Editing Sheridan County, Kansas (section)

==History==
[[Image:Windmill Sheridan Co KS 1939.jpg|thumb|left|Windmill, Sheridan County, Kansas, 1939. [[Farm Security Administration]] photo by [[Russell Lee (photographer)|Russell Lee]].]]

===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 while keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. 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 miles [[Louisiana Purchase]] for 2.83 [[Penny (United States coin)|cents]] per [[acre]].

In 1854, the [[Kansas Territory]] was organized, then in 1861 [[Kansas]] became the 34th [[U.S. state]]. In 1873, the remaining unorganized western part of the state was divided into 22 new counties, including '''Sheridan County'''.<ref name="laws1873">[http://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/county/map9.html Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1903-1904] (1904)</ref>  Sheridan County was then organized in 1880, with the county seat at Kenneth.<ref name="history">Cutler, William G. [https://web.archive.org/web/20030327205221/http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/sheridan/sheridan-co-p1.html History of the State of Kansas] (1883)</ref>  After it became apparent in 1886, that the railroad line coming to the area would run south of Kenneth to the new town of Hoxie, the residents of Kenneth accepted an offer to get new lots in Hoxie (and move their buildings at no expense), and the county seat transferred to Hoxie. The Lincoln-Colorado railroad line opened through the county in 1888, and formally became part of the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in the late 1890s.

===20th century===

The population of Sheridan County grew in the early 20th century and peaked in 1930 at 6,038 residents. Since then the population has steadily declined, as part of the general [[depopulation of the Great Plains]].

The rail line stayed in operation in Sheridan County until 1998. After flooding east of [[Plainville, Kansas|Plainville]] in the [[Great Flood of 1993|1993 floods]] damaged the line, the railroad concluded it would not be cost effective to rebuild, and the entire line from Plainville to [[Colby, Kansas|Colby]] was abandoned by 1998.<ref name="stbdec">[https://www.stb.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/cac42df635267da4852572b80041558c/2dd9b1959ed8d45685256548007806a3?OpenDocument Surfact Transportation Board Decision, Docket No. AB-33, March 21, 1997], STB.gov, Retrieved October 23, 2017</ref><ref name="plainvillebranch">[http://www.abandonedrails.com/Plainville_Branch The Plainville Branch], Abandonedrails.com, Retrieved October 23, 2017</ref>