Bourbon County is located about an hour south of Kansas City and less than 20 miles west of the Missouri State Line. Our economy is balanced between agriculture/livestock with milo, wheat and soybean production. Industries in the county include: printed business forms, commercial
printing, cabinetry, garment manufacturing, aluminum products, granite and marble works, trucking and insurance service centers. The Fort Scott National Historic Site leads the area in tourism.
The Fort is operated by the National Parks Services and contains many original and reconstructed buildings from the 1846 period when the Fort was built. During the early part of the 19th Century, only Native Americans, mostly the Osage tribes, inhabited the area. A six-mile strip across the southern portion of the present Bourbon County was Cherokee Neutral Lands. The remaining area was given to the New York or Iroquois Tribes.
In 1837 the War Department ordered the laying out of a military road from Fort Coffey, Indian Territory, to Fort Leavenworth. In 1842 temporary buildings started to be erected at the site of Fort Scott. Within a few years, the quarters were among the finest and most commodious of any frontier post. The fort was named in honor of General-in-Chief of the Army, Winfield Scott. During the Civil War, Fort Scott was the base of supplies and the station of several regiments of the Union Troops. Fort Scott is also the home of National Cemetery #1. To learn more about the history and current activities of the Fort go to www.fortscott.com.
Bourbon County has two large man-made lakes—one in the western part of the County, Bourbon-Allen State fishing Lake, with a surface area of approximately 207 acres and Lake Fort Scott, four miles southwest of Fort Scott, with a surface area of 350 acres.
Bourbon County’s educational system is known statewide for excellence. Uniontown High School boast a National Teacher of the Year, a National History Teacher of the Year and other honors awarded to teachers. The schools focus their curriculum on science, math and technology, offering both college preparatory and educational technology programs.
Fort Scott Community College offers traditional educational programs and training customized to meet the needs of business and industry.
If your business is interested in the benefits of a traditional mid-western lifestyle full of integrity, dependability and pride of accomplishment, please contact: Don Russell, Bourbon County Economic Development: 620-223-0550.
P.O. Box 175 Cherokee, Kansas 66724
(620) 249-5606