Being from Kansas, I see beauty where others see none.

The nicest thing about little farming communities like this is that they don't need the internet to exist. They just exist because they are actually important. Food is important.

We in Kansas call these towns "Poke and Plum towns". By the time you poke your head out, your plum out of town. Their are a lot of these small towns all over Kansas for sure.

I was born and raised in Kansas and I had honestly never heard of most of these towns. Thanks for bringing be back home and for exploring our beautiful state!

Born n raised in kansas I love this place.

I was raised in Kansas and much enjoyed this. I miss the friendly people.

I grew up in Mound City Kansas and it recently upgraded to having a dollar general! It also has the second oldest court house in the state as well!

Love this video. Love Kansas.

I'm a Kansas girl 🌻🌺🌻 And enjoyed that very much . Thank you !

Deer hunting in Kansas is top notch especially around these little towns

We moved out to Kansas recently from Oregon. Many times we will hear the phrase "Don't bring anyone else here! We don't want to be overrun!" In reality though, if your town isn't growing then it is dying. And don't worry, anyone willing to move to rural Kansas is likely very conservative. Makes me sad to see what once was thriving is now barely hanging on. Almost bought a lil farm in Cedar. Thanks for doing this video. I'm glad you are keeping these tiny places alive by bringing them to attention.

We lived on the Kan-Okla border several years ago, and we lived near a small town called Capron. In 2014 when we moved it only had 23 people. As of 2019 it now has 0. It's kind of sad seeing towns fade into non-existence...

I love small towns too. I live in eastern Kansas and enjoy driving through these small towns and looking at all the old downtown brick buildings. I think these places show a piece of history of what might have been. Good job and keep making these videos.

This was great, thank you. I’ve been all over the state using old maps and books like Ghost Towns of Kansas. Beautiful state and nice people.

I miss Kansas 😢

I watched this a year after it was posted. I used to ride the BAK (Biking Across Kansas) every year. We stayed in small farm communities. Every year there were fewer people and the small towns began to disappear. A few times, while doing a ‘century’ ( one hundred miles in one ride on a bicycle), we would take a detour to one of the unincorporated stops along the road. I’ve been very sorry to watch parts of my state quietly fade away. I’m glad you’re taking the time to visit and document these areas. Thank you.

I was borned in Wichita Kansas and raised in Mulvane Kansas and this video was so amazing I loved watching this! Fantastic job on filming this and Merry Christmas to you!

For anyone wondering why their "town" might not be listed, usually it's because of it being unincorporated. Only incorportated towns are eligible for this video! Want to see more videos of Kansas? Here's my entire playlist! kzfaq.info/sun/PL4jqwLUrhjNQaqtIC6QKWGbe0hF8IiHTL

Thank you so much for sharing this video and all of the history you explain. FANTASTIC mini history and government lessons contained here!!

John thanks for the wonderful expose' on Kansas smallest towns. I have been traveling Kansas for close to 50 years and honestly can say I have been through 4 of the 10 towns. I am surprised that there are no top ten towns further west in Kansas. You have peeked my curiosity about the history of this great state. Aaaaaw Kansas!!

I'm from a small town in Kansas and thank you doing a video like that, it was awesome and keep up the good work.

Re the location in Hollenberg - one of my mother's sorority sisters married a man who owned a home that was also an original Pony Express stop (the home was in/hear Hiawatha, KS)! LOVE this content!!

Nice work! Thank you! Drone shots were especially helpful.

Those were beautiful sunsets! Thanks for the tour!

Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed the trip!

I was born in 1941, grew up in a small farming community, Woodbine, which was about 20 miles SE of Abilene on old highway 77. My parents often visited friends in Wichita and we went to Joyland several times. Actually I wrote this comment on the Joyland video, but it ended up here. I have watched, tonight, the entire ghost towns playlist. Boy, do I have stories about Kansas, and could write a book. Thank you for your great videos.

Thank you and everyone in this thread for a fascinating look at a state I know nothing about yet is so historic!

It's always been fascinating to me to see small towns and think of how they used to thrive and now they're fading into history.

