Kansas Links

Kansas farmscape - photo by Dave Leiker

Kansas

This collection of links may help you learn more about Kansas, or help charm you into moving, if you're considering relocating to Emporia.

The Emporia Gazette - a Pulitzer Prize-winning family-owned newspaper which carries my Flyover People column.

Kansas Public Radio - KPR comes to us from the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence. Kansas Public Radio won the Kansas Association of Broadcasters 'Station of the Year' seven consective years. Listen to NPR as well as local news and locally-programmed classical music. KPR music programs include "Trail Mix," "Opera is my Hobby" and "Retro Cocktail Hour."
 

Kansas Explorers Club - a group dedicated to the exploration and appreciation of Kansas.

Kansas Tourism - Just say 'Ah.' A comprehensive site for things to see and do in Kansas. Search this site by city or region, by event or topic of interest (adventure, golf courses, restaurants, etc.)

Kansas Scenic Byways - Kansas has six scenic byways. See them all: Flint Hills, Frontier Military, Glacial Hills, Gypsum Hills, Post Rock, Smoky Valley.

Kansas Heritage Tours - follow history through Kansas. A part of the Kansas Historical Society web site.

Backroads Touring-Kansas  - for the off-highway motorcycle rider. This site includes many photos taken from the minimally-maintained,seldom-traveled dirt roads (paths) in the state.

Kansas State Parks - Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks page. State lakes and parks. Includes hunting, fishing and boating information.

Roadside Kansas- part of the Roadside America site. Lists some of the quirky things to see in Kansas.

Kansas Department of Transportation - check for up-to-date road conditions involving weather and construction.

Harland J. Schuster - great Kansas photos. Another popular site of his which includes handy search capabilities is: www.kansasphototour.com
  

Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses- a valuable resource created by Mike Haddock of K-State with more than 1600 identification photos.

Don Palmer has taken hundreds of beautiful photos at Kansas Flint Hills.

Kansas Photos - A visit to the central plains

Kansas photo essays - Carol Yoho's photography. A well-designed site with a vast collection of Kansas scenes.

Natural Kansas -  a great site with tours and trails, birds and wildflowers, events and links.

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks - Hunting, fishing, boating, state parks, etc.

GeoKansas - Kansas geology: images, places, fossils, and more.

Blue Skyways - part of the Kansas State Library. Information and links to libraries and communities.

Kansas on the Net - John and Susan Howell's site which has dozens of Kansas links-- to towns, counties, museums, colleges, restaurants. They've recently started a newspaper, Kansas Traveler

Kansas Historical Society - this incredible site has hundreds of information-filled pages. I've spent hours here. And check out the KSHS' newest state historic site, "Red Rocks," the home of William Allen White.

Kansas History Online - A fun new site: "Our approach combines scholarly methodology with magazine-style journalism. The result will be an extensive collection of articles ultimately covering all of the noteworthy people, places, and moments in the history of the Sunflower State." 
 

Louis Copt - paints Kansas landscapes, many of the Flint Hills. An exhibit in Manhattan this spring was called "Conversations with Earth and Sky." Louis and Stan Herd painted the "Springtime in the Flint Hills" mural at 6th and Merchant in Emporia.


Springtime in the Flint Hills by Louis Copt and Stan Herd

Stan Herd - is a prolific mural painter in Kansas. And a prolific crop artist. Among his earthworks is a portrait of Amelia Earhart on an acre of land in Atchison. Stan also created Prairiehenge on the Red Buffalo Ranch near Sedan. Also check out the aerial section of Jon Blumb's site (see below) for photgraphs of Stan Herd and his creations.
 

Jon Blumb - Jon is a versatile and widely published Lawrence based photographer. 
  

J. Souther Photography Online - contains expressive, beautifully executed photos of Kansas ghost towns, panoramas, arena roping and more.
 

The Garden of Eden - This site is an introduction to the peculiar work of S. P. Dinsmoor. 
  

Ride Into History - Joyce Thierer and Ann Birney operate this historical performance touring troupe featuring character portrayals such as Calamity Jane and Amelia Earhart.

Plainsfolk - writings by Jim Hoy and Tom Isern describing life, past and present, on the Great Plains. In 2004, Jim Hoy was inducted into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame as a historian. Hoy teaches at Emporia State University; Isern at North Dakota State University.

Kansas Cattle Towns - Attractions and events in the western towns of Abilene, Caldwell, Dodge City, Ellsworth, Newton and Wichita.

PawneeRock.org - Pawnee Rock is in Barton County, smack-dab in the middle of the state and this town (pop. 356) .
 

Kansas Prairie - a deep affection for land and community comes through in Peg Britton's Web site. Based in Ellsworth, she highlights that region of Kansas. In her blog, Peg shares the daily goings-on in a Kansas town.
 

Surface & Surface Photography - Photography from the Flint Hills and Kansas prairies by Anna and Preston Surface.

Tallgrass Prairie National Park - on K-177, a few miles north of US-50 and Strong City. Here you'll find 10,894 acres of the beautiful Flint Hills. A place to experience the wonder and expanse of the Tallgrass Prairie. Walk the trails, tour the huge 3-story limestone barn and the 1881 stone farmhouse.

Sunflower Journeys - a public television program produced by KTWU in Topeka. The show highlights people, places, and various aspects of Kansas. Always worth watching.

Kansas Humanities Council - sponsors and promotes humanities programs across the state.

Kansas Arts Commission - promotes awareness and outreach of the arts across the state.

Artists in Kansas - Kansas Art events, exhibits, and artists. Galleries, museums, art centers.

Grassroots Art Center - a collection of unusual art by Kansans. It's not fine art or folk art; it's cement and broken bottles and pull-tabs from beer cans. It's Barbie dolls with an alien makeover - "Rebarbs." The Grassroots Arts Center is interesting. It's peculiar. It's in Lucas, Kansas (a few blocks away from "The Garden of Eden.")

Janet C. Fish Intuitive Art - The site has a gallery of handmade "inuitive art dolls" and information about the city of Madison. A selection of Janet's work is on display in the Grassroots Art Center in Lucas.

Discover Kansas Arts - find the artsy spots in Kansas. The arts locator on this site allows you to find museums, festivals, galleries, performance arts events by city, by region, by highway. An events calendar shows what's going on by regions.

Flint Hills Genealogical Society - an excellent resource, full of links to Lyon County history-- everything from pioneer stories to local cemetery information to a list of residents who had contagious diseases between 1892-1902.

Lyon County Historical Society - a well-done site which includes pages about the Howe House, local Black History, as well as exhibits that can be seen in the Lyon County Historical Museum.

Credits: This list was prepared by Cheryl Unruh and Dave Leiker