right|thumb|300px|The United States in 1820. The graphic shows the straight line western border of Missouri. The Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery in the [[Territories of the United States#Formerly unorganized territories|Unorganized Territory (dark green) and permitted it in Missouri (yellow).]]
thumb|300px|The Platte Purchase region (highlighted in red).
thumb|Iowa-Missouri Border Marker from the Platte Purchase north of Sheridan, Missouri ()
The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from American Indian tribes of the region. It comprised lands along the east bank of the Missouri River and added to the northwest corner of the state of Missouri.
This expansion of the slave state of Missouri was in violation of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited the extension of slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30′ north, except within the boundaries of the state of Missouri, as defined at the time of the adoption of the Missouri Compromise. The area acquired was almost as large as the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined, and extended Missouri westward along the river. St. Joseph, one of the main river ports of departure for the westward migration of American pioneers, was located in the new acquisition.
This territorial expansion significantly altered the state's borders and extended slavery north of the Missouri Compromise line. The newly acquired counties would later play important roles in both westward expansion and the regional politics of pre–Civil War Missouri.
The region of the Platte Purchase includes the following modern counties within its bounds: Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Holt, Nodaway, Platte, and a small portion of Worth. It also includes what are now the northwest suburbs of Kansas City, a small area of Kansas City proper, the cities of St. Joseph and Maryville, Missouri, as well as Kansas City International Airport and almost all of Missouri's portion of Interstate 29, save the small portion which runs concurrently with Interstate 35 in Clay County.
Purchase
When Missouri entered the Union, its western border was established as
<blockquote>"a meridian line passing through the middle of the mouth of the Kansas river, where the same empties into the Missouri river, thence, from the point aforesaid north, along the said meridian line, to the intersection of the parallel of latitude which passes through the rapids of the river Des Moines, making the said line correspond with the Indian boundary line."</blockquote>The purchase extended Missouri's western border north of the Kansas River east along the Missouri River to 95°46′ west longitude.
Less than a year after the Indian Removal Act of 1830, by which the US was authorized to remove the Native American population, the Missouri General Assembly was petitioning Congress to more clearly define the border on the northwest corner of the state. The Legislature noted the boundary was not clear, and that the land was not surveyed, thus leading to settlers encroaching on the lands. The most spectacular example of encroachment was Joseph Robidoux, who had been operating an American Fur Company trading post at St. Joseph, Missouri since 1826.
On January 27, 1835, Senator Lewis F. Linn wrote John Dougherty, an Indian agent, to inquire about acquiring the land. Dougherty agreed, noting that the territory was preventing access to Missouri River shipping by Missouri residents east of the purchase line. According to an early 20th-century historian, Dougherty's reputation among the Native Americans was that of the "Controller of Fire-water" from the Missouri River to the Columbia River.
The first tribes to give up their land were the Potawatomi, who ceded their land in the Treaty of Chicago. They agreed to this in 1833 but the treaty wasn't finalized until 1835. The Potawatomi (about 1,000 to 2,000) moved north to a reservation in Pottawattamie County, Iowa (Council Bluffs, Iowa). They moved again 1837–1838 in the Potawatomi Trail of Death to Osawatomie, Kansas.
The formal application came in the summer of 1835 at a meeting on the Dawes farm near Liberty, Missouri. Andrew S. Hughes, the US Indian agent for the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples, presided over a meeting of Missouri residents who formally asked Congress to acquire the land. Missouri senator Thomas Hart Benton introduced a bill to acquire the land and it was approved with little opposition in June 1836. (He was one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.) Noted diplomat Jeffrey Deroine, a formerly enslaved man, served as an interpreter for this treaty.
The Senate approved the treaty on February 15, 1837. On March 28, 1837, President Martin Van Buren issued a proclamation supporting the annexation. In October 1837, the Missouri General Assembly accepted the land and placed it all initially in the newly created Platte County.
This addition increased the land area of what was already the largest state in the Union at the time (about 66,500 square miles (172,000 km<sup>2</sup>) to Virginia's 65,000 square miles, which then included West Virginia). The acquisition challenged the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by expanding slavery into free territory north of the southern Missouri border with Arkansas (Parallel 36°30′ north), and the Indian Removal Act. It required a second relocation of tribes who had just been moved "permanently" west of the Missouri border, as part of the forced Indian removal policy of ethnic cleansing from lands wanted by whites.
Initial settlement was concentrated in the Town of Barry in south Platte County. Almost overnight, Platte County became the second-largest county in the state, and Weston, Missouri ("West Town") was second only to St. Louis, Missouri in the state. St. Joseph would subsequently become the second-largest city in the state in the early settlement days. Since the purchase opened up a new slave area, the area was settled primarily by slaveholders from the Upper South: Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. They brought enslaved African Americans with them or purchased them at slave markets, to work such Southern commodity crops as the labor-intensive hemp and tobacco. These were grown in the southern portion of the purchase, where farms and plantations had access to the Missouri River for shipping to market. The northern portion of the purchase attracted fewer Southerners and slaveholding was rare.
