<P> In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were used in Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war effort . Large prisoner - of - war camps were established in Kansas: Camp Concordia, Camp Funston (at Fort Riley), Camp Phillips (at Salina under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including Hutchinson . </P> <P> On January 17, 2001, 143 million cubic feet (4,000,000 m) of compressed natural gas leaked from the nearby Yaggy storage field . It sank underground, then rose to the surface through old brine, or salt wells making around 15 gas blowholes . An explosion in the downtown area at 10: 45 a.m. destroyed 2 businesses and damaged 26 others . An explosion the next day in a mobile - home park took the lives of two people . The Kansas National Guard was called in to help evacuate parts of the city because of the gas leaks, and a team of specialists looked over all the city for leaks after the event . These events were broadcast on nationally televised news stations across the country . </P> <P> Hutchinson is located at 38 ° 3 ′ 39" N 97 ° 55 ′ 47" W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.06083 ° N 97.92972 ° W ﻿ / 38.06083; - 97.92972 (38.0608445, - 97.9297743) at an elevation of 1,535 feet (468 m). Located in south - central Kansas at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and Kansas Highway 96 (K - 96), Hutchinson is 39 miles (63 km) northwest of Wichita, 200 mi (320 km) west - southwest of Kansas City, and 395 miles (636 km) east - southeast of Denver . </P> <P> The city lies on the northeast bank of the Arkansas River in the Great Bend Sand Prairie region of the Great Plains . Cow Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas, runs southeast through the city . </P>

How far is wichita ks from hutchinson ks