Butler County, Kansas

Butler County
County
Butler County Courthouse in El Dorado (2011)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°47′N96°50′W / 37.783°N 96.833°W / 37.783; -96.833
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	August 25, 1855
Named for	Andrew Pickens Butler
Seat	El Dorado
Largest city	Andover
Area
• Total	1,447 sq mi (3,750 km2)
• Land	1,430 sq mi (3,700 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  1.2%
Population  (2020) [1]
• Total	67,380
• Estimate  (2023) [2]	68,632
• Density	47.1/sq mi (18.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	316
Congressional district	4th
Website	bucoks.com

Butler County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas and is the largest county in the state by total area. ^[3] Its county seat is El Dorado and its most populous city is Andover. ^[4] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 67,380. ^[1] The county was named for Andrew Butler, a U.S. Senator from South Carolina who coauthored the Kansas–Nebraska Act.

History

Early history

See also: History of Kansas

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles.

In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1848, after the Mexican–American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with Spain brought into the United States all or part of land for ten future states, including southwest Kansas. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.

19th century

In 1855, Butler County was founded. It was named in honor of a U.S. Senator from South Carolina, Andrew Butler (1796-1857), who was one of the authors of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and a strong advocate of Kansas becoming a slave state. ^[5]

In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company built a branch line from Florence to El Dorado, in 1881 it was extended to Douglass, and later to Arkansas City. ^[6] The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942. ^[7] The original branch line connected Florence, Burns, De Graff, El Dorado, Augusta, Douglass, Rock, Akron, Winfield, Arkansas City.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north–south from Herington to Caldwell. ^[8] This branch line connected Herington, Lost Springs, Lincolnville, Antelope, Marion, Aulne, Peabody, Elbing, Whitewater, Furley, Kechi, Wichita, Peck, Corbin, Wellington, Caldwell. By 1893, this branch line was incrementally built to Fort Worth, Texas. This line is called the "OKT". The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway was foreclosed in 1891 and was 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, and finally merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

21st century

In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed north to south through Butler County (near Potwin, Towanda, Augusta, Douglass), with much controversy over tax exemption and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs). ^{[9] [10]} A pumping station named Burns was built 2 miles north of Potwin, and new power lines were built from a high-voltage line 0.3 mile east of De Graff. ^[11]

In an unusual technical glitch, a farmstead about 4 miles northeast of Potwin became the default site of 600 million IP addresses (due to their lack of fine granularity) when the Massachusetts-based digital mapping company MaxMind changed the putative geographic center of the contiguous United States from 39.8333333,-98.585522 to 38.0000,-97.0000. ^{[12] [13]}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,447 square miles (3,750 km²), of which 1,430 square miles (3,700 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (1.2%) is water. ^[14] It is the largest county by area in Kansas.

Adjacent counties

• Chase County (northeast)
• Greenwood County (east)
• Elk County (southeast)
• Cowley County (south)
• Sumner County (southwest)
• Harvey County (west)
• Sedgwick County (west)
• Marion County (northwest)

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, ^[15] U.S. Census Bureau ^[16]

• Interstate 35
• U.S. Route 54
• U.S. Route 77
• Kansas Highway 96
• Kansas Highway 177
• Kansas Highway 196
• Kansas Highway 254

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	437		—
1870	3,035		594.5%
1880	18,586		512.4%
1890	24,055		29.4%
1900	23,363		−2.9%
1910	23,059		−1.3%
1920	43,842		90.1%
1930	35,904		−18.1%
1940	32,013		−10.8%
1950	31,001		−3.2%
1960	38,395		23.9%
1970	38,658		0.7%
1980	44,782		15.8%
1990	50,580		12.9%
2000	59,482		17.6%
2010	65,880		10.8%
2020	67,380		2.3%
2023 (est.)	68,632	[2]	1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [17] 1790-1960 [18] 1900-1990 [19] 1990-2000 [20] 2010-2020 [1]

Butler County is part of the Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 59,482 people, 21,527 households, and 16,059 families resided in the county. The population density was 42 inhabitants per square mile (16/km²). There were 23,176 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6.2/km²). The county's racial makeup was 94.94% White, 1.38% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.69% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.

