Marion County is a

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 ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

is Marion and its most populous city is Hillsboro. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,823. The county was named in honor of

Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and t ...

, a brigadier general of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, known as the "Swamp Fox".

History

Early history

For

millennia A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting p ...

, 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 ...

were inhabited by Native Americans. From the 16th to 18th centuries, 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 ...

, by 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 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 1848, after 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, ...

, the

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

with

brought into the United States all or part of land for ten future states, including southwest Kansas. In 1806,

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first ...

led the Pike Expedition westward from

St Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, of which part of their journey followed the Cottonwood River through modern Marion County near the current cities of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Marion, Durham. 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

. In 1855, Marion County was established. The first settlers in Marion County located on Doyle Creek, near the present site of

. They were Moses Shane, who came in 1858, and whose death the next year was the first in the county; Patrick Doyle, in 1859, for whom Doyle Creek and Township were named, and a family by the name of Welsh, in which occurred the first birth in the county in August 1859. The city of Marion Centre was founded in 1860, became the

in 1865, and later the city name was shortened to Marion. Lost Spring Station Kansas road view

From 1821 to 1866, the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...

was active across Marion County. In the spring of 1859, a trading post was established at the "Lost Spring" on the Santa Fe Trail, and in the autumn of the same year, the Moore brothers established a ranch near the present site of Durham, and the first post office was established at this place. Later in the same year, a post office was established at "Lost Spring" near the current city of Lost Springs. Previously the nearest post office was Emporia.Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc; Published 1912
From 1867 to 1871, the

Chisholm Trail The Chisholm Trail ( ) was a stock trail and wagon route used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in southern Texas, across the Red River into Indian Territory, and northward to rail stops in Kansas. The trail cons ...

was routed along the western edge of Marion County. The trail started in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and ended in

Abilene, Kansas Abilene (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,460. It is home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Libra ...

, where cattle were shipped eastward by rail. As the railroads were built westward and southward, the trail was truncated from going further north. Originally, Marion County covered more than a third of the area of Kansas, including all the territory in the state south and west of the present northern and eastern lines of the county. The original location of the county was fixed by legislative act in 1860. It comprised less than the present area. The original boundaries were altered by an increase of territory on the west and a decrease on the south. In 1863, the legislature by special act fixed the boundaries to include all of southwestern Kansas. In June of that year, on petition of the citizens of the county, the governor restored the previous boundaries and ordered a separate organization of the county. The south-eastern border one mile "notch" with Chase County was established under unusual circumstances. A murder had occurred and Marion County didn't want to have the trial, so a section one mile wide and eighteen miles long was ceded to Chase County to ensure the murder had occurred there. The one mile strip of land remains in Chase County to this day. The present county boundary lines were decided upon in 1872 and contain twenty-four townships. The first two-story courthouse of stone was built in 1867. The upper floor was used for county court and the first floor was used as a school. A high wall for a place of refuge and defense in the event of an Indian attack surrounded it, but it was never needed for that purpose. An addition was completed in 1879 and part of the original structure was remodeled in 1881. The present three-story native limestone structure was completed in 1907.

Santa Fe Railroad

The state of Kansas granted the Atchison and Topeka Railroad three million acres (12,000 km²) of land if it would build a continuous line to the western border of the state within ten years (March 1, 1873). In 1871, the railroad pushed westward from Emporia through

, Horners, and Peabody towards Newton, and got title to the land in 1873.Santa Fe Rail History
/ref> According to the original

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

, the railroad was to receive every odd numbered section for on each side of its track, but in eastern Kansas which was largely settled by then, much of this land was not available. The law therefore gave the railroad what was called "in lieu" lands further west. Eventually this worked out to be half the land on a strip on each side of its track from Emporia nearly out to Kinsley, which meant that most of Marion County fell within this strip. In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company built a branch line from

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

, in 1881 it was extended to Douglass, and later to Arkansas City. The line was leased and operated by 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 largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

. The line from

was abandoned in 1942.Railway Abandonment 1942
/ref> The original branch line connected Florence,

Burns Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...

, De Graff,

, Augusta, Douglass,

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

, Winfield and Arkansas City. In 1887,

built a branch line from

Neva The Neva ( , ; , ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it is the fourth- ...

(three miles west of Strong City) to

Superior, Nebraska Superior is a city in Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,957. Superior bills itself as the "Victorian Capital of Nebraska", and holds an annual Victorian Festival.

