Early 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.
19th century 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.
20th century Burns High School was closed in 1965 as a result of statewide school district consolidation. Burns Elementary & Junior High School closed in 1997 due to the lack of funds. Education is currently provided by
Peabody–Burns USD 398 public school district in
Peabody.
21st century In 2010, the
Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed 6.5 miles west of Burns, north to south through
Marion County, with much controversy over road damage, tax exemption, and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs). A pumping station named
Burns was built two miles north of
Potwin. On August 15. 2023 police chief Joel Justice Womochil was arrested for possessing child pornography. He had been chief since February 8, 2022 but resigned on August 8. In March 2025, a federal judge sentenced him to 60 years in prison for two different conspiracies to produce pornography with children under six. ==Geography==