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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February 16, 2026 0

Texaco Service Station Then and Now

301-303 Military Avenue – Dodge City, Kansas

I know the title of this story seems oddly nonspecific considering how many Texaco stations Dodge City had at one time. However, this service station was originally owned and operated by The Texas Company. The white stucco mission-style building had separate bays for greasing and a car wash. A grand opening was held at the brand-new station on January 17, 1931.

The men shown here in 1931 may be manager Loren Wilks and attendants Paul Moore and Benjamin Otto.

Texaco leased the station to Bob Ogg in early 1934 and it was managed by H. Gordon McCollom. The business was briefly called Mac’s Certified Service.

By 1935, it was operated by Walt Neal.

Wholesale grocer John Pressney appears to have assumed ownership by the Summer of 1936. At that time, The Texas Company’s wholesale business was still located at Military and Avenue B.

By 1942, the station was operated by Josh Owens. World War II Veterans Ernest Brockhausen and Quincy Glotta bought the business in January of 1946 and called it B and G Texaco Service.

Brockhausen began operating as Ernie’s Texaco Service around January of 1949. The station was listed for sale in January of 1951 due to health reasons but appears to have continued operating as Ernie’s until at least December of that year.

Other names in the 1950s included Bill’s Texaco Service and Steele’s Texaco Service. By 1957, the building was vacant and it sat for a few years before being converted into commercial space for businesses such as Kansas Abstract and Investment Co. in the mid-1960s.

Maxine Salmans was a very successful representative for the cosmetics company Fashion Two Twenty. Her studio occupied the building for almost all of the 1970s.

The property was listed for sale in December of 1979.

A new building with frontage on Avenue B was completed around 1981 and was occupied by Fast Foods of Dodge City. This building was expanded and housed tenants such as Dodge Country Insurance, Firm One Securities, Stickney Realty, and Frigon Law Firm. Lucky Liquor moved to the space on the corner around 2000.

This is how the former site of the Texaco Service Station looks today:

I’ve always loved mission-style architecture with arched doors and windows. This replacement aesthetic is most definitely not that. On the bright side, some of the concrete curbing looks original. So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.

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February 2, 2026 0

Delmonico Restaurant Then and Now

503-505 S Second Avenue

Dodge City had four lumber yards in 1926 but none further south than Trail Street. Carl G Heitman changed that in the Spring of 1927 when he opened South Side Lumber south of the Rock Island tracks between Sunnyside and what was then Bridge Street.

Lindas Lumber Company purchased the business in April of 1929 and expanded the facility. The series of structures extended almost halfway between Bridge and Sunnyside.

Company founder Edward S Lindas died in July of 1949 and the liquidation of his properties began shortly after his passing. By the time the company announced the closing of the Dodge City location on August 17, 1950, all of the inventory had already been sold.

William J Tawzer had been a salesman at McDowell Chevrolet. Tawzer Motor Company briefly occupied the old lumber yard from around 1951 to 1952.

This parade photo shows there was once an arch over the entrance to the parking area on the south side of the building.

An eatery called Travel Snack was established in the building in February of 1952. They sold chicken and shrimp boxes plus burgers to go.

At the same time, public sales were held regularly in an area of the complex with dirt floors.

Daniel and Lois Ducic moved from Pratt in 1953 and opened Ducic Upholstery that October. By 1957, the auctions were being held by Don Weece and his partners.

By 1959, the furniture business had moved and was renamed Don’s Auction. Louis and Ola Vernon had taken over the upholstery business they called Vernon’s Upholstery.

Vern and Ruby Collier sold the Boot Hill Grill around 1962 and turned their attention toward South Dodge. Delmonico Cafe opened in October of 1963.

Vern, a butcher by trade, had equipment installed in February of 1964 which allowed him to cut his own steaks.

As offerings expanded, the cafe became known as Delmonico Restaurant. A gift shop was located in the north end of the building. The Colliers were famous for their Sunday buffets.

When the Arkansas River flooded in June of 1965, the restaurant filled with four to five feet of water.

Cleanup of the flood mud was quite the operation but the Colliers managed to reopen Delmonico on July 31.

Delmonico closed in the Spring of 1975 and the furniture store which had become Rent-Buy of Dodge City, Inc. announced in May they would return to the building once it had undergone extensive remodeling. The Delmonico pink exterior was replaced with mustard yellow. Several windows were covered with metal siding.

