Hugoton

History

Settlers from McPherson established a settlement in what was then west-central Seward County in 1885. They originally named this settlement Hugo in honor of French writer Victor Hugo, but then changed its name to Hugoton to distinguish it from Hugo, Colorado. Hugoton's first church, Hugoton United Methodist, was also the first in Stevens County and was founded in 1886; it is still active as of 2019. The first post office in Hugoton was established in April 1886. In 1886, the Kansas Legislature reestablished the surrounding area as Stevens County, and Gov. John Martin designated Hugoton as the interim county seat. This set off a violent county seat war with nearby Woodsdale. Hugoton became the permanent county seat in 1887, but the conflict continued, culminating in the Hay Meadow Massacre of 1888. During the 1890s, economic decline drove many residents to leave for newly opened territories in the American Southwest, and the population declined significantly. Natural gas was discovered southwest of the city in 1927, leading to the development of the Hugoton Natural Gas Area and the transformation of Hugoton into a major center of natural gas extraction. Hugoton reportedly served as a temporary home for infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde. They lived in the unincorporated areas near Hugoton, assuming the aliases of Jewell and Blackie Underwood. Jewell operated a cafe, Jewell's Cafe, and Blackie reportedly worked on area farms. Locals believed they ran a bootlegging operation out of the cafe. Clyde was officially in prison during the time they are claimed to be in the Hugoton area, but locals still insist Jewell and Blackie were Bonnie and Clyde. Receipts from Jewel's Cafe were found in the duo's vehicle after their deaths in a 1934 shoot-out. In the mid-1930s,…

Geography

Located in southwestern Kansas at the intersection of U.S. Route 56, K-25, and K-51, Hugoton is approximately north of Amarillo, west-southwest of Wichita, and southeast of Denver. It lies in the High Plains region of the Great Plains, approximately southeast of the Cimarron River. It also lies within, and is the namesake of, the Hugoton Natural Gas Area. The Hugoton natural gas field is the largest such field in North America and the second largest in the world. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Hugoton has a semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) with hot, dry summers and cold, dry winters. The hottest temperature recorded in Hugoton was on June 25, 1911, which along with Clay Center on the same day, is the highest temperature recorded in Kansas in June. Hugoton also holds the state record high for March. The coldest temperature was on January 7, 1912. |source 2 = National Weather Service }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  246
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  242
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  233
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  190
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  155
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  154
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  146
• Horned Lark

  Eremophila alpestris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  130

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-09-22
  6 km SE of Texhoma, Texas
• M 2.67 — 2025-11-15
  13 km WNW of Knowles, Oklahoma
• M 2.66 — 2025-10-13
  26 km NW of Goodwell, Oklahoma