Wallace County

History

A fort, a town, and a county were named for General William H. L. Wallace who was fatally wounded April 10, 1862 at the battle of Shiloh.   The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of Sharon Springs, Wallace, and Weskan.   The Kansas State Historical Society also has more historical data for Wallace County online including a rich bibliography and lists of cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.

Wallace County in 1899

Cities, Towns, & Villages of Wallace County

                           2000
    Town                Population  ZIP         Year  Elevation
    =================   ==========  =========   ====  =========
    Sharon Springs             835  67758               3471
    Sunland                                             3589
    Wallace                     67  67761       1869    3311
    Weskan                          67762       1887    3846

Special Places in Wallace County

• Weskan has a nice little park a couple of blocks south of highway US40.
• Vega once was a town with a post office south of Sharon Springs; it's gone now.
• Only a cemetery remains of the old settlement of Stockholm in the south part of the county.
• Mt Sunflower, elevation 4039, is the highest point in Kansas.
• The post cemetery is all that's left of old Fort Wallace.
• Rhino Hill in the northeast part of the county has been the source of many fossilized shark's teeth and vertebrate skeletons.

Special Events in Wallace County

• The Wallace county free fair is held every July.
• The Rattlesnake Roundup and Festival is held every May in Sharon Springs. Contact (785) 852-4473 for more information.

Wallace County School Systems

• USD 241 Wallace County Schools   (785) 852-4252 Sharon Springs
• USD 242 Weskan   (785) 943-5423 Weskan

Libraries

• Sharon Springs Public Library   (785) 852-4685
  113 W. Second / Sharon Springs, KS 67758

Museums

• Fort Wallace Museum & Cemetery   (785) 891-3564
  Highway US-40 / Wallace, KS 67761

Newspapers

• Western Times   (785) 852-4900
  110 N. Main, Box 279 / Sharon Springs, KS 67758-0166

More Data About Wallace County

Genealogy

• Wallace County KSGenWeb

References

• Wallace County History (Sharon Springs: Wallace County Historians. 1979)

Wallace County Offices

• Wallace County   (785) 852-4282
  313 Main St. / Sharon Springs, KS 67758
• Sheriff   (785) 852-4288 / 313 Main St.
• Extension Service   (785) 852-4285
  313 Main St. / P.O. Box 189 / Sharon Springs, KS 67758-0189

For more about Wallace County contact:

• Wallace County Chamber Of Commerce   (785) 852-4935
  P. O. Box 508 / Sharon Springs, KS 67758
• Wallace County Pride   (785) 852-4473
  Sharon Springs, KS 67758