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 Burdick
- Situated in southwestern Morris County
on the edge of the Flint Hills, the area was first settled by Swedish
immigrants in the 1880s. The town got its start as a
station on the Strong City & Superior division of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and was first called Linsdale.
However, by the time the settlement gained a post
office in August, 1887, the settlement was called Burdick. By 1910, the town had a population
of about 225 people and boasted a bank, a money order post office, telegraph and express offices, and
several churches. At its peak, it also sported a grocery store, general
store, two banks, and both a grade school and a high school.
The Burdick High School closed in 1957, sending its students to school at
Lincolnville in Marion County. The grade school continued into the 1960s, when those
students were also sent to Lincolnville.
Today, all that remains are the Burdick Meat Locker, a family-owned
business since 1921 that is known for its meat processing, beef jerky, and
potato sausage; and the Burdick Oil Company, a family owned, full-service
gas station and ranch supply that celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008.
though Burdick is an unincorporated community, it still maintains a post
office. It is located about 27 miles southwest of
Council Grove.
Delavan -
Founded in 1885 by Henry Kingman, the town was named for his home town of
Delavan, Illinois. Just a year later Topeka, Salina and Western Railroad extended its tracks
from Council Grove to a point just east of Delavan; however, the route was
unused until the Missouri-Pacific Railroad took over and completed the
rail line on to Colorado. The town grew slowly, becoming a minor trading center and shipping point for the rich agricultural
neighborhood by the turn of the century. In 1910, it had a bank, a money
order post office with one rural route, express and telegraph offices,
Christian and Methodist churches, and a public school. At this time, it
had a population of just 58 and was described as "one
of the most progressive villages of its size in the state." The town fared better in the early 20th Century, boasting a
general store, lumber yard, farm machinery dealership, the bank, a telephone office and
both a grade school and a high school.
The Great Depression; however, took its toll on the small
community and the bank closed in the early 1930s. The town got a
boost during World War II when the
Herington Army Airfield was established in 1942 at nearby Herrington,
Kansas in adjacent Dickinson County, about seven miles west of Delavan. The
Army airfield took some 14 months to build, putting a number of Delavan
people to work. The base; however, closed just two years later in 1945. The Delavan High School closed in 1950, when students were
forced to bus to Wilsey for classes. Delavan's post office closed in 1992. All that remains of Delavan today is the Grandview Township
Community Center, which once served as the Delavan Grade School. Delavan is
located about 17 west of
Council Grove,
Kansas.
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LEGENDS
OF KANSAS
