Alexander’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Alexander. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Alexander is the oldest city in Rush County, Kansas. It was established in 1869 after becoming an important stopping point on the Fort Hays/Fort Dodge Trail (officially a part of the Santa Fe Trail). The name of the town originated from Alexander Harvey a Scottish emigrant who operated a stockaded trading post on the trail crossing of the Wet Walnut Creek. Harvey was a prominent and connected figure in western settlement. He was a friend of renown trapper, trader, and Indian Agent William Bent who established Bent's Fort in Eastern Colorado. Harvey's daughter Adaline at age 20 married the 60 year-old Bent.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Alexander’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alexander’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1850: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Alexander, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Alexander is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Alexander has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Pawnee River Tributary Bridge in Highpoint, 12.7 miles away.
Alexander and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Kansas - Rush County - ED 83-1, ED 83-2, ED 83-3, ED 83-4, ED 83-5, ED … (1850) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.