Marienthal, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Marienthal is a census-designated place in Wichita County, Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64.
In 1892, the community was founded by a group of immigrant Volga Germans; they named it after their previous hometown of Marienthal, Russia (Sovetskaya, Russia today), on the east bank of the Volga River. The name “Marienthal” means “the valley of Mary,” after the name of the village in the Volga region of Russia from which many of the families emigrated.
In 1893, the first St. Mary’s Church was constructed in Marienthal, and priests from Olmitz served it.
The post office was established on March 18, 1902.
Diocesan clergy served St. Mary’s Church until 1905, when Capuchin friars began to serve a five-county mission district from Marienthal.
In 1910, Marienthal was located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, at which time, it had a money order post office, daily mail service, and a population of 25.
At some point, St. Mary’s Christian School was established.
 St. Mary’s School, in Marienthal, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps. |
 St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Marienthal, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps. |
A new St. Mary’s Church was dedicated in 1977.
St. Mary’s Christian School was closed in 2017. The same year, the post office closed on November 11.
Today, St. Mary’s Church still serves the community at 210 N 2nd Street, and has a flour mill, a bakery, several grain elevators and silos, active railroad service, and numerous homes.
 Old tavern in Marienthal, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps. |
 Old deteriorating building in Marienthal, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps. |
Railroad and grain elevators in Marienthal, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, October 2025.
Also See:
Sources:
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Volga German Institute
Western Kansas Catholic
Wikipedia