Topics in Kansas History: Environment

Essay on Forces of Nature

Many Kansans enjoy the state's distinct change of seasons and what was often described as a healthy climate. In 1869, a Clay County woman wrote: "The climate here is very healthy, particularly for consumptives, more so than Florida or Minnesota, for we have that peculiar dryness of the atmosphere without the sultriness of the one or the extreme cold of the other."

In the mid-1880s, a Kansas writer claimed that "God never favored man with a finer land, richer plains, more fertile valleys, clearer skies, [or] a more genial climate." Others insisted that increased settlement had favorably modified the climate, and that tornadic storms were less common and "we now have rain without thunder and lightning."

Despite this optimism, Kansas has not shaken its well-deserved reputation for extremes in climate and rapid (often violent) changes in the weather. Most Kansans are familiar with the expression, "if you don't like the weather, wait 'till tomorrow." Often, this is not an overstatement.

Drought

Although the most famous drought and subsequent dust storms occurred during the 1930s, drought and dust have always been conditions with which Kansans have had to cope. This has been the exception rather than the rule in the history of Kansas weather patterns, but a lack of moisture and hot, dry winds are a common climatic feature, especially in the western half of the state.

"We have had fearful winds this spring. One day it raised our roof several inches, & just rolled up the sod on it." Flora Heston, Clark County, 1886

Flooding

The reverse of these exceptionally dry conditions has also caused pain and suffering at different times during the state's history. Heavy rains throughout the "Great American Desert" precipitated flooding which resulted in the loss of life and the destruction of much property.

Some of the worst flooding in the state's history occurred during the late spring of 1903 when rivers and streams throughout the Kansas River valley raged over their banks. Many towns sustained considerable damage, but the greatest losses were suffered at Topeka and Kansas City. Fifty-seven people died, thirty-eight in Topeka alone, and thousands were left homeless. Only one of seven railroad bridges in the Kansas City area withstood the destructive force of the 1903 flood waters.

The devastating Kansas River valley flooding of 1903 was followed the next year by floods on the tributaries of the Arkansas River. Also hard hit was Ottawa on the Marais des Cygnes River. In addition to Ottawa, the towns of Emporia and Winfield suffered especially heavy damage.

Tornados

Although Kansas may not actually deserve its reputation as the "cyclone state," tornadic conditions have been a frequent occurrance with which Kansans have had to cope. In 1905, one McPherson County man came up with a rather unique idea for the protection of his family. According to the Marquette Tribune, this man "made a 'fraid hole' near his house. He has made a chute from his upstairs window down to the cave door. A rope is attached to the window and the door. When he raises the window the cave door is pulled open. All he and his wife have to do when they think a twister is coming is to raise the window, jump into the chute, land in the cave and pull the door after them and they are safe. It is planned by several of our older wags to go out to this man's place some stormy night, aid nature in making an uproar, and witness a performance!"

The little town of Towanda was virtually destroyed by a tornado that hit Barber, Butler, Sumner, and Rice counties. Fifteen people were killed and property damage was heavy throughout the area. Two months later, twelve people died in another storm that hit Wellington in Sumner County.

The tornado that inflicted damage on the town of Sabetha was responsible for the deaths of fifteen people. Damage was heavy throughout the county and hundreds were left homeless.

Hail

Hailstorms are another weather phenominon of the Great Plains which have had devastating consequences for the region's inhabitants. Hail frequently accompanies the thunderstorms of the late spring and early summer, arriving at a time when crops are very vulnerable. The hail that fell on Topeka on June 24, 1897, injured 25 people and caused extensive property damage.

Blizzards

On occasion winter storms have also been a serious problem. Blizzards, especially in western Kansas can and have had fatal results for people and animals. As historian Walter Prescott Webb once explained, "The blizzard is the grizzly of the Plains."

According to most accounts, the granddaddy of all these "grizzlies" struck during January of 1886. Hundreds of thousands of cattle and other wildlife, and nearly 100 people died in a storm that paralyzed much of the state.

Other "forces of nature" which have affected Kansans over the years are not directly linked to the climate. Insect invasions, most notably the "hopper plagues," and fires, in particular those on the prairie, defeated many hard-working Kansas farmers and placed others in desperate situations.

Grasshoppers plagued Kansas and other Plains states on many occassions. By most accounts, however, the worst invasion came in the summer and fall of 1874. Not only were the "hoppers" more numerous and their path of destruction more widespread, their arrival came on the heals of a serious drought.

One well-known Kansas journalist and author described their arrival as follows: "As a spectacle the approach of the winged destroyers was sufficiently terrifying. They came in great clouds darkening the sky, and settled on trees and growing crops, devouring leaf and branch. The destruction of vegetation was complete all through the summer and fall."

Prairie fires are a natural part of the plains environment, but they became a threat to life and property as the number of farms increased. Like all fires, they are caused by many different things. But this "fiend of the prairie" was often started by lightning, which was a dangerous climatic feature in and of itself.

According to the Jewell City Weekly Clarion, August 30, 1870: "Quite a number of horses and cattle have been killed during the past two months by lightning, and generally in fields enclosed with wire."

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