Vining, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.
Vining, Kansas, is located in Clay and Washington Counties on the Republican River in the northeastern part of the state. Located next to Clifton, the town had a population of 43 in 2020 and a total area of 0.22 square miles. Because it no longer has a post office, it is officially an “extinct town” today.
When it was established, this community was first called Riverdale. Its post office moved from Mulberry and opened on November 30, 1869.
The town resulted from a disagreement between the railroad companies over the location of a depot. Consequently, the Jefferson City & Fort Kearney Railroad, a Union Pacific Railroad subsidiary, branched off and started a town of its own with the assistance of Winslow Haynes and Oliver Cooper.
On September 27, 1875, the town’s name was changed from Riverdale to Lookout.
The town’s name changed back to Riverdale on April 23, 1877. That year, Winslow Haynes and Oliver Cooper, acting for the Junction City & Fort Kearney Railroad, laid out the town in the fall. The railroad soon located a depot here.
In the spring of 1879, P.H. Stepps opened a hardware store. The grain elevator, a hotel, and several other businesses were opened the same year.
The name changed from Riverdale to Vining in honor of E.P. Vining, Union Pacific General Freight Agent, on March 21, 1881.
Before long, the town boasted a general store, a hardware store, a drug store, a hotel, a grain elevator, a lumber yard, an agricultural depot, and a population of about 200. It depended upon East Clifton for educational and religious services.
The town was incorporated in 1885.
Vining’s population peaked at 245 in 1900.
In 1910, Vining was an incorporated city of the third class. Located at the junction of the Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads, it was a trading center and an important shipping point for a large agricultural district. It was supplied with several well-stocked stores, a grain elevator, telegraph and express offices, good public schools, and a population of 191.
Its post office closed on August 31, 1955.
Because Vining is just one mile west of Clifton, it was often called West Clifton. The community still has several business buildings, grain elevators, and numerous homes.
The community is served by the Clifton-Clyde USD 224 public school district.
Vining is 17 miles northwest of Clay Center.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated May 2026.
Also See:
Sources:
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.
Wikipedia