This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Westward Move Spurs Russell County Settlement in 1871
In May 1871 the Junction City Union noted settlers flocking to Russell County along the Kansas Pacific railroad. Wisconsin Northwestern Colony at Fossil Creek drew attention as soil quality and land promise attracted dozens, with hundreds more expected. Reports from Topeka described over two hundred families settling, colonies from Ripon Wisconsin and others from Ohio and Pennsylvania forming a promising community. Local boosters praised the Garden of Eden-like site and projected rapid population growth within years.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas State Historical Society
Russell County
Kansas Pacific
Junction City Union
Fort Harker
Ernest Hohneck
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Fossil Creek
Russell
Great Plains
Topeka
Ripon
Fossil
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Bunker Hill
Garden of Eden
Kansas