The Oregon Trail crosses Marshall County. The Infamous Donner Reed Party rested along the banks of the Big Blue river and lost one of its members, Sarah Keyes, who is still buried at Alcove Springs. Many documented pioneer bodies are buried surrounding Alcove Spring. In 1849 Francis James Marshall, from Weston, Missouri, came to Marshall County and established a ferry service on the Big Blue River at "Independence Crossing." A few years later Francis Marshall decided to stay on in Marshall County and make it his home. He moved his Ferry business to an upper crossing now known as Marysville. On May 30, 1879, the "Irving, Kansas Tornado" passed through Marshall county. This tornado measured F4 on the Fujita scale and had a damage path wide and long. Eighteen people were killed and sixty were injured. The Marshall County Historical Society resides in the county's historic courthouse, which is now a museum and research library.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,965 people, 4,458 households, and 3,026 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile. There were 4,999 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98.14% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,458 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% were married couplesliving together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 22.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,089, and the median income for a family was $39,705. Males had a median income of $28,361 versus $19,006 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,090. About 6.40% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.60% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Presidential elections
Marshall County is a strongly Republican county. The county has not been carried by a Democratic candidate in a presidential election since 1932, & has only failed to back the Republican candidate in two other elections from 1888 on. The closest Democrats have came to winning the county since 1932 was in 1964 when Barry Goldwater only won it by 98 votes in the midst of a national landslide by Lyndon B. Johnson & 1992 when George H.W. Bush only won it by eight votes in conjunction with independent candidateRoss Perot winning a significant share of the vote.
Laws
Marshall County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.
Education
Unified school districts
;Historical
Axtell USD 488 and Sabetha USD 441 consolidated to create .
Marshall County is divided into twenty-five townships. The city of Marysville is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.
