Montgomery County, Kansas

Montgomery County
County
Memorial Hall in Independence (2017)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°12′N95°44′W / 37.200°N 95.733°W / 37.200; -95.733
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	February 26, 1867
Named for	Richard Montgomery
Seat	Independence
Largest city	Coffeyville
Area
• Total	651 sq mi (1,690 km2)
• Land	644 sq mi (1,670 km2)
• Water	8.0 sq mi (21 km2)  1.2%
Population  (2020) [1]
• Total	31,486
• Density	48.9/sq mi (18.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	620
Congressional district	2nd
Website	mgcountyks.org

Montgomery County is a county located in Southeast Kansas. Its county seat is Independence, ^[2] and its most populous city is Coffeyville. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 31,486. ^[1] The county was named after Richard Montgomery, a major general during the American Revolutionary War.

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.

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. Montgomery County was established on February 26, 1867. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, in Canada, after successfully capturing two forts and the city of Montreal. ^[3]

When Kansas was admitted to the Union as a state in 1861, the Osage Indian reservation occupied a large tract of land near the southern border. The reservation had been established in 1825. After the Civil War ended, the Osage lands were coveted as the largest and last reserve of good land in the eastern part of the state. As early as 1866, the Osages were forced to cede tracts at the eastern and northern edges of the reservation. This treaty conceded white settlement on land in the eastern part of what is now Montgomery County.^{[ citation needed ]}

For a brief time, the Osages attempted to maintain a boundary at the Verdigris River. The Verdigris flows from north to south through the center of Montgomery County. From the west the Elk River joins the Verdigris at a confluence slightly northwest of the geographical center of the county. In 1867 Frank and Fred Bunker established a primitive cattle camp on the west side of the Verdigris south of the confluence. Like the Osages, the Bunkers thought they were beyond the boundaries of civilization.^{[ citation needed ]}

Early in 1869, however, settlers began to cross the Verdigris River, "at first under protest of the Indians, but the immense throng of settlers soon made all protests futile." Montgomery County was surveyed and organized in 1869; the governor appointed commissioners June 3.^{[ citation needed ]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 651 square miles (1,690 km²), of which 644 square miles (1,670 km²) is land and 8.0 square miles (21 km²) (1.2%) is water. ^[4] The lowest point in the state of Kansas is located on the Verdigris River in Cherokee Township in Montgomery County (just southeast of Coffeyville), where it flows out of Kansas and into Oklahoma. Western portions of the county contain parts of the northern Cross Timbers eco-region, which separates the forested eastern portion of the United States with the Plains. ^[5]

Google Maps uses Fawn Creek Township within Montgomery County as the zero-mile point of the United States. In other words, all directions to the "United States" will lead to a point in Fawn Creek. ^[6]

Adjacent counties

• Wilson County (north)
• Neosho County (northeast)
• Labette County (east)
• Nowata County, Oklahoma (southeast)
• Washington County, Oklahoma (south)
• Chautauqua County (west)
• Elk County (northwest)

Bodies of water

• Elk City Lake
• Elk River
• Havana Lake
• Liberty Lakes
• State Lake
• Verdigris River

State parks

• Elk City State Park
• Montgomery County State Park

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	7,564		—
1880	18,213		140.8%
1890	23,104		26.9%
1900	29,039		25.7%
1910	49,474		70.4%
1920	49,645		0.3%
1930	51,411		3.6%
1940	49,729		−3.3%
1950	46,487		−6.5%
1960	45,007		−3.2%
1970	39,949		−11.2%
1980	42,281		5.8%
1990	38,816		−8.2%
2000	36,252		−6.6%
2010	35,471		−2.2%
2020	31,486		−11.2%
2023 (est.)	30,568	[7]	−2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010-2020 [1]

The Coffeyville Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Montgomery County.

As of the 2000 census, ^[12] there were 36,252 people, 14,903 households, and 9,955 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile (22 people/km²). There were 17,207 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.77% White, 6.07% Black or African American, 3.19% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.13% from other races, and 3.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.08% of the population.

There were 14,903 households, out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.70% 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 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,997, and the median income for a family was $38,516. Males had a median income of $29,745 versus $20,179 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,421. About 9.20% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.80% of those under age 18 and 10.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Presidential election results

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	9,931	73.97%	3,228	24.04%	267	1.99%
2016	8,679	72.30%	2,637	21.97%	688	5.73%
2012	8,630	69.50%	3,501	28.20%	286	2.30%
2008	9,309	66.94%	4,338	31.19%	260	1.87%
2004	9,598	67.99%	4,338	30.73%	180	1.28%
2000	8,496	61.81%	4,770	34.70%	479	3.48%
1996	7,428	51.71%	5,269	36.68%	1,668	11.61%
1992	6,848	43.04%	5,453	34.27%	3,611	22.69%
1988	9,067	61.98%	5,429	37.11%	132	0.90%
1984	12,023	70.20%	4,933	28.80%	171	1.00%
1980	10,856	64.18%	5,282	31.23%	777	4.59%
1976	8,864	54.08%	7,157	43.66%	370	2.26%
1972	11,717	73.66%	3,685	23.17%	505	3.17%
1968	9,697	55.77%	5,210	29.97%	2,479	14.26%
1964	8,437	48.44%	8,853	50.83%	126	0.72%
1960	12,536	60.74%	7,938	38.46%	164	0.79%
1956	13,252	64.34%	7,265	35.27%	81	0.39%
1952	14,261	64.62%	7,679	34.79%	130	0.59%
1948	10,636	54.70%	8,621	44.34%	187	0.96%
1944	11,738	62.29%	7,063	37.48%	43	0.23%
1940	13,781	57.68%	9,999	41.85%	114	0.48%
1936	11,565	49.92%	11,535	49.79%	67	0.29%
1932	9,958	48.96%	9,941	48.88%	440	2.16%
1928	14,316	76.31%	4,205	22.41%	239	1.27%
1924	11,160	65.02%	4,178	24.34%	1,825	10.63%
1920	10,044	62.21%	5,657	35.04%	444	2.75%
1916	6,371	41.45%	8,059	52.44%	939	6.11%
1912	1,842	20.53%	3,011	33.56%	4,118	45.90%
1908	5,166	52.10%	4,030	40.64%	720	7.26%
1904	4,997	64.91%	2,091	27.16%	610	7.92%
1900	3,433	51.28%	3,213	48.00%	48	0.72%
1896	2,714	46.05%	3,132	53.14%	48	0.81%
1892	2,736	51.83%	0	0.00%	2,543	48.17%
1888	2,871	52.43%	1,863	34.02%	742	13.55%

