Editing Strong City, Kansas (section)

==History==
[[File:Map elk chase kansas.jpg|thumb|left|1893 Railroad Map.]]
[[File:Z-bar-ranch-house.JPG|thumb|left|Spring Hill Ranch House [[National Register of Historic Places|(NRHP)]] at [[Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve]], 2 miles north of Strong City (2009)]]
[[File:StrongCity_ATSF_depot.jpg|thumb|left|Strong City ATSF depot (2015)]]

===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]].

In 1854, the [[Kansas Territory]] was organized, then in 1861 [[Kansas]] became the 34th [[U.S. state]].  In 1859, [[Chase County, Kansas|Chase County]] was established within the [[Kansas Territory]], which included the land for modern day Strong City.

In 1871, the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] extended a main line from [[Emporia, Kansas|Emporia]] to [[Newton, Kansas|Newton]].<ref name="Santa Fe Rail History">[http://kansasheritage.org/research/rr/santafe.html Santa Fe Rail History]</ref>  The city originated in March 1871 when the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] was completed to the point then known as '''Cottonwood Station'''.  Strong City was originally called '''Cottonwood''', and under the latter name laid out in 1872.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5zdAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA154 | title=Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society | publisher=Kansas State Printing Plant | author=Kansas State Historical Society | year=1916 | pages=154}}</ref>

In 1881, the name was changed to '''Strong''', in honor of [[William Barstow Strong]], General Superintendent of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and afterward the president of the company.<ref name="strong-shm"/><ref name="nrhp-depot"/>

The original depot was a wooden building, built in 1872, which burned in 1902 and was replaced in 1903 by another wooden building.<ref name="nrhp-depot"/>  From 1887 to 1938, a six-stall engine [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] employed many workers.<ref name="strong-shm"/>

In 1887, [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] built a branch line from [[Neva, Kansas|Neva]] (three miles west of Strong City) to [[Superior, Nebraska]].  This branch line connected Strong City, [[Neva, Kansas|Neva]], [[Rockland, Kansas|Rockland]], [[Diamond Springs, Kansas|Diamond Springs]], [[Burdick, Kansas|Burdick]], [[Lost Springs, Kansas|Lost Springs]], [[Jacobs, Kansas|Jacobs]], [[Hope, Kansas|Hope]], [[Navarre, Kansas|Navarre]], [[Enterprise, Kansas|Enterprise]], [[Abilene, Kansas|Abilene]], [[Talmage, Kansas|Talmage]], [[Manchester, Kansas|Manchester]], [[Longford, Kansas|Longford]], [[Oak Hill, Kansas|Oak Hill]], [[Miltonvale, Kansas|Miltonvale]], [[Aurora, Kansas|Aurora]], [[Huscher, Kansas|Huscher]], [[Concordia, Kansas|Concordia]], [[Kackley, Kansas|Kackley]], [[Courtland, Kansas|Courtland]], [[Webber, Kansas|Webber]], [[Superior, Nebraska|Superior]].  At some point, the line from Neva to [[Lost Springs, Kansas|Lost Springs]] was pulled but the right of way has not been abandoned.  This branch line was originally called "Strong City and Superior line", but later the name was shortened to the "Strong City line".

===20th century===
[[File:Strong city kansas post office 2009.jpg|thumb|right|U.S. Post Office in Strong City (2009)]]
In 1912, construction of a new depot was begun about {{convert|100|ft}} west of the old one, and was finished in 1913.<ref name="nrhp-depot"/>  The new brick depot was trimmed in native cut limestone was built for a cost of $20,000.<ref name="strong-shm"/>  A brick platform some 800-feet long was built along the front of the building, and a 250-foot freight platform was built along the rear of the building.  Passenger service was discontinued in the late 1940s.<ref name="nrhp-depot"/>

In 1945, the name was changed again, this time to '''Strong City'''.<ref name=strong-shm/>

In 1996, the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] merged with [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] and renamed to the current [[BNSF Railway]].

===21st century===
In 2006 and 2015, the "Symphony in the Flint Hills" concert was held two miles north of Strong City with thousands in attendance.<ref>[http://www.kansas.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article23725957.html Symphony in the Flint Hills concert returning to where it all began; The Wichita Eagle; June 10, 2015.]</ref><ref>[http://www.symphonyintheflinthills.org/_userfiles/63/files/2015%20Weekend%20Guide.pdf Symphony in the Flint Hills 2015 Weekend Guide.]</ref><ref>[http://www.symphonyintheflinthills.org/ Symphony in the Flint Hills official website.]</ref><ref>[http://www.kansas.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article24111856.html Rain holds off for Symphony in Flint Hills concert; The Wichita Eagle; June 13, 2015.]</ref>

===Stone industry===
Local stonemasons and builders ''Barney Lantry & Son'' contracted with railroad companies for projects throughout the United States.<ref name="nrhp-depot"/>  In the beginning it built stone-work for certain phases of railroad construction, but later they did build complete railroads, grading, laying the track, building bridges, stations, roundhouses, and other division buildings.<ref name="strong-history">[http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/StrongCity/history.html Strong City History.]</ref>

The first stone-crushers Kansas ever saw were brought to the state by the Lantrys and were operated on a very large scale at Strong City.  Most of the stone for masonry and road-ballast for their jobs all over the west, was taken from their quarries at Strong City. Big stones for the [[Kansas State Capitol]] came from Strong City, each stone weighing 13,000 pounds.  Stone was also used for public and private buildings in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Colorado.<ref name="strong-history"/>

When Barney Lantry died in 1895, officials of the Santa Fe Railroad from Los Angeles to Chicago attended his funeral services in Strong City.<ref name="nrhp-depot"/>