Sublette, Kansas Main Street by Kathy Alexander.
Sublette is a city in and the county seat of Haskell County, Kansas. As of 2020, its population was 1,413, and its total area was 0.92 square miles, all land.
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Depot in Sublette, Kansas.
Sublette was founded in 1912 and was named for William Sublette, a Frenchman who was a partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Sublette was a mountain man, fur trapper, and pioneer who blazed a trail through the area and was known by the local natives as “Cut Face”.
When the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad reached the county in 1912, it bypassed the county seat of Santa Fe. The line was constructed from Dodge City to Elkhart, Kansas, bypassing Santa Fe by seven miles and sealing its fate. A station was established in Sublette.
People began to move away from the county seat of Santa Fe. Steve Cave was the first to prepare to move, trading his Santa Fe lots to the railroad for new lots in Sublette
Moving S.E. Cave’s office building from Santa Fe to Sublette.
The plat of Sublette was filed on June 5, 1912. That year, construction began on the first building in town, the Cave Mercantile. There were living quarters upstairs that the Cave family used for a time; Doctor Miner also had an office upstairs. Later, this building was used by the T.M. Deal Lumber Company. Construction has also begun on The Rounds & Porter Lumber Company, one block south of The Cave Store, as they prepared for the growth of the new county seat.
A post office was established on January 2, 1913. At that time, the population of Sublette was around 270. Many families had moved their homes from the old Haskell County seat, Santa Fe, to Sublette.
On February 5, 1913, a referendum was held in Haskell County to relocate the county seat to Sublette, approximately eight miles to the southeast. A county seat election was scheduled for February 25. It would be the first election in which women were eligible to vote. However, the measure failed.
The first rodeo and fair of Haskell County was held in Sublette in 1916, and the fair continues at the exact location.
The fight over the county seat continued with a special election on May 16, 1919. The matter went to the Kansas Supreme Court, which ruled in Sublette’s favor in December 1920.
The Becknell Avenue addition, East and West, and the McCoy first addition were filed on March 6, 1922.
Second Haskell County Courthouse in Sublette, Kansas.
Sublette was incorporated on March 5, 1923. That year, the second Haskell County courthouse was designed by Smith & English and constructed by L.E. Riggs & Company in Sublette.
The first city election was held on April 2, 1923, to elect a mayor, five councilmen, and a police judge.
On October 2, a special bond election was held to approve a $20,000 bond issue for city waterworks.. The proposal was approved by a vote of 60 to 56. In November, a waterworks bid was submitted by W.C. Swanwick, discussed at length, and accepted.
City waterworks were completed by the spring of 1924. After installing the water system, the city purchased a Ford fire truck, and R.L. Bethel was appointed as the first fire chief. P.E. Lindeman was appointed water superintendent at a salary of $34 per month.
In the spring of 1926, transmission lines began to furnish Sublette with electricity. Two more additions were filed, including the Cave first addition on August 2, 1926, and the Park addition on May 18, 1928.
In April 1929, the council granted a franchise to Argus Gas Company to pipe and distribute gas in the City of Sublette. The Cave second addition was filed June 16, 1931, and the Elliott addition on November 25, 1933.
On January 9, 1947, a bid was accepted by Burton and Binford and Contractors for a city sewer system. By summer, more additions were filed: the Cox’s first addition, July 26, 1947; the McCoy second addition, July 27, 1947; the Garrett, White, McCoy, and Phoenix additions, October 17, 1947.
A business building in Sublette, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.
In November 1953, the City Council voted to call a special bond election on December 15. The proposal was to issue general obligation bonds, not to exceed $75,000, to improve and extend the city water system. The improvement included a water tank and tower, a new well and pumping station on a new site, and the extension of the mains. The bond issue was approved by a vote of 70 to 16.
By now, growing pains necessitated the filing of the McCoy Grain addition on February 5, 1957, and the Cox second addition on December 16, 1957.
A significant improvement was made by an ordinance passed by the city Council in May 1958, in preparation for curbing, guttering, and paving of all city streets. By fall, the McCoy third addition was filed on November 28, 1958.
In 1969, Sublette built a modern city office building. A new building on a site to be purchased was considered, but it was decided to remodel the brick Fire Station, which was structurally sound. Remodeling included installing wall paneling, ceiling tile, light fixtures, a restroom, and central heating, at a total cost of about $ 5,000. Later improvements included wall-to-wall carpeting and new furniture to accommodate new needs, such as a computer system.
Haskell County Courthouse in Sublette, Kansas, courtesy of American Courthouses.
The present-day courthouse in Sublette was built from 1977 to 1978 at 300 South Inman Street and East Chouteau Avenue. It was designed in the Modern style by the Gibson and Mancini Partnership and built by the McBride and Dehmer Construction Company. The one-story glass-and-concrete building faces north on landscaped grounds in the center of Sublette. The building forms a semi-circle facing northwest onto a grass courtyard. Concrete pillars support the extended roof, which features recessed glass walls. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County District Court courtroom is located at the southwest corner. The building houses the County District Court of the 26th Judicial District, which includes Grant County, Morton County, Seward County, Stanton County, and Stevens County.
On July 1, 1986, Sublette’s population was 1,200.
Sublette’s population peaked at 1,592 in 2000.
The Haskell County Monitor-Chief is the local newspaper.
Sublette, Kansas Elementary School by Kathy Alexander.
The Cimarron Valley Railroad runs through the town today.
Sublette is served by the Sublette USD 374 public school district.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, December 2025.
Also See:
Sublette, Kansas Food Market by Kathy Alexander.
Santa Fe Trail in Haskell County
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