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Ford County Courthouse in Dodge City, Kansas

Ford County

 Location
 
 
County Seat: Dodge City
Founded: 1873
Population:
    · 32,458 (2000)
    · 27,463 (1990)
    ·   5,467 (1900)
Area: 1099 Square Miles
Standard Abbreviation: FO

 

History

Map of Ford County, KS in 1899
Organized in 1873. County Seat, Dodge City. Named in honor of Colonel James H. Ford, of the Second Colorado Cavalry, and Brevet Brigadier-General of the United States Volunteers.
 
Map and text from History of Kansas, Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)

 
William G. Cutler's History of Kansas, first published in 1883, tells about early Ford County.
 
There is a section on Ford County in the book Kansas: a Cyclopedia Of State History by Frank Blackmar (1912).
 
The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of Ford County towns: Bloom, Bucklin, Dodge City, Fort Dodge, and Spearville.
 
The Kansas State Historical Society also has more historical data for Ford County online including a rich bibliography and lists of cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.

Cities, Towns, & Villages of Ford County

                           2000
    Town                Population  ZIP         Year  Elevation
    =================   ==========  =========   ====  =========
    Bellefont                                           2355
    Bloom                           67865       1885    2584
    Bucklin                    725  67834               2412
    Dodge City              25,176  67801       1872    2550
    Ford                       314  67842       1885    2406
    Fort Dodge                      67843               2460
    Howell                                              2551
    Kingsdown                       67858       1887    2512
    Sayre                                               2665
    Sears                                               2527
    South Dodge                                         2480
    Spearville                 716  67876               2460
    Wilroads                                            2429
    Wilroads Gardens                                    2445
    Windhorst                                           2360
    Wright                          67882               2539
Census Bureau Profile & Map

Special Places in Ford County

  • There is a truly ornate Methodist church at Main & Maple in Bucklin. While you're in town, check out the rock auditorium (1936).
  • Just west of the small town of Howell, there is a roadside park where you can walk in the great ruts of the Sante Fe trail. Howell is just a grain elevator beside the tracks and a couple of homes.
  • The "Boot Hill" area of Dodge City is fun and educational. The store in the complex has a good selection of Kansas books.
  • The Old Soldier's home at Fort Dodge has elaborate stone work; it represents amazing patriotic pride and it is still in use.

Libraries

Museums

  • Boot Hill Museum   (620) 227-8188  
    500 West Wyatt Earp Blvd (Front and Fifth streets) / Dodge City, KS 67801
    Monday - Saturday   9:00AM - 5:00PM
    Open year round; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's - admission.
     
  • Carnegie Center for the Arts   620-225-6388
    701 Second, Dodge City, KS 67801
    Tue.-Fri., noon-5pm; Sat. 11am-3pm; closed January - free
     
  • Mueller-Schmidt House (1881) Museum   620-227-6791
    (Ford County Historical Society)
    112 E. Vine, Dodge City, KS 67801
     
  • Kansas Teachers' Hall of Fame   620-225-7311
    603 Fifth, Dodge City, KS 67801
    Open Daily, Memorial weekend thru Labor Day - Free.
    and the Gunfighters Wax Museum - in the Kansas Teacher's Hall of Fame.
    Open Daily, Memorial weekend thru Labor Day - admission.

Ford County School Systems

Colleges & Universities

Hospitals

Newspapers

  • Bucklin Banner   (620) 826-3311
    118 N. Main / P. O. Box 98 / Bucklin, KS 67834
  • Dodge City Daily Globe   (620) 225-4151
    705 2nd Ave / Dodge City, KS 67801
  • High Plains Journal   (620) 227-7171
    1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd / Dodge City, KS
  • Spearville News   (620) 385-2200
    400 Main / Spearville, KS 67876

Other sites about Ford County

More Data About Ford County

Economic Development Health Data

Genealogy

Ford County Offices

For more about Ford County:

 
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Last updated on November 29, 2009 by COUNTIES@KSLIB.INFO
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Graphics by John Howell,
photos by Susan Howell,
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