Kansas Timeline Sources
The following article was made available
through the courtesy of Stephen Chinn. It should not be quoted or
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1540/1541--The Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de
marched north from Mexico in search of the Seven Golden
of Cibola. In New Mexico he was told about the Land of
and he turned east and north in search of this place. By
of 1541, he had reached the Arkansas River in Kansas,
it near present Dodge City. Coronado found no gold in
and returned to New Mexico.
1542--Father Juan de Padilla, a priest who had
Coronado, returned to Kansas. He hoped to bring
to the Indians. He was killed, however, by those he
help. Father Padilla is said to have been the first
martyr in America.
1724 Captain M. Etienne Venyard de Bourgmont, a French
led an expedition into what are now Atchison and
to establish trade relations with the Indians of the
1762--France lost the territory of Kansas to Spain.
30 Apr 1803--Louisiana Purchase
The United States concluded a "deal" when it signed an
to purchase the entire Lousiana Territory from France.
transaction ended the trading era for Kansas and brought
the exploration of a new American settlement.
1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Jun/Jul 1804--Meriwether Lewis and William Clark,
the Louisiana Purchase by order of President Thomas
made camp at several points in the Leavenworth area on
side of the Missouri River.
4 Jul 1804--At the present location of Atchison, the
and Clark group celebrated what was probably the first
Day in Kansas by firing a swivel gun. Later they named
Creek and closed the day with another cannon blast.
26/29 Sep 1806--When the "Stars and Stripes" (American
were first raised in Kansas by a Pawnee Indian Chief.
1806--Lt. Zebulon Pike of the U.S. Army crossed the KS
on an exploring expedition during which he met with the
and signed treaties with them as the representative of
"White Father." He continued westward on this journey to
the mountain that is now called Pike's Peak.
1819--The Western Engineer was the first steamer to
the Kansas river.
1821--William Becknell, a Missouri trader, was the
follow the route that later became known as the Santa Fe
His (pack) mule train passed through Morris County at
known as Council Grove.
1822 - William Becknell used wagons instead of pack
or horses to take trade goods over the Santa Fe Trail.
Becknell found a good mode of transportation and a
wagon route, he is credited as the Father of the Santa
Jun 1825--The necessary treaties were negotiated
federal government and the Kansa and Osage tribes for a
of Kansa-Osage land onto which eastern Indians could be
1825--Daniel Boone was appointed farmer to the
1825--By a council under a tree (Council Oak) and a
signed with the Osage Indians, the United States
obtained the right of way for a public highway,
as the "Santa Fe Trail."
8 May 1827--Fort Leavenworth, first known as
was established by Col. Henry Leavenworth on the
right bank of Salt Creek as an army post to protect the
frontier and travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. 1829
pack-train, en route West by way of Independence,
the first time traveled out the Santa Fe Trail some
before turning northwest toward the Kansas river. This
the established Oregon-California trail route.
1829--The largest and historically most important of
Kansas missions was the Shawnee Methodist, opened as a
by the Reverend Thomas Johnson and his wife in 1829, on
site of present-day Turner (part of Greater Kansas
May 1830--The Indian Removal Bill of 1830
the Kickapoo, Shawnee, Delaware, Pottawatomie, Wyandot,
Chippewa, Iowa, Miami and Sac and Fox tribes. An "Act to
for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing
of the states or territories, and for their removal west
the river Mississippi" was passed by Congress and signed
President Andrew Jackson.
1830 William L. Sublette took the first wagons along
(Oregon Trail) to the Rocky Mountains.
Jul 1831--Isaac McCoy was instrumental in founding the
Baptist Mission opened by Johnston Lykins. It was
few miles south and west of the Kansas River mouth in
now Johnson County.
1833--Jotham Meeker came to the Shawnee Baptist
with him the first printing press to be set up on Kansas
1834 Bent's Fort (Fort William), a fur trade post on
Arkansas, was established. A Bent, St. Vrain and Company
(with wagons) eastbound from Santa Fe, NM in the late
traveled by way of Taos and Raton Pass to Fort William;
they came down the Arkansas to the Santa Fe Trail; thus,
the Bent's Fort branch of the Santa Fe Trail.
1835--The Kansa, or Kaw were a small tribe; only 1,606
them would be counted when a census was made in 1835.
1839--The Shawnee Methodist Mission was relocated in
on a 2,240-acre grant some two miles southwest of
Missouri (also now smothered by Kansas City), in what
Kansas's Johnson County. Here was established a large
farming enterprise, including a twelve-acre apple
first on Kansas soil.
1841--First emigrant wagon train for the Pacific. The
party's journey west was from Independence, Missouri,
Trace" (or, the now developing Oregon-California trail).
30 May 1842--Fort Scott, named in honor of General
Scott, was established 30 May 1842 at Marmaton crossing
Fort Leavenworth-Fort Gibson military road.
