Sketches of Pre-Harvey County and Settlement of the Area

Native Americans, a few homesteaders, waving blue-stem grass and trees along streams describe south central Kansas in the late 1860s.  The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), the building of railroads across Kansas, the Homestead Act (1862), and the end of the Civil War (1865) brought into what was to become Harvey County numerous families from Ohio, Illinois and Indiana, looking for cheap farm land.  Early settlers watched great herds of cattle being driven along the Abilene/Chisholm Trail as they went past Sedgwick, through present-day Newton, and on north to Abilene, Kansas.

Through on-line exhibits, a series of slideshows gives short stories about Harvey County and its cities. Check the website regularly for the addition of new on-line slideshows in this series on Harvey County, Kansas.

For even more stories of Harvey County’s people and businesses, check out our blog, “Voices of Harvey County” on the About Us tab.

Click anywhere on the first image below to scroll through Unit 2 — Sketches of Pre-Harvey County and Settlement of the Area.