Topeka Relocation Guide 2008 - (Page 10) History of Topeka Topeka lies on rich sandy loam river bottomland where Indians lived for years using the excellent fords on the Kansas (Kaw) River. Among the first permanent settlers in this area were three French-Canadian brothers named Pappan. They married three Kanza (Kansas) Indian sisters and established a ferry over the river in 1842 where the Oregon Trail crossed the river. A grandson from one of the marriages was Charles Curtis, the only U.S. vice president of Indian descent. (Charles Curtis served with President Herbert C. Hoover from 1929 to 1933.) On December 5, 1854, nine men met on the banks of the Kansas River at what is now Kansas Avenue and Crane Street. The men drew up an agreement, which later became the basis for the Topeka Association, the organization mainly responsible for the establishment and early growth of Topeka. The nine men were Cyrus K. Holliday, F.W. Giles, Daniel H. Horne, George Davis, Enoch Chase, J.B. Chase, M.C. Dickey, Charles Robinson, and L.G. Cleveland. The City of Topeka was incorporated on February 14, 1857, with Cyrus K. Holliday as Mayor. After a decade of abolitionist and proslavery conflict, the Kansas territory was admitted to the Union in 1861 as the 34th state. Topeka was finally chosen as the capital with Dr. Charles Robinson as the first Governor. Cyrus Holliday donated a tract of land to the state for the construction of a state capitol. In 1869, the railway started moving westward from Topeka. General offices and machine shops of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad system were established in Topeka in 1878. The BNSF Railway Company still has one of the world’s largest railroad shops right here in Topeka. During the early part of the 20th century, the region’s economic structure appeared to have settled into the typical pattern of a medium-sized Midwestern area dependent primarily on its agricultural base. Topeka lies at the point where the cattle ranches of the southwest meet the Corn Belt, between the undeveloped mineral resources of the Mississippi Valley, south of the winter snow line, and with ample supplies of water and plenty of room to develop. With the onset of World War II, the railroad, meat packing, and agricultural base shifted to manufacturing and government/military Kansas History Center Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site Ritchie House services. Forbes Air Force Base was established during the war, and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company opened a plant in 1944. During the 1950s, the attraction of the Hallmark Cards and DuPont (now Innovia Films) plants and other manufacturing company extensions were important in keeping the economy diverse. In the first half of the century, nature presented challenges to Topeka, with floods and a tornado in 1966. Topekans stepped up and helped one another with rebuilding and the community saw a rebirth of energy and volunteerism. Then in 1974, Forbes Air Force Base closed and over 10,000 people left Topeka, impacting the city’s growth pattern for years to come. In the 1980s, Topeka citizens voted to build a new airport terminal and convention center and to change the form of city government from commission format to strong mayor-council. West Ridge Mall opened in 1988 and in 1989, Topeka became a motorsports mecca with the opening of Heartland Park Topeka. The Topeka Performing Arts Center opened in 1991. During the 1990s, voters approved bond issues for public school improvements, including those for magnet schools, technology, air conditioning, classrooms, and a sports complex. Voters also approved a quarter-cent sales tax for a new Law Enforcement Center, and then in 1996 approved an extension of the sales tax for the East Topeka Interchange connecting the Oakland Expressway, K-4, I-70, and the Kansas Turnpike. The project was completed in August 2001. During the 1990s, Shawnee Countians voted to extend tax support to the County for the expansion of the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. The Kansas Legislature and Governor also approved legislation to replace the majority of the property tax supporting Washburn University with a county-wide sales tax. In 2000, the citizens again voted to extend the quarter-cent sales tax, this time for the economic development of Topeka and Shawnee County. In August 2004, Shawnee County citizens voted to repeal the 2000 quarter-cent sales tax and replace it with a 12-year half-cent sales tax designated for economic development, roads, and bridges. n 10 Topek a Reloc at ion Gu ide 20 08
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