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.

Only six presidential elections from 1888 to the present have resulted in Republicans failing to win the county, with the last of these being in 1964.

[12] Former Neosho County Attorney Linus Thuston, who was jailed for misdemeanor convictions early in 2024, in December 2024 faced six felony charges of perjury and witness intimidation.

The complaint accused Thurston of lying during testimony in an arrangement that involved a female (one of more than 50) who were coerced to send Thurston nude photos.Sheriff’s officers filed reports that accused Thuston of using confidential information for personal gain, intimidating a witness or victim, disseminating a criminal history record, theft by deception, preventing reporting of victimization, and other felonies.

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

The city of Chanute is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Neosho County, Kansas