Historical Directory of Kansas Towns [S]

Sabetha--Nemaha; 1858; located on St. Joseph and California Road;
P.O. 1858, Arthur W. Williams, postmaster; 
"I have heard stories that Sabetha was settled by a traveler who was
   stranded in the area when one of his two oxen died. The oxen were
   named Hercules and Pellas. Because of this, the traveler could not
   finish his journey to California. The Man dug a well and named the
   site after the Sabeth (Sunday)."
[Information contributed by Ronal Nash (ren2094@ksu.edu)]
   At the first settling of Nemaha Co. not 
   nearly enough trees were native to the area for building houese. Trees
   were cut up stream on the Misouri River and the logs floated
   downstream to Rulo, NB where the settlers came with wagons to load the
   logs. They would stop over at the Pawnee Reservation (between
   Hiawatha, KS and Falls City, NB) for Indian men to help with the
   loading and unloading. On Saturday, the whites would tell the Indian
   cheif that there would be no work tomorrow because it was the
   "Sabeth". The cheif, when telling his men contorted the word in to
   "Sabetha" and that is where the largest town in Nemaha County gets its
   name. I have always been a history buff. It was my remarkable
   priveledge to grow up in Sabetha with Nanny Bingham as my next door
   neighbor. She was in her upper 80's when I knew her and this was one
   of her stories. One of the men bringing back logs to build his own
   house was her father. 
[David King (greenman@ucla.edu) contributed this information.]
   I am seeking information on the Steinfpad family from the 1890's. My 
   grand mother was Mildred Pearl Steinpfad.  
[Charles R. Colman (ccolman305@aol.com) contributed this information.]

Safford--A.T.S.F. R.R.; 
Saffordville--Chase; named for Jacob Safford, a Vermonter who was
educated in Oberlin, Ohio, practiced law in Nebraska, and served
as supreme court justice in Kansas.
Salem--Jewell;

Salina--Saline; K.P. R.R. Apr. 1867; Smoky Hill Trail;

Most of my family is from the Salina area, and the old Bowles family
   homestead is between Salina and Brookeville, I believe, I'm not really
   sure. My Grandma Bowles was from Industry, and grew up under the name
   of Gerry Loader, born in 1913. Grandpa Clifford Bowles, born 1909 -
   died 1997, is from the Salina area as far as I know. They had nine
   kids. One, Geraldine, born 1946, died as a small child. As our family
   is spreading across the country, I would like to find out the location
   of the former Bowles' family homestead, and any other information
   there is about my Grandparents' family history. Typical stuff, I
   suppose, where their parents came from, with dates and the like. 
[Boom Bowles (boom@earthlink.net) contributed this information.]

Sallyards--Greenwood; S. G. Sallyards, rancher
Sanford--Pawnee; Sanford Arnold, pioneer and townsite owner
Santa Fe--Haskell 
Saratoga--Pratt; located 3 m. east of Pratt.
Sargent--A.T.S.F. R.R. 1872
Satanta--Santa Fe Trail Jornada Route
Savonburg--
Sawe Place or Suie Place--Wilson; 
Sawyer--S.F. R.R.
Saxman--Rice; 
Sayre--Ford; Kaye Sayre, pioneer

Scammon--Cherokee; named for a coal miner; first named 
Stilson and then Scammonville for four Scammon brothers
from Illinois.

Scandia--Republic; settlement of Swedes promoted by the
Scandinavian Agricultural Society of Chicago.  
Schoenchen--Ellis; German name; 
Schroyer--Marshall; Peter Schroyer, town promoter; post office 
until 1918; 
Schulte--Sedgwick; German name; 
Scott City--Scott; 
Scottsville--
Scranton--Osage; Santa Fe Trail; name came from Pennsylvania;
Sears--A.T.S.F. R.R.
Sedan--Chautauqua; founded in 1875.
Sedgwick--
Selden--Sheridan; 
Selkirk--Wichita; located west of Leoti.
Selma
Seneca--Nemaha; 1857; located on Ft. Leavenworth/Ft. Laramie
Military Road at crossing of South Fork Nemaha River; P. O. 1857,
John E. Smith, postmaster; home station for Overland Stage and
Pony Express; Oregon Trail.
Severance--Doniphan; John Severance, town promoter
Severy--Greenwood; S.L.S.F. R.R. 1879; named Gould as a Frisco station; 
Howard Branch of Santa Fe R.R.;
Seward--
Shaffer--Rush; Franklin P. Shaffer, postmaster
Shamrock--Seward; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1888
Shannon--Anderson; 

Sharon-Barber; 
Sharon Springs--Wallace; Smoky Hill Trail; K.P. R.R.

