Kansas Counties
Find information on current and defunct counties:
Neosho County, Kansas
| Date Established: | June 03, 1861 |
| Date Organized: | |
| Location: |
 |
| County Seat: | Erie |
| Origin of Name: | Named for the Neosho River, which traverses the county. The river was named by the Osage Indians; some sources say it derives from the word ne-o-zho or ne-u-zhu, meaning clear water, while others assert it comes from the Osage words ne, meaning water, and osho or ozho, meaning a bowl or basin. In the latter etymology, the river is so named from the fact that it has many deep bowls or basins of water. |
| History: | Formerly known as Dorn County.
At an election held in 1867, the county seat was located at the geographical center of the county. The following year, the issue again came to a vote, the rivals being Osage Mission and Erie. Erie was declared the winner, but a subsequent recount awarded the victory to Osage Mission. The clerk's records and tax rolls were surreptitiously removed from Erie for conveyance to the Mission, but were never found. Another election and round of litigation, settled in 1874 by the Kansas Supreme Court, moved the seat back to Erie. |
| Cities & Townships: |
| Place | Population (2000 census) |
|---|
| Chanute (city) | 9,411 |
| Big Creek Township | 456 |
| Canville Township | 571 |
| Centerville Township | 564 |
| Chetopa Township | 894 |
| Erie Township | 1,524 |
| Grant Township | 384 |
| Ladore Township | 401 |
| Lincoln Township | 345 |
| Mission Township | 927 |
| Shiloh Township | 297 |
| Tioga Township | 885 |
| Walnut Grove Township | 338 |
| Total population: | 16,997 | |
|  |
| Population: |
|
1870
|
 (10,206) |
|
1880
|
(15,121) |
|
1890
|
(18,561) |
|
1900
|
(19,254) |
|
1910
|
(23,754) |
|
1920
|
(24,000) |
|
1930
|
(22,665) |
|
1940
|
(22,210) |
|
1950
|
(20,348) |
|
1960
|
(19,455) |
|
1970
|
(18,812) |
|
1980
|
(18,967) |
|
1990
|
(17,035) |
|
2000
|
(16,997) |
|
| Other Resources: | Bibliography
Cemeteries in Neosho County, as of 1906
Newspapers available on microfilm
Townships & Independent Cities in Neosho County
Post offices in Neosho County
|
| Links to Other Sites: | Neosho County page [Blue Skyways]
Neosho County GenWeb
Early Kansas Maps [KanColl]
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