Baldwin City

History

Baldwin City began as a trail stop on the Santa Fe Trail named Palmyra. The small community consisted of a harness shop, blacksmith, hotel, lawyer, drug store, two doctors and a tavern. In 1858, a group of Methodist ministers gathered at Kibbee Cabin and founded Baker University. Palmyra bought land to the south for the university and surrounding city. The first post office was established in June, 1857. A main benefactor of the community was John Baldwin and the town was named in his honor. Baldwin built a saw mill which was at present-day Fifth and Indiana Streets. Baldwin City was incorporated on September 22, 1870. Baldwin City unwittingly found themselves surrounded by the events that led up to the American Civil War. Three miles east of Baldwin was the town site of Black Jack where the Battle of Black Jack took place on June 2, 1856. The night before that battle, John Brown stayed in Prairie City. In 1863, Quantrill's raiders passed within three miles (5 km) of Baldwin after the burning of Lawrence. In 1867, the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston Railroad laid tracks and became the first Kansas railroad south of the Kansas River. In 1906, the Santa Fe Depot was built and in more modern times, the Midland Railway offered over 20-mile round trip excursion rides to Ottawa via "Nowhere" and Norwood. Midland's Scout program is one of the few in the country to offer a railroading merit badge and Midland has hosted a Thomas the Tank Engine attraction the last few years. Currently, that railroad has been replaced by the Ottawa Northern Railroad, which plans to resume the tourist trains. Every year since 1957, Baldwin City has hosted the Maple Leaf Festival during the third full weekend in October. It began as a way to celebrate a successful harvest and to view…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. The area's climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Baldwin City has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,171
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,515
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  7,370
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,950
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,389
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,270
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,937
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,772

Largest nearby schools

• Baldwin High School
  High · Baldwin City · 424 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Baldwin Elementary Primary Center
  Elementary · Baldwin City · 388 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Baldwin Junior High School
  Middle · Baldwin City · 312 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• Baldwin Elementary Intermediate Center
  Elementary · Baldwin City · 271 students · 19.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2024-03-15
  2 km NE of Ferrelview, Missouri
• M 2.8 — 2014-11-13
  5 km WNW of Prescott, Kansas
• M 3.1 — 2007-03-23
  5 km N of Nortonville, Kansas