History of Pittsburg, Kansas
Our rich history tells us where we came from and helps us appreciate how far we've come. We honor our history and celebrate our progress as we look forward to a bright future.
In May of 1876, four men from Kansas and Missouri platted the town of New Pittsburg on a railroad line that extended from Joplin, Missouri, to Girard, Kansas. Their goal was to build a railroad that connected lead and zinc mines in Missouri to the new coal fields opening in Southeast Kansas and to the extensive Kansas railroad system and markets beyond. The townsite that is now Pittsburg was located virtually in the center of a large coal field extending through Bourbon, Crawford, and Cherokee counties in Kansas. In 1881 "New" was dropped from the name of the Pittsburg community.
In the decade that followed, the rapid growth of the commercial mining of coal, the discovery of rich clay deposits used for brick and tile manufacturing, the construction of 48 zinc smelters inside the city limits, and the influx of numerous associated industrial and manufacturing enterprises saw the population of Pittsburg increase more than tenfold to 6,697 residents by 1890.
Miners from the United States and from the coal-producing nations of Europe flocked to the Southeast Kansas mines. These miners represented over 50 different nationalities, giving the area its international heritage that continues to this day. In 1901 Pittsburg was only 25 years old but already a mining, manufacturing, and railroad center with a population of more than 15,000. The mining villages and towns surrounding Pittsburg acted as additional economic stimulators with a trading population over 40,000.
By the 1920s, the coal mining industry was rapidly transitioning from the "deep shaft" underground methods to strip mining, employing large coal shovels. The estimated population of Pittsburg in 1919 was 27,080, but the mechanization of the mining industry put many of the miners out of work. The growth of Pittsburg State University took on increased cultural and economic importance as Pittsburg saw its early industries diminished through the middle of the 20th century.
As the nation celebrated its bicentennial in 1976, Pittsburg was celebrating its centennial and embarking on significant revitalization programs, attracting new business and industry, and setting a progressive course that continues to the present day.