BlockFrom the record
4 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Clay County, Kansas
30 topographic sheets cover 14 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 194 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 4 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 3 buildings and 1 district.
- 1 of the 4 listings was added during the 1970s.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 14 populated places in this county; 14 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
4Every 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auld Stone Barn | building | 2001 | 01001108 | |
| Clay Center Carnegie Library | building | 1987 | 87000933 | |
| Clay Center Downtown Historic District (Additional Documentation) | district | 2020 | 100005716 | |
| Clay County Courthouse | building | 1973 | 73000746 |
Wildfire, 2012 to 2020
70 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 70 of them, burning about 2,789 acres. 3 started naturally and 3 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 25 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 24 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 11 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Fireworks | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 March 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,600 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 9TH AND FRONTIER |
| 19 October 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 15019 |
| 5 March 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 154 |
| 13 April 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 9 |
| 13 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 1553 |
| 27 February 2016 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 1248 |
| 10 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 7 |
| 31 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 65 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 1976 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1951 to 2026
60 of 529 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 529 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 31 injuries and about $56,004,310 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 284 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 164 |
| Tornado | 44 |
| Flash Flood | 31 |
| Flood | 3 |
| Lightning | 1 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 |
| Funnel Cloud | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1951 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 1 killed, $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 1973 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 20 hurt, $25,000,000 | no account filed |
| October 1979 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 11 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| September 1973 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $25,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Wakefield Arpt | $700,000 | East of Industry near the Clay/Dickinson county line...flood water 6 inches deep washing out Indian HIll road in Clay County. Several locations where up to 6 inches of water flowing over roads near the Dickinson County line. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | $600,000 | Water reported over 9th road and Kiowa south of Clay Center. Road is closed. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $500,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds caused major tree damage in the area. |
| September 1973 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 1973 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Broughton | $200,000 | Approximately 6 inches of water flowing over highway 396. Water also flowing over County rd. 837. Both roads are closed. Clay county received a county disaster declaration. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | $200,000 | One foot of water flowing over Crawford street in town. |
| April 2006 | Tornado (F1) | Clay Center | $100,000 | This tornado formed from a supercell thunderstorm 2 miles west of Clay Center at 3:40pm cst and travelled 9 miles before lifting 2 miles south-southwest of Garfield Center at 3:52pm cst. The tornado was up to 1/2 mile wide at times and damaged numerous outbuildings, trees, roofs, and irrigation pivots along its path. It was rated as a strong F1 tornado. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Clay Center | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Clay Center | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Wakefield | $30,000 | Multiple county roads damaged due to washouts from flash flooding overnight. Delayed report. Time estimated from radar. |
| April 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Longford | $30,000 | This tornado formed 5 miles northeast of Longford at 3:14pm cst and travelled 4 miles before lifting 9 miles northeast of Longford at 3:19pm cst. It was an F0 tornado with a path width of 100 yards that caused damage to 3 outbuildings and downed a large tree. It formed from a supercell thunderstorm. The tornado was reported as being on the ground briefly at the same time as the tornado 4 miles east-northeast of Longford by a storm chaser. |
| May 1995 | Hail | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1986 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1966 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1965 | Tornado | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1964 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1960 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1960 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Clifton | $20,000 | Water six inches deep reported to have been flowing across Hwy 9. |
| August 1997 | Lightning | Clay Center | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | $10,000 | no account filed |
| September 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $9,000 | Strong winds blew down power lines. Also a tree was blow down onto a parked car doing minor damage. Asecond tree was blown down onto the roof of a house causing some roof damage. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fact | $5,000 | At a residence at 30th Road and Highway 15 in northern Clay County an 8 inch tree limb was snapped. A metal shed 10 feet by 14 feet was tossed nearly 300 yards across the street, and a wooden swing set was flipped. |
| January 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Fact | $5,000 | The tornado formed from a low-topped mini-supercell a half mile east southeast of Fact in Clay County, and travelled northeast for 0.8 miles with a path width of 75 yards before dissipating. The tornado caused minor damage to trees and several cattle feeders, as well as a small windmill. It was rated as an F0, and damage was estimated at $5K. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $5,000 | Strong winds destroyed some outbuildings. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $5,000 | Strong winds damaged power poles. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Morganville | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Morganville | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Green | $4,000 | Strong winds blew down trees and power poles. |
| May 1971 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1962 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1959 | Tornado | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| April 1957 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| April 1957 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1951 | Tornado | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1951 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1951 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Longford | $2,000 | Strong winds ripped a door and its metal siding from an outbuilding and carried it 60 feet into a farmhouse. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Idana | $1,000 | A trained spotter reported an estimated 65 mph wind gust. A 5 inch diameter tree fell near Idana. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Longford | $1,000 | Strong winds blew down a power pole. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Wakefield | $1,000 | Quarter size hail broke windows on a church. |
| August 2000 | Hail | Green | $1,000 | Golfball size hail broke the windshield of a patrol car. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wakefield | $1,000 | Some windows were blown out of a house by strong winds. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $1,000 | no account filed |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Oak Hill | $500 | A west facing window on the house was broken. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Morganville | $500 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $500 | no account filed |
| July 1988 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| July 1988 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| May 1960 | Tornado | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| June 1983 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| July 1961 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wakefield | - | Two inch tree limbs were blown down. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Industry | - | Also reported wind gusts around 55 mph. |
Mines and quarries
1 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It is closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Clay | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alsop Sand Pit & Plant | Clay | Past Producer |
Every populated place in the county
14Named 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.
-
Broughton
Clay Center township · 67432 · On Otter Creek · Clay Center SE quadrangle
14 sheets, 1891 to 1985
No longer a settlement
-
Clay Center
Clay Center city · 67432 · On Spring Creek · Clay Center NE quadrangle
14 sheets, 1891 to 1985
-
Industry
Athelstane township · 67410 · On McMurray Creek · Industry quadrangle
15 sheets, 1891 to 1985
-
Morganville
Sherman township · 67468 · On Mulberry Creek · Clay Center NW quadrangle
14 sheets, 1891 to 1985
The vanished settlements of Clay 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.