Cato map unveiling part of annual tour

A new map of the Cato area is the result of a project that has been four years in the making.

During the annual Cato tour, which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the historic northern Crawford County town, members of the Cato Historical Preservation Association will unveil a newly-completed map of the Cato township as it existed between 1860 and 1910. The map, a digital recreation of an original map of Cato that is more than 140 years old, also highlights various Cato landmarks and other items of interest concerning the town.

According to CHPA member Ralph Carlson, the idea for the map originated with CHPA President Susie Stelle several years ago. Stelle enlisted the help of various association members, including local resident Floyd Feezell -- who was instrumental in the map's creation and design -- to help her develop the map.

"We took the old township map of the government survey and drew it into a presentation board," Feezell said. "(Stelle) wanted more of a general map of Cato. She asked Ralph and I if we could do that and we thought we could."

Agricultural Engineering Associates of Uniontown and James Otter of Pittsburg State University provided vital technical assistance for the project, and local resident Don Carlson provided drawings of sites located on the map, Ralph said.

The map, which is colored in sepia tones, is based on the original township map that was made following a government survey of the area in 1867, when Crawford County was formed and Cato was still located in Bourbon County. The new map shows the location of existing water courses, contemporary roads, and the location of important historic features of the Cato community.

From rough draft to finished product, the map took about four years to complete. Designers of the new map used notes that were handwritten by the original surveyors in 1867 that described the layout of the land, including locations of trees, streams, and even the quality of the soil in the area, Feezell said.

There were a few goals that designers wanted to achieve with the creation of the map.

"We wanted to first make a historical document and second, a tour guide for people who want to go see some of these things firsthand," Feezell said. "And third, it's decorative."

Feezell added that he is proud of the completed version of the map, and appreciative of all the assistance he and Carlson received to design it.

"There is a certain look and cohesiveness I wanted it to have and I think it has all those things," he said.

Copies of the map will be available for purchase for $5 during the tour of Cato, which will include stops at the newly-renovated Cato School, which was built in 1869, the Cato Church built in 1915, and other historical locations in Cato. The event also includes living history presentations, live music, historical re-enactments, a hot dog roast and hayride, and other activities.

The CHPA, a nonprofit organization, has worked the last several years to restore and preserve the Cato School. The group has received much financial assistance to completely renovate the old building, which was placed on the Kansas Register of Historic Places in 2005, and the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

Cato is located between Fort Scott and Pittsburg about eight miles west of Arcadia on the Bourbon County line.

The town was founded in 1854 by U.S. Army Capt. John Rogers, who built a general store south of town. A community would gradually develop there over the years.

Cato was first located within Bourbon County, but in 1867 the state legislature moved the county line about five miles north and Cato was then located in Crawford County. The community grew after the Civil War, reaching its maximum population of 120 by 1900.