Morton County, KS

History

Organized November 18, 1886. County seat, Richfield. Was named in honor of Honorable Oliver P. Morton, of Indiana.

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

The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of Elkhart.

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

Cities, Towns, & Villages of Morton County

                 2000
  Year  Elev  Population Name              ZIP
  ====  ====  ========== ================ =====
  1913  3624       2,233 Elkhart          67950
  1885  3400          48 Richfield        67953
  1912  3300         482 Rolla            67954
  1913  3430             Wilburton

Census Bureau Profile & Map

Special Places in Morton County

Cunningham Park in Elkhart honors the famous Olympic runner.
The Cimarron Grasslands are the largest tract of public land in Kansas.
Point of Rocks is a scenic and historic location north of Elkhart looking out over the Cimarron River valley which probably won't have any water in it when you visit.
Richfield used to be the county seat of Morton County and had a two story stone courthouse which was abandoned many years ago. The town school has been converted into a Sr. Center and the city park has clean free public restrooms.
The Richfield Methodist Church was built in the 1800's and still serves an active congregation. The bricks in the building were made in Richfield.

Libraries

Morton County Library (620) 697-2025
410 Kansas / P. O. Box 938 / Elkhart, KS 67950
Rolla Public Library (620) 593-4328
201 Van Buren / Rolla, KS 67954

Morton County School Systems

USD 217 Rolla (620) 593-4344 Rolla
USD 218 Elkhart (620) 697-2195 Elkhart

Hospitals

Morton County Hospital (620) 697-2141
445 Hilltop / Elkhart, KS 67950

Museums

Morton County Historical Society (620) 697-2833
US Highway 56 / Elkhart, KS 67950

Newspapers

Tri-State News (620) 697-4716
546 Morton / Elkhart, KS 67950

More Data About Morton County

Economic Development

Kansas County Profile Reports
Statistical data from The Institute for Policy and Social Research, the University of Kansas

Health Data

KDHE's Morton County Health Profile

Morton County Genealogy

Morton County KSGenWeb

References

WPA The WPA Guide to 1930s Kansas ( Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. reprint 1984) See Tour 4a.

Morton County Offices

Morton County (620) 697-2157
P. O. Box 1116 / Elkhart, KS 67950
Extension Service (620) 697-2558
625 Colorado, Box 798 | Elkhart,KS 67950-0798

For more about Morton County contact:

Elkhart Chamber of Commerce (620) 697-4600
P. O. Box 696 / Elkhart, KS 67950