Butler County, Kansas

Butler County, Kansas
Butler County (county code BU) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas and is the largest county in the state by total area. Its county seat is El Dorado and its most populous city is Andover. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 67,380. The county was named for Andrew Butler, a U.S. Senator from South Carolina who coauthored the Kansas–Nebraska Act.
History
Early history
For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. 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 for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1848, after the Mexican–American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with Spain brought into the United States all or part of land for ten future states, including southwest Kansas. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.
19th century
In 1855, Butler County was founded. It was named in honor of a U.S. Senator from South Carolina, Andrew Butler (1796-1857), who was one of the authors of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and a strong advocate of Kansas becoming a slave state.
In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company built a branch line from Florence to El Dorado, 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 line from Florence to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942. The original branch line connected Florence, Burns, De Graff, El Dorado, Augusta, Douglass, Rock, Akron, Winfield, Arkansas City.
In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north–south from Herington to Caldwell. This branch line connected Herington, Lost Springs, Lincolnville, Antelope, Marion, Aulne, Peabody, Elbing, Whitewater, Furley, Kechi, Wichita, Peck, Corbin, Wellington, Caldwell. By 1893, this branch line was incrementally built to Fort Worth, Texas. This line is called the "OKT". The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway 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".
21st century
In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed north to south through Butler County (near Potwin, Towanda, Augusta, Douglass), with much controversy over tax exemption and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs). A pumping station named Burns was built 2 miles north of Potwin, and new power lines were built from a high-voltage line 0.3 mile east of De Graff.
In an unusual technical glitch, a farmstead about 4 miles northeast of Potwin became the default site of 600 million IP addresses (due to their lack of fine granularity) when the Massachusetts-based digital mapping company MaxMind changed the putative geographic center of the contiguous United States from 39.8333333,-98.585522 to 38.0000,-97.0000.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. It is the largest county by area in Kansas.
Adjacent counties
Chase County (northeast)
Greenwood County (east)
Elk County (southeast)
Cowley County (south)
Sumner County (southwest)
Harvey County (west)
Sedgwick County (west)
Marion County (northwest)
Major highways
Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau
Interstate 35
U.S. Route 54
U.S. Route 77
Kansas Highway 96
Kansas Highway 177
Kansas Highway 196
Kansas Highway 254
Demographics
Butler County is part of the Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, 59,482 people, 21,527 households, and 16,059 families resided in the county. The population density was . There were 23,176 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 94.94% White, 1.38% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.69% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.
There were 21,527 households, of which 37.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males.
The county's median household income was $45,474, and the median family income was $53,632. Males had a median income of $38,675 versus $26,109 for females. The county's per capita income was $20,150. About 5.40% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Presidential elections
Like of most of Kansas’ counties, Butler county is solidly Republican. In 2008, John McCain carried the county by a nearly two-to-one margin over Barack Obama. Since 1992, no Democratic candidate has received so much as forty percent of the county's vote. The last Democratic candidate to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Laws
Butler County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.
Education
College
Butler County Community College in El Dorado
Unified school districts
Bluestem USD 205
Remington USD 206
Circle USD 375
Andover USD 385
Rose Hill USD 394
Douglass USD 396
Augusta USD 402
El Dorado USD 490
Flinthills USD 492
School district office in neighboring county
Peabody–Burns USD 398
Central USD 462
Private schools
Berean Academy in Elbing
Communities
† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.
Cities
Andover
Augusta
Benton
Cassoday
Douglass
Elbing
El Dorado (county seat)
Latham
Leon
Potwin
Rose Hill
Towanda
Whitewater
Unincorporated communities
Beaumont†
Bois d'Arc
Brainerd
De Graff
Gordon
Haverhill
Keighley
Lorena
Midian
Pontiac
Rosalia†
Ghost towns
Aikman
Alki
Amador
Browntown
Chelsea (now lies under El Dorado Lake)
Durachen
Frazier
Lorena
Magna City
Midian
Oil Hill
Oil Valley
Ophir
Plum Grove
Providence
Ramsey
Salter
Vanora
Wingate
Townships
Butler County is divided into twenty-nine townships. The cities of Augusta and El Dorado 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.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Butler County, Kansas
References
Further reading
History of Butler County, Kansas; Vol P Mooney; Standard Publishing; 869 pages; 1916.
An Illustrated Hand Book, Compiled from the Official Statistics, Descriptive of Butler County, Kansas; 66 pages; T.B. Murdock; 1887.
Standard Atlas of Butler County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 69 pages; 1905.
Standard Atlas of Butler County, Kansas; Walter F. McGinnis & I.C. Thomas; 59 pages; 1885.
External links
County
Butler County - Directory of Public Officials
Historical
Butler County GenWeb
Kansas State Historical Society
Maps
Butler County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society
Kansas counties
1855 establishments in Kansas Territory
Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area