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History · Lakin

Lakin’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Lakin. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

In spring 1873, John O'Loughlin, community founder, set up a trading post next to the newly completed Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The community was named by the AT&SF for David Long Lakin, former treasurer of the AT&SF. Lakin was designated county seat in 1888. A post office has been in operation in Lakin since March 1874.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Lakin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lakin’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from LakinWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Lakin.Meet them →
By decade

Lakin, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today6 photos
Lakin High School champions sign IMG 5841CommonsLakin High School champions sign IMG 58412010Kearny County, KS, Museum IMG 5840CommonsKearny County, KS, Museum IMG 58402010Kearny County, KS Library IMG 5850CommonsKearny County, KS Library IMG 58502010KS Highway 25 in Lakin IMG 5844CommonsKS Highway 25 in Lakin IMG 58442010Downtown Lakin, KS IMG 5846CommonsDowntown Lakin, KS IMG 58462010KSMap-doton-LakinCommonsKSMap-doton-Lakin2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Lakin is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Lakin has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Santa Fe Trail-Kearny County Segment 1 in Deerfield, 4.7 miles away.

Lakin and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Lakin. Tap a dot.
Santa Fe Trail-Kearny County Segment 1Indian MoundDeerfield State BankDeerfield Texaco Service StationMenno Community HallLittle Finnup House

Closest to Lakin

Santa Fe Trail-Kearny County Segment 1Deerfield · Built 18214.7miIndian MoundHartland · Site5.3miDeerfield State BankDeerfield · Building7.4miDeerfield Texaco Service StationDeerfield · Built 19237.4miMenno Community HallKendall · Built 193719.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Santa Fe Trail-Kearny County Segment 1’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Lakin?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Lakin’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Lakin📜 Southside📜 Deerfield📜 Deerfield

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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