Hoxie Kansas, Bakey & Restaurant.

History of Hoxie, Kansas.

Hoxie, the county seat of Sheridan county, is situated almost in the exact geographic center of the county on the Union Pacific R. R. The town was laid out in the early part of 1886 by a company composed of E. F. Parker, W. P. Rice, J. W. Huff, J. H. Huff, H. R. Stimson, H. P. Churchill, William Mellen, E. H. McCracken and Isaac Mulholland. The Kenneth Sentinel of March 11, 1886, says: "On last Saturday evening a meeting of the citizens of Kenneth was held at the school house for the purpose of receiving and considering a proposition from the Hoxie town company looking to a consolidation of the two places, and a removal of the buildings to the Hoxie town site."
becoming a city. On June 6, 1886, a Presbyterian church was organized, and the town company made a contract with George Forgue, of Clifton, Kan., to establish a brick yard. Hoxie now has 2 banks, 2 grain elevators, a weekly newspaper (the Sentinel), good hotels, an international money order post office with four rural routes, telegraph and express offices, a telephone exchange, and a number of well stocked stores which handle all lines of merchandise. The count
Push to enlarge.

At that meeting the Hoxie interests were represented by W. P. Rice, J. W. Huff and William Mellen, who agreed to give new lots to those who owned property in Kenneth, and to pay the expense of removing their buildings to the new town, which was about 3 miles south of Kenneth. These men by their courtesy and diplomacy won the day, and "after mature deliberation, extending far into the night, a vote was finally reached on a motion to consolidate the two towns by moving Kenneth to the Hoxie town site, and it was adopted without a dissenting voice."

This absorption of the town of Kenneth, which was at that time the county seat, gave Hoxie a good start toward y high school is located at Hoxie, and there are also graded public schools. The population in 1910 was 532.

Hoxie Bakery & Restaurant.



Picture date unknown.
Push to enlarge.

When I saw this picture of the Hoxie Restaurant I know I had to do something with it  There was just something about the restaurant I Knew I had to research it.  I found it was built between 1886 and 1900.  Although it could have been built in Kenneth, Kansas, but I don't think so as the town only lasted six years 1879-1886, before the town was moved to the new Hoxie site.

The earliest census I could research was 1900, as most of the 1890 census was burned in some kind of fire.  The 1900 census shows only one person working in a restaurant, that was Mrs. Ada J. Clark, she was born November, 1871,Missouri, she was 28, when she started  working as the "Restaurant Keeper".  She was a widower with two children Armida A., age 12, George J. Clark age 10, both born in Missouri, Some time between 1901 and 1906, she left town and Kansas as far as I can till.

The Hoxie City Directory of 1906, shows no one working in any restaurants.   In the census of 1910, there were only two working in a restaurant both were shown as owners it has to be the same restaurant they were; John L. Snedden, age 27, wife Emma, age 27, son Clyde Snedden, age 3, all born in Kansas.  George H. Waibel age 25, Wife Mattie age 27, son George Waibel age 2, all born in Missouri.  These two families came to Hoxie City after 1906.

I could go to 1920, but I'll stop at 1910, mainly because as Hoxie grew so did the restaurant business. In 1920, there were four of five families in the restaurant business. There's no way of telling which family worked in the restaurant of 1886, if it was still standing as thirty-four has passed by 1920.

In 1910 I stated that John L. and  George H., were owners I believe they were partners, and I fell confident that all three worked in the same restaurant, if not the one pictured above one just like it.