Mary Regan

Many early day settlers came to Western Kansas via the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, and in the 1870’s and early 1880’s they were often deposited in Kinsley. This being the farthest rail point west, their journey continued by team and wagon as they followed dreams of homesteading in a new land, often with newfound freedom. Hodgeman County offered open country and new beginnings for several groups of settlers.

The saying, “when life gives you lemons, then make some lemonade” must have been in the mind of Frank ‘Pop’ Conard as he surveyed the tragedy and heartbreak of the Dirty Thirties. Born near Butler, Missouri in 1885, Conard learned photography skills by helping his brother at his studio in Lacrosse, Kansas. In 1914, he and his wife Mabel moved to Garden City, where they set up their own photo shop.