Contractor T. J. Page had the project completed by September 3 and Rent-Buy held a grand opening event from September 12-20, 1975.

Around 1981, the business changed names again and became known as Furniture Outlet.

Although the building had shown its age for decades, heavy snow in March of 1999 caused its demise. That old lumber yard roof wasn’t meant to carry such a load and several rafters broke under the weight. Furniture Outlet was demolished by Gladden Excavating on June 17, 1999. Photos: Ford County Historical Society Dodge City Daily Globe Collection

Due to the outbuildings which had been added to the property over the years, the store remained open during reconstruction. The former lumber yard was replaced with a metal building set further back from the street with parking in front.

Additions continued and the group of metal buildings was basically united as one giant structure. Furniture Outlet became an Ashley Furniture HomeStore in 2013. Around 2024, the signage was changed from Ashley Furniture to Weece Furniture but now the Ashley branding is back. The Weece family sold the business to Miller’s of Claflin in the Summer of 2025 and they remodeled the building again.

This is how the former site of Delmonico Restaurant looks today:

Photo: Anna King
Photo: Anna King
Photo: Anna King

My family shopped at Furniture Outlet several times when I was a child and it looked like it was going to fall down the very first time I saw it. In retrospect, this is likely because I didn’t understand how stucco works but also because I hated the yellow color. Aside from being a bit ungainly and difficult to photograph, the property looks good now…for a metal building.

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January 19, 2026 3

Maser Pontiac-Cadillac Then and Now

404 S Second Avenue

Like many towns, Dodge City hasn’t always been consistent with street names. Portions of Second Avenue were alternatively called Bridge Street for several decades. The stretch between the Arkansas River and the Rock Island tracks along Sycamore Street experienced a building boom around 1930.

In April of that year, Martin Stohr sold a couple lots to Lester F Fowler who established Fowler Machine Shop at what was then 406 Bridge Street. At that time, this shop was the only commercial structure on the block.

The property was purchased by Logan R Tyson of General Machine Shop in the Spring of 1935. It’s worth noting that Winnie Rosebrook was Tyson’s welding foreman.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* August 31, 1935

In February of 1946, Tyson announced he would be building a Kaiser-Frazer dealership on the north side of his machine shop, which would also be enlarged. The combined structures were painted white with modern 1940s streamlined styling. Corners were rounded with glass blocks and neon lighting.

Both of his sons, James and Robert, had returned from World War II and were involved in the business which held a grand opening on October 25, 1946.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* October 24, 1946

This photo was taken from the Rock Island tracks looking north on January 4, 1949.

Dodge City Daily Globe, “Winter Scene, South Second Avenue, South Dodge,” *Kansas Heritage Center Digital Archive*, accessed December 7, 2025, https://kansasheritagecenter.omeka.net/items/show/275.

In November of 1949, Tyson took out a permit to remodel a wood frame garage a few blocks south. Merritt Owens and Clarence Maser announced they would relocate Owens-Maser Motor Co. to the old Tyson dealership that December.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* December 31, 1949

In January of 1954, Maser announced he had bought Owens’ interest in the business and the dealership became known as Maser Pontiac-Cadillac Co.

*The Counselor,* September Issue, 1954, Dodge City Edition

Around that time, the company expanded to include a used car lot across South Second, just south of Dillon’s. That lot is shown here during the flood in June of 1965.

Photo: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

Martin Stohr’s old house which had stood at the southeast corner of Poplar Street and South Second was removed in 1973 to expand the car lot.

In October of 1978, Don and Greg Goff announced Goff Motor Company had bought the Maser dealership. This was back when Jeeps were still Jeeps.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* October 2, 1978

Plans were being made to completely remodel the building at that time.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* October 4, 1978

The father and son duo operated the dealership together until Don’s retirement around 1995. A special meeting was held in December of 1998 to approve merging Goff Motors with their neighbor to the north, George Nielsen Motor Company. While the two dealerships advertised jointly in the interim, the merger became official with the new entity, G & G, Inc., in March of 1999.

Pat George exited the business around 2004 and then John and Traci Wentling were partners with Greg and Linda Goff until about 2015. The Wentlings wound down the G & G Car and Truck Supercenter around 2023. Hyundai of Dodge City currently occupies the property.

