Abilene (pronounced ) is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,460. It is home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and the Greyhound Hall of Fame.

History

19th century

In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the

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 ...

. 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, and in 1861

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 ...

became the 34th U.S. state. In 1857, Dickinson County was founded and Abilene began as a stage coach stop, established by Timothy Hersey and named Mud Creek. It was not until 1860 that it was named Abilene, from a passage in the Bible ( Luke 3:1), meaning "grassy plains". In 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway (

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

) pushed westward through Abilene. In the same year, Joseph G. McCoy purchased 250 acres of land north and east of Abilene, on which he built a hotel, the Drover's Cottage, stockyards equipped for 2,000 heads of cattle, and a stable for their horses. The Kansas Pacific put in a spur line at Abilene that enabled the cattle cars to be loaded and sent on to their destinations. The first twenty carloads left September 5, 1867, en route to Chicago, Illinois, where McCoy was familiar with the market. The town grew quickly and became the first "cow town" of the west. McCoy encouraged Texas cattlemen to drive their herds to his stockyards. From 1867 to 1871, the Chisholm Trail ended in Abilene, bringing in many travelers and making Abilene one of the wildest towns in the west. The stockyards shipped 35,000 head in 1867 and became the largest stockyards west of Kansas City, Kansas. In 1871, more than 5,000 cowboys herded from 600,000 to 700,000 cows to Abilene and other Kansas railheads. Another source reports 440,200 head of cattle were shipped out of Abilene from 1867 to 1871. As railroads were built further south, the end of the Chisholm Trail was slowly moved south toward Caldwell, while Kansas homesteaders concerned with cattle ruining their farm crops moved the trail west toward and past Ellsworth. Town

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

Tom "Bear River" Smith was initially successful policing Abilene, often using only his bare hands. He survived two

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

attempts, but was murdered and decapitated on November 2, 1870. Smith wounded one of his two attackers during the shootout preceding his death, and both suspects received life in prison for the offense. He was replaced as marshal by Wild Bill Hickok in April 1871. Hickok's time in the job was short. While the marshal was standing off a crowd during a street brawl, gambler Phil Coe took two shots at Hickok, who returned fire, killing Coe, but Hickok then accidentally shot his friend and deputy, Mike Williams, who was coming to his aid. Hickok lost his job two months later in December. In 1880, Conrad Lebold built the Lebold Mansion. Lebold was one of the early town developers and bankers from 1869 through 1889. The Hersey dugout can still be seen in the cellar. The house is now a private residence. A marker outside credits the name of the town being given by opening a Bible and using the first place name pointed to. In 1887,

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 largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

built a branch line from Neva ( west of Strong City) through Abilene to Superior, Nebraska. In 1996, the

merged with

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States–based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1995. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroad ...

and renamed to the current

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

. In 1890, Dr. A.B. Seelye founded the A.B. Seelye Medical Company. Seelye developed over 100 products for the company including "Wasa-Tusa", an Indian name meaning ''to heal''.

20th century

Abilene became home to Dwight D. Eisenhower when his family moved to Abilene from Denison, Texas in 1892. Eisenhower attended elementary school through high school in Abilene, graduating in 1909. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is the burial site of President Eisenhower, his wife, Mamie, and their first-born son Doud Dwight.

Geography

Abilene is on the north side of the Smoky Hill River in the Flint Hills region of 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 ...

. Mud Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill, flows south through the city. Located in North Central Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and K-15, Abilene is approximately east of Salina, Kansas, north of Wichita, and west of Kansas City. 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 an area of , all land.

Climate

Located in the transition zone between North America's humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') and humid continental climate (Köppen ''Dfa'') zones, Abilene experiences hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. In the spring, severe thunderstorms bring the threat of tornadoes and hail. The hottest temperature recorded in Abilene was on July 13, 1954, and July 15, 1954, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 12, 1899.

Economy

Abilene remains a cattle yard town, loading onto the rail system, along with grain and other crops. There are two Great Plains Manufacturing Land Pride manufacturing facilities in Abilene. It is the birthplace of Sprint Telecommunications.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 6,460 people, 2,797 households, and 1,675 families in Abilene. The population density was 1,356.6 per square mile (523.8/km). There were 3,137 housing units at an average density of 658.8 per square mile (254.3/km). The racial makeup was 91.93% (5,939)

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 ...

(89.52%

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 ...

), 0.87% (56)

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. ...

, 0.36% (23) 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 ...

, 0.34% (22) Asian, 0.12% (8)

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 ...

, 1.47% (95) from other races, and 4.91% (317) from two or more races.

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 5.65% (365) of the population. Of the 2,797 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18; 44.7% were married couples living together; 30.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 35.8% of households consisted of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 21.2% of the population. 23.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 111.9 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 $47,829 (with a margin of error of +/- $10,161) and the median family income was $69,815 (+/- $11,480). Males had a median income of $36,933 (+/- $6,402) versus $21,540 (+/- $3,802) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $30,625 (+/- $4,869). Approximately, 4.8% of families and 8.3% 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 9.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.5% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,844 people, 2,878 households, and 1,781 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,143 housing units at an average density of . The city's racial makeup was 94.9%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 0.4% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 1.1% from some other race, and 2.4% from two or more races. 4.7% of the population was

or Latino of any race. There were 2,878 households, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% 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 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males age 18 and over. The city's median household income was $48,115, and the median family income was $61,146. Males had a median income of $42,332 versus $29,325 for females. The city's

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 ...

was $21,820. About 7.3% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the

, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Abilene USD 435 public school district.

