Map of Council Grove city

Council Grove is a city and county seat in Morris County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,140. It was named after an agreement between American settlers and the Osage Nation allowing settlers’ wagon trains to pass westward through the area on the Santa Fe Trail. Pioneers gathered at a grove of trees so that wagons could band together for their trip west.

Council Grove city overview:
Name:	Council Grove city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Kansas
County:	Morris County
Incorporated:	1887
Elevation:	1,234 ft (376 m)
Total Area:	2.06 sq mi (5.32 km²)
Land Area:	2.04 sq mi (5.29 km²)
Water Area:	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km²)
Total Population:	2,140
Population Density:	1,000/sq mi (400/km²)
ZIP code:	66846, 66873
Area code:	620
FIPS code:	2015925
Website:	cityofcouncilgrove.com

Online Interactive Map

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Council Grove online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Council Grove location map. Where is Council Grove city?

Council Grove location on the U.S. Map. Where is Council Grove city. — Council Grove location on the U.S. Map.

Council Grove location on the Kansas map. Where is Council Grove city. — Location of Council Grove in Kansas.

History

Council Grove was a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The first European-American settler was Seth M. Hays, who came to the area in 1847 to trade with the Kaw tribe, which had a reservation established in the area in 1846. Hays was a great grandson of Daniel Boone.

The Main street in Council Grove is the old Santa Fe Trail. The Rawlinson-Terwilliger Home, 803 West Main Street, is the oldest stone home on the Santa Fe Trail and houses the Trail Days Cafe & Museum.

A post office was established in Council Grove on February 26, 1855.

In 1858, the town was officially incorporated by the legislature. Hays also opened a restaurant in 1857, the Hays House, which is said to be the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River.

The town has 15 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One is the Post Office Oak. Travelers left their mail in this designated tree to be picked up by others going in the right direction. General Custer of the United States Army slept here with his troops during the American Civil War, under a large tree known now as the Custer Elm.

The National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through Herington, Delavan, Council Grove.

In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were brought to Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war effort. Large internment camps were established in Kansas: Camp Concordia, Camp Funston (at Fort Riley), Camp Phillips (at Salina under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including Council Grove.

Council Grove Road Map

Council Grove city Satellite Map

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.01 square miles (5.21 km), of which, 1.99 square miles (5.15 km) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km) is water. The city is fifty-five miles southwest of Topeka.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Council Grove has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated “Cfa” on climate maps.