Webster, Kansas

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Webster, Kansas
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Webster street scene (est. early 1900s)
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Webster
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Webster
Coordinates: 39°24′06″N99°26′09″W / 39.40167°N 99.43583°W / 39.40167; -99.43583 [1]
Country United States
State Kansas
County Rooks
Township Belmont
Foundedlate 1870s
Platted 1885
Named for Daniel Webster
Elevation
[1]
1,870 ft (570 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
67669
Area code 785
FIPS code 20-76265
GNIS ID 484592 [1]

Webster was an unincorporated community in Belmont Township, Rooks County, Kansas, United States. [1]

Contents

History

The community of Webster was established in the Solomon Valley along the South Fork Solomon River in the late 1870s. Webster was created from two settlements; Webster settled on the north side of the river and Belmont that originated on the south side of the river.

Belmont was founded as a trading post in 1876. Due to flooding, the Belmont settlement was moved across the river adjoining the Webster settlement. Belmont was first to file an application for a post office. The Belmont application was denied as another Kansas town had previously been granted the name. Instead, Webster was granted a post office in 1879. [2]

Webster, named for Daniel Webster, was surveyed, platted and filed in 1885. The town was never incorporated. [3]

In 1888, Webster had two doctors, two churches, a school and 24 businesses. A large city park called The Grove featured towering cottonwood trees. The population in 1910 was 200. [4]

Construction of Webster Dam on the South Fork Solomon River was approved in 1953. Webster Reservoir would encompass the area occupied by the town of Webster. As a result, the town was relocated 2 miles to the southeast. Many businesses and residents chose not to relocate to the new town site. [5]

Geography

Webster lies approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south-southeast of Webster Dam in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains. [6] [7] Webster is 0.3 miles (0.48 km) east of Kansas Highway 258, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of U.S. Route 24, and roughly 8 miles (13 km) west-southwest of Stockton, the county seat. [6]

The original site of Webster was located at 39°24′06″N99°26′09″W / 39.40167°N 99.43583°W / 39.40167; -99.43583 (39.4016756, -99.4359370), a location now submerged beneath Webster Reservoir. The site had an elevation of 1,893 feet (577 m). [1]

Education

Webster High School was closed in 1963. The grade school closed in 1969. [5] The Webster High School mascot was Webster Eagles.

Transportation

Webster lies at the intersection of two unpaved county roads: 11 Road, which runs north-south, and M Terrace, which runs east-west. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Webster, Kansas
  2. "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961". Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  3. "Origin of Town Names" (PDF). Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Alliance. p. 5. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  4. Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2, Chicago: Standard Publishing Company, p. 898
  5. 1 2 "History of Webster" (PDF). Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "General Highway Map - Rooks County, Kansas". Kansas Department of Transportation. January 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  7. "2003-2004 Official Transportation Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved 2015-11-19.

Further reading