Marshall County, Kansas Extinct Towns

An old bridge in Marshall County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

An old bridge in Marshall County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

“Years ago, there was scarcely a vestige of civilization in what is now known as Marshall County. For untold ages its prairies had been covered with a waving sea of wild grasses; vast herds of buffalo had, for numberless years, wandered almost unmolested across them. Nothing disturbed its solitude.”

— William G. Cutler, 1883

Extinct Towns:

Marshall County, Kansas Map by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887.

Marshall County, Kansas Map by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887.

“It takes three log houses to make a city in Kansas, but they begin calling it a city as soon as they have staked out the lots.”
— Horace Greeley

More Extinct Towns

Town Post Office Dates Additional Information
Afton 1893-1898
1900-1901
Afton was located ten miles southwest of Marysville.
Ash Point None Ash Point was a stage station on the Overland Trail between Seneca and Guittard Station. It was located a few miles north of where Axtell now stands.
Ayersville None Ayersville, a village or feed station in 1855, was 20 miles south of the Nebraska line on the Little Blue River, probably at or near where Cedar Falls was located.
Bennett’s Station 1858-1859 Probably at the home of Moses Bennett on Coon Creek, where he kept a feed and supply station.
Black Vermillion Crossing None On the Oregon Trail. Louis Tremble corduroy toll bridge and blacksmith c1850-56. In 1860, it was reported that the Big Vermillion toll bridge tallied an average of 75 wagon trains per day, mostly ox teams.
Blanchville 1871-1879 The post office was named for Horatio Blanchard, the postmaster, and early settler. It was located on the northeast corner of section 22 in Walnut township.
Cedar Falls None It was located 2.5 miles northwest of Waterville on the Little Blue River. In 1858, William Pearsoll built a combination grist and sawmill at Cedar Falls, later acquired by Rufus R. Edwards of Marysville. There is nothing left of this mill.
Cottage Hill None Cottage Hill was laid out before 1872 but never had a post office. It was located in Section 22 of the Cottage Hill Township.
Elizabeth 1868-1872 Located one mile northeast of Bigelow, there was a feed and supply station near Inman’s Quarries. It was on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
Elm Creek 1874-1893 A post office was located on south Elm Creek at the home of John Means, postmaster, and early settler.
Ewing None Ewing was located three miles west of Vermillion. It was named for the Ewing family.
Fairland 1863-1869
Gertrude None Founded January 2, 1861, vacated 1864. It was one mile northwest of Marysville on the hilltop, west of the mill. It consisted of a small frame house where its owner sold “necessaries” to the emigrants.
Granite Falls/Marble Falls None Established on the Little Blue River near the mouth of Fawn Creek on section 24 in Waterville Township. Marble Falls was established in 1867 by Judge Lewis, father of Mrs. E. A. Berry of Waterville. When the railroad was located at Waterville, the buildings were moved from Marble Falls to Waterville.
Heasleyville None A stage station in Center Township, named for Jerry Heasley, a stage driver, and early-day “character.”
Independence Crossing None A trading post six miles south of Marysville in 1848, located at the point where General John C. Fremont forded the Blue River in 1842 and where the Mormons crossed in later years.
Kantanyan None Kantanyan was probably located where California Trail left Marshall county.
Lagrange 1875-1901 Located in the southeastern part of the county, about 21 miles from Marysville, it had 25 inhabitants in 1910 and received its mail from Frankfort. The post office was located in section 21 of Clearfork Township.
Lanesburgh 1863-1868 Also called Lanesburg or Lanes Crossing, it was on the Big Blue River between Irving and Blue Rapids.
Manley 1881-1890
Marble Falls None This settlement was established in 1867 by Judge Lewis, the father of Mrs. E. A. Berry of Waterville. When the railroad located Waterville, the buildings of Marble Falls were moved there.
Merrimac 1859-1862 Merrimac was located ten miles southeast of Irving in 1858, but it was abandoned in 1864. However, the Merrimac schoolhouse remained for some years.
New Dayton 1858-1860 New Dayton was located northeast of Barrett, but it was never much of a town.
Nottingham 1857-1869 Nottingham was the site of the second post office established in Marshall County in August 1857. It was located on the homestead of D.C. Auld, section 23, Vermillion Township, in 1857. Name change to to Frankfort in December 1869.
Ohio City None Ohio City was located in 1855 on the quarter section joining Barrett on the southwest.
Otoe None A stage station on the Oketo cutoff on the Otoe Indian reserve.
Palmetto None Palmetto, incorporated in 1857, was the north half of Marysville.
Raemer Creek 1873-1874 It was named for the Raemer Brothers, early permanent settlers. It was located at or near Herkimer.
Reedsville/Heaslyville 1870-1902 A post office in Center Township named for Allen Reed, postmaster, keeper of a store, and prominent settler. The name changed from Heaslyville to Reedsville in 1873.
Schroyer 1889-1918 Founded in 1886 by settlers named Shroyer. After a sign painter inserted a “c” by mistake on the sign for the depot, the railroad refused to correct it. Located on the Union Pacific Railroad, it had express and telegraph offices, a post office, some general stores, and a population of 82 in 1910. Nothing remains of the town now but the depot sign mounted on poles by the road. The site itself is private property. About 7/10 mile north of Alcove Spring on the East River Road. It was located six miles south of Marysville.
Stolzenbach 1875-1891 A post office was located in section 1, Balderson Township, at the home of Peter Merklinghaus.
Swede Creek/Pleasant Hill 1875-1895 Swede Creek was located one mile north of Cottage Hill in Cottage Hill Township.
Taos 1883-1885

Located where Salem Lutheran Church now stands in east Marshall County. W. F. Robinson was the first postmaster.

Thomas 1897-1900 Located in the extreme southwest part of the county, 18 miles from Marysville, it had a population of 40 in 1910 and received its mail by rural route from Waterville.
Vermillion City 1856-1859 Located near where Vermillion Creek empties into the Big Blue River.
Wells 1878-1884 Named for John D. Wells, the earliest permanent settler in the county. It was a post office in Wells township, and John D. Wells was the postmaster.
Westella 1883-1886 It was located seven miles north of Beattie.
White’s Quarry None White’s Quarry was located on a branch of Spring Creek. It was a stone quarry used by the railroad in the early 1870s but never had more than a few tents and a shack. It was located southwest of Home City.
Wyoming 1862-1901 Located in the extreme southeastern part of the county, 24 miles from Marysville, the population in 1910 was 27 and received its mail by a rural route from Frankfort.

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated October 2022.

Also See:

Kansas History

Marshall County, Kansas

Marshall County Photo Gallery

Places & Destinations

Pony Express

Sources:

Back Roads Touring – Broken Link
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Cutler, William G; History of Kansas; A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883.
Forter, Emma Elizabeth Calderhead; History of Marshall County, Kansas: Its People, Industries, and Institutions; B.F. Bowen, 1917.
Kansas Historical Society
Marshall County, Kansas
National Park Service
Wikipedia