Day 11: All Kansas All the Time

This is the first full day of Kansas on the trip with many days to come. I don’t normally shoot stained glass details but these were pretty special. This is in WaKeeney, KS:

This one is in Colby, KS:

The Annie Oakley Motel in Oakley, KS was originally named the Oakley Motel The town was not named after her and she never lived there.

This sign is in Hays, KS:

This rooftop bulb sign is in Ellis, KS:

These faded Frigidaire and Maytag signs are in Osborne, KS:

This Carrier sign is in Great Bend, KS:

These backlit Masonic glass globes in Russell, KS would have had different symbols painted on each one originally:

A long vacant storefront with peeling paint in LaCrosse, KS reveals the Pokorny Rexall Drugs sign:

This cafe sign is in Ellsworth, KS:

Let’s move on to some buildings. The Sundowner Lodge and its companion restaurant in WaKeeney, KS was built in 1963 as shown in this postcard:

The motel survives as the Kansas Country Inn. The restaurant also survives and despite many occupants coming and going over the years, the wood-paneled interior remains. It is currently vacant:

This long-vacant, former Sinclair station is in Ellis, KS:

This former Phillips 66 station in Sterling, KS was built around 1933. It now houses the J&B Dairyland ice cream stand. There’s a former station in Hutchinson, KS with the same design:

This former Conoco station in Hays, KS now houses Tiger Station Fish & Chips:

This former Standard Oil station in Ellis, KS was spruced up in 2018 with a replica pump, lights, and plastic letters for a used car dealership. The dealership closed in 2020 and this building remains vacant.