Garden Plain Kansas.

Garden Plain was a interesting town to research.  Garden Plain, is in Sedgwick county in Garden Plain Township, Section 31  On the county map it would be in Township 27-south and Range 3-west-Section 31.  I found it hard to tell when the town started it seems that there were settlers in the area as early as 1875, as thats when the Postoffice open.  The Postoffice open August 19, 1875 and ran to January 25, 1881.  Then it close then reopen January 1, 1883 and is still open in 1961.

 

Even though there were settlers in the area you would never know it, the earliest plat map I could find was for 1882.  The Postoffice was not on the County or Township maps.  I have research a lot of Kansas towns and when ever there was a Postoffice whether it was in the township or town it was always shown on the map, but not in this case.  The only other plat map I could find that shows Garden Plain on it was in 1905.  Garden Plain was not plated till 1883, and was incorporated into a town in 1902.

 

Business men who used Garden Pllain as their P. O., address as of 1883.

 

SIMEON CLARK, farmer, Section 27, P. O. Garden Plain, was born in Kentucky in 1826, and when a boy removed to Missouri, from whence he soon after went to Greene County, Ill., where he remained two years and then located in Pike County, same State, where he pre-empted a farm, which he cultivated for three years, when, leaving the farm in charge of his mother, he went to Quincy, where, for a period of twenty-two years, he was in the employ of Van Dorn & Co., occupying the position of foreman in their large saw mills, when he left to come to Kansas. Mr. Clark was married in 1850 to Miss Susan Wilson, who died in 1855, leaving one child - James W., now residing in Galesburg, Ill. January 18, 1877, he married his present consort, Miss Mary M. Reed, of Mobile, Ala., who has borne him three children, the only one now surviving being William A. J. Clark, who was born in Quincy, Ill., October 3, 1857, and who now resides with his parents upon the farm. Mr. Clark came to Kansas in September, 1873, and after a residence of eighteen months in Wichita, located upon his present homestead, containing 160 acres, 100 of which are under cultivation, with a good average grain yield. In early life he learned the trade of a carpenter, at which he still continues to work, being assisted in the management of the farm by his youngest son. March 22, 1865, Mr. C. enlisted at Grand Rapids, Mich., and was soon afterwards transferred to Company F, Thirty-eighth Virginia Volunteers, and after a year's active service was discharged at Brazos, Santiago, Texas, his term of service having expired, and received honorable mention from his commanding officer for his excellent soldierly qualities. February 9, 1883, Mrs. Clark was appointed Postmistress, of Garden Plain Office. Mr. Clark and family are among the pioneer settlers of this township, there being but two other families here upon their arrival and only one of whom now resides in the Township. Mr. Clark is a member of the A., F. & A. M., and of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

J. S. PIPKIN, farmer, Section 28, P. O. Garden Plain, was born in Madison County, West Tenn., in 1841, his father, Lewis C. Pipkin, and his mother, Mary E. Pipkin, being natives of that State. Mr. Pipkin is descended from a race of farmers, and from his youth has followed the ancestral vocation. In 1846, he moved to Graves County, Ky., where he continued to reside until his removal to Kansas in 1876, this being his first location, purchasing his farm, which had then been slightly improved, and built his residence the same year, which was destroyed by fire the following year; but, undismayed, he at once rebuilt upon a larger scale, and now has a fine frame residence. In October, 1850, he married Miss Susan C. Dockins, of Tennessee, who has borne him five children, four of whom are now living, viz.: Henry N. (born September 3, 1852), Jonas R. (born January 7, 1855), Mary L. (December 21, 1860), Alice (January 17, 1864). In 1863, the Confederates endeavored to make him join their ranks, which he absolutely refused to do; and although being a strong Union man, was averse to becoming engaged in warfare against his friends and neighbors, and so remained neutral. His farm of 160 acres contains eighty acres under cultivation, with an average yield of wheat sixteen and corn thirty bushels per acre. He has a fine orchard of his own planting, containing 500 peach, 100 apple and a variety of other fruits. He has also 1,500 forest trees, chiefly cottonwood, box elder and mulberry. He has held the office of Treasurer of the township, having been elected in 1881; and has also been a Director of the School Board of his district; and is a member of the A., F & A. M. His farm, which is one of the best cultivated in the township, is situated upon the south side of the Medicine Lodge road, is called Fancy Farm, and by it s appearance of neatness, industry and prosperity at once strikes the eye of the traveler.

Business men who used Garden Plain as their P. O., address as of 1905.

George Beltz, Farmer and Syock Raiser, came to county 1885.

Joseph Buchholz, Farmer, came to county 1892.

Bernard Cordes, Farmer, came to county 1886.

J. B. Garnett, Farmer and Stock Raiser, came to county 1880.

Henry Kerr, Farmer and Stock Raiser, came to county1887.

John Kersehen, Farmer and Stock Raiser, came to county 1880.

John Jr. Kiefner, Drugs, Grain and Real Estate, came to county 1884.

John Leis, Farmer and Stock Raiser, came to county 1879.

J. Meredith, Farmer and Stock Raiser, came to county 1886.

E. C. Pittenger, Manager W. D. Pond & Co., came to county 1879.

R. E. Shipley, Farmer, came to county 1877.

Henry Speer, Farmer, came to county 1897.

Jacob Stuhlsatz, Farmer, came to county 1890.

B. or R. Webber, Farmer, came to county 1880.

 



History of Garden Plain as given in 1910.

 

Garden Plain sprang into being upon the building of the Wickita & Western railroad from Wichita to Kingman.

Its citizenship is made up largely of a thrifty German population, who own fine farms in its vicinity. Garden Plain, situated midway between Cheney and Goddard, on the Santa Fe, Wichita & Western branch, twenty-one miles west of Wichita, is an ideal place to live. The environments are delightful and the climate agreeable. The little city has a population of about 350, and has some of the finest store buildings in the county. It is an old town, having been in existence for over a quarter of a century. The little town has three large and well stocked general merchandise stores, one exceptionally large hardware store, one large drug store, one livery stable, one hotel, one bank, one lumber yard, two elevators, one millinery store, two meat markets, one restaurant, three churches and large and commodious school house, which is practically new. The bank has the largest deposits of any town its size in the state, and is constantly increasing them. The stockholders are all influential farmers and business men of the community and men who have lived there the
greater part of their lives. It is located in a handsome one-story brick building, erected a few years ago, and its officers and directors have been connected with it ever since its organization. The country immediately surrounding Garden Plain is well adapted to the raising of corn, oats, wheat and garden stuff. Wheat being the principal product, it finds a ready market in Wichita, for the elevator is never allowed to fill up. Before that is accomplished the grain is shipped to Eastern markets or to nearby towns. Corn also finds a ready market, and a great quantity of the grain is shipped annually.

Reaching Garden Plain upon the railroad the traveller always sees the familiar figure of Billy Taylor, who is the postmaster and who carries the mail to and from the trains. Among the active business men of Garden Plain may be named, Wulf Bros., Hahn Bros, and Martin Oebel.

 

History of Garden Plain as given in 1912.

Garden Plain, one of the leading towns of Sedgwick county, is located in the township of the same name and is a station on the Wichita & Pratt division of the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe R. R. 30 miles west of Wichita. It has a bank, a money order postdffice with one rural route, telegraph and express offices, telephone connections with the surrounding towns, general stores, hardware and implement houses, and is the shipping point for a rich agricultural district. Garden Plain was incorporated in 1902 and in 1910 reported a population of 296.