BlockBefore

Barber County, Kansas

34 topographic sheets cover 17 settlements here, and 2 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

2 National Register listings published here, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Kansas within the United States
Barber County within Kansas

What the record shows

  • 241 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 2 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 1 site and 1 building.
  • 1 of the 2 listings was added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 17 populated places in this county; 17 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

2

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Sitesite196969000059
Carry A. Nation Housebuilding197171000303

Wildfire, 1994 to 2020

18 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 18 of them, burning about 63,091 acres. 1 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined11
Debris and open burning5
Natural1
Smoking1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 August 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined38,400 acresKansas CountiesBARBER COUNTY
25 March 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined5,500 acresBarber CountyEWB
19 November 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined5,000 acresKansas CountiesAETNA FIRE
20 March 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined4,250 acresKansas CountiesLAKE CITY
28 January 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined3,000 acresKansas CountiesHOPKINS
14 April 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined3,000 acresKansas CountiesLARKIN
14 March 1994Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,000 acresBarber Countynot named
22 March 1994Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,400 acresBarber Countynot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1954 to 2026

60 of 742 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 742 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 4 injuries and about $1,786,310 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail426
Thunderstorm Wind215
Tornado42
Heavy Rain32
Flood11
Flash Flood9
Funnel Cloud4
Lightning3

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 1976Tornado (F4)not stated2 hurt, $250,000no account filed
June 2017Thunderstorm WindStubbs1 hurtA semi truck was blown off the road by the high wind. The driver suffered non-life threatening head injuries but was taken to the hospital.
July 2009Lightning(P28)Medicine Lodge1 hurtA 14 year old male was struck and severely injured by a lightning bolt. He was going outside where some tents were pitch. CPR had to be performed as he had not pulse or respiration when rescuers reached him. Miraculously he made a full recovery after about 2 weeks in the hospital.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindMedicine Lodge$500,000Rear Flank Downdraft caused extensive damage to roofs, trees, power lines and sheds.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindHardtner$360,000Trees were reported in town. The school gym was torn off and there was also damage to the local COOP. Damage extended out into the county.
June 1967Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
May 2019LightningMedicine Lodge$100,000A home was struck by lightning causing a fire. The resident received smoke inhalation was expired so this is an indirect death.
September 1998Thunderstorm WindIsabel$100,000Microburst caused extensive damage to the Lake Arrowhead resort area. Several boat docks were destroyed. Part of a roof was taken off a cabin/house. A Garage under construction was completely destroyed. Damage was about 3 miles wide long starting near the resort and extending south and southwest. The length of the damage area was unknown due to range land extending beyond the resort. There were also six, very large-mature cottonwood trees uprooted with heavy damage to the remainder of the trees in the area.
May 1995HailSawyer$50,000no account filed
August 1986Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1964Tornado (F3)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1959Tornadonot stated$25,000no account filed
May 1999Thunderstorm WindSharon$20,000Barn damaged.
May 1999LightningSharon$20,000House struck.
September 1998Thunderstorm WindMedicine Lodge$15,000Numerous trees were uprooted.
September 2009FloodSun City$10,000A county road near Sun City was closed due to flooding.
September 2009FloodLake City$10,000A local road was closes for a while due to flooding from the Medicine River.
May 2004Tornado (F1)Kiowa$10,000This tornado moved extremely slowly churning up red-plowed fields. One barn was destroyed.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindKiowa$5,000Ten to fifteen trees heavily damaged; part of the roof off a tin shed found 1/2 mile a way, along with 2 x 6's.
September 1998Thunderstorm WindMedicine Lodge$5,000Large tree toppled by the high wind.
March 1976Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
May 2002Thunderstorm WindIsabel$1,000A house lost some trim due to high winds.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindKiowa$1,000Eight inch tree limbs blown down.
October 1998Thunderstorm WindSun City$1,000Six inch tree limb was blown down and a window blown out of a house.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindHardtner$500Power pole blown down.
June 1954Tornado (F0)not stated$250no account filed
May 1983Tornado (F0)not stated$30no account filed
September 1979Tornado (F0)not stated$30no account filed
March 2026HailKiowa Arpt-A social media photo showed 1 inch hail. Additionally, the emergency manager reported 0.75 inch hail at the same time and place.
March 2026HailSharon-A social media photo of 1.75 inch hail.
March 2026HailUppdegraff-Report via social media of 1 inch hail.
March 2026Hail(P28)Medicine Lodge-A member of broadcast media reported 1.5 inch hail.
March 2026HailSharon-Social media report of 1.5 inch hail.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindDeerhead-A COOP observer reported a 70 mph wind gust.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindLake Arrowhead-The emergency manager reported a 60 wind gust in Iuka.
September 2025Thunderstorm Wind(P28)Medicine Lodge-The KP28 AWOS reported a 61 mph wind gust.
April 2025HailAetna-Report of dime to quarter size hail, relayed via social media.
April 2025HailMedicine Lodge-Picture of golf ball size hail sent via social media.
April 2025Hail(P28)Medicine Lodge-Barber County emergency manager sent a picture of gold ball size hail via Slack.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindHardtner-A KZLF Transmitter Site recorded a wind gust of 64 mph.
June 2025Heavy RainMedicine Lodge-A cocorahs report indicated 2.60 inches of rain fell.
June 2025Heavy Rain(P28)Medicine Lodge-A CoCoRaHs report indicated that 3.20 inches of rain fell overnight.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindHardtner-The KZLF Transmitter Site recorded a 64 mph wind gust.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindHardtner-The radio KZLF Transmitter Site recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindLake Arrowhead-Mesonet station DW9907 Bloom reported a 65 mph wind gust, Mesonet station UP835 3.0 W Kingsdown reported a 62 mph, and a AWN weather station reported a 60 mph in the same time and area.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindHardtner-The KZLF Transmitter Site recorded a wind gust of 58 mph.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindSun City-Large tree blown down as well as extensive tree damage across town.
June 2024Thunderstorm Wind(P28)Medicine Lodge-A wind report of 58 mph.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindHazelton-Wind gust of 58 mph.
June 2024Heavy RainMedicine Lodge-Rainfall report of 3.35 inches.
June 2024Heavy RainLake City-Rainfall report of 2.65 inches.
June 2024Heavy RainLake City-Rainfall report of 2.61 inches.
July 2024Thunderstorm Wind(P28)Medicine Lodge-Measured at Medicine Lodge Airport.
September 2024Thunderstorm WindHardtner-Mesonet site (KZLF transmitter) recorded a wind gust of 62 MPH.
October 2024HailMedicine Lodge-Hail with diameters ranging from quarter size to golf ball size was reported by law enforcement.
August 2024HailMedicine Lodge-Hail the size of quarters was reported by the public.
August 2024HailDeerhead-The hail report was observed and estimated by a trained spotter.
May 2024Tornado (EF0)Hazelton-EF0 tornado developed in Hazelton and went NE 1 mile.
June 2024Thunderstorm Wind(P28)Medicine Lodge-A 60 mph wind gust reported.
May 2023Flash FloodHazelton-Water running over the road in the vicinity of Tri City Road. Radar estemated 4 to 5 inches of rain in the area.

Mines and quarries

3 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 3 workings inside this county. All of them still produce. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Gypsum-Anhydrite3

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Medicine Lodge PlantGypsum-AnhydriteProducer
National Gypsum Mine,Quarry,CrusherGypsum-AnhydriteProducer
Sun City Mine & MillGypsum-AnhydriteProducer

Every populated place in the county

17

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.