28 Jul 1843 Date for the Wyandot Indians arriving in
We arrived in Kansas on July 28, 1843. Upon arrival in
Territory, we were to purchace land from the Shawnee,
the land sale was held up by the area's indian agent. We
up purchacing the land between the Missouri and Kansas
from the Delaware, who had made improvements on the
it for farming. Source: Darren Zane English
Cultural Coordinator, Wyandot Nation of Kansas
1844--The first free school was established by the
1846--Crossing points above St. Joseph, Missouri, such
Iowa Point (Doniphan County--first settled in 1854) and
used by Pacific-bound emigrants this year, and
Spring 1846--The Kansa (Kaw) Indians signed a treaty
the government, ceding their reservation land along the
River near Topeka in exchange for a new but smaller
located along the upper valley of the Neosho River, in
is now Morris County.
April 1847--A reservation 20 miles square was
in what is now Morris County near Council Grove. The Kaw
were relocated from their reservation near Topeka and
on to the land embraced within the limits of the
They remained on the Kaw reservation until 1873.
1849/1850 The Kaw Mission at Council Grove was built
Methodist Episcopal Church South with government funding
serve as a school to educate the Kaw Indians after they
relocated from their reservation near Topeka in 1847.
S. Huffaker contracted to teach the school. He acted in
capacity of the teacher until 1854 when the school was
The Kaw Mission later became a first school for the
8 Aug 1850--Fort Atkinson was established by
Edwin Vose Sumner, 1st U. S. Dragoons. It was located
two miles west of the present Dodge City, on the left
the Arkansas River near the site of old Fort Mann.
to control the Indians and protect the Santa Fe Trail.
small army post was made entirely of sod buildings.
1852--Flour milling got its start in Kansas by
in Kansas City.
17 May 1853--Fort Riley was established in Kansas
by Captain Charles S. Lovell, 6th U.S. Infantry, on a
by Colonel Thomas T. Flauntleroy, 1st U. S. Dragoons.
Summer 1853--In the summer of 1853, George W.
commissioner of Indian affairs, under a directive from
came into the valleys of the Kaw and Neosho to negotiate
with Indians to resede to the U.S. Government all but a
of the land that, a quarter-century before, had been
them "forever." Manypenny was reluctant to do so.
1854--Fort Atkinson was abandoned due to the poor
of the sod buildings.
1854--Col. Cyrus K. Holliday came to "Topeka, Kansas
Holliday was a founder of Topeka and promoter of the
30 May 1854--The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed and
by President Franklin Pierce, and Kansas Territory was
and opened up for settlement. Its boundary included
Colorado, west to the Continental Divide. The only white
then residing within this boundary were those about the
posts, Indian traders, missionaries and a few males, who
into the different tribes. A purpose of the
Act was to open the country to transcontinental
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was responsible for causing
"Bleeding Kansas." The incorporation of popular
made the territory's residents (not the Federal
responsible for the question of slavery in their own
The proximity of Kansas to slave-owning Missouri and the
of any natural border between the two regions prompted
of Pro-slavery individuals into the new territory when
up for settlement.
1854--Andrew H. Reeder was appointed the first
governor of Kansas by President Franklin Pierce.
29 Nov 1854--Andrew H. Reeder was the first
of Kansas who called an election to choose a delegate to
1854--The New England Emigrant Aid Society in Boston,
a company interested in peopling the frontier with anti
(abolitionist) settlers. 1854--This company helped to
Lawrence, Kansas (town named after Amos A. Lawrence,
of the Emigrant Aid Society), which then became the
1854--Swiss immigrants first arrived and settled in
(Onaga) and Nemaha (Bern, Neuchatel) and Allen (Geneva)
1855--The Valley Falls Mill was built by Isaac Cody
of Bill Cody).
1855--A free-state constitution was framed in Topeka.
not receive serious consideration in Congress.
Jul 1855--The first territorial Capitol of Kansas was
of native stone at Pawnee on the Fort Riley reservation.
1856--Cholera raged at Fort Riley.
August 1856--John Brown and 40 defenders were attacked
an army of 400/600 pro slavery Missourians. In this raid
Osawatomie, the settlement (all but four homes) was
the invaders and John Brown's son Frederick was killed.
wagon loads of dead and wounded were brought into
Missouri when the invading army returned.
1857--A pro slavery constitution, if Kansas is
a slave state, was drafted at Lecompton. The
adopted in an election in which free state men refused
and later was rejected at a second election in which the
slavery men took no part.
1857--A third constitutional convention convened at
and the constitution drafted there was adopted by the
in 1858, but this too failed final acceptance.
1857--A group of German Immigrants settled in Allen
and founded Humboldt and Iola, and settled in Wabaunsee
and founded Alma. Germans were located in all counties
large settlements in Kansas City, Leavenworth
Seneca (Nemaha County) and Topeka (Shawnee County).
