Chautauqua County, Kansas

Not to be confused with Chautauqua, Kansas.

Chautauqua County
County
Chautauqua County Courthouse in Sedan (2023)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°09′N96°14′W / 37.150°N 96.233°W / 37.150; -96.233
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	March 25, 1875
Named for	Chautauqua County, New York
Seat	Sedan
Largest city	Sedan
Area
• Total	645 sq mi (1,670 km2)
• Land	639 sq mi (1,660 km2)
• Water	5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020) [1]
• Total	3,379
• Estimate  (2023) [2]	3,347
• Density	5.3/sq mi (2.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	620
Congressional district	4th
Website	chautauquacountyks.com

Chautauqua County is a county located in Southeast Kansas, United States. Its county seat and most populous city is Sedan. ^[3] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 3,379. ^[1] The county is named for Chautauqua County, New York, the birthplace of Edward Jaquins, a Kansas politician who was instrumental in getting the county established. ^[4]

History

Early history

See also: History of Kansas

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. The name is non-native, but is derived from the now-extinct Native Erie language, spoken near the Great Lakes. 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.

19th century

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 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. Chautauqua County was created by an act of the Kansas legislature on June 1, 1875, by the division of Howard County into Elk County (the northern half) and Chautauqua County (the southern half). At the time of its creation, the county's population was about 7,400.^{[ citation needed ]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 645 square miles (1,670 km²), of which 639 square miles (1,660 km²) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km²) (0.9%) is water. ^[5]

Adjacent counties

• Elk County (north)
• Montgomery County (east)
• Washington County, Oklahoma (southeast)
• Osage County, Oklahoma (south)
• Cowley County (west)

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, ^[6] U.S. Census Bureau ^[7]

• U.S. Route 166
• Kansas Highway 99

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	11,072		—
1890	12,297		11.1%
1900	11,804		−4.0%
1910	11,429		−3.2%
1920	11,598		1.5%
1930	10,352		−10.7%
1940	9,233		−10.8%
1950	7,376		−20.1%
1960	5,956		−19.3%
1970	4,642		−22.1%
1980	5,016		8.1%
1990	4,407		−12.1%
2000	4,359		−1.1%
2010	3,669		−15.8%
2020	3,379		−7.9%
2023 (est.)	3,347	[2]	−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010-2020 [1]

As of the 2000 census, ^[12] there were 4,359 people, 1,796 households, and 1,235 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (2.7 people/km²). There were 2,169 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.83% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 3.58% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.

There were 1,796 households, out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 29.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 20.90% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 24.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,717, and the median income for a family was $33,871. Males had a median income of $25,083 versus $21,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,280. About 9.00% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.80% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Presidential election results

United States presidential election results for Chautauqua County, Kansas ^[13]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,287	84.89%	210	13.85%	19	1.25%
2020	1,402	85.28%	212	12.90%	30	1.82%
2016	1,236	83.46%	197	13.30%	48	3.24%
2012	1,304	80.00%	280	17.18%	46	2.82%
2008	1,418	76.57%	401	21.65%	33	1.78%
2004	1,529	78.01%	404	20.61%	27	1.38%
2000	1,347	71.65%	443	23.56%	90	4.79%
1996	1,142	58.27%	568	28.98%	250	12.76%
1992	853	41.15%	598	28.85%	622	30.00%
1988	1,247	64.48%	661	34.18%	26	1.34%
1984	1,688	76.55%	497	22.54%	20	0.91%
1980	1,566	71.60%	543	24.83%	78	3.57%
1976	1,159	55.77%	866	41.67%	53	2.55%
1972	1,546	78.00%	378	19.07%	58	2.93%
1968	1,537	65.52%	478	20.38%	331	14.11%
1964	1,463	55.42%	1,163	44.05%	14	0.53%
1960	2,160	70.54%	885	28.90%	17	0.56%
1956	2,180	70.85%	887	28.83%	10	0.32%
1952	2,542	74.76%	837	24.62%	21	0.62%
1948	1,925	59.34%	1,261	38.87%	58	1.79%
1944	2,305	67.38%	1,106	32.33%	10	0.29%
1940	2,888	62.70%	1,679	36.45%	39	0.85%
1936	2,506	54.49%	2,080	45.23%	13	0.28%
1932	1,893	43.42%	2,263	51.90%	204	4.68%
1928	3,303	75.97%	944	21.71%	101	2.32%
1924	2,439	59.99%	1,087	26.73%	540	13.28%
1920	2,539	68.58%	936	25.28%	227	6.13%
1916	2,085	49.69%	1,737	41.40%	374	8.91%
1912	818	31.35%	752	28.82%	1,039	39.82%
1908	1,689	60.19%	958	34.14%	159	5.67%
1904	2,033	67.47%	681	22.60%	299	9.92%
1900	1,618	55.47%	1,280	43.88%	19	0.65%
1896	1,359	50.92%	1,293	48.45%	17	0.64%
1892	1,408	52.03%	0	0.00%	1,298	47.97%
1888	1,590	57.57%	694	25.13%	478	17.31%

Chautauqua is an overwhelmingly Republican county. The only Republican to ever lose the county has been Herbert Hoover during his landslide 1932 election defeat when he carried fewer than fifty counties west of the Mississippi. Apart from never-Democratic, historically Yankee Doniphan County, it was the only Kansas county to give incumbent President William Howard Taft a plurality in 1912. The last Democrat to pass thirty percent of the county's vote was Michael Dukakis in 1988, and in 2020 Joe Biden received merely less than thirteen percent.

