Map of Cowley County, Kansas

Cowley County (county code CL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 34,549. Its county seat is Winfield, and its most populous city is Arkansas City.

Cowley County overview:
Name:Cowley County
FIPS code:20-035
State:Kansas
Founded:February 26, 1867
Named for:Matthew Cowley
Seat:Winfield
Largest city:Arkansas City
Total Area:1,132 sq mi (2,930 km²)
Land Area:1,126 sq mi (2,920 km²)
Total Population:34,549
Population Density:30.7/sq mi (11.9/km²)
Time zone:UTC−6 (Central)
Summer Time Zone (DST):UTC−5 (CDT)
Website:cowleycounty.org

Cowley County location map. Where is Cowley County?

Cowley County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Cowley County.
Location of Cowley County in the the United States.
Cowley County location on the Kansas map. Where is Cowley County.
Location of Cowley County in Kansas.

History

For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. The first European visitor to Kansas was the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in 1541. In 1601, the Governor of New Mexico, Juan de Oñate, visited Etzanoa, a settlement of several thousand Wichita people near Arkansas City along the Walnut River. The ruins of Etzanoa have been found by archaeologists.

19th century

In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. Cowley County was officially organized as a county, but reserved for the Osage Indians, by the Kansas Legislature in March 1867, originally named Hunter County for Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter (1809–1887), a Virginia Representative and Senator to Congress and Speaker of the House in the twenty-sixth Congress. In 1870, the county was renamed for Matthew Cowley, First Lieutenant in Company I, 9th Kansas Cavalry, who died at Little Rock, Arkansas, on October 7, 1864. Officially opened for settlement July 15, 1870, there was a lengthy and bitter disagreement between the towns of Winfield and Cresswell (the town now named Arkansas City) over the possession of the county seat of government. Finally settled after two special elections and numerous petitions to the Governor and Legislature, Winfield was determined to be the county seat and a courthouse was constructed in 1873 at a cost of $11,500.

21st century

In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed north to south through Cowley County. Controversy arose from the Kansas legislature’s decision to grant the pipeline a ten-year exemption from property taxes; it was estimated that this would mean $15 million per year in lost revenue to the six counties through which the pipeline passed. The counties were unsuccessful in an attempt to eliminate the exemption.

Cowley County Road Map

Cowley CountyStreet Map.
Street map of Cowley County, Kansas. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)
Cowley CountyMap
Cowley Countypolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,132 square miles (2,930 km), of which 1,126 square miles (2,920 km) is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km) (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Cowley County Topographic Map

Topographic Map of Cowley County, Kansas
Cowley County Topo map.

Cowley County Satellite Map

Satellite Map of Cowley County, Kansas
Cowley County satellite map.

Cowley County Outline Map

Outline Map of Cowley County, Kansas
Cowley County outline map.

See also

Map of Kansas State and its subdivision: Map of other states:
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