River Scene from Ft. Quindaro, showing Parkville in the distance, Kansas Ctiy, Kansas is the caption on a turn of the century postcard published by Webb-Freyschlag Mercantile Co. Today little is known or remains of the town named for Quindaro Brown, a Wyandott Indian maid of royal blood, who became Mrs. Abelard Guthrie (he was a member of the original town company of Quindaro). The town, surveyed by O.A. Bassett, was bounded on the north by the Missouri River and extended far enough back to average about three-fourths of a mile in width. Ground was broken on the town site January 1, 1857. Three or four buildings were erected by April 1, among them the Quindaro House, the second largest hotel in the territory of Kansas and the first one in the county. Ground was graded near the wharf and Kansas Avenue, the main street running south from the river. Professional men swarmed into Quindaro. Real estate and land agents were plentiful. Lots sold for exorbitant prices. For months the wildest dreams of the town's founders seemed to be on their way to realization. By July 1857 a ferry boat, 100 feet long with a 26 foot beam, was running between Quindaro and Parkville, directly across the river. A road, kept in prime condition, was built to Lawrence, Kan. There were daily stages. The sawmill, by October, was cutting 15,000 feet of lumber daily. But the glory of Quindaro was already fading in 1862 when the 2nd U.S. Cavalry quartered there at the commencement of the Civil War. About 150 volunteers of the 9th Regiment were stationed in Quindaro under Order No. 8. They occupied houses, buildings and stables. Residents quickly moved to nearby Wyandott. The postcard uses the title Ft. though Quindaro was never an official U.S. fort. Kansas City Times, April 25, 1986.
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