Rawlins

Formed March 20, 1873 (86^th county)

Rawlins County (2,560), Atwood (1,293)

The red brick and stone Romanesque Revival facility, built in 1906, is on the square at Main, East Court, Vine, and West Court streets.  United States Highway 36 is six blocks to the north of the courthouse.  The building’s designers were Eisentraut, Colby, and Pottenger.  It has a tower on top.  There was an 1881 courthouse in Atwood, the only county seat, following the March 20, 1873 county formation.  The county was taken from Native American Territory the 86^th county.  Secretary of War John A. Rawlins is the namesake for the county.  Atwood is named for the son of settler J. M. Matheny. 

Rawlins County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Eight District Court Judges serve Rawlins, Cheyenne, Logan, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, and Wallace counties (judicial.) Rawlins County is in northwest Kansas on the border with Nebraska.  The county center is 2.7 miles Southwest of Atwood.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Nebraska and Decatur, Thomas, Sherman, and Cheyenne counties. 

The area of the county is 1070 square miles.  It is 13 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 92 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2.4 persons per square mile making it 99 out of 105 in the state.  Rawlins County has 59.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 36 crosses the county east to west from Decatur County to Cheyenne County.  The county is a square.  Atwood is slightly north and east of center in the county.  Atwood is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 50.5% of the county population.