Trousdale, KS

Although dying, Trousdale was a pleasant enough place.  I can't explain why.  The town prospered from the Anthony and Northern railroad, but began its steady creep to oblivion when the railroad pulled out in the early 40s.  Today there is not even a trace of the old railroad grade.  From the satellite imagery it appears that the center pivot irrigation systems have erased it entirely.  The final deathblow to this peaceful little town may well have been the destruction visited upon it by the same tornado that destroyed Greensburg in 2007.  

Old Conoco sign, but not even a hint of the old filling station itself.

Trousdale Auto.  Strange to see that the only car for sale is a Toyota Camry!  Elsewhere in town there was another Camry just like this one, only it was light blue.

An absolutely beautiful older home in excellent condition, guarded by two miniature schnauzers dressed in tartan sweaters.  

Clearly displeased with my intrusive picture-taking, this fellow ran out to bark at us.

While there are a few nice homes in Trousdale, the all-too-familiar sight of abandoned homes cannot be avoided.

 

I don't know what this building was used for, but I hope it was some kind of auditorium used for dances.  Those metal sheets on the sides appear to be covering windows so it's more likely that this was some kind of shop, however.  Perhaps there were larger doors at the rear.

Old American metal.  You don't see many early 70s Rancheros these days.

The car was last registered in 1992.  I took this photo largely to show the highly stylized font Kansas used for its plates in the late 80s.  Shortly after the introduction of this plate the lettering was changed to a standard font to make it more legible.

Corrugated metal wrapped around trees killed in the horrific tornado of 2007.  

Several buildings were destroyed in the 2007 storm, including the local church.  The locals refused to let their church die and a new one was rebuilt on the original site.  I didn't see anything particularly special about the new building so I foolishly ignored it when taking these photos, unaware of its story.  As I've mentioned elsewhere, the church is often the last thing that people are willing to let go in these dying towns, so it's heartening to see that  it was rebuilt.  

Interestingly, the special teams coordinator for the Buffalo Bills was from Trousdale originally.  He apparently has fond memories of the place.  Read more here.