Editing Johnson County, Kansas (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of Kansas}}

This was part of the large territory of the [[Osage people]], who occupied lands up to present-day [[Saint Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]. After the [[Indian Removal]], the United States government reserved much of this area as Indian territory for a reservation for the [[Shawnee people]], who were relocated from east of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest.

The [[Santa Fe Trail]] and [[Oregon Trail|Oregon–California Trail]], which pass through nearby [[Independence, Missouri]], also passed through the county. Johnson County was established in 1855 as one of the first counties in the newly organized [[Kansas Territory]]; it was named for [[Proslavery thought|proslavery]] American [[missionary]] [[Thomas Johnson (Kansas politician)|Thomas Johnson]].<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/n168 169]}}</ref> The renowned gunfighter [[Wild Bill Hickok]] settled for a time in the county, becoming constable of [[Monticello Township, Johnson County, Kansas|Monticello Township]] in 1858.

Johnson County was the site of many battles between [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionists]] and pro-slavery advocates during the period of [[Bleeding Kansas]], prior to the residents voting on whether slavery would be allowed in the territory. In 1862, during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Confederate guerrillas from nearby Missouri, led by [[William Quantrill]], raided the Johnson County communities of [[Olathe, Kansas|Olathe]] and [[Spring Hill, Kansas|Spring Hill]]. They killed half a dozen men and destroyed numerous homes and businesses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/johnson-county-war-1892-invasion-northern-wyoming|title=The Johnson County War: 1892 Invasion of Northern Wyoming {{!}} WyoHistory.org|website=www.wyohistory.org|language=en|access-date=September 14, 2017}}</ref>

The county was largely rural until the early 20th century, when housing subdivisions were developed in the northeastern portion of the county adjacent to [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. Developer [[J. C. Nichols]] spurred the boom in 1914 when he built the [[Mission Hills Country Club (Kansas)|Mission Hills Country Club]] to attract upscale residents who previously had been reluctant to move from Missouri to Kansas.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MqMUAAAAYAAJ&q=Mission+Hills+County+Club+Kansas&pg=PA2280 |title=A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans – William E. Connelly – Lewis Publishing Company – 1918 |year=1918 |access-date=April 14, 2012}}</ref> Suburban development continued at a steady pace until the close of [[World War II]].

Following the war, the pace of development exploded, triggered by the return of veterans in need of housing, construction of highways that facilitated commuting from suburbs, and the pent-up demand for new housing. The US Supreme Court ruling in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' (1954) ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. Integration of public schools in Kansas City, Missouri, resulted in many white families leaving the inner city, resulting in increased migration to the county for new housing and what were considered higher quality public schools, generally an indicator of higher economic status. From the mid-1980s, the pace of growth increased significantly, with the county adding 100,000 residents each decade between the 1990 census and 2010 census.

The 1952 Johnson County Courthouse was closed in 2020, then demolished in 2021.<ref name="OldCourtHouse">{{cite web |title=Demolition of old Johnson County Courthouse completed |url=https://www.jocogov.org/article/2021/08/26/16711 |website=Johnson County Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829214257/https://www.jocogov.org/article/2021/08/26/16711 |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |date=August 26, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was replaced by a seven-story courthouse in 2021 after over two years of construction. This new courthouse is the county's fourth such building.<ref name="NewCourtHouse">{{cite web |title=The New Johnson County Courthouse opens in Olathe, Kansas |url=https://www.bdcnetwork.com/new-johnson-county-courthouse-opens-olathe-kan |website=Building Design & Construction |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829214618/https://www.bdcnetwork.com/new-johnson-county-courthouse-opens-olathe-kan |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |date=February 9, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>