History of Spivey
| The town of Spivey is located in the southern part of Kingman County, just north of the Chikaskia River. The land was entered for settlement by Charles H. Manning, E.R. Smalley and D.A. Smalley sometime between 1875 and 1886. The Arkansas Valley Town and Land Company, a branch of the Santa Fe system, engineered the platting of the town site. E.R. Smalley was the local agent for the company. The Post Office, first known as Leland, was changed to Spivey on December 6, 1886, and so named in honor of Captain R.M. Spivey, President of the Arkansas Valley Land Company. In the spring of 1886, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was surveyed through that part of the county, and on Christmas day, 1886, the first passenger train was run into the town. The Santa Fe went cn to spend some $85,000 in Spivey in building a roundhouse, depot, coal chutes, station house and turntable. The town was comprised of 1000 acres, and the population was recorded at over 400 in 1887 when it was incorporated as a city of the third class. By 1904 Spivey boasted over 800 inhabitants with many thriving businesses. A Grade School was established and later a High Sehool. Both the Methodist and Christian congregations built churches. Both schools were later closed when consolidation took place. The Christian Church no longer has a congregation, but the United Methodist Church still meets. Business generally declined until the early 1950s when oil and gas were discovered in the area. Petroleum production provided the town and community with renewed business and employment opportunities. Now, in 1984, there is a third class Post Office, two oilfield supply houses, two large oilfield service companies, a quick stop grocery-service station, a restaurant, a laundry and a ceramics shop. The 1983 population is listed as 120, and thc town has a number of attractive homes. |
Adapted from:
Kingman County, Kansas, And Its People.
(Kingman: Kingman County Historical Society. 1984)
Used by permission
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