Lincoln County, Kansas

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

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, and author of the emancipation proclamation, who was assassinated April 14, 1865.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Lincoln County, in the central part of the state, is in the third tier of counties south of Nebraska, and is bounded on the north by Mitchell county; east by Ottawa and Saline; south by Ellsworth, and west by Osborne and Russell. Its area is 720 square miles. The county was created in 1867 and named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, but remained practically unorganized territory until 1870. During these three years it was attached for all revenue and judicial purposes to Ottawa county as Lincoln township, and later was attached to Saline when that county was organized.

Geography

The surface of Lincoln county is gently rolling prairie, with high, rough land breaking into bluffs in the southern and eastern portions. The valley of the Saline averages about a mile and a half in width and with the creek valleys comprises a little less than one-fourth of the area. Native trees along the streams are ash, oak, elm, box-elder, hackberry, walnut and mulberry. The Saline river flows, nearly east and west across the center of the county, and its main tributaries are Wolf, Spiliman, Elkhorn and Prosser creeks. Springs are abundant and good well water is found at a depth of 35 feet. Magnesian limestone, red and white sandstone, mineral paint and potter's clay are all found. Cement rock exists in the west and large salt marshes are found in the northeastern portion, while salt springs abound along the Saline river and Spillman creek. Coal of a fair quality has been found and mined for local use. Stock raising is an important industry. The principal crop are winter wheat, oats, corn and Kafir corn, and in 1907 there were 100,000 bearing fruit trees in the county. Transportation facilities are provided by the Union Pacific railroad, which has a line nearly east and west across the county, following the general course of the Saline river, and a branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad runs to Barnard, in the northeast corner, giving the county nearly 40 miles of main track railroad.

Description

• The stone buildings in downtown Lincoln are beautiful. The county courthouse was built in 1900 out of local limestone.
• Sylvan Grove has a couple of really nice turn-of-the-century homes and a beautiful old stone Lutheran School.
• A double-arch stone bridge crosses the South Fork of Spillman Creek beside K-181 north of Sylvan Grove.
• The Lutheran Church in Denmark was built in 1880 from the "post rock" limestone that lies under much of this part of Kansas.
• The Vonada Stone Company near Sylvan Grove still makes stone fenceposts as well as other products from "post rock".

Neighboring Counties:

• Mitchell County (north)
• Ottawa County (east)
• Saline County (southeast)
• Ellsworth County (south)
• Russell County (west)
• Osborne County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

Lincoln County - KS-Cyclopedia - 1912