The Morris County Commissioner meeting was called to order on Tuesday, March 18th, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Commissioners Wayne Kohler, Jim Barber and David Fox were present. Chelsey Schmidt, County Clerk, and Bill Kassebaum, County Counselor, were present.
Editors Note: History buff and Council Grove resident Dale Linn has offered his collection of historical accounts to the Council Grove Republican, as written by the various newspapers of the time that came and went. Today, we begin a segment called “Our First Settlers”, which was published in the local newspaper the Guard on November 9, 1857. We attempted to keep the grammar and the spelling as it originally was. Although some historians may argue with the historical accounting, the articles are published word for word as they were in 1857 and thereafter. Hopefully, some new facts will be discovered or folklore will continue.
On Tuesday morning, March 25, 2025, a large crowd of citizens, well-wishers, dignitaries and those involved in the renovation of the Old School, gathered at the newly renovated Cottonwood Lofts, located at 401 Maple Street in Cottonwood Falls. The event marked the transformation of a historic educational facility into a vibrant 10-unit apartment complex, designed to cater to the workforce of the area. The apartments, which vary in size and layout, offer 1 and 2-bedroom options, with rents ranging from $600 to $800, providing affordable options for the community’s workforce.
Chase County’s Madelyn Wilson, a junior who has already scored over 1,000 points in her career, has been announced as a Finalist for the Sports in Kansas Class 2A Women’s Basketball Player of the Year.
They had no uniforms, no announced schedules, and certainly no protective gear. But what they did have was grit, a love of the game, and a community of kids playing in the dirt beside the field. Now, more than 60 years later, three Council Grove women—Ruth Bacon, Shirley Pape, and Carolyn Wilson—are believed to be the last local survivors of one of the town’s first women’s softball teams.
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