Built in 1872 of native limestone from a quarry 2 miles east of Ellis, the Ellis House became a center of functions and dances that drew people from as far as 100 miles away. Located halfway between Kansas City and Denver, it stood as an oasis of civilization on the Kansas frontier. Managed by John Edwards, it offered early settlers and travelers comfort with carpeting, fine furnishings, a walnut staircase, and a grand piano. Its spacious dining room also served as a church, dance hall, and meeting room. In the mid 1870's, a fire damaged the upper floor, and its gable roof was rebuilt as a mansard roof, doubling capacity to 36 rooms. After nearly a dozen management changes, it closed in the fall of 1933 as dining and sleeping cars made the hotel obsolete in modern rail travel. In April of 1935, the Union Pacific Railroad sold it by private bid to C.F. Erbert for $460.00, with the condition that all buildings and furnishings be torn down and removed from railroad property. Local groups tried unsuccessfully to preserve it as a museum or community center, and its foundation can still be seen about 300 feet west of the site.