Doniphan County is the northeasternmost

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. Its

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 ...

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

, and its most populous city is Wathena. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 7,510. The county was named after Alexander Doniphan, a Mexican–American War hero. It is bounded on the east by the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

, to the south by Atchison County and to the west by Brown County.

History

Early history

For many millennia, 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 ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

claimed ownership of large parts of

. In 1762, after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, France secretly ceded

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, 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 Kingdom of Great Br ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, while keeping title to approximately 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 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 ...

for 2.83 cents per

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

. 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

became the 34th U.S. state. Doniphan County was established on August 25, 1855, then organized on September 18, 1855. It is named for the U.S. cavalry commander Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan (1808–1887) of

Liberty, Missouri Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willia ...

, who played an important role in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. He was a zealous partisan in the failed effort made to extend slavery into Kansas.

Geography

Doniphan County is located in the northeastern corner of the state—it is bordered by

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

to the north and

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

to the east. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Kansas by land area and second-smallest by total area.

Geographic features

The

defines the border in the north and east. Eight

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

lines travel the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

, and a Port Authority is located across the river in

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

. The river provides much of the

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

for the eastern part of the county. Interior cities, such as

and

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

, receive their water from underground wells. The Wolf River flows through western portions of the county and north into the Missouri River.

Major highways

The only major highway serving the county is U.S. Highway 36, an east–west route traveling through St. Joseph. Troy, Elwood, and Wathena lie along this route. Kansas state highways K-7, K-20, K-120, K-136, K-137, and K-238 serve other areas of the county. K-7 has been designated a scenic byway. (''See the map below.'')

Adjacent counties

* Holt County,

(north) * Andrew County,

(northeast) * Buchanan County,

(southeast) * Atchison County (southwest) * Brown County (west) * Richardson County,

(northwest)

Demographics

Doniphan County is part of the St. Joseph, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Kansas City- Overland Park- Kansas City, MO-KS Combined Statistical Area.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 8,249 people, 3,173 households, and 2,183 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,489 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.85%

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 ...

, 2.00%

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 Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.21% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 1.29% 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 were 1.16% of the population. There were 3,173

household A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

s, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,537, and the median income for a family was $39,357. Males had a median income of $28,096 versus $19,721 for females. The

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 ...

for the county was $14,849. About 9.00% of families and 11.90% 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 13.30% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government

County

Doniphan County is served by a Board of County Commissioners, composed of one elected official from each of three districts. The commissioners serve four-year terms, with the second and third district elections at two-year intervals after the first district election. The board is responsible for setting the county's policies, procedures, and budgets as well as overseeing functions of their respective road and bridge shops. In addition, the board acts as the Board of County Canvassers and canvasses votes cast at each election. The county has adopted comprehensive county planning and zoning codes. The cities are governed by mayors and city councils. Government services are paid for through a

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

property tax A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...

, and an ''ad valorem tax''

mill levy A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net ...

Presidential elections

Owing to its history of settlement by anti-slavery Yankees from Iowa and ultimately New England, Doniphan County became a Republican stronghold and has remained so ever since. The county has voted for the Republican nominee in every presidential election since Kansas became a state, beginning in 1864. With Riley County voting Democratic for the first time in the 2020 election, Doniphan County is the only county in Kansas that has never had at least a plurality for the Democratic nominee. Only on three occasions has the Democratic nominee reached forty percent of Doniphan County's vote, all of these in national landslides, and on only seven occasions have the Democrats managed 35 percent of the vote in the county. Doniphan County is one of four counties or county equivalents to have always voted Republican during its history, and of these has the longest unbroken streak of Republican support.

Laws

Although the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, Doniphan County remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 2012.

Education

Unified school districts

* Doniphan West USD 111 * Riverside USD 114
Troy USD 429

Colleges and universities

Highland Community College was the first

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

established in the state when the Highland University

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

was granted by the Territorial Legislature in 1858. Over time the college lost its affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and changed its name several times before becoming a regional rural community college.
Web site

Communities

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Doniphan County.

Cities

* Denton * Elwood *

* Leona * Severance *

(county seat) * Wathena * White Cloud

Unincorporated communities

† means a community is designated 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) by 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 ...

. * Bendena† * Blair * Brenner * Doniphan * Fanning * Iowa Point *

Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

* Purcell * Sparks

Ghost town

* Geary

Indian reservation

‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county. * Ioway Reservation‡

Townships

Doniphan County is divided into nine mostly rural townships. The three townships with the greatest population lie along U.S. Highway 36. None of the cities within the county are considered ''governmentally independent'', and all figures for the township include those of the cities. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.

Points of interest

* Native American Heritage Museum, 2 miles east of

: Originally a Presbyterian Mission built in 1845 to educate

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and Missouri Sac and Fox children, the museum was rehabilitated to showcase the arts and history of the emigrant tribes in northeastern Kansas.
Web site
* Nelson Rodgers House, in

: Built in 1856, this -story center-gable house constructed of hand-hewn timbers is the first and oldest remaining house in Troy. * Four-state Lookout, in White Cloud : This viewing platform provides a panoramic view of the

valley, including

, and (possibly)

. * Townsite of Old Doniphan : On July 4, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped near an uninhabited Kanza Indian village on Independence Creek. The former town of Doniphan was established in the vicinity of the campsite.

References

External links

;County *
Doniphan County - Directory of Public Officials
;Additional information * Lewis & Clark in Kansas

County Level Data from Kansas Statistical Abstract

Kansas State Historical Society
;General county information

;Maps * Doniphan County Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Railroad Maps
Current19961915
KDOT and Kansas Historical Society {{Authority control Kansas counties 1855 establishments in Kansas Territory St. Joseph, Missouri metropolitan area Kansas counties on the Missouri River