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Chautauqua County, Kansas

38 topographic sheets cover 17 settlements here, and 6 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

6 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Kansas within the United States
Chautauqua County within Kansas

What the record shows

  • 229 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 6 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 4 buildings, 1 site and 1 structure.
  • 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

6

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
L.C. Adam Mercantile Buildingbuilding200707000312
Bradford Hotelbuilding200707001222
Cedar Creek Bridgesite198383000418
Hewins Park Pavilionbuilding200707000602
Niotaze Methodist Episcopal Churchbuilding200605001512
Otter Creek Bridgestructure199089002189

Wildfire, 1994 to 2020

127 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 127 of them, burning about 36,386 acres. None started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined73
Debris and open burning36
Equipment and vehicle use13
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Arson/incendiarism2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
11 April 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined12,000 acresChautauqua Countynot named
21 March 1994Missing data/not specified/undetermined5,120 acresChautauqua Countynot named
8 April 2020Misuse of fire by a minor2,400 acresKansas Forest Servicenot named
4 April 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,150 acresChautauqua County04-04-2
11 February 2017Debris and open burning1,600 acresChautauqua County21117
2 April 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,600 acresChautauqua County04-02-1
4 April 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,500 acresChautauqua County04-04-1
30 March 2002Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,200 acresChautauqua Countynot named

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

Storms, 1951 to 2026

60 of 475 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 475 reports for this county, causing no deaths, no injuries and about $899,350 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail205
Thunderstorm Wind186
Tornado25
Heavy Rain25
Flash Flood19
Flood15

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
May 1957Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
May 2013Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$100,000Estimated winds up to 85 mph caused a swath of damage from Cedar Vale to 9 miles northwest of Sedan. Numerous trees, power lines, and limbs were reported down. The swath was estimated to be 2 to 3 miles wide. An estimated 9 power poles were laying across highway 99.
June 2007Flash FloodCedar Vale$100,000The CO-OP observer in Cedar Vale measured 7.2 inches of rain which lead to flooding of his residence. 6 inches of rain was also measured in the town of Chautauqua. Flash flooding was also reported in Sedan where numerous city streets were inundated.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindSedan$50,000Sixty to 80 mile an hour winds blew across the county with a line of thunderstorms. Power lines were down across the county. There was tree and house damage in Cedar Vale and Sedan.
July 2007Flash FloodSedan$48,000Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Chautauqua County. This resulted in roughly 48 thousand dollars in damage.
April 2004Flash FloodSedan$25,000Highway 99 underwater. Unspecified number of towns without power.
September 1973Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 1956Tornado (F4)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 2017Thunderstorm WindChautauqua$20,000Power lines were reported down across US highway 99 and 6 to 8 inch tree limbs were down all across town.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$20,000The estimated winds of 80 mph blew about 50 percent of a roof off of a home.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindHale$20,000A barn was completely destroyed, and two large cedar trees were uprooted.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$15,000A couple of power poles were downed with power outages reported.
February 2012Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$15,000Winds estimated around 80 mph produced some damage across Cedar Vale. Power lines were downed, tree limbs 10 inches in diameter were downed, and the announcer's box roof at the ball field blew off. Additionally, ping pong ball size hail accompanied these severe winds.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$15,000Severe winds tore the roof off of a gas station.
April 2004Thunderstorm WindSedan$15,000Airport hangar roof damaged with door blown in.
March 2002Thunderstorm WindSedan$15,000Power lines downed.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindSedan$10,000Trees were blown down across town. Also some small porch damage occurred to houses. Winds were estimated at 50 to 60 mph.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$10,000A tree was downed onto a building. The extent of damage is unknown, therefore property damage amounts are rough estimates.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$10,000Some power flashes were noted with a few powerlines knocked down.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindChautauqua$7,600A barn roof sustained damage. Trees were uprooted and a car port was blown down.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindSedan$7,500Severe winds tore the roof off of a barn
April 2020Thunderstorm WindHale$5,000Significant damage occurred at a farmstead just south of Hale. Several 80+ year old trees were either uprooted or snapped at the base. Two machine sheds were damaged as well. The spotter was unsure of the wind speed but thought it was at least 80 mph if not stronger. The Chautauqua Emergency Manager performed a damage survey (including an aerial survey with a drone) and was able to determine that the damage was caused by straight line downburst winds.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindChautauqua$5,000The east side door of a fire barn was pushed in 12 to 18 inches. The time of the event was based on radar and previous reports. The time of event was corrected.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindChautauqua$5,000A mobile home roof was peeled off by winds that were estimated from 52-56 knots. The event occurred on the south/southwest side of town. This was a delayed report.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindChautauqua$5,000Several power lines were downed.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindSedan$5,000Some tree limbs were knocked down.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindChautauqua$5,000A wind mill and some storage sheds were destroyed. Also, numerous trees were uprooted.
April 2004Thunderstorm WindSedan$5,000Windows to unspecified number of buildings blown in on Main St.
April 2002Thunderstorm WindPeru$5,000Barn roof damaged.
September 2001Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$5,000Tree fell onto a house.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$5,000Several pieces of tin torn off a barn.
March 1993HailHewins$5,000no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindWauneta$5,000no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindSedan$5,000no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindWauneta$5,000no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindPeru$5,000no account filed
August 2006Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$3,000The strong winds stripped siding from a house.
May 1990Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 1986Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
April 1984Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
May 1973Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
April 1951Tornadonot stated$2,500no account filed
June 2011Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$2,000Several street signs and tree limbs of 5 to 6 inches in diameter were snapped off of trees.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindSedan$1,000An 18-inch diameter tree was downed.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale$500Tree limbs were downed.
April 1994HailCedar Vale$500no account filed
February 1993HailCedar Vale$500no account filed
February 1993HailCedar Vale$500no account filed
July 2019Flash FloodChautauqua$100A Coop observer reported over 5 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. Water began to flow out of nearby fields and the nearby creek was reported running high.
July 2019Flash FloodSedan$100County dispatch reported a few flooded roads in Sedan.
October 2018FloodElgin$100The COOP observer in Elgin reported minor flooding around Elgin.
October 2018FloodChautauqua$100The COOP observer in Chautauqua reported minor flooding in town.
October 2018FloodChautauqua$100Flooding was reported in some low lying areas in and around Chautauqua. 24 hour measured rainfall was 2.18 inches.
August 2013FloodPeru$100Several roads had water flowing over them from creeks being out of their banks.
July 2010Flash FloodSedan$100Water was reported over numerous roads mainly to the east of Sedan. County Road 32 north of highway 166 was barricaded due to high water.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindSedan$50no account filed
April 2026HailCedar Vale-The ground was covered with pea to quarter size hail.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindCedar Vale-Wind gusts were estimated between 60 and 70 mph.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindChautauqua-There were estimated 50 to 60 mph wind gusts along with nickel sized hail. The time was estimated by radar.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSedan-There were trees down of unknown size.

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.

The vanished settlements of Chautauqua County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

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.