Cherokee

Formed February 18, 1860 (35^th county)

Cherokee County (19,357), Columbus (2,927), Baxter Springs (3,889)

The light tan brick and masonry Modern structure was built in 1956.  The courthouse is on a square at Maple, Pennsylvania, Pine and Kansas streets.  United States Highway 69 passes eight blocks to the east of the site.  There was an 1889 courthouse also in Columbus.  Pleasant View and Baxter Springs have also served as county seat.  A clock tower sits on the ground in front of the building.  The building architects are Glover & Newcomb.  The county was created on February 18, 1860 as the 35^th county.  The county is named for the Native American tribe.  The county seat is named for Columbus, Ohio. 

Cherokee County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Four District Court Judges serve Cherokee, Crawford, and Labette counties (judicial.) The county is in the southeast corner bordering both Missouri and Oklahoma.  Springfield, Missouri is east and Wichita, Kansas is northwest of the site.  The county center is 5.4 miles Southeast of Columbus nearer Neutral.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Crawford County and Missouri and Oklahoma and Labette County. 

The area of the county is 587 square miles.  It is 85 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 28 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 33.0 persons per square mile making it 22 out of 105 in the state.  Cherokee County has 55.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 69 crosses the county north to south from Crawford County to Oklahoma.  United States Highway 69 Alternate originates in the county and goes south into Oklahoma.  United States Highway 160 enters from the north joined with United States Highway 69 from Crawford County, splits and goes west into Labette County.  United States Highway 166 crosses the south part of the county east to west from Missouri to Labette County.  United States Highway 400 enters from the north joined with United States Highway 69, splits to join United States 166 east into Missouri.  The county is square shaped.  Columbus is at or near the county center.  The largest city is on the southeast border of the county.  Columbus is the county seat and Baxter Springs is the largest city.  Columbus is 15.1% of the county population while Baxter Springs is 20.1% of the county population.

West Mineral