Dorrance is located in
Russell County, in the
North Central Region of the state. Population (2000): 205 Elev. 1730 feet.
Named for O.B. Dorrance, a Union Pacific railroad superintendent. Settlers began arriving at the site of Dorrance in Russell county when the railroad reached that point in 1867.
A slice of American history: L.W. Halbe, a teenager from Dorrance, took an extensive collection of Kansas farming photos, more than 1,500, beginning in 1908. Halbe perfected his craft first with a $2 box camera from his father's candy and tobacco store. Halbe's father was an entrepreneur, and the family had moved to Kansas from New York City. Halbe set up a darkroom at his home and made money selling postcard prints for 25 cents, or $3 per dozen. He used the earnings to buy a Sears Robuck camera and more photo equipment and supplies.
