THE GREAT PLAINS STATES
KANSAS
Its motto: To the Stars Through Difficulties.
Its nicknames: Breadbasket of America, Cyclone State, Sunflower
State, Wheat State.
THE GREAT PLAINS STATES
KANSAS
Its motto: To the Stars Through Difficulties.
Its nicknames: Breadbasket of America, Cyclone State, Sunflower
State, Wheat State.
A windswept state of prairies, wheat fields, and cottonwoods
A windswept state of prairies, wheat fields, and cottonwoods
The original inhabitants of this land called themselves the Kansa,
"people of the south wind." So when the name of the Indian tribe was applied to
the whole territory that became Kansas, it was appropriate. Far from the
gentling influence of any ocean, Kansas is beset by extremes of weather brought
in by constant wind. Hot southerly winds ripple the prairie grasses all summer,
until autumn reverses them and the winds sweep back through as freezing blasts
from the north.
Early European visitors here were like the wind: they passed through
Kansas, seeing little reason to stay. The pioneers who rushed to Kansas from
New England in the 1850's to help install enough antislavery voters to ensure
Kansas a free state were people of strong convictions, leaders in a variety of
causes: abolition, prohibition, and woman suffrage.
Eastern Kansas has wooded regions, each with its own special mix of
trees. But the typical tree is the cottonwood. Named the official state tree in
1937, the cottonwood was the perfect choice. Tough and fast-growing, it sends
down deep taproots for water and assumes a stately form. It can grow along
rivercourses where the flow is far underground in dry seasons.
- Across the state, the land supports some 200 varieties of native
grasses, and a few introduced species too. Chief among the imports is the hardy
winter wheat, brought in by immigrants from Russia. Winter wheat transformed
central Kansas into the breadbasket of America and created many typical
Kansas scenes: wheat fields stretching to the horizon; tall grain elevators,
visible for miles around; combines clanking across the fields at harvest-time.
Kansas is the leading producer of helium in the U.S. Winchita, called
the Air Capital of the World, has three major aircraft companies, which make
two-thirds of the world's general aviation planes. Kansas entered the Union in
1861 as the 34th state.
The original inhabitants of this land called themselves the Kansa,
"people of the south wind." So when the name of the Indian tribe was applied to
the whole territory that became Kansas, it was appropriate. Far from the
gentling influence of any ocean, Kansas is beset by extremes of weather brought
in by constant wind. Hot southerly winds ripple the prairie grasses all summer,
until autumn reverses them and the winds sweep back through as freezing blasts
from the north.
Early European visitors here were like the wind: they passed through
Kansas, seeing little reason to stay. The pioneers who rushed to Kansas from
New England in the 1850's to help install enough antislavery voters to ensure
Kansas a free state were people of strong convictions, leaders in a variety of
causes: abolition, prohibition, and woman suffrage.
Eastern Kansas has wooded regions, each with its own special mix of
trees. But the typical tree is the cottonwood. Named the official state tree in
1937, the cottonwood was the perfect choice. Tough and fast-growing, it sends
down deep taproots for water and assumes a stately form. It can grow along
rivercourses where the flow is far underground in dry seasons.
- Across the state, the land supports some 200 varieties of native
grasses, and a few introduced species too. Chief among the imports is the hardy
winter wheat, brought in by immigrants from Russia. Winter wheat transformed
central Kansas into the breadbasket of America and created many typical
Kansas scenes: wheat fields stretching to the horizon; tall grain elevators,
visible for miles around; combines clanking across the fields at harvest-time.
Kansas is the leading producer of helium in the U.S. Winchita, called
the Air Capital of the World, has three major aircraft companies, which make
two-thirds of the world's general aviation planes. Kansas entered the Union in
1861 as the 34th state.
(”The USA Diversity of 50 States”)
(”The USA Diversity of 50 States”)