Wabaunsee County, Kansas

Wabaunsee County (standard abbreviation: WB) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 6,877 people lived there. Its county seat is Alma. The county was created by the territorial legislature of Kansas Territory on March 25, 1859. It was named after a chief of the Potawatomi Indians.

History
19th century
The first white people in the area were said to have been a group of criminals. This group was known as the McDaniel Gang.Wabaunsee County, Kansas, Kansapedia. (accessed July 27, 2013)

Wabaunsee County was created by the territorial legislature on March 25, 1859. The name used since 1859 is from the Potawatomi "Wah-bon-seh". This means "dawn of day." It was the name of the chief of the Potawatomi Indians. Originally, the county was named Richardson. This was named after William Alexander Richardson, a congressman from Illinois, who introduced the first Kansas and Nebraska Bill in the United States House of Representatives. This made certain Indian lands territories in 1854.

The county's first church, Wabaunsee Church of Christ, was created in June 1857.

The first railroad to be built through Wabaunsee County was the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe in 1880. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a railroad from Topeka to Herington.  This railroad connected Topeka, Valencia, Willard, Maple Hill, Vera, Paxico, McFarland, Alma, Volland, Alta Vista, Dwight, White City, Latimer, Herington.

Geography
The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (0.7%) is water.

People

Wabaunsee County is part of the Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Government

Presidential elections

+ Presidential Elections Results Year Republican Democratic Third Parties202072.9% 2,84524.7% 9642.4% 93201670.2% 2,37223.0% 7766.9% 232201269.1% 2,25628.1% 9182.9% 93200868.0% 2,39529.4% 1,0362.6% 90200470.2% 2,53127.8% 1,0012.0% 72200063.8% 2,18230.0% 1,0256.2% 213199655.7% 1,88428.6% 96615.8% 534199237.2% 1,25425.2% 85137.6% 1,269198858.5% 1,73739.3% 1,1662.2% 64198472.7% 2,27625.7% 8051.6% 49198068.0% 2,25525.7% 8536.3% 209197657.6% 1,92140.6% 1,3541.8% 61197276.8% 2,46120.7% 6622.5% 80196864.2% 1,97922.5% 69513.3% 410196458.3% 1,83940.8% 1,2870.8% 26196070.6% 2,35129.1% 9690.3% 11195676.6% 2,65023.2% 8020.2% 6195281.0% 3,18218.7% 7360.2% 9194866.8% 2,43731.9% 1,1621.3% 49194476.0% 2,83923.4% 8730.7% 26194073.6% 3,48125.6% 1,2120.7% 34193655.5% 2,80944.2% 2,2350.3% 15193247.4% 2,30450.7% 2,4651.9% 93192871.9% 3,09927.6% 1,1890.5% 23192465.9% 2,74215.2% 63318.9% 786192077.6% 2,85921.2% 7821.1% 42191659.0% 2,64038.1% 1,7063.0% 132191226.8% 78338.6% 1,12834.6% 1,009190860.3% 1,84937.9% 1,1631.9% 57190471.4% 2,01624.4% 6884.2% 118190058.1% 1,79340.9% 1,2631.0% 32189651.8% 1,58647.1% 1,4421.1% 34189246.8% 1,35653.2% 1,540188862.5% 1,70835.1% 9602.3% 64

Wabaunsee County is very Republican. No Democratic Presidential candidate has won Wabaunsee County since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.

Education

Unified school districts
 Wamego USD 320
 Mill Creek Valley USD 329
 Wabaunsee East USD 330

Communities

Cities

 Alma
 Alta Vista
 Eskridge
 Harveyville
 Maple Hill
 McFarland
 Paxico
 St. Marys (part)
 Willard (part)

References

More reading
 Early History of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Matt Thomson; 376 pages; 1901.
 Standard Atlas of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 76 pages; 1919.
 Standard Atlas of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 47 pages; 1902.
 Atlas of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Gillen & Davy; 51 pages; 1885.

Other websites

County

 Wabaunsee County - Directory of Public Officials
Historical
 Wabaunsee County GenWeb website
Maps
 Wabaunsee County Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
 Kansas Highway Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
 Kansas Railroad Maps: Current , 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society


Category:1859 establishments in Kansas Territory