Selden, Kansas, is a small city located in Sheridan County in northwestern Kansas. The country bumpkin gathering place was founded in the late 19th century, during the period when the American Midwest was experiencing rapid settlement and development due to the westward expansion and the construction of railroads.
Established in 1888, Selden was named after Selden, New York, reflecting the common practice of naming new settlements after hometowns or influential figures from the East.
The arrival of the railroad was crucial to Selden’s early growth. The town became a station on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, which helped connect it to larger markets and brought new residents, commerce, and agricultural opportunities.
The railroad facilitated the export of wheat, corn, and livestock, which remain staples of the region’s economy. In 1908, Lottie Reihm likely met a young man in Selden while traveling to her hometown of Topeka. She might’ve even been his traveling nurse, as that was her occupation.
Scoring Lottie’s address, the hopeful suitor, going by the initials D.B.F., sent her a couple of picture postcards. Evidently, the first one wasn’t to Ms. Reihm’s liking, judging by a question of concern asked on the second.
“10/21/08
Dear Miss Reihm :-
Did you get sore about that last card I sent you?
I hope not. How is nursing by this time?
I am getting along fine.
Would tell you how much I weigh but I am ashamed to.
Will write you a letter soon.
D.B.F.”
Lotta “Lottie” May Reihm was born July 24, 1881, in Michigan, to parents Monroe and Irene Reihm. The family moved to Oklahoma early on, and that’s where both older Reihms died. Lotta ended up in Kansas.
I’m sure early on she was razzed by immature classmates, with them calling her Little Lotta. It didn’t take long for her to adopt the nickname of Lottie. That probably stopped a few boys from making fun of her, yet some undoubtedly heckled her with, Lottie Dah.” Lotta is a name of German or Scandinavian descent, often pronounced Lotte. It is short for Charlotte.
D.B.F. never won the love of Lottie, with a fellow named Theophelsis E. Leuenberger marrying her in 1912, four years after she received the inquisitive postcard.
The Leuenbergers lost three children at birth, with no record of any others surviving. Theo Leuenberger, along with his three brothers, ran a successful and profitable grocery business in Topeka for many years, called GEM Grocery. They were all well-to-do.
Lottie died on June 5,1948, at the young age of 66. Theo passed away 16 years later in 1964, at the age of 83. Photos of each person show them to be well-dressed and manicured. Lottie, appearing in an early family portrait, standing by her brother, George, is quite beautiful and tall.
I narrowed the initials D.B.F. down to a farmer named David B. Finner. There was one other possibility, but I eliminated him because he was married. Records show that David Finner never found a mate, at least not one that he placed a ring on.
It would’ve been said back then, and even today, that Lottie Reihm was out of his league. That means he didn’t have a chance. Rejection undoubtedly hit the fellow like a ton of bricks. Ironically, David Finner died on November 12, 1948, the same year as Lottie.
Selden, Kansas, still survives, although a passenger train no longer stops there. At last count, 184 people were living in the town.
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