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Frontier Manhattan: Yankee Settlement to Kansas Town, 1854-1894
Kevin G. W. Olson
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Description for Frontier Manhattan: Yankee Settlement to Kansas Town, 1854-1894
Paperback. Chronicles the first four decades of Mahattan, Kansas, as it grew from tent to town. Captures the origins and early life of this quintessential Kansas city in an engaging and informative history. Num Pages: 284 pages, 45 Photographs. BIC Classification: 1KBBNK; 3JH; WQH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 235 x 156 x 20. Weight in Grams: 525.
When Isaac Goodnow and five fellow New Englanders arrived at the junction of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers in March of 1855, they pitched a tent and launched a town. Harassment and homesickness almost drove them back east, but they held their ground to establish an anti-slavery and educational stronghold: the town of Manhattan, Kansas.
Kevin Olson's lively history of Manhattan's founding illuminates the divisive forces that had to be overcome amidst the turbulence of the Civil War era and the sheer drama of building a town from scratch on the Great Plains frontier. With an eye for vivid detail and reflecting a native's deep knowledge of the city, Olson chronicles the first four decades of Manhattan as it grew from tent to town.
Although spared much of the Bleeding Kansas violence, Manhattan saw its share of shootouts and lynchings in its Wild West days. Olson evocatively recaptures those rough-and-tumble times and effectively describes the town's key social and economic transformations. He also highlights the emergence of a college town and ""New England village"" by 1866, followed by Manhattan's growth and modernization in the 1890s.
Drawing on town records as well as the personal papers of boosters, Olson mirrors the history of Kansas through the lens of this one community by interweaving ecology, relations with Native Americans, agriculture, literature, architecture, social mores, politics, economic issues, and university origins to recreate a vibrant cross-section of town life. His account of Kansa Indian settlement Blue Earth Village shines a light on a prehistory that until now has been little covered; his retelling of the emigration of the New England settlers recalls one of the most compelling stories of the antebellum era; and his coverage of the 1860s surpasses that of most previous histories.
Written for general readers while boasting an impressive depth of scholarship, Frontier Manhattan takes us on a journey into the past to shop at Higginbotham and Purcell's or enjoy a stay at the Manhattan House hotel with jovial mayor Andrew Mead. With its strong sense of place and personality, Olson's book is as engaging as it is informative in celebrating the origins and early life of this quintessential Kansas city.
Kevin Olson's lively history of Manhattan's founding illuminates the divisive forces that had to be overcome amidst the turbulence of the Civil War era and the sheer drama of building a town from scratch on the Great Plains frontier. With an eye for vivid detail and reflecting a native's deep knowledge of the city, Olson chronicles the first four decades of Manhattan as it grew from tent to town.
Although spared much of the Bleeding Kansas violence, Manhattan saw its share of shootouts and lynchings in its Wild West days. Olson evocatively recaptures those rough-and-tumble times and effectively describes the town's key social and economic transformations. He also highlights the emergence of a college town and ""New England village"" by 1866, followed by Manhattan's growth and modernization in the 1890s.
Drawing on town records as well as the personal papers of boosters, Olson mirrors the history of Kansas through the lens of this one community by interweaving ecology, relations with Native Americans, agriculture, literature, architecture, social mores, politics, economic issues, and university origins to recreate a vibrant cross-section of town life. His account of Kansa Indian settlement Blue Earth Village shines a light on a prehistory that until now has been little covered; his retelling of the emigration of the New England settlers recalls one of the most compelling stories of the antebellum era; and his coverage of the 1860s surpasses that of most previous histories.
Written for general readers while boasting an impressive depth of scholarship, Frontier Manhattan takes us on a journey into the past to shop at Higginbotham and Purcell's or enjoy a stay at the Manhattan House hotel with jovial mayor Andrew Mead. With its strong sense of place and personality, Olson's book is as engaging as it is informative in celebrating the origins and early life of this quintessential Kansas city.
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2015
Publisher
University Press of Kansas
Condition
New
Number of Pages
284
Place of Publication
Kansas, United States
ISBN
9780700621408
SKU
V9780700621408
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-46
About Kevin G. W. Olson
Manhattan native Kevin G. W. Olson has gone from Little to Big Apple, where he is now assistant attorney general in the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Office of the New York State Attorney General.
Reviews for Frontier Manhattan: Yankee Settlement to Kansas Town, 1854-1894
“A lively and well-researched study.”—Kansas History “Olson has penned a lively history of Manhattan’s founding that illuminates the divisive forces that had to be overcome amidst the turbulence of the Civil War era and the drama of building a town from scratch on the Great Plains frontier.”—Topeka Capital-Journal “Kevin Olson has fashioned an exceptionally thorough account of the first decades of Manhattan, Kansas—the Little Apple. In a significant way, Olson chronicles the development of the city through the lives of Isaac and Ellen. With excellent research and clear writing, Olson gives a fascinating, detailed picture of life in Manhattan from its founding as an anti-slavery stronghold called Boston to its social and economic transformation into a quiet Midwestern college town, one governed by political moderates.”—Manhattan Mercury “Much of the town’s early history was indirectly affected by the broader violence of Bleeding Kansas, which pitted proslavery and antislavery factions against each other. After the Civil War, the town grew rapidly as it tapped into the state’s farming and ranching economies, western transportation industry, nearby Fort Riley’s lucrative military contracts, and the jobs and prestige associated with what ultimately became Kansas State University. This well-written study utilizes a wealth of primary documentation to authenticate the transformation of a small community into a thriving city that still pays homage to its Yankee roots.”—Choice.