Length: 15.979 miles
South Endpoint:
Junction US 36 West of Athol(1940-present)
North Endpoint:
Counties Passed through: Barber, Pratt, Stafford, Barber, Russell, Osborne, Smith
History
K-8 was initially a continuous highway from Oklahoma to Nebraska. In 1932, most of the road was dirt, with gravel segments between US 50N at Great Bend and K-4 at Hosington and between Osborne and Portis. By 1933, K-8 was gravel between the Oklahoma line and Medicine Lodge, between Saint John and Great Bend, between Waldo and Luray, and between Portis and Smith Center. In addition, the segment between Great Bend and Hosington was hard-surfaced. By 1936, K-8 had been gravelled between Sawyer and Saint John and between Hoisington and Russel, with the Portis-Smith Center segment sealed. By 1937, K-8 had been hard-surfaced between Pratt and Saint John, between the Stafford/Barton county line and Great Bend, and from Osborne to Portis.
Around 1940, K-8 between Smith Center and Kiowa was re-designated as US 281. The segment between Smith Center and the Nebraska line retained the K-8 designation, while the segment between the Oklahoma line and Kiowa was designated K-11 At the time of the change, K-8/US 281 had been hard surfaced between the Barton/Russell County line and Russell, and between Saint John and the Stafford/Barton county line.
Part of the northern segment of K-8, out of Athol, was gravelled by 1941. The remainder of the road remained dirt until the entire northern segment was hard-surfaced by 1950.