Monticello Township is a former township in northwest Johnson County, Kansas. It is now merged with Lenexa and Shawnee, Kansas.
History
In 1858 Monticello elected 21-year-old James Butler Hickok (better known as Wild Bill Hickok) as town constable. At one time Monticello had a stage shop, stores, saloons, blacksmith, doctor, hotel, general store, school house, churches, and about 15 dwellings. The 1910 population was about 63. The town was bypassed by the Kansas Midland Railroad (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe), which instead passed Olathe which caused the town to lose its county seat status. In 1987, Shawnee annexed land south of 55th to 83rd/79th west to the Kansas River, increasing the city size to .
Before its annexation, Monticello Township was the natural crossroads for fur trading and later westward emigration by wagon.
See also
Oregon Trail
California Trail
Harold "Jug" McSpaden - PGA Tour player and golf course architect
National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame north along K-7 Corridor
References
Notable residents
Manuel Lisa - Fur trader
Wild Bill Hickok - Lawman
Jug McSpaden - Professional golfer
William S. Williams - Mountain man
External links
City of Shawnee Kansas: Historic Towns Revised version (June, 2006) Important dates (1541-2003) Monticello Township passes into history (January, 2006) KCAHTA: Kansas City Area Historical Trails Association Lost Cities of Johnson County: Monticello Historic Frontier Trails Map A full-color map of the trails of Johnson, Wyandotte and part of Leavenworth Counties, Kansas Kaw Valley Heritage: Monticello Ferry Company Lost Towns of Johnson County