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Rush County, Kansas

44 topographic sheets cover 12 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
Rush County within Kansas

What the record shows

  • 173 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 6 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 3 buildings and 3 structures.
  • 1 of the 6 listings was added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 12 populated places in this county; 12 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
Lone Star School, District 64building200908001352
Miller Farmsteadbuilding201212000869
Rush County Courthousebuilding197272000524
Rush County Line Bridgestructure86003355
Sand Creek Tributary Stone Arch Bridgestructure201414000120
Walnut Creek Tributary Bridgestructure198585001435

Wildfire, 2015 to 2020

33 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 33 of them, burning about 177 acres. 2 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/undetermined21
Equipment and vehicle use4
Debris and open burning4
Smoking2
Natural2

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
16 March 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined50 acresKansas Forest Service64
19 July 2018Equipment and vehicle use25 acresKansas Forest Service71918
15 October 2015Equipment and vehicle use25 acresKansas Forest Service7
24 January 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined20 acresKansas Forest Service44877
5 July 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined20 acresKansas Forest Service65
10 September 2015Natural10 acresKansas Forest Service66
25 January 2018Debris and open burning5.0 acresKansas Forest Service2
1 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresRush County42575

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

Storms, 1950 to 2026

60 of 707 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 707 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 8 injuries and about $5,419,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail449
Thunderstorm Wind140
Tornado53
Heavy Rain37
Flash Flood18
Flood7
Lightning2
Funnel Cloud1

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 1968Tornado (F3)not stated8 hurt, $250,000no account filed
May 1999HailRush Center$2,480,000Widespread severe weather continued from eastern Colorado, spreading across Rush county during the midnight hour. One person escaped injury by crawling out of bed! Golf ball size hail driven by 70 mph wind smashed through the window and window blind and passed by a man's head as he lay in bed. After the event, hail and glass shreds covered the bed. Loss to wildlife and some livestock across the county was heavy. There was a report of several dead cattle and many injured cow and horses. One-hundred thousand acres of wheat were mowed down, 3,500 acres of corn damaged and 4,000 acres of alfalfa destroyed (first cutting). $480,000 in damage was done to farm equipment across the county (included in the $2.48m)
July 2005HailOtis$740,000Large hail and strong winds across Rush county caused 50 percent crop damage to 95,000 acres.
June 1996Thunderstorm WindAlexander$550,000no account filed
July 2005HailLa Crosse$500,000The hail broke out 20 windows at the Rush county courthouse. Two patrol cars had their windshields broken out. Windows were also broken out of the St. Michaels Catholic Church...along with numerous homes and businesses.
April 2001Tornado (F2)Rush Center$200,000Two farms received heavy damage (grain bins, roofs, shed and vehicle)
July 2010Thunderstorm WindBison$175,000A mile of power poles were blown down east of Bison.
April 2012Tornado (EF1)Rush Center$125,000A tornado damaged a pivot sprinkler, trees and a few out buildings.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindTimken$50,000A pivot irrigation sprinkler was blown over near mile marker 154 on Highway 96.
March 1998HailOtis$50,000Damage occurred to vehicles throughout the town.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindTimken$50,000no account filed
August 2006Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse$30,000Twenty 26 power poles were blown down along highway 183 closing the highway between Rush Center and La Crosse.
June 1996Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse$30,000no account filed
May 1990Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
August 1974Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
September 1970Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1964Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1950Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 2011Thunderstorm WindRush Center$14,000High winds produced minor roof damage, blew down signs and blew down 11 power poles between LaCrosse and Rush Center.
May 2008FloodLa Crosse$12,000Water was out of the banks of Sand Creek and flooded some of the streets in the area.
May 1996Tornado (F1)Bazine$10,000no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindRush Center$6,000Twelve power poles were blown down just east of highway 183
July 2011Thunderstorm WindLoretta$5,000Five power poles were blown down just west of Loretta.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindMc Cracken$3,000Four inch "live" tree limbs blown down.
April 1973Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500no account filed
July 1958Tornadonot stated$2,500no account filed
August 2016Thunderstorm WindOtis$2,000Two power poles were blown down along highway K4.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindMc Cracken$2,000Camper overturned and the tops blown out of two large trees.
May 1998HailLa Crosse$2,000Hail swath of 7 miles wide produced total devastation to some of the native grasses and destroyed most of the wheat. A USDA report indicated some hail up to softball size but gave no specific information.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse$1,000Tree blown down.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindAlexander$500Power pole blown down.
July 1998LightningOtis$500Light caused a fire that destroyed 200 bales of hay.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindOtis$500Power pole snapped
August 1951Tornadonot stated$250no account filed
September 1951Tornadonot stated$250no account filed
April 2026HailShaffer-A public report of 1 inch hail.
April 2026HailMc Cracken-A public report of 1 inch hail.
April 2026HailLa Crosse Hoover Arp-Social media report of ping pong ball sized hail on the south side of La Crosse.
April 2026HailLa Crosse Hoover Arp-A public report of 1.25 inch hail.
April 2026HailRush Center-A public report of 1.25 inch hail. There was 2 other reports of 1 inch hail around the same time and place.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindLiebenthal-Estimated wind gusts by law enforcement.
September 2025HailLiebenthal-A public report of 1 inch hail.
October 2025Thunderstorm WindRush Center-A mesonet site recorded a 57 mph wind gust.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse Hoover Arp-Mesonet station FW1214 La Crosse.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse Hoover Arp-Mesonet station FW1214 La Crosse.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse Hoover Arp-Mesonet station FW1214 La Crosse.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse Hoover Arp-Mesonet station FW1214 La Crosse.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindAlexander-A wind gust of 73 mph reported.
September 2023Tornado (EF0)Nekoma-A highly visible Landspout tornado moved slowly northwest from 552 to 558 pm. Numerous pictures of this event were shared on social media. This Landspout flipped a section of center pivot just south of Highway 96.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindLa Crosse Hoover Arp-Mesonet site at LaCrosse.
April 2021HailRush Center-Nickle to quarter sized hail.
May 2021HailLa Crosse-Most of the hail was dime sized and the hail covered the road.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindHargrave-Winds were estimated to be 60 to 70 MPH.
May 2021Flash FloodLa Crosse Hoover Arp-The flooding was mostly on city streets and on the edge of town.
September 2021Heavy RainShaffer-Rainfall of 2.96 inches was observed.
September 2021Heavy RainBison-Rainfall of 3.10 inches was observed.
September 2021Heavy RainLa Crosse Hoover Arp-Rainfall of 2.06 inches was observed.
September 2021Heavy RainOtis-Rainfall of 3.70 inches was observed.
September 2021Heavy RainLiebenthal-Rainfall of 3.19 inches was observed.
August 2021HailLoretta-Relayed from TV Media.

Every populated place in the county

12

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.