Editing Florence, Kansas (section)

==History==
[[File:Bichet school in Marion County, Kansas.jpg|thumb|left|1896 Bichet School, {{convert|3|mi}} east of Florence (2011)]]

===Early history===
{{See also|History of Kansas}}
For [[millennia]], the [[Great Plains]] of [[North America]] was inhabited by [[nomadic]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. These tribes considered native included: the [[Arapaho]], [[Cheyenne]], [[Comanche]], [[Kaw people|Kansa]], [[Kiowa]], [[Osage Nation|Osage]], [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]], and [[Wichita people|Wichita]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/american-indians-in-kansas/17881|title = American Indians in Kansas - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society}}</ref> 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===
[[File:Doyle Place front entrance Marion Co Kansas.jpg|thumb|left|1881 Patrick Doyle House, 0.3 miles south of Florence (2022)]]
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]].

In 1806, [[Zebulon Pike]] led the [[Pike Expedition]] westward from [[St Louis, Missouri]], of which part of their journey followed the [[Cottonwood River (Kansas)|Cottonwood River]] through [[Marion County, Kansas|Marion County]] near the current cities of Florence, [[Marion, Kansas|Marion]], [[Durham, Kansas|Durham]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://zebulonpike.org/maps/kansas/MAINSEKS.pdf |title=1806 Pike Expedition map through Marion County. |access-date=2011-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317175019/http://zebulonpike.org/maps/kansas/MAINSEKS.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1854, the [[Kansas Territory]] was organized, then in 1861 [[Kansas]] became the 34th [[U.S. state]].  In 1855, [[Marion County, Kansas|Marion County]] was established within the [[Kansas Territory]], which included the land for modern day Florence.<ref name="Marion-Co-History">{{Cite web |url=http://www.marioncoks.net/AboutMarionCounty/History/tabid/7634/Default.aspx |title=The History of Marion County and Courthouse |access-date=2014-04-23 |archive-date=2018-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227021903/http://www.marioncoks.net/AboutMarionCounty/History/tabid/7634/Default.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The first settlers in [[Marion County, Kansas|Marion County]] located on Doyle Creek, near the present site of Florence. They were Moses Shane, who came in 1858, and whose death the next year was the first in the county; Patrick Doyle, in 1859, for whom Doyle Creek and Township were named, and a family by the name of Welsh, in which occurred the [[first white child|first birth]] in the county in August 1859.<ref name="History - Early Settlers">{{Cite web |url=http://www.mykansasgenealogy.com/ks-county-marion.html |title=Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc; Published 1912 |access-date=2010-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019231921/http://www.mykansasgenealogy.com/ks-county-marion.html |archive-date=2009-10-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  A post office existed in '''Doyle''' from November 26, 1866 to March 13, 1871.<ref name="Postoffice">{{cite web |url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county:MN |title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived) |publisher=Kansas Historical Society |access-date=14 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009130856/http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county%3AMN |archive-date=October 9, 2013 }}</ref>

The Florence Town Company was a group of men who learned of the proposed route of the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]], extended from [[Emporia, Kansas|Emporia]], who decided on a town site where the railroad would cross the [[Cottonwood River (Kansas)|Cottonwood River]].  On September 23, 1870, there was announcement in ''The Emporia News'' about a new town named "Florence" at the mouth of Doyle Creek.<ref>[http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016419/1870-09-23/ed-1/seq-3/ Announcement about new town named "Florence"; The Emporia News; September 23, 1870.]</ref>  The Florence Town Company was formed on December 1, 1870 with [[Samuel J. Crawford]] as the president.<ref>[http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/757 Photo of Samuel Johnson Crawford in the 1860s; KansasMemory.org]</ref> Previously, Crawford was the [[List of Governors of Kansas|3rd]] [[Governor of Kansas]] from 1865 to 1868. He named the town, '''Florence''', in honor of his daughter, Miss Florence Crawford of Topeka.<ref name="FlorenceCentennialBook"/><ref>[http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/215486 Illustration of Florence Crawford Capper between the 1880s and 1900s; KansasMemory.org]</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n126 127]}}</ref>  The post office moved from Doyle to Florence on March 13, 1871.<ref name="Postoffice" />

[[File:Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion County.png|thumb|left|1915 Railroad Map of [[Marion County, Kansas|Marion County]]]]
In 1871, the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] extended a main line from [[Emporia, Kansas|Emporia]] through Florence to [[Newton, Kansas|Newton]].<ref name="Santa Fe Rail History">[http://kansasheritage.org/research/rr/santafe.html Santa Fe Rail History]</ref> In 1996, it merged with [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] and renamed to the current [[BNSF Railway]].  The Santa Fe depot building still exists, but has been closed for decades.  Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".

In 1877, the [[Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company]] built a branch line from Florence to [[El Dorado, Kansas|El Dorado]], in 1881 it was extended to [[Douglass, Kansas|Douglass]], and later to [[Arkansas City, Kansas|Arkansas City]].<ref name="MarionCountyBook" />  The line was leased and operated by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]].  The line from Florence to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942.<ref name="Abandon Railway 1942">[http://www.abandonedrails.com/Florence_to_El_Dorado Railway Abandonment 1942]</ref>  The original branch line connected Florence, [[Burns, Kansas|Burns]], [[De Graff, Kansas|De Graff]], El Dorado, [[Augusta, Kansas|Augusta]], Douglass, [[Rock, Kansas|Rock]], [[Akron, Kansas|Akron]], [[Winfield, Kansas|Winfield]] and Arkansas City.

As early as 1875, city leaders of [[Marion, Kansas|Marion]] held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from Florence.  In 1878, the [[Marion and McPherson Railway Company]] was chartered.<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 to McPherson was abandoned.  The original branch line connected Florence, Marion, [[Canada, Kansas|Canada]], [[Hillsboro, Kansas|Hillsboro]], [[Lehigh, Kansas|Lehigh]], [[Canton, Kansas|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.

In 1877, [[Fred Harvey (entrepreneur)|Fred Harvey]], an entrepreneur who is credited with establishing the first restaurant chain in the United States, bought the Clifton Hotel near the Florence railroad station for $5,370. Harvey redecorated the hotel and early in 1878, the second [[Harvey House (Florence, Kansas)|Harvey House Restaurant]] opened in Florence - the first [[Harvey House]] to offer sleeping rooms in addition to a restaurant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kansastravel.org/harveyhousemuseum.htm|title = Harvey House Museum - Florence, Kansas}}</ref>

===20th century===
There have been numerous floods during the early history of Florence. In June and July 1951, due to heavy rains, rivers and streams flooded numerous cities in Kansas, including Florence. Many reservoirs and levees were built in Kansas as part of a response to the [[Great Flood of 1951]]. From 1964 to 1968, the [[Marion Reservoir]] was constructed north-west of Marion. Downstream from the Marion Reservoir, levees were built in low-lying areas of [[Marion, Kansas|Marion]] and Florence.