Sumner County, KS
Nestled within Sumner County are seven cities brimming with popular attractions, historic sites, cultural activities, festivals and rodeos. For its 25,000 residents, Sumner County boasts excellent recreational facilities, museums sharing the frontier spirit, many special events and several historical sites listed on the National Registry of Historical Places.Sumner County's rich history began when Texans drove their cattle over the Chisholm Trail to the railroad station in Abilene. The Texas drovers were suprised and delighted to find full streams and rich grasslands for their herds. News spread about the opportunities, and the homesteaders made their way to this area. Wellington was designated as the permanent county seat in 1872.
The county's heritage included violent murders, grasshopper plagues, floods and droughts, and threats of Indian raids. Flour mills were erected and the first railroads were built to help market the county's huge wheat yields.
It's easy to get to Sumner County by auto on I-35 north/south or 160 east/west. Commercial air service is only 30 minutes away in Wichita.
Explore Sumner County
Saint Martin's Church
St. Martin's Catholic church was built in 1924 in the style of old Spanish Missions. It's a beautiful old stucco and terra-cotta building with the mural "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" inside.
Caldwell, KS Historic ChurchesSpring House
The spring house at Conway Springs is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is immortalized within the city park where visitors can still see the bubbling water as it freely flows into the encased pool. The story goes that in 1882
Conway Springs, KS LandmarksChisholm Trail Markers
A permanent, cut stone marker identifies the location of the Chisholm Trail that led to the largest cattle market of its time in the entire world in the 1870's.
Caldwell, KS Historical MarkersCentral Park
Central Park at the west end of Spring Avenue, is two blocks square, and contains facilities often used by citizens and visitors in the community.
At the end of the 19
Conway Springs, KS RecreationHistoric Walking Tour
Caldwell, the Border Queen, has seen wild days as a cowtown beside the Chisholm trail, a brief period of booming times during the Oklahoma Land Rush days, and quiet prosperity based on the vast grain fields of Sumner County.
Caldwell, KS ToursCarnegie Library
On April 1, 1914, at the spring election the voters approved the support of a public library by a vote of 3-1. In May, 1914, the Wellington City Library board held it first meeting and voted to begin the process of erecting a library building. On April 10, 1915
Wellington, KS Carnegie LibrariesConway Springs Churches
Five churches are active in the Conway Springs community: First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), First Baptist Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, First Presbyterian Church, and the United Methodist Church.
Conway Springs, KS Historic Churches"Talking Tombstones Tour"
During the "Talking Tombstones Tour", some of Caldwell's infamous cowtown characters"come back" to tell their stories at their real graves.
Caldwell, KS ToursCarnegie Library
The Caldwell Carnegie Library was one of 59 public libraries constructed in Kansas. Built in 1912, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.
Caldwell, KS Carnegie LibrariesThe Chisholm Trail Museum
Wellington's Chisholm Trail Museum contains over 40 rooms filled with over 20,000 artifacts and pictures, most collected locally, some dating back to the Civil War and the early days cattle trail that passed west of Wellington.
The building itself is a reinforced concrete structure built in 19
Wellington, KS Museums