Webster, Kansas

Webster was an unincorporated community in Belmont Township, Rooks County, Kansas, United States.[2]

Webster, Kansas
Unincorporated community
Webster street scene (est. early 1900s)
KDOT map of Rooks County (legend)
Webster
Webster
Coordinates: 39°23′13″N 99°25′04″W
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyRooks
TownshipBelmont
Founded1885
Elevation
1,937 ft (590 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
67669
Area code785
GNIS ID484592 [1]

History

The community of Webster was established in the Solomon Valley along the South Fork Solomon River in the late 1870s. Webster was created from two settlements; Webster settled on the north side of the river and Belmont that originated on the south side of the river.

Belmont was founded as a trading post in 1876. Due to flooding, the Belmont settlement was moved across the river adjoining the Webster settlement. Belmont was first to file an application for a post office. The Belmont application was denied as another Kansas town had previously been granted the name. Instead, Webster was granted a post office in 1879.[3]

Webster, named for Daniel Webster, was surveyed, platted and filed in 1885. The town was never incorporated.[4]

In 1888, Webster had two doctors, two churches, a school and 24 businesses. A large city park called The Grove featured towering cottonwood trees. The population in 1910 was 200.[5]

Construction of Webster Dam on the South Fork Solomon River was approved in 1953. Webster Reservoir would encompass the area occupied by the town of Webster. As a result, the town was relocated 2 miles to the southeast. Many businesses and residents chose not to relocate to the new town site.[6]

Geography

Webster is located at 39°23′13″N 99°25′04″W (39.386944, -99.417778) at an elevation of 1,937 feet (590 m). It lies approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south-southeast of Webster Dam in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains.[7][8] Webster is 0.3 miles (0.48 km) east of Kansas Highway 258, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of U.S. Route 24, and roughly 8 miles (13 km) west-southwest of Stockton, the county seat.[7]

The original site of Webster was located at 39°24′06″N 99°26′09″W (39.4016756, -99.4359370), a location now submerged beneath Webster Reservoir. The site had an elevation of 1,893 feet (577 m).[1]

Education

Webster High School was closed in 1963. The grade school closed in 1969.[6] The Webster High School mascot was Webster Eagles.

Transportation

Webster lies at the intersection of two unpaved county roads: 11 Road, which runs north-south, and M Terrace, which runs east-west.[7]

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References
  1. "Webster". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  2. "General Highway Map - Rooks County, Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1980. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  3. "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961". Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  4. "Origin of Town Names" (PDF). Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Alliance. p. 5. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  5. Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2, Chicago: Standard Publishing Company, p. 898
  6. "History of Webster" (PDF). Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  7. "General Highway Map - Rooks County, Kansas". Kansas Department of Transportation. January 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  8. "2003-2004 Official Transportation Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
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