Quenemo was laid out about 1870. Quenemo was the name of a Sac and Fox Indian chief. A fire in 1878 destroyed much of the town. Quenemo experienced rapid growth in 1884 after the AT&SF railroad was built through it.
During the turn of the 20th century, the town was the base of operation for Orrin Robertson, a prominent quack who operated a sanitarium in the town, as well as the so-called "American University of Anthropology", which offered diplomas by mail.
It is a very readable article entitled "How the town of Quenemo was named." However like many other tales and traditions handed down to us by the pioneers of the days when many Indian tribes dwelt here in Kansas along our streams crowded together in some cases, 50 years ago, this Quenemo story will bear some sifting out.
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A picture of an Indian furnished the folks at the town of Quenemo by a St. Joe medicine company purporting to be that of the Indian Quenemo.
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Pioneer narratives of the first twenty-five years of Kansas history. History given of some of the Sac and Fox Indians1912Read the page →
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ago that throws some more light on Quenemo's history. In my article thus far I have touched several points embraced in this for which the reader will pardon me the repetition. I find from reading this article over after several years that it brings out Mr. Starrs story of Quenemo in a very interesting form. So many of the prominent chiefs and Indians of that Reserve around Agency Hill used liquor to such an extent that it was very unpleasant to have them around.
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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 →
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2005
2005