This is how the former Maser Pontiac-Cadillac dealership looks today:

I’m not the biggest fan of Streamline Moderne architecture but it beats covered up windows and metal mansards. That is all.

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January 5, 2026 1

Herring’s Waffle Shop Then and Now

611 N Second Avenue

Dodge City’s business district took a while to spread north along Second Avenue to Spruce Street. The east side of the block between Walnut and Spruce filled up with commercial buildings long before the west. City Furniture Store and Santa Fe Trail Garage anchored the corners on the west side of Second with brick and concrete block structures by 1910 but the lots between them were filled with wood frame dwellings.

In October of 1912, the Globe ran an editorial complaining about two “insignificant shacks” occupying the lots just north of the alley on that block. The paper suggested the homes be removed and replaced with more substantial commercial structures.

*The Dodge City Daily Globe,* October 9, 1912

Those two “shacks” were occupied by John Keech and Robert Whitaker. R. C. Canady moved his shoe repair shop to the north house vacated by Whitaker in the spring of 1915. O. F. Adair also moved his shine stand to that spot from the Santa Fe Depot.

That July, C. H. Coe opened a tire vulcanizing business in the former Keech house to the south. He and partner Bob Rath also fitted keys, sharpened mower blades, and performed general repairs.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* August 23, 1915

The Skillington Tailoring Company moved into the old vulcanizing shop in the Spring of 1917. Unfortunately, their building was completely destroyed in a fire that October. The damage to Canady’s neighboring shop was less severe and he asked Andrew Russell, who owned both structures, to repair his building but both lots were ultimately cleared. Canady then moved his shop to Second and Chestnut.

A single-story concrete block building was constructed at 611 Second Avenue with parking between it and the alley to the south. Dodge City Tire Repair Company, a partnership of brothers-in-law William S Leonard and John H Tenbrink, occupied this new structure in January of 1918.

*The Dodge City Journal,* March 13, 1919

Tenbrink and his new wife, Edith, relocated to Los Angeles in 1920. Leonard took on Leo W Hafred as a partner and worked for years as an auctioneer. Harry L Likely bought an interest in the business in February of 1925.

The shop was renamed Tire Service Company and it remained in the building until September of 1928.

By October of 1930, the Eckles brothers owned the building and had it repainted for the Smith Cafe. Archie Sever then opened the Jayhawk Snack Shop in April of 1932. Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Beaver from Oakley bought the eatery in June of 1932 and called it Beaver Snack Shop. They sold the business to Floyd and Pearl Herring in February of 1933.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* February 7, 1933

In addition to Herring’s Waffle Shop, the building also became the Union Bus Depot in the Fall of 1934.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* March 16, 1936

This menu from Herring’s Waffle Shop can be found in the archives at the Ford County Legacy Center.

The bus depot expanded into the building just north of the waffle shop at the end of 1936.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* September 1, 1936

In 1938, a neon sign was installed across the top of the waffle shop with a bus at each end. The neon was configured so that the wheels on the buses indeed went round and round. It was said to “make your feet itch,” apparently meaning it would make people want to travel.

I love how the speaker was used as a megaphone on the postcard in the second slide. Very clever!

Photo: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection
Postcard: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

Around 1944, Herring’s Waffle Shop moved to Front Street. The bus station was then operated by the partnership of Glass and McEwen before it also moved back to Front Street.

*The Dodge City Journal,* March 16, 1944

Around this time, the restaurant became Marlin’s Uptown Waffle Shop.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* December 29, 1945

In about 1946, R. E. Lawrence became the proprietor of the waffle shop and he sold part interest to Irven and Thelma Shuman in April of 1947. Under this partnership, the Shuman packing plant and Shuman Frozen Foods would supply food to the restaurant. The Shumans held a contest to rename the restaurant and $25 was awarded for the winning entry, White Buffalo Grill.

After changing hands a couple more times in the 1940s, the White Buffalo became the Blue Goose. That restaurant only lasted a couple years and held an auction in September of 1951.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* September 21, 1951

That December, Hal Wyman Plumbing and Heating held a grand opening in the former waffle shop.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* December 21, 1951

Wyman relocated to a spot west of Mammel’s in February of 1955.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* February 28, 1955

That appears to have been the last business to occupy the building before it was demolished to create a parking lot for First National Bank which still exists today. Workers are shown here installing the bank clock on November 2, 1955.

