BlockFrom the record
3 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Cheyenne County, Kansas
16 topographic sheets cover 3 settlements here, and 3 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 30 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 3 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 2 buildings and 1 site.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 3 populated places in this county; 3 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
3Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Cheyenne County Courthouse | building | 2002 | 02000391 |
 | Hickert, Henry Building | building | 2007 | 07001223 |
 | St. Francis City Park | site | 2008 | 08000645 |
Wildfire, 2007 to 2020
42 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 42 of them, burning about 11,920 acres. 11 started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Natural | 11 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 8 |
| Fireworks | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 November 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 acres | Cheyenne County | CHERRY CREEK |
| 18 October 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 acres | Kansas Counties | WANO |
| 16 March 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,800 acres | Kansas Counties | ZWEYGARDT |
| 6 March 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 600 acres | Cheyenne County | 3617 |
| 15 November 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 acres | Kansas Counties | MURRAY |
| 5 March 2017 | Fireworks | 400 acres | Cheyenne County | 3517 |
| 8 December 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 350 acres | Cheyenne County | HWY36 AND RD2 |
| 25 June 2020 | Natural | 60 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1951 to 2026
60 of 873 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 873 reports for this county, causing no deaths, no injuries and about $9,257,350 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 480 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 300 |
| Tornado | 48 |
| Flash Flood | 37 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 |
| Flood | 3 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 |
| Lightning | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1994 | Tornado (F2) | St. Francis | $5,000,000 | Tornado moved south southeast at 20 mph. Several pivot irrigation rigs were destroyed. Two grain bins and a barn were destroyed and a quonset building door was torn off. One large feedlot, farm home, and outbuildings were damaged and utility poles destroyed. Estimated damage around $600,000. |
| March 2007 | Tornado (EF2) | Bird City | $2,000,000 | This tornado tracked from Sherman county through most of Cheyenne county with a total path length of 34 miles. The tornado was on the ground for 62 minutes and produced F1-F2 damage along much of its path. In Cheyenne county, four homes were affected, all having lost the entire roof and some with outside wall damage. Tree and power pole damage was extensive as well as significant property damage including garages, outbuildings, grain bins and livestock. The tornado tracked almost straight north along Road 30 for most of its length in Cheyenne county, and then at Road U the tornado veered left and dissipated near Roads AA and 26. The tornado began at the Sherman county line near Road 30. |Wildlife officials stated that 22 mule deer, 50 ducks, 4 pheasants, 4 rabbits and 2 song birds were killed. |
| June 1994 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $500,000 | Large multi vortex tornado damaged several farmsteads. Several large trees were uprooted. Tornado witnessed by many residents. Property damage estimated at $100,000. Tornado moved southeast at 15 to 20 mph. |
| May 2025 | Tornado (EF2) | St Francis Arpt | $300,000 | Tornado formed south of farmstead near River Road, made a glancing blow to the farmstead, then continued NNW toward Hwy 36. Power poles were broken, a well established cotton wood tree was uprooted, and a well anchored antenna was twisted and bent by the tornado. Another farmstead north of CR M was also impacted by the tornado. The tornado removed the roof and doors from a metal building, relocated a couple grain bins, and leveled a wooden shed. However the tornado turned away from house before continuing north through the windbreak. The tornado ended before reaching the highway. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis Arpt | $160,000 | Thunderstorms wind gusts estimated to be 90 mph snapped power poles at the intersection of Highway 27 and County Road D. The irrigation field also located near by the intersection had an irrigation pivot flipped. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis Arpt | $100,000 | Thunderstorm with estimated 90 mph straight line winds gusts flipped and destroyed a 5th wheel camper and a bumper pull camper. An outbuilding and tree were also damaged. All debris was reported to be scattered to the east. |
