1/29/2012
By GARY DEMUTH Salina Journal
Did you know the sunflower, the official state flower of Kansas, once was considered a troublesome weed?

Or that the microchip was invented by a Great Bend man?

How about the term "What would Jesus do?" Did you know it originated from the pulpit of a Topeka church?

On Jan. 29, 1861, Kansas became the 34th state in the United States of America. Today is Kansas Day, and in celebration of the 151st anniversary of statehood, the Salina Journal asked local teachers and historians to contribute their favorite fun facts and trivia about Kansas.

While some of these bits of information are documented historical fact, others are, as Salina South High School history teacher Jeff Harris put it, "Good stories, but not always historically accurate."

The first 'fast food'

From FRANCES GRANT

Eighth-grade history teacher and social studies department head at Lakewood Middle School

* The state flower of Kansas wasn't always appreciated. In the late 1800s, the sunflower was declared a troublesome weed, and there was an attempt to clear it from the Kansas soil. But the flower proved too tough, and many began to appreciate its sunny beauty and resilience. In 1903, it became the official state flower of Kansas.

* In many ways, Fred Harvey invented "fast food." In the late 1800s, train travelers didn't have many choices for meals, but Fred Harvey caused a sensation when he opened his first Harvey House restaurant in the Topeka train depot. The speedy service and hot, tasty food created an entirely new approach to the restaurant business. It also introduced a waitressing staff of young women "of good moral character" who became known as the Harvey Girls.

* About four miles west of Lebanon there's a monument marking the center of the contiguous United States.

* Anytime you see someone using surveying equipment, they're taking measurements based on a Kansas location. The Geodetic Center was placed in 1891 just southeast of Osborne. It's the initial point upon which all North American surveys and maps are based.

* The Bloody Benders murders from Labette County took place in southeast Kansas during a span of less than two years from 1871 to 1873. The four Bender family members settled in a sod house there, where they were considered odd and unfriendly. That was an understatement. They actually were a family of mass murderers.

When men riding along the road stopped by in response to a sign advertising food inside the house, they were placed at a table in front of a curtain. A family member hiding behind the curtain -- most notably the lovely Kate Bender -- would hit them in the head with a hammer, killing them. The family took their money and buried the unfortunate victim in their orchard.

Kansas border ruffians

From JEFF HARRIS

History teacher at Salina South High School

*CORONADO*

* A common historical misconception is that the Spanish conquistador Coronado actually built the "castle" on the hill at Coronado Heights, just north of Lindsborg. It was actually built during the Great Depression in the 1930s and was a federal Works Progress Administration project.

* The infamous "border ruffian," William Quantrill, didn't start out to be a political zealot. He actually taught school in Lawrence between 1859-60 before switching sides in the slavery debate and becoming a terrorist of the day. He rode into Lawrence with his "raiders" in 1863, massacring more than 180 men and boys and setting fire to the town.

* Of course there are the bizarre laws every state has, such as the one in Natoma where it is illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits.

* Charles Sheldon, author of the famous inspirational book "In His Steps," introduced the phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" in 1896 from the pulpit of the Central Congregational Church in Topeka.

* The name "Buffalo Bill" was shared by more than one person in the 1860s. The soon-to-be famous Buffalo Bill Cody supposedly had a contest with his rival, William Comstock, to settle the issue. Apparently, Cody killed 69 bison to Bill Comstock's 46 in an eight-hour shooting match to claim the official title (this supposedly occurred near Hays).

Microchips and Slurpees

From ANITA SPECHT

History Department chairwoman at Kansas Wesleyan University

* Kansans have invented many useful things Americans use every day. Mentholatum ointment was invented by Alexander Hyde, Wichita; fly swatters by Frank Rose, Weir City; the microchip by Jack Kilby, Great Bend; and Slurpees (and Icees) made with technology invented by Omar Knedlik, Coffeyville.

* The first black woman lawyer was believed to be Lutie Lytle of Topeka, who got her legal credentials in 1897.

* Dr. Samuel Crumbine was Kansas' first full-time state public health officer. Because of his research on bacterial contamination in water supplies, he pushed for laws to prevent the dumping of raw sewage into rivers and streams. These laws were passed in 1907.

* Kansas was the first state to hold a referendum on women's suffrage. In 1868, Kansas men denied a constitutional amendment that would have given Kansas women the right to vote. Women's suffrage finally passed in 1912, seven years ahead of the amendment to the national constitution.

* A hundred years ago, one of the most famous men in America was Frederick Funston, an Iola native. He was an arctic explorer, the man who captured Emilio Aguinaldo and ended the Philippine insurrection in 1901, and led relief efforts for victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

A woman holds state office

From JUDY LILLY

Kansas and Salinan historian

* Salina was the first town established in Saline County in 1858. The second? Brookville, which got its start as a railroad town, was established in 1869.

* By 1930, five Salina mills processed enough flour to make the city fourth in the nation as a flour-producing center. These mills were Shellabarger Mill, Robinson Milling Company, H.D. Lee Milling Company, Weber Flour Mill and Western Star Mill.

* Before it was U.S. Highway 81, this national road through the middle of Kansas was known as the Meridian Highway. Salina businessman Winfield W. Watson served as the first president of the Kansas division of the highway.

* Lizzie Wooster was the first woman to win a state office in Kansas. The Salina attorney ran successfully for state superintendent of instruction in 1918.

* Braniff Airlines has a major connection with Salina. Tom Braniff was born in Salina in 1883, but his family left the area when Tom was still a boy.

He saved Old Hickory

From FRANK PEKAREK

Local historian and president of the Salina Civil War Roundtable

* Sen. Edmund Ross of Kansas cast the deciding vote that saved President Andrew Johnson from being impeached in 1868.

* After the Civil War ended, many Union veterans settled with their families in Kansas. So many, the state became known as "The Veteran's State."

* "Beecher's Bibles," sent to anti-slavery settlers in Lawrence in 1855, were not Bibles at all, but rifles.

* Abraham Lincoln's only visit to Kansas was in 1860 when he was invited to Fort Leavenworth by its commander. Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery also is one of the first 12 national cemeteries established by Lincoln on July 17, 1862, and now contains more than 30,500 graves of veterans and dependents.

* When the mother of Dwight D. Eisenhower, an Abilene native, was complimented by a reporter on the achievements of her son, she responded with, "Which one?" (She had five sons.)

Make our's pepperoni

From PAULA WILTON

History teacher at St. John's Military School

* Kansas was home to many American Indian tribes, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Delaware, Kansa (now Kaw), Osage, Jicarilla Apache, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Pawnee, Wichita and Wyandotte.

* At one time, Kansas was home to many legendary lawmen, including Wyatt Earp (Dodge City), Wild Bill Hickok (Fort Riley, Hays, Abilene) and Bat Masterson (Dodge City).

* The Oregon Trail, considered the "pathway to the West" and the longest overland trail in North America, stretched from Independence, Mo., across northeast Kansas and then west to Oregon City, Ore. Beginning around 1843 and for a 25-year-span, more than 50,000 pioneers went west using the Oregon Trail.

* Lincoln County was named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln.

* Pizza Hut, one of the most famous restaurant chains in the U.S., originated in Wichita. On June 15, 1958, two Wichita State University students, brothers Frank and Dan Carney, opened the first Pizza Hut in a 1,077-square-foot brick building at the corner of Kellogg and Bluff. The building now sits on the WSU campus.

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by email at gdemuth@salina.com.

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