Chautauqua County was formerly, in common with Elk County, included in the county of Howard. By an act of the Legislature, which took effect on the 1st day of June, 1875, that portion of Southern Kansas known as Howard County, became divided into two equal parts, and called Elk and Chautauqua Counties, the latter comprising the south half of old Howard County.
Chautauqua County, therefore, lies in the most southerly tier of counties in the State, the north line of the Indian Territory forming its southern boundary, while on the east lies the county of Montgomery, Elk on the north and Cowley County on the west. The county is twenty-one miles from north to south, and thirty-one miles from east to west; having an area of 651 square miles, or 416,640 acres. Source: Cutler's History of the State of Kansas
County Seat: Sedan
Date organized: 1875
County History:
- Cutler's History of the State of Kansas, Chautauqua County
- History of Chautauqua County and Sedan, Kansas
Historic Landmarks, State, National:
- Red Buffalo Ranch near Sedan,Kansas
- Emmett Kelley Sr. Museum (Located in Sedan, Kansas.)
County Historical Society:
Chautauqua County Historical and Genealogy Society
Websites about the county: