Pratt

History

Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after Caleb S. Pratt, a young Civil War officer from the Kansas Infantry, who was killed in the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Missouri The first post office in Pratt was established in June 1884. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from Herington to Pratt. In 1888, this line was extended to Liberal. Later, it was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. It foreclosed in 1891 and was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as St. Louis and Southwestern "Cotton Belt" Railroad, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific Railroad which merged in 1996 with Union Pacific. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island". Built in 1930, Hotel Roberts is the largest and most highly styled historic hotel in Pratt. Construction of the hotel was initiated by the Pratt Chamber of Commerce, which formed a committee in the late 1920s specifically to facilitate the construction of a large new hotel. Seen as a potentially valuable asset for the community, the hotel was financed in part through a public subscription campaign, and constructed on land provided by the Chamber. The Pratt Hotel Company owned and operated the hotel and hired Wichita architect Samuel S. Voigt and Kansas City contractor Webster L. Elson to design and build the building. Elson not only supervised the rapid construction of the "fire-proof" building, he was a founding member of the Pratt Hotel Company, and he retained an ownership interest in the property for many years. The community hospital was established on the eighth floor of the building in 1932, complete with an operating room and an x-ray machine. Architecturally, the building is significant as an…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Pratt is located approximately eighty miles west of Wichita. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Pratt has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Pratt was on June 25, 1911, July 18, 1936, and August 12–13, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 12, 1899.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  385
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  380
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  359
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  358
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  318
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  276
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  252
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  243

Largest nearby schools

• Southwest Elem
  Elementary · Pratt · 525 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Liberty Middle School
  Middle · Pratt · 329 students · 15:1 ratio
• Pratt Sr High
  High · Pratt · 325 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Skyline Elem
  Elementary · Pratt · 280 students · 14:1 ratio
• Skyline High
  High · Pratt · 105 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Pratt Learning Center
  Other · Pratt · 35 students

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-11-30
  5 km WSW of Danville, Kansas
• M 2.5 — 2025-08-23
  6 km SSE of Spivey, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-03-25
  5 km S of Milton, Kansas
• M 3.3 — 2024-09-19
  7 km SW of Danville, Kansas
• M 2.5 — 2023-11-04
  4 km SSE of Pretty Prairie, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2023-08-19
  Kansas