History of The City of Blue Township & East Manhattan.

East Manhattan/Blue Township lies on the northeast corner of the confluence of the Big Blue and Kansas Rivers. There was a major Konza Indian village on the site of Dick Edwards Ford dealership in 1829. A few years later the Konza were moved to a "diminished reserve" south of Council Grove. The Blue River Valley was a traditional route used by the Pawnee Indians to make raids into the Kansas River region.

Several trails passed through the area beginning in the 1850's, including the Smoky Hill Trail and the Ft Leavenworth - Ft Riley Military Trail.

Most of the land along the rivers was prime agricultural land, while the bluffs and uplands were devoted to ranching. In the very early days of the settlement of the area, most of the land in Blue Township was settled for farming and ranching.

As recently as the 1940's and 50's - the land where Green Valley Business Park is presently located was an 80 acre private airport for small aircraft, offering a certified flight school, aircraft sales and repair and later a crop dusting service.

Over the intervening decades, most of the area along the Hwy. 24 corridor has gradually been converted to commercial and industrial use. Lands a little off the main corridor are increasingly being devoted to residential subdivisions. Much farm and ranch land still exists beginning a mile or two off either side of Highway 24.

There is very little specific historic commemoration in or about this area. There are no museums and no historical sites officially designated at present. Some commemoration of the area generally is presented at historic museums in Manhattan and Wamego.