Catharine is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Catherine Township,

Ellis County, Kansas Ellis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Hays. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 28,934. The county was named for George Ellis, a first lieutenant of the Twelfth ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 113.

History

Volga German The Volga Germans (, ; ) are ethnic Germans who settled and historically lived along the Volga River in the region of southeastern European Russia around Saratov and close to Ukraine nearer to the south. Recruited as immigrants to Russia in th ...

immigrants founded and settled Catharine in April 1876, naming it after

Katharinenstadt Marks (), also spelled Marx, named after Karl Marx, is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Saratov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: It was previously known as ''Baronsk'', ''Katharinenstadt'' (until 1920 ...

, the town they came from in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Katharinenstadt was the economic center of the German colonies in Russia and, as a result, Catharine's settlers were initially wealthier than those of other Volga German settlements in the area. More German settlers from Katharinenstadt arrived over the next two years followed by

Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...

from

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

beginning in 1878. The community's first school opened in 1879 and doubled as a church until the completion of St. Catherine's Catholic Church in 1892. The first

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

in Catharine opened in 1882.

Geography

Catharine lies on the eastern side of North Fork Big Creek, part of the

Smoky Hill River The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through Colorado and Kansas. Names The Smoky Hill is named from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows. American Indians li ...

watershed, in the

Smoky Hills The Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the Midwestern United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a diss ...

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 ...

. Catharine is roughly north of

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

and northeast of Hays, 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 ...

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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Catharine has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census counted 113 people, 56 households, and 40 families in Catharine. The population density was 63.8 per square mile (24.6/km). There were 62 housing units at an average density of 35.0 per square mile (13.5/km). The racial makeup was 95.58% (108)

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 ...

(94.69%

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 ...

), 0.0% (0)

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. ...

, 0.88% (1) 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 ...

, 0.0% (0) 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 ...

, 0.0% (0) from other races, and 3.54% (4) 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 1.77% (2) of the population. Of the 56 households, 17.9% had children under the age of 18; 66.1% were married couples living together; 25.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 28.6% of households consisted of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.9 and the average family size was 3.2. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 28.3% of the population. 18.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 31.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 121.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 135.9 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 $115,781 (with a margin of error of +/- $50,420) and the median family income was $116,172 (+/- $40,948). The median income for those above 16 years old was $54,886 (+/- $36,126). Approximately, 0.0% of families and 4.1% 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 0.0% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 104 people, 49 households, and 29 families residing in the community. There were 59 housing units. The racial makeup of the community was 100.0%

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 ...

s or Latinos of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 49 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% 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, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 2.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12, and the average family size was 2.86. In the community, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males age 18 and over.

Education

The community is served by

Hays USD 489 Hays USD 489 is a public unified school district headquartered in Hays, Kansas Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center o ...

public school district.

Transportation

Catherine Road, a paved county road, runs east–west along the northern edge of the town.

Notable people

* Firmin Schmidt,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Bishop, was born in Catharine.Firmin Martin Schmidt
/ref> * Ron Schueler,

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, coach and executive, was born in Catharine.

References

External links

* Ellis County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT {{Authority control German-Russian culture in Kansas Census-designated places in Ellis County, Kansas