Abilene

9780738590530

$24.99

The first settler to make permanent residence in the Abilene area arrived in 1856. From the humble beginnings of a prairie dugout, Abilene grew to be the first "cowtown" of the West. Joseph G. McCoy set up his stockyards in Abilene, and millions of cattle were driven up from Texas via the Chisholm Trail and shipped out on Union Pacific railcars. Abilene exploded into one of the wildest towns in the West. Several sheriffs tried to tame it, including Wild Bill Hickok, but gentrification came in the form of bankers and businessmen. During World War II, hometown hero Dwight D. Eisenhower led the Allies to victory and eventually became the 34th president of the United States. Today, Abilene plays host to thousands of visitors from around the world and celebrates its rich western heritage with the Chisholm Trail Day festival.

African American Topeka

9781467110686

$24.99

African Americans arrived in Topeka right before and after the Civil War and again in large numbers during the Exodus Movement of 1879 and Great Migration of 1910. They came in protest of the treatment they received in the South. The history of dissent lived on in Topeka, as it became the home to court cases protesting discrimination of all kinds. African Americans came to the city determined that education would provide them a better life. Black educators fostered a sense of duty toward schooling, and in 1954 Topeka became a landmark for African Americans across the country with the Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education case. Blacks from every walk of life found refuge in Kansas and, especially, Topeka. The images in African American Topeka have been selected to give the reader a glimpse into the heritage of black life in the community. The richness of the culture and values of this Midwestern city are a little-known secret just waiting to be exhibited.

African Americans of Wichita

9781467114813

$24.99

The African American community of Wichita is as old as the city itself, dating back to early pioneers, cowboys, and business figures. Once relatively integrated, Wichita became more segregated as the 20th century unfolded. In response, African Americans developed a lively neighborhood downtown with its own businesses, churches, schools, and organizations. World War II brought new populations to work in the aircraft industry and set the stage for profound changes. In the 1950s, a younger generation of leaders challenged racism and discrimination, unleashing a period of change that was both hopeful and painful. In recent years, the African American community has become more complex, with generations of established families joined by recent transplants, emigrants from Africa, and children of mixed marriages. While challenges remain, African Americans are more visible than ever before in local life, evident in politics, business, sports, and education.

Arkansas City

9780738552408

$24.99

Arkansas City has often been called "the gateway to the West." The name lends a lot to describing the town--a town that was founded as a border town to Indian Territory, a major trade hub to the Indian agencies in Indian Territory, and a major transportation center for those wishing to travel through the territory and farther west. Arkansas City started off as a small town with false-fronted stores but became a bustling community where the people were forward thinkers and pushed for quality and modernization in everything they brought to the city whether that was business, industry, or entertainment. Arkansas City is known for the Cherokee Strip Land Rush of September 16, 1893, interaction with the Native Americans in Indian Territory, farming, ranching, and aircraft. Although Arkansas City was a civilized community, it was a city on the fringe of a lawless and unsettled territory where outlaws lurked and Native Americans were forced to settle. People loaded their wagons or went by train to cross through Oklahoma to Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona, leaving from Arkansas City. Due to Arkansas City's location, interaction with major figures and events in history, and its importance to travel farther west, Arkansas City was truly "the gateway to the West."

Arkansas City

9780738560496

$24.99

Arkansas City: People, Places, and Events is a continuation of the story of Arkansas City. The first Arkansas City told a general history of the community and its origins, the major events that occurred, and the people who built and shaped the community. Arkansas City: People, Places, and Events delves deeper into the early pioneer history of this Kansas town. It covers more of the major founders who came into Osage territory not only making a home but creating a thriving community, major entertainers and athletes who lived and played in Arkansas City, law enforcement origins and events, and organizations that helped support and shape the area.

Baseball in Wichita

9780738533162

$24.99

The art of baseball is evident at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium. The bronze sculpture, "Put Me in Coach," overlooks the stadium entry. Behind it a 70-foot mural, the longest of its kind at any university ballpark, depicts WSU's storied baseball history. The art of baseball has also been evident on Wichita's playing fields for well over a century. During and after the Civil War, baseball quickly spread across the nation. When Wichita was incorporated in 1870, the town and the game were ready for each other, and Wichita had its first professional nine the following decade. Baseball in Wichita tells the story of local baseball at all levels-amateur, collegiate and pro-in words and images dating from the 19th century to the present day.

