Английская Википедия:Ellis County, Kansas
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Use mdy dates Шаблон:Infobox U.S. county
Ellis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Hays.[1] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 28,934.[2] The county was named for George Ellis, a first lieutenant of the Twelfth Kansas Infantry.Шаблон:Sfn Ellis County is the official German Capital of Kansas. German immigrants settled in Hays, Ellis, Victoria, and nearby villages in the 1870s and 1880s.[3]
History
19th century
In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.
Ellis County was established by an act of the state legislature on 1873-02-16,Шаблон:Sfn which defined the original borders of the county as: Шаблон:Bquote The first settlers had been arriving since May 1867, with Fort Fletcher (later Fort Hays) having been built in 1865.Шаблон:Sfn
Independent county government was established in October 1867, by proclamation of Governor Samuel J. Crawford in response to a petition.Шаблон:Sfn Hays was chosen as the permanent seat by an election in April 1870.Шаблон:Sfn Early settlers the Lull brothers, from Salina, had in May 1867 begun a town called Rome just north of the railroad route and on the west of Big Creek, expecting that to become the county seat.Шаблон:Sfn It gained a general supply store, Bloomfield, Moses & Co, the following month, and a hotel run by Joseph Perry.Шаблон:Sfn However, the Big Creek Land Company platted a competing town named Hays City on the east of Big Creek, which gained the important support of the railroad company.Шаблон:Sfn Rome disappeared, with Perry's hotel and several other of its buildings being relocated to Hays City.Шаблон:Sfn
Ellis County was named for George Ellis, first lieutenant of the Twelfth Kansas Infantry.Шаблон:Sfn[4]
The county's early newspapers were the Star-Sentinel, Hays City Times, and Ellis County Free Press published in Hays City; and the Ellis Head-Light and Ellis Review published in Ellis.Шаблон:Sfn
English and Russian-German immigrants
The initial wave of settlement was slow, with three colonies being established in 1872.Шаблон:Sfn George Grant, a wealthy Scottish merchant, purchased Шаблон:Convert of land that year, and some 300 farmers from England settled there over the next two years.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Grant bought the land from the Kansas Pacific Railroad with the intention of creating a community of British aristocrats and agriculturalists in the middle of rural Kansas.Шаблон:Sfn His first town was Victoria named after Queen Victoria where Victoria Manor, a two story stone structure, acted as temporary housing for the immigrants and as a transport depot for the Kansas Pacific.Шаблон:Sfn His sales pitch to the immigrants was that it was cheaper to buy land in Kansas at Шаблон:USD per acre (Grant himself having purchased it at Шаблон:USD per acre) than it was to buy land in Britain, and that Grant would till the land and seed it with imported British stock.Шаблон:Sfn
The first wave of young British aristocrat families set sail on 1873-04-01.Шаблон:Sfn Stories of the time recorded them as not becoming agriculturalists, as Grant had hoped, but mainly indulging in aristocratic pursuits whilst living off family remittances, including hunting the local wildlife.Шаблон:Sfn Another story recounts them placing a dam across Big Creek to make a lake between Victoria and Hays which they then sailed across in a steamboat until the dam was broken by a flood; although at the time of the Ellis county centennial in the 1970s one local resident expressed doubts at the historical veracity of this tale, considering the geography of Big Creek in that area.Шаблон:Sfn
However, whilst Grant himself put in great effort to start the colony, including importing Black Angus cattle and running his own cattle farm to the south of Victoria, he died in 1878 and after his death all of the British aristocrats had returned to Britain.Шаблон:Sfn A plague of grasshoppers in 1874 drove many away, to be replaced in 1875 by many Russian immigrants.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
The Russian immigrants were, more strictly speaking, Volga Germans who had settled in Russia in 1760.Шаблон:Sfn The Russification policies begun in 1871 by Alexander II, and especially the 1874-01-13 reversal of the original decree that had exempted them from conscription into the Russian military when they had settled in Russia in the first place, prompted them to look to the United States and elsewhere.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
