Cisco, Cisco, Cisco, part 15 – Cisco, Kentucky

: 1950 USGS Aerial Photo of Cisco, KY

I’m trying to build the N scale replica of the town of Cisco, Utah circa 1970. Accordingly, it’s my routine to search “Cisco” on the web, but it goes wrong most of the times bothered by “San Francisco” or “Cisco Systems”. Sometimes, “Cisco, Texas” gets in my way. Thus, I was wondering how many “Cisco”s are there in the United States. My recent research during these Stay Home days revealed some of them. Let me introduce these places named Cisco as a sideshow for my Town of Cisco posts.


Cisco, Magoffin, Kentucky: the post office at Cisco, KY was originally located near the border of Magoffin County and Morgan County on the right bank of Pricy Creek[1]. It was moved to the mouth of Bend Branch on the Licking River at GPS coordinates 37.835973, -83.128635 in 1924[1, 2].


The Cisco Post Office was operated from 1902 to surprising 1998[3]. According to Rennick, the post office was named by and for the original postmaster Hatler(Walter) Cisco(Francisco, 1867 – 1942)[4]. According to Cisco, it was named for Hatler's grandfather George Francisco(Cisco, 1800 – 1867) who was the first settler of the valley[5].

Historical postmasters of the original Cisco Post Office succeeding Hatler were Seymour Howard(1868 – 1957) since 1904, Joseph S Francis(1860 – 1946) since 1906, Henry Clay Franklin(1871 – 1959) since 1911 to its temporal closure in 1914[1].

After the relocation, James Robin Cisco(1865 – 1939), a brother of Hatler, was the postmaster since 1924, Kelly B Arnett(1896 – 1976) since 1925, Reuben B Arnett(1891 – 1973) since 1926, Willie Lovely(1888 – 1956) since 1927, Virgie O Francis(1912 – 1989) since 1944, and Beatrice Lykins Arnett(1921 – 1996) since 1953. After the closure of the post office, letters are forwarded to the post office at Salyersville.


The original location of the community of Cisco is considered to be on the head of the Pricy Creek where George and Elizabeth Robinett(1808 – 1880) Francisco(Cisco), the grandparents of Hatler, were settled in 1860[5].

As far as I researched, Cisco, as the name of the community, doesn't appear until in 1906 Land McNally map, and in 1912 local newspaper[6, 7]. George and Elizabeth Francisco, grandparents, David Crockett Cisco(1840 – 1916), father, Ellen Catherine Francisco Coffee(1854 – 1913), an aunt, Lester Cisco(1907 – 1908), little son, and other Hatler Cisco relatives rest at the original settlement, today called as the Cisco Cemetery[8].

The community of Cisco today is moved a little down the Pricy Creek from the original settlement, about a mile and a half north from the relocated post office at GPS coordinates 37.8525895, -83.1351727[9].


The Lower Pricy School, the nearest school from Cisco community today, was open at least between 1953 and 1954[10]. The schoolhouse itself can be seen in the 1950 aerial photo above.

Bend (Ben) Branch School, the nearest school from the moved Cisco Post Office, was open at least in 1953 according to the USGS map, White Oak, KY. The schoolhouse itself can also be seen in the 1950 aerial photo above.

There used to be another school up the Pricy Creek, near the the original settlement, named Head of Pricy (Upper Pricy) School according to the 1953 USGS map[11]. This schoolhouse was built by Hatler and George Samuel Cisco(1880 – 1965), a cousin of Hatler, in 1912[12].


Today, only the post office structure survives as you can see in Google street view shown below[13].

Redwine, the original southern terminus of Morehead & North Fork Railroad until 1933, was located 13 miles northwest of Cisco[14]. Nine miles northwest was Licking River, the northern terminus of Ohio & Kentucky Railroad until 1933. 13 miles south was the Loyalton depot of Big Sandy and Kentucky River Railroad, later C&O, CSX, and eventually R.J. Corman until 2004.

[1] Rennick, Robert M., (2016) Magoffin County Place Names, Morehead State University;
[2] Feature Detail Report for: Cisco, USGS;
[3] Forte, Jim, Magoffin County, Kentucky Post Offices, Jim Forte Postal History;
[4] Rennick, Robert M., (1984) Kentucky Place Names, University Press of Kentucky;
[5] Cisco, Allen Newton, (1954) George Cisco, findagrave.com;
[6] 1906 Kentucky map, Land McNally;
[7] Feb. 16 1912 Kentucky Mountaineer;
[8] Cisco Cemetery, findagrave.com;
[9] USGS Feature Detail Report for: Cisco;
[10] Apr. 22, 1954 Licking Valley Courier;
[11] Jan. 3, 1935 Licking Valley Courier;
[12] Mar. 8, 1912 Kentucky Mountaineer;
[13] Gallagher, J, (1978) Cisco, KY post office, Post mark Collectors Club;
[14] Utopia – Quest for the Perfection, part 1, Boxcar Red Collection;

: 1924 Report of Site of Location for Cisco Post office
: 1931 Geographical Publishing Company map of kentucky
: Google maps, Cisco, KY
　
　
筆者がNスケールで復元しようとしているユタ州Ciscoについて調べようとインターネット検索すると、余計なページばかりよく引っ掛かる。最も邪魔なのはSan Francisco、次いで邪魔なのはCisco Systemsに関連するページである。テキサス州にあるCiscoという町に関連するページも結構邪魔だ。一方、お目当てのユタ州Ciscoの町に関連するページなどほとんどない。一体何件の「Cisco」がアメリカにあるのか。古い郵便局一覧を調べてみると、ユタ州Cisco以外に 14カ所ものCisco郵便局があったらしい。どんなところだろう。


Cisco, Kentucky: 五カ所目のCisco郵便局は、ケンタッキー州Magoffin郡およびMorgan郡の境近く、Spicy Creekの上流に1902年に開局した郵便局である。1924年に、少し拓けた、Licking RiverにBend Branchが合流する辺りに移転した。とはいえ、斯様な僻地で1998年まで開いていたというから驚きである。

Cisco郵便局はHatler Ciscoというひとが創設した。名前は、1860年にSpicy Creekの谷に最初に入植した、初代郵便局長の祖父George Franciscoに由来する。こんにち、Cisco集落は少し下流に移っていて、開闢の地はCisco Cemeteryともども山谷に戻りつつある。

Ciscoという地名は、調べた限り地図では1911年が初出、新聞では1912年が初出である。集落最寄りのUpper Pricy小学校の校舎は、1912年にHatler Ciscoらが建てた。

Googleで見る限りCiscoには今も何軒かの民家がある。ストリートビューにあるように、郵便局の建物も遺っている。