=The First Party of Settlers.= This first party consisted of only twenty-nine men. It had been organized with some difficulty, for coming to Kansas was looked upon as a dangerous undertaking. Hundreds of people gathered to bid these men farewell as they started on their long journey to take part in the great conflict between freedom and slavery. There were many who would not have been surprised had the whole party been murdered on their arrival in Kansas, but when nothing of the kind happened others took courage and more parties soon followed. [Illustration: EARLY KANSAS CITY.] =They Reach the Present Site of Lawrence.= The pioneer party reached St. Louis by railroad, where they boarded a steamboat and came up the Missouri River to Kansas City, then a town of only three or four hundred people. There they purchased an ox team to transport their baggage, and on Saturday evening set out on foot into Kansas. By Tuesday noon they reached the present site of Lawrence, where they pitched their tents on a big flat-topped hill. To-day the great buildings of the University of Kansas stand on this hill, which is still called Mount Oread,[9] the name given it by this first party of pioneers. The weather was extremely hot; a drouth had parched the earth and prairie fires had destroyed the grass, but the pioneers were not discouraged. They staked out claims in the surrounding country and began preparations for the future. =The Second Party Arrives.= In a short time the second party arrived. It was under the direction of Dr. Charles Robinson and Samuel C. Pomeroy, who were leaders in the free-state cause during the whole Territorial struggle. This party was much larger, and part of its members were women and children. The town was now laid out, organized, and named Lawrence.[10] On the arrival of this party a boarding house was established by two of the women. It was thus described by a writer of that time: “In the open air, on some logs of wood, two rough boards were laid across for a table, and on washtubs, kegs, and blocks the boarders were seated around it.” A short time later a hotel was opened. It was constructed by driving into the ground two long rows of poles, which were brought together at the top and the sides thatched with prairie grass. The ends were made of cotton cloth, and the building resembled the “stray roof of a huge warehouse.”