Abbie Bright correspondence
Creator: Bright, Abbie, 1848-1926
Date: 1861-1903
Abbie Bright was born on a farm near Danville, Pennsylvania, on December 17, 1848. She had three brothers, Dennis, Hiram and Philip, all of whom enlisted in the army when the Civil War broke out. Abbie had three sisters, Rebecca, Peninah, and Mary, all of whom aided the war effort. In 1870 Abbie traveled to Indiana and Kansas to visit Hiram and Philip and wrote an account of her trip in a diary (also available on Kansas Memory as record unit 223662). While in Kansas she acquired 160 acres as an investment. This series of correspondence includes letters describing the brother's wartime activities. There are also letters to and from other individuals who were involved in the Civil War. These writings make a significant contribution to Civil War research. Other letters pertain to Philip and Abbie Bright's westward migration. Philip moved to Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, and Arizona but died in 1873 and the letters at that time mostly concern his death. The 1902 and 1903 correspondence apparently regards the sale of Abbie's land in Kansas. A complete transcription is available by clicking on "Text Version" below.

Abbie Bright diary
Creator: Bright, Abbie, 1848-1926
Date: 1868-1921
Born in Pennsylvania in 1848, Abbie Bright traveled to Kansas in 1870 as a young woman and her diary is primarily an account of this trip. It gives excellent accounts of daily life and settlement activities. The "diary" is actually composed of two different manuscripts and both are presented here. The first is an eighty-six page loose-leaf diary with consistent entries from September 2, 1870 - December 20, 1871. The second is a bound composition book with 129 written pages. This book begins with a childhood reminiscence written in Iowa in 1914 (p1-23), followed by a reminiscence of her Kansas trip written in Iowa in 1921 (p24-36) that covers Aug 23, 1870 - Jan 30, 1871. The book then includes some recipes dated 1868-1871 and a receipt dated 1884 (p37-41), and finally consistent diary entries from February 2, 1871 - December 21, 1871 (p41-129). A complete, revised transcription of both manuscripts is available by clicking on "Text Version" below. A previous, annotated transcription that combines the 1870-1871 entries from both manuscripts was published in the Kansas Historical Quarterly in 1971 and is available through a link below.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot, Clearwater, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: May 28, 1931
This photograph shows a view of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot in Clearwater, Kansas. It was built in 1887 and remodeled in 1920.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot, Clearwater, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: May 28, 1931
This photograph shows the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot at Clearwater, Kansas. The depot was built in 1887 and measured 24'x62'.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company section house, Clearwater, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: May 28, 1931
This black and white photograph shows the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's section house at Clearwater. Kansas. Built in 1887, the house measured 14' x 30' and 14' x 14'.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company stock yards, Clearwater, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: May 28, 1931
This black and white photograph shows the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company stock yards at Clearwater, Kansas. Built from 1887-1907, the yards measured 64 ' x 130'.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company tool house, Clearwater, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: May 28, 1931
This black and white photograph shows the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway Company tool house at Clearwater, Kansas. Built in 1897, the house measured 16' x 24'.

House Bills Relating to Schools
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1915-1919: Capper)
Date: 1915
This file includes correspondence relating to bills for schools. Topics included, but not limited to, in the correspondence is rural schools, House Bill No. 35 and 36, and voting for County Superintendents. This is part of a bigger collection of Governor Arthur Capper correspondence.

Plans for a railroad bridge over the Ninnescah River, Sedgwick County, Kansas
Creator: Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Works
Date: 1885
Plans for the St. Louis, Fort Scott & Wichita Railroad bridge over the Ninnescah River near Clearwater, Segwick County, Kansas.

Railroad bridge, Clearwater, Kansas
Date: 1915
This photograph shows a railroad bridge being built over the Ninnescah River, in Clearwater, Kansas. In the foreground groups of men are visible on the bridge.

Rewarded for Capture of Milan State Bank Robbers
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1915-1919: Capper)
Date: 1915
This file includes general correspondence relating to the reward for the capture of the Milan State Bank robbers. Led by a man named Callahan, him and his team of robbers were captured in Clearwater, Kansas and W. H. Matthews of Matthews Hardware and Implement Company and asks who received the reward for their capture. In reply, the Governor's Office is unaware of a reward being offered. This is part of a bigger collection of Governor Arthur Capper correspondence.

Santa Fe Demonstration Train
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company
Date: July 21--August 2, 1930 and August 24--September 5, 1931
These posters advertise Santa Fe demonstration trains traveling in Kansas in 1930 and 1931. The purpose of the 1930 train (8 cars) was to present a plan for higher profits on wheat farms. Tom L. Bair, the State's champion wheat grower, was part of the 1930 train. It's travel dates were July 21 through August 2, 1930. The 1931 train (9 cars) was designed to present a plan for more profits in the beef cattle industry. The 1931 train had special features for women and children and it was traveling throughout the state from August 24 through September 5, 1931. The towns where the train would stop each year are listed on the posters. The trains were operated jointly by the Santa Fe and the Kansas State Agricultural College. J. F. Jarrell, manager of Agricultural Development for Santa Fe, was the organizer of these trains. The posters make a point of emphasizing that the speakers will be on a flat car "equipped with electrically controlled voice amplifiers. Visitors remaining in their automobiles will be able to hear perfectly."

Soda fountain in Corbin Drug Store, Clearwater, Kansas
Date: 1908
This photograph shows an interior view of the soda fountain in Corbin Drug Store in Clearwater, Kansas. A man is visible standing behind the counter. There are stools visible in front of the counter, and glasses and spoons are visible on top of the counter. Several bottles are visible behind the counter. There are also several small photographs displayed on the wall behind the counter. Two small American flags are also on display behind the counter. An unusual feature of the flag on the right is that it has 48 stars arranged in 6 rows of 8 stars each, but the rows are staggered. The American flag did not have 48 stars until 1912, and those stars were arranged in evenly spaced rows.

Standard atlas of Sedgwick County, Kansas
Creator: Geo. A. Ogle & Co.
Date: 1905
This atlas shows maps of each township with the names of landowners. It has a patrons' directory, portraits, and plats of towns as of the year of publication.

The Chisholm Cattle Trail
Creator: Howes, Cecil, 1880-1950
Date: 1940-1950
This item, written by Kansas City Star editor Charles Cecil Howes, concerns the Chisholm Trail, its origins, and its impact on Kansas. Howes explains that the Chisholm Trail was named after Jesse Chisholm who, along with James R. Mead, "freighted goods over the trail for years." According to Howes, Chisholm was a "half-breed Indian who engaged in the trading business for many years and established several trading posts in the Indian Territory [most of the land west of the Mississippi during that period]."

The Kiowa Trail
Creator: Root, George Allen, 1867-1949
Date: Between 1912 and 1913
This history of the Kiowa Trail was compiled from notes taken by George A. Root from interviews with J.T. Botkin. The trail was formed around 1871, with it's starting point being Wichita, running into Harper County, and ending in Barber County.