Alanthus | Buffalo
Park | Campus | Gove
| Grainfield | Grinnell
| Jerome | Orion
| Pyramid | Quinter
| Teller | Hackberry
Community - Plum Creek Community - Swedish Community
Homesteading in Gove County
Grinnell
Grinnell was established as a railroad
station in 1868. It was first inhabited by railroad workers and
buffalo hunters. The first settler in Gove County, George Van
Dehsen, a buffalo hunter, stayed at Grinnell as a pumper for the
railroad. In 1873, Grinnell had a population of 40 people. Seven
years later, the population had grown to 75 people. The Grinnell
town site was platted in 1879 on the north side of the railroad
tracks. In 1885, a second town site was laid out on the south
side of the tracks. This caused a feud within the community. The
north faction put up a fence and planted a 60 foot strip to cane
to separate the factions. The fight lasted until the end of the
1880's.
The first Post Office in Gove County
was established in Grinnell in 1870. The Grinnell School District
was organized in 1880. The first Sunday School /Church called
Cowboy Sunday school was organized in 1888. It was followed by
the South Grinnell Church or Grinnell Church which was a Methodist
Church. A Christian Church was built in 1900. Immaculate Conception
parish served Catholics in the Grinnell area from 1896 until a
church was erected in 1907.
Grinnell had three newspapers. The
"Grinnell Record Leader" was started in 1905 and continued
until 1972.
Grinnell was incorporated in 1917.
It had a number of businesses which included 4 grain elevators,
3 grocery stores, a hardware store, a butcher shop, an ice house,
2 hotels, a cafe, a lumber yard, a dry goods store, a bank, a
newspaper and 2 doctors, each with his own drug store. Several
more businesses were added after WWII.
Early settlers included a small group
of Norwegians.
Sources
Gove County Historical Museum
They used the following sources in writing this information.
"History and Heritage of
Gove County". Gove County Historical Museum.
Harrington, W. P. "History
of Gove County, Kansas".
