Galva, KS

Galva's story starts before Galva: the Santa Fe Trail and California Road crossed near the present town, and Charles Fuller set up a ranch by Running Turkey Creek in 1855 to take care of travelers. The railroad then chose a line north of the older settlement of Empire, pulling buildings and the post office toward the tracks; Galva incorporated in 1887. The city still points visitors to Fuller's Ranch, the Galva Museum, and Park Henry, while Canton-Galva schools tie it to the surrounding farm country. This is a small McPherson County town with a wagon-road past, a railroad-shaped downtown, and a creek crossing that started the whole conversation.