| Wilburton, Kansas | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Image Map1: | Map of Morton Co, Ks, USA.png |
| Map Caption1: | KDOT map of Morton County (legend) |
| Pushpin Map: | Kansas#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Wilburton |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Kansas |
| Coordinates: | 37.0736°N -101.7733°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kansas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Morton |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Title1: | Platted |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Elevation Ft: | 3435 |
| 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: | 484535 |
Wilburton is an unincorporated community in Morton County, Kansas, United States, located along U.S. Route 56 highway and the Cimarron Valley Railroad 9miles northeast of Elkhart.[1]
See also: History of Kansas. Kansas Territory was organized in 1854 and Kansas became the 34th U.S. state in 1861. In 1886, Morton County was established, which included land for modern day Wilburton.
A post office was opened in Wilburton in 1913, and remained in operation until 1957.[2] In the 1930s, the prosperity of the area was severely affected by its location within the Dust Bowl. This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of the Great Depression in the region, but until the mid-1950s, the town held its own with a population of 1,000–1,500, served by a grocery, dry goods store, gas station, repair garage, a restaurant, complete system of public schools and several churches. Additional businesses included several grain elevators and a lumber yard. There was also a railroad station. From 1960 onward, Wilburton deteriorated very rapidly. It was disincorporated by the start of that decade. Businesses and services were all gone by the 1970s and, by the opening of the 21st century, most homes were gone or abandoned also, leaving one house opening onto Route 56 and two farms on a side road across the railroad tracks. Some have even designated it a ghost town, although all unused buildings have been torn down or moved.[3]