1880 census of Nicodemus Township, Graham County, Kansas
Creator: United States. Census Office. 10th census, 1880
Date: June 8, 1880 through June 23, 1880
This census schedule provides details--including the name, age, race, and occupation--of both white and black settlers in Nicodemus Township in Graham County, Kansas. This township had been settled by African Americans in 1877 along the south fork of the Solomon River.

A blacksmith shop in Tribune, Greeley County, Kansas
Date: Between 1920 and 1930
Interior view of an unidentified blacksmith shop in Tribune, Greeley County, Kansas.

Bailey's blacksmith shop and man photograph
Date: Between 1950 and 1959
This black and white photograph shows a man standing in front of Bailey's blacksmith shop in Mingo, Thomas County, Kansas.

Blacksmith, Neodesha, Kansas
Date: Between 1880 and 1892
This black and white photograph shows a group of men standing before the blacksmith shop in Neodesha, Kansas. Standing second from left is T.J. Norman, Neodesha blacksmith on whose garden plot William M.Mills drilled the first commercially successful oil well in Kansas and in the Mid-Continent Field. Norman moved from the above location to a new place of business on the west bank of the Verdigris river east of town when the well was drilled in 1892.

Blacksmith shop, Hedville, Kansas
Date: Between 1880 and 1890
This photograph shows a group of men with a horse-drawn buggy in front of the blacksmith shop in Hedville, Kansas.

Business directory, Coronado, Kansas
Date: Between 1880 and 1889
This image shows a photographic business directory titled, "Coronado, the Railroad Town of Wichita County, Kansas." There are 25 photographs of business buildings with a list of the businesses below the pictures. Business number 2 (pictured on the top row, second from the left) is listed as "A. J. Wright Drugs, Stationery, Perfumes, Holiday articles." Other businesses listed include a bank, hardware stores, grocery stores, general merchandise stores, a church, livery barns, a contractor, a barber shop, lumber yards, a law office, a hotel, a meat market, and a blacksmith.

Charles Holmes blacksmith shop, Horace, Greeley County, Kansas
Date: Between 1910 and 1915
A man stands outside the Charles Holmes blacksmith shop, Horace, Greeley County, Kansas.

C. H. Strieby's blacksmith shop, Council Grove, Kansas
Date: Between 1880s and 1890s
These three black and white photographs show C. H. Strieby's blacksmith shop in Council Grove, Kansas.

Clyde P. Smith general blacksmith shop, Tribune, Greeley County, Kansas
Date: 1929
A man and a child stand in the open doorway of the Clyde P. Smith blacksmith shop in Tribune, Greeley County, Kansas.

Frank Lawyer blacksmithing and service station, Iola, Kansas
Creator: Gibson, Arthur
Date: 1925
This photograph shows three men posed in front of Frank Lawyer's blacksmithing shop and service station, Iola, Kansas. One man is holding a gas pump hose and another man is standing by a welder with an acetylene welding torch. Visible in the photograph are gas pumps, a welder, push lawn mowers, a Mobil oil display and other equipment.

George W. Scott papers
Creator: Scott, George W., 1850-1920
Date: 1889-1899
Business correspondence, arranged chronologically, of George W. Scott, one of the first residents of Edgerton, Kansas. A large portion of the collection is correspondence between Scott and Frank S. Hammond, Scott's partner in a 20,000 acre ranch in the Texas panhandle. Much of the correspondence deals with their attempts to raise cattle, lease the land, and sell or trade the property. Hammond worked as a general manager for several railroads (Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Memphis Railroad Company; Kansas City, Shreveport, and Gulf Railway Company; and the Kansas City, Watkins, and Gulf Railway Company) that were in the process of expanding their lines, and mentioned these activities in his letters. Due to their real estate investments in Texas, many letters come from banks, insurance agents, and land surveyors in the panhandle. Scott also served as secretary for the Johnson County Fair Association and owned the Gardner Lumber Company. Scott frequently corresponded with creameries, dairy farmers, wholesale dry goods retailers and seed merchants, including the Kansas Seed House owned by Frederick W. Barteldes in Lawrence. Also included are invoices, checks, contracts, and inventory lists from various businesses.

G. W. Klapp's blacksmith shop in Council Grove, Kansas
Date: Between 1890 and 1899
Here are two photographs showing G. W. Klapp's blacksmith shop in Council Grove, Kansas.

Henry Smith Hancuff's blacksmith shop in Holton, Kansas
Date: 1908
This is a photograph showing Henry Smith Hancuff's blacksmith shop located at 214 East 5th Street in Holton, Kansas. Hancuff is wearing a white shirt and standing on the right.

