U.S. Route 59 in Kansas U.S. Route 59 in Kansas U.S. Route 59 (US-59) is a north-south highway in Kansas that travels from Chetopa to Atchison. US-59 is a highway which runs from south to north in eastern Kansas. It enters the state from Oklahoma south of Chetopa and passes through Parsons, Ottawa, and Lawrence. The route leaves Kansas for Missouri by crossing the Missouri River at Atchison. Most of the route climbs the cuestas of the Osage prairie, while north of the Kansas River, it cuts through the glaciated region. Like other state highways in Kansas, US-59 is maintained by the Kansas Department of
Kansas in the American Civil War engagements did occur within its borders, as well as countless raids and skirmishes between local irregulars, including the Lawrence Massacre by pro-Confederate guerrillas under William Quantrill in August 1863. Later the state witnessed the defeat of Confederate General Sterling Price by Union General Alfred Pleasonton at the Battle of Mine Creek, the second-largest cavalry action of the war. The decision of how Kansas would enter the Union was a pivotal one which forced the entire country to confront the political and social turmoil generated by the question of abolition and contributed to the strong division in sentiment that eventually erupted