Matfield Green, in Chase County, is a unique community: small by any standards, but once a railhead for shipping cattle from the Flint Hills. Its history is fascinating, and a few of its elder citizens are known for their story-telling. Held together by the fabric of several large families, the town revolves around their lives.
Elevation: 1430 feet Latitude: 38° 9' 33"N Longitude: 96° 33' 37"W Population: 33 (1990) 141 (1928) Area Code: 620 County Code: CS
Juxtaposed against this is a mystique that brings visitors and new residents to settle in the quiet beauty of the prairie landscape. Many have read about the town in William Least Heat-Moon's PrairyErth. Some have learned of its existence through the Land Institute. Others have simply stumbled into the area and fallen in love.
There's only one commercial establishment left in Matfield these days, a cowboy bar/cafe, but many of the area's residents are entrepreneurs, sustaining their lives through ranching, farming, art, and other endeavors.
View from BNSF tracks looking east, just north of Matfield Green, KS.
There are no schools; a library is in the planning stages; there's an old social club, and still one small church. Social activities generally revolve around getting together to make music, pizza parties, workshops and just plain ol' "visiting."
Notes:
- Genealogical Information for Chase County is available on Blue Skyways.
- Matfield Green is on the BNSF Railroad.
- Matfield Green appears on a county map in the 1877-78 Biennial Report of the State Board of Agriculture.
- Matfield Green appears on a county map in the History of Kansas by Noble L. Prentis published in 1899.
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