There were 21,527 households, of which 37.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males.

The county's median household income was $45,474, and the median family income was $53,632. Males had a median income of $38,675 versus $26,109 for females. The county's per capita income was $20,150. About 5.40% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Presidential election results

United States presidential election results for Butler County, Kansas ^[21]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	21,915	69.82%	8,840	28.16%	632	2.01%
2020	22,634	69.60%	9,181	28.23%	705	2.17%
2016	19,073	68.96%	6,573	23.77%	2,011	7.27%
2012	18,157	69.61%	7,282	27.92%	646	2.48%
2008	18,155	65.13%	9,159	32.86%	559	2.01%
2004	18,438	70.16%	7,495	28.52%	347	1.32%
2000	13,377	63.69%	6,755	32.16%	870	4.14%
1996	13,979	58.70%	7,294	30.63%	2,543	10.68%
1992	9,166	38.79%	7,029	29.75%	7,434	31.46%
1988	10,976	57.60%	7,690	40.35%	390	2.05%
1984	12,976	66.33%	6,371	32.56%	217	1.11%
1980	10,210	55.33%	6,875	37.26%	1,368	7.41%
1976	8,390	48.45%	8,540	49.32%	386	2.23%
1972	11,045	67.39%	4,669	28.49%	675	4.12%
1968	7,893	50.79%	5,952	38.30%	1,696	10.91%
1964	6,364	40.97%	9,061	58.34%	107	0.69%
1960	10,059	58.37%	7,112	41.27%	61	0.35%
1956	9,591	60.73%	6,158	38.99%	45	0.28%
1952	10,179	65.04%	5,359	34.24%	113	0.72%
1948	6,551	50.58%	6,269	48.40%	132	1.02%
1944	7,064	53.50%	6,084	46.08%	55	0.42%
1940	7,619	49.60%	7,615	49.58%	126	0.82%
1936	6,204	39.99%	9,283	59.84%	27	0.17%
1932	6,116	43.70%	7,447	53.22%	431	3.08%
1928	10,168	79.43%	2,533	19.79%	101	0.79%
1924	7,367	57.93%	3,642	28.64%	1,707	13.42%
1920	6,821	60.56%	4,112	36.51%	331	2.94%
1916	3,614	43.16%	4,248	50.73%	511	6.10%
1912	971	18.30%	2,005	37.79%	2,330	43.91%
1908	3,049	53.97%	2,290	40.54%	310	5.49%
1904	3,306	61.90%	1,540	28.83%	495	9.27%
1900	2,947	50.64%	2,752	47.29%	120	2.06%
1896	2,414	44.91%	2,926	54.44%	35	0.65%
1892	2,650	48.62%	0	0.00%	2,800	51.38%
1888	3,172	55.36%	1,616	28.20%	942	16.44%

Like of most of Kansas’ counties, Butler county is solidly Republican. In 2008, John McCain carried the county by a nearly two-to-one margin over Barack Obama. Since 1992, no Democratic candidate has received so much as forty percent of the county's vote. ^[22] The last Democratic candidate to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. ^[23]

Laws

Butler 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. ^[24]

Education

College

• Butler County Community College in El Dorado

Unified school districts

• Bluestem USD 205
• Remington USD 206
• Circle USD 375
• Andover USD 385
• Rose Hill USD 394
• Douglass USD 396
• Augusta USD 402
• El Dorado USD 490
• Flinthills USD 492

School district office in neighboring county

• Peabody–Burns USD 398
• Central USD 462

Private schools

• Berean Academy in Elbing

Communities

2005 map of Butler County (map legend)

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Butler County. ^[25]

Cities

• Andover
• Augusta
• Benton
• Cassoday
• Douglass
• Elbing
• El Dorado (county seat)
• Latham
• Leon
• Potwin
• Rose Hill
• Towanda
• Whitewater