. This branch line connected Strong City,

, Rockland, Diamond Springs, Burdick, Lost Springs, Jacobs,

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

, Abilene, Talmage,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

, Oak Hill, Miltonvale,

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

, Huscher, Concordia, Kackley, Courtland, Webber and Superior. At some point, the line from Neva to Lost Springs was pulled, but the right of way has not been abandoned. This branch line was originally called "Strong City and Superior line", but later the name was shortened to the "Strong City line". The railway is connected via a switch to allow north-bound "Rock Island" traffic to connect onto the north-west-bound "Santa Fe" tracks. This is the only way for the Santa Fe traffic to travel north-west after removing the tracks to Neva. As early as 1875, city leaders of Marion held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from Florence. In 1878,

and parties from Marion County and McPherson County chartered the Marion and McPherson Railway Company.''Marion County Kansas : Past and Present''; Sondra Van Meter; MB Publishing House; LCCN 72-92041; 344 pages; 1972. In 1879, a branch line was built from Florence to McPherson; in 1880 it was extended to

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, in 1881 it was extended to Ellinwood. The line was leased and operated by the

. The line from Florence to Marion was abandoned in 1968.Railway Abandonment 1968
/ref> In 1992, the line from Marion to McPherson was sold to Central Kansas Railway. In 1993, after heavy flood damage, the line from Marion to McPherson was abandoned. The original branch line connected Florence, Oursler, Marion,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Canton, Galva, McPherson,

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

, Windom, Little River, Mitchell, Lyons, Chase and Ellinwood. 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 ...

. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".

Rock Island Railroad

In 1887, the

Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway (CK&N) was formed in 1885 and Marcus Low, a former attorney for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, was its president. The CRI&P advanced the CK&N about twenty-five million dollars to begin cons ...

extended its main line from Herington to Pratt. This main line connected Herington, Ramona,

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, Durham, Waldeck, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Groveland, Inman, Medora, Hutchinson, Whiteside,

Partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...

, Arlington, Langdon, Turon, Preston, Natrona and Pratt. In 1888, this main line was extended to Liberal. Later, this line was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico, and

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

. This line is called the "Golden State Limited". In 1887, the

built a branch line north–south from Herington to Caldwell. This branch line connected Herington, Lost Springs, Lincolnville,

Antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

, Marion,

Aulne The Aulne (; ) is a long river of Brittany in north-western France, flowing down the hills and emptying into the roadstead of Brest, one of the many fjord-like bays just south of Brest. The river is part of the Canal de Nantes à Brest, the na ...

, Peabody, Elbing,

Whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

, Furley, Kechi, Wichita, Peck, Kansas, Peck, Corbin, Kansas, Corbin, Wellington, Kansas, Wellington and Caldwell. By 1893, this branch line was incrementally built to Fort Worth, Texas. This line is called the "OKT". The "Rock Island" has switches in Peabody and Lost Springs to allow connections to the crossing "Santa Fe" railroad in each city. The

was foreclosed in 1891 and was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, and finally merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

Chingawasa Springs Railroad

In 1889, the Marion Belt and Chingawasa Springs Railroad built a 4.5 mile railroad from Marion northeast to Chingawasa Springs. A hotel was built near the site of the spa at Chingawasa Springs, along with a depot and eatery. Both Santa Fe and Rock Island offered round trip fares from Chicago and western cities to Chingawasa Springs. An economic panic in Panic of 1893, 1893 closed down the health spa and hotel, and quarry business along the tracks never developed sufficiently. In 1893, the railroad ceased operations, and tracks were removed in 1910.

20th century

The National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through Lehigh, Hillsboro, Marion, and Lost Springs. Peabody, and nearby Watchorn, Kansas, Watchorn, experienced an oil boom from 1918 to 1920. The influence of the petroleum industry remained strong in Peabody, and resulted in the greatest change upon the community in the shortest time. More than 100 residences were constructed in October and November 1919. From 1918 to 1919, the population increased by 75% or more, but later decreased as oil booms in other Kansas areas needed the workers. From 1935 to 1937, the Marion County Lake was constructed southeast of Marion. From 1964 to 1968, the Marion Reservoir was constructed northwest of Marion.

21st century

Truck Hauling 36-inch Pipe To Build Keystone XL Pipeline

In 2010, the Keystone Pipeline, Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed north to south through Marion County with much controversy over road damage, tax exemption, and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs). In 2022, construction of the 201 megawatt ''Sunflower Wind'' farm was started in Marion County. Warning light and spin testing started in June 2023. This wind farm is located between Peabody, Aulne, and Florence, and operated by Ørsted (company), Ørsted headquartered in Fredericia, Denmark.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. Marion County is located in the

, and the eastern part of the county is part of the Flint Hills.

Adjacent counties

* Dickinson County, Kansas, Dickinson County (north) * Morris County, Kansas, Morris County (northeast) * Chase County (east) * Butler County, Kansas, Butler County (southeast) * Harvey County, Kansas, Harvey County (southwest) * McPherson County (west) * Saline County, Kansas, Saline County (northwest)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,361 people, 5,114 households, and 3,687 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,882 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.06% Race (United States Census), White, 0.47% Race (United States Census), Black or Race (United States Census), African American, 0.59% Race (United States Census), Native American, 0.19% Race (United States Census), Asian, 0.01% Race (United States Census), Pacific Islander, 0.55% from Race (United States Census), other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.92% of the population were Race (United States Census), Hispanic or Race (United States Census), Latino of any race. There were 5,114 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.80% were Marriage, married couples living together, 5.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 25.20% 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 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 21.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,500, and the median income for a family was $41,386. Males had a median income of $30,236 versus $21,119 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,100. About 4.80% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.50% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Laws

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or dry county, "dry", county until 2004, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.

