Hours:

Services:

Special Collections:

Rawlins   County

County Seat: Atwood Founded: 1881 Population: 4105  (1990) Area: 1069 Square Miles  Standard Abbreviation: RA

History

General John A. Rawlins also served as Secretary of War in the Grant administration.

Cities, Towns, & Villages of Rawlins County

  Year  Elev      Pop Name              ZIP
  ====  ====  ======= ================ =====
        2790          Achilles         
  1875  2850     1388 Atwood           67550
        3195          Beardsley        67730
        2900          Blakeman         
        3177          Chardon          
  1886  2666      170 Herndon          67739
  1872  2780          Ludell           67744
  1888  3360      184 McDonald         67745
        1775          Salem            67156

Special Places in Rawlins County

• Lake Atwood has a wonderful cottonwood shade lane running all the way around it.
• The Jayhawk theater at 410 Main in Atwood is used for plays, presentations, and films.
• Ludell has a nice old stone school building and a 1920 bank building that's still in use.

Rawlins County School Systems

• USD 103 Cheylin "Cougars" (785) 734-2341 Bird City,McDonald
• USD 317 Herndon (785) 322-5311 Herndon
• USD 318 Atwood (785) 626-3236 Atwood

Hospitals

• Rawlins County Hospital   (785) 626-3211
  707 Grant / Atwood, KS 67730

Museums

• Rawlins County Museum   (785) 626-3885
  308 State / Atwood, KS 67730

Newspapers

• Rawlins County Square Deal   (785) 626-3600
  408 State / Atwood, KS 67730

Special Events in Rawlins County

• The Rawlins County Fair is held in Atwood in July.
• Atwood hosts the annual Beaver Creek Festival in October featuring crafts, games, and Bluegrass music.

Economic Development

• University of Kansas' County Profile Reports

  A wealth of statistical data from The Institute for Public Policy and Business Research

References

• Dickensen, James R. Home on the Range (New York: Scribner. 1995)
• Fitzgerald, Daniel Faded Dreams : More Ghost Towns of Kansas (University Press of Kansas. 1994)

Rawlins County Offices

• Rawlins County (785) 626-3351
  607 Main St. / Atwood, KS 67730
• Extension Service

For more about Rawlins County contact:

• Atwood Chamber of Commerce (785) 626-9630
  416 Main Street / Atwood, KS 67730

 

Atwood Kansas

Founded: 1875 Population: 1388 Elevation: 2850 feet Latitude: 39° 48' 24" N Longitude: 101° 2' 30" W School District: USD 318 ZIP code: 67730 Area Code: 785

Atwood is the county seat of Rawlins [RA] county. The town is blessed with a city lake and park beside highway 36 that are unexpected jewels in the grasslands of the area. Beaver Creek has carved a major valley and the lake was formed by dams on the creek. Downtown Atwood is an active and attractive area several blocks off of highway 36 in the area of 4th and Main. The main commercial street slopes up the hill between the courthouse and the library, past the statue of the buffalo, ending at the school at the top of the ridge.

• The city pool is at Third & Blaine.
• Lake Atwood has a wonderful cottonwood-shaded lane running all the way around it.
• The Jayhawk theater at 410 Main in Atwood is used for plays, presentations, and films.
• Several of the hilltops overlooking Lake Atwood are spectacular homesites.

A marker in the park describes Atwood and Rawlins county's history.

Special Events		The Rawlins County Fair is held in Atwood in July. Atwood hosts the annual Beaver Creek Festival in October featuring crafts, games, and Bluegrass music On usually the third weekend of July there is the oldest continuous road race in Kansas, The Atwood 10 mile race. This raced was directed by Robert Creighton, a former national class master's marathoner, for 20 years and is now run by the Atwood Ambassadors.
Schools		USD 318   (785) 626-3236 James E. Finn 410 Main / Atwood KS 67730-1898
Library		Atwood Public Library   (785) 626-3805 / 102 S. Sixth
Museums		Rawlins County Museum   (785) 626-3885 / 308 State
Newspapers		Rawlins County Square Deal   (785) 626-3600 / 408 State
Churches		Atwood Baptist Church   (785) 626-9573 / 506 W. Sixth Catholic Church   (785) 626-3335 / 508 N. Railroad Ave Christian Church   (785) 626-3678 / 216 S. 6th Church of the Nazarene   (785) 626-3173 / 5th & Plumb Courts of Praise   (785) 626-3981 / 812 S. Railroad Ave Jehovah's Witnesses   (785) 626-9012 / 601 S. 5th Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church   (785) 626-3178 / 808 S. 1st United Methodist Church   (785) 626-3855 / 200 N. 4th
Shopping		Atwood Lumber & Supply   (785) 626-9603 / N. Hwu 25 Brown's Hardware   (785) 626-9623 / 411 Main St. Coastal Mart   (785) 626-3428 / 310 Grant Currier Health Mart   (785) 626-3214 / 416 State Northwest Arms & Service   (785) 626-3078 / 720 S. Second Ol'Depot   (785) 626-3114 / Lake Drive Pary Jewelry   (785) 626-3370 / 407 Main St. Williams Bros. IGA   (785) 626-3293 / 106 N. 4th
Dining		Donut Trail   (785) 626-9501 / 101 N. Fourth My Place   (785) 626-9677 / 305 Grant Pizza Hut   (785) 626-3141 / 508 E. Main Plainsman   (785) 626-3220 / 202 S. 4th Suzannes Supper Club   (785) 626-3111 / 116 S. 4th
Banking		Farmers Bank & Trust   (785) 626-3233 / 101 S. Fourth Farmers State Bank   (785) 626-3605 / 411 Page St. The Bank   (785) 626-3226 / 121 S. Fourth
Healthcare		Rawlins County Hospital   (785) 626-3211 / 707 Grant Wayne Liudahl, DDS   (785) 626-3488 / 402 Vine
Recreation		Atwood Bowl & Fun Center   (785) 626-3443 / 100 Main St. Atwood Country Club   (785) 626-9542 Jayhawk Theater   (785) 626-3372 / 420 Main St.
Lodging		Country Corner   (785) 626-9516, Bluff & Hwy 25  Bed & Breakfast Crest Motel   (785) 626-3213 / 601 Grant St. Lakeside Motel & Campground   (785) 626-9615 / 205 Grant St.
City Government		City Clerk   (785) 626-9462 / 106 S. Third

_________________

Atwood Chamber of Commerce
(785) 626-9630
416 Main Street / Atwood, KS 67730

Herndon Kansas

Founded: 1879 Population: 170 (1990) School District: USD 317  Elevation: 2666 feet ZIP code: 67739 Latitude: 39° 54' 35" N Area Code: 785 Longitude: 100° 47' 5" W

Herndon is located in Rawlins, [RA], county beside Beaver Creek. Highway K-117 and the BNSF railroad connect Herndon to the rest of the world. A winding road follows the creek and railroad toward Atwood; it's a nice drive. Downtown, there are several interesting buildings: the bank, the post office, and the pool hall.
 

 
 
 
St. Mary's Assumption church was built in 1917 using concrete blocks made by the congregation. It's been beautifully restored. Try to arrange a visit to the inside to see the plaster work and the stained glass windows.

 
The stone stands at the ball diamond on the east side of town are a remarkable example of depression-era public works.

The ballfield