Ellis County was named after Lieutenant George Ellis, of the Twelfth Kansas Infantry, who was killed April 30, 1864, in a battle at Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas. Until 1867, the county was embraced in the unorganized territory of the western portion of the State, but the Legislature of that year defined its boundaries and named it as above. The county contains 576,000 acres, or 900 square miles, and is bounded on the north by Rooks County, on the south by Rush, on the east by Russell, and on the west by Trego County. Source: Cutler's History of the State of Kansas 

County Seat: Hays

Date organized: October 28, 1867

County History:

1. County History on the County Government website 
2. Ellis County information on the Kansapedia website 
3. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas, Ellis County

Historic Landmarks, State, National:

1. Cathedral of the Plains 
2. Fort Hays State University 
3. Historic Fort Hays 
4. Holy Cross Shrine located in Pfeifer, Kansas 
5. Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home located in Ellis, Kansas 

County Historical Society:

1. Ellis County Historical Society, Museum 
2. Sternberg Museum of Natural History 
3. Ellis Railroad Museum 

Websites about the county:

1. Ellis County, Kansas Government 
2. City of Hays, Kansas