Happy Kansas Day!
Today is National Kansas Day for 2025. . .
Happy National Kansas Day ! ! !
Which State is KS:
The Beginning Years: It is believed that Kansas’s ancient history shows that Native American tribes have lived there for thousands of years, with signs of humans present for over 5,000 years, including the Kansa, Osage, Pawnee, Kiowa, and Comanche tribes. Around 1450 AD, the Wichita People built the city of Etzanoa, which was abandoned around 1700 AD. Spanish explorers, such as Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, came in the 16th century, followed by French explorers and fur traders in the 1700s.
USA Kansas relief location map courtesy of Openverse
More History: The state of Kansas was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and became a key area before the Civil War, known as “Bleeding Kansas. ” Kansas, on the eastern edge of the Great Plains, was home to nomadic Native American tribes who hunted bison. It joined the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861, and has played an important role in agriculture and culture. Before European settlers, various Native American tribes lived there, including the Wichita and Kaw. The area was part of Spanish Louisiana until 1803. Fort Leavenworth was the first white settlement in 1827. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed settlers to decide on slavery, causing conflict and violence. Ultimately, Kansas became the 34th state as a free state.
Climate of Kansas: Kansas has a climate is known for its temperate continental climate with major temperature changes from season to season, featuring hot, humid summers and cold winters. Summers average around 81 degrees in July, while winters see highs of about 31 degrees in January. The state’s annual average temperature is about 55°F (13°C). Precipitation differs across Kansas, with the southeast receiving more rain than the west, ranging from less than 20 inches in the west to over 40 inches in the southeast, with an average of just over 25 inches. The growing season lasts from mid-April to mid-September. Kansas is also known for severe weather, particularly tornadoes and thunderstorms in spring and early summer. According to the Köppen climate classification, Kansas includes humid continental, semi-arid steppe, and humid subtropical climates.. Kansas has approximately an average of 224 sunny days per year, or a total of 61% of days being sunny.
More About Kansas: Throughout the years, Kansas has earned the titles of being the “Sunflower State” and is famous for its agriculture, especially wheat and cattle. It is known as the “Breadbasket of America” because it has fertile land and good farming methods. Kansas is a leading producer of wheat, corn, sorghum, and cattle. Kansas is also known as “Tornado Alley” due to frequent tornadoes and has “Home on the Range” as its state song. The name Kansas comes from the Kansa Native Americans. Smith County is the center of the contiguous United States. Notable features include Monument Rocks and a diverse economy with important cities like Wichita, Kansas City, and Topeka. Kansas City, in Missouri, is a cultural center known for jazz, barbecue, and sports. The state also has oil wells.
The Wizard of Oz: Kansas was the state featured in the 1929 movie “The Wizard Of Oz”. The movie was released on August 25, 1939 in the U.S., directed by Victor Fleming with a budget of $2.8 million. The movie was adapted from the book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by author L. Frank Baum which was published on May 17, 1900.
The Wizard of Oz courtesy of Openverse
The Dust Bowl: The “Dust Bowl” was a dreaded phenomenon that was the largest weather disaster that was directly caused by decades of ill activity man created by lack of the proper knowledge skills to preserve a land’s environment. For decades leading up to the disaster, mankind kept using the disk plow which dug too deep into the soil of the plains and pulverized the dirt and made in featherlight. To make matters worse, mankind kept digging up the grassland to plant for aid to economic depression of both Europe and the United States, with legislation to pay farmers more than the value of the crops. The Dust Bowl also was brought on by natural effects of extended drought and unusually high temperatures. Poor agricultural practices and the resulting wind erosion all contributed to making the Dust Bowl. President Herbert Hoover then finally admitted it was a disaster when the winds blew the dust all the way to Washington D.C. U.S. Congress established the Soil Erosion Service and the Prairie States Forestry Project in 1935. The Dust Bowl effected Kansas and other U.S. States. A great book with the subject of the Dust Bowl is listed here:
My Rating ★★★★★
See my review on the following post: The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. Please see my excellent five star review on this great book!
The Great Location of Kansas: The state of Kansas spans 210 miles in length and 410 miles in width. Kansas is dead center of the continental United States, and as large as Kansas is, it is only bordered by the 4 states of Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west.
Greetings from Kansas – Large Letter Postcard courtesy of Openverse
Kansas’s Statehood Facts:
- Date: 01/29/1861
- Capital: Topeka
- Population: 2,971,000 (2024)
- Size: Land area of 81,759 square miles; Total area of 82,278 square miles
- Nickname: The Sunflower State, The Wheat State & The Heartland
- State Motto: Ad astra per aspera, meaning “To the stars through difficulties”
- Tree: Wild Native Sunflower (Helianthus)
- Flower: Eastern Cottonwood (Populus Deltoides)
- Bird: Western Meadowlark (Sturnella Neglecta)
The History:
| Kansas Officially Adopted as a U.S. State, State Song, Admission Date & Kansas Flag | |||
| State Name Info ♪ State Song ♫ |
Admission |
Capital | Flag Image |
| 34th State. Kansas Territory (partial) “Hood Go Crazy” by Tech N9ne (Modern), “Home on the Range” Daniel E. Kelley (Original) |
01/29/1861 | Topeka | |
See: Officially Adopted as a U.S. States, State Songs, Admission Dates & Flags at:
Some Great Kansas Sites: Here is a list of some some great places to visit while in Kansas:
- Strataca, 3650 E Ave G, Hutchinson, KS 67501
- Safari Zoological Park, 1751 A County Rd 1425, Caney, KS 67333
- Boot Hill Museum, 500 W Wyatt Earp Blvd, Dodge City, KS 67801
- The Keeper of the Plains, 339 Veterans Pkwy, Wichita, KS 67203
- Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 W Zoo Blvd, Wichita, KS 67212
- Monument Rocks, Gove 16, Oakley, KS 67748
- Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 Museum Blvd, Wichita, KS 67203
- Botanica: The Wichita Gardens, 701 Amidon St, Wichita, KS 67203
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, 200 S E 4th St, Abilene, KS 67410
- Tanganyika Wildlife Park, 1000 S Hawkins Ln, Goddard, KS 67052
- Cosmosphere, 1100 N Plum St, Hutchinson, KS 67501
- Museum of World Treasures, 835 E 1st St N, Wichita, KS 67202
Memorable Kansas Events: Here is a list of some events that happened in Kansas:
- 1541: Spanish explorer Francisco de Coronado visits Kansas searching for gold.
- 1682: Frenchman Robert Cavelier de La Salle claims Kansas for France.
1803: The United States purchases Kansas from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
- 1804: Lewis and Clark pass through Kansas on their way out west.
- 1821: William Becknell pioneers the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to New Mexico across Kansas.
- 1840s: Settlers begin to travel across Kansas on the Oregon Trail heading to the west coast.
- 1854: The Kansas Territory is established by congress with the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
- 1854 to 1859: A number of violent clashes occur between pro and anti-slavery groups. It is called Bleeding Kansas.
- 1859: Kansas outlaws slavery
- 1861: Kansas is admitted into the Union as the 34th state.
- 1930s: Kansas is hit by a massive drought and a series of dust storms called the Dust Bowl.
- 1954: The Supreme Court rules that segregation in the schools is unconstitutional in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Civil Rights case.
Photo by Samantha Beaty on Unsplash
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National Kansas Day
Happy day to everyone in Kansas