School photos from Saratoga, Kansas, a dead town in Pratt County

I was cleaning out my email and noticed this old photos of the Saratoga school that was sent to me last summer. To find out about Saratoga, a dead town in Pratt County, click here. A clump a trees at the site mark where the school stood.

These photos are courtesy of the Pratt County Historical Society.

Acres, Kansas, a dead town in Clark County

On a rare warm day in January, I ventured to Clark County, Kansas, known for its red buttes and cattle. Here, on the Angle Road between Ashland and Englewood, I was led to this little town known as Acres. It's now owned by Frantz Betschart - who was my tour guide on this day.

This schoolhouse closed in 1935.

The school is among the remaining buildings in the town with a population of zero. The one remaining home has sat vacant for several years.

Inside the old school. Frantz Betschart said he went to 4-H club meetings here before it closed for good.

The old general store.

 

The post office building still stands. Raymond Lunsford had pulled it back off the road, but someone still came and stole its insides, including the boxes. Acres had a post office from 1909 to 1954.

Someone also stole the merry go round at the school. All that remains is this pole.

It was first dubbed Manning Station in 1887 – named after the conductor of the train, according to a Clark County history book.

The name changed to Acres in 1889 when it was discovered there was a railroad station by the same name on the line from Great Bend to Scott City, according to a writings of Isaiah Burket, one of the county’s earliest pioneers. A woman who was heading to the other Manning found herself in Clark County, instead.

“Stepping from the train at this little flag station, she looked about and said ‘Nothing but Acres,’ and from that day the place has been known as Acres,” Burket wrote.

Acres had the freight train to move cattle, grain, feed and coal and a passenger train to carry people, groceries and mail. The first post office was established in 1909, according to the Kansas State Historical Society.

Businesses included a hotel, general store, lumberyard and blacksmith. There also were at least a couple elevators at Acres.

The 1910 census reported a population of 30.

Buildings south of Jetmore

I saw these buildings, south of Jetmore a few weeks ago. I'm not sure that it was a town, but I found it interesting that they were all so close together. Maybe someone moved them in to serve as a farm shed or something. One is a schoolhouse. Another looks like a depot. There is a couple old houses, as well.

If anyone knows anything about them, send me a note at abickel@hutchnews.com

It almost looks like a depot. I could be wrong.

What appears to be an old schoolhouse. It was south of Jetmore.

An old home, I believe. There is also something behind it, but I couldn't tell what it was.

All of the structures were within a half mile of Backtrail Road.