Prairie City, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Prairie City, Kansas
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Prairie City location near the Midland Railway
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 Prairie City, Kansas
Location in Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Douglas |
| Elevation | 1,037 ft (316 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 785 |
| GNIS ID | 482179 |
Prairie City is a ghost town in southeast Douglas County, Kansas, United States. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, and little remains of the original settlement. Prairie City is located near present-day Baldwin City.
The Story of Prairie City
Prairie City was started in 1855. It was founded by James Lane, William Graham, Louis Green, and Salmon Prouty. They decided to create a new town after a disagreement between Graham and Henry Barricklow from a nearby town called Palmyra.
Early Days and Firsts
A post office opened in Prairie City in 1856. John Winton was the first postmaster. In the same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church tried to open a school called the Heber Institute. However, it never officially opened. Instead, the building became Prairie City School District No. 1.
Prairie City was also home to an important first for Kansas. The very first printing press in the state was used here. Salmon Prouty used it to publish a newspaper called The Freeman's Champion. This newspaper was printed for 40 weeks. Prouty had bought the press in 1857 from the Ottawa Baptist Mission in Franklin County. Later, in 1868, Prouty left Prairie City. He moved to Topeka and started the Topeka Journal. This newspaper later joined with another to become the Topeka Capital-Journal.
A Busy Town
Prairie City officially became an incorporated town on February 4, 1859. At its busiest, the town had three general stores where people could buy goods. It also had three hotels for travelers and visitors.
Prairie City played a small but important role in the history of the American Civil War. It was a meeting point for John Brown and his followers. John Brown was an abolitionist, meaning he was against slavery. His group met in Prairie City the night before they started the Battle of Black Jack.
The Railroad and Decline
When the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Fort Gibson railroad built tracks through the area, they planned to have two train stations. One was in Baldwin, and another was two miles southwest in Prairie City. People thought having two stations so close was not practical. So, a new station was built between the two towns. It was named "Media."
The Prairie City post office, which had been open since 1856, was moved to Media in 1878. It finally closed down in 1903. The old Media library building was used as a tool shed in the Prairie City Cemetery for many years. It was eventually taken down in 2012.
On March 24, 1883, the leaders of Douglas County decided to close certain streets and alleys in Prairie City. This was a sign that the town was shrinking. Today, there isn't much left of Prairie City. You can still find a few houses, a cemetery, and the remains of an old Catholic church. The Midland Railway passes by a sign that shows where the old train station, newspaper office, post office, and store used to be.
