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KANSAS - USA
Kansas, derived from the Siouan word Kansa
meaning "People of the south wind", is a midwestern state in the United
States. The U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is KS and the state
flower is the sunflower. The state motto is "Ad astra per aspera", the state
song is "Home on the Range", the state bird is the western meadowlark, and
the state animal is the buffalo.
The population is 2,688,418, as of 2000. The largest city is Wichita.
History
Kansas, as part of the Louisiana Purchase, was annexed to the United States
in 1803 as unorganized territory. Kansas then became part of the Missouri
Territory until 1821. Then the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30,
1854 established the US territories of Nebraska and Kansas.
Fort Leavenworth was the first community in the area around 1827. To
travellers enroute to Utah, California, or Oregon, Kansas was a waystop and
outfitting place. On March 30, 1855 "Border Ruffians" from Missouri invaded
Kansas during the territory's first election and forced the election of a
pro-slavery legislature.
Kansas became the 34th state of the Union on January 29, 1861. Civil War
veterans constructed homesteads in Kansas following the war. On February 19,
1861 it became the first U.S. state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
On August 21, 1863, William Quantrill led Quantrill's Raid into Lawrence,
Kansas destroying much of the city and killing many people.
Wild Bill Hickok was a deputy marshal at Fort Riley, Kansas, and a marshal
at Hays, Kansas and Abilene, Kansas.
Kansas was home to President Eisenhower, Presidential Candidate Senator Bob
Dole, Amelia Earheart, and Carrie Nation.
Law and government
The State Capital is Topeka.
The Governor of the State is Kathleen Sebelius (Democrat) and the two U.S.
Senators are Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts (both Republicans).
Kansas has a reputation as a progressive state with many firsts in
legislative initiatives including being the first state to institute a
system of workers compensation (1910). The Council-manager government was
adopted by many larger Kansas cities in the years following World War I
while many American cities were being run by political machines or organized
crime. Kansas schools both public and private continue to have some of the
highest standards in the nation. Kansas was first among the states to ban
the concept of separate but equal schools. Brown vs. Board of Education took
place in Topeka, Kansas and banned racially segregated schools throughout
the US.
Geography
Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north, Missouri on the east, Oklahoma
on the south, and Colorado on the west. It is located equidistant from the
Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. The geographic center of North America is
located in Osborne County. This spot is used as the central reference point
for all maps produced by the government. The geographic center of the 48
contiguous states is located in Smith County, and the geographic center of
Kansas is located in Barton County.
Landmarks
The disputed World's Largest Ball of Twine created in Cawker City, Kansas
August 15, 1953, is still growing.
Big Brutus, the World's Largest Electric Shovel resides in West Mineral,
Kansas. It is 160 ft tall and weighs 11 million pounds.
Samuel Dinsmoor created the Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas in 1905, and
opened it up to tourists in 1908. The garden features sculptures of biblical
scenes and political messages. One scene has labor being crucified by a
doctor, lawyer, banker, and preacher. Dinsmoor even built his own mausoleum
in which you can still see him today in his concrete coffin by paying for
the tour. [1] (http://www.missioncreep.com/tilt/dinsmoor.html)
The John Brown museum is located Osawatomie, Kansas.
The geographic center of the United States lies near Lebanon, Kansas.
The Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant in De Soto, Kansas opened in 1942 to
manufactor gunpowder and munition propellants for World War II. The plant
sits on over 9000 acres (36 km˛) of land which was made up of more than 100
farms.
The boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Eisenhower Library, and his
grave are located in Abilene, Kansas. The Greyhound Hall of Fame is located
in Abilene. Abilene, Kansas is also the ending point of the Chisholm Trail
where the cattle driven from Texas were rail loaded.
The house of Carrie Nation, now a museum, is located in Medicine Lodge,
Kansas.
Constitution Hall in Lecompton, Kansas is the location where the Kansas
Territorial Government convened and drafted a pro-slavery constitution. [2]
(http://www.lecomptonkansas.com/index.php?doc=consthall.php)
The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics where the largest collection of
papers for a non president politician is located. The institute is located
in Lawrence, Kansas on the campus of the University of Kansas. [3] (http://www.doleinstitute.org)
The Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas features Old West memorobilia and
history.
The Wizard of Oz Museum in Liberal, Kansas features Dorothy's House, a
recreation of the farm house featured in the film The Wizard of Oz (film).
The National Teachers Hall of Fame is located in Emporia, Kansas.
The National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame is located in Bonner
Springs, Kansas.
The Horace Greeley museum is located in Tribune, Kansas.
The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, located in Hutchinson, Kansas is
affilicated with the Smithsonian Institute. The museum features the largest
collection of artfacts from the Russian Space Program outside of Moscow. It
is also home to Apollo 13, an SR-71 Blackbird, and many other space
artifications.
Major highways
The state is served by two interstate highways with six spur routes. I-70 is
a major east/west route connecting to St. Louis, Missouri, in the east and
Denver, Colorado, in the west. Cities along this route (from east to west)
include Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, Junction City, Salina, Hays, and
Colby. I-35 is a major north/south route connecting to Des Moines, Iowa, in
the north and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the south. Cities along this route
(from north to south) include Kansas City (and its suburbs), Ottawa, Emporia,
El Dorado, and Wichita.
Spur routes serve as connections between the two major routes. I-135, a
north/south route, connects I-70 at Salina to I-35 at Wichita. I-335, a
northeast/southwest route, connects I-70 at Topeka to I-35 at Emporia. I-335
and portions of I-35 and I-70 make up the Kansas Turnpike. I-435 and I-635
serve a dual purpose as connections between the major routes and bypasses
around the Kansas City metropolitan area. Other bypasses are I-235 around
Wichita and I-470 around Topeka.
In January 2004, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced
the new Kansas 511 traveler information service.[4] (http://www.ksdot.org/offtransinfo/News04/511_Release.htm)
By calling 511, callers will get access to information about road conditions,
construction, closures, detours, and weather conditions for the state
highway system. Weather and road condition information is updated every 15
minutes.
Economy
The 1999 total gross state product of Kansas was $81 billion, placing it
31st in the nation. Its per-capita income is $27,816. The agricultural
outputs of the state are cattle, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, hogs and corn.
The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, commercial and private
aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel,
petroleum and mining.
Education
Colleges and universities
Baker University
Barclay College
Benedictine College
Bethany College
Bethel College
Central Christian College
Emporia State University
Fort Hays State University
Friends University
Haskell Indian Nations University
Hesston College
Kansas State University
Kansas Wesleyan University
Manhattan Christian College
McPherson College
Mid-America Nazarene College
Newman University
Ottawa University
Pittsburg State University
Saint Mary College
Southwestern College
Sterling College
Tabor College
University of Kansas
University of Kansas Medical Center
Washburn University
Wichita State University
Professional sports teams
Kansas City T-Bones, Wichita Wranglers, Wichita Thunder
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