Galatia of
BARTON COUNTY
97
SUSANK ODIN
GALATIA BEAVER
CLAFLIN
OLMITZ ALBERT HOISINGTON
PAWNEE ROCK
GREAT BEND ELLINWOOD
Tiny community made many pushe es, and was finally successful
G
alatia is the furthest Barton County community to the northwest. Located at the intersection of NW 100 Ave. and NW 190 Rd (Railroad Ave.), it is home to St. Paul Lutheran Church ELCA, a small elevator, several small homes, and a cemetery at the northernmost end of the five-block long Main Street. Sparsely populated, the quiet town grows in size each Sunday when members of the church make the scenic drive for weekly services. Some can remember when it was a thriving community with a handful of businesses, two churches and its own school. Thirty years after its founding, the city hadn’t grown much, and the reason had a lot to do with railroads. A Dec. 27, 1916 report in the Great Bend Daily Tribune tells the story. The community was originally started “on the promise of becoming one of the main towns on the new line,” but for (more than) 20 years it had been without a road,” referring to a railroad. Several attempts to pass bonds, only to be shot down, would have discouraged most, but not the people of Galatia. “The Galatia people have never given up CITY COUNCIL Mayor - Kevin Polzin Councilman — Robert Kolas Councilman — Michael Guertin Councilman — Josh Keil Councilman — Susan Funk Councilman — Dennis Funk Council members meet at 7:30 p.m. (8:00 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time) on the first Tuesday of each month at 150 W. Floyd
hope of getting a road and there is every indication now that two roads to Galatia will be built.” H.W. Neiswanger, a Galatia businessman, proposed to build one from Holyrood (west) to Galatia. This got the attention of the Santa Fe Railroad, and over the next couple of years, a deal was struck and the line was built, connecting the town to Holyrood more than 40 miles to the east. It was completed in the fall of 1918, and in the October 10, 1918 Tribune, the report “Galatia waited 25 years for railroad; Central Kansas is helping the town celebrate now,” had this to say: “Central Kansas is helping Galatia celebrate the realization of hopes and efforts of 25 years to get a railroad.
“The first shipments were several car loads of wheat, shipped out with a construction train. And this week - crowning week of the little town’s history – “real” train “specials” loaded with people from the neighboring counties are arriving to help Galatia celebrate.” The following week, the Hoisington Dispatch recapped the event. “... Nelson’s Wild West show was there with the “missing link,” the snake charmer, the hypnotizer and all of the big attractions displayed on the big banners back of the bally-hoo stand. The Wolf Stock Company was there and gave afternoon and evening performances that were good and pleased the crowds. They had a band that made up in music what it lacked in numbers. Dances were given in the opera house. “Taken as a whole the celebration was a big success and those who...put up their money to get attractions deserve much credit...Quite a number of new buildings have been erected in Galatia since the new road became a certainty and the town is sowing the effects of its prosperity and will show it much more when the war is over and business again becomes normal.”
Council members can be reached by calling the Mayor Kevin Polzin 760-947-1355
Natural Gas/Propane Mid-State Co-op 785-373-4239
Trash Service Shamrock Sanitation 620-792-1639
CITY CLERK Diane Deines
U.S. Post Office 800-275-8777 Rural route from Otis, 100 N. Main
Animal Control Golden Belt Humane Society 620-792-4297
Medical Care Clara Barton Hospital 250 W. Ninth, 620-653-2114
Zip Code 67565
UTILITIES AND SERVICES Electricity Western Cooperative Electric 1-800-456-6720