Concordia

9781467113298

$24.99

In 1869, Concordia, Kansas, was declared the county seat of what would become Cloud County. At first, the town existed only on paper as a project being pushed by James M. Hagaman and a small group of partners. Once development started, Concordia rapidly grew to become a center of commerce south of the Republican River that eventually attracted four railroad lines. It became a town of landmarks, including several famous hotels, two opera houses, Nazareth Convent, and a thriving downtown area. Characters in the story of Concordia include French Canadian immigrants, nuns, pilots, quarreling newspaper editors, German prisoners of war, and politician Frank Carlson. Readers can enjoy visiting the community's past in the pages of Images of America: Concordia.

Dodge City

9780738552255

$24.99

The founding of the American West can be studied in no better place than Dodge City and Ford County. Whether it is frontier forts, trails and cow towns, or farms and ranches, Ford County holds original examples. The best-known Wild West lawmen and gunfighters--Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Doc Holliday--gained their fame in Dodge City. Its history began with Francisco Vásquez de Coronado crossing the Arkansas River in 1541, leading to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 (Dodge City is on the 100th meridian border) and the 1821 opening of the Santa Fe Trail by William Becknell. Fort Dodge, built in 1865, still stands as a reminder of the millions of people who passed through Dodge City. The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1872, and the buffalo hunters and the Great Western Cattle Trail grew around Dodge City. The pioneer era did not end in the 1800s but continued through the 1930s dust bowl and beyond--demanding the same tough work, cooperation, and high ethics that made surviving possible in the "Great Western Desert."

El Dorado

9780738539713

$24.99

In 1915, workers struck oil at a well in Butler County, Kansas, called Stapleton #1. Over the next several years, civilian and military demand for oil transformed what had once been the farm towns of Augusta, Towanda, and El Dorado (pronounced El Dor-AY-do in local parlance) into petroleum communities. Risk-taking entrepreneurs supported drilling and exploration that brought wealth to some and loss to others. Teams of geologists, using what were still novel and experimental techniques, fanned out across the prairie to find the right places to drill. Workers found employment that was hard and dangerous but offered excitement and opportunity. Families of those workers set up new lives in company towns such as Oil Hill and Midian. Drilling, refining, and related industries supported a wide range of activities. Oil money financed the budding aviation industry in neighboring Wichita, which literally launched the resources from under the ground into the sky. While the petroleum industry changed in the years that followed, the Butler County oil boom has lived on in the companies, the people, and the very landscape of the region.

Cover image for El Dorado, isbn: 9780738539713

Emporia

9781467113182

$24.99

Established in February 1857, Emporia's founding fathers named their new business venture Emporia after a flourishing market center in Ancient Carthage. Located in the east-central part of Kansas, Emporia is known as the "Front Porch to the Flint Hills." William Allen White, publisher and editor of the Emporia Gazette, brought national attention to Emporia in the early 1900s. Known for his fiery political essays, White became an advisor to many US presidents, five of whom visited his home, Red Rocks. Emporia is home to Emporia State University, the state's first normal school, founded in 1863. Located on the university campus are the National Teachers Hall of Fame and the Memorial to Fallen Educators, honoring those who lost their lives teaching and working in America's schools. Honoring fallen heroes is a long-standing tradition in Emporia, as it is also the founding city of Veterans Day.

Flint Hills

9780738583136

$24.99

The Kansas Flint Hills stretch across a dozen counties in the eastern half of the Sunflower State. The region boasts rolling hills covered in native grasses, including the tallgrass varieties unique to the area. Dubbed the "Great American Desert" by pioneers facing the prairie's vastness, the rich grassland became home to settlers pursuing ranching and farming enterprises. Images of America: Flint Hills presents over 200 historic images from a half-dozen counties in the region. Included are vintage photographs from the Native Stone Scenic Byway and the Flint Hills Scenic Byway that transverse the district. Also included are views of Council Grove, the last place that travelers could purchase supplies before leaving on the Santa Fe Trail. The Davis Ranch, which encompassed all of what is now the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, is seen in historic images never published before. The volume concludes with photographs of Flint Hills cowboys at work and at play.

