2018 Spring Newsletter

Gustavus A. Colton

In 1862 he assisted in organizing the militia de fense of the Kansas border. In 1863 he was with General Jim Lane in the pursuit of Quantrill in Mis souri after the Lawrence massacre. In 1864 Colton was elected Colonel of the 5th Kansas Militia de fending Kansas against Price’s Raid. He fought in the Battle of Westport and the pursuit of the Con federate army. The 5th Kansas was disbanded on October 29, 1864. G.A. Colton continued his service to the State and Miami County when he was elected to the State Senate. For many years he participated in public affairs promoting the welfare of Paola. Gustavus A. Colton died in July 1894 and is buried in the Paola cemetery.

by jim Bousman Gustavus A. Colton was born at Woodstock, Windsor County, Vermont October 20, 1828. His Grandfather was a Yale graduate and a minister of great distinction. His father was a printer, news paper editor and public servant. G. A. Colton’s early life was spent in Vermont and New Hamp shire. Growing up on a farm in Illinois he had very limited means of education. Naturally studious and ambitious to acquire knowledge, he virtual ly educated himself. In 1854 he immigrated to Kansas, settling at what became Stanton, Lykins County. (Hiram V. Beeson, Ezra W. Robinson, and Gustavus A. Colton formed a town company. They named the town - Stanton.) He was employed in various pursuits until the spring of 1860, when he purchased the Southern Kansas Herald, then pub lished at Osawatomie. Colton moved the Herald to Paola, where he published the paper for 8 years. In the summer of 1857 Colton was chosen as a del egate to the Grasshopper Falls (today Valley Falls) Free-State convention and took decided action in favor of a vigorous campaign to have free-state men vote in the election. In November, 1857, Colton was elected Assistant Secretary of the Ter ritorial Council, and was re-elected at its regular session in 1858 and 1859. In the spring of 1858 he was elected and served as a delegate to the Terri torial Constitutional Convention. Again in 1859 he was elected to the State Territorial Convention. As member of the Territorial House, he was elected Speaker. In 1860, Colton was appointed Probate Judge of Lykins County. In April 1861 he resigned the po sition of Probate Judge to attend the State Legis lature. There, he was active in the appointment of S. C. Pomeroy and James H. Lane to the United States Senate. On May 1, 1861 President Lincoln appointed Colton as Indian Agent to the Confeder ated Tribes of Peoria, Piankashaw, Kaskaskia, Wea and Miami Indians. Colton administered this of fice for 8 years.

Gustavus A. Colton

Page 9