Places - Rooks KSGenWeb, Genealogy and History

2010 Kansas Dept. of Transportation

Populated Places

Alcona, a post-village of Rooks county, is located in the township of the same name, a little north of the Solomon river and some 15 miles west of Stockton, the county seat. The population of the entire township in 1910 was 320. Alcona is therefore a small place, but it is a trading center and rallying point for the people in that part of the county. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 56.

Damar, one of the thriving towns of Rooks county, is a station on the Union Pacific R. R. in Kichland township, about 20 miles southwest of Stockton, the county seat. Concerning this town the Topeka State Journal of July 27, 1910, said "Five years ago there were less than half a dozen buildings on the Damar townsite. Today it has a thrifty population of about 300; it has two general stores, lumber yard, bank, hardware and implements, two elevators, drug store, furniture, and several smaller places. The deposits in the state bank reach close to the $50,000 mark." Damar also has a money order postoffice with one rural route, express and telegraph offices, telephone connections, a Catholic church and convent, and it is the principal shipping point for the western part of the county. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 491.

Igo, a hamlet in Rooks county, is located on Big Medicine creek, 10 miles southeast of Stockton, the county seat, and 5 miles south of Woodston, the nearest shipping point and postoffice whence mail is distributed by rural route. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume I, page 895.

Laton, a hamlet in Rooks county, is located near the east line of the county, about 20 miles southeast of Stockton, the judicial seat, and 8 miles from Natoma in Osborne county, whence its mail is distributed by rural route. The population in 1910 was 30. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 107.

Palco, an incorporated city of the third class in Rooks county, is located on the Union Pacific R. R., 20 miles southwest of Stockton, the county seat. It has a bank, a weekly newspaper (the Enterprise), 3 elevators, a number of retail stores, telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with two rural routes. The population in 1910 was 279. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 438.

Plainville, an incorporated city of the third class in Rooks county, is located in the township of the same name on the Union Pacific R. R. 16 miles south of Stockton, the county seat. It has electric lights, a public library, an opera house, 2 banks, 2 weekly newspapers (the Gazette and the Times), a mill, 2 grain elevators, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population in 1910 was 1,090. In May, 1911, it is said there were 40 of the residents who owned automobiles, which was one to every 27 inhabitants. The first settlers came to Plainville in 1877. The postoffice was established in 1878 with W. S. Griffin as the first postmaster. The first school was taught and the first sermon preached in the same year. The town owns a $25,000 water plant, a school house which cost the same amount, a new public library building is about to be erected and practically every house in town has a telephone. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 480.

Rockport, a country hamlet in Rooks county, is located on Bow creek, about 6 miles north of Stockton, the county seat and the place from which it receives mail.
Page 600 from volume II

Slate, a hamlet in Rooks county, is located on Slate creek 16 miles northwest of Stockton, the county seat, and 12 miles south of Logan, in Phillips county, from which place it receives mail. The population in 1910 was 36. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 698.

Stockton, the county seat of Rooks county, is an incorporated city of the third class, centrally located, and is on the south fork of the Solomon river at the terminus of a branch of the Missouri Pacific R. R. It is the shipping point for about half the county, which is a prosperous agricultural area. There are 2 banks, a public library, waterworks, fire department, an opera house, hotels, flour mill, a feed mill, 2 grain elevators, 2 weekly newspapers (the Record and the Western News), daily stages to Alcona, Nicodemus and Bogue, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice with five rural routes. The population in 1910 was 1,317. The town was founded in 1872 by cattle men, who named it "Stocktown." The first house was erected and the first store opened by George Beebe. The first town officers were elected in 1873 and were as follows: Trustee, Charles Stuart; clerk, D. K. Dibble; treasurer, John Park; justices, G. W. Patterson and P. G. Green; constables, G. W. Norcutt and W. Dickson. The first school was taught in 1872 by W. H. Barnes. The first mail was brought by horseback from Cawker City. The first white child born in the new town belonged to the family of George W. Norcutt and was born in 1874. In 1879 the town was incorporated as a city of the third class and the following were the first officers under the new form of government: Mayor, C. E. Maynard; councilmen, C. E. McDaniel, Jewell Elliott, M. M. Stewart. James Moore and John Saver; marshal, D. Washburn; police judge, W. A. Ecker; clerk, T. C. McBreen. The high school was established in 1891. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 767.

Sugarloaf, a country hamlet in Rooks county, is located 10 miles northwest of Stockton, the county seat and nearest shipping point, and 11 miles south of Speed, the postoffice from which it receives mail. The population in 1910 was 15. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 785.

Webster, a little town in Rooks county, is located in Belmont township on the south fork of the Solomon river, 10 miles west of Stockton, the county seat. It has a hotel, a bank, a number of retail establishments, daily mail stage to Stockton and Bogue, and a money order postoffice with one rural route. The population in 1910 was 200. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 898.

Woodston, an incorporated city of the third class in Rooks county, is located in Lowell township on the south fork of the Solomon river and the Missouri Pacific R. R., 10 miles east of Stockton, the county seat. It has a bank, a newspaper, a flour mill, a grain elevator, a cornet band, all lines of retail establishments, telegraph and express offices, and a money order postoffice with one rural route. The population in 1910 was 299. It is the receiving and shipping point for a large and prosperous grain and stock raising territory. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 943.

Zurich, a little town in Rooks county, is located in Logan township, on the Union Pacific R. R., 20 miles southwest of Stockton, the county seat. It has a hotel, a grain elevator, a telephone exchange, owned by a local company, a number of general stores, a telegraph office and a money order postoffice with two rural routes. The population in 1910 was 200. Extracted 2002 by Carolyn Ward from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, volume II, page 955.