By Hamilton County is Western Kansas – the last county on US 50 before you get to that Colorado border.
Towns are few and far between out here. There are only three towns on the map: Kendall, Syracuse and Coolidge. That’s typical of many of the counties near the Colorado line – there’s the county seat and maybe another town or two.
The “big” town in Hamilton County is Syracuse. The 2007 Kansas map shows a population of 1,788.
Because these towns are far away from cities (Garden City is 50 miles away), this is where the people work – and do a lot of their shopping – so the downtowns in these communities seem more self-sufficient than would be the case in a town this size in Eastern Kansas.
The Hamilton County Courthouse.
Another view.
Just to the south of the courthouse, behind another building stood this basketball goal. Great for playing “horse,” but not so great for layups.
The newspaper.
The Northrup Theater next to the Duckwall’s.
The Sheriff’s Office.
At the Sheriff’s Office flagpole is this memorial.
The gymnasium – old but looks like it’s still in use.
The First Christian Church. The Blue Skyways website indicates there are nine churches in Syracuse.