1857--The Hays House, said to be the oldest
restaurant west of the Mississippi River, was founded by
M. Hays at Council Grove.
1857 The Last Chance Store, built in 1857 at Council
was the last chance for those headed to Santa Fe to
19 May 1858--The Marais Des Cygnes River at Pleasanton
Linn County is the site of a famous confrontation
slavery ("Border Ruffians") and abolition (free-state)
The five victims of the massacre were immortalized as
in the cause for freedom. This massacre was the last
display of mob rule in Kansas.
May 1859--The Republican party was formally organized
Jul 1859--The fourth and last constitutional
at Wyandotte, now part of Kansas City. This time free
advocates were solidly in control, and the document they
barred slavery and fixed the present boundaries of the
It was accepted by a vote of the people in October, and
a provisional state government was elected.
22 Oct 1859--"Camp on Pawnee Fork" and Camp Alert, as
Larned was first known, was established as a military
protect travelers and commerce and mail on the Santa Fe
from Indians. It also provided a more centralized point
the distribution of annuities, as provided by treaty, to
1859--During his visit to Kansas, President Abraham
spoke at the famous Planters Hotel.
30 Nov 1859--President Abraham Lincoln said, "No other
has ever had such a history" in his first speech in
Dec 1859--President Lincoln visits Kansas.
1859/1860--During the winter W. H. Russell, of the
Russell, Majors and Waddell, completed plans for the two
mile Pony Express between St. Joseph, Missouri, and
1860--Beginnings of the oil industry in Kansas date
although large scale development was delayed because of
of commercial market.
1860s--Irish, some from big cities in the U.S., were
in large numbers near Chapman (Dickinson County), near
(Nemaha County), and in Pottawatomie County, and at
1860--Pony Express was inaugurated in Kansas. More
miles of the eastern end of the Pony Express was in
The Kansas section of the route had 11 stations. It
less than a year and a half (1860-1862).
1860--Mennonite Brethren split from what is now the
Conference Mennonite Church (Bethel College variety)
Russia. There were strong feelings over the split
into America. As a result, many small towns in Kansas
varieties of churches, and two different colleges were
Bethel and Tabor.
23 Feb 1860--The legislature passed a bill over the
veto abolishing slavery in Kansas.
29 Jan 1861--Kansas was admitted into the Union as the
state. Topeka became the state Capitol.
Apr 1861--Civil War: In answer to President Lincoln's
call for troops in April, Kansas supplied 650 men.
war ended in 1865, Kansas contributed 20,097 men to the
Army, a remarkable record since the population included
than 30,000 men of military age. Kansas also suffered
mortality rate of any of the Union states. Of the black
in the Union army, 2,080 were credited to Kansas, though
1860 census listed fewer than 300 blacks of military age
the state; most of them came from Arkansas and Missouri.
1861--Kansas women were given the right to vote in
elections, far earlier than in most states.
7 Feb 1862--The state Capitol stands on 20 acres of
donated to the state by Cyrus K. Holliday. The
the block of land by a joint resolution approved.
1862--The Homestead Act greatly aided in the opening
country after the Civil War. "It gave 160 acres of
to any citizen or any person declaring an intent to
citizen." All they had to do was pay a filing fee of ten
and then live upon and improve the given acreage for
The land for the Homestead Act came from the railroads.
railroads were granted with enormous acreage of federal
in Kansas plus significant land endowments from the
railroad also purchased huge acreage for a song from the
The Homestead Act was a vigorous effort to dispose of
holdings to settlers.
21 Aug 1863--Surprise attack at Lawrence by
led by William C. Quantrill. Only 150 of the 2,000
were killed in the raid. The city (not the whole town)
and burned, and about $1.5 million worth of property was
1863--Kansas State University was the second state
college in the United States to be founded.
Aug 1864--The original post (Fort Harker #1) was
by troops of the 7th Iowa Cavalry under the command of
Allen Ellsworth by order of Major General Samuel R.
protect the more remote frontier settlements. Originally
Fort Ellsworth, for Lt. Ellsworth. Originally located on
left bank of the Smoky Hill River at the point where the
Fe stage route crossed the River, about 3-4 miles
of the present town of Ellsworth.
6 Sep 1864--Fort Zarah was established on the banks of
Creek near the crossroads of the Santa Fe Trail, the
route from Fort Riley, and the main Indian trail. In
Zarah was relocated in stone buildings two miles
near the Arkansas River. Fort Zarah was abandoned
1869 as the Indian problem moved southwestward.
25 Oct 1864--Battle at Mine Creek: Although Kansas
saw action in many important engagements of the Civil
only major battle fought in Kansas occurred at Mine
Linn County. This battle involved some 25,000 men. The
Army under Generals Curtis, Blunt, and Pleasanton
Confederate Army under Generals Sterling Price and
ending the threat of a Confederate invasion in Kansas.
1864--Indians begin attacks on frontier settlements.
