Herding cattle in Barber County about 1890.
| Town | Post Office Dates | Additional Information |
| Aetna | 1885-1946 | It was located near the southwestern corner of the county in Aetna Township, It was connected by a stage line with Lake City, which was the most convenient railroad station. In 1910, it was a trading center for the neighborhood, had a money order post office, and a population of 25. It was about 30 miles from Medicine Lodge. |
| Amber | 1883-1899 | Amber was a small village on Elm Creek in the northeastern part of Barber County. In 1885, it had a blacksmith, a carpenter, a general store, a doctor, and a justice of the peace. Its mail was delivered semi-weekly from Harper to W.H. Slack, the postmaster. The nearest railway point was in Harper on the Southern Kansas Railway, 35 miles east, from which livestock was shipped. It was nine miles north of Medicine Lodge, the county seat. |
| Belinda | 1882 | The post office was open for less than four months. |
| Canema | 1882-1894 | Canema was a village on Little Mule Creek in southeast Barber County. In 1885, it had a general store, a hotel, a feed stable, and a population of 20. Its mail was delivered from Harper tri-weekly to Mary E. Smith, the postmaster. It was 15 miles south of Medicine Lodge, the county seat and nearest bank location, and 40 miles southwest of Harper, on the Southern Kansas Railway, its nearest railroad point. |
| Deerhead | 1885-1923 | Located in Deerhead Township, in Indian Creek Valley. Lake City, ten miles north on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, was the nearest railroad station. In 1910, it had a money order post office, was the trading center for a large agricultural district, and was the headquarters of the Ranchmen’s Telephone Company. It was about 20 miles west of Medicine Lodge. |
| Eagle | 1890-1908 | Eagle was located in the forks of Little Mule Creek in Elwood Township, about 12 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge, the most convenient railroad station. After the post office closed, mail was delivered from Lasswell. |
| Eldred | 1886-1903 1908 |
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| Elm Mills | 1878-1893 | Located in the northcentral part of Barber County, Elm Mills had a flour mill and blacksmith in 1885. Mail was delivered twice a week by stage from Medicine Lodge to Ambrose Denton, the postmaster. It was 15 miles northwest of Medicine Lodge, the county seat, and 50 miles northwest of Harper, on the Southern Kansas Railway, its nearest shipping point. |
| Elsea | 1904-1905 | The post office’s order of change was rescinded. |
| Enon | 1885-1904 | It was located about 14 miles east of Medicine Lodge and four miles from Sharon, the nearest railroad station. After its post office closed, mail was received by rural delivery through the post office at Attica. |
| Forest | 1908-1919 | |
| Gerlane | 1909-1943 | Railroad station. |
| Kling | 1908-1920 | It was on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad 25 miles west of Medicine Lodge. |
| Lake City | 1873-1993 | Located in Lake City Township, Lake City was laid out in 1874 on Medicine Lodge River. In 1885, it was a shipping point on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. At that time, it had a blacksmith, a general store, a shoemaker, a Methodist congregation, a public school, and 40 residents. In 1910, it had several business establishments, including a bank and a daily stage to Deerhead and Aetna. It also had telegraph and express offices, a money order post office, and a population of 250. It is 18 miles northwest of Medicine Lodge. |
| Lasswell | 1905-1931 | Named for Allen B. Lasswell, postmaster. It was located in Eagle Township, 12 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge, the nearest shipping point. In 1910, it had a general store, a blacksmith shop, a money order post office, and a population of 25. |
| Lodi | 1877-1895 | A small village in southern of Barber County, stock raising was its chief industry. In 1885, it had semi-weekly mail delivered by stagecoach. It was 17 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge, the county seat, and 42 miles east of Harper, its nearest railroad point. |
| Lola | 1875-1878 | The post office moved to Springvale. |
| Melba | 1911-1917 | |
| Melior | 1886-1891 | |
| Mingona | 1885-1893 | |
| Mumford | 1885-1906 | It was located about ten miles northeast of Medicine Lodge. When the post office closed, it received its mail by rural delivery from Nashville, Kingman County, which was six miles north and the nearest railroad station. |
| Painted Post | 1878-1882 | |
| Pixley | 1892-1897 | |
| Red Creek | 1875-1883 | Settled in 1875 on Medicine Lodge River in Barbour County, Red Creek was ten miles northwest of Medicine Lodge, the county seat, and 35 from Harper, the nearest shipping point on the Southern Kansas Railway. |
| Richards | 1883-1884 | |
| Roundup | 1885-1901 | |
| Sexton | 1884-1899 |
Barber County, Kansas Map by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887.
© Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated October 2024.
Also See:
Sources:
1884-1885 Gazetteer and Business Directory, R. L. Polk & Co.
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