HISTORY OF KANSAS.
 

INTRODUCTORY
 

THE State of Kansas embraces within its boundaries the geograpliir m)
center of tlie Unitefl States, e.xcepling the remote and detached terri¬
tory of Alaslca. The middle parallel of latitude betAveen the southern
cape of Florida and the northern border of Washington Territory, antl
the dividing meridian of longitude midway between the extreme eastern
and western limits of tlie countr)' pass through the Stale, cutting it near
its middle north and south, and one degree south of its center east anti
west. The bisecting degree of latitude is 38- north; the parallel of longi¬
tude, 32° 30' west from Washington, the intersecting point being at the
northwest corner of Reno County.

Its boundaries are defined in the act admitting it as a State, as fol¬
lows: "Beginning at a point on the Avestern boundary of the State of Mis¬
souri, where the thirty-seventh parallel of north latitude crosses the same;
thence running west on said parallel to the twenty-flfth meridian of longi¬
tude, west from Washington; thence north, on said meiiditin to the
fortietli parallel of north latitude; thence east on said parallel to the Avest¬
ern boundary of the State of Missouri; thence south, with the western
bpundary of said State, to the ijlace of beginning." The State is 204
miles in width from north to south, and slightly exceeds 400 miles in
length from east to west. It contains an area of 81,318 square miles. It
is bounded on the north by the State of Nebraska; east, by the State of
Missouri; south by the Indian Territory; west by the State of Colorado.

The Territory of Kansas, formed by act of Congress May 30, 18.^4,
embraced, besides the area of the State above described, all the lands be
tween the parallels of 37° tind 40° north latitude, westward to the Rocky
Mountains, except that part of New Mexii^o lying north of the thirty-
seventh parallel. The whole area of the Territory including what is now
the State of Kansas, was 126,283 square miles.

It was, with the exception of a small tract, which will be noted
further on, a part of the Louisiana purchase made by President Jefferson
from France, April 30, 1803. By the terms of the treaty, France ceded to
the United States all the country drained by the Mississippi and its tribu¬
taries to which she had any right or title. The boundaries AA'ere ill defined,
touching on the south and southwest the Spanish-Mexican possessions,
and on the east the Spanish Province of West Florida. On the west shore
of the Mississippi it extended to its source, embraced all the Missouri Val¬
ley and Stretched north of the Spanish-American possessions, across the
Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and as far north on the Pacitic
Coast as the British possessions. For this vast domain the United States
paid France the sum of $15,000,000. The province of Louisiana thus at-
quired comprised 1,160,577 squari3 miles. Its boundaries on the west and
east were not definitely settled between this country and Spain till Feb.
22, 1819, at which time a treaty Avas made defining its western and eastern
boundaries, wherever contiguous to Spanish territory. The final adjust¬
ment is given in the Ninth United States Census Report, Vol. I, pp. 573-4,
as follows:

.April 30, isoil, by treaty with Franco the province of Louisiana was ceded. Its weslerii
boundary, ;is finally ;i(l.i(iste(l, Feb. 33, 1S19, by treaty with Spiiin, ran up the Sabine lti\er to
and along the seventeenth meriiliiin (Olth (iroenwicli). to and along the Keil River, to and
along the tweiity-lliixd. meridian ^lOOth Greenwielil, to and alon^the Arkansas River, to and
along tlie Rocky -Alountains, toiind alont; the t went y-iiluth meridian (lOGtli lireenwiclii, to and
along the I'ort.v-second parallel to the Pacific (leeaii. Its northern boundary was conformed
to the bouiulary established between th(* British pos.scssions and the United States. On the
east it was bouiuled by the .Ali.s,sissi|.pi Iliver u.s lar smith as the thirty-first parallel, where
different boundaries were claimed. The United States construed the eessi'.m of France to
include all the territory between the thirty-first par.allel and the Gulf ot Mexiei*, and be¬
tween the Rivers Mississippi and Ferdido, the latter of which is now the we,steru boundary
of the state of Florida. Under this eunstrtietion of the cession, the Province of I.,r'uisiaiia
is now eo\ ered by those portions of the Stales of -Alabama and Mississippi w liich lie soul li
of the thirty-l'n'st parallel; by the States of Louisiana, -Vrkaiisas, Alissimri, Iowa, Nebraska,
llreL-'on, Aliiiiie.sota, west of the ISIississippi, and Kansa.s [except the small portion thereMl',
soutli of the .Arkansa.s River ami west of the twenty-third meridian i Klitth Green wieh) J; by
the Territories of llakota, Montana, Idaho, AVashington, and that Icmiwn a.s the Indian
country ; and by the portion of the 'rorrilory of Colorado lying east of the itoeky Mnuntaius
and no'rtli of llie .Arkansas River, and all "f" the Territory of \V.\omin;; north of the forty-
second parallel and that portion of tlie Territory of Wyoming which is south of that paral¬
lel antl e.xst of the Uoeky .Alouulain.s. Ill isiK), however, the "I'rnvinee of Louisiana" had
been ceded hv Spain to i-'rance, Spain claiming that she ceded to Trance no territory east of
the Mississippi River cxcepl the " island of New Orleans," ami also contending that her prov¬
ince' of West I'Utrida iiieluded all of the territory south of the tliirty-fiis.t parallel and be¬
tween the I'l'rilido and Mississippi Kiwis, except the " Island of New Orleans." Uniler this
coiistructloii, the Pro\ iiice of i.ouusiana iueliKled on the east of the AILssissippi Ri\er, only
the territory bouiideelou tlie north and east bv the rivers iberville and .\iuete and bv tlie
lakes Maurepas ami rontehartmin.
 

