- Morton County was created in 1873 as Kansas
County from the unorganized lands in southwestern
Kansas. It was absorbed in 1883 by Seward County.
(Not to be confused with the old Seward County of
eastern Kansas.) February 20, 1886, it was
reorganized under the name of Morton County.
Prior to organization Morton County was attached
to Hamilton County for judicial purposes. The
county got it's name from Indiana Governor and U.S.
Senator, Oliver P. Morton.
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- Between 1821 and 1880, the The
Sante Fe Trail was primarily a commercial
highway, passing through Morton County,
connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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- The Homestead Act of 1862 may have brought your
ancestors to Morton County from about 1883, when
the government opened up the county to
homesteaders, until the early 1900's. To search
land records for Morton County, check with Morton
County Register
Of Deeds for land descriptions of the land
your ancestor settled or search the Bureau
of Land Management, NM, OK, KS, TX
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- The Sante Fe Railroad brought it's first
passengers to Morton County December 3rd, 1925.
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- Whereas, the Homestead Act or the Railroad may
have brought your ancestors to Morton County, The
Dust Bowl could have driven them to other
parts of the country. See this article from the San
Francisco Chronicle, July 11, 1937.
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- To find out more about Morton County Kansas, see
these books
from the Kansas State Historical Society,
available through interlibrary loan.
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