We’re Not in Toto Anymore, Kansas! 71 Facts About the Sunflower State
Let’s talk about Kansas! Continuing our series on the 50 Nifty States — from Alabama to Florida and Iowa and Idaho and Maryland and Massachusetts and so on — is the 34th state full of Jayhawkers: Kansas! Have you ever heard the phrase “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto” and wondered what Kansas was all about? Wonder no more! We’ve collected more than 70 of the most interesting and fascinating facts about the Sunflower state. And we’re going to tell you all about them starting right now.
What is Kansas known for?
1. Kansas is known as the Sunflower state! The native flower is so prolific in Kansas that you can find them in every single county in the state. It’s a versatile and resilient flower that can thrive in the kind of sunshine that the Kansas plains can offer in spades throughout the varying kinds of soil across the state. Sunflowers are a significant symbol of Kansas culture, and it’s even featured on the state flag.
2. Topeka and Wichita! The former is the capital of Kansas and the latter is the largest city in the state. As such, they are the two most important and significant cities in Kansas, and where a lot of the big-city action in the state usually is. Believe it or not, Kansas City, Kansas is a much different town than the metropolitan Kansas City, Missouri.
3. Jayhawks! Folks in Indiana like to call themselves Hoosiers and likewise, people in Kansas are fond of calling themselves Jayhawks. It’s the term given to bands of robbers who joined the Civil War to fight slavery. It’s also the team name for University of Kansas sports.
What are the official Kansas state symbols?
4. The current Kansas Poet Laureate is the brilliant Topeka native Huascar Medina, whose position was announced in July 2021. His books How to Hang the Moon (2019) and Un Mango Grows in Kansas (2020) are readily available and should be purchased by anyone who loves poetry.
5. Designated more than 100 years ago in 1903, the official state flower of Kansas is the wild sunflower.
6. The plains cottonwood tree is Kansas’s official state tree.
7. The western meadowlark was made the official state bird of Kansas in 1937. It’s also a state symbol for Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming.
8. The official state motto of Kansas is ad astra per aspera — which means “to the stars through difficulties.” You can see this motto on the state flag.
9. Speaking of the flag, the Kansas state flag was originally created in 1927 and was revised in 1961. It was revised once again in 1963 to its current iteration. Here is a picture of it!
10. Kansas has an official state animal and it’s the American buffalo, which also happens to be the official state animal of Wyoming and Oklahoma too.
11. The honeybee was named the official state insect of Kansas in 1976.
12. The ornate box turtle became the official Kansas state reptile in 1986.
13. Kansas also named a state amphibian in 1994, and it’s the barred tiger salamander.
14. The classic “Home on The Range” was declared the Kansas state song on June 30, 1947. With lyrics by Dr. Brewster M. Higley and composition by Daniel E. Kelley, the song is considered one of the most essential tunes of country western folk music. It’s been recorded by artists like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Gene Autry. Check out the version by Tori Amos, though!
15. In 2014, Kansas named an official marine fossil (Tylosaurus) and an official flying fossil (Pteranodon).
16. Perhaps going a bit overboard, Kansas named two official state wine grapes in 2019. The Chambourcin was named the red wine grape and the Vignoles was named the white wine grape.
17. The channel catfish was named the official Kansas state fish in 2018, and Missouri, Nebraska, and Tennessee also have this lil guy as a state symbol.
Early history of Kansas facts
18. The first known white guy to explore modern-day Kansas was the Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1541.
19. For about 40 years from 1763 to 1803, Kansas was part of Spanish Louisiana.
20. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 was a huge huge big deal. The United States acquired a significant chunk of its land from Napoleon for about $15 million bucks — or like $2.6 billion dollars in today’s money. The 828,000 square miles included some (if not almost all) of Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming — as well as all of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma.
21. A part of southwestern Kansas was part of the Republic of Texas, Mexico, and Spain until the Mexican-American War ended in 1848 and that land went to the United States.
22. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 officially established the territories and boundaries of those two states. For Kansas at this point, that territory included parts of Colorado to Denver. It also repealed the Missouri Compromise that had allowed Missouri to be slave state, and the resulting tension would contribute the national sentiment on slavery.