I’m in Southeast Kansas now!!! Grew up in Leavenworth Kansas!!! Even when I lived up north never knew there were towns with only 20 something people or less!!! That’s where I need to be. I bet it’s quite and peaceful!!!!

I lived in Penalosa back in the late 1960 until 1972. My father still lives there. I see nothing has changed except the new building that you stood next to. The store used to be across the street. Brings back old memories. Thank you for sharing

Well done, Sir. Thank u for this. The crunching of your feet on the road u walk gives a homey feeling. Lovely drone footage

Thank you so very much to add the closed captions, it truly means a lot to us hard of hearing folks. Again, thanks for that. I'm originally from Wabaunsee County, Kansas. Wabaunsee was originally the county seat until the folks from Alma stole all the records and made Alma the County Seat. There are several small towns there with a lot of history too. If you get a chance check out the townsite of Wabaunsee, it's famous for the Beecher Bible & Rifle Church. Paxico, Newbury and McFarland are a few more very small towns. Even Eskridge and Alma are small towns.

When you were in Latimer, You’re about 5-6 miles from where I live in Herington.. Latimer used to be a happening place, At one time the famous rock band “KANSAS” played over there back when they were still paying their dues.. The church that is there was moved from the WWII airfield in Delavan ks about 6 miles south, it was a B-24 bomber HDQ during WWII… I’ve just discovered your channel today and watched a few videos, it’s always fascinating how someone knows something about each little town..

Thanks Wiseguy for this video! I'm a native Kansan and grew up among of slew of "little towns". I've found it really interesting as to how well some are taken care of, and how some get really destitute. Hope you enjoyed Kansas Hospitality! BTW, went by Mildred hundreds of times, never knew there was a place that made sammiches like that!

I am from Larned, Kansas. I have lived in Miami, Ft Lauderdale, San Juan PR, San Francisco and Ft Worth. I will take Kansas any day

Wow, really enjoying your videos. Thank you so very much!

Been to Waldron and Freeport. Use to live in Anthony Kansas. I have driven all over on the back country roads. Thanks for sharing! Hopefully if your passing through New Mexico you can stop and see the small towns we have surrounding Raton.

I was raised in Garnett KS. I enjoyed your video. My daughter lives east of loan Elm. I did lot of bird hunting, and fishing in Anderson County and Allen county. I'm retired and live in Ottawa ks.

Pretty cool thanks for sharing!

Thank you! I just subscribed. Love your channel!

I live close to Lone elm, Mildred, and Bassett. Not locations I’d ever see on KZfaq. Awesome video!

I'm a bit late to this video, but I worked at that grain elevator in Freeport many years ago. Horrifying experience. Had a little lift elevator that you had to pull a rope to carry you up - one day it broke sending a coworker falling (they caught themselves and were uninjured.) They eventually shut the place down, but reopened it back up years later (open today.) There was also an earthquake about 10-years ago, and if I remember the only damage in the whole area was that post office which had a wall crack.

Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.

What a great video, really enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing. I live in Lone Elm 😊

I’m actually from Hollenberg and still go back regularly as our farm is just east of there. I got a kick out of seeing the church in your video as we actually own that. I wish you had gotten to see the large well in the center of town by the post office. That was kind of our last claim to fame. When I was a kid during the winter we used to sled down that hill all the way to the train tracks. Good times. Probably not all that safe, but big fun. Thanks for the video!

A lot of the Kansas town, specially in southern Kansas, just never really did recover after the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl. People left and never came back.

Nice video, thanks!

Thanks for sharing,I enjoyed this look at Kansas ,I used to live in Kansas, Goodland and Ruleton. I was told Ruleton had the oldest Post Office

WOW, you were really close to the town I grew up in. Courtland and Scandia.

Grew up in the area Freeport, Waldron, and Penalosa are located in. It was cool seeing someone making a video about these towns. I’ve also been to a service at the church in Freeport and am family friends with all 4 citizens. I live in Pratt currently Wich is just a stones throw away from Penalosa. Thanks for this video!

Fun vid. Liked the “feel” of some of these little towns.

