Prairie Gas Stations
presented by Judi Kirk
Sunday, March 6, 2022, 2 p.m.
Ottawa Memorial Auditorium
301 South Hickory Street, Ottawa, Kansas 66067
Judi Kirk loves early 20th-century gas stations. When she discovered that one of her favorites—a filling station on Highway 54 in Cairo, Kansas—was torn down, she made it her quest to photograph as many old Kansas gas stations as she could before they vanished. Her adventures in seeking out and photographing historic filling stations have been compiled into two books, Remnants: Prairie Gas Stations Remembered and Glimpses: Fill’er Up Memoirs and Memorabilia.
Kirk will share her photographs and stories about the places she’s visited and the other enthusiasts she’s met along the way during her program. Her books will be available for purchase.
Judi Kirk was raised in the Bucklin area, graduated KSU, and lived in the Mullinville and Greensburg area as an adult. Her first love is her husband Steve followed closely by her love of photography and architecture. Her passion for photography began when her children were born. Retired, Kirk loves photographing her family’s adventures and her garden.
This program is offered in conjunction with the Old Depot Museum’s current exhibit, Horse Power, a look at the transition from horse-drawn buggies to horseless carriages and the impact automobiles had on Franklin County roads and culture.
We hope to host this program in person–our first in-person program since early 2020. Please check back for more information in the event we need to take additional pandemic-related precautions.
Image: An abandoned gas station on U.S. 400 on the Kansas-Colorado border. Photo by Judi Kirk.