Geography
Today the Platte Purchase area is among the most rural areas in Missouri. St. Joseph and Maryville, Missouri are the only communities totally within the purchase area that have populations greater than 10,000. Kansas City, Missouri has influenced the area, expanding its boundaries into southern Platte County.
Counties
A list of counties in the Platte Purchase region of Missouri including 2024 population estimates.
<br/>† Partially located outside of region
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Name
!Area
!Population
!County Seat
|-
| Andrew
|
| 18,091
| Savannah
|-
| Atchison
|
| 5,139
| Rock Port
|-
| Buchanan
|
| 83,574
| St. Joseph
|-
| Holt
|
| 4,241
| Oregon
|-
| Nodaway
|
| 20,503
| Maryville
|-
| Platte
|
| 113,207
| Platte City
|-
| Worth †
|
| 1,872
| Grant City
|}
: A portion of Congressional Townships 65, 66, and 67, Range 33 was originally part of Nodaway County and was later ceded to Worth County
Municipalities
A list of populated places in the Platte Purchase region of Missouri with 2020 US census populations.
† County seat<br>†† Partly outside Platte Purchase region
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Name
!County
!Municipal Type
!Population
|-
|Kansas City ††
|Platte
|Home Rule City
|508,090
|-
|St. Joseph †
|Buchanan
|Home Rule City
|72,473
|-
|Maryville †
|Nodaway
|3rd Class City
|10,633
|-
|Smithville ††
|Platte
|4th Class City
|10,406
|-
|Parkville
|Platte
|4th Class City
|7,117
|-
|Savannah †
|Andrew
|4th Class City
|5,069
|-
|Platte City †
|Platte
|4th Class City
|4,784
|-
|Riverside
|Platte
|4th Class City
|4,013
|-
|Country Club
|Andrew
|Village
|2,487
|-
|Weatherby Lake
|Platte
|4th Class City
|2,077
|-
|Weston
|Platte
|4th Class City
|1,756
|-
|Gower ††
|Buchanan
|4th Class City
|1,533
|-
|Tarkio
|Atchison
|4th Class City
|1,506
|-
|Rock Port †
|Atchison
|4th Class City
|1,278
|-
|Mound City
|Holt
|4th Class City
|1,004
|-
|Lake Waukomis
|Platte
|4th Class City
|888
|-
|Oregon †
|Holt
|4th Class City
|837
|-
|Agency
|Buchanan
|Village
|671
|-
|Fairfax
|Atchison
|4th Class City
|648
|-
|Ferrelview
|Platte
|Village
|642
|-
|Edgerton
|Platte
|4th Class City
|601
|-
|Burlington Junction
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|521
|-
|Dearborn
|Platte and Buchanan
|4th Class City
|482
|-
|Hopkins
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|472
|-
|Camden Point
|Platte
|4th Class City
|457
|-
|Ravenwood
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|439
|-
|Platte Woods
|Platte
|4th Class City
|394
|-
|Northmoor
|Platte
|4th Class City
|291
|-
|Maitland
|Holt
|4th Class City
|276
|-
|Tracy
|Platte
|4th Class City
|269
|-
|Farley
|Platte
|Village
|265
|-
|Faucett
|Buchanan
|CDP
|248
|-
|Skidmore
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|245
|-
|Forest City
|Holt
|4th Class City
|243
|-
|Amazonia
|Andrew
|4th Class City
|238
|-
|De Kalb
|Buchanan
|4th Class City
|233
|-
|Houston Lake
|Platte
|4th Class City
|229
|-
|Easton
|Buchanan
|4th Class City
|227
|-
|Rushville
|Buchanan
|Village
|225
|-
|Barnard
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|201
|-
|Conception Junction
|Nodaway
|3rd Class City
|175
|-
|Fillmore
|Andrew
|4th Class City
|173
|-
|Bolckow
|Andrew
|4th Class City
|163
|-
|Clearmont
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|158
|-
|Pickering
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|149
|-
|Graham
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|147
|-
|Sheridan
|Worth
|4th Class City
|145
|-
|Parnell
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|135
|-
|Rosendale
|Andrew
|4th Class City
|119
|-
|Westboro
|Atchison
|4th Class City
|116
|-
|Cosby
|Andrew
|Village
|114
|-
|Elmo
|Nodaway
|4th Class City
|114
|-
|Conception
|Nodaway
|CDP
|111
|-
|Craig
|Holt
|4th Class City
|105
|-
|Lewis and Clark Village
|Buchanan
|Village
|96
|-
|Ridgely
|Platte
|Village
|95
|-
|New Market
|Platte
|CDP
|88
|-
|Big Lake
|Holt
|Village
|65
|-
|Watson
|Atchison
|Village
|61
|-
|Guilford
|Nodaway
|Village
|60
|-
|Arkoe
|Nodaway
|Village
|56
|-
|Clyde
|Nodaway
|Village
|55
|-
|Rea
|Andrew
|Village
|46
|-
|Quitman
|Nodaway
|CDP
|42
|-
|Iatan
|Platte
|Village
|39
|-
|Blanchard
|Atchison
|CDP
|27
|-
|Fortescue
|Holt
|Village
|21
|-
|Bigelow
|Holt
|Village
|5
|-
|Corning
|Holt
|Village
|3
|}
: This settlement is within the original Platte Purchase boundary despite being in a county that is mostly excluded from the Platte Purchase.
