Kiowa is a county located in south-central Kansas. Containing the cities of Mullinville, Havilan and the county seat, Greensburg, it is named after the Kiowa Indians. The area was first organized in 1884. The first religious meeting houses were established by the Quakers and Methodists in 1885. The first school district, in what was to become the county, was organized in Greensburg also in 1885. The county was formally established in 1886.
There are several interesting events in the county’s history. For example, some townspeople of Greensburg moved the post office from Janesville to Greensburg in the middle of the night while the postmaster was asleep inside. Points of interest in the county include the largest hand dug water well in the world. Completed in 1888, it is now a tourist attraction.
The city of Greenburg is named after a stage coach driver, D.R. “Cannonball” Green who ejected the infamous Carrie Nation from his coach when she took the cigar from his mouth. On May 4, 2007, an EF5 tornado ripped through the county and devastated the city of Greensburg. The city is rebuilding with a goal of living up to its name by using the latest in green technology.
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