JUNIATA Excerpted from "Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1911-1912", Edited by Geo. W. Martin, Secretary. Vol XII., State Printing Office, Topeka, Kansas 1912. submitted by Teresa Lindquist (merope@radix.net); (copyright) 2001 by Teresa Lindquist ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KSGENWEB INTERNET GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY COPYRIGHT NOTICE: In keeping with the KSGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- JUNIATA. IN THE latter part of 1853 a man by the name of Samuel D. Dyer, who is said to have been a Virginian, and is also spoken of as from Tennessee, was running the government ferry on the Big Blue river at a point on the military road about a mile below Rocky Ford. The government built a bridge over the river there very soon after, costing about $10,000, but during a flood in the year 1855 it was carried away. After the opening of the territory a little town sprung up at this place, on the east side of the river, and was called Juniata. Most of its inhabitants were in sympathy with the proslavery cause. In 1855 Juniata was made a post office, with Seth J. Childs as postmaster. The town was about as well known by the cognomen of Dyers Town as it was by the name of Juniata. In 1856 the name of the post office was changed to Tauromee and was removed to the west side of the Blue. This post office was abolished March 26, 1858. In July, 1857, Juniata was called upon to furnish its quota of "volunteers for the protection of the ballot box," a free-state organization under the command of James H. Lane. In November, 1854, Rev. Charles E. Blood, of Mason. N. H., commenced his labors as a Home Missionary at Juniata. He lived about a mile west of the town. Mr. Dyer was the leading man of the town, and is described as an "old six-foot man of the Methodist Church South." His house was said to be "one story high and three stories long." Dyer and his wife kept a sort of free hotel and a small store. The town was a preaching place for all the denominations, and it was customary to invite everybody to dinner after "preaching." This pair were a kindly, generous-hearted old couple, and their free table and dishonest clerks soon made way with most of their little property. Juniata was about five miles north of the town of Manhattan, and after the destruction of the bridge the road was moved down the stream closer to its mouth. This, together with the rivalry of Manhattan, effectually wiped out the town.