Pfeifer is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

in Freedom Township,

Ellis County, Kansas Ellis County (county code EL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 28,934. Its county seat and most populous city is Hays. Ellis County is the official German Capital of Kansas. G ...

, United States. It is located south of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

History

Volga German The Volga Germans (german: Wolgadeutsche, ), russian: поволжские немцы, povolzhskiye nemtsy) are ethnic Germans who settled and historically lived along the Volga River in the region of southeastern European Russia around Saratov ...

immigrants founded Pfeifer in August 1876, naming it after the village they had emigrated from in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. The final group of Volga German immigrants arrived from the community of Kamenka in June 1878. In 1884, the settlement moved to its current location. A

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

opened in Pfeifer in 1887. Beginning in 1879, local residents constructed a series of church buildings that culminated in the completion of Holy Cross Church in May 1918.

Geography

Pfeifer is located at (38.7080679, -99.1656536) at an elevation of 1,880 feet (571 m). It is approximately east of

U.S. Highway 183 U.S. Route 183 (US 183) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Presho, South Dakota, at an intersection with Interstate 90 in South Dakota, Interstate 90. Its southern terminus is in Refugio, Texa ...

, south of

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

, and southeast of Hays, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

. Pfeifer lies on the south side 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.Smoky Hill River. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www. ...

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 disse ...

region of the Great Plains.

Transportation

Saratov Street, a paved county road, runs north–south through Pfeifer. Northeast of the community, it becomes Pfeifer Avenue, connecting Pfeifer with

to the north.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Pfeifer include: *

Monty Basgall Romanus "Monty" Basgall (February 8, 1922 – September 22, 2005) was an American professional baseball player, manager, coach and scout. A former second baseman who appeared in 200 Major League Baseball games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (194 ...

(1922-2005),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

2nd baseman, coach

References

External links

* Ellis County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT Unincorporated communities in Ellis County, Kansas Unincorporated communities in Kansas {{EllisCountyKS-geo-stub