Early history For many
millennia, the
Great Plains of
North America was inhabited by
nomadic Native Americans. The historic Native American tribes of Kansas are many, including the
Kansa, or "Wind People," from whom the name of the state is derived. Also included are the related
Osage,
Pawnee, and
Wichita. From the west and north ranged the
Comanche and
Apache, as well as the
Kiowa,
Cheyenne and
Arapaho. 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 1859,
Chase County was established within the
Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Matfield Green. Matfield Green was named after
Matfield, in England. The
village green at Matfield in Kent is known as Matfield Green. In 1870,
Bazaar Township, Chase County, Kansas, which included Matfield Green at the time, had a population of 376, growing to 1,096 by 1880. In its heyday, at the beginning of the 20th century, Matfield Green grew to about 350 residents and possessed a bank, grocery store, livery and blacksmith, hardware, flour mill and lumberyard, and even a hotel for visitors. It also had its own schools. A post office existed in Matfield Green from January 11, 1867 to September 30, 1995.
Present Like many small towns in Kansas, Matfield Green struggles to maintain its existence. It is helped by a small colony of artists and writers who work to preserve the community, along with the nearby historic Pioneer Bluffs ranch headquarters. Additionally great conservation efforts have been made by both private individuals such as Texas billionaire
Ed Bass and non profit organizations
Nature Conservancy to combat development and preserve the
Flint Hills, which is one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. ==Geography==