Sumner County, KS

Cattle, wheat, and railroads have defined Sumner County. The flat rich soil that covers much of the county produces vast amounts of wheat. As you drive through the county you can always see several grain elevators. The Santa Fe railroad runs east/west and the Union Pacific serves Peck, Riverdale, Wellington, Perth, Corbin, and Caldwell connecting Wichita and Enid, OK, over track once owned by the Rock Island. Highway US 160 runs across the county, and US 81/I-35 runs north/south.

History

Organized in 1873. County seat Wellington. In honor of Charles Sumner, the distinguished Massachusetts Senator. In 1854 he was a leader in the opposition to extension of slavery into Kansas, as proposed in the Bill to organize the territory.

Map and text from History of Kansas, Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)

Charles Sumner (1811-1874) was an abolitionist Senator from Massachusetts most famous for being severely beaten for his beliefs.

Early interest in the county was driven by the economic oppportunities offered by the herds of cattle coming up the Chisholm trail from Texas. Later the Oklahoma land rushes created and then drained towns in Sumner County.

Mrs Susanna Madora Salter (born 3/2/1860) served as mayor of Argonia in 1887 She was the first woman mayor elected in the US. The Salter home at Osage & Garfield is now a museum.

William G. Cutler's History of Kansas, first published in 1883, tells about early Sumner County.

There is a section on Sumner County in the book Kansas: a Cyclopedia Of State History by Frank Blackmar (1912).

The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of Argonia, Belle Plaine, Caldwell, Conway Springs, Drury, Geuda Springs, Hunnewell, Milan, Mulvane, Oxford, & Wellington.

The Kansas State Historical Society also has more historical data for Sumner County online including a rich bibliography and lists of cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.

Cities, & Towns of Sumner County

                2000
  Year  Elev Population Name
  ====  ==== ========== ====
        1130            Adamsville
        1310            Anson
  1885  1255        534 Argonia
  1893  1217            Ashton
  1871  1230      1,708 Belle Plaine
        1191            Bushnell
  1871  1149      1,284 Caldwell
        1320            Cicero
        1366      1,322 Conway Springs
        1155            Corbin
        1205            Dalton
        1217            Doster
        1092            Drury
        1349            Ewell
        1120        212 Geuda Springs
  1880  1105         83 Hunnewell
  1880  1281        113 Mayfield
        1211            Metcalf
  1879  1221        137 Milan
        1340            Millerton
  1886  1473            Milton
        1250      5,155 Mulvane  (partly in Sedgwick County)
        1185      1,173 Oxford
        1171            Paton
        1252            Peck
        1213            Perth
        1189            Portland
  1887  1321            Riverdale
        1260            Roland
  1883  1220            Rome
        1121        390 South Haven
        1407            Suppesville
  1871  1230      8,647 Wellington
        1169            Whitman
        1230            Zyba

Census Bureau Profile & Map

Special Places in Sumner County

The "Ghostriders of the Chisholm Trail" are actually life-sized silhouettes near US-81 south of Caldwell.
Be sure and taste the Conway Springs water.
The old mill at Oxford is no longer a water-powered flour mill; it's now a restaurant.
A mile east of Mayfield, there is a small park with a beautiful red stone marker describing the Chisholm Trail.
Outside Hunnewell is a small roadside park describing the town's role in the Oklahoma land rush.
Milton still has a Post Office and two churches.
Take the walking tour of downtown Caldwell; the downtown area is full of historic sites and markers.
A skull, jawbone, and other bones from wooly mammoths are on display inside the Sumner County Courthouse.

Special Events in Sumner County

Caldwell is the site of the annual Sumner County fair.
Old Settler's Days in Mulvane is one of the larger celebrations of local history in the state.
The Kansas Wheat festival is held every July in Wellington.

