2014-05-25

Research trip journal, day 7

2014.05.19 Monday


2014.05.20 Tuesday


2014.05.21 Wednesday


2014.05.22 Thursday


2014.05.23 Friday


2014.05.24 Saturday


2014.05.25 Sunday

With all offices closed, I used the day as a chance to sleep in and take a slow start to the day. On the road, I started to follow the route of the Solomon Valley Trail as well as possible. I believe that the actual trail has been obliterated by the building of the Union Pacific railway that serves the valley at least to Downs.

The Solomon Valley Trail

George A Root found that "A state road was established by the legislature of 1866, running from Henry Whitley's, in Saline county, up the Solomon river, by way of Fort Solomon to Boblett's mill. George Hall, Henry Whitley and J. C. Boblett were commissioners appointed to lay out the road. This same year another state road was laid out from the forks of the Solomon river, via the State Salt Springs, on Salt creek, thence south, via Scripps and Mays' settlement on the Saline, to Salina, thence south, via Sharp's creek to the Santa Fe road. Charles Holtzman, Alexander C. Spillman and Mr. May were appointed commissioners to lay out the road." This was reported in Kansas Historical Quarterly of November 1934 (Vol. 3, No. 4), pages 339 to 342. His footnote 19 cited "Laws, Kansas, 1866, pp. 225, 227."

Kansas Territory, 1859
An 1859 map shows the trail's route along the north and east side of the river, never pulling very far from the stream. However, through plotting the mapped route over township sections displayed in Google Earth, I've come to the opinion that the mapped path and the river itself were approximations rather than a record of careful survey work.

At some date, the road was used as a path for the Kansas Pacific Railroad.The engineers who planned the railway path might have decided that the existing trail would form a proven, cleared path to lay track. Thus, while new roadways were developed along township and range lines, the railway could take the more diagonal path of the original Solomon Valley Trail.

Local newspapers identify this project to have occurred between 1870, when initial appropriations were enacted by the state legislature, and 1872, when local governments succeeded in acquiring bonds through elections or local government action. The New York Herald of 21 Jan 1870 reports on legislation regarding the Solomon Valley and Denver City Railroad Company, as does the Evansville (Indiana) Journal of 21 Jan 1870. The Saline County Journal of 6 Jul 1871 reports on bonds to build bridges and the start of survey work for the Solomon Valley Railway. The Saline County Journal of 29 Feb 1872 reports that Ottawa county has approved $150K for the Solomon Valley Railroad. The actual opening of any railway segment does not seem to be reported. Only as early as the Weekly Kansas Chief of 9 Mar 1876 is ticketing and route information advertised.


My route today followed as much as possible the railway and the Solomon River. Starting from Beloit, I followed the railway beside U.S. Highway 24 to the turnoff for Asherville. From Asherville, I headed south and east to Simpson, where I visited my cousin Stan Deneke.

















Solomon Valley Trail, 1859 map with future towns shown
(Click image to view larger format.) Only counties east of the start of the
trail had been formed by 1859. Clay county is magenta, Dickinson yellow.
After saying my goodbyes, I drove the rock roads toward Glasco, passing the land once owned by my great-grandfather Richard Butler. Driving south of Glasco, I passed through the corner once called Butlerville (no relationship to the Butler family in my lineage), and headed south and east in one-mile right angles to reach Delphos. I began using my Garmin only when I reached Delphos, so I have a record of my exact route for the last two thirds of the excursion, through Minneapolis, Bennington, and Solomon.

The route stays in the broad flood plain that stretches between .75 mile and 2 miles to the left and right of the river. I tried to imagine whether the land was open prairie or (more likely) overgrown with shrubs and trees. I crossed the railway often, almost every mile as I drove, alternating east and south along the country roads. If the trail has been taken over by the railway, likely no artifacts of the trail and its passing travelers remain. I came across these museums or historical societies that I hope to contact.

  • Delphos Museum—101 North Washington St., P.O.B. 338; 785-523-4540; Raymond Pachta (785.523.4673) or Roger Yager (785.523.4527) or Billye Yowell (785.407.7343, docby@twinvalley.net); http://skyways.lib.ks.us/museums/delphos/delphosmuseumnews.htm; hours irregular or by appointment.
  • Ottawa County Historical Museum—101 S Concord St, Minneapolis KS 67467; 785.392.3621; otcomu@networksplus.net; http://www.ottawacountyksmuseum.com; hours 10 to 12 and 1 to 5 on Tuesday through Saturday. 
  • Staff at the Ottawa museum spoke of a researcher-writer Ron Parks (620.767.3403; 300 Morning Glory Circle, Manhattan KS 66502; ronald6349att.net@att.net) who has published  The Darkest Period about the Kansa indians, and who may have unpublished research on the Solomon Valley.


