La Cygne

History

La Cygne was founded in 1869 as soon as the people were assured of the building of a track for the Missouri River, Ft. Scott & Gulf Railroad. A town company was organized and purchased of land, but had only laid out as a town site. La Cygne was incorporated on January 14, 1870, and a board of trustees was appointed. In the fall of that year the town had grown so that it had inhabitants enough to organize as a city of the third class, and F. A. Foote was elected the first mayor. The first school was taught in 1869 in Cady's hall. It was a private subscription school and was kept open until 1870, when the public school house was built. It was a commodious two-story brick building containing the graded and high schools. The Methodist church organized in 1870 and soon after built a house of worship. The Presbyterian church was organized the same year but had no building for a year afterward. At an early date La Cygne became a manufacturing point. A flour mill was built in 1870; a bank was started in 1871; the La Cygne organ factory was another early commercial enterprise, but it did not flourish. In 1881 a coal mine was opened, after which it became an important point for the industry. The first newspaper in the town was the Weekly Journal, which first appeared in June 1870. The suspicious death of Alonzo Brooks in 2004 was featured in the fourth episode "No Ride Home" of the fifteenth season of Unsolved Mysteries TV series in 2020.

Geography

La Cygne is situated on the east bank of the Marais des Cygnes River and only a few miles southwest of the city of Linn Valley. It is four miles (6 km) west of U.S. Route 69 on K-152; La Cygne Lake is east of US-69. A track for BNSF Railway passes through the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, La Cygne has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,780
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,697
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,655
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,654
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,485
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,343
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,298
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,276

Largest nearby schools

• Prairie View High
  High · LaCygne · 239 students · 8.9:1 ratio
• Lacygne Elem
  Elementary · LaCygne · 206 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Prairie View Middle
  Middle · LaCygne · 198 students · 11:1 ratio