Originally five delegates went on a ten day exploratory mission to Nebraska.Шаблон:Sfn Later in December 1874, a four-person delegation went to Topeka and Larned in Kansas, reporting unfavourably on what they found.Шаблон:Sfn However, in the meantime the first Germans had been conscripted in November 1874, spurring many to emigrate anyway,Шаблон:Sfn which they did arriving in Baltimore on 1875-11-23 and in Topeka on the 28th.Шаблон:Sfn Initially deterred from homesteading by the Шаблон:USD per acre price of land in North Topeka, they were escorted on three tours of Ellis county by A. Roedelheiner of the Kansas Pacific.Шаблон:Sfn
Their initial tour of land around Hog Back almost persuaded the immigrants to return to Russia, but they were shown further land on the Smoky Hill River and near what was to become Catherine and Herzog.Шаблон:Sfn This Ellis land was cheaper at Шаблон:USD per acre, and so on 1876-02-21 fourteen German families came to Hays and from there moved to Liebenthal in Rush County.Шаблон:Sfn Three families from Katherinenstadt in Russia also came to Hays on 1876-03-01 and, whilst temporarily renting accommodation therein, built their homes in Catherine to which they moved on 1876-04-08.Шаблон:Sfn
Twenty-three families settled in the failing British colony at Victoria on 1876-04-08, settling on the east bank of Victoria Creek just west of where Victoria now exists.Шаблон:Sfn Another large wave of immigrants left Russia in June 1876, and some of them arrived in Hays on 1876-07-26 and in Catherine the next day.Шаблон:Sfn Others took a different route and arrived and settled in Topeka.Шаблон:Sfn Thirteen of the families arrived in Hays on 1876-08-20 and settled in Pfeifer the next day.Шаблон:Sfn
One of the largest wave of immigrants was 104 families (originally to be 108, but 4 had been held back because family members had been conscripted, which legally prevented them from emigrating from Russia) in 1876.Шаблон:Sfn The Mennonites in the group settled in Nebraska, with the others arrived in Victoria on 1876-08-03 and from there settled in Herzog.Шаблон:Sfn The settlers of Munjor stayed in Herzog for two months, before settling on Big Creek just north of the present location of Munjor.Шаблон:Sfn
A small wave of immigrants followed the first wave to Pfeifer in late September 1876, with another small wave from Katherinenstadt arriving in Catherine on 1876-09-26.Шаблон:Sfn The last 1876 wave of immigrants settled in Munjor.Шаблон:Sfn
The German immigrants founded Schoenchen in 1877, some coming directly from Schoenchen in Russia, some coming from Liebenthal in Rush County.Шаблон:Sfn Their original plan had been to move from Liebenthal to another site in Rush, but the place that they had chosen was school land that they could not afford, meaning that they could not deed enough of it to the community to erect their church, whilst at the same time land for a church had been deeded in Liebenthal.Шаблон:Sfn In recrimination, the Rush county settlers moved to Ellis, joining the direct immigrant party at Schoenchen in April and May of 1877.Шаблон:Sfn Two other small waves came that year, one to Catherine on 1877-08-06 from Katherinenstadt,Шаблон:Sfn and one to Pfiefer from Pfiefer and Kamenka in Russia.Шаблон:Sfn
Immigration began to wane in 1878, with a party from Katherinenstadt arriving on 1878-06-20 to settle in Herzog and Pfeifer, and another party from Obermonjour in late July/early August.Шаблон:Sfn By this point, property prices had been depressed back in Russia by all of the sales made by the preceding emigrants, and further emigrants were now emigrating at a net loss.Шаблон:Sfn Another party, having had to cover the Russian emigration fees through deceit, claiming that two of their number had died to officials who only dealt with the two people who left the train, since the party collectively had not enough money for all even though they had pooled their funds, arrived in Herzog and Munjor and was the last large wave of Volga German immigrants to Ellis.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
By 1903, there had been 222 immigrants to Catherine, some going thence elsewhere.Шаблон:Sfn Munjor grew from 130 families, 794 people, in 1897 to 156 families, 931 people, by 1900.Шаблон:Sfn The largest of the Volga German settlements was Herzog, having roughly 1700 people (measured from church congregation size as accounted in the Victoria Chronicle) in 1895, with Pfeifer and Schoenchen coming fourth and fifth.Шаблон:Sfn
20th century