Transportation

Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently east–west immediately north of Abilene, intersecting highway K-15, which runs north–south through the city. Abilene Municipal Airport is on the city's southwestern side. Publicly owned, it has one asphalt runway and is used predominantly for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

. The Kansas Pacific (KP) line of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

runs east–west through the city. It intersects a

line which enters the city from the east and then turns north. The city of Abilene provided demand responsive transport.

Media

Print

Abilene has one daily

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

, '' The Abilene Reflector-Chronicle''.

Radio

The following

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

s are licensed to Abilene: AM FM

Television

Abilene is in the Wichita- Hutchinson, Kansas television market.

Points of interest

* Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad - A tourist railroad based out of the old Rock Island train depot in Old Abilene Town; it hauls passengers between Abilene and Enterprise. * Eisenhower Presidential Center and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museu

- Contains murals depicting President Eisenhower's life, painted by artists, Louis Bouche, Louis George Bouché and Ross Moffett in 1954. * Great Plains Theatre - Originally First Presbyterian Church, built in 1881, Landmarked, and is now a live professional theatre, and movie theatre

* Greyhound Hall of Fame - Near the Eisenhower Presidential Library, the hall exhibits the history of the

greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

breed and of greyhound racing. * Heritage Center of Dickinson County - Two museums including the Historical Museum and the Museum of Independent Telephony. The Museum of Independent Telephony tells the story of C. L. Brown, whose independent Brown Telephone Company grew to become

Sprint Corporation Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before being acquired by T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 54.3 million customers as of June 30, 2019. Th ...

and then

T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand of telecommunications by Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG (, ; often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a partially state-owned German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and the largest telec ...

. * Lebold Mansion - National Register Property listed in 1973. Built in 1880 in the Italianate Tuscan villa style. This decorative arts museum was once home to one of the finest collections of American Victorian antiques and artifacts. However, the museum closed to all tours in June 2010 and was sold to new owners as a private residence on 9/15/10. * Old Abilene Town - Constructed as a replica historic district, beginning in the late 1950s, it includes several original buildings that have been moved from their original locations. * A. B. Seelye House and Museum - A Georgian style mansion built in 1905 at a cost of $55,000. The 25 room mansion contains the original furniture and Edison light fixtures. The Patent Medicine Museum contains many artifacts of the A.B. Seelye Medical Company

Listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, it is a museum showcasing Seelye, an advocate of

patent medicine A patent medicine (sometimes called a proprietary medicine) is a non-prescription medicine or medicinal preparation that is typically protected and advertised by a trademark and trade name, and claimed to be effective against minor disorders a ...

s. * Kansas Historical Marker - ''Historic Abilene'', on south Sixth Street.

Cultural

Cowboy-era Abilene is the fictional setting for the Randolph Scott-starring 1946 film '' Abilene Town'', which in turn became the inspiration behind the 1963 hit song " Abilene", recorded by

George Hamilton IV George Hege Hamilton IV (July 19, 1937 – September 17, 2014) was an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, switching to country music in the early 1960s. Biography Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, ...

. British singer-songwriter John Cale's song "Buffalo Ballet" from his 1975 album "

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

" reflects a cynical view of the town's history from the days it was "young and gay" until it "drowned in wealth and pain", as an example of the expansion of the

American Frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...

. The main storyline of western video game '' Call of Juarez: Gunslinger'' is at Abilene. The much larger city of

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

takes its name from Abilene, Kansas.

Notable people

Old West figures who lived in Abilene during its period as a cowtown included Wild Bill Hickok, cattle baron Joseph McCoy, gambler Phil Coe, marshal Tom "Bear River" Smith, gunfighters Pat Desmond, John Wesley Hardin, and Ben Thompson, and Thompson's sister-in-law Libby, a prostitute and dance hall girl.

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

and five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower grew up in Abilene as did his brothers

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of ''wikt:en:ead, ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''Gar (spear), gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Midd ...

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

, and Milton. Eisenhower is buried in Abilene, along with his wife Mamie and their eldest son Doud, on the grounds of his presidential library. Other notable individuals who have lived in Abilene include these: * C. Olin Ball, food scientist, inventor * Harry Beaumont, Oscar-nominated film director * Joseph Burton, U.S. Senator from Kansas * Steve Doocy, journalist, author *

Joe Engle Joe Henry Engle (August 26, 1932 – July 10, 2024) was an American pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut. He was the commander of two Space Shuttle missions including STS-2 in 1981, the program's second orbital flight. He also flew ...

, pilot and NASA Astronaut * Marlin Fitzwater, former Press Secretary of Presidents

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

and George Bush. * Edward Little, U.S. Representative from Kansas * Deane Malott, university administrator * Frank Parent, California court judge * Mike Racy, commissioner for MIAA, previously vice president for

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

* Everett Stewart, World War II

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

* Hy Vandenberg,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher * Cody Whitehair, center for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

and Las Vegas Raiders

Sister cities

* Omitama, Ibaraki, Japan

References

External links

City of Abilene

Abilene - Directory of Public Officials

Historic Images of Abilene
Special Photo Collections at Wichita State University Library
Kansas Photo Tour - Eisenhower Center
* , from ''Hatteberg's People'' on

KAKE KAKE (channel 10) is a television station in Wichita, Kansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on West Street in northwestern Wichita, and its transmitter is located i ...

TV news {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Dickinson County, Kansas American frontier Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in Kansas Territory