Cherokee County, KS
Cherokee County was organized on August 3, 1866, by John Rogers; David
M. Harlan; Richard Fields; George Fields; and Dennis Wolf. The county
contains the cities of Baxter Springs, Columbus, Galena, Roseland,
Scammon, Treece, Weir and West Mineral.
The county has been home
to many interesting Kansans. Governor Samuel Crawford (1864-1868) lived
in a large country house just east of Baxter Springs. James R.
Hallowell was elected to Congress in 1878 but refused his seat because
Kansas was allowed to have only three members and those were already
serving. He also served as U. S. District Attorney from 1879 to 1884.
Merle Evans, for more than 50 years the bandleader for Ringling
Brothers, Barnum, and Bailey Circus, was a resident of Columbus. Chief
Justice of the Kansas Court of Appeals Jerome Harmon. Paul Gregg, an
artist, was an illustrator for the Denver Post for more than 30
years. Glad Robinson Youse, of Baxter Springs, was an internationally
known composer. Hale Irwin, professional golfer, was a resident of
Baxter Springs as a boy.
It is said that the Osage Indians under Chief Black Dog often used the
Black Dog Trail (now 7th Street in Baxter Springs), from Spring River to
reach their hunting grounds in present Labette and Montgomery counties.
The story is told that women and children would clear the trail wide
enough for thirty horsemen to ride abreast.
Lynn Riggs, author of Green Grow the Lilacs, wrote about life in the Cherokee Strip and Mary Lolek, a resident of West Mineral wrote Immigrant Woman based on her life in the area.
Cherokee County Website
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