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is a city situated along the Spring River in the extreme southeastern part of Cherokee County, located in southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was 4,602 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated to be in the year . It is the most populous city of Cherokee County.
In the 19th century, the town developed as one of the first "cow towns" in Kansas, where thousands of head of cattle were driven to market.
Baxter Springs is the south-west end of the section of U.S. Route 66 that passes through Kansas.
Expansion of cattle ranching led to the growth of Baxter Springs as the first cow town in Kansas. Around 1868 there was a great demand for beef in the North. Texas cattlemen and stock raisers drove large herds of cattle from the southern plains, and used Baxter Springs as a way point to the northern markets. The town organized the Stockyards and Drovers Association to buy and sell cattle. They constructed corrals for up to 20,000 head of cattle, supplied with ample grazing lands and fresh water. Texas cattle trade stimulated the economy and Baxter Springs grew rapidly.
When Texas established railroads later in the century, cattlemen did not need Baxter Springs, and the town had to struggle to find a new economy.