California calls you
Creator: Union Pacific Railway Company
Date: 1920s
This Union Pacific Railroad Company promotional advertisement describes the beauty and tourism features of California.

Children swimming in Beaver Creek, Wallace County, Kansas
Date: Between 1900 and 1910
A group of children swim in the "old swimming hole" on Beaver Creek in Wallace County, Kansas.

Colorado for the tourist
Creator: Union Pacific Railway Company
Date: 1920s
This Union Pacific Railroad Company promotional advertisement describes the beautiful scenery provided to the tourist in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Columbus, Kansas
Date: Between 1900 and 1940
Here are several photographs and postcards of Columbus, Kansas. Columbus is the county seat of Cherokee County and the commercial center for the area. Being a railroad junction, shipping was an important part of its value to the early mining era. Columbus was founded in 1868 and its first post office was opened in 1869. Images include schools, churches, street scenes, the courthouse, the electric light plant, and parks.

Dock sites at Lake Quivira, Kansas
Date: Between 1950 and 1959
These three photographs shows dock sites at Lake Quivira, Kansas. The dock with shelter for a boat belonged to Dr. Larsen, the dock with chairs was Evans' Point, and the dock with a wall belonged to Frazier. Lake Quivira had 900 acres of restricted residentail and recreational property.

Edgewood Park swimming pool, Topeka, Kansas
Date: June 27, 1922
This sepia colored panoramic shows a view of children and adults at the Edgewood Park swimming pool in Topeka, Kansas.

Fenton, Lull, Hu
Creator: Hughes, James Clark, 1888-1964
Date: 1917
Three men pose in front of wooden building in swim suits. James Clark Hughes identified himself in his photographs as either "self" or "Hu." Hughes is the man on the far right. The other men are probably also soldiers. This photograph was possibly taken around Camp Doniphan. In 1917 James C. Hughes was Captain of Battery C, 130th Field Artillery, Kansas National Guard. He was stationed at Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma, for field artillery training. A full biography of James Clark Hughes is available at the link below to Kansapedia.

Gage Park swimming pool in Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Palmer News Company
Date: Between 1920 and 1930
This postcard shows the swimming pool at Gage Park in Topeka, Kansas. At the time this postcard was published, this was one of the largest of all concrete pools in the Midwest. It was 460 feet long, 65 to 170 feet wide, and had an electric fountain, slides, chutes and a sand beach.

Golden Charles Dresher photograph collection
Creator: Dresher, G. C.
Date: Between 1870 and 1940
This collection consists of 326 photographs taken by G. C. (Golden Charles) Dresher of Canton, McPherson County, Kansas. The photos mostly concern the Dresher family, their friends and the surrounding area. Photographs of McPherson College students and the flooding of Cow Creek are also included. Dorothy May (Dresher) Richards, the daughter of G. C. Dresher, donated the original glass plate negatives to the Kansas Historical Society in 1999.

Hu, Sybil, Fenton, Lull, Pearl, Peg
Creator: Hughes, James Clark, 1888-1964
Date: 1917
James Clark Hughes and three women pose in their bathing suits. Hughes identified himself in photographs as either "self" or "Hu." Although there are six names on this label, there are only four in the picture. In 1917 James C. Hughes was Captain of Battery C, 130th Field Artillery, Kansas National Guard. He was stationed at Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma, for field artillery training. This photograph probably was taken around Camp Doniphan. A full biography of James Clark Hughes is available at the link below to Kansapedia.

J. P. and Alice Emery's residence, Cimarron, Gray County, Kansas
Date: 1906
This is a photograph of J. P. and Alice Emery's home in Cimarron, Gray County, Kansas. The people around the pond are, left to right: J. P. Emery, Ilo Emery (middle daughter), unknown, Elsie Emery (youngest daughter), Ethel Emery (oldest child), and Alice Emery. The boys in the pond are, left to right: (Joseph) Fulton Emery (youngest child) and unknown.

Kansas State Lion's Club convention
Date: 1927
This silent film documents the Kansas State Lions Club convention in Independence, Kansas. The film includes club members; scenes from Independence; a brass band and fife and drum corps; a swimming and diving pool; a beauty contest; a Boy Scouts of America band from El Dorado, Kansas; a fashion show; and footage of actress Vivian Vance.

Lawrence Litwin oral history
Creator: Litwin, Lawrence T., d. 1989
Date: May 14, 1988
This is an oral interview with Lawrence Litwin, conducted by his family in Topeka, Kansas. The Litwin family owned and operated many businesses throughout Kansas, including businesses in Topeka, North Topeka, Lawrence, and Chanute. In addition to his business career, Litwin discusses his childhood, family history, military career, and his activity and involvement in the Jewish community.

