Tecumseh, Kansas

Tecumseh dates from the 1850s when Thomas Stinson settled in the area and had a townsite platted by September 1, 1854.[2] It was settled by pro-southern partisans in the turbulent days when Kansas was a territory. For a time it served as the pro-southern capital of the territory and prospered, even having a newspaper. The town's post office opened in March 1855.[4] In 1886, the brick courthouse was sold for $500 and removed.[2] Once the northern/southern political issues were settled at the conclusion of the Civil War, the village rapidly declined, and it survived as a mere ghost of itself for the next ninety years.

Construction of the Kansas Power & Light Co. power plant in 1924 and 1925.[2] In 1958, Du Pont established a cellophane plant east of town created a renaissance of sorts.[2] As Topeka grew in the 1950s, Tecumseh again started to grow, this time as a suburb of Topeka. The old townsite grew and numerous suburban housing subdivisions developed in the vicinity.

Tecumseh is located at 39°02′53″N 95°34′45″W / 39.04806°N 95.57917°W / 39.04806; -95.57917 (39.0480558, -95.5791453),[1] in Section 36, Township 11 south, Range 16 east. It is situated south of the Kansas River between Tecumseh Creek to the east and Stinson Creek to the west. Contained entirely within Tecumseh Township, it is about 2 miles east of the Topeka city limits.[5]U.S. Route 40 passes the south side of Tecumseh. A BNSF rail line—running between Lawrence and Topeka—passes north of the town between it and the river.

Wellington, Kansas

Wellington was platted in 1871 and named for the Duke of Wellington.[7] It was designated as the Sumner County seat in 1872, winning out over Sumner City according to the Wellington library. Cattle herders coming up the Chisholm Trail helped to build the early town's economy.[8]

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a north-south branch line from Herington through Wellington to Caldwell.[10] Creditors foreclosed on it 1891 and the railroad was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

Wellington is located at 37°16′2″N 97°24′0″W / 37.26722°N 97.40000°W / 37.26722; -97.40000 (37.267289, -97.400061),[11] at an elevation of 1230 feet.[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.19 square miles (21.21 km2), of which, 7.61 square miles (19.71 km2) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.50 km2) is water.[1]

Tonganoxie, Kansas

Tonganoxie (pronounced /tɒŋɡəˈnɒksi/)[6] is a city in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. The current population of Tonganoxie, KS is around 5,326 as of 2016; and has doubled since 2000 according to the League of Kansas Municipalities. The city is classified as a City of the Second Class.[7]

Tonganoxie was platted in 1866.[8][9] It was named for a local Native American Chief from the Delaware Tribe whose name means "shorty" in the Delaware language.[10] Tonganoxie was incorporated as a city in the late 1870s.[11]

Tonganoxie is located at 39°6′32″N 95°5′13″W / 39.10889°N 95.08694°W / 39.10889; -95.08694 (39.108880, -95.086885).[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.67 square miles (9.51 km2), of which 3.66 square miles (9.48 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[1]

Wellsville, Kansas

On January 9, 1894[11], baseball star Charlie Bennett went hunting with pitcher John Clarkson. Bennett got off the train in Wellsville to speak to an acquaintance; when he tried to reboard, he slipped and fell under the train's wheels. Bennett lost both legs in the accident. He was fitted with artificial limbs but his baseball career was over; he lived until 1927.

Wellsville is located at 38°43′11″N 95°4′53″W / 38.71972°N 95.08139°W / 38.71972; -95.08139 (38.719694, -95.081358).[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.40 square miles (3.63 km2), of which 1.39 square miles (3.60 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[1]

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 1,857 people, 722 households, and 500 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,336.0 inhabitants per square mile (515.8/km2). There were 780 housing units at an average density of 561.2 per square mile (216.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.6% White, 0.7% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

Topeka, Kansas

Topeka (/toʊˈpiːkə/;[9][10]Kansa: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County.[2] It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 127,473.[11] The Topeka Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee counties, had a population of 233,870 in the 2010 census.

The name Topeka is a Kansa-Osage sentence that means "place where we dug potatoes",[12] or "a good place to dig potatoes".[13] As a placename, Topeka was first recorded in 1826 as the Kansa name for what is now called the Kansas River. Topeka's founders chose the name in 1855 because it "was novel, of Indian origin and euphonious of sound."[14][15] The mixed-blood Kansa Native American, Joseph James, called Jojim, is credited with suggesting the name of Topeka.[16] The city, laid out in 1854, was one of the Free-State towns founded by Eastern antislavery men immediately after the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Bill. In 1857, Topeka was chartered as a city.

The city is well known for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson and declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional.[17] Three ships of the U.S. Navy have been named USS Topeka after the city.

Weskan, Kansas

Weskan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Wallace County, Kansas, United States. Weskan is located along U.S. Route 40, 11.5 miles (18.5 km) west-southwest of Sharon Springs. Weskan has a post office with ZIP code 67762 and there is one high school located within the community.[2] The post office in Weskan was established in August 1887.[3]

Towanda, Kansas

In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed a few blocks west of Towanda (immediately west of SW River Valley Rd), running north to south through Butler County, with much controversy over tax exemption and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs).[11][12]

Towanda is located at 37°47′45″N 96°59′58″W / 37.79583°N 96.99944°W / 37.79583; -96.99944 (37.795921, -96.999380),[13] along the Whitewater River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.06 square miles (2.75 km2), all of it land.[2]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 1,450 people, 524 households, and 397 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,367.9 inhabitants per square mile (528.1/km2). There were 577 housing units at an average density of 544.3 per square mile (210.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 0.3% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.

Westmoreland, Kansas

Westmoreland is located at 39°23′41″N 96°24′51″W / 39.39472°N 96.41417°W / 39.39472; -96.41417 (39.394770, -96.414154).[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.52 square miles (1.35 km2), all of it land.[1]

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 778 people, 301 households, and 192 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,496.2 inhabitants per square mile (577.7/km2). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 648.1 per square mile (250.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.5% White, 0.4% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 301 households of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.2% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

Tribune, Kansas

Tribune was founded in 1886. The railroad depot was built in 1887, at which time Tribune was designated as the county seat.[8] The city is named after the New York Tribune, of which Horace Greeley of Chappaqua, New York was the editor.[9] Greeley encouraged western settlement with the motto "Go West, young man".[10]

As of January 1, 2009, the City of Tribune and Greeley County have operated as a unified government.[11] The resulting government consists of a five-member commission with two members elected by city residents, two by rural residents, and one at-large.[12] Similar to Wyandotte County, the only other consolidated city-county in the state, part of the county was not included: Horace decided against consolidation.[13]

Tribune is located at 38°28′13″N 101°45′16″W / 38.47028°N 101.75444°W / 38.47028; -101.75444 (38.470288, -101.754489).[14] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.74 square miles (1.92 km2), all land.[1]

Whitewater, Kansas

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Butler County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Whitewater.