Elmira Dodder Simmons – Pioneer, Business Operator/Manager (1840 – 1904); Simmons Hill, Marion Township
By Cheryl Dodder Flory, 2026
In Brief:
Elmira Dodder Simmons was a pioneer woman who impacted the early settlers traveling through Douglas County, Kansas on the Santa Fe Trail. She and her father served food to weary travelers as they made their way westward to new beginnings.
Peter Dodder left Michigan and came to Douglas County in 1855, while Kansas was still a territory. He claimed land in the SW corner of the county, on the north side of the Santa Fe Trail (the trail is just north of Highway 56) and it became known as The Hill.
Peter’s daughter Elmira Dodder married Phillip Simmons in Michigan, and the couple followed her father to Kansas. Elmira and her father served flapjacks and coffee to Santa Fe Trail travelers from the shanty he had built. By 1865, a stagecoach company kept mules at The Hill, employing men to create a relay station to keep stagecoaches rolling west.
Throughout her lifetime, Elmira raised food and animals to feed her growing family and supervised the work on her homestead. She worked hard to rear her children to be good citizens and to carry the responsibility of family and community in the Lapeer area, east of The Hill. She became skilled in the art of pioneer homemaking and practical nursing. Elmira and Phillip built a stone house on The Hill from native stones they harvested from the land. The house no longer stands. Eventually The Hill became known as Simmons Hill or Simmons Point. Today a red microwave tower stands on Simmons Hill, east of the Dodder cemetery where Elmira, Phillip, and Peter were laid to rest.
More Information:
Elmira Dodder Simmons was a pioneer woman who impacted the early settlers traveling through Douglas County, Kansas on the Santa Fe Trail. She and her father served food to weary travelers as they made their way westward to new beginnings.
Peter Dodder left Michigan and came to Douglas County in 1855, while Kansas was still a territory. He claimed land in the SW corner of the county, 3 miles east of the Osage County line and 3 miles north of the Franklin County line, on the north side of the Santa Fe Trail (the trail is just north of Highway 56). Later Peter bought the land next to his, and it became known as The Hill.
Peter’s daughter Elmira Dodder married Phillip Simmons in Michigan, and the couple followed her father to Kansas. Elmira and her father served flapjacks and coffee to Santa Fe Trail travelers from the shanty he had built. By 1865, a stagecoach company kept mules at The Hill, employing men to create a relay station to keep stagecoaches rolling west.
Throughout her lifetime, Elmira raised food and animals to feed her growing family and supervised the work on her homestead. She worked hard to rear her children to be good citizens and to carry the responsibility of family and community in the Lapeer, Kansas area. She became skilled in the art of pioneer homemaking and practical nursing. Elmira and Phillip built a stone house on The Hill from native stones they harvested from the land. The house no longer stands. Eventually The Hill became known as Simmons Hill or Simmons Point. Today a red microwave tower stands on Simmons Hill, east of the Dodder cemetery where Elmira, Phillip, and Peter were laid to rest.
Image: The Hill of Simmons’ Point by Zoe Dentler
