Belle Plaine, the oldest city in Sumner County, Kansas was founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1884. Belle Plaine is located in the northeast corner of the county. Situated in a valley between the Arkansas and Ninnescah Rivers. Belle Plaine was settled and established by families from Iowa and Ohio. Once known for its many apple orchards, this family-oriented community's agriculture base now includes wheat, grain sorghums. soybeans, mung beans, pecan orchards, and cattle.
Despite the description of the area as the "Great American Desert" by General Stephen Long in 1823, many believed the stories of the railroad executives and cowboys and believed Kansas offered abundant rich new land at a price the poorest could afford. So, they came from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and New York as well as Canada, Scotland, Germany, and England. They came by covered wagon, on horseback, and on foot. Many brought only what they could carry on their backs or in covered wagons and settled the area that would become Paradise Valley and Belle Plaine, the oldest existing city in Sumner County. Although three other town sights were laid out before Belle Plaine, they did not survive and dropped into obscurity.
On July 5, 1870, the Alexander Clewell family with six children, G.C. Walton family with nine other Waltons, T.L. Cambridge family with seven children, J.B. Leforce, Sr. family with six children, J.B. Leforce family and William Leforce family with one child arrived. They spent their first winter in Wichita. All of the families except for Alexander Clewell moved on when they heard of richer land to the south. Alexander settled one mile north and two miles west of Belle Plaine where their descendants still live and farm the land.
It was not until July 13, 1870, when the Osage tribes made a treaty with the United States Government and ceded their reserve to the government that an increased number of settlers started to arrive. The North family was among those settlers. The Lawless, Phipps, and Griffith families from Kentucky, the Alter family from Pennsylvania, and Wallace family from Illinois arrived in 1871, early 1872. It was at the request of Olive North the town be named after her hometown of Belle Plaine, Iowa. There is another interesting version of how Belle Plaine was named in the book, "Facts and Fables of Belle Plaine". The Belle Plaine Public Library has a copy of the book or you can buy a copy from the Belle Plaine Historical/Genealogical Society.
The Belle Plaine Town Company was founded on January 1, 1871, and purchased land located on Section 35, Township 30, Range 1, east for $1.25 an acre. A total of 319.99 acres were purchased for $399.99. The town company consisted of George A. and James L. Hamilton, Jasper L. Kellogg, William P. Hackney, E.M. Miller, William, and Thomas J. Barton, John Lewis, William R.C. Chamberlain, and J.C. Thurman.
The original boundaries, plotted in 1883, were 7th Avenue on the North, 1st Avenue on the South, Line Street on the West, and Logan on the East. On March 20, 1884, the "Petition for the Incorporation of Belle Plaine as a City of the Third Class" was signed. The local newspaper at the time reported a census of 1,000. The census now is around 1,500. The first building was built for J.C. Thurman. James Hamilton started the first business on February 25.
In the early days, Belle Plaine had a flour mill, a grain elevator, a newspaper, two large hotels, one bank, three churches, a grade school, a stagecoach stop, a carriage factory, a blacksmith shop, and two brick factories. At one time, there were two banks, two newspapers, a sawmill, an opera house, and a roller skating rink. Just north of town was a dance hall called the Green Frog. Three railroads serviced Belle Plaine at one time: AT&S on the west edge of town, Missouri-Pacific on the south edge, and the Midland Valley on the east.
In 1910, Dr. Bartlett established Bartlett’s Park, now called Bartlett’s Arboretum. The Arboretum is now owned and run by Robin Macy. Special events are scheduled throughout the year at the Arboretum.
Belle Plaine has many features that attract families who wish to live in a small community. Many of the 1600 citizens are employed in aviation-related industries in the surrounding area. Housed in the Belle Plaine Industrial Park are several firms engaged in various manufacturing operations. Local businesses include a bank, general goods store, gas station, automotive repair, and numerous other businesses. Belle Plaine has an excellent school system (K-12) and community organizations to engage local youth in sports, as well as an active Community Center. Family activities available include City Swimming Pool, 4th of July Celebration, Halloween Parade, the Christmas Lighting and Parade, the Downtown Festival and Art in the Arb, along with other seasonal activities.
The Belle Plaine Historical/Genealogical Society was founded in 1998, with the establishment of a museum soon after. Projects include updating the "Facts and Fables of Belle Plaine" book and collecting artifacts and pictures from the early days.
There are many interesting stories about the early settlers and Belle Plaine such as "Black Friday", how the town got its name, and the fight for the Sumner County seat which can be found in the following three books: Old West Justice in Belle Plaine", by Tom Coke, "Facts and Fables of Belle Plaine, KS" and "Belle Plaine: A Century of Memories 1884-1984". The first book can be purchased from the Belle Plaine Historical Society. All three books are available at the Belle Plaine Public Library. Information for this article came from these three sources.
Belle Plaine Historical Museum | (620) 488-5488 | bpmuseum@sktc.net | Facebook | Meetings 4th Thursday of the Month at Belle Plaine Historical Museum 7:00 pm | Museum open 2nd Monday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and the 4th Saturday from 10:00 am to Noon or by appointment.