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Dean and Paula also took us to see the Tri-State Marker, at the junction of Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, which is being restored by the Baxter Springs Tourism Committee. We went into Baxter Springs, where they showed us the south part of old 66, now behind a shopping center, where the drive-in theater and a filling station were located. Then, they showed us the old highway on the north side, which was known as Gasoline Alley. These areas were replaced when Route 66 was realigned in 1960.
They pointed out the Johnston Public Library, 210 W. 10th, which was originally built in 1872 for use as the Cherokee County Courthouse. It never was used as a courthouse, but was used as a city hall, a junior college, an interim church, and by touring theater companies. In 1905, Nils Peter Johnston bequeathed money to the city to establish a library, and it opened in 1907.
We also followed the old trolley line through town, its path revealed by patches in the pavement. The electric railroad connected Cardin, Hockerville, and Pitcher, OK, Baxter Springs, Riverton, and Galena, KS, and Joplin, MO. As automobiles became more common, it lost popularity. In 1937 or '38, the electric trolley was replaced with gasoline powered buses, which ran on the track. They lasted about a year. Some of the bridges are still in place, some paralleling automobile bridges. One crosses the river just off east 6th Street.
As we drove around, Dean and Paula also pointed out water marks on trees and buildings, as well as other damage resulting from a flood in 1993. Photos of the flood can be seen at the Galena Museum.
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