1861
Kansas, the Sunflower State, became a United State in America!
Photo taken by the author, Tyler Jackson
It’s easy to figure out why Kansas is the Sunflower State, because there’s a ton of perennial sunflowers everywhere! We’re also know as The Wheat State, because, well, we grow a ton of wheat!
The state’s other nickname is slightly more obscure, and a lot more ugly: The Jayhawk State!
No, it’s not named that because of the cocky basketball school! It got that name because of the people who lived here before & during the Civil War. Guerrilla fighters who were opposed to slavery became known as Jayhawkers. The pro- and anti-slavery groups fought such vicious battles that the state was referred to as ‘Bleeding Kansas’.
The Western Meadowlark is our state bird
Our state song is Home on the Range.
The American Bison is our state animal, the state tree is the Cottonwood and the state reptile is the Ornate Box Turtle
Kansas, the word, is derived from the Sioux Indian word meaning People Of The Southwind
Our state motto come from the Latin phrase ‘Ad astra per aspera’ or ‘To the stars through difficulties’
and above all, we always carry on…like a good, wayward son!
Happy birthday to the best state in the Union!
-Tyler Jackson
