Stevens County, Kansas: History
In 1886, Stevens County was established.
The first settlers came from McPherson, Kansas in 1885, originally naming their town Hugo after Victor Hugo, before changing it to Hugoton. Other early towns included Lafayette, founded by Quakers in 1886, and Moscow, established in 1887.
In the late 1880s and early 1890s, a violent "county seat war" raged between Hugoton, which had been designated the temporary county seat, and Woodsdale. Incidents included arrests, kidnappings, and killings. The conflict culminated in the July 25, 1888, murder of Sheriff Cross of Woodsdale and three of his men in the Hay Meadow Massacre by Sam Robinson of Hugoton and his supporters. Robinson fled and was never tried for the murders. The issue was eventually resolved in 1887 when Hugoton became the permanent county seat, though tensions remained high for several years after.
Natural gas was discovered in Stevens County in 1927, leading to the development of the Hugoton Natural Gas Area and transforming Hugoton into a major center of the natural gas industry.
In the 1930s, the prosperity of the area was severely affected by its location within the Dust Bowl. This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of the Great Depression in the region.