Unincorporated communities

† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

• Beaumont†
• Bois d'Arc
• Brainerd
• De Graff
• Gordon
• Haverhill
• Keighley
• Lorena
• Midian
• Pontiac
• Rosalia†

Ghost towns

• Aikman
• Alki
• Amador
• Browntown
• Chelsea (now lies under El Dorado Lake)
• Durachen
• Frazier
• Lorena
• Magna City
• Midian
• Oil Hill
• Oil Valley
• Ophir
• Plum Grove
• Providence
• Ramsey
• Salter
• Vanora
• Wingate

Townships

Butler County is divided into twenty-nine townships. The cities of Augusta and El Dorado 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
Augusta	03325		1,405	17 (43)	84 (32)	1 (0)	0.68%	37°41′32″N96°59′15″W / 37.69222°N 96.98750°W / 37.69222; -96.98750
Benton	06200	Benton	2,211	24 (61)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0%	37°47′0″N97°6′11″W / 37.78333°N 97.10306°W / 37.78333; -97.10306
Bloomington	07500		544	6 (15)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0%	37°35′57″N96°54′1″W / 37.59917°N 96.90028°W / 37.59917; -96.90028
Bruno	08825	Andover	9,744	107 (278)	91 (35)	0 (0)	0.10%	37°41′37″N97°6′48″W / 37.69361°N 97.11333°W / 37.69361; -97.11333
Chelsea	12750		190	1 (2)	261 (101)	17 (7)	6.15%	37°55′27″N96°44′34″W / 37.92417°N 96.74278°W / 37.92417; -96.74278
Clay	13575		83	1 (2)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.22%	37°31′21″N96°45′39″W / 37.52250°N 96.76083°W / 37.52250; -96.76083
Clifford	14175		259	2 (6)	108 (42)	0 (0)	0.18%	38°2′7″N96°58′41″W / 38.03528°N 96.97806°W / 38.03528; -96.97806
Douglass	18425	Douglass	2,306	25 (64)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.32%	37°31′1″N97°0′33″W / 37.51694°N 97.00917°W / 37.51694; -97.00917
El Dorado	20100		1,700	12 (32)	140 (54)	2 (1)	1.46%	37°48′38″N96°52′23″W / 37.81056°N 96.87306°W / 37.81056; -96.87306
Fairmount	22275	Elbing	511	5 (14)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.14%	38°2′34″N97°5′53″W / 38.04278°N 97.09806°W / 38.04278; -97.09806
Fairview	22450		491	5 (14)	92 (36)	0 (0)	0.14%	37°52′15″N96°59′46″W / 37.87083°N 96.99611°W / 37.87083; -96.99611
Glencoe	26400		239	1 (4)	161 (62)	1 (0)	0.60%	37°41′29″N96°36′57″W / 37.69139°N 96.61583°W / 37.69139; -96.61583
Hickory	31750		90	1 (1)	162 (62)	1 (0)	0.67%	37°37′5″N96°37′45″W / 37.61806°N 96.62917°W / 37.61806; -96.62917
Lincoln	40500		317	1 (3)	257 (99)	2 (1)	0.64%	37°57′6″N96°53′1″W / 37.95167°N 96.88361°W / 37.95167; -96.88361
Little Walnut	41625	Leon	1,002	11 (28)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.44%	37°41′34″N96°46′37″W / 37.69278°N 96.77694°W / 37.69278; -96.77694
Logan	41775		154	2 (4)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.16%	37°37′15″N96°45′13″W / 37.62083°N 96.75361°W / 37.62083; -96.75361
Milton	46875	Whitewater	1,136	12 (31)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.15%	37°57′21″N97°7′14″W / 37.95583°N 97.12056°W / 37.95583; -97.12056
Murdock	49225		378	4 (10)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0%	37°51′42″N97°6′23″W / 37.86167°N 97.10639°W / 37.86167; -97.10639
Pleasant	56200	Rose Hill (part)	4,649	50 (129)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.11%	37°35′49″N97°6′54″W / 37.59694°N 97.11500°W / 37.59694; -97.11500
Plum Grove	56850	Potwin	661	7 (19)	92 (36)	1 (0)	0.58%	37°56′46″N97°0′51″W / 37.94611°N 97.01417°W / 37.94611; -97.01417
Prospect	57775		2,033	10 (26)	203 (78)	16 (6)	7.20%	37°49′25″N96°45′35″W / 37.82361°N 96.75972°W / 37.82361; -96.75972
Richland	59250	Rose Hill (part)	2,399	26 (66)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.02%	37°31′37″N97°6′29″W / 37.52694°N 97.10806°W / 37.52694; -97.10806
Rock Creek	60475		299	3 (8)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0%	37°31′19″N96°53′3″W / 37.52194°N 96.88417°W / 37.52194; -96.88417
Rosalia	61125		589	4 (9)	162 (63)	1 (0)	0.58%	37°46′47″N96°37′22″W / 37.77972°N 96.62278°W / 37.77972; -96.62278
Spring	67275		1,566	17 (43)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.13%	37°41′36″N96°52′52″W / 37.69333°N 96.88111°W / 37.69333; -96.88111
Sycamore	69700	Cassoday	333	1 (3)	295 (114)	2 (1)	0.76%	38°1′15″N96°40′19″W / 38.02083°N 96.67194°W / 38.02083; -96.67194
Towanda	71150	Towanda	2,727	29 (76)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.14%	37°47′32″N96°59′43″W / 37.79222°N 96.99528°W / 37.79222; -96.99528
Union	72050	Latham	226	1 (4)	161 (62)	1 (0)	0.72%	37°32′2″N96°38′41″W / 37.53389°N 96.64472°W / 37.53389; -96.64472
Walnut	74900		760	8 (21)	92 (36)	1 (0)	0.77%	37°36′4″N96°59′31″W / 37.60111°N 96.99194°W / 37.60111; -96.99194
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002.

