Topeka means "to dig good potatoes" in the languages of the Kansa and the Ioway. The potato referred to is the prairie potato, Psoralea esculenta, a perennial herb which is an important food for many Native Americans. As a place name, Topeka was first recorded in 1826 as the Kansa name for what is now called the Kansas River. Topeka's founders chose the name in 1855 because it "was novel, of Indian origin and euphonious of sound."
The city, laid out in 1854, was one of the Free-State towns founded by Eastern antislavery men immediately after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. In 1857, Topeka was chartered as a city.1
... So, what is the state of downtown today? In spite of all of the hand wringing, it's really not too bad, Its a matter of definition. If your idea downtown is Topeka's retail center, you're going to be disappointed. But if you idea is to watch downtown evolve into our major office park and government center, with supporting specialty shops and living units, encompassing a wealth of historic structures adapted to these new uses, then you should be pleasantly surprised. The false fronts are coming down. The old store fronts are finally being appreciated for their beauty and links to Topeka's past. And finally some if the new buildings, such as the Charles Curtis Buildi9ng at 10th and Jackson and the new transit building at 9th and Quincy reflect a quality and architectural beaut that add to, rather than detract from, the older buildings the face.
In spite of the 40+ years of questionable planning, unfortunate demolitions, questionable infill architecture, surface parking lots, false starts by successive city councils, and an inability on our part to define what downtown really should become; downtown is again becoming a place to be proud of. The magic is still there.2