Editing Kanopolis, Kansas (section)

===Early history===
{{See also|History of Kansas}}
For [[millennia]], the [[Great Plains]] of [[North America]] were inhabited by [[nomadic]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].  From the 16th to 18th centuries, 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]], by the [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]].  In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, 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 mile [[Louisiana Purchase]].  In 1854, the [[Kansas Territory]] was organized under the provisions of the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]], then in 1861 [[Kansas]] became the 34th [[U.S. state]]. In 1867, [[Ellsworth County, Kansas|Ellsworth County]] was established, which included the land for Kanopolis.