When people hear the word Kansas in conversation they usually think or say, "oh yeah you mean flyover country", or "you mean the State that is 100 years behind the times? (think the nineteenth century)" Well I am here to tell you that there is more to the State than the "Great American Desert" or the home of Dorothy and Toto from the Wizard of Oz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcsRGuczFcw
The State of Kansas is rich in History and has more to it than most people think. For example, Kansas played an important role in United States History since it became a state. Some would argue that Kansas even played a role in history even before it became a territory of the United States in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson purchased it from France. Today I am going to show you some of the best websites about the State. These sites will help you to understand that the state's rich history. Here are nine websites that you will want to check out to learn about the rich history and fascinating people of the state.
- The Kansas State Historical Society -- This site, operated by the State Historical Society has great resources to use in your study of the States history. It even has an Encyclopedia of knowledge. It is called the Kansapedia. Here you can research the people, places, events and more. The site also contains online digital information that you can download for use offline, including images of Kansas, its people, and other great subjects.
- Territorial Kansas Online -- This website contains information, documents, and other materials about the State during the territorial Days of Kansas. On the website's about page, it says, "The major product of the project is this virtual repository of the best Territorial Kansas collections from the two institutions. Visitors to the site have access to government documents, diaries, letters, photographs, maps, newspapers, rare secondary sources and historical artifacts. The emotions of the times are conveyed in handwritten documents, which, with misspelled words and blotted ink make their creators and the events described tangible to the modern day reader. This project will also incorporate museum artifacts as historical evidence. Artifacts have the power to carry the past into the present because they exist beyond the historical event they are associated with, providing a direct connection to people who lived in the past. Images of historic sites where some of the territorial confrontations occurred will also be included."
- Kancoll: The Kansas Collection -- This is the website formerly known as Carrie. It is operated by the University of Kansas and was conceived by Lynn H. Nelson. Here you will find historic works about the State. Including the Classic Cutler's History of the States of Kansas and Nebraska. It includes articles, images, and even information about the Orphan Trains of the Nineteenth century.
- The Kansas Heritage Group -- This website is basically a one stop resource for finding other websites that discuss the History of Kansas, its people, its culture, and other things that make Kansas an interesting place to visit, study and possibly move to.
- The Official State of Kansas Tourism website -- This website shows the reader what he can do while visiting the State of Kansas. It includes information about the many museums in the State, the historic trails that run throughout the State, including the Famous Santa Fe Trail. Also, you will find information about the places that you would like to eat at, the lodging and shopping hot spots, and even a calendar of State and local events that take place in Kansas throughout the year.
- Old West Kansas -- This website discusses the History of the State during the Old West period of the State. It includes information about the famous cowtowns, the Gunfighters, ranchers, and more. Yes, it even includes information about the Queen of the Cowtowns, Dodge City. Home of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and other famous Old West personalities.
- Kansas History Websites -- This website contains links to resources and information about the State of Kansas, including information about the Native Americans that resided in the State during the territorial and Old West period of the State's history.
- Legends of Kansas -- This interesting website has tons of articles about the events, people and more about the States history. This section of the website is a part of the Larger website, Legends of America by the author, Kathy Weiser. Here you can read articles about the frontier towns, the historic people, the ghost towns of the State and more.
- Fast Facts About Kansas -- This website contains quick facts about the State that you can use to begin further research in the History of the state. For example, the three largest cities in the state are Wichita, Kansas City, and Overland Park.
As you can see, the State is indeed much more than flyover country, nor is it the Great American Desert. It has a rich history. These websites are but a few of the great places that you can go to on the Internet to learn about the rich history of the State. There are more websites for you to check out in the Weblinks section of this site.