ASH VALLEY, Kan. — The history of settlement in Pawnee County predates the county’s official organization in 1873, as the eighth of 65 counties organized in that year. As an official township, Ash Valley was organized in 1881, with a community of the same name first opening a post office in 1877. Settlers arrived as early as 1875 and the Pieschl family arrived in 1877; while the original homestead no longer exists, Marc Pieschl still farms in the area roughly 15 miles north of Fort Larned, which actively operated until 1878.

Remains of several buildings may still be viewed, as well as a well-maintained cemetery; Ash Valley Methodist Church is a well-maintained edifice, as it continues in non-profit status as the Pleasant Hill Community Center.

While residents of Ash Valley are now few in

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