Wilburton is an unincorporated community in Morton County, Kansas, United States,[1] located along U.S. Route 56 highway and the Cimarron Valley Railroad 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Elkhart.

In 1886, Morton County was established, which included land for modern day Wilburton.

[3] In the 1930s, the prosperity of the area was severely affected by its location within the Dust Bowl.

This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of the Great Depression in the region, but until the mid-1950s, the town held its own with a population of 1,000–1,500, served by a grocery, dry goods store, gas station, repair garage, a restaurant, complete system of public schools and several churches.

Additional businesses included several grain elevators and a lumber yard.