Dighton, Kansas

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Coordinates: 38°28′53″N 100°27′54″W / 38.48139, -100.465
Dighton, Kansas
Location of Dighton, Kansas
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Lane
Area
- Total	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²)
- Land	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	2,766 ft (843 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,261
- Density	1,438.9/sq mi (555.6/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	67839
Area code(s)	620
FIPS code	20-18050^[1]
GNIS feature ID	0471515^[2]

Dighton is a city in Lane County, Kansas, United States. The population was 1,261 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lane County^[3].

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Dighton is located at 38°28′53″N, 100°27′54″W (38.481506, -100.464893)^[4], at the intersection of K-96 and K-23.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

[edit] History

The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres of land in the American West, previously owned by railroads, to homesteaders who could live on the land for five years. Drawn west by the promise of free, fertile land, pioneer settlers arrived in Kansas starting in 1869. In 1879, W.A. Watson arrived at the town site, and a post office was established. In 1885, there were three houses and seven voters in town. Lane County became a county in 1886, with Dighton as its county seat. By 1900, the population was 194, and by 1910 it had doubled again to 370, and the town had banks; a flour mill; a grain elevator; 2 newspapers; public schools; a hotel; merchants; Baptist, Catholic, and Methodist churches; telegraph service; a band; and telephones.^[5]

Life was difficult for the early pioneers, who built houses made of sod and found that the land was quite dry, and not as fertile as they had been led to believe. A song written by Frank Baker, the Lane County Bachelor, became a popular folk song throughout the western United States.

On May 23, 1928, the Fleagle Gang arrived in Dighton after robbing the First National Bank of Lamar, Colorado. Needing medical attention, they kidnapped local doctor W.W. Weinenger, and later shot him and dumped his body into a ravine.

The courtroom mural, "The First House of Lane County," by Mary Alice Bosley, was featured in Kansas Murals: A Traveler's Guide, by Jost and Loewenstein ([1]). The canvas work, painted in 1961 as a background for the pageant at the Lane County Fair, was then installed in the courthouse, where it has remained ever since.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,261 people, 563 households, and 342 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,438.9 people per square mile (553.3/km²). There were 653 housing units at an average density of 745.1/sq mi (286.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.07% White, 0.16% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.

There were 563 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,500, and the median income for a family was $40,987. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $19,464 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,232. About 6.5% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.