Oberlin

History

Oberlin was platted in 1878. It was named after Oberlin, Ohio. Its first post office was established in April, 1878, and the city was incorporated in 1885. On September 30, 1878, Northern Cheyenne, fleeing from Indian Territory to their homes in the north during the Northern Cheyenne Exodus, attacked homesteaders near Oberlin, then a tiny hamlet. The raid's victims are commemorated in the "Last Indian Raid in Kansas" room of the Decatur County Museum, and by a monument in the town cemetery. On April 29, 1942, an extremely violent tornado swept away three farms south of Oberlin, killing 15 people. Oberlin was spared from direct hit, as it passed east of city. This tornado was retrospectively rated F5 on the Fujita scale.

Geography

Oberlin lies on the northwest side of Sappa Creek, a tributary of the Republican River, in the High Plains region of the Great Plains. Located at the intersection of U.S. routes 36 and 83 in northwestern Kansas, it is northwest of Wichita, east of Denver, and west-northwest of Kansas City. According to the United States Census Bureau, it has a total area of , all land. Oberlin has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with hot, dry summers and cold, dry winters. The hottest temperature recorded in Oberlin was on July 24, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 11, 1918. |source 2 = National Weather Service }}

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Oberlin Elem
  Elementary · Oberlin · 277 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Decatur Community Jr/Sr High
  High · Oberlin · 136 students · 8:1 ratio