Historical Directory of Kansas Towns [L]

La Crosse--Rush;                   
La Cygne--Linn;                         
La Harpe--Allen;            
La Porte--Doniphan; P.O. 1858-59, Alfred Barnett, postmaster;
originally named Smithton. 
Labette--Labette; M.K.T. R.R.
Ladore--Neosho; M.K.T. R.R.
Lafayette (Landing)--Doniphan; townsite July, 1857; steamboat
landing c1845; Fract. S13 & S14 T2S R20E; P.O. 1857-71, Henry
Lott, postmaster.
Lafayette--Stevens; located west of Liberal; 

Lagrand--
   I have an old marriage license for my great
   great grandfather. It indicates that he was married on Jan 26, 1898.
   It also shows that he lived in Moran, KS. Do you know anything about
   such a place? 
[Jeannie Shires (nshires222@aol.com) contributed this information.]

Laird--Ness; 
Lake City--Barber; 
Lake Sibley--Cloud; 
Lakeshore--
Lakin--Kearny; A.T.S.F. R.R. 1872; Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route
Lamont--Greenwood 
Lane--Franklin; 
Langdon--Reno; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887; 
Langley--Ellsworth; located in the southeast corner of Ellsworth County;

Lanham--Washington

Lanham was organized in 1882 when the first plot of ground 
was sold by a Mr. Brubaker who had purchased the land in 
1880. Lanham, originally known as Morton, was built on the 
borderline between Kansas and Nebraska. The north side of 
main street lies in Nebraska. Laws are different on both 
sides of the street. 

When alcohol was illegal in Kansas, saloons were built on 
the Nebraska side of the street, but it was illegal to 
carry it to the other side of the street and enter into 
Kansas. 

The main street was part of the Oregon Trail. At one time 
there was a large granite rock that stood in the center of 
the road as a historical marker from the Daughters of the 
American Revolution. As traffic on the road increased,  the 
monument was moved to a nearby field 1 3/4 miles west of 
Lanham. The triangular monument marks the location where, 
in the early 1840s, over 300,000 persons crossed the border 
from Kansas into Nebraska as they journeyed west on the 
historic Oregon Trail.

[The Kansas Heritage Server would like to thank Jeffrey Lanham, Sr. 
(JWLanham@aol.com) for contributing this information about Lanham, KS.]

Lansing--Leavenworth; Petersburg P.O. changed to Lansing;

Lanyonville--Allen; 
Am unable to find the above site. Can you help? 
I was raised in Iola, Allen Co.  I have been trying to find mention of 
Lanyonville, which I believe was just E. of LaHarpe, Allen Co. Did you 
come across any mention of this little farm town when you were researching?  
Do you know of anyone that is familiar with this little town and how I can 
get info or pictures of it?
[Rita Boyd (NU1111@aol.com) contributed this information.]

Larned--Pawnee; town named after Fort Larned; Santa Fe Trail; 
A.T.S.F. R.R. 1872; 

   Albert Henry McCleary was born here while family travelled
   from Eaton Rapids MI. They left Larned, KS for Grandview WI in 1887.
   Father's Name was Henry Martin McCleary. Mother's name was Charlotte
   Milissa (Nash) McCleary. An older son with them was William Robert
   McCleary, my grandfather. [Information contributed by William 
   McCleary mccleary@kalama.com]

Lasswell--Barber; Allen B. Lasswell, postmaster
Latham--Butler; 
Latimer--Morris; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887; Latimer, town promoter;
Lawrence No. 2--Doniphan; 1856; trading post & emigrant campsite
on Smith Creek about 2 1/2 m southeast of Smithton.

Lawrence--Douglas; originally planned to be the capitol of Kansas
by the New England Emigrant Aid Society in Boston which helped to
found this city in 1854; 
one town name up for consideration was Mount Oread;
town named after Amos A. Lawrence, promoter of the 
Emigrant Aid Society;
K.P. R.R. Nov. 1864; C.R.I.P. R.R.;
Peter D. Ridenour, store owner;

Lawrenceburg--Cloud; L. D. or Frank Lawrence, pioneers; 
Lawson--
Layton--Chautauqua; Layton brothers, pioneer cattlemen; 

