Hays in Ellis County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Volga Germans
Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 1, 2016
1. The Volga Germans Marker
The Justus Bissing, Frederick Karlin, and Frederick Koerner families stayed on this site from March 1 till April 8 of 1876, while they were building their sod dugouts in nearby Katherinenstadt (Catherine). These people were the first of nearly a thousand German-speaking Catholics who migrated to Ellis County from the Volga River area of Russia during the late 1870's. Other Volga-German villages formed were Herzog, now Victoria (1876), Obermonjou, which became Munjor (1876), Pfeifer (1876), and Schoenchen (1877), as well as Liebenthal in neighboring Rush County (1876). The Trinity Lutheran Church stood on this corner from 1879 till 1965, when St. Joseph's Catholic Parish bought the church building and put it to use as an axillary chapel.
Erected by City of Hays Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is March 1, 1876.
Location. 38° 52.443′ N, 99° 19.881′ W. Marker is in Hays, Kansas, in Ellis County. It is at the intersection of Fort Street and West 13th Street, on the right when traveling south on Fort Street. Touch for map.
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Regionally, this marker is in Kansas’ Smoky Hills. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Joseph Parochial School (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gospel Hill (about 300 feet away); Town & County Jail (about 400 feet away); St. Joseph Church (about 400 feet away); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (about 500 feet away); Walker Army Air Field (about 500 feet away); Col. Wm. F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hays.
Regarding The Volga Germans. The first group of Volga German immigrants arrived in Hays on February 21, 1876.
Also see . . . Germans from Russia web site. (Submitted on August 5, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 1, 2016
2. Former Trinity Lutheran Church
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,014 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 5, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
