The Ellis House

The Ellis House. "All Kansas Pacific Trains Take Meals at the Ellis House". , Built in 1872 of native limestone from a quarry 2 miles east of Ellis, The Ellis House was the scene of colorful functions and dances drawing people from a radius of up to 100 miles. Centrally located halfway between Kansas City and Denver, it was an oasis of civilization on the great Kansas frontier. Managed by John Edwards, it gave early settlers and travelers a place of comfort with carpeting, fine furnishings, walnut staircase, and grand piano. The spacious dining room also served as a church, dance hall and meeting room. In the mid 1870's a fire damaged the upper floor and it's gable roof was rebuilt with a mansard style roof allowing for a doubling of the room capacity to 36 rooms., After changing management nearly a dozen times, it was closed for good in the fall of 1933. With the advent of dining and sleeping cars as a part of the modernization of rail travel the hotel had outlived it's [sic] usefulness. It was put up for salvage by the Union Pacific Railroad to be sold by private bid. In April of 1935 it was sold to C.F. Erbert for the purchase price of $460.00 for all buildings and furnishings, with the requirement that all buildings be torn down and removed from the railroad property. Local groups tried to save it for use as a museum or community center but were not successful. The foundation can still be seen approximately 300 feet west of this marker.