Laws

Although the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, Chautauqua County remained a prohibition, or "dry", county, until 2008, when a county wide ballot measure was approved to allow individual liquor sales with a 30 percent food requirement. ^[14]

Education

Unified school districts

• Cedar Vale USD 285 ^[15]
• Chautauqua County USD 286 ^[16]

Communities

2005 map of Chautauqua County (map legend)

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Chautauqua County. ^[17]

Cities

• Cedar Vale
• Chautauqua
• Elgin
• Niotaze
• Peru
• Sedan (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Cloverdale
• Grafton
• Hale
• Hewins
• Jonesburg (originally spelled Jonesburgh) ^[18]
• Lowe (Gibbs)
• Monett
• Rogers
• Wauneta

Ghost towns

• Boston ^[19]
• Layton ^[20]
• Leeds
• Matanzas ^[21]
• Moore
• Osro

Townships

Chautauqua County is divided into twelve townships. None of the cities within the county are considered governmentally independent, and all figures for the townships include those of the cities. 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
Belleville	05575		675	4 (11)	155 (60)	0 (0)	0.14%	37°3′50″N96°7′48″W / 37.06389°N 96.13000°W / 37.06389; -96.13000
Caneyville	10425		88	1 (2)	144 (55)	1 (0)	0.38%	37°15′23″N96°27′27″W / 37.25639°N 96.45750°W / 37.25639; -96.45750
Center	11575		75	1 (1)	144 (56)	1 (0)	0.80%	37°15′28″N96°18′31″W / 37.25778°N 96.30861°W / 37.25778; -96.30861
Harrison	30275		114	1 (2)	142 (55)	0 (0)	0.14%	37°4′3″N96°26′32″W / 37.06750°N 96.44222°W / 37.06750; -96.44222
Hendricks	31300		179	1 (3)	142 (55)	0 (0)	0.05%	37°1′12″N96°18′42″W / 37.02000°N 96.31167°W / 37.02000; -96.31167
Jefferson	35125	Cedar Vale	834	6 (15)	144 (56)	1 (0)	0.45%	37°6′45″N96°29′12″W / 37.11250°N 96.48667°W / 37.11250; -96.48667
Lafayette	37650		65	0 (1)	154 (59)	2 (1)	1.40%	37°15′36″N96°10′20″W / 37.26000°N 96.17222°W / 37.26000; -96.17222
Little Caney	41525		353	3 (8)	117 (45)	0 (0)	0.31%	37°3′51″N96°1′5″W / 37.06417°N 96.01806°W / 37.06417; -96.01806
Salt Creek	62775		123	1 (3)	127 (49)	0 (0)	0.34%	37°15′13″N96°1′34″W / 37.25361°N 96.02611°W / 37.25361; -96.02611
Sedan	63775	Sedan	1,660	13 (34)	128 (49)	1 (0)	0.65%	37°7′50″N96°11′6″W / 37.13056°N 96.18500°W / 37.13056; -96.18500
Summit	69025		106	1 (2)	144 (56)	1 (0)	0.40%	37°8′17″N96°19′53″W / 37.13806°N 96.33139°W / 37.13806; -96.33139
Washington	75550		87	1 (2)	121 (47)	1 (0)	0.71%	37°7′41″N96°0′52″W / 37.12806°N 96.01444°W / 37.12806; -96.01444
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

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; Chautauqua 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. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Chautauqua County, Kansas". Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. National Atlas Archived December 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
7. "U.S. Census Bureau TIGER shape files". Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
11. "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 22, 2014.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
14. "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.
15. Cedar Vale USD 285
16. Sedan USD 286
17. "General Highway Map of Chautauqua County, Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). November 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 27, 2023.
18. "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived)". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
19. Rydjord, John (1972). Kansas Place-Names. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. pp. 250–251. ISBN   0-8061-0994-7.
20. Rydjord, John (1972). Kansas Place-Names. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. p. 493. ISBN   0-8061-0994-7.
21. Rydjord, John (1972). Kansas Place-Names. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. p. 96. ISBN   0-8061-0994-7.

Further reading

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

• Handbook of Elk and Chautauqua Counties, Kansas; C.S. Burch Publishing Co; 24 pages; 1886.
• Standard Atlas of Chautauqua County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 66 pages; 1921.
• Standard Atlas of Chautauqua County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 32 pages; 1903.

External links

County

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

Maps

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