Image:Blue Rapids looking south c1900.jpg

"Looking south from electric tower. Blue Rapids, Kans."
This historical photograph shows the south side of the town square of Blue Rapids, Kansas around the turn of the 20th century, when the streets were still unpaved. The stone D. M. Granger store is prominent on the corner of Main St. where the bank exists today. On the left is the brick Arlington House, which was quite an exclusive hotel in its day. It had a billiards table and the men's club met there. South of the Granger store was a livery and a wheel shop. Capital Bluff, the highest point in this part of the county, is visible in the background.

Wichita State University Libraries – Department of Special Collections – Images of Kansas Towns and Cities (MS 92-27)

• page: http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/kw/images.asp?xfile_name=kw_blue_rapids_marshall_ks2.jpg
• image: http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/kw/images/kw_blue_rapids_marshall_ks2.jpg

3.5 x 5.5 inches photograph digitized in 2002

guessing circa 1900

unknown

My best non-expert guess, based on the dirt streets, horse-and-wagon transport, and that D.M. Granger was still a road salesman circa 1875 [1] is that this photo was taken around 1900 or before. Guessing that someone no younger than 25 would have been a photographer in those days, and given that the life expectancy in those days was only about 50 years [2], the creator of this photo is estimated to have died around 1925. Well short of the 70-year window. I emailed the library Special Collections staff (Ms. Nelson) on Jan 3 to try to confirm this status, but the curator never got back to me. Based on the above, it is my belief that this photograph is now in the public domain.