Kansas is the geographic heart of the United States, a state of sweeping tallgrass prairies, iconic Wild West history, world-class aerospace heritage, and dramatic chalk formations rising from the High Plains. From the rolling Flint Hills to the sunflower fields of harvest season, Kansas rewards travelers who venture beyond the interstate.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Kansas.
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1
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expedition reaches present-day central Kansas seeking El Dorado (Quivira)
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2
Santa Fe Trail opens, cutting across southern Kansas
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3
Kansas-Nebraska Act opens Kansas to settlement, triggering the Bleeding Kansas conflict over slavery
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4
Kansas admitted to the Union as the 34th state (January 29), a free state
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5
Abilene becomes the first great cattle drive terminus at the end of the Chisholm Trail
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6
Mennonite immigrants from Russia arrive with Turkey Red winter wheat, transforming Kansas agriculture
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7
Wyatt Earp becomes assistant marshal of Dodge City; Bat Masterson serves as county sheriff
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8
Exoduster movement: thousands of Black Americans migrate to Kansas from the post-Reconstruction South; Nicodemus founded
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9
Carry Nation begins her temperance crusade in Kansas saloons, using a hatchet
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10
Wichita aircraft industry begins; Boeing and Cessna have roots in Wichita
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11
Black Sunday dust storm (April 14) devastates southwestern Kansas and the Great Plains
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12
Brown v. Board of Education decided by Supreme Court; case originated at Monroe Elementary School, Topeka
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13
Dwight D. Eisenhower serves as 34th President of the United States; Abilene native
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14
Kansas enacts economic reform; Wichita remains 'Air Capital of the World' producing Cessna, Beechcraft, and Learjet aircraft
Historical sites
Places where Kansas's past comes alive.
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
Where: Topeka
Admission: Free
Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home
Where: Abilene
Admission: $16 adult, $8 child (ages 8–15), under 8 free
Boot Hill Museum
Where: Dodge City
Admission: $20 adult, $13 child (ages 5–12)
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Where: Larned
Admission: Free
Fort Scott National Historic Site
Where: Fort Scott
Admission: Free
Nicodemus National Historic Site
Where: Nicodemus, Graham County
Admission: Free
Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site
Where: Hanover, Washington County
Admission: Free
Old Cowtown Museum
Where: Wichita
Admission: $12.75 adult, $9.75 child (ages 4–12)
Constitution Hall State Historic Site (Lecompton)
Where: Lecompton, Douglas County
Admission: Free (donations accepted)
Kansas State Capitol
Where: Topeka
Admission: Free building entry; dome tour $5 adult, $3 child
Museums
Curated collections that tell Kansas's story.
Kansas Museum of History
Hours: Tue–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm. Closed Monday and state holidays.
Admission: $9 adult, $5 child (ages 5–18)
Combat Air Museum
Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–4:30pm, Sun noon–4:30pm
Admission: $12 adult, $8 child (ages 5–17)
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
Hours: Tue–Fri 11am–4pm, Sat–Sun 1pm–5pm. Closed Monday.
Admission: $7 adult, $4 child (ages 4–12)
Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum (Goessel)
Hours: Tue–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1pm–5pm (April–October). Reduced winter hours.
Admission: $7 adult, $3 child