Named after Marquette, Michigan, the town started with a flourmill on the banks of the Smoky Hill River in 1873 and by 1874, a town charter was signed, and the city began to grow.

In 1905, a devastating tornado destroyed most of the western half of the town, killing 31 people. But the determination to survive and rebuild was very strong. And rebuild they did

Marquette boasts a very historic downtown of Victorian style buildings that are on the Kansas State Register of Historic Places, and have been restored to their original, Swedish influenced, Victorian splendor. The town also has many beautiful Victorian homes that survived the tornado and have been restored.

Marquette is dedicated to maintaining a sense of its history while moving forward into the 21st century.