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On this day – Kansas became our 34th state

January 29, 2025

|Recurring Event (See all)

An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 29 of January, repeating indefinitely

On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as our 34th state.

Kansas’s statehood came with much controversy – its statehood was proposed under the policy of “popular sovereignty” which meant that the territory’s residents were to vote on the legality of slavery in the new state. With tensions over slavery high nationwide, nonresidents poured into the territory to vote and clashed with each other, giving the event its name of “Bleeding Kansas.”

Did you know? Kansas is home to the exact center of the continental US and is the top wheat-producing state in the country. The state is also a key setting in such beloved children’s books as Little House on the Prairie and The Wizard of Oz.

What’s in a name? “Kansas” derives from the name of the local Kansa tribe. It roughly translates to “wind people.” Considered one of the windiest states in the nation, Kansas lives up to its name.

 

Spring Shower (Western Kansas Landscape), John Steuart Curry, 1931

-Written by Anna Zemaitaitis, Communications and Design Officer

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Date:
January 29, 2025
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