Formed March 18, 1874 (90th county)
Edwards County (2,901), Kinsley (1,455)
A light tan brick and masonry Classical Revival type facility was built in 1928. There was an 1885 classic courthouse also in Kinsley, the only county seat. A painting of this earlier courthouse is at the east entrance. The courthouse is on a square at Massachusetts, 3rd, Atwood, and 4th streets. United States Highway 56 is two blocks to the east of the site. The building architects are Routledge & Hertz. The county originated on March 18, 1874 from Kiowa County as the 90th county. It is named for landowner William C. Edwards. The county seat is named for financier E. W. Kinsley.
Edwards County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Seven District Court Judges serve Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, Pawnee, and Rush counties (judicial.) The county is in southwest Kansas to the west of Wichita, Kansas and northeast of Dodge City, Kansas. The county center is 10.8 miles Southeast of Kinsley nearer Fellsburg. The county is surrounded clockwise by Pawnee, Stafford, Pratt, Kiowa, Ford, and Hodgeman counties.
The area of the county is 622 square miles. It is 81 out of 105 in the state. It ranks 83 out of 105 in population in the state. It has a density of 4.7 persons per square mile making it 75 out of 105 in the state. Edwards County has 75.5% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 50 crosses the county east to west from Stafford County to Ford County. United States Highway 56 goes northeast to west from Pawnee County to join with United States Highway 50 west into Ford County. United States Highway 183 enters joined with United States Highway 56 from Pawnee County, splits and continues south into Kiowa County. The Arkansas River flows through the county. The county shape resembles a chair. Kinsley is in the western quarter of the county. Kinsley is the county seat and the largest city. It is 50.2% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced KINS-LEE.
Belpre
Kinsley
Lewis
Offerle