Dodge City Daily Globe, “1st National Bank Sign,” *Kansas Heritage Center Digital Archive*, accessed December 7, 2025, https://kansasheritagecenter.omeka.net/items/show/227.

This is how the former site of Herring’s Waffle Shop looks today:

It’s difficult to work up nostalgia for a plain concrete block building that looked a bit awkward in its location. The drive thru at First National was a huge upgrade for their customers. However, I am very interested in what became of those beautiful neon signs, with one important caveat. If they ended up in the scrap pile, please don’t tell me.

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December 22, 2025 0

Parkhurst Motor Co. Then and Now

402-404 Front Street

In Dodge City’s early days, Front Street was the main drag and Chestnut Street (now Wyatt Earp Boulevard) one block north was barely even a side street. Many of you will remember when the reverse was true and the buildings with doors on both sides of the block only used Front Street for service entrances.

In the Spring of 1908, E. E. Smith moved his coal office into a new concrete block building at what became 404 Front Street. The lot had been empty for some time but it had previously hosted a series of frame structures which had been vacant more often than not. A scale was installed just to the east of the office.

*Telephone Directory The Dodge City Telephone Co.,* December, 1910

Dr. Noble Melencamp purchased the property from Smith and in February of 1925, began construction of a large concrete block and brick building with entrances on both Chestnut and Front Streets.

The building was leased to Southwest Motor Company, which opened that Spring. Their showroom was located on the Chestnut side with a 25-car garage along Front Street. Also, that’s one heckuva typo.

*The Southwest News,* September 16, 1926

Mark Parkhurst of Greensburg bought the dealership in August of 1927 and remodeled the building at that time for the Dodge City location of Parkhurst Motor Co.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* September 24, 1927

This circa-1930 photo was taken from Front Street looking northwest.

C. R. Hill moved his Nash and LaFayette dealership to the former Parkhurst location around 1933.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* February 17, 1933

Hill later relocated to a spot on Second Avenue and new occupant Gum Motor Co. held their grand opening in the summer of 1937.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* August 16, 1937

Davis Electric Co. moved to the building in 1946 after Gum’s new location was completed further west on Chestnut. R. W. Miller also opened a radiator repair business in the old garage area.

C. E. Davis sold Davis Electric to the E. S. Cowie Electric Co. in the Spring of 1948.

Mullin Furniture opened their Economy Store in the west side of the building in August of 1949.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* August 23, 1949

Around 1955, McKinley Automotive moved to the east side in conjunction with Reuben Schleining of Rube’s Electric Company.

McKinley and Schleining relocated to East Trail Street in the Fall of 1957.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* October 4, 1957

The Mullin store vacated the building around 1958 and it sat empty until Hawley Bros. moved from the former Durr-Meng dealership in the Summer of 1959.

After Hawley Bros. relocated around 1966, the property was listed for sale. From that point, the building’s days were numbered. These photos were taken just prior to the block being demolished as part of the Urban Renewal project in 1970. Photos by Joleen Fromm, Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

This is how the former site of Parkhurst Motor Co. looks today:

Making a convincing argument that this block looked better in the 1960s would require some serious mental gymnastics. Even though it’s only a roadway with landscaping, the area is obviously much more attractive today. My issue is with the property owners and local officials who allowed it to become a slum in the first place. There are high-traffic properties in this town where the process is repeating. Let’s arrest the decay while the history can still be saved.

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December 8, 2025 0

Jones Drug Store Then and Now

303 S Second Avenue

If you’ve read my stories for any length of time, you know I have a particular fondness for South Dodge. Four generations of my family grew up there and three were Sunnyside kids. As a result, I spent a whole lot of time in the area around South Dillon’s.

Crawford Place, which began just south of the river and west of what was then called Bridge Street, was platted in 1915.

Crawford Place Download

There wasn’t much development in the neighborhood at that time. It was mostly a mix of houses and small businesses related to livestock and agriculture.

In April of 1930, construction began on a brick building at 303 Bridge Street, which was owned by Mayor Harry Hart. This structure would sit in the triangle between Bridge and Sunnyside with entrances on both streets.

*The Dodge City Journal,* April 10, 1930

Hart leased the new building to L. L. “Slats” Walker, proprietor of Walker Pharmacy.

Walker opened up in the new location during the Summer of 1930 and was promptly robbed by Ned Bruce, who was shot in the act by Officer L. W. Davis.

