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Alma, Kansas

Alma, Kansas

Alma, Kansas, the Wabaunsee County Seat, is a small community rich in German heritage. Alma is part of the Scenic Mill Creek Drive, one of the most beautiful in Kansas, providing a panoramic view of both Mill Creek and the endless rolling Flint Hills country.

Nestled in the beautiful Flint Hills, Alma is a stable community, surrounded by fertile farmland and bluestem grasslands. Mill creek winds through the area providing excellent fishing and canoeing along with the nearby City Reservoir and six federal Reservoirs within a 50-mile radius. The rural area abounds with excellent quail, prairie chicken, and deer.

The picturesque town of Alma first was a site of the Indian Pottawatomie tribe. Later in 1858, the first white settlement emerged, mostly settled by Germans, with some Swedish, English and Irish. The Germans were the most permanent and the most satisfied with the hard life of the pioneers, and they remained, their Teuton names still pepper the town and county: Palenske, (German-Polish), Thoes, Treu, Zwan Ziger, Ringel Vobach, Stueve, Schmitz, Schmidt, Geisler, Mueller, Hafenstein, and many others who have lent continuity and substance to this vicinity.

The town's name "Alma" has taken on controversial stories over the years. Some pioneers claimed it was named for the bloody battle of Alma in the Crime War in which Germans took part and some of its survivors later came to America. Others simply say that Alma was a pleasant settlement in Germany, remembered by the adventurers who left it. Another suggestion was that the name Alma means in Swedish, "A high place, frequented by Herds-men and by lovers." The latter name is at least, the most poetic, so we are willing to settle for that.

"Alma... has it all!"

Attractions and Upcoming Events


Eck/Stratton Residence

The gingerbread trim home was built by Mr. Eck, who was a lumberman in Alma. It was built in 1904 and features a turret room, a tower resembling a castle, and original lap siding.

Alma, KS Famous Homes

City Well and Log Cabin

The City Well is a hand dug well enclosed in a native stone building, which was built in 1930. Well No. 3 was one of seven wells of which three were hand jug wells that supplied water to the City of Alma. In 1967

Alma, KS Historic Buildings

Clapboard Ravine Drive

This is a beautiful scenic seven mile drive through the Flint Hills. This drive starts just north of Alma on the gravel road heading east past the Clapboard Acres housing development. About 1 1/2

Alma, KS Scenic Drives

Wabaunsee High School

WHS serves the communities of Alma, McFarland, Paxico and Maple Hill. It was constructed in 1938 and is an example of one of the many native stone buildings located in Alma. With its limestone exterior and red tile roof, it is considered one of the most beautiful high schools in Kansas.

Alma, KS Historic Buildings

Things to do near Alma, KS

Stan Herd Mural

Painted by Stan Herd in 1992, this mural stands as a great tribute to the Cherokee Strip Land Rush. The mural was painted in ...

Al-Le-Ga-Wa-Ho Heritage Park Trail

The two-mile-long Kanza Heritage Trail loops through the beautiful and historic 158-acre Kaw Heritage Park owned and managed ...

Skyline Scenic Drive

A must see drive where one can view Mill Creek and the Flint Hills. This drive is considered one of the most beautiful in the...

Windswept Winery

The Windswept Winery blends the art and science of wine-making with the old-world culture of grape growing. Our winery is ne...