Garden City, Kansas
| Garden City, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 |
|
 Location within Finney County and Kansas |
|
 KDOT map of Finney County (legend) |
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| Coordinates: 37°58′31″N 100°51′51″W / 37.97528°N 100.86417°WCoordinates: 37°58′31″N 100°51′51″W / 37.97528°N 100.86417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Finney |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Janet Doll |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.82 sq mi (22.84 km2) |
| • Land | 8.82 sq mi (22.84 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,838 ft (865 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 26,658 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 27,005 |
| • Density | 3,000/sq mi (1,200/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 67846, 67868 |
| Area code(s) | 620 |
| FIPS code | 20-25325 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0471609 |
| Website | Garden-City.org |
Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,658. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richardson Zoo, the largest zoological park in western Kansas.
In February 1878, James R. Fulton, William D. Fulton and W.D.'s son, L.W. Fulton, arrived at the present site of Garden City.
The original townsite was laid out on the south half of section 18 by engineer Charles Van Trump. The land was a loose, sandy loam and covered with sagebrush and soap weeds, but there were no trees. Main Street ran directly north and south, dividing William D. and James R. Fulton's claims. As soon as they could get building material, they erected two frame houses. William D. Fulton building on his land, on the east side of Main Street, a house one story and a half high, with two rooms on the ground and two rooms above. This was called the Occidental Hotel. William D. Fulton was proprietor. No other houses were built in Garden City until November 1878, when James R. Fulton and L.T. Walker each put up a building. The Fultons tried to get others to settle here, but only a few came, and at the end of the first year there were only four buildings.
Following a sustained drought, irrigation arrived in Finney County in 1879, with completion of the "Garden City Ditch". The ditch helped to launch an agricultural boom in southwestern Kansas.
Charles Jesse Jones, later known as "Buffalo" Jones, arrived in Garden City for an antelope hunt in January 1879. Before Jones returned home, the Fulton brothers procured his services to promote Garden City, and especially in trying to influence the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad to put in a switch station. The railroad agreed to place its station at Garden City. In the spring of 1879, more people began arriving to homestead in the area. During the years of 1885-1887, a rush was made for Western Kansas, and a settler arrived for every quarter section. The United States Land Office also located at Garden City, and people went there to make filings on their land. Lawyers also arrived in Garden City. I.R. Holmes, the agent for the sale of lands of the ATSF, and Holmes' partner, A.C. McKeever, in 1885 sold thousands of acres of railroad and private land.
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Wikipedia