Welda
Welda is a tiny census-designated community in Anderson County, in the east-central part of Kansas, just west of U.S. interstate 169. This tiny town encompasses less than one square-mile, and there are only 129 residents. Welda is a very low-income farming community, with a mix of single-family homes, farmhouses, and agricultural buildings. There are dirt roads passing through town, and this adds to Welda's charm and its aura of quiet mid-western tranquility. The closest towns are Garnett, KS, to the north, and Iola, KS, to the southwest; Kansas City, MO lies about 50 miles to the north-east. Welda has a long history of pioneer settlement. It was platted in 1873, right after the railroad was extended to this part of Kansas, and Welda was originally a railroad depot, for grain shipments. The railroad tracks that once defined Welda have long since been converted to a rail trail that is now part of Prairie Spirit Trail State Park. The Prairie Spirit Trail is a 51-mile path that runs through small towns, scenic prairie, and occasional wildlife habitats in eastern Kansas; it is popular with cyclists, hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, and historians of the great American Midwest.