Portal:Kansas

The Kansas Portal

Kansas (/ˈkænzəs/ ⓘ KAN-zəss) is a landlocked state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Colorado to the west; Oklahoma to the south; and Missouri to the east. 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 surrounding Kansas City, Missouri, which straddles the border of Kansas and Missouri.

For thousands of years, what is now known as 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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USS Kansas (BB-21) c. 1910–1915

USS Kansas (hull number BB-21) was a US Connecticut-class pre-dreadnought battleship, the fourth of six ships in the class. She was the second ship of the United States Navy named Kansas, but the only one named in honor of the state of Kansas. The ship was launched in August 1905 and commissioned into the fleet in April 1907. Kansas was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and was capable of a top speed of 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph).

Shortly after she entered service, Kansas joined the Great White Fleet for its circumnavigation of the globe in 1908–1909. She made trips to Europe in 1910 and 1911 and after 1912, became involved in suppressing unrest in several Central American countries, including the United States occupation of Veracruz during the Mexican Revolution. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Kansas was employed as a training ship for new personnel. In September 1918, she began escorting convoys to Europe. After the war ended in November, she then began a series of trips to France to bring American soldiers home. (Full article...)

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Credit: Kevin Zollman
Riley County Courthouse in Manhattan, Kansas.

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

More...

State facts


State symbols:

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Kansas in 2016 (L to R): Rich Williams, Billy Greer, Zak Rizvi, Phil Ehart, Ronnie Platt, David Manion, and David Ragsdale

Kansas is an American rock band formed in Topeka, Kansas in 1973. They became popular during the 1970s initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The band has produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums (Leftoverture 5x, Point of Know Return 4×, and The Best of Kansas 4×), one other platinum studio album (Monolith), one platinum live double album (Two for the Show), and a million-selling single, "Dust in the Wind". Kansas appeared on the US Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. "Carry On Wayward Son" was the second-most-played track on US classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997. Jason Ankeny of AllMusic referred to Kansas as "staples" of classic rock radio. (Full article...)

General images

The following are images from various Kansas-related articles on Wikipedia.
  • 1855 Free-State poster (from History of Kansas)
  • Pittsburg. (from Kansas)
  • John Brown about 1856 (from History of Kansas)
  • Kansas's Monument Rocks at night.
  • Cedar Point Mill, built in 1875 in Cedar Point, on the National Register of Historic Places. (from Kansas)
  • Samuel Seymour's 1819 illustration of a Kansa lodge and dance is the oldest drawing known to be done in Kansas. (from History of Kansas)
  • The Santa Fe Depot, a U.S. National Register of Historic Places building, in Osage City. (from Kansas)
  • Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence (from Kansas)
  • Tyler Field in Eck Stadium at Wichita State University in Wichita. (from Kansas)
  • Kansas welcome sign on K-96 (from Kansas)
  • Boosterism: cover of a promotional booklet published in 1907 by the Rock Island railroad (from History of Kansas)
  • Kansas residents who are veterans, work as a first responder, and people who work in agriculture may request a custom plate reflecting their profession. (from Kansas)
  • Rev. Richard Cordley, the first graduate of the University of Kansas, and nicknamed "The Abolition Preacher", due to his strong views against slavery, and his influence on Kansas's founding as a free state. (from Kansas)
  • Sporting Park, Kansas City. (from Kansas)
  • Map of Kansas and Missouri with Kansas City metro counties. (from Kansas)
  • Quantrill's 1863 raid burned the town of Lawrence and killed 164 townspeople. (from History of Kansas)
  • The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. (from Kansas)
  • An example of a custom Kansas rear license plate. Kansas allows residents to purchase license plates with college and university logos on them for an extra fee. (from Kansas)
  • Chippewa named "One-Called-From-A-Distance" (from History of Kansas)
  • The Plaza Cinema in Ottawa is the oldest operating movie theater in the world. (from Kansas)
  • 1915–1918 Kansas railroad map (from Kansas)
  • The 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)
  • George Armstrong Custer led U.S. troops against Native Americans in western Kansas. (from History of Kansas)
  • The Kansas Statehouse. (from Kansas)
  • University of Kansas Strong Hall in Lawrence. (from Kansas)
  • The chalk rock badlands and cliffs in western Kansas, near Dighton. (from Kansas)
  • The Cosmosphere, the world-renowned space museum in Hutchinson. (from Kansas)
  • Pond in Osage County, Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Kanopolis State Park. (from Kansas)
  • Kansas summer wheat and storm panorama. (from Kansas)
  • The Rio Theatre, Overland Park (from Kansas)
  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress production in Wichita in 1944 (from History of Kansas)
  • Ethnic origins in Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Charles 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)
  • The Great Plains of Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Gove County Badlands. (from Kansas)
  • NRC workers at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Burlington. (from Kansas)
  • Temporary quarters for Volga Germans in central Kansas, 1875 (from History of Kansas)
  • Map of counties in Kansas by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census.
    Legend
    (from Kansas)
  • Allen Fieldhouse at University of Kansas in Lawrence. (from Kansas)
  • Albert Bierstadt, Western Kansas, 1875. (from Kansas)
  • The Orpheum, a historic movie theater in Wichita. (from Kansas)
  • David 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)
  • Reverend Charles Sheldon, Topeka resident and coiner of the phrase "What would Jesus do?". (from Kansas)
  • Map of Indian territories, 1836 (from History of Kansas)
  • The Kansas Pacific main line shown on an 1869 map (from History of Kansas)
  • Downtown Wichita in the winter. (from Kansas)
  • Population density map of Kansas in 2020. (from Kansas)
  • Kansas Highway Map. (from Kansas)
  • Clouds in northeastern Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Spring River, Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Köppen climate types of Kansas, using 1991–2020 climate normals. (from Kansas)
  • Frank Bond's illustration of the Louisiana Purchase (from History of Kansas)
  • Sunflower field outside of Lawrence. (from Kansas)
  • Fox Theater, Hutchinson. (from Kansas)
  • Standard Kansas license plate 2018–2024. (from Kansas)

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