A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-03,04-07....Kansas ~ "The Sunflower State"

October 3, 2007 | Billie

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 200,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

Kansas became the 34th state in the USA on January 29, 1861. The original Free State, Kansas was founded to express the principle of equality, and, later, the birthplace of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

The capitol of Kansas is Topeka. The Kansas Capitol was constructed over a period of 37 years, from 1866 to 1903. The Capitol currently houses the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Revisor of Statutes; the Kansas House and Senate chambers, legislative offices and administrative staff; the Capitol press corps; and the Kansas State Library.

Principal crops grown in Kansas are wheat, sorghum (milo), hay, and corn. Approximately 10 million bushels of wheat are harvested each year in Kansas. Reno, Sumner, and Thomas counties lead the state in wheat production. At least 90% of the land area in Kansas (47 million acres) is devoted to agriculture production. Kansas ranks first in the number of commercial cattle processed with 8.03 million head (1999). Buffalo have made a comeback in Kansas with more than 6,000 head raised on ranches and refuges.

The Sunflower State has also produced more than its share of heroes who have taken their places in history.

Robert J. Dole ~~ "I am proof that you can be from a small town without a lot of material advantages and still succeed. If I have had any success, it is because of the people here."

Two towns remain close to the heart of Bob Dole – Russell, his hometown, and Lawrence, site of the imposing Dole Institute of Politics on the University of Kansas (KU) campus. The presidential candidate, war hero, former Senator and great Republican leader was born in 1923 in Russell, a western Kansas oil town that was founded as a railroad water stop. Like the community, the Dole family scratched through hard times. Dole's mother, Bina, sold sewing machines door-to-door and his father, Doran, had an egg-and-cream stand. Bob Dole is remembered as an all-American boy and star athlete. You can drive by the simple family home where he grew up and still stays when he returns to his hometown.

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Amelia Earhart ~~ "Please know that I am aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be a challenge to others."

Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart helped put her hometown, Atchison, on the map. Nearly 70 years ago, the whole nation was enthralled by the flier's exploits: first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean; first woman to make the crossing solo; first aviator to fly from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. When she disappeared in 1937 on a round-the-world flight, the entire country grieved.

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Dwight D. Eisenhower ~~ "I have found out in later years that we were very poor, but the glory of America is that we didn't know it then."

When Dwight David (Ike) Eisenhower was a boy playing in the streets of Abilene, the community (90 miles west of Topeka) was a few years past its heyday as a rowdy Chisholm Trail cattle town. Wealth spawned by 3 million cattle shipped east from Abilene had paid for grand homes such as the Lebold Mansion, which visitors can tour. But the Eisenhowers didn't live in one of those palaces. In their small, tidy white frame house, warm-hearted Ida and her stern husband, David, a creamery manager, raised six strapping, achieving sons. One of those boys, Ike, boarded a train at the Union Pacific Depot downtown in 1911 and headed for West Point and, ultimately, a famed military career and the presidency.




John Brown ~~ Born in Connecticut in 1800; came to Kansas at age 55. Played a significant abolitionist role during "Bleeding Kansas" years, leading several successful battles against pro-slavery forces.

Isaac Goodnow ~~ Emigrated to Kansas in 1855. Leader in the free-state movement. One of Manhattan's founders. Helped establish Bluemont College, which later became Kansas State University. Started Kansas State Teachers Association.

Carrie Nation ~~ Started a crusade in 1899 to close the local "joints" in Medicine Lodge. Launched a career of saloon-smashing in Kiowa in 1900. Arrested some 30 times from 1900 to 1910 for destroying saloons with axes.

Walter P. Chrysler ~~ Born in Wamego in 1875. Grew up in Ellis. Learned about machinery and repair in the Ellis Union Pacific shop. Founded Chrysler Corporation in 1924.

Gordon Parks ~~ Born near Fort Scott in 1912. Became the first African-American photographer to work at magazines like Life and Vogue, and the first to work for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration.

William Inge ~~ Born in Independence in 1913. Attended the University of Kansas before becoming a playwright. Won a Pulitzer Prize for Picnic. Won an Academy Award for the original screenplay for Splendor in the Grass.

Wheat fields, oil-well derricks, herds of cattle, and grain-storage elevators are chief features of the Kansas landscape. A leading wheat-growing state, Kansas also raises corn, sorghum, oats, barley, soybeans, and potatoes. Kansas stands high in petroleum production and mines zinc, coal, salt, and lead. It is also the nation's leading producer of helium.

What makes Kansas a place where the wide-open spaces let people dream and make big things happen? These are a few of the things:

Geological Formations ~ Kansas was once the bed of a huge inland sea and vast deposits of limestone exist throughout the state. Monument Rocks and Castle Rock, both chalk formations, tower over the surrounding plains in Gove County. In and around Gove County, historically significant fossils have been unearthed with many on display at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays. The most significant is the “fish within a fish” fossil.

Hills/Prairies ~ The Smoky Hills are rugged limestone hills in central Kansas. The Flint Hills, in east central Kansas, cover several million acres of undulating, virtually treeless prairie and are also the largest segment of true tallgrass prairie remaining in the U.S. The Gypsum Hills in south central Kansas provide a panorama of buttes and mesas.

