[1] The county is named in memory of J. Nelson Smith, a major in the 2nd Colorado Cavalry, killed at the Battle of Westport on October 21, 1864.

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

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, while retaining title to approximately 7,500 square miles.

[citation needed] 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.

When hardy Winter wheat was introduced to Kansas by Russian settlers, it eventually became the predominant crop in Smith County.

The population of the county has slowly declined since 1900 due in large part because of advanced farming techniques that require less human labor.

[citation needed] Brewster Higley wrote the song "Home on the Range" in 1873 in a cabin nine miles northwest of Smith Center.

The Solomon River runs through the southern part of the county and provides a flat basin and water for irrigated crops.

The population distribution by township is as follows according to the 2000 census: Banner 54; Beaver 60; Blaine 60; Cedar 619; Center 2,094; Cora 38; Crystal Plains 40; Dor 46; Garfield 33; German 34; Harlan 100; Harvey 130; Houston 206; Lane 134; Lincoln 73; Logan 47; Martin 24; Oak 399; Pawnee 35; Pleasant 34; Swan 42; Valley 75; Washington 63; Webster 47; White Rock 49.

Since 1940 the only Democrat to win forty percent of the county's vote has been Lyndon Johnson during his 1964 landslide, and the last to pass thirty percent was Michael Dukakis during the drought-affected 1988 election Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1992, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.