However, that changed a decade later, when a merchant purchased most of the town sites and opened a general store to serve the many immigrant settlers from Czechoslovakia, Bohemia, and Moravia, who had come to the United States. He immediately established a real estate office to sell parcels of land and worked with the railroad to make an appealing program that offered discounted fares for prospective settlers to travel west to inspect the land. If they purchased a parcel of land, the ticket price was applied toward the sale price of the land.

Though the idea worked to a certain extent, it was probably not nearly as successful as the merchant had hoped. However, in 1904 a community hall and a Catholic Church were built and the following year a lumber company was established.

By 1910, the community still only had a population of about 50, but had gained a mill, a grain elevator and several retail establishments. A bank was organized in 1913 and the town slowly grew to a point that it was incorporated as a city in June, 1930.

Though the town never grew very large, the railroad continued to provide passenger and freight service and in the mid-1970s, the depot was abandoned. The Rush County Historical Society then stepped in and purchased the wooden building which was moved to La Crosse in 1975. Today, the old building serves as the Rush County Historical Museum.

Today, Timken is called home to only about 80 people. A beautiful National Bohemian Cemetery is located south of the community. 

Timken is located about seven miles east of Rush Center, just off Kansas Highway 96.

Compiled by Kathy Weiser/Legends of Kansas, updated April, 2010.

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Vintage Photographs of Railroads & Depots - From our personal Photo Print Shop, you can now order prints that provide dramatic glimpses into the rich heritage of the railroad and its part in the history of the American West.