The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-05

peka, purchased a stock of hardware
and opened a store in this building.
Mr. and Mrs Barratt ad their adopted
daughter lived over the store.
In the spring of so Jonas Lukens
came from Indiana to North Topeka
and bought third interest in an i'm
plement business, located in frame
building across the street from the
Barratt and Lukens store, just south
of the old Adams House, now known
as the Baltimore hotel. F. G. Lux
ems and Mr. Barratt bought the other
two-thirds of the stock and removed
it to the Barratt building.
+. C. Lukens bought the building
and moved il to West Curtis street
near what is now Jackson street. Mr..
Lukens owned the ground where the
Citizens State bank now stands, and
here he built a warehouse for farming
implements. which was placed in
charge of Jonas Lukens.
Traded for Industrial School Site.
The hardware company of Barratt
& Lukens continued for only a short
time, then the stock and building at
GIL North Kansas avenue was traded
to Sam Reece for a tract of eighty
acres near where the Boys Industrial
school now is located. Reece ran the
store for a few months. then sold, and
the building was later occupied as a
restaurant.
pied by the L. p. pharmacy. 619
North Kansas avenue, was built short
~ prior to the Barratt building. 1t
was built to house the North Topeka
branch of the RidenourB Baker Gro
Gerry company of Kansas City. F. w.
Baker, a brother of the late Z. p.
Baker of North Topeka. was manager
of the North Topeka branch, which
did enormous business for those
days, supplying the country to the
TIL,
teams made BIZ or tri-weekIy trips
over the district. with large supply
wagons filled with groceries and salt
and smoked meats. 1t is said that
this branch did a yearly business of
over 100000
The firm would buy up hogs from
the farmers near Topeka, and using
the cellar of the building for sailing
room. would prepare thousands of
pounds of meat for smoking. Until a
few years ago the stone smoke house
in the rear of the building where this
work was done, was still standing.
Dump Meat in River.
1t is related that one winter the
firm lost heavily thru insufficient
sailing of the meat. and the teams
Were kept busy for a time hauling
wagonload after wagonload of spoiled
meat to the river bank. where it was
dumped into the river
North Topeka was an important
business center. The Union Pacific
was the chief railroad in the state.
Twice a day an engine of the Santa Fe
would cross the newly constructed
Santa Fe bridge and haul away ma
|terial which had been brought in by
the Union Pacific over night. The en-
gines of the Santa Fe were named
after the directors of the road, and
the one that generally did this haul
ing was called Holiday" after the
late Colonel Holiday. altho sometimes
the 'Lakin" would take turn at the
work.
Excursions for BuffaIoes.
One diversion of the early days in
Tropeka was excursions to the western
part of the state, to the end of the
Union Pacific line. where buffalo
hunts were held. Jonas Lukens re-
calls a hunt he participated in on one
'of these excursions. He remen bers
his excitement when he shot at a buff
falo altho the shot went wide of the
mark.
In the little bustling frontier town
balloons were common. The center of
the town was in the first few blocks
north of the river on Kansas avenue
And jackson street. In these few