Z is for Zenda, Kansas

Z was a hard one to come up with some place that we have visited that starts with a Z. We have not visited New Zealand so that wasn't an option. And I have not yet been to Zurich. But here in the state of Kansas we do have a tiny little town named Zenda.

And Zenda is tiny. In the 2010 census there were only  90 residents living inside of 44 households in Zenda.  This little town has dwindled down from the 2000 census when there were 123 people living there. That means that it is a very, very tiny town. I cannot even image what life in this little town would be like.

Zenda, Kansas is located in Kingman County. They have a grade school that educates grades kindergarten through 8th  grade.  They have a municipal building that also houses the towns tiny, but award-winning, library.

The Zenda Jail still stands on Main Street. It is a tiny concrete box with iron rings attached to the floor to shackle the prisoners. It is a safe bet to say this jail has not been used for a number of years.

The town started out being called Rochester, Kansas. But the story is told that because there were so many other towns in the country with the name of Rochester they decided to change the name. The wife of a Santa Fe Railroad conductor  had read the novel "The Prisoner of Zenda" and  thought the name Zenda was nice so  the name was changed.
If you decide that you want to visit Zenda, come look me up. I only live about 50 miles away.

Until next April, that is the end of Blogging from A to Z, the April challenge.

I will be back with a reflections post to let you know what I learned along the way.