Yateston, Osage

Yateston, Osage is a city in the south-eastern part of the state. Situated in a valley on the Onondaga River and in between the Watogoan Mountains. The city is a cultural and historic hub for south-eastern Osage and is one of the oldest in the state. Much of downtown Yateston is registered in the national historical database.

The city expereinced rapid growth in the 1930s through the 60s but has experienced economic hardship since the 1970's and has experienced urban decay over the decades. Once a thriving industrial city has shuddered much of its former manufacturing industry and shifted to a service/educational economy. Tourism is also a significant industry in the area. Yateston has the highest historical building per capita in the state and attracts thousands of tourists every year.

History
Yateston was founded in 1845 around a mining camp in the Modoc Valley. The surrounding hills and mountains were mined for coal and limestone until gold was found in the late 1890's but it proved to be largely a hoax by local businessmen. Regardless the town experienced growth as its position along the Kiowa river and the railroad offered easy transportation to the other settlements in the Osage territory.

Through the 1880's the city experienced rapid growth with the founding of a textile industry near downtown. By 1900 over 20,000 people lived in the city. The growth was fueled by the railyard hub housing several rail lines and freight hubs.

Yateston and nearby Sinclair kept growing up until the 1930's where the great depression stagnated growth. The local coal mines had several strikes due to working conditions and unfair child-labor standards. The era led to the rise of several organized crime groups and gangs who were often seen as champions of the people.

The post-war time brought suburbs in the hills and the urban decline of the downtown core. Many old buildings were dilapidated from several floods in 1941, 45 and 56 and fell into disrepair.

Urban sprawl continued into the 60's and 70's and Yateston's population has never quite recovered.