Carona, Kansas

Carona, Kansas, is an unincorporated community in Ross Township of Cherokee County. It is also an extinct town as its post office has been closed for years.

This was a small mining camp located about three miles west of Scammon, settled by the Viettis from Turino, Italy.

Carona was initially called Carbona, because the area was rich with coal, a carbon-based fuel.

However, when a post office was opened on March 13, 1905, it was spelled Carona.

Many Slovenes worked at the camp. However, there are not too many permanent residents.

In its early years, Carona had a large general store and a grocery store,

In 1910, Carona was located on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. At that time, it had a money order post office, express and telegraph facilities, telephone connections, and was a trading and shipping point for the neighborhood, with a population of 350. The population in 1910 was 350. The railroad stop was formerly called Folsom.

In 1923, Corona had one school, electric lights, and most of the miners owned their own homes.

The Massa Brothers Merchandise Store was destroyed by fire in the mid-1930s

In 1934, the two-story Gay Parita Ballroom was established by Pete Ferraro and his son-in-law, Frank Parise, for $11,000.. One of the many immigrants seeking a job included Pete Ferraro, who immigrated from Italy in 1901 and soon opened a grocery store that burned down before building another during the Prohibition years. The two inserted a local newspaper advertisement announcing a contest for the new ballroom’s name. The name “Gay Parita” was chosen, and the opening night of the ever-popular event center was June 23, 1934.

The establishment gained popularity in its early years as a venue for nightly parties, concerts, and events, including such stars as Bob Willis & his Texas Playboys. It is said that during these years, the small grocery moved more sugar than any supermarket in Kansas. All the liquor produced in Cherokee & Crawford Counties was called “deep shaft” from production in coal mine shafts and was shipped as far north as Canada & south to Mexico City. If you wanted the best whiskey in Al Capone’s speakeasies in Chicago, Illinois, customers asked for “Cherokee Red” or “Carona Rye”. It was the area’s wildest night spot for 40 years.

The Gay Parita Ballroom closed in the 1970s.

Carona’s post office was discontinued on November 26, 1988.

In the last few years, the old Gay Parita Ballroom, which had been vacant for a decade, was remodeled to its former glory by the current owner, John Parsons, and is now open a few times a month for music, food, and fellowship. The room is lined with old articles and the history of what the building used to be, and there is still an old ticket booth in the back of the ballroom.

Today, Carona is the home of the Heart of the Heartlands museum complex, dedicated to preserving the history of railroads in the mining industry. The complex includes a railroad museum; a restored wooden frame Missouri Pacific Depot from Carona; a restored Missouri Pacific Depot from Boston, Missouri; and a collection of railroad locomotives and cars, including the cosmetically restored Kansas City Southern Railroad Steam Locomotive #1023 that once was displayed at Schlanger Park in Pittsburg, Kansas, and a railroad signal display.

The museum and depot buildings are open for visitors Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 pm or by appointment for groups (closed Monday and Tuesday). Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

This small town still has a small population, with several occupied homes and others that appear abandoned.

Carona is about ten miles north of Columbus, the county seat.

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, September 2025.

 

Also See:

Cherokee County, Kansas

Cherokee County Photo Gallery

Kansas Counties

Kansas History

Sources:

Big Daddy
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Heartland’s Railroad Museum
Historical Marker Database
KOAM Fox
Morning Sun
Wikipedia