Tampa

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. From the 1820s to the 1870s, one of the most significant land routes in the United States was the Santa Fe Trail. It was located along the edge of what would become Tampa. Two Santa Fe Trail markers were located on the trail near Tampa. The trail was active across Marion County from 1821 to 1866. 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 Tampa. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from Herington through Tampa to Pratt. In 1888, this line was extended to Liberal. Later it was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. It foreclosed in 1891 and was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad. The company merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, and merged again in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island". The Golden Belt Town Company filed the plat for Tampa in 1887. The source of the city name is said to have been suggested by a railroad engineer who rode one of the first…

Geography

Tampa is located in the scenic Flint Hills and Great Plains of the state of Kansas.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  237
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  221
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  194
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  175
• Double-crested Cormorant

  Phalacrocorax auritus (Lesson, 1831) · Aves
  172
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  169
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  160
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  159