Let’s start with a few “rusty crusty” signs that gratefully are still out there. This one is in Dodge, City, KS and the business is still operating:

The Curtis Cafe in Stafford, KS opened in 1946 and this sign might be from then. It closed in 2012 and the building remains vacant:

Carl’s Furniture in Hutchinson, KS is also long-closed:

When this drug store in Anthony, KS moved to its current location, I’m assuming they couldn’t hang this as a projecting sign and had to stick it on the side of the building:

This backlit plastic sign is installed there under the canopy next to the entrance. VERY few of these left around the country:

This one is in Hutchinson, KS and the business is still open:

The Ken’s Pizza chain was established in 1961 in Tulsa, OK. It grew to around 100 locations in the Midwest by the mid-1970s. This location in Hutchinson, KS opened in 1978. This backlit plastic sign with beveled letters is probably from then:

That location also has a neon sign which was built in 1993. It is/was animated:

The Rolla-Rena Skate Center in Pratt, KS opened around 1945. It became Rolla-Rena in 1988. The owner got these two signs from a skating rink in Great Bend, KS. The neon sign was put on two tall poles so that it can be seen from the highway:

This vacuum form plastic sign there was built in the 1980s. It also came from the Great Bend rink:

This bowling alley in McPherson, KS was built in 1961 and this sign is probably from then. There was a readerboard where the graphic display is now until around 2017:

This drug store in Kingman, KS had a much nicer sign with vacuum form panels until around 2018:

They kept the sign frame but those panels look pretty boring now:

This stained glass sign in Anthony, KS hanging above a vacant space which probably housed Marshall Jewelry prior to 2008 (located next door now):

Let’s turn to some statues. These were built by Richard Brown in the early 1990s in front of his home in Hutchinson, KS. He passed away in 2004 and the dozen or so statues are getting pretty funky at this point. Big no trespassing signs which I, of course, ignored:

This cowboy statue in Dodge City, KS was built from 1927-1929 and represents Joe Sughrue. It was created from a plaster casting of Sughrue who nearly died in the process when the straw through which he was breathing collapsed. The statue was restored in 2015:

Let’s wrap up with a few buildings. This facade in Dodge City, KS for the city’s newspaper was added around 1930:

This former faux windmill building is in Hutchinson, KS. It was built in 1939 for the Dutch Mill bar. In the late 1970s or early 1980s, it was moved to its current location. All four windmill blades were still there in 2007. Up until around 2020, there were still three left, albeit in bad shape. Alas, now without any, there’s no indication of the origins of this building. Maybe someday, they can be restored. The building has housed a hair salon since 2011:

This former Sinclair gas station is in Medicine Lodge, KS. Whenever you see a building like this with the little tile details, Art Deco posts, window and door frames, and the diamond and bar relief patterns, you can be sure that the building was a Sinclair. Although not all had the diamonds/bars. There are still hundreds of these stations out there all over the country, usually still with their canopies:

The Sandy’s Hamburgers chain was established in Peoria, IL in 1958. By 1968, there were 100 locations in different states. Only about a dozen of these unique buildings survive, most very remodeled like the one in Salina, KS below. Note the original wood beams, giant glass canted windows, and plaid tiles (Scottish themed). More about the chain and the survivors at my website:

https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/sandys.html

The Salina location is now a Mexican restaurant. There’s hope that behind all that crappy paneling that’s been there for decades are the original and restore-able beams:

I’ll be back soon with even more Kansas. I have about a week’s worth of photos still to crop/tweak and add to my website.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs