Kansas
Kansas, the Sunflower State (also known as the Jayhawker State and Wheat State), became a state in 1861 and played a critical role in the Civil War and frontier history as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, an international commercial trail that cut through the State from 1821-1880 and opened the west and cattlemen drove their herds from the west to the markets in Dodge City and Abilene. Because of its importance in westward expansion, historians find Kansas an interesting vacation destination where they like to visit each of its distinct regions, Wooded Hills in the east, Tallgrass Prairie in its center, and High Plains in the western part of the state, have rich heritages that require exploring. In the High Plains, visitors can visit the following historic sites: Cottonwood Ranch, Fort Hays, and Pawnee Rock. These historic sites depict its ranching, frontier, and Native American pasts. In the southwest region of the State, tourists can visit the Cimarron National Grasslands to learn about the original vegetation of the high plains where the bison roamed. Agri-tourist can study the various types of farming on the plains, prairies, and hills of eastern Kansas. The Tallgrass Prairie has several major cities worth visiting: Salina, Hutchinson, Abilene, Manhattan, and Wichita. Historians and archaeologists can explore the pre-historic Indian museum near Salina, late President Eisenhower's Home and Museum in Abilene, and first territorial capital near Manhattan. In Hutchinson, tourists can leave the past and leap into the future at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center or venture into the sand hills. The Wooded Hills Region of eastern Kansas has an abundance of rolling hills, lakes, and rivers, including the Missouri River in the northeastern corner for water sports, fishing, camping, hiking, horseback riding, boating, and hunting. It is the home of the Little House on the Prairie Museum. Emporia, Topeka, Independence, Leavenworth, and Kansas City are the major communities in eastern Kansas. Visitors to Kansas can follow the scenic highways from one of these cities to the other, visiting the quaint farming communities, tasting regional cuisine, including great steaks, and exploring the interesting museums along the way. Educational and constitutional historians visit Topeka, the site of the precedent setting Brown versus the Board of Education case. Some of the other interesting museums in Kansas include the Antique Doll Museum in Abilene, Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Hopalong Cassidy Cowboy Museum in Benton, Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, and the Carrie Nation House in Medicine Lodge. Almost every town in Kansas has a museum to share its history.
Kansas communities also host interesting festivals:
The Santa Fe National Historic Trail is designated by the National Park Service as an historic site commemorating the Santa Fe Trail. From 1821 through 1880, the Santa Fe Trail which winds through Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico was the main trail that served the military, pioneers, and commercial adventures who lead the western expansion. Following the Santa Fe Trail can be a historian's outdoor adventure vacation with a purpose. Whether traveling by car and taking a road trip, hiking on foot, camping along the way, or doing it the "old fashion way" on horseback, a trip on the Santa Fe Trail is a scenic and interesting trip
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