ATS&F Depot, Arkansas City

[W. Gray]

This is the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway train depot at Arkansas City, Kansas, in 1889, shown in two photographs taken on the same day.

The town name is pronounced "RKansas" rather than "RKansaw" and is in Cowley County, 66 miles southwest of Howard, about 7 miles from the Oklahoma border.

One might wonder what all the "hubbub" might be. It is one day before the Oklahoma Land Rush.



Kansas Memory

[frawin]

I've been in this rail station!  I used to ride the train from Wichita to Arkansas City to see my aunt, uncle and grandmother.  I would ride down on Saturday afternoon after I finished my work, and catch a 6 A.M. train on Monday morning, get back to the station in Wichita in time for my class at 8:00 A.M.
Myrna

[W. Gray]

From time to time on weekends I rode the Missouri Pacific RR's Missouri River Eagle passenger train from college to home and back. It even had a Vista Dome.

A fellow by the name of Bob Robinson lived in Severy and rode to work each day at Fiat on a bicycle "rigged up" to move on the rails.

William Gragg in Fiat rode the passenger train to Severy to attend high school—up and back each day.

Last two items from the Elk County history book.

[frawin]

Waldo, Bill Gragg was Mr. Fiat, I used to call him the Mayor of Fiat. Bill's cattle working facility was right next to the tracks, I helped work cattle there many times. Bill loved to talk about the history of Fiat.