Loved it❤

Rago, KS has around 4 people. It’s so small that they usually include Spivey and Rago together. Pretty common though. They do that with Suppesville and Milton. Even though though I live 3 miles the opposite direction of Milton, Suppesville is considered Milton because they have an old shack of a post office that is only used for P.O. Boxes.

This makes me miss home, Garden City Ks. Beef Empire days. The days when the pool was free..

Great video...i really like seeing videos about these small towns and cities...I would like to visit these places myself

Great video. Thank you! The music sets the whole mood for a pleasant time viewing.

I grew up in Doniphan, KS. Its population has from 60 to 75. I am just guessing the population. We have more dogs than people.

I have in-laws all over in tiny towns like Nashville and Cairo, and I live near Anson, Anness, Mayfield, and Millerton (which as far as I know lost its last resident.) If towns are defined by incorporation and zip codes, there's a lot of them that won't make the list. Spasticville has to be the coolest place name in Kansas.

My family was and is still from around Oak Hill and Longford area. During harvest back in the late 70's early 80's would deliver wheat to the Elevator, which was a very busy time for Oak Hill. I also rode in the parade for the Centennial celebration. Many happy memories!

I really enjoyed your video. Excluding my time in the military I have lived here in Kansas,born and raised.

I grew up really close to Hollenberg, cool that you came through my neck of the woods. Although my hometown would be a big city with 729 population, still a small town. Cool video my guy!

I was born and raised in Kansas and I'm 56 years old. Sadly I've never heard of any of these towns. And I grew up in a tiny town as well called Chautauqua. Known for the Chautauqua Springs which my grandmother purchased in circa 1968 our house is still there and so are the natural springs! We used to get tourists from all over until my grandma passed away and then my uncle didn't have time to keep it up and then he passed away. But it is still beautiful 😍

This brings back lots of memories from growing up in SE Kansas small towns. 👍

Nice work your videos seem to have a calming effect on me, maybe it's the background music and nostalgia keep on with the great videos, and God bless

It's sad to see what has become of Oak Hill. I used to have relatives that lived there. Back in the 1970s, the extended family on my paternal grandmother's side...a couple times a year... would have family reunions in Oak Hill, at the old school building. Unfortunately, as her and her siblings passed away, those reunions ended. The last one that I recall attending, was around 1977 or 1978, when I was a teen. Edited to add: My grandmother's family was originally from just south of the town of Ada, KS (current population around 140-150). Ada is about 40 miles, almost due west of Oak Hill.

This was a pretty neat idea. I wish you would have included how many people used to live there, what happened - where did everyone go. It would also have been nice to know the demographics of the town - mainly age - and if they are retired, or if working, what do they do?

You might check out Dunlap.. it and the whole area has an interesting history... I grew up near there and went to school in Council Grove. Dunlap is basically a ghost town now.

like the video young man.be bless and safe.

I grew up in Jefferson County, the area is unincorporated, it is called Mooney Creek. It is 30 minutes south of Atchison and 45 minutes away from Leavenworth, Topeka and Lawrence. It has farm family's, a church and my grandparents/uncle (who are deceased) gas station. Gas station is closed now. The sunsets are phenomenal. Closest town Winchester, population 500. A beautiful area to be raised.

You should go to Olpe, Ks. Home of the Ople chicken house. It’s not as small as the ones in your video but it’s a small town with some great people. I grew up in emporia and people will drive from other counties just for dinner there.

I grew up in Kansas and actually lived in Oak Hill for a short time. The Garage there was was run by “Doc” I would stop in at Doc’s and get a pop and candy bar. It was the local hangout for the old men. Thanks for sharing 👏

