At the junction of Kansas Highway 9 and U.S. 183 is the town of Glade. It resides in the heart of Phillips County with signs proudly proclaiming that it is the largest cattle producing county in the state.
I grew up on a farm just west of town and we raised alfalfa, corn, wheat, milo and, of course, cattle. Glade had a grade school, but my parents elected to send me to the nearby town of Phillipsburg to go to school with the “town kids.” I remember vividly the torture of terminally long bus rides.
There was a post office in Glade made of native chalk rock, quarried just outside of town. I always stopped in there on my bike travels hoping that Berenice Williams, postmistress, would give me a soda pop. At the bait shop on the corner, people heading to Kirwin Lake could buy a bucket of minnows. Now, that bait shop and convenience store has become The Triple C Cafe with food much appreciated by locals, travelers and truckers.
As we always tell everyone coming to see us—don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
Jeff Keeten can be reached at [email protected].
