Kansas

Reno County was founded in 1871, and immediately settlers began arriving to break ground on a new frontier. Life here progressed as in most other Kansas counties until the discovery of salt in 1887. Three railroads competed to establish routes to bring the coal in for the manufacturing process and to ship the salt out. The growth of railroads and the central location of Reno County in Kansas created a hub of activity for the grain industry. Hutchinson became the first town founded in Reno County in 1872 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached the banks of the Arkansas River. Shortly after, Hutchinson became the county seat and from then on has been at the center of the dramatic changes that have come to the county. Throughout the 20th century, fortunes and empires were built on wheat and salt. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2021, Reno County continues to make a national impact with these two industries.

Wichita was founded in 1870 at the junction of the Little and Big Arkansas Rivers in south central Kansas. From the very beginning, the rivers have been a focus for social and recreational activity. Parks, both public and private, were established along these waterways near downtown to capitalize on this natural asset and have gone through many changes. Some of these parks are now over 100 years old, but one no longer exists, having literally been dug up and hauled away in wheelbarrows in 1933. This book chronicles many of the colorful activities and events that have occurred in these parks over the years, and shows how vital they are in the Wichita of today.

Founded in 1854 as an abolitionist outpost, Lawrence is a seemingly unassuming college town with a long history of hauntings. A ghostly guest never checked out of the Eldridge Hotel's mysterious room 506. Sigma Nu's fraternity house, the former home of Kansas's eighteenth governor, is still haunted by the specter of a young woman. Learn the tragic stories of Pete Vinegar, George Albach and Lizzie Madden and uncover the devilish truth behind the "legend" of Stull Cemetery. Author Paul Thomas reveals the ghoulish history behind these stories and many more.

Journalist and Ark City native Foss Farrar has written extensively about the history of his hometown. He shares a photo collection to illustrate its history.

Arkansas City grew quickly from a dusty frontier town in 1870 into a thriving commercial center in south-central Kansas. Nestled between two rivers, the town's location on the border with Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) provided trade advantages that brought in railroads, merchants, and seekers of free land at the time of the Oklahoma land rushes.

Located in the middle of the nation’s heartland, Wichita, Kansas, has been a regional hub for LGBTQ persons, forming a community that extended well beyond just local residents.

In spite of the area’s restrictive laws and conservative attitudes, these people have, since the 1960s, found space among an ever-fluid bar and club scene and a larger network from community centers to rodeos to religious organizations to art and activism groups. It has a history that includes one of the nation’s earliest gay rights ordinances as well as pioneering figures in AIDS research. The community has faced discrimination and hostility and the AIDS crisis. Since then, it has celebrated milestones like the legalization of gay marriage and the losses of many of its key leaders. With a legacy that extends from homophile to gender fluid, this story provides a window into how LGBTQ persons in the center of the country have both faced challenges and lived ordinary lives.

Since 2010, The Center of Wichita has been a community resource and is proud to preserve the history of the LGBTQ community of the region. Working with a team of researchers and students from Wichita State University, The Center of Wichita hopes that this work inspires future collecting and storytelling.