Geographic Center Explanation. Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north and Oklahoma on the south. To the east is Missouri and to the west is Colorado. Kansas covers 82, square miles, making it the 15th largest of the 50 states. The highest point in Kansas is Mount Sunflower at 4, feet above sea level. The Land. Gazing upon Kansas, you'll see rolling plains rising in elevation from east to west. Mile after mile of golden waves highlight Kansas in the early summer as a reminder that this state is the leading producer of wheat in the United States.
The Wheat State can be divided into three geographic regions; the Dissected Till Plains in the northeast, the Southeastern Plains consisting of the Osage Plains and the Flint Hills to the west, and the Great Plains covering the western half of the state. In an effort to preserve the unique history of the state, the Kansas Editors and Publishers established the Kansas Historical Society in Railroad construction had begun in the East prior to the Civil War, but the war effort interrupted most building activity.
The nation needed a way to connect the West with the industrial East and agricultural South—and Kansas was at the crossroads.
A federal land grant program was established to encourage railroad development. Holliday , Union Pacific , and the Kansas Pacific Railway, opened the state to business and industry and settlement.
Kansan Fred Harvey established restaurants along the railroad to make traveling more convenient. Kansas women had rights in child custody, married women had property rights, and women could vote in school board elections. Leaders like Susan B. Anthony came to the state to help Clarina Nichols in a valiant but futile campaign to equalize voting rights. Kansas in the 19th century was primarily agricultural. Farmers experimented with a variety of crops. They learned that farming in the eastern half of the state was different from the western half.
Through droughts and floods, they learned how to improve their farming techniques. Thousands of farmers from agricultural regions in Germany and Russia —Mennonites, Lutherans, and Catholics—urged by the railroads, brought their knowledge to the central part of the state in the mids.
Schmidt became known for his efforts in encouraging these migrations. Kansas surpassed other states in the production of winter wheat in In the midth century cattle were plentiful in Texas, but demand in the North was great. No method existed to transport the animals the long distance. Joseph McCoy established a hub in Abilene in where cattle could be herded and loaded on a train to be shipped to points in the East.
By the end of the year 35, head of cattle had been shipped out of Abilene. The cowboys who drove the cattle on the trails were young men, and often African American or Hispanic.
Other cowtowns were begun in Ellsworth, Wichita, and Dodge City , and Kansas became a leader in the beef industry. Kansans built an impressive seat for state government in the capital city, inspired by the U. Construction began on the Kansas State Capitol in ; it was finally completed in Among the most well-known works of public art, Tragic Prelude created by Kansan John Steuart Curry , is featured on the second floor at the Capitol. Education was important to the new settlers to Kansas.
Schools from elementary to secondary and higher level were built in the new towns and cities being established across the state. In Bluemont College in Manhattan, now Kansas State University, became part of the national land grant college system. Country schools were part of every rural community until unification in the mid 20th century. Kansas reformers worked to change unsafe and unhealthy conditions in the state in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Their reform efforts were often at the forefront of national movements including William Allen White 's editorial, "What's the Matter with Kansas? The Prohibition movement, led by Carry Nation , was among the most well-known of these reform efforts. Once the Wright brothers made a successful first flight on December 17, , in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, interest in aviation exploded, with many others testing their own inventions.
The Kansas landscape provided ideal conditions for early aviators to experiment with flight. The level terrain in the west and south, along with steady winds, attracted many early barnstormers including Charles Lindbergh.
Many inventors and entrepreneurs call Kansas home. Walter Chrysler was born in Wamego and grew up in Ellis. He established Chrysler Motors and was considered among the most successful men in the nation.
As business and manufacturing grew, immigrants from other countries continued to find opportunities in Kansas. People from Mexico moved to the state to work on the railroads and in the manufacturing industry.
Almost 80, Kansas men joined the armed forces during World War I. Camp Funston at Fort Riley was established to train the men going into the service. Fort Riley housed about 26, men and thousands of horses and mules. Some believe that the Flu Epidemic of emerged from this camp.
Arthur Capper , a newspaperman and Kansas governor, was a longtime U. Kansan Charles Curtis served as vice president of the U. Manufacturers saw a decline in orders, and cut production. Businesses and banks no longer offered credit, stores closed, and unemployment soared. To add to the economic impact, drought conditions began to plague the semi-arid portions of the Midwest in While the area received more moisture than usual in , the next four years were deprived of rain; crops shriveled and top-soil eroded.
During the rainy years preceding the drought, ranchers had allowed over grazing. The Dust Bowl reached a peak in spring when about , tons of topsoil was removed from the plains. To help Americans survive these economic times, the federal government launched the New Deal. Some of these programs offered jobs to the unemployed planting forests, making public art, and constructing reservoirs, bridges, roads, and buildings.
He ran an unsuccessful campaign against President Roosevelt. By the s almost 90 percent of urban dwellers had electricity, but only 10 percent of farms were connected. The expense of running lines in the country outweighed the benefits for private electric companies. On May 11, , the Rural Electrification Administration was created and a year later Congress passed the act that provided loans to farmers seeking electrical power. In the midst of depression, farmers avoided loans by establishing cooperatives.
Power reached the state on April 1, , in Brown County. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in , the nation quickly went to war. More than , men and women from Kansas were involved in the armed services between September 16, and June 30, General Dwight D. Eisenhower from Kansas was appointed to lead both the United States and Great Britain in an effort to liberate France and fight the German army.
At home, Kansans contributed to the war effort on the farm and in manufacturing. A number of military aircraft were built in Wichita. During the war, Harry Colmery drafted what became the G. Bill of Right s.
The bill, passed in , transformed America by providing a monthly stipend for veterans who enrolled in colleges and universities.
In Eisenhower was elected the 34th president of the United States. Veterans organizations, like the American Legion , grew in number during the s.
Following the Korean and Vietnam wars, people from Southeast Asia moved to Kansas to find opportunity. South are the Southeastern Plains. Kansas' western half is covered by the Great Plains, which rise in elevation as you continue west toward the Rocky Mountains. Nine-banded armadillos, black-tailed jackrabbits , plains pocket gophers, and least shrews are common in Kansas. Reptiles include prairie king snakes, western worm snakes, prairie lizards, and Great Plains skinks.
In the northeast part of the state, cedar, maple, oak, and walnut trees grow. Cottonwood, the state tree, crops up throughout the state. But Kansas is covered in a lot of grass: the west grows buffalo grass; the Southeastern Plains have bluestem grass, switch grass, and Indian grass; and the Great Plains grow bluegrass. Common wildflowers include sunflowers, verbena, purple coneflower, prairie phlox, and prickly poppy. A general store, jail, and schoolhouse are all on display.
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