1864--Jim R. Mead became the first white settler at
when he opened a trading post on the site of Wichita,
1865--Wichita was plotted during this year.
1865--Civil War ended.
1865--After the Civil War, Jesse Chisholm pioneered
Trail when Jim R. Mead sent him into the southwest
Kansas to the Red River) with a wagon load of goods to
with the Indians for buffalo hides.
10 Apr 1865--Fort Dodge was established by Captain
11th Kansas Cavalry, by order of Major General Grenville
Dodge, commanding the department. Although there is some
the post was probably named for Colonel Henry Dodge, 1st
S. Dragoons. Fort Dodge was established to protect the
Fe Trail from Indians.
Sep 1865--Fort Aubrey was established early in
by Captain Adolph Whitman, 48th Wisconsin Infantry, in
Hamilton County at the head of Spring Creek. The site
recommended by Francis Xavier Aubry (1824-1854), trader
explorer, who was killed in Santa Fe 18 Aug 1854, and
the post was named.
11 Oct 1865--Fort Fletcher was established as a
post to protect military roads, defend construction
the Union Pacific Railroad, and guard the U.S. mail. The
was first designated Fort Fletcher, in honor of Governor
C. Fletcher of Missouri.
1866--Construction of the Kansas State Capitol in
1866--The first Kansas orphanage, St. Vincent's Home,
opened by the Sisters of Charity.
Nov 1866--Fort Fletcher renamed Fort Hays.
4 Jul 1867--Fort Hays relocated.
1867--Buffalo Bill Cody co-founder of Rome, Kansas.
1867/1872--More than three million head of Texas
cattle were driven up the Chisholm Trail to the Union
(later the Kansas Pacific) Railroad shipping center at
1867/1868--A great famine in Sweden combined with the
bred by repressive government made the American
of land and freedom particularly attractive to Swedes.
largest foreign-born group in nineteenth-century Kansas
from Sweden. The primary colony from Sweden was at
in McPherson County. The settlement at (New) Scandia in
County was promoted by the Scandinavian Agricultural
of Chicago. Swedish influence was also in Osage County
Blue River parts of Riley and Pottawatomie counties.
17 Sep 1868--Col. George A. Forsyth and his command
Arikaree Creek, a fork of the Republican River, five
west of Kansas's northwest corner. They were surrounded
a thousand Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux. They retreated
"island" (sandbar) in the Arikaree and dug-in. They
heavy losses, including the company's surgeon and its
Lt. Fred H. Beecher (he was nephew of Henry Ward
Harriet Beecher Stowe). The U.S. Army officially named
the Battle of Beecher Island in honor of Lieutenant
1867--Joseph G. McCoy arrived at Abilene, the end of
Chisholm Trail, and built stockyards that he advertised
1867--Indian attacks reached their height in Kansas,
nearly 130 settlers were killed.
5 Jun 1867--The first recorded Indian attack at
when the Indians killed four men and stampeded the
the time the station was guarded by only ten soldiers
stock traders, so pursuit of the Indians was out of the
By the time a force arrived from Fort Wallace, the
1867--One Indian raid occurred at a small settlement
Brookville. When a large body of Indians attacked the
the settlers rushed to the roundhouse where a barricade
hastily thrown up. The Indians surrounded the building,
Railroad ties against it, and tried to set the structure
fire. Railroad crew members jumped on an engine already
steam, crashed it through the doors of the roundhouse,
the turntable, and with whistle and bell sounding,
Salina to get help. This action caught the Indians
off guard, and they fled. When the engine reached
dead Indian was found lying on a wheel.
1867--The Indian Peace Treaty Monument of Medicine
the signing of the peace treaty between the U.S. and the
1868--Jesse Chisholm died at Left Hand Spring near
Geary, Oklahoma, in 1868, about the time the traders'
across Indian Territory became the Chisholm Trail, used
cattle highway by Texas ranchers moving their longhorns
1868--Nineteenth Kansas Cavalry mustered in for Indian
1869--Sioux and Cheyenne raid northwestern Kansas.
1869--Ernest Valeton de Boissiere established a
colony in Franklin County introducing silk to Kansas.
1869--Wild Bill Hickok, special marshall of Hays City,
1870--Brookville Hotel in Brookville, Kansas was
is famous for it's family style chicken dinners.
1870's Pittsburg--Crawford County, the coal metropolis
Kansas was founded as a mining camp during the 1870's.
that came from the coal region of Pennsylvania to the
1870's--The Bender family lived on the road south from
in Montgomery County, halfway between the "Little House
Prairie" and Independence, and near a land mark known as
Mounds. People disappeared on that road and they were
heard of again. Occasionally the Benders invited
stay for dinner. These itinerants were then murdered and
of their valuables.
1870/1871--After the Civil War, many families came
County, Ohio and settled on the high prairie in what is
known as Ohio Township in the northwest part of Morris
On their way, they laid over at Topeka where they met
from Clermont County, Ohio.
