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Volume 8, Issue 4 - Feature #1256

Last Week's Memory Joggers...

The revelation about the Oregon gasoline prices is a real shocker to me because it's my understanding that there are NO SELF-SERVICE gas stations in that state due to a law making it illegal for anyone to pump their own gas. They claimed that it was unsafe for anyone but a professional attendant to even touch the nozzle of a gas pump. What they were really doing was protecting the jobs of employees at the stations.

Roy Kendrick - 2006-01-29 17:13:30

Received this from Gilvin Walker this weekend concerning more information on the Runnymede Depot... "The Runneymede depot that you have written about was not located at the original town of Runnymede. If they had been able to get a railroad to Runnymede the old town might have survived. The town was founded in 1887 and by 1893 the town was abandoned and the hotel was on its way to Alva.<br><br> The town of Runneymede was then re-established 2-1/2 miles south when the Orient railroad tracks were laid. The depot in question would have been located at the second townsite and belonged to the Santa Fe after they purchased the M.K.C.& O. out of bankruptcy.<br><br> There is an historical sign located at the roadside park where the second townsite was located along K-2 highway. The railroad line paralled K-2 and K-42 highway all the way from Harper to Wichita except for a short run through Milton. <br><br> The old Milton Depot is located in Harper and presently houses the Harper Art Society. Having graduated from Milton, I remember when the depot was active. The last agent was Mr. Foster Barker. I remember driving K-2 and K-42 when they were gravel highways and we used to "race" along the hi-way beside the old steam engines.<br><br> I just wanted to make it clear that the original Runnymede town did not have a railroad. The town fathers led by Mr. Ned Turnley used every effort available and almost succeeded but at the last moment everything fell apart,even with the funding in place. It quickly became a ghost town. -- Gilvin Walker - Harper, Kansas"

NW Okie (a.k.a. Linda Wagner) - 2006-01-29 12:43:18

There were actually three Kansas towns named Runnymede, all within a few miles of each other. The first was a post office on the ranch of Ned Turnley. The second Runnymede was the English colony of Runnymede, still on Turley's ranch but a distance away from the original post office. The third town of Runnymede was located 2 miles south of the English colony on the highway where the historic marker now stands. The train depot that is in Wichita is from the third town of Runnymede which is near the ATSF (now BNSF) railroad. One of the reasons the English colony failed was because it was bypassed by the railroad. We do have some antique railroad signs from the third town of Runnymede that are located in The Runnymede building in Alva. They were donated by Lee and Mary Haley.

Jim Richey - 2006-01-28 19:25:25

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