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County in Kansas, United States

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U. S. state. In 1867, Russell County was established.

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 899 square miles (2,328 km2), of which 886 square miles (2,295 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.5%) is water.

The city of Russell is the junction of Interstate 70, a major east–west highway through the Midwestern United States, and U. S. Route 281, which begins at the Canada–US border in North Dakota and ends at the Mexico–US border in Texas. I 70 also runs through Gorham on the western end of the county and Dorrance on the eastern end. Hays is 27 mile (43 km) west of Russell and Salina is 67 mile (108 km) east of Russell. Further along I 70, Russell is approximately 250 mile (402 km) west of Kansas City, Missouri and 360 mile (579 km) east of Denver, Colorado. K 18, a major east–west state highway in northern Kansas, enters from Osborne County to the west and runs through Paradise before joining up with US 281 through Waldo. US 281 and K 18 split again at the city limits of Luray, and K 18 continues east through Lucas and into Lincoln County. US 281 heads north into Osborne County. South of I 70, US 281 heads into Barton County and towards the city of Great Bend.

Russell County is overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to carry the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 is the only other to ever achieve this feat. In 1996, aided by a strong “favorite son” vote, Russell was Bob Dole's second strongest county nationwide behind the famous Republican bastion of Ochiltree County, Texas.

Russell 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.

Schools in Russell County have experienced major change in the 2010–11 school year. USD 407, which previously served all of Russell County except the northwest and southeast corners, retracted its footprint and will only serve the cities of Russell, Gorham and Bunker Hill and areas to the south of Interstate 70 along and adjacent to US 281. Lucas Luray High School, previously operated by USD 407, was acquired by the school district in Sylvan Grove in western Lincoln County and will be converted into a K 6 school. Meanwhile, the elementary school in Luray has closed. Students in Lucas and Luray in grades 7 12 will attend school in Sylvan Grove.

[[File:Map of Russell Co, Ks, USA. png|thumb|300px|right|2005 map of Russell County