Southeast Kansas is a
region of the
U.S. state of
Kansas. It can be roughly defined by
Woodson County in the northwest,
Bourbon County in the northeast,
Cherokee County in the southeast, and
Montgomery County in the southwest. Geographically it is dominated by a broad rolling landscape located between the
Flint Hills to the west and includes
the Ozarks to the southeast. Some notable
towns there include
Pittsburg,
Parsons,
Coffeyville,
Independence,
Chanute,
Fort Scott, and
Iola. The region has a land area of 13,624.13 km² (5,260.30 sq mi) and a 2000 census population of 180,815 inhabitants. It has 6.43% of the state's land area and 6.726% of its population. It is dominated by a broad rolling landscape that includes
the Ozarks. It receives more precipitation than any other part of Kansas. Southeast Kansas is located in the
tallgrass prairie ecosystem of
North America. Originally inhabited by several
Native American tribes,
frontier towns largely dependent on
cattle ranching, and
mining, were wracked by violence over the issue of
slavery both before and during the
American Civil War. Southeast Kansas offers one of the premier reconstructions of early life in the
United States Army at
Fort Scott National Historic Site.