city, Montgomery county, southeastern Kansas, U.S., on the Verdigris River. Founded in 1869, it was named for James A. Coffey, a pioneer settler. During the early 1870s, following the completion of a railroad, Coffeyville became a major shipping point for Texas cattle and later developed into an important trading and industrial centre. It is located in the mid-continent gas and oil field (natural gas was discovered there in 1892) and is the seat of Coffeyville Community College (1923). The Dalton Defenders Museum in Coffeyville commemorates local citizens who in October 1892 died in a gun battle with the Dalton Brothers, local desperadoes. Montgomery State Fishing Lake is located northwest of the city. Inc. 1872. Pop. (1990) 12,917; (2000) 11,021.