Education

Colleges

* Tabor College (Kansas), Tabor College, in Hillsboro
Butler Community College
(remote campus), in Marion

Unified school districts

The following Public school (government funded), public unified school districts are headquartered in Marion County. * Centre USD 397, in a rural area between Lost Springs and Lincolnville * Peabody–Burns USD 398, in Peabody * Marion–Florence USD 408, in Marion * Hillsboro USD 410, in Hillsboro * Goessel USD 411, in Goessel

Communities

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

Cities

- originally named St. Francis * Durham - originally named Durham Park *

* Goessel, Kansas, Goessel - originally named Gnadenfeld * Hillsboro - originally named Hill City * Lehigh * Lincolnville * Lost Springs * Marion (county seat) - originally named Marion Centre * Peabody - originally named Coneburg * Ramona *

Unincorporated communities

† means a community is designated a Census-designated place, Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau. *

* Eastshore, Kansas, Eastshore† * Marion County Lake * Pilsen, Kansas, Pilsen†

Ghost towns

Marion County contained early communities that have long since been abandoned. ;Rail Towns / Stations / Cattle Pens * Hampson, station, approximately five miles south of Florence. * Horners (Honner), station and cattle pens, approximately three miles northeast of Peabody. * Jacobs, TBD, northwest of Lost Springs. * Oursler, station and tiny community. * Quarry, station and limestone rock quarry, approximately 5.5 miles north of Marion. * Wagner, TBD, southwest of Florence. * Waldeck, station, cattle pens, and tiny community. ;Oil Towns * Watchorn, five miles east of Peabody. ;Other * Creswell (or Cresswell), east of Goessel * Elk, Kansas, Elk‡, northeast of Marion (straddled Chase County border) * Fred, between Peabody and Hillsboro * Kuhnbrook * Morning Star * Strassburg * Youngtown, northeast of Marion ;Russian Mennonite#North America, Mennonite Villages * Alexanderfeld * Ebenfeld * Friedenstal (Alvin) * Gnadenau, Kansas, Gnadenau (''Grace Meadow'') * Hoffnungsthal (''Hope Valley'') * Schoenthal (''Fair Valley'') * Steinbach ;Alexanderwohl Mennonite Villages,''Alexanderwohl Villages in Kansas, 1874 (map)''; Mennonite Life; October 1949.
/ref> (see Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church) * Blumenfeld (straddled on McPherson County border) * Blumenort (straddled on McPherson County border) * Emmathal * Gnadenfeld * Gnadenthal * Gruenfeld (''Green Field'') (abandoned then later became Goessel, Kansas, Goessel) * Hochfeld * Springfield

Townships

Marion County is divided into twenty-four Civil township, townships. The cities of

(in Doyle and Fairplay townships), Hillsboro (in Liberty and Risley townships), and Marion (in Centre township) are considered ''governmentally independent'' and are excluded from the census figures for the townships. 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.

Historical maps

Image:1845 trailmap.png, 1845

map. Image:Safe trail map NPS1962.jpg, 1860

map. Image:Grand Canyon Route of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway 1900-05.jpg, 1900-1905 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway route map of regular stops. Image:Santa Fe Route Map 1891.jpg, 1891 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway route map from ''Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer''. Image:Map elk chase kansas.jpg, 1893 railroad map. Image:Kansas Map 1914 Chase Dickinson Marion Morris.jpg, 1914 railroad map. Image:National old trails association-usdotmap.jpg, 1910s-1920s National Old Trails Road map. Image:Kansas population map.png, 2000 Kansas Population map.

Media

Print

* ''Hillsboro Free Press'', local newspaper for Hillsboro. * ''Marion County Record'', local newspaper for Marion. * ''Peabody Gazette-Bulletin'', local newspaper for Peabody. * ''Hillsboro Star-Journal'', local newspaper for the greater Marion County area. * ''Newton Kansan, The Newton Kansan'', regional newspaper from Newton, Kansas, Newton. * ''The Wichita Eagle'', major regional newspaper from Wichita.

References

External links

;County *
Marion County - Directory of Public Officials
;Historical

archive of KsGenWeb
Marion County history bibliography
Kansas Historical Society
Marion County school bibliography
Kansas Historical Society
Marion County court records on microfilm
Kansas Historical Society

Detailed map of Santa Fe TrailVarious pioneer trails
;Maps * Marion County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Highway maps
CurrentHistoric1918
KDOT and Kansas Historical Society * Kansas Railroad maps
Current19961915
KDOT and Kansas Historical Society {{Authority control Marion County, Kansas, Kansas counties 1855 establishments in Kansas Territory