Woodruff is an unincorporated community located in Phillips County, in the northwestern part of Kansas. Like many small towns in rural America, Woodruff has a unique history and character that reflects the broader patterns of settlement and development in the Great Plains.
A region known for its rolling prairies and agricultural heritage, the community is situated near the Nebraska border, making it part of a network of small towns that historically supported farming and ranching in the area.
Woodruff was established during the late 19th century, a period when many small towns and settlements sprang up throughout Kansas as the railroad expanded and agriculture flourished.
The town once had its own post office, which was established in 1882 and operated until it was discontinued in 1990. This post office served as a hub for the local community, connecting residents to the wider world.
As an unincorporated community, Woodruff does not have a municipal government or defined boundaries like a city or town would. The population of Woodruff has fluctuated over the years, following broader trends of rural depopulation as people moved to larger towns and cities for economic opportunities.
Today, Woodruff remains a quiet, rural area surrounded by farmland, where residents enjoy a peaceful lifestyle typical of small-town Kansas. There are 13 people currently living in Woodruff.
Mabel Parker lived in Woodruff. A postcard she received in 1912, from a nameless sender, postmarked in Alma, on April 1, was quite serious in nature to some, yet humorous to others. The picture on front shows a young lady sitting with her back to a tree. She’s evidently having relationship problems because the nomenclature on this card says:
“After the quarrel: Ah! I thought he would return. I hear his footsteps.”
Someone wrote in pencil underneath that:
“Live in hopes he will.
The footsteps the gal hears are actually those of a donkey.
Mabel Emma Parker was born on August 6, 1881, in Fort Scott, Kansas. Her parents were Howard and Elizabeth Parker. The quarrel Mabel might’ve been having was evidently resolved, because she married William Sherman Low on November 11, 1913.
A write-up on the wedding in a Fort Scott newspaper overflowed with grand detail on the event. Mabel was described as having blond hair and being very beautiful. The lone photo I found of her confirms that.
William Sherman Parker and his wife, Mabel, had three children. She died on December 18, 1964, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 83.
Woodruff, Kansas, still survives, but seems to be on life support.
I like to write junk... 