A Model City by Col. Edwin C. Manning in Carter's Monthly on January 18, 1870
Collection: Edwin C. Manning
Title
A Model City by Col. Edwin C. Manning in Carter's Monthly on January 18, 1870
Subject
Manning, Edwin C.
Carter's Monthly
Winfield, KS
Cowley, County
Description
Manning tells the history of the deed he received from Chetopah, a chief of the Osage Indian tribe, on January 18, 1870. He also describes how Winfield came to be named after Winfield Scott and the building of his first home.
Creator
Manning, Edwin C.
Source
Carter's Monthly
Publisher
Winfield Public Library, Winfield, KS USA
Date
1870-01-18
Rights
Format
text/plain
Type
Essays
Citation
Manning, Edwin C. , “A Model City by Col. Edwin C. Manning in Carter's Monthly on January 18, 1870,” Winfield Digital Collections, accessed June 23, 2026, https://winfield.digitalsckls.info/item/230.
Text
A MODEL CITY.
By Col. Edwin C. Manning.
Winfield, Cowley Co., Kan.,
Jan. 18, 1870.
Received of E. C. Manning six dol-lars, for which I, Chetopah, a chief of the Osage Indian tribe, guarantee a peaceful and unmolested occupancy of 160 acres of land on the Reservation for one year from date. His
Witness, Chetopah, X
Wm. Connor. mark.
At the above date, Chetopah, aged
about forty years, less in size than medium, pleasant and quiet in man-ner, was chief of the Osages, and William Connor, a young,bright, semi-educated half-breed of romantic origin on the paternal side was his constant companion and in-terpreter. By the above token, the original of which is still in my posses-sion, I obtained immunity from molestation and es-tablished fraternity with that once powerful tribe of In-dians, the Osages.
That “160 acres of land” included what was the original town-site of Winfield, embracing only forty acres, as first platted. The forty “took in’’ the present city’s area lying north of ninth street and west of the east side of Main street. The title to the land was Indian by treaty; its soil, grass, and trees, unmarked by surveyor’s
COL. EDWIN C. MANNING.
chain, spade or ax. Previous to this date, in the same month, I had organ -ized the Winfield Town company and located the line of Main street by the north star at night, determining the magnetic variation by mathematical calculation, there being no compass or transit in the region at the time. The subsequent government survey dis-
closed a variation of only fifteeen min-utes by their es-tablished magnetic meridian.
In October and November of 1861,I constructed a log cabin near the north end of what is now Manning street. In that building the town company was or-ganized in January of 1870. At the suggestion of Mr. W. W. Andrews, the name “Win-field” was adopted; Mr. Andrews, hav-ing just returned from a wagon trip to Leavenworth,
Kansas, where Rev. Winfield Scott, a Baptist, said to him: “If you are go-ing to start a town down there and will give it my name, Winfield, I will come down and build a house of wor-ship for you. We adopted that name, and he came here subsequently and, with some local aid, erected the first house of worship, a stone structure,
100 CARTER'S MONTHLY.
still standing on Church street be-tween Seventh and Eighth streets. In January and February, 1870 I constructed a balloon framed residence on the ground now occupied by the Doane’s lumber yard, at the corner of Manning and Eighth street, the first dwelling house upon the original town site proper, and moved my family there from Manhattan, Kansas.
So much is given in a terse manner
of the very initial steps of the found-ing of Winfield.
The beautiful valley where Winfield now stands, with its wilderness of shade trees; its church spires, colleges and imposing public school buildings; its magnificient business blocks, solid
banks and busy mills; its broad ave-nues, and eighty miles of flagstone sidewalks; its busy citizens and bud-ding youth; its ambitious men and literary women, was, in September 1869, an undulating expanse of grass, unmarked by wagon track or foot-man’s trail.
“Nor tree, nor shrub, nor hut was near
The lonely traveler to cheer.”
COL. H. C. LOOMIS, MAYOR OF WINFIELD.
