[4] A large share of the first settlers were cattle dealers, or stockmen, and they named their new home Stocktown, or as it soon became known, Stockton.

[6] Stockton is located on the natural trail up the valley of the South Solomon River and where the military supply trail from Fort Kearney, Nebraska, to Fort Hays, Kansas, crossed the South Solomon River.

Stockton survived and grew during the thirteen years from founding until the arrival of the railroad in 1885.

[citation needed] Stockton was once a sundown town, where African Americans living in Nicodemus were not welcome after dark.

[7] Stockton was featured in British author Tony Parker's 1989 book Bird, Kansas for which he transcribed tape recorded interviews with local residents.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.23 square miles (5.78 km2), all land.

36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The community is served by Stockton USD 271 public school district.