Canada, Kansas

File:Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion County.png]]

{{See also|History of Kansas}}

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.

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 Canada.{{Cite web |url=http://www.marioncoks.net/AboutMarionCounty/History/tabid/7634/Default.aspx |title=The History of Marion County and Courthouse |access-date=2014-04-23 |archive-date=2018-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227021903/http://www.marioncoks.net/AboutMarionCounty/History/tabid/7634/Default.aspx |url-status=dead }}

David Christie, former Speaker of the Senate of Canada, sent his sons to buy {{convert|3|sqmi|km2|0}} near the future site of Canada. Many Canadian immigrants moved to the area, thus becoming the source of the community. Canada was platted on December 15, 1883, but never incorporated.

As early as 1875, city leaders of Marion held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from Florence. In 1878, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and parties from Marion and McPherson counties chartered the Marion and McPherson Railway Company.Marion County Kansas : Past and Present; Sondra Van Meter; MB Publishing House; LCCN 72-92041; 344 pages; 1972. In 1879, a branch line was built from Florence to McPherson; in 1880 it was extended to Lyons and in 1881 was extended to Ellinwood.[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIwpAAAAYAAJ Fourth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending December 1, 1886 in State of Kansas; Kansas Publishing House; 1886.] The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence to Marion was abandoned in 1968.[http://www.abandonedrails.com/Marion_to_Florence Railway Abandonment 1968] In 1992, the line from Marion to McPherson was sold to Central Kansas Railway. In 1993, after heavy flood damage, the line from Marion through Canada to McPherson was abandoned and removed. The original branch line connected Florence, Marion, Canada, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Conway, Windom, Little River, Mitchell, Lyons, Chase and Ellinwood.

A post office existed in Canada from February 20, 1884 to February 28, 1954.{{cite web |url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county:MN |title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived) |publisher=Kansas Historical Society |accessdate=14 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009130856/http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county%3AMN |archivedate=October 9, 2013 }}

From 1964 to 1968, the Marion Reservoir was constructed north of Canada.

In August 2015, a film crew for an advertising agency in Toronto, Ontario came to Canada to interview residents and give away New Balance shoes for a Canadian TV commercial.Canadians discover ‘the other Canada’, page 4; Peabody Gazette-Bulletin; 10 pages; August 19, 2015.

Canada is located at coordinates 38.3541802, -97.1128030 in the scenic Flint Hills and Great Plains of the state of Kansas. It is approximately halfway between Marion and Hillsboro.

• Marion Reservoir, one mile (two km) north of Canada. The Hillsboro cove is closest to Canada. Exits along US-56: French Creek cove (Limestone Road), Hillsboro cove (Nighthawk Road), Overlook and Dam (Old Mill Road), Marion cove and Cottonwood Point cove (Pawnee Road).

The community is served by Marion–Florence USD 408 public school district. All students attend schools in Marion. The high school is a member of T.E.E.N., a shared video teaching network between five area high schools.[http://mnmid.usd408.com/teen/webpage/index.htm T.E.E.N. video teaching network] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205042542/http://mnmid.usd408.com/teen/webpage/index.htm |date=2010-12-05 }}

• Marion High School, located in Marion.
• Marion Middle School, located in Marion.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100715000931/http://www.usd408.com/mms.html Marion Middle School]
• Marion Elementary School, located in Marion.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100710031920/http://www.usd408.com/mes.html Marion Elementary School]

{{See also|Media in Wichita, Kansas|List of newspapers in Kansas|List of radio stations in Kansas|List of television stations in Kansas}}

• Marion County Record, county newspaper from Marion.
• Hillsboro Free Press, free newspaper for greater Marion County area.

U.S. Route 56 highway is {{convert|0.5|mi}} north of the community. U.S. 56 was previously located {{convert|0.5|mi}} south of the community.

• Internet
• Satellite is provided by HughesNet, StarBand, WildBlue.
• TV
• Satellite is provided by DirecTV, Dish Network.
• Terrestrial is provided by regional digital TV stations.
• Electricity
• Community and Rural areas provided by [http://www.flinthillsrec.com Flint Hills RECA].
• Water
• Community and Rural areas provided by Marion County RWD #4 ([https://www.krwa.net/Portals/krwa/mapovers/MN02-04.pdf map]).

{{Reflist}}

{{See also|Marion County, Kansas#Further reading|l1=List of books about Marion County, Kansas}}

• Beginnings in the Canada Community; H.J. Siebert; Marion Record. September 23, 1937.

{{Commons category|Canada, Kansas}}

• {{YouTube|9c8R6zvMd4Q|We’re Not In Canada Anymore}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130509035324/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/marion/library/cemetery/CemList.html Marion County cemetery list], archive of KsGenWeb
• [http://www.kshs.org/p/marion-county-history-bibliography/13487 Marion County history bibliography], [http://www.kshs.org/p/marion-county-schools-bibliography/13662 Marion County school bibliography], Kansas Historical Society
• Marion County maps: [https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/marion.PDF Current], [https://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/maps/PastPublishedCounty.asp Historic], KDOT
• [https://archive.org/download/usgs_drg_ks_38097_c1/o38097c1.tif Topo Map of Marion / Aulne / Canada area], USGS

{{Marion County, Kansas}}

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Category:Unincorporated communities in Kansas

Category:Unincorporated communities in Marion County, Kansas

Category:Populated places established in 1883

Category:1883 establishments in Kansas