A History of Kansas

by Anna E. Arnold

Southern Organizations. The organizations in the North aroused much bitter feeling in the South, and a reward was offered for the capture of Eli Thayer. The South soon formed organizations too, some of them being known as Blue Lodges, Social Bands, and Sons of the South.

The Coming of the Free-state Settlers. As has been stated, the Missourians came into Kansas immediately after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill on May 30, but the free-state people were not far behind, for on the first day of August, just two months later, the first party of emigrants sent out by the New England Emigrant Aid Company reached the Territory. Even these were not the first free-state men to arrive; a few who had come independently were already here.

The First Party of Settlers. This first party consisted of only twenty-nine men. It had been organized with some difficulty, for coming to Kansas was looked upon as a dangerous undertaking. Hundreds of people gathered to bid these men farewell as they started on their long journey to take part in the great conflict between freedom and slavery. There were many who would not have been surprised had the whole party been murdered on their arrival in Kansas, but when nothing of the kind happened others took courage and more parties soon followed.

Early Kansas City.

They Reach the Present Site of Lawrence. The pioneer party reached St. Louis by railroad, where they boarded a steamboat and came up the Missouri River to Kansas City, then a town of only three or four hundred people. There they purchased an ox team to transport their baggage, and on Saturday evening set out on foot into Kansas. By Tuesday noon they reached the present site of Lawrence, where they pitched their tents on a big flat-topped hill. To-day the great buildings of the University of Kansas stand on this hill, which is still called Mount Oread,[9] the name given it by this first party of pioneers. The weather was extremely hot; a drouth had parched the earth and prairie fires had destroyed the grass, but the pioneers were not discouraged. They staked out claims in the surrounding country and began preparations for the future.

The Second Party Arrives. In a short time the second party arrived. It was under the direction of Dr. Charles Robinson and Samuel C. Pomeroy, who were leaders in the free-state cause during the whole Territorial struggle. This party was much larger, and part of its members were women and children. The town was now laid out, organized, and named Lawrence.[10] On the arrival of this party a boarding house was established by two of the women. It was thus described by a writer of that time: “In the open air, on some logs of wood, two rough boards were laid across for a table, and on washtubs, kegs, and blocks the boarders were seated around it.” A short time later a hotel was opened. It was constructed by driving into the ground two long rows of poles, which were brought together at the top and the sides thatched with prairie grass. The ends were made of cotton cloth, and the building resembled the “stray roof of a huge warehouse.”

Getting Ready for the First Winter. The people lived in tents and houses of thatch through the summer and fall, but in the meantime all were busy getting log cabins ready for the winter. By the time winter had come a number of things had been accomplished: a sawmill was running, churches had been organized, two newspapers had been established, and Lawrence had been granted a post office with mail from Kansas City three times a week. The population was about four hundred. Many of the cabins still had cloth doors and were without floors, and altogether the people had all they could do to take care of themselves through the winter. When two more parties of emigrants arrived at the beginning of winter the task became much more difficult.

The Actual Settlers’ Association. Besides the work of building homes and developing the town, there was much to occupy the minds of the pioneers. Missourians had taken claims over much of the eastern part of the Territory. While some proslavery settlers had come to make homes, just as the free-state settlers had, most of those who had taken claims were really living in Missouri. When the first party came to Lawrence, the members bought out the claims where they located their town; later other claimants appeared, and there was much trouble over the title to the land. The same kind of trouble arose in regard to the land taken by many free-state settlers outside of Lawrence. It became a common occurrence for a Missourian to come over and lay claim to some free-state man’s land and warn him to leave the Territory. This caused the formation of the Actual Settlers’ Association, which helped to adjust such difficulties.