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History · Benkelman

Benkelman’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Benkelman. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Benkelman Township is a township in Cheyenne County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 42.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 28 to 42 (+50%).

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Benkelman yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Benkelman’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Benkelman

See all 20 →
Ronald EvansRonald EvansSt. Francis · 10 miWard BondWard BondBenkelman · 34 miRobert P. KerrRobert P. KerrBurlington · 31 miBill JessupBill JessupWray · 34 miDSDaniel J. SullivanWray · 34 miAndrew Carl BennettAndrew Carl BennettGoodland · 24 mi
By decade

Benkelman, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Benkelman is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Benkelman has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Cheyenne County Courthouse in St. Francis, 10.4 miles away.

Benkelman and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Benkelman. Tap a dot.
Cheyenne County CourthouseSt. Francis City ParkBeecher Island BattlegroundKuhrt RanchHickert, Henry BuildingRuleton School

Closest to Benkelman

Cheyenne County CourthouseSt. Francis · Built 192510.4miSt. Francis City ParkSt. Francis · Built 193410.5miBeecher Island BattlegroundVernon · Site20.7miKuhrt RanchLlanos · District21.2miHickert, Henry BuildingBird City · Built 192021.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Cheyenne County Courthouse’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Benkelman?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Benkelman’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Jaqua📜 Wano📜 St. Francis📜 Grant
We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Benkelman, KSCheyenne CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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