Fort Leavenworth

9780738560823

$24.99

On March 17, 1827, Col. Henry Leavenworth received orders from Washington. Along with four companies of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, he departed from the Jefferson Barracks at St. Louis, traveled up the Missouri River, and selected a site for a permanent settlement. Cantonment Leavenworth was established on May 8, 1827, and renamed Fort Leavenworth on February 8, 1832. Since then, it has grown and met the demands of the U.S. Army. From the protection of pioneers along the Santa Fe Trail to peacekeeping missions among the Native Americans, the fort's role in the nation's expansion westward is second to none. Fort Leavenworth has continually reinvented itself to meet the challenges facing the nation. From training units during the Civil War to army education during Operation Enduring Freedom, the fort's many schools have stood true to their motto: Ad bellum pace parati (prepared in peace for war).

Fort Riley

9780738531694

$24.99

Founded in 1853, Fort Riley was established to protect merchants and settlers on the Santa Fe and Oregon-California Trails. Fort Riley kept the peace during the Civil War and in 1893, a cavalry school began operation there. Fort Riley continued to train mounted troops during the Golden Age of Cavalry after World War I, but also served as a training site for more than 150,000 troops during the first and second World Wars. This collection of vintage images commemorating the sesquicentennial of Fort Riley is a colorful, patriotic reminder of the military post that has served the nation continuously since its founding 150 years ago.

Hays

9780738560243

$24.99

Hays was founded in 1867 as the Union Pacific Railroad moved west. Its early history includes Wild West antics with famous people like Wild Bill Hickok, but soon Hays became a center for agriculture, commerce, and education. By 1930, the population of Hays was 5,000, and it grew to 7,000 by the end of the decade. Although the 1930s were a time of economic depression, of agricultural drought and dust storms, these photographs of Hays show a much different story. They are positive, even energetic, showing the upside to a depressed decade. Photographer R. E. Ekey began his studio in 1928 and retired in 1955. His photographs of Hays portray the special events as well as the routine of everyday life. They show a variety and richness that exemplify the character of Hays, both then and now.

Hutchinson and Reno County

9781467109192

$23.99

Reno County was founded in 1871, and immediately settlers began arriving to break ground on a new frontier. Life here progressed as in most other Kansas counties until the discovery of salt in 1887. Three railroads competed to establish routes to bring the coal in for the manufacturing process and to ship the salt out. The growth of railroads and the central location of Reno County in Kansas created a hub of activity for the grain industry. Hutchinson became the first town founded in Reno County in 1872 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached the banks of the Arkansas River. Shortly after, Hutchinson became the county seat and from then on has been at the center of the dramatic changes that have come to the county. Throughout the 20th century, fortunes and empires were built on wheat and salt. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2021, Reno County continues to make a national impact with these two industries.

Independence

9781467112611

$24.99

Independence, Kansas, is the perfect picture of Americana. Where else can one find a small town that holds an annual theatre festival named in honor of one of its own natives, William Inge, or celebrates the early settlers in the Little House on the Prairie novels? Where can one find the site of the first-ever night game in organized baseball or the first team of one of baseball's most prolific hitters, Mickey Mantle? What other town in America can claim achievers like safari traveler Martin Johnson, oil magnate Harry Sinclair, presidential candidate Alf Landon, and even an astronaut chimp named Miss Abel? Lastly, where else can one find a town that holds a weeklong festival with the whimsical name Neewollah ("Halloween" spelled backward)?

Kansas

9780738576381

$24.99

Back in 1915, Snowden D. Flora of the US Weather Bureau wrote, "Kansas has been so commonly considered the tornado state of the country that the term 'Kansas cyclone' has almost become a part of the English language." Flora's words still seem to ring true. Whether called a twister, a tornado, a vortex, or cyclone, these catastrophic events have shaped lives in the Sunflower State for generations. Just a few destructive moments forever changed places such as Irving, Udall, Topeka, Andover, and Greensburg. Even before Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz helped equate the tornado with Kansas, the turbulent nature of local weather seemed to parallel an equally turbulent history, with the fury of people such as John Brown compared to a cyclone. Even if they have never seen a funnel cloud themselves, those who live in Kansas have come to accept the twister as a regular and always unpredictable neighbor.

