Ottawa, Kansas
| Ottawa, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Business District (2009)
|
|
 Location within Franklin County and Kansas |
|
 KDOT map of Franklin County (legend) |
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| Coordinates: 38°36′43″N 95°15′59″W / 38.61194°N 95.26639°WCoordinates: 38°36′43″N 95°15′59″W / 38.61194°N 95.26639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Franklin |
| Founded | 1865 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Manager | Richard Nienstedt |
| • Mayor | Sara Caylor |
| • Mayor Pro-tem | Linda Reed |
| • City Clerk | Scott Bird |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.42 sq mi (24.40 km2) |
| • Land | 9.32 sq mi (24.14 km2) |
| • Water | 0.10 sq mi (0.26 km2) 1.06% |
| Elevation | 902 ft (275 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 12,649 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 12,575 |
| • Density | 1,300/sq mi (520/km2) |
| • µSA | 25,906 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 66067 |
| Area code(s) | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-53550 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0479367 |
| Website | ottawaks.gov |
Ottawa is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Marais des Cygnes River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,649
The town grew up around Ottawa Indian settlements. The tribe lived in the area from 1837 to 1867 and donated land for Ottawa University. The town and university were named for the tribe.
The first white permanent settler built his house at Ottawa in 1864.
The city of Ottawa has a history of flooding due to the Marais Des Cygnes river. One of the first major floods which was noted happened in 1844, twenty years before the city's founding in 1864. No official measurements were taken, though was estimated to be at 40 feet (12 m). A flood in 1928 had a crest point of 38.65 ft. in which six people died. Other flood years include 1904, with a crest of 35.8 feet (10.9 m); 1909, cresting at 36.3 feet (11.1 m); 1915, cresting at 31 feet (9.4 m), and 1944 cresting at 36.5 feet (11.1 m).
However, it is the Great Flood of 1951 which is the most famous. It was about five inches higher than the 1928 flood. The flood of 1951 affected much of Missouri and Kansas and 41 people died. One-third of Ottawa was covered because of this flood.
It is unlikely Ottawa will suffer major damage due to a flood again thanks to a series of levees and pumping stations built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s, which is part of a larger system of flood systems to regulate the Marais Des Cygnes River to the Missouri River. The levees built along the river are inspected on an annual basis to insure their quality.
In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were brought to Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war. Large internment camps were established in Kansas: Camp Concordia, Camp Funston (at Fort Riley), Camp Phillips (at Salina under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including Ottawa.
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Wikipedia