At that date, the fall of 1869, the claims now occupied by the city of Winfield were bounded by imaginary lines, enclosing one half mile square of land each, the corners of which were marked by stakes. Mr. A. A. Jackson located the claim east of, and
Original Format
Paper
Title
A Model City by Col. Edwin C. Manning in Carter's Monthly on January 18, 1870
Subject
Manning, Edwin C.
Carter's Monthly
Winfield, KS
Cowley, County
Description
Manning tells the history of the deed he received from Chetopah, a chief of the Osage Indian tribe, on January 18, 1870. He also describes how Winfield came to be named after Winfield Scott and the building of his first home.
Creator
Manning, Edwin C.
Source
Carter's Monthly
Publisher
Winfield Public Library, Winfield, KS USA
Date
1870-01-18
Rights
Format
text/plain
Type
Essays
Citation
Manning, Edwin C. , “A Model City by Col. Edwin C. Manning in Carter's Monthly on January 18, 1870,” Winfield Digital Collections, accessed June 23, 2026, https://winfield.digitalsckls.info/item/230.Text
A MODEL CITY.
By Col. Edwin C. Manning.
Winfield, Cowley Co., Kan.,
Jan. 18, 1870.
Received of E. C. Manning six dol-lars, for which I, Chetopah, a chief of the Osage Indian tribe, guarantee a peaceful and unmolested occupancy of 160 acres of land on the Reservation for one year from date. His
Witness, Chetopah, X
Wm. Connor. mark.
At the above date, Chetopah, aged
about forty years, less in size than medium, pleasant and quiet in man-ner, was chief of the Osages, and William Connor, a young,bright, semi-educated half-breed of romantic origin on the paternal side was his constant companion and in-terpreter. By the above token, the original of which is still in my posses-sion, I obtained immunity from molestation and es-tablished fraternity with that once powerful tribe of In-dians, the Osages.
That “160 acres of land” included what was the original town-site of Winfield, embracing only forty acres, as first platted. The forty “took in’’ the present city’s area lying north of ninth street and west of the east side of Main street. The title to the land was Indian by treaty; its soil, grass, and trees, unmarked by surveyor’s
COL. EDWIN C. MANNING.
chain, spade or ax. Previous to this date, in the same month, I had organ -ized the Winfield Town company and located the line of Main street by the north star at night, determining the magnetic variation by mathematical calculation, there being no compass or transit in the region at the time. The subsequent government survey dis-
closed a variation of only fifteeen min-utes by their es-tablished magnetic meridian.
In October and November of 1861,I constructed a log cabin near the north end of what is now Manning street. In that building the town company was or-ganized in January of 1870. At the suggestion of Mr. W. W. Andrews, the name “Win-field” was adopted; Mr. Andrews, hav-ing just returned from a wagon trip to Leavenworth,
Kansas, where Rev. Winfield Scott, a Baptist, said to him: “If you are go-ing to start a town down there and will give it my name, Winfield, I will come down and build a house of wor-ship for you. We adopted that name, and he came here subsequently and, with some local aid, erected the first house of worship, a stone structure,
100 CARTER'S MONTHLY.
still standing on Church street be-tween Seventh and Eighth streets. In January and February, 1870 I constructed a balloon framed residence on the ground now occupied by the Doane’s lumber yard, at the corner of Manning and Eighth street, the first dwelling house upon the original town site proper, and moved my family there from Manhattan, Kansas.
So much is given in a terse manner
of the very initial steps of the found-ing of Winfield.
The beautiful valley where Winfield now stands, with its wilderness of shade trees; its church spires, colleges and imposing public school buildings; its magnificient business blocks, solid
banks and busy mills; its broad ave-nues, and eighty miles of flagstone sidewalks; its busy citizens and bud-ding youth; its ambitious men and literary women, was, in September 1869, an undulating expanse of grass, unmarked by wagon track or foot-man’s trail.
“Nor tree, nor shrub, nor hut was near
The lonely traveler to cheer.”
COL. H. C. LOOMIS, MAYOR OF WINFIELD.
At that date, the fall of 1869, the claims now occupied by the city of Winfield were bounded by imaginary lines, enclosing one half mile square of land each, the corners of which were marked by stakes. Mr. A. A. Jackson located the claim east of, and
Original Format
Paper