Pleasanton, the second largest town in Linn county, is situated in the eastern portion on the St. Louis & San Francisco and the Missouri Pacific railroads, 6 miles east of Mound City, the county seat. The town was started in the summer of 1869, when the building of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf R. R. was assured. No town company was ever organized and the town site, which was owned by several persons, seems to have been selected by common consent as the best location for a settlement. The first town lot was sold in Aug., 1869, and within a short time a hotel was built on Main street by John Butler; William E. Talbott started a general store; a hardware store followed; Dr. Bender opened a drug store, and other lines of business were introduced before the railroad was completed to the town, which grew very rapidly for several years and by 1878 had a population of 800.

On Oct. 29, 1869, Pleasanton was incorporated and in 1870 it was organized as a city of the third class, D. W. Poak being elected the first mayor. The Presbyterians perfected an organization in Oct., 1869; the Methodist church was established in April, 1870, and other denomination have built churches at Pleasanton. The first public school district was organized on Feb. 19, 1870, and the school opened with three teachers in April of that year. A school building was completed in 1871 at a cost of $10,000. Today Pleasanton has an excellent graded school system and a high school. A bank was opened in 1870, and in 1881 the library association was organized. One of the first industries of the town was a steam flour mill, erected in the summer of 1869. The next year a second mill was erected, and for some years Pleasanton was a milling center. The first newspaper in the town was the Linn County Press, which appeared in 1869. It was followed by the Pleasanton Observer. With the opening of the coal beds and the development of the mineral resources of the southeastern part of the state, Pleasanton became a shipping point for such products, as well as grain and cattle. The discovery of oil and natural gas in the vicinity has also helped the town and today it is one of the thriving cities of eastern Kansas with a population of 1,373.