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History · Walton Township

25% of Walton Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1880.

0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Walton 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 Walton Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18903 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1985. Watch Walton Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 357 in 1910; 219 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Walton Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walton Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Walton Township on the map, 1890 to 1985

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

Walton Township on the 1890 USGS mapWalton Township on the 1965 USGS mapWalton Township on the 1985 USGS map1890Wellington 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 Walton Township.

People over time

Walton Township, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 357

Peaked at 357 in 1910; 219 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Walton Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Walton Township.

Read it all →

In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line from Emporia through Walton to Newton, reaching Walton and Newton in July. In 1996, it merged with Burlington Northern Railroad and renamed to the current BNSF Railway. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".

ChaptersEarly history19th century20th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Walton Township, 1879 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879Post officeThe Bitter Creek post office opens
  3. 1887Post officeThe Ashton post office opens
  4. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1899Post officeThe Bitter Creek post office closes
  6. 20th century
  7. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 357
  8. 1971Post officeThe Ashton post office closes
By decade

Walton Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Walton Elementary School in Walton, Kansas2010Walton Elementary School in Walton, KansasWalton City Hall in Walton, Kansas2010Walton City Hall in Walton, KansasMid Kansas Cooperative in Walton, Kansas2010Mid Kansas Cooperative in Walton, KansasHarvey County Rural Water District in Walton, Kansas2010Harvey County Rural Water District in Walton, KansasDetailed map of Walton, Kansas2010Detailed map of Walton, KansasMapKSMap-doton-Walton2004KSMap-doton-Walton
Famous people

Famous people close to Walton Township

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

See all →
Eugene PalletteAmerican actor · b. 1889
Lionel HollinsAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1953
D
Darren E. BurrowsAmerican actor · b. 1966
Ira DavenportAmerican track athlete, baseball player, Americ… · b. 1887
F
Frank Marshall DavisUnited States writer, political and labor movem… · b. 1905
Brad PennyMajor League Baseball free agent pitcher · b. 1978
Places that used to be

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

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bitter Creek
1879–1899
Ashton
1887–1971
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Ashton
Gone or out of use
Murphy Oil FieldoilfieldPadgett Oil FieldoilfieldStrother Air Field Number Twoairport
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Walton Township
Garden of LollikMount HopeWork

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.

Guelph TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBolton TownshipIts storyCValverde TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Walton Township’s history

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.