| Clements, Kansas | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Image Map1: | Map of Chase Co, Ks, USA.png |
| Map Caption1: | KDOT map of Chase County (legend) |
| Pushpin Map: | Kansas#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Clements |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Coordinates: | 38.3°N -96.7408°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kansas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Chase |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Subdivision Name3: | Cottonwood |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 18?? (Crawfordsville) 1884 (Clements) |
| Established Title1: | Platted |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Elevation Ft: | 1227 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 620 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 477389 |
Clements is an unincorporated community in Chase County, Kansas, United States. It is located about halfway between Strong City and Florence near the intersection of U.S. Route 50 highway and G Rd.
See also: History of Kansas. For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.
In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.
In 1806, Zebulon Pike led the Pike Expedition westward from St Louis, Missouri, of which part of their journey followed the Cottonwood River through Chase County near the current community of Clements.[1]
In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1859, Chase County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Clements.
In 1862, a post office opened in nearby Silver Creek (an extinct town).
In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a main line east–west through the community.[2] In 1996, it merged with Burlington Northern Railroad and renamed to the current BNSF Railway. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".
In 1881, the post office from Silver Creek was moved to the rail community of Crawfordsville, which was renamed in 1884 to Clements. The post office was discontinued in 1988.[3]
In 1887, the nearby Clements Stone Arch Bridge was completed over the Cottonwood River.
There have been numerous floods during the history of Clements. In June and July 1951, due to heavy rains, rivers and streams flooded numerous cities in Kansas, including Clements. Many reservoirs and levees were built in Kansas as part of a response to the Great Flood of 1951.
Clements is located in the Flint Hills of the Great Plains. The Cottonwood River runs through the south part of the community.
Clements has one listing on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Chase County, Kansas (NRHP). The Clements Stone Arch Bridge was built of native limestone across Cottonwood River in 1887. The two-span bridge with a main span of 57.1feet and a length of 126.9feet is now open only to pedestrians.[4] [5] [6]
The community is served by Chase County USD 284 public school district. It has two schools.
U.S. Route 50 highway and BNSF Railway pass through Clements.