L.A. Draper Livery, Feed and Sale Barn, Lake City, Barber County, Kansas, early 1900s.
Lew Draper is the 4th man from the left in this photo.
The livery stable was on the north side of Main Street, just west of the brick building that is on Main St. in 2005.
Photo courtesy of Lois Kenworthy Mills, granddaughter-in-law of Lew Draper and Ada (Laury) Draper.
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USGS Aerial Photo of Lake City, Barber County, Kansas, 17 Aug 1991.
Scale: 1 pixel = 4 meters
Plot Map of Lake City, Barber County, Kansas.
From the 'Standard Atlas of Barber County Kansas', 1905.
Map courtesy of Kimberly (Hoagland) Fowles.
View a much larger image of this map.
The Kansas Gazeteer & Business Directory For 1882-1883 Lake City. Laid out in 1874, on Medicine Lodge river, in Lake City township, Barbour county, 18 miles from Medicine Lodge (ch), and 67 air line from Hutchinson, its shipping point on the AT&SF RR. It has a Methodist society, a public school, and 40 inhabitants. Stages to Medicine Lodge tri-weekly, far $1; to Hutchinson, for $5.50. Mail, tri-weekly Reuben Lake, postmaster.
Buck, E.E. - cattle dealer
Carl, Wm. - live stock
Frazier, C.T. - blacksmith
Funk, S.S. - live stock
Gordon, James - cattle dealer
Hale, I.W. - blacksmith
Hale, James W. - cattle dealer
Hargis, A.J. - cattle dealer
Heston, Lewis - cattle dealer
Lake, M.N. & Co. - general store
Lake, Reuben - cattle dealer
Overturf, ___ - shoemaker
Patterson, A.J. - sheep dealer
Thompson, W.O. - cattle dealer(Contributed by Kim Fowles).
The Kansas Gazeteer & Business Directory For 1888-1889 Lake City. On Medicine Lodge river, and on the SK Ry, in Barber county, 18 miles from Medicine Lodge, the county seat and bank location. It has a church, a public school, several stores and a weekly newspaper, The Kansas Prairie Dog. Stages to Medicine Lodge and Sun City. Exp., Wells Fargo & Co. Tel, W.U. Population 300. Reuben Lake, postmaster.
(Contributed by Kim Fowles).
Lake City Lake City, the site of it rather, was discovered by Reuben Lake in April, 1873. It is situated in Lake township, in the heart of the stock region, eighteen miles northwest of Medicine Lodge, with which is connected by a daily stage and mail line.
Its natural location is all that could be desired. In a deep valley, backed on the north by the bluff that rises above it, with the Medicine River, fringed with a dense growth of forest trees on the south, it is very beautiful.
In the early eighties, Lake had great prospects, and was a busy, bustling village of 350 inhabitants and came about as near making itself solid for the future as any of the numerous towns that started during that eventful period. It got so far along even, that the Santa Fe Co. projected a line of railroad from Medicine Lodge to Lake, secured the right of way and completed the grade. Then something happened, we do not know exactly what, anyway the work was abandoned and the metropolitan hopes of Lake City vanished.
Perhaps it is just as well, it is a good town anyway, one of the best trading points in the county. Has two large business houses and a blacksmith shop, all that is needed to supply the wants of the town and the community surrounding it.
It has a fine school building and there are many fine residences. The Masonic order is represented here and is perhaps the strongest lodge in Barber county, numerically and financially, having a membership of forty and a surplus fund of $500 in the treasury. The M.W.A. [probably Modern Woodmen of America] is also represented by a membership of eighteen.
The hospitality of the people is unbounded and the latch string always hangs out.
-- "Barber County Townships:, Medicine Lodge Cresset, March 2, 1900. Contributed by Ellen (Knowles) Bisson.
Lake City Methodist Church on the east side of Lake City, Kansas, looking south.
Photo by Nathan Lee, 15 December 2006.
Lake City School, Lake City, Barber County, Kansas.
Photo and comment courtesy of Kim Fowles
Draper Hill near Lake City, Barber County, Kansas, 2005
Photo by Kim Fowles, 2005.
The Hoagland Ranch near Lake City, Barber County, Kansas.
Photo courtesy of Ronnie Hoagland of The Oak Creek Ranch.
Thanks to Kim Fowles for arranging permission to use this photograph.
Also see:
Lake City Cemetery, burial listing compiled and contributed by Bonnie (Garten) Shaffer
Charles B. "Keno" Armstrong Stagecoach driver who drove for Reuben and Riley Lake.
Reuben Lake
Civil War veteran, first Sheriff of Barber County, founder of Lake City, Kansas.Riley Lake, son of Reuben Lake.
Fight At Lake City
Barber County Index, February 3, 1909.G.G. Shigley, grocery store owner, banker and Postmaster.
H.S. Buck, "...runs a drug store, sells hardware and farm implements, buggies, wagons, etc., in Lake City."
Murray Austin Davis, resident of Lake City.
John & Elizabeth Durfee, residents of Lake City.
Lake City Post Office and Postmasters, 1873 - 1993.
The Lake City Bank Building, Lake City, Kansas.
Lake City School, Barber County, Kansas
Lake City Plot Map, Barber County, Kansas
From Standard Atlas of Barber County, Kansas, 1905. Courtesy of Kim Fowles.
The following off-site links will open in a new browser window. Hometown Locator: Lake City, Kansas
Cassius Marcellus Cade: "Riley Lake and Rube Lake of Lake City, gave us our first stage coach line from Medicine Lodge and "Keno" was the best driver that ever held "ribbons" over six mules. He drove a rockaway stage, now extinct."
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