Southwestern Hotel Register

This desk register from the Southwestern Hotel in Caldwell, Kansas, records visitors from January 1896 through March 1898. 

From the historical marker at the former location of the hotel on the northwest corner of Avenue A and North Main Street:

"1884 ~ 1972   Built by C. G. Stall and a group of investors at a cost of $17,000, the Southwestern Hotel stood here for almost a century. Boasting 38 rooms, including a servants sitting room, billiards room, barbershop, fine dining hall, ballroom, a laundry and bridal chamber, the 3 story brick building was elegantly furnished throughout. Its restaurant was well known for its wide-ranging, exotic menu in 1886. A meal then included: Haunch of Venison with Chow-Chow, Salmon Salad, Sponge Boston Brown Bread, Bina Stewed Corn and English Plum Pudding. Following its years as a hotel, the fine old building served as the city's hospital until 1965 when a new district facility opened."

The large bound volume includes a page of advertisements for local businesses interleaved with the register pages; these are all identical, and an example is included in Section 1.

Browse through its pages to see who visited or passed through the town.  Local citizens are also listed, but without room numbers, so presumably registered to enjoy the restaurant or other hotel facilities.  Be sure to note the far-off residences of some guests!  During this time frame before Oklahoma's statehood, the region was listed as O.T. for Oklahoma Territory.