Editing Reading, Kansas (section)

==History==
For millennia, the land that is currently Kansas was inhabited by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].  In 1803, the United States secured most of modern [[History of Kansas|Kansas]] as part of the [[Louisiana Purchase]].  In 1854, Congress organized the [[Kansas Territory]] and in 1861, [[Kansas]] became the 34th state.

In 1863, by Act of Congress and similarly by an act of the State of Kansas, the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] was granted 3,000,000 acres of Kansas land on the condition that it would build a continuous line to the western border of Kansas by March 1, 1873. On Oct. 30, 1868, construction began at Topeka. By Sept. 14, 1870, the first Santa Fe train reached Emporia, fifteen miles past the present site of Reading.<ref>{{cite journal|title= The Birth of The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad| journal=The Kansas Historical Quarterly |author1=Joseph W. Snell |author2=Don W. Wilson |date=Summer 1968 |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=113–142 |url=http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1968/68_2_snell+wilson.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050418030132/http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1968/68_2_snell+wilson.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-04-18}}</ref> James Fagan, agent for the railroad lands, and T. J. Peter and M. S. Sargent, who represented the railroad interest, organized a town company, with James Fagan as president. The land was owned by McMann & Co., of [[Reading, Pennsylvania]].  The town was platted on sixty acres of Section 3, Township 18, Range 13, and called it Reading, after [[Reading, Pennsylvania]].  In summer 1870, the town site was surveyed.<ref>{{cite book| chapter-url=http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/lyon/lyon-co-p18.html#READING| title=History of the State of Kansas| chapter=Lyon County, Part 18: Reading| first=William G.| last=Cutler| year=1883| editor-first=Bonnie| editor-last=Bunce| publisher=A. T. Andreas| location=[[Chicago]]}}</ref>

The first post office in Reading was established in August 1870.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/page:1/county:LY/sort:County.county_name/direction:desc| title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961| publisher=[[Kansas Historical Society]]| access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref>  Reading was incorporated as a city in September 1890.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iZO2CL7-JAkC&pg=PA136 |title=History of Emporia and Lyon County, Kansas| publisher=Heritage Books| last=French| first=Laura M.| year=2009| pages=136| isbn=978-0788403460}}</ref>

===2011 tornado===
On May 21, 2011 around 9:15PM, an [[Enhanced Fujita Scale|EF3]] [[tornado]] hit Reading. It was three blocks wide and stayed on the ground for about four miles.  The tornado destroyed at least 56 of 110 homes and 14 of 21 businesses. The post office and fire station suffered major damage. One person died and two were hospitalized. Early damage estimates topped $2.2 million.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/22/1859055/tornado-causes-extensive-damage.html| title=EF3 tornado kills one, causes extensive damage in Lyon County town| work=[[The Wichita Eagle]]| date=May 22, 2011| access-date=2015-08-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://lakeexpo.com/news/top_stories/reading-kan-reels-after-devastating-storm/article_8522e44a-8549-11e0-a58a-001cc4c03286.html| title=Reading, Kan. reels after devastating storm| work=[[The Kansas City Star]]| first=Brad| last=Cooper| date=May 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Kansas officials inspect damage in Reading| url=http://cjonline.com/news/2011-05-23/kansas-officials-inspect-damage-reading| last=Carpenter| first=Tim| date=May 23, 2011| work=[[The Topeka Capital-Journal]]| access-date=2015-08-05}}</ref>

In just over a year, the community rebuilt itself with some help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.<ref>{{cite news| title=Reading, Kan., doesn't qualify for some FEMA aid| url=http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/reading-kan-doesn-t-qualify-for-some-fema-aid/article_43dd9dae-0fa3-5469-9992-2c767848f4b9.html| last=Fisher| first=Maria Sudekum| agency=[[Associated Press]]| work=[[Columbia Missourian]]| date=June 12, 2011| access-date=2015-08-05}}</ref> Most of the town has been rebuilt as of 2023.{{clear left}}