Linwood is a city in Leavenworth County,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, United States, and part of the

Kansas City metropolitan area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 415. It is located along K-32 highway between Lawrence and Bonner Springs.

History

Beginnings

Linwood was founded as Journeycake, named after Charles Journeycake, the last

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

chief. People occasionally made fun of the name Journeycake by calling it "Johnny Cake." The community was platted on both sides of Stranger Creek, near the creek's mouth at the

Kansas River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a meandering river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is potentially the southwestern most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is sometimes in turn the northwesternmost portion of ...

. In May 1860, a treaty was signed at Sarcoxieville, northeast of Linwood, by Chief Sarcoxie of the Delaware and by the United States. After the treaty's signature, each member of the tribe was assigned a parcel of land, and the balance of the tribe's territories were sold to the predecessor of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. Meanwhile, the U.S. government established a trading post near Stranger Creek until the tribe was moved to the

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

in 1867. Located beside the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, the trading post became the first school in the community.

Union Pacific Railroad

In September 1863, the

began building the main line westward across the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

from

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, to

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. This was the long-line railroad in Kansas for 2–3 years. The first were opened in 1864 from Wyandotte (now a suburb of Kansas City) to Lawrence. William A. Harris moved to Kansas in 1865 employed as a civil engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1868 it became the Kansas Pacific Railroad.

Name change

The original community of Journeycake was officially platted as Stranger on July 11, 1867, and recorded at the Leavenworth County Courthouse. When the name Stranger became a problem for the Postal Service. who confused Stranger with a nearby community also named Stranger (referred to as "Big" Stranger), it was renamed Linwood on December 20, 1877. Legend has it that one day when the citizens were cutting wood for the church, Colonel Loring suggested they change the name to Linwood, because of the many linden trees that grew in the area. But, according to the Kansas Historical Collections, the community of Stranger had its name changed to Linwood by Senator William A. Harris because of his great appreciation for the Linden trees that were abundant in the vicinity of Stranger Creek.

Senator Harris

William A. Harris moved to Kansas in 1865 and worked as a civil engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad until 1868, when he moved to Lawrence, Kansas. He was appointed agent for the railroad companies in the sale of the Delaware Reservation and other lands. In 1884, Harris became a prominent citizen of Linwood, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He bought about of land just west of Linwood. On a high hill within sight of the city he built a modest two-story mansion with fifteen rooms, the Harris House. Harris was elected as a Democratic Congressman to the Fifty-third Congress (1893–1895) and as a

Populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

to the U.S. Senate (1897–1903). He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Kansas in 1906. Harris died in 1909, and is buried in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...

Relocation

Much of Linwood's commerce came from the sawmills on the river, as the city had grown very near the banks of the

(known as the “Kaw” River) that flows eastward to the Missouri. After the 1903 flood damaged and endangered much of Linwood, the city was relocated about one mile (1.6 km) north to its present location out of “the bottoms” (as they are still known today) near the river.

21st century

Present-day Linwood is a small city that is accessed mainly from , as the Golden Road bridge over Stranger Creek collapsed in the early 2000s and has never been rebuilt. Currently, the city has less than 400 people. Since 2019, numerous new homes have been built drawing new families. Linwood has several businesses including a gas station, tavern, landscaping company, salsa plant and a Dollar General retail store. Linwood is home to one of the Basehor-Linwood Elementary Schools, while the Basehor-Linwood Middle and High Schools are located in Basehor.

2019 tornado

On May 28, 2019, an EF4

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

with Doppler windspeed measurements of over 187 mph struck the outlying areas of the city and severely damaged homes. At least 13 injuries were reported due to the storm. The city itself was spared any major damage, with just the occasional roof damage and loss of trees and fencing.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are water. Linwood is situated along the north bank of the

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 415 people, 153 households, and 105 families in Linwood. The population density was 711.8 per square mile (274.8/km). There were 163 housing units at an average density of 279.6 per square mile (107.9/km). The racial makeup was 90.84% (377)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(88.19%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 0.0% (0)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.48% (2) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.24% (1) Asian, 0.24% (1)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

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, 0.24% (1) from other races, and 7.95% (33) from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

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or Latino of any race was 5.3% (22) of the population. Of the 153 households, 45.8% had children under the age of 18; 51.0% were married couples living together; 17.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 24.2% of households consisted of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 9.9% of the population. 26.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 84.8 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $52,727 (with a margin of error of +/- $12,418) and the median family income was $53,598 (+/- $2,902). Males had a median income of $37,500 (+/- $4,179) versus $38,125 (+/- $18,993) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $37,639 (+/- $7,721). Approximately, 9.7% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.8% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 375 people, 139 households, and 92 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 149 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 4.0% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 6.9% of the population. There were 139 households, of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 12.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age in the city was 31.8 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.9% were from 25 to 44; 21% were from 45 to 64; and 8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.3% male and 46.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 374 people, 129 households, and 87 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 146 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90%

, 1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 4% from other races, and 5% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 8% of the population. There were 129 households, out of which 45% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47% were

living together, 14% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. 26% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.9 and the average family size was 3.5. In the city, the population was spread out, with 35% under the age of 18, 13% from 18 to 24, 30% from 25 to 44, 17% from 45 to 64, and 5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,313, and the median income for a family was $39,125. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $24,896 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,008. About 6.1% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* William Harris (1841–1909), Kansas senator * Charles Journeycake (1817–1894), founder of Linwood

References

External links

City of Linwood

Linwood - Directory of Public Officials

Linwood Library

Linwood city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Leavenworth County, Kansas Populated places established in 1860