Leavenworth--Leavenworth; K.P. R.R.; Leavenworth-Pikes Peak 
Express; town company organized June 13, 1854; 3rd constitutional
convention convened at Leavenworth 1857; Federal Penitentiary
completed 1906; 
"One of my great grandfathers, George Michael 
   Wohlgemuth,of Baden Baden, Germany, served in the Union Army in the
   Civil War with the Iowa Volunteers. In his old age he lived in an old
   soldiers home in Leavenworth, KS. He evidently is buried there also,
   but I have not been able to locate his cemetery and grave stone. He
   was born 11 Sep 1829 and died in Leavenworth, KS at the old soldier's
   home on 13 Feb 1893. If anyone has any info please contact via email."
[William Robert McCleary (mccleary@kalama.com) contributed this information]

Leawood--Johnson; 
Lebanon--Smith; Geographic Center of the Continental United States;
Lebo--Coffey; Joe Leabo, pioneer on Leabo Creek;

Lecompton--Douglas; 1857 a pro-slavery constitution which
provided that Kansas be admitted as a slave state was drafted
here during Lecompton's reign as the pro-slavery capital of
Kansas. 

Leesburg--Stafford; 
Town disbanded in 1912. Located near Stafford, KS, believe named
   after my ancestor, J.H. Lee. Now only old Leesburg Cemetery left and
   old house of some kind. 
[Truellen Miles (dt.miles@netcnct.net) contributed this information.]

Lehunt--Montgomery; 
Leloup--
Lenape (Armstrong?)--Leavenworth; K.P. R.R.
Lenexa
Lenora--Norton
Leon--Butler; S.L.S.F. R.R.;
Leona--
Leonardville--Riley; Named for Leonard T. Smith, president of
the Kansas Central; the name changed from Alembic to Leonard then 
to Leonardville to avoid confusion with Larned; the town was in 
a Swedish community; 

Leoti--Wichita 
I just want to know about the county seat war in the county that turned
   the other town into a ghost town. please it would be nice to receive
   something about it. 
[Colin Barker (zeke@idir.net) contributed this information.]

Lerado--
Leroy--Coffey; M.K.T. R.R.
Leroy--Doniphan; platted 1857; S21 T3S R22E, this location is
just north of Wathena.
Lewis--Edwards; Lewis family, town promoters
Lewisburg--
Lewiston--Doniphan; c1856; ferry landing opposite Robidoux's
Blacksnake Hills Trading Post. 

