Ada McColl gathering buffalo chips near Lakin, Kansas
Creator: McColl, Polly
Date: 1893
In this photograph, pioneer Ada McColl of Kearny County collects buffalo chips. In areas of western Kansas where trees were scarce, these chips were a convenient (and plentiful) source of fuel. This is an abridged version of an original photograph including Ada's brother Burt. The photograph was taken by Polly McColl, Ada's mother. For more information on this photograph, see the link to Reflections (Summer 2008) below.

Ada and Burt McColl gathering buffalo chips
Creator: McColl, Ada
Date: 1893
Ada and her brother Burt McColl (in a dress) are gathering buffalo chips to use for heating and cooking fuel. An abridged version of this photograph without Burt is very common. For more information on this photograph, see the link to Reflections (Summer 2008) below. A family member confirmed that Burt (or Bert) was a boy.

Advocate newspaper office in Lakin, Kansas
Date: Between 1918 and 1920
This photograph is a halftone print showing Mr. Kimball in the Advocate offine in Lakin, Kansas with two women.

American bison in Lakin, Kansas
Creator: Zercher, M.L. Book and Stationery Co., Topeka, Kansas
Date: Between 1900 and 1910
This is a postcard showing an American bison in Lakin, Kansas.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad time table number 28
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: April 20, 1873
This timetable was for the exclusive use of the employees of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and included the eastern, Arkansas Valley and Wichita divisions.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot, Lakin, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: May 8, 1931
This photograph shows the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot at Lakin, Kansas. A cart and several people are also visible. Built in 1882, the depot measured 24' x 38' and 24' x 60'.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot, Lakin, Kansas
Date: 1975
These photographs show the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company depot in Lakin, Kansas. The one-story wooden structure, built in 1882, still stands and operates as a museum in Lakin.

George Earl McConaughey, World War I soldier
Creator: McConaughey, George Earl
Date: 1918-1919
Around 1919, the Kansas State Historical Society and the American Legion solicited biographical information from returning veterans (primarily members of the 35th and 89th infantry divisions) and the families of those who died in service, notably from the Gold Star Mothers. Each veteran or family member was asked to provide letters, photographs, a biography, and military records. This file contains information on George Earl McConaughey, 31st Company, 164th Depot Brigade. McConaughey died from pneumonia on December 1, 1918 at a Ft. Riley, Kansas, hospital. He was from Lakin, Kearny County, Kansas.

Henley Ellsworth Hedge
Date: Between 1915 and 1920
This is a photograph of Henley Ellsworth Hedge, born near Caldwell, Ohio on October 24, 1864. After he graduated in the first civil engineering class at Ohio State University, Hedge went west to Kansas City, Missouri where he surveyed some of the first street car tracks. Later associated with the Garden City Company in Lakin, Kansas, he designed the first head gates on the Amazon Ditch, which diverted water from the Arkansas River to irrigate farmland. Then as head surveyor for the construction of Lake McKinney, he had the honor of opening the gates to allow water to fill the lake. Hedge also played a prominent part in the growth of the gas and oil industry in Western Kansas. He married Mary Minnie Logan on July 2, 1885 and they had one daughter, Lois Kathryn.

Interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Arwood, Arnold
Date: December 29, 2006
Arwood enlisted in the Navy in 1941 and served until 1944. Interviewed by Marian Poe on Dec 29, 2006, Arwood talked about military experiences in the Second World War. He was born in Lakin, Kansas, on September 10, 1916. The interview took place in Sterling, Kansas. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Rice County Historical Society (Lyons) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Kansas Film Commission site photographs, subject quarries - ranches
Creator: Kansas Film Commission
Date: 1980s-2000s
These are panoramic photographs of locations in Kansas created by the Kansas Film Commission to promote scenes to film companies. The panoramics were created by taking individual photos and taping them together. The photographs are arranged alphabetically by subject and then location. The subjects included in this part of the collection are quarries, racetracks, and ranches.

