Ulysses (Kansas)
| Ulysses | |
|---|---|
 Grant County Administration Building |
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| Location in Kansas | |
 |
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| Basic data | |
| Foundation : | 1888 |
| State : | United States |
| State : | Kansas |
| County : | Grant County |
| Coordinates : | 37 ° 35 ′ N , 101 ° 21 ′ W |
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) |
| Residents : | 5,960 (as of: 2000) |
| Population density : | 794.7 inhabitants per km 2 |
| Area : | 7.6 km 2 (about 3 mi 2 ) of which 7.5 km 2 (about 3 mi 2 ) are land |
| Height : | 930 m |
| Postal code : | 67880 |
| Area code : | +1 620 |
| FIPS : | 20-71975 |
| GNIS ID : | 0471718 |
Ulysses is a small town in the US state of Kansas and the county seat of Grant County . The city named after US President Ulysses S. Grant has 5960 inhabitants (as of 2000) on an area of 7.5 km². Through the city runs US Highway 160 and the railway line of the BNSF Railway , the Cimarron River is located immediately south of the city. With the Santa Fe Trail one of the most important trade routes ran through the later city in the middle of the 19th century.
history
Ulysses was founded twice. Originally, the city owes its existence to the railway. In connection with the construction of the railway line from Topeka to Santa Fe (New Mexico) ( Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ) countless small settlements emerged. In 1885 Ulysses was officially measured; the year is considered the first city to be founded. In 1888 Ulysses competed with the nearby Appomattox (now defunct) for the seat of the administration of Grant County and the city council advertised with 2000 residents and "twelve restaurants, four hotels, six gambling halls and other businesses". The city prevailed against their rivals but took on at least $ 57,500 in debt over the course of the competition. In the following years the economic basis of the place collapsed, the population temporarily fell to only 40 people, there was no more administration. Only in the new century did the town slowly recover, in 1908 the then 100+ residents re-elected mayor and municipal administration. Immediately afterwards, the creditors registered their claims, because before that there were no claim partners for them. In the years since the debt securities were issued, neither interest nor redemption had been paid, the sum had risen considerably and in 1909 the community could no longer pay its obligations. The creditors prepared the foreclosure in the entire public land and all public buildings.
The residents decided to flee the debt with the whole city. Because the nearest telegraph was 24 miles away, this could be done without the knowledge of the creditors. On February 6, 1909, the residents loaded their houses onto a type of sledge and moved them about 3 miles into the prairie . The Edwards Hotel had to be sawn into three parts to be transportable. Only the stone schoolhouse remained in the old place. The new city was named "New Ulysses" in order to avoid city continuity and foreclosure. The Edwards Hotel is the only one of the houses that existed at the time and has been converted into the Grant County Museum.
When natural gas was found in the region , the city got a new economic base and on January 10, 1921, with 111 inhabitants again, it was re-entered as "Ulysses" in the directory of incorporated places .
Web links
- Spiegel online - one day: Western town on the move , July 26, 2013
- www.legendsofamerica.com - History of Ulysses, with the shift in 1909