Elwood, KS

Elwood sits on the Kansas side of the Missouri River, directly across from St. Joseph, Missouri, at the eastern edge of Doniphan County. The river bends around the town's north and east sides, so Elwood feels tied to both a state line and a large neighboring city. A trading post appeared here in 1852; the site was laid out in 1856, and the city incorporated in 1860. The first post office opened in 1857. The town was first known as Roseport, then took the name of pioneer settler John B. Elwood.

The river made Elwood a transportation place from the beginning. Bridges connect it to St. Joseph, while the older town story includes the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific and St. Joseph & Grand Island railroads. Elwood was also the first Kansas station on the Pony Express route, a small but memorable detail in a community whose position mattered long before modern highways. Today the city is served by Riverside USD 114 after school unification with Wathena, and US 36 and local roads carry traffic through the Missouri River valley. Elwood's scale is modest, but its setting keeps the map interesting: Kansas underfoot, Missouri across the water, and the older Roseport river town still present in the street plan.