Ford, Kansas Main Street by Kathy Alexander.
Ford, Kansas, is a small town in southeast Ford County.
The town was established as a station on the Bucklin & Dodge City division of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The settlement was organized by Andrew Russell and the Ford Town Company in 1885. It was named Ford because it was the site of the only ford on the Arkansas River within the eastern part of the county. It gained a post office in February 1885, and the townsite was officially platted a couple of months later in May.
Just to the north of Ford, another town sprang up across the river called Ryansville, after Pat Ryan, an early settler in the area. It was officially platted in September of the same year as Ford. The two towns quickly entered into a rivalry over dealings with the railroad, but Ford ended up getting the right-of-way. When that occurred, a newspaper, two hotels, a lumberyard, and a drug store moved from Ryansville to Ford. Eventually, the two towns formed the Union Town Company, and 30 blocks were annexed to Ford.
The first train arrived on November 25, 1887. By 1910, the town reported a population of 205, a bank, and a couple of stores.
Ford, Kansas Business Building by Kathy Alexander.
Today, Ford remains a small agricultural community with a population of just over 200 people. It is located about 18 miles southeast of Dodge City on U.S. Highway 400.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated May 2026.
Also See:
See Sources.