This Place Called 'Kansas'

On January 29, Kansas celebrated yet another anniversary, and few states possess a history as deep and rich as the soil and people of Kansas. The early history of Kansas began as a vast, open region of the plains, covered in sprawling grasslands and home to a diverse variety of animals. The earliest residents were Native Americans who lived a semi-sedentary lifestyle. At the time of European exploration, the area that is now Kansas was primarily inhabited by the Osage, Pawnee, Comanche, and Kanza tribes. The latter lent their name to the state, "Kansas", meaning "People of the Southwind".

The first documented European explorer to traverse Kansas was Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in pursuit of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. Although the cities were never discovered, Coronado was awestruck by the Kansas prairie. On June 29, 1541, Father Juan Padilla held the first Christian Mass near the Arkansas River, but he later became the first Christian martyr in what is now the United States when he was killed by Native Americans in south-central Kansas.

Coronado's expedition marked the beginning of numerous Spanish and French explorations through the area. Until 1800, Spain held claim to the Louisiana Territory, which was later ceded  to France by treaty. In 1803, under President Thomas Jefferson, the majority of present-day Kansas was acquired by the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. However, a portion south of the Arkansas River remained under Texas control until the Republic was annexed into the United States.

In 1811, the Oregon Trail was established, passing through the northern edge of Kansas and serving as a gateway for westward expansion. In 1821, William Becknell ventured southwest to SantaFe, New Mexico, establishing a trade route that saw large volumes of merchandise cross the Kansas landscape. However, Native American resistance, bolstered by their equestrian skills, made the Midwest treacherous for travelers.

By 1827, Fort Leavenworth became the first permanent settlement in Kansas. As settlers arrived, several Native American tribes were forcibly relocated to reservations. Kansas' fertile soil soon attracted farmers, and in 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act led to a massive influx of settlers, expanding the Kansas Territory to include modern-day Denver and Pueblo, Colo. Kansas became a political battleground as violent clashes erupted between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, leading to the period known as "Bleeding of Kansas".

On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted as the 34th state of the United States, just as the nation descended into Civil War. Kansas differed from much of the country by being the first state to allow Black men to serve in its military. The war in Kansas was largely characterized by guerilla tactics, with Missourian pro-slavery militias, led by William Quantrill, raiding anti-slavery strongholds.

Despite being embroiled in war, Kansas was influenced by two national movements that shaped its future: the expansion of railroads and the 1862 Homestead Act. With settlers heading west and railroads facilitating migration, Native Americans were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma to make way for new arrivals. Kansas quickly became a diverse state in terms of religion, ethnicity, and ideology. The expansion of railroads also spurred the cattle industry, as towns like Abilene, Ellsworth, and Dodge City became major "cow towns", attracting cattle drives from Texas. However, these cattle drives also brought lawlessness, earning Kansas a reputation as part of the Wild West.

Another industry that boomed with the railroad was buffalo hunting, nearly driving the American bison to extinction. Kansas found itself struggling to establish law and order, with Wild West towns becoming hotbeds of crime. In 1880, Kansas voters approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol. This movement, largely driven by religious factions, sparked a national temperance movement. Prominent figures like Carry Nation gained national recognition for their efforts. Though prohibition laws were altered in 1948, remnants still exist in the form of dry and semi-dry counties.

Kansas led another political movement in 1887, when it became one of the first states to allow women to vote and hold political positions. Syracuse, Kan., became the first U.S. town to elect an all female city council that same year. Kansas also briefly became a stronghold for the Populist Party and its silver standard advocacy. Religious movements flourished as well, with Topeka preacher Charles Sheldon coining the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" and Charles Fox Parham establishing the modern Pentecostal movement.

As settlers pushed westward, Kansas experienced an agricultural and manufacturing boom. The Populist movement contributed positively by promoting government reforms, including Wichita Beacon owner Henry Allen and Governor Arthur capper's advocacy for city manager governance to prevent corruption. In 1910, Kansas became the first state to implement workers' compensation, and in 1911, it led the nation in securities regulation. By 1912, Kansas granted women full suffrage, preceding the national 19th Amendment.

Kansas played a crucial role in World War I, with the discovery of the El Dorado Oil Field in 1915, the first oil field found using geological mapping. It became the nation's top-producing oil field during the war, providing the fuel necessary for the war effort. However, Kansas was also the origin of the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic. In January 1918, an illness struck a family in Haskell County who unknowingly spread it to others, and by March, soldiers at Fort Riley further spread the disease worldwide.

In 1922, Kansas made a groundbreaking discovery when drillers in Seward County struck a vast natural gas reserve. Though initially considered worthless, tests revealed high concentrations of helium, a critical element for national defense and scientific advancements. The Hugoton Gas Field, which followed, became the second-largest in the world, fueling industries and innovations, including the World's first hydraulically fractured well in 1947, which was drilled for Stanolind in Grant County.

Meanwhile, Kansas was soaring to new heights, earning Wichita the title "Air Capital of the World". In 1910, Albin Longren built Kansas' first successful airplane, followed by the invention of the first patented helicopter in Goodland. Aviation pioneers like Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman, and Walter Beech established an aircraft industry that flourished, especially with the arrival of Boeing. By the Second World War, Wichita was a major hub of aircraft production, and today, Kansas has manufactured more than 250,000 aircraft, accounting for 70 percent of the world's aviation fleet.

Agriculture remained a cornerstone of the Kansas economy, with innovations in crop science and machinery. The state became a major producer of sugar beets with the largest facility in Garden City, and during World War I, Kansas wheat earned the state its title as the "World's Breadbasket". Curtis Baldwin of Nickerson revolutionized the combine harvester, while Plains, Kan., resident Charlie Angell, developed the concept of stubble mulch farming and the One-Way plow.

However, Kansas' agricultural boom had unforeseen consequences. The conversion of native grasslands to farmland, coupled with drought, led to the devastating Dust Bowl of the 1930s. While Kansas had faced cycles of drought, plagues of grasshoppers, and rabbit infestations before, this catastrophe was unprecedented. Winds carried away topsoil, and dust storms choked the land, forcing many families to flee. Yet, the resilience of Kansas farmers helped the state endure and rebuild.

Emerging from the Dust Bowl, Kansas played a vital role in World War II, supplying food, fuel, and aircraft. In the 1950s, Kansan Dwight D. Eisenhower became the 34th U.S. President, reinforcing the state's national influence. The only other Kansan to hold high office was Charles Curtis, the first Native American U.S. Vice President under Hubert Hoover. Kansas also made history in civil rights, as the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education decision, originating in Topeka, ended racial segregation in schools. In 1957, Protection, Kan., became the first U.S. town to fully innoculate against polio.

What has continually made Kansas special has been its people that call the state home. It is these people of Kansas that have continually shaped the nation. Revolutionizing sports with James Naismith's invention of basketball. Its dedication to education produced pioneers like Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, and Jack Kilby, creator of the world's first integrated circuit. The people of Kansas have established an industry leader, with towering wind turbines dotting the prairie all the way down to the salt miners working deep underground.

Many have spent lifetimes telling Kansas' story. To paraphrase immortal words: "There is no place like home" in a state whose motto remains "To the Stars, Through Difficulties". How fitting for this place called Kansas.