Dodge City Then and Now: Part VI

First of all, thank you to everyone who has read and shared these posts. I am especially grateful to all of you who have donated to the cause! I’m writing this one from a seedy hotel in Tucson because what better time to return to the desert than during the Gem and Mineral Show.

This was a fun building to research. Just looking for the year of completion was quite a ride. 1923? 1924? 1926? Nope…none of those! Even some official sources (which I will not publicly shame) missed the mark. Because it lacks any sort of style, I’m pretending the addition along Second Avenue doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, the most recent Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps available online for Dodge are from 1926 so they were no help.

Dodge City Senior High School

1601 First Avenue

The people who say you don’t know what you have until its gone didn’t attend high school on First Avenue in Dodge City. I’m pretty sure we all knew, even when we were self-absorbed teenagers. The 1966 addition on the back is meh, whatever…but the original building is an absolute treasure and I’m so happy Dodge has made the effort to keep it in use. The latest additions on the north end are about as well-matched as one could possibly expect.

I’ve mentioned before that Dodge City schools have always been overcrowded. In addition, technology advanced very quickly in the early 20th century. Our high schoolers were doing the sportsball contests before they had their own dedicated facilities. The high school building on Second Avenue was magnificent but its facilities were outdated in no time. Imagine holding a district basketball tourney at an elementary school because it was a better venue!

The Dodger, March 2, 1926

The Southwest News, September 9, 1926

Not to worry, though…the school board was on the case. I can imagine the faces of Dodge City residents when they learned they were expected to cough up $250,000 (nearly $4 million in 2022) for the new facilities. The district was already at their legal bonded debt limit of $269,000 and they wanted to basically double it.

We all complain about opinion pieces masquerading as journalism but it isn’t a new problem. Check out this beauty on the front page, above the fold, presented as news:

The Southwest News, January 20, 1927

The high school paper did a much better job of relaying the facts. Also, it looks like the school board learned from prior missteps and quickly resolved the location issue.

The Dodger, March 22, 1927

It’s no surprise there was fierce opposition to the plan. There always is.

The Dodger, April 5, 1927

Imagine how bad the conditions must have been for the bond issue to pass by more than two to one!

While the Class of 1928 missed out on the new building, they were excited for their younger peers and included this artist’s rendering in their yearbook. It would have been neat if the school had been built as depicted here with those spaces along Second Avenue…expensive, but neat.

This time, the school board even correctly guestimated in which year the new high school would be completed!

So this is super cool…a member of the first DCHS graduating class attended the dedication of the new school.

These self-absorbed teenagers were also pretty grateful for the new facility provided to them.

The SOU’WESTER 1929

As previously mentioned, Dodge tried to build a new high school forever when I was growing up but couldn’t get the bond issue to pass. I couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal to simply add an additional high school but you see, Football won State once in the 1970s so you know we *had* to stay 6A to reclaim our glory, or whatever. I mean, I get it. What would the mascot for the Dodge City Northwest High School be anyway? They’d probably call them the Cowboys or something equally ridiculous. So I will acknowledge the logic in their argument. Dodge City is and will always be “Home of the Red Demons,” regardless of what my junior high art teacher’s husband had to say about it.

Anyway, 83 years was probably too long at that location, especially since Associated Press can’t do the maths and The Wichita Eagle can’t do a basic fact check. 2001 minus 1928 is 73. You saw it here first!

If you haven’t been by the school in a while, here are a few photos I took recently to refresh your memory. I still love all the details…especially the D Men outside the gym.

Next time, I’ll dig into the Lora Locke Hotel. Until then, you can check out Parts I through V below:

Part I – First National Bank Building

Part II – First Baptist Church, Walnut Street, Masonic Temple, First Avenue, and O’Neal Hotel

Part III – Merritt Beeson House

Part IV – Carnegie Library Building, Dodge City Milling and Elevator Company, First Presbyterian Church, and Post Office

Part V – Dodge City High School (1000 North Second Avenue)

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