Logan County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the High Plains along the Smoky Hill River. It had a population of 2,762 at the 2020 census and covers 1,073 square miles (2,780 km2) centred near 38°54′N 101°08′W.
Oakley is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 67748. The county has 3 incorporated cities, a handful of small unincorporated communities and ghost towns, and observes Central Time. Logan County was organized in 1887, after first being created as St. John County in 1871.
Towns & Villages in Logan County
Logan County has 3 incorporated cities and a small number of unincorporated places and former townsites. Oakley is the only city of significant size; Russell Springs and Winona are much smaller. Monument, Page City, Elkader, McAllaster and Patterson MH Park are unincorporated communities, several of them reduced to a handful of residents or fewer today.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakley | City · seat | 2,046 | 67748 |
| Russell Springs | City | — | 67748 |
| Winona | City | — | 67764 |
| Monument | Unincorp. | — | 67747 |
| Page City | Unincorp. | — | 67748 |
| Patterson MH Park | Unincorp. | — | 67748 |
| Elkader | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | 67748 |
| McAllaster | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | 67748 |
Russell Springs was the original Logan County seat before Oakley took over the role; it remains an incorporated city today despite its small size. Elkader and McAllaster are largely vanished townsites, kept on maps and in county records but with little left on the ground.
ZIP Codes
- 67748 — Oakley (also serves Russell Springs, Page City, Elkader, McAllaster and Patterson MH Park)
- 67764 — Winona
- 67747 — Monument
Most of the county’s small unincorporated places and former townsites share Oakley’s 67748 ZIP because there is no longer a working post office in those communities.
Geography
Logan County sits on the semi-arid High Plains of western Kansas, drained by the Smoky Hill River, which crosses the county from west to east. The county’s best-known landform is a mile-long stretch of Smoky Hill Chalk bluffs rising about 100 feet above the river, known as Little Jerusalem for its resemblance to an ancient walled city; the Nature Conservancy acquired the site in 2016, and it opened to the public as Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park in October 2019. The terrain elsewhere is gently rolling shortgrass prairie given over mostly to wheat farming and cattle grazing.
Logan County borders Thomas County to the north, Gove County to the east, Scott County to the south, and Wallace County to the west, with Sherman County touching its northwest corner and Wichita County touching its southwest corner.
Demographics
Logan County recorded 2,762 residents at the 2020 census, giving it a population density of roughly 2.6 people per square mile, among the lowest in Kansas. Oakley is by far the largest community, with Russell Springs and Winona much smaller. Kansas’s statewide median household income is the Kansas median of $70,333; Logan County’s own figure is not separately verified here, but the county’s economy of dryland farming and cattle ranching typically runs below the state median in per-capita terms.
Economy & Local Life
Wheat farming and cattle ranching are the backbone of the local economy, supplemented by oil and gas activity common across western Kansas. Oakley functions as the county’s trade and service center, home to the Oakley USD 274 school district (elementary, middle and high schools) and St. Joseph School, a Catholic elementary school. The Fick Fossil and History Museum in Oakley displays Smoky Hill Chalk fossils and local pioneer artifacts and draws visitors traveling Interstate 70. The Oakley Graphic, published weekly since 1889, remains the county’s newspaper of record. Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park has become a growing tourism draw since its 2019 opening.
History
The area was first organized as St. John County in 1871 and renamed Logan County in 1885 in honor of Union Army general and later U.S. senator John A. Logan; the county government was formally organized in 1887. Russell Springs served as the original county seat before Oakley, sited on the Union Pacific rail line, drew the county offices away in the early 20th century. Like much of western Kansas, the county’s settlement followed railroad and homestead land offered in the 1880s, and its population has declined steadily from an early-20th-century peak as farms consolidated.
Getting There
Interstate 70 runs east-west across the county through Oakley, alongside US Route 40; US Route 83 runs north-south through Oakley, and Kansas Highway 25 serves the county’s eastern side.
- Colby — about 30 miles west, via I-70
- WaKeeney — about 40 miles east, via I-70
- Hays — about 75 miles east, via I-70
- Goodland — about 60 miles west, via I-70
The nearest commercial airport is Hays Regional Airport, roughly 75 miles east; Denver International Airport, about 230 miles west, offers a much wider range of connections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Logan County, Kansas?
It is in western Kansas on the High Plains, along Interstate 70 and the Smoky Hill River, between Colby and WaKeeney.
What is the population of Logan County?
Logan County had a population of 2,762 at the 2020 census.
How big is Logan County?
The county covers 1,073 square miles (2,780 km2), almost all of it land.
What is the county seat of Logan County?
Oakley is the county seat and by far the largest city.
How many towns are in Logan County?
The county has 3 incorporated cities — Oakley, Russell Springs and Winona — plus a few small unincorporated communities and former townsites.
What ZIP codes are in Logan County?
The main ZIP codes are 67748 (Oakley), 67764 (Winona) and 67747 (Monument).
What is Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park?
It is a Kansas state park built around a mile-long stretch of Smoky Hill Chalk bluffs on the Smoky Hill River, opened to the public in October 2019 after the Nature Conservancy acquired the site in 2016.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.