Bus Stop

Brown Sites in Topeka

The bus ride home for African American children from this area fo Topeka concluded at 1st and Kansas. Kansas Avenue is one of Topeka's busiest roads. Even during the 1950s, the morning and evening traffic was heavy.

The children began their walk home through the railroad tracks while listening carefully for whistles announcing any oncoming trains. The children would walk on the side of the street where the tracks were because it was open and safe. The fields and old buildings that dominated the right side of the street were often a haven for bums who would ride the rails, stopping to knock on doors for food before jumping a train to continue their journey.

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