So... how did Leonardville get started?   Many factors over many years lead up to the founding of Leonardville. 

First, during "The Age of Exploration,"  the European explorers were funded by the government (rich Kings and Queens) who were out to make more money.  Gold and/or rare Spices were valuable. Columbus stumbled upon North America in 1492 while trying to find a shorter trade route to the East. The Spanish explored here in the 1500's, but didn't find much gold. The English settled Jamestown in 1607 and struggled for years to make it worthwhile.  Tobacco became a cash crop for the English and make the New World "a profitable venture," so they decided to stay.  The English, the French and the Spanish all laid claims to the New World and wars were fought to decide who got what.

The English claimed the eastern lands and eventually established thirteen English Colonies in the north and east, mostly along the Atlantic coast.  The French laid claim to a large portion of the interior and the Spanish claimed much of the southern and western lands.

The Colonists grew tired of the over-bearing English Royalty and in 1776 they declared their Independence and then fought a revolutionary war to prove their right to be independent and thirteen colonies eventually  became the United States of America. 

In the early 1800's the American government wanted more land and France needed money, so in 1803 France sold their Louisiana Territory to the United States and in the middle of this "Louisiana Purchase" was Kansas. 

For almost fifty years not much happened there until the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 established the Kansas Territory and officially opened up the land for settlement.  It was along the rivers and creeks where cities sprang up and people settled.  The rest of the land was thought uninhabitable because it lacked a ready supply of water and was often referred to as "The Great American Desert."

But the Homestead Act of 1862 changed all that by offering free land to "homesteaders."  This allowed people to file a claim for a quarter-section (160 acres) of land.  The land became theirs at the end of five years if they had built a house on it, dug a well, broken 10 acres, fenced a specified amount, and actually lived there.  Thousands of people came, mostly from Europe, for many reasons, but all hoping for a better life in a new land.

During the 1870's many families settled in this area of northern Riley County.  There were U.S. Post Offices located at Alert, Bala, Randolph, Riley Centre, May Day and Winkler's Mills.  On February 15, 1881 a post office was established on the Lucien Kilbourne farm.  They named it Alembic, after Alembic, Michigan, the home town of Lucien's wife Helen.

Also, during the 1870's the Kansas Central Railway was being built westward from Leavenworth, Kansas.  The plan was to build a "faster route" to Denver.  It was a "narrow gauge" railroad, narrower then the "standard gauge" track.  The railroad had made it to Garrison in western Pottawatomie County by the spring of 1880; a total of 175 miles in ten years.  Now a bridge was needed to cross the Big Blue River and there was no money. Many thought the railroad would die there, but by the spring of 1881 the money was raised and construction of the bridge was started.  Now it was on to the west across Riley County.

To the east of the Kilbourne farm was a farm owned by John Ford and to the south was a farm owned by Lambert Erpelding.  Erpelding lived in Chicago, but he had sent his three young sons, Frank, George, and John here to farm the land.  They were often referred to as the "Chicago Boys" by the other locals.  Now the Chicago Boys (and their father) had big plans.  Having a railroad was a great asset to a city and generally a profitable asset.  But there was no city near their property to lure a railroad. So the Chicago Boys talked the Kilbournes and the Fords into giving part of their farm land and plat a new city site.  They also persuaded the president of the Kansas Central Railway, Leonard Smith, to build his railroad through this new city.  In return the new city would give every other lot to the railway company, to help them fund the construction.  They also  promised to name the new city, Leonard, in honor of the railway's president. 

South end of Erpelding Avenue, looking north from the Railroad Crossing

(circa 1890)  [photo received from John Laird (California)]

So in September of 1881 the new site for the city of Leonard was platted and during the first week of October of 1881 the tracks were laid through Leonard.  The new railroad brought much excitement, people and business and the new city became a "boom town."

An application was made to the U.S. Postal Department to change the name from Alembic to Leonard, but it was not granted, because the postal people said Leonard was too often confused with the city of Larned.  So the city name was changed and officially recognized by the Post Office on June 28, 1882 as "Leonardville." 

And they became the first  --"Leonardvillains"

And the rest is history...