ATCHISON

city, seat (1855) of Atchison county, northeastern Kansas, U.S., on the Missouri River. Founded in 1854 by a group of proslavery settlers, it was named after their leader, David Rice Atchison, U.S. senator from Missouri. It developed as a focus for rail and river traffic, and in 1859 a charter was granted for the Atchison and Topeka Railroad, making Atchison an important railroad town. Atchison has mixed industry and is a shipping point for local agricultural products. Benedictine College was founded (1971) there through the merger of St. Benedict's College (1858) and Mount St. Scholastica College (1863). Inc. 1855. Pop. (1992 est.) 10,514.