the brief history of the county was marked by a bitter and sometimes violent rivalry between two towns, ravanna and eminence, over which would serve as county seat. during a vote on this issue held in 1887, bat masterson and twenty deputies from dodge city were sent to the county to keep the peace. ravanna won the election by just 35 votes. the citizens of eminence charged that the ballot boxes had been stuffed. the kansas supreme court agreed, and in 1889 the county seat was transferred to eminence.