Entering Soldier, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Soldier, Kansas, is a small town in Soldier Township of Jackson County. As of the 2020 census, the city’s population was 102, and it had a total area of 0.15 square mile, all of it land.
This location was first known as Smithland when a post office was established on July 12, 1867. William Cline was the oldest settler who came here from Illinois in 1857 and bought a claim from a man named Smithland. W. Branham, E. Fairbanks, William Knipe, and Henry Rancier were also among the early settlers.
Kansas Central Railway Map.
A new townsite called Soldier was established in 1877 on the Kansas Central Railway and was laid out that same year by Paul Havens, president of the Kansas Central Town Company. The original survey contained 16 acres. It took its name from Soldier Creek.
The first settler on the town site was F.M. Wilson in July 1877. He erected the first store building in 1878.
On January 9, 1879, Wilson Bros. opened their first stock of goods, and their trade increased to large proportions. The town grew rapidly, and its population was about 130. The Methodist Episcopal Church owned a good church. There was a graded school, the cost of the school building being $2,000; two hotels, the Wilson House and the Thompson House; and a large number of general stores and shops.
By the early 1880s, Soldier was described as “a nice, thriving village of four blocks, with 24 lots each, situated on the Kansas Central Railroad.”
Francis’ Addition was filed in August 1881, to the south of the original plat and measured about 325 by 1,100 feet.
The post office was moved from William Cline’s ranch, and the name was changed from Smithland to Soldier on February 21, 1883. F.M. Wilson was the first postmaster. L.H. Thompson was the first station agent.
On July 10, 1883, a tornado struck Soldier at about 10:00 p.m., instantly laying waste to the whole town East of Main Street. It destroyed 18 buildings and killed four people. The residents began to rebuild immediately.
Soldier, Kansas Grade School, 1903.
In 1894, Soldier was on the Union Pacific Railroad. At that time, it had the Citizens State Bank, the State Bank of Soldier, the Clipper newspaper, two blacksmiths, two hardware stores, three general stores, a hotel, two doctors, a livery, a shoemaker, a druggist, a harness maker, two confectloners, a furniture dealer, a lumber yard, a milliner, and a grain dealer.
The town was incorporated in 1896, and an election was held on May 4 of that year. The first officials were: J.T. Holston, mayor; J.W. Fleming, police judge; F.M. Denny, C.E. Friend, George Smith, Dr. S.S. Reed, and A.L. Fryberger, councilmen; and F.M. Wilson, clerk.
The first town school began in 1903 in a white frame building with Ada Wingate and C.E. Krasen as teachers. It offered eight grades.
In 1910, Soldier was still on the Union Pacific Railroad. At that time, it had all the main lines of business represented, including banking facilities, a newspaper called the Clipper, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order post office with three rural routes. That year, its population peaked at 358.
As more students enrolled, the school board purchased two country schools and had them moved to the school yard in town in 1920. However, as the attendance grew, the board added high school grades in 1921.
City Hall in Soldier, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Today, area students attend Jackson Heights USD 335, a rural unified school district headquartered about four miles North of Holton. The district includes the communities of Circleville, Netawaka, Soldier, Whiting, and nearby rural areas.
The site of the current high school previously housed a command center and one of the nine Atlas nuclear missiles assigned to Forbes Air Base from 1961 until its closure in 1964. Afterward, it sat empty for five years. A patron, Duane Wilson, then purchased the retired base from the federal government for $1.00 on behalf of the new Jackson Heights School District. With a few minor modifications, the command center was converted into a high school and opened for classes in August 1969.
In 1975, the construction of a second building was completed to accommodate the district’s elementary and middle school students.
Today, Soldier has a Christian Church, a post office, the Soldier Grill, and the Red Rock Ranch, which lies 1.5 miles outside of the city limits.
Soldier is about 17 miles northwest of Holton.
Main Street buildings in Soldier, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.
Christian Church in Soldier, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated July 2026.
Also See:
Sources:
Soldier, Kansas Grill, courtesy of Google Maps.
1894 Gazetteer and Business Directory, R.L. Polk & Co., Detroit, Michigan.
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.
Soldier Facebook
Wikipedia