Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Eureka Depot

[W. Gray]

As many times as I have been in Eureka, including already this year, I do not seem to recall ever seeing this station. I checked Google Earth and do not seem to find it.

Eureka's Greenwood County as well as Sedan's Chautauqua County have no rails at all now.

A county seat without a railroad line running through it is rare in Kansas but Eureka, Howard, and Sedan are without one.


Kansas Memory

[Marcia Moore]

     The picture Waldo put on is of the Santa Fe Depot.  The building is still standing - in fact it has gone through a complete restoration and is now in use by the Invena Corp., owned by Matt & Cami Wilson.  It is situated just south of the old Sowder Elevator.  Its address is 416 E. Fifth Street.  Here is an interior shot of the restored building, showing the main area.  Notice the old ticket window in the background?    

[W. Gray]

Thanks Marcia, I located it on Google Earth. They did not have a ground level photo, but I will be in Eureka, next month and will go check it out just from curiosity.

[Diane Amberg]

I dearly love these old, and not so old, photographs.Thanks to all of you who post them.

[twirldoggy]

Beautiful restoration.

[W. Gray]

Here is a map of Eureka showing the two railroads serving that county seat.

The Missouri Pacific depot was north of the Santa Fe depot.

One might note that US 54 use to come into Eureka along 7th Street, hit Main Street and dropped south to River Street.

The fellow James Burke noted at the bottom of the map is the Climax yardmaster. I think I said switchmaster before. He was called that because as a kid, after school, he threw the switches for trains on the Howard Branch in Climax, to or for the amusement of the on board train personnel. Had there been an accident someone would have been in a heap of trouble.

He tells of one story of the engineer, fireman, brakeman, etc., on the Howard Branch that when rabbits were plentiful, they brought along their hunting guns, stopped the train and had a field day stuffing the engine cab with rabbits for rabbit stew.


From the Howard Branch web site of the Santa Fe Modeling and Historical Society

[Marcia Moore]

     Here is a photo of Eureka's Missouri Pacific Depot that is no longer standing.  It does look similar to the Santa Fe Depot at Eureka.

[Janet Harrington]

Those are fantastic photos especially the one with the restoration.  That is beautiful.  Thanks, Marcia.