See also

• Kansas portal

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

Community information for Kansas

• Kansas locations by per capita income
• List of counties in Kansas
• List of townships in Kansas
• List of cities in Kansas
• List of unincorporated communities in Kansas
• List of ghost towns in Kansas

References

1. "QuickFacts; Butler County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
2. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
3. "Kansas Land Area County Rank".
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. Standard Publishing Company. pp.  261.
6. Marion County Kansas : Past and Present; Sondra Van Meter; MB Publishing House; LCCN 72-92041; 344 pages; 1972.
7. Railway Abandonment 1942
8. "Rock Island Rail History". Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
9. Keystone Pipeline - Marion County Commission calls out Legislative Leadership on Pipeline Deal; April 18, 2010. Archived October 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
10. Keystone Pipeline - TransCanada inspecting pipeline; December 10, 2010.
11. Keystone Pipeline - Burns Pumping Station - New Powerline Map; Trow Engineering Consultants and TransCanda; 2010.
12. Hill, Kashmir (April 10, 2016). "How an internet mapping glitch turned a random Kansas farm into a digital hell". Fusion. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
13. Kansas couple sues over internet glitch targeting their home; The Wichita Eagle; August 8, 2016.
14. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
15. National Atlas Archived December 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
16. "U.S. Census Bureau TIGER shape files". Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
17. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
18. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
19. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
20. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
21. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
22. The New York Times Electoral Map (Zoom in on Kansas)
23. David Leip's Presidential Election Atlas - 1976 statistics
24. "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
25. "General Highway Map of Butler County, Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). May 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2024.

Further reading

See also: List of books about Kansas, including historical information about its counties and cities

• History of Butler County, Kansas; Vol P Mooney; Standard Publishing; 869 pages; 1916.
• An Illustrated Hand Book, Compiled from the Official Statistics, Descriptive of Butler County, Kansas; 66 pages; T.B. Murdock; 1887.
• Standard Atlas of Butler County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 69 pages; 1905.
• Standard Atlas of Butler County, Kansas; Walter F. McGinnis & I.C. Thomas; 59 pages; 1885.

External links

County

• Butler County - Official
• Butler County - Directory of Public Officials

Historical

• Butler County GenWeb
• Kansas State Historical Society

Maps

• Butler County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
• Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
• Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society