Graham County, Kansas

**Graham County** (county code **GH**) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 2,415 people lived there. Its county seat is Hill City. Hill City is also the biggest city in Graham County. Nicodemus is in Graham County. Nicodemus was created in 1877, which is the only remaining western town created by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period after the American Civil War.

### 19th century

Graham County was organized in 1880.  In 1887, **Graham County** was created. It was named after Captain John L. Graham, a Union soldier killed at the Battle of Chickamauga in Tennessee on September 19, 1863.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (0.03%) is water.

The average elevation in the county is  above sea level.
The south fork of Solomon River goes through the county. It is drained by Saline River.

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**80.8%** _1,080_|style="text-align:center;"|17.1% _228_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.2% _29_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|**79.8%** _1,025_|style="text-align:center;"|14.6% _188_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.5% _71_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**78.8%** _1,056_|style="text-align:center;"|19.1% _256_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _28_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.5%** _1,060_|style="text-align:center;"|22.8% _325_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.7% _38_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**75.1%** _1,082_|style="text-align:center;"|23.2% _334_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.7% _24_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**71.8%** _1,058_|style="text-align:center;"|23.5% _346_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.8% _70_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**63.4%** _1,031_|style="text-align:center;"|26.6% _432_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.0% _163_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|**39.3%** _752_|style="text-align:center;"|29.0% _554_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|31.7% _606_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**61.0%** _1,139_|style="text-align:center;"|37.6% _702_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _27_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.0%** _1,423_|style="text-align:center;"|25.0% _480_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _20_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.9%** _1,450_|style="text-align:center;"|23.1% _473_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.0% _122_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|**53.3%** _1,112_|style="text-align:center;"|44.8% _936_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.9% _40_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**73.3%** _1,440_|style="text-align:center;"|24.9% _488_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _36_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**60.7%** _1,308_|style="text-align:center;"|27.7% _597_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.6% _249_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|**49.6%** _1,194_|style="text-align:center;"|49.5% _1,193_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _21_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**63.0%** _1,572_|style="text-align:center;"|36.8% _918_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _7_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.5%** _1,676_|style="text-align:center;"|30.1% _725_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _11_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**72.6%** _1,859_|style="text-align:center;"|26.8% _686_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.6% _15_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.3%** _1,380_|style="text-align:center;"|39.2% _913_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _35_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**66.5%** _1,651_|style="text-align:center;"|32.8% _814_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _17_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**61.0%** _1,804_|style="text-align:center;"|38.4% _1,135_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _20_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|45.7% _1,462_|style="text-align:center;"|**54.2%** _1,734_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.2% _6_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|37.1% _1,284_|style="text-align:center;"|**60.1%** _2,082_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.8% _98_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**61.7%** _1,832_|style="text-align:center;"|36.6% _1,087_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.7% _51_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**53.8%** _1,631_|style="text-align:center;"|20.7% _629_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|25.5% _773_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.1%** _1,658_|style="text-align:center;"|29.4% _762_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.5% _168_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|35.6% _1,150_|style="text-align:center;"|**55.8%** _1,801_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.6% _277_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|20.3% _327_|style="text-align:center;"|**39.4%** _636_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|40.3% _650_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.2%** _911_|style="text-align:center;"|41.5% _723_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.3% _110_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.7%** _921_|style="text-align:center;"|17.2% _244_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|18.1% _258_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|44.0% _561_|style="text-align:center;"|**54.5%** _694_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _19_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|34.3% _343_|style="text-align:center;"|**64.9%** _648_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.8% _8_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|44.4% _436_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**55.6%** _546_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**49.4%** _797_|style="text-align:center;"|21.2% _342_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|29.5% _476_|

### Unified school districts

- Hill City USD 281, effective July 1, 2002, Morland USD 280 was consolidated into USD 281.

### Cities

- Bogue
- Hill City
- Morland

## Culture

Noted regional artist Birger Sandzén often painted landscapes in Graham County. This was where his wife's parents moved to in 1906. Examples include _Still Water_, which is in the collection at Kansas State University's Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art. It shows Wild Horse Creek in the county.

## References

- Notes

## More reading

- ; 156 pages; 2003.
- _Standard Atlas of Graham County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 61 pages; 1906.

## Other websites

- County
- Graham County - Directory of Public Officials
- Historical
- Graham County Historical Society
- Maps
- Graham 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**: Graham County
- **state**: Kansas
- **ex image**: Antelope Lake Park (Graham Co, KS) N shelter 1.JPG
- **ex image size**: 220px
- **ex image cap**: National Register of Historic Places in Graham County, Kansas, Antelope Lake Park near Morland, Kansas, Morland (2014)
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **founded**: February 26, 1887
- **named for**: John L. Graham
- **seat wl**: Hill City
- **largest city wl**: Hill City
- **area total sq mi**: 899
- **area land sq mi**: 899
- **area water sq mi**: 0.2
- **area percentage**: 0.03%
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 2415
- **population density sq mi**: 2.7
- **district**: 1st
- **time zone**: Central