Main Gallery Exhibits
at the Kansas Museum of History
Settlement
Discover how Kansas became the nation's breadbasket
at the Kansas Museum of History
in Topeka.
You'll see:
Settlers poured onto the Kansas plains after the Civil War, lured
by the promise of cheap land.
Most of these settlers were farmers, and they quickly established the
region's agricultural identity. Many planted corn,
a crop from the humid eastern regions they called home. They also experimented
with other crops, even cotton, but with limited success.
Over the years, a combination of forces eventually caused Kansas farmers
to switch to wheat. Railroads played an important role.
Anxious to sell land to farmers who would ship grain on their lines,
they mounted huge advertising campaigns and even sent
agents to recruit emigrants who quickly settled in what would become
the state's major wheat-producing regions. Their great success with
wheat convinced other farmers to try it. 
Farmers found that wheat grew very well in the state, and Kansas soon
became the leading wheat producer it is today. Kansas
plants more acres and harvests more bushels than any other U. S. state.
Although the majority of the state's population lives in urban areas,
most of its land is used for farming and ranching.
"I was fascinated by the harvest and wild to
be part of it. I drove my family to distraction with my insistence that
I be taken out to the field and allowed to ride on the combine or in
the truck, which is a terribly distracting-and dangerous-factor for
men who have serious business on their minds. I would have spent the
entire day, every day, out in the fields if the grown-ups had let me
and whenever I first arrived in the field I'd throw dirt up in the air
over my head in an attempt to get as dusty as the harvest crew."
-- James Dickenson, Home on the Range: A Century on the High Plains,
1995
Learn more about Kansas agriculture through the on-line exhibit
Wheat People: Celebrating Kansas Harvest.
Hours and Fees
Museum hours are 9:00 a.m.
- 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
Closed Mondays and state holidays.
Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for members and seniors, $2 for students,
and $1 per student for school tours.
Information
For information on our facilities, see Visiting
the Kansas Museum of History. Contact us at KansasMuseum@kshs.org.
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