Conn Store

Conn Store. "He fears no competition.". , "In his stock were found every known variety of goods for use on the frontier, from ox yokes and repairs to cambric needles, from small boxes of pills to barrels of whiskey." , - Conn Store Clerk William Shamleffer, For traders on the Santa Fe Trail, the Conn Store must have been a welcome sight. Here, traders headed from Santa Fe to "the States" purchased a meal or perhaps slept in a bed after crossing 625 miles of prairie. And Council Grove was the last major stop for supplies and amenities before travelers trekked to New Mexico., Malcolm Conn's stone store, built in 1858, rivaled the outfitting firm already run by Seth Hays on the opposite side of the street. Business was brisk, with Conn selling $24,000 in merchandise in one month in 1864. He traded with freighters; the government; locals; and Kaw (Kansa) Indians, on whose reservation Council Grove was located. Conn became a community leader, eventually serving as county clerk and treasurer of the Town Company, a corporation that plotted and sold town lots., One of the oldest buildings still standing in Council Grove, the Conn Store provided accommodations, meals, and stables for freighters, in addition to retail operations. In 1866, Conn sold his store to Shamleffer and James, who took this photo between 1867 and 1871., These 1859 advertisements from the Kansas Press illustrate the rivalry between Council Grove's two most prominent merchants.