BlockFrom the record
One of 4 National Register listings published here for Norton County · listed in 1990 · category: Structure.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
West Sappa Creek Lattice
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 structure as contributing to the listing.
- Address. NW of Norton over West Sappa Creek, Norton, 67653
- When was it listed? January 1990
- Category. structure
- Also known as. Metal Truss Bridges in Kansas 1861-1939 MPS
- Township. Center-District 1 township
- National Register reference number. 89002191 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.
Fires near this property
2 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of West Sappa Creek Lattice between 2011 and 2015, burning about 2,000 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 12 |
| 15 October 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 acres | Kansas Counties | ZIMMERMAN |
Storms near this property
60 of 185 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Norton, the town this property stands in, in 185 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 106 hail, 66 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 3 flash flood. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | 3 hurt | Blowing dirt reduced visibility causing a three-car accident on highway 36 resulting in three injuries. |
| June 1999 | Tornado (F3) | Norton | $1,000,000 | A large tornado dropped down just east of the town of Norton and stayed on the ground for approximately 10 miles before finally lifting north-northeast of the town of Almena. This Tornado reached around 3/4 of a mile wide at times and did major (F3) damage to a few farmsteads. Tornado also went through a stage with multiple vortices. |
| May 2008 | Flash Flood | Norton | $500,000 | Street flooding with water up to 1 foot deep was reported in the city of Norton via the National Spotter Network. Radar also indicated extremely heavy rainfall occurring across much of central Norton county at this time. Local newspapers later stated that Norton county roads incurred an estimated $500,000 in damage as a result of the heavy rainfall and flooding in the area. |
| September 2008 | Hail | Norton | $100,000 | Heavy damage to camper, shingles on garage and windows in RV and pickup. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $100,000 | Thunderstorm produced around 70 MPH Wind Gusts and Golfball size Hail as it moved across Norton County. Many crops were damaged, and some windows were broken in the town of Norton. |
| November 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Norton | $83,000 | The tornado tracked to the north-northeast. Twelve electrical poles were taken down on the south side of Highway 36 just west of the prison. The tornado also disabled KQNK radio station's ability to broadcast, and a flagpole was bent in half. A trailer house and outbuildings were also damaged. |
| September 1993 | Hail | Norton | $50,000 | Golfball sized hail broke windshields, vehicle headlights and damaged roofs resulting in $12,000 loss. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $30,000 | Wind gusts of 60 MPH increased in intensity. Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a cabin. Power is also lost at the location. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $25,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 75 mph blew out the display sign at the Sonic Restaurant in Norton. The sign was approximately 15 ft wide by 20 ft across and was laying across all lanes of Highway 36. Smaller parts to the sign were scattered across the highway. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $15,000 | An intense thunderstorm moved southeast out of Red Willow county Nebraska during the night, producing damaging winds in and just north of Norton. A trampoline was lofted over a house, and just north of the airport a tank was rolled across the highway. A grain auger was also damaged. |
| May 2007 | Lightning | Norton | $15,000 | Lightning apparently struck a TV antenna and traveled through the electrical system of a home and ignited the wall insulation in the basement. It took four fire trucks and 13 fire fighters to contain the fire in one hour. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down fences, uprooted trees and broke a storefront window in the town of Norton. Time of event estimated from other storm reports and Doppler radar. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $5,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds blew over a windmill, and removed shingles from a home. Several utility poles in the immediate area were blown down. Two large shop doors were blown off a building which landed on a car. A 5x10 foot flatbed trailer was blown across railroad tracks. Large tree branches also reported down. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $4,000 | Thunderstorm wind damage was reported in Norton with several small tree limbs down as well as patio furniture and trash cans moved into the street. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $1,000 | A large shed with a roof had its doors open, allowing the wind to come into the building, causing the roof to be pushed away from the wall a foot or so. The wind gust also broke some 2x4s in the shed's structure. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $1,000 | Wind gusts estimated at 70 mph hit Norton , damaging trees and the Downtown Sander Furniture store awning. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $1,000 | House roof damaged. Debris from roof broke windows in nearby building. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Norton | $500 | Golf ball-size hail broke windows. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $300 | Strong thunderstorm wind gusts broke off several 8-10 ft long branches with diameters of 0.75 to 1 inch. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $200 | Thunderstorm winds knocked down a 10-inch diameter by 30 foot long tree branch. |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | $50 | Three-inch-diameter branches were downed by 60 to 70 mph winds. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | WL-Norton 6.5 south-southeast mesonet report. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | A mesonet southwest of Norton recorded a gust of 59 mph due to a thunderstorm moving over. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Norton | - | Multiple reports of hail ranging from nickel to half dollar in size in the town of Norton. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Estimated 60 mph winds were reported at the Norton county Landfill. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Social media report with videos of estimated 60 to 65 mph winds at the Norton landfill. |
