[IMAGE]
Charles R. Noe

Charles R. Noe was born of humble parentage in the hill country of Grant county, Kentucky, March 25, 1843. One of his regular assignments, at the age of eight years, was going to mill, six miles up and down hills, mounted on "Old Benter," a badly sway-backed critter of ripe age, carrying a two-bushel bag of corn. At the age of twelve, young Noe was a chauffeur, driving a horseless vehicle delivering yellow poplar logs to a saw mill. The motor (three yokes of oxen) went all the time on low gear, and the driver was never arrested for speeding.

With his parents and seven other children, Charles R. Noe migrated to southern Illinois in 1856. He entered high school to fit himself for college at Charleston, Ill., but left school at the age of eighteen to answer President Lin-first[sic] call for volunteers in April, 1861. He was promoted to sergeant-major of his regiment for gallantry in the assault on the works at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863, and was mustered out as a second lieutenant, August 16, 1865. He came home broken in health and taught school in Fountain county, Indiana, in 1867 and 1868.

Mr. Noe came to Kansas in February, 1869, and to south Butler

county in April, where he secured a claim and made a farm where, ten years later, the townsite of Leon was surveyed. He raised a crop of corn on the Squire Steward place, one mile south of El Dorado, in 1869. He taught school in district No. 9, on the Whitewater, in the winter of 1869-1870. Mr. Noe was united in marriage to Miss Lana Fisher at El Dorado, Kans., March 24, 1870. He was the first trustee and assessor of Little Walnut township.

When the survey was made for the railroad across his place, Mr. Noe secured the promise of the depot from the president of the construction company, B. F. Hobart, in June, 1879. In November of that year the townsite was surveyed and the subject of this sketch named the Leon "Indicator," secured subscribers and wrote copy for the first issue, before there was a house on the townsite. The first train on the Frisco arrived in April, 1880. Mr. Noe was mayor of the town and commander of Leon Post No. 125, Department of Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic, in 1883. He was Regent of the Kansas State Agricultural College in 1895-1898 and treasurer of that institution in 1896-1897.

Mr. Noe united with the Church of Christ at the age of twelve years and is now a trustee and elder of the home congregation.

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