Miss Ring: part 2

—compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, society president, from the New Era.


Bostonian Miss Lydia Maria Ring, accompanied by her escort (presumably her brother-in-law to whom she referred as “our relative” or “our brother” or even the “tormentor”) as they neared her sister’s home, was assured she would see the falls in all their glory and grandeur.

Miss Ring wrote, “He (the escort) said, ‘You will soon have the pleasure of seeing them and I guess you can hear them roar.’ Upon arriving at the river we were shocked to know that we had to ford so large a stream one half mile in width.

When half across the river (or brook we would have called it at home) the horses came to a sudden halt.

‘Now,’ said he. At the same time stepping up on the wagon seat and striking a tragic attitude. ‘Behold! And admire the wonderful majestic work of our creator.’


Was it himself he was so anxious for us to admire? We came to that conclusion, for he seemed to us as one of the curiosities of the country.

‘There,’ said he, pointing to what appeared a dam with very little water trickling silently over it. ‘Do you not see the falls?’

‘What? That little dam! Are those the grand falls you have been so enthusiastic about? That insignificant little dam?’

‘Don’t be profane or irreverent, Madam.’

We thought how nice and refreshing it will be when we get to our sister’s pleasant, roomy and airy farm house. At last the horses made a sudden halt at what we called a haystack and in the center of it a light that we mistook for a fire and exclaimed, ‘The hay is on fire!’

‘Well,’ said our tormentor, ‘You just get down from there and we will try to put it out.’ ”

Miss Ring had arrived at her sister’s farm house. She described the cabin home.

“It was one very large room with a cooking stove on one side and a large stone fireplace with a flat stone hearth in the other. We came to enjoy all such a country and surroundings could bestow.

The entertainment which caused us the most sincere emotions at the time, was sleeping under a thatched roof! Thought it romantic to look out between chinks in our cabin and count stars and planets and to watch the moon moving in soundless splendor. But such a change one night long to be remembered. The storm and darkness was wondrous strong, but not to us lovely in its strength, for we were awakened from pleasant dreams by water, discolored by smoke and dirt, coming in upon us and the only alternative was to take a milk pan to place under the drippings.

Another little jet made itself felt until six jets and as many pans prepared for them. Even small space was invaded and we called out, ‘What shall I do?’ Then the voice of ‘that man,’ ‘Hold on, guess I must get you an umbrella.’ Which he did.

What was the more vexatious, his laughter resounded through the cabin. . . it was laughable and much more ludicrous to see him dancing about the cabin between jets, but we will insist to this day that it was very ungallant to make himself so merry at our transfixed position.”

Next, the preparation and move to Grasshopper Falls and subsequent adventures

The Valley Falls Historical Society Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 26.

Miss Ring: Boston to Valley Falls

—by Betty Jane Wilson, society president. (Information taken from the Jefferson County Historical Society’s Yesteryears.)


“Those having the experience of teaching in a new country know that the facilities for teaching successfully would seem almost impossible.”

Words of experience form Lydia Maria Ring, first public school teacher of Grasshopper Falls.

Miss Ring, an extremely literate Bostonian, proved herself a true Valley Falls (Grasshopper Falls) pioneer through a series of columns on her life and travels through Kansas that appeared frequently in the Valley Falls New Era, a predecessor to the Vindicator.

Beginning in March 1878, apparently intrigued by glowing tales of the new territory, Miss Ring wrote, “Left Boston ‘Dear Old Hub’ in April 1858 for the fertile soil and saubrius climate of Kansas.”

Although Miss Ring used the journalistic terms “We, ourselves, etc.,” she evidently traveled alone.

She continued, “We were not favorably impressed upon our first arrival. We landed at Leavenworth late at night, during a pouring rain and not a carriage, dray or even a truck was at the wharf to take ourself or baggage to a place of security, so we were obliged to accept the protection of a stranger as an escort to a hotel, which was the old Shawnee House on Shawnee Street.”

Miss Ring had to bang loudly and persistently to arouse the host only to find no rooms available, including the parlor, which was filled with men. The host routed the men grumbling that it was a shame to disturb so many men for “only one woman.”

Two days later her sister Adaline’s husband, W.C. Hicks, arrived to take her to her new home. Relating the trip, Miss Ring wrote, “The trip to Grasshopper Falls was made in a large lumber wagon. It seemed immense, but it required immense vehicles and immense horses to get through such immense mud! Suppose we should say ‘rich soil.’ We were convinced of newspaper accounts of richness and depth of soil when our wagon wheels were immersed nearly to the hub and the horses knee deep in rich black mud — No! Soil!”

According to Miss Ring, “There were many ludicrous mishaps, jests and not a little merriment at our ignorance as well as readiness to believe the many false representations and glowing descriptions of what we would see and enjoy after a long hard day’s ride. We arrived upon the brow of  a hill where we took our first view of Grasshopper Falls. [We] had been told it was a large and flourishing place; and when we said, ‘Do you call that a big town?’ with much gravity, our relative exclaimed, ‘Oh, that is only the suburb you see. It will soon be dark and you will probably not see the town tonight.’

“We then asked, ‘Shall we not see the falls either?’ Answer, ‘Oh, yes, we are not far from them. Do you not hear  them  roar?’ Meekly, we said, ‘No.’ ”

Part II tells of fording the stream and the revelation of grandeur and roar of falls, town of Grasshopper Falls, and sister’s farm house.