Gypsum is a city in Saline County,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 400.

History

Early history

For many

millennia A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting p ...

, the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

was inhabited by

nomadic Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

claimed ownership of large parts of

. In 1762, after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, France secretly ceded

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. 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 The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

for 2.83 cents per

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

. In 1854, the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

was organized, then in 1861

became the 34th

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

. In 1860, Saline County was established within the

, which included the land for modern day Gypsum. The community was founded as a Templer community called Tempelfeld. Gypsum was named after Gypsum Creek. The Gypsum post office has operated under that name since 1886.

Geography

Gypsum is located at (38.705118, -97.426876). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

It is part of the Salina Micropolitan Statistical Area.

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 400 people, 173 households, and 101 families in Gypsum. The population density was 1,069.5 per square mile (412.9/km). There were 188 housing units at an average density of 502.7 per square mile (194.1/km). The racial makeup was 86.75% (347)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(85.75%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 5.75% (23)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.0% (0) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.5% (2) Asian, 0.0% (0)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 0.75% (3) from other races, and 6.25% (25) from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 3.25% (13) of the population. Of the 173 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18; 38.2% were married couples living together; 27.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 33.5% of households consisted of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 10.2% of the population. 26.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 107.0 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $53,036 (with a margin of error of +/- $22,256) and the median family income was $66,875 (+/- $19,232). Males had a median income of $40,833 (+/- $12,432) versus $26,250 (+/- $8,925) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $31,620 (+/- $7,226). Approximately, 4.6% of families and 7.8% 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 8.7% of those under the age of 18 and 7.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 405 people, 162 households, and 111 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 187 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%

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

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 162 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were

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

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 39.9 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 414 people, 158 households, and 111 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 179 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.17%

, 1.21%

, 0.24% from other races, and 3.38% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 158 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,833, and the median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income of $27,000 versus $17,386 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,440. About 4.1% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the

, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Gypsum government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 7 pm.Gypsum - Directory of Public Officials

Education

The community is served by

Southeast of Saline USD 306 Southeast of Saline USD 306 is a public unified school district headquartered approximately 4 miles west of Gypsum, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Assaria, Bridgeport, Gypsum, Kipp, Mentor, a tiny amount of t ...

public school district. The Southeast of Saline High School mascot is the Trojans. Gypsum schools were closed through school unification. The Gypsum High School mascot was Pirates."The good ole days", The Salina Journal, 1 December 1994, p.17.

Notable people

* Steve Fritz (b. 1967), fourth place in 1996 Olympic decathlon, assistant coach for the Kansas State University track and field team for 21 years. *

Bill Wheatley William John Wheatley (July 5, 1909 – February 5, 1992) was an American basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was part of the American basketball team, which won the gold medal. He played two matches including the final ...

(1909-1992), basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics with the American basketball team that won a gold medal. * Frank Wilkeson (1848-1913), ''New York Times'' journalist and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

explorer who owned a large ranch in Gypsum for nearly forty years.

References

External links

*
Gypsum - Directory of Public Officials
{{Authority control Year of establishment missing Cities in Kansas Cities in Saline County, Kansas Salina, Kansas micropolitan area 1886 establishments in Kansas Populated places established in 1886