jan 2, 1899 - Railroad YMCA

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1899 Railroad YMCA built: The establishment of YMCA chapters near railroad yards began in the 1870s, and expanded greatly starting in the late 1880s. The result of these efforts led the YMCA to establish an Industrial Department in 1903, expanding its reach to miners, lumbermen, and other industrial workers. The Railroad YMCA was built near the Argentine Santa Fe depot (1333 S 27TH ST) at a cost of $10,000 in 1899. It was replaced with the current building in 1937. In its early years, the former building served a critical function as a respite for thousands of railroad workmen, who could use one of its thirty restrooms, bathe in its facilities, and rest or sleep in clean white beds. The former facility housed a temporary hospital in which Dr. David Clopper, who served as surgeon to the Santa Fe Railroad, would attend to workers injured in the Santa Fe yards. The Railroad YMCA also served as Argentine's first post office, as the town lacked regular mail delivery until 1906. Within a few years of its establishment, the Railroad YMCA boasted over 600 active members, who made an average of nearly 300 visits per day. The Argentine Railroad YMCA was the most active railroad association in the state of Kansas in the year 1921, with a total of 24,000 beds used that year. The Argentine ATSF Railroad YMCA would remain one of the most active organizations in Kansas until the morning of October 5, 1935, when a devastating fire destroyed the entire roof of the framed structure. The Argentine ATSF Railroad YMCA association remained active in an alternate building (unknown) and educational, physical, and religious studies continued to be logged at the Argentine location. Work on the new building began almost immediately after the fire, starting on December 16 of the same year. The new building was a 2-story brick structure costing $40,000 which included modest accommodation compared to the previous building. The structure, completed in 1937, included 44 sleeping rooms, a large lobby, and storage/recreation room in the basement. The new building is on the same site, location, and orientation of the previous structure. The new building was a U-shaped building with a shorter west wing By the year 1936, the number of railroad YMCA buildings in Kansas was down to six. Source: https://khri.kansasgis.org/

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