Editing Canton, Kansas (section)

==History==
[[File:Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 McPherson County.png|thumb|left|1915 Railroad Map of [[McPherson County, Kansas|McPherson County]]]]

===Early history===
{{See also|History of Kansas}}
For many [[millennia]], the [[Great Plains]] of [[North America]] was inhabited by [[nomadic]] [[Native Americans in the United States|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 (1762)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]].

===19th century===
In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France.  In 1803, most of the land for [[History of Kansas|modern day Kansas]] was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile [[Louisiana Purchase]] for 2.83 [[Penny (United States coin)|cents]] per [[acre]].

From the 1820s to the 1870s, one of the most significant land routes in the United States was the [[Santa Fe Trail]].  It was located southeast of Canton.  Two DAR markers were located on the trail near Canton, one at the Jones Cemetery east of Canton, and another south of Canton.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.santafetrailresearch.com/research/dar-marker-location-ks.html |title=1997 Survey of DAR Markers in Kansas |access-date=April 11, 2013 |archive-date=May 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513230246/http://www.santafetrailresearch.com/research/dar-marker-location-ks.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>   The trail was active across [[McPherson County, Kansas|McPherson County]] from 1821 to 1866.<ref>[http://www.santafetrail.org/chapters/cottonwood/ History of the Cottonwood Crossing Chapter, Santa Fe Trail Association.]</ref>

In 1854, the [[Kansas Territory]] was organized, then in 1861 [[Kansas]] became the 34th [[U.S. state]].  In 1867, [[McPherson County, Kansas|McPherson County]] was established within the [[Kansas Territory]], which included the land for modern day Canton.

As early as 1875, city leaders of [[Marion, Kansas|Marion]] held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from [[Florence, Kansas|Florence]].  In 1878, [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] and parties from [[Marion County, Kansas|Marion]] and [[McPherson County, Kansas|McPherson counties]] chartered the [[Marion and McPherson Railway Company]].<ref name="MarionCountyBook">''Marion County Kansas : Past and Present''; Sondra Van Meter; MB Publishing House; [[LCCN]] 72-92041; 344 pages; 1972.</ref>  In 1879, a branch line was built from Florence to [[McPherson, Kansas|McPherson]]; in 1880 it was extended to [[Lyons, Kansas|Lyons]] and in 1881  was extended to [[Ellinwood, Kansas|Ellinwood]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIwpAAAAYAAJ Fourth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending December 1, 1886 in State of Kansas; Kansas Publishing House; 1886.]</ref>  The line was leased and operated by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]].  The line from Florence to Marion was abandoned in 1968.<ref name="Abandon Railway 1968">[http://www.abandonedrails.com/Marion_to_Florence Railway Abandonment 1968]</ref>  In 1992, the line from Marion to McPherson was sold to [[Central Kansas Railway]]. In 1993, after heavy flood damage, the line from Marion through Canton to McPherson was abandoned and removed.  The original branch line connected Florence, Marion, [[Canada, Kansas|Canada]], [[Hillsboro, Kansas|Hillsboro]], [[Lehigh, Kansas|Lehigh]], Canton, [[Galva, Kansas|Galva]], McPherson, [[Conway, Kansas|Conway]], [[Windom, Kansas|Windom]], [[Little River, Kansas|Little River]], [[Mitchell, Kansas|Mitchell]], Lyons, [[Chase, Kansas|Chase]] and Ellinwood.

After the railroad was built through the area in 1879, a village was established that grew to over 300 inhabitants, then  was incorporated as a city in 1880 and named after [[Canton, Ohio]] because an early settler came from Ohio.<ref name="Canton-History"/>

In 1887, the [[Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway]] built a main line from [[Herington, Kansas|Herington]] through Canton to [[Pratt, Kansas|Pratt]].<ref name="Rock Island Rail History">{{Cite web |url=http://home.covad.net/~scicoatnsew/rihist4.htm |title=Rock Island Rail History |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619230000/http://home.covad.net/~scicoatnsew/rihist4.htm |archive-date=2011-06-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  In 1888, this line was extended to [[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]].  Later, it was extended to [[Tucumcari, New Mexico]] and [[El Paso, Texas]].  It foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway]], 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".