A teenaged Emerson Carey walked to Hutchinson in 1880 from McPherson County because he didn’t have the money to buy a railroad ticket.
By the time he died in 1933, Carey was a millionaire who had helped shape Hutchinson – and beyond – as an industrialist, state legislator, and philanthropist.
The location of the Hutchinson airport, the creation of the housing area Careyville, the genesis of Willowbrook, the mausoleum at Fairlawn Cemetery, the state law declaring Hutchinson the home of the State Fair, the site of Carey Park – all are linked to Carey. He also figures in the history of today’s Hutchinson Salt Co. mine, Sonoco, and Hubco Inc.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)