Volland (Kansas)

Volland is a ghost town in Wabaunsee County in the US state of Kansas .

Henry and Barbara Volland were the first to settle in the village, which in 1888 was still called Grafton. Grafton was later named after the Vollands. Initially, Volland was a large railway station of the Rock Island Railroad Company , which needed a refill station between Alma and Alta Vista to supply the trains with coal and water. For this purpose, a coal tower and a water tower were built.

The railway brought jobs and with it more and more people to Volland, so that soon shops and a school were built. In addition, ranchers brought their cattle and sheep to Volland to have them brought to Kansas City from here . Various families with German origins lived in Volland: Kratzer, Fix, Thierer, Schultz, Grimm, Cromer and of course Volland. Many workers helped build the rails and lived in the railroad cars during the construction period.

After diesel locomotives became popular, coal and water towers were no longer needed. People moved closer to the big cities and livestock was transported by truck. Volland became a ghost town. Today the old school building and the ruins of the other buildings still stand. The area around Volland is now farmland. The farmers do business in Alma, nine miles away.

Coordinates: 38 ° 57 '  N , 96 ° 24'  W