Topeka is the U.S. state capital whose name comes from a Kansa-Osage term associated with growing potatoes.
The name is commonly interpreted from an Indigenous phrase referring to a good place to dig potatoes. Topeka was founded in 1857 by antislavery settlers from the New England Emigrant Aid Company and other groups. Its location beside the Kansas River made it useful for transportation and settlement.
Topeka became the capital of Kansas when Kansas entered the Union as a state in 1861. The city was also central to the debate over slavery in the territory. The Topeka Constitution of 1855 was one of several proposed territorial constitutions, although it was not accepted as Kansas’s governing constitution.
Topeka is sometimes confused with Wichita, Kansas’s largest city. Wichita is a major commercial center, while Topeka serves as the seat of state government. The Kansas State Capitol occupies a prominent position in central Topeka.