Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Lawrence (Kansas)

LAWRENCE, a city and county-seat of Douglas co., Kan,; on both sides of the Kansas river and on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fé, and the Union Pacific railroads; 40 miles W. of Kansas City. It is the farming trade center for Douglas and parts of two other counties; and is principally engaged in manufacturing, which is greatly promoted by the excellent water power furnished by the river. It is the seat of the Kansas State University, Haskell Institute, and Indian Industrial School; contains a hospital, public library, and several public parks; and has flour and paper mills, barbed-wire, ice, shirt, sash and door factories, and foundry and machine shops. There are electric light plants, waterworks, several National and State banks, daily, weekly and monthly periodicals. The city was settled by an anti-slavery colony from the East in 1854 and during the Civil War was almost entirely destroyed by Confederate raiders. Pop. (1910) 12,374; (1920) 12,456.