Kansas City B-25 Factory

9781467111973

$24.99

An industrial miracle took place at the Fairfax Airport, on the shores of the Missouri River, between 1941 and 1945. A massive factory was quickly built and a large modification center was soon added. At its peak, over 24,000 greater Kansas City-area residents were employed by North American Aviation, Inc. Their goal was to build as many twin-engine B-25 Mitchell medium bombers for wartime service as possible. Their success was the construction of an unprecedented 6,608 aircraft. The B-25 Mitchell served with distinction in every theater of World War II, and significant numbers of them were provided to Allied nations. Many B-25s have been preserved, and some of them remain airworthy today. They can be seen on static display or in flight at air shows all across America.

Kansas City Southern Railway

9780738560014

$24.99

The Kansas City Southern Railway initially offered freight service to the immediate Kansas City area south. As the line expanded toward Texas, each tiny community had its own railway station with access to daily passenger service and less-than-carload lot freight services. No one could have foreseen that the road would eventually haul international import and export goods or that its line would reach into Mexico. Photographs in this book include the railway's involvement in operating steam engines over its lines as well as pictures from the files of esteemed rail photographers Harold K. Vollrath and Gary Coates.

Kansas City, Kansas

9780738593999

$24.99

Over the past 150 years, many of the consumer goods sold and used across the country were either manufactured in Kansas City, Kansas, or passed through this industrial center. From the westbound trails of pioneer times until today, Kansas has been the crossroads of the nation, and the city has benefitted from its geographic centrality in the country. Household names with ties to the city include Google; Cerner Corporation; Procter & Gamble; General Motors; Colgate-Palmolive; the Santa Fe, Rock Island & Union Pacific Railroad lines; Phillips Petroleum; Armour and Company; Owens Corning; Massey Ferguson; General Electric; Sunshine Biscuits; Lee (apparel); Sealy (mattresses); and United Telecom (which morphed into Sprint Nextel). Images of America: Kansas City, Kansas aims to present some of that historic past, much of which has long been demolished, so that modern readers may see the complete, "full service" city as it evolved between 1804 and 2012.

Kansas State Fair

9781467112222

$24.99

The rich history of the Kansas State Fair comes to life in Images of America: Kansas State Fair through photographs from the 1860s to the present. The fair first opened its gates to visitors in 1863 and welcomed all to behold the "Pride of Kansas" until its untimely demise in 1875. In 1913, the Kansas Legislature revived the fair and selected the city of Hutchinson as the exposition's permanent home. Centrally located, Hutchinson has proved an ideal setting. Every year during September, hundreds of thousands of fairgoers flock to the grounds to compete in agricultural or livestock competitions, sell their wares, seek out thrills on the midway amusements, or learn more about the state and its resources. Whatever their motives, all fairgoers leave with a sense of fulfillment.

Kansas Wesleyan University

9781467125840

$24.99

On September 15, 1886, Kansas Wesleyan University opened its doors for the purpose of higher education. Through strategic plans and successful fundraising campaigns, the campus has grown and evolved remarkably over the past 130 years. The university has employed numerous skilled and passionate faculty members who mentored students toward academic success. As each academic year passes, the school marks notable achievements with pride in areas of academics and athletics as it also stays on the cutting edge of science and technology. Although Kansas Wesleyan has endured struggles, challenges have been promptly met with innovative leadership that laid the groundwork to propel the campus forward, demonstrating perseverance and resilience to craft a lasting legacy. As alumni expand throughout other communities, they carry the university with them. The images within this pictorial history illustrate the university's institutional history and the enduring Coyote spirit.

Lansing

9780738561929

$24.99

Founded by Civil War veteran William Lansing Taylor, Lansing is home to a population quickly approaching 11,000 residents. It is also home to the Lansing Correctional Facility (formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary), the oldest prison in Kansas. Designed by Erasmus Carr, architect of the Kansas State Capitol, the building has stood watch over the area for more than 140 years. As one will find, Lansing and the prison have grown together and mutually benefitted each other. Lansing is also home to Mount Muncie Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in the state. It is the resting place of several famous people, including Fred Harvey. The photographs in this book are glimpses into time of a small village with one-room schools to a bustling community with one of the busiest north-south highways in Kansas.

Lansing Correctional Facility

9781467112468

$24.99

Since 1868, the Lansing Correctional Facility (formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary) has stood watch over what would become the city of Lansing. Designed by Erasmus Carr, architect of the Kansas State Capitol, the prison is the oldest in Kansas. In the beginning, it housed male and female inmates from Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as inmates serving federal sentences. Today, the facility's population of minimum, medium, maximum, and special management custody offenders is approximately 2,400. Leavenworth County has also seen the addition of the United States Disciplinary Barracks, United States Penitentiary-Leavenworth, and Corrections Corporation of America-Leavenworth, making it the only county in the country to host a state, military, federal, and private prison. Images of America: Lansing Correctional Facility features photographs of the early days, when inmates were on the "silent system" and could not speak to one another, to more modern times when rehabilitation has become an important component of prison life.

