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Edwards County, Kansas

32 topographic sheets cover 11 settlements here, and 3 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

3 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Kansas within the United States
Edwards County within Kansas

What the record shows

  • 196 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 3 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 1 structure, 1 object and 1 building.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 11 populated places in this county; 11 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

3

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
Gano Grain Elevator and Scale Housestructure199393000943
Kinsley Civil War Monumentobject200807001479
Palace Theaterbuilding200505000006

Wildfire, 2015 to 2018

20 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 20 of them, burning about 186 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/undetermined10
Debris and open burning4
Equipment and vehicle use2
Smoking1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Fireworks1
Natural1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
21 March 2018Equipment and vehicle use80 acresKansas Forest Service2
19 October 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined80 acresKansas Forest Service18
9 March 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined25 acresKansas Forest Service1
10 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreEdwards County24
19 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreEdwards County25
2 March 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreEdwards County8
23 March 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreKansas Forest Service3
21 June 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreEdwards County18

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

Storms, 1952 to 2025

60 of 579 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 579 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 8 injuries and about $8,630,750 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail359
Thunderstorm Wind135
Tornado53
Heavy Rain23
Flood5
Flash Flood2
Lightning1
Heavy Snow1

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
June 1958Tornado (F2)not stated3 hurt, $25,000no account filed
October 1956Tornado (F1)not stated2 hurt, $250,000no account filed
May 2007Tornado (EF3)Trousdale1 hurt, $1,500,000This 2.2 wide monster moved out of Kiowa county at 2231 CST. It caused high end EF3 damage to farms, trees, machinery, pivot sprinklers and power lines. It killed dozens of cattle and horses. As the tornado dissipated, it curved back to the west.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindArdell1 hurtA truck driver from an overturned semi on Highway 50 had several deep cuts and gashes.
May 2008Tornado (EF2)Belpre1 hurtThis tornado moved out of Stafford county and did EF2 damage to a house and barn just west of the Stafford/Edwards county line. A Female received a serious injury when she was blown down the stairs. Pivot sprinklers and trees received EF1-2 damage. The tornado started in the southeast part of Edwards county, moved into Pratt and Stafford and then turned northwest before ending in the extreme northeast part of the county.
August 1996Thunderstorm WindLewis$1,800,000no account filed
August 1996Thunderstorm WindKinsley$1,600,000no account filed
June 2009Tornado (EF1)Hodges$1,500,000This tornado turned over 4 pivot irrigation sprinklers and destroyed two 80,000 bushel grain bins. In addition a 500,000 bushel bin was heavily damaged. One of the 80k bins traveled nearly a mile. There was extensive rear flank downdraft damage in the vicinity of this tornado.
May 1995HailKinsley$500,000Hail smashed numerous building and vehicle windows. A hospital had to be evacuated when broken windows allowed heavy rain to flood the facilities.
March 2004Tornado (F3)Kinsley$480,000This tornado became very large and dusty. Several farms were hit with minor damage to other outbuildings across it's path. One farm sustained a direct hit. Five equipment buildings were destroyed and the house was knocked from it's foundation. Trees were mangled and debarked. A stock trailer was blown 3/4 of a mile from it's original location and an oil tank was rolled .3 of a mile. A stack of hay bales was demolished with the remnants piled 10 feet thick in a grove of trees. One large cedar tree was carried about a mile. As the tornado was dissipating, it crossed into Pawnee county at a location 12 miles north of Kinsley.
September 1973Tornado (F3)not stated$250,000no account filed
May 1971Tornado (F3)not stated$250,000no account filed
June 1970Tornado (F3)not stated$250,000no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBelpre$100,000Outbuildings were destroyed an a pivot irrigation sprinkler was overturned by the high wind.
