Shawnee County, Kansas

Shawnee County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Was carved out of what was, before the treaty of 1854, Shawnee Indian lands--hence the name. General H. J. Strickler, of Tecumseh, who was a member of the council in 1855, and also of the joint committee on Counties, claimed Shawnee for the name of his county, a preference stoutly contended for by the Reverend Thomas Johnson for the county in which the legislature was sitting, but the committee yielded to General Strickler, and, without solicitation, complimented Mr. Johnson by conferring his own name upon his county.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Before the treaty of 1854, the area now known as Shawnee County was inhabited by Shawnee, Kansas, and Pottowatomie Indian tribes. Westward expansion brought the country its first white settler in 1830 when Frederick Choteau opened a trading post on American Chief (now Mission) Creek. In 1855, Shawnee became one of the first counties established by the Kansas territorial legislature with a population of 250. General H. J. Strickler, of Tecumseh, who was a member of the council in 1855, and also of the joint committee on Counties, claimed Shawnee for the name of his county. At that time, Shawnee County borders were entirely south of the Kansas River and extended south to include Osage City and Carbondale. The legislature later desired to make Topeka the county seat and moved the borders of the county to their present locations to make Topeka centrally located in the county.

1855 also saw the first ever meeting of the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners. Tecumseh was the first county seat, and the first county courthouse was opened there in 1856. The building was 40x50 feet but was never finished. Topeka was made the county seat by popular vote in 1858, and a new courthouse was built at 4th Street and Kansas Avenue in 1867. In 1896, a new larger courthouse was constructed at 5th and Van Buren, with more than 50,000 residents then living in the county. That building remained in use until the current courthouse at 7th and Quincy opened in 1965.

Geography

Shawnee County is located in the northeastern part of Kansas, in the third tier of counties west of the Missouri River and about fifty-four miles south of Nebraska. It is bordered by Jackson County on the north, Jefferson County on the north and east, Douglas County on the east, Osage County on the south, Wabaunsee County on the west, and Pottawatomie County on the west. Its extent in either direction is not more than twenty-four miles. According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 556 square miles (1,441 km²), of which 550 square miles (1,424 km²) is land and 6 square miles (17 km²), or 1.17%, is water. The second standard parallel south passes through the northern half of the county.

When the county was originally formed in 1855, it was bounded by the Kansas River on the north, and the southern boundary was nine miles further south. But on February 23, 1860, the legislature changed the boundaries with the southern portion being granted to Osage County, and the northern boundary was moved a few miles north of the river (to the second standard parallel). The present northern line (six miles north of the second standard parallel) was established in 1868.

The surface of the county is rolling prairie with a few hills and bluffs along the streams, prominent among which is Burnett's mound, one of the beauty spots of the county, located southwest of Topeka. The bottom lands along the Kansas and Wakarusa rivers are from 1 to 3 miles wide and these together with the creek valleys comprise about one-third of the area of the county.

The Kansas river, which is the largest in the state, flows across the county from west to east, just north of the center. Among its tributaries are Soldier creek from the north and Mission from the south. The Wakarusa enters on the south line in the west part and flows east across the county into Douglas. Blue and gray limestone is found in the bluffs and along the banks of the streams. Clay for brick is plentiful. Coal has been mined to a limited extent. Sand of a superior quality is dredged from the Kansas river and shipped in large quantities.

Neighboring Counties:

• Jackson County on the north
• Jefferson County on the north and east
• Douglas County on the east
• Osage County on the south
• Wabaunsee County on the west
• Pottawatomie County on the west.

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

Shawnee County - KS-Cyclopedia - 1912