Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History/Alta Vista

Alta Vista, one of the larger towns of Wabaunsee county, is situated in Garfield township, on Mill creek and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R., 15 miles southwest of Alma, the county seat. It was settled in 1887, was incorporated as a city of the third class in 1905, and in 1910 reported a population of 499. Alta Vista is one of the busy towns of Kansas. It has two banks, a weekly newspaper, a number of high class mercantile houses, a good public school system, express and telegraph offices, telephone connection, does considerable shipping, and its money order postoffice is the starting point of three rural delivery routes which supply mail to the surrounding country.