BlockBefore

Woodson County, Kansas

44 topographic sheets cover 12 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

4 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Kansas within the United States
Woodson County within Kansas

What the record shows

  • 211 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 4 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 3 buildings and 1 district.
  • 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

4

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
Stockbrands and Kemmerer Department Storebuilding198585003146
Woodson County Courthousebuilding198585002951
Yates Center Carnegie Librarybuilding198787000974
Yates Center Courthouse Square Historic Districtdistrict198686001120

Wildfire, 1994 to 2016

29 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 29 of them, burning about 2,985 acres. 2 started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Recreation and ceremony10
Missing data/not specified/undetermined7
Debris and open burning6
Equipment and vehicle use2
Natural2
Arson/incendiarism2

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,000 acresKansas CountiesBROWNING
14 April 2003Recreation and ceremony320 acresWoodson Countynot named
12 March 2005Recreation and ceremony160 acresWoodson Countynot named
13 April 2003Recreation and ceremony130 acresWoodson Countynot named
16 March 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined80 acresWoodson Countynot named
13 April 2003Recreation and ceremony72 acresWoodson Countynot named
30 March 2003Recreation and ceremony50 acresWoodson Countynot named
7 April 2005Debris and open burning40 acresWoodson Countynot named

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

Storms, 1956 to 2026

60 of 271 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 271 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 12 injuries and about $6,701,950 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail130
Thunderstorm Wind91
Flash Flood23
Tornado14
Heavy Rain8
Flood5

