Editing McPherson, Kansas (section)

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

===19th century===
[[File:Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 McPherson County.png|thumb|left|1915 Railroad Map of [[McPherson County, Kansas|McPherson County]]]]

For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. In 1803, most of [[History of Kansas|modern Kansas]] was secured by the United States as part of the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. 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 founded.

'''McPherson''' was founded in 1870 by the twelve members of the McPherson Town Company.<ref>{{cite web  | title = First Biennial Report of the State Board of Agriculture to the Legislature of the State of Kansas, for the Years 1877-8  | publisher = Rand, McNally, and Co.  | url = http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1878/mcpherson.shtml  | url-status = dead  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090210090718/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1878/mcpherson.shtml  | archive-date = 2009-02-10  }}</ref> In 1887, city officials began a failed attempt to have the community named the state capital.

The first post office in McPherson was established in 1873.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/page:2/county:MP | title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961, page 2 | publisher=Kansas Historical Society | access-date=14 June 2014}}</ref> McPherson was incorporated as a city in 1874.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Qi9cXyTWt9EC | title=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2 | publisher=Standard Publishing Company | author=Blackmar, Frank Wilson | year=1912 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Qi9cXyTWt9EC/page/n195 205]}}</ref>

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. In 1880 it was extended to [[Lyons, Kansas|Lyons]] and in 1881 it was extended to [[Ellinwood, Kansas|Ellinwood]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIwpAAAAYAAJ|title=Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, for the Year Ending ...|first=Kansas Board of Railroad|last=Commissioners|date=5 April 1886|publisher=Kansas Publishing House: T.D. Thacher, state printer|access-date=5 April 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref> The line was leased and operated by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]]. The line from [[Florence, Kansas|Florence]] to Marion was abandoned in 1968.<ref name="Abandon Railway 1968">{{cite web|url=http://www.abandonedrails.com/Marion_to_Florence|title=Abandoned Rails: Lyons to Florence|website=www.abandonedrails.com|access-date=5 April 2018}}</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 1887, the [[Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway]] built a main line from [[Herington, Kansas|Herington]] through McPherson to [[Pratt, Kansas|Pratt]].<ref name="Rock Island Rail History">{{cite web|url=http://home.covad.net/~scicoatnsew/rihist4.htm|title=Rock Island's Family Tree - Page 4|website=home.covad.net|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723055808/http://home.covad.net/~scicoatnsew/rihist4.htm|archive-date=23 July 2011|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".

By 1888, the community was at the junction of four railroad lines. Major industries have included a large flour mill, an insurance company headquarters, and an oil refinery.

===20th century===
[[Image:Union Hotel, McPherson Kansas.JPG|thumb|left|McPherson Union Hotel, 1907 postcard]]
The [[National Old Trails Road]], also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through [[Windom, Kansas|Windom]], [[Conway, Kansas|Conway]] and McPherson.

In the 1930s, the local refinery sponsored the [[McPherson Globe Refiners]] basketball team ([[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]]). They were coached by [[Gene Johnson (basketball)|Gene Johnson]], former head coach of Wichita University (now [[Wichita State University]]). The Refiners were best known for their tall centers, [[Joe Fortenberry]] (6–8) and [[Willard Schmidt (basketball)|Willard Schmidt]] (6–9) and their fast-break style of play. Billed as "The Tallest Team in the World", the Refiners often held their opponents to low scores because of the centers' ability to deflect shots on the way to the basket in what today would be called goaltending.{{citation needed|date=February 2010}} Coach Johnson was one of the innovators of the fast break and full-court press. The Refiners won the AAU national championship in 1936 against the Hollywood Universal team. This earned them the right to compete for the first ever [[Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics|USA Olympic basketball team]] in 1936. Hollywood Universal narrowly beat the Refiners at [[Madison Square Garden]] and the USA team was composed of both Universal and Refiners players and one college student. Coach Johnson was selected to be the assistant coach. After a long journey by boat to Europe, the team played in alternating squads at the Olympics. The Refiners' portion of the team took the court to defeat Canada 19–8 in the gold medal game on August 14, 1936, at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]. The Refiners' home court is now the McPherson Community Building at 121 East Marlin and can be toured by contacting the local Convention and Visitors Bureau. A mural in honor of the Refiners was completed in 2010 at the intersection of Kansas and Ash, south of their home court in preparation for the 75th anniversary celebration of their victory in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcphersonsentinel.com/newsnow/x684373693/Globe-Refiners-mural-dedicated|title=Globe Refiners mural dedicated - The McPherson Sentinel - November 16, 2010|website=mcphersonsentinel.com|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref>