Arthur

History

Arthur was founded in 1913 to be the seat of Arthur County, then just organizing. The town and county were both named for President Chester A. Arthur. Arthur was incorporated as a village in 1944. The First Arthur County Courthouse and Jail complex was built in 1914-15; the courthouse is billed as the smallest ever built in the United States. Both sites are now maintained by the Arthur County Historical Society.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. Arthur has a borderline humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa/Dwa) just wet enough to avoid being classed as a cool semi-arid climate (BSk). Like most of the High Plains, winters vary from frigid due to incursions of Arctic air, to an average of six afternoons between December and February of or higher during the afternoon due to chinook winds off the Rocky Mountains. In contrast, 18.2 mornings below can be expected each winter, alongside 176.5 mornings below freezing and 38.6 afternoons that do not top freezing. Snowfall is moderate in winter due to dryness: the median between 1971 and 2000 being and no day having median snow cover over . Spring warms up steadily but erratically: although the first afternoon over can be expected on March 13, the last morning below freezing is not expected until May 14, and the first fall morning below freezing can be expected on September 26, giving a frost-free season of only 134 days. Most precipitation falls as rain from late spring and summer thunderstorms: the wettest month on record is June 2014 with and the wettest calendar year 2009 with , whilst the driest year on record has been 1931 with . The wettest day on record has been September 4, 1937, with . During dry spells when the upper subtropical ridge is pushed northwards, heatwaves and droughts can occur: was recorded during the infamous 1936 heat wave, when Arthur averaged as monthly maximum; in contrast, the wet month of July 1958 had an average maximum of only .

Race & ethnicity