Reaching Solomon late in the afternoon, I had to turn around without exploring and use the fastest routes available back to Jewell. Because in the evening, I was to meet Marla and Adrian Cordel to correct and update information for his family and his parents and siblings. I had planned to drive to the area of Clyde, Kansas and find the location of St. Joseph Catholic church, the home parish of Rev. Louis Mollier, a pioneer priest of 1874-1911 who had brought the sacraments to Catholic families as far as Tipton, some 80 miles by horse. The church is inactive today, and the sacramental registers may have been lost. [Note on 2014.06.04: I wrote to the Cloud County Historical Museum to find a local researcher who has information on the church.]

[Some notes for other mentions online of the Solomon Valley Trail:
  • The Centre Hall Reporter of June 09, 1871 reports "From Kansas. Correspondence of the Reporter. Solomon City, Dickinson co. Kan. May 22nd 1871.
    As it is raining, and I am thereby kept from my employ, I thought of devoting an hour to my friends through the worthy columns of the Reporter, and speak more particularly about our excursion, in search 'homestead' up the valley of the Solomon, and tributaries.
    "Imagine a line of emigrant teams, with wagons, full of miscellanies, such as household good, provisions, old men, women, and children, and you have a good idea of our appearance, as we strung our along the Solomon Valley trail, in a north-west course, presenting a spectacle 'vert military,' from the fact that the most of the men, besides rifles, carried revolvers and Bowie knives, in true desperado, or western style.
    "Our progress was necessarily slow, there being many sloughs, ravines and creeks to cross at times we were swamped; then, again, we plunged to the bottom of a ravine or creek, down a slope of about 20 degrees, from which we were able only to proceed by 'double hitching,' and shoulders to the wheels, but driving early and late we came about 25 to 40 miles a day.
    "The scenery was varied and beautiful and on our second days travel we began to have considerable sport; not and then a few antelope, or a pack of Coyotes or prairie wolves would start up and bound away across the plain, till lost to view in the distance; these fellows were so shy, and kept at so great a distance that we did not have a fair shot at them. And the only game we brought down were ducks, snipes, and prairie fowls; while now and then a large snake attracted our attention, which was rendered duly, in the shape of a grand rally of our part; of course, the snake died, from the effect of perhaps fifty revolver shots.
    "We now enter a town of those spry little fellows, the prairie dogs, this town covered an area of several miles, and our advent in their city created great excitement; so far as we could see, the town was in a state of uproar.
    "The dogs are about the size of a half grown cat, of a brown color, and the sauciest, and most impudent fellows we ever saw; they have a queer, shrill bark, somewhat resembling the bark of a pine squirrel; and, sitting on top of their moulds [sic], straight on end, while others peeped from the entrance of their subterraneous [sic] abode, all in 'unison' barked at us.
    "The little fellows are exceedingly hard to catch or shoot; for on our near approach, those out in the grass immediately run for their holes, and a twinkle of the little tales, and they are gone. When one is shot, it tumbles back into its hole, so there is no telling whether you hit or miss; we had the luck, however, of securing one, which was closely examined.
    "At the repost of a rifle, all disappear; and quiet, reigns supreme. Many a ball have went whizing [sic] into their towns without effect.
    "We continued our research up the Solomon Valley for a hundred miles or more, and found the soil invariably good and fertile; but, notwithstanding thsi fact, there seems to be some doubt in regard to the powers of production, it is believed the soil contains too much alkali, (produced by the great fires of the prairies,) which must be removed by cultivation and manure; lime would do it, but this would not pay as it costs eighty cents a bushel.
    "Corn, the great staple of the west, is admitted to be a very uncertain crop here; last season there was none—a perfect failure; while wheat they tell us averaged ten bushels to the acre.
    But the country and soil is new, and there is no telling what a little care and farming will do; while it would note be fair to judge the section from teh partial failures, from teh fact that these were on 'breakings,' or first plowings.
    "But I have neither time nor room to enter into a minute detail of our observations, by the way, the land, prospects for emigrants &c., &c, which I will do hereafter, would only add that one hundred miles in the 'Wilderness' that is from the nearest R.R. was too much, and so we turned back, located within nine miles from here, with our head quarters in the city, were [sic] we will spend the season. More anon. T.C. Moyer."
  • In a search for articles including "Solomon Valley" from 1855 to 1891, the Library of Congress engine returned 902 newspaper pages. However, the search engine did not consider the two words as one search term, so many returns are not relevant. Here are some significant returns to read through:
  • An Abilene Daily Reflector article from 1915 reports "The proposed Solomon Valley Trail was discussed to some extent. This new trail will extend from Solomon to Osborne and will pass through the towns In the Solomon valley. It will be of sufficient length to be listed In the Blue Book. The association endorsed the proposed trail and Instructed J. W. Smith to keep In touch with outside action concerning tho same. If the present plans of tho promoters of the trail are realized, the association will appoint a committee to meet with representatives of other towns on tho trail and perfect an organization." ) OCR text
  • A Junction City Daily Union article from 1915 also reports "SOLOMON VALLEY trail. I Tonus Along: Proposed Route 1'iish.lnfr Ee.r Organization. j The Business .Men's Association held permanent roads in Kansas some day. We might, just as well have them now. while the hairs of your head and mine are not nil silvered. "There's many a plan and nianv a scheme offered, but I have reached the conclusion that Kansas as a state- [and later] t special meeting in the club rooms j last week wit ha large attendance. The I proposed Solomon Valley Trail was ! discussed to some extent. This new t." OCR text