*The Dodge City Journal,* August 14, 1930

Bruce recovered and ended up pleading guilty after an unsuccessful insanity plea.

Walker sold the pharmacy to T. J. Phillips in September of 1931. This became the third Phillips Drug Company location in Dodge and was managed by Fred Parthemore.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* September 15, 1931

By 1933, the pharmacy was called Parthemore and Parham Drug Company and maps had begun consistently calling the street South Second Avenue. Warren Jones bought the business at the end of 1937 or beginning of 1938 and renamed it Jones Drug Store.

Jones catered to the livestock industry and the building had a large sign on the north wall with an image of a steer head advertising his large animal supplies.

*Dodge City, Kansas Telephone Directory May 1954,* Southwestern Bell Telephone Company

Jones Drug Store is shown behind parade marshal Roy Rogers in May of 1955.

Photo: Ford County Historical Society Studio de Lari Collection
Photo: Ford County Historical Society Studio de Lari Collection
Photo: Ford County Historical Society Studio de Lari Collection

Warren Jones died in August of 1957 at the age of 53. Without any family members in the area, the store was sold along with all of its contents.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* November 8, 1957

Abram and Margaret Anthony moved Anthony’s Army Store from 318 South Second to the former Jones Drug Store in early 1958. Anthony’s also served as an official post office substation.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* January 22, 1958

Margaret continued to operate the store after Abram died in January of 1964. It’s difficult to see but this photo from the flood in June of 1965 shows the brick building had already been painted white. A Shamrock station had also been built against the north wall.

Anthony’s held a large moving sale and relocated in the Summer of 1985.

The Marine Corps Club, which was owned by Raymond “Peanie” Goddard, then occupied the building until around 1994. Cecil’s Bar-B-Que opened at 303 S Second in 1995. At that time, the exterior featured a pig mural that took up the entire south wall.

The building was listed for sale by February of 2001 and remained on the market for quite a while. It was next used as a church. Ministerio Evangelistico Encuentro con Dios covered up the mural sometime between 2007 and 2009. The congregation used the Sunnyside entrance and blocked off the storefront and recessed entry on South Second by 2012. Current signage is for Iglesia Apostólica de la Fe en Cristo Jesús in the U.S.A.

This is how the former Jones Drug Store looks today:

This building is much cooler than its current appearance suggests. There aren’t many of these commercial spaces with dual storefronts left in Dodge. That brick should have never been painted and it’s so satisfying to see its slow reemergence.

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November 24, 2025 0

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Then and Now

513 W Santa Fe Trail Street

The south side of what was originally called Locust Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues was mostly residential until the 1890s. Home Steam Laundry occupied what was then 324 Locust Street for a few years before relocating to Chestnut Street in June of 1903.

Floy (not Floyd) Brumbaugh moved to Dodge City with plans of opening a new bottling plant that same year. F. S. Brumbaugh Bottling Works set up shop in the former laundry building. Improvements including an electric motor and a water filter were made in 1907.

*The Globe-Republican,* October 24, 1907

The wood frame building was also upgraded with a concrete floor. Around 1909, addresses were standardized and the building found itself newly located at 513 Santa Fe Trail. By the end of 1914, Brumbaugh’s soft drinks were distributed to most of Southwest Kansas.

*The Dodge City Journal,* October 9, 1914

By 1915, he was bottling Coca-Cola. The building nearly doubled in size that year and the daily capacity was increased to about 4,000 bottles.

*Dodge City Kansas Journal,* May 13, 1915

John Cannon bought the business in December of 1915 and began advertising as Dodge City Bottling Works.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* December 11, 1915

Cannon went to work for Ernest Nickels around 1919, at which time the Dodge City Ice Cream and Produce Company began bottling Coca-Cola in their building at Fourth Avenue and Front Street.

It is unclear how the building was used during this time, possibly as a warehouse, but the Klan apparently deemed the neighborhood unsavory and burned a cross nearby in late 1924.

*The Dodge City Journal,* December 4, 1924

Russell Walker opened R.T.’s Auto Salvage in the old bottling works building around July of 1925 but relocated after about eight months because the business had quickly grown out of the space.

*The Southwest News,* September 17, 1925

John Cannon resigned from the Dodge City Ice Cream and Produce Company on January 1, 1926 and regained ownership of the Coca-Cola bottling operation. After the salvage company moved, he began construction of a 32-by-100-foot concrete block and brick building at the old location. The new Coca-Cola Bottling Company opened in May of that year.

