Old commercial buildings in Wells, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.
Wells, Kansas, is a census-designated place in Grant Township of Ottawa County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45. It is also an extinct town as its post office closed years ago.
Located in Grant Township, this place was initially called Poe when a post office was established on May 21, 1888.
The name changed from Poe to Wells on October 26, 1892.
In 1910, it was a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, had a money order post office with one rural route, an express office, and a population of 42.
The post office closed on November 23, 1996.
Wells is a ghost town today, still displaying several old business buildings, an active church, and numerous homes. It is nine miles east of Minneapolis, the county seat.
The community is served by the North Ottawa County USD 239 public school district, headquartered in Minneapolis, Kansas.
Old buildings on Main Street in Wells, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated June 2025.
Also See:
An old grain elevator in Wells, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.
Sources:
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Kansas Post Office History
Wikipedia