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A
Brief History of De Soto Founded
in 1857, the City of De Soto will celebrate it’s sesquicentennial
anniversary in 2007. Named for the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto,
several families of settlers first established the town around a steam
saw mill on the Kansas River. Originally, Shawnee was the town’s
main street, along which various business ventures, including a grocery
store, blacksmith’s shop, boarding house and ferry service took
root. Abbott’s
Hall, built by it’s namesake in 1865, was host to the small town’s
dances and other social activities until the turn of the century. The
stone building, still situated at the Southwest corner of Peoria and
83rd Streets, is now home to a local museum. De Soto became a third
class city and established a mail route in 1902.
Abbott Hall
