Chetopa

History

The community began as an Osage village, named after its Chief Chetopah, whose name in the Osage language signifies "four lodges." He was an advocate of peace, the leading chief of the Little Osage band, and one of the chief counselors of the Osage Nation. The Osage had a large reservation in southern Kansas since the Osage Treaty of 1825. White settlers were not supposed to be in the area, but in 1847, a trading post to exchange goods with the Osage Nation was established by Larkin McGhee. By the time of McGhee's arrival, there were three other white families squatting there, plus two families with a white husband and a Cherokee wife at Chetopah. There were also many Osage on their reservation there. Chetopah was the site of an early Civil War battle on September 18, 1861, between the 6th Kansas Cavalry under the direction of James G. Blunt and pro-slavery raiders led by John Allen Mathews, whose wife was an Osage and was culturally identified with the Osages. The first post office in Chetopah was established in April 1867. In 1880, Postmaster J.M. Cavaness petitioned the removal of the ending "h" in the original spelling to become Chetopa. Chetopa was the destination of the Nevada and Minden Railway, completed in 1886. Much of the trackage has since been abandoned.

Geography

Chetopa is located at (37.037452, -95.091892). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chetopa has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  465
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  335
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  298
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  298
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  285
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  285
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  283
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  278

Largest nearby schools

• Oswego Junior-Senior High School
  High · Oswego · 191 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Oswego Neosho Hgts Elem
  Elementary · Oswego · 185 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Bartlett Elem
  Elementary · Bartlett · 109 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• Chetopa Elem
  Elementary · Chetopa · 71 students · 10.1:1 ratio
• Chetopa High
  High · Chetopa · 67 students · 8.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-12-26
  5 km SSW of Peru, Kansas
• M 2.82 — 2024-03-23
  9 km SE of Foyil, Oklahoma
• M 2.7 — 2016-01-14
  7 km W of Talala, Oklahoma
• M 3 — 2014-10-01
  9 km SSW of Galesburg, Kansas