Lyon County, Kansas: History and Information

Lyon County, Kansas

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

County Seat: Emporia
Year Organized: 1858
Square Miles: 844

Court House:

430 Commercial Street
County Courthouse
Emporia, KS 66801-4000

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named by the first Legislature, Breckenridge, in honor of John C. Breckenridge, United States Senator from Kentucky, and who became Vice-President of the United States in 1856. Name changed to Lyon, in honor of General Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed while in command of the Union Army at the battle of Wilson's creek, Missouri, August 10, 1861.

Demographics:

History

Lyon County, created as Breckenridge county (q. v.) by the first territorial legislature, was not organized until 1858, and did not assume its present boundaries until 1864. These boundaries are as follows: Wabaunsee county on the north; Osage and Coffey on the east; Greenwood on the south, and Chase and Morris on the west. In 1862, the former vice-president Breckenridge having become a secessionist, the patriotic anti-slavery legislature changed the name of the county to Lyon, in honor of Nathaniel Lyon, the Union general who had lost his life at Wilson's creek the previous August.

Geography

The general surface of the county is prairie, with but few bluffs. The principal streams are the Neosho river, which runs across the county in a southeasterly direction; the Cottonwood river which crosses from west to east and joins the Neosho just above Neosho Rapids; and numerous creeks, of which Duck, Dows and Eagle are the most important. The timber belts along these streams average one-half mile in width, and contain the following varieties: oak, walnut, cottonwood, hickory, elm, hackberry, coffee-bean and locust. Magnesian limestone and sandstone are abundant, and a good quality of potter's clay is found between the Neosho and Cottonwood rivers. The bottom lands along the rivers and creeks comprise about 15 per cent. of the total area.

Neighboring Counties:

Wabaunsee County, Kansas (north)

Osage County, Kansas (northeast)

Coffey County, Kansas (southeast)

Greenwood County, Kansas (south)

Chase County, Kansas (west)

Morris County, Kansas (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Admire

city

Incorporated Area

- Agnes City

township

- Allen

city

Incorporated Area

- Americus

city

Incorporated Area

- Bushong

city

Incorporated Area

- Center

township

- Elmendaro

township

- Emporia (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

- Fremont

township

- Hartford

city

Incorporated Area

- Ivy

township

- Jackson

township

- Neosho Rapids

city

Incorporated Area

- Olpe

city

Incorporated Area

- Pike

township

- Reading

city

Incorporated Area

- Waterloo

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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Lyon County, Kansas

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

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Geography

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

Online High Schools

County Resource Guide