Lewis, Clark & York

Contact between Indigenous and European communities in Kansas began as early as 1541 when the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, was searching for the mythical “Seven Cities of Gold.” Americans entered in the picture in 1803 when present-day Kansas was bought by the United States from France. After the Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on an expedition to explore this new territory. In June of 1804, the explorers set foot in what would someday be Kansas. Clark brought along his slave, York, making him one of the first, if not the first, African-Americans in Kansas.  Initially, Americans were not interested in moving to Kansas, because it was a part of the “Great American Desert.” However, that changed in the 1850s, after the United States gained even more territory due to the Mexican War and then gold was discovered in California. The Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails exploded in popularity, which made the Kansas City area an important trade hub.