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; 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 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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It Went Against Us by Samuel J. Reader

The Battle of Mine Creek, also known as the Battle of Little Osage, was fought on October 25, 1864, in Linn County, Kansas, as part of Price's Missouri Campaign during the American Civil War. Major-General Sterling Price had begun an expedition in September 1864 to restore Confederate control of Missouri. After being defeated at Westport near Kansas City on October 23, Price's army began to retreat south through Kansas. Early on October 25, Price's army was defeated at the Marais des Cygnes. After Marais des Cygnes, the Confederates fell back, but were stalled at the crossing of Mine Creek while a wagon train attempted to cross.

Union cavalry commanded by Colonel John F. Philips and Lieutenant Colonel Frederick W. Benteen caught up to Price's army while it was stalled at the creek crossing. Confederate cavalry commanded by Major General James F. Fagan and Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke attempted to defend against the Union assault, but were soundly defeated. Many Confederate soldiers were captured, including Marmaduke. Later on the 25th, Price was again defeated at the Battle of Marmiton River. After Marmiton River, Price destroyed many of his wagons. On October 28, the Union defeated Price again at the Second Battle of Newtonia, and the shattered Confederate army reached Texas in December. The site of the battle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as the Battle of Mine Creek Site, and the Kansas Historical Society created the Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site in 1974. Mine Creek is considered to be one of the largest battles between mounted cavalry during the war. (Full article...)

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Credit: Edwin Olson
A view of the Flint Hills in eastern 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

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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:

The American Bison, Kansas' state mammal.

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

Selected article -

Ted Kessinger (born January 15, 1941) is an American former college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas from 1976 to 2003, compiling a record of 219–57–1 for a winning percentage of .792. He is among the college football coaches with the most wins and the highest winning percentage.

Kessinger was the head coach of the first American football team to play in Sweden, and he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. His son, Kent Kessinger, was the head coach at Ottawa University from 2004 to 2021. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1The Orpheum, a historic movie theater in Wichita. (from Kansas)
Image 2The Rio Theatre, Overland Park (from Kansas)
Image 3Kansas welcome sign on K-96 (from Kansas)
Image 4The 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 5The Kansas Statehouse. (from Kansas)
Image 6An 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)
Image 7Temporary quarters for Volga Germans in central Kansas, 1875 (from History of Kansas)
Image 8Sunflower field outside of Lawrence. (from Kansas)
Image 9Pond in Osage County, Kansas. (from Kansas)
Image 10Kansas 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)
Image 11Albert Bierstadt, Western Kansas, 1875. (from Kansas)
Image 12The chalk rock badlands and cliffs in western Kansas, near Dighton. (from Kansas)
Image 13Tyler Field in Eck Stadium at Wichita State University in Wichita. (from Kansas)
Image 14Ethnic origins in Kansas. (from Kansas)
Image 15The Plaza Cinema in Ottawa is the oldest operating movie theater in the world. (from Kansas)
Image 16Chippewa named "One-Called-From-A-Distance" (from History of Kansas)
Image 171915–1918 Kansas railroad map (from Kansas)
Image 18Kanopolis State Park. (from Kansas)
Image 19John Brown about 1856 (from History of Kansas)
Image 20Map of Kansas and Missouri with Kansas City metro counties. (from Kansas)
Image 21Rev. 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)
Image 22Charles 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 23The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. (from Kansas)
Image 24Pittsburg. (from Kansas)
Image 25Quantrill's 1863 raid burned the town of Lawrence and killed 164 townspeople. (from History of Kansas)
Image 26Spring River, Kansas. (from Kansas)
Image 27NRC workers at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Burlington. (from Kansas)
Image 28David 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 29Gove County Badlands. (from Kansas)
Image 30Cedar Point Mill, built in 1875 in Cedar Point, on the National Register of Historic Places. (from Kansas)
Image 31University of Kansas Strong Hall in Lawrence. (from Kansas)
Image 32Downtown Wichita in the winter. (from Kansas)
Image 33Samuel 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 34Boeing B-29 Superfortress production in Wichita in 1944 (from History of Kansas)
Image 35Kansas's Monument Rocks at night.
Image 36Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence (from Kansas)
Image 37Frank Bond's illustration of the Louisiana Purchase (from History of Kansas)
Image 38Clouds in northeastern Kansas. (from Kansas)
Image 39Map of Indian territories, 1836 (from History of Kansas)
Image 40Boosterism: cover of a promotional booklet published in 1907 by the Rock Island railroad (from History of Kansas)
Image 41Fox Theater, Hutchinson. (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 43Köppen climate types of Kansas, using 1991–2020 climate normals. (from Kansas)
Image 44Allen Fieldhouse at University of Kansas in Lawrence. (from Kansas)
Image 45The Kansas Pacific main line shown on an 1869 map (from History of Kansas)
Image 46Kansas summer wheat and storm panorama. (from Kansas)
Image 47Population density map of Kansas in 2020. (from Kansas)
Image 48George Armstrong Custer led U.S. troops against Native Americans in western Kansas. (from History of Kansas)
Image 49The Great Plains of Kansas. (from Kansas)
Image 50Standard Kansas license plate 2018–2024. (from Kansas)
Image 511855 Free-State poster (from History of Kansas)
Image 52Reverend Charles Sheldon, Topeka resident and coiner of the phrase "What would Jesus do?". (from Kansas)
Image 53The Cosmosphere, the world-renowned space museum in Hutchinson. (from Kansas)
Image 54The Santa Fe Depot, a U.S. National Register of Historic Places building, in Osage City. (from Kansas)
Image 55Kansas Highway Map. (from Kansas)
Image 56Sporting Park, Kansas City. (from Kansas)

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