Prior to the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492, the first dwellers were Native Americans. No one knows how far back, 1000 years, maybe 10,000 years; in pre-historic times there is proof that Southwest Kansas was the bed of a vast inland sea. The geological formations showing the attrition of water and fossils found tell the story of the inland sea. After the sea dried up, the winds and rain erosion prepared the area for what later became the Great American Desert. This was a country of fairly level grassland. The animals that were grass eaters moved into the territory: buffalo, elk deer, antelope, and the smaller game. The Native Americans came later.
The most numerous of the animal species were the American buffalo crossing this area twice each year in their annual trek from southern Texas to the Dakotas and Canada. They blazed a trail to be followed later by explorers, scouts, cattlemen, and settlers.
After the discovery of America by Columbus, the following are the non-Native nations laying claim to the territory of which Seward County was a part. Spain, of course had possession first due to Columbus' discovery of America. Then England laid claim in 1497 through John Cabot. France laid claim in 1682: then Spain in 1763, with the end of the nine-year French and Indian War, got it back. The territory went to France in 1801 when Napoleon purchased it in secret from Spain. Finally, it became part of the United States in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. For an animated short video showing the various ownership changes of what would become Kansas, please see Animated Territorial Expansion of the United States.
True possession of this particular part wherein it became Seward County, was established after the war with Mexico in 1848. Colorado and the Spanish explorers in search of gold, crossed into what is now Kansas, near the present site of Liberal in 1541, laying claim to all of the territory as belonging to Spain. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was the first white man to enter what is now Seward County.
The western short grass country, of which Seward County is a part was occupied by the Plains Apache, followed by the Kiowa, Cheyenne, Commanche, and Arapahoe nations first as nomads traveling from place to place. Then the native villages came into being as permanent settlements: and the Native Americans began raising corn, beans and squash. From the time of Cornado's exploring trip into Kansas in 1541 until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 conditions remained about the same. It was all Native American territory with periods of exploration from 1806 to 1848, such as Lewis and Clark's expedition, Zebulon Pike's report of 1810 telling of extensive herds of wild horses which were the offspring of the horses lost by Coronado.
Captain John R. Bell reported on August 14, 1820, that the far west, of which Seward County was a part, was uninhabitable for civilized men because there was practically no rainfall west of the 100th Meridian and not a fit place for man to settle--only known as the Great American Desert--creating a confirming image that the generations of Kansas would struggle to repute.
Congress designated all of this territory as Indian Territory in 1830. For many years, there were numerous bitterly contested battles fought between the Native Americans and the white settlers, as the Natives felt the white settlers were trespassing or occupying their lands. After the Civil War the western part of the state had numerous skirmishes between Natives and settlers until in 1865 a peace commission appointed by President Johnson met with 5,000 Indians near the Wichita Native American Village on the Little Arkansas River. However, the Cheyenne chief refused to abide by the treaty. Another peace council was called and peace was made in November 1867 on Medicine Lodge Creek. When Congress failed to provide the Natives as promised with food, clothing and money, the Natives again raided the white settlers. The last Native American raid in Kansas was in the southeast in 1878. Western Kansas in 1872 was practically uninhabitable, and settlement came to the country only after the railroads came through, linking the east and west coasts.
On May 29, 1854, the Kansas Territory was created and encompassed land significantly larger than the present State, including Denver and land further west. In 1855, Washington County was created encompassing much of southwest Kansas including what would later become Seward County. However, in 1857 all that had been Washington County became “non-county area 3.” In 1859, the same area became part of non-county area 2. In February 1860, a large part of western and southwestern Kansas was again organized as a large county named Peketon which existed for only five years. In February 1865, the entire area of Peketon County became part of Marion County. In February 1867, what would later become Seward County was again relegated to “non-county” status as area 6 and remained this way until March 1873. Seward County was established March 20, 1873. On February 22, 1883, Seward County expanded to include Kansas (now Morton County), Stevens, and part of Meade. Meade County was re-established March 13, 1885, and Morton and Stevens on February 20, 1886. For an interactive map showing the changes and development of Kansas counties from 1854 to present, please see A Visual History of Kansas Counties.
In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act opened government land for settlement. The act provided that the people of Kansas and Nebraska should decide whether to be a slave state or a free state. The state became a battleground over the issue and many believe the Civil War really started in Kansas. The war raged for seven years before the entire nation became involved.
After three attempts to gain statehood in 1855, Kansas was admitted to statehood on January 29, 1861, and became the 34th state in the Union. Only one Civil War battle was fought on Kansas soil at Trading Post in the southeast part of the state. The town of Pleasanton in Linn County is near the site of the battleground.