Shawnee Mission--Johnson; Santa Fe Trail;
My great aunt Estella Margarethe Mahne I was
   told, was the first white child born in Shawnee Mission about 1892. We
   don't have any non verbal documentation of this event. If anyone has
   knowledge of this event could you please contact us. Your help is
   greatly appreciated. 
[Information contributed by Beverly Davis (jhdavis@gte.net)]

Shawnee--Johnson; an Indian village on the Santa Fe Trail; was formerly
known as Gum Springs and was a large town in Kansas Territory.

Sheridan--Logan 
Sherlock--A.T.S.F. R.R.
Sherman Center
Sherman City--Cherokee
Sherwin--Cherokee; named after Landowner
Sherwood Estates
Shields--Lane; Shields, pioneer
Shockeyville
Short Creek
Sibleyville--Douglas; Siblyville was a Santa Fe Railroad stop in
Wakarusa Township; known as Sibley by the railroad. 
Sidney--Ness; U.P. R.R.
Silkville--Franklin; 
Silver Creek--Chase; (see Hunt's Station)
Silver Lake--Shawnee; Oregon Trail; K.P. R.R.
Silverdale--Cowley; 
Simpson--Mitchell; Alfred Simpson, grain dealer;
Sitka--Clark;
Skellyville--Kingman; Skelly is a well-known name in oil, and
when oil was discovered on "Poverty Ridge" in Kingman County, the
place was named Skellyville.
Skiddy (Camden)--Morris; located on Morris/Geary county line;
1870 started by mixed colony from Pennsylvania/New Jersey
organized by W. E. Tomlinson; Named for Francis Skiddy of New
York, a magnate of the old Union Pacific Railroad; M.K.T. R.R.
Slade--Reno; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887
Smalley (aka Smally)--Pratt; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887
Smallwood--Comanche 
Smith Center--Smith; founded by L. T. Ruse, his farm was the
county seat.  
Smithton--Doniphan; P.O. 1855-58, Alfred Barnett, postmaster;
first Masonic lodge in KT; name changed 1858 to LaPorte.

Soldier--Jackson; 
Solomon City--Dickinson; K.P. R.R.;

South Cedar--Wilson; 
   My father Cecil Laverne Poe was
   born in South Cedar in 1918 and his family resided in Buffville at
   that time. His parents names were Alec (aka Alex) E. Poe and Lulu C. 
   Wert. I am not able to find any info on either of these 2 towns... 
[Vickie Richardson (VIZRichardson@worldnet.att.net) contributed this 
information.]

South Clear Creek--Arapahoe; 
   I am searching for the census information on Rufus Basom who is in 
   the 1860 federal census on page 689 in Arapahoe County, South Clear 
   Creek (location). 
[Jim Corman (adamcorman@aol.com) contributed this information.]

South Haven--Sumner;
South Hutchinson--Reno;
South Mound--Neosho; M.K.T. R.R.;

Sparks--Doniphan; John Sparks, pioneer
Spearville--A.T.S.F. R.R.

Speed--Phillips;
   GRANDFATHER, AND GRANDMOTHER RAN GAS STATION, MOTHER WORKED AT DINER. 
[Donald Leroy Miller (talon@snowcrest.net) contributed this information.]

Spivey--S.F. R.R.;

Springdale--Leavenworth; Springdale was the location of the Springdale 
Friends Church, the first Quaker meetinghouse in Kansas.
Springfield--Seward
Springside--Pottawatomie; 
Springvale--Pratt; 

Spring Hill--Johnson; 
Spring Lake--
Spring Valley--Allen; 
Spring Valley--Leavenworth; P.O.; located about 12 miles from 
Leavenworth;

St. Bridget--Marshall; Located north of Axtell, Kansas near the Nebraska 
state line. Have old Irish family located there in 1850's. Father Tom 
Dolezal at tdolezal@midusa.net has a lot of data from church records, etc. 
[Information contributed by Donald Holtaus (DHolth7366@aol.com)]

