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

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.

The trail entered the county, east of Canton, then south of Galva, then north of Inman, and west towards Lyons.

Fuller's Ranch provided accommodations for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and was probably the first white settlement in McPherson County.

McPherson was regularly organized as a county in the spring of 1870, a mass meeting being held at Sweadal.

Sweadal, the county seat thus selected, was located about one mile and a half southwest of the present site of Lindsborg.

In September, however, the County Commissioners resolved to meet at the latter place, McPherson which had already been located some two years.

As early as 1875, city leaders of Marion held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from Florence.

The original branch line connected Florence, Marion, Canada, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Conway, Windom, Little River, Mitchell, Lyons, Chase, then connected with the original AT&SF main line at Ellinwood.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway extended its main line from Herington to Pratt.

[8] This main line connected Herington, Ramona, Tampa, Durham, Waldeck, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Groveland, Inman, Medora, Hutchinson, Whiteside, Partridge, Arlington, Langdon, Turon, Preston, Natrona, Pratt.

The National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through Windom, Conway, McPherson.

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

The cities of Lindsborg and McPherson are considered governmentally independent and are excluded from the census figures for the townships.