— Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, society president
The 1960 Valley Falls Senior Class of graduates represented a century of progress in the city and Jefferson County schools.
In 1860, Jefferson County reported 20 school districts. Five of them were in Grasshopper Township (later Delaware Township, city of Valley Falls).
It was not until 1886 that the first high school class was graduated. It consisted of four girls — Maud Myers, Cora Cowen, Elizabeth Fox, and Nelia Hayward.
Almost six-years-old in June 1860, the Grasshopper Falls Gazette lauded the village improvements with the following:
“It is cheering to the heart of everyone identified with the interests of our section of the county, to note the enterprise which is this season being manifested in the line of buildings, fencing, painting, and beautifying of our streets and public grounds.
“Already Grasshopper Falls has an actual population of 400 to 500 persons . . . the present season has brought amongst us many more families, who are stowed away two, three and four in every house. Dwellings are rapidly going up, and many are now making arrangements to build the coming summer and fall. Three residences have been completed within the past three weeks, and eight more are at present in process of erection.
“The only church in Jefferson County looms up upon our town site, and the tones of its bell vibrate through space that has not resounded no other chime than this.
“Our large merchants’ flouring mill — our hotel arrivals are constantly increasing — our merchants are enlarging their storehouses and stocks of merchandise — our schools are constantly augmenting in numbers, and the only free bridge on Grasshopper River will be completed this summer at this place at a cost of five thousand dollars.
“These are facts which must be cheering to every faint heart and tell of the brilliant destiny before us . . .”
— an added half century begets borrowing the popular phrase, “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby.”
Daleen Senn and Mary Maxfield will be museum hosts Saturday, May 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
May 18, 2010
May 05, 2010
Grasshopper Falls in April and May 1874
—Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, VFHS president.
The life and times of Grasshopper Falls 20 years after being founded Dec. 25, 1854, the Kansas New Era reports from 1874:
A few items featured in the April and May editions in the language of the editor and assistants included the weather, always a contender for top billing:
“Last Friday morning at 5 o’clock, not a cloud was to be seen. The stars shone with their usual brillancy; but by half past five, the sky was overspread with heavy clouds and the snow was coming down at a fearful rate; at half past seven, it ceased snowing and we measured the depth and found it to be four inches.
“We put up Kansas against the world for doing things in a hurry. During the forepart of the week, we had a man making garden for us, planting potatoes, onions, peas, and all such little things. We would received it as a favor if some scientific gardener would let us know whether such falls are beneficial to newly made gardens.”
“Pete, the irrepressible barber who has been engaged all winter in mowing beards in the Broadway Barber Shop has left us. Our loss is a gain of two for Winchester.”
“The ranks of marriageble young men of our city are being fast depleted by the winsome lasses who capture and bind them in the bonds of matrimony when they will.”
“Our streets are daily lined with the white-sheeted wagons of the immigrants seeking a home in Kansas.”
“The days for picnicing and boat riding, etc., have arrived and Henry Coy, in order to have as much enjoyment as anyone, has had a very fine boat built that will glide over the placid waters of the Grasshopper and carry safely a dozen persons.”
“Take notice: All hogs found running at large on and after 2nd day of May, 1874, will be taken up by the marshal, J.R. Best, City Clerk.”
“Kind and patient reader, we are about to unfold a tale — a narrative a statement — a history of personal wrongs which we have endured and suffered until we were compelled to arise and explain. On last Sunday night, one of our brightest Sunday school scholars put on the seat in church where we were about to sit and attentively listen to words of gospel truth (and the tale is of the same) a pin, bent in such a fashion as only a good little boy knows how to bend one, and we sat down on it. Ordinarily we have perfect control of our feelings, but on this occasion, we gave vent to an expression which we sincerely hope is not recorded against us and then occupied another seat. Sunday school books tell us good boys die young. This is our only consolation and we patiently await the fulfillment of the prophecy.”
Frank and Edie Shrimplin will be hosts at the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8.
The life and times of Grasshopper Falls 20 years after being founded Dec. 25, 1854, the Kansas New Era reports from 1874:
A few items featured in the April and May editions in the language of the editor and assistants included the weather, always a contender for top billing:
“Last Friday morning at 5 o’clock, not a cloud was to be seen. The stars shone with their usual brillancy; but by half past five, the sky was overspread with heavy clouds and the snow was coming down at a fearful rate; at half past seven, it ceased snowing and we measured the depth and found it to be four inches.
“We put up Kansas against the world for doing things in a hurry. During the forepart of the week, we had a man making garden for us, planting potatoes, onions, peas, and all such little things. We would received it as a favor if some scientific gardener would let us know whether such falls are beneficial to newly made gardens.”
“Pete, the irrepressible barber who has been engaged all winter in mowing beards in the Broadway Barber Shop has left us. Our loss is a gain of two for Winchester.”
“The ranks of marriageble young men of our city are being fast depleted by the winsome lasses who capture and bind them in the bonds of matrimony when they will.”
“Our streets are daily lined with the white-sheeted wagons of the immigrants seeking a home in Kansas.”
“The days for picnicing and boat riding, etc., have arrived and Henry Coy, in order to have as much enjoyment as anyone, has had a very fine boat built that will glide over the placid waters of the Grasshopper and carry safely a dozen persons.”
“Take notice: All hogs found running at large on and after 2nd day of May, 1874, will be taken up by the marshal, J.R. Best, City Clerk.”
“Kind and patient reader, we are about to unfold a tale — a narrative a statement — a history of personal wrongs which we have endured and suffered until we were compelled to arise and explain. On last Sunday night, one of our brightest Sunday school scholars put on the seat in church where we were about to sit and attentively listen to words of gospel truth (and the tale is of the same) a pin, bent in such a fashion as only a good little boy knows how to bend one, and we sat down on it. Ordinarily we have perfect control of our feelings, but on this occasion, we gave vent to an expression which we sincerely hope is not recorded against us and then occupied another seat. Sunday school books tell us good boys die young. This is our only consolation and we patiently await the fulfillment of the prophecy.”
Frank and Edie Shrimplin will be hosts at the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8.
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