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Reno County CourthousePhoto: Hellbus · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
History · Valley Township

Valley Township dates to 1867, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.

1867founded
0on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Valley Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Valley Township began

When was Valley Township founded?

1867

Valley Township dates its founding to 1867 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 12,826 in 18802020 census: 835159 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓

What stands out about Valley 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 18913 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1985. Watch Valley Township change.Old housesHalf of Valley Township’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Valley Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMartin B-57 117th facility - hutch: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Valley Township on the map, 1891 to 1985

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

Valley Township on the 1891 USGS mapValley Township on the 1961 USGS mapValley Township on the 1985 USGS map1891Hutchinson 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 Valley Township.

The story

How Valley Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Valley Township.

Read it all →

In 1867, Reno County was established, named for General Jesse L. Reno.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway extended its main line from Herington to Pratt. This main line connected Herington, Ramona, Tampa, Durham, Waldeck, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Groveland, Inman, Medora, Hutchinson, Whiteside, Partridge, Arlington, Langdon, Turon, Preston, Natrona and Pratt. In 1888, this main line was extended to Liberal. Later, this line was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. This line is called the "Golden State Limited".

ChaptersEarly history19th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Valley Township, 1867 to 1991

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867
    FoundingValley Township is established
  3. 1882Post officeThe Kent post office opens
  4. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904Post officeThe Kent post office closes
  7. 1960In the archiveMartin B-57 117th facility - hutch
  8. 1991In the archiveHutchinson Air Force Station - Kansas - 1 October 1991
By decade

Valley Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1960s–1990s2 items
Martin B-57 117th facility - hutch1960Martin B-57 117th facility - hutchHutchinson Air Force Station - Kansas - 1 October 19911991Hutchinson Air Force Station - Kansas - 1 October 1991
Today4 recent
Cheney Reservoir2010Cheney ReservoirDetailed map of Sterling, Kansas2010Detailed map of Sterling, KansasMapAmtrak Southwest Chief time exposure2008Amtrak Southwest Chief time exposureUntitled photo2006Untitled photo
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Martin B-57 117th facility - hutch
Retake this viewMartin B-57 117th facility - hutch, 1960

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Valley Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Valley Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00065,00070,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 64,983

Between 12,826 and 64,983 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Kent, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Punkin Center
Gone or out of use
Burrton Oil FieldoilfieldFairview Elementary SchoolschoolKentlocaleKent Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Valley Township
Valley Township

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Haven TownshipIts storyC+Little River Township1 historic placeA−Burrton TownshipIts storyB−Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townClay TownshipIts storyC+Yoder TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Valley Township’s history

What year was Valley Township founded?

In 1867, according to Wikidata. Valley Township’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1880 counted 12,826 people here.

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 (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.