The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Fort Scott

FORT SCOTT, a city and the capital of Bourbon co., Kansas, on the Marmiton river, a branch of the Osage, about 100 m. S. of Leavenworth; pop. in 1860, 262; in 1870, 4,174. The Missouri River, Fort Scott, and Gulf, and the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railroads intersect here. Bituminous coal is abundant in the surrounding country. Manufacturing industry is little developed, but there are three flouring mills, a planing mill and furniture factory, carriage and wagon factories, cement works, founding and machine shops, a castor oil factory, cement pipe works, and a barrel factory, employing in the aggregate 144 men. Two national banks have been established, with a capital of $150,000. The city contains five public school buildings, one of which cost $60,000, and has a normal department. One daily and two weekly newspapers are published. There are nine religious societies. Fort Scott was established as a military post in 1842, and was incorporated as a town in 1855.