Pratt County, Kansas

Pratt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Pratt. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 9,157. The county was named for Caleb Pratt, a U.S. soldier who died in the Battle of Wilson's Creek during the Civil War and who had previously been involved in Bleeding Kansas.

The county consists overwhelmingly of prairie and contains few watercourses; the most important of these is the Ninnescah River.

Farming continues to be important to the county, which is among the state’s leading winter wheat producers.

History

Pratt County was established in 1867. The county's first attempt at organization, termed the "fraudulent organization," occurred in 1873. A group from Hutchinson traveled through various counties, organizing them as they went. However, since there were no genuine settlers in Pratt County at the time, this organization required the submission of false statements to the governor. This fraudulent attempt was not recognized, and the Pratt County was legitimately organized in 1879.

The county's first bona fide settler, A. J. Johnson, arrived in the fall of 1873 near Springvale in the southwest corner, where he cultivated the county's first crops. The county saw significant settlement in 1877, primarily from Iowa, and further in 1878 from all sections of the United States, keeping land office officials busy with pre-emption claims. Despite a prosperous period for crops in 1879 and 1880, many settlers departed in subsequent years, while others arrived in large numbers, especially in 1882. During the county's early years, owing to the scarcity of lumber, many constructed sod houses or dugouts.

The special election of September 2, 1879, focused on the choice of a county seat, was disputed due to irregularities. After a lawsuit second election was scheduled for August 19, 1880. In the lead-up to that election, a proponent of Saratoga named W. F. Gibbons made a deal with W. H. Weidner from Medicine Lodge, agreeing to pay him $40 to bring about fifteen cowboys into Pratt County thirty days before the election to vote for Saratoga. Each cowboy was promised $5, free whisky, and a free dance at Saratoga on the night of the election. Weidner located the cowboys and provided Gibbons with a list of names as agreed, receiving $25 as part payment. However, due to a contract dispute, all the cowboys left Pratt County before the election, causing Saratoga to lose their intended votes. Iuka was ultimately declared the county seat with a significant majority.

Efforts to relocate the county seat to Pratt commenced in 1885 and succeeded in 1888 over the objections of Saratoga. An 1888 blizzard killed over 80% of the county's cattle, causing widespread hardship.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway extended its main line from Herington to Pratt. This main line connected Herington, Ramona, Tampa, Durham, Waldeck, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Groveland, Inman, Medora, Hutchinson, Whiteside, Partridge, Arlington, Langdon, Turon, Preston, Natrona and Pratt. In 1888, this main line was extended to Liberal. Later, this line was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. This line is called the "Golden State Limited".

During World War II, Pratt Army Airfield trained, processed, and housed B-29s and their crews before they were sent to war.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.09%) is water.

Adjacent counties Stafford County (north) Reno County (northeast) Kingman County (east) Barber County (south) Kiowa County (west) Edwards County (northwest)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Pratt County, Kansas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)9,9049,2969,0958,8127,87296.39%95.82%94.28%91.26%85.97%Black or African American alone (NH)138114911001061.34%1.18%0.94%1.04%1.16%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)40613438400.39%0.63%0.35%0.39%0.44%Asian alone (NH)22294426450.21%0.30%0.46%0.27%0.49%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census217xx0.02%0.01%0.08%Other race alone (NH)461907360.45%0.20%0.00%0.07%0.39%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census83147310xx0.86%1.52%3.39%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1251832985257411.22%1.89%3.09%5.44%8.09%Total10,2759,7029,6479,6569,157 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,157. The median age was 39.7 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 5.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.1% of the population.

72.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 28.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,677 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 4,388 housing units, of which 16.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.5% were owner-occupied and 27.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 17.7%.

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 9,647 people, 3,963 households, and 2,639 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 4,633 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.28% White, 0.98% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.73% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 3.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,963 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 30.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 19.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,529, and the median income for a family was $43,156. Males had a median income of $31,138 versus $20,679 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,906. About 6.70% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Laws Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, Pratt County remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 2000, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.

Education

Colleges Pratt Community College

Unified school districts Pratt USD 382 Skyline USD 438

Communities

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Pratt County.

Cities

Byers Coats Cullison Iuka Pratt (county seat) Preston Sawyer

Unincorporated communities

Cairo Croft Hopewell Natrona

Townships Pratt County is divided into seven townships. The city of Pratt is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau. Township FIPS Populationcenter Population Populationdensity/km2 (/sq mi) Land areakm2 (sq mi) Water areakm2 (sq mi) Water % Geographic coordinates Township No. 6 71223 565 1 (4) 381 (147) 1 (0) 0.17% Township No. 7 71228 366 3 (7) 136 (52) 0 (0) 0.02% Township No. 8 71233 181 1 (2) 197 (76) 0 (0) 0% Township No. 9 71238 317 1 (2) 379 (146) 0 (0) 0.05% Township No. 10 71242 191 1 (3) 188 (73) 0 (0) 0.01% Township No. 11 71245 496 2 (5) 281 (109) 0 (0) 0.06% Township No. 12 71248 961 3 (8) 321 (124) 1 (0) 0.19%

Pratt County, Kansas

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