| August 2004 | Lightning | Wheeler | $100,000 | Lightning stuck a rural farm house 3 miles south of Wheeler, KS during the night. The house burned completely to the ground. The house was built in 1895 but had been remodeled several times over the years. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis | $90,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City Arpt | $60,000 | Newspaper reported that irrigation pivots near the county line were destroyed as the storm moved through. Location and time for this event are estimated from Doppler radar. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis | $60,000 | Significant wind damage occurred in St Francis as severe thunderstorms moved east across the county. Large trees were blown onto roofs, and a garage and carport were destroyed. The roof of a business downtown was blow off. Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down with some vehicle damage reported. |
| August 2008 | Flash Flood | St Francis | $60,000 | Heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding near Roads P and 6 west of St Francis. One bridge and several culverts were destroyed. |
| July 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | St Francis Arpt | $51,000 | Brief tornado damaged a car and blew a semi-trailer off highway 36 into the ditch. Car window blown in and a hail guard torn from the roof of the vehicle. |
| March 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis Arpt | $50,000 | Two grain bins were blown off their foundation. A grain bin was blown into the road (County Road 16 south-southeast of St. Francis). Key impacts: property damage, straight-line winds. |
| August 2019 | Tornado (EF1) | Wheeler | $50,000 | A tornado struck a farmstead southeast of Wheeler, KS. This tornado produced damage consisting of trees either uprooted or snapped, and damage to farm machinery from flying debris, being tossed, or the strength of the wind itself. A sturdy farm outbuilding collapsed and several lean-to shelters collapsed. Many fences were blown over. A grain bin was blown more than a tenth of a mile away. |
| June 2010 | Hail | St Francis | $50,000 | Many reports of large hail were received from the St Francis area. The emergency manager saved hail stones in his freezer which measured 3.5 inches in diameter the following day. Car windshields were broken and some windows in houses were also broken. |
| May 1998 | Hail | St Francis | $50,000 | Hail damaged several vehicles and buildings. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Wheeler | $40,000 | Eight feet of road was washed out around a culvert on CR 19 between CR BB and CR AA. The washout also exposed a phone line running under the road. The culvert had to be replaced. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City Arpt | $40,000 | Overturned pivot and multiple power poles snapped near Road D and Road 27. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City Arpt | $30,000 | Powerlines reported down at the intersection of County Roads 27 and C due to thunderstorm wind gusts estimated up to 90 mph. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis Arpt | $30,000 | An irrigation pivot was blown over. |
| December 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis Arpt | $26,000 | Two buildings on a farm were destroyed. One was a cinder block bottom with a wood top that was flattened. The blocks were scattered around the yard. A newer vehicle inside was damaged. The second building was a barn that was pushed off its foundation and part of the roof was blown off. Estimated the time of damage. |
| August 2014 | Flash Flood | St Francis | $25,000 | A bridge on County Road 15 was washed out. Time is approximate. |
| March 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Bird City | $25,000 | A tornado developed in northern Cheyenne county as the Bird City tornado was dissipating further west. The tornado developed near Road AA and Road 31 and tracked north into Dundy county, Nebraska between Roads 31 and 32. A home was damaged just north of Road AA with minor roof damage, broken windows and a part of a north wall pushed out. Further north...tree and fence damage occurred. |
| March 2007 | Flash Flood | Bird City | $25,000 | Very heavy rainfall from several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms during the evening resulted in numerous county roads becoming impassible, especially across the eastern third of the county. Some county roads were still closed during the day on March 29th as tornado damage surveys were being conducted. Runway at Bird City airport was flooded. |
| May 1977 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| October 1971 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 1951 | Tornado | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | St Francis | $22,000 | Large hail damaged trucks, tractors and buildings at a farmstead northwest of St Francis. Crop damage was also reported, but no estimate of dollar loss is available for the crops. |
