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 kept 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.

[3] There was a county seat struggle between La Crosse and Rush Center lasting 10 years until La Crosse finally became the county seat.

[6] It is intersected by Walnut Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas River, and watered by other streams.

31.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Rush County is presently overwhelmingly Republican, although as recently as 1988 Michael Dukakis, aided by a major Great Plains drought, came within 25 votes of carrying the county for the Democrats.

Rush 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 percent food sales requirement.