(Reprinted from The El Paso Story, 1974)
Kappa was named by the Illinois Central, the railroad using the tenth letter of the Greek alphabet because the village was the tenth town planned between Dunleith, now East Dubuque, and Bloomington. The railroad section between Bloomington and LaSalle was originally the Sixth Division, the first to be constructed. A section house, depot and residence for the company's agent was erected in 1852 and a warehouse added in 1853. Harry C. Cook became the first agent. The original depot in which he worked was purchased by Roy C. Dunseth and in 1934 was moved to the curve on the hard road at the north side of Kappa. It burned when a gasoline stove used in the restaurant-tavern set fire to it on July 24, 1936, causing the death of Mrs. William J. Corbley and Leslie (Bud) Brown.
Thomas Dixon built a house on the present site of Kappa in 1833, and the Hibbs brothers and others had homes in the neighborhood prior to the construction of the Illinois Central. Rail service began May 23, 1853, and by 1856 all regular passenger trains stopped at Kappa for meals at Horace Meech's "eating house" at the depot. Meech later moved to Chicago. Not long after the rail service began, the post office known as Roxan was moved into the village. William Jones was appointed postmaster and called the place Montrose, but the railroad preferred Kappa, and that name was resumed after a short time. Frederick Niergarth was the second postmaster, serving from February 12, 1854 to March 2, 1857. Ira C. Stone, who lived to be 101 years old, was postmaster for fifteen years from about 1860 to 1875, although the exact dates are unavailable. George Lallmann resigned in 1901 because of ill health, having served for twenty-five years under his own appointment and as an assistant to J. B. Drake, who was appointed by President Harrison. Lallmann and Drake were partners in a grain and coal business and built the first grain elevator in Kappa in 1883. They divided responsibilities, Lallmann continuing in the post office
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