The Brookville Hotel traces its roots back to the 1870's, when the railroad spread their tracks out across the prairie to meet the expected rush of Longhorn cattle coming up from Texas along the Chisholm Trail.
Originally know as the Cowtown Caf?, the hotel was one of three to spring up in what was expected to be a railroad divisional center. Brookville suffered greatly when the Union Pacific Railroad relocated its round house to Junction City. Despite the steady decrease in population, the Brookville Hotel continued to do business in the small town.
In 1894 Gus and Mae Magnuson purchased the hotel. It was Mae's cooking that started the Hotel's reputation for great food, but it was the Magnuson's daughter, Helen Martin, who originated the famous "Family Style Chicken Dinners" in 1915. In 1933, the Hotel passed into Helen's capable hands.