Under the terms of the Spani.sli treaty of I'^l!', the Avestern boundary
was defined as above stated, and in consideration of the relinquishment
by the United States of her claims to Texas, Spain reded West Florida
(noAv Alabama and Mississippi) and relinquished to the United Slates all
claim to territory lying south of the thirty-first parallel and east of the Mis¬
sissippi River, Thus, that portion of Kansas lying wesl of the twenty-
third meridian and south of the Arkansas River Avas ceiled to Spain. On
the achievement of independence by Mexico in IS'M, it jiassed into the
possession of thai Republic. Texas, on gaining her independence in 1836,
claimed it as part of her domain, which claim Avas subsequently confirmed
by the treaty betAveen the United Slates and Mexico at the cliise of llic
war, February 22, 1848. It finally became a part of the (Tdvcrnment do¬
main by purchase, it being a part of the territory ceded to the United
States by Texas in 1850. that State receiving $10,000,000 as a consideration.

ITS N.VME.

The name—Kansas—is derived from the name of the domhiant trilie
of Indians found in the Territory when first visited b^' white men. They
Avere variously spoken of liy early explorers as Kanzas, Canceas. Cansez,
Kansez, Canzas, Canzes, Okanis, Kansies, Ciinses, (^anzon, Kanziin, Konza,
Konzas, Kasas, Kanzan, Kanzans and by other varied spellinirs, all having
a similar phonetic expressiim. From these have come the legal recogni¬
tion of the present orthography. EdAvard Everett Hale spelled it Kanzas,
instead of Kansas, "in preference," as he said at the time of the publiia
tion of his history—August 21, 1854—"to the mere fashionable spelling of
the few weeks past." He further says: "There is no doubt that the z best
expresses the sound, that it has been almost universally used till lately, and
that it is still used by those most familiar Avith the tribe and the river which
have, time immemorial, borne this name." Kau and Kaws are French
contractions of the above, and have been for a hundred years, more or
less, aceejited and used in designating the tribe and the river which still
flows through its ancient domain. It has never been adopted as desig¬
nating the Territory or State. Kansas is said to signify, in the lan-
guiige of the Kansas tribe, "smoky," and the South Fork of the Kansas
is still  knoAvn as Smoky Hill River.

THE  FACE  OF  THE  COUNTRY.

The face of the area of country embraced in the limits of Kansas is
neither level, like the alluvial prairies Ij'ing cast of the Mississippi, in Illi¬
nois and Indiana, nor mountainous, as farther Avcst. It is broken by slight
swells in the eastern part, being Avhat is termed rolling prairie. Farther
west, the undulations become more marked, in some parts breaking intu
quite abrupt hills of eonsiderable elevation. Exeeiiting .i narrow strip
along the Western border of the State and that section lying in the south¬
western corner, south of the Arkansas River, the soil. Iioth on the river
bottoms and upland prairies, is a fine, rich, black loam, varying in depth
from tAVO feet, on the high prairie lands, to more than fifty feet along the
alluvial river bottoms. Speaking of the soil along the river bottoms. Prof,
Mudge saA's:

The alluvium ami biiltom prairies are fmiiid in coiiiieetioii with all the streams and
rivers, and are s.) similar to tliose derM)sits in othe'r AVestern states that no des,ription is
neeessary. The thickness in the " butttoiis" varies from li\e tu fifty feel. In s,\,,ral niaees
in the Neosho A'alle.\. unaltered wood lias l.e.-n found, in sinking wells, at the Inlli-r (lejilli
The material on the surface is very rieli in veu'etabie matter, aini in many plaees furnishes
a fertile soil throughout its whole thieknes-. In some places ir is ei>iiip..-,-d of nuMlitieil
drift. -Vt the salt well in ilrown Couiily a nietainorijbie bowlder was loiind filty-t«i' leel
liehnv the surfaee.

Tills alluvium usually f'trms the richest s.,il in the stat., and in many ].laces for a
quarter of a century lias prodin-ed large crops of corn, without appao-nt exhaust ion, .\lonu
the valleys, in this deposit, are seen benches or terraees. usually tliiee, simwing wliere the
streams formerly Mowed at a hi^'her level. In many places, the old river lusls, uiore or lc^s
ancient, can thus III-traced, leaving a sandy deposit m a wet, marsiiy hollon- or slugnani
pond, faeetiodslydesii-'nated a lake. Lake Sibley, laireka and ^il\er Lakes are more niinlerii
abandoned ln-ds ol the adjoininii river.

The Bluff, or Loess a~ it is sometimes termed, shows somewhat in the
northeaslern part ot the Slate, along the banks of tlio Mi-souri, and west
Avard for nearly one hundred miles, when it  entirely dis:ip|iears. ^'iviiig
place to the loamy deposits aliovc deserilied.   Of thi- deposjl, I'rof. Mudge
gives the folloAviiig analytic desi ription:

The IxiCss is compo-esl of line sand ami lime, with some clay, usually of a ■. ,-ry uuifonu
eoiisisteney, and uuniixett willi coarse materials.    .\ little iion i"n it.s , .,inp--ilioii 'gives it a