Occupying land along the Walnut River that once belonged to the Osage Indians, Winfield grew from a small settlement in the early 1870s to a bustling center of culture by 1909, when it was called the "Little Athens of Kansas." Its colleges, picturesque limestone buildings, homes, churches, trolleys, and annual Winfield Chautauqua Assemblies were ideal subjects for the picture postcards popular at the time. These cards, which provided a window to the world of Winfield, now provide a view of its past. The trolley tracks are gone, and Chautauquas have given way to the Walnut Valley Festival, but much remains of the glory that was Winfield.