Ruleton, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.
Ruleton, Kansas, is an unincorporated community in Lincoln Township of Sherman County. It is also an “extinct” town as it hasn’t had a post office in decades.
The original townsite was located on John E. Rule’s homestead and was named Rule. However, when the post office was established on April 23, 1887, the name was changed to Ruleton. Soon, there were sod houses, livery barns, a general store, and a blacksmith’s shop.
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot in Ruleton, Kansas.
When the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad came through the area on June 22, 1888, the post office at the Errington and Rich Store was relocated. The railroad built a station just east of the Ruleton store, and it became one of the stops on the rail line, along with Edson, Goodland, and Kanorado.
At that time, a frame schoolhouse was utilized as a school, church, and community center
In 1910, Ruleton was still on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, with one general store, telegraph and express offices, a money order post office with one rural route, and a population of 25.
In 1928, a debate over rural school consolidation, a controversial issue in rural Kansas, arose over whether to build a new school. Letters of opinion began appearing in March 1928, in the Goodland News-Republic, expressing pros and cons of a $22,500 bond issue at 5% interest.
Otis E. Doane, principal at the old frame Ruleton school, wrote:
“If people want their children to have nine months of grade school work each year and their children who go to high school at home at night, they will consolidate; if not, they will not. The only question is: Are these things worth the cost?”
Old post office in Ruleton, Kansas.
Apparently, they were. The $22,500 bond issue for a new schoolhouse in Ruleton passed by a vote of 44 to 26. The election was held on March 17.
The frame school closed in May 1928.
The brick schoolhouse was constructed by Goodland contractor Tom Jensen that year.
The community was looking forward to the new schoolhouse, hoping classes could be held there in the fall. Throughout the summer of 1928, work proceeded. The concrete foundation was poured. Two carloads of brick, one of tile, one of cement, and 80 barrels of lime arrived. The foundation was completed, and brickwork began around the first of July. The work was being pushed as rapidly as possible.
The local newspaper stated, in its August 23, 1928, edition:
“The new school building… is nearing completion and will be ready for school to open on September 3. Plastering of the classrooms was finished this week, and work on the auditorium is being rushed. With the completion of this building, the Ruleton district will have a fine, brick schoolhouse consisting of six classrooms and an auditorium, with modern lighting and plumbing fixtures throughout.”
Old store in Ruleton, Kansas.
There were many all-school plays, and even the kindergarteners had lines to memorize. Card parties, box suppers, and square dances were reportedly enjoyed at the school building. Economically, the school was an important employer in the community, hiring teachers and several local people as bus drivers, custodians, and cooks.
In addition to serving as a school, the building was also used as a community center. Ruleton residents were already accustomed to using the old frame school as the community church, and in October, the Methodist Church moved its equipment into the new schoolhouse, holding its first services on Sunday, October 18. The community’s patrons soon met to organize a Parent-Teacher conference, and “quite a number attended the social concert and program given by the Ruleton orchestra and 4-H club at the new schoolhouse.”
The first class graduated from Ruleton High School in 1929.
On June 8, 1941, a devastating tornado struck the community at about 4:30 on a Sunday afternoon, leaving a path of destruction. Several homes were torn down, including the parsonage. The biggest loss to the community was the school’s center, including the auditorium-gymnasium, which was extensively damaged.
Tornado damage at the Ruleton, Kansas, school, 1941.
Ruleton faced not only the loss of its educational facility but also of its religious and community activity center. It was quickly decided to rebuild as soon as possible. In the meantime, the men of the community worked together to make classrooms in the basement of the Duell home, where school and Sunday School were held from June until Thanksgiving. Music class and church were in the living room, where the piano was.
The new school was rebuilt in the same Modern Movement style, and five months later, the community celebrated its reopening.
Sadly, the rebuilt school only saw two more graduating classes. The Class of 1943 was the final Ruleton Bulldog graduates.
In the 1942-1943 school year, 17 students were enrolled at Ruleton High School, including 11 boys and 6 girls, and the grade school had 24 students. Sixteen units were required for graduation, and the passing grade was 75%.
At this time, the city’s population was 33, the district covered 39 square miles, and the district’s valuation was $319,111. There were two grade teachers and three high school teachers. The major problem confronting the district was how to maintain the school within the tax limitations, given the increased costs of teachers, maintenance, and materials. This was the last year a class graduated from Ruleton High School.
Old school in Ruleton, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Seven years later, in 1949, there were 64 elementary students, including 35 males and 29 females, with four teachers (1 male and 3 females).
In 1963-1964, the teacher’s salary for grades one and two was $4,800.00. The salary for the third and fourth was $4, 600.00. The salaries for the fifth, sixth, and seventh were $4,600.00 each.
The grade school remained open until 1968. That year, the post office closed on December 27.
After the school was consolidated and closed, the building was used for storage.
The Ruleton School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 for its use as a school and community center.
Grain elevator in Ruleton, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.
Today, the school stands on private property. The streets and roads around the school have been vacated, and a house now stands where the softball diamond used to be. The playground still has the old-fashioned equipment: swings, a merry-go-round, two large slipper slides, and monkey bars.
The school is located at 6450 Ruleton Avenue (Road 10).
Ruleton is ten miles west of Goodland, the county seat.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, January 2026.
Also See:
Extinct Towns of Sherman County
Farm in Ruleton, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Sources:
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Fort Hays State University
Kansas Post Office History
Sherman County Community Development
Wikipedia