Place:Bellemont, Doniphan, Kansas, United States

Town of Bellemont (Whitehead)

Bellemont, or sometime Whitehead, historically was an unincorporated town in the township of Washington, county of Doniphan, state of Kansas, United States of America. It was situated in section 15, town 3 south, range 22 east (Sixth Principal Meridian), along the Missouri River; the river channel has since moved farther east than it was at that time.

History

The first settlement in the township was by James and J.R. Whitehead, who settled on the bank of the Missouri River in January 1852, and by permission from W.P. Richardson, then agent for the Kickapoo, established a trading post. A small building was erected and used for dwelling and store purposes. In the spring of 1855 a town company from Rochester, New York, consisting of W.K. Moon and the (three) Penny brothers, as the principal members, bought a tract of land amounting to 320 acres of Mr. Whitehead, which comprised the original town site. There was great rivalry between Bellemont, Elwood, and Wathena. In order to induce emigration to Bellemont, the town company purchased a steam ferry which they plied between Bellemont and St. Joseph, Missouri, making two trips each day. The ferry was discontinued after about two years.

The seat of justice of the county was located here until September 1856 when the Board of County Commissioners ordered there next meeting to be held at Troy, the new county seat, and during October all of the public books, records, etc., were removed to Troy. Meetings were held at Whitehead's trading post with James Whitehead acting as clerk of the court. The building stood on a high, rocky bluff, overlooking the river, about a quarter of a mile above the ferry landing.

During the Pike's Peak emigration, there was not a town in the county which did more business than this, but by 1860 it fell into retrogression. As a last final effort to save the town from extinction, the town company tried to purchase the improvements of Wathena, but all negotiations proved fruitless.

Whitehead Post Office was established on 3 March 1855 and was discontinued on 10 April 1866.[1]

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Bibliography

See the entries for Doniphan County.