23. The period between 1854 and 1859 saw a series of violent and sometimes deadly conflicts over slavery that would come to be known as Bleeding Kansas.
24. On January 29th, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state and the 34th state. Kansas Day is celebrated every January 29th.
25. When the 15th Amendment that gave Black men the right to vote was enacted on February 3, 1870, Kansas was the first state to ratify it.
26. Susan Madora Salter was elected mayor of Argonia, Kansas in 1887 — and was the very first woman in the country to do that.
27. The 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote was enacted on August 18, 1920. However, women in Kansas had already been voting since 1912.
28. Ella Uphay Mowry was a women’s rights activist and suffragist who was the first female gubernatorial candidate in Kansas in 1922. She was very pragmatic about her chances. “Someone had to be the pioneer,” she said. “I at least will blaze the way for some more successful sister later.”
29. Brown v. Board of Education was a big deal when the Supreme Court agreed that racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional on May 17, 1954. The full name of the case is Oliver Brown, et al v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al., and it began in 1951 when the school in Topeka, Kansas refused to enroll Brown’s Black daughter at the school closest to their house.
Kansas topography & geography
30. There are 105 counties in the state of Kansas, spread across 628 cities.
31. In addition to Wichita and Topeka, other major cities in Kansas include. Lawrence and Overland Park. Additionally, Kansas City is right over the state border in Missouri and the state certainly feels a sense of belonging to that city.
32. Kansas’s neighbor states are Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Colorado. It’s totally landlocked, meaning it does not border and oceans or seas.
33. Want to drive across Kansas? It’s 213 miles from east to west and 410 miles from north to south.
34. The highest point in Kansas is Mount Sunflower, which is 4, 041 feet above sea level.
35. Alternately, the lowest point in the state of Kansas is where the Verdigris River meets the Oklahoma border. It’s a mere 679 feet above sea level.
36. Kansas is the 15th biggest state with an area of 82,278 square miles.
37. Smith County, Kansas is the geographic cent of the United States.
38. Tornados in Kansas aren’t just a bit from The Wizard of Oz. The state gets so many that it’s been referred to as Tornado Alley.
39. Close to 75 miles of the northeastern boundary of Kansas is the Missouri River.
40. Kansas is pretty flat, and 2/3 of the state is basically part of The Great Plains. Unsurprisingly, much of Kansas is covered in grass like buffalo grass, switch grass, and bluegrass.
41. The land of Kansas lends itself very well to farming and the state is a major agriculture producer of soybeans, corn, wheat, as well as livestock like cattle, hogs, and sheep.
42. There is a Kansas City, Kansas that should not be confused with the much bigger and more well-known Kansas City, Missouri.
Where should I visit in Kansas?
43. The Plaza Cinema in Ottawa, Kansas has been in operation at its present location since 1907. Sources say it has been noted by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “oldest purpose-built cinema in operation in the world” but the Guinness website says it’s the Eden Theâtre in Lyons, France that has been at work since March 1899. Regardless! It’s likely the oldest functioning cinema in the country and cinephiles should pay a visit while they can.
44. The Museum of World Treasures in Wichita is a fantastic place that lives up to its name. With tons of exhibits that focus on fossils, ancient civilizations, and the Old West, it’s a relic-filled treasury of well-curated artifacts a whole family can spend the day admiring.
45. The First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, Kansas includes grasshoppers in its infrastructure. The congregation built their church in 1874 in the middle of a huge grasshopper plague that was taking place in Kansas. They were so determined to build their church in the midst of the plague that grasshoppers ended up being included in the concrete.
46. Way down in Abilene, Kansas is the Greyhound Hall of Fame, which opened in 1973. Not only can you learn a lot about this beautiful breed of dog and their history with breeding and racing, you can even pet them! Two retired racing greyhounds are often near the entrance to greet visitors.
47. The World’s Largest Easel is a roadside attraction located in Goodland, Kansas. It’s 80 feet tall and because Kansas is known as the Sunflower State, the easel presents Vincent Van Gogh’s Three Sunflowers in a Vase.
