Basehor is built on a small part of a large tract of land ceded to the Delaware Indians by the United States government on September 24, 1829, in exchange for extensive Delaware holdings in the State of Indiana. The Delawares held the land, or at least parts of it, until the 1860's when the westward expansion of the white man's civilization began to encroach upon the Indian's property. On July 14, 1866, what was left of the Delaware lands, then referred to as the Delaware Diminished Reserve, was offered for sale by the Secretary of the Interior of the United States at not less than $2.50 per acre. The now defunct Leavenworth, Pawnee, and Western Railroad Company subsequently bought all of the remaining land on January 7, 1868.

In 1861, the United States and the Delaware Tribe of Indians made a treaty under which the Leavenworth, Pawnee, and Western Railroad Co., a Kansas Corporation, was permitted to purchase lands of the Delaware Tribe in Leavenworth, Wyandotte, and Jefferson Counties in Kansas, and the agreement for the purchase was made soon after.

How or why Ephraim Basehor, a hard working, frugal farmer of Pennsylvania Dutch descent came to settle in Leavenworth County is not entirely clear. According to the earliest story concerning his activities told by old-timers of the community, he was in Lawrence, Kansas, at the time of the Quantrill raid in August of 1863. Basehor is said to have escaped by hiding in a well while Quantrill's gang sacked the city.

The year 1889 marks the real beginning of the town of Basehor. That year the railroad was completed, a railroad station built, and Ephraim Basehor platted his land and began building the town site. By 1897 the town included a grain elevator, a stockyard, a creamery, a hardware store, two grocery stores, and a blacksmith shop.

After the turn of the century the growth of the town was quite rapid. A butcher shop, another general store, a hotel, a lumberyard, a grain elevator, another creamery, and an icehouse were added. In 1902, Patrick Curry, who served as its first President, organized the Basehor State Bank. A few years later the bank ran into serious financial trouble and was saved when Ephraim Basehor bought the controlling interest and became its President.

Most communities the size of Basehor would never have survived the loss of its only railroad, its bank and most of its business establishments. Basehor, however, was saved by its proximity to Kansas City and the modern phenomenon of the suburban development. Basehor lay dormant from the time of the fire until the end of World War II.

Since that time, Basehor has seen many changes and much growth. New schools, a post office, a library, businesses and many, many homes have been built since then and the city now boasts a population of over 1800. With its convenient location to two major interstates and its small town atmosphere, Basehor will continue to grow in the years to come.