El Dorado ( ) is

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Butler County,

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in the central part of Butler County and located in south-central

. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 12,870. It is home to

Butler Community College Butler Community College (BCC) is a public community college in El Dorado, Kansas. Campus There are a number of branch campuses throughout the area, in Andover, Council Grove, Marion, McConnell, Rose Hill, and a number of distance-learnin ...

History

El Dorado was laid out and

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1868. The name is of Spanish origin meaning "golden land". El Dorado was incorporated in 1870. In 1877, the

Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company The Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad was a short-line railroad in central Kansas. History In 1877, the ''Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company'' built a branch line from Florence to El Dorado. In 1881, it was exten ...

built a branch line from

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

to El Dorado; in 1881 it was extended to Douglass, and later to Arkansas City. The line was leased and operated by the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

. The line from

to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942.Railway Abandonment 1942
Abandonedrails.com. Retrieved on January 12, 2017. The original branch line connected

, Burns, De Graff, El Dorado, Augusta, Douglass, Rock, Akron,

Winfield Winfield may refer to: Places Canada * Winfield, Alberta * Winfield, British Columbia United States * Winfield, Alabama * Winfield, Arkansas * Winfield, Georgia * Winfield, Illinois * Winfield, Indiana * Winfield, Iowa * Winfield, Kansas * W ...

, and Arkansas City. In 1915, the ''El Dorado Oil Field'' was the first oil field that was found using science/geologic mapping, and part of the Mid-Continent oil province. By 1918, the El Dorado Oil Field was the largest single field producer in the United States, and was responsible for 12.8% of national oil production and 9% of the world production. It was deemed by some as "the oil field that won

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

". In 1916, there was an anti-black race riot in El Dorado after an incident between a black shoe shiner and a white oil worker. Large numbers of black families removed their household goods and moved out of El Dorado. In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

were brought to Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war effort. Large internment camps were established in Kansas:

Camp Concordia Camp Concordia was a prisoner-of-war camp that operated from 1943–1945. Its location is two miles north and one mile east of Concordia, Kansas. The camp was used primarily for German Army prisoners during World War II who were captured in batt ...

, Camp Funston (at Fort Riley), Camp Phillips (at Salina under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including El Dorado. Prisoners commonly volunteered to help work on local farms; this enabled them to spend time outside the camp, socialize and eat better food than that provided by prison guards. In some cases, smaller structures constructed by the work details still stand. On June 10, 1958, a tornado hit El Dorado and killed 13 people. In 2008, the city built a memorial at Graham Park in remembrance of the dead.

Geography

El Dorado is located at (37.821117, −96.858281). The city is situated along the western bank of the Walnut River, southwest of

El Dorado Lake El Dorado Lake is a reservoir on the Walnut River northeast of El Dorado in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. Built and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it is used for flood control, recreation, and water supply. El Dorado State Park ...

. It is located east-northeast of Wichita at the junction of U.S. Routes 54 and 77 and K-254. The Kansas Turnpike, designated as

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican borde ...

, bypasses northwest of the city. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, El Dorado has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

El Dorado is part of the Wichita

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 13,021 people, 5,227 households, and 3,277 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 5,797 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 2.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.5% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 4.7% of the population. There were 5,227 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 34 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 14.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 12,057 people, 5,068 households, and 3,182 families residing in the city. The

was 1,894.1 people per square mile (730.8/km²). There were 5,460 housing units at an average density of 857.7 per square mile (330.9/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 94.32%

, 1.37%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 1.07% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.07%

, 1.06% from other races, and 1.89% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.93% of the population. There were 5,068

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

s, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,098, and the median income for a family was $40,461. Males had a median income of $31,648 versus $21,806 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,458. About 10.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The El Dorado Refinery is currently owned and operated by HollyFrontier,
/ref> is situated on the southwest edge of El Dorado. It was constructed and originally owned by what would later become

Skelly Oil Skelly Oil Company was a medium-sized oil company founded in 1919 by William Grove (Bill) Skelly, Chesley Coleman Herndon and Frederick A. Pielsticker in Tulsa, Oklahoma. J. Paul Getty acquired control of the company during the 1930s. It b ...

