-by Greg Hoots- John Bowers was born in 1865 in Minnesota, the son of a farmer. In about 1879 John left Minnesota to move to Topeka, Kansas where he took residence with […]
The Curious Case of Postcard Photographer, John Bowers
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The Peter Thoes Barn
-by Greg Hoots- Peter Thoes was born in 1821 in a small village on the river LaBelle Mosille on the western edge of Germany. After Peter’s birth, his parents, Johannes Thoes and […]
Sixteen Days in August and Other UPS Stories
-by Greg Hoots- Author’s note: I spent more than thirty-three years as a package car driver for United Parcel Service, working from the Topeka, Kansas center. I made many good friends while […]
The William Horne Barn
Many of the most historically significant barns have disappeared from the Wabaunsee County landscape throughout the 20th century, leaving a remaining few relics of their heyday scattered at the sites of former […]
Fifteen Minutes Till Doomsday
-by Greg Hoots- In 1938 two German chemists, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, announced their discovery of nuclear fission and presented their theory to the world academic community. The importance of the […]
Two Barns in Wabaunsee County
-by Greg Hoots- No single structure is more iconic and fundamental to ranching heritage than the hay barn. Many of the earliest barns in the Wabaunsee County were log structures, but by […]
A Day in History: February 4, 1921, Fire Destroys R. C. Day Garage in Eskridge
On Friday evening, February 4, 1921, the Ford dealership belonging to Robert Day in Eskridge, Kansas burned to the ground in a blaze which destroyed seventeen vehicles and threatened the downtown business […]
Gas Station Bandits Strike Eskridge
-by Greg Hoots The year was 1931. The Great Depression had changed the face of America. Hardworking folks who had never experienced unemployment, hunger, homelessness, and the inability to feed their families […]
Profiles of Courage: John Dover Page and Ellen Forte Page
-by Greg Hoots- Editor’s note: I’ve had the great fortune to become acquainted with some of the descendants of John and Ellen Page, formerly of Topeka, Kansas, and I have to say […]
Wabaunsee Outlook: Transient Camp #5 Newsletter, April 21, 1935
The Kansas Emergency Relief Committee operated four transient camps in Kansas between 1933 and 1935, all of which were lake construction projects. The Lake Wabaunsee camp was constructed in December of 1933, […]
