Garden City, Kansas

The first years of this young town's history are full of names and events that prove people were industrious, imaginative and resourceful. By 1883, trainloads of Easterners were coming out to lay claim on this fertile river bottom land, lured by land speculators and their own dreams of being a part of the Western Expansion.

The William D. Fulton family moved into their historic Garden City home from their homestead in September of 1884. Fulton and his brother, James, were the first to file on land in (Sequoyah) Finney County. They were buffalo hunters who saw the potential for a town. W.D. Fulton built a hotel and engaged in farming. The brothers donated a large portion of their land to the A.T.&S.F. Railroad to encourage the railroad officials to make Garden City a regular stop. Garden City got its name from the beautiful garden that Mrs. Fulton grew.