Libraries

Dixon Township Library
P. O. Box 95, Argonia, KS 67004
Belle Plaine Public Library (620) 488-3431
225 W. Fifth / P. O. Box 700, Belle Plaine, KS 67013
Caldwell Public Library (620) 845-6879
8 N. Osage Street, Caldwell, KS 67022
Conway Springs Public Library (620) 456-2859
210 W. Spring, Conway Springs, KS 67031
Mulvane Public Library (316) 777-1211
101 E. Main, Mulvane, KS 67110
Oxford Public Library (620) 455-2223
115 S. Sumner / P. O. Box 337, Oxford, KS 67119
South Haven Township Library (620) 892-5268
P. O. Box 227, South Haven, KS 67140
Wellington Public Library (620) 326-2011
121 W. Seventh St., Wellington, KS 67152

Museums

Border Queen Museum (620) 845-2948
City Park, Caldwell, KS 67022
Cherokee Strip Center (620) 845-2159
1 N. Main, Caldwell, KS 67022
Chisholm Trail Museum (620) 326-3820
502 N. Washington, Wellington, KS 67152
Mulvane Historical Museum (316) 777-0506
300 W. Main, Mulvane, KS 67110
Salter House & Museum (620) 435-6376
220 West Garfield, Argonia, KS

Sumner County School Systems

USD 263 Mulvane (316) 777-1102
USD 353 Wellington (620) 326-4300
USD 356 Conway Springs (620) 456-2961
USD 357 Belle Plaine (620) 488-2288
USD 358 Oxford (620) 455-2227
USD 359 Argonia Public Schools
USD 360 Caldwell (620) 845-2511
Caldwell High School
USD 509 South Haven (620) 892-5216

Hospitals

Hospital District #1 (620) 845-6492
601 S. Osage, Caldwell, KS 67022
Sumner Regional Medical Center (620) 326-7451
1323 N. A St., Wellington, KS 67152

Newspapers

Arena Talk (620) 488-3598 Kansas' All-Breed * All-Event Horse News
P.O.Box 1090, Belle Plaine, KS 67013
Belle Plaine News (620) 488-2234
431 N. Merchant, Belle Plaine, KS 67013
Caldwell Messenger (620) 845-2320
111 S. Main / P. O. Box 313, Caldwell, KS 67022
Conway Springs Star-Argonia Argosy (620) 456-2473
214 W. Spring, Conway Springs, KS
Mulvane News (316) 777-4233
204 W. Main, Mulvane, KS 67110
Oxford Register (620) 455-3535
110 E. Myrtle, Oxford, KS 67119
South Haven New Era
Wellington Daily News (620) 326-3326
113 W. Harvey, Wellington, KS 67152

More Data About Sumner County

Health Data

KDHE's Sumner County Health Profile

Genealogy

Chisholm Trail History and Genealogy Center (620) 326-7315 (620) 326-3044
208 N Washington / PO Box 402 / Wellington, KS 67152
Tue, Fri -- 10 am - 4 pm, Sat by appt.
Sumner County KSGenWeb

Sumner County Offices

Sumner County (620) 326-3395
500 N. Washington Ave., Wellington, KS 67152
Sumner County Economic Development Commission (620) 326-8779 FAX: (620) 326-6544
123 N. Jefferson, PO Box 279, Wellington, KS 67152
SCEDC@CO.SUMNER.KS.US
Sumner County Extension Office (620) 326-7477
320 N. Jefferson, Wellington, KS 67152-3935

For more about Sumner County contact:

Belle Plaine Area Chamber of Commerce (620) 488-2604
P. O. Box 721, Belle Plaine, KS 67013
Caldwell Chamber of Commerce (620) 845-6514
P. O. Box 193, Caldwell, KS 67022
Mulvane Chamber of Commerce (316) 777-1144
P. O. Box 67, Mulvane, KS 67110
Oxford Chamber of Commerce (620) 455-2223
121 S. Sumner, Oxford, KS 67119
Sumner Board for Senior Services (620) 326-2500
217 West 8th Street, Wellington, KS 67152
Wellington Chamber of Commerce (620) 326-7466
207 S. Washington, Wellington, KS 67152

References

WPA The WPA Guide to 1930s Kansas (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. 1984)
Sanders, Gwendoline & Sanders, Paul The Sumner County Story (North Newton: Mennonite Press. 1966)