I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much information is available about Devizes. I had a hard time deciding what to include and what to leave out. Sources of this information are listed below. You should be able to interlibrary loan these books through your local library, and the newspaper microfilm is available for interlibrary loan from the Kansas State Historical Society. Devizes Post Office was established 04 March 1874 and discontinued 15 April 1926. The first postmaster was Reuben Bisbee, Sr. The town was platted by Reuben and Lucinda Marvin and the plat was filed 04 Jan 1890. I don't find a source here at home with the legal description for the town of Devizes. If any of you out there have the section, township and range #, please post it for the rest of us. General location is the northeast corner of Crystal Township, about 2 miles south of the Nebraska/Kansas border. John C. Fremont was an early visitor to Devizes in June 1843, according to the Lockard book. Fremont named the Prairie Dog River (Creek), then continued on northwest and crossed the Sappa creek about where Devizes once stood. F. G. Adams of the Kansas State Historical Society visited Norton County in 1872, located Fremont's route from field notes left by the General and claimed that the old trail was plainly visible at that time. Both Lockard and Bowers say that the first settlement near Devizes was made in Dec. 1872, when Henry Zimmerman and Herbert Shaw settled on claims one mile west of Devizes. Charles Abernathy has Zimmerman & Shaw arriving in Sept. 1872, followed in December by P.F. Soverns and John O'Brian who settled on land two miles east of Devizes. John DeMott (Dermott in Bower's book) settled near Devizes in Dec. 1872. Other early settlers in 1872 were John Page and Victor Clark. Bowers says that Reuben Bisbee Sr. came from Canada in 1873 and settled south of Devizes while Abernathy says they arrived in 1875. Anyone out there with evidence? Also arriving in 1873 was Ira Applegate. Other settlers were Nelsons, Wm. Watts, Billy Page, Geo. Watters, Geo. Hannum, Seth Coats, John Brainard, Henry Lebeau and John Dopps. 1874 arrivals included Byron Wray and Lon Butler. The first store in the community was opened in the Bisbee home, where L. M. Sherburne kept a small stock of merchandise. Abernathy says that Sherburne sold out to E. C. Fortney, who operated the second mercantile business in a log shanty on DeMott's land. It was near the mill which was built by Colby Bates and John Lindsey in 1877. They hauled lumber and milling supplies overland from Lexington, Nebraska in a caravan with the round trip taking approximately three weeks. The mill burned after being in operation only 2 years and was never rebuilt. Reuben Marvin built a new store, also hauling lumber from Lexington. He purchased an empty warehouse, salvaged the lumber and built the store, about 30 x 60 feet. Investors in the building were Ed. I. Jones and John Van Cleave. Jones lived in the upper part of the new building. It is unclear when this building was built but it burned Sept 30, 1916. Other owner/operators of the store were Wyatt Brothers, Hill, E. J. Phipps, Ed I. Jones as receiver for Phipps, Jones & Ballew, Jones & Jenkins. The owner when the store burned in 1916 was Ira Jenkins, who rebuilt it and restocked merchandise. When rebuilt, the store was smaller, built over the basement of the old grocery department. It was run by a man named Deeter from Norcatur. Deeter sold out to Melvin Weed, who sold to Fred Shaw, who sold to Frank Applegate. Frank built a dance hall alongside the store building, but it was never successful. In the 1870's, Devizes' doctor was Phoebe Briggs, wife of John Story Briggs who was a licensed Indian trader. Other names associated with Devizes include Will Jones for whom a creek was named. Jones came in 1874, looking for a suitable place to settle. During a thunderstorm, he took refuge under his wagon and accidently shot himself. He was buried in a coffin made of the sideboards of his wagon. Yet others include Wm. McGuire, Dr. Newton, Mr. Collins (supposedly son of Phoebe Briggs and sheriff of Furnas County for 8 years), Herman Manley, William Watson, E.J. Phillips, James Martin, Foote, H. B. Hannum, George A. Hannum, Porter, Nelson, Maggard, Dey, Fawcett, Wycoff, Utterback, Hudsonpillar, I. P. Burke, Archie Hewitt, Joseph Collins, Fred Foote, Mary H. Deal, George C. Post, and Michael O'Toole. I'm sure this is not an exhaustive list - if I left out your family, please post a message and let us know. The Devizes school, District No. 17 was first taught during the fall and winter of 1878-79. J. C. Pettyjohn was the first teacher in the sod school house, located west of the "present" school house. Sources (1) Kansas Post Offices by Robert W. Baughman (2) Seventy Years in Norton County by D. N. Bowers (3) The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas by F. M. Lockard (4) Devizes by Charles Abernathy (5) 1916 Historical Edition Norton County News