KANSAS, the 21st State admitted into the Union, has been an important pivot in Ameri can history for more than half a century. The activities and achievements incident to its for mation and development caused George Ban croft, the historian, to designate Kansas as athe miracle of the age.* Exclusive of Alaska, and the island possessions recently acquired, Kansas is the geographical centre of the United States, which fact inspired Senator Ingalls' characteristic simile: °Kansas is the navel of the Nation.* The name of the State is derived from the Sioux Indian word °Kanza,* mean ing °swift wind* or "smoky wind,* the latter significance being associated with an early period when prairie fires raged over the plains. In the beginning Kansas was referred to as the °Sunflower State,* on account of the rank growth of that plant on the unbroken sod, but thi5 distinction no longer applies because the sunflower is now a cultivated rather than a voluntary proiluct. Another designation is the °Jayhawker State.* derived from a marauding bird indigenous to the locality. This nickname is perpetuated in the college yell of the Uni versity of Kansas, The motto of the State is Ad Astra per Aspera, and its meaning exemplifies the State's history = °Through difficulties to the stars.* The State is situated in latitude to 40° N., long. 94° 40' to 102° W.; is bounded on the north by Nebraska, on the northeast and east by Mis souri, on the south by Oklahoma, and on the west by Colorado.
Topography.—Although a part of the great plains which form the eastern slope 6f the Rocky Mountains, the physical character of the Kansas country is best described as rolling prairie. There are no mountains, and no marshes. The altitude varies from 750 feet in the eastern to 4,000 feet in the western part of the State. The bulk of the land is tillable, but crops are uncertain in the western third of the State on account of deficient rainfall. In this deficient area the vast stretches of prairie are largely used for grazing purposes. The rivers are the Kansas, Arkansas, Republican, Smoky Hill, Solomon, Saline, Neosho and Verdigris — none of them navigable. There are numerous smaller streams, giving abundant water and drainage in the eastern two-thirds of the State.
The land area comprises 82,080 square miles (52,531,200 acres), extending 408 miles from east to west and 207 miles from north to south.
The climate is mild, the great proportion of the days being fair and sunny. In summer the temperature ranges from 80' to 100°, with cool nights, and dry, pure air. In winter it rarely falls below zero. The vio lent winds of winter and spring, known to the early settlers, have been greatly mitigated by the cultivation of the soil and the planting of trees.
Mineral Resources.— These consist prin cipally of coal, zinc, lead, natural gas, petro leum, cement and gypsum. With the exception of the three last-named commodities the mining industry is chiefly located in the southeast corner of the State, embracing the counties of Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Bourbon, Mont gomery, Chautauqua, Neosho and Allen. Ex tensive mines of coal are also found in Leaven worth and Osage counties. The principal salt mines are in Reno County, and there are limited mines in Ellsworth, Harper, Kingman and Rice counties. Building stone of excellent quality is found in various parts of the State. Under lying the surface of Kansas are the three com mon formations known as the Carboniferous, Triassic and Cretaceous systems, running from north to south, and dividing, the State into three belts of nearly equal extent. In the year 1914 the values of the mineral products of Kansas were: Coal, $11,238,253; brick and tile, $1,905,961; salt, $924,550; stone, $825,607; lead, $194,043; zinc, $2,338,796; gypsum, $308,308; cement, $3,180,669; natural gas, $3,340,025; pe troleum, $2,433,074; total, $26,689,286.
Kansas now ranks ninth among the States in the production of petroleum, her output for 1916 being estimated at 7,500,000 barrels. New fields recently developed in Butler County have a daily capacity of more than 35,000 barrels, from upward of 600 producing wells. Addi tional development is in progress in other parts of the State, both in oil and gas. At the close of the year 1916 there were more than 3,500 wells in active operation and fully 300,000 acres of oil lands under lease.