Kansas Counties
Find information on current and defunct counties:
Allen County, Kansas
| Date Established: | August 25, 1855 |
| Date Organized: | May 07, 1856 |
| Location: |
 |
| Boundaries: | In July of 1855, the Territorial Legislature fixed the boundaries as follows: commencing at the southeast corner of Anderson County, then south thirty miles, west twenty-four miles, north thirty miles, and east to the place of beginning. |
| County Seat: | Iola |
| Origin of Name: | Named for William Allen (1803-1879), an Ohio senator and governor. |
| History: | The county seat was located at Cofachique from 1855 to 1857. Due to the decline in population of Cofachique, the county seat was moved to Humboldt in 1858. Humboldt was again the victor in 1860, but another county-seat election in 1865 resulted in the re-location of the county seat to Iola. The town company of Iola donated 100 lots to the county to aid in the construction of public buildings. The courthouse was purchased in 1877 for $1800 and the old courthouse was sold to the school district for $500.
The first railroads were built in Allen County in 1870--the Missouri, Kansas and Texas R.R. across the southwestern part and the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston across the county from north to south on the east side of the Neosho River. |
| Cities & Townships: |
| Place | Population (2000 census) |
|---|
| Humboldt (city) | 1,999 |
| Iola (city) | 6,302 |
| La Harpe (city) | 706 |
| Carlyle Township | 276 |
| Cottage Grove Township | 282 |
| Deer Creek Township | 142 |
| Elm Township | 1,259 |
| Elsmore Township | 460 |
| Geneva Township | 172 |
| Humboldt Township | 273 |
| Iola Township | 843 |
| Logan Township | 225 |
| Marmaton Township | 853 |
| Osage Township | 316 |
| Salem Township | 277 |
| Total population: | 14,385 | |
|  |
| Population: |
|
1860
|
 (3,082) |
|
1870
|
(7,022) |
|
1880
|
(11,303) |
|
1890
|
(13,509) |
|
1900
|
(19,507) |
|
1910
|
(27,640) |
|
1920
|
(23,509) |
|
1930
|
(21,391) |
|
1940
|
(19,874) |
|
1950
|
(18,187) |
|
1960
|
(16,369) |
|
1970
|
(15,043) |
|
1980
|
(15,654) |
|
1990
|
(14,638) |
|
2000
|
(14,385) |
|
| Other Resources: | Bibliography
Cemeteries in Allen County, as of 1906
Newspapers available on microfilm
Townships & Independent Cities in Allen County
Post offices in Allen County
|
| Links to Other Sites: | Allen County page [Blue Skyways]
Allen County GenWeb
Early Kansas Maps [KanColl]
|
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