Burns

History

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. 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. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Burns. In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company built a branch line from Florence to El Dorado, and a station called Burns was built north of the present city location. In 1881, the rail line was extended to Douglass, then later to Arkansas City. The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence through Burns to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942. The original branch line connected Florence through El Dorado to Arkansas City. At the present location, a city named St. Francis was platted in August 1880. When the town incorporated, they discovered the official city name of St. Francis was already taken, so they changed the name to be the same as the nearby Burns train station, then soon afterward the station was moved into the new city. The original station was named after a railroad company official. Burns High School was closed in 1965 as a result of statewide school district consolidation. Burns Elementary & Junior High School closed in 1997…

Geography

Burns is located in the scenic Flint Hills and Great Plains of the state of Kansas. The southern city boundary of Burns is the county line shared between Marion and Butler counties. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Burns has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  166
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  151
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  150
• Eastern Meadowlark

  Sturnella magna (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  135
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  128
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  117
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  109
• Hen Harrier

  Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  108