Politics
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! rowspan="2" |Year
! colspan="2" |Democrat
! colspan="2" |Republican
! colspan="2" |Third Party
|-
!#
!%
!#
!%
!#
!%
|-
|2020
|46,730
|39.38%
|69,662
|58.70%
|2,278
|1.92%
|-
|2016
|37,532
|34.61%
|64,284
|59.28%
|6,626
|6.11%
|-
|2012
|41,897
|40.69%
|58,955
|57.26%
|2,107
|2.05%
|-
|2008
|50,263
|45.64%
|58,147
|52.79%
|1,728
|1.57%
|-
|2004
|44,926
|43.14%
|58,476
|56.14%
|750
|0.72%
|-
|2000
|40,642
|44.83%
|47,162
|52.02%
|2,857
|3.15%
|-
|1996
|37,736
|45.06%
|35,235
|42.07%
|10,781
|12.87%
|-
|1992
|36,146
|40.18%
|28,796
|32.01%
|25,021
|27.81%
|-
|1988
|39,900
|51%
|38,028
|48.61%
|308
|0.39%
|-
|1984
|31,354
|40.18%
|46,681
|59.82%
|0
|0%
|-
|1980
|33,533
|43.80%
|38,966
|50.90%
|4,058
|5.30%
|-
|1976
|37,450
|50.49%
|35,974
|48.50%
|749
|1.01%
|-
|1972
|23,106
|33.32%
|46,241
|66.68%
|0
|0%
|-
|1968
|29,987
|43.11%
|33,308
|47.89%
|6,257
|9%
|-
|1964
|44,949
|64.89%
|24,322
|35.11%
|0
|0%
|-
|1960
|36,414
|46.85%
|41,307
|53.15%
|0
|0%
|-
|1956
|35,453
|47.26%
|39,559
|52.74%
|0
|0%
|-
|1952
|34,882
|44%
|44,278
|55.86%
|113
|0.14%
|-
|1948
|40,696
|59.60%
|27,471
|40.23%
|115
|0.17%
|-
|1944
|35,492
|51.84%
|32,912
|48.08%
|55
|0.08%
|-
|1940
|44,574
|53.78%
|38,233
|46.13%
|76
|0.09%
|-
|1936
|51,438
|60.01%
|33,956
|39.61%
|243
|0.38%
|-
|1932
|48,212
|64.09%
|26,580
|35.34%
|429
|0.57%
|-
|1928
|27,323
|39.71%
|41,369
|60.12%
|118
|0.17%
|-
|1924
|31,756
|44.86%
|35,311
|49.88%
|3,729
|5.27%
|-
|1920
|32,975
|46.57%
|37,188
|52.52%
|645
|0.91%
|-
|1916
|22,986
|55.25%
|17,965
|43.18%
|651
|1.56%
|-
|1912
|19,697
|51.76%
|11,355
|29.84%
|6,999
|18.39%
|-
|1908
|21,255
|51.89%
|19,083
|46.59%
|620
|1.51%
|-
|1904
|18,103
|46.48%
|19,884
|51.05%
|961
|2.47%
|-
|1900
|21,745
|51.57%
|19,599
|46.48%
|824
|1.95%
|-
|1896
|21,603
|54.62%
|17,571
|44.43%
|375
|0.95%
|-
|1892
|16,605
|48.33%
|14,131
|41.13%
|3,622
|10.54%
|-
|1888
|16,674
|51.44%
|14,398
|44.42%
|1,344
|4.15%
|-
|1884
|15,701
|52.75%
|13,903
|46.71%
|161
|0.54%
|-
|1880
|14,000
|51.13%
|11,179
|40.82%
|2,204
|8.05%
|-
|1876
|13,130
|56.05%
|9,947
|42.46%
|350
|1.49%
|-
|1872
|10,342
|53%
|9,172
|47%
|0
|0%
|-
|1868
|3,554
|33.95%
|6,915
|66.05%
|0
|0%
|-
|1864
|1,852
|24.55%
|5,692
|75.45%
|0
|0%
|-
|1860
|4,934
|40.53%
|972
|7.98%
|6,268
|51.49%
|-
|1856
|4,380
|61.08%
|0
|0%
|2,791
|38.92%
|-
|1852
|3,456
|57.31%
|2,574
|42.69%
|0
|0%
|-
|1848
|3,776
|60.57%
|2,458
|39.43%
|0
|0%
|-
|1844
|3,867
|65.16%
|2,068
|34.84%
|0
|0%
|-
|1840
|2,096
|72.40%
|799
|27.60%
|0
|0%
|}
See also
- Historic regions of the United States
- Ioway Reservation
- Sac and Fox Reservation
References
External links
- Kansas Historical Society history
- Nativeweb history including the treaty