Portal:Kansas

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The Kansas Portal

Kansas (/ˈkænzəs/ ^ⓘ KAN-zəss) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River, in turn named after the Kansa people. Its capital is Topeka, and its most populous city is Wichita; however, the largest urban area is the bi-state Kansas City metropolitan area split between Kansas and Missouri.

For thousands of years, what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Indigenous tribes. The first settlement of non-indigenous people in Kansas occurred in 1827 at Fort Leavenworth. The pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the slavery debate. When it was officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854 with the Kansas–Nebraska Act, conflict between abolitionist Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri broke out over the question of whether Kansas would become a free state or a slave state, in a period known as Bleeding Kansas. On January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state, hence the unofficial nickname "The Free State". Passage of the Homestead Acts in 1862 brought a further influx of settlers, and the booming cattle trade of the 1870s attracted some of the Wild West's most iconic figures to western Kansas.

As of 2015, Kansas was among the most productive agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, corn, sorghum, and soybeans. In addition to its traditional strength in agriculture, Kansas possesses an extensive aerospace industry. Kansas, which has an area of 82,278 square miles (213,100 square kilometers) is the 15th-largest state by area, the 36th most-populous of the 50 states, with a population of 2,940,865 according to the 2020 census, and the 10th least densely populated. Residents of Kansas are called Kansans. Mount Sunflower is Kansas's highest point at 4,039 feet (1,231 meters). (Full article...)

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John Clifford Hodges Lee

John Clifford Hodges Lee (1 August 1887 – 30 August 1958) was a career US Army engineer, who rose to the rank of lieutenant general and commanded the Communications Zone (ComZ) in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.

A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, with the class of 1909, Lee assisted with various domestic engineering navigation projects as well as in the Panama Canal Zone, Guam and the Philippines. During World War I, he served on the Western Front on the staff of the 82d and 89th Divisions and earned promotions to major, lieutenant colonel and colonel as well as the Silver Star Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Croix de Guerre from the French government. (Full article...)

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Credit: Michael Overton
Big Brutus Note people standing near the bottom "treads" to gain perspective of this 160 feet (49 m) machine.

Important dates in Kansas' history

July–August 1541: Coronado explores Kansas
April 30, 1803: Louisiana Purchase Treaty signed
May 30, 1854: Kansas Territory organized
July 29, 1859: Constitution adopted by convention
January 29, 1861: Kansas becomes 34th state
August 21, 1863: Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence
Spring 1879: Exodusters
February 19, 1881: First state to Constitutionally prohibit alcohol
1890s: Populist Revolt
July 1951: Great Flood of 1951
May 17, 1954: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

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State facts

Nickname: The Sunflower State
Capital: Topeka
Largest city: Wichita
Governor: Laura Kelly (D)
Total area: 213,096 square kilometers (82,277 square miles)
Population (2000 census): 2,688,418
Date admitted to the Union: January 29, 1861
Senators: Jerry Moran (R), Roger Marshall (R)
Representatives: Tracey Mann (R), Jake LaTurner (R), Ron Estes (R), Sharice Davids (D)

State symbols:

Amphibian: Barred tiger salamander
Fish: Channel catfish
Bird: Western meadowlark
Flower: Sunflower
Insect: European honey bee
Mammal: Bison
Motto: Ad astra per aspera, or "To the stars through difficulties"
Reptile: Ornate Box turtle
Song: "Home on the Range"
Tree: Populus angustifolia

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Old Depot Museum Building

The Old Depot Museum is a history museum located in Ottawa, Kansas. The focus of the museum is primarily on the regional history of Franklin County, and the importance of trains to the development of small towns. It features history of local Native Americans, local industries, and has accurate recreations of historical rooms. The Old Depot Museum is on the National Register of Historic Places. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Kansas-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Albert Bierstadt, Western Kansas, 1875 (from Kansas)
Image 2Ethnic origins in Kansas (from Kansas)
Image 3Temporary quarters for Volga Germans in central Kansas, 1875 (from History of Kansas)
Image 4The Plaza Cinema in Ottawa is the oldest operating movie theater in the world. (from Kansas)
Image 5Chippewa named "One-Called-From-A-Distance" (from History of Kansas)
Image 61855 Free-State poster (from History of Kansas)
Image 7Kansas's Monument Rocks at night
Image 8Clouds in northeastern Kansas (from Kansas)
Image 9Kansas Highway Map (from Kansas)
Image 10Map of Indian territories, 1836 (from History of Kansas)
Image 11Pond in Osage County, Kansas (from Kansas)
Image 12Quantrill's 1863 raid burned the town of Lawrence and killed 164 townspeople. (from History of Kansas)
Image 13Köppen climate types of Kansas, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Kansas)
Image 14Boosterism: cover of a promotional booklet published in 1907 by the Rock Island railroad (from History of Kansas)
Image 15Frank Bond's illustration of the Louisiana Purchase (from History of Kansas)
Image 16Kanopolis State Park (from Kansas)
Image 17Tyler Field in Eck Stadium at Wichita State University in Wichita (from Kansas)
Image 18Map of Kansas and Missouri with Kansas City metro counties (from Kansas)
Image 19The Great Seal of the State of Kansas was established by the legislature on May 25, 1861. The design was submitted by Senator John James Ingalls. He also proposed the state motto, "Ad astra per aspera", which means "to the stars through difficulty". (from History of Kansas)
Image 20Fox Theater, Hutchinson (from Kansas)
Image 21Spring River, Kansas (from Kansas)

Map of counties in Kansas by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census

Legend

Non-Hispanic White

30–40%

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

80–90%

90%+

Hispanic or Latino

50–60%

60–70%

(from Kansas)

Image 23Kansas summer wheat and storm panorama (from Kansas)
Image 24Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence (from Kansas)
Image 25The Kansas Pacific main line shown on an 1869 map (from History of Kansas)
Image 26A population density map of Kansas (from Kansas)
Image 27John Brown about 1856 (from History of Kansas)
Image 28Allen Fieldhouse at University of Kansas in Lawrence (from Kansas)
Image 29David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is the oldest football stadium west of the Mississippi River, and one of the oldest standing football stadiums in the country. Built in 1921, it is home to the Kansas Jayhawks football team. (from Kansas)
Image 30Charles Curtis (R) was born near Topeka and served as a State Legislator, Congressman and Senator, before becoming Vice President (1929–33). He is the only Native American elected to the Executive Branch (he was born into the Kaw Nation). (from Kansas)
Image 31Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City (from Kansas)
Image 32The Great Plains of Kansas (from Kansas)
Image 33Boeing B-29 Superfortress production in Wichita in 1944 (from History of Kansas)
Image 34Gove County Badlands (from Kansas)
Image 35The Rio Theatre, Overland Park (from Kansas)
Image 36Samuel Seymour's 1819 illustration of a Kansa lodge and dance is the oldest drawing known to be done in Kansas. (from History of Kansas)
Image 371915–1918 Kansas railroad map (from Kansas)
Image 38George Armstrong Custer led U.S. troops against Native Americans in western Kansas. (from History of Kansas)
Image 39Reverend Charles Sheldon, Topeka resident and coiner of the phrase "What would Jesus do?" (from Kansas)

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