Ellsworth’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Ellsworth. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Once called "The Wickedest Cattletown in Kansas", the city is named for Fort Ellsworth, which was built in 1864. Due to speculation on imminent railroad construction, the population of Ellsworth boomed to over two thousand by the time it was incorporated in 1867. It has since been said, "Abilene, the first, Dodge City, the last, but Ellsworth the wickedest".
Ellsworth was a bustling cattle town during the late 1860s, when the Kansas Pacific Railroad had a stop and stockyards there. Cattle were driven up from Texas to this point, and then shipped to major markets. Often cowboys had the run of the town. In 1875 Kansas Pacific closed its cattle pens, moving to another location. The cattle trade dwindled to almost nothing by the mid-1880s.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Ellsworth’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ellsworth’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewThe crowds around President Roose…, 1903: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Ellsworth
See all 6 →
Ellsworth, decade by decade
1990s
4 historic places in Ellsworth
Ellsworth has 4 listings on the National Register, and they protect 55 historic buildings, because Ellsworth Downtown Historic District alone counts 52.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as The crowds around President Roosevelt's train at Ellsworth, Kansas (1903) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.