Morris County, Kansas

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Morris County, Kansas
Location in the state of Kansas
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 11, 1859
Seat	Council Grove
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	702.84 sq mi (1,820 km²) 697.38 sq mi (1,806 km²) 5.46 sq mi (14 km²), 0.78%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	5,923 8.7/sq mi (3.3/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.MorrisCountyKS.org

Morris County (standard abbreviation: MR) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 5,923. The largest city and county seat is Council Grove.

History

19th century

1914 railroad map.

1845 Santa Fe Trail crossing Morris County

The county was established on ancient grounds of the Kaw American Indian tribe. Settlers and the Kaw lived in increasingly uneasy relationship as settlers encroached on native lands.

Council Grove, established by European Americans in 1825, was an important supply station on the Santa Fe Trail. The town was also the site of an encampment by John C. Fremont in 1845 and in 1849 the Overland Mail established a supply headquarters there.

The county was originally organized as Wise County in 1855. The county was named for Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise. When Wise presided over the hanging of abolitionist John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859, the county was renamed Morris, abolition supporters renamed the county in honor of Thomas Morris, a former United States Senator from Ohio who was an opponent of slavery.

In 1851, the Methodist Church established an Indian Mission at Morris County. Thirty Kaw boys lived and studied until 1854 when the tribe was removed to Oklahoma.

Between 1877 and 1879, Benjamin "Pap" Singleton, a former slave who escaped to freedom in 1846, staked out a settlement in Morris County for freedmen known as "Exodusters". Thousands of families migrated from the post-Reconstruction South to seek more opportunities and better living conditions in the Midwest.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from Topeka to Herington. This main line connected Topeka, Valencia, Willard, Maple Hill, Vera, Paxico, McFarland, Alma, Volland, Alta Vista, Dwight, White City, Latimer, Herington. The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway was foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

In 1887, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a branch line from Neva (3 miles west of Strong City) to Superior, Nebraska. This branch line connected Strong City, Neva, Rockland, Diamond Springs, Burdick, Lost Springs, Jacobs, Hope, Navarre, Enterprise, Abilene, Talmage, Manchester, Longford, Oak Hill, Miltonvale, Aurora, Huscher, Concordia, Kackley, Courtland, Webber, Superior. At some point, the line from Neva to Lost Springs was pulled but the right of way has not been abandoned. This branch line was originally called "Strong City and Superior line" but later the name was shortened to the "Strong City line". In 1996, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merged with Burlington Northern Railroad and renamed to the current BNSF Railway.

20th century

The National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through Herington, Delavan, Council Grove.

Law and government

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1992, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 702.84 square miles (1,820.3 km²), of which 697.38 square miles (1,806.2 km²) (or 99.22%) is land and 5.46 square miles (14.1 km²) (or 0.78%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Geary County (north)
• Wabaunsee County (northeast)
• Lyon County (southeast)
• Chase County (south)
• Marion County (southwest)
• Dickinson County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	11,967		—
1910	12,397		3.6%
1920	12,005		−3.2%
1930	11,859		−1.2%
1940	10,363		−12.6%
1950	8,485		−18.1%
1960	7,392		−12.9%
1970	6,432		−13.0%
1980	6,419		−0.2%
1990	6,198		−3.4%
2000	6,104		−1.5%
2010	5,923		−3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

Age pyramid

2005 KDOT Map of Morris County (map legend)

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,104 people, 2,539 households, and 1,777 families residing in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 3,160 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.49% White, 0.34% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 2.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,539 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 6.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 23.90% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 21.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,163, and the median income for a family was $39,717. Males had a median income of $28,912 versus $21,239 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,491. About 6.70% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.40% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities

Name and population (2004 estimate):

• Council Grove, 2,253
• White City, 492
• Dwight, 328
• Wilsey, 189
• Dunlap, 81
• Parkerville, 72
• Latimer, 21
• Less than 1 km² (0 sq mi) of Herington (pop. 2,469) is within the county border with the majority of the city in Dickinson County.

Unincorporated community

• Burdick
• Delavan
• Skiddy, the unincorporated hamlet of Skiddy lies less than one mile south of the Geary County line in north central Morris County.

Ghost towns

• Diamond Springs

Townships

Morris County is divided into eleven townships. The cities of Council Grove and Herington 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.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Highland	31975		94	1 (3)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.03%	38°44′48″N 96°45′52″W
Overland	53750		60	1 (2)	88 (34)	0 (0)	0.01%	38°48′18″N 96°51′44″W
Township 1	71202		551	2 (4)	356 (138)	1 (0)	0.28%	38°36′23″N 96°25′34″W
Township 2	71206		688	3 (7)	270 (104)	12 (5)	4.37%	38°42′42″N 96°30′4″W
Township 3	71210		503	5 (12)	109 (42)	0 (0)	0.06%	38°49′54″N 96°34′57″W
Township 4	71214		252	2 (4)	155 (60)	0 (0)	0.02%	38°47′19″N 96°39′17″W
Township 5	71218		686	7 (19)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.02%	38°48′24″N 96°45′4″W
Township 6	71222		111	1 (4)	78 (30)	0 (0)	0.18%	38°44′5″N 96°51′46″W
Township 7	71227		258	2 (4)	170 (66)	0 (0)	0.10%	38°39′22″N 96°49′44″W
Township 8	71232		212	1 (3)	186 (72)	0 (0)	0.08%	38°33′56″N 96°48′36″W
Township 9	71237		368	2 (5)	202 (78)	0 (0)	0.08%	38°38′2″N 96°39′28″W

Education

Unified school districts

• USD 417, Morris County
  • Council Grove, Dunlap, Rural Areas
• USD 481, Rural Vista
  • White City, Rural Areas

District Office In Neighboring County

• USD 397, Centre
  • Burdick, Rural Areas
• USD 284, Chase County
  • Rural Areas

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Morris County, Kansas

Information on this and other counties in Kansas

• List of counties in Kansas
• List of Kansas county name etymologies
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas
• Kansas locations by per capita income

Other information for Kansas

• List of cities in Kansas
• List of unified school districts in Kansas
• List of colleges and universities in Kansas

Further reading

Kansas

• History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
• Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook), (Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)

USA

• The Story of the Marking of the Santa Fe Trail by the Daughters of the American Revolution in Kansas and the State of Kansas; Almira Cordry; Crane Co; 164 pages; 1915. (Download 4MB PDF eBook)
• The National Old Trails Road To Southern California, Part 1 (LA to KC); Automobile Club Of Southern California; 64 pages; 1916. (Download 6.8MB PDF eBook)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Morris County, Kansas

Official

• Morris County
• Morris County - Directory of Public Officials

General county information

• Blue Skyways - Morris County

County Level Data

• Kansas Statistical Abstract

Maps

• 2002 Morris County Map, KDOT
• 2011 Kansas Highway Map, KDOT
• 2011 Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT
• 2005 Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE