Cheyenne County, Kansas: History and Information

Cheyenne County, Kansas

Cheyenne County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: St. Francis
Year Organized: 1886
Square Miles: 1021

Court House:

P.O. Box 985
County Courthouse
Saint Francis, KS 67756-0985

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named after the Indian tribe of that name.

Demographics:

History

Cheyenne County.—On March 6, 1873, Gov. Osborn approved an act creating a number of new counties out of the unorganized territory in the western part of the state. One of these counties was Cheyenne, the most northwestern county of Kansas, the boundaries of which were defined by the act as follows: "Commencing where the east line of range 37 west, intersects the fortieth degree of north latitude; thence south with said range line to the first standard parallel; thence west with said parallel to the west line of the State of Kansas; thence north with the state line to the fortieth degree of north latitude; thence east with said parallel to the place of beginning."

Geography

The surface of Cheyenne county is generally undulating, with a few high bluffs along some of the streams. The bottom lands are usually narrow. There is not much native timber, but a large number of artificial groves have been planted about the farm houses. The soil is largely of sandy nature. Cheyenne is one of the leading counties in the state in the production of Kafir corn, broom-corn and spring wheat. Corn, barley and sugar beets are important crops. The Republican river flows in a northeasterly direction across the county and has a number of tributaries, the principal ones being Bluff, Cherry, Plum and Hackberry creeks. Little Beaver creek flows across the southeast corner, and about 3 miles of the Big Beaver are in the extreme southeastern part. Irrigation ditches have been constructed along the Republican river, and hundreds of acres of land are under irrigation.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Dundy County, Neb.

East: Rawlins County

South: Sherman County

Southwest: Kit Carson County, Colo.

Northwest: Yuma County, Colo.

Cities and Towns:

- Benkelman

township

- Bird City

city

Incorporated Area

- Calhoun

township

- Cleveland Run

township

- Jaqua

township

- Orlando

township

- St. Francis (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

- Wano

township

County Resources:

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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Kansas Counties

Cheyenne County, Kansas

Cheyenne County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Geography

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

County Resource Guide