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Kansas State...
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Kansas Counties
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Kansas Counties
Kansas has 105 counties, the sixth-highest total of any state. No Kansas county has two
words in its name. Wyandotte County and the city of Kansas City operate as a unified government, and Greeley
County and the city of Tribune are in the process of converting to a similar system. |
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Chase County, Kansas
Chase County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Cottonwood Falls
Year Organized: 1859
Square Miles: 776 |
Court House: P.O. Box 529
County Courthouse
Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845-0000
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Created out of portions of Wise and Butler counties, named in
honor of Salmon P. Chase, successively Governor of Ohio, United States Senator,
Secretary of the Treasury, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In the
Senate, he was earnest in his opposition to the extension of slavery into
Kansas.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Chase County contains vast areas of
unspoiled prairie, used and managed as grasslands since it was settled. In the
spring, after the pastures have been burnt, some of the hills look like they are
all rock without enough soil to support life, and it's easy to see where the
name Flint Hills came from. Later, by the end of May, the harshness is buried in
a thick carpet of wildflowers and lush bluestem grasses.
Sharp's Creek Drive is probably the prettiest drive in the county, if not the
state. Head south and east from Bazaar and go at least a couple of miles beyond
the Kansas Turnpike onto the open range to experience what the first settlers
must have seen and felt. If you travel east from Matfield Green you can still
ford the Verdigris river. The road west from Matfield Green through Wonsevu to
Burns in Marion County provides a similar experience. Stop somewhere and savor
the solitude and silence. If you can't visit, William Least Heat-Moon's 1991
book, Prairy Erth, captures the spirit of the land. Wagon train tours through
the Flint Hills are another nice way to experience this area
Geography
In surface the county is somewhat broken and hilly, especially in the southern portion, while in the north are gently rolling slopes. In some places along the streams the slopes terminate in abrupt bluffs. The Cottonwood river is the principal stream and with its numerous tributaries forms the
water system of the county. It enters the county from the west about 12 miles from the southern line, flows northeast to Cottonwood Falls and thence east into Lyon county. Some of the important creeks are Diamond, Fox and Middle creeks on the north, and Fork and Cedar on the south. The river bottoms
average over 2 miles in width, those on the creeks three-fourths of a mile and together comprise about one-eighth of the total area. The timber belts along the streams average less than half a mile in width and contain the following varieties of wood: walnut, cottonwood, burr-oak, sycamore, ash,
hickory, hackberry, box-elder, redbud and buckeye. Limestone of an excellent quality and material for building-brick is found in abundance.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Morris County
- Northeast: Lyon County
- Southeast: Greenwood County
- Southwest: Butler County
- West: Marion County
Cities and Towns:
| - Bazaar |
township |
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| - Cassoday |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Cedar Point |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Cottonwood |
township |
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| - Cottonwood Falls (County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Diamond Creek |
township |
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| - Elmdale |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Falls |
township |
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| - Homestead |
township |
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| - Matfield |
township |
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| - Matfield Green |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Strong |
township |
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| - Strong City |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Toledo |
township |
County Resources:
Chase County - KS-Cyclopedia - 1912
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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