the Osage Indians to Oklahoma, a result of the Drum Creek Treaty. One room schools were added at a furious pace to keep up with the new communities and farms. A typical example is Lanesfield School near Edgerton, Kansas, and close to Kansas City. The first school session began in 1863 at a house owned by William Gans. By 1867, eighteen pupils attended class in a log schoolhouse on the Burton Dillie farm. In May 1869, nine townsmen met and voted to issue $1,000 worth of school bonds to construct a school built of native Kansas limestone. Even in sparsely populated rural counties, the demand to build schools for the children of new settlers was intense. In the heart of the Flint Hills Marion County, Kansas for example, had a population of 60 in 1860, and by 1878, its population had increased to 8,306. This same year, the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, reported the number of students and schools for each county, including Marion. "Schools. - Number of organized districts, 65; school population, 2,913; average salary of teachers, per month, males, $35.45; females, $29.20. School houses built during 1878, 2; frame, 1; stone, 1. Total number of school houses, 64; frame, 50; stone, 14. Value of all school property, $72,918. A few districts have planted maple and cottonwood trees in their school grounds." The large ratio of children (2,913) to population (8,306) speaks to the large size of families in the early years. Just as remarkable by today's standards, but not by those of early Kansas, is the number of school districts in Marion (65) compared to the relatively small population. Construction The materials with which schools were built varied by location and population. Most buildings were of simple frame construction, often with the school bell on a cupola. Especially, in the Flint Hills, native Kansas limestone was used. Sod construction was used in early western Kansas schools, where trees were scarce. The brick chimney was usually set at the rear of the school room, but in some cases, the chimney was placed between the front door and the class itself. A wall was then constructed to keep away the cold from the classroom, and this area would serve as a chamber room for coats and lunch pails. An interesting feature of many schools were the two front doors which allowed for separate entrances for boys and girls. Rural