locater map
 
Dwight D. Eisenhower
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
President
 
Dwight D. Eisenhower
"From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty."
President
 
Dwight D. Eisenhower
"If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom."
President
kansas flag
Entered the Union:
January 29, 1861 (34)

Capital: Topeka

buffalo

Kansas

Origin of Name: from a Sioux word meaning "people of the south wind"
State Nickname: Sunflower State • Jayhawk State
State Flower: Sunflower State Bird: Western Meadowlark
State Tree: Cottonwood State Animal: Buffalo
State Reptile: Ornate Box Turtle State Song: “Home on the Range"
State Motto: Ad astra per aspera (To the stars through difficulties)
State Parks: 24
Famous For: Dodge City, wheat production, private aircraft manufacturing
Famous Kansans: Walter Chrysler (auto manufacturer), Charles Curtis (Vice President), Amelia Earhart (aviator), Dwight D. Eisenhower (general and President), Walter Johnson (baseball), Stan Kenton (jazz), James Lehrer (broadcast journalist), John Cameron Swayze (news commentator), Jess Willard (boxer), Robert Dole (senator)
Animals and Birds: Click on photos of the animals and birds on this page to find out more about them and to hear the sounds they make.
State Fair: Hutchinson
cattle drive
Listen to Cattle Sounds
Kansas National Sites
Kansas State Parks
Kansas Historic Sites
Kansas Attractions
Fishing in Kansas
Hunting in Kansas
Listen to Meadowlark's Song
Kansas Photo Gallery
Kansas Butterfly Gallery
Kansas Homeschooling
Kansas Resorts
Kansas RV Parks
Kansas Hotels & Reviews
Kansas Restaurants & Reviews
Spain explored Kansas in 1541. French explorers from Canada arrived In 1673.
In 1803, the United States purchased Kansas from France in the Louisiana Purchase.
The US government decided to let the people of Kansas vote for or against slavery. There were many fights between these people, but eventually those against slavery won.  Because of the great violence during this time, Kansas became known as “Bleeding Kansas.”
At one time it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas. 
Pizza Hut restaurants opened its first store in Wichita, Kansas. 
The graham cracker was named after the Reverend Sylvester Graham.  He was a minister who strongly believed in eating whole-wheat flour products. 
Every type of prairie habitat can be found in Kansas
Helium was discovered in 1905 at the University of Kansas
William Purvis and Charles Wilson of Goodland, Kansas invented the helicopter in 1909
Dodge City is the windiest city in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14 miles per hour.
Sumner County is known as The Wheat Capital of the World. Kansas leads the nation in wheat production.
Kansas is the nation's second largest producer of beef cattle, behind only Texas.
Abilene is the ending point of the Chisholm Trail where the cattle driven from Texas were loaded onto rail cars.
Almon Stowger of El Dorado invented the dial telephone in 1889.
Wyatt Earp, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok and William B. "Bat" Masterson were three of the legendary lawmen who kept the peace in rowdy frontier towns like Abilene, Dodge City, Ellsworth, Hays, and Wichita.
Amelia Earhart, the first woman granted a pilot's license by the National Aeronautics Associate and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, was from Atchison.
Handel's Messiah has been presented in Lindsborg each Easter since 1889.
Kansas' Ethnic Roots: German 25.9%, Irish 11.5%, English 10.8%, American 8.8%, French 3.1%, Swedish 2.4%.
Religion in Kansas: 81.3% Christian (61.3% Protestant, 20% Catholic), 17.5% No Religion, 0.8% LDS, 0.4% Other Religions
Kansas was the first state to ratify the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which gave African-American men the right to vote.
Wichita is one of the nation's top plane manufacturing cities.
The Geodetic Center of North America is about 40 miles south of Lebanon at Meade's Ranch. It is the beginning point of reference for land surveying in North America meaning when a surveyor checks a property line, he is checking the position of property in relation to Meade's Ranch in northwest Kansas.
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving - Thanking God for His blessings
Thanksgiving Day November 28, 2024
In 1621, 52 Pilgrims and approx. 50 Native Americans celebrated a 3-day feast thanking God for His blessings enabling their survival in the New World. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November.
Advent
Advent
December 1, 2024
Advent begins 4 weeks before Christmas and remembers the longing and waiting of God's people for the coming of the Messiah.
Bill of Rights Day

Bill of Rights Day

December 15, 1791
Bill of Rights Day

Celebrating the 10 amendments to the Constitution which protect individual rights by placing specific limits on government power. These freedoms do not exist in many countries of the world.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day
December 25th Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. This joyous festival is enjoyed by Christians and nonChristians alike all over the world.