Olathe Kansas History & Facts

Olathe is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in the Kansas City metropolitan area and Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290.

Olathe was founded by Dr. John T. Barton in the spring of 1857. He rode to the center of Johnson County, and staked two quarter sections of land as the town site. He later described his ride to friends: "...the prairie was covered with verbena and other wild flowers. I kept thinking the land was beautiful and that I should name the town Beautiful." Purportedly, Barton asked a Shawnee interpreter how to say "Beautiful" in his native language. The interpreter responded, "Olathe."

Olathe was incorporated in 1857, and while not the first city in Johnson County, its rapid growth led to it being named the county seat in October 1859. Rising tensions across the nation over the issue of slavery led to numerous clashes between abolitionist settlers and neighboring slave state Missouri. These clashes further escalated and become a part of the greater conflict known as Bleeding Kansas. With the admission of Kansas into the Union as a free state in 1861, violence began to dissipate. Peace continued to elude Olathe for many years to come, however. In 1861, Union officials and local military forces created a military post in the city. It housed one company of troops along with the local militia.

On September 6, 1862, William Quantrill led a surprise raid of guerrilla Confederates against the city, which resulted in a half dozen deaths and the destruction of most of the city. Quantrill captured the outpost and tried forcing the men to swear an oath to the Confederacy. The oath was deemed invalid in November 1862, since the guerrillas were not considered legitimate enemy military units. Kansas militia continued to occupy the Olathe military post through the rest of the Civil War.

Confederate forces attempted two further raids against the city. The first happened on August 20–21, 1863, as Quantrill was passing through on his way to Lawrence, Kansas (see Lawrence Massacre). The second raid occurred October 24–5, 1864, when Confederate Major General Sterling Price, with a force of 10,000 men, passed through on their retreat south (see Price's Raid). With the Confederate surrender, the military post was decommissioned in August 1865.

Olathe served as a stop on the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Santa Fe Trail. Catering to travelers was the main source of income for local stores and businesses. The Mahaffie House, a popular resupply point for wagons headed westward, is today a registered historical site maintained by the City of Olathe. The staff wears period costumes, and stagecoach rides and farm animals make the site a favorite among children. Visitors can participate in Civil War re-enactments, Wild West Days, and other activities.

Olathe is bordered by the cities of Lenexa to the north, Overland Park to the east, De Soto to the northwest, and Gardner to the southwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.42 square miles (156.49 km2) of which 59.66 square miles (154.52 km2) are land and 0.76 square miles (1.97 km2) is covered by water. Olathe has two public lakes: Lake Olathe with 172 acres (0.70 km2) of water surface and Cedar Lake with 45 acres (0.18 km2).

Olathe's Black Bob Park is named after Hathawekela Shawnee Chief Black Bob.

Famous Peoples From Olathe Kansas

Willie Aames

(born Albert William Upton; July 15, 1960) is an American actor, film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Tommy Bradford, one of the children of Tom Bradford (played by Dick Van Patten), on the 1970s television series Eight Is Enough, Buddy Lembeck on the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge and the title character in the direct-to-video series, Bibleman (1995–2003).

Aames was born in Newport Beach, California, in 1960. He attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California, and was in both the choir and the Madrigal Ensemble.

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