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Named
after Thomas Johnson, and was one of the first counties
established in the Kansas Territory in 1855. The Oregon-California
and Santa Fe Trails, which originated in nearby Independence,
Missouri, passed through the county. The renowned gunfighter
Wild Bill Hickok settled for a time in the county, becoming
constable of Monticello Township in 1858. Johnson County
was the site of many battles between Abolitionists and pro-slavery
advocates during Bleeding Kansas. In 1862 Confederate Guerrillas
from nearby Missouri led by William Quantrill raided the
Johnson County communities of Olathe and Spring Hill, killing
half a dozen men and destroying numerous homes and businesses.
Developer J.C.
Nichols spurred the boom in 1914 when he built the Mission
Hills Country Club to lure upscale residents to Kansas.
Today, Johnson County is one of the fastest growing areas.
It is known as "the Orange County of the Midwest"
for its extreme low-density sprawl and massive development
of new, upper-middle class and upper-class homes. |
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