Photo: Ford County Historical Society Robert Eagan Collection

A couple additions were constructed in the 1930s, which added flair and more than doubled the size of the building. This photo was taken around February of 1956.

The company changed hands several times over the years but continued at the same location. A building permit was issued in May of 1965 to “remodel business premises.” This photo from the flood in June of 1965 appears to show pallets of soda bottles at the location of the company’s eastward expansion to the southwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Trail Street.

The large metal building with an approximately 12,000-square-foot warehouse and 2,000 square feet of office space along Fourth Avenue was completed in 1965.

*The Pirate-Schooner 1968,* Spearville-Windthorst

Wichita Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc. bought the Dodge City operation on November 1, 1978 and the Dodge City plant closed in January of 1979. Chaffin, Inc. bought the property that July.

Multiple tenants leased the property over the years but it was listed as being vacant more often than not. The Dodge City Cooperative Exchange used the building as a warehouse for the farm and home store for a while during the 1980s. It appears the old brick building was demolished in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

This Google Street View image from 2012 shows the wide gable end along Fourth Avenue.

If you go around the block, you can see the foundation and front steps from the old block and brick building.

The City bought this property intending to repurpose it as a recycling center. However, planning for the new Holiday Inn Express caused the building to be dismantled for future use. According to the Globe, the metal frame was reused in construction of the new recycling center at 14th Avenue and Park Street. The Holiday Inn Express opened in August of 2017.

This is how the site of the former Coca-Cola Bottling Co. looks today:

I’m not thrilled about Dodge City losing its bottling plants but I don’t miss that pale and sickly metal building. The brick cutie out back is another story altogether.

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November 17, 2025 1

Dutch Inn Then and Now

707 Central Avenue

My great-great grandmother, Ida (Gause) Beeson, bought the home at 705 Central Avenue in November of 1921. The Gwinner family lived at the southwest corner of Central and Vine Streets and an empty lot sat between them. That lot sometimes hosted events like the interdenominational tent revival in June of 1932, but it was mostly a space for the neighborhood children to play.

In December of 1953, Ted Kerkhoff obtained a permit to move a 10-by-12-foot Valentine Diner from Ford to 707 Central.

Newspaper clipping announcing building permits for a cafe at 707 Central Avenue, including details about the structure and ownership. — *Dodge City Daily Globe,* December 8, 1953

Bob’s Drive-In held a grand opening on January 13, 1954.

Vintage advertisement announcing the grand opening of Bob's Drive-In at 707 Central, featuring details about the hours and free coffee on opening day. — *Dodge City Daily Globe,* January 12, 1954

The diner was quite small so Kerkhoff built an addition on the north side of the building that Spring. Curb service was also added and customers were able to phone in their pickup orders.

An advertisement for Bob's Drive-In featuring curb service, weekend specials, and menu items including hamburgers, milkshakes, and chicken boxes to go. — *Dodge City Daily Globe,* May 28, 1954

Margaret and Dee Dehart briefly assumed management of Bob’s in August of 1954.

A vintage advertisement for Bob's Drive-In featuring a promotion for free coffee and pie on Saturday, August 14, from 10 to 11 a.m. and 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. The ad highlights the new operators, Margaret and Dee Dehart, and mentions ample free parking space. — *Dodge City Daily Globe,* August 13, 1954

Dorinda “Pat” Schumacher then took possession that November and renamed the cafe Dutch Inn.

A newspaper clipping announcing the reopening of a cafe on Central Avenue, now called 'Dutch Inn', operated by Mrs. Pat Schumacher. — *Dodge City Daily Globe,* November 27, 1954

Dutch Inn is shown here with the north addition. The original metal section appears to have been rusting.

Black and white photo of the Dutch Inn diner, showcasing a small building with a sign that reads 'DUTCH INN'. A man can be seen inside the diner, and a vintage car is parked nearby. — Photo: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

In March of 1957, a couple teenage boys broke a window and stole less than ten dollars in change plus a chocolate cake. Due to his involvement in a string of burglaries, one of the boys received a sentence of up to ten years at the reformatory in Hutchinson.

