US Weather Bureau Then and Now

700 Central Avenue – Dodge City, Kansas

Weather observations and accurate forecasts have been pretty important to, you know, survival in Southwest Kansas. Much has been written about the history of the Weather Bureau, which started as part of the War Department, but we don’t talk a whole lot about their short-lived building.

The US Signal Service, under the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, occupied rooms in several Dodge City buildings prior to having their own dedicated quarters. After the devastating fire in December of 1885, the US Signal Office rented space on the second floor of the newly constructed Ida Beeson Building in the Union Block on Front Street between First and Second Avenues.

Meanwhile, a long frame dwelling occupied the lot on the east side of what was then Railroad Avenue just north of Spruce Street. A stone ice cellar was located just to the east at what was then 306 Spruce Street along with three homes given interesting fractions for addresses like 306 1/2, 306 1/3, and even 306 1/4, if you can believe it. These structures were owned by Henry Sturm at one time.

The property at Railroad and Spruce measuring 125×99 feet was deeded from Sturm to his in-laws Adam and Elizabeth Schmidt in the Spring of 1889.

Weather observation and forecasting operations were transferred to the Department of Agriculture on October 1, 1890. At that time, the name was changed to US Weather Bureau. Its central location was convenient but the Union Block just wasn’t tall enough for modern weather tracking. The height of the flour mill across the railroad tracks sometimes interfered with accurate wind measurements. US Representative Ed Madison, who had previously served as Ford County Attorney, worked in Congress to secure an appropriation for a dedicated Weather Bureau building.

After a bit of a process, the $15,000 building was approved in May of 1908.

The government selected the Schmidt site at Railroad and Spruce for this new building. It was a bit tricky, however, because there was an awkward strip on the east side of Railroad which had been labeled condemned since at least 1899.

That basically meant it was unclear whether the street would be widened or straightened and any structures in that strip might require removal. The newspapers decided the fact that the government purchased the property meant it was fine and settled, but the maps still listed it as condemned until at least 1918. The transaction was finalized in December of 1908.

Bids were solicited by the Department of Agriculture in January of 1909.

Plans called for a red brick two-story structure trimmed with Carthage sandstone. The observer’s workspace was located on the main floor as well as a kitchen and dining room. Upstairs living quarters for the observer and his family included a parlor plus three bedrooms and a bathroom. The basement had a laundry room in addition to storage for equipment as well as the furnace and coal storage. Views from the balconies over the south and west entrances must have been amazing. The roof had space for a tall tower and various instrumentation.

Twelve bids were received by contractors from as far away as Wichita and Topeka. The project was awarded to local company Parham and Upp and foundation work began in April of 1909. The building was completed that October.

It was inspected and accepted on November 11 and observer Harrison M Baldwin moved to the new quarters on November 22, 1909.

By most accounts, there was nothing wrong with the relatively young building to justify its replacement. The main issue was due to the lease terms and space available at the post office location in what became the Burr Building on Second Avenue. This problem was heavily debated in 1926 and its resolution was a slow process.

In 1929, the federal government decided to construct a proper federal building on the lots they already owned. The jail property to the east was also needed due to the size of the structure. Locals were generally displeased by the decision to use this location. However, changing it would have reportedly required a literal Act of Congress.

Speaking of which, legislation was required to transfer the property from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Treasury. The appropriation bill passed in the Spring of 1930 with preliminary plans received in Dodge that September. Weather Bureau offices would be located upstairs with observation equipment on the roof. Living quarters would no longer be provided for the meteorologist but a salary increase was offered in exchange.

The style of the building is technically Italian Renaissance but the interior includes Spanish-inspired elements. It was designed in the shape of a wide H with a beautiful tile roof. Newspaper articles at the time made reference to “Coahuila” tile, probably called that because Saltillo tiles come from Saltillo, Coahuila, México. There was an open balcony inside so the postal inspector could view all working areas from above.

Due to legal reasons, Ford County was awarded $9,000 for damages in December of 1930 for losing the jail lots to the feds. The property had to be condemned in order for the transfer to take place.

Before demolition could commence, temporary quarters had to be secured for the Weather Bureau. Rooms were leased in the First National Bank building.

Alonzo Justice moved his equipment in April of 1931 and the wind gauge was placed on the roof. It was said that wind readings would be increased due to the higher positioning of the equipment, which was reported to be exactly 100 feet from ground level.

Photos: Ford County Historical Society Sam Zygner Collection, taken shortly before demolition.

Demolition of the Weather Bureau building began on April 22, 1931.

Construction of the new federal building began in June.

The tower for the weather observation equipment was installed in February of 1932. A staircase led from the Weather Bureau’s second floor offices to the tower. Readings were fed down via cable so the meteorologist didn’t have to climb it every day.

Post office box keys arrived the week prior to opening. According to the Globe, Hiram T Burr was issued the first key to Box 87 because he just happened to be there checking out the progress. A public reception was held on May 21, 1932 and the post office officially opened for business on May 23.

In addition to the post office and Weather Bureau, the federal building had spaces for War Department recruiting offices, the Treasury Department including the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Extension Service, and Farm Bureau.

The area around the building was beautifully landscaped.

The Weather Bureau was tasked with aiding in air navigation safety and moved to the airport in July of 1942. Their space in the post office building was retained due to federal rules and because their new space at the airport could have been commandeered by the Army Air Corps during the war.

Bids were solicited in April of 1964 for a modernization project which included a large addition to the north side of the building.

Photos: Ford County Historical Society Studio de Lari Collection, taken prior to the addition on the north side.

That July, most postal workers were relocated throughout Dodge City so the work could get underway. However, box users and customers needing to visit the counter could still do so. Employees were able to move back to the building in August of 1965.

Birthright opened a pregnancy support center in Room 206 in May of 1976. Congressman Keith Sebelius and the United Way used offices in the basement. The building was also used by the Tumbleweed Girl Scout Council. In addition, US Marshal Ramon K House famously had an office upstairs.

This is how the former site of the US Weather Bureau looks today:

The post office building looks (and smells) pretty much the same as it has for as long as I can remember. In some places, you can see original green paint under the sad beige coating the wrought iron. I think it was wasteful to demolish the old Weather Bureau building but Dodge City couldn’t have gotten a more beautiful replacement.

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