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Kansas Counties

Neosho County, Kansas

Date Established: June 03, 1861
Date Organized:
Location: Kansas map showing location of Neosho County
County Seat: Erie
Origin of Name: Named for the Neosho River, which traverses the county. The river was named by the Osage Indians; some sources say it derives from the word ne-o-zho or ne-u-zhu, meaning clear water, while others assert it comes from the Osage words ne, meaning water, and osho or ozho, meaning a bowl or basin. In the latter etymology, the river is so named from the fact that it has many deep bowls or basins of water.
History: Formerly known as Dorn County.

At an election held in 1867, the county seat was located at the geographical center of the county. The following year, the issue again came to a vote, the rivals being Osage Mission and Erie. Erie was declared the winner, but a subsequent recount awarded the victory to Osage Mission. The clerk's records and tax rolls were surreptitiously removed from Erie for conveyance to the Mission, but were never found. Another election and round of litigation, settled in 1874 by the Kansas Supreme Court, moved the seat back to Erie.
Cities & Townships
PlacePopulation (2020 census)
Big Creek Township  496 
Canville Township  551 
Centerville Township  483 
Chanute (city)  8,722 
Chetopa Township  845 
Erie Township  1,232 
Grant Township  352 
Ladore Township  367 
Lincoln Township  254 
Mission Township  901 
Shiloh Township  537 
Tioga Township  837 
Walnut Grove Township  327 
Total population: 15,904 

Township map of Neosho County, 2000
Population:
1870 (10,206)
1880 (15,121)
1890 (18,561)
1900 (19,254)
1910 (23,754)
1920 (24,000)
1930 (22,665)
1940 (22,210)
1950 (20,348)
1960 (19,455)
1970 (18,812)
1980 (18,967)
1990 (17,035)
2000 (16,997)
2010 (16,512)
2020 (15,904)
Other Resources: Post offices in Neosho County
Cemeteries in Neosho County, As of 1906
Newspapers Available on Microfilm
Townships and Independent Cities in Neosho County
Bibliography
Kansas Memory
Links to Other Sites: Neosho County GenWeb
Early Kansas Maps [KanColl]
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