Seasons ~ All four seasons are experienced in Kansas. Statewide, the average annual temperature is 55 degrees. The average rainfall is 26.5 inches statewide; however, precipitation decreases as you travel west. The average in southeast Kansas is 45 inches annually, while the western border averages just 15 inches of rain.

Points of interest include the Kansas History Center at Topeka, the Eisenhower boyhood home and the new Eisenhower Memorial Museum and Presidential Library at Abilene, John Brown's cabin at Osawatomie, recreated Front Street in Dodge City, Fort Larned (once the most important military post on the Santa Fe Trail), and Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley.

The Wichita County Courthouse was built in 1916. The beautiful sculpture of Leoti, Prairie Flower, can be admired in the foreground of the Courthouse Square.

You can learn so much more about the rich history that is Kansas by clicking on the link below, which will take you to many more historical sites: The History of Kansas

• The first woman mayor in the United States was Susan Madora Salter. She was elected to office in Argonia in 1887.
  
  
• In 1990 Kansas wheat farmers produced enough wheat to make 33 billion loaves of bread, or enough to provide each person on earth with 6 loaves.
  
  
• "Kansas" originates from a Sioux word meaning “people of the south wind.”
  
  
• Barton County is the only Kansas County that is named for a woman; the famous volunteer Civil War nurse Clara Barton.
  
  
• Wichita is one of the nation's leading aircraft-manufacturing centers, ranking first in production of private aircraft. Kansas City is an important transportation, milling, and meat-packing center.

• Few American universities have as much basketball in their DNA as Kansas. The game's inventor, Dr. James Naismith, became the school's first basketball coach in 1898.
  
  
• Both Bob Dole and Wilt Chamberlain attended the University of Kansas.

Information, photographs, and my inspiration
were found at some of the following websites:

History Web Sites - Links
History, Geography, State Facts
Travel and Tourism
Study in Kansas

Hold your mouse over the ruby slippers. :)

03-27-07 ~ Hall of Fame #19 ~ Final

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 10-02,02-07 MilitaryTribute

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Billie]

[Billie]

[Billie]

Bedtime - will be back later in the morning. Nite!

[Just Lori]

Ah, Kansas. I don’t miss it one bit! =)

[Mama_Bear]

Wow, Billie.....just WOW!! You have actually made me want to visit Kansas, and that is saying something. And you have definitely spurred my interest in tackling Kentucky, Montana and Illinois.

Thanks for the cyber-trip to Kansas.........it's kind of nice having someone else drive the bus. ;-)

I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to see what I can add to the thread. (((((((Billie)))))))

BTW, your state map is really impressive, with each profiled state linked to it's respective thread!

[The Mayor]

October 3, 2007

Cracked Lenses

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READ: Psalm 141

My eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not leave my soul destitute. —Psalm 141:8

I started wearing glasses when I was 10 years old. They are still a necessity because my 50-something eyes are losing their battle against time. When I was younger, I thought glasses were a nuisance—especially when playing sports. Once, the lenses of my glasses got cracked while I was playing softball. It took several weeks to get them replaced. In the meantime, I saw everything in a skewed and distorted way.

In life, pain often functions like cracked lenses. It creates within us a conflict between what we experience and what we believe. Pain can give us a badly distorted perspective on life—and on God. In those times, we need our God to provide us with new lenses to help us see clearly again. That clarity of sight usually begins when we turn our eyes upon the Lord. The psalmist encouraged us to do this: "My eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not leave my soul destitute" (141:8). Seeing God clearly can help us see life’s experiences more clearly.

As we turn our eyes to the Lord in times of pain and struggle, we will experience His comfort and hope in our daily lives. He will help us to see everything clearly again.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.  —Lemmel
© Renewal 1950 Singspiration, Inc.

Focusing on Christ puts everything in perspective.

Bible in One Year:   Isaiah 17-19; Ephesians 5:17-33

[jaycee]

Billie, beautiful picture! Haven’t had time to look at everything yet but will after breakfast, etc. I am sure it will be good~~~

[ConorMacNessa]

Great thread and Pledge, Billie! I spent a nice couple of days in Kansas some years back. Happy Warm and Fuzzy Wednesday!

[GodBlessUSA]

Magnificient thread, Billie!! That muffin recipe looks good :) I don't know if I can do a state after seeing your's and Mama_Bear's. LOL Just kidding.;) I'll give it a try. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

Good Morning :)
Wonderful scripture. Thanks!

[GodBlessUSA]

Good Morning Conor :)

[GodBlessUSA]

Good Morning Jaycee
Enjoy your breakfast ;)

[jaycee]

Billie, I have looked at all the opening parts and it is breathtaking! Beautiful, thanks! And now I will finish going through the rest. There will be things to click on to read and I will do that later!

[ConorMacNessa]

Good morning, GeeBee - how are you doing today?

[jaycee]

Thank you, Mr. Mayor for our daily bread!

[jaycee]

Good Morning, GeeBee, Conor, Billie! Breakfast was good~~~

[GodBlessUSA]

I’m doing pretty good. Thanks :) How are you? It’s a bit humid again today. I’ve been enjoying the cool fall weather. I hope this breaks by evening. :)

[ConorMacNessa]

Doing great thanks - it was like a steam bath outside this morning.

[MEG33]

Good Morning Everyone

I am enjoying Billie's beautiful and informative
presentation of Kansas today!

[jaycee]

Computer too slow...back later!