Muscotah Kansas.

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Muscotah, an incorporated town in Atchison county, is located at the junction of Little Delaware creek and the Delaware river on the Missouri Pacific R. R. in the western part of the county. The name Muscotah means beautiful prairie. The old town of Muscotah, located about two miles northeast of the present town, was laid out by Dr. W. P. Badger and Maj. C. B. Keith in the spring of 1856. The survey was completed in the fall, and Mr. Keith opened the first store about a year later.  In 1867 the Union Pacific railroad purchased the site, of the new town from an Indian. The town was surveyed in the fall of that year, and Mr. Armstrong soon afterward opened a general store, which was followed by other business houses. A number of dwellings were built, a school was established and in the early '70s it was one of the prosperous towns of the county. It is a banking point for the surrounding country, has several general stores, a hotel, hardware and implement houses, blacksmith shop, several churches, a money order postofifice, express and telegraph offices. In 1910 its population was 491.

Post office open December 23, 1861--?

The name Muscotah, of written in Indian style, Musco-tah, signifies "Beautiful Prairie" or "Prairie on Fire." The site of Old Muscotah situated two miles and a half northeast of the present town, was surveyed by Dr. W. P. Badger and Major C. B. Keith, proprietors, who had settled there in the spring of 1856. The survey was completed in the fall of that year, and in 1858, Mr. Keith opened the first store in Muscotah. Dr. Badger located on what afterward became Senator Pomeroy's farm, and succeeded Major Baldwin as Indian Agent, holding the office from 1858 to 1862. In 1867, the Union Pacific road purchased the land which became the site of New Muscotah, from Pe-at-e-quork, and Indian chief, Dr. Badger acting as agent for the railroad. The land was surveyed in the fall of 1867, a Mr. Armstrong establishing the first general store soon afterward. The very earliest settlers of Grasshopper Township, located in 1854 and 1855, along the banks of the Little Grasshopper and its tributaries. The first settlement was made September 28, 1854, by Jacob Reece. Soon afterward came his brother, William, Rufus Gooding, Wilson Allec, William D. Barnett, Alex Wills, Major Baldwin, Andrew and Mack Pate, Barney Cohoon, A. D. Simmons and E. Noland. The first child born of township settlers, although he did not see light of day in this county, was Samuel Reece, September 2, 1855. Samuel Wylie and Miss Tenitia Tenery, were married in 1857, being the first couple in the township so joined. Alex Sharp, an Indian trader, kept the first postoffice in 1858, it being situated nearly in the center of Grasshopper Township. For some time it was thought that the name Grasshopper, applied first to the stream and then to the township, originated from the fact that upon some occasion a great invasion of the winged pest may have occurred. The Kickapoo Indians, however, informed Dr. Badger, that they had never heard of the grasshopper plague, or of a grasshopper raid, until 1865. The true origin of the name is this: During one of the early surveys, Maj. Gunnison's probably, a Frenchman named Sautelle (in English, "Grasshopper,") was drowned at the mouth of the stream, which now bears his name. Kennekuk is a small town containing about fifty people. It is in the northern part of Grasshopper Township, being platted by William H. Wheeler, county surveyor, in June, 1858. The first tavern in the township was opened by Thomas Perry in September, 1857.

Business Men of Muscotah, 1903.

C. Bron, Retired farmer, came to county 1878.

M. T. Gill, came to county 1880.

A. H. Harvey, Banker and farmer, came to county 1874.

S. Heath, Attorney and Real Estate, came to county 1867.

P. T. Laughlin, Farmer and Stock Raiser, came to county 1870.

A. D. Wilcox, Came to county 1877.