James Tarr's blacksmith Shop, Fredonia, Wilson County, Kansas
Date: 1898
This photograph shows the exterior of James Tarr's "Plow Work and General Blacksmithing" shop at the corner of 6th and Jefferson streets in Fredonia, Wilson County, Kansas. The building also bears a sign for H. J. Wood and an ad for Catlin's Meerschaum chewing tobacco. There are a number of men standing outside and two horse drawn wagons.

John Christoph photograph album
Date: 1891-1895
This album contains photographs of Ellinwood and Barton County, Kansas, taken by John Christoph. On June 18, 1891, he opened a photography gallery in the north room of a furniture store and continued in the business until February 14, 1919. Christoph also served as the Ellinwood police judge for twenty years.

John Crisp in Chalk, Kansas
Date: 1890-1900
A black and white studio portrait of John Crisp, a blacksmith, wearing his leather apron. Crisp lived in the town of Chalk, located in southwest Wabaunsee County, Kansas.

Judd Couch's blacksmith shop, Bentley, Kansas
Date: Between 1910 and 1915
Two photos of Judd Couch's blacksmith shop, Bentley. There are several men working outside the shop.

Kansas circa '90
Creator: Pierce, Jeff
Date: 1974
This film depicts the life a young boy in Kansas in the 1890s. Filmed in the old Kansas Historical Society museum, the film portrays a dentist, photographer, blacksmith, and printer, and addresses the Kansas statehouse, Dodge City and cow towns, railroad expansion, the mechanization of agriculture, public schools, coal mining, salt mining, labor organizations, the Dalton Gang, Populism, and a diphtheria epidemic. The film was produced by The Junior League of Topeka, Inc.; The Channel 11 Club of Topeka; and the Extramural Independent Study Center, Division of Continuing Education, University of Kansas. The film was copyrighted by the University of Kansas and is provided by permission.

L. W. Halbe Collection
Creator: Halbe, L. W. (Leslie Winfield), 1893-1981
Date: 1908-1912
The L. W. (Leslie Winfield) Halbe photo collection consists of 1500 glass plate negatives produced by Halbe during his teenage years. Halbe lived in Dorrance, Russell County, Kansas, and began taking photographs of the region with an inexpensive Sears and Roebuck camera when he was fifteen years old.

Mason's blacksmith shop, Rossville, Kansas
Date: Between 1877 and 1910
Pictured left to right are Richard Mason, owner of Mason's Blacksmith Shop; Frank Boyles, farmer; L. Hollenbeck, wood worker; W.S. Templin, blacksmith; Jim White, farmer; and William Strange, farmer. This photograph is provided through a pilot project to host unique cultural heritage materials from local libraries on Kansas Memory and was accomplished by mutual agreement between the Northeast Kansas Library System, the Rossville Community Library, and the Kansas Historical Society.

Mule and Ox Shoes from the Baker Store, 14MO701
Date: 1862
These mule and ox shoes were recovered during excavations in 1973 at the archaeological field school by the Kansas State Teacher's College (now Emporia State University). They were donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1993. Mule shoes are easily identified by the "U" shape. Oxen, being cloven hoofed, also require their own unique shape. The archeological site, along the Santa Fe Trail in Morris County, was the location of the Baker store and nearby house. The buildings were burned in 1862 by "Bloody Bill" Anderson and his cohorts. The owner, A. I. Baker, was murdered during the event.

Newman Blacksmith Shop, Valley Falls, Kansas
Date: Between 1910 and 1930
This is a photo of the interior of Newman's blacksmith shop in Valley Falls, Kansas. The blacksmith is working at an anvil.

Newman Blacksmith Shop, Valley Falls, Kansas
Date: Between 1910 and 1939
This is a photo of the exterior of the Newman Blacksmith Shop in Valley Falls, Kansas. The blacksmith is standing in the door.

Orville Chester Brown to Mr. Edwards
Creator: Brown, Orville Chester, 1811-1904
Date: April 10, 1856
Orville C. Brown wrote this letter from Osawatomie to Mr. Edwards, regarding a shipment of school books. He also wrote concerning a common school in the area that would begin classes in May, taught by a Mr. Martin. Brown also mentioned, rather briefly, the needs of the Osawatomie community, including such skilled workers as blacksmiths and carpenters.

Request for Jobs
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1885-1889 : Martin)
Date: 1885-1889
These letters, spanning 1884 to 1887, are from government officials and other individuals requesting jobs to Kansas Governor John Martin. They wrote asking for the appointment to such jobs as Adjutant General, superintendents of various institutions, clerks of various institutions, army officer, state geologist, railroad blacksmith, census taker, small business owner, police/guard, and copyist. There are letters that ask for any available positions in the state as well.