Transcribed from volume II of Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... / with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence. Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912. 3 v. in 4. : front., ill., ports.; 28 cm. Vols. I-II edited by Frank W. Blackmar.

Richfield, the county seat of Morton county, is located north of the center, near the north fork of the Cimarron river, about 50 miles south of Syracuse, the nearest shipping point. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. company is projecting a line through Morton county. There are a number of stores, a weekly newspaper (the Monitor), and a bank. This bank was established in Sept., 1911, the first to be opened in the county. Richfield has a money order postoffice, and the population in 1910 was 53. It is an incorporated city of the third class and was established in Nov., 1885, by the Aurora Town company. The first building was erected by Jacob Ridleman, who opened a general store, and by Jan. 1, 1886, there were 40 inhabitants. In the spring of that year Sunset, an earlier town, was moved to Richfield. In less than a year there were 600 inhabitants. In 1887 the first city election was held and resulted in the choice of the following officers: Mayor, V. N. Sayer; police judge, Calvin Coon; councilmen, Charles Theis, F. F. Stevens, W. E. Pierce, D. D. Sayer and I. N. Bunting. It is said that at one time during the boom Richfield had 2,000 inhabitants. The population had begun to decrease before 1890, there being but 164 people in the town at that time. In 1900 the population was 61. A number of residents of the town own automobiles, and there is an automobile livery daily to Syracuse.

Page 582 from volume II of Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... / with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence. Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912. 3 v. in 4. : front., ill., ports.; 28 cm. Vols. I-II edited by Frank W. Blackmar. Transcribed July 2002 by Carolyn Ward.