Basehor

History

In exchange for extensive Delaware holdings in the state of Indiana, on September 24, 1829, the United States government ceded a large tract of land to the Delaware Indians. Basehor is built on a small part of this tract. The Delawares held this land, or at least parts of it, until the 1860s. On July 4, 1866, the Secretary of the Interior of the United States was offered for sale what was left of the Delaware lands, then referred to as the Delaware Diminished Reserve, for not less than $2.50 per acre. The Leavenworth, Pawnee, and Western Railroad Company subsequently bought all of the remaining land on January 7, 1886. The first individuals to own the land upon which Basehor now stands were Thomas Salem and Mary Z. Towne (though William Henery Lewis, who surveyed for the railroad, bought an extensive plot of land to the northeast of Basehor around 1861 and homesteaded it right after the Civil War). The couple bought it from the railroad in 1873 and mortgaged it to Ephraim Basehor the same year. On January 9, 1874, the Townes sold the to Basehor. Ephriam and Reuben's nephew William Mast later moved to Basehor and in 1896 married Margaret Towne, the daughter of the couple from whom they had purchased the land. Basehor was founded in 1889 by Reuben Basehor and his brother Ephraim. They both were of Pennsylvania Dutch descent and came to Kansas in 1854. After living in Lawrence for a time, Ephraim began working as a hired hand for an area farmer. He eventually bought the farm and other land holdings in the area. In 1889, the railroad was completed, and Ephraim plotted his land and began building the town site. It was dedicated on November 30, 1889, and was named after Basehor. Ephraim Basehor donated the land for the schoolhouse around 1900. The old grade school was…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is covered by water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,034
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,667
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,440
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,782
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,710
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,546
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  5,341
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,149

Largest nearby schools

• Lansing High 9-12
  High · Leavenworth · 870 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Basehor-Linwood High School
  High · Basehor · 857 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Tonganoxie Elem
  Elementary · Tonganoxie · 847 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Lansing Elementary School
  Elementary · Lansing · 762 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Basehor-Linwood Middle School
  Middle · Basehor · 660 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Tonganoxie High
  High · Tonganoxie · 642 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Lansing Middle 6-8
  Middle · Lansing · 635 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Basehor Elementary School
  Elementary · Basehor · 505 students · 14.9:1 ratio