[Excerpt from Dodge City and Ford County, Kansas 1870-1920 Pioneer Histories and Stories. Copyright Ford County Historical Society, Inc. All Rights reserved.]
The land on which Bellefont, Kansas, stands was deeded by the State of Kansas to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company on May 19, 1873. The railroad deeded the SW 1/ 4 of S17 T25 R21 to J. A. Cline on July 17, 1885, for $832. Mr. Cline platted the portion of the quarter lying south of the railroad into Cline’s Addition to Bellefont and deeded the part north of the railroad to George M. Hoover who platted that portion [Blocks 1-15] as the Original Town of Bellefont.
Three years later, Mr. Hoover sold this portion to William H. Moffitt of Kansas City, Missouri, who added another 12 blocks to the plat that was already recorded. Hoover went to Dodge City and became a saloon operator and businessman, mayor and a mover and shaker in Dodge City, until his death.
A sales poster printed by W. H. Moffitt and Co. states: “…The new town is located on the A.T. & S.F.R.R. about 22 miles east of Dodge City and about 20 miles west of Kinsley and a scheduled stopping point for all trains between Kansas City and Denver. It is admirably situated on a beautiful piece of table land, with sufficient undulation to render drainage easy…Coon Creek is in the immediate vicinity, also the irrigating canal which has been put through at great expense, Kinsley and Cimarron being the terminals on the Arkansas River.
The surrounding country is thickly settled with prosperous farmers and growing more so every year. The surrounding country and vicinity contain rich deposits of coal, slate, gas and salts. Each of these valuable deposits await development and will be brought out in time and made to serve for the comfort and conveniences of the people who live…at this favored place. Cattle yards are to be built and the railroad company is to make improvements…The Union Pacific anticipates the building of a new road from Hays City to Indian Territory through Bellefont, which will form a junction with the Santa Fe R.R. thus making this the meeting point of two grand trunk railways line. Another boom is in [retail] stores… [There is a] post office, grocery store, flour mill, [and] school house… within three months we anticipate 500 to 1,000 [population]. We want live men and live people. Drones and dead men are respectfully requested to stay away.”
Major John Andrew Cline came from Pennsylvania, with his family. He served as a major in the 155th Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Civil War and was familiarly known as “Major.” He was a pioneer of western Kansas. He lived in Bellefont, where he conducted a store which was located in his Cline’s Addition. He was also the editor of the Western Kansas Ensign at Bellefont and a Republican paper in Dodge City, for a time. He wrote a book containing the records of the members of Company K of the 155th Pennsylvania, the company in which he served.
John A. Cline and his wife, Carolyn W. Cline had four children: a son, Rob Roy 1875-1900; Bertha 1878-1896; Mrs. J.N. Parham and Mrs. D.D. Baxter. The latter two daughters were living in Kinsley, at the time of Mr. Cline’s death on July 10, 1915. Carolyn A. Cline died February 2, 1894.
There has not been any development of coal, slate or salt in the area but oil and gas are being produced from a number of wells within a five-mile area both east and south of Bellefont, so that, at least, has proven to be correct. The soil is excellent for crops.
The location of railroads in those early times determined whether an area became developed. The anticipated railroad junction was not built and the railhead was established in Dodge City. As a result, Bellefont did not become the city the founders believed it would be.
In the early years, several businesses established in Cline’s Addition included grocery store, a general store which housed the post office, a newspaper, railroad depot, a blacksmith shop and a hotel. The railroad provided a home for the depot agent. A foundation was put in for a Presbyterian Church but because of some disagreement, the church was never built. A telephone switchboard for the area was located in different homes through the years and was operated by the woman in whose house it was located.
In later years, the Farmers Co-op Elevator, Gano Grain Elevator and the Grain Belt Elevator were built north of the tracks in the original townsite. A newer grocery store, which housed the post office, and a small cabin camp, was located behind the store. The cabins were rather crude by today’s standards but were the forerunners of our present day motels. The railroad also built concrete housing facilities along the spur track for the Mexican track workers and their families. There was no school located at Bellefont, but four school districts were close and children attended the nearest school: NE, District #2; SE, District #6; SW, District #4 and NW, District #9.
The Old Santa Fe Trail ran a mile and a half south of Bellefont and among the many early travelers were gypsy caravans. They stopped at farmsteads and tried to sell or trade merchandise and were horse traders. Local farmers used to laugh and say that “…when the Gypsies were around, the cows gave no milk and the hens lay no eggs and occasionally, the hens themselves would disappear.” They used to stay from two days to a week and then move on and things would return to normal.
The only business still in operation at Bellefont is the Offerle Co-op Grain & Supply Co. This company has an elevator and sells fuel, fertilizer, livestock medicine and feed. Froetschner Sales carries used farm equipment and motor vehicles of all kinds, and the Wagon Wheel Antique & Refinishing business is owned by Walter and Juanita Gulick.
Names of some early families of Bellefont are: Basgall, Butler, Buxe, Cline, Curtis, Diers, Duncker, Giles, Herrmann, Herron, Hines, Hubbell, Indiek, Israel, Jones, Kasselman, Katz, Keith, Klenke, Knoeber, Konrade, Krom, Kromrey, Kuhn, Laudick, Lightcap, McKee, Mellecker, Molitor, Norton , Offerle, Quick, Regnier, Schawe, Schmehr, Seward, Shultz, Spahn, Stegman, Strecker, Torline, Warner, Way, Wiese, and Winther.
Bellefont is a close-knit community and whenever there is serious illness involving the families, there is always care and concern shown and many offers of assistance are forthcoming. It was and is a nice place to live and raise a family.
Juanita Gulick
Dodge City and Ford County, Kansas 1870-1920 Pioneer Histories and Stories is available for purchase from the Ford County Historical Society.