Oursler is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It is currently a

that was located approximately 3.5 miles southeast of

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

next to a former railroad. No buildings remain of this former community.

History

Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion County

Early history

For many

millennia A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, 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 point (ini ...

, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by

nomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

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

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, France secretly ceded

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by 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 Great Britain and Spa ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, 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 (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

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 sove ...

. In 1855, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Oursler.The History of Marion County and Courthouse
/ref> As early as 1875, city leaders of

held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from

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

. In 1878,

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, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

and parties from Marion County and McPherson County chartered the Marion and McPherson Railway Company.''Marion County Kansas : Past and Present''; Sondra Van Meter; MB Publishing House;

LCCN The Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) is a serially based system of numbering cataloged records in the Library of Congress, in the United States. It is not related to the contents of any book, and should not be confused with Library of ...

72-92041; 344 pages; 1972. In 1879, a branch line was built from

through Oursler to

then west to McPherson, in 1880 it was extended to Lyons, in 1881 it was extended to Ellinwood. The line was leased and operated by the

. Oursler was named for W.E.M. Oursler, who came to Kansas in 1870 and kept a post office on his place for several years. After the railroad was built from Florence to Marion on the southwest side of Oursler, a depot was built and mail was brought to the station early each day. In addition to the post office, there was a brick kiln and a small grocery store. On October 17, 1877, W.E.M. Oursler and his wife filed a plot for a small town named Oursler with a size of two blocks.

20th century

The railroad from

to Oursler to Marion, was abandoned in 1968.Railway Abandonment 1968
/ref>

21st century

Currently no buildings or landmarks exist in Oursler, thus it's considered a Ghost Town.

Geography

Oursler was located at coordinates 38°17′23″N, 96°58′52″W in the scenic

Flint Hills The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a region in eastern Kansas and north-central Oklahoma named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. It consists of ...

and Great Plains of the state of

. It was on a triangular plot, located at the southwest corner of 150th Street and Union Road in Marion County, Kansas. It was bordered by the two roads and the railroad southwest of the corner. Its platted location was the NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 27, Township 20, Range 4.''Atlas of Marion County Kansas'' - Centre Township (page 43); The Davy Map and Atlas Co; 87 pages; 1885.
/ref>

References

External links

;Historical

archive of KsGenWeb
Marion County history bibliography

Marion County school bibliography
Kansas Historical Society ;Maps * Marion County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT
Topo Map of Marion to Florence area
USGS {{Marion County, Kansas Ghost towns in Kansas