.General Information – Frontier El Dorado Refining Company
/ref> Later, the refinery changed hands and was rebranded after Skelly was purchased by

Getty Oil Getty Oil was an American oil marketing company with its origins as part of the large integrated oil company founded by J. Paul Getty. History J. Paul Getty incorporated Getty Oil in 1942. He had previously worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma ...

, and then rebranded again after

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company unt ...

attempted to purchase Getty. In 2011 it was rebranded again when Frontier Oil and Holly Corporation merged. El Dorado Refinery is the largest in Kansas. Capacity is , with production split up into

gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...

(55% of production);

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engi ...

and

jet fuel Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial a ...

(34% of production); and

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

, chemicals and other refined petroleum products (11% percent of production).El Dorado Kansas – Frontier Refining, Inc. – Frontier Oil Corporation, Staff, Offices

Education

El Dorado, KS public library building funded by Andrew Carnegie

El Dorado is home to

. Most of the community is served by El Dorado USD 490 public school district, which has one high school, one middle school, and three grade schools. The west side of El Dorado is served by

Circle USD 375 Circle USD 375 is a public unified school district headquartered in Towanda, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Towanda, Benton, Greenwich, Midian, western El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), ...

public school district.

Sports

fields teams in both men's (mascot: Grizzlies) and women's (mascot: Lady Grizzlies) sports. Butler competes in the NJCAA's Jayhawk Conference, and its teams have won numerous league and national accolades. Butler's football team has won five NJCAA national championships (1981, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2008), and also played in the NJCAA championship game in 2004 and 2010. The 1985 squad also finished the season ranked #1 nationally. The program has produced numerous NFL players, most notably Rudi Johnson. Butler's men's basketball program also has a rich tradition, including a national championship in 1953, NJCAA national tournament runners-up in 1992 and 1993, a national tournament third-place finish in 1996, seven Jayhawk Conference championships since 1990, four NJCAA players of the year, ten NJCAA All-Americans, and three NBA draft picks. Notable former Grizzlies with NBA experience include Stephen Jackson, Tony Allen, and Kasib Powell. Butler's men's and women's track and cross-country teams also have won numerous conference, regional, and national accolades. The El Dorado Broncos were a summer amateur baseball team composed primarily of college players. The team competed within the Jayhawk League as part of the National Baseball Congress, or NBC. The Broncos have won three NBC World Series in 1996, 1998 and 2009. Several former Broncos players currently play in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

, including

Nate Robertson Nathan Daniel Robertson, (born September 3, 1977) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. Career Florida Marlins Robertson attended Wi ...

and Heath Bell .

Culture

In April 2010, the Hot Rod Cafe (formerly the El Dorado theater on Main Street) was filmed for the documentary reality television series '' American Pickers'' episode "Easy Riders", which aired July 26, 2010. The 1969 film '' The Gypsy Moths'' was filmed in part in El Dorado. It featured Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr,

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...

, William Windom and Bonnie Bedelia.

Parks and Recreation

The City of El Dorado maintains an extensive parks and recreation system, including: 12 neighborhood parks, 12 playgrounds, 5 soccer fields, 4 baseball fields, 4 softball fields, 2 spray parks, 2 pools, 2 tennis courts, 2 outdoor basketball courts, a baseball stadium, an 18-hole disc golf course, and a 6.3 mile bike path. In addition, the community boasts a new athletic complex. The venue was completed in 2012 by the Educational Facilities Authority of Butler County, which consists of representatives from the City of El Dorado, Butler Community College and El Dorado Schools (USD 490). The complex provides a venue for football, soccer, track and other community events. El Dorado State Park is also located just beyond the city limits and provides many recreational activities, such as boating, fishing, hiking, swimming, horse trails and archery.

