Explore Kansas Stories
Voices and Votes: The 43 Naked Voters of 1858
In 1858, a group of Franklin County Free Staters were so determined to cast their ballots against the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution that they let nothing –not even a high creek or lack of clothing– get in their way.
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Nature
Dam It! The Story of Melvern Lake
The construction of Melvern Lake and Dam saved millions of dollars of flood damage in Osage County, but it also uprooted families and farms. An oral history project captures the stories.
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Places
Story Retellings in Medicine Lodge
Old stories become new in Medicine Lodge.
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People
Voices and Votes: Edward P. McCabe, Political Pioneer
Edward P. McCabe of Nicodemus became the first African American to hold statewide office when he was elected state auditor in the 1880s.
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Places
On the Trail of Black History
Geary County project shares stories of Black experience in Kansas.
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Voices and Votes: Respectfully, W.B. Masterson
Bat Masterson’s election to Ford County sheriff by three votes shows that ballots, not bullets, shaped the frontier politics of the Wild West.
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Voices and Votes: The Fight for Indigenous Voting Rights
Bat Masterson’s election to Ford County sheriff by three votes shows that ballots, not bullets, shaped the frontier politics of the Wild West.
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Voices and Votes: "The Most American Thing in America"
Bat Masterson’s election to Ford County sheriff by three votes shows that ballots, not bullets, shaped the frontier politics of the Wild West.
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Voices and Votes: Out of the Mud
Bat Masterson’s election to Ford County sheriff by three votes shows that ballots, not bullets, shaped the frontier politics of the Wild West.
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Big Idea: Beyond Brown: Mexican Struggles for Equality in Kansas
Bat Masterson’s election to Ford County sheriff by three votes shows that ballots, not bullets, shaped the frontier politics of the Wild West.
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From Then to Now: A Student History of Haskell Indian Nations University
Bat Masterson’s election to Ford County sheriff by three votes shows that ballots, not bullets, shaped the frontier politics of the Wild West.
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Magic, Mystics, and Murder
Bat Masterson’s election to Ford County sheriff by three votes shows that ballots, not bullets, shaped the frontier politics of the Wild West.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: Stories of Resilience and Determination: African American Genealogy Research in Kansas
Sherri Camp, genealogy librarian and author, explores the unique challenge of African American genealogy research in Kansas.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: Harriet Tubman, Freedom's Conductor
Dr. Kim Warren discusses Harriet Tubman's life and impact.
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People
Kansas 1972: Voices of Vietnam Veterans
This episode features stories from Kansans who served in the Vietnam War during the early 1970s and how their services affects their lives today.
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Places
Kansas 1972: Rattlebone Hollow
Founded by Exodusters in the late 1800s, Rattlebone Hollow was a thriving African-American community in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1972, the federal government built a landfill in the neighborhood.
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Kansas 1972: Uprooted
Urban renewal comes to Kansas in 1972 and irrevocably alters historic communities. One woman leads a movement to save a historic Wichita church.
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