1871--Many Italian and other immigrants came to the
region of southeast Kansas.
Crawford County: Arma, Bruce; Mulberry, Pittsburg,
Cherokee County: Stilson/Scammon, Wier City, West
1871--About then coal mines were opened near
County. This was also about the date of transition from
name Mulberry Grove to Mulberry.
15-Apr-1871 James Butler Hickok replaced Tom Smith as
Jul 1871--The Santa Fe Railroad extended its line to
Kansas, which then succeeded Abilene as the terminus of
Chisholm Trail. The cattle boom at Newton only lasted a
for the railroad was soon extended to Wichita.
Aug 1871--During this period there was considerable
in the saloons and dance halls at Newton, with nine men
shot down in one shootout.
1872--"Home on the Range" song words written in Smith
by Dr. Brewster M. Higley, M.D.
1872--Ellsworth succeeded Abilene as the northern
(shipping point) of the Texas cattle trail.
1872--A branch of the Santa Fe Railroad arrived at
and the town "busted-wide-open." A sign was erected at
of town proclaiming: "Everything goes in Wichita."
1872--When the Santa Fe Railroad was completed to the
border, the days of the Santa Fe Trail as a main
route were over. Dodge City remained the cattle shipping point for 10 years.
1873--The Kaw Indians were removed from their
in Morris County to Oklahoma Territory, thus opening
for white settlement.
1873/1874--German Mennonite immigration to Kansas and
Dakota from Russia. Southeast McPherson and adjoining
(Hillsboro), Harvey (Halstead-where they built a flour
by the Little Arkansas River, North Newton), and Reno
of the oldest Mennonite Brethren churches in Kansas)
became the home of German-Russian Mennonites.
1870s--Bethel College at Newton was founded by Swiss
Mennonites from Russia; what is now the General
Mar 1874--The Kansas legislature amended the state
law. This allowed anyone who objected to military
religious grounds to obtain release. All they had to do
sign a declaration of objection in the county clerk's
31 Jul/Sep 1874--Grasshopper plague (Rocky Mountain
visited Kansas. The grasshopper invasion devastated
in Kansas and many people lost nearly everything. Aid
provisions and money) was sent from the East to help the
get through the hard winter.
1874 Four Kansas Railroads shipped 122,914 head of
in eight months.
1874/1875 -- Mennonites from Russia introduced Turkey
wheat to Kansas.
Mid 1870's--Small western towns such as Catherine,
Pfeifer, Schoenchen and Liebenthal were founded in the
1870's by Volga Germans, German catholics who emigrated
1875--The Kansas State Historical Society was
1876--State legislature abolishes color distinction
1878--By this time the buffalo, upon whose abundance
Indian's life and culture were wholly dependent, had
from Kansas and was rapidly approaching total
1878--Robert Layton took advantage of the available
Pittsburg, Crawford County and established a zinc
became the center of the leading zinc-smelting area in
1878--Prag, a Czech Community in Rawlins County (P.O.
7 miles below the forks of the Beaver River, near
mentioned in a report submitted by Captain William G.
of the 16th Infantry, regarding losses suffered by
during the 1878 Cheyenne raid in Northwestern Kansas.
27 Sep 1878--Chiefs Dull Knife and Little Wolf of the
Cheyenne led their people in a rebellion and flight from
and starvation on the reservation in Oklahoma (Indian
to their home lands in Yellowstone. The trek climaxed on
Sep 1878, when 284 braves, women and children made their
stand on the bluffs of Ladder Creek, now Beaver Creek,
south of Scott County State Park. This encounter with
Cavalry was the last Indian battle in Kansas. The
Den Battleground--drew its name from the pit in which
and children were placed after helping to dig rifle pits
the warriors. The breastworks the Indians dug to
attack by soldiers are still visible.
1878--Western Kansas continued to have Indian problems
the last Indian raid in Decatur County, Kansas in 1878.
1878/1879--A colony of several hundred (Susquehanna)
Brethren from Pennsylvania arrived in the old-time
of Abilene, Dickinson County, Kansas. They brought with
fifteen carloads of household and farming equipment, and
than 500,000 dollars in cash. With this stuff they at
to organize homes and fields on virgin land purchased
Kansas Pacific Railroad.
1879--The prominent issue of the Kansas legislature
1880--An amendment to the Kansas Constitution approved
Kansas voters prohibited the manufacture, sale, or gift
forms of intoxicating liquor. Kansas became the first
in the United States to pass this controversial
1880's--Carry A. Nation lived at Medicine Lodge before
began her crusade against liquor that took her to all
of the United States and England.
1881--Bethany College of Lindsborg was founded by
1881/1882--Most of the trail herds headed for Dodge
another shipping point on the Santa Fe Railroad line.
1882--Dodge City was the "Cowboy Capital" of the West.
