Clay Township, Atchison County, Missouri

Clay Township
Coordinates: 40°23′21″N 95°31′44″W / 40.3891576°N 95.528917°W / 40.3891576; -95.528917
Country United States
State Missouri
CountyAtchison
Area
 • Total
42.03 sq mi (108.9 km2)
 • Land42.01 sq mi (108.8 km2)
 • Water0.02 sq mi (0.052 km2)  0.05%
Elevation984 ft (300 m)
Population
 • Total
1,710
 • Density40.7/sq mi (15.7/km2)
FIPS code29-00514284[1]
GNIS feature ID766233[2]

Clay Township is a township in Atchison County, Missouri, United States.[2] At the 2020 census, its population was 1710.[3]

History

Clay Township was organized on February 20, 1856 after being split from Clark Township and Polk Township.[4] It was named after Henry Clay of Kentucky.[5] The first mill in Atchison County was built in 1842 on Rock Creek in this township.[6]

Geography

Clay Township covers an area of 42.0 square miles (108.9 km2) and contains one incorporated settlement, Rock Port (the county seat). It contains five cemeteries: Bush, Green Hill, Hunter, Millsap, and Smith.

The largest stream in the township is Rock Creek, and a few smaller streams flow through as well: Boney Branch, Turkey Creek, and Volger Branch.

The former settlement of Union City was located in the center-west of the township on the foot of the Loess Bluffs three-miles east of Phelps City.[7]

Transportation

Clay Township contains one airport, Luhrs Landing Strip.

References

  1. ^ a b "MO TIGER County Subdivisions". Missouri Spatial Data Infomration Service. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Clay Township, Atchison County, Missouri
  3. ^ a b "Census 2020 DHC Extract Assistance". Missouri Census Data Center. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  4. ^ History of Holt and Atchison counties, Missouri. St. Joseph, National Historical Co. 1882. p. 630.
  5. ^ "Atchison County Place Names, 1928-1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "County History". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  7. ^ "History of Holt and Atchison counties, Missouri. 1882". St. Joseph, National Historical Co. Retrieved August 14, 2025.