Bourquin, Jules A., 1877-1964

Jules Alfred Bourquin was born in St. Emir, Switzerland on November 25, 1877. He immigrated with his family consisting of five brothers, his father’s parents and his mother’s sister to Horton, Kansas in 1888. Oline’s brother, Alfred Fete owned a sporting goods, hardware, wallpaper, paints, oils and glass store in Horton. Jules spent the rest of his life in Horton where he made more than 21,000 exposures from 1898 to 1959. The majority of images were taken in and around his hometown, but the collection also includes photographs from Colorado, Missouri and Wyoming.

Jules Bourquin first went into business with his family, Emile (1851-1945) and wife Oline, who owned a jewelry store and watch repair in Horton. Emile and Oline were watchmakers for Longines’ watch factory in Switzerland and saw Horton and the railroad as an economic potential for their talents. When Bourquin became interested in photography, the jewelry store began to carry Kodak cameras, photo supplies and other photographic equipment. Bourquin set up a studio and darkroom and sold his images as postcards in the local drugstore and his father’s store. He made photographs for 62 years. In 1898, Bourquin went to a watch making and optical school in Omaha, Nebraska returning to work as an optometrist from his father’s store. When his father later died in 1945, Bourquin disposed of the jewelry stock and devoted his time to the optical business until his retirement in 1963.

Jules Bourquin married Edith Starbuck on May 25, 1904 and honeymooned at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. They were staunch Presbyterians and sponsors of youth groups, participating in many community projects. For 35 years, Edith was a social worker and worked with the Kickapoo Indians regularly. They had one son, Jules Starbuck Bourquin, Jr. born in 1906.

Jules Bourquin’s images of Horton and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad reflect local activities and the flourishing railroad industry. Scenes that most would take for granted Bourquin saw as art and timeless. Some of his images detail the labor-intensive work that railroads demanded. Besides locomotive work, the Horton shops built and repaired Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad passenger and freight cars, and ancillary railroad equipment. His appreciation for blue-collar work may have come from a short apprenticeship as a machinist at the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad shops.

Jules Bourquin died on September 30, 1964, at the age of 86. According to his obituary, Horton lost one of its most loved and respected citizens. As an active participant in city affairs, his photographs were highly valued by the citizens of Horton.

Sources:

Quastler, I. E., Rock Island Line in Focus: The Railroad Photographs (1898-1925) of Jules A. Bourquin . DeGolyer Library/R&I Publishing, 2007.

Quastler, I. E., Prairie Railroad Town: The Rock Island Railroad Shops at Horton, Kansas 1887-1946 . South Platte Press/Brueggenjohann/Reese, Inc., 2003.

Horton Headlight, Vol. 102. Obituary of Jules A. Bourquin, Thursday, October 1, 1964.