Recently, an Atchison County resident shared his memories from growing up in Fairfax and Tarkio. Things were very different back then, but still wonderful:

The kids, young and old, had a grand ol’ time “playing.” “Back then, there were still plenty of outhouses to push over on Halloween. The heavy snows in Tarkio created a sledding wonderland on U.P. (United Presbyterian) hill. It was always the best sleigh riding hill around.” Before Tarkio had a swimming pool, the kids would meet up at the depot and take a train up to Clarinda, Iowa, to go swimming there. The train tracks created some “fun” for the driving teens who were able to race their cars on the tracks (the tires were different back then). In those days, driver’s written and driving tests were not a thing, so anyone 16 and older could walk into a business that sold driver’s licenses and for a few cents, be an official driver. He got his license at First National Bank in Tarkio. Family homes and barns were playgrounds. This resident had a barn owned by family members. It was located past the swimming pool and kids would walk down there and hang out, making tunnels in the hay. Concrete tunnels that connected ditches were shortcuts and hangouts and the highways saw many a drag race. In Fairfax, there was a business that sold comic books. The owner used to get upset at all the youngsters who would come and just stand around reading the comics, but never buying them. Besides the movie theatre, there were stage theatres and roller skating rinks and arcades to keep the kids entertained.

Carnivals set up in all the towns created a number of fun-filled festivities, with ferris wheels and tilt-a-whirls. One time, a carnival that just happened to be traveling on the highway through Fairfax had an engine blow-out on one of their transport vehicles. “For a few days, an elephant lived in the garage on the corner. Local farmers brought their hay to keep it fed until the truck engine could be repaired.” Some of the “attractions” weren’t necessarily for children’s eyes, but he joked that didn’t stop him and his fifth grade buddies from peeping under the tent to see the “Hootchie-Coochie” dancing girls, but they were caught. As a little boy, his parents would give him a dime to go the movies in Fairfax. The movies were shown in City Hall and anyone who needed to go to the bathroom had to leave the building. The first time he went to the Tarkio Theatre, he was so impressed that not only did they have inside bathrooms, they had both boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. Westerns with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were his favorites.

In the past, there were plenty of eating places in every town. He said the best malted milk could be found at Squire’s Ice Cream in Tarkio. The Candy Kitchen was a gathering place for all the kids. There was a jukebox, ice cream, sodas, something for everyone. Even the local home ec students fed the hungry masses. They would sell cokes and popcorn at the end of the gymnasium during games. Students at the schools would get hour long lunch breaks where they could go home or to a restaurant and eat their fill before they had to go back to class. He said that near the cemetery in Tarkio lived a man who had an apple orchard. He made the best apple cider you could get in town.

The Main Streets of all the towns were filled with stores selling everything you could need, from groceries, to clothing, to toys, to tools and hardware and household items, to vehicles and tractors. People didn’t need to leave the county to buy supplies, and most shopped local. Some of the businesses he remembered were the huge bank building that housed a roller skating rink, women’s clothing store, telephone office, Kyle’s dentist office and other offices. There was the Chevy Garage, John Deere, Ford Garage, Frank Peterson’s feed store, Hurst Bros., Davis Furniture Store, Withrow’s Drug Store, the Dime Store, and several barbershops.

The airport east of Tarkio was pretty active. There were a few crashes of note. A B-17 got stuck in the mud landing at the airport late in the war (WWII). A B29 flying over this area crashed at the Staples’ farm, creating a fireball that burned the Dunfee house and killed a lot of cattle. During the investigation, a C47 that landed at the airport got stuck and was pulled out with tractors.

Farming was a major part of the county and many residents lived or worked on farms. The farmers and their wives would come into town and trade their food and wares.

The train depot was a major stopping point. Mail, freight, food, anything you ordered came by train. Coal for furnaces was brought in on the train. The coal was unloaded into bins and then residents would bring their wagons or containers and load up and haul the coal home.

Sports were big back then as well, but the playing fields were a bit different. Tarkio’s track was located north of the college on Park Street and was a cinder track. The cinders dug into your skin if you fell on it. The Fairfax football field was where the elevator is now and was just a grassy field. Professional baseball players came to the area to play and Tarkio’s Frank Withrow brought Babe Ruth to town for an exhibition game.

Editor’s note: If you have memories to share from 50 or more years ago, send them to amail@rpt.coop or avalanche@rpt.coop or stop by the offices in Rock Port and Tarkio to share your stories or pictures.