Republic County is a county located in the state of Kansas, south from the Nebraska state line. Its county seat and largest city is Belleville. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 4,674. The county was named after the Republican River.
History
Early history
For millennia, the Great Plains of North America were inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th to 18th centuries, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France ceded New France to Spain, by the Treaty of Fontainebleau.
19th century In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, the land that included modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase.
Prior to the arrival of settlers of European ancestry, the area was inhabited by Indian tribes including the Pawnee, Iowa, and Otoe. One should also consider that other nomadic Indian tribes pursuing the buffalo, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kansa, Kiowa, Osage, and Wichita, may have made the area their home at one time or another.
In 1854, under the provisions of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, the Kansas Territory was organized. In 1860, Republic County was established by the Kansas legislature. And, in 1861, Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. The county is named for the Republican River, which enters at the northwestern corner of the county, flowing slightly east of south, and leaving the county about eight miles east of the southwest corner.
Daniel and Conrad Myers were the first settlers of European ancestry, arriving in February 1861. By 1868, Republic County was holding elections. Daniel Myers was elected judge of the Probate court and Conrad Myers to a seat on the County commission. At the election in 1869, the permanent location of the county seat was voted on with the following result: Belleville 59 and New Scandinavia 42, with a couple of votes going to other locations.
Following the Civil War and during the latter half of the 19th century, Belleville and the surrounding area became a destination for European immigrants, notably from Sweden and Bohemia (now Czech Republic).I. O. Savage, History of Republic County (1883), p. 68; New Scandinavia's Ninety-Three Years, 1868–1961 (Scandia, 1961), pp. 3-5.Nemcova, Bozena. "People of Czech Bohemian Descent in Republic County, Kansas." Master's thesis, University of Kansas, 1950. (Reel: LM 205).https://www.kshs.org/p/bohemians-czechs-and-moravians-to-kansas-a-bibliography/13535 |Kansas Historical Society, Bohemians, Czechs, Moravians Bibliography
In 1887, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a branch line from Neva (3 miles west of Strong City) to Superior, Nebraska. This branch line connected Strong City, Neva, Rockland, Diamond Springs, Burdick, Lost Springs, Jacobs, Hope, Navarre, Enterprise, Abilene, Talmage, Manchester, Longford, Oak Hill, Miltonvale, Aurora, Huscher, Concordia, Kackley, Courtland, Webber, Superior. At some point, the line from Neva to Lost Springs was pulled but the right of way has not been abandoned. This branch line was originally called "Strong City and Superior line" but later the name was shortened to the "Strong City line".
In 1996, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merged with Burlington Northern Railroad and was renamed the BNSF Railway, although most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".
Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.45%) is land and (or 0.55%) is water.
Adjacent counties Thayer County, Nebraska (north) Jefferson County, Nebraska (northeast) Washington County (east) Cloud County (south) Jewell County (west) Nuckolls County, Nebraska (northwest)
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Republic County, Kansas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)7,5276,4405,7184,8514,40299.45%99.35%97.99%97.41%94.18%Black or African American alone (NH)131522150.01%0.05%0.26%0.44%0.32%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7121112130.09%0.19%0.19%0.24%0.28%Asian alone (NH)1312715110.17%0.19%0.12%0.30%0.24%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census009xx0.00%0.00%0.19%Other race alone (NH)603100.08%0.00%0.05%0.02%0.00%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2626133xx0.45%0.52%2.85%Hispanic or Latino (any race)15155553910.20%0.23%0.94%1.06%1.95%Total7,5696,4825,8354,9804,674 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,674. The median age was 49.3 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.9% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.2% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,132 households in the county, of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,676 housing units, of which 20.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.7% were owner-occupied and 22.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 16.8%.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,835 people, 2,557 households, and 1,685 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,113 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.56% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.33% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.1% were of German, 13.6% Swedish, 12.4% Czech, 9.2% English, 9.0% Irish and 8.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 2,557 households, out of which 25.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 4.80% had a woman householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 22.10% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 26.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 women there were 93.20 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 90.80 men.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,494, and the median income for a family was $39,215. Men had a median income of $25,260 versus $17,274 for women. The per capita income for the county was $17,433. About 6.00% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Presidential elections
Republic County is overwhelmingly Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has won the county, with the exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916. Since 1996, the Republican candidate has garnered seventy percent of the county's vote. The only Democrat since 1980 to exceed one quarter of the vote was Michael Dukakis in 1988.
