Barton County, Kansas
Barton County, named for Clara Barton, contains the cities of Albert, Claflin, Ellinwood, Galatia, Great Bend, Hoisington, Olmitz, Pawnee Rock and Susank. John R. Reinecke; Henry Schultz; John H. Hubbard; George M. Berry; William J. O’dell; T. L. Morries; E. L. Murphy; D. N. Heizer; and George Moses organized the county on May 16, 1872. This is the only Kansas county named for a woman.
Fort Zarah was established on Sept. 6, 1864, to guard the Santa Fe Trail. The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1872 and the county became a shipping point for Texas cattle.
Great Bend was established as the county seat in 1872. The first church was the Congregational church in Great Bend founded August 10, 1872. The first school district was No. 1 organized in Great Bend on June 3, 1872.
Amasa C. Moses in 1872 built the first frame house in the county, and began a general merchandise store. He was elected the first city clerk and was the first superintendent of schools. His seven sons figured prominently in the county's history. Others include Governor Jonathan Davis (1923-1925) and Congressman David Lowe (1871-1875).
- See our Kansas Counties database for statistics in the county.
- Search our Register database for historic sites in the county.
- Search Kansas Memory for historic items from the county.
For more information see the Barton County website. The collections of the Barton County Historical Society in Great Bend have several publications, newspapers, and other archival materials.
Entry: Barton County, Kansas
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: February 2010
Date Modified: October 2015
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