Lexington--Clark; 
   Early Days In Kansas: Lexington, Clark County, Kansas 
   A story told by Lulu B. Stephens in the Spring of 1885,
   we decided to "cast our lot" with the sturdy pioneers of southwestern
   Kansas. We bought a ticket over the Santa Fe to their farthest point
   in this part of the state, which at that time was Harper City, Kansas.
   From that place we went by stage on west to Anthony. The "lure of the
   land" led us on out to Clark county (which had been reestablished with
   its current boundries in march of that same year) by way of a prairie
   schooner, a real novelty to us, which turned out to be very enjoyable.
     I can still see today (1941) the treeless plains of those times, the
   trackless desert and hear again in the " wee small hours" of the
   night, the howl of the coyote and the loud drum of the bull-bat,
   sending cold chills up and down the spinal column of a city bred girl.
   Hearing of a settlement on Bluff Creek, Clark county, and that there
   were still some desirable claims in that neighborhood, we came on west
   and located there, our hearts filled with hope and determination "to
   do or to die", asking no aid from our folks back east. We built a
   small two room house, a storm cave, and a sod hen house, and felt that
   we were indeed the possessors of as fine a piece of property as the
   sun ever shone upon. Our first uneasiness came when we found that we
   were living so close to real cowboys, about whom we had heard such
   harrowing tales. Our claim was not far from the "Weeks Ranch", now
   owned (1885) by Willis Shattuck, and Fred Lewis, the foreman, proved
   to be one of the kindest neighbors we had, and my fear of the cowboys
   gradually left me. On the afternoon of July 3, 1885, word came to our
   settlement of the uprising of the Indians---that they were headed for
   Clark county, killing and burning as they came. Imagine our feelings!!
   we were some 50 miles away from the nearest railroad and only a lumber
   wagon in which to make our "get-away", if we went. With few
   exceptions, the settlers on Bluff Creek decided to make a stand. The
   greater number of us sat up all night, waiting and watching for the
   raid, but it did not materialize. The women were very nervous for
   several days, imagining every cane stalk which swayed was and Indian
   brave with his tomahawk up lifted. The scare orginated with the
   cattleman who did not want this country settled as the settling of
   farmers on this land cut short the range available for their cattle.
   Our fiercest battles that year were with prairie fires which swept
   over the land, leaving destruction in their wake. However, those
   settlers who put out crops were well paid, and as the first part of
   the Winter was mild, we began to think we had "reached the land of
   corn and wine". Christmas Day was so warm that we sat in the house
   without a fire, and the men sat outdoors in their shirt sleeves. It
   stayed warm all that week until in the afternoon of New Year'S Day,
   1886, when the sky became overcast and the wind blew an icy gale from
   the north and that night and for days afterward, we experienced the
   worst blizzard we ever saw. The settlers were not fixed to withstand
   such severe weather, consequently there was much suffering and a great
   loss of livestock. In the neighborhood of what is Minneola, a Mrs.
   Boucher and her two daughters froze to death while trying to reach her
   son's place, a short distance away. They had crawled under the wire
   fence which enclosed the son's yard, and had fallen too weak from
   battling the wind to go any farther. The next morning the son found
   them, the daughters with their arms around the mother. This was only
   one of the tragedies of settling a new country. We were here and we
   could not get away, so we stayed and endured, and that is the history
   of all pioneers. In October of 1886, B.L. Stephens, with the help of
   others, formed a town company, and platted the town of Lexington,
   named for Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Stephens built the first house, a
   store building on the town site. We moved our little house on wagons
   down the road. one of the most thrilling rides I ever had, was when I
   stayed in that house during the three mile drive and cooked dinner for
   the men. I might add, that, not knowing how to gauge appetites, I was
   long on willingness but short on biscuits, on that occasion. B.L's.
   brother came from Kentucky and they went into business together.
   Lexington grew to be a nice little town of about 50 dwelling houses;
   three general stores, namely Stephens Brothers, A.P. Houston and
   Mccray /Towner; a drug store which was a two story building (on the
   second floor the cities newspaper --"The Lexington Leader", was
   published by Joe Cater, father of Grover Cator; two butcher shops; a
   large livery and sales stable; a hotel (two stories); a restaurant; a
   school house in which we held church and Sunday school, and all public
   gatherings; a resident physician, Doctor Fred Metcalf from
   Hacksonville, Illinois; and a notary public, Russell Keith. About this
   time there was talk about getting a railroad. rousing speeches were
   made by Ashland men of prominence as well as railroad officials, and
   we voted bonds, expecting the road to come through Lexington. Alas!!
   Our hopes were blasted. There was "wire pulling" done in Ashland and
   the road went through eight miles to the south. So a very good plan is
   "never to count your chickens before they hatched". However, Lexington
   continued to thrive. Two of her citizens were honored with public
   offices, namely: Ben Morris, who was elected representative and Mr Sam
   Hughs, county treasurer. The history of Lexington is similar to the
   history of most villages in the settlement of a country. She had an
   unusually good class of people, both in the town and in the
   surrounding country. Then in the late eighties and early nineties came
   the hard times. We had one continuous drouth after another, so the
   settlers finally became discouraged and all who could get away, left
   town. We remained until the town died a natural death. we were the
   first on the town site and the last to leave it.
           [John F. Towner contributed this information.]


Liberal--Seward; named after a pioneer who generously let thirsty
travelers have free water; When a town was established in 1888 at
"the liberal well, it was consequently named Liberal; C.R.I.P.
R.R. Mar. 1888.

Liberty--Montgomery;

Liebenthal--Rush; German name; 
Liebenthal was founded by Volga German settlers in 1876. 
The name Liebenthal is a carry over from a town on the east bank 
of the Volga River in Russia where the settlers immigrated from.  
Mid 1870's--Small western towns such as Catherine, Munjor, 
Pfeifer, Schoenchen and Liebenthal were founded in the 
middle 1870's by Volga Germans, German catholics who emigrated 
from Russia.

Lincoln--Bourbon; (see Fort Lincoln);
Lincoln--Lincoln; named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln;
first called Lincoln Centre, stressing its central location; 
Lincoln--Nemaha; 1860; crossing of S. Fork Nemaha River at mouth
of Illinois Creek; P.O. 1861, Luther Jones, postmaster; Founded
by J. E. Hocker.
Lincolnville--Marion;

Lindsborg--McPherson; The primary colony from Sweden was located
at Lindsborg; Dr. Carl Swensson was the pastor of the Bethany
Lutheran of Lindsborg in 1881 when he founded the liberal arts
school, Bethany College.

