Dennis Kansas..

DENNIS. The first house in Dennis was the railroad depot, erected in the fall of 1880. In the spring of 1881 William Current put up a store building, in which he placed a stock of gro- ceries; this was the first store in town. John Webb and John Milligan put in another store in the spring of 1882, their stock consisting of general merchandise. A second stock of general merchandise was put in by W. H. Thorne, in the fall of 1883.

Mr. Thorne also put in a corn elevator and shipped grain, and put up the first substantial residence house in town. Subsequently John Mason put in a harness shop, L. Pedan a lumber yard, Wm. Cline a drug store, J. L. Wilson a hardware store, and Nelson Dunn a livery stable. The first hotel was put up by Mr. Acre, in the summer of 1885. It was not till December 21, 1883, that the plat of the town was filed in the office of the register of deeds, locating the town on sections 14 and 15, on the line of the Gulf Railroad, in Osage township. Lee Wilson was born to L. J. Wilson and wife December 24, 1884, the first child born in town. Two newspapers have been started in Dennis, but neither was able to maintain an existence, and they were moved away. One of the substantial business plants of this town is its flouring mill.