Elk Falls, Kansas

Elk Falls is a town of less than 200 people that bills itself as the World's Largest Living Ghost Town. The slogan helped draw some artists and revive the town a few years back, but Elk Falls is declining again.

But the town is still worth visiting, at least in the warm months, as the remaining businesses tend to be seasonal. Interesting businesses include Elk Falls Pottery, The Tannery, the Saw Mill, and the 1879 Sherman House Bed & Breakfast Inn.

The bitterness became academic when Elk County was formed in 1875. Elk Falls and Boston were almost on the boundary of the two counties, Elk and Chautauqua, created when Howard County was divided. Howard was centrally located in the new county and was the logical choice for county seat. The Board of Agriculture figures for 1927 show the long-term effects: Howard had a population of 1,275, Elk Falls was down to 269, and Boston was not listed.

In order to create a water supply for severe droughts that often plagued the area, a several dams were built along the Elk River, from logs, lumber, and timbers, but one after another they were destroyed by high waters during floods. Finally, a man by the name of Jo Johansen, a Swede from Minnesota, took over the mill and built the present dam, made of sandstone rocks cemented together, which has withstood the floods more than a century.

On November 15, 1892, the board of Elk County Commissioners, voted to build an iron truss bridge over Elk River, connecting the dirt roads into the main thoroughfare leading into Elk Falls from the northeast. Built at a cost of $2,000, it was completed in 1893. Pratt Truss Bridge, as it is called, was unique for its type since expansion joint were made from rollers, rather than wheels. The bridge still stands today and is on the National Register of Historic Places.