer shall enter to bond to the State of Kansas, for the use of the town, with two or more sureties to be approved by the clerk, in the sum of Three Thousand Dollars for the faithful performance of his duties, etc.”

No copy of the bond or the name of the first treasurer or of his bondsmen appear on the records, but from the financial condition of the citizens as judged from the recollection of the oldest inhabitants, it would have required a majority of them to have qualified to that amount at that time.

As an evidence that the deliberations of these ancient Solons were not always harmonious, we note the discussion over the claim of Frank Morgan and Buck Brookins for destroying a dead mule, amount of bill $3.00, which was finally allowed and paid.

William Osborne holds the honor of being the first justice of the peace, and Squire Burdick was his successor. The Squire had a penchant for horse trading, but like nearly all the other settlers of Elk City, at that time, his property or his horses did not represent much wealth, so he ran but little risk of losing in a trade. It is related of the Squire, that one day he was holding court in a room fronting the, then, open prairie, when a woman came into the room and inquired for Squire Burdick. The Squire, who was seated near a window in the temple of justice, was pointed out to her. She at once, without regard to the fact that court was in session, assailed the Squire, in a voice pitched upon a very high key, and demanded the return of a horse, which she claimed belonged to her, and which her minor son had traded to the Squire for a horse whose lease of life expired a few hours after reaching her home. The Squire listened quietly until her tirade of abuse ended, and then invited her over to the window, pointed out to where the nose and two legs of a dead horse protruded above the prairie grass and said: “There is your horse, madam, if you want him go and get him, and take him home with you.” The woman hastily vacated the room, with a puzzled expression of countenance, as though she was trying to solve the problem as to which party did the cheating in the trade.

Whig Southard was the first postmaster at Elk City, A. C. Clark was his successor, M. D. Wright succeeded Clark and held the office from 1872 until Cleveland’s election in 1884, when he was succeeded in 1885, by Wm. Daugherty, who, in turn, was followed by J. P. Swatzell and Wm. Wortman, the latter being the present incumbent.

Elk City, in common with all Kansas towns, was ambitious to become metropolitan and her citizens began to importune the different railroad companies, pointing in this direction, to extend their road to the town.

After much solicitation by some of the citizens they succeeded in getting a proposition from General Nettleton and Col. Valiet, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the owners of the stub railroad from Cherryvale to Independence by which they pledged themselves individually, together with the earnings of the above railroad, to extend that road to Elk City making a terminus there, in consideration of which they asked Louisburg township to subscribe to the capital stock of the company in the sum of twenty-two thousand dollars. This was during the year 1876. Here was the opportunity for Elk City to place herself in the front ranks of all the towns in the country, and the promoters felt that they had accomplished something that would benefit the citizens of Elk City and Louisburg township, that would meet with the hearty co-operation of the citizens generally, as it would have made Elk City the nearest railroad point for all the country west of it for one hundred miles. Independence was awake to the danger that threatened her commercial interests, and united in a desperate effort to defeat the bonds at the election called to vote on the proposition. Of course Independence was justified in any legitimate effort to hold the road at their town, but where so much was at stake it was hardly to be expected that the advantage which money and influence gave them over Elk City would not be pushed to the limit; but if some of the citizens of Elk City, who had labored to bring about the proposition felt a little hard toward the citizens of Independence, what was their surprise and disgust to find some of their own prominent citizens arrayed against the bonds, and inaugurating a fight against them that ended in their defeat by a majority of two votes. What the township lost in taxable property and the advantage of a railroad terminating in the township will never be known. Elk City experienced in this defeat the hardest blow it ever sustained. Several prominent business men left the town, many houses were hauled off into the country for dwellings and barns, and its population decreased one-fourth.

Three years thereafter, in 1879, after the A. T. & S. F. had acquired the old L. L. & G. R. R. and its branches, that company sent Mayor Gunn, of Independence, to Elk City, and in behalf of the A. T. & S. F. R. R., proposed that if Louisburg township would vote bonds in aid of that road they would extend from Independence west through Elk City. While this proposition offered far less advantages than the first one, in that it simply made a way station in the township, giving it local advantages, whereas, the terminus for three years would have given it the trade of three counties, to the west of it, but little opposition was offered and the bonds carried by a large majority. All of which proves the wisdom of the old chestnut, “that white man is mighty uncertain.”

The advent of a railroad instilled new life into the town which gradually increased in wealth and importance though but little in population for several years. In the meantime the very rich and productive soil around Elk City, which produced large and successive crops of wheat, corn and other crops, enabled the farmers in the township to surround themselves with all the comforts and luxuries that wealth can purchase. Their daughters were garbed in the latest styles and their sons robed in tailor made suits and laundered shirts. They came to town in their top-buggies and carriages and purchased of the merchants all that heart could desire, and thus dawned an era of prosperity for the City at the mouth of Duck Creek.

During the winter of 1901-2 a company was organized in Elk City and capitalized at $10,000 for the purpose of prospecting for gas and oil. After several failures the company was finally successful in striking several fine gas wells, and also good oil producing wells.

Several companies are now in the field and in the course of a few months this will undoubtedly prove to be the peer of other remarkable gas fields of Montgomery County.

There is a bright future for Elk City and Louisburg Township. The price of land of every description is advancing rapidly. Buildings of permanent character are taking the place of old frame store rooms in the town, which is growing rapidly. The City is heated and lighted with natural gas. Nearly all the streets are lighted with the same material. It has a splendid telephone system, and all these conveniences make it a good place to live. It has five good church buildings and strong church organizations, while its schools are the best in the County.

Elk City has no system of water works as yet, but its close proximity to abundance of water and the ease with which it can be introduced into the town, insures at no distant date, this additional luxury, to this otherwise greatly favored little City.

The immense amount of wheat and corn, cattle and hogs being shipped from this place over its two railroads, the A. T. & S. F. and the Missouri Pacific, and the fine store rooms and increasing mercantile business are evidences of the prosperity of the town and its surrounding country.

It has at this time a population of about 800 people, but we predict that no distant date will see not less than 2000 happy, contented and prosperous citizens of Montgomery County making their home in Elk City and enjoying its natural and acquired advantages, and each doing their part in making Montgomery County the best County, in the best state, in the grandest Republic on the face of the earth.