Kearny County, Kansas: History
The original Kearney County was established on March 6, 1873, and was dissolved in 1883, with the land area being split between Hamilton and Finney counties. It was reestablished with its original borders in 1887, and organized on March 27, 1888. The county is named in honor of Philip Kearny, a U.S. Army officer in the Mexican–American War and a Union army general in the American Civil War. In 1889, the name was corrected to Kearny County.
Prior to settlement, Kearny County was unorganized territory that was entirely "cow country," undeveloped and with no agricultural activity except for cattlemen grazing their herds. The region was part of the vast open range found in the American West at that time.
In the mid-1880s, homesteaders began pouring into the area, initiating conflicts with the existing cattle ranching industry as they claimed land and fenced off the open range. Towns like Leeser, established in 1885, and Pierceville, est. 1886, were built to service the cattle industry, but disappeared as homesteading displaced the great cattle herds.
The arrival of homesteaders was seen as both an opportunity for development but also a threat to the cattle industry's way of life, with numerous allegations of ranchers trying to drive settlers out by destroying crops and setting prairie fires appearing in local newspapers.
In the 1930s, the prosperity of the area was severely affected by its location within the Dust Bowl. This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of the Great Depression in the region.