Extinct Towns of Cloud County, Kansas

A farm near the old town of St. Joseph, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

A farm near the old town of St. Joseph, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.

Extinct Towns:

Ames

Camp Concordia

Minersville

Shirley/Elm Creek

St. Joseph

More Extinct Towns:

Town Post Office Dates Additional Information
Alva 1871-1878 The post office moved to Jamestown.
Ames 1878-1993 Ames, Kansas, is an extinct town in Shirley Township of Cloud County. However, it is a census-designated place, and as of the 2020 census, its population was 33.
Arion 1870-1872
1875-1883
Beaver Creek 1871-1877
Camp Concordia None
Camp Concordia, KS - POW Camp by Kathy Aleander.

Camp Concordia, KS – POW Camp by Kathy Alexander.

Camp Concordia was a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Cloud County, Kansas. It operated from 1943 to 1945 during World War II.

Carmel 1873-1886
1887-1894
Carmel was a country post office in Colfax Township. In 1894, its mail was delivered tri-weekly. A.C. Matson, the postmaster, and a farmer. It was 15 miles southeast of Concordia, the county seat, and four from Sulphur Springs, its nearest shipping point.
Cloud 1881 The post office was only open from May to December 1881.
Como 1900-1904 Como was located about 7.5 miles east of Aurora.
Cool 1881-1887
Fannie  1870-1878 A rural post office on the Smoky Hill River in Empire Township, about 12 miles southeast of Ellsworth.
Garley-Wild Rover-Garly 1873-1876
1876-1881
The Garly post office opened on June 3, 1873, and moved to Wild Rover on February 1, 1876. on August 4, 1876, the post office name was changed to Garley.  The post office closed for good on January 15, 1881.
Gillespie 1879-1883 Gillespie was a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
Graves  1882-1889
1890-1904
Graves was a small town in the central part of Cloud County. The Graves post office was established in the store of Thomas Graves, for whom the post office was named. It was located on a state section of land owned by Matt Wilcox. He sold the building to J.B. Wilcox and the goods to Sherman Dodson, who was appointed postmaster. Shortly afterward, the building and its contents were destroyed by fire. For a time, the office was discontinued. In 1894, it had a grocery store, a general store, and a population of 30.
Green Cove 1879-1881
Half Way-Cransdale 1872-1877
1877-1900
In the early days, it was thought best to establish a mail route with Concordia as the distributing office. On May 16, 1872, Cransdale was located, and Samuel Hannum was appointed postmaster. He held this position until 1877, when the office was moved to the residence of John C. Orput, who lived halfway between Concordia and Beloit on the summit of the divide between the Republican and Solomon River Valleys. The name was changed to Half Way on April 11, 1877. In 1894, Scottsville, 7 miles distant, was the closest shipping point, and its mail was delivered to J.S. Abbey, the postmaster, and a farmer. It was 18 miles southwest of Concordia, the county seat.
 Heber 1881-1904 Heber was a country post office in Aurora Township. It was near the head of East Pipe Creek, about 15 miles southeast of Concordia. After its post office closed, mail was received through the post office at Miltonvale.
Huscher 1892-1914
1915-1934
Huscher, located in Nelson Township, was six miles southeast of Concordia. It was named for David Huscher, the postmaster. It had a station on the  Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and was connected to Concordia by telephone in the early 1900s. By 1910, it had a local trade, did some shipping, and was called home to about 50 people.
Hollis-Sunday-Christie 1885-1960
Hollis, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Hollis, Kansas

This town was first called Christie for W.J. Christie, the original owner of the townsite. However, when the community received a post office, its name was changed to Sunday. That was also brief, as, after just six months, the town’s name was changed again to Hollis for a pioneer family on August 27, 1885. In May 1909, a tornado hit Hollis, which caused severe damage and killed several people. Only three buildings escaped damage. By 1910, it was a shipping point at the junction of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and Union Pacific Railroads. At that time, it had a money order post office with one rural route, a telegraph office, a good local trade, and a population of 50. The community still displays several homes, silos, and one old business building. Area students attend school in Concordia.