| April 2021 | Hail | St Francis Arpt | $20,000 | A strong embedded supercell thunderstorm produced tea cup sized hail as it crossed the Colorado/Kansas state line. The large hail damaged the roof of a home at the location of the report. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City | $15,000 | A house reportedly lost part of its roof. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City | $15,000 | Cedar trees and limbs were reported down, along with shingles off a roof. A 35-foot farm implement was blown off its stands and overturned. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis | $15,000 | Fourteen large trees were downed as a result of strong thunderstorm winds during the late afternoon/early evening hours along Hackberry Creek. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis Arpt | $12,000 | Storm survey pictures of a hay wagon with partial bale in it was tipped to the north. A smaller metal bin was thrown as well. An electric fence was also completely destroyed as well. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City | $10,000 | Trained spotter reported thunderstorm wind damage associated with an estimated 70 mph gust from the core of a strong thunderstorm. The wind snapped several 1.25-1.5 inch live tree branches from trees and peeled tin off the roof of an old granary building. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wheeler | $10,000 | St. Francis, Bird City, McDonald and Atwood were without power due to thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City | $10,000 | A couple trees uprooted along highway 161. One of the trees was 40 feet tall and one and a half feet in diameter. Other trees had ten-inch diameter limbs broken off the top. The metal roof of a building was torn off. Wind gust and time of report were estimated from Doppler radar. |
| May 2010 | Flash Flood | Bird City Arpt | $10,000 | Road 29 between Roads I and J suffered damage when water washed out a culvert. Time of event is estimated. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City Arpt | $7,500 | Five power poles down at Road D and Road 27. Wheat crop was damaged by hail of unknown size just south of this location near Road A and Road 28. Estimated time of report from radar. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City Arpt | $7,500 | Five power poles down on Road 28 between Road I and Road J. Estimated time of report from radar. |
| July 2009 | Hail | St Francis | $7,200 | Hail size and time estimated. All windows on east side of home broken. Damage also occurred to a pickup truck and an SUV. |
| July 2009 | Hail | St Francis | $6,400 | All windows on the east side of the house were broken. Windshields on one vehicle and an RV received hail damage with holes and broken windows reported. |
| March 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Bird City | $6,000 | Storm chaser video showed a second tornado occurring at the same time as the large tornado near Bird City. Damage survey discovered 4 power poles down about 4 miles east of Bird City. Track estimated from Doppler radar imagery. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis | $5,000 | Report of brick car wash collapsing from winds. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City | $5,000 | Road signs were damaged 1 mile west of Bird City. Time is estimated from Doppler radar. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis | $5,000 | Trees down blocking roads in St Francis. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | St. Francis | $5,000 | Awning bolted into concrete was ripped out from back yard. Hurled over a single story house into back yard. Utility lines were also taken down. A few hailstones of golf ball-size were observed. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wheeler | $4,500 | Emergency Manager reported three wooden power poles down due to strong wind gusts. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis Arpt | $4,000 | A few large cottonwood trees blown down. |
| July 2015 | Hail | St Francis | $4,000 | The hail broke a few windows on the south side of the court house. |
| July 2009 | Hail | St Francis | $3,850 | Hail size and time estimated. Thirty five chickens were killed by hail, and two horses injured. A vehicle had its windshield broken by strong wind and large hail. |
| May 2009 | Flash Flood | St Francis | $3,500 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Wheeler | $3,000 | The hail measured 1.5 by 0.75. Windows were broken on the north side of the house. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City Arpt | $3,000 | Damage to airport garage. Many tree limbs down. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bird City | $2,500 | Power lines reported down in Bird City. |
| May 1971 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1965 | Tornado | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1962 | Tornado | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis | $2,000 | Report received of roof damage by a thunderstorm wind gust. Speed based on damage indicator and time based on nearby Mesonet station reports and radar imagery. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Francis | $2,000 | The emergency manager reported windows blown in at truck stop. |
| August 2014 | Flash Flood | Wheeler | $2,000 | County Road 19 washed out at the intersection of Road W. The time of report is approximate. |
Mines and quarries
1 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It still produces. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Francis Sand & Ready Mix | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Every populated place in the county
3Named 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.
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Saint Francis
Wano township · 67756 · On Cherry Creek · Saint Francis quadrangle
12 sheets, 1942 to 1985
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.