Greenwood County, Kansas: History
=== Early history ===
For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic 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.
In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.
In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Greenwood County was established, and named for Alfred B. Greenwood, a U.S. Congressman from Arkansas.
Greenwood City was established in 1871, on the Verdigris River, near the heart of the county. It was a rowdy frontier town, largely populated by outlaws, including some notorious. However, when the railroad was routed through nearby Toronto, to the south, Greenwood City died out.
The first railroad in Greenwood County was built through that territory in 1879.