August 1998Thunderstorm WindBelpre$50,000Sprinkler irrigation turned over. Four inch tree limbs down.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindOfferle$40,000Machine shed and barn blown down by straight line wind.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindKinsley Muni Arpt$6,000Delayed report. Emergency management reported damage to roofs, garage doors, and trees down in town. Time estimated by radar.
July 2007FloodKinsley Muni Arpt$5,000Heavy rain and it's runoff flooded some homes around Rozel.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindLewis$5,000Power lines were blown down along a 1/2 mile stretch of a road.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindCenterview$5,000Six inch diameter tree limbs blown down.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindKinsley$5,000no account filed
April 2004Thunderstorm WindLewis$4,000A roof was blown off of a house.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindBelpre$2,000Three power poles were blown down by the high wind.
August 1996Thunderstorm WindLewis$2,000no account filed
May 2008Thunderstorm WindKinsley$1,500Several power poles were blown down by the high wind.
April 1952Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
May 2025Tornado (EF0)Kinsley Muni Arpt-Fairly short-lived tornado. Video of tornado from KAKE chaser Cameron Venable as it was crossing or just after crossing US-50. Just some minor tree damage and one small farm outbuilding. Total path length of nearly 4.0 miles and peak winds of at least 85 mph (EF0).
May 2025HailOfferle-Report was from social media. Nickel to Quarter size hail in Offerle.
April 2025HailArdell-A public report of one inch hail.
April 2025HailNettleton-Public report of 1 inch hail.
April 2025HailNettleton-Public report on social media with a video of 2.5 inch hail.
April 2025HailNettleton-Public report of 1 inch hail.
May 2025Tornado (EF2)Lewis-The tornado began between I and H road near 170th avenue, moving north before curving slightly west crossing highway 56 and dissipating and dissipating around 2 miles northwest of Garfield. Trees were uprooted, irrigation pivots were flipped, power lines and poles were damages and Tree trunks were snapped.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindKinsley Muni Arpt-A 65 mph wind gust reported.
June 2024Heavy RainKinsley Muni Arpt-A report of 3.25 inches of rain.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindBelpre-High winds of 75 mph was reported with storms.
May 2024Heavy RainBelpre-Rainfall report of 1.45 inches.
May 2024Heavy RainBelpre-Rainfall report of 1.66 inches.
May 2024Heavy RainKinsley Muni Arpt-Rainfall report of 1.74 inches.
May 2024Heavy RainOfferle-Rainfall report of 1.70 inches.
September 2024Thunderstorm WindKinsley Muni Arpt-Mesonet site recorded a wind gust of 61 MPH.
September 2024Thunderstorm WindBelpre-Mesonet site recorded a wind gust of 59 MPH.
May 2024Heavy RainBelpre-Rainfall report of 1.90 inches.
November 2023Heavy Snownot stated-An estimated 5 inches of snow fell at Offerle.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindKinsley Muni Arpt-Large Tree limb down b.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindKinsley Muni Arpt-Gas station employee estimated 60 mph wind gusts.
July 2023Tornado (EF0)Ardell-There were numerous reports and pictures shared on social media of a highly visible, persistent, and fairly tall condensation funnel.
October 2023HailWilliams-Storm chaser noted via live stream along Highway 183 near the Kiowa/Edwards county line.
October 2023HailLewis-The Emergency manager reported that up to 70 percent of homes in Lewis sustained broken windows and/or damaged siding due to wind driven hail. South side of structures sustained damage, two patrol vehicles, along with numerous other vehicles.
May 2022HailKinsley Muni Arpt-Pea to quarter sized hail was observed.
October 2021Tornado (EF1)Centerview-This was a qlcs tornado.
October 2021Tornado (EF1)Trousdale-This was a qlcs tornado.
April 2020HailNettleton-The hail covered highway 50.
April 2020HailCenterview-There was a significant accumulation of pea to penny sized hail in a swath from 4 W of Lewis to 7 S Lewis. There were numerous reports of a hail depth of 4 to 5 inches. Winter wheat fields in this swath were wiped out.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBelpre-A semi truck was blown over by the high wind.
June 2019Tornado (EF0)Kinsley-There was intermittent ground circulation under the wall cloud.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindNettleton-Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH.
May 2019Tornado (EF2)Offerle-This tornado moved out of Ford County at 2048 LST.
May 2019Tornado (EF2)Lewis-This tornado developed on the north edge of Lewis and then eventually moved into Pawnee County at 2131 LST.
May 2019Tornado (EFU)Lewis-This tornado moved south-southwest and did not travel across anything to damage.

Every populated place in the county

11

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 Edwards 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.