Like almost all of Kansas, Montgomery County is powerfully Republican. Since 1920 the only Democrat to carry the county has been Lyndon Johnson in 1964, although Alf Landon in a landslide loss of 1936 won Montgomery – his home county – by only thirty votes, whilst Herbert Hoover won the county in 1932 by only seventeen votes out of over nineteen thousand.

Laws

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1998, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink without a food sales requirement. ^[14]

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Route 75
• U.S. Route 160
• U.S. Route 166
• U.S. Route 169
• U.S. Route 400

Bus

• Jefferson Lines

Airports

• Coffeyville Municipal Airport
• Independence Municipal Airport

Education

Colleges

• Coffeyville Community College
• Independence Community College

Unified school districts

• Caney Valley USD 436
• Coffeyville USD 445
• Independence USD 446
• Cherryvale USD 447 ^[15]

Communities

2005 KDOT Map of Montgomery County (map legend)

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

Cities

• Caney
• Cherryvale
• Coffeyville
• Dearing
• Elk City
• Havana
• Independence (county seat)
• Liberty
• Tyro

Unincorporated communities

• Avian
• Blake
• Bolton
• Corbin
• Jefferson
• Sycamore†
• Videtta Spur
• Wayside†

Ghost towns

• Le Hunt

Townships

Montgomery County is divided into twelve townships. The cities of Caney, Cherryvale, Coffeyville, and Independence 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
Caney	10400		1,244	7 (18)	176 (68)	1 (0)	0.30%	37°3′44″N95°54′12″W / 37.06222°N 95.90333°W / 37.06222; -95.90333
Cherokee	12850		541	5 (14)	100 (39)	0 (0)	0%	37°3′40″N95°34′50″W / 37.06111°N 95.58056°W / 37.06111; -95.58056
Cherry	12875		517	5 (13)	103 (40)	0 (0)	0.10%	37°19′12″N95°33′57″W / 37.32000°N 95.56583°W / 37.32000; -95.56583
Drum Creek	18700		537	6 (15)	92 (35)	0 (0)	0.15%	37°13′31″N95°36′17″W / 37.22528°N 95.60472°W / 37.22528; -95.60472
Fawn Creek	23325		2,036	11 (30)	179 (69)	0 (0)	0.06%	37°3′22″N95°44′7″W / 37.05611°N 95.73528°W / 37.05611; -95.73528
Independence	33900		2,342	14 (37)	163 (63)	5 (2)	2.85%	37°11′22″N95°44′31″W / 37.18944°N 95.74194°W / 37.18944; -95.74194
Liberty	40275		473	4 (11)	113 (44)	0 (0)	0.19%	37°9′32″N95°35′59″W / 37.15889°N 95.59972°W / 37.15889; -95.59972
Louisburg	42900		629	3 (9)	185 (71)	1 (1)	0.75%	37°18′25″N95°53′56″W / 37.30694°N 95.89889°W / 37.30694; -95.89889
Parker	54525		1,212	18 (47)	66 (26)	0 (0)	0.37%	37°3′19″N95°37′55″W / 37.05528°N 95.63194°W / 37.05528; -95.63194
Rutland	61925		302	2 (4)	185 (71)	2 (1)	0.86%	37°11′25″N95°52′59″W / 37.19028°N 95.88306°W / 37.19028; -95.88306
Sycamore	69750		835	5 (13)	169 (65)	7 (3)	3.86%	37°18′28″N95°44′53″W / 37.30778°N 95.74806°W / 37.30778; -95.74806
West Cherry	76825		239	2 (6)	102 (39)	0 (0)	0.05%	37°18′29″N95°38′54″W / 37.30806°N 95.64833°W / 37.30806; -95.64833
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 Montgomery 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; Montgomery County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021. [?https://web.archive.org/web/20210818035303/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/montgomerycountykansas/POP010220 Alt URL]
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Rydjord, John (1972). Kansas Place-Names. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. p. 381. ISBN   0-8061-0994-7.
4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
5. http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/student/holoubek1/report.html.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
6. Google Maps
7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 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 28, 2007.
15. Cherryvale USD 447

Notes

Further reading

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

• History of Montgomery County, Kansas; Lew Wallace Duncan; Press of Iola Register; 852 pages; 1903.
• Atlas and Plat Book of Montgomery County, Kansas; Kenyon Co; 36 pages; 1916.
• Historical Atlas of Montgomery County, Kansas; John P. Edwards; 34 pages; 1881.

Forgotten Faces of The Montgomery County Poor Farm by Cherilyn Hearn

External links

County

• Montgomery County - Official Website
• Montgomery County - Directory of Public Officials

Maps

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