July 5, 1880: The day The General came to Emporia

Emporians celebrated July 4 on July 5 in 1880, not because the fourth was on Sunday, but because the General was coming! The Emporia newspapers did not refer to the former president as President Grant, but as General Grant.

Much as George Washington, and later Dwight Eisenhower, who had served two terms as President of the United States following a period of distinguished wartime leadership, Ulysses S. Grant was "General Grant" in the eyes of the many veterans who had fought under him to "Save the Union."

Students and faculty at the Kansas State Normal School have always joined other Emporians in celebrating Independence Day each July. These celebrations were especially strong in the victorious northern states in the years following the Civil War.

Kansas had a higher percentage of Union veterans among her population than any other state; some were native Kansans, others were veterans from eastern states who settled here after the war. One of the greatest celebrations was during the Centennial of the Republic on July 4, 1876, when the main speaker was former KSN president, Lyman Beecher Kellogg. Nothing in Emporia history, however, could rival the 1880 observance of the birthday of the Republic.

At first it looked and sounded as though the weather would be dreadful. There were dark clouds, heavy torrents of rain, and lightening in the early morning sky but the sun broke out by 9 a.m.

"The special trains on all the railroads came in filled with people; the country roads leading into town were lined with wagons very soon after the clearing of the sky; and by noon Commercial Street was literally jam full of people, horses and vehicles."

Estimates of the crowd varied between 10 and 15 thousand and "would have been much larger if the streams had been fordable, and double what it was but for the discouraging state of the weather during the morning."

An arch on Commercial Street and Fifth Avenue proclaimed "Welcome Grant" on each side. The General's special train was expected at 1 p.m., but did not arrive until about 4 p.m.

The Emporia Sentinel reported "By noon Emporia was in her holiday attire, and she looked as lovely as a young bride decked for the marriage. At 1 p.m. the procession was formed on Commercial street. It was a grand pageant, and as it proceeded on its way to the grove, it was greeted on every hand by loud and prolonged huzzas from the immense concourse of people."

The procession was headed by the Knights Templar Band. The Knights of Pythias were mounted on gray horses. There were the Emporia Rifles, the Council Grove Guards, Wichita cavalrymen, and the Emporia Fire Company.

According to The Emporia Journal, "The school wagons were conspicuous objects in the procession. On one was a lass representing each State of the Union, on seats arranged to form a pyramid, upon the apex of which was the Goddess of Liberty, represented by Miss Mollie Scott, bearing the stars and stripes." Other carriages and wagons followed.

After reaching the grove, the Rev. C. S. Dudley of the First Presbyterian Church led the group in prayer, Miss May Randolph read the Declaration of Independence, and other speakers followed.

Finally the train arrived at the junction of the Santa Fe and Katy lines and the welcoming committee of H. C. Cross, Captain S. B. Warren, Major William H. Gunn, and Captain Lemuel T. Heritage boarded the train for the short ride to Merchant Street. Then General Grant and his wife, along with other relatives and Santa Fe officials, stepped off the train. General and Mrs. Grant, and H. C. Cross were "assisted into a carriage with four fine gray horses driven by H. B. Lowe." Another carriage with four white horses was supplied by the Gilchrist brothers for the remaining members of the party.

The procession was led by the Mounted Police, and the Marshal of the Day, L. Severy, followed by the Knights Templar Band, the carriages of the honored guests, the Knights of Pythia mounted, the Americus Band, and other wagons and groups.

They "moved up Merchant St. amid the enthusiastic shouts of the multitude and the infernal noise of bursting fire-crackers." At Sixth Avenue the honored guests turned right to Commercial St. and then south towards Soden's Grove. The street was "packed and jammed with thousands of people who welcomed the distinguished guests with loud and prolonged cheers."

Mr. Egan, district court stenographer, transcribed the words of both H. C. Cross and General Grant for the press. Cross provided a brief introduction, opening his remarks with the words "I have the honor of introducing to you him who, of all other men, made it a possibility that we and our children may celebrate this day." After additional words of praise, he concluded by saying "Ladies and gentlemen, I now have the honor of presenting to you the greatest of all living Americans, Gen. U. S. Grant."

General Grant responded: "There are more of you here than I can possibly make hear me if I was to do my utmost to make myself heard. I assure you that it is very gratifying to me to see so many American people out here where but a few years since the buffalo and the wild Indians occupied the territory, and it is gratifying to me also that this country which when I first saw it constituted and was supposed to be a part of a desert which the farmer never could cultivate, has been so prosperous.

"In your whole beautiful country we have none that looks to be more productive than the very land I see around me here. I wish for all of you continued prosperity in your new homes; may they continue productive in all industries. I like Kansas. I like the Kansas people; they implanted in our soil the principles of universal liberty. If all the population of our country, was like the population of Kansas, our noble institutions would have nothing to fear. You were born in the struggle for freedom, when civil war overran our land. If all our people will be like the people of noble Kansas we can always be a free nation. Gentlemen, I thank you."

After cheers from the crowd, a few concluding remarks about being late, and the shaking of hands, the procession departed for the depot and additional farewells.

Later in the evening the celebration of Independence Day concluded with fireworks in front of the Normal School.

The Journal related "In the evening there was a grand display of fire works under the immediate supervision of Peter Stromberg, William Ireland and Newt. Daugherty. This was one of the finest exhibitions of the kind ever given in Emporia -- at least it concluded some of the most beautiful and expensive pyrotechnic designs, the only objection being to the brevity of the show. This entertainment closed with the ascension of a beautiful balloon, from which dropped at intervals liquid fire of various colors, until the lightly floating orb was lost in the distance."

The Sentinel concluded "It was a very beautiful display, far exceeding anything of the kind before attempted in this city, and a fitting end of the commemoration of the nation's birthday and the visit of General Grant." The Emporia Ledger reported "Never before in the history of Emporia were so many people gathered within her walls. The celebration was a triumphant success and a pleasant event long to be remembered."

 

Last Updated July 2, 2007>