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How old is Kansas? The answer may surprise you.
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Pre-1803
Kansas was first inhabited by the Native Americans who composed of many different tribes. The first Europeans to visit Kansas were the Spanish who came in the early 16th century. However, no European settlements were established in Kansas until the French arrived in the 18th century.
Pre-history
Archaeological excavations indicate that the first human inhabitants of Kansas were nomadic hunters who arrived in the area about 10,000 years ago. These hunters were followed by other groups of nomadic people who began to settle in the region about 2,000 years ago. Eventually, these semi-permanent villages gave way to larger, more permanent settlements.
The first people known to have inhabited Kansas were Asians who crossed the Bering Strait into Alaska and then migrated southward through Canada and into the central United States. These people were followed by other groups of Asians who moved southward along the Pacific coast. By the time of Christ, all of Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans.
The Native Americans who settled in Kansas were members of three major language groups: Siouan, Caddoan, and Iroquoian. The Sioux occupied the western part of the state, while the Caddoans lived in the central and north-central regions. The Iroquoians occupied eastern Kansas.
The first Europeans to explore Kansas were Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Coronado. Coronado’s expedition entered Kansas in 1541 in search of gold. Although no gold was found, Coronado did make contact with the Native Americans who lived in the state.
Early explorers
Kansas was first visited by Europeans in 1673 when French explorer Jacques Marquette stopped along the Missouri River near present-day Kansas City. In 1712, Louis Jolliet and Pierre La Vérendrye became the first white men to cross the state. La Vérendrye established the first European settlement in Kansas in 1742 near present-day Dodge City.
In 1762, all of France’s North American possessions, including Kansas, were ceded to Spain. However, few Spaniards Settled in Kansas during the next two decades. During this time, most of the eastern half of Kansas was inhabited by the Osage Indians, who had been forced west from their homes in Missouri by the expansion of white settlement there.
1803-1854
Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861, making it the 34th state to join the United States of America. Kansas is bordered by Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west. The state capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is named after the Kansas River, which flows through the state.
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. The total cost of the Louisiana Purchase was $23,213,568.18, which is equivalent to $521 billion in 2019.
The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States and opened up the western frontier to settlement. It also established the value of the dollar and solidified American economic power on the international stage.
The Santa Fe and Oregon Trails
The Santa Fe and Oregon Trails were two of the most popular trails used by settlers during the early 1800s. The Santa Fe Trail was primarily used by settlers moving west from Missouri, while the Oregon Trail was used by settlers moving west from the Midwest. Both trails led to the Pacific Northwest, and both were used extensively during the early years of Kansas statehood.
The Santa Fe Trail was first established in 1821, and quickly became one of the most important trade routes in the West. It ran from Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was used by traders, trappers, and settlers alike. The trail was used extensively during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), and played a key role in the settlement of the American West.
The Oregon Trail was established in 1843, and quickly became one of the most popular routes for settlers moving west. The trail ran from Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon, and was used by thousands of settlers during the 1850s. The trail played a key role in the settlement of the American West, and is still celebrated today as one of the most important routes in American history.
The Mexican-American War
In 1803, the United States purchased Louisiana from France. The huge new territory doubled the size of the nation. Settlers began moving west, but relations with Native Americans were often hostile.
In 1819, Missouri applied for statehood. At that time, there was a question of whether slavery would be allowed in the new state. In order to keep a balance between slave and free states, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise. This law allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, but it prohibited slavery in any territory north of Missouri’s southern border (36° 30′ N latitude).
settlers continued to move west. In 1846, tensions between the United States and Mexico over control of Texas led to war. The Mexican-American War lasted two years and ended with Mexico ceding nearly all of its northern territory to the United States. This included present-day Kansas and Nebraska.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created those two territories and repealed the Missouri Compromise. The act allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to determine for themselves whether slavery would be permitted within their borders through a process called “popular sovereignty.” This led to bloody conflict over the issue of slavery in “Bleeding Kansas.”
1854-1861
Kansas was admitted as a state on January 29, 1861, after years of protracted conflict over the issue of slavery in the American West. Kansas was the 34th state admitted to the Union. The state was named after the Kansas River, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe. The tribe’s name (natively kką:ze) is often said to mean “people of the (south) wind” or “people of the south wind,” although this was probably not the term’s original meaning. Kansas is bordered by Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west.
Bleeding Kansas
From 1854 to 1861, Kansas was the site of violent conflict over the issue of slavery. The conflict, which came to be known as “Bleeding Kansas,” began when pro- and antislavery activists from Missouri crossed the border into Kansas Territory in order to influence the territory’s vote on whether or not to allow slavery. The violence reached its peak in May 1856, when U.S. Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane on the floor of the Senate. Though Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state in 1861, the violence in “Bleeding Kansas” foreshadowed the outbreak of the Civil War five years later.
The American Civil War
The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a conflict between the United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA) over the issue of slavery. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the USA and formed the CSA, while 23 Northern states remained loyal to the USA. The war resulted in the death of more than 620,000 Americans, making it one of the deadliest in US history.
1861-Present
Kansas became a U.S. state on January 29, 1861, when it was admitted to the Union as a free state. Prior to statehood, the Kansas Territory had been settled by a mix of free-staters and slave-holders. The statehood battle was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dred Scott case, which held that slaves were not protected by the Constitution in free states.
Statehood
Kansas became a state on January 29, 1861, when it was admitted to the Union as the 34th state. Kansas was originally part of the Louisiana Purchase, which was acquired by the United States from France in 1803. The land that would become Kansas was first part of the Missouri Territory before it became its own separate territory in May 1854.
The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, also known as the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American Great Plains during the 1930s. The storms are believed to have been caused by severe drought coupled with badly advised farming practices. Despite aafia warnings, many farmers plowed deep into virgin territory which had never before been touched by a plow. These farmers planted crops in soil that should have been left alone. The results were disastrous.
The soil became dry and Powdery and when strong winds blew across the plains, giant clouds of dust were created which choked off sunlight and wreaked havoc on people, animals, and crops. An estimated 300 million tons of topsoil were lost during this period, leading to the devastation of once-fertile farmland. Families were forced to abandon their homes and farms, and many people died from dust pneumonia or malnutrition. It is estimated that 2.5 million people were displaced during the Dust Bowl; many of them relocated to California where they became known as “Okies”.
The 21st century
The 21st century in Kansas began with the completion of the state’s first four-lane highway, Interstate 70, in 2001. In 2003, Kansas voters approved a $281 million transportation plan that included funds for more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of new and upgraded roads and bridges. The state has also seen an increase in tourism in recent years, with visitors coming to see attractions such as the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Flint Hills.
