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History · Lakin Township

Lakin Township’s post office opened in 1874, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and the census since 1890.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Lakin Township began

When was Lakin Township founded?

1874

The Lakin Township post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 258 in 18902020 census: 2,491152 years
Founding year: the first Lakin Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Lakin 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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lakin Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Lakin Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lakin Township.

Read it all →

In spring 1873, John O'Loughlin, community founder, set up a trading post next to the newly completed Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The community was named by the AT&SF for David Long Lakin, former treasurer of the AT&SF. Lakin was designated county seat in 1888. A post office has been in operation in Lakin since March 1874.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Lakin Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Watershed work plan Lakin Watershed, Kearny County, KansasDate?Watershed work plan Lakin Watershed, Kearny County, K…Book
Today8 recent
O'Laughlin Windmill, Lakin, KS IMG 58532010O'Laughlin Windmill, Lakin, KS IMG 5853Lakin, KS, welcome sign IMG 58492010Lakin, KS, welcome sign IMG 5849Lakin High School champions sign IMG 58412010Lakin High School champions sign IMG 5841Kearny County, KS, Museum IMG 58402010Kearny County, KS, Museum IMG 5840Kearny County, KS Library IMG 58502010Kearny County, KS Library IMG 5850KS Highway 25 in Lakin IMG 58442010KS Highway 25 in Lakin IMG 5844Downtown Lakin, KS IMG 58462010Downtown Lakin, KS IMG 5846KSMap-doton-Lakin2004KSMap-doton-Lakin
People over time

Lakin Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,316

Between 258 and 2,316 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Southside TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDeerfield Township3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast Hibbard TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHartland Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lakin Township’s history

What year was Lakin Township founded?

The Lakin Township post office opened in 1874, 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 →
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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 (9), Wikipedia, 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.