Hamilton County, Kansas: History
In 1873, Hamilton County was established and named for Alexander Hamilton, though its boundaries were later expanded in 1883 to include parts of present-day Grant, Kearny, and Stanton counties. In 1887 the original boundaries were restored. Many early American exploring expeditions, including those led by Zebulon Pike in 1806 and Stephen Long in 1820, passed through the county. Fort Aubrey, established in 1865 near what would become Mayline, briefly served as a military post. The first permanent settlement came in 1872 when a colony from Syracuse, New York, selected land in the county, though their attempt to rename the county to Onondaga was unsuccessful.
By early 1886, the county's population had grown enough to seek formal organization. A petition signed by 250 citizens led Governor John A. Martin to authorize a census, which confirmed 1,893 residents. On January 29, 1886, Hamilton County was officially organized, initially encompassing Stanton and parts of Kearny and Grant counties. Kendall was named the temporary county seat, but a battle for the permanent designation ensued between Kendall and Syracuse. Allegations of election fraud led to a Supreme Court ruling invalidating Syracuse's initial victory, but a second vote in November 1886 confirmed Syracuse as the county seat.
The dispute continued for several years, with two rival sets of county officials and divided records until the Kansas Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of Syracuse. The arrival of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad hastened the county's development, and by 1910, Hamilton County had eight townships, 27 school districts, and high schools in Coolidge and Syracuse.
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.