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Kansas Counties

Allen County, Kansas

Date Established: August 25, 1855
Date Organized: May 07, 1856
Location: Kansas map showing location of Allen County
Boundaries: In July of 1855, the Territorial Legislature fixed the boundaries as follows: commencing at the southeast corner of Anderson County, then south thirty miles, west twenty-four miles, north thirty miles, and east to the place of beginning.
County Seat: Iola
Origin of Name: Named for William Allen (1803-1879), an Ohio senator and governor.
History: The county seat was located at Cofachique from 1855 to 1857. Due to the decline in population of Cofachique, the county seat was moved to Humboldt in 1858. Humboldt was again the victor in 1860, but another county-seat election in 1865 resulted in the re-location of the county seat to Iola. The town company of Iola donated 100 lots to the county to aid in the construction of public buildings. The courthouse was purchased in 1877 for $1800 and the old courthouse was sold to the school district for $500.

The first railroads were built in Allen County in 1870--the Missouri, Kansas and Texas R.R. across the southwestern part and the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston across the county from north to south on the east side of the Neosho River.
Cities & Townships
PlacePopulation (2020 census)
Carlyle Township  300 
Cottage Grove Township  232 
Deer Creek Township  117 
Elm Township  1,181 
Elsmore Township  363 
Geneva Township  147 
Humboldt (city)  1,847 
Humboldt Township  241 
Iola (city)  5,396 
Iola Township  756 
La Harpe (city)  480 
Logan Township  216 
Marmaton Township  752 
Osage Township  254 
Salem Township  244 
Total population: 12,526 

Township map of Allen County, 2000
Population:
1860 (3,082)
1870 (7,022)
1880 (11,303)
1890 (13,509)
1900 (19,507)
1910 (27,640)
1920 (23,509)
1930 (21,391)
1940 (19,874)
1950 (18,187)
1960 (16,369)
1970 (15,043)
1980 (15,654)
1990 (14,638)
2000 (14,385)
2010 (13,371)
2020 (12,526)
Other Resources: Post offices in Allen County
Cemeteries in Allen County, As of 1906
Newspapers Available on Microfilm
Townships and Independent Cities in Allen County
Bibliography
Kansas Memory
Links to Other Sites: Allen County GenWeb
Early Kansas Maps [KanColl]
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