Pottawatomie County was organized on February 20, 1857, by Michael Floersch; Jacob Henry Haid; Andrew Noll, Michael
 Repp; Emil Ebert; Franz Anton Dekat; and Gabriel Zoeller. Named for the Pottawatomie Indians, this county contains the
 cities of Westmoreland, Olsburg, Belvue, Emmett, Havensville, Wheaton, Louisville, Manhattan (part), Onaga, St. George,
 St. Marys and Wamego.

 Pottawatomie County was one of the early sites of the Kansas Pacific Railroad in 1867, and saw the building of Tuttle Creek
 Reservoir in the 1950s. In 1961 the proposal of the National Prarie Park was given. Even though the park did not gain
 approval, the lands still exist. The building of the Jeffrey Energy Center, commencing in 1974, has increased the valuation of
 the county from less than $50 million to a quarter billion dollars.

 The first church was the St. Marys Mission founded in 1848. The next church was probably the Catholic church in Flush
 which served as a station for the mission. The first county fair was held in 1907, probably at Onaga. The fair is now combined
 with the 4-H fair. The first schools were at St. Marys Mission. The first public school district was organized in Louisville
 Township but the date is uncertain.

 St. Mary's was established as a girls academy in 1869 after American Indians were moved out of the area. The college was
 chartered in 1870. The boys school opened in the 1880s and granted its first degrees to three young men in 1882. Among the
 well known students to attend St. Mary’s was Spencer Tracy. The future movie star lived at the boarding school after his father
 was transferred to the Kansas City area from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The college closed its doors in 1931 during the Great
 Depression. It became a seminary in the 1930s.

 Pottawatomie has been home to many interesting public figures. Jess Willard, heavyweight boxing champion of the world
 (1915-1919), was raised at Emmett and operated a livery stable there. He was known as the "Pottawatomie Giant." Walter
 Chrysler was born in Wamego while his father was employed as a machinist for the railroad. Wiley Taylor, originally of
 Louisville, and Frank Bushey, of Wheaton, were early big league ball players. Ernie Quigley, St. Marys, was a noted sports
 official both in college and major league baseball in the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Kaul, who practiced law in Wamego, served
 as a district judge and a Kansas Supreme Court Justice (1965-1977). Delmas C. "Buzz" Hill, of Wamego served as a federal
 judge. Richard Rogers, born and raised in Wamego, currently (1987) serves as a federal judge.

 The Oregon Trail, one of the biggest westward trail routes, runs through Pottawatomie County. Numerous movies and books
 have been made about the trail.

 The county holds such interesting sites as the Indian Pay Station, the Old Dutch Mill, Wamego, the Coffey Archeological Site
 on Tuttle Creek, the Vermillion Archeological District, and St. Joseph's Church, known as the "Pearl of the Prairies".