Oil well derricks in McPherson County, Kansas, 1941.
| Town | Post Office Dates | Additional Information |
| Alpha | 1880-1897 | |
| Battle Hill | 1876-1894 | A post office located in the northeastern part of McPherson County, Battle Hill was 16 miles from McPherson, the county seat; 28 miles from Salina, the nearest shipping point on the Kansas Pacific Railroad; and 146 miles from Topeka. Small quantities of wheat, corn, and pork were exported. A stagecoach to Salina ran four times per week, carrying the mail to Mary M. Patten, the postmistress. |
| Big Turkey | 1860-1866 | |
| Bloomingdale | 1871-1872 | The post office moved to Roxbury. |
| Bonaville | 1875-1881 | Settled in 1873, Bonaville was located in the northern part of McPherson County, 16 miles from McPherson, the county seat, 22 miles from Salina, the nearest shipping point, and 140 miles from Topeka. Its chief exports were wheat and broom corn. A weekly stagecoach ran to Lindsborg and Marion, carrying the mail to J.M. Itten, the postmaster. In 1878, it had a population of 50. |
| Calmar | 1871-1880 | Calmar was a farming settlement on the Smoky Hill River in the northwest corner of McPherson County, 18 miles from McPherson, the county seat, 12 from Brookville on the Kansas Pacific Railway, the nearest shipping point, and 145 miles from Topeka. A stagecoach to Ellsworth and Marion carried mail four times per week to Bell Parker, the postmaster. In 1878, it had a Methodist Episcopal Church, a public school, a justice of the peace, a constable, and exported grain, broom corn, castor beans, and livestock. |
| Cedar | 1878-1879 | |
| Mound Ridge-Christian | 1876-Present | |
| Conway | 1880-1983 |
 ATSF depot in Conway, Kansas. In southwestern Jackson Township, Conway was a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. In 1910, it had telegraph and express offices, a money order post office with two rural routes, and a population of 125. Today, it is home to a large underground refined petroleum storage facility that holds approximately 30% of the propane stored in the United States. It is on U.S. Route 56, west of McPherson. |
| Craventon | 1884-1887 | |
| Crooked Creek | 1872-1876 | The post office moved to Christian. |
| Delmore | 1873-1902 | An inland hamlet, it was on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroads. It was 12 miles northeast of McPherson and eight miles north of Galva. |
| Dolespark | 1898-1918 | On the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad in 1887. A country post office in Canton Township. It was about four miles from Canton, the most convenient railroad station in 1910. |
| Eden Prairie | 1873-1883 | |
| Elkhart | 1875-1879 | |
| Elyria | 1887-1954 |
 Elyria Grain Storage. Elyria was a station on the Missouri Pacific Railroad in King City Township. In 1910, it had a post office, general stores, an express office, and a population of 100. It is seven miles southeast of McPherson. |
| Empire-Lone Tree | 1872-1888 | The name changed from Lone Tree to Empire on August 10, 1880. |
| Farland | 1872-1887 | |
| Farms | 1873-1887 | |
| Fremont-Smoky-Smoky Hill | 1873-1932 |
 Missouri Pacific Depot in Fremont, Kansas, 1919. Fremont was located in the northwestern part of the county on a branch line of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The name changed from Smoky Hill to Smoky on September 27, 1894. The name changed again from Smoky to Fremont on January 23, 1895. In 1910, it had a population of 15. The nearest significant town was Lindsborg, about seven miles east. |
| Groveland | 1874-1883 1887-1912 1915-1939 |
A station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, six miles southwest of McPherson. In 1910, it had telegraphic communications, an express office, a post office, and a population of 20. |
| Hyco | 1869-1871 | |
| Johnstown | 1883 1885-1904 |
Named for John Johnson, the postmaster. A hamlet with a station on the Salina & McPherson branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. It was six miles south of Lindsborg, the nearest significant town. |
| King City | 1871-1887 | In the spring of 1871, a colony from Ashtabula County, Ohio, settled in the southern part of McPherson County, Kansas, and established King City. |
| Lake View-Lake Village | 1870-1889 | The name changed from Lake Village to Lake View on June 6, 1872. |
| Lilly | 1874-1879 | |
| Little River | 1875-1877 | |
| Little Valley | 1873-1888 | |
| Lookout | 1879-1880 | |
| Monitor | 1874-1902 | |
| New Gottland
|
1872-1883
|
 Parsonage in New Gottland, Kansas, 1895. |
| Schley | 1898-1902 | |
| Sharpscreek-Sharp’s Creek | 1872-1899 | The name changed from Sharp’s Creek to Sharpscreek on October 15, 1894. |
| Sparta | 1874-1902 | |
| Spring Valley | 1872-1902 | |
| Sweadal | 1869-1872 |
 Courthouse in Sweadal, Kansas, 1908. First county seat. L.N. Holmburg, the first storekeeper, served as postmaster. |
| Wakeman | 1894-1899 | |
| Westfield | 1874-1888 | |
| Wheatland-Bachelor | 1874-1896 | The name changed from Bachelor to Wheatland on January 24, 1876. |
| Winnesheik | 1874-1902 |
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated March 2026.
Also See:
McPherson County Photo Gallery
The Santa Fe Trail Across Kansas
Sources:
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Cutler, William G.; History of Kansas; A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883.
Kansas Post Office History
Polk’s 1878 Kansas Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1878.
Wikipedia