Key 1878-1881
Lawrenceburg/Salt Creek 1868-1869
1869-1901
The post office name changed from Salt Creek to Lawrenceburg on January 15, 1869. It was named for L.D. Lawrence, a Cloud County pioneer. It was a station on the Union Pacific Railroad, about midway between Concordia and Clyde, in the prosperous Salt Creek Valley. In 1894, it had express offices, telephone service, and a population of 20. It was seven miles northeast of Concordia, the seat
Macyville-Ten Mile 1871-1879
1879-1905
This place was first called Ten Mile because it was midway between the Republican and Solomon Rivers. When a post office was established on October 1, 1871, George W. Macy was the postmaster. On August 22, 1879, the name was changed to Macyville, taking its origin from its founder and first postmaster. Mr. Macy conducted a store and continued as postmaster. In about 1890, Macyville had three stores, and the little town did a flourishing business. At its peak, it had a population of about 200. The Methodist Episcopal congregation was organized in 1892, and a church was built for $1,100 the following year. The Macyville school was one mile north of the town. In 1894, it had a general store, a blacksmith, a druggist, and a population of 100. At that time, it was on the tri-weekly stage route from Scottsville to Concordia, from which the mail was delivered to G.W. Macy, the postmaster. In 1903, it had a store of general merchandise operated by A.E. Danderand and had one of the best-equipped blacksmith shops in the county, owned by E.N. Burgeson. The population in 1910 was 62. The town was in Summit Township, nine miles southwest of Concordia and about 11 miles northeast of Glasco.
Malta 1875-1884 Malta was a country post office in Oakland Township.
Meredith 1871-1910 Meredith was a small town in Cloud County, about 15 miles south of Concordia and eight miles from Delphos, its nearest banking and shipping point. In 1894, it had a general store, a blacksmith, a carpenter and wagonmaker, a barber, a hotel, and a justice of the peace. The population in 1910 was 78.
Minersville 1877-1899 Minersville was a small coal mining town located near the northern border of Cloud County.
Nelson 1873-1888 Nelson was a country post office in Nelson Township.
Oneonta 1890-1894
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in Oneonta, Kansas, 1931.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in Oneonta, Kansas, 1931.

This town was on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.

Princeville 1871-1882
Red Stone 1869-1887 Red Stone was situated on the Central Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad in Lawrence Township.
Rice 1878-1980
An old business building in Rice, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

An old business building in Rice, Kansas.

Rice is located in Lawrence Township, six miles east of Concordia. At the turn of the century, it had a store, an extensive elevator, a neat little house of worship, and a school building.  In 1910, it was situated on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, had a money order post office with one rural route, some local trade, and a population of 89. Its proximity to the more significant trading center of Concordia inhibited its growth. Today, it continues to have a small population, homes, grain silos, and an old business building. A stone arch bridge, built in 1899 and restored in 1990, can be seen just north of Rice. Students in the area attend school in nearby Concordia.

Shirley/Elm Creek 1868-1878 A post office was established on January 29, 1868. On January 13, 1869, the name was changed from Elk Creek to Shirley. It closed on May 28, 1878, and moved to Ames.

Sibley 1868-1876
Sibley, Kansas Old School, courtesy Tom McLaughlin, Flickr.

Sibley Old School.

Sibley was founded in 1869 and named for Lake Sibley. Both were named for a career soldier named Henry Hopkins Sibley. It was once in the running for the county seat but lost in an 1870 run-off election against Concordia. The lake dried up, the town of Concordia grew up nearby, attracting more settlers, and the population of Sibley drifted away. The area is now abandoned, and the land is privately owned and used for farming.

St. Joseph 1878-1882
1885-1901
St. Joseph, Kansas Catholic Church by Kathy Alexander.

St. Joseph  Catholic Church

St. Joseph was founded in 1873 by its first Catholic pastor, Father Louis-Marie Mollier. Though little is left of the town today, the beautiful St. Joseph Catholic Church rises above the prairie.

Sulphur Spring  1875-1895 Sulphur Springs was a country post office in Aurora Township.
Warren 1871-1886 Warren was a country post office in Summit Township.
Welcome 1884-1885 Welcome was a country post office in Summit Township.
Yuma 1880-1881
1882-1888
1889-1900
Yuma was located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad five miles west of Concordia, near the intersections of K-28 and County Road 777. A historical marker remains where the town once stood, populated from 1878 until the 1930s.
Zahnville 1873-1882 The post office moved to Miltonvale.

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated November 2024.

Cloud County, Kansas by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887.

Cloud County, Kansas by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887.

Also See:

Cloud County, Kansas

Cloud County Photo Gallery

Extinct Towns of Cloud County

Kansas Ghost Towns

Sources:

1894 Gazetteer and Business Directory, R. L. Polk & Co., Detroit, MI
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.
Hollibuagh, E.F.; Biographical History of Cloud County, Kansas; Wilson, Humphrey & Company, 1903.
Kansas Historical Society
Kansapedia
Kansas Post Office History
Kansas Travel