48. The OZ Museum is located in Wamego, Kansas and it’s a must-visit for any fan of The Wizard of Oz and the books they’re based on. Starting with the first edition L. Frank Baum books they have on display, the OZ Museum has over 100 years of Oz-related artifacts on display. Perhaps one of the most fun things they have are sets from The Muppets Wizard of Oz (2005), which is a movie that actually exists.
49. The Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, Kansas has the largest collection of Evel Knievel memorabilia, including bikes and well-worn helmets that the famed daredevil used for some of his famous stunts.
50. You can visit the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas, a Gothic revival style house built around 1860. The famous groundbreaking aviator was born here at her grandparent’s house on July 24, 1897, and she lived at the house until she was 12 years old.
Fun, cool & weird facts about Kansas
51. Movies that were filmed in Kansas include Paper Moon (1973) and Mars Attacks! (1996).
52. Omar Knedlik owned a Dairy Queen in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1958 that had a busted soda machine. He began keeping soda in the freezer and selling the resulting bottles of slush to customers. The Icee was then born.
53. The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame has a museum located in Wichita and includes inductees like George Brett, Darrren Daulton, Xavier McDaniel, and Paul Pierce.
54. A few literary landmark American novels of the 20th century set Kansas in their location, including L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series, and Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood (1965).
55. Dexter, Kansas was the site of an oil-drilling operation in 1903 when gas was discovered, but it would not burn. Scientists at the University of Kansas collected and studied samples of the gas and determined that was helium. As such, the United States became the leading supplier of helium in the world. We have the University of Kansas to thank for our balloons!
56. Fans of Westerns are familiar with Dodge City as a well-known setting of the genre, including the long-running radio and television show Gunsmoke, as well as basically anything related to Dodge City cop Wyatt Earp. It’s also where the phrase “get out of Dodge” comes from.
57. Clark Kent — much better known as Superman — grew up in Smallville, Kansas. Unfortunately, it’s a fictional town so you can’t visit there.
58. Speaking of flying things, the very first airplane factory was built in Wichita, Kansas in 1919.
59. Kansas college sports are popular, but as far as elite professional sports leagues, the closest Kansas gets is the Wichita Wind Surge, the minor league baseball Double-A affiliate for the Minnesota Twins. However, Kansas City, Missouri is right on the other side of the border so the locals tend to root for the Royals and Chiefs.
60. Fast food history has been made in Wichita, Kansas more than once. The very first White Castle opened here in 1921 and the first Pizza Hut opened in 1958.
What famous people are from Kansas?
61. The band Kansas! The 1970s southern hard rock band named itself after the home state of several band members and released their self-titled debut record in 1974.
62. Joseph Frank Keaton — better known as Buster Keaton — is perhaps the greatest actor/director in the history of American cinema. Buster was especially prolific all throughout the 1920s, churning out silent classic after classic, including Our Hospitality and The General. Buster Keaton was born in Piqua, Kansas on October 4, 1895.
63. Fellow silent film star Fatty Arbuckle — who was the Chris Farley of his day — was born in Smith Center, Kansas in 1887.
64. Writer Langston Hughes, one of the most prominent participants of the Harlem Renaissance, was raised in Lawrence, Kansas.
65. Jazz pioneer icon Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City, Kansas in 1920. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri.
66. Amelia Mary Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24, 1897. The aviation pioneer was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and was a huge popular celebrity in her day. She disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean 1937 and the true circumstances of her death remains a mystery to this day.
67. Hattie McDaniel was the first Black person to win an Academy Award for her role in Gone with the Wind (1939). She was born in Wichita.
68. Other famous actors from Kansas include Annette Bening (Topeka), Paul Rudd (Overland Park), and Dennis Hopper (Dodge City).
69. Jeff Probst — the host of Survivor, everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure reality show — was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1962.
70. Two of the greatest running backs in NFL history were born in Wichita, Kansas: Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders.
71. George Washington Carver had a homestead plot near Beeler, Kansas in his early 20s, where he tended to 17 acres of crops and plants and cut some of his early agricultural teeth here.
Cover Image Credit: Image by CJMcCay from Pixabay
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