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    Ottawa
    Ottawa
    Ottawa
    Ebook184 pages49 minutes

    Ottawa

    By Deborah Barker

    5/5

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    About this ebook

    Ottawa was founded in 1864. Located in the Marais des Cygnes River Valley, the area s rich soil and lush grass made it well suited for growing crops and pasturing livestock. The community s first cultural center was Ottawa University, which was chartered in 1865 and built on land exchanged by the Ottawa Indians for the promise of an education for their children. Two railroads later arrived, the Lawrence, Leavenworth & Galveston in 1868 and the Missouri Pacific in 1880, spurring industrial development. Images of America: Ottawa highlights early settlers, prominent industries, noteworthy institutions, and devastating natural disasters. Using vintage photographs, this history features local memories and milestones, capturing everything from the famous Ottawa Chautauqua Assemblies, held annually from 1883 to 1914 in Forest Park, to the emerging distribution centers that have shaped the area today.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateOct 20, 2014
    ISBN9781439647912
    Ottawa
    Author

    Deborah Barker

    Deborah Barker lives in Cambridge, New Zealand, with her family. She’s had a love for writing since she was a young girl and finds inspiration from the people and places around her. Taniwha Creek was born from the experiences and adventures her own sons had exploring the mountain, rivers and waterways near their home. Taniwha Creek is her first book.

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    • 5/5

      Feb 12, 2019

      Rather a thin book but covers a wonderful range of the timeline from when Ottawa, Kansas, was first thought up, founded and eventually built into the quaint city that sits on the shores of the Marais des Cygnes River. And even though historical this book is so well formatted that you will find yourself intrigued and willing to learn without thinking twice. Ottawa, Kansas, was my hometown so I knew some of the places and knew some of the information that was within it as Kansas is one state that holds strongly to its past. But even as having grown up in the city, being surrounded by its history and knowing a few of the things that occurred (there was even a picture of my P.E. teacher) I still had bunches to learn. And this book allowed me to relate back to my own past, to my own knowledge and to tie in with the people who made my hometown what it was. There is no actual storyline within the book but just chapters broken into different years with each part covering the highlights for those years as captions to the pictures. The pictures related the story both visually and in words while even being in grayscale they brought a charming world to life that had only been hinted at (looks like I missed the much more fun years before I was born). Definitely enjoyed this book and am happy to have it for each person should know a bit of the history of their hometown....

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    Ottawa - Deborah Barker

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    INTRODUCTION

    This introduction was originally written by Diane Yeamans, former president of the Franklin County Historical Society. It was written in 1989, for Ottawa’s 125th anniversary. It was updated by Deborah Barker in 2014, for Ottawa’s 150th anniversary.

    Quality living—and all of the things that go into that—has always been the mainstay of Ottawa, from its founding to the present. Good public facilities, schools, commerce, and culture are behind the town’s successes of the past 150 years.

    The land beneath Ottawans’ feet was a reserve for the Ottawa Indians in the 1830s, which prevented settlement by the white man. But the area was attractive because many trails converged where the Marais des Cygnes (Marsh of the Swans) River could be forded—near where Hickory Street would cross the river. These two elements showed the promise of a bountiful water supply and commercial trade.

    Rev. and Mrs. Jotham Meeker were Baptist missionaries northeast of Ottawa, serving the Ottawa Indians in the 1830s. It was their work that paved the way for the agreement between the Indians and the Baptist church that started Ottawa. Meeker educated the Indians and gave them a thirst for more knowledge as their way of life changed. In 1864, the Ottawa Indians sold 20,000 acres of their reserve to the founders of Ottawa University; the culmination of four years of planning. The territorial legislature had granted a charter to the university under the name of Roger Williams University in 1860. In return, the Indians were given the chance to have 50 children a year educated free for 30 years. While no Ottawa were able to use those scholarships at the time, the university is currently offering tribal scholarships, which provide full tuition, regular fees, and room and board (if the student resides on campus).

    To support the university, the trustees sold 5,000 acres of the land to John W. Young and Rev. I.S. Kalloch. Young, Kalloch, and others then chartered a town company. These founding fathers worked quickly to establish the town, knowing the prospect of a university would place the budding city in good stead.

    The same year—1864—the town wrestled the designation of county seat from Ohio City, which was near Princeton. The designation brought honor to the new city, indicated its importance to settlers and developers, and enticed people to Ottawa to manage their county affairs.

    On November 23, 1864, the first school board was elected, and classes were started. In 1866, the first public school building was constructed in the 300 block of Walnut Street.

    Leaving no promotional leaflet unprinted, the founding fathers also started the Franklin County Fair just weeks after the town was founded. The events, which continue to this day, were grandiose, including hot air balloons, speakers, and horse races. The fairs—held at Forest Park—encouraged and spotlighted the best in agricultural and commercial development and furthered the town’s social and cultural structure.

    In another year, the Civil War ended. And Ottawa stood poised to capture its share of inevitable postwar growth.

    Ottawa University became a reality when a temporary building was found and the first Ottawa University classes were conducted in 1866. Tauy Jones Hall, named after the half-Indian trader who was one of the founding trustees of the university, was built in 1869. The university’s growth has been strong throughout the decades, and Ottawa University has grown to an institution that serves over 5,000 students through the Ottawa campus; the adult and professional studies campuses in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Kansas City, and the Louisville/Jeffersonville areas; and its online presence.

    Another key to the city’s desire for commerce was the establishment of the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad by Kalloch and others. The people of Ottawa approved bonds for the railroad’s construction, and the first train rolled in on January 1, 1868. It was the first of many trains, as Ottawa became a railroad hub, complete with roundhouses and repair shops that were an important part of the town’s economy well into the 20th century.

    By 1872, Ottawa’s population was 4,000, and it could boast to being the largest town of its age (eight years) in Kansas. A second school building, the Central School, was constructed where the former Ottawa Middle School now stands. The new three-story brick structure was the finest in town and accommodated the growing student population. But—in just a couple of years—a national recession hit, grasshoppers devoured Kansas crops, and the Great Potato Fire of January 9, 1875, gutted the interior of Tauy Jones Hall. More crops were planted, however; Tauy Jones Hall was repaired; and the nation turned itself around.

    By the 1890s, the many wooden storefronts were replaced with the brick Victorian buildings that are so prized today—including the Franklin County Courthouse, constructed in 1893.

    Business was booming, and Ottawa had several flour and lumber mills to its name, as well as a foundry, a creamery, plenty of hotels, livery stables, dry goods stores, a fence company, and the international Underwood & Underwood stereoscope photographers. Today, the city enjoys the benefits of several industries, including steel work, cabinetry work, an awards company, sign erection equipment and warehousing, Ottawa Truck, American Eagle, and a Walmart Distribution Center.

    As local commerce grew stronger, cultural

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