Media

Print

* ''Butler County Times-Gazette'', local newspaper in El Dorado. * '' The Wichita Eagle'', major regional newspaper in Wichita.

Radio

El Dorado is served by numerous radio stations of the Wichita- Hutchinson listening market area, and

satellite radio Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than t ...

. See ''

Media in Wichita, Kansas Wichita is a major center of media in Kansas. The following is a list of media outlets based in the city. Print Magazines *''Splurge!'', monthly, local fashion and lifestyle *''Teenview Magazine'', monthly magazine created for teens by teens from ...

''.

Television

El Dorado is served by over-the-air ATSC

digital TV Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...

of the Wichita- Hutchinson viewing market area,

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

, and satellite TV. See ''

''.

Notable people

Granville Pearl Aikman Granville Pearl Aikman (December 26, 1858 – September 29, 1923) was an American attorney and judge who was a Judge of the 13th District Court of Kansas from 1900 until 1913. During his time on the bench, he presided over many cases involving ...

, Kansas state judge, attorney * Tom Borland, major league baseball pitcher * Beals Becker, major league baseball player * Steve Brodie, actor *

Bobby Douglass Robert Gilchrist Douglass (born June 22, 1947) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) who played most of his career with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the second round of the 1969 NFL Draft. During ...

, NFL football player * Stanley Dunham, maternal grandfather of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

Alfred W. Ellet Alfred Washington Ellet (October 11, 1820 – January 9, 1895) was a brigadier general in the Union Army who commanded the United States Ram Fleet and the Mississippi Marine Brigade during the American Civil War. Early life and education El ...

, Brigadier General in

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Maude Fulton Maude Fulton (May 14, 1881 – November 9, 1950) was an American actress, playwright, stage director, theater manager, and later a Hollywood screenwriter. Early life Born in 1881 in El Dorado, Kansas, she was the daughter of newspaperman Titus ...

, Broadway stage actress, playwright, screenwriter *

Ralph Graham Ralph Graham may refer to: * Ralph Graham (American football) * Ralph Graham (singer) {{hndis, Graham, Ralph ...

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

coach, pioneer of racial integration in college sports * Sarah D. Grant, Arizona Court of Appeals judge, attorney * Alex Graves, film director, television director, television producer, screenwriter *

Larry Hartshorn Larry LeRoy "Rube" Hartshorn (May 19, 1933 – September 19, 2007) was an American gridiron football player. He played prolifically in the National Football League (NFL) as an offensive guard with the Chicago Cardinals in 1955 and 1957. He la ...

former NFL football player * Roger Marshall, former United States Representative, US Senator from Kansas, obstetrician *

Marion Koogler McNay Marion Koogler McNay (7 February 1883 – 13 April 1950), was an American painter, art collector, and art teacher who inherited a substantial oil fortune upon the death of her parents. She later willed her fortune to be used to establish San Ant ...

, artist, philanthropist, founder of McNay Art Museum * Robert L. Rodgers, US Congressman * Emily Sander, murder victim, adult model *

Almon Brown Strowger Almon Brown Strowger (February 11, 1839 – May 26, 1902) was an American inventor who gave his name to the Strowger switch, an electromechanical telephone exchange technology that his invention and patent inspired. Early years Strowger was bo ...

, inventor of Strowger switch * Mort Walker, cartoonist, creator of Beetle Bailey * William Allen White, journalist *

Gerald Burton Winrod Gerald Burton Winrod (March 7, 1900 – November 11, 1957) was an American antisemitic evangelist, author, and political activist. He was charged with sedition during World War II, charges were later dropped. Biography He was born on March 7, 1 ...

, anti-semitic evangelist

References

External links

City of El Dorado

El Dorado – Directory of Public Officials

El Dorado Chamber of Commerce

El Dorado city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Butler County, Kansas Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Kansas