Kansas's 40th Senate District
Kansas's 40th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Kansas Senate. It has been represented by Republican Rick Billinger since 2017, succeeding fellow Republican Ralph Ostmeyer. Geography District 40 covers a vast swath of rural northwestern Kansas, including all of Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Logan, Norton, Rawlins, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Trego, and Wallace Counties and part of Phillips County. Communities in the district include Hays, Colby, Goodland, Norton, Ellis, Oakley, WaKeeney, Oberlin, St. Francis, Hill City, Hoxie, and Atwood. The district is located entirely within Kansas's 1st congressional district, and overlaps with the 110th, 111th, 118th, and 120th districts of the Kansas House of Representatives. It borders the states of Nebraska and Colorado. At nearly 13,000 square miles, it is by far the largest legislative district in the state. Recent election results 2020 2016 2012 Republican 40th district incumbent Ralph Os ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kansas Senate District 40 (2010)
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 west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native Americans who lived along its banks. The tribe's name (natively ') is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind" although this was probably not the term's original meaning. For thousands of years, what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes. Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison. The first Euro-American settlement in Kansas occurred in 1827 at Fort Leavenworth. The pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the slavery deb ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Trego County, Kansas
Trego County (standard abbreviation: TR) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,808. Its county seat and largest city is WaKeeney. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. 19th century In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. 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 for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1879, Trego County was established. Geography According t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Atwood, Kansas
Atwood is a city in and the county seat of Rawlins County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,290. History In 1875, T.A. Andrews and J.M. Matheny traveled to Rawlins County and started a town site about two miles east of the current city. The city of Attwood (with two t's) was named after Attwood Matheny, the 14-year-old son who accompanied his father on the journey. In 1882, the U.S. Post Office requested permission to drop one "t" thus becoming Atwood. In 1881, Atwood became the county seat of Rawlins County. Geography Atwood is located at (39.808971, −101.041370). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Climate According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Atwood has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. Area attractions * Rawlins County Historical Museum, 308 State Street. * Shirley Opera House (NRHP), 503 Main Street. A ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hoxie, Kansas
Hoxie is a city in and the county seat of Sheridan County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,211. History Hoxie was laid out in early 1886. The town founders convinced the residents of Kenneth, a community three miles to the north and the current county seat, to move south (including their buildings) at their expense to the new site of Hoxie. The residents of Kenneth knew the coming rail line would pass through Hoxie and not their town as they had hoped, so the offer was promising. The towns agreed to consolidate and carry out that plan, making Hoxie the new county seat. It was named for H.M. Hoxie, a railroad official. The railroad (which became part of the Union Pacific Railroad) arrived in 1888. The 99-mile Plainville- Colby branch of the Union Pacific railroad which passed through Hoxie was abandoned in 1998. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hill City, Kansas
Hill City is a city and county seat of Graham County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,403. History The first settlement at Hill City was made in 1876, making it the oldest town in Graham County. The community was named after W. R. Hill, a first settler. Hill City was platted in 1878. The first post office in Hill City was established in September 1878. Hill City was designated county seat in 1880. By 1915, Hill City had 647 inhabitants. Geography Hill City is located at (39.367319, -99.845558). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Climate On June 9, 2005, a large tornado passed 1 mile south of Hill City. Another large tornado hit just north of the city on June 20, 2011. On June 26, 2012, the temperature reached 115 °F (46 °C), breaking the June record tied just 2 days earlier and during the Dust Bowl on June 30, 1933; the town was the hottest city in the United Sta ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oberlin, Kansas
Oberlin is a city in and the county seat of Decatur County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,644. History Oberlin was platted in 1878. It was named after Oberlin, Ohio. Its first post office was established in April, 1878, and the city was incorporated in 1885. On September 30, 1878, Northern Cheyenne, fleeing from Indian Territory to their homes in the north during the Northern Cheyenne Exodus, attacked homesteaders near Oberlin, then a tiny hamlet. The raid's victims are commemorated in the "Last Indian Raid in Kansas" room of the Decatur County Museum, and by a monument in the town cemetery. Geography Oberlin is located at (39.821235, -100.528369) at an elevation of 2,562 feet (781 m). It lies on the northwest side of Sappa Creek, a tributary of the Republican River, in the High Plains region of the Great Plains. Located at the intersection of U.S. Route 36 and U.S. Route 83 in northwest Kansas, it is northwest of Wichita, east of Denv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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WaKeeney, Kansas
