ATCH'ISON. A city and county - scat of Atchison County, Kan., 49 miles northwest of Kansas City, Mo.; on the Missouri River, and on the Missouri Pacific, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, the Chicago. Burlington and Quincy, and several other railroads (Slap: Kansas, G 2). It is finely situated on the 'Great Bend' of the Missouri; is the seat of a State soldiers' or phans' home, and of Midland College (Luther an), Saint Benedict's College (Roman Catho lic), and Mount Saint Seholastiea's Academy (Roman Catholic), and contains a public library, fine county court-house and Government build ing; Forest, City, and Central parks; and a note worthy bridge across the river. some 1200 feet long. The Union Depot, erected at a cost of about $140,000, is among the prominent buildings of the city. Its exceptional facilities for transportation by rail and water have made Atchison one of the principal commercial cities of the State; it has an extensive trade in grain. lumber, live-stock, fruit,
and general agricultural produce, and large wholesale interests in groceries, drugs, and hard ware. Manufactures also are of importance, the industrial establishments including large grain elevators. flouring-mills. railroad shops. foun dries, lumber-mills, furniture, broom, and har ness factories, carriage-works, and brick-yards. The government, under a charter of 18S1, is vested in a mayor, elected every two years; a municipal council; and administrative officials, appointed by the mayor, subject to the confirma tion of the city council. The school board is in dependently chosen by popular vote. Atchison was settled by the pro-slavery party in 1854, during the eonfliet between that party and the anti-slavery party for the control of Kansas, and was named in honor of Senator D. R. Atchison (q.v.). It was incorporated in 1858. Popula tion, in 1890. 13,963; in 1900, 15,722.