Page:Kansas A Cyclopedia of State History vol 1.djvu/66

 retail stores supply a considerable section of the northeastern part of the county. A fine quality of building stone is found in the immediate vicinity.

Altamont, one of the incorporated towns of Labette county, is located in Mt. Pleasant township, on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R., 10 miles northwest of Oswego, the county seat and very near the geographical center of the county. It has banking facilities, a weekly newspaper, express and telegraph offices, and an international money order postoffice with three rural routes. The town was laid out the year the railroad was built (1879), by a company of which I. N. Hamilton was president. The first house was built by Scott Noble, in the fall of that year. A hotel was built the following summer and a general store opened by Jones, Burns & Wright. A number of business enterprises were launched in the next two years. The first church was erected in 1880. A postoffice called Elston was established in this vicinity in 1870. When Altamont was founded the name was changed. The town was incorporated in 1884 and the following officers chosen: Mayor, H. C. Blanchard; police judge, L. W. Crain; councilmen, R. B. Gregg, W. M. McCoid, D. Reid, C. S. Newlon, and A. J. Garst; city clerk, W. F. Hamman.

Alta Vista, one of the larger towns of Wabaunsee county, is situated in Garfield township, on Mill creek and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R., 15 miles southwest of Alma, the county seat. It was settled in 1887, was incorporated as a city of the third class in 1905, and in 1910 reported a population of 499. Alta Vista is one of the busy towns of Kansas. It has two banks, a weekly newspaper, a number of high class mercantile houses, a good public school system, express and telegraph offices, telephone connection, does considerable shipping, and its money order postoffice is the starting point of three rural delivery routes which supply mail to the surrounding country.

 Alton, an incorporated town of Osborne county, is located on the Solomon river in Sumner township, and is a station on the Missouri Pacific R. R. 13 miles west of Osborne, the county seat. The population in 1910 was 414. Alton has a bank, a public library, a fire department, an opera house, a weekly newspaper, express, telegraph and telephone service, and is the principal shipping point and trading center for the northwestern part of the county.

Altoona (formerly Geddesburg), one of the larger incorporated cities of Wilson county, is located on the Missouri Pacific R. R., and on the Verdigris river, 11 miles east of Fredonia, the county seat. It has two banks, a weekly newspaper, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population in 1910 was 1,462. The town was founded in 1869 by a town company, of which Dr. T. F. C. Todd was president. No town elections were held until the town company ceased to do business. The first business enterprise was a grocery store opened in 1869 by George Shultz and John Hooper. The postoffice was established in April, 1870,