WaKeeney is a city in and the county seat of Trego County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,799. History James Keeney, a land speculator in Chicago, purchased land at the site of modern-day WaKeeney from the Kansas Pacific Railway in 1877. He and business partner Albert Warren formed Warren, Keeney, & Co., surveyed and plotted the site in 1878, and established a colony there in 1879. They named the colony WaKeeney, a portmanteau of their surnames, and billed it as "The Queen City of the High Plains", advertising and holding celebrations to attract settlers. The colony grew rapidly, but crop failures drove settlers to leave in 1880 as quickly as they had come. By 1882, all that was left were "five poorly patronized retail stores". Years later, Volga Germans began settling the area. WaKeeney became the county seat in June 1879 and was incorporated as a city in 1880. Geography WaKeeney is located at (39.024467, -99.881972) at an ele ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oakley, Kansas
Oakley is a city in Gove, Logan, and Thomas counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is the county seat of Logan County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,046. History The area that would later become Oakley was settled in the 1870s and 1880s by travelers from the Smoky Hill Trail. Oakley was founded in 1884 by Judge Fredman and David D. Hoag. Originally named Carlyle, its name was changed to Cleveland, before settling on its final name of Oakley in 1885, named after Hoag's mother, Elizabeth Oakley Gardner Hoag. Geography Oakley is located at (39.128023, -100.854490) at an elevation of 3,064 feet (934 m). It lies roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the South Fork of the Saline River in the High Plains region of the Great Plains. The city is located at the intersection of Interstate 70, U.S. Route 40, and U.S. Route 83 in northwest Kansas. It is in the northeast corner of Logan County, and portions of it extend into Gove County and Thomas County. O ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ellis, Kansas
Ellis is a city in Ellis County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,958. History The Kansas Pacific Railway built a water station at the site of present-day Ellis in 1867 and then purchased the site under the Homestead Act. Three years later, in 1870, the U.S. Post Office Department opened a post office at Ellis, marking the town's foundation. Kansas Pacific laid out the town in 1873, establishing a depot, a hotel, and a few shops. That same year, settlers from Syracuse, New York, and later from Louisville, Kentucky, arrived to work for the railroad. The first church opened in Ellis in 1873, the first school in 1874. Starting in 1875 and for the rest of the 1870s, Ellis was a cowtown, serving as a shipping point for cattle herds from the south. Bukovina Germans began settling in the area in 1886. Ellis incorporated as a city in January 1888. Long ago, Ellis (as well as Hays) was once a sundown town, where African Americans ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Norton, Kansas
Norton is a city in, and the county seat of, Norton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,747. History Norton was founded in 1872. Like the county, it was named for Capt. Orloff Norton. The first hotel was a log house, built in 1873. One of the first recorded tornado pictures was taken in Norton, in 1909, by photographer Will Keller. Geography Norton is located at (39.833338, -99.890899). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The city is situated on the north side of Prairie Dog Creek in Norton County. Before the Bureau of Reclamation constructed Keith Sebelius Lake in 1963, Norton was prone to frequent flooding. The construction of the Dam has since resolved the problem and created the current reservoir that sits southwest of Norton. The Nebraska border is located north of the city. Climate Norton is on the boundary of two climate zones, humid continental and semiarid. T ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Goodland, Kansas
Goodland is a city in and the county seat of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,465. It was named after Goodland, Indiana. Goodland is home to Northwest Kansas Technical College. History One of the earliest pieces of recorded history relating to Goodland concerns the Kidder Massacre. On July 2, 1867, a detachment of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (United States) was massacred; second lieutenant Lyman S. Kidder in command of the party, a sergeant, a corporal, eight privates and an Indian guide lost their lives. They were carrying dispatches for Lieutenant Colonel George Custer. Later, Custer found evidence of a running battle along Beaver Creek, which led to a ravine where the remains were found. They had been killed by Cheyenne and/or Sioux Indians. In 1886, there were four communities vying to become county seat for Sherman County: Itasca, Voltaire, Sherman Center and Eustis. A man named Clark showed up in the county in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Colby, Kansas
Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,570. History In 1882, a post office was established near the center of Thomas County. Area homesteaders lived under harsh conditions in sod houses, creating demand for a town to provide lumber and other provisions to incoming settlers. J.R. Colby, a local land assessor and preacher, obtained a patent to establish the town in April 1884, and land was acquired for the town site three miles north of the post office in March 1885. The following month, the Kansas Secretary of State issued the Town Charter. Kansas Gov. John Martin named Colby the county seat in 1885, and the city was incorporated in 1886. The Union Pacific Railroad reached the city in 1887, and the Rock Island Railroad followed the next year. In 1941 the St. Thomas Hospital was built as part of the Works Progress Administration plan to build hospitals. This was one of 130 new hos ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |