Cowley

Formed February 26, 1867 (45^th county)

Cowley County (34,547), Winfield (11,787), Arkansas City (11,961)

The 1962 Modern stone and concrete facility is on a square made up of 9^th, Loomis, 10^th, and Fuller streets.  United States Highway 160 is 9^th Street in the city.  There were 1873 and 1909 courthouses previously in Winfield following its February 26, 1867 founding as the 45^th county.  An architect team of Caton, Yadon & Potter and Stitzel & Thoma designed the building.  A county map is engraved on the outside of the building.  An Annex is across the street.  The county was taken from Butler County.  The county is named for Civil War hero Lieutenant Matthew Cowley.  The county seat is named for Pastor Winfield Scott. 

Cowley County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Three District Court Judges serve Cowley County.  The county is in south central Kansas on the Oklahoma border.  The county center is 5.7 miles Northeast of Winfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Butler, Elk, and Chautauqua counties and Oklahoma and Sumner and Sedgwick counties.  The Arkansas River cuts the southwest corner of the county. 

The area of the county is 1126 square miles.  It is 7 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 14 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 30.7 persons per square mile making it 26 out of 105 in the state.  Cowley County has 74.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 77 enters the county from the north, Butler County, and exits to the south, Oklahoma.  United States Highway 160 crosses east to west from Elk County to Sumner County.  United States Highway 166 goes east to west from Chautauqua County to Sumner County.  The county is overall rectangular.  Winfield is located in the western third of the county.  Arkansas City is in the southwest corner of the county.  Winfield is the county seat and Arkansas City is the largest city.  Winfield is 34.1% of the county population while Arkansas City is 34.6% of the county population.  The county is pronounced COW-LEE.  This county is in the Winfield Micropolitan Statistical Area.