Clements, Kansas

Clements is an unincorporated community in Chase County, Kansas, United States.

Clements, Kansas
Unincorporated community
1886 Clements Stone Arch Bridge over Cottonwood River (2006)
KDOT map of Chase County (legend)
Clements
Clements
Coordinates: 38°18′00″N 96°44′27″W
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyChase
TownshipCottonwood
Founded18?? (Crawfordsville)
1884 (Clements)
Elevation
1,227 ft (374 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code620
FIPS code20-14000 [1]
GNIS ID477389

History

Early history
See also: History of Kansas

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot in Clements, circa 1880-1900

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1806, Zebulon Pike led the Pike Expedition westward from St Louis, Missouri, of which part of their journey followed the Cottonwood River through Chase County near the current community of Clements.[2]

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1859, Chase County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Clements.

In 1862, a post office opened in nearby Silver Creek (an extinct town).

In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a main line east-west through the community.[3] In 1996, it merged with Burlington Northern Railroad and renamed to the current BNSF Railway. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".

In 1881, the post office from Silver Creek was moved to the rail community of Crawfordsville, which was renamed in 1884 to Clements. The post office was discontinued in 1988.[4]

In 1887, the nearby Clements Stone Arch Bridge was completed over the Cottonwood River.

20th century

There have been numerous floods during the history of Clements. In June and July 1951, due to heavy rains, rivers and streams flooded numerous cities in Kansas, including Clements. Many reservoirs and levees were built in Kansas as part of a response to the Great Flood of 1951.

Geography

Clements is located in the Flint Hills of the Great Plains. The Cottonwood River runs through the south part of the community.

Area attractions

Clements has one listing on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Chase County, Kansas (NRHP). The Clements Stone Arch Bridge was built of native limestone across Cottonwood River in 1887. The two-span bridge with a main span of 57.1 ft (17.4 m) and a length of 126.9 ft (38.7 m) is now open only to pedestrians.[5][6][7]

Education

The community is served by Chase County USD 284 public school district. It has two schools.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 50 highway and BNSF Railway pass through Clements.

Utilities
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See also

References
  1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. "1806 Pike Expedition map through Chase County" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  3. Santa Fe Rail History
  4. "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived)". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  5. National Register of Historic Places - Clements Stone Arch Bridge
  6. Clements Stone Arch Bridge - Kansas Travel
  7. Clements Stone Arch Bridge; Kansas Flint Hills Tourism.

Further reading
See also: List of books about Chase County, Kansas
Historical and Photos
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