North Main Street

North Main Street in Ellsworth was a busy cattle-town block that included the Seitz Drug Store, founded across the street in 1868 at North Main and Douglas Avenue and advertised as the oldest established drugstore in western Kansas, a claim that still holds true because it remains in business one block north on Douglas Avenue. East of Seitz stood the U.S. House operated by Rowdy Joe Lowe and his wife, Rowdy Kate, who kept the pot boiling in Ellsworth before later operating saloons in the red-light districts of Newton and Wichita. Also along the block were Bill Nagle's Livery Stable and J.C. Veache's Hotel and Restaurant, which displayed a "Welcome Texas" sign near the center of the block. Ira E. Lloyd kept his law office in an upstairs room overlooking the active town. From Veache's restaurant, Sheriff Whitney and Deputy John Delong walked to the depots to break up a fight between Texans and locals, and the clash ended with Whitney's death in front of Brennan's Saloon. Arthur Larkin, owner of the Grand Central Hotel, was also a partner with Z. Jackson in Jackson and Larkin's Dry Goods and Clothing Store at the east end of the block.

Ellsworth, Kansas · United States