Our visitors to Topeka

We had lots of relatives and when they visited us my mother had a tour in mind to entertain them. We visited Washburn Campus, we climbed the State House dome and we went to visit a plant where they made ice. I remember I was not fond of the climb to the dome but went. When we went to Washburn College I think we must have visited the art gallery. There were nude statues there with fig leaves over certain parts of their anatomy. I know one time my cousin, Harry Simons from White City lifted up one for us all to see. I think climbing to the dome was the scariest for the steps were narrow and there were lots of them. Then you walked on a narrow little balcony thing to look at Topeka. I think after the 1966 tornado Topeka had they closed it for awhile. I don't know if it is open anymore. Our guests always loved it. At one time we visited Jordan's bakery but it burned down one night. Sometimes we visited Topeka's two train stations--Union Pacific in North Topeka and the Santa Fe in East Topeka. Then there was the Governor's Mansion on Buchanan. The Dockings were the last to live there. The Andersons moved out to the new one. It had been the home of the publisher of the Topeka State Journal. Capper, who owned the Topeka Daily Capital, had a small home on Topeka Blvd across the street from the WIBW radio station. It was not open for tours. Later I used to do commercials for WIBW for Coleman Lanterns. My mother had a friend who worked there and when she needed a kid, that was me. I had to stand on a coke box to be tall enough. Now they can probably lower microphones.