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Hill City, KansasPhoto: ADKMatthew · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Hill City Township

Hill City Township’s post office opened in 1878, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1890.

1878first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hill City Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hill City Township began

When was Hill City Township founded?

1878

The Hill City Township post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 545 in 18902020 census: 1,518148 years
Founding year: the first Hill City Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hill City 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 writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18933 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1985. Watch Hill City Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,421 in 1960; 1,403 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Hill City Township’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hill City Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewOld gas station, Hill City, Kansas: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Hill City Township on the map, 1893 to 1985

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

Hill City Township on the 1893 USGS mapHill City Township on the 1979 USGS mapHill City Township on the 1985 USGS map1893Hill City sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Hill City Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,421

Peaked at 2,421 in 1960; 1,403 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Hill City Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hill City Township.

Read it all →

The first settlement at Hill City was made in 1876, making it the oldest town in Graham County. The community was named after W. R. Hill, a first settler. Hill City was platted in 1878. The first post office in Hill City was established in September 1878. Hill City was designated county seat in 1880. By 1915, Hill City had 647 inhabitants.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hill City Township, 1893 to 1993

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 2,421
  5. 1993In the archiveOld gas station, Hill City, Kansas
By decade

Hill City Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s2 items
Old gas station, Hill City, Kansas1993Old gas station, Hill City, KansasOld gas station, Hill City, Kansas1993Old gas station, Hill City, Kansas
Today1 recent
Hill City, Kansas2012Hill City, Kansas
Famous people

Famous people close to Hill City Township

Nobody well known was born in Hill City Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
H
Howard H. BellAmerican scholar of African American history · b. 1913
D
Dane HansenAmerican businessman · b. 1883
L
Louis WardAmerican businessman · b. 1920
M
Marvin SwitzerAmerican football defensive back · b. 1954
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Millbrook Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWildhorse TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGettysburg Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGraham TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNicodemus Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Hill City Township’s history

What year was Hill City Township founded?

The Hill City Township post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 (3), 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.