[3] For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans.

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.

[6] The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

The original branch line connected Florence, Marion, Canada, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Conway, Windom, Little River, Mitchell, Lyons, Chase, Ellinwood.

Sources: National Atlas,[10] U.S. Census Bureau[11] The Great Bend Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Barton County.

30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Barton County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.

† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

The cities of Ellinwood, Great Bend, and Hoisington are considered governmentally independent and are excluded from the census figures for the townships.