St. Francis--Cheyenne; founded in 1887 and named to honor one of
its founding citizens, Francis Emerson.
St. George--Pottawatomie; K.P. R.R.;
St. John--Stafford; founded in the middle 1870's; A.T.S.F. R.R.
St. Mary's Mission--Pottawatomie; originally a Jesuit Mission to
the Potawatomi Indians founded in 1848; Trade and rest stop on
the Oregon Trail; K.P. R.R.; 
St. Paul--Chautauqua; 

St. Paul/Osage Mission--Neosho; M.K.T. R.R.; 
   St. Paul--Neosho; Originally called Osage Mission, founded
   by Jesuit Missionairies in 1847 to bring education to the Osage
   Indians. One-time county situs of Neosho County. Name St. Paul at turn
   of the Century after Catholic Saint. 
   [Information contributed by Keith A. Smith (KAS@AOL.com)]

St. Petersburg--

Stafford--Stafford; In the middle 1870's the Sod Hotel was
constructed at what is now Stafford. This community was called
Sodtown until Stafford County was organized in 1879; A.T.S.F. R.R.
Stanley--Johnson; 
Stanton--Located on the Marais Des Cygnes River. 
Star Valley--Cherokee
Stark--Neosho; 

Sterling--Rice; A Quaker community originally named Peace; 1876
the name was changed to Sterling by two young settlers from New
York who named it for their father, Sterling Rosan; A.T.S.F. R.R.

Stickney--Barton; Judson W. Stickney, postmaster;
Stilson--Cherokee; 
Stilwell--Johnson; 
Stippville--Cherokee; F. M. and Sarah J. Stipp, pioneers
Stockton--Rooks; Stockton was named because of the near perfect
environment this area provides for raising livestock.

Stone City--Cherokee; located 1 mile east and 1.5 miles north of 
West Mineral; The only thing left of Stone City is the stone foundation 
of the old bank building, and that's out in the middle of a pasture.  

Stone Corral--Rice; Santa Fe Trail; 

Stranger--Leavenworth; named for Stanger Creek; 

Strawberry--
My grandfather Orlie E.
   Burwell was born there i beleive in 1902.i think there still is some
   kind of building there or a railroad building. im interested in the
   place,cause no one remembers my grandfather's parents first name.
[Molly Hawkins (starhawk1@ispoa.net) contributed this information.]

Strawn--Coffey; Enos Strawn, pioneer; M.K.T. R.R.
Stringtown--Johnson; 
Strong City--Chase; A.T.S.F. R.R.; 
Studley--Sheridan; 
Stull--Douglas; named after Silvester Stull, postmaster; 
Stuttgart--Phillips; German name; 
Sublette--Haskell; Santa Fe Trail Jornada Route; 
Suie Place or Sawe Place--Wilson; 
Sulfur Springs--Cloud; 

Summerfield--Marshall; 
Summit Siding--Ellsworth; K.P. R.R.;
Summit (Linn)--Washington; 
Sumner City--Shawnee; 

Sumner--Atchison; located along the Missouri River 3 m. south of
Atchison; founded by John P. Wheeler, a surveyor who came west to
estabish a town in the newly organized territory of Kansas.

Sun City--Barber; 
Sunflower--Wyandotte; C.R.I.P. R.R.; K.P. R.R.
Supplement--
Surprise--
Susank--Barton; Susank family, pioneers;
Sutphen--Dickinson; German name; 
Sutton Valley--Anderson; founded in 1855 by James Sutton and many
of his relatives.
Sutton--A.T.S.F. R.R.;
Sveadal--McPherson;

Swamp Angel--Once located 6 miles east of Manhattan, Kansas.  Now 
there is only a road called "Swamp Angel" to prove it even existed. 

Swedeland (White City)--Morris; M.K.T. R.R.
Sweetwater--

Sycamore--Montgomery; 
   Sycamore is located 6 miles north of Independence. My great
   grandfather, J.F.Mayo, owned the general store and ran the post office
   there in the 1930's. 
[Mary Ann Svehla (msvehla@hotmail.com) contributed this information.]

Sylvan Grove--Lincoln; 
Sylvia--A.T.S.F. R.R.;
Syracuse--Doniphan; 1858; SW 1/4 S36 T3S R19E (N 1/2 S1 T4S R19E
was platted).
Syracuse--Hamilton; seat of Hamilton County in 1888; Santa Fe
Trail Mountain Route; A.T.S.F. R.R.