Wilson County, Kansas Extinct Towns

St. Louis & San Francisco Railway sign board in Brooks, KS.

A station on the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad near the south line of the county. It was located in Newark Township, 15 miles southeast of Fredonia. After its post office closed, it received its mail from Cherryvale in Montgomery County. The population in 1910 was 21.

North Altoona Cement Plant.

North Altoona was home to the Portland Cement plant, which encompassed 500 acres and was the most modern in the world. Employing 150 to 200 men, it was in operation by January 1, 1909. The plant was managed by Victor Beautner (pronounced Boyntner), who also built a castle for his family above a cliff overlooking the river and the railroad. It towered over the surrounding trees and shrubbery, standing like a sentinel overlooking the countryside. This wealthy family enjoyed a different, more elaborate standard of living, and the local neighborhood was impressed by the Beautner family and their apparent wealth. At the beginning of World War I in 1917, North Altoona and the Portland Cement were among the busiest and most successful in Kansas. After the war, the plant went bankrupt and never operated again. Afterward, visitors toured the plant and the castle, but both were destroyed in 1922, when they were deemed too dangerous for visitors. The plant was located four miles north of Altoona.

ATS&F Depot in Rest, KS. by H. Killam, 1955.

A station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, it was located on the line between Colfax and Pleasant Valley Townships, 14 miles northeast of Fredonia. Rest was a trading post before the railroad was built and had several stores, several residences, and a G.A.R. hall. In 1910, it had telephone connections with all other towns in the vicinity, general stores, a money-order post office, and a population of 35.

Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot in Roper, KS.

Missouri Pacific Railroad sign board in Roper, KS.

The town was started in 1886 when the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built. The post office moved from Greystone. The name changed from Sidell to Roper on February 10, 1891.  It was located where two branches of the Missouri Pacific Railroad diverged, both heading south, approximately 12 miles northeast of Fredonia. A telephone system connecting Roper to nearby towns went into operation in 1901. In 1910, it had telegraph and express offices, a money order post office, and a population of 40.

ATS&F Depot in Villas, Kansas.

The name changed from Burdgeville to Villas on March 13, 1888. A station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, it was located in Colfax Township, near the eastern county line, 16 miles northeast of Fredonia. The town was started after the building of the railroad in 1886. It was on the border of a splendid gas field, and the strongest well in the county was located three miles northeast. In 1910, it had an express office, a money order post office, and a population of 58.