Dickinson County, Kansas

**Dickinson County** (county code **DK**) is a county in Central Kansas. In 2020, 18,402 people lived there. Its county seat is Abilene. Abilene is also the biggest city in Dickinson County. The county was named after Daniel S. Dickinson.

### 19th century

In 1857, **Dickinson County** was created.

The first railroad in Dickinson County was built through it in 1866.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a railroad from Topeka to Herington. This main line connected Topeka, Valencia, Willard, Maple Hill, Vera, Paxico, McFarland, Alma, Volland, Alta Vista, Dwight, White City, Latimer, Herington.

### 21st century

In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was built through Dickinson County. There was a lot of controversy about tax exemption and environmental concerns.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has an area of . Of that,  is land and  (0.6%) is water.

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**76.2%** _7,126_|style="text-align:center;"|22.0% _2,060_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.7% _163_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|**73.4%** _6,029_|style="text-align:center;"|19.6% _1,609_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.0% _572_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**72.5%** _5,832_|style="text-align:center;"|25.1% _2,020_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.4% _190_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.2%** _6,081_|style="text-align:center;"|28.0% _2,422_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.9% _164_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**71.6%** _6,295_|style="text-align:center;"|26.9% _2,364_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _132_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.8%** _5,243_|style="text-align:center;"|29.8% _2,413_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.4% _436_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**60.5%** _5,174_|style="text-align:center;"|28.4% _2,423_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.1% _951_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|**41.8%** _3,851_|style="text-align:center;"|27.3% _2,518_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|30.9% _2,852_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**63.3%** _5,121_|style="text-align:center;"|35.5% _2,870_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.3% _101_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.0%** _6,487_|style="text-align:center;"|24.7% _2,168_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.3% _116_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**67.6%** _5,654_|style="text-align:center;"|25.2% _2,108_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.1% _597_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.2%** _4,759_|style="text-align:center;"|42.6% _3,672_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.2% _186_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**75.3%** _6,515_|style="text-align:center;"|22.6% _1,957_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.0% _175_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.3%** _5,574_|style="text-align:center;"|27.7% _2,399_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.0% _693_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|**53.2%** _4,704_|style="text-align:center;"|46.0% _4,070_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.8% _73_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.2%** _6,956_|style="text-align:center;"|30.4% _3,054_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _45_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.9%** _7,422_|style="text-align:center;"|24.8% _2,452_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _34_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**81.8%** _8,969_|style="text-align:center;"|17.9% _1,967_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _31_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**60.0%** _5,918_|style="text-align:center;"|38.7% _3,815_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.4% _134_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**65.9%** _6,227_|style="text-align:center;"|33.8% _3,190_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _29_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**63.3%** _6,931_|style="text-align:center;"|36.1% _3,957_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.6% _70_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.6%** _5,936_|style="text-align:center;"|47.1% _5,313_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _34_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|49.0% _5,320_|style="text-align:center;"|**49.2%** _5,339_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _190_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**77.0%** _7,758_|style="text-align:center;"|22.3% _2,246_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _66_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.6%** _6,178_|style="text-align:center;"|17.7% _1,690_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|17.8% _1,698_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.1%** _5,761_|style="text-align:center;"|28.6% _2,387_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.3% _189_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|45.1% _4,323_|style="text-align:center;"|**51.9%** _4,974_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.1% _296_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|18.3% _988_|style="text-align:center;"|**40.4%** _2,182_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|41.2% _2,225_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**53.3%** _2,886_|style="text-align:center;"|42.2% _2,282_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.6% _246_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**66.9%** _3,185_|style="text-align:center;"|25.6% _1,219_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.5% _358_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.9%** _2,771_|style="text-align:center;"|44.9% _2,352_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _112_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|48.3% _2,291_|style="text-align:center;"|**50.6%** _2,399_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% _52_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|47.1% _2,419_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**52.9%** _2,712_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.2%** _2,746_|style="text-align:center;"|33.4% _1,695_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|12.4% _630_|

### Unified school districts

- USD 393, Solomon
    - Solomon, Rural Areas
- USD 435, Abilene
    - Abilene, Rural Areas
- USD 473, Chapman
    - Chapman, Carlton, Manchester, Enterprise, Rural Areas
- USD 487, Herington
    - Herington, Rural Areas
- District Office In Neighboring County
- USD 481, Rural Vista (headquarters in White City)
    - Hope, Woodbine, Rural Areas

### Cities

- Abilene
- Carlton
- Chapman
- Enterprise
- Herington
- Hope
- Manchester
- Solomon (partly in Saline County)
- Woodbine

## Famous people

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He moved to Abilene when he was 2 years old. Prior to that he was a five-star general in the United States Army. He was Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe World War II. He planned the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45. The Eisenhower Library is in Abilene.

Joe Engle is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and a former NASA astronaut.

## References

- Notes

## More reading

- County
- _The Scully Land System in Marion County, Kansas_; Homer Socolofsky; Kansas State University; 110 pages; 1944/1947. (includes Dickinson County)
- _Standard Atlas of Dickinson County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 82 pages; 1921.
- _Plat Book and Complete Survey of Dickinson County, Kansas_; Kenyon Company ; 54 pages; 1909.
- _Standard Atlas of Dickinson County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 63 pages; 1901.
- _Portrait and Biographical Record of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson, and Marion Counties, Kansas_; Chapman Bros; 614 pages; 1893.

- Trails
- _The National Old Trails Road To Southern California, Part 1 (LA to KC)_; Automobile Club Of Southern California; 64 pages; 1916. <small>(Download 6.8MB PDF eBook)</small>

## Other websites

- County
- Historical
- Dickinson County Kansas History and Heritage Project
- Maps
- Dickinson County Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Highway Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Railroad Maps: Current , 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Dickinson County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **ex image**: DickinsonCoCHAbileneKS.JPG
- **ex image cap**: Dickinson County Courthouse in Abilene, Kansas, Abilene (2009)
- **founded**: February 20, 1857
- **named for**: Daniel S. Dickinson
- **seat wl**: Abilene
- **largest city wl**: Abilene
- **area total sq mi**: 852
- **area land sq mi**: 847
- **area water sq mi**: 4.9
- **area percentage**: 0.6%
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 18402
- **population density sq mi**: 21.7
- **area codes**: Area code 785, 785
- **district**: 1st
- **time zone**: Central