Kansas' Steps to Statehood 2

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In 1541, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, became the first white man to set foot on land that would later be known as Kansas. His original quest was finding the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. Having failed in his quest, he then claimed all the land for Spain. Had he waited a couple centuries he would have found golden fields of grain. One of his fellow travelers was Father Juan de Padilla, a Franciscan missionary, who tried to bring Christianity to the area. Padilla returned the following year and became the first Christian martyr in the United States.

In 1606, the English Crown gave West Virginia a land grant which extended its western border to the Pacific Ocean. The land presently known as Kansas was included. Since the British flag never flew over this land, the claim was never officially recognized. Britain eventually abandoned this claim.

From 1673 to 1724, this area was explored by the French voyagers, Claude Charles du Tisne, Etienne de Bourgmont, Paul Mallet and Pierre Mallet. They explored the area in and around what became known as Kansas while looking for an overland trade route. Because of these explorations, the French crown claimed this territory as part of Louisiana.

The Seven Years War in Europe ended in 1762 when England defeated France. The treaty which ended the war forced France to relinquish some of her claims in the New World; thus, this territory was ceded to Spain. As part of the Treaty of 1800, France again gained control of this land.