place

Cofachique, Kansas

1855 establishments in Kansas TerritoryFormer populated places in Allen County, KansasFormer populated places in KansasPopulated places established in 1855

Cofachique (pronounced ko-fa-chee) is a ghost town situated along the Neosho River near the present-day city of Iola in Allen County, Kansas, United States. Being the first town established in Allen County in 1855, it was the original county seat. However, within five years the greater part of the town was moved to the new town of Iola, while the old site of Cofachique became farm land. The town was named in honor of an Osage chief known as Cofachique, who is said to have been particularly helpful to early settlers, bringing aid to the distressed and homeless. The name "Cofachique" appears to have origins with the Cofachiqui (or Cofitachiqui) tribe in South Carolina, who were Siouan speakers, and the Osage who settled this area were closely affiliated with the Siouan.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Cofachique, Kansas (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Cofachique, Kansas
North Industrial Road,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 37.9333 ° E -95.4148 °
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Address

North Industrial Road

North Industrial Road
66749
Kansas, United States
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Iola's fort

Iola, Kansas, was founded in 1859 and soon after a two-story stone building was built on the southwest corner of Jefferson and Madison streets. Davis Parsons, one of the first town settlers, built this building, which was to serve as a rallying point and defense headquarters in the event the town was threatened by Bushwhackers or Indians. The area's Indians proved reasonably peaceful and no Bushwhackers threatened the area. The stone building was not truly fortified until the Civil War began.The building was transformed into a blockhouse when the War began and the threats of attacks by Confederate guerrillas grew. The entire block on which the fort stood was fortified. A trench lined with an earthen embankment was constructed on the perimeter of the block. The fort served as a recruiting station and the Army kept troops in Iola through most of the Civil War. These troops used the blockhouse for their barracks. At times up to 400 men were stationed in Iola. While nearby Humboldt, Kansas, was raided twice in fall 1861, Iola was never attacked by Confederates.After the War's end, the earthworks were leveled to make way for new building lots. The fort itself was used as a hotel for many years. In 1880 the building was demolished to make way for a new building. The outlines of the earthworks were still visible then. In 1907 a new bank building in turn was erected on the fort site and in 1931 a plaque commemorating the old fort was placed on the side of the bank.