Kansas
by Amanda P.
Kansas is a wonderful state. It is located in the north as part of the western central region. On the north of Kansas is Nebraska. Missouri is on the east of Kansas and on the west is Colorado. Oklahoma forms the border in the south.
There are lots of interesting facts about Kansas. The climate in Kansas varies with the seasons. It is very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. The size of Kansas is 82,282 square miles. This ranks it 15th in size. More than 2,572,000 people that live in Kansas today. Topeka is the capital of Kansas and Wichita, Salina, Garden City and Kansas City are all of the major cities in Kansas.
Kansas has many important state symbols. Kansas' state flower is the sunflower and it also is the nickname for the state. The state animal is the buffalo and the state bird is the western meadowlark. Its' tree is the cottonwood and the reptile is the box turtle. The song is "Home on the Range" which is a song everyone knows. The insect that represents Kansas is the honey bee. "Ad a stra per Aspera", which means to the stars through difficulties, is the state motto.
Kansas is a very flat state. It was made by the ice age. At one time Kansas was a huge inland sea. This sea left big deposits of limestone throughout the state. The elevation in Kansas ranges from 679 feet above sea level in the southeastern part of the state to 4,039 feet in the northwest.
Kansas is the breadbasket of the nation. It is one of the few states that use at least 90% of its land for farming. It products one fifth of the world wheat, more that any other state. Sorghum , soybeans, corn, cattle and hogs are almost important agricultural products. Kansas is rich in natural resources. It is one the of producers of walnut wood. Walnut trees grow very slowly. They only grow about 1 inch every 4 years. It takes a long time to grow these trees. Beneath the earth in Kansas companies mine for salt. Other companies drill for oil natural gas and helium.
There are other industries in Kansas besides farming. Kansas manufactures things like airplanes and cars. Many books and magazines are printed and published in Kansas. Our 34th state has an exiting history. Native Americans were living in Kansas as early as 2,000 BC. Explores from France and Spain came to Kansas in 1541 searching for gold. Spain lost interest because there was no gold. Eventually the Untied States purchased Kansas from France as part of a big land deal called the Louisiana Purchase. In 1854 Kansas was organized as a territory, one of the steps towards becoming a state. During the Civil War Kansas was raided by Confederate soldiers. One of the worst attacks was at Lawrence, Kansas in 1863. When 200 building were burned and 150 innocent people were killed. Kansas sided with the North and sent the highest number if eligible men to serve in the Union Army.
Kansas became the 34th state in 1861 with Topeka as its capital. During the 1860's the railroads expanded into Kansas. Texas ranchers drove their herds into Kansas to bring them to railroad yards to be sent east. When cowboys delivered the cattle they received their pay and went to town to celebrate and turned Kansas into the Wild West.
Soon settlers from the east created a more normal life on the prairie. New immigrants from Russia, Germany and Sweden came to farm in the harsh conditions on the plains. Immigrants from Russia introduced the Turkey Red Winter Wheat which grew very well in Kansas and has made the state the breadbasket of the nation.
Some famous Kansans are Amelia Earhart and our 34th President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Like New York, Kansas had museums and one of the best zoos in America, the Sedgwick County Zoo. If you would like to see the home of a president, travel to Abilene. There you can see the house where President Eisenhower grew up. Or if you just want to relax you can fish or go boating on one of Kansas' many lakes.
If you are lucky enough to be there at Christmas time, many communities have beautiful displays during the holiday season. The city of Wakeeney is called Christmas City of the High Plains for its forty foot Christmas tree covered with handmade ornaments and more than 6,000 lights.
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