  • A Hutchinson source from 1916 indicates that the trail may have eventually become part of old U.S. Route 24: "The Belolt people 'want to mark a new state highway, to be known as the Solomon Valley Trail. How about making a good road of it before marking it? "
  • A Salina Journal story of 1985 has quite a bit of material for research: "ON THE QUINDARO ROAD - ***"* photot Harry Hughes, 763 Vassar Drive, Salina and Quindaro State Road daro route on a map of Saline a member of the Saline County used between 1869-72 in eastern County. Arrows point to other Historical Society, stands in Saline County. At right, Hughes roads and trails he has docu- shallow (above) carved out by points to portion of Salina-Quin- merited in the county. Historic wagon, supply trail now cattle haunt Quindaro Rd.revisited a^^ By BILL BURKE A part of Saline County and Central Kansas history was rediscovered recently in a pasture owned by Byrne Kelley east of Salina. A route, believed to be the Salina and Quindaro State Road, winds its way southeast through Greeley and Solomon townships, cutting through sections 13 and 19. Several miles of the road may have overlapped with the (W. A.) Phillips road. Phillips was the founder of Salina. The old road is highly visible through pasture land east of Iron Mound, a landmark about six miles southeast of Salina. It was to follow the Salina and Quindaro Railroad, which never materialized and the road has remained untouched for more than a century, trod on only by cattle, and far enough off the main highways through Saline and Dickinson Counties to be forgotten. Kelley, 2063 Raymond; Neil Olson, Rt. 6; Harry Hughes, 763 Vassar Drive and I traveled a short portion of the frontier road by modern automobile where wagons and oxen plyed their trade more than a century ago. Trails and wagon roads were nothing new to Saline County during the middle of the 19th century. Byrne Kelley dies Byrne Kelley, 63, died Monday morning at St. John's Hospital. Funeral services for the farmer and purebred livestock breeder, will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary, Queen of the Universe Catholic Church. See details, Page 9. Hughes, a member of the Saline County Historical Society, who once farmed in the northwest portion of the county, has documented most of the old roads and trails in the county. Such roads as the Smoky Hill, Fort Barker, Mulberry Creek, Fremont, Old Military, Phillips, Fort Riley and Santa Fe Trail routes crossed and crisscrossed the county. One which cuts across the northeast corner of Saline County in Dayton township came out of Solomon in Dickinson County, went northwest into Ottawa County and was dubbed the Solomon Valley Trail by Hughes when he failed to find a name for it. He has marked and documented most of the road, but the road believed to be the Salina and Quindaro Road, was new to him. "You can get spotted documentation," Hughes said as he walked a portion of the trail, which sinks into the prairie to a depth of two or three feet, and is quite wide, at places. "But here you can walk out and say here it is. This is like finding a gold mine — well almost." When the original section lines were surveyed about 1858, the surveyors often took field notes of geographic features, vegetation and the type of soil. The trails were recorded with the register of deeds. But sometimes the surveys where not accepted because of herd laws, home owners and private owners. And when township section roads began to develop, the trails or roads were abandoned. Travelers had to stay on section lines and out of private pastures. The Salina and Quindaro Road was noted from records and maps in the Saline County Engineer's office as a project of the WPA in the 1930s. The state road strecthed out of Salina, beginning at the center of town at the ferry crossing, now marked by a monument to the ferry at the corner of Iron Avenue and Fourth Street. The road continued out what is now Iron Avenue, rambling around Iron Mound to the east of Salina, crossing central Greeley township to southern Solomon -township and into Dickinson County. The trail evidently was a supply route to Salina and was well used, judging from the depth and width as it wound through Kelley's pasture. It was authorized by the Kansas Legislature and opened Nov. 18, 1869, 11 years after the founding of Salina. It remained in use until June 22,1872. Where it went after it left Saline County is a matter of speculation. It could have joined the Chisholm Trail in Dickinson County, or swung south to Marion and on to Council Grove, which 3 . 20-Cr«i. tut k '' 10 Link'. iwtfY, fat, provided Salina and the area with much of its provisions. Or it may have merged at Marion with another route south out of Salina. The key to moving from Saline County into Dickinson County might be because there was only one creek to cross as opposed to three creeks if it continued straight south," Hughes said. "About all we can do is speculate. Much of the road has been plowed up or otherwise obliterated. But, with imagination, one could see the wagon trains appear out of the morning mist which blanketed the pasture. And from the trail one can spot the communities of Kipp and Gypsum in Saline County; Miles in Ottawa County; along with Abilene, Solomon, and sometimes Pearl and Navarre, in Dickinson County. Five to six miles north of the Quan- daro route trucks and cars zip by on Interstate 70. The pioneers of yesteryear would be surprised at the progress in transportation. " OCR of text
  • Although not of the historical trail, of note is a 2010 plan for a bike trail: "Solomon Valley Trail Proposed The Solomon Valley US 24 Heritage Alliance is exploring area trail opportunities including development of a 150-mile recreational trail between Hoxie (E. of Colby) to Glasco (SW of Concordia). The trail would traverse the scenic and rugged Greenhorn and Dakota ranges of the Smoky Hills and link the following:(1) Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site; (2) Nicodemus National Historic Site; (3) Webster Wildlife Area; (4) Glen Elder Wildlife Area and State Park; and, (5) Solomon Valley Bluffs. The trail would follow the South Fork of the Solomon River and the Leavenworth-Pikes Peak Express Stageline (1859) and cross the Pawnee Indian Trail and Zebulon Pike Trail. Part of the recreational path could utilize the US 24 right-of-way and part could utilize the Solomon Riverway."
  • A genealogist provides several details in 2014 about use of the trail, although no notes are provided for the basic information.]

