📷 Throwback Thursday: Trolley Cars of Hutch

Trolley Cars - Horse-Drawn in Hutchinson Residential District - 1903 Flood. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

Hutch Post, in partnership with Steve Harmon and the Conard-Harmon Collection, is proud to present Throwback Thursday. Enjoy a weekly release from Steve Harmon as he presents the "Hutch - Then & Now Collection."

STEVE HARMON
Hutch Post Contributor

Today's "Throwback Thursday Collection" isn't about a specific location. Instead, it's just about a business in general.

I had one of our followers request that I do an article about the history of trolley cars in Hutch.

In 1886, John Severance (whom Severance Street was named after) was granted a 21-year franchise to build and maintain a streetcar railway within the city limits of Hutch. The first trolleys were horse- or mule-drawn and could be hitched to either end of the car to change direction. The first photo shows one of these early trolleys in a residential area during the 1903 flood.

In 1905, Emerson Carey and other investors converted the old streetcar line to be electrified. Hutchinson was one of the first Kansas cities to do so. The second photo shows the opening day on Sept. 1, 1906, with all its celebration in front of the First National Bank at 1 N. Main.

Trolley Cars - Opening Day of the Hutchinson Interurban Railway - Sept. 1, 1906. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

The third photo, taken by Marion Bailey, shows the last horse-drawn trolley to be retired in early 1907, labeled as a has-been.

Trolley Cars - Hutchinson Horse-Drawn Trolley Streetcar Retired - c. 1907. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

Now known as the Hutchinson Interurban Railway (H.I.R.), the fourth photo shows one of the cars, No. 52, with two drivers, and the advertising signage they showed in 1910.

Trolley Cars - Hutchinson Interurban Trolley Car No. 52 & Drivers - c. 1910. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

The fifth photo shows the H.I.R. transfer point at 4th and Main in front of the H.I.R. offices, now Deming Photo. The six cars gathered for a promotional photo.

Trolley Cars & Hutch Interurban Railway Transfer Point - 4th & Main - 1910. Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

Right behind the offices was the trolley barn storage facility at 4th and Washington. The sixth photo shows the trolley barn about 1925 with all the drivers.

Trolley Cars - Bus Barn - S.E. Cor. 4th & Washington - c. 1925 (Original). Courtesy of the Conard-Harmon Collection.

During its heyday, the trolley system covered the town with 16 miles of track. In the early 1930s, because of the damage done to the electric motors from the 1929 flood and the popularity of the personal autos, the trolley line was dismantled.

To purchase a photo print, contact: sharmon5@cox.net.

Throwback Thursday is brought to you by:

STRATACA Kansas Underground Salt Museum
Anchor Inn and Anchor Away

📷 Throwback Thursday: Trolley Cars of Hutch - Vol. 197