Lindsey--Ottawa; Lindsey, pioneer
Linn-- 
Linwood--Leavenworth; C.R.I.P. R.R.; K.P. R.R.
Litchfield--Crawford; located 4 m. northeast of New Pittsburg;
1878 the town was originally named Edwin; 1881 the town name was
changed to Litchfield; P.O. 9 May 1881 - 15 Jul 1903; 
Little River
Livingston--Cherokee; S.L.S.F. R.R.;
Locknan(e)--Brown; name changed to Powhattan; COC & PP stage station;
Loco--
Locust Grove--Atchison; Mount Pleasant Twp., 
Log Chain--Nemaha; 1860; SW1/4 Sl9 T3S R14E; P.O. 1864, John
Hazzard, postmaster; Pony Express Station 1860 still stands, N.
H. Rising, prop.;
Logan--Phillips; 

New London Township--Sumner; 
   RECENTLY BOUGHT SOME PROPERTY ON THE
   NINNISCAU RIVER, PROPERTY HAD BEEN PLOTTED FOR A TOWN WHICH WAS NEVER
   BUILT AS FAR AS I KNOW. LOCALS SAY THERE WAS ONCE A MILL ON MY LAND,
   BUT I'VE SEEN NO EVIDENCE OF ONE.
[J.D. Fletcher (fletch756@aol.com) contributed this information.]

Lone Elm--Johnson; Oregon Trail; located south of Olathe; 
Lone Star--Douglas; 
Lone Tree Township--McPherson; 

   My wife great, 
   great grandmother was a sheriff in a small town in Kansas. Which town
   is unknown to us and we are trying to research. Her father was also a
   sheriff his name was Jerrimiah l. Seitz, and her name was Hattie Pearl
   Seitz. Hattie was born on 2-19-1880.
 
Long Island--Phillips 
Longford--
Longton--Elk;

Lorena--Butler; S.L.S.F. R.R.; the railroad went through the
land of Stephen Harrison Chase, and a townsite was laid out 
on his land.  
He arrived in Bruno Township, Butler County in the spring of 1872,
coming from Michigan.  Stephen Harrison Chase was postmaster 
and station agent and named the townsite for his daughter, Sallie Lorena;
The town of Andover was being laid out a few miles west and this
has a disastrous effect on the town of Lorena which is now only
a railroad crossing; 

Lorraine--Ellsworth; 
Lost Springs--Marion; about 15 miles west of Diamond Springs; 
trading post on the Santa Fe Trail; A.T.S.F. R.R.; C.R.I.P. R.R.;
Louisburg--Miami 
Louisville--
Lovewell--Jewell 
Lowe--Finney; Thaddeus Lowe, military man
Lowell--Cherokee; Town promoter; 
Loyal-- 
Lucas-- 

Lucerne--Sheridan; 
   Town once located 12
   miles northeast of Hoxie. Only cemetary left now. A B Shoemaker, state
   rep. owned the largest herd of longhorn cattle in state in the late
   1800'S. He and Viola Deseree Wales celebrater their 50th wedding ann.
   in 1933 in that town. Her relation, either sister, or cousin was
   married to President Jefferson, also relation to Red Skelton. The old
   Shoemaker place, located north of the cemetary is still in the
   family.I am seeking any information you can find on the two of them.
   Hoxie Kansas Museum has a chair in the attic belonging to Mr.
   Shoemaker and would like to get it brought down for display, as well
   as my personal belongings of them, if someone could pull up some more
   history. The man was my great-grandfather. 
[Jo Jacobs (Hardrockers@webtv.net) contributed this information]

Luctor--Phillips; German name; 

Ludell--Rawlins; Four names given to the town: 1. Prag (1876-79),
2. Kelso (1879-80). 3. Danube 4. Ludell (1881), a woman's name; 

Ludell--Rawlins; 
It's my understanding that my great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson
   Goodin (aka Goodwin) and his father-in-law (my
   great-great-grandfather) William Henry Dimmick, founded the town of
   Ludell, Kansas in the County of Rawlins. There are supposedly streets
   named both Dimmick and Goodin. 
[Franne Dimmick Michaud (frannealogy@yahoo.com) contributed this information.]

Lurray/Luray--Russell;
Luther--Morris; P.O. about 2 1/2 m. from Dwight; 
Lydia--Wichita; 
Lyle--Decatur; 
Lyndon--Osage; 
Lyons--Rice; 1876 laid out by Freeman J. Lyons; the great 
industry here began when the first salt shaft was sunk in 1890; 
Santa Fe Trail;