Laws Republic County was a prohibition ("dry") county until 1986, when the Kansas Constitution was amended, allowing the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.
Education
Unified school districts Republic County USD 109 Pike Valley USD 426
Communities
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Republic County.
Cities
Agenda Belleville (county seat) Courtland Cuba Munden Narka Republic Scandia
Unincorporated communities † means a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.
Harbine Kackley Norway† Rydal Talmo Wayne
Ghost towns Sherdahl White Rock
Townships
Republic County is divided into twenty townships. The city of Belleville is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.
Sources: from the U.S. Census Bureau. Township FIPS Populationcenter Population Populationdensity/km2 (/sq mi) Land areakm2 (sq mi) Water areakm2 (sq mi) Water % Geographic coordinates Albion 00900 174 2 (5) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.12% Beaver 05150 137 2 (4) 91 (35) 3 (1) 3.04% Belleville 05625 231 3 (7) 89 (34) 0 (0) 0.11% Big Bend 06550 242 3 (7) 92 (35) 1 (0) 1.39% Courtland 16050 450 5 (12) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.06% Elk Creek 20275 175 2 (5) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.15% Fairview 22575 155 2 (4) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.49% Farmington 23200 81 1 (2) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.20% Freedom 24675 186 2 (5) 90 (35) 0 (0) 0.28% Grant 28050 77 1 (2) 95 (37) 0 (0) 0.15% Jefferson 35325 107 1 (3) 95 (37) 0 (0) 0.05% Liberty 40325 52 1 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.19% Lincoln 41075 103 1 (3) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.09% Norway 51575 163 2 (5) 92 (36) 1 (0) 1.19% Richland 59575 318 3 (9) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.11% Rose Creek 61200 170 2 (5) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.44% Scandia 63375 541 6 (15) 92 (36) 1 (0) 1.23% Union 72300 51 1 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.18% Washington 75700 95 1 (3) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.24% White Rock 77975 88 1 (2) 92 (36) 1 (0) 1.09%
Notable people
Arts and entertainment Robert Gordon, actor (1895–1971) Greta Granstedt, actress Harry A. Pollard, silent film actor
Athletes Herb Bradley, Major League Baseball player Thomas Bushby, player for the Cincinnati "Football" Reds in 1934 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1935 Lloyd Cardwell, football player Larry Cheney, Major League Baseball player Dean Nesmith, professional football player, Olympic athletic trainer Ronald Severa, Olympic water polo player, 1956 and 1960 Anthony Zuzzio, offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions
Clergy Allen Wikgren, pastor and Bible scholar Richard B. Wilke, former pastor in Scandia, writer of the Disciple ministry series
Journalists J. C. Humphrey, founder of the Belleville Telescope newspaper A.Q. Miller, namesake of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University.
Medicine C. M. Arbuthnot, early physician and pharmacist in the county
Philanthropy Elizabeth A. Johnson, Kansas history advocate
Politicians Clay Aurand, member of Kansas LegislatureProject Vote Smart - Rep. Aurand Biography Charles H. Blosser (1895–1989), namesake of Blosser Municipal Airport in Concordia, Kansas Edwin C. Johnson, Governor of Colorado William C. Perry, 34th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme CourtFormer justice dies at age 85. Statesman Journal, November 1, 1985. Isaac O. Savage, state senator in the Kansas legislature
Settlers Ransom Henry Gile, early settler in Scandia Thomas Lovewell, founded settlement of White Rock, namesake of Lovewell Reservoir
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Republic County, Kansas
References
Further reading