Arkansas City

History

Present-day Arkansas City sits on the site of an ancestral Wichita city, Etzanoa, which flourished from 1450 to 1700 and had an estimated population of 20,000. In 1601, New Mexico Governor Juan de Oñate led an expedition across the Great Plains and found a large settlement of Indians he called Rayados. They lived along the Walnut River in the eastern part of Arkansas City. Extensive remains of Indian settlements have been found along of the Walnut River. The Rayados were the ancestors of the Indians later called Wichita. Wichita settlements from the 18th century are also found a few miles south of Arkansas City on the west bank of the Arkansas River. European-American settlers first congregated in the area where Arkansas City now stands in the 1860s. Settlers established a town in 1870. They had difficulty choosing a name; early names included Adelphia, Creswell, and Walnut City before the present name was chosen. The first post office in Arkansas City was established on May 16, 1870. In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company built a branch line from Florence to El Dorado, in 1881 it was extended to Douglass, and later to Arkansas City. The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942. The original branch line connected Florence, Burns, De Graff, El Dorado, Augusta, Douglass, Rock, Akron, Winfield, and Arkansas City. Arkansas City grew steadily through the latter part of the 19th century, and enjoyed a population explosion starting in 1891, when thousands of people moved into the area in anticipation of the Cherokee Strip Land Run. At the turn of the century, Arkansas City was a rival to Wichita in size and enterprise, boasting several busy rail…

Geography

Arkansas City is situated along the northern bank of the Arkansas River and to the west of its confluence with the Walnut River. It is located at the junction of US-77 and US-166, only north of the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Winfield, the county seat, is north of Arkansas City along US-77, and Strother Field, a general aviation airport, is approximately north. Arkansas City is located southeast of Wichita. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Arkansas City has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  937
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  782
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  702
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  681
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  598
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  584
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  566
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  561

Most recent

• M 2.72 — 2026-06-03
  7 km S of Perry, Oklahoma
• M 2.9 — 2026-05-22
  10 km N of Stillwater, Oklahoma
• M 2.5 — 2025-12-26
  5 km SSW of Peru, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-11-30
  5 km WSW of Danville, Kansas
• M 2.66 — 2025-10-04
  4 km W of Lucien, Oklahoma
• M 3.36 — 2025-06-26
  4 km SE of Braman, Oklahoma