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
April 1956Tornado (F4)not stated5 hurt, $25,000no account filed
May 2003Tornado (F3)Toronto3 hurt, $2,500,000Damage summary: Toronto: Outbuildings destroyed. 1N Toronto: Trees & limbs downed. 1W Batesville: Large trees uprooted and sheared off, sheet metal in trees, old wood shed destroyed. 1N Batesville: Oil tank 12-15 feet high toppled (leaked profusely), power pole blown over. 2NE Batesville: House destroyed, 2 vehicles heavily damaged, pair of 2-3 foot diameter trees stripped 4 feet off ground. 3-4NE Batesville: Cattle barn & garage destroyed, windows blown out of house, large pick-up truck rolled onto side. 1N Yates Center: House & barn destroyed on Highway 75, horse trailer flipped over, large trees uprooted or snapped off at bases, broke or toppled 70 grave markers at the cemetery. 1NW Yates Center: Two-story house and 3 barns destroyed, trees completely shreaded. Yates Center: Five homes destroyed and 30 damaged. Two of the three injuries occurred at one residence with both requiring transport to a hospital. Forty-five miles of fence damaged. Stored hay contaminated by embedding of wiring and nails. Estimated crop losses: Corn: 300 acres. Wheat: 100 acres. Pasture: 1312 acres. Hay: 655 acres. Of the estimated $2.5 million damage, $1.506 million inflicted upon farming facilities. Farming facility damage breakdown: Dwellings and Service Buildings: $900,000; Structures: $6,000; Machinery & equipment: $600,000. USDA Flash Situation Report contributed greatly to this narrative. This tornado would cross just barely into extreme Northwest Allen County.
April 1994Thunderstorm WindYates Center2 hurt, $500,000Severe thunderstorm winds overturned a mobile home and rolled it five times, resulting in the injury of its two occupants-a man and his teenage son. They sustained bruises and cuts. Another mobile home was destroyed. Twelve barns were destroyed, along with some outbuildings and sheds. Total damage exceeded $100,000.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindYates Center2 hurt, $100,000Flat bed-trailer overturned, barn destroyed, livestock trailer picked up and thrown, barrel rolled 1 1/2 blocks and destroyed and 2-story house displaced from foundation with most of top floor removed. In addition, a couple, both around 50 years of age, were lifted by the wind with one knocked unconscious by blown debris. Both were taken to a hospital, treated, and released. Based on description of this damage, winds are being estimated at 70-78kts.
March 1982Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
April 1991Tornado (F3)not stated$250,000no account filed
April 1986Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
June 2004HailYates Center$97,200The following sustained damage: 16 farm dwellings & service buildings ($96,000), 3 pieces of equipment/ machinery ($1,200), and an estimated 4,800 acres of land ($21,600) due primarily to gullying and erosion. Acreage breakdown of 3rd category follows: Corn: 800, Wheat: 1,400; Soybeans: 1,200; Grain sorghum: 1,200; Hay: 200. (This portion of narrative courtesy of USDA Flash Situation Report, Woodson County.) Property damage extensive, involving the following: Broken windows in numerous buildings, business and residential, including the courthouse, a hardware store, and a restaurant, roofs and siding on numerous homes and, obviously, trees and other foliage. (Latter narrative courtesy of Iola Register.)
June 2001Thunderstorm WindYates Center$75,000Barn destroyed and blown across highway, cars blown off road and power lines downed.
July 2007Flash FloodYates Center$71,000Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Woodson County. This resulted in roughly 71 thousand dollars in damage.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindBatesville$50,000Numerous trees were down west of Yates Center. The Emergency manager also reported damage to several outbuildings and metal structures between 70th and 100th streets, including along highway 54.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindYates Center$50,000Part of roof of west wing of the historic Woodson Hotel torn from it's rafters. Trailer overturned at community building. Widespread tree damage. Yates Center News contributed greatly to this narrative.
April 1996Thunderstorm WindYates Center$50,000no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindYates Center$35,000Power lines and power poles blown down. In one instance, a large tree fell onto primary power lines that were carrying 12,000 volts resulting in power outages to part of southeast Yates Center. Another tree fell onto a vehicle causing roof damage. A health and fitness center had four of 10 plate glass windows blown out, had one of the double doors in front broken and a lock twisted. Yates Center News contributed to this report.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindYates Center$25,000Barn blown down.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindYates Center$25,000Widespread tree damage.
April 2014Thunderstorm WindYates Center$15,000A barn was blown over.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindYates Center$15,000Two homes sustained roof damage.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindYates Center$10,000Reports of trees and power lines down near Yates Center and the western portions of the county.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindYates Center$10,000Windows blown out off several houses and widespread tree damage.
June 1996Thunderstorm WindYates Center$10,000no account filed
September 2012Thunderstorm WindYates Center$7,500A roof was blown off an old armory building in Yates Center.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindYates Center$5,000Power lines were blown down at this location.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindToronto$5,000Report of 4 to 6 inch tree limbs blown down. Time is estimated by radar.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindYates Center$5,000Some minor property damage was reported with the strong winds.
April 2007Heavy RainYates Center$5,000A fatal car accident happend at 10:45 pm when a pickup truck hydroplaned and crashed into a car. A 51 year old passanger of the car was killed. The Coffeyville Journal contributed to this report.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindYates Center$5,000Windows broken out of one home and trees with 12 inch diameter trunks uprooted.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindYates Center$3,000Trained spotter reported small trees downed with power outages in Yates Center.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindYates Center$1,000Tree limbs up to 10 inches in diameter were blown down.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindYates Center$500A 6-inch diameter tree limb was downed, and a stop sign was blown over. Pea size hail occurred with the wind.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindYates Center$500Tree limbs, power lines and a small shed were blown over.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindYates Center$250Two inch diameter tree limbs were blown down.
September 2016Flash FloodYates Center$100High water led to the temporary closure of Highway 54 east of Yates Center.
September 2016Flash FloodYates Center$100Numerous rural roads were flooded across the county, especially just to the east of Yates Center. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches were reported.
August 2013Flash FloodYates Center$100Law enforcement reported several rural roads across the county were impassable due to high water.
August 2013FloodYates Center$100Several rural roads had water over them.
June 2010Flash FloodYates Center$100Widespread street flooding was reported across Yates Center. The heavy rainfall also closed Highway 54 for a short time.
July 2010Flash FloodYates Center$100Numerous low water crossings were closed across the county from Buffalo to Neosho Falls.
July 2010Flash FloodNeosho Falls$100A few low water crossings around Neosho Falls were covered in water.
May 2009Flash FloodYates Center$100Several county roads were under water during the morning hours due to 2 to 4 inches of rainfall falling in a very short period of time.
September 2009Flash FloodToronto$100Highway 105 was closed in and around Toronto due to water over the road.
June 2008FloodBatesville$100Low water crossings across the southern half of the county were impassible due to high water.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindYates Center-The wind gust was estimated.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindYates Center-Wind gusts were estimated near 65 mph with pea size hail.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindNeosho Falls-Wind gusts were estimated near 80 mph.
June 2025Flash FloodYates Center-The westbound lane of Highway 54 was flooded at Jay Road.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindYates Center-Wind gusts estimated to be around 60 mph.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindYates Center-Power poles were down and tree limbs broken in Yates Center.
June 2024Tornado (EFU)Yates Center-A brief landspout was reported by the fire department; there were public reports on social media with pictures and videos.
April 2024Tornado (EF2)Batesville-Rural fire department surveyed the damage to a farmstead which had four outbuildings destroyed. A trailer, which was attached to a pickup, was tossed a quarter of a mile. There was some damage to the windows on the house and hardwood trees on the property had broken limbs. The rest of the damage in the county was to trees with branches broken.
October 2024Thunderstorm WindToronto Lake-A trained spotter relayed to emergency management that they had 60 mph winds on the south side of Toronto Lake.
October 2024Thunderstorm WindPiqua-A trained spotter estimated 70 mph winds along with pea to marble sized hail.
February 2023Thunderstorm WindYates Center-Kansas Mesonet measured 63 mph winds.
July 2023Flash FloodYates Center-There was street flooding reported.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindYates Center-There was a report of a semi trailer blown over on Highway 54. There were also multiple power lines down across the county.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindYates Center-The Kansas Mesonet site near Yates Center reported an 85 mph wind gust.
March 2021Heavy RainToronto-This is a 72 hour rainfall total.
July 2021FloodBatesville-Numerous roads across the county were reported as flooded.
July 2021Heavy RainYates Center-This was a 24 hour rain total of 4.9 inches.
July 2021Heavy RainToronto-This was a 24 hour rain total of 4.82 inches.

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.

The vanished settlements of Woodson 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.