County of city: Elk County
Location of city: Dead center of county; crossroads of KS-99 with no E-W main road
County is in the SE portion of the state
Courthouse location: 225 E. Washington St., Howard
Elevation: 1,037 ft (316 m)
Population: 633 (2013)
"Howard was founded in 1870, and it was incorporated as a city in 1877. Howard was named after Oliver O. Howard, a Union Army general during the Civil War and founder of Howard University. The first post office in Howard was established in February, 1870. Howard is located at 37°28'7?N 96°15'47?W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.70 square miles all of it land." ~ City of Howard
"ELK County comprises the north half of what was formerly Howard County. Howard County was made up of lands acquired from the Great and Little Osage Indians by the United States Government by a treaty made with the Indians in the fall of 1867, while in grand council on the Verdegris River, in what is now Montgomery County, and the county was so named in honor of O. O. Howard, of the United States Army.
"In the fall of 1870, a petition was presented to the County Commissioners asking for an election to be called for the relocation of the county seat, and which was granted. The election was held, resulting in the removal of the county seat from Elk Falls to Peru. Much dissatisfaction existed over this change, partly because it was somewhat out of the way for some parts of the county, and mostly because it was not established at those places from which the grumblings were heard. So great became the disaffection, that it was deemed advisable to hold another election for a second relocation. Accordingly an election was held in September, 1872; the places voted for were Longton, Peru, Elk Falls, Boston. Howard City and the geographical center of the county. On the 14th of September, the County Commissioners met at Peru to canvass the vote, and upon opening the returns from Boston. Elk Falls and Peru, they met such unmistakable evidences of fraud that they refused to canvass (sic) the vote at all, and declared no election.
But the matter was by no means destined to rest here. It was again agitated and re-agitated by perhaps what might be termed "would-be politicians," who at this time found no other "political provender" to feed upon. An election was held on the 11th of November, 1873 for the purpose of determining whether Elk Falls or Boston should be the county seat. resulting in favor of Elk Falls by a majority of two hundred and thirty-two votes. Although it was legally determined that a majority of the votes had been cast for Elk Falls as the county seat, yet the friends of Boston thought it ought not so to be, and were by no means to be thus robbed of what they deemed their just and legally acquired spoil. The attempt of the Bostonians to redress their injuries in the matter gave rise to what is known as the "Boston war."
The county officers had taken up their quarters at Elk Falls, where they were fixed by injunction. But the brave men of Boston fearing neither law, legal process nor man, became bold in the assertion of their rights and the maintenance of justice between man and man, a resort to physical force was deemed necessary for this, and on the 19th of January, 1874, a posse comprising twenty-four wagons and 150 armed Boston men entered the town of Elk Falls and amid the consternation, threats and tears of the inhabitants of the town, began loading the records and county property upon their wagons, and after gathering all together started for Boston.
Attempts to rescue the stolen property were hastily made. Appeals for aid in this behalf were addressed to the Governor of the State, the Legislature and the Adjutant General. Three companies of militia were organized in the county to recover possession of the records, and apprehend the possessors, but all to no purpose. The county seat was gone, and for some time enjoyed a migratory existence having been trailed on the wagons through the flint hills, and part of the time in Cowley County. The time for the convening of the District Court had now arrived. Hon. W. P. Campbell, then Judge of the district. was on hand; but the books and records were gone and the action of justice was defeated. The Judge, however, at once set about to recover possession of them and began by placing under arrest several of the parties who had been engaged in the removal for contempt of court. This began to put a more serious aspect upon things, and the plotters began to weaken.
"The release of those under arrest was promised provided an unconditional surrender of the records and other county property was made, and which was speedily done. Thus practically terminated the warfare over county seat removals without bloodshed, it being allowed to remain at Elk Falls until the division of the county in 1875." ~ William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas