Lehigh, Kansas

File:Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion County.png]]

{{See also|History of Kansas}}

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Lehigh.[http://www.marioncoks.net/AboutMarionCounty/History/tabid/7634/Default.aspx The History of Marion County and Courthouse]

The source of the Lehigh name was not well documented. One of the rumors is the city being slightly higher altitude which was "lay high" above the prairie, the other rumor that it was named by representatives of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania who came to Kansas and considered settling the area in the 1870s or 1880s.Marion County Kansas - Past and Present; Sondra Van Meter; 1972.

Four and one-half miles north of Lehigh is the junction of the old Santa Fe Trail and Chisolm Trail, which is near the site of the municipal water well for the city. The Santa Fe Trail was active across Marion County from 1821 to 1866,[http://www.santafetrail.org/chapters/cottonwood/ History of the Cottonwood Crossing Chapter, Santa Fe Trail Association.] and the Chisholm Trail was active from 1867 to 1871.[http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208628 Route of the Chisholm cattle trail in Kansas; Kansas Historical Society, 1960s.]

As early as 1875, city leaders of Marion held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from Florence. In 1878, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and parties from Marion and McPherson counties chartered the Marion and McPherson Railway Company.Marion County Kansas : Past and Present; Sondra Van Meter; MB Publishing House; LCCN 72-92041; 344 pages; 1972. In 1879, a branch line was built from Florence to McPherson, in 1880 it was extended to Lyons, in 1881 it was extended to Ellinwood.[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIwpAAAAYAAJ Fourth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending December 1, 1886 in State of Kansas; Kansas Publishing House; 1886.] The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence to Marion was abandoned in 1968.[http://www.abandonedrails.com/Marion_to_Florence Railway Abandonment 1968] In 1992, the line from Marion to McPherson was sold to Central Kansas Railway. In 1993, after heavy flood damage, the line from Marion through Lehigh to McPherson was abandoned and removed. The original branch line connected Florence, Marion, Canada, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Conway, Windom, Little River, Mitchell, Lyons, Chase and Ellinwood. The former 1879 Lehigh rail depot was moved to Walton and sits next to Highway 50.[http://depotmaps.com/Images/DepotKS/LehighKS.jpg Photo of 1879 Lehigh depot.]{{cite web |title=End of line is new beginning for Lehigh depot |url=http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article171643242.htm |publisher=The Wichita Eagle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910053042/http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article171643242.html |archive-date=September 10, 2017 |date=September 6, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

A post office was established at Lehigh on April 23, 1880.{{cite web|url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county:MN |title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived) |publisher=Kansas Historical Society |accessdate=14 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009130856/http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county%3AMN |archivedate= 9 October 2013 }}

Lehigh was platted in 1881.{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Qi9cXyTWt9EC | title=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2 | publisher=Standard Publishing Company | author=Blackmar, Frank Wilson | year=1912 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Qi9cXyTWt9EC/page/n127 137]}}

Lehigh was incorporated in 1901 and at the time of the 1910 census had a population of 385. At one time it boasted a bank, several mercantile businesses, and a German weekly Mennonite newspaper, Das Echo, started in 1897.{{cite web |url= http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Echo,_Das_(Periodical)&oldid=123108.|title=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online |last1=Krahn |first1=Cornelius |date=1956|website=|publisher=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.}}

The National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through Lehigh, Hillsboro, Marion, Lost Springs.

Lehigh is in the scenic Flint Hills and Great Plains of the state of Kansas. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|0.30|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2012-07-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archivedate=2012-07-02 }} The county line is 3.5 miles west of Lehigh. The North and South Cottonwood River start a few miles northwest of Lehigh.

• Lehigh Antique Tractor & Engine Show, every Memorial Day.[http://www.marioncountyks.org/lehigh/events.php Lehigh Antique Tractor & Engine Show]

• Santa Fe Trail
• [http://www.santafetrailresearch.com/main-route/santa-fe-chisholm-trail.html Santa Fe Trail / Chisholm Trail Marker], approximately 3.5 miles west and next to U.S. Route 56 highway.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100926002018/http://www.santafetrail.org/chapters/cottonwood/Cottonwood-Points-Of-Interest.php Santa Fe Trail Markers], numerous markers in the area.
• [http://www.santafetrail.org/chapters/cottonwood/CottonwoodCrossingAutoTour.pdf Santa Fe Trail Self-Guided Auto Tour].
• Marion Reservoir, approximately 10 miles east of Lehigh.

{{US Census population

|align=

|1910= 385

|1920= 570

|1930= 315

|1940= 296

|1950= 240

|1960= 178

|1970= 168

|1980= 189

|1990= 180

|2000= 215

|2010= 175

|2020= 161

|estyear=

|estimate=

|estref=

|align-fn=center

|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]

}}

The 2020 United States census counted 161 people, 64 households, and 43 families in Lehigh.{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}} The population density was 500.0 per square mile (193.1/km{{sup|2}}). There were 72 housing units at an average density of 223.6 per square mile (86.3/km{{sup|2}}).{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20dp1 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}}{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2020/geo/gazetter-file.html |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=Census.gov}} The racial makeup was 90.68% (146) white or European American (90.68% non-Hispanic white), 0.62% (1) black or African-American, 1.24% (2) Native American or Alaska Native, 1.86% (3) Asian, 0.0% (0) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 0.62% (1) from other races, and 4.97% (8) from two or more races.{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table P1: RACE |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P1?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20p1&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}} Hispanic or Latino of any race was 4.35% (7) of the population.{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20p2&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}}

Of the 64 households, 29.7% had children under the age of 18; 54.7% were married couples living together; 18.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 32.8% of households consisted of individuals and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.0.{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1101: HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1101?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20s1101%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}} The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 21.7% of the population.{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1501: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1501?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20s1501%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}}

21.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 95.4 males.

