Township 5, Rooks County, Kansas

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Township 5 is a rural area in Rooks County, Kansas. It had 59 residents in 2010 and sits about 2,113 feet above sea level. Bow Creek flows through Township 5 toward Kirwin Reservoir in nearby Phillips County.

Formation and geography: Township 5 was created in 1971 from parts of Alcona, Bow Creek, and Sugar Loaf Townships under a Kansas law that allowed reorganization of township boundaries. Bow Creek runs through the township and onward to Kirwin Reservoir.

History of the area: Rooks County originally had four townships—Bow Creek, Lowell, Paradise, and Stockton. By 1878 there were seven, by 1925 twenty-three, and in 1971 the number was reduced to twelve. Bow Creek was one of the original townships and was quite large, about 21 miles wide, with its eastern border near Lowell Township and its western border near Graham County. Farmington, Sugar Loaf, and the western half of Lanark were originally part of Bow Creek. Sugar Loaf Township was created in 1880 from part of Bow Creek and was named for a rounded mound of flint rock that Native Americans used as a lookout. Alcona Township was formed in 1879 from part of Stockton Township.