Garfield County History Collection

Abstract: The collection consists of assembled materials from various sources providing information on the history of the defunct Garfield County, Kansas. It includes "Early Day History of Old Garfield County" by Daisy Hatch, providing information about the locale, some individuals who lived there, and the townsite Ravanna; and a copy of an 1887 Eminence Town Company land contract (most of which was not filled out).

Administrative History: Garfield County in southwestern Kansas was established in March 1887 and was made defunct almost exactly six years later in March 1893. Garfield County substantially comprised the territory that had been Buffalo County, which had never been organized. It was created by taking six congressional townships from Finney County and six from Hodgeman. It was named in honor of James Abram Garfield (1831-1881), the twentieth president of the United States, who was fatally wounded by an assassin four months after taking office.

The communities of Ravanna and Eminence were bitter rivals for the position of county seat. Bat Masterson and twenty deputies from Dodge City were hired to keep the peace during the first election in 1887, in which Ravanna won the honor by thirty-five votes. However, the citizens of Eminence brough suit, alleging the ballot-box had been stuffed. The Kansas Supreme Court agreed, and in 1889 the seat was transferred to Eminence.

In 1892, the Kansas Supreme Court decided Garfield County was illegally organized, having less than the 432 square miles required by the state constitution; it was annexed to Finney County the following year.

[Kansas Historical Society, "Kansas Counties - Garfield County," http://www.kshs.org/genealogists/places/counties.php?county=GF (accessed 19 October 2010).]