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $63,333 (with a margin of error of +/- $25,820) and the median family income was $70,625 (+/- $16,166).{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1903: MEDIAN INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1903?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20s1903%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}} Males had a median income of $34,375 (+/- $12,285) versus $36,500 (+/- $7,136) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $35,750 (+/- $7,474).{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S2001: EARNINGS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S2001?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20s2001%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}} Approximately, 0.0% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under the age of 18 and 12.1% of those ages 65 or over.{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1701: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1701?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20s1701%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}}{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1702: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF FAMILIES |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1702?q=Lehigh%20city,%20Kansas%20s1702&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=data.census.gov}}

As of the census{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=2012-07-06}} of 2010, there were 175 people, 70 households, and 49 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|583.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 84 housing units at an average density of {{convert|280.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 2.9% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.0% of the population.

There were 70 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 32.8 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 13.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

Image:US Post Office in Lehigh, Kansas.jpg

Lehigh has a government consisting of a Mayor and five-member city council. The council meets the second Monday of each month at 7:30PM.[http://www.lkm.org/directory/cities.php?ID=353 Lehigh - Directory of Public Officials]

• City Hall, 110 E Main St.
• U.S. Post Office, 112 W Main St.

The community is served by Hillsboro USD 410 public school district. The high school is a member of T.E.E.N., a shared video teaching network between five area high schools.[http://teen632.org T.E.E.N. video teaching network] All students attend schools in Hillsboro.

Lehigh Rural High School was closed after the spring graduation in 1966. The Lehigh High School mascot was Lehigh Eagles."Wilsey Beats Ada In Finals", The Salina Journal, 5 March 1961, p.17.

{{See also|List of newspapers in Kansas|List of radio stations in Kansas|List of television stations in Kansas}}

• Hillsboro Star-Journal, local newspaper from Hillsboro.
• Hillsboro Free Press, free newspaper for greater Marion County area.

Lehigh is served by numerous radio stations of the Wichita-Hutchinson listening market area,[http://www.ontheradio.net/metro/wichita_ks.aspx Wichita-Hutchinson Radio market.] and satellite radio. See Media in Wichita, Kansas.

Lehigh is served by over-the-air ATSC digital TV of the Wichita-Hutchinson viewing market area,[http://www.stationindex.com/tv/markets/Wichita-Hutchinson Wichita-Hutchinson TV market.] cable TV, and satellite TV. See Media in Wichita, Kansas.

U.S. Route 56 highway is {{convert|0.5|mi}} south of the city.

• Internet
• Satellite is provided by HughesNet, StarBand, WildBlue.
• TV
• Satellite is provided by DirecTV, Dish Network.
• Terrestrial is provided by regional digital TV stations.
• Electricity
• Rural is provided by [http://www.flinthillsrec.com Flint Hills RECA].
• Water
• City is provided by City of Lehigh.
• Rural is provided by Marion County RWD #4 ([https://www.krwa.net/Portals/krwa/mapovers/MN02-04.pdf map]).

• [http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/kw/towns.asp?town=Lehigh&county=Marion Historic Images of Lehigh], Special Photo Collections at Wichita State University Library.

Image:Cooperative Grain and Supply in Lehigh, Kansas.jpg|Cooperative Grain and Supply (2010)

Image:Old Grain Elevator in Lehigh, Kansas.jpg|Old grain elevator (2010)

Image:Greeting Sign in Lehigh, Kansas.jpg|Greeting Sign at corner of Main St and State Highway 168 (2010)

Image:Lehigh Mennonite Cemetery near Lehigh, Kansas.jpg|Lehigh Mennonite Cemetery, 1/2 mile south of Lehigh (2010)

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Marion County, Kansas
• Historical Maps of Marion County, Kansas
• Chisholm Trail
• Santa Fe Trail
• National Old Trails Road

{{Reflist}}

{{See also|Marion County, Kansas#Further reading|l1=List of books about Marion County, Kansas}}

{{See also|Chisholm Trail#Further reading|l1=List of books about Chisholm Trail}}

{{Commons category|Lehigh, Kansas}}

;City

• [https://www.lkm.org/members/?id=41260826 Lehigh - Directory of Public Officials], League of Kansas Municipalities

;Historic

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130509035324/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/marion/library/cemetery/CemList.html Marion County cemetery list], archive of KsGenWeb
• [https://www.kshs.org/p/marion-county-history-bibliography/13487 Marion County history bibliography], [http://www.kshs.org/p/marion-county-schools-bibliography/13662 Marion County school bibliography], Kansas Historical Society

;Maps

• [https://archive.org/download/usgs_drg_ks_38097_c3/o38097c3.tif Topo Map of Lehigh / Goessel area], USGS

{{Marion County, Kansas}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Kansas

Category:Cities in Marion County, Kansas

Category:Populated places established in 1881

Category:1881 establishments in Kansas