Facts & Figures
Population
Greensburg, 1,383
Haviland, 569
Mullinville, 279
Kiowa County, 3,278
(U.S. Census Bureau estimates, July, 2007)
History of Greensburg and Kiowa County
Kiowa County is in southwest Kansas, 90 miles west of Wichita and 45 miles east of Dodge City. The county was organized by Kansas Governor John Martin in 1886 through the efforts of R.D. “Cannonball” Green who operated a stagecoach line. His route from Kingman west to Greensburg established the town as a third-class city by 1886.
Today, U.S. Highway 54/400 from Kingman to Greensburg is officially designated as the Cannonball Stageline Highway. Similarly, Kiowa County was named after the native American Indians from the area.
In 1887, “The World’s Largest Hand Dug Well” was constructed in Greensburg, the county seat. The well was contracted by the Santa Fe Railroad for their steam engines, but the route was changed and the well was used a city water source until 1932. Now a major tourist attraction, it is recognized by the Kansas Historical Society and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The well is 109 feet deep and 32 feet across. The world’s largest pallasite meteorite is also located nearby in the well’s gift shop.
Transportation
The community Greensburg is located on busy U.S. Highway 54/400 east to west connecting Haviland, Greensburg, and Mullinville, population 283. The Southern Pacific Railroad parallels the highway.
Greensburg also offers a municipal airport at 2,230-ft. elevation. One lighted sod 2,500-ft. runway ad a 2,600-ft. diagonal sod runway is available.
The county is served by several pick-up and delivery services, including Federal Express, U.P.S., Beaver Express, the U.S. Postal Service and others.
Industry
Agriculture accounts for 448,000 acres and provides a variety of crops and livestock practices. Approximately 52,000 acres are irrigated by wells. A complete agri-business network serves the local economy.
Four major natural gas compressor plants are located in tbe county. Oil and gas exploration in the 1970’s and 1980’s resulted in an exploding economy. At present there arc 231 oil wells and 199 gas wells in production.
Recreation
Greensburg features a 9-hole membership golf course with grass greens. Rodeo grounds are near state-owned Kiowa County State Fishing Lake in the northwest section of the city. The lake offers fishing and picnic areas.
The city owns and operates a public outdoor swimming pool, two lighted softball diamonds and four tennis courts. A total of 44 acres are included in the three public parks.
Education and other services
Kansas U.S.D.422 provides an attendance center for K-12. Mutual contract agreements with Mullinville and Haviland provide shared educational opportunities and services.
Greensburg is served by both high-speed broadband cable and DSL services. T-1, T-3 and fiberoptic services are also available.
Fire protection is provided by a volunteer fire department for the city and county. Police protection is provided by the county sheriff’s office.
Currently, the ciy is served by three commercial banks.
Nine churches in the community include: Peace Lutheran, First Christian, United Methodist, First Baptist, Faith Tabernacle, Bible Baptist, Saint Jospeh Catholic, Assembly of God and Mennonite.
The Kiowa County Signal is the official county newspaper, also offering an on-line web site and services.
A county owned hospital and clinic, a future private dental practice with mental health services are available in Greensburg. The hospital includes a complete nursing staff, practicing physicians, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and consulting specialists. An ambulance service is operated by trained EMT’s. Home health care and hospice are also available.