| July 2024 | Hail | Norton | - | A trained spotter reported pea to penny size hail in the town of Norton. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | Report of 1 to 1.5 inch hail two miles south of Norton, KS. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | Report of 1 inch hail. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Facebook report indicating that a semi with a load of cows was blown over on Highway 283, just south of County Road Q. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Healthy 20 foot cedar tree uprooted. Numerous 3-6 inch diameter tree branches broken off of maple trees. Soffit blown out of the west side of the house and tin torn off roof of farm buildings. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | There are 12 transmission power line structures leveled between County Roads R and S along Highway 283. The crew replacing them said most had been pulled out of the ground. They are approximately 18-24 inch poles 9 feet in the ground. |
| October 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | Hail ranging from two to three inches in size fell at the Keith Sebelius Reservoir. |
| October 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Trained spotter estimated 65 mph gusts with the storm. |
| October 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | Two inch hail reported on the west side of Norton. |
| September 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | The personal weather station kksnorto2 south of Norton recorded a 74 mph wind gust. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | MPing report of 1.75 inch hail. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | Storm chaser reported hail between ping pong ball and tennis ball sizes. |
| August 2023 | Flash Flood | Norton | - | The torrential rainfall, which added up to over two inches of rainfall, caused water to flow into a resident's basement and a business downtown. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | Video showing dime to quarter size hail falling in Norton. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Norton | - | Spotter report of 1 to 1.25 inch hail. |
| July 2023 | Flood | Norton | - | Report via MPing. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Norton | - | Report received via social media of an estimated quarter sized hail at location. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Norton | - | A linear cluster of storms moved across Norton County producing penny sized hail south of the city of Norton for a duration of fifteen minutes. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | A linear cluster moved across Norton County producing a 72 mph wind gust south of the city of Norton. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Norton | - | Trained spotter reported ongoing half dollar sized hail that had been falling for approximately 15 minutes duration. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Mesonet station reported a 61 mph wind gust at location. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Norton | - | Multiple callers reported a brief hail shower less than one minute in duration from 3/8 inch to 1 inch in size. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | The Norton AWOS recorded a wind gust to 89 mph. Norton County Dispatch reported numerous trees down across the town of Norton. Pictures from the local park showed some minor damage due to falling trees. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Norton | - | Hail was quarter to golf ball size covering the ground 5 minutes after the hail started. |
| March 2018 | Hail | Norton | - | The hail ranged from nickel to golf ball in size, with quite a bit of ping-pong to golf ball size hail occurring. Screens and cars were damaged from the hail. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Estimated wind gusts of 65-70 MPH occurred with quarter size hail. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Norton | - | Estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 65-70 MPH also occurred with the hail. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Spotter estimated 55 to 60 mph winds at Highway 283 and Road Q about five miles south of Norton. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Norton | - | Nickel-size hail was reported at Norton Dam. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | Spotter estimated peak wind gusts near 60 mph. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | A 4-inch diameter live tree branch was blown down. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Norton | - | KSN Weather Lab school mesonet site. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Norton | - | Power outages were also reported. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Norton | - | Spotter also reported heavy rain and wind gusts to around 50 mph. |
Map coverage status
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 89002191 in Record Group 79. |
| Norton County | All 4 listed properties in this county. |
Provenance
- Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
- Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
- How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
- 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.
- 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.