Spreading propaganda
A writer in a town-boosting booklet for Marion, printed in 1888, showed he was far ahead of his times in knowledge of the art of ballyhoo, when he wrote the following:
"Marion county, the subject of this Handbook, and a county for natural wealth of soil and scenic beauty, has few equals and no superior in the Sunflower State. Marion county has an area of 954 square miles, or little less than the State of Rhode Island.
"The pioneer settlement dates back to 1858 when Moses Shane built the first cabin and turned the first furrow near the present site of Florence. A few months later Thos. J. Wise, settled on Clear Creek; Patrick Doyle settled on Doyle Creek and the same year a trading post was established at Long Spring, on the Santa Fe Trail (Note: Was this Lost Springs?), John Brenot settled on Brenot Creek (now corrupted to Bruno creek) in the east part of the county in the same year.
"In the late autumn of 1859 the Messrs. Moore established Moore's Ranch on the upper Cottonwood at a point now widely known as Durham Park.
"In 1860 Wm. H. Billings made a settlement on the present site of Marion in the midst of one of the finest natural parks in Kansas and George Griffith located a half mile below, in the midst of scarcely less delightful surrounding. Wm. Shreve and Wm. Carter settled on Clear Creek the same season. Mr. J.H. Costello came the same year.
"In 1861 the pioneer post offices of Marion county were established, at Moore's Ranch and Lost Springs, A.A. Moore serving as postmaster at the former place and J.H. Costello at the latter. The next post office in order was established in the fall of 1862 at Marion Centre with W.H. Billings as postmaster.
"In the spring of 1861 the state legislature organized the township of Marion and attached it for judicial purposes to Chase Co.
"The summer of 1862 chronicled the first death in the county and the following winter the first birth. The total population of the county at that time was only fifty-five and but twenty-seven acres of land in actual cultivation.
"The first 4th of July celebration occurred in 1868. The first public school was organized in 1864.
"On the formal organization of the county in 1865 W.H. Billings T.J. Wise Sr. and Levi Billings were appointed county commissioners and R.C. Coble, county clerk.
"At the first regular election held in August 1865, W.H. Billings was elected Judge of Probate; R.C. Coble, County Clerk; J.C. Snow, Sheriff; W.P. Shreve, County Surveyor; R.C. Coble, Register of Deeds; A.A. Moore, County Treasurer; Levi Billings, Superintendent of Public Schools; W.H. Billings, T.J. Wise and Levi Billings, County Commissioners. The first general election was held the following November.
"On the organization of Marion Centre which like the county was named in honor of Gen. Francis Marion, of Revolutionary fame, was designated as the county seat. Only 200 acres of land was in cultivation and the total population of the county in 1865 was 162.
"In November 1866 Marion Centre was formally laid out and the first session of the District Court was held here in May 1867.
"Through all these years of pioneering, the settlers were more or less annoyed by Indian raids and depredations and often gathered together in the strongholds of Marion Centre and other points for protection from the savages.
"The nearest grist mill was 50 miles away and provisions and merchandise were hauled from equally distant places.
"In 1869 the tide of immigration flowed in with strong volume and all parts of the county were more or less occupied with a good class of settlers.
"In September 1869 A.W. Robinson founded the pioneer newspaper at Marion Centre and christened it the Western News (later the Record. Mr. Robinson is still connected with a newspaper at LaCrosse, Kansas.)
In 1870 the population had increased to 768 and civilization was fairly and firmly planted in this fairest and most fertile of all the counties of Kansas.
"Of the 600 who were gathered on the old Marion Centre town site in those glad summer days of 1876, I well remember Case & Billings, then as now (1888) the oldest land and loan brokers in central Kansas; Maj. Thos. Bown was the County Clerk and E.R. Trenner his deputy; Hon. Sam T. Howe, late state treasurer was then Clerk of the District Court; Judge H.V.R. Wilmot, president in the Probate Court and H.T. Martin was deputy sheriff; E.H. Grimes was deputy Treasurer. Frank Doster, the leading legal attorney is now the Honored Judge Doster of the District Court. E.A. Hodges was Register of Deeds, Hon. R.M. Crane now the popular State Senator from this district, had just come down from Madison, Wis., and hung out his shingle. Mrs. J.M. Sharon (a beautiful name and a most estimable lady) was County Superintendent and Dr. Jos. N. Hannaford was just on the "rising tide" of his profession. E.W. Hoch was well under way with the Marion County Record which himself and his brother have made one of the model country journals of Kansas and Uncle Jack Costello was mayor.
"Dr. J.N. Rogers now the honored representative of the county in the State Legislature was dispensing quinine to the lowland settlers and W.R. Clark was a ranking farmer and stockman. W.H. Billings lived and loved in the midst of his beloved orchards and groves. J.H. Corbett was the then live liveryman of the city and brought this nomadic person up the radiant Cottonwood Valley to the prettiest of all the towns between Topeka and the snowy range.
"J.S. Wise was selling groceries, J.R. Sullenger was a general merchant, and J. Ward had recently come from Germany to hunt buffalo and liked the country well enough to settle down to the drug trade. Battey Brothers were in the hardware trade and Henry Kable who had a smile for everybody was in contracting and building. F. Bower was the obliging postmaster and Mrs. Tamjet, a well-bred French lady was growing rich in the millinery and fancy goods trade. Charley Wise was running a livery stable and my genial host Judge Frazer of the Frazer House was telling entertaining stories of "Lang Syne."
The booklet was replete with wood cuts, several of which are printed in this edition, having been in the Record office since 1888