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.

Martha Farnsworth scrapbook #2
Creator: Farnsworth, Martha, 1867-1924
Date: 1911-1914
This is a scrapbook compiled by Martha Farnsworth. The scrapbook includes materials related to the P Square G Club, which stands for Play Square Gang. The P Square G Club was the name given to Martha's Sunday school group that she began teaching in the early 1900's. The scrapbook contains photographs of the P Square G Club enjoying activities like fishing, swimming, and baseball. The scrapbook also includes an article in the "The Round Table" written by Martha Farnsworth that details her teaching methods and her history with the P Square G Club. Martha Farnsworth lived in Topeka, Kansas from 1887 to 1924. Her scrapbooks not only reveal her values and the activities in her life, but also provide a picture of American life at that time. Some of the notable aspects of Martha's life include her participation in social reform movements, membership in social clubs and activities, her deep religious convictions and her vigorous energy level.

Martha Farnsworth scrapbook #4
Creator: Farnsworth, Martha, 1867-1924
Date: 1920
This is a scrapbook compiled by Martha Farnsworth. The scrapbook includes materials related to the P Square G Club, which stands for the Play Square Gang. The P Square G Club was the name given to Martha's Sunday school group that she began teaching in the early 1900's. The scrapbook depicts members of the P Square G Club embarking into their adult life. Photographs show members joining different branches of the military, going to college, and settling down with significant others. The scrapbook also includes a self-published newsletter about recent news and gossip concerning the group called "The Tattler". Martha Farnsworth lived in Topeka, Kansas from 1887 to 1924. Her scrapbooks not only reveal her values and the activities in her life, but also provide a picture of American life at that time. Some of the notable aspects of Martha's life include her participation in social reform movements, membership in social clubs and activities, her deep religious convictions and her vigorous energy level.

Martha Farnsworth scrapbook #5
Creator: Farnsworth, Martha, 1867-1924
Date: 1919
This is a scrapbook compiled by Martha Farnsworth. The scrapbook includes materials related to the P Square G Club, which stands for the Play Square Gang. The P Square G Club was the name given to Martha's Sunday school group that she began teaching in the early 1900's. The scrapbook depicts members of the P Square G Club embarking into their adult life. Photographs show members joining different branches of the military, attending funeral services, and settling down with significant others. Martha Farnsworth lived in Topeka, Kansas from 1887 to 1924. Her scrapbooks not only reveal her values and the activities in her life, but also provide a picture of American life at that time. Some of the notable aspects of Martha's life include her participation in social reform movements, membership in social clubs and activities, her deep religious convictions and her vigorous energy level.

Menninger Clinic bathhouse and swimming pool in Topeka, Kansas
Date: 1965
The excavation for the pool began in 1963 and the pool was finished in 1965. It was used by patients, staff, and students of the Menninger Foundation.

Old Dutch Mill, Wamego, Kansas
Date: Between 1930 and 1938
A photograph showing people swimming in the City Park pond, Wamego, Kansas. In the background, is the Old Dutch Mill under construction. The mill was built in 1879, on the Schonhoff farm, which was located 12 miles north of Wamego. As part of a community project to preserve the landmark, the mill was moved stone by stone and reconstructed in the Wamego City Park.

People swimming at Lake Quivira, Kansas
Date: Between 1930 and 1939
These are two photographs showing people swimming at Lake Quivira, Kansas. Lake Quivira had 900 acres of restricted residential and recreational property.

Potawatomi children wading in a pond
This photograph shows a group of five Potawatomi school children (four boys and one girl) wading in a pond. Also visible is a man holding two horses in the background.

Scenes from Forest Park, Ottawa, Kansas
Date: 1910
These color postcards illustrate two scenes from Forest Park in Ottawa, Kansas.

Scenes of Sherman County, Kansas
Date: 1900-1940
Multiple scenes of Sherman County, Kansas.

Scenes of Sherman County, Kansas
Date: 1890-1930
Multiple scenes of Sherman County, Kansas.

Staff recreation at Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas
Date: 1980-1985
Recreation facilities at Menninger Clinic were available to staff during times when they were not used for patients. This supported a strong wellness and exercise program for the staff. The Menninger philosophy of an integrated medical, psychodynamic, and developmental approach for the total health of patients extended to the employee policies.