Tidbits of: Kansas

Most people rarely ever hear anything about Kansas these days. And usually, we associate it with it's most ancient history. I.E., Bloody Kansas. The admission of Kansas to the Union was an additional spark to the Civil War.

The state became known as Bloody Kansas because factions from the North and South converged on Kansas hoping to sway it's admission as a free or slave state respectively. The factions fought each other. While neither side really won anything, an influx of legitmate Northern settlers shortly after caused the territory to be admitted as a free state in 1861.

The above short paragraph is Kansas' only claim to fame. However, in spite of it's negative known history, Kansas actually has some very interesting, but very little-known history. For instance, Kansas, like Texas, is very proud of itself. In April, they will be celebrating their 18th annual Story-Telling Festival. The festival combines fact and fiction set in Kansas to make it a highly successful state pride festival. I haven't been before, but I'm reasonably sure that it would be fun.

In 1889, Lincoln County in Kansas made history. How? William Feldkamp married Louisa Heiser. The wedding was "huge;" double the size of the average wedding. (About four hundred people came from all over the state) The wedding lasted two days! According to ancient tradition, the bride's brother rode a horse on Monday all over the county to invite people. He received a token yard or so of ribbon from the invited guests. By the time he finished he had about an hundred yards of ribbon attached to himself and his horse. (That would have been quite a sight!)

Kansas was the last state in the Union to have a flag. Here again, their individualism was at the root. Kansas wanted to be different, so their previous proposed flags were banners hung vertically rather than flags hung horizontally on a flagpole. However, no one could quite agree, and Washington D.C. refused to hang such an awkward flag in the city. Some people thought that a sunflower should be the dominant symbol on the flag. (Kansas is the Sunflower State) however, others argued that a sunflower is so close to a weed that it would be a disgraceful state symbol. In 1925, Hazel Avery, a seamstress, designed a flag. It was adopted two years later and is the same as it is today except that the word Kansas was added in 1961. Other attempts to alter the flag have been vigorously opposed.

Other Kansasian claims to fame include the fact that one Kansas woman, M.B. Best, witnessed the famous Lincoln assassination at the Ford Theater. Also, Martin Johnson, from Kansas, was the well-known author Jack London's cook. Martin Johnson, a boy with the old I-really-want-to-travel fever, saw Jack London's advertisement for an 'un-known person' who was to be included in a trip around the world. On answering the advertisement, he was asked if he could cook. Martin said, "Yes, a little. I can learn more." And learn he did. He hired on to a restaurant and spent his time there day and night. Jack London and his wife were forced to give up the adventure half-way in, but Martin continued the journey. He returned as Captain of the ship.

(This has been: Tidbits of: Kansas. Look in next time to read Fountain of Thoughts:__)