PRAIRIE CITY
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PRAIRIE CITY |
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NAME: Prairie City COUNTY: Douglas ROADS: 2WD GRID: 3 CLIMATE: Hot in the summer and snow in the winter. BEST TIME TO VISIT: October during the Baldwin Maple Leaf Festival. |
COMMENTS:
I am not sure if there are current residents as it has been years since I have been to the area. The remains of the town is located about 1-1/2 miles west and a bit south of Baldwin, Kansas. REMAINS: Stone exterior walls and foundations. |
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Http://kcsun4.Kcstar.Com/schools/baldwinelementary/prairie.Htm digital history....Prairie city was a small and short-lived town, although it was (and still is) an important part of Baldwin history. Prairie City was a town from 1855 to 1883, even though the first building was built in early spring 1854, by Edward Goldsmith. The town was formed from a disagreement of Dr. William Graham and Henry Barricklow of Palmyra. The dispute forced Dr. Graham and his associate L.F. Green to move 2 miles southwest of Palmyra. Prairie City was founded by James Lane, Dr. Graham, L.F. Green, and Salmon S. Prouty (who used the first printing-press in kansas). Prairie City consisted of 320 acres and was called "the little italy of america." The 10 acre Eden Park was called the Eden of Kansas. Once, prairie city had 25 houses, 2 churches, 1 school, 4 stores, 1 hotel, 1 depot, 1 grain mill, 1 bakery, 2 blacksmiths, 1 park, 1 newspaper, 2 doctors, 1 leather shop, a limestone quarry, and a saw mill. Prairie City once had hopes for a college, but the Herber Institute failed before it opened, and later served as a church school for boys. Prairie City had many things to boast about. It had the first printing press in Kansas and it claims to be one of the highest points in Douglas county, Liberty Hill. On march 24, 1883, the county commissioners had certain streets and alleys vacated. The remaining part of Prairie City was fifty percent or 160 acres of what was originally the townsite. Submitted by: Robert L. Dyer CORRECTION: I want to thank you for having Prairie City, Kansas as one of your covered ghost towns. I am writing my husbands genealogy, he is the gg-grandson of Dr. William Graham one of the founders of Prairie City. I found your web-site about 3 years ago and was grateful for the information. During my research I noticed all web-sites attributed the founding of Prairie City to James Lane, Dr. William Graham, I. F. Green and Salmon S. Prouty. I have an ancestors family memoir that says L. (Louis) F. Green was one of the founders. Figuring the family memoir I had was wrong, I looked for both men, could not find anything on I. F. but lots about L. F. Green. I found Capt. Louis (Lewis) Fisher Green aka L. F. Green and Dr. William Graham in the same church at Palmyra, Kansas in July 1855. Land, census and Civil War records place L. F. in Prairie City well into the 1870's.
When I couldn't find anything about I. F. Green, I realized there was an error somewhere, that just keeps being repeated. I didn't notice (or remember) it when I saw your page on P. C. before, but today I was really looking. The sketch you have of PC has lower case letters where there should be capital letters, as in "james lane, dr. Graham" and wouldn't you know it L. F. Green is "l. F. Green", with a lower case "L" that looks like an "I" if you're not paying attention and "salmon s Prouty". Wikipedia lists the four founders in the exact order you have printed them with Green being "I. F. Greene".
It is clear to me now that L. F. Green was one of the founders of Prairie City, not I. F. Green. Would it be possible for you to add a comment drawing everyone's attention to the error? I thought maybe you should just change the lower case letters to caps, but.... if this is the way the sketch was sent to you, I suspect you must honor it? Especially since I know people quote you. How do you correct something that has been repeated over and over; in the Wikipedia page about Prairie City, in ancestry.com family trees and find a grave.com memorials, on web sites about Prairie City. The correction must start somewhere, let it be with us....
Your sketch of Prairie City also mentions Dr. Graham and Henry Berricklow had an argument that caused Graham and Green to leave Palmyra and found Prairie City 2 miles away. I can find nothing about the argument. Do you have any further info regarding it. I notice the source for your info is Robert L. Dyer. Did Dyer give you any further info. I am currently looking for his books. I recently spoke to a member of the Santa Fe Trail Historical Society in Baldwin City, KS. Marvin was not familiar with the "argument" and his family has lived near PC since 1854. He used to give tours through the ghost town. Marvin is sending me a copy of "Prairie City: Douglas Co, Kansas..." by Geo. H. Butell. Maybe that will answer some questions. If I find out what they argued about I will let you know. If you find out I would really appreciate knowing.
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance. Respectfully, Anna Dunlap |
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