September 1998
(Volume 2, Number 1)

After the Civil War and before 1890, the population of Kansas increased by the greatest amount in its history. More than a million people streamed into Kansas seeking a new life on the frontier. Read on to learn more about settlers and their hardships and happiness.

Use the clues to complete the crossword puzzle

If you had ancestors in Kansas more than 130 years ago, there's a good chance they came to claim the free land offered to settlers by the Homestead Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1862.

During the settlement period, some immigrants preferred to settle in communities with people who shared the same culture and language. Learn more about four special groups:

Early pioneers faced obstacles including drought and periods when money was scarce.

Faced with a shortage of lumber and supplies, many settlers turned to the earth.

Although Flora Moorman Heston lived only briefly on the Kansas plains, she made an important contribution to our state's history as did all those who came to settle the West.

For many years, people from other countries have been moving to Kansas.

Early pioneers tried several substitutes for wood in their stoves before settling on an unlikely, but highly effective, choice.