Rooks

Formed February 26, 1867 (66^th county)

Rooks County (4,921), Stockton (1,478), Plainville (1,747)

A Classical Revival masonry building for Rooks County was built in 1917.  The building is on Walnut at 1^st streets.  United States Highway 24 is one block west of the site.  The architect was Frank C. Squires.  The building features memorial slabs on the site.  The building was remodeled in 1974 and renovated in 2007.  Stockton had an 1881 courthouse for the county after its February 26, 1867 founding.  The county was taken from Native American Territory as the 66^th county.  The county’s name comes from Civil War hero Private John Calvin Rooks.  The county seat name comes from the cattle industry established around the town site. 

Rooks County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Rooks, Ellis, Gove, and Trego counties (judicial.) The county is in northwest Kansas.  Salina, Kansas is southeast and Dodge City, Kansas is southwest of the county.  The county center is 5.2 miles South of Stockton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Phillips, Smith, Osborne, Ellis, Trego, and Graham counties. 

The area of the county is 888 square miles.  It is 33 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 69 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.5 persons per square mile making it 71 out of 105 in the state.  Rooks County has 75.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 24 goes east to west in the county from Osborne County to Graham County.  United States Highway 183 travels north to south from Phillips County to Ellis County.  The county is a square.  Stockton is in the northern quarter of the county.  Plainville is in the southern quarter of the county.  Stockton is the county seat and Plainville is the largest city.  Stockton is 30.0% of the county population while Plainville is 35.5% of the county population.