1883 Litchfield--Crawford County is listed as "located
miles northeast of New Pittsburg. It is a coal town in
sense, about 500 car loads of coal being shipped each
There are here a post office, public school, a general
a drug store, two blacksmith shops, a wagon shop and
inhabitants" according to A. T. Andreas HISTORY OF THE
OF KANSAS in 1883.
30 Apr 1884--Several cowboys, including Henry Brown
Caldwell City Marshall), attempted to rob a Medicine
1884--Lane University was established in Lecompton and
attended by Ida Stover, President Eisenhower's mother.
1884--Haskell Indian Nations University was established in Lawrence.
1884/1885--The era of the great cattle drives ended
Kansas Legislature, alarmed by the increase of the
called "Texas Fever" brought into the state by the Texas
passed legislation forbidding the importation of Texas
between March 1 and December 1, the season for the long
1885--Last Texas cattle drive to Dodge City.
1886--Kansas Wesleyan University was built in Salina,
1887--Susanna Medora Salter of Argonia was the first
mayor in the United States to be elected in southeastern
1887--while drilling a well, Sam Blanchard struck salt
300 feet. Hutchinson has been built on top of one of the
greatest salt deposits.
1888--Almost a dozen salt plants were in operation at
1889--Mentholatum was invented by Albert Alexander
5 Oct 1892--The notorious Dalton Gang rode into
Montgomery County, Kansas and attempted to rob two
Condon Bank and the First National Bank. They took about
in 12 minutes. A shootout followed which claimed the
eight men: the outlaws, Grat and Bob Dalton, Dick
and Bill Powers; and four Coffeyville residents, Charles
Connelly, Coffeyville city marshal (killed by Grat
"Death Alley"), Lucius M. Baldwin, George B. Cubine and
Brown. Three other townsmen were wounded.
1894--Many companies organized to develop oil and gas
1895--Wichita State University in Wichita was founded
1896--West Mineral in Cherokee County was founded in
as a mining town.
1898--Kansas enlists four regiments for service in the
1900--The last ethnic group to enter Kansas in large
was Spanish-speaking Mexicans, brought to the state as
for various Railroad companies. Numbering only 71 in
totals reached 13,570 in 1920 and 19,042 in 1930. Their
population concentrations were in Railroad centers.
Early 1900's--Lilla Day Monroe was the president of
Equal Suffrage Association.
1903--The Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka was
It was constructed over a period of 37 years from 1866
cost a total of $3.2 million. The French Renaissance
constructed of native limestone.
1906--The Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth was
1907-1908--The yellow brick road leads to Dorothy's
in Liberal, Kansas. It was buit in 1907-1908 and given
Seward County Historical Society.
1911--On July 9, the Smoky Hill River was so low that
fished with pitchforks.
1911--Heavy snow over the state tied up Railroad
on December 30.
1912--Kansas votes complete suffrage for women; women
the right to vote.
1913--KS oil production was 24,083 barrels. Of 2,174
drilled, only 483 were dry.
1914--President Wilson sent army units, including
Kansas, to aid in the protection of U.S. property and
rights concerning Mexico.
1914--Arthur Capper becomes first native Kansan
the office of Governor.
1915--Since 1915 when oil was discovered, El Dorado
from a small town into a progressive city.
1915--Dwight D. EISENHOWER graduated from the U.S.
Academy at West Point with the rank of second
1916--Kansas National Guard sent to the Mexican
1917--The Anti-Saloon League was the name of the group
that proved integral in preventing the sale of
1917--World War I brought an unprecedented boom in
because of the demand for food from the warring nations
Thousands of previously uncultivated acres were planted
1917--State Highway Commission created.
1917--Kansas had produced 25,402,521,000 cubic feet of
gas in the past year, and 112 gas wells had been
1918--End of World War I--80,261 in war service from
1918--Shortly after 1918 the population of Wichita
doubled when a great reservoir of oil was discovered
1920's--The business men of Wichita went to work
the aircraft industry.
1920--The O'Henry candy bar was invented by Tom Henry
City. The candy bar was originally called "Tom Henry"
changed later when Mr. Henry sold the rights to his
to a candy factory.
1921--Amelia Earhart made her first solo flight.
1923--Amelia Earhart, a native of Atchison, became the
woman to be granted a pilot's license by the National
1924--The handkerchief-dress craze hit Kansas. At
over 250 dozen red and blue bandanas were sold to women
made dresses of them.
1925--Forestry, Fish and Game Commission organized.
1925--Walter P. Chrysler, son of Henry Chrysler, was
in Wamego and grew up in Ellis, Kansas. At Ellis Walter
received his public school education and learned his
a machinist. He was an industrialist who established the
Motors corporation in 1925.
1925--Walter Anderson, Wichita, one of the founders of
White Castle eating houses and known as the "Hamburger
operated 22 White Castles. He bought the first one in
with a loan of $60.
1927--The Cigarette Tax was the first sales tax to be
by the 1927 Kansas legislature.
