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Lincoln County, Kansas

Lincoln County Education, Geography, and History

Lincoln County is a county located in the state of Kansas. Based on the 2010 census, the county population was 3,241. Lincoln County was created on February 26, 1867. The county seat is Lincoln Center. The county is named in honor of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the sixteenth president of the United States.

Etymology - Origin of Lincoln County Name

The county is named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, and author of the emancipation proclamation, who was assassinated April 14, 1865.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Lincoln County History

Lincoln County, in the central part of the state, is in the third tier of counties south of Nebraska, and is bounded on the north by Mitchell county; east by Ottawa and Saline; south by Ellsworth, and west by Osborne and Russell. Its area is 720 square miles. The county was created in 1867 and named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, but remained practically unorganized territory until 1870. During these three years it was attached for all revenue and judicial purposes to Ottawa county as Lincoln township, and later was attached to Saline when that county was organized.

Stock raising is an important industry. The principal crop are winter wheat, oats, corn and Kafir corn, and in 1907 there were 100,000 bearing fruit trees in the county. Transportation facilities are provided by the Union Pacific railroad, which has a line nearly east and west across the county, following the general course of the Saline river, and a branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad runs to Barnard, in the northeast corner, giving the county nearly 40 miles of main track railroad.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 720 square miles (1,900 km²), of which 719 square miles (1,860 km²) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) (0.1%) is water.

 Lincoln county is located close to the center of Kansas. The county is gently rolling prairie, with high, rough land breaking into bluffs in the southern and eastern portions. Timber in this county consist of ash, oak, elm, box-elder, hackberry, walnut and mulberry. The Saline river flows, nearly east and west across the center of the county. Magnesian limestone, red and white sandstone, mineral paint and potter's clay are all found. Coal of a good quality has been found and mined for local use.

Description

The Saline River has cut a wide and beautiful valley across Lincoln County. Rolling hills, rich farmlands, and thick woods cover the countryside. The dam for Lake Wilson is in far western Lincoln County and the lake offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation.
 
This is "post-rock" county and the stone was widely used for homes, building, bridges, and fence posts.

• The stone buildings in downtown Lincoln are beautiful. The county courthouse was built in 1900 out of local limestone.
• Sylvan Grove has a couple of really nice turn-of-the-century homes and a beautiful old stone Lutheran School.
• A double-arch stone bridge crosses the South Fork of Spillman Creek beside K-181 north of Sylvan Grove.
• The Lutheran Church in Denmark was built in 1880 from the "post rock" limestone that lies under much of this part of Kansas.
• The Vonada Stone Company near Sylvan Grove still makes stone fenceposts as well as other products from "post rock".

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Mitchell County (north)
• Ottawa County (east)
• Saline County (southeast)
• Ellsworth County (south)
• Russell County (west)
• Osborne County (northwest)

Education

Unified School Districts

Lincoln USD 298
Sylvan Grove USD 299

Colleges

Kansas Christian College (closed)

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