Wilburn, Kansas, in Ford County.
Wilburn, Kansas, was a country post office on the Jones and Plummer Trail in Ford Township in Ford County. It no longer exists today.
A post office was established on March 9, 1885. In the early days, a daily stage operated by Cal Ferguson stopped at Wilburn, Crooked Creek, Pearlette, Fowler City, Belle Meade, Minneola, Spring Lake, Meade Center, and Carthage, with runs to Tascosa, Texas, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Due to its location on the stage line, it was a popular stopping point.
By October 1885, Wilburn had about 25 houses, with several more under construction. Teacher Willet S Brown began the school year in November. By December, it had 35 students. The Wilburn Argus newspaper was first published in April 1886. The Wilburn Town Company was officially formed on October 25, 1886. Though the town had several businesses, it never had a saloon.
Without a railroad, Wilburn barely hung on in the spring of 1894. In February 1895, the livery stable was dismantled and shipped to Council Grove. In March, nearly 40 properties were up for tax sale, and the same month, the townsite of Wilburn was vacated by an Act of the Kansas Legislature.
It was 25 miles south of Dodge City and 10 miles from Fowler, the nearest shipping point. In 1910, it still had a general store, a post office, and a population of 26. The post office closed on August 31, 1911.
Wilburn Town Company
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated December 2023.
Also See:
Extinct Towns in Ford County, Kansas
Sources:
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
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