Father of Topeka

He wanted to start a “free state” settlement—but did much more.

Fry Giles can well be called the father of Topeka, Kansas. He arrived in the area in 1854, determined to start a “free state” settlement. He helped lay out the town, built one of the first cabins there, and even gave it its name. Giles was a businessman, running a small store in addition to a freight and stage company. He became Topeka’s first postmaster. Ten years later, he started the first bank in town. And he served in a variety of local and state public offices over the years.