In 1942, the Walker Army Airfield was built northwest of Walker. Thousands were stationed at the airfield for training of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress during World War II. The airfield was abandoned and most of it razed.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Шаблон:Convert, of which Шаблон:Convert is land and Шаблон:Convert (0.05%) is water.[5]
Geology and hydrology
The county is crossed by the Saline River across the north, with its principal branch being Eagle Creek.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Other rivers include Big Creek, with its principal tributary Victoria Creek, which is in turn a tributary of the Smoky Hill River which flows across the south.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The county had several salt marshes in 1886.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
The river banks had a lot of limestone, and around Hays City in the 19th century there was a lot of clay.Шаблон:Sfn
Adjacent counties
- Rooks County (north)
- Osborne County (northeast)
- Russell County (east)
- Rush County (south)
- Ness County (southwest)
- Trego County (west)
Major highways
Airport
Hays Regional Airport is located within the county. Used primarily for general aviation, it hosts one commercial airline United Express, which offers daily jet service to Denver, Colorado.
Demographics
Шаблон:US Census population The Hays Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Ellis County.
In 1886, the population was 5.842, having risen from 5,046 in 1885.Шаблон:Sfn In 1910, the population was 12,170.Шаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:As of,[6] there were 27,507 people, 11,193 households, and 6,771 families residing in the county. The population density was Шаблон:Convert. There were 12,078 housing units at an average density of Шаблон:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 96.10% White, 0.67% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.37% of the population.
There were 11,193 households, out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.50% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.40% under the age of 18, 18.40% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,339, and the median income for a family was $44,498. Males had a median income of $29,885 versus $21,269 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,259. About 6.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.20% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Presidential elections
Ellis County is an anomaly in western Kansas, having voted several times for Democratic presidential candidates, even when the vast majority of the state's 105 counties went for the Republican nominee. This is due to the county's distinctive (in Kansas) German Catholic heritage, contrasting with the Southern “Bible Belt” or Yankee heritage of most rural Kansas counties. It was the solitary county in Kansas to support Catholic Al Smith over Herbert Hoover in 1928, when Kansas was Hoover's strongest state nationwide, and also was won by John F. Kennedy in 1960 by almost thirty percent as one of only two Kansas counties to back the Massachusetts Senator. Ellis County bucked the national and statewide trend by voting for Michael Dukakis over winner George H. W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election, one of only three Kansas counties to go for Dukakis. Ellis County gave a plurality to Bill Clinton over Bush and Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election, but has been solidly in the Republican column since, giving 66 percent to Republican John McCain to 32 percent for Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 election, higher than the 57 percent McCain won statewide.[7]
Laws
Wild Bill Hickok served as sheriff in 1870. Ellis County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 1988.[8]
Education
Unified school districts
There were 44 school districts by 1886.Шаблон:Sfn
- Ellis USD 388
- western third of county; small portion in extreme eastern Trego County
- Victoria USD 432
- eastern third of county to Russell county line
- Hays USD 489
Private schools
Universities and Colleges
Communities
Many settlements in Ellis are named after the original settlements in Russia from which the Volga Germans immigrated,Шаблон:Sfn including Catherine from Katherinenstatd (a.k.a. Baronsk and founded in 1765 by Baron de Beauregard), Shoenchen (a.k.a. Paninskoje and founded in 1767), Pfeifer (a.k.a. Gniluska and founded in 1766), Herzog (founded in 1764), and Munjor from Obermonjour (founded 1766) and Neo-Obermonjour (founded 1859).Шаблон:Sfn
† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.