Newspaper clipping reporting a burglary at the Dutch Inn Cafe, detailing the theft of money and a chocolate cake. — *Dodge City Daily Globe,* March 30, 1957

Schumacher sold the property to Fred and Helen (Lochmann) Ruby around 1959. The Rubys then had the Dutch Inn listed for sale by November of that year. Bernard Trail was the next buyer and he changed the name to Hill Top in 1960. He sold the eatery to Cecil “Pete” and Claramae (Pickle) Larcom, who reopened it as Hilltop Cafe in January of 1961.

Newspaper clipping announcing the opening of the Hilltop Cafe at 707 Central Avenue, with details from the new owners regarding renovations, menu offerings, and operating hours. — *Dodge City Daily Globe,* January 7, 1961

The Larcoms were forced to close the restaurant due to illness that November but it operated during at least part of 1962. By 1964, the building had been moved once again. Unfortunately, the Kansas Historical Society has been unable to determine where exactly it went.

First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Dodge City was built across from the post office in 1965 and the lots between what is now the Landmark National Bank building and Vine Street have been used as a parking lot ever since.

This is how the site of the Dutch Inn looks today:

Even though Central Avenue was once part of Highway 50, it seems so odd to plunk down a diner between two houses. I would love to know where it was taken and whether it still exists.

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November 10, 2025 0

Williams Service Co. Then and Now

301 N Second Avenue

At some point, I’ll write in detail about Dodge City’s beautiful City Hall building south of the tracks, but this story focuses on what came later. The ornate brick building was situated in the middle of a block bordered by South Front (yes, there were two) and West Santa Fe Trail Streets as well as Second and Third Avenues.

Postcard: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

In April of 1928, Lindas Lumber Company was in the process of purchasing the old City Hall lot but the City couldn’t find the deed, which had never been recorded. The plan was for City Hall to be demolished and replaced with a lumber shed on the west three-fifths of the property. The company had begun soliciting bids for demolition. Lindas then backed out of the deal after the City failed to produce the deed. The Santa Fe Railroad did a quit-claim deed and then J. M. Kirkpatrick ended up finding the original in June of 1928.

In April of 1929, James P McCollom purchased the east 75 feet of the block with an option for the next 50 feet. The lots were cleared immediately followed by construction of brick buildings with frontage along Second Avenue.

One of those buildings was a long, narrow service station at the northwest corner of Second and Trail with a large awning which extended out to the east. Merton Williams and his longtime friend, Charles B “Chick” Collison, opened the Williams & Collison station at 301 Second Avenue that Summer.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* August 20, 1929

Chick Collison was murdered at his home on Sixth Avenue during a robbery on September 30, 1930. A few months later, Williams and Raymond Fredelake changed the name of the business to the Williams Service Company.

Photo: Ford County Historical Society Sam Zygner Collection

Sam Zygner photographed the station in preparation for the grand opening.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* January 14, 1931

By the mid-1930s, B. L. Sullivan assumed operation of the business and renamed it Sullie’s Service Station. It then became a Socony-Vacuum Oil Service Station around 1938 or 1939. By 1941, the station was owned by Claud M Cave and Company, which was located in the building to the north at 307 Second Avenue.

The Cave business next door morphed into the Ross Cave Motor Company in the mid-1940s and the station became known as a Mobilgas One Stop Service. By 1950, the business was called Cave Tire and Service Company and it operated until April of 1952.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* April 25, 1952

Earl and Lucy Steele owned Steele’s Service at Second and Trail for a year or two in the early 1950s.

*Polk’s Dodge City (Ford County, Kansas) Directory 195*3

Earl’s nephew, Ed Courbot, and his wife, Orma, later acquired the business and held a two-day grand opening of Courbot Service October 15-16, 1954.

*Dodge City Daily Globe,* October 14, 1954

The building appears to have been modernized sometime during the mid-1950s. By the time Hoover Cott took these accident photos in 1959, the mansard awnings had been removed and the brick exterior streamlined.

Photo: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection
Photo: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

The station became vacant around 1969 and sat for a few years before being demolished around 1975. Since that time, the corner has been used by Sellers Motors and Lopp Motors mostly for parking and displaying automobiles.

This is how the site of Williams Service Co. looks today:

I love that the old foundation and building joints are still visible. Looking at this intersection now, it seems impossible that three of the four corners once had gas stations operating simultaneously. I even had to convince my mother it was true.

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November 3, 2025 0