Descendants of Frank Ohnsat

Marla worked in the Longterm Care unit where my mother was last hospitalized after her debilitating stroke and before her death. Marla remembered her there, and also when she had worked as a nurse at Community Hospital. I had met Marla through Margaret Cordel Reinert. I had asked the Reinert family on Facebook for leads to the Nick Reinert descendants and Frank Ohnsat descendants in the Tipton area. Margaret fit the bill through her marriage to Don Reinert, a great-grandson of Nick Reinert. Adrian fit the bill through being a grandson to Frank Ohnsat.

At first, Adrian didn't want to talk much about his family. He was concerned that I would publish the information broadly on the internet. I explained that I've published my database once, about five years ago, and have left it without updates since then. The data "out there" is limited to people who were born before 1930, and anyone still living has their given name removed. This fits well, I think, with needs for privacy among all living contributors to the database and yet allows other researchers to see my areas of interest. And I think Adrian softened a bit in his willingness to talk about himself and his origins.

Marla, in contrast, was very helpful. She had printed and marked up some reports about the family. It turns out there are quite a few errors in what I have recorded. I hope to provide some background of how Marla and Adrian met, who her parents are, but my greatest interest is to find an accurate view of the families of Adrian's parents and grandparents. I recorded our conversation, and I hope that I reached my goal. One thing I failed to do, though: I had not snapped pictures of Adrian and Marla. And Marla's Facebook presence has no photos of the family either.

2014.05.26 Monday


2014.05.27 Tuesday


2014.05.28 Wednesday


2014.05.29 Thursday


2014.05.30 Friday


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