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The development of the
Kansas Pacific Railroad through Manhattan and Ogden in 1866, provided much
growth to the two towns and over the years, a number of other lines were added
to the county. As Riley County
continued to attract more settlers, more towns were developed, many of which no
longer exist today.
In 1870 a colony of
Welsh settlers organized the town of Powys, located about two miles east of
present-day Bala. When they were unable to find enough water, they relocated two
miles west and formed the town of Bala in 1871. The Bala school closed in 1964
and the post office suspended delivery in 1966, leaving the old settlement a
ghost town.
Other towns were
settled on the trade routes including May Day in 1871 and Bodaville in 1885,
neither one of which exists today. Other old settlements included Peach Grove,
Swede Creek, Center Hill, Parallel, Tabor Valley, Deep Creek, Rose Hill, Alert, Grandview,
and Mariadahl.
Two resort
communities were also established such as Blasing Springs in 1882, which
provided mineral water for medicinal drinking and bathing. The 3-story hotel
that once stood there was destroyed by a tornado in 1943.
Another was Manhattan
Beach, also called the Eureka Lake Resort, was built by C.P. Dewey in 1899 on
an elbow lake of the Kansas River. The flood of 1903 destroyed the lake and
resort was later sold.
At the turn of the
century, Riley County boasted almost 14,000 residents and over the years
continued to grow and diversify. Today, the county supports nearly 63,000
people, many employed at Kansas State University and three other colleges as
well as the
Fort Riley
Military Installation. The county provides a number of museums and historic
sites that tell of its long history.
The Old Trooper Statue stands before the
Cavalry Parade Field at
Fort Riley,
Kathy Weiser, October, 2005.
This image available for
photographic prints
HERE!
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LEGENDS
OF KANSAS
Old
West Wanted Posters and Wild West Prints
