Elk County

The Elk River runs across Elk county from the northwest corner to the southeast corner. The Fall river drains the northeast corner of the county; the southwest corner near Grenola has the beautiful Caney river valley. These various waterways have carved the whole county with big valleys and small canyons. As you travel the county from west to east, you descend about 500 feet from the Flint Hills of Cowley county to the river bottoms that form the Elk City lake in Montgomery county. The rugged terrain leads some to call this area “the Kansas Ozarks.”

The giant quarries near Moline are the county’s largest industry. Farming, ranching, and oil & gas production are all important to the local economy.