I grew up in a town northeast of Latimer. As the crow flies it was 5- 6 miles of Railroad track. It was also a small community where people are the treasures. The longer someone stays, the more time familiarity reveals the depth of that treasure - few exceptions. The early 1960s brought state education change. The one room school house students within a 10 + mile radius came to the our town's grade 1-12 school. These one roomers enriched us as their one room school houses closed. At the same time The last of the generations of those students were interviewed for their memories of their own one room school house stories. They were compiled in a book, published and given to local Morris, Dickerson, Geary, Riley County libraries. The book was titled "Fond memories of One Room Schools in Northwest Morris County Kansas". It was a project by volunteers who did the interviews over a period of 12 years. Ages of the memory tellers were 50 - 90's range (in that bubble of time late 1990s memory the treasures in rural small towns. Each treaured represents aspects unique and common to mankind. Trust in God and good behavior, dedication, volunteerism for the good of others, respect for fair minded authority, safety for all- especially kids and the vulnerable, a good education, a good work ethic are the most common goals supported by one another. We learn a lot from new comers. Most is good and welcomed. And the quiet starry nights are cherished exception July 4th celebrations and home game nights at the summer baseball (where many mom's and dad's coach little league and school contest sports fields. Right now our town is seeing a baby boom, 17 babies born and more on the way. These last 12 months a few first babies, but majority are 2nd and/or 3rd children, an addition day care for preschool & primary was established by volunteers located officially on the school ground. Our kids go to state or Regionals in track, BB, fb, volleyball. The last time has went to state in BB the hotel manager told staff that Our WC boys were so respectful they were welcome any time. We get to have foreign students too asl people host exchange students regularly. Our town was incorporated in 1885, named White City after a Mr. White who offered his railroad allotted land to create a community. We have a local volunteer fire department. A fire station with 3-4 bays (constructed by experienced volunteers), 20 or more volunteer firemen/women, EMTs, vibrant library & bank, 2 museums, two parks with city care taker staff hired, pre school -12 school, City office with M-F hours, City Council mtg. 1 per month, 3 area churches, gas station with 24 hour pumps with a convenience store open daily, a grain elevator, family bar & grill, lumber/ hardware yard, an active American legion & SAL, & a Vet group center around a Train car that the country of France sent to the US by multiples as a "Thank you" to our country's vets. France donated these Railroad Cars as an official commemoration to the sacrifice our US soldiers made for France in Wars, WC has a Prairie Post News Paper office in WC- covering 3 towns, an independent auto parts store, a small laundry mat, several independent working mechanics, an active senior center, Post office, also a local farm family web site facebook.com/countylinecowpokes/. Several of our cattle or horse farmers/ranchers have farm building, fence, seed, or fertilizing businesses, combining business on top of management of their individual family farm. We have hundreds of visiting nieces, cousins, and grandchildren make childhood memories in this town that mean much to them. Recent generations are raising their kids here after establishing training for careers and marrying. I was a miracle that my twin & I were born her and our bio mom like what she knew of her two sisters and brother in laws choices. She our care to her older sisters for the first 3 month the two dear lady's took care of us- each with one for alternating stays. Mary's husband Homer came from parents who divorced and he thought we should be raised together. The other sister Martha had a first grader and a 3-4 year old. Homer and Mary two adult sons who were away in the Pacific Korean war with the Navy. WWII and the Korean war separated them all tice. The 2 little bothers were born in the first half of the 1930's. Dad Homer wanted his family in the town he was raised in. His elderly dad was the night watchman and first settled in White City was late 1890s. Homer had adventures with the new technology, automobiles. He and his friend left WC as freshman drop outs explore Detroit Michigan . They thought it was too dirty and polluted. They headed back to Kansas then before traveling to learn caterpillar earth moving along the Highway 3#1 along the California Coast.

These are really really small towns. My grandparents lived in Deerfield and I still have cousins that live in Lakin. When I was young, I thought those were small towns (less than 800 for Deerfield and less than 1800 for Lakin), but the towns on your list are even smaller.

I grew up in a town east of Iola and south west of Mildred and Lone Elm. Graduated from Iola High and now live in Ohio. I'm surprised there wasn't more wind noise. Miss it. Try to go back.every summer to visit family. Thanks for the video

Born and raised in Jetmore, 30 miles north of Dodge City. Pop around 800. I left for 20 years and came back. One doesn't truly appreciate Mayberry life until you leave, then come home.