Lawrence

9780738577999

$24.99

Stunned and grieving survivors stared into their burned-out town on the western frontier in the midst of the Civil War. William C. Quantrill's Missouri guerillas raided Lawrence, Kansas, on August 21, 1863, and killed 180 men and boys. Women lost husbands, children lost fathers, and fathers lost sons. Every one of the 2,500 residents lost either a loved one, a neighbor, or acquaintance. A few left town, but most survivors were determined to remain and remember; not to "wink out." Newcomers brought industry and innovation. The University of Kansas, 1866, and Haskell Institute, 1884 (now Haskell Indian Nations University), grew into major institutions.

Leavenworth

9781467126793

$24.99

On May 30, 1854, Pres. Franklin Pierce signed the hotly contested Kansas-Nebraska Act. Before the ink was dry, squatters settled on the 322-acre plot of land bounded by the Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation (to the north) and Three Mile Creek (to the south). From Bleeding Kansas to western expansion, many historical figures have called Leavenworth home, including Fred Harvey, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Wild Bill Hickok, to name but a few. The landscape is decorated with buildings and homes featuring a beauty and grandeur that have stood the test of time. Originally known as the "Queen City of the West," this metropolis would become one of the largest manufacturing cities in America, providing goods and services to markets all over the world. Historical churches, the Leavenworth VA Medical Center, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, and Leavenworth National Cemetery all contribute to the town's pioneering spirit that is second to none.

Liberal and Seward County

9780738582795

$24.99

From towns like Liberal and Beer City to Kismet and Arkalon, Seward County has been the home of a tough, yet imaginative, people. Seymour Rogers, who homesteaded in the southern portion of the county, hand-dug a well and provided travelers with free water. Before long, the "liberal well" became the town of Liberal. The late 1880s saw settlers making their way to southwest Kansas to claim their 160 acres and hopefully fulfill their dreams. Farmers, ranchers, newspaper editors, shopkeepers, and a few ne'er-do-wells populated Seward County. Liberal became the county seat after a battle between what are now the ghost towns of Fargo Springs and Springfield. Horrific dust storms, grinding depressions, blizzards, and droughts tested the pioneers. Those that stayed were eventually rewarded by returning rains, the discovery of oil and gas, and the construction of a B-24 Army Air Base. With a spirit borne of those sturdy pioneers, the people of Liberal and Seward County have come a long way.

Marshall County

9781467113014

$24.99

The Oregon-California Trail carried more than 100,000 settlers west over the prairies of the future state of Kansas in the mid-1800s. Pioneers and Pony Express riders crossed the Big Blue River at Independence Crossing or at Frank Marshall's ferry near present-day Marysville. In 1846, members of the Donner Party discovered and named Alcove Spring, now one of 20 county sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Kansas Territorial Legislature established Marshall County in 1855. After the Civil War, rich soil and abundant water attracted farmers, and its location attracted railroads and industry. Today, the same occupations still sustain the 16 towns and villages. As the "Gateway to the Flint Hills," the county's rolling hills are dotted with picturesque prairie, woods, limestone outcrops, rivers, and creeks. Even though the county is a crossroads for modern highways US 36 and US 77, pioneer wagon ruts are still visible in Marshall County.

McConnell Air Force Base

9780738561837

$24.99

Beginning from its earliest days as an empty parcel of pasture that became a major hub airport for transcontinental air travel to its present use as the busiest refueling operation in the U.S. Air Force, the slice of land known as McConnell Air Force Base is inextricably connected to aviation to nearly the dawn of manned flight. Its military history began in 1941 with the arrival of the Air National Guard, and the base grew to a multifaceted operation that extends air power globally through intelligence and air refueling missions performed by its three partner units: the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, the 184th Intelligence Wing, and the 931st Air Refueling Group. This book offers a glimpse into the military history of McConnell Air Force Base through many rarely seen or previously unpublished images drawn primarily from the repository of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing Office of History and the Kansas Aviation Museum.