Known as T-Town by its residents, Topeka is the capital of Kansas, and one of its largest cities. It is said that the name Topeka came from the Osage sentence meaning “good place to dig potatoes.” The city was first settled in the mid 19th century, but there were, of course, indigenous people inhabiting the plains of Kansas for centuries before the arrival of American settlers. These first pioneers reached Topeka on the way out to the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Trail, only to set up a town and ferry service catering to migrants moving out west. When Kansas was finally voted in as a state during the onset of the Civil War, Topeka was chosen as the capital of Kansas. It would take a few decades to actually build the capitol building out of fear that the Confederate forces may attack it.