Saffordville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Chase County, Kansas, United States. It is located about half way between Strong City and Emporia near the intersection of

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlanti ...

highway and Zz Rd.

History

For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the

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 ...

. 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

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 the ...

became the 34th U.S. state. In 1859, Chase County was founded. In 1871, 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, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

built a main line east–west through Safford.Santa Fe Rail History
/ref> In 1996, it merged with

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a Mergers and acquisitions, merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996. Its historical lineage begins in the e ...

and renamed to the current

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

. The Santa Fe depot building still exists, but has been closed for decades. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe". By 1921, Saffordville boasted a population of 200 hundred. It possessed several businesses including a blacksmith shop, automobile garage, restaurant, and barbershop, along with a bank and grocery store. A post office was established in Safford on December 31, 1872. The post office was renamed to Kenyon on October 27, 1887, then again to Saffordville on October 3, 1888. The post office closed on January 6, 1957. Numerous floods visited Saffordville, beginning in 1904, and then eight times between 1923 and 1929. In June and July 1951, heavy rains flooded many rivers and streams in Kansas, including the Cottonwood River at Saffordville. Many reservoirs and levees were built in Kansas as part of a response to the Great Flood of 1951. As a result of the 1951 flood, the town of 200 people was submerged under five feet of water. Residents were evacuated, and, when the waters receded, most of them relocated to drier parts. The town became 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), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

with little remaining other than two homes and the schoolhouse.

Geography

Saffordville is located in the Cottonwood Valley in the Flint Hills of the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

. The Cottonwood River is approximately to the south of the original community.

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, notabl ...

system, Saffordville 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.Climate Summary for Saffordville, Kansas
/ref>

Education

The community is served by

Chase County USD 284 Chase County USD 284 is a public unified school district headquartered in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Cottonwood Falls, Strong City, Cedar Point, Elmdale, Matfield Green, Bazaar, Clement ...

public school district. It has two schools.

Transportation

highway passes near Saffordville, and

passes through it.

Notable people

* Fred Brickell, professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player

References

External links

Saffordville history and photographs
* Chase County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT {{Authority control Unincorporated communities in Kansas Unincorporated communities in Chase County, Kansas