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 Kansas is a great vacation destination - whether you're traveling alone, with family, or on a group tour. With its rich history, wonderfully scenic landscape, exciting attractions, and always friendly Midwestern hospitality, Kansas is a great time. It's all here. It's all waiting. So go ahead, start planning your Kansas vacation today.
Kansas was granted statehood in 1861, becoming the 34th state in the US. Now with a population of nearly 3,000,000, Kansas is known as the Sunflower State, Wheat State, and the Jayhawker State.
The capital of Kansas is Topeka. The Kansas Capitol was constructed over a period of 37 years, from 1866 to 1903. The Capitol currently houses the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Revisor of Statutes; the Kansas House and Senate chambers, legislative offices and administrative staff; the Capitol press corps; and the Kansas State Library.
Kansas has had a dramatic history, even before it became the 34th state. Historians have reported that Native Americans were living in Kansas as early as 12,000 B.C. They were followed for centuries by many different tribes making the history of Kansas entwined with the first Americans.
Between 1541 and 1739 explorers from Spain and France came to the area in search of gold, knowledge, and trade with the Indians. In 1803, Kansas became a part of the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Fifty-one years later it was organized as a territory which included the eastern half of Colorado.
Conflict over slavery led to bloody battles between free-staters (anti-slavery) and pro-slavery forces. This led to the attack on Lawrence by pro-slavery forces and the widespread public outcry associated with "Bleeding Kansas." Kansas became part of the United States as a free state in 1861.
After the Civil War expansion of the rail system to Kansas and the increasing stream of immigrants lured to the state by offers of cheap land, Native Americans were forced into smaller and smaller reservations. Ultimately their removal to Indian Territory forced the final confrontation in the late 1870s that ended the independent life of the Native Americans.
The establishment of military posts to protect the railroads and trails used by immigrants led to the establishment of small towns which followed the posts. By 1870, the Kansas cow towns, following the westward expansion of the railroads, became well established. Such towns as Dodge City, Abilene, Caldwell, Newton, and Wichita took their turns as the Queens of the Trail. To this day, the cattle industry remains an important part of the state's economy.
The introduction of Turkey Red Winter Wheat by Mennonites from Russia in 1874 was a milestone in Kansas agriculture. The wheat was ideally suited to the Kansas climate and has made Kansas one of the leading wheat-producing states in the nation.
The 20th century brought mining, oil production, the discovery of natural gas and helium, the meatpacking industry, automobile manufacturing, and the aircraft industry. In this century, Kansas has changed from being primarily a cattle and wheat state to a thriving industrial and agricultural state. As the center of the 48 contiguous states, Kansas has proven to be an attractive location for many companies serving national and international markets.
Statehood:
January 29, 1861, 34th state
Origin of Name:
Named after the Indians that the Sioux called the Konza, meaning "people of the south wind"
Normal daily mean temperature: 56.2 degrees Fahrenheit
Percent of days that are sunny: 62 percent
Average wind speed: 12.3 miles per hour
The terrain and climate of the state are quite diverse. From the arid, near desert southwest with its cactus, sagebrush, and yucca, to the rolling woodlands of eastern Kansas, the state provides a wide variety of plant life and geographic forms. The state is dominated by the central Flint Hills where large tracts of unplowed tall grass are found. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve's 11,000 acres are the largest protected tall grass prairie in the United States. The Konza Prairie's 8,600 acres is the second largest.
Kansas has many rivers and man-made lakes within its boundaries. The Arkansas River is the longest in the state and the Nemaha is the only Kansas river that flows north. Thousands of acres of man-made lakes furnish flood control and recreation in all sections of the state. There are over 20 major reservoirs in the state with Milford being the largest with over 16,000 surface acres.
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