1927--The state flag of Kansas was first displayed at
Riley by Gov. Ben Paulen in the presence of troops from
Riley and the Kansas National Guard. The official state
of Kansas was adopted by Legislature in 1927 and revised
1961 with Great Seal and Crest symbolizing Kansas
1928--Charles Curtis, U. S. Senator from Kansas, is
Vice President of the United States under Herbert
1928--One-seventh of the world's wheat crop,
was grown in KS.
1929--Mrs. T.T. Solander was the first woman to become
1930--Clyde Tombaugh was a Burdette astronomer. He
the planet Pluto in 1930.
1930s--The previously uncultivated land (thousands of
planted to supply warring nations of Europe during World
I, was allowed to lay fallow during the recession of the
and became part of the "dust bowl" of the 1930s.
1931--Record KS wheat crop of 240 million bushels.
1932--Alfred M. Landon elected Governor.
1932--Kathryn O'Laughlin, first congresswoman elected
1934--Landon is the only Republican governor reelected
1936--New oil fields developed in western KS.
1936--Alfred M. Landon ran for president of the U.S.
to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1938--The first Rural Electric Association (REA) line
was put up in Brown county.
1939--World War II creates demand for food and prices
Kansas farm products begin to rise.
Jul 1943--A German prisoner of war (POW) camp was
Concordia during World War II.
1942/1943--A German prisoner of War (POW) camp was
Peabody during World War II. These German POW's built
Park where fireworks are annually displayed 4th of July.
German POW's also worked for many of the area farms as
1950--Over 30,000 producing oil wells in KS.
1951--Flood of 1951.
1950s Virgil Coffer of Ransom, Ness County, Kansas
the first riding lawn mover, called the Virginia Wonder
Virgil rode the mover from coast to coast to advertise
son continued the business, and it was sold several
riding mower is still produced in Ransom, Kansas.
1952/1953--Dwight D. EISENHOWER becomes first Kansan
elected as President of the United States.
1954--Brown vs. the Board of Education in Topeka was a
and controversial case taken to the United States
1954--Autopilot was invented by David D. Blanton of
25 May 1955--Tornado at Udall caused 83 deaths.
236 mile Kansas Turnpike is completed from Kansas City
1957--Flood of 1957.
Nov 1957--Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery opened at
College in Lindsborg, Kansas. The Sandzen Gallery was
through the efforts of his son-in-law, Charles Pelham
1958--Second largest wheat crop in history brings cash
of over one billion dollars to KS farmers and ranchers.
10 Jun 1958 -- A tornado that hit El Dorado, Kansas,
County caused 15 deaths along with 50 injuries.
1960--The Coleman Company was the largest user of
between the Mississippi and the Rockies.
29 Jan 1961--KS Statehood Centennial Celebration
second century of even greater accomplishments.
1961--Wichita, Kansas is known as the "Air Capital of
1961--The ICEE machine, the first frozen carbonated
machine, was invented by Omar Kneclik of Coffeyville.
1961--The world's largest and longest wheat elevator
at Hutchinson at the largest primary hard wheat market
1963--Big Brutus was built at a plant near Hallowell,
County, Kansas in 1963. West Mineral, Cherokee County,
home of Big Brutus. Costs and the fact that the EPA
that the strip mine coal had too much sulphur and
stopped its use. Big Brutus was retired in 1974 and
18 Jun 1966--Topeka, Kansas was hit by a tornado,
17. 550 people were injured when this F5 tornado hit
1969--President Dwight D. Eisenhower died.
21 Feb 1971 Leon, Little Walnut Township, Butler County,
"A Cry for Help"
Following on the heels of really mild weather for this
year, one of the worst snow storms in the history of this
hit suddenly Sunday morning at about nine o'clock.
U.S. Highway 54 had reached the impassable point.
motorists were abruptly stranded by a snow drift on
K-96 a mile south of Leon, Kansas. Everyone thought they
beat the blizzard to Wichita."
Minister David Chinn, Mrs. Tom Bohon, Mrs. Paul
Louis Seward, Mrs. Virginia Matson and Grace Petitt got
Leon United Methodist church ready for 100 overnight
They set to the task of collecting food and blankets and
items required for the stranded travelers. Members of
and Baptist Church congregations and others in the
came to the aid of the Methodists. Roy Davis opened the
Grocery Store and Terry Beaumont opened the Leon Locker
Market where additional foods and other necessary
Leon mechanic Jean Matson (wrecker) with employee
and church custodian Fred Burton (van) headed rescue
They towed in 25 snowbound cars to the parking lot of
About 72 stranded motorists sought refuge from the
the Leon United Methodist Church and area residences
Sears', one at Hadleys') until the storm subsided Monday
an estimated total of twelve inches) and the roads
Source: Nation, Carol. "Leon Rescues, Warms Up Cold
of Refugees." The Wichita Eagle-Beacon. Wednesday,
Source: "Rallied to the Aid of Travelers Stranded by
Snow Storm." The Leon News. Thursday, February 25, 1971.
