Logan county is located in western Kansas just south of Interstate 70 and one county east of
the Colorado line. The valley of the Smoky Hill River cuts a beautiful, broad swath through the county.
History
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Organized September 17, 1887.
County seat, Russell Springs.
By an act of the Legistlature in 1887,
the name of the then unorganized county of
St. John was changed to Logan, in honor
of the late General John A. Logan.
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Map and text from History of Kansas,
Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)
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Until 1963 Russell Springs was the county seat for Logan County. There was much feuding over which
town should serve as county seat. Oakley won the honor in 1963. In 1965 the old county courthouse in
Russell Springs became the Butterfield Trail Historical Museum.
Russell Springs, founded in 1865, was the Eaton stop on the Butterfield Overland Dispatch stage line. The
line ran through rough Indian country to connect the gold mines in Denver, Colorado, with Fort Riley, Kansas.
It ran until the Kansas Pacific Railroad was built. Travelers on the Butterfield Trail always made the
natural springs in the area a watering place, calling them "Russell's springs."
The Kansas State Historical Society has
more
historical data for Logan County online including a rich bibliography and lists of
cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.
Cities, Towns, & Villages of Logan County
2000
Town Population ZIP Year Elevation
================= ========== ========= ==== =========
Elkader 2640
McAllaster 3158
Monument 67747 3173
Oakley 2,173 67748 1884 3050
Page City 3232
Russell Springs 32 67755 1865 2964
Winona 228 67764 3329
Census Bureau Profile & Map
Special Places in Logan County
- Russell Springs has a beautiful site on the ridge that forms the north
side of the valley of the Smoky Hill River. You can see the impressive
old courthouse, which is now the Butterfield Trail Museum, for many miles to the south.
- The Fick Fossil & History Museum in Oakley is a compact, well arranged and very interesting museum that is well worth stopping to see.
- The Keystone Gallery is located on US 83 at Dakota Road -
18 miles north of Scott City or 26 miles south of Oakley. This fossil
museum / art gallery / souvenir shop is in a 1916 limestone Church
overlooking the Smoky Hill River Valley. The site is surrounded
by a 400 head buffalo herd and has a great view of Monument Rocks 8
miles to the east in Gove county.
- Monument has a nice brick school building on School Street in the south part of town.
- McAllaster is down to a grain elevator and a house.
- Winona has a roadside city park with restrooms beside US40.
Special Events in Logan County
- Oakley hosts the annual Kansas State Cornhusking Contest in late October.
- Russell Springs has an Old Settlers' Day on the Sunday in Labor Day weekend. There's a parade, pot luck dinner, cow chip throwing contest, and craft fair.
- Russell Springs also hosts the annual Butterfield Trail Ride the first weekend in June. It's a 2 day trail ride, dance, Sunday morning church service, and rodeo.
Logan County School Systems
- USD 274 Oakley (785) 672-4826 Oakley
- USD 275 Triplains (785) 846-7869 Winona
Hospitals
- Logan County Hospital (785) 672-3211
211 Cherry / Oakley, KS 67748
Libraries
- Oakley Public Library (785) 672-4776
700 W. Third / Oakley, KS 67748
Museums and Galleries
- Butterfield Trail Museum (785) 751-4242
P.O. Box 383, Russell Springs, KS 67755
Open first Tuesday of May through Labor Day
9:00-noon and 1:00 - 5:00 Tuesday / Saturday
1:00 - 5:00 Sunday; Closed Monday.
Housed in a beautiful old courthouse with an incredible view of the Smoky Hill River valley.
- Fick Fossil & History Museum (785) 672-4839
700 West Third / Oakley, KS
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
From Memorial Day until Labor Date extended hours are:
Sunday 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Fossils, wood carvings, branding irons, wildflowers
- Keystone Gallery (620) 872-2762
401 U.S. 83 (between Scott City and Oakley), Scott City, KS 67871
Open: Seasonal.
" Warm weather - Most of the time; Cold Weather - varies."
Their buffalo sculpture is a good place to take tourist pictures; their fossil fish is intriguing.
Have free maps to Monument Rocks eight miles east in Gove county.
Newspapers
- Oakley Graphic (785) 672-3228
118 Center Ave. / Oakley, KS 67448
More Data About Logan County
Economic Development
- University of Kansas' County Profile Reports
Statistical data from The Institute for Public Policy and Business Research
Health Data
Genealogy
Logan County Offices
For more about Logan County contact:
- The Logan County Development Corporation, (785) 672-4550 FAX: (785) 672-3838
212 Center Ave., Oakley, KS 67748
- Oakley Area Chamber of Commerce (785) 672-4862
313 Center / Oakley, KS 67748
