Map of Lost Springs city, Kansas

Lost Springs is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It was named for the old lost spring near the city. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 55. It is located south of Herington, about 0.6 miles west of the intersection of U.S. Route 77 (aka U.S. Route 56) highway and 340th Street next to the Union Pacific Railroad.

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History

Early history

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

From the 1820s to the 1870s, one of the most significant land routes in the United States was the Santa Fe Trail. The “Lost Spring” was one of the favorite camping spots on the Santa Fe Trail because it generally had an ample supply of good water. It was located 15 miles west of Diamond Spring, which was a day’s travel for a wagon train. The spring apparently got its name because it is a periodic spring, drying up at times for a week, a month, or even two years, so those visiting the site sometimes could not locate the spring on a return trip. A stage station was set up nearby in 1859 and was known as the Lost Springs Station, but no visible evidence remains of the station. The trail was active across Marion County from 1821 to 1866.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Lost Springs.

A post office existed in Lost Spring from August 29, 1861, to May 23, 1864. Later, the post office was reestablished as Lost Springs on July 9, 1879.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north–south from Herington through Lost Springs to Caldwell. It foreclosed in 1891 and was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, and finally merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the “Rock Island”.

In 1887, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a branch line from Neva (3 miles west of Strong City) to Superior, Nebraska. This branch line connects Strong City, Neva, Rockland, Diamond Springs, Burdick, Lost Springs, Jacobs, Hope, Navarre, Enterprise, Abilene, Talmage, Manchester, Longford, Oak Hill, Miltonvale, Aurora, Huscher, Concordia, Kackley, Courtland, Webber, Superior. In 1996, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merged with Burlington Northern Railroad and renamed to the current BNSF Railway. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the “Santa Fe”.

At some point, the “Santa Fe” line from Neva to Lost Springs was pulled but the right of way has not been abandoned. This branch line was originally called “Strong City and Superior line” but later the name was shortened to the “Strong City line”. The two railways are connected via a switch to allow north-bound “Rock Island” traffic to connect onto the north-west-bound “Santa Fe” tracks. This is the only way for the Santa Fe traffic to travel north-west after removing the tracks to Neva.

20th century

The National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through Lehigh, Hillsboro, Marion, Lost Springs.

Lost Springs Road Map

Lost Springs city Satellite Map

Geography

Lost Springs is located at coordinates 38.5661225, -96.9664045 in the scenic Flint Hills and Great Plains of the state of Kansas. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.23 square miles (0.60 km), all of it land. The county line is 1.7 miles east of Lost Springs.

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, Lost Springs has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated “Cfa” on climate maps.

See also