1976--Bob Dole was a Kansas leader who ran for Vice
of the United States.
1978--Nancy Landon Kassebaum was the first Kansas
be elected to the U.S. Senate for a full term.
1982--Tom Docking carried on his father's political
by becoming elected as Lt. Governor.
1982--Sam Hardage was a Wichita businessperson who was
in his attempt to become elected Governor.
27 May 1983 -- Spotted tornadoes north of Cimarron,
Kansas during Spring storm
The Jacksonian 1 Jun 1983:
"It rained and hailed in isolated areas, and several
touched down on the ground north of Cimarron Friday
The warning whistles blew in town at 4:40 pm. after
spotted about eight miles north of town. According to
Sheriff's Department there was no structural damage from
1986--KS produced 421,540,000 bushels of wheat.
1988--Kansas Jayhawks won the Final Four.
1989--The Berlin wall came down.
13 Mar 1990--A large F5 tornado went through Hesston,
County and other Kansas towns. It was on the ground for
than two hours. It was at times over a half-mile wide.
millions of dollars of damage and two deaths outside of
13 Mar 1990--A tornado cut a 500-yard path of
through western Sumner County the evening of Tuesday,
1990--Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia.
17 Jan 1991--The air strike on Iraq in Operation
28 Feb 1991 Cease-fire announced in Gulf War.
26 Apr 1991--Wichita/Andover. This F5 tornado was on
for about 70 miles, from Clearwater in south-central
to Cassoday in northern Butler County. It was on the
for about 50 minutes. The killer tornado destroyed 1,120
damaging 571 more, injured 302 and left twenty dead.
15 Jun 1991--Hoch Auditorium burned at Kansas
1991--The end of the U.S.S.R. (Soviet Union)
7 May 1993--Tornado in Russell County causes one
Jun/Jul 1993--The Flood of 1993. Flood gates were
Milford Res. (Republican River) and Tuttle Creek Res.
River). Flooding on Smoky Hill River. 11 Jul 1993 marked
beginning of the Flood in Kansas City.
***In Kansas, 4.6 million acres of farmland -- nearly
of the state's total farm acreage -- were damaged or
Crop losses total more than $434 million, and 53,000
***In Kansas, the flood caused more than $19 million in
to state, county and city roads, and bridges.
***In Kansas, there was 1 death, more than $475 million
property and crop damage, 13,000 people evacuated, 3,414
damaged, 4.6 million acres flooded, and 46 counties
federal disaster areas.
[Source: Kansas City Star 11 Jul 1993 & 22 Aug 1993;
Linda S. Lipp]
Apr 1994--Stand-off ended in Waco, TX between Branch
19 Apr 1995--Bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Federal
in Oklahoma City.
1996--Fort Hays State University, Division II national
champs, record of 34-0.
1996--Bob Dole, Kansas Senator, retired from the U.S.
1996--Bob Dole, from Russell, Kansas, ran for
the United States.
22 Oct 1996--Unexpected snowstorm hit Kansas City
inches of snow fell in Overland Park, the largest
in the month of October. Most of the trees still had
the branches could not handle the weight of the heavy
Downed trees limbs and power lines were everywhere. Over
homes in the Kansas City area were without power. Power
to residents took close to a week. The clean-up of tree
took much longer (December in Overland Park and March in
City, MO). [contributor: Linda Lipp]
3 May 1999--F4 tornado hits Haysville then Wichita in
County causing five deaths and many injuries.
Barry, Louise. The Beginning of the West - Annals of the
Gateway to the American West (1540-1854). Topeka: Kansas
Historical Society, 1972.
Bowe, Richard J. Historical Album of Kansas. Wichita:
GARVEY FOUNDATION. 1961.
Cutler, William G. "History of the State of Kansas"
by A. T. Andreas. Chicago. 1883 (Kansas Collection)
Dary, David. True Tales of Old-Time Kansas. Lawrence:
Press of Kansas. 1984.
Davis, Kenneth S. Kansas - A History. New York: W. W.
and Company. 1984.
Dennis, Matt. Kansas Tornado Chasers.
5/5/1999. Fitzgerald, Daniel. Ghost Towns of Kansas -- A
Guide. University Press of Kansas. 1988.
Gallaway, Dorothy L. DWIGHT, KANSAS - THE FIRST 100
Green, Charles R. "Early Days in Kansas, Pioneer
of the First 25 years of Kansas History." 5 volumes.
Kansas. March, 1912; information provided by Bonnie
Midwest Research Institute. The Capper/MRI Quick-Fact
of Kansas. Topeka: Capper Press. 1990.
Parsons, Kurt. Kansas Trivia. Wichita: KDS
Rydjord, John. Kansas Place-Names. Norman: University
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