Russell County, Kansas, is the heart of the heartland.
Settled in 1871 by a colony of Volga Germans from Ripon, Wisconsin, the area that would become Russell County attracted homesteaders from as far away as Russia, Poland, and Germany. The county was a hub for farming, livestock, and eventually oil and was served by stagecoaches, the railroad, and the interstate highway system. The city of Russell, with a population that has never surpassed 7,000, was the childhood home of two US senators—Bob Dole and Arlen Specter. The county is best known as the home of Wilson Lake (renowned for... Read More
Russell County, Kansas, is the heart of the heartland.
Settled in 1871 by a colony of Volga Germans from Ripon, Wisconsin, the area that would become Russell County attracted homesteaders from as far away as Russia, Poland, and Germany. The county was a hub for farming, livestock, and eventually oil and was served by stagecoaches, the railroad, and the interstate highway system. The city of Russell, with a population that has never surpassed 7,000, was the childhood home of two US senators—Bob Dole and Arlen Specter. The county is best known as the home of Wilson Lake (renowned for... Read More
