Kiowa County, Kansas

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

County Seat: Greensburg
Year Organized: 1886
Square Miles: 723

Court House:

211 East Florida
County Courthouse
Greensburg, KS 67054-2211

Named: Named after the Kiowa Indians

State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Kiowa County, in the southwestern part of the state, is the second county north from Oklahoma and the sixth east from Colorado. It is bounded on the north by Edwards county; on the east by Pratt and Barber; on the south by Comanche, and on the west by Ford and Clark. It was named for the Kiowa tribe of Indians and was first created by the act of 1867, which erected 26 western counties. In 1875 the county was extinguished and the territory divided between Edwards and Comanche. In 1886 Kiowa was restored and the boundaries defined as follows: "Commencing at the intersection of the west line of range 20 west with the north line of town 27; thence south along range line to its intersection with the north line of township 31; thence east along township line to where it intersects with the west line of range 15 west; thence north along range line to where it intersects with the north line of township 27; thence west to the place of beginning."

It contains 720 square miles or 460,800 acres. Until its organization Kiowa was attached to Comanche county for judicial purposes.

"Greensburg is the liveliest town in the state today, for money, marbles or watermelons"

- from the Kiowa County Signal June 1, 1888

Greensburg was named for stagecoach driver D. R. Green. He once ejected Carrie Nation from his coach after she snatched a cigar from his mouth and tossed it away.

On October 23, 1911, Greensburg's first speeding ticket involving an auto was issued for exceeding the speed limit of 10mph.

Geography

The surface of Kiowa county is a rolling prairie, slightly higher in the center. The southern half lies in the valley of the Medicine Lodge river and the northern half slopes in a succession of gentle foot hills toward the valley of the Arkansas. Rattlesnake creek, the principal stream, enters in the west and flows northeast into Edwards county. It has several tributaries in the northern and central parts. Medicine Lodge river has its source in the south and flows southeast into Barber county. Well water is found at an average depth of 50 feet. Good building stone is abundant.

Neighboring Counties:

Edwards County (north)
Pratt County (east)
Barber County (southeast)
Comanche County (south)
Clark County (southwest)
Ford County (west)

Cities:

- Greensburg (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Haviland	city	Incorporated Area
- Mullinville	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Kiowa County - KS-Cyclopedia - 1912

County Resource Guide

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.”

Penn Foster High School

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