An excerpt from...
"100 Years Beneath the Plow"
A Historical Anthology of Haskell County
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Construction on the New Town, Sublette, 1912.
In the background you will notice the rail cars in use on the newly laid track. The buffalo grass has been cut short to mark the new main street with construction on the first building in Sublette, The Cave Mercantile. This building for was known for many years as the T. M. Deal Lumber Company. There were living quarters upstairs which were used by the Cave family for a time; doctor Miner had an office upstairs also. The second story of the building was damaged in a storm and has since been removed.
Construction has also begun on The Rounds & Porter Lumber Company, one block south of The Cave Store, they are preparing for the growth of the new county seat.
The Rutledge tent were railroad crews were fed and housed can also be seen.
The plat of Sublette was filed June 5, 1912 on section 32-29-32. The center of town was located in the center of the street running east and west on the north side of the present Farm Bureau building, dividing the Section north and south.
Gladys Sublette Boaz, born November 6, 1912 was the first baby born in the new town of Sublette. She was delivered by Dr. Minor who, shortly after her birth, was called to the Claude Cave home where he delivered another girl, Carrye. Dr. Miner was still living in Santa Fe at this time. He did not move to Sublette until the following year.
The parents of Gladys Sublette were Thomas Willis and Pearl Marie (Pound Bowass) who homesteaded 7 miles south of Santa Fe in 1906. This is now just southwest of Sublette. They later operated a restaurant with living quarters in the back of the building.
Maternal grandparents of the new baby girl were Thorton O. and Mary Elizabeth (Dutton Pound) who lived between Sublette and Garden City. They later moved to Garden City.
Gladys and her husband, Hubert Walstom, visited Sublette on September 25, 1975. Now widowed, she lives in (1983) in the Topeka Convalescent Center, Topeka, KS. (From information provided by Robert O. Pound, Garden City, and newspaper clippings.)
Sublette was an established village of 270 inhabitants by early in 1913. Many of the families had moved their homes to Sublette from Santa Fe.
The Becknell Avenue addition East and West (13 blocks) and the McCoy first addition were filed March 6, 1922.
A petition to incorporate the City of Sublette was presented to the Haskell County Board of Commissioners on February 15, 1923. The petition was accepted and incorporation proceeded. Sublette was officially incorporated on March 5, 1923.
The first city election was held April 2, 1923 to elect a mayor, five councilmen, and a police judge. On October 2, a special bond election was held to approve a $20,000 bond issue. The proposal was approved by a vote of 60 to 56. In November, a waterworks bid was submitted by W.C. Swanwick and was discussed at length. A motion was made by F. G. Pope and seconded by L. N. Corson to accept the bid. The motion carried.
The waterworks was apparently completed by spring, for on April 21, 1924, Robinson Hardware of Sublette was asked by the city Council to handle the pipe, fittings and water meters needed to pipe the water to individual properties.
With the installation of the water system the budding city moved on to the purchase of a Ford firetruck. R. L. Bethel was appointed as the first fire chief. P. E. Lindeman was appointed water superintendent at a salary of $34 per month.
In the spring of 1926 transmission lines were begun with which to furnish Sublette with electricity. Two more additions were filed: the Cave first addition on August 2, 1926 and the Park addition on May 18, 1928. In April 1929, the council granted a franchise to Argus Gas Company to pipe and distribute gas in the City of Sublette. The Cave second addition was filed June 16, 1931 and the Elliott addition on November 25, 1933.
On January 9, 1947, a bid was accepted by Burton and Binford and Contractors for a sewer system for the city. By summer, more additions were filed: the Cox's first addition, July 26, 1947; the McCoy second addition, July 27, 1947; the Garrett, White, McCoy, and Phoenix additions, October 17, 1947.
In November 1953 the city Council voted to call a special bond election December 15. The proposal was to issue general obligation bonds, not to exceed $75,000, to improve and extend the city water system. The improvement was to include a water tank and tower, a new well and pumping station on a new site, and to extend the mains. The bond issue was approved by vote of 70 to 16.
Looking towards the north, an aerial view of Sublette back in 1955. Photo taken by Beulah Lucas
By now, growing pains necessitated the filing of the McCoy Grain addition, February 5, 1957, and the Cox second addition, December 16, 1957.
A major improvement was provided in an ordinance passed by the city Council in May 1958 in preparation for curbing, guttering, and paving of all city streets. By fall the McCoy third addition was filed on November 28, 1958.
Sublette has been proud of the modern city office building occupied since 1969. A new building on a site to be purchased was considered but it was decided to remodel the brick Fire Station which was structurally sound. Remodeling included installation of wall paneling, ceiling tile, light fixtures, a restroom and central heat at a total cost of about $5000. Later improvements were made, including wall-to-wall carpeting and new furniture to accommodate new needs such as the computer system.
For about 45 years the city clerk collected utility bills and performed bookkeeping duties in his or her private place of business. Marie Moore was city clerk when the move was made to this new city building in 1969. She retired in 1988. The official United States Census of July 1, 1986 lists the population of Sublette at 1200.
- - Pauline Miner, from notes provided by Ruby Rutledge and Marie Moore.
Sublette Mayors in Chronological Order*
Name Date Took Office
H.C. Murphy April 3, 1923
L. Washburn April, 1929
Claude M. Cave April 6, 1931
H.C. Murphy April 5, 1933
C.G. Dennis April 7, 1937
L.W. Murphy April 18, 1941
Howard Pennington April 6, 1943
C.G. Dennis April 2, 1945
W.O. Kelman April 6, 1949
W.F. Lindeman April 6, 1955
Joe Starke April 5, 1961
Maynard McCalmont January 7, 1963
Ed Hall April 3, 1965
John Starke April 6, 1971
Arthur B. McKinley April 3, 1973
Robert Orth April 7, 1981
Dana Leonard January 15, 1992
Wayne Birney May 5, 1997
Mitch Messerly July 9, 2002
Ricky Redd May 4, 2009
Jery Bailey May 2, 2011
*From minutes of Sublette City Council Meetings