Cool video small towns are awesome 👍

It would be interesting to me, if when you talk with residents of these small towns, to ask where and how far they have to travel to get groceries or to a Doctor. I’m really enjoying your videos. Thank you!

I grew up in a house just behind that church. It's changed a lot since then. I left there in 1981.

Coolidge has a lot of cattle feedlots nearby. It’s got it’s grainery still. You gotta see the Churches in Victoria, Leibenthol, lynsborg too. Sandstone. Built late 1800’s. During homesteading.

I really like that you did this video as a road trip, rather than just another list. Do you also highlighted some of the character sounds, which I very much appreciated. subscribrd

Great video! I live in a very small town in NE Kansas. Lecompton. We have just a few businesses on one block. One of the best cafés ever. Aunt Netters. Come visit us sometime!😊❤

I am so glad I came across your channel I found it so very interesting especially when most my family members live in and around Leavenworth not the prison lol I live in California so this caught my interest

I enjoyed this video. Cottonwood Falls has a nice old courthouse if you are ever sight seeing in that area

Latimer still had an old General Store turned tavern in the early to mid 70s called Bobby's Playhouse, where I first heard the band Kansas.

All you need is a library, post office and a city hall for it to be a functioning town .. Spent eight years of my life in SE Kansas .. 😄

I just love these videos you do on small towns here in America. While in the military in Texas, I'd go thru small towns like these. Often times I'd actually see more people working than the listed population. One guy told me that people only work in these small towns but live in other towns. Just wondering how far the kids travel to get to schools etc...?

This is a great video

Well done. Thank u

I spent my grade and elementary school years in the small town of Jennings Kansas. Population 250 in the 1960s. Lots of fond memories.

Wakefield, Kansas is the BEST small city 💗. We may have 900 or so residents. I'd say maybe half are military or retired military. No stop light just a small town by Milford Lake. We have a couple of churches, a K-12 school, a couple of mom and pop restaurants, lots of hiking, hunting, fishing and boating. We got a Dollar General about 8 years ago ☺️ I'm from Georgia originally. The military brought us and we stayed!

I live in the Ozarks But am originally from Wichita. I sometimes go back and run routes all over Kansas and I love it. The flatlands and rolling hills and small towns. So much better then the ozarks or any big city!

amazing

Me and mom raised in topeka. Was 12 in topeka tornado

Lone elm is about 20 minutes from my hometown of Iola, and it's situated between Colony and Garnett which makes it a bit of an anomaly... You are able to make a short drive into the 'city' for groceries. I go through Lone Elm all the time on the way to my mom's. Mildred is also a nice little town with a nice fishing lake. I head through on the way to Moran or Elsmore. Bassett is also very cool. I used to run with the cross country team around Bassola lake, and right near by is an abandoned quarry made into an Elks club lake... They pay $1 of property tax a year. Great fishing at these lakes. There are now nice mountain bike trails and the frolf course. The abandoned concrete plant was a hot spot for daring high schoolers, and there was an electric theme park in the early 1900s. Iola was at one time near 30k people, now it is down to 4500 or so. I loved growing up there. Thank you for doing service to the little towns I grew up around.

I subscribed.. Thank you for not bashing Kansas!!

Great video! Do more states!

One more tiny town is Zimmerdale.KS! 3 houses & an old mill turned into a house... There used to be wooden signs nailed to 3 trees as you drove into it along Old 81 highway, that said- Don't Blink..Or You'll Miss..Zimmerdale! It's between Hesston & Newton basically an intersection, 81 & West Rd. Not sure if it was ever incorporated tho..Very interesting video!! Enjoyed seeing these old towns I love the old elevators against the sunset..saw a postcard that called them Kansas Skyscrapers 😃

Our town is growing it’s on the inter section of highway 50 and highway 83. We are also connected to 156 east, and 54/400 towards Wichita.

I have fond but faded memories of Kincaid KS where we went to visit my favorite Uncle Mont who had a unique store there on the main street.

I grew up in Iola, and never knew that Bassett was a town. Spent many a day playing and riding bikes out to Bassola "lake". Used to like playing on Little Bassola when it froze over. Good times.