Category: Photo Friday
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Old Friends of the Flint Hills: Russell Woofter, 1915-2007
By Greg Hoots Author’s note: This article originally appeared in the 2012 print edition of the Flint Hills Special. Russell Woofter was the hardest working man that I’ve ever known. Russell approached every task on his farm with the determination and stamina that often belied his age. Perhaps his work ethic had its roots in…
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Stanley Funeral Home, Eskridge, Kansas
Editor’s note: This story of the Stanley Funeral Home was compiled with personal recollections of Judy Stanley Hayes who was a toddler while her family resided in Eskridge, Kansas, supplemented with photos and family stories told by her parents. I’d like to thank Judy Hayes for sharing her family’s history with our readers. Raymond Stanley…
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School District No. 20, The Cousins School
District 20 is a very early school district in Wabaunsee County, organized in 1867-1868. It is likely that the first school building was constructed of logs. In September of 1874 the school district held a successful bond election in the amount of $900 to construct this fine stone school building. The date-stone on this building says: Dist. School…
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Don Mogge: Eyewitness to History
-by Greg Hoots- Note: This story was first published in the Flint Hills Special, 2012. For years I shared my lunch break with Don Mogge. I would grab a bite to eat in the early afternoon, and Don would usually meet me at the café in Alma, Kansas where I dined, and he would enjoy…
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Strand Theatre of Eskridge
The Strand Theatre, located at 115 South Main Street in Eskridge, Kansas, opened in the mid-1950s, providing a modern movie house for residents of the surrounding area. The theater was owned by Luke and Irma Johnson, owners of the Ford dealership in Eskridge, who partnered with Dean and Inez Dunn, owners of Dunn Home Supply,…
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Modern Woodmen of America Log Rolling, August 30, 1900
-by Greg Hoots- Modern Woodmen of America is a fraternal organization founded in 1883 in Lyons, Iowa by Joseph Cullen Root. Root was an esteemed businessman who had been very successful in a variety of enterprises ranging from operating a bookstore to the management of multiple flour mills and a grain elevator. Root later engaged…
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The Sweeney Bridge
-by Greg Hoots- This is a photograph of the Sweeney Bridge, an iron bridge under construction over the Kaw River in early 1911. The bridge was located in Kaw Township in Wabaunsee County and crossed the river into Pottawatomie County about three miles south of St. Marys, Kansas. There was an interesting history leading to…
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The ‘Alma Colored Amateur Band’
-by Greg Hoots- As the small towns of the Flint Hills began to develop between 1880 and 1900, one of the needs felt by the early settlers was to have a city band to play for public events and celebrations as well as for dances and private affairs. By 1900 there were a half-dozen city…
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Memories of Jake’s Place
-By Greg Hoots- When I met Jake Copeland, he was retired and living on “the point” at Lake Wabaunsee. He had closed Jake’s Place, his bar in Eskridge, and was enjoying life at the lake. Years later, after Jake’s passing, I met a few folks who told stories of Jake’s Place and their friendships with…
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The Infamous Dr. Smith(s)
-by Greg Hoots- Here’s a great historic photo from the Bat Nelson collection. It’s a real photo postcard, postmarked 1909 showing the interior of Dr. W.H.H. Smith’s pharmacy in Alta Vista, Kansas. Dr. Smith, seen standing at the right, was a registered pharmacist, as well as a licensed physician and surgeon. It was not uncommon in…