Humboldt

History

Humboldt, originally an American settlement named after Baron von Humboldt, was founded in 1857. Germans migrating from Hartford, Connecticut, began organizing a colony during the winter of 1856–57. They arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, in March 1857, and at the townsite on May 10, 1857. Orlin Thurston, a young attorney, moved to Humboldt during the summer of 1857 and put up a steam sawmill; he began sawing wood and building houses on the prairie side of town. The first frame building was erected by J.A. Coffey; and in May 1858, W.C. O'Brien opened the first gristmill in the county. The United Brethren Denomination erected the first church in 1859. In 1861 Humboldt was attacked by a collection of border ruffians and Osages led by John Allen Mathews out of Oswego, Kansas who took several recently freed African-Americans back into captivity. The Humboldt Home Guard joined with the Kansas 6th Cavalry under James G. Blunt to counter-attack. In a battle on September. 18, 1861 Mathews was killed at Chetopa, Kansas. The city was organized as a village in 1866 and incorporated as a city of the second class by the act of February 28, 1870. In October 1870 the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston railway was run through Humboldt; the railway was operated during the 20th century as part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and is currently operated by the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad. Humboldt was the Allen county seat for seven years, from 1858 until 1865, when Iola became the seat. Humboldt won two contentious legislative elections to become the seat in 1858 and 1860, but another election in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War resulted in the re-location of the county seat to Iola. The legitimacy of this election was questioned by Humboldt residents due…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Humboldt is situated along the east bank of the Neosho River, midway between Iola (to the north) and Chanute (to the south, in Neosho County) along Old 169 Highway. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Humboldt has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  653
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  602
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  578
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  514
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  513
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  393
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  383
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  380

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2014-11-13
  5 km WNW of Prescott, Kansas
• M 3 — 2014-10-01
  9 km SSW of Galesburg, Kansas