Nostalgia & History > Depot Friday: Sylvan Park, KS

If you’re a depot hunter then you need to visit Council Grove, Kansas! Neither one of the 2 original RRs still run through town, but there are 3 depots waiting for your camera. The MKT depot is in its original location at the “T” intersection of 6th & E Main (US hwy 56). For quite a while it was the “Katy Depot Antiques-Uniques, Artisan Gallery”. But by the summer of 2012 that business had closed. It has recently been converted to church called “LifeChurch”.

There is an old Missouri Pacific depot on display at the “T” intersection of E Main/US 56 & N Union St (KS hwy 177). For a long time I was under the impression it was a depot from some small town elsewhere brought in to replace the old, 2-story structure Council Grove station that was torn down several decades ago. That turns out to be false, but I have not been able to find out where this standard small town wooden depot was moved in from...

There is a third depot (the subject of this thread) that has a very interesting history. It resides in Durland Park right next to the original MKT depot. This small structure was from a private ranch location on the MKT northwest of Council Grove and it was called Sylvan Park. Neither Google Maps, nor the usually helpful DeLorme atlas yielded any information. I’ve attempted more than one online search for a detailed history, but keep coming up mostly dry. Here is all I can typically find on line: “Built on the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad right-of-way by T.W. Whiting for the convenience of his wife Allie and visitors to the Sylvan Park Ranch in northwest Morris County. This is the last known privately owned railway station and was loaned to the City of Council Grove by the Whitings’ granddaughter.” This was quoted from the following website (http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=44993> )

I’ve also attempted to call and visit the Morris County Historical Society located in town, but can’t seem to ‘catch anybody at home’. One item above seems to have been corroborated by another source: There is agreement that this is the very last privately owned depot in operation in the whole country. As always, anyone with corrections or additional information please step right up to the plate…

1. 2. & 3. MKT Sylvan Park (private) depot taken January 30, 2011. These 3 views also include an old MP caboose (#13464) and the backside of the MKT Council Grove depot.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/22 20:51 by santafe199.

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4. 5. & 6. Taken 16 months later on May 3, 2012 are 3 more slightly different views with…



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/22 20:52 by santafe199.

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7. …an enlargement of the basic information/historical marker.
(7 photos taken in Durland Park in Council Grove, KS)

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/22 20:54 by santafe199.

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Historic Map Works has map circa 1923 of Morris County, KS, township 15S, Range 7E and it shows Parkerville and Sylvan Park Station. The Station was SE of Parkervile between it and Kelso on the MKT and map denotes Whiting as the owner. Wife and I were on a road trip last year and went right thru that area. After looking at the Delorme
it appears that in the interim Morris county has merged a number of townships since 1923.

On Kansas Genealogy Trails - biographies for Morris County, Thomas Wilbert Whiting is listed. States his ranch was 2,400 acres and he built a school, church and the private depot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/14 01:57 by mp1853.

mp1853 Wrote:
> ...and it shows Parkerville and Sylvan [Grove]* ... SE of Parkervile between it and Kelso...

One Sunday afternoon 3 years ago Kathi & I had chicken dinner at the famous Hays House in Council Grove, after which I talked her into letting me explore the back roads between there & White City, KS. Of course I was looking for traces of the old MKT right-of-way. Even 54 years after the line was torn out I found a few small stretches of the original roadbed here & there. I even found a '1928' cement gully span which I believe is very close to the old MKT location of Kelso. It was just NW of the intersection of S 1300 & Parkerville Rds. (see image #8) I've always wanted to go and take another look. By myself, I would have the time to do some detailed exploration (if ya know what I mean... ;^). Especially after learning the Sylvan Park depot story. I have no basis at all, but some instinct told me I would start looking in the Parkerville area for the sight of the old private depot grounds.

While I'm on some kind of a roll here... In January of 2012 I explored further up the right of way between White City & Junction City, where the MKT connected with the Union Pacific KC-Denver mainline. Again, I found a few stretches of the old roadbed in places, but the most interesting find was an old grain elevator at Skiddy, KS (see #9). This is a view looking north, and even with a spout obviously on the west side I believe the line actually ran on the east side of the elevator. I took several line-of-sight looks, trying to picture where the track came up from the SE.

I would like to go back and take a more thorough look in the Parkerville area. Who knows what a person might find...

Lance

*I believe you meant to say Sylvan Park?? There is a Sylvan 'Grove' in western Lincoln County, KS in the north central part of the state. It's a small town on the old UP Plainville Branch.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/22 20:57 by santafe199.

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I would say that the spout is where the siding would have been to load out the grain cars.
You got me on this one as I first read this, I thought it said Sylvan Grove. upkpfan

Sorry for the confusion.I have been to Sylvan "Grove" in Lincoln County, KS and I'm quite aware of it's locale plus have been to the other 104 counties in Kansas. Sylvan "Park" sparked my interest and I now know I have been to both of them. Thanks. I agree with upkpfan from Ellsworth, KS that the elevator loading track at Skiddey was not the main track. Kinda like the one at Portland, Kansas east of South Haven on abandoned Anthony-Geuda Springs ATSF branch. Population of five people according to local resident. It was difficult to determine former track orientation at it's defuct elavator.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/14 02:54 by mp1853.

mp1853 Wrote:
> ... I agree with upkpfan ... elevator loading track at Skiddey was not the main track...

"upkpfan" only echoed what I already tried to say. I spent several minutes walking around that elevator, eyeballing different angles. I'm pretty sure I could make out where the "through" track was located. I never stated that the elevator track was the MAIN line (or track). What I should have said was:

"...and even with a spout obviously on the west side I believe the >>>MAIN TRACK<<< actually ran on the east side..."

I didn't use the phrase "main line" (or track) because I thought someone (just like upkpfan) would 'jump up' and point out that this was ONLY a branch line. Sometimes ya just can't win... :^(

Lance



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/14 08:36 by santafe199.