Cities
- EllisШаблон:Sfn
- Hays (county seat)Шаблон:Sfn
- Schoenchen
- Victoria in Victoria Township Шаблон:Convert east of HaysШаблон:Sfn
Post offices
In 1886 there were twelve post offices in the county: Catharine, Easdale, Ellis, Hays City, Martin, Mendota, Munjor, Palatine, Stockrange, Turkville, Victoria, and Walker.Шаблон:Sfn
Hamlets
In the 19th and early 20th century there were several hamlets:
- Antonino Шаблон:Convert south-west of HaysШаблон:Sfn
- Mendota in Hamilton Township Шаблон:Convert north-west of HaysШаблон:Sfn
- Norfolk in Freedom Township Шаблон:Convert south-east of HaysШаблон:Sfn
- Pfeifer in Freedom Township Шаблон:Convert south-east of HaysШаблон:Sfn
- Smoky Hill in Smoky Hill Township Шаблон:Convert south-west of HaysШаблон:Sfn
- Toulon on the Union Pacific Railroad Шаблон:Convert east of HaysШаблон:Sfn
- Walker on the Union Pacific Railroad Шаблон:Convert east of Hays which had several stores, a grain elevator, a telegraph and express office, and the aforementioned Walker post office.Шаблон:Sfn 65 people lived there in 1910.Шаблон:Sfn
Unincorporated communities
Ghost towns
- Chetolah
- Easdale
- Hog Back
- RomeШаблон:Sfn
- Stockrange
- Turkville
Townships
Ellis County is divided into nine townships. The cities of Ellis and Hays are considered governmentally independent and are excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.
| Township | FIPS | Population center |
Population | Population density /km2 (/sq mi) |
Land area km2 (sq mi) |
Water area km2 (sq mi) |
Water % | Geographic coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Creek | 06650 | 1,798 | 7 (18) | 252 (97) | 0 (0) | 0.01% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Buckeye | 08950 | 285 | 1 (2) | 352 (136) | 0 (0) | 0.06% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Catherine | 11050 | 318 | 2 (4) | 208 (80) | 0 (0) | 0.03% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Ellis | 20475 | 386 | 1 (2) | 457 (176) | 0 (0) | 0.02% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Freedom | 24625 | 125 | 1 (3) | 117 (45) | 0 (0) | 0% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Herzog | 31525 | 894 | 3 (7) | 325 (126) | 1 (0) | 0.18% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Lookout | 42700 | 569 | 2 (5) | 317 (122) | 0 (0) | 0.10% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Victoria | 73800 | 845 | 6 (16) | 139 (54) | 0 (0) | 0% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Wheatland | 77650 | 401 | 3 (7) | 140 (54) | 0 (0) | 0% | Шаблон:Coord | |
| Sources: Шаблон:Cite web | ||||||||
At the start of the 20th century, the townships were: Big Creek, Buckeye, Catherine, Ellis, Freedom, Hamilton, Herzog, Lookout, Pleasant Hill, Saline, Smoky Hill, Victoria, Walker, and Wheatlan.Шаблон:Sfn
Gallery
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ellis County, Kansas
- Walker Army Airfield, an abandoned World War II airfield.
Шаблон:See also Kansas counties
References
Sources
- Шаблон:Cite encyclopaedia (Шаблон:Internet Archive)
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book (Шаблон:Internet Archive)
- Шаблон:Cite book (Шаблон:Internet Archive)
- Шаблон:Cite book
Further reading
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Standard Atlas of Ellis County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 71 pages; 1922.
- Standard Atlas of Ellis County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 58 pages; 1905.
External links
- County
- Maps
- Ellis County maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
- Kansas Highway maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
- Kansas Railroad maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society
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