Russell Springs is a city in

Logan County Logan County is the name of ten current counties and one former county in the United States: * Logan County, Arkansas * Logan County, Colorado * Logan County, Idaho (1889–1895) * Logan County, Illinois * Logan County, Kansas * Logan 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. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 26.

History

Russell Springs, founded in 1865, was the Eaton stop on the Butterfield Overland Dispatch stage line. The line ran through rough Indian country to connect the gold mines in

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 ...

, with Fort Riley, Kansas. It ran until the

Kansas Pacific Railroad The Kansas Pacific Railway (KP) was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century. It was a federally chartered railroad, backed with government land grants. At a time when the first transcontin ...

was built. Travelers on the Butterfield Trail always made the natural springs in the area a watering place and calling them "Russell's Springs". It was named for Avra P. Russell, of the

2nd Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry The 2nd Kansas Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 2nd Kansas Cavalry was organized at Kansas City, Kansas beginning on November 8, 1861, but its designation was change ...

. Russell Springs was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

until 1963. There was much feuding over which town should serve as county seat, and Oakley won the honor in 1963. In 1965, the old county courthouse in Russell Springs became the Butterfield Trail Museum.

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 , all land.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Russell Springs has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 24 people, 13 households, and 8 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 27 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.0%

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 ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

s and Latinos of any race were 0.0% of the population. There were 13 households, of which 15.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 0.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 30.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85, and the average family size was 2.38. In the city, the population was spread out, with 12.5% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 37.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 140.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $44,375. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $0 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 $17,370. None of the population and none of the families 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 ...

Government

Russell Springs is a city of the third class with a mayor-council form of government. The city council consists of five members and meets on the third Wednesday of each month. Russell Springs lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District. For the purposes of representation in the

Kansas Legislature The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state sen ...

, the city is located in the 40th district of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of about 73,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

and the 118th district of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

Education

Russell Springs is a part of Triplains

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

275. Russell Springs schools were closed through school unification. The Russell Springs High School mascot was Russell Springs Hornets.

Transportation

Kansas Highway 25 (K-25) runs north-south through Russell Springs.

Culture

Points of interest

* Butterfield Trail Historical Museum

References

External links

Russell Springs - Directory of Public Officials
{{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Logan County, Kansas Populated places established in 1865 1865 establishments in Kansas