Kansas Culture

City

Atchison

Atchison County

Bird's-eye view of Atchison, Kansas, 1869
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division; Public domain
Era Bleeding Kansas Era Exodusters Linked Lawrence Linked Osawatomie Linked Topeka Linked Lecompton Linked Fort Scott Linked Lane Linked Franklin County Linked Linn County Linked Leavenworth Linked Nicodemus Linked Dunlap Linked Kansas City

During Bleeding Kansas, Atchison in Atchison County was a proslavery territorial stronghold named for Senator David Rice Atchison. Later, Exodusters landed at Missouri River cities including Atchison on their way into Kansas.

Timeline

  1. 1854 Kansapedia’s Atchison County article situates Atchison as a proslavery territorial stronghold named for Missouri senator David Rice Atchison during the Bleeding Kansas conflict. Link only
  2. 1855 Library of Congress Chronicling America records that the Squatter Sovereign, a proslavery newspaper in Atchison, Kansas Territory, began with its first issue on February 3, 1855 (editors John H. Stringfellow and Robert S. Kelley). Sourced
  3. 1857 LoC newspaper history states that when the Squatter Sovereign was sold in 1857 (including to Samuel C. Pomeroy and associates), the formerly proslavery Atchison paper became a free-state paper. Sourced
  4. 1869 Library of Congress Geography and Map Division hosts an 1869 bird’s-eye view of Atchison, Kansas (item 73693406), free to use and reuse. Sourced

Connected through

Proslavery territorial stronghold, founded 1854

Notes

Kansapedia’s Atchison County article situates Atchison as a proslavery territorial stronghold named for Missouri senator David Rice Atchison during the Bleeding Kansas conflict. Link only

Kansapedia lists Atchison among river cities where Exoduster steamboats landed. Link only

Library of Congress Chronicling America records that the Squatter Sovereign, a proslavery newspaper in Atchison, Kansas Territory, began with its first issue on February 3, 1855 (editors John H. Stringfellow and Robert S. Kelley). Sourced

LoC newspaper history describes the Squatter Sovereign of Atchison as a widely read voice of Kansas proslavery opinion that promoted migration of Missourians and other proslavery groups into the territory to influence elections during Bleeding Kansas. Sourced

LoC newspaper history states that when the Squatter Sovereign was sold in 1857 (including to Samuel C. Pomeroy and associates), the formerly proslavery Atchison paper became a free-state paper. Sourced

Atchison is a Connected-through Bleeding Kansas destination from the Lawrence hub; Kansapedia frames Atchison County as a proslavery territorial stronghold founded in 1854. Link only

Atchison is a Connected-through Exodusters peer of Nicodemus; Kansapedia documents Atchison among Kansas river landings used by Exoduster migrants. Link only

Library of Congress Geography and Map Division hosts an 1869 bird’s-eye view of Atchison, Kansas (item 73693406), free to use and reuse. Sourced

NPS Nicodemus articles document the broader Exoduster migration to Kansas that frames Atchison’s role as a river landing peer on the Connected-through Exodusters path. Sourced

Kansapedia’s Atchison County article states the place was named for Missouri senator David Rice Atchison. Link only

Kansapedia’s Exodusters article documents river-city landings including Atchison as part of the statewide Exoduster story (link-out). Link only

Atchison appears on the Connected-through Bleeding Kansas siblings path from Lawrence. Sourced

An 1869 bird's-eye view of Atchison is hosted for this Place page (atchison-birdseye-1869.jpg). Sourced

Sources