Kearney County organization records
Creator: Kansas. Secretary of State
Date: 1887-1888
In order for an unorganized county to be recognized by the state of Kansas, a certain number of householders/legal electors had to petition the governor. The governor would appoint a census taker. Initially, unorganized counties were required to document that they had at least 600 inhabitants in order to be recognized as a county by the state legislature. Over time the number of residents needed to organize a county changed to 1500 and later to 2500 residents. The census was submitted to the governor who then issued a proclamation indicating that the requirements had been met, appointing county commissioners and a county clerk, and naming a county seat. Not all of these documents are available for each county. Included in this file is the governor's proclamation asking for a census be taken for Kearney County as well as a proclamation appointing county officers and designating Lakin as the temporary county seat.

Lakin Grade School band
Date: Between 1953 and 1959
This is a photograph of the Lakin Grade School band in Lakin, Kansas.

Lakin Independent newspaper office, Lakin, Kansas
Date: 1915
This is a halftone print showing the Lakin Independent newspaper office shortly after it was founded in Lakin, Kansas. The woman on the left is Grace Carter and on the right is Grace Hamblen, editor.

Mary Minnie Hedge
Date: Between 1915 and 1920
This is a photograph of Mary Minnie Hedge, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Logan. She was born May 3, 1867 near Hainesville, Missouri. In 1887, the Logan family moved to Kearny County, Kansas, where they lived on a farm north of Lakin. On July 2, 1895 she married Henry Ellsworth Hedge, and they has one child, Lois Kathryn. Mary Minnie Hedge was was member of several organizations in Lakin, Kansas. She died February 25, 1945 and buried in the Lakin Cemetery.

Public school building in Lakin, Kansas
Creator: Goeden, John M.
Date: Between 1900 and 1910
This is a postcard showing the public school building in Lakin, Kansas.

Temperance history correspondence
Date: 1858-1902, bulk 1900-1902
This correspondence was sent and received by Kansas State Temperance Union secretaries T.E. Stephens, A.D. Wilcox, and J.E. Everett. Each exchanged letters with religious leaders across the state, including Rev. H.G. Fraser from Ottawa, Rev. C.C. Brown of Tonganoxie, Rev. J.M. Leonard of Iola, Rev. R.A. Bolton of Junction City, Rev. James Kerr of Scandia, Rev. J.K. Miller of Manhattan, Rev. A.W. Cummings of Canton, Rev. John A. Holmes of Harper, Rev. W.H. Eaton of Cherryvale, Rev. H.H. Bowen of Glen Elder, and Rev. Fred Grey of Alton. Organizations involved in the temperance movement include the Kansas State Temperance Union (KSTU), the Twentieth Century Total Abstinence Union (TCTAU), the Anti-Cigarette League, the American Anti-Saloon League (AASL), the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and others. This collection also includes local subscription lists for those supporting the Kansas State Temperance Union in Phillipsburg, Lakin, LeRoy, Cimarron, Dodge City, Liberal, Greensburg, Cunningham, Sedgwick, Mount Hope and Colwich. Other correspondents include attorney John Wiswell in Columbus, Elmer Lawrence, publisher of The Sunbeam, a weekly Christian journal in Galena, and several members of the Independent Order of Good Templars, including George F. Fullinwider of El Dorado, S.S. Jackson of Scranton, and Mrs. Kate A. Billings of Clyde. Much of the correspondence concerns efforts to advance anti-liquor agendas in local, state, and national politics. Considerable correspondence with organizations in other states is included. Although Kansas was the first state to adopt a constitutional amendment prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors in 1880, the law was largely unenforced.

Thomas Pearl home, Lakin, Kearny County, Kansas
Date: 1888
The Thomas Pearl family stand outside their home in Lakin, Kearny County, Kansas. Two of the children have chosen to have their special toys--a doll and a rocking horse--included in the picture.

U.S. 50 coast to coast. The central pleasure route
Creator: U.S. 50 Federation
Date: 1950s
This pamphlet by the U.S. 50 Federation promotes travel on U.S. Route 50 from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. It details specifically the travel and tourism sites to be found on the highway through Kansas. Automobile travel is highlighted as an exciting means to explore and see the many attractions found throughout the nation.