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History · Atwood Township

Atwood Township dates to 1875, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1890.

1875founded
1on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Smallbones · Public domain
Quick answers

How Atwood Township began

When was Atwood Township founded?

1875

Atwood Township dates its founding to 1875 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 450 in 18902020 census: 1,326151 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1879.The full story ↓

What stands out about Atwood Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Atwood Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,906 in 1960; 1,290 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Atwood Township’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Atwood Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Atwood Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Atwood Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,906

Peaked at 1,906 in 1960; 1,290 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Atwood Township’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Atwood Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Atwood Township.

Read it all →

In 1875, T.A. Andrews and J.M. Matheny traveled to Rawlins County and started a town site about two miles east of the current city. The city of Attwood (with two t's) was named after Attwood Matheny, the 14-year-old son who accompanied his father on the journey. In 1882, the U.S. Post Office requested permission to drop one "t" thus becoming Atwood. In 1881, Atwood became the county seat of Rawlins County.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Atwood Township, 1875 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875
    FoundingAtwood Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,906
By decade

Atwood Township, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Lake Park 13812022Lake Park 1381Lake Park 13802022Lake Park 1380Lake Park 13792022Lake Park 1379Frontier in Rawlins 13782022Frontier in Rawlins 1378Atwood, Kansas Main Street 500 block N side 12014Atwood, Kansas Main Street 500 block N side 1Atwood, Kansas2013Atwood, KansasRawlin Co KS Courthouse2010Rawlin Co KS Courthouse
On the map

Atwood Township on the map, 1951 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Atwood Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Atwood Township on the 1951 USGS mapAtwood Township on the 1978 USGS map1951Atwood sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Atwood Township.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Atwood Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Atwood Township’s history

What year was Atwood Township founded?

In 1875, according to Wikidata. Atwood Township’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1890 counted 450 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.