August
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1995 The Lawrence JournalWorld, after more than 100 years, switches from an evening- to a morning-delivery paper. The paper also becomes accessible online, with daily updates at 2 p.m.
August 22 1828 Napoleon Boone is born to Daniel M. and Sarah E. Boone in a log cabin with a view of Mt. Oread. The grandson of the famous Kentucky pioneer would become a farmer, living and trading with the Kanza people.
August 23 1975 KU officials are forced to set up temporary housing—including bunks in ironing, utility and storage rooms—to accommodate a record fall enrollment of students.
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1863 A force of Confederate irregulars headed by William Quantrill rides into Lawrence, takes hold of key areas of the town and begins a massacre of inducted soldiers, civic leaders and men of fighting age. At least 143 people are killed and 25 wounded. Three persons reported missing are never found. Property damage is listed as somewhere between $750,000 and $2.5 million.
August 24
(1842–1922 )
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A man of talent and ability, J.D. Bowersock was a prominent player in the growth and development of Lawrence in the later part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. When Bowersock came to town in 1877 after living and pursuing business interests in Ohio and Iowa, Lawrence was struggling through an economic downturn. The town’s growth had remained stagnant for a decade, and attempts to power local industry with a dam on the Kansas River failed time after time as dam infrastructure was breached by flooding and ice breaks. One of those washouts occurred just days before Bowersock arrived in Lawrence and the Water Power Company was forced to go into receivership. Bowersock purchased the bankrupt company and oversaw the dam’s repair and operation. The new dam proved to be a strong and reliable source of mechanical power. By the mid-1880s, twelve water wheels connected to cables and pulley stations powered multiple industries and manufacturers including two flour mills, machine shops, printing offices, twine and shirt factories, a paper mill and several other businesses. By the end of that decade, the water power of the river began to generate the newest technology,
electricity. Several local businesses continued to use the power generated by the dam until as late as 1972, after which the energy was sold directly to Kansas Power and Light. The success of Bowersock’s dam not only spurred steady economic growth in Lawrence and earned Bowersock the moniker “Master of the Kaw” but also provided him the opportunity to expand into other businesses. He established a flour mill, began the Lawrence Paper Company, was a major investor in the Consolidated Barbed Wire Factory and built Bowersock Opera House, now known as Liberty Hall. He went into banking and rose to president of the Lawrence National Bank and also served as president of Lawrence Iron Works and Griffin Ice Company. Bowersock’s invested his formidable energy not just in Lawrence business pursuits but also in service to the community as mayor, state representative and state senator. In 1898 he was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives where he served four terms. By the time of his death in 1922, the Bowersock legacy in Lawrence was considerable. Bowersock Mills and Power Co., Lawrence Paper Co. and Lawrence National Bank continue to thrive as integral parts of the city’s economy.
Dry weather, construction projects and garbage trucks create a perfect storm of huge, lingering dust clouds on Highway 24. “Anymore, you don’t know what you’re eating— food or dust,” complains a resident.
August 25 1893 A contract supply dispute leads to Lawrence’s water supply being shut off. Railroads start pumping water from the river while Haskell and KU begin looking into emergency water supplies. The incident leads the city deciding to drop privatesector water suppliers and set up a municipal-owned system.
August 26 1866 John Speer, editor of the Daily Kansas Tribune, shares his excitement with readers about the new strides in global communication: “Our readers will find in our telegraphic columns dispatches from London, Liverpool and Paris, dated yesterday noon! These messages were received here at nine o’clock last evening. We are not living in a wilderness, by any means. Telegraphs and railways have brought us directly into the center of the world.”
1982 Seeking to boost student attendance at an upcoming game, KU Athletics Department announces it will provide free pre-game beer.
Images (p. 64, from top): 50th-Anniversary gathering of Lawrence Survivors of Quantrill’s Raid, Lawrence Journal-World; First-annual temperance gathering at Bismarck Grove, 1878, courtesy Kansas State Historical Society. Image (p. 65): Illustration of Justin DeWitt (J.D.) Bowersock by Lana Grove.
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