History

Organized as Shirley in 1860.  County seat Concordia.  The county was originally named for Governor William Shirley, colonial Governor of Massachusetts from 1741 to 1756.  The name was changed to Cloud in 1867 in honor of Colonel William F. Cloud, of the Second Regiment, Kansas Volunteers.   Map and text from History of Kansas, Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)

Cities, Towns, & Villages of Cloud County

                           2000
    Town                Population  ZIP         Year  Elevation
    =================   ==========  =========   ====  =========
    Ames                            66931               1306
    Aurora                      79  67417               1476
    Clyde                      740  66938       1867    1300
    Concordia                5,714  66901               1369
    Cook                                                1390
    Fairfax                                              747
    Glasco                     536  67445       1870    1320
    Huscher                                             1459
    Jamestown                  399  66948               1411
    Macyville                                           1561
    Miltonvale                 523  67466       1879    1373
    Rice                            66901               1336
    Rosaco                                              1340
    Saint Joseph                                        1373
    Yuma                                                1380

Special Places in Cloud County

Cloud County is one of six counties in the Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Alliance.
 
The alliance is recording the history of the valley, showing visitors how to find interesting places between Hoxie in the west and Glasco in the east.

• The old jail in Clyde is part of the community's museum.
• Simpson, just south of Highway 24 on the boundary with Mitchell County, has several fine old post rock homes and businesses.
• The historic Brown Grand Theatre, built in 1907, is in Concordia.  You can tour the building; call (785) 243-2553 for more details.
• The Catholic church in Glasco has a beautiful stained glass window, a memorial to Agnes Butler.  Cloud County has a stained glass tour mapped out.
• The National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia is dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929. The museum and reasearch center opened to the public September 15, 2007.

Special Events in Cloud County

• Clyde's annual Watermelon festival was first held in 1899.  It's still held each September.
• Condordia will celebrate the 100th aniversary of the Brown Grand Theatre and the grand opening of the National Orphan Train Complex Septempber 13-17, 2007. Please visit the websites for more information.

Libraries

• Clyde Public Library
  101 S Green / P. O. Box 85, Clyde, KS 66938
• Frank Carlson Library (785) 243-2250
  702 Broadway / Concordia, KS 66901
• Glasco City Library (785) 568-2313
  City Hall / P. O. Box 595, Glasco, KS 67445
• Jamestown City Library
  415 Walnut / P. O. Box 287, Jamestown, KS 66948

Museums

• Clyde Community Museum (785) 446-2812
  Green & Campbell, Clyde, KS 66938
• Cloud County Historical Society Museum (785) 243-2866
  7th & Broadway, Concordia, KS 66901
  Tue-Sat 1-5 PM * P.O.W. Camp Exhibits

Cloud County School Systems

• USD 224 Clifton-Clyde (785) 455-3313 Clifton
• USD 333 Concordia (785) 243-3518 Concordia
• USD 334 Southern Cloud (785) 568-2247 Glasco

Colleges

• Cloud County Community College (785) 243-1435
  2221 Campus Drive / P. O. Box 1002, Concordia, KS 66901

Hospitals

• Cloud County Health Center (785) 243-1234  
  1100 Highland Dr., Concordia, KS 66901

Newspapers

• Clyde Republican (785) 446-2201
  305 Washington / Clyde, KS 66938
• Concordia Blade-Empire (785) 243-2424
  510 Washington / Concordia, KS 66901
• Glasco Sun (785) 568-2565
  213 E Main / Glasco, KS 67445
• Miltonvale Record (785) 427-2680
  12 W Spruce St / Miltonvale, KS 67466

More Data About Cloud County

Genealogy

• Cloud County KSGenWeb

Cloud County Offices

• Cloud County   (785) 243-8110
  811 Washington St., Concordia, KS 66901
• Extension Service (785) 243-8185
  811 Washington Suite E, Concordia, KS 66901