El Dorado

History

El Dorado was laid out and platted in 1868. The name is of Spanish origin meaning "golden land". El Dorado was incorporated in 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. In 1915, the El Dorado Oil Field was the first oil field that was found using science/geologic mapping, and part of the Mid-Continent oil province. By 1918, the El Dorado Oil Field was the largest single field producer in the United States, and was responsible for 12.8% of national oil production and 9% of the world production. It was deemed by some as "the oil field that won World War I". In 1916, there was an anti-black race riot in El Dorado after an incident between a black shoe shiner and a white oil worker. Large numbers of black families removed their household goods and moved out of El Dorado. In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were brought to Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war effort. Large internment camps were established in Kansas: Camp Concordia, Camp Funston (at Fort Riley), Camp Phillips (at Salina under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including El Dorado. Prisoners commonly volunteered to help work on local farms; this enabled them to spend time outside the camp, socialize and eat better food than that provided by prison guards. In some cases,…

Geography

El Dorado is situated along the western bank of the Walnut River, southwest of El Dorado Lake. It is located east-northeast of Wichita at the junction of U.S. Routes 54 and 77 and K-254. The Kansas Turnpike, designated as Interstate 35, bypasses the city to the northwest. 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, El Dorado has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,159
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,120
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  950
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  850
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  841
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  832
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  827
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  760

Largest nearby schools

• Circle High
  High · Towanda · 600 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• El Dorado High
  High · El Dorado · 494 students · 15:1 ratio
• El Dorado Middle
  Middle · El Dorado · 439 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Blackmore Elementary
  Elementary · El Dorado · 350 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Circle Towanda Elementary
  Elementary · Towanda · 306 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Grandview Elem
  Elementary · El Dorado · 279 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Rocket Online School KS (ROCS
  Other · El Dorado · 268 students · 268:1 ratio
• Skelly Elementary School
  Elementary · El Dorado · 253 students · 16.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-07-31
  5 km SW of Hope, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-12-13
  6 km NW of Ramona, Kansas
• M 3.5 — 2025-05-15
  5 km NNW of Herington, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-04-21
  7 km ESE of Marion, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-03-25
  5 km S of Milton, Kansas
• M 2.7 — 2024-09-25
  6 km NE of Cedar Point, Kansas