Editing McPherson, Kansas (section)

===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.