Kansas History

Kansas is among the wealthiest states in the historical lore of the American West. From Native Americans to the Bleeding Kansas days before the Civil War, to the wild west days of its many cattle towns, and beyond, the Sunflower State provides a wealth of history, lore, and legends within the American Heartland.

Cibola – Seven Cities of Gold.

The state’s heritage and traditions go back to the nomadic Native American tribes who hunted vast herds of buffalo, to the time of Montezuma and the Spanish conquest of Mexico. In the Sixteenth Century, the Spanish conquerors extended their explorations through the land known as Kansas. The mythical kingdom of Quivira was claimed by right of conquest and discovery as a part of the domain of the Spanish Crown. Nearly two centuries passed before the French arrived via the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and they again visited the mysterious land.

Coronado Expedition by Frederic Remington.

After another 100 years, American explorers began to traverse the region. They designated it as the Great American Desert at a time when the prairies were filled with countless herds of buffalo and Native American tribes, including the Kanza, Pawnee, Osage, Kiowa, and more. With the influx of settlers in the east, more tribes were displaced westward, either voluntarily or by government forces.

Before long, numerous settlers began moving through Kansas along the many overland trails westward, including the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails. This resulted in numerous battles and skirmishes with the Indians as their homelands were invaded and violated.

Santa Fe Trail by D.D. Holdread, Santa Fe Trail Association.

Before the Civil War, eastern Kansas became a bloody battlefield during the Kansas-Missouri Border War, as pioneers fought over whether it would be a free or slave state. Kansas entered the Union as a “Free state” on January 29, 1861, and soldiers flocked to the battlefields in the conflict with the South.

Bleeding Kansas Fight.

Colonel Sumner arriving at Constitution Hall in Topeka, 1856.

U.S. Cavalry pursuing American Indians, 1899.