Arkansas Valley Interurban Terminal Station

This building is all the remains of a vast commuter line that once ran between Wichita, Newton and Hutchinson. Built in 1915, the line was originally designed to help foster growth between the three fastest growing communities in this area of Kansas. With the Kansas oil boom of the 1920s, the line flourished. However, from the start the commuter line had struggles. The rail companies did not like having to share the lines with commuters and local Hutchinson businesses saw their customer base drop as it began to be easier to travel to Wichita to shop. Ultimately, the automotive industry and the ability for people to purchase their own cheap transportation would put the final nail in the coffin to this venture. The last commuter train ran in 1938. The ownership of the building changed hands many times over the next 20 years, each time a little more of the rail was sold off until all the remained was the building. None of the structures in Newton and Wichita exist any longer making this the last vestige of the commuter company.