Meade County, Kansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Meade County
County
Dalton Gang Hideout and Museum in Meade (2006)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	March 20, 1873
Named for	George G. Meade
Seat	Meade
Largest city	Meade
Area
• Total	979 sq mi (2,540 km2)
• Land	978 sq mi (2,530 km2)
• Water	1.3 sq mi (3 km2)  0.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,055
• Density	4.1/sq mi (1.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	620
Congressional district	1st

Meade County is a county in the state of Kansas, USA. Its main city and county seat is Meade. In 2020, about 4,055 people lived there. The county was started in 1873. It was named after George Meade, a general who fought for the Union during the American Civil War.

History of Meade County

For thousands of years, the Great Plains of North America were home to nomadic Native American groups. These groups moved around to hunt and find food.

In 1854, the area became the Kansas Territory. Then, in 1861, Kansas officially became the 34th state in the United States.

Early Settlements and Growth

Meade County was created in 1873. The first lasting town in the county was Meade City, started in 1878. Pearlette was settled soon after in 1879 by families from Ohio. The railroad first came to the county in 1887. Before that, supplies had to be brought from Dodge City.

On August 24, 1874, a conflict happened in Meade County. Mochi, Medicine Water, and other members of their Cheyenne group attacked a surveying team. This event is known as the Lone Tree Incident.

Outlaws and the Dalton Gang

In the 1880s and 1890s, Meade County was known for outlaws and cattle thieves. Eva Dalton Whipple, whose brothers were part of the famous Dalton Gang, lived in Meade County. She let her brothers use her house as a hiding place. Today, you can visit the Dalton Gang Hideout and Museum. It was fixed up in the 1930s and is now a historic site.

Natural Wonders and Challenges

A large sinkhole filled with saltwater, called the Salt Well, appeared in the county on March 16, 1879. People started making salt from it in 1880. Floating in its salty water was a fun thing for tourists to do around 1900.

Like other parts of southwestern Kansas, Meade County was hit hard by the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. This was a time when severe dust storms caused a lot of damage to farms and homes.

Geography of Meade County

Meade County covers about 979 square miles. Most of this area is land, with only a small part (about 0.1%) being water.

Neighboring Counties

Meade County shares borders with several other counties:

• Gray County (to the north)
• Ford County (to the northeast)
• Clark County (to the east)
• Beaver County, Oklahoma (to the south)
• Seward County (to the west)
• Haskell County (to the northwest)

Population of Meade County

Population pyramid showing age groups in 2000

In 2000, there were 4,631 people living in Meade County. The population was spread out by age:

• About 29.5% were under 18 years old.
• About 17.9% were 65 years or older.

The average age in the county was 36 years old.

Education in Meade County

Meade County has two main school districts:

• Fowler USD 225
• Meade USD 226

Communities in Meade County

2005 map of Meade County

Here are the cities and one unincorporated community in Meade County:

Cities

• Fowler
• Meade (This is the county seat, where the county government is located)
• Plains

Unincorporated Community

• Missler

Townships

Meade County is divided into nine areas called townships. These areas include the cities within them.

• Cimarron
• Crooked Creek
• Fowler
• Logan
• Meade Center
• Mertilla
• Odee
• Sand Creek
• West Plains

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Meade (Kansas) para niños