The main portion of the town is on the level valley land, but toward its western limits it rises by a gently sloping hillside, the crest of which is within the limits of the town, and is covered by residences. The principal business street is Santa Fe Avenue, which has on each side a number of magnificent business houses, constructed of brick and stone. Besides these are a large number of substantial frame stores. The residences of the city are generally neat and attractive in appearance, and the grounds about them are in most quarters of the town, finely ornamented with plants, shrubbery, fruit and shade trees, which gives Burlingame a truly charming appearance.

The Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad, extends along the eastern limits of the town, and the Manhattan, Alma, & Burlingame Railroad extends to the westward, both roads, occupying a depot in common, in the eastern part of the city.

For its trade the town depends on the farming community, and that brought in by the various coal mines that are operated in the neighborhood. All branches of business are represented and is in a prosperous condition. It has always been the aim of the citizens to keep the town from growing in advance of the requirements of the country, and so wisely has this been carried out, that there has hardly been a failure in business for many years.

The population of the city is 1,509, and it is made up of an exceptionally moral and law abiding class of citizens.

EARLY HISTORY.

In the spring of 1855, Philip C. Schuyler and Samuel Caniff located claims where Burlingame now is. At that time this land was a portion of the proposed Council City. During the first years of settlement, many town sites were surveyed within a radius of a few miles, and as soon as the Council City site was abandoned in 1856, it was proposed to survey and build up a town on the land of Schuyler and Caniff. These men, sometime during the year, brought in a large steam saw-mill, and erected it near the center of the proposed town. A great deal of business was done at the mill, and soon it began to be regarded as a business center by the settlers in the vicinity. The only store was kept by McDonald and Bothel, in the same place as when the town was known as Council City. The Council House was used as a hotel, and at times as many as seventeen men slept there.

A Congregational Church Society was organized, with Rev. Henry Morrell, as pastor. P. C. Schuyler and A. W. Hoover were elected deacons, and the minister was paid by the American Missionary Society. Religious services were held at the Council House.

In 1857, the town site was surveyed and named Burlingame.

In June 1857, a schoolhouse was built by subscription. It is now used as a stable. The school was taught the next winter by a young man named Clark.

During that year, Rev. William Ingersoll preached a portion of the time, relieving Mr. Morrell. On August 6, the Baptist Church was organized, and Rev. J. B. Taylor, and R. C. Bryant preached occasionally for them. The same year the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized, and Rev. Holliday and G. W. Paddock supplied the pulpit.

During the year 1857, there was considerable improvement made in the town. Levi Empie erected a stone building, that now forms a part of his large block on Santa Fe Avenue, and in the fall he opened a general store.

A. R. and James Bothel erected a small building on Santa Fe Avenue, and opened a store. Henry Smith erected the stone building nearly opposite the present Shepard House. Several frame buildings were erected. I. B. Titus built a toll bridge across Switzler Creek, near where the railroad bridge now is, and charged 25 cents for each wagon passing over it, and owing to the immense freighting business on the Sante (sic) Fe trail, he made the enterprise pay well. A corn grist-mill was attached to Schuyler & Caniff's saw-mill.

The name of the post-office was changed to Burlingame, January, 30, 1858 (sic).

On February 1, 1858, the Burlingame Town Company was incorporated by an act of the Legislature. The Company was composed of Philip C. Schuyler, Samuel R. Caniff, George Bratton, John Drew, N. P. B. Schuyler, and James Rogers.

On February 18, 1860, Burlingame was granted a charter, and incorporated as a city by an act of the Legislature. Philip C. Schuyler was elected Mayor, and pre-empted the town site for the Company. S. R. Caniff, George Bratton, E. P. Sheldon, and Joseph McDonald were elected members of the Council.

In 1859, a severe storm of wind and rain swept over the town and several buildings were blown down, but no one was seriously injured.

The same year a religious revival was held at night in the woods, and twenty-six persons professed to have experienced religion.

In 1860, the Old Presbyterian Church was organized. A small church was erected, which has since been sold and converted into a dwelling-house.

Up to the year 1860, the town had been steadily improving, but as that was the year of the great drought, everything came to a standstill.

In the spring of 1861, Rev. J. M. Fox removed from Ridgeway, and gathered up the fragments of the Free Presbyterian Church of Burlingame and Superior, and a portion of the Congregational Society, and organized a new Congregational Society.

The county-seat was located at Burlingame the same year.

When the war broke out in 1861, a large number of the citizens of the town and vicinity enlisted in the Union army.

During the year 1862, the citizens built a large round fort where the town well now is, and every summer until the close of the war, a number of armed men were stationed there. This was done to prevent the burning of the town by Bill Anderson, the noted guerrilla. Previous to the war the Andersons lived in Lyon County, but Bill and his brother soon joined Quantrell's guerrilla gang. Bill had been courting a young lady living near Burlingame, on which account her parents were driven from the county by the Union men. Besides this, he had stolen a saddle from a Union soldier, and some Burlingame men had attempted to arrest him. For the above reasons he threatened to destroy the town, and the citizens were in constant fear of a sudden raid by his numerous band, and all possible precautions against a surprise was taken.

During the war the town grew but very slowly, so many of the citizens were in the army, and those at home had to guard against the invasion of the State. But as soon as the war closed the town began to improve rapidly.

In 1866, a large three story flouring-mill was built near the old one. The Methodist Church was built the same year.

In the summer of 1866, Abel Polley, one of the earliest settlers, and a very old man, who had been Justice of the Peace for several years, was murdered by a man named Bates. The assassin had escaped from the Johnson county jail, and one night he applied at the farm of A. M. Jarbo for work. He was allowed to remain, but during the night Jarbo detected him stealing some valuables, and trying to get away. He captured the thief, brought him to town and turned him over to John Polley, who was Deputy Sheriff, and a son of Abel Polley. There being no jail he was shackled and left in charge of the old man. Getting hold of a gun he shot Mr. Polley, killing him instantly, and then made his escape. He was soon captured, however, tried, and hung in the court-house on February 20, 1867. This was the only legal execution in the county since its organization.

As soon as the war closed, efforts were made by the citizens to secure the building of a railroad, and as early as September, 1865, bonds were voted for two railroads, one of these being the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, but no line was built until the above-named railroad was completed to this point in the fall of 1869.

During the years 1869 and 1870, Burlingame grew very rapidly, and soon became a town of some magnitude.

For the next ten years it improved slowly but steadily. In 1880, the Manhattan, Alma & Burlingame Railroad was built, and a new impetus was given to the development of the town. Besides this, the coal mines began to be opened and operated about that time, since which improvement has gone on quite rapidly. The population has not increased very fast, but the older frame buildings are giving place to large and expensive ones of brick and stone, and the city with all its various branches of trade, may be said to be in a particularly prosperous condition, with a fine prospect for its future development.

William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas-courtesy of  Kansas Collection Books

http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/osage/osage-co-p5.html#BURLINGAME

before the bricks(1922), looking west on Santa Fe Ave.-pix courtesy Corinne Dubois!

Historically Burlingame erected a Christmas Tree in the middle of the intersection!

Burlingame, KS

   Beverley's Residence