Miami County, Kansas

Miami County Education, Geography, and History

Miami County is a county located in east-central Kansas. Based on the 2010 census, the county population was 32,787. Lykins County was created on August 25, 1855. The county was renamed Miami County on June 03, 1861. The county seat is Paola.
Miami County is named for the Miami Native Americans, who lived in the area.

Miami County is included in the Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Miami County Name

Organized in 1855 under the name of Lykins. County seat, Paola. In honor of Dr. David Lykins. who was a missionary among the Miami Native Americans. He was also a member of the first Territorial Council. The county name was changed in 1861 to Miami, after the tribe of Indians.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Miami County History

Miami County, one of the eastern tier, and the second south from the Kansas river, was one of the original 33 counties created by the first territorial legislature, with the following boundaries: "Beginning at the southeast corner of Johnson county; thence south 24 miles; thence west 24 miles; thence north 24 miles, to the southwest corner of Johnson county; thence east 24 miles to the place of beginning."

It was named Lykins in honor of David Lykins, one of the early settlers of the county and a member of the territorial council. In 1861 the name of the county was changed to Miami for the Miami Indians and in March, 1868, the boundaries were changed so as to include an additional half-mile strip on the west, so that today the county has an area of 588 square miles. Miami county is bounded on the north by Franklin and Johnson counties; on the east by the State of Missouri; on the south by Linn county, and on the west by Franklin county.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 590 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 576 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (2.5%) is water.

 Miami county is located in east Kansas. The country is rolling prairie, with a few bluffs. The valleys of the rivers and creeks comprise about one-fourth of the area. Timber consist of walnut, cottonwood, oak, hickory, hackberry, ash, elm, soft maple, coffee bean and box-elder. The soil is very fertile. The principal water courses are the Marais des Cygnes and Pottawatomie rivers.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Johnson County (north)
• Cass County, Missouri (east)
• Bates County, Missouri (southeast)
• Linn County (south)
• Anderson County (southwest)
• Franklin County (west)
• Douglas County (northwest)

Education

At one time in its history, Miami County had more than 100 schools. While most of those school buildings either no longer exist, or have been vacant for many years, the Rock Creek School at 231st & Pressonville, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1910, was used as a school until 1966. The residents near it in the northwest corner of Miami County, purchased the red brick schoolhouse from the school district for $1. Today, the schoolhouse is still used as a township hall to hold meetings, suppers, and other community events. In 1878, a Normal School, one of five in the state of Kansas, was established in Paola by Professor John Wherrell, which flourished for six years. Notable students of the Normal School were: US Senator Chester I. Long, and the father of peanuts George Washington Carver.

Unified School Districts

Osawatomie USD 367
Paola USD 368
Louisburg USD 416
Spring Hill USD 230

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