Bonner Springs, Kansas

Among the rolling hills on the edge of the Kansas River just before it joins the Missouri River, Bonner Springs is one of the oldest cities in the state of Kansas. For years, the area around Bonner Springs, Kansas was inhabited by the Kansa (Kanza/Kaw) tribe of Native Americans. The tribe had settled the area because of the mineral springs and abundant fish and game.

Coronado Springs

The first contact of the Kansa tribe with Europeans probably came when the Spanish explorer Francisco Vȧzquez de Coronado spent the winter of 1541-1542 there. The diary of Father Juan Padilla records that the expedition reached the 40th degree and came to a great river (the Missouri). An inscription found on a stone near Atchison has been translated as, "Thus far came Francisco de Coronado, General of an Expedition." The explorers traveled downstream to the mouth of another great river, the Kansas, and preceded upstream 16 leagues to camp in what is now Bonner Springs before returning to Mexico. Due to the mineral springs, this legend gave the area its first recorded name, "Coronado Springs".

French Traders

In 1812, two French fur traders, the Chouteau brothers, made their way from St. Louis, Missouri and settled in the area. They built four log cabins near what is now Front and Second street in Bonner Springs and operating a ferry across the Kansas River. They starting a trading post named Four Houses.

This makes the site of Bonner Springs the first settlement in what would become the State of Kansas. The location allowed easy access to trade items, and ferry to cross the Kansas River was added.

Tiblow Landing

In 1830, Henry Tiblow, a Delaware Indian, took charge of the ferry. He also worked as an interpreter for the government. He lived in a small cabin on the west side of the city. At that time, the settlement became known as “Tiblow Landing.” Although he worked the ferry for years, he ended up in Oklahoma with the rest of his tribe. His grave may be found near Nowata, Oklahoma.

The Americans

John McDanield, or "Red John" due to hair color, is known as the founder of Bonner Springs as we know it today. As the owner of a vast majority of land that is now Bonner Springs, McDaniel renamed the town Tiblow, after his friend, Henry Tiblow. He began developing the town of Tiblow around 1866. It remained as Tiblow until Philo Clark platted the area in the 1880’s.

In 1885, Philo Clark purchased 300 acres from McDanield, this plans to capitalize on the mineral springs, then he changed the name of the town to Bonner Springs. The latter portion of the name comes from many natural springs in the area said to have medicinal qualities. The town was also named after Robert E. Bonner, a publisher of the New York Ledger, who was a trotting-horse breeder of note, and Clark believed would help fund the proposed racetrack. However, there is no record this occurred. Philo Clark became the first Mayor of Bonner Springs when the city incorporated in 1898.

Mineral Springs

Springs at Bonner Springs ctsy kgs.ku.edu

Several of the springs in the area were analysed for their mineral content, and the results indicated benefits that would attract visitors. The Bonner Springs Improvement Club, in 1907, created a promotional brochure touting the city as the “Kansas Karlsbad” and listing the contents of five springs near Lake of the Woods: Big Chief, Little Chief, Papoose, Old Squaw and Minnehaha. They listed “grains per gallon” of things like potassium sulphate, carbonate of iron, and chloride of sodium for each.

Big Chief was noted to be “splendid water for anemics, supplying the necessary properties for good red blood and driving out the dead and impure corpuscles.”

Old Squaw was reportedly so named because “the old women of Indian tribes once living in Kansas found relief from their intense dyspepsia caused by their heavy meat diet and little or no exercise.”

Bonner Springs Lake ctsy kgs.ku.edu

To promote the springs, a special train brought investors to the area and cited its proximity to Kansas City, the springs themselves, the fine parks and native trees, the site of a racetrack, and the beautiful residential sites as advantages that would assure the success of the mineral spring venture. 

Today, Bonner Springs is part of the greater Kansas City, Kansas area.

Charlie’s Choice

Although the name Bonner Springs did not exist at the time my story, Charlie’s Choice, takes place, I set my trading post owned by the American, Owen Jones, in that locality. It was also the boyhood home of his son, Charlie. At the time Owen would have married Charlie’s Kansa mother, the tribe was still in the region, and no doubt made good use of the mineral springs that brought the area fame in coming years.

Please CLICK HERE to find the book description and purchase information for Charlie’s Choice, the prequel to my Atwell Kin series.

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.triposo.com/loc/Bonner_Springs2C_Kansas/history/background

https://www.bonnersprings.org/774/History

http://www.basehorinfo.com/news/2008/may/15/former_and_current_bonner_residents_find_henry